29th May 1834

S. Cruz to Port Famine
We anchored in Gregory Bay & took in six days water; our old friends the Indians were not there. The weather has lately been very bad, & is now very cold. The Thermometer has been all day below the freezing point & much snow has fallen: This is rather miserable work in a ship, where you have no roaring fire; & where the upper deck, covered with thawing snow is as it were, the hall in your house.
.
Syms Covington Journal:
Anchored Gregory Bay. Patagonian Indian chiefs came on board in the Captain's gig; some of whom bartered their mantles for tobacco etc. The men in general were exceedingly tall and robust, but not giants as has been fabled by different voyagers.
They are a very friendly people, and have behaved well to different sailors who have been wrecked on the coast. They live by the chase, are fine horsemen, of which they have plenty, are very expert with the lazo, balls etc., by which means they secure their prey. They live in small huts made of skins, etc. They leave the Straits the beginning of Winter for the interior and, I believe, return again in Summer. At this time it was very cold, the ground being covered with snow, with a very sharp cutting wind. Sailed the afternoon of the same day.

28th May 2009

Nothing in Darwin's Diary until tomorrow, but in the meantime a 'first-day cover' some nice soul sent me at the time of the Darwin celebrations in February. Nice surprise...

23rd May 1834

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
On the 23d, at day-light, we saw the Adventure coming from the Falklands. After communicating with us, she went on to survey the portion of coast extending from Sweepstakes Foreland to Cape Monmouth; and we remained to complete our own task of sounding the banks about the First Narrow, and examining the south shore of St. Philip Bay.

22nd May 1834

S. Cruz to Port Famine
Before daylight the Adventure was seen on her passage from the Falklands. Shortly after we left Berkeley Sound, a man of war came in; she has taken away all the prisoners, & now the island is quite quiet. We received our letters; mine were dated October & November. We shall now in a few days make the best of our way to Port Famine; the days are of course very short for surveying; the weather however, ‘gracias a dios’, is pretty fine for these Southern latitudes. It is a very curious fact; that it now being only one month from the shortest day & in such a latitude, that the temperature is scarcely perceptibly colder, than during the summer; we all wear the same clothes as during last years visit.

21st May 1834

S. Cruz to Port Famine
During these days we have been beating about the entrance of the Straits, obtaining soundings & searching for some banks (a dangerous one was found); at night we came to an anchor.

19th May 1834

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
… I landed on the Cape, taking Mr. Darwin and Mr. Stokes with me, and remained till after the noon observation, when, returning on board, the Beagle weighed and sailed to another station. From this time (till the 25th) we were busily employed in sounding in the neighbourhood of Cape Virgins, Point Catherine, Lomas Bay, and Possession Bay.

18th May 1834

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
On the 18th anchored off Cape Virgins.


Syms Covington Journal:
The 18th pm Anchored off Cape Virgins, Straits of Magellan. Here we were obliged to work with a tide, THE tide runs four or five knots an hour.

16th May 1834

S. Cruz to Port Famine
The weather has been bad, cold, & boisterous (& I proportionally sick & miserable). It never ceases to be in my eyes most marvellous that on the coast of Patagonia there is constant dry weather & a clear sky, & at 120 miles to the South, there should be as constant clouds rain, hail, snow & wind.

14th May 1834

Whilst the Beagle sails from the mouth of the Santa Cruz towards Port Famine, a parting drawing of the mouth of the river by on board artist Conrad Martens.
.
Conrad Martens' Sketchbooks:
The riverbank strip of land expands from near nothing into the left midground to a more substantial indication of a roughly level ridge topped with vegetation in the centre, but fades again towards the right. Behind this strip in the right centre and right a hill rises steeply, dotted with occasional vegetation; behind this more distant similar rocky hills are visible, terminating in the centre left of the folio with a conical hill. The sky is blank. The sun seems to be shining from the left, i.e. approximately from the east/north east, which would imply the sketch was made early in the morning. The annotation in the base right centre reads: "Second cliffs very white".

12th May 1834

S. Cruz to Port Famine
We put to sea; & steered in search of an alleged rock (the L'aigle) between the Falklands & mouth of Straits of Magellan; after an unsuccessful hunt, we anchored on the 16th off C. Virgins.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
We were detained for a day or two by an overcast sky, which prevented my obtaining equal altitudes; but on the 12th the Beagle left the Santa Cruz, and stood towards the alleged place of the shoal, or rock, called 'Aigle,' not far from the westernmost of the Falkland Islands. No such danger, nor any sign of shallow water being found, but, on the contrary, no bottom with one hundred fathoms of line, we steered towards Magalhaens Strait.

9th, 10th & 11th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
I took some long walks; collecting for the last time on the sterile plains of this Eastern side of S. America. The Sportsman have altogether been very lucky; Ten guanaco have been killed & eaten; several Condors & a large wild Cat have been killed, & Mr Stuart shot a very large Puma.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
The boats, and shooting party, arrived with water and two guanacoes. As the sportsmen were returning with their burthens on the preceding evening, darkness overtook them while yet distant from their tent; and they were soon made uncomfortably conscious that an enemy was at hand, for the strong and peculiar smell of a lion warned them that one was near. They trudged on with their cargoes, talking to one another; but the scent was still strong until they approached the fire, which had been kept up by their companion, when it ceased entirely. Such a weight as a lion's, added suddenly to that of a guanaco, would have been rather distressing.

8th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
We arrived on board a little after noon; found the Beagle with her masts up, fresh painted & as gay as a frigate.

Almost every one is discontented with this expedition; much hard work, & much time lost & scarcely any thing seen or gained. We have however to thank our good fortune, in enjoying constant fine dry weather & blue skies. To me the cruise has been most satisfactory, from affording so excellent a section of the great modern formation of Patagonia.


Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
Leaving a very small party near Weddell Bluff to look for guanacoes, I hastened on board with the boats; and with the ebb tide reached the Beagle before noon. The ship being ready for sea, excepting a ton or two of fresh water, the yawl and cutter were dispatched to get it and bring on board the shooting party. During my absence satisfactory observations on the tides had been made, which showed that the neap tides rise about eighteen feet, and the springs from thirty-eight to forty-two feet. One day when walking through a woody ravine, not far from the anchorage, Mr. Stewart saw a puma lying under a bush, glaring at him: taking a steady aim, he fired, and laid the animal dead. It was a very large one [the skin is now in the British Museum]. The moment of thus looking a lion in the face, while taking aim, at only a few yards distance, must be somewhat trying to the nerves, I should imagine. A beautiful wild cat was also added to our collections, besides condors and foxes.

7th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
Slept at the place where the water nearly ceases to be fresh. A tent & party was left to try to shoot some Guanaco.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
We reached the salt water. Although we made such quick progress in returning, our halts for observations were similar to those made in going. While descending the rapid stream, so quickly and quietly, we saw many more guanacoes and ostriches than we had seen before; but our flying shots only frightened them, and time was too precious to admit of any delay. Only one fish was got, and that was a dead one, which had been left on the bank: it was similar to a trout. Not more than half a dozen live fish were seen, and none could be caught either with hooks or nets.

6th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
We again equalled five & half days tracking: the climate is certainly very different near to the mountains; it is there much colder, more windy & cloudy.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
We made good about eighty-two miles.

5th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
Before sun-rise, we began our descent. We shot down the stream with great rapidity; generally at the rate of 10 miles an hour; what a contrast to the laborious tracking. We effected in this day what had cost us five days & a half; from passing over so much country, we as it were condensed all the birds & animals together & they appeared much more numerous.


Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
Early on the 5th we began the rapid descent. Sometimes the wind favoured, and we passed the land at the rate of ten knots an hour; sometimes dangerous places obliged us to turn the boat's head to the stream, pull against it, and so drop down between the rocks. Though easy, the return was far more dangerous than our ascent of the river.

Our first day's work in returning was a distance of eighty-five miles, which had cost us six days hard labour in ascending.

4th May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
The Captain determined to take the boats no further; the mountain were between 20 & 30 miles distant & the river very serpentine. Its apparent dimensions & depth nearly the same; its current equally strong. The country & its productions remained equally uninteresting. In addition to all this our provisions were running short; we had been for some days on half allowance of biscuit. This same half allowance, although really sufficient, was very unpleasant after our hard work; & those who have not tried it will alone exclaim about the comfort of a light stomach & an easy digestion. It was very ridiculous how invariably the conversation in the evening turned upon all sorts, qualities & kinds of food.

The Captain & a large party set off to walk a few miles to the Westward. We crossed a desert plain which forms the head of the valley of S. Cruz, but could not see the base of the mountains. On the North side, there is a great break in the elevated lava plain, as if of the valley of a river. It is thought probable that the main branch of the S Cruz bends up in that direction & perhaps drains many miles of the Eastern slope of the chain. We took a farewell look at the Cordilleras which probably in this part had never been viewed by other European eyes, & then returned to the tents. At the furthest point we were about 140 miles from the Atlantic, & 60 from the nearest inlet of the Pacific.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
Our provisions being almost exhausted, and the river as large as it was beyond the lava country, our allotted time being out, and every one weary and foot-sore, I decided upon walking overland to the westward, as far as we could go in one day, and then setting out on our return to the Beagle. I was the more inclined to this step, because the river here made a southerly bend, to follow which would have required at least a day, without making much westing, and because I thought that some of our party might walk in that time at least twice as far as they could track the boats, and then return before night. To have followed the course of the river two days longer, we should have needed all the small remainder of our provisions, and probably without being enabled to see further than we might by one day's walk directly westward. Leaving those who were the most tired to take care of the boats, a party set out early, in light marching order. A large plain lay before us, over which shrubs, very small trees, and bushes were sparingly scattered; yet parts of this plain might be called fertile and woody, by comparison with the tracts between us and the eastern sea-coast.

At noon we halted on a rising ground, made observations for time, latitude, and bearing; rested and eat our meal; on a spot which we found to be only sixty miles from the nearest water of the Pacific Ocean. The Cordillera of the Andes extended along the western side of our view; the weather was very clear, enabling us to discern snow-covered mountains far in the north, and also a long way southward; hence much of the range was visible, but of the river we could discern nothing. Only from the form of the land could we conclude that at the end of the southerly reach I have mentioned, the direction of the river is nearly east and west for a few miles, and that then it may turn northward, or rather come from the north along the base of the Cordillera.

There are many reasons for inducing one to suppose that it comes not only from the north, but from a considerable distance northward. At the place where we ceased to ascend the stream, the Santa Cruz was almost as large as at the places where we passed the first and second nights near the estuary. The velocity of the current was still at least six knots an hour; though the depth remained undiminished. The temperature of the water was 45°, while that of the air was seldom so high, even in the day-time, and at night was usually below the freezing point. Trees, or rather the trunks of trees, were found lying upon the banks, whose water-worn appearance indicated that they had been carried far by the stream. The water was very free from sediment, though of a whitish blue colour, which induces me to suppose that it has been chiefly produced by melted snow, or that it has passed through lakes in which the sediment it might have brought so far was deposited. If filled from the waters of the nearer mountains only, its temperature would surely be lower, approaching that of melted snow: it would also, in all probability, bring much sediment, and would therefore be muddier, and less pure in colour.

When one considers how large an extent of country there is between the River Negro and the Strait of Magalhaens, and that through that extensive region only one river of magnitude flows, it may be difficult to account for the manner in which the drainage of the eastern side of the great Cordillera is carried off, or where the melted snow and occasional heavy rains disappear.

The Gallegos is small, though it runs into a large estuary. The Chupat river is very small: that at Port Desire is scarcely more than a brook. At times, it is true, these smaller rivers are flooded, but their floods (added to their usual streams) seem unequal to carrying off the continual drainage of the Andes. South of the Negro only the Santa Cruz flows with a full and strong stream throughout the whole year, and my idea is that the sources of the river Santa Cruz are not far from those of the southern branch of the Negro, near the forty-fifth degree of latitude; and that it runs at the foot of the Andes, southward, through several lakes, until it turns to the eastward in the parallel of fifty degrees.

In Viedma's Diary I find that he heard from the Indians at Port San Julian (in 1782) that the river Santa Cruz flowed from a large lake near the Cordillera of the Andes, and that there was abundance of wood on its banks. In consequence of this information, he went, in November, with a party of Spaniards and Indians on horseback, to explore this lake. In his way, Viedma crossed the river Chico, which flows into the estuary of the Santa Cruz, just above Weddell Bluff. The Chico, though small at times and then fordable, was subject, the Indians said, to great floods in the spring, when the melting snows of the Cordillera over-filled a lake, far in the north-west, whence this river ran. Afterwards, Viedma crossed the river Chalia, which they told him rose in another lake near the Cordillera, was likewise subject to floods, and emptied itself into the Santa Cruz: when he passed, it was only up to the horses' knees (after searching many leagues, however, for a ford), but at his return it was deeper. This Chalia can be no other than the stream which flows through Basalt Glen, a mere brook when we saw it in the dryest season of the year. Viedma reached the lake,* and found every thing correspond to the description; for it was deep and large, surrounded by snow-covered mountains, on which were many forests.

Some persons have doubted whether there is ever much drainage to be carried off from the eastern side of the Andes, between the parallels of forty and fifty; but if they will take the trouble to read Viedma's Diary, and some other notices to be found in the work of Don Pedro de Angelis, I think they will be convinced that there is always a considerable drainage, and that at times there are heavy floods to be carried off.

Reference to the accompanying plan will shew our position when we halted, and I decided to return, not having explored, I should think, more than one-third of its course. At that place the level of the river was found to be four hundred feet higher than that of the sea at the entrance; and as the distance is about two hundred miles, the average descent or fall of the water must be near two feet in a mile, which, I apprehend, is unusually great. I could not, indeed, believe that the computation and data were correct, until after repeated examination. Two barometers were used at the river-side, and a very good one was carefully watched on board the Beagle. Certainly, the rapid descent of the river, in many places, was such, that even to the eye it appeared to be running down-hill; and this remark was often made in the course of our journey.

Two days before we reached our westernmost point, many traces of an old Indian encampment were seen; but excepting at that place and at the spot which we passed on the 22d, no signs of inhabitants were any where found. Scarcity of pasture, and the badness of the ground for their horses' feet, must deter Indians from remaining in this neighbourhood; but that they frequently cross the river, when travelling, is well known.

The quantities of bones heaped together, or scattered near the river, in so many places which we passed, excited conjectures as to what had collected them. Do guanacoes approach the river to drink when they are dying? or are the bones remains of animals eaten by lions or by Indians? or are they washed together by floods? Certain it is they are remarkably numerous near the banks of the river; but not so elsewhere.

I can hardly think that the guanaco is often allowed to die a natural death; for pumas are always on the alert to seize invalid stragglers from the herd. At night the guanacoes choose the clearest places for sleeping, lying down together like sheep; and in the day they avoid thickets, and all such places as might shelter their ever-watchful enemy. Condors, also, and fierce little wild cats* help to prevent too great an increase of this beautiful, inoffensive, and useful animal.

Late on the 4th we returned to our tents, thoroughly tired by a daily succession of hard work, and long walks. At this bivouac we were about one hundred and forty miles, in a straight line, from the estuary of Santa Cruz, or from Weddell Bluff; and about two hundred and forty-five miles distant by the course of the river. Our station at noon on the 4th, was eight miles in a straight line farther westward, and about thirty miles from the Cordillera of the Andes. The height of those mountains was from five to seven thousand feet above our level, by angular measurement with a theodolite.

3rd May 1834

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
On the 3d, we found a more open country, the lava-capped heights receding gradually on each side, leaving a vale of flat, and apparently good land, from five to fifteen miles in extent. The width of the river increased; on its banks were swampy spaces, covered with herbage; and low earthy cliffs, without either shingle or lava, in some places bounded the river. A little further, however, the usual arid and stony plains of Patagonia were again seen, extending from the banks of the river to ranges of hills, about fourteen hundred feet above its level, on which the horizontal lava-capping could be distinctly discerned.

.
In the distant west the Cordillera of the Andes stretched along the horizon. During three days, we had advanced towards those far distant mountains, seeing them at times very distinctly; yet this morning our distance seemed nearly as great as on the day we first saw their snow-covered summits. A long day's work carried us beyond the flat and into the rising country, whose barren appearance I just now mentioned.
.
We were all very tired of the monotonous scene, as well as of the labour of hauling the boats along.

2nd & 3rd May 1834

R. Santa Cruz
The river was here very tortuous, & in many parts there were great blocks of Slate & Granite, which in former periods of commotion have come from the Andes: Both these causes sadly interfered with our progress. We had however the satisfaction of seeing in full view the long North & South range of the Cordilleras. They form a lofty & imposing barrier to this flat country; many of the mountains were steep & pointed cones, & these were clothed with snow. We looked at them with regret, for it was evident we had not time to reach them; We were obliged to imagine their nature & grandeur, instead of standing, as we had hoped, on one of their pinnacles & looking down on the plains below. During these two days we saw signs of horses & several little articles belonging to the Indians, such as a bunch of Ostrich feathers, part of a mantle, a pointed stick. From a thong of cows hide being found; it is certain that these Indians must come from the North. They probably have no connection with those whose smoke we saw nearer to the Coast; but that during the Summer they travel along the foot Andes, in order to hunt in fresh country. The Guanaco being so excessively abundant I was at first much surprised that Indians did not constantly reside on the banks of this river; the cause of their not frequenting these plains must be their stony nature (the whole country is a shingle bed) which no unshod horse could withstand. Yet in two places, in this very central part, I found small piles of stones which I think could not have been accidentally grouped together. They were placed on projecting points, over the highest lava cliffs; & resembled those at Port Desire, but were on a smaller scale. They would not have been sufficient to have covered more than the bones of a man.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
We had great difficulty with the boats on the 2d, the river being contracted in width, without any diminution of the body of water pouring down.