31st October 1832

Buenos Ayres
A beautiful day: but the wind has been steadily against us. In the evening all the ropes were coated & fringed with Gossamer web. I caught some of the Aeronaut spiders, which must have come at least 60 miles: How inexplicable is the cause which induces these small insects, as it now appears in both hemispheres, to undertake their aerial excursions.

30th October 1832

Montevideo
We got under weigh early in the morning for Buenos Ayres, but a fresh breeze right in our teeth lasted the whole day; so that when we anchored at night, we had not made much progress.

29th October 1832

Montevideo
Walked round the fortifications; & entered the country through the gate by which the English took M: Video. The degree to which the ground near to the city is strewed with the bones of cattle & horses is truly astonishing & quite corresponds to the annual vast export of hides. In the evening dined with Mr Parry & met there Cap. Paget of the Samarang. Our old friend the Samarang came here a few weeks after we sailed to the South, the Druid having gone to England.

28th October 1832

Montevideo
Rode with Mr Hammond to dine with a friend of his who has an Estancia in the country. — The town is built on a promontory & for two or three miles behind it an irregular suburb extends. — It is in this neighbourhead alone, that the ground is enclosed. — On each side of us the hedges were composed of enormous Agaves & in the vacant places were large Cacti. — I have seldom seen anything more strange to an Europaean eye than the appearance which, from this cause, the fields presented. — The house of the gentleman (Mr Grenville) with whom we were going to dine, was situated in the open camp; but from the large orchards around surrounding it, the place had an unusually cheerful air. — In the garden Peaches, Quinces, Apples, Vines, Figs, Lemons & Oranges flourished with great luxuriance: the two latter formed most delightfully shady walks. Numerous Olive trees were in flower, these very much resemble the Ilex, their leaves are however narrower & longer. — After a very pleasant dinner we returned to the ship. — Mr Grenville is one of the few Englishmen who has served under the Brazilian flag & who is a gentleman. — He is of a poor but good family & was, as a very young man (amongst many others) enticed out by Lord Cochrane when he served the Chilians. Subsequently to this, Mr Grenville had the command of a large Brazilian frigate, & in it fought some gallant actions. — He is now married to a very pleasant, & what is very rare, domestic Spanish lady. — With her he got the Estancia, where he is now living.

27th October 1832

Monte Video
Went to the city to purchase some things:

26th October 1832

Monte Video
The day has been very cloudy: but what are clouds & gloom to those who have just heard from their friends at home. My letters from Shrewsbury are dated May 12th & June 28th. — Receiving letters unfits one for any occupation; so that I have done nothing but read the Newspapers; it is rather a laborious undertaking & to make it tolerable it requires the high interest of the present politicks of England.

25th October 1832

Bahia Blanca to Montevideo
A fair breeze, right aft; we have not for the last 24 hours gone less than 6 knots an hour. — It may sound strange, but it is necessary for a person to be some time in a ship, before he understands how to enjoy a favourable wind; it is something like the pleasure of riding fast, although with no particular end in view; & this pleasure must be solely derived from habit. — In the same manner, during a fair breeze nothing can be more delightful than the general cheerfulness which pervades the whole ship. —

24th October 1832

Bahia Blanca to Montevideo
The night was pitch dark, with a fresh breeze. — The sea from its extreme luminousness presented a wonderful & most beautiful appearance; every part of the water, which by day is seen as foam, glowed with a pale light. The vessel drove before her bows two billows of liquid phosphorus, & in her wake was a milky train. — As far as the eye reached, the crest of every wave was bright; & from the reflected light, the sky just above the horizon was not so utterly dark as the rest of the Heavens. — It was impossible to behold this plain of matter, as it were melted & consuming by heat, without being reminded of Milton's description of the regions of Chaos & Anarchy.

23rd October 1832

Bahia Blanca to Montevideo
The fog cleared away, only to disappoint us with an unfavourable breeze.

21st & 22nd October 1832

Bahia Blanca
During these two days it has been a thick fog, with light breezes: We are all getting anxious for the moment of receiving letters to arrive. Moreover, there is another substantial reason; our bread fails us on next Sunday, at present all hands are on a 2/3 allowance. The detainment from the Schooners is the cause of the miscalculation in the stores.

19th & 20th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
The Captain landed for half an hour at Monte Hermoso, (or Starvation point as we call it) to take observations. I went with him & had the good luck to obtain some well preserved fossil bones of two or three sorts of Gnawing animals. One of them must have much resembled the Agouti but it is smaller. We are now at night pressing on for the Rio Plata.

The wind is very light.

17th & 18th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
The Beagle & the two Schooners, forming a little fleet sailed together & anchored at night in the entrance of the Bay.

We continued to sound. At noon the Schooners made sail to the South; we gave them three hearty & true cheers for a farewell.

Captain Robert Fitzroy Journal:
No person who had only seen the Paz and Liebre in their former wretched condition, would easily have recognised them after being refitted, and having indeed almost a new equipment. Spars altered, and improved rigging, well-cut sails, fresh paint, and thorough cleanliness, had transformed the dirty sealing craft into smart little cock-boats: and as they sailed out of Port Belgrano with the Beagle, their appearance and behaviour were by no means discouraging.

At dusk, Lieutenant Wickham and his small party of venturous associates separated from us, and steered into False Bay. The Beagle anchored for the night, and next day pursued her route towards Monte Video, where she arrived on the 26th.

Syms Covington’s Journal:
We sailed October 17th.

16th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
Again I walked to Punta alta to look for fossil bones: on the road I crossed the track of a large herd of the Guanaco or American Camel. The marks were as large as a cow, but more cloven. We laid in a good stock of fresh provisions for sea; as 6 deer were shot & great numbers of fish caught.

13th, 14th & 15th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
On Sunday the Schooners came down from the creek & anchored alongside. Their appearance is much improved by their refit; but they look very small. "La Paz" is the largest, carrying 17 tuns; La Lievrè only 11.1/2. Between the two they have 15 souls. Mr Stokes & Mellersh are in La Paz; Mr Wickham & King in the other. They sail on Wednesday; I look forward to our separation with much regret; our society on board can ill afford to lose such very essential members. I am afraid the whole party will undergo many privations; the cabin in the smaller one is at present only 2 & 1/2 feet high! Their immediate business will be to survey South of B. Blanca: & at the end of next month we meet them at Rio Negro, in the bay of St Blas.

12th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
Today I walked much further within the country; but all to no use; every feature in the landscape remains the same. I found an Ostriches nest which contained 27 eggs. Each egg equals in weight 11 of a common hens; so that the quantity of food in this nest was actually the same as 297 hens eggs. We had some difficulty in getting on board; as there was a very fresh breeze right in our teeth.

11th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
Took a long walk in a straight line into the interior; uninteresting as the country is, we certainly see it in by far the best time. It is now the height of Spring; the birds are all laying their eggs & the flowers in full blossom. — In places the ground is covered with the pink flowers of a Wood Sorrell & a wild pea, & dwarf Geranium. — Even with this & a bright clear sky, the plain has a dreary monotomous (sic) aspect.

10th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
In the morning there was a fresh breeze, & I did not go on shore.

9th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
Stayed on board.

8th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
The Captain had bought from the Gaucho soldiers a large Puma or South American lion, & this morning it was killed for its skin. These animals are common in the Pampas, I have frequently seen their footsteps in my walks: it is said they will not attack a man; though they evidently are quite strong enough. The Gauchos secured this one; by first throwing the balls & entangling its front legs, they then lassoed or noosed him, when by riding round a bush & throwing other lasso's, he was soon lashed firm and secure.

After breakfast I walked to Punta Alta, the same place where I have before found fossils. I obtained a jaw bone which contained a tooth: by this I found out that it belongs to the great ante-diluvial animal the Megatherium. This is particularly interesting as the only specimens in Europe are in the Kings collection at Madrid, where for all purposes of science they are nearly as much hidden as if in their primaeval rock. I also caught a large snake, which at the time I knew to be venomous; but I find it equals in its poisonous qualities the Rattle snake. In its structure it is very curious, & marks the passage between the common venomous & the rattle snakes. Its tail is terminated by a hard oval point, & which, I observe, it vibrates as those possessed with a more perfect organ are known to do.

Captain Robert Fitzroy:
We next returned to the Wells, and while some assisted the outfit of Lieutenant Wickham's little vessels, others explored the upper parts of the port, quite to its end, and Mr. Darwin took advantage of the opportunity to make some of those interesting excursions which he describes in his volume. At this time there were no soldiers to watch us, neither was there any longer a suspicion of our character; for it appeared that an express had been sent off to Buenos Ayres, at our first arrival, giving an exaggerated and rather ludicrous account of our officers, instruments and guns—to which an answer had been immediately returned, desiring the commandant to afford us every facility in his power, and checking the old major rather sharply for his officious and unnecessary caution. Had we not been hastily treated in the roads of Buenos Ayres, when I went there to communicate with the Government, and obtain information, I should doubtless have carried with me orders, or a letter, to this commandant, which would have prevented a moment's suspicion: but, as it happened, no real delay was occasioned, and no person was much disturbed except the major, who fancied that our brass guns were disguised field-pieces, our instruments lately invented engines of extraordinary power, our numerous boats intended expressly for disembarking troops; and an assertion of mine, that any number of line-of-battle ships might enter the port, a sure indication that the Beagle was sent to find a passage for large ships: which would soon appear, and take possession of the country. Such was the substance of his communication to the Government at Buenos Ayres, and as he acted as secretary—(Rodriguez being a man of action rather than words)—he had free scope for his disturbed imagination. I shall not easily forget his countenance, when I first told him—thinking he would be glad to hear it—that there was a deep channel leading from Blanco Bay to the Guardia near Argentina, and that a line-of-battle ship could approach within gunshot of the place where I first met the commandant. He certainly thought himself almost taken prisoner; and I really believe that if he had been commanding officer, we should have been sent in chains to Buenos Ayres, or perhaps still worse treated. Fortunately, Rodriguez the commandant, being a brave man, and a gentleman, contemplated no such measures.

7th October 1832

Bahia Blanca
I walked to the creek, where the tents are pitched for preparing the Schooners, & slept there during the night. Wickham has established quite a comfortable little town: — An encampment in the open air always has something charming about it. Even a Gypsies hut in England makes me rather envious; but here, in the wide plain, the little establishment made quite a picture. This creek has been very useful for the vessels; the larger one is nearly ready for sea, & the other will be so in a few days.

5th & 6th October 2007

Bahia Blanca
Some of the men felt rather unwell, but none of us are made at all ill by it. The wind has been very light all day, & we have made little progress. We beat up the channel against a strong breeze & anchored at night in the old place opposite the well. The sand-hillock here is christened "Anchor-stock hill".

4th October 2007

Bahia Blanca
By the middle of the next day we were all on board the Beagle & most thoroughly after our little adventure did we enjoy its luxuries. In the evening we moved our anchorage and stood in towards our old place.

Captain Robert Fitzroy:
One of our party on shore (who is not likely to forget building a mark on Mount Hermoso) discovered many curious fossils in some low cliffs under the mount; and judging from what Mr. Darwin then found, future collectors may reap a rich harvest there, as well as at Point Alta.

3rd October 1832

Bahia Blanca
At day-break things wore a very bad appearance. The sky looked dirty & it blew a gale of wind; a heavy surf was roaring on the beach; & what was the worst of all the men thought this weather would last. The Beagle was pitching very deeply & we thought it not impossible she would be forced to slip cable & run out to sea. We afterwards heard she rode it out well, but that some of the seas went right over her, although having 120 fathoms of cable out. It was now time to look after our provisions: we breakfasted on some small birds & two gulls, & a large hawk which was found dead on the beach. Our dinner was not much better, as it consisted in a fish left by the tide & the bones of the meat, which we were determined to keep for the next day. In the evening however to our great joy & surprise the wind lulled & the Captain in his boat was able to come within some hundred yards of the coast; he threw over a cask with provisions which some of the men swam out to & secured. This was all very well; but against the cold at night there was no remedy. Nothing would break the wind, which was so cold that there was snow in the morning on the Sierra de Ventana. I never knew how painful cold could be. I was unable to sleep even for a minute from my body shivering so much. The men also who swam for the provisions suffered extremely, from not being able to get warm again.
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Captain Robert Fitzroy:
Directly it was possible to put a boat on the water, one was sent, with provisions secured in a cask which was thrown overboard at the back of the surf, and soon drifted ashore to the famishing party. This gale lasted several days, and proved to us not only how heavy a sea is thrown into this bight, by a south-east gale; but also, that the holding-ground is sufficiently good to enable a ship to withstand its effects.

2nd October 1832

Bahia Blanca
Early in the morning the Captain with a large party landed in the four whale-boats. Dinner for all hands was taken, as it was intended to work at the land-mark all day & return in the evening. King & I went in one direction to geologize & Mr Bynoe in another to shoot. During our walk I observed the wind had freshened & altered its point; but I paid no further attention to it. When we returned to the beach, we found two of the boats hauled up high & dry & the others gone on board. The Captain two hours previously had had some difficulty in getting off & now the line of white breakers clearly showed the impossibility. It was an unpleasant prospect, to pass the night with thin clothes on the bare ground; but it was unavoidable, so we made the best of it. Mr Stokes & Johnson were left in command & made what arrangements they could. At night no supper was served out; as we were 18 on shore & very little food left. We made a sort of tent or screen with the boats sails & prepared to pass the night. It was very cold, but by all huddling in a heap, we managed pretty well till the rain began, & then we were sufficiently miserable.

Captain Robert Fitzroy:
I went with the Beagle towards Blanco Bay; completed the examination of a narrow though deep channel, by which any ship may enter Port Belgrano, passed round the great north bank, and again anchored under Mount Hermoso. While some officers and men were on shore there, building a sea-mark on the mount, and otherwise employed for the survey, a gale of wind came on from S.E., which soon sent so heavy a sea into the roadstead near the mount, that the Beagle was obliged to strike topmasts and veer a long scope of cable upon two anchors, besides having another under foot. Unluckily, our party on shore had only one day's provisions, so while the gale lasted their situation was sufficiently disagreeable; the keen air and hard exercise sharpening their appetites, while they had nothing to eat after the first day; and having no guns, they had no prospect of procuring anything. Mr. Darwin was also on shore, having been searching for fossils, and he found this trial of hunger quite long enough to satisfy even his love of adventure.

1st October 1832

Bahia Blanca
The morning threatened us with heavy weather; but it blew over in a hail storm. We have anchored near to a cliff, upon which the Captain intends to erect some land mark as a guide on entering the harbour.