29th April 1834

R. Santa Cruz
From the high land, we hailed with joy the snowy summits of the Cordilleras, as they were seen occasionally peeping through their dusky envelope of Clouds.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
While upon a high range of lava-capped land, Mr. Stokes and Mr. Darwin descried distant mountains in the west, covered with snow. At last, then, the Andes were in sight! This was inspiriting intelligence to the whole party; for small had been our daily progress, though continual and severe the labour. The river increased in rapidity, while but little diminution had taken place in the quantity of water brought down: the breadth was rather less, certainly, but the depth in most places greater. No fish had yet been caught; indeed, only two had been seen, and those seemed to be like trout.

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