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LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 

GARRETT   HARDIN 


SIR  JOHN  LUB BOCK'S  HUNDRED  BOOKS 
2 


DARWIN'S    JOURNAL 


CHARLES     DARWIN. 


SIX  JOHN  LUBBOCK'S  HUNDRED  BOOKS 
2 

JOURNAL  OF  RESEARCHES 

INTO  THE 

NATURAL  HISTORY  AND  GEOLOGY 


COUNTRIES   VISITED  DURING   THE,  VOYAGE   OF  H.M.S 
"BEAGLE"  ROUND    THE 


tforaraanfr  of  Cajjt.  |it$  §OJT, 


BY 

CHARLES   DARWIN,   M.A.,  F.R.S. 

//£    CORRECTED    AND    ENLARGED    EDITION   OF    1845.) 


LONDON 

GEORGE    ROUTLEDGE  AND   SONS,  LIMITED 

BROADWAY,    LUDGATE    HILL 

GLASGOW,  MANCHESTER,   AND  NEW  YORK 

1891 


SIR  JOHN  LUBBOCK'S  HUNDRED  BOOKS. 


ORDER  OF  PUBLICATION. 

HERODOTUS.  Literally  Translated  from  the 
Text  of  BAEHK,  by  HENRY  CAKY,  M.A. 
3s.  6d. 

DARWIN'S  VOYAGE  OF  A  NATURALIST 
IN  H.M.S.  "  BEAGLE."  25. 

THE  MEDITATIONS  OF  MARCUS  AU- 
RELIUS.  Translated  from  the  Greek  by 
JEREMY  COLLIER,  is.  6d. 

THE  TEACHING  OF  EPICTETUS.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Greek,  with  Introduction  and 
Notes,  by  T.  W.  ROLLESTO.N.  is.  6d. 

BACON'S  ESSAYS.  With  an  Introduction  by 
HE.NKY  MORLEY,  LL.D.  is.  6d. 


GEORGE  ROUTLEDGE  AND  SONS,  LIMITED. 


INTRODUCTION 

BY 

THE  RIGHT  HON.  SIR  JOHN  LUBBOCK,  BART.,  M.P., 

F.R.S.,  D.C.L.,  LL.D., 
CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  LONDON  COUNTY  COUNCIL. 


IN  the  year  1886  I  gave  an  address  on  "  Books  and  Reading" 
at  the  Working  Men's  College,  which  in  the  following  year  was 
printed  as  one  of  the  chapters  in  my  "  Pleasures  of  Life." 

In  it  I  mentioned  about  one  hundred  names,  and  the  list  has 
been  frequently  referred  to  since  as  my  list  of  "  the  hundred  best 
books."  That,  however,  is  not  quite  a  correct  statement.  If  I 
were  really  to  make  a  list  of  what  are  in  my  judgment  the  hundred 
greatest  books,  it  would  contain  several— Newton's  "  Principia," 
for  instance — which  I  did  not  include,  and  it  would  exclude  several 
—the  "  Koran,"  for  instance— which  I  inserted  in  deference  to  the 
judgment  of  others.  Again,  I  excluded  living  authors,  from  some 
of  whom — Ruskin  and  Tennyson,  Huxley  and  Tyndall,  for  in- 
stance, to  mention  no  others — I  have  myself  derived  the  keenest 
enjoyment ;  and  especially  I  expressly  stated  that  I  did  not  select 
the  books  on  my  own  authority,  but  as  being  those  most  frequently 
mentioned  with  approval  by  those  writers  who  have  referred 
directly  or  indirectly  to  the  pleasure  of  reading,  rather  than  as 
suggestions  of  my  own. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  on  reading  the  list,  many  names  of 
books  which  might  well  be  added  would  occur  to  almost  any  one. 
Indeed,  various  criticisms  on  the  list  have  appeared,  and  many 
books  have  been  mentioned  which  it  is  said  ought  to  have  been 
included.  On  the  other  hand  no  corresponding  omissions  have 
been  suggested.  I  have  referred  to  several  of  the  criticisms,  and 
find  that,  while  300  or  400  names  have  been  proposed  for  addition, 
only  half  a  dozen  are  suggested  for  omission.  Moreover,  it  is 
remarkable  that  not  a  single  book  appears  in  all  the  lists,  or  even 
in  half  of  them,  and  only  about  half  a  dozen  in  more  than  one. 

But  while,  perhaps,  no  two  persons  would  entirely  concur  as  to 
all  the  books  to  be  included  in  such  a  list,  I  believe  no  one  would 
deny  that  those  suggested  are  not  only  good,  but  among  the  best. 

I  am,  however,  ready,  and  indeed  glad,  to  consider  any  sugges- 
tions, and  very  willing  to  make  any  changes  which  can  be  shown 
to  be  improvements.  I  have  indeed  made  two  changes  in  the  list 
as  it  originally  appeared,  having  inserted  Kalidasa's  "  Sakoontala, 


INTRODUCTION. 


or  The  Ring,"  and  Schiller's  "William  Tell";  omitting  Lacretius, 
which  is  perhaps  rather  too  difficult,  and  Miss  Austen,  as  English 
novelists  were  somewhat  over-represented. 

Another  objection  made  has  been  that  the  books  mentioned  are 
known  to  every  one,  at  any  rate  by  name ;  that  they  are  as  household 
words.  Every  one,  it  has  been  said,  knows  about  Herodotus  and 
Homer,  Shakespeare  and  Milton.  There  is,  no  doubt,  some  truth 
in  this.  But  even  Lord  Iddesleigh,  as  Mr.  Lang  has  pointed  out 
in  his  "  Life,"  had  never  read  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  I  may  add 
that  he  afterwards  thanked  me  warmly  for  having  suggested  the 
"Meditations"  to  him.*  If,  then,  even  Lord  Iddesleigh,  " prob- 
ably one  of  the  last  of  English  statesmen  who  knew  the  literature 
of  Greece  and  Rome  widely  and  well,"  had  not  read  Marcus 
Aurelius,  we  may  well  suppose  that  others  also  may  be  in  the  same 
position.  It  is  also  a  curious  commentary  on  what  was  no  doubt 
an  unusually  wide  knowledge  of  classical  literature  that  Mr.  Lang 
should  ascribe — and  probably  quite  correctly — Lord  Iddesleigh's 
never  having  had  his  attention  called  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  improving  books  in  classical,  or  indeed  in  any  other  literature, 
to  the  fact  that  the  emperor  wrote  in  "crabbed  and  corrupt  Greek." 

Again,  a  popular  writer  in  a  recent  work  has  observed  that  "  why 
any  one  should  select  the  best  hundred,  more  than  the  best  eleven, 
or  the  best  thirty  books,  it  is  hard  to  conjecture."  But  this  remark 
entirely  misses  the  point.  Eleven  books,  or  even  thirty,  would  be 
very  few  ;  but  no  doubt  I  might  just  as  well  have  given  90,  or 'no. 
Indeed,  if  our  arithmetical  notition  had  been  duodecimal  instead 
of  decimal,  I  should  no  doubt  have  made  up  the  number  to  120. 
I  only  chose  100  as  being  a  round  number. 

Another  objection  has  been  that 'every  one  should  be  left  to 
choose  for  himself.  And  so  he  must.  No  list  can  be  more  than 
a  suggestion.  But  a  great  literary  authority  can  hardly  perhaps 
realize  the  difficulty  of  selection.  An  ordinary  person  turned  into 
a  library  and  sarcastically  told  to  choose  for  himself,  has  to  do  so 
almost  at  haphazard.  He  may  perhaps  light  upon  a  book  with  an 
attractive  title,  and  after  wasting  on  it  much  valuable  time  and 
patience,  find  that,  instead  of  either  pleasure  or  profit,  he  has 
weakened,  or  perhaps  lost,  his  love  of  reading. 

Messrs.  George  Routledge  and  Sons  have  conceived  the  idea  ol 
publishing  the  books  contained  in  my  list  in  a  handy  and  cheap 
form,  selecting  themselves  the  editions  which  they  prefer ;  and  I 
believe  that  in  doing  so  they  will  confer  a  benefit  on  many  who 
have  not  funds  or  space  to  collect  a  large  library. 

JOHN   LUBBOCK, 
HIGH  ELMS, 

DOWN,  KENT, 

30  March,   1891. 

*  I  have  since  had  many  other  letters  to  the  same  effect. 


TO 

CHARLES    LYELL,    ESQ.,    F.R.S., 

THIS  SECOND   EDITION   IS  DEDICATED  WITH   GRATEFUL   PLEASURE,    AS 

AN  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  THAT  THE  CHIEF   PART  OF  WHATEVER 

SCIENTIFIC   MERIT  THIS    JOURNAL  AND  THE  OTHER 

WORKS  OF  THE  AUTHOR  MAY  POSSESS,    HAS 

BEEN     DERIVED     FROM    STUDYING 

THE  WELL-KNOWN 

ADMIRABLE 

PRINCIPLES    OF    GEOLOGY. 


P  RE  FACE. 


I  HAVE  stated  in  the  preface  to  the  first  Edition  of  this  work, 
and  in  the  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Beagle,  that  it  was  in 
consequence  of  a  wish  expressed  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  of  having 
some  scientific  person  on  board,  accompanied  by  an  offer  from 
him  of  giving  up  part  of  his  own  accommodations,  that  I  volun- 
teered my  services,  which  received,  through  the  kindness  of  the 
hydrographer,  Captain  Beaufort,  the  sanction  of  the  Lords  of 
the  Admiralty.  As  I  feel  that  the  opportunities  which  I  en- 
joyed of  studying  the  Natural  History  of  the  different  countries 
we  visited  have  been  wholly  due  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  I  hope 
I  may  here  be  permitted  to  repeat  my  expression  of  gratitude 
to  him ;  and  to  add  that,  during  the  five  years  we  were  together, 
I  received  from  him  the  most  cordial  friendship  and  steady 
assistance.  Both  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  to  all  the  Officers  of 
the  Beagle  *  I  shall  ever  feel  most  thankful  for  the  undeviating 
kindness  with  which  I  was  treated  during  our  long  voyage. 

This  volume  contains,  in  the  form  of  a  Journal,  a  history  of 
our  voyage,  and  a  sketch  of  those  observations  in  Natural 
History  and  Geology,  which  I  think  will  possess  some  interest 
for  the  general  reader.  I  have  in  this  edition  largely  condensed 
and  corrected  some  parts,  and  have  added  a  little  to  others,  hi 
order  to  render  the  volume  more  fitted  for  popular  reading ;  but 
I  trust  that  naturalists  will  remember,  that  they  must  refer  for 
details  to  the  larger  publications,  which  comprise  the  scientific 
results  of  the  Expedition.  The  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of 
the  Beagle  includes  an  account  of  the  Fossil  Mammalia,  by 
Professor  Owen;  of  the  Living  Mammalia,  by  Mr.  Water- 
house;  of  the  Birds,  by  Mr.  Gould;  of  the  Fish,  by  the 

*  I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  returning  my  sincere  thanks  to  Mr.  Bynoe, 
the  surgeon  of  the  Beagle,  for  his  very  kind  attention  to  me  when  I  was  ill 
*t  Valparaiso. 


x  PREFACE. 

Rev.  L.  Jenynsj  and  of  the  Reptiles,  by  Mr.  Bell.  I  hav« 
appended  to  the  descriptions  of  each  species  an  account  of  its 
habits  and  range.  These  works,  which  I  owe  to  the  high 
talents  and  disinterested  zeal  of  the  above  distinguished  authors, 
could  not  have  been  undertaken,  had  it  not  been  for  the  liberality 
of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  Her  Majesty's  Treasury,  who 
through  the  representation  of  the  Right  Honourable  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  have  been  pleased  to  grant  a  sum  of 
one  thousand  pounds  towards  defraying  part  of  the  expenses  of 
publication. 

I  have  myself  published  separate  volumes  on  the  "Structure 
and  Distribution  of  Coral  Reefs ; "  on  the  "  Volcanic  Islands 
visited  during  the  Voyage  of  the  Beagle ; "  and  a  third  volume 
frill  soon  appear  on  the  "  Geology  of  South  America."  The 
sixth  volume  of  the  "  Geological  Transactions  "  contains  two 
papers  of  mine  on  the  Erratic  Boulders  and  Volcanic  Phenomena 
of  South  America.  I  intend  hereafter  to  describe,  in  a  set  of 
papers,  some  of  the  marine  invertebrate  animals  collected  during 
the  voyage.  Mr.  Bell,  I  hope,  will  describe  the  Crustacea,  and 
Mr.  Sowerby  the  shells.  Messrs.  Waterhouse,  Walker,  New- 
man, and  White  have  published  several  able  papers  on  the 
Insects  which  were  collected,  and  I  trust  that  many  others  will 
hereafter  follow.  The  plants  from  the  southern  parts  of  America 
will  be  given  by  Dr.  J.  Hooker,  in  his  great  work  on  the  Botany 
of  the  Southern  Hemisphere.  The  Flora  of  the  Galapagos 
Archipelago  is  the  subject  of  a  separate  memoir  by  him,  in  the 
"  Linnean  Transactions."  The  Reverend  Professor  Henslow 
has  published  a  list  of  the  plants  collected  by  me  at  the  Keeling 
Islands;  and  the  Reverend  J.  M.  Berkeley  has  described  my 
cryptogamic  plants. 

I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  acknowledging  the  great  assist- 
ance which  I  have  received  from  several  other  naturalists  in  the 
course  of  this  and  my  other  works ;  but  I  must  be  here  allowed 
to  return  my  most  sincere  thanks  to  the  Reverend  Professor 
Henslow,  who,  when  I  was  an  under-graduate  at  Cambridge, 
was  one  chief  means  of  giving  me  a  taste  for  Natural  History, 
— who,  during  my  absence,  took  charge  of  the  collections  I  sent 
home,  and  by  his  correspondence  directed  my  endeavours, — and 
who,  since  my  return,  has  constantly  rendered  me  every  assist- 
ance which  the  kindest  friend  could  offer. 

June,  1845. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

Port  >  Praya — Ribeira  Grande— Atmospheric 
Dust  with  Infusoria— Habits  of  a  Sea-slug 
and  Cuttle-fish— St.  Paul's  Rocks,  non- 
volcanic — Singular  Incrustations — Insects 
the  first  Colonists  of  Islands— Fernando 
Noronha  —  Bahia  —  Burnished  Rocks  — 
Habits  of  a  Diodon— Pelagic  Confervse 
and  Infusoria — Causes  of  discoloured 
Sea i 


CHAPTER  II. 

Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  north  of  Cape 
Frio — Great  Evaporation — Slavery — Boto- 
fogo  Bay — Terrestrial  Planariae — Clouds 
on  the  Corcovado — Heavy  Rain — Musical 
Frogs — Phosphorescent  Insects — Elater, 
Springing  Powers  of— Blue  Haze — Noise 
made  by  a  Butterfly — Entomology — Ants 
— Wasp  killing  a  Spider — Parasitical 
Spider— Artifices  of  an  Epeira— Gre- 
garious Spider — Spider  with  an  Unsym- 
metrical  Web 14 

CHAPTER  III. 

Monte  Video — Maldonado— Excursion  to  R. 
Polanco — Lazo  and  Bolas— Partridges — 
Absence  of  Trees — Deer — Capybara,  or 
River  Hog — Tucutuco — Mololhrus,  Cuc- 
koo-like Habits  — Tyrant  Flycatcher  — 
Mocking-bird  —  Carrion  Hawks  — Tubes 
formed  by  Lightning— House  struck .  38 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Rio  Negro — Estancias  attacked  by  the 
Indians—  Salt  Lakes—  Flamingoes—  R. 
Negro  to  R.  Colorado— Sacred  Tree— 
Patagonian  Hare  —  Indian  Families  — 
General  Rosas— Proceed  to  Bahia  Blanca 
—Sand  Dunes— Negro  Lieutenant— Bahia 
Blanca— Saline  Incrsstations— Punta  Alta 
—  Zorillo 45 

CHAPTER  V. 

Bahia  Blanca— Geology— Numerous  gigan- 
tic extinct  Quadrupeds— Recent  Extinc- 
tion —  Longevity  of  Species  —  Large 


Animals  do  not  require  a  Luxuriant 
Vegetation—  Southern  Africa—  Siberian 
Fossils— Two  Species  of  Ostrich— Habita 
of  Oven-bird — Armadilloes — Venomous 
Snake,  Toad,  Lizard—  Hybernation  of 
Animals  —  Habits  of  Sea-Pen — Indian 
Wars  and  Massacres  —  Arrow-head  — 
Antiquarian  Relic 58 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Set  out  for  Buenos  Ayres— Rio  Sauce — 
Sierra  Ventana — Third  Posta — Driving 
Horses— Bolas— Partridges  and  Foxes- 
Features  of  the  Country — Long-legged 
Plover — Teru-tero — Hailstorm — Natural 
Enclosures  in  the  Sierra  Tapalguen — 
Flesh  of  Puma— Meat  Diet— Guardia  del 
Monte— Effects  of  Cattle  on  ths  Vegetation 
— Cardoon — Buenos  A3Tes — Corral  where 
Cattle  are  slaughtered 76 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Excursion  to  St.  Fe— Thistle-Beds— Habits 
of  the  Bizcacha  — Little  Owl  — Saline 
Streams —  Level  Plains —  Mastodon —  St. 
Fe — Change  in  Landscape — Geology  — 
Tooth  of  extinct  Horse— Relation  of  the 
Fossil  and  recent  Quadrupeds  of  North 
and  South  America — Effects  of  a  great 
Drought— Parana— Habits  of  the  Jaguar 
— Scissor-beak — King-fisher,  Parrot,  and 
Scissor-tail —  Revolution —  Buenos  Ayres 
—State  of  Government 88 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Excursion  to  Colonia  del  Sacra  mi  en  to — 
Value  of  an  Estancia— Cattle,  how  counted 
—Singular  Breed  of  Oxen— Perforated 
Pebbles— Shepherd-D9gs  —  Horses  bro- 
ken-in,  Gauchos  Riding — Character  of 
Inhabitants— Rio  Plata— Flocks  of  Butter- 
flies —  Aeronaut  Spiders  —  Phosphores- 
cence of  the  Sea— Port  Desire— Guanaco 
—Port  St.  Julian— Geology  of  Patagonia 
—Fossil  gigantic  Animal  — Types  of 
Organization  constant— Change  in  the 
Zoology  of  America— Caust  A  of  Extinc- 
tion  , , J3» 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Santa  Cruz  — Expedition  up  the  River  — 
Indians — Immense  Streams  of  Basaltic 
Lava — Fragments  not  transported  by  the 
River— Excavation  of  the  Valley— Condor, 
Habits  of— Cordillera— Erratic  Boulders 
of  great  Size — Indian  Relics — Return  to 
the  Ship— Falkland  Islands— Wild  Horses 
Cattle,  Rabbits— Wolf-like  Fox— Fire  made 
of  Bones— Manner  of  hunting  Wild  Cattle 
— Geology — Streams  of  Stones — Scenes 
of  Violence— Penguin— Geese— Eggs  of 
Doris — Compound  Animals, 128 

CHAPTER  X. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  first  Arrival— Good  Suc- 
cess Bay — An  Account  of  the  Fuegians 
on  Board — Interview  with  the  Savages — 
Scenery  of  the  Forests — Cape  Horn — 
Wigwam  Cove — Miserable  Condition  of 
the  Savages — Famines — Cannibals — Mat- 
ricide— Religious  Feelings — Great  Gale — 
Beagle  Cfiannel — Ponsonby  Sound — Build 
Wigwams  and  settle  the  Fuegians  — 
Bifurcation  of  the  Beagle  Channel  — 
Glaciers —  Return  to  the  Ship —  Second 
Visit  in  the  Ship  to  the  Settlement- 
Equality  of  Condition  amongst  the 
Natives 147 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Strait  of  Magellan— Port  Famine— Ascent  of 
Mount  Tarn — Forests — Edible  Fungus — 
Zoology — Great  Sea-weed — Leave  Tierra 
del  Fuego— Climate— Fruit  Trees  and 
Productions  of  the  Southern  Coasts — 
Height  of  Snow-line  on  the  Cordillera — 
Descent  of  Glaciers  to  the  Sea — Icebergs 
formed— Transported  of  Boulders— Cli- 
mate and  Productions  of  the  Antarctic 
Islands  —  Preservation  of  Frozen  Car- 
cases—Recapitulation  „.,  167 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Valparaiso— Excursion  to  the  Foot  of  the 
Andes — Structure  of  the  Land — Ascend 
the  Bell  of  Quillota— Shattered  Masses  of 
Greenstone — Immense  Vallevs — Mines — 
State  of  Miners — Santiago — Hot-baths  of 
Cauquenes — Gold-mines — Grinding-mills 
— Perforated  Stones — Habits  of  the  Puma 

—  El   Turco  and   Tapacolo  —  Humming- 
birds     183 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Chiloe — General  Aspect — Boat  Excursion — 
Native  Indians  —  Castro — Tame  Fox  — 
Ascend  San  Pedro— Chonos  Archipelago 

—  Peninsula  of  Tres  Monies  —  Granitic 
Range  —  Boat-wrecked    Sailors—  Low's 
Harbour— Wild    Potato— Formation    of 
Peat  —  Myopot.imus,   Otter    and   Mice  — 
— Cheiirau    and     Barking-bird  —  Opetio- 
rhynchus— Singular   Character  of  Orni- 
thology—Petrels  ,     198 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

San  Carlos,  Chiloe — Osorno  in  eruption, 
contemporaneously  with  Aconcagua  and 
Coseguma— Ride  to  Cucao— Impenetrable 
Forests — Valdivia — Indians —  Earthquake 
— Concepcion — Great  Earthquake — Rocks 
Fissured— Appearance  of  theformer  Towns 
—The  Sea  black  and  boiling— Direction 
of  the  Vibrations — Stones  twisted  round 
— Great  Wave — Permanent  Elevation  of 
the  Land — Area  of  Volcanic  1'henomena 
— The  Connection  between  the  Elevatory 
and  Eruptive  Forces — Cause  of  Earth- 
quakes—  Sk>w  Elevation  of  Mountain- 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Valparaiso  — Portillo  Pass  —  Sagacity  of 
Mules — Mountain  Torrents — Mines,  how 
discovered — Proofs  of  the  Gradual  Eleva- 
tion of  the  Cordillera— Effect  of  Snow  on 
Rocks — Geological  Structure  of  the  two 
Main  Ranges— Their  Distinct  Origin  and 
Upheaval — Great  Subsidence — Red  Snow 
— Winds — Pinnacles  of  Snow — Dry  and 
clear  Atmosphere — Electricity — Pampas — 
Zoology  of  the  Opposite  Sides  of  the  Andes 
—  Locusts  —  Great  Bugs  —  Mendoza  — 
Uspallata  Pass— Silicified  Trees  buried  as 
they  grew — Incas  Bridge — Badness  of  the 
Passes  Exaggerated— Cum  bre— Casuchas 
—Valparaiso aaj 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Coast-road  to  Coquimbo— Great  Loads  car- 
ried by  the  Miners — Coquimbo— Earth- 
quake— Step-formed  Terraces — Absence 
of  recent  Deposits — Contemporaneous- 
ness of  the  Tertiary  Formations — Excur- 
sion up  the  Valley — Road  to  Guasco — 
Deserts— Valley  of  Copiapd— Rain  and 
Earthquakes  —  Hydrophobia— The  Des- 
poblado — Indian  Ruins — Probable  Change 
of  Climate — River-bed  arched  by  an  Earth- 
quake— Cold  Gales  of  Wind — Noises  from 
a  Hill— Iquique— Salt  Alluvium— Nitrate 
of  Soda  —  Lima  —  Unhealthy  Country  — 
Ruins  of  Callao,  overthrown  by  an  Earth- 
quake —  Recent  Subsidence  —  Elevated 
Shells  on  San  Lorenzo,  their  Decompo- 
sition—Plain with  Embedded  Shells  and 
Fragments  of  Pottery — Antiquity  of  the 
Indian  Race 245 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Galapagos  Archipelago— The  Whole  Group 
Volcanic — Number  of  Craters — Leafless 
Bushes — Colony  at  Charles  Island— James 
Island  — Salt-lake  in  Crater  — Natural 
History  of  the  Group  — Ornithology, 
Curious  Finches — Reptiles — Great  Tor- 
toises, Habits  of—  Marine  Lizard,  feeds  on 
Sea-weed — Terrestrial  Lizard,  burrowing 
Habits,  Herbivorous  —  Importance  of 
Reptiles  in  the  Archipelago— Fish,  Shells, 
Insects— Botany — American  Type  of  Or- 


CONTENTS. 


raniration-  Differences  in  the  Species  or 
Races  on  Different  Islands— Tameness  of 
the  Birds  —  Fear  of  Man,  an  Acquired 
Instinct 270 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Pass  through  the  Low  Archipelago — Tahiti 
—Aspect— Vegetation  on  the  Mountains 
— View  of  Eimeo — Excursion  into  the 
Interior — Profound  Ravines — Succession 
of  Waterfalls— Number  of  Wild  Useful 
Plants— Temperance  of  the  Inhabitants — 
Their  Moral  State — Parliament  Convened 
—New  Zealand— Bay  of  Islands— Hippahs 
—  Excursion  to  Waimate —  Missionary 
;  Establishment — English  Weeds  now  run 
wild— Waiomio— Funeral  of  a  New  Zea- 
land Woman — Sail  for  Australia 292 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sydney— Excursion  to  Bathurst— Aspect  of 
the  Woods— Party  of  Natives— Gradual 
Extinction  of  ithe  Aborigines — Infection 
generated  by  Associated  Men  in  Health — 
Blue  Mountains — View  of  the  Grand  Gulf- 
like  Valleys— Their  Origin  and  Formation 
— Bathurst,  general  Civility  of  the  Lower 
Orders— State  of  Society— Van  Diemen's 
Land  —  Hobart  Town  —  Aborigines  all 
Banished  —  Mount  Wellington  —  King 
George's  Sound — Cheerless  Aspect  of  the 
Country — Bald  Head,  calcareous  Casts  of 
Branches  of  Trees — Party  of  Natives- 
Leave  Australia 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Keeling  Island— Singular  Appearance  — 
Scanty  Flora— Transport  of  Seeds— Birds 
and  Insects— Ebbing  and  Flowing  Wells- 
Fields  of  Dead  Coral — Stones  transported 
in  the  Roots  of  Trees— Great  Crab— Sting- 
ing Corals— Coral-eating  Fish— Coral 
Formations— Lagoon  Islands,  or  Atolls- 
Depth  at  which  Reef-building  Corals  can 
live— Vast  Areas  interspersed  with  Low 
Coral  Islands— Subsidence  of  their  Foun- 
dations—Barrier Reefs— Fringing  Reefs 
—  Conversion  of  Fringing  Reefs  into 
Barrier  Reefs,  and  into  Atolls — Evidence 
of  Changes  in  Level— Breaches  in  Barrier 
Reefs  — Maldiva  Atolls;  their  Peculiar 
Structure— Dead  and  Submerged  Reefs- 
Areas  of  Subsidence  and  Elevation — Dis- 
tribution of  Volcanoes — Subsidence  Slow, 
and  Vast  in  Amount ,3$, 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Mauritius,  Beautiful  Appearance  of— Great 
Crateriform  Ring  of  Mountains— Hindooe 
— St.  Helena — History  of  the  Changes  in 
the  Vegetation — Cause  of  the  Extinction  of 
Land-snells — Ascension — Variation  in  the 
Imported  Rats— Volcanic  Bombs— Beds 
of  Infusoria  —  Bahia — Brazil — Splendour 
of  Tropical  Scenery — Pernambuco — Singu- 
lar Reef— Slavery — Return  to  England — 
Retrospect  on  our  Voyage 351 

INDEX MINMMMMM.K  .....  371 


CHARLES    DARWIN'S    JOURNAL 

DURING    THE     VOYAGE    OF    H.M.S.    "BEAGLED 
ROUND    THE    WORLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ST.  JAGC-- CAPE  DE  VERD   ISLANDS. 

Porto  Praya— Ribeira  Grande— Atmospheric  Dust  with  Infusoria—Habits 
of  a  Sea-slug  and  Cuttle-fish— St.  Paul's  Rocks,  Non-volcanic— Singular 
Incrustations— Insects  the  first  Colonists  of  Islands— Fernando  Noronha 
— Bahia— Burnished  Rocks— Habits  of  a  Diodon— Pelagic  Confervse  and 
Infusoria — Causes  of  Discoloured  Sea. 

AFTER  having  been  twice  driven  back  by  heavy  south-western  gales, 
Her  Majesty's  ship  Beagle,  a  ten-gun  brig,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Fitz  Roy,  R.N.,  sailed  from  Devonport  on  the  27th  of 
December,  1831.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  complete  the 
survey  of  Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  Fuego,  commenced  under  Captain 
King  in  1826  to  1830 — to  survey  the  shores  of  Chile,  Peru,  and  of 
some  islands  in  the  Pacific — and  to  carry  a  chain  of  chronometrical 
measurements  round  the  world.  On  the  6th  of  January  we  reached 
Teneriffe,  but  were  prevented  landing,  by  fears  of  our  bringing  the 
cholera :  the  next  morning  we  saw  the  sun  rise  behind  the  rugged 
outline  of  the  Grand  Canary  Island,  and  suddenly  illumine  the  Peak 
of  Teneriffe,  whilst  the  lower  parts  were  veiled  in  fleecy  clouds.  This 
was  the  first  of  many  delightful  days  never  to  be  forgotten.  On  the 
i6th  of  January,  1832,  we  anchored  at  Porto  Praya,  in  St.  Jago,  the 
chief  island  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  archipelago. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Porto  Praya,  viewed  from  the  sea,  wears  a 
desolate  aspect.  The  volcanic  fires  of  a  past  age,  and  the  scorching 
heat  of  a  tropical  sun,  have  in  most  places  rendered  the  soil  unfit  for 
vegetation.  The  country  rises  in  successive  steps  of  table-land,  inter- 
spersed with  some  truncate  conical  hills,  and  the  horizon  is  bounded 
by  an  irregular  chain  of  more  lofty  mountains.  The  scene,  as  beheld 
through  the  hazy  atmosphere  of  this  climate,  is  one  of  great  interest ; 
if,  indeed,  a  person,  fresh  from  sea,  and  who  has  just  walked,  for 
the  first  time,  in  a  grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  can  be  a  judge  of  anything 
but  his  own  happiness.  The  island  would  generally  be  considered  as 
very  uninteresting;  but  to  any  one  accustomed  only  to  an  English 


2  ST.  J AGO— CAPE  DE  VERD  ISLANDS.         [CHAP.  i. 

landscape,  the  novel  aspect  of  an  utterly  sterile  land  possesses  a 
grandeur  which  more  vegetation  might  spoil.  A  single  green  leaf  can 
scarcely  be  discovered  over  wide  tracts  of  the  lava  plains ;  yet  flocks 
of  goats,  together  with  a  few  cows,  contrive  to  exist.  It  rains  very 
seldom,  but  during  a  short  portion  of  the  year  heavy  torrents  fall, 
and  immediately  afterwards  a  light  vegetation  springs  out  of  every  crevice. 
This  soon  withers  ;  and  upon  such  naturally  formed  hay  the  animals 
live.  It  had  not  now  rained  for  an  entire  year.  When  the  island 
was  discovered,  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Porto  Praya  was 
clothed  with  trees,*  the  reckless  destruction  of  which  has  caused 
here,  as  at  St.  Helena,  and  at  some  of  the  Canary  Islands,  almost 
entire  sterility.  The  broad,  flat-bottomed  valleys,  many  of  which 
serve  during  a  few  days  only  in  the  season  as  watercourses,  are  clothed 
with  thickets  of  leafless  bushes.  Few  living  creatures  inhabit  these 
valleys.  The  commonest  bird  is  a  kingfisher  (Dacelo  lagoensis),  which 
tamely  sits  on  the  branches  of  the  castor-oil  plant,  and  thence  darts  on 
grasshoppers  and  lizards.  It  is  brightly  coloured,  but  not  so  beautiful 
as  the  European  species  :  in  its  flight,  manners,  and  place  of  habitation, 
which  is  generally  in  the  driest  valley,  there  is  also  a  wide  difference. 

One  day,  two  of  the  officers  and  myself  rode  to  Ribeira  Grande,  a 
village  a  few  miles  eastward  of  Porto  Praya.  Until  we  reached  the 
valley  of  St.  Martin,  the  country  presented  its  usual  dull  brown  appear- 
ance ;  but  here,  a  very  small  rill  of  water  produces  a  most  refreshing 
margin  of  luxuriant  vegetation.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  we  arrived 
at  Ribeira  Grande,  and  were  surprised  at  the  sight  of  a  large  ruined 
fort  and  cathedral.  This  little  town,  before  its  harbour  was  filled  up, 
was  the  principal  place  in  the  island ;  it  now  presents  a  melancholy, 
but  very  picturesque  appearance.  Having  procured  a  black  Padre  for 
a  guide,  and  a  Spaniard  who  had  served  in  the  Peninsular  war  as  an 
interpreter,  we  visited  a  collection  of  buildings,  of  which  an  ancient 
church  formed  the  principal  part.  It  is  here  the  governors  and  captain- 
generals  of  the  islands  have  been  buried.  Some  of  the  tombstones 
recorded  dates  of  the  sixteenth  century.f  The  heraldic  ornaments 
were  the  only  things  in  this  retired  place  that  reminded  us  of  Europe. 
The  church  or  chapel  formed  one  side  of  a  quadrangle,  in  the  middle 
of  which  a  large  clump  of  bananas  were  growing.  On  another  side 
was  a  hospital,  containing  about  a  dozen  miserable-looking  inmates. 

We  returned  to  the  venda  to  eat  our  dinners.  A  considerable 
number  of  men,  women,  and  children,  all  as  black  as  jet,  collected  to 
watch  us.  Our  companions  were  extremely  merry ;  and  everything 
we  said  or  did  was  followed  by  their  hearty  laughter.  Before  leaving 
the  town  we  visited  the  cathedral.  It  does  not  appear  so  rich  as 
the  smaller  church,  but  boasts  of  a  little  organ,  which  sent  forth 
singularly  inharmonious  cries.  We  presented  the  black  priest  with  a 

*  I  state  this  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  E.  Dieffenbach,  in  his  German 
translation  of  the  first  edition  of  this  Journal. 

•j"  The  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  were  discovered  in  1449.  There  was  a 
tombstone  of  a  bishop  with  the  date  of  1571;  and  a  crest  of  a  hand  and 
dagger,  dated  1427* 


1832.]  ST.  DOMINGO.  3 

few  shillings,  and  the  Spaniard,  patting  him  on  the  head,  said,  with 
much  candour,  he  thought  his  colour  made  no  great  difference.  We 
then  returned,  as  fast  as  the  ponies  would  go,  to  Porto  Praya. 

Another  day  we  rode  to  the  village  of  St.  Domingo,  situated  near 
the  centre  of  the  island.  On  a  small  plain  which  we  crossed,  a  few 
stunted  acacias  were  growing ;  their  tops  had  been  bent  by  the  steady 
trade-wind,  in  a  singular  manner — some  of  them  even  at  right  angles 
to  their  trunks.  The  direction  of  the  branches  was  exactly  N.E.  by 
N.,  and  S.W.  by  S.,  and  these  natural  vanes  must  indicate  the  prevail- 
ing direction  of  the  force  of  the  trade-wind.  The  travelling  had  made 
so  little  impression  on  the  barren  soil,  that  we  here  missed  our  track, 
and  took  that  to  Fuentes.  This  we  did  not  find  out  till  we  arrived 
there;  and  we  were  afterwards  glad  of  our  mistake.  Fuentes  is  a 
pretty  village,  with  a  small  stream ;  and  everything  appeared  to  prosper 
well,  excepting,  indeed,  that  which  ought  to  do  so  most — its  inhabit- 
ants. The  black  children,  completely  naked,  and  looking  very 
\vretched,  were  carrying  bundles  of  firewood  half  as  big  as  their  own 
bodies. 

Near  Fuentes  we  saw  a  large  flock  of  guinea-fowl — probably  fifty 
or  sixty  in  number.  They  were  extremely  wary,  and  could  not  be 
approached.  They  avoided  us,  like  partridges  on  a  rainy  day  in 
September,  running  with  their  heads  cocked  up ;  and  if  pursued, 
they  readily  took  to  the  wing. 

The  scenery  of  St.  Domingo  possesses  a  beauty  totally  unexpected, 
from  the  prevalent  gloomy  character  of  the  rest  of  the  island.  The 
village  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley,  bounded  by  lofty  and 
jagged  walls  of  stratified  lava.  The  black  rocks  afford  a  most  striking 
contrast  with  the  bright  green  vegetation,  which  follows  the  banks 
of  a  little  stream  of  clear  water.  It  happened  to  be  a  grand  feast- 
day,  and  the  village  was  full  of  people.  On  our  return  we  overtook 
a  party  of  about  twenty  young  black  girls,  dressed  in  excellent  taste ; 
their  black  skins  and  snow-white  linen  being  set  off  by  coloured 
turbans  and  large  shawls.  As  soon  as  we  approached  near,  they 
suddenly  all  turned  round,  and  covering  the  path  with  their  shawls, 
sung  with  great  energy  a  wild  song,  beating  time  with  their  hands  upon 
their  legs.  We  threw  them  some  vintems,  which  were  received  with 
screams  of  laughter,  and  we  left  them  redoubling  the  noise  of  their  song. 

One  morning  the  view  was  singularly  clear;  the  distant  mountains  being 
projected  with  the  sharpest  outline,  on  a  heavy  bank  of  dark  blue  clouds. 
Judging  from  the  appearance,  and  from  similar  cases  in  England,  I 
supposed  that  the  air  was  saturated  with  moisture.  The  fact,  however, 
turned  out  quite  the  contrary.  The  hygrometer  gave  a  difference  of 
2Q'6  degrees,  between  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  the  point  at 
which  dew  was  precipitated.  This  difference  was  nearly  double  that 
which  I  had  observed  on  the  previous  mornings.  This  unusual  degree 
of  atmospheric  dryness  was  accompanied  by  continual  flashes  of 
lightning.  Is  it  not  an  uncommon  case,  thus  to  find  a  remarkable 
degree  of  ae"rial  transparency  with  such  a  state  of  weather? 

Generally  the  atmosphere  is  hazy ;  and  this  is  caused  by  the  falling 


4  ST.  J AGO— CAPE  DE  VERD  ISLANDS.          [CHAP.  i. 

of  Impalpably  fine  dust,  which  was  found  to  have  slightly  injured 
the  astronomical  instruments.  The  morning  before  we  anchored  at 
Porto  Praya,  I  collected  a  little  packet  of  this  brown-coloured  fine 
dust,  which  appeared  to  have  been  filtered  from  the  wind  by  the  gauze 
of  the  vane  at  the  mast-head.  Mr.  Lyell  has  also  given  me  four 
packets  of  dust  which  fell  on  a  vessel  a  few  hundred  miles  northward 
of  these  islands.  Professor  Ehrenberg  *  finds  that  this  dust  consists 
in  great  part  of  infusoria  with  siliceous  shields,  and  of  the  siliceous 
tissue  of  plants.  In  five  little  packets  which  I  sent  him,  he  has 
ascertained  no  less  than  sixty-seven  different  organic  forms  !  The 
infusoria,  with  the  exception  of  two  marine  species,  are  all  inhabitants 
of  fresh  water.  I  have  found  no  less  than  fifteen  different  accounts  of 
dust  having  fallen  on  vessels  when  far  out  in  the  Atlantic.  From  the 
direction  of  the  wind  whenever  it  has  fallen,  and  from  its  having 
always  fallen  during  those  months  when  the  harmattan  is  known  to 
raise  clouds  of  dust  high  into  the  atmosphere,  we  may  feel  sure  that 
it  all  comes  from  Africa,  It  is,  however,  a  very  singular  fact,  that, 
although  Professor  Ehrenberg  knows  many  species  of  infusoria  peculiar 
to  Africa,  he  finds  none  of  these  in  the  dust  which  I  sent  him:  on 
the  other  hand,  he  finds  it  in  two  species  which  hitherto  he  knows 
as  living  only  in  South  America.  The  dust  falls  in  such  quantities 
as  to  dirty  everything  on  board,  and  to  hurt  people's  eyes;  vessels 
even  have  run  on  shore  owing  to  the  obscurity  of  the  atmosphere. 
It  has  often  fallen  on  ships  when  several  hundred,  and  even  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  at  points  sixteen 
hundred  miles  distant  in  a  north  and  south  direction.  In  some  dust 
which  was  collected  on  a  vessel  three  hundred  miles  from  the  land, 
I  was  much  surprised  to  find  particles  of  stone  above  the  thousandth 
of  an  inch  square,  mixed  with  finer  matter.  After  this  fact  one  need 
not  be  surprised  at  the  diffusion  of  the  far  lighter  and  smaller  sporules 
of  cryptogamic  plants.  . 

The  geology  of  this  island  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  its  natural 
history.  On  entering  the  harbour,  a  perfectly  horizontal  white  band 
in  the  face  of  the  sea  cliff,  may  be  seen  running  for  some  miles  along 
the  coast,  and  at  the  height  of  about  forty-five  feet  above  the  water. 
Upon  examination,  this  white  stratum  is  found  to  consist  of  calcareous 
matter,  with  numerous  shells  embedded,  most  or  all  of  which  now 
exist  on  the  neighbouring  coast.  It  rests  on  ancient  volcanic  rocks,  and 
has  been  covered  by  a  stream  of  basalt,  which  must  have  entered  the 
sea  when  the  white  shelly  bed  was  lying  at  the  bottom.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  trace  the  changes,  produced  by  the  heat  of  the  overlying  lava, 
on  the  friable  mass,  which  in  parts  has  been  converted  into  a  crystalline 
limestone,  and  in  other  parts  into  a  compact  spotted  stone.  When 
the  lime  has  been  caught  up  by  the  scoriaceous  fragments  of  the  lower 

*  I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  acknowledging  the  great  kindness  with 
which  this  illustrious  naturalist  has  examined  many  of  my  specimens.  1 
have  sent  (June,  1845)  a  -u^  account  of  the  falling  of  this  dust  to  the 
Geological  Society. 


1832.]  HABITS  OF  THE  CUTTLE-FISH.  5 

surface  of  the  stream,  it  is  converted  into  groups  of  beautifully  radiated 
tibres  resembling  arragonite.  The  beds  of  lava  rise  in  successive 
gently-sloping  plains,  towards  the  interior,  whence  the  deluges  of  melted 
stone  have  originally  proceeded.  Within  historical  times,  no  signs 
of  volcanic  activity  have,  I  believe,  been  manifested  in  any  part  of 
St.  Jago.  Even  the  form  of  a  crater  can  but  rarely  be  discovered  on 
the  summits  of  the  many  red  cindery  hills ;  yet  the  more  recent 
streams  can  be  distinguished  on  the  coast,  forming  lines  of  cliffs  of  less 
height,  but  stretching  out  in  advance  of  those  belonging  to  an  older 
series:  the  height  of  the  cliffs  thus  affording  a  rude  measure  of  the 
age  of  the  streams. 

During  our  stay,  I  observed  the  habits  of  some  marine  animals.  A 
large  Aplysia  is  very  common.  This  sea-slug  is  about  five  inches  long ; 
and  is  of  a  dirty  yellowish  colour,  veined  with  purple.  On  each  side 
of  the  lower  surface,  or  foot,  there  is  a  broad  membrane,  which  appears 
sometimes  to  act  as  a  ventilator,  in  causing  a  current  of  water  to  flow 
over  the  dorsal  branchiae  or  lungs.  It  feeds  on  the  delicate  sea-weeds 
which  grow  among  the  stones  in  muddy  and  shallow  water;  and  I 
found  in  its  stomach  several  small  pebbles,  as  in  the  gizzard  of  a  bird. 
This  slug  when  disturbed,  emits  a  very  fine  purplish-red  fluid,  which 
stains  the  water  for  the  space  of  a  foot  around.  Besides  this  means 
of  defence,  an  acrid  secretion,  which  is  spread  over  its  body,  causes 
a  sharp,  stinging  sensation,  similar  to  that  produced  by  the  Physalia, 
or  Portuguese  man-of-war. 

I  was  much  interested,  on  several  occasions,  by  watching  the  habits 
of  an  Octopus,  or  cuttle-fish.  Although'  common  in  the  pools  of  water 
left  by  the  retiring  tide,  these  animals  were  not  easily  caught  By 
means  of  their  long  arms  and  suckers,  they  could  drag  their  bodies  into 
very  narrow  crevices ;  and  when  thus  fixed,  it  required  great  force  to 
remove  them.  At  other  times  they  darted  tail  first,  \viththerapidity 
of  an  arrow,  from  one  side  of  the  pool  to  the  other,  at  the  same  instant 
discolouring  the  water  with  a  dark  chestnut-brown  ink.  These  animals 
also  escape  detection  by  a  very  extraordinary,  chameleon-like  power  of 
changing  their  colour.  They  appear  to  vary  their  tints  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  ground  over  which  they  pass  :  when  in  deep  water,  their 
general  shade  was  brownish-purple,  but  when  placed  on  the  land,  or 
in  shallow  water,  this  dark  tint  changed  into  one  of  a  yeUowish-green. 
The  colour,  examined  more  carefully,  was  a  French  grey,  with  numerous 
minute  spots  of  bright  yellow :  the  former  of  these  varied  in  intensity  ; 
the  latter  entirely  disappeared  and  appeared  again  by  turns.  These 
changes  were  effected  in  such  a  manner,  that  clouds,  varying  in  tint 
between  a  hyacinth-red  and  a  chestnut-brown,*  were  continually  passing 
over  the  body.  Any  part,  being  subjected  to  a  slight  shock  of  galvanism, 
became  almost  black :  a  similar  effect,  but  in  a  less  degree,  was  pro- 
duced by  scratching  the  skin  with  a  needle.  These  clouds,  or  blushes 
as  they  may  be  called,  are  said  to  be  produced  by  the  alternate  expansion 
and  contraction  of  minute  vesicles  containing  variously  coloured  fluids.! 

*  So  named  according  to  Patrick  Symes's  nomenclature. 

J  See  "Encyclop.  of  Anat.  and  Physiol.,"  article  Cephalopoda, 


6  ST.  PAUL'S  ROCKS.  [CHAP,  i, 

This  cuttle-fish  displayed  its  chameleon-like  power  both  during  the 
act  of  swimming  and  whilst  remaining  stationary  at  the  bottom.  I  was 
much  amused  by  the  various  arts  to  escape  detection  used  by  one  indivi- 
dual, which  seemed  fully  aware  that  I  was  watching  it.  Remaining  for 
a  time  motionless,  it  would  then  stealthily  advance  an  inch  or  two,  like 
a  cat  after  a  mouse ;  sometimes  changing  its  colour :  it  thus  proceeded, 
till  having  gained  a  deeper  part,  it  darted  away,  leaving  a  dusky  train 
of  ink  to  hide  the  hole  into  which  it  had  crawled. 

While  looking  for  marine  animals,  with  my  head  about  two  feet 
above  the  rocky  shore,  I  was  more  than  once  saluted  by  a  jet  of  water, 
accompanied  by  a  slight  grating  noise.  At  first  I  could  not  think  what 
it  was,  but  afterwards  I  found  out  that  it  was  this  cuttle-fish,  \  which, 
though  concealed  in  a  hole,  thus  often  led  me  to  its  discovery.  That 
it  possesses  the  power  of  ejecting  water  there  is  no  doubt,  and  it 
appeared  to  me  that  it  could  certainly  take  good  aim  by  directing  the 
tube  or  siphon  on  the  under  side  of  its  body.  From  the  difficulty 
which  tnese  animals  have  in  carrying  their  heads,  they  cannot  crawl 
with  ease  when  placed  on  the  ground.  I  observed  that  one  which  I 
kept  in  the  cabin  was  slightly  phosphorescent  in  the  dark. 

ST.  PAUL'S  ROCKS. — In  crossing  the  Atlantic  we  hove-to,  during  the 
morning  of  the  i6th  of  February,  close  to  the  island  of  St.  Paul's.  This 
cluster  of  rocks  is  situated  in  o°  58'  north  latitude,  and  29"  15'  west 
longitude.  It  is  540  miles  distant  from  the  coast  of  America,  and  350 
from  the  island  of  Fernando  Noronha.  The  highest  point  is  only  fifty 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  entire  circumference  is  under 
three-quarters  of  a  mile.  This  small  point  rises  abruptly  out  of  the 
depths  of  the  ocean.  Its  mineral ogical  constitution  is  not  simple ;  in  some 
parts  the  rock  is  of  a  cherty,  in  others  of  a  felspathic  nature,  including 
thin  veins  of  serpentine.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  all  the  many 
small  islands,  lying  far  from  any  continent,  in  the  Pacific,  Indian,  and 
Atlantic  Oceans,  with  the  exception  of  the  Seychelles  and  this  little 
I  -dint  of  rock,  are,  I  believe,  composed  either  of  coral  or  of  erupted  matter. 
The  volcanic  nature  of  these  oceanic  islands  is  evidently  an  extension 
of  that  law,  and  the  effect  of  those  same  causes,  whether  chemical  or 
mechanical,  from  which  it  results  \that  a  vast  majority  of  the  volcanoes 
now  in  action  stand  either  near  sea-coasts  or  as  islands  in  the  midst  of 
the  sea. 

The  rocks  of  St.  Paul  appear  from  a  distance  of  a  brilliantly  white 
colour.  This  is  partly  owing  to  the  dung  of  a  vast  multitude  of  sea- 
fowl,  and  partly  to  a  coating  of  a  hard  glossy  substance  with  a  pearly 
lustre,  which  is  intimately  united  to  the  surface  of  the  rocks.  This, 
when  examined  with  a  lens,  is  found  to  consist  of  numerous  exceedingly 
thin  layers,  its  total  thickness  being  about  the  tenth  of  an  inch.  It 
contains  much  animal  matter,  and  its  origin,  no  doubt,  is  due  to  the 
action  of  the  rain  or  spray  on  the  birds'  dung.  Below  some  small 
masses  of  guano  at  Ascension,  and  on  the  Abrolhos  Islets,  I  found 
certain  stalactitic  branching  bodies,  formed  apparently  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  thin  white  coating  on  these  rocks.  The  branching  bodies 


1832.]  SINGULAR  INCRUSTATIONS.  f 

so  closely  resembled  in  general  appearance  certain  nulliporse  (a  family 
of  hard  calcareous  sea-plants),  that  in  lately  looking  hastily  over  my 
collection  I  did  not  perceive  the  difference.  The  globular  extremities 
of  the  branches  are  of  a  pearly  texture,  like  the  enamel  of  teeth,  but  so 
hard  as  just  to  scratch  plate-glass.  I  may  here  mention,  that  on  a  part 
of  the  coast  of  Ascension,  where  there  is  a  vast  accumulation  of  shelly 
sand,  an  incrustation  is  deposited  on  the  tidal  rocks,  by  the  water  of  the 
sea,  resembling,  as  represented  in  the  woodcut,  certain  crypto^amic 
plants  (Marchantiae)  often  seen  on  damp  walls.  The  surface  of  the 
fronds  is  beautifully  glossy;  and  those  parts  formed  where  fully  exposed 
to  the  light,  are  of  a  jet  black  colour,  but  those  shaded  under  ledges  are 
only  grey.  I  have  shown  specimens  of  this  incrustation  to  several 
geologists,  and  they  all  thought  that  they  were  of  volcanic  or  igneous 
origin  I  In  its  hardness  and  translucency — in  its  polish,  equal  to  that 


of  the  finest  oliva-shell — in  the  bad  smell  given  out,  and  loss  of  colour 
under  the  blowpipe — it  shows  a  close  similarity  with  living  sea-shells. 
Moreover  in  sea-shells,  it  is  known  that  the  parts  habitually  covered 
and  shaded  by  the  mantle  of  the  animal,  are  of  a  paler  colour  than 
those  fully  exposed  to  the  light,  just  as  is  the  case  with  this  incrustation. 
When  we  remember  that  lime,  either  as  a  phosphate  or  carbonate, 
enters  into  the  composition  of  the  hard  parts,  such  as  bohes  and 
shells,  of  all  living  animals,  it  is  an  interesting  physiological  fact  *  to 

*  Mr.  Homer  and  Sir  David  Brewster  have  described  (Philosophical 
Transactions,  1836,  p.  65)  a  singular  "  artificial  substance  resembling  shell." 
It  is  deposited  in  fine,  transparent,  highly  polished,  brown-coloured  laminae, 
possessing  peculiar  optical  properties,  on  the  inside  of  a  vessel,  in  which 
cloth,  first  prepared  with  glue  and  then  with  lime,  is  made  to  revolve  rapidly 
in  water.  It  is  much  softer,  more  transparent,  and  contains  more  animal 
matter,  than  the  natural  incrustation  at  Ascension ;  but  we  here  again  see 
the  strong  tendency  which  carbonate  of  lime  and  animal  matter  evince  to 
form  a  solid  substance  allied  to  shell. 


8  FERNANDO  NORONHA.  [CHAP.  i. 

find  substances  harder  than  the  enamel  of  teeth,  and  coloured  surfaces 
as  well  polished  as  those  of  a  fresh  shell,  reformed  through  inorganic 
means  from  dead  organic  matter — mocking,  also,  iri  shape  some  of 
the  lower  vegetable  productions. 

We  found  on  St.  Paul's  only  two  kinds  of  birds — the  booby  and  the 
noddy.  The  former  is  a  species  of  gannet,  and  the  latter  a  tern.  Both 
are  of  a  tame  and  stupid  disposition,  and  are  so  unaccustomed  to 
visitors,  that  I  could  have  killed  any  number  of  them  with  my 
geological  hammer.  The  booby  lays  her  eggs  on  the  bare  rock ;  but 
the  tern  makes  a  very  simple  nest  with  seaweed.  By  the  side  of  many 
of  these  nests  a  small  flying-fish  was  placed ;  which,  I  suppose,  had 
been  brought  by  the  male  bird  for  its  partner.  It  was  amusing  to 
watch  how  quickly  a  large  and  active  crab  (Graspus),  which  inhabits 
the  crevices  of  the  rock,  stole  the  fish  from  the  side  of  the  nest,  as  soon 
as  we  had  disturbed  the  parent  birds.  Sir  W.  Symonds,  one  of  the 
few  persons  who  have  landed  here,  informs  me  that  he  saw  the  crabs 
dragging  even  the  young  birds  out  of  their  nests,  and  devouring  them. 
Not  a  single  plant,  not  even  a  lichen,  grows  on  this  islet ;  yet  it  is 
inhabited  by  several  insects  and  spiders.  The  following  list  completes, 
I  believe,  the  terrestrial  fauna :  a  fly  (Olfersia)  living  on  the  booby,  and 
a  tick  which  must  have  come  here  as  a  parasite  on  the  birds  ;  a  small 
brown  moth,  belonging  to  a  genus  that  feeds  on  feathers  ;  a  beetle 
(Quedius)  and  a  woodlouse  from  beneath  the  dung ;  and  lastly, 
numerous  spiders,  which  I  suppose  prey  on  these  small  attendants  and 
scavengers  of  the  waterfowl.  The  often  repeated  description  of  the 
stately  palm  and  other  noble  tropical  plants,  then  birds,  and  lastly 
man,  taking  possession  of  the  coral  islets  as  soon  as  formed,  in  the 
Pacific,  is  probably  not  quite  correct ;  I  fear  it  destroys  the  poetry  of 
this  story,  that  feather  and  dirt-feeding  and  parasitic  insects  and 
spiders  should  be  the  first  inhabitants  of  newly  formed  oceanic  land. 

The  smallest  rock  in  the  tropical  seas,  by  giving  a  foundation  for  the 
growth  of  innumerable  kinds  of  seaweed  and  compound  animals, 
supports  likewise  a  large  number  of  fish.  The  sharks  and  the  seamen 
in  the  boats  maintained  a  constant  struggle  which  should  secure  the 
greater  share  of  the  prey  caught  by  the  fishing-lines.  I  have  heard  that 
a  rock  near  the  Bermudas,  lying  many  miles  out  at  sea,  and  at  a  con- 
siderable depth,  was  first  discovered  by  the  circumstance  of  fish  having 
been  observed  in  the  neighbourhood. 

FERNANDO  NORONHA,  Feb.  zoth.— As  far  as  I  was  enabled  to  observe, 
during  the  few  hours  we  stayed  at  this  place,  the  constitution  of  the 
island  is  volcanic,  but  probably  not  of  a  recent  date.  The  most  remark- 
able feature  is  a  conical  hill,  about  one  thousand  feet  high,  the  upper 
part  of  which  is  exceedingly  steep,  and  on  one  side  overhangs  its  base. 
The  rock  is  phonolite,  and  is  divided  into  irregular  columns.  On  viewing 
one  of  these  isolated  masses,  at  first  one  is  inclined  to  believe  that  it 
has  been  suddenly  pushed  up  in  a  semi-fluid  state.  At  St.  Helena, 
however,  I  ascertained  that  some  pinnacles,  of  a  nearly  similar  figure 
and  constitution,  had  been  formed  by  the  injection  of  melted  rock  into 


1832.]  BAHIA— BRAZIL.  g 

yielding  strata,  which  thus  had  formed  the  moulds  for  these  gigantic 
obelisks.  The  whole  island  is  covered  with  wood  ;  but  from  the  dryness 
of  the  climate  there  is  no  appearance  of  luxuriance.  Halfway  up  the 
mountain,  some  great  masses  of  the  columnar  rock,  shaded  by  laurel- 
like  trees,  and  ornamented  by  others  covered  with  fine  pink  flowers 
but  without  a  single  leaf,  gave  a  pleasing  effect  to  the  nearer  parts  of 
the  scenery. 

BAHIA,  OR  SAN  SALVADOR.  BRAZIL,  Feb.  zqth. — The  day  has  passed 
delightfully.  Delight  itself,  however,  is  a  weak  term  to  express  the 
feelings  of  a  naturalist  who,  for  the  first  time,  has  wandered  by  himself 
in  a  Brazilian  forest.  The  elegance  of  the  grasses,  the  novelty  of  the 
parasitical  plants,  the  beauty  of  the  flowers,  the  glossy  green  of  the 
foliage,  but  above  all  the  general  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation,  filled  me 
with  admiration.  A  most  paradoxical  mixture  of  sound  and  silence 
pervades  the  shady  parts  of  the  wood.  The  noise  from  the  insects  is 
so  loud,  that  it  may  be  heard  even  in  a  vessel  anchored  several  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore  ;  yet  within  the  recesses  of  the  forest  a  universal 
silence  appears  to  reign.  To  a  person  fond  of  natural  history,  such  a 
day  as  this  brings  with  it  a  deeper  pleasure  than  he  can  ever  hope  to 
experience  again.  After  wandering  about  for  some  hours,  I  returned 
to  the  landing-place;  but,  before  reaching  it,  I  was  overtaken  by  a 
tropical  storm.  I  tried  to  find  shelter  under  a  tree,  which  was  so  thick 
that  it  would  never  have  been  penetrated  by  common  English  rain ; 
but  here,  in  a  couple  of  minutes,  a  little  torrent  flowed  down  the  trunk." 
It  is  to  this  violence  of  the  rain  that  we  must  attribute  the  verdure  at 
the  bottom  of  the  thickest  woods  :  if  the  showers  were  like  those  of  a 
colder  clime,  the  greater  part  would  be  absorbed  or  evaporated  before 
it  reached  the  ground.  I  will  not  at  present  attempt  to  describe  the 
gaudy  scenery  of  this  noble  bay,  because,  in  our  homeward  voyage,  we 
called  here  a  second  time,  and  I  shall  then  have  occasion  to  remark 
on  it. 

Along  the  whole  coast  of  Brazil,  for  a  length  of  at  least  2,000  miles, 
and  certainly  for  a  considerable  space  inland,  wherever  solid  rock  occurs, 
it  belongs  to  a  granitic  formation.  The  circumstance  of  this  enormous 
area  being  constituted  of  materials  which  most  geologists  believe  to 
have  been  crystallized  when  heated  under  pressure,  gives  rise  to  many 
curious  reflections.  Was  this  effect  produced  beneath  the  depths  of  a 
profound  ocean  ?  or  did  a  covering  of  strata  formerly  extend  over  it, 
which  has  since  been  removed  ?  Can  we  believe  that  any  power, 
acting  for  a  time  short  of  infinity,  could  have  denuded  the  granite  over 
so  many  thousand  square  leagues  ? 

On  a  point  not  far  from  the  city,  where  a  rivulet  entered  the  sea,  I 
observed  a  fact  connected  with  a  subject  discussed  by  Humboldt.*  At 
the  cataracts  of  the  great  rivers  Orinoco,  Nile,  and  Congo,  the  syenitic 
rocks  are  coated  by  a  black  substance,  appearing  as  if  they  had  been 
polished  with  plumbago.  The  layer  is  of  extreme  thinness;  and  on 
analysis  by  Berzelius  it  was  found  to  consist  of  the  oxides  of  manganese 
*  "  Personal  Narrative.,"  vol.  v.,  pt.  L,  p.  18. 


10  HABITS  OF  A   DIODON.  [CHAP.  I. 

and  iron.  In  the  Orinoco  it  occurs  on  the  rocks  periodically  vyashed 
by  the  floods,  and  in  those  parts  alone  where  the  stream  is  rapid ;  or, 
as  the  Indians  say,  "the  rocks  are  black  where  the  waters  are  white." 
Here  the  coating  is  of  a  rich  brown  instead  of  a  black  colour,  and  seems 
to  be  composed  of  ferruginous  matter  alone.  Hand  specimens  fail  to 
give  a  just  idea  of  these  brown  burnished  stones  which  glitter  in  the 
sun's  rays.  They  occur  only  within  the  limits  of  the  tidal  waves ;  and 
as  the  rivulet  slowly  trickles  down,  the  surf  must  supply  the  polishing 
power  of  the  cataracts  in  the  great  rivers.  In  like  manner,  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the  tide  probably  answer  to  the  periodical  inundations ;  and  thus 
the  same  effects  are  produced  under  apparently  different  but  really 
similar  circumstances.  The  origin,  however,  of  these  coatings  of 
metallic  oxides,  which  seem  as  if  cemented  to  the  rocks,  is  not  under- 
stood ;  and  no  reason,  I  believe,  can  be  assigned  for  their  thickness 
remaining  the  same. 

One  day  I  was  amused  by  watching  the  habits  of  the  Diodon  anten- 
natus,  which  was  caught  swimming  near  the  shore.  This  fish,  with  its 
flabby  skin,  is  well  known  to  possess  the  singular  power  of  distending 
itself  into  a  nearly  spherical  form.  After  having  been  taken  out  of 
water  for  a  short  time,  and  then  again  immersed  in  it,  a  considerable 
quantity  both  of  water  and  air  is  absorbed  by  the  mouth,  and  perhaps 
likewise  by  the  branchial  orifices.  This  process  is  effected  by  two 
methods ;  the  air  is  swallowed,  and  is  then  forced  into  the  cavity  of 
the  body,  its  return  being  prevented  by  a  muscular  contraction  which  is 
externally  visible  :  but  the  water  enters  in  a  gentle  stream  through  the 
mouth,  which  is  kept  wide  open  and  motionless ;  this  latter  action  must, 
therefore,  depend  on  suction.  The  skin  about  the  abdomen  is  much 
looser  than  that  on  the  back;  hence,  during  the  inflation,  the  lower 
surface  becomes  far  more  distended  than  the  upper ;  and  the  fish,  in 
consequence,  floats  with  its  back  downwards.  Cuvier  doubts  whether 
the  Diodon  in  this  position  is  able  to  swim ;  but  not  only  can  it  thus 
move  forward  in  a  straight  line,  but  it  can  turn  round  to  either  side. 
This  latter  movement  is  effected  solely  by  the  aid  of  the  pectoral  fins  ; 
the  tail  being  collapsed,  and  not  used.  From  the  body  being  buoyed 
up  with  so  much  air,  the  branchial  openings  are  out  of  water,  but  a 
stream  drawn  in  by  the  mouth  constantly  flows  through  them. 

The  fish,  having  remained  in  this  distended  state  for  a  short  time, 
generally  expelled  the  air  and  water  with  considerable  force  from  the 
branchial  apertures  and  mouth.  It  could  emit,  at  will,  a  certain  portion 
of  the  water ;  and  it  appears,  therefore,  probable  that  this  fluid  is  taken 
in  partly  for  the  sake  of  regulating  its  specific  gravity.  This  Diodon 
possessed  several  means  of  defence.  It  could  give  a  severe  bite,  and 
could  eject  water  from  its  mouth  to  some  distance,  at  the  same  time 
making  a  curious  noise  by  the  movement  of  its  jaws.  By  the  inflation 
of  its  body,  the  papillae,  with  which  the  skin  is  covered,  become  erect 
and  pointed.  But  the  most  curious  circumstance  is,  that  it  secretes 
from  the  skin  of  its  belly,  when  handled,  a  most  beautiful  carmine-red 
fibrous  matter,  which  stains  ivory  and  paper  in  so  permanent  a  manner, 
that  the  tint  is  retained  with  all  its  brightness  to  the  present  day  I  am 


1832.]  PELAGIC  CONFERVA  AND  INFUSORIA  II 

quite  ignorant  of  the  nature  and  use  of  this  secretion.  I  have  heard 
from  Dr.  Allan  of  Forres,  that  he  has  frequently  found  a  Diodon,  float- 
ing alive  and  distended,  in  the  stomach  of  the  shark ;  and  that  on 
several  occasions  he  has  known  it  eat  its  way,  not  only  through  the 
coats  of  the  stomach,  but  through  the  sides  of  the  monster,  which  has 
thus  been  killed.  Who  would  ever  have  imagined  that  a  little  soft  fish 
could  have  destroyed  the  great  and  savage  shark  ? 

March  iStk. — We  sailed  from  Bahia.  A  few  days  afterwards,  when 
not  far  distant  from  the  Abrolhos  Islets,  my  attention  was  called  to  a 
reddish-brown  appearance  in  the  sea.  The  whole  surface  of  the  water, 
as  it  appeared  under  a  weak  lens,  seemed  as  if  covered  by  chopped 
bits  of  hay,  with  their  ends  jagged.  These  are  minute  cylindrical  con- 
fervse,  in  bundles  or  rafts  of  from  twenty  to  sixty  in  each.  Mr.  Berkeley 
informs  me  that  they  are  the  same  species  (Trichodesmium  erythraeum) 
with  that  found  over  large  spaces  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  whence  its  name 
of  Red  Sea  is  derived.*  Their  numbers  must  be  infinite :  the  ship 
passed  through  several  bands  of  them,  one  of  which  was  about  ten 
yards  wide,  and,  judging  from  the  mud-like  colour  of  the  water,  at 
least  two  and  a  half  miles  long.  In  almost  every  long  voyage  some 
account  is  given  of  these  confervee.  They  appear  especially  common  in 
the  sea  near  Australia ;  and  off  Cape  Leeuvvin  I  found  an  allied,  but 
smaller  and  apparently  different  species.  Captain  Cook,  in  his  third 
voyage,  remarks,  that  the  sailors  gave  to  this  appearance  the  name  of 
sea-sawdust. 

Near  Keeling  Atoll,  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  I  observed  many  little 
masses  of  confervas  a  few  inches  square,  consisting  of  long  cylindrical 
threads  of  excessive  thinness,  so  as  to  be  barely  visible  to  the  naked 
eye,  mingled  with  other  rather  larger  bodies,  finely  conical  at  both 
ends.  Two  of  these  are  shown  in  the 
woodcut  united  together.  They  vary  in 
length  from  -04  to  '06,  and  even  to  '08  of 
an  inch  in  length;  and  in  diameter  from 
•006  to  -008  of  an  inch.  Near  one  extremity  of  the  cylindrical  parts 
a  green  septum,  formed  of  granular  matter,  and  thickest  in  the  middle, 
may  generally  be  seen.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  bottom  of  a  most  deli- 
cate, colourless  sac,  composed  of  a  pulpy  substance,  which  lines  the 
exterior  case,  but  does  not  extend  within  the  extreme  conical  points. 
In  some  specimens,  small  but  perfect  spheres  of  brownish  granular 
matter  supplied  the  places  of  the  septa ;  and  I  observed  the  curious 
process  by  which  they  were  produced.  The  pulpy  matter  of  the 
internal  coating  suddenly  grouped  itself  into  lines,  some  of  which 
assumed  a  form  radiating  from  a  common  centre;  it  then  continued, 
with  an  irregular  and  rapid  movement,  to  contract  itself,  so  that  in  the 
course  of  a  second  the  whole  was  united  into  a  perfect  little  sphere, 
which  occupied  the  position  of  the  septum  at  one  end  of  the  now 

•  M.  Montagne,  in  Contptts  Rendus,  etc.,  Juillet,  1844;  and  Annul,  des. 
Sftenc.  Nat.,  Dec.  1844. 


12  DISCOLOURED  SEA.  [CHAP.  i. 

quite  hollow  case.  The  formation  of  the  granular  sphere  was  hastened 
by  any  accidental  injury.  I  may  add,  that  frequently  a  pair  of  these 
bodies  were  attached  to  each  other,  as  represented  above,  cone  beside 
cone,  at  that  end  where  the  septum  occurs. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  other  observations  connected  with  the  dis- 
colouration of  the  sea  from  organic  causes.  On  the  coast  of  Chile, 
a  few  leagues  north  of  Concepcion,  the  Beagle  one  day  passed  through 
great  bands  of  muddy  water,  exactly  like  that  of  a  swollen  river ;  and 
again,  a  degree  south  of  Valparaiso,  when  fifty  miles  from  the  land, 
the  same  appearance  was  still  more  extensive.  Some  of  the  water 
placed  in  a  glass  was  of  a  pale  reddist  tint;  and,  examined  under 
a  microscope,  was  seen  to  swarm  with  minute  animalcula  darting  about, 
and  (often  exploding.  Their  shape  is  oval,  and  contracted  in  the  middle 
by  a  ring  of  vibrating  curved  ciliae.  It  was,  however,  very  difficult 
to  examine  them  with  care,  for  almost  the  instant  motion  ceased,  even 
while  crossing  the  field  of  vision,  their  bodies  burst.  Sometimes  both 
ends  burst  at  once,  sometimes  only  one,  and  a  quantity  of  coarse, 
brownish,  granular  matter  was  ejected.  The  animal  an  instant  before 
bursting  expanded  to  half  again  its  natural  size ;  and  the  explosion 
took  place  about  fifteen  seconds  after  the  rapid  progressive  motion  had 
ceased:  in  a  few  cases  it  was  preceded  for  a  short  interval  by  a 
rotatory  movement  on  the  longer  axis.  About  two  minutes  after  any 
number  were  isolated  in  a  drop  of  water,  they  thus  perished.  The 
animals  move  with  the  narrow  apex  forwards,  by  the  aid  of  their 
vibratory  ciliae,  and  generally  by  rapid  starts.  They  are  exceedingly 
minute,  and  quite  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  only  covering  a  space 
equal  to  the  square  of  the  thousandth  of  an  inch.  Their  numbers  were 
infinite  ;  for  the  smallest  drop  of  water  which  I  could  remove  contained 
very  many.  In  one  day  we  passed  through  two  spaces  of  water  thus 
stained,  one  of  which  alone  must  have  extended  over  several  square 
miles.  What  incalculable  numbers  of  these  microscopical  animals ! 
The  colour  of  the  water,  as  seen  at  some  distance,  was  like  that 
of  a  river  which  has  flowed  through  a  red  clay  district;  but  under 
the  shade  of  the  vessel's  side  it  was  quite  as  dark  as  chocolate.  The 
line  where  the  red  and  blue  water  joined  was  distinctly  defined.  The 
weather  for  some  days  previously  had  been  calm,  and  the  ocean 
abounded,  to  an  unusual  degree,  with  living  creatures.* 

In  the  sea  around  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  land,  I  have  seen  narrow  lines  of  water  of  a  bright  red  colour, 
from  the  number  of  Crustacea,  which  somewhat  resemble  in  form 
large  prawns.  The  sealers  call  them  whale-food.  Whether  whales 

*  M.  Lesson  (Voyage  de  la  Coquille,  torn,  i.,  p.  255)  mentions  red  water 
off  Lima,  apparently  produced  by  the  same  cause.  Peron,  the  distinguished 
naturalist,  in  the  "  Voyage  aux  Terres  Australes,"  gives  no  less  than  twelve 
references  to  voyagers  who  have  alluded  to  the  discoloured  waters  of  the  sea 
(vol.  ii.,  p.  239).  To  the  references  given  by  Peron  may  be  added,  Hum- 
bold  t's  "  Pers.  Narr.,"  vol.  vi.,  p.  804 ;  Flinders'  "  Voyage,"  vol.  i.,  p.  92;  Labil- 
ladiere,  vol.  L,  p.  287  ;  Ullioa's  "  Voyage  " ;  "Voyage  of  the  Astrolabe  and  ot 
the  Coquille  " :  Captain  King's  "  Survey  of  Australia,"  etc. 


I832.J  DISCOLOURED  SEA.  13 

feed  on  them  I  do  not  know ;  but  terns,  cormorants,  and  immense 
herds  of  great  unwieldy  seals  derive,  on  some  part  of  the  coast,  their 
chief  sustenance  from  these  swimming  crabs.  Seamen  invariably 
attribute  the  discolouration  of  the  water  to  spawn ;  but  I  found  this 
to  be  the  case  only  on  one  occasion.  At  the  distance  of  several  leagues 
from  the  Archipelago  of  the  Galapagos,  the  ship  sailed  through  three 
strips  of  a  dark  yellowish,  or  mud-like  water ;  these  strips  were  some 
miles  long,  but  only  a  few  yards  wide,  and  they  were  separated  from 
the  surrounding  water  by  a  sinuous  yet  distinct  margin.  The  colour 
was  caused  by  little  gelatinous  balls,  about  the  fifth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  in  which  numerous  minute  spherical  evules  were  embedded  ; 
they  were  of  two  distinct  kinds,  one  being  of  a  reddish  colour  and  of  a 
different  shape  from  the  other.  I  cannot  form  a  conjecture  as  to  what 
two  kinds  of  animals  these  belonged.  Captain  Colnett  remarks,  that 
this  appearance  is  very  common  among  the  Galapagos  Islands,  and 
that  the  direction  of  the  bands  indicates  that  of  the  currents ;  in  the 
described  case,  however,  the  line  was  caused  by  the  wind.  The  only 
other  appearance  which  I  have  to  notice,  is  a  thin  oily  coat  on  the 
water  which  displays  iridescent  colours.  I  saw  a  considerable  tract  of 
the  ocean  thus  covered  on  the  coast  of  Brazil ;  the  seamen  attribute  it 
to  the  putrefying  carcass  of  some  whale,  which  probably  was  floating 
at  no  great  distance.  I  do  not  here  mention  the  minute  gelatinous 
particles,  hereafter  to  be  referred  to,  which  are  frequently  dispersed 
throughout  the  water,  for  they  are  not  sufficiently  abundant  to  create 
any  change  of  colour. 

There  are  two  circumstances  in  the  above  accounts  which  appear 
remarkable :  first,  how  do  the  various  bodies  which  form  the  bands 
with  defined  edges  keep  together  ?  In  the  case  of  the  prawn-like 
crabs,  their  movements  were  as  coinstantaneous  as  in  a  regiment  of 
soldiers ;  but  this  cannot  happen  from  anything  like  voluntary  action 
with  the  ovules,  or  the  confervae,  nor  is  it  probable  among  the  infusoria. 
Secondly,  what  causes  the  length  and  narrowness  of  the  bands  ?  The 
appearance  so  much  resembles  that  which  may  be  seen  in  every 
torrent,  where  the  stream  uncoils  into  long  streaks  the  froth  collected 
in  the  eddies;  that  I  must  attribute  the  effect  to  a  similar  action  either 
of  the  current  of  the  air  or  sea.  Under  this  supposition  we  must 
believe  that  the  various  organized  bodies  are  produced  in  certain 
favourable  places,  and  are  thence  removed  by  the  set  of  either  wind 
or  water.  I  confess,  hovrever,  there  is  a  very  great  difficulty  in  imagin- 
ing any  one  spot  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  millions  of  millions  of 
animalcula  and  confervae  :  for  whence  come  the  germs  at  such  points  ? 
— the  parent  bodies  having  been  distributed  by  the  winds  and  waves 
over  the  immense  ocean.  But  on  no  other  hypothesis  can  I  understand 
their  linear  grouping.  I  may  add  that  Scoresby  remarks,  that  green 
water  abounding  with  pelagic  animals  is  invariably  found  in  a  certain 
part  of  the  Arctic  Sea, 


14  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  11. 

CHAPTER     I J. 

RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  North  of  Cape  Frio — Great  Evaporation — 
Slavery—  Botofoga  Bay— Terrestrial  Planarise— Clouds  on  the  Cor- 
covado — Heavy  Rain — Musical  Frogs — Phosphorescent  Insects — Elater, 
Springing  Powers  of — Blue  Haze — Noise  made  by  a  Butterfly — Ento- 
mology— Ants — Wasp  killing  a  Spider — Parasitical  Spider — Artifices  of 
an  Epeira — Gregarious  Spider — Spider  with  an  Unsymmetrical  Web. 

April  &,th  to  July  $th,  1832, — A  few  days  after  our  arrival  I  became 
acquainted  with  an  Englishman  who  was  going  to  visit  his  estate, 
situated  rather  more  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the  capital,  to  the 
northward  of  Cape  Frio.  I  gladly  accepted  his  kind  offer  of  allowing 
me  to  accompany  him. 

April  8t/i. — Our  party  amounted  to  seven.  The  first  stage  was  very 
interesting.  The  day  was  powerfully  hot,  and  as  we  passed  through 
the  woods  everything  was  motionless,  excepting  the  large  and 
brilliant  butterflies,  which  lazily  fluttered  about.  The  view  seen  when 
crossing  the  hills  behind  Praia  Grande  was  most  beautiful ;  the  colours 
were  intense,  and  the  prevailing  tint  a  dark  blue  ;  the  sky  and  the 
calm  waters  of  the  bay  vied  with  each  other  in  splendour.  After  passing 
through  some  cultivated  country,  we  entered  a  forest,  which  in  the 
grandeur  of  all  its  parts  could  not  be  exceeded.  We  arrived  by  mid- 
day at  Ithacaia  ;  this  small  village  is  situated  on  a  plain,  and  round  the 
central  house  are  the  huts  of  the  negroes.  These,  from  their  regular 
form  and  position,  reminded  me  of  the  drawings  of  the  Hottentot 
habitations  in  Southern  Africa.  As  the  moon  rose  early,  we  determined 
to  start  the  same  evening  for  our  sleeping-place  at  the  Lagoa  Marica. 
As  it  was  growing  dark  we  passed  under  one  of  the  massive,  bare,  and 
steep  hills  of  granite  which  are  so  common  in  this  country.  This  spot 
is  notorious  from  having  been,  for  a  long  time,  the  residence  of  some 
runaway  slaves,  who,  by  cultivating  a  little  ground  near  the  top,  con- 
trived to  eke  out  a  subsistence.  At  length  they  were  discovered,  and  a 
party  of  soldiers  being  sent,  the  whole  were  seized  with  the  exception 
of  one  old  woman,  who,  sooner  than  again  be  led  into  slavery,  dashed 
herself  to  pieces  from  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  In  a  Roman 
matron  this  would  have  been  called  the  noble  love  of  freedom  ;  in  a 
poor  negress  it  is  mere  brutal  obstinacy.  We  continued  riding  for  some 
hours.  For  the  few  last  miles  the  road  was  intricate,  and  it  passed 
through  a  desert  waste  of  marshes  and  lagoons.  The  scene  by  the 
dimmed  light  of  the  moon  was  most  desolate.  A  few  fireflies  flitted  by 
us ;  and  the  solitary  snipe,  as  it  rose,  uttered  its  plaintive  cry.  The 
distant  and  sullen  roar  of  the  sea  scarcely  broke  the  stillness  of  the 
night. 

April  gth. — We  left  our  miserable  sleeping-place  before  sunrise. 
The  road  passed  through  a  narrow  sandy  plain,  lying  between  the  sea 


,832.]  UVING  AT  A   VENDA.  15 

and  the  interior  salt  lagoons.  The  number  of  beautiful  fishing  birds, 
such  as  egrets  and  cranes,  and  the  succulent  plants  assuming  most 
fantastical  forms,  gave  to  the  scene  an  interest  which  it  would  not 
otherwise  have  possessed.  The  few  stunted  trees  were  loaded  with 
parasitical  plants,  among  which  the  beauty  and  delicious  fragrance  of 
some  of  the  orchideae  were  most  to  be  admired.  As  the  sun  rose,  the 
day  became  extremely  hot,  and  the  reflection  of  the  light  and  heat  from 
the  white  sand  was  very  distressing.  We  dined  at  Alandetiba ;  the 
thermometer  in  the  shade  being  84°.  The  beautiful  view  of  the 
distant  wooded  hills,  reflected  in  the  perfectly  calm  water  of  an  exten- 
sive lagoon,  quite  refreshed  us.  As  the  venda*  here  was  a  very  good 
one,  and  I  have  the  pleasant,  but  rare  remembrance,  of  an  excellent 
dinner,  I  will  be  grateful  and  presently  describe  it,  as  the  type  of  its 
class.  These  houses  are  often  large,  and  are  built  of  thick  upright 
posts,  with  boughs  interwoven,  and  afterwards  plastered.  They 
seldom  have  floors,  and  never  glazed  windows ;  but  are  generally  pretty 
well  roofed.  Universally  the  front  part  is  open,  forming  a  kind  of 
verandah,  in  which  tables  and  benches  are  placed.  The  bed-rooms 
join  on  each  side,  and  here  the  passenger  may  sleep  as  comfortably  as 
he  can,  on  a  wooden  platform,  covered  by  a  thin  straw  mat.  The 
venda  stands  in  a  courtyard,  where  the  horses  are  fed.  On  first  arriving, 
it  was  our  custom  to  unsaddle  the  horses  and  give  them  their  Indian 
corn ;  then,  with  a  low  bow,  to  ask  the  senhor  to  do  us  the  favour  to 
give  us  something  to  eat.  "  Anything  you  choose,  sir,"  was  his  usual 
answer.  For  the  few  first  times,  vainly  I  thanked  Providence  for 
having  guided  us  to  so  good  a  man.  The  conversation  proceeding,  the 
case  universally  became  deplorable.  "  Any  fish  can  you  do  ps  the 
favour  of  giving  ?  " — "  Oh  !  no,  sir." — "  Any  soup  ?  " — "  No,  sir." — "  Any 
bread?" — "Oh!  no,  sir." — "Any  dried  meat?" — "Oh!  no,  sir."  11 
we  were  lucky,  by  waiting  a  couple  of  hours,  we  obtained  fowls,  rice, 
and  farinha.  It  not  unfrequently  happened,  that  we  were  obliged  to 
kill,  with  stones,  the  poultry  for  our  own  supper.  When,  thoroughly 
exhausted  by  fatigue  and  hunger,  we  timorously  hinted  that  we  should 
be  glad  of  our  meal,  the  pompous,  and  (though  true)  most  unsatis- 
factory answer  was,  "  It  will  be  ready  when  it  is  ready."  If  we  had 
dared  to  remonstrate  any  further,  we  should  have  been  told  to  proceed 
on  our  journey,  as  being  too  impertinent.  The  hosts  are  most  ungracious 
and  disagreeable  in  their  manners ;  their  houses  and  their  persons  are 
often  filthily  dirty ;  the  want  of  the  accommodation  of  forks,  knives,  and 
spoons  is  common ;  and  I  am  sure  no  cottage  or  hovel  in  England  could 
be  found  in  a  state  so  utterly  destitute  of  every  comfort.  At  Campos 
Novos,  however,  we  fared  sumptuously ;  having  rice  and  fowls,  biscuit, 
wine,  and  spirits,  for  dinner  ;  coffee  in  the  evening,  and  fish  with  coffee 
for  breakfast.  All  this,  with  good  food  for  the  horses,  only  cost  2s.  6d. 
per  head.  Yet  the  host  of  this  venda,  being  asked  if  he  knew  anything 
of  a  whip  which  one  of  the  party  had  lost,  gruffly  answered,  "  How 
should  I  know  ?  why  did  you  not  take  care  of  it  ? — I  suppose  the  dogs 
have  eaten  it" 

*  Venda,  the  Portuguese  name  for  »n  inn. 


16  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

Leaving  Mandetiba,  we  continued  to  pass  through  an  intricate 
wilderness  of  lakes  ;  in  some  of  which  were  fresh,  in  others  salt  water 
shells.  Of  the  former  kind,  I  found  a  Limnoea  in  great  numbers  in  a 
lake,  into  which,  the  -inhabitants  assured  me,  that  the  sea  enters  once  a 
year,  and  sometimes  oftener,  and  makes  the  water  quite  salt.  I  have 
no  doubt  many  interesting  facts,  in  relation  to  marine  and  fresh-water 
animals,  might  be  observed  in  this  chain  of  lagoons,  which  skirt  the 
coast  of  Brazil.  M.  Gay  *  has  stated  that  he  found  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Rio,  shells  of  the  marine  genera  solen  and  mytilus,  and  fresh-water 
ampullariae,  living  together  in  brackish  water.  I  also  frequently 
observed  in  the  lagoon  near  the  Botanic  Garden,  where  the  water  is 
only  a  little  less  salt  than  in  the  sea,  a  species  of  hydrophilus,  very 
similar  to  a  water-beetle  common  in  the  ditches  of  England :  in  the 
same  lake  the  only  shell  belonged  to  a  genus  generally  found  in 
estuaries. 

Leaving  the  coast  for  a  time,  we  again  entered  the  forest.  The  trees 
were  very  lofty,  and  remarkable,  compared  with  those  of  Europe,  from 
the  whiteness  of  their  trunks.  I  see  by  my  note-book,  "  wonderful  and 
beautiful,  flowering  parasites,"  invariably  struck  me  as  the  most  novel 
object  in  these  grand  scenes.  Travelling  onwards  we  passed  through 
tracts  of  pasturage,  much  injured  by  the  enormous  conical  ants'  nests, 
which  were  nearly  twelve  feet  high.  They  gave  to  the  plain  exactly  the 
appearance  of  the  mud  volcanos  at  Jorullo,  as  figured  by  Humboldt. 
We  arrived  at  Engenhodo  after  it  was  dark,  having  been  ten  hours  on 
horseback.  I  never  ceased,  during  the  whole  journey,  to  be  surprised 
at  the  amount  of  labour  which  the  horses  were  capable  of  enduring ; 
they  appeared  also  to  recover  from  any  injury  much  sooner  than  those 
of  our  English  breed.  The  Vampire  bat  is  often  the  cause  of  much 
trouble,  by  biting  the  horses  on  their  withers.  The  injury  is  generally 
not  so  much  owing  to  the  loss  of  blood,  as  to  the  inflammation  which 
the  pressure  of  the  saddle  afterwards  produces.  The  whole  circumstance 
has  lately  been  doubted  in  England ;  I  was  therefore  fortunate  in  being 
present  when  one  (Desmodus  d'orbignyi,  Wat.)  was  actually  caught  on 
a  horse's  back.  We  were  bivouacking  late  one  evening  near  Coquiinbo, 
in  Chile,  when  my  servant,  noticing  that  one  of  the  horses  was  very 
restive,  went  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  fancying  he  could 
distinguish  something,  suddenly  put  his  hand  on  the  beast's  withers, 
and  secured  the  vampire.  In  the  morning  the  spot  where  the  bite  had 
been  inflicted  was  easily  distinguished  from  being  slightly  swollen  and 
bloody.  The  third  day  afterwards  we  rode  the  horse  without  any  ill 
effects. 

April  i^th. — After  three  days'  travelling  we  arrived  at  Socego,  the 
estate  of  Senhor  Manuel  Figuireda,  a  relation  of  one  of  our  party.  The 
house  was  simple,  and,  though  like  a  barn  in  form,  was  well  suited  to 
the  climate.  In  the  sitting-room  gilded  chairs  and  sofas  were  oddly 
contrasted  with  the  whitewashed  walls,  thatched  roof,  and  windows 
without  glass.  The  house,  together  with  the  granaries,  the  stables,  and 
workshops  for  the  blacks,  who  had  been  taught  various  trades,  formed 
*  Anna  Its  tits  Scitncts  Naturtllts  for  1833, 


1832.] 


A  COFFEE  ESTATE. 


a  rude  kind  of  quadrangle  ;  in  the  centre  of  which  a  large  pile  of  coffee 
was  drying.  These  buildings  stand  on  a  little  hill,  overlooking  the 
cultivated  ground,  and  surrounded  on  every  side  by  a  wall  of  dark  green 
luxuriant  forest.  The  chief  produce  of  this  part  of  the  country  is 
coffee.  Each  tree  is  supposed  to  yield  annually,  on  an  average,  two 
pounds ;  but  some  give  as  much  as  eight.  Mandioca  or  cassada  is 
likexvise  cultivated  in  great  quantity.  Every  part  of  this  plant  is 
useful :  the  leaves  and  stalks  are  eaten  by  the  horses,  and  the  roots  are 
ground  into  a  pulp,  which,  when  pressed  dry  and  baked,  forms  the 
farinha,  the  principal  article  of  sustenance  in  the  Brazils.  It  is  a 
curious,  though  well-known  fact,  that  the  juice  of  this  most  nutritious 
plant  is  highly  poisonous.  A  few  years  ago  a  cow  died  at  this  Fazenda, 
in  consequence  of  having  drunk  some  of  it.  Senhor  Figuireda  told  me 
that  he  had  planted,  the  year  before,  one  bag  of  feijao  or  beans,  and 
three  of  rice  ;  the  former  of  which  produced  eighty,  and  the  latter  three 
hundred  and  twenty  fold.  The  pasturage  supports  a  fine  stock  of 
cattle,  and  the  woods  are  so  full  of  game,  that  a  deer  had  been  killed 
on  each  of  the  three  previous  days.  This  profusion  of  food  showed 
itself  at  dinner,  where,  if  the  tables  did  not  groan,  the  guests  surely 
did :  for  each  person  is  expected  to  eat  of  every  dish.  One  day,  having, 
as  I  thought,  nicely  calculated  so  that  nothing  should  go  away  untasted, 
to  my  utter  dismay  a  roast  turkey  and  a  pig  appeared  in  all  their 
substantial  reality.  During  the  meals,  it  was  the  employment  of  a  man 
to  drive  out  of  the  room  sundry  old  hounds,  and  dozens  of  little  black 
children,  which  crawled  in  together,  at  every  opportunity.  As  long  as 
the  idea  of  slavery  could  be  banished,  there  was  something  exceedingly 
fascinating  in  this  simple  and  patriarchal  style  of  living :  it  was  such  a 
perfect  retirement  and  independence  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  As 
soon  as  any  stranger  is  seen  arriving  a  large  bell  is  set  tolling,  and 
generally  some  small  cannon  are  fired.  The  event  is  thus  announced 
to  the  rocks  and  woods,  but  to  nothing  else.  One  morning  I  walked 
out  an  hour  before  daylight  to  admire  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene  ; 
at  last,  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  morning  hymn,  raised  on  high  by 
the  whole  body  of  the  blacks  ;  and  in  this  manner  their  daily  work  is 
generally  begun.  On  such  fazendas  as  these,  I  have  no  doubt  the 
slaves  pass  happy  and  contented  lives.  On  Saturday  and  Sunday  they 
work  for  themselves,  and  in  this  fertile  climate  the  labour  of  two  days 
is  sufficient  to  support  a  man  and  his  family  for  the  whole  week. 

April  l^th. — Leaving  Socego,  we  rode  to  another  estate  on  the  Rio 
Macae,  which  was  the  last  patch  of  cultivated  ground  in  that  direction. 
The  estate  was  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  the  owner  had  forgotten 
how  many  broad.  Only  a  very  small  piece  had  been  cleared,  yet 
almost  every  acre  was  capable  of  yielding  all  the  various  rich  productions 
of  a  tropical  land.  Considering  the  enormous  area  of  Brazil,  the 
proportion  of  cultivated  ground  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  any- 
thing, compared  to  that  which  is  left  in  the  state  of  nature :  at  some  future 
age,  how  vast  a  population  it  will  support  1  During  the  second  day's 
journey  we  found  the  road  so  shut  up,  that  it  was  necessary  that  a  man 
should  go  ahead  with  a  sword  to  cut  away  the  creepers.  The  forest 


i8  RIO  DE  JANEIRO,  [CHAP.  n. 

abounded  with  beautiful  objects ;  among  which  the  tree  ferns,  though 
not  large,  were,  from  their  bright  green  foliage,  and  the  elegant  curva- 
ture of  their  fronds,  most  worthy  of  admiration.  In  the  evening  it 
rained  very  heavily,  and  although  the  thermometer  stood  at  65°,  I  felt 
very  cold.  As  soon  as  the  rain  ceased,  it  -was  curious  to  observe  the 
extraordinary  evaporation  which  commenced  over  the  whole  extent  of 
the  forest.  At  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet  the  hills  were  buried  in  a 
dense  white  vapour,  which  rose  like  columns  ol  smoke  from  the  most 
thickly-wooded  parts,  and  especially  from  the  valleys.  I  observed  this 
phenomenon  on  several  occasions :  I  suppose  it  is  owing  to  the  large 
surface  of  foliage,  previously  heated  by  the  sun's  rays. 

While  staying  at  this  estate,  I  was  very  nearly  being  an  eye-witness 
to  one  of  those  atrocious  acts  which  can  only  take  place  in  a  slave 
country.  Owing  to  a  quarrel  and  a  lawsuit,  the  owner  was  on  the 
point  of  taking  all  the  women  and  children  from  the  male  slaves,  and 
selling  them  separately  at  the  public  auction  at  Rio.  Interest,  and  not 
any  feeling  of  compassion,  prevented  this  act.  Indeed,  I  do  not 
believe  the  inhumanity  of  separating  thirty  families,  who  had  lived  to- 
gether for  many  years,  even  occurred  to  the  owner.  Yet  I  will  pledge 
myself,  that  in  humanity  and  good  feeling  he  was  superior  to  the 

f  common  run  of  men.  It  may  be  said  there  exists  no  limit  to  the 
blindness  of  interest  and  selfish  habit.  I  may  mention  one  very 
trifling  anecdote,  which  at  the  time  struck  me  more  forcibly  than  any 
story  of  cruelty.  I  was  crossing  a  ferry  with  a  negro,  who  was  un- 
commonly stupid.  In  endeavouring  to  make  him  understand,  I  talked 
loud,  and  made  signs,  in  doing  which  I  passed  my  hand  near  his  face. 
He,  I  suppose,  thought  I  was  in  a  passion,  and  was  going  to  strike 
him ;  for  instantly,  with  a  frightened  look  and  half-shut  eyes,  he 
dropped  his  hands.  I  shall  never  forget  my  feelings  of  surprise, 
disgust,  and  shame,  at  seeing  a  great  powerful  man  afraid  even  to  ward 
off  a  blow,  directed,  as  he  thought,  at  his  face.  This  man  had  been 
trained  to  a  degradation  lower  than  the  slavery  of  the  most  helpless 
animal. 

April  iSfA. — In  returning  we    spent  two  days   at  Socego,  and  I 

employed  them  in  collecting  insects  in  the  forest.     The  greater  number 

of  trees,  although  so  lofty,  are  not  more  than  three   or  four  feet  in 

circumference.     There  are,  of  course,  a  few  of  much  greater  dimension. 

Senhor  Manuel  was  then  making  a  canoe  70  feet  in  length  from  a  solid 

trunk  which  had  originally  been  no  feet  long,  and  of  great  thickness. 

\      The  contrast  of  palm  trees,  growing  amidst  the  common  branching 

'      xkinds,  never  fails  to  give  the  scene  an  intertrnpical  character.     Here 

1      the  woods  were  ornamented  by  the  Cabbage  Palm — one  of  the  most 

-    beautifuljpf  its  family.    With  a  stem  so  narrow  that  it  might  be  clasped 

with  the  two  hands,  it  waves  its  elegant  head  at  the  height  of  forty  or 

fifty  feet  above  the  ground.     The  woody  creepers,  themselves  covered 

by  other  creepers,  were  of  great  thickness :    some  which  I  measured 

were  two  feet  in  circumference.     Many  of  the  older  trees  presented  a 

very  curious  appearance  from  the  tresses  of  a  liana  hanging  from  their 

boughs,  and  resembling  bundles  of  hay.     If  the  eye  was  turned  from 


1832.]  RETURN  TO  RIO.  19 

the  world  of  foliage  above,  to  the  ground  beneath,  it  was  attracted  by 
the  extreme  elegance  of  the  leaves  of  the  ferns  and  mimosas.  The 
latter,  in  some  parts,  covered  the  surface  with  a  brushwood  only  a  few 
inches  high.  In  walking  across  these  thick  beds  of  mimoaes,  a  broad 
track  was  marked  by  the  Change  of  shade,  produced  by  the  drooping  of 
their  sensitive  petioles.  It  is  easy  to  specify  the  individual  objects  of 
admiration  in  these  grand  scenes  ;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  give  an 
adequate  idea  of  the  higher  feelings  of  wonder,  astonishment,  and 
devotion,  which  fill  and  elevate  the  mind. 

April  igth. — Leaving  Socego,  during  the  two  first  days,  we  retraced 
our  steps.  It  was  very  wearisome  work,  as  the  road  generally  ran 
across  a  glaring  hot  sandy  plain,  not  far  from  the  coast.  I  noticed  that 
each  time  the  horse  put  its  foot  on  the  fine  siliceous  sand,  a  gentle 
chirping  noise  was  produced.  On  the  third  day  we  took  a  different 
line,  and  passed  through  the  gay  little  village  of  Madre  de  Deos.  This 
is  one  of  the  principal  lines  of  road  in  Brazil ;  yet  it  was  in  so  bad  a 
state  that  no  wheel  vehicle,  excepting  the  clumsy  bullock-waggon,  could 
pass  along.  In  our  whole  journey  we  did  not  cross  a  single  bridge 
built  of  stone;  and  those  made  of  logs  of  wood  were  frequently  so 
much  out  of  repair,  that  it  was  necessary  to  go  on  one  side  to  avoid 
them.  All  distances  are  inaccurately  known.  The  road  is  often  marked 
by  crosses,  in  the  place  of  milestones,  to  signify  where  human  blood 
lias  been  spilled.  On  the  evening  of  the  23rd  we  arrived  at  Rio,  having 
finished  our  pleasant  little  excursion. 

During  the  remainder  of  my  stay  at  Rio,  I  resided  in  a  cottage  at 
Botofogo  Bay.  It  was  impossible  to  wish  for  anything  more  delightful 
than  thus  to  spend  some  weeks  in  so  magnificent  a  country.  In 
England  any  person  fond  of  natural  history  enjoys  in  his  walks  a  great 
advantage,  by  always  having  something  to  attract  his  attention ;  but  in 
these  fertile  climates,  teeming  with  life,  the  attractions  are  so  numerous, 
that  he  is  scarcely  able  to  walk  at  all. 

The  few  observations  which  I  was  enabled  to  make  were  almost 
exclusively  confined  to  the  invertebrate  animals.  The  existence  of  a 
division  of  the  genus  Planaria,  which  inhabits  the  dry  land,  interested 
me  much.  These  animals  are  of  so  simple  a  structure,  that  Cuvier  has 
arranged  them  with  the  intestinal  worms,  though  never  found  within 
the  bodies  of  other  animals.  Numerous  species  inhabit  both  salt  and 
fresh  water  ;  but  those  to  which  I  allude  were  found,  even  in  the  drier 
parts  of  the  forest,  beneath  logs  of  rotten  wood,  on  which  I  believe  they 
feed.  In  general  form  they  resemble  little  slugs,  but  are  very  much 
narrower  in  proportion,  and  several  of  the  species  are  beautifully 
coloured  with  longitudinal  stripes.  Their  structure  is  very  simple: 
near  the  middle  of  the  under  or  crawling  surface  there  are  two  small 
transverse  slits,  from  the  anterior  one  of  which  a  funnel-shaped  and 
highly  irritable  mouth  can  be  protruded.  For  some  time  after  the  rest 
of  the  animal  was  completely  dead  from  the  effects  of  salt  water  or  any 
other  cause,  this  organ  still  retained  its  vitality. 

I  found  no  less  than  twelve  different  species  of  teiif:«trial  Planariat 

D 


ao  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  (CHAP.  ^ 

in  different  parts  of  the  southern  hemisphere.*  Some  specimens 
which  I  obtained  at  Van  Diemen's  Land,  I  kept  alive  for  nearly  two 
months,  feeding  them  on  rotten  wood.  Having  cut  one  of  them 
transversely  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  in  the  course  of  a  fortnight 
both  had  the  shape  of  perfect  animals.  I  had,  however,  so  divided 
the  body,  that  one  of  the  halves  contained  both  the  inferior  orifices, 
and  the  other,  in  consequence,  none.  In  the  course  of  twenty-five 
days  from  the  operation,  the  more  perfect  half  could  not  have  been 
distinguished  from  any  other  specimen.  The  other  had  increased 
much  in  size ;  and  towards  its  posterior  end,  a  clear  space  was  formed 
in  the  parenchymatous  mass,  in  which  a  rudimentary  cup-shaped 
mouth  could  clearly  be  distinguished;  on  the  other  surface,  however, 
no  corresponding  slit  was  yet  open.  If  the  increased  heat  of  the 
weather,  as  we  approached  the  equator,  had  not  destroyed  all  the 
individuals,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  last  step  would  have 
completed  its  structure.  Although  so  well-known  an  experiment,  it 
was  interesting  to  watch  the  gradual  production  of  every  essential 
organ,  out  of  the  simple  extremity  of  another  animal.  It  is  extremely 
difficult  to  preserve  these  Planariae;  as  soon  as  the  cessation  of  life 
allows  the  ordinary  laws  of  change  to  act,  their  entire  bodies  become 
soft  and  fluid,  with  a  rapidity  which  I  have  never  seen  equalled. 

I  first  visited  the  forest  in  which  these  Planarise  were  found,  in 
company  with  an  old  Portuguese  priest  who  took  me  out  to  hunt  with 
him.  The  sport  consisted  in  turning  into  the  cover  a  few  dogs,  and 
then  patiently  waiting  to  fire  at  any  animal  which  might  appear.  We 
were  accompanied  by  the  son  of  a  neighbouring  farmer — a  good 
specimen  of  a  wild  Brazilian  youth.  He  was  dressed  in  a  tattered 
old  shirt  and  trousers,  and  had  his  head  uncovered:  he  carried  an 
old-fashioned  gun  and  a  large  knife.  The  habit  of  carrying  the  knife 
is  universal ;  and  in  traversing  a  thick  wood  it  is  almost  necessary,  on 
account  of  the  creeping  plants.  The  frequent  occurrence  of  murder 
maybe  partly  attributed  to  this  habit.  The  Brazilians  are  so  dexterous 
with  the  knife,  that  they  can  throw  it  to  some  distance  with  precision, 
and  with  sufficient  force  to  cause  a  fatal  wound.  I  have  seen  a 
number  of  little  boys  practising  this  art  as  a  game  of  play,  and  from 
their  skill  in  hitting  an  upright  stick,  they  promised  well  for  more 
earnest  attempts.  My  companion,  the  day  before,  had  shot  two  large 
bearded  monkeys.  These  animals  have  prehensile  tails,  the  extremity 
of  which,  even  after  death,  can  support  the  whole  weight  of  the  body. 
One  of  them  thus  remained  fast  to  a  branch,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
cut  down  a  large  tree  to  procure  it  This  was  soon  effected,  and 
down  came  tree  and  monkey  with  an  awful  crash.  Our  day's  sport, 
besides  the  monkey,  was  confined  to  sundry  small  green  parrots  and 
a  few  toucans.  I  profited,  however,  by  my  acquaintance  with  the 
Portuguese  padre,  for  on  another  occasion  he  gave  me  a  fine  specimen 
of  the  Yagouaroundi  cat 

Every  one  has  heard  of  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  near  Botofogo. 

*  I  have  described  and  named  these  species  in  the  "Annals  of  Nat.  Hist.," 
vol.  xiv.,  p.  241. 


1832.]  PHOSPHORESCENT  INSECTS.  21 

The  house  in  which  I  lived  was  seated  close  beneath  the  well-known 
mountain  of  the  Corcovado.  It  has  been  remarked,  with  much  truth, 
that  abruptly  conical  hills  are  characteristic  of  the  formation  which 
Humboldt  designates  as  gneiss-granite.  Nothing  can  be  more  striking 
than  the  effect  of  these  huge  rounded  masses  of  naked  rock  rising  out 
of  the  most  luxuriant  vegetation. 

I  was  often  interested  by  watching  the  clouds,  which,  rolling  in 
from  seaward,  formed  a  bank  just  beneath  the  highest  point  of  the 
Corcovado.  This  mountain,  like  most  others,  when  thus  partly  veiled, 
appeared  to  rise  to  a  far  prouder  elevation  than  its  real  height  of 
2,300  feet.  Mr.  Daniell  has  observed,  in  his  meteorological  essays, 
that  a  cloud  sometimes  appears  fixed  on  a  mountain  summit,  while 
the  wind  continues  to  blow  over  it.  The  same  phenomenon  here 
presented  a  slightly  different  appearance.  In  this  case  the  cloud  was 
clearly  seen  to  curl  over,  and  rapidly  pass  by  the  summit,  and  yet 
was  neither  diminished  nor  increased  in  size.  The  sun  was  setting, 
and  a  gentle  southerly  breeze,  striking  against  the  southern  side  of 
the  rock,  mingled  its  current  with  the  colder  air  above,  and  the  vapour 
was  thus  condensed ;  but  as  the  light  wreaths  of  cloud  passed  over 
the  ridge,  and  came  within  the  influence  of  the  warmer  atmosphere  of 
the  northern  sloping  bank,  they  were  immediately  redissolved. 

The  climate,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June,  or  the  beginning 
of  winter,  was  delightful.  The  mean  temperature,  from  observations 
taken  at  nine  o'clock,  both  morning  and  evening,  was  only  72'.  It 
often  rained  heavily,  but  the  drying  southerly  winds  soon  again 
rendered  the  walks  pleasant.  One  morning,  in  the  course  of  six  hours, 
1-6  inches  of  rain  fell.  As  this  storm  passed  over  the  forests  which 
surround  the  Corcovado,  the  sound  produced  by  the  drops  pattering 
on  the  countless  multitude  of  leaves  was  very  remarkable ;  it  could  be 
heard  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  was  like  the  rushing 
of  a  great  body  of  water.  After  the  hotter  days,  it  was  delicious  to 
sit  quietly  in  the  garden  and  watch  the  evening  pass  into  night. 
Nature,  in  these  climes,  chooses  her  vocalists  from  more  humble  per- 
formers than  in  Europe.  A  small  frog,  of  the  genus  Hyla,  sits  on  a  blade 
of  grass  about  an  inch  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  sends  forth  a 
pleasing  chirp :  when  several  are  together  they  sing  in  harmony  on 
different  notes.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  catching  a  specimen  of  this 
frog.  The  genus  Hyla  has  its  toes  terminated  by  small  suckers ;  and 
I  found  this  animal  could  crawl  up  a  pane  of  glass,  when  placed 
absolutely  perpendicular.  Various  cicadae  and  crickets,  at  the  same 
time,  keep  up  a  ceaseless  shrill  cry,  but  which,  softened  by  the 
distance,  is  not  unpleasant.  Every  evening  after  dark  this  great 
concert  commenced;  and  often  have  I  sat  listening  to  it,  until  my 
attention  has  been  drawn  away  by  some  curious  passing  insect. 

At  these  times  the  fireflies  are  seen  flitting  ;about  from  hedge  to 
hedge.  On  a  dark  night  the  light  can  be  seen  at  about  two  hundred 
paces  distant.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  all  the  different  kinds  of 
glowworms,  shining  elaters,  and  various  marine  animals  (such  as  the 
Crustacea,  medusae,  nereidae,  a  coralline  of  the  genus  Clytia,  and 


22  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAT.  n. 

Pyrosoma),  which  I  have  observed,  the  light  has  been  of  a  well-marked 
green  colour.  All  the  fireflies,  which  I  caught  here,  belonged  to  the 
Lampyridae  (in  which  family  the  English  glowworm  is  included),  and 
the  greater  number  of  specimens  were  of  Lampyris  occidentalism*  I 
found  that  this  insect  emitted  the  most  brilliant  flashes  when  irritated : 
in  the  intervals,  the  abdominal  rings  were  obscured.  The  flash  was 
almost  co-instantaneous  in  the  two  rings,  but  it  was  just  perceptible 
first  in  the  anterior  one.  The  shining  matter  was  fluid  and  very 
adhesive :  little  spots,  where  the  skin  had  been  torn,  continued  bright 
with  a  slight  scintillation,  whilst  the  uninjured  parts  were  obscured. 
W.hen  the  insect  wa"s  decapitated  the  rings  remained  uninterruptedly 
bright,  but  not  so  brilliant  as  before:  local  irritation  with  a  needle 
always  increased  the  vividness  of  the  light.  The  rings  in  one  instance 
retained  their  luminous  property  nearly  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
death  of  the  insect.  From  these  facts  it  would  appear  probable,  that 
the  animal  has  only  the  power  of  concealing  or  extinguishing  the  light 
for  short  intervals,  and  that  at  other  times  the  display  is  involuntary. 
On  the  muddy  and  wet  gravel-walks  I  found  the  larvae  of  this  lampyris 
in  great  numbers :  they  resembled  in  general  form  the  female  of  the 
English  glowworm.  These  larvae  possessed  but  feeble  luminous 
powers ;  very  differently  from  their  parents,  on  the  slightest  touch 
they  feigned  death,  and  ceased  to  shine;  nor  did  irritation  excite 
any  fresh  display.  I  kept  several  of  them  alive  for  some  time :  their 
tails  are  very  singular  organs,  for  they  act,  by  a  well-fitted  contrivance, 
as  suckers  or  organs  of  attachment,  and  likewise  as  reservoirs  for 
saliva,  or  some  such  fluid.  I  repeatedly  fed  them  on  raw  meat ;  and 
I  invariably  observed,  that  every  now  and  then  the  extremity  of  the 
tail  was  applied  to  the  mouth,  and  a  drop  of  fluid  exuded  on  the 
meat,  which  was  then  in  the  act  of  being  consumed.  The  tail,  not- 
withstanding so  much  practice,  does  not  seem  to  be  able  to  find 
its  way  to  the  mouth  ;  at  least  the  neck  was  always  touched  first,  and 
apparently  as  a  guide. 

When  we  were  at  Bahia,  an  elater  or  beetle  (Pyrophorus  luminosus, 
Illig.)  seemed  the  most  common  luminous  insect  The  light  in  this 
case  was  also  rendered  more  brilliant  by  irritation.  I  amused  myself 
one  day  by  observing  the  springing  powers  of  this  insect,  which  have 
not,  as  it  appears  to  me,  been  properly  described.!  The  elater,  when 
placed  on  its  back  and  preparing  to  spring,  moved  its  head  and  thorax 
backwards,  so  that  the  pectoral  spine  was  drawn  out,  and  rested  on  the 
edge  of  its  sheath.  The  same  backward  movement  being  continued, 
the  spine,  by  the  full  action  of  the  muscles,  was  bent  like  a  spring ; 
and  the  insect  at  this  moment  rested  on  the  extremity  of  its  head  and 
wing-cases.  The  effort  being  suddenly  relaxed,  the  head  and  thorax 
flew  up,  and  in  consequence,  the  base  of  the  wing-cases  struck  the 

*  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Waterhouse  for  his  kindness  in  naming 
for  me  this  and  many  other  insects,  and  in  giving  me  much  valuable  assist- 

f  "Kirby's  Entomology,"  vol  II,  p,  317, 


i8jz]  BOTANIC  GARDEN.  23 

supporting  surface  with  such  force,  that  the  insect  by  the  reaction  was 
jerked  upwards  to  the  height  of  one  or  two  inches.  The  projecting 
points  of  the  thorax,  and  the  sheath  of  the  spine,  served  to  steady  the 
whole  body  during  the  spring.  In  the  descriptions  which  I  have  read, 
sufficient  stress  does  not  appear  to  have  been  laid  on  the  elasticity  of 
the  spine :  so  sudden  a  spring  could  not  be  the  result  of  simple  muscular 
contraction,  without  the  aid  of  some  mechanical  contrivance. 

On  several  occasions  I  enjoyed  some  short  but  most  pleasant  excur- 
sions in  the  neighbouring  country.  One  day  I  "went  to  the  Botanic 
Garden,  where  many  plants,  well  known  for  their  great  utility,  might 
ba  seen  growing.  The  leaves  of  the  camphor,  pepper,  cinnamon,  and 
clove  trees  were  delightfully  aromatic ;  and  the  bread-fruit,  the  jaca, 
and  the  mango,  vied  with  each  other  in  the  magnificence  of  their 
foliage.  The  landscape  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bahia  almost  takes 
its  character  from  the  two  latter  trees.  Before  seeing  them,  I  had  no 
idea  that  any  trees  could  cast  so  black  a  shade  on  the  ground.  Both 
of  them  bear  to  the  evergreen  vegetation  of  these  climates  the  same 
kind  of  relation  which  laurels  and  hollies  in  England  do  to  the  lighter 
green  of  the  deciduous  trees.  It  may  be  observed,  that  the  houses 
within  the  tropics  are  surrounded  by  the  most  beautiful  forms  of  vege- 
tation, because  many  of  them  are  at  the  same  time  most  useful  to  man. 
Who  can  doubt  that  these  qualities  are  united  in  the  banana,  the 
cocoa-nut,  the  many  kinds  of  palm,  the  orange,  and  the  bread-fruit 
tree? 

During  this  day  I  was  particularly  struck  with  a  remark  of  Humboldt's, 
who  often  alludes  to  "the  thin  vapour  which,  without  changing  the 
transparency  of  the  air,  renders  its  tints  more  harmonious,  and  softens 
its  effects."  This  is  an  appearance  which  I  have  never  observed  in  the 
temperate  zones.  The  atmosphere,  seen  through  a  short  space  of  half 
or  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  was  perfectly  lucid,  but  at  a  greater  distance 
all  colours  were  blended  into  a  most  beautiful  haze,  of  a  pale  French 
grey,  mingled  with  a  little  blue.  The  condition  of  the  atmosphere 
between  the  morning  and  about  noon,  when  the  effect  was  most  evident, 
had  undergone  little  change,  excepting  in  its  dryness.  In  the  interval, 
the  difference  between  the  dew  point  and  temperature  had  increased 
from  7°.  5  to  17°. 

On  another  occasion  I  started  early  and  walked  to  the  Gavia,  or  top- 
sail mountain.  The  air  was  delightfully  cool  and  fragrant;  and  the 
drops  of  dew  still  glittered  on  the  leaves  of  the  large  liliaceous  plants,, 
which  shaded  the  streamlets  of  clear  water.  Sitting  down  on  a  block 
of  granite,  it  was  delightful  to  watch  the  various  insects  and  birds  aa 
they  flew  past.  The  humming-bird  seems  particularly  fond  of  such 
shady  retired  spots.  Whenever  I  saw  these  little  creatures  buzzing 
round  a  flower,  with  their  wings  vibrating  so  rapidly  as  to  be  scarcely 
visible,  I  was  reminded  of  the  sphinx  moths :  their  movements  and 
habits  are  indeed  in  many  respects  very  similar 

Following  a  pathway  I  entered  a  noble  forest,  and  from  a  befglit  of 
five  or  six  hundred  feet,  one  of  those  splendid  views  was  presented; 


34  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

which  are  so  common  on  every  side  of  Rio.  At  this  elevation  the  land- 
scape attains  its  most  brilliant  tint ;  and  every  form,  every  shade,  so 
completely  surpasses  in  magnificence  all  that  the  European  has  ever 
beheld  in  his  own  country,  that  he  knows  not  how  to  express  his  feel- 
ings. The  general  effect  frequently  recalled  to  my  mind  the  gayest 
scenery  of  the  Opera  house  or  the  great  theatres.  I  never  returned 
from  these  excursions  empty  handed.  This  day  I  found  a  specimen  of 
a  curious  fungus,  called  Hymenophallus.  Most  people  know  the 
English  Phallus,  which  in  autumn  taints  the  air  with  its  odious  smell : 
this,  however,  as  the  entomologist  is  aware,  is  to  some  of  our  beetles  a 
delightful  fragrance.  So  was  it  here ;  for  a  Strongylus,  attracted  by 
the  odour,  alighted  on  the  fungus  as  I  carried  it  in  my  hand.  We  here 
see  in  two  distant  countries  a  similar  relation  between  plants  and 
insects  of  the  same  families,  though  the  species  of  both  are  different 
When  man  is  the  agent  in  introducing  into  a  country  a  new  species, 
this  relation  is  often  broken :  as  one  instance  of  this  I  may  mention, 
that  the  leaves  of  the  cabbages  and  lettuces,  which  in  England  afford 
food  to  such  a  multitude  of  slugs  and  caterpillars,  in  the  gardens  near 
Rio  are  untouched. 

During  our  stay  at  Brazil  I  made  a  large  collection  of  insects.  A  few 
general  observations  on  the  comparative  importance  of  the  different 
orders  may  be  interesting  to  the  English  entomologist.  The  large  and 
brilliantly-coloured  Lepidoptera  bespeak  the  zone  they  inhabit  far 
more  plainly  than  any  other  race  of  animals.  I  allude  only  to  the 
butterflies ;  for  the  moths,  contrary  to  what  might  have  been  expected 
from  the  rankness  of  the  vegetation,  certainly  appeared  in  much  tewer 
numbers  than  in  our  own  temperate  regions.  I  was  much  surprised  at 
the  habits  of  Papilio  feronia.  This  butterfly  is  not  uncommon,  and 
generally  frequents  the  orange-groves.  Although  a  high  flier,  yet  it 
very  frequently  alights  on  the  trunks  of  trees.  On  these  occasions  its 
head  is  invariably  placed  downwards ;  and  its  wings  are  expanded  in 
a  horizontal  plane,  instead  of  being  folded  vertically,  as  is  commonly 
the  case.  This  is  the  only  butterfly  which  I  have  ever  seen,  that  uses 
its  legs  for  running.  Not  being  aware  of  this  fact,  the  insect,  more  than 
once,  as  I  cautiously  approached  with  my  forceps,  shuffled  on  one  side 
just  as  the  instrument  was  on  the  point  of  closing,  and  thus  escaped. 
But  a  far  more  singular  fact  is  the  power  which  this  species  possesses 
of  making  a  noise.*  Several  times  when  a  pair,  probably  male  and 
female,  were  chasing  each  other  in  an  irregular  course,  they  passed 
within  a  few  yards  of  me ;  and  I  distinctly  heard  a  clicking  noise, 

*  Mr.  Doubleday  has  lately  described  (before  the  Entomological  Society, 
March  3rd,  1845)  a  peculiar  structure  in  the  wings  of  this  butterfly,  which 
seems  to  be  the  means  of  its  making  its  noise.  He  says,  "  It  is  remarkable 
for  having  a  sort  of  drum  at  the  base  of  the  fore  wings,  between  the  costal 
nervure  and  the  subcostal.  These  two  nervures,  moreover,  have  a  peculiar 
screw-like  diaphragm  or  vessel  in  the  interior."  I  find  in  Langsdorffs 
travels  (in  the  years  1803-7,  p.  74)  it  is  said,  that  in  the  island  of  St.  Cathe- 
rine's on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  a  butterfly  called  Februa  Hoffmanseggi,  makes 
a  noise,  when  flying  away,  like  a  rattle. 


1832.]  SWARM  OF  ANTS.  2$ 

similar  to  that  produced  by  a  toothed  wheel  passing  under  a  spring 
catch.  The  noise  was  continued  at  short  intervals,  and  could  be  dis- 
tinguished at  about  twenty  yards'  distance :  I  am  certain  there  is  no 
error  in  the  observation. 

I  was  disappointed  in  the  general  aspect  of  the  Coleoptera.  The 
number  of  minute  and  obscurely-coloured  beetles  is  exceedingly  great.* 
The  cabinets  of  Europe  can,  as  yet,  boast  only  ot  the  larger  species 
from  tropical  climates.  It  is  sufficient  to  disturb  the  composure  of  an 
entomologist's  mind,  to  look  forward  to  the  future  dimensions  of  a 
complete  catalogue.  The  carnivorous  beetles,  or  Carabidse,  appear  in 
extremely  few  numbers  within  the  tropics  :  this  is  the  more  remarkable 
when  compared  to  the  case  of  the  carnivorous  quadrupeds,  which  are 
so  abundant  in  hot  countries.  I  was  struck  with  this  observation  both 
on  entering  Brazil,  and  when  I  saw  the  many  elegant  and  active  forms 
of  the  Harpalidae  re-appearing  on  the  temperate  plains  of  La  Plata. 
Do  the  very  numerous  spiders  and  rapacious  Hymenoptera  supply  the 
place  of  the  carnivorous  beetles?  The  carrion-feeders  and  Brachelytera 
are  very  uncommon ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  Rhyncophora  and 
Chrysomelidae,  all  of  which  depend  on  the  vegetable  world  for  sub- 
sistence, are  present  in  astonishing  numbers.  I  do  not  here  refer  to 
the  number  of  different  species,  but  to  that  of  the  individual  insects; 
for  on  this  it  is  that  the  most  striking  character  in  the  entomology  of 
different  countries  depends.  The  orders  Orthoptera  and  Hemiptera 
are  particularly  numerous  ;  as  likewise  is  the  stinging  division  of  the 
Hymenoptera ;  the  bees,  perhaps,  being  excepted.  A  person,  on  first 
entering  a  tropical  forest,  is  astonished  at  the  labours  of  the  ants  :  well- 
beaten  paths  branch  off  in  every  direction,  on  which  an  army  of  never- 
failing  foragers  may  be  seen,  some  going  forth,  and  others  returning, 
burdened  with  pieces  of  green  leaf,  often  larger  than  their  own  bodies. 

A  small  dark-coloured  ant  sometimes  migrates  in  countless  numbers. 
One  day,  at  Bahia,  my  attention  was  drawn  by  observing  many 
spiders,  cock-roaches,  and  other  insects,  and  some  lizards,  rushing  in 
the  greatest  agitation  across  a  bare  piece  of  ground.  A  little  way 
behind,  every  stalk  and  leaf  was  blackened  by  a  small  ant.  The 
swarm  having  crossed  the  bare  space,  divided  itself,  and  descended  an 
old  wall.  By  this  means  many  insects  were  fairly  enclosed ;  and  the 
efforts  which  the  poor  little  creatures  made  to  extricate  themselves  from 
such  a  death  were  wonderful.  When  the  ants  came  to  the  road  they 
changed  their  course,  and  in  narrow  files  re-ascended  the  wall.  Having 
placed  a  small  stone  so  as  to  intercept  one  of  the  lines,  the  whole  body 
attacked  it,  and  then  immediately  retired.  Shortly  afterwards  another 
body  came  to  the  charge,  and  again  having  failed  to  make  any  impres- 

*  I  may  mention,  as  a  common  instance  of  one  day's  (June  23rd)  collect- 
ing, when  I  was  not  attending  particularly  to  the  Coleoptera,  that  I  caught 
sixty-eight  species  of  that  order.  Among  these,  there  were  only  two  of  the 
Carabidae,  four  Brachelytra,  fifteen  Rhyncophora,  and  fourteen  of  the  Chry- 
somelidse.  Thirty-seven  species  of  Arachnidae,  which  I  brought  home,  will 
be  sufficient  to  prove  that  I  was  not  paying  overmuch  attention  to  the  gene- 
rally favoured  order  of  Coleoptera, 


96  RIO  DE  JANEIRO.  [CHAP.  n. 

sion,  this  line  of  march  was  entirely  given  up.  By  going  an  inch 
round,  the  file  might  have  avoided  the  stone,  and  this  doubtless 
would  have  happened,  if  it  had  been  originally  there ;  but  having 
been  attacked,  the  lion-hearted  little  warriors  scorned  the  idea  of 
yielding. 

Certain  wasp-like  insects,  which  construct  in  the  corners  of  the 
verandahs  clay  cells  for  their  larvae,  are  very  numerous  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Rio.  These  cells  they  stuff  full  of  half-dead  spiders  and 
caterpillars,  which  they  seem  wonderfully  to  know  how  to  sting  to  that 
degree  as  to  leave  them  paralysed  but  alive,  until  their  eggs  are  hatched ; 
and  the  larvae  feed  on  the  horrid  mass  of  powerless,  half-killed  victims 
— a  sight  which  has  been  described  by  an  enthusiastic  naturalist  *  as 
curious  and  pleasing  !  I  was  much  interested  one  day  by  watching  a 
deadly  contest  between  a  Pepsis  and  a  large  spider  of  the  genus  Lycosa. 
The  wasp  made  a  sudden  dash  at  its  prey,  and  then  flew  away :  the 
spider  was  evidently  wounded,  for,  trying  to  escape,  it  rolled  down  a 
little  slope,  but  had  still  strength  sufficient  to  crawl  into  a  thick  tuft  of 
grass.  The  wasp  soon  returned,  and  seemed  surprised  at  not  imme- 
diately finding  its  victim.  It  then  commenced  as  regular  a  hunt  as 
ever  hound  did  after  fox ;  making  short  semicircular  casts,  and  all  the 
time  rapidly  vibrating  its  wings  and  antennae.  The  spider,  though  well 
concealed,  was  soon  discovered ;  and  the  wasp,  evidently  still  afraid 
of  its  adversary's  jaws,  after  much  manoeuvring,  inflicted  two  stings  on 
the  under  side  of  its  thorax  At  last,  carefully  examining  with  its 
antennae  the  now  motionless  spider,  it  proceeded  to  drag  away  the 
body.  But  I  stopped  both  tyrant  and  prey.f 

The  number  of  spiders,  in  proportion  to  other  insects,  is  here,  com- 
pared with  England,  very  much  larger ;  perhaps  more  so  than  with  any 
other  division  of  the  articulate  animals.  The  variety  of  species  among 
the  jumping  spiders  appears  almost  infinite.  The  genus,  or  rather 
family  of  Epeira,  is  here  characterized  by  many  singular  forms ;  some 
species  have  pointed  coriaceous  shells,  others  enlarged  and  spiny  tibiae. 
Every  path  in  the  forest  is  barricaded  with  the  strong  yellow  web  of  a 
species,  belonging  to  the  same  division  with  the  Epeira  clavipes  of 
Fabricius,  which  was  formerly  said  by  Sloane  to  make,  in  the  West 
Indies,  webs  so  strong  as  to  catch  birds.  A  small  and  pretty  kind  of 
spider,  with  very  long  fore-legs,  and  which  appears  to  belong  to  an 
undescribed  genus,  lives  as  a  parasite  on  almost  every  one  of  these 
webs.  I  suppose  it  is  too  insignificant  to  be  noticed  by  the  great 
Epeira,  and  is  therefore  allowed  to  prey  on  the  minute  insects,  which, 

*  In  a  MS.  in  the  British  Museum  by  Mr.  Abbott,  who  made  his  observa- 
tions in  Georgia;  see  Mr.  A.  White's  paper  in  the  "Annals  of  Nat.  Hist.," 
vol.  vii.,  p.  472.  Lieut.  Hutton  has  described  a  sphex  with  similar  habits  in 
India,  in  the  "Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society,"  vol.  i.,  p.  555. 

t  Don  Felix  Azara  (vol.  i.,  p.  175),  mentioning  a  hymenopterous  insect, 
probably  of  the  same  genus,  says,  he  saw  it  dragging  a  dead  spider  through 
tall  grass,  in  a  straight  line  to  its  nest,  which  was  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  paces  distant.  He  adds  that  the  wasp,  in  order  to  find  the  road,  every 
now  and  then  made  " demi-tours  d'enviroa  trois  palmes/' 


I833.]  SPIDERS.  «7 

adhering  to  the  lines,  would  otherwise  be  wasted.  When  frightened, 
this  little  spider  either  feigns  death  by  extending  its  front  legs,  or 
suddenly  drops  from  the  web.  A  large  Epeira  of  the  same  division 
with  Epeira  tuberculata  and  conica  is  extremely  common,  especially  in 
dry  situations.  Its  web,  which  is  generally  placed  among  the  great 
leaves  of  the  common  agave,  is  sometimes  strengthened  near  the  centre 
by  a  pair  or  even  four  zigzag  ribbons,  which  connect  two  adjoining 
rays.  When  any  large  insect,  as  a  grasshopper  or  wasp,  is  caught,  the 
spider,  by  a  dexterous  movement,  makes  it  revolve  very  rapidly,  and 
at  the  same  time  emitting  a  band  of  threads  from  its  spinners,  soon 
envelops  its  prey  in  a  case  like  the  cocoon  of  a  silkworm.  The  spider 
now  examines  the  powerless  victim,  and  gives  the  fatal  bite  on  the 
hinder  part  of  its  thorax  ;  then  retreating,  patiently  waits  till  the  poison 
has  taken  effect.  The  virulence  of  this  poison  may  be  judged  of  from 
the  fact  that  in  half  a  minute  I  opened  the  mesh,  and  found  a  large 
wasp  quite  lifeless.  This  Epeira  always  stands  xvith  its  head  down- 
wards near  the  centre  of  the  web.  When  disturbed,  it  acts  differently 
according  to  circumstances :  if  there  is  a  thicket  below,  it  suddenly 
falls  down;  and  I  have  distinctly  seen  the  thread  from  the  spinners 
lengthened  by  the  animal  while  yet  stationary,  as  preparatory  to  its 
fall.  If  the  ground  is  clear  beneath,  the  Epeira  seldom  falls,  but  moves 
quickly  through  a  central  passage  from  one  to  the  other  side.  When 
still  further  disturbed,  it  practises  a  most  curious  manoeuvre :  standing 
in  the  middle,  it  violently  jerks  the  web,  which  is  attached  to  elastic 
twigs,  till  at  last  the  whole  acquires  such  a  rapid  vibratory  movement, 
that  even  the  outline  of  the  spider's  body  becomes  indistinct. 

It  is  well  known  that  most  of  the  British  spiders,  when  a  large  insect 
is  caught  in  their  webs,  endeavour  to  cut  the  lines  and  liberate  their 
prey,  to  save  their  nets  from  being  entirely  spoiled.  I  once,  however, 
saw  in  a  hot-house  in  Shropshire  a  large  female  wasp  caught  in  the 
irregular  web  of  a  quite  small  spider ;  and  this  spider,  instead  of  cutting 
the  web,  most  perseveringly  continued  to  entangle  the  body,  and 
especially  the  wings,  of  its  prey.  The  wasp  at  first  aimed  in  vain 
repeated  thrusts  with  its  sting  at  its  little  antagonist  Pitying  the 
wasp,  after  allowing  it  to  struggle  for  more  than  an  hour,  I  killed  it  and 
put  it  back  into  the  web.  The  spider  soon  returned;  and  an  hour 
afterwards  I  was  much  surprised  to  find  it  with  its  jaws  buried  in  the 
orifice,  through  which  the  sting  is  protruded  by  the  living  wasp.  I 
drove  the  spider  away  two  or  three  times,  but  for  the  next  twenty-four 
hours  I  always  found  it  again  sucking  at  the  same  place.  The  spider 
became  much  distended  by  the  juices  of  its  prey,  which  was  many 
times  larger  than  itself. 

I  may  here  just  mention,  that  I  found,  near  St.  Fe  Bajada,  many  large 
black  spiders,  with  ruby-coloured  marks  on  their  backs,  having  gre- 
garious habits.  The  webs  were  placed  vertically,  as  is  invariably  the 
case  with  the  genus  Epeira :  they  were  separated  from  each  other  by  a 
space  of  about  two  feet,  but  were  all  attached  to  certain  common  lines, 
which  were  of  great  length,  and  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  community. 
In  this  manner  the  tops  of  some  large  bushes  were  encompassed  by 


MALDONADO.  [CHAp.  in. 

the  united  nets.  Azara  *  has  described  a  gregarious  spider  in  Paraguay 
which  Walckenaer  thinks  must  be  a  Theridion,  but  probably  it  is  an 
Epeira,  and  perhaps  even  the  same  species  with  mine.  I  cannot,  how- 
ever, recollect  seeing  a  central  nest  as  large  as  a  hat,  in  which,  durin<* 
autumn,  when  the  spiders  die,  Azara  says  the  eggs  are  deposited.  As 
all  the  spiders  which  I  saw  were  of  the  same  size,  they  must  have  been 
nearly  of  the  same  age.  This  gregarious  habit,  in  so  typical  a  genus 
as  Epeira,  among  insects,  which  are  so  bloodthirsty  and  solitary  that 
even  the  two  sexes  attack  each  other,  is  a  very  singular  fact 

In  a  lofty  valley  of  the  Cordillera,  near  Mendoza,  I  found  another 
spider  with  a  singularly  formed  web.  Strong  lines  radiated  in  a  vertical 
plane  from  a  common  centre,  where  the  insect  had  its  station ;  but  only 
two  of  the  rays  were  connected  by  a  symmetrical  mesh-work  ;  so  that 
the  net,  instead  of  being,  as  is  generally  the  case,  circular,  consisted  of 
a  wedge-shaped  segment.  All  the  webs  were  similarly  constructed. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

MALDONADO. 

Monte  Video — Maldonado — Excursion  to  R.  Polanco — Lazo  and  Bolas— 
Partridges — Absence  of  Trees — Deers—  Capybara,  or  River  Hog — Tucu- 
tuco — Molothrus,  Cuckoo-like  Habits — Tryant-flycatcher — Mocking-bird 
— Carrion  Hawks — Tubes  formed  by  Lightning — House  struck. 

July  $th,  1832.— IN  the  morning  we  got  under  way,  and  stood  out 
of  the  splendid  harbour  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  In  our  passage  to  the 
Plata,  we  saw  nothing  particular,  excepting  on  one  day  a  great  shoal 
of  porpoises,  many  hundreds  in  number.  The  whole  sea  was  in  places 
furrowed  by  them  ;  and  a  most  extraordinary  spectacle  was  presented, 
as  hundreds,  proceeding  together  by  jumps,  in  which  their  whole 
bodies  were  exposed,  thus  cut  the  water.  When  the  ship  was 
running  nine  knots  an  hour,  these  animals  could  cross  and  recross  the 
bows  with  the  greatest  ease,  and  then  dash  away  right  ahead.  As 
soon  as  we  entered  the  estuary  of  the  Plata,  the  weather  was  very 
unsettled.  One  dark  night  we  were  surrounded  by  numerous  seals 
and  penguins,  which  made  such  strange  noises,  that  the  officer  on 
watch  reported  he  could  hear  the  cattle  bellowing  on  shore.  On  a 
second  night  we  witnessed  a  splendid  scene  of  natural  fireworks ;  the 
mast-head  and  yard-arm-ends  shone  with  St.  Elmo's  light ;  and  the 
form  of  the  vane  could  almost  be  traced,  as  if  it  had  been  rubbed  with 
phosphorus.  The  sea  was  so  highly  luminous,  that  the  tracks  of  the 
penguins  were  marked  by  a  fiery  wake,  and  the  darkness  of  the  sky 
was  momentarily  illuminated  by  the  most  vivid  lightning. 

When  within  the  mouth  of  the  river,  I  was  interested  by  observing 
how  slowly  the  waters  of  the  sea  and  river  mixed.    The  latter,  muddy 
*  "  Azara's  Voyage,"  vol.  i,,  p.  213. 


1832.]  ESTUARY  OF  THE  PLATA  99 

and  discoloured,  from  its  less  specific  gravity,  floated  on  the  surface 
of  the  salt  water.  This  was  curiously  exhibited  in  the  wake  of  the 
vessel,  where  a  line  of  blue  water  was  seen  mingling  in  little  eddies, 
with  the  adjoining  fluid. 

July  26t/t. — We  anchored  at  Monte  Video.  The  Beagle  was  employed 
in  surveying  the  extreme  southern  and  eastern  coasts  of  America,  south 
of  the  Plata,  during  the  two  succeeding  years.  To  prevent  useless 
repetitions,  I  will  extract  those  parts  of  my  journal  which  refer  to  the 
same  districts,  without  always  attending  to  the  order  in  which  we 
visited  them. 

MALDONADO  is  situated  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Plata,  and  not 
very  far  from  the  mouth  of  the  estuary.  Iti  is  a  most  quiet,  forlorn, 
little  town ;  built,  as  is  universally  the  case  in  these  countries,  with 
the  streets  running  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  and  having  in  the 
middle  a  large  plaza  or  square,  which,  from  its  size,  renders  the 
scantiness  of  the  population  more  evident.  It  possesses  scarcely  any 
trade;  the  exports  being  confined  to  a  few  hides  and  living  cattle. 
The  inhabitants  are  chiefly  landowners,  together  with  a  few  shopkeepers 
and  the  necessary  tradesmen,  such  as  blacksmiths  and  carpenters, 
who  do  nearly  all  the  business  for  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles  round.  The 
town  is  separated  from  the  river  by  a  band  of  sand-hillocks,  about  a 
mile  broad :  it  is  surrounded,  on  all  other  sides,  by  an  open  slightly- 
undulating  country,  covered  by  one  uniform  layer  of  fine  green  turf, 
on  which  countless  herds  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses  graze.  There 
is  very  little  land  cultivated  even  close  to  the  town.  A  few  hedges, 
made  of  cacti  and  agave,  mark  out  where  some  wheat  or  Indian  corn 
has  been  planted.  The  features  of  the  country  are  very  similar  along 
the  whole  northern  bank  of  the  Plata.  The  only  difference  is,  that 
here  the  granitic  hills  are  a  little  bolder.  The  scenery  is  very  unin- 
teresting ;  there  is  scarcely  a  house,  an  enclosed  piece  of  ground, 
or  even  a  tree,  to  give  it  an  air  of  cheerfulness.  Yet,  after  being 
imprisoned  for  some  time  in  a  ship,  there  is  a  charm  in  the  unconfined 
feeling  of  walking  over  boundless  plains  of  turf.  Moreover,  if  your 
view  is  limited  to  a  small  space,  many  objects  possess  beauty.  Some 
of  the  smaller  birds  are  brilliantly  coloured  ;  and  the  bright  green 
sward,  browsed  short  by  the  cattle,  is  ornamented  by  dwarf  flowers, 
among  which  a  plant,  looking  like  the  daisy,  claimed  the  place  of  an 
old  friend.  What  would  a  florist  say  to  whole  tracts  so  thickly  covered 
by  the  Verbena  melindres,  as,  even  at  a  distance,  to  appear  of  the  most 
gaudy  scarlet? 

I  stayed  ten  weeks  at  Maldonado,  in  which  time  a  nearly  perfect 
collection  of  the  animals,  birds,  and  reptiles,  was  procured.  Before 
making  any  observations  respecting  them,  I  will  give  an  account  of 
a  little  excursion  I  made  as  far  as  the  river  Polanco,  which  is  about 
seventy  miles  distant,  in  a  northerly  direction.  I  may  mention,  as 
a  proof  how  cheap  everything  is  in  this  country,  that  I  paid  only  two 
dollars  a  day,  or  eight  shillings,  for  two  men,  together  with  a  troop 
of  about  a  dozen  riding-horses.  My  companions  were  well  armed 


30  MALDONADO.  (cats.  in. 

with  pistols  and  sabres  ;  a  precaution  which  I  thought  rather  unneces- 
sary ;  but  the  first  piece  of  news  we  heard  was,  that,  the  day  before, 
a  traveller  from  Monte  Video  had  been  found  dead  on  the  road,  with 
his  throat  cut.  This  happened  close  to  a  cross,  the  record  of  a  former 
murder. 

On  the  first  night  we  slept  at  a  retired  little  country-house  ;  and 
there  I  soon  found  out  that  I  possessed  two  or  three  articles,  especially 
a  pocket  compass,  which  created  unbounded  astonishment.  In  every 
house  I  was  asked  to  show  the  compass,  and  by  its  aid,  together  with 
a  map,  to  point  out  the  direction  of  various  places.  It  excited  the 
liveliest  admiration  that  I,  a  perfect  stranger,  shotild  know  the  road 
(for  direction  and  road  are  synonymous  in  this  open  country)  to  places 
where  I  had  never  been.  At  one  house  a  young  woman,  who  was  ill 
in  bed,  sent  to  entreat  me  to  come  and  show  her  the  compass.  It 
their  surprise  was  great — mine  was  greater — to  find  such  ignorance 
among  people  who  possessed  their  thousands  of  cattle,  and  "estancias" 
of  great  extent.  It  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  circumstance 
that  this  retired  part  of  the  country  is  seldom  visited  by  foreigners. 
I  was  asked  whether  the  earth  or  sun  moved ;  whether  it  was  hotter 
or  colder  to  the  north;  where  Spain  was,  and  many  other  such 
questions.  The  greater  number  of  the  inhabitants  had  an  indistinct 
idea  that  England,  London,  and  North  America,  were  different  names 
for  the  same  place ;  but  the  better  informed  well  knew  that  London 
and  North  America  were  separate  countries  close  together,  and  that 
England  was  a  large  town  in  London  1  I  carried  with  me  some 
promethean  matches,  which  I  ignited  by  biting;  it  was  thought  so 
wonderful  that  a  man  should  strike  fire  with  his  teeth,  that  it  was  usual 
to  collect  the  whole  family  to  see  it :  I  was  once  offered  a  dollar  for 
a  single  one.  Washing  my  face  in  the  morning  caused  much  specu- 
lation at  the  village  of  Las  Minas ;  a  superior  tradesman  closely 
cross-questioned  me  about  so  singular  a  practice;  and  likewise  why 
on  board  we  wore  our  beards ;  for  he  had  heard  from  my  guide  that 
we  did  so.  He  eyed  me  with  much  suspicion  ;  perhaps  he  had  hea-rd 
of  ablutions  in  the  Mahomedan  religion,  and  knowing  me  to  be  a 
heretic,  probably  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  heretics  were 
Turks.  It  is  the  general  custom  in  this  country  to  ask  for  a  night's 
lodging  at  the  first  convenient  house.  The  astonishment  at  the  compass, 
and  my  other  feats  in  jugglery,  was  to  a  certain  degree  advantageous, 
as  with  that,  and  the  long  stories  my  guides  told  of  my  breaking  stones, 
knowing  venomous  from  harmless  snakes,  collecting  insects,  etc.,  I 
repaid  them  for  their  hospitality.  I  am  writing  as  if  I  had  been  among 
the  inhabitants  of  central  Africa :  Banda  Oriental  would  not  be 
flattered  by  the  comparison  ;  but  such  were  my  feelings  at  the  time. 

The  next  day  we  rode  to  the  village  of  Las  Minas.  The  country 
was  rather  more  hilly,  but  otherwise  continued  the  same ;  an  inhabitant 
of  the  Pampas  no  doubt  would  have  considered  it  as  truly  Alpine. 
The  country  is  so  thinly  inhabited,  that  during  the  whole  day  we 
scarcely  met  a  single  person.  Las  Minas  is  much  smaller  even  than 
Maldonado.  It  is  seated  on  a  little  plain,  and  is  surrounded  by  low 


1832.]  POINTS  OF  ETIQUETTE.  31 

rocky  mountains.  It  is  of  the  usual  symmetrical  form ;  and  with  its 
whitewashed  church  standing  in  the  centre,  had  rather  a  pretty  appear- 
ance. The  outskirting  houses  rose  out  of  the  plain  like  isolated  beings, 
without  the  accompaniment  of  gardens  or  courtyards.  This  is  generally 
the  case  in  the  country,  and  all  the  houses  have,  in  consequence,  an 
uncomfortable  aspect.  At  night  we  stopped  at  a  pulperia,  or  drinking- 
shop.  During  the  evening  a  great  number  of  Gauchos  came  in  to 
drink  spirits  and  smoke  cigars :  their  appearance  is  very  striking ;  they 
are  generally  tall  and  haiidsome,  but  with  a  proud  and  dissolute 
expression  of  countenance.  They  frequently  wear  their  moustaches, 
and  long  black  hair  curling  down  their  backs.  With  their  brightly 
coloured  garments,  great  spurs  clanking  about  their  heels,  and  knives 
stuck  as  daggers  (and  often  so  used)  at  their  waists,  they  look  a  very 
different  race  of  men  from  what  might  be  expected  from  their  name 
of  Gauchos,  or  simple  countrymen.  Their  politeness  is  excessive ; 
they  never  drink  their  spirits  without  expecting  you  to  taste  it ;  but 
whilst  making  their  exceedingly  graceful  bow,  they  seem  quite  as 
ready,  if  occasion  offered,  to  cut  your  throat. 

On  the  third  day  we  pursued  rather  an  irregular  course,  as  I  was 
employed  in  examining  some  beds  of  marble.  On  the  fine  plains  of 
turf  we  saw  many  ostriches  (Struthio  rhea).  Some  of  the  flocks  con- 
tained as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty  birds.  These,  when  standing  on 
any  little  eminence,  and  seen  against  the  clear  sky,  presented  a  very 
noble  appearance.  I  never  met  with  such  tame  ostriches  in  any  other 
part  of  the  country :  it  was  easy  to  gallop  up  within  a  short  distance 
of  them ;  but  then,  expanding  their  wings,  they  made  all  sail  right 
before  the  wind,  and  soon  left  the  horse  astern. 

At  night  we  came  to  the  house  of  Don  Juan  Fuentes,  a  rich  landed 
proprietor,  but  not  personally  known  to  either  of  my  companions.  On 
approaching  the  house  of  a  stranger,  it  is  usual  to  follow  several  little 
points  of  etiquette :  riding  up  slowly  to  the  door,  the  salutation  of  Ave 
Maria  is  given,  and  until  somebody  comes  out  and  asks  you  to  alight, 
it  is  not  customary  even  to  get  off  your  horse :  the  formal  answer  of 
the  owner  is,  "sin  pecado  concebida" — that  is,  conceived  without  sin. 
Having  entered  the  house,  some  general  conversation  is  kept  up  for 
a  few  minutes,  till  permission  is  asked  to  pass  the  night  there.  This 
is  granted  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  stranger  then  takes  his  meals 
with  the  family,  and  a  room  is  assigned  him,  where  with  the  horse- 
cloths belonging  to  his  recado  (or  saddle  of  the  Pampas)  he  makes 
his  bed.  It  is  curious  how  similar  circumstances  produce  such 
similar  results  in  manners.  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  the  same 
hospitality,  and  very  nearly  the  same  points  of  etiquette,  are  universally 
observed.  The  difference,  however,  between  the  character  of  the 
Spaniard  and  that  of  the  Dutch  boor  is  shown,  by  the  former  never 
asking  his  guest  a  single  question  beyond  the  strictest  rule  ot  politeness, 
while  the  honest  Dutchman  demands  where  he  has  been,  where  he 
is  going,  what  is  his  business,  and  even  how  many  brothers,  sisters,  or 
children  he  may  happen  to  have. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  at  Don  Juan's,  one  of  the  large  herds  of 


32  MALDONADO.  [c8^-  «*• 

cattle  was  driven  in  towards  the  house,  and  three  beasts  were  picked 
out  to  be  slaughtered  for  the  supply  of  the  establishment.  These 
half-wild  cattle  are  very  active ;  and  knowing  full  well  the  fatal  lazo, 
they  led  the  horses  a  long  and  laborious  chase.  After  witnessing  the 
rude  wealth  displayed  in  the  number  of  cattle,  men,  and  horses,  Don 
Juan's  miserable  house  was  quite  curious.  The  floor  consisted  of 
hardened  mud,  and  the  windows  were  without  glass ;  the  sitting-room 
boasted  only  of  a  few  of  the  roughest  chairs  and  stools,  with  a  couple 
of  tables.  The  supper,  although  several  strangers  were  present,  con- 
sisted of  two  huge  piles,  one  of  roast  beef,  the  other  of  boiled,  with 
some  pieces  of  pumpkin :  beside  this  latter  there  was  no  other  vege- 
table, and  not  even  a  morsel  of  bread.  For  drinking,  a  large  earthen- 
ware jug  of  water  served  the  whole  party.  Yet  this  man  was  the 
owner  of  several  square  miles  of  land,  of  which  nearly  every  acre 
would  produce  corn,  and,  with  a  little  trouble,  all  the  common  vege- 
tables. The  evening  was  spent  in  smoking,  with  a  little  impromptu 
singing,  accompanied  by  the  guitar.  The  signoritas  all  sat  together 
in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  did  not  sup  with  the  men. 

So  many  works  have  been  written  about  these  countries,  that  it 
is  almost  superfluous  to  describe  either  the  lazo  or  the  bolas.  The 
lazo  consists  of  a  very  strong,  but  thin,  well-plaited  rope,  made  of 
raw  hide.  One  end  is  attached  to  the  broad  surcingle,  which  fastens 
together  the  complicated  gear  of  the  recado,  or  saddle  used  in  the 
Pampas ;  the  other  is  terminated  by  a  small  ring  of  iron  or  brass,  by 
which  a  noose  can  be  formed.  The  Gaucho,  when  he  is  going  to  use 
the  lazo,  keeps  a  small  coil  in  his  bridle-hand,  and  in  the  other  holds 
the  running  noose,  which  is  made  very  large,  generally  having  a 
diameter  of  about  eight  feet.  This  he  whirls  round  his  head,  and  by 
the  dexterous  movement  of  his  wrist  keeps  the  noose  open;  then, 
throwing  it,  he  causes  it  to  fall  on  any  particular  spot  he  chooses.  The 
lazo,  when  not  used,  is  tied  up  in  a  small  coil  to  the  after  part  of  the 
recado.  The  bolas,  or  balls,  are  of  two  kinds  ;  the  simplest,  which 
is  chiefly  used  for  catching  ostriches,  consists  of  two  round  stones, 
covered  with  leather,  and  united  by  a  thin  plaited  thong,  about  eight 
feet  long.  The  other  kind  differs  only  in  having  three  balls  united 
by  the  thongs  to  a  common  centre.  The  Gaucho  holds  the  smallest 
of  the  three  in  his  hand,  and  whirls  the  other  two  round  and  round 
his  head;  then,  taking  aim,  sends  them  like  chain  shot  revolving 
through  the  air.  The  balls  no  sooner  strike  any  object,  than,  winding 
round  it,  they  cross  each  other,  and  become  firmly  hitched.  The  size 
and  weight  of  the  balls  varies,  according  to  the  purpose  for  which  they 
are  made  :  when  of  stone,  although  not  larger  than  an  apple,  they  are 
sent  with  such  force  as  sometimes  to  break  the  leg  even  of  a  horse. 
I  have  seen  the  balls  made  of  wood,  and  as  large  as  a  turnip,  for  the 
sake  of  catching  these  animals  without  injuring  them.  The  balls  are 
sometimes  made  of  iron,  and  these  can  be  hurled  to  the  greatest 
distance.  The  main  difficulty  in  using  either  lazo  or  bolas  is  to  ride 
so  well  as  to  be  able  at  full  speed,  and  while  suddenly  turning  about, 
to  whirl  them  so  steadily  round  the  head,  as  to  take  aim :  on  foot 


1832.]  THROWING  THE  BOLAS. 

any  person  would  soon  learn  the  art.  One  day,  as  I  was  amusing 
myself  by  galloping  and  whirling  the  balls  round  my  head,  by  accident 
the  free  one  struck  a  bush ;  and  its  revolving  motion  being  thus 
destroyed,  it  immediately  fell  to  the  ground,  and  like  magic  caught 
one  hind  leg  of  my  horse ;  the  other  ball  was  then  jerked  out  of  my 
hand,  and  the  horse  fairly  secured.  Luckily  he  was  an  old  practised 
animal,  and  knew  what  it  meant ;  otherwise  he  would  probably  have 
kicked  till  he  had  thrown  himself  down.  The  Gauchos  roared  with 
laughter ;  they  cried  out  that  they  had  seen  every  sort  of  animal 
caught,  but  had  never  before  seen  a  man  caught  by  himself. 

During  the  two  succeeding  days,  I  reached  the  furthest  point  which 
t  was  anxious  to  examine.  The  country  wore  the  same  aspect,  till  at 
last  the  fine  green  turf  became  more  wearisome  than  a  dusty  turnpike 
road.  We  everywhere  saw  great  numbers  of  partridges  (Nothura 
major).  These  birds  do  not  go  in  coveys,  nor  do  they  conceal  them- 
selves like  the  English  kind.  It  appears  a  very  silly  bird.  A  man  on 
horseback  by  riding  round  and  round  in  a  circle,  or  rather  in  a  spire,  so 
as  to  approach  closer  each  time,  may  knock  on  the  head  as  many  as  he 
pleases.  The  more  common  method  is  to  catch  them  with  a  running 
noose,  or  little  lazo,  made  of  the  stem  of  an  ostrich's  feather,  fastened  to 
the  end  of  a  long  stick.  A  boy.on  a  quiet  old  horse  will  frequently  thus 
catch  thirty  or  forty  in  a  day.'  In  Arctic  North  America*  the  Indians 
catch  the  Varying  Hare  by  walking  spirally  round  and  round  it,  when 
on  its  form :  the  middle  of  the  day  is  reckoned  the  best  time,  when  the 
sun  is  high,  and  the  shadow  of  the  hunter  not  very  long. 

On  our  return  to  Maldonado,  we  followed  rather  a  different  line  of 
road.  Near  Pan  de  Azucar,  a  landmark  well  known  to  all  those  who 
have  sailed  up  the  Plata,  I  stayed  a  day  at  the  house  of  a  most  hospitable 
old  Spaniard.  Early  in  the  morning  we  ascended  the  Sierra  de  las 
Animas.  By  the  aid  of  the  rising  sun  the  scenery  was  almost  pictur- 
esque. To  the  westward  the  view  extended  over  an  immense  level 
plain  as  far  as  the  Mount,  at  Monte  Video,  and  to  the  eastward,  over 
the  mammillated  country  of  Maldonado.  On  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  there  were  several  small  heaps  of  stones,  which  evidently 
had  lain  there  for  many  years.  My  companion  assured  me  that  they 
were  the  work  of  the  Indians  in  the  old  time.  The  heaps  were  similar, 
but  on  a  much  smaller  scale,  to  those  so  commonly  found  on  the 
mountains  of  Wales.  The  desire  to  signalize  any  event,  on  the  highest 
point  of  the  neighbouring  land,  seems  an  universal  passion  with  man- 
kind. At  the  present  day,  not  a  single  Indian,  either  civilized  or  wild, 
exists  in  this  part  of  the  province ;  nor  am  I  aware  that  the  former 
inhabitants  have  left  behind  them  any  more  permanent  records  than 
these  insignificant  piles  on  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  de  las  Animas. 

The  general,  and  almost  entire  absence  of  trees  in  Banda  Oriental  is 

remarkable.     Some  of  the  rocky  hills  are  partly  covered  by  thickets, 

and  on  the  banks  of  the  larger  streams,  especially  to  the  north  of  Las 

Mrnas,  willow-trees  are  not  uncommon.     Near  the  Arroyo  Tapes  I 

*  Hearne's  "Journey,"  p.  383 


34  MALDONADO.  [CHA».  isi. 

heard  of  a  wood  of  palms ;  and  one  of  these  trees,  of  considerable  size, 
I  saw  near  the  Pan  de  Azucar,  in  lat.  35°.  These,  and  the  trees  planted 
by  the  Spaniards,  offer  the  only  exceptions  to  the  general  scarcity  of 
wood.  Among  the  introduced  kinds  may  be  enumerated  poplars, 
olives,  peach,  and  other  fruit  trees ;  the  peaches  succeed  so  well,  that 
they  afford  the  main  supply  of  firewood  to  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres. 
Extremely  level  countries,  such  as  the  Pampas,  seldom  appear  favour- 
able to  the  growth  of  trees.  This  may  possibly  be  attributed  either  to 
the  force  of  the  winds,  or  the  kind  of  drainage.  In  the  nature  of  the 
land,  however,  around  Maldonado,  no  such  reason  is  apparent;  the 
rocky  mountains  afford  protected  situations,  enjoying  various  kinds  of 
soil ;  streamlets  of  water  are  common  at  the  bottoms  of  nearly  every 
valley;  and  the  clayey  nature  of  the  earth  seems  adapted  to  retain 
moisture.  It  has  been  inferred  with  much  probability,  that  the  presence 
of  woodland  is  generally  determined*  by  the  annual  amount  of 
moisture ;  yet  in  this  province  abundant  and  heavy  rain  falls  during  the 
winter  ;  and  the  summer,  though  dry,  is  not  so  in  any  excessive  degree.f 
We  see  nearly  the  whole  of  Australia  covered  by  lofty  trees,  yet  that 
country  possesses  a  far  more  arid  climate.  Hence  we  must  look  to 
some  other  and  unknown  cause. 

Confining  our  view  to  South  America,  we  should  certainly  be  tempted 
to  believe  that  trees  flourished  only  under  a  very  humid  climate ;  for 
the  limit  of  the  forest-land  follows,  in  a  most  remarkable  manner,  that 
of  the  damp  winds.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  continent,  where  the 
western  gales,  charged  with  moisture  from  the  Pacific,  prevail,  every  island 
on  the  broken  west  coast,  from  lat.  38°  to  the  extreme  point  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego,  is  densely  covered  by  impenetrable  forests.  On  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Cordillera,  over  the  same  extent  of  latitude,  where  a  blue 
sky  and  a  fine  climate  prove  that  the  atmosphere  has  been  deprived  of 
its  moisture  by  passing  over  the  mountains,  the  arid  plains  of  Patagonia 
support  a  most  scanty  vegetation.  In  the  more  northern  parts  of  the 
continent,  within  the  limits  of  the  constant  south-eastern  trade  wind, 
the  eastern  side  is  ornamented  by  magnificent  forests;  whilst  the 
western  coast,  from  lat.  4°  S.  to  lat.  32°  S.,  may  be  described  as  a 
desert:  on  this  western  coast,  northward  of  lat.  4°  S.,  where  the  trade- 
wind  loses  its  regularity,  and  heavy  torrents  of  rain  fall  periodically, 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  so  utterly  desert  in  Peru,  assume  near  Cape 
Blanco  the  character  of  luxuriance  so  celebrated  at  Guyaquil  and 
Panama.  Hence  in  the  southern  and  northern  parts  of  the  continent, 
the  forest  and  desert  lands  occupy  reversed  positions  with  respect  to 
the  Cordillera,  and  these  positions  are  apparently  determined  by  the 
direction  of  the  prevalent  winds.  In  the  middle  of  the  continent  there 
is  a  broad  intermediate  band,  including  central  Chile  and  the  provinces 
of  La  Plata,  where  the  rain-bringing  winds  have  not  to  pass  over  lofty 
mountains,  and  where  the  land  is  neither  a  desert  nor  covered  by 
forests.  But  even  the  rule,  if  confined  to  South  America,  of  trees 

*  Maclaren,  article  America,  Encyclop.  Britann. 

f  AzarA  says,  "  Je  crois  que  la  quantity  annuelle  des  pluies  est,  dans  toutei 
ces  contrecs,  plus  considerable  qu'ea  Espagne,"— VoL  i,  p.  36. 


IS32-3-1  PECULIARITIES  GF  DEER.  35 

flourishing  only  in  a  climate  rendered  humid  by  rain-bearing  winds, 
has  a  strongly  marked  exception  in  the  case  of  the  Falkland  Islands. 
These  islands,  situated  in  the  same  latitude  with  Tierra  del  Fuego  and 
only  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  it,  having  a 
nearly  similar  climate,  with  a  geological  formation  almost  identical, 
with  favourable  situations  and  the  same  kind  of  peaty  soil,  yet  can 
boast  of  few  plants  deserving  even  the  title  of  bushes ;  whilst  in  Tierra 
del  Fuego  it  is  impossible  to  find  an  acre  of  land  not  covered  by  the 
densest  forest.  In  this  case,  both  the  direction  of  the  heavy  gales  of 
wind  and  of  the  currents  of  the  sea  are  favourable  to  the  transport  of 
seeds  from  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  is  shown  by  the  canoes  and  trunks 
of  trees  drifted  from  that  country,  and  frequently  thrown  on  the  shores 
of  the  Western  Falkland.  Hence  perhaps  it  is,  that  there  are  many 
plants  in  common  to  the  two  countries  ;  but  with  respect  to  the  trees 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  even  attempts  made  to  transplant  them  have 
failed. 

During  our  stay  at  Maldonado  I  collected  several  quadrupeds,  eighty 
kinds  of  birds,  and  many  reptiles,  including  nine  species  of  snakes. 
Of  the  indigenous  mammalia,  the  only  one  now  left  of  any  size,  which 
is  common,  is  the  Cervus  campestris.  This  deer  is  exceedingly  abundant, 
often  in  small  herds,  throughout  the  countries  bordering  the  Plata  and 
in  Northern  Patagonia.  If  a  person  crawling  close  along  the  ground 
slowly  advances  towards  a  herd;  the  deer  frequently,  out  of  curiosity, 
approach  to  reconnoitre  him.  I  have  by  this  means  killed,  from  one 
spot,  three  out  of  the  same  herd.  Although  so  tame  and  inquisitive, 
yet  when  approached  on  horseback,  they  are  exceedingly  wary.  In 
this  country  nobody  goes  on  foot,  and  the  deer  knows  man  as  its  enemy 
only  when  he  is  mounted  and  armed  with  the  bolas.  At  Bahia  Blanca, 
a  recent  establishment  in  Northern  Patagonia,  I  was  surprised  to  find 
how  little  the  deer  cared  for  the  noise  of  a  gun :  one  day  I  fired  tea 
times  from  within  eighty  yards  at  one  animal ;  and  it  was  much  more 
startled  at  the  ball  cutting  up  the  ground  than  at  the  report  of  the  rifle. 
My  powder  being  exhausted,  I  was  obliged  to  get  up  (to  my  shame  as 
u  sportsman  be  it  spoken,  though  well  able  to  kill  birds  on  the  wing) 
and  halloo  till  the  deer  ran  away. 

The  most  curious  fact  with  respect  to  this  animal,  is  the  over- 
poweringly  strong  and  offensive  odour  which  proceeds  from  the  buck. 
It  is  quite  indescribable :  several  times  whilst  skinning  the  specimen 
which  is  now  mounted  at  the  Zoological  Museum,  I  was  almost  over- 
come by  nausea.  I  tied  up  the  skin  in  a  silk  pocket-handkerchief,  and 
so  carried  it  home :  this  handkerchief,  after  being  well  washed,  I 
continually  used,  and  it  was  of  course  as  repeatedly  washed  ;  yet  every 
time,  for  the  space  of  one  year  and  seven  months,  when  first  unfolded, 
I  distinctly  perceived  the  odour.  This  appears  an  astonishing  instance 
of  the  permanence  of  some  matter,  which  nevertheless  in  its  nature  must 
be  most  subtile  and  volatile.  Frequently,  when  passing  at  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile  to  leeward  of  a  herd,  I  have  perceived  the  whole  air 
tainted  with  the  effluvium.  I  believe  the  smell  from  the  buck  is  most 
powerful  at  the  period  when  its  horns  are  perfect,  or  free  from  the 

i 


36  MALDONADO.  [CHIP,  in, 

hairy  skirt.  When  in  this  state  the  meat  is,  of  course,  quite  uneatable  ; 
but  the  Gauchos  assert,  that  if  buried  for  some  time  in  fresh  earth  the 
taint  is  removed.  1  have  somewhere  read  that  the  islanders  in  the 
north  of  Scotland  treat  the  rank  carcasses  of  the  fish-eating  birds  in  the 
same  manner. 

The  order  Rodentia  is  here  very  numerous  in  species  :  of  mice  alone 
I  obtained  no  less  than  eight  kinds.*  The  largest  gnawing  animal  in 
the  world,  the  Hydrochaerus  capybara  (the  water-hog),  is  here  also 
common.  One  which  I  shot  at  Monte  Video  weighed  ninety-eight 
pounds :  its  length,  from  the  end  of  the  snout  to  the  stump-like  tail, 
was  three  feet  two  inches  ;  and  its  girth  three  feet  eight.  These  great 
Rodents  occasionally  frequent  the  islands  in  the  mouth  of  the  Plata, 
where  the  water  is  quite  salt,  but  are  far  more  abundant  on  the  borders 
of  fresh-water  lakes  and  rivers.  Near  Maldonado  three  or  four 
generally  live  together.  In  the  daytime  they  either  lie  among  the 
aquatic  plants,  or  openly  feed  on  the  turf  plain.f  When  viewed  at  a 
distance,  from  their  manner  of  walking  and  colour  they  resemble  pigs : 
but  when  seated  on  their  haunches,  and  attentively  watching  any  object 
with  one  eye,  they  reassume  the  appearance  of  their  congeners,  cavies 
and  rabbits.  Both  the  front  and  side  view  of  their  head  has  quite  a 
ludicrous  aspect,  from  the  great  depth  of  their  jaw.  These  animals,  at 
Maldonado,  were  very  tame;  by  cautiously  walking,  I  approached 
within  three  yards  of  four  old  ones.  This  tameness  may  probably  be 
accounted  for,  by  the  Jaguar  having  been  banished  for  some  years,  and 
by  the  Gaucho  not  thinking  it  worth  his  while  to  hunt  them.  As  I 
approached  nearer  and  nearer  they  frequently  made  their  peculiar 
noise,  which  is  a  low  abrupt  grunt,  not  having  much  actual  sound,  but 
rather  arising  from  the  sudden  expulsion  of  air :  the  only  noise  I  know 
at  all  like  it,  is  the  first  hoarse  bark  of  a  large  dog.  Having  watched 
the  four  from  almost  within  arm's  length  (and  they  me)  for  several 
minutes,  they  rushed  into  the  water  at  full  gallop  with  the  greatest 
impetuosity,  and  emitted  at  the  same  time  their  bark.  After  diving  a 
short  distance  they  came  again  to  the  surface,  but  only  just  showed  the 
upper  part  of  their  heads.  When  the  female  is  swimming  in  the  water, 
and  has  young  ones,  they  are  said  to  sit  on  her  back.  These  animals 
are  easily  killed  in  numbers ;  but  their  skins  are  of  trifling  value,  and 

*  In  South  America  I  collected  altogether  twenty-seven  species  of  mice ; 
and  thirteen  more  are  known  from  the  works  of  Azara  and  other  authors. 
Those  collected  by  myself  have  been  named  and  described  by  Mr.  Water- 
house  at  the  meetings  of  the  Zoological  Society.  I  must  be  allowed  to  take 
this  opportunity  of  returning  my  cordial  thanks  to  Mr.  Waterhouse,  and  to 
the  other  gentlemen  attached  to  that  Society,  for  their  kind  and  most  liberal 
assistance  on  all  occasions. 

•j-  In  the  stomach  and  duodenum  of  a  capybara  which  I  opened,  I  found  a 
very  large  quantity  of  a  thin  yellowish  fluid,  in  which  scarcely  a  fibre  could 
be  distinguished.  Mr.  Owen  informs  me  that  a  part  of  the  oesophagus  is  so 
constructed  that  nothing  much  larger  than  a  crowquill  can  be  passed  down. 
Certainly  the  broad  teeth  and  strong  jaws  of  this  animal  are  well  fitted  to 
grind  into  pulp  the  aquatic  plants  on  which  it  feeds, 


1832-3.]  THE  TUCUTUCO.  37 

the  meat  is  very  indifferent.  On  the  islands  in  the  Rio  Parana  they 
are  exceedingly  abundant,  and  afford  the  ordinary  prey  to  the  Jaguar. 

The  Tucutuco  (Ctenomys  Brasiliensis)  is  a  curious  small  animal, 
which  may  be  briefly  described  as  a  Gnawer,  with  the  habits  of  a  mole. 
It  is  extremely  numerous  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  but  is  difficult 
to  be  procured,  and  never,  I  believe,  comes  out  of  the  ground.  It 
throws  up  at  the  mouth  of  its  burrows  hillocks  of  earth  like  those  of 
the  mole  but  smaller.  Considerable  tracts  of  country  are  so  completely 
undermined  by  these  animals,  that  horses  in  passing  over,  sink  above 
their  fetlocks.  The  tucutucos  appear,  to  a  certain  degree,  to  be  grega- 
rious: the  man  who  procured  the  specimens  for  me  had  caught  six 
together,  and  he  said  this  was  a  common  occurrence.  They  ara 
nocturnal  in  their  habits  ;  and  their  principal  food  is  the  roots  of  plants, 
which  are  the  object  of  their  extensive  and  superficial  burrows.  This 
animal  is  universally  known  by  a  very  peculiar  noise  which  it  makes 
when  beneath  the  ground.  A  person  the  first  time  he  hears  it,  is  much 
surprised ;  for  it  is  not  easy  to  tell  whence  it  comes,  nor  is  it  possible 
to  guess  what  kind  of  creature  utters  it.  The  noise  consists  in  a  short, 
but  not  rough,  nasal  grunt,  which  is  monotonously  repeated  about  four 
times  in  quick  succession :  *  the  name  Tucutuco  is  given  in  imitation 
of  the  sound.  Where  this  animal  is  abundant,  it  may  be  heard  at 
all  times  of  the  day,  and  sometimes  directly  beneath  one's  feet.  When 
kept  in  a  room,  the  tucutucos  move  both  slowly  and  clumsily,  which 
appears  owing  to  the  outward  action  of  their  hind  legs  ;  and  they  are 
quite  incapable,  from  the  socket  of  the  thigh-bone  not  having  a  certain 
ligament,  of  jumping  even  the  smallest  vertical  height.  They  are  very 
stupid  in  making  any  attempt  to  escape  ;  when  angry  or  frightened 
they  uttered  the  tucu-tuco.  Of  those  I  kept  alive  several,  even  the 
first  day,  became  quite  tame,  not  attempting  to  bite  or  to  run  away ; 
others  were  a  little  wilder. 

The  man  who  caught  them  asserted  that  very  many  are  invariably 
found  blind.  A  specimen  which  I  preserved  in  spirits  was  in  this  state; 
Mr.  Reid  considers  it  to  be  the  effect  of  inflammation  in  the  nictitating 
membrane.  When  the  animal  was  alive  I  placed  my  finger  within  half 
an  inch  of  its  head,  and  not  the  slightest  notice  was  taken  :  it  made  its 
way,  however,  about  the  room  nearly  as  well  as  the  others.  Con- 
sidering the  strictly  subterranean  habits  of  the  tucutuco,  the  blindness, 
though  so  common,  cannot  be  a  very  serious  evil ;  yet  it  appears  strange 
that  any  animal  should  possess  an  organ  frequently  subject  to  be 
injured.  Lamarck  would  have  been  delighted  with  this  fact,  had  he 
known  it,  when  speculating  f  (probably  with  more  truth  than  usual 

*  At  the  R.  Negro,  in  Northern  Patagonia,  there  is  an  animal  of  the  same 
habits,  and  probably  a  closely  allied  species,  but  which  I  never  saw.  Its 
noise  is  different  from  that  of  the  Maldonado  kind ;  it  is  repeated  only  twice 
instead  of  three  or  four  times,  and  is  more  distinct  and  sonorous :  when 
heard  from  a  distance  it  so  closely  resembles  the  sound  made  in  cutting 
down  a  small  tree  with  an  axe,  that  I  have  sometimes  remained  in  doub  t 
concerning  it. 

f  Philosophy  Zoolog.,iom.  L,  p.  242. 


38  MALDONADO,  (CHAP.  m. 

with  him)  oft  the  gradually-a^z«>^  blindness  of  the  Aspalax,  a 
Gnawer  living  under  ground,  and  of  the  Proteus,  a  reptile  living  in 
dark  caverns  filled  with  water ;  in  both  of  which  animals  the  eye  is  in 
an  almost  rudimentary  state,  and  is  covered  by  a  tendinous  membrane 
and  skin.  In  the  common  mole  the  eye  is  extraordinarily  small  but 
perfect,  though  many  anatomists  doubt  whether  it  is  connected  with 
the  true  optic  nerve ;  its  vision  must  certainly  be  imperfect,  though 
probably  useful  to  the  animal  when  it  leaves  its  burrow.  In  the 
tucutuco,  which  I  believe  never  comes  to  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
the  eye  is  rather  larger,  but  often  rendered  blind  and  useless,  though 
without  apparently  causing  any  inconvenience  to  the  animal :  no  doubt 
Lamarck  would  have  said  that  the  tucutuco  is  now  passing  into  the 
state  of  the  Aspalax  and  Proteus. 

Birds  of  many  kinds  are  extremely  abundant  on  the  undulating 
grassy  plains  around  Maldonado.  There  are  several  species  of  a 
family  allied  in  structure  and  manners  to  our  Starling:  one  of  these 
(Molothrus  niger)  is  remarkable  from  its  habits.  Several  may  often 
be  seen  standing  together  on  the  back  of  a  cow  or  horse ;  and  while 
perched  on  a  hedge,  pluming  themselves  in  the  sun,  they  sometimes 
attempt  to  sing,  or  rather  to  hiss ;  the  noise  being  very  peculiar,  re- 
sembling that  of  bubbles  of  air  passing  rapidly  from  a  small  orifice 
under  water,  so  as  to  produce  an  acute  sound.  According  to  Azara, 
this  bird,  like  the  cuckoo,  deposits  its  eggs  in  other  birds'  nests.  I  was 
several  times  told  by  the  country  people,  that  there  certainly  is  some 
bird  having  this  habit ;  and  my  assistant  in  collecting,  who  is  a  very 
accurate  person,  found  a  nest  of  the  sparrow  of  this  country  (Zonotrichia 
matutina),  with  one  egg  in  it  larger  than  the  others,  and  of  a  different 
colour  and  shape.  In  North  America  there  is  another  species  of 
Molothrus  (M.  pecoris),  which  has  a  similar  cuckoo-like  habit,  and 
which  is  most  closely  allied  in  every  respect  to  the  species  from  the 
Plata,  even  in  such  trifling  peculiarities  as  standing  on  the  backs  of 
cattle ;  it  differs  only  in  being  a  little  smaller,  and  in  its  plumage  and 
eggs  being  of  a  slightly  different  shade  of  colour.  This  close  agreement 
in  structure  and  habits,  in  representative  species  coming  from  opposite 
quarters  of  a  great  continent,  always  strikes  one  as  interesting,  though 
of  common  occurrence. 

Mr.  Swainson  has  well  remarked,*  that  with  the  exception  of  the 
Molothrus  pecoris,  to  which  must  be  added  the  M.  niger,  the  cuckoos 
are  the  only  birds  which  can  be  called  truly  parasitical ;  namely,  such 
as  "fasten  themselves,  as  it  were,  on  another  living  animal,  whose 
animal  heat  brings  their  young  into  life,  whose  food  they  live  upon,  and 
whose  death  would  cause  theirs  during  the  period  of  infancy."  It  is 
remarkable  that  some  of  the  species,  but  not  all,  both  of  the  Cuckoo 
and  Molothrus,  should  agree  in  this  one  strange  habit  of  their  parasitical 
propagation,  whilst  opposed  to  each  other  in  almost  every  other  habit : 
Ihe  molothrus,  like  our  starling,  is  eminently  sociable,  and  lives  on  the 
3pen  plains  without  art  or  disguise :  the  cuckoo,  as  every  one  knows, 
8  a  singularly  shy  bird;  it  frequents  the  most  retired  thickets,  and 
*  Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,  vol.  i.,  p.  217. 


1832-3.]  HABITS  OF  THE  CUCKOO.  39 

feeds  on  fruit  and  caterpillars.  In  structure  also  these  two  genera  are 
widely  removed  from  each  other.  Many  theories,  even  phrenological 
theories,  have  been  advanced  to  explain  the  origin  of  the  cuckoo  laying 
its  eggs  in  other  birds'  nests.  M.  Prevost  alone,  I  think,  has  thrown 
light  by  his  observations  *  on  this  puzzle :  he  finds  that  the  female 
cuckoo,  which,  according  to  most  observers,  lays  at  least  from  four  to 
six  eggs,  must  pair  with  the  male  each  time  after  laying  only  one  or 
two  eggs.  Now,  if  the  cuckoo  was  obliged  to  sit  on  her  own  eggs,  she 
would  either  have  to  sit  on  all  together,  and  therefore  leave  those  first 
laid  so  long,  that  they  probably  would  become  addled ;  or  she  would 
have  to  hatch  separately  each  egg  or  two  eggs,  as  soon  as  laid :  but  as 
the  cuckoo  stays  a  shorter  time  in  this  country  than  any  other  migratory 
bird,  she  certainly  would  not  have  time  enough  for  the  successive 
hatchings.  Hence  we  can  perceive  in  the  fact  of  the  cuckoo  pairing 
several  times,  and  laying  her  eggs  at  intervals,  the  cause  of  her  de- 
positing her  eggs  in  other  birds'  nests,  and  leaving  them  to  the  care  of 
foster-parents.  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  this  view  is 
correct,  from  having  been  independently  led  (as  we  shall  hereafter  see) 
to  an  analogous  conclusion  with  regard  to  the  South  American  ostrich, 
the  females  of  which  are  parasitical,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  on  each 
other ;  each  female  laying  several  eggs  in  the  nests  of  several  other 
females,  and  the  male  ostrich  undertaking  all  the  cares  of  incubation, 
like  the  strange  foster-parents  with  the  cuckoo. 

I  will  mention  only  two  other  birds,  which  are  very  common,  and 
render  themselves  prominent  from  their  habits.  The  Saurophagus 
sulphuratus  is  typical  of  the  great  American  tribe  of  tyrant-flycatchers. 
In  its  structure  it  closely  approaches  the  true  shrikes,  but  in  its  habits 
may  be  compared  to  many  birds.  I  have  frequently  observed  it,  hunting 
a  field,  hovering  over  one  spot  like  a  hawk,  and  then  proceeding  on  to 
another.  When  seen  thus  suspended  in  the  air,  it  might  very  readily 
at  a  short  distance  be  mistaken  for  one  of  the  Rapacious  order;  its 
stoop,  however,  is  very  inferior  in  force  and  rapidity  to  that  of  a  hawk. 
At  other  times  the  Saurophagus  haunts  the  neighbourhood  of  water, 
and  there,  like  a  kingfisher,  remaining  stationary,  it  catches  any  small 
fish  which  may  come  near  the  margin.  These  birds  are  not  unfrequently 
kept  either  in  cages  or  in  courtyards,  with  their  wings  cut.  They  soon 
become  tame,  and  are  very  amusing  from  their  cunning  odd  manners, 
which  were  described  to  me  as  being  similar  to  those  of  the  common 
magpie.  Their  flight  is  undulatory,  for  the  weight  of  the  head  and  bill 
appear  too  great  for  the  body.  In  the  evening  the  Saurophagus  takes 
its  stand  on  a  bush,  often  by  the  roadside,  and  continually  repeats 
without  change  a  shrill  and  rather  agreeable  cry,  which  somewhat 
resembles  articulate  words  :  the  Spaniards  say  it  is  like  the  words 
"Bien  te  veo"  (I  see  you  well),  and  accordingly  have  given  it  this 
name. 

A  mocking-bird  (Minus  orpheus),  called  by  the  inhabitants  Calandria, 
is  remarkable,  from  possessing  a  song  far  superior  to  that  of  any  other 
bird  in  the  country :  indeed  it  is  nearly  the  only  bird  in  South  America 

*  Read  before  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris.     L'lnstifnf,  1834,  p.  418, 


40  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  in. 

which  I  have  observed  to  take  its  stand  for  the  purpose  of  singing. 
The  song  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  Sedge  warbler,  but  is  more 
powerful ;  some  harsh  notes  and  some  very  high  ones,  being  mingled 
with  a  pleasant  warbling.  It  is  heard  only  during  the  spring.  At 
other  times  its  cry  is  harsh  and  far  from  harmonious.  Near  Maldonado 
these  birds  were  tame  and  bold;  they  constantly  attended  the  country 
houses  in  numbers,  to  pick  the  meat  which  was  hung  up  on  the  posts 
or  walls :  if  any  other  small  bird  joined  the  feast,  the  Calandria  soon 
chased  it  away.  On  the  wide  uninhabited  plains  of  Patagonia  another 
closely  allied  species,  O.  Patagonica  of  d'Orbigny,  which  frequents  the 
valleys  clothed  with  spiny  bushes,  is  a  wilder  bird,  and  has  a  slightly 
different  tone  of  voice.  It  appears  to  me  a  curious  circumstance,  as 
showing  the  fine  shades  of  difference  in  habits,  that  judging  from  this 
latter  respect  alone,  when  I  first  saw  this  second  species,  I  thought 
it  was  different  from  the  Maldonado  kind.  Having  afterwards  pro- 
cured a  specimen,  and  comparing  the  two  without  particular  care, 
they  appeared  so  very  similar  that  I  changed  my  opinion ;  but  now 
Mr.  Gould  says  that  they  are  certainly  distinct;  a  conclusion  in 
conformity  with  the  trifling  difference  of  habit,  of  which,  however, 
he  was  not  aware. 

The  number,  lameness,  and  disgusting  habits  of  the  carrion-feeding 
hawks  of  South  America  make  them  pre-eminently  striking  to  any 
one  accustomed  only  to  the  birds  of  Northern  Europe.  In  this  list 
may  be  included  four  species  of  the  Caracara  or  Polyborus,  the  Turkey 
buzzard,  the  Gallinazo,  and  the  Condor.  The  Caracaras  are,  from 
their  structure,  placed  among  the  eagles ;  we  shall  soon  see  how  ill 
they  become  so  high  a  rank.  In  their  habits  they  well  supply  the 
place  of  our  carrion-crows,  magpies,  and  ravens ;  a  tribe  of  birds 
widely  distributed  over  the  rest  of  the  world,  but  entirely  absent  in 
South  America.  To  begin  with  the  Polyborus  Brasiliensis :  this  is 
a  common  bird,  and  has  a  wide  geographical  range;  it  is  most  numerous 
on  the  grassy  savannahs  of  La  Plata  (where  it  goes  by  the  name  of 
Carrancha),  and  is  far  from  unfrequent  throughout  the  sterile  plains 
of  Patagonia.  In  the  desert  between  the  rivers  Negro  and  Colorado, 
numbers  constantly  attend  the  line  of  road  to  devour  the  carcasses  of 
the  exhausted  animals  which  chance  to  perish  from  fatigue  and  thirst 
Although  thus  common  in  these  dry  and  open  countries,  and  likewise 
on  the  arid  shores  of  the  Pacific,  it  is  nevertheless  found  inhabiting  the 
damp  impervious  forests  of  West  Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  Fuego.  The 
Carranchas,  together  with  the  Chimango,  constantly  attend  in  numbers 
the  estancias  and  slaughtering-houses.  If  an  animal  dies  on  the  plain 
the  Gallinazo  commences  the  feast,  and  then  the  two  species  of 
Polyborus  pick  the  bones  clean.  These  birds,  although  thus  commonly 
feeding  together,  are  far  from  being  friends.  When  the  Carrancha  is 
quietly  seated  on  the  b'ranch  of  a  tree  or  on  the  ground,  the  Chimango 
often  continues  for  a  long  time  flying  backwards  and  forwards,  up  and 
down,  in  a  semicircle,  trying  each  time  at  the  bottom  of  the  curve  to 
strike  its  larger  relative.  The  Carrancha  takes  little  notice,  except  by 
bobbing  its  head.  Although  the  Carranchas  frequently  assemble  in 


1832-3.]  CARRION  HAWKS.  41 

numbers,  they  are  not  gregarious:  for  in  desert  places  they  may  be 
seen  solitary,  or  more  commonly  by  pairs. 

The  Carranchas  are  said  to  be  very  crafty,  and  to  steal  great  numbers 
of  eggs.  They  attempt,  also,  together  with  the  Chimango,  to  pick  off 
the  scabs  from  the  sore  backs  of  horses  and  mules.  The  poor  animal, 
on  the  one  hand,  with  its  ears  down  and  its  back  arched ;  and,  on  the 
other,  the  hovering  bird,  eyeing  at  the  distance  of  a  yard,  the  disgusting 
morsel,  form  a  picture,  which  has  been  described  by  Captain  Head 
with  its  own  peculiar  spirit  and  accuracy.  These  false  eagles  most 
rarely  kill  any  living  bird  or  animal ;  and  their  vulture-like,  necropha- 
gous habits  are  very  evident  to  any  one  who  has  fallen  asleep  on  the 
desolate  plains  of  Patagonia,  for  when  he  wakes  he  will  see,  on  each 
surrounding  hillock,  one  of  these  birds  patiently  watching  him  with 
an  evil  eye  ;  it  is  a  feature  in  the  landscape  of  these  countries,  which 
will  be  recognized  by  every  one  who  has  wandered  over  them.  If  a 
party  of  men  go  out  hunting  with  dogs  and  horses,  they  will  be 
accompanied,  during  the  day,  by  several  of  these  attendants.  Alter 
feeding,  the  uncovered  craw  protrudes  ;  at  such  times,  and  indeed 
generally,  the  Carrancha  is  an  inactive,  tame,  and  cowardly  bird.  Its 
flight  is  heavy  and  slow  like  that  of  an  English  rook.  It  seldom  soars; 
but  I  have  twice  seen  one  at  a  great  height  gliding  through  the  air 
with  much  ease.  It  runs  (in  contradistinction  to  hopping),  but  not 
quite  so  quickly  as  some  of  its  congeners.  At  times  the  Carrancha  is 
noisy,  but  is  not  generally  so :  its  cry  is  loud,  very  harsh  and  peculiar, 
and  may  be  likened  to  the  sound  of  the  Spanish  guttural  g,  followed 
by  a  rough  double  r  r\  when  uttering  this  cry  it  elevates  its  head 
higher  and  higher,  till  at  last,  with  its  beak  wide  open,  the  crown 
almost  touches  the  lower  part  of  the  back.  This  fact,  which  has  been 
doubted,  is  quite  true ;  I  have  seen  them  several  times  with  their  heads 
backwards  in  a  completely  inverted  position.  To  these  observations 
I  may  add,  on  the  high  authority  of  Azara,  that  the  Carrancha  feeds 
on  worms,  shells,  slugs,  grasshopers,  and  frogs ;  that  it  destroys  young 
lambs  by  tearing  the  umbilical  cord;  and  that  it  pursues  the  Gallinazo, 
till  that  bird  is  compelled  to  vomit  up  the  carrion  it  may  have  recently 
gorged.  Lastly,  Azara  states  that  several  Carranchas,  five  or  six 
together,  will  unite  in  chase  of  large  birds,  even  such  as  herons.  All 
these  facts  show  that  it  is  a  bird  of  very  versatile  habits  and  con- 
siderable ingenuity. 

The  Polyborus  Chimango  is  considerably  smaller  than  the  last 
species.  It  is  truly  omnivorous,  and  will  eat  even  bread  ;  and  I  was 
assured  that  it  materially  injures  the  potato-crops  in  Chiloe,  by  stocking 
up  the  roots  when  first  planted.  Of  all  the  carrion-feeders  it  is 
generally  the  last  which  leaves  the  skeleton  of  a  dead  animal ;  and  may 
often  be  seen  within  the  ribs  of  a  cow  or  horse,  like  a  bird  in  a  cage. 
Another  species  is  the  Polyborus  Novae  Zelandiae,  which  is  exceedingly 
common  in  the  Falkland  Islands.  These  birds  in  many  respects  resemble 
in  their.habits  the  Carranchas.  They  live  on  the  flesh  of  dead_  animals 
and  on  marine  productions ;  and  on  the  Ramirez  rocks  their  whole 
Sustenance  must  depend  on  the  sea.  They  are  extraordinarily  tame 


42  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  m. 

and  fearless,  and  haunt  the  neighbourhood  of  houses  for  offal.  If  a 
hunting  party  kills  an  animal,  a  number  soon  collect  and  patiently 
await,  standing  on  the  ground  on  all  sides.  After  eating,  their  un- 
covered craws  are  largely  protruded,  giving  them  a  disgusting  appear- 
ance. They  readily  attack  wounded  birds :  a  cormorant  in  this  state 
having  taken  to  the  shore,  was  immediately  seized  on  by  several,  and 
its  death  hastened  by  their  blows.  The  Beagle  was  at  the  Falklands 
only  during  the  summer,  but  the  officers  of  the  Adventure,  who  were 
there  in  the  winter,  mention  many  extraordinary  instances  of  the  bold- 
ness and  rapacity  of  these  birds.  They  actually  pounced  on  a  dog  that 
was  lying  fast  asleep  close  by  one  of  the  party ;  and  the  sportsmen  had 
difficulty  in  preventing  the  wounded  geese  from  being  seized  before 
their  eyes.  It  is  said  that  several  together  (in  this  respect  resembling 
the  Carranchas)  wait  at  the  mouth  of  a  rabbit-hole,  and  together  seize 
on  the  animal  when  it  conies  out.  They  were  constantly  flying  on 
board  the  vessel  when  in  the  harbour ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a 
good  look  out  to  prevent  the  leather  being  torn  from  the  rigging,  and 
the  meat  or  game  from  the  stern.  These  birds  are  very  mischievous 
and  inquisitive ;  they  will  pick  up  almost  anything  from  the  ground  ;  a 
large  black  glazed  hat  was  carried  nearly  a  mile,  as  was  a  pair  of  the 
heavy  balls  used  in  catching  cattle.  Mr.  Usborne  experienced  during 
the  survey  a  more  severe  loss,  in  their  stealing  a  small  Kater's  compass 
in  a  red  morocco  leather  case,  which  was  never  recovered.  These 
birds  are,  moreover,  quarrelsome  and  very  passionate ;  tearing  up  the 
grass  with  their  bills  from  rage.  They  are  not  truly  gregarious ;  they 
do  not  soar,  and  their  flight  is  heavy  and  clumsy  ;  on  the  ground  they 
run  extremely  fast,  very  much  like  pheasants.  They  are  noisy,  uttering 
several  harsh  cries ;  one  of  which  is  like  that  of  the  English  rook ; 
hence  the  sealers  always  call  them  rooks.  It  is  a  curious  circumstance 
that,  when  crying  out,  they  throw  their  heads  upwards  and  backwards, 
alter  the  same  manner  as  the  Carrancha.  They  build  in  the  rocky 
cliffs  of  the  sea-coast,  but  only  on  the  small  adjoining  islets,  and  not  on 
the  two  main  islands :  this  is  a  singular  precaution  in  so  tame  and 
fearless  a  bird.  The  sealers  say  that  the  flesh  of  these  birds,  when 
cooked,  is  quite  white,  and  very  good  eating ;  but  bold  must  the  man 
be  who  attempts  such  a  meal. 

We  have  now  only  to  mention  the  turkey-buzzard  (Vultur  aura),  and 
the  Gallinazo.  The  former  is  found  wherever  the  country  is  moderately 
damp,  from  Cape  Horn  to  North  America.  Differently  from  the 
Polyborus  Brasiliensis  and  Chimango,  it  has  found  its  way  to  the 
Falkland  Islands.  Thejturkey-buzzard  is  a  solitary  bird,  or  at  most  goes 
in  pairs.  It  may  at  once  be  recognized  from  a  long  distance,  by  its 
lofty  soaring,  and  most  elegant  flight.  It  is  well  known  to  be  a  true 
carrion-feeder.  On  the  west  coast  of  Patagonia,  among  the  thickly- 
wooded  islets  and  broken  land,  it  lives  exclusively  on  what  the  sea 
throws  up,  and  on  the  carcasses  of  dead  seals.  Wherever  these 
animals  are  congregated  on  the  rocks,  there  the  vultures  may  be  seen. 
The  Gallinazo  (Cathartes  atratus)  has  a  different  range  from  the  last 
species,  as  it  never  occurs  southward  of  lat  41°.  Azara  states  that 


1832-3.]  TUBES  FORMED  BY  LIGHTNING.  43 

there  exists  a  tradition  that  these  birds,  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest, 
were  not  found  near  Monte  Video,  but  that  they  subsequently  followed 
the  inhabitants  from  more  northern  districts.  At  the  present  day  they 
are  numerous  in  the  valley  of  the  Colorado,  which  is  three  hundred  miles 
due  south  of  Monte  Video.  It  seems  probable  that  this  additional 
migration  has  happened  since  the  time  of  Azara.  The  Gallinazo 
generally  prefers  a  humid  climate,  or  rather  the  neighbourhood  of 
fresh  water;  hence  it  is  extremely  abundant  in  Brazil  and  La  Plata, 
while  it  is  never  found  on  the  desert  and  arid  plains  of  Northern 
Patagonia,  excepting  near  some  stream.  These  birds  frequent 
the  whole  Pampas  to  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  but  I  never  saw  or 
heard  of  one  in  Chile :  in  Peru  they  are  preserved  as  scavengers. 
These  vultures  certainly  may  be  called  gregarious,  for  they  seem  to  have 
pleasure  in  society,  and  are  not  solely  brought  together  by  the  attraction 
of  a  common  prey.  On  a  fine  day  a  flock  may  often  be  observed  at  a 
great  height,  each  bird  wheeling  round  and  round  without  closing  its 
wings,  in  the  most  graceful  evolutions.  This  is  clearly  performed  for 
the  mere  pleasure  of  the  exercise,  or  perhaps  is  connected  with  their 
matrimonial  alliances. 

I  have  now  mentioned  all  the  carrion-feeders,  excepting  the  condor, 
an  account  of  which  will  be  more  appropriately  introduced  when  we 
visit  a  country  more  congenial  to  its  habits  than  the  plains  of  La  Plata. 

In  a  broad  band  of  sand-hillocks  which  separate  the  Laguna  del 
Potrero  from  the  shores  of  the  Plata,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles 
from  Maldonado,  I  found  a  group  of  those  vitrified,  siliceous  tubes, 
which  are  formed  by  lightning  entering  loose  sand.  These  tubes 
resemble  in  every  particular  those  from  Drigg  in  Cumberland,  described 
in  the  Geological  Transactions.*  The  sand-hillocks  of  Maldonado,  not 
being  protected  by  vegetation,  are  constantly  changing  their  position. 
From  this  cause  the  tubes  projected  above  the  surface  ;  and  numerous 
fragments  lying  near,  showed  that  they  had  formerly  been  buried  to  a 
greater  depth.  Four  sets  entered  the  sand  perpendicularly  :  by  working 
with  my  hands  I  traced  one  of  them  two  feet  deep ;  and  some  fragments 
which  evidently  had  belonged  to  the  same  tube,  when  added  to  the 
other  part,  measured  five  feet  three  inches.  The  diameter  of  the  whole 
tube  was  nearly  equal,  and  therefore  we  must  suppose  that  originally 
it  extended  to  a  much  greater  depth.  These  dimensions  are  however 
small,  compared  to  those  of  the  tubes  from  Drigg,  one  of  which  was 
traced  to  a  depth  of  not  less  than  thirty  feet. 

The  internal  surface  is  completely  vitrified,  glossy,  and  smooth.  A 
small  fragment  examined  under  the  microscope  appeared,  from  the 
number  of  minute  entangled  air  or  perhaps  steam  bubbles,  like  an 
assay  fused  before  the  blowpipe.  The  sand  is  entirely,  or  in  greater 
part,  siliceous ;  but  some  points  are  of  a  black  colour,  and  from  their 

*  Geolog.  Transact.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  528.  In  the  Philosoph.  Transact.  (1790, 
p.  294)  Dr.  Priestley  has  described  some  imperfect  siliceous  tubes  and  a  melted 
pebble  of  quartz,  found  in  digging  into  the  ground,  under  a  tree,  where  a 
man  had  been  killed  by  lightning. 


44  MALDONADO.  [CHAP.  ra. 

glossy  surface  possess  a  metallic  lustre.  The  thickness  of  the  wall  of 
the  tube  varies  from  a  thirtieth  to  a  twentieth  of  an  inch,  and  occasion- 
ally even  equals  a  tenth.  On  the  outside  the  grains  of  sand  are  rounded, 
and  have  a  slightly  glazed  appearance:  I  could  not  distinguish  any 
signs  of  crystallization.  In  a  similar  manner  to  that  described  in  the 
Geological  Transactions,  the  tubes  are  generally  compressed,  and  have 
deep  longitudinal  furrows,  so  as  closely  to  resemble  a  shrivelled 
vegetable  stalk,  or  the  bark  of  the  elm  or  cork  tree.  Their  circumference 
is  about  two  inches,  but  in  some  fragments,  which  are  cylindrical  and 
without  any  furrows,  it  is  as  much  as  four  inches.  The  compression 
from  the  surrounding  loose  sand,  acting  while  the  tube  was  still  softened 
from  the  effects  of  the  intense  heat,  has  evidently  caused  the  creases  or 
furrows.  Judging  from  the  uncompressed  fragments,  the  measure  or 
bore  of  the  lightning  (if  such  a  term  may  be  used),  must  have  been 
about  one  inch  and  a  quarter.  At  Paris,  M.  Hachette  and  M.  Beudant  * 
succeeded  in  making  tubes,  in  most  respects  similar  to  these  fulgurites, 
by  passing  very  strong  shocks  of  galvanism  through  finely-powdered 
glass :  when  salt  was  added,  so  as  to  increase  its  fusibility,  the  tubes 
were  larger  in  every  dimension.  They  failed  both  with  powdered  felspar 
and  quartz.  One  tube,  formed  with  pounded  glass,  was  very  nearly  an 
inch  long,  namely,  '982,  and  had  an  internal  diameter  of  -019  of  an  inch. 
When  we  hear  that  the  strongest  battery  in  Paris  was  used,  and  that  its 
power  on  a  substance  of  such  easy  fusibility  as  glass  was  to  form  tubes 
so  diminutive,  we  must  feel  greatly  astonished  at  the  force  of  a  shock 
of  lightning,  which,  striking  the  sand  in  several  places,  has  formed 
cylinders,  in  one  instance  of  at  least  thirty  feet  long,  and  having  an 
internal  bore,  where  not  compressed,  of  full  an  inch  and  a  half;  and  this 
in  a  material  ,so  extraordinarily  refractory  as  quartz  1 

The  tubes,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  enter  the  sand  nearly  in  a 
vertical  direction.  One,  however,  which  was  less  regular  than  the 
others,  deviated  from  a  right  line,  at  the  most  considerable  bend,  to 
the  amount  of  thirty-three  degrees.  From  this  same  tube,  two  small 
branches,  about  a  foot  apart,  were  sent  off;  one  pointed  downwards, 
and  the  other  upwards.  This  latter  case  is  remarkable,  as  the  electric 
fluid  must  have  turned  back  at  the  acute  angle  of  26°,  to  the  line 
of  its  main  course.  Besides  the  four  tubes  which  I  found  vertical, 
and  traced  beneath  the  surface,  there  were  several  other  groups  of 
fragments,  the  original  sites  of  which  without  doubt  were  near.  All 
occurred  in  a  level  area  of  shifting  sand,  sixty  yards  by  twenty,  situated 
among  some  high  sand-hillocks,  and  at  the  distance  of  about  half  a 
mile  from  a  chain  of  hills  four  or  five  hundred  feet  in  height.  The 
most  remarkable  circumstance,  as  it  appears  to  me,  in  this  case  as 
we!!  as  in  that  of  Drigg,  and  in  one  described  by  M.  Ribbentrop  in 
Germany  is  the  number  of  tubes  found  within  such  limited  spaces. 
At  Drigg,  within  an  area  of  fifteen  yards,  three  were  observed,  and  the 
same  number  occurred  in  Germany.  In  the  case  which  I  have 
described,  certainly  more  than  four  existed  within  the  space  of  the 
sixty  by  twenty  yards.  As  it  does  not  appear  probable  that  the  tubes 
*  "  Annalcs  de  Chimie  et  de  Physique,"  torn,  xxxvii.,  p.  319. 


1833.]  ARRIVE  AT  RIO  NEGRO.  45 

are  produced  by  successive  distinct  shocks,  we  must  believe  that  the 
lightning,  shortly  before  entering  the  ground,  divides  itself  into  separate 
branches. 

The  neighbourhood  of  the  Rio  Plata  seems  peculiarly  subject  to 
electric  phenomena.  In  the  year  1793,*  one  of  the  most  destructive 
thunderstorms  perhaps  on  record  happened  at  Buenos  Ayres  :  thirty- 
seven  places  within  the  city  were  struck  by  lightning,  and  nineteen 
people  killed.  From  facts  stated  in  several  books  of  travels,  I  am 
inclined  to  suspect  that  thunderstorms  are  very  common  near  the 
mouths  of  great  rivers.  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  mixture  of  large 
bodies  of  fresh  and  salt  water  may  disturb  the  electrical  equilibrium  ? 
Even  during  our  occasional  visits  to  this  part  of  South  America,  we 
heard  of  a  ship,  two  churches,  and  a  house,  having  been  struck.  Both 
the  church  and  the  house  I  saw  shortly  afterwards  :  the  house  belonged 
to  Mr.  Hood,  the  consul-general  at  Monte  Video.  Some  of  the  effects 
were  curious :  the  paper,  for  nearly  a  foot  on  each  side  of  the  line 
where  the  bell-wires  had  run,  was  blackened.  The  metal  had  been 
fused,  and  although  the  room  was  about  fifteen  feet  high,  the  globules, 
dropping  on  the  chairs  and  furniture,  had  drilled  in  them  a  chain  ol 
minute  holes.  A  part  of  the  wall  was  shattered  as  if  by  gunpowder, 
and  the  fragments  had  been  blown  off  with  force  sufficient  to  dent  the 
wall  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room.  The  frame  of  a  looking-glass 
was  blackened,  and  the  gilding  must  have  been  volatilized,  for  a 
smelling-bottle,  which  stood  on  the  chimney-piece,  was  coated  with 
bright  metallic  particles,  which  adhered  as  firmly  as  if  they  had  been 
enamelled. 


GRAFTER  IV. 

RIO   NEGRO  TO   BAHIA  BLANCA, 

Rio  Negro — Estancias  attacked  by  the  Indians — Salt  Lakes — Flaming 

Rio  Negro  to  Rio  Colorado — Sacred  Tree — Patagonian  Hare — Indian 
Families — General  Rosas — Proceed  to  Bahia  Blanca — Sand  Dunes 
Negro  Lieutenant — Bahia  Blanca — Saline  Incrustations — Punta  Alta — 
Zorillo. 

July  itfh,  1833-— The  Beagle  sailed  from  Maldonado,  and  on  the  3rd 
of  August  she  arrived  off  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro.  This  is  the 
principal  river  on  the  whole  line  of  coast  between  the  Strait  of 
Magellan  and  the  Plata.  It  enters  the  sea  about  three  hundred  miles 
south  of  the  estuary  of  the  Plata.  About  fifty  years  ago,  under  the 
old  Spanish  government,  a  small  colony  was'established  here;  and 
it  is  still  the  most  southern  position  (lat.  41°)  on  this  eastern  coast  of 
America,  inhabited  by  civilized  man. 

The  country  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  wretched  in  the  extreme; 
*  Azara's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  i.,  p.  36. 


46  RIO  NEGRO.  [CHAP.  iv. 

on  the  south  side  a.  long  line  of  perpendicular  cliffs  commences,  which 
exposes  a  section  of  the  geological  nature  of  the  country.  The  strata 
are  of  sandstone,  and  one  layer  was  remarkable  from  being  composed 
of  a  firmly-cemented  conglomerate  of  pumice  pebbles,  which  must 
have  travelled  more  than  four  hundred  miles  from  the  Andes.  The 
surface  is  everywhere  covered  up  by  a  thick  bed  of  gravel,  which 
extends  far  and  wide  over  the  open  plain.  Water  is  extremely  scarce, 
and,  where  found,  is  almost  invariably  brackish.  The  vegetation  is 
scanty;  and  although  there  are  bushes  of  many  kinds,  all  are  armed 
with  formidable  thorns,  which  seem  to  warn  the  stranger  not  to  enter 
on  these  inhospitable  regions. 

The  settlement  is  situated  eighteen  miles  up  the  river.  The  road 
follows  the  foot  of  the  sloping  cliff,  which  forms  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  great  valley,  in  which  the  Rio  Negro  flows.  On  the  way  we 
passed  the  ruins  of  some  fine  "  estancias,"  which  a  few  years  since  had 
been  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  They  withstood  several  attacks.  A 
man  present  at  one  gave  me  a  very  lively  description  of  what  took 
place.  The  inhabitants  had  sufficient  notice  to  drive  all  the  cattle  and 
horses  into  the  "  corral "  *  which  surrounded  the  house,  and  likewise 
to  mount  some  small  cannon.  The  Indians  were  Araucanians  from  the 
south  of  Chile ;  several  hundreds  in  number,  and  highly  disciplined; 
They  first  appeared  in  two  bodies  on  a  neighbouring  hill ;  having  there 
dismounted,  and  taken  off  their  fur  mantles,  they  advanced  naked  to 
the  charge.  The  only  weapon  of  an  Indian  is  a  very  long  bamboo  or 
chuzo,  ornamented  with  ostrich  feathers,  and  pointed  by  a  sharp  spear- 
head. My  informer  seemed  to  remember  with  the  greatest  horror  the 
quivering  of  these  chuzos  as  they  approached  near.  When  close,  the 
cacique  Pincheira  hailed  the  besieged  to  give  up  their  arms,  or  he 
would  cut  all  their  throats.  As  this  would  probably  have  been  the 
result  of  their  entrance  under  any  circumstances,  the  answer  was  given 
by  a  volley  of  musketry.  The  Indians,  with  great  steadiness,  came  to 
the  very  fence  of  the  corral ;  but  to  their  surprise  they  found  the  posts 
fastened  together  by  iron  nails  instead  of  leather  thongs,  and,  of  course, 
in  vain  attempted  to  cut  them  with  their  knives.  This  saved  the  lives 
of  the  Christians :  many  of  the  wounded  Indians  were  carried  away 
by  their  companions ;  and  at  last  one  of  the  under  caciques  being 
wounded,  the  bugle  sounded  a  retreat.  They  retired  to  their  horses, 
and  seemed  to  hold  a  council  of  war.  This  was  an  awful  pause  for 
the  Spaniards,  as  all  their  ammunition,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
cartridges,  was  expended.  In  an  instant  the  Indians  mounted  their 
horses,  and  galloped  out  of  sight.  Another  attack  was  still  more 
quickly  repulsed.  A  cool  Frenchman  managed  the  gun ;  he  stopped 
till  the  Indians  approached  close,  and  then  raked  their  line  with  grape- 
shot  ;  he  thus  laid  thirty-nine  of  them  on  the  ground ;  and,  of  course, 
such  a  blow  immediately  routed  the  whole  party. 

The  town  is  indifferently  called  El  Carmen  or  Patagones.  It  is 
built  on  the  face  of  a  cliff  which  fronts  the  river,  and  many  of  the 

*  The  corral  is  an  enclosure  made  of  tall  and  strong  stakes.  Every 
estancia,  or  farming  estate,  has  one  attached  to  it, 


1833.]  SALT  LAKES  OR  SALINAS.  47 

houses  are  excavated  even  in  the  sandstone.  The  river  is  about  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  is  deep  and  rapid.  The  many 
islands,  with  their  willow-trees,  and  the  flat  headlands,  seen  one 
behind  the  other  on  the  northern  boundary  of  the  broad  green  valley, 
form,  by  the  aid  of  a  bright  sun,  a  view  almost  picturesque.  The 
number  of  inhabitants  does  not  exceed  a  few  hundreds.  These  Spanish 
colonies  do  not,  like  our  British  ones,  carry  within  themselves  the 
elements  of  growth.  Many  Indians  of  pure  blood  reside  here :  the 
tribe  of  the  Cacique  Lucanee  constantly  have  their  Toldos  *  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town.  The  local  government  partly  supplies  them 
with  provisions  by  giving  them  all  the  old  worn-out  horses,  and  they 
earn  a  little  by  making  horse-rugs  and  other  articles  of  riding-gear. 
These  Indians  are  considered  civilized  ;  but  what  their  character  may 
have  gained  by  a  lesser  degree  of  ferocity,  is  almost  counterbalanced 
by  their  entire  immorality.  Some  of  the  younger  men  are,  however, 
improving ;  they  are  willing  to  labour,  and  a  short  time  since  a  party 
went  on  a  sealing-voyage,  and  behaved  very  well.  They  were  now 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  labour  by  being  dressed  in  very  gay,  clean 
clothes,  and  by  being  very  idle.  The  taste  they  showed  in  their  dress 
was  admirable  ;  if  you  could  have  turned  one  of  these  young  Indians 
into  a  statue  of  bronze,  his  drapery  would  have  been  perfectly  graceful. 

One  day  I  rode  to  a  large  salt  lake,  or  Salina,  which  is  distant  fifteen 
miles  from  the  town.  During  the  winter  it  consists  of  a  shallow  lake  of 
brine,  which  in  summer  is  converted  into  a  field  of  snow-white  salt 
The  layer  near  the  margin  is  from  four  to  five  inches  thick,  but  towards 
the  centre  its  thickness  increases.  This  lake  was  two  and  a  half  miles 
long,  and  one  broad.  Others  occur  in  the  neighbourhood  many  limes 
larger,  and  with  a  floor  of  salt,  two  and  three  feet  in  thickness,  even 
when  under  water  during  the  winter.  One  of  these  brilliantly-white 
and  level  expanses,  in  the  midst  of  the  brown  and  desolate  plain,  offers 
an  extraordinary  spectacle.  A  large  quantity  of  salt  is  annually  drawn 
from  the  salina ;  and  great  piles,  some  hundred  tons  in  weight,  were 
lying  ready  for  exportation.  The  season  for  working  the  salinas  forms 
the  harvest  of  Patagones  ;  for  on  it  the  prosperity  of  the  place  depends. 
Nearly  the  whole  population  encamps  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  the 
people  are  employed  in  drawing  out  the  salt  in  bullock-waggons.  This 
salt  is  crystallized  in  great  cubes,  and  is  remarkably  pure  ;  Mr.  Trenham 
Reeks  has  kindly  analyzed  some  for  me,  and  he  finds  in  it  only  0-26  of 
gypsum,  and  0-22  of  earthy  matter.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  it  does 
not  serve  so  well  for  preserving  meat  as  sea-salt  from  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands ;  and  a  merchant  at  Buenos  Ayres  told  me  that  he  con- 
sidered it  as  fifty  per  cent,  less  valuable.  Hence  the  Cape  de  Verd 
salt  is  constantly  imported,  and  is  mixed  with  that  from  these  salinas. 
The  purity  of  the  Patagonian  salt,  or  absence  from  it  of  those  other 
saline  bodies  found  in  all  sea-water,  is  the  only  assignable  cause  for 
this  inferiority ;  a  conclusion  which  no  one,  I  think,  would  have  sus- 
pected, but  which  is  supported  by  the  fact  lately  ascertained,!  that 

*  The  hovels  of  the  Indians  are  thus  called. 

f  Report  of  tlve  Agricult  Chem.  Assoc.  in  the  Agricult.  GaeetU,  1845,?.  93, 


48  RIO  NEGRO,  [CHAP.  „ 

those  salts  answer  best  for  preserving  cheese  which  contain  most  of 
the  deliquescent  chlorides. 

The  border  of  the  lake  is  formed  of  mud ;  and  in  this  numerous 
large  crystals  of  gypsum,  some  of  which  are  three  inches  long,  lie  em- 
bedded ;  whilst  on  the  surface  others  of  sulphate  of  soda  lie  scattered 
about.  The  Gauchos  call  the  former  the  "  Padre  del  sal,"  and  the  latter 
the  "  Madre ; "  they  state  that  these  progenitive  salts  always  occur  on 
the  borders  of  the  Salinas  when  the  water  begins  to  evaporate.  The 
mud  is  black,  and  has  a  fetid  odour.  I  could  not  at  first  imagine  the 
cause  of  this  ;  but  I  afterwards  perceived  that  the  froth  which  the  wind 
drifted  on  shore  was  coloured  green,  as  if  by  confervas  :  I  attempted  to 
carry  home  some  of  this  green  matter,  but  from  an  accident  failed. 
Parts  of  the  lake  seen  from  a  short  distance  appeared  of  a  reddish 
colour,  and  this  perhaps  was  owing  to  some  infusorial  animalcula. 
The  mud  in  many  places  was  thrown  up  by  numbers  of  some  kind  of 
worm,  or  annelidous  animal.  How  surprising  it  is  that  any  creatures 
should  be  able  to  exist  in  brine,  and  that  they  should  be  crawling 
among  crystals  of  sulphate  of  soda  and  lime !  And  what  becomes  of 
w.ese  worms  when,  during  the  long  summer,  the  surface  is  hardened 
into  a  solid  layer  of  salt  ?  Flamingoes  in  considerable  numbers  inhabit 
this  lake,  and  breed  here;  throughout  Patagonia,  in  Northern  Chile, 
and  at  the  Galapagos  Islands,  I  met  with  these  birds  wherever  there 
were  lakes  of  brine.  I  saw  them  here  wading  about  in  search  of  food 
— probably  for  the  worms  which  burrow  in  the  mud ;  and  these  latter 
probably  feed  on  infusoria  or  confervae.  Thus  we  have  a  little  living 
world  within  itself,  adapted  to  these  inland  lakes  of  brine.  A  minute 
crustaceous  animal  (Cancer  salinus)  is  said*  to  live  in  countless 
numbers  in  the  brine-pans  at  Lymington  ;  but  only  in  those  in  which 
the,  fluid  has  attained,  from  evaporation,  considerable  strength — namely, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  salt  to  a  pint  of  water.  Well  may  we 
affirm  that  every  part  of  the  world  is  habitable !  Whether  lakes  of 
brine,  or  those  subterranean  ones  hidden  beneath  volcanic  mountains — 
warm  mineral  springs — the  wide  expanse  and  depths  of  the  ocean — the 
upper  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  and  even  the  surface  of  perpetual 
enow — all  support  organic  beings, 

To  the  northward  of  the  Rio  Negro,  between  it  and  the  inhabited 

*  Liwiean  Trans.,  vol.  xi.,  p.  205.  It  is  remarkable  how  all  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  salt-lakes  in  Siberia  and  Patagonia  are  similar. 
Siberia,  like  Patagonia,  appears  to  have  been  recently  elevated  above  the 
waters  of  the  sea.  In  both  countries  the  salt-lakes  occupy  shallow  depres- 
sions in  the  plains;  in  both  the  mud  on  the  borders  is  black  and  fetid; 
beneath  the  crust  of  common  salt,  sulphate  of  soda  or  of  magnesia  occurs, 
imperfectly  crystallized  ;  and  in  both,  the  muddy  sand  is  mixed  with  lentils  of 
gypsum.  The  Siberian  salt-lakes  are  inhabited  by  small  crustaceous  ani- 
mals;  and  flamingoes  (Edt'n.  New  Philos.  Jour.,  Jan.  1830)  likewise  frequent 
them.  As  these  circumstances,  apparently  so  trifling,  occur  in  two  distant 
Continents,  we  may  feel  sure  that  they  are  the  necessary  results  of  common 
causes.— See  Pallas's  "Travels,"  1793  to  1794,  pp.  129-134, 


1833.]  R.  NEGRO  TO  R.  COLORADO.  49 

country  near  Buenos  Ayres,  the  Spaniards  have  only  one  small  settle- 
ment, recently  established  at  Bahia  Blanca.  The  distance  in  a  straight 
line  to  Buenos  Ayres  is  very  nearly  five  hundred  British  miles.  The 
wandering  tribes  of  horse  Indians,  which  have  always  occupied  the 
greater  part  of  this  country,  having  of  late  much  harassed  the  outlying 
estancias,  the  government  at  Buenos  Ayres  equipped  some  time  since 
an  army  under  the  command  of  General  Rosas  for  the  purpose  of 
exterminating  them.  The  troops  were  now  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
Ihe  Colorado ;  a  river  lying  about  eighty  miles  northward  of  the  Rio 
Negro.  When  General  Rosas  left  Buenos  Ayres  he  struck  in  a  direct 
line  across  the  unexplored  plains ;  and  as  the  country  was  thus  pretty 
well  cleared  of  Indians,  he  left  behind  him,  at  wide  intervals,  a  small 
party  of  soldiers  with  a  troop  of  horses  (a  pasta),  so  as  to  be  enabled 
to  keep  up  a  communication  with  the  capital.  As  the  Beagle  intended 
to  call  at  Bahia  Blanca,  I  determined  to  proceed  there  by  land ;  and 
ultimately  I  extended  my  plan  to  travel  the  whole  way  by  the  postas 
to  Buenos  Ayres. 

August  nth. — Mr.  Harris,  an  Englishman  residing  at  Patagones,  a 
guide,  and  five  Gauchos,  who  were  proceeding  to  the  army  on  business, 
were  my  companions  on  the  journey.  The  Colorado,  as  I  have  already 
said,  is  nearly  eighty  miles  distant ;  and  as  we  travelled  slowly,  we 
were  two  days  and  a  half  on  the  road.  The  whole  line  of  country 
deserves  scarcely  a  better  name  than  that  of  a  desert.  Water  is  found 
only  in  two  small  wells  ;  it  is  called  fresh  ;  but  even  at  this  time  of  the 
year,  during  the  rainy  season,  it  was  quite  brackish.  In  the  summer  this 
must  be  a  distressing  passage ;  for  now  it  was  sufficiently  desolate. 
The  valley  of  the  Rio  Negro,  broad  as  it  is,  has  merely  been  excavated 
out  of  the  sandstone  plain;  for  immediately  above  the  bank  on  which 
the  town  stands,  a  level  country  commences,  which  is  interrupted  only 
by  a  few  trifling  valleys  and  depressions.  Everywhere  the  landscape 
wears  the  same  sterile  aspect;  a  dry  gravelly  soil  supports  tufts  of 
brown  withered  grass,  and  low  scattered  bushes,  armed  with  thorns. 

Shoitly  after  passing  the  first  spring  we  came  in  sight  of  a  famous 
tree,  which  the  Indians  reverence  as  the  altar  of  Walleechu.  It  is 
situated  on  a  high  part  of  the  plain,  and  hence  is  a  landmark  visible  at 
a  great  distance.  As  soon  as  a  tribe  of  Indians  come  in  sight  of  it, 
they  offer  their  adorations  by  loud  shouts.  The  tree  itself  is  low, 
much  branched,  and  thorny ;  just  above  the  root  it  has  a  diameter  of 
about  three  feet.  It  stands  by  itself  without  any  neighbour,  and  was 
indeed  the  first  tree  we  saw ;  afterwards  we  met  with  a  few  others 
of  the  same  kind,  but  they  were  far  from  common.  Being  winter  the 
tree  had  no  leaves,  but  in  their  place  numberless  threads,  by  which  the 
various  offerings,  such  as  cigars,  bread,  meat,  pieces  oi'  cloth,  etc.,  had 
been  suspended.  Poor  Indians,  not  having  anything  better,  only 
pull  a  thread  out  of  their  ponchos,  and  fasten  it  to  the  tree.  Richer 
Indians  are  accustomed  to  pour  spirits  and  mate  into  a  certain  hole, 
and  likewise  to  smoke  upwards,  thinking  thus  to  afford  all  possible 
gratification  to  Walleechu.  To  complete  the  scene,  the  tree  was 
Burrounded  by  the  bleached  bones  of  horses  which  had  been  slaughtered 


50  RIO  COLORADO.  [CHAP.  fv. 

as  sacrifices.  All  Indians  of  every  age  and  sex  make  their  offerings  ; 
they  then  think  that  their  horses  will  not  tire,  and  that  they  themselves 
shall  be  prosperous.  The  Gaucho  who  told  me  this,  said  that  in  the 
time  of  peace  he  had  witnessed  this  scene,  and  that  he  and  others 
used  to  wait  till  the  Indians  had  passed  by,  for  the  sake  of  stealing 
from  Walleechu  the  offerings. 

The  Gauchos  think  that  the  Indians  consider  the  tree  as  the  god 
itself;  but  it  seems  far  more  probable,  that  they  regard  it  as  the  altar. 
The  only  cause  which  I  can  imagine  for  this  choice,  is  its  being  a  land- 
mark in  a  dangerous  passage.  The  Sierra  de  la  Ventana  is  visible  at 
an  immense  distance  ;  and  a  Gaucho  told  me  that  he  was  once  riding 
with  an  Indian  a  few  miles  to  the  north  of  the  Rio  Colorado,  when  the 
Indian  commenced  making  the  same  loud  noise,  which  is  usual  at  the 
first  sight  of  the  distant  tree ;  putting  his  hand  to  his  head,  and  then 
pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  Sierra.  Upon  being  asked  the  reason 
of  this,  the  Indian  said  in  broken  Spanish,  "First  see  the  Sierra." 
About  two  leagues  beyond  this  curious  tree  we  halted  for  the  night ; 
at  this  instant  an  unfortunate  cow  was  spied  by  the  lynx-eyed  Gauchos, 
who  set  off  in  full  chase,  and  in  a  few  minutes  dragged  her  in  with 
their  lazos,  and  slaughtered  her.  We  here  had  the  four  necessaries  of 
life  "  en  el  campo," — pasture  for  the  horses,  water  (only  a  muddy 
puddle),  meat  and  firewood.  The  Gauchos  were  in  high  spirits  at 
finding  all  these  luxuries ;  and  we  soon  set  to  work  at  the  poor  cow. 
This  was  the  first  night  which  I  passed  under  the  open  sky,  with  the 
gear  of  the  recado  for  my  bed.  There  is  high  enjoyment  in  the 
independence  of  the  Gaucho  life — to  be  able  at  any  moment  to  pull  up 
your  horse,  and  say,  "  Here  we  will  pass  the  night."  The  death-like 
stillness  of  the  plain,  the  dogs  keeping  watch,  the  gipsy-group  of 
Gauchos  making  their  beds  round  the  fire,  have  left  in  my  mind  a 
strongly-marked  picture  of  this  first  night,  which  will  never  be 
forgotten. 

The  next  day  the  country  continued  similar  to  that  above  described. 
It  is  inhabited  by  few  birds  or  animals  of  any  kind.  Occasionally  a 
deer,  or  a  Guanaco  (wild  Llama)  may  be  seen  ;  but  the  Agouti  (Cavia 
Patagonica)  is  the  commonest  quadruped.  This  animal  here  represents 
our  hares.  It  differs,  however,  from  that  genus  in  many  essential 
respects  ;  for  instance,  it  has  only  three  toes  behind.  It  is  also  nearly 
twice  the  size,  weighing  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds.  The 
Agouti  is  a  true  friend  of  the  desert ;  it  is  a  common  feature  in  the 
landscape  to  see  two  or  three  hopping  quickly  one  after  the  other  in  a 
straight  line  across  these  wild  plains.  They  are  found  as  far  north  as 
the  Sierra  Tapalguen  (lat.  37°  30'),  where  the  plain  rather  suddenly 
becomes  greener  and  more  humid ;  and  their  southern  limit  is  between 
Port  Desire  and  St.  Julian,  where  there  is  no  change  in  the  nature  of 
the  country.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  although  the  Agouti  is  not  now 
found  as  far  south  as  Port  St.  Julian,  yet  that  Captain  Wood,  in  his 
voyage  in  1670,  talks  of  them  as  being  numerous  there.  What  cause 
can  have  altered,  in  a  wide,  uninhabited,  and  rarely-visited  country, 
the  range  of  an  animal  like  this  ?  It  appears  also  from  the  number 


1833.]  ENCAMPMENT  OF  GENERAL  ROSAS.  51 

shot  by  Captain  Wood  in  one  day  at  Port  Desire,  that  they  must  have 
been  considerably  more  abundant  there  formerly  than  at  present. 
Where  the  Bizcacha  lives  and  makes  its  burrows,  the  Agouti  uses 
them ;  but  where,  as  at  Bahia  Blanca,  the  Bizcacha  is  not  found,  the 
Agouti  burrows  for  itself.  The«ame  thing  occurs  with  the  little  owl  of 
the  Pampas  (Athene  cunicularia),  which  has  so  often  been  described  as 
standing  like  a  sentinel  at  the  mouth  of  the  burrows ;  for  in  Banda 
Oriental,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  Bizcacha,  it  is  obliged  to  hollow 
out  its  own  habitation. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  approached  the  Rio  Colorado,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  country  changed ;  we  soon  came  on  a  plain  covered  with 
turf,  which,  from  its  flowers,  tall  clover,  and  little  owls,  resembled  the 
Pampas.  We  passed  also  a  muddy  swamp  of  considerable  extent, 
which  in  summer  dries,  and  becomes  incrusted  with  various  salts  ;  and 
hence  is  called  a  salitral.  It  was  covered  by  low  succulent  plants  of 
the  same  kind  with  those  growing  on  the  sea-shore.  The  Colorado, 
at  the  pass  where  we  crossed  it,  is  only  about  sixty  yards  wide ; 
generally  it  must  be  nearly  double  that  width.  Its  course  is  very 
tortuous,  being  marked  by  willow-trees  and  beds  of  reeds :  in  a  direct 
line  the  distance  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  said  to  be  nine  leagues, 
but  by  water  twenty-five.  We  were  delayed  crossing  in  the  canoe  by 
some  immense  troops  of  mares,  which  were  swimming  the  river  in 
order  to  follow  a  division  of  troops  into  the  interior.  A  more  ludicrous 
spectacle  I  never  beheld  than  the  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  heads, 
all  directed  one  way,  with  pointed  ears  and  distended  snorting  nostrils, 
appearing  just  above  the  water  like  a  great  shoal  of  some  amphibious 
animal.  Mare's  flesh  is  the  only  food  which  the  soldiers  have  when  on 
an  expedition.  This  gives  them  a  great  facility  of  movement ;  for  the 
distance  to  which  horses  can  be  driven  over  these  plains  is  quite  sur- 

Eising:  I  have  been  assured  that  an  unloaded  horse  can  travel  a 
indred  miles  a  day  for  many  days  successively. 

The  encampment  of  General  Rosas  was  close  to  the  river.  It  con- 
sisted of  a  square  formed  by  waggons,  artillery,  straw  huts,  etc.  The 
soldiers  were  nearly  all  calvary ;  and  I  should  think  such  a  villainous, 
banditti-like  army  was  never  before  collected  together.  The  greater 
number  of  men  were  of  a  mixed  breed,  between  Negro,  Indian,  and 
Spaniard.  I  know  not  the  reason,  but  men  of  such  origin  seldom  have 
a  good  expression  of  countenance.  I  called  on  the  secretary  to  show 
my  passport.  He  began  to  cross-question  me  in  the  most  dignified 
and  mysterious  manner.  By  good  luck  I  had  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion from  the  government  of  Buenos  Ayres  *  to  the  commandant  of 
Patagones.  This  was  taken  to  General  Rosas,  who  sent  me  a  very 
obliging  message  ;  and  the  secretary  returned  all  smiles  and  gracious- 
ness.  We  took  up  our  residence  in  the  rancho,  or  hovel,  of  a  curious 
old  Spaniard,  who  had  served  with  Napoleon  in  the  expedition  against 
Russia. 

*  I  am  bound  to  express,  in  the  strongest  terms,  my  obligation  to  the 
Government  of  Buenos  Ayres  for  the  obliging  manner  in  which  passpoitl 
to  all  parts  of  the  country  were  given  me,  as  naturalist  of  the  Beagle, 


5*  RIO  COLORADO.  [CHAI.  iv. 

We  stayed  two  days  at  the  Colorado ;  I  had  little  to  do,  for  the 
surrounding  country  was  a  swamp,  which  in  summer  (December),  when 
the  snow  melts  on  the  Cordillera,  is  overflowed  by  the  river.  My  chief 
amusement  was  watching  the  Indian  families  as  they  came  to  buy  little 
articles  at  the  rancho  where  we  stayed.  It  was  supposed  that  General 
Rosas  had  about  six  hundred  Indian  allies.  The  men  were  a  tall,  fine 
race ;  yet  it  was  afterwards  easy  to  see  in  the  Fuegian  savage  the  same 
countenance  rendered  hideous  by  cold,  want  of  food,  and  less  civiliza- 
tion. Some  authors,  in  defining  the  primary  races  of  mankind,  have 
separated  these  Indians  into  two  classes ;  but  this  is  certainly  incorrect 
Among  the  young  women  or  chinas,  some  deserve  to  be  called  even 
beautiful.  Their  hair  was  coarse,  but  bright  and  black ;  and  they  wore 
it  in  two  plaits  hanging  down  to  the  waist.  They  had  a  high  colour, 
and  eyes  that  glistened  with  brilliancy ;  their  legs,  feet,  and  arms  were 
small  and  elegantly  formed ;  their  ankles,  and  sometimes  their  waists, 
were  ornamented  by  broad  bracelets  of  blue  beads.  Nothing  could  be 
more  interesting  than  some  of  the  family  groups.  A  mother  with  one 
or  two  daughters  would  often  come  to  our  rancho,  mounted  on  the 
same  horse.  They  ride  like  men,  but  with  their  knees  tucked  up  much 
higher.  This  habit,  perhaps,  arises  from  their  being  accustomed,  when 
travelling,  to  ride  the  loaded  horses.  The  duty  of  the  women  is  to 
load  and  unload  the  horses  ;  to  make  the  tents  for  the  night ;  in  short 
to  be,  like  the  wives  of  all  savages,  useful  slaves.  The  men  fight,  hunt, 
take  care  of  the  horses,  and  make  the  riding  gear.  One  of  their  chief 
indoor  occupations  is  to  knock  two  stones  together  till  they  become 
round,  in  order  to  make  the  bolas.  With  this  important  weapon  the 
Indian  catches  his  game,  and  also  his  horse,  which  roams  free  over  the 
plain.  In  fighting,  his  first  attempt  is  to  throw  down  the  horse  of  his 
adversary  with  the  bolas,  and  when  entangled  by  the  fall  to  kill  him 
with  the  chuzo.  If  the  balls  only  catch  the  neck  or  body  of  an  animal, 
they  are  often  carried  away  and  lost.  As  the  making  the  stones  round 
is  the  labour  of  two  days,  the  manufacture  of  the  balls  is  a  very  common 
employment.  Several  of  the  men  and  women  had  their  faces  painted 
red,  but  I  never  saw  the  horizontal  bands  which  are  so  common  among 
the  Fuegians.  Their  chief  pride  consists  in  having  everything  made 
of  silver ;  I  have  seen  a  cacique  with  his  spurs,  stirrups,  handle  of  his 
knife,  and  bridle  made  of  this  metal;  the  head-stall  and  reins  being  ol 
wire,  were  not  thicker  than  whipcord;  and  to  see  a  fiery  steed  wheeling 
about  under  the  command  of  so  light  a  chain,  gave  to  the  horsemanship 
a  remarkable  character  of  elegance. 

General  Rosas  intimated  a  wish  to  see  me ;  a  circumstance  which  I 
was  afterwards  very  glad  of.  He  is  a  man  of  an  extraordinary  character, 
and  has  a  most  predominant  influence  in  the  country,  which  it  seems 
probable  he  will  use  to  its  prosperity  and  advancement.*  He  is  said 
to  be  the  owner  of  seventy-four  square  leagues  of  land,  and  to  have 
about  three  hundred  thousand  head  of  cattle.  His  estates  are  admirably 
managed,  and  are  far  more  productive  of  corn  than  those  of  others. 
He  first  gained  his  celebrity  by  his  laws  for  his  own  estancias,  and  by 
*  This  prophecy  has  turned  out  entirely  and  miserably  wrong,  1845. 


I833-]  GENERAL  ROSAS.  53 

disciplining  several  hundred  men,  so  as  to  resist  with  success  the 

attacks  of  the  Indians.  There  are  many  stories  current  about  the  rigid 
manner  in  which  his  laws  were  enforced.  One  of  these  was,  that  no 
man,  on  penalty  of  being  put  into  the  stocks,  should  carry  his  knife  on 
a  Sunday;  this  being  the  principal  day  for  gambling  and  drinking, 
many  quarrels  arose,  which  from  the  general  manner  of  fighting  with 
the  knife  often  proved  fatal.  One  Sunday  the  Governor  came  in  great 
form  to  pay  the  estancia  a  visit,  and  General  Rosas,  in  his  hurry,  walked 
out  to  receive  him  with  his  knife,  as  usual,  stuck  in  his  belt.  The 
steward  touched  his  arm,  and  reminded  him  of  the  law ;  upon  which, 
turning  to  the  Governor,  he  said  he  was  extremely  sorry,  but  that  he 
must  go  into  the  stocks,  and  that  till  let  out,  he  possessed  no  power 
even  in  his  own  house.  After  a  little  time  the  steward  was  persuaded 
to  open  the  stocks,  and  to  let  him  out,  but  no  sooner  was  this  done, 
than  he  turned  to  the  steward  and  said,  "  You  now  have  broken  the 
laws,  so  you  must  take  my  place  in  the  stocks."  Such  actions  as  these 
delighted  the  Gauchos,  who  all  possess  high  notions  of  their  own 
equality  and  dignity. 

General  Rosas  is  also  a  perfect  horseman — an  accomplishment  of  no 
small  consequence  in  a  country  where  an  assembled  army  elected  its 
general  by  the  following  trial:  A  troop  of  unbroken  horses  being 
driven  into  a  corral,  were  let  out  through  a  gateway,  above  which  was 
a  cross-bar ;  it  was  agreed  whoever  should  drop  from  the  bar  on  one 
of  these  wild  animals,  as  it  rushed  out,  and  should  be  able,  withoiit 
saddle  or  bridle,  not  only  to  ride  it,  but  also  to  bring  it  back  to  the  door 
of  the  corral,  should  be  their  general.  The  person  who  succeeded  was 
accordingly  elected ;  and  doubtless  made  a  fit  general  for  such  an  army. 
This  extraordinary  feat  has  also  been  performed  by  Rosas. 

By  these  means,  and  by  conforming  to  the  dress  and  habits  of  the 
Gauchos,  he  has  obtained  an  unbounded  popularity  in  the  country,  and 
in  consequence  a  despotic  power.  I  was  assured  by  an  English 
merchant,  that  a  man  who  had  murdered  another,  when  arrested  and 
questioned  concerning  his  motive,  answered,  "  He  spoke  disrespectfully 
of  General  Rosas,  so  I  killed  him."  At  the  end  of  a  week  the  murderer 
was  at  liberty.  This  doubtless  was  the  act  of  the  general's  party,  and 
not  of  the  general  himself. 

In  conversation  he  is  enthusiastic,  sensible,  and  very  grave.  His 
gravity  is  carried  to  a  high  pitch :  I  heard  one  of  his  mad  buffoons 
(for  he  keeps  two,  like  the  barons  of  old)  relate  the  following  anecdote : 
"  I  wanted  very  much  to  hear  a  certain  piece  of  i  music,  so  I  went  to  the 
general  two  or  three  times  to  ask  him ;  he  said  to  me,  '  Go  about  your 
business,  for  I  am  engaged.'  I  went  a  second  time ;  he  said,  '  If  you 
come  again  I  will  punish  you.'  A  third  time  I  asked,  and  he  laughed. 
I  rushed  out  of  the  tent,  but  it  was  too  late  ;  he  ordered  two  soldiers  to 
catch  and  stake  me.  I  begged  by  all  the  saints  in  heaven  he  would  let 
me  off;  but  it  would  not  do; — when  the  general  laughs  he  spares 
neither  mad  man  nor  sound."  The  poor  flighty  gentleman  looked  quite 
dolorous  at  the  very  recollection  of  the  staking.  This  is  a  very  severe 
punishment ;  four  posts  are  driven  into  the  ground,  and  the  man  is 


54  RIO   COLORADO.  [CHAP.  iv. 

extended  by  his  arms  and  legs  horizontally,  and  there  left  to  stretch  for 
several  hours.  The  idea  is  evidently  taken  from  the  usual  method  of 
drying  hides.  My  interview  passed  away  without  a  smile,  and  I 
obtained  a  passport  and  order  for  the  government  post-horses,  and  this 
he  gave  me  in  the  most  obliging  and  ready  manner. 

In  the  morning  we  started  for  Bahia  Blanca,  which  we  reached  in  two 
days.  Leaving  the  regular  encampment,  we  passed  by  the  toldos  of 
the  Indians.  These  are  round  like  ovens,  and  covered  with  hides  ;  by 
the  mouth  of  each,  a  tapering  chuzo  was  stuck  in  the  ground.  The 
toldos  were  divided  into  separate  groups,  which  belonged  to  the 
different  caciques'  tribes,  and  the  groups  were  again  divided  into  smaller 
ones,  according  to  the  relationship  of  the  owners.  For  several  miles  we 
travelled  along  the  valley  of  the  Colorado.  The  alluvial  plains  on  the 
side  appeared  fertile,  and  it  is  supposed  that  they  are  well  adapted  to 
th2  growth  of  corn.  Turning  northward  from  the  river,  we  soon  entered 
on  a  country  differing  from  the  plains  south  of  the  river.  The  land 
still  continued  dry  and  sterile ;  but  it  supported  many  different  kinds  of 
plants,  and  the  grass,  though  brown  and  withered,  was  more  abundant, 
as  the  thorny  bushes  were  less  so.  These  latter  in  a  short  space 
entirely  disappeared,  and  the  plains  were  left  without  a  thicket  to  cover 
then-  nakedness.  This  change  in  the  vegetation  marks  the  commence- 
ment of  the  grand  calcareo  argillaceous  deposit,  which  forms  the  wide 
extent  of  the  Pampas,  and  covers  the  granitic  rocks  of  Banda  Oriental. 
From  the  Strait  of  Magellan  to  the  Colorado,  a  distance  of  about  eight 
hundred  miles,  the  face  of  the  country  is  everywhere  composed  of 
shingle ;  the  pebbles  are  chiefly  of  porphyry,  and  probably  owe  their 
origin  to  the  rocks  of  the  Cordillera.  North  of  the  Colorado  this  bed 
thins  out,  and  the  pebbles  become  exceedingly  small,  and  here  the 
characteristic  vegetation  of  Patagonia  ceases. 

Having  ridden  about  twenty-five  miles,  we  came  to  a  broad  belt  of 
sand-dunes,  which  stretches,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  to  the  east  and 
west.  The  sand-hillocks  resting  on  the  clay  allow  small  pools  of  water 
to  collect,  and  thus  afford  in  this  dry  country  an  invaluable  supply  of 
fresh  water.  The  great  advantage  arising  from  depressions  and  eleva- 
tions of  the  soil  is  not  often  brought  home  to  the  mind.  The  two 
miserable  springs  in  the  long  passage  between  the  Rio  Negro  and 
Colorado  were  caused  by  trifling  inequalities  in  the*  plain ;  without 
them  not  a  drop  of  water  would  have  been  found.  The  belt  of  sand- 
dunes  is  about  eight  miles  wide ;  at  some  former  period,  it  probably 
formed  the  margin  of  a  grand  estuary,  where  the  Colorado  now  flows. 
In  this  district,  where  absolute  proofs  of  the  recent  elevation  of  the  land 
occur,  such  speculations  can  hardly  be  neglected  by  any  one,  although 
merely  considering  the  physical  geography  of  the  country.  Having 
crossed  the  sandy  tract,  we  arrived  in  the  evening  at  one  of  the  post- 
houses  ;  and,  as  the  fresh  horses  were  grazing  at  a  distance,  we 
determined  to  pass  the  night  there. 

The  house  was  situated  at  the  base  of  a  ridge,  between  one  and  two 
hundred  feet  high — a  most  remarkable  feature  in  this  country.  This 
posta  was  commanded  by  a  negro  lieutenant,  born  in  Africa;  to  hi* 


1833.]  AN  ATTACK  BY  THE  INDIANS.  55 

credit  be  it  said,  there  was  not  a  rancho  between  the  Colorado  and 
Buenos  Ayros  in  nearly  such  neat  order  as  his.  He  had  a  little  room 
for  strangers,  and  a  small  corral  for  the  horses,  all  made  of  sticks  and 
reeds  ;  he  had  also  dug  a  ditch  round  his  house,  as  a  defence  in  case  of 
being  attacked.  This  would,  however,  have  been  of  little  avail  if  the 
Indians  had  come ;  but  his  chief  comfort  seemed  to  rest  in  the  thought 
of  selling  his  life  dearly.  A  short  time  before,  a  body  of  Indians  had 
travelled  past  in  the  night;  if  they  had  been  aware  of  the  posta, 
our  black  friend  and  his  four  soldiers  would  assuredly  have  been 
slaughtered.  I  did  not  anywhere  meet  a  more  civil  and  obliging  man 
than  this  negro ;  it  was  therefore  the  more  painful  to  see  that  he  would 
not  sit  down  and  eat  with  us. 

In  the  morning  we  sent  for  the  horses  very  early,  and  started  for 
another  exhilarating  gallop.  We  passed  the  Cabeza  del  Buey,  an  old 
name  given  to  the  head  of  a  large  marsh,  which  extends  from  Bahia 
Blanca.  Here  we  changed  horses,  and  passed  through  some  leagues  of 
swamps  and  saline  marshes.  Changing  horses  for  the  last  time,  we 
again  began  wading  through  the  mud.  My  animal  fell,  and  I  was  well 
soused  in  black  mire — a  very  disagreeable  accident,  when  one  does  not 
possess  a  change  of  clothes.  Some  miles  from  the  fort  we  met  a  man, 
who  told  us  that  a  great  gun  had  been  fired,  which  is  a  signal  that 
Indians  are  near.  We  immediately  left  the  road,  and  followed  the  edge 
of  a  marsh,  which  when  chased  offers  the  best  mode  of  escape.  We 
were  glad  to  arrive  within  the  walls,  when  we  found  all  the  alarm  was 
about  nothing,  for  the  Indians  turned  out  to  be  friendly  ones  who 
wished  to  join  General  Rosas. 

Bahia  Blanca  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a  village.  A  few  houses 
and  the  barracks  for  the  troops  are  enclosed  by  a  deep  ditch  and 
fortified  wall.  The  settlement  is  only  of  recent  standing  (since  1828); 
and  its  growth  has  been  one  of  trouble.  The  government  of  Buenos 
Ayres  unjustly  occupied  it  by  force,  instead  of  following  the  wise 
example  of  the  Spanish  Viceroys,  who  purchased  the  land  near  the 
older  settlement  of  the  Rio  Negro,  from  the  Indians.  Hence  the  need 
of  the  fortifications;  hence  the  few  houses  and  little  cultivated  land 
without  the  limits  of  the  walls ;  even  the  cattle  are  not  safe  from  the 
attacks  of  the  Indians  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  plain,  on  which  the 
fortress  stands. 

The  part  of  the  harbour  where  the  Beagle  intended  to  anchor  being 
distant  twenty-five  miles,  I  obtained  from  the  Commandant  a  guide  and 
horses,  to  take  me  to  see  whether  she  had  arrived.  Leaving  the  plain 
of  green  turf,  which  extended  along  the  course  of  a  little  brook,  we 
soon  entered  on  a  wide  level  waste  consisting  either  of  sand,  saline 
marshes,  or  bare  mud.  Some  parts  were  clothed  by  low  thickets,  and 
others  with  those  succulent  plants  which  luxuriate  only  where  salt 
abounds.  Bad  as  the  country  was,  ostriches,  deers,  agoutis,  and  arma- 
dilloes,  were  abundant.  My  guide  told  me,  that  two  months  before  he 
had  a  most  narrow  escape  of  his  life :  he  was  out  hunting  with  two 
other  men,  at  no  great  distance  from  this  part  of  the  country,  when 
they  were  suddenly  met  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  giving  chase,  soon 


56  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  rv. 

overtook  and  killed  his  two  friends.  His  own  horse's  legs  were  also 
caught  by  the  bolas ;  but  he  jumped  off,  and  with  his  knife  cut  them 
free ;  while  doing  this  he  was  obliged  to  dodge  round  his  horse,  and 
received  two  severe  wounds  from  their  chuzos.  Springing  on  the 
saddle,  he  managed,  by  a  most  wonderful  exertion,  just  to  keep  ahead 
of  the  long  spears  of  his  pursuers,  who  followed  him  to  within  sight  of 
the  fort.  From  that  time  there  was  an  order  that  no  one  should  stray 
far  from  the  settlement.  I  did  not  know  of  this  when  I  started,  and 
was  surprised  to  observe  how  earnestly  my  guide  watched  a  deer, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  frightened  from  a  distant  quarter. 

We  found  the  Beagle  had  not  arrived,  and  consequently  set  out  on 
our  return,  but  the  horses  soon  tiring,  we  were  obliged  to  bivouac  on 
the  plain.  In  the  morning  we  had  caught  an  armadillo,  which,  although 
a  most  excellent  dish  when  roasted  in  its  shell,  did  not  make  a  very 
substantial  breakfast  and  dinner  for  two  hungry  men.  The  ground  at 
the  place  where  we  stopped  for  the  night,  was  incrusted  with  a  layer  of 
sulphate  of  soda,  and  hence,  of  course,  was  without  water.  Yet  many 
of  the  smaller  rodents  managed  to  exist  even  here,  and  the  tucutuco 
was  making  its  odd  little  grunt  beneath  my  head,  during  half  the  night 
Our  horses  were  very  poor  ones,  and  in  the  morning  they  were  soon 
exhausted  from  not  having  had  anything  to  drink,  so  that  we  were 
obliged  to  walk.  About  noon  the  dogs  killed  a  kid  which  we  roasted. 
I  ate  some  of  it,  but  it  made  me  intolerably  thirsty.  This  was  the 
more  distressing  as  the  road,  from  some  recent  rain,  was  full  of  little 
puddles  of  clear  water,  yet  not  a  drop  was  drinkable.  I  had  scarcely 
been  twenty  hours  without  water,  and  only  part  of  the  time  under  a  hot 
Bun,  yet  the  thirst  rendered  me  very  weak.  How  people  survive  two 
or  three  days  under  such  circumstances,  I  cannot  imagine ;  at  the  same 
time,  I  must  confess  that  my  guide  did  not  suffer  at  all,  and  was 
astonished  that  one  day's  deprivation  should  be  so  troublesome  to  me. 

I  have  several  times  alluded  to  the  surface  of  the  ground  being  in- 
crusted  with  salt.  This  phenomenon  is  quite  different  from  that  of  the 
salihas,  and  more  extraordinary.  In  many  parts  of  South  America, 
wherever  the  climate  is  moderately  dry,  these  incrustations  occur ;  but 
I  have  nowhere  seen  them  so  abundant  as  near  Bahia  Blanca.  The 
salt  here,  and  in  other  parts  of  Patagonia,  consists  chiefly  of  sulphate 
of  soda  with  some  common  salt.  As  long  as  the  ground  remains  moist 
in  these  salitrales  (as  the  Spaniards  improperly  call  them,  mistaking 
this  substance  for  saltpetre),  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  an  extensive 
plain  composed  of  a  black,  muddy  soil,  supporting  scattered  tufts  of 
succulent  plants.  On  returning  through  one  of  these  tracts,  after  a 
week's  hot  weather,  one  is  surprised  to  see  square  miles  of  the  plain 
white,  as  if  from  a  slight  fall  of  snow,  here  and  there  heaped  up  by  the 
wind  into  little  drifts.  This  latter  appearance  is  chiefly  caused  by  the 
salts  being  drawn  up,  during  the  slow  evaporation  of  the  moisture, 
round  blades  of  dead  grass,  stumps  of  wood,  and  pieces  of  broken 
earth,  instead  of  being  crystallized  at  the  bottoms  of  the  puddles  of 
water.  The  salitrales  occur  either  on  level  tracts  elevated  only  a  few 
feet  atove  the  level  of  the  sea,  or  on  alluvial  land  bordering  rivers. 


1833.]  AN  ADVENTURE.  57 

M.  Parchappe  *  found  that  the  saline  incrustation  on  the  plain,  at  the 
distance  of  some  miles  from  the  sea,  consisted  chiefly  of  sulphate  of 
soda,  with  only  seven  per  cent,  of  common  salt ;  whilst  nearer  to  the 
coast,  the  common  salt  increased  to  thirty-seven  parts  in  a  hundred. 
This  circumstance  would  tempt  one  to  believe  that  the  sulphate  of  soda 
is  generated  in  the  soil,  from  the  muriate,  left  on  the  surface  during 
the  slow  and  recent  elevation  of  this  dry  country.  The  whole  phe- 
nomenon is  well  worthy  the  attention  of  naturalists.  Have  the  succulent, 
salt-loving  plants,  which  are  well  known  to  contain  much  soda,  the 
power  of  decomposing  the  muriate?  Does  the  black  fetid  mud, 
abounding  with  organic  matter,  yield  the  sulphur  and  ultimately  the 
sulphuric  acid  ? 

Two  days  afterwards  I  again  rode  to  the  harbour;  when  not  far 
from  our  destination,  my  companion,  the  same  man  as  before,  spied 
three  people  hunting  on  horseback.  He  immediately  dismounted,  and 
watching  them  intently,  said,  "They  don't  ride  like  Christians,  and 
nobody  can  leave  the  fort."  The  three  hunters  joined  company,  and 
likewise  dismounted  from  their  horses.  At  last  one  mounted  again, 
and  rode  over  the  hill  out  of  sight.  My  companion  said,  "  We  must 
now  get  on  our  horses :  load  your  pistol ; "  and  he  looked  to  his  own 
sword.  I  asked,  "  Are  they  Indians  ?  " — "  Quien  sabe  ?  "  (who  knows  ?) 
11  if  there  are  no  more  than  three,  it  does  not  signify."  It  then  struck 
me  that  the  one  man  had  gone  over  the  hill  to  fetch  the  rest  of  his 
tribe.  I  suggested  this  ;  but  all  the  answer  I  could  extort  was,  "  Quien 
sabe  ?  "  His  head  and  eye  never  for  a  minute  ceased  scanning  slowly 
the  distant  horizon.  I  thought  his  uncommon  coolness  too  good  a  joke, 
and  asked  him  why  he  did  not  return  home.  I  was  startled  when  he 
answered,  "  We  are  returning,  but  in  a  line  so  as  to  pass  near  a  swamp, 
into  which  we  can  gallop  the  horses  as  far  as  they  can  go,  and  then 
trust  to  our  own  legs  ;  so  that  there  is  no  danger."  I  did  not  feel 
quite  so  confident  of  this,  and  wanted  to  increase  our  pace.  He  said, 
"  No,  not  until  they  do."  When  any  little  inequality  concealed  us,  we 
galloped ;  but  when  in  sight,  continued  walking.  At  last  we  reached 
a  valley,  and  turning  to  the  left,  galloped  quickly  to  the  foot  of  a  hill ; 
he  gave  me  his  horse  to  hold,  made  the  dogs  lie  down,  and  then  crawled 
on  his  hands  and  knees  to  reconnoitre.  He  remained  in  this  position 
for  some  time,  and  at  last,  bursting  out  in  laughter,  exclaimed,  "  Mugeres ! " 
(women !)  He  knew  them  to  be  the  wife  and  sister-in-law  of  the 
major's  son,  hunting  for  ostrichs'  eggs.  I  have  described  this  man's 
conduct,  because  he  acted  under  the  full  impression  that  they  were 
Indians.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  absurd  mistake  was  found  out,  he 
gave  me  a  hundred  reasons  why  they  could  not  have  been  Indians; 
but  all  these  were  forgotten  at  the  time.  We  then  rode  on  in  peace 
and  quietness  to  a  low  point  called  Punta  Alta,  whence  we  could  see 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  great  harbour  of  Bahia  Blanca. 

The  wide  expanse  of  water  is  choked  up  by  numerous  great  mud- 

*  "Voyage  dans  1'Amerique  Mcrid."  par  M.  A.  d'Orbigny,  Part.  Hist., 
torn,  L,  p.  664, 


$8  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

banks,  which  the  inhabitants  call  Cangrejales,  or  crabberies,  from  the 
number  of  small  crabs.  The  mud  is  so  soft  that  it  is  impossible  to 
walk  over  them,  even  for  the  shortest  distance.  Many  of  the  banks 
have  their  surfaces  covered  with  long  rushes,  the  tops  of  which  alone 
are  visible  at  high  water.  On  one  occasion,  when  in  a  boat,  we  were 
so  entangled  by  these  shallows  that  we  could  hardly  find  our  way. 
Nothing  was  visible  but  the  flat  beds  of  mud ;  the  day  was  not  very 
clear,  and  there  was  much  refraction,  or  as  the  sailors  expressed  it, 
"  Things  loomed  high."  The  only  object  within  our  view  which  was 
not  level  was  the  horizon ;  rushes  looked  like  bushes  unsupported  in 
the  air,  and  water  like  mud-banks,  and  mud-banks  like  water. 

We  passed  the  night  in  Punta  Alta,  and  I  employed  myself  in  search- 
ing for  fossil  bones ;  this  point  being  a  perfect  catacomb  for  monsters 
of  extinct  races.  The  evening  was  perfectly  calm  and  clear ;  the 
extreme  monotony  of  the  view  gave  it  an  interest  even  in  the  midst  of 
mud-banks  and  gulls,  sand-hillocks  and  solitary  vultures.  In  riding 
back  in  the  morning  we  came  across  a  very  fresh  track  of  a  Puma,  but 
did  not  succeed  in  finding  it.  We  saw  also  a  couple  of  Zorillos,  or 
skunks, — odious  animals,  which  are  far  from  uncommon.  In  general 
appearance  the  Zorillo  resembles  a  polecat,  but  it  is  rather  larger,  and 
much  thicker  in  proportion.  Conscious  of  its  power,  it  roams  by  day 
about  the  open  plain,  and  fears  neither  dog  nor  man.  If  a  dog  is  urged 
to  the  attack,  its  courage  is  instantly  checked  by  a  few  drops  of  the 
fetid  oil,  which  brings  on  violent  sickness  and  running  at  the  nose. 
Whatever  is  once  polluted  by  it,  is  for  ever  useless.  Azara  says  the 
smell  can  be  perceived  at  a  league  distant ;  more  than  once,  when 
entering  the  harbour  of  Monte  Video,  the  wind  being  off  shore,  we 
have  perceived  the  odour  on  board  the  Beagle.  Certain  it  is,  that  every 
animal  most  willingly  makes  room  for  the  Zorillo. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BAHIA   BLANCA. 

Bahia  Blanca — Geology — Numerous  gigantic  extinct  Quadrupeds — Recent 
Extinction — Longevity  of  Species — Large  Animals  do  not  require  a  Luxu- 
riant Vegetation — Southern  Africa — Siberian  Fossils — Two  Species  of 
Ostrich — Habits  of  Oven-bird — Armadilloes — Venomous  Snake,  Toad, 
Lizard— Hybernation  of  Animals— Habits  of  Sea-pen—Indians'  Wars 
and  Massacres— Arrow-head,  Antiquarian  Relic. 

THE  Beagle  arrived  here  on  the  24th  ol  August,' and  a  week  afterwards 
Bailed  for  the  Plata.  With  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  consent  I  was  left  behind, 
to  travel  by  fend  to  Buenos  Ayres.  I  will  here  add  some  observations 
which  were  made  during  this  visit  and  on  a  previous  occasion,  when  the 
Beagle  was  employed  in  surveying  the  harbour. 


1833.]  EXTINCT  QUADRUPEDS.  59 

The  plain,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  the  coast,  belongs  to 
the  great  Pampean  formation,  which  consists  in  part  of  a  reddish  clay, 
and  in  part  of  a  highly  calcareous  marly  rock.  Nearer  the  coast  there 
are  some  plains  formed  from  the  wreck  of  the  upper  plain,  and  from 
mud,  gravel,  and  sand  thrown  up  by  the  sea  during  the  slow  elevation  of 
the  land,  of  which  elevation  we  have  evidence  in  upraised  beds  of  recent 
shells,  and  in  rounded  pebbles  of  pumice  scattered  over  the  country. 
At  Punta  Alta  we  have  a  section  of  one  of  these  later-formed  little  plains, 
which  is  highly  interesting  from  the  number  and  extraordinary  character 
of  the  remains  of  gigantic  land-animals  embedded  in  it.  These  have 
been  fully  described  by  Professor  Owen,  in  the  Zoology  of  the  voyage 
of  the  Beagle,  and  are  deposited  in  the  College  of  Surgeons.  I  will  here 
give  only  a  brief  outline  of  their  nature. 

First,  parts  of  three  heads  and  other  bones  of  the  Megatherium,  the 
huge  dimensions  of  which  are  expressed  by  its  name.  Secondly,  the 
Megalonyx,  a  great  allied  animal.  Thirdly,  the  Scelidotherium,  also  an 
allied  animal,  of  which  I  obtained  a  nearly  perfect  skeleton.  It  must 
have  been  as  large  as  a  rhinoceros:  in  the  structure  of  its  head  it 
comes,  according  to  Mr.  Owen,  nearest  to  the  Cape  Ant-eater,  but  in 
some  other  respects  it  approaches  to  the  armadilloes.  Fourthly,  the 
Mylodon  Darwinii,  a  closely  related  genus  of  little  inferior  size.  Fifthly, 
another  gigantic  edental  quadruped.  Sixthly,  a  large  animal,  with  an 
•osseous  coat  in  compartments,  very  like  that  of  an  armadillo.  Seventhly, 
*n  extinct  kind  of  horse,  to  which  I  shall  have  again  to  refer.  Eighthly, 
a  tooth  of  a  Pachydermatous  animal,  probably  the  same  with  the 
Macrauchenia,  a  huge  beast  with  a  long  neck  like  a  camel,  which  I 
shall  also  refer  to  again.  Lastly,  the  Toxodon,  perhaps  one  of  the 
strangest  animals  ever  discovered :  in  size  it  equalled  an  elephant  or 
megatherium,  but  the  structure  of  its  teeth,  as  Mr.  Owen  states,  proves 
indisputably  that  it  was  intimately  related  to  the  Gnawers,  the  order 
which,  at  the  present  day,  includes  most  of  the  smallest  quadrupeds : 
in  many  details  it  is  allied  to  the  Pachydermata :  judging  from  the 
position  of  its  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils,  it  was  probably  aquatic,  like  the 
Dugong  and  Manatee,  to  which  it  is  also  allied.  How  wonderfully  are 
the  different  Orders,  at  the  present  time  so  well  separated,  blended 
together  in  different  points  of  the  structure  of  the  Toxodon  1 

The  remains  of  these  nine  great  quadrupeds,  and  many  detached 
bones  were  found  embedded  on  the  beach,  within  the  space  of  about  200 
yards  square.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  so  many  different 
species  should  be  found  together ;  and  it  proves  how  numerous  in  kind 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this  country  must  have  been.  At  the  distance 
of  about  thirty  miles  from  P.  Alta,  in  a  cliff  of  red  earth,  I  found  several 
fragments  of  bones,  some  of  large  size.  Among  them  were  the  teeth 
of  a  gnawer,  equalling  in  size  and  closely  resembling  those  of  the 
Capybara,  whose  habits  have  been  described ;  and  therefore,  probably, 
an  aquatic  animal.  There  was  also  part  of  the  head  of  a  Ctenomys ; 
the  species  being  different  from  the  Tucutuco,  but  with  a  close  general 
resemblance.  The  red  earth,  like  that  of  the  Pampas,  in  which  these 
remains  were  embedded,  contains,  according  to  Professor  Ehrenberg, 


60  BAHIA   BLANCA.  [CHAP.  V. 

eight  fresh-water  and  one  salt-water  infusorial  animalcule;  therefore, 
probably,  it  was  an  estuary  deposit. 

The  remains  at  Punta  Alta  were  embedded  in  stratified  gravel  and 
reddish  mud,  just  such  as  the  sea  might  now  wash  up  on  a  shallow  bank. 
They  were  associated  with  twenty-three  species  of  shells,  of  which 
thirteen  are  recent  and  four  others  very  closely  related  to  recent  forms ; 
whether  the  remaining  ones  are  extinct  or  simply  unknown,  must  be 
doubtful,  as  few  collections  of  shells  have  been  made  on  this  coast.  As, 
however,  the  recent  species  were  embedded  in  nearly  the  same  propor- 
tional numbers  with  those  now  living  in  the  bay,  I  think  there  can  be 
little  doubt,  that  this  accumulation  belongs  to  a  very  late  tertiary  period. 
From  the  bones  of  the  Scelidotherium,  including  even  the  knee-cap, 
being  intombed  in  their  proper  relative  positions,  and  from  the  osseous 
armour  of  the  great  armadillo-like  animal  being  so  well  preserved, 
together  with  the  bones  of  one  of  its  legs,  we  may  feel  assured  that 
these  remains  were  fresh  and  united  by  their  ligaments,  when  deposited 
in  the  gravel  together  with  the  shells.  Hence  we  have  good  evidence 
that  the  above  enumerated  gigantic  quadrupeds,  more  different  from 
those  of  the  present  day  than  the  oldest  of  the  tertiary  quadrupeds  of 
Europe,  lived  whilst  the  sea  was  peopled  with  most  of  its  present 
inhabitants ;  and  we  have  confirmed  that  remarkable  law  so  often 
insisted  on  by  Mr.  Lyell,  namely,  that  the  "  longevity  of  the  species  in 
the  mammalia  is  upon  the  whole  inferior  to  that  of  the  testacea."* 

The  great  size  of  the  bones  of  the  Megatheroid  animals,  including 
the  Megatherium,  Megalonyx,  Scelidotherium,  and  Mylodon,  is  truly 
wonderful.  The  habits  of  life  of  these  animals  were  a  complete  puzzle 
to  naturalists,  until  Professor  Owenf  lately  solved  the  problem  with 
remarkable  ingenuity.  The  teeth  indicate,  by  their  simple  structure,  that 
these  Megatheroid  animals  lived  on  vegetable  food,  and  probably  on  the 
leaves  and  small  twigs  of  trees  ;  their  ponderous  forms  and  great  strong 
curved  claws  seem  so  little  adapted  for  locomotion,  that  some  eminent 
naturalists  have  actually  believed,  that,  like  the  sloths,  to  which  they  are 
intimately  related,  they  subsisted  by  climbing  back  down  wards  on  trees, 
and  feeding  on  the  leaves.  It  was  a  bold,  not  to  say  preposterous,  idea 
to  conceive  even  antediluvian  trees,  with  branches  strong  enough  to 
bear  animals  as  large  as  elephants.  Professor  Owen,  with  far  more 
probability,  believes  that,  instead  of  climbing  on  the  trees,  they  pulled  the 
branches  down  to  them,  and  tore  up  the  smaller  ones  by  the  roots,  and 
so  fed  on  the  leaves.  The  colossal  breadth  and  weight  of  their  hinder 
quarters,  which  can  hardly  be  imagined  without  having  been  seen, 
become,  on  this  view,  of  obvious  service,  instead  of  being  an  encum- 
brance ;  their  apparent  clumsiness  disappears.  With  their  great  tails 
and  their  huge  heels  firmly  fixed  like  a  tripod  on  the  ground,  they  could 
freely  exert  the  full  force  of  their  most  powerful  arms  and  great  claws. 
Strongly  rooted,  indeed,  must  that  tree  have  been,  which  could  have 
resisted  such  force  1  The  Mylodon,  moreover,  was  furnished  with  a 

*  "Principles  of  Geology,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  40. 

f  This  theory  was  first  developed  in  the  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the 
Beagle,  and  subsequently  in  Professor  Owen's  Memoir  on  Mylodon  robustus. 


I833-]  fOOD  OF  LARGE  QUADRUPEDS.  61 

long  extensile  tongue  like  that  of  the  giraffe,  which,  by  wie  of  those 
beautiful  provisions  of  nature,  thus  reaches  with  the  aid  of  its  long  neck 
its  leafy  food.  I  may  remark,  that  in  Abyssinia  the  elephant,  according 
to  Bruce,  when  it  cannot  reach  with  its  proboscis  the  branches,  deeply 
scores  with  its  tusks  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  up  and  down  and  all  round, 
till  it  is  sufficiently  weakened  to  be  broken  down. 

The  beds  including  the  above  fossil  remains,  stand  only  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  high-water ;  and  hence  the  elevation  of 
the  land  has  been  small  (without  there  has  been  an  intercalated  period  of 
subsidence,  of  which  we  have  no  evidence)  since  the  great  quadrupeds 
wandered  over  the  surrounding  plains ;  and  the  external  features  of  the 
country  must  then  have  been  very  nearly  the  same  as  now.  What,  it 
may  naturally  be  asked,  was  the  character  of  the  vegetation  at  that  period ; 
was  the  country  as  wretchedly  sterile  as  it  now  is  ?  As  so  many  of  the  co- 
embedded  shells  are  the  same  with  those  now  living  in  the  bay,  I  was 
at  first  inclined  to  think  that  the  former  vegetation  was  probably  similar 
to  the  existing  one ;  but  this  would  have  been  an  erroneous  inference, 
for  some  of  these  same  shells  live  on  the  luxuriant  coast  of  Brazil ;  and 
generally,  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea  is  useless  as  a  guide 
to  judge  of  those  on  the  land.  Nevertheless,  from  the  following  con- 
siderations, I  do  not  believe  that  the  simple  fact  of  many  gigantic 
quadrupeds  having  lived  on  the  plains  round  Bahia  Blanca,  is  any  sure 
guide  that  they  formerly  were  clothed  with  a  luxuriant  vegetation :  I 
have  no  doubt  that  the  sterile  country  a  little  southward,  near  the 
Rio  Negro,  with  its  scattered  thorny  trees,  would  support  many  and 
large  quadrupeds. 

That  large  animals  require  a  luxuriant  vegetation,  has  been  a  general 
assumption  which  has  passed  from  one  work  to  another ;  but  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  it  is  completely  false,  and  that  it  has  vitiated 
the  reasoning  of  geologists  on  some  points  of  great  interest  in  the 
ancient  history  of  the  world.  The  prejudice  has  probably  been  derived 
from  India  and  the  Indian  islands,  where  troops  of  elephants,  noble 
forests,  and  impenetrable  jungles,  are  associated  together  in  every 
one's  mind.  If,  however,  we  refer  to  any  work  of  travels  through  the 
southern  parts  of  Africa,  we  shall  find  allusions  in  almost  every  page 
either  to  the  desert  character  of  the  country,  or  to  the  numbers  of 
large  animals  inhabiting  it.  The  same  thing  is  rendered  evident  by  the 
many  engravings  which  have  been  published  of  various  parts  of  the 
interior.  When  the  Beagle  was  at  Cape  Town,  I  made  an  excursion 
of  some  days'  length  into  the  country,  which  at  least  was  sufficient  to 
render  that  which  I  had  read  more  fully  intelligible. 

Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  who,  at  the  head  of  his  adventurous  party,  has 
lately  succeeded  in  passing  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn,  informs  me  that, 
taking  into  consideration  the  whole  of  the  southern  part  of  Africa, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  being  a  sterile  country.  On  the  southern 
and  south-eastern  coasts  there  are  some  fine  forests,  but  with  these 
exceptions,  the  traveller  may  pass  for  days  together  through  open 
plains,  covered  by  a  poor  and  scanty  vegetation.  It  is  difficult  to 


62  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP,  v. 

convey  any  accurate  idea  of  degrees  of  comparative  fertility ;  but  it 
may  be  safely  said  that  the  amount  of  vegetation  supported  at  any 
one  time  *  by  Great  Britain,  exceeds,  perhaps  even  tenfold,  the  quan- 
tity on  an  equal  area,  in  the  interior  parts  of  Southern  Africa.  The 
fact  that  bullock-waggons  can  travel  in  any  direction,  excepting  near 
the  coast,  without  more  than  occasionally  half  an  hour's  delay  in 
cutting  down  bushes,  gives,  perhaps,  a  more  definite  notion  of  the 
scantiness  of  the  vegetation.  Now,  if  we  look  to  the  animals  inhabit- 
ing these  wide  plains,  we  shall  find  their  numbers  extraordinarily  great, 
and  their  bulk  immense.  We  must  enumerate  the  elephant,  three 
species  of  rhinoceros,  and  probably,  according  to  Dr.  Smith,  two 
others,  the  hippopotamus,  the  giraffe,  the  boss  caffer— as  large  as  a 
full-grown  bull,  and  the  elan — but  little  less,  two  zebras,  and  the 
quaccha,  two  gnus,  and  several  antelopes  even  larger  than  these  latter 
animals.  It  may  be  supposed  that  although  the  species  are  numerous, 
the  individuals  of  each  kind  are  few.  By  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Smith, 
I  am  enabled  to  show  that  the  case  is  very  different.  He  informs  me, 
that  in  lat.  24°,  in  one  day's  march  with  the  bullock-waggons,  he  saw, 
without  wandering  to  any  great  distance  on  either  side,  between  one 
hundred  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  rhinoceroses,  which  belonged  to 
three  species ;  the  same  day  he  saw  several  herds  of  giraffes, 
amounting  together  to  nearly  a  hundred ;  and  that,  although  no  ele- 
phant was  observed,  yet  they  are  found  in  this  district.  At  the  distance 
of  a  little  more  than  one  hour's  march  from  their  place  of  encampment 
on  the  previous  night,  his  party  actually  killed  at  one  spot  eight 
hippopotamuses,  and  saw  many  more.  In  this  same  river  there  were 
likewise  crocodiles.  Of  course  it  was  a  case  quite  extraordinary,  to 
see  so  many  great  animals  crowded  together,  but  it  evidently  proves 
that  they  must  exist  in  great  numbers.  Dr.  Smith  describes  the  country 
passed  through  that  day,  as  "  being  thinly  covered  with  grass,  and  bushes 
about  four  feet  high,  and  still  more  thinly  with  mimosa-trees."  The 
waggons  were  not  prevented  travelling  in  a  nearly  straight  line. 

Besides  these  large  animals,  every  one  the  least  acquainted  with  the 
natural  history  of  the  Cape,  has  read  of  the  herds  of  antelopes,  which 
can  be  compared  only  with  the  flocks  of  migratory  birds.  The  numbers 
indeed  of  the  lion,  panther,  and  hyaena,  and  the  multitude  of  birds  of 
prey,  plainly  speak  of  the  abundance  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds :  one 
evening  seven  lions  were  counted  at  the  same  time  prowling  round 
Dr.  Smith's  encampment.  As  this  able  naturalist  remarked  to  me,  the 
carnage  each  day  in  Southern  Africa  must  indeed  be  terrific  I  I  confess 
it  is  truly  surprising  how  such  a  number  of  animals  can  find  support  in 
a  country  producing  so  little  food.  The  larger  quadrupeds  no  doubt 
roam  over  wild  tracts  in  search  of  it ;  and  their  food  chiefly  consists  of 
underwood,  which  probably  contains  much  nutriment  in  a  small  bulk. 
Dr.  Smith  also  informs  me  that  the  vegetation  has  a  rapid  growth ;  no 
sooner  is  a  part  consumed,  than  its  place  is  supplied  by  a  fresh  stock. 
There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  our  ideas  respecting  the  apparent 

*  I  mean  by  this  to  exclude  the  total  amount,  which  may  have  been 
successively  produced  and  consumed  during  a  given  period. 


1833.]  FOOD  OF  LARGE  QUADRUPEDS.  63 

amount  of  food  necessary  for  the  support  of  large  quadrupeds  are  much 
exaggerated ;  it  should  have  been  remembered  that  the  camel,  an 
animal  of  no  mean  bulk,  has  always  been  considered  as  the  emblem  of 
the  desert. 

The  belief  that  where  large  quadrupeds  exist,  the  vegetation  must 
necessarily  be  luxuriant,  is  the  more  remarkable,  because  the  converse 
is  far  from  true.  Mr.  Burchell  observed  to  me  that  when  entering 
Brazil,  nothing  struck  him  more  forcibly  than  the  splendour  of  the 
South  American  vegetation  contrasted  with  that  of  South  Africa,  to- 
gether with  the  absence  of  all  large  quadrupeds.  In  his  Travels,*  he 
has  suggested  that  the  comparison  of  the  respective  weights  (if  there 
were  sufficient  data)  of  an  equal  number  of  the  largest  herbivorous 
quadrupeds  of  each  country  would  be  extremely  curious.  If  we  take 
on  the  one  side,  the  elephant.f  hippopotamus,  giraffe,  bos  caffer,  elan, 
certainly  three,  and  probably  five  species  of  rhinoceros;  and  on  the 
American  side,  two  tapirs,  the  guanaco,  three  deer,  the  vicuna,  peccari, 
capybara  (after  which  we  must  choose  from  the  monkeys  to  complete 
the  number),  and  then  place  these  two  groups  alongside  each  other,  it 
is  not  easy  to  conceive  ranks  more  disproportionate  in  size.  After  the 
above  facts,  we  are  compelled  to  conclude  against  anterior  probability,} 
that  among  the  mammalia  there  exists  no  close  relation  between  the 
bulk  of  the  species,  and  the  quantity  of  the  vegetation,  in  the  countries 
which  they  inhabit. 

With  regard  to  the  number  of  large  quadrupeds,  there  certainly  exists 
no  quarter  of  the  globe  which  will  bear  comparison  with  Southern 
Africa.  After  the  different  statements  which  have  been  given,  the 
extremely  desert  character  of  that  region  will  not  be  disputed.  In  the 
European  division  of  the  world,  we  must  look  back  to  the  tertiary 
epochs,  to  find  a  condition  of  things  among  the  mammalia,  resembling 

*  "Travels  in  th^Tnterior  of  South  Africa,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  207. 

f  The  elephant  which  was  killed  at  Exeter  Change  was  estimated  (being 
partly  weighed)  at  five  tons  and  a  half.  The  elephant  actress,  as  I  was  in- 
formed, weighed  one  ton  less  ;  so  that  we  may  take  five  as  tne  average  of  a 
full-grown  elephant.  I  was  told  at  the  Surrey  Gardens,  that  a  hippopotamus 
which  was  sent  to  England  cut  up  into  pieces  was  estimated  at  three  tons 
and  a  half;  we  will  call  it  three.  From  these  premises  we  may  give  three 
tons  and  a  half  to  each  of  the  five  rhinoceroses  ;  perhaps  a  ton  to  the  giraffe, 
and  half  to  the  bos  caffer  as  well  as  to  the  elan  (a  large  ox  weighs  from  1,200 
to  1,500  pounds).  This  will  give  an  average  (from  the  above  estimates)  of 
2'7  of  a  ton  for  the  ten  largest  herbivorous  animals  of  Southern  Africa.  In 
South  America,  allowing  1,200  pounds  for  the  two  tapirs  together,  550  for 
the  guanaco  and  vicuna,  500  for  three  deer,  300  for  the  capybara,  peccari, 
and  a  monkey,  we  shall  have  an  average  of  250  pounds,  which  I  believe  is 
overstating  the  result.  The  ratio  will  therefore  be  as  6,048  to  250,  or  24  to 
I,  for  the  ten  largest  animals  from  the  two  continents. 

\  If  we  suppose  the  case  of  the  discovery  of  a  skeleton  of  a  Greenland 
whale  in  a  fossil  state,  not  a  single  cetaceous  animal  being  known  to  exist, 
what  naturalist  would  have  ventured  conjecture  on  the  possibility  of  a  car- 
cass so  gigantic  being  supported  on  the  minute  Crustacea  and  mollusca 
Hving  in  the  frozen  seas  of  the  extreme  North  ? 


64  BAH1A  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  T, 

that  now  existing  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Those  tertiary  epochs, 
which  we  are  apt  to  consider  as  abounding  to  an  astonishing  degree 
with  large  animals,  because  we  find  the  remains  of  many  ages  accumu- 
lated at  certain  spots,  could  hardly  boast  of  more  large  quadrupeds 
than  Southern  Africa  does  at  present.  If  we  speculate  on  the  condition 
of  the  vegetation  during  those  epochs,  we  are  at  least  bound  so  far  to 
consider  existing  analogies,  as  not  to  urge  as  absolutely  necessary  a 
luxuriant  vegetation,  when  we  see  a  state  of  things  so  totally  different 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

We  know  *  that  the  extreme  regions  of  North  America,  many  degrees 
beyond  the  limit  where  the  ground  at  the  depth  of  a  few  feet  remains 
perpetually  congealed,  are  covered  by  forests  of  large  and  tall  trees. 
In  a  like  manner,  in  Siberia,  we  have  woods  of  birch,  fir,  aspen,  and 
larch,  growing  in  a  latitude  t  (64°),  where  the  mean  temperature  of  the 
air  falls  below  the  freezing  point,  and  where  the  earth  is  so  completely 
frozen,  that  the  carcass  of  an  animal  embedded  in  it  is  perfectly  pre- 
served. With  these  facts  we  must  grant,  as  far  as  quantity  alone  of 
vegetation  is  concerned,  that  the  great  quadrupeds  of  the  later  tertiary 
epochs  might,  in  most  parts  of  Northern  Europe  and  Asia,  have  lived 
on  the  spots  where  their  remains  are  now  found.  I  do  not  here  speak 
of  the  kind  of  vegetation  necessary  for  their  support ;  because,  as  there 
is  evidence  of  physical  changes,  and  as  the  animals  have  become 
extinct,  so  may  we  suppose  that  the  species  of  plants  have  likewise 
been  changed. 

These  remarks,  I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  directly  bear  on  the  case 
of  the  Siberian  animals  preserved  in  ice.  The  firm  conviction  of  the 
necessity  of  a  vegetation  possessing  a  character  of  tropical  luxuriance, 
to  support  such  large  animals,  and  the  impossibility  of  reconciling  this 
with  the  proximity  of  perpetual  congelation,  was  one  chief  cause  of  the 
several  theories  of  sudden  revolutions  of  climate,  and  of  overwhelming 
catastrophes,  which  were  invented  to  account  for  their  entombment.  I 
am  far  from  supposing  that  the  climate  has  not  changed  since  the 
period  when  those  animals  lived,  which  now  lie  buried  in  the  ice.  At 
present  I  only  wish  to  show,  that  as  far  as  quantity  of  food  alone  is 
concerned,  the  ancient  rhinoceroses  might  have  roamed  over  the  steppes 
of  central  Siberia  (the  northern  parts  probably  being  under  water)  e»en 
in  their  present  condition,  as  well  as  the  living  rhinoceroses  and 
elephants  over  the  Karros  of  Southern  Africa. 

I  will  now  give  an  account  of  the  habits  of  some  of  the  more  interest- 

*  See  Zoological  Remarks  to  Capt.  Back's  Expedition,  by  Dr.  Richardson. 
He  says,  "The  subsoil  north  of  latitude  56°  is  perpetually  frozen,  the  thaw 
on  the  coast  not  penetrating  above  three  feet,  and  at  Bear  Lake,  in  latitude 
64°,  not  more  than  twenty  inches.  The  frozen  substratum  does  not  of  itself 
destroy  vegetation,  for  forests  flourish  on  the  surface,  at  a  distance  from  the 
coast." 

f  See  Humboldt,  "  Fragmens  Asiatiques,"  p.  386;  Barton's  "  Geography  of 
Plants ; "  and  Malte  Brun.  In  the  latter  work  it  is  said  that  the  limit  of  thp 
growth  of  trees  in  Siberia  may  be  drawn  under  the  parallel  of  70°, 


I833-]  SOUTH  AMERICAN  OSTRICH.  6$ 

ing  birds  which  are  common  on  the  wild  plains  of  Northern  Patagonia  ; 
and  first  for  the  largest,  or  South  American  ostrich.  The  ordinary 
habits  of  the  ostrich  are  familiar  to  every  one.  They  live  on  vegetable 
matter,  such  as  roots  and  grass ;  but  at  Bahia  Blanca  I  have  repeatedly 
seen  three  or  four  come  down  at  low  water  to  the  extensive  mud-banks 
which  are  then  dry,  for  the  sake,  as  the  Gauchos  say,  of  feeding  on 
small  fish.  Although  the  ostrich  in  its  habits  is  so  shy,  wary,  and 
solitary,  and  although  so  fleet  in  its  pace,  it  is  caught  without  much 
difficulty  by  the  Indian  or  Gaucho  armed  with  the  bolas.  When 
several  horsemen  appear  in  a  semicircle,  it  becomes  confounded,  and 
does  not  know  which  way  to  escape.  They  generally  prefer  running 
against  the  wind ;  yet  at  the  first  start  they  expand  their  wings,  and 
like  a  vessel  make  all  sail.  On  one  fine  hot  day  I  saw  several 
ostriches  enter  a  bed  of  tall  rushes,  where  they  squatted  concealed,  till 
quite  closely  approached.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  ostriches 
readily  take  to  the  water.  Mr.  King  informs  me  that  at  the  Bay  of  San 
Bias,  and  at  Port  Valdes  in  Patagonia,  he  saw  these  birds  swimming 
several  times  from  island  to  island.  They  ran  into  the  water  both 
when  driven  down  to  a  point,  and  likewise  of  their  own  accord  when 
not  frightened :  the  distance  crossed  was  about  two  hundred  yards. 
When  swimming,  very  little  of  their  bodies  appear  above  water  ;  their 
necks  are  extended  a  little  forward,  and  their  progress  is  slow.  On 
two  occasions  I  saw  some  ostriches  swimming  across  the  Santa  Cruz 
river,  where  its  course  was  about  four  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the 
stream  rapid.  Captain  Sturt,*  when  descending  the  Murrumbidgee,  in 
Australia,  saw  two  emus  in  the  act  of  swimming. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country  readily  distinguish,  even  at  a  distance, 
the  cock  bird  from  the  hen.  The  former  is  larger  and  darker-coloured.t 
and  has  a  bigger  head.  The  ostrich,  I  believe  the  cock,  emits  a 
singular,  deep-toned,  hissing  note:  when  first  I  heard  it,  standing  in  the 
midst  of  some  sand-hillocks,  I  thought  it  was  made  by  some  wild 
beast,  for  it  is  a  sound  that  one  cannot  tell  whence  it  comes,  or  from 
how  far  distant.  When  we  were  at  Bahia  Blanca  in  the  months  of 
September  and  October,  the  eggs,  in  extraordinary  numbers,  were 
found  all  over  the  country.  They  lie  either  scattered  and  single,  in 
which  case  they  are  never  hatched,  and  are  called  by  the  Spaniards 
huachos ;  or  they  are  collected  together  into  a  shallow  excavation, 
which  forms  the  nest.  Out  of  the  four  nests  which  I  saw,  three  con- 
tained twenty-two  eggs  each,  and  the  fourth  twenty-seven.  In  one 
day's  hunting  on  horseback  sixty-four  eggs  were  found ;  forty-four  of 
these  were  in  two  nests,  and  the  remaining  twenty,  scattered  huachos. 
The  Gauchos  unanimously  affirm,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
their  statement,  that  the  male  bird  alone  hatches  the  eggs,  and  for 
some  time  afterwards  accompanies  the  young.  The  cock  when  on  the 
nest  lies  very  close ;  I  have  myself  almost  ridden  over  one.  It  is 
asserted  that  at  such  times  they  are  occasionally  fierce,  and  even 

*  Sturt's  "Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  74. 

•  f  A  Gaucho  assured  me  that  he  had  once  seen  a  snow-white  or  Albino 
variety,  and  that  it  was  a  most  beautiful  bird. 


66  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHA».  v. 

dangerous,  and  that  they  have  been  known  to  attack  a  man  on  horse- 
back, trying  to  kick  and  leap  on  him.  My  informer  pointed  out  to  me 
an  old  man,  whom  he  had  seen  much  terrified  by  one  chasing  him.  I 
observe  in  Burchell's  travels  in  South  Africa,  that  he  remarks,  "  Having 
killed  a  male  ostrich,  and  the  feathers  being  dirty,  it  was  said  by  the 
Hottentots  to  be  a  nest  bird."  I  understand  that  the  male  emu  in  the 
Zoological  Gardens  takes  charge  of  the  nest ;  this  habit,  therefore,  is 
common  to  the  family. 

The  Gauchos  unanimously  affirm  that  several  females  lay  in  one 
nest.  I  have  been  positively  told  that  four  or  five  hen  birds  have  been 
watched  to  go  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  one  after  the  other,  to  the  same 
nest.  I  may  add,  also,  that  it  is  believed  in  Africa,  that  two  or  more 
females  lay  in  one  nest.*  Although  this  habit  at  first  appears  very 
strange,  I  think  the  cause  may  be  explained  in  a  simple  manner. 
The  number  of  eggs  in  the  nest  varies  from  twenty  to  forty,  and  even 
to  fifty  ;  and  according  to  Azara,  sometimes  to  seventy  or  eighty.  Now 
although  it  is  most  probable,  from  the  number  of  eggs  found  in  one 
district  being  so  extraordinarily  great  in  proportion  to  the  parent  birds, 
and  likewise  from  the  state  of  the  ovarium  of  the  hen,  that  she  may  in 
the  course  of  the  season  lay  a  large  number,  yet  the  time  required  must 
be  very  long.  Azara  states,f  that  a  female  in  a  state  of  domestication 
laid  seventeen  eggs,  each  at  the  interval  of  three  days  one  from  another. 
If  the  hen  was  obliged  to  hatch  her  own  eggs,  before  the  last  was  laid 
the  first  probably  would  be  addled ;  but  if  each  laid  a  few  eggs  at 
successive  periods,  in  different  nests,  and  several  hens,  as  is  stated  to 
be  the  case,  combined  together,  then  the  eggs  in  one  collection  would 
be  nearly  of  the  same  age.  If  the  number  of  eggs  in  one  of  these 
nests  is,  as  I  believe,  not  greater  on  an  average  than  the  number  laid 
by  one  female  in  the  season,  then  there  must  be  as  many  nests  as 
females,  and  each  cock  bird  will  have  its  fair  share  of  the  labour  of 
incubation ;  and  that  during  a  period  when  the  females  probably  couldnot 
sit,  from  not  having  finished  laying.J  I  have  before  mentioned  the  great 
numbers  of  huachos,  or  deserted  eggs ;  so  that  in  one  day's  hunting 
twenty  were  found  in  this  state.  It  appears  odd  that  so  many  should 
be  wasted.  Does  it  not  arise  from  the  difficulty  of  several  females 
associating  together,  and  finding  a  male  ready  to  undertake  the  office  of 
incubation  ?  It  is  evident  that  there  must  at  first  be  some  degree  of 
association  between  at  least  two  females ;  otherwise  the  eggs  would 
remain  scattered  over  the  wide  plains,  at  distances  far  too  great  to 
allow  of  the  male  collecting  them  into  one  nest :  some  authors  have 
believed  that  the  scattered  eggs  were  deposited  for  the  young  birds 
to  feed  on.  This  can  hardly  be  the  case  in  America,  because 

*  Burchell's  "  Travels,"  vol.  i.,  p.  280. 

+  Azara,  vol.  iv.,  p.  173. 

J  Lichtenstein,  however,  asserts  ("Travels,"  vol  ii.,  p.  25)  that  the  hens 
begin  sitting  when  they  have  laid  ten  or  twelve  eggs;  and  that  they  continue 
laying,  I  presume,  in  another  nest.  This  appears  to  me  very  improbable. 
He  asserts  that  four  or  five  hens  associate  for  incubation  with  one  cock,  who 
sits  only  at  night. 


I&3J.J-  THE  AVESTRUZ  PET1SE.  6? 

the  huachos,  although  often  found  addled  and  putrid,  are  generally 
whole. 

When  at  the  Rio  Negro  in  Northern  Patagonia,'  I  repeatedly  heard  the 
Gauchos  talking  of  a  very  rare  bird  which  they  called  Avestruz  Petise. 
They  described  it  as  being  less  than  the  common  ostrich  (which  is 
there  abundant),  but  with  a  very  close  general  resemblance.  They  said 
its  colour  was  dark  and  mottled,  and  that  its  legs  were  shorter,  and 
feathered  lower  down  than  those  of  the  common  ostrich.  It  is  more 
easily  caught  by  the  bolas  than  the  other  species.  The  few  inhabitants 
who  had  seen  both  kinds,  affirmed  that  they  could  distinguish  them 
apart  from  a  long  distance.  The  eggs  of  the  small  species  appeared, 
however,  more  generally  known  ;  and  it  was  remarked,  with  surprise, 
that  they  were  very  little  less  than  those  of  the  Rhea,  but  of  a  slightly 
different  form,  and  with  a  tinge  of  pale  blue.  This  species  occurs  most 
rarely  on  the  plains  bordering  the  Rio  Negro ;  but  about  a  degree  and 
a  half  further  south  they  are  tolerably  abundant.  When  at  Port  Desire, 
in  Patagonia  (lat.  48°),  Mr.  Martens  shot  an  ostrich ;  and  I  looked  at  it, 
forgetting  at  the  moment,  in  the  most  unaccountable  manner,  the  whole 
subject  of  the  Petises.  and  thought  it  was  a  not  full-grown  bird  of  the 
common  sort.  It  was  cooked  and  eaten  before  my  memory  returned. 
Fortunately  the  head,  neck,  legs,  wings,  many  of  the  larger  feathers, 
and  a  large  part  of  the  skin,  had  been  preserved  ;  and  from  these  a  very 
nearly  perfect  specimen  has  been  put  together,  and  is  now  exhibited 
in  the  museum  of  the  Zoological  Society.  Mr.  Gould,  in  describing 
this  new  species,  has  done  me  the  honour  of  calling  it  after  my  name. 

Among  the  Patagonian  Indians  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  we  found 
a  half  Indian,  who  had  lived  some  years  with  the  tribe,  but  had  been 
born  in  the  northern  provinces.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  heard 
of  the  Avestruz  Petise.  He  answered  by  saying,  "  Why,  there  are 
none  others  in  these  southern  countries."  He  informed  me  that  the 
number  of  eggs  in  the  nest  of  the  petise  is  considerably  less  than  in 
that  of  the  other  kind,  namely,  not  more  than  fifteen  on  an  average ; 
but  he  asserted  that  more  than  one  female  deposited  them.  At  Santa 
Cruz  we  saw  several  of  these  birds.  They  were  excessively  wary ;  I 
think  they  could  see  a  person  approaching  when  too  far  off  to  be 
distinguished  themselves.  In  ascending  the  river  few  were  seen  ;  but 
in  our  quiet  and  rapid  descent,  many,  in  pairs  and  by  fours  or  fives, 
were  observed.  It  was  remarked  that  this  bird  did  not  expand  its 
wings,  when  first  starting  at  full  speed,  after  the  manner  of  the 
northern  kind.  In  conclusion  I  may  observe,  that  the  Struthio  rhea 
inhabits  the  country  of  La  Plata  as  far  as  a  little  south  of  the  Rio 
Negro  in  lat.  41°,  and  that  the  Struthio  Darwinii  takes  its  place  in 
Southern  Patagonia ;  the  part  about  the  Rio  Negro  being  neutral 
territory.  M.  A.  d'Orbigny,*  when  at  the  Rio  Negro,  made  great 

*  When  at  the  Rio  Negro,  we  heard  much  of  the  indefatigable  labours  of 
this  naturalist.  M.  Alcide  d'Orbigny,  during  the  years  1825  to  1833,  tra- 
versed several  large  portions  of  South  America,  and  has  made  a  collection, 
and  is  now  publishing  the  results  on  a  scale  of  magnificence,  which  at  once 
places  himself  in  the  list  of  American  travellers  second  only  to  Humboldt. 

o 


68  BAH1A  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

exertions  to  procure  this  bird,  but  never  had  the  good  fortune  to  suc- 
ceed. Dobrizhoffer  *  long  ago  was  aware  of  there  being  two  kinds  of 
ostriches ;  he  says,  "  You  must  know,  moreover,  that  Emus  differ  iu 
size  and  habits  in  different  tracts  of  land ;  for  those  that  inhabit  the 
plains  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  Tucuman  are  larger,  and  have  black,  white, 
and  grey  feathers ;  those  near  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan  are  smaller 
and  more  beautiful,  for  their  white  feathers  are  tipped  with  black  at 
the  extremity,  and  their  black  ones  in  like  manner  terminate  in  white." 

A  very  singular  little  bird,  Tinochorus  rumicivorus,  is  here  common  : 
in  its  habits  and  general  appearance,  it  nearly  equally  partakes  of  the 
characters,  different  as  they  are,  of  the  quail  and  snipe.  The  Tino- 
chorus is  found  in  the  whole  of  southern  South  America  wherever 
there  are  sterile  plains,  or  open  dry  pasture  land.  It  frequents  in  pairs 
or  small  flocks  the  most  desolate  places,  where  scarcely  another  living 
creature  can  exist.  Upon  being  approached  they  squat  close,  and 
then  are  very  difficult  to  be  distinguished  from  the  ground.  When 
feeding  they  walk  rather  slowly,  with  their  legs  wide  apart.  They  dust 
themselves  in  roads  and  sandy  places,  and  frequent  particular  spots, 
where  they  may  be  found  day  after  day:  like  partridges,  they  take 
wing  in  a  flock.  In  all  these  respects,  in  the  muscular  gizzard  adapted 
for  vegetable  food,  in  the  arched  beak  and  fleshy  nostrils,  short  legs 
and  form  of  foot,  the  Tinochorus  has  a  close  affinity  with  quails.  But 
as  soon  as  the  bird  is  seen  flying,  its  whole  appearance  changes ;  the 
long  pointed  wings,  so  different  from  those  in  the  gallinaceous  order, 
the  irregular  manner  of  flight,  and  plaintive  cry  uttered  at  the  moment 
of  rising,  recal  the  idea  of  a  snipe.  The  sportsmen  of  the  Beagle 
unanimously  called  it  the  short-billed  snipe.  To  this  genus,  or 
rather  to  the  family  of  the  Waders,  its  skeleton  shows  that  it  is  really 
related. 

The  Tinochorus  is  closely  related  to  some  other  South  American 
birds.  Two  species  of  the  genus  Attagis  are  in  almost  every  respect 
ptarmigans  in  their  habits ;  one  lives  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  above  the 
limits  of  the  forest  land ;  and  the  other  just  beneath  the  snow-line  on 
the  Cordillera  of  Central  Chile.  A  bird  of  another  closely  allied  genus, 
Chionis  alba,  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  antarctic  regions  ;  it  feeds  on 
seaweed  and  shells  on  the  tidal  rocks.  Although  not  web-footed,  from 
some  unaccountable  habit,  it  is  frequently  met  with  far  out  at  sea. 
This  small  family  of  birds  is  one  of  those  which,  from  its  varied  rela- 
tions to  other  families,  although  at  present  offering  only  difficulties  to 
the  systematic  naturalist,  ultimately  may  assist  in  revealing  the  grand 
scheme,  common  to  the  present  and  past  ages,  on  which  organized 
beings  have  been  created. 

The  genus  Furnarius  contains  several  species,  all  small  birds,  living 
on  the  ground,  and  inhabiting  open  dry  countries.  In  structure  they 
cannot  be  compared  to  any  European  form.  Ornithologists  have 
generally  included  them  among  the  creepers,  although  opposed  to  that 
family  in  every  habit.  The  best  known  species  is  the  common  oven- 

*  "Account  of  the  Abipones,"  A.D.  1749,  vol  i.  (English  translation),  p.  314. 


1833.4  THE  OVEN-BIRD.  C-g 

bird  of  La  Plata,  the  Casara  or  housemaker  of  the  Spaniards.  The  nest, 
whence  it  takes  its  name,  is  placed  in  the  most  exposed  situations,  as 
on  the  top  of  a  post,  a  bare  rock,  or  on  a  cactus.  It  is  composed  ol 
mud  and  bits  of  straw,  and  has  strong  thick  walls :  in  shape  it  pre- 
cisely resembles  an  oven,  or  depressed  beehive.  The  opening  is  large 
and  arched,  and  directly  in  front,  within  the  nest,  there  is  a  partition, 
which  reaches  nearly  to  the  roof,  thus  forming  a  passage  or  antechamber 
to  the  true  nest. 

Another  and  smaller  species  of  Furnarius  (F.  cunicularius),  resembles 
the  oven-bird  in  the  general  reddish  tint  of  its  plumage,  in  a  peculiar 
shrill  reiterated  cry,  and  in  an  odd  manner  of  running  by  starts.  From 
its  affinity,  the  Spaniards  call  it  Casarita  (or  little  housebuilder), 
although  its  nidification  is  quite  different.  The  Casarita  builds  its  nest 
at  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  cylindrical  hole,  which  is  said  to  extend 
horizontally  to  nearly  six  feet  under  ground.  Several  of  the  country 
people  told  me,  that  when  boys,  they  had  attempted  to  dig  out  the  nest, 
but  had  scarcely  ever  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  end  of  the  passage.  The 
bird  chooses  any  low  bank  of  firm  sandy  soil  by  the  side  of  a  road  or 
stream.  Here  (at  Bahia  Blanca)  the  walls  round  the  houses  are  built 
of  hardened  mud  ;  and  I  noticed  that  one,  which  enclosed  a  courtyard 
where  I  lodged,  was  bored  through  by  round  holes  in  a  score  of  places. 
On  asking  the  owner  the  cause  of  this,  he  bitterly  complained  of  the 
little  casarita,  several  of  which  I  afterwards  observed  at  work.  It  is 
rather  curious  to  find  how  incapable  these  birds  must  be  of  acquiring 
any  notion  of  thickness,  for  although  they  were  constantly  flitting  over 
the  low  wall,  they  continued  vainly  to  bore  through  it,  thinking  it  an 
excellent  bank  for  their  nests.  I  do  not  doubt  that  each  bird,  as  often 
as  it  came  to  daylight  on  the  opposite  side,  was  greatly  surprised  at  the 
marvellous  fact. 

I  have  already  mentioned  nearly  all  the  mammalia  common  in  this 
country.  Of  armadilloes  three  species  occur,  namely,  the  Dasypus 
minutus  or  pichy}  the  D.  villosus  or  peludo,  and  the  apar.  The  first 
extends  ten  degrees  further  south  than  any  other  kind :  a  fourth  species, 
the  Muh'fa,.does  not  come  as  far  south  as  Bahia  Blanca.  The  four 
species  have  nearly  similar  habits ;  the  pelndo,  however,  is  nocturnal, 
while  the  others  wander  by  day  over  the  open  plains,  feeding  on  beetles, 
larvae,  roots,  and  even  small  snakes.  The  apar,  commonly  called 
mataco,  is  remarkable  by  having  only  three  movable  bands ;  the  rest 
of  its  tesselated  covering  being  nearly  inflexible.  It  has  the  power  of 
rolling  itself  into  a  perfect  sphere,  like  one  kind  of  English  woodlouse. 
In  this  state  it  is  safe  from  the  attack  of  dogs  ;  for  the  dog  not  being 
able  to  take  the  whole  in  its  mouth,  tries  to  bite  one  side,  and 
the  ball  slips  away.  The  smooth  hard  covering  of  the  mataco  offers  a 
better  defence  than  the  sharp  spines  of  the  hedgehog.  The  pichy 
prefers  a  very  dry  soil ;  and  the  sand-dunes  near  the  coast,  where  for 
many  months  it  can  never  taste  water,  is  its  favourite  resort :  it  often 
tries  to  escape  notice,  by  squatting  close  to  the  ground.  In  the  course 
of  a  day's  ride  near  Bahia  Blanca,  several  were  generally  met  with. 
The  instant  one  was  oerceived,  it  was  necessary,  in  order  to  catch  it, 


ft  bAtilA  BLAffCA. 

almost  to  tumble  off  one's  horse ;  for  in  soft  soil  the  animal  burrowed 
so  quickly,  that  its  hinder  quarters  would  almost  disappear  before  one 
could  alight.  It  seems  almost  a  pity  to  kill  such  nice  little  animals,  for 
as  a  Gaucho  said,  while  sharpening  his  knife  on  the  back  of  one,  "  Son 
tan  mansos  "  (they  are  so  quiet). 

Of  reptiles  there  are  many  kinds :  one  snake  (a  Trigonocephalus,  or 
Cophias),  from  the  size  of  the  poison  channel  in  its  fangs,  must  be  very 
deadly.  Cuvier,  in  opposition  to  some  other  naturalists,  makes  this  a 
sub-genus  of  the  rattlesnake,  and  intermediate  between  it  and  the  viper. 
In  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  I  observed  a  fact,  which  appears  to  me 
very  curious  and  instructive,  as  showing  how  every  character,  even 
though  it  may  be  in  some  degree  independent  of  structure,  has  a 
tendency  to  vary  by  slow  degrees.  The  extremity  of  the  tail  of  this 
snake  is  terminated  by  a  point,  which  is  very  slightly  enlarged ;  and  as 
the  animal  glides  along,  it  constantly  vibrates  the  last  inch ;  and  this 
part  striking  against  the  dry  grass  and  brushwood,  produces  a  rattling 
noise,  which  can  be  distinctly  heard  at  the  distance  of  six  feet.  As 
often  as  the  animal  was  irritated  or  surprised,  its  tail  was  shaken ;  and 
the  vibrations  were  extremely  rapid.  Even  as  long  as  the  body 
retained  its  irritability,  a  tendency  to  this  habitual  movement  was 
evident.  This  Trigonocephalus  has,  therefore,  in  some  respects,  the 
structure  of  a  viper,  with  the  habits  of  a  rattlesnake  ;  the  noise,  however, 
being  produced  by  a  simpler  device. '  The  expression  of  this  snake's 
face  was  hideous  and  fierce ;  the  pupil  consisted  of  a  vertical  slit  in  a 
mottled  and  coppery  iris ;  the  jaws  were  broad  at  the  base,  and  the  nose 
terminated  in  a  triangular  projection.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  any- 
thing more  ugly,  excepting,  perhaps,  some  of  the  vampire  bats.  I 
imagine  this  repulsive  aspect  originates  from  the  features  being  placed 
in  positions,  with  respect  to  each  other,  somewhat  proportional  to  those 
of  the  human  face ;  and  thus  we  obtain  a  scale  of  hideousness. 

Amongst  the  Batrachian  reptiles,  I  found  only  one  little  toad 
(Phryniscus  nigricans),  which  was  most  singular  from  its  colour.  If  we 
imagine,  first,  that  it  had  been  steeped  in  the  blackest  ink,  and  then, 
when  dry,  allowed  to  crawl  over  a  board,  freshly  painted  with  the 
brightest  vermilion,  so  as  to  colour  the  soles  of  its  feet  and  parts  of  its 
stomach,  a  good  idea  of  its  appearance  will  be  gained.  If  it  had  been  an 
unnamed  species,  surely  it  ought  to  have  been  called  Diabolicus,  for  it  is 
a  fit  toad  to  preach  in  the  ear  of  Eve.  Instead  of  being  nocturnal  in  its 
habits,  as  other  toads  are,  and  living  in  damp  obscure  recesses,  it  crau-ls 
during  the  heat  of  the  day  about  the  dry  sand-hillocks  and  arid  plains, 
where  not  a  single  drop  of  water  can  be  found.  It  must  necessarily 
depend  on  the  dew  for  its  moisture ;  and  this  probably  is  absorbed  by 
the  skin,  for  it  is  known  that  these  reptiles  possess  great  powers  of 
cutaneous  absorption.  At  Maldonado,  I  found  one  in  a  situation  nearly 
as  dry  as  at  Bahia  Blanca,  and  thinking  to  give  it  a  great  treat,  carried 
it  to  a  pool  of  water ;  not  only  was  the  little  animal  unable  to  swim, 
but  I  think  without  help  it  would  soon  have  been  drowned. 

Of  lizards  there  were  many  kinds,  but  only  one  (Proctotretus 
*)  r»-warkablf  <r>w  &  teWts  I*  lives  on  the  bare  sand 


1833.]  HIBERNATING  ANIMALS.  71 

near  the  sea  coast,  and  from  its  motvied  colour,  the  brownish  scales) 
being  speckled  with  white,  yellowish-red,  and  dirty  blue,  can  hardly 
be  distinguished  from  the  surrounding  surface.  When  frightened,  it 
attempts  to  avoid  discovery  by  feigning  death,  with  outstretched  legs, 
depressed  body,  and  closed  eyes :  if  further  molested,  it  buries  itself 
with  great  quickness  in  the  loose  sand.  The  lizard,  from  its  flattened 
body  and  short  legs,  cannot  run  quickly. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  remarks  on  the  hybernation  of  animals  in  this 
part  of  South  America.  When  we  first  arrived  at  Bahia  Blanca,  Sep- 
tember 7th,  1832,  we  thought  nature  had  granted  scarcely  a  living 
creature  to  this  sandy  and  dry  country.  By  digging,  however,  in  the 
ground,  several  insects,  large  spiders,  and  lizards  were  found  in  a  half 
torpid  state.  On  the  I5th,  a  few  animals  began  to  appear,  and  by  the 
1 8th  (three  days  from  the  equinox),  everything  announced  the  com- 
mencement of  spring.  The  plains  were  ornamented  by  the  flowers  of 
a  pink  wood-sorrel,  wild  peas,  cenotherae,  and  geraniums ;  and  the  birds 
began  to  lay  their  eggs.  Numerous  Lamellicorn  and  Heteromerous 
insects,  the  latter  remarkable  for  their  deeply  sculptured  bodies,  were 
slowly  crawling  about ;  while  the  lizard  tribe,  the  constant  inhabitants 
of  a  sandy  soil,  darted  about  in  every  direction.  During  the  first  eleven 
days,  whilst  nature  was  dormant,  the  mean  temperature  taken  from 
observations  made  every  two  hours  on  board  the  Beagle,  was  51°;  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  the  thermometer  seldom  ranged  above  55°. 
On  the  eleven  succeeding  days,  in  which  all  living  things  became  so 
animated,  the  mean  was  58°,  and  the  range  in  the  middle  of  the  day 
between  sixty  and  seventy.  Here  then  an  increase  of  seven  degrees  in 
mean  temperature,  but  a  greater  one  of  extreme  heat,  was  sufficient  to 
awake  the  functions  of  life.  At  Monte  Video,  from  which  we  had  just 
before  sailed,  in  the  twenty-three  days  included  between  the  26th  ot 
July  and  the  igth  of  August,  the  mean  temperature  from  276  observa- 
tions was  58°-4;  the  mean  hottest  day  being  650<5,  and  the  coldest  46°. 
The  lowest  point  to  which  the  thermometer  fell  was  4i°'5,  and  occasion- 
ally in  the  middle  of  the  day  it  rose  to  69°  or  70°.  Yet  with  this  high 
temperature,  almost  every  beetle,  several  genera  of  spiders,  snails,  and 
land-shells,  toads  and  lizards  were  all  lying  torpid  beneath  stones.  But 
we  have  seon  that  at  Bahia  Blanca,  which  is  four  degrees  southward, 
and  therefore  with  a  climate  only  a  very  little  colder,  this  same  tempera- 
ture u-ith  a  rather  less  extreme  heat,  was  sufficient  to  awake  all  orders  of 
animated  beings.  This  shows  how  nicely  the  stimulus  required  to 
arouse  hybernating  animals  is  governed  by  the  usual  climate  of  the 
district,  and  not  by  the  absolute  heat.  It  is  well  known  that  within  the 
tropics,  the  hybernation,  or  more  properly  aestivation,  of  animals  is 
determined  not  by  the  temperature,  but  by  the  times  of  drought.  Near 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  was  at  first  surprised  to  observe  that,  a  few  days 
after  some  little  depressions  had  been  filled  with  water,  they  were 
peopled  by  numerous  full-grown  shells  and  beetles,  which  must  hav^i 
been  lying  dormant.  Humboldt  has  related  the  strange  accident  of  a 
hovel  having  been  erected  over  a  spot  where  a  young  crocodile  lay 
buried  in  the  hardened  mu^d,  He  a4d,s,  "  The  Indians  often  fiud 


72  BAHIA  BLANC  A.  [CHAP.  v. 

enormous  boas,  which  they  call  Uji,  or  water  serpents,  in  the  same 
lethargic  state.  To  re-animate  them  they  must  be  irritated  or  wetted 
with  water." 

I  will  only  mention  one  other  animal,  a  zoophyte  (I  believe  Virgularia 
Patagonica),  a  kind  oi  sea-pen.  It  consists  of  a  thin,  straight,  fleshy 
stem,  with  alternate  rows  of  polypi  on  each  side,  and  surrounding  an 
elastic  stony  axis,  varying  in  length  from  eight  inches  to  two  feeL 
The  stem  at  one  extremity  is  truncate,  but  at  the  other  is  terminated  by 
a  vermiform  fleshy  appendage.  The  stony  axis  which  gives  strength 
to  the  stem  may  be  traced  at  this  extremity  into  a  mere  vessel  filled 
with  granular  matter.  At  low  water  hundreds  of  these  zoophytes 
might  be  seen,  projecting  like  stubble,  with  the  truncate  end  upwards, 
a  few  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  muddy  sand.  When  touched  or 
pulled  they  suddenly  drew  themselves  in  with  force,  so  as  nearly  or 
quite  to  disappear.  By  this  action,  the  highly  elastic  axis  must  be  bent 
at  the  lower  extremity,  where  it  is  naturally  slightly  curved ;  and  I 
imagine  it  is  by  this  elasticity  alone  that  the  zoophyte  is  enabled  to  rise 
again  through  the  mud.  Each  polypus,  though  closely  united  to  its 
brethren,  has  a  distinct  mouth,  body,  and  tentacula.  Of  these  polypi, 
in  a  large  specimen,  there  must  be  many  thousands ;  yet  we  see  that 
they  act  by  one  movement ;  they  have  also  one  central  axis  connected 
with  a  system  of  obscure  circulation,  and  the  ova  are  produced  in  an 
organ  distinct  from  the  separate  individuals.*  Well  may  one  be 
allowed  to  ask,  what  is  an  individual  ?  It  is  always  interesting  to  dis- 
cover the  foundation  of  the  strange  tales  of  the  old  voyagers;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  but  that  the  habits  of  this  Virgularia  explain  one  such 
case.  Captain  Lancaster,  in  his  voyage  t  in  1601,  narrates  that  on  the 
sea-sands  of  the  Island  of  Sombrero,  in  the  East  Indies,  he  "  found  a 
small  twig  growing  up  like  a  young  tree,  and  on  offering  to  pluck  it  up 
it  shrinks  down  to  the  ground,  and  sinks,  unless  held  very  hard.  On 
being  plucked  up,  a  great  worm  is  found  to  be  its  root,  and  as  the  tree 
groweth  in  greatness,  so  doth  the  worm  diminish  ;  and  as  soon  as  the 
worm  is  entirely  turned  into  a  tree  it  rooteth  in  the  earth,  and  so 

*  The  cavities  leading  from  the  fleshy  compartments  of  the  extremity 
were  filled  with  a  yellow  pulpy  matter,  which,  examined  under  a  micro- 
scope, presented  an  extraordinary  appearance.  The  mass  consisted  of 
rounded,  semi-transparent,  irregular  grains,  aggregated  together  into  par- 
ticles of  various  sizes.  All  such  particles,  and  the  separate  grains,  possessed 
the  power  of  rapid  movement ;  generally  revolving  around  different  axes, 
but  sometimes  progressive.  The  movement  was  visible  with  a  very  weak 
power,  but  even  with  the  highest  its  cause  could  not  be  perceived.  It  was 
very  different  from  the  circulation  of  the  fluid  in  the  elastic  bag,  containing 
the  thin  extremity  of  the  axis.  On  other  occasion."?,  when  dissecting  small 
marine  animals  beneath  the  microscope,  I  have  seen  particles  of  pulpy  matter, 
some  of  large  size,  as  soon  as  they  were  disengaged,  commence  revolving. 
I  have  imagined,  I  know  not  with  how  much  truth,  that  this  granulo-pulpy 
matter  was  in  process  of  being  converted  into  ova.  Certainly  in  this  zoophyte 
such  appeared  to  be  the  case. 

f  Keir's  "Collection  of  Voyages,"  vol  viii,  p.  lip. 


1833-1  EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  INDIANS.  73 

becomes  great.  This  transformation  is  one  of  the  strangest  wonders 
that  I  saw  in  all  my  travels  ;  for  if  this  tree  is  plucked  up,  while  young, 
and  the  leaves  and  bark  stripped  off,  it  becomes  a  hard  stone  when  dry, 
much  like  white  coral :  thus  is  this  worm  twice  transformed  into 
different  natures.  Of  these  we  gathered  and  brought  home  many." 

During  my  stay  at  Bahia  Blanca,  while  waiting  for  the  Beagle,  the 
place  was  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement,  from  rumours  of  wars  and 
victories,  between  the  troops  of  Rosas  and  the  wild  Indians.  One  day 
an  account  came  that  a  small  party  forming  one  of  the  postas  on  the  line 
to  Buenos  Ayres,  had  been  found  all  murdered.  The  next  day  three 
hundred  men  arrived  from  the  Colorado,  under  the  command  of  Com- 
mandant Miranda.  A  large  portion  of  these  men  were  Indians  (mansos, 
or  tame),  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Cacique  Bernantio.  They  passed 
the  night  here  ;  and  it  was  impossible  to  conceive  anything  more  wild 
and  savage  than  the  scene  of  their  bivouac.  Some  drank  till  they  were 
intoxicated;  others  swallowed  the  steaming  blood  of  the  cattle 
slaughtered  for  their  suppers,  and  then,  being  sick  from  drunkenness, 
they  cast  it  up  again,  and  were  besmeared  with  filth  and  gore. 

"  Nam  simul  expletus  dapibus,  vinoque  sepultus 
Cervicem  inflexam  posuit,  jacuitque  per  antrum 
Immensus,  saniem  eructans,  ac  frusta  cruenta 
Per  somnum  commixta  mere." 

In  the  morning  they  started  for  the  scene  of  the  murder,  with  orders 
to  follow  the  "  rastro,"  or  track,  even  if  it  led  them  to  Chile.  We  sub- 
sequently heard  that  the  wild  Indians  had  escaped  into  the  great 
Pampas,  and  from  some  cause  the  track  had  been  missed.  One  glance 
at  the  rastro  tells  these  people  a  whole  history.  Supposing  they 
examine  the  track  of  a  thousand  horses,  they  will  soon  guess  the  number 
of  mounted  ones  by  seeing  how  many  have  cantered ;  by  the  depth  of 
the  other  impressions,  whether  any  horses  were  loaded  with  cargoes ; 
by  the  irregularity  of  the  footsteps,  how  far  tired  ;  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  food  has  been  cooked,  whether  the  pursued  travelled  in 
haste ;  by  the  general  appearance,  how  long  it  has  been  since  they 
passed.  They  consider  a  rastro  of  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  quite  recent 
enough  to  be  hunted  out.  We  also  heard  that  Miranda  struck  from 
the  west  end  of  the  Sierra  Ventana,  in  a  direct  line  to  the  island  of 
Cholechel,  situated  seventy  leagues  up  the  Rio  Negro.  This  is  a 
distance  of  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles,  through  a  country 
completely  unknown.  What  other  troops  in  the  world  are  so  indepen- 
dent? With  the  sun  for  their  guide,  mares'  flesh  for  food,  their  saddle- 
cloths for  beds, — as  long  as  there  is  a  little  water,  these  men  would 
penetrate  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  saw  another  troop  of  these  banditti-like 
soldiers  start  on  an  expedition  against  a  tribe  of  Indians  at  the  small 
Salinas,  who  had  been  betrayed  by  a  prisoner  cacique.  The  Spaniard 
who  brought  the  orders  for  this  expedition  was  a  very  intelligent  man. 
He  gave  me  an  account  of  the  last  engagement  at  which  he  was  present 


74  BAHIA  BLANCA.  [CHAP.  v. 

Some  Indians,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners,  gave  information  of  a 
tribe  living  north  of  the  Colorado.  Two  hundred  soldiers  were  sent ; 
and  they  first  discovered  the  Indians  by  a  cloud  of  dust  from  their 
horses'  feet,  as  they  chanced  to  be  travelling.  The  country  was  moun- 
tainous and  wild,  and  it  must  have  been  far  in  the  interior,  for  the 
Cordillera  were  in  sight  The  Indians,  men,  women,  and  children, 
were  about  one  hundred  and  ten  in  number,  and  they  were  nearly  all 
taken  or  killed,  for  the  soldiers  sabre  every  man.  The  Indians  are 
now  so  terrified  that  they  offer  no  resistance  in  a  body,  but  each  flies, 
neglecting  even  his  wife  and  children ;  but  when  overtaken,  like  wild 
animals,  they  fight  against  any  number  to  the  last  moment.  One  dying 
Indian  seized  with  his  teeth  the  thumb  of  his  adversary,  and  allowed 
his  own  eye  to  be  forced  out  sooner  than  relinquish  his  hold.  Another, 
who  was  wounded,  feigned  death,  keeping  a  knife  ready  to  strike  one 
more  fatal  blow.  My  informer  said,  when  he  was  pursuing  an  Indian, 
the  man  cried  out  for  mercy,  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  covertly 
loosing  the  bolas  from  his  waist,  meaning  to  whirl  it  round  his  head 
and  so  strike  his  pursuer.  "  I  however  struck  him  with  my  sabre  to 
the  ground,  and  then  got  off  my  horse,  and  cut  his  throat  with  my 
knife."  This  is  a  dark  picture ;  but  how  much  more  shocking  is  the 
unquestionable  fact,  that  all  the  women  who  appear  above  twenty  years 
old  are  massacred  in  cold  blood !  When  I  exclaimed  that  this  appeared 
rather  inhuman,  he  answered,  "  Why,  what  can  be  done  ?J  They  breed 
so!" 

Every  one  here  is  fully  convinced  that  this  is  the  most  just  war, 
because  it  is  against  barbarians.  Who  would  believe  in  this  age  that 
such  atrocities  could  be  committed  in  a  Christian  civilized  country? 
The  children  of  the  Indians  are  saved,  to  be  sold  or  given  away  as 
servants,  or  rather  slaves  for  as  long  a  time  as  the  owners  can  make 
them  believe  themselves  slaves  ;  but  I  believe  in  their  treatment  there 
is  little  to  complain  of. 

In  the  battle  four  men  ran  away  together.  They  were  pursued,  one 
was  killed,  and  the  other  three  were  taken  alive.  They  turned  out  to 
be  messengers  or  ambassadors  from  a  large  body  of  Indians,  united  in 
the  common  cause  of  defence,  near  the  Cordillera.  The  tribe  to  which 
they  had  been  sent  was  on  the  point  of  holding  a  grand  council ;  the 
feast  of  mares'  flesh  was  ready,  and  the  dance  prepared:  in  the 
morning  the  ambassadors  were  to  have  returned  to  the  Cordillera. 
They  were  remarkably  fine  men,  very  fair,  above  six  feet  high,  and  all 
under  thirty  years  of  age.  The  three  survivors  of  course  possessed 
very  valuable  information ;  and  to  extort  this  they  were  placed  in  a 
line.  The  two  first  being  questioned,  answered,  "No  se"  (I  do  not 
know),  and  were  one  after  the  other  shot.  The  third  also  said,  "  No 
s6 ; "  adding,  "  Fire,  I  am  a  man,  and  can  die ! "  Not  one  syllable 
would  they  breathe  to  injure  the  united  cause  of  their  country  I  The 
conduct  of  the  above-mentioned  cacique  was  very  different :  he  saved 
his  life  by  betraying  the  intended  plan  of  warfare,  and  the  point  of 
union  in  the  Andes.  It  was  believed  that  there  were  already  six  or 
seven  hundred  Indians  together,  and  that  in  summer  their  numbers 


»833.]  CAPTIVE  INDIANS,  7S 

would  be  doubled.  Ambassadors  were  to  have  been  sent  to  the  Indians 
at  the  small  Salinas,  near  Bahia  Blanca,  whom  I  have  mentioned  that 
this  same  cacique  had  betrayed.  The  communication,  therefore,  be- 
tween the  Indians,  extends  from  the  Cordillera  to  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic. 

General  Rosas's  plan  is  to  kill  all  stragglers,  and  having  driven  the 
remainder  to  a  common  point,  to  attack  them  in  a  body,  in  the  summer, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Chilenos.  This  operation  is  to  be  repeated 
for  three  successive  years.  I  imagine  the  summer  is  chosen  as  the 
time  for  the  main  attack,  because  the  plains  are  then  without  water, 
and  the  Indians  can  only  travel  in  particular  directions.  The  escape 
of  the  Indians  to  the  south  of  the  Rio  Negro,  where  in  such  a  vast 
unknown  country  they  would  be  safe,  is  prevented  by  a  treaty  with  the 
Tehuelches  to  this  effect ; — that  Rosas  pays  them  so  much  to  slaughter 
every  Indian  who  passes  to  the  south  of  the  river,  but  if  they  fail  in  so 
doing,  they  themselves  are  to  be  exterminated.  The  war  is  waged 
chiefly  against  the  Indians  near  the  Cordillera  ;  for  many  of  the  tribes 
on  this  eastern  side  are  fighting  with  Rosas.  The  general,  however, 
like  Lord  Chesterfield,  thinking  that  his  friends  may  in  a  future  day 
become  his  enemies,  always  places  them  in  the  front  ranks,  so  that 
their  numbers  may  be  thinned.  Since  leaving  South  America  we  have 
heard  that  this  war  of  extermination  completely  failed. 

Among  the  captive  girls  taken  in  the  same  engagement,  there  were 
two  very  pretty  Spanish  ones,  who  had  been  carried  away  by  the 
Indians  when  young,  and  could  now  only  speak  the  Indian  tongue. 
From  their  account  they  must  have  come  from  Salta,  a  distance  in  a 
straight  line  of  nearly  one  thousand  miles.  This  gives  one  a  grand 
idea  of  the  immense  territory  over  which  the  Indians  roam ;  yet,  great 
as  it  is,  I  think  there  will  not,  in  another  half  century,  be  a  wild  Indian 
northward  of  the  Rio  Negro.  The  warfare  is  too  bloody  to  last ;  the 
Christians  killing  every  Indian,  and  the  Indians  doing  the  same  by  the 
Christians.  It  is  melancholy  to  trace  how  the  Indians  have  given  way 
before  the  Spanish  invaders.  Schirdel  *  says  that  in  1535,  when 
Buenos  Ayres  was  founded,  there  were  villages  containing  two  and 
three  thousand  inhabitants.  Even  in  Falconer's  time  (1750)  the  Indians 
made  inroads  as  far  as  Luxan,  Areco,  and  Arrecife,  but  now  they  are 
driven  beyond  the  Salado.  Not  only  have  whole  tribes  been  exter- 
minated, but  the  remaining  Indians  have  become  more  barbarous : 
instead  of  living  in  large  villages,  and  being  employed  in  the  arts  of 
fishing,  as  well  as  of  the  chase,  they  now  wander  about  the  open  plains, 
without  home  or  fixed  occupation. 

I  heard  also  some  account  of  an  engagement  which  took  place,  a  few 
weeks  previously  to  the  one  mentioned,  at  Cholechel.  This  is  a  very 
important  station  on  account  of  being  a  pass  for  horses  ;  and  it  was,  in 
consequence,  for  some  time  the  head-quarters  of  a  division  of  the  army. 
When  the  troops  first  arrived  there  they  found  a  tribe  of  Indians,  of 
whom  they  killed  twenty  or  thirty.  The  cacique  escaped  in  a  manner 
which  astonished  every  one.  The  chief  Indians  always  have  one  of 
*  Pvirchas's  "Collection  of  Voyages."  I  believe  the  date  was  really  153^, 


76  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO  BUENOS  AYRES.       [CHAP.  vi. 

two  picked  horses,  which  they  keep  ready  for  any  urgent  occasion.  On 
one  of  these,  an  old  white  horse,  the  cacique  sprung,  taking  with  him 
his  Hi  tie  son.  The  horse  had  neither  saddle  nor  bridle.  To  avoid  the 
shots,  the  Indian  rode  in  the  peculiar  method  of  his  nation ;  namely, 
with  an  arm  round  the  horse's  neck,  and  one  leg  only  on  its  back. 
Thus  hanging  on  one  side,  he  was  seen  patting  the  horse's  head,  and 
talking  to  him.  The  pursuers  urged  every  effort  in  the  chase;  the 
Commandant  three  times  changed  his  horse,  but  all  in  vain.  The  old 
Indian  father  and  his  son  escaped,  and  were  free.  What  a  fine  picture 
one  can  form  in  one's  mind, — the  naked,  bronze-like  figure  of  the  old 
man  with  his  little  boy,  riding  like  a  Mazeppa  on  the  white  horse,  thus 
leaving  far  behind  him  the  host  of  his  pursuers  ! 

I  saw  one  day  a  soldier  striking  fire  with  a  piece  of  flint,  which  I 
immediately  recognized  as  having  been  a  part  of  the  head  of  an  arrow. 
He  told  me  it  was  found  near  the  island  of  Cholechel,  and  that  they 
are  frequently  picked  up  there.  It  was  between  two  and  three  inches 
long,  and  therefore  twice  as  large  as  those  now  used  in  Tierra  del 
Fuego :  it  was  made  of  opaque  cream-coloured  flint,  but  the  point  and 
barbs  had  been  intentionally  broken  off.  It  is  well  known  that  no 
Pampas  Indians  now  use  bows  and  arrows.  I  believe  a  small  tribe  in 
Banda  Oriental  must  be  excepted  ;  but  they  are  widely  separated  from 
the  Pampas  Indians,  and  border  close  on  those  tribes  that  inhabit  the 
forest,  and  live  on  foot.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  these  arrow-heads 
are  antiquarian  *  relics  of  the  Indians,  before  the  great  change  in  habits 
consequent  on  the  introduction  of  the  horse  into  South  America. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BAHIA  BLANCA  TO  BUENOS  AYRES. 

Set  out  for  Buenos  Ayres — Rio  Sauce — Sierra  Ventana — Third  Posta — 
Driving  Horses — Bolas — Partridges  and  Foxes — Features  of  the 
Country — Long-legged  Plover — Teru-tero — Hail  Storm — Natural  En- 
closures in  the  Sierra  Tapalguen — Flesh  of  .Puma — Meat  Diet — Guardia 
del  Monte — Effects  of  Cattle  on  the  Vegetation — Cardoon — Buenos  Ayres 
— Corral  where  Cattle  are  slaughtered. 

September  ^>lh. — I  HIRED  a  Gaucho  to  accompany  me  on  my  ride  to 
Buenos  Ayres,  though  with  some  difficulty,  as  the  father  of  one  man  was 
afraid  to  let  him  go,  and  another,  who  seemed  willing,  was  described  to 
me  as  so  fearful,  that  I  was  afraid  to  take  him,  for  I  was  told  that  even 
if  he  saw  an  ostrich  at  a  distance,  he  would  mistake  it  for  an  Indian, 
and  would  fly  like  the  wind  away.  The  distance  to  Buenos  Ayres  is 
about  four  hundred  miles,  and  nearly  the  whole  way  through  an  unin- 
habited country.  We  started  early  in  the  morning ;  ascending  a  few 
*  Azara  has  even  doubted  whether  the  Pampas  Indians  ever  used  bows. 


I833-]  SIERRA   VENTANA.  77 

hundred  feet  from  the  basin  of  green  turf  on  which  Bahia  Blanca  stands, 
we  entered  on  a  wide  desolate  plain.  It  consists  of  a  crumbling 
argillaceo-calcareous  rock,  which,  from  the  dry  nature  of  the  climate, 
supports  only  scattered  tufts  of  withered  grass,  without  a  single  bush  or 
tree  to  break  the  monotonous  uniformity.  The  weather  was  fine,  bu' 
the  atmosphere  remarkably  hazy ;  I  thought  the  appearance  forebodea 
a  gale,  but  the  Gauchos  said  it  was  owing  to  the  plain,  at  some  great 
distance  in  the  interior,  being  on  fire.  After  a  long  gallop,  having 
changed  horses  twice,  we  reached  the  Rio  Sauce :  it  is  a  deep,  rapid, 
little  stream,  not  above  twenty-five  feet  wide.  The  second  posta  on  the 
road  to  Buenos  Ayres  stands  on  its  banks;  a  little  above  there  is  a 
ford  for  horses,  where  the  water  does  not  reach  to  the  horses'  belly  ; 
but  from  that  point,  in  its  course  to  the  sea,  it  is  quite  impassable,  and 
hence  makes  a  most  useful  barrier  against  the  Indians. 

Insignificant  as  this  stream  is,  the  Jesuit  Falconer,  whose  information 
is  generally  so  very  correct,  figures  it  as  a  considerable  river,  rising  at 
the  foot  of  the  Cordillera.  With  respect  to  its  source,  I  do  not  doubi 
that  this  is  the  case ;  for  the  Gauchos  assured  me,  that  in  the  middle  ot 
the  dry  summer,  this  stream,  at  the  same  time  with  the  Colorado,  has 
periodical  floods ;  which  can  only  originate  in  the  snow  melting  on  the 
Andes.  It  is  extremely  improbable  that  a  stream  so  small  as  the  Sauce 
then  was,  should  traverse  the  entire  width  of  the  continent ;  and  indeed, 
if  it  were  the  residue  of  a  large  river,  its  waters,  as  in  other  ascertained 
cases,  would  be  saline.  During  the  winter  we  must  look  to  the  springs 
round  the  Sierra  Ventana  as  the  source  of  its  pure  and  limpid  stream. 
I  suspect  the  plains  of  Patagonia,  like  those  of  Australia,  are  traversed 
by  many  water-courses,  which  only  perform  their  proper  parts  at  certain 
periods.  -'robably  this  is  the  case  with  the  water  which  flows  into  the 
head  of  Port  Desire,  and  likewise  with  the  Rio  Chupat,  on  the  banks  of 
which  masses  of  highly  cellular  scoriae  were  found  by  the  officers 
employed  in  the  survey. 

As  it  was  early  in  the  afternoon  when  we  arrived,  we  took  fresh 
horses,  and  a  soldier  for  a  guide,  and  started  for  the  Sierra  de  la 
Ventana.  This  mountain  is  visible  from  the  anchorage  at  Bahia  Blanca  ; 
and  Captain  Fitz  Roy  calculates  its  height  to  be  3,340  feet — an  altitude 
very  remarkable  on  this  eastern  side  of  the  continent.  I  am  not  aware 
that  any  foreigner,  previous  to  my  visit,  had  ascended  this  mountain ; 
and  indeed  very  few  of  the  soldiers  at  Bahia  Blarca  knew  anything 
about  it.  Hence  we  heard  of  beds  of  coal,  of  gold  and  silver,  of  caves, 
and  of  forests,  all  of  which  inflamed  my  curiosity,  only  to  disappoint  it. 
The  distance  from  the  posta  was  about  six  leagues,  over  a  level  plain  of 
the  same  character  as  before.  The  ride  was,  however,  interesting,  as 
the  mountain  began  to  show  its  true  form.  When  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  main  ridge,  we  had  much  difficulty  in  finding  any  water,  and  we 
thought  we  should  have  been  obliged  to  have  passed  the  night  without 
any.  At  last  we  discovered  some  by  looking  close  to  the  mountain,  for 
at  the  distance  even  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  the  streamlets  were  buried 
and  entirely  lost  in  the  friable  calcareous  stone  and  loose  detritus.  I  do 
not  think  Nature  ever  made  a  more  solitary,  desolate  pile  of  rock ; — it 


•ft  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO  BUENOS  AYRES.        (CHAP.  vx. 

well  deserves  its  name  of  Hurtado,  or  separated.  The  mountain  is  steep, 
extremely  rugged,  and  broken,  and  so  entirely  destitute  of  trees,  and 
even  bushes,  that  we  actually  could  not  make  a  skewer  to  stretch  out 
our  meat  over  the  fire  of  thistle-stalks.*  The  strange  aspect  of  this 
mountain  is  contrasted  by  the  sea-like  plain,  which  not  only  abuts 
against  its  steep  sides,  but  likewise  separates  the  parallel  ranges.  The 
uniformity  of  the  colouring  gives  an  extreme  quietness  to  the  view  ;— 
the  whitish-grey  of  the  quartz  rock,  and  the  light  brown  of  the  withered 
grass  of  the  plain,  being  unrelieved  by  any  brighter  tint.  From  custom 
one  expects  to  see  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  lofty  and  bold  mountain, 
a  broken  country  strewed  over  with  huge  fragments.  Here  nature 
shows  that  the  last  movement  before  the  bed  of  the  sea  is  changed  into 
dry  land  may  sometimes  be  one  of  tranquillity.  Under  these  circum- 
stances I  was  curious  to  observe  how  far  from  the  parent  rock  any 
pebbles  could  be  found.  On  the  shores  of  Bahia  Blanca,  and  near  the 
settlement,  there  were  some  of  quartz,  which  certainly  must  have  come 
from  this  source :  the  distance  is  forty-five  miles. 

The  dew,  which  in  the  early  part  of  the  night  wetted  the  saddle-cloths 
under  which  we  slept,  was  in  the  morning  frozen.  The  plain,  though 
appearing  horizontal,  had  insensibly  sloped  up  to  a  height  of  between 
800  and  900  feet  above  the  sea.  In  the  morning  (gth  of  September)  the 
guide  told  me  to  ascend  the  nearest  ridge,  which  he  thought  would  lead 
me  to  the  four  peaks  that  crown  the  summit  The  climbing  up  such 
rough  rocks  was  very  fatiguing ;  the  sides  were  so  indented,  that  what 
was  gained  in  one  five  minutes  was  often  lost  in  the  next.  At  last, 
when  I  reached  the  ridge,  my  disappointment  was  extreme  in  finding  a 
precipitous  valley  as  deep  as  the  plain,  which  cut  the  chain  transversely 
in  two,  and  separated  me  from  the  four  points.  This  valley  is  very 
narrow,  but  flat-bottomed,  and  it  forms  a  fine  horse-pass  for  the  Indians, 
as  it  connects  the  plains  on  the  northern  and  southern  sides  of  the 
range.  Having  descended,  and  while  crossing  it,  I  saw  two  horses 
grazing:  I  immediately  hid  myself  in  the  long  grass,  and  began  to 
reconnoitre;  but  as  I  could  see  no  signs  of  Indians  I  proceeded 
cautiously  on  my  second  ascent.  It  was  late  in  the  day,  and  this  part 
of  the  mountain,  like  the  other,  was  steep  and  rugged.  I  was  on  the 
top  of  the  second  peak  by  two  o'clock,  but  got  there  with  extreme 
difficulty ;  every  twenty  yards  I  had  the  cramp  in  the  upper  part  of 
both  thighs,  so  that  I  was  afraid  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  have 
got  down  again.  It  was  also  necessary  to  return  by  another  road, 
as  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  pass  over  the  saddle-back.  I  was 
therefore  obliged  to  give  up  the  two  higher  peaks.  Their  altitude  was 
but  little  greater,  and  every  purpose  of  geology  had  been  answered ; 
so  that  the  attempt  was  not  worth  the  hazard  of  any  further  exertion. 
I  presume  the  cause  of  the  cramp  was  the  great  change  in  the  kind 
of  muscular  action,  from  that  of  hard  riding  to  that  of  still  harder 
climbing.  It  is  a  lesson  worth  remembering,  as  in  some  cases  it  might 
cause  much  difficulty. 

•  I  call  these  thistle-stalks  for  the  want  of  a  more  correct  name.  I  believ? 
k  is  a  species  of  Eryngiunx  - 


i$33-i  SIERRA   VENtANA.  7$ 

I  have  already  said  the  mountain  is  composed  of  white  quartz  rock, 
and  with  it  a  little  glossy  clay-slate  is  associated.  At  the  height  of  a 
few  hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  patches  of  conglomerate  adhered  m 
several  places  to  the  solid  rock.  They  resembled  in  hardness,  and  in 
the  nature  of  the  cement,  the  masses  which  may  be  seen  daily  forming 
on  some  coasts.  I  do  not  doubt  these  pebbles  were  in  a  similar 
manner  aggregated,  fit  a  period  when  the  great  calcareous  formation 
was  depositing  beneath  the  surrounding  sea.  We  may  believe  that  the 
jagged  and  battered  forms  of  the  hard  quartz  yet  show  the  effects  of 
the  waves  of  an  open  ocean. 

I  was,  on  the  whole,  disappointed  with  this  ascent.  Even  the  view 
was  insignificant ; — a  plain  like  the  sea,  but  without  its  beautiful  colour 
and  defined  outline.  The  scene,  however,  was  novel,  and  a  little 
danger,  like  salt  to  meat,  gave  it  a  relish.  That  the  danger  was  very 
little  was  certain,  for  my  two  companions  made  a  good  fire — a  thing 
which  is  never  done  when  it  is  suspected  that  Indians  are  near.  I 
reached  the  place  of  our  bivouac  by  sunset,  and  drinking  much  mat6, 
and  smoking  several  cigaritos,  soon  made  up  my  bed  for  the  night.  The 
wind  was  very  strong  and  cold,  but  I  never  slept  more  comfortably. 

September  loth. — In  the  morning,  having  fairly  scudded  before  the 
gale,  we  arrived  by  the  middle  of  the  day  at  the  Sauce  posta.  On  the 
road  we  saw  great  numbers  of  deer,  and  near  the  mountain  a  guanaco. 
The  plain,  which  abuts  against  the  Sierra,  is  traversed  by  some  curious 
gulleys,  of  which  one  was  about  twenty  feet  wide,  and  at  least  thirty 
deep  ;  we  were  obliged  in  consequence  to  make  a  considerable  circuit 
before  we  could  find  a  pass.  We  stayed  the  night  at  the  posta,  the 
conversation,  as  was  generally  the  case,  being  about  the  Indians.  The 
Sierra  Ventana  was  formerly  a  great  place  of  resort ;  and  three  or  four 
years  ago  there  was  much  righting  there.  My  guide  had  been  present 
when  many  Indians  were  killed :  the  women  escaped  to  the  top  oi 
the  ridge,  and  fought  most  desperately  with  great  stones ;  many  thus 
saving  themselves. 

September  nth. — Proceeded  to  the  third  posta  in  company  with  the 
lieutenant  who  commanded  it.  The  distance  is  called  fifteen  leagues ; 
but  it  is  only  guess  work,  and  is  generally  overstated.  The  road  was 
uninteresting,  over  a  dry  grassy  plain;  and  on  our  left  hand  at  a 
greater  or  less  distance  there  were  some  low  hills ;  a  continuation  of 
which  we  crossed  close  to  the  posta.  Before  our  arrival  we  met  a 
large  herd  of  cattle  and  horses,  guarded  by  fifteen  soldiers ;  but  we 
were  told  many  had  been  lost.  It  is  very  difficult  to  drive  animals 
across  the  plains  ;  for  if  in  the  night  a  puma,  or  even  a  fox,  approaches, 
nothing  can  prevent  the  horses  dispersing  in  every  direction ;  and  a 
storm  will  have  the  same  effect.  A  short  time  since,  an  officer  left 
Buenos  Ayres  with  five  hundred  horses,  and  when  he  arrived  at  the 
army  he  had  under  twenty. 

Soon  afterwards  we  perceived,  by  the  cloud  of  dust,  that  a  party  of 
horsemen  were  coming  toward  us ;  when  far  distant  my  companions 
knew  them  to  be  Indians  by  their  long  hair  streaming  behind  their 
tacks.  The  Indians  generally  have  a  fillet  round  their  heads,  but 


8o  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO  BUENOS  AYRES.       [CHAP,  n, 

never  any  covering  ;  and  their  black  hair  blowing  across  their  swarthy 
faces,  heightens  to  an  uncommon  degree  the  wildness  of  their  appear- 
ance. They  turned  out  to  be  a  party  of  Bernantio's  friendly  tribe, 
going  to  a  salina  for  salt.  The  Indians  eat  much  salt,  their  children 
sucking  it  like  sugar.  This  habit  is  very  different  from  that  of  the 
Spanish  Gauchos,  who,  leading  the  same  kind  of  life,  eat  scarcely 
any:  according  to  Mungo  Park,*  it  is  people  who  live  on  vegetable 
food  who  have  an  unconquerable  desire  for  salt.  The  Indians  gave 
us  good-humoured  nods  as  they  passed  at  full  gallop,  driving  before 
them  a  troop  of  horses,  and  followed  by  a  train  of  lanky  dogs. 

September  12th  and  i^th. — I  stayed  at  this  posta  two  days  waiting  for 
a  troop  of  soldiers,  which  General  Rosas  had  the  kindness  to  send  to 
inform  me,  would  shortly  travel  to  Buenos  Ayres  ;  and  he  advised  me 
to  take  the  opportunity  of  the  escort.  In  the  morning  we  rode  to  some 
neighbouring  hills  to  view  the  country,  and  to  examine  the  geology. 
After  dinner  the  soldiers  divided  themselves  into  two  parties  for  a  trial 
of  skill  with  the  bolas.  Two  spears  were  stuck  in  the  ground  thirty-five 
yards  apart,  but  they  were  struck  and  entangled  only  once  in  four  or 
five  times.  The  balls  can  be  thrown  fifty  or  sixty  yards,  but  with  little 
certainty.  This,  however,  does  not  apply  to  a  man  on  horseback ;  for 
when  the  speed  of  the  horse  is  added  to  the  force  of  the  arm,  it  is  said, 
that  they  can  be  whirled  with  effect  to  the  distance  of  eighty  yards. 
As  a  proof  of  their  force  I  may  mention,  that  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 
when  the  Spaniards  murdered  some  of  their  own  countrymen  and  all 
the  Englishmen,  a  young  friendly  Spaniard  was  running  away,  when  a 
great  tall  man,  by  name  Luciano,  came  at  full  gallop  after  him,  shouting 
to  him  to  stop,  and  saying  that  he  only  wanted  to  speak  to  him.  Just 
as  the  Spaniard  was  on  the  point  of  reaching  the  boat,  Luciano  threw 
the  balls ;  they  struck  him  on  the  legs  with  such  a  jerk,  as  to  throw 
him  down  and  to  render  him  for  some  time  insensible.  The  man,  after 
Luciano  had  had  his  talk,  was  allowed  to  escape.  He  told  us  that  his 
legs  were  marked  by  great  weals,  where  the  thong  had  wound  round,  as 
if  he  had  been  flogged  with  a  whip.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  two  men 
arrived,  who  brought  a  parcel  from  the  next  posta  to  be  forwarded  to 
the  general :  so  that  besides  these  two,  our  party  consisted  this  evening 
of  my  guide  and  self,  the  lieutenant,  and  his  four  soldiers.  The  latter 
were  strange  beings  ;  the  first  a  fine  young  negro ;  the  second  half 
Indian  and  negro ;  and  the  two  others  nondescripts ;  namely,  an  old 
Chilian  miner,  the  colour  of  mahogany,  and  another  partly  a  mulatto ; 
but  two  such  mongrels,  with  such  detestable  expressions,  I  never  saw 
before.  At  night,  when  they  were  sitting  round  the  fire,  and  playing  at 
cards,  I  retired  to  view  such  a  Salvator  Rosa  scene.  They  were  seated 
under  a  low  cliff,  so  that  I  could  look  down  upon  them ;  around  the 
party  were  lying  dogs,  arms,  remnants  of  deer  and  ostriches  ;  and  their 
long  spears  were  stuck  in  the  turf.  Further  in  the  dark  background, 
their  horses  were  tied  up,  ready  for  any  sudden  danger.  If  the  stillness 
of  the  desolate  plain  was  broken  by  one  of  the  dogs  barking,  a  soldier, 
leaving  the  fire,  would  place  his  head  close  to  the  ground,  and  thus 
•  "Travels  in  Africa,"  p.  233. 


I833-]  PARTRIDGES  AND  FOXES.  81 

slowly  scan  the  horizon.  Even  if  the  noisy  teru-tero  uttered  its 
scream,  there  would  be  a  pause  in  the  conversation,  and  every  head, 
for  a  moment,  a  little  inclined. 

What  a  life  of  misery  these  men  appear  to  us  to  lead !  They  were 
at  least  ten  leagues  from  the  Sauce  posta,  and  since  the  murder 
committed  by  the  Indians,  twenty  from  another.  The  Indians  are 
supposed  to  have  made  their  attack  in  the  middle  of  the  night ;  for  very 
early  in  the  morning  after  the  murder,  they  were  luckily  seen  approach- 
ing this  posta.  The  whole  party  here,  however,  escaped,  together  with 
the  troop  of  horses ;  each  one  taking  a  line  for  himself,  and  driving 
with  him  as  many  animals  as  he  was  able  to  manage. 

The  little  hovel,  built  of  thistle-stalks,  in  which  they  slept,  neither 
kept  out  the  wind  or  rain  ;  indeed  in  the  latter  case  the  only  effect  the 
roof  had  was  to  condense  it  into  larger  drops.  They  had  nothing  to 
eat  excepting  what  they  could  catch,  such  as  ostriches,  deer,  armadilloes, 
etc.,  and  their  only  fuel  was  the  dry  stalks  of  a  small  plant,  somewhat 
resembling  an  aloe.  The  sole  luxury  which  these  men  enjoyed  was 
smoking  the  little  paper  cigars,  and  sucking  mate.  I  used  to  think  that 
the  carrion  vultures,  man's  constant  attendants  on  these  dreary  plains, 
while  seated  on  the  little  neighbouring  cliffs,  seemed  by  their  very 
patience  to  say,  "  Ah !  when  the  Indians  come  we  shall  have  a  feast." 

In  the  morning  we  all  sallied  forth  to  hunt,  and  although  we  had  not 
much  success,  there  were  some  animated  chases.  Soon  after  starting 
the  party  separated,  and  so  arranged  their  plans,  that  at  a  certain  time 
of  the  day  (in  guessing  which  they  show  much  skill)  they  should  all 
meet  from  different  points  of  the  compass  on  a  plain  piece  of  ground, 
and  thus  drive  together  the  wild  animals.  One  day  I  went  out  hunting 
at  Bahia  Blanca,  but  the  men  there  merely  rode  in  a  crescent,  each 
being  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  apart  from  the  other.  A  fine  male 
ostrich  being  turned  by  the  headmost  riders,  tried  to  escape  on  one 
side.  The  Gauchos  pursued  at  a  reckless  pace,  twisting  their  horses 
about  with  the  most  admirable  command,  and  each  man  whirling  the 
balls  round  his  head.  At  length  the  foremost  threw  them,  revolving 
through  the  air  ;  in  an  instant  the  ostrich  roll=*i  over  and  over,  its  legs 
fairly  lashed  together  by  the  thong. 

The  plains  abound  with  three  kinds  of  partridge,*  two  of  which  are 
as  large  as  hen  pheasants.  Their  destroyer,  a  small  and  pretty  fox, 
was  also  singularly  numerous ;  in  the  course  of  the  day  we  could  not 
have  seen  less  than  forty  or  fifty.  They  were  generally  near  their 
earths,  but  the  dogs  killed  one.  When  we  returned  to  the  posta,  we 
found  two  of  the  party  returned  who  had  been  hunting  by  themselves. 
They  had  killed  a  puma,  and  had  found  an  ostrich's  nest  with  twenty- 
seven  eggs  in  it.  Each  of  these  is  said  to  equal  in  weight  eleven  hens' 
eggs ;  so  that  we  obtained  from  this  one  nest  as  much  food  as  two 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  hens'  eggs  would  have  given. 

September  \\th. — As  the  soldiers  belonging  to  the  next  posta  meant 
to  return,  and  we  should  together  make  a  party  of  five,  and  all  armed, 

*  Two  species  of  Tinamus,  and  Eudromia  elegans  of  A.  d'Orbigny,  which 
can  only  be  called  a  partridge  with  regard  to  its  habits. 


fc  &AtttA  BLANCA   fO  BtfSffiS  AYRES. 

I  determined  not  to  wait  for  the  expected  troops.  My  host,  the  lieu- 
tenant, pressed  me  much  to  stop.  As  he  had  been  very  obliging — not 
only  providing  me  with  food,  but  lending  me  his  private  horses — I 
wanted  to  make  him  some  remuneration.  I  asked  my  guide  whether 
I  might  do  so,  but  he  told  me  certainly  not ;  that  the  only  answer  I 
should  receive,  probably  would  be,  "  We  have  meat  for  the  dogs  in  our 
country,  and  therefore  do  not  grudge  it  to  a  Christian."  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  such  an  army  would  at  all 
prevent  the  acceptance  of  payment ;  it  was  only  the  high  sense  of  hos- 
pitality, which  every  traveller  is  bound  to  acknowledge  as  nearly 
universal  throughout  these  provinces.  After  galloping  some  leagues, 
we  came  to  a  low  swampy  country,  which  extends  for  nearly  eighty 
miles  northward,  as  far  as  the  Sierra  Tapalguen.  In  some  parts  there 
were  fine  damp  plains,  covered  with  grass,  while  others  had  a  soft, 
black,  and  peaty  soil.  There  were  also  many  extensive  but  shallow 
lakes,  and  large  beds  of  reeds.  The  country  on  the  whole  resembled 
the  better  parts  of  the  Cambridgeshire  fens.  At  night  we  had  some 
difficulty  in  finding,  amidst  the  swamps,  a  dry  place  for  our  bivouac. 

September  I  ^th. — Rose  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  shortly  after 
passed  the  posta  where  the  Indians  had  murdered  the  five  soldiers. 
The  officer  had  eighteen  chuzo  wounds  in  his  body.  By  the  middle  of 
the  day,  after  a  hard  gallop,  we  reached  the  fifth  posta :  on  account  ot 
some  difficulty  in  procuring  horses  we  stayed  there  the  night.  As  this 
point  was  the  most  exposed  on  the  whole  line,  twenty-one  soldiers 
were  stationed  here ;  at  sunset  they  returned  from  hunting,  bringing 
with  them  seven  deer,  three  ostriches,  and  many  armadilloes  and 
partridges.  When  riding  through  the  country,  it  is  a  common  practice 
to  set  fire  to  the  plain ;  and  hence  at  night,  as  on  this  occasion,  the 
horizon  was  illuminated  in  several  places  by  brilliant  conflagrations. 
This  is  done  partly  for  the  sake  of  puzzling  any  stray  Indians,  but 
chiefly  for  improving  the  pasture.  In  grassy  plains  unoccupied  by  the 
larger  ruminating  quadrupeds,  it  seems  necessary  to  remove  the  supei- 
fluous  vegetation  by  fire,  so  as  to  render  the  new  year's  growth 
serviceable. 

The  rancho  at  this  place  did  not  boast  even  of  a  roof,  but  merely  con- 
sisted of  a  ring  of  thistle-stalks,  to  break  the  force  of  the  wind.  It  was 
situated  on  the  borders  of  an  extensive  but  shallow  lake,  swarming 
with  wild  fowl,  among  which  the  black-necked  swan  was  conspicuous. 

The  kind  of  plover,  which  appears  as  if  mounted  on  stilts  (Himan- 
topus  nigricollis),  is  here  common  in  flocks  of  considerable  size.  It  has 
been  wrongfully  accused  of  inelegance ;  when  wading  about  in  shallow 
water,  which  is  its  favourite  resort,  its  gait  is  far  from  awkward.  These 
birds  in  a  flock  utter  a  noise,  that  singularly  resembles  the  cry  of  a 
pack  of  small  dogs  in  full  chase :  waking  in  the  night.  I  have  more  than 
once  been  for  a  moment  startled  at  the  distant  sound.  The  teru-tero 
(Vanellus  cayanus)  is  another  bird,  which  often  disturbs  the  stillness  of 
the  night.  In  appearance  and  habits  it  resembles  in  many  respects  our 
peewits ;  its  wings,  however,  are  armed  with  sharp  spurs,  line  those  on 
the  legs  of  the  common  cock.  As  our  peewit  takes  its  name  from  the 


1833.]  A   VIOLENT  HAIL-STORM.  83 

sound  of  its  voice,  so  does  the  teru-tero.  While  riding  over  the  grassy 
plains,  one  is  constantly  pursued  by  these  birds,  which  appear  to  hate 
mankind,  and  I  am  sure  deserve  to  be  hated  for  their  never-ceasing, 
unvaried,  harsh  screams.  To  the  sportsman  they  are  most  annoying, 
by  telling  every  other  bird  and  animal  of  his  approach  ;  to  the  traveller 
in  the  country,  they  may  possibly,  as  Molina  says,  do  good,  by  warning 
him  of  the  midnight  robber.  During  the  breeding  season,  they  attempt, 
like  our  peewits,  by  feigning  to  be  wounded,  to  draw  away  from  their 
nests  dogs  and  other  enemies.  The  eggs  of  this  bird  are  esteemed 
a  great  delicacy. 

September  i6th.—To  the  seventh  posta  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Tapalguen.  The  country  was  quite  level,  with  a  coarse  herbage  and 
a  soft  peaty  soil  The  hovel  was  here  remarkably  neat,  the  posts 
and  rafters  being  made  of  about  a  dozen  dry  thistle-stalks  bound 
together  with  thongs  of  hide ;  and  by  the  support  of  these  Ionic-like 
columns,  the  roof  and  sides  were  thatched  with  reeds.  We  were  here 
told  a  fact,  which  I  would  not  have  credited,  if  I  had  not  had  partly 
ocular  proof  of  it ;  namely,  that,  during  the  previous  night,  hail  as  large 
as  small  apples,  and  extremely  hard,  had  fallen  with  such  violence,  as 
to  kill  the  greater  number  of  the  wild  animals.  One  of  the  men  had 
already  found  thirteen  deer  (Cervus  campestris)  lying  dead,  and  I  saw 
their  fresh  hides  ;  another  of  the  party,  a  few  minutes  after  my  arrival, 
brought  in  seven  more.  Now  I  well  know,  that  one  man  without  dogs 
could  hardly  have  killed  seven  deer  in  a  week.  The  men  believed 
they  had  seen  about  fifteen  dead  ostriches  (part  of  one  of  which  we 
had  for  dinner)  j  and  they  said  that  several  were  running  about  evidently 
blind  in  one  eye.  Numbers  of  smaller  birds,  as  ducks,  hawks,  and 
partridges,  were  killed.  I  saw  one  of  the  latter  with  a  black  mark  on 
its  back,  as  if  it  had  been  struck  with  a  paving-stone.  A  fence  of 
thistle-stalks  round  the  hovel  was  nearly  broken  down,  and  my  informer, 
putting  his  head  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  received  a  severe  cut, 
and  now  wore  a  bandage.  The  storm  was  said  to  have  been  of  limited 
extent :  xve  certainly  saw  from  our  last  night's  bivouac  a  dense  cloud 
and  lightning  in  this  direction.  It  is  marvellous  how  such  strong 
animals  as  deer  could  thus  have  been  killed ;  but  I  have  no  doubt, 
from  the  evidence  I  have  given,  that  the  story  is  not  in  the  least 
exaggerated.  I  am  glad,  however,  to  have  its  credibility  supported  by 
the  Jesuit  Drobrizhoffer,*  who,  speaking  of  a  country  much  to  the 
northward,  says,  hail  fell  of  an  enormous  size  and  killed  vast  numbers 
of  cattle  :  the  Indians  hence  called  the  place  Lalegraicavaka,  meaning 
"the  little  white  things."  Dr.  Malcolmson,  also,  informs  me  that  he 
witnessed  in  1831  in  India,  a  hail-storm,  which  killed  numbers  of  large 
birds  and  much  injured  the  cattle.  These  hail-stones  were  flat,  and 
one  was  ten  inches  in  circumference,  and  another  weighed  two  ounces. 
They  ploughed  up  a  gravel-walk  like  musket-balls,  and  passed  through 
glass-windows,  making  round  holes,  but  not  cracking  them. 

Having  finished  our  dinner  of  hail-stricken  meat,  we  crossed  the 
Sierra  Tapalguen ;  a  low  range  of  hills,  a  few  hundred  feet  in  height| 
*  "  IlUtory  of  the  Abipones,"  vol.  it,  p.  6, 


84  BAHIA  BLANCA   TO  BUENOS  AYRES.        [CHAP.  VL 

which  commences  at  Cape  Corrientes.  The  rock  in  this  part  is  pure 
quartz ;  further  eastward  I  understand  it  is  granitic.  The  hills  are  ol 
a  remarkable  form ;  they  consist  of  flat  patches  of  table-land,  surrounded 
by  low  perpendicular  cliffs,  like  the  outliers  of  a  sedimentary  deposit 
The  hill  which  I  ascended  was  very  small,  not  above  a  couple  ol 
hundred  yards  in  diameter  ;  but  I  saw  others  larger.  One  which  goes 
by  the  name  of  the  "  Corral,"  is  said  to  be  two  or  three  miles  in 
diameter,  and  encompassed  by  perpendicular  cliffs  between  thirty  and 
forty  feet  high,  excepting  at  one  spot,  where  the  entrance  lies. 
Falconer  *  gives  a  curious  account  of  the  Indians  driving  troops  of 
wild  horses  into  it,  and  then  by  guarding  the  entrance,  keeping  them 
secure.  I  have  never  heard  of  any  other  instance  of  table-land  in  a 
formation  of  quartz,  and  which,  in  the  hill  I  examined,  had  neither 
cleavage  nor  stratification.  I  was  told  that  the  rock  of  the  "  Corral " 
was  white,  and  would  strike  fire. 

We  did  not  reach  the  posta  on  the  Rio  Tapalguen  till  after  it  was 
dark.  At  supper,  from  something  which  was  said,  I  was  suddenly 
struck  with  horror  at  thinking  that  I  was  eating  one  of  the  favourite 
dishes  of  the  country,  namely,  a  half-formed  calf,  long  before  its  proper 
time  of  birth.  It  turned  out  to  be  Puma  ;  the  meat  is  very  white,  and 
remarkably  like  veal  in  taste.  Dr.  Shaw  was  laughed  at  for  stating 
that  "the  flesh  of  the  lion  is  in  great  esteem,  having  no  small  affinity 
with  veal,  both  in  colour,  taste,  and  flavour.'1  Such  certainly  is  the  case 
with  the  Puma.  The  Gauchos  differ  in  their  opinion,  whether  the 
Jaguar  is  good  eating,  but  are  unanimous  in  saying  that  cat  is  excellent. 

September  17 ih. — We  followed  the  course  of  the  Rio  Tapalguen, 
through  a  very  fertile  country,  to  the  ninth  posta.  Tapalguen  itself,  or 
the  town  of  Tapalguen,  if  it  may  be  so  called,  consists  of  a  perfectly 
level  plain,  studded  over,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  with  the  toldos, 
or  oven-shaped  huts  of  the  Indians.  The  families  of  the  friendly 
Indians,  who  were  fighting  on  the  side  of  Rosas,  resided  here.  We 
met  and  passed  many  young  Indian  women,  riding  by  two  or  three 
together  on  the  same  horse ;  they,  as  well  as  many  of  the  young  men, 
were  strikingly  handsome, — their  fine  ruddy  complexions  being  the 
picture  of  health.  Besides  the  toldos,  there  were  three  ranchos ;  one 
inhabited  by  the  Commandant,  and  the  two  others  by  Spaniards  with 
small  shops. 

We  were  here  able  to  buy  some  biscuit.  I  had  now  been  several 
days  without  tasting  anything  besides  meat :  I  did  not  at  all  dislike 
this  new  regimen ;  but  I  felt  as  if  it  would  only  have  agreed  with  me 
with  hard  exercise.  I  have  heard  that  patients  in  England,  when 
desired  to  confine  themselves  exclusively  to  an  animal  diet,  even  with 
the  hope  of  life  before  their  eyes,  have  hardly  been  able  to  endure  it. 
Yet  the  Gaucho  in  the  Pampas,  for  months  together,  touches  nothing 
but  beef.  But  they  eat,  I  observe,  a  very  large  proportion  of  fat,  which 
is  of  a  less  animalized  nature  ;  and  they  particularly  dislike  dry  meat, 
such  as  that  of  the  Agouti.  Dr.  Richardson,f  also,  has  remarked, 
*  Falconer's  "  Patagonia,"  p.  70. 
f  "  Fauna  Boreaii- Americana,"  vol.  i.,  p.  35. 


1833- J  MEAT  DIET.  85 

"  that  when  people  have  fed  for  a  long  time  solely  upon  lean  animal 
food,  the  desire  for  fat  becomes  so  insatiable,  that  they  can  consume  a 
large  quantity  of  unmixed  and  even  oily  fat  without  nausea  :  "  this 
appears  to  me  a  curious  physiological  fact.  It  is,  perhaps,  from  their 
meat  regimen  that  the  Gauchos,  like  other  carnivorous  animals,  can 
abstain  long  from  food.  I  was  told  that  at  Tandeel,  some  troops 
voluntarily  pursued  a  party  of  Indians  for  three  days,  without  eating 
or  drinking. 

We  saw  in  the  shops  many  articles,  such  as  horsecloths,  belts,  and 
garters,  woven  by  the  Indian  women.  The  patterns  were  very  pretty, 
and  the  colours  brilliant ;  the  workmanship  of  the  garters  was  so  good 
that  an  English  merchant  at  Buenos  Ayres  maintained  they  must  have 
been  manufactured  in  England,  till  he  found  the  tassels  had  been 
fastened  by  split  sinew. 

September  iSt/i. — We  had  a  very  long  ride  this  day.  At  the  twelfth 
posta,  which  is  seven  leagues  south  of  the  Rio  Salado,  we  came  to  the 
first  estancia  with  cattle  and  white  women.  Afterwards  we  had  to  ride 
for  many  miles  through  a  country  flooded  with  water  above  our  horses' 
knees.  By  crossing  the  stirrups,  and  riding  Arab-like  with  our  legs 
bent  up,  we  contrived  to  keep  tolerably  dry.  It  was  nearly  dark  when 
we  arrived  at  the  Salado  ;  the  stream  was  deep,  and  about  forty  yards 
wide  ;  in  summer,  however,  its  bed  becomes  almost  dry,  and  the  little 
remaining  water  nearly  as  salt  as  that  of  the  sea.  We  slept  at  one  of 
the  great  estancias  of  General  Rosas.  It  was  fortified,  and  of  such  an 
extent,  that  arriving  in  the  dark  I  thought  it  was  a  town  and  fortress. 
In  the  morning  we  saw  immense  herds  of  cattle,  the  general  here  having 
seventy-four  square  leagues  of  land.  Formerly  nearly  three  hundred 
men  were  employed  about  this  estate,  and  they  defied  all  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians. 

September  \^th. — Passed  the  Guardia  del  Monte.  This  is  a  nice 
scattered  little  town,  with  many  gardens,  full  of  peach  and  quince 
trees.  The  plain  here  looked  like  that  around  Buenos  Ayres ;  the 
turf  being  short  and  bright  green,  with  beds  of  clover  and  thistles,  and 
withbizcacha  holes.  I  was  very.much  struck  with  the  marked  change 
in  the  aspect  of  the  country  after  having  crossed  the  Salado.  From  a 
coarse  herbage  we  pass  on  to  a  carpet  of  fine  green  verdure.  I  at  first 
attributed  this  to  some  change  in  the  nature  of  the  soil,  but  the  in- 
habitants assured  me  that  here,  as  well  as  in  Banda  Oriental,  where 
there  is  as  great  a  difference  between  the  country  around  Monte  Video 
and  the  thinly-inhabited  savannahs  of  Colonia,  the  whole  was  to  be 
attributed  to  the  manuring  and  grazing  of  the  cattle.  Exactly  the 
same  fact  has  been  observed  in  the  prairies  *  of  North  America,  where 
coarse  grass,  between  five  and  six  feet  high,  when  grazed  by  cattle, 
changes  into  common  pasture  land.  I  am  not  botanist  enough  to  say 
whether  the  change  here  is  owing  to  the  introduction  of  new  species, 
to  the  altered  growth  of  the  same,  or  to  a  difference  in  their  proportional 
numbers.  Azara  has  also  observed  with  astonishment  this  change :  he 

*  See  Mr.  Atwater's  account  of  the  Prairies,  in  Silliman'*  '  N.  A.  Journal," 
voJ  L,  p.  117. 


86  BAHIA  BLANC  A   TO  BUENOS  AYRES.        [CHAP.  vt. 

is  likewise  much  perplexed  by  the  immediate  appearance  of  plants  not 
occurring  in  the  neighbourhood,  on  the  borders  of  any  track  that  leads 
to  a  newly-constructed  hovel.  In  another  part  he  says,*  "  ces  chevaux 
(sauvages)  ont  la  manie  de  preTerer  les  chemins,  et  le  bord  des  routes 
pour  deposer  leurs  excre'mens,  dont  on  trouve  des  monceaux  dans  ces 
endroits."  Does  this  not  partly  explain  the  circumstance?  We  thus 
have  lines  of  richly-manured  land  serving  as  channels  of  communication 
across  wide  districts. 

Near  the  Guardia  we  find  the  southern  limit  of  two  European  plants, 
now  become  extraordinarily  common.  The  fennel  in  great  profusion 
covers  the  ditch-banks  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Buenos  Ayres,  Monte 
Video,  and  other  towns.  But  the  cardoon  (Cynara  cardunculus)f  has  a 
far  wider  range:  it  occurs  in  these  latitudes  on  both  sides  of  the 
Cordillera,  across  the  continent.  I  saw  it  in  unfrequented  spots  in 
Chile,  Entre  Rios,  and  Banda  Oriental.  In  the  latter  country  alone, 
very  many  (probably  several  hundred)  square  miles  are  covered 
by  one  mass  of  these  prickly  plants,  and  are  impenetrable  by 
man  or  beast.  Over  the  undulating  plains,  where  these  great  beds 
occur,  nothing  else  can  now  live.  Before  their  introduction,  however, 
the  surface  must  have  supported,  as  in  other  parts,  a  rank  herbage.  I 
doubt  whether  any  case  is  on  record  of  an  invasion  on  so  grand  a  scale 
of  one  plant  over  the  aborigines.  As  I  have  already  said,  I  nowhere 
saw  the  cardoon  south  of  the  Salado ;  but  it  is  probable  that  in  propor- 
tion as  that  country  becomes  inhabited,  the  cardoon  will  extend  its 
limits.  The  case  is  different  with  the  giant  thistle  (with  variegated 
leaves)  of  the  Pampas,  for  I  met  with  it  in  the  valley  of  the  Sauce. 
According  to  the  principles  so  well  laid  down  by  Mr.  Lyell,  few 
countries  have  undergone  more  remarkable  changes,  since  the  year  1535, 
when  the  first  colonist  of  La  Plata  landed  with  seventy-two  horses. 
The  countless  herds  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  not  only  have  altered 
the  whole  aspect  of  the  vegetation,  but  they  have  almost  banished 
the  guanaco,  deer,  and  ostrich.  Numberless  other  changes  must 
likewise  have  taken  place  ;  the  wild  pig  in  some  parts  probably  replaces 
the  peccari ;  packs  of  wild  dogs  may  be  heard  howling  on  the  wooded 
banks  of  the  less  frequented  streams ;  and  the  common  cat,  altered  into 
a  large  and  fierce  animal,  inhabits  rocky  hills.  As  M.  d'Orbigny  has 

*  Azara's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  i.,  p.  373. 

•j-  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  (vol.  i.,  p.  474)  says  that  the  cardoon  and  artichoke 
'are  both  found  wild.  Dr.  Hooker  (Botanical  Magazine,  vol.  lv.,  p.  2862), 
has  described  a  variety  of  the  Cynara  from  this  part  of  South  America  under 
the  name  of  inermis.  He  states  that  botanists  are  now  generally  agreed  that 
the  cardoon  and  the  artichoke  are  varieties  of  one  plant.  I  may  add,  that 
an  intelligent  farmer  assured  me  that  he  had  observed  in  a  deserted  garden 
some  artichokes  changing  into  the  common  cardoon.  Dr.  Hooker  believes 
that  Head's  vivid  description  of  the  thistle  of  the  Pampas  applies  to  the 
cardoon  ;  but  this  is  a  mistake.  Captain  Head  referred  to  the  plant,  which 
I  have  mentioned  a  few  lines  lower  down,  under  the  title  of  giant  thistle. 
^Whether  it  is  a  true  thistle,  I  do  not  know ;  but  it  is  quite  different  from  the 
,  \rdoon ;  and  more  like  a  thistle  properly  so  called. 


1833.]  THE  GREAT  CORRAL.  &j 

remarked,  the  increase  in  numbers  of  the  carrion-vulture,  since  the 
introduction  of  the  domestic  animals,  must  have  been  infinitely  great ; 
and  we  have  given  reasons  for  believing  that  they  have  extended  their 
southern  range.  No  doubt  many  plants,  besides  the  cardoon  and 
fennel,  are  naturalized ;  thus  the  islands  near  the  mouth  of  the  Parana, 
are  thickly  clothed  with  peach  and  orange  trees,  springing  from  seeds 
carried  there  by  the  waters  of  the  river. 

While  changing  horses  at  the  Guardia  several  people  questioned  us 
much  about  the  army, — I  never  saw  anything  like  the  enthusiasm  for 
Rosas,  and  for  the  success  of  the  "most  just  of  all  wars,  because 
against  barbarians."  This  expression,  it  must  be  confessed,  is  very 
natural,  for  till  lately,  neither  man,  woman,  nor  horse  was  safe  from  the 
attacks  of  the  Indians.  We  had  a  long  day's  ride  over  the  same  rich 
green  plain,  abounding  with  various  flocks,  and  with  here  and  there  a 
solitary  estancia,  and  its  one  ombu  tree.  In  the  evening  it  rained 
heavily :  on  arriving  at  a  post-house  we  were  told  by  the  owner  that  if 
we  had  not  a  regular  passport  we  must  pass  on,  for  there  were  so  many 
robbers  he  would  trust  no  one.  When  he  read,  however,  my  passport, 
which  began  with  "  El  Naturalista  Don  Carlos,"  his  respect  and  civility 
were  as  unbounded  as  his  suspicions  had  been  before.  What  a 
naturalist  might  be,  neither  he  nor  his  countrymen,  I  suspect,  had  any 
idea  ;  but  probably  my  title  lost  nothing  of  its  value  from  that  cause. 

September  zoth. — We  arrived  by  the  middle  of  the  day  at  Buenos 
Ayres.  The  outskirts  of  the  city  looked  quite  pretty,  with  the  agave 
hedges,  and  groves  of  olive,  peach,  and  willow  trees,  all  just  throwing 
out  their  fresh  green  leaves.  I  rode  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Lumb,  an 
English  merchant,  to  whose  kindness  and  hospitality,  during  my  stay 
in  the  country,  I  was  greatly  indebted. 

The  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  is  large ;  *  and  I  should  think  one  of  the 
most  regular  in  the  world.  Every  street  is  at  right  angles  to  the  one 
it  crosses,  and  the  parallel  ones  being  equidistant,  the  houses  are 
collected  into  solid  squares  of  equal  dimensions,  which  are  called 
quadras.  On  the  other  hand,  the  houses  themselves  are  hollow 
squares;  all  the  rooms  opening  into  a  neat  little  courtyard.  They 
are  generally  only  one  storey  high,  with  flat  roofs,  which  are  fitted  with 
seats,  and  are  much  frequented  by  the  inhabitants  in  summer.  In 
the  centre  of  the  town  is  the  Plaza,  where  the  public  offices,  fortress, 
cathedral,  etc.,  stand.  Here  also,  the  old  viceroys,  before  the  revolu- 
tion, had  their  palaces.  The  general  assemblage  of  buildings  possesses 
considerable  architectural  beauty,  although  none  individually  can  boast 
of  any. 

The  great  corral,  where  the  animals  are  kept  for  slaughter  to  supply 
food  to  this  beef-eating  population,  is  one  of  the  spectacles  best  worth 
seeing.  The  strength  of  the  horse  as  compared  to  that  of  the  bullock 
is  quite  astonishing;  a  man  on  horseback  having  thrown  his  lazo 
round  the  horns  of  a  beast,  can  drag  it  anywhere  he  chooses.  The 
animal  ploughing  up  the  ground  with  outstretched  legs,  in  vain  efforts 

*  It  is  said  to  contain  60,000  inhabitants.  Monte  Video,  the  second  town 
of  importance  on  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  has  15,000. 


88  EXCURSION  TO  ST.  F£.  [CHAP.  vii. 

to  resist  the  force,  generally  dashes  at  full  speed  to  one  side ;  but  the 
horse  immediately  turning  to  receive  the  shock,  stands  so  firmly  that 
the  bullock  is  almost  thrown  down,  and  it  is  surprising  that  their 
necks  are  not  broken.  The  struggle  is  not,  however,  one  of  fair 
strength  ;  the  horse's  girth  being  matched  against  the  bullock's  extended 
neck.  In  a  similar  manner  a  man  can  hold  the  wildest  horse,  if  caught 
with  the  lazo,  just  behind  the  ears.  When  the  bullock  has  been 
dragged  to  the  spot  where  it  is  to  be  slaughtered,  the  matador  with 
great  caution  cuts  the  hamstrings.  Then  is  given  the  death  bellow; 
a  noise  more  expressive  of  fierce  agony  than  any  I  know ;  I  have  often 
distinguished  it  from  a  long  distance,  and  have  always  known  that  the 
struggle  was  then  drawing  to  a  close.  The  whole  sight  is  horrible  and 
revolting :  the  ground  is  almost  made  of  bones ;  and  the  horses  and 
riders  are  drenched  with  gore. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BUENOS   AYRES  TO  ST.   F£ 

Excursion  to  St.  F<5 — Thistle  Beds — Habits  of  the  Bizcacha — Little  Owl — 
Saline  Streams — Level  Plains — Mastodon — St.  Fe — Change  in  Land- 
scape— Geology — Tooth  of  Extinct  Horse — Relation  of  the  Fossil 
and  Recent  Quadrupeds  of  North  and  South  America — Effects  of  a 
Great  Drought — Parana — Habits  of  the  Jaguar — Scissor-beak — King- 
f*her,  Parrot  and  Scissor-tail — Revolution — Buenos  Ayres— State  of 
Government. 

September  T.'jth. — IN  the  evening  I  set  out  on  an  excursion  to  St.  Fe, 
which  is  situated  nearly  three  hundred  English  miles  from  Buenos 
Ayres,  on  the  banks  of  the  Parana.  The  roads  in  the  neigfit'ourhood 
of  the  city,  after  the  rainy  weather,  were  extraordinarily  bad.  1  should 
nevex  have  thought  it  possible  for  a  bullock  waggon  to  have  crawled 
along :  as  it  was,  they  scarcely  went  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  an  hour, 
and  a  man  was  kept  ahead,  to  survey  the  best  line  for  making  the 
attempt.  The  bullocks  were  terribly  jaded :  it  is  a  great  mistake  to 
suppose  that  with  improved  roads,  and  an  accelerated  rate  of  travelling, 
the  sufferings  of  the  animals  increase  in  the  same  proportion.  We 
passed  a  train  of  waggons  and  a  troop  of  beasts  on  their  road  to 
Mendoza.  The  distance  is  about  five  hundred  and  eighty  geographical 
miles,  and  the  journey  is  generally  performed  in  fifty  days.  These 
waggons  are  very  long,  narrow,  and  thatched  with  reeds ;  they  have 
only  two  wheels,  the  diameter  of  which  in  some  cases  is  as  much 
as  ten  feet.  Each  is  drawn  by  six  bullocks,  which  are  urged  on  by  a 
goad  at  least  twenty  feet  long;  this  is  suspended  from  within  the 
roof;  for  the  wheel  bullocks  a  smaller  one  is  kept;  and  for  the  inter- 
mediate pair,  a  point  projects  at  right  angles  from  the  middle  of  the 
long  one.  The  whole  apparatus  looked  like  some  implement  of  war, 


1833.]  THE  BIZCACHA.  89 

September  2?>th. — We  passed  the  small  town  of  Luxan,  where  there 
is  a  wooden  bridge  over  the  river — a  most  unusual  convenience  in 
this  country.  We  passed  also  Areco.  The  plains  appeared  level,  but 
were  not  so  in  fact ;  for  in  various  places  the  horizon  was  distant. 
The  estancias  are  here  wide  apart ;  for  there  is  little  good  pasture, 
owing  to  the  land  being  covered  by  beds  either  of  an  acrid  clover, 
or  of  the  great  thistle.  The  latter,  well  known  from  the  animated 
description  given  by  Sir  F.  Head,  were  at  this  time  of  the  year  two- 
thirds  grown ;  in  some  parts  they  were  as  high  as  the  horse's  back, 
but  in  others  they  had  not  yet  sprung  up,  and  the  ground  was  bare 
and  dusty  as  on  a  turnpike-road.  The  clumps  were  of  the  most 
brilliant  green,  and  they  made  a  pleasing  miniature-likeness  of  broken 
forest  land.  When  the  thistles  are  full-grown,  the  great  beds  are 
impenetrable,  except  by  a  few  tracks,  as  intricate  as  those  in  a  laby- 
rinth. These  are  only  known  to  the  robbers,  who  at  this  season 
inhabit  them,  and  sally  forth  at  night  to  rob  and  cut  throats  with 
impunity.  Upon  asking  at  a  house  whether  robbers  were  numerous, 
I  was  answered,  "  The  thistles  are  not  up  yet ;  " — the  meaning  of  which 
reply  was  not  at  first  very  obvious.  There  is  little  interest  in  passing 
over  these  tracts,  for  they  are  inhabited  by  few  animals  or  birds, 
excepting  the  bizcacha  and  its  friend  the  little  owl. 

The  bizcacha  *  is  well  known  to  form  a  prominent  feature  in  the 
zoology  of  the  Pampas.  It  is  found  as  far  south  as  the  Rio  Negro, 
in  lat.  41°,  but  not  beyond.  It  cannot,  like  the  agouti,  subsist  on  the 
gravelly  and  desert  plains  of  Patagonia,  but  prefers  a  clayey  or  sandy 
soil,  which  produces  a  different  and  more  abundant  vegetation.  Near 
Mendoza,  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  it  occurs  in  close  neighbourhood 
with  the  allied  alpine  species.  It  is  a  very  curious  circumstance  in  its 
geographical  distribution,  that  it  has  never  been  seen,  fortunately  for 
the  inhabitants  of  Banda  Oriental,  to  the  eastward  of  the  river  Uru- 
guay: yet  in  this  province  there  are  plains  which  appear  admirably 
adapted  to  its  habits.  The  Uruguay  has  formed  an  insuperable 
obstacle  to  its  migration  ;  although  the  broader  barrier  of  the  Parana 
has  been  passed,  and  the  bizcacha  is  common  in  Entre  Rios,  the 
province  between  these  two  great  rivers.  Near  Buenos  Ayres  these 
animals  are  exceedingly  common.  Their  most  favourite  resort  appears 
to  be  those  parts  of  the  plain  which  during  one  half  of  the  year  are 
covered  with  giant  thistles,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  plants.  The 
Gauchos  affirm  that  it  lives  on  roots ;  which,  from  the  great  strength 
of  its  gnawing  teeth,  and  the  kind  of  places  frequented  by  it,  seems 
probable.  In  the  evening  the  bizcachas  come  out  in  numbers,  and 
quietly  sit  at  the  mouths  of  their  burrows  on  their  haunches.  At  such 
times  they  are  very  tame,  an**  2  man  on  horseback  passing  by  seems 
only  to  present  an  object  for  their  grave  contemplation.  They  run 

*  The  bizcacha  (Lagostomus  trichodactylus),  somewhat  resembles  a  large 
rabbit,  but  with  bigger  gnawing  teeth  and  a  long  tail :  it  has,  however,  only 
three  toes  behind,  like  the  agouti.  During  the  last  three  or  four  years  the 
skins  of  these  animals  have  been  sent  to  England  for  the  sake  pf  the  fur. 


go  PAMPAS.  [CHAP.  va. 

very  awkwardly,  and  when  running  out  of  danger,  from  their  elevated 
tails  and  short  front  legs,  much  resemble  great  rats.  Their  flesh,  when 
cooked,  is  very  white  and  good,  but  it  is  seldom  used. 

The  bizcacha  has  one  very  singular  habit;  namely,  dragging  every 
hard  object  to  the  mouth  of  its  burrow ;  around  each  group  of  holes 
many  bones  of  cattle,  stones,  thistle-stalks,  hard  lumps  of  earth,  dry 
dung,  etc.,  are  collected  into  an  irregular  heap,  which  frequently 
amounts  to  as  much  as  a  wheelbarrow  would  contain.  I  was  credibly 
informed  that  a  gentleman,  when  riding  on  a  dark  night,  dropped  his 
watch ;  he  returned  in  the  morning,  and  by  searching  the  neighbour- 
hood of  every  bizcacha  hole  on  the  line  of  road,  as  he  expected,  he  soon 
found  it.  This  habit  of  picking  up  whatever  may  be  lying  on  the 
ground  anywhere  near  its  habitation,  must  cost  much  trouble.  For 
what  purpose  it  is  done,  I  am  quite  unable  to  form  even  the  most 
remote  conjecture :  it  cannot  be  for  defence,  because  the  rubbish 
is  chiefly  placed  above  the  mouth  of  the  burrow,  which  enters  the 
ground  at  a  very  small  inclination.  No  doubt  there  must  exist  some 
good  reason  ;  but  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  are  quite  ignorant  of  it. 
The  only  fact  which  I  know  analogous  to  it,  is  the  habit  of  that 
extraordinary  Australian  bird,  the  Calodera  maculata,  which  makes  an 
elegant  vaulted  passage  of  twigs  for  playing  in,  and  which  collects  near 
the  spot,  land  and  sea-shells,  bones,  and  the  feathers  of  birds,  especially 
brightly  coloured  ones.  Mr.  Gould,  who  has  described  these  facts,  in- 
forms me,  that  the  natives,  when  they  lose  any  hard  object,  search 
the  playing  passages,  and  he  has  known  a  tobacco-pipe  thus  recovered. 

The  little  owl  (Athene  cunicularia),  which  has  been  so  often 
mentioned,  on  the  plains  of  Buenos  Ayres  exclusively  inhabits  the 
holes  of  the  bizcacha ;  but  in  Banda  Oriental  it  is  its  own  workman. 
During  the  open  day,  but  more  especially  in  the  evening,  these  birds 
may  be  seen  in  every  direction  standing  frequently  by  pairs  on  the 
hillock  near  their  burrows.  If  disturbed  they  either  enter  the  hole,  or, 
uttering  a  shrill  harsh  cry,  move  with  a  remarkably  undulatory  flight  to 
a  short  distance,  and  then  turning  round,  steadily  gaze  at  their  pursuer. 
Occasionally  in  the  evening  they  may  be  heard  hooting.  I  found  in 
the  stomachs  of  two  which  I  opened  the  remains  of  mice,  and  I  one 
day  saw  a  small  snake  killed  and  carried  away.  It. is  said  that  snakes 
are  their  common  prey  during  the  daytime.  I  may  here  mention,  as 
showing  on  what  various  kinds  of  food  owls  subsist,  that  a  species 
killed  among  the  islets  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  had  its  stomach  full 
of  good-sized  crabs.  In  India*  there  is  a  fishing  genus  of  owls,  which 
likewise  catches  crabs. 

In  the  evening  we  crossed  the  Rio  Arrecife  on  a  simple  raft  made  of 
barrels  lashed  together,  and  slept  at  the  post-house  on  the  other  side. 
I  this  day  paid  horse-hire  for  thirty-one  leagues  ;  and  although  the  sun 
was  glaring  hot  I  was  but  little  fatigued.  When  Captain  Head  talks 
of  riding  fifty  leagues  a  day,  I  do  not  imagine  the  distance  is  equal  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  English  miles.  At  all  events,  the  thirty-one 
leagues  was  only  seventy-six  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  in  an  open 
*  Journal  of  Asiatic  Soc.,  vol.  v.,  p.  363. 


1833.]  &I6   TERCERO. 

country  I  should  think  lour  additional  miles  for  turnings  would  be  a 
sufficient  allowance. 

September  i^th  and  y>th. — We  continued  to  ride  over  plains  of  the 
same  character.  At  San  Nicolas  I  first  saw  the  noble  river  of  the  Parana. 
At  the  foot  of  the  cliff  on  which  the  town  stands,  some  large  vessels 
were  at  anchor.  Before  arriving  at  Rozario,  we  crossed  the  Saladillo, 
a  stream  of  fine  clear  running  water,  but  too  saline  to  drink.  Rozario  is 
a  large  town  built  on  a  dead  level  plain,  which  forms  a  cliff  about  sixty 
feet  high  over  the  Parana.  The  river  here  is  very  broad,  with  many 
islands,  which  are  low  and  wooded,  as  is  also  the  opposite  shore.  The 
view  would  resemble  that  of  a  great  lake,  if  it  were  not  for  the  linear- 
shaped  islets,  which  alone  give  the  idea  of  running  water.  The  cliffs 
are  the  most  picturesque  part ;  sometimes  they  are  absolutely  per- 
pendicular, and  of  a  red  colour ;  at  other  times  in  large  broken  masses, 
covered  with  cacti  and  mimosa-trees.  The  real  grandeur,  however, 
of  an  immense  river  like  this,  is  derived  from  reflecting  how  important 
a  means  of  communication  and  commerce  it  forms  between  one  nation 
and  another ;  to  what  a  distance  it  travels ;  and  from  how  vast  a 
territory  it  drains  the  great  body  of  fresh  water  which  flows  past  your 
feet. 

For  many  leagues  north  and  south  of  San  Nicolas  and  Rozario,  the 
country  is  really  level.  Scarcely  anything  which  travellers  have  written 
about  its  extreme  flatness,  can  be  considered  as  exaggeration.  Yet  I 
could  never  find  a  spot  where,  by  slowly  turning  round,  objects  were  not 
seen  at  greater  distances  in  some  directions  than  in  others ;  and  this 
manifestly  proves  inequality  in  the  plain.  At  sea,  a  person's  eye  being 
six  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  his  horizon  is  two  miles  and 
four-fifths  distant.  In  like  manner,  the  more  level  the  plain,  the  more 
nearly  does  the  horizon  approach  within  these  narrow  limits  ;  and  this, 
in  my  opinion,  entirely  destroys  that  grandeur  which  one  would  have 
imagined  that  a  vast  level  plain  would  have  possessed. 

October  \st. — We  started  by  moonlight  and  arrived  at  the  Rio  Tercero 
by  sunrise.  This  river  is  also  called  the  Saladillo,  and  it  deserves  the 
name,  for  the  water  is  brackish.  I  stayed  here  the  greater  part  of  the 
day,  searching  for  fossil  bones.  Besides  a  perfect  tooth  of  the 
Toxodon,  and  many  scattered  bones,  I  found  two  immense  skeletons 
near  each  other,  projecting  in  bold  relief  from  the  pendicular  cliff  of 
the  Parana.  They  were,  however,  so  completely  decayed,  that  I  could 
only  bring  away  small  fragments  of  one  of  the  great  molar  teeth ;  but 
these  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  remains  belonged  to  a  Mastodon, 
probably  to  the  same  species  with  that,  which  formerly  must  have 
inhabited  the  Cordillera  in  Upper  Peru  in  such  great  numbers.  The 
men  who  took  me  in  the  canoe,  said  they  had  long  known  of  these 
skeletons,  and  had  often  wondered  how  they  had  got  there:  the  necessity 
of  a  theory  being  felt,  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  like  the 
bizcacha,  the  mastodon  was  formerly  a  burrowing  animal  1  In  the 
evening  we  rode  another  stage,  and  crossed  the  Monge,  another 
brackish  stream,  bearing  the  dregs  of  the  washings  of  the  Pampas. 

October  2nd. — We  passed  through  Corunda,  which,  from  the  luxuri- 


92  Sr.  FE.  [CHAP.  vn. 

ance  of  its  gardens,  was  one  of  the  prettiest  villages  I  saw.  From  this 
point  to  St.  Fe  the  road  is  not  very  safe.  The  western  side  of  the 
Parana  northward,  ceases  to  be  inhabited ;  and  hence  the  Indians 
sometimes  come  down  thus  far,  and  waylay  travellers.  The  nature  of 
the  country  also  favours  this,  for  instead  of  a  grassy  plain,  there  is  an 
open  woodland,  composed  of  low  prickly  mimosas.  We  passed  some 
houses  that  had  been  ransacked  and  since  deserted ;  we  saw  also  a 
spectacle,  which  my  guides  viewed  with  high  satisfaction :  it  was  the 
skeletomof  an  Indian  with  the  dried  skin  hanging  on  the  bones,  sus- 
pended to  the  branch  of  a  tree. 

In  the  morning  we  arrived  at  St.  F6.  I  was  surprised  to  observe 
how  great  a  change  of  climate  a  difference  of  only  three  degrees  of 
latitude  between  this  place  and  Buenos  Ayres  had  caused.  This  was 
evident  from  the  dress  and  complexion  of  the  men — from  the  increased 
size  of  the  ombu  trees — the  number  of  new  cacti  and  other  plants — and 
especially  from  the  birds.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  I  remarked  half-a- 
dozen  birds,  which  I  had  never  seen  at  Buenos  Ayres.  Considering 
that  there  is  no  natural  boundary  between  the  two  places,  and  that 
the  character  of  the  country  is  nearly  similar,  the  difference  was  much 
greater  than  I  should  have  expected. 

October  yd  and  ^th. — I  was  confined  for  these  two  days  to  my  bed 
by  a  headache.  A  good-natured  old  woman,  who  attended  me,  wished 
me  to  try  many  odd  remedies.  A  common  practice  is,  to  bind  an 
orange-leaf  or  a  bit  of  black  plaster  to  each  temple ;  and  a  still  more 
general  plan  is,  to  split  a  bean  into  halves,  moisten  them,  and  place 
one  on  each  temple,  where  they  will  easily  adhere.  It  is  not  thought 
proper  ever  to  remove  the  beans  or  plaster,  but  to  allow  them  to  drop 
off;  and  sometimes,  if  a  man,  with  patches  on  his  head,  is  asked,  what 
is  the  matter?  he  will  answer,  "I  had  a  headache  the  day  before 
yesterday."  Many  of  the  remedies  used  by  the  people  of  the  country 
are  ludicrously  strange,  but  too  disgusting  to  be  mentioned.  One  of 
the  least  nasty  is  to  kill  and  cut  open  two  puppies  and  bind  them  on 
each  side  of  a  broken  limb.  Little  hairless  dogs  are  in  great  request  to 
sleep  at  the  feet  of  invalids. 

St.  Fe"  is  a  quiet  little  town,  and  is  kept  clean  and  in  good  order. 
The  governor,  Lopez,  was  a  common  soldier  at  the  time  of  the  revolu- 
tion ;  but  has  now  been  seventeen  years  in  power.  This  stability 
of  government  is  owing  to  his  tyrannical  habits ;  for  tyranny  seems 
as  yet  better  adapted  to  these  countries  than  republicanism.  The 
governor's  favourite  occupation  is  hunting  Indians  ;  a  short  time  since 
he  slaughtei  ed  forty-eight,  and  sold  the  children  at  the  rate  of  three  or 
four  pounds  apiece. 

October  yh. — We  crossed  the  Parana  to  St.  F6  Bajada,  a  town  on 
the  opposite  shore.  The  passage  took  some  hours,  as  the  river  here 
consisted  of  a  labyrinth  of  small  streams,  separated  by  low  wooded 
islands.  I  had  a  letter  of  introducti  on  to  an  old  Catalonian  Spaniard, 
who  treated  me  with  the  most  uncommon  hospitality.  The  Bajada  is 
the  capital  of  Entre  Rios.  In  1825  the  town  contained  6,000  inhabitants, 
and  t!»2  province  30,000 ;  yet,  few  as  the  inhabitants  are,  no  province 


I833-]  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  PAMPAS.  33 

has  suffered  more  from  bloody  and  desperate  revolutions.  They  boast 
here  of  representatives,  ministers,  a  standing  army,  and  governors: 
so  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  have  their  revolutions.  At  some  future 
day  this  must  be  one  of  the  richest  countries  of  La  Plata.  The  soil  is 
varied  and  productive;  and  its  almost  insular  form  gives  it  two  grand 
lines  of  communication  by  the  rivers  Parana  and  Uruguay. 

I  was  delayed  here  five  days,  and  employed  myself  in  examining  the 
geology  of  the  surrounding  country,  which  was  very  interesting.  We 
here  see  at  the  bottom  of  the  cliffs,  beds  containing  sharks'  teeth  and 
sea-shells  of  extinct  species,  passing  above  into  an  indurated  marl,  and 
from  that  into  the  red  clayey  earth  of  the  Pampas,  with  its  calcareous 
concretions  and  the  bones  of  terrestrial  quadrupeds.  This  vertical 
section  clearly  tells  us  of  a  large  bay  of  pure  salt-water,  gradually 
encroached  on,  and  at  last  converted  into  the  bed  of  a  muddy  estuary, 
into  which  floating  carcasses  were  swept.  At  Punta  Gorda,  in  Banda 
Oriental,  I  found  an  alteration  of  the  Pampaean  estuary  deposit,  with 
a  limestone  containing  some  of  the  same  extinct  sea-shells ;  and  this 
shows  either  a  change  in  the  former  currents,  or  more  probably  an 
oscillation  of  level  in  the  bottom  of  the  ancient  estuary.  Until  lately, 
my  reasons  for  considering  the  Pampaean  formation  to  be  an  estuary 
deposit  were,  its  general  appearance,  its  position  at  the  mouth  of  the 
existing  great  river  the  Plata,  and  the  presence  of  so  many  bones  of 
terrestrial  quadrupeds ;  but  now  Professor  Ehrenberg  has  had  the 
kindness  to  examine  for  me  a  little  of  the  red  earth  taken  from  low 
down  in  the  deposit,  close  to  the  skeletons  of  the  mastodon,  and  he 
finds  it  in  many  infusoria,  partly  salt-water  and  partly  fresh-water 
forms,  with  the  latter  rather  preponderating ;  and  therefore,  as  he 
remarks,  the  water  must  have  been  brackish.  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  found 
on  the  banks  of  the  Parana,  at  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet,  great  beds 
of  an  estuary  shell,  now  living  a  hundred  miles  lower  down  nearer  the 
sea ;  and  I  found  similar  shells  at  a  less  height  on  the  banks  of  the 
Uruguay  :  this  shows  that  just  before  the  Pampas  was  slowly  elevated 
into  dry  land,  the  water  covering  it  was  brackish.  Below  Buenos 
Ayres  there  are  upraised  beds  of  sea-shells  of  existing  species,  which 
also  proves  that  the  period  of  elevation  of  the  Pampas  was  within  the 
recent  period. 

In  the  Pampaean  deposit  at  the  Bajada  I  found  the  osseous  armour 
of  a  gigantic  armadillo-like  animal,  the  inside  of  which,  when  the  earth 
was  removed,  was  like  a  great  cauldron ;  I  found  also  teeth  of  the 
Toxodon  and  Mastodon,  and  one  tooth  of  a  Horse,  in  the  same  stained 
and  decayed  state.  This  latter  tooth  greatly  interested  me,*  and  I  took 
scrupulous  care  in  ascertaining  that  it  had  been  embedded  contempora- 
neously with  the  other  remains ;  for  I  was  not  then  aware  that  amongst 
the  fossils  from  Bahia  Blanca  there  was  a  horse's  tooth  hidden  in  the 
matrix ;  nor  was  it  then  known  with  certainty  that  the  remains  of 
horses  are  common  in  North  America.  Mr.  Lyell  has  lately  brought 

*  I  need  hardly  state  here  that  there  is  good  evidence  against  any  horse 
living  in  America  at  the  time  of  Columbus. 


$4  .  F.  ICHAI>.  vn. 

from  the  United  States  a  tooth  ot  a  horse ;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact, 
that  Professor  Owen  could  find  in  no  species,  either  fossil  or  recent, 
a  slight  but  peculiar  curvature  characterizing  it,  until  he  thought  of 
comparing  it  with  my  specimen  ,  found  here :  he  has  named  this 
American  horse  Equus  curvidens.  Certainly  it  is  a  marvellous  fact 
in  the  history  of  the  Mammalia,  that  in  South  America  a  native  horse 
should  have  lived  and  disappeared,  to  be  succeeded  in  after  ages  by 
the  countless  herds  descended  from  the  few  introduced  with  the  Spanish 
colonists ! 

The  existence  in  South  America  of  a  fossil  horse,  of  the  mastodon, 

Eossibly  of  an  elephant,*  and  of  a  hollow-horned  ruminant,  discovered 
y  MM.  Lund  and  Clausen  in  the  caves  of  Brazil,  are  highly  interesting 
facts  with  respect  to  the  geographical  distribution  of  animals.  At  the 
present  time,  if  we  divide  America,  not  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  but 
by  the  southern  part  of  Mexico  f  in  lat.  20°,  where  the  great  table-land 
presents  an  obstacle  to  the  migration  of  species,  by  affecting  the  climate, 
and  by  forming,  with  the  exception  of  some  valleys  and  of  a  fringe  of 
low  land  on  the  coast,  a  broad  barrier ;  we  shall  then  have  the  two 
zoological  provinces  of  North  and  South  America  strongly  contrasted 
with  each  other.  Some  few  species  alone  have  passed  the  barrier,  and 
may  be  considered  as  wanderers  from  the  south,  such  as  the  puma, 
opossum,  kinkajou,  and  peccari.  South  America  is  characterized  by 
possessing  many  peculiar  gnawers,  a  family  of  monkeys,  the  llama, 
peccari,  tapir,  opossums,  and,  especially,  several  genera  of  Edentata, 
the  order  which  includes  the  sloths,  ant-eaters,  and  armadillos.  North 
America,  on  the  other  hand,  is  characterized  (putting  on  one  side  a  few 
wandering  species)  by  numerous  peculiar  gnawers,  and  by  four  genera 
(the  ox,  sheep,  goat,  and  antelope)  of  hollow-horned  ruminants,  of 
which  great  division  South  America  is  not  known  to  possess  a  single 
species.  Formerly,  but  within  the  period  when  most  of  the  now 
existing  shells  were  living,  North  America  possessed,  besides  hollow- 
horned  ruminants,  the  elephant,  mastodon,  horse,  and  three  genera  of 
Edentata,  namely,  the  Megatherium,  Megalonyx,  and  Mylodon.  Within 
nearly  this  same  period  (as  proved  by  the  shells  at  Bahia  Blanca) 
South  America  possessed,  as  we  have  just  seen,  a  mastodon,  horse, 
hollow-horned  ruminant,  and  the  same  three  genera  (as  well  as  several 
others)  of  the  Edentata,  Hence  it  is  evident  that  North  and  South 
America,  in  having  within  a  late  geological  period  these  several  genera 
in  common,  were  much  more  closely  related  in  the  character  of  their 

*  Cuvier,  "Ossemens  Fossiles,"  torn,  i.,  p.  158. 

t  This  is  the  geographical  division  followed  by  Lichtenstein,  Swainson, 
Erichson,  and  Richardson.  The  section  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Acapulco,  given 
by  Humboldt  in  the  Polit.  Essay  on  Kingdom  of  N.  Spain,  will  show  how 
immense  a  barrier  the  Mexican  table-land  forms.  Dr.  Richardson,  in  his 
admirable  Report  on  the  Zoology  of  N.  America  read  before  the  Brit.  Assoc. 
1836  (p.  157),  talking  of  the  identification  of  a  Mexican  animal  with  the 
Syneiheres  prthensilis,  says,  "  We  do  not  know  with  what  propriety,  but  if 
correct,  it  is,  if  not  a  solitary  instance,  at  least  very  nearly  so,  of  a  rodent 
animal  being  common  to  North  and  South  America." 


I833-J  THE  GREAT  DROUGHT.  9$ 

terrestrial  inhabitants  than  they  now  are.  The  more  I  reflect  on  this 
case,  the  more  interesting  it  appears:  I  know  of  no  other  instance 
where  we  can  almost  mark  the  period  and  manner  of  the  splitting  up 
of  one  great  region  into  two  well-characterized  zoological  provinces. 
The  geologist,  who  is  fully  impressed  with  the  vast  oscillations  of  level 
which  have  affected  the  earth's  crust  within  late  periods,  will  not  fear 
to  speculate  on  the  recent  elevation  of  the  Mexican  platform,  or,  more 
probably,  on  the  recent  submergence  of  land  in  the  West  Indian 
Archipelago,  as  the  cause  of  the  present  zoological  separation  of  North 
and  South  America.  The  South  American  character  of  the  West  Indian 
mammals*  seems  to  indicate  that  this  archipelago  was  formerly  united 
to  the  southern  continent,  and  that  it  has  subsequently  been  an  area  of 
subsidence. 

When  America,  and  especially  North  America,  possessed  its  elephants, 
mastodons,  horse,  and  hollow-horned  ruminants,  it  was  much  more 
closely  related  in  its  zoological  characters  to  the  temperate  parts  of 
Europe  and  Asia  than  it  now  is.  As  the  remains  of  these  genera  are 
found  on  both  sides  of  Behring's  Straits  f  and  on  the  plains  of  Siberia, 
we  are  led  to  look  to  the  north-western  side  of  North  America  as  the 
former  point  of  communication  between  the  Old  and  so-called  New 
World.  And  as  so  many  species,  both  living  and  extinct,  of  these  same 
genera  inhabit  and  have  inhabited,  the  One  World,  it  seems  most  probable 
that  the  North  American  elephants,  mastodons,  horse,  and  hollow-horned 
ruminants  migrated,  on  land  since  submerged  near  Behring's  Straits, 
from  Siberia  into  North  America,  and  thence,  on  land  since  submerged 
in  the  Wrest  Indies,  into  South  America,  where  for  a  time  they  mingled 
with  the  forms  characteristic  of  that  southern  continent,  and  have  since 
become  extinct. 

While  travelling  through  the  country,  I  received  several  vivid  de- 
scriptions of  the  effects  of  a  late  great  drought ;  and  the  account  of  this 
may  throw  some  light  on  the  cases  where  vast  numbers  of  animals  of 
all  kinds  have  been  embedded  together.  The  period  included  between 
the  years  1827  and  1830  is  called  the  "  gran  seco,"  or  the  great  drought. 
During  this  time  so  little  rain  fell,  that  the  vegetation,  even  to  the 
thistles,  failed;  the  brooks  were  dried  up,  and  the  whole  country 
assumed  the  appearance  of  a  dusty  high  road.  This  was  especially 
the  case  in  the  northern  part  of  the  province  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the 
southern  part  of  St.  F6.  Very  great  numbers  of  birds,  wild  animals, 
cattle,  and  horses  perished  from  the  want  of  food  and  water.  A  man 

*  See  Dr.  Richardson's  Report,  p.  157;  also  L'InsfiM,  1837,  p.  253. 
Cuvier  says  the  kinkajou  is  found  in  the  larger  Antilles,  but  this  is  doubtful. 
M.  Gervais  states  that  the  Didelphis  crancrivora  is  found  there.  It  is  certain 
that  the  West  Indies  possess  some  mammifers  peculiar  to  themselves.  A 
tooth  of  a  mastodon  has  been  brought  from  Bahama :  Edin.  New  Phil, 
Journ.  1826,  p.  395. 

f  See  the  admirable  Appendix  by  Dr.  Buckland  to  "  Beechy's  Voyage  J  * 
also  the  writings  of  Chain isso  in  M  Ko tie b lie's  Voyage." 


gfi  ST.  F£.  [CHAP.  vu. 

told  me  that  the  deer  *  used  to  come  into  his  courtyard  to  the  well, 
which  he  had  been  obliged  to  dig  to  supply  his  own  family  with  water ; 
and  that  the  partridges  had  hardly  strength  to  fly  away  when  pursued. 
The  lowest  estimation  of  the  less  of  cattle  in  the  province  of  Buenos 
Ayres  alone,  was  taken  at  one  million  head.  A  proprietor  at  San 
Pedro  had  previously  to  these  years  20,000  cattle ;  at  the  end  not  one 
remained.  San  Pedro  is  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  finest  country ; 
and  even  now  abounds  again  with  animals  ;  yet,  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  "  gran  seco,"  live  cattle  were  brought  in  vessels  for  the  con- 
sumption of  the  inhabitants.  The  animals  roamed  from  their  estancias, 
and,  wandering  far  southward,  were  mingled  together  in  such  multi- 
tudes, that  a  government  commission  was  sent  from  Buenos  Ayres  to 
settle  the  disputes  of  the  owners.  Sir  Woodbine  Parish  informed  me 
of  another  and  very  curious  source  of  dispute ;  the  ground  being  so 
long  dry,  such  quantities  of  dust  were  blown  about,  that  in  this  open 
country  the  landmarks  became  obliterated,  and  people  could  not  tell 
the  limits  of  their  estates. 

I  was  informed  by  an  eyewitness  that  the  cattle  in  herds  of  thousands 
rushed  into  the  Parana,  and  being  exhausted  by  hunger  they  were 
unable  to  crawl  up  the  muddy  banks,  and  thus  were  drowned.  The 
arm  of  the  river  which  runs  by  San  Pedro  was  so  full  of  putrid  carcases, 
that  the  master  of  a  vessel  told  me  that  the  smell  rendered  it  quite 
impassable.  Without  doubt  several  hundred  thousand  animals  thus 
perished  in  the  river ;  their  bodies  when  putrid  were  seen  floating 
down  the  stream  ;  and  many  in  all  probability  were  deposited  in  the 
estuary  of  the  Plata.  All  the  small  rivers  became  highly  saline,  and 
this  caused  the  death  of  vast  numbers  in  particular  spots ;  for  when 
an  animal  drinks  of  such  water  it  does  not  recover.  Azara  describes  f 
the  fury  of  the  wild  horses  on  a  similar  occasion,  rushing  into  the 
marshes,  those  which  arrived  first  being  overwhelmed  and  crushed  by 
those  which  followed.  He  adds  that  more  than  once  he  has  seen  the 
carcases  of  upwards  of  a  thousand  wild  horses  thus  destroyed.  I 
noticed  that  the  smaller  streams  in  the  Pampas  were  paved  with  a 
breccia  of  bones,  but  this  probably  is  the  effect  of  a  gradual  increase, 
rather  than  of  the  destruction  at  any  one  period.  Subsequently  to  the 
drought  of  1827  to  1832,  a  very  rainy  season  followed,  which  caused 
great  floods.  Hence  it  is  almost  certain  that  some  thousands  of  the 

*  In  Capt.  Owen's  "  Surveying  Voyage  (vol.  ii.,  p.  274)  there  is  a  curious 
account  of  the  effects  of  a  drought  on  the  elephants,  at  Benguela  (west  coast 
of  Africa).  "A  number  of  these  animals  had  some  time  since  entered  the 
town,  in  a  body,  to  possess  themselves  of  the  wells,  not  being  able  to  procure 
any  water  in  the  country.  The  inhabitants  mustered,  when  a  desperate 
conflict  ensued,  which  terminated  in  the  ultimate  discomfiture  of  the  in- 
vaders, but  not  until  they  had  killed  one  man,  and  wounded  se%7eral  others." 
The  town  is  said  to  have  a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand  !  Dr.  Mai- 
colmson  informs  me,  that  during  a  great  drought  in  India  the  wild  animals 
entered  the  tents  of  some  troops  at  Ellore,  and  that  a  hare  drank  out  of  • 
vessel  held  by  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment, 

•f  "  Travels,"  vol.  i.,  p.  374. 


1833.]  HABITS  OF  THE  JAGUAR.  97 

skeletons  were  buried  by  the  deposits  of  the  very  next  year.  What 
would  be  the  opinion  of  a  geologist,  viewing  such  an  enormous 
collection  of  bones,  of  all  kinds  of  animals  and  of  all  ages,  thus 
embedded  in  one  thick  earthy  mass?  Would  he  not  attribute  it  to 
a  flood  having  swept  over  the  surface  of  the  land,  rather  than  to  the 
common  order  of  things  ?  * 

October  12th. — I  had  intended  to  push  my  excursion  further,  but  not 
being  quite  well,  I  was  compelled  to  return  by  a  balandra,  or  one- 
masted  vessel  of  about  a  hundred  tons'  burden,  which  was  bound  to 
Buenos  Ayres.  As  the  weather  was  not  fair,  we  moored  early  in  the 
day  to  a  branch  of  a  tree  on  one  of  the  islands.  The  Parana  is  full 
of  islands,  which  undergo  a  constant  round  of  decay  and  renovation. 
In  the  memory  of  the  master  several  large  ones  had  disappeared,  and 
others  again  had  been  formed  and  protected  by  vegetation.  They  are 
composed  of  muddy  sand,  without  even  the  smallest  pebble,  and  were 
then  about  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river;  but  during  the 
periodical  floods  they  are  inundated.  They  all  present  one  character ; 
numerous  willows  and  a  'few  other  trees  are  bound  together  by  a  great 
variety  of  creeping  plants,  thus  forming  a  thick  jungle.  These  thickets 
afford  a  retreat  for  capybaras  and  jaguars.  The  fear  of  the  latter  animal 
quite  destroyed  all  pleasure  in  scrambling  through  the  woods.  This 
evening  I  had  not  proceeded  a  hundred  yards,  before  rinding  indubitable 
signs  of  the  recent  presence  of  the  tiger,  I  was  obliged  to  come  back. 
On  every  island  there  were  tracks ;  and  as  on  the  former  excursion 
"  el  rastro  de  los  Indies  "  had  been  the  subject  of  conversation,  so  in 
this  was  "  el  rastro  del  tigre." 

The  wooded  banks  of  the  great  rivers  appear  to  be  the  favourite 
haunts  of  the  jaguar;  but  south  of  the  Plata,  I  was  told  that  they 
frequented  the  reeds  bordering  lakes  :  wherever  they  are,  they  seem  to 
require  water.  Their  common  prey  is  the  capybara,  so  that  it  is 
generally  said,  where  capybaras  are  numerous  there  is  little  danger 
from  the  jaguar.  Falconer  states  that  near  the  southern  side  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Plata  there  are  many  jaguars,  and  that  they  chiefly  live  on 
fish ;  this  account  I  have  heard  repeated.  On  the  Parana  they  have 
killed  many  wood-cutters,  and  have  even  entered  vessels  at  night. 
There  is  a  man  now  living  in  the  Bajada,  who,  coming  up  from  below 
when  it  was  dark,  was  seized  on  the  deck ;  he  escaped,  however,  with 
the  loss  of  the  use  of  one  arm.  When  the  floods  drive  these  animals 
from  the  islands,  they  are  most  dangerous.  I  was  told  that  a  few  years 
since  a  very  large  one  found  its  way  into  a  church  at  St.  Fe ;  two  padres 
entering  one  after  the  other  were  killed,  and  a  third,  who  came  to  see 
what  was  the  matter,  escaped  with  difficulty.  The  beast  was  destroyed 
by  being  shot  from  a  corner  of  the  building  which  was  unroofed.  They 
commit  also  at  these  times  great  ravages  among  cattle  and  horses.  It 
is  said  that  they  kill  their  prey  by  breaking  their  necks.  If  driven  from 

*  These  droughts,  to  a  certain  degree,  seem  to  be  almost  periodical ;  I 
was  told  the  dates  of  several  others,  and  the  intervals  were  about  fifteen 
years. 


9§  RIO  PARANA.  [CHAP.  VH. 

the  carcass,  they  seldom  return  to  it.  The  Gauchos  say  that  the 
jaguar,  when  wandering  about  at  night,  is  much  tormented  by  the  foxes 
yelping  as  they  follow  him.  This  is  a  curious  coincidence  with  the  fact 
which  is  generally  affirmed  of  the  jackals  accompanying,  in  a  similarly 
officious  manner,  the  East  Indian  tiger.  The  jaguar  is  a  noisy  animal, 
roaring  much  by  night,  and  especially  before  bad  weather. 

One  day,  when  hunting  on  the  banks  of  the  Uruguay,  I  was  shown 
certain  trees,  to  which  these  animals  constantly  recur  for  the  purpose, 
as  it  is  said,  of  sharpening  their  claws.  I  saw  three  well-known  trees ; 
in  front,  the  bark  was  worn  smooth,  as  if  by  the  breast  of  the  animal, 
and  on  each  side  there  were  deep  scratches,  or  rather  grooves,  extending 
in  an  oblique  line,  nearly  a  yard  in  length.  The  scars  were  of  different 
ages.  A  common  method  of  ascertaining  whether  a  jaguar  is  in  the 
neighbourhood  is  to  examine  these  trees.  I  imagine  this  habit  of  the 
jaguar  is  exactly  similar  to  one  which  may  any  day  be  seen  in  the  com- 
mon cat,  as  with  outstretched  legs  and  exserted  claws  it  scrapes  the  leg 
of  a  chair;  and  I  have  heard  of  young  fruit  trees  in  an  orchard  in 
England  having  been  thus  much  injured.  Some  such  habit  must  also 
be  common  to  the  puma,  for  on  the  bare  hard  soil  of  Patagonia  I  have 
frequently  seen  scores  so  deep  that  no  other  animal  could  have  made 
them.  The  object  of  this  practice  is,  I  believe,  to  tear  off  the  ragged 
points  of  their  claws,  and  not,  as  the  Gauchos  think,  to  sharpen  them. 
The  jaguar  is  killed,  without  much  difficulty,  by  the  aid  of  dogs  baying 
and  driving  him  up  a  tree,  where  he  is  despatched  with  bullets. 

Owing  to  bad  weather  we  remained  two  days  at  our  moorings.  Our 
only  amusement  was  catching  fish  for  our  dinner ;  there  were  several 
kinds,  and  all  good  eating.  A  fish  called  the  "armado"  (a  Silurus)  is 
remarkable  from  a  harsh  grating  noise  which  it  makes  when  caught  by 
hook  and  line,  and  which  can  be  distinctly  heard  when  the  fish  is 
beneath  the  water.  This  same  fish  has  the  power  of  firmly  catching 
hold  of  any  object,  such  as  the  blade  of  an  oar  or  the  fishing-line,  with 
the  strong  spine  both  of  its  pectoral  and  dorsal  fin.  In  the  evening  the 
weather  was  quite  tropical,  the  thermometer  standing  at  79°.  Numbers 
of  fireflies  were  hovering  about,  and  the  musquitoes  were  very  trouble- 
some. I  exposed  my  hand  for  five  minutes,  and  it  was  soon  black  with 
them  ;  I  do  not  suppose  there  could  have  been  less  than  fifty,  all  busy 
sucking. 

October  i$th. — We  got  under  way  and  passed  Punta  Gorda,  where 
there  is  a  colony  of  tame  Indians  from  the  province  of  Missiones.  We 
sailed  rapidly  down  the  current,  but  before  sunset,  from  a  silly  fear  of 
bad  weather,  we  brought-to  in  a  narrow  arm  of  the  river.  I  took  the 
boat  and  rowed  some  distance  up  this  creek.  It  was  very  narrow, 
winding,  and  deep ;  on  each  side  a  wall  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  formed 
by  trees  intwined  with  creepers,  gave  to  the  canal  a  singularly  gloomy 
appearance.  I  here  saw  a  very  extraordinary  bird,  called  the  Scissor- 
beak  (Rhynchops  nigra).  It  has  short  legs,  web  feet,  extremely  long- 
pointed  wings,  and  is  of  about  the  size  of  a  tern.  The  beak  is 
flattened  laterally,  that  is,  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  that  of  a  spoon- 
bill or  duck.  It  is  as  flat  and  elastic  as  an  ivory  paper-cutter,  and  the 


1833.]  THE  SCISSOR-BEAK.  99 

lower  mandible,  differently  from  every  other  bird,  is  an  inch  and  a  half 
longer  than  the  upper.  In  a  lake  near  Maldonado,  from  which  the 
water  had  been  nearly  drained,  and  which,  in  consequence,  swarmed 
with  small  fry,  I  saw  several  of  these  birds,  generally  in  small  flocks, 
flying  rapidly  backwards  and  forwards  close  to  the  surface  of  the  lake. 
They  kept  their  bills  wide  open,  and  the  lower  mandible  half  buried  in 
the  water.  Thus  skimming  the  surface,  they  ploughed  it  in  their 
course:  the  water  was  quite  smooth,  and  it  formed  a  most  curious 
spectacle  to  behold  a  flock,  each  bird  leaving  its  narrow  wake  on  the 
mirror-like  surface.  In  their  flight  they  frequently  twist  about  with 
extreme  quickness,  and  dexterously  manage  with  their  projecting  lower 
mandible  to  plough  up  small  fish,  which  are  secured  by  the  upper  and 
shorter  half  of  their  scissor-like  bills.  This  fact  I  repeatedly  saw,  as, 
like  swallows,  they  continued  to  fly  backwards  and  forwards  close 
before  me.  Occasionally  when  leaving  the  surface  of  the  water  their 
flight  was  wild,  irregular,  and  rapid ;  they  then  uttered  loud  harsh  cries. 
When  these  birds  are  fishing,  the  advantage  of  the  long  primary  feathers 
of  their  wings,  in  keeping  them  dry,  is  very  evident.  When  thus 
employed,  their  forms  resemble  the  symbol  by  which  many  artists 


represent  marine  birds.     Their  tails  are  much  used  in  steering  their 
irregular  course. 

These  birds  are  common  far  inland  along  the  course  of  the  Rio 
Parana ;  it  is  said  that  they  remain  here  during  the  whole  year,  and 
breed  in  the  marshes.  During  the  day  they  rest  in  flocks  on  the  grassy 
plains,  at  some  distance  from  the  water.  Being  at  anchor,  as  I  have 
said,  in  one  of  the  deep  creeks  between  the  islands  of  the  Parana,  as  the 
evening  drew  to  a  close,  one  of  these  scissor-beaks  suddenly  appeared. 
The  water  was  quite  still,  and  many  little  fish  were  rising.  The  bird 
continued  for  a  long  time  to  skim  the  surface,  flying  in  its  wild  and  irre- 
gular manner  up  and  down  the  narrow  canal,  now  dark  with  the  growing 
night  and  the  shadows  of  the  overhanging  trees.  At  Monte  Video  I 
observed  that  some  large  flocks  during  the  day  remained  on  the  mud- 
banks  at  the  head  of  the  harbour,  in  the  same  manner  as  on  the  grassy 
plains  near  the  Parana ;  and  every  evening  they  took  flight  seaward. 
From  these  facts  I  suspect  that  the  Rhynchops  generally  fishes  by  night, 
at  which  time  many  of  the  lower  animals  come  most  abundantly  to  the 
surface.  M.  Lesson  states  that  he  has  seen  these  birds  opening  the 
shells  of  the  mactrae  buried  in  the  sand-banks  on  the  coast  of  Chile ; 
from  their  weak  bills,  with  the  lower  mandible  so  much  projecting. 


loo  RIO  PARANA.  [CHAP.  vu. 

their  short  legs  and  long  wings,  it  is  very  improbable  that  this  can  be  a 
general  habit 

In  our  course  down  the  Parana,  I  observed  only  three  other  birds, 
whose  habits  are  worth  mentioning.  One  is  a  small  king-fisher 
(Ceryle  Americana) ;  it  has  a  longer  tail  than  the  European  species,  and 
hence  does  not  sit  in  so  stiff  and  upright  a  position.  Its  flight  also, 
instead  of  being  direct  and  rapid,  like  the  course  of  an  arrow,  is  weak 
and  undulatory,  as  among  the  soft-billed  birds.  It  utters  a  low  note, 
like  the  clicking  together  of  two  small  stones.  A  small  green  parrot 
(Conurus  murinus),  with  a  grey  breast,  appears  to  prefer  the  tall  trees 
on  the  islands  to  any  other  situation  for  its  building-place.  A  number 
of  nests  are  placed  so  close  together  as  to  form  one  great  mass  of  sticks. 
These  parrots  always  live  in  flocks,  and  commit  great  ravages  on  the 
corn-fields.  I  was  told  that  near  Colonia  2,50x3  were  killed  in  the  course 
of  one  year.  A  bird  with  a  forked  tail,  terminated  by  two  long  feathers 
(Tyrannus  savana),  and  named  by  the  Spaniards  scissor-tail,  is  very 
common  near  Buenos  Ayres ;  it  commonly  sits  on  a  branch  of  the  ombit 
tree,  near  a  house,  and  thence  takes  a  short  flight  in  pursuit  of  insects, 
and  returns  to  the  same  spot.  When  on  the  wing  it  presents  in  its 
manner  of  flight  and  general  appearance  a  caricature-likeness  of  the 
common  swallow.  It  has  the  power  of  turning  very  shortly  in  the  air, 
and  in  so  doing  opens  and  shuts  its  tail,  sometimes  in  a  horizontal  or 
lateral  and  sometimes  in  a  vertical  direction,  just  like  a  pair  of  scissors. 

October  ibth. — Some  leagues  below  Rozario,  the  western  shore  of  the 
Parana  is  bounded  by  perpendicular  cliffs,  which  extend  in  a  long  line 
to  below  San  Nicolas  ;  hence  it  more  resembles  a  sea-coast  than  that  of 
a  fresh-water  river.  It  is  a  great  drawback  to  the  scenery  of  the  Parana, 
that,  from  the  soft  nature  of  its  banks,  the  water  is  very  muddy.  The 
Uruguay,  flowing  through  a  granitic  country,  is  much  clearer ;  and  where 
the  two  channels  unite  at  the  head  of  the  Plata,  the  waters  may  for  a 
long  distance  be  distinguished  by  their  black  and  red  colours.  In  the 
evening,  the  wind  being  not  quite  fair,  as  usual  we  immediately  moored, 
and  the  next  day,  as  it  blew  rather  freshly,  though  with  a  favouring 
current,  the  master  was  much  too  indolent  to  think  of  starting.  At 
Bajada,  he  was  described  to  me  as  "hombre  muy  aflicto" — a  man 
always  miserable  to  get  on ;  but  certainly  he  bore  all  delays  with 
admirable  resignation.  He  was  an  old  Spaniard,  and  had  been  many 
years  in  this  country.  He  professed  a  great  liking  to  the  English,  but 
stoutly  maintained  that  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  was  merely  won  by  the 
Spanish  captains  having  been  all  bought  over ;  and  that  the  only  really 
gallant  action  on  either  side  was  performed  by  the  Spanish  admiral. 
It  struck  me  as  rather  characteristic,  that  this  man  should  prefer  his 
countrymen  being  thought  the  worst  of  traitors,  rather  than  unskilful  or 
cowardly. 

October  l%th  and  igth. — We  continued  slowly  to  sail  down  the  noble 
stream ;  the  current  helped  us  but  little.  We  met,  during  our  descent, 
very  few  vessels.  One  of  the  best  gifts  of  nature,  in  so  grand  a  channel 
of  communication,  seems  here  wilfully  thrown  away — a  river  in  which 
ships  might  navigate  from  a  temperate  country,  as  surprisingly  abundant 


1833.]  REVOLUTION  AT  BUENOS  AYRES.  101 

in  certain  productions  as  destitute  of  others,  to  another  possessing  a 
tropical  climate,  and  a  soil  which,  according  to  the  best  of  judges, 
M.  Bonpland,  is  perhaps  unequalled  in  fertility  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
How  different  would  have  been  the  aspect  of  this  river  if  English  colonists 
had  by  good  fortune  first  sailed  up  the  Plata !  What  noble  towns  would 
now  have  occupied  its  shores !  Till  the  death  of  Francia,  the  Dictator 
of  Paraguay,  these  two  countries  must  remain  distinct,  as  if  placed  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  globe.  And  when  the  old  bloody-minded  tyrant  is 
gone  to  his  long  account,  Paraguay  will  be  torn  by  revolutions,  violent 
in  proportion  to  the  previous  unnatural  calm.  That  country  will  have  to 
learn,  like  every  other  South  American  state,  that  a  republic  cannot 
succeed  till  it  contains  a  certain  body  of  men  imbued  with  the  principles 
of  justice  and  honour. 

October  2o//z. — Being  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Parana,  and  as  I 
was  very  anxious  to  reach  Beunos  Ayres,  I  went  on  shore  at  Las  Conchas, 
with  the  intention  of  riding  there.  Upon  landing  I  found  to  my  great 
surprise  that  I  was  to  a  certain  degree  a  prisoner.  A  violent  revolution 
having  broken  out,  all  the  ports  were  laid  under  an  embargo.  I  could 
not  return  to  my  vessel,  and  as  for  going  by  land  to  the  city,  it  was  out 
of  the  question.  After  a  long  conversation  with  the  commandant,  I 
obtained  permission  to  go  the  next  day  to  General  Rolor,  who  commanded 
a  division  of  the  rebels  on  this  side  the  capital.  In  the  morning  I  rode 
to  the  encampment.  The  general,  officers,  and  soldiers,  all  appeared, 
and  I  believe  really  were,  great  villains.  The  general,  the  very  evening 
before  he  left  the  city,  voluntarily  went  to  the  Governor,  and  with  his 
hand  to  his  heart,  pledged  his  word  of  honour  that  he  at  least  would 
remain  faithful  to  the  last.  The  general  told  me  that  the  city  was  in  a 
state  of  close  blockade,  and  that  all  he  could  do  was  to  give  me  a  passport 
to  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  rebels  at  Quilmes.  We  had  therefore  to 
take  a  great  sweep  round  the  city,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that 
we  procured  horses.  My  reception  at  the  encampment  was  quite  civil, 
but  I  was  told  it  was  quite  impossible  that  I  could  be  allowed  to  enter 
the  city.  I  was  very  anxious  about  this,  as  I  anticipated  the  Beagles 
departure  from  the  Rio  Plata  earlier  than  it  took  place.  Having 
mentioned,  however,  General  Rosas's  obliging  kindness  to  me  when  at 
the  Colorado,  magic  itself  could  not  have  altered  circumstances  quicker 
than  did  this  conversation.  I  was  instantly  told  that  though  they  could 
not  give  me  a  passport,  if  I  chose  to  leave  my  guide  and  horses,  I  might 
pass  their  sentinels.  I  was  too  glad  to  accept  of  this,  and  an  officer 
was  sent  with  me  to  give  directions  that  I  should  not  be  stopped  at  the 
bridge.  The  road  for  the  space  of  a  league  was  quite  deserted.  I  met 
one  party  of  soldiers,  who  were  satisfied  by  gravely  looking  at  an  old 
passport ;  and  at  length  I  was  not  a  little  pleased  to  find  myself  within 
the  city. 

This  revolution  was  supported  by  scarcely  any  pretext  of  grievances ; 
but  in  a  state  which,  in  the  course  of  nine  months  (from  February  to 
October,  1820),  underwent  fifteen  changes  in  its  government — each 
governor,  according  to  the  constitution,  being  elected  for  three  years — 
it  would  be  very  unreasonable  to  ask  for  pretexts.  In  this  case,  a  party 


102  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

of  men — who,  being  attached  to  Rosas,  were  disgusted  with  the 
governor  Balcarce — to  the  number  of  seventy  left  the  city,  and  with  the 
cry  of  Rosas  the  whole  country  took  arms.  The  city  was  then 
blockaded,  no  provisions,  cattle,  or  horses  were  allowed  to  enter ; 
besides  this,  there  was  only  a  little  skirmishing,  and  a  few  men  daily 
killed.  The  outside  party  well  knew  that  by  stopping  the  supply  oi 
meat  they  would  certainly  be  victorious.  General  Rosas  could  not 
have  known  of  this  rising  ;  but  it  appears  to  be  quite  consonant  with  the 
plans  of  his  party.  A  year  ago  he  was  elected  governor,  but  he  refused 
it,  unless  the  Sala  would  also  confer  on  him  extraordinary  powers. 
This  was  refused,  and  since  then  his  party  have  shown  that  no  other 
governor  can  keep  his  place.  The  warfare  on  both  sides  was  avowedly 
protracted  till  it  was  possible  to  hear  from  Rosas.  A  note  arrived  a 
few  days  after  I  left  Buenos  Ayres,  which  stated  that  the  General 
disapproved  of  peace  having  been  broken,  but  that  he  thought  the 
outside  party  had  justice  on  their  side.  On  the  bare  reception  of  this, 
the  Governor,  ministers;  and  part  of  the  military,  to  the  number  of  some 
hundreds,  fled  from  the  city.  The  rebels  entered,  elected  a  new 
governor,  and  were  paid  for  their  services  to  the  number  ot  5,500 
men.  From  these  proceedings,  it  was  clear  that  Rosas  ultimately  would 
become  the  dictator :  to  the  term  king,  the  people  in  this,  as  in  other 
republics,  have  a  particular  dislike.  Since  leaving  South  America  we 
have  heard  that  Rosas  has  been  elected  with  powers,  and  for  a  time 
altogether  opposed  to  the  constitutional  principles  of  the  republic. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BANDA   ORIENTAL  AND   PATAGONIA.' 

Excursion  to  Colonia  del  Sacramiento — Value  of  an  Estancia-  -Cattle,  how 
counted — Singular  Breed  of  Oxen — Perforated  Pebbles — Shepherd 
Dogs — Horses  Broken-in,  Gauchos  Riding — Character  of  Inhabitants 
— Rio  Plata — Flocks  of  Butterflies — Aeronaut  Spiders — Phosphorescence 
of  the  Sea — Port  Desire — Guanaco — Port  St.  Julian — Geology  of 
Patagonia — Fossil  Gigantic  Animal — Types  of  Organization  Constant 
— Change  in  the  Zoology  of  America — Causes  of  Extinction. 

HAVING  been  delayed  for  nearly  a  fortnight  in  the  city,  I  was  glad  to 
escape  on  board  a  packet  bound  for  Monte  Video.  A  town  in  a  state 
of  blockade  must  always  be  a  disagreeable  place  of  residence ;  in  this 
case  moreover  there  were  constant  apprehensions  from  robbers  within. 
The  sentinels  were  the  worst  of  all ;  for,  from  their  office  and  from 
having  arms  in  their  hands,  they  robbed  with  a  degree  of  authority  which 
other  men  could  not  imitate. 

Our  passage  was  a  very  long  and  tedious  one.     The  Plata  looks  like 
8  noble  estuary  on  the  map;  but  is  in  truth  a  poor  affair.     A  wide 


BAND  A  ORIENTAL.  12*3 

expanse  of  muddy  water  has  neither  grandeur  nor  beauty.  At  one 
time  of  the  day,  the  two  shores,  both  of  which  are  extremely  low,  could 
just  be  distinguished  from  the  deck.  On  arriving  at  Monte  Video  I 
found  that  the  Beagle  would  not  sail  for  some  time,  so  I  prepared  for  a 
short  excursion  in  this  part  of  Banda  Oriental.  Everything  which  I  have 
said  about  the  country  near  Maldonado  is  applicable  to  Monte  Video ; 
hut  the  land,  with  the  one  exception  of  the  Green  Mount,  450  feet  high, 
from  wh'ch  it  takes  its  name,  is  far  more  level.  Very  little  of  the 
undulating  grassy  plain  is  enclosed  ;  but  near  the  town  there  are  a  few 
hedge-banks,  covered  with  agaves,  cacti,  and  fennel. 

November  i^th. — We  left  Monte  Video  in  the  afternoon.  I  intended 
to  proceed  to  Colonia  del  Sacramiento,  situated  on  the  northern  bank  of 
the  Plata  and  opposite  to  Buenos  Ayres,  and  thence,  following  up  the 
Uruguay,  to  the  village  of  Mercedes  on  the  Rio  Negro  (one  of  the  many 
rivers  of  this  name  in  South  America),  and  from  this  point  to  return 
direct  toMonte  Video.  We  slept  at  the  house  of  my  guide  at  Canelones. 
In  the  morning  we  rose  early,  in  the  hopes  of  being  able  to  ride  a  good 
distance ;  but  it  was  a  vain  attempt,  for  all  the  rivers  were  flooded. 
We  passed  in  boats  the  streams  of  Canelones,  St.  Lucia,  and  San 
Jose,  and  thus  lost  much  time.  On  a  former  excursion  I  crossed  the 
Lucia  near  its  mouth,  and  I  was  surprised  to  observe  how  easily  our 
horses,  although  not  used  to  swim,  passed  over  a  width  of  at  least  six 
hundred  yards.  On  mentioning  this  at  Monte  Video,  I  was  told  that 
a  vessel  containing  some  mountebanks  and  their  horses,  being  wrecked 
in  the  Plata,  one  horse  swam  seven  miles  to  the  shore.  In  the  course 
of  the  day  I  was  amused  by  the  dexterity  with  which  a  Gaucho  forced 
a  restive  horse  to  swim  a  river.  He  stripped  off  his  clothes,  and 
jumping  on  its  back,  rode  into  the  water  till  it  was  out  of  its  depth ; 
then  slipping  off  over  the  crupper,  he  caught  hold  of  the  tail,  and  as 
often  as  the  horse  turned  round,  the  man  frightened  it  back  by  splashing 
water  in  its  face.  As  soon  as  the  horse  touched  the  bottom  on  the 
other  side,  the  man  pulled  himself  on,  and  was  firmly  seated,  bridle  in 
hand,  before  the  horse  gained  the  bank.  A  naked  man  on  a  naked 
horse  is  a  fine  spectacle  ;  I  had  no  idea  how  well  the  two  animals  suited 
each  other.  The  tail  of  a  horse  is  a  very  useful  appendage ;  I  have 
passed  a  river  in  a  boat  with  four  people  in  it,  which  was  ferried  across 
in  the  same  way  as  the  Gaucho.  If  a  man  and  horse  have  to  cross 
a  broad  river,  the  best  plan  is  for  the  man  to  catch  hold  of  the  pommel 
or  mane,  and  help  himself  with  the  other  arm. 

We  slept  and  stayed  the  following  day  at  the  post  of  Cufre.  In  the 
evening  the  postman  or  letter-carrier  arrived.  He  was  a  day  after  his 
time,  owing  to  the  Rio  Rozario  being  flooded.  It  would  not,  however, 
be  of  much  consequence ;  for,  although  he  had  passed  through  some  of 
the  principal  towns  in  Banda  Oriental,  his  luggage  consisted  of  two 
letters  I  The  view  from  the  house  was  pleasing  ;  an  undulating  green 
surface,  with  distant  glimpses  of  the  Plata.  I  find  that  I  look  at  this 
province  with  very  different  eyes  from  what  I  did  upon  my  first  arrival. 
I  recollect  I  then  thought  it  singularly  level ;  but  now,  after  galloping 
over  the  Pampas,  my  only  surprise  is,  what  could  have  induced  me 


104  BANDA  ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vtn. 

ever  to  have  called  it  level.  The  country  is  a  series  of  undulations,  in 
themselves  perhaps  not  absolutely  great,  but,  as  compared  to  the  plains 
of  St.  Fe,  real  mountains.  From  these  inequalities  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  small  rivulets,  and  the  turf  is  green  and  luxuriant 

November  17 'th. — We  crossed  the  Rozario,  which  was  deep  and 
rapid,  and  passing  the  village  of  Colla,  arrived  at  mid-day  at  Colonia 
del  Sacramiento.  The  distance  is  twenty  leagues,  through  a  country 
covered  with  fine  grass,  but  poorly  stocked  with  cattle  or  inhabitants. 
I  was  invited  to  sleep  at  Colonia,  and  to  accompany  on  the  following 
day  a  gentleman  to  his  estancia,  where  there  were  some  limestone 
rocks.  The  town  is  built  on  a  stony  promontory  something  in  the  same 
manner  as  at  Monte  Video.  It  is  strongly  fortified,  but  both  fortifica- 
tions and  town  suffered  much  in  the  Brazilian  war.  It  is  very  ancient ; 
and  the  irregularity  of  the  streets,  and  the  surrounding  groves  of  old 
orange  and  peach  trees,  gave  it  a  pretty  appearance.  The  church  is  a 
curious  ruin ;  it  was  used  as  a  powder-magazine,  and  was  struck  by 
lightning  in  one  of  the  ten  thousand  thunder-storms  of  the  Rio  Plata. 
Two-thirds  of  the  building  were  blown  away  to  the  very  foundation ;  and 
the  rest  stands  a  shattered  and  curious  monument  of  the  united  powers 
of  lightning  and  gunpowder.  In  the  evening  I  wandered  about  the 
half-demolished  walls  of  the  town.  It  was  the  chief  seat  of  the 
Brazilian  war ; — a  war  most  injurious  to  this  country,  not  so  much  in 
its  immediate  effects,  as  in  being  the  origin  of  a  multitude  of  generals 
and  all  other  grades  of  officers.  More  generals  are  numbered  (but  not 
paid)  in  the  United  Provinces  of  La  Plata  than  in  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Britain.  These  gentlemen  have  learned  to  like  power,  and  do 
not  object  to  a  little  skirmishing.  Hence  there  are  many  always  on  the 
watch  to  create  disturbance,  and  to  overturn  a  government  which  as  yet 
has  never  rested  on  any  stable  foundation.  I  noticed,  however,  both  here 
and  in  other  places,  a  very  general  interest  in  the  ensuing  election  for 
the  President ;  and  this  appears  a  good  sign  for  the  prosperity  of  this 
little  country.  The  inhabitants  do  not  require  much  education  in  their 
representatives  ;  I  heard  some  men  discussing  the  merits  of  those  for 
Colonia  ;  and  it  was  said  that,  "  although  they  were  not  men  of  business, 
they  could  all  sign  their  names :  "  with  this  they  seemed  to  think  every 
reasonable  man  ought  to  be  satisfied. 

November  i8/A. — Rode  with  my  host  to  his  estancia,  at  the  Arroyo  de 
San  Juan.  In  the  evening  we  took  a  ride  round  the  estate :  it  contained 
two  square  leagues  and  a  half,  and  was  situated  in  what  is  called  a 
rincon  ;  that  is,  one  side  was  fronted  by  the  Plata,  and  the  two  others 
guarded  by  impassable  brooks.  There  was  an  excellent  port  for  little 
vessels,  and  an  abundance  of  small  wood,  which  is  valuable  as  supply- 
ing fuel  to  Buenos  Ayres.  I  was  curious  to  know  the  value  of  so 
complete  an  estancia.  Of  cattle  there  were  3,000,  and  it  would  well 
support  three  or  four  times  that  number ;  of  mares  800,  together  with 
150  broken-in  horses,  and  600  sheep.  There  was  plenty  of  water  and 
limestone,  a  rough  house,  excellent  corrals,  and  a  peach  orchard.  For 
all  this  he  had  been  offered  2,ooo/.,  and  he  only  wanted  joo/.  additional, 
and  probably  would  sell  it  for  less.  The  chief  trouble  with  an  estancia 


I833.J  CURIOUS  BREED  OF  OXEN.  105 

is  driving  the  cattle  twice  a  week  to  a  central  spot,  in  order  to  make 
them  tame,  and  to  count  them.  This  latter  operation  would  be  thought 
difficult,  where  there  are  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  head  together.  It  is 
managed  on  the  principle  that  the  cattle  invariably  divide  themselves 
into  little  troops  of  from  forty  to  one  hundred.  Each  troop  is  recognized 
by  a  few  peculiarly  marked  animals,  and  its  number  is  known :  so  that, 
one  being  lost  out  of  ten  thousand,  it  is  perceived  by  its  absence  from 
one  of  the  tropillas.  During  a  stormy  night  the  cattle  all  mingle 
together ;  but  the  next  morning  the  tropillas  separate  as  before ;  so 
that  each  animal  must  know  its  fellow  out  of  ten  thousand  others. 

On  two  occasions  I  met  with  in  this  province  some  oxen  of  a  very 
curious  breed,  called  nata  or  niata.  They  appear  externally  to  hold 
nearly  the  same  relation  to  other  cattle,  which  bull  or  pug  dogs  do  to 
other  dogs.  Their  forehead  is  very  short  and  broad,  with  the  nasal 
end  turned  up,  and  the  upper  lip  much  drawn  back ;  their  lower  jaws 
project  beyond  the  upper,  and  have  a  corresponding  upward  curve ; 
hence  their  teeth  are  always  exposed.  Their  nostrils  are  seated  high 
up  and  are  very  open ;  their  eyes  project  outwards.  When  walking 
they  carry  their  heads  low,  on  a  short  neck ;  and  their  hinder  legs  are 
rather  longer  compared  with  the  front  legs  than  is  usual.  Their  bare 
teeth,  their  short  heads,  and  upturned  nostrils  gave  them  the  most 
ludicrous  self-confident  air  of  defiance  imaginable. 

Since  my  return,  I  have  procured  a  skeleton  head,  through  the 
kindness  of  my  friend  Captain  Sulivan,  R.N.,  which  is  now  deposited 
in  the  College  of  Surgeons.*  Don  F.  Muniz,  of  Luxan,  has  kindly 
collected  for  me  all  the  information  which  he  could  respecting  this 
breed.  From  his  account  it  seems  that  about  eighty  or  ninety  years 
ago  they  were  rare,  and  kept  as  curiosities  at  Buenos  Ayres.  The 
breed  is  universally  believed  to  have  originated  amongst  the  Indians 
southward  of  the  Plata ;  and  that  it  was  with  them  the  commonest 
kind.  Even  to  this  day,  those  reared  in  the  provinces  near  the  Plata 
show  their  less  civilized  origin,  in  being  fiercer  than  common  cattle, 
and  in  the  cow  easily  deserting  her  first  calf,  if  visited  too  often  or 
molested.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  an  almost  similar  structure  to  the 
abnormal  f  one  of  the  niata  breed,  characterizes,  as  I  am  informed  by 
Dr.  Falconer,  that  great  extinct  ruminant  of  India,  the  Sivatherium. 
The  breed  is  very  true;  and  a  niata  bull  and  cow  invariably  produce 
niata  calves.  A  niata  bull  with  a  common  cow,  or  the  reverse  cross, 
produces  offspring  having  an  intermediate  character,  but  with  the  niata 
characters  strongly  displayed :  according  to  Senor  Muniz,  there  is  the 
clearest  evidence,  contrary  to  the  common  belief  of  agriculturists  in 
analogous  cases,  that  the  niata  cow  when  crossed  with  a  common  bull 
transmits  her  peculiarities  more  strongly  than  the  niata  bull  when 

*  Mr.  Waterhouse  has  drawn  up  a  detailed  description  of  this  head, 
which  I  hope  he  will  publish  in  some  Journal. 

\  A  nearly  similar  abnormal,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  hereditary, 
structure  has  been  observed  in  the  carp,  and  likewise  in  the  crocodile  of 
the  Ganges :  "  Histoire  des  Anomalies,"  par  M.  Isid.  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire, 
torn,  i.,  p.  244. 


too  BANDA  ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vj*t 

crossed  with  a  common  cow.  When  the  pasture  is  tolerably  long,  the 
niata  cattle  feed  with  the  tongue  and  palate  as  well  as  common  cattle ; 
but  during  the  great  droughts,  when  so  many  animals  perish,  the  niata 
breed  is  under  a  great  disadvantage,  and  would  be  exterminated  ii  not 
attended  to ;  for  the  common  cattle,  like  horses,  are  able  just  to  keep 
alive,  by  browsing  with  their  lips  on  twigs  of  trees  and  reeds  ;  this  the 
niatas  cannot  so  well  do,  as  their  lips  do  not  join,  and  hence  they  are 
found  to  perish  before  the  common  cattle.  This  strikes  me  as  a  good 
illustration  of  how  little  we  are  able  to  judge  from  the  ordinary  habits 
of  life,  on  what  circumstances,  occurring  only  at  long  intervals,  the 
rarity  or  extinction  of  a  species  may  be  determined. 

November  igth. — Passing  the  valley  of  Las  Vacas,  we  slept  at  a 
house  of  a  North  American,  who  worked  a  lime-kiln  on  the  Arroyo  de 
las  Vivoras.  In  the  morning  we  rode  to  a  projecting  headland  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  called  Punta  Gorda.  On  the  way  we  tried  to  find 
a  jaguar.  There  were  plenty  of  fresh  tracks,  and  we  visited  the  trees 
on  which  they  are  said  to  sharpen  their  claws  ;  but  we  did  not  succeed 
in  disturbing  one.  From  this  point  the  Rio  Uruguay  presented  to  our 
view  a  noble  volume  of  water.  From  the  clearness  and  rapidity  of  the 
stream,  its  appearance  was  far  superior  to  that  of  its  neighbour  the 
Parana.  On  the  opposite  coast,  several  branches  from  the  latter  river 
entered  the  Uruguay.  As  the  sun  was  shining,  the  two  colours  of 
the  waters  could  be  seen  quite  distinct. 

In  the  evening  we  proceeded  on  our  road  towards  Mercedes  on  the 
Rio  Negro.  At  night  we  asked  permission  to  sleep  at  an  estancia  at 
which  we  happened  to  arrive.  It  was  a  very  large  estate,  being  ten 
leagues  square,  and  the  owner  is  one  of  the  greatest  landowners  in 
the  country.  His  nephew  had  charge  of  it,  and  with  him  there  was 
a  captain  in  the  army,  who  the  other  day  ran  away  from  Buenos  Ayres. 
Considering  their  station,  the  conversation  was  rather  amusing.  They 
expressed,  as  was  usual,  unbounded  astonishment  at  the  globe  being 
round,  and  could  scarcely  credit  that  a  hole  would,  if  deep  enough, 
come  out  on  the  other  side.  They  had,  however,  heard  of  a  country 
where  there  were  six  months  light  and  six  of  darkness,  and  where  the 
inhabitants  were  very  tall  and  thin  I  They  were  curious  about  the 
price  and  condition  of  horses  and  cattle  in  England.  Upon  finding 
out  we  did  not  catch  our  animals  with  the  lazo,  they  cried  out,  "  Ah, 
then,  you  use  nothing  but  the  bolas : "  the  idea  of  an  enclosed  country 
was  quite  new  to  them.  The  captain  at  last  said,  he  had  one  question 
to  ask  me,  which  he  should  be  very  much  obliged  if  I  would  answer 
with  all  truth.  I  trembled  to  think  how  deeply  scientific  it  would  be  ' 
it  was,  "  Whether  the  ladies  of  Buenos  Ayres  were  not  the  handsomest 
in  the  world  ? "  I  replied,  like  a  renegade,  "  Charmingly  so."  He 
added,  "I  have  one  other  question:  Do  ladies  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world  wear  such  large  combs?"  I  solemnly  assured  him  that 
they  did  not  They  were  absolutely  delighted.  The  captain  exclaimed, 
"  Look  there !  a  man  who  has  seen  half  the  world  says  it  is  the  case ; 
we  always  thought  so,  but  now  we  know  it"  My  excellent  judg- 
ment in  combs  and  beauty  procured  me  a  most  hospitable  reception ; 


I333-]  HILL  Of1  BEADS.  x<# 

the  captain  forced  me  to  take  his  bed,  and  he  would  sleep  on  his 
recado. 

November  2isf. — Started  at  sunrise,  and  rode  slowly  during  the  whole 
day.  The  geological  nature  of  this  part  of  the  province  was  different 
from  the  rest,  and  closely  resembled  that  of  the  Pampas.  In  conse- 
quence, there  were  immense  beds  of  the  thistle,  as  well  as  of  the 
cardoon :  the  whole  country,  indeed,  may  be  called  one  great  bed  ol 
these  plants.  The  two  sorts  grow  separate,  each  plant  in  company 
with  its  own  kind.  The  cardoon  is  as  high  as  a  horse's  back,  but  the 
Pampas  thistle  is  often  higher  than  the  crown  of  the  rider's  head.  To 
leave  the  road  for  a  yard  is  out  of  the  question ;  and  the  road  itseli 
is  partly,  and  in  some  cases  entirely,  closed.  Pasture,  of  course,  there 
is  none ;  if  cattle  or  horses  once  enter  the  bed,  they  are  for  the  time 
completely  lost.  Hence  it  is  very  hazardous  to  attempt  to  drive  cattle 
at  this  season  of  the  year ;  for  when  jaded  enough  to  face  the  thistles, 
they  rush  among  them,  and  are  seen  no  more.  In  these  districts  there 
are  very  few  estancias,  and  these  few  are  situated  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  damp  valleys,  where  fortunately  neither  of  these  overwhelming  plants 
can  exist.  As  night  came  on  before  we  arrived  at  our  journey's  end, 
we  slept  at  a  miserable  little  hovel  inhabited  by  the  poorest  people. 
The  extreme  though  rather  formal  courtesy  of  our  host  and  hostess, 
considering  their  grade  of  life,  was  quite  delightful.. 

November  22nd. — Arrived  at  an  estancia  on  the  Berquelo  belonging 
to  a  very  hospitable  Englishman,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  my  friend  Mr.  Lumb.  I  stayed  here  three  days.  One  morning 
I  rode  with  my  host  to  the  Sierra  del  Pedro  Flaco,  about  twenty  miles 
up  the  Rio  Negro.  Nearly  the  whole  country  was  covered  with  good 
though  coarse  grass,  which  was  as  high  as  a  horse's  belly ;  yet  there 
were  square  leagues  without  a  single  head  of  cattle.  The  province  of 
Banda  Oriental,  if  well  stocked,  would  support  an  astonishing  number 
of  animals  ;  at  present  the  annual  export  of  hides  from  Monte  Video 
amounts  to  three  hundred  thousand ;  and  the  home  consumption,  from 
waste,  is  very  considerable.  An  estanciero  told  me  that  he  often  had 
to  send  large  herds  of  cattle  a  long  journey  to  a  salting  establishment, 
and  that  the  tired  beasts  were  frequently  obliged  to  be  killed  and 
skinned ;  but  that  he  could  never  persuade  the  Gauchos  to  eat  of  them, 
and  every  evening  a  fresh  beast  was  slaughtered  for  their  suppers! 
The  view  of  the  Rio  Negro  from  the  Sierra  was  more  picturesque  than 
any  other  which  I  saw  in  this  province.  The  river,  broad,  deep  and 
rapid,  wound  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky  precipitous  cliff:  a  belt  of  wood 
followed  its  course,  and  the  horizon  terminated  in  the  distant  undula- 
tions of  the  turf-plain. 

When  in  this  neighbourhood,  I  several  times  heard  of  the  Sierra  de 
las  Cuentas :  a  hill  distant  many  miles  to  the  northward.  The  name 
signifies  hill  of  beads.  I  was  assured  that  vast  numbers  of  little  round 
etones,  of  various  colours,  each  with  a  small  cylindrical  hole,  are  found 
there.  Formerly  the  Indians  used  to  collect  them,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  necklaces  and  bracelets — a  taste,  I  may  observe,  which  is 
common  to  all  savage  nations,  as  well  as  to  the  most  polished.  I  did 


io8  BANDA  ORIENTAL,  [CHAP,  via 

not  know  what  to  understand  from  this  story,  but  upon  mentioning  it 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  he  told  me  that  he 
recollected  rinding  on  the  south-eastern  coast  of  Africa,  about  one 
hundred  miles  to  the  eastward  of  St.  John's  river,  some  quartz  crystals 
with  their  edges  blunted  from  attrition,  and  mixed  with  gravel  on  the 
sea-beach.  Each  crystal  was  about  five  lines  in  diameter,  and  from  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  Many  of  them  had  a  smajl  canal 
extending  from  one  extremity  to  the  other,  perfectly  cylindrical,  and  of 
a  size  that  readily  admitted  a  coarse  thread  or  a  piece  of  fine  catgut. 
Their  colour  was  red  or  dull  white.  The  natives  were  acquainted-  with 
this  structure  in  crystals.  I  have  mentioned  these  circumstances  because, 
although  no  crystallized  body  is  at  present  known  to  assume  this  form, 
it  may  lead  some  future  traveller  to  investigate  the  real  nature  of  such 
stones. 

While  staying  at  this  estancia,  I  was  amused  with  what  I  saw  and 
heard  of  the  shepherd-dogs  of  the  country.*  When  riding,  it  is  a 
common  thing  to  meet  a  large  flock  of  sheep  guarded  by  one  or  two 
dogs,  at  the  distance  of  some  miles  from  any  house  or  man.  I  often 
wondered  how  so  firm  a  friendship  had  been  established.  The  method 
of  education  consists  in  separating  the  puppy,  while  very  young,  from 
the  bitch,  and  in  accustoming  it  to  its  future  companions.  An  ewe  is 
held  three  or  four  times  a  day  for  the  little  thing  to  suck,  and  a  nest  of 
wool  is  made  for  it  in  the  sheep-pen;  at  no  time  is  it  allowed  to 
associate  with  other  dogs,  or  with  the  children  of  the  family.  The 
puppy  is,  moreover,  generally  castrated;  so  that,  when  grown  up,  it 
can  scarcely  have  any  feelings  in  common  with  the  rest  of  its  kind. 
From  this  education  it  has  no  wish  to  leave  the  flock,  and  just  as 
another  dog  will  defend  its  master,  man,  so  will  these  the  sheep.  It  is 
amusing  to  observe,  when  approaching  a  flock,  how  the  dog  immediately 
advances  barking,  and  the  sheep  all  close  in  his  rear,  as  if  round  the 
oldest  ram.  These  dogs  are  also  easily  taught  to  bring  home  the  flock, 
at  a  certain  hour  in  the  evening.  Their  most  troublesome  fault,  when 
young,  is  their  desire  of  playing  with  the  sheep ;  for  in  their  sport  they 
scmetimes  gallop  their  poor  subjects  most  unmercifully. 

The  shepherd-dog  comes  to  the  house  every  day  for  some  meat,  and 
as  soon  as  it  is  given  him,  he  skulks  away  as  if  ashamed  of  himself.  On 
these  occasions  the  house-dogs  are  very  tyrannical,  and  the  least  of 
them  will  attack  and  pursue  the  stranger.  The  minute,  however,  the 
latter  has  reached  the  flock,  he  turns  round  and  begins  to  bark,  and 
then  all  the  house-dogs  take  very  quickly  to  their  heels.  In  a  similai 
manner  a  whole  pack  of  the  hungry  wild  dogs  will  scarcely  ever  (and  I 
was  told  by  some  never)  venture  to  attack  a  flock  guarded  by  even  one 
of  these  faithful  shepherds.  The  whole  account  appears  to  me  a 
curious  instance  of  the  pliability  of  the  affections  in  the  dog ;  and  yet, 
whether  wild  or  however  educated,  he  has  a  feeling  of  respect  or  fear 
for  those  that  are  fulfilling  their  instinct  of  association.  For  we  can 

*  M.  A.  d'Orbigny  has  given  nearly  a  simi'ar  account  of  these  dogs, 
torn.  L,  p.  175. 


1833.]  BREAKING-IN  WILD  tiORSES.  109 

understand  on  no  principle  the  wild  dogs  being  driven  away  by  the 
single  one  with  its  flock,  except  that  they  consider,  from  some  confused 
notion,  that  the  one  thus  associated  gains  power,  as  if  in  company  with 
its  own  kind.  F.  Cuvier  has  observed,  that  all  animals  that  readily 
enter  into  domestication,  consider  man  as  a  member  of  their  own 
society,  and  thus  fulfil  their  instinct  of  association.  In  the  above  case 
the  shepherd-dog  ranks  the  sheep  as  its  fellow-brethren,  and  thus 
gains  confidence  ;  and  the  wild  dogs,  though  knowing  that  the  individual 
sheep  are  not  dogs,  but  are  good  to  eat,  yet  partly  consent  to  this  view 
when  seeing  them  in  a  flock  with  a  shepherd-dog  at  their  head. 

One  evening  a  "domidor"  (a  subduer  of  horses)  came  for  the  purpose 
of  breaking-in  some  colts.  I  will  describe  the  preparatory  steps,  for 
I  believe  they  have  not  been  mentioned  by  other  travellers.  A  troop  of 
wild  young  horses  is  driven  into  the  corral,  or  large  enclosure  of  stakes, 
and  the  door  is  shut  We  will  suppose  that  one  man  alone  has  to 
catch  and  mount  a  horse,  which  as  yet  had  never  felt  bridle  or  saddle. 
I  conceive,  except  by  a  Gaucho,  such  a  feat  would  be  utterly  impractic- 
able. The  Gaucho  picks  out  a  full-grown  colt ;  and  as  the  beast 
rushes  round  the  circus,  he  throws  his  lazo  so  as  to  catch  both  the 
front  legs.  Instantly  the  horse  rolls  over  with  a  heavy  shock,  and 
whilst  struggling  on  the  ground,  the  Gaucho,  holding  the  lazo  tight, 
makes  a  circle,  so  as  to  catch  one  of  the  hind  legs,  just  beneath  the 
fetlock,  and  draws  it  close  to  the  two  front  legs :  he  then  hitches  the 
lazo,  so  that  the  three  are  bound  together.  Then  sitting  on  the  horse's 
neck,  he  fixes  a  strong  bridle,  without  a  bit,  to  the  lower  jaw :  this  he 
does  by  passing  a  narrow  thong  through  the  eye-holes  at  the  end  of 
the  reins,  and  several  times  round  both  jaw  and  tongue.  The  two 
front  legs  are  now  tied  closely  together  with  a  strong  leathern  thong, 
fastened  by  a  slip-knot.  The  lazo,  which  bound  the  three  together, 
being  then  loosed,  the  horse  rises  with  difficulty.  The  Gaucho  now 
holding  fast  the  bridle  fixed  to  the  lower  jaw,  leads  the  horse  outside 
the  corral.  If  a  second  man  is  present  (otherwise  the  trouble  is  much 
greater)  he  holds  the  animal's  head,  whilst  the  first  puts  on  the  horse- 
cloths and  saddle,  and  girths  the  whole  together.  During  this  operation, 
the  horse,  from  dread  and  astonishment  at  thus  being  bound  round  the 
waist,  throws  himself  over  and  over  again  on  the  ground,  and,  till 
beaten,  is  unwilling  to  rise.  At  last,  when  the  saddling  is  finished,  the 
poor  animal  can  hardly  breathe  from  fear,  and  is  white  with  foam  and 
sweat.  The  man  now  prepares  to  mount  by  pressing  heavily  on  the 
stirrup,  so  that  the  horse  may  not  lose  its  balance  ;  and  at  the  moment 
that  he  throws  his  leg  over  the  animal's  back,  he  pulls  the  slip-knot 
binding  the  front  legs,  and  the  beast  is  free.  Some  "  domidors  "  pull 
the  knot  while  the  animal  is  lying  on  the  ground,  and,  standing  over  the 
saddle,  allow  him  to  rise  beneath  them.  The  horse,  wild  with  dread, 
gives  a  few  most  violent  bounds,  and  then  starts  off  at  full  gallop ;  when 
quite  exhausted,  the  man,  by  patience,  brings  him  back  to  the  corral, 
where,  reeking  hot  and  scarcely  alive,  the  poor  beast  is  let  free.  Those 
animals  which  will  not  gallop  away,  but  obstinately  throw  themselves 
on  the  ground,  are  by  far  the  most  troublesome.  This  process  ia 


HO  BANDA  ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  vin. 

tremendously  severe,  but  in  two  or  three  .trials  the  horse  is  tamed.  It 
is  not,  however,  for  some  weeks  that  the  animal  is  ridden  with  the  iron 
bit  and  solid  ring,  for  it  must  learn  to  associate  the  will  of  its  rider 
with  the  feel  of  the  rein,  before  the  most  powerful  bridle  can  be  of  any 
service. 

Animals  are  so  abundant  in  these  countries,  that  humanity  .and  self- 
interest  are  not  closely  united  ;  therefore  I  fear  it  is  that  the  former  is 
here  scarcely  known.  One  day,  riding  in  the  Pampas  with  a  very  re- 
spectable "  Estanciero,"  my  horse,  being  tired,  lagged  behind.  The  man 
often  shouted  to  me  to  spur  him.  When  I  remonstrated  that  it  was  a 
pity,  for  the  horse  was  quite  exhausted,  he  cried  out,  "  Why  not  ? — 
never  mind — spur  him — it  is  my  horse."  I  had  then  some  difficulty  in 
making  him  comprehend  that  it  was  for  the  horse's  sake,  and  not  on 
his  account,  that  I  did  not  choose  to  use  my  spurs.  He  exclaimed, 
with  a  look  of  great  surprise,  "  Ah,  Don  Carlos,  que  cosa  1 "  It  was 
clear  that  such  an  idea  had  never  before  entered  his  head. 

The  Gauchos  are  well  known  to  be  perfect  riders.  The  idea  of  being 
thrown,  let  the  horse  do  what  it  likes,  never  enters  their  head.  Their 
criterion  of  a  good  rider  is,  a  man  who  can  manage  an  untamed  colt, 
or  who,  if  his  horse  falls,  alights  on  his  own  feet,  or  can  perform  other 
such  exploits.  I  have  heard  of  a  man  betting  that  he  would  throw  his 
horse  down  twenty  times,  and  that  nineteen  times  he  would  not  fall  him- 
self. I  recollect  seeing  a  Gaucho  riding  a  very  stubborn  horse,  which 
three  times  successively  reared  so  high  as  to  fall  backwards  with 
great  violence.  The  man  judged  with  uncommon  coolness  the  proper 
moment  for  slipping  off,  not  an  instant  before  or  after  the  right  time ; 
and  as  soon  as  the  horse  got  up,  the  man  jumped  on  his  back,  and 
at  last  they  started  at  a  gallop.  The  Gaucho  never  appears  to  exert 
any  muscular  force.  I  was  one  day  watching  a  good  rider,  as  we  were 
galloping  along  at  a  rapid  pace,  and  thought  to  myself,  "  Surely  if  the 
horse  starts,  you  appear  so  careless  on  your  seat,  you  must  fall."  At 
this  moment,  a  male  ostrich  sprang  from  its  nest  right  beneath  the 
horse's  nose :  the  young  colt  bounded  on  one  side  like  a  stag ;  but  as 
for  the  man,  all  that  could  be  said  was,  that  he  started  and  took  fright 
with  his  horse. 

In  Chile  and  Peru  more  pains  are  taken  with  the  mouth  of  the  horse 
than  in  La  Plata,  and  this  is  evidently  a  consequence  of  the  more  intricate 
nature  of  the  country.  In  Chile  a  horse  is  not  considered  perfectly 
broken,  till  he  can  be  brought  up  standing,  in  the  midst  of  his  full  speed, 
on  any  particular  spot, — for  instance,  on  a  cloak  thrown  on  the  ground : 
or,  again,  he  will  charge  a  wall,  and  rearing,  scrape  the  surface  with 
his  hoofs.  I  have  seen  an  animal  bounding  with  spirit,  yet  merely 
reined  by  a  fore-finger  and  thumb,  taken  at  full  gallop  across  a  court- 
yard, and  then  made  to  wheel  round  the  post  of  a  veranda  with  great 
speed,  but  at 'so  equal  a  distance,  that  the  rider,  with  outstretched  arm, 
all  the  while  kept  one  finger  rubbing  the  post.  Then  making  a  demi- 
volte  in  the  air,  with  the  other  arm  outstretched  in  a  like  manner,  he 
wheeled  round,  with  astonishing  force,  in  an  opposite  direction. 

Such  a  horse  is  well  broken  ;  and  although  this  at  first  may  appear 


1833.]  HORSEMANSHIP  IN  CHILE.  m 

useless,  it  is  far  otherwise.  It  is  only  carrying  that  which  is  daily 
necessary  into  perfection.  When  a  bullock  is  checked  and  caught  by 
the  lazo,  it  will  sometimes  gallop  round  and  round  in  a  circle,  and  the 
horse  being  alarmed  at  the  great  strain,  if  not  well  broken,  will  not 
readily  turn  like  the  pivot  of  a  wheel.  In  consequence  many  men  have 
been  killed  ;  for  if  the  lazo  once  takes  a  twist  round  a  man's  body,  it 
will  instantly,  from  the  power  of  the  two  opposed  animals,  almost  cut 
him  in  twain.  On  the  same  principle  the  races  are  managed  ;  the  course 
is  only  two  or  three  hundred  yards  long,  the  wish  being  to  have  horses 
that  can  make  a  rapid  dash.  The  race-horses  are  trained  not  only  to 
stand  with  their  hoofs  touching  a  line,  but  to  draw  all  four  feet  together, 
so  as  at  the  first  spring  to  bring  into  play  the  full  action  of  the  hind- 
quarters. In  Chile  I  was  told  an  anecdote,  which  I  believe  was  true ; 
and  it  offers  a  good  illustration  of  the  use  of  a  well-broken  animal.  A 
respectable  man  riding  one  day  met  two  others,  one  of  whom  was 
mounted  on  a  horse,  which  he  knew  to  have  been  stolen  from  himself. 
He  challenged  them  ;  they  answered  him  by  drawing  their  sabres  and 
giving  chase.  The  man,  on  his  good  and  fleet  beast,  kept  just  ahead : 
as  he  passed  a  thick  bush  he  wheeled  round  it,  and  brought  up  his 
horse  to  a  dead  check.  The  pursuers  were  obliged  to  shoot  on  one 
side  and  ahead.  Then  instantly  dashing  on,  right  behind  them,  he 
buried  his  knife  in  the  back  of  one,  wounded  the  other,  recovered 
his  horse  from  the  dying  robber,  and  rode  home.  For  these  feats  of 
horsemanship  two  things  are  necessary:  a  most  severe  bit,  like  the 
Mameluke,  the  power  of  which,  though  seldom  used,  the  horse  knows 
full  well ;  and  large  blunt  spurs,  that  can  be  applied  either  as  a  mere 
touch,  or  as  an  instrument  of  extreme  pain.  I  conceive  that  with 
English  spurs,  the  slightest  touch  of  which  pricks  the  skin,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  break  in  a  horse  after  the  South  American  fashion. 

At  an  estancia  near  Las  Vacas  large  numbers  of  mares  are  weekly 
slaughtered  for  the  sake  of  their  hides,  although  worth  only  five  paper 
dollars,  or  about  half  a  crown  apiece.  It  seems  at  first  strange  that  it 
can  answer  to  kill  mares  for  such  a  trifle  ;  but  as  it  is  thought  ridiculous 
in  this  country  ever  to  break  in  or  ride  a  mare,  they  are  of  no  value 
except  for  breeding.  The  only  thing  for  which  I  ever  saw  mares  used 
was  to  tread  out  wheat  from  the  ear ;  for  which  purpose  they  were 
driven  round  a  circular  enclosure,  where  the  wheat-sheaves  were 
strewed.  The  man  employed  for  slaughtering  the  mares  happened  to 
be  celebrated  for  his  dexterity  with  the  lazo.  Standing  at  the  distance 
of  twelve  yards  from  the  mouth  of  the  corral,  he  has  laid  a  wager  that 
he  would  catch  by  the  legs  every  animal,  without  missing  one,  as  it 
rushed  past  him.  There  was  another  man  who  said  he  would  enter 
the  corral  on  foot,  catch  a  mare,  fasten  her  front  legs  together,  drive  her 
out,  throw  her  do\vn,  kill,  skin,  and  stake  the  hide  for  dyeing  (which 
latter  is  a  tedious  job) ;  and  he  engaged  that  he  would  perform  this 
whole  operation  on  twenty-two  animals  in  one  day.  Or  he  would  kill 
and  take  the  skin  off  fifty  in  the  same  time.  This  would  have  been  a 
prodigious  task,  for  it  is  considered  a  good  day's  work  to  skin  and  stake 
the  hides  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  animals. 


112  BANDA   ORIENTAL.  [CHAP.  viil. 

November  l£>th. — I  set  out  on  my  return  in  a  direct  line  for  Monte 
Video.  Having  heard  of  some  giant's  bones  at  a  neighbouring  farm- 
house on  the  Sarandis,  a  small  stream  entering  the  R»io  Negro,  I  rode 
there  accompanied  by  my  host,  and  purchased  for  the  value  of  eighteen 
pence  the  head  of  the  Toxodon.*  When  found  it  was  quite  perfect; 
but  the  boys  knocked  out  some  of  the  teeth  with  stones,  and  then  set 
up  the  head  as  a  mark  to  throw  at.  By  a  most  fortunate  chance  I  found  a 
perfect  tooth,  which  exactly  fitted  one  of  the  sockets  in  this  skull,  em- 
bedded by  itself  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Tercero,  at  the  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  this  place.  I  found  remains  of  this 
extraordinary  animal  at  two  other  places,  so  that  it  must  formerly  have 
been  common.  I  found  here,  also,  some  large  portions  of  the  armour 
of  a  gigantic  armadillo-like  animal,  and  part  of  the  great  head  of  a 
Mylodon.  The  bones  of  this  head  are  so  fresh,  that  they  contain, 
according  to  the  analysis  by  Mr.  T.  Reeks,  seven  per  cent,  of  animal 
matter ;  and  when  placed  in  a  spirit-lamp,  they  burn  with  a  small  flame. 
The  number  of  the  remains  embedded  in  the  grand  estuary  deposit 
which  forms  the  Pampas  and  covers  the  granitic  rocks  of  Banda 
Oriental,  must  be  extraordinarily  great.  I  believe  a  straight  line  drawn 
in  any  direction  through  the  Pampas  would  cut  through  some  skeleton 
or  bones.  Besides  those  which  I  found  during  my  short  excursions,  I 
heard  of  many  others,  and  the  origin  of  such  names  as  "  the  stream  of 
the  animal,"  "  the  hill  of  the  giant,"  is  obvious.  At  other  times  I  heard 
of  the  marvellous  property  of  certain  rivers,  which  had  the  power  of 
changing  small  bones  into  large;  or,  as  some  maintained,  the  bones 
themselves  grew.  As  far  as  I  am  aware,  not  one  of  these  animals 
perished,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  in  the  marshes  or  muddy  river-beds 
of  the  present  land,  but  their  bones  have  been  exposed  by  the  streams 
intersecting  the  subaqueous  deposit  in  which  they  were  originally 
embedded.  We  may  conclude  that  the  whole  area  of  the  Pampas  is 
one  wide  sepulchre  of  these  extinct  gigantic  quadrupeds. 

By  the  middle  of  the  day,  on  the  aSth,  we  arrived  at  Monte  Video, 
having  been  two  days  and  a  half  on  the  road.  The  country  for  the 
whole  way  was  of  a  very  uniform  character,  some  parts  being  rather 
more  rocky  and  hilly  than  near  the  Plata.  Not  far  from  Monte  Video 
we  passed  through  the  village  of  Las  Pietras,  so  named  from  some  large 
rounded  masses  of  syenite.  Its  appearance  was  rather  pretty.  In  this 
country  a  few  fig-trees  round  a  group  of  houses,  and  a  site  elevated  a 
hundred  feet  above  the  general  level,  ought  always  to  be  called 
picturesque. 

During  the  last  six  months  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a 
little  of  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  provinces.  The 
Gauchos,  or  countrymen,  are  very  superior  to  those  who  reside  in  the 
towns.  The  Gaucho  is  invariably  most  obliging,  polite,  and  hospitable : 
I  did  not  meet  with  even  one  instance  of  rudeness  or  inhospitality.  He 

*  I  must  express  my  obligation  to  Mr.  Keane,  at  whose  house  I  was  staying 
on  the  Berquelo,  and  to  Mr.  Lumb  at  Buenos  Ayres,  for  without  their  assist- 
ance these  valuable  remains  would  never  have  reached  England. 


l«33-l  STATE  OF  SOCIETY.  113 

is  modest,  both  respecting  himself  and  country,  but  at  the  same  time  a 
spirited,  bold  fellow.  On  the  other  hand,  many  robberies  are  com- 
mitted, and  there  is  much  bloodshed :  the  habit  of  constantly  wearing 
the  knife  is  the  chief  cause  of  the  latter.  It  is  lamentable  to  hear  ho  w 
many  lives  are  lost  in  trifling  quarrels.  In  fighting,  each  party  tries  to 
mark  the  face  of  his  adversary  by  slashing  his  nose  or  eyes ;  as  is  often 
attested  by  deep  and  horrid-looking  scars.  Robberies  are  a  natural 
consequence  of  universal  gambling,  much  drinking,  and  extreme  indo- 
lence. At  Mercedes  I  asked  two  men  why  they  did  not  work.  One 
gravely  said  the  days  were  too  long ;  the  other  that  he  was  too  poor. 
The  number  of  horses  and  the  profusion  of  food  are  the  destruction  of 
all  industry.  Moreover,  there  aft  so  many  feast-days ;  and  again, 
nothing  can  succeed  without  it  be  begun  when  the  moon  is  on  the 
increase  ;  so  that  half  the  month  is  lost  from  these  two  causes. 

Police  and  justice  are  quite  inefficient.  If  a  man  who  is  poor  commits 
murder  and  is  taken,  he  will  be  imprisoned,  and  perhaps  even  shot ; 
but  if  he  is  rich  and  has  friends,  he  may  rely  on  it  no  very  severe  con- 
sequence will  ensue.  It  is  curious  that  the  most  respectable  inhabitants 
of  the  country  invariably  assist  a  murderer  to  escape ;  they  seem  to 
think  that  the  individual  sins  against  the  government,  and  not  against 
the  people.  A  traveller  has  no  protection  besides  his  firearms ;  and 
the  constant  habit  of  carrying  them  is  the  main  check  to  more  frequent 
robberies. 

The  character  of  the  higher  and  more  educated  classes  who  reside  in 
the  towns,  partakes,  but  perhaps  in  a  lesser  degree,  of  the  good  parts 
of  the  Gaucho,  but  is,  I  fear,  stained  by  many  vices  of  which  he  is  free. 
Sensuality,  mockery  of  all  religion,  and  the  grossest  corruption,  are  far 
from  uncommon.  Nearly  every  public  officer  can  be  bribed.  The  head 
man  in  the  post-office  sold  forged  government  franks.  The  governor 
and  prime  minister  openly  combined  to  plunder  the  state.  Justice, 
when  gold  came  into  play,  was  hardly  expected  by  any  one.  I  knew  an 
Englishman,  who  went  to  the  Chief  Justice  (he  told  me,  that  not  then 
understanding  the  ways  of  the  place,  he  trembled  as  he  entered  the 
room),  and  said,  "  Sir,  I  have  come  to  offer  you  two  hundred  (paper) 
dollars  (value  about  five  pounds  sterling)  if  you  will  arrest  before  a 
certain  time  a  man  who  has  cheated  me.  I  know  it  is  against  the 
law,  but  my  lawyer  (naming  him)  recommended  me  to  take  this  step." 
The  Chief  Justice  smiled  acquiescence,  thanked  him,  and  the  man 
before  night  was  safe  in  prison.  With  this  entire  want  of  principle 
in  many  of  the  leading  men,  with  the  country  full  of  ill-paid  turbulent 
officers,  the  people  yet  hope  that  a  democratic  form  of  government  can 
succeed ! 

On  first  entering  society  in  these  countries,  two  or  three  features 
strike  one  as  particularly  remarkable.  The  polite  and  dignified  manners 
pervading  every  rank  of  life,  the  excellent  taste  displayed  by  the  women 
in  their  dresses,  and  the  equality  amongst  all  ranks.  At  the  Rio  Colorado 
some  men  who  kept  the  humblest  shops  used  to  dine  with  General 
Kosas.  A  son  of  a  major  at  Bahia  Blanca  gained  his  livelihood  by 
making  paper  cigars,  and  he  wished  to  accompany  me,  as  guide  or 


H4  RIO  PLATA.  [CHAP.  vm. 

Servant,  to  Buenos  Ayres,  but  his  father  objected  on  the  score  of  the 
danger  alone.  Many  officers  in  the  army  can  neither  read  nor  write, 
yet  all  meet  in  society  as  equals.  In  Entre  Rios,  the  Sala  consisted  of 
only  six  representatives.  One  of  them  kept  a  common  shop,  and 
evidently  was  not  degraded  by  the  office.  All  this  is  what  would  be 
expected  in  a  new  country ;  nevertheless  the  absence  of  gentlemen  by 
profession  appears  to  an  Englishman  -something  strange. 

When  speaking  of  these  countries,  the  manner  in  which  they  have 
been  brought  up  by  their  unnatural  parent,  Spain,  should  always  be 
borne  in  mind.  On  the  whole,  perhaps,  more  credit  is  due  for  what 
has  been  done,  than  blame  for  that  which  may  be  deficient.  It  is 
impossible  to  doubt  but  that  the  extreme  liberalism  of  these  countries 
must  ultimately  lead  to  good  results.  The  very  general  toleration  ot 
foreign  religions,  the  regard  paid  to  the  means  of  education,  the  freedom 
of  the  press,  the  facilities  offered  to  all  foreigners,  and  especially,  as 
I  am  bound  to  add,  to  every  one  professing  the  humblest  pretensions 
to  science,  should  be  recollected  witlf  gratitude  by  those  who  have 
visited  Spanish  South  America, 

December  6th. — The  Beagle  sailed  from  the  Rio  Plata,  never  again  ta 
enter  its  muddy  stream.  Our  course  was  directed  to  Port  Desire,  on 
the  coast  of  Patagonia.  Before  proceeding  any  further,  I  will  here  put 
together  a  few  observations  made  at  sea. 

Several  times  when  the  ship  has  been  some  miles  off  the  mouth  oi 
the  Plata,  and  at  other  times  when  off  the  shores  of  Northern  Patagonia, 
we  have  been  surrounded  by  insects.  One  evening,  when  we  were 
about  ten  miles  from  the  Bay  of  San  Bias,  vast  numbers  of  butterflies, 
in  bands  or  flocks  of  countless  myriads,  extended  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  range.  Even  by  the  aid  of  a  telescope  it  was  not  possible  to  see 
the  space  free  from  butterflies.  The  seamenccried  out  "  it  was  snowing 
butterflies,"  and  such  in  fact  was  the  appearance.  More  species  than 
one  were  present,  but  the  main  part  belonged  to  a  kind  very  similar  to, 
but  not  identical  with,  the  common  English  Colias  edusa.  Some  moths 
and  hymenoptera  accompanied  the  butterflies ;  and  a  fine  beetle 
(Calosoma)  flew  on  board.  Other  instances  are  known  of  this  beetle 
having  been  caught  far  out  at  sea ;  and  this  is  the  more  remarkable,  as 
the  great  number  of  the  Carabidae  seldom  or  never  take  wing.  The 
day  had  been  fine  and  calm,  and  the  one  previous  to  it  equally  so,  with 
light  and  variable  airs.  Hence  we  cannot  suppose  that  the  insects  were 
blown  off  the  land,  but  we  tnust  conclude  that  they  voluntarily  took 
flight.  The  great  bands  of  the  Colias  seem  at  first  to  afford  an  instance 
like  those  on  record  of  the  migrations  of  another  butterfly,  Vanessa 
cardui;*  but  the  presence  of  other  insects  makes  the  case  distinct,  and 
even  less  intelligible.  Before  sunset  a  strong  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
north,  and  this  must  have  caused  tens  of  thousands  of  the  butterflies 
and  other  insects  to  have  perished. 

On  another  occasion,  when  seventeen  miles  off  Cape  Corrientes.  I 
had  a  net  overboard  to  catch  pelagic  animals.  Upon  drawing  it  up,  to 

*  LyeU's  «•  Principles  of  Geology,"  vol  lit,  p,  63. 


I&33-]  AERONAUT  SPIDERS.  ttzj 

my  surprise  I  found  a  considerable  number  of  beetles  in  it,  and  although 
in  the  open  sea,  they  did  not  appear  much  injured  by  the  salt  water.  I 
lost  some  of  the  specimens,  but  those  which  I  preserved  belonged 
to  the  genera  Colymbetes,  Hydroporus,  Hydrobius  (two  species), 
Notaphus,  Cynucus,  Adimonia,  and  Scarabaeus.  At  first  I  thought 
that  these  insects  had  been  blown  from  the  shore ;  but  upon  reflecting 
that  out  of  the  eight  species  four  were  aquatic,  and  two  others  partly 
so  in  their  habits,  it  appeared  to  me  most  probable  that  they  were 
floated  into  the  sea  by  a  small  stream  which  drains  a  lake  near  Cape 
Corrientes.  On  any  supposition  it  is  an  interesting  circumstance  to 
find  live  insects  swimming  in  the  open  ocean  seventeen  miles  from  the 
nearest  point  of  land.  There  are  several  accounts  of  insects  having 
t<;en  blown  off  the  Patagonian  shore.  Captain  Cook  observed  it,  as 
did  more  lately  Captain  King  in  the  Adventure.  The  cause  probably 
is  due  to  the  want  of  shelter,  both  of  trees  and  hills,  so  that  an  insect 
on  the  wing,  with  an  off-shore  breeze,  would  be  very  apt  to  be  blown 
out  to  sea.  The  most  remarkable  instance  I  have  known  of  an  insect 
being  caught  far  from  the  land,  was  that  of  a  large  grasshopper 
(Acrydium),  which  flew  on  board,  when  the  Beagle  was  to  windward 
of  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  and  when  the  nearest  point  of  land,  not 
directly  opposed  to  the  trade-wind,  was  Cape  Blanco  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  three  hundred  and  seventy  miles  distant* 

On  several  occasions,  when  the  Beagle  has  been  within  the  mouth  of 
the  Plata,  the  rigging  has  been  coated  with  the  web  of  the  Gossamer 
Spider.  One  day  (November  1st,  1832)  I  paid  particular  attention  to 
this  subject.  The  weather  had  been  fine  and  clear,  and  in  the  morning 
the  air  was  full  of  patches  of  the  flocculent  web,  as  on  an  autumnal  day 
in  England.  The  ship  was  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  land,  in  the 
direction  of  a  steady  though  light  breeze.  Vast  numbers  of  a  small 
spider,  about  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  of  a  dusky  red  colour, 
were  attached  to  the  webs.  There  must  have  been,  I  should  suppose, 
some  thousands  on  the  ship.  The  little  spider,  when  first  coming  in 
contact  with  the  rigging,  was  always  seated  on  a  single  thread,  and  not 
on  the  flocculent  mass.  This  latter  seems  merely  to  be  produced  by 
the  entanglement  of  the  single  threads.  The  spiders  were  all  of  one 
species,  but  of  both  sexes,  together  with  young  ones.  These  latter 
were  distinguished  by  their  smaller  size  and  more  dusky  colour.  I 
will  not  give  the  description  of  this  spider,  but  merely  state  that  it  does 
not  appear  to  me  to  be  included  in  any  of  Latreille's  genera.  The 
little  aeronaut  as  soon  as  it  arrived  on  board  was  very  active,  running 
about,  sometimes  letting  itself  fall,  and  then  reascending  the  same 
thread ;  sometimes  employing  itself  in  making  a  small  and  very 
irregular  mesh  in  the  corners  between  the  ropes.  It  could  run  with 
facility  on  the  surface  of  water.  When  disturbed  it  lifted  up  its  front 
legs  in  the  attitude  of  attention.  On  its  first  arrival  it  appeared  very 
thirsty,  and  with  exserted  maxillae  drank  eagerly  of  drops  of  water ; 

*  The  flies  which  frequently  accompany  a  ship  for  some  days  on  its 
passage  from  harbour  to  harbour,  wandering  from  the  ves?ti,  Are  »oon  lostj 
»nd  all  disappear. 


Il6  AERONAUT  SPIDERS.  [CHAP,  via 

this  same  circumstance  has  been  observed  by  Strack  :  may  it  not  be  in 
consequence  of  the  little  insect  having  passed  through  a  dry  and 
rarefied  atmosphere  ?  Its  stock  of  web  seemed  inexhaustible.  While 
watching  some  that  were  suspended  by  a  single  thread,  I  several  times 
observed  that  the  slightest  breath  of  air  bore  them  away  out  of  sight, 
in  a  horizontal  line.  On  another  occasion  (25th),  under  similar  circum- 
stances, 1  repeatedly  observed  the  same  kind  of  small  spider,  either 
when  placed  or  having  crawled  on  some  little  eminence,  elevate  its 
abdomen,  send  forth  a  thread,  and  then  sail  away  horizontally,  but 
with  a  rapidity  which  was  quite  unaccountable.  I  thought  I  could 
perceive  that  the  spider,  before  performing  the  above  preparatory  steps, 
connected  its  legs  together  with  the  most  delicate  threads,  but  I  am 
not  sure  whether  this  observation  was  correct. 

One  day,  St.  Fe,  I  had  a  better  opportunity  of  observing  some  similar 
facts.  A  spider  which  was  about  three-tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and 
which  in  its  general  appearance  resembled  a  Citigrade  (therefore  quite 
different  from  the  gossamer),  while  standing  on  the  summit  of  a  post, 
darted  forth  four  or  five  threads  from  its  spinners.  These,  glittering  in 
the  sunshine,  might  be  compared  to  diverging  rays  of  light ;  they  were 
not,  however,  straight,  but  in  undulations  like  films  of  silk  blown  by 
the  wind.  They  were  more  than  a  yard  in  length,  and  diverged  in  an 
ascending  direction  from  the  orifices.  The  spider  then  suddenly  let 
go  its  hold  of  the  post,  and  was  quickly  borne  out  of  sight.  The  day 
was  hot  and  apparently  quite  calm ;  yet  under  such  circumstances, 
the  atmosphere  can  never  be  so  tranquil  as  not  to  affect  a  vane  so 
delicate  as  the  thread  of  a  spider's  web.  If  during  a  warm  day  we 
look  either  at  the  shadow  of  any  object  cast  on  a  bank,  or  over  a  level 
plain  at  a  distant  landmark,  the  effect  of  an  ascending  current  of 
heated  air  is  almost  always  evident :  such  upward  currents,  it  has 
been  remarked,  are  also  shown  by  the  ascent  of  soap-bubbles,  which 
will  not  rise  in  an  indoors  room.  Hence  I  think  there  is  not  much 
difficulty  in  understanding  the  ascent  of  the  fine  lines  projected  from 
a  spider's  spinners,  and  afterwards  of  the  spider  itself;  the  divergence 
of  the  lines  has  been  attempted  to  be  explained,  I  believe  by 
Mr.  Murray,  by  their  similar  electrical  condition.  The  circumstance 
of  spiders  of  the  same  species,  but  of  different  sexes  and  ages,  being 
found  on  several  occasions  at  the  distance  of  many  leagues  from  the 
land,  attached  in  vast  numbers  to  the  lines,  renders  it  probable  that 
the  habit  of  sailing  through  the  air  is  as  characteristic  of  this  tribe, 
as  that  of  diving  is  of  the  Argyroneta.  We  may  then  reject  Latreille's 
supposition,  that  the  gossamer  owes  its  origin  indifferently  to  the 
young  of  several  genera  of  spiders :  although,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
young  of  other  spiders  do  possess  the  power  of  performing  aerial 
voyages.* 

During  our  different  passages  south  of  the  Plata,  I  often  towed 
astern  a  net  made  of  bunting,  and  thus  caught  many  curious  animals. 
Of  Crustacea  there  were  many  strange  and  undescribed  genera.  One, 

*  Mr.  Blackwall,  in  his  "Researches  in  Zoology,"  has  many  excellent 
observations  on  the  habits  of  spiders, 


1533.]  PHOSPHORESCENCE  OF  THE  SEA.  it? 

which  in  some  respects  is  allied  to  the  Notopods  (or  those  crabs  which 
have  their  posterior  legs  placed  almost  on  their  backs,  for  the  purpose 
of  adhering  to  the  under  side  of  rocks),  is  very  remarkable  from  the 
structure  of  its  hind  pair  of  legs.  The  penultimate  joint,  instead  of 
terminating  in  a  simple  claw,  ends  in  three  bristle-like  appendages  of 
dissimilar  lengths — the  longest  equalling  that  of  the  entire  leg.  These 
claws  are  very  thin,  and  are  serrated  with  the  finest  teeth,  directed 
backwards ;  their  curved  extremities  are  flattened,  and  on  this  part 
five  most  minute  cups  are  placed  which  seem  to  act  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  suckers  on  the  arms  of  the  cuttle-fish.  As  the  animal 
lives  in  the  open  sea,  and  probably  wants  a  place  of  rest,  I  suppose 
this  beautiful  and  most  anomalous  structure  is  adapted  to  take  hold 
of  floating  marine  animals. 

In  deep  water,  far  from  the  land,  the  number  of  living  creatures  is 
extremely  small:  south  of  the  latitude  35°,  I  never  succeeded  in 
catching  anything  besides  some  beroe,  and  a  few  species  of  minute 
entomostracous  Crustacea.  In  shoaler  water,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
miles  from  the  coast,  very  many  kinds  of  Crustacea  and  some  other 
animals  are  numerous,  but  only  during  the  night.  Between  latitudes 
56°  and  57°  south  of  Cape  Horn,  the  net  was  put  astern  several  times ; 
it  never,  however,  brought  up  anything  besides  a  few  of  two  extremely 
minute  species  of  Entomostraca.  Yet  whales  and  seals,  petrels  and 
albatross,  are  exceedingly  abundant  throughout  this  part  of  the  ocean. 
It  has  always  been  a  mystery  to  me  on  what  the  albatross,  which  lives 
far  from  the  shore,  can  subsist ;  I  presume  that,  like  the  condor,  it  is 
able  to  fast  long ;  and  that  one  good  feast  on  the  carcass  of  a  putrid 
whale  lasts  for  a  long  time.  The  central  and  inter-tropical  parts  of 
the  Atlantic  swarm  with  Pteropoda,  Crustacea,  and  Radiata,  and  with 
their  devourers  the  flying-fish,  and  again  with  their  devourers  the 
bonitos  and  albicores ;  I  presume  that  the  numerous  lower  pelagic 
animals  feed  on  the  Infusoria,  which  are  now  known,  from  the 
researches  of  Ehrenberg,  to  abound  in  the  open  ocean ;  but  on  what, 
in  the  clear  blue  water,  do  these  Infusoria  subsist  ? 

While  sailing  a  little  south  of  the  Plata  on  one  very  dark  night,  the 
sea  presented  a  wonderful  and  most  beautiful  spectacle.  There  was 
a  fresh  breeze,  and  every  part  of  the  surface,  which  during  the  day 
is  seen  as  foam,  now  glowed  with  a  pale  light.  The  vessel  drove  before 
her  bows  two  billows  of  liquid  phosphorus,  and  in  her  wake  she  was 
followed  by  a  milky  train.  As  far  as  the  eye  reached,  the  crest  of 
every  wave  was  bright,  and  the  sky  above  the  horizon,  from  the  re- 
flected glare  of  these  livid  flames,  was  not  so  utterly  obscure  as  over 
the  vault  of  the  heavens. 

As  we  proceed  further  southward  the  sea  is  seldom  phosphorescent ; 
and  off  Cape  Horn  I  do  not  recollect  more  than  once  having  seen  it  so, 
and  then  it  was  far  from  being  brilliant.  This  circumstance  probably 
has  a  close  connection  with  the  scarcity  of  organic  beings  in  that  part 
of  the  ocean.  After  the  elaborate  paper  *  by  Ehrenberg,  on  the 
phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  it  is  almost  superfluous  on  my  part  to 

*  An  abstract  is  given  in  No.  IV.  of  the  Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany, 


ii&  PORT  DESIRE,  [CHAP.  viii. 

make  any  observations  on  the  subject.  I  may  however  add,  that  the 
same  torn  and  irregular  particles  of  gelatinous  matter,  described  by 
Ehrenberg,  seem  in  the  southern  as  well  as  in  the  northern  hemisphere, 
to  be  the  common  cause  of  this  phenomenon.  The  particles  were  so 
minute  as  easily  to  pass  through  fine  gauze  ;  yet  many  were  distinctly 
visible  by  the  naked  eye.  The  water  when  placed  in  a  tumbler  and 
agitated,  gave  out  sparks,  but  a  small  portion  in  a  watch-glass  scarcely 
ever  was  luminous.  Ehrenberg  states  that  these  particles  all  retain 
a  certain  degree  of  irritability.  My  observations,  some  of  which  were 
made  directly  alter  taking  up  the  water,  gave  a  different  result.  I  may 
also  mention,  that  having  used  the  net  during  one  night,  I  allowed  it 
to  become  partially  dry,  and  having  occasion  twelve  hours  afterwards 
to  employ  it  again,  I  found  the  whole  surface  sparkled  as  brightly  as 
when  first  taken  out  of  the  water.  It  does  not  appear  probable  in  this 
case,  that  the  particles  could  have  remained  so  long  alive.  On  one 
occasion  having  kept  a  jelly-fish  of  the  genus  Dianaea  till  it  was  dead, 
the  water  in  which  it  was  placed  became  luminous.  When  the  waves 
scintillate  with  bright  green  sparks,  I  believe  it  is  generally  owing  to 
minute  Crustacea.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  very  many  other 
pelagic  animals,  when  alive,  are  phosphorescent. 

On  two  occasions  I  have  observed  the  sea  luminous  at  considerable 
depths  beneath  the  surface.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  Plata  some  circular 
and  oval  patches,  from  two  to  four  yards  in  diameter,  and  with  defined 
outlines,  shone  with  a  steady  but  pale  light ;  while  the  surrounding 
water  only  gave  out  a  few  sparks.  The  appearance  resembled  the 
reflection  of  the  moon,  or  some  luminous  body ;  for  the  edges  were 
sinuous  from  the  undulations  of  the  surface.  The  ship,  which  drew 
thirteen  feet  water,  passed  over,  without  disturbing  these  patches. 
Therefore  we  must  suppose  that  some  animals  were  congregated 
together  at  a  greater  depth  than  the  bottom  of  the  vessel. 

Near  Fernando  Noronha  the  sea  gave  out  light  in  flashes.  The 
appearance  was  very  similar  to  that  which  might  be  expected  from 
a  large  fish  moving  rapidly  through  a  luminous  fluid.  To  this  cause 
the  sailors  attributed  it ;  at  the  time,  however,  I  entertained  some 
doubts,  on  account  of  the  frequency  and  rapidity  of  the  flashes.  I 
have  already  remarked  that  the  phenomenon  is  very  much  more 
common  in  warm  than  in  cold  countries ;  and  I  have  sometimes 
imagined  that  a  disturbed  electrical  condition  of  the  atmosphere  was 
most  favoura?-**  v.  *^s  production.  Certainly  I  think  the  sea  is  most 
luminous  after  a  few  days  of  more  calm  weather  than  ordinary,  during 
whiC^i  time  it  has  swarmed  with  various  animals.  Observing  that  the 
water  charged  with  gelatinous  particles  is  in  an  impure  state,  and  that 
the  luminous  Cppearance  in  all  common  cases  is  produced  by  the 
agitation  of  the  fluid  in  contact  with  the  atmosphere,  I  am  inclined  to 
consider  that  the  phosphorescence  is  the  result  of  the  decomposition  r/f 
the  organic  particles,  by  which  process  (one  is  tempted  almost  to  call 
it  a  kind  of  resoiration)  the  ocean  becomes  purified. 

December  23*^— We  arrived  at  Port  Desire,  situated  in  lat.  47°,  or 


I833-]  SPANISH  SETTLEMENT.  119 

the  coast  of  Patagonia.  The  creek  runs  for  about  twenty  miles  inland, 
with  an  irregular  width.  The  Beagle  anchored  a  few  miles  within  the 
entrance,  in  front  of  the  ruins  of  an  old  Spanish  settlement. 

The  same  evening  I  went  on  shore.  The  first  landing  in  any  new 
country  is  very  interesting,  and  especially  when,  as  in  this  case,  the 
whole  aspect  bears  the  stamp  of  a  marked  and  individual  character. 
At  the  height  of  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  above  some 
masses  of  porphyry  a  wide  plain  extends,  which  is  truly  characteristic 
of  Patagonia,  The  surface  is  quite  level,  and  is  composed  of  wen- 
rounded  shingle  mixed  with  a  whitish  earth.  Here  and  there  scattered 
tufts  of  brown  wiry  grass  are  supported,  and,  still  more  rarely,  some 
low  thorny  bushes.  The  weather  is  dry  and  pleasant,  and  the  fine 
blue  sky  is  but  seldom  obscured.  When  standing  in  the  middle  of  one 
of  these  desert  plains  and  looking  towards  the  interior,  the  view  is 
generally  bounded  by  the  escarpment  of  another  plain,  rather  higher, 
but  equally  level  and  desolate ;  and  in  every  other  direction  the  hori- 
zon is  indistinct  from  the  trembling  mirage  which  seems  to  rise  from 
the  heated  surface. 

In  such  a  country  the  fate  of  the  Spanish  settlement  was  soou 
decided ;  the  dryness  of  the  climate  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  and  the  occasional  hostile  attacks  of  the  wandering  Indians, 
compelled  the  colonists  to  desert  their  half-finished  buildings.  The 
style,  however,  in  which  they  were  commenced  shows  the  strong  and 
liberal  hand  of  Spain  in  the  old  time.  The  result  of  all  the  attempts  to 
colonize  this  side  of  America  south  of  41°,  has  been  miserable.  Port 
Famine  expresses  by  its  name  the  lingering  and  extreme  sufferings  of 
several  hundred  wretched  people,  of  whom  one  alone  survived  to  relate 
their  misfortunes.  At  St.  Joseph's  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  a 
small  settlement  was  made ;  but  during  one  Sunday  the  Indians  made 
an  attack  and  massacred  the  whole  party,  excepting  two  men,  who 
remained  captives  during  many  years.  At  the  Rio  Negro  I  conversed 
with  one  of  these  men,  now  in  extreme  old  age. 

The  zoology  of  Patagonia  is  as  limited  as  its  Flora.*  On  the  arid 
plains  a  few  black  beetles  (Heteromera)  might  be  seen  slowly  crawling 
about,  and  occasionally  a  lizard  darted  from  side  to  side.  Of  birds  we 
have  three  carrion  hawks,  and  in  the  valleys  a  few  finches  and  insect- 
feeders.  An  ibis  (Theristicus  melanops — a  species  said  to  be  found  in 
central  Africa)  is  not  uncommon  on  the  most  desert  parts :  in  their 
stomachs  I  found  grasshoppers,  cicadse,  small  lizards,  and  even 
scorpions.f  At  one  time  of  the  year  these  birds  go  in  flocks,  at  anothei 

*  I  found  here  a  species  of  cactus,  described  by  Professor  Henslow,  under 
the  name  of  Opuntia  Daruiinii  (Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,  vol.  L, 
p.  466),  which  was  remarkable  by  the  irritability  of  the  stamens,  when  I 
inserted  either  a  piece  of  stick  or  the  end  of  my  ringer  in  the  flower.  The 
segments  of  the  perianth  also  closed  on  the  pistil,  but  more  slowly  than  the 
stamens.  Plants  of  this  family,  generally  considered  as  tropical,  occur  in 
North  America  ("Lewis  and  Clarke's  Travels,"  p.  221),  in  the  same  high 
latitude  as  here,  namely,  in  both  cases,  in  47°» 

"  t  These  insects  were  not  uncommon  beneatfr  stones.  I  found  one  cannibal 
scorpion  quietly  devouring  another, 


120  PORT  DESIRE.  [CHA.P.  vm, 

in  pairs ;  their  cry  is  very  loud  and  singular,  like  the  neighing  of  the 
guanaco. 

The  guanaco,  or  wild  llama,  is  the  characteristic  quadruped  of  the 
plains  of  Patagonia ;  it  is  the  South  American  representative  of  the 
camel  of  the  East.  It  is  an  elegant  animal  in  a  state  of  nature,  with  a 
long  slender  neck  and  fine  legs.  It  is  very  common  over  the  whole  of 
the  temperate  parts  of  the  continent,  as  far  south  as  the  islands  near 
Cape  Horn.  It  generally  lives  in  small  herds  of  from  half  a  dozen  to 
thirty  in  each  ;  but  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Cruz  we  saw  one  herd 
which  must  have  contained  at  least  five  hundred. 

They  are  generally  wild  and  extremely  wary.  Mr.  Stokes  told  me, 
that  he  one  day  saw  through  a  glass  a  herd  of  these  animals  which 
evidently  had  been  frightened,  and  were  running  away  at  full  speed, 
although  their  distance  was  so  great  that  he  could  not  distinguish  them 
with  his  naked  eye.  The  sportsman  frequently  receives  the  first  notice 
of  their  presence,  by  hearing  from  a  long  distance  their  peculiar  shrill 
neighing  note  of  alarm.  If  he  then  looks  attentively,  he  will  probably 
eee  the  herd  standing  in  a  line  on  the  side  of  some  distant  hill.  On 
approaching  nearer,  a  few  more  squeals  are  given,  and  off  they  set  at  an 
apparently  slow,  but  really  quick  canter,  along  some  narrow  beaten 
track  to  a  neighbouring  hill.  If,  however,  by  chance  he  abruptly  meets 
a  single  animal,  or  several  together,  they  will  generally  stand  motion- 
less and  intently  gaze  at  him  ;  then  perhaps  move  on  a  few  yards,  turn 
round,  and  look  again.  What  is  the  cause  of  this  difference  in  their 
shyness  ?  Do  they  mistake  a  man  in  the  distance  for  their  chief  enemy 
the  puma  ?  Or  does  curiosity  overcome  their  timidity  ?  That  they  are 
curious  is  certain  ;  for  if  a  person  lies  on  the  ground,  and  plays  strange 
antics,  such  as  throwing  up  his  feet  in  the  air,  they  will  almost  always 
approach  by  degrees  to  reconnoitre  him.  It  was  an  artifice  that  was 
repeatedly  practised  by  our  sportsmen  with  success,  and  it  had  more- 
over the  advantage  of  allowing  several  shots  to  be  fired,  which  were  all 
taken  as  parts  of  the  performance.  On  the  mountains  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego,  I  have  more  than  once  seen  a  guanaco,  on  being  approached,  not 
only  neigh  and  squeal,  but  prance  and  leap  about  in  the  most  ridiculous 
manner,  apparently  in  defiance  as  a  challenge.  These  animals  are 
very  easily  domesticated,  and  I  have  seen  some  thus  kept  in  northern 
Patagonia  near  a  house,  though  not  under  any  restraint.  They  are  in 
this  state  very  bold,  and  readily  attack  a  man  by  striking  hirrj  from 
behind  with  both  knees.  It  is  asserted  that  the  motive  for  these  attacks 
is  jealousy  on  account  of  their  females.  The  wild  guanacos,  however, 
have  no  idea  of  defence ;  even  a  single  dog  will  secure  one  of  these 
large  animals,  till  the  huntsman  can  come  up.  In  many  of  their  habits 
they  are  like  sheep  in  a  flock.  Thus  when  they  see  men  approaching 
in  several  directions  on  horseback,  they  soon  become  bewildered,  and 
know  not  which  way  to  run.  This  greatly  facilitates  the  Indian  method 
of  hunting,  for  they  are  thus  easily  driven  to  a  central  point,  and  are 
encompassed. 

The  guanacos  readily  take  to  the  water  :  several  times  at  Port  Valdes 
they  were  seen  swimming  from  island  to  island.  Byron,  in  his  voyage, 


1833.]  HABITS  OF  THE  GUANACO.  121 

says  he  saw  them  drinking  salt  water.  Some  of  our  officers  likewise 
saw  a  herd  apparently  drinking  the  briny  fluid  from  a  salina  near  Cape 
Blanco.  I  imagine  in  several  parts  of  the  country,  if  they  do  not  drink 
salt  water,  they  drink  none  at  all.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  they 
frequently  roll  in  the  dust,  in  saucer-shaped  hollows.  The  males  fight 
together ;  two  one  day  passed  quite  close  to  me,  squealing  and  trying 
to  bite  each  other;  and  several  were  shot  with  their  hides  deeply 
scored.  Herds  sometimes  appear  to  set  out  on  exploring  parties :  at 
Bahia  Blanca,  where,  within  thirty  miles  of  the  coast,  these  animals  are 
extremely  unfrequent,  1  one  day  saw  the  tracks  of  thirty  or  forty,  which 
had  come  in  a  direct  line  to  a  muddy  salt-water  creek.  They  then 
must  have  perceived  that  they  were  approaching  the  sea,  for  they  had 
wheeled  with  the  regularity  of  cavalry,  and  had  returned  back  in  as 
straight  a  line  as  they  had  advanced.  The  guanacos  have  one  singular 
habit,  which  is  to  me  quite  inexplicable  ;  namely,  that  on  successive 
days  they  drop  their  dung  in  the  same  defined  heap.  I  saw  one  of 
these  heaps  which  was  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  was  composed  of  a 
large  quantity.  This  habit,  according  to  M.  A.  d'Orbigny,  is  common 
to  all  the  species  of  the  genus ;  it  is  very  useful  to  the  Peruvian  Indians, 
who  use  the  dung  for  fuel,  and  are  thus  saved  the  trouble  of  collecting 
it. 

The  guanacos  appear  to  have  favourite  spots  for  lying  down  to  die. 
On  the  banks  of  the  St.  Cruz,  in  certain  circumscribed  spaces,  which 
were  generally  bushy  and  all  near  the  river,  the  ground  was  actually 
white  with  bones.  On  one  such  spot  I  counted  between  ten  and 
twenty  heads.  I  particularly  examined  the  bones  ;  they  did  not  appear, 
as  some  scattered  ones  which  I  had  seen,  gnawed  or  broken,  as  if 
dragged  together  by  beasts  of  prey.  The  animals  in  most  cases  must 
have  crawled,  before  dying,  beneath  and  amongst  the  bushes.  Mr. 
Bynoe  informs  me  that  during  a  former  voyage  he  observed  the  same 
circumstance  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Gallegos.  I  do  not  at  all  under- 
stand the  reason  of  this,  but  I  may  observe,  that  the  wounded  guanacos 
at  the  St.  Cruz  invariably  walked  towards  the  river.  At  St.  Jago  in  the 
Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  I  remember  having  seen  in  a  ravine  a  retired 
corner  covered  with  bones  of  the  goat ;  ws  at  the  time  exclaimed  that 
it  was  the  burial-ground  of  all  the  goats  in  the  island.  I  mention  these 
trifling  circumstances,  because  in  certain  cases  they  might  explain  the 
occurrence  of  a  number  of  uninjured  bones  in  a  cave,  or  buried  under 
alluvial  accumulations ;  and  likewise  the  cause  why  certain  animals 
are  more  commonly  embedded  than  others  in  sedimentary  deposits. 

One  day  the  yawl  was  sent  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Chaffers  with 
three  days'  provisions  to  survey  the  upper  part  of  the  harbour.  In  the 
morning  we  searched  for  some  watering-places  mentioned  in  an  old 
Spanish  chart.  We  found  one  creek,  at  the  head  of  which  there  was 
a  trickling  rill  (the  first  we  had  seen)  of  brackish  water.  Here  the 
tide  compelled  us  to  wait  several  hours ;  and  in  the  interval  I  walked 
some  miles  into  the  interior.  The  plain  as  usual  consisted  of  gravel, 
mingled  with  soil  resembling  chalk  in  appearance,  but  very  different 
from  it  in  nature.  Ffpin  the  softness  of  these  materials  it  was  worn 


122  AN  INDIAN  GRAVE.  [CHAP.  vm. 

into  many  gulleys.  There  was  not  a  tree,  and,  excepting  the  guanaco, 
which  stood  on  the  hill-top  a  watchful  sentinel  over  its  herd,  scarcely 
an  animal  or  a  bird.  All  was  stillness  and  desolation.  Yet  in  passing 
over  these  scenes,  without  one  bright  object  near,  an  ill-defined  but 
strong  sense  of  pleasure  is  vividly  excited.  One  asked  how  many  agea 
the  plain  had  thus  lasted,  and  how  many  more  it  was  doomed  thus  to 
continue. 

None  can  reply  — all  seems  eternal  now. 

The  wilderness  has  a  mysterious  tongue, 

Which  teaches  awful  doubt.* 

In  the  evening  we  sailed  a  few  miles  further  up,  and  then  pitched  the 
tents  for  the  night.  By  the  middle  of  the  next  day  the  yawl  was 
aground,  and  from  the  shoalness  of  the  water  could  not  proceed  any 
higher.  The  water  being  found  partly  fresh,  Mr.  Chaffers  took  the 
dingey  and  went  up  two  or  three  miles  further,  where  she  also 
grounded,  but  in  a  fresh-water  river.  The  water  was  muddy,  and 
though  the  stream  was  most  insignificant  in  size,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  account  for  its  origin,  except  from  the  melting  snow  on  the  Cordillera 
At  the  spot  where  we  bivouaced,  we  were  surrounded  by  bold  cliffs 
and  steep  pinnacles  of  porphyry.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  a  spot 
which  appeared  more  secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  than  thii 
rocky  crevice  in  the  wide  plain. 

The  second  day  after  our  return  to  the  anchorage,  a  party  of  officers 
and  myself  went  to  ransack  an  old  Indian  grave,  which  I  had  found  on 
the  summit  of  a  neighbouring  hill.  Two  immense  stones,  each  probably 
weighing  at  least  a  couple  of  tons,  had  been  placed  in  front  of  a  ledge 
of  rock  about  six  feet  high.  At  the  bottom  of  the  grave  on  the  hard 
rock  there  was  a  layer  of  earth  about  a  foot  deep,  which  must  have  beec 
brought  up  from  the  plain  below.  Above  it  a  pavement  of  flat  stones 
was  placed,  on  which  others  were  piled,  so  as  to  fill  up  the  space 
between  the  ledge  and  the  two  great  blocks.  To  complete  the  grave, 
the  Indians  had  contrived  to  detach  from  the  ledge  a  huge  fragment 
and  to  throw  it  over  the  pile  so  as  to  rest  on  the  two  blocks.  We 
undermined  the  grave  on  both  sides,  but  could  not  find  any  relics,  01 
even  bones.  The  latter  probably  had  decayed  long  since  (in  which 
case  the  grave  must  have  been  of  extreme  antiquity),  for  I  found  in 
another  place  some  smaller  heaps,  beneath  which  a  very  few  crumbling 
fragments  could  yet  be  distinguished  as  having  belonged  to  a  man. 
Falconer  states,  that  where  an  Indian  dies  he  is  buried,  but  that 
subsequently  his  bones  are  carefully  taken  up  and  carried,  let  the 
distance  be  ever  so  great,  to  be  deposited  near  the  sea-coast.  This 
custom,  I  think,  may  be  accounted  for  by  recollecting,  that  before  the 
introduction  of  horses,  these  Indians  must  have  led  nearly  the  same  life 
as  the  Fuegians  now  do,  and  therefore  generally  have  resided  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  sea.  The  common  prejudice  of  lying  where  one's 
ancestors  have  lain,  would  make  the  now  roaming  Indians  bring  the  less 
perishable  part  of  their  dead  to  their  ancient  burial-ground  on  the  coast, 
*  Shelley,  Lines  on  Mont  Blanc. 


1834.]  GEOLOGY  OF  PATAGONIA.  1*3 

January  gth,  1834. — Before  it  was  dark  the  Beagle  anchored  in  the 
fine  spacious  harbour  of  Port  St.  Julian,  situated  about  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles  to  the  south  of  Port  Desire.  We  remained  here  eight 
days.  The  country  is  nearly  similar  to  that  of  Port  Desire,  but  perhaps 
rather  more  sterile.  One  day  a  party  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy 
on  a  long  walk  round  the  head  of  the  harbour.  We  were  eleven  hours 
without  tasting  any  water,  and  some  of  the  party  were  quite  exhausted. 
From  the  summit  of  a  hill  (since  well  named  Thirsty  Hill)  a  fine  lake 
was  spied,  and  two  of  the  party  proceeded  with  concerted  signals  to 
show  whether  it  was  fresh  water.  What  was  our  disappointment  to 
find  a  snow-white  expanse  of  salt,  crystallized  in  great  cubes!  We 
attributed  our  extreme  thirst  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere;  but 
whatever  the  cause  might  be,  we  were  exceedingly  glad  late  in  the 
evening  to  get  back  to  the  boats.  Although  we  could  nowhere  find, 
during  our  whole  visit,  a  single  drop  of  fresh  water,  yet  some  must 
exist ;  lor  by  an  odd  chance  I  found  on  the  surface  of  the  salt  water, 
near  the  head  of  the  bay,  a  Colymbetes  not  quite  dead,  which  must  have 
lived  in  some  not  far  distant  pool.  Three  other  insects  (a  Cincindela, 
like  hybrida,  a  Cymindis,  and  a  Harpalus,  which  all  live  on  muddy  flats 
occasionally  overflowed  by  the  sea),  and  one  other  found  dead  on  the 
plain,  complete  the  list  of  the  beetles.  A  good-sized  fly  (Tabanus)  was 
extremely  numerous,  and  tormented  us  by  its  painful  bite.  The  common 
horse-fly,  which  is  so  troublesome  in  the  shady  lanes  of  England,  belongs 
to  this  same  genus.  We  here  have  the  puzzle  that  so  frequently  occurs 
in  the  case  of  musquitoes — on  the  blood  of  what  animals  do  these 
insects  commonly  feed  ?  The  guanaco  is  nearly  the  only  warm-blooded 
quadruped,  and  it  is  found  in  quite  inconsiderable  numbers  compared 
with  the  multitude  of  flies. 

The  geology  of  Patagonia  is  interesting.  Differently  from  Europe, 
where  the  tertiary  formations  appear  to  have  accumulated  in  bays, 
here  along  hundreds  of  miles  of  coast  we  have  one  great  deposit, 
including  many  tertiary  shells,  all  apparently  extinct.  The  most  com- 
mon shell  is  a  massive  gigantic  oyster,  sometimes  even  a  foot  in  diameter. 
These  beds  are  covered  by  others  of  a  peculiar  soft  white  stone, 
including  much  gypsum,  and  resembling  chalk,  but  really  of  a  pumiceous 
nature.  It  is  highly  remarkable,  from  being  composed,  to  at  least  one- 
tenth  part  of  its  bulk,  of  Infusoria :  Professor  Ehrenberg  has  already 
ascertained  in  it  thirty  oceanic  forms.  This  bed  extends  for  500  miles 
along  the  coast,  and  probably  for  a  considerably  greater  distance.  At 
Port  St.  Julian  its  thickness  is  more  than  800  feet !  These  white  beds 
are  everywhere  capped  by  a  mass  of  gravel,  forming  probably  one  of 
the  largest  beds  of  shingle  in  the  world :  it  certainly  extends  from  near 
the  Rio  Colorado  to  between  600  and  700  nautical  miles  southward ;  at 
Santa  Cruz  (a  river  a  little  south  of  St.  Julian),  it  reaches  to  the  foot  of 
the  Cordillera ;  halfway  up  the  river,  its  thickness  is  more  than  200 
feet ;  it  probably  everywhere  extends  to  this  great  chain,  whence  the 
well-rounded  pebbles  of  porphyry  have  been  derived  :  we  may  consider 
(ts  average  breadth  as  200  miles,  and  its  average  thickness  as  about  §o 


124  GEOLOGY  OF  PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  vin. 

feet.  If  this  great  bed  of  pebbles,  without  including  the  mud  neces- 
sarily derived  from  their  attrition,  was  piled  into  a  mound,  it  would 
form  a  great  mountain  chain  !  When  we  consider  that  all  these  pebbles, 
countless  as  the  grains  of  sand  >n  the  desert,  have  been  derived  from 
the  slow  falling  of  masses  of  rock  on  the  old  coast-lines  and  banks  of 
rivers ;  and  that  these  fragments  have  been  dashed  into  smaller  pieces, 
and  that  each  of  them  has  since  been  slowly  rolled,  rounded,  and  fai 
transported,  the  mind  is  stupefied  in  thinking  over  the  long,  absolutely 
necessary,  lapse  of  years.  Yet  all  this  gravel  has  been  transported, 
and  probably  rounded,  subsequently  to  the  deposition  of  the  white  beds, 
and  long  subsequently  to  the  underlying  beds  with  the  tertiary  shells. 

Everything  in  this  southern  continent  has  been  effected  on  a  grand 
scale :  the  land,  from  the  Rio  Plata  to  Tierra  del  Fuego,  a  distance  of 
1,200  miles,  has  been  raised  in  mass  (and  in  Patagonia  to  a  height  of 
between  300  and  400  feet),  within  the  period  of  the  now  existing  sea- 
shells.  The  old  and  weathered  shells  left  on  the  surface  of  the  upraised 
plain  still  partially  retain  their  colours.  The  uprising  movement  has 
been  interrupted  by  at  least  eight  long  periods  of  rest,  during  which  the 
sea  ate  deeply  back  into  the  land,  forming  at  successive  levels  the  long 
lines  of  cliffs  or  escarpments,  which  separate  the  different  plains  as  they 
rise  like  steps  one  behind  the  other.  The  elevatory  movement,  and  the 
eating-back  power  of  the  sea  during  the  periods  of  rest,  have  been 
equable  over  long  lines  of  coast ;  for  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  the 
step-like  plains  stand  at  nearly  corresponding  heights  at  far  distant 
points.  The  lowest  plain  is  90  feet  high ;  and  the  highest,  which  I 
ascended  near  the  coast,  is  950  feet ;  and  of  this,  only  relics  are  left  in  the 
form  of  flat  gravel-capped  hills.  The  upper  plain  of  Santa  Cruz  slopes 
up  to  a  height  of  3,000  feet  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera.  I  have  said 
that  within  the  period  of  existing  sea-shells  Patagonia  has  been  upraised 
300  to  400  feet :  I  may  add,  that  within  the  period  when  icebergs 
transported  boulders  over  the  upper  plain  of  Santa  Cruz,  the  elevation 
has  been  at  least  1,500  feet.  Nor  has  Patagonia  been  affected  only  by 
upward  movements:  the  extinct  tertiary  shells  from  Port  St.  Julian  and 
Santa  Cruz  cannot  have  lived,  according  to  Professor  E.  Forbes,  in  a 
greater  depth  of  water  than  from  40  to  250  feet ;  but  they  are  now 
covered  with  sea-deposited  strata  from  800  to  1,000  feet  in  thick- 
ness :  hence  the  bed  of  the  sea,  on  which  these  shells  once  lived, 
must  have  sunk  downwards  several  hundred  feet,  to  allow  of  the 
accumulation  of  the  superincumbent  strata.  What  a  history  of  geological 
changes  does  the  simply-constructed  coast  of  Patagonia  reveal ! 

At  Port  St.  Julian,  *  in  some  red  mud  capping  the  gravel  on  the  go- 
feet  plain,  I  found  half  the  skeleton  of  the  Macrauchenia  Patachonica, 
a  remarkable  quadruped,  full  as  large  as  a  camel.  It  belongs  to  the 
same  division  of  the  Pachydermata  with  the  rhinoceros,  tapir,  and 

*  I  have  lately  heard  that  Captain  Sulivan,  R.N.,  has  found  numerous 
fossil  bones,  embedded  in  regular  strata,  on  the  banks  of  the  R.  Gallegos,  in 
lat  52°  4'.  Some  of  the  bones  are  large ;  others  are  small,  and  appear  to 
have  belonged  to  an  armadillo.  This  is  a  most  interesting  and  important 
discpvery, 


1834.]  TYPES  OF  ORGANIZATION  CONSTANT.  125 

palaeotherium ;  but  in  the  structure  of  the  bones  of  its  long  neck  it 
shows  a  clear  relation  to  the  camel,  or  rather  to  the  guanaco  and  llam^ 
From  recent  sea-shells  being  found  on  two  of  the  higher  step-formed 
plains,  which  must  have  been  modelled  and  upraised  before  the  mud 
was  deposited  in  which  the  Macrauchema  was  intombed,  it  is  certain 
that  this  curious  quadruped  lived  long  after  the  sea  was  inhabited  by 
its  present  shells.  I  was  at  first  much  surprised  how  a  large  quadruped 
could  so  lately  have  subsisted,  in  lat.  49°  15',  on  these  wretched 
gravel  plains  with  their  stunted  vegetation  ;  but  the  relationship  of  the 
Macrauchenia  to  the  guanaco,  now  an  inhabitant  of  the  most  sterile 
parts,  partly  explains  this  difficulty. 

The  relationship,  though  distant,  between  the  Macrauchenia  and  the 
Guanaco,  betxveen  the  Toxodon  and  the  Capybara, — the  closer  relation- 
ship between  the  many  extinct  Edentata  and  the  living  sloths,  ant-eaters, 
and  armadillos,  now  so  eminently  characteristic  of  South  American 
zoology, — and  the  still  closer  relationship  between  the  fossil  and 
living  species  of  Ctenomys  and  Hydrochaerus,  are  most  interesting 
facts.  This  relationship  is  shown  wonderfully — as  wonderfully  as 
between  the  fossil  and  extinct  Marsupial  animals  of  Australia—by  the 
great  collection  lately  brought  to  Europe  from  the  caves  of  Brazil  by 
MM.  Lund  and  Clausen.  In  this  collection  there  are  extinct  species  of 
all  the  thirty-two  genera,  excepting  four,  of  the  terrestrial  quadrupeds 
now  inhabiting  the  provinces  in  which  the  caves  occur ;  and  the  extinct 
species  are  much  more  numerous  than  those  now  living:  there  are 
fossil  ant-eaters,  armadillos,  tapirs,  peccaries,  guanacos,  opossums,  and 
numerous  South  American  gnawers  and  monkeys,  and  other  animals. 
This  wonderful  relationship  in  the  same  continent  between  the  dead 
and  the  living,  will,  I  do  not  doubt,  hereafter  throw  more  light  on  the 
appearance  of  organic  beings  on  our  earth,  and  their  disappearance 
from  it,  than  any  other  class  of  facts. 

It  is  impossible  to  reflect  on  the  changed  state  of  the  American 
continent  without  the  deepest  astonishment.  Formerly  it  must  have 
swarmed  with  great  monsters :  now  we  find  mere  pigmies,  compared 
with  the  antecedent,  allied  races.  If  Buffon  had  known  of  the  gigantic 
sloth  and  armadillo-like  animals,  and  of  the  lost  Pachydermata,  he 
might  have  said  with  a  greater  semblance  of  truth  that  the  creative 
force  in  America  had  lost  its  power,  rather  than  that  it  had  never 
possessed  great  vigour.  The  greater  number,  if  not  all,  of  these 
extinct  quadrupeds  lived  at  a  late  period,  and  were  the  contemporaries 
of  most  of  the  existing  sea-shells.  Since  they  lived,  no  very  great 
change  in  the  form  of  the  land  can  have  taken  place.  What,  then,  has 
exterminated  so  many  species  and  whole  genera  ?  The  mind  at  first  is 
irresistibly  hurried  into  the  belief  of  some  great  catastrophe  ;  but  thus 
to  destroy  animals,  both  large  and  small,  in  Southern  Patagonia,  in 
Brazil,  on  the  Cordillera  of  Peru,  in  North  America  up  to  Behring's 
Straits,  we  must  shake  the  entire  framework  of  the  globe.  An  exami- 
nation, moreover,  of  the  geology  of  La  Plata  and  Patagonia,  leads  to 
the  beli?f  that  all  the  features  of  the  land  result  from  slow  and  gradua* 
changes.  It  appears  from  the  character  of  the  fossils  in  Europe,  Asia, 


126  CAUSES  OF  EXTINCTION.  [CHAP.  vin. 

Australia,  and  in  North  and  South  America,  that  those  conditions  which 
favour  the  life  of  the  larger  quadrupeds  were  lately  co-extensive  with 
the  world :  what  those  conditions  were,  no  one  has  yet  even  conjectured. 
It  could  hardly  have  been  a  change  of  temperature,  which  at  about  the 
same  time  destroyed  the  inhabitants  of  tropical,  temperate,  and  arctic 
latitudes  on  both  sides  of  the  globe.  In  North  America  we  positively 
know  from  Mr.  Lyell,  that  the  large  quadrupeds  lived  subsequently  to 
that  period,  when  boulders  were  brought  into  latitudes  at  which  ice- 
bergs now  never  arrive :  from  conclusive  but  indirect  reasons  we  may 
feel  sure,  that  in  the  southern  hemisphere  the  Macrauchenia,  also,  lived 
long  subsequently  to  the  ice-transporting  boulder-period.  Did  man, 
after  his  first  inroad  into  South  America,  destroy,  as  has  been  suggested, 
the  unwieldy  Megatherium  and  the  other  Edentata?  We  must  at 
least  look  to  some  other  cause  for  the  destruction  of  the  little  tucutuco 
at  Bahia  Blanca,  and  of  the  many  fossil  mice  and  other  small 
quadrupeds  in  Brazil.  No  one  will  imagine  that  a  drought,  even  far 
severer  than  those  which  cause  such  losses  in  the  provinces  of  La  Plata, 
could  destroy  every  individual  of  every  species  from  Southern  Patagonia 
to  Behring's  Straits.  What  shall  we  say  of  the  extinction  of  the  horse  ? 
Did  those  plains  fail  of  pasture,  which  have  since  been  overrun  by 
thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  descendants  of  the  stock 
introduced  by  the  Spaniards?  Have  the  subsequently  introduced 
species  consumed  the  food  of  the  great  antecedent  races  ?  Can  we 
believe  that  the  Capybara  has  taken  the  food  of  the  Toxodon,  the 
Guanaco  of  the  Macrauchenia,  the  existing  small  Edentata  ol  their 
numerous  gigantic  prototypes  ?  Certainly,  no  fact  in  the  long  history 
of  the  world  is  so  startling  as  the  wide  and  repeated  exterminations  ot 
its  inhabitants. 

Nevertheless,  if  we  consider  the  subject  under  another  point  of  view,  it 
will  appear  less  perplexing.  We  do  not  steadily  bear  in  mind,  how 
profoundly  ignorant  we  are  of  the  conditions  of  existence  of  every 
animal ;  nor  do  we  always  remember,  that  some  check  is  constantly 
preventing  the  too  rapid  increase  of  every  organized  being  left  in  a 
state  of  nature.  The  supply  of  food,  on  an  average,  remains  constant ; 
yet  the  tendency  in  every  animal  to  increase  by  propagation  is  geome- 
trical ;  and  its  surprising  effects  have  nowhere  been  more  astonishingly 
shown,  than  in  the  case  of  the  European  animals  run  wild  during  the 
last  few  centuries  in  America.  Every  animal  in  a  state  of  nature 
regularly  breeds  ;  yet  in  a  species  long  established,  any  great  increase 
in  numbers  is  obviously  impossible,  and  must  be  checked  by  some 
means.  We  are,  nevertheless,  seldom  able  with  certainty  to  tell  in 
any  given  species,  at  what  period  of  life,  or  at  what  period  of  the  year, 
or  whether  only  at  long  intervals,  the  check  falls ;  or,  again,  what  is  the 
precise  nature  of  the  check.  Hence  probably  it  is,  that  we  feel  so 
little  surprise  at  one,  of  two  species  closely  allied  in  habits,  being  rare 
and  the  other  abundant  in  the  same  district ;  or,  again,  that  one  should 
be  abundant  in  one  district,  and  another,  filling  the  same  place  in  the 
economy  of  nature,  should  be  abundant  in  a  neighbouring  district, 
differing  very  little  in  i\s  conditions.  If  asked  how  this  is,  one 


IS34-]  CAUSES  OF  EXTINCTION.  12? 

diately  replies  that  it  is  determined  by  some  slight  difference  in  climate, 
food,  or  the  number  of  enemies :  yet  how  rarely,  if  ever,  we  can  point 
out  the  precise  cause  and  manner  of  action  of  the  check !  We  are, 
therefore,  driven  to  the  conclusion,  that  causes  generally  quite  inappre- 
ciable by  us,  determine  whether  a  given  species  shall  be  abundant  or 
scanty  in  numbers. 

In  the  cases  where  \ve  can  trace  the  extinction  of  a  species  through 
man,  either  wholly  or  in  one  limited  district,  we  know  that  it  becomes 
rarer  and  rarer,  and  is  then  lost :  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any 
just  distinction  *  between  a  species  destroyed  by  man  or  by  the 
increase  of  its  natural  enemies.  The  evidence  of  rarity  preceding 
extinction,  is  more  striking  in  the  successive  tertiary  strata,  as  remarked 
by  several  able  observers  ;  it  has  often  been  found  that  a  shell  very 
common  in  a  tertiary  stratum  is  now  most  rare,  and  has  even  long 
been  thought  to  be  extinct.  If  then,  as  appears  probable,  species  first 
become  rare  and  then  extinc' "-*-if  the  too  rapid  increase  of  every 
species,  even  the  most  favoured,  is  steadily  checked,  as  we  must 
admit,  though  how  and  when  it  is  hard  to  say — and  if  we  see,  without 
the  smallest  surprise,  though  unable  to  assign  the  precise  reason,  one 
species  abundant  and  another  closely-allied  species  rare  in  the  same 
district— why  should  we  feel  such  great  astonishment  at  the  rarity 
being  carried  a  step  further  to  extinction?  An  action  going  on,  on 
every  side  of  us,  and  yet  barely  appreciable,  might  surely  be  carried 
a  little  further,  without  exciting  our  observation.  Who  would  feel  any 
great  surprise  at  hearing  that  the  Megalonyx  was  formerly  rare  com- 
pared with  the  Megatherium,  or  that  one  of  the  fossil  monkeys  was 
few  in  number  compared  with  one  of  the  now  living  monkeys  ?  and 
yet  in  this  comparative  rarity,  we  should  have  the  plainest  evidence  of 
less  favourable  conditions  for  their  existence.  To  admit  that  species 
generally  become  rare  before  they  become  extinct — to  feel  no  surprise 
at  the  comparative  rarity  of  one  species  with  another,  and  yet  to  call 
in  some  extraordinary  agent  and  to  marvel  greatly  when  a  species 
ceases  to  exist,  appears  to  me  much  the  same  as  to  admit  that  sickness 
in  the  individual  is  the  prelude  to  death — to  feel  no  surprise  at  sickness 
— but  when  the  sick  man  dies,  to  wonder,  and  to  believe  that  he  died 
through  violence. 

*  See  the  excellent  remarks  on  this  subject  by  Mr,  Lye.Ur  *B  his  "  Prin- 
ciples of  Geology." 


123  EXPLORING  THE  SANTA   CRUZ.  [CHAP.  vL 

CHAPTER   IX. 

SANTA  CRUZ,   PATAGONIA,   AND  THE   FALKLAND   ISLANDS. 

Santa  Cruz — Expedition  up  the  River — Indians — Immense  Streams  of  Basaltic 
Lava— Fragments  not  transported  by  the  River — Excavation  of  the  Valley 
— Ccndor,  Habits  of — Cordillera — Erratic  Boulders  of  great  size — Indian 
Relics — Return  to  the  Ship — Falkland  Islands— Wild  Horses,  Cattle, 
Raboits — Wolf-like  Fox — Fire  made  of  Bones — Manner  of  Hunting  Wild 
Cattle — Geology — Streams  of  Stones — Scenes  of  Violenca — Penguin — 
Geese — Eggs  of  Coris — Compound  Animals, 

April  i-$th,  1834.— THE  Beagle  anchored  within  the  mouth  of  the 
Santa  Cruz.  This  river  is  situated  about  sixty  miles  south  of  Port  St. 
Julian.  During  the  last  voyage  Captain  Stokes  proceeded  thirty  miles 
up  it,  but  then,  from  the  want  of  provisions,  was  obliged  to  return. 
Excepting  what  was  discovered  at  that  time,  scarcely  anything  was 
known  about  this  large  river.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  now  determined  to 
follow  its  course  as  far  as  time  would  allow.  On  the  i8th  three  whale- 
boats  started,  carrying  three  weeks'  provisions  ;  and  the  party  consisted 
of  twenty-five  souls — a  force  which  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have 
defied  a  host  of  Indians.  With  a  strong  flood-tide  and  a  fine  day  we 
made  a  good  run,  soon  drank  some  of  the  fresh  water,  and  were  at 
night  nearly  above  the  tidal  influence. 

The  river  here  assumed  a  size  and  appearance  which,  even  at  the 
highest  point  we  ultimately  reached,  was  scarcely  diminished.  It  was 
generally  from  three  to  four  hundred  yards  broad,  and  in  the  middle 
about  seventeen  feet  deep.  The  rapidity  of  the  current,  which  in  its 
whole  course  runs  at  the  rate  of  from  four  to  six  knots  an  hour,  is 
peihaps  its  most  remarkable  feature.  The  water  is  of  a  fine  blue  colour, 
but  with  a  slight  milky  tinge,  and  not  so  transparent  as  at  first  sight 
would  have  been  expected.  It  flows  over  a  bed  of  pebbles,  like  those 
which  compose  the  beach  and  the  surrounding  plains.  It  runs  in  a 
winding  course  through  a  valley,  which  extends  in  a  direct  line  west- 
ward. This  valley  varies  from  five  to  ten  miles  in  breadth ;  it  is 
bounded  by  step-formed  terraces,  which  rise  in  most  parts,  one  above 
the  other,  to  the  height  of  five  hundred  feet,  and  have  on  the  opposite 
sides  a  remarkable  correspondence. 

April  iqth. — Against  so  strong  a  current  it  was,  of  course,  quite  im- 
possible to  row  or  sail ;  consequently  the  three  boats  were  fastened 
together  head  and  stern,  two  hands  left  in  each,  and  the  rest  came  on 
shore  to  track.  As  the  general  arrangements  made  by  Captain  Fitz 
Roy  were  very  good  for  facilitating  the  work  of  all,  and  as  all  had  a 
share  in  it,  I  will  describe  the  system.  The  party,  including  every  one, 
was  divided  into  two  spells,  each  of  which  hauled  at  the  tracking  line 
alternately  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  officers  of  each  boat  lived  with, 
ate  the  same  food,  and  slept  in  the  same  tent  with  their  crew,  so  that 
ea-ch  boat  was  quite  independent  of  the  others.  After  sunset  the  first 


1834.]  ZOOLOGY  >-> 

ievel  spot  where  any  bushes  were  growing,  was  chosen  for  our  night's 
lodging.  Each  of  the  crew  took  it  in  turns  to  be  cook.  Immediately 
.the  boat  was  hauled  up,  the  cook  made  his  fire ;  two  others  pitched  the 
tent ;  the  coxswain  handed  the  things  out  of  the  boat ;  the  rest  carried 
them  up  to  the  tents  and  collected  firewood.  By  this  order,  in  half  an 
hour  everything  was  ready  for  the  night.  A  watch  of  two  men  and  an 
officer  was  always  kept,  whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the  boats,  keep 
up  the  fire,  and  guard  against  Indians,  Each  in  the  party  had  his  one 
hour  every  night. 

During  this  day  we  tracked  but  a  short  distance,  for  there  were  many 
islets,  covered  by  thorny  bushes,  and  the  channels  between  them  were 
shallow. 

April  20//z. — We  passed  the  islands  and  set  to  work.  Our  regular 
day's  march,  although  it  was  hard  enough,  carried  us  on  an  average 
only  ten  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty  alto- 
gether. Beyond  the  place  where  we  slept  last  night,  the  country  is 
completely  terra  incognita,  for  it  was  there  that  Captain  Stokes  turned 
back.  We  saw  in  the  distance  a  great  smoke,  and  found  the  skeleton 
of  a  horse,  so  we  knew  that  Indians  were  in  the  neighbourhood.  On 
the  next  morning  (2ist)  tracks  of  a  party  of  horse,  and  marks  left  by 
the  trailing  of  the  chuzos,  or  long  spears,  were  observed  on  the  ground. 
It  was  generally  thought  that  the  Indians  had  reconnoitred  us  during 
the  night.  Shortly  afterwards  we  came  to  a  spot  where,  from  the  fresh 
footsteps  of  men,  children,  and  horses,  it  was  evident  that  the  party  had 
crossed  the  river. 

April  2.2nd. — The  country  remained  the  same,  and  was  extremely 
uninteresting.  The  complete  similarity  of  the  productions  throughout 
Patagonia  is  one  of  its  most  striking  characters.  The  level  plains  of 
arid  shingle  support  the  same  stunted  and  dwarf  plants ;  and  in  the 
valleys  the  same  thorn-bearing  bushes  grow.  Everywhere  we  see  the 
same  birds  and  insects.  Even  the  very  banks  of  the  river  and  of  me 
clear  streamlets  which  entered  it,  were  scarcely  enlivened  by  a  brighter 
tint  of  green.  The  curse  of  sterility  is  on  the  land,  and  the  water  flowing 
over  a  bed  of  pebbles  partakes  of  the  same  curse.  Hence  the  number 
of  waterfowl  is  very  scanty  ;  for  there  is  nothing  to  support  life  in  the 
stream  of  this  barren  river. 

Patagonia,  poor  as  she  is  in  some  respects,  can  however  boast  of  a 
greater  stock  of  small  rodents  *  than  perhaps  any  other  country  in  the 
world.  Several  species  of  mice  are  externally  characterized  by  large 
thin  ears  and  a  very  fine  fur.  These  little  animals  swarm  amongst  the 
thickets  in  the  valleys,  where  they  cannot  for  months  together  taste 
a  drop  of  water  excepting  the  dew.  They  all  seem  to  be  cannibals  ; 
for  no  sooner  was  a  mouse  caught  in  one  of  my  traps  than  it  was 
devoured  by  others.  A  small  and  delicately-shaped  fox,  which  is  like- 
wise very  abundant,  probably  derives  its  entire  support  from  these 

*  The  deserts  of  Syria  are  characterized,  according  to  Volney  (torn,  i., 
p.  351),  by  woody  bushes,  numerous  rats,  gazelles,  and  hares.  In  the  land- 
scape of  Patagonia,  the  guanaco  replaces  the  gazelle,  and  the  agouti  the 

bam 


J30  S.  CRUZ,  PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  & 

small  animals.  The  guanaco  is  also  in  its  proper  district ;  herds  of  fifty 
or  a  hundred  were  common  ;  and,  as  I  have  stated,  we  saw  one  which 
must  have  contained  at  least  five  hundred.  The  puma,  with  the  condor 
and  other  carrion-hawks  in  its  train,  follows  and  preys  upon  these 
animals.  '  The  footsteps  of  the  puma  were  to  be  seen  almost  every- 
where on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  and  the  remains  of  several  guanacos, 
with  their  necks  dislocated  and  bones  broken,  showed  how  they  had 
met  their  death. 

April  24//z. — Like  the  navigators  of  old  when  approaching  an  unknown 
land,  we  examined  and  watched  for  the  most  trivial  sign  of  a  change. 
The  drifted  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  a  boulder  of  primitive  rock,  was  hailed 
with  joy,  as  if  we  had  seen  a  forest  growing  on  the  flanks  of  the  Cordil- 
lera. The  top,  however,  of  a  heavy  bank  of  clouds,  which  remained 
almost  constantly  in  one  position,  was  the  most  promising  sign,  and 
eventually  turned  out  a  true  harbinger.  At  first  the  clouds  were  mis- 
taken for  the  mountains  themselves,  instead  of  the  masses  of  vapour 
condensed  by  their  icy  summits. 

April  2,6th. — We  this  day  met  with  a  marked  change  in  the  geolo- 
gical structure  of  the  plains.  From  the  first  starting  I  had  carefully 
examined  the  gravel  in  the  river,  and  for  the  two  last  days  had  noticed 
the  presence  of  a  few  small  pebbles  of  a  very  cellular  basalt.  These 
gradually  increased  in  number  and  in  size,  but  none  were  as  large  as  a 
man's  head.  This  morning,  however,  pebbles  of  the  same  rock,  but 
more  compact,  suddenly  became  abundant,  and  in  the  course  of  half  an 
hour  we  saw,  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  the  angular  edge  of  a 
great  basaltic  platform.  When  we  arrived  at  its  base  we  found  the 
stream  bubbling  among  the  fallen  blocks.  For  the  next  twenty-eight 
miles  the  river-course  was  encumbered  with  these  basaltic  masses. 
Above  that  limit  immense  fragments  of  primitive  rocks,  derived  from 
the  surrounding  boulder-formation,  were  equally  numerous.  None  of 
the  fragments  of  any  considerable  size  had  been  washed  more  than 
three  or  four  miles  down  the  river  below  their  parent-source :  consider- 
ing the  singular  rapidity  of  the  great  body  of  water  in  the  Santa  Cruz, 
and  that  no  still  reaches  occur  in  any  part,  this  example  is  a  most 
striking  one,  of  the  inefficiency  of  rivers  in  transporting  even  moderately 
sized  fragments. 

The  basalt  is  only  lava,  which  has  flowed  beneath  the  sea ;  but  the 
eruptions  must  have  been  on  the  grandest  scale.  At  the  point  where 
we  first  met  this  formation  it  was  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  thick- 
ness ;  following  up  the  river  course,  the  surface  imperceptibly  rose  and 
the  mass  became  thicker,  so  that  at  forty  miles  above  the  first  station  it 
was  three  hundred  and  twenty  feet  thick.  What  the  thickness  may  be 
close  to  the  Cordillera,  I  have  no  means  of  knowing,  but  the  platform 
there  attains  a  height  of  about  three  thonsand  feet  above  the  level  ot 
the  sea :  We  must  therefore  look  to  the  mountains  of  that  great  chain 
for  its  source ;  and  worthy  of  such  a  source  are  streams  that  have 
flowed  over  the  gently  inclined  bed  of  the  sea  to  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  miles.  At  the  first  glance  of  the  basaltic  cliffs  on  the  opposite 
sides  of  the  valley,  it  was  evident  that  the  strata  once  were  united. 


1834]  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  VALLEY.  131 

\Vhat  power,  then,  has  removed  along  a  whole  line  of  country  a  solid 
mass  of  very  hard  rock,  which  had  an  average  thickness  of  nearly  three 
hundred  feet,  and  a  breadth  varying  from  rather  less  than  two  miles  to 
four  miles?  The  river,  though  it  has  so  little  power  in  transporting 
even  inconsiderable  fragments,  yet  in  the  lapse  of  ages  might  produce 
by  its  gradual  erosion  an  effect,  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  judge  the 
amount.  But  in  this  case,  independently  of  the  insignificance  of  such 
an  agency,  good  reasons  can  be  assigned  for  believing  that  this  vallej 
was  formerly  occupied  by  an  arm  of  the  sea.  It  is  needless  in  this 
work  to  detail  the  arguments  leading  to  this  conclusion,  derived  from 
the  form  and  the  nature  of  the  step-formed  terraces  on  both  sides  ol 
the  valley,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  bottom  of  the  valley  near  the 
Andes  expands  into  a  great  estuary-like  plain  with  sand-hillocks  on  it, 
and  from  the  occurrence  of  a  few  sea-shells  lying  in  the  bed  of  the 
river.  If  I  had  space  I  could  prove  that  South  America  was  formerly 
here  cut  off  by  a  strait,  joining  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  like  that 
of  Magellan.  But  it  may  yet  be  asked,  how  has  the  solid  basalt  been 
removed?  Geologists  formerly  would  have  brought  into  play  the 
violent  action  of  some  overwhelming  debacle;  but  in  this  case  such  a 
supposition  would  have  been  quite  inadmissible;  because,  the  same 
step-like  plains  with  existing  sea-shells  lyiag  on  their  surface,  which 
front  the  long  line  of  the  Patagonian  coast,  sweep  up  on  each  side  of 
the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz.  No  possible  action  of  any  flood  could  thus 
have  modelled  the  land,  either  within  the  valley  or  along  the  open 
coast ;  and  by  the  formation  of  such  step-like  plains  or  terraces  the 
valley  itself  has  been  hollowed  out.  Although  we  know  that  there  are 
tides,  which  run  within  the  Narrows  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan  at  the 
rate  of  eight  knots  an  hour,  yet  we  must  confess  that  it  makes  the  head 
almost  giddy  to  reflect  on  the  number  of  years,  century  after  century, 
which  the  tides,  unaided  by  a  heavy  surf,  must  have  required  to  have 
corroded  so  vast  an  area  and  thickness  of  solid  basaltic  lava.  Never- 
theless, we  must  believe  that  the  strata,  undermined  by  the  waters  of 
this  ancient  strait,  were  broken  up  into  huge  fragments,  and  these 
lying  scattered  on  the  beach,  were  reduced  first  to  smaller  blocks,  then 
to  pebbles,  and  lastly  to  the  most  impalpable  mud,  which  the  tides 
drifted  far  into  the  Eastern  or  Western  Ocean. 

With  the  change  in  the  geological  structure  of  the  plains  the  character 
of  the  landscape  likewise  altered.  While  rambling  up  some  of  the 
narrow  and  rocky  defiles,  I  could  almost  have  fancied  myself  trans- 
ported back  again  to  the  barren  valleys  of  the  island  of  St.  Jago. 
Among  the  basaltic  cliffs  I  found  some  plants  which  I  had  seen 
nowhere  else,  but  others  I  recognized  as  being  wanderers  from  Tierra 
del  Fuego.  These  porous  rocks  serve  as  a  reservoir  for  the  scanty  rain- 
water ;  and  consequently  on  the  line  where  the  igneous  and  sedimentary 
formations  unite,  some  small  springs  (most  rare  occurrences  in  Pata- 
gonia) burst  forth ;  and  they  could  be  distinguished  at  a  distance  by 
the  circumscribed  patches  of  bright  green  herbage. 

April  27th. — The  bed  of  the  river  became  rather  narrower,  and  henoa 
the  stream  more  rapid.  It  here  ran  at  the  rate  of  six  knots  an  hour 


132  5.   CRUZ,  PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  a. 

From  this  cause,  and  from  the  many  great  angular  fragments,  tracking 
the  boats  became  both  dangerous  and  laborious. 

This  day  I  shot  a  condor.  It  measured  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  wings, 
eight  and  a  half  feet,  and  from  beak  to  tail,  four  feet.  This  bird  is 
Known  to  have  a  wide  geographical  range,  being  found  on  the  west 
coast  of  South  America,  from  the  Strait  of  Magellan  along  the  Cordillera 
as  far  as  eight  degrees  north  of  the  equator.  The  steep  cliff  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro  is  its  northern  limit  on  the  Patagonian  coast ; 
and  they  have  there  wandered  about  lour  hundred  miles  from  the  great 
central  line  of  their  habitation  in  the  Andes.  Further  south,  among  the 
bold  precipices  at  the  head  of  Port  Desire,  the  condor  is  not  uncommon ; 
yet  only  a  few  stragglers  occasionally  visit  the  sea-coast.  A  line  of 
cliff  near  the  mouth  of  the  Santa  Cruz  is  frequented  by  these  birds,  and 
about  eighty  miles  up  the  river,  where  the  sides  of  the  valley  are  formed 
by  steep  basaltic  precipices,  the  condor  reappears.  From  these  facts, 
it  seems  that  the  condors  require  perpendicular  cliffs.  In  Chile,  they 
haunt,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  the  lower  country  near  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  at  night  several  roost  together  in  one  tree ; 
but  in  the  early  part  of  summer,  they  retire  to  the  most  inaccessible 
parts  of  the  inner  Cordillera,  there  to  breed  in  peace. 

With  respect  to  their  propagation,  I  was  told  by  the  country  people 
in  Chile,  that  the  condor  makes  no  sort  of  nest,  but  in  the  months  of 
November  and  December  lays  two  large  white  eggs  on  a  shelf  of  bare 
rock.  It  is  said  that  the  young  condors  cannot  fly  for  an  entire  year ; 
and  long  after  they  are  able,  they  continue  to  roost  by  night,  and  hunt 
by  day  with  their  parents.  The  old  birds  generally  live  in  pairs  ;  but 
among  the  inland  basaltic  cliffs  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  I  found  a  spot, 
where  scores  must  usually  haunt.  On  coming  suddenly  to  the  brow 
of  the  precipice,  it  was  a  grand  spectacle  to  see  between  twenty  and 
thirty  of  these  great  birds  start  heavily  from  their  resting-place,  and 
wheel  away  in  majestic  circles.  From  the  quantity  of  dung  on  the 
rocks,  they  must  long  have  frequented  this  cliff  for  roosting  and 
breeding.  Having  gorged  themselves  with  carrion  on  the  plains  below, 
they  retire  to  these  favourite  ledges  to  digest  their  food.  From  these 
facts,  the  condor,  like  the  gallinazo,  must  to  a  certain  degree  be  con- 
sidered as  a  gregarious  bird.  In  this  part  of  the  country  they  live 
altogether  on  the  guanacos  which  have  died  a  natural  death,  or,  as 
more  commonly  happens,  have  been  killed  by  the  pumas.  I  believe, 
from  what  I  saw  in  Patagonia,  that  they  do  not  on  ordinary  occasions 
extend  their  daily  excursions  to  any  great  distance  from  their  regular 
sleeping-places. 

The  condors  may  oftentimes  be  seen  at  a  great  height,  soaring  over 
a  certain  spot  in  the  most  graceful  circles.  On  some  occasions  I  am 
sure  that  they  do  this  only  for  pleasure,  but  on  others,  the  Chileno 
countryman  tells  you  that  they  are  watching  a  dying  animal,  or  the 
puma  devouring  its  prey.  If  the  condors  glide  down,  and  then  suddenly 
all  rise  together,  the  Chileno  knows  that  it  is  the  puma  which,  watching 
the  carcass,  has  sprung  out  to  drive  away  the  robbers.  Besides 


1834.]  THE  CONDOR.  133 

feeding  on  carrion,  the  condors  frequently  attack  young  goats  and 
lambs;  and  the  shepherd  dogs  are  trained,  whenever  they  pass  over, 
to  run  out,  and  looking  upwards  to  bark  violently.  The  Chilenos 
destroy  and  catch  numbers.  Two  methods  are  used ;  one  is  to  place 
a  carcass  on  a  level  piece  of  ground  within  an  enclosure  of  sticks  with 
an  opening,  and  when  the  condors  are  gorged,  to  gallop  up  on  horse- 
back to  the  entrance,  and  thus  enclose  them :  for  when  this  bird  has 
not  space  to  run,  it  cannot  give  its  body  sufficient  momentum  to  rise 
from  the  ground.  The  second  method  is  to  mark  the  trees  in  which, 
frequently  to  the  number  of  five  or  six  together,  they  roost,  and  then  at 
night  to  climb  up  and  noose  them.  They  are  such  heavy  sleepers,  as 
I  have  myself  witnessed,  that  this  is  not  a  difficult  task.  At  Valparaiso, 
I  have  seen  a  living  condor  sold  for  sixpence,  but  the  common  price  is 
eight  or  ten  shillings.  One  which  I  saw  brought  in,  had  been  tied  with 
rope,  and  was  much  injured;  yet,  the  moment  the  line  was  cut  by 
which  its  bill  was  secured,  although  surrounded  by  people,  it  began 
ravenously  to  tear  a  piece  of  carrion.  In  a  garden  at  the  same  place, 
between  twenty  and  thirty  were  kept  alive.  They  were  fed  only  once 
a  week,  but  they  appeared  in  pretty  good  health.*  The  Chileno 
countrymen  assert  that  the  condor  will  live,  and  retain  its  vigour, 
between  five  and  six  weeks  without  eating :  I  cannot  answer  for 
the  truth  of  this,  but  it  is  a  cruel  experiment,  which  very  likely  has 
been  tried. 

When  an  animal  is  killed  in  the  country,  it  is  well  known  that  the 
condors,  like  other  carrion-vultures,  soon  gain  intelligence  of  it,  and 
congregate  in  an  inexplicable  manner.  In  most  cases  it  must  not  be 
overlooked,  that  the  birds  have  discovered  their  prey,  and  have  picked 
the  skeleton  clean,  before  the  flesh  is  in  the  least  degree  tainted. 
Remembering  the  experiments  of  M.  Audubon,  on  the  little  smelling 
powers  of  carrion-hawks,  I  tried  in  the  above-mentioned  garden  the 
following  experiment :  the  condors  were  tied,  each  by  a  rope,  in  a  long 
row  at  the  bottom  of  a  wall ;  and  having  folded  up  a  piece  of  meat  in 
white  paper,  I  walked  backwards  and  forwards,  carrying  it  in  my  hand 
at  the  distance  of  about  three  yards  from  them,  but  no  notice  whatever 
was  taken.  I  then  threw  it  on  the  ground,  within  one  yard  of  an  old 
male  bird;  he  looked  at  it  for  a  moment  with  attention,  but  then 
regarded  it  no  more.  With  a  stick  I  pushed  it  closer  and  closer,  until 
at  last  he  touched  it  with  his  beak  ;  the  paper  was  then  instantly  torn 
off  with  fury,  at  the  same  moment,  every  bird  in  the  long  row  began 
struggling  and  flapping  its  wings.  Under  the  same  circumstances,  it 
would  have  been  quite  impossible  to  have  deceived  a  dog.  The  evidence 
in  favour  of  and  against  the  acute  smelling  powers  of  carrion-vultures 
is  singularly  balanced.  Professor  Owen  has  demonstrated  that  the 
olfactory  nerves  of  the  turkey-buzzard  (Cathartes  aura)  are  highly 
developed ;  and  on  the  evening  when  Mr.  Owen's  paper  was  read  at 
the  Zoological  Society,  it  was  mentioned  by  a  gentleman  that  he  had 

*  I  noticed  that  several  hours  before  any  one  of  the  condors  died,  all  the 
lice,  with  which  it  was  infested,  crawled  to  the  outside  feathers.  I  was 
assured  that  this  always  happened. 


134  S.  CRUZ,  PATAGONIA.  [CHAP.  ix. 

seen  the  carrion-hawks  in  the  West  Indies  on  two  occasions  collect  on 
the  roof  of  a  house,  when  a  corpse  had  become  offensive  from  not 
having  been  buried  :  in  this  case,  the  intelligence  could  hardly  have 
been  acquired  by  sight.  On  the  other  hand,  besides  the  experiments  of 
Audubon  and  that  one  by  myself,  Mr.  Bachman  has  tried  in  the  United 
States  many  varied  plans,  showing  that  neither  the  turkey-buzzard  (the 
species  dissected  by  Professor  Owen)  nor  the  gallinazo  find  their  food 
by  smell.  He  covered  portions  of  highly  offensive  offal  with  a  thin 
canvas  cloth,  and  strewed  pieces  of  meat  on  it ;  these  the  carrion- 
vultures  ate  up,  and  then  remained  quietly  standing,  with  their  beaks 
within  the  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the  putrid  mass,  without  discovering  it. 
A  small  rent  was  made  in  the  canvas,  and  the  offal  was  immediately 
discovered ;  the  canvas  was  replaced  by  a  fresh  piece,  and  meat  again 
put  on  it,  and  was  again  devoured  by  the  vultures  without  their 
discovering  the  hidden  mass  on  which  they  were  trampling.  These 
facts  are  attested  by  the  signatures  of  six  gentlemen,  besides  that  of 
Mr.  Bachman.* 

Often  when  lying  down  to  rest  on  the  open  plains,  on  looking  upwards 
I  have  seen  carrion-hawks  sailing  through  the  air  at  a  great  height. 
Where  the  country  is  level  I  do  not  believe  a  space  of  the  heavens,  of 
more  than  fifteen  degrees  above  the  horizon,  is  commonly  viewed  with 
any  attention  by  a  person  either  walking  or  on  horseback.  If  such  be 
the  case,  and  the  vulture  is  on  the  wing  at  a  height  of  between  three  and 
four  thousand  feet,  before  it  could  come  within  the  range  of  vision,  its 
distance  in  a  straight  line  from  the  beholder's  eye,  would  be  rather  more 
than  two  British  miles.  Might  it  not  thus  readily  be  overlooked? 
When  an  animal  is  killed  by  the  sportsman  in  a  lonely  valley,  may  he 
not  all  the  while  be  watched  from  above  by  the  sharp-sighted  bird  ? 
And  will  not  the  manner  of  its  descent  proclaim  throughout  the  district 
to  the  whole  family  of  carrion-feeders,  that  their  prey  is  at  hand  ? 

When  the  condors  are  wheeling  in  a  flock  round  and  round  any  spot, 
their  flight  is  beautiful.  Except  when  rising  from  the  ground,  I  do  not 
recollect  ever  having  seen  one  of  these  birds  flap  its  wings.  Near  Lima, 
I  watched  several  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  without  once  taking  off  my 
eyes ;  they  moved  in  large  curves,  sweeping  in  circles,  descending  and 
ascending  without  giving  a  single  flap.  As  they  glided  close  over  my 
head,  I  intently  watched  from  an  oblique  position  the  outlines  of  the 
separate  and  great  terminal  feathers  of  each  wing ;  and  these  separate 
feathers,  if  there  had  been  the  least  vibratory  movement,  would  have 
appeared  as  if  blended  together ;  but  they  were  seen  distinct  against  the 
blue  sky.  The  head  and  neck  were  moved  frequently,  and  apparently 
with  force ;  and  the  extended  wings  seemed  to  form  the  fulcrum  on 
which  the  movements  of  the  neck,  body,  and  tail  acted.  If  the  bird 
wished  to  descend,  the  wings  for  a  moment  collapsed ;  and  when  again 
expanded  with  an  altered  inclination,  the  momentum  gained  by  the 
rapid  descent  seemed  to  urge  the  bird  upwards  with  the  even  and 
leady  movement  of  a  paper  kite.  In  the  case  of  any  bird  soaring,  its 
emotion  must  be  sufficiently  rapid,  so  that  the  action  of  the  inclined 
*  Loudon's  Mngazint  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vol  vii. 


1834.]  TRACES  OF  INDIANS.  13$ 

surface  of  its  body  on  the  atmosphere  may  counter-balance  its  gravity. 
The  force  to  keep  up  the  momentum  of  a  body  moving  in  a  horizontal 
plane  in  the  air  (in  which  there  is  so  little  friction)  cannot  be  great,  and 
this  force  is  all  that  is  wanted.  The  movement  of  the  neck  and  body 
of  the  condor,  we  must  suppose,  is  sufficient  for  this.  However  this 
may  be,  it  is  truly  wonderful  and  beautiful  to  see  so  great  a  bird,  hour 
after  hour,  without  any  apparent  exertion,  wheeling  and  gliding  over 
mountain  and  river. 

April  2gtk. — From  some  high  land  we  hailed  with  joy  the  white 
summits  of  the  Cordillera,  as  they  were  seen  occasionally  peeping 
through  their  dusky  envelope  of  clonds.  During  the  few  succeeding 
days  we  continued  to  get  on  slowly,  for  we  found  the  river-course  very 
tortuous,  and  strewed  with  immense  fragments  of  various  ancient  slaty 
rocks,  and  of  granite.  The  plain  bordering  the  valley  had  here  attained 
an  elevation  of  about  eleven  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  and  its  character 
was  much  altered.  The  well-rounded  pebbles  of  porphyry  were  mingled 
with  many  immense  angular  fragments  of  basalt  and  of  primary  rocks. 
The  first  of  these  erratic  boulders  which  I  noticed  was  sixty-seven 
miles  distant  from  the  nearest  mountain ;  another  which  I  measured 
was  five  yards  square,  and  projected  five  feet  above  the  gravel.  Its 
edges  were  so  angular,  and  its  size  so  great,  that  I  at  first  mistook  it 
for  a  rock  in  situ,  and  took  out  my  compass  to  observe  the  direction 
of  its  cleavage.  The  plain  here  was  not  quite  so  level  as  that  nearer 
the  coast,  but  yet  it  betrayed  no  signs  of  any  great  violence.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  is,  I  believe,  quite  impossible  to  explain  the 
transportal  of  these  gigantic  masses  of  rock  so  many  miles  from  their 
parent-source,  on  any  theory  except  by  that  of  floating  icebergs. 

During  the  two  last  days  we  met  with  signs  of  horses,  and  with 
several  small  articles  which  had  belonged  to  the  Indians — such  as 
parts  of  a  mantle  and  a  bunch  of  ostrich  feathers — but  they  appeared 
to  have  been  lying  long  on  the  ground.  Between  the  place  where  the 
Indians  had  so  lately  crossed  the  river  and  this  neighbourhood,  though 
so  many  miles  apart,  the  country  appears  to  be  quite  unfrequented. 
At  first,  considering  the  abundance  of  the  guanacos,  I  was  surprised 
at  this  ;  but  it  is  explained  by  the  stony  nature  of  the  plains,  which 
would  soon  disable  an  unshod  horse  from  taking  part  in  the  chase. 
Nevertheless,  in  two  places  in  this  very  central  region,  I  found  small 
heaps  of  stones,  which  I  do  not  think  could  have  been  accidentally 
thrown  together.  They  were  placed  on  points,  projecting  over  the 
edge  of  the  highest  lava  cliff,  and  they  resembled,  but  on  a  small  scale, 
those  near  Port  Desire. 

May  tfh. — Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  take  the  boats  no  higher. 
The  river  had  a  winding  course,  and  was  very  rapid ;  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  country  offered  no  temptation  to  proceed  any  further. 
Everywhere  we  met  with  the  same  productions  and  the  same  dreary 
landscape.  We  were  now  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  distant  from 
the  Atlantic,  and  about  sixty  from  the  nearest  arm  of  the  Pacific.  The 
valley  in  this  upper  part  expanded  into  a  wide  basin,  bounded  on  the 


136  FALKLAND  ISLANDS^  [CHAP.  ix. 

north  and  south  by  the  basaltic  platforms,  and  fronted  by  the  long 
range  of  the  snow-clad  Cordillera.  But  we  viewed  these  grand 
mountains  with  regret,  for  we  were  obliged  to  imagine  their  nature 
and  productions,  instead  of  standing,  as  we  had  hoped,  on  their 
summits.  Besides  the  useless  loss  of  time  which  an  attempt  to  ascend 
the  river  any  higher  would  have  cost  us,  we  had  already  been  for 
some  days  on  half  allowance  of  bread.  This,  although  really  enough 
for  reasonable  men,  was,  after  a  hard  day's  march,  rather  scanty  food  : 
a  light  stomach  and  an  easy  digestion  are  good  things  to  talk  about, 
but  very  unpleasant  in  practice. 

May  $th. — Before  sunrise  we  commenced  our  descent.  We  shot  down 
the  stream  with  great  rapidity,  generally  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots  an 
hour.  In  this  one  day  we  effected  what  had  cost  us  five  and  a  half 
hard  days'  labour  in  ascending.  On  the  8th  we  reached  the  Beagle 
after  our  twenty-one  days'  expedition.  Every  one,  excepting  myself, 
had  cause  to  be  dissatisfied ;  but  to  me  the  ascent  afforded  a  most 
interesting  section  of  the  great  tertiary  formation  of  Patagonia. 

On  March  isf,  1833,  and  again  on  March  ibth,  1834,  the  Beagle 
anchored  in  Berkeley  Sound,  in  East  Falkland  Island.  This  archi- 
pelago is  situated  in  nearly  the  same  latitude  with  the  mouth  of  the 
Strait  of  Magellan ;  it  covers  a  space  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  by 
sixty  geographical  miles,  and  is  little  more  than  half  the  size  of  Ireland. 
After  the  possession  of  these  miserable  islands  had  been  contested  by 
France,  Spain,  and  England,  they  were  left  uninhabited.  The  Govern- 
ment of  Buenos  Ayres  then  sold  them  to  a  private  individual,  but 
likewise  used  them,  as  old  Spain  had  done  before,  for  a  penal  settle- 
ment. England  claimed  her  right,  and  seized  them.  The  Englishman 
who  was  left  in  charge  of  the  flag  was  consequently  murdered.  A 
British  officer  was  next  sent,  unsupported  by  any  power:  and  when 
we  arrived,  we  found  him  in  charge  of  a  population,  of  which  rather 
more  than  half  were  runaway  rebels  and  murderers. 

The  theatre  is  worthy  of  the  scenes  acted  on  it.  An  undulating  land, 
with  a  desolate  and  wretched  aspect,  is  everywhere  covered  by  a  peaty 
soil  and  wiry  grass,  of  one  monotonous  brown  colour.  Here  and  there 
a  peak  or  ridge  of  grey  quartz  rock  breaks  through  the  smooth  surface. 
Every  one  has  heard  of  the  climate  of  these  regions  ;  it  may  be  com- 
pared to  that  which  is  experienced  at  the  height  of  between  one  and 
two  thousand  feet  on  the  mountains  of  North  Wales ;  having  however 
less  sunshine  and  less  frost,  but  more  wind  and  rain.* 

May  ibth. — I  will  now  describe  a  short  excursion  which  I  made 
round  a  part  of  this  island.  In  the  morning  I  started  with  six  horses 

*  From  accounts  published  since  our  voyage,  and  more  especially  from 
several  interesting  letters  from  Captain  Sulivan,  R.N.,  employed  on  the  survey, 
.it  appears  that  we  took  an  exaggerated  view  of  the  badness  of  the  climate 
of  these  islands.  But  when  I  reflect  on  the  almost  universal  covering  of  peat, 
and  on  the  fact  of  wheat  seldom  ripening  here,  I  can  hardly  believe  that 
the  climate  in  summer  is  so  fine  and  dry  as  it  has  lately  been  represented. 


CHAP,  ix.]  HUNTING   WILD  CATTLE.     .  iyj 

and  two  Gauchos :  the  latter  were  capital  men  for  the  purpose,  and 
well  accustomed  to  living  on  their  own  resources.  The  weather  was 
very  boisterous  and  cold,  with  heavy  hailstorms.  We  got  on,  how- 
ever, pretty  well,  but,  except  the  geology,  nothing  could  be  less 
interesting  than  our  day's  ride.  The  country  is  uniformly  the  same 
undulating  moorland ;  the  surface  being  covered  by  light  brown  withered 
grass  and  a  few  very  small  shrubs,  all  springing  out  of  an  elastic  peaty 
soil.  In  the  valleys  here  and  there  might  be  seen  a  small  flock  of 
wild  geese,  and  everywhere  the  ground  was  so  soft  that  the  snipe  were 
able  to  feed.  Besides  these  two  birds  there  were  few  others.  There 
is  one  main  range  of  hills,  nearly  two  thousand  feet  in  height,  and 
composed  of  quartz  rock,  the  rugged  and  barren  crests  of  which  gave 
us  some  trouble  to  cross.  On  the  south  side  we  came  to  the  best  coun- 
try for  wild  cattle ;  we  met,  however,  no  great  number,  for  they  had 
been  lately  much  harassed. 

In  the  evening  we  came  across  a  small  herd.  One  of  my  companions, 
St.  Jago  by  name,  soon  separated  a  fat  cow ;  he  threw  the  bolas,  and 
it  struck  her  legs,  but  failed  in  becoming  entangled.  Then  dropping 
his  hat  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  balls  were  left,  while  at  full  gallop, 
he  uncoiled  his  lazo,  and  after  a  most  severe  chase,  again  came  up 
to  the  cow,  and  caught  her  round  the  horns.  The  other  Gaucho  had 
gone  on  ahead  with  the  spare  horses,  so  that  St.  Jago  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  killing  the  furious  beast.  He  managed  to  get  her  on  a  level 
piece  of  ground,  by  taking  advantage  of  her  as  often  as  she  rushed  at 
nim  ;  and  when  she  would  not  move,  my  horse,  from  having  been 
trained,  would  canter  up,  and  with  his  chest  give  her  a  violent  push. 
But  when  on  level  ground  it  does  not  appear  an  easy  job  for  one  man 
to  kill  a  beast  mad  with  terror.  Nor  would  it  be  so,  if  the  horse,  when 
left  to  itself  without  its  rider,  did  not  soon  learn,  for  its  own  safety, 
to  keep  the  lazo  tight ;  so  that,  if  the  cow  or  ox  moves  forward,  the 
horse  moves  just  as  quickly  forward ;  otherwise,  it  stands  motionless 
leaning  on  one  side.  This  horse,  however,  was  a  young  one,  and 
would  not  stand  still,  but  gave  into  the  cow  as  she  struggled.  It  was 
admirable  to  see  with  what  dexterity  St.  Jago  dodged  behind  the  beast, 
till  at  last  he  contrived  to  give  the  fatal  touch  to  tthe  main  tendon  of 
the  hind  leg ;  after  which,  without  much  difficulty,  he  drove  his  knife 
into  the  head  of  the  spinal  marrow,  and  the  cow  dropped  as  if  struck 
by  lightning.  He  cut  off  pieces  of  flesh  with  the  skin  to  it,  but  without 
any  bones,  sufficient  for  our  expedition.  We  then  rode  on  to  our 
sleeping-place,  and  had  for  supper  "  carne  con  cuero,"  or  meat  roasted 
with  the  skin  on  it.  This  is  as  superior  to  common  beef  as  venison  is 
to  mutton.  A  large  circular  piece  taken  from  the  back  is  roasted  on 
the  embers  with  the  hide  downwards  and  in  the  form  of  a  saucer,  so 
that  none  of  the  gravy  is  lost.  If  any  worthy  alderman  had  supped 
with  us  that  evening,  "carne  con  cuero,"  without  doubt,  would  soon 
have  been  celebrated  in  London. 

During  the  night  it  rained,  and  the  next  day  (i7th)  was  very 
stormy,  with  much  hail  and  snow.  We  rode  across  the  island  to  the 
neck  of  land  which  joins  the  Rincon  del  Toro  (the  great  peninsula  at 


138  FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  rx. 

the  S.W.  extremity)  to  the  rest  of  the  island.  From  the  great  number 
of  cows  which  have  been  killed,  there  is  a  large  proportion  of  bulls. 
These  wander  about  single,  or  two  and  three  together,  and  are  very 
savage.  I  never  saw  such  magnificent  beasts;  they  equalled  in  the 
size  of  their  huge  heads  and  necks  the  Grecian  marble  sculptures. 
Captain  Sulivan  informs  me  that  the  hide  of  an  average-sized  bull 
weighs  forty-seven  pounds,  whereas  a  hide  of  this  weight,  less 
thoroughly  dried,  is  considered  as  a  very  heavy  one  at  Monte  Video. 
The  young  bulls  generally  run  away  for  a  short  distance;  but  the 
old  ones  do  not  stir  a  step,  except  to  rush  at  man  and  horse ;  and 
many  horses  have  been  thus  killed.  An  old  bull  crossed  a  boggy 
stream,  and  took  his  stand  on  the  opposite  side  to  us ;  we  in  vain 
tried  to  drive  him  away,  and  failing,  were  obliged  to  make  a  large 
circuit.  The  Gauchos  in  revenge  determined  to  emasculate  him  and 
render  him  for  the  future  harmless.  It  was  very  interesting  to  see 
how  art  completely  mastered  force.  One  lazo  was  thrown  over  his 
horns  as  he  rushed  at  the  horse,  and  another  round  his  hind  legs :  in 
a  minute  the  monster  was  stretched  powerless  on  the  ground.  After 
the  lazo  has  once  been  drawn  tightly  round  the  horns  of  a  furious 
animal,  it  does  not  at  first  appear  an  easy  thing  to  disengage  it  again 
without  killing  the  beast ;  nor,  I  apprehend,  would  it  be  so  if  the  man 
was  by  himself.  By  the  aid,  however,  of  a  second  person  throwing 
his  lazo  so  as  to  catch  both  hind  legs,  it  is  quickly  managed ;  for  the 
animal,  as  long  as  its  hind  legs  are  kept  outstretched,  is  quite  helpless, 
and  the  first  man  can  with  his  hands  loosen  his  lazo  from  the  horns, 
and  then  quietly  mount  his  horse ;  but  the  moment  the  second  man, 
by  backing  ever  so  little,  relaxes  the  strain,  the  lazo  slips  off  the  legs 
of  the  struggling  beast,  which  then  rises  free,  shakes  himself,  and 
vainly  rushes  at  his  antagonist 

During  our  whole  ride  we  saw  only  one  troop  of  wild  horses.  These 
animals,  as  well  as  the  cattle,  were  introduced  by  the  French  in  1764, 
since  which  time  both  have  greatly  increased.  It  is  a  curious  fact, 
that  the  horses  have  never  left  the  eastern  end  of  the  island,  although 
there  is  no  natural  boundary  to  prevent  them  from  roaming,  and  that 
part  of  the  island  is  not  more  tempting  than  the  rest.  The  Gauchos 
whom  I  asked,  though  asserting  this  to  be  the  case,  were  unable  to 
account  for  it,  except  from  the  strong  attachment  which  horses  have 
to  any  locality  to  which  they  are  accustomed.  Considering  that  the 
island  does  not  appear  fully  stocked,  and  that  there  are  no  beasts  of 
prey,  I  was  particularly  curious  to  know  what  has  checked  their  origi- 
nally rapid  increase.  That  in  a  limited  island  some  check  would 
sooner  or  later  supervene,  is  inevitable ;  but  why  has  the  increase  of 
the  horse  been  checked  sooner  than  that  of  the  cattle  ?  Captain  Suli- 
van has  taken  much  pains  for  me  in  this  inquiry.  The  Gauchos 
employed  here  attribute  it  chiefly  to  the  stallions  constantly  roaming 
from  place  to  place,  and  compelling  the  mares  to  accompany  them, 
whether  or  not  the  young  foals  are  able  to  follow.  One  Gaucho  told 
Captain  Sulivan  that  he  had  watched  a  stallion  for  a  whole  hour, 
violently  kicking  and  biting  a  mare  till  he  forced  her  to  leave  her  foal 


<HAP.  ix,]  WILD  RABBITS.  139 

ro  its  fate.  Captain  Sulivan  can  so  lar  corroborate  this  curious  account, 
that  he  has  several  times  found  young  foals  dead,  whereas  he  has  never 
found  a  dead  calf.  Moreover,  the  dead  bodies  of  full-grown  horses 
are  more  frequently  found,  as  if  more  subject  to  disease  or  accidents, 
than  those  of  the  cattle.  From  the  softness  of  the  ground  their  hoofs 
often  grow  irregularly  to  a  great  length,  and  this  causes  lameness. 
The  predominant  colours  are  roan  and  iron-grey.  All  the  horses  bred 
here,  both  tame  and  wild,  are  rather  small  sized,  though  generally  in 
good  condition ;  and  they  have  lost  so  much  strength,  that  they  are 
unfit  to  be  used  in  taking  wild  cattle  with  the  lazo :  in  consequence, 
it  is  necessary  to  go  to  the  great  expense  of  importing  fresh  horses 
from  the  Plata.  At  some  future  period  the  southern  hemisphere  pro- 
bably will  have  its  breed  of  Falkland  ponies,  as  the  northern  has  its 
Shetland  breed. 

The  cattle,  instead  of  having  degenerated  like  the  horses,  seem,  as 
before  remarked,  to  have  increased  in  size ;  and  they  are  much  more 
numerous  than  the  horses.  Captain  Sulivan  informs  me  that  they 
vary  much  less  in  the  general  form  of  their  bodies  and  in  the  shape 
of  their  horns  than  English  cattle.  In  colour  they  differ  much  ;  and  it 
is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  that  in  different  parts  of  this  one  small 
island,  different  colours  predominate.  Round  Mount  Usborne,  at  a  height 
of  from  1,000  to  1,500  feet  above  the  sea,  about  half  of  some  of  the 
herds  are  mouse  or  lead-coloured,  a  tint  which  is  not  common  in  other 
parts  of  the  island.  Near  Port  Pleasant  dark  brown  prevails,  whereas 
south  of  Choiseul  Sound  (which  almost  divides  the  island  into  two 
parts),  white  beasts  with  black  heads  and  feet  are  the  most  common : 
in  all  parts  black,  and  some  spotted  animals  may  be  observed.  Captain 
Sulivan  remarks,  that  the  difference  in  the  prevailing  colours  was  so 
obvious,  that  in  looking  for  the  herds  near  Port  Pleasant,  they  appeared 
from  a  long  distance  like  black  spots,  while  south  of  Choiseul  Sound 
they  appeared  like  white  spots  on  the  hill-sides.  Captain  Sulivan 
thinks  that  the  herds  do  not  mingle ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact,  that  the 
mouse-coloured  cattle,  though  living  on  the  high  land,  calve  about  a 
month  earlier  in  the  season  than  the  other  coloured  beasts  on  the  lower 
land.  It  is  interesting  thus  to  find  the  once  domesticated  cattle  break- 
ing into  three  colours,  of  which  some  one  colour  would  in  all  proba- 
bility ultimately  prevail  over  the  others,  if  the  herds  were  left  undisturbed 
for  the  next  several  centuries. 

The  rabbit  is  another  animal  which  has  been  introduced,  and  has 
succeeded  very  well;  so  that  they  abound  over  large  parts  of  the 
island.  Yet,  like  the  horses,  they  are  confined  within  certain  limits ; 
lor  they  have  not  crossed  the  central  chain  of  hills,  nor  would  they 
have  extended  even  so  far  as  its  base,  if,  as  the  Gauchos  informed  me, 
small  colonies  had  not  been  carried  there.  I  should  not  have  supposed 
that  these  animals,  natives  of  northern  Africa,  could  have  existed  in  a 
climate  so  humid  as  this,  and  which  enjoys  so  little  sunshine  that  even 
wheat  ripens  only  occasionally.  It  is  asserted  that  in  Sweden,  which 
any  one  would  have  thought  a  more  favourable  climate,  the  rabbit 
cannot  live  out  of  doors.  The  first  few  pair,  moreover,  had  here  to 


140  FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  [CHAP,  nu 

contend  against  pre-existing  enemies,  in  the  fox  and  some  large  hawks. 
The  French  naturalists  have  considered  the  black  variety  a  distinct 
species,  and  called  it  Lepus  Magellanicus.*  They  imagined  that 
Magellan,  when  talking  of  an  animal  under  the  name  of  "  conejos  "  in 
the  Strait  of  Magellan,  referred  tr  this  species ;  but  he  was  alluding  to 
a  small  cavy,  which  to  this  day  is  thus  called  by  the  Spaniards.  The 
Gauchos  laughed  at  the  idea  of  tKe  black  kind  being  different  from  the 
grey,  and  they  said  that  at  all  events  it  had  not  extended  its  range  any 
further  than  the  grey  kind ;  that  the  two  were  never  found  separate ; 
and  that  they  readily  bred  together,  and  produced  piebald  offspring. 
Of  the  latter  I  now  possess  a  specimen,  and  it  is  marked  about  the  head 
differently  from  the  French  specific  description.  This  circumstance 
shows  how  cautious  naturalists  should  be  in  making  species  ;  for  even 
Cuvier,  on  looking  at  the  skull  of  one  of  these  rabbits,  thought  it  was 
probably  distinct  1 

The  only  quadruped  native  to  the  island  t  is  a  large  wolf-like  fox 
CCanis  antarcticus),  which  is  common  to  both  East  and  West  Falkland. 
I  have  do  doubt  it  is  a  peculiar  species,  and  confined  to  this  archi- 
pelago ;  because  many  sealers,  Gauchos,  and  Indians,  who  have  visited 
these  islands,  all  maintain  that  no  such  animal  is  found  in  any  part  of 
South  America.  Molina,  from  a  similarity  in  habits,  thought  that  this 
was  the  same  with  his  "  culpeu  ; "  J  but  I  have  seen  both,  and  they  are 
quite  distinct.  These  wolves  are  well  known,  from  Byron's  account  of 
their  tameness  and  curiosity,  which  the  sailors,  who  ran  into  the  water 
to  avoid  them,  mistook  for  fierceness.  To  this  day  their  manners 
remain  the  same.  They  have  been  observed  to  enter  a  tent,  and  actually 
pull  some  meat  from  beneath  the  head  of  a  sleeping  seaman.  The 
Gauchos  also  have  frequently  in  the  evening  killed  them,  by  holding  out 
a  piece  of  meat  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a  knife  ready  to  stick 
them.  As  far  as  I  am  aware,  there  is  no  other  instance  in  any  part  of 
the  world,  of  so  small  a  mass  of  broken  land,  distant  from  a  continent, 
possessing  so  large  an  aboriginal  quadruped  peculiar  to  itself.  Their 
numbers  have  rapidly  decreased  ;  they  are  already  banished  from  that 
half  of  the  island  which  lies  to  the  eastward  of  the  neck  of  land  between 
St.  Salvador  Bay  and  Berkeley  Sound.  Within  a  very  few  years  after 
these  islands  shall  have  become  regularly  settled,  in  all  probability  this 

*  Lesson's  "  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Coquille"  torn,  i.,  p.  1 68.  All 
the  early  voyagers,  and  especially  Bougainville,  distinctly  state  that  the 
wolf-like  fox  was  the  only  native  animal  on  the  island.  The  distinction  of 
the  rabbit  as  a  species,  is  taken  from  peculiarities  in  the  fur,  from  the  shape 
of  the  head,  and  from  the  shortness  of  the  ears.  I  may  here  observe  that 
the  difference  between  the  Irish  and  English  hare  rests  upon  nearly  similar 
characters,  only  more  strongly  marked. 

f  I  have  reason,  however,  to  suspect  that  there  is  a  field-mouse.  The 
common  European  rat  and  mouse  have  roamed  far  from  the  habitations  of 
the  settlers.  The  common  hog  has  also  run  wild  on  one  islet :  all  are  of  a 
black  colour  :  the  boars  are  very  fierce,  and  have  great  tusks. 

\  The  "culpeu"  is  the  Canis  Magellanicus  brought  home  by  Captain 
King  from  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  It  is  common  in  Chile. 


CHAP,  ix.]  ART  IN  MAKING  A  FIRE.  141 

fox  will  be  classed  with  the  dodo,  as  an  animal  which  has  perished  from 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

At  night  (i7th)  we  slept  on  the  neck  of  land  at  the  head  of  Choiseul 
Sound,  which  forms  the  south-west  peninsula.  The  valley  was  pretty 
well  sheltered  from  the  cold  wind ;  but  there  was  very  little  brushwood 
for  fuel.  The  Gauchos,  however,  soon  found  what,  to  my  great  surprise, 
made  nearly  as  hot  a  fire  as  coals ;  this  was  the  skeleton  of  a  bullock 
lately  killed,  from  which  the  flesh  had  been  picked  by  the  carrion- 
hawks.  They  told  me  that  in  winter  they  often  killed  a  beast,  cleaned 
the  flesh  from  the  bones  with  their  knives,  and  then  with  these  same 
bones  roasted  the  meat  for  their  suppers. 

May  \%th. — It  rained  during  nearly  the  whole  day.  At  night  we 
managed,  however,  with  our  saddle-cloths  to  keep  ourselves  pretty  well 
dry  and  warm ;  but  the  ground  on  which  we  slept  was  on  each  occasion 
nearly  in  the  state  of  a  bog,  and  there  was  not  a  dry  spot  to  sit  down  on 
after  our  d#iy's  ride.  I  have  in  another  part  stated  how  singular  it  is 
that  there  should  be  absolutely  no  trees  on  these  islands,  although 
Tierra  del  Fuego  is  covered  by  one  large  forest.  The  largest  bush  in 
the  island  (belonging  to  the  family  of  Compositse)  is  scarcely  so  tall  as 
our  gorse.  The  best  fuel  is  afforded  by  a  green  little  bush  about  the 
size  of  common  heath,  which  has  the  useful  property  of  burning  while 
fresh  and  green.  It  was  very  surprising  to  see  the  Gauchos,  in  the 
midst  of  rain  and  everything  soaking  wet,  with  nothing  more  than  a 
tinder-box  and  piece  of  rag,  immediately  make  a  fire.  They  sought 
beneath  the  tufts  of  grass  and  bushes  for  a  few  dry  twigs,  and  these 
they  rubbed  into  fibres;  then  surrounding  them  with  coarser  twigs, 
something  like  a  bird's  nest,  they  put  the  rag  with  its  spark  of  fire  in 
the  middle  and  covered  it  up.  The  nest  being  then  held  up  to  the  wind, 
by  degrees  it  smoked  more  and  more,  and  at  last  burst  out  in  flames. 
I  do  not  think  any  other  method  would  have  had  a  chance  of  succeeding 
with  such  damp  materials. 

May  igth. — Each  morning,  from  not  having  ridden  for  some  time 
previously,  I  was  very  stiff.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  the  Gauchos,  who 
have  from  infancy  almost  lived  on  horseback,  say  that,  under  similar 
circumstances,  they  always  suffer.  St.  Jago  told  me,  that  having  been 
confined  for  three  months  by  illness,  he  went  out  hunting  wild  cattle, 
and  in  consequence,  lor  the  next  two  days,  his  thighs  were  so  stiff  that 
he  was  obliged  to  lie  in  bed.  This  shows  that  the  Gauchos,  although 
they  do  not  appear  to  do  so,  yet  really  must  exert  much  muscular 
effort  in  riding.  The  hunting  wild  cattle,  in  a  country  so  difficult  to 
pass  as  this  is  on  account  of  the  swampy  ground,  must  be  very  hard 
work.  The  Gauchos  say  they  often  pass  at  full  speed  over  ground 
which  would  be  impassable  at  a  slower  pace ;  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
man  is  able  to  skate  over  thin  ice.  When  hunting,  the  party  endeavours 
to  get  as  close  as  possible  to  the  herd  without  being  discovered.  Each 
man  carries  four  or  five  pair  of  the  bolas ;  these  he  throws  one  after  the 
other  at  as  many  cattle,  which,  when  once  entangled,  are  left  for  some 
days,  till  they  become  a  little  exhausted  by  hunger  and  struggling. 
They  are  then  let  free,  and  driven  towards  a  small  herd  of  tame  animals, 


14*  FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  [CHAT,  ix 

which  have  been  brought  to  the  spot  on  purpose.  From  their  previous 
treatment,  being  too  much  terrified  to  leave  the  herd,  they  are  easily 
driven,  if  their  strength  last  out,  to  the  settlement 

The  weather  continued  so  very  bad  that  we  determined  to  make  a 
push,  and  try  to  reach  the  vessel  before  night  From  the  quantity  of 
rain  which  had  fallen,  the  surface  of  the  whole  country  was  swampy. 
I  suppose  my  horse  fell  at  least  a  dozen  times,  and  sometimes  the 
whole  six  horses  were  floundering  in  the  mud  together.  All  the  little 
streams  are  bordered  by  soft  peat,  which  makes  it  very  difficult  for  the 
horses  to  leap  them  without  falling.  To  complete  our  discomforts  we 
were  obliged  to  cross  the  head  of  a  creek  of  the  sea,  in  which  the  water 
was  as  high  as  our  horses'  backs ;  and  the  little  waves,  owing  to  the 
violence  of  the  wind,  broke  over  us,  and  made  us  very  wet  and  cold. 
Even  the  iron-framed  Gauchos  professed  themselves  glad  when  they 
reached  the  settlement,  after  our  little  excursion. 

The  geological  structure  of  these  islands  is  in  most  respects  simple. 
The  lower  country  consists  of  clay-slate  and  sandstone,  containing 
fossils,  very  closely  related  to,  but  not  identical  with,  those  found  in  the 
Silurian  formations  of  Europe ;  the  hills  are  formed  of  white  granular 
quartz  rock.  The  strata  of  the  latter  are  frequently  arched  with  perfect 
symmetry,  and  the  appearance  of  some  of  the  masses  is  in  consequence 
most  singular.  Pernety  *  has  devoted  several  pages  to  the  description 
of  a  Hill  of  Ruins,  the  successive  strata  of  which  he  has  justly  compared 
to  the  seats  of  an  amphitheatre.  The  quartz  rock  must  have  been 
quite  pasty  when  it  underwent  such  remarkable  flexures  without  being 
shattered  into  fragments.  As  the  quartz  insensibly  passes  into  the 
sandstone,  it  seems  probable  that  the  former  owes  its  origin  to  the 
sandstone  having  been  heated  to  such  a  degree  that  it  became  viscid, 
and  upon  cooling  crystallized.  While  in  the  soft  state  it  must  have 
been  pushed  up  through  the  overlying  beds. 

In  many  parts  of  the  island  the  bottoms  of  the  valleys  are  covered  in 
an  extraordinary  manner  by  myriads  of  great  loose  angular  fragments 
of  the  quartz  rock,  forming  "  streams  of  stones."  These  have  been 
mentioned  with  surprise  by  every  voyager  since  the  time  of  Pernety. 
The  blocks  are  not  waterworn,  their  angles  being  only  a  little  blunted  ; 
they  vary  in  size  from  one  or  two  feet  in  diameter  to  ten,  or  even  more 
than  twenty  times  as  much.  They  are  not  thrown  together  into 
irregular  piles,  but  are  spread  out  into  level  sheets  or  great  streams.  It 
is  not  possible  to  ascertain  their  thickness,  but  the  water  of  small 
streamlets  can  be  heard  trickling  through  the  stones  many  feet  below 
the  surface.  The  actual  depth  is  probably  great,  because  the  crevices 
between  the  lower  fragments  must  long  ago  have  been  filled  up  with 
sand.  The  width  of  these  sheets  of  stones  varies  from  a  few  hundred 
feet  to  a  mile ;  but  the  peaty  soil  daily  encroaches  on  the  borders,  and 
even  forms  islets  wherever  a  few  fragments  happen  to  lie  close 
together.  In  a  valley  south  of  Berkeley  Sound,  which  some  of  our 
party  called  the  "great  valley  of  fragments,"  it  was  necessary  to  cross 
*  Pernety,  "Voyage  aux  Isles  Malouines,"  p.  526, 


CHAP,  ix.]  STREAMS  OF  STONES.  143 

an  uninterrupted  band  half  a  mile  wide,  by  jumping  from  one  pointed 
stone  to  another.  So  large  were  the  fragments,  that  being  overtaken 
by  a  shower  of  rain,  I  readily  found  shelter  beneath  one  of  them. 

Their  little  inclination  is  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  in  these 
"  streams  of  stones."  On  the  hill-sides  I  have  seen  them  sloping  at  an 
angle  of  ten  degrees  with  the  horizon  ;  but  in  some  of  the  level,  broad- 
bottomed  valleys,  the  inclination  is  only  just  sufficient  to  be  clearly 
perceived.  On  so  rugged  a  surface  there  was  no  means  of  measuring 
the  angle ;  but  to  give  a  common  illustration,  I  may  say  that  the  slope 
would  not  have  checked  the  speed  of  an  English  mail-coach.  In  some 
places,  a  continuous  stream  of  these  fragments  followed  up  the  course 
of  a  valley,  and  even  extended  to  the  very  crest  of  the  hill.  On  these 
crests  huge  masses,  exceeding  in  dimensions  any  small  building, 
seemed  to  stand  arrested  in  their  headlong  course ;  there,  also,  the 
curved  strata  of  the  archways  lay  piled  on  each  other,  like  the  ruins  of 
some  vast  and  ancient  cathedral.  In  endeavouring  to  describe  these 
scenes  of  violence  one  is  tempted  to  pass  from  one  simile  to  another. 
We  may  imagine  that  streams  of  white  lava  had  flowed  from  many 
parts  of  the  mountains  into  the  lower  country,  and  that  when  solidified 
they  had  been  rent  by  some  enormous  convulsion  into  myriads  of 
fragments.  The  expression  "  streams  of  stones,"  which  immediately 
occurred  to  every  one,  conveys  the  same  idea.  These  scenes  are  on 
the  spot  rendered  more  striking  by  the  contrast  of  the  low,  rounded 
forms  of  the  neighbouring  hills. 

I  was  interested  by  finding  on  the  highest  peak  of  one  range  (about 
seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea)  a  great  arched  fragment,  lying  on  its 
convex  side,  or  back  downwards.  Must  we  believe  that  it  was  fairly 
pitched  up  in  the  air,  and  thus  turned?  Or,  with  more  probability, 
that  there  existed  formerly  a  part  of  the  same  range  more  elevated  than 
the  point  on  which  this  monument  of  a  great  convulsion  of  nature  now 
lies.  As  the  fragments  in  the  valleys  are  neither  rounded  nor  the 
crevices  filled  up  with  sand,  we  must  infer  that  the  period  of  violence 
was  subsequent  to  the  land  having  been  raised  above  the  waters  of  the 
sea.  In  a  transverse  section  within  these  valleys,  the  bottom  is  nearly 
kvel,  or  rises  but  very  little  towards  either  side.  Hence  the  fragments 
appear  to  have  travelled  from  the  head  of  the  valley ;  but  in  reality  it 
seems  more  probable  that  they  have  been  hurled  down  from  the 
nearest  slopes ;  and  that  since,  by  a  vibratory  movement  of  over- 
whelming force,*  the  fragments  have  been  levelled  into  one  continuous 
sheet.  If  during  the  earthquake  f  which  in  1835  overthrew  Concepcion, 
in  Chile,  it  was  thought  wonderful  that  small  bodies  should  have  been 

*  "Nous  n'avons  pas  ete  moins  saisis  d'etonnement  a  la  vue  de  1'innom- 
brable  quantite  de  pierres  de  toutes  grandeurs,  bouleversees  les  unes  sur  les 
autres,  et  cependant  rangees,  comme  si  elles  avoient  ete  amoncelees  negh- 
gemment  pour  remplir  des  ravins.  On  ne  se  lassoit  pas  d'admirer  les  eflets 
prodigieux  de  la  nature." — Pernety,  p.  526. 

•f  An  inhabitant  of  Mendoza,  and  hence  well  capable  of  judging,  assured 
me  that,  during  the  several  years  he  had  resided  on  these  islands,  he  had 
never  felt  the  slightest  shock  of  an  earthquake. 


144  FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  IT. 

witched  a  few  inches  from  the  ground,  what  must  we  say  to  a 
novement  which  has  caused  fragments  many  tons  in  weight,  to  move 
onwards  like  so  much  sand  on  a  vibrating  board,  and  find  their  level  ? 
I  have  seen,  in  the  Cordillera  of  the  Andes,  the  evident  marks  where 
stupendous  mountains  have  been  broken  into  pieces  like  so  much  thin 
crust,  and  the  strata  thrown  on  their  vertical  edges  ;  but  never  did  any 
scene,  like  these  "  streams  of  stones,"  so  forcibly  convey  to  my  mind 
the  idea  of  a  convulsion,  of  which  in  historical  records  we  might  in 
vain  seek  for  any  counterpart ;  yet  the  progress  of  knowledge  will  pro- 
bably some  day  give  a  simple  explanation  of  this  phenomenon,  as  it 
already  has  of  the  so  long-thought  inexplicable  transportal  of  the 
erratic  boulders,  which  are  strewed  over  the  plains  of  Europe. 

I  have  little  to  remark  on  the  zoology  of  these  islands.  I  have 
before  described  the  carrion-vulture  or  Polyborus.  There  are  some 
other  hawks,  owls,  and  a  few  small  land-birds.  The  water-fowl  are 
particularly  numerous,  and  they  must  formerly,  from  the  accounts  of 
the  old  navigators,  have  been  much  more  so.  One  day  I  observed  a 
cormorant  playing  with  a  fish  which  it  had  caught.  Eight  times  succes- 
sively the  bird  let  its  prey  go,  then  dived  after  it,  and  although  in  deep 
water,  brought  it  each  time  to  the  surface.  In  the  Zoological  Gardens 
I  have  seen  the  otter  treat  a  fish  in  the  same  manner,  much  as  a  cat 
does  a  mouse :  I  do  not  know  of  any  other  instance  where  dame  Nature 
appears  so  wilfully  cruel.  Another  day,  having  placed  myself  between 
a  penguin  (Aptenodytes  demersa)  and  the  water,  I  was  much  amused 
by  watching  its  habits.  It  was  a  brave  bird ;  and  till  reaching  the  sea, 
it  regularly  fought  and  drove  me  backwards.  Nothing  less  than  heavy 
blows  would  have  stopped  him ;  every  inch  he  gained  he  firmly  kept, 
standing  close  before  me  erect  and  determined.  When  thus  opposed 
he  continually  rolled  his  head  from  side  to  side,  in  a  very  odd  manner, 
as  if  the  power  of  distinct  vision  lay  only  in  the  anterior  and  basal 
part  of  each  eye.  This  bird  is  commonly  called  the  jackass  penguin, 
from  its  habit,  while  on  shore,  of  throwing  its  head  backwards,  and 
making  a  loud  strange  noise,  very  like  the  braying  of  an  ass ;  but  while 
at  sea,  and  undisturbed,  its  note  is  very  deep  and  solemn,  and  is  often 
heard  in  the  night-time.  In  diving,  its  little  wings  are  used  as  fins  ; 
but  on  the  land,  as  front  legs.  When  crawling,  it  may  be  said  on  four 
legs,  through  the  tussocks  or  on  the  side  of  a  grassy  cliff,  it  moves  so 
very  quickly  that  it  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  quadruped.  When 
at  sea  and  fishing,  it  comes  to  the  surface  for  the  purpose  of  breathing 
with  such  a  spring,  and  dives  again  so  instantaneously,  that  I  defy  any 
one  at  first  sight  to  be  sure  that  it  was  not  a  fish  leaping  for  sport. 

Two  kinds  of  geese  frequent  the  Falklands.  The  upland  species 
(Anas  Magellanica)  is  common,  in  pairs  and  in  small  flocks,  throughout 
the  island.  They  do  not  migrate,  but  build  on  the  small  outlying  islets. 
This  is  supposed  to  be  from  fear  of  the  foxes  :  and  it  is  perhaps  from 
the  same  cause  that  these  birds,  though  very  tame  by  day,  are  shy  and 
wild  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening.  They  live  entirely  on  vegetable 
mattes,  The  rock-goose,  so  called  from  living  exclusively  on  the  sea- 


CHAP,  ix]  ZOOPHYTES.  145 

beach  (Anas  antarctica),  is  common  both  here  and  on  the  west  coast  of 
America,  as  far  north  as  Chile.  In  the  deep  and  retired  channels  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  snow-white  gander,  invariably  accompanied  by 
his  darker  consort,  and  standing  close  by  each  other  on  some  distant 
rocky  point,  is  a  common  feature  in  the  landscape. 

In  these  islands  a  great  logger-headed  duck  or  goose  (Anas  brachyp- 
tera),  which  sometimes  weighs  twenty-two  pounds,  is  very  abundant. 
These  birds  were  in  former  days  called,  from  their  extraordinary 
manner  of  paddling  and  splashing  upon  the  water,  race-horses ;  but 
now  they  are  named,  much  more  appropriately,  steamers.  Their  wings 
are  too  small  and  weak  to  allow  of  flight,  but  by  their  aid,  partly 
swimming  and  partly  flapping  the  surface  of  the  water,  they  move  very 
quickly.  The  manner  is  something  like  that  by  which  the  common 
house-nduck  escapes  when  pursued  by  a  dog ;  but  I  am  nearly  sure  that 
the  steamer  moves  its  wings  alternately,  instead  of  both  together,  as 
in  other  birds.  These  clumsy,  logger-headed  ducks  make  such  a  noise 
and  splashing,  that  the  effect  is  exceedingly  curious. 

Thus  we  find  in  South  America  three  birds  which  use  their  wings 
for  other  purposes  besides  flight ;  the  penguin  as  fins,  the  steamer  as 
paddles,  and  the  ostrich  as  sails  :  and  the  Apteryx  of  New  Zealand,  as 
well  as  its  gigantic  extinct  prototype  the  Dinornis,  possess  only 
rudimentary  representatives  of  wings.  The  steamer  is  able  to  dive 
only  to  a  very  short  distance  It  fe^ds  entirely  on  shell-fish  from  the 
kelp  and  tidal  rocks;  hence  the  beak  and  head,  for  the  purpose  ot 
breaking  them,  are  surprisingly  heavy  and  strong  :  the  head  is  so 
strong  that  I  have  scarcely  been  able  to  fracture  it  with  my  geological 
hammer ;  and  all  our  sportsmen  soon  discovered  how  tenacious  these 
birds  were  of  life.  When  in  the  evening  pluming  themselves  in  a 
flock,  they  make  the  same  odd  mixture  of  sounds  which  bull-frogs  do 
within  the  tropics. 

In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  well  as  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  made  many 
observations  on  the  lower  marine  animals,*  but  they  are  of  little 
general  interest.  I  will  mention  only  one  class  of  facts,  relating  to 
certain  zoophytes  in  the  more  highly  organized  division  of  that  class. 
Several  genera  (Flustra,  Eschara,  Cellaria,  Crisia,  and  others)  agree  in 

**  I  was  surprised  to  find,  on  counting  the  eggs  of  a  large  white  Doris 
(this  sea-slug  was  three  and  a  half  inches  long),  how  extraordinarily 
numerous  they  were.  From  two  to  five  eggs  (each  three-thousandths  of  an 
inch  in  diameter)  were  contained  in  a  spherical  little  case.  These  were 
arranged  two  deep  in  transverse  rows  forming  a  ribbon.  The  ribbon  ad- 
hered by  its  edge  to  the  rock  in  an  oval  spire.  One  which  I  found,  mea- 
sured nearly  twenty  inches  in  length  and  half  in  breadth.  By  counting  how 
many  balls  were  contained  in  a  tenth  of  an  inch  in  the  row,  and  how  many 
rows  in  an  equal  length  of  the  ribbon,  on  the  most  moderate  computation 
there  were  six  hundred  thousand  eggs.  Yet  this  Doris  was  certainly  not 
very  common  :  although  I  was  often  searching  under  the  stones,  I  saw  only 
•even  individuals.  No  fallacy  is  wore  common  with  naturalists,  than  that  tin 
numbers  of  an  individual  species  depend  on  its  powers  of  propagation. 


146  FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  [CHAP,  ix 

having  singular  movable  organs  (like  those  of  Flustra  avicularia,  found 
in  the  European  seas)  attached  to  their  cells.  The  organ,  in  the 
greater  number  of  cases,  very  closely  resembles  the  head  of  a  vulture; 
but  the  lower  mandible  can  be  opened  much  wider  than  in  a  real  bird's 
beak.  The  head  itself  possesses  considerable  powers  of  movement, 
by  means  of  a  short  neck.  In  one  zoophyte  the  head  itself  was  fixed, 
but  the  lower  jaw  free ;  in  another  it  was  replaced  by  a  triangular 
hood,  with  a  beautifully  fitted  trap-door,  which  evidently  answered  to 
the  lower  mandible.  In  the  greater  number  of  species,  each  cell  was 
provided  with  one  head,  but  in  others  each  cell  had  two. 

The  young  cells  at  the  end  of  the  branches  of  these  corallines  contain 
quite  immature  polypi,  yet  the  vulture-heads  attached  to  them,  thdugh 
small,  are  in  every  respect  perfect.  When  the  polypus  was  removed 
by  a  needle  from  any  of  the  cells,  these  organs  did  not  appear  in  the 
least  affected.  When  one  of  the  vulture-like  heads  was  cut  off  from  a 
cell,  the  lower  mauaible  retained  its  power  of  opening  and  closing. 
Perhaps  the  most  singular  part  of  their  structure  is,  that  when  there 
were  more  than  two  rows  of  cells  on  a  branch,  the  central  cells 
were  furnished  with  these  appendages,  of  only  one-fourth  the  size  of 
the  outside  ones.  Their  movements  varied  according  to  the  species ; 
but  in  some  I  never  saw  the  least  motion  ;  while  others,  with  the  lower 
mandible  generally  wide  open,  oscillated  backwards  and  forwards  at  the 
rate  of  about  five  seconds  each  turn ;  others  moved  rapidly  and  by 
starts.  When  touched  with  a  needle,  the  beak  generally  seized  the 
point  so  firmly,  that  the  whole  branch  might  be  shaken. 

These  bodies  have  no  relation  whatever  with  the  production  of  the 
eggs  or  gemmules,  as  they  are  formed  before  the  young  polypi  appear 
in  the  cells  at  the  end  of  the  growing  branches ;  as  they  move  independ- 
ently of  the  polypi,  and  do  not  appear  to  be  in  any  way  connected 
with  them ;  and  as  they  differ  in  size  on  the  outer  and  inner  rows  of 
cells,  I  have  little  doubt,  that  in  their  functions,  they  are  related  rather 
to  the  horny  axis  of  the  branches  than  to  the  polypi  in  the  cells.  The 
fleshy  appendage  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  sea-pen  (described  at 
Bahia  Blanca)  also  forms  part  of  the  zoophyte,  as  a  whole,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  roots  of  a  tree  form  part  of  the  whole  tree,  and  not  of 
the  individual  leaf  or  flower-buds. 

In  another  elegant  little  coralline  (Crisia  ?),  each  cell  was  furnished 
with  a  long-toothed  bristle,  which  had  the  power  of  moving  quickly. 
Each  of  these  bristles  and  each  of  the  vulture-like  heads  generally 
moved  quite  independently  of  the  others,  but  sometimes  all  on  both 
sides  of  a  branch,  sometimes  only  those  on  one  side,  moved  together 
coinstantaneously ;  sometimes  each  moved  in  regular  order  one  after 
another.  In  these  actions  we  apparently  behold  as  perfect  a  transmis- 
sion of  will  in  the  zoophyte,  though  composed  of  thousands  of  distinct 
polypi,  as  in  any  single  animal.  The  case,  indeed,  is  not  different  from 
that  of  the  pea-pens,  which,  when  touched,  drew  themselves  into  the 
sand  on  the  coast  of  Bahia  Blanca.  I  will  state  one  other  instance  of 
uniform  action,  though  of  a  very  different  nature,  in  a  zoophyte  closely 
allied  to  Clytia,  and  therefore  very  simply  organized.  Having  kept  a 


CHAP.  JL]  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  147 

large  tuft  of  it  In  a  basin  of  salt-water,  when  it  was  dark  I  found  that 
as  often  as  I  rubbed  any  part  of  a  branch,  the  whole  became  strongly 
phosphorescent  with  a  green  light :  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  any 
object  more  beautifully,  so.  But  the  remarkable  circumstance  was, 
that  the  flashes  of  light  always  proceeded  up  the  branches,  from  the 
base  towards  the  extremities. 

The  examination  of  these  compound  animals  was  always  very  inter- 
esting to  me.  What  can  be  more  remarkable  than  to  see  a  plant-like 
body  producing  an  egg,  capable  of  swimming  about  and  of  choosing  a 
proper  place  to  adhere  to,  which  then  sprouts  into  branches,  each 
crowded  with  innumerable  distinct  animals,  often  of  complicated 
organizations?  The  branches,  moreover,  as  we  have  just  seen,  some- 
times possess  organs -capable  of  movement  and  independent  of  the 
polypi.  Surprising  as  this  union  of  separate  individuals  in  a  common 
stock  must  always  appear,  every  tree  displays  the  same  fact,  for  buds 
must  be  considered  as  individual  plants.  It  is,  however,  natural  to 
consider  a  polypus,  furnished  with  a  mouth,  intestines,  and  other 
organs,  as  a  distinct  individual,  whereas  the  individuality  of  a  leaf-bud 
is  not  easily  realized;  so  that  the  union  of  separate  individuals  in  a 
common  body  is  more  striking  in  a  coralline  than  in  a  tree.  Our  con- 
ception of  a  compound  animal,  where  in  some  respects  the  individuality 
of  each  is  not  completed,  may  be  aided,  by  reflecting  on  the  production 
of  two  distinct  creatures  by  bisecting  a  single  one  with  a  knife,  or  where 
Nature  herself  performs  the  task  of  bisection.  We  may  consider  the 
polypi  in  a  zoophyte,  or  the  buds  in  a  tree,  as  cases  where  the  division 
of  the  individual  has  not  been  completely  effected.  Certainly  in  the 
case  of  trees,  and  judging  from  analogy  in  that  of  corallines,  the 
individuals  propagated  by  buds  seem  more  intimately  related  to  each 
other,  than  eggs  or  seeds  are  to  their  parents.  It  seems  now  pretty 
well  established  that  plants  propagated  by  buds  all  partake  of  a  common 
duration  of  life;  and  it  is  familiar  to  every  one,  what  singular  and 
numerous  peculiarities  are  transmitted  with  certainty,  by  buds,  layers, 
and  grafts,  which  by  seminal  propagation  never  or  only  casually  reappear. 


CHAPTER  X. 

TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO. 

Tierrn  del  Fuego,  First  Arrival — Good  Success  Bay — An  Account  of  the 
uegians  on  Board — Interview  with  the  Savages — Scenery  of  the  Forests 
— Cape  Horn — Wigwam  Cove — Miserable  Condition  of  the  Savages — 
Famines — Cannibals — Matricide  —  Religious  Feelings — Great  Gale  — 
Beagle  Channel — Ponsonby  Sound — Build  Wigwams  and  settle  the 
Fuegians — Bifurcation  of  the  Beagle  Channel — Glaciers — Return  to  the 
Ship— Second  Visit  in  the  Ship  to  the  Settlement— Equality  of  Condition 
amongst  the  Natives. 

December  ijth,   1832. — HAVING  now  finished  with  Patagonia  and  the 
Falkland  Islands,  I  will  describe  our  first  arrival  in  Tierra  del  Fuego. 


148  TIERRA  DSL  FVEGO.  [CHAP,  x, 

A  little  after  noon  we  doubled  Cape  St.  Diego,  and  entered  the  famous 
Strait  of  Le  Maire.  We  kept  close  to  the  Fuegian  shore,  but  the  outline 
of  the  rugged,  inhospitable  Staten-land  was  visible  amidst  the  clouds. 
In  the  afternoon  we  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Good  Success.  While 
entering  we  were  saluted  in  a  manner  becoming  the  inhabitants  of  this 
savage  land.  A  group  of  Fuegians  partly  concealed  by  the  entangled 
forest,  were  perched  on  a  wild  point  overhanging  the  sea ;  and  as  we 
passed  by,  they  sprang  up  and  waving  their  tattered  cloaks  sent  forth  a 
loud  and  sonorous  shout.  The  savages  followed  the  ship,  and  just 
before  dark  we  saw  their  fire,  and  again  heard  their  wild  cry.  The 
harbour  consists  of  a  fine  piece  of  water  half  surrounded  by  low 
rounded  mountains  of  clay-slate,  which  are  covered  to  the  water's  edge 
by  one  dense  gloomy  forest.  A  single  glance  at  the  landscape  was 
sufficient  to  show  me  how  widely  different  it  was  from  anything  I 
had  ever  beheld.  At  night  it  blew  a  gale  of  wind,  and  heavy  squalls 
irom  the  mountains  swept  past  us.  It  would  have  been  a  bad  time 
out  at  sea,  and  we,  as  well  as  others,  may  call  this  Good  Success 
Bay. 

In  the  morning  the  Captain  sent  a  party  to  communicate  with  the 
Fuegians.  When  we  came  within  hail,  one  of  the  four  natives  who 
were  present  advanced  to  receive  us,  and  began  to  shout  most 
vehemently,  wishing  to  direct  us  where  to  land.  When  we  were 
on  shore  the  party  looked  rather  alarmed,  but  continued  talking  and 
making  gestures  with  great  rapidity.  It  was  without  exception  the 
most  curious  and  interesting  spectacle  I  ever  beheld :  I  could  not 
have  believed  how  wide  was  the  difference  between  savage  and  civi- 
lized man ;  it  is  greater  than  between  a  wild  and  domesticated  animal, 
inasmuch  as  in  man  there  is  a  greater  power  of  improvement.  The 
chief  spokesman  was  old,  and  appeared  to  be  the  head  of  the  family ; 
the  three  others  were  powerful  young  men,  about  six  feet  high.  The 
women  and  children  had  been  sent  away.  These  Fuegians  are  a 
very  different  race  from  the  stunted,  miserable  wretches  farther  west- 
ward ;  and  they  seem  closely  allied  to  the  famous  Patagonians  of  the 
Strait  of  Magellan.  Their  only  garment  consists  of  a  mantle  made 
of  guanaco  skin,  with  the  wool  outside ;  this  they  wear  just  thrown 
over  their  shoulders,  leaving  their  persons  as  often  exposed  as  covered. 
Their  skin  is  of  a  dirty  coppery-red  colour. 

The  old  man  had  a  fillet  of  white  feathers  tied  round  his  head, 
which  partly  confined  his  black,  coarse,  and  entangled  hair.  His  face 
was  crossed  by  two  broad  transverse  bars  ;  one,  painted  bright  red, 
reached  from  ear  to  ear  and  included  the  upper  lip ;  the  other,  white 
like  chalk,  extended  above  and  parallel  to  the  first,  so  that  even  his 
eyelids  were  thus  coloured.  The  other  two  men  were  ornamented  by 
streaks  of  black  powder,  made  of  charcoal.  The  party  altogether 
closely  resembled  the  devils  which  come  on  the  stage  in  plays  like 
Der  Freischutz. 

Their  very  attitudes  were  abject,  and  the  expression  of  their  counte- 
nan£os  distrustful,  surprised,  and  startled.  After  we  had  presented  them 
with  some  scarlet  cloth,  which  they  immediately  tied  round  iheir  necks, 


8HAP.X.]  FUEGIANS  ON  BOARD.  149 

they  became  good  friends.  This  was  shown  by  the  old  man  patting 
our  breasts,  and  making  a  chuckling  kind  of  noise,  as  people  do  when 
feeding  chickens.  I  walked  with  the  old  man,  and  this  demonstration 
of  friendship  was  repeated  several  times;  it  was  concluded  by  three 
hard  slaps,  which  were  given  me  on  the  breast  and  back  at  the  same 
time.  He  then  bared  his  bosom  for  me  to  return  the  compliment, 
which  being  done,  he  seemed  highly  pleased.  The  language  of  these 
people,  according  to  our  notions,  scarcely  deserves  to  be  called  articu- 
late. Captain  Cook  has  compared  it  to  a  man  clearing  his  throat, 
but  certainly  no  European  ever  cleared  his  throat  with  so  many  hoarse, 
guttural,  and  clicking  sounds. 

They  are  excellent  mimics :  as  often  as  we  coughed  or  yawned,  or 
made  any  odd  motion,  they  immediately  imitated  us.  Some  of  our 
party  began  to  squint  and  look  awry ;  but  one  of  the  young  Fuegians 
(whose  whole  face  was  painted  black,  excepting  a  white  band  across 
his  eyes)  succeeded  in  making  far  more  hideous  grimaces.  They  could 
repeat  with  perfect  correctness  each  word  in  any  sentence  we  addressed 
them,  and  they  remembered  such  words  for  some  time.  Yet  we 
Europeans  all  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  distinguish  apart  the  sounds 
in  a  foreign  language.  Which  of  us,  for  instance,  could  follow  an 
American^  Indian  through  a  sentence  of  more  than  three  words  ?  All 
savages  appear  to  possess,  to  an  uncommon  degree,  this  power  of 
mimicry.  I  was  told,  almost  in  the  same  words,  of  the  same  ludicrous 
habit  among  the  Caffres:  the  Australians,  likewise,  have  long  been 
notorious  for  being  able  to  imitate  and  describe  the  gait  of  any  man, 
so  that  he  may  be  recognized.  How  can  this  faculty  be  explained  ? 
Is  it  a  consequence  of  the  more  practised  habits  of  perception  and 
keener  senses,  common  to  all  men  in  a  savage  state,  as  compared  with 
those  long  civilized  ? 

When  a  song  was  struck  up  by  our  party  I  thought  the  Fuegians 
would  have  fallen  down  with  astonishment.  With  equal  surprise 
they  viewed  our  dancing ;  but  one  of  the  young  men,  when  asked,  had 
no  objection  to  a  little  waltzing.  Little  accustomed  to  Europeans  as 
they  appeared  to  be,  yet  they  knew  and  dreaded  our  firearms ;  nothing 
would  tempt  them  to  take  a  gun  in  their  hands.  They  begged  for 
knives,  calling  them  by  the  Spanish  word  "  cuchilla."  They  explained 
also  what  they  wanted,  by  acting  as  if  they  had  a  piece  of  blubber 
in  their  mouth,  and  then  pretending  to  cut  instead  of  tear  it. 

I  have  not  as  yet  noticed  the  Fuegians  whom  we  had  on  board. 
During  the  former  voyage  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle  in  1826  to  1830, 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  seized  on  a  party  of  natives,  as  hostages  for  the 
loss  of  a  boat,  which  had  been  stolen,  to  the  great  jeopardy  of  a  party 
employed  on  the  survey ;  and  some  of  these  natives,  as  well  as  a  child 
whom  he  bought  for  a  pearl-button,  he  took  with  him  to  England, 
determining  to  educate  them  and  instruct  them  in  religion  at  his  own 
expense.  To  settle  these  natives  in  their  own  country,  was  one  chief 
inducement  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  undertake  our  present  voyage ;  and 
before  the  Admiralty  had  resolved  to  send  out  this  expedition,  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  had  generously  chartered  a  vessel,  and  would  himself  have 


ISO  TIERRA  DEL  FtJEGO.  [CHAP.X. 

taken  them  back.  The  natives  were  accompanied  by  a  missionary, 
R.  Matthews;  of  whom  »nd  of  the  natives,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  has 
published  a  full  and  excellent  account  Two  men,  one  of  whom  died 
in  England  of  the  small-pox,  a  boy  and  a  little  girl,  were  originally 
taken;  and  we  had  now  on  board,  York  Minster,  Jemmy  Button  (whose 
name  expresses  his  purchase-money),  and  Fuegia  Basket  York 
Minster  was  a  full-grown,  short,  thick,  powerful  man ;  his  disposition 
was  reserved,  taciturn,  morose,  and  when  excited  violently  passionate ; 
his  affections  were  very  strong  towards  a  few  friends  on  board;  his 
intellect  good.  Jemmy  Button  was  a  universal  favourite,  but  likewise 
passionate ;  the  expression  of  his  face  at  once  showed  his  nice  disposi- 
tion. He  was  merry  and  often  laughed,  and  was  remarkably  sympa- 
thetic with  any  one  in  pain ;  when  the  water  was  rough,  I  was  often  a 
little  sea-sick,  and  he  used  to  come  to  me  and  say  in  a  plaintive  voice, 
"  Poor,  poor  fellow  I "  but  the  notion,  after  his  aquatic  life,  of  a.  man 
being  sea-sick,  was  too  ludicrous,  and  he  was  generally  obliged  to  turn 
on  one  side  to  hide  a  smile  or  laugh,  and  then  he  would  repeat  his 
"  Poor,  poor  fellow !  "  He  was  of  a  patriotic  disposition ;  and  he  liked 
to  praise  his  own  tribe  and  country,  in  which  he  truly  said  there  were 
"  plenty  of  trees,"  and  he  abused  all  the  other  tribes ;  he  stoutly 
declared  that  there  was  no  devil  in  his  land.  Jemmy  was  short,  thick, 
and  fat,  but  vain  of  his  personal  appearance ;  he  used  always  to  wear 
gloves,  his  hair  was  neatly  cut,  and  he  was  distressed  if  his  well- 
polished  shoes  were  dirtied.  He  was  fond  of  admiring  himself  in  a 
looking-glass  ;  and  a  merry-faced  little  Indian  boy  from  the  Rio  Negro, 
whom  we  had  for  some  months  on  board,  soon  perceived  this,  and  used 
to  mock  him  ;  Jemmy,  who  was  always  rather  jealous  of  the  attention 
paid  to  this  little  boy,  did  not  at  all  like  this,  and  used  to  say,  with 
rather  a  contemptuous  twist  of  his  head,  "  Too  much  skylark."  It 
seems  yet  wonderful  to  me,  when  I  think  over  all  his  many  good  quali- 
ties, that  he  should  have  been  of  the  same  race,  and  doubtless  partaken 
of  the  same  character,  with  the  miserable,  degraded  savages  whom  we 
first  met  here.  Lastly,  Fuegia  Basket  was  a  nice,  modest,  reserved 
young  girl,  with  a  rather  pleasing  but  sometimes  sullen  expression,  and 
very  quick  in  learning  anything,  especially  languages.  This  she  showed 
in  picking  up  some  Portuguese  and  Spanish,  when  left  on  shore  for 
only  a  short  time  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Monte  Video,  and  in  her  know- 
ledge of  English,  York  Minster  was  very  jealous  of  any  attention  paid 
to  her ;  for  it  was  clear  he  determined  to  marry  her  as  soon  as  they 
were  settled  on  shore. 

Although  all  three  could  both  speak  and  understand  a  good  deal  of 
English,  it  was  singularly  difficult  to  obtain  much  information  from 
them  concerning  the  habits  of  their  countrymen ;  this  was  partly  owing 
to  their  apparent  difficulty  in  understanding  the  simplest  alternative, 
Every  one  accustomed  to  very  young  children,  knows  how  seldom  one 
can  get  an  answer  even  to  so  simple  a  question  as  whether  a  thing  is 
black  or  white ;  the  idea  of  black  or  white  seems  alternately  to  fill  their 
minds.  So  it  was  with  these  Fuegians,  and  hence  it  was  generally  im- 
po-seible  to  find  out,  by  cross-questioning,  whether  one  had  rightly 


CHAP.X.]  SCENERY  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS.  i$i 

understood  anything  which  they  had  asserted.  Their  sight  was  remark- 
ably acute ;  it  is  well  known  that  sailors,  from  long  practice,  can  make 
out  a  distant  object  much  better  than  a  landsman  ;  but  both  York  and 
Jemmy  were  much  superior  to  any  sailor  on  board ;  several  times  they 
have  declared  what  some  distant  object  has  been,  and  though  doubted 
by  every  one,  they  have  proved  right,  when  it  has  been  examined 
through  a  telescope.  They  were  quite  conscious  of  this  power ;  and 
Jemmy,  when  he  had  any  little  quarrel  with  the  officer  on  watch,  would 
say,  "  Me  see  ship,  me  no  tell." 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  conduct  of  the  savages,  when  we 
landed,  towards  Jemmy  Button  ;  they  immediately  perceived  the  differ- 
ence between  him  and  ourselves,  and  held  much  conversation  one  with 
another  on  the  subject  The  old  man  addressed  a  long  harangue  to 
Jemmy,  which  it  seems  was  to  invite  him  to  stay  with  them.  But 
Jemmy  understood  very  little  of  their  language,  and  was,  moreover, 
thoroughly  ashamed  of  his  countrymen.  When  York  Minster  afterwards 
came  on  shore,  they  noticed  him  in  the  same  way,  and  told  him  he 
ought  to  shave ;  yet  he  had  not  twenty  dwarf  hairs  on  his  face,  whilst 
we  all  wore  our  untrimmed  beards.  They  examined  the  colour  of  his 
skin,  and  compared  it  with  ours.  One  of  our  arms  being  bared,  they 
expressed  the  liveliest  surprise  and  admiration  at  its  whiteness,  just  in 
the  same  way  in  which  I  have  seen  the  ourang-outang  do  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens.  We  thought  that  they  mistook  two  or  three  of 
the  officers,  who  were  rather  shorter  and  fairer,  though  adorned  with 
large  beards,  for  the  ladies  of  our  party.  The  tallest  amongst  the 
Fuegians  was  evidently  much  pleased  at  his  height  being  noticed. 
When  placed  back  to  back  with  the  tallest  of  the  boat's  crew,  he  tried 
his  best  to  edge  on  higher  ground,  and  to  stand  on  tiptoe.  He  opened 
his  mouth  to  show  his  teeth,  and  turned  his  face  for  a  side  view ;  and 
all  this  was  done  with  such  alacrity,  that  I  daresay  he  thought  himself 
the  handsomest  man  in  Tierra  del  Fuego.  After  our  first  feeling  ol 
grave  astonishment  was  over,  nothing  could  be  more  ludicrous  than  the 
odd  mixture  of  surprise  and  imitation  which  these  savages  every 
moment  exhibited. 

The  next  day  I  attempted  to  penetrate  some  way  into  the  country. 
Tierra  del  Fuego  may  be  described  as  a  mountainous  land,  partly 
submerged  in  the  sea,  so  that  deep  inlets  and  bays  occupy  the  place 
where  valleys  should  exist.  The  mountain  sides,  except  on  the  exposed 
western  coast,  are  covered  from  the  water's  edge  upwards  by  one 
great  forest.  The  trees  reach  to  an  elevation  of  between  1,000  and 
1,50x3  feet,  and  are  succeeded  by  a  band  of  peat,  with  minute  alpine 
plants  ;  and  this  again  is  succeeded  by  the  line  of  perpetual  snow,  which, 
according  to  Captain  King,  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan  descends  to 
between  3,000  and  4,000  feet.  To  find  an  acre  of  level  land  in  any 
part  of  the  country  is  most  rare.  I  recollect  only  one  little  flat  piece 
near  Port  Famine,  and  another  of  rather  larger  extent  near  Goeree 
Road.  In  both  places,  and  everywhere  else,  the  surface  is  covered  by 
a  thick  bed  of  swampy  peat.  Even  within  the  forest,  the  ground  is 


1 5*  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

concealed  by  a  mass  of  slowly  putrefying  vegetable  matter,  which,  from 
being  soaked  with  water,  yields  to  the  foot. 

Finding  it  nearly  hopeless  to  push  my  way  through  the  wood,  I 
followed  the  course  of  a  mountain  torrent.  At  first,  from  the  waterfalls 
and  number  of  dead  trees,  I  could  hardly  crawl  along ;  but  the  bed  of 
the  stream  soon  became  a  little  more  open,  from  the  floods  having 
swept  the  sides.  I  continued  slowly  to  advance  for  an  hour  along  the 
broken  and  rocky  banks,  and  was  amply  repaid  by  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene.  The  gloomy  depth  of  the  ravine  well  accorded  with  the 
universal  signs  of  violence.  On  every  side  were  lying  irregular  masses 
of  rock  and  torn-up  trees ;  other  trees,  though  still  erect,  were  decayed 
to  the  heart  and  ready  to  fall.  The  entangled  mass  of  the  thriving  and 
the  fallen  reminded  me  of  the  forests  within  the  tropics — yet  there  was 
a  difference  :  for  in  these  still  solitudes,  Death,  instead  of  Life,  seemed 
the  predominant  spirit.  I  followed  the  watercourse  till  I  came  to  a 
spot,  where  a  great  slip  had  cleared  a  straight  space  down  the  mountain 
side.  By  this  road  I  ascended  to  a  considerable  elevation,  and  obtained 
a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  woods.  The  trees  all  belong  to  one 
kind,  the  Fagus  betuloides;  for  the  number  of  the  other  species  of 
Fagus  and  of  the  Winter's  Bark,  is  quite  inconsiderable.  This  beech 
keeps  its  leaves  throughout  the  year ;  but  its  foliage  is  of  a  peculiar 
brownish-green  colour,  with  a  tinge  of  yellow.  As  the  whole  landscape 
is  thus  coloured,  it  has  a  sombre,  dull  appearance ;  nor  is  it  often 
enlivened  by  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

December  loth. — One  side  of  the  harbour  is  formed  by  a  hill  about 
1,500  feet  high,  which  Captain  Fitz  Roy  has  called  after  Sir  J.  Banks, 
in  commemoration  of  his  disastrous  excursion,  which  proved  fatal  to 
two  men  of  his  party,  and  nearly  so  to  Dr.  Solander.  The  snow-storm, 
which  was  the  cause  of  their  misfortune,  happened  in  the  middle  of 

January,  corresponding  to  our  July,  and  in  the  latitude  of  Durham  I 
was  anxious  to  reach  the  summit  of  this  mountain  to  collect  alpine 
plants  ;  for  flowers  of  any  kind  in  the  lower  parts  are  few  in  number. 
We  followed  the  same  watercourse  as  on  the  previous  day,  till  it 
dwindled  away,  and  we  were  then  compelled  to  crawl  blindly  among 
the  trees.  These,  from  the  effects  of  the  elevation  and  of  the  impetuous 
winds,  were  low,  thick,  and  crooked.  At  length  we  reached  that  which 
from  a  distance  appeared  like  a  carpet  of  fine  green  turf,  but  which,  to 
our  vexation,  turned  out  to  be  a  compact  mass  of  little  beech-trees 
about  four  or  five  feet  high.  They  were  as  thick  together  as  box  in  the 
border  of  a  garden,  and  we  were  obliged  to  struggle  over  the  flat  but 
treacherous  surface.  After  a  little  more  trouble  we  gained  the  peat, 
and  then  the  bare  slate  rock. 

A  ridge  connected  this  hill  with  another,  distant  some  miles,  and 
more  lofty,  so  that  patches  of  snow  were  lying  on  it.  As  the  day  was 
not  far  advanced,  I  determined  to  walk  there  and  collect  plants  along 
the  road.  It  would  have  been  very  hard  work  had  it  not  been  for 
a  well-beaten  and  straight  path  made  by  the  guanacos;  for  thes«r. 
animals,  like  sheep,  always  follow  the  same  line.  When  we  reached 
the  hill  we  found  it  the  highest  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and 


CHAP,  x.]  CAPE  HORN.  153 

the  waters  flowed  to  the  sea  in  opposite  directions.  We  obtained  a 
wide  view  over  the  surrounding  country :  to  the  north  a  swampy  moor- 
land extended,  but  to  the  south  we  had  a  scene  of  savage  magnificence, 
well  becoming  Tierra  del  Fuego.  There  was  a  degree  of  mysteriouj 
grandeur  in  mountain  behind  mountain,  with  the  deep  intervening 
valleys,  all  covered  by  one  thick,  dusky  mass  of  forest.  The  atmo- 
sphere, likewise,  in  this  climate,  where  gale  succeeds  gale,  with  rain, 
hail,  and  sleet,  seems  blacker  than  anywhere  else.  In  the  Strait  of 
Magellan,  looking  due  southward  from  Port  Famine,  the  distant  channels 
between  the  mountains  appeared  from  their  gloominess  to  lead  beycno 
the  confines  of  this  world. 

December  2isf. — The  Beagle  got  under  way  ;  and  on  the  succeeding 
day,  favoured  to  an  uncommon  degree  by  a  fine  easterly  breeze,  we 
closed  in  with  the  Barnevelts,  and  running  past  Cape  Deceit  with 
its  stony  peaks,  about  three  o'clock  doubled  the  weather-beaten  Cape 
Horn.  The  evening  was  calm  and  bright,  and  we  enjoyed  a  fine  view 
of  the  surrounding  isles.  Cape  Horn,  however,  demanded  his  tribute, 
and  before  night  sent  us  a  gale  of  wind  directly  in  our  teeth.  We  stood 
out  to  sea,  and  on  the  second  day  again  made  the  land,  when  we  saw 
on  our  weather-bow  this  notorious  promontory  in  its  proper  form — 
veiled  in  a  mist,  and  its  dim  outline  surrounded  by  a  storm  of  wind 
and  water.  Great  black  clouds  were  rolling  across  the  heavens,  and 
squalls  of  rain,  with  hail,  swept  by  us  with  such  extreme  violence, 
that  the  Captain  determined  to  run  into  Wigwam  Cove.  This  is  a 
snug  little  harbour,  not  far  from  Cape  Horn ;  and  here,  at  Christmas- 
eve,  we  anchored  in  smooth  water.  The  only  thing  which  reminded 
us  of  the  gale  outside,  was  every  now  and  then  a  puff  from  the  moun- 
tains, which  made  the  ship  surge  at  her  anchors. 

December  2$th. — Close  by  the  cove,  a  pointed  hill,  called  Kater'a 
Peak,  rises  to  the  height  of  1,700  feet.  The  surrounding  islands  all 
•consist  of  conical  masses  of  greenstone,  associated  sometimes  with 
less  regular  hills  of  baked  and  altered  clay-slate.  This  part  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego  may  be  considered  as  the  extremity  of  the  submerged  chain 
of  mountains  already  alluded  to.  The  cove  takes  its  name  of  "  Wigwam  " 
from  some  of  the  Fuegian  habitations ;  but  every  bay  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood might  be  so  called  with  equal  propriety.  The  inhabitants, 
living  chiefly  upon  shell-fish,  are  obliged  constantly  to  change  their 
place  of  residence ;  but  they  return  at  intervals  to  the  same  spots, 
as  is  evident  from  the  piles  of  old  shells,  which  must  often  amount  to 
many  tons  in  weight.  These  heaps  can  be  distinguished  at  a  long 
distance  by  the  bright  green  colour  of  certain  plants  which  invariably 
grow  on  them.  Among  these  may  be  enumerated  the  wild  celery 
and  scurvy  grass,  two  very  serviceable  plants,  the  use  of  which  has 
not  been  discovered  by  the  natives. 

The  Fuegian  wigwam  resembles,  in  size  and  dimensions,  a  haycock. 
It  merely  consists  of  a  few  broken  branches  stuck  in  the  ground,  and 
very  imperfectly  thatched  on  one  side  with  a  few  tufts  of  grass  and 
rushes.  The  whole  cannot  be  the  work  of  an  hour,  and  it  is  only 
used  for  a  few  days.  At  Goeree  Roads  I  saw  a  place  where  one  oi 


154  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP,  x 

ihese  naked  men  had  slept,  which  absolutely  offered  no  more  cover 
than  the  form  of  a  hare.  The  man  was  evidently  living  by  himself, 
and  York  Minster  said  he  was  "very  bad  man,"  and  that  probably 
he  had  stolen  something.  On  the  west  coast,  however,  the  wigwams 
are  rather  better,  for  they  are  covered  with  seal-skins.  We  were 
detained  here  several  days  by  the  bad  weather.  The  climate  is  cer- 
tainly wretched :  the  summer  solstice  was  now  passed,  yet  every  day 
snow  fell  on  the  hills,  and  in  the  valleys  there  was  rain,  accompanied 
by  sleet.  The  thermometer  generally  stood  about  45°,  but  in  the  night 
fell  to  38"  or  40°.  From  the  damp  and  boisterous  state  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, not  cheered  by  a  gleam  of  sunshine,  one  fancied  the  climate 
even  worse  than  it  really  was. 

While  going  one  day  on  shore  near  Wollaston  Island,  we  pulled 
alongside  a  canoe  with  six  Fuegians.  These  were  the  most  abject 
and  miserable  creatures  I  anywhere  beheld.  On  the  east  coast  the 
natives,  as  we  have  seen,  have  guanaco  cloaks,  and  on  the  west,  they 
possess  seal-skins.  Amongst  these  central  tribes  the  men  generally 
have  an  otter-skin,  or  some  small  scrap  about  as  large  as  a  pocket- 
handkerchief,  which  is  barely  sufficient  to  cover  their  backs  as  low 
down  as  their  loins.  It  is  laced  across  the  breast  by  strings,  and 
according  as  the  wind  blows,  it  is  shifted  from  side  to  side.  But  these 
Fuegians  in  the  canoe  were  quite  naked,  and  even  one  full-grown 
woman  was  absolutely  so.  It  was  raining  heavily,  and  the  fresh  water, 
together  with  the  spray,  trickled  down  her  body.  In  another  harbour 
not  far  distant,  a  woman,  who  was  suckling  a  rec&ntly-born  child, 
came  one  day  alongside  the  vessel,  and  remained  there  out  of  mere 
curiosity,  whilst  the  sleet  fell  and  thawed  on  her  naked  bosom,  and  on 
the  skin  of  her  naked  baby  1  These  poor  wretches  were  stunted  in  their 
growth,  their  hideous  faces  bedaubed  with  white  paint,  their  skins  filthy 
and  greasy,  their  hair  entangled,  their  voices  discordant,  and  their 
gestures  violent.  Viewing  such  men,  one  can  hardly  make  oneself 
believe  that  they  are  fellow-creatures,  and  inhabitants  of  the  same  world. 
It  is  a  common  subject  of  conjecture  what  pleasure  in  life  some  of  the 
lower  animals  can  enjoy ;  how  much  more  reasonably  the  same 
question  may  be  asked  with  respect  to  these  barbarians !  At  night, 
five  or  six  human  beings,  naked  and  scarcely  protected  from  the 
wind  and  rain  of  this  tempestuous  climate,  sleep  on  the  wet  ground 
coiled  up  like  animals.  Whenever  it  is  low  water,  winter  or  summer, 
night  or  day,  they  must  rise  to  pick  shell-fish  from  the  rocks  ;  and  the 
women  either  dive  to  collect  sea-eggs,  or  sit  patiently  in  their  canoes,  and 
with  a  baited  hair-line  without  any  hook,  jerk  out  little  fish.  If  a  seal  is 
killed,  or  the  floating  carcass  of  a  putrid  whale  discovered,  it  is  a  feast ; 
and  such  miserable  food  is  assisted  by  a  few  tasteless  berries  and  fungi. 

They  often  suffer  from  famine:  I  heard  Mr.  Low,  a  sealing-master 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  natives  of  this  country,  give  a  curious 
account  of  the  state  of  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  natives  on  the 
west  coast,  who  were  very  thin  and  in  great  distress.  A  succession  of 
gales  prevented  the  women  from  getting  shell-fish  on  the  rocks,  and 
they  could  not  go  out  in  their  canoes  to  catch  seal.  A  small  party  of 


CHAP.  a.]  RELIGION  OF  THE  FUEGIANS.  l$5 

these  men  one  morning  set  out,  and  the  other  Indians  explained  to  him, 
that  they  were  going  a  four  days'  journey  for  food ;  on  their  return, 
Low  went  to  meet  them,  and  he  found  them  excessively  tired,  each 
man  carrying  a  great  square  piece  of  putrid  whales'  blubber  with  a  hole 
in  the  middle,  through  which  they  put  their  heads,  like  the  Gauchos  do 
through  their  ponchos  or  cloaks.  As  soon  as  the  blubber  was  brought 
into  a  wigwam,  an  old  man  cut  off  thin  slices,  and  muttering  over  them, 
broiled  them  for  a  minute,  and  distributed  them  to  the  famished  party, 
who  during  this  time  preserved  a  profound  silence.  Mr.  Low  believes 
that  whenever  a  whale  is  cast  on  shore,  the  natives  bury  large  pieces  of 
it  in  the  sand  as  a  resource  in  time  of  famine ;  and  a  native  boy, 
whom  he  had  on  board,  once  found  a  stock  thus  buried.  The  different 
tribes  when  at  war  are  cannibals.  From  the  concurrent,  but  quite 
independent  evidence  of  the  boy  taken  by  Mr.  Low,  and  of  Jemmy 
Button,  it  is  certainly  true,  that  when  pressed  iu  winter  by  hunger, 
they  kill  and  devour  their  old  women  before  they  kill  their  dogs ;  the 
boy,  being  asked  by  Mr.  Low  why  they  did  this,  answered,  "  Doggies 
catch  otters,  old  women  no."  This  boy  described  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  killed  by  being  held  over  smoke  and  thus  choked ;  he 
imitated  their  screams  as  a  joke,  and  described  the  parts  of  their 
bodies  which  are  considered  best  to  eat.  Horrid  as  such  a  death  by 
the  hands  of  their  friends  and  relatives  must  be,  the  fears  of  the  old 
women,  when  hunger  begins  to  press,  are  more  painful  to  think  of ;  we 
were  told  that  they  then  often  run  away  into  the  mountains,  but  that 
they  are  pursued  by  the  men,  and  brought  back  to  the  slaughter-house 
at  their  own  firesides  1 

Captain  Fitz  Roy  could  never  ascertain  that  the  Fuegians  have  any 
distinct  belief  in  a  future  life.  They  sometimes  bury  'heir  dead  in 
caves,  and  sometimes  in  the  mountain  forests  ;  we  do  not  know  what 
ceremonies  they  perform.  Jemmy  Button  would  not  eat  land-birds, 
because  "  eat  dead  men : "  they  are  unwilling  even  to  mention  their 
dead  friends.  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  perform  any 
sort  of  religious  worship  ;  though  perhaps  the  muttering  of  the  old  man 
before  he  distributed  the  putrid  blubber  to  his  famished  party,  may  be 
of  this  nature.  Each  family  or  tribe  has  a  wizard  or  conjuring  doctor, 
whose  office  we  could  never  clearly  ascertain.  Jemmy  believed  in 
dreams,  though  not,  as  I  have  said,  in  the  devil :  I  do  not  think  that  our 
Fuegians  were  much  more  superstitious  than  some  of  the  sailors ;  for 
an  old  quarter-master  firmly  believed  that  the  successive  heavy  gales, 
which  we  encountered  off  Cape  Horn,  were  caused  by  our  having  the 
Fuegians  on  board.  The  nearest  approach  to  a  religious  feeling  which 
I  heard  of,  was  shown  by  York  Minster,  who,  when  Mr.  Bynoe  shot 
some  very  young  ducklings  as  specimens,  declared  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Bynoe,  much  rain,  snow,  blow  much."  This  was 
evidently  a  retributive  punishment  for  wasting  human  food.  In  a  wild 
and  excited  manner  he  also  related,  that  his  brother,  one  day  whilst 
returning  to  pick  up  some  dead  birds  which  he  had  left  on  the  coast, 
observed  some  feathers  blown  by  the  wind.  His  brother  said  CYork 
imitating  his  manner),  "What  that?"  and  crawling  onwards,  he  peeped 


156  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

over  the  cliff,  and  saw  "  wild  man "  picking  his  birds ;  he  crawled  a 
little  nearer,  and  then  hurled  down  a  great  stone  and  killed  him.  York 
declared  for  a  long  time  afterwards  storms  raged,  and  much  rain  and 
snow  fell.  As  far  as  we  could  make  out,  he  seemed  to  consider  the 
elements  themselves  as  the  avenging  agents :  it  is  evident  in  this  case, 
how  naturally,  in  a  race  a  little  more  advanced  in  culture,  the  elements 
would  become  personified.  What  the  "  bad  wild  men "  were,  has 
always  appeared  to  me  most  mysterious ;  from  what  York  said,  when 
we  found  the  place  like  the  form  of  a  hare,  where  a  single  man  had 
slept  the  night  before,  I  should  have  thought  that  they  were  thieves  who 
had  been  driven  from  their  tribes ;  but  other  obscure  speeches  made  me 
doubt  this ;  I  have  sometimes  imagined  that  the  most  probable 
explanation  was  that  they  were  insane. 

The  different  tribes  have  no  government  or  chiel ;  yet  each  is 
surrounded  by  other  hostile  tribes,  speaking  different  dialects,  and 
separated  from  each  other  only  by  a  deserted  border  or  neutral  territory: 
the  cause  of  their  warfare  appears  to  be  the  means  of  subsistence. 
Their  country  is  a  broken  mass  of  wild  rocks,  lofty  hills,  and  useless 
forests  ;  and  these  are  viewed  through  mists  and  endless  storms.  The 
habitable  land  is  reduced  to  the  stones  on  the  beach ;  in  search  of  food 
they  are  compelled  unceasingly  to  wander  from  spot  to  spot,  and  so 
steep  is  the  coast  that  they  can  only  move  about  in  their  wretched 
canoes.  They  cannot  know  the  feeling  of  having  a  home,  and  still  less 
that  of  domestic  affection ;  for  the  husband  is  to  the  wife  a  brutal 
master  to  a  laborious  slave.  Was  a  more  horrid  deed  ever  perpetrated, 
than  that  witnessed  on  the  west  coast  by  Byron,  who  saw  a  wretched 
mother  pick  up  her  bleeding  dying  infant-boy,  whom  her  husband  had 
mercilessly  dashed  on  the  stones  for  dropping  a  basket  of  sea-eggs  ? 
How  little  can  the  higher  powers  of  the  mind  be  brought  into  play : 
what  is  there  for  imagination  to  picture,  for  reason  to  compare,  for 
judgment  to  decide  upon  ?  To  knock  a  limpet  from  the  rock  does  not 
require  even  cunning,  that  lowest  power  of  the  mind.  Their  skill  in 
some  respects  may  be  compared  to  the  instinct  of  animals  ;  for  it  is  not 
improved  by  experience  :  the  canoe,  their  most  ingenious  work,  poor  as 
it  is,  has  remained  the  same,  as  we  know  from  Drake,  for  the  last  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years 

Whilst  beholding  these  savages,  one  asks,  whence  have  they  come  ? 
What  could  have  tempted,  or  what  change  compelled  a  tribe  of  men,  to 
leave  the  fine  regions  of  the  north,  to  travel  down  the  Cordillera  or 
backbone  oi  America,  to  invent  and  build  canoes,  which  are  not  used 
by  the  tribes  of  Chile,  Peru,  and  Brazil,  and  then  to  enter  on  one  of  the 
most  inhospitable  countries  within  the  limits  of  the  globe  ?  Although 
such  reflections  must  at  first  seize  on  the  mind,  yet  we  may  feel  sure 
that  they  are  partly  erroneous.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Fuegians  decrease  in  number;  therefore  we  must  suppose  that  they 
enjoy  a  sufficient  share  of  happiness,  of  whatever  kind  it  may  be,  to 
render  life  worth  having.  Nature  by  making  habit  omnipotent,  and  its 
effects  hereditary,  has  fitted  the  Fuegian  to  the  climate  and  the  produc- 
tions of  his  miserable  country. 


CHAP,  x.]  THE  BEAGLE  CHANNEL.  157 

After  having  been  detained  six  days  in  Wigwam  Cove  by  very  bad 
weather,  we  put  to  sea  on  the  3Oth  of  December.  Captain  Fitz  Roy 
wished  to  get  westward  to  land  York  and  Fuegia  in  their  own  country. 
When  at  sea  we  had  a  constant  succession  of  gales,  and  the  current  was 
against  us  :  we  drifted  to  57°  23'  south.  On  the  nth  of  January,  1833, 
by  carrying  a  press  of  sail,  we  fetched  within  a  few  miles  of  the  great 
rugged  mountain  of  York  Minster  (so  called  by  Captain  Cook,  and  the 
origin  of  the  name  of  the  elder  Fuegian),  when  a  violent  squall  com- 
pelled us  to  shorten  sail  and  stand  out  to  sea.  The  surf  was  breaking 
fearfully  on  the  coast,  and  the  spray  was  carried  over  a  cliff  estimated 
at  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  On  the  I2th  the  gale  was  very  heavy, 
and  we  did  not  know  exactly  where  we  were  :  it  was  a  most  unpleasant 
sound  to  hear  constantly  repeated,  "  Keep  a  good  look-out  to  leeward." 
On  the  1 3th  the  storm  raged  with  its  full  fury;  our  horizon  was 
narrowly  limited  by  the  sheets  of  spray  borne  by  the  wind.  The  sea 
looked  ominous,  like  a  dreary  waving  plain  with  patches  of  drifted 
snow ;  whilst  the  ship  laboured  heavily,  the  albatross  glided  with  its 
expanded  wings  right  up  the  wind.  At  noon  a  great  sea  broke  over  us, 
and  filled  one  of  the  whale-boats,  which  was  obliged  to  be  instantly  cut 
away.  The  poor  Beagle  trembled  at  the  shock,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
would  not  obey  her  helm ;  but  soon,  like  a  good  ship  that  she  was,  she 
righted  and  came  up  to  the  wind  again.  Had  another  sea  followed  the 
first  our  fate  would  have  been  decided  soon,  and  for  ever.  We  had 
now  been  twenty-four  days  trying  in  vain  to  get  westward ;  the  men 
were  worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  they  had  not  had  for  many  nights  or 
days  a  dry  thing  to  put  on.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  gave  up  the  attempt  to 
get  westward  by  the  outside  coast.  In  the  evening  we  ran  in  behind 
False  Cape  Horn,  and  dropped  our  anchor  in  forty-seven  fathoms,  fire 
flashing  from  the  windlass  as  the  chain  rushed  round  it.  How  delight- 
ful was  that  still  night,  after  having  been  so  long  involved  in  the  din  of 
the  warring  elements ! 

January  \t>th,  1833. — The  Beagle  anchored  in  Goeree  Roads. 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  having  resolved  to  settle  the  Fuegians,  according  to 
their  wishes,  in  Ponsonby  Sound,  four  boats  were  equipped  to  carry 
them  there  through  the  Beagle  Channel.  This  channel,  which  was 
discovered  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy  during  the  last  voyage,  is  a  most 
remarkable  feature  in  the  geography  of  this,  or  indeed  of  any  other 
country ;  it  may  be  compared  to  the  valley  of  Lochness  in  Scotland, 
with  its  chain  of  lakes  and  friths.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  long,  with  an  average  breadth,  not  subject  to  any  very  great 
variation,  of  about  two  miles;  and  is  throughout  the  greater  part  so 
perfectly  straight,  that  the  view,  bounded  on  each  side  by  a  line  of 
mountains,  gradually  becomes  indistinct  in  the  long  distance.  It 
crosses  the  southern  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  in  an  east  and  west  line, 
and  in  the  middle  is  joined  at  right  angles  on  the  south  side  by  an 
irregular  channel,  which  has  been  called  Ponsonby  Sound.  This  is  the 
residence  of  Jemmy  Button's  tribe  and  family. 

January  igf/i. — Three  whale-boats  and  the  yawl,  with  a  party  of 
twenty-eight,  started  under  the  command  of  Captain  Fitz  Roy.  In  the 


l$8  TIERRA   DEL  FVEGO,  [CHAP,  x 

afternoon  we  entered  the  eastern  mouth  of  the  channel,  and  shortly 
afterwards  found  a  snug  little  cove  concealed  by  some  surrounding 
islets.  Here  we  pitched  our  tents  and  lighted  our  fires.  Nothing  could 
look  more  comfortable  than  this  scene.  The  glassy  water  of  the  little 
harbour,  with  the  branches  of  the  trees  hanging  over  the  rocky  beach, 
the  boats  at  anchor,  the  tents  supported  by  the  crossed  oars,  and  the 
smoke  curling  up  the  wooded  valley,  formed  a  picture  of  quiet  retire- 
ment. The  next  day  (2oth)  we  smoothly  glided  onwards  in  our  little 
fleet,  and  came  to  a  more  inhabited  district.  Few  if  any  oi  these 
natives  could  ever  have  seen  a  white  man ;  certainly  nothing  could 
exceed  their  astonishment  at  the  apparition  of  the  four  boats.  Fires 
were  lighted  on  every  point  (hence  the  name  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  or 
the  land  of  fire),  both  to  attract  our  attention  and  to  spread  far  and 
wide  the  news.  Some  of  the  men  ran  for  miles  along  the  shore.  I 
shall  never  forget  how  wild  and  savage  one  group  appeared  :  suddenly 
four  or  five  men  came  to  the  edge  of  an  overhanging  cliff;  they  were 
absolutely  naked,  and  their  long  hair  streamed  about  their  faces  ;  they 
held  rugged  staffs  in  their  hands,  and,  springing  from  the  ground,  they 
waved  their  arms  round  then-  heads,  and  sent  forth  the  most  hideou 
yells. 

At  dinner-time  we  landed  among  a  party  of  Fuegians.  At  first  they 
were  not  inclined  to  be  friendly  ;  for  until  the  Captain  pulled  in  ahead 
of  the  other  boats,  they  kept  their  slings  in  their  hands.  We  soon, 
however,  delighted  them  by  trifling  presents,  such  as  tying  red  tape 
round  their  heads.  They  liked  our  biscuit;  but  one  of  the  savages 
touched  with  his  finger  some  of  the  meat  preserved  in  tin  cases  which 
I  was  eating,  and  feeling  it  soft  and  cold,  showed  as  much  disgust  al 
it  as  I  should  have  done  at  putrid  blubber.  Jemmy  was  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  his  countrymen,  and  declared  his  own  tribe  were  quite  differ- 
ent, in  which  he  was  wofully  mistaken.  It  was  as  easy  to  please  as  it  was 
difficult  to  satisfy  these  savages.  Young  and  old,  men  and  children, 
never  ceased  repeating  the  word  "yammerschooner,"  which  means 
41  give  me."  After  pointing  to  almost  every  object,  one  after  the  other, 
even  to  the  buttons  on  our  coats,  and  saying  their  favourite  word  in  as 
many  intonations  as  possible,  they  would  then  use  it  in  a  neuter  sense, 
and  vacantly  repeat  "  yammerschooner."  After  yammerschoonering  for 
any  article  very  eagerly,  they  would  by  a  simple  artifice  point  to  their 
young  women  or  little  children,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  If  you  will  not  give 
it  me,  surely  you  will  to  such  as  these." 

At  night  we  endeavoured  in  vain  to  find  an  uninhabited  cove ;  and  at 
last  were  obliged  to  bivouac  not  far  from  a  party  of  natives.  They 
were  very  inoffensive  as  long  as  they  were  few  in  numbers,  but  in  the 
morning  (2ist),  being  joined  by  others,  they  showed  symptoms  of  hostility, 
and  we  thought  that  we  should  have  come  to  a  skirmish.  An  European 
labours  under  great  disadvantages  when  treating  with  savages  like  these, 
who  have  not  the  leasl  idea  of  the  power  of  firearms.  In  the  very  act 
of  levelling  his  musket  he  appears  to  the  savage  far  inferior  to  a  man 
armed  with  a  bow  and  arrow,  a  spear,  or  even  a  sling.  Nor  is  it  easy 
to  teach  them  our  superiority  except  by  striking  a  fatal  blow.  Like  wild 


CHAP.  x.j  ASTONISHMENT  OP  NA  TIVES  A  T  FIREARMS.        t$9 

beasts,  they  do  not  appear  to  compare  numbers ;  for  each  individual,  if 
attacked,  instead  of  retiring,  will  endeavour  to  dash  your  brains  out 
with  a  stone,  as  certainly  as  a  tiger  under  similar  circumstances  would 
tear  you.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  on  one  occasion  being  very  anxious,  from 
good  reasons,  to  frighten  away  a  small  party,  first  flourished  a  cutlass 
near  them,  at  which  they  only  laughed ;  he  then  twice  fired  his  pistol 
close  to  a  native.  The  man  both  times  looked  astounded,  and  care- 
fully but  quickly  rubbed  his  head ;  he  then  stared  awhile,  and  gabbled 
to  his  companions,  but  he  never  seemed  to  think  of  running  away. 
We  can  hardly  put  ourselves  in  the  position  of  these  savages,  and 
understand  their  actions.  In  the  case  of  this  Fuegian,  the  possibility 
of  such  a  sound  as  the  report  of  a  gun  close  to  his  ear  could  never 
have  entered  his  mind.  He  perhaps  literally  did  not  for  a  second 
know  whether  it  was  a  sound  or  a  blow,  and  therefore  very  naturally 
rubbed  his  head.  In  a  similar  manner,  when  a  savage  sees  a  mark 
struck  by  a  bullet,  it  may  be  some  time  before  he  is  able  at  all  to  under- 
stand how  it  is  effected ;  for  the  fact  of  a  body  being  invisible  from  its 
velocity  would  perhaps  be  to  him  an  idea  totally  inconceivable.  More- 
over, the  extreme  force  of  a  bullet  that  penetrates  a  hard  substance 
without  tearing  it,  may  convince  the  savage  that  it  has  no  force  at  all. 
Certainly  I  believe  that  many  savages  of  the  lowest  grade,  such  as  these 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  have  seen  objects  struck,  and  even  small  animals 
killed  by  the  musket,  without  being  in  the  least  aware  how  deadly  an 
instrument  it  is. 

Jamiary  22nd. — After  having  passed  an  unmolested  night,  in  what 
would  appear  to  be  neutral  territory  between  Jemmy's  tribe  and  the 
people  whom  we  saw  yesterday,  we  sailed  pleasantly  along.  I  do  not 
know  anything  which  shows  more  clearly  the  hostile  state  of  the 
different  tribes,  than  these  wide  border  or  neutral  tracts.  Although 
Jemmy  Button  well  knew  the  force  of  our  party,  he  was,  at  first, 
unwilling  to  land  amidst  the  hostile  tribe  nearest  to  his  own.  He  often 
told  us  how  the  savage  Oens  men  "when  the  leaf  red,"  crossed  the 
mountains  from  the  eastern  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  made  inroads 
on  the  natives  of  this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  most  curious  to  watch 
him  when  thus  talking,  and  see  his  eyes  gleaming,  and  his  whole  face 
assume  a  new  and  wild  expression.  As  we  proceeded  along  the  Beagle 
Channel,  the  scenery  assumed  a  peculiar  and  very  magnificent 
character ;  but  the  effect  was  much  lessened  from  the  lowness  of  the 
point  of  view  in  a  boat,  and  from  looking  along  the  valley,  and  thus 
losing  all  the  beauty  of  a  succession  of  ridges.  The  mountains  were 
here  about  three  thousand  feet  high,  and  terminated  in  sharp  and  jagged 
points.  They  rose  in  one  unbroken  sweep  from  the  water's  edge,  and 
were  covered  to  the  height  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  hundred  feet  by  the 
dusky-coloured  forest.  It  was  most  curious  to  observe,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  range,  how  level  and  truly  horizontal  the  line  on  the  mountain 
side  was,  at  which  trees  ceased  to  grow;  it  precisely  resembled  the 
high-water  mark  of  drift-weed  on  a  sea-beach. 

At  night  we  slept  close  to  the  junction  of  Ponsonby  Sound  with  the 
Beagle  Channel.  A  small  family  of  Fuegians,  who  were  living  in  the 


160  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP,  x 

cove,  were  quiet  and  inoffensive,  and  soon  joined  our  party  round  a 
blazing  fire.  We  were  well  clothed,  and  though  sitting  close  to  the  fire 
were  far  from  too  warm ;  yet  these  naked  savages,  though  further  off, 
were  observed,  to  our  great  surprise,  to  be  streaming  with  perspiration 
at  undergoing  such  a  roasting.  They  seemed,  however,  very  well 
pleased,  and  all  joined  in  the  chorus  of  the  seamen's  songs ;  but  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  invariably  a  little  behindhand  was  quite 
ludicrous. 

During  the  night  the  news  had  spread,  and  early  in  the  morning 
(23rd)  a  fresh  party  arrived,  belonging  to  the  Tekenika,  or  Jemmy's 
tribe.  Several  of  them  had  run  so  fast  that  their  noses  were  bleeding, 
and  their  mouths  frothed  from  the  rapidity  with  which  they  talked  ;  and 
with  their  naked  bodies  all  bedaubed  with  black,  white,*  and  red,  they 
looked  like  so  many  demoniacs  who  had  been  fighting.  We  then  pro- 
ceeded (accompanied  by  twelve  canoes,  each  holding  four  or  five  people) 
down  Ponsonby  Sound  to  the  spot  where  poor  Jemmy  expected  to  find 
his  mother  and  relatives.  He  had  already  heard  that  his  father  was 
dead ;  but  as  he  had  had  a  "  dream  in  his  head  "  to  that  effect,  he  did 
not  seen  to  care  much  about  it,  and  repeatedly  comforted  himself  with 
the  very  natural  reflection — "Me  no  help  it."  He  was  not  able  to 
learn  any  particulars  regarding  his  father's  death,  as  his  relations  would 
not  speak  about  it 

Jemmy  was  now  in  a  district  well  known  to  him,  and  guided  the 
boats  to  a  quiet  pretty  cove  named  Woollya,  surrounded  by  islets, 
every  one  of  which  and  every  point  had  its  proper  native  name.  We 
found  here  a  family  of  Jemmy's  tribe,  but  not  his  relations ;  we  made 
friends  with  them,  and  in  the  evening  they  sent  a  canoe  to  inform 
Jemmy's  mother  and  brothers.  The  cove  was  bordered  by  some  acres 
of  good  sloping  land,  not  covered  (as  elsewhere)  either  by  peat  or  by 
forest-trees.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  originally  intended,  as  before  stated,  to 
have  taken  York  Minster  and  Fuegia  to  their  own  tribe  on  the  west 
coast ;  but  as  they  expressed  a  wish  to  remain  here,  and  as  the  spot 
was  singularly  favourable,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  settle  here 
the  whole  party,  including  Matthews  the  missionary.  Five  days  were 
spent  in  building  for  them  three  large  wigwams,  in  landing  their  goods, 
in  digging  two  gardens,  and  sowing  seeds. 

The  next  morning  after  our  arrival  (the  24th)  the  Fuegians  began  to 
pour  in,  and  Jemmy's  mother  and  brothers  arrived.  Jemmy  recognized 

*  This  substance,  when  dry,  is  tolerably  compact,  and  of  little  specific 
gravity  :  Professor  Ehrenberg  has  examined  it :  he  states  ("  KOnig  Akad.  der 
Wissen  :"  Berlin,  Feb.  1845)  that  ^  is  composed  of  infusoria,  including  four- 
teen polygastrica,  and  four  phytolitharia.  He  says  that  they  are  all  inhabitants 
of  fresh-water ;  this  is  a  beautiful  example  of  the  results  obtainable  through 
Professor  Ehrenberg's  microscopic  researches ;  for  Jemmy  Button  told  me 
that  it  is  always  collected  at  the  bottoms  of  mountain-brooks.  It  is,  more- 
over, a  striking  fact  in  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  infusoria,  which 
are  well  known  to  have  very  wide  ranges,  that  all  the  species  in  this 
substarce,  although  brought  from  the  extreme  southern  point  of  Tierra  del 
Fucgo,  are  old,  known  forms. 


CKA?.  x]  SETTLEMENT  AT  WOOLLYA.  l6\ 

the  stentorian  voice  of  one  of  his  brothers  at  a  prodigious  distance 
The  meeting  was  less  interesting  than  that  between  a  horse,  turned  out 
into  a  field,  when  he  joins  an  old  companion.  There  was  no  demon- 
stration of  affection  ;  they  simply  stared  for  a  short  time  at  each  other  ; 
and  the  mother  immediately  went  to  look  after  her  canoe.  We  heard, 
however,  through  York,  that  them  other  had  been  inconsolable  for  the 
loss  of  Jemmy,  and  had  searched  everywhere  for  him,  thinking  that  he 
might  have  been  left  after  having  been  taken  in  the  boat.  The  women 
took  much  notice  of,  and  were  very  kind  to,  Fuegia.  We  had  already 
perceived  that  Jemmy  had  almost  forgotten  his  own  language.  I  should 
think  there  was  scarcely  another  human  being  with  so  small  a  stock  of 
language,  for  his  English  was  very  imperfect.  It  was  laughable,  but 
almost  pitiable,  to  hear  him  speak  to  his  wild  brother  in  English,  and 
then  ask  him  in  Spanish  ("  no  sabe  ?  ")  whether  he  did  not  understand 
him. 

Everything  went  on  peaceably  during  the  three  next  days,  whilst  the 
gardens  were  digging  and  wigwams  building.  We  estimated  the 
number  of  natives  at  about  one  hundred  and  twenty.  The  women 
worked  hard,  whilst  the  men  lounged  about  all  day  long,  watching  us. 
They  asked  for  everything  they  saw,  and  stole  what  they  could.  They 
were  delighted  at  our  dancing  and  singing,  and  were  particularly  inter- 
ested at  seeing  us  wash  in  a  neighbouring  brook;  they  did  not  pay 
much  attention  to  anything  else,  not  even  to  our  boats.  Of  all  the 
things  which  York  saw,  during  his  absence  from  his  country,  nothing 
seems  more  to  have  astonished  him  than  an  ostrich  near  Maldonado  ; 
breathless  with  astonishment  he  came  running  to  Mr.  Bynoe,  with 
whom  he  was  out  walking — "  Oh,  Mr.  Bynoe,  oh,  bird  all  same  horse ! " 
Much  as  our  white  skins  surprised  the  natives,  by  Mr.  Low's  account  a 
negro-cook  to  a  sealing  vessel,  did  so  more  effectually ;  and  the  poor 
fellow  was  so  mobbed  and  shouted  at  that  he  would  never  go  on  shore 
again.  Everything  went  on  so  quietly,  that  some  of  the  officers  and 
myself  took  long  walks  in  the  surrounding  hills  and  woods.  Suddenly, 
however,  on  the  27th,  every  woman  and  child  disappeared.  We  were 
all  uneasy  at  this,  as  neither  York  nor  Jemmy  could  make  out  the 
cause.  It  was  thought  by  some  that  they  had  been  frightened  by  our 
cleaning  and  firing  off  our  muskets  on  the  previous  evening ;  by  others, 
that  it  was  owing  to  offence  taken  by  an  old  savage,  who,  when  told 
to  keep  further  off,  had  coolly  spit  in  the  sentry's  face,  and  had  then, 
by  gestures  acted  over  a  sleeping  Fuegian,  plainly  showed,  as  it  was 
said,  that  he  should  like  to  cut  up  and  eat  our  man.  Captain  Fitz  Roy, 
to  avoid  the  chance  of  an  encounter,  which  would  have  been  fatal  to 
so  many  of  the  Fuegians,  thought  it  advisable  for  us  to  sleep  at  a  cove 
a  few  miles  distant.  Matthews,  with  his  usual  quiet  fortitude  (remark- 
able in  a  man  apparently  possessing  little  energy  of  character), 
determined  to  stay  with  the  Fuegians,  who  evinced  no  alarm  for 
themselves  ;  and  so  we  left  them  to  pass  their  first  awful  night. 

On  our  return  in  the  morning  (28th)  we  were  delighted  to  find  all 
quiet,  and  the  men  employed  in  their  canoes  spearing  fish.  Captain 
Fitz  Roy  determined  to  send  the  yawl  and  one  whale-boat  back  to  the 


l6i  TIERRA  DEL  PUEGO.  fcHAP.it, 

ship;  and  to  proceed  with  the  two  other  boats,  one  under  his  own 
command  (in  which  he  most  kindly  allowed  me  to  accompany  him), 
and  one  under  Mr.  Hammond,  to  survey  the  western  parts  of  the 
Beagle  Channel,  and  afterwards  to  return  and  visit  the  settlement. 
The  day  to  our  astonishment  was  overpoweringly  hot,  so  that  out 
skins  were  scorched:  with  this  beautiful  weather,  the  view  in  the 
middle  of  the  Beagle  Channel  was  very  remarkable.  Looking  towards 
either  hand,  no  object  intercepted  the  vanishing  points  of  this  long 
canal  between  the  mountains.  The  circumstance  of  its  being  an  arm 
of  the  sea  was  rendered  very  evident  by  several  huge  whales  *  spoutinp 
in  different  directions.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  two  of  these  monsters 
probably  male  and  female,  slowly  swimming  one  after  the  other, 
within  less  than  a  stone's  throw  of  the  shore,  over  which  the  beech- tree 
extended  its  branches. 

We  sailed  on  till  it  was  dark,  and  then  pitched  our  tents  in  a  quiet 
creek.  The  greatest  luxury  was  to  find  for  our  beds  a  beach  of  pebbles, 
for  they  were  dry  and  yielded  to  the  body.  Peaty  soil  is  damp  ;  rock 
is  uneven  and  hard  ;  sand  gets  into  one's  meat  when  cooked  and  eaten 
boat-fashion ;  but  when  lying  in  our  blanket-bags,  on  a  good  bed  of 
smooth  pebbles,  we  passed  most  comfortable  nights. 

It  was  my  watch  till  one  o'clock.  There  is  something  very  solemn 
in  these  scenes.  At  no  time  does  the  consciousness  in  what  a  remote 
corner  of  the  world  you  are  then  standing,  come  so  strongly  before  the 
mind.  Everything  tends  to  this  effect ;  the  stillness  of  the  night  is 
interrupted  only  by  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  seamen  beneath  the 
tents,  and  sometimes  by  the  cry  of  a  night-bird.  The  occasional 
barking  of  a  dog,  heard  in  the  distance,  reminds  one  that  it  is  the  land 
of  the  savage. 

January  "i^th. — Early  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at  the  point  where 
the  Beagle  Channel  divides  into  two  arms ;  and  we  entered  the 
northern  one.  The  scenery  here  becomes  even  grander  than  before. 
The  lofty  mountains  on  the  north  side  compose  the  granitic  axis,  or 
backbone  of  the  country,  and  boldly  rise  to  a  height  of  between  thiee 
and  four  thousand  feet,  with  one  peak  above  six  thousand  feet.  They 
are  covered  by  a  wide  mantle  of  perpetual  snow,  and  numerous 
cascades  pour  their  waters,  through  the  woods,  into  the  narrow  channel 
below.  In  many  parts,  magnificent  glaciers  extend  from  the  mountain 
side  to  the  water's  edge.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  anything 
more  beautiful  than  the  beryl-like  blue  of  these  glaciers,  and  especially 
as  contrasted  with  the  dead  rvvhite  of  the  upper  expanse  of  snow.  The 
fragments  which  had  fallen  from  the  glacier  into  the  water,  were  floating 
away,  and  the  channel  with  its  icebergs  presented,  for  the  space  of  a 
mile,  a  miniature  likeness  of  the  Polar  Sea.  The  boats  being  hauled 
on  shore  at  our  dinner-hour,  we  were  admiring  from  the  distance  oi 
half  a  mile  a  perpendicular  cliff  of  ice,  and  were  wishing  that  some 

*  One  day,  off  the  east  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  saw  a  grand  sight 
in  several  spermaceti  whales  jumping  upright  quite  out  of  the  water,  with 
the  exception  of  their  tail-fins.  As  they  fell  down  sideways,  t.hey  splashed 
Che  water  high  upj  and  the  sound  reverberated  like  a  distant  broadside. 


CHJ*?.  x.]  GLACIERS  ENTERING  THE  SEA.  163 

more  fragments  would  fall.  At  last,  down  came  a  mass  with  a  roaring 
noise,  and  immediately  we  saw  the  smooth  outline  of  a  wave  travelling 
towards  us.  The  men  ran  down  as  quickly  as  they  could  to  the  boats  ; 
for  the  chance  of  their  being  dashed  to  pieces  was  evident.  One  ot 
the  seamen  just  caught  hold  of  the  bows  as  the  curling  breaker  reached 
it ;  he  was  knocked  over  and  over,  but  not  hurt ;  and  the  boats,  though 
thrice  lifted  on  high  and  let  fall  again,  received  no  damage.  This  was 
most  fortunate  for  us,  for  we  were  a  hundred  miles  distant  from  the 
ship,  and  we  should  have  been  left  without  provisions  or  firearms. 
I  had  previously  observed  that  some  large  fragments  of  rock  on  the 
beach  had  been  lately  displaced ;  but  until  seeing  this  wave,  I  did 
not  understand  the  cause.  One  side  of  the  creek  was  formed  by 
a  spur  of  mica-slate ;  the  head  by  a  cliff  of  ice  about  forty  feet  high  ; 
and  the  other  side  by  a  promontory  fifty  feet  high,  built  up  of  huge 
rounded  fragments  of  granite  and  mica-slate,  out  of  which  old  trees 
were  growing.  This  promontory  was  evidently  a  moraine,  heaped 
up  at  a  period  when  the  glacier  had  greater  dimensions. 

When  we  reached  the  western  mouth  of  this  northern  branch  of  the 
Beagle  Channel,  we  sailed  amongst  many  unknown  desolate  islands, 
and  the  weather  was  wretchedly  bad.  We  met  with  no  natives. 
The  coast  was  almost  everywhere  so  steep  that  we  had  several  times 
to  pull  many  miles  before  we  could  find  space  enough  to  pitch  our 
two  tents ;  one  night  we  slept  on  large  round  boulders,  with  putrefying 
sea-weed  between  them ;  and  when  the  tide  rose,  we  had  •  to  get  up 
and  move  our  blanket-bags.  The  farthest  point  westward  which  we 
reached  was  Stewart  Island,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  our  ship.  We  returned  into  the  Beagle  Channel  by 
the  southern  arm,  and  thence  proceeded,  with  no  adventure,  back  to 
Ponsonby  Sound. 

February  6th. — We  arrived  at  Woollya.  Matthews  gave  so  bad 
an  account  of  the  conduct  of  the  Fuegians,  that  Captain  Fitz  Roy 
determined  to  take  him  back  to  the  Beagle ;  and  ultimately  he  was 
left  at  New  Zealand,  where  his  brother  was  a  missionary.  From  the 
time  of  our  leaving,  a  regular  system  of  plunder  commenced ;  fresh 
parties  of  the  natives  kept  arriving  :  York  and  Jemmy  lost  many  things, 
and  Matthews  almost  everything  which  had  not  been  concealed  under- 
ground. Every  article  seemed  to  have  been  torn  up  and  divided  by 
the  natives.  Matthews  described  the  watch  he  was  obliged  always 
to  keep  as  most  harassing ;  night  and  day  he  was  surrounded  by  the 
natives,  who  tried  to  tire  him  out  by  making  an  incessant  noise  close 
to  his  head.  One  day  an  old  man,  whom  Matthews  asked  to  leave  his 
wigwam,  immediately  returned  with  a  large  stone  in  his  hand ;  another 
day  a  whole  party  came  armed  with  stones  and  stakes,  and  some  of 
the  younger  men  and  Jemmy's  brother  were  crying ;  Matthews  met 
them  with  presents.  Another  party  showed  by  signs  that  they  wished 
to  strip  him  naked,  and  pluck  all  the  hairs  out  of  his  face  and  body. 
I  think  we  arrived  just  in  time  to  save  his  life.  Jemmy's  relatives 
had  been  so  vain  and  foolish,  that  they  had  shown  to  strangers  their 
plunder,  and  their  manner  of  obtaining  it.  It  was  quite  melancholy 

N 


164  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  x. 

leaving  the  three  Fuegians  with  their  savage  countrymen ;  but  it  was 
a  great  comfort  that  they  had  no  personal  fears.  York,  being  a  power- 
ful resolute  man,  was  pretty  sure  to  get  on  well,  together  with  his  wife 
Fuegia.  Poor  Jemmy  looked  rather  disconsolate,  and  would  then, 
I  have  little  doubt,  have  been  glad  to  have  returned  with  us.  His  own 
brother  had  stolen  many  things  from  him ;  and  as  he  remarked,  "  What 
fashion  call  that;"  he  abused  his  countrymen,  "all  bad  men,  no  sabe 
(know)  nothing,"  and,  though  I  never  heard  him  swear  before,  "  damned 
fools."  Our  three  Fuegians,  though  they  had  been  only  three  years 
with  civilized  men,  would,  I  am  sure,  have  been  glad  to  have  retained 
their  new  habits ;  but  this  was  obviously  impossible.  I  fear  it  is  more 
than  doubtful,  whether  their  visit  will  have  been  of  any  use  to  them. 
In  the  evening,  with  Matthews  on  board,  we  made  sail  back  to  the 
ship,  not  by  the  Beagle  Channel,  but  by  the  southern  coast.  The 
boats  were  heavily  laden  and  the  sea  rough,  and  we  had  a  dangerous 
passage.  By  the  evening  of  the  7th  we  were  on  board  the  Beagle 
after  an  absence  of  twenty  days,  during  which  time  we  had  gone  three 
hundred  miles  in  the  open  boats.  On  the  nth,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  paid 
a  visit  by  himself  to  the  Fuegians,  and  found  them  going  on  well ;  and 
that  they  had  lost  very  few  more  things. 

On  the  last  day  of  February  in  the  succeeding  year  (1834),  the 
Beagle  anchored  in  a  beautiful  little  cove  at  the  eastern  entrance  of 
the  Beagle  Channel.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  on  the  bold,  and 
as  it  proved  successful,  attempt  to  beat  against  the  westerly  winds 
by  the  same  route,  which  we  had  followed  in  the  boats  to  the  settle- 
ment at  Woollya.  We  did  not  see  many  natives  until  we  were  near 
Ponsonby  Sound,  where  we  were  followed  by  ten  or  twelve  canoes. 
The  natives  did  not  at  all  understand  the  reason  of  our  tacking,  and, 
instead  of  meeting  us  at  each  tack,  vainly  strove  to  follow  us  in  our 
zig-zag  course.  I  was  amused  at  finding  what  a  difference  the  circum- 
stance of  being  quite  superior  in  force  made,  in  the  interest  of  beholding 
these  savages.  While  in  the  boats  I  got  to  hate  the  very  sound  of 
their  voices,  so  much  trouble  did  they  give  us.  The  first  and  last 
word  was  "  yammerschooner."  When,  entering  some  quiet,  little  cove 
we  have  looked  round,  and  thought  to  pass  a  quiet  night,  the  odious 
word  "  yammerschooner  "  has  shrilly  sounded  from  some  gloomy  nook, 
and  then  the  little  signal-smoke  has  curled  up  to  spread  the  news  far 
and  wide.  On  leaving  some  place  we  have  said  to  each  other,  "  Thank 
Heaven,  we  have  at  last  fairly  left  these  wretches  I "  when  one  more 
faint  halloo  from  an  all-powerful  voice,  heard  at  a  prodigious  distance, 
would  reach  our  ears,  and  clearly  could  we  distinguish — "yammer- 
schooner."  But  now,  the  more  Fuegians  the  merrier ;  and  very  merry 
work  it  was.  Both  parties  laughing,  wondering,  gaping  at  each  other ; 
we  pitying  them  for  giving  us  good  fish  and  crabs  for  rags,  etc. ;  they 
grasping  at  the  chance  of  finding  people  so  foolish  as  to  exchange  such 
splendid  ornaments  for  a  good  supper.  It  was  most  amusing  to  see 
the  undisguised  smile  of  satisfaction  with  which  one  young  woman 
with  her  face  painted  black,  tied  several  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  round  her 


CHAP,  x.]  FUEGIANS.  16$ 

head  with  rushes.  Her  husband,  who  enjoyed  the  very  universal 
privilege  in  this  country  of  possessing  two  wives,  evidently  became 
jealous  of  all  the  attention  paid  to  his  young  wife ;  and,  after  a  con- 
sultation with  his  naked  beauties,  was  paddled  away  by  them. 

Some  of  the  Fuegians  plainly  showed  that  they  had  a  fair  notion  of 
barter.  I  gave  one  man  a  large  nail  (a  most  valuable  present)  without 
making  any  signs  for  a  return ;  but  he  immediately  picked  out  two 
fish,  and  handed  them  up  on  the  point  of  his  spear.  If  any  present 
was  designed  for  one  canoe,  and  it  fell  near  another,  it  was  invariably 
given  to  the  right  owner.  The  Fuegian  boy,  whom  Mr.  Low  had  on 
board,  showed,  by  going  into  the  most  violent  passion,  that  he  quite 
understood  the  reproach  of  being  called  a  liar,  which  in  truth  he  was. 
We  were  this  time,  as  on  all  former  occasions,  much  surprised  at  the 
little  notice,  or  rather  none  whatever,  which  was  taken  of  many  things, 
the  use  of  which  must  have  been  evident  to  the  natives.  Simple 
circumstances — such 'as  the  beauty  of  scarlet  cloth  or  blue  beads,  the 
absence  of  women,  our  care  in  washing  ourselves,— excited  their  admira- 
tion far  more  than  any  grand  or  complicated  object,  such  as  our  ship. 
Bougainville  has  well  remarked  concerning  these  people,  that  they 
treat  the  "  chef-d'ceuvres  de  1'industrie  humaine,  comme  ils  traitent  les 
loix  de  la  nature  et  ses  phenomenes." 

On  the  5th  of  March  we  anchored  in  the  cove  at  Woollya,  but  we 
saw  not  a  soul  there.  We  were  alarmed  at  this,  for  the  natives  in 
Ponsonby  Sound  showed  by  gestures,  that  there  had  been  fighting; 
and  we  afterwards  heard  that  the  dreaded  Oens  men  had  made  a 
descent.  Soon  a  canoe,  with  a  little  flag  flying,  was  seen  approaching, 
with  one  of  the  men  in  it  washing  the  paint  off  his  face.  This  man 
was  poor  Jemmy, — now  a  thin,  haggard  savage,  with  long  disordered 
hair,  and  naked,  except  a  bit  of  a  blanket  round  his  waist.  We  did 
not  recognize  him  till  he  was  close  to  us ;  for  he  was  ashamed  of  him- 
self, and  turned  his  back  to  the  ship.  We  had  left  him  plump,  fat, 
clean,  and  well  dressed ; — I  never  saw  so  complete  and  grievous  a 
change.  As  soon,  however,  as  he  was  clothed,  and  the  first  flurry  was 
over,  things  wore  a  good  appearance.  He  dined  with  Captain  Fitz 
Roy,  and  ate  his  dinner  as  tidily  as  formerly.  He  told  us  he  had  '  too 
much '  (meaning  enough)  to  eat,  that  he  was  not  cold,  that  his  relations 
were  very  good  people,  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  go  back  to  England ; 
in  the  evening  we  found  out  the  cause  of  this  great  change  in  Jemmy's 
feelings,  in  the  arrival  of  his  young  and  nice-looking  wife.  With  his 
usual  good  feeling,  he  brought  two  beautiful  otter-skins  for  two  of  his 
best  friends,  and  some  spear-heads  and  arrows  made  with  his  own 
hands  for  the  Captain.  He  said  he  had  built  a  canoe  for  himself,  and 
he  boasted  that  he  could  talk  a  little  of  his  own  language !  But  it 
is  a  most  singular  fact,  that  he  appears  to  have  taught  all  his  tribe 
some  English  :  an  old  man  spontaneously  announced  '  Jemmy  Button's 
wife.'  Jemmy  had  lost  all  his  property.  He  told  us  that  York  Minster 
had  built  a  large  canoe,  and  with  his  wife  Fuegia,*  had  several  months 
Captain  Sulivan,  who,  since  his  voyage  in  the  Beagle,  has  been  em- 
ployed on  the  survey  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  heard  from  a  sealer  in  (1842  ?), 


166  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [cat*.*. 

since  gone  to  his  own  country,  and  had  taken  farewell  by  an  act  of 
consummate  villainy;  he  persuaded  Jemmy  and  his  mother  to  come 
with  him,  and  then  on  the  way  deserted  them  by  night,  stealing  every 
article  of  their  property. 

Jemmy  went  to  sleep  on  shore,  and  in  the  morning  returned,  and 
remained  on  board  till  the  ship  got  under  weigh,  which  frightened  his 
wife,  who  continued  crying  violently  till  he  got  into  his  canoe.  He 
returned  loaded  with  valuable  property.  Every  soul  on  board  was 
heartily  sorry  to  shake  hands  with  him  for  the  last  time.  I  do  not  now 
doubt  that  he  will  be  as  happy  as,  perhaps  happier  than,  if  he  had 
never  left  his  own  country.  Every  one  must  sincerely  hope  that 
Captain  Fitz  Roy's  noble  hope  may  be  fulfilled,  of  being  rewarded  for 
the  many  generous  sacrifices  which  he  made  for  these  Fuegians,  by 
some  ship-wrecked  sailor  being  protected  by  the  descendants  of 
Jemmy  Button  and  his  tribe  I  When  Jemmy  reached  the  shore  he 
lighted  a  signal  fire,  and  the  smoke  curled  up,  bidding  us  a  last  and 
long  farewell,  as  the  ship  stood  on  her  course  into  the  open  sea. 

The  pei  feet  equality  among  the  individuals  composing  the  Fuegian 
tribes,  must  for  a  long  time  retard  their  civilization.  As  we  see  those 
animals,  whose  instinct  compels  them  to  live  in  society  and  obey  a 
chief,  are  most  capable  of  improvement,  so  is  it  with  the  races  of  man- 
kind. Whether  we  look  at  it  as  a  cause  or  a  consequence,  the  more 
civilized  always  have  the  most  artificial  governments.  For  instance, 
the  inhabitants  of  Otaheite,  who,  when  first  discovered,  were  governed 
by  hereditary  kings,  had  arrived  at  a  far  higher  grade  than  another 
branch  of  the  same  people,  the  New  Zealanders, — who,  although 
benefited  by  being  compelled  to  turn  their  attention  to  agriculture, 
were  republicans  in  the  most  absolute  sense.  In  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
until  some  chief  shall  arise  with  power  sufficient  to  secure  any 
acquired  advantage,  such  as  the  domesticated  animals,  it  seems  scarcely 
possible  that  the  political  state  of  the  country  can  be  improved.  At 
present,  even  a  piece  of  cloth  given  to  one  is  torn  into  shreds  and  dis- 
tributed ;  and  no  one  individual  becomes  richer  than  another.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  a  chief  can  arise  till  there  is 
property  of  some  sort  by  which  he  might  manifest  his  superiority  and 
increase  his  power. 

I  believe,  in  this  extreme  part  of  South  America,  man  exists  in  a 
lower  state  of  improvement  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  The 
South  Sea  Islanders  of  the  two  races  inhabiting  the  Pacific,  are  com- 
paratively civilized.  The  Esquimaux,  in  his  subterranean  hut,  enjoys 
some  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and  in  his  canoe,  when  fully  equipped, 
manifests  much  skill.  Some  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa,  prowling 
about  in  search  of  roots,  and  living  concealed  on  the  wild  and  arid  plains, 
are  sufficiently  wretched.  The  Australian,  in  the  simplicity  of  the 
that  when  in  the  western  part  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  he  was  astonished 
by  a  native  woman  coming  on  board,  who  could  talk  some  English. 
Without  doubt  this  was  Fuegia  Basket.  She  lived  (I  fear  the  term  probably 
bears  a  double  interpretation)  some  days  on  board, 


iS34-]  STRAIT  OF  MAGELLAN.  167 

arts  of  life,  comes  nearest  the  Fuegian ;  he  can,  however,  boast  of  his 
boomerang,  his  spear  and  throvving-stick,  his  method  of  climbing  trees, 
of  tracking  animals,  and  of  hunting.  Although  the  Australian  may  be 
superior  in  acquirements,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  he  is  likewise 
superior  in  mental  capacity ;  indeed,  from  what  I  saw  of  the  Fuegians 
when  on  board,  and  from  what  I  have  read  of  the  Australians,  I  should 
think  the  case  was  exactly  the  reverse. 


CHAPTER  XL 

STRAIT  OF  MAGELLAN.— CLIMATE  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  COASTS. 

Strait  of  Magellan— Port  Famine— Ascent  of  Mount  Tarn— Forests— Edible 
Fungus — Zoology — Great  Sea-weed — Leave  Tierra  del  Fuego — Climate 
— Fruit-trees  and  Productions  of  the  Southern  Coasts — Height  of  Snow- 
line  on  the  Cordilleri— Descent  of  Glaciers  to  the  Sea— Icebergs  formed 
— Transportal  of  Boulders — Climate  and  Productions  of  the  Antarctic 
Islands — Preservation  of  Frozen  Carcases — Recapitulation. 

IN  the  end  of  May,  1834,  we  entered  for  the  second  time  the  eastern 
mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  The  country  on  both  sides  of  this  part 
of  the  Strait  consists  of  nearly  level  plains,  like  those  of  Patagonia. 
Cape  Negro,  a  little  within  the  second  Narrows,  may  be  considered  as 
the  point  where  the  land  begins  to  assume  the  marked  features  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego.  On  the  east  coast,  south  of  the  Strait,  broken  park-like 
scenery  in  a  like  manner  connects  these  two  countries,  which  are 
opposed  to  each  other  in  almost  every  feature.  It  is  truly  surprising  to 
find  in  a  space  of  twenty  miles  such  a  change  in  the  landscape.  If  we 
take  a  rather  greater  distance,  as  between  Port  Famine  and  Gregory 
Bay,  that  is  about  sixty  miles,  the  difference  is  still  more  wonderful. 
At  the  former  place,  we  have  rounded  mountains  concealed  by  imper- 
vious forests,  which  are  drenched  with  the  rain,  brought  by  an  endless 
succession  of  gales ;  while  at  Cape  Gregory,  there  is  a  clear  and  bright 
blue  sky  over  the  dry  and  sterile  plains.  The  atmospheric  currents,  * 
although  rapid,  turbulent,  and  unconfined  by  any  apparent  limits,  yet 
seem  to  follow,  like  a  river  in  its  bed,  a  regularly  determined  course. 

During  our  previous  visit  (in  January),  we  had  an  interview  at  Cape 
Gregory  with  the  famous  so-called  gigantic  Patagonians,  who  gave  us  a 
cordial  reception.  Their  height  appears  greater  than  it  really  is,  from 

*  The  south-westerly  breezes  are  generally  very  dry.  January  agth, 
being  at  anchor  under  Cape  Gregory :  a  very  hard  gale  from  W.  by  S., 
clear  sky  with  few  cumuli ;  temperature  57°,  dew-point  36°, — difference  21°. 
On  January  1 5th,  at  Port  St.  Julian  :  in  the  morning  light  winds  with  much 
rain,  followed  by  a  very  heavy  squall  with  rain, — settled  into  heavy  gale 
with  large  cumuli, — cleared  up,  blowing  very  strong  from  S.S.W.  Temper*- 
ture  60°,  dew-point  42°,— difference  18°. 


168  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  H. 

their  large  guanaco  mantles,  their  long  flowing  hair,  and  general  figure ; 
on  an  average  their  height  is  about  six  feet,  with  some  men  taller  and 
only  a  few  shorter ;  and  the  women  are  also  tall ;  altogether  they  are 
certainly  the  tallest  race  which  we  anywhere  saw.  In  features  they 
strikingly  resemble  the  more  northern  Indians  whom  I  saw  with  Rosas, 
but  they  have  a  wilder  and  more  formidable  appearance ;  their  faces 
were  much  painted  with  red  and  black,  and  one  man  was  ringed  and 
dotted  with  white  like  a  Fuegian.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  offered  to  take  any 
three  of  them  on  board,  and  all  seemed  determined  to  be  of  the  three. 
It  was  long  before  we  could  clear  the  boat;  at  last  we  got  on  board  with 
our  three  giants,  who  dined  with  the  Captain,  and  behaved  quite  like 
gentlemen,  helping  themselves  with  knives,  forks,  and  spoons ;  nothing 
was  so  much  relished  as  sugar.  This  tribe  has  had  so  much  communi- 
cation with  sealers  and  whalers,  that  most  of  the  men  can  speak  a  little 
English  and  Spanish;  and  they  are  half  civilized,  and  proportionally 
demoralized. 

The  next  morning  a  large  party  went  on  shore  to  barter  for  skins 
and  ostrich-feathers;  firearms  being  refused,  tobacco  was  in  greatest 
request,  far  more  so  than  axes  or  tools.  The  whole  population  of  the 
toldos,  men,  women,  and  children,  were  arranged  on  a  bank.  It  was  an 
amusing  scene,  and  it  was  impossible  not  to  like  the  so-called  giants, 
they  were  so  thoroughly  good-humoured  and  unsuspecting ;  they  asked 
us  to  come  again.  They  seem  to  like  to  have  Europeans  to  live  with 
them ;  and  old  Maria,  an  important  woman  in  the  tribe,  once  begged 
Mr.  Low  to  leave  any  one  of  his  sailors  with  them.  They  spend  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  here ;  but  in  summer  they  hunt  along  the  foot  of 
the  Cordillera ;  sometimes  they  travel  as  far  as  the  Rio  Negro,  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  north.  They  are  well  stocked  with 
horses,  each  man  having,  according  to  Mr.  Low,  six  or  seven,  and  all 
the  women,  and  even  children,  their  one  own  horse.  In  the  time  of 
Sarmiento  (i58o),these  Indians  had  bows  and  arrows,  now  long  since  dis- 
used ;  they  then  also  possessed  some  horses.  This  is  a  very  curious  fact, 
showing  the  extraordinarily  rapid  multiplication  of  horses  in  South 
America.  The  horse  was  first  landed  at  Buenos  Ayres  in  1537,  and  the 
colony  being  then  for  a  time  deserted,  the  horse  ran  wild;*  in  1580, 
only  forty-three  years  afterwards,  we  hear  of  them  at  the  Strait  of 
Magellan !  Mr.  Low  informs  me,  that  a  neighbouring  tribe  of  foot- 
Indians  is  now  changing  into  horse-Indians  ;  the  tribe  at  Gregory  Bay 
giving  them  their  worn-out  horses,  and  sending  in  winter  a  few  of  their 
best  skilled  men  to  hunt  for  them. 

June  ist. — We  anchored  in  the  fine  bay  of  Port  Famine.  It  was  now 
the  beginning  of  winter,  and  I  never  saw  a  more  cheerless  prospect ; 
the  dusky  woods,  piebald  with  snow,  could  be  only  seen  indistinctly 
through  a  drizzling  hazy  atmosphere.  We  were,  however,  lucky  in 
getting  two  fine  days.  On  one  of  these,  Mount  Sarmiento,  a  distant 
mountain  6,800  feet  high,  presented  a  very  noble  spectacle.  I  was 
tiequently  surprised,  in  the  scenery  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  at  the  little 
apparent  elevation  of  mountains  really  lofty.  I  suspect  it  is  owing  to 
*  Rengger,  "Natur.  der.  Saeugethiere  von  Paraguay."  S.  534. 


1834.]  PORT  FAMINE.  ^ 

a  cause  which  would  not  at  first  be  imagined,  namely,  that  the  whole 
mass,  from  the  summit  to  the  water's  edge,  is  generally  in  full  view. 
I  remember  having  seen  a  mountain,  first  from  the  Beagle  Channel, 
where  the  whole  sweep  from  the  summit  to  the  bas«  was  full  in  view, 
and  then  from  Ponsonby  Sound  across  several  successive  ridges ; 
and  it  was  curious  to  observe  in  the  latter  case,  as  each  fresh  ridge 
afforded  fresh  means  of  judging  of  the  distance,  how  the  mountain  rose 
in  height. 

Before  reaching  Port  Famine,  two  men  were  seen  running  along  the 
shore  and  hailing  the  ship.  A  boat  was  sent  for  them.  They  turned 
out  to  be  two  sailors  who  had  run  away  from  a  sealing-vessel,  and  had 
joined  the  Patagonians.  These  Indians  had  treated  them  with  their 
usual  disinterested  hospitality.  They  had  parted  company  through 
accident,  and  were  then  proceeding  to  Port  Famine  in  hopes  of  finding 
some  ship.  I  daresay  they  were  worthless  vagabonds,  but  I  never  saw 
more  miserable-looking  ones.  They  had  been  living  for  some  days  on 
mussel-shells  and  berries,  and  their  tattered  clothes  had  been  burnt  by 
sleeping  so  near  their  fires.  They  had  been  exposed  night  and  day, 
without  any  shelter,  to  the  late  incessant  gales,  with  rain,  sleet,  and 
snow,  and  yet  they  were  in  good  health. 

During  our  stay  at  Port  Famine,  the  Fuegians  twice  came  and 
plagued  us.  As  there  were  many  instruments,  clothes,  and  men  on 
shore,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  frighten  them  away.  The  first  time 
a  few  great  guns  were  fired,  when  they  were  far  distant.  It  was  most 
ludicrous  to  watch  through  a  glass  the  Indians,  as  often  as  the  shot 
struck  the  water,  take  up  stones,  and  as  a  bold  defiance,  throw  them 
towards  the  ship,  though  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant !  A  boat  was 
then  sent  with  orders  to  fire  a  few  musket-shots  wide  of  them.  The 
Fuegians  hid  themselves  behind  the  trees,  and  for  every  discharge  of 
the  muskets  they  fired  their  arrows ;  all,  however,  fell  short  of  the  boat, 
and  the  officer  as  he  pointed  at  them  laughed.  This  made  the  Fuegians 
frantic  with  passion,  and  they  shook  their  mantles  in  vain  rage.  At  last, 
seeing  the  balls  cut  and  strike  the  trees,  they  ran  away,  and  we  were 
left  in  peace  and  quietness.  During  the  former  voyage  the  Fuegians 
were  here  very  troublesome,  and  to  frighten  them  a  rocket  was  fired  at 
night  over  their  wigwams ;  it  answered  effectually,  and  one  of  the 
officers  told  me  that  the  clamour  first  raised,  and  the  barking  of  the 
dogs,  was  quite  ludicrous  in  contrast  with  the  profound  silence,  which 
in  a  minute  or  two  afterwards  prevailed.  The  next  morning  not  a 
single  Fuegian  was  in  the  neighbourhood. 

When  the  Beagle  was  here  in  the  month  of  February,  I  started  one 
morning  at  four  o'clock  to  ascend  Mount  Tarn,  which  is  2,600  feet 
high,  and  is  the  most  elevated  point  in  this  immediate  district.  We 
went  in  a  boat  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  (but  unluckily  not  to  the 
best  part),  and  then  began  our  ascent.  The  forest  commences  at 
the  line  of  high-water  mark,  and  during  the  first  two  hours  I  gave 
over  all  hopes  of  reaching  the  summit.  So  thick  was  the  wood,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  have  constant  recourse  to  the  compass ;  for  every  land- 
mark, though  in  a  mountainous  country,  was  completely  shut  out.  la 


170  T1ERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xl. 

the  deep  ravines,  the  death-like  scene  of  desolation  exceeded  all  de- 
scription ;  outside  it  was  blowing  a  gale,  but  in  these  hollows,  not  even 
a  breath  of  wind  stirred  the  leaves  of  the  tallest  trees.  So  gloomy, 
cold,  and  wet  was  every  part,  that  not  even  the  fungi,  mosses,  or  ferns 
could  flourish.  In  the  valleys  it  was  scarcely  possible  .to  crawl  along, 
they  were  so  completely  barricaded  by  great  mouldering  trunks,  which 
had  fallen  down  in  every  direction.  When  passing  over  these  natural 
bridges,  one's  course  was  often  arrested  by  sinking  knee  deep  into  the 
rotten  wood ;  at  other  times,  when  attempting  to  lean  against  a  firm 
tree,  one  was  startled  by  finding  a  mass  of  decayed  matter  ready  to.  fall  at 
the  slightest  touch.  We  at  last  found  ourselves  among  the  stunted 
trees,  and  then  soon  reached  the  bare  ridge,  which  conducted  us  to  the 
summit.  Here  was  a  view  characteristic  of  Tierra  del  Fuego ;  irregular 
chains  of  hills,  mottled  with  patches  of  snow,  deep  yellowish-green 
valleys,  and  arms  of  the  sea  intersecting  the  land  in  many  directions. 
The  strong  wind  was  piercingly  cold,  and  the  atmosphere  rather  hazy, 
so  that  we  did  not  stay  long  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Our  descent 
was  not  quite  so  laborious  as  our  ascent ;  for  the  weight  of  the  body 
forced  a  passage,  and  all  the  slips  and  falls  were  in  the  right  direction. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  sombre  and  dull  character  of  the  ever- 
green forests,  *  in  which  two  or  three  species  of  trees  grow,  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  others.  Above  the  forest  land,  there  are  many  dwarf 
alpine  plants,  which  all  spring  from  the  mass  of  peat,  and  help  to 
compose  it ;  these  plants  are  very  remarkable  from  their  close  alliance 
with  the  species  growing  on  the  mountains  of  Europe,  though  so  many 
thousand  miles  distant.  The  central  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  where 
the  clay-slate  formation  occurs,  is  most  favourable  to  the  growth  of 
trees  ;  on  the  outer  coast  the  poorer  granitic  soil,  and  a  situation  more 
exposed  to  the  violent  winds,  do  not  allow  of  their  attaining  any  great 
size.  Near  Port  Famine  I  have  seen  more  large  trees  than  anywhere 
else:  I  measured  a  Winter's  Bark  which  was  four  feet  six  inches  in 
girth,  and  several  of  the  beech  were  as  much  as  thirteen  feet.  Captain 
King  also  mentions  a  beech  which  was  seven  feet  in  diameter  seventeen 
feet  above  the  roots. 

There  is  one  vegetable  production  deserving  notice  from  its  import- 
ance as  an  article  of  food  to  the  Fuegians.  It  is  a  globular,  bright-yellow 
fungus,  which  grows  in  vast  numbers  on  the  beech-trees.  When  young 
it  is  elastic  and  turgid,  with  a  smooth  surface ;  but  when  mature  it 
shrinks,  becomes  tougher,  and  has  its  entire  surface  deeply  pitted  or 
honeycombed,  as  represented  in  the  accompanying  woodcut.  This 

*  Captain  Fitz  Roy  informs  me  that  in  April  (our  October),  the  leaves  of 
those  trees  which  grow  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  change  colour,  but 
not  those  on  the  more  elevated  parts.  I  remember  haying  read  some  obser- 
vations, showing  that  in  England  the  leaves  fall  earlier  in  a  warm  and  fine 
autumn,  than  in  a  late  and  cold  one.  The  change  in  the  colour  being  here 
retarded  in  the  more  elevated,  and  therefore  colder  situations,  must  be 
owing  to  the  same  general  law  of  vegetation.  The  trees  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
during  no  part  of  the  year  entirely  shed  their  leaves. 


I834-]  ZOOLOGY.  171 

fungus  belongs  to  a  new  and  curious  genus ;  *  I  found  a  second 
species  on  another  species  of  beech  in  Chile  ;  and  Dr.  Hooker  informs 
me,  that  just  lately  a  third  species  has  been  discovered  on  a  third 
species  of  beech  in  Van  Diemen's  Land.  How  singular  is  this  rela- 
tionship between  parasitical  fungi  and  the  trees  on  which  they  grow, 
in  distant  parts  of  the  world!  In  Tierra 
del  Fuego  the  fungus  in  its  tough  and  mature 
state  is  collected  in  large  quantities  by  the 
women  and  children,  and  is  eaten  uncooked. 
It  has  a  mucilaginous,  slightly  sweet  taste, 
with  a  faint  smell  like  that  of  a  mushroom. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  berries,  chiefly 
of  a  dwarf  arbutus,  the  natives  eat  no  vege- 
table food  beside  this  fungus.  In  New  Zea- 
land, before  the  introduction  of  the  potato, 
the  roots  of  the  fern  were  largely  consumed ; 
at  the  present  time,  I  believe,  Tierra  del 
Fuego  is  the  only  country  in  the  world  where 
a  cryptogamic  plant  affords  a  staple  article  of  food. 

The  zoology  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  as  might  have  been  expected  trom 
the  nature  of  its  climate  and  vegetation,  is  very  poor.  Of  mammalia, 
besides  whales  and  seals,  there  is  one  bat,  a  kind  of  mouse  (Reithrodon 
chinchilloides),  two  true  mice,  a  ctenomys  allied  to  or  identical  with  the 
tucutuco,  two  foxes  (Canis  Magellanicus  and  C.  Azarae),  a  sea-otter,  the 
guanaco,  and  a  deer.  Most  of  these  animals  inhabit  only  the  drier 
eastern  parts  of  the  country  ;  and  the  deer  has  never  been  seen  south  of 
the  Strait  of  Magellan.  Observing  the  general  correspondence  of  the 
cliffs  of  soft  sandstone,  mud,  and  shingle,  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the 
Strait,  and  on  some  intervening  islands,  one  is  strongly  tempted  to 
believe  that  the  land  was  once  joined,  and  thus  allowed  animals  so 
delicate  and  helpless  as  the  tucutuco  and  Reithrodon  to  pass  over. 
The  correspondence  of  the  cliffs  is  far  from  proving  any  junction ; 
because  such  cliffs  generally  are  formed  by  the  intersection  of  sloping 
deposits,  which,  before  the  elevation  of  the  land,  had  been  accumulated 
near  the  then  existing  shores.  It  is,  however,  a  remarkable  coincidence, 
that  in  the  two  large  islands  cut  off  by  the  Beagle  Channel  from  the 
rest  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  one  has  cliffs  composed  of  matter  that  may 
be  called  stratified  alluvium,  which  front  similar  ones  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  channel, — while  the  other  is  exclusively  bordered  by  old 
crystalline  rocks :  in  the  former,  called  Navarin  Island,  both  foxes  and 
guanacos  occur;  but  in  the  latter,  Hoste  Island,  although  similar 
in  every  respect,  and  only  separated  by  a  channel  a  little  more  than 
half  a  mile  wide,  I  have  the  word  of  Jemmy  Button  for  saying,  that 
neither  of  these  animals  are  found. 

The  gloomy  woods  are  inhabited  by  few  birds ;  occasionally  the 

*  Described  from  my  specimens,  and  notes  by  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Berkeley,  in 
the  Linnean  Transactions  (vol.  xix.,  p.  37),  under  the  name  of  Cyttaria 
Darwinii :  the  Chilian  species  is  the  C.  Berteroii.  This  genus  is  allied  tA 
Bulgaria. 


172  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  XL 

plaintive  note  of  a  white-tufted  tyrant-flycatcher  (Myiobius  albiceps) 
may  be  heard,  concealed  near  the  summit  of  the  most  lofty  trees  ;  and 
more  rarely  the  loud  strange  cry  of  a  black  woodpecker,  with  a  fine 
scarlet  crest  on  its  head.  A  little,  dusky-coloured  wren  (Scytalopus 
Magellanicus)  hops  in  a  skulking  manner  among  the  entangled  mass 
of  the  fallen  and  decaying  trunks.  But  the  creeper  (Oxyurus  tupinieri) 
is  the  commonest  bird  in  the  country.  Throughout  the  beech  forests, 
high  up  and  low  down,  in  the  most  gloomy,  wet,  and  impenetrable 
ravines,  it  may  be  met  with.  This  little  bird  no  doubt  appears  more 
numerous  than  it  really  is,  from  its  habit  of  following  with  seeming 
curiosity  any  person  who  enters  these  silent  woods ;  continually  utter- 
ing a  harsh  twitter,  it  flutters  from  tree  to  tree,  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  intruder's  face.  It  is  far  from  wishing  for  the  modest  concealment 
of  the  true  creeper  (Certhia  familiaris)  ;  nor  does  it,  like  that  bird,  run 
up  the  trunks  of  trees,  but  industriously,  after  the  manner  of  a  willow- 
wren,  hops  about,  and  searches  for  insects  on  every  twig  and  branch. 
In  the  more  open  parts,  three  or  four  species  of  finches,  a  thrush, 
a  starling  (or  Icterus),  two  Opetiorhynchi,  and  several  hawks  and  owls 
occur. 

The  absence  of  any  species  whatever  in  the  whole  class  of  Reptiles, 
is  a  marked  feature  in  the  zoology  of  this  country,  as  well  as  in  that 
of  the  Falkland  Islands.  I  do  not  ground  this  statement  merely  on 
my  own  observation,  but  I  heard  it  from  the  Spanish  inhabitants  of 
the  latter  place,  and  from  Jemmy  Button  with  regard  to  Tierra  del 
Fuego.  On  the  banks  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  in  50°  south,  I  saw  a  frog ; 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  these  animals,  as  well  as  lizards,  may 
be  found  as  far  south  as  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  where  the  country 
retains  the  character  of  Patagonia;  but  within  the  damp  and  cold  limit 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego  not  one  occurs.  That  the  climate  would  not  have 
suited  some  of  the  orders,  such  as  lizards,  might  have  been  foreseen ; 
but  with  respect  to  frogs,  this  was  not  so  obvious. 

Beetles  occur  in  very  small  numbers:  it  was  long  before  I  could 
believe  that  a  country  as  large  as  Scotland,  covered  with  vegetable 
productions  and  with  a  variety  of  stations,  could  be  so  unproductive. 
The  few  which  I  found  were  alpine  species  (Harpalidae  and  Hete- 
romidae)  living  under  stones.  The  vegetable-feeding  Chrysomelidse, 
so  eminently  characteristic  of  the  Tropics,  are  here  almost  entirely 
absent  ;*  I  saw  very  few  flies,  butterflies,  or  bees,  and  no  crickets  or 
Orthoptera.  In  the  pools  of  water  I  found  but  few  aquatic  beetles, 
and  not  any  fresh-water  shells :  Succinea  at  first  appears  an  exception ; 

*  I  believe  I  must  except  one  alpine  Haltica,  and  a  single  specimen  of  a 
Melasoma.  Mr.  Waterhou^e  informs  me,  that  of  the  Harpalidae  there  are 
eight  or  nine  species — the  forms  of  the  greater  number  being  very  peculiar ; 
of  Heteromera,  four  or  five  species ;  of  Rhyncophora  six  or  seven ;  and 
of  the  following  families  one  species  in  each :  Staphylinidae,  Elateridas, 
Cebrionidae,  Melolonthidse.  The  species  in  the  other  orders  arc  even  fewer. 
In  all  the  orders,  the  scarcity  of  the  individuals  is  even  more  remarkable 
than  that  of  the  species.  Most  of  the  Coleoptera  have  been  carefully  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Waterfaouse  in  the  "Annals  of  Natural  History." 


1834-1  GREAT  SEA-WEED.  273 

but  here  it  must  be  called  a  terrestrial  shell,  for  it  lives  on  the  damp 
herbage  far  from  water.  Land-shells  could  be  procured  only  in  the 
same  alpine  situations  with  the  beetles.  I  have  already  contrasted 
the  climate  as  well  as  the  general  appearance  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
with  that  of  Patagonia;  and  the  difference  is  strongly  exemplified  in 
the  entomology.  I  do  not  believe  they  have  one  species  in  common ; 
certainly  the  general  character  of  the  insects  is  widely  different. 

If  we  turn  from  the  land  to  the  sea,  we  shall  find  the  latter  as 
abundantly  stocked  with  living  creatures  as  the  former  is  poorly  so. 
In  all  parts  of  the  world  a  rocky  and  partially  protected  shore  perhaps 
supports,  in  a  given  space,  a  greater  number  of  individual  animals  than 
any  other  station.  There  is  one  marine  production,  which  from  its 
importance  is  worthy  of  a  particular  history.  It  is  the  kelp,  or  Macro- 
cystis  pyrifera.  This  plant  grows  on  every  rock  from  low-water  mark 
to  a  great  depth,  both  on  the  outer  coast  and  within  the  channels.*  I 
believe,  during  the  voyages  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle,  not  one  rock 
near  the  surface  was  discovered  which  was  not  buoyed  by  this  floating 
weed.  The  good  service  it  thus  affords  to  vessels  navigating  near  this 
stormy  land  is  evident ;  and  it  certainly  has  saved  many  a  one  from 
being  wrecked.  I  know  few  things  more  surprising  than  to  see  this 
plant  growing  ar.d  flourishing  amidst  those  great  breakers  of  the  western 
ocean,  which  no  mass  of  rock,  let  it  be  ever  so  hard,  can  long  resist. 
The  stem  is  round,  slimy,  and  smooth,  and  seldom  has  a  diameter  of  so 
much  as  an  inch.  A  few  taken  together  are  sufficiently  strong  to  support 
the  weight  of  the  large  loose  stones,  to  which  in  the  inland  channels 
they  grow  attached ;  and  yet  some  of  these  stones  were  so  heavy  that 
when  drawn  to  the  surface,  they  could  scarcely  be  lifted  into  a  boat  by 
one  person.  Captain  Cook,  in  his  second  voyage,  says,  that  this  plant 
at  Kerguelen  Land  rises  from  a  greater  depth  than  twenty-four  fathoms  ; 
"  and  as  it  does  not  grow  in  a  perpendicular  direction,  but  makes  a  very 
acute  angle  with  the  bottom,  and  much  of  it  afterwards  spreads  many 
fathoms  on  the  surface  of  the  sea,  I  am  well  warranted  to  say  that  some 
of  it  grows  to  the  length  of  sixty  fathoms  and  upwards."  I  do  not 
suppose  the  stem  of  any  other  plant  attains  so  great  a  length  as  three 
hundred  and  sixty  feet,  as  stated  by  Captain  Cook.  Captain  Fitz  Roy, 
moreover,  found  it  growing  f  up  from  the  greater  depth  of  forty-five 

*  Its  geographical  range  is  remarkbly  wide;  it  is  found  from  the 
extreme  southern  islets  near  Cape  Horn,  as  far  north  on  the  eastern  coast 
(according  to  information  given  me  by  Mr._  Stokes)  at  lat.  43°, — but  on 
the  western  coast,  as  Dr.  Hooker  tells  me,'  it  extends  to  the  Rio  San 
Francisco  in  California,  and  perhaps  even  to  Kamtschatka.  We  thus  have 
an  immense  range  in  latitude;  and  as  Cook,  who  must  have  been  wt:ll 
acquainlsd  with  the  species,  found  it  at  Kerguelen  Land,  no  less  than  140° 
in  longitude. 

f  "  Voyages  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle"  vol.  i.,  p.  363. — It  appears  that 
sea- weed  grows  extremely  quick.  Mr.  Stephenson  found  (Wilson's  "  Voyage 
round  Scotland,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  228)  that  a  rock  uncovered  only  at  spring-tides, 
which  had  been  chiselled  smooth  in  November,  on  the  following  May,  that 
is  within  six  months  afterwards,  was  thickly  covered  with  Fucus  digitatus 
two  feet,  and  F.  esculentus  six  feet,  in  length. 


174  T1ERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  [CHAP.  xi. 

fathoms.  The  beds  of  this  sea-weed,  even  when  of  not  great  breadth, 
make  excellent  natural  floating  breakwaters.  It  is  quite  curious  to  see, 
in  an  exposed  harbour,  how  soon  the  waves  from  the  open  sea,  as  they 
travel  through  the  straggling  stems,  sink  in  height,  and  pass  into  smooth 
water. 

The  number  of  living  creatures  of  all  Orders,  whose  existence 
intimately  depends  on  the  kelp,  is  wonderful.  A  great  volume  might  be 
written,  describing  the  inhabitants  of  one  of  these  beds  of  sea-weed. 
Almost  all  the  leaves,  excepting  those  that  float  on  the  surface,  are  so 
thickly  incrusted  with  corallines  as  to  be  of  a  white  colour.  We  find 
exquisitely  delicate  structures,  some  inhabited  by  simple  hydra-like 
polypi,  others  by  more  organized  kinds,  and  beautiful  compound  Ascidiae. 
On  the  leaves,  also,  various  patelliform  shells,  Trochi,  uncovered 
molluscs,  and  some  bivalves  are  attached.  Innumerable  Crustacea 
Irequent  every  part  of  the  plant.  On  shaking  the  great  entangled  roots, 
a  pile  of  small  fish,  shells,  cuttle-fish,  crabs  of  all  orders,  sea-eggs,  star- 
fish, beautiful  Holuthurise,  Planariae,  and  crawling  nereidous  animals  of 
a  multitude  of  forms,  all  fall  out  together.  Often  as  I  recurred  to  a 
branch  of  the  kelp,  I  never  failed  to  discover  animals  of  new  and  curious 
structures.  In  Chiloe,  where  the  kelp  does  not  thrive  very  well,  the 
numerous  shells,  corallines,  and  Crustacea  are  absent;  but  there  yet 
remain  a  few  of  the  Flustraceae,  and  some  compound  Ascidise ;  the 
latter,  however,  are  of  different  species  from  those  in  Tierra  del  Fuego ; 
we  here  see  the  fucus  possessing  a  wider  range  than  the  animals  which 
use  it  as  an  abode.  I  can  only  compare  these  great  aquatic  forests  of 
the  southern  hemisphere,  with  the  terrestrial  ones  in  the  intertropical 
regions.  Yet  if  in  any  country  a  forest  was  destroyed,  I  do  not  believe 
nearly  so  many  species  of  animals  would  perish  as  would  here,  from  the 
destruction  of  the  kelp.  Amidst  the  leaves  of  this  plant  numerous 
species  of  fish  live,  which  nowhere  else  could  find  food  or  shelter ;  with 
their  destruction  the  many  cormorants  and  other  fishing  birds,  the 
otters,  seals,  and  porpoises,  would  soon  perish  also ;  and  lastly,  the 
Fuegian  savage,  the  miserable  lord  of  this  miserable  land,  would 
redouble  his  cannibal  feast,  decrease  in  numbers,  and  perhaps  cease 
to  exist. 

June  $>th. — We  weighed  anchor  early  in  the  morning  and  left  Port 
Famine.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  leave  the  Strait  of  Magellan 
by  the  Magdalen  Channel,  which  had  not  long  been  discovered.  Our 
course  lay  due  south,  down  that  gloomy  passage  which  I  have  before 
alluded  to,  as  appearing  to  lead  to  another  and  worse  world.  The 
wind  was  fair,  but  the  atmosphere  was  very  thick ;  so  that  we  missed 
much  curious  scenery.  The  dark  ragged  clouds  were  rapidly  driven 
over  the  mountains,  from  their  summits  nearly  down  to  their  bases. 
The  glimpses  which  we  caught  through  the  dusky  mass,  were  highly 
interesting  ;  jagged  points,  cones  of  snow,  blue  glaciers,  strong  outlines, 
marked  on  a  lurid  sky,  were  seen  at  different  distances  and  heights.  In 
the  midst  of  such  scenery  we  anchored  at  Cape  Turn,  close  to  Mount 
Saimiento,  which  was  then  hidden  in  the  clouds.  At  the  base  of  the 
loity  and  almost  perpendicular  sides  of  our  little  cove  there  was  one 


1834.]  MOUNT  SARMIENTO.  175 

deserted  wigwam,  and  it  alone  reminded  us  that  man  sometimes 
wandered  into  these  desolate  regions.  But  it  would  be  difficult  to 
imagine  a  scene  where  he  seemed  to  have  fewer  claims  or  less  authority. 
The  inanimate  works  of  nature — rock,  ice,  snow,  wind,  and  water — all 
warring  with  each  other,  yet  combined  against  man — here  reigned  in 
absolute  sovereignty. 

June  gth. — In  the  morning  we  were  delighted  by  seeing  the  veil  of 
mist  gradually  rise  from  Sarmiento,  and  display  it  to  our  view.  This 
mountain,  which  is  one  of  the  highest  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  has  an 
altitude  of  6,800  feet.  Its  base,  for  about  an  eighth  of  its  total  height, 
is  clothed  by  dusky  woods,  and  above  this  a  field  of  snow  extends  to 
the  summit.  These  vast  piles  of  snow,  which  never  melt,  and  seem 
destined  to  last  as  long  as  the  world  holds  together,  present  a  noble 
and  even  sublime  spectacle.  The  outline  of  the  mountain  was  admirably 
clear  and  defined.  Owing  to  the  abundance  of  light  reflected  from  the 
white  and  glittering  surface,  no  shadows  were  cast  on  any  part ;  and 
those  lines  which  intersected  the  sky  could  alone  be  distinguished ; 
hence  the  mass  stood  out  in  the  boldest  relief.  Several  glaciers 
descended  in  a  winding  course  from  the  upper  great  expanse  of  snow 
to  the  sea-coast :  they  may  be  likened  to  great  frozen  Niagaras  ; 
and  perhaps  these  cataracts  of  blue  ice  are  full  as  beautiful  as 
the  moving  ones  of  water.  By  night  we  reached  the  western  part  of 
the  channel ;  but  the  water  was  so  deep  that  no  anchorage  could 
be  found.  We  were  in  consequence  obliged  to  stand  off  and  on  in 
this  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  during  a  pitch-dark  night  of  fourteen 
hours  long. 

June  loth. — In  the  morning  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  into  the 
open  Pacific.  The  western  coast  generally  consists  of  low,  rounded, 
quite  barren  hills  of  granite  and  greenstone.  Sir  J.  Narborough  called 
one  part  South  Desolation,  because  it  is  "so  desolate  a  land  to  behold;" 
and  well  indeed  might  he  say  so.  Outside  the  main  islands,  there  are 
numberless  scattered  rocks  on  which  the  long  swell  of  the  open 
ocean  incessantly  rages.  We  passed  out  between  the  East  and 
West  Furies;  and  a  little  farther  northward  there  are  so  many 
breakers  that  the  sea  is  called  the  Milky  Way.  One  sight  of  such  a 
coast  is  enough  to  make  a  landsman  dream  for  a  week  about  ship- 
wrecks, peril,  and  death;  and  with  this  sight  we  bade  farewell  foi 
ever  to  Tierra  del  Fuego. 

The  following  discussion  on  the  climate  of  the  southern  parts  of  the 
continent  with  relation  to  its  productions,  on  the  snow-line,  on  the 
extraordinarily  low  descent  of  the  glaciers,  and  on  the  zone  of  perpetual 
congelation  in  the  antarctic  islands,  may  be  passed  over  by  any  one  not 
interested  in  these  curious  subjects,  or  the  final  recapitulation  alone 
may  be  read.  I  shall,  however,  here  give  only  an  abstract,  and  must 
refer  for  details  to  the  thirteenth  chapter  and  the  Appendix  of  the 
former  edition  of  this  work. 

On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  of  the 
South-west  Coast, — The  following  table  gives  the  mean  temperature  of 


176  CLIMATE  AND  PRODUCTIONS  OF  CHAP.  u. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  Falkland  Islands,  and,  for  comparison,  that  of 
Dublin  :— 

Summer        WinUr     Mean  of  Summer 
Temp.  Temp.  and  Winter.   _. 

Tierra  del  Fuego     ;     \    53°38'S.       50°  33° '08  41°  -54 

Falkland  Islands      ,      «    51    30  S.        51  —  — 

Dublin S3  21 N.       59-54       39  'a  49  '37 

Hence  we  see  that  the  central  part  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  is  colder  in 
winter,  and  no  less  than  9^°  less  hot  in  summer,  than  Dublin.  Accord- 
ing to  Von  Buch  the  mean  temperature  of  July  (not  the  hottest  month 
in  the  year)  at  Saltenfiord  in  Norway,  is  as  high  as  57°'8,  and  this  place 
is  actually  13°  nearer  the  pole  than  Port  Famine!*  Inhospitable  as 
this  climate  appears  to  our  feelings,  evergreen  trees  flourish  luxuriantly 
under  it.  Humming-birds  may  be  seen  sucking  the  flowers,  and 
parrots  feeding  on  the  seeds  of  the  Winter's  Bark,  in  lat.  55°  S.  I 
have  already  remarked  to  what  a  degree  the  sea  swarms  with  living 
creatures ;  and  the  shells  (such  as  the  Patellae,  Fissurellae,  Chitons, 
and  Barnacles),  according  to  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  are  of  a  much  larger 
size,  and  of  a  more  vigorous  growth,  than  the  analogous  species  in  the 
northern  hemisphere.  A  large  Voluta  is  abundant  in  southern  Tierra 
del  Fuego  and  the  Falkland  Islands.  At  Bahia  Blancha,  in  lat.  39°  S., 
the  most  abundant  shells  were  three  species  of  Oliva  (one  of  large 
size),  one  or  two  Volutas,  and  a  Terebra.  Now  these  are  amongst  the 
best  characterised  tropical  forms.  It  is  doubtful  whether  even  one 
small  species  of  Oliva  exists  on  the  southern  shores  of  Europe,  and 
there  are  no  species  of  the  two  other  genera.  If  a  geologist  were  to 
find  in  lat.  39°  on  the  coast  of  Portugal,  a  bed  containing  numerous 
shells  belonging  to  three  species  of  Oliva,  to  a  Voluta  and  Terebra,  he 
would  probably  assert  that  the  climate  at  the  period  of  their  existence 
must  have  been  tropical ;  but  judging  from  South  America,  such  an 
inference  might  be  erroneous. 

The  equable,  humid,  and  windy  climate  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  extends, 
with  only  a  small  increase  of  heat,  for  many  degrees  along  the  west 
coast  of  the  continent.  The  forests,  for  600  miles  northward  of  Cape 
Horn,  have  a  very  similar  aspect.  As  a  proof  of  the  equable  climate, 
even  for  300  or  400  miles  still  further  northward,  I  may  mention  that 
in  Chiloe  (corresponding  in  latitude  with  the  northern  parts  of  Spain) 
the  peach  seldom  produces  fruit,  whilst  strawberries  and  apples  thrive 
to  perfection.  Even  the  crops  of  barley  and  wheat  f  are  often  brought 
into  the  houses  to  be  dried  and  ripened.  At  Valdivia  (in  the  same 

*  With  respect  to  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  results  are  deduced  from  the 
observations  by  Captain  King  (Geographical  Journal,  1830),  and  those  taken 
on  board  the  Beagle.  For  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  am  indebted  to  Captain 
Sulivan  for  the  mean  of  the  mean  temperature  (reduced  from  careful  ob- 
servation at  midnight,  8  A.M.,  noon,  and  8  P.M.)  of  the  three  hottest  months^ 
viz.,  December,  January,  and  February.  The  temperature  of  Dublin  is  taken 
from  Barton. 

f  Agueros,  "Descrip.  Hist,  de  la  Prov.  de  Chilo^,"  1791,  p.  94, 


1834.]      TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO  AND  THE  WEST  COAST.          if? 

latitude  of  40°,  with  Madrid)  grapes  and  figs  ripen,  but  are  not  common  , 
olives  seldom  ripen  even  partially,  and  oranges  not  at  all.  These  fruits, 
in  corresponding  latitudes  in  Europe,  are  well  known  to  succeed  to 
perfection  ;  and  even  in  this  continent,  at  the  Rio  Negro,  under  nearly 
the  same  parallel  with  Valdivia,  sweet  potatoes  (convolvulus)  are 
cultivated  ;  and  grapes,  figs,  olives,  oranges,  water  and  musk  melons, 
produce  abundant  fruit.  Although  the  humid  and  equable  climate  of 
Chiloe,  and  of  the  coast  northward  and  southward  of  it,  is  so  unfavour- 
able to  our  fruits,  yet  the  native  forests,  from  lat.  45°  to  38°,  almost 
rival  in  luxuriance  those  of  the  glowing  intertropical  regions.  Stately 
trees  of  many  kinds,  with  smooth  and  highly  coloured  barks,  are  loaded 
by  parasitical  monocotyledonous  plants  ;  large  and  elegant  ferns  are 
numerous,  and  arborescent  grasses  entwine  the  trees  into  one  entangled 
mass  to  the  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  Palm-trees 
grow  in  lat.  37°  ;  an  arborescent  grass,  very  like  a  bamboo,  in  40°  ;  and 
another  closely  allied  kind,  of  great  length,  but  not  erect,  flourishes 
even  as  far  south  as  45°  S. 

An  equable  climate,  evidently  due  to  the  large  area  of  sea  compared 
with  the  land,  seems  to  extend  over  the  greater  part  of  the  southern 
hemisphere  ;  and  as  a  consequence,  the  vegetation  partakes  of  a  semi- 
tropical  character.  Tree-ferns  thrive  luxuriantly  in  Van  Diemen's  Land 
(lat.  45°),  and  I  measured  one  trunk  no  less  than  six  feet  in  circum- 
ference. An  arborescent  fern  was  found  by  Forster  in  New  Zealand 
in  46°,  where  orchideous  plants  are  parasitical  on  the  trees.  In  the 
Auckland  Islands,  ferns,  according  to  Dr.  Dieffenbach,*  have  trunks  so 
thick  and  high  that  they  may  be  almost  called  tree-ferns  ;  and  in  these 
islands,  and  even  as  far  south  as  lat.  55°  in  the  Macquarrie  Islands, 
parrots  abound. 

On  the  Height  of  the  Snow-line,  and  on  the  Descent  of  the  Glaciers, 
in  South  America.  —  For  the  detailed  authorities  for  the  following  table, 
I  must  refer  to  the  former  edition  :  — 


Equatorial  region  ;  mean  result  15-748  Humboldt. 

Bolivia,  lat.  16°  to  18°  S.      .     .  17,000  Pentland. 

Central  Chile,  lat.  33°  S.     .    .     14.500  to  15,000    Gillies,  and  the  Author. 

Chiloe,  lat.  41°  to  43°  S.     .    .  6,000  Officers  of  the  Beagle,  and 

the  Author. 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  54°  S.  .    .    .       3,500  to  4,000     King. 

As  the  height  of  the  plane  of  perpetual  snow  seems  chiefly  to  be 
determined  by  the  extreme  heat  of  the  summer,  rather  than  by  the 
mean  temperature  of  the  year,  we  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at  its 
descent  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  where  the  summer  is  so  cool,  to 
only  3,500  or  4,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  ;  although  in  Norway 
we  must  travel  to  between  lat.  67°  and  70°  N.,  that  is,  about  14°  nearer 
the  pole,  to  meet  with  perpetual  snow  at  this  low  level.  The  difference 

*  See  the  German  Translation  of  this  Journal;  and  for  the  other  facts 
Mr.  Brown's  Appendix  to  Flinders's  Voyage. 


i?8  DESCENT  OF  GLACIERS.  [CHAP.  xr. 

in  height,  namely,  about  9,000  feet,  between  the  snow-line  on  the 
Cordillera  behind  Chiloe  (with  its  highest  points  ranging  from  onlj 
5,600  to  7,500  feet)  and  in  central  Chile*  (a  distance  of  only  9°  ol 
latitude),  is  truly  wonderful.  The  land  from  the  southward  of  Chiloe 
to  near  Concepcion  (lat.  37°),  is  hidden  by  one  dense  forest  dripping 
with  moisture.  The  sky  is  cloudy,  and  we  have  seen  how  badly  the 
fruits  of  southern  Europe  succeed.  In  central  Chile  on  the  other  hand, 
a  little  northward  of  Concepcion,  the  sky  is  generally  clear,  rain  does 
not  fall  for  the  seven  summer  months,  and  southern  European  fruits 
succeed  admirably;  and  even  the  sugar-cane  has  been  cultivated.! 
No  doubt  the  plane  of  perpetual  snow  undergoes  the  above  remark- 
able flexure  of  9,000  feet,  unparalleled  in  other  parts  of  the  world, 
not  far  from  the  latitude  of  Concepcion,  where  the  land  ceases  to  be 
covered  with  forest-trees ;  for  trees  in  South  America  indicate  a  rainy 
climate,  and  rain  a  clouded  sky  and  little  heat  in  summer. 

The  descent  of  glaciers  to  the  sea  must,  I  conceive,  mainly  depend 
(subject,  of  course,  to  a  proper  supply  of  snow  in  the  upper  region) 
on  the  lowness  of  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  on  steep  mountains  near 
the  coast.  As  the  snow-line  is  so  low  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  might 
have  expected  that  many  of  the  glaciers  would  have  reached  the  sea. 
Nevertheless  I  was  astonished  when  I  first  saw  a  range,  only  from 
3,000  to  4,000  feet  in  height,  in  the  latitude  of  Cumberland,  with  every 
valley  filled  with  streams  of  ice  descending  to  the  sea-coast.  Almost 
every  arm  of  the  sea,  which  penetrates  to  the  interior  higher  chain, 
not  only  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  but  on  the  coast  for  650  miles  northwards, 
is  terminated  by  "  tremendous  and  astonishing  glaciers,"  as  described 
by  one  of  the  officers  on  the  survey.  Great  masses  of  ice  frequently 
fall  from  these  icy  cliffs,  and  the  crash  reverberates  like  the  broadside 
of  a  man-of-war,  through  the  lonely  channels.  These  falls,  as  noticed 
in  the  last  chapter,  produce  great  waves  which  break  on  the  adjoining 
coasts.  It  is  known  that  earthquakes  frequently  cause  masses  of 
earth  to  fall  from  sea-cliffs :  how  terrific,  then,  would  be  the  effect  of  a 
severe  shock  (and  such  occur  here):£  on  a  body  like  a  glacier,  already 
in  motion,  and  traversed  by  fissures !  I  can  readily  believe  that  the 
water  would  be  fairly  beaten  back  out  of  the  deepest  channel,  and 
then  returning  with  an  overwhelming  force,  would  whirl  about  huge 
masses  of  rock  like  so  much  chaff.  In  Eyre's  Sound,  in  the  latitude  of 
Paris,  there  are  immense  glaciers,  and  yet  the  loftiest  neighbouring 

*  On  the  Cordillera  of  central  Chile,  I  believe  the  snow-line  varies  ex- 
ceedingly in  height  in  different  summers.  I  was  assured  that  during  one 
very  dry  and  long  summer  all  the  snow  disappeared  from  Aconcagua, 
although  it  attains  the  prodigious  height  of  23,000  feet.  It  is  probable  that 
much  of  the  snow  at  these  great  heights  is  evaporated,  rather  than  thawed. 

t  Miers's  Chile,  vol.  i.,  p.  415.  It  is  said  that  the  sugar-cane  grew  at 
Ingenio,  lat.  32°  to  33°,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  the  manufacture 
profitable.  In  the  valley  of  Quillota,  south  of  Ingenio,  I  saw  some  large 
date  palm-trees. 

J  Bulkeley's  and  Cummin's  "  Faithful  Narrative  of  the  Loss  of  the  Wagtr,* 
The  earthquake  happened  August  2510,  1741. 


FLOATING  ICEBERGS. 


179 


mountain  is  only  6,200  feet  high.  In  this  Sound,  about  fifty  icebergs 
were  seen  at  one  time  floating  outwards,  and  one  of  them  must  have 
been  at  least  168  feet  in  total  height.  Some  of  the  icebergs  were  loaded 
with  blocks  of  no  inconsiderable  size,  of  granite  and  other  rocks,  different 
from  the  clay-slate  of  the  surrounding  mountains.  The  glacier  furthest 
from  the  Pole,  surveyed  during  the  voyages  of  the  Adventure  and 
Beagle,  is  in  lat.  46°  50',  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas.  It  is  fifteen  miles  long, 
and  in  one  part  seven  broad,  and  descends  to  the  sea-coast.  But  even  a 
few  miles  northward  of  this  glacier,  in  the  Laguna  de  San  Rafael,  some 
Spanish  missionaries*  encountered  "  many  icebergs,  some  great,  some 
small,  and  others  middle-sized,"  in  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  on  the 


47°  orf 


22nd  of  the  month  corresponding  with  our  June,  and  in  a  latitude 
corresponding  with  that  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva  I 

In  Europe,  the  most  southern  glacier  which  comes  down  to  the 
sea  is  met  with,  according  to  Von  Buch,  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  in 
lat.  67°.  Now  this  is  more  than  20°  of  latitude,  or  1,230  miles,  nearer 
the  pole  than  the  Laguna  de  San  Rafael  The  position  of  the  glacier! 
at  this  place  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas,  may  be  put  even  in  a  more 
striking  point  of  view,  for  they  descend  to  the  sea-coast,  within  7£°  of 
latitude,  or  450  miles,  of  a  harbour,  where  three  species  of  Oliva,  a 
Voluta,  and  a  Terebra,  are  the  commonest  shells,  within  less  than  9" 
from  where  palms  grow,  within  4i°  of  a  region  where  the  jaguar  and 
puma  range  over  the  plains,  less  than  2^°  from  arborescent  grasses, 
and  (looking  to  the  westward  in  the  same  hemisphere)  less  than  2° 
from  orchideous  parasites,  and  within  a  single  degree  of  tree-ferns  1 
•  Agueros,  "  Desc.  Hist,  de  Chiloe,"  p.  227. 


iSo  CLIMATE  AND  PRODUCTIONS  OP         [CHAP.  XI. 

These  facts  are  of  high  geological  interest  with  respect  to  the  climate 
of  the  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  period  when  boulders  were  trans- 
ported. I  will  not  here  detail  how  simply  the  theory  of  Icebergs  being 
charged  with  fragments  of  rock,  explains  the  origin  and  position  of  the 
gigantic  boulders  of  eastern  Tierra  del  Fuego,  on  the  high  plain  of 
Santa  Cruz,  and  on  the  island  of  Chiloe.  In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the 
greater  number  of  boulders  lie  on  the  lines  of  old  sea-channels,  now 
converted  into  dry  valleys  by  the  elevation  of  the  land.  They  are 
associated  with  a  greet  unstratified  formation  of  mud  and  sand,  con- 
taining rounded  and  angular  fragments  of  all  sizes,  which  has  originated* 
in  the  repeated  ploughing  up  of  the  sea-bottom  by  the  stranding  of 
icebergs,  and  by  the  matter  transported  on  them.  Few  geologists  now 
doubt  that  those  erratic  boulders  which  lie  near  lofty  mountains,  have 
been  pushed  forward  by  the  glaciers  themselves,  and  that  those  distant 
from  mountains,  and  embedded  in  subaqueous  deposits,  have  been 
conveyed  thither  either  on  icebergs,  or  frozen  in  coast-ice.  The 
connection  between  the  transportal  of  boulders  and  the  presence  of  ice 
in  some  form,  is  strikingly  shown  by  their  geographical  distribution 
over  the  earth.  In  South  America  they  are  not  found  further  than  48° 
of  latitude,  measured  from  the  southern  pole;  in  North  America  it 
appears  that  the  limit  of  their  transportal  to  53^°  from  the  northern 
pole ;  but  in  Europe  to  not  more  than  40°  of  latitude,  measured 
from  the  same  point.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  intertropical  parts 
of  America,  Asia,  and  Africa,  they  have  never  been  observed:  nor 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  nor  in  Australia.f 

On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  the  Antarctic  Islands. — Con- 
sidering the  rankness  of  the  vegetation  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  on 
the  coast  northward  of  it,  the  condition  of  the  islands  south  and  south- 
west of  America  is  truly  surprising.  Sandwich  Land,  in  the  latitude 
of  the  north  part  of  Scotland,  was  found  by  Cook,  during  the  hottest 
month  of  the  year,  "covered  many  fathoms  thick  with  everlasting 
snow ; "  and  there  seems  to  be  scarcely  any  vegetation.  Georgia,  an 
island  ninety-six  miles  long  and  ten  broad,  in  the  latitude  of  Yorkshire,  "in 
the  very  height  of  summer,  is  in  a  manner  wholly  covered  with  frozen 
snow."  It  can  boast  only  of  moss,  some  tufts  of  grass,  and  wild  burnet : 
it  has  only  one  land-bird  (Anthus  correnderd),  yet  Iceland,  which  is 
10°  nearer  the  pole,  has,  according  to  Mackenzie,  fifteen  land-birds. 
The  South  Shetland  Islands,  in  the  same  latitude  as  the  southern  half 
of  Norway,  possess  only  some  lichens,  moss,  and  a  little  grass  ;  and 
Lieutenant  Kendall  \  found  the  bay,  in  which  he  was  at  anchor,  begin- 
ning to  freeze  at  a  period  corresponding  with  our  8th  of  September.  The 
soil  here  consists  of  ice  and  volcanic  ashes  interstratified ;  and  at  a  little 

*  "Geological  Transactions,"  voL  vi.,  p.  415. 

f  I  have  given  details  (the  first,  I  believe,  published)  on  this  subject  in  the 
first  edition,  and  in  the  Appendix  to  it.  I  have  there  shown  that  the  appa- 
rent exceptions  to  the  absence  of  erratic  boulders  in  certain  hot  countries, 
are  due  to  erroneous  observations :  several  statements  there  given,  I  have 
since  found  confirmed  by  various  authors. 

$  Gtographical  Journal,  1830,  pp.  65,  66. 


1834.]  THE  ANTARCTIC  ISLANDS.  181 

depth  beneath  the  surface  it  must  remain  perpetually  congealed,  for 
Lieutenant  Kendall  found  the  body  of  a  foreign  sailor  which  had  long  been 
buried,  with  the  flesh  and  all  the  features  perfectly  preserved.  It  is  a 
singular  fact,  that  on  the  two  great  continents  in  the  northern  hemi- 
sphere (but  not  in  the  broken  land  of  Europe  between  them),  we  have 
the  zone  of  perpetually  frozen  under-soil  in  a  low  latitude — namely, 
in  56°  in  North  America  at  the  depth  of  three  feet,*  and  in  62°  in  Siberia 
at  the  depth  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet — as  the  result  of  a  directly  opposite 
condition  of  things,  to  those  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  On  the 
northern  continents,  the  winter  is  rendered  excessively  cold  by  the 
radiation  from  a  large  area  of  land  into  a  clear  sky,  nor  is  it  moderated 
by  the  warmth-bringing  currents  of  the  sea ;  the  short  summer,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  hot.  In  the  Southern  Ocean  the  winter  is  not  so  ex- 
cessively cold,  but  the  summer  is  far  less  hot,  for  the  clouded  sky 
seldom  allows  the  sun  to  warm  the  ocean,  itself  a  bad  absorbent  of 
heat;  and  hence  the  mean  temperature  of  the  year,  which  regulates 
the  zone  of  perpetually  congealed  under-soil,  is  low.  It  is  evident 
that  a  rank  vegetation,  which  does  not  so  much  require  heat  as  it 
does  protection  from  intense  cold,  would  approach  much  nearer  to 
this  zone  of  perpetual  congelation  under  the  equable  climate  of  the 
southern  hemisphere,  than  under  the  extreme  climate  of  the  northern 
continents. 

The  case  of  the  sailor's  body  perfectly  preserved  in  the  icy  soil  of  the 
South  Shetland  Islands  (lat.  62°  to  63°  S.)  in  a  rather  lower  latitude 
than  that  (lat.  64°  N.)  under  which  Pallas  found  the  frozen  rhinoceros 
in  Siberia,  is  very  interesting.  Although  it  is  a  fallacy,  as  I  have 
endeavoured  to  show  in  a  former  chapter,  to  suppose  that  the  larger 
quadrupeds  require  a  luxuriant  vegetation  for  their  support,  nevertheless 
it  is  important  to  find  in  the  South  Shetland  Islands,  a  frozen  under- 
soil within  360  miles  of  the  forest-clad  islands  near  Cape  Horn,  where, 
as  far  as  the  bulk  of  vegetation  is  concerned,  any  number  of  great 
quadrupeds  might  be  supported.  The  perfect  preservation  of  the 
carcasses  of  the  Siberian  elephants  and  rhinoceroses  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  facts  in  geology ;  but  independently  of  the  imagined 
difficulty  of  supplying  them  with  food  from  the  adjoining  countries,  the 
whole  case  is  not,  I  think,  so  perplexing  as  it  has  generally  been 
considered.  The  plains  of  Siberia,  like  those  of  the  Pampas,  appear  to 
have  been  formed  under  the  sea,  into  which  rivers  brought  down  the 
bodies  of  many  animals ;  of  the  greater  number  of  these,  only  the 
skeletons  have  been  preserved,  but  of  others  the  perfect  carcass.  Now 
it  is  known,  that  in  the  shallow  sea  on  the  arctic  coast  of  America  the 
bottom  freezes,  f  and  does  not  thaw  in  spring  so  soon  as  the  surface  of 
the  land  ;  moreover  at  greater  depths,  where  the  bottom  of  the  sea  does 
not  freeze,  the  mud  a  few  feet  beneath  the  top  layer  might  remain  even 
in  summer  below  32°,  as  is  the  case  on  the  land  with  the  soil  at  the 
depth  of  a  few  feet.  At  still  greater  depths,  the  temperature  of  the  mud 

*  Richardson's  Append,  to  "Back's  Exped.,"  and  Humboldt's  "Fragm. 
Asiat.,"  torn,  ii.,  p.  386. 

f  Messrs.  Dease  &  Simpson,  in  Geographical  Journal,  vol.  viii.,  pp.  2l8,  220, 


ito  RECAPITULATION.  [CHAP,  n, 

and  water  would  probably  not  be  low  enough  to  preserve  the  flesh ; 
and  hence,  carcasses  drifted  beyond  the  shallow  parts  near  an  arctic 
coast,  would  have  only  their  skeletons  preserved :  now  in  the  extreme 
northern  parts  of  Siberia  bones  are  infinitely  numerous,  so  that  even 
islets  are  said  to  be  almost  composed  of  them  ;  *  and  those  islets  lie  no 
less  than  ten  degrees  of  latitude  north  of  the  place  where  Pallas  found 
the  frozen  rhinoceros.  On  the  other  hand,  a  carcass  washed  by  a  flood 
into  a  shallow  part  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  would  be  preserved  for  an 
indefinite  period,  if  it  were  soon  afterwards  covered  with  mud, 
sufficiently  thick  to  prevent  the  heat  of  the  summer-water  penetrating 
to  it ;  and  if,  when  the  sea-bottom  was  upraised  into  land,  the  covering 
was  sufficiently  thick  to  prevent  the  heat  of  the  summer  air  and  sun 
thawing  and  corrupting  it. 

Recapitulation. — I  will  recapitulate  the  principal  facts  with  regard  to 
the  climate,  ice-action,  and  organic  productions  of  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere transposing  the  places  in  imagination  to  Europe,  with  which  we 
are  so  much  better  acquainted.  Then,  near  Lisbon,  the  commonest 
sea-shells,  namely,  three  species  of  Oliva,  a  Voluta  and  Terebra,  would 
have  a  tropical  character.  In  the  southern  provinces  of  France, 
magnificent  forests,  intwined  by  arborescent  grasses  and  with  the  trees 
loaded  with  parasitical  plants,  would  hide  the  face  of  the  land.  The 
puma  and  the  jaguar  would  haunt  the  Pyrenees.  In  the  latitude  of 
Mont  Blanc,  but  on  an  island  as  far  westward  as  central  North  America, 
tree-ferns  and  parasitical  Orchideae  would  thrive  amidst  the  thick  woods. 
Even  as  far  north  as  central  Denmark,  humming-birds  would  be  seen 
fluttering  about  delicate  flowers,  and  parrots  feeding  amidst  the  ever- 
green woods ;  and  in  the  sea  there,  we  should  have  a  Voluta,  and  all 
the  shells  of  large  size  and  vigorous  growth.  Nevertheless,  on  some 
islands  only  360  miles  northward  of  our  new  Cape  Horn  in  Denmark, 
a  carcass  buried  in  the  soil  (or  if  washed  into  a  shallow  sea,  and 
covered  up  with  mud)  would  be  preserved  perpetually  frozen.  If  some 
bold  navigator  attempted  to  penetrate  northward  of  these  islands,  he 
would  run  a  thousand  dangers  amidst  gigantic  icebergs,  on  some  of 
which  he  would  see  great  blocks  of  rock  borne  far  away  from  their 
original  site.  Another  island  of  large  size  in  the  latitude  of  southern 
Scotland,  but  twice  as  far  to  the  west,  would  be  "almost  wholly 
covered  with  everlasting  snow,"  and  would  have  each  bay  terminated 
by  ice-cliffs,  whence  great  masses  would  be  yearly  detached :  this 
island  would  boast  only  of  a  little  moss,  grass,  and  burnet,  and  a 
titlark  would  be  its  only  land  inhabitant.  From  our  new  Cape  Horn  in 
Denmark,  a  chain  of  mountains,  scarcely  half  the  height  of  the  Alps, 
would  run  in  a  straight  line  due  southward ;  and  on  its  western  flank 
every  deep  creek  of  the  sea,  or  fiord,  would  end  in  "  bold  and  astonish- 
ing glaciers."  These  lonely  channels  would  frequently  reverberate 
with  the  falls  of  ice,  and  so  often  would  great  waves  rush  along  their 
coasts  ;  numerous  icebergs,  some  as  tall  as  cathedrals,  and  occasionally 
loaded  with  "  no  inconsiderable  blocks  of  rock,"  would  be  stranded  on 
the  outlying  islets  ;  at  intervals  violent  earthquakes  would  shoot 
*  Cuvier  COssemeiis  Fossiles,  torn,  i.,  p.  151),  from  Billing's  Voyage, 


1834-]  CENTRAL   CHILE.  183 

prodigious  masses  of  ice  into  the  waters  below.  Lastly,  some  Mission- 
aries attempting  to  penetrate  a  long  arm  of  the  sea,  would  behold  the 
not  lofty  surrounding  mountains,  sending  down  their  many  grand  icy 
streams  to  the  sea-coast,  and  their  progress  in  the  boats  would  be 
checked  by  the  innumerable  floating  icebergs,  some  small  and  some 
«?reat ;  and  this  would  have  occurred  on  our  twenty-second  of  June, 
and  where  the  Lake  of  Geneva  is  now  spread  out  I  *  * 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CENTRAL  CHILE. 

Valparaiso— Excursion  to  the  Foot  of  the  Andes — Structure  of  the  Land — 
Ascend  the  Bell  of  Quillota — Shattered  Masses  of  Greenstone — Immense 
Valleys — Mines — State  of  Miners — Santiago — Hot-baths  of  Cauquenes — 
Gold-mines — Grinding-mills — Perforated  Stones — Habits  of  the  Puma — 
El  Turco  and  Tapacolo — Humming-birds. 

the  chief  seaport  of  Chile.  When  morning  came,  everything  appeared 
delightful.  After  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  climate  felt  quite  delicious — 
the  atmosphere  so  dry,  and  the  heavens  so  clear  and  blue  with  the  sun 
shining  brightly,  that  all  nature  seemed  sparkling  with  life.  The  view 
from  the  anchorage  is  very  pretty.  The  town  is  built  at  the  very  foot 
of  a  range  of  hills,  about  1,600  feet  high,  and  rather  steep.  From 
its  position,  it  consists  of  one  long,  straggling  street,  which  runs 
parallel  to  the  beach,  and  wherever  a  ravine  comes  down,  the  houses 
are  piled  up  on  each  side  of  it.  The  rounded  hills,  being  only  partially 
protected  by  a  very  scanty  vegetation,  are  worn  into  numberless  little 
gullies,  which  expose  a  singularly  bright  red  soil.  From  this  cause, 

*  In  the  former  edition  and  Appendix,  I  have  given  some  facts  on  the 
transportal  of  erratic  boulders  and  icebergs  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean.  This 
subject  has  lately  been  treated  excellently  by  Mr.  Hayes,  in  the  Boston 
Journal  (vol.  iv.,  p.  426).  The  author  does  not  appear  aware  of  a  case  pub- 
lished by  me  (Geographical  Journal,  vol.  ix.,  p.  528),  of  a  gigantic  boulder 
embedded  in  an  iceberg  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean,  almost  certainly  one  hundred 
miles  distant  from  any  land,  and  perhaps  much  more  distant.  In  the  Ap- 
pendix I  have  discussed  at  length,  the  probability  (at  that  time  hardly 
thought  of)  of  icebergs,  when  stranded,  grooving  and  polishing  rocks,  like 
glaciers.  This  is  now  a  very  commonly  received  opinion ;  and  I  cannot 
still  avoid  the  suspicion  that  it  is  applicable  even  to  such  cases  as  that  of  the 
Jura.  Dr.  Richardson  has  assured  me,  that  the  icebergs  off  North  America 
push  before  them  pebbles  and  sand,  and  leave  the  submarine  rocky  flats 
quite  bare ;  it  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt  that  such  ledges  must  be  polished 
and  scored  in  the  direction  of  the  set  of  the  prevailing  currents.  Since 
writing  that  Appendix,  I  have  seen  in  North  Wales  (London  Phil.  Mag., 
vol.  xxi.,  n.  180)  the  adjoining  action  of  glaciers  and  of  floating  iceberrs. 


184  CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

and  from  the  low  whitewashed  houses  with  tile  roofs,  the  view  reminded 
me  of  St.  Cruz  in  Teneriffe.  In  a  north-easterly  direction  there  are 
some  fine  glimpses  of  the  Andes ;  but  these  mountains  appear  much 
grander  when  viewed  from  the  neighbouring  hills ;  the  great  distance 
at  which  they  are  situated,  can  then  more  readily  be  perceived.  The 
volcano  of  Aconcagua  is  particularly  magnificent.  This  huge  and 
irregularly  conical  mass  has  an  elevation  greater  than  that  of  Chim- 
borazo ;  for,  from  measurements  made  by  the  officers  in  the  Beagle,  its 
height  is  no  less  than  23,000  feet.  The  Cordillera,  however,  viewed 
from  this  point,  owe  the  greater  part  of  their  beauty  to  the  atmosphere 
through  which  they  are  seen.  When  the  sun  was  setting  in  the  Pacific, 
it  was  admirable  to  watch  how  clearly  their  rugged  outlines  could  be 
distinguished,  yet  how  varied  and  how  delicate  were  the  shades  of  their 
colour. 

I  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  living  here  Mr.  Richard  Corfield,  an 
old  schoolfellow  and  friend,  to  whose  hospitality  and  kindness  I  was 
greatly  indebted,  in  having  afforded  me  a  most  pleasant  residence 
during  the  Beagle's  stay  in  Chile.  The  immediate  neighbourhood  ol 
Valparaiso  is  not  very  productive  to  the  naturalist.  During  the  long 
summer  the  wind  blows  steadily  from  the  southward,  and  a  little  off 
shore,  so  that  rain  never  falls ;  during  the  three  winter  months,  how- 
ever, it  is  sufficiently  abundant.  The  vegetation  in  consequence  is 
very  scanty ;  except  in  some  deep  valleys,  there  are  no  trees,  and  only 
a  little  grass  and  a  few  low  bushes  are  scattered  over  the  less  steep 
parts  of  the  hills.  When  we  reflect,  that  at  the  distance  of  350 
miles  to  the  south,  this  side  of  the  Andes  is  completely  hidden 
by  one  impenetrable  forest,  the  contrast  is  very  remarkable.  I  took 
several  long  walks  while  collecting  objects  of  natural  history.  The 
country  is  pleasant  for  exercise.  There  are  many  very  beautiful 
flowers;  and,  as  in  most  other  dry  climates,  the  plants  and  shrubs 
possess  strong  and  peculiar  odours — even  one's  clothes  by  brushing 
through  them  became  scented.  I  did  not  cease  from  wonder  at 
finding  each  succeeding  day  as  fine  as  the  foregoing.  Wrhat  a  differ- 
ence does  climate  make  in  the  enjoyment  of  life !  How  opposite  are 
the  sensations  when  viewing  black  mountains  half  enveloped  in  clouds, 
and  seeing  another  range  through  the  light  blue  haze  of  a  fine  day ! 
The  one  for  a  time  may  be  very  sublime;  the 'other  is  all  gaiety  and 
happy  life. 

August  l^th. — I  set  out  on  a  riding  excursion,  for  the  purpose  of 
geologizing  the  basal  parts  of  the  Andes,  which  alone  at  this  time  of 
the  year  are  not  shut  up  by  the  winter  snow.  Our  first  day's  ride  was 
northward  along  the  sea-coast.  After  dark  we  reached  the  Hacienda 
of  Quintero,  the  estate  which  formerly  belonged  to  Lord  Cochrane. 
My  object  in  coming  here  was  to  see  the  great  beds  of  shells,  which 
stand  some  yards  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  are  burnt  for  lime. 
The  proofs  of  the  elevation  of  this  whole  line  ot  coast  are  unequivocal : 
at  the  height  of  a  few  hundred  feet  old-looking  shells  are  numerous, 
and  I  found  some  at  1,300  feet.  These  shells  either  lie  loose  on  the 
surface  or  are  embedded  in  a  reddish-black  vegetable  mould.  I  was 


1834.]  THE  BELL  OF  QUILLOTA.  185 

much  surprised  to  find  under  the  microscope  that  this  vegetable  mould 
is  really  marine  mud,  full  of  minute  particles  of  organic  bodies. 

August  lyh. — We  returned  towards  the  valley  of  Quillota.  The 
country  was  exceedingly  pleasant ;  just  such  as  poets  would  call 
pastoral :  green  open  lawns,  separated  by  small  valleys  with  rivulets, 
and  the  cottages,  we  may  suppose  of  the  shepherds,  scattered  on  the 
hill-sides.  We  were  obliged  to  cross  the  ridge  of  the  Chilicauquen. 
At  its  base  there  were  many  fine  evergreen  forest-trees,  but  these 
flourished  only  in  the  ravines,  where  there  was  running  water.  Any 
person  who  had  seen  only  the  country  near  Valparaiso,  would  never 
have  imagined  that  there  had  been  such  picturesque  spots  in  Chile. 
As  soon  as  we  reached  the  brow  of  the  Sierra,  the  valley  of  Quillota 
was  immediately  under  our  feet.  The  prospect  was  one  of  remarkable 
artificial  luxuriance.  The  valley  is  very  broad  and  quite  flat,  and  is 
thus  easily  irrigated  in  all  parts.  The  little  square  gardens  are  crowded 
with  orange  and  olive  trees,  and  every  sort  of  vegetable.  On  each  side 
huge  bare  mountains  rise,  and  this  from  the  contrast  renders  the  patch- 
work valley  the  more  pleasing  Whoever  called  "Valparaiso"  the 
11  Valley  of  Paradise,"  must  have  been  thinking  of  Quillota.  Weacrossed 
over  to  the  Hacienda  de  San  Isidro,  situated  at  the  very  foot  of  the 
Bell  Mountain. 

Chile,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  maps,  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land  between 
the  Cordillera  and  the  Pacific;  and  this  strip  is  itself  traversed  by 
several  mountain-lines,  which  in  this  part  run  parallel  to  the  great 
range.  Between  these  outer  lines  and  the  main  Cordillera,  a  succession 
of  level  basins,  generally  opening  into  each  other  by  narrow  passages, 
extend  far  to  the  southward :  in  these,  the  principal  towns  are  situated, 
as  San  Felipe,  Santiago,  San  Fernando.  These  basins  or  plains, 
together  with  the  transverse  flat  valleys  (like  that  of  Quillota)  which 
connect  them  with  the  coast,  I  have  no  doubt  are  the  bottoms  of  ancient 
inlets  and  deep  bays,  such  as  at  the  present  day  intersect  every  part  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego  and  the  western  coast.  Chile  must  formerly  have 
resembled  the  latter  country  in  the  configuration  of  its  land  and  water. 
The  resemblance  was  occasionally  shown  strikingly  when  a  level  fog- 
bank  covered,  as  with  a  mantle,  all  the  lower  parts  of  the  country :  the 
white  vapour  curling  into  the  ravines,  beautifully  represented  little  coves 
and  bays ;  and  here  and  there  a  solitary  hillock  peeping  up,  showed 
that  it  had  formerly  stood  there  as  an  islet  The  contrast  of  these  flat 
valleys  and  basins  with  the  irregular  mountains,  gave  the  scenery  a 
character  which  to  me  was  new  and  very  interesting. 

From  the  natural  slope  to  seaward  of  these  plains,  they  are  very 
easily  irrigated,  and  in  consequence  singularly  fertile.  Without  this 
process  the  land  would  produce  scarcely  anything,  for  during  the  whole 
summer  the  sky  is  cloudless.  The  mountains  and  hills  are  dotted  over 
with  bushes  and  low  trees,  and  excepting  these  the  vegetation  is  very 
scanty.  Each  landowner  in  the  valley  possesses  a  certain  portion  of  hill- 
country,  where  his  half-wild  cattle,  in  considerable  numbers,  manage  to 
find  sufficient  pasture.  Once  every  year  there  is  a  grand  "  rodeo,"  when 
all  the  cattle  are  driven  down,  counted,  and  marked,  and  a  certain 


186  CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xn. 

number  separated  to  be  fattened  in  the  irrigated  fields.  Wheat  is 
extensively  cultivated,  and  a  good  deal  of  Indian  corn :  a  kind  of  bean 
is,  however,  the  staple  article  of  food  for  the  common  labourers.  The 
orchards  produce  an  overflowing  abundance  of  peaches,  figs,  and  grapes. 
With  all  these  advantages,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  ought  to  be 
much  more  prosperous  than  they  are. 

July  ibth. — The  mayor-domo  of  the  Hacienda  was  good  enough  to 
give  me  a  guide  and  fresh  horses ;  and  in  the  morning  we  set  out  to 
ascend  the  Campana,  or  Bell  Mountain,  which  is  6,400  feet  high.  The 
paths  were  very  bad,  but  both  the  geology  and  scenery  amply  repaid 
the  trouble.  We  reached,  by  the  evening,  a  spring  called  the  Agua 
del  Guanaco,  which  is  situated  at  a  great  height.  This  must  be  an 
old  name,  for  it  is  very  many  years  since  a  guanaco  drank  its  waters. 
During  the  ascent  I  noticed  that  nothing  but  bushes  grew  on  the  northern 
slope,  whilst  on  the  southern  slope  there  was  a  bamboo  about  fifteen 
feet  high.  In  a  few  places  there  were  palms,  and  I  was  surprised  to 
see  one  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  4,500  feet.  These  palms  are,  for 
their  family,  ugly  trees.  Their  stem  is  very  large,  and  of  a  curious 
form,  being  thicker  in  the  middle  than  at  the  base  or  top.  They  are 
excessively  numerous  in  some  parts  of  Chile,  and  valuable  on  account 
of  a  sort  of  treacle  made  from  the  sap.  On  one  estate  near  Petorca 
they  tried  to  count  them,  but  failed,  after  having  numbered  several 
hundred  thousand.  Every  year  in  the  early  spring,  in  August,  very 
many  are  cut  down,  and  when  the  trunk  is  lying  on  the  ground  the 
crown  of  leaves  is  lopped  off.  The  sap  then  immediately  begins  to  flow 
from  the  upper  end,  and  continues  so  doing  for  some  months  ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, necessary  that  a  thin  slice  should  be  shaved  off  from  that  end  every 
morning,  so  as  to  expose  a  fresh  surface.  A  good  tree  will  give  ninety 
gallons,  and  all  this  must  have  been  contained  in  the  vessels  of  the 
apparently  dry  trunk.  It  is  said  that  the  sap  flows  much  more  quickly 
on  those  days  when  the  sun  is  powerful ;  and  likewise,  that  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  take  care,  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  that  it  should  fall 
with  its  head  upwards  on  the  side  of  the  hill ;  for  if  it  falls  down  the 
slope,  scarcely  any  sap  will  flow ;  although  in  that  case  one  would  have 
thought  that  the  action  would  have  been  aided,  instead  of  checked,  by 
the  force  of  gravity.  The  sap  is  concentrated  by  boiling,  and  is  then 
called  treacle,  which  it  very  much  resembles  in  taste. 

We  unsaddled  our  horses  near  the  spring,  and  prepared  to  pass  the 
night.  The  evening  was  fine,  and  the  atmosphere  so  clear,  that  the 
masts  of  the  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Valparaiso,  although  no  less 
than  twenty-six  geographical  miles  distant,  could  be  distinguished 
clearly  as  little  black  streaks.  A  ship  doubling  the  point  under  sail, 
appeared  as  a  bright  white  speck.  Anson  expresses  much  surprise,  in 
his  voyage,  at  the  distance  at  which  his  vessels  were  discovered  from 
the  coast ;  but  he  did  not  sufficiently  allow  for  the  height  of  the  land,  and 
the  great  transparency  of  the  air.- 

The  setting  of  the  sun  was  glorious ;  the  valleys  being  black,  whilst 
the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Andes  yet  retained  a  ruby  tint.  When  it  was 
dark,  we  made  a  fire  beneath  a  little  arbour  of  bamboos,  fried  our 


l8j4-]  THE  BELL    OF  QUILLOTA.  iS; 

charqui  (or  dried  slips  of  beep,  took  our  mate",  and  were  quite  comfort- 
able. There  is  an  inexpressible  charm  in  thus  living  in  the  open  air. 
The  evening  was  calm  and  still; — the  shrill  noise  of  the  mountain 
bizcacha,  and  the  faint  cry  of  a  goat-sucker,  were  occasionally  to  be 
heard.  Besides  these,  few  birds,  or  even  insects,  frequent  these  dry, 
parched  mountains. 

August  ijth. — In  the  morning  we  climbed  up  the  rough  mass  of 
greenstone  which  crowns  the  summit.  This  rock,  as  frequently 
happens,  was  much  shattered  and  broken  into  huge  angular  fragments. 
I  observed,  however,  one  remarkable  circumstance,  namely,  that  many 
of  the  surfaces  presented  every  degree  of  freshness — some  appearing 
as  if  broken  the  day  before,  whilst  on  others  lichens  had  either  just 
become,  or  had  long  grown,  attached.  I  so  fully  believed  that  this  was 
owing  to  the  frequent  earthquakes,  that  I  felt  inclined  to  hurry  from 
below  each  loose  pile.  As  one  might  very  easily  be  deceived  in  a  fact  of 
this  kind,  I  doubted  its  accuracy,  until  ascending  Mount  Wellington,  in 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  where  earthquakes  do  not  occur ;  and  there  I  saw 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  similarly  composed  and  similarly  shattered, 
but  all  the  blocks  appeared  as  if  they  had  been  hurled  into  their  present 
position  thousands  of  years  ago. 

We  spent  the  day  on  the  summit,  and  I  never  enjoyed  one  more 
thoroughly.  Chile,  bounded  by  the  Andes  and  the  Pacific,  was  seen 
as  in  a  map.  The  pleasure  from  the  scenery,  in  itself  beautiful,  was 
heightened  by  the  many  reflections  which  arose  from  the  mere  view  of 
the  Campana  range  with  its  lesser  parallel  ones,  and  of  the  broad  valley 
of  Quillota  directly  intersecting  them.  Who  can  avoid  wondering  at 
the  force  which  has  upheaved  these  mountains,  and  even  more  so  at 
the  countless  ages  which  it  must  have  required,  to  have  broken  through, 
removed,  and  levelled  whole  masses  of  them?  It  is  well  in  this  case, 
to  call  to  mind  the  vast  shingle  and  sedimentary  beds  of  Patagonia, 
which,  if  heaped  on  the  Cordillera,  would  increase  its  height  by  so  many 
thousand  feet  When  in  that  country,  I  wondered  how  any  mountain- 
chain  could  have  supplied  such  masses,  and  not  have  been  utterly 
obliterated.  We  must  not  now  reverse  the  wonder,  and  doubt  whether 
all-powerful  time  can  grind  down  mountains — even  the  gigantic  Cor- 
dillera— into  gravel  and  mud. 

The  appearance  of  the  Andes  was  different  from  that  which  I  had 
expected.  The  lower  line  of  the  snow  was  of  course  horizontal,  and  to 
this  line  the  even  summits  of  the  range  seemed  quite  parallel  Only  at 
long  intervals,  a  group  of  points  or  a  single  cone,  showed  where  a  volcano 
had  existed,  or  does  now  exist  Hence  the  range  resembled  a  great  solid 
wall,  surmounted  here  and  there  by  a  tower,  and  making  a  most  perfect 
barrier  to  the  country. 

Almost  every  part  of  the  hill  had  been  drilled  by  attempts  to  open 
gold-mines :  the  rage  for  mining  has  left  scarcely  a  spot  in  Chile  un- 
examined.  I  spent  the  evening  as  before,  talking  round  the  fire  with  my 
two  companions.  The  Guasos  of  Chile,  who  correspond  to  he  Gauchos 
ol  the  Pampas,  are,  however,  a  very  different  set  of  beings.  Chile  is  the 
more  civilized  of  the  two  countries,  and  the  inhabitants,  in  sonsequence, 


188  CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xii. 

have  lost  much  individual  character.  Gradations  in  rank  are  much  more 
strongly  marked :  the  Guaso  does  not  by  any  means  consider  every 
man  his  equal ;  and  I  was  quite  surprised  to  find  that  my  companions 
did  not  like  to  eat  at  the  same  time  with  myself.  This  feeling  of 
inequality  is  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  existence  of  an  aristocracy 
of  wealth.  It  is  said  that  some  few  of  the  greater  landowners  possess 
from  five  to  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum ;  an  inequality  of 
riches  which  I  believe  is  not  met  with  in  any  of  the  cattle-breeding 
countries  eastward  of  the  Andes.  A  traveller  does  not  here  meet  that 
unbounded  hospitality  which  refuses  all  payment,  but  yet  is  so  kindly 
offered  that  no  scruples  can  be  raised  in  accepting  it.  Almost  every 
house  in  Chile  will  receive  you  for  the  night,  but  a  trifle  is  expected  to 
be  given  in  the  morning ;  even  a  rich  man  will  accept  two  or  three 
shillings.  The  Gaucho,  although  he  may  be  a  cut-throat,  is  a  gentle- 
man ;  the  Guaso  is  in  few  respects  better,  but  at  the  same  time  a  vulgar, 
ordinary  fellow.  The  two  men,  although  employed  much  in  the  same 
manner,  are  different  in  their  habits  and  attire ;  and  the  peculiarities  of 
each  are  universal  in  their  respective  countries.  The  Gaucho  seems  part 
of  his  horse,  and  scorns  to  exert  himself  excepting  when  on  its  back  ; 
the  Guaso  may  be  hired  to  work  as  a  labourer  in  the  fields.  The  former 
lives  entirely  on  animal  food ;  the  latter  almost  wholly  on  vegetable. 
We  do  not  here  see  the  white  boots,  the  broad  drawers,  and  scarlet 
chilipa;  the  picturesque  costume  of  the  Pampas.  Here,  common 
trowsers  are  protected  by  black  and  green  worsted  leggings.  The 
poncho,  however,  is  common  to  both.  The  chief  pride  of  the  Guaso 
lies  in  his  spurs;  which  are  absurdly  large.  I  measured  one  which 
was  six  inches  in  the  diameter  of  the  rowel,  and  the  rowel  itself 
contained  upwards  of  thirty  points.  The  stirrups  are  on  the  same 
scale,  each  consisting  of  a  square,  carved  block  of  wood,  hollowed 
out,  yet  weighing  three  or  four  pounds.  The  Guaso  is  perhaps  more 
expert  with  the  lazo  than  the  Gaucho;  but,  from  the  nature  of  the 
country,  he  does  not  know  the  use  of  the  bolas. 

August  i8M. — We  descended  the  mountain,  and  passed  some 
beautiful  little  spots,  with  rivulets  and  fine  trees.  Having  slept  at  the 
same  hacienda  as  before,  we  rode  during  the  two  succeeding  days 
up  the  valley,  and  passed  through  Quillota,  which  is  more  like  a 
collection  of  nursery-gardens  than  a  town.  The  orchards  were  beautiful, 
presenting  one  mass  of  peach-blossoms.  I  saw  also,  in  one  or  two 
places  the  date-palm  ;  it  is  a  most  stately  tree ;  and  I  should  think 
a  group  of  them  in  their  native  Asiatic  or  African  deserts  must  be 
superb.  We  passed  likewise  San  Felipe,  a  pretty  straggling  town 
like  Quillota.  Tke  valley  in  this  part  expands  into  one  of  those  great 
bays  or  plains  reaching  to  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  which  have  been 
mentioned  as  forming  so  curious  a  part  of  the  scenery  of  Chile.  In  the 
evening  we  reached  the  mines  of  Jajuel,  situated  in  a  ravine  at  the 
flank  of  the  great  chain.  I  stayed  here  five  days.  My  host,  the 
superintendent  of  the  mine,  was  a  shrewd  but  rather  ignorant  Cornish 
miner.  He  had  married  a  Spanish  woman,  and  did  not  mean  to  return 
:;  but  his  admiration  for  the  mines  of  Cornwall  remained  un- 


1834.]  MOUNTAIN  SCENERY.  189 

bounded.  Amongst  many  other  questions,  he  asked  me,  "  Now  that 
George  Rex  is  dead,  how  many  more  of  the  family  of  Kexes  are  yet 
alive  ? "  This  Rex  certainly  must  be  a  relation  of  the  great  author 
Finis,  who  wrote  all  books  1 

These  mines  are  of  copper,  and  the  ore  is  all  shipped  to  Swansea 
to  be  smelted.  Hence  the  mines  have  an  aspect  singularly  quiet,  as 
compared  to  those  in  England :  here  no  smoke,  furnaces,  or  great 
steam-engines,  disturb  the  solitude  of  the  surrounding  mountains. 

The  Chilian  government,  or  rather  the  old  Spanish  law,  encourages 
by  every  method  the  searching  for  mines.  The  discoverer  may  work 
a  mine  on  any  ground,  by  paying  five  shillings  ;  and  before  paying  this 
he  may  try,  even  in  the  garden  of  another  man,  for  twenty  days. 

It  is  now  well  known  that  the  Chilian  method  of  mining  is  the 
cheapest.  My  host  says  that  the  two  principal  improvements  intro- 
duced by  foreigners  have  been,  first,  reducing  by  previous  roasting  the 
copper  pyritejs — which,  being  the  common  ore  in  Cornwall,  the  English 
miners  were  astounded  on  their  arrival  to  find  thrown  away  as  useless ; 
secondly,  stamping  and  washing  the  scoriae  from  the  old  furnaces — 
by  which  process  particles  of  metal  are  recovered  in  abundance.  1 
have  actually  seen  mules  carrying  to  the  coast,  for  transportation  to 
England,  a  cargo  of  such  cinders.  But  the  first  case  is  much  the 
most  curious.  The  Chilian  miners  were  so  convinced  that  copper 
pyrites  contained  not  a  particle  of  copper,  that  they  laughed  at  the 
Englishmen  for  their  ignorance,  who  laughed  in  turn,  and  bought  their 
richest  veins  for  a  few  dollars.  It  is  very  odd  that,  in  a  country  where 
mining  had  been  extensively  carried  on  for  many  years,  so  simple 
a  process  as  gently  roasting  the  ore  to  expel  the  sulphur  previous 
to  smelting  it,  had  never  been  discovered.  A  few  improvements  have 
likewise  been  introduced  in  some  of  the  simple  machinery ;  but  even 
to  the  present  day,  water  is  removed  from  some  mines_by  men  carrying 
it  up  the  shaft  in  leathern  bags  ! 

The  labouring  men  work  very  hard.  They  have  little  time  allowed 
for  their  meals,  and  during  summer  and  winter  they  begin  when  it 
is  light,  and  leave  off  at  dark.  They  are  paid  one  pound  sterling 
a  month,  and  their  food  is  given  them :  this  for  breakfast  consists  of 
sixteen  figs  and  two  small  loaves  of  bread ;  for  dinner,  boiled  beans ; 
for  supper,  broken  roasted  wheat  grain.  They  scarcely  ever  taste 
meat ;  as,  with  the  twelve  pounds  per  annum,  they  have  to  clothe 
themselves,  and  support  their  families.  The  miners  who  work  in  the 
mine  itself  have  twenty-five  shillings  per  month,  and  are  allowed 
a  little  charqui.  But  these  men  come  down  from  their  bleak  habitations 
only  once  in  every  fortnight  or  three  weeks. 

During  my  stay  here  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  scrambling  about  these 
huge  mountains.  The  geology,  as  might  have  been  expected,  was  very 
interesting.  The  shattered  and  baked  rocks,  traversed  by  innumerable 
dykes  of  greenstone,  showed  what  commotions  had  formerly  taken 
place.  The  scenery  was  much  the  same  as  that  near  the  Bell  of 
Quillota — dry  barren  mountains,  dotted  at  intervals  by  bushes  with  a 
scanty  foliage.  The  cactuses,  or  rather  opuntias,  were  here  very 


igo  CENTRAL  CHILE.  [CHAP,  xn, 

numerous.  I  measured  one  of  a  spherical  figure,  which,  including  the 
spines,  was  six  feet  and  four  inches  in  circumference.  The  height  of 
the  common  cylindrical,  branching  kind,  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet, 
and  the  girth  (with  spines)  of  the  branches  between  three  and  four 
feet. 

A  heavy  fall  of  snow  on  the  mountains  prevented  me,  during  the 
last  two  days,  from  making  some  interesting  excursions.  I  attempted 
to  reach  a  lake  which  the  inhabitants,  from  some  unaccountable  reason, 
believe  to  be  an  arm  of  the  sea.  During  a  very  dry  season,  it  was 
proposed  to  attempt  cutting  a  channel  from  it  for  the  sake  of  the  water, 
but  the  padre,  after  a  consultation,  declared  it  was  too  dangerous,  as 
all  Chile  would  be  inundated,  if,  as  generally  supposed,  the  lake  was 
connected  with  the  Pacific.  We  ascended  to  a  great  height,  but 
becoming  involved  in  the  snow-drifts  failed  in  reaching  this  wonderful 
lake,  and  had  some  difficulty  in  returning.  I  thought  we  should  have 
lost  our  horses;  for  there  was  no  means  of  guessing  how  deep  the 
drifts  were,  and  the  animals,  when  led,  could  only  move  by  jumping. 
The  black  sky  showed  that  a  fresh  snow-storm  was  gathering,  and  we 
therefore  were  not  a  little  glad  when  we  escaped.  By  the  time  we 
reached  the  base  the  storm  commenced,  and  it  was  lucky  for  us  that 
this  did  not  happen  three  hours  earlier  in  the  day. 

August  26th. — We  left  Jajuel  and  again  crossed  the  basin  of  San 
Felipe.  The  day  was  truly  Chilian :  glaringly  bright,  and  the  atmo- 
sphere quite  clear.  The  thick  and  uniform  covering  of  newly-fallen 
snow  rendered  the  view  of  the  volcano  of  Aconcagua  and  the  main 
chain  quite  glorious.  We  were  now  on  the  road  to  Santiago,  the 
capital  of  Chile.  We  crossed  the  Cerro  del  Talguen,  and  slept  at  a 
little  rancho.  The  host,  talking  about  the  state  of  Chile  as  compared 
to  other  countries,  was  very  humble :  "  Some  see  with  two  eyes  and 
some  with  one,  but  for  my  part  I  do  not  think  that  Chile  sees  with 
any." 

August  2"jth. — After  crossing  many  low  hills  we  descended  into  the 
small  land-locked  plain  of  Guitron.  In  the  basins,  such  as  this  one, 
which  are  elevated  from  one  thousand  to  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  two  species  of  acacia,  which  are  stunted  in  their  forms,  and  stand 
wide  apart  from  each  other,  grow  in  large  numbers.  These  trees  are 
never  found  near  the  sea-coast ;  and  this  gives  another  characteristic 
feature  to  the  scenery  of  these  basins.  We  crossed  a  low  ridge  which 
separates  Guitron  from  the  great  plain  on  which  Santiago  stands. 
The  view  was  here  pre-eminently  striking:  the  dead  level  surface, 
covered  in  parts  by  woods  of  acacia,  and  with  the  city  in  the  distance, 
abutting  horizontally  against  the  base  of  the  Andes,  whose  snowy 
peaks  were  bright  with  the  evening  sun.  At  the  first  glance  of  this 
view,  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  plain  represented  the  extent  of  a 
former  inland  sea.  As  soon  as  we  gained  the  level  road  we  pushed 
our  horses  into  a  gallop,  and  reached  the  city  before  it  was  dark. 

I  stayed  a  week  in  Santiago  and  enjoyed  myself  very  much.  In  the 
morning  I  rode  to  various  places  on  the  plain,  and  in  the  evening 
dined  with  several  of  the  English  merchants,  whose  hospitality  at  this 


1834. j  HOT  SPRINGS  OF  CAUQUENES.  l# 

place  is  well  known.  A  never-failing  source  of  pleasure  was  to  ascend 
the  little  hillock  of  rock  (St.  Lucia)  which  projects  in  the  middle  of  the 
city.  The  scenery  certainly  is  most  striking,  and,  as  I  have  said,  very 
peculiar.  I  am  informed  that  this  same  character  is  common  to  the 
cities  on  the  great  Mexican  platform.  Of  the  town  I  have  nothing 
to  say  in  detail ;  it  is  not  so  fine  or  so  large  as  Buenos  Ayres,  but  is 
built  after  the  same  model.  I  arrived  here  by  a  circuit  to  the  north ; 
so  I  resolved  to  return  to  Valparaiso  by  a  rather  longer  excursion  to 
the  south  of  the  direct  road. 

September  t>th. — By  the  middle  of  the  day  we  arrived  at  one  of  the 
suspension  bridges  made  of  hide,  which  crosses  the  Maypu,  a  large 
turbulent  river  a  few  leagues  southward  of  Santiago.  These  bridges 
are  very  poor  affairs.  The  road,  following  the  curvature  of  the 
suspending  ropes,  is  made  of  bundles  of  sticks  placed  close  together. 
It  was  full  of  holes,  and  oscillated  rather  fearfully,  even  with  the 
weight  of  a  man  leading  his  horse.  In  the  evening  we  reached  a 
comfortable  farmhouse,  where  there  were  several  very  pretty  senoritas. 
They  were  much  horrified  at  my  having  entered  one  of  their  churches 
out  of  mere  curiosity.  They  asked  me,  "  Why  do  you  not  become  a 
Christian — for  our  religion  is  certain  ?  "  I  assured  them  I  was  a  sort 
of  Christian ;  but  they  would  not  hear  of  it— appealing  to  my  own 
words,  "Do  not  your  padres,  your  very  bishops,  marry?"  The  absur- 
dity of  a  bishop  having  a  wife  particularly  struck  them ;  they  scarcely 
knexv  whether  to  be  most  amused  or  horror-struck  at  such  an  enormity. 

September  6th. — We  proceeded  due  south,  and  slept  at  Rancagua. 
The  road  passed  over  the  level  but  narrow  plain,  bounded  on  one  side 
by  lofty  hills,  and  on  the  other  by  the  Cordillera.  The  next  day  we 
turned  up  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Cachapual,  in  which  the  hot-baths  of 
Cauquenes,  long  celebrated  for  their  medicinal  properties,  are  situated. 
The  suspension  bridges,  in  the  less  frequented  parts,  are  generally 
taken  down  during  the  winter  when  the  rivers  are  low.  Such  was  the 
case  in  this  valley,  and  we  were  therefore  obliged  to  cross  the  stream 
on  horseback.  This  is  rather  disagreeable,  for  the  foaming  water, 
though  not  deep,  rushes  so  quickly  over  the  bed  of  large  rounded 
stones,  that  one's  head  becomes  quite  confused,  and  it  is  difficult  even 
to  perceive  whether  the  horse  is  moving  onward  or  standing  still.  In 
summer,  \vhen  the  snow  melts,  the  torrents  are  quite  impassable ; 
their  strength  and  fury  is  then  extremely  great,  as  might  be  plainly 
seen  by  the  marks  which  they  had  left.  We  reached  the  baths  in  the 
evening,  and  stayed  there  five  days,  being  confined  the  two  last  by 
heavy  rain.  The  buildings  consist  of  a  square  of  miserable  little  hovels, 
each  with  a  single  table  and  bench.  They  are  situated  in  a  narrow 
deep  valley  just  without  the  central  Cordillera,  It  is  a  quiet,  solitary 
spot,  with  a  good  deal  of  wild  beauty. 

The  mineral  springs  of  Cauquenes  burst  forth  on  a  line  of  dislo- 
cation, crossing  a  mass  of  stratified  rock,  the  whole  of  which  betrays 
the  action  of  heat.  A  considerable  quantity  of  gas  is  continually 
escaping  from  the  same  orifices  with  the  water.  Though  the  springs 
are  only  a  few  yards  apart,  they  have  very  different  temperatures  ;  and 


19*  CENTRAL  CfftLE.        . ,  [CHAP.  xir. 

this  appears  to  be  the  result  of  an  unequal  mixture  of  cold  water :  tor 
those  with  the  lowest  temperature  have  scarcely  any  mineral  taste. 
After  the  great  earthquake  of  1822  the  springs  ceased,  and  the  water 
did  not  return  for  nearly  a  year.  They  were  also  much  affected  by  the 
earthquake  of  1835  i  the  temperature  being  suddenly  changed  from 
1 1 8°  to  92°.*  It  seems  probable  that  mineral  waters  rising  deep  from 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  would  always  be  more  deranged  by  subter- 
ranean disturbances  than  those  nearer  the  surface.  The  man  \vho  had 
charge  of  the  baths,  assured  me  that  in  summer  the  water  is  hotter  and 
more  plentiful  than  in  winter.  The  former  circumstance  I  should  have 
expected,  from  the  less  mixture,  during  the  dry  season,  of  cold  water ; 
but  the  latter  statement  appears  very  strange  and  contradictory.  The 
periodical  increase  during  the  summer,  when  rain  never  falls,  can,  I 
think,  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  melting  of  the  snow ;  yet  the 
mountains  which  are  covered  by  snow  during  that  season,  are  three  or 
four  leagues  distant  from  the  springs.  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
accuracy  of  my  informer,  who,  having  lived  on  the  spot  for  several 
years,  ought  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  circumstance, — which,  if 
true,  certainly  is  very  curious:  for,  we  must  suppose  that  the  snow- 
water, being  conducted  through  porous  strata  to  the  regions  of  heat,  is 
again  thrown  up  to  the  surface  by  the  line  of  dislocated  and  injected 
rocks  at  Cauquenes;  and  the  regularity  of  the  phenomenon  would 
seem  to  indicate,  that  in  this  district  heated  rock  occurred  at  a  depth 
not  very  great. 

One  day  I  rode  up  the  valley  to  the  farthest  inhabited  spot.  Shortly 
above  that  point,  the  Cachapual  divided  into  two  deep  tremendous 
ravines,  which  penetrate  directly  into  the  great  range.  I  scrambled  up 
a  peaked  mountain,  probably  more  than  six  thousand  feet  high.  Here, 
as  indeed  everywhere  else,  scenes  of  the  highest  interest  presented 
themselves.  It  was  by  one  of  these  ravines  that  Pincheira  entered 
Chile,  and  ravaged  the  neighbouring  country.  This  is  the  same  man 
whose  attack  on  an  estancia  at  the  Rio  Negro  I  have  described.  He 
was  a  renegade,  half-cast  Spaniard,  who  collected  a  great  body  of 
Indians  together  and  established  himself  by  a  stream  in  the  Pampas, 
which  place  none  of  the  forces  sent  after  him  could  ever  discover. 
From  this  point  he  used  to  sally  forth,  and  crossing  the  Cordillera  by 
passes  hitherto  unattenipted,  he  ravaged  the  farmhouses  and  drove  the 
cattle  to  his  secret  rendezvous.  Pincheira  was  a  capital  horseman, 
and  he  made  all  around  him  equally  good,  for  he  invariably  shot  any 
one  who  hesitated  to  follow  him.  It  was  against  this  man,  and  other 
wandering  Indian  tribes,  that  Rosas  waged  the  war  of  extermination. 

September  i^th. — We  left  the  baths  of  Cauquenes,  and  rejoining 
the  main  road  slept  at  the  Rio  Claro.  From  this  place  we  rode  to 
the  town  of  San  Fernando.  Before  arriving  there,  the  last  land-locked 
basin  had  expanded  into  a  great  plain,  which  extended  so  far  to  the 
south,  that  the  snowy  summits  of  the  more  distant  Andes  were  seen 
as  if  above  the  horizon  of  the  sea.  San  Fernando  is  forty  leagues  from 
Santiago ;  and  it  was  my  farthest  point  southward ;  for  we  here  turned 
.*  Caldcleugh,  in  Phibsofh.  Transact,  for  1836. 


1834]  FLOATING  ISLANDS.  191 

at  right  angles  towards  the  coast.  We  slept  at  the  gold  mines  of 
Yaquil,  which  are  worked  by  Mr.  Nixon,  an  American  gentleman,  to 
whose  kindness  I  was  much  indebted  during  the  four  days  I  stayed 
at  his  house.  The  next  morning  we  rode  to  the  mines,  which  are 
situated  at  the  distance  of  some  leagues,  near  the  summit  of  a  lofty 
hill.  On  the  way  we  had  a  glimpse  of  the  lake  Tagua-tagua,  celebrated 
for  its  floating  islands,  which  have  been  described  by  M.  Gay.*  They 
are  composed  of  the  stalks  of  various  dead  plants  intertwined  together, 
and  on  the  surface  of  which  other  living  ones  take  root.  Their  form 
is  generally  circular,  and  their  thickness  from  four  to  six  feet,  of  which 
the  greater  part  is  immersed  in  the  water.  As  the  wind  blows,  they 
pass  from  one  side  of  the  lake  to  the  other,  and  often  carry  cattle  and 
horses  as  passengers. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  mine,  I  was  struck  by  the  pale  appearance 
of  many  of  the  men,  and  inquired  from  Mr.  Nixon  respecting  their 
condition.  The  mine  is  450  feet  deep,  and  each  man  brings  up  about 
200  pounds  weight  of  stone.  With  this  load  they  have  to  climb  up 
the  alternate  notches  cut  in  the  trunks  of  trees,  placed  in  a  zigzag  line 
up  the  shaft.  Even  beardless  young  men,  eighteen  and  twenty  years 
old,  with  little  muscular  development  of  their  bodies  (they  are  quite 
naked  excepting  drawers),  ascend  with  this  great  load  from  nearly  the 
same  depth.  A  strong  man,  who  is  not  accustomed  to  this  labour, 
perspires  most  profusely,  with  merely  carrying  up  his  own  body. 
With  this  very  severe  labour,  they  live  entirely  on  boiled  beans  and 
bread.  They  would  prefer  having  bread  alone ;  but  their  masters, 
finding  that  they  cannot  work  so  hard  upon  this,  treat  them  like  horses, 
and  make  them  eat  the  beans.  Their  pay  is  here  rather  more  than  at 
the  mines  of  Jajuel,  being  from  twenty-four  to  twenty-eight  shillings  per 
month.  They  leave  the  mine  only  once  in  three  weeks  ;  when  they  stay 
with  their  families  for  two  days.  One  of  the  rules  in  this  mine  sounds 
very  harsh,  but  answers  pretty  well  for  the  master.  The  only  method 
of  stealing  gold  is  to  secrete  pieces  of  the  ore,  and  take  them  out  as 
occasion  may  offer.  Whenever  the  major-domo  finds  a  lump  thus 
hidden,  its  full  value  is  stopped  out  of  the  wages  of  all  the  men  ;  who 
thus,  without  they  all  combine,  are  obliged  to  keep  watch  over  each 
other. 

When  the  ore  is  brought  to  the  mill,  it  is  ground  into  an  impalpable 
powder ;  the  process  of  washing  removes  all  the  lighter  particles,  and 
amalgamation  finally  secures  the  gold  dust.  The  washing,  when  de- 
Bcribed,  sounds  a  very  simple  process ;  but  it  is  beautiful  to  see  how 
the  exact  adaptation  of  the  current  of  water  to  the  specific  gravity  of 
the  gold,  so  easily  separates  the  powdered  matrix  from  the  metal. 
The  mud  which  passes  from  the  mills  is  collected  into  pools,  where 
it  subsides,  and  every  now  and  then  is  cleared  out,  and  thrown  into  a 
common  heap.  A  great  deal  of  chemical  action  then  commences,  salts 
of  various  kinds  effloresce  on  the  surface,  and  the  mass  becomes  hard. 

•  *  "Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,"  March,  1833.  M.  Gay,  a  zealous  and 
able  naturalist,  was  then  occupied  in  studying  every  branch  of  natural 
history  throughout  the  kingdom  of  Chile. 


194  CENTRAL  CHIL&.  (CHA*.  ill. 

After  having  been  left  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  rewashed,  it  yields 
gold ;  and  this  process  may  be  repeated  even  six  or  seven  times ;  but 
the  gold  each  time  becomes  less  in  quantity,  and  the  intervals  required 
(as  the  inhabitants  say,  to  generate  the  metal)  are  longer.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  chemical  action,  already  mentioned,  each  time 
liberates  fresh  gold  from  some  combination.  The  discovery  of  a 
method  to  effect  this  before  the  first  grinding,  would  without  doubt 
raise  the  value  of  gold-ores  many  fold.  It  is  curious  to  find  how  the 
minute  particles  of  gold,  being  scattered  about  and  not  corroding,  at 
last  accumulate  in  some  quantity.  A  short  time  since  a  few  miners, 
being  out  of  work,  obtained  permission  to  scrape  the  ground  round  the 
house  and  mill ;  they  washed  the  earth  thus  got  together,  and  so  pro- 
cured thirty  dollars'  worth  of  gold.  This  is  an  exact  counterpart  of 
what  takes  place  in  nature.  Mountains  suffer  degradation  and  wear 
away,  and  with  them  the  metallic  veins  which  they  contain.  The 
hardest  rock  is  worn  into  impalpable  mud,  the  ordinary  metals  oxidate, 
and  both  are  removed ;  but  gold,  platina,  and  a  few  others  are  nearly 
indestructible,  and  from  their  weight,  sinking  to  the  bottom,  are  left 
behind.  After  whole  mountains  have  passed  through  this  grinding-mill, 
and  have  been  washed  by  the  hand  of  nature,  the  residue  becomes 
metalliferous,  and  man  finds  it  worth  his  while  to  complete  the  task  of 
separation. 

Bad  as  the  above  treatment  of  the  miners  appears,  it  is  gladly 
accepted  of  by  them ;  for  the  condition  of  the  labouring  agriculturists  is 
much  worse.  Their  wages  are  lower,  and  they  live  almost  exclusively 
on  beans.  This  poverty  must  be  chiefly  owing  to  the  feudal-like  system 
on  which  the  land  is  tilled :  the  landowner  gives  a  small  plot  of  ground 
to  the  labourer,  for  building  on  and  cultivating,  and  in  return  has  his 
services  (or  those  of  a  proxy)  for  every  day  of  his  life,  without  any 
wages.  Until  a  father  has  a  grown-up  son,  who  can  by  his  labour  pay 
the  rent,  there  is  no  one,  except  on  occasional  days,  to  take  care  of  his 
own  patch  of  ground.  Hencei  extreme  poverty  is  very  common  among 
the  labouring  classes  in  this  country. 

There  are  some  old  Indian  ruins  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  I  was 
shown  one  of  the  perforated  stones,  which  Molina  mentions  as  being 
found  in  many  places  in  considerable  numbers.  They  are  of  a  circular 
flattened  form,  from  five  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  hole  passing 
quite  through  the  centre.  It  has  generally  been  supposed  that  they 
were  used  as  heads  to  clubs,  although  their  form  does  not  appear  at 
all  well  adapted  for  that  purpose.  Burchell  *  states  that  some  of  the 
tribes  in  Southern  Africa  dig  up  roots  by  the  aid  of  a  stick  pointed  at 
one  end,  the  force  and  weight  of  which  is  increased  by  a  round  stone 
with  a  hole  in  it,  into  which  the  other  end  is  firmly  wedged.  It  appears 
probable,  that  the  Indians  of  Chile  formerly  used  some  such  rude, 
.agricultural  instrument. 

One  day,  a  German  collector  in  natural  history,  of  the  name  of 
Renous,  called,  and  nearly  at  the  same  time  an  old  Spanish  lawyer.    I 
was  amused  at  being  told  the  conversation  which  took  place  between 
*  BurchelTs  "  Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  p,  45, 


THE  PUMA.  195 

them.  Renous  speaks  Spanish  so  well,  that  the  old  lawyer  mistook 
him  for  a  Chilian.  Renous,  alluding  to  me,  asked  him  what  he  thought 
of  the  King  of  England  sending  out  a  collector  to  their  country,  to  pick 
up  lizards  and  beetles,  and  to  break  stones?  The  old  gentleman 
thought  seriously  for  some  time,  and  then  said,  "  It  is  not  well, — hayun 
gato  encerrado  aqui  (there  is  a  cat  shut  up  here).  No  man  is  so  rich  as 
to  send  out  people  to  pick  up  such  rubbish.  I  do  not  like  it :  if  one  of 
us  were  to  go  and  do  such  things  in  England,  do  not  you  think  the 
King  of  England  would  very  soon  send  us  out  of  his  country?"  And 
this  old  gentleman,  from  his  profession,  belongs  to  the  better  informed 
and  more  intelligent  classes  !  Renous  himself,  two  or  three  years 
before,  left  in  a  house  at  San  Fernando  some  caterpillars,  under  charge 
of  a  girl  to  feed,  that  they  might  turn  into  butterflies.  This  was 
rumoured  through  the  town,  and  at  last  the  Padres  and  Governor 
consulted  together,  and  agreed  it  must  be  some  heresy.  Accordingly, 
when  Renous  returned,  he  was  arrested. 

September  igth.— We  left  Yaquil,  and  followed  the  flat  valley, 
formed  like  that  of  Quillota,  in  which  the  Rio  Tinderidica  flows.  Even 
at  these  few  miles  south  of  Santiago  the  climate  is  much  damper ;  in 
consequence  there  were  fine  tracts  of  pasturage,  which  were  not 
irrigated.  (2Oth)  We  followed  this  valley  till  it  expanded  into  a  great 
plain,  which  reaches  from  the  sea  to  the  mountains  west  of  Rancagua. 
We  shortly  lost  all  trees  and  even  bushes ;  so  that  the  inhabitants  are 
nearly  as  badly  off  for  firewood  as  those  in  the  Pampas.  Never  having 
heard  of  these  plains,  I  was  much  surprised  at  meeting  with  such 
scenery  in  Chile.  The  plains  belong  to  more  than  one  series  of 
different  elevations,  and  they  are  traversed  by  broad  flat-bottomed 
valleys ;  both  of  which  circumstances,  as  in  Patagonia,  bespeak  the 
action  of  the  sea  on  gently  rising  land.  In  the  steep  cliffs  bordering, 
these  valleys,  there  are  some  large  caves,  which  no  doubt  were  originally 
formed  by  the  waves :  one  of  these  is  celebrated  under  the  name  of 
Cueva  del  Obispo,  having  formerly  been  consecrated.  During  the  day 
I  felt  very  unwell,  and  from  that  time  till  the  end  of  October  did  not 
recover. 

September  22nd. — We  continued  to  pass  over  green  plains  without  a 
tree.  The  next  day  we  arrived  at  a  house  near  Navedad,  on  the  sea- 
coast,  where  a  rich  Haciendero  gave  us  lodgings.  I  stayed  here  the  two 
ensuing  days,  and  although  very  unwell,  managed  to  collect  from  the 
tertiary  formation  some  marine  shells.' 

September  24th. — Our  course  was  now  directed  towards  Valparaiso, 
which  with  great  difficulty  I  reached  on  the  27th,  and  was  there  con- 
fined to  my  bed  till  the  end  of  October.  During  this  time  I  was  an 
inmate  in  Mr.  Corfield's  house,  whose  kindness  to  me  I  do  not  know 
how  to  express. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  observations  on  some  of  the  animals  and  birds 
of  Chile.  The  Puma,  or  South  American  Lion,  is  not  uncommon.  This 
animal  has  a  wide  geographical  range ;  being  found  from  the  equatorial 
forests,  throughout  the  deserts  of  Patagonia,  as  far  south  as  the  damp 


196  CENTRAL  CHILE  fcHAP.  xii, 

and  cold  latitudes  (53°  to  54°)  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  I  have  seen  its 
footsteps  in  the  Cordillera  of  Central  Chile,  at  an  elevation  of  at  least 
10,000  teet.  In  La  Plata  the  puma  preys  chiefly  on  deer,  ostriches, 
bizcacha,  and  other  small  quadrupeds ;  it  there  seldom  attacks  cattle  or 
horses,  and  most  rarely  man.  In  Chile,  however,  it  destroys  many 
young  horses  and  cattle,  owing  probably  to  the  scarcity  of  other  quad- 
rupeds ;  I  heard,  likewise,  of  two  men  and  a  woman  who  had  been 
thus  killed.  It  is  asserted  that  the  puma  always  kills  its  prey  by 
springing  on  the  shoulders,  and  then  drawing  back  the  head  with  one 
of  its  paws,  until  the  vertebrae  break ;  I  have  seen  in  Patagonia,  the 
skeletons  of  guanacos,  with  their  necks  thus  dislocated. 

The  puma,  after  eating  its  fill,  covers  the  carcass  with  many  large 
bushes,  and  lies  down  to  watch  it.  This  habit  is  often  the  cause  of  its 
being  discovered ;  for  the  condors  wheeling  in  the  air,  every  now  and 
then  descend  to  partake  of  the  feast,  and  being  angrily  driven  away,  rise 
all  together  on  the  wing.  The  Chileno  Guaso  then  knows  there  is  a 
lion  watching  his  prey — the  word  is  given — and  men  and  dogs  hurry  to 
the  chase.  Sir  F.  Head  says  that  a  Gaucho  in  the  Pampas,  upon 
merely  seeing  some  condors  wheeling  in  the  air,  cried,  "  A  lion  ! "  I 
could  never  myself  meet  with  any  one  who  pretended  to  such  powers  of 
discrimination.  It  is  asserted,  that  if  a  puma  has  once  been  betrayed 
by  thus  watching  the  carcass,  and  has  then  been  hunted,  it  never  resumes 
this  habit :  but  that  having  gorged  itself,  it  wanders  far  away.  The  puma 
is  easily  killed.  In  an  open  country,  it  is  first  entangled  with  the  bolas, 
then  lazoed,  and  dragged  along  the  ground  till  rendered  insensible. 
At  Tandeel  (south  of  the  Plata)  I  was  told  that  within  three  months  one 
hundred  were  thus  destroyed.  In  Chile  they  are  generally  driven  up 
bushes  or  trees,  and  are  then  either  shot,  or  baited  to  death  by  dogs. 
The  dogs  employed  in  this  chase  belong  to  a  particular  breed,  called 
Leoneros  ;  they  are  weak,  slight  animals,  like  long-legged  terriers,  but 
are  born  with  a  particular  instinct  for  this  sport.  The  puma  is  described 
as  being  very  crafty  ;  when  pursued,  it  often  returns  on  its  former  track, 
and  then  suddenly  making  a  spring  on  one  side,  waits  there  till  the  dogs 
have  passed  by.  It  is  a  very  silent  animal,  uttering  no  cry  even  when 
wounded,  and  only  rarely  during  the  breeding  season. 

Of  birds,  two  species  of  the  genus  Pteroptochos  (megapodius  and 
albicollis  of  Kittlitz)  are  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous.  The  former, 
called  by  the  Chillenos  "  el  Turco,"  is  as  large  as  a  fieldfare,  to  which 
bird  it  has  some  alliance ;  but  its  legs  are  much  longer,  tail  shorter,  and 
beak  stronger  ;  its  colour  is  a  reddish-brown.  The  Turco  is  not  uncom- 
mon. It  lives  on  the  ground,  sheltered  among  the  thickets  which  are 
scattered  over  the  dry  and  sterile  hills.  With  its  tail  erect,  and  stilt- 
like  legs,  it  may  be  seen  every  now  and  then  popping  from  one  bush  to 
another  with  uncommon  quickness.  It  really  requires  little  imagination 
to  believe  that  the  bird  is  ashamed  of  itself,  and  is  aware  of  its  most 
ridiculous  figure.  On  first  seeing  it,  one  is  tempted  to  exclaim,  "  A 
vilely  stuffed  specimen  has  escaped  from  some  museum,  and  has  come 
to  life  again  1  "  It  cannot  be  made  to  take  flight  without  the  greatest 
trouble,  nor  does  it  run,  but  only  hops.  The  various  loud  cries  which 


1834-]  HUMMING-BIRDS.  197 

it  utters  when  concealed  amongst  the  bushes,  are  as  strange  as  its 
appearance.  It  is  said  to  build  its  nest  in  a  deep  hole  beneath  the 
ground.  I  dissected  several  specimens ;  a  gizzard,  which  was  very 
muscular,  contained  beetles,  vegetable  fibres,  and  pebbles.  From  this 
character,  from  the  length  of  its  legs,  scratching  feet,  membranous 
covering  to  the  nostrils,  short  and  arched  wings,  this  bird  seems  in  a 
certain  degree  to  connect  the  thrushes  with  the  gallinaceous  order. 

The  second  species  (or  P.  albicollis)  is  allied  to  the  first  in  its  general 
form.  It  is  called  Tapacolo,  or  "  cover  your  posterior ; "  and  well 
does  the  shameless  little  bird  deserve  its  name ;  for  it  carries  its  tail 
more  than  erect,  that  is,  inclined  backwards  towards  its  head.  It  is 
very  common,  and  frequents  the  bottoms  of  hedge-rows,  and  the  bushes 
scattered  over  the  barren  hills,  where  scarcely  another  bird  can  exist. 
In  its  general  manner  of  feeding,  of  quickly  hopping  out  of  the  thickets 
and  back  again,  in  its  desire  of  concealment,  unwillingness  to  take 
flight,  and  nidification,  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  Turco ;  but 
its  appearance  is  not  quite  so  ridiculous.  The  Tapacolo  is  very  crafty: 
when  frightened  by  any  person,  it  will  remain  motionless  at  the  bottom 
of  a  bush,  and  will  then,  after  a  little  while,  try  with  much  address  to 
crawl  away  on  the  opposite  side.  It  is  also  an  active  bad,  and  con- 
tinually making  a  noise ;  these  noises  are  various  and  strangely  odd ; 
some  are  like  the  cooing  of  doves,  others  like  the  bubbling  of  water,  and 
many  defy  all  similes.  The  country  people  say  it  changes  its  cry  five 
times  in  the  year — according  to  some  change  of  season,  I  suppose.* 

Two  species  of  humming-birds  are  common ;  Trochilus  forficatus  is 
found  over  a  space  of  2,500  miles  on  the  west  coast,  from  the  hot  dry 
country  of  Lima,  to  the  forests  of  Tierra  del  Fuego — where  it  may  be 
seen  flitting  about  in  snow-storms.  In  the  wooded  island  of  Chiloe, 
which  has  an  extremely  humid  climate,  this  little  bird,  skipping  from 
side  to  side  amidst  the  dripping  foliage,  is  perhaps  more  abundant  than 
almost  any  other  kind.  I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several  specimens, 
shot  in  different  parts  of  the  continent,  and  in  all  remains  of  insects 
were  as  numerous  as  in  the  stomach  of  a  creeper.  When  this  species 
migrates  in  the  summer  southward,  it  is  replaced  by  the  arrival  of 
another  species  coming  from  the  north.  This  second  kind  (Trochilus 
gigas)  is  a  very  large  bird  for  the  delicate  family  to  which  it  belongs : 
when  on  the  wing  its  appearance  is  singular.  Like  others  of  the  genus, 
it  moves  from  place  to  place  with  a  rapidity  which  may  be  compared  to 
that  of  Syrphus  amongst  flies,  and  Sphinx  among  moths ;  but  whilst 
hovering  over  a  flower,  it  flaps  its  wings  with  a  very  slow  and  powerful 
movement,  totally  different  from  that  vibratory  one  common  to  most  of 
the  species,  which  produces  the  humming  noise.  I  never  saw  any  other 
bird,  where  the  force  of  its  wings  appeared  (as  in  a  butterfly)  so 

*  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  Molina,  though  describing  in  detail  all  the 
birds  and  animals  of  Chile,  never  once  mentions  this  genus,  the  species  of 
which  are  so  common,  and  so  remarkable  in  their  habits.  Was  he  at  a  loss 
how  to  classify  them,  and  did  he  consequently  think  that  silence  was  the 
more  prudent  course  ?  It  is  one  more  instance  of  the  frequency  of  omissions 
by  authors,  on  those  very  subjects  where  it  might  have  be«i  least  expected. 


108  ASPECT  Of  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xiu. 

powerful  in  proportion  to  the  weight  of  its  body.  When  hovering  by  a 
flower,  its  tail  is  constantly  expanded  and  shut  like  a  fan,  the  body 
being  kept  in  a  nearly  vertical  position.  This  action  appears  _to  steady 
and  support  the  bird,  between  the  slow  movements  of  its  wings. 
Although  flying  from  flower  to  flower  in  search  of  food,  its  stomach 
generally  contained  abundant  remains  of  insects,  which  I  suspect  are 
much  more  the  object  of  its  search  than  honey.  The  note  of  this 
species,  like  that  of  nearly  the  whole  family,  is  extremely  shrill, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
CHILOE  AND  CHONOS  ISLANDS, 

Chiloe— General  Aspect— Boat  Excursion— Native  Indians— Castro— Tame 
Fox — Ascend  San  Pedro — Chonos  Archipelago — Peninsula  of  Tres 
Montes — Granitic  Range — Boat-wrecked  Sailors — Low's  Harbour — Wild 
Potato — Formation  of  Peat — Myopotamus,  Otter  and  Mice — Cheucau 
and  Barking-bird — Opetiorhynchus — Singular  Character  of  Ornithology 
— Petrels, 

November  loth. — THE  Beagle  sailed  from  Valparaiso  to  the  south,  for 
the  purpose  of  surveying  the  southern  part  of  Chile,  the  Island  of  Chiloe, 
and  the  broken  land  called  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  as  far  south  as  the 
Peninsula  of  Tres  Montes.  On  the  2ist  we  anchored  in  the  bay  of 
San  Carlos,  the  capital  of  Chiloe. 

This  island  is  about  ninety  miles  long,  with  a  breadth  of  rather  less 
than  thirty.  The  land  is  hilly,  but  not  mountainous,  and  is  covered  by 
one  great  forest,  except  where  a  few  green  patches  have  been  cleared 
round  the  thatched  cottages.  From  a  distance  the  view  somewhat 
resembles  that  of  Tierra  del  Fuego ;  but  the  woods,  when  seen  nearer, 
are  incomparably  more  beautiful.  Many  kinds  of  fine  evergreen  trees, 
and  plants  with  a  tropical  character,  here  take  the  place  of  the  gloomy 
beech  of  the  southern  shores.  In  winter  the  climate  is  detestable,  and 
in  summer  it  is  only  a  little  better.  I  should  think  there  are  few  parts 
of  the  world,  within  the  temperate  regions,  where  so  much  rain  falls. 
The  winds  are  very  boisterous,  and  the  sky  almost  always  clouded :  to 
have  a  week  of  fine  weather  is  something  wonderful.  It  is  even  diffi- 
cult to  get  a  single  glimpse  of  the  Cordillera :  during  our  first  visit,  once 
only  the  volcano  of  Osorno  stood  out  in  bold  relief,  and  that  was  before 
sunrise ;  it  was  curious  to  watch,  as  the  sun  rose,  the  outline  gradually 
fading  away  in  the  glare  of  the  eastern  sky. 

The  inhabitants,  from  their  complexion  and  low  stature,  appear  to 
have  three-fourths  of  Indian  blood  in  their  veins.  They  are  an  humble, 
quiet,  industrious  set  of  men.  Although  the  fertile  soil,  resulting  from 
tne  decomposition  of  the  volcanic  rocks,  supports  a  rank  vegetation, 


•1834.]  BOAT  EXCURSION. '  199 

yet  the  climate  is  not  favourable  to  any  production  which  requires 
much  sunshine  to  ripen  it.  There  is  very  little  pasture  for  the  larger 
quadrupeds ;  and  in  consequence,  the  staple  articles  of  food  are  pigs, 
potatoes,  and  fish.  The  people  all  dress  in  strong  woollen  garments, 
which  each  family  makes  for  itself,  and  dyes  with  indigo  of  a  dark  blue 
colour.  The  arts,  however,  are  in  the  rudest  state ; — as  may  be  seen  in 
their  strange  fashion  of  ploughing,  their  method  of  spinning,  grinding 
corn,  and  in  the  construction  of  their  boats.  The  forests  are  so 
impenetrable,  that  the  land  is  nowhere  cultivated  except  near  the  coast 
and  on  the  adjoining  islets.  Even  where  paths  exist,  they  are  scarcely 
passable  from  the  soft  and  swampy  slate  of  the  soil.  The  inhabitants, 
like  those  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  move  about  chiefly  on  the  beach  or  in 
boats.  Although  with  plenty  to  eat,  the  people  are  very  poor ;  there  is 
no  demand  for  labour,  and  consequently  the  lower  orders  cannot  scrape 
together  money  sufficient  to  purchase  even  the  smallest  luxuries. 
There  is  also  a  great  deficiency  of  a  circulating  medium.  I  have  seen  a 
man  bringing  on  his  back  a  bag  of  charcoal,  with  which  to  buy  some 
trifle,  and  another  carrying  a  plank  to  exchange  for  a  bottle  of  wine. 
Hence  every  tradesman  must  also  be  a.  merchant,  and  again  sell  the 
goods  which  he  takes  in  exchange. 

November  242/1. — The  yawl  and  whale-boat  wero  sent  under  the 
command  of  Mr.  (now  Captain)  Sulivan,  to  survey  the  eastern  or  inland 
coast  of  Chiloe ;  and  with  orders  to  meet  the  Beagle  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  island  ;  to  which  point  she  would  proceed  by  the  out- 
side, so  as  thus  to  circumnavigate  the  whole.  I  accompanied  this 
expedition,  but  instead  of  going  in  the  boats  the  first  day,  I  hired  horses 
to  take  me  to  Chacao,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island  The 
road  followed  the  coast ;  every  now  and  then  crossing  promontories 
covered  by  fine  forests.  In  these  shaded  paths  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  the  whole  road  should  be  made  of  logs  of  wood,  which  are  squared 
and  placed  by  the  side  of  each  other.  From  the  rays  of  the  sun  never 
penetrating  the  evergreen  foliage,  the  ground  is  so  damp  and  soft,  that 
except  by  this  means  neither  man  nor  horse  would  be  able  to  pass 
along.  I  arrived  at  the  village  of  Chacao,  shortly  after  the  tents  be- 
longing to  the  boats  were  pitched  for  the  night. 

The  land  in  this  neighbourhood  has  been  extensively  cleared,  and 
there  were  many  quiet  and  most  picturesque  nooks  in  the  forest. 
Chacao  was  formerly  the  principal  port  in  the  island;  but  many 
vessels  having  been  lost,  owing  to  the  dangerous  currents  and  rocks 
in  the  straits,  the  Spanish  government  burnt  the  church,  and  thus 
arbitrarily  compelled  the  greater  number  of  inhabitants  to  migrate  to 
San  Carlos.  We  had  not  long  bivouacked,  before  the  barefooted  son 
of  the  governor  came  down  to  reconnoitre  us.  Seeing  the  English  flag 
hoisted  at  the  yawl's  mast-head,  he  asked,  with  the  utmost  indifference, 
whether  it  was  always  to  fly  at  Chacao.  In  several  places,  the  inhabit- 
ants were  much  astonished  at  the  appearance  of  men-of-war's  boats, 
and  hoped  and  believed  it  was  the  forerunner  of  a  Spanish  fleet,  coming 
to  recover  the  island  from  the  patriot  government  of  Chile.  All  the 
men  in  power,  however,  had  been  informed  of  our  intended  visit,  and 


200  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xm. 

were  exceedingly  civil.  While  we  were  eating  our  supper  the 
governor  paid  us  a  visit.  He  had  been  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the 
Spanish  service,  but  now  was  miserably  poor.  He  gave  us  two  sheep, 
and  accepted  in  return  two  cotton  handkerchiefs,  some  brass  trinkets, 
and  a  little  tobacco. 

November  z^th. — Torrents  of  rain :  we  managed,  however,  to  run 
down  the  coast  as  far  as  Huapi-lenou.  The  whole  of  this  eastern 
side  of  Chiloe  has  one  aspect :  it  is  a  plain,  broken  by  valleys  and 
divided  into  little  islands,  and  the  whole  thickly  covered  with  one 
impervious  blackish-green  forest.  On  the  margins  there  are  some 
cleared  spaces,  surrounding  the  high-roofed  cottages. 

November  zbth. — The  day  rose  splendidly  clear.  The  volcano  of 
Osorno  was  spouting  out  volumes  of  smoke.  This  most  beautiful 
mountain,  formed  like  a  perfect  cone,  and  white  with  snow,  stands 
out  in  front  of  the  Cordillera.  Another  great  volcano,  with  a  saddle- 
shaped  summit,  also  emitted  from  its  immense  crater  little  jets  of 
steam.  Subsequently  we  saw  the  lofty-peaked  Corcovado — well  deserv- 
ing the  name  of  "  el  famoso  Corcovado."  Thus  we  beheld,  from  one 
point  of  view,  three  great  active  volcanos,  each  about  seven  thousand 
feet  high.  In  addition  to  this,  far  to  the  south,  there  were  other  lofty 
cones  covered  with  snow,  which,  although  not  known  to  be  active,  must  be 
in  their  origin  volcanic.  The  line  of  the  Andes  is  not,  in  this  neighbour- 
hood, nearly  so  elevated  as  in  Chile;  neither  does  it  appear  to  form 
so  perfect  a  barrier  between  the  regions  of  the  earth.  This  great 
range,  although  running  in  a  straight  north  and  south  line,  owing  to 
an  optical  deception,  always  appeared  more  or  less  curved ;  for  the 
lines  drawn  from  each  peak  to  the  beholder's  eye,  necessarily  con- 
verged like  the  radii  of  a  semicircle,  and  as  it  was  not  possible  (owing 
to  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  absence  of  all  intermediate 
objects)  to  judge  how  far  distant  the  farthest  peaks  were  off,  they 
appeared  to  stand  in  a  flattish  semicircle. 

Landing  at  midday,  we  saw  a  family  of  pure  Indian  extraction.  The 
father  was  singularly  like  York  Minster;  and  some  of  the  younger 
boys,  with  their  ruddy  complexions,  might  have  been  mistaken  for 
Pampas  Indians.  Everything  I  have  seen,  convinces  me  of  the  close 
connection  of  the  different  American  tribes,  who  nevertheless  speak 
distinct  languages.  This  party  could  muster  but  little  Spanish,  and 
talked  to  each  other  in  their  own  tongue.  It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  see 
the  aborigines  advanced  to  the  same  degree  of  civilization,  however 
low  that  may  be,  which  their  white  conquerors  have  attained.  More 
to  the  south  we  saw  many  pure  Indians:  indeed,  all  the  inhabitants 
of  some  of  the  islets  retain  their  Indian  surnames.  In  the  census 
of  1 832,  there  were  in  Chiloe  and  its  dependencies  forty-two  thousand 
souls:  the  greater  number  of  these  appear  to  be  of  mixed  blood. 
Eleven  thousand  retain  their  Indian  surnames,  but  it  is  probable  that 
not  nearly  all  of  these  are  of  a  pure  breed.  Their  manner  of  life 
is  the  same  with  that  of  the  other  poor  inhabitants,  and  they  are  all 
Christians ;  but  it  is  said  that  they  yet  retain  some  strange  superstitious 
ceremonies,  and  that. they  pretend  to  hold  communication  with  the 


1834.]  TENURE   OF  LAND.  201 

devil  in  certain  caves.  Formerly,  every  one  convicted  of  this  offence 
was  sent  to  the  Inquisition  at  Lima.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  who  are 
not  included  in  the  eleven  thousand  with  Indian  surnames,  cannot 
be  distinguished  by  their  appearance  from  Indians.  Gomez,  the 
governor  of  Lemuy,  is  descended  from  noblemen  of  Spain  on  both 
sides  ;  but  by  constant  intermarriages  with  the  natives  the  present  man 
is  an  Indian.  On  the  other  hand,  the  governor  of  Quinchao  boasts 
much  of  his  purely  kept  Spanish  blood. 

We  reached  at  night  a  beautiful  little  cove,  north  of  the  island  of 
Caucahue.  The  people  here  complained  of  want  of  land.  This  is 
partly  owing  to  their  own  negligence  in  not  clearing  the  woods,  and 
partly  to  restrictions  by  the  government,  which  makes  it  necessary 
before  buying  ever  so  small  a  piece,  to  pay  two  shillings  to  the 
surveyor  for  measuring  each  quadra  (150  yards  square),  together  with 
whatever  price  he  fixes  for  the  value  of  the  land.  After  his  valua- 
tion, the  land  must  be  put  up  three  times  to  auction,  and  if  no  one 
bids  more,  the  purchaser  can  have  it  at  that  rate.  All  these  exactions 
must  be  a  serious  check  to  clearing  the  ground,  where  the  inhabitants 
are  so  extremely  poor.  In  most  countries,  forests  are  removed  without 
much  difficulty  by  the  aid  of  fire  ;  but  in  Chiloe,  from  the  damp  nature 
of  the  climate,  and  the  sort  of  trees,  it  is  necessary  first  to  cut  them 
down.  This  is  a  heavy  drawback  to  the  prosperity  of  Chiloe.  In  the 
time  of  the  Spaniards  the  Indians  could  not  hold  land  ;  and  a  family, 
after  having  cleared  a  piece  of  ground,  might  be  driven  away,  and  the 
property  seized  by  the  government.  The  Chilian  authorities  are  now 
performing  an  act  of  justice  by  making  retribution  to  these  poor  Indians, 
giving  to  each  man,  according  to  his  grade  of  life,  a  certain  portion  of 
land.  The  value  of  uncleared  ground  is  very  little.  The  government 
gave  Mr.  Douglas  (the  present  surveyor,  who  informed  me  of  these 
circumstances)  eight  and  a  half  square  miles  of  forest  near  San  Carlos, 
in  lieu  of  a  debt;  and  this  he  sold  for  350  dollars,  or  about  7o/. 
sterling. 

The  two  succeeding  days  were  fine,  and  at  night  we  reached  the 
island  of  Quinchao.  This  neighbourhood  is  the  most  cultivated  part  of 
the  Archipelago ;  for  a  broad  strip  of  land  on  the  coast  of  the  main 
island,  as  well  as  on  many  of  the  smaller  adjoining  ones,  is  almost 
completely  cleared.  Some  of  the  farmhouses  seemed  very  comfortable. 
I  was  curious  to  ascertain  how  rich  any  of  these  people  might  be,  but 
Mr.  Douglas  says  that  no  one  can  be  considered  as  possessing  a  regular 
income.  One  of  the  richest  landowners  might  possibly  accumulate,  in 
a  long  industrious  life,  as  much  as  i.ooo/.  sterling ;  but  should  this 
happen,  it  would  all  be  stowed  away  in  some  secret  corner,  for  it  is  the 
custom  of  almost  every  family  to  have  a  jar  or  treasure-chest  buried  in 
the  ground. 

November  y>th. — Early  on  Sunday  morning  we  reached  Castro,  the 
ancient  capital  of  Chiloe,  but  now  a  most  forlorn  and  deserted  place. 
The  usual  quadrangular  arrangement  of  Spanish  towns  could  be  traced, 
but  the  streets  and  plaza  were  coated  with  fine  green  turf,  on  which 
sheep  were  browsing.  The  church,  which  stands  in  the  middle,  is 


202  CHILOE.  [CHAP,  xiiu 

entirely  built  "of  plank,  and  has  a  picturesque  and  venerable  appearance. 
The  poverty  of  the  place  may  be  conceived  from  the  fact,  that  although 
containing  some  hundreds  of  inhabitants,  one  of  our  party  was  unable 
anywhere  to  purchase  either  a  pound  of  sugar  or  an  ordinary  knife. 
No  individual  possessed  either  a  watch  or  a  clock ;  and  an  old  man, 
who  was  supposed  to  have  a  good  idea  of  time,  was  employed  to  strike 
the  church  bell  by  guess.  The  arrival  of  our  boats  was  a  rare  event  in 
this  quiet  retired  corner  of  the  world ;  and  nearly  all  the  inhabitants 
came  down  to  the  beach  to  see  us  pitch  our  tents.  They  were  very 
civil,  and  offered  us  a  house ;  and  one  man  even  sent  us  a  cask  of  cider 
as  a  present  In  the  afternoon  we  paid  our  respects  to  the  governor — 
a  quiet  old  man,  who,  in  his  appearance  and  manner  of  life,  was 
scarcely  superior  to  an  English  cottager.  At  night  heavy  rain  set  in, 
which  was  hardly  sufficient  to  drive  away  from  our  tents  the  large 
circle  of  lookers-on.  An  Indian  family,  who  had  come  to  trade  in  a 
canoe  from  Caylen,  bivouacked  near  us.  They  had  no  shelter  during 
the  rain.  In  Jthe  morning  I  asked  a  young  Indian,  who  was  wet  to  the 
skin,  how  he  had  passed  the  night.  He  seemed  perfectly  content,  and 
answered,  "  Muy  bien,  senor." 

December  \st. — We  steered  for  the  island  of  Lemuy.  I  was  anxious 
to  examine  a  reported  coal-mine,  which  turned  out  to  be  lignite  of  little 
value,  in  the  sandstone  (probably  of  an  ancient  tertiary  epoch)  of  which 
these  islands  are  composed.  When  we  reached  Lemuy  we  had  much 
difficulty  in  finding  any  place  to  pitch  our  tents,  for  it  was  spring-tide, 
and  the  land  was  wooded  down  to  the  water's  edge.  In  a  short  time 
we  were  surrounded  by  a  large  group  of  the  nearly  pure  Indian  in- 
habitants. They  were  much  surprised  at  our  arrival,  and  said  one  to 
the  other,  "  This  is  the  reason  we  have  seen  so  many  parrots  lately ; 
the  cheucau  (an  odd  red-breasted  little  bird,  which  inhabits  the  thick 
forest,  and  utters  very  peculiar  noises)  has  not  cried  'beware'  for 
nothing."  They  were  soon  anxious  for  barter.  Money  was  scarcely 
worth  anything,  but  their  eagerness  for  tobacco  was  something  quite 
extraordinary.  After  tobacco,  indigo  came  next  in  value ;  then  capsi- 
cum, old  clothes,  and  gunpowder.  The  latter  article  was  required  for 
a  very  innocent  purpose :  each  parish  has  a  public  musket,  and  the 

mpowder  was  wanted  for  making  a  noise  on  their  saint  or   feast 


The  people  here  live  chiefly  on  shell-fish  and  potatoes.  At  certain 
seasons  they  catch  also,  in  "  corrales,"  or  hedges  under  water,  many 
fish  which  are  left  on  the  mud-banks  as  the  tide  falls.  They  occasion- 
ally possess  fowls,  sheep,  goats,  pigs,  horses,  and  cattle ;  the  order  in 
which  they  are  here  mentioned,  expressing  their  respective  numbers. 
I  never  saw  anything  more  obliging  and  humble  than  the  manners  of 
these  people.  They  generally  began  with  stating,  that  they  were  poor 
natives  of  the  place,  and  not  Spaniards,  and  that  they  were  in  sad  want 
of  tobacco  and  other  comforts.  At  Caylen,  the  most  southern  island, 
the  sailors  bought  with  a  stick  of  tobacco,  of  the  value  of  three-halfpence, 
two  fowls,  one  of  which,  the  Indian  stated,  had  skin  between  its  toes, 
and  turned  out  to  be  a  fine  duck  ;  and  with  some  cotton  handkerchiefs, 


1834.]  SAN  PEDRO.  203 

worth  three  shillings,  three  sheep  and  a  large  bunch  of  onions  were 
procured.  The  yawl  at  this  place  was  anchored  some  way  from  the 
shore,  and  we  had  fears  for  her  safety  from  robbers  during  the  night. 
Our  pilot,  Mr.  Douglas,  accordingly  told  the  constable  of  the  district 
that  we  always  placed  sentinels  with  loaded  arms,  and  not  under- 
standing Spanish,  if  we  saw  any  person  in  the  dark,  we  should 
assuredly  shoot  him.  The  constable,  with  much  humility,  agreed  to 
the  perfect  propriety  of  this  arrangement,  and  promised  us  that  no  one 
should  stir  out  of  his  house  during  that  night. 

During  the  four  succeeding  days  we  continued  sailing  southward. 
The  general  features  of  the  country  remained  the  same,  but  it  was 
much  less  thickly  inhabited.  On  the  large  island  of  Tanqui  there  was 
scarcely  one  cleared  spot,  the  trees  on  every  side  extending  their 
branches  over  the  sea-beach.  I  one  day  noticed,  growing  on  the 
sandstone  cliffs,  some  very  fine  plants  of  the  panke  (Gunnera  scabra), 
which  somewhat  resembles  the  rhubarb  on  a  gigantic  scale.  The 
inhabitants  eat  the  stalks,  which  are  subacid,  and  tan  leather  with  the 
roots,  and  prepare  a  black  dye  from  them.  The  leaf  is  nearly  circular, 
but  deeply  indented  on  its  margin.  I  measured  one  which  was  nearly 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  therefore  no  less  than  twenty-four  in 
circumference !  The  stalk  is  rather  more  than  a  yard  high,  and  each 
plant  sends  out  four  or  five  of  these  enormous  leaves,  presenting 
together  a  very  noble  appearance. 

December  6th. — We  reached  Caylen,  called  "  el  fin  del  Cristiandad." 
In  the  morning  we  stopped  for  a  lew  minutes  at  a  house  on  the 
northern  end  of  Laylec,  which  was  the  extreme  point  of  South  American 
Christendom,  and  a  miserable  hovel  it  was.  The  latitude  is  43°  10', 
which  is  two  degrees  farther  south  than  the  Rio  Negro  on  the  Atlantic 
coast.  These  extreme  Christians  were  very  poor,  and,  under  the  plea 
of  their  situation,  begged  for  some  tobacco.  As  a  proof  of  the  poverty 
of  these  Indians,  I  may  mention  that  shortly  before  this,  we  had  met 
a  man,  who  had  travelled  three  days  and  a  half  on  foot,  and  had  as 
many  to  return,  for  the  sake  of  recovering  the  value  of  a  small  axe  and 
a  few  fish.  How  very  difficult  it  must  be  to  buy  the  smallest  article, 
when  such  trouble  is  taken  to  recover  so  small  a  debt ! 

In  the  evening  we  reached  the  island  of  San  Pedro,  where  we  found 
the  Beagle  at  anchor.  In  doubling  the  point,  two  of  the  officers  landed 
to  take  a  round  iof  angles  with  the  theodolite.  A  fox  (Canis  fulvipes), 
of  a  kind  said  to  be  peculiar  to  the  island,  and  very  rare  in  it,  and 
which  is  a  new  species,  was  sitting  on  the  rocks.  He  was  so  intently 
absorbed  in  watching  the  work  of  the  officers,  that  I  was  able,  by 
quietly  walking  up  behind,  to  knock  him  on  the  head  with  my 
geological  hammer.  This  fox,  more  curious  or  more  scientific,  but 
less  wise,  than  the  generality  of  his  brethren,  is  now  mounted  in  the 
museum  of  the  Zoological  Society. 

We  stayed  three  days  in  this  harbour,  on  one  of  which  Captain  Fitz 
Roy,  with  a  party,  attempted  to  ascend  to  the  summit  of  San  Pedro. 
The  woods  here  had  rather  a  different  appearance  from  those  on  the 
northern  part  of  the  island.  The  rock,  also,  being  micaceous  slate, 


204  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  jan. 

there  was  no  beach,  but  the  steep  sides  dipped  directly  beneath  the 
water.  The  general  aspect  in  consequence  was  more  like  that  of 
Tierra  del  Fuego  than  of  Chiloe.  In  vain  we  tried  to  gain  the  summit  : 
the  forest  was  so  impenetrable,  that  no  one  who  has  not  beheld  it,  can 
imagine  so  entangled  a  mass  of  dying  and  dead  trunks.  I  am  sure 
that  often,  for  more  than  ten  minutes  together,  our  feet  never  touched 
the  ground,  and  we  were  frequently  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  it,  so  that 
the  seamen  as  a  joke  called  out  the  soundings.  At  other  times  we 
crept  one  after  another  on  our  hands  and  knees,  under  the  rotten 
trunks.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  mountain,  noble  trees  of  the  Winter's 
Bark,  and  a  laurel  like  the  sassafras  with  fragrant  leaves,  and  others, 
the  names  of  which  I  do  not  know,  were  matted  together  by  a  trailing 
bamboo  or  cane.  Here  we  were  more  like  fishes  struggling  in  a  net 
than  any  other  animal.  On  the  higher  parts,  brushwood  takes  the 
place  of  larger  trees,  with  here  and  there  a  red  cedar  or  an  alerce  pine. 
I  was  also  pleased  to  see,  at  an  elevation  of  a  little  less  than  1,000  feet, 
our  old  friend  the  southern  beech.  They  were,  however,  poor  stunted 
trees ;  and  I  should  think  that  this  must  be  nearly  their  northern  limit. 
We  ultimately  gave  up  the  attempt  in  despair. 

December  loth. — The  yawl  and  whale-boat,  with  Mr.  Sulivan,  pro- 
ceeded on  their  survey,  but  I  remained  on  board  the  Beagle,  which  the 
next  day  left  San  Pedro  for  the  southward.  On  the  I3th  we  ran  into 
an  opening  in  the  southern  part  of  Guayatecas,  or  the  Chonos  Archi- 
pelago ;  and  it  was  fortunate  we  did  so,  for  on  the  following  day  a 
storm,  worthy  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  raged  with  great  fury.  White 
massive  clouds  were  piled  up  against  a  dark  blue  sky,  and  across  them 
black  ragged  sheets  of  vapour  were  rapidly  driven.  The  successive 
mountain  ranges  appeared  like  dim  shadows  ;  and  the  setting  sun  cast 
on  the  woodland  a  yellow  gleam,  much  like  that  produced  by  the  flame 
of  spirits  of  wine.  The  water  was  white  with  the  flying  spray,  and  the 
wind  lulled  and  roared  again  through  the  rigging :  it  was  an  ominous, 
sublime  scene.  During  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  bright  rainbow,  and  it 
was  curious  to  observe  the  effect  of  the  spray,  which,  being  carried 
along  the  surface,  of  the  water,  changed  the  ordinary  semicircle  into  a 
circle — a  band  of  prismatic  colours  being  continued,  from  both  feet  of 
the  common  arch  across  the  bay,  close  to  the  vessel's  side :  thus 
forming  a  distorted,  but  very  nearly  entire  ring. 

We  stayed  here  three  days.  The  weather  continued  bad ;  but  this 
did  not  much  signify,  for  the  surface  of  the  land  in  all  these  islands  is 
all  but  impassable.  The  coast  is  so  very  rugged  that  to  attempt  to 
walk  in  that  direction  requires  continued  scrambling  up  and  down  over 
the  sharp  rocks  of  mica-slate ;  and  as  for  the  woods,  our  faces,  hands, 
and  shin-bones  all  bore  witness  to  the  maltreatment  we  received,  in 
merely  attempting  to  penetrate  their  forbidden  recesses. 

December  i&th. — We  stood  out  to  sea.  On  the  2oth  we  bade  farewell 
to  the  south,  and  with  a  fair  wind  turned  the  ship's  head  northward. 
From  Cape  Tres  Montes  we  sailed  pleasantly  along  the  lofty  weather- 
beaten  coast,  which  is  remarkable  for  the  bold  outline  of  its  hills,  and 
the  thick  covering  of  forest  even  on  the  almost  precipitous  flanks.  The 


1834.]  BOAT-WRECKED  SAILORS.  205 

next  day  a  harbour  was  discovered,  which  on  this  dangerous  coast 
might  be  of  great  service  to  a  distressed  vessel.  It  can  easily  be 
recognized  by  a  hill  1,600  feet  high,  which  is  even  more  perfectly 
conical  than  the  famous  sugar-loaf  at  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  next  day, 
after  anchoring,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  summit  of  this  hill.  It  was 
a  laborious  undertaking,  for  the  sides  were  so  steep  that  in  some  parts 
it  was  necessary  to  use  the  trees  as  ladders.  There  were  also  several 
extensive  brakes  of  the  Fuchsia,  covered  with  its  beautiful  drooping 
flowers,  but  very  difficult  to  crawl  through.  In  these  wild  countries  it 
gives  much  delight  to  gain  the  summit  of  any  mountain.  There  is  an 
indefinite  expectation  of  seeing  something  very  strange,  which,  however 
often  it  may  be  balked,  never  failed  with  me  to  recur  on  each  successive 
attempt.  Every  one  must  know  the  feeling  of  triumph  and  pride  which 
a  grand  view  from  a  height  communicates  to  the  mind.  In  these  little 
frequented  countries  there  is  also  joined  to  it  some  vanity,  that  you 
perhaps  are  the  first  man  who  ever  stood  on  this  pinnacle  or  admired 
this  view. 

A  strong  desire  is  always  felt  to  ascertain  whether  any  human  being 
has  previously  visited  an  unfrequented  spot.  A  bit  of  wood  with  a  nail 
in  it,  is  picked  up  and  studied  as  if  it  were  covered  with  hieroglyphics. 
Possessed  with  this  feeling,  I  was  much  interested  by  finding,  on  a  wild 
part  of  the  coast,  a  bed  made  of  grass  beneath  a  ledge  of  rock.  Close 
by  it  there  had  been  a  fire,  and  the  man  had  used  an  axe.  The  fire, 
bed,  and  situation  showed  the  dexterity  of  an  Indian  ;  but  he  could 
scarcely  have  been  an  Indian,  for  the  race  is  in  this  part  extinct,  owing 
to  the  Catholic  desire  of  making  at  one  blow  Christians  and  Slaves.  I 
had  at  the  time  some  misgivings  that  the  solitary  man  who  had  made 
his  bed  on  this  wild  spot,  must  have  been  some  poor  shipwrecked 
sailor,  who,  in  trying  to  travel  up  the  coast,  had  here  laid  himself  down 
for  his  dreary  night. 

December  28^. — The  weather  continued  very  bad,  but  it  at  last 
permitted  us  to  proceed  with  the  survey.  The  time  hung  heavy  on 
our  hands,  as  it  always  did  when  we  were  delayed  from  day  to  day 
by  successive  gales  of  wind.  In  the  evening  another  harbour  was 
discovered,  where  we  anchored.  Directly  afterwards  a  man  was  seen 
waving  his  shirt,  and  a  boat  was  sent  which  brought  back  two  seamen. 
A  party  of  six  had  run  away  from  an  American  whaling  vessel,  and 
had  landed  a  little  to  the  southward  in  a  boat,  which  was  shortly  after- 
wards knocked  to  pieces  by  the  surf.  They  had  now  been  wandering 
up  and  down  the  coast  for  fifteen  months,  without  knowing  which  way 
to  go,  or  where  they  were.  What  a  singular  piece  of  good  fortune  it 
was  that  this  harbour  was  now  discovered  1  Had  it  not  been  for  this 
one  chance,  they  might  have  wandered  till  they  had  grown  old  men, 
and  at  last  have  perished  on  this  wild  coast.  Their  sufferings  had 
been  very  great,  and  one  of  their  party  had  lost  his  life  by  falling  from 
the  cliffs.  They  were  sometimes  obliged  to  separate  in  search  of  food, 
and  this  explained  the  bed  of  the  solitary  man.  Considering  what 
they  had  undergone,  I  think  they  had  kept  a  very  good  reckoning  of 
time,  for  they  had  lost  only  four  days. 


206  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xm. 

December  jpth. — We  anchored  in  a  snug  little  cove  at  the  foot  of 
some  high  hills,  near  the  northern  extremity  of  Tres  Montes.  After 
breakfast  the  next  morning,  a  party  ascended  one  of  these  mountains, 
which  was  2,400  feet  high.  The  scenery  was  remarkable.  The  chief 
part  of  the  range  was  composed  of  grand,  solid,  abrupt  masses  of  granite, 
which  appeared  as  if  they  had  been  coeval  with  the  beginning  of  the 
world.  The  granite  was  capped  with  mica-slate,  and  this  in  the  lapse 
of  ages  had  been  worn  into  strange  finger-shaped  points.  These  two 
formations,  thus  differing  in  their  outlines,  agree  in  being  almost  des- 
titute of  vegetation.  This  barrenness  had  to  our  eyes  a  strange  appear- 
ance, from  having  been  so  long  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  an  almost 
universal  forest  of  dark  green  trees.  I  took  much  delight  in  examining 
the  structure  of  these  mountains.  The  complicated  and  lofty  ranges 
bore  a  noble  aspect  of  durability — equally  profitless,  however,  to  man 
and  to  all  other  animals.  Granite  to  the  geologist  is  classic  ground : 
from  its  widespread  limits,  and  its  beautiful  and  compact  texture,  few 
rocks  have  been  more  anciently  recognized.  Granite  has  given  rise, 
perhaps,  to  more  discussion  concerning  its  origin  than  any  other  forma- 
tion. We  generally  see  it  constituting  the  fundamental  rock,  and, 
however  formed,  we  know  it  is  the  deepest  layer  in  the  crust  of  this 
globe  to  which  man  has  penetrated.  The  limit  of  man's  knowledge  in 
any  subject  possesses  a  high  interest,  which  is  perhaps  increased  by  its 
close  neighbourhood  to  the  realms  of  imagination. 

January  ist,  1835. — The  new  year  is  ushered  in  with  the  ceremonies 
proper  to  it  in  these  regions.  She  lays  out  no  false  hopes ;  a  heavy 
north-western  gale,  with  steady  rain,  bespeaks  the  rising  year.  Thank 
God,  we  are  not  destined  here  to  see  the  end  of  it,  but  hope  then  to 
be  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  a  blue  sky  tells  one  there  is  a  heaven, 
— a  something  beyond  the  clouds  above  our  heads. 

The  north-west  winds  prevailing  for  the  next  four  days,  we  only 
managed  to  cross  a  great  bay,  and  then  anchored  in  another  secure 
harbour.  I  accompanied  the  Captain  in  a  boat  to  the  head  of  a  deep 
creek.  On  the  way  the  number  of  seals  which  we  saw  was  quite 
astonishing;  every  bit  of  flat  rock,  and  parts  of  the  beach,  were 
covered  with  them.  They  appeared  to  be  of  a  loving  disposition,  and 
lay  huddled  together,  fast  asleep,  like  so  many  pigs ;  but  even 
pigs  would  have  been  ashamed  of  their  dirt,  and  of  the  foul  smell 
which  came  from  them.  Each  herd  was  watched  by  the  patient 
but  inauspicious  eyes  of  the  turkey-buzzard.  This  disgusting  bird, 
with  its  bald  scarlet  head,  formed  to  wallow  in  putridity,  is  very  common 
on  the  west  coast,  and  their  attendance  on  the  seals  shows  on  what 
they  rely  for  their  food.  We  found  the  water  (probably  only  that  of  the 
surface)  nearly  fresh  :  this  was  caused  by  the  number  of  torrents  which, 
in  the  form  of  cascades,  came  tumbling  over  the  bold  granite  mountains 
into  the  sea.  The  fresh  water  attracts  the  fish,  and  these  bring  many 
terns,  gulls,  and  two  kinds  of  cormorant.  We  saw  also  a  pair  of  the 
beautiful  black- necked  swans,  and  several  small  sea-otters,  the  fur 
of  which  is  held  in  such  high  estimation.  In  returning,  we  were  again 
amused  by  the  impetuous  manner  ip  which  the  heap  of  seals,  old  and 


l835«  WILD  POTATO.  *# 

young,  tumbled  Into  the  wafer  as  the  boat  passed.  They  did  not 
remain  long  under  water,  but  rising,  followed  us  with  outstretched 
necks,  expressing  great  wonder  and  curiosity. 

January  *jth. — Having  run  up  the  coast,  we  anchored  near  the 
northern  end  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago,  in  Low's  Harbour,  where 
we  remained  a  week.  The  islands  were  here,  as  in  Chiloe,  compose  d 
of  a  stratified,  soft,  littoral  deposit ;  and  the  vegetation  in  consequence 
was  beautifully  luxuriant.  The  woods  came  down  to  the  sea-beach, 
just  in  the  manner  of  an  evergreen  shrubbery  over  a  gravel  walk.  We 
also  enjoyed  from  the  anchorage  a  splendid  view  of  four  great  snowy 
cones  of  the  Cordillera,  including  "  el  famoso  Corcovado  : "  the  range 
itself  had  in  this  latitude  so  little  height,  that  few  parts  of  it  appeared 
above  the  tops  of  the  neighbouring  islets.  We  found  here  a  party 
of  five  men  from  Caylen,  "el  fin  del  Cristiandad,"  who  had  most 
adventurously  crossed  in  their  miserable  boat-canoe,  for  the  purpose 
of  fishing,  the  open  space  of  sea  which  separates  Chonos  from  Chiloe. 
These  islands  will,  in  all  probability,  in  a  short  time  become  peopled 
like  those  adjoining  the  coast  of  Chiloe. 

The  wild  potato  grows  on  these  islands  in  great  abundance,  on 
the  sandy,  shelly  soil  near  the  sea-beach.  The  tallest  plant  was  four 
feet  in  height.  The  tubers  were  generally  small,  but  I  found  one, 
of  an  oval  shape,  two  inches  in  diameter;  they  resembled  in  every 
respect,  and  had  the  same  smell  as  English  potatoes ;  but  when  boiled 
they  shrunk  much,  and  were  watery  and  insipid,  without  any  bitter 
taste.  They  are  undoubtedly  here  indigenous :  they  grow  as  far 
south,  according  to  Mr.  Low,  as  lat.  50°,  and  are  called  Aquinas  by 
the  wild  Indians  of  that  part:  the  Chilotan  Indians  have  a  different 
name  for  them.  Professor  Henslow,  who  has  examined  the  dried 
specimens  which  I  brought  home,  says  that  they  are  the  same  with 
those  described  by  Mr.  Sabine  *  from  Valparaiso,  but  that  they  form 
a  variety  which  by  some  botanists  has  been  considered  as  specifically 
distinct.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  same  plant  should  be  found  on 
the  sterile  mountains  of  Central  Chile,  where  a  drop  of  rain  does  not 
fall  for  more  than  six  months,  and  within  the  damp  forests  of  these 
southern  islands. 

In  the  central  parts  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago  (lat.  45°),  the  forest 
has  very  much  the  same  character  with  that  along  the  whole  west 
coast,  for  600  miles  southward  to  Cape  Horn.  The  arborescent  grass 
of  Chiloe  is  not  found  here ;  while  the  beech  of  Tierra  del  Fuego 
grows  to  a  good  size,  and  forms  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
wood ;  not,  however,  in  the  same  exclusive  manner  as  it  does  farther 
southward.  Cryptogamic  plants  here  find  a  most  congenial  climate. 
In  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  the  country 

*  Horticultural  Transact.,  vol.  v.,  p.  249.  Mr.  Caldcleugh  sent  home  two 
tubers,  which,  being  well  manured,  even  the  first  season  produced  numerous 
potatoes  and  an  abundance  of  leaves.  See  Humboldt's  interesting  discussion 
on  this  p'ant,  which  it  appears  was  unknown  in  Mexico, — in  "  Polit.  Essay  on 
New  Spain,"  book  iv,,  chap,  ix, 


w>8  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  CCHAP-  xiii, 

appears  too  cold  and  wet  to  allow  of  their  arriving  at  perfection ;  but 
in  these  islands,  within  the  forest,  the  number  of  species  and  great 
abundance  of  mosses,  lichens,  and  small  ferns,  is  quite  extraordinary.* 
In  Tierra  del  Fuego  trees  grow  only  on  the  hill-sides ;  every  level  piece 
of  land  being  invariably  covered  by  a  thick  bed  of  peat ;  but  in  Chiloe 
flat  land  supports  the  most  luxuriant  forests.  Here,  within  the  Chonos 
Archipelago,  the  nature  of  the  climate  more  closely  approaches  that 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego  than  that  of  northern  Chiloe ;  for  every  patch 
of  level  ground  is  covered  by  two  species  of  plants  (Astelia  pumila 
and  Donatia  magellanica),  which  by  their  joint  decay  compose  a  thick 
bed  of  elastic  peat. 

In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  above  the  region  of  woodland,  the  former  of 
these  eminently  sociable  plants  is  the  chief  agent  in  the  production  of 
peat.  Fresh  leaves  are  always  succeeding  one  to  the  other  round  the 
central  tap-root;  the  lower  ones  soon  decay,  and  in  tracing  a  root 
downwards  in  the  peat,  the  leaves,  yet  holding  their  place,  can  be 
observed  passing  through  every  stage  of  decomposition,  till  the  whole 
becomes  blended  in  one  confused  mass.  The  Astelia  is  assisted  by 
a  few  other  plants, — here  and  there  a  small  creeping  Myrtus  (M. 
nummularia),  with  a  woody  stem  like  our  cranberry  and  with  a  sweet 
berry, — an  Empetrum  (E.  rubrum),  like  our  heath, — a  rush  (Juncus 
grandiflorus),  are  nearly  the  only  ones  that  grow  on  the  swampy 
surface.  These  plants,  though  possessing  a  very  close  general  resem- 
blance to  the  English  species  of  the  same  genera,  are  different.  In 
the  more  level  parts  of  the  country,  the  surface  of  the  peat  is  broken 
up  into  little  pools  of  water,  which  stand  at  different  heights,  and 
appear  as  if  artificially  excavated.  Small  streams  of  water,  flowing 
underground,  complete  the  disorganization  of  the  vegetable  matter, 
and  consolidate  the  whole. 

The  climate  of  the  southern  part  of  America  appears  particularly 
favourable  to  the  production  of  peat.  In  the  Falkland  Islands  almost 
every  kind  of  plant,  even  the  coarse  grass  which  covers  the  whole 
surface  of  the  land,  becomes  converted  into  this  substance:  scarcely 
any  situation  checks  its  growth;  some  of  the  beds  are  as  much  as 
twelve  feet  thick,  and  the  lower  part  becomes  so  solid  when  dry,  that 
it  will  hardly  burn.  Although  every  plant  lends  its  aid,  yet  in  most 
parts  the  Astelia  is  the  most  efficient.  It  is  rather  a  singular  circum- 
stance, as  being  so  very  different  from  what  occurs  in  Europe,  that  I 
nowhere  saw  moss  forming  by  its  decay  any  portion  of  the  peat  in 
South  America.  With  respect  to  the  northern  limit,  at  which  the 
climate  allows  of  that  peculiar  kind  of  slow  decomposition  which  is 
necessary  for  its  production,  I  believe  that  in  Chiloe  (lat.  41°  to  42°), 
although  there  is  much  swampy  ground,  no  well  characterized  peat 
occurs;  but  in  the  Chonos  Islands,  three  degrees  farther  southward, 

•  By  sweeping  with  my  insect-net,  I  procured  from  these  situations  a 
considerable  number  of  minute  insects,  of  the  family  of  Staphylinidae,  and 
others  allied  to  Pselaphus,  and  minute  Hymenoptera.  But  the  most  cha- 
racteristic family  in  number,  both  of  individuals  and  species,  throughout  the 
more  open  parts  of  Chiloe  and  Chonos,  is  that  of  the  Telephoridsc. 


1835.]  MYOPOTAMUS,  OTTER,  AND  MICE.  209 

we  hava  seen  that  it  is  abundant.  On  the  eastern  coast  in  La  Plata 
(lat.  35°)  I  was  told  by  a  Spanish  resident,  who  had  visited  Ireland, 
that  he  had  often  sought  for  this  substance,  but  had  never  been  able  to 
find  any.  He  showed  me,  as  the  nearest  approach  to  it  which  he  had 
discovered,  a  black  peaty  soil,  so  penetrated  with  roots  as  to  allow  of 
an  extremely  slow  and  imperfect  combustion. 

The  zoology  of  these  broken  islets  of  the  Chonos  Archipelago  is,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  very  poor.  Of  quadrupeds  two  aquatic 
kinds  are  common.  The  Myopotamus  Coypus  (like  a  beaver,  but  with 
a  round  tail)  is  well  known  from  its  fine  fur,  which  is  an  object  of 
trade  throughout  the  tributaries  of  La  Plata.  It  here,  however,  ex- 
clusively frequents  salt  water;  which  same  circumstance  has  been 
mentioned  as  sometimes  occurring  with  the  great  rodent,  the  Capybara. 
A  small  sea-otter  is  very  numerous;  this  animal  does  not  feed  exclusively 
on  £sh,  but,  like  the  seals,  draws  a  large  supply  from  a  small  red  crab, 
which  swims  in  shoals  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  Mr.  Bynoe  saw 
one  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  eating  a  cuttle-fish ;  and  at  Low's  Harbour, 
another  was  killed  in  the  act  of  carrying  to  its  hole  a  large  volute  shell. 
At  one  place  I  caught  in  a  trap  a  singular  little  mouse  (M.  brachiotis) ; 
it  appeared  common  on  several  of  the  islets,  but  the  Chilotans  at  Low's 
Harbour  said  that  it  was  not  found  in  all.  What  a  succession  of 
chances,*  or  what  changes  of  level  must  have  been  brought  into  play, 
thus  to  spread  these  small  animals  throughout  this  broken  archipelago  I 

In  all  parts  of  Chiloe  and  Chonos,  two  very  strange  birds  occur, 
which  are  allied  to,  and  replace,  the  Turco  and  Tapacolo  of  Central 
Chile.  One  is  called  by  the  inhabitants  "Cheucau"  (Pteroptochos 
rubecula) :  it  frequents  the  most  gloomy  and  retired  spots  within  the 
damp  forests.  Sometimes,  although  its  cry  may  be  heard  close  at 
hand,  let  a  person  watch  ever  so  attentively  he  will  not  see  the  cheucau; 
at  other  times,  let  him  stand  motionless  and  the  red-breasted  little  bird 
will  approach  within  a  few  feet  in  the  most  familiar  manner.  It  then 
busily  hops  about  the  entangled  mass  of  rotting  canes  and  branches, 
with  its  little  tail  cocked  upwards.  The  cheucau  is  held  in  superstitious 
fear  by  the  Chilotans,  on  account  of  its  strange  and  varied  cries. 
There  are  three  very  distinct  cries :  one  is  called  "  chiduco,"  and  is 
an  omen  of  good ;  another,  "huitreu,"  which  is  extremely  unfavourable; 
and  a  third,  which  I  have  forgotten.  These  words  are  given  in  imitation 
of  the  noises ;  and  the  natives  are  in  some  things  absolutely  governed 
by  them.  The  Chilotans  assuredly  have  chosen  a  most  comical  little 
creature  for  their  prophet.  An  allied  species,  but  rather  larger,  is 
called  by  the  natives  "  Guid-guid  "  (Pteroptochos  Tarnii),  and  by  the 
English  the  barking-bird.  This  latter  name  is  well  given ;  for  I  defy 
any  one  at  first  to  feel  certain  that  a  small  dog  is  not  yelping  some- 
where in  the  forest  Just  as  with  the  cheucau,  a  person  will  sometimes 

*  It  is  said  that  some  rapacious  birds  bring  their  prey  alive  to  their  nests. 
If  so,  in  the  course  of  centuries,  every  now  and  then,  one  might  escape  from 
the  young  birds.  Some  such  agency  is  necessary,  to  account  for  the  distri- 
bution of  the  smaller  gnawing  animals  on  islands  not  very  near  each  other. 


810  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAT.  *ni. 

hear  the  bark  close  by,  but  in  vain  may  endeavour  by  watching,  and 
with  still  less  chance  by  beating  the  bushes,  to  see  the  bird ;  yet  at 
other  times  the  guid-guid  fearlessly  comes  near.  Its  manner  of  feeding 
and  its  general  habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  cheucau. 

On  the  coast,*  a  small  idusky-coloured  bird  (Opetiorhynchus  Pata- 
gonicus)  is  very  common.  It  is  remarkable  from  its  quiet  habits;  it 
lives  entirely  on  the  sea-beach,  like  a  sandpiper.  Besides  these  birds 
only  few  others  inhabit  this  broken  land.  In  my  rough  notes  I  describe 
the  strange  noises,  which,  although  frequently  heard  within  these 
gloomy  forests,  yet  scarcely  disturb  the  general  silence.  The  yelping 
of  the  guid-guid,  and  the  sudden  vvhevv-vvhew  of  the  cheucau,  sometimes 
come  from  afar  off,  and  sometimes  from  close  at  hand ;  the  little  black 
wren  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  occasionally  adds  its  cry;  the  creeper 
(Oxyurus)  follows  the  intruder  screaming  and  twittering ;  the  humming- 
bird may  be  seen  every  now  and  then  darting  from  side  to  side,  and 
emitting,  like  an  insect,  its  shrill  chirp ;  lastly,  from  the  top  of  some 
lofty  tree  the  indistinct  but  plaintive  note  of  the  white-tufted  tyrant-fly- 
catcher (Myiobius)  may  be  noticed.  From  the  great  preponderance  in 
most  countries  of  certain  common  genera  of  birds,  such  as  the  finches, 
one  feels  at  first  surprised  at  meeting  with  the  peculiar  forms  above 
enumerated,  as  the  commonest  birds  in  any  district.  In  Central  Chile 
two  of  them,  namely,  the  Oxyurus  and  Scytalopus,  occur,  although 
most  rarely.  When  finding,  as  in  this  case,  animals  which  seem  to 
play  so  insignificant  a  part  in  the  great  scheme  of  nature,  one  is  apt  to 
wonder  why  they  were  created.  But  it  should  always  be  recollected, 
that  in  some  other  country  perhaps  they  are  essential  members  oi 
society,  or  at  some  former  period  may  have  been  so.  If  America  south 
of  37°  were  sunk  beneath  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  these  two  birds 
might  continue  to  exist  in  Central  Chile  for  a  long  period,  but  it  is  very 
improbable  that  their  numbers  would  increase.  We  should  then  see  a 
case  which  must  inevitably  have  happened  with  very  many  animals. 

These  southern  seas  are  frequented  by  several  species  of  Petrels :  the 
largest  kind,  Procellaria  gigantea,  or  nelly  (quebrantahuesos,  or  break- 
bones,  of  the  Spaniards),  is  a  common  bird,  both  in  the  inland  channels 
and  on  the  open  sea.  In  its  habits  and  manner  of  flight,  there  is  a  very 
close  resemblance  with  the  albatross ;  and  as  with  the  albatross,  a  person 
may  watch  itj  for  hours  together  without  seeing  on  what  it  feeds.  The 
"  break-bones  "  is,  however,  a  rapacious  bird,  for  it  was  observed  by 
seme  of  the  officers  at  Port  St.  Antonio  chasing  a  diver,  which  tried  to 
cacape  by  diving  and  flying,  but  was  continually  struck  down,  and  at 
last  killed  by  a  blow  on  its  head.  At  Port  St.  Julian  these  great  petrels 
were  seen  killing  and  devouring  young  gulls.  A  second  species 
(Puffinus  cinereus),  which  is  common  to  Europe,  Cape  Horn,  and  the 

*  I  may  mention,  as  a  proof  of  how  great  a  difference  there  is  between 
the  seasons  of  the  wooded  and  the  open  parts  of  this  coast,  that  on 
September  2Oth,  in  lat.  34°,  these  birds  had  young  ones  in  the  nest,  while 
among  the  Chonos  Islands,  three  months  later  in  the  summer,  they  were 
only  laying ;  the  difference  in  latitude  between  these  two  places  being  about 
700  miles. 


I835-]  CHILOE.  an 

coast  of  Peru,  is  of  a  much  smaller  size  than  the  P.  gigantea,  but,  like 
it,  of  a  dirty  black  colour.  It  generally  frequents  the  inland  sounds  in 
very  large'  flocks :  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  so  many  birds  of  any  other 
sort  together,  as  I  once  saw  of  these  behind  the  island  of  Chiloe. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  flew  in  an  irregular  line  for  several  hours  in  one 
direction.  When  part  of  the  flock  settled  on  the  water  the  surface  was 
blackened,  and  a  noise  proceeded  from  them  as  of  human  beings  talking 
in  the  distance. 

There  are  several  other  species  of  petrels,  but  I  will  only  mention 
one  other  kind,  the  Pelacanoides  Berardi,  which  offers  an  example  of 
those  extraordinary  cases,  of  a  bird  evidently  belonging  to  one  well- 
marked  family,  yet  both  in  its  habits  and  structure  allied  to  a  very 
distinct  tribe.  This  bird  never  leaves  the  quiet  inland  sounds.  When 
disturbed  it  dives  to  a  distance,  and  on  coming  to  the  surface,  with  the 
same  movement  takes  flight.  After  flying  by  the  rapid  movement  of 
its  short  wings  for  a  space  in  a  straight  line,  it  drops,  as  if  struck  dead, 
and  dives  again.  The  form  of  its  beak  and  nostrils,  length  of  foot,  and 
even  the  colouring  of  its  plumage,  show  that  this  bird  is  a  petrel ;  on 
the  other  hand,  its  short  wings  and  consequent  little  power  of  flight,  its 
form  of  body  and  shape  of  tail,  the  absence  of  a  hind  toe  to  its  foot, 
its  habit  of  diving,  and  its  choice  of  situation,  make  it  at  first  doubtful 
whether  its  relationship  is  not  equally  close  with  the  auks.  It  would 
undoubtedly  be  mistaken  for  an  auk,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  either 
on  the  wing,  or  when  diving  and  quietly  swimming  about  the  retired 
channels  of  Tierra  del  Fuego. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CHILOE  AND  CONCEPCION  :  GREAT  EARTHQUAKE. 

San  Carlos,  Chiloe — Osorno  in  Eruption,  Contemporaneously  with  Aconcagua 
andCoseguina — RidetoCucao — Impenetrable  Forests — Valdivia — Indians 
— Earthquake — Conception — Great  Earthquake — Rocks  Fissured — Ap- 
pearance of  the  Former  Towns — The  Sea  Black  and  Boiling — Direction  of 
the  Vibrations — Stones  twisted  Round— Great  Wave — Permanent  Eleva- 
tion of  the  Land — Area  of  Volcanic  Phenomena — The  Connection  between 
the  Elevatory  and  Eruptive  Forces — Cause  of  Earthquakes — Slow  Eleva- 
tion of  Mountain-chains. 

ON  January  the  ijth  we  sailed  from  Low's  Harbour,  and  three  days 
afterwards  anchored  a  second  time  in  the  bay  of  S^  Carlos  in  Chiloe. 
On  the  night  of  the  igih  the  volcano  of  Osorno  was  in  action.  At 
midnight  the  sentry  observed  something  like  a  large  star,  which 
gradually  increased  in  size  till  about  three  o'clock,  when  it  presented 
a  very  magnificent  spectacle.  By  the  aid  of  a  glass,  dark  objects,  in 
constant  succession,  were  seen,  in.  the  midst  of  a  great  glare  of  red 

9 


312  CHILOE.  [CHAP.  xrv. 

light,  to  be  thrown  up  and  to  fall  down.  The  light  was  sufficient  to 
cast  on  the  water  a  long  bright  reflection.  Large  masses  of  molten 
matter  seem  very  commonly  to  be  cast  out  of  the  craters  in  this  part 
of  the  Cordillera.  I  was  assured  that  when  the  Corcovado  is  in  eruption, 
great  masses  are  projected  upwards  and  are  seen  to  burst  in  the  air, 
assuming  many  fantastical  forms,  such  as  trees:  their  size  must  be 
immense,  for  they  can  be  distinguished  from  the  high  land  behind 
San  Carlos,  which  is  no  less  than  ninety-three  miles  from  the  Corcovado. 
In  the  morning  the  volcano  became  tranquil. 

I  was  surprised  at  hearing  afterwards  that  Aconcagua  in  Chile, 
480  miles  northwards,  was  in  action  on  this  same  night;  and  still 
more  surprised  to  hear,  that  the  great  eruption  of  Coseguina  (2,700 
miles  north  of  Aconcagua),  accompanied  by  an  earthquake  felt  over 
a  1,000  miles,  also  occurred  within  six  hours  of  this  same  time.  This 
coincidence  is  the  more  remarkable,  as  Coseguina  had  been  dormant 
for  twenty-six  years  ;  and  Aconcagua  most  rarely  shows  any  signs  of 
action.  It  is  difficult  even  to  conjecture,  whether  this  coincidence 
was  accidental,  or  shows  some  subterranean  connection.  If  Vesuvius, 
Etna,  and  Hecla  in  Iceland  (all  three  relatively  nearer  each  other, 
than  the  corresponding  points  in  South  America)  suddenly  burst  forth 
in  eruption  on  the  same  night,  the  coincidence  would  be  thought  re- 
markable ;  but  it  is  far  more  remarkable  in  this  case,  where  the  three 
vents  fall  on  the  same  great  mountain-chain,  and  where  the  vast  plains 
along  the  entire  eastern  coast,  and  the  upraised  recent  shells  along 
more  than  2,000  miles  on  the  western  coast,  show  in  how  equable  and 
connected  a  manner  the  elevatory  forces  have  acted. 

Captain  Fitz  Roy  being  anxious  that  some  bearings  should  be  taken 
on  the  outer  coast  of  Chiloe,  it  was  planned  that  Mr.  King  and  myself 
should  ride  to  Castro,  and  thence  across  the  island  to  the  Capella 
de  Cucao,  situated  on  the  west  coast.  Having  hired  horses  and  a 
guide,  we  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd.  We  had  not  proceeded 
far,  before  we  were  joined  by  a  woman  and  two  boys,  who  were  bent 
on  the  same  journey.  Every  one  on  this  road  acts  on  a  "  hail  fellow 
well  met  fashion;"  and  one  may  here  enjoy  the  privilege,  so  rare 
in  South  America,  of  travelling  without  firearms.  At  first,  the  country 
consisted  of  a  succession  of  hills  and  valleys :  nearer  to  Castro  it 
became  very  level.  The  road  itself  is  a  curious  affair ;  it  consists  in 
its  whole  length,  with  the  exception  of  very  few  parts,  of  great  logs 
of  wood,  which  are  either  broad  and  laid  longitudinally,  or  narrow  and 
placed  transversely.  In  summer  the  road  is  not  very  bad ;  but  in 
winter,  when  the  wood  is  rendered  slippery  from  rain,  travelling  is 
exceedingly  difficult.  At  that  time  of  the  year,  the  ground  on  each 
side  becomes  a  morass,  and  is  often  overflowed :  hence  it  is  necessary 
that  the  longitudinal  logs  should  be  fastened  down  by  transverse 
poles,  which  are  pegged  on  each  side  into  the  earth.  These  pegs 
render  a  fall  from  a  horse  dangerous ;  as  the  chance  of  alighting  on 
one  of  them  is  not  small.  It  is  remarkable,  however,  how  active 
custom  has  made  the  Chilotan  horses.  In  crossing  bad  parts,  where 
the  logs  had  been  displaced,  they  skipped  from  one  to  the  other, 


183$.]  CHILOE.  aij 

almost  with  the  quickness  and  certainly  of  a  dog.  On  both  hands 
the  road  is  bordered  by  the  lofty  forest-trees,  with  their  bases  matted 
together  by  canes.  When  occasionally  a  long  reach  of  this  avenue 
could  be  beheld,  it  presented  a  curious  scene  of  uniformity ;  the  white 
line  of  logs,  narrowing  in  perspective,  became  hidden  by  the  gloomy 
forest,  or  terminated  in  a  zigzag  which  ascended  some  steep  hill. 

Although  the  distance  from  San  Carlos  to  Castro  is  only  twelve  leagues 
in  a  straight  line,  the  formation  of  the  road  must  have  been  a  great 
labour.  I  was  told  that  several  people  had  formerly  lost  their  lives  ia 
attempting  to  cross  the  forest.  The  first  who  succeeded  was  an  Indian, 
who  cut  his  way  through  the  canes  in  eight  days,  and  reached  San  Carlos ; 
he  was  rewarded  by  the  Spanish  government  with  a  grant  of  land. 
During  the  summer,  many  of  the  Indians  wander  about  the  forests  (but 
chiefly  in  the  higher  parts,  where  the  woods  are  not  quite  so  thick),  in 
search  of  the  half-wild  cattle  which  live  on  the  leaves  of  the  cane  and 
certain  trees.  It  was  one  of  these  huntsmen  who  by  chance  discovered, 
a  few  years  since,  an  English  vessel,  which  had  been  wrecked  on  the 
outer  coast.  The  crew  were  beginning  to  fail  in  provisions,  and  it  is 
not  probable  that,  without  the  aid  of  this  man,  they  would  ever  have 
extricated  themselves  from  these  scarcely  penetrable  woods.  As  it  is, 
one  seaman  died  on  the  march  from  fatigue.  The  Indians  in  these 
excursions  steer  by  the  sun ;  so  that  if  there  is  a  continuance  of  cloudy 
weather  they  cannot  travel. 

The  day  was  beautiful,  and  the  number  of  trees  which  were  in  full 
flower  perfumed  the  air ;  yet  even  this  could  hardly  dissipate  the  effect 
of  the  gloomy  dampness  of  the  forest.  Moreover,  the  many  dead  trunks 
that  stand  like  skeletons,  never  fail  to  give  to  these  primeval  woods  a 
character  of  solemnity,  absent  in  those  of  countries  long  civilized. 
Shortly  after  sunset  we  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Our  female  corn- 
panion,  who  was  rather  good-looking,  belonged  to  one  of  the  most 
respectable  families  in  Castro ;  she  rode,  however,  astride,  and  without 
shoes  or  stockings.  I  was  surprised  at  the  total  want  of  pride  shown 
by  her  and  her  brother.  They  brought  food  with  them,  but  at  all  our 
meals  sat  watching  Mr.  King  and  myself  whilst  eating,  till  we  were 
fairly  shamed  into  feeding  the  whole  party.  The  night  was  cloudless ; 
and  while  lying  in  our  beds,  we  enjoyed  the  sight  (and  it  is  a  high 
enjoyment)  of  the  multitude  of  stars  which  illumined  the  darkness  of 
the  forest. 

January  2yd. — We  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  reached  the 
pretty  quiet  town  of  Castro  by  two  o'clock.  The  old  governor  had  died 
since  our  last  visit,  and  a  Chileno  was  acting  in  his  place.  We  had  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  Don  Pedro,  whom  we  found  exceedingly 
hospitable  and  kind,  and  more  disinterested  than  is  usual  on  this  side 
of  the  continent.  The  next  day  Don  Pedro  procured  us  fresh  horses, 
and  offered  to  accompany  us  himself.  We  proceeded  to  the  south — 
generally  following  the  coast,  and  passing  through  several  hamlets,  each 
with  its  large  barn-like  chapel  built  of  wood.  At  Vilipilli,  Don  Pedro 
asked  the  commandant  to  give  us  a  guide  to  Cucao.  The  old  gentle- 
man offered  to  come  himself;  but  for  a  long  time  nothing  would 


214  CHILOB.  [CHAP,  xiv 

persuade  him,  that  two  Englishmen  really  wished  to  go  to  such  an  out 
of  the  way  place  as  Cucao.  We  were  thus  accompanied  by  the  two 
greatest  aristocrats  in  the  country,  as  was  plainly  to  be  seen  in  the 
manner  of  all  the  poorer  Indians  towards  them.  At  Chonchi  we  struck 
across  the  island,  following  intricate  winding  paths,  sometimes  passing 
through  magnificent  forests,  and  sometimes  through  pretty  cleared  spots, 
abounding  with  corn  and  potato  crops.  This  undulating  woody  country, 
partially  cultivated,  reminded  me  of  the  wilder  parts  of  England,  and 
therefore  had  to  my  eye  a  most  fascinating  aspect.  At  Vilinco,  which 
is  situated  on  the  borders  of  the  lake  of  Cucao,  only  a  few  fields  were 
cleared ;  and  all  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  Indians.  This  lake  is 
twelve  miles  long,  and  runs  in  an  east  and  west  direction.  From 
local  circumstances,  the  sea-breeze  blows  very  regularly  during  the 
days,  and  during  the  night  it  falls  calm :  this  has  given  rise  to  strange 
exaggerations,  for  the  phenomenon,  as  described  to  us  at  San  Carlos 
was  quite  a  prodigy. 

The  road  to  Cucao  was  so  very  bad  that  we  determined  to  embark 
in  a  periagua.  The  commandant,  in  the  most  authoritative  manner, 
ordered  six  Indians  to  get  ready  to  pull  us  over,  without  deigning  to  tell 
them  whether  they  would  be  paid.  The  periagua  is  a  strange  rough  boat, 
but  the  crew  were  still  stranger :  I  doubt  if  six  uglier  little  men  ever  got 
into  a  boat  together.  They  pulled,  however,  very  well  and  cheerfully. 
The  stroke-oarsman  gabbled  Indian,  and  uttered  strange  cries,  much 
after  the  fashion  of  a  pig-driver  driving  his  pigs.  We  started  with  a 
light  breeze  against  us,  but  yet  reached  the  Capella  de  Cucao  before  it 
was  late.  The  country  on  each  side  of  the  lake  was  one  unbroken 
forest.  In  the  same  periagua  with  us  a  cow  was  embarked.  To  get 
so  large  an  animal  into  a  small  boat  appears  at  first  a  difficulty,  but 
the  Indians  managed  it  in  a  minute.  They  brought  the  cow  alongside 
the  boat,  which  was  heeled  towards  her ;  then  placing  two  oars  under 
her  belly,  with  their  ends  resting  on  the  gunwale,  by  the  aid  of  these 
levers  they  fairly  tumbled  the  poor  beast,  heels  over  head,  into  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  and  then  lashed  her  down  with  ropes.  At  Cucao  we 
found  an  uninhabited  hovel  (which  is  the  residence  of  the  padre  when 
he  pays  this  Capella  a  visit),  where,  lighting  a  fire,  we  cooked  our 
supper,  and  were  very  comfortable. 

The  district  of  Cucao  is  the  only  inhabited  part  on  the  whole  west 
coast  of  Chi)oe.  It  contains  about  thirty  or  forty  Indian  families,  who 
are  scattered  along  four  or  five  miles  of  the  shore.  They  are  very  much 
secluded  from  the  rest  of  Chiloe,  and  have  scarcely  any  sort  of 
commerce,  except  sometimes  in  a  little  oil,  which  they  get  from  seal- 
blubber.  They  are  tolerably  dressed  in  clothes  of  their  own  manufac- 
ture, and  they  *;ave  plenty  to  eat.  They  seemed,  however,  discontented, 
yet  humble  to  a  degree  which  it  was  quite  painful  to  witness.  These 
feelings  are,  I  think,  chiefly  to  be  attributed  to  the  harsh  and  authorita- 
tive manner  in  which  they  are  treated  by  their  rulers.  Our  companions, 
although  so  very  civil  to  us,  behaved  to  the  poor  Indians  as  if  they  had 
been  slaves,  rather  than  free  men.  They  ordered  provisions  and  the 
use  of  their  horses,  without  ever  condescending  to  say  how  much,  oy 


1835.]  Rl^E.  TO  CUCAO.  «$ 

indeed  whether  the  owners  should  be  paid  at  all  In  the  morning, 
being  left  alone  with  these  poor  people,  we  soon  ingratiated  ourselves 
by  presents  of  cigars  and  mate.  A  lump  of  white  sugar  was  divided 
between  all  present,  and  tasted  with  the  greatest  curiosity.  The 
Indians  ended  all  their  complaints  by  saying,  "  And  it  is  only  because  we 
are  poor  Indians,  and  know  nothing ;  but  it  was  not  so  when  we  had  a 
King. 

The  next  day  after  Dreakfast,  we  rode  a  few  miles  northward  to 
Punta  Huantam6.  The  road  lay  along  a  very  broad  beach,  on  which, 
even  after  so  many  fine  days,  a  terrible  surf  was  breaking.  I  was 
assured  that  after  a  heavy  gale,  the  roar  can  be  heard  at  night  even  at 
Castro,  a  distance  of  no  less  than  twenty-one  sea-miles  across  a  hilly  and 
wooded  country.  We  had  some  difficulty  in  reaching  the  point,  owing 
to  the  intolerably  bad  paths ;  for  everywhere  in  the  shade  the  ground 
soon  becomes  a  perfect  quagmire.  The  point  itself  is  a  bold  rocky 
hill.  It  is  covered  by  a  plant  allied,  I  believe,  to  Bromelia,  and  called 
by  the  inhabitants  Chepones.  In  scrambling  through  the  beds,  our 
hands  were  very  much  scratched.  I  was  amused  by  observing  the 
precaution  our  Indian  guide  took,  in  turning  up  his  trousers,  thinking 
that  they  were  more  delicate  than  his  own  hard  skin.  This  plant  bears 
a  fruit,  in  shape  like  an  artichoke,  in  which  a  number  of  seed-vessels 
are  packed :  these  contain  a  pleasant  sweet  pulp,  here  much  esteemed. 
I  saw  at  Low's  Harbour  the  Chilotans  making  chichi,  or  cider,  with  this 
fruit :  so  true  is  it,  as  Humboldt  remarks,  that  almost  everywhere  man 
finds  means  of  preparing  some  kind  of  beverage  from  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  The  savages,  however,  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  I  believe  of 
Australia,  have  not  advanced  thus  far  in  the  arts. 

The  coast  to  the  north  of  Punta  Huantam6  is  exceedingly  rugged  and 
broken,  and  is  fronted  by  many  breakers,  on  which  the  sea  is  eternally 
roaring.  Mr.  King  and  myself  were  anxious  to  return,  if  it  had  been 
possible,  on  foot  along  this  coast ;  but  even  the  Indians  said  it  was 
quite  impracticable.  We  were  told  that  men  have  crossed  by  striking 
directly  through  the  woods  from  Cucao  to  San  Carlos,  but  never  by  the 
coast  On  these  expeditions,  the  Indians  carry  with  them  only  roasted 
corn,  and  of  this  they  eat  sparingly  twice  a  day. 

January  2&h. — Re-embarking  in  the  periagua,  we  returned  across  the 
lake,  and  then  mounted  our  horses.  The  whole  of  Chiloe  took 
advantage  of  this  week  of  unusually  fine  weather,  to  clear  the  ground 
by  burning.  In  every  direction  volumes  of  smoke  were  curling  up- 
wards. Although  the  inhabitants  were  so  assiduous  in  setting  fire  to 
every  part  of  the  wood,  yet  I  did  not  see  a  single  fire  which  they  had 
succeeded  in  making  extensive.  We  dined  with  our  friend  the 
commandant,  and  did  not  reach  Castro  till  after  dark.  The  next  morning 
we  started  very  early.  After  having  ridden  for  some  time,  we  obtained 
from  the  brow  of  a  steep  hill  an  extensive  view  (and  it  is  a  rare  thing 
on  this  road)  of  the  great  forest.  Over  the  horizon  of  trees,  the  volcano 
of  Corcovado,  and  the  great  flat-topped  one  to  the  north,  stood  out  in 
proud  pre-eminence :  scarcely  another  peak  in  the  long  range  showed 
its  snowy  summit.  I  hope  it  will  be  long  btface  I  forget  this  fareweH 


216  VALDIVIA.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

view  of  the  magnificent  Cordillera  fronting  Cliiloe.  At  night  we 
bivouacked  under  a  cloudless  sky,  and  the  next  morning  reached  San 
Carlos.  We  arrived  on  the  right  day,  for  before  evening  heavy  rain 
commenced. 

February  ^th. — Sailed  from  Chiloe.  During  the  last  week  I  made 
several  short  excursions.  One  was  to  examine  a  great  bed  of  now- 
existing  shells,  elevated  350  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea:  from 
among  these  shells,  large  forest-trees  were  growing.  Another  ride  was 
to  P.  Huechucucuy.  I  had  with  me  a  guide  who  knew  the  country  far 
too  well;  for  he  would  pertinaciously  tell  me  endless  Indian  names 
for  every  little  point,  rivulet,  and  creek.  In  the  same  manner  as  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  Indian  language  appears  singularly  well  adapted 
for  attaching  names  to  the  most  trivial  features  of  the  land.  I  believe 
every  one  was  glad  to  say  farewell  to  Chiloe ;  yet  if  we  could  forget 
the  gloom  and  ceaseless  rain  of  winter,  Chiloe  might  pass  for  a 
charming  island.  There  is  also  something  very  attractive  in  the  simplicity 
and  humble  politeness  of  the  poor  inhabitants. 

We  steered  northward  along  shore,  but  owing  to  thick  weather  did 
not  reach  Valdivia  till  the  night  of  the  8th.  The  next  morning  fhe 
boat  proceeded  to  the  town,  which  is  distant  about  ten  miles.  We 
followed  the  course  of  the  river,  occasionally  passing  a  few  hovels, 
and  patches  of  ground  cleared  out  of  the  otherwise  unbroken  forest ; 
and  sometimes  meeting  a  canoe  with  an  Indian  family.  The  town 
is  situated  on  the  low  banks  of  the  stream,  and  is  so  completely  buried 
in  a  wood  of  apple-trees  that  the  streets  are  merely  paths  in  an 
orchard.  I  have  never  seen  any  country  where  apple-trees  appeared 
to  thrive  so  well  as  in  this  damp  part  of  South  America ;  on  the  borders 
of  the  roads  there  were  many  young  trees  evidently  self-sown.  la 
Chiloe  the  inhabitants  possess  a  marvellously  short  method  of  making 
an  orchard.  At  the  lower  part  of  almost  every  branch,  small,  conical, 
brown,  wrinkled  points  project ;  these  are  always  ready  to  change 
into  roots,  as  may  sometimes  be  seen,  where  any  mud  has  been 
accidentally  splashed  against  the  tree.  A  branch  as  thick  as  a  man's 
thigh  is  chosen  in  the  early  spring,  and  is  cut  off  just  beneath  a  group 
of  these  points ;  all  the  smaller  branches  are  lopped  off,  and  it  is  then 
placed  about  two  feet  deep  in  the  ground.  During  the  ensuing  summer 
the  stump  throws  out  long  shoots,  and  sometimes  even  bears  fruit :  I 
was  shown  one  which  had  produced  as  many  as  twenty-three  apples, 
but  this  was  thought  very  unusual.  In  the  third  season  the  stump  is 
changed  (as  I  have  myself  seen)  into  a  well-wooded  tree,  loaded  with 
fruit.  An  old  man  near  Valdivia  illustrated  bis  motto,  "  Necesidad  es 
la  madre  del  invencion,"  by  giving  an  accoum  of  the  several  useful 
things  he  manufactured  from  his  apples.  After  making  cider,  and 
likewise  wine,  he  extracted  from  the  refuse  a  white  and  finely  flavoured 
spirit ;  by  another  process  he  procured  a  sweet  treacle,  or,  as  he  called 
it,  honey.  His  children  and  pigs  seemed  almost  to  live,  during  this 
season  of  the  year,  in  his  orchard. 

February  i  ith. — I  set  out  with  a  guide  on  a  short  ride,  in  which, 
however,  I  managed  to  see  singularly  little,  either  of  the  geology  of 


I835-]  ARAUCARIAN  INDIANS.  217 

the  country  or  of  its  inhabitants.  There  is  not  much  cleared  land 
near  Valdivia:  after  crossing,  a  river  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  we 
entered  the  forest,  and  then  passed  only  one  miserable  hovel,  before 
reaching  our  sleeping-place  for  the  night.  The  short  difference  in 
latitude  of  150  miles  has  given  a  new  aspect  to  the  forest,  compared 
with  that  of  Chiloe.  This  is  owing  to  a  slightly  different  proportion 
in  the  kinds  of  trees.  The  evergreens  do  not  appear  to  be  quite  so 
numerous ;  and  the  forest  in  consequence  has  a  brighter  tint.  As  in 
Chiloe,  the  lower  parts  are  matted  together  by  canes:  here  also 
another  kind  (resembling  the  bamboo  of  Brazil  and  about  twenty  feet 
in  height)  grows  in  clusters,  and  ornaments  the  banks  of  some  of  the 
streams  in  a  very  pretty  manner.  It  is  with  this  plant  that  the  Indians 
make  their  chuzos,  or  long  tapering  spears.  Our  resting-house  was 
so  dirty  that  I  preferred  sleeping  outside :  on  these  journeys  the  first 
night  is  generally  very  uncomfortable,  because  one  is  not  accustomed 
to  the  tickling  and  biting  of  the  fleas.  I  am  sure,  in  the  morning, 
there  was  not  a  space  on  my  legs  of  the  size  of  a  shilling,  which  had 
not  its  little  red  mark  where  the  flea  had  feasted. 

February  \-2th. — We  continued  to  ride  through  the  uncleared  forest ; 
only  occasionally  meeting  an  Indian  on  horseback,  or  a  troop  of  fine 
mules  bringing  alerce  planks  and  corn  from  the  southern  plains.  In 
the  afternoon  one  of  the  horses  knocked  up :  we  were  then  on  a  brow 
of  a  hill,  which  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  Llanos.  The  view  of 
these  open  plains  was  very  refreshing,  after  being  hemmed  in  and 
buried  in  the  wilderness  of  trees.  The  uniformity  of  a  forest  soon 
becomes  very  wearisome.  This  west  coast  makes  me  remember  with 
pleasure  the  free,  unbounded  plains  of  Patagonia ;  yet,  with  the  true 
spirit  of  contradiction,  I  cannot  forget  how  sublime  is  the  silence  of 
the  forest.  The  Llanos  are  the  most  fertile  and  thickly  peopled  parts 
of  the  country ;  as  they  possess  the  immense  advantage  of  being  nearly 
free  from  trees.  Before  leaving  the  forest  we  crossed  some  flat  little 
lawns,  around  which  single  trees  stood,  as  in  an  English  park :  I  have 
often  noticed  with  surprise,  in  wooded  undulatory  districts,  that  the 
quite  level  parts  have  been  destitute  of  trees.  On  account  of  the  tired 
horse,  I  determined  to  stop  at  the  Mission  of  Cudico,  to  the  friar  of 
which  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction.  Cudico  is  an  intermediate  district 
between  the  forest  and  the  Llanos.  There  are  a  good  many  cottages, 
with  patches  of  corn  and  potatoes,  nearly  all  belonging  to  Indians. 
The  tribes  dependent  on  Valdivia  are  "  reducidos  y  cristianos."  The 
Indians  farther  northward,  about  Arauco  and  Imperial,  are  still  very 
wild,  and  not  converted ;  but  they  have  all  much  intercourse  with  the 
Spaniards.  The  padre  said  that  the  Christian  Indians  did  not  much 
like  coming  to  mass,  but  that  otherwise  they  showed  respect  for 
religion.  The  greatest  difficulty  is  in  making  them  observe  the 
ceremonies  of  marriage.  The  wild  Indians  take  as  many  wives  as 
they  can  support,  and  a  cacique  will  sometimes  take  more  than 
ten :  on  entering  his  house,  the  number  may  be  told  by  that  of  the 
separate  fires.  Each  wife  lives  a  week  in  turn  with  the  cacique ; 
but  all  are  employed  in  weaving  ponchos,  etc,,  for  his  profit.  To 


2i8  VALDIVIA.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

be  the  wife  of  a  cacique  is  an  honour  much  sought  after  by  the  Indian 
women. 

The  men  of  all  these  tribes  wear  a  coarse  woollen  poncho :  those 
south  of  Valdivia  wear  short  trousers,  and  those  north  of  it  a  petticoat, 
like  the  chilipa  of  the  Gauchos.  All  have  their  long  hair  bound  by 
a  scarlet  fillet,  but  with  no  other  covering  on  their  heads.  These 
Indians  are  good-sized  men ;  their  cheek-bones  are  prominent,  and  in 
general  appearance  they  resemble  the  great  American  family  to  which 
they  belong ;  but  their  physiognomy  seemed  to  me  to  be  slightly 
different  from  that  of  any  other  tribe  which  I  had  before  seen.  Their 
expression  is  generally  grave,  and  even  austere,  and  possesses  much 
character:  this  may  pass  either  for  honest  bluntness  or  fierce  deter- 
mination. The  long  black  hair,  the  grave  and  much-lined  features,  and 
the  dark  complexion,  called  to  my  mind  old  portraits  of  James  I.  On 
the  road  we  met  with  none  of  that  humble  politeness  so  universal  in 
Chiloe.  Some  gave  their  "  mari-mari "  (good  morning)  with  promptness, 
but  the  greater  number  did  not  seem  inclined  to  offer  any  salute. 
This  independence  of  manners  is  probably  a  consequence  of  their  long 
wars,  and  the  repeated  victories  which  they  alone,  of  all  the  tribes  in 
America,  have  gained  over  the  Spaniards. 

I  spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly,  talking  with  the  padre.  He 
was  exceedingly  kind  and  hospitable ;  and  coming  from  Santiago,  had 
!  contrived  to  surround  himself  with  some  few  comforts,  Being  a  man 
of  some  little  education,  he  bitterly  complained  of  the  total  want  of 
society.  With  no  particular  zeal  for  religion,  no  business  or  pursuit, 
how  completely  must  this  man's  life  be  wasted!  The  next  day,  on 
our  return,  we  met  seven  very  wild-looking  Indians,  of  whom  some 
were  caciques  that  had  just  received  from  the  Chilian  government  their 
yearly  small  stipend  for  having  long  remained  faithful.  They  were 
fine-looking  men,  and  they  rode  one  after  the  other  with  most  gloomy 
faces.  An  old  cacique,  who  headed  them,  had  been,  I  suppose,  more 
excessively  drunk  than  the  rest,  for  he  seemed  both  extremely  grave 
and  very  crabbed.  Shortly  before  this,  two  Indians  joined  us,  who 
were  travelling  from  a  distant  mission  to  Valdivia  concerning  some 
lawsuit.  One  was  a  good-humoured  old  man,  but  from  his  wrinkled 
beardless  face  looked  more  like  an  old  woman  than  a  man.  I  frequently 
presented  both  of  them  with  cigars ;  and  though  ready  to  receive  them, 
and  I  daresay  grateful,  they  would  hardly  condescend  to  thank  me. 
A  Chilotan  Indian  would  have  taken  off  his  hat,  and  given  his  "  Dios 
le  page!"  The  travelling  was  very  tedious,  both  from  the  badness 
of  the  roads,  and  from  the  number  of  great  fallen  trees,  which  it  was 
necessary  either  to  leap  over  or  to  avoid  by  making  long  circuits.  We 
slept  on  the  road,  and  next  morning  reached  Valdivia,  whence  I 
proceeded  on  board. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  crossed  the  bay  with  a  party  of  officers 
and  landed  near  the  fort  called  Niebla.  The  buildings  were  in  a  most 
ruinous  state,  and  the  gun-carriages  quite  rotten.  Mr.  Wickham 
remarked  to  the  commanding  officer,  that  with  one  discharge  they 
would  certainly  all  fall  to  pieces.  The  poor  man,  trying  to  put  a 


1835.]  GREAT  EARTHQUAKE.  219 

good  face  upon  it,  gravely  replied,  "No,  I  am  sure,  sir,  they  would 
stand  two ! "  The  Spaniards  must  have  intended  to  have  made  this 
place  impregnable.  There  is  now  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  courtyard 
a  little  mountain  of  mortar,  which  rivals  in  hardness  the  rock  on 
which  it  is  placed.  It  was  brought  from  Chile,  and  cost  7,000  dollars. 
The  revolution  having  broken  out,  prevented  its  being  applied  to  any 
purpose,  and  now  it  remains  a  monument  of  the  fallen  greatness  of 
Spain. 

I  wanted  to  go  to  a  house  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  but  n.y 
guide  said  it  was  quite  impossible  to  penetrate  the  wood  in  a  straight 
line.  He  offered,  however,  to  lead  me,  by  following  obscure  cattle- 
tracks,  the  shortest  way :  the  walk,  nevertheless,  took  no  less  than 
three  hours !  This  man  is  employed  in  hunting  strayed  cattle ;  yet, 
well  as  he  must  know  the  woods,  he  was  not  long  since  lost  for  two 
whole  days,  and  had  nothing  to  eat.  These  facts  convey  a  good  idea 
of  the  impracticability  of  the  forests  of  these  countries.  A  question 
often  occurred  to  me — how  long  does  any  vestige  of  a  fallen  tree 
remain  ?  This  man  showed  me  one  which  a  party  of  fugitive  royalists 
had  cut  down  fourteen  years  ago  ;  and  taking  this  as  a  criterion,  I 
should  think  a  bole  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter  would  in  thirty  years 
be  changed  into  a  heap  of  mould. 

February  2oth. — This  day  has  been  memorable  in  the  annals  of 
Valdivia,  for  the  most  severe  earthquake  experienced  by  the  oldest 
inhabitant.  I  happened  to  be  on  shore,  and  was  lying  down  in  the 
wood  to  rest  myself.  It  came  on  suddenly,  and  lasted  two  minutes, 
but  the  time  appeared  much  longer.  The  rocking  of  the  ground  was 
very  sensible.  The  undulations  appeared  to  my  companion  and  myself 
to  come  from  due  east,  whilst  others  thought  they  proceeded  from 
south-west :  this  shows  how  difficult  it  sometimes  is  to  perceive  the 
direction  of  the  vibrations.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  standing  upright, 
but  the  motion  made  me  almost  giddy;  it  was  something  like  the 
movement  of  a  vessel  in  a  little  cross-ripple,  or  still  more  like  that  felt 
by  a  person  skating  over  thin  ice,  which  bends  under  the  weight  oi 
his  body. 

A  bad  earthquake  at  once  destroys  our  oldest  associations ;  the 
earth,  the  very  emblem  of  solidity,  has  moved  beneath  our  feet  like 
a  thin  crust  over  a  fluid ; — one  second  of  time  has  created  in  the  mind 
a  strange  idea  of  insecurity,  which  hours  of  reflection  would  not  have 
produced.  In  the  forest,  as  a  breeze  moved  the  trees,  I  felt  only  the 
earth  tremble,  but  saw  no  other  effect.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  some 
officers  were  at  the  town  during  the  shock,  and  there  the  scene  was 
more  striking ;  for  although  the  houses,  from  being  built  of  wood,  did 
not  fall,  they  were  violently  shaken,  and  the  boards  creaked  and 
rattled  together.  The  people  rushed  out  of  doors  in  the  greatest  alarm. 
It  is  these  accompaniments  that  create  that  perfect  horror  of  earth- 
quakes, experienced  by  all  who  have  thus  seen,  as  well  as  felt,  their 
effects.  Within  the  forest  it  was  a  deeply  interesting,  but  by  no  means 
an  awe-exciting  phenomenon.  The  tides  were  very  curiously  affected. 
The  great  shock  took  place  at  the  time  of  low  water ;  and  an  old 


220  CONCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

woman  who  was  on  the  beach  told  me,  that  the  water  flowed  very 
quickly,  but  not  in  great  waves,  to  high-water  mark,  and  then  as  quickly 
returned  to  its  proper  level ;  this  was  also  evident  by  the  line  of  wet 
sand.  This  same  kind  of  quick  but  quiet  movement  in  the  tide, 
happened  a  few  years  since  at  Chiloe,  during  a  slight  earthquake, 
and  created  much  causeless  alarm.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  there 
were  many  weaker  shocks,  which  seemed  to  produce  in  the  harbour 
the  most  complicated  currents,  and  some  of  great  strength. 

March  tfh. — We  entered  the  harbour  of  Concepcion.  While  the 
ship  was  beating  up  to  the  anchorage,  I  landed  on  the  island  of 
Quinquina.  The  mayor-domo  of  the  estate  quickly  rode  down  to  tell 
me  the  terrible  news  of  the  great  earthquake  of  the  2Oth : — "  That  not 
a  house  in  Concepcion  or  Talcahuano  (the  port)  was  standing ;  that 
seventy  villages  were  destroyed ;  and  that  a  great  wave  had  almost 
washed  away  the  ruins  of  Talcahuano."  Of  this  latter  statement 
I  soon  saw  abundant  proofs — the  whole  coast  being  strewed  over  with 
timber  and  furniture  as  if  a  thousand  ships  had  been  wrecked.  Besides 
chairs,  tables,  book-shelves,  etc.,  in  great  numbers,  there  were  several 
roofs  of  cottages,  which  had  been  transported  almost  whole.  The  store- 
houses at  Talcahuano  had  been  burst  open,  and  great  bags  of  cotton, 
yerba,  and  other  valuable  merchandise  were  scattered  on  the  shore. 
During  my  walk  round  the  island,  I  observed  that  numerous  fragments 
of  rock,  which,  from  the  marine  productions  adhering  to  them,  must 
recently  have  been  lying  in  deep  water,  had  been  cast  up  high  on  the 
beach ;  one  of  these  was  six  feet  long,  three  broad,  and  two  thick. 

The  island  itself  as  plainly  showed  the  overwhelming  power  of  the 
earthquake,  as  the  beach  did  that(of  the  consequent  great  wave.  The 
ground  in  many  parts  was  fissured  in  north  and  south  lines,  perhaps 
caused  by  the  yielding  of  the  parallel  and  steep  sides  of  this  narrow 
island.  Some  of  the  fissures  near  the  cliffs  were  a  yard  wide.  Many 
enormous  masses  had  already  fallen  on  the  beach ;  and  the  inhabitants 
thought  that  when  the  rains  commenced  far  greater  slips  would  happen. 
The  effect  of  the  vibration  on  the  hard  primary  slate,  which  composes 
the  foundation  of  the  island,  was  still  more  curious ',  the  superficial 
parts  of  some  narrow  ridges  were  as  completely  shivered  as  if  they  had 
been  blasted  by  gunpowder.  This  effect,  which  was  rendered  con- 
spicuous by  the  fresh  fractures  and  displaced  soil,  must  be  confined  to 
near  the  surface,  for  otherwise  there  would  not  exist  a  block  of  solid 
rock  throughout  Chile ;  nor  is  this  improbable,  as  it  is  known  that  the 
surface  of  a  vibrating  body  is  affected  differently  from  the  central  part. 
It  is,  perhaps,  owing  to  this  same  reason,  that  earthquakes  do  not 
cause  quite  such  terrific  havoc  within  deep  mines  as  would  be  expected. 
I  believe  this  convulsion  has  been  more  effectual  in  lessening  the  size 
of  the  island  of  Quinquina,  than  the  ordinary  wear-and-tear  of  the  sea 
and  weather  during  the  course  of  a  whole  century. 

The  next  day  I  landed  at  Talcahuano,  and  afterwards  rode  to  Con- 


cepcion.    Both  towns  presented  the  most  awful  yet  interesting  spectacle 
I  ever  beheld.     To  a  person  who  had  formerly  known  them,  it 


it  possibly 


I83S-]  EFFECTS  OF  THE  EARTHQUAKE.  221 

might  have  been  still  more  impressive ;  for  the  ruins  were  so  mingled 
together,  and  the  whole  scene  possessed  so  little  the  air  of  a  habitable 
place,  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  its  former  condition. 
The  earthquake  commenced  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon. 
If  it  had  happened  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  the  greater  number  of 
the  inhabitants  (which  in  this  one  province  amount  to  many  thousands) 
must  have  perished,  instead  of  less  than  a  hundred;  as  it  was,  the 
invariable  practice  of  running  out  of  doors  at  the  first  trembling  of  the 
ground,  alone  saved  them.  In  Concepcion  each  house,  or  row  of 
houses,  stood  by  itself,  a  heap  or  line  of  ruins;  but  in  Talcahuano, 
owing  to  the  great  wave,  little  more  than  one  layer  of  bricks,  tiles,  and 
timber,  with  here  and  there  part  of  a  wall  left  standing,  could  be  dis- 
tinguished. From  this  circumstance  Concepcion,  although  not  so  com- 
pletely desolated,  was  a  more  terrible,  and,  if  I  may  so  call  it, 
picturesque  sight.  The  first  shock  was  very  sudden.  The  mayor- 
domo  at  Quiriquina  told  me,  that  the  first  notice  he  received  of  it,  was 
finding  both  the  horse  he  rode  and  himself,  rolling  together  on  the 
ground.  Rising  up,  he  was  again  thrown  down.  He  also  told  me  that 
some  cows  which  were  standing  on  the  steep  side  of  the  island  were 
rolled  into  the  sea.  The  great  wave  caused  the  destruction  of  many 
cattle ;  on  one  low  island,  near  the  head  of  the  bay,  seventy  animals 
were  washed  off  and  drowned.  It  is  generally  thought  that  this  has 
been  the  worst  earthquake  ever  recorded  in  Chile ;  but  as  the  very 
severe  ones  occur  only  after  long  intervals,  this  cannot  easily  be  known ; 
nor  indeed  would  a  much  worse  shock  have  made  any  great  difference, 
for  the  ruin  was  now  complete.  Innumerable  small  tremblings  followed 
the  great  earthquake,  and  within  the  first  twelve  days  no  less  than 
three  hundred  were  counted. 

After  viewing  Concepcion,  I  cannot  understand  how  the  greater 
number  of  inhabitants  escaped  unhurt.  The  houses  in  many  parts 
fell  outwards ;  thus  forming  in  the  middle  of  the  streets  little  hillocks 
of  brickwork  and  rubbish.  Mr.  Rouse,  the  English  consul,  told  us  that 
he  was  at  breakfast  when  the  first  movement  warned  him  to  run  out. 
He  had  scarcely  reached  the  middle  of  the  court-yard,  when  one  side 
of  his  house  came  thundering  down.  He  retained  presence  of  mind  to 
remember,  that  if  he  once  got  on  the  top  of  that  part  which  had  already 
fallen,  he  would  be  safe.  Not  being  able  from  the  motion  of  the 
ground  to  stand,  he  crawled  up  on  his  hands  and  knees ;  and  no  sooner 
had  he  ascended  this  little  eminence,  than  the  other  side  of  the  house 
fell  in,  the  great  beams  sweeping  close  in  front  of  his  head.  With  his 
eyes  blinded,  and  his  mouth  choked  with  the  cloud  of  dust  which 
darkened  the  sky,  at  last  he  gained  the  street.  As  shock  succeeded 
shock,  at  the  interval  of  a  few  minutes,  no  one  dared  approach  the 
shattered  ruins ;  and  no  one  knew  whether  his  dearest  friends  and 
relations  were  not  perishing  from  the  want  of  help.  Those  who  had 
saved  any  property  were  obliged  to  keep  a  constant  watch,  for  thieves 
prowled  about,  and  at  each  little  trembling  of  the  ground,  with  one 
hand  they  beat  their  breasts  and  cried  "  misericordia  I "  and  then  with 
the  other  filched  what  they  could  from  the  ruins.  The  thatched  roofs 


222  CONCEPCION.  [CHAP .  xiv. 

fell  over  the  fires,  and  flames  burst  forth  in  all  parts.  Hundreds  knew 
themselves  ruined,  and  few  had  the  means  of  providing  food  for  the 
day. 

Earthquakes  alone  are  sufficient  to  destroy  the  prosperity  of  any 
country.  If  beneath  England  the  now  inert  subterranean  forces  should 
exert  those  powers,  which  most  assuredly  in  former  geological  ages 
they  have  exerted,  how  completely  would  the  entire  condition  of  the 
country  be  changed  !  What  would  become  of  the  lofty  houses,  thickly 
packed  cities,  great  manufactories,  the  beautiful  public  and  private 
edifices  ?  If  the  new  period  of  disturbance  were  first  to  commence  by 
some  great  earthquake  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  how  terrific  would  be 
the  carnage  !  England  would  at  once  be  bankrupt ;  all  papers,  records, 
and  accounts  would  from  that  moment  be  lost.  Government  being 
unable  to  collect  the  taxes,  and  failing  to  maintain  its  authority,  the 
hand  of  violence  and  rapine  would  remain  uncontrolled.  In  every 
large  town  famine  would  go  forth,  pestilence  and  death  following  in 
its  train. 

Shortly  after  the  shock,  a  great  wave  was  seen  from  the  distance 
of  three  or  four  miles,  approaching  in  the  middle  of  the  bay  with  a 
smooth  outline ;  but  along  the  shore  it  tore  up  cottages  and  trees,  as  it 
swept  onwards  with  irresistible  force.  At  the  head  of  the  bay  it 
broke  in  a  fearful  line  of  white  breakers,  which  rushed  up  to  a  height 
of  twenty-three  vertical  feet  above  the  highest  spring-tides.  Their  force 
must  have  been  prodigious ;  for  at  the  Fort  a  cannon  with  its  carriage, 
estimated  at  four  tons  in  weight,  was  moved  fifteen  feet  inwards. 
A  schooner  was  left  in  the  midst  of  the  ruins,  200  yards  from  the 
beach.  The  first  wave  was  followed  by  two  others,  which  in  their 
retreat  carried  away  a  vast  wreck  of  floating  objects.  In  one  part  of 
the  bay,  a  ship  was  pitched  high  and  dry  on  shore,  was  carried  off, 
again  driven  on  shore,  and  again  carried  off.  In  another  part,  two 
large  vessels  anchored  near  together  were  whirled  about,  and  their 
cables  were  thrice  wound  round  each  other :  though  anchored  at  a  depth 
of  thirty-six  feet,  they  were  for  some  minutes  aground.  The  great 
wave  must  have  travelled  slowly,  for  the  inhabitants  of  Talcahuano 
had  time  to  run  up  the  hills  behind  the  town  ;  and  some  sailors  pulled 
out  seaward,  trusting  successfully  to  their  boat  riding  securely  over 
the  swell,  if  they  could  reach  it  before  it  broke.  One  old  woman  with 
a  little  boy,  four  or  five  years  old,  ran  into  a  boat,  but  there  was 
cobody  to  row  it  out ;  the  boat  was  consequently  dashed  against  an 
anchor  and  cut  in  twain ;  the  old  woman  was  drowned,  but  the  child 
was  picked  up  some  hours  afterwards  clinging  to  the  wreck.  Pools  of 
salt-water  were  still  standing  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  houses,  and 
children,  making  boats  with  old  tables  and  chairs,  appeared  as  happy 
as  their  parents  were  miserable.  It  was,  however,  exceedingly  in- 
teresting to  observe,  how  much  more  active  and  cheerful  all  appeared 
than  could  have  been  expected.  It  was  remarked  with  much  truth, 
that  from  the  destruction  being  universal,  no  one  individual  was 
humbled  more  thai:  another,  or  could  suspect  his  friends  of  coldness — « 
that  most  grievous  result  of  the  loss  of  wealth,  Mr.  Rouse,  and  a 


i8j5-]  LINES  OF  VIBRATION.  223 

large  party  whom  he  kindly  took  under  his  protection,  lived  for  the 
first  week  in  a  garden  beneath  some  apple-trees.  At  first  they  were 
as  merry  as  if  it  had  been  a  picnic ;  but  soon  afterwards  heavy  rain 
caused  much  discomfort,  for  they  were  absolutely  without  shelter. 

In  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  excellent  account  of  the  earthquake,  it  is  said 
that  two  explosions,  one  like  a  column  of  smoke  and  another  like  the 
blowing  of  a  great  whale,  were  seen  in  the  bay.  The  water  also 
appeared  every  where  to  be  boiling ;  and  it  "  became  black,  and  exhaled 
a  most  disagreeable  sulphureous  smell."  These  latter  circumstances 
were  observed  in  the  Bay  of  Valparaiso  during  the  earthquake  of  1822 ; 
they  may,  I  think,  be  accounted  for,  by  the  disturbance  of  the  mud  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  containing  organic  matter  in  decay.  In  the  Bay 
of  Callao,  during  a  calm  day,  I  noticed,  that  as  the  ship  dragged  her 
cable  over  the  bottom,  its  course  was  marked  by  a  line  of  bubbles. 
The  lower  orders  in  Talcahuano  thought  that  the  earthquake  was 
caused  by  some  old  Indian  women,  who  two  years  ago  being  offended 
stopped  the  volcano  of  Antuco.  This  silly  belief  is  curious,  because  it 
shows  that  experience  has  taught  them  to  observe,  that  there  exists  a 
relation  between  the  suppressed  action  of  the  volcanos,  and  the  trembling 
of  the  ground.  It  was  necessary  to  apply  the  witchcraft  to  the  point 
where  their  perception  of  cause  and  effect  failed;  and  this  was  the 
closing  of  the  volcanic  vent.  This  belief  is  the  more  singular  in  this 
particular  instance,  because,  according  to  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  Antuco  was  noways  affected. 

The  town  of  Concepcion  was  built  in  the  usual  Spanish  fashion, 
with  all  the  streets  running  at  right  angles  to  each  other;  one  set 
ranging  S.W.  by  W.,  and  the  other  set  N.W.  by  N.  The  walls  in  the 
former  direction  certainly  stood  better  than  those  in  the  latter:  the 
greater  number  of  the  masses  of  brick-work  were  thrown  down  towards 
the  N.E.  Both  these  circumstances  perfectly  agree  with  the  general 
idea,  of  the  undulations  having  come  from  the  S.W. ;  in  which  quarter 
subterranean  noises  were  also  heard :  for  it  is  evident  that  the  walls 
running  S.W.  and  N.E.,  which  presented  their  ends  to  the  point  whence 
the  undulations  came,  would  be  much  less  likely  to  fall  than  those  walls 
which,  running  N.W.  and  S.E.,  must  in  their  whole  lengths  have  been 
at  the  same  instant  thrown  out  of  the  perpendicular ;  for  the  undulations, 
coming  from  the  S.W.,  must  have  extended  in  N.W.  and  S.E  waves,  as 
they  passed  under  the  foundations.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  placing 
books  edgeways  on  a  carpet,  and  then,  after  the  manner  suggested  by 
Mitchell,  imitating  the  undulations  of  an  earthquake :  it  will  be  found 
that  they  fall  with  more  or  less  readiness,  according  as  their  direction 
more  or  less  nearly  coincides  with  the  line  of  the  waves.  The  fissures  in 
the  ground  generally,  though  not  uniformly,  extended  in  a  S.E.  and  N.W. 
direction  ;  and  therefore  corresponded  to  the  lines  of  undulation  or  of 
principal  flexure.  Bearing  in  mind  all  these  circumstances,  which  so 
clearly  point  to  the  S.W.  as  the  chief  focus  of  disturbance,  it  is  a  very 
interesting  fact  that  the  island  of  S.  Maria,  situated  in  that  quarter, 
was,  during  the  general  uplifting  of  the  land,  raised  to  neaily  three  times 
the  height  of  any  other  part  of  the  coast. 


224  CONCEPCION.  [CHAP.  xiv. 

The  different  resistance  offered  by  the  walls,  according  to  their 
direction,  was  well  exemplified  in  the  case  of  the  Cathedral.  The  side 
which  fronted  the  N.E.  presented  a  grand  pile  of  ruins,  in  the  midst  of 
which  door-cases  and  masses  of  timber  stood  up,  as  if  floating  in  a 
stream.  Some  of  the  angular  blocks  of  brickwork  were  of  great 
dimensions ;  and  they  were  rolled  to  a  distance  on  the  level  plaza,  like 
fragments  of  rock  at  the  base  of  some  high  mountain.  The  side  walls 
(running  S.W.  and  N.E.),  though  exceedingly  fractured,  yet  remained 
standing ;  but  the  vast  buttresses  (at  right  angles  to  them,  and  therefore 
parallel  to  the  walls  that  fell)  were  in  many  cases  cut  clean  off,  as  if  by 
a  chisel,  and  hurled  to  the  ground.  Some  square  ornaments  on  the 
coping  of  these  same  walls,  were  moved  by  the  earthquake  into  a 
diagonal  position.  A  similar  circumstance  was  observed  after  an 
earthquake  at  Valparaiso,  Calabria,  and  other  places,  including  some  of 
the  ancient  Greek  temples.*  This  twisting  displacement,  at  first 
appears  to  indicate  a  vorticose  movement  beneath  each  point  thus 
affected;  but  this  is  highly  improbable.  May  it  not  be  caused  by  a 
tendency  in  each  stone  to  arrange  itself  in  some  particular  position, 
with  respect  to  the  lines  of  vibration, — in  a  manner  somewhat  similar 
to  pins  on  a  sheet  of  paper  when  shaken  ?  Generally  speaking,  arched 
doorways  or  windows  stood  much  better  than  any  other  part  of  the 
buildings.  Nevertheless,  a  poor  lame  old  man,  who  had  been  in  the 
habit,  dunng  trifling  shocks,  of  crawling  to  a  certain  doorway,  was  this 
time  crushed  to  pieces. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  give  any  detailed  description  of  the  appear- 
ance of  Concepcion,  for  I  feel  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  convey  the 
mingled  feelings  which  I  experienced.  Several  of  the  officers  visited  it 
before  me,  but  their  strongest  language  failed  to  give  a  just  idea  of  the 
scene  of  desolation.  It  is  a  bitter  and  humiliating  thing  to  see  works, 
which  have  cost  man  so  much  time  and  labour,  overthrown  in  one 
minute ;  yet  compassion  for  the  inhabitants  was  almost  instantly 
banished,  by  the  surprise  in  seeing  a  state  of  things  produced  in  a 
moment  of  time,  which  one  was  accustomed  to  attribute  to  a  succession 
of  ages.  In  my  opinion,  we  have  scarcely  beheld,  since  leaving  England, 
any  sight  so  deeply  interesting. 

In  almost  every  severe  earthquake,  the  neighbouring  waters  of  the 
sea  are  said  to  have  been  greatly  agitated.  The  disturbance  seems 
generally,  as  in  the  case  of  Concepcion,  to  have  been  of  two  kinds : 
first,  at  the  instant  of  the  shock,  the  water  swells  high  up  on  the  beach 
with  a  gentle  motion,  and  then  as  quietly  retreats;  secondly,  some 
time  afterwards,  the  whole  body  of  the  sea  retires  from  the  coast,  and 
then  returns  in  waves  of  over-whelming  force.  The  first  movement 
seems  to  be  an  immediate  consequence  of  the  earthquake  affecting 
differently  a  fluid  and  a  solid,  so  that  their  respective  levels  are  slightly 
deranged ;  but  the  second  case  is  a  far  more  important  phenomenon. 
During  most  earthquakes,  and  especially  during  those  on  the  west 
soast  of  America,  it  is  certain  that  the  first  great  movement  of  the 

*  M.  Arago  in  "  L'Institut,"  1839,  p.  337.  See  also  Mier's  "  Chile,"  vol.  L, 
p.  392 ;  also  Lyell's  "  Principles  of  Geology,''  chap,  xv.,  book  ii. 


1835.]      THE  ELEVATORY  AND  ERUPTIVE  SOURCES.          22$ 

waters  has  been  a  retirement.  Some  authors  have  attempted  to  explain 
this,  by  supposing  that  the  water  retains  its  level,  whilst  the  land 
oscillates  upwards ;  but  surely  the  water  dose  to' the  land,  eren  OOA 
rather  steep  coast,  would  partake  of  the  motion  of  the  bottom  :  more- 
over, as  urged  by  Mr.  Lyell,  similar  movements  of  the  sea  have 
occurred  at  islands  far  distant  from  the  chief  line  of  disturbance,  as  was 
the  case  with  Juan  Fernandez  during  this  earthquake,  and  with  Madeira 
during  the  famous  Lisbon  shock.  I  suspect  (but  the  subject  is  a  very 
obscure  one)  that  a  wave,  however  produced,  first  draws  the  water 
from  the  shore  on  which  it  is  advancing  to  break:  I  have  observed 
that  this  happens  with  the  little  waves  from  the  paddles  of  a  steam- 
boat. It  is  remarkable  that  whilst  Talcahuano  and  Callao  (near  Lima), 
both  situated  at  the  head  of  large  shallow  bays,  have  suffered  during 
every  severe  earthquake  from  great  waves,  Valparaiso,  seated  close  to 
the  edge  of  profoundly  deep  water,  has  never  been  overwhelmed, 
though  so  often  shaken  by  the  severest  shocks.  From  the  great  wave 
not  immediately  following  the  earthquake,  but  sometimes  after  the 
interval  of  even  half  an  hour,  and  from  distant  islands  being  affected 
similarly  with  the  coasts  near  the  focus  of  the  disturbance,  it  appears 
that  the  wave  first  rises  in  the  offing  ;  and  as  this  is  of  general  occur- 
rence, the  cause  must  be  general :  I  suspect  we  must  look  to  the  line, 
where  the  less  disturbed  waters  of  the  deep  ocean  join  the  water 
nearer  the  coast,  which  has  partaken  of  the  movements  of  the  land,  as 
the  place  where  the  great  wave  is  first  generated ;  it  would  also  appear 
that  the  wave  is  larger  or  smaller,  according  to  the  extent  of  shoal 
water  which  has  been  agitated  together  with  the  bottom  on  which  it 
rested. 

The  most  remarkable  effect  of  this  earthquake  was  the  permanent 
elevation  of  the  land  ;  it  would  probably  be  far  more  correct  to  speak  of 
it  as  the  cause.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  land  round  the  Bay  of 
Concepcion  was  upraised  two  or  three  feet ;  but  it  deserves  notice,  that 
owing  to  the  wave  having  obliterated  the  old  lines  of  tidal  action  on  the 
sloping  sandy  shores,  I  could  discover  no  evidence  of  this  fact,  except  in 
the  united  testimony  of  the  inhabitants,  that  one  little  rocky  shoal,  now 
exposed,  was  formerly  covered  with  water.  At  the  island  of  S.  Maria 
(about  thirty  miles  distant)  the  elevation  was  greater;  on  one  part, 
Captain  Fitz  Roy  found  beds  of  putrid  mussel-shells  still  adhering 
to  the  rocks,  ten  feet  above  high-water  mark :  the  inhabitants  had 
formerly  dived  at  low-water  spring-tides  for  these  shells.  The  elevation 
of  this  province  is  particularly  interesting,  from  its  having  been  the 
theatre  of  several  other  violent  earthquakes,  and  from  the  vast  numbers 
of  sea-shells  scattered  over  the  land,  up  to  a  height  of  certainly  600, 
and  I  believe,  of  i,ooofeet.  At  Valparaiso,  as  I  have  remarked,  similar 
shells  are  found  at  the  height  of  1,300  feet:  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
doubt  that  this  great  elevation  has  been  effected  by  successive  small 
uprisings,  such  as  that  which  accompanied  or  caused  the  earthquake 
01  this  year,  and  likewise  by  an  insensibly  slow  rise,  which  is  certainly 
in  progress  on  some  parts  of  this  coast. 


226  CONCEPCION.  [CIIAP.  xiv, 

The  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  360  miles  to  the  N.E.,  was,  at  the 
time  of  the  great  shock  of  the  2Oth,  violently  shaken,  so  that  the  trees 
beat  against  each  other,  and  a  volcano  burst  forth  under  water  close  to 
the  shore :  these  facts  are  remarkable  because  this  island,  during  the 
earthquake  of  1751,  was  then  also  affected  more  violently  than  other 
places  at  an  equal  distance  from  Concepcion,  and  this  seems  to  show 
some  subterranean  connection  between  these  two  points.  Chiloe, 
about  340  miles  southward  of  Concepcion,  appears  to  have  been 
shaken  more  strongly  than  the  intermediate  district  of  Valdivia,  where 
the  volcano  of  Villarica  was  noways  affected,  whilst  in  the  Cordillera  in 
front  of  Chiloe,  two  of  the  volcanos  burst  forth  at  the  same  instant  in 
violent  action.  These  two  volcanos,  and  some  neighbouring  ones, 
continued  for  a  long  time  in  eruption,  and  ten  months  afterwards  were 
again  influenced  by  an  earthquake  at  Concepcion.  Some  men,  cutting 
wood  near  the  base  of  one  of  these  volcanos,  did  not  perceive  the 
shock  of  the  2oth,  although  the  whole  surrounding  Province  was  then 
trembling ;  here  we  have  an  eruption  relieving  and  taking  the  place 
of  an  earthquake,  as  would  have  happened  at  Concepcion,  according 
to  the  belief  of  the  lower  orders,  if  the  volcano  of  Antuco  had  not  been 
closed  by  witchcraft.  Two  years  and  three-quarters  afterwards, 
Valdivia  and  Chiloe  were  again  shaken,  more  violently  than  on  the 
2oth,  and  an  island  in  the  Chonos  Archipelago  was  permanently 
elevated  more  than  eight  feet.  It  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  scale 
of  these  phenomena,  if  (as  in  the  ease  of  the  glaciers)  we  suppose 
them  to  have  taken  place  at  corresponding  distances  in  Europe  : — then 
would  the  land  from  the  North  Sea  to  the  Mediterranean  have  beer 
violently  shaken,  and  at  the  same  instant  of  time  a  large  tract  of  the 
eastern  coast  of  England  would  have  been  permanently  elevated, 
together  with  some  outlying  islands, — a  train  of  volcanos  on  the  coast 
of  Holland  would  have  burst  forth  in  action,  and  an  eruption  taken 
place  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  near  the  northern  extremity  of  Ireland — 
and  lastly,  the  ancient  vents  of  Auvergne,  Cantal,  and  Mont  d'Or 
would  each  have  sent  up  to  the  sky  a  dark  column  of  smoke,  and 
have  long  remained  in  fierce  action.  Two  years  and  three-quarters 
afterwards,  France,  from  its  centre  to  the  English  Channel,  would  have 
been  again  desolated  by  an  earthquake,  and  an  island  permanently 
upraised  in  the  Mediterranean. 

The  space,  from  under  which  volcanic  matter  on  the  2oth  was 
actually  erupted,  is  720  miles  in  one  line,  and  400  miles  in  another 
line  at  right  angles  to  the  first :  hence,  in  all  probability,  a  subterranean 
lake  of  lava  is  here  stretched  out,  of  nearly  double  the  area  of  the 
Black  Sea.  From  the  intimate  and  complicated  manner  in  which 
the  elevatory  and  eruptive  forces  were  shown  to  be  connected  during 
this  train  of  phenomena,  we  may  confidently  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  forces  which  slowly  and  by  little  starts  uplift  continents,  and 
those  which  at  successive  periods  pour  forth  volcanic  matter  from  open 
orifices,  are  identical.  From  many  reasons,  I  believe  that  the  frequent 
quakings  of  the  earth  on  this  line  of  coast,  are  caused  by  the  rending 
of  the  strata,  necessarily  consequent  on  the  tension  of  the  land  when 


I835-]  PASSAGE  OF  THE  CORDILLERA.  227 

upraised,  and  their  injection  by  fluidified  rock.  This  rending  and 
injection  would,  if  repeated  often  enough  (and  we  know  that  earth- 
quakes repeatedly  affect  the  same  areas  in  the  same  manner),  form  a 
chain  of  hills ;  and  the  linear  island  of  St.  Mary,  which  was  upraised 
thrice  the  height  of  the  neighbouring  country,  seems  to  be  undergoing 
this  process.  I  believe  that  the  solid  axis  of  a  mountain,  differs  in 
its  manner  of  formation  from  a  volcanic  hill,  only  in  the  molten  stone 
having  been  repeatedly  injected,  instead  of  having  been  repeatedly 
ejected.  Moreover,  I  believe  that  it  is  impossible  to  explain  the 
structure  of  great  mountain-chains,  such  as  that  of  the  Cordillera, 
where  the  strata,  capping  the  injected  axis  of  plutonic  rock,  have  been 
thrown  on  their  edges  along  several  parallel  and  neighbouring  lines 
of  elevation,  except  on  this  view  of  the  rock  of  the  axis  having  been 
repeatedly  injected,  after  intervals  sufficiently  long  to  allow  the  upper 
parts  or  wedges  to  cool  and  become  solid ;  for  if  the  strata  had  been 
thrown  into  their  present  highly-inclined,  vertical,  and  even  inverted 
positions,  by  a  single  blow,  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth  would  have 
gushed  out ;  and  instead  of  beholding  abrupt  mountain-axes  of  rock 
solidified  under  great  pressure,  deluges  of  lava  would  have  flowed  out 
at  innumerable  points  on  every  line  of  elevation.* 


CHAPTER    XV. 

PASSAGE  OF  THE  CORDILLERA^ 

Valparaiso — Portillo  Pass — Sagacity  of  Mules — Mountain-torrents — Mines, 
how  discovered — Proofs  of  the  Gradual  Elevation  of  the  Cordillera — Effect 
of  Snow  on  Rocks — Geological  Structure  of  the  Two  Main  Ranges,  their 
Distinct  Origin  and  Upheaval — Great  Subsidence — Red  Snow — Winds — 
Pinnacles  of  Snow — Dry  and  Clear  Atmosphere — Electricity — Pampas 
— Zoology  of  the  Opposite  Sides  of  the  Andes — Locusts — Great  Bugs — 
Mendoza — Uspallata  Pass — Silicified  Trees  buried  as  they  grew — Incas 
Bridge — Badness  of  the  Passes  Exaggerated — Cumbre — Casuchas — Val- 
paraiso. 

March  7th,  1835. — WE  stayed  three  days  at  Concepcion,  and  then 
sailed  for  Valparaiso.  The  wind  being  northerly,  we  only  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  harbour  of  Concepcion  before  it  was  dark.  Being  very 
near  the  land,  and  a  fog  coming  on,  the  anchor  was  dropped.  Presently 
a  large  American  whaler  appeared  close  alongside  of  us  ;  and  we  heard 
the  Yankee  swearing  at  liis  men  to  keep  quiet,  whilst  he  listened  for 
the  breakers.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  hailed  him,  in  a  loud  clear  voice,  to 
anchor  where  lie  then  was.  The  poor  man  must  have  thought  the 
*  For  a  full  account  of  the  volcanic  phenomena  which  accompanied  the 
earthquake  of  the  2Oth,  and  for  the  conclusions  deducible  from  them,  I  must 
refer  to  Volume  V.  of  the  Geological  Transactions. 

B 


228  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

voice  came  from  the  shore :  such  a  babel  of  cries  issued  at  once  from 
the  ship — every  one  hallooing  out,  "  Let  go  the  anchor  I  veer  cable  ! 
shorten  sail  1 "  It  was  the  most  laughable  thing  I  ever  heard.  If  the 
ship's  crew  had  been  all  captains,  and  no  men,  there  could  not  have 
been  a  greater  uproar  of  orders.  We  afterwards  found  that  the  mate 
stuttered :  I  suppose  all  hands  were  assisting  him  in  giving  his  orders. 

On  the  nth  we  anchored  at  Valparaiso,  and  two  days  afterwards  I 
set  out  to  cross  the  Cordillera.  I  proceeded  to  Santiago,  where  Mr. 
Caldcleugh  most  kindly  assisted  me  in  every  possible  way  in  making 
the  little  preparations  which  were  necessary.  In  this  part  of  Chile 
there  are  two  passes  across  the  Andes  to  Mendoza :  the  one  most 
commonly  used — namely,  that  of  Aconcagua  or  Uspallata — is  situated 
some  way  to  the  north ;  the  other,  called  the  Portillo,  is  to  the  south, 
and  nearer,  but  more  lofty  and  dangerous. 

March  iStk  — We  set  out  for  the  Portillo  pass.  Leaving  Santiago 
we  crossed  the  wide  burnt-up  plain  on  which  that  city  stands,  and  in 
the  afternoon  arrived  at  the  Maypu,  one  of  the  principal  rivers  in  Chile. 
The  valley,  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  first  Cordillera,  is  bounded 
on  each  side  by  lofty  barren  mountains  ;  and  although  not  broad,  it  is 
very  fertile.  Numerous  cottages  were  surrounded  by  vines,  and  by 
orchards  of  apple,  nectarine,  and  peach  trees — their  boughs  breaking 
with  the  weight  of  the  beautiful  ripe  fruit.  In  the  evening  we  passed 
the  custom-house,  where  our  luggage  was  examined.  The  frontier 
of  Chile  is  better  guarded  by  the  Cordillera,  than  by  the  waters  of  the 
sea.  There  are  very  few  valleys  which  lead  to  the  central  ranges,  and 
the  mountains  are  quite  impassable  in  other  parts  by  beasts  of  burden. 
The  custom-house  officers  were  very  civil,  which  was  perhaps  partly 
owing  to  the  passport  which  the  President  of  the  Republic  had  given 
me ;  but  I  must  express  my  admiration  at  the  natural  politeness  of 
almost  every  Chileno.  In  this  instance,  the  contrast  with  the  same  class 
of  men  in  most  other  countries  was  strongly  marked.  I  may  mention 
an  anecdote  with  which  I  was  at  the  time  much  pleased:  we  met  near 
Mendoza  a  little  and  very  fat  negress,  riding  astride  on  a  mule.  She 
had  a  goitre  so  enormous  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  avoid  gazing 
at  her  for  a  moment ;  but  my  two  companions  almost  instan'.ly,  by  way 
of  apology,  made  the  common  salute  of  the  country  by  taking  off  their 
hats.  Where  would  one  of  the  lower  or  higher  classes  in  Europe,  have 
shown  such  feeling  politeness  to  a  poor  and  miserable  object  of  a 
degraded  race  ? 

At  night  we  slept  at  a  cottage.  Out  manner  pf  travelling  was 
delightfully  independent.  In  the  inhabited  parts  we  bought  a  little 
firewood,  hired  pasture  for  the  animals,  and  bivouacked  in  the  corner  of 
the  same  field  with  them.  Carrying  an  iron  pot,  we  cooked  and  ate 
our  supper  under  a  cloudless  sky,  and  knew  no  trouble.  My  companions 
were  Mariano  Gonzales,  who  had  formerly  accompanied  me  in  Chile, 
and  an  "  arriero,"  with  his  ten  mules  and  a  "  madrina."  The  madrina 
(or  godmother)  is  a  most  important  personage:  she  is  an  old  steady 
mare,  with  a  little  bell  round  her  neck ;  and  wherever  she  goes,  the 
mules,  like  good  children,  follow  her.  The  affection  of  these  animals 


1835.]  TERRACES  OF  SHINGLE.  9*9 

for  their  madrinas  saves  infinite  trouble.  If  several  large  troops  are 
turned  into  one  field  to  graze,  in  the  morning  the  muleteers  have 
only  to  lead  the  madrinas  a  little  apart,  and  tinkle  their  bells ;  and 
although  there  may  be  two  or  three  hundred  together,  each  mule 
immediately  knows  the  bell  of  its  own  madrina,  and  comes  to  her. 
It  is  nearly  impossible  to  lose  an  old  mule ;  for  if  detained  for  several 
hours  by  force,  she  will,  by  the  power  of  smell,  like  a  dog,  track  out 
her  companions,  or  rather  the  madrina,  for,  according  to  the  muleteer, 
she  is  the  chief  object  of  affection.  The  feeling,  however,  is  not  of 
an  individual  nature ;  for  I  believe  I  am  right  in  saying  that  any 
animal  with  a  bell  will  serve  as  a  madrina.  In  a  troop  each  animal 
carries  on  a  level  road,  a  cargo  weighing  416  pounds  (more  than  29  stone), 
but  in  a  mountainous  country  100  pounds  less ;  yet  with  what  delicate 
slim  limbs,  without  any  proportional  bulk  of  muscle,  these  animals 
support  so  great  a  burden!  The  mule  always  appears  to  me  a  most 
surprising  animal.  That  a  hybrid  should  possess  more  reason,  memory, 
obstinacy,  social  affection,  powers  of  muscular  endurance,  and  length 
of  life,  than  either  of  its  parents,  seems  to  indicate  that  art  has  here 
outdone  nature.  Of  our  ten  animals,  six  were  intended  for  riding, 
and  four  for  carrying  cargoes,  each  taking  turn  about.  We  carried  a 
good  deal  of  food  in  case  we  should  be  snowed  up,  as  the  season 
was  rather  late  for  passing  the  Portillo. 

March  igt/t. — We  rode  during  this  day  to  the  last,  and  therefore 
most  elevated  house  in  the  valley.  The  number  of  inhabitants  became 
scanty  ;  but  wherever  water  could  be  brought  on  the  land,  it  was  very 
fertile.  All  the  main  valleys  in  the  Cordillera  are  characterized  by 
having,  on  both  sides,  a  fringe  or  terrace  of  shingle  and  sand,  rudely 
stratified,  and  generally  of  considerable  thickness.  These  fringes 
evidently  once  extended  across  the  valleys,  and  were  united ;  and  the 
bottoms  of  the  valleys  in  northern  Chile,  where  there  are  no  streams, 
are  thus  smoothly  filled  up.  On  these  fringes  the  roads  are  generally 
carried,  for  their  surfaces  are  even,  and  they  rise  with  a  very  gentle 
slope  up  the  valleys ;  hence,  also,  they  are  easily  cultivated  by 
irrigation.  They  may  be  traced  up  to  a  height  of  between  7,000  and 
9,000  feet,  where  they  become  hidden  by  the  irregular  piles  of  debris. 
At  the  lower  end  or  mouths  of  the  valleys,  they  are  continuously 
united  to  those  land-locked  plains  (also  formed  of  shingle)  at  the  foot 
of  the  main  Cordillera,  which  I  have  described  in  a  former  chapter  as 
characteristic  of  the  scenery  of  Chile,  and  which  were  undoubtedly  de- 
posited when  the  sea  penetrated  Chile.as  it  now  does  the  more  southern 
coasts.  No  one  fact  in  the  geology  of  South  America  interested  me 
more  than  these  terraces  of  rudely-stratified  shingle.  They  precisely 
resemble  in  composition  the  matter  which  the  torrents  in  each  valley 
would  deposit,  if  they  were  checked  in  their  course  by  any  cause,  such 
as  entering  a  lake  or  arm  of  the  sea;  but  the  torrents,  instead  of 
depositing  matter,  are  now  steadily  at  work  wearing  away  both  the 
solid  rock  and  these  alluvial  deposits,  along  the  whole  line  of  every 
main  valley  and  side  valley.  It  is  impossible  here  to  give  the  reasons, 
but  I  am  convinced  that  the  shingle  terraces  were  accumulated  during 


230  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  XT. 

the  gradual  elevation  of  the  Cordillera,  by  the  torrents  delivering,  at 
successive  levels,  their  detritus  on  the  beach-heads  of  long  narrow 
arms  of  the  sea,  first  high  up  the  valleys,  then  lower  and  lower  down 
as  the  land  slowly  rose.  If  this  be  so,  and  I  cannot  doubt  it,  the  grand 
and  broken  chain  of  the  Cordillera,  instead  of  having  been  suddenly 
thrown  up,  as  was  till  lately  the  universal,  and  still  is  the  common 
opinion  of  geologists,  has  been  slowly  upheaved  in  mass,  in  the  same 
gradual  manner  as  the  coasts  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  have  risen 
within  the  recent  period.  A  multitude  of  facts  in  the  structure  of 
the  Cordillera,  on  this  view  receive  a  simple  explanation. 

The  rivers  which  flow  in  these  valleys  ought  rather  to  be  called 
mountain-torrents.  Their  inclination  is  very  great,  and  their  water 
the  colour  of  mud.  The  roar  which  the  Maypu  made,  as  it  rushed 
over  the  great  rounded  fragments,  was  like  that  of  the  sea.  Amidst 
the  din  of  rushing  waters,  the  noise  from  the  stones,  as  they  rattled 
one  over  another,  was  most  distinctly  audible  even  from  a  distance. 
This  rattling  noise,  night  and  day,  may  be  heard  along  the  whole 
course  of  the  torrent.  The  sound  spoke  eloquently  to  the  geologist ; 
the  thousands  and  thousands  of  stone,  which,  striking  against  each 
other,  made  the  one  dull  uniform  sound,  were  all  hurrying  in  one 
direction.  It  was  like  thinking  on  time,  where  the  minute  that  now 
glides  past  is  irrecoverable.  So  was  it  with  these  stones ;  the  ocean 
is  their  eternity,  and  each  note  of  that  wild  music  told  of  one  more  step 
towards  their  destiny. 

It  is  not  possible  for  the  mind  to  comprehend,  except  by  a  slow 
process,  any  effect  which  is  produced  by  a  cause  repeated  so  often,  that 
the  multiplier  itself  conveys  an  idea,  not  more  definite  than  the 
savage  implies  when  he  points  to  the  hairs  of  his  head.  As  often  as 
I  have  seen  beds  of  mud,  sand,  and  shingle  accumulated  to  the 
thickness  of  many  thousand  feet,  I  have  felt  inclined  to  exclaim  that 
causes,  such  as  the  present  rivers  and  the  present  beaches,  could  never 
have  ground  down  and  produced  such  masses.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  when  listening  to  the  rattling  noise  of  these  torrents,  and  calling 
to  mind  that  whole  races  of  animals  have  passed  away  from  the  face 
of  the  earth,  and  that  during  this  whole  period,  night  and  day,  these 
stones  have  gone  rattling  onwards  in  their  course,  I  have  thought  to 
myself,  can  any  mountains,  any  continent,  withstand  such  waste  ? 

In  this  part  of  the  valley,  the  mountains  on  each  side  were  from 
3,000  to  6,000  or  8,000  feet  high,  with  rounded  outlines  and  steep  bare 
flanks.  The  general  colour  of  the  rock  was  dullish  purple,  and  the 
stratification  very  distinct  If  the  scenery  was  not  beautiful,  it  was 
remarkable  and  grand.  We  met  during  the  day  several  herds  of  cattle, 
which  men  were  driving  down  from  the  higher  valleys  in  the  Cordillera. 
This  sign  of  the  approaching  winter  hurried  our  steps,  more  than  was 
convenient  for  geologising.  The  house  where  we  slept  was  situated 
at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  on  the  summit  of  which  are  the  mines  of 
San  Pedro  de  Nolasko.  Sir  F.  Head  marvels  how  mines  have  been 
discovered  in  such  extraordinary  situations,  as  the  bleak  summit  of 
the  mountain  of  San  Pedro  de  Nolasko.  In  the  first  place,  metallic  veins 


MINES,  HOW  DISCOVERED.  231 

in  this  country  are  generally  harder  than  the  surrounding  strata ;  hence, 
during  the  gradual  wear  of  the  hills,  they  project  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground.  Secondly,  almost  every  labourer,  especially  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Chile,  understands  something  about  the  appearance 
of  ores.  In  the  great  mining  provinces  of  Coquimbo  and  Copiapo, 
firewood  is  very  scarce,  and  men  search  for  it  over  every  hill  and  dale  ; 
and  by  this  means  nearly  all  the  richest  mines  have  there  been  dis- 
covered. Chanuncillo,  from  which  silver  to  the  value  of  many  hundred 
thousand  pounds  has  been  raised  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  was 
discovered  by  a  man  who  threw  a  stone  at  his  loaded  donkey,  and 
thinking  that  it  was  very  heavy,  he  picked  it  up,  and  found  it  full  of 
pure  silver :  the  vein  occurred  at  no  great  distance,  standing  up  like 
a  wedge  of  metal.  The  miners,  also,  taking  a  crowbar  with  them, 
often  wander  on  Sundays  over  the  mountains.  In  this  south  part  of 
Chile,  the  men  who  drive  cattle  into  the  Cordillera,  and  who  frequent 
every  ravine  where  there  is  a  little  pasture,  are  the  usual  discoverers. 

March  loth. — As  we  ascended  the  valley,  the  vegetation,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  pretty  alpine  flowers,  became  exceedingly  scanty  ; 
and  of  quadrupeds,  birds,  or  insects,  scarcely  one  could  be  seen. 
The  lofty  mountains,  their  summits  marked  with  a  few  patches  of 
snow,  stood  well  separated  from  each  other  ;  the  valleys  being  filled 
up  with  an  immense  thickness  of  stratified  alluvium.  The  features  in 
the  scenery  of  the  Andes  which  struck  me  most,  as  contrasted  with 
the  other  mountain  chains  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  were, — the  flat 
fringes  sometimes  expanding  into  narrow  plains  on  each  side  of  the 
valleys, — the  bright  colours,  chiefly  red  and  purple,  of  the  utterly  bare 
and  precipitous  hills  of  porphyry, — the  grand  and  continuous  wall-like 
dikes,— the  plainly-divided  strata  which,  where  nearly  vertical,  formed 
the  picturesque  and  wild  central  pinnacles,  but  where  less  inclined, 
composed  the  great  massive  mountains  on  the  outskirts  of  the  range, — 
and  lastly,  the  smooth  conical  piles  of  fine  and  bright-coloured  detritus 
which  sloped  up  at  a  high  angle  from  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
sometimes  to  a  height  of  more  than  2,000  feet. 

I  frequently  observed,  both  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  within  the 
Andes,  that  where  the  rock  was  covered  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  with  snow,  it  was  shivered  in  a  very  extraordinary  manner  into 
small  angular  fragments.  Scoresby*  has  observed  the  same  fact  in 
Spitzbergen.  The  case  appears  to  me  rather  obscure:  for  that  part 
of  the  mountain  which  is  protected  by  a  mantle  of  snow,  must  be  less 
subject  to  repeated  and  great  changes  of  temperature  than  any  other 
part.  I  have  sometimes  thought,  that  the  earth  and  fragments  of  stone 
on  the  surface,  were  perhaps  less  effectually  removed  by  slowly 
percolating  snow-waterf  than  by  rain,  and  therefore  that  the  appearance 

*  Scoresby's  "  Arctic  Regions,"  vol.  i.,  p.  122. 

f  I  have  heard  it  remarked  in  Shropshire,  that  the  water,  when  tha 
Severn  is  flooded  from  long-continued  rain,  is  much  more  turbid  than  when 
it  proceeds  from  the  snow  melting  on  the  Welsh  mountains.  D'Orbigny 
(torn,  i.,  p.  184),  in  explaining  the  cause  of  the  various  colours  of  the  rivers 


232  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

of  a  quicker  disintegration  of  the  solid  rock  under  the  snow  was 
deceptive.  Whatever  the  cause  may  be,  the  quantity  of  crumbling 
stone  on  the  Cordillera  is  very  great.  Occasionally  in  the  spring, 
great  masses  of  this  detritus  slide  down  the  mountains,  and  cover  the 
snow-drifts  in  the  valleys,  thus  forming  natural  ice-houses.  We  rode 
over  one,  the  height  of  which  was  far  below  the  limit  of  perpetual 
snow. 

As  the  evening  drew  to  a  close,  we  reached  a  singular  basin-like 
plain,  called  the  Valle  del  Yeso.  It  was  covered  by  a  little  dry  pasture, 
and  we  had  the  pleasant  sight  of  a  herd  of  cattle  amidst  the  surround- 
ing rocky  deserts.  The  valley  takes  its  name  of  Yeso  from  a  great  bed, 
I  should  think  at  least  2,000  feet  thick,  of  white,  and  in  some  parts 
quite  pure,  gypsum.  "We  slept  with  a  party  of  men  who  were  em- 
ployed in  loading  mules  with  this  substance,  which  is  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  wine.  We  set  out  early  in  the  morning  (2ist),  and 
continued  to  follow  the  course  of  the  river,  which  had  become  very 
small,  till  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  that  separates  the  waters 
flowing  into  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  Oceans.  The  road,  which  as  yet 
had  been  good  with  a  steady  but  very  gradual  ascent,  now  changed 
into  a  steep  zigzag  track  up  the  great  range,  dividing  the  republics  of 
Chile  and  Mendoza. 

I  will  here  give  a  very  briet  sketch  of  the  geology  of  the  several 
parallel  lines  forming  the  Cordillera.  Of  these  lines,  there  are  two 
considerably  higher  than  the  others ;  namely,  on  the  Chilian  side,  the 
Peuquenes  ridge,  which,  where  the  road  crosses  it,  is  13,210  feet  above 
the  sea ;  and  the  Portillo  ridge,  on  the  Mendoza  side,  which  is  14,305 
feet.  The  lower  beds  of  the  Peuquenes  ridge,  and  ot  the  several  great 
lines  to  the  westward  of  it,  are  composed  of  a  vast  pile,  many  thousand 
feet  in  thickness,  of  porphyries  which  have  flowed  as  submarine  lavas, 
alternating  with  angular  and  rounded  fragments  of  the  same  rocks, 
thrown  out  of  the  submarine  craters.  These  alternating  masses  are 
covered  in  the  central  parts,  by  a  great  thickness  of  red  sandstone, 
conglomerate,  and  calcareous  clay-slate,  associated  with,  and  passing 
into,  prodigious  beds  of  gypsum.  In  these  upper  beds  shells  are 
tolerably  frequent ;  and  they  belong  to  about  the  period  of  the  lower 
chalk  of  Europe.  It  is  an  old  story,  but  not  Hie  less  wonderful,  to  hear 
of  shells  which  were  once  crawling  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  now 
standing  nearly  14,000  feet  above  its  level.  The  lower  beds  in  this 
great  pile  of  strata,  have  been  dislocated,  baked,  crystallized  and 
almost  blended  together,  throush  the  agency  of  mountain  masses  of  a 
peculiar  white  soaa-granitic  rock. 

The  other  main  line,  namely,  that  of  the  Portillo,  is  of  a  totally 
different  formation :  it  consists  chiefly  of  grand  bare  pinnacles  of  a  red 
potash-granite,  which  low  down  on  the  western  flank  are  covered  by  a 
sandstone,  converted  by  the  former  heat  into  a  quartz-rock.  On  the 
quartz,  there  rest  beds  of  a  conglomerate  several  thousand  feet  in 
thickness,  which  have  been  upheaved  by  the  red  granite,  and  dip  at  an 

in  South  America,  remarks  that  those  with  blue  or  clear  water  have  their 
source  in  the  Cordillera,  where  the  snow  melts. 


1835.]  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  CORDILLERA.  233 

angle  of  45°  towards  the  Peuquenes  line.  I  was  astonished  to  find 
that  this  conglomerate  was  partly  composed  of  pebbles,  derived  from 
the  rocks,  with  their  fossil  shells,  of  the  Peuquenes  range ;  and  partly 
of  red  potash-granite,  like  that  of  the  Portillo.  Hence  we  must  con- 
clude, that  both  the  Peuquenes  and  Portillo  ranges  were  partially 
upheaved  and  exposed  to  wear  and  tear,  when  the  conglomerate  was 
forming ;  but  as  the  beds  of  the  conglomerate  have  been  thrown  off  at 
an  angle  of  45°  by  the  red  Portillo  granite  (with  the  underlying  sand- 
stone baked  by  it),  we  may  feel  sure,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  injec- 
tion and  upheaval  of  the  already  partially  formed  Portillo  line,  took 
place  after  the  accumulation  of  the  conglomerate,  and  long  after  the 
elevation  of  the  Peuquenes  ridge.  So  that  the  Portillo,  the  loftiest  line 
in  this  part  of  the  Cordillera,  is  not  so  old  as  the  less  lofty  line  of  the 
Peuquenes.  Evidence  derived  from  an  inclined  stream  of  lava  at  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Portillo,  might  be  adduced  to  show,  that  it  owes 
part  of  its  great  height  to  elevations  of  a  still  later  date.  Looking  to 
its  earliest  origin,  the  red  granite  seems  to  have  been  injected  on  an 
ancient  pre-existing  line  of  white  granite  and  mica-slate.  In  most 
parts,  perhaps  in  all  parts,  of  the  Cordillera,  it  may  be  concluded  that 
each  line  has  been  formed  by  repeated  upheavals  and  injections ;  and 
that  the  several  parallel  lines  are  of  different  ages.  Only  thus  can  we 
gain  time,  at  all  sufficient  to  explain  the  truly  astonishing  amount  of 
denudation,  which  these  great,  though  comparatively  with  most  other 
ranges  recent,  mountains  have  suffered. 

Finally,  the  shells  in  the  Peuquenes  or  oldest  ridge,  prove,  as  before 
remarked,  that  it  has  been  upraised  14,000  feet  since  a  Secondary 
period,  which  in  Europe  we  are  accustomed  to  consider  as  far  from 
ancient ;  but  since  these  shells  lived  in  a  moderately  deep  sea,  it  can 
be  shown  that  the  area  now  occupied  by  the  Cordillera,  must  have 
subsided  several  thousand  feet — in  northern  Chile  as  much  as  6,000 
feet — so  as  to  have  allowed  that  amount  of  submarine  strata  to  have 
been  heaped  on  the  bed  on  which  the  shells  lived.  The  proof  is  the 
same  with  that  by  which  it  was  shown,  that  at  a  much  later  period 
since  the  tertiary  shells  of  Patagonia  lived,  there  must  have  been 
there  a  subsidence  of  several  hundred  feet,  as  well  as  an  ensuing 
elevation.  Daily  it  is  forced  home  on  the  mind  of  the  geologist,  that 
nothing,  not  even  the  wind  that  blows,  is  so  unstable  as  the  level  of  the 
crust  of  this  earth. 

I  will  make  only  one  other  geological  remark :  although  the  Portillo 
chain  is  here  higher  than  the  Peuquenes,  the  waters,  draining  the 
intermediate  valleys,  have  burst  through  it.  The  same  fact,  on  a 
grander  scale,  has  been  remarked  in  the  eastern  and  loftiest  line  of  the 
Bolivian  Cordillera,  through  which  the  rivers  pass :  analogous  facts 
have  also  been  observed  in  other  quarters  of  the  world.  On  the  sup- 
position of  the  subsequent  and  gradual  elevation  of  the  Portillo  line, 
this  can  be  understood ;  for  a  chain  of  islets  would  at  first  appear,  and, 
as  these  were  lifted  up,  the  tides  would  be  always  wearing  deeper  and 
broader  channels  between  them  At  the  present  day,  even  in  the  most 
retired  Sounds  on  the  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  currents  in  the 


234  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

transverse  breaks  which  connect  the  longitudinal  channels,  are  very 
strong,  so  that  in  one  transverse  channel  even  a  small  vessel  under  sail 
was  whirled  round  and  round. 

About  noon  we  began  the  tedious  ascent  of  the  Peuquenes  ridge, 
and  then  for  the  first  time  experienced  some  little  difficulty  in  out 
respiration.  The  mules  would  halt  every  fifty  yards,  and  after  resting 
for  a  few  seconds  the  poor  willing  animals  started  of  their  own  accord 
again.  The  short  breathing  from  the  rarefied  atmosphere  is  called  by 
the  Chilenos  "  puna  ; "  and  they  have  most  ridiculous  notions  concerning 
its  origin.  Some  say,  "  all  the  waters  here  have  puna ; "  others  that, 
"  where  there  is  snow  there  is  puna ; " — and  this  no  doubt  is  true. 
The  only  sensation  I  experienced  was  a  slight  tightness  across  the 
head  and  chest,  like  that  felt  on  leaving  a  warm  room  and  running 
quickly  in  frosty  weather,  There  was  some  imagination  even  in  this ; 
for  upon  finding  fossil  shells  on  the  highest  ridge,  I  entirely  forgot  the 
puna  in  my  delight.  Certainly  the  exertion  of  walking  was  extremely 
great,  and  the  respiration  became  deep  and  laborious  :  I  am  told  that 
in  Potosi  (about  13,000  feet  above  the  sea)  strangers  do  not  become 
thoroughly  accustomed  to  the  atmosphere  for  an  entire  year.  The 
inhabitants  all  recommend  onions  for  the  puna ;  as  this  vegetable  has 
sometimes  been  given  in  Europe  for  pectoral  complaints,  it  may  possibly 
be  of  real  service : — for  my  part  I  found  nothing  so  good  as  the  fossil 
shells ! 

When  about  halfway  up  we  met  a  large  party  with  seventy  loaded 
mules.  It  was  interesting  to  hear  the  wild  cries  of  the  muleteers,  and 
to  watch  the  long  descending  string  of  the  animals  ;  they  appeared  so 
diminutive,  there  being  nothing  but  the  bleak  mountains  with  which 
they  could  be  compared.  When  near  the  summit,  the  wind,  as 
generally  happens,  was  impetuous  and  extremely  cold.  On  each  side 
of  the  ridge  we  had  to  pass  over  broad  bands  of  perpetual  snow,  which 
were  now  soon  to  be  covered  by  a  fresh  layer.  When  we  reached  the 
crest  and  looked  backwards,  a  glorious  view  was  presented.  The 
atmosphere  resplendently  clear ;  the  sky  an  intense  blue :  the  pro- 
found valleys;  the  wild  broken  forms;  the  heaps  of  ruins,  piled  up 
during  the  lapse  of  ages ;  the  bright-coloured  rocks,  contrasted  with 
the  quiet  mountains  of  snow ;  all  these  together  produced  a  scene  no 
one  could  have  imagined.  Neither  plant  nor  bird,  excepting  a  few 
condors  wheeling  around  the  higher  pinnacles,  distracted  my  attention 
from  the  inanimate  mass.  I  felt  glad  that  I  was  alone:  it  was  like 
watching  a  thunderstorm,  or  hearing  in  full  orchestra  a  chorus  of  the 
Messiah. 

On  several  patches  of  the  snow  I  found  the  Protococcus  nivalis, 
or  red  snow,  so  well  known  from  the  accounts  of  Arctic  navigators. 
My  attention  was  called  to  it  by  observing  the  footsteps  of  the  mules 
stained  a  pale  red,  as  if  their  hoofs  had  been  slightly  bloody.  I  at  first 
thought  that  it  was  owing  to  dust  blown  from  the  surrounding  mountains 
of  red  porphyry ;  for  from  the  magnifying  power  of  the  crystals  of  snow, 
the  groups  of  these  microscopical  plants  appeared  like  coarse  particles. 


I835-]  RZD  SNOW.  23S 

The  snow  was  coloured  only  where  it  had  thawed  very  rapidly,  or  had 
been  accidentally  crushed.  A  little  rubbed  on  paper  gave  it  a  faint 
rose  tinge  mingled  with  a  little  brick-red.  I  afterwards  scraped  some 
off  the  paper,  and  found  that  it  consisted  of  groups  of  little  spheres  in 
colourless  cases,  each  the  thousandth  part  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

The  wind  on  the  crest  of  the  Peuquenes,  as  just  remarked,  is  generally 
impetuous  and  very  cold :  it  is  said  *  to  blow  steadily  from  the  west- 
ward or  Pacific  side.  As  the  observations  have  been  chiefly  made  in 
summer,  this  wind  must  be  an  upper  and  return  current.  The  Peak  of 
Teneriffe,  with  a  less  elevation,  and  situated  in  lat.  28°,  in  like  manner 
falls  within  an  upper  return  stream.  At  first  it  appears  rather  surprising, 
that  the  trade-wind  along  the  northern  parts  of  Chile  and  on  the  coast 
of  Peru,  should  blow  in  so  very  southerly  a  direction  as  it  does  ;  but 
when  we  reflect  that  the  Cordillera,  running  in  a  north  and  south  line, 
intercepts,  like  a  great  wall,  the  entire  depth  of  the  lower  atmospheric 
current,  we  can  easily  see  that  the  trade-wind  must  be  drawn 
northward,  following  the  line  of  mountains,  towards  the  equatorial 
regions,  and  thus  lose  part  of  that  easterly  movement  which  it  other- 
wise would  have  gained  from  the  earth's  rotation.  At  Mendoza,  on  the 
eastern  foot  of  the  Andes,  the  climate  is  said  to  be  subject  to  long 
calms,  and  to  frequent  though  false  appearances  of  gathering  rain- 
storms :  we  may  imagine  that  the  wind,  which  coming  from  the  east- 
ward is  thus  banked  up  by  the  line  of  mountains,  would  become 
stagnant  and  irregular  in  its  movements. 

Having  crossed  the  Peuquenes,  we  descended  into  a  mountainous 
country,  intermediate  between  the  two  main  ranges,  and  then  took  up 
our  quarters  for  the  night.  We  were  now  in  the  republic  of  Mendoza. 
The  elevation  was  probably  not  under  11,000  feet,  and  the  vegetation 
in  consequence  exceedingly  scanty.  The  root  of  a  small  scrubby  plant 
served  as  fuel,  but  it  made  a  miserable  fire,  and  the  wind  was  piercingly 
cold.  Being  quite  tired  with  my  day's  work,  I  made  up  my  bed  as 
quickly  as  I  could,  and  went  to  sleep.  About  midnight  I  observed  the 
sky  became  suddenly  clouded :  I  awakened  the  arriero  to  know  if  there 
was  any  danger  of  bad  weather ;  but  he  said  that  without  thunder  and 
lightning  there  was  no  risk  of  a  heavy  snow-storm.  The  peril  is 
imminent,  and  the  difficulty  of  subsequent  escape  great,  to  any  one 
overtaken  by  bad  weather  between  the  two  ranges.  A  certain  cave 
offers  the  only  place  of  refuge :  Mr.  Caldcleugh,  who  crossed  on  this 
same  day  of  the  month,  was  detained  there  for  some  time  by  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow.  Casuchas,  or  houses  of  refuge,  have  not  been  built  in  this 
pass  as  in  that  of  Uspallata,  and  therefore,  during  the  autumn,  the 
Portillo  is  little  frequented.  I  may  here  remark  that  within  the  main 
Cordillera  rain  never  falls,  for  during  the  summer  the  sky  is  cloudless, 
and  in  winter  snow-storms  alone  occur. 

At  the  place  where  we  slept  water  necessarily  boiled,  from  the 

diminished  pressure  of  the  atmosphere,  at  a  lower  temperature  than  it 

does  in  a  less  lofty  country ;  the  case  being  the  converse  of  that  of  a 

*  Dr.  Gillies  in  Journal  of  Natural  and  Geographical  Science,  Aug.  1830, 

This  author  <jives  the  heights  of  the  Pa 


236  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAP.  xv. 

Papin's  digester.  Hence  the  potatoes,  after  remaining  for  some  hours 
in  the  boiling  water,  were  nearly  as  hard  as  ever.  The  pot  was  left  on 
the  fire  all  night,  and  next  morning  it  was  boiled  again,  but  yet  the 
potatoes  were  not  cooked.  I  found  out  this,  by  overhearing  my  two 
companions  discussing  the  cause ;  they  had  come  to  the  simple  con- 
clusion, "that  the  cursed  pot  (which  was  a  new  one)  did  not  choose  to 
boil  potatoes. 

March  zind. — After  eating  our  potato-less  breakfast,  we  travelled 
across  the  intermediate  tract  to  the  foot  of  the  Portillo  range.  In  the 
middle  of  summer  cattle  are  brought  up  here  to  graze ;  but  they  had 
now  all  been  removed :  even  the  greater  number  of  the  guanacos  had 
decamped,  knowing  well  that  if  overtaken  here  by  a  snow-stonn,  they 
would  be  caught  in  a  trap.  We  had  a  fine  view  of  a  mass  of  mountains 
called  Tupungato,  the  whole  clothed  with  unbroken  snow,  in  the  midst 
of  which  there  was  a  blue  patch,  no  doubt  a  glacier ; — a  circumstance  of 
rare  occurrence  in  these  mountains.  Now  commenced  a  heavy  and  long 
climb,  similar  to  that  up  the  Peuquenes.  Bold  conical  hills  of  red 
granite  rose  on  each  hand ;  in  the  valleys  there  were  several  broad 
fields  of  perpetual  snow.  These  frozen  masses,  during  the  process  of 
thawing,  had  in  some  parts  been  converted  into  pinnacles  or  columns,* 
which,  as  they  were  high  and  close  together,  made  it  difficult  for  the 
cargo  mules  to  pass.  On  one  of  these  columns  of  ice,  a  frozen  horse 
was  sticking  as  on  a  pedestal,  but  with  its  hind  legs  straight  up  in  the 
air.  The  animal,  I  suppose,  must  have  fallen  with  its  head  downward 
into  a  hole,  when  the  snow  was  continuous,  and  afterwards  the  sur- 
rounding parts  must  have  been  removed  by  the  thaw. 

When  nearly  on  the  crest  of  the  Portillo,  we  were  enveloped  in  a 
falling  cloud  of  minute  frozen  spicula.  This  was  very  unfortunate, 
as  it  continued  the  whole  day,  and  quite  intercepted  our  view.  The 
pass  takes  its  name  of  Portillo  from  a  narrow  cleft  or  doorway  on  the 
highest  ridge,  through  which  the  road  passes.  From  this  point  on  a 
clear  day,  those  vast  plains  which  uninterruptedly  extend  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  can  be  seen.  We  descended  to  the  upper  limit  of 
vegetation,  and  found  good  quarters  for  the  night  under  the  shelter 
of  some  large  fragments  of  rock.  We  met  here  some  passengers  who 
made  anxious  inquiries  about  the  state  of  the  road.  Shortly  after  it 
was  dark  the  clouds  suddenly  cleared  away,  and  the  effect  was  quite 
magical.  The  great  mountains,  bright  with  the  full  moon,  seemed 
impending  over  us  on  all  sides,  as  over  a  deep  crevice :  one  morning 
very  early,  I  witnessed  the  same  striking  effect.  As  soon  as  the  clouds 

*  This  structure  in  frozen  snow  was  long  since  observed  by  Scoresby  in 
the  icebergs  near  Spitzbergen,  and  lately,  with  more  care,  by  Colonel 
Jackson  (Journal  of  Geographical  Society,  vol.  v.,  p.  12)  on  the  Neva.  Mr. 
Lyell  ("  Principles,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  360)  has  compared  the  fissures,  by  which  the 
columnar  structure  seems  to  be  determined,  to  the  joints  that  traverse  nearly 
all  rocks,  but  which  are  best  seen  in  the  non-stratified  masses.  I  may 
observe,  that  in  the  case  of  the  frozen  snow,  the  columnar  structure  must  be 
owing  to  a  "  metamorphic  "  action,  and  not  to  a  process  during  deposition. 


1835.]  DRY  AND  CLEAR  ATMOSPHERE.  237 

were  dispersed  it  froze  severely ;  but  as  there  was  no  wind,  we  slept 
very  comfortably. 

The  increased  brilliancy  of  the  moon  and  stars  at  this  elevation, 
owing  to  the  perfect  transparency  of  the  atmosphere,  was  very  remark- 
able. Travellers  having  observed  the  difficulty  of  judging  heights  and 
distances  amidst  lofty  mountains,  have  generally  attributed  it  to  the 
absence  of  objects  of  comparison.  It  appears  to  me,  that  it  is  fully  as 
much  owing  to  the  transparency  of  the  air  confounding  objects  at 
different  distances,  and  likewise  partly  to  the  novelty  of  an  unusual 
degree  of  fatigue  arising  from  a  little  exertion, — habit  being  thus 
opposed  to  the  evidence  of  the  senses.  I  am  sure  that  this  extreme 
clearness  of  the  air  gives  a  peculiar  character  to  the  landscape,  all 
objects  appearing  to  be  brought  nearly  into  one  plane,  as  in  a  drawing 
or  panorama.  The  transparency  is,  I  presume,  owing  to  the  equable 
and  high  state  of  atmospheric  dryness.  This  dryness  was  shown  by 
the  manner  in  which  woodwork  shrank  (as  I  soon  found  by  the  trouble 
my  geological  hammer  gave  me) ;  by  articles  of  food,  such  as  bread 
and  sugar,  becoming  extremely  hard ;  and  by  the  preservation  of  the 
skin  and  parts  of  the  flesh  of  the  beasts,  which  had  perished  on  the 
road.  To  the  same  cause  we  must  attribute  the  singular  facility  with 
which  electricity  is  excited.  My  flannel  waistcoat  when  rubbed  in  the 
dark,  appeared  as  if  it  had  been  washed  with  phosphorus ; — every  hair 
on  a  dog's  back  cracked ; — even  the  linen  sheets,  and  leathern  straps  of 
the  saddle,  when  handled,  emitted  sparks. 

March  iyd. — The  descent  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cordillera 
is  much  shorter  or  steeper  than  on  the  Pacific  side ;  in  other  words, 
the  mountains  rise  more  abruptly  from  the  plains  than  from  the  alpine 
country  of  Chile.  A  level  and  brilliantly  white  sea  of  clouds  was 
stretched  out  beneath  our  feet,  shutting  out  the  view  of  the  equally 
level  Pampas.  We  soon  entered  the  band  of  clouds,  and  did  not  again 
emerge  from  it  that  day.  About  noon,  finding  pasture  for  the  animals 
and  bushes  for  firewood  at  Los  Arenales,  we  stopped  for  the  night. 
This  was  near  the  uppermost  limit  of  bushes,  and  the  elevation,  I 
suppose,  was  between  seven  and  eight  thousand  feet. 

1  was  much  struck  with  the  marked  difference  between  the  vegetation 
of  these  eastern  valleys  and  those  on  the  Chilian  side  ;  yet  the  climate, 
as  well  as  the  kind  of  soil,  is  nearly  the  same,  and  the  difference  of 
longitude  very  trifling.  The  same  remark  holds  good  with  the  quad- 
rupeds, and  in  a  lesser  degree  with  the  birds  and  insects.  I  may 
instance  the  mice,  of  which  I  obtained  thirteen  species  on  the  shoies 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  five  on  the  Pacific,  and  not  one  of  them  is  identical. 
We  must  except  all  those  species,  which  habitually  or  occasionally 
frequent  elevated  mountains ;  and  certain  birds,  which  range  as  far 
south  as  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  This  fact  is  in  perfect  accordance  with 
the  geological  history  of  the  Andes ;  for  these  mountains  have  existed 
as  a  great  barrier,  since  the  present  races  of  animals  have  appeared ; 
and  therefore,  unless  we  suppose  the  same  species  to  have  been  created 
in  two  different  places,  we  ought  not  to  expect  any  closer  similarity 
between  the  organic  beings  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  Andes,  than  on 


*j8  PORTILLO  PASS.  [CHAfr.  xt 

the  opposite  shores  of  the  ocean.  In  both  cases,  we  must  leave  out  of 
the  question  those  kinds  which  have  been  able  to  cross  the  barrier, 
whether  of  solid  rock  or  salt-water.* 

A  great  number  of  the  plants  and  animals  were  absolutely  the  same 
as,  or  most  closely  allied  to,  those  of  Patagonia.  We  here  have  the 
agouti,  bizcacha,  three  species  of  armadillo,  the  ostrich,  certain  kinds  of 
partridges  and  other  birds,  none  of  which  are  ever  seen  in  Chile,  but 
are  the  characteristic  animals  of  the  desert  plains  of  Patagonia.  We 
have  likewise  many  of  the  same  (to  the  eyes  of  a  person  who  is  not  a 
botanist)  thorny  stunted  bushes,  withered  grass,  and  dwarf  plants. 
Even  the  black  slowly-crawling  beetles  are  closely  similar,  and  some,  I 
believe,  on  rigorous  examination,  absolutely  identical.  It  had  always 
been  to  me  a  subject  of  regret,  that  we  were  unavoidably  compelled  to 
give  up  the  ascent  of  the  San  Cruz  river,  before  reaching  the  mountains : 
I  always  had  a  latent  hope  of  meeting  with  some  great  change  in  the 
.  features  of  the  country ;  but  I  now  feel  sure,  that  it  would  only  have 
been  following  the  plains  of  Patagonia  up  a  mountainous  ascent. 

March  24/7*. — Early  in  the  morning  I  climbed  up  a  mountain  on  one 
side  of  the  valley,  and  enjoyed  a  far  extended  view  over  the  Pampas. 
This  was  a  spectacle  to  which  I  had  always  looked  forward  with 
interest,  but  I  was  disappointed :  at  the  first  glance  it  much  resembled 
a  distant  view  of  the  ocean,  but  in  the  northern  parts  many  irregularities 
were  soon  distinguishable.  The  most  striking  feature  consisted  in  the 
rivers,  which,  facing  the  rising  sun,  glittered  like  silver  threads,  till  lost 
in  the  immensity  of  the  distance.  At  midday  we  descended  the  valley, 
and  reached  a  hovel,  where  an  officer  and  three  soldiers  were  posted 
to  examine  passports.  One  of  these  men  was  a  thoroughbred  Pampas 
Indian :  he  was  kept  much  for  the  same  purpose  as  a  bloodhound,  to 
track  out  any  person  who  might  pass  by  secretly,  either  on  foot  or  horse- 
back. Some  years  ago,  a  passenger  endeavoured  to  escape  detection, 
by  making  a  long  circuit  over  a  neighbouring  mountain ;  but  this  Indian, 
having  by  chance  crossed  his  track,  followed  it  for  the  whole  day  over 
dry  and  very  stony  hills,  till  at  last  he  came  on  his  prey  hidden  in  a 
gully.  We  here  heard  that  the  silvery  clouds,  which  we  had  admired 
from  the  bright  region  above,  had  poured  down  torrents  of  rain.  The 
valley  from  this  point  gradually  opened,  and  the  hills  became  mere 
water-worn  hillocks  compared  to  the  giants  behind :  it  then  expanded 
into  a  gently-sloping  plain  of  shingle,  covered  with  low  trees  and 
bushes.  This  talus,  although  appearing  narrow,  must  be  nearly  ten 
miles  wide  before  it  blends  into  the  apparently  dead  level  Pampas. 
We  passed  the  only  house  in  this  neighbourhood,  the  Estancia  of 
Chaquaio;  and  at  sunset  we  pulled  up  in  the  first  snug  corner,  and 
there  bivouacked. 

*  This  is  merely  an  illustration  of  the  admirable  laws,  first  laid  down  by 
Mr.  Lyell,  on  the  geographical  distribution  of  animals,  as  influenced  by  geo- 
logical changes.  The  whole  reasoning,  of  course,  is  founded  on  the  assump- 
tion of  the  immutability  of  species ;  otherwise  the  difference  in  the  species 
in  the  two  regions,  might  be  considered  as  superinduced  during  a  length  of 
time. 


18350  SWARM  OF  LOCUSTS.  239 

March  2$th. — I  was  reminded  of  the  Pampas  ot  Buenos  Ayres,  by 
seeing  the  disc  of  the  rising  sun,  intersected  by  an  horizon,  level  as  that 
of  the  ocean.  During  the  night  a  heavy  dew  fell,  a  circumstance  which 
we  did  not  experience  within  the  Cordillera.  The  road  proceeded  for 
some  distance  due  east  across  a  low  swamp;  then  meeting  the  dry 
plain,  it  turned  to  the  north  towards  Mendoza.  The  distance  is  two 
very  long  days'  journey.  Our  first  day's  journey  was  called  fourteen 
leagues  to  Estacado,  and  the  second  seventeen  to  Luxan,  near  Mendoza. 
The  whole  distance  is  over  a  level  desert  plain,  with  not  more  than 
two  or  three  houses.  The  sun  was  exceedingly  powerful,  and  the  ride 
devoid  of  all  interest.  There  is  very  little  water  in  this  "  traversia," 
and  in  our  second  day's  journey  we  found  only  one  little  pool.  Little 
water  flows  from  the  mountains,  and  it  soon  becomes  absorbed  by  the 
dry  and  porous  soil ;  so  that,  although  we  travelled  at  the  distance  of 
only  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the  outer  range  of  the  Cordillera,  we  did 
not  cross  a  single  stream.  In  many  parts  the  ground  was  incrusted 
with  a  saline  efflorescence  ;  hence  we  had  the  same  salt-loving  plants, 
which  are  common  near  Bahia  Blanca.  The  landscape  has  a  uniform 
character  from  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  along  the  whole  eastern  coast  of 
Patagonia,  to  the  Rio  Colorado ;  and  it  appears  that  the  same  kind  of 
country  extends  inland  from  this  river,  in  a  sweeping  line  as  far  as 
San  Luis,  and  perhaps  even  further  north.  To  the  eastward  of  this 
curved  line,  lies  the  basin  of  the  comparatively  damp  and  green  plains 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  The  sterile  plains  of  Mendoza  and  Patagonia 
consist  of  a  bed  of  shingle,  worn  smooth  and  accumulated  by  the 
waves  of  the  sea ;  while  the  Pampas,  covered  by  thistles,  clover,  and 
grass,  have  been  formed  by  the  ancient  estuary  mud  of  the  Plata. 

After  our  two  days'  tedious  journey,  it  was  refreshing  to  see  in  the 
distance  the  rows  of  poplars  and  willows  growing  round  the  village  and 
river  of  Luxan.  Shortly  before  we  arrived  at  this  place,  we  observed 
to  the  south  a  ragged  cloud  of  a  dark  reddish-brown  colour.  At  first 
we  thought  that  it  was  smoke  from  some  great  fire  on  the  plains  ;  but 
we  soon  found  that  it  was  a  swarm  of  locusts.  They  were  flying 
northward ;  and  with  the  aid  of  a  light  breeze,  they  overtook  us  at  a 
rate  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  The  main  body  filled  the  air  from 
a  height  of  twenty  feet,  to  that,  as  it  appeared,  of  two  or  three  thousand 
above  the  ground;  "  and  the  sound  of  their  wings  was  as  the  sound  of 
chariots  of  many  horses  running  to  battle ; "  or  rather,  I  should  say, 
like  a  strong  breeze  passing  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship.  The  sky, 
seen  through  the  advanced  guard,  appeared  like  a  mezzotinto  engraving, 
but  the  main  body  was  impervious  to  sight ;  they  were  not,  however, 
so  thick  together,  but  that  they  could  escape  a  stick  waved  backwards 
and  forwards.  When  they  alighted,  they  were  more  numerous  than 
the  leaves  in  the  field,  and  the  surface  became  reddish  instead  of  being 
green  :  the  swarm  having  once  alighted,  the  individuals  flew  from  side 
to  side  in  all  directions.  Locusts  are  not  an  uncommon  pest  in  this 
country :  already  during  this  season,  several  smaller  swarms  had  come 
up  from  the  south,  where,  as  apparently  in  all  other  parts  of  the  world, 
they  are  bred  in  the  deserts.  The  poor  cottagers  in  vain  attempted  by 


240  MENDOZA.  [CHAP.  xv. 

lighting  fires,  by  shouts,  and  by  waving  branches  to  avert  the  attack. 
This  species  of  locust  closely  resembles,  and  perhaps  is  identical  with 
the  famous  Gryllus  migratorius  of  the  East 

We  crossed  the  Luxan,  which  is  a  river  of  considerable  size,  though 
its  course  towards  the  sea-coast  is  very  imperfectly  known :  it  is  even 
doubtful  whether,  in  passing  over  the  plains,  it  is  not  evaporated  and 
lost.  We  slept  in  the  village  of  Luxan,  which  is  a  small  place  sur- 
rounded by  gardens,  and  forms  the  most  southern  cultivated  district  in 
the  Province  of  Mendoza ;  it  is  five  leagues  south  of  the  capital.  At 
night  I  experienced  an  attack  (for  it  deserves  no  less  a  name)  of  the 
Benchuca,  a  species  of  Reduvius,  the  great  black  bug  of  the  Pampas. 
It  is  most  disgusting  to  feel  soft  wingless  insects,  about  an  inch  long, 
crawling  over  one's  body.  Before  sucking  they  are  quite  thin,  but 
afterwards  they  become  round  and  bloated  with  blood,  and  in  this  state 
are  easily  crushed.  One  which  I  caught  at  Iquique  (for  they  are  found 
in  Chile  and  Peru)  was  very  empty.  When  placed  on  a  table,  and 
though  surrounded  by  people,  if  a  finger  was  presented,  the  bold  insect 
would  immediately  protrude  its  sucker,  make  a  charge,  and  if  allowed, 
draw  blood.  No  pain  was  caused  by  the  wound.  It  was  curious  to 
watch  its  body  during  the  act  of  sucking,  as  in  less  than  ten  minutes  it 
changed  from  being  as  flat  as  a  wafer  to  a  globular  form.  This  one 
feast,  for  which  the  benchuca  was  indebted  to  one  of  the  officers,  kept 
it  fat  during  four  whole  months ;  but,  after  the  first  fortnight,  it  was 
quite  ready  to  have  another  suck. 

March  27 'th. — We  rode  on  to  Mendoza.  The  country  was  beautifully 
cultivated,  and  resembled  Chile.  This  neighbourhood  is  celebrated  for 
its  fruit ;  and  certainly  nothing  could  appear  more  flourishing  than 
the  vineyards  and  the  orchards  of  figs,  peaches,  and  olives.  We  bought 
water-melons  nearly  twice  as  large  as  a  man's  head,  most  deliciously 
cool  and  well-flavoured,  for  a  halfpenny  apiece ;  and  for  the  value  of 
threepence,  half  a  wheelbarrowful  of  peaches.  The  cultivated  and 
enclosed  part  of  this  province  is  very  small ;  there  is  little  more  than 
that  which  we  passed  through  between  Luxan  and  the  Capital.  The 
land,  as  in  Chile,  owes  its  fertility  entirely  to  artificial  irrigation ;  and  it 
is  really  wonderful  to  observe  how  extraordinarily  productive  a  barren 
traversia  is  thus  rendered. 

We  stayed  the  ensuing  day  in  Mendoza.  The  prosperity  of  the 
place  has  much  declined  of  late  years.  The  inhabitants  say  "  it  is  good 
to  live  in,  but  very  bad  to  grow  rich  in."  The  lower  orders  have  the 
lounging,  reckless  manners  of  the  Gauchos  of  the  Pampas ;  and  their 
dress,  riding-gear,  and  habits  of  life,  are  nearly  the  same.  To  my  mind 
the  town  had  a  stupid,  forlorn  aspect.  Neither  the  boasted  alameda, 
nor  the  scenery,  is  at  all  comparable  with  that  of  Santiago ;  but  to 
those  who,  coming  from  Buenos  Ayres,  have  just  crossed  the  unvaried 
Pampas,  the  gardens  and  orchards  must  appear  delightful.  Sir  F. 
Head,  speaking  of  the  inhabitants,  says,  "  They  eat  their  dinners,  and 
it  is  so  very  hot,  thay  go  to  sleep — and  could  they  do  better?  "  I  quite 
agree  with  Sir  F.  Head  :  the  happy  doom  of  the  Mendozinos  is  to  eat, 
sleep,  and  be  idle. 


1835-J  MENDOZA.  241 

March  2gth. — We  set  out  on  our  return  to  Chile,  by  the  Uspallata 
pass  situated  north  of  Mendoza.  We  had  to  cross  a  long  and  most 
sterile  traversia  of  fifteen  leagues.  The  soil  in  parts  was  absolutely 
bare,  in  others  covered  by  numberless  dwarf  cacti,  armed  with  formid- 
able spines,  and  called  by  the  inhabitants  "  little  lions."  There  were, 
also,  a  few  low  bushes.  Although  the  plain  is  nearly  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  the  sun  was  very  powerful ;  and  the  heat,  as  well 
as  the  clouds  of  impalpable  dust,  rendered  the  travelling  extremely 
irksome.  Our  course  during  the  day  lay  nearly  parallel  to  the  Cordillera, 
but  gradually  approaching  them.  Before  sunset  we  entered  one  of 
the  wide  valleys,  or  rather  bays,  which  open  on  the  plain :  this  soon 
narrowed  into  a  ravine,  where  a  little  higher  up  the  house  of  Villa 
Vicencio  is  situated.  As  we  had  ridden  all  day  without  a  drop  of 
water,  both  our  mules  and  selves  were  very  thirsty,  and  we  looked  out 
anxiously  for  the  stream  which  flows  down  this  valley.  It  was  curious 
to  observe  how  gradually  the  water  made  its  appearance :  on  the 
plain  the  course  was  quite  dry ;  by  degrees  it  became  a  little  damper  ; 
then  puddles  of  water  appeared ;  these  soon  became  connected ;  and 
at  Villa  Vicencio  there  was  a  nice  little  rivulet. 

March  30^. — The  solitary  hovel  which  bears  the  imposing  name  oi 
Villa  Vicencio,  has  been  mentioned  by  every  traveller  who  has  crossed 
the  Andes.  I  stayed  here  and  at  some  neighbouring  mines  during  the 
two  succeeding  days.  The  geology  of  the  surrounding  country  is  very 
curious.  The  Uspallata  range  is  separated  from  the  main  Cordillera 
by  a  long  narrow  plain  or  basin,  like  those  so  often  mentioned  in  Chile, 
but  higher,  being  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  This  range  has 
nearly  the  same  geographical  position  with  respect  to  the  Cordillera, 
which  the  gigantic  Portillo  line  has,  but  it  is  of  a  totally  different  origin  : 
it  consists  of  various  kinds  of  submarine  lava,  alternating  with  volcanic 
sandstones  and  other  remarkable  sedimentary  deposits ;  the  whole 
having  a  very  close  resemblance  to  some  of  the  tertiary  beds  on  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific.  From  this  resemblance  I  expected  to  find 
silicified  wood,  which  is  generally  characteristic  of  those  formations. 
I  was  gratified  in  a  very  extraordinary  manner.  In  the  central  part 
of  the  range,  at  an  elevation  of  about  seven  thousand  feet,  I  observed 
on  a  bare  slope  some  snow-white  projecting  columns.  These  were 
petrified  trees,  eleven  being  silicified,  and  from  thirty  to  forty  converted 
into  coarsely-crystallized  white  calcareous  spar.  They  were  abruptly 
broken  off,  the  upright  stumps  projecting  a  few  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  trunks  measured  from  three  to  five  feet  each  in  circumference. 
They  stood  a  little  way  apart  from  each  other,  but  the  whole  formed 
one  group.  Mr.  Robert  Brown  has  been  kind  enough  to  examine  the 
wood:  he  says  it  belongs  to  the  fir  tribe,  partaking  of  the  character 
of  the  Araucarian  family,  but  with  some  curious  points  of  affinity  with 
the  yew.  The  volcanic  sandstone  in  which  the  trees  were  embedded, 
and  from  the  lower  part  of  which  they  must  have  sprung,  had  accumu- 
lated in  successive  thin  layers  around  their  trunks ;  and  the  stone  yet 
retained  the  impression  of  the  bark. 

It  required    little  geological  practice  to   interpret  the  marvellous 


242  USPALLATA   PASS.  [CHAP.  iv. 

story  which  this  scene  at  once  unfolded ;  though  I  confess  I  was  at 
first  so  much  astonished,  that  I  could  scarcely  believe  the  plainest 
evidence.  I  saw  the  spot  where  a  cluster  of  fine  trees  once  waved 
their  branches  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  when  that  ocean  (now 
driven  back  700  miles)  came  to  the  foot  of  the  Andes.  I  saw  that  they 
had  sprung  from  a  volcanic  soil  which  had  been  raised  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  that  subsequently  this  dry  land,  with  its  upright 
trees,  had  been  let  down  into  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  In  these  depths, 
the  formerly  dry  land  was  covered  by  sedimentary  beds,  and  these 
again  by  enormous  streams  of  submarine  lava — one  such  mass  attaining 
the  thickness  of  a  thousand  feet ;  and  these  deluges  of  molten  stone 
and  aqueous  deposits  five  times  alternately  had  been  spread  out.  The 
ocean  which  received  such  thick  masses,  must  have  been  profoundly 
deep  ;  but  again  the  subterranean  forces  exerted  themselves,  and  I 
now  beheld  the  bed  ot  that  ocean,  torming  a  chain  of  mountains  more 
than  seven  thousand  feet  in  height  Nor  had  those  antagonist  forces 
been  dormant,  which  are  always  at  work  wearing  down  the  surface 
of  the  land :  the  great  piles  of  strata  had  been  intersected  by  many 
wide  valleys,  and  the  trees,  now  changed  into  silex,  were  exposed 
projecting  from  the  volcanic  soil,  now  changed  into  rock,  whence 
formerly,  in  a  green  and  budding  state,  they  had  raised  their  lofty 
heads.  Now,  all  is  utterly  irreclaimable  and  desert ;  even  the  lichen 
cannot  adhere  to  the  stony  casts  of  former  trees.  Vast,  and  scarcely 
comprehensible  as  such  changes  must  ever  appear,  yet  they  have  all 
occurred  within  a  period,  recent  when  compared  with  the  history  of 
the  Cordillera;  and  the  Cordillera  itself  is  absolutely  modern  as 
compared  with  many  of  the  fossiliferous  strata  of  Europe  and  America. 

April  ist. — We  crossed  the  Uspallata  range,  and  at  night  slept  at 
the  custom-house — the  only  inhabited  spot  on  the  plain.  Shortly 
before  leaving  the  mountains,  there  was  a  very  extraordinary  view; 
red,  purple,  green,  and  quite  white  sedimentary  rocks,  alternating 
with  black  lavas,  were  broken  up  and  thrown  into  all  kinds  of  disorder 
by  masses  of  porphyry  of  every  shade  of  colour,  from  dark  brown  to 
the  brightest  lilac.  It  was  the  first  view  I  ever  saw,  which  really 
resembled  those  pretty  sections  which  geologists  make  of  the  inside 
of  the  earth. 

The  next  day  we  crosse  d  the  plain,  and  followed  the  course  of  the 
same  great  mountain  stream  which  flows  by  Luxan.  Here  it  was  a 
furious  torrent,  quite  impassable,  and  appeared  larger  than  in  the  low 
country,  as  was  the  case  with  the  rivulet  of  Villa  Vicencio.  On  the 
evening  of  the  succeeding  day,  we  reached  the  Rio  de  las  Vacas,  which 
is  considered  the  worst  stream  in  the  Cordillera  to  cross.  As  all  these 
rivers  have  a  rapid  and  short  course,  and  are  formed  by  the  melting 
of  the  snow,  the  hour  of  the  day  makes  a  considerable  difference  in 
their  volume.  In  the  evening  the  stream  is  muddy  and  iull,  but  about 
daybreak  it  becomes  clearer  and  much  less  impetuous.  This  we  found 
to  be  the  case  with  the  Rio  Vacas,  and  in  the  morning  we  crossed  it 
with  little  difficulty. 

The  scenery  thus  far  was  very  uninteresting,  compared  with  that 


X83S-]  INCAS  BRIDGE.  843 

of  the  Portillo  pass.  Little  can  be  seen  beyond  the  bare  waiis  of  the 
one  grand,  flat-bottomed  valley,  which  the  road  follows  up  to  the 
highest  crest.  The  valley  and  the  huge  rocky  mountains  are  extremely 
barren :  during  the  two  previous  nights  the  poor  mules  had  absolutely 
nothing  to  eat,  for  excepting  a  few  low  resinous  bushes,  scarcely  a 
plant  can  be  seen.  In  the  course  of  this  day  we  crossed  some  of  the 
worst  passes  in  the  Cordillera,  but  their  danger  has  been  much 
exaggerated.  I  was  told  that  if  I  attempted  to  pass  on  foot,  my  head 
would  turn  giddy,  and  that  there  was  no  room  to  dismount ;  but  I  did 
not  see  a  place  where  any  one  might  not  have  walked  over  backwards, 
or  got  off  his  mule  on  either  side.  One  of  the  bad  passes,  called  las 
Animas  (the  Souls),  I  had  crossed,  and  did  not  find  out  till  a  day 
afterwards,  that  it  was  one  of  the  awful  dangers.  No  doubt  there  are 
many  parts  in  which,  if  the  mule  should  stumble,  the  rider  would  be 
hurled  down  a  great  precipice;  but  of  this  there  is  little  chance.  I 
daresay,  in  the  spring,  the  "laderas,"  or  roads,  which  each  year  are 
formed  anew  across  the  piles  of  fallen  detritus,  are  very  bad ;  but 
from  what  I  saw,  I  suspect  the  real  danger  is  nothing.  With  cargo- 
mules  the  case  is  rather  different,  for  the  loads  project  so  far,  that  the 
animals,  occasionally  running  against  each  other,  or  against  a  point  of 
rock,  lose  their  balance,  and  are  thrown  down  the  precipices.  In 
crossing  the  rivers  I  can  well  believe  that  the  difficulty  may  be  very 
great :  at  this  season  there  was  little  trouble,  but  in  the  summer  they 
must  be  very  hazardous.  I  can  quite  imagine,  as  Sir  F.  Head  describes, 
the  different  expressions  of  those  who  have  passed  the  gulf,  and  those 
who  are  passing.  I  never  heard  of  any  man  being  drowned,  but  with 
loaded  mules  it  frequently  happens.  The  arriero  tells  you  to  show 
your  mule  the  best  line  and  then  allow  her  to  cross  as  she  likes: 
the  cargo-mule  takes  a  bad  line,  and  is  often  lost. 

April  $th. — From  the  Rio  de  las  Vacas  to  the  Paente  del  Incas, 
half  a  day's  journey.  As  there  was  pasture  for  the  mules,  and  geology 
for  me,  we  bivouacked  here  for  the  night.  When  one  hears  of  a 
natural  Bridge,  one  pictures  to  oneself  some  deep  and  narrow  ravine, 
across  which  a  bold  mass  of  rock  has  fallen ;  or  a  great  arch  hollowed 
out  like  the  vault  of  a  cavern.  Instead  of  this,  the  Incas  Bridge 
consists  of  a  crust  of  stratified  shingle,  cemented  together  by  the 
deposits  of  the  neighbouring  hot  springs.  It  appears,  as  if  the  stream 
had  scooped  out  a  channel  on  one  side,  leaving  an  overhanging  ledge, 
which  was  met  by  earth  and  stones  falling  down  from  the  opposite  cliff. 
Certainly  an  oblique  junction,  as  would  happen  in  such  a  case,  was  very 
distinct  on  one  side.  The  Bridge  of  the  Incas  is  by  no  means  worthy 
of  the  great  monarchs  whose  name  it  bears. 

April  $th. — We  had  a  long  day's  ride  across  the  central  ridge,  from 
the  Incas  Bridge  to  the  Ojos  del  Agua,  which  are  situated  near  the 
lowest  casucha  on  the  Chilian  side.  These  casuchas  are  round  little 
towers,  with  steps  outside  to  reach  the  floor,  which  is  raised  some  feet 
above  the  ground  on  account  of  the  snow-drifts.  They  are  eight  in 
number,  and  under  the  Spanish  government  were  kept  during  the 
winter  well  stored  with  food  and  charcoal,  and  each  courier  had  a 


244  USPALLATA  PASS.  [CHAP,  xv. 

master-key.  Now  they  only  answer  the  purpose  of  caves,  or  rather 
dungeons.  Seated  on  some  little  eminence,  they  are  not,  however,  ill 
suited  to  the  surrounding  scene  of  desolation.  The  zigzag  ascent  of  the 
Cumbre,  or  the  partition  of  the  waters,  was  very  steep  and  tedious ;  its 
height,  according  to  Mr.  Pentland,  is  12,454  feet.  The  road  did  not  pass 
over  any  perpetual  snow,  although  there  were  patches  of  it  on  both 
hands.  The  wind  on  the  summit  was  exceedingly  cold,  but  it  was 
impossible  not  to  stop  for  a  few  minutes  to  admire,  again  and  again, 
the  colour  of  the  heavens,  and  the  brilliant  transparency  of  the 
atmosphere.  The  scenery  was  grand:  to  the  westward  there  was  a 
fine  chaos  of  mountains,  divided  by  profound  ravines.  Some  snow 
generally  falls  before  this  period  of  the  season,  and  it  has  even  happened 
that  the  Cordillera  have  been  finally  closed  by  this  time.  But  we  were 
most  fortunate.  The  sky,  by  night  and  by  day,  was  cloudless,  excepting 
a  few  round  little  masses  of  vapour,  that  floated  over  the  highest 
pinnacles.  I  have  often  seen  these  islets  in  the  sky,  marking  the 
position  of  the  Cordillera,  when  far  distant  mountains  have  been  hidden 
beneath  the  horizon. 

April  6th. — In  the  morning  we  found  some  thief  had  stolen  one  of 
our  mules,  and  the  bell  of  the  madrina.  We  therefore  rode  only  two  or 
three  miles  down  the  valley,  and  stayed  there  the  ensuing  day  in  hopes 
of  recovering  the  mule,  which  the  arriero  thought  had  been  hidden  in 
some  ravine.  The  scenery  in  this  part  had  assumed  a  Chilian  character : 
the  lower  sides  of  the  mountains,  dotted  over  with  the  pale  evergreen 
Quillay  tree,  and  with  the  great  chandelier-like  cactus,  are  certainly 
more  to  be  admired  than  the  bare  eastern  valleys ;  but  I  cannot  quite 
agree  with  the  admiration  expressed  by  some  travellers.  The  extreme 
pleasure,  I  suspect,  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  prospect  of  a  good  fire  and  of 
a  good  supper,  after  escaping  from  the  cold  regions  above ;  and  I  am 
sure  I  most  heartily  participated  in  these  feelings. 

April  8/7*. — We  left  the  valley  of  the  Aconcagua,  by  which  we  had 
descended,  and  reached  in  the  evening  a  cottage  near  the  Villa  de 
St.  Rosa.  The  fertility  of  the  plain  was  delightful ;  the  autumn  being 
advanced,  the  leaves  of  many  of  the  fruit-trees  were  faking ;  and  of  the 
labourers, — some  were  busy  in  drying  figs  and  peaches  on  the  roofs  of 
their  cottages,  while  others  were  gathering  the  grapes  from  the  vineyards. 
It  was  a  pretty  scene ;  but  I  missed  that  pensive  stillness  which  makes 
the  autumn  in  England  indeed  the  evening  of  the  year.  On  the  loth 
we  reached  Santiago,  where  I  received  a  very  kind  and  hospitable 
reception  from  Mr.  Caldcleugh.  My  excursion  only  cost  me  twenty- 
four  days,  and  never  did  I  more  deeply  enjoy  an  equal  space  of  time. 
A  few  days  afterwards  I  returned  to  Mr.  Corfield's  house  at  Valparaiso. 


I83S-]  COAST-ROAD  TO  COQUIM80.  245 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HORTHERN  CHILE  AND  PERU. 

Coast-road  to  Coquimbo — Great  Loads  carried  by  the  Miners — Coquimbo— 
Earthquake — Step-formed  Terraces — Absence  of  Recent  Desposits — Con- 
temporaneousness  of  the  Tertiary  Formations— Excursion  up  the  Valley 
— Road  to  Guasco — Deserts — Valley  of  Copiapd — Rain  and  Earthquakes 
— Hydrophobia — The  Despoblado — Indian  Ruins — Probable  Change  of 
Climate— River-bed  Arched  by  an  Earthquake— Cold  Gales  of  Wind- 
Noises  from  a  Hill — Iquique — Salt  Alluvium — Nitrate  of  Soda — Lima — 
Unhealthy  Country — Ruins  of  Callao,  overthrown  by  an  Earthquake— 
Recent  Subsidence — Elevated  Shells  on  San  Lorenzo,  their  Decomposition 
— Plain  with  Embedded  Shells  and  Fragments  of  Pottery — Antiquity  of 
the  Indian  Race. 

April  27th. — I  SET  out  on  a  journey  to  Coquimbo,  and  thence  through 
Guasco  to  Copiap6,  where  Captain  Fitz  Roy  kindly  offered  to  pick  me 
up  in  the  Beagle.  The  distance  in  a  straight  line  along  the  shore 
northward  is  only  420  miles ;  but  my  mode  of  travelling  made  it  a 
very  long  journey.  I  bought  four  horses  and  two  mules,  the  latter 
carrying  the  luggage  on  alternate  days.  The  six  animals  together 
only  cost  the  value  of  twenty-five  pounds  sterling,  and  at  Copiapd  I 
sold  them  again  for  twenty-three.  We  travelled  in  the  same  indepen- 
dent manner  as  before,  cooking  our  own  meals,  and  sleeping  in  the 
open  air.  As  we  rode  towards  the  Vino  del  Mar,  I  took  a  farewell  view 
of  Valparaiso,  and  admired  its  picturesque  appearance.  For  geological 
purposes  I  made  a  detour  from  the  high  road  to  the  foot  of  the  Bell  of 
Quillota.  We  passed  through  an  alluvial  district  rich  in  gold,  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  Limache,  where  we  slept.  Washing  for  gold  supports 
the  inhabitants  of  numerous  hovels,  scattered  along  the  sides  of  each 
little  rivulet ;  but,  like  all  those  whose  gains  are  uncertain,  they  are 
unthrifty  in  their  habits,  and  consequently  poor. 

April  2&7/J. — In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  a  cottage  at  the  foot  of 
the  Bell  mountain.  The  inhabitants  were  freeholders,  which  is  not 
very  usual  in  Chile.  They  supported  themselves  on  the  produce  of  a 
garden  and  a  little  field,  but  were  very  poor.  Capital  is  here  so 
deficient,  that  the  people  are  obliged  to  sell  their  green  corn  while 
standing  in  the  field,  in  order  to  buy  necessaries  for  the  ensuing  year. 
Wheat,  in  consequence,  was  dearer  in  the  very  district  of  its  production 
than  at  Valparaiso,  where  the  contractors  live.  The  next  day  we  joined 
the  main  road  to  Coquimbo.  At  night  there  was  a  very  light  shower  of 
rain;  this  was  the  first  drop  that  had  fallen  since  the  heavy  rain  of 
September  nth  and  I2th,  which  detained  me  a  prisoner  at  the  Baths  of 
Cauquenes.  The  interval  was  seven  and  a  half  months  ;  but  the  rain 
this  year  in  Chile  was  rather  later  than  usual.  The  distant  Andes  were 
now  covered  by  a  thick  mass  of  snow ;  and  were  a  glorious  sight. 

May  2nd. — The  road  continued  to  follow  the  coast  at  no 


246  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvl. 

distance  from  the  sea.  The  few  trees  and  bushes  which  are  common 
in  central  Chile  decreased  rapidly  in  numbers,  and  were  replaced  by  a 
tall  plant,  something  like  a  yucca  in  appearance.  The  surface  of  the 
country,  on  a  small  scale,  was  singularly  broken  and  irregular ;  abrupt 
little  peaks  of  rock  rising  out  of  small  plains  or  basins.  The  indented 
coast  and  the  bottom  of  the  neighbouring  sea,  studded  with  breakers, 
would,  if  converted  into  dry  land,  present  similar  forms ;  and  such  a 
conversion  without  doubt  has  taken  place  in  the  part  over  which  we 
rode. 

May  yd, — Quilimari  to  Conchalee.  The  country  became  more  and 
more  barren.  In  the  valleys  there  was  scarcely  sufficient  water  for  any 
irrigation;  and  the  intermediate  land  was  quite  bare,  not  supporting 
even  goats.  In  the  spring,  after  the  winter  showers,  a  thin  pasture 
rapidly  springs  up,  and  cattle  are  then  driven  down  from  the  Cordillera 
to  graze  for  a  short  time.  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  the  seeds  of  the 
grass  and  other  plants  seem  to  accommodate  themselves,  as  if  by  an 
acquired  habit,  to  the  quantity  of  rain  which  falls  on  different  parts  of 
this  coast  One  shower  far  northward  at  Copiap6  produces  as  great 
an  effect  on  the  vegetation,  as  two  at  Guasco  and  as  three  or  four 
in  this  district.  At  Valparaiso  a  winter  so  dry  as  greatly  to  injure  the 
pasture,  would  at  Guasco  produce  the  most  unusual  abundance. 
Proceeding  northward,  the  quantity  of  rain  does  not  appear  to  decrease 
in  strict  proportion  to  the  latitude.  At  Conchalee,  which  is  only  67 
miles  north  of  Valparaiso,  rain  is  not  expected  till  the  end  of  May ; 
whereas,  at  Valparaiso  some  generally  falls  early  in  April :  the  annual 
quantity  is  likewise  small  in  proportion  to  the  lateness  of  the  season  at 
which  it  commences. 

May  tfh. — Finding  the  coast-road  devoid  of  interest  of  any  kind,  we 
turned  inland  towards  the  mining  district  and  valley  of  Illapel.  This 
valley,  like  every  other  in  Chile,  is  level,  broad,  and  very  fertile :  it  is 
bordered  on  each  side,  either  by  cliffs  of  stratified  shingle,  or  by  bare 
rocky  mountains.  Above  the  straight  line  of  the  uppermost  irrigating 
ditch,  all  is  brown  as  on  a  high  road  ;  while  all  below  is  of  as  bright  a 
green  as  verdigris,  from  the  beds  of  alfarfa,  a  kind  of  clover.  We 
proceeded  to  Los  Hornos,  another  mining  district,  where  the  principal 
hill  was  drilled  with  holes,  like  a  great  ants'-nest.  The  Chilian  miners 
are  a  peculiar  race  of  men  in  their  habits.  Living  for  weeks  together 
in  the  most  desolate  spots,  when  they  descend  to  the  villages  on  feast- 
days,  there  is  no  excess  or  extravagance  into  which  they  do  not  run. 
They  sometimes  gain  a  considerable  sum,  and  then,  like  sailors  with 
prize-money,  they  try  how  soon  they  can  contrive  to  squander  it  They 
drink  excessively,  buy  quantities  of  clothes,  and  in  a  few  days  return 
penniless  to  their  miserable  abodes,  there  to  work  harder  than  beasts 
of  burden.  This  thoughtlessness,  as  with  sailors,  is  evidently  the 
result  of  a  similar  manner  of  life.  Their  daily  food  is  found  them,  and 
they  acquire  no  habits  of  carefulness ;  moreover,  temptation  and  the 
means  of  yielding  to  it  are  placed  in  their  power  at  the  same  time.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  Cornwall,  and  some  other  parts  of  England,  where 
the  system  of  selling  part  of  the  vein  is  followed,  the  miners,  from 


I83S-]  CHILIAN  MINERS.  247 

being  obliged  to  act  and  think  for  themselves,  are  a  singularly  intelligent 
and  well-conducted  set  of  men. 

The  dress  of  the  Chilian  miner  is  peculiar  and  rather  picturesque. 
He  wears  a  very  long  shirt  of  some  dark-coloured  baize,  with  a 
leathern  apron ;  the  whole  being  fastened  round  his  waist  by  a  bright- 
coloured  sash.  His  trousers  are  very  broad,  and  his  small  cap  of 
scarlet  cloth  is  made  to  fit  the  head  closely.  We  met  a  party  of  these 
miners  in  full  costume,  carrying  the  body  of  one  of  their  companions  to 
be  buried.  They  marched  at  a  very  quick  trot,  four  men  supporting 
the  corpse.  One  set  having  run  as  hard  as  they  could  for  about  two 
hundred  yards,  were  relieved  by  four  others,  who  had  previously  dashed 
on  ahead  on  horseback.  Thus  they  proceeded,  encouraging  each  other 
by  wild  cries :  altogether  the  scene  formed  a  most  strange  funeral. 

We  continued  travelling  northward  in  a  zigzag  line ;  sometimes 
stopping  a  day  to  geologize.  The  country  was  so  thinly  inhabited, 
and  the  track  so  obscure,  that  we  often  had  difficulty  in  finding  our 
way.  On  the  I2th  I  stayed  at  some  mines.  The  ore  in  this  case  was 
not  considered  particularly  good,  but  from  being  abundant  it  was 
supposed  the  mine  would  sell  for  about  thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars 
(that  is,  6,000  or  8,000  pounds  sterling)  ;  yet  it  had  been  bought  by  one 
of  the  English  Associations  for  an  ounce  of  gold  (3/.  8s.}.  The  ore  is 
yellow  pyrites,  which,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  before  the  arrival  of 
the  English,  was  not  supposed  to  contain  a  particle  of  copper.  On  a 
scale  of  profits  nearly  as  great  as  in  the  above  instance,  piles  of  cinders, 
abounding  with  minute  globules  of  metallic  copper,  were  purchased ; 
yet  with  these  advantages,  the  mining  associations,  as  is  well  known, 
contrived  to  lose  immense  sums  of  money.  The  folly  of  the  greater 
number  of  the  commissioners  and  shareholders  amounted  to  infatua- 
tion ; — a  thousand  pounds  per  annum  given  in  some  cases  to  entertain 
the  Chilian  authorities ;  libraries  of  well-bound  geological  books : 
miners  brought  out  for  particular  metals,  as  tin,  which  are  not  found  in 
Chile ;  contracts  to  supply  the  miners  with  milk,  in  parts  where  there 
are  no  cows ;  machinery,  where  it  could  not  possibly  be  used ;  and  a 
hundred  similar  arrangements,  bore  witness  to  our  absurdity,  and  to 
this  day  afford  amusement  to  the  natives.  Yet  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
that  the  same  capital  well  employed  in  these  mines  would  have  yielded 
an  immense  return :  a  confidential  man  of  business,  a  practical  miner 
and  assayer,  would  have  been  all  that  was  required. 

Captain  Head  has  described  the  wonderful  load  which  the  "  Apires," 
truly  beasts  of  burden,  carry  up  from  the  deepest  mines.  I  confess  I 
thought  the  account  exaggerated ;  so  that  I  was  glad  to  take  an 
opportunity  of  weighing  one  of  the  loads,  which  I  picked  out  by  hazard. 
It  required  considerable  exertion  on  my  part,  when  standing  directly 
over  it,  to  lift  it  from  the  ground.  The  load  was  considered  under 
weight  when  found  to  be  197  pounds.  The  apire  had  carried  this  up 
eighty  perpendicular  yards, — part  of  the  way  by  a  steep  passage,  but 
the  greater  part  up  notched  poles,  placed  in  a  zigzag  line  up  the  shaft. 
According  to  the  general  regulation,  the  apire  is  not  allowed  to  halt 
fpr  breath,  except  the  mine  is  six  hundred  feet  deep.  The  average 


248  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

load  is  considered  as  rather  more  than  200  pounds,  and  I  have  been 
assured  that  one  of  300  pounds  (twenty-two  stone  and  a  half)  by  way 
of  a  trial  has  been  brought  up  from  the  deepest  mine  1  At  this  time 
the  apires  were  bringing  up  the  usual  load  twelve  times  in  the  day ; 
that  is,  2,400  pounds  from  eighty  yards  deep  ;  and  they  were  employed 
in  the  intervals  in  breaking  and  picking  ore. 

These  men,  excepting  from  accidents,  are  healthy,  and  appear  cheer- 
ful. Their  bodies  are  not  very  muscular.  They  rarely  eat  meat  once 
a  week,  and  never  oftener,  and  then  only  the  hard  dry  charqui. 
Although  with  a  knowledge  that  the  labour  was  voluntary,  it  was 
nevertheless  quite  revolting  to  see  the  state  in  which  they  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  mine ;  their  bodies  bent  forward,  leaning  with  their  arms 
on  the  steps,  their  legs  bowed,  their  muscles  quivering,  the  perspiration 
streaming  from  their  faces  over  their  breasts,  their  nostrils  distended, 
the  corners  of  their  mouth  forcibly  drawn  back,  and  the  expulsion 
of  their  breath  most  laborious.  Each  time  they  draw  their  breath, 
they  utter  an  articulate  cry  of  "  ay-ay,"  which  ends  in  a  sound  rising 
from  deep  in  the  chest,  but  shrill  like  the  note  of  a  fife.  After  staggering 
to  the  pile  of  ore,  they  emptied  the  "  carpacho ;  "  in  two  or  three  seconds 
recovering  their  breath,  they  wiped  the  sweat  from  their  brows,  and 
apparently  quite  fresh  descended  the  mine  again  at  a  quick  pace. 
This  appears  to  me  a  wonderful  instance  of  the  amount  of  labour 
which  habit,  for  it  can  be  nothing  else,  will  enable  a  man  to  endure. 

In  the  evening,  talking  with  the  mayor-domo  of  these  mines  about 
the  number  of  foreigners  now  scattered  over  the  whole  country,  he 
told  me  that,  though  quite  a  young  man,  he  remembers  when  he  was 
a  boy  at  school  at  Coquimbo,  a  holiday  being  given  to  see  the  captain 
of  an  English  ship,  who  was  brought  to  the  city  to  speak  to  the 
governor.  He  believes  that  nothing  would  have  induced  any  boy  in 
the  school,  himself  included,  to  have  gone  close  to  the  Englishman ; 
so  deeply  had  they  been  impressed  with  an  idea  of  the  heresy,  con- 
tamination, and  evil  to  be  derived  from  contact  with  such  a  person. 
To  this  day  they  relate  the  atrocious  actions  of  the  bucaniers ;  and 
especially  of  one  man,  who  took  away  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  returned  the  year  after  for  that  of  St.  Joseph,  saying  it  was  a 
pity  the  lady  should  not  have  a  husband.  I  heard  also  of  an  old  lady 
who,  at  a  dinner  in  Coquimbo,  remarked  how  wonderfully  strange  it 
was  that  she  should  have  lived  to  dine  in  the  same  room  with  an 
Englishman ;  for  she  remembered  as  a  girl,  that  twice,  at  the  mere  cry 
of  "  Los  Ingleses,"  every  soul,  carrying  what  valuables  they  could, 
had  taken  to  the  mountains. 

May  i4//z. — We  reached  Coquimbo,  where  we  stayed  a  few  days.  The 
town  is  remarkable  for  nothing  but  its  extreme  quietness.  It  is  said 
to  contain  from  6,000  to  8,000  inhabitants.  On  the  morning  of  the 
I7th  it  rained  lightly,  the  first  time  this  year,  for  about  five  hours. 
The  farmers,  who  plant  corn  near  the  sea  coast  where  the  atmosphere 
is  more  humid,  taking  advantage  of  this  shower,  would  break  up  the 
ground;  after  a  second  they  would  put  the  seed  in;  and  if  a  tliiri 
shower  should  fall,  they  would  reap  a  good  harvest  in  the  spring.  K 


1835.]  SHINGLE-TERRACES  OF  COQUIMBO.  .  249 

was  interesting  to  watch  the  effect  of  this  trifling  amount  of  moisture. 
Twelve  hours  afterwards  the  ground  appeared  as  dry  as  ever ;  yet 
after  an  interval  of  ten  days,  all  the  hills  were  faintly  tinged  with  green 
patches ;  the  grass  being  sparingly  scattered  in  hair-like  fibres  a  full 
inch  in  length.  Before  this  shower  every  part  of  the  surface  was 
bare  as  on  a  high  road. 

In  the  evening,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  myself  were  dining  with 
Mr.  Edwards,  an  English  resident  well  known  for  his  hospitality  by 
all  who  have  visited  Coquimbo,  when  a  sharp  earthquake  happened. 
I  heard  the  forecoming  rumble,  but  from  the  screams  of  the  ladies, 
the  running  of  the  servants,  and  the  rush  of  several  of  the  gentlemen 
to  the  doorway,  I  could  not  distinguish  the  motion.  Some  of  the 
women  afterwards  were  crying  with  terror,  and  one  gentleman  said  he 
should  not  be  able  to  sleep  all  night,  or  if  he  did,  it  would  only  be  to 
dream  of  falling  houses.  The  father  of  this  person  had  lately  lost  all 
his  property  at  Talcahuano,  and  he  himself  had  only  just  escaped  a 
falling  roof  at  Valparaiso,  in  1822.  He  mentioned  a  curious  coincidence 
which  then  happened :  he  was  playing  at  cards,  when  a  German,  one 
of  the  party,  got  up,  and  said  he  would  never  sit  in  a  room  in  these 
countries  with  the  door  shut,  as,  owing  to  his  having  done  so,  he  had 
nearly  lost  his  life  at  Copiap6.  Accordingly  he  opened  the  door ;  and 
no  sooner  had  he  done  this,  than  he  cried  out,  "  Here  it  comes  again  1 " 
and  the  famous  shock  commenced.  The  whole  party  escaped.  The 
danger  in  an  earthquake  is  not  from  the  time  lost  in  opening  a  door, 
but  from  the  chance  of  its  becoming  jammed  by  the  movement  of  the 
walls. 

It  is  impossible  to  be  much  surprised  at  the  fear  which  natives  and 
old  residents,  though  some  of  them  known  to  be  men  of  great  command 
of  mind,  so  generally  experience  during  earthquakes.  I  think,  how- 
ever, this  excess  of  panic  may  be  partly  attributed  to  a  want  of  habit 
in  governing  their  fear,  as  it  is  not  a  feeling  they  are  ashamed  of. 
Indeed,  the  natives  do  not  like  to  see  a  person  indifferent.  I  heard  of 
two  Englishmen  who,  sleeping  in  the  open  air  during  a  smart  shock, 
knowing  that  there  was  no  danger,  did  not  rise.  The  natives  cried  out 
indignantly,  "  Look  at  those  heretics,  they  will  not  even  get  out  of  their 
beds  I"  ' 

I  spent  some  days  in  examining  the  step-formed  terraces  of  shingle, 
first  noticed  by  Captain  B.  Hall,  and  believed  by  Mr.  Lyell  to  have 
been  formed  by  the  sea  during  the  gradual  rising  of  the  land.  This 
certainly  is  the  true  explanation,  for  I  found  numerous  shells  of  existing 
species  on  these  terraces.  Five  narrow,  gently  sloping,  fringe-like 
terraces  rise  one  behind  the  other,  and  where  best  developed  are 
formed  of  shingle :  they  front  the  bay,  and  sweep  up  both  sides  of  the 
valley.  At  Guasco,  north  of  Coquimbo,  the  phenomenon  is  displayed 
on  a  much  grander  scale,  so  as  to  strike  with  surprise  even  some  of 
the  inhabitants.  The  terraces  are  there  much  broader,  and  may  be 
called  plains ;  in  some  parts  there  are  six  of  them,  but  generally  only 
five;  tbey  run  up  the  valley  for  thirty-seven  miles  from  the  coast 


S$o  CONTEMPORANEOUS  DEPOSITION        [CHAP.  no. 

These  step-formed  terraces  or  fringes  closely  resemble  those  in  the 
valley  of  San  Cruz,  and  except  in  being  on  a  smaller  scale,  those  great 
ones  along  the  whole  coast-line  of  Patagonia.  They  have  undoubtedly 
been  formed  by  the  denuding  power  of  the  sea,  during  long  periods  of 
rest  in  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  continent. 

Shells  of  many  existing  species  not  only  lie  on  the  surface  of  the 
terraces  at  Coquimbo  (to  a  height  of  250  feet),  but  are  embedded  in  a 
friable  calcareous  rock,  which  in  some  places  is  as  much  as  between 
twenty  and  thirty  feet  in  thickness,  but  is  of  little  extent.  These 
modern  beds  rest  on  an  ancient  tertiary  formation  containing  shells, 
apparently  all  extinct.  Although  I  examined  so  many  hundred  miles  of 
coast  on  the  Pacific,  as  well  as  Atlantic  side  of  the  continent,  I  found 
no  regular  strata  containing  sea-shells  of  recent  species,  excepting  at 
this  place,  and  at  a  few  points  northward  on  the  road  to  Guasco.  This 
fact  appears  to  me  highly  remarkable ;  for  the  explanation  generally 
given  by  geologists,  of  the  absence  in  any  district  of  stratified  fossil- 
iferous  deposits  of  a  given  period,  namely,  that  the  surface  then  existed 
as  dry  land,  is  not  here  applicable  ;  for  we  know  from  the  shells  strewed 
on  the  surface  and  embedded  in  loose  sand  or  mould,  that  the  land  for 
thousands  of  miles  along  both  coasts  has  lately  been  submerged.  The 
explanation,  no  doubt,  must  be  sought  in  the  fact,  that  the  whole 
southern  part  of  the  continent  has  been  for  a  long  time  slowly  rising ; 
and  therefore  that  all  matter  deposited  along  shore  in  shallow  water, 
must  have  been  soon  brought  up  and  slowly  exposed  to  the  wearing 
action  of  the  sea-beach  ;  and  it  is  only  in  comparatively  shallow  water 
that  the  greater  number  of  marine  organic  beings  can  flourish,  and 
in  such  water  it  is  obviously  impossible  that  strata  of  any  great  thick- 
ness can  accumulate.  To  show  the  vast  power  of  the  wearing  action 
of  sea-beaches,  we  need  only  appeal  to  the  great  cliffs  along  the 
present  coast  of  Patagonia,  and  to  the  escarpments  or  ancient  sea-cliffs 
at  different  levels,  one  above  another,  on  that  same  line  of  coast. 

The  old  underlying  tertiary  formation  at  Coquimbo,  appears  to  be 
of  about  the  same  age  with  several  deposits  on  the  coast  of  Chile  (of 
which  that  of  Navedad  is  the  principal  one),  and  with  the  great  forma- 
tion of  Patagonia.  Both  at  Navedad  and  at  Patagonia  there  is  evidence, 
that  since  the  shells  (a  list  of  which  has  been  seen  by  Professor  E. 
Forbes)  there  intombed  were  living,  there  has  been  a  subsidence  of 
several  hundred  feet,  as  well  as  an  ensuing  elevation.  It  may  naturally 
be  asked,  how  it  comes  that,  although  no  extensive  fossiliferous  deposits 
of  the  recent  period,  nor  of  any  period  intermediate  between  it  and  the 
ancient  tertiary  epoch,  have  been  preserved  on  either  side  of  the  con- 
tinent, yet  that  at  this  ancient  tertiary  epoch,  sedimentary  matter 
containing  fossil  remains,  should  have  been  deposited  and  preserved 
at  different  points  in  north  and  south  lines,  over  a  space  of  1,100  miles 
on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  of  at  least  1,350  miles  on  the  shores 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  in  an  east  and  west  line  of  700  miles  across  the 
widest  part  of  the  continent  ?  I  believe  the  explanation  is  not  difficult, 
and  that  it  is  perhaps  applicable  to  nearly  analogous  facts  observed  in 
Other  quarters  of  the  world.  Considering  tlift  enormous  power  cf 


1835.]  OF  THE  TERTIARY  FORMATIONS..  251 

denudation  which  the  sea  possesses,  as  shown  by  numberless  facts, 
it  is  not  probable  that  a  sedimentary  deposit,  when  being  upraised, 
could  pass  through  the  ordeal  of  the  beach,  so  as  to  be  preserved  in 
sufficient  masses  to  last  to  a  distant  period,  without  it  were  originally 
of  wide  extent  and  of  considerable  thickness :  now  it  is  impossible  on 
a  moderately  shallow  bottom,  which  alone  is  favourable  to  most  living 
creatures,  that  a  thick  and  widely  extended  covering  of  sediment  could 
be  spread  out,  without  the  bottom  sank  down  to  receive  the  successive 
layers.  This  seems  to  have  actually  taken  place  at  about  the  same 
period  in  southern  Patagonia  and  Chile,  though  these  places  are  a 
thousand  miles  apart.  Hence,  if  prolonged  movements  of  approxi- 
mately contemporaneous  subsidence  are  generally  widely  extensive, 
as  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  from  my  examination  of  the  Coral 
Reefs  of  the  great  oceans — or  if,  confining  our  view  to  South  America, 
the  subsiding  movements  have  been  coextensive  with  those  of  elevation, 
by  which,  within  the  same  period  of  existing  shells,  the  shores  of  Peru, 
Chile,  Tierra  del  Fuego,  Patagonia,  and  La  Plata  have  been  upraised — 
then  we  can  see  that  at  the  same  time,  at  far  distant  points,  circum- 
stances would  have  been  favourable  to  the  formation  of  fossiliferous 
deposits,  of  wide  extent  and  of  considerable  thickness ;  and  such 
deposits,  consequently,  would  have  a  good  chance  of  resisting  the 
wear  and  tear  of  successive  beach-lines,  and  of  lasting  to  a  future 
epoch. 

May  zist. — I  set  out  in  company  with  Don  Jose  Edwards  to  the 
silver-mine  of  Arqueros,  and  thence  up  the  valley  of  Coquimbo. 
Passing  through  a  mountainous  country,  we  reached  by  nightfall  the 
mines  belonging  to  Mr.  Edwards.  I  enjoyed  my  night's  rest  here  from 
a  reason  which  will  not  be  fully  appreciated  in  England,  namely,  the 
absence  of  fleas  1  The  rooms  in  Coquimbo  swarm  with  them ;  but 
they  will  not  live  here  at  the  height  of  only  three  or  four  thousand  feet  : 
it  can  scarcely  be  the  trifling  diminution  of  temperature,  but  some 
other  cause  which  destroys  these  troublesome  insects  at  this  place. 
The  mines  are  now  in  a  bad  state,  though  they  formerly  yielded  about 
2,000  pounds  in  weight  of  silver  a  year.  It  has  been  said  that  "a 
person  with  a  copper-mine  will  gain ;  with  silver,  he  may  gain ;  but 
with  gold,  he  is  sure  to  lose."  This  is  not  true :  all  the  large  Chilian 
fortunes  have  been  made  by  mines  of  the  more  precious  metals.  A 
short  time  since  an  English  physician  returned  to  England  from 
Copiap6,  taking  with  him  the  profits  of  one  share  in  a  silver-mine, 
which  amounted  to  about  24,000  pounds  sterling.  No  doubt  a  copper- 
mine  with  care  is  a  sure  game,  whereas  the  other  is  gambling,  or 
rather  taking  a  ticket  in  a  lottery.  The  owners  lose  great  quantities 
of  rich  ores ;  for  no  precautions  can  prevent  robberies.  I  heard  of  a 
gentleman  laying  a  bet  with  another,  that  one  of  his  men  should  rob 
him  before  his  face.  The  ore  when  brought  out  of  the  mine  is  broken 
into  pieces,  and  the  useless  stone  thrown  on  one  side.  A  couple  of 
the  miners  who  were  thus  employed,  pitched,  as  if  by  accident,  two 
fragments  away  at  the  same  moment,  and  then  cried  out  for  a  joke, 


2£2  NORTHERN  CHILE,  [CHAP.  xvi. 

"  Let  us  see  which  rolls  furthest."  The  owner,  who  was  standing  by, 
bet  a  cigar  with  his  friend  on  the  race.  The  miner  by  this  means 
watched  the  very  point  amongst  the  rubbish  where  the  stone  lay.  In 
the  evening  he  picked  it  up  and  carried  it  to  his  master,  showing  him 
a  rich  mass  of  silver-ore,  and  saying,  "  This  was  the  stone  on  which 
you  won  a  cigar  by  its  rolling'so  far." 

May  2yd. — We  descended  into  the  fertile  valley  of  Coquimbo,  and 
followed  it  till  we  reached  an  Hacienda  belonging  to  a  relation  of 
Don  Jose,  where  we  stayed  the  next  day.  I  then  rode  one  day's 
journey  further,  to  see  what  were  declared  to  be  some  petrified  shells 
and  beans,  which  latter  turned  out  to  be  small  quartz  pebbles.  We 
passed  through  several  small  villages ;  and  the  valley  was  beautifully 
cultivated,  and  the  whole  scenery  very  grand.  We  were  here  near 
the  main  Cordillera,  and  the  surrounding  hills  were  lofty.  In  all  parts 
of  northern  Chile,  fruit-trees  produce  much  more  abundantly  at  a 
considerable  height  near  the  Andes  than  in  the  lower  country.  The 
figs  and  grapes  of  this  district  are  famous  for  their  excellence,  and  are 
cultivated  to  a  great  extent.  This  valley  is,  perhaps,  the  most  produc-  • 
live  one  north  of  Quillota :  I  believe  it  contains,  including  Coquimbo, 
25,000  inhabitants.  The  next  day  I  returned  to  the  Hacienda,  and 
thence,  together  with  Don  Jose,  to  Coquimbo. 

June  2nd. — We  set  out  for  the  valley  of  Guasco,  following  the  coast- 
road,  which  was  considered  rather  less  desert  than  the  other.  Our 
first  day's  ride  was  to  a  solitary  house  called  Yerba  Buena,  where  there 
was  pasture  for  our  horses.  The  shower  mentioned  as  having  fallen 
a  fortnight  ago,  only  reached  about  halfway  to  Guasco ;  we  had,  therefore, 
in  the  first  part  of  our  journey  a  most  faint  tinge  of  green,  which  soon 
faded  quite  away.  Even  where  brightest,  it  was  scarcely  sufficient  to 
remind  one  of  the  fresh  turf  and  budding  flowers  of  the  spring  of  other 
countries.  While  travelling  through  these  deserts  one  feels  like  a 
prisoner  shut  up  in  a  gloomy  court,  who  longs  to  see  something  green 
and  to  smell  a  moist  atmosphere. 

June  yd. — Yerba  Buena  to  Carizal.  During  the  first  part  of  the  day 
we  crossed  a  mountainous  rocky  desert,  and  afterwards  a  long  deep 
sandy  plain,  strewed  with  broken  sea-shells.  There  was  very  little 
water,  and  that  little  saline :  the  whole  country,  from  the  coast  to  the 
Cordillera,  is  an  uninhabited  desert.  I  saw  traces  only  of  one  living 
animal  in  abundance,  namely,  the  shells  of  a  Bulimus,  which  were 
collected  together  in  extraordinary  numbers  on  the  driest  spots.  In  the 
spring  one  humble  little  plant  sends  out  a  few  leaves,  and  on  these  the 
snails  feed.  As  they  are  seen  only  very  early  in  the  morning,  when  the 
ground  is  slightly  damps  with  ;dew,  the  Guasos  believe  that  they  are  bred 
from  it.  I  have  observed  in  other  places  that  extremely  dry  and  sterile 
districts,  where  the  soil  is  calcareous,  are  extraordinarily  favourable  to 
land-shells.  At  Carizal  there  were  a  few  cottages,  some  brackish  water, 
and  a  trace  of  cultivation  ;  but  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  purchased 
a  little  corn  and  straw  for  our  horses. 

June  4lh. — Carizal  to  Sauce.  We  continued  to  ride  over  desert 
plains,  tenanted  by  large  herds  of  guanaco.  We  crossed  also  the  valley 


I835-J  VALLEV  OF  GUASCO.  253 

of  ChaCeral ;  which,  although  the  most  fertile  one  between  Guasco  and 
Coquimbo,  is  very  narrow,  and  produces  so  little  pasture,  that  we  could 
not  purchase  any  for  our  horses.  At  Sauce  we  found  a  very  civil  old 
gentleman,  superintending  a  copper-smelting  furnace.  As  an  especial 
favour,  he  allowed  me  to  purchase  at  a  high  price  an  armful  of  dirty 
straw,  which  was  all  the  poor  horses  had  for  supper  after  their  long 
day's  journey.  Few  smelting-furnaces  are  now  at  work  in  any  part  of 
Chile ;  it  is  found  more  profitable,  on  account  of  the  extreme  scarcity  of 
firewood,  and  from  the  Chilian  method  of  reduction  being  so  unskilful, 
to  ship  the  ore  for  Swansea.  The  next  day  we  crossed  some  mountains 
to  Freyrina,  in  the  valley  of  Guasco.  During  each  day's  ride  further 
northward,  the  vegetation  became  more  and  more  scanty;  even  the 
great  chandelier-like  cactus  was  here  replaced  by  a  different  and  much 
smaller  species.  During  the  winter  months,  both  in  northern  Chile  and 
in  Peru,  a  uniform  bank  of  clouds  hangs,  at  no  great  height,  over  the 
Pacific.  From  the  mountains  we  had  a  very  striking  view  of  this  white 
and  brilliant  aerial-field,  which  sent  arms  up  the  valleys,  leaving  islands 
and  promontories  in  the  same  manner,  as  the  sea  does  in  the  Chonos 
archipelago  and  in  Tierra  del  Fuego. 

We  stayed  two  days  at  Freyrina.  In  the  valley  of  Guasco  there  are 
four  small  towns.  At  the  mouth  there  is  the  port,  a  spot  entirely  desert, 
and  without  any  water  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  Five  leagues 
higher  up  stands  Freyrina,  a  long  straggling  village,  with  decent  white- 
washed houses.  Again,  ten  leagues  further  up  Ballenar  is  situated ; 
and  above  this  Guasco  Alto,  a  horticultural  village,  famous  for  its  dried 
fruit.  On  a  clear  day  the  view  up  the  valley  is  very  fine ;  the  straight 
opening  terminates  in  the  far-distant  snowy  Cordillera ;  on  each  side  an 
infinity  of  crossing  lines  are  blended  together  in  a  beautiful  haze.  The 
foreground  is  singular  from  the  number  of  parallel  and  step-formed 
terraces ;  and  the  included  strip  of  green  valley,  with  its  willow-bushes, 
is  contrasted  on  both  hands  with  the  naked  hills.  That  the  surrounding 
country  was  most  barren  will  be  readily  believed,  when  it  is  known 
that  a  shower  of  rain  had  not  fallen  during  the  last  thirteen  months. 
The  inhabitants  heard  with  the  greatest  envy  of  the  rain  at  Coquimbo ; 
from  the  appearance  of  the  sky  they  had  hopes  of  equally  good  fortune, 
which,  a  fortnight  afterwards,  were  realized.  I  was  at  Copiap6  at  the 
time ;  and  there  the  people,  with  equal  envy,  talked  of  the  abundant 
rain  at  Guasco.  After  two  or  three  very  dry  years,  perhaps  with  not 
more  than  one  shower  during  the  whole  time,  a  rainy  year  generally 
follows  ;  and  this  does  more  harm  than  even  the  drought  The  rivers 
swell,  and  cover  with  gravel  and  sand  the  narrow  strips  of  ground, 
which  alone  are  fit  for  cultivation.  The  floods  also  injure  the  irrigating 
ditches.  Great  devastation  had  thus  been  caused  three  years  ago. 

June  %th. — We  rode  on  to  Ballenar,  which  takes  its  name  from 
Ballenagh  in  Ireland,  the  birthplace  of  the  family  of  O'Higgins,  who, 
under  the  Spanish  government,  were  presidents  and  generals  in  Chile. 
As  the  rocky  mountains  on  each  hand  were  concealed  by  clouds,  the 
terrace-like  plains  gave  to  the  valley  an  appearance  like  that  of  Santa 
Cruz  in  Patagonia.  After  spending  one  day  at  Ballenar  I  set  out,  on 


254  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP,  xvi, 

the  loth,  for  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  of  Copiap6.  We  rode  all 
day  over  an  uninteresting  country.  I  am  tired  of  repeating  the  epithets 
barren  and  sterile.  These  words,  however,  as  commonly  used,  are 
comparative ;  I  have  always  applied  them  to  the  plains  of  Patagonia, 
which  can  boast  of  spiny  bushes  and  some  tufts  of  grass  ;  and  this  is 
absolute  fertility,  as  compared  with  northern  Chile.  Here  again, 
there  are  not  many  spaces  of  two  hundred  yards  square,  where  some 
little  bush,  cactus,  or  lichen,  may  not  be  discovered  by  careful  examina- 
tion ;  and  in  the  soil  seeds  lie  dormant  ready  to  spring  up  during  the 
first  rainy  winter.  In  Peru  real  deserts  occur  over  wide  tracts  of 
country.  In  the  evening  we  arrived  at  a  valley,  in  which  the  bed  of 
the  streamlet  was  damp  :  following  it  up,  we  came  to  tolerably  good 
water.  During  the  night,  the  stream,  from  not  being  evaporated  and 
absorbed  so  quickly,  flows  a  league  lower  down  than  during  the  day. 
Sticks  were  plentiful  for  firewood,  so  that  it  was  a  good  place  of 
bivouac  for  us ;  but  for  the  poor  animals  there  was  not  a  mouthful  to 
eat 

June  I  I/A. — We  rode  without  stopping  for  twelve  hours,  till  we 
reached  an  old  smelting-furnace,  where  there  was  water  and  firewood  ; 
but  our  horses  again  had  nothing  to  eat,  being  shut  up  in  an  old  court- 
yard. The  line  of  road  was  hilly,  and  the  distant  views  interesting 
from  the  varied  colours  of  the  bare  mountains.  It  was  almost  a  pity  to 
see  the  sun  shining  constantly  over  so  useless  a  country ;  such  splendid 
weather  ought  to  have  brightened  fields  and  pretty  gardens.  The  next 
day  we  reached  the  valley  of  Copiap6.  I  was  heartily  glad  of  it ;  for 
the  whole  journey  was  a  continued  source  of  anxiety ;  it  was  most 
disagreeable  to  hear,  whilst  eating  our  own  suppers,  our  horses  gnawing 
the  posts  to  which  they  were  tied,  and  to  have  no  means  of  relieving 
their  hunger.  To  all  appearance,  however,  the  animals  were  quite 
fresh ;  and  no  one  could  have  told  that  they  had  eaten  nothing  for  the 
last  fifty-five  hours. 

I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Bingley,  who  received  me  very 
kindly  at  the  Hacienda  of  Potrero  Seco.  This  estate  is  between  twenty 
and  thirty  miles  long,  but  very  narrow,  being  generally  only  two  fields 
wide,  one  on  each  side  the  river.  In  some  parts  the  estate  is  of  no 
width,  that  is  to  say,  the  land  cannot  be  irrigated,  and  therefore  is 
valueless,  like  the  surrounding  rocky  desert.  The  small  quantity  of 
cultivated  land  in  the  whole  line  of  valley,  does  not  so  much  depend  on 
inequalities  of  level,  and  consequent  unfitness  for  irrigation,  as  on  the 
small  supply  of  water.  The  river  this  year  was  remarkably  full :  here, 
high  up  the  valley,  it  reached  to  the  horse's  belly,  and  was  about 
fifteen  yards  wide,  and  rapid ;  lower  down  it  becomes  smaller  and 
smaller,  and  is  generally  quite  lost,  as  happenedi  during  one  period  of 
thirty  years,  so  that  not  a  drop  entered  the  sea.  The  inhabitants 
watch  a  storm  over  the  Cordillera  with  great  interest ;  as  one  good  fall 
of  snow  provides  them  with  water  for  the  ensuing  year.  This  is  of 
infinitely  more  consequence  than  rain  in  the  lower  country.  Rain,  as 
often  as  it  falls,  which  is  about  once  in  every  two  or  three  years,  is  a 
great  advantage,  because  the  cattle  and  mules  can  for  some  time  after- 


:53S-]  RAIN    AND  EARTHQUAKES.  255 

wards  find  a  little  pasture  on  the  mountains.  But  without  snow  on  the 
Andes,  desolation  extends  throughout  the  valley.  It  is  on  record  that 
three  times  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  have  been  obliged  to  emigrate  to 
the  south.  This  year  there  was  plenty  of  water,  and  every  man 
irrigated  his  ground  as  much  as  he  chose ;  but  it  has  frequently  been 
necessary  to  post  soldiers  at  the  sluices,  to  see  that  each  estate  took 
only  its  proper  allowance  during  so  many  hours  in  the  week.  The 
valley  is  said  to  contain  12,000  souls,  but  its  produce  is  sufficient  only 
for  three  months  in  the  year  ;  the  rest  of  the  supply  being  drawn  from 
Valparaiso  and  the  south.  Before  the  discovery  of  the  famous  silver 
mines  of  Chanuncillo,  Copiap6  was  in  a  rapid  state  of  decay ;  but  now 
it  is  in  a  very  thriving  condition  ;  and  the  town,  which  was  completely 
overthrown  by  an  earthquake,  has  been  rebuilt. 

The  valley  of  Copiap6,  forming  a  mere  ribbon  ot  green  in  a  desert, 
runs  in  a  very  southerly  direction ;  so  that  it  is  of  considerable  length 
to  its  source  in  the  Cordillera.  The  valleys  of  Guasco  and  Copiap6 
may  both  be  considered  as  long  narrow  islands,  separated  from  the 
rest  of  Chile  by  deserts  of  rock  instead  of  by  salt  water.  Northward 
of  these,  there  is  one  other  very  miserable  valley,  called  Paposo,  which 
contains  about  two  hundred  souls ;  and  then  there  extends  the  real 
desert  of  Atacama — a  barrier  far  worse  than  the  most  turbulent  ocean. 
After  staying  a  few  days  at  Potrero  Seco,  I  proceeded  up  the  valley  to 
the  house  of  Don  Benito  Cruz,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction, 
i  found  him  most  hospitable  ;  indeed  it  is  impossible  to  bear  too  strong 
testimony  to  the  kindness  with  which  travellers  are  received  in  almost 
every  part  of  South  America.  The  next  day  I  hired  some  mules  to 
take  me  by  the  ravine  of  Jolquera  into  the  central  Cordillera.  On  the 
second  night  the  weather  seemed  to  foretell  a  storm  of  snow  or  rain, 
and  whilst  lying  in  our  beds  we  felt  a  trifling  shock  of  an  earthquake. 

The  connection  between  earthquakes  and  the  weather  has  been  often 
disputed ;  it  appears  to  me  to  be  a  point  of  great  interest,  which  is  little 
understood.  Humboldt  has  remarked  in  one  part  of  the  "  Personal 
Narrative,"*  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  any  person  who  had  long 
resided  in  New  Andalusia,  or  in  Lower  Peru,  to  deny  that  there  exists 
some  connection  between  these  phenomena ;  in  another  part,  however, 
he  seems  to  think  the  connection  fanciful.  At  Guayaquil,  it  is  said 
that  a  heavy  shower  in  the  dry  season  is  invariably  followed  by  an 
earthquake.  In  Northern  Chile,  from  the  extreme  infrequency  of  rain, 
or  even  of  weather  foreboding  rain,  the  probability  of  accidental  coin- 
cidences becomes  very  small ;  yet  the  inhabitants  are  here  most  firmly 
convinced  of  some  connection  between  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  and 
of  the  trembling  of  the  ground:  I  was  much  struck  by  this,  when 
mentioning  to  some  people  at  Copiap6  that  there  had  been  a  sharp  shock 

*  Vol.  iv.,  p.  II ;  and  vol.  ii.,  p.  217.  For  the  remarks  on  Guayaquil,  see 
Silliman's  "  Journal,"  vol.  xxiv.,  p.  384.  For  those  on  Tacna  by  Mr.  Hamilton, 
see  Transactions  of  British  Association,  1840.  For  those  on  Coseguina,  see 
Mr.  Caldcleugh  m- Philosophical  Transactions,  1835.  In  the  former  edition, 
I  collected  several  references  on  the  coincidences  between  sudden  falls  in 
the  barometer  and  earthquakes ;  and  between  earthquakes  and  meteors. 


*56  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

at  Coquimbo :  they  immediately  cried  out,  "  How  fortunate !  there  will 
be  plenty  of  pasture  there  this  year."  To  their  minds  an  earthquake 
foretold  rain,  as  surely  as  rain  foretold  abundant  pasture.  Certainly  it 
did  so  happen  that  on  the  very  day  of  the  earthquake  that  shower  of 
rain  fell  which  I  have  described  as  in  ten  days'  time  producing  a  thin 
sprinkling  of  grass.  At  other  times,  rain  has  followed  earthquakes,  at 
a  period  of  the  year  when  it  is  a  far  greater  prodigy  than  the  earthquake 
itself:  this  happened  after  the  shock  of  November,  1822,  and  again  in 
1829,  at  Valparaiso;  also  after  that  of  September,  1833,  at  Tacna.  A 
person  must  be  somewhat  habituated  to  the  climate  of  these  countries, 
to  perceive  the  extreme  improbability  of  rain  falling  at  such  seasons, 
except  as  a  consequence  of  some  law  quite  unconnected  with  the 
ordinary  course  of  the  weather.  In  the  cases  of  great  volcanic  erup- 
tions, as  that  of  Coseguina,  where  torrents  of  rain  fell  at  a  time  of 
the  year  most  unusual  for  it,  and  "  almost  unprecedented  in  Central 
America,"  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  the  volumes  of  vapour 
and  clouds  of  ashes  might  have  disturbed  the  atmospheric  equilibrium. 
Humboldt  extends  this  view  to  the  case  of  earthquakes  unaccompanied 
by  eruptions;  but  I  can  hardly  conceive  it  possible,  that  the  small 
quantity  of  aeriform  fluids  which  then  escape  from  the  fissured  ground, 
can  produce  such  remarkable  effects.  There  appears  much  probability 
in  the  view  first  proposed  by  Mr.  P.  Scrope,  that  when  the  barometer 
is  low,  and  when  rain  might  naturally  be  expected  to  fall,  the  diminished 
pressure  of  the  atmosphere  over  a  wide  extent  of  country  might  well 
determine  the  precise  day  on  which  the  earth,  already  stretched  to  the 
utmost  by  the  subterranean  forces,  should  yield,  crack,  and  conse- 
quently tremble.  It  is,  however,  doubtful  how  far  this  idea  will 
explain  the  circumstance  of  torrents  of  rain  falling  in  the  dry  season 
during  several  days,  after  an  earthquake  unaccompanied  by  an  eruption ; 
such  cases  seem  to  bespeak  some  more  intimate  connection  between 
the  atmospheric  and  subterranean  regions. 

Finding  little  of  interest  in  this  part  of  the  ravine,  we  retraced  our 
steps  to  the  house  of  Don  Benito,  where  I  stayed  two  days  collecting 
fossil  shells  and  wood.  Great  prostrate  silicified  trunks  of  trees, 
embedded  in  a  conglomerate,  were  extraordinarily  numerous.  I 
measured  one,  which  was  fifteen  feet  in  circumference :  how  surprising 
it  is  that  every  atom  of  the  woody  matter  in  this  great  cylinder  should 
have  been  removed  and  replaced  by  silex  so  perfectly,  that  each  vessel 
and  pore  is  preserved !  These  trees  flourished  at  about  the  period  of 
our  lower  chalk;  they  all  belonged  to  the  fir-tribe.  It  was  amusing  to 
hear  the  inhabitants  discussing  the  nature  of  the  fossil  shells  which  I 
collected,  almost  in  the  same  terms  as  were  used  a  century  ago  in 
Europe, — namely,  whether  or  not  they  had  been  thus  "born  by 
nature."  My  geological  examination  of  the  country  generally  created  a 
good  deal  of  surprise  amongst  the  Chilenos :  it  was  long  before  they 
could  be  convinced  that  I  was  not  hunting  for  mines.  This  was  some- 
times troublesome.  I  found  the  most  ready  way  of  explaining  my 
employment  was  to  ask  them  how  it  was  that  they  themselves  were  not 
curious  concerning  earthquakes  and  volcanoes  ? — why  some  springs  were 


1835.]  HYDROPHOBIA.  257 

hot  and  others  cold? — why  there  were  mountains  in  Chile,  and  not  a 
hill  in  La  Plata  ?  These  bare  questions  at  once  satisfied  and  silenced 
the  greater  number ;  some,  however  (like  a  few  in  England  who  are  a 
century  behindhand),  thought  that  all  such  inquiries  were  useless 
and  impious ;  and  that  it  was  sufficient  that  God  had  thus  made  the 
mountains. 

An  order  had  recently  been  issued  that  all  stray  dogs  should  be 
killed,  and  we  saw  many  lying  dead  on  the  road.  A  great  number  had 
lately  gone  mad,  and  several  men  had  been  bitten  and  had  died  in 
consequence.  On  several  occasions  hydrophobia  has  prevailed  in  this 
valley.  It  is  remarkable  thus  to  find  so  strange  and  dreadful  a  disease 
appearing  time  after  time  in  the  same  isolated  spot.  It  has  been 
remarked  that  certain  villages  in  England  are  in  like  manner  much 
more  subject  to  this  visitation  than  others.  Dr.  Unanue  states  that 
hydrophobia  was  first  know  in  South  America  in  1803:  this  statement 
is  corroborated  by  Azara  and  Ulloa  having  never"  heard  of  it  in  their 
time.  Dr.  Unanue  says  that  it  broke  out  in  Central  America,  and  slowly 
travelled  southward.  It  reached  Arequipa  in  1807  ;  and  it  is  said  that 
some  men  there,  who  had  not  been  bitten,  were  affected,  as  were  some 
negroes,  who  had  eaten  a  bullock  which  had  died  of  hydrophobia.  At 
lea  forty-two  people  thus  miserably  perished.  The  disease  came  on 
between  twelve  and  ninety  days  after  the  bite ;  and  in  those  cases 
where  it  did  come  on  death  ensued  invariably  within  five  days.  After 
1808,  a  long  interval  ensued  without  any  cases.  On  inquiry,  I  did 
not  hear  of  hydrophobia  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  or  in  Australia ;  and 
Burchell  says,  that  during  the  five  years  he  was  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  he  never  heard  of  an  instance  of  it.  Webster  asserts  that  at  the 
Azores  hydrophobia  has  never  occurred ;  and  the  same  assertion  has 
been  made  with  respect  to  Mauritius  and  St.  Helena.*  In  so  strange 
a  disease,  some  information  might  possibly  be  gained  by  considering 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  originates  in  distant  climates  ;  for  it 
is  improbable  that  a  dog  already  bitten  should  have  been  brought  to 
these  distant  countries. 

At  night,  a  stranger  arrived  at  the  house  of  Don  Benito,  and  asked 
permission  to  sleep  there.  He  said  he  had  been  wandering  about  the 
mountains  for  seventeen  days,  having  lost  his  way.  He  started  from 
Guasco,  and  being  accustomed  to  travelling  in  the  Cordillera,  did  not 
expect  any  difficulty  in  following  the  track  to  Copiap6 ;  but  he  soon 
became  involved  in  a  labyrinth  of  mountains,  whence  he  could  not 
escape.  Some  of  his  mules  had  fallen  over  precipices,  and  he  had  been 
in  great  distress.  His  chief  difficulty  arose  from  not  knowing  where  to 
find  water  in  the  lower  country,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  keep  bordering 
the  central  ranges. 

We  returned  down  the  valley,  and  on  the  22nd  reached  the  town  of 

*  "Observa.  sobre  el  clima  de  Lima,"  p.  67;  Azara's  "Travels,"  vol.  i., 
p.  381  ;  Ulloa's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  ii.,p.  28;  Burchell's  "  Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  524; 
Webster's  "  Description  of  the  Azores,"  p.  124;  "Voyage  a  1'Isle  de  France 
par  un  Officier  du  Roi,"  tome  i,  p.  248;  "Description  of  St.  Helena," 
p.  123- 


458  NORtHERN  CHILE.  [CHA?.  xVI. 

Copiap6.  The  lower  part  of  the  valley  is  broad,  forming  a  fine  plain 
like  that  of  Quillota.  The  town  covers  a  considerable  space  of  ground, 
each  house  possessing  a  garden  ;  but  it  is  an  uncomfortable  place,  and 
the  dwellings  are  poorly  furnished.  Every  one  seems  bent  on  the  one 
object  of  making  money,  and  then  migrating  as  quickly  as  possible.  All 
the  inhabitants  are  more  or  less  directly  concerned  with  mines ;  and 
mines  and  ores  are  the  sole  subjects  of  conversation.  Necessaries  of 
all  sorts  are  extremely  dear ;  as  the  distance  from  the  town  to  the  port 
is  eighteen  leagues,  and  the  land  carriage  very  expensive.  A  fowl  costs 
five  or  six  shillings ;  meat  is  nearly  as  dear  as  in  England  ;  firewood, 
or  rather  sticks,  are  brought  on  donkeys  from  a  distance  of  two  and 
three  days'  journey  within  the  Cordillera  ;  and  pasturage  for  animals  is 
a  shilling  a  day :  all  this  for  South  America  is  wonderfully  exorbitant. 

June  26//z. — I  hired  a  guide  and  eight  mules  to  take  me  into  the 
Cordillera  by  a  different  line  from  my  last  excursion.  As  the  country 
was  utterly  desert,  we  took  a  cargo  and  a  half  of  barley  mixed  with 
chopped  straw.  About  two  leagues  above  the  town,  a  broad  valley 
called  the  "  Despoblado,"  or  uninhabited,  branches  off  from  that  one  by 
which  we  had  arrived.  Although  a  valley  of  the  grandest  dimensions, 
and  leading  to  a  pass  across  the  Cordillera,  yet  it  is  completely  dry, 
excepting  perhaps  for  a  few  days  during  some  very  rainy  winter.  The 
sides  of  the  crumbling  mountains  were  furrowed  by  scarcely  any  ravines ; 
and  the  bottom  of  the  main  valley,  filled  with  shingle,  was  smooth  and 
nearly  level.  No  considerable  torrent  could  ever  have  flowed  down 
this  bed  of  shingle ;  for  if  it  had,  a  great  cliff-bounded  channel,  as  in  all 
the  southern  valleys,  would  assuredly  have  been  formed.  I  feel  little 
doubt  that  this  valley,  as  well  as  those  mentioned  by  travellers  in  Peru, 
were  left  in  the  state  we  now  see  them  by  the  waves  of  the  sea,  as  the 
land  slowly  rose.  I  observed  in  one  place,  where  the  Despoblado  was 
joined  by  a  ravine  (which  in  almost  any  other  chain  would  have  been 
called  a  grand  valley),  that  its  bed,  though  composed  merely  of  sand 
and  gravel,  was  higher  than  that  of  its  tributary.  A  mere  rivulet  of 
water,  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  would  have  cut  a  channel  for  itself ; 
but  it  was  evident  that  ages  had  passed  away,  and  no  such  rivulet 
had  drained  this  great  tributary.  It  was  curious  to  behold  the  machinery 
if  such  a  term  may  be  used,  for  the  drainage,  all,  with  the  last  trifling 
exception,  perfect,  yet  without  any  signs  of  action.  Every  one  must 
have  remarked  how  mud-banks,  left  by  the  retiring  tide,  imitate  in 
miniature  a  country  with  hill  and  dale ;  and  here  we  have  the  original 
model  in  rock,  formed  as  the  continent  rose  during  the  secular  retire- 
ment of  the  ocean,  instead  of  during  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  tides. 
If  a  shower  of  rain  falls  on  the  mud-bank,  when  left  dry,  it  deepens  the 
already-formed  shallow  lines  of  excavation  ;  and  so  it  is  with  the  rain 
of  successive  centuries  on  the  bank  of  rock  and  soil,  which  we  call  a 
continent. 

We  rode  on  after  it  was  dark,  till  we  reached  a  side  ravine  with  a 
small  well,  called  "  Agua  amarga."  The  water  deserved  its  name,  for 
besides  being  saline  it  was  most  offensively  putrid  an^  bitter ;  so  that 


I83S-]  ANCIENT  INDIAN  HOUSES. 


259 


we  could  not  force  ourselves  to  drink  either  tea  or  mat<5.  I  suppose 
the  distance  from  the  river  of  Copiapd  to  this  spot  was  at  least  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  English  miles ;  in  the  whole  space  there  was  not  a  single 
drop  of  water,  the  country  deserving  the  name  of  desert  in  the  strictest 
sense.  Yet  about  halfway  we  passed  some  old  Indian  ruins  near  Punta 
Gorda :  I  noticed  also  in  front  of  some  of  the  valleys,  which  branch  off 
from  the  Despoblado,  two  piles  of  stones  placed  a  little  way  apart,  and 
directed  so  as  to  point  up  the  mouths  of  these  small  valleys.  My 
companions  knew  nothing  about  them,  and  only  answered  my  queries 
by  their  imperturbable  "  Quien  sabe?  " 

I  observed  Indian  ruins  in  several  parts  of  the  Cordillera :  the  most 
perfect,  which  I  saw,  were  the  Ruinas  de  Tambillos,  in  the  Uspallata 
Pass.  Small  square  rooms  were  there  huddled  together  in  separate 
groups  :  some  of  the  doorways  were  yet  standing  ;  they  were  formed 
by  a  cross  slab  of  stone  only  about  three  feet  high.  Ulloa  has  remarked 
on  the  lowness  of  the  doors  in  the  ancient  Peruvian  dwellings.  These 
houses,  when  perfect,  must  have  been  capable  of  containing  a  consider- 
able number  of  persons.  Tradition  says,  that  they  were  used  as  halting 
places  for  the  Incas,  when  they  crossed  the  mountains.  Traces  of 
Indian  habitations  have  been  discovered  in  many  other  parts,  where  it 
does  not  appear  probable  that  they  were  used  as  mere  resting-places, 
but  yet  where  the  land  is  as  utterly  unfit  for  any  kind  of  cultivation  as 
it  is  near  the  Tambillos  or  at  the  Incas  Bridge,  or  in  the  Portillo  Pass, 
at  all  which  places  I  saw  ruins.  In  the  ravine  of  Jajuel,  near  Aconcagua, 
where  there  is  no  pass,  I  heard  of  remains  of  houses  situated  at  a  great 
height,  where  it  is  extremely  cold  and  sterile.  At  first  I  imagined  that 
these  buildings  had  been  places  of  refuge,  built  by  the  Indians  on  the 
first  arrival  of  the  Spaniards  ;  but  I  have  since  been  inclined  to  speculate 
on  the  probability  of  a  small  change  of  climate. 

In  this  northern  part  of  Chile,  within  the  Cordillera,  old  Indian 
houses  are  said  to  be  especially  numerous :  by  digging  amongst  the 
ruins,  bits  of  woollen  articles,  instruments  of  precious  metals,  and 
heads  of  Indian  corn,  are  not  unfrequently  discovered  :  an  arrow-head 
made  of  agate,  and  of  precisely  the  same  form  with  those  now  used  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  was  given  me.  I  am  aware  that  the  Peruvian  Indians 
now  frequently  inhabit  most  lofty  and  bleak  situations ;  but  at  Copiap6 
I  was  assured  by  men  who  had  spent  their  lives  in  travelling  through 
the  Andes,  that  there  were  very  many  (muchisimas)  buildings  at  heights 
so  great  as  almost  to  border  on  the  perpetual  snow,  and  in  parts  where 
there  exist  no  passes,  and  where  the  land  produces  absolutely  nothing, 
and  what  is  still  more  extraordinary,  where  there  is  no  water.  Never- 
theless it  is  the  opinion  of  the  people  of  the  country  (although  they 
are  much  puzzled  by  the  circumstance),  that,  from  the 'appearance  of 
the  houses,  the  Indians  must  have  used  them  as  places  of  residence 
In  this  valley  at  Punta  Gorda,  the  remains  consisted  of  seven  or  eight 
square  little  rooms,  which  were  of  a  similar  form  with  those  at 
Tambillos,  but  built  chiefly  of  mud,  which  the  present  inhabitants 
cannot,  either  here  or,  according  to  Ulloa,  in  Peru,  imitate  in  durability. 
They  were  situated  in  the  most  conspicuous  and  defenceless  position. 


26o  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

at  the  bottom  of  the  flat  broad  valley.  There  was  no  water  nearer 
than  three  or  four  leagues,  and  that  only  in  very  small  quantity,  and 
bad :  the  soil  was  absolutely  sterile  ;  I  looked  in  vain  even  for  a  lichen 
adhering  to  the  rocks.  At  the  present  day,  with  the  advantage  of 
beasts  of  burden,  a  mine,  unless  it  were  very  rich,  could  scarcely  be 
worked  here  with  profit.  Yet  the  Indians  formerly  chose  it  as  a 
place  of  residence!  If  at  the  present"  time  two  or  three  showers  of 
rain  were  to  fall  annually,  instead  of  one,  as  now  is  the  case,  during  as 
many  years,  a  small  rill  of  water  would  probably  be  formed  in  this 
great  valley ;  and  then,  by  irrigation  (which  was  formerly  so  well 
understood  by  the  Indians),  the  soil  would  easily  be  rendered  sufficiently 
productive  to  support  a  few  families. 

I  have  convincing  proofs  that  this  part  of  the  continent  of  South 
America  has  been  elevated  near  the  coast  at  least  from  400  to  500,  and 
in  some  parts  from  1,000  to  1,300  feet,  since  the  epoch  of  existing  shells ; 
and  further  inland  the  rise  possibly  may  have  been  greater.  As  the 
peculiarly  arid  character  of  the  climate  is  evidently  a  consequence  of 
the  height  of  the  Cordillera,  we  may  feel  almost  sure  that  before  the 
later  elevations,  the  atmosphere  could  not  have  been  so  completely 
drained  of  its  moisture  as  it  now  is  ;  and  as  the  rise  has  been  gradual, 
so  would  have  been  the  change  in  climate.  On  this  notion  of  a  change 
of  climate  since  the  buildings  were  inhabited,  the  ruins  must  be  o» 
extreme  antiquity,  but  I  do  not  think  then-  preservation  under  the 
Chilian  climate  any  great  difficulty.  We  must  also  admit  on  thij 
notion  (and  this  perhaps  is  a  greater  difficulty),  that  man  has  inhabited 
South  America  for  an  immensely  long  period,  inasmuch  as  any  change 
of  climate  effected  by  the  elevation  of  the  land  must  have  been  extremely 
gradual.  At  Valparaiso,  within  the  last  two  hundred  and  twenty  years, 
the  rise  has  been  somewhat  less  than  nineteen  feet :  at  Lima  a  sea-beach 
has  certainly  been  upheaved  from  eighty  to  ninety  feet,  within  the  Indio- 
human  period :  but  such  small  elevations  could  have  had  little  power 
in  deflecting  the  moisture-bringing  atmospheric  currents.  Dr.  Lund, 
however,  found  human  skeletons  in  the  caves  of  Brazil,  the  appearance 
of  which  induced  him  to  believe  that  the  Indian  race  has  existed  during 
a  vast  lapse  of  time  in  South  America. 

When  at  Lima,  I  conversed  on  these  subjects*  with  Mr.  Gill,  a  civil 
engineer,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  interior  country.  He  told  me 
that  a  conjecture  of  a  change  of  climate  had  sometimes  crossed  his 
mind ;  but  that  he  thought  that  the  greater  portion  of  land,  now 
incapable  of  cultivation,  but  covered  with  Indian  ruins,  had  been 
reduced  to  this  state  by  the  water-conduits,  which  the  Indians  formerly 
constructed  on  so  wonderful  a  scale,  having  been  injured  by  neglect 
and  by  subterranean  movements.  I  may  here  mention,  that  the 

*  Temple,  in  his  travels  through  Upper  Peru,  or  Bolivia,  in  go:ng  from 
Potosi  to  Oruro,  says,  "  I  saw  many  Indian  villages  or  dwellings  in  ruins, 
up  even  to  the  very  tops  of  the  mountains,  attesting  a  former  population 
where  now  all  is  desolate."  He  makes  similar  remarks  in  another  place; 
but  I  cannot  tell  whether  this  desolation  has  been  caused  by  a  want  of  popu- 
lation, or  by  an  altered  condition  of  the  land. 


i«3S.]  ELEVATION  OF  A  RIVER-COURSE.  a6i 

Peruvians  actually  carried  their  irrigating  streams  in  tunnels  through 
hills  of  solid  rock.  Mr.  Gill  told  me,  he  had  been  employed  profes- 
sionally to  examine  one ;  he  found  the  passage  low,  narrow,  crooked, 
and  not  of  uniform  breadth,  but  of  very  considerable  length.  Is  it  not 
most  wonderful  that  men  should  have  attempted  such  operations,  with- 
out the  use  of  iron  or  gunpowder  ?  Mr.  Gill  also  mentioned  to  me  a 
most  interesting,  and,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  quite  unparalleled  case,  of 
a  subterranean  disturbance  having  changed  the  drainage  of  a  country. 
Travelling  from  Casma  to  Huaraz  (not  very  far  distant  from  Lima),  he 
found  a  plain  covered  with  ruins  and  marks  of  ancient  cultivation,  but 
now  quite  barren.  Near  it  was  the  dry  course  of  a  considerable  river, 
whence  the  water  for  irrigation  had  formerly  been  conducted.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  watercourse  to  indicate  that  the 
river  had  not  flowed  there  a  few  years  previously  ;  in  some  parts,  beds 
of  sand  and  gravel  were  spread  out ;  in  others,  the  solid  rock  had  been 
worn  into  a  broad  channel,  which  in  one  spot  was  about  forty  yards  in 
breadth  and  eight  feet  deep.  It  is  self-evident  that  a  person  following 
up  the  course  of  a  stream  will  always  ascend  at  a  greater  or  less 
inclination :  Mr.  Gill,  therefore,  was  much  astonished,  when  walking  up 
the  bed  of  this  ancient  river,  to  find  himself  suddenly  going  down  hill. 
He  imagined  that  the  downward  slope  had  a  fall  of  about  forty  or  fifty 
feet  perpendicular.  We  here  have  unequivocal  evidence  that  a  ridge  had 
been  uplifted  right  across  the  old  bed  of  a  stream.  From  the  moment 
the  river-course  was  thus  arched,  the  water  must  necessarily  have  been 
thrown  back,  and  a  new  channel  formed.  From  that  moment,  also,  the 
neighbouring  plain  must  have  lost  its  fertilizing  stream,  and  become  a 
desert. 

June  zjth. — We  set  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  by  midday 
reached  the  ravine  of  Paypote,  where  there  is  a  tiny  rill  of  water,  with 
little  vegetation,  and  even  a  few  algarroba  trees,  a  kind  of  mimosa. 
From  having  fire-wood,  a  smelting-furnace  had  formerly  been  built 
here :  we  found  a  solitary  man  in  charge  of  it,  whose  sole  employment 
was  hunting  guanacos.  At  night  it  froze  sharply;  but  having  plenty 
of  wood  for  our  fire,  we  kept  ourselves  warm. 

June  zSth. — We  continued  gradually  ascending,  and  the  valley  now 
changed  into  a  ravine.  During  the  day  we  saw  several  guanacos,  and 
the  track  of  the  closely-allied  species,  the  Vicuna :  this  latter  animal  is 
pre-eminently  alpine  in  its  habits  ;  it  seldom  descends  much  below  the 
limit  of  perpetual  snow,  and  therefore  haunts  even  a  more  lofty  and 
sterile  situation  than  the  guanaco.  The  only  other  animal  which  we 
saw  in  any  number  was  a  small  fox :  I  suppose  this  animal  preys  on 
the  mice  and  other  small  rodents,  which,  as  long  as  there  is  the  least 
vegetation,  subsist  in  considerable  numbers  in  very  desert  places.  la 
Patagonia,  even  on  the  borders  of  the  salinas,  where  a  drop  of  fresh 
water  can  never  be  found,  excepting  dew,  these  little  animals  swarm. 
Next  to  lizards,  mice  appear  to  be  able  to  support  existence  on  the 
smallest  and  driest  portions  of  the  earth, — even  on  islets  in  the  midst 
of  great  oceans. 


362  NORTHERN  CHILE.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

The  scene  on  all  sides  showed  desolation,  brightened  and  made 
palpable  by  a  clear,  unclouded  sky.  For  a  time  such  scenery  is  sublime, 
but  this  feeling  cannot  last,  and  then  it  becomes  uninteresting.  We 
bivouacked  at  the  foot  of  the  "  primera  linea,"  or  the  first  line  of  the 
partition  of  the  waters.  The  streams,  however,  on  the  east  side  do  not 
flow  to  the  Atlantic,  but  into  an  elevated  district,  in  the  middle  of 
which  there  is  a  large  salina,  or  salt  lake ; — thus  forming  a  little 
Caspian  Sea  at  the  height,  perhaps,  of  ten  thousand  feet.  Where  we 
slept,  there  were  some  considerable  patches  of  snow,  but  they  do  not 
remain  through  the  year.  The  winds  in  these  lofty  regions  obey  very 
regular  laws :  every  day  a  fresh  breeze  blows  up  the  valley,  and  at 
night,  an  hour  or  two  after  sunset,  the  air  from  the  cold  regions  above 
descends  as  through  a  funnel.  This  night  it  blew  a  gale  of  wind,  and 
the  temperature  must  have  been  considerably  below  the  freezing-point, 
for  water  in  a  vessel  soon  became  a  block  of  ice.  No  clothes  seemed 
to  oppose  any  obstacle  to  the  air ;  I  suffered  very  much  from  the  cold, 
so  that  I  could  not  sleep,  and  in  the  morning  rose  with  my  body  quite 
dull  and  benumbed. 

In  the  Cordillera  further  southward,  people  lose  their  lives  from 
snow-storms ;  here,  it  sometimes  happens  from  another  cause.  My 
guide,  when  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  old,  was  passing  the  Cordillera 
with  a  party  in  the  month  of  May ;  and  while  in  the  central  parts,  a 
furious  gale  of  wind  arose,  so  that  the  men  could  hardly  cling  on  their 
mules,  and  stones  were  flying  along  the  ground.  The  day  was  cloud- 
less, and  not  a  speck  of  snow  fell,  but  the  temperature  was  low.  It 
is  probable  that  the  thermometer  would  not  have  stood  very  many 
degrees  below  the  freezing-point,  but  the  effect  on  their  bodies,  ill- 
protected  by  clothing,  must  have  been  in  proportion  to  the  rapidity  of 
the  current  of  cold  air.  The  gale  lasted  for  more  than  a  day;  the 
men  began  to  lose  their  strength,  and  the  mules  would  not  move 
onwards.  My  guide's  brother  tried  to  return,  but  he  perished,  and 
his  body  was  found  two  years  afterwards,  lying  by  the  side  of  his 
mule  near  the  road,  with  the  bridle  still  in  his  hand.  Two  other  men 
in  the  party  lost  their  fingers  and  toes ;  and  out  of  two  hundred  mules 
and  thirty  cows,  only  fourteen  mules  escaped  alive.  Many  years  ago 
the  whole  of  a  large  party  are  supposed  to  have  perished  from  a 
similar  cause,  but  their  bodies  to  this  day  have  never  been  discovered. 
The  union  of  a  cloudless  sky,  low  temperature,  and  a  furious  gale  of 
wind,  must  be,  I  should  think,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  an  unusual 
occurrence. 

June  zgth. — We  gladly  travelled  down  the  valley  to  our  former 
right's  lodging,  and  thence  to  near  the  Agua  amarga.  On  July  ist 
we  reached  the  valley  of  Copiap6.  The  smell  of  the  fresh  clover  was 
quite  delightful,  after  the  scentless  air  of  the  dry  sterile  Despoblado. 
Whilst  staying  in  the  town  I  heard  an  account  from  several  of  the 
inhabitants,  of  a  hill  in  the  neighbourhood  which  they  called  "El 
Bramador," — the  roarer  or  bellower.  I  did  not  at  the  time  pay  suffi- 
cient attention  to  the  account ;  but,  as  far  as  I  understood,  the  hill  was 


I33S-]  IQUIQUE.  263 

covered  by  sand,  and  the  noise  was  produced  only  when  people,  by 
ascending  it,  put  the  sand  in  motion.  The  same  circumstances  are 
described  in  detail  on  the  authority  of  Seetzen  and  Ehrenberg,*  as  the 
cause  of  the  sounds  which  have  been  heard  by  many  travellers  on 
Mount  Sinai  near  the  Red  Sea.  One  person  with  whom  I  conversed 
had  himself  heard  the  noise ;  he  described  it  as  very  surprising ;  and 
he  distinctly  stated  that,  although  he  could  not  understand  how  it  was 
caused,  yet  it  was  necessary  to  set  the  sand  rolling  down  the  acclivity. 
A  horse  walking  over  dry  and  coarse  sand,  causes  a  peculiar  chirping 
noise  from  the  friction  of  the  "particles  ;  a  circumstance  which  I  several 
times  noticed  on  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

Three  days  afterwards  I  heard  of  the  Beagle's  arrival  at  the'  Port,  dis- 
tant eighteen  leagues  from  the  town.  There  is  very  little  land  cultivated 
down  the  valley;  its  wide  expanse  supports  a  wretched  wiry  grass, 
which  even  the  donkeys  can  hardly  eat.  This  poorness  of  the  vege- 
tation is  owing  to  the  quantity  of  saline  matter  with  which  the  soil  is 
impregnated.  The  Port  consists  oi  an  assemblage  of  miserable  little 
hovels,  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  sterile  plain.  At  present,  as  the  river 
contains  water  enough  to  reach  the  sea,  the  inhabitants  enjoy  the 
advantage  of  having  fresh  water  within  a  mile  and  a  half.  On  the 
beach  there  were  large  piles  of  merchandise,  and  the  little  place  had 
an  air  of  activity.  In  the  evening  I  gave  my  adios,  with  a  hearty  good- 
will, to  my  companion  Mariano  Gonzales,  with  whom  I  had  ridden 
so  many  leagues  in  Chile.  The  next  morning  the  Beagle  sailed  for 
Iquique. 

July  12th. — We  anchored  in  the  port  of  Iquique,  in  lat.  20°  12',  on 
the  coast  of  Peru.  The  town  contains  about  a  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  stands  on  a  little  plain  of  sand  at  the  foot  of  a  great  wall  of  rock, 
two  thousand  feet  in  height,  here  forming  the  coast.  The  whole  is 
utterly  desert.  A  light  shower  of  rain  falls  only  once  in  very  many 
years  ;  and  the  ravines  consequently  are  filled  with  detritus,  and  the 
mountain-sides  covered  by  piles  of  fine  white  sand,  even  to  a  height 
of  a  thousand  feet.  During  this  season  of  the  year  a  heavy  bank  of 
clouds,  stretched  over  the  ocean,  seldom  rises  above  the  wall  of  rocks 
on  the  coast.  The  aspect  of  the  place  was  most  gloomy;  the  little 
port,  with  its  few  vessels,  and  small  group  of  wretched  houses,  seemed 
overwhelmed  and  out  of  all  proportion  with  the  rest  of  the  scene. 

The  inhabitants  live  like  persons  on  board  a  ship :  every  necessary 
comes  from  a  distance :  water  is  brought  in  boats  from  Pisagua,  about 
forty  miles  northward,  and  is  sold  at  the  rate  of  nine  reals  (45.  6d.)  an 
eighteen-gallon  cask :  I  bought  a  wine-bottle  full  for  threepence,  la 
like  manner  firewood,  and  of  course  every  article  of  food,  is  imported. 
Very  few  animals  can  be  maintained  in  such  a  place :  on  the  ensuing 
morning  I  hired  with  difficulty,  at  the  price  of  four  pounds  sterling, 
two  mules  and  a  guide  to  take  me  to  the  nitrate  of  soda  works.  These 
are  at  present  the  support  of  Iquique.  This  salt  was  first  exported 

*  Edinburgh  Philosophical  Journal,  Jan.  1830,  p.  74 ;  and  April  1830,  p.  258. 
Also  "Daubeny  on  Volcanoes."  p.  438;  and  Bengal  Jouma^  vol.  vii,,-  p.  324, 


264  PERU.  [CHAP.  XVL 

in  1830:  in  one  year  an  amount  in  value  of  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  sterling  was  sent  to  France  and  England.  It  is  principally 
used  as  a  manure  and  in  the  manufacture  of  nitric  acid :  owing  to  its 
deliquescent  property  it  will  not  serve  for  gunpowder.  Formerly  there 
were  two  exceedingly  rich  silver-mines  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  theii 
produce  is  now  very  small. 

Our  arrival  in  the  offing  caused  some  little  apprehension.  Peru  was 
in  a  state  of  anarchy  ;  and  each  party  having  demanded  a  contribution, 
the  poor  town  of  Iquique  was  in  tribulation,  thinking  the  evil  hour  was 
come.  The  people  had  also  their  domestic  troubles;  a  short  time 
before,  three  French  carpenters  had  broken  open,  during  the  same 
night,  the  two  churches,  and  stolen  all  the  plate :  one  of  the  robbers, 
however,  subsequently  confessed,  and  the  plate  was  recovered.  The 
convicts  were  sent  to  Arequipa,  which,  though  the  capital  of  this  province, 
is  two  hundred  leagues  distant ;  the  government  there  thought  it  a  pity 
to  punish  such  useful  workmen,  who  could  make  all  sorts  of  furniture ; 
and  accordingly  liberated  them.  Things  beine  in  this  state,  the  churches 
were  again  broken  open,  but  this  time  the  ^late  was  not  recovered. 
The  inhabitants  became  dreadfully  enraged,  and  declaring  that  none 
but  heretics  would  thus  "  eat  God  Almighty,"  proceeded  to  torture  some 
Englishmen,  with  the  intention  of  afterwards  shooting  them.  At  last 
the  authorities  interfered,  and  peace  was  established. 

July  i3/#. — In  the  morning  I  started  for  the  saltpetre-works,  a  distance 
of  fourteen  leagues.  Having  ascended  the  steep  coast-mountains  by 
a  zigzag  sandy  track,  we  soon  came  in  view  of  the  mines  of  Guantajaya 
and  St  Rosa.  These  two  small  villages  are  placed  at  the  very  mouths 
of  the  mines ;  and  being  perched  up  on  hills,  they  had  a  still  more 
unnatural  and  desolate  appearance  than  the  town  of  Iquique.  We  did 
not  reach  the  saltpetre-works  till  after  sunset,  having  ridden  all  day 
across  an  undulating  country,  a  complete  and  utter  desert.  The  road 
was  strewed  with  the  bones  and  dried  skins  of  the  many  beasts  of 
burden  which  had  perished  on  it  from  fatigue.  Excepting  the  Vultur 
aura,  which  preys  on  the  carcasses,  I  saw  neither  bird,  quadruped,  rep- 
tile, nor  insect.  On  the  coast-mountains,  at  the  height  of  about  two  thou- 
sand feet,  where  during  this  season  the  clouds  generally  hang,  a  very 
few  cacti  were  growing  in  the  clefts  of  rock ;  and  the  loose  sand  was 
strewed  over  with  a  lichen,  which  lies  on  the  surface  quite  unattached. 
This  plant  belongs  to  the  genus  Cladonia,  and  somewhat  resembles 
the  reindeer  lichen.  In  some  parts  it  was  in  sufficient  quantity  to 
tinge  the  sand,  as  seen  from  a  distance,  of  a  pale  yellowish  colour. 
Further  inland,  during  the  whole  ride  of  fourteen  leagues,  I  saw  only 
one  other  vegetable  production,  and  that  was  a  most  minute  yellow 
lichen,  growing  on  the  bones  of  the  dead  mules.  This  was  the  first 
true  desert  which  I  had  seen :  the  effect  on  me  was  not  impressive ; 
but  I  believe  this  was  owing  to  my  having  become  gradually  accustomed 
to  such  scenes,  as  I  rode  northward  from  Valparaiso,  through  Coquimbo, 
to  Copiap6.  The  appearance  of  the  country  was  remarkable,  from 
being  covered  by  a  thick  crust  of  common  salt,  and  of  a  stratified 
salifeious  alluvium,  which  seems  to  have  been  deposited  as  the  land 


i«3S-]  BAY  OF  CALLAO.  265 

slowly  rose  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  salt  is  white,  very  hard, 
and  compact :  it  occurs  in  water-worn  nodules  projecting  from  the 
agglutinated  sand,  and  is  associated  with  much  gypsum.  The  appear- 
ance of  this  superficial  mass  very  closely  resembled  that  of  a  country 
after  snow,  before  the  last  dirty  patches  are  thawed.  The  existence 
of  this  crust  of  a  soluble  substance  over  the  whole  face  of  the  country 
shows  how  extraordinarily  dry  the  climate  must  have  been  for  a  long 
period. 

At  night  I  slept  at  the  house  of  the  owner  of  one  of  the  saltpetre 
mines.  The  country  is  here  as  unproductive  as  near  the  coast ;  but 
water,  having  rather  a  bitter  and  brackish  taste,  can  be  procured  by 
digging  wells.  The  well  at  this  house  was  thirty-six  yards  deep :  as 
scarcely  any  rain  falls,  it  is  evident  the  water  is  not  thus  derived  ;  indeed 
if  it  were,  it  could  not  fail  to  be  as  salt  as  brine,  for  the  whole  surround- 
ing country  is  incrusted  with  various  saline  substances.  We  must  there- 
fore conclude  that  it  percolates  underground  from  the  Cordillera,  though 
distant  many  leagues.  In  that  direction  there  are  a  few  small  villages, 
where  the  inhabitants,  having  more  water,  are  enabled  to  irrigate  a 
little  land,  and  raise  hay,  on  which  the  mules  and  asses,  employed  in 
carrying  the  saltpetre,  are  fed.  The  nitrate  of  soda  was  now  selling  at 
the  ship's  side  at  fourteen  shillings  per  hundred  pounds :  the  chief  expense 
is  its  transport  to  the  sea-coast.  The  mine  consists  of  a  hard  stratum, 
between  two  and  three  feet  thick,  of  the  nitrate  mingled  with  a  little  of 
the  sulphate  of  soda  and  a  good  deal  of  common  salt.  It  lies  close 
beneath  the  surface,  and  follows  for  a  length  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  the  margin  of  a  grand  basin  or  plain ;  this,  from  its  outline, 
manifestly  must  once  have  been  a  lake,  or  more  probably  an  inland 
arm  of  the  sea,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  presence  of  iodic  salts  in 
the  saline  stratum.  The  surface  of  the  plain  is  3,300  feet  above  the 
Pacific. 

July  iqth. — We  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Callao,  the  seaport  of  Lima, 
the  capital  of  Peru.  We  stayed  here  six  weeks,  but  from  the  troubled 
state  of  public  affairs,  I  saw  very  little  of  the  country.  During  our 
whole  visit  the  climate  was  far  from  being  so  delightful  as  it  is  generally 
represented.  A  dull  heavy  bank  of  clouds  constantly  hung  over  the 
land,  so  that  during  the  first  sixteen  days  I  had  only  one  view  of  the 
Cordillera  behind  Lima.  These  mountains,  seen  in  stages,  one  above 
the  other,  through  openings  in  the  clouds,  had  a  very  grand  appearance. 
It  is  almost  become  a  proverb,  that  rain  never  falls  in  the  lower  part  of 
Peru.  Yet  this  can  hardly  be  considered  correct;  for  during  almost 
every  day  of  our  visit  there  was  a  thick  drizzling  mist,  which  was 
sufficient  to  make  the  streets  muddy  and  one's  clothes  damp ;  this 
the  people  are  pleased  to  call  Peruvian  dew.  That  much  rain  does  not 
fall  is  very  certain,  for  the  houses  are  covered  only  with  flat  roofs  made 
of  hardened  mud ;  and  on  the  mole  ship-loads  of  wheat  were  piled  up, 
being  thus  left  for  weeks  together  without  any  shelter. 

I  cannot  say  I  liked  the  very  little  I  saw  of  Peru ;  in  summer,  how- 
ever, it  is  said  that  the  climate  is  much  pleasanter.  In  all  seasons, 


&  PERU.  [CHAP.  xVi. 

both  inhabitants  and  foreigners  suffer  from  severe  attacks  of  ague. 
This  disease  is  common  on  the  whole  coast  of  Peru,  but  is  unknown 
in  the  interior.  The  attacks  of  illness  which  arise  from  miasma  never 
fail  to  appear  most  mysterious.  So  difficult  is  it  to  judge  from  the 
aspect  of  a  country,  whether  or  not  it  is  healthy,  that  if  a  person  had 
been  told  to  choose  within  the  tropics  a  situation  appearing  favourable 
for  health,  very  probably  he  would  have  named  this  coast.  The  plain 
round  the  outskirts  of  Callao  is  sparingly  covered  with  a  coarse  grass, 
and  in  some  parts  there  are  a  few  stagnant,  though  very  small,  pools  of 
water.  The  miasma,  in  all  probability,  arises  from  these  :  for  the  town 
of  Arica  was  similarly  circumstanced,  and  its  healthiness  was  much 
improved  by  the  drainage  of  some  little  pools.  Miasma  is  not  always 
produced  by  a  luxuriant  vegetation  with  an  ardent  climate ;  for  many 
parts  of  Brazil,  even  where  there  are  marshes  and  a  rank  vegetation, 
are  much  more  healthy  than  this  sterile  coast  of  Peru.  The  densest 
forests  in  a  temperate  climate,  as  in  Chiloe,  do  not  seem  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  affect  the  healthy  condition  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  island  of  St.  Jago,  at  the  Cape  de  Verds,  offers  another  strongly- 
marked  instance  of  a  country,  which  any  one  would  have  expected  to 
find  most  healthy,  being  very  much  the  contrary.  I  have  described  the 
bare  and  open  plains  as  supporting,  during  a  few  weeks  after  the 
rainy  season,  a  thin  vegetation,  which  directly  withers  away  and  dries 
up ;  at  this  period  the  air  appears  to  become  quite  poisonous ;  both  natives 
and  foreigners  often  being  affected  with  violent  fevers.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Galapagos  Archipelago,  in  the  Pacific,  with  a  similar  soil,  and 
periodically  subject  to  the  same  process  of  vegetation,  is  perfectly 
healthy.  Humboldt  has  observed,  that,  "under  the  torrid  zone,  the 
smallest  marshes  are  the  most  dangerous,  being  surrounded,  as  at  Vera 
Cruz  and  Carthagena,  with  an  arid  and  sandy  soil,  which  raises  the 
temperature  of  the  ambient  ah-."*  On  the  coast  of  Peru,  however,  the 
temperature  is  not  hot  to  any  excessive  degree  ;  and  perhaps  in  conse- 
quence, the  intermittent  fevers  are  not  of  the  most  malignant  order.  Ir 
all  unhealthy  countries  the  greatest  risk  is  run  by  sleeping  on  shore 
Is  this  owing  to  the  state  of  the  body  during  sleep,  or  to  a  greatei 
abundance  of  miasma  at  such  times  ?  It  appears  certain  that  those 
who  stay  on  board  a  vessel,  though  anchored  at  only  a  short  distance 
from  the  coast,  generally  suffer  less  than  those  actually  on  shore.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  have  heard  of  one  remarkable  case  where  a  fever 
broke  out  among  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war  some  hundred  miles  off  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  at  the  very  same  time  that  one  of  those  fearful 
periods  f  of  death  commenced  at  Sierra  Leone. 

No  State  in  South  America,  since  the  declaration  of  independence, 
has  suffered  more  from  anarchy  than  Peru.  At  the  time  of  our 

*  "Political  Essay  on  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  199. 

f  A  similar  interesting  case  is  recorded  in  the  Madras  Medical  Quarterly 
Journal,  1839,  p.  340.  Dr.  Ferguson,  in  his  admirable  Paper  (see  9th  vol.  of 
Edinburgh  Royal  Transactions},  shows  clearly  that  the  poison  is  generated  in 
the  drying  process;  and  hence  that  dry  hot  countries  are  often  the  most 
unhealthy, 


1835.,  CALLAO.— LIMA.  t$7 

visit,  there  were  four  chiefs  in  arms  contending  for  supremacy  in  the 
government :  if  one  succeeded  in  becoming  for  a  time  very  powerful,  the 
others  coalesced  against  him  ;  but  no  sooner  were  they  victorious,  than 
they  were  again  hostile  to  each  other.  The  other  day,  at  the  Anniversary 
of  the  Independence,  high  mass  was  performed,  the  President  partaking 
of  the  sacrament :  during  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  instead  of  each 
regiment  displaying  the  Peruvian  flag,  a  black  one  with  death's  head 
was  unfurled.  Imagine  a  government  under  which  such  a  scene  could 
be  ordered,  on  such  an  occasion,  to  be  typical  of  their  determination  of 
fighting  to  death !  This  state  of  affairs  happened  at  a  time  very 
unfortunate  for  me,  as  I  was  precluded  from  taking  any  excursions 
much  beyond  the  limits  of  the  town.  The  barren  island  of  San 
Lorenzo,  which  forms  the  harbour,  was  nearly  the  only  place  where  one 
could  walk  securely.  The  upper  part,  which  is  upwards  of  1,000  feet  in 
height,  during  this  season  of  the  year  (winter),  comes  within  the  lower 
limit  of  the  clouds  ;  and  in  consequence,  an  abundant  cryptogamic 
vegetation,  and  a  few  flowers,  cover  the  summit.  On  the  hills  near 
Lima,  at  a  height  but  little  greater,  the  ground  is  carpeted  with  moss, 
and  beds  of  beautiful  yellow  lilies,  called  Amancaes.  This  indicates  a 
very  much  greater  degree  of  humidity,  than  at  a  corresponding  height 
at  Iquique.  Proceeding  northward  of  Lima,  the  climate  becomes 
damper,  till  on  the  banks  of  the  Guyaquil,  nearly  under  the  equator,  we 
find  the  most  luxuriant  forests.  The  change,  however,  from  the  sterile 
coast  of  Peru  to  that  fertile  land  is  described  as  taking  place  rather 
abruptly  in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Blanco,  two  degrees  south  of  Guyaquil. 

Callao  is  a  filthy,  ill-built,  small  seaport.  The  inhabitants,  both  here 
and  at  Lima,  present  every  imaginable  shade  of  mixture,  between 
European,  Negro,  and  Indian  blood.  They  appear  a  depraved,  drunken 
set  of  people.  The  atmosphere  is  loaded  with  foul  smells,  and  that 
peculiar  one,  which  may  be  perceived  in  almost  every  town  within  the 
tropics,  was  here  very  strong.  The  fortress,  which  withstood  Lord 
Cochrane's  long  siege,  has  an  imposing  appearance.  But  the  President, 
during  our  stay,  sold  the  brass  guns,  and  proceeded  to  dismantle  parts 
of  it.  The  reason  assigned  was,  that  he  had  not  an  officer  to  whom  he 
could  trust  so  important  a  charge.  He  himself  had  good  reasons  for 
thinking  so,  as  he  had  obtained  the  presidentship  by  rebelling  while  in 
charge  of  this  same  fortress.  After  we  left  South  America,  he  paid  the 
penalty  in  the  usual  manner,  by  being  conquered,  taken  prisoner,  and 
shot. 

Lima  stands  on  a  plain  in  a  valley,  formed  during  the  gradual  retreat 
of  the  sea.  It  is  seven  miles  from  Callao,  and  is  elevated  500  feet 
above  it ;  but  from  the  slope  being  very  gradual,  the  road  appears 
absolutely  level ;  so  that  when  at  Lima  it  is  difficult  to  believe  one  has 
ascended  even  one  hundred  teet:  Humboldt  has  remarked  on  this 
singularly  deceptive  case.  Steep,  barren  hills  rise  like  islands  from  the 
plain,  which  is  divided,  by  straight  mud-walls,  into  large  green  fields. 
In  these  scarcely  a  tree  grows  excepting  a  few  willows,  and  an  occa- 
sional clump  of  bananas  and  of  oranges.  The  city  of  Lima  is  now  in  a 
wretched  state  of  decay :  the  streets  are  nearly  unpaved ;  and  heaps  of 


268  PERU.  [CHAP.  xvi. 

filth  are  piled  up  in  all  directions,  where  the  black  gallinazos,  tame  as 
poultry,  pick  up  bits  of  carrion.  The  houses  have  generally  an  upper 
story,  built,  on  account  of  the  earthquakes,  of  plastered  woodwork ; 
but  some  of  the  old  ones,  which  are  now  used  by  several  families,  are 
immensely  large,  and  would  rival  in  suites  of  apartments  the  most 
magnificent  in  any  place.  Lima,  the  City  of  the  Kings,  must  formerly 
have  been  a  splendid  town.  The  extraordinary  number  of  churches 
gives  it,  even  at  the  present  day,  a  peculiar  and  striking  character, 
especially  when  viewed  from  a  short  distance. 

One  day  I  went  out  with  some  merchants  to  hunt  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  city.  Our  sport  was  very  poor ;  but  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  ruins  of  one  of  the  ancient  Indian  villages,  with  its 
mound  like  a  natural  hill  in  the  centre.  The  remains  of  houses, 
enclosures,  irrigating  streams,  and  burial  mounds,  scattered  over  this 
plain,  cannot  fail  to  give  one  a  high  idea  of  the  condition  and  number 
of  the  ancient  population.  When  their  earthenware,  woollen  clothes, 
utensils  of  elegant  forms  cut  out  of  the  hardest  rocks,  tools  of  copper, 
ornaments  of  precious  stones,  palaces,  and  hydraulic  works,  are 
considered,  it  is  impossible  not  to  respect  the  considerable  advance 
made  by  them  in  the  arts  of  civilization.  The  burial  mounds,  called 
Huacas,  are  really  stupendous;  although  in  some  places  they  appear 
to  be  natural  hills  incased  and  modelled. 

There  is  also  another  and  very  different  class  of  ruins,  which 
possesses  some  interest,  namely,  those  of  old  Callao,  overwhelmed  by 
the  great  earthquake  of  1746,  and  its  accompanying  wave.  The  destruc- 
tion must  have  been  more  complete  even  than  at  Talcahuano.  Quanti- 
ties of  shingle  almost  conceal  the  foundations  of  the  walls,  and  vast 
masses  of  brickwork  appear  to  have  been  whirled  about  like  pebbles  by 
the  retiring  waves.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  land  subsided  during 
this  memorable  shock ;  I  could  not  discover  any  proof  of  this ;  yet  it 
seems  far  from  improbable,  for  the  form  of  the  coast  must  certainly  have 
undergone  some  change  since  the  foundation  of  the  old  town ;  as  no 
people  in  their  senses  would  willingly  have  chosen  for  their  building 
place,  the  narrow  spit  of  shingle  on  which  the  ruins  now  stand.  Since 
our  voyage,  M.  Tschudi  has  come  to  the  conclusion,  by  the  comparison 
of  old  and  modern  maps,  that  the  coast  both  north  and  south  of  Lima 
has  certainly  subsided. 

On  the  island  of  San  Lorenzo,  there  are  very  satisfactory  proofs  of 
elevation  within  the  recent  period ;  this  of  course  is  not  opposed  to  the 
belief,  of  a  small  sinking  of  the  ground  having  subsequently  taken  place. 
The  side  of  this  island  fronting  the  Bay  of  Callao,  is  worn  into  three 
obscure  terraces,  the  lower  one  of  which  is  covered  by  a  bed  a  mile  in 
length,  almost  wholly  composed  of  shells  of  eighteen  species,  now  living 
in  the  adjoining  sea.  The  height  of  this  bed  is  eighty-five  feet.  Many 
of  the  shells  are  deeply  corroded,  and  have  a  much  older  and  decayed 
appearance  than  those  at  the  height  of  500  or  600  feet  on  the  coast  of  Chile. 
These  shells  are  associated  with  much  common  salt,  a  little  sulphate  of 
(both  probably  left  by  the  evaporation  of  the  spray,  as  the  land  slowly 
rose)  lime,  together  with  sulphate  of  soda  and  muriate  of  lime.  They  rest 


I83S-]  DECOMPOSING  SHELLS.  269 

on  fragments  of  the  underlying  sandstone,  and  are  covered  by  a  few 
inches  thick  of  detritus.  The  shells,  higher  up  on  this  terrace,  could  be 
traced  scaling  off  in  flakes,  and  falling  into  an  impalpable  powder ;  and 
on  an  upper  terrace,  at  the  height  of  170  feet,  and  likewise  at  some 
considerably  higher  points,  I  found  a  layer  of  saline  powder  of  exactly 
similar  appearance,  and  lying  in  the  same  relative  position.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  this  upper  layer  originally  existed  as  a  bed  of  shells,  like  that 
on  the  eighty-five-feet  ledge ;  but  it  does  not  now  contain  even  a  trace 
of  organic  structure.  The  powder  has  been  analysed  for  me  by  Mr.  T. 
Reeks ;  it  consists  of  sulphates  and  muriates  both  of  lime  and  soda, 
with  very  little  carbonate  of  lime.  It  is  known  that  common  salt  and 
carbonate  of  lime  left  in  a  mass  for  some  time  together,  partly  decompose 
each  other ;  though  this  does  not  happen  with  small  quantities  in 
solution.  As  the  half  decomposed  shells  in  the  lower  parts  are  associ- 
ated with  much  common  salt,  together  with  some  of  the  saline  substances 
composing  the  upper  saline  layer,  and  as  these  shells  are  corroded  and 
decayed  in  a  remarkable  manner,  I  strongly  suspect  that  this  double 
decomposition  has  here  taken  place.  The  resultant  salts,  however, 
ought  to  be  carbonate  of  soda  and  muriate  of  lime ;  the  latter  is  present, 
but  not  the  carbonate  of  soda.  Hence  I  am  led  to  imagine  that  by 
some  unexplained  means,  the  carbonate  of  soda  becomes  changed  into 
the  sulphate.  It  is  obvious  that  the  saline  layer  could  not  have  been 
preserved  in  any  country  in  which  abundant  rain  occasionally  fell ;  on 
the  other  hand,  this  very  circumstance,  which  at  first  sight  appears  so 
highly  favourable  to  the  long  preservation  of  exposed  shells,  has  probably 
been  the  indirect  means,  through  the  common  salt  not  having  been 
washed  away,  of  their  decomposition  and  early  decay. 

I  was  much  interested  by  finding  on  the  terrace,  at  the  height  of 
eighty-five  feet,  embedded  amidst  the  shells  and  much  sea-drifted 
rubbish,  some  bits  of  cottcn  thread,  plaited  rush,  and  the  head  of  a 
stalk  of  Indian  corn ;  I  compared  these  relics  with  similar  ones  taken 
out  of  the  Huacas,  or  old  Peruvian  tombs,  and  found  them  identical  in 
appearance.  On  the  mainland  in  front  of  San  Lorenzo,  near  Bellavista, 
there  is  an  extensive  and  level  plain  about  a  hundred  feet  high,  of  which 
the  lower  part  is  formed  of  alternating  layers  of  sand  and  impure  clay, 
together  with  some  gravel,  and  the  surface,  to  the  depth  of  from  three 
to  six  feet,  of  a  reddish  loam,  containing  a  few  scattered  sea-shells  and 
numerous  small  fragments  of  coarse  red  earthenware,  more  abundant  at 
certain  spots  than  at  others.  At  first  I  was  inclined  to  believe  that  this 
superficial  bed,  from  its  wide  extent  and  smoothness,  must  have  been 
deposited  beneath  the  sea ;  but  I  afterwards  found  in  one  spot,  that  it 
lay  on  an  artificial  floor  of  round  stones.  It  seems,  therefore,  most 
probable  that  at  a  period  when  the  laud  stood  at  a  lower  level,  there  was  a 
plain  very  similar  to  that  now  surrounding  Callao,  which  being  pro- 
tected by  a  shingle  beach,  is  raised  but  very  little  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  On  this  plain,  with  its  underlying  red-clay  beds,  I  imagine 
that  the  Indians  manufactured  their  earthen  vessels ;  and  that,  during 
some  violent  earthquake,  the  sea  broke  over  the  beach,  and  converted 
the  plain  into  a  temporary  lake,  as  happened  round  Callao  in  1713  and 


«fo  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP,  xVn. 

1746.  The  water  would  then  have  deposited  mud,  containing  frag- 
ments of  pottery  from  the  kilns,  more  abundant  at  some  spots  than  at 
others,  and  shells  from  the  sea.  This  bed  with  fossil  earthenware, 
stands  at  about  the  same  height  with  the  shells  on  the  lower  terrace 
of  San  Lorenzo,  in  which  the  cotton-thread  and  other  relics  were 
embedded.  Hence  we  may  safely  conclude,  that  within  the  Indo- 
human  period  there  has  been  an  elevation,  as  before  alluded  to,  of 
more  than  eighty-five  feet ;  for  some  little  elevation  must  have  been 
lost  by  the  coast  having  subsided  since  the  old  maps  were  engraved. 
At  Valparaiso,  although  in  the  220  years  before  our  visit,  the  elevation 
cannot  have  exceeded  nineteen  feet,  yet  subsequently  to  1817  there 
has  been  a  rise,  partly  insensible  and  partly  by  a  start  during  the  shock 
of  1822,  of  ten  or  eleven  feet.  The  antiquity  of  the  Indo-human  race 
here,  judging  by  the  eighty-five  feet  rise  of  the  land  since  the  relics 
were  embedded,  is  the  more  remarkable,  as  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia, 
when  the  land  stood  above  the  same  number  of  feet  lower,  the 
Macrauchenia  was  a  living  beast ;  but  as  the  Patagonian  coast  is  some 
way  distant  from  the  Cordillera,  the  rising  there  may  have  been  slower 
than  here.  At  Bahia  Blanca,  the  elevation  has  been  only  a  few  feet 
since  the  numerous  gigantic  quadrupeds  were  there  entombed;  and 
according  to  the  generally  received  opinion,  when  these  extinct  animals 
were  living,  man  did  not  exist.  But  the  rising  of  that  part  of  the 
coast  of  Patagonia,  is  perhaps  noways  connected  with  the  Cordillera, 
but  rather  with  a  line  of  old  volcanic  rocks  in  Banda  Oriental,  so  that 
it  may  have  been  infinitely  slower  than  on  the  shores  of  Peru.  All 
these  speculations,  however,  must  be  vague ;  for  who  will  pretend  to 
say,  that  there  may  not  have  been  several  periods  of  subsidence, 
intercalated  between  the  movements  of  elevation;  for  we  know  that 
along  the  whole  coast  of  Patagonia,  there  have  certainly  been  many 
and  long  pauses  in  the  upward  action  of  the  elevatory  forces. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO. 

The  whole  Group  Volcanic— Number  of  Craters— Leafless  Bushes— Colony 
at  Charles  Island— James  Island— Salt-lake  in  Crater— Natural  History 
of  the  Group — Ornithology,  Curious  Finches — Reptiles — Great  Tortoises, 
Habits  of— Marine  Lizard,  feeds  on  Seaweed — Terrestrial  Lizard, 
Burrowing  Habits,  Herbivorous — Importance  of  Reptiles  in  the  Archi- 
pelago— Fish,  Shells,  Insects — Botany — American  Type  of  Organization 
— Differences  in  the  Species  or  Races  on  Different  Islands — Tameness 
of  the  Birds — Fear  of  Man,  an  acquired  Instinct. 

September  it,th. — THIS  archipelago  consists  of  ten  principal  islands, 
of  whichjfive  exceed  the  others  in  size.  They  are  situated  under  the 
Equator,  and  between  five  and  six  hundred  miles  westward  of  the" 
coast  of  America.  They  are  all  formed  of  volcanic  rocks ;  a  few 


NUMBER  OF  CRATERS.  *7» 

fragments  of  granite  curiously  glazed  and  altered  by  the  heat,  can 
hardly  be  considered  as  an  exception.  Some  of  the  craters,  surmount- 
ing the  larger  islands,  are  of  immense  size,  and  they  rise  to  a  height  ot 
between  three  and  four  thousand  feet.  Their  flanks  are  studded  by 
innumerable  smaller  orifices.  I  scarcely  hesitate  to  arhrm,  that  ther 
must  be  in  the  whole  archipelago  at  least  two  thousand  craters.  Ihese 
consist  either  of  lava  and  scoriae,  or  of  finely-stratified,  sandstone-like 
tuff'  Most  of  the  latter  are  beautifully  symmetrical ;  they  owe  their 
origin  to  eruptions  of  volcanic  mud  without  any  lava  :  it  is  a  remarkable 
circumstance  that  every  one  of  the  twenty-eight  tuff-craters  which  were 
examined,  had  their  southern  sides  either  much  lower  than  the  other 
Culpepper  I. 


•toZfJanusl. 
Q  JT^  ^  TnUvtigatieL 


Chatte*  /.' 


qui 

apparently  have  been  formed  when  standing  in  the  sea,  and  as  the 
waves  from  the  trade  wind  and  the  swell  from  the  open  Pacific  here 
unite  their  forces  on  the  southern  coasts  of  all  the  islands,  this  singular 
uniformity  in  the  broken  state  of  the  craters,  composed  of  the  soft  and 
yielding  tuff,  is  easily  explained. 

Considering  that  these  islands  are  placed  directly  under  the  Equator, 
the  climate  is  far  from  being  excessively  hot ;  this  seems  chiefly  caused 
by  the  singularly  low  temperature  of  the  surrounding  water,  brought 
here  by  the  great  southern  Polar  current.  Excepting  during  one  short 
season,  very  little  rain  falls,  and  even  then  it  is  irregular  ;  but  the  clouds 
generally  hang  low.  Hence,  whilst  the  lower  parts  of  the  islands  are 


27«  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvii. 

very  sterile,  the  upper  parts,  at  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  and  upwards, 
possess  a  damp  climate  and  a  tolerably  luxuriant  vegetation.  This  is 
especially  the  case  on  the  windward  sides  of  the  islands,  which  first 
receive  and  condense  the  moisture  from  the  atmosphere. 

In  the  morning  (ijth)  we  landed  on  Chatham  Island,  which,  like  the 
others,  rises  with  a  tame  and  rounded  outline,  broken  here  and  there 
by  scattered  hillocks,  the  remains  of  former  craters.  Nothing  could  be 
less  inviting  than  the  first  appearance.  A  broken  field  of  black 
basaltic  lava,  thrown  into  the  most  rugged  waves,  and  crossed  by  great 
fissures,  is  everywhere  covered  by  stunted,  sun-burnt  brushwood, 
which  shows  little  signs  of  life.  The  dry  and  parched  surface,  being 
heated  by  the  noonday  sun,  gave  to  the  air  a  close  and  sultry 
feeling,  like  that  from  a  stove :  we  fancied  even  that  the  bushes  smelt 
unpleasantly.  Although  I  diligently  tried  to  collect  as  many  plants  as 
possible,  1  succeeded  in  getting  very  few ;  and  such  wretched-looking 
little  weeds  would  have  better  become  an  arctic  than  an  equatorial 
Flora.  The  brushwood  appears,  from  a  short  distance,  as  leafless  as 
our  trees  during  winter  ;  and  it  was  some  time  before  I  discovered  that 
not  only  almost  every  plant  was  now  in  full  leaf,  but  that  the  greater 
number  were  in  flower.  The  commonest  bush  is  one  of  the 
Euphorbiaceae :  an  acacia  and  a  great  odd-looking  cactus  are  the  only 
trees  which  afford  any  shape.  After  the  season  of  heavy  rains,  the 
islands  are  said  to  appear  for  a  short  time  partially  green.  The 
volcanic  island  of  Fernando  Noronha,  placed  in  many  respects  under 
nearly  similar  conditions,  is  the  only  other  country  where  I  have  seen 
a  vegetation  at  all  like  this  of  the  Galapagos  islands. 

The  Beagle  sailed  round  Chatham  Island,  and  anchored  in  several 
bays.  One  night  I  slept  on  shore  on  a  part  of  the  island,  where  black 
truncated  cones  were  extraordinarily  numerous:  from  one  small 
eminence  I  counted  sixty  of  them,  all  surmounted  by  craters  more  or 
less  perfect.  The  greater  number  consisted  merely  of  a  ring  of  red 
scoriae  or  slags,  cemented  together ;  and  their  height  above  the  plain 
of  lava  was  not  more  than  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  feet :  none  had  been 
very  lately  active.  The  entire  surface  of  this  part  of  the  island  seems 
to  have  been  permeated,  like  a  sieve,  by  the  subterranean  vapours: 
here  and  there  the  lava,  whilst  soft,  has  been  blown  into  great  bubbles ; 
and  in  other  parts,  the  tops  of  caverns  similarly  formed  have  fallen  in, 
leaving  circular  pits  with  steep  sides.  From  the  regular  form  of  the 
many  craters,  they  gave  to  the  country  an  artificial  appearance,  which 
vividly  reminded  me  of  those  parts  of  Staffordshire,  where  the  great 
iron-foundries  are  most  numerous.  The  day  was  glowing  hot,  and  the 
scrambling  over  the  rough  surface  and  through  the  intricate  thickets, 
was  very  fatiguing ;  but  I  was  well  repaid  by  the  strange  Cyclopean 
scene.  As  I  was  walking  along  I  met  two  large  tortoises,  each  of 
which  must  have  weighed  at  least  two  hundred  pounds  :  one  was  eating 
a  piece  of  cactus,  and  as  I  approached,  it  stared  at  me  and  slowly 
stalked  away ;  the  other  gave  a  deep  hiss,  and  drew  in  its  head.  These 
huge  reptiles,  surrounded  by  the  black  lava,  the  leafless  shrubs,  and 
large  cacti,  seemed  to  my  fancy  like  some  antediluvian  animals.  The 


,g3-.]  THE  SETTLEMENT.  273 

few  dull-coloured  birds  cared  no  more  for  me,  than  the>  did  for  the 
great  tortoises. 

September  iyd. — The  Beagle  proceeded  to  Charles  Island.  This 
archipelago  has  long  been  frequented,  first  by  the  Buccaneers,  and  latterly 
by  whalers,  but  it  is  only  within  the  last  six  years,  that  a  small  colony 
has  been  established  here.  The  inhabitants  are  between  two  and 
three  hundred  in  number ;  they  are  nearly  all  people  of  colour,  who 
have  been  banished  for  political  crimes  from  the  Republic  of  the  Equator, 
of  which  Quito  is  the  capital.  The  settlement  is  placed  about  four  and 
a  half  miles  inland,  and  at  a  height  probably  of  a  thousand  feet  la 
the  first  part  of  the  road  we  passed  through  leafless  thickets,  as  in 
Chatham  Island.  Higher  up,  the  woods  gradually  became  greener ; 
and  as  soon  as  we  crossed  the  ridge  of  the  island,  we  were  cooled  by 
a  fine  southerly  breeze,  and  our  sight  refreshed  by  a  green  and  thriving 
vegetation.  In  this  upper  region  coarse  grasses  and  ferns  abound ; 
but  there  are  no  tree-ferns  :  I  saw  nowhere  any  member  of  the  Palm 
family,  which  is  the  more  singular,  as  360  miles  northward,  Cocos 
Island  takes  its  name  from  the  number  of  cocoa-nuts.  The  houses 
are  irregularly  scattered  over  a  flat  space  of  ground,  which  is  cultivated 
with  sweet  potatoes  and  bananas.  It  will  not  easily  be  imagined  how 
pleasant  the  sight  of  black  mud  was  to  us,  after  having  been  so  long 
accustomed  to  the  parched  soil  of  Peru  and  northern  Chile.  The 
inhabitants,  although  complaining  of  poverty,  obtain,  without  much 
trouble,  the  means  of  subsistence.  In  the  woods  there  are  many  wild 
pigs  and  goats ;  but  the  staple  article  of  animal  food  is  supplied  by  the 
tortoises.  Their  numbers  have  of  course  been  greatly  reduced  in  this 
island,  but  the  people  yet  count  on  two  days'  hunting  giving  them  food 
for  the  rest  of  the  week.  It  is  said  that  formerly  single  vessels  have 
taken  away  as  many  as  seven  hundred,  and  that  the  ship's  company  of 
a  frigate  some  years  since  brought  down  in  one  day  two  hundred  tortoises 
to  the  beach. 

September  29^. — We  doubled  the  south-west  extremity  of  Albemarle 
Island,  and  the  next  day  were  nearly  becalmed  between  it  and  Nar- 
borough  Island.  Both  are  covered  with  immense  deluges  of  black 
naked  lava,  which  have  flowed  either  over  the  rims  of  the  great  caldrons, 
like  pitch  over  the  rim  of  a  pot  in  which  it  has  been  boiled,  or  have 
burst  forth  from  smaller  orifices  on  the  flanks ;  in  their  descent  they 
have  spread  over  miles  of  the  sea-coast.  On  both  of  these  islands, 
eruptions  are  known  to  have  taken  place ;  and  in  Albemarle,  we  saw 
a  small  jet  of  smoke  curling  from  the  summit  of  one  of  the  great  craters. 
In  the  evening  we  anchored  in  Banks'  Cove,  in  Albemarle  Island.  The 
next  morning  I  went  out  walking.  To  the  south  of  the  broken  tuff- 
crater,  in  which  the  Beagle  was  anchored,  there  was  another  beautifully 
symmetrical  one  of  an  elliptic  form ;  its  longer  axis  was  a  little  less 
than  a  mile,  and  its  depth  about  500  feet.  At  its  bottom  there  was 
a  shallow  lake,  in  the  middle  of  which  a  tiny  crater  formed  an  islet 
The  day  was  overpoweringly  hot,  and  the  lake  looked  clear  and  blue  : 
I  hurried  down  the  cindery  slope,  and  choked  with  dust  eagerly  tasted 
the  water— but,  to  my  sorrow,  I  found  it  salt  as  brine. 


274  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvn. 

The  rocks  on  the  coast  abounded  with  great  black  lizards,  between 
three  and  four  feet  long;  and  on  the  hills,  an  ugly  yellowish-brown 
species  was  equally  common.  We  saw  many  of  this  latter  kind,  some 
clumsily  running  out  of  our  way,  and  others  shuffling  into  their 
burrows.  I  shall  presently  describe  in  more  detail  the  habits  of  both 
these  reptiles.  The  whole  of  this  northern  part  of  Albemarle  Island  is 
miserably  sterile. 

October  %th. — We  arrived  at  James  Island:  this  island,  as  well  as 
Charles  Island,  were  long  since  thus  named  after  our  kings  of  the 
Stuart  line.  Mr.  Bynoe,  myself,  and  our  servants  were  left  here  for 
a  week,  with  provisions  and  a  tent,  whilst  the  Beagle  went  for  water. 
We  found  here  a  party  of  Spaniards,  who  had  been  sent  from  Charles 
Island  to  dry  fish,  and  to  salt  tortoise-meat.  About  six  miles  inland, 
and  at  the  height  of  nearly  2,000  feet,  a  hovel  had  been  built  in  which 
two  men  lived  who  were  employed  in  catching  tortoises,  whilst  the 
others  were  fishing  on  the  coast.  I  paid  this  party  two  visits,  and 
slept  there  one  night.  As  in  the  other  islands,  the  lower  region  was 
covered  by  nearly  leafless  bushes,  but  the  trees  were  here  of  a  larger 
growth  than  elsewhere,  several  being  two  feet  and  some  even  two  feet 
nine  inches  in  diameter.  The  upper  region  being  kept  damp  by  the 
clouds,  supports  a  green  and  flourishing  vegetation.  So  damp  was  the 
ground,  that  there  were  large  beds  of  a  coarse  cyperus,  in  which  great 
numbers  of  a  very  small  water-rail  lived  and  bred.  While  staying  in 
this  upper  region  we  lived  entirely  upon  tortoise-meat:  the  breast- 
plate roasted  (as  the  Gauchos  do  carne  con  cuero\  with  the  flesh  on  it, 
is  very  good  ;  and  the  young  tortoises  make  excellent  soup;  but  other- 
wise the  meat  to  my  taste  is  indifferent 

One  day  we  accompanied  a  party  of  the  Spaniards  in  their  whale- 
boat  to  a  salina,  or  lake  from  which  salt  is  procured.  After  landing, 
we  had  a  very  rough  walk  over  a  rugged  field  of  recent  lava,  which  ha? 
almost  surrounded  a  tuff-crater,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  salt-lake 
lies.  The  water  is  only  three  or  four  inches  deep,  and  rests  on  a  layer 
of  beautifully  crystallized,  white  salt.  The  lake  is  quite  circular,  and 
is  fringed  with  a  border  of  bright  green  succulent  plants ;  the  almost 
precipitous  walls  of  the  crater  are  clothed  with  wood,  so  that  the  scene 
was  altogether  both  picturesque  and  curious.  A  few  years  since,  the 
sailors  belonging  to  a  sealiug-vessel  murdered  their  captain  in  this  quiet 
spot ;  and  we  saw  his  skull  lying  among  the  bushes. 

During  the  greater  part  of  our  stay  of  a  week,  the  sky  was  cloudless, 
and  if  the  trade-wind  failed  for  an  hour,  the  heat  became  very  op- 
pressive. On  two  days,  the  thermometer  within  the  tent  stood  for 
some  hours  at  93° ;  but  in  the  open  air,  in  the  wind  and  sun,  at  only 
85°.  The  sand  was  extremely  hot ;  the  thermometer  placed  in  some 
of  a  brown  colour  immediately  rose  to  137°,  and  how  much  above  that 
it  would  have  risen,  I  do  not  know,  for  it  was  not  graduated  any  higher. 
The  black  sand  felt  much  hotter,  so  that  even  in  thick  boots  it  was 
quite  disagreeable  to  walk  over  it. 

The  natural  history  of  these  islands  is  eminently  curious,  and  well 


&IRDS.  #5 

deserves  attention.  Most  of  the  organic  productions  are  aboriginal 
creations,  found  nowhere  else  ;  there  is  even  a  difference  between  the 
inhabitants  of  the  different  islands  ;  yet  all  show  a  marked  relationship 
with  those  of  America,  though  separated  from  that  continent  by  an 
open  space  of  ocean,  between  500  and  600  miles  in  width.  The  archi- 
pelago is  a  little  world  within  itself,  or  rather  a  satellite  attached  to 
America,  whence  it  has  derived  a  few  stray  colonists,  and  has  received  the 
general  character  of  its  indigenous  productions.  Considering  the  small 
size  of  these  islands,  we  feel  the  more  astonished  at  the  number  of  their 
aboriginal  beings,  and  at  their  confined  range.  Seeing  every  height 
crowned  with  its  crater,  and  the  boundaries  of  most  of  the  lava-streams 
still  distinct,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  within  a  period,  geologically 
recent,  the  unbroken  ocean  was  here  spread  out.  Hence,  both  in  space 
and  time,  we  seem  to  be  brought  somewhat  near  to  that  great  fact — 
that  mystery  of  mysteries — the  first  appearance  of  new  beings  on  this 
earth. 

Of  terrestrial  mammals,  there  is  only  one  which  must  be  considered 
as  indigenous,  namely,  a  mouse  (Mus  Galapagoensis),  and  this  is 
confined,  as  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  to  Chatham  Island,  the  most 
easterly  island  of  the  group.  It  belongs,  as  I  am  informed  by  Mr. 
Waterhouse,  to  a  division  of  the  family  of  mice  characteristic  of 
America.  At  James  Island,  there  is  a  rat  sufficiently  distinct  from  the 
common  kind  to  have  been  named  and  described  by  Mr.  Waterhouse ; 
but  as  it  belongs  to  the  old-world  division  of  the  family,  and  as  this 
island  has  been  frequented  by  ships  for  the  last  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  I  can  hardly  doubt  that  this  rat  is  merely  a  variety,  produced  by 
the  new  and  peculiar  climate,  food,  and  soil,  to  which  it  has  been  sub- 
jected. Although  no  one  has  a  right  to  speculate  without  distinct  facts, 
yet  even  with  respect  to  the  Chatham  Island  mouse,  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  that  it  may  possibly  be  an  American  species  imported  here ; 
for  I  have  seen,  in  a  most  unfrequented  part  of  the  Pampas,  a  native 
mouse  living  in  the  roof  of  a  newly-built  hovel,  and  therefore  its  trans- 
portation in  a  vessel  is  not  improbable:  analogous  facts  have  been 
observed  by  Dr.  Richardson  in  North  America. 

Of  land-birds  I  obtained  twenty-six  kinds,  all  peculiar  to  the  group 
and  found  nowhere  else,  with  the  exception  of  one  lark-like  finch  from 
North  America  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus),  which  ranges  on  that  continent 
as  far  north  as  54°,  and  generally  frequents  marshes.  The  other 
twenty-five  birds  consist,  firstly,  of  a  hawk,  curiously  intermediate  in 
structure  between  a  Buzzard  and  the  American  group  of  carrion-feeding 
Polybori ;  and  with  these  latter  birds  it  agrees  most  closely  in  every 
habit  and  even  tone  of  voice.  Secondly,  there  are  two  owls,  repre- 
senting the  short-eared  and  white  barn-owls  of  Europe.  Thirdly,  a 
wren,  three  tyrant  fly-catchers  (two  of  them  species  of  Pyrocephalus, 
one  or  both  of  which  would  be  ranked  by  some  ornithologists  as  only 
varieties),  and  a  dove — all  analogous  to,  but  distinct  from,  American 
species.  Fourthly,  a  swallow,  which  though  differing  from  the  Progne 
purperea  of  both  _ Americas,  only  in  being  rather  duller  coloured, 
smaller,  and  slenderer,  is  considered  by  Mr.  Gould  as  specifically 


276 


GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO. 


[CHAP,  xvn 


distinct.  Fifthly,  there  are  three  species  of  mocking-thrush — a  form 
highly  characteristic  of  America.  The  remaining  land-birds  form  a 
most  singular  group  of  finches,  related  to  each  other  in  the  structure 
of  their  beaks,  short  tails,  form  of  body,  and  plumage:  there  are 
thirteen  species,  which  Mr.  Gould  has  divided  into  four  sub-groups. 
All  these  species  are  peculiar  to  this  archipelago;  and  so  is  the 
whole  group,  with  the  exception  of  one  species  of  the  sub-group 
Cactornis,  lately  brought  from  Bow  Island,  in  the  Low  Archipelago. 
Of  Cactornis,  the  two  species  may  be  often  seen  climbing  about  the 
flowers  of  the  great  cactus-trees ;  but  all  the  other  species  of  this 
group  of  finches,  mingled  together  in  flocks,  feed  on  the  dry  and 
sterile  ground  of  the  lower  districts.  The  males  of  all,  or  certainly  of 
the  greater  number,  are  jet  black ;  and  the  females  (with  perhaps  one 


».  Geospiza  magnirostris, 
3.  Geospiza  parvula. 


a.  Geospiza  fortis. 

4.  Certhidea  olivacea. 


or  two  exceptions)  are  brown.  The  most  curious  fact  is  the  perfect 
gradation  in  the  size  of  the  beaks  in  the  different  species  of  Geospiza, 
from  one  as  large  as  that  of  a  hawfinch  to  that  of  a  chaffinch,  and  (if 
Mr.  Gould  is  right  in  including  his  sub-group,  Certhidea,  in  the  main 
group),  even  to  that  of  a  warbler.  The  largest  beak  in  the  genus 
Geospiza  is  shown  in  Fig.  i,  and  the  smallest  in  Fig.  3 ;  but  instead 
of  there  being  only  one  intermediate  species,  with  a  beak  of  the  size 
shown  in  Fig.  2,  there  are  no  less  than  six  species  with  insensibly 
graduated  beaks.  The  beak  of  the  sub-group  Certhidea,  is  shown  in 
Fig.  4.  The  beak  of  Cactornis  is  somewhat  like  that  of  a  starling ; 
and  that  of  the  fourth  sub-group,  Camarhynchus,  is  slightly  parrot- 
shaped.  Seeing  this  gradation  and  diversity  of  structure  in  one  small, 
intimately  related  group  of  birds,  one  might  really  fancy  that  from  an 


I83SJ  BIRDS.  277 

original  paucity  of  birds  in  this  archipelago,  one  species  had  been 
taken  and  modified  for  different  ends.  In  a  like  manner  it  might  be 
fancied  that  a  bird  originally  a  buzzard,  had  been  induced  here  to 
undertake  the  office  of  the  carrion-feeding  Polybori  of  the  American 
continent. 

Of  waders  and  water-birds  I  was  able  to  get  only  eleven  kinds,  and 
of  these  only  three  (including  a  rail  confined  to  the  damp  summits  of 
the  islands)  are  new  species.  Considering  the  wandering  habits  of 
the  gulls,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  species  inhabiting  these 
islands  is  peculiar,  but  allied  to  one  from  the  southern  parts  of  South 
America.  The  far  greater  peculiarity  of  the  land-birds,  namely, 
twenty-five  out  of  twenty-six  being  new  species  or  at  least  new  races, 
compared  with  the  waders  and  web-footed  birds,  is  in  accordance  with 
the  greater  range  which  these  latter  orders  have  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  We  shall  hereafter  see  this  law  of  aquatic  forms,  whether 
marine  or  fresh-water,  being  less  peculiar  at  any  given  point  of  the 
earth's  surface  than  the  terrestrial  forms  of  the  same  classes,  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  shells,  and  in  a  lesser  degree  in  the  insects  of  this 
archipelago. 

Two  of  the  waders  are  rather  smaller  than  the  same  species  brought 
from  other  places ;  the  swallow  is  also  smaller,  though  it  is  doubtful 
whether  or  not  it  is  distinct  from  its  analogue.  The  two  owls,  the 
two  tyrant  fly-catchers  (Pyrocephalus),  and  the  dove,  are  also  smaller 
than  the  analogous  but  distinct  species,  to  which  they  are  most  nearly 
related ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  gull  is  rather  larger.  The  two  owls, 
the  swallow,  all  three  species  of  mocking-thrush,  the  dove  in  its 
separate  colours,  though  not  in  its  whole  plumage,  the  Totanus,  and 
the  gull,  are  likewise  duskier  coloured  than  their  analogous  species ; 
and  in  the  case  of  the  mocking-thrush,  and  Totanus,  than  any  other 
species  of  the  two  genera.  With  the  exception  of  a  wren  with  a  fine 
yellow  breast,  and  of  a  tyrant  fly-catcher  with  a  scarlet  tuft  and  breast, 
none  of  the  birds  are  brilliantly  coloured,  as  might  have  been  expected 
in  an  equatorial  district.  Hence  it  would  appear  probable,  that  the 
same  causes  which  here  make  the  immigrants  of  some  species  smaller, 
make  most  of  the  peculiar  Galapageian  species  also  smaller,  as  well  as 
very  generally  more  dusky  coloured.  All  the  plants  have  a  wretched, 
weedy  appearance,  and  I  did  not  see  one  beautiful  flower.  The  insects, 
again,  are  small  sized  and  dull  coloured,  and,  as  Mr.  Waterhouse 
informs  me,  there  is  nothing  in  their  general  appearance  which  would 
have  led  him  to  imagine  that  they  had  come  from  under  the  equator. 
The  birds,  plants,  and  insects  have  a  desert  character,  and  are  not 
more  brilliantly  coloured  than  those  from  southern  Patagonia ;  we  may, 
therefore,  conclude  that  the  usual  g^udy  colouring  of  the  intertropical 
productions,  is  not  related  either  to  the  heat  or  light  of  those  zones,  but 
to  some  other  cause,  perhaps  to  the  conditions  of  existence  being 
generally  favourable  to  life. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  order  of  reptiles,  which  gives  the  most 
striking  character  to  the  zoology  of  these  islands.  The  species  are  not 


*7«  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [csAP.xvti. 

numerous,  but  the  numbers  of  individuals  of  each  species  are  extra- 
ordinarily great  There  is  one  small  lizard  belonging  to  a  South 
American  genus,  and  two  species  (and  probably  more)  of  the  Ambly- 
rhynchus — a  genus  confined  to  the  Galapagos  islands.  There  is  one 
snake  which  is  numerous  ;  it  is  identical,  as  I  am  informed  by  M. 
Bibron,  with  the  Psammophis  Temminckii  from  Chile.  Of  sea-turtle  I 
believe  there  is  more  than  one  species ;  and  of  tortoises  there  are,  as 
we  shall  presently  show,  two  or  three  species  or  races.  Of  toads  and 
frogs  there  are  none :  I  was  surprised  at  this,  considering  how  well 
suited  for  them  the  temperate  and  damp  upper  woods  appeared  to  be. 
It  recalled  to  my  mind  the  remark  made  by  Bory  St.  Vincent,*  namely, 
that  none  of  this  family  are  found  on  any  of  the  volcanic  islands  in  the 
great  oceans.  As  far  as  I  can  ascertain  from  various  works,  this  seems 
to  hold  good  throughout  the  Pacific,  and  even  in  the  large  islands  of  the 
Sandwich  archipelago.  Mauritius  offers  an  apparent  exception,  where 
I  saw  the  Rana  Mascariensis  in  abundance :  this  frog  is  said  now  to 
inhabit  the  Seychelles,  Madagascar,  and  Bourbon ;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  Du  Bois,  in  his  voyage  in  1669,  states  that  there  were  no  reptiles 
in  Bourbon  except  tortoises ;  and  the  Officier  du  Roi  asserts  that  before 
1768  it  had  been  attempted,  without  success,  to  introduce  frogs  into 
Mauritius — I  presume,  for  the  purpose  of  eating :  hence  it  may  be  well 
doubted  whether  this  frog  is  an  aboriginal  of  these  islands.  The 
absence  of  the  frog  family  in  the  oceanic  islands  is  the  more  remarkable, 
when  contrasted  with  the  case  of  lizards,  which  swarm  on  most  of  the 
smallest  islands.  May  this  difference  not  be  caused  by  the  greater 
facility  with  which  the  eggs  of  lizards,  protected  by  calcareous  shells, 
might  be  transported  through  salt-water,  than  could  the  slimy  spawn  of 
frogs  ? 

I  will  first  describe  the  habits  of  the  tortoise  (Testudo  nigra,  formerly 
called  Indica),  which  has  been  so  frequently  alluded  to.  These  animals 
>re  found,  I  believe,  on  all  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago  ;  certainly  on 
the  greater  number.  They  frequent  in  preference  the  high  damp  parts, 
but  they  likewise  live  in  the  lower  and  arid  districts.  I  have  already 
shown,  from  the  numbers  which  have  been  caught  in  a  single  day,  how 
very  numerous  they  must  be.  Some  grow  to  an  immense  size :  Mr. 
Lawson,  an  Englishman,  and  vice-governor  of  the  colony,  told  us  that 
he  had  seen  several  so  large,  that  it  required  six  or  eight  men  to  lift 
them  from  the  ground ;  and  that  some  had  afforded  as  much  as  two 
hundred  pounds  of  meat.  The  old  males  are  the  largest,  the  females 
rarely  growing  to  so  great  a  size  :  the  male  can  readily  be  distinguished 
from  the  female  by  the  greater  length  of  its  tail.  The  tortoises  which 
live  on  those  islands  where  there  is  no  water,  or  in  the  lower  and  arid 
parts  of  the  others,  feed  chiefly  on  the  succulent  cactus.  Those  which 

*  "  Voyage  aux  Quatre  lies  d'Afrique."  With  respect  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  see  Tyerman  and  Bennett's  "Journal,"  vol.  i.,  p.  434.  For  Mauritius, 
see  "Voyage  par  un  Officier,"  etc.,  part  i.,  p.  170.  There  are  no  frogs  in 
the  Canary  Islands  (Webb  et  Berthelot,  "Hist.  Nat.  des  lies  Canaries"). 
I  saw  none  U  St  J*go  in  the  Cape  de  Verds.  There  are  none  at  St 
Helena. 


1835.]  GREAT  TORTOISL.  279 

frequent  the  higher  and  damp  regions,  eat  the  leaves  of  various  trees,  a 
kind  of  berry  (called  guayavita)  which  is  acid  and  austere,  and  likewise 
a  pale  green  filamentous  lichen  (Usnera  plicata),  that  hangs  in  tresses 
from  the  boughs  of  the  trees. 

The  tortoise  is  very  fond  of  water,  drinking  large  quantities,  and 
wallowing  in  the  mud.  The  larger  islands  alone  possess  springs,  and 
these  are  always  situated  towards  the  central  parts,  and  at  a  con- 
siderable height.  The  tortoises,  therefore,  which  frequent  the  lower 
districts,  when  thirsty,  are  obliged  to  travel  from  a  long  distance. 
Hence  broad  and  well-beaten  paths  branch  off  in  every  direction  from 
the  wells  down  to  the  sea-coast ;  and  the  Spaniards  by  following  them 
up,  first  discovered  the  watering-places.  When  I  landed  at  Chatham 
Island,  I  could  not  imagine  what  animal  travelled  so  methodically 
along  well-chosen  tracks.  Near  the  springs  it  was  a  curious  spectacle 
to  behold  many  of  these  huge  creatures,  one  set  eagerly  travelling 
onwards  with  outstretched  necks,  and  another  set  returning,  after 
having  drunk  their  fill.  When  the  tortoise  arrives  at  the  spring,  quite 
regardless  of  any  spectator,  he  buries  his  head  in  the  water  above  his 
eyes,  and  greedily  swallows  great  mouthfuls,  at  the  rate  of  about  ten 
in  a  minute.  The  inhabitants  say  each  animal  stays  three  or  four  days 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  water,  and  then  returns  to  the  lower 
country;  but  they  differed  respecting  the  frequency  of  these  visits. 
The  animal  probably  regulates  them  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
food  on  which  it  has  lived.  It  is,  however,  certain,  that  tortoises  can 
subsist  even  on  those  islands,  where  there  is  no  other  water  than  what 
falls  during  a  few  rainy  days  in  the  year. 

I  believe  it  is  well  ascertained,  that  the  bladder  of  the  frog  acts  as 
a  reservoir  for  the  moisture  necessary  to  its  existence  :  such  seems  to 
be  the  case  with  the  tortoise.  For  some  time  after  a  visit  to  the 
springs,  their  urinary  bladders  are  distended  with  fluid,  which  is  said 
gradually  to  decrease  in  volume,  and  to  become  less  pure.  The 
inhabitants,  when  walking  in  the  lower  district,  and  overcome  with 
thirst,  often  take  advantage  of  this  circumstance,  and  drink  the  contents 
of  the  bladder  if  full ;  in  one  I  saw  killed,  the  fluid  was  quite  limpid, 
and  had  only  a  very  slightly  bitter  taste.  The  inhabitants,  however, 
always  first  drink  the  water  in  the  pericardium,  which  is  described  as 
being  best. 

The  tortoises,  when  purposely  moving  towards  any  point,  travel  by 
night  and  day,  and  arrive  at  their  journey's  end  much  sooner  than 
wouldjbe  expected.  The  inhabitants,  from  observing  marked  individuals, 
consider  that  they  travel  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles  in  two  or  three 
days.  One  large  tortoise,  which  I  watched,  walked  at  the  rate  cf  sixty 
yards  in  ten  minutes,  that  is,  three  hundred  and  sixty  yards  in  the  hour, 
or  four  miles  a  day, — allowing  a  little  time  for  it  to  eat  on  the  road. 
During  the  breeding  season,  when  the  male  and  female  are  together, 
the  male  utters  a  hoarse  roar  or  bellowing,  which,  it  is  said,  can  be 
heard  at  the  distance  of  more  than  a  hundred  yards.  The  female 
never  uses  her  voice,  and  the  male  only  at  these  times  ;  so  that  when 
the  people  hear  this  noise,  they  know  that  the  two  are  together.  They 


«8o  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvii. 

v.-ere  at  this  time  (October)  laying  their  eggs.  The  female,  where  the 
soil  is  sandy,  deposits  them  together,  and  covers  them  up  with  sand ; 
but  where  the  ground  is  rocky  she  drops  them  indiscriminately  in  any 
hole:  Mr.  Bynoe  found  seven  placed  in  a  fissure.  The  egg  is  white 
and  spherical;  one  which  I  measured  was  seven  inches  and  three-eighths 
in  circumference,  and  therefore  larger  than  a  hen's  egg.  The  young 
tortoises,  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  fall  a  prey  in  great  numbers  to 
the  carrion-feeding  buzzard.  The  old  ones  seem  generally  to  die  from 
accidents,  as  from  falling  down  precipices:  at  least  several  of  the 
inhabitants  told  me,  that  they  had  never  found  one  dead  without  some 
evident  cause. 

The  inhabitants  believe  that  these  animals  are  absolutely  deaf; 
certainly  they  do  not  overhear  a  person  walking  close  behind  them. 
I  was  always  amused  when  overtaking  one  of  these  great  monsters,  as 
it  was  quietly  pacing  along,  to  see  how  suddenly,  the  instant  I  passed, 
it  would  draw  in  its  head  and  legs,  and  uttering  a  deep  hiss  fall  to  the 
ground  with  a  heavy  sound,  as  if  ^struck  dead.  I  frequently  got  on 
their  backs,  and  then  giving  a  few  raps  on  the  hinder  part  of  their 
shells,  they  would  rise  up  and  walk  away ; — but  I  found  it  very  difficult 
to  keep  my  balance.  The  flesh  of  this  animal  is  largely  employed, 
both  fresh  and  salted ;  and  a  beautifully  clear  oil  is  prepared  from  the 
fat.  When  a  tortoise  is  caught,  the  man  makes  a  slit  in  the  skin  near 
its  tail,  so  as  to  see  inside  its  body,  whether  the  fat  under  the  dorsal 
plate  is  thick.  If  it  is  not,  the  animal  is  liberated ;  and  it  is  said  to 
recover  soon  from  this  strange  operation.  In  order  to  secure  the 
tortoises,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  turn  them  like  turtle,  for  they  are  often 
able  to  get  on  their  legs  again. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  tortoise  is  an  aboriginal  inhabitant 
of  the  Galapagos  ;  for  it  is  found  on  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  islands,  even 
on  some  of  the  smaller  ones  where  there  is  no  water ;  had  it  beeu  an 
imported  species,  this  would  hardly  have  been  the  case  in  a  group  which 
has  been  so  little  frequented.  Moreover,  the  old  Bucaniers  found  this 
tortoise  in  greater  numbers  even  than  at  present ;  Wood  and  Rogers 
also,  in  1708,  say  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Spaniards,  that  it  is  found 
nowhere  else  in  this  quarter  of  the  world.  It  is  now  widely  distributed ; 
but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  it  is  in  j?nv  other  place  an  aboriginal. 
The  bones  of  a  tortoise  at  Mauritius,  associated  with  those  of  the 
extinct  Dodo,  have  generally  been  considered  as  belonging  to  this 
tortoise ;  if  this  had  been  so,  undoubtedly  it  must  have  been  there 
indigenous ;  but  M.  Bibron  informs  me  that  he  believes  that  it  was 
distinct,  as  the  species  now  living  there  certainly  is. 

The  Amblyrhynchus,  a  remarkable  genus  of  lizards,  is  confined  to  this 
archipelago:  there  are  two  species  resembling  each  other  in  general 
form,  one  being  terrestrial  and  the  other  aquatic.  This  latter  species 
(A.  cristatus)  was  first  characterised  by  Mr.  Bell,  who  well  foresaw,  from 
its  short,  broad  head,  and  strong  claws  of  equal  length,  that  its  habits  of 
life  would  turn  out  very  peculiar,  and  different  from  those  of  its  nearest 
ally,  the  Iguana.  It  is  extremely  common  on  all  the  islands  throughout 
the  group,  and  lives  exclusively  on  the  rocky  sea  beaches,  being  never 


1835.]  MARINE  AMBLYRHYNCHUS.  281 

found,  at  least  I  never  saw  one,  even  ten  yards  in-shore.  It  is  a  hideous 
looking  creature,  of  a  dirty  black  colour,  stupid,  and  sluggish  in  its 
movements.  The  usual  length  of  a  full-grown  one  is  about  a  yard,  but 
there  are  some  even  four  feet  long ;  a  large  one  weighed  twenty  pounds : 
on  the  island  of  Albemarle  they  seem  to  grow  to  a  greater  size  than 
elsewhere.  Their  tails  are  flattened  sideways,  and  all  four  feet  partially 
webbed.  They  are  occasionally  seen  some  hundred  yards  from  the 
shore,  swimming  about;  and  Captain  Collnett,  in  his  Voyage,  says, 
"  They  go  to  sea  in  herds  a-fishing,  and  sun  themselves  on  the  rocks  ; 
and  may  be  called  alligators  in  miniature."  It  must  not,  however,  be 
supposed  that  they  live  on  fish.  When  in  the  water  this  lizard  swims 
with  perfect  ease  and  quickness,  by  a  serpentine  .novement  of  its  body 
and  flattened  tail — the  legs  being  motionless  and  closely  collapsed  on 
its  sides.  A  seaman  on  board  sank  one,  with  a  heavy  weight  attached 
to  it,  thinking  thus  to  kill  it  directly;  but  when,  an  hour  afterwards,  he 
drew  up  the  line,  it  was  quite  active.  Their  limbs  and  strong  claws  are 
admirably  adapted  for  crawling  over  the  rugged  and  fissured  masses  of 


AmUyrhyncbus  cristatus.  a.  Tooth  of  natural  size,  and  likewise  magnified 

lava  which  everywhere  form  the  coast.  In  such  situations,  a  group  of 
six  or  seven  of  these  hideous  reptiles  may  oftentimes  be  seen  on  the 
black  rocks,  a  few  feet  above  the  surf,  basking  in  the  sun  with  out- 
stretched legs. 

I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several,  and  found  them  largely  distended 
with  minced  seaweed  (Ulvae),  which  grows  in  thin  foliaceous  expansions 
of  a  bright  green  or  a  dull  red  colour.  I  do  not  recollect  having  observed 
this  seaweed  in  any  quantity  on  the  tidal  rocks ;  and  I  have  reason  to 
believe  it  grows  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  at  some  little  distance  from 
the  coast.  If  such  be  the  case,  the  object  of  these  animals  occasionally 
going  out  to  sea  is  explained.  The  stomach  contained  nothing  but  the 
seaweed.  Mr.  Bynoe,  however,  found  a  piece  of  a  crab  in  one ;  but 
this  might  have  got  in  accidentally,  in  the  same  manner  as  I  have  seen 
a  caterpillar,  in  the  midst  of  some  lichen,  in  the  paunch  of  a  tortoise. 
The  intestines  were  large,  as  in  other  herbivorous  animals.  The  nature 
of  this  lizard's  food,  as  well  as  the  structure  of  its  tail  and  feet,  and  the 
fact  of  its  having  been  seen  voluntarily  swimming  out  at  sea,  absolutely 
prove  its  aquatic  habits ;  yet  there  is  in  this  respect  one  strange  anomaly, 


282  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  xvii. 

namely,  that  when  frightened  it  will  not  enter  the  water.  Hence  it  is 
easy  to  drive  these  lizards  down  to  any  little  point  overhanging  the  sea, 
where  they  will  sooner  allow  a  person  to  catch  hold  of  their  tails  than 
jump  into  the  water.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  any  notion  of  biting ; 
but  when  much  frightened  they  squirt  a  drop  of  fluid  from  each  nostril. 
I  threw  one  several  times  as  far  as  I  could,  into  a  deep  pool  left  by  the 
retiring  tide;  but  it  invariably  returned  in  a  direct  line  to  the  spot 
where  I  stood.  It  swam  near  the  bottom,  with  a  very  graceful  and 
rapid  movement,  and  occasionally  aided  itself  over  the  uneven  ground 
with  its  feet.  As  soon  as  it  arrived  near  the  edge,  but  still  being  under 
water,  tit  tried  to  conceal  itself  in  the  tufts  of  seaweed,  or  it  entered 
some  crevice.  As  soon  as  it  thought  the  danger  was  past,  it  crawled 
out  on  the  dry  rocks,  and  shuffled  (away  as  quickly  as  it  could.  I 
several  times  caught  this  same  lizard,  by  driving  it  down  to  a  point, 
and  though  possessed  of  such  perfect  powers  of  diving  and  swimming, 
nothing  would  induce  it  to  enter  the  water ;  and  as  often  as  I  threw 
it  in,  it  returned  in  the  manner  above  described.  Perhaps  this  singular 
piece  of  apparent  stupidity  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  circumstance, 
that  this  reptile  has  no  enemy  whatever  on  shore,  whereas  at  sea  it 
must  often  fall  a  prey  to  the  numerous  sharks.  Hence,  probably,  urged 
by  a  fixed  and  hereditary  instinct  that  the  shore  is  its  place  of  safety, 
whatever  the  emergency  may  be,  it  there  takes  refuge. 

During  our  visit  (in  October),  I  saw  extremely  few  small  individuals 
of  this  species,  and  none  I  should  think  under  a  year  old.  From  this 
circumstance  it  seems  probable  that  the  breeding  season  had  not  then 
commenced.  I  asked  several  of  the  inhabitants  if  they  knew  where  it 
laid  iits  eggs ;  they  said  that  they  knew  nothing  of  its  propagation, 
although  well  acquainted  with  the  eggs  of  the  land  kind — a  fact,  con- 
sidering how  very  common  this  lizard  is,  not  a  little  extraordinary. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  terrestrial  species  (A.  Demarlii),  with  a 
round  tail,  and  toes  without  webs.  This  lizard,  instead  of  being  found 
like  the  other  on  all  the  islands,  is  confined  to  the  central  part  of  the 
archipelago,  namely  to  Albemarle,  James,  Harrington,  and  Indefatigable 
Islands.  To  the  southward,  in  Charles,  Hoop,  and  Chatham  Islands,  and 
to  the  northward,  in  Towers,  Bindloes,  and  Abingdon,  I  neither  saw 
nor  heard  of  any.  It  would  appear  as  if  it  had  been  created  in  the 
centre  of  the  archipelago,  and  thence  had  been  dispersed  only  to  a 
certain  distance.  Some  of  these  lizards  inhabit  the  high  and  damp 
parts  of  the  islands,  but  they  are  much  more  numerous  in  the  lower 
and  sterile  districts  near  the  coast.  I  cannot  give  a  more  forcible 
proof  of  their  numbers,  than  by  stating  that  when  we  were  left  at 
Tames  Island,  we  could  not  for  some  time  find  a  spot  free  from  their 
burrows  on  which  to  pitch  our  single  tent.  Like  their  brothers  the 
sea-kind,  they  are  ugly  animals,  of  a  yellowish-orange  beneath,  and 
of  a  brownish-red  colour  above ;  from  their  low  facial  angle  they  have 
a  singularly  stupid  appearance.  They  are,  perhaps,  of  a  rather  less 
size  than  the  marine  species ;  but  several  of  them  weighed  between 
ten  and  fifteen  pounds.  In  their  movements  they  are  lazy  and  half 
torpid.  When  not  frightened,  they  slowly  crawl  along  with  their  tail.s 


1835.]  TERRESTRIAL  AMBLYRHYNCHUS.  283 

and  bellies  dragging  on  the  ground.  They  often  stop,  and  doze  for 
a  minute  or  two,  with  closed  eyes  and  hind  legs  spread  out  on  the 
parched  soil. 

They  inhabit  burrows,  which  they  sometimes  make  between  frag 
ments  of  lava,  but  more  generally  on  level  patches  of  the  soft 
sandstone-like  stuff.  The  holes  do  not  appear  to  be  very  deep,  and 
they  enter  the  ground  at  a  small  angle ;  so  that  when  walking  over 
these  lizard-warrens,  the  soil  is  constantly  giving  way,  much  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  tired  walker.  This  animal,  when  making  its  burrow, 
works  alternately  the  opposite  sides  of  its  body.  One  front  leg  for 
a  short  time  scratches  up  the  soil,  and  throws  it  towards  the  hind  foot, 
which  is  well  placed  so  as  to  heave  it  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  hole. 
That  side  of  the  body  being  tired,  the  other  takes  up  the  task,  and  so 
on  alternately.  I  watched  one  for  a  long  time,  till  half  its  body  was 
buried;  I  then  walked  up  and  pulled  it  by  the  tail;  at  this  it  was 
greatly  astonished,  and  soon  shuffled  up  to  see  what  was  the  matter ; 
and  then  stared  me  in  the  face,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  What  made  you 
pull  my  tail  ?  " 

They  feed  by  day,  and  do  not  wander  far  from  their  burrows ; 
if  frightened,  they  rush  to  them  with  a  most  awkward  gait.  Except 
when  running  downhill,  they  cannot  move  very  fast,  apparently  from 
the  lateral  position  of  their  legs.  They  are  not  at  all  timorous  ;  when 
attentively  watching  any  one,  they  curl  their  tails,  and,  raising  them- 
selves on  their  front  legs,  nod  their  heads  vertically,  with  a  quick 
movement,  and  try  to  look  very  fierce;  but  in  reality  they  are  not  at 
all  so  ;  if  one  just  stamps  on  the  ground,  down  go  their  tails,  and  off 
they  snuffle  as  quickly  as  they  can.  I  have  frequently  observed  small 
fly-eating  lizards,  when  watching  anything,  nod  their  heads  in  precisely 
the  same  manner ;  but  I  do  not  at  all  know  for  what  purpose.  If  this 
Amblyrhynchus  is  held  and  plagued  with  a  stick,  it  will  bite  it  very 
severely ;  but  I  caught  many  by  the  tail,  and  they  never  tried  to  bite 
me.  If  two  are  placed  on  the  ground  and  held  together,  they  will 
fight,  and  bite  each  other  till  blood  is  drawn. 

The  individuals,  and  they  are  the  greater  number,  which  inhabit  the 
lower  country,  can  scarcely  taste  a  drop  of  water  throughout  the  year ; 
but  they  consume  much  of  the  succulent  cactus,  the  branches  of  which 
are  occasionally  broken  off  by  the  wind.  I  several  times  threw  a  piece 
to  two  or  three  of  them  when  together ;  and  it  was  amusing  enough  to 
see  them  trying  to  seize  and  carry  it  away  in  their  mouths,  like  so 
many  hungry  dogs  with  a  bone.  They  eat  very  deliberately,  but  do 
not  chew  their  food.  The  little  birds  are  aware  how  harmless  these 
creatures  are ;  I  have  seen  one  of  the  thick-billed  finches  picking  at  one 
end  of  a  piece  of  cactus  (which  is  much  relished  by  all  the  animals  of 
the  lower  region),  whilst  a  lizard  was  eating  at  the  other  end;  and 
afterwards  the  little  bird  with  the  utmost  indifference  hopped  on  the 
back  of  the  reptile. 

I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several,  and  found  them  full  of  vegetable 
fibres  and  leaves  of  different  trees,  especially  of  an  acacia.  In  the 
upper  region  they  live  chiefly  on  the  acid  and  astringent  berries  of  the 


284  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP,  xvii, 

guayavita,  under  which  trees  I  have  seen  these  lizards  and  the  huge 
tortoises  feeding  together.  To  obtain  the  acacia-leaves  they  crawl  up 
the  low  stunted  trees ;  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  pair  quietly 
browsing,  whilst  seated  on  a  branch  several  feet  above  the  ground. 
These  lizards,  when  cooked,  yield  a  white  meat,  which  is  liked  by 
those  whose  stomachs  soar  above  all  prejudices.  Humboldt  has 
remarked  that  in  intertropical  South  America,  all  lizards  which  inhabit 
dry  regions  are  esteemed  delicacies  for  the  table.  The  inhabitants 
state  that  those  which  inhabit  the  upper  damp  parts  drink  water,  but 
that  the  others  do  not,  like  the  tortoises,  travel  up  for  it  from  the  lower 
sterile  country.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  females  had  within  their 
bodies  numerous,  large,  elongated  eggs,  which  they  lay  in  their  burrows ; 
the  inhabitants  seek  them  for  food. 

These  two  species  of  Amblyrhynchus  agree,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
in  their  general  structure,  and  in  many  of  their  habits.  Neither  have 
that  rapid  movement  so  characteristic  of  the  genera  Lacerta  and  Iguana. 
They  are  both  herbivorous,  although  the  kind  of  vegetation  on  which 
they  feed  is  so  very  different.  Mr.  Bell  has  given  the  name  to  the 
genus  from  the  shortness  of  the  snout ;  indeed,  the  form  of  the  mouth 
may  almost  be  compared  to  that  of  the  tortoise :  one  is  led  to  suppose 
that  this  is  an  adaptation  to  their  herbivorous  appetites.  It  is  very 
interesting  thus  to  find  a  well-characterized  genus,  having  its  marine 
and  terrestrial  species,  belonging  to  so  confined  a  portion  of  the  world. 
The  aquatic  species  is  by  far  the  most  remarkable,  because  it  is  the 
only  existing  lizard  which  lives  on  marine  vegetable  productions.  As 
I  at  first  observed,  these  islands  are  not  so  remarkable  for  the  number 
of  the  species  of  reptiles,  as  for  that  of  the  individuals ;  when  we 
remember  the  well-beaten  paths  made  by  the  thousands  of  huge 
tortoises — the  many  turtles — the  great  warrens  of  the  terrestrial  Ambly- 
rhynchus— and  the  groups  of  the  marine  species  basking  on  the  coast- 
rocks  of  every  island — we  must  admit  that  there  is  no  other  quarter  of 
the  world  where  this  Order  replaces  the  herbivorous  mammalia  in  so 
extraordinary  a  manner.  The  geologist  on  hearing  this  will  probably 
refer  back  in  his  mind  to  the  Secondary  epochs,  when  lizards,  some 
herbivorous,  some  carnivorous,  and  of  dimensions  comparable  only 
with  our  existing  whales,  swarmed  on  the  land  and  in  the  sea.  It  is, 
therefore,  worthy  of  his  observation,  that  this  archipelago,  instead  of 
possessing  a  humid  climate  and  rank  vegetation,  cannot  be  considered 
otherwise  than  extremely  arid,  and,  for  an  equatorial  region,  remarkably 
temperate. 

To  finish  with  the  zoology :  the  fifteen  kinds  of  sea-fish  which  I  pro- 
cured here  are  all  new  species ;  they  belong  to  twelve  genera,  all 
widely  distributed,  with  the  exception  of  Prionotus,  of  which  the  four 
previously  known  species  live  on  the  eastern  side  of  America.  Of  land- 
shells  I  collected  sixteen  kinds  (and  two  marked  varieties),  of  which, 
with  the  exception  of  one  Helix  found  at  Tahiti,  all  are  peculiar  to  this 
archipelago  ;  a  single  fresh-water  shell  (Paludina)  is  common  to  Tahiti 
and  Van  Diemen's  Land.  Mr.  Cuming,  before  our  voyage,  procured 
here  ninety  species  of  sea-shells,  and  tbis  does  not  include  several 


I83S-]  DISTRIBUTION  OF  SHELLS.  285 

species  not  yet  specifically  examined,  of  Trochus,  Turbo,  Monodonta, 
and  Nassa.  He  has  been  kind  enough  to  give  me  the  following  in- 
teresting results:  of  the  ninety  shells,  no  less  than  forty-seven  are 
unknown  elsewhere — a  wonderful  fact,  considering  how  widely  dis- 
tributed sea-shells  generally  are.  Of  the  forty-three  shells  found  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  twenty-five  inhabit  the  western  coast  of 
America,  and  of  these  eight  are  distinguishable  as  varieties ;  the 
remaining  eighteen  (including  one  variety)  were  found  by  Mr.  Cuming 
in  the  Low  archipelago,  and  some  of  them  also  at  the  Philippines. 
This  fact  of  shells  from  islands  in  the  central  parts  of  the  Pacific 
occurring  here,  deserves  notice,  for  not  one  single  sea-shell  is  known 
to  be  common  to  the  islands  of  that  ocean  and  to  the  west  coast  of 
America.  The  space  of  open  sea  running  north  and  south  off  the  west 
coast,  separates  two  quite  distinct  conchological  provinces ;  but  at 
the  Galapagos  Archipelago  we  have  a  halting-place,  where  many  new 
forms  have  been  created,  and  whither  these  two  great  conchological 
provinces  have  each  sent  several  colonists.  The  American  province 
has  also  sent  here  representative  species ;  for  there  is  a  Galapageian 
species  of  Monoceros,  a  genus  only  found  on  the  west  coast  of 
America ;  and  there  are  Galapageian  species  of  Fissurella  and  Can- 
cellaria,  genera  common  on  the  west  coast,  but  not  found  (as  I  am 
informed  by  Mr.  Cuming)  in  the  central  islands  of  the  Pacific.  On 
the  other  hand,  there  are  Galapageian  species  of  Oniscia  and  Stylifer, 
genera  common  to  the  West  Indies,  and  to  the  Chinese  and  Indian 
seas,  but  not  found  either  on  the  west  coast  of  America  or  in  the 
central  Pacific.  I  may  here  add,  that  after  the  comparison  by  Messrs. 
Cuming  and  Hinds  of  about  two  thousand  shells  from  the  eastern 
and  western  coasts  of  America,  only  one  single  shell  was  found  in 
common,  namely,  the  Purpura  patula,  which  inhabits  the  West  Indies, 
the  coast  of  Panama,  and  the  Galapagos.  We  have,  therefore,  in  this 
quarter  of  the  world,  three  great  conchological  sea-provinces,  quite 
distinct,  though  surprisingly  near  each  other,  being  separated  by  long 
north  and  south  spaces  either  of  land  or  of  open  sea. 

I  took  great  paias  in  collecting  the  insects,  but,  excepting  Tierra 
del  Fuego,  I  never  saw  in  this  respect  so  poor  a  country.  Even  in 
the  upper  and  damp  region  I  procured  very  few,  excepting  some 
minute  Diptera  and  Hymenoptera,  mostly  of  common  mundane  forms. 
As  before  remarked,  the  insects,  for  a  tropic?!  region,  are  of  very  small 
size  and  dull  colours.  Of  beetles  I  collected  twenty-five  species  (ex- 
cluding a  Dermestes  and  Corynetes  imported,  wherever  a  ship  touches)  ; 
of  these,  two  belong  to  the  Harpalidae,  two  to  the  Hydrophilidse,  nine 
to  three  families  of  the  Heteromera,  and  the  remaining  twelve  to  as 
many  different  families.  This  circumstance  of  insects  (and  I  may  add 
plants),  where  few  in  number,  belonging  to  many  different  families,  is, 
I  believe,  very  general.  Mr.  Waterhouse,  who  has  published  *  an 
account  of  the  insects  of  this  archipelago,  and  to  whom  I  am  indebted 
for  the  above  details,  informs  me  that  there  are  several  new  genera ; 
and  that  of  the  genera  not  new,  one  or  two  are  American,  and  the  rest 
*  d»n.  and  Mag.  of  Natural  History,  vol.  xvi.,  p.  19. 


286  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  (CHAP.  xvn. 

of  mundane  distribution.  With  the  exception  of  a  wood-feeding  Apate, 
and  of  one  or  probably  two  water-beetles  from  the  American  continent, 
all  the  species  appear  to  be  new. 

The  botany  of  this  group  is  fully  as  interesting  as  the  zoology. 
Dr.  J.  Hooker  will  soon  publish  in  the  "  Linnean  Transactions  "  a  full 
account  of  the  Flora,  and  I  am  much  indebted  to  him  for  the  following 
details.  Of  flowering  plants  there  are,  as  far  as  at  present  is  known, 
185  species,  and  40  cryptogamic  species,  making  together  225;  of  this 
number  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  bring  home  193.  Of  the  flowering 
plants,  100  are  new  species,  and  are  probably  confined  to  this  archi- 
pelago. Dr.  Hooker  conceives  that,  of  the  plants  not  so  confined,  at 
least  10  species  found  near  the  cultivated  ground  at  Charles  Island, 
have  been  imported.  It  is,  I  think,  surprising  that  more  American 
species  have  not  been  introduced  naturally,  considering  that  the  dis- 
tance is  only  between  500  and  600  miles  from  the  continent ;  and  thatt 
(according  to  Collnett,  p.  58)  drift-wood,  bamboos,  canes,  and  the 
nuts  of  a  palm,  are  often  washed  on  the  south-eastern  shores.  The 
proportion  of  100  flowering  plants  out  of  185  (or  175  excluding  the 
imported  weeds)  being  new,  is  sufficient,  I  conceive,  to  make  the 
Galapagos  Archipelago  a  distinct  botanical  province;  but  this  Flora 
is  not  nearly  so  peculiar  as  that  of  St.  Helena,  nor,  as  I  am  informed 
by  Dr.  Hooker,  of  Juan  Fernandez.  The  peculiarity  of  the  Galapageian 
Flora  is  best  shown  in  certain  families; — thus  there  are  21  species  of 
Composite,  of  which  20  are  peculiar  to  this  archipelago ;  these 
belong  to  twelve  genera,  and  of  these  genera  no  less  than  ten  are 
confined  to  the  archipelago  1  Dr.  Hooker  informs  me  that  the  Flora  has 
an  undoubted  Western  American  character ;  nor  can  he  detect  in  it  any 
affinity  with  that  of  the  Pacific.  If,  therefore,  we  except  the  eighteen 
marine,  the  one  fresh-water,  and  one  land-shell,  which  have  apparently 
come  here  as  colonists  from  the  central  islands  of  the  Pacific,  and  like- 
wise the  one  distinct  Pacific  species  of  the  Galapageian  groups  of 
finches,  we  see  that  this  archipelago,  though  standing  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  is  zoologically  part  of  America. 

If  this  character  were  owing  merely  to  immigrants  from  America, 
there  would  be  little  remarkable  in  it ;  but  we  see  that  a  vast  majority 
of  all  the  land  animals,  and  that  more  than  half  of  the  flowering  plants, 
are  aboriginal  productions.  It  was  most  striking  to  be  surrounded  by 
new  birds,  new  reptiles,  new  shells,  new  insects,  new  plants,  and  yet 
by  innumerable  trifling  details  of  structure,  and  even  by  the  tones  of 
voice  and  plumage  of  the  birds,  to  have  the  temperate  plains  of 
Patagonia,  or  the  hot  dry  deserts  of  Northern  Chile,  vividly  brought 
before  my  eyes.  Why,  on  these  small  points  of  land,  which  within  a 
late  geological  period  must  have  been  covered  by  the  ocean,  which  are 
formed  of  basaltic  lava,  and  therefore  differ  in  geological  character  from 
the  American  continent,  and  which  are  placed  under  a  peculiar  climate, 
— why  were  their  aboriginal  inhabitants,  associated,  I  may  add,  in 
different  proportions  both  in  kind  and  number  from  those  on  the 
continent,  and  therefore  acting  on  each  other  in  a  different  manner — 
why  were  they  created  on  American  types  of  organization?  It  is 


1§35-1  DISTRIBUTION  OF  C&GANIC  BRINGS.  i&J 

probable  that  the  islands  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  group  resemble,  in  all 
their  physical  conditions,  far  more  closely  the  Galapagos  Islands  than 
these  latter  physically  resemble  the  coast  of  America  ;  yet  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  the  two  groups  are  totally  unlike ;  those  of  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands  bearing  the  impress  of  Africa,  as  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Galapagos  Archipelago  are  stamped  with  that  of  America. 

I  have  not  as  yet  noticed  by  far  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  the 
natural  history  of  this  archipelago ;  it  is,  that  the  different  islands  to  a 
considerable  extent  are  inhabited  by  a  different  set  of  beings.  My 
attention  was  first  called  to  this  fact  by  the  Vice-Governor,  Mr.  Lawson, 
declaring  that  the  tortoises  differed  from  the  different  islands,  and  that 
he  could  with  certainty  tell  from  which  island  any  one  was  brought.  I 
did  not  for  some  time  pay  sufficient  attention  to  this  statement,  and  I 
had  already  partially  mingled  together  the  collections  from  two  of  the 
islands.  I  never  dreamed  that  islands,  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  apart, 
and  most  of  them  in  sight  of  each  other,  formed  of  precisely  the  same 
rocks,  placed  under  a  quite  similar  climate,  rising  to  a  nearly  equal 
height,  would  have  been  differently  tenanted ;  but  we  shall  soon  see 
that  this  is  the  case.  It  is  the  fate  of  most  voyagers,  no  sooner  to 
discover  what  is  most  interesting  in  any  locality,  than  they  are  hurried 
from  it ;  but  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  thankful  that  I  obtained  sufficient 
materials  to  establish  this  most  remarkable  fact  in  the  distribution  of 
organic  beings. 

The  inhabitants,  as  I  have  said,  state  that  they  can  distinguish  thf 
tortoises  from  the  different  islands ;  and  that  they  differ  not  only  in  size 
but  in  other  characters.  Captain  Porter  has  described  *  those  from 
Charles  and  from  the  nearest  island  to  it,  namely,  Hood  Island,  as 
having  their  shells  in  front  thick  and  turned  up  like  a  Spanish  saddle, 
whilst  the  tortoises  from  James  Island  are  rounder,  blacker,  and  have  a 
better  taste  when  cooked.  Mr.  Bibron,  moreover,  informs  me  that  he 
has  seen  what  he  considers  two  distinct  species  of  tortoise  from  the 
Galapagos,  but  he  does  not  know  from  which  islands.  The  specimens 
that  I  brought  from  three  islands  were  young  ones  ;  and  probably  owing 
to  this  cause,  neither  Mr.  Gray  nor  myself  could  find  in  them  any 
specific  differences.  I  have  remarked  that  the  marine  Amblyrhynchus 
was  larger  at  Albemarle  Island  than  elsewhere ;  and  M.  Bibron  informs 
me  that  he  has  seen  two  distinct  aquatic  species  of  this  genus ;  so  that 
the  different  islands  probably  have  their  representative  species  or  races 
of  the  Amblyrhynchus,  as  well  as  of  the  tortoise.  My  attention  was 
first  thoroughly  aroused,  by  comparing  together  the  numerous  specimens, 
shot  by  myself  and  several  other  parties  on  board,  of  the  mocking- 
thrushes,  when,  to  my  astonishment,  I  discovered  that  all  those  from 
Charles  Island  belonged  to  one  species  (Mimus  trifasciatus) ;  all  from 
Albemarle  Island  to  M.  parvulus ;  and  all  from  James  and  Chatham 
Islands  (between  which  two  other  islands  are  situated,  as  connecting 
links)  belonged  to  M.  melanotis.  These  two  latter  species  are  closely 
allied^  and  would  by  some  ornithologists  be  considered  as  only  well- 
*  "Voyage  in  the  U.  S.  ship  Essex"  vol.  i.,  p.  215. 


2S8 


GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO. 


[CHAP.  xvn. 


marked  races  or  varieties  ;  but  the  Mimus  trifasciatus  is  very  distinct. 
Unfortunately  most  of  the  specimens  of  the  finch  tribe  were  mingled 
together ;  but  I  have  strong  reasons  to  suspect  that  some  of  the  species 
of  the  sub-group  Geospiza  are  confined  to  separate  islands.  If  the 
different  islands  have  their  representatives  of  Geospiza,  it  may  help  to 
explain  the  singularly  large  number  of  the  species  of  this  sub-group  in 
this  one  small  archipelago,  and  as  a  probable  consequence  of  their 
numbers,  the  perfectly  graduated  series  in  the  size  of  their  beaks. 
Two  species  of  the  sub-group  Cactornis,  and  two  of  Camarhynchus, 
were  procured  in  the  archipelago ;  and  of  the  numerous  specimens  of 
these  two  sub-groups  shot  by  four  collectors  at  James  Island,  all  were 
found  to  belong  to  one  species  of  each  ;  whereas  the  numerous  speci- 
mens shot  either  on  Chatham  or  Charles  Island  (for  the  two  sets  were 
mingled  together)  all  belonged  to  the  two  other  species ;  hence  we  may 
feel  almost  sure  that  these  islands  possess  their  representative  species 
of  these  two  sub-groups.  In  land-shells  this  law  of  distribution  does 
not  appear  to  hold  good.  In  my  very  small  collection  of  insects,  Mr. 
Waterhcuse  remarks,  that  of  those  which  were  ticketed  with  their 
locality,  not  one  was  common  to  any  two  of  the  islands. 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  Flora,  we  shall  find  the  aboriginal  plants  oi 
the  different  islands  wonderfully  different.  I  give  all  the  following 
results  on  the  high  authority  of  my  friend  Dr.  J.  Hooker.  I  may 
premise  that  I  indiscriminately  collected  everything  in  flower  on  the 
different  islands,  and  fortunately  kept  my  collections  separate.  Too 
much  confidence,  however,  must  not  be  placed  in  the  proportional 
results,  as  the  small  collections  brought  home  by  some  other  naturalists, 
though  in  some  respects  confirming  the  results,  plainly  show  that  much 
remains  to  be  done  in  the  botany  of  this  group ;  the  Leguminosae, 
moreover,  have  as  yet  been  only  approximately  worked  out : — 


Name 
of 
Island. 

Total 
No.  of 
Species. 

No.  of 
Species 
found  in 
Other  parts 
of  the 
world. 

No.  of 
Species 
confined 
to  the 
Galapagos 
Archipelago. 

No. 
confined 
to  the 
one 
Island. 

No.  of  Species 
confined  to  the 
Galapagos 
Archipelago, 
but  found  on 
more  than  the 
one  Island. 

James  Island    .     . 

71 

33 

38 

3° 

8 

Albemarle  Island  . 

46 

18 

26 

22 

4 

Chatham-Island    . 

32 

16 

16 

12 

4 

Charles  Island  .    . 

63 

39 

29 

21 

8 

(or  29,  if  the 

probably  im- 

ported plants 

be  subtracted) 

Hence  we  have  the  truly  wonderful  fact,  that  in  James  Island,  of  the 
thirty-eight  Galapageian  plants,  or  those  found  in  no  other  part  of  the 
world,  thirty  are  exclusively  confined  to  this  one  island;  and  in 


1835.]       DISTRIBUTION  Of  THE  ORGANIC  BEINGS.  289 

Albemarle  Island,  of  the  twenty-six  aboriginal  Galapageian  plants, 
tv  enty-two  are  confined  to  this  one  island,  that  is,  only  four  are  at 
present  known  to  grow  in  the  other  islands  of  the  archipelago ;  and  so 
on,  as  shown  in  the  above  table,  with  the  plants  from  Chatham  and 
Charles  Islands.  This  fact  will,  perhaps,  be  rendered  even  more- 
striking,  by  giving  a  few  illustrations : — thus,  Scalesia,  a  remarkable 
arborescent  genus  of  the  Composite,  is  confined  to  the  archipelago ;  it 
has  six  species ;  one  from  Chatham,  one  from  Albemarle,  one  from 
Charles  Island,  two  from  James  Island,  and  the  sixth  from  one  of  the 
three  latter  islands,  but  it  is  not  known  from  which ;  not  one  of  these 
six  species  grows  on  any  two  islands.  Again,  Euphorbia,  a  mundane 
or  widely  distributed  genus,  has  here  eight  species,  of  which  seven  are 
confined  to  the  archipelago,  and  not  one  found  on  any  two  islands ; 
Acalypha  and  Borreria,  both  mundane  genera,  have  respectively  six 
and  seven  species,  none  of  which  have  the  same  species  on  two  islands, 
with  the  exception  of  one  Borreria,  which  does  occur  on  two  islands. 
The  species  of  the  Composite  are  particularly  local ;  and  Dr.  Hooker 
has  furnished  me  with  several  other  most  striking  illustrations  of  the 
difference  of  the  species  on  the  different  islands.  He  remarks  that 
this  law  of  distribution  holds  good  both  with  those  genera  confined  to 
the  archipelago,  and  those  distributed  in  other  quarters  of  the  world  ;  in 
like  manner  we  have  seen  that  the  different  islands  have  their  proper 
species  of  the  mundane  genus  of  tortoise,  and  of  the  widely  distributed 
American  genus  of  the  mocking  thrush,  as  well  as  of  two  of  the  Galapa- 
geian sub-groups  of  finches,  and  almost  certainly  of  the  Galapageian 
genus  Amblyrhynchus. 

The  distribution  of  the  tenants  of  this  archipelago  would  not  be  nearly 
so  wonderful,  if,  for  instance,  one  island  had  a  mocking-thrush,  and  a 
second  island  some  other  quite  distinct  genus ; — if  one  island  had  its 
genus  of  lizard,  and  a  second  island  another  distinct  genus,  or  none  what- 
ever ; — or  if  the  different  islands  were  inhabited,  not  by  representative 
species  of  the  same  genera  of  plants,  but  by  totally  different  genera,  as 
does  to  a  certain  extent  hold  good ;  for,  to  give  one  instance,  a  large  berry- 
bearing  tree  at  James  Island  had  no  representative  species  in  Charles 
Island.  But  it  is  the  circumstance,  that  several  of  the  islands  possess 
their  own  species  of  the  tortoise,  mocking-thrush,  finches,  and  numerous 
plants,  these  species  having  the  same  general  habits,  occupying 
analogous  situations,  and  obviously  filling  the  same  place  in  the  natural 
economy  of  this  archipelago,  that  strikes  me  with  wonder.  It  may 
be  suspected  that  some  of  these  representative  species,  at  least  in  the 
case  of  the  tortoise  and  of  some  of  the  birds,  may  hereafter  prove 
to  be  only  well-marked  races ;  but  this  would  be  of  equally  great 
interest  to  the  philosophical  naturalist.  I  have  said  that  most  of  the 
islands  are  in  sight  of  each  other ;  I  may  specify  that  Charles  Island  is 
fifty  miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  Chatham  Island,  and  thirty-three 
miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  Albemarle  Island.  Chatham  Island  is 
sixty  miles  from  the  nearest  part  of  James  Island,  but  there  are  two  inter- 
mediate islands  between  them  which  were  not  visited  by  me.  James 
Island  is  only  ten  miles  from  the  part  of  Albemarle  Island,  but  the 


\ 

290  GALAPAGOS  ARCHIPELAGO.  [CHAP.  Jcvl. 

two  points  where  the  collections  were  made  are  thirty-two  miles 
apart.  I  must  repeat,  that  neither  the  nature  of  the  soil,  nor  height  of 
the  land,  nor  the  climate,  nor  -the  general  character  of  the  associated 
beings,  and  therefore  their  action  one  on  another,  can  differ  much  in 
the  different  islands.  If  there  be  any  sensible  difference  in  their 
climates,  it  must  be  between  the  windward  group  (namely  Charles  and 
Chatham  Islands),  and  that  to  leeward;  but  there  seems  to  be  no 
corresponding  difference  in  the  productions  of  these  two  halves  of  the 
archipelago. 

The  only  light  which  I  can  throw  on  this  remarkable  difference  in  the 
inhabitants  of  the  different  islands,  is,  that  very  strong  currents  of  the 
sea  running  in  a  westerly  and  W.N.W.  direction  must  separate,  as  far 
as  transportal  by  the  sea  is  concerned,  the  southern  islands  from  the 
northern  ones ;  and  between  these  northern  islands  a  strong  N.W. 
current  was  observed,  which  must  effectually  separate  James  and 
Albemarle  Islands.  As  the  archipelago  is  free  to  a  most  remarkable 
degree  from  gales  of  wind,  neither  the  birds,  insects,  nor  lighter  seeds, 
would  be  blown  from  island  to  island.  And  lastly,  the  profound  depth 
of  the  ocean  between  the  islands,  and  their  apparently  recent  (in  a 
geological  sense)  volcanic  origin,  render  it  highly  unlikely  that  they 
were  ever  united  :  and  this,  probably,  is  a  far  more  important  considera- 
tion than  any  other,  with  respect  to  the  geographical  distribution  of 
their  inhabitants.  Reviewing  the  facts  here  given,  one  is  astonished 
at  the  amount  of  creative  force,  if  such  an  expression  may  be  used, 
displayed  on  these  small,  barren,  and  rocky  islands ;  and  still  more  so 
at  its  diverse  yet  analogous  action  on  points  so  near  each  other.  I  have 
said  that  the  Galapagos  Archipelago  might  be  called  a  satellite  attached 
to  America,  but  it  should  rather  be  called  a  group  of  satellites,  physically 
similar,  organically  distinct,  yet  intimately  related  to  each  other,  and  all 
related  in  a  marked,  though  much  lesser  degree,  to  the  great  American 
continent 

I  will  conclude  my  description  of  the  natural  history  of  these  islands, 
by  giving  an  account  of  the  extreme  tameness  of  the  birds. 

This  disposition  is  common  to  all  the  terrestrial  species ;  namely,  to 
the  mocking-thrushes,  the  finches,  wrens,  tyrant-fly-catchers,  the  dove, 
and  carrion-buzzard.  All  of  them  often  approached  sufficiently  near  to 
be  killed  with  a  switch,  and  sometimes,  as  I  myself  tried,  with  a  cap  or 
hat.  A  gun  is  here  almost  superfluous ;  for  with  the  muzzle  I  pushed 
a  hawk  off  the  branch  of  a  tree.  One  day,  whilst  lying  down,  a  mocking- 
thrush  alighted  on  the  edge  of  a  pitcher,  made  of  the  shell  of  a  tortoise, 
which  I  held  in  my  hand,  and  began  very  quietly  to  sip  the  water  ;  it 
allowed  me  to  lift  it  from  the  ground  whilst  seated  on  the  vessel :  I  often 
tried,  and  very  nearly  succeeded,  in  catching  these  birds  by  their  legs. 
Formerly  the  birds  appear  to  have  been  even  tamer  than  at  present. 
Covvley  (in  the  year  1684)  says  that  the  "Turtle-doves  were  so  tame, 
that  they  would  often  alight  upon  our  hats  and  arms,  so  as  that  we 
could  take  them  alive :  they  not  fearing  man,  until  such  time  as  some 
»f  our  company  did  fire  at  them,  whereby  they  were  rendered  more 


1835.]  TAMENESS  OF  THE  BIRDS.  191 

shy."  Dampier  also,  in  the  same  year,  says  that  a  man  in  a  morning's 
walk  might  kill  six  or  seven  dozen  of  these  doves.  At  present,  although 
certainly  very  tame,  they  do  not  alight  on  people's  arms,  nor  do  they 
suffer  themselves  to  be  killed  in  such  large  numbers.  It  is  surprising 
that  they  have  not  become  wilder;  for  these  islands  during  the  last 
hundred  and  fifty  years  have  been  frequently  visited  by  bucaniers  and 
whalers ;  and  the  sailors,  wandering  through  the  woods  in  search  of 
tortoises,  always  take  cruel  delight  in  knocking  down  the  little  birds. 

These  birds,  although  now  still  more  persecuted,  do  not  readily 
become  wild :  in  Charles  Island,  which  had  then  been  colonized  about 
six  years,  I  saw  a  boy  sitting  by  a  well  with  a  switch  in  his  hand,  with 
which  he  killed  the  doves  and  finches  as  they  came  to  drink.  He  had 
already  procured  a  little  heap  of  them  for  his  dinner ;  and  he  said  that 
he  had  constantly  been  in  the  habit  of  waiting  by  this  well  for  the  same 
purpose.  It  would  appear  that  the  birds  of  this  archipelago,  not 
having  as  yet  learnt  that  man  is  a  more  dangerous  animal  than  the 
tortoise  or  the  Amblyrhynchus,  disregard  him,  in  the  same  manner  as 
in  England  shy  birds,  such  as  magpies,  disregard  the  cows  and  horses 
grazing  in  our  fields. 

The  Falkland  Islands  offer  a  second  instance  of  birds  with  a  similar 
disposition.  The  extraordinary  tameness  of  the  little  Opetiorhynchus 
has  been  remarked  by  Pernety,  Lesson,  and  other  voyagers.  It  is  not, 
however,  peculiar  to  that  bird:  the  Polyborus,  snipe,  upland  and 
lowland  goose,  thrush,  bunting,  and  even  some  true  hawks,  are  all 
more  or  less  tame.  As  the  birds  are  so  tame  there,  where  foxes,  hawks, 
and  owls  occur,  we  may  infer  that  the  absence  of  all  rapacious  animals 
at  the  Galapagos,  is  not  the  cause  of  their  tameness  here.  The  upland 
geese  at  the  Falklands  show,  by  the  precaution  they  take  in  building  on 
the  islets,  that  they  are  aware  of  their  danger  from  the  foxes ;  but  they 
are  not  by  this  rendered  wild  towards  man.  This  tameness  of  the 
birds,  especially  of  the  waterfowl,  is  strongly  contrasted  with  the  habits 
of  the  same  species  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  where  for  ages  past  they  have 
been  persecuted  by  the  wild  inhabitants.  In  the  Falklands,  the  sports- 
man may  sometimes  kill  more  of  the  upland  geese  in  one  day  than  he 
can  carry  home ;  whereas  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  it  is  nearly  as  difficult 
to  kill  one,  as  it  is  in  England  to  shoot  the  common  wild  goose. 

In  the  time  of  Pernety  (1763),  all  the  birds  there  appear  to  have  been 
much  tamer  than  at  present :  he  states  that  the  Opetiorhynchus  wouiu 
almost  perch  on  his  finger  ;  and  that  with  a  wand  he  killed  ten  in  half 
an  hour.  At  that  period  the  birds  must  have  been  about  as  tame  as 
they  now  are  at  the  Galapagos.  They  appear  to  have  learnt  caution 
more  slowly  at  these  latter  islands  than  at  the  Falklands,  where  they 
have  had  proportionate  means  of  experience;  for  besides  frequent 
visits  from  vessels,  those  islands  have  been  at  intervals  colonized 
during  the  entire  period.  Even  formerly,  when  all  the  birds  were  so 
tame,  it  was  impossible  by  Pernety's  account  to  kill  the  black-necked 
swan — a  bird  of  passage,  which  probably  brought  with  it  the  wisdom 
learnt  in  foreign  countries. 

I  may  add  that,  according  to  Du  Bois,  all  the  birds  at  Bourbon  in 


292  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  XVUL 

1571-72,  with  the  exception  of  the  flamingoes  and  geese,  were  so 
extremely  tame,  that  they  could  be  caught  by  the  hand,  or  killed  in  any 
number  with  a  stick.  Again,  at  Tristan  d'Acunha  in  the  Atlantic, 
Carmichael*  states  that  the  only  two  land-birds,  a  thrush  and  a  bunting, 
were  "  so  tame  as  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  caught  with  a  hand-net." 
From  these  several  facts  we  may,  I  think,  conclude,  first,  that  the 
wildness  of  birds  with  regard  to  man,  is  a  particular  instinct  directed 
against  hint,  and  not  dependent  on  any  general  degree  of  caution 
arising  from  other  sources  of  danger ;  secondly,  that  it  is  not  acquired 
by  individual  birds  in  a  short  time,  even  when  much  persecuted  ;  but 
that  in  the  course  of  successive  generations  it  becomes  hereditary. 
With  domesticated  animals  we  are  accustomed  to  see  new  mental 
habits  or  instincts  acquired  and  rendered  hereditary ;  but  with  animals 
in  a  state  of  nature,  it  must  always  be  most  difficult  to  discover 
instances  of  acquired  hereditary  knowledge.  In  regard  to  the  wildness 
of  birds  towards  man,  there  is  no  way  of  accounting  for  it,  except  as  an 
inherited  habit :  comparatively  few  young  birds,  in  any  one  year,  have 
been  injured  by  man  in  England,  yet  almost  all,  even  nestlings,  are 
afraid  of  him  ;  many  individuals,  on  the  other  hand,  both  at  the 
Galapagos  and  at  the  Falklands,  have  been  pursued  and  injured  by 
man,  but  yet  have  not  learned  a  salutary  dread  of  him.  We  may  infer 
from  these  facts,  what  havoc  the  introduction  of  any  new  beast  of 
prey  must  cause  in  a  country,  before  the  instincts  of  the  indigenous 
inhabitants  have  become  adapted  to  the  stranger's  craft  or  power. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TAHITI  AND  NEW  ZEALAND. 

Pass  through  the  Low  Archipelago — Tahiti— Aspect — Vegetation  on  the 
Mountains —View  of  Eimeo — Excursion  into  the  Interior — Profound 
Ravines — Succession  of  Waterfalls — Number  of  Wild  useful  Plants — 
Temperance  of  the  Inhabitants — Their  Moral  State — Parliament  con- 
vened— New  Zealand— Bay  of  Islands — Hippahs— Excursion  to  Waimate 
— Missionary  Establishment — English  Weeds  now  run  Wild— Waiomio — 
Funeral  of  a  Ne%v  Zealand  Woman — Sail  for  Australia. 

October  zoth. — THE  survey  of  the  Galapagos  Archipelago  being  con- 
cluded, we  steered  towards  Tahiti  and  commenced  our  long  passage 
of  3,200  miles.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  we  sailed  out  of  the  gloomy 
and  clouded  ocean  district  which  extends  during  the  winter  far  from 
the  coast  of  South  America.  We  then  enjoyed  bright  and  clear 
*  Linnean  Transactions,  vol.  xii.,  p.  496.  The  most  anomalous  fact  on  this 
subject  which  I  have  met  with,  is  the  wildness  of  the  small  birds  in  the  Arctic 
parts  of  North  America  (as  described  by  Richardson,  "fauna  JBor.,"  vol.  ii., 
p.  332),  where  they  are  said  never  to  be  persecuted.  This  case  is  the  more 
strange,  because  it  is  asserted  that  some  of  the  same  species  in  their  winter- 
quarters  in  the  United  States  are  tame.  There  is  much,  as  Dr.  Richardson 


1835.]  PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  SOIL.  293 

weather,  while  running  pleasantly  along  at  the  rate  of  150  or  160 
miles  a  day  before  the  steady  trade  wind.  The  temperature  in  this 
more  central  part  of  the  Pacific  is  higher  than  near  the  American 
shore.  The  thermometer  in  the  poop  cabin,  by  night  and  day,  ranged 
between  80°  and  83°,  which  feels  very  pleasant ;  but  with  one  degree 
or  two  higher,  the  heat  becomes  oppressive.  We  passed  through  the 
Low  or  Dangerous  Archipelago,  and  saw  several  of  those  most  curious 
rings  of  coral  land,  just  rising  above  the  water's  edge,  which  have  been 
called  Lagoon  Islands.  A  long  and  brilliantly-white  beach  is  capped 
by  a  margin  of  green  vegetation ;  and  the  strip,  looking  either  way, 
rapidly  narrows  away  in  the  distance,  and  sinks  beneath  the  horizon. 
From  the  mast-head  a  wide  expanse  of  smooth  water  can  be  seen 
within  the  ring.  These  low  hollow  coral  islands  bear  no  proportion 
to  the  vast  ocean  out  of  which  they  abruptly  rise ;  and  it  seems 
wonderful,  that  such  weak  invaders  are  not  overwhelmed  by  the 
all-powerful  and  never-tiring  waves  of  that  great  sea,  miscalled  the 
Pacific. 

November  i$th. — At  daylight,  Tahiti,  an  island  which  must  for  ever 
remain  classical  to  the  voyager  in  the  South  Sea,  was  in  view.  At  a 
distance  the  appearance  was  not  attractive.  The  luxuriant  vegetation 
of  the  lower  part  could  not  yet  be  seen,  and  as  the  clouds  rolled  past, 
the  wildest  and  most  precipitous  peaks  showed  themselves  towards 
the  centre  of  the  island.  As  soon  as  we  anchored  in  Matavai  Bay,  we 
were  surrounded  by  canoes.  This  was  our  Sunday,  but  the  Monday  of 
Tahiti;  if  the  case  had  been  reversed,  we  should  not  have  received  a' 
single  visit ;  for  the  injunction  not  to  launch  a  canoe  on  the  Sabbath  is 
rigidly  obeyed.  After  dinner  we  landed  to  enjoy  all  the  delights  pro- 
duced by  the  first  impressions  of  a  new  country,  and  that  country  the 
charming  Tahiti.  A  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children,  was  collected 
on  the  memorable  Point  Venus,  ready  to  receive  us  with  laughing, 
merry  faces.  They  marshalled  us  towards  the  hous'e  of  Mr.  Wilson, 
the  missionary  of  the  district,  who  met  us  on  the  road,  and  gave  us  a 
very  friendly  reception.  After  sitting  a  short  time  in  his  house,  we 
separated  to  walk  about,  but  returned  there  in  the  evening. 

The  land  capable  of  cultivation,  is  scarcely  in  any  part  more  than  a 
fringe  of  low  alluvial  soil,  accumulated  round  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  protected  from  the  waves  of  the  sea  by  a  coral  reef,  which 
encircles  the  entire  line  of  coast.  Within  the  reef  there  is  an  expanse 
of  smooth  water,  like  that  of  a  lake,  where  the  canoes  of  the  natives  can 
ply  with  safety  and  where  ships  anchor.  The  low  land  which  comes 
down  to  the  beach  of  coral-sand,  is  covered  by  the  most  beautiful  pro- 
ductions of  the  intertropical  regions.  In  the  midst  of  bananas,  orange, 
cocoa-nut,  and  bread-fruit  trees,  spots  are  cleared  where  yams,  sweet 
potatoes,  the  sugar-cane,  and  pine-apples,  are  cultivated.  Even  the 
brushwood  is  an  imported  fruit-tree,  namely,  the  guava,  which  from  its 
well  remarks,  utterly  inexplicable  connected  with  the  different  degrees  of 
shyness  and  care  with  which  birds  conceal  their  nests.  How  strange  it  is 
that  the  English  wood-pigeon,  generally  so  wild  a  bird,  should  very  fre- 
quently rear  its  young  in  shrubberies  close  to  houses  ! 


394  TAHITI  [CHAP,  xvui. 

abundance  has  become  as  noxious  as  a  weed.  In  Brazil  I  have  often 
admired  the  varied  beauties  of  the  bananas,  palms,  and  orange-trees 
contrasted  together ;  and  here  we  also  have  the  bread-fruit,  conspicuous 
from  its  large,  glossy,  and  deeply  digitated  leaf.  It  is  admirable  to 
behold  groves  of  a  tree,  sending  forth  its  branches  with  the  vigour  of 
an  English  oak,  loaded  with  large  and  most  nutritious  fruit.  However 
seldom  the  usefulness  of  an  object  can  account  for  the  pleasure  of 
beholding  it,  in  the  case  of  these  beautiful  woods,  the  knowledge  of  their 
high  productiveness  no  doubt  enters  largely  into  the  feeling  of  admira- 
tion. The  little  winding  paths,  cool  from  the  surrounding  shade,  led  to 
the  scattered  houses;  the  owners  of  which  everywhere  gave  us  a 
cheerful  and  most  hospitable  reception. 

I  was  pleased  with  nothing  so  much  as  with  the  inhabitants.  There 
is  a  mildness  in  the  expression  of  their  countenances  which  at  once 
banishes  the  idea  of  a  savage ;  and  an  intelligence  which  shows  that 
they  are  advancing  in  civilization.  The  common  people,  when  working, 
keep  the  upper  part  of  their  bodies  quite  naked ;  and  it  is  then  that  the 
Tahitians  are  seen  to  advantage.  They  are  very  tall,  broad-shouldered, 
athletic,  and  well-proportioned.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  it  requires 
little  habit  to  make  a  dark  skin  more  pleasing  and  natural  to  the  eye  of 
an  European  than  his  own  colour.  A  white  man  bathing  by  the  side  of 
a  Tahitian,  was  like  a  plant  bleached  by  the  gardener's  art  compared 
with  a  fine  dark  green  one  growing  vigorously  in  the  open  fields.  Most 
of  the  men  are  tattooed,  and  the  ornaments  follow  the  curvature  of  the 
body  so  gracefully,  that  they  have  a  very  elegant  effect  One  common 
pattern,  varying  in  its  details,  is  somewhat  like  the  crown  of  a  palm- 
tree.  It  springs  from  the  central  line  of  the  back,  and  gracefully  curls 
round  both  sides.  The  simile  may  be  a  fanciful  one,  but  I  thought  the 
body  of  a  man  thus  ornamented  was  like  the  trunk  of  a  noble  tree  em- 
braced by  a  delicate  creeper. 

Many  of  the  elder  people  had  their  feet  covered  with  small  figures, 
so  placed  as  to  resemble  a  sock.  This  fashion,  however,  is  partly  gone 
by,  and  has  been  succeeded  by  others.  Here,  although  fashion  is  far 
from  immutable,  every  one  must  abide  by  that  prevailing  in  his  youth. 
An  old  man  has  thus  his  age  for  ever  stamped  on  his  body,  and  he 
cannot  assume  the  airs  of  a  young  dandy.  The  women  are  tattooed  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  men,  and  very  commonly  on  their  fingers. 
One  unbecoming  fashion  is  now  almost  universal :  namely,  shaving  the 
hair  from  the  upper  part  of  the  head,  in  a  circular  form,  so  as  to  leave 
only  an  outer  ring.  The  missionaries  have  tried  to  persuade  the 
people  to  change  this  habit ;  but  it  is  the  fashion,  and  that  is  a  sufficient 
answer  at  Tahiti,  as  well  as  at  Paris.  I  was  much  disappointed  in  the 
personal  appearance  of  the  women ;  they  are  far  inferior  in  every 
respect  to  the  men.  The  custom  of  wearing  a  white  or  scarlet  flower 
in  the  back  of  the  head,  or  through  a  small  hole  in  each  ear,  is  pretty. 
A  crown  of  woven  cocoa-nut  leaves  is  also  worn  as  a  shade  for  the 
eyes.  The  women  appear  to  be  in  greater  want  of  some  becoming 
costume  even  than  the  men. 

Nearly  all  the  natives  understand  a  little  English — that  is,  they  know 


I83S.]  WEALTH  OF  THE  CHIEFS.  295 

the  names  of  common  things ;  and  by  the  aid  of  this,  together  with 
signs,  a  lame  sort  of  conversation  could  be  carried  on.  In  returning  in 
the  evening  to  the  boat  we  stopped  to  witness  a  very  pretty  scene. 
Numbers  of  children  were  playing  on  the  beach,  and  had  lighted  bon- 
fires, which  illumined  the  placid  sea  and  surrounding  trees ;  others,  in 
circles,  were  singing  Tahitian  verses.  We  seated  ourselves  on  the 
sand,  and  joined  their  party.  The  songs  were  impromptu,  and  I 
believe  related  to  our  arrival :  one  little  girl  sang  a  line,  which  the  rest 
took  up  in  parts,  forming  a  very  pretty  chorus.  The  whole  scene  made 
us  unequivocally  aware  that  we  were  seated  on  the  shores  of  an  island 
in  the  far-famed  South  Sea. 

November  17 th. — This  day  is  reckoned  in  the  log-book  as  Tuesday 
the  1 7th,  instead  of  Monday  the  i6th,  owing  to  our,  so  far,  successful 
chase  of  the  sun.  Before  breakfast  the  ship  was  hemmed  in  by  a 
flotilla  of  canoes ;  and  when  the  natives  were  allowed  to  come  on  board 
I  suppose  there  could  not  have  been  less  than  two  hundred.  It  was 
the  opinion  of  every  one  that  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  have 
picked  out  an  equal  number  from  any  other  nation,  who  would  have 
given  so  little  trouble.  Everybody  brought  something  for  sale :  shells 
were  the  main  article  of  trade.  The  Tahitians  now  fully  understand 
the  value  of  money,  and  prefer  it  to  old  clothes  or  other  articles. 
The  various  coins,  however,  of  English  and  Spanish  denomination  puzzle 
them,  and  they  never  seemed  to  think  the  small  silver  quite  secure 
until  changed  into  dollars.  Some  of  the  chiefs  have  accumulated  con- 
siderable sums  of  money.  One  chief,  not  long  since,  offered  800 
dollars  (about  i6o/.  sterling)  for  a  small  vessel ;  and  frequently  they 
purchase  whale-boats  and  horses  at  the  rate  of  from  50  to  100  dollars. 

After  breakfast  I  went  on  shore,  and  ascended  the  nearest  slope  to 
a  height  of  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet.  The  outer  mountains 
are  smooth  and  conical,  but  steep ;  and  the  old  volcanic  rocks,  of  which 
they  are  formed,  have  been  cut  through  by  many  profound  ravines, 
diverging  from  the  central  broken  parts  of  the  island  to  the  coast. 
Having  crossed  the  narrow  low  girt  of  inhabited  and  fertile  land,  I 
followed  a  smooth  steep  ridge  between  two  of  the  deep  ravines.  The 
vegetation  was  singular,  consisting  almost  exclusively  of  small  dwarf 
ferns,  mingled,  higher  up,  with  coarse  grass ;  it  was  not  very  dissimilar 
from  that  on  some  of  the  Welsh  hills,  and  this  so  close  above  the 
orchard  of  tropical  plants  on  the  coast  was  very  surprising.  At  the 
highest  point,  which  I  reached,  trees  again  appeared.  Of  the  three 
zones  of  comparative  luxuriance,  the  lower  one  owes  its  moisture,  and 
therefore  fertility,  to  its  flatness ;  for,  being  scarcely  raised  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  the  water  from  the  higher  land  drains  away  slowly. 
The  intermediate  zone  does  not,  like  the  upper  one,  reach  into  a  damp 
and  cloudy  atmosphere,  and  therefore  remains  sterile.  The  woods  in 
the  upper  zone  are  very  pretty,  tree-ferns  replacing  the  cocoa-nuts  on 
the  coast.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  these  woods  at  all 
equal  in  splendour  the  forests  of  Brazil.  The  vast  number  of  produc- 
tions, which  characterize  a  continent,  cannot  be  expected  to  occur  in  au 
island. 


296  TAHITI,  [CHAP.  x\ni, 

From  the  highest  point  which  I  attained,  there  was  a  good  view  of 
the  distant  island  of  Eimeo,  dependent  on  the  same  sovereign  with 
Tahiti.  On  the  lofty  and  broken  pinnacles  white  massive  clouds  were 
piled  up,  which  formed  an  island  in  the  blue  sky,  as  Eimeo  itself  did 
in  the  blue  ocean.  The  island,  with  the  exception  of  one  small  gate- 
way, is  completely  encircled  by  a  reef.  At  this  distance,  a  narrow  but 
well-defined  brilliantly  white  line  was  alone  visible,  where  the  waves 
first  encountered  the  wall  of  coral.  The  mountains  rose  abruptly  out 
of  the  glassy  expanse  of  the  lagoon,  included  within  this  narrow  white 
line,  outside  which  the  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean  were  dark-coloured. 
The  view  was  striking:  it  may  aptly  be  compared  to  a  framed  en- 
graving, where  the  frame  represents  the  breakers,  the  marginal  paper 
the  smooth  lagoon,  and  the  drawing  the  island  itself.  When  in  the 
evening  I  descended  from  the  mountain,  a  man,  whom  I  had  pleased 
with  a  trifling  gift,  met  me,  bringing  with  him  hot  roasted  bananas,  a 
pine-apple,  and  cocoa-nuts.  After  walking  under  a  burning  sun,  I  do 
not  know  anything  more  delicious  than  the  milk  of  a  young  cocoa-nut. 
Pine-apples  are  here  so  abundant  that  the  people  eat  them  in  the  same 
wasteful  manner  as  we  might  turnips.  They  are  of  an  excellent  flavour 
— perhaps  even  better  than  those  cultivated  in  England ;  and  this  I 
believe  is  the  highest  compliment  which  can  be  paid  to  any  fruit. 
Before  going  on  board,  Mr.  Wilson  interpreted  for  me  to  the  Tahitian 
who  had  paid  me  so  adroit  an  attention,  that  I  wanted  him  and  another 
man  to  accompany  me  on  a  short  excursion  into  the  mountains. 

November  \$>ih. — In  the  morning  I  came  on  shore  early,  bringing  with 
me  some  provisions  in  a  bag,  and  two  blankets  for  myself  and  servant. 
These  were  lashed  to  each  end  of  a  long  pole,  which  was  alternately 
carried  by  my  Tahitian  companions  on  their  shoulders.  These  men 
are  accustomed  thus  to  carry,  for  a  whole  day,  as  much  as  fifty  pounds 
at  each  end  of  their  poles.  I  told  my  guides  to  provide  themselves 
\vith  food  and  clothing ;  but  they  said  that  there  was  plenty  of  food  in 
the  mountains,  and  for  clothing,  that  their  skins  were  sufficient.  Our 
line  of  march  was  the  valley  of  Tia-auru,  down  which  a  river  flows  into 
the  sea  by  Point  Venus.  This  is  one  of  the  principal  streams  in  the 
island,  and  its  source  lies  at  the  base  of  the  loftiest  central  pinnacles, 
which  rise  to  a  height  of  about  7,000  feet.  The  whole  island  is  so 
mountainous  that  the  only  way  to  penetrate  into  the  interior  is  to 
follow  up  the  valleys.  Our  road,  at  first,  lay  through  woods  which 
bordered  each  side  of  the  river  ;  and  the  glimpses  of  the  lofty  central 
peaks,  seen  as  through  an  avenue,  with  here  and  there  a  waving  cocoa- 
nut  tree  on  one  side,  were  extremely  picturesque.  The  valley  soon 
began  to  narrow,  and  the  sides  to  grow  lofty  and  more  precipitous. 
After  having  walked  between  three  and  four  hours,  we  found  the  width 
of  the  ravine  scarcely  exceeded  that  of  the  bed  of  the  stream.  On  each 
hand  the  walls  were  nearly  vertical ;  yet  from  the  soft  nature  of  the 
volcanic  strata,  trees  and  a  rank  vegetation  sprung  from  every  projecting 
ledge.  These  precipices  must  have  been  some  thousand  feet  high ;  and 
the  whole  formed  a  mountain  gorge  for  more  magnificent  than  anything 
which  I  had  ever  before  beheld.  Until  the  mid-day  sun  stood  vertically 


I83S-]  EXCURSION  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS.  297 

over  the  ravine,  the  air  felt  cool  and  damp,  but  now  it  became  very 
sultry.  Shaded  by  a  ledge  of  rock,  beneath  a  fa?ade  of  columnar  lava, 
we  ate  our  dinner.  My  guides  had  already  procured  a  dish  of  small 
fish  and  fresh-water  prawns.  They  carried  with  them  a  small  net 
stretched  on  a  hoop ;  and  where  the  water  was  deep  and  in  eddies, 
they  dived,  and  like  otters,  with  their  eyes  open  followed  the  fish  into 
holes  and  corners,  and  thus  caught  them. 

The  Tahitians  have  the  dexterity  of  amphibious  animals  in  the  water. 
An  anecdote  mentioned  by  Ellis  shows  how  much  they  feel  at  home  in 
this  element.  When  a  horse  was  landing  for  Pomarre  in  1817,  the 
slings  broke,  and  it  fell  into  the  water:  immediately  the  natives  jumped 
overboard,  and  by  their  cries  and  vain  efforts  at  assistance  almost 
drowned  it.  As  soon,  however,  as  it  reached  the  shore,  the  whole 
population  took  to  flight,  and  tried  to  hide  themselves  from  the  man- 
carrying  pig,  as  they  christened  the  horse. 

A  little  higher  up  the  river  divided  itself  into  three  little  streams. 
The  two  northern  ones  were  impracticable,  owing  to  a  succession  of 
waterfalls  which  descended  from  the  jagged  summit  of  the  highest 
mountain ;  the  other  to  all  appearance  was  equally  inaccessible,  but  we 
managed  to  ascend  it  by  a  most  extraordinary  road.  The  sides  of  the 
valley  were  here  nearly  precipitous ;  but,  as  frequently  happens  with 
stratified  rocks,  small  ledges  projected,  which  were  thickly  covered  by 
wild  bananas,  liliaceous  plants,  and  other  luxuriant  productions  of  the 
tropics.  The  Tahitians,  by  climbing  amongst  these  ledges,  searching 
for  fruit,  had  discovered  a  track  by  which  the  whole  precipice  could  be 
scaled.  The  first  ascent  from  the  valley  was  very  dangerous ;  for  it 
was  necessary  to  pass  a  steeply-inclined  face  of  naked  rock,  by  the  aid 
of  ropes  which  we  brought  with  us.  How  any  person  discovered  that 
this  formidable  spot  was  the  only  point  where  the  side  of  the  mountain 
was  practicable,  I  cannot  imagine.  We  then  cautiously  walked  along 
one  of  the  ledges  till  we  came  to  one  of  the  three  streams.  This  ledge 
formed  a  flat  spot,  above  which  a  beautiful  cascade,  some  hundred  feet 
in  height,  poured  down  its  waters,  and  beneath,  another  high  cascade 
fell  into  the  main  stream  in  the  valley  below.  From  this  cool  and  shady 
recess  we  made  a  circuit  to  avoid  the  overhanging  waterfall.  As  before, 
we  followed  little  projecting  ledges,  the  danger  being  partly  concealed 
by  the  thickness  of  the  vegetation.  In  passing  from  one  of  the  ledges  to 
another  there  was  a  vertical  wall  of  rock.  One  of  the  Tahitians,  a  fine 
active  man,  placed  the  trunk  of  a  tree  against  this,  climbed  up  it,  and 
then  by  the  aid  of  crevices  reached  the  summit.  He  fixed  the  ropes  to 
a  projecting  point,  andlewered  them  for  our  dog  and  luggage,  and  then 
we  clambered  up  ourselves.  Beneath  the  ledge  on  which  the  dead  tree 
was  placed,  the  precipice  must  have  been  five  or  six  hundred  feet  deep ; 
and  if  the  abyss  had  not  been  partly  concealed  by  the  overhanging  ferns 
and  lilies,  my  head  would  have  turned  giddy,  and  nothing  should  have 
induced  me  to  ha%-e  attempted  it.  We  continued  to  ascend,  sometimes 
along  ledges,  and  sometimes  along  knife-edged  ridges,  having  on  each 
hand  profound  ravines.  In  the  Cordillera  I  have  seen  mountains  on  a 
far  grander  scale,  but  for  abruptness,  nothing  at  all  comparable  with 


298  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvi« 

this.  In  the  evening  we  reached  a  flat  little  spot  on  the  banks  of  the 
same  stream,  which  we  had  continued  to  follow,  and  which  descends  in 
a  chain  of  waterfalls :  here  we  bivouacked  for  the  night.  On  each  side 
of  the  ravine  there  were  great  beds  of  the  mountain-banana,  covered 
with  ripe  fruit.  Many  of  these  plants  were  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
feet  high,  and  from  three  to  four  in  circumference.  By  the  aid  of  strips 
of  bark  for  rope,  and  the  stems  of  bamboos  for  rafters,  and  the  large 
leaf  of  the  banana  for  a  thatch,  the  Tahitians  in  a  few  minutes  built  us 
an  excellent  house  ;  and  with  withered  leaves  made  a  soft  bed. 

They  then  proceeded  to  make  a  fire,  and  cook  our  evening  meal.  A 
light  was  procured,  by  rubbing  a  blunt-pointed  stick  in  a  groove  made 
in  another,  as  if  with  the  intention  of  deepening  it,  until  by  the  friction 
the  dust  became  ignited.  A  peculiarly  white  and  very  light  wood  (the 
Hibiscus  tiliaceus)  is  alone  used  for  this  purpose :  it  is  the  same  which 
serves  for  poles  to  carry  any  burden,  and  for  the  floating  outriggers  to 
their  canoes.  The  fire  was  produced  in  a  few  seconds ;  but  to  a  person 
who  does  not  understand  the  art,  it  requires,  as  I  found,  the  greatest 
exertion ;  but  at  last,  to  my  great  pride,  I  succeeded  in  igniting  the 
dust.  The  Gaucho  in  the  Pampas  uses  a  different  method  :  taking  an 
elastic  stick  about  eighteen  inches  long,  he  presses  one  end  on  his 
breast,  and  the  other  pointed  end  into  a  hole  in  a  piece  of  wood,  and 
then  rapidly  turns  the  curved  part,  like  a  carpenter's  centre-bit.  The 
Tahitians  having  made  a  small  fixe  of  sticks,  placed  a  score  of  stones, 
of  about  the  size  of  cricket-balls,  on  the  burning  wood.  In  about  ten 
minutes  the  sticks  were  consumed,  and  the  stones  hot.  They  had 
previously  folded  up  in  small  parcels  of  leaves,  pieces  of  beef,  fish,  ripe 
and  unripe  bananas,  and  the  tops  of  the  wild  arum.  These  green 
parcels  were  laid  in  a  layer  between  two  layers  of  the  hot  stones,  and 
the  whole  then  covered  up  with  earth,  so  that  no  smoke  or  steam  could 
escape.  In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  whole  was  most  deliciously 
cooked.  The  choice  green  parcels  were  now  laid  on  a  cloth  of  banana 
leaves,  and  with  a  cocoa-nut  shell  we  drank  the  cool  water  of  the 
running  stream ;  and  thus  we  enjoyed  our  rustic  meal. 

I  could  not  look  on  the  surrounding  plants  without  admiration.  On 
every  side  were  forests  of  banana ;  the  fruit  of  which,  though  serving 
for  food  in  various  ways,  lay  in  heaps  decaying  on  the  ground.  In 
front  of  us  there  was  an  extensive  brake  of  wild  sugar-cane ;  and  the 
stream  was  shaded  by  the  dark  green  knotted  stem  of  the  Ava, — so 
famous  in  former  days  for  its  powerful  intoxicating  effects.  I  chewed 
a  piece,  and  found  that  it  had  an  acrid  and  unpleasant  taste,  which 
would  have  induced  any  one  at  once  to  have  pronounced  it  poisonous. 
Thanks  to  the  missionaries,  this  plant  now  thrives  only  in  these  deep 
ravines,  innocuous  to  every  one.  Close  by  I  saw  the  wild  arum,  the 
roots  of  which,  when  well  baked,  are  good  to  eat,  and  the  young  leaves 
better  than  spinach.  There  was  the  wild  yam,  and  a  liliaceous  plant 
called  Ti,  which  grows  in  abundance,  and  has  a  soft  brown  root,  in 
shape  and  size  like  a  huge  log  of  wood :  this  sewed  us  for  dessert,  for 
it  is  as  sweet  as  treacle,  and  with  a  pleasant  taste.  There  were, 
moreover,  several  other  wild  fruits,  and  useful  vegetables.  The  little 


1835]  TEMPERANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  299 

stream,  besides  its  cool  water,  produced  ells  and  cray-fish.  I  did  indeed 
admire  this  scene,  when  I  compared  it  with  an  uncultivated  one  in  the 
temperate  zones.  I  felt  the  force  of  the  remark,  that  man,  at  least 
savage  man,  with  his  reasoning  powers  only  partly  developed,  is  the 
child  of  the  tropics. 

As  the  evening  drew  to  a  close,  I  strolled  beneath  the  gloomy  shade 
of  the  bananas  up  the  course  of  the  stream.  My  walk  was  soon 
brought  to  a  close,  by  coming  to  a  waterfall  between  two  and  three 
hundred  feet  high  ;  and  again  above  this  there  was  another.  I  mention 
all  these  waterfalls  in  this  one  brook,  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the 
inclination  of  the  land.  In  the  little  recess  where  the  water  fell,  it  did 
not  appear  that  a  breath  of  wind  had  ever  blown.  The  thin  edges  of 
the  great  leaves  of  the  banana,  damp  with  spray,  were  unbroken,  instead 
of  being,  as  is  so  generally  the  case,  split  into  a  thousand  shreds.  From 
our  position,  almost  suspended  on  the  mountain-side,  there  were 
glimpses  into  the  depths  of  the  neighbouring  valleys ;  and  the  lofty 
points  of  the  central,  mountains,  towering  up  within  sixty  degrees  of  the 
zenith,  hid  half  the  evening  sky.  Thus  seated,  it  was  a  sublime  spectacle 
to  watch  the  shades  of  night  gradually  obscuring  the  last  and  highest 
pinnacles. 

Before  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  sleep,  the  elder  Tahitian  fell  on  his 
knees,  and  with  closed  eyes  repeated  a  long  prayer  in  his  native  tongue. 
He  prayed  as  a  Christian  should  do,  with  fitting  reverence,  and  without 
the  fear  of  ridicule  or  any  ostentation  of  piety.  At  our  meals  neither  of 
the  men  would  taste  food,  without  saying  beforehand  a  short  grace. 
Those  travellers  who  think  that  a  Tahitian  prays  only  when  the  eyes  of 
the  missionary  are  fixed  on  him,  should  have  slept  with  us  that  night  on 
the  mountain-side.  Before  morning  it  rained  very  heavily ;  but  the  good 
thatch  of  banana-leaves  kept  us  dry. 

November  igth. — At  daylight  my  friends,  after  their  morning  prayer, 
prepared  an  excellent  breakfast  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  evening. 
They  themselves  certainly  partook  of  it  largely ;  indeed  I  never  saw 
any  men  eat  near  so  much.  I  suppose  such  enormously  capacious 
stomachs  must  be  the  effect  of  a  large  part  of  their  diet  consisting  of 
fruit  and  vegetables,  which  contain,  in  a  given  bulk,  a  comparatively 
small  portion  of  nutriment.  Unwittingly,  I  was  the  means  of  my  com- 
panions breaking,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  one  of  their  own  laws  and 
resolutions ;  I  took  with  me  a  flask  of  spirits,  which  they  could  not 
refuse  to  partake  of;  but  as  often  as  they  drank  a  little,  they  put  their 
fingers  before  their  mouths,  and  uttered  the  word  "  Missionary."  About 
two  years  ago,  although  the  use  of  the  ava  was  prevented,  drunkenness 
trom  the  introduction  of  spirits  became  very  prevalent.  The  mission- 
aries prevailed  on  a  few  good  men,  who  saw  that  their  country  was 
rapidly  going  to  ruin,  to  join  with  them  in  a  Temperance  Society.  From 
good  sense  or  shame,  all  the  chiefs  and  the  queen  were  at  last  per- 
suaded to  join.  Immediately  a  law  was  passed,  that  no  spirits  should 
be  allowed  to  be  introduced  into  the  island,  and  that  he  who  sold  and 
he  who  bought  the  forbidden  article  should  be  punished  by  a  fine. 
With  remarkable  justice,  a  certain  period  was  allowed  for  stock  in  hand 


300  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

to  be  sold,  before  the  law  came  into  effect.  But  when  it  did,  a  general 
search  was  made,  in  which  even  the  houses  of  the  missionaries  were 
not  exempted,  and  all  the  ava  (as  the  natives  call  all  ardent  spirits)  was 
poured  on  the  ground.  When  one  reflects  on  the  effect  of  intemperance 
on  the  aborigines  of  the  two  Americas,  I  think  it  will  be  acknowledged 
that  every  well-wisher  of  Tahiti  owes  no  common  debt  of  gratitude  to 
the  missionaries.  As  long  as  the  little  island  of  St.  Helena  remained 
under  the  government  of  the  East  India  Company,  spirits,  owing  to  the 
great  injury  they  had  produced,  were  not  allowed  to  be  imported ;  but 
wine  was  supplied  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  is  rather  a  striking, 
and  not  very  gratifying  fact,  that  in  the  same  year  that  spirits  were 
allowed  to  be  sold  in  St.  Helena,  their  use  was  banished  from  Tahiti 
by  the  free  will  of  the  people. 

After  breakfast  we  proceeded  on  our  journey.  As  my  object  was 
merely  to  see  a  little  of  the  interior  scenery,  we  returned  by  another 
track,  which  descended  into  the  main  valley  lower  down.  For  some 
distance  we  wound,  by  a  most  intricate  path,  along  the  side  of  the 
mountain  which  formed  the  valley.  In  the  less  precipitous  parts  we 
passed  through  extensive  groves  of  the  wild  banana.  The  Tahitians, 
with  their  naked,  tattooed  bodies,  their  heads  ornamented  with  flowers, 
and  seen  in  the  dark  shade  of  these  groves,  would  have  formed  a  fine 
picture  of  man  inhabiting  some  primeval  land.  In  our  descent  we 
followed  the  line  of  ridges ;  these  were  exceedingly  narrow,  and  for 
considerable  lengths  steep  as  a  ladder;  but  all  clothed  with  vegetation. 
The  extreme  care  necessary  in  poising  each  step  rendered  the  walk 
fatiguing.  I  did  not  cease  to  wonder  at  these  ravines  and  precipices ; 
when  viewing  the  country  from  one  of  the  knife-edged  ridges,  the 
point  of  support  was  so  small  that  the  effect  was  nearly  the  same  as  it 
must  be  from  a  balloon.  In  this  descent  we  had  occasion  to  use  the 
ropes  only  once,  at  the  point  where  we  entered  the  main  valley.  We 
slept  under  the  same  ledge  of  rock  where  we  had  dined  the  day  before ; 
the  night  was  fine,  but  from  the  depth  and  narrowness  of  the  gorge, 
profoundly  dark. 

Before  actually  seeing  this  country,  I  found  it  difficult  to  understand 
two  facts  mentioned  by  Ellis ;  namely,  that  after  the  murderous  battles 
of  former  times,  the  survivors  on  the  conquered  side  retired  into  the 
mountains,  where  a  handful  of  men  could  resist  a  multitude.  Certainly 
half-a-dozen  men,  at  the  spot  where  the  Tahitian  reared  the  old  tree, 
could  easily  have  repulsed  thousands.  Secondly,  that  after  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity,  there  were  wild  men  who  lived  in  the  mountains, 
and  whose  retreats  were  unknown  to  the  more  civilized  inhabitants. 

November  2O//J. — In  the  morning  we  started  early,  and  reached 
Matavai  at  noon.  On  the  road  we  met  a  large  party  of  noble  athletic 
men  going  for  wild  bananas.  I  found  that  the  ship,  on  account  of 
the  difficulty  in  watering,  had  moved  to  the  harbour  of  Papawa,  to 
which  place,  I  immediately  walked.  This  is  a  very  pretty  spot.  The 
cove  is  surrounded  by  reefs,  and  the  water  as  smooth  as  in  a  lake. 
The  cultivated  ground,  with  its  beautiful  productions,  interspersed 
with  cottages,  comes  close  down  to  the  water's  edge. 


1335-]  CONDITION  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  301 

From  the  varying  accounts  which  I  had  read  before  reaching  these 
islands,  I  was  very  anxious  to  form,  from  my  own  observation,  a 
judgment  of  their  moral  state, — although  such  judgment  would  neces- 
sarily be  very  imperfect.  First  impressions  at  all  times  very  much 
depend  on  one's  previously-acquired  ideas.  My  notions  were  drawn 
fromEllis's  "Polynesian  Researches" — an  admirable  and  most  interest- 
ing work,  but  naturally  looking  at  everything  under  a  favourable  point 
of  view ;  from  Beechey's  "Voyage  ; "  and  from  that  of  Kotzebue,  which 
is  strongly  adverse  to  the  whole  missionary  system.  He  who  compares 
these  three  accounts  will,  I  think,  form  a  tolerably  accurate  conception 
of  the  present  state  of  Tahiti.  One  of  my  impressions,  which  I  took 
from  the  two  last  authorities,  was  decidedly  incorrect;  viz.,  that  the 
Tahitians  had  become  a  gloomy  race,  and  lived  in  fear  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. Of  the  latter  feeling  I  saw  no  trace,  unless,  indeed,  fear 
and  respect  be  confounded  under  one  name.  Instead  of  discontent 
being  a  common  feeling,  it  would  be  difficult  in  Europe  to  pick  ©ut  of 
a  crowd  half  so  many  merry  and  happy  faces.  The  prohibition  of  the 
flute  and  dancing  is  inveighed  against  as  wrong  and  foolish ; — the 
more  than  presbyterian  manner  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  is  looked  at  in 
a  similar  light.  On  these  points  I  will  not  pretend  to  offer  any  opinion 
in  opposition  to  men  who  have  resided  as  many  years  as  I  was  days 
on  the  island 

On  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  morality  and  religion  of  the 
inhabitants  are  highly  creditable.  There  are  many  who  attack,  even 
more  acrimoniously  than  Kotzebue,  both  tne  missionaries,  their  system, 
and  the  effects  produced  by  it.  Such  reasoners  never  compare  the 
present  state  with  that  of  the  island  only  twenty  years  ago  ;  nor  even 
with  that  of  Europe  at  this  day ;  but  they  compare  it  with  the  high 
standard  of  Gospel  perfection.  They  expect  the  missionaries'  to  effect 
that  which  the  Apostles  themselves  failed  to  do.  In  as  much  as  the 
condition  of  the  people  falls  short  of  this  high  standard,  blame  is 
attached  to  the  missionary,  instead  oi  credit  for  that  which  he  has 
effected.  They  forget,  or  will  not  remember,  that  human  sacrifices, 
and  the  power  of  an  idolatrous  priesthood — a  system  of  profligacy 
unparalleled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world — infanticide  a  consequence 
of  that  system — bloody  wars,  where  the  conquerors  spared  neither 
women  nor  children — that  all  these  have  been  abolished ;  and  that 
dishonesty,  intemperance,  and  licentiousness  have  been  greatly  reduced 
by  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  In  a  voyager  to  forget  these  things 
is  base  ingratitude ;  for  should  he  chance  to  be  at  the  point  of 
shipwreck  on  some  unknown  coast,  he  will  most  devoutly  pray  that 
the  lesson  of  the  missionary  may  have  extended  thus  far. 

In  point  of  morality,  the  virtue  of  the  women,  it  has  been  often  said, 
is  most  open  to  exception.  But  before  they  are  blamed  too  severely, 
it  will  be  well  distinctly  to  call  to  mind  the  scenes  described  by 
Captain  Cook  and  Mr.  Banks,  in  which  the  grandmothers  ana  mothers 
of  the  present  race  played  a  part.  Those  who  are  most  severe 
should  consider  how  much  of  the  morality  of  the  women  in  Europe,  is 
owing  to  the  system  early  impressed  by  mothers  on  their  daughters, 


302  TAHITI.  [CHAP.  SVIIL 

and  how  much  in  each  individual  case  to  the  precepts  of  religion. 
But  it  is  useless  to  argue  against  such  reasoners ; — I  believe  that, 
disappointed  in  not  finding  the  field  of  licentiousness  quite  so  open  as 
formerly,  they  will  not  give  credit  to  a  morality  which  they  do  not  wish 
to  practise,  or  to  a  religion  which  they  undervalue,  if  not  despise. 

Sunday,  November  2.2nd. — The  harbour  of  Papiele,  where  the  queen 
resides,  may  be  considered  as  the  capital  of  the  island ;  it  is  also  the  seat 
of  government,  and  the  chiet  resort  of  shipping.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  took 
a  party  there  this  day  to  hear  divine  service,  first  in  the  Tahitian  language, 
and  afterwards  in  our  own.  Mr.  Pritchard,  the  leading  missionary  in 
the  island,  performed  the  service.  The  chapel  consisted  of  a  large 
airy  framework  of  wood ;  and  it  was  filled  to  excess  by  tidy,  clean 
people,  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes.  I  was  rather  disappointed  in  the 
apparent  degree  of  attention ;  but  I  believe  my  expectations  were 
raised  too  high.  At  all  events  the  appearance  was  quite  equal  to  that 
in  a  country  church  in  England.  The  singing  of  the  hymns  was 
decidedly  very  pleasing;  but  the  language  from  the  pulpit,  although 
fluently  delivered,  did  not  sound  well :  a  constant  repetition  of  words, 
like  "fata  tat  mata  tnai,"  rendered  it  monotonous.  After  English 
sen-ice  a  party  returned  on  foot  to  Matavai.  It  was  a  pleasant  walk, 
sometimes  along  the  sea-beach  and  sometimes  under  the  shade  of  the 
many  beautiful  trees. 

About  two  years  ago,  a  small  vessel  under  English  colours  was 
plundered  by  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Low  Islands,  which  were 
then  under  the  dominion  of  the  Queen  of  Tahiti.  It  was  believed  that 
the  perpetrators  were  instigated  to  this  act  by  some  indiscreet  laws 
issued  by  her  majesty.  The  British  government  demanded  compensa- 
tion ;  which  was  acceded  to,  and  a  sum  of  nearly  three  thousand  dollars 
was  agreed  to  be  paid  on  the  first  of  last  September.  The  Commodore 
at  Lima  ordered  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  inquire  concerning  this  debt,  and 
to  demand  satisfaction  if  it  were  not  paid.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  accord- 
ingly requested  an  interview  with  the  Queen  Pomare,  since  famous 
from  the  ill-treatment  she  has  received  from  the  French ;  and  a  parlia- 
ment was  held  to  consider  the  question,  at  which  all  the  principal 
chiefs  of  the  island,  and  the  queen,  were  assembled.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  describe  what  took  place  after  the  interesting  account  given  by 
Captain  Fitz  Roy.  The  money,  it  appeared,  had  not  been  paid; 
perhaps  the  alleged  reasons  were  rather  equivocal;  but  otherwise  I 
cannot  sufficiently  express  our  general  surprise  at  the  extreme  good 
sense,  the  reasoning  powers,  moderation,  candour,  and  prompt  resolu- 
lution,  which  were  displayed  on  all  sides.  I  believe  we  all  left  the 
meeting  with  a  very  different  opinion  of  the  Tahitians,  from  what  we 
entertained  when  we  entered.  The  chiefs  and  people  resolved  to  sub- 
scribe and  complete  the  sum  which  was  wanting ;  Captain  Fitz  Roy 
urged  that  it  was  hard  that  their  private  property  should  be  sacrificed 
for  the  crimes  of  distant  islanders.  They  replied,  that  they  were 
grateful  for  his  consideration,  but  that  Pomare  was  their  Queen,  and 
that  they  were  determined  to  help  her  in  this  her  difficulty.  This 
resolution  and  its  prompt  execution,  for  a  book  was  opened  early  the 


BAY  OF  ISLANDS.  303 

next  morning,  made  a  perfect  conclusion  to  this  very  remarkable  scene 
of  loyalty  and  good  feeling. 

After  the  main  discussion  was  ended,  several  of  the  chiefs  took  the 
opportunity  of  asking  Captain  Fitz  Roy  many  intelligent  questions  on 
international  customs  and  laws,  relating  to  the  treatment  of  ships  and 
foreigners.  On  some  points,  as  soon  as  the  decision  was  made,  th » 
law  was  issued  verbally  on  the  spot.  This  Tahitian  parliament  lasted 
for  several  hours;  and  when  it  was  over  Captain  Fitz  Roy  invited 
Queen  Pomare  to  pay  the  Beagle  a  visit. 

November  2$th. — In  the  evening  four  boats  were  sent  for  her  majesty ; 
the  ship  was  dressed  with  flags,  and  the  yards  manned  on  her  coming 
on  board.  She  was  accompanied  by  most  of  the  chiefs.  The  behaviour 
of  all  was  very  proper:  they  begged  for  nothing,  and  seemed  much 
pleased  with  Captain  Fitz  Roy's  presents.  The  Queen  is  a  large 
awkward  woman,  without  any  beauty,  grace,  or  dignity.  She  has  only 
one  royal  attribute ;  a  perfect  immovability  of  expression  under  all 
circumstances,  and  that  rather  a  sullen  one.  The  rockets  were  most 
admired ;  and  a  deep  "  Oh ! "  could  be  heard  from  the  shore,  all  round 
the  dark  bay,  after  each  explosion.  The  sailors'  songs  were  also  much 
admired;  and  the  Queen  said  she  thought  that  one  of  the  most 
boisterous  ones  certainly  could  not  be  a  hymn  1  The  royal  party  did 
not  return  on  shore  till  past  midnight. 

November  z6t/i. — In  the  evening,  with  a  gentle  land-breeze,  a  course 
was  steered  for  New  Zealand ;  and  as  the  sun  set,  we  had  a  farewell 
view  of  the  mountains  of  Tahiti — the  island  to  which  every  voyager  has 
offered  up  his  tribute  of  admiration. 

December  igth. — In  the  evening  we  saw  in  the  distance  New 
Zealand.  We  may  now  consider  that  we  have  nearly  crossed  the 
Pacific.  It  is  necessary  to  sail  over  this  great  ocean  to  comprehend 
its  immensity.  Moving  quickly  onwards  for  weeks  together,' we  meet 
with  nothing  but  the  same  blue,  profoundly  deep,  ocean.  Even  within 
the  archipelagoes,  the  islands  are  mere  specks,  and  far  distant  one 
from  the  other.  Accustomed  to  look  at  maps  drawn  on  a  small  scale, 
where  dots,  shading,  and  names  are  crowded  together,  we  do  not 
rightly  judge  how  infinitely  small  the  proportion  of  dry  land  is  to  the 
water  of  this  vast  expanse.  The  meridian  of  the  Antipodes  has  like- 
wise been  passed ;  and  now  every  league,  it  made  us  happy  to  think, 
was  one  league  nearer  to  England.  These  Antipodes  call  to  one's 
mind  old  recollections  of  childish  doubt  and  wonder.  Only  the  other 
day  I  looked  forward  to  this  airy  barrier  as  a  definite  point  in  our 
voyage  homewards;  but  now  I  find  it,  and  all  such  resting-places 
for  the  imagination,  are  like  shadows,  which  a  man  moving  onwards 
cannot  catch.  A  gale  of  wind  lasting  for  some  days,  has  lately  given 
us  full  leisure  to  measure  the  future  stages  in  our  long  homeward 
voyage,  and  to  wish  most  earnestly  for  its  termination. 

December  list. — Early  in  the  morning  we  entered  the  Bay  of  Islands, 
and  being  becalmed  for  some  hours  near  the  mouth,  we  did  not  reach 
the  anchorage  till  the  middle  of  the  day.  The  country  is  hilly,  with  a 
smooth  outline,  and  is  deeply  intersected  by  numerous  arms  of  the 


304  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvm. 

sea  extending  from  the  bay.  The  surface  appears  from  a  distance 
as  if  clothed  with  coarse  pasture,  but  this  in  truth  is  nothing  but  fern. 
On  the  more  distant  hills,  as  well  as  in  parts  of  the  valleys,  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  woodland.  The  general  tint  of  the  landscape  is  not  a 
bright  green ;  and  it  resembles  the  country  a  short  distance  to  the 
r.nuth  of  Concepcion  in  Chile.  In  several  parts  of  the  bay,  little 
villages  of  square  tidy-looking  houses  are  scattered  close  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  Three  whaling-ships  were  lying  at  anchor,  and  a  canoe 
every  now  and  then  crossed  from  shore  to  shore ;  with  these  excep- 
tions, an  air  of  extreme  quietness  reigned  over  the  whole  district. 
Only  a  single  canoe  came  alongside.  This,  and  the  aspect  of  the 
whole  scene,  afforded  a  remarkable,  and  not  very  pleasing  contrast, 
with  our  joyful  and  boisterous  welcome  at  Tahiti. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  on  shore  to  one  of  the  larger  groups  of 
houses,  which  yet  hardly  deserves  the  title  of  a  village.  Its  name  is 
Pahia:  it  is  the  residence  of  the  missionaries;  and  there  are  no 
native  residents  except  servants  and  labourers.  In  the  vicinity  of  the 
Bay  of  Islands,  the  number  of  Englishmen,  including  their  families, 
amounts  to  between  two  and  three  hundred.  All  the  cottages,  many 
of  which  are  whitewashed  and  look  very  neat,  are  the  property  of  the 
English.  The  hovels  of  the  natives  are  so  diminutive  and  paltry,  that 
they  can  scarcely  be  perceived  from  a  distance.  At  Pahia,  it  was  quite 
pleasing  to  behold  the  English  flowers  in  the  gardens  before  the 
houses ;  there  were  roses  of  several  kinds,  honeysuckle,  jasmine, 
stocks,  and  whole  hedges  of  sweetbriar. 

December  •22nd. — In  the  morning  I  went  out  walking ;  but  I  soon 
found  that  the  country  was  very  impracticable.  All  the  hills  are 
thickly  covered  with  tall  fern,  together  with  a  low  bush  which  grows 
like  a  cypress  ;  and  very  little  ground  has  been  cleared  or  cultivated. 
I  then  tried  the  sea-beach;  but  proceeding  towards  either  hand,  my 
walk  was  soon  stopped  by  salt  water  creeks  and  deep  brooks.  The 
communication  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  parts  of  the 
bay,  is  (as  in  Chiloe)  almost  entirely  kept  up  by  boats.  I  was  surprised 
to  find  that  almost  every  hill  which  I  ascended,  had  been  at  some 
former  time  more  or  less  fortified.  The  summits  were  cut  into  steps 
or  successive  terraces,  and  frequently  they  had  been  protected  by  deep 
trenches.  I  afterwards  observed  that  the  principal  hills  inland  in  like 
manner  showed  an  artificial  outline.  These  are  the  Pahs,  so  frequently 
mentioned  by  Captain  Cook  under  the  name  of  "  hippah ; "  the  differ- 
ence of  sound  being  owing  to  the  prefixed  article. 

That  the  Pahs  had  formerly  been  much  used,  was  evident  from  the 
piles  of  shells,  and  the  pits  in  which,  as  I  was  informed,  sweet  pota- 
toes used  to  be  kept  as  a  reserve.  As  there  was  no  water  on  these 
hills,  the  defenders  could  never  have  anticipated  a  long  siege,  but  only 
a  hurried  attack  for  plunder,  against  which  the  successive  terraces 
would  have  afforded  good  protection.  The  general  introduction  of 
firearms  has  changed  the  whole  system  of  warfare  ;  and  an  exposed 
situation  on  the  top  of  a  hill  is  now  worse  than  useless.  The  Pahs  in 
consequence  are,  at  the  present  day,  always  built  on  a  level  piece  of 


1835.]  NEW  ZEALAND.  3°5 

ground.  They  consist  of  a  double  stockade  of  thick  and  tall  posts, 
placed  in  a  zigzag  line,  so  that  every  part  can  be  flanked.  Within  the 
stockade  a  mound  of  earth  is  thrown  up,  behind  which  the  defenders 
can  rest  in  safety,  or  use  their  firearms  over  it.  On  the  level  of  the 
ground  little  archways  sometimes  pass  through  this  breastwork,  by 
which  means  the  defenders  can  crawl  out  to  the  stockade  to  reconnoitre 
their  enemies.  The  Rev.  W.  Williams,  who  gave  me  this  account, 
added,  that  in  one  Pahs  he  had  noticed  spurs  or  buttresses  projecting  on 
the  inner  and  protected  side  of  the  mound  of  earth.  On  asking  the 
chief  the  use  of  them,  he  replied,  that  if  two  or  three  of  his  men  were 
shot,  their  neighbours  would  not  see  the  bodies,  and  so  be  discouraged. 

These  Pahs  are  considered  by  the  New  Zealanders  as  very  perfect 
means  of  defence ;  for  the  attacking  force  is  never  so  well  disciplined 
as  to  rush  in  a  body  to  the  stockade,  cut  it  down,  and  effect  their  entry. 
When  a  tribe  goes  to  war,  the  chief  cannot  order  one  party  to  go  here 
and  another  there;  but  every  man  fights  in  the  manner  which  best 
pleases  himself;  and  to  each  separate  individual  to  approach  a  stockade  • 
defended  by  firearms  must  appear  certain  death.  I  should  think  a 
more  warlike  race  of  inhabitants  could  not  be  found  in  any  part  of  the 
world  than  the  New  Zealanders.  Their  conduct  on  first  seeing  a  ship, 
as  described  by  Captain  Cook,  strongly  illustrates  this;  the  act  of 
throwing  volleys  of  stones  at  so  great  and  novel  an  object,  and  their 
defiance  of  "  Come  on  shore  and  we  will  kill  and  eat  you  all,"  shows 
uncommon  boldness.  This  warlike  spirit  is  evident  in  many  of  their 
customs,  and  even  in  their  smallest  actions.  If  a  New  Zealander  is 
struck,  although  but  in  joke,  the  blow  must  be  returned ;  and  of  this  I 
saw  an  instance  with  one  of  our  officers. 

At  the  present  day,  from  the  progress  of  civilization,  there  is  much 
less  warfare,  except  among  some  of  the  southern  tribes.  I  heard  a 
characteristic  anecdote  of  what  took  place  some  time  ago  in  the  south. 
A  missionary  found  a  chief  and  his  tribe  in  preparation  for  war  ; — their 
muskets  clean  and  bright,  and  their  ammunition  ready.  He  reasoned 
long  on  the  inutility  of  the  war,  and  the  little  provocation  which  had 
been  given  for  it.  The  chief  was  much  shaken  in  his  resolution,  and 
seemed  in  doubt ;  but  at  length  it  occurred  to  him  that  a  barrel  of  his 

?jnpowder  was  in  a  bad  state,  and  that  it  would  not  keep  much  longer, 
his  was  brought  forward  as  an  unanswerable  argument  for  the 
necessity  of  immediately  declaring  war ;  the  idea  of  allowing  so  much 
good  gunpowder  to  spoil  was  not  to  be  thought  of;  and  this  settled 
the  point.  I  was  told  by  the  missionaries  that  in  the  life  of  Shongi,  the 
chief  who  visited  England,  the  love  of  war  was  the  one  and  lasting 
spring  of  every  action.  The  tribe  in  which  he  was  a  principal  chief, 
had  at  one  time  been  much  oppressed  by  another  tribe,  from  the 
Thames  River.  A  solemn  oath  was  taken  by  the  men,  that  when  their 
boys  should  grow  up,  and  they  should  be  powerful  enough,  they  would 
never  forget  or  forgive  these  injuries.  To  fulfil  this  oath  appears  to 
have  been  Shongi's  chief  motive  for  going  to  England  ;  and  when  there 
it  was  his  sole  object.  Presents  were  valued  only  as  they  could  be 
converted  into  arms ;  of  the  arts,  those  alone  interested  him  which  were 


306  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvin. 

connected  with  the  manufacture  of  arms.  When  at  Sydney,  Shongi, 
by  a  strange  coincidence,  met  the  hostile  chief  of  the  Thames  River  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Marsden ;  their  conduct  was  civil  to  each  other  ;  but 
Shongi  told  him  that  when  again  in  New  Zealand  he  would  never 
cease  to  carry  war  into  his  country.  The  challenge  was  accepted ;  and 
Shongi  on  his  return  fulfilled  the  threat  to  the  utmost  letter.  The  tribe 
on  the  Thames  River  was  utterly  overthrown,  and  the  chief,  to  whom 
the  challenge  had  been  given,  was  himself  killed.  Shongi,  although 
harbouring  such  deep  feelings  of  hatred  and  revenge,  is  described  as 
having  been  a  good-natured  person. 

In  the  evening  I  went  with  Captain  Fitz  Roy  and  Mr.  Baker,  one  oi 
the  missionaries,  to  pay  a  visit  to  Kororadika :  we  wandered  about  the 
village,  and  saw  and  conversed  with  many  of  the  people,  both  men, 
women,  and  children.  Looking  at  the  New  Zealander,  one  naturally 
compares  him  with  the  Tahitian ;  both  belonging  to  the  same  family  of 
mankind.  The  comparison,  however,  tells  heavily  against  the  New 
Zealander.  He  may,  perhaps,  be  superior  in  energy,  but  in  every 
other  respect  his  character  is  of  a  much  lower  order.  One  glance  at 
their  respective  expressions,  brings  conviction  to  the  mind  that  one  is  a 
savage,  the  other  a  civilized  man.  It  would  be  vain  to  seek  in  the 
whole  of  New  Zealand  a  person  with  the  face  and  mien  of  the  old 
Tahitian  chief  Utamme.  No  doubt  the  extraordinary  manner  in  which 
tattooing  is  here  practised,  gives  a  disagreeable  expression  to  their 
countenances.  The  complicated  but  symmetrical  figures  covering  the 
whole  face,  puzzle  and  mislead  an  unaccustomed  eye :  it  is  moreover 
probable,  that  the  deep  incisions,  by  destroying  the  play  of  the  super- 
ficial muscles,  give  an  air  of  rigid  inflexibility.  But,  besides  this,  there 
is  a  twinkling  in  the  eye  which  cannot  indicate  anything  but  cunning 
and  ferocity.  Their  figures  are  tall  and  bulky  ;  but  not  comparable  in 
elegance  with  those  of  the  working- classes  in  Tahiti. 

Both  their  persons  and  houses  are  filthily  dirty  and  offensive ;  the 
idea  of  washing  either  their  bodies  or  their  clothes  never  seems  to  enter 
their  heads.  I  saw  a  chief,  who  was  wearing  a  shirt  black  and  matted 
with  filth,  and  when  askedlhow  it  came  to  be  so  dirty,  he  replied,  with 
surprise,  "  Do  not  you  see  it  is  an  old  one  ?  "  Some  of  the  men  have 
shirts ;  but  the  common  dress  is  one  or  two  large  blankets,  generally 
black  with  dirt,  which  are  thrown  over  their  shoulders  in  a  very 
inconvenient  and  awkward  fashion.  A  few  of  the  principal  chiefs  have 
decent  suits  of  English  clothes ;  but  these  are  only  worn  on  great 
occasions. 

December  "zyd. — At  a  place  called  Waimate,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  midway  between  the  eastern  and  western 
coasts,  the  missionaries  have  purchased  some  land  for  agricultural 
purposes.  I  had  been  introduced  to  the  Rev.  W.  Williams,  who,  upon 
my  expressing  a  wish,  invited  me  to  pay  him  a  visit  there.  Mr. 
Bushby,  the  British  resident,  offered  to  take  me  in  his  boat  by  a  creek, 
where  I  should  see  a  pretty  waterfall,  and  by  which  means  my  walk 
would  be  shortened.  He  likewise  procured  for  me  a  guide.  Upon 
BSking  a  neighbouring  chief  to  recommend  a  man,  the  chief  himstlf 


IJJ35-1  EXCURSION  TO  W AIM  ATE.  307 

offered  to  go ;  but  his  ignorance  of  the  value  of  money  was  so  complete, 
that  at  first  he  asked  how  many  pounds  I  would  give  him,  but  after- 
wards was  well  contented  with  two  dollars.  When  I  showed  the  chief 
a  very  small  bundle,  which  I  wanted  carried,  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  for  him  to  take  a  slave.  These  feelings  of  pride  are 
beginning  to  wear  away;  but  formerly  a  leading  man  would  sooner 
have  died  than  undergone  the  indignity  of  carrying  the  smallest  burden. 
My  companion  was  a  light  active  man,  dressed  in  a  dirty  blanket,  and 
with  his  face  completely  tattooed.  He  had  formerly  been  a  great 
warrior.  He  appeared  to  be  on  very  cordial  terms  with  Mr.  Bushby ; 
but  at  various  times  they  had  quarrelled  violently.  Mr.  Bushby 
remarked  that  a  little  quiet  irony  would  frequently  silence  any  one  of 
these  natives  in  their  most  blustering  moments.  This  chief  has  come 
and  harangued  Mr.  Bushby  in  a  hectoring  manner,  saying,  "  A  great 
chief,  a  great  man,  a  friend  of  mine,  has  come  to  pay  me  a  visit — you 
must  give  him  something  good  to  eat,  some  fine  presents,"  etc.  Mr. 
Bushby  has  allowed  him  to  finish  his  discourse,  and  then  has  quietly 
replied  by  some  such  answer  as,  "  What  else  shall  your  slave  do  for 
you  ?  "  The  man  would  then  instantly,  with  a  very  comical  expression, 
cease  his  braggadocio. 

Some  time  ago,  Mr.  Bushby  suffered  a  far  more  serious  attack.  A 
chief  and  a  party  of  men  tried  to  break  into  his  house  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  and  not  finding  this  so  easy,  commenced  a  brisk  firing  with 
their  muskets.  Mr.  Bushby  was  slightly  wounded ;  but  the  party  was 
at  length  driven  away.  Shortly  afterwards  it  was  discovered  who  was 
the  aggressor ;  and  a  general  meeting  of  the  chiefs  was  convened  to 
consider  the  case.  It  was  considered  by  the  New  Zealanders  as  very 
atrocious,  inasmuch  as  it  was  a  night  attack,  and  that  Mrs.  Bushby  was 
lying  ill  in  the  house ;  this  latter  circumstance,  much  to  their  honour, 
being  considered  in  all  cases  as  a  protection.  The  chiefs  agreed  to 
confiscate  the  land  of  the  aggressor  to  the  King  of  England.  The  whole 
proceeding,  however,  in  thus  trying  and  punishing  a  chief  was  entirely 
without  precedent.  The  aggressor,  moreover,  lost  caste  in  the 
estimation  of  his  equals  ;  and  this  was  considered  by  the  British  as  of 
more  consequence  than  the  confiscation  of  his  land. 

As  the  boat  was  shoving  off,  a  second  chief  stepped  into  her,  who 
only  wanted  the  amusement  of  the  passage  up  and  down  the  creek.  I 
never  saw  a  more  horrid  and  ferocious  expression  than  this  man  had. 
It  immediately  struck  me  I  had  somewhere  seen  his  likeness  :  it  will  be 
found  in  Retzch's  outlines  to  Schiller's  ballad  of  Fridolin,  where  two 
men  are  pushing  Robert  into  the  burning  iron  furnace.  It  is  the  man 
who  has  his  arm  on  Robert's  breast  Physiognomy  here  spoke  the 
truth  ;  this  chief  had  been  a  notorious  murderer,  and  was  an  arrant 
coward  to  boot.  At  the  point  where  the  boat  landed,  Mr.  Bushby 
accompanied  me  a  few  hundred  yards  on  the  road :  I  could  not  help 
admiring  the  cool  impudence  of  the  hoary  old  villain,  whom  we  left 
lying  in  the  boat,  when  he  shouted  to  Mr.  Bushby,  "  Do  not  you  stay 
long,  I  shall  be  tired  of  waiting  here." 

We  now  commenced  our  walk.    The  road  lay  along  a  well-beaten 


308  tt£W  ZEALAND  [CHA*.  SVIM. 

path,  bordered  on  each  side  by  the  tall  fern,  which  covers  the  whole 
country.  After  travelling  some  miles,  we  came  to  a  little  country 
village,  where  a  few  hovels  were  collected  together,  and  some  patches 
of  ground  cultivated  with  potatoes.  The  introduction  of  the  potato  has 
been  the  most  essential  benefit  to  the  island ;  it  is  now  much  more  used 
than  any  native  vegetable.  New  Zealand  is  favoured  by  one  great 
natural  advantage  ;  namely,  that  the  inhabitants  can  never  perish  from 
famine.  The  whole  country  abounds  with  fern ;  and  the  roots  of  this 
plant,  if  not  very  palatable,  yet  contain  much  nutriment.  A  native  can 
always  subsist  on  these,  and  on  the  shell-fish,  which  are  abundant  on 
all  parts  of  the  sea-coast.  The  villages  are  chiefly  conspicuous  by  the 
platforms  which  are  raised  on  four  posts  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  on  which  the  produce  of  the  field  is  kept  secure  from  all 
accidents. 

On  coming  near  one  of  the  huts  I  was  much  amused  by  seeing  in  due 
form  the  ceremony  of  rubbing,  or,  as  it  ought  to  be  called,  pressing 
noses.  The  women,  on  our  first  approach,  began  uttering  something 
in  a  most  dolorous  voice;  they  then  squatted  themselves  down  and 
held  up  their  faces ;  my  companion  standing  over  them,  one  after 
another,  placing  the  bridge  of  his  nose  at  right  angles  to  theirs,  and 
commenced  pressing.  This  lasted  rather  longer  than  a  cordial  shake 
of  the  hand  with  us ;  and  as  we  vary  the  force  of  the  grasp  of  the  hand 
in  shaking,  so  do  they  in  pressing.  During  the  process  they  uttered 
comfortable  little  grunts,  very  much  in  the  same  manner  as  two  pigs  do, 
when  rubbing  against  each  other.  I  noticed  that  the  slave  would  press 
noses  with  any  one  he  met,  indifferently  either  before  or  after  his 
master  the  chief.  Although  among  these  savages,  the  chief  has  absolute 
power  of  life  and  death  over  his  slave,  yet  there  is  an  entire  absence 
of  ceremony  between  them.  Mr.  Burchell  has  remarked  the  same 
thing  in  Southern  Africa,  with  the  rude  Bachapins.  Where  civilization 
has  arrived  at  a  certain  point,  complex  formalities  arise  between  the 
different  grades  of  society :  thus  at  Tahiti  all  were  formerly  obliged  to 
uncover  themselves  as  low  as  the  waist  in  the  presence  of  the  king. 

The  ceremony  of  pressing  noses  having  been  duly  completed  with 
all  present,  we  seated  ourselves  in  a  circle  in  the  front  of  one  of  the 
hovels,  and  rested  there  half  an  hour.  All  the  hovels  have  nearly  the 
same  form  and  dimensions,  and  all  agree  in  being  filthily  dirty.  They 
resemble  a  cow-shed  with  one  end  open,  but  having  a  partition  a  little 
way  within,  with  a  square  hole  in  it,  making  a  small  gloomy  chamber. 
In  this  the  inhabitants  keep  all  their  property,  and  when  the  weather  is 
cold  they  sleep  there.  They  eat,  however,  and  pass  their  time  in  the 
open  part  in  front.  My  guides  having  finished  their  pipes,  we  continued 
our  walk.  The  path  led  through  the  same  undulating  country,  the 
whole  uniformly  clothed  as  before  with  fern.  On  our  right  hand  we 
had  a  serpentine  river,  the  banks  of  which  were  fringed  with  trees,  and 
here  and  there  on  the  hillsides  there  was  a  clump  of  wood.  The 
whole  scene,  in  spite  of  its  green  colour,  had  rather  a  desolate  aspect. 
The  sight  of  so  much  fern  impresses  the  mind  with  an  idea  of  sterility ; 
this,  however,  is  not  correct;  for  wherever  the  fern  grows  thick  and 


1835.]  WAIMATE.  309 

breast-high,  the  land  by  tillage  becomes  productive.  Some  of  the 
residents  think  that  all  this  extensive  open  country  originally  was 
covered  with  forests,  and  that  it  has  been  cleared  by  fire.  It  is  said, 
that  by  digging  in  the  barest  spots,  lumps  of  the  kind  of  resin  which 
flows  from  the  kauri  pine  are  frequently  found.  The  natives  had  an 
evident  motive  in  clearing  the  country;  for  the  fern,  formerly  a  staple 
article  of  food,  flourishes  only  in  the  open  cleared  tracks.  The  almost 
entire  absence  of  associated  grasses,  which  forms  so  remarkable  a 
feature  in  the  vegetation  of  this  island,  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for 
by  the  land  having  been  aboriginally  covered  with  forest-trees. 

The  soil  is  volcanic ;  in  several  parts  we  passed  over  slaggy  lavas, 
and  craters  could  clearly  be  distinguished  on  several  of  the  neighbouring 
hills.  Although  the  scenery  is  nowhere  beautiful,  and  only  occasionally 
pretty,  I  enjoyed  my  walk.  I  should  have  enjoyed  it  more,  if  my  com- 
panion, the  chief,  had  not  possessed  extraordinary  conversational 
powers.  I  knew  only  three  words ;  "  good,"  "  bad,"  and  "  yes ;  "  and 
with  these  I  answered  all  his  remarks,  without  of  course  having  under- 
stood one  word  he  said.  This,  however,  was  quite  sufficient :  I  was 
a  good  listener,  an  agreeable  person,  and  he  never  ceased  talking  to 
me. 

At  length  we  reached  Waimate.  After  having  passed  over  so  many 
miles  of  an  uninhabited  useless  country,  the  sudden  appearance  of  an 
English  farmhouse,  and  its  well-dressed  fields,  placed  there  as  if  by 
aa  enchanter's  wand,  was  exceedingly  pleasant.  Mr.  Williams  not 
being  at  home,  I  received  in  Mr.  Davies's  house  a  cordial  welcome. 
After  drinking  tea  with  his  family  party,  we  took  a  stroll  about  the 
farm.  At  Waimate  there  are  three  large  houses,  where  the  missionary 
gentlemen,  Messrs.  Williams,  Davies,  and  Clarke,  reside;  and  near 
them  are  the  huts  of  the  native  labourers.  On  an  adjoining  slope,  fine 
crops  of  barley  and  wheat  were  standing  in  full  ear ;  and  in  another 
part,  fields  of  potatoes  and  clover.  But  I  cannot  attempt  to  describe 
all  I  saw;  there  were  large  gardens,  with  every  fruit  and  vegetable 
which  England  produces  ;  and  many  belonging  to  a  warmer  clime.  I 
may  instance  asparagus,  kidney  beans,  cucumbers,  rhubarb,  apples, 
pears,  figs,  peaches,  apricots,  grapes,  olives,  gooseberries,  currants,  hops, 
gorse  for  fences,  and  English  oaks;  also  many  kinds  of  flowers. 
Around  the  farmyard  there  were  stables,  a  thrashing-barn  with  its 
winnowing  machine,  a  blacksmith's  forge,  and  on  the  ground  plough- 
shares and  other  tools  :  in  the  middle  was  that  happy  mixture  of  pigs 
and  poultry,  lying  comfortably  together,  as  in  every  English  farmyard. 
At  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  where  the  water  of  a  little  rill 
had  been  dammed  up  into  a  pool,  there  was  a  large  and  substantial 
water-mill. 

All  this  is  very  surprising,  when  it  is  considered  that  five  years  ago 
nothing  but  the  fern  flourished  here.  Moreover,  native  workmanship, 
taught  by  the  missionaries,  has  effected  this  change ; — the  lesson  of  the 
missionary  is  the  enchanter's  wand.  The  house  had  been  built,  the 
windows  framed,  the  fields  ploughed,  and  even  the  trees  grafted,  by  the 
New  Zealander.  At  the  mill,  a  New  Zealander  was  seen  powdered 


310  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  JtVtli. 

white  with  flour,  like  his  brother  miller  in  England.  When  I  looked  at 
his  whole  scene,  I  thought  it  admirable.  It  was  not  merely  that 
England  was  brought  vividly  before  my  mind  ;  yet,  as  the  evening  drew 
to  a  close,  the  domestic  sounds,  the  fields  of  corn,  the  distant  undulating 
country  with  its  trees  might  well  have  been  mistaken  for  our  father- 
land: nor  was  it  the  triumphant  feeling  at  seeing  what  Englishmen 
could  effect ;  but  rather  the  high  hopes  thus  inspired  for  the  future 
progress  of  this  fine  island. 

Several  young  men,  redeemed  by  the  missionaries  from  slavery,  were 
employed  on  the  farm.  They  were  dressed  in  a  shirt,  jacket,  and 
trousers,  and  had  a  respectable  appearance.  Judging  from  one  trifling 
anecdote,  I  should  think  they  must  be  honest.  When  walking  in  the 
fields,  a  young  labourer  came  up  to  Mr.  Davies,  and  gave  him  a  knife 
and  gimlet,  saying  that  he  had  found  them  on  the  road,  and  did  not 
know  to  whom  they  belonged !  These  young  men  and  boys  appeared 
very  merry  and  good-humoured.  In  the  evening  I  saw  a  party  of  them 
at  cricket :  when  I  thought  of  the  austerity  of  which  the  missionaries 
have  been  accused,  I  was  amused  by  observing  one  of  their  own  sons 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  game.  A  more  decided  and  pleasing 
change  was  manifested  in  the  young  women,  who  acted  as  servants 
within  the  houses.  Their  clean,  tidy,  and  healthy  appearance,  like 
that  of  dairy-maids  in  England,  formed  a  wonderful  contrast  with 
the  women  of  the  filthy  hovels  in  Kororadika.  The  wives  of  the 
missionaries  tried  to  persuade  them  not  to  be  tattooed ;  but  a  famous 
operator  having  arrived  from  the  south,  they  said,  "We  really  must 
just  have  a  few  lines  on  our  lips  ;  else  when  we  grow  old,  our  lips  will 
shrivel,  and  we  shall  be  so  very  ugly."  There  is  not  nearly  so  much 
tattooing  as  formerly;  but  as  it  is  a  badge  of  distinction  between  the 
chief  and  the  slave,  it  will  probably  long  be  practised.  So  soon  does 
any  train  of  ideas  become  habitual,  that  the  missionaries  told  me  that 
even  in  their  eyes  a  plain  face  looked  mean,  and  not  like  that  of  a  New 
Zealand  gentleman. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  went  to  Mr.  Williams's  house,  where  I  passed 
the  night.  I  found  there  a  large  party  of  children,  collected  together 
for  Christmas-day,  and  all  sitting  round  a  table  at  tea.  I  never  saw  a 
nicer  or  more  merry  group  ;  and  to  think  that  this  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  land  of  cannibalism,  murder,  and  all  atrocious  crimes !  The 
cordiality  and  happiness  so  plainly  pictured  in  the  faces  of  the  little 
circle,  appeared  equally  felt  by  the  older  persons  of  the  mission. 
'  December  24^. — In  the  morning  prayers  were  read  in  the  native 
tongue  to  the  whole  family.  After  breakfast  I  rambled  about  the 
gardens  and  farm.  This  was  a  market-day,  when  the  natives  of  the 
surrounding  hamlets  bring  their  potatoes,  Indian  corn,  or  pigs,  to 
exchange  for  blankets,  tobacco,  and  sometimes,  through  the  persuasions 
of  the  missionaries,  for  soap.  Mr.  Davies's  eldest  son,  who  manages 
a  farm  of  his  own,  is  the  man  of  business  in  the  market.  The  children 
of  the  missionaries,  who  came  while  young  to  the  island,  understand 
the  language  better  than  their  parents,  and  can  get  anything  more 
leadil'y  done  by  the  natives. 


I835-]  WAIMATE.  311 

A  little  before  noon  Messrs.  Williams  and  Davies  walked  with  me 
to  part  of  a  neighbouring  forest,  to  show  me  the  famous  kauri  pine. 
I  measured  one  of  these  noble  trees,  and  found  it  thirty-one  feet  in 
circumference  above  the  roots.  There  was  another  close  by,  which  I 
did  not  see,  thirty-three  feet ;  and  I  heard  of  one  no  less  than  forty 
feet.  These  trees  are  remarkable  for  their  smooth  cylindrical  boles, 
which  run  up  to  a  height  of  sixty,  and  even  ninety  feet,  with  a  nearly 
equal  diameter,  and  without  a  single  branch.  The  crown  of  branches 
at  the  summit  is  out  of  all  proportion  small  to  the  trunk ;  and  the 
leaves  are  likewise  small  compared  with  the  branches.  The  forest 
was  here  almost  composed  of  the  kauri ;  and  the  largest  trees,  from 
the  parallelism  of  their  sides,  stood  up  like  gigantic  columns  of  wood. 
The  timber  of  the  kauri  is  the  most  valuable  production  of  the  island ; 
moreover,  a  quantity  of  resin  oozes  from  the  bark,  which  is  sold  at  a 
penny  a  pound  to  the  Americans,  but  its  use  was  then  unknown. 
Some  of  the  New  Zealand  forests  must  be  impenetrable  to  an  extra- 
ordinary degree.  Mr.  Matthews  informed  me  that  one  forest  only 
thirty-four  miles  in  width,  and  separating  two  inhabited  districts,  had 
only  lately,  for  the  first  time,  been  crossed.  He  and  another  missionary, 
each  with  a  party  of  about  fifty  men,  undertook  to  open  a  road ;  but 
it  cost  them  more  than  a  fortnight's  labour !  In  the  woods  I  saw  very 
few  birds.  With  regard  to  animals,  it  is  a  most  remarkable  fact,  that 
so  large  an  island,  extending  over  more  than  700  miles  in  latitude, 
and  in  many  parts  ninety  broad,  with  varied  stations,  a  fine  climate, 
and  land  of  all  heights,  from  14,000  feet  downwards,  with  the  exception 
of  a  small  rat,  did  not  possess  one  indigenous  animal.  The  several 
species  of  that  gigantic  genus  of  birds,  the  Deinornis,  seem  here  to 
have  replaced  mammiferous  quadrupeds,  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
reptiles  still  do  at  the  Galapagos  Archipelago.  It  is  said  that  the 
common  Norway  rat,  in  the  short  space  of  two  years,  annihilated  in 
this  northern  end  of  the  island  the  New  Zealand  species.  In  many 
places  I  noticed  several  sorts  of  weeds,  which,  like  the  rats,  I  was 
forced  to  own  as  countrymen.  A  leek  has  overrun  whole  districts, 
and  will  prove  very  troublesome,  but  it  was  imported  as  a  favour  by 
a  French  vessel.  The  common  dock  is  also  widely  disseminated,  and 
will,  I  fear,  for  ever  remain  a  proof  of  the  rascality  of  an  Englishman, 
who  sold  the  seeds  for  those  of  the  tobacco  plant. 

On  returning  from  our  pleasant  walk  to  the  house,  I  dined  with  Mr. 
Williams ;  and  then,  a  horse  being  lent  me,  I  returned  to  the  Bay  of 
Islands.  I  took  leave  of  the  missionaries  with  thankfulness  for  their 
kind  welcome,  and  with  feelings  of  high  respect  for  their  gentlemanlike, 
useful,  and  upright  characters.  I  think  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
a  body  of  men  better  adapted  for  the  high  office  which  they  fulfil. 

Christmas-Day. — In  a  few  more  days  the  fourth  year  of  our  absence 
from  England  will  be  completed.  Our  first  Christmas-day  was  spent 
at  Plymouth ;  the  second  at  St.  Martin's  Cove,  near  Cape  Horn ;  the 
third  at  Port  Desire,  in  Patagonia ;  the  fourth  at  anchor  in  a  wild 
harbour  in  the  peninsula  of  Tres  Monies  ;  this  fifth  here ;  and  the 
next,  I  trust  in  Providence,  will  be  in  England.  We  attended  divine 


312  NEW  ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  xvni. 

service  in  the  chapel  of  Pahia;  part  of  the  service  being  read  in 
English,  and  part  in  the  native  language.  Whilst  at  New  Zealand  we 
did  not  hear  of  any  recent  acts  of  cannibalism  ;  but  Mr.  Stokes  found 
burnt  human  bones  strewed  round  a  fireplace  on  a  small  island  near 
the  anchorage ;  but  these  remains  of  a  comfortable  banquet  might 
have  been  lying  there  for  several  years.  It  is  probable  that  the  moral 
state  of  the  people  will  rapidly  improve.  Mr.  Bushby  mentioned  one 
pleasing  anecdote  as  a  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  some,  at  least,  of  those 
who  profess  Christianity.  One  of  his  young  men  left  him,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  read  prayers  to  the  rest  of  the  servants.  Some 
weeks  afterwards,  happening  to  pass  late  in  the  evening  by  an  outhouse, 
he  saw  and  heard  one  of  his  men  reading  the  Bible  with  difficulty  by 
the  light  of  the  fire,  to  the  others.  After  this  the  party  knelt  and 
prayed :  in  their  prayers  they  mentioned  Mr.  Bushby  and  his  family, 
and  the  missionaries,  each  separately  in  his  respective  district. 

December  7.6th. — Mr.  Bushby  offered  to  take  Mr.  Sulivan  and  myself 
in  his  boat  some  miles  up  the  river  to  Cawa-Cawa ;  and  proposed 
afterwards  to  walk  on  to  the  village  of  Waiomio,  where  there  are  some 
curious  rocks.  Following  one  of  the  arms  of  the  bay,  we  enjoyed  a 
pleasant  row,  and  passed  through  pretty  scenery,  until  we  came  to  a 
village,  beyond  which  the  boat  could  not  pass.  From  this  place  a  chief 
and  a  party  of  men  volunteered  to  walk  with  us  to  Waiomio,  a  distance 
of  four  miles.  The  chief  was  at  this  time  rather  notorious  from  having 
lately  hung  one  of  his  wives  and  a  slave  for  adultery.  When  one  of 
the  missionaries  remonstrated  with  him  he  seemed  surprised,  and  said 
he  thought  he  was  exactly  following  the  English  method.  Old  Shongi, 
who  happened  to  be  in  England  during  the  Queen's  trial,  expressed 
great  disapprobation  at  the  whole  proceeding:  he  said  he  had  five 
wives,  and  he  would  rather  cut  off  all  their  heads  than  be  so  much 
troubled  about  one.  Leaving  this  village,  we  crossed  over  to  another, 
seated  on  a  hillside  at  a  little  distance.  The  daughter  of  a  chief,  who 
was  still  a  heathen,  had  died  there  five  days  before.  The  hovel  in 
which  she  had  expired  had  been  burnt  to  the  ground ;  her  body  being 
enclosed  between  two  small  canoes,  was  placed  upright  on  the  ground, 
and  protected  by  an  enclosure  bearing  wooden  images  of  their  gods, 
and  the  whole  was  painted  bright  red,  so  as  to  be  conspicuous  from 
afar.  Her  gown  was  fastened  to  the  coffin,  and  her  hair  being  cut  off 
was  cast  at  its  foot.  The  relatives  of  the  family  had  torn  the  flesh  of 
their  arms,  bodies,  and  faces,  so  that  they  were  covered  with  clotted 
blood;  and  the  old  women  looked  most  filthy,  disgusting  objects.  On 
the  following  day  some  of  the  officers  visited  this  place,  and  found  the 
women  still  howling  and  cutting  themselves. 

We  continued  our  walk,  and  soon  reached  Waiomio.  Here  there 
are  some  singular  masses  of  limestone,  resembling  ruined  castles. 
These  rocks  have  long  served  for  burial-places,  and  in  consequence 
are  held  too  sacred  to  be  approached.  One  of  the  young  men,  how- 
ever, cried  out,  "  Let  us  all  be  brave,"  and  ran  on  ahead ;  but  when 
witnin  a  hundred  yards,  the  whole  party  thought  better  of  it,  and 
stopped  short.  With  perfect  indifference,  however,  they  allowed  us  to 


1836.]  SYDNEY.  313 

examine  the  whole  place.  At  this  village  we  rested  some  hours,  during 
which  time  there  was  a  long  discussion  with  Mr.  Bushby,  concerning 
the  right  of  sale  of  certain  lands.  One  old  man,  who  appeared  a 
perfect  genealogist,  illustrated  the  successive  possessors  by  bits  of 
stick  driven  into  the  ground.  Before  leaving  the  houses  a  little  basket- 
ful of  roasted  sweet  potatoes  was  given  to  each  of  our  party ;  and  we 
all,  according  to  the  custom,  carried  them  away  to  eat  on  the  road.  I 
noticed  that  among  the  women  employed  in  cooking,  there  was  a  man- 
slave  ;  it  must  be  a  humiliating  thing  for  a  man  in  this  warlike  country 
to  be  employed  in  doing  that  which  is  considered  as  the  lowest 
woman's  work.  Slaves  are  not  allowed  to  go  to  war ;  but  this  perhaps 
can  hardly  be  considered  as  a  hardship.  I  heard  of  one  poor  wretch 
who,  during  hostilities,  ran  away  to  the  opposite  party ;  being  met  by 
two  men,  he  was  immediately  seized ;  but  as  they  could  not  agree  to 
whom  he  should  belong,  each  stood  over  him  with  a  stone  hatchet, 
and  seemed  determined  that  the  other  at  least  should  not  take  him 
away  alive.  The  poor  man,  almost  dead  with  fright,  was  only  saved 
by  the  address  of  a  chief's  wife,  We  afterwards  enjoyed  a  pleasant 
walk  back  to  the  boat,  but  did  not  reach  the  ship  till  late  in  the 
evening. 

December  y>th. — In  the  afternoon  we  stood  out  of  the  Bay  of  Islands, 
on  our  course  to  Sydney.  I  believe  we  were  all  glad  to  leave  New 
Zealand.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  place.  Amongst  the  natives  there  is 
absent  that  charming  simplicity  which  is  found  at  Tahiti ;  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  English  are  the  very  refuse  of  society.  Neither  is 
the  country  itself  attractive.  I  look  back  but  to  one  bright  spot,  and 
that  is  Waimate,  with  its  Christian  inhabitants. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AUSTRALIA. 

Sydney— Excursion  to  Bathurst— Aspect  of  the  Woods — Party  of  Nath 

Gradual  Extinction  of  the  Aborigines — Infection  generated  by  associated 
Men  in  Health — Blue  Mountains — View  of  the  grand  Gulf-like  Valleys — 
Their  Origin  and  Formation — Bathurst,  General  Civility  of  the  Lower 
Orders — State  of  Society — Van  Diemen's  Land — Hobart  Town — 
Aborigines  all  Banished — Mount  Wellington — King  George's  Sound — 
Cheerless  Aspect  of  the  Country— Bald  Head,  Calcareous  Casts  of 
Branches  of  Trees— Party  of  Natives— Leave  Australia. 

January  \2th,  1836. — EARLY  in  the  morning  a  light  air  carried  us 
towards  the  entrance  of  Port  Jackson.  Instead  of  beholding  a  verdant 
country,  interspersed  with  fine  houses,  a  straight  line  of  yellowish  cliff 
brought  to  our  minds  the  coast  of  Patagonia.  A  solitary  lighthouse, 
built  of  white  stone,  alone  told  us  that  we  were  near  a  great  and 


3M  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  [CHAP.  xix 

populous  city.  Having  entered  the  harbour,  it  appears  fine  and 
spacious,  with  cliff-formed  shores  of  horizontally  stratified  sandst  one. 
The  nearly  level  country  is  covered  with  thin  scrubby  trees,  bespeak- 
ing the  curse  of  sterility.  Proceeding  further  inland,  the  country 
improves :  beautiful  villas  and  nice  cottages  are  here  and  there  scattered 
along  the  beach.  In  the  distance  stone  houses,  two  and  three  stories 
high,  and  windmills  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  bank,  pointed  out  to  us 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  capital  of  Australia. 

At  last  we  anchored  within  Sydney  Cove.  We  found  the  little  basin 
occupied  by  many  large  ships,  and  surrounded  by  warehouses.  In  the 
evening  I  walked  through  the  town,  and  returned  full  of  admiration  at 
the  whole  scene.  It  is  a  most  magnificent  testimony  to  the  power  of 
the  British  nation.  Here,  in  a  less  promising  country,  scores  of  years 
have  done  many  times  more  than  an  equal  number  of  centuries  have 
effected  in  South  America.  My  first  feeling  was  to  congratulate  myself 
that  I  was  born  an  Englishman.  Upon  seeing  more  of  the  town  after- 
wards, perhaps  my  admiration  fell  a  little ;  but  yet  it  is  a  fine  town. 
The  streets  are  regular,  broad,  clean,  and  kept  in  excellent  order ;  the 
houses  are  of  a  good  size,  and  the  shops  well  furnished.  It  may  be 
faithfully  compared  to  the  large  suburbs  which  stretch  out  from  London 
and  a  few  other  great  towns  in  England ;  but  not  even  near  London 
or  Birmingham  is  there  an  appearance  of  such  rapid  growth.  The 
number  of  large  houses  and  other  buildings  just  finished  was  truly 
surprising ;  nevertheless,  every  one  complained  of  the  high  rents  and 
difficulty  in  procuring  a  house.  Coming  from  South  America,  where 
in  the  towns  every  man  of  property  is  known,  no  one  thing  surprised 
me  more  than  not  being  able  to  ascertain  at  once  to  whom  this  or  that 
carriage  belonged. 

I  hired  a  man  and  two  horses  to  take  me  to  Bathurst,  a  village  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  the  interior,  and  the  centre  of  a  great 
pastoral  district.  By  this  means  I  hoped  to  gain  a  general  idea  of  the 
appearance  of  the  country.  On  the  morning  of  the  i6th  (January)  I  set 
out  on  my  excursion.  The  first  stage  took  us  to  Paramatta,  a  small 
country  town  next  to  Sydney  in  importance.  The  roads  were  excellent, 
and  made  upon  the  MacAdam  principle,  whinstone  having  been  brought 
for  the  purpose  from  the  distance  of  several  miles.  In  all  respects  there 
was  a  close  resemblance  to  England :  perhaps  the  alehouses  here  were 
more  numerous.  The  iron  gangs,  or  parties  of  convicts  who  have  com- 
mitted here  some  offence,  appeared  the  least  like  England ;  they  were 
working  in  chains,  under  the  charge  of  sentries  with  loaded  arms.  The 
power  which  the  Government  possesses,  by  means  of  forced  labour,  ot 
at  once  opening  good  roads  throughout  the  country  has  been,  I  believe, 
one  main  cause  of  the  early  prosperity  of  this  colony.  I  slept  at  night 
at  a  very  comfortable  inn  at  Emu  ferry,  thirty-five  miles  from  Sydney, 
and  near  the  ascent  of  the  Blue  Mountains.  This  line  of  road  is  the 
most  frequented,  and  has  been  the  longest  inhabited  of  any  in  the 
colony.  The  whole  land  is  enclosed  with  high  railings,  for  the  farmers 
have  not  succeeded  in  rearing  hedges.  There  are  many  substantial 
bouses  and  good  cottages  scattered  about ;  but  although  considerable 


1836.]  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  FORESTS.  315 

pieces  of  land  are  under  cultivation,  the  greater  part  yet  remains  as 
when  first  discovered. 

The  extreme  uniformity  of  the  vegetation  is  the  most  remarkable 
feature  in  the  landscape  of  the  greater  part  of  New  South  Wales. 
Everywhere  we  have  an  open  woodland,  the  ground  being  partially 
covered  with  a  very  thin  pasture,  with  little  appearance  of  verdure. 
The  trees  nearly  all  belong  to  one  family,  and  mostly  have  their  leaves 
placed  in  a  vertical,  instead  of,  as  in  Europe,  in  a  nearly  horizontal 
position :  the  foliage  is  scanty,  and  of  a  peculiar  pale  green  tint,  without 
any  gloss.  Hence  the  woods  appear  light  and  shadowless:  this, 
although  a  loss  of  comfort  to  the  traveller  under  the  scorching  rays  of 
summer,  is  of  importance  to  the  farmer,  as  it  allows  grass  to  grow 
where  it  otherwise  would  not.  The  leaves  are  not  shed  periodically : 
this  character  appears  common  to  the  entire  southern  hemisphere, 
namely,  South  America,  Australia,  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  hemisphere,  and  of  the  intertropical  regions, 
thus  lose  perhaps  one  of  the  most  glorious,  though  to  our  eyes  common, 
spectacles  in  the  world — the  first  bursting  into  full  foliage  of  the  leaf- 
less tree.  They  may,  however,  say  that  we  pay  dearly  for  this  by 
having  the  land  covered  with  mere  naked  skeletons  for  so  many 
months.  This  is  too  true ;  but  our  senses  thus  acquire  a  keen  relish 
for  the  exquisite  green  of  tfte  spring,  which  the  eyes  of  those  living 
within  the  tropics,  sated  during  the  long  year  with  the  gorgeous  pro- 
ductions of  those  glowing  climates,  can  never  experience.  The  greater 
number  of  the  trees,  with  the  exception  of  some  of  the  Blue-gums, 
do  not  attain  a  large  size ;  but  they  grow  tall  and  tolerably  straight, 
and  stand  well  apart.  The  bark  of  some  of  the  Eucalypti  falls 
annually,  :or  hangs  dead  in  long  shreds,  which  swing  about  with  the 
wind,  and  give  to  the  woods  a  desolate  and  untidy  appearance.  I 
cannot  imagine  a  more  complete  contrast,  in  every  respect,  than 
between  the  forests  of  Valdivia  or  Chiloe,  and  the  woods  of  Australia. 

At  sunset,  a  party  of  a  score  of  the  black  aborigines  passed  by,  each 
carrying,  in  their  accustomed  manner,  a  bundle  of  spears  and  other 
weapons.  By  giving  a  leading  young  man  a  shilling,  they  were  easily 
detained,  and  threw  their  spears  for  my  amusement.  They  were  all 
partly  clothed,  and  several  could  speak  a  little  English :  their  coun- 
tenances were  good-humoured  and  pleasant,  and  they  appeared  far 
from  being  such  utterly  degraded  beings  as  they  have  usually  been 
represented.  In  their  own  arts  they  are  admirable.  A  cap  being 
fixed  at  thirty  yards  distance,  they  transfixed  it  with  a  spear,  delivered 
by  the  throwing-stick  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow  from  the  bow  of 
a  practised  archer.  In  tracking  animals  or  men  they  show  most 
wonderful  sagacity;  and  I  heard  of  several  of  their  remarks  which 
manifested  considerable  acuteness.  They  will  not,  however,  cultivate 
the  ground,  or  build  houses  and  remain  stationary,  or  even  take  the 
trouble  of  tending  a  flock  of  sheep  when  given  to  them.  On  the  whole 
they  appear  to  me  to  stand  some  few  degrees  higher  in  the  scale  of 
civilization  than  the  Fuegians. 

ft  is  vq-y  curious  thus  to  see  in  the  midst  oi  a  civilized  people,  3 


316  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 

set  of  harmless  savages  wandering  about  without  knowing  where  they 
shall  sleep  at  night,  and  gaining  their  livelihood  by  hunting  in  the 
woods.  As  the  white  man  has  travelled  onwards,  he  has  spread  over 
the  country  belonging  to  several  tribes.  These,  although  thus  enclosed 
by  one  common  people,  keep  up  their  ancient  distinctions,  and  some- 
times go  to  war  with  each  other.  In  an  engagement  which  took  place 
lately,  the  two  parties  most  singularly  chose  the  centre  of  the  village 
of  Bathurst  for  the  field  of  battle.  This  was  of  service  to  the  defeated 
side,  for  the  runaway  warriors  took  refuge  in  the  barracks. 

The  number  of  aborigines  is  rapidly  decreasing.  In  my  whole  ride, 
with  the  exception  of  some  boys  brought  up  by  Englishmen,  I  saw 
only  one  other  party.  This  decrease,  no  doubt,  must  be  partly  owing 
to  the  introduction  of  spirits,  to  European  diseases  (even  the  milder 
ones  of  which,  such  as  measles,*  prove  very  destructive),  and  to  the 
gradual  extinction  of  the  wild  animals.  It  is  said  that  numbers  of  their 
children  invariably  perish  in  very  early  infancy  from  the  effects  of 
their  wandering  life ;  and  as  the  difficulty  of  procuring  food  increases, 
so  must  their  wandering  habits  increase ;  and  hence  the  population, 
without  any  apparent  deaths  from  famine,  is  repressed  in  a  manner 
extremely  sudden  compared  to  what  happens  in  civilized  countries, 
where  the  father,  though  in  adding  to  his  labour  he  may  injure  himself, 
does  not  destroy  his  offspring. 

Besides  these  several  evident  causes  of  destruction,  there  appears  to 
be  some  more  mysterious  agency  generally  at  work.  Wherever  the 
European  has  trod,  death  seems  to  pursue  the  aboriginal.  We  may 
look  to  the  wide  extent  of  the  Americas,  Polynesia,  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  Australia,  and  we  find  the  same  result.  Nor  is  it  the  white 
man  alone  that  thus  acts  the  destroyer;  the  Polynesian  of  Malay 
extraction  has  in  parts  of  the  East  Indian  Archipelago,  thus  driven 
before  him  the  dark-coloured  native.  The  varieties  of  man  seem  to 
act  on  each  other  in  the  same  way  as  different  species  of  animals — the 
stronger  always  extirpating  the  weaker.  It  was  melancholy  at  New 
Zealand  to  hear  the  fine  energetic  natives  saying,  that  they  knew  the 
land  was  doomed  to  pass  from  their  children.  Every  one  has  heard  of 
the  inexplicable  reduction  of  the  population  in  the  beautiful  and  healthy 
island  of  Tahiti  since  the  date  of  Captain  Cook's  voyages  :  although  in 
that  case  we  might  have  expected  that  it  would  have  been  increased ; 
for  infanticide,  which  formerly  prevailed  to  so  extraordinary  a  degree, 
has  ceased,  profligacy  has  greatly  diminished,  and  the  murderous  wars 
become  less  frequent. 

The  Rev.  J.  Williams,  in  his  interesting  work.t  says,  that  the  first 
intercourse  between  natives,  and  Europeans,  "  is  invariably  attended  with 

*  It  is  remarkable  how  the  same  disease  is  modified  in  different  climates 
At  the  little  island  of  St.  Helena,  the  introduction  of  scarlet-fever  is  dreaded 
as  a  plague.  In  some  countries,  foreigners  and  natives  are  as  differently 
affected  by  certain  contagious  disorders,  as  if  they  had  been  different 
animals ;  of  which  fact  some  instances  have  occurred  in  Chile ;  and,  accord- 
ing to  Humboldt,  in  Mexico.  ("  Polit.  Essay,"  New  Spain,  vol.  iv.) 

f  "Narrative  of  Missionary  Enterprise,"  p.  282. 


1836.]  DECREASE  OF  THE  ABORIGINES.  317 

the  introduction  of  fever,  dysentery,  or  some  other  disease,  which 
carries  off  numbers  of  the  people."  Again  he  affirms,  "  It  is  certainly  a 
fact,  which  cannot  be  controverted,  that  most  of  the  diseases  which 
raged  in  the  islands  during  my  residence  there,  have  been  introduced 
by  ships ;  *  and  what  renders  this  fact  remarkable  i«,  there  might  be  no 
appearance  of  disease  among  the  crew  of  the  ship  which  conveyed  this 
destructive  importation."  This  statement  is  not  quite  so  extraordinary 
as  it  at  first  appears ;  for  several  cases  are  on  record  of  the  most 
malignant  fevers  having  broken  out,  although  the  parties  themselves, 
who  were  the  cause,  were  not  affected.  In  the  early  part  of  the  reign 
of  George  III.,  a  prisoner  who  had  been  confined  in  a  dungeon,  was 
taken  in  a  coach  with  four  constables  before  a  magistrate;  and, 
although  the  man  himself  was  not  ill,  the  four  constables  died  from  a 
short  putrid  fever;  but  the  contagion  extended  to  no  others.  From 
these  facts  it  would  almost  appear  as  if  the  effluvium  of  one  set  of  men 
shut  up  for  some  time  together  was  poisonous  when  inhaled  by  others; 
and  possibly  more  so,  if  the  men  be  of  different  races.  Mysterious  as 
this  circumstance  appears  to  be,  it  is  not  more  surprising  than  that  the 
body  of  one's  fellow-creature,  directly  after  death,  and  before  putrefac- 
tion has  commenced,  should  often  be  of  so  deleterious  a  quality,  that 
the  mere  puncture  from  an  instrument  used  in  its  dissection,  should 
prove  fatal.  • 

January  ijth. — Early  in  the  morning  we  passed  the  Nepean  in  a 
ferry-boat.  The  river,  although  at  this  spot  both  broad  and  deep,  had 
a  very  small  body  of  running  water.  Having  crossed  a  low  piece  of 
land  on  the  opposite  side,  we  reached  the  slope  of  the  Blue  Mountains 
The  ascent  is  not  steep,  the  road  having  been  cut  with  much  care  on  the 
side  of  a  sandstone  cliff.  On  the  summit  an  almost  level  plain  extends, 

*  Captain  Becchey  (chap,  iv.,  vol.  i.)  states  that  the  inhabitants  of  Pitcairn 
Island  are  firmly  convinced  that  after  the  arrival  of  every  ship  they  suffer 
cutaneous  and  other  disorders.  Captain  Beechey  attributes  this  to  the 
change  of  diet  during  the  time  of  the  visit.  Dr.  Macculloch  ("  Western 
Isles,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  32)  says,  "  It  is  asserted,  that  on  the  arrival  of  a  stranger 
(at  St.  Kilda)  all  the  inhabitants,  in  the  common  phraseology,  catch  a  cold." 
Dr.  Macciilloch  considers  the  whole  case,  although  often  previously  affirmed, 
as  ludicrous.  He  adds,  however,  that  "  the  question  was  put  by  us  to  the 
inhabitants,  who  unanimouslyagreed  in  the  story."  In  Vancouver's  Voyage, 
there  is  a  somewhat  similar  statement  with  respect  to  Otaheite.  Dr.  Dieffen- 
bach,  in  a  note  to  his  translation  of  this  Journal,  states  that  the  same  fact  is 
universally  believed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Chatham  Islands,  and  in  parts 
of  New  Zealand.  It  is  impossible  that  such  a  belief  should  have  become 
universal  in  the  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  Antipodes,  and  in  the  Pacific, 
without  some  good  foundation.  Humboldt  ("  Polit.  Essay  on  King  of  New 
Spain,"  vol.  iv.)  says,  that  the  great  epidemics  at  Panama  and  Callao  are 
"marked"  by  the  arrival  of  ships  from  Chile,  because  the  people  from  that 
temperate  region  first  experience  the  fatal  effects  of  the  torrid  zones.  I 
may  add,  that  I  have  heard  it  stated  in  Shropshire,  that  sheep,  which  have 
been  imported  from  vessels,  although  themselves  in  a  healthy  condition, 
if  placed  in  the  same  fold  with  others,  frequently  produce  sickness  in  the 
flpck. 


318  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  [CHAP.  xix. 

which,  rising  imperceptibly  to  the  westward,  at  last  attains  a  height  of 
more  than  3,000  feet.  From  so  grand  a  title  as  Blue  Mountains,  and 
from  their  absolute  altitude,  I  expected  to  have  seen  a  bold  chain  of 
mountains  crossing  the  country;  but  instead  of  this,  a  sloping  plain 
presents  merely  an  inconsiderable  front  to  the  low  land  near  the  coast. 
From  this  first  slope,  the  view  of  the  extensive  woodland  to  the  east 
was  striking,  and  the  surrounding  trees  grew  bold  and  lofty.  But 
when  once  on  the  sandstone  platform,  the  scenery  becomes  exceedingly 
monotonous  ;•  each  side  of  the  road  is  bordered  by  scrubby  trees  of  the 
never-failing  Eucalyptus  family;  and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three 
small  inns,  there  are  no  houses  or  cultivated  land  ;  the  road,  moreover, 
is  solitary ;  the  most  frequent  object  being  a  bullock-waggon,  piled  up 
with  bales  of  wool 

In  the  middle  of  the  day  we  baited  our  horses  at  a  little  inn,  called 
the  Weatherboard.  The  country  here  is  elevated  2,800  feet  above  the* 
sea.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  from  this  place  there  is  a  view  exceedingly 
well  worth  visiting.  Following  down  a  little  valley  and  its  tiny  rill  of 
water,  an  immense  gulf  unexpectedly  opens  through  the  trees  which 
border  the  pathway,  at  the  depth  of  perhaps  1,500  feet.  Walking  on  a 
few  yards,  one  stands  on  the  brink  of  a  vast  precipice,  and  below  one 
sees  a  grand  bay  or  gulf,  for  I  know  not  what  other  name  to  give  it, 
thickly  covered  with  forest.  The  point  of  view  is  situated  as  if  at  the 
head  of  a  bay,  the  line  of  cliff  diverging  on  each  side,  and  showing 
headland  behind  headland,  as  on  a  bold  sea-coast.  These  cliffs  are 
composed  of  horizontal  strata  of  whitish  sandstone  ;  and  are  so  abso- 
lutely vertical,  that  in  many  places  a  person  standing  on  the  edge  and 
throwing  down  a  stone,  can  see  it  strike  the  trees  in  the  abyss  below. 
So  unbroken  is  the  line  of  cliff,  that  in  order  to  reach  the  foot  of  the 
waterfall,  formed  by  this  little  stream,  it  is  said  to  be  necessary  to  go 
sixteen  miles  round.  About  five  miles  distant  in  front,  another  line  of 
cliff  extends,  which  thus  appears  completely  to  encircle  the  valley ;  and 
hence  the  name  of  bay  is  justified,  as  applied  to  this  grand  amphi- 
theatrical  depression.  If  we  imagine  a  winding  harbour,  with  its  deep 
water  surrounded  by  bold  cliff-like  shores,  to  be  laid  dry,  and  a  forest 
to  spring  up  on  its  sandy  bottom,  we  should  then  have  the  appearance 
and  structure  here  exhibited.  This  kind  of  view  was  to  me  quite  novel, 
and  extremely  magnificent. 

In  the  evening  we  reached  the  Blackheath.  The  sandstone  plateau 
has  here  attained  the  height  of  3,400  feet ;  and  is  covered,  as  before, 
with  the  same  scrubby  woods.  From  the  road,  there  were  occasional 
glimpses  into  a  profound  valley,  of  the  same  character  as  the  one 
described ;  but  from  the  steepness  and  depth  of  its  sides,  the  bottom 
was  scarcely  ever  to  be  seen.  The  Blackheath  is  a  very  comfortable 
inn,  kept  by  an  old  soldier ;  and  it  reminded  me  of  the  small  inns  in 
North  W'ales. 

January  i8/A. — Very  early  in  the  morning,  I  walked  about  three 
miles  to  see  Govett's  Leap ;  a  view  of  a  similar  character  with  that 
near  the  Weatherboard,  but  perhaps  even  more  stupendous.  So  early 
in  the  day  the  gulf  was  filled  with  a  thin  blue  haze,  which,  although 


1636.]  GREAT  VALLEYS.  319 

destroying  the  general  effect  of  the  view,  added  to  the  apparent  depth 
at  which  the  forest  was  stretched  out  beneath  our  feet.  These  valleys, 
which  so  long  presented  an  insuperable  barrier  to  the  attempts  of  the 
most  enterprising  of  the  colonists  to  reach  the  interior,  are  most  remark- 
able. Great  arm-like  bays,  expanding  at  their  upper  ends,  often  branch 
from  the  main  valleys  and  penetrate  the  sandstone  platform  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  platform  often  sends  promontories  into  the  valleys,  and 
even  leaves  in  them  great,  almost  insulated,  masses.  To  descend  into 
some  of  these  valleys,  it  is  necessary  to  go  round  twenty  miles ;  and 
into  others,  the  surveyors  have  only  lately  penetrated,  and  the  colonists 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  drive  in  their  cattle.  But  the  most  remarkable 
feature  in  their  structure  is,  that  although  several  miles  wide  at  their 
heads,  they  generally  contract  towards  their  mouths  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  become  impassable.  The  Surveyor-General,  Sir  T.  Mitchell,* 
endeavoured  in  vain,  first  walking  and  then  by  crawling  between  the 
great  fallen  fragments  of  sandstone,  to  ascend  through  the  gorge  by 
which  the  river  Grose  joins  the  Nepean ;  yet  the  valley  of  the  Grose  in 
its  upper  part,  as  I  saw,  forms  a  magnificent  level  basin  some  miles  in 
width,  and  is  on  all  sides  surrounded  by  cliffs,  the  summits  of  which 
are  believed  to  be  nowhere  less  than  3,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  When  cattle  are  driven  into  the  valley  of  the  Wolgan  by  a  path 
(which  I  descended),  partly  natural  and  partly  made  by  the  owner  of 
the  land,  they  cannot  escape ;  for  this  valley  is  in  every  other  part 
surrounded  by  perpendicular  cliffs,  and  eight  miles  lower  down,  it  con- 
tracts from  an  average  width  of  half  a  mile,  to  a  mere  chasm,  impassable 
to  man  or  beast.  Sir  T.  Mitchell  states  that  the  great  valley  of  the  Cox 
river  with  all  its  branches,  contracts,  where  it  unites  with  the  Nepean, 
into  a  gorge  2,200  yards  in  width,  and  about  1,000  feet  in  depth. 
Other  similar  cases  might  have  been  added. 

The  first  impression,  on  seeing  the  correspondence  of  the  horizontal 
strata  on  each  side  of  these  valleys  and  great  amphitheatrical  de- 
pressions, is  that  they  have  been  hollowed  out,  like  other  valleys,  by 
the  action  of  water  ;  but  when  one  reflects  on  the  enormous  amount  of 
stone,  which  on  this  view  must  have  been  removed  through  mere  gorges 
or  chasms,  one  is  led  to  ask  whether  these  spaces  may  not  have  sub- 
sided. But  considering  the  form  of  the  irregularly  branching  valleys, 
and  of  the  narrow  promontories  projecting  into  them  from  the  platforms, 
we  are  compelled  to  abandon  this  notion.  To  attribute  these  hollows 
to  the  present  alluvial  action  would  be  preposterous ;  nor  does  the 
drainage  from  the  summit-level  always  fall,  as  I  remarked  near  the 
Weatherboard,  into  the  head  of  these  valleys,  but  into  one  side  of  their 
bay-like  recesses.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  remarked  to  me  that  they 
never  viewed  one  of  those  bay-like  recesses,  with  the  headlands  re- 
ceding on  both  hands,  without  being  struck  with  their  resemblance  to 
a  bold  sea-coast.  This  is  certainly  the  case ;  moreover,  on  the  present 
coast  of  New  South  Wales,  the  numerous,  fine,  widely-branching  har- 
"  Travels  in  Australia,"  vol.  i.,  p.  154.  I  must  express  my  obligation  to 
Sir  T.  Mitchell,  for  several  interesting  personal  communications,  on  the 
subject  of  these  great  valleys  of  New  South  Wale«. 


320  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  £CHAP.  xix, 

bours,  which  are  generally  connected  with  the  sea  by  a  narrow  mouth 
worn  through  the  sandstone  coast-cliffs,  varying  from  one  mile  in  width 
to  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  present  a  likeness,  though  on  a  miniature  scale, 
to  the  great  valleys  of  the  interior.  But  then  immediately  occurs 
the  startling  difficulty,  why  has  the  sea  worn  out  these  great,  though 
circumscribed  depressions  on  a  wide  platform,  and  left  mere  gorges 
at  the  openings,  through  which  the  whole  vast  amount  of  triturated 
matter  must  have  been  carried  away?  The  only  light  I  can  throw 
upon  this  enigma,  is  by  remarking  that  banks  of  the  most  irregular 
forms  appear  to  be  now  forming  in  some  seas,  as  in  parts  of  the  West 
Indies  and  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  that  their  sides  are  exceedingly  steep. 
Such  banks,  I  have  been  led  to  suppose,  have  been  formed  by  sediment 
heaped  by  strong  currents  on  an  irregular  bottom.  That  in  some  cases 
the  sea,  instead  of  spreading  out  sediment  in  a  uniform  sheet,  heaps  it 
round  submarine  rocks  and  islands,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  doubt, 
after  examining  the  charts  of  the  West  Indies;  and  that  the  waves 
have  power  to  form  high  and  precipitous  cliffs,  even  in  land-locked 
harbours,  I  have  noticed  in  many  parts  of  South  America.  To  apply 
these  ideas  to  the  sandstone  platforms  of  New  South  Wales,  I  imagine 
that  the  strata  were  heaped  by  the  action  of  strong  currents,  and  of  the 
undulations  of  an  open  sea,  on  an  irregular  bottom ;  and  that  the  valley- 
like  spaces  thus  left  unfilled  have  their  steeply  sloping  flanks  worn  into 
cliffs,  during  a  slow  elevation  of  the  land ;  the  worn-down  sandstone 
being  removed,  either  at  the  time  when  the  narrow  gorges  were  cut  by 
the  retreating  sea,  or  subsequently  by  alluvial  action. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Blackheath,  we  descended  from  the  sandstone 
platform  by  the  pass  of  Mount  Victoria.  To  effect  this  pass,  an 
enormous  quantity  of  stone  has  been  cut  through ;  the  design,  and  its 
manner  of  execution,  being  worthy  of  any  line  of  road  in  England. 
We  now  entered  upon  a  country  less  elevated  by  nearly  a  thousand 
feet,  and  consisting  of  granite.  With  the  change  of  rock,  the  vegetation 
improved ;  the  trees  were  both  finer  and  stood  farther  apart ;  and  the 
pasture  between  them  was  a  little  greener  and  more  plentiful.  At 
Hassan's  Walls,  I  left  the  high  road,  and  made  a  short  detour  to  a 
farm  called  Walerawang,  to  the  superintendent  of  which  I  had  a  letter 
of  introduction  from  the  owner  in  Sydney.  Mr.  Browne  had  the  kind- 
ness to  ask  me  to  stay  the  ensuing  day,  which  I  had  much  pleasure  in 
doing.  This  place  offers  an  example  of  one  of  the  large  farming,  or 
rather  sheep-grazing,  establishments  of  the  colony.  Cattle  and  horses 
are,  however,  in  this  case  rather  more  numerous  than  usual,  owing  to 
some  of  the  valleys  being  swampy  and  producing  a  coarser  pasture. 
Two  or  three  flat  pieces  of  ground  near  the  house  were  cleared  and 
cultivated  with  corn,  which  the  harvest-men  were  now  reaping :  but  no 
more  wheat  is  sown  than  sufficient  for  the  annual  support  of  the  labourers 
employed  on  the  establishment.  The  usual  number  of  assigned 
convict-servants  here  is  about  forty,  but  at  the  present  time  there  wert 
rather  more.  Although  the  farm  was  well  stocked  with  every  necessary, 
there  was  an  apparent  absence  of  comfort ;  and  not  one  single  woman 


IS351  ORN1THORHYNCHUS.  3*1 

resided  here.  The  sunset  of  a  fine  day  will  generally  cast  an  air  of 
happy  contentment  on  any  scene  ;  but  here,  at  this  retired  farmhouse, 
the  brightest  tints  on  the  surrounding  woods  could  not  make  me  forget 
that  forty  hardened,  profligate  men  were  ceasing  from  their  daily 
labours,  like  the  slaves  from  Africa,  yet  without  their  holy  claim  for 
compassion. 

Early  on  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Archer,  the  joint  superintendent,  had 
the  kindness  to  take  me  out  kangaroo-hunting.  We  continued  riding 
the  greater  part  of  the  day,  but  had  very  bad  sport,  not  seeing  a 
kangaroo,  or  even  a  wild  dog.  The  greyhounds  pursued  a  kangaroo 
rat  into  a  hollow  tree,  out  of  which  we- dragged  it;  it  is  an  animal  as 
large  as  a  rabbit,  but  with  the  figure  of  a  kangaroo.  A  few  years  since 
this  country  abounded  with  wild  animals ;  but  now  the  emu  is  banished 
to  a  long  distance,  and  the  kangaroo  is  become  scarce ;  to  both  the 
English  greyhound  has  been  highly  destructive.  It  may  be  long  before 
these  animals  are  altogether  exterminated,  but  their  doom  is  fixed. 
The  aborigines  are  always  anxious  to  borrow  the  dogs  from  the  farm- 
houses ;  the  use  of  them,  the  offal  when  an  animal  is  killed,  and  some 
milk  from  the  cows,  are  the  peace-offerings  of  the  settlers,  who  push 
farther  and  farther  towards  the  interior.  The  thoughtless  aboriginal, 
blinded  by  these  trifling  advantages,  is  delighted  at  the  approach  of 
the  white  man,  who  seems  predestined  to  inherit  the  country  of  his 
children. 

Although  having  poor  sport,  we  enjoyed  a  pleasant  ride.  The  wood- 
land is  generally  so  open  that  a  person  on  horseback  can  gallop  through 
it.  It  is  traversed  by  a  few  flat-bottomed  valleys,  which  are  green  and 
free  from  trees ;  in  such  spots  the  scenery  was  pretty  like  that  of  a 
park.  In  the  whole  country  1  scarcely  saw  a  place  without  the  marks 
of  a  fire ;  whether  these  had  been  more  or  less  recent — whether  the 
stumps  were  more  or  less  black,  was  the  greatest  change  which  varied 
the  uniformity,  so  wearisome  to  the  traveller's  eye.  In  these  woods 
there  are  not  many  birds;  I  saw,  however,  some  large  flocks  of  the 
white  cockatoo  feeding  in  a  corn-field,  and  a  few  most  beautiful  parrots  ; 
crows  like  our  jackdaws  were  not  uncommon,  and  another  bird  some- 
thing like  the  magpie.  In  the  dusk  of  the  evening  I  took  a  stroll  along 
a  chain  of  ponds,  which  in  this  dry  country  represented  the  course  of  •» 
river,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  several  of  the  famous  Orr.ith  .<- 
rhynchus  paradoxus.  They  were  diving  and  playing  about  the  surface 
of  the  water,  but  showed  so  little  of  their  bodies,  that  they  might  easily 
have  been  mistaken  for  water-rats.  Mr.  Browne  shot  one ;  certainly  it 
is  a  most  extraordinary  animal ;  a  stuffed  specimen  does  not  at  all  give 
a  good  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  head  and  beak  when  fresh ;  the 
latter  becoming  hard  and  contracted.* 

*  I  was  interested  by  finding  here  the  hollow  conical  pitfall  of  the  lion- 
ant,  or  some  other  insect :  first  a  fly  fell  down  the  treacherous  slope  and 
immediately  disappeared  ;  then  came  a  large  but  unwary  ant ;  its  struggles 
to  escape  being  very  violent,  those  curious  little  jets  of  sand,  described  by 
Kirby  and  Spence  ("Entomol.,"  vol.  i.,  p.  425)  as  being  flirted  by  the  insect's 
tail,  were  promptly  directed  against  the  expected  victim.  But  the  ant  en- 


3M  NEW  SOUTH  WALLS.  [CHAP.  xflc. 

January  2Oth.— A  long  day's  ride  to  Bathurst.  Before  joining  the 
high  road  we  followed  a  mere  path  through  the  forest ;  and  the  country, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  squatters'  huts,  was  very  solitary.  We 
experienced  this  day  (he  sirocco-like  wind  of  Australia,  which  comes 
from  the  parched  deserts  of  the  interior.  Clouds  of  dust  were  travel- 
ling in  every  direction  ;  and  the  wind  felt  as  if  it  had  passed  over  a  fire. 
I  afterwards  heard  that  the  thermometer  out  of  doors  had  stood  at  119°, 
and  in  a  closed  room  at  96°.  In  the  afternoon  we  came  in  view  of  the 
downs  of  Bathurst  These  undulating  but  nearly  smooth  plains  are 
very  remarkable  in  this  country,  from  being  absolutely  destitute  of 
trees.  They  support  only  a  thin  brown  pasture.  We  rode  some  miles 
over  this  country,  and  then  reached  the  township  of  Bathurst,  seated  in 
the  middle  of  what  may  be  called  either  a  very  broad  valley,  or  narrow 
plain.  I  was  told  at  Sydney  not  to  form  too  bad  an  opinion  of  Australia 
by  judging  of  the  country  from  the  roadside,  nor  too  good  a  one  from 
Bathurst ;  in  this  latter  respect,  I  did  not  feel  myself  in  the  least  danger 
of  being  prejudiced.  The  season,  it  must  be  owned,  had  been  one  of 
great  drought,  and  the  country  did  not  wear  a  favourable  aspect; 
although  I  understand  it  was  incomparably  worse  two  or  three  months 
before.  The  secret  of  the  rapidly  growing  prosperity  of  Bathurst  is, 
that  the  brown  pasture  which  appears  to  the  stranger's  eye  so  wretched, 
is  excellent  for  sheep-grazing.  The  town  stands,  at  the  height  of 
2,200  feet  above  the  sea,  on  the  banks  of  the  Macquarie ;  this  is  one  of 
the  rivers  flowing  into  the  vast  and  scarcely  known  interior.  The  line 
of  watershed,  which  divides  the  inland  streams  from  those  on  the  coast, 
has  a  height  of  about  3,000  feet,  and  runs  in  a  north  and  south  direction 
at  the  distance  of  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  miles  from  the  seaside. 
The  Macquarie  figures  in  the  map  as  a  respectable  river,  and  it  is  the 
largest  of  those  draining  this  part  of  the  water-shed ;  yet  to  my  surprise 
1  found  it  a  mere  chain  of  ponds,  separated  from  each  other  by  spaces 
almost  dry.  Generally  a  small  stream  is  running ;  and  sometimes  there 
are  high  and  impetuous  floods.  Scanty  as  the  supply  of  the  water  is 
throughout  this  district,  it  becomes  still  scantier  further  inland. 

January  22nd. — I  commenced  my  return,  and  followed  a  new  road 
culled  Lockyer's  Line,  along  which  the  country  is  rather  more  hilly  and 
picturesque.  This  was  a  long  day's  ride;  and  the  house  where  I 
wished  to  sleep  was  some  way  off  the  road,  and  not  easily  found.  I 
met  on  this  occasion,  and  indeed  on  all  others,  a  very  general  and 
ready  civility  among  the  lower  orders,  which,  when  one  considers  what 
they  are,  and  what  they  have  been,  would  scarcely  have  been  expected. 
The  farm  where  I  passed  the  night,  was  owned  by  two  young  men  who 
had  only  lately  come  out,  and  were  beginning  a  settler's  life.  The 
total  want  of  almost  every  comfort  was  not  very  attractive  ;  but  future 
and  certain  prosperity  was  before  their  eyes,  and  that  not  far  distant. 

The  next  day  we  passed  through  large  tracts  of  country  in  flames, 
volumes  of  smoke  sweeping  across  the  road.  Before  noon  we  joined 
joyed  a  better  fate  than  the  fly,  and  escaped  the  fatal  jaws  which  lay  con- 
cealed at  the  base  of  the  conical  hollow.  This  Australia!  pit-fall  was  only 
about  half  the  size  of  that  made  by  the  European  lion-ant, 


tM-  StAtE  OF  SOCIETY.  #3 

our  former  road,  and  ascended  Mount  Victoria,  t  slept  at  the 
Weatherboard,  and  before  dark  took  another  walk  to  the  amphitheatre. 
On  the  road  to  Sydney  I  spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  with  Captain 
King  at  Dunheved ;  and  thus  ended  my  little  excursion  in  the  colony 
of  New  South  Wales. 

Before  arriving  here  the  three  things  which  interested  me  most  were 
-  the  state  of  society  amongst  the  higher  classes,  the  condition  of  the 
convicts,  and  the  degree  of  attraction  sufficient  to  induce  persons  to 
emigrate.  Of  course,  after  so  very  short  a  visit,  one's  opinion  is  worth 
scarcely  anything  ;  but  it  is  as  difficult  not  to  form  some  opinion,  as  it 
is  to  form  a  correct  judgment.  On  the  whole,  from  what  I  heard,  more 
than  from  what  I  saw,  I  was  disappointed  in  the  state  of  society.  The 
whole  community  is  rancorously  divided  into  parties  on  almost  every 
subject.  Among  those  who,  from  their  station  in  life,  ought  to  be  the 
best,  many  live  in  such  open  profligacy  that  respectable  people  cannot 
associate  with  them.  There  is  much  jealousy  between  the  children  of 
the  rich  emancipist  and  the  free  settlers,  the  former  being  pleased  to 
consider  honest  men  as  interlopers.  The  whole  population,  poor  and 
rich,  are  bent  on  acquiring  wealth :  amongst  the  higher  orders,  wool 
and  sheep-grazing  form  the  constant  subject  of  conversation.  There 
are  many  serious  drawbacks  to  the  comforts  of  a  family,  the  chief  of 
which,  perhaps,  is  being  surrounded  by  convict  servants.  How 
thoroughly  odious  to  every  feeling,  to  be  waited  on  by  a  man  who  the 
day  before,  perhaps,  was  flogged,  from  your  representation,  for  some 
trifling  misdemeanour.  The  female  servants  are  of  course  much  worse : 
hence  children  learn  the  vilest  expressions,  and  it  is  fortunate  if  not 
equally  vile  ideas. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  capital  of  a  person,  without  any  trouble  on 
his  part,  produces  him  treble  interest  to  what  it  will  in  England ;  and 
with  care  he  is  sure  to  grow  rich.  The  luxuries  of  life  are  in  abundance, 
and  very  little  dearer  than  in  England,  and  most  articles  of  food  are 
cheaper.  The  climate  is  splendid,  and  perfectly  healthy ;  but  to  my 
mind  its  charms  are  lost  by  the  uninviting  aspect  of  the  country. 
Settlers  possess  a  great  advantage  in  finding  their  sons  of  service  when 
very  young.  At  the  age  of  from  sixteen  to  twenty,  they  frequently  take 
charge  of  distant  farming  stations.  This,  however,  must  happen  at  the 
expense  of  their  boys  associating  entirely  with  convict  servants.  I  am 
not  aware  that  the  tone  of  society  has  assumed  any  peculiar  character ; 
but  with  such  habits,  and  without  intellectual  pursuits,  it  can  hardly  fail 
to  deteriorate.  My  opinion  is  such,  that  nothing  but  rather  sharp 
necessity  should  compel  me  to  emigrate. 

The  rapid  prosperity  and  future  prospects  of  this  colony  are  to  me, 
not  understanding  these  subjects,  very  puzzling.  The  two  main  exports 
are  wool  and  whale-oil,  and  to  both  of  these  productions  there  is  « 
limit.  The  country  is  totally  untit  for  canals,  therefore  there  is  a  not 
very  distant  point,  beyond  which  the  land-carriage  of  wool  will  not 
repay  the  expense  of  shearing  and  tending  sheep.  Pasture  everywhere 
is  so  thin  that  settlers  have  already  pushed  far  into  the  interior  :  more- 
over, the  country  further  inland  becomes  extremely  poor.  Agriculture, 


324  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  [CHAP.  xrx. 

on  account  of  the  drought,  can  never  succeed  on  an  extended  scale : 
therefore,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  Australia  must  ultimately  depend  upon 
being  the  centre  of  commerce  for  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  perhaps 
on  her  future  manufactories.  Possessing  coal,  she  always  has  the 
moving  power  at  hand.  From  the  habitable  country  extending  along 
the  coast,  and  from  her  English  extraction,  she  is  sure  to  be  a  maritime 
nation.  I  formerly  imagined  that  Australia  would  rise  to  be  as  grand 
and  powerful  a  country  as  North  America,  but  now  it  appears  to  me 
that  such  future  grandeur  is  rather  problematical. 

With  respect  to  the  state  of  the  convicts,  I  had  still  fewer  oppor- 
tunities of  judging  than  on  the  other  points.  The  first  question  is, 
whether  their  condition  is  at  all  one  of  punishment:  no  one  will 
maintain  that  it  is  a  very  severe  one.  This,  however,  I  suppose,  is  of 
little  consequence  as  long  as  it  continues  to  be  an  object  of  dread  to 
criminals  at  home.  The  corporeal  wants  of  the  convicts  are  tolerably 
well  supplied :  their  prospect  of  future  liberty  and  comfort  is  not 
distant,  and  after  good  conduct  certain.  A  "ticket  of  leave,"  which, 
as  long  as  a  man  keeps  clear  of  suspicion  as  well  as  of  crime,  makes 
him  free  within  a  certain  district,  is  given  upon  good  conduct,  after 
years  proportional  to  the  length  of  the  sentence  ;  yet  with  all  this,  and 
overlooking  the  previous  imprisonment  and  wretched  passage  out, 
I  believe  the  years  of  assignment  are  passed  away  with  discontent  and 
unhappiness.  As  an  intelligent  man  remarked  to  me,  the  convicts 
know  no  pleasure  beyond  sensuality,  and  in  this  they  are  not  gratified. 
The  enormous  bribe  which  Government  possesses  in  offering  free 
pardons,  together  with  the  deep  horror  of  the  secluded  penal  settlements, 
destroys  confidence  between  the  convicts,  and  so  prevents  crime.  As 
to  a  sense  of  shame,  such  a  feeling  does  not  appear  to  be  known,  and 
of  this  I  witnessed  some  very  singular  proofs.  Though  it  is  a  curious 
fact,  I  was  universally  told  that  the  character  of  the  convict  population 
,  is  one  of  arrant  cowardice :  not  unfrequently  some  become  desperate, 
and  quite  indifferent  as  to  life,  yet  a  plan  requiring  cool  or  continued 
courage  is  seldom  put  into  execution.  The  worst  feature  in  the  whole 
case  is,  that  although  there  exists  what  may  be  called  a  legal  reform, 
and  comparatively  little  is  committed  which  the  law  can  touch,  yet 
that  any  moral  reform  should  take  place  appears  to  be  quite  out  of 
the  question.  I  was  assured  by  well-informed  people,  that  a  man  who 
should  try  to  improve,  could  not  while  living  with  other  assigned 
servants ; — his  life  would  be  one  of  intolerable  misery  and  persecution. 
Nor  must  the  contamination  of  the  convict-ships  and  prisons,  both 
here  and  in  England,  be  forgotten.  On  the  whole,  as  a  place  of 
punishment,  the  object  is  scarcely  gained ;  as  a  real  system  of  reform 
it  has  failed,  as  perhaps  would  every  other  plan ;  but  as  a  means  of 
making  men  outwardly  honest, — of  converting  vagabonds,  most  useless 
in  one  hemisphere,  into  active  citizens  of  another,  and  thus  giving 
birth  to  a  new  and  splendid  country — a  grand  centre  of  civilization — it 
has  succeeded  to  a  degree  perhaps  unparalleled  in  history. 

January  so/A.— The  Beagle  sailed  /or  Hobart  Town  in  Van  Diemen's 


1836-]  ABORIGINES.  325 

Land.  On  the  5th  of  February,  after  a  six  days'  passage,  of  which 
the  first  part  was  fine  and  the  latter  very  cold  and  squally,  we  entered 
the  mouth  of  Storm  Bay :  the  weather  justified  this  awful  name.  The 
bay  should  rather  be  called  an  estuary,  for  it  receives  at  its  head  the 
waters  of  the  Derwent.  Near  the  mouth,  there  are  some  extensive 
basaltic  platforms  ;  but  higher  up  the  land  becomes  mountainous,  and 
is  covered  by  a  light  wood.  The  lower  parts  of  the  hills  which  skirt 
the  bay  are  cleared ;  and  the  bright  yellow  fields  of  corn,  and  dark 
green  ones  of  potatoes,  appear  very  luxuriant.  Late  in  the  evening 
we  anchored  in  the  snug  cove,  on  the  shores  of  which  stands  the 
capital  of  Tasmania.  The  first  aspect  of  the  place  was  very  inferior 
to  that  of  Sydney ;  the  latter  might  be  called  a  city,  this  only  a  town. 
It  stands  at  the  base  of  Mount  Wellington,  a  mountain  3,100  feet  high, 
but  of  little  picturesque  beauty ;  from  this  source,  however,  it  receives 
a  good  supply  of  water.  Round  the  cove  there  are  some  fine  ware- 
houses, and  on  one  side  a  small  fort.  Coming  from  the  Spanish 
settlements,  where  such  magnificent  care  has  generally  been  paid  to 
the  fortifications,  the  means  of  defence  in  thesf;  colonies  appeared  very 
contemptible.  Comparing  the  town  with  Sydney,  I  was  chiefly  struck 
with  the  comparative  fewness  of  the  large  houses,  either  built  or 
building.  Hobart  Town,  from  the  census  of  1835,  contained  13,826 
inhabitants,  and  the  whole  of  Tasmania  36,505. 

All  the  aborigines  have  been  removed  to  an  island  in  Bass's  Straits, 
so  that  Van  Diemen's  Land  enjoys  the  great  advantage  of  being  free 
from  a  native  population.  This  most  cruel  step  seems  to  have  been 
quite  unavoidable,  as  the  only  means  of  stopping  a  fearful  succession 
of  robberies,  burnings,  and  murders,  committed  by  the  blacks ;  and 
which  sooner  or  later  would  have  ended  in  their  utter  destruction.  I 
fear  there  is  no  doubt  that  this  train  of  evil  and  its  consequences, 
originated  in  the  infamous  conduct  of  some  of  our  countrymen.  Thirty 
years  is  a  short  period  in  which  to  have  banished  the  last  aboriginal 
from  his  native  island, — and  that  island  nearly  as  large  as  Ireland. 
The  correspondence  on  this  subject,  which  took  place  between  the 
government  at  home  and  that  of  Van  Diemea's  Land,  is  very  interesting. 
Although  numbers  of  natives  were  shot  and  taken  prisoners  in  the 
skirmishing  which  was  going  on  at  intervals  for  several  years,  nothing 
seems  fully  to  have  impressed  them  with  the  idea  of  our  overwhelming 
power,  until  the  whole  island,  in  1830,  was  put  under  martial  law,  and 
by  proclamation  the  whole  population  commanded  to  assist  in  one 
great  attempt  to  secure  the  entire  race.  The  plan  adopted  was  nearly 
similar  to  that  of  the  great  hunting-matches  in  India:  a  line  was 
formed  reaching  across  the  island,  with  the  intention  of  driving  the 
natives  into  a  cul-de-sac  on  Tasman's  peninsula.  The  attempt  failed  ; 
the  natives,  having  tied  up  their  dogs,  stol<;  during  one  night  through 
the  lines.  This  is  far  from  surprising,  when  their  practised  senses  and 
usual  manner  of  crawling  after  wild  animals  is  considered.  I  have 
been  assured  that  they  can  conceal  themselves  on  almost  bare  ground, 
in  a  manner  which  until  witnessed  is  scarcely  credible;  their  dusky 
bodies  being  easily  mistaken  for  the  blackened  stumps  which  are 


#6  VAN  DIFMEN'S  LAND  [CHAP.  xix. 

scattered  all  over  the  country.  I  was  told  of  a  trial  between  a  party  of 
Englishmen  and  a  native,  who  was  to  stand  in  full  view  on  the  side  of 
a  bare  hill ;  if  the  Englishmen  closed  their  eyes  for  less  than  a  minute, 
he  would  squat  down,  and  then  they  were  never  able  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  surrounding  stumps.  But  to  return  to  the  hunting- 
match  ;  the  natives,  understanding  this  kind  of  warfare,  were  terribly 
alarmed,  for  they  at  once  perceived  the  power  and  numbers  of  the 
whites.  Shortly  afterwards  a  party  of  thirteen  belonging  to  two  tribes 
came  in,  and,  conscious  of  their  unprotected  condition,  delivered  them- 
selves up  in  their  despair.  Subsequently  by  the  intrepid  exertions  of 
Mr.  Robinson,  an  active  and  benevolent  man,  who  fearlessly  visited  by 
himself  the  most  hostile  of  the  natives,  the  whole  were  induced  to  act 
in  a  similar  manner.  They  were  then  removed  to  an  island,  where  food 
and  clothes  were  provided  them.  Count  Strzelecki  states,  *  that  "  at 
the  epoch  of  their  deportation  in  1835,  the  number  of  natives  amounted 
to  two  hundred  and  ten.  In  1842,  that  is,  after  the  interval  of  seven 
years,  they  mustered  only  fifty-four  individuals ;  and,  while  each  family 
of  the  interior  of  New  South  Wales,  uncontaminated  by  contact  with 
the  whites,  swarms  with  children,  those  of  Flinders'  Island  had  during 
eight  years,  an  accession  of  only  fourteen  in  number  I " 

The  Beagle  stayed  here  ten  days,  and  in  this  time  I  made  several 
pleasant  little  excursions,  chiefly  with  the  object  of  examining  the 
geological  structure  of  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  The  main 
points  of  interest  consist,  first,  in  some  highly  fossiliferous  strata, 
belonging  to  the  Devonian  or  Carboniferous  period ;  secondly,  in 
proofs  of  a  late  small  rise  of  the  land ;  and  lastly,  in  a  solitary  and 
superficial  patch  of  yellowish  limestone  or  travertin,  which  contains 
numerous  impressions  of  leaves  of  trees,  together  with  land-shells,  not 
now  existing.  It  is  not  improbable  that  this  one  small  quarry  includes 
the  only  remaining  record  of  the  vegetation  of  Van  Diemen's  Land 
during  one  former  epoch. 

The  climate  here  is  damper  than  in  New  South  Wales,  and  hence 
the  land  is  more  fertile.  Agriculture  flourishes ;  the  cultivated  fields 
look  well,  and  the  gardens  abound  with  thriving  vegetables  and  fruit- 
trees.  Some  of  the  farmhouses,  situated  in  retired  spots,  had  a  very 
attractive  appearance.  The  general  aspect  of  the  vegetation  is  similar 
to  that  of  Australia ;  perhaps  it  is  a  little  more  green  and  cheerful ; 
and  the  pasture  between  the  trees  rather  more  abundant.  One  day  I 
took  a  long  walk  on  the  side  of  the  bay  opposite  to  the  town ;  I 
crossed  in  a  steamboat,  two  of  which  are  constantly  plying  backwards 
and  forwards.  The  machinery  of  one  of  these  vessels  was  entirely 
manufactured  in  this  colony,  which,  from  its  very  foundation,  then 
numbered  only  three-and-thirty  years  1  Another  day  I  ascended 
Mount  Wellington ;  I  took  with  me  a  guide,  for  I  failed  in  a  first 
attempt,  from  the  thickness  of  the  wood.  Our  guide,  however,  was  a 
stupid  fellow,  and  conducted  us  to  the  southern  and  damp  side  of  the 
mountain,  \vhere  the  vegetation  was  very  luxuriant ;  and  where  the 

*  "  Physical  Description  of  New  South  Wales  and  Van  Diemen's  Land," 
P.  354- 


i8s«.]  KING  GEORGES  SOUND.  327 

labour  of  the  ascent,  from  the  number  of  rotten  trunks,  was  almost  as 
great  as  on  a  mountain  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  or  in  Chiloe.  It  cost  us 
five  and  a  half  hours  of  hard  climbing  before  we  reached  the  summit. 
In  many  parts  the  Eucalypti  grew  to  a  great  size,  and  composed  a 
noble  forest.  In  some  of  the  dampest  ravines,  tree-ferns  flourished  in 
an  extraordinary  manner ;  I  saw  one  which  must  have  been  at  least 
twenty  feet  high  to  the  base  of  the  fronds,  and  was  in  girth  exactly  six 
feet.  The  fronds  forming  the  most  elegant  parasols,  produced  a  gloomy 
shade,  like  that  of  the  first  hour  of  night.  The  summit  of  the  mountain 
is  broad  and  flat,  and  is  composed  of  huge  angular  masses  of  naked 
greenstone.  Its  elevation  is  3,  too  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
day  was  splendidly  clear,  and  we  enjoyed  a  most  extensive  view ;  to 
the  north,  the  country  appeared  a  mass  of  wooded  mountains,  of  about 
the  same  height  with  that  on  which  we  were  standing,  and  with  an 
equally  tame  outline  :  to  the  south  the  broken  land  and  water,  forming 
many  intricate  bays,  was  mapped  with  clearness  before  us.  After 
staying  some  hours  on  the  summit,  we  found  a  better  way  to  descend, 
but  did  not  reach  the  Beagle  till  eight  o'clock,  after  a  severe  day's 
work. 

February  yth. — The  Beagle  sailed  from  Tasmania,  and,  on  the  6th  of 
the  ensuing  month,  reached  King  George's  Sound,  situated  close  to  the 
S.W.  corner  of  Australia.  We  stayed  there  eight  days ;  and  we  did  not 
during  our  voyage  pass  a  more  dull  and  uninteresting  time.  The 
country,  viewed  from  an  eminence,  appears  a  woody  plain,  with  here 
and  there  rounded  and  partly  bare  hills  of  granite  protruding.  One 
day  I  went  out  with  a  party,  in  hopes  of  seeing  a  kangaroo  hunt,  and 
walked  over  a  good  many  miles  of  country.  Everywhere  we  found  the 
soil  sandy,  and  very  poor ;  it  supported  either  a  coarse  vegetation  of 
thin,  low  brushwood  and  wiry  grass,  or  a  forest  of  stunted  trees.  The 
scenery  resembled  that  of  the  high  sandstone  platform  of  the  Blue 
Mountains ;  the  Casuarina  (a  tree  somewhat  resembling  a  Scotch  fir) 
is,  however,  here  in  greater  number,  and  the  Eucalyptus  in  rather  less. 
In  the  open  parts  there  were  many  grass-trees, — a  plant  which,  in 
appearance,  has  some  affinity  with  the  palm;  but,  instead  of  being 
surmounted  by  a  crown  of  noble  fronds,  it  can  boast  merely  of  a  tuft 
of  very  coarse  grass-like  leaves.  The  general  bright  green  colour  of 
the  brushwood  and  other  plants,  viewed  from  a  distance,  seemed  to 
promise  fertility.  A  single  walk,  however,  was  enough  to  dispel  such 
an  illusion  ;  and  he  who  thinks  with  me  will  never  wish  to  walk  again 
in  so  uninviting  a  country. 

One  day  I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  Bald  Head  ;  the  place 
mentioned  by  so  many  navigators,  where  some  imagined  that  they  saw 
corals,  and  others  that  they  saw  petrified  trees,  standing  in  the  position 
in  which  they  had  grown.  According  to  our  view,  the  b^ds  have  been 
formed  by  the  wind  having  heaped  up  fine  sand,  composed  of  minute 
rounded  particles  of  shells  and  corals,  during  which  process  branches 
and  roots  of  trees,  together  with  many  land-shells,  became  enclosed. 
The  whole  then  became  consolidated  by  the  percolation  of  calcareous 
matter;  and  the  cylindrical  cavities  left  by  the  decaying  of  the  wood 


328  KING  GEORGES  SOUND.  [CHAP.  xix. 

were  thus  also  filled  up  with  a  hard  pseudo-stalactitical  stone.  The 
weather  is  now  wearing  away  the  softer  parts,  and  in  consequence  the 
hard  casts  of  the  roots  and  branches  of  the  trees  project  above  the 
surface,  and,  in  a  singularly  deceptive  manner,  resemble  the  stumps  of 
a  dead  thicket. 

A  large  tribe  of  natives,  called  the  White  Cockatoo  men,  happened 
to  pay  the  settlement  a  visit  while  we  were  there.  These  men,  as  well 
as  those  of  the  tribe  belonging  to  King  George's  Sound,  being  tempted 
by  the  offer  of  some  tubs  of  rice  and  sugar,  were  persuaded  to  hold  a 
41  corrobery,"  or  great  dancing-party.  As  soon  as  it  grew  dark,  small 
fires  were  lighted,  and  the  men  commenced  their  toilet,  which  con- 
sisted in  painting  themselves  white  in  spots  and  lines.  As  soon  as  all 
was  ready,  large  fires  were  kept  blazing,  round  which  the  women  and 
children  were  collected  as  spectators  ;  the  Cockatoo  and  King  George's 
men  formed  two  distinct  parties,  and  generally  danced  in  answer  to 
each  other.  The  dancing  consisted  in  their  running  either  sideways  or 
in  Indian  file  into  an  open  space,  and  stamping  the  ground  with  great 
force  as  they  marched  together.  Their  heavy  footsteps  were  accom- 
panied by  a  kind  of  grunt,  by  beating  their  clubs  and  spears  together, 
and  by  various  other  gesticulations,  such  as  extending  their  arms  and 
wriggling  their  bodies.  It  was  a  most  rude,  barbarous  scene,  and,  to 
our  ideas,  without  any  sort  of  meaning ;  but  we  observed  that  the  black 
women  and  children  watched  it  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  Perhaps 
these  dances  originally  represented  actions,  such  as  wars  and  victories  ; 
there  was  one  called  the  Emu  dance,  in  which  each  man  extended  his 
arm  in  a  bent  manner,  like  the  neck  of  that  bird.  In  another  dance, 
one  man  imitated  the  movements  of  a  kangaroo  grazing  in  the  woods, 
whilst  a  second  crawled  up,  and  pretended  to  spear  him.  When  both 
tribes  mingled  in  the  dance,  the  ground  trembled  with  the  heaviness  of 
their  steps,  and  the  air  resounded  with  their  wild  cries.  Every  one 
appeared  in  high  spirits,  and  the  group  of  nearly  naked  figures,  viewed 
by  the  light  of  the  blazing  fires,  all  moving  in  hideous  harmony,  formed 
a  perfect  display  of  a  festival  amongst  the  lowest  barbarians.  In 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  we  have  beheld  many  curious  scenes  in  savage  life, 
but  never,  I  think,  one  where  the  natives  were  in  such  high  spirits,  and 
so  perfectly  at  their  ease.  After  the  dancing  was  over,  the  whole 
party  formed  a  great  circle  on  the  ground,  and  the  boiled  rice  and 
sugar  was  distributed,  to  the  delight  of  all. 

After  several  tedious  delays  from  clouded  weather,  on  the  I4th  of 
March,  we  gladly  stood  out  of  King  George's  Sound  on  our  course  to 
Keeling  Island.  Farewell,  Australia  I  you  are  a  rising  child,  and 
doubtless  some  day  will  reign  a  great  princess  in  the  South  ;  but  you 
are  too  great  and  ambitious  for  affection,  yet  not  great  enough  fot 
respect.  I  leave  your  shores  without  sorrow  or  regret 


1836.]  KEELING  ISLAND.  329 

CHAPTER  XX. 
KEELING  ISLAND: — CORAL  FORMATIONS. 

Keeling  Island — Singular  Appearance — Scanty  Flora — Transport  of  Seeds — 
Birds  and  Insects — Ebbing  and  Flowing  Springs — Fields  of  Dead  Coral 
— Stones  transported  in  the  Roots  of  Trees — Great  Crab — Stinging  Corals 
— Coral-eating  Fish — Coral  Formations — Lagoon  Islands  or  Atolls- 
Depth  at  which  Reef-building  Corals  can  Live — Vast  Areas  interspersed 
with  Low  Coral  Islands — Subsidence  of  their  Foundations — Barrier  Reefi 
— Fringing  Reefs — Conversion  of  Fringing  Reefs  into  Barrier  Reefs,  and 
into  Atolls — Evidence  of  Changes  in  Level — Breeches  in  Barrier  Reefs — 
Maldiva  Atolls ;  their  Peculiar  Structure — Dead  and  Submerged  Reefs- 
Areas  of  Subsidence  and  Elevation — DistriVNtion  of  Volcanos — Sub- 
sidence Slow,  and  Vast  in  Amount. 

April  ist. — WE  arrived  in  view  of  the  Keeling  or  Cocos  Islands, 
situated  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  about  six  hundred  miles  distant  from 
the  coast  of  Sumatra.  This  is  one  of  the  lagoon-islands  (or  atolls)  of 
coral  formation,  similar  to  those  in  the  Low  Archipelago  which  we 
passed  near.  When  the  ship  was  in  the  channel  at  the  entrance,  Mr. 
Liesk,  an  English  resident,  came  off  in  his  boat.  The  history  of  the 
inhabitants  of  this  place,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  is  as  follows. 
About  nine  years  ago,  Mr.  Hare,  a  worthless  character,  brought  from 
the  East  Indian  Archipelago  a  number  of  Malay  slaves,  which  now, 
including  children,  amount  to  more  than  a  hundred.  Shortly  after- 
wards, Captain  Ross,  who  had  before  visited  these  islands  in  his 
merchant-ship,  arrived  from  England,  bringing  with  him  his  family  and 
goods  for  settlement ;  along  with  him  came  Mr.  Liesk,  who  had  been  a 
mate  in  his  vessel.  The  Malay  slaves  soon  ran  away  from  the  islet  on 
which  Mr.  Hare  was  settled,  and  joined  Captain  Ross's  party.  Mr. 
Hare  upon  this  was  ultimately  obliged  to  leave  the  place. 

The  Malays  are  now  nominally  in  a  state  of  freedom,  and  certainly 
are  so,  as  far  as  regards  their  personal  treatment ;  but  in  most  other 
points  they  are  considered  as  slaves.  From  their  discontented  state, 
from  the  repeated  removals  from  islet  to  islet,  and  perhaps  also  from 
a  little  mismanagement,  things  are  not  very  prosperous.  The  island 
has  no  domestic  quadruped,  excepting  the  pig,  and  the  main  vegetable 
production  is  the  cocoa-nut.  The  whole  prosperity  of  the  place 
depends  on  this  tree :  the  only  exports  being  oil  from  the  nut,  and  the 
nuts  themselves,  which  are  taken  to  Singapore  and  Mauritius,  where 
they  are  chiefly  used,  when  grated,  in  making  curries.  On  the 
cocoa-nut,  also,  the  pigs,  which  are  loaded  with  fat,  almost  entirely 
subsist,  as  do  the  ducks  and  poultry.  Even  a  huge  land-crab  is  fur- 
nished by  nature  with  the  means  to  open  and  feed  on  this  most  useful 
production. 

The  ring-formed  reef  of  the  lagoon-island  is  surmounted  in  the 
greater  part  of  its  length  by  linear  islets.  On  the  northern  or  leeward 
side,  there  is  an  opening  through  which  vessels  can  pass  to  the 
anchorage  within.  On  entering,  the  scene  was  very  curious  and  rather 


330  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  ^ 

pretty ;  its  beauty,  however,  entirely  depended  on  the  brilliancy  of  the 
surrounding  colours.  The  shallow,  clear,  and  still  water  of  the  lagoon, 
resting  in  its  greater  part  on  white  sand,  is,  when  illumined  by  a 
vertical  sun,  of  the  most  vivid  green.  This  brilliant  expanse,  several 
miles  in  width,  is  on  all  sides  divided,  either  by  a  line  of  snow-white 
breakers  from  the  dark  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean,  or  from  the  blue 
vault  of  heaven  by  the  strips  of  land,  crowned  by  the  level  tops  of  the 
cocoa-nut  trees.  As  a  white  cloud  here  and  there  affords  a  pleasing 
contrast  with  the  azure  sky,  so  in  the  lagoon,  bands  of  living  coral 
darken  the  emerald  green  water. 

The  next  morning  after  anchoring,  I  went  on  shore  on  Direction 
Island.  The  strip  of  dry  land  is  only  a  few  hundred  yards  in  width ; 
on  the  lagoon  side  there  is  a  white  calcareous  beach,  the  radiation  from 
which  under  this  sultry  climate  was  very  oppressive ;  and  on  the  outer 
coast,  a  solid  broad  flat  of  coral-rock  served  to  break  the  violence  of 
the  open  sea.  Excepting  near  the  lagoon,  where  there  is  some  sand, 
the  land  is  entirely  composed  of  rounded  fragments  of  coral.  In  such 
a  loose,  dry,  stony  soil,  the  climate  of  the  intertropical  regions  alone 
could  produce  a  vigorous  vegetation.  On  some  of  the  smaller  islets, 
nothing  could  be  more  elegant  than  the  manner  in  which  the  young  and 
full-grown  cocoa-nut  trees,  without  destroying  each  other's  symmetry, 
were  mingled  into  one  wood.  A  beach  of  glittering  white  sand  formed 
a  border  to  these  fairy  spots. 

I  will  now  give  a  sketch  of  the  natural  history  of  these  islands, 
which,  from  its  very  paucity,  possesses  a  peculiar  interest.  The  cocoa- 
nut  tree,  at  the  first  glance,  seems  to  compose  the  whole  wood  ;  there 
are,  however,  five  or  six  other  trees.  One  of  these  grows  to  a  very 
large  size,  but,  from  the  extreme  softness  of  its  wood,  is  useless; 
another  sort  affords  excellent  timber  for  ship-building.  Besides  the 
trees,  the  number  of  plants  is  exceedingly  limited,  an3  consists  of 
insignificant  weeds.  In  my  collection,  which  includes,  J  believe,  nearly 
the  perfect  Flora,  there  are  twenty  species,  without  reckoning  a  moss, 
lichen,  and  fungus.  To  this  number  two  trees  must  be  added  ;  one  of 
which  was  not  in  flower,  and  the  other  I  only  heard  of.  The  latter  is 
a  solitary  tree  of  its  kind,  and  grows  near  the  beach,  where,  without 
doubt,  the  one  seed  was  thrown  up  by  the  waves.  A  Guilandina  also 
grows  on  only  one  of  the  islets.  I  do  not  include  in  the  above  list  the 
sugar-cane,  banana,  some  other  vegetables,  fruit-trees,  and  imported 
grasses.  As  the  islands  consist  entirely  of  coral,  and  at  one  time  must 
have  existed  as  mere  water-washed  reefs,  all  their  terrestrial  produc- 
tions must  have  been  transported  here  by  the  waves  of  the  sea.  In 
accordance  with  this,  the  Florula  has  quite  the  character  of  a  refuge 
for  the  destitute :  Professor  Henslow  informs  me  that  of  the  twenty 
species  nineteen  belong  to  different  genera,  and  these  again  to  no  less 
than  sixteen  families  1  * 

In  Holman'sf  "Travels"  an  account  is  given,  on  the  authority  of 

*  These  plants  are  described  in  the  "  Annals  of  Nat.  Hjst,"  vpL  L,  1838, 

t  Holman's  "  Travels,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  378., 


i«36.j  SEEDS  TRANSPORTED  BY  THE  SEA.  331 

Mr.  A.  S.  Keating,  who  resided  twelve  months  on  these  islands,  of  the 
various  seeds  and  other  bodies  which  have  been  known  to  have  been 
washed  on  shore.  "  Seeds  and  plants  from  Sumatra  and  Java  have 
been  driven  up  by  the  surf  on  the  windward  side  of  the  islands. 
Among  them  have  been  found  the  Kimiri,  native  of  Sumatra  and  the 
peninsula  of  Malacca  ;  the  cocoa-nut  of  Balci,  known  by  its  shape  and 
size ;  the  Dadass,  which  is  planted  by  the  Malays  with  the  pepper-vine, 
the  latter  intwining  round  its  trunk,  and  supporting  itself  by  the 
prickles  on  its  stem ;  the  soap-tree ;  the  castor-oil  plant ;  trunks  of 
the  sago  palm ;  and  various  kinds  of  seeds  unknown  to  the  Malays 
settled  on  the  islands.  These  are  all  supposed  to  have  been  driven  by 
the  N.W.  monsoon  to  the  coast  of  New  Holland,  and  thence  to 
these  islands  by  the  S.E.  trade-wind.  Large  masses  of  Java  teak 
and  Yellow  wood  nave  also  been  found,  besides  immense  trees  of  red 
and  white  cedar,  and  the  blue  gum-wood  of  New  Holland,  in  a  perfectly 
sound  condition.  All  the  hardy  seeds,  such  as  creepers,  retain  their 
germinating  power,  but  the  softer  kinds,  among  which  is  the  mangostin, 
are  destroyed  in  the  passage.  Fishing-canoes,  apparently  from  Java, 
have  at  times  been  washed  on  shore."  It  is  interesting  thus  to  discover 
how  numerous  the  seeds  are,  which,  coming  from  several  countries,  are 
drifted  over  the  wide  ocean.  Professor  Henslow  tells  me,  he  believes 
that  nearly  all  the  plants  which  I  brought  from  these  islands,  are 
common  littoral  species  in  the  East  Indian  Archipelago.  From  the 
direction,  however,  of  the  winds  and  currents,  it  seems  scarcely  possible 
that  they  could  have  come  here  in  a  direct  line.  If,  as  suggested  with 
much  probability  by  Mr.  Keating,  they  were  first  carried  towards  the 
coast  of  New  Holland,  and  thence  drifted  back  together  with  the 
productions  of  that  country,  the  seeds,  before  germinating,  must  have 
travelled  between  1,800  and  2,400  miles. 

Chamisso,*  when  describing  the  Radack  Archipelago,  situated  in  the 
western  part  of  the  Pacific,  states  that  "  the  sea  brings  to  these  islands 
the  seeds  and  fruits  of  many  trees,  most  of  which  have  yet  not  grown 
here.  The  greater  part  of  these  seeds  appear  to  have  not  yet  lost 
the  capability  of  growing."  It  is  also  said  that  palms  and  bamboos 
from  somewhere  in  the  torrid  zone,  and  trunks  of  northern  firs,  are 
washed  on  shore :  these  firs  must  have  come  from  an  immense  distance. 
These  facts  are  highly  interesting.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  if  there 
were  land-birds  to  pick  up  the  seeds  when  first  cast  on  shore,  and  a 
soil  better  adapted  for  their  growth  than  the  loose  blocks  of  coral,  that 
the  most  isolated  of  the  lagoon-islands  would  in  time  possess  a  far 
more  abundant  Flora  than  they  now  have. 

The  list  of  land  animals  is  even  poorer  than  that  of  the  plants. 
Some  of  the  islets  are  inhabited  by  rats,  which  were  brought  in  a  ship 
from  the  Mauritius,  wrecked  here.  These  rats  are  considered  by 
Mr.  Waterhouse  as  identical  with  the  English  kind,  but  they  are 
smaller,  and  more  brightly  coloured.  There  are  no  true  land-birds ;  for 
a  snipe  and  a  rail  (Rallus  Phillippensis),  though  living  entirely  in  the 
dry  herbage,  belong  to  the  order  of  Waders.  Birds  of  this  order  are 
*  "Kotzebue's  First  Voyage,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  155. 


332  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP,  xx 

said  to  occur  on  several  of  the  small  low  islands  in  the  Pacific.  At 
Ascension,  where  there  is  no  land  bird,  a  rail  (Porphyrio  simplex)  was 
shot  near  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  it  was  evidently  a  solitary 
straggler.  At  Tristan  d'Acunha,  where,  according  to  Carmichael,  there 
are  only  two  land  birds,  there  is  a  coot.  From  these  facts  I  believe  that 
the  waders,  after  the  innumerable  web-footed  species,  are  generally 
the  first  colonists  of  small  isolated  islands.  I  may  add,  that  whenever 
I  noticed  birds,  not  of  oceanic  species,  very  far  out  at  sea,  they  always 
belonged  to  this  order;  and  hence  they  would  naturally  become  the 
earliest  colonists  of  any  remote  point  of  land. 

Of  reptiles  I  saw  only  one  small  lizard.  Of  insects  I  took  pains  to 
collect  every  kind.  Exclusive  of  spiders,  which  were  numerous,  there 
were  thirteen  species.*  Of  these,  one  only  was  a  beetle.  A  small  ant 
swarmed  by  thousands  under  the  loose  dry  blocks  of  coral,  and  was  the 
only  true  insect  which  was  abundant.  Although  the  productions  of  the 
land  are  thus  scanty,  if  we  look  to  the  waters  of  the  surrounding  sea, 
the  number  of  organic  beings  is  indeed  infinite.  Chamisso  has 
described  f  the  natural  history  of  a  lagoon-island  in  the  Radack  Archi- 
pelago ;  and  it  is  remarkable  how  closely  its  inhabitants,  in  number  and 
kind,  resemble  those  of  Keeling  Island.  There  is  one  lizard  and  two 
waders,  namely,  a  snipe  and  curlew.  Of  plants  there  are  nineteen 
species,  including  a  fern  ;  and  some  of  these  are  the  same  with  those 
growing  here,  though  on  a  spot  so  immensely  remote,  and  in  a  different 
ocean. 

The  long  strips  of  land,  forming  the  linear  islets,  have  been  raised 
only  to  that  height  to  which  the  surf  can  throw  fragments  of  coral,  and 
the  wind  heap  up  calcareous  sand.  The  solid  flat  of  coral  rock  on  the 
outside,  by  its  breadth,  breaks  the  first  violence  of  the  waves,  which 
otherwise,  in  a  day,  would  sweep  away  these  islets  and  all  their  pro- 
ductions. The  ocean  and  the  land  seem  here  struggling  for  mastery ; 
although  terra  firma  has  obtained  a  footing,  the  denizens  of  the  water 
think  their  claim  at  least  equally  good.  In  every  part  one  meets  hermit 
crabs  of  more  than  one  species,  J  carrying  on  their  backs  the  shells 
which  they  have  stolen  from  the  neighbouring  beach.  Overhead, 
numerous  gannets,  frigate-birds,  and  terns,  rest  on  the  trees  ;  and  the 
wood,  from  the  many  nests  and  from  the  smell  of  the  atmosphere, 
might  be  called  a  sea-rookery.  The  gannets,  sitting  on  their  rude  nests, 
gaze  at  one  with  a  stupid  yet  angry  air.  The  noddies,  as  their  name 

*  The  thirteen  species  belong  to  the  following  orders  : — In  the  Coleoftera, 
a  minute  Elater;  Orthoptera,  a  Gryllus  and  a  Blatta;  Henriptera,  one  spe- 
cies; Homoptera,  two;  Neuroptera,  a  Chrysopa;  Hymenop  tera,  two  ants; 
Lepidopiera  nocturna,  a  Diopaea,  and  a  Pterophorus  (?) ;  Diptera,  two 
species. 

t  "  Kotzebue's  First  Voyage,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  222. 

I  The  large  claws  or  pincers  of  some  of  these  crabs  are  most  beautifully 
adapted,  when  drawn  back,  to  form  an  operculum  to  the  shell,  nearly  as 
perfect  as  the  proper  one  originally  belonging  to  the  molluscous  animal.  I 
was  assured,  and  as  far  as  my  observation  went  I  found  it  so,  that  certain 
species  of  the  hermit-crabs  always  use  certain  species  of  shells. 


1836.]  THE  SETTLEMENT.  333 

expresses,  are  silly  little  creatures.  But  there  is  one  charming  bird 
it  is  a  small  snow-white  tern,  which  smoothly  hovers  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  feet  above  one's  head,  its  large  black  eye  scanning,  with  quiet 
curiosity,  your  expression.  Little  imagination  is  required  to  fancy  that 
so  light  and  delicate  a  body  must  be  tenanted  by  some  wandering  fairy 
spirit. 

Sunday,  April  yd. — After  service  I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy 
to  the  settlement,  situated  at  the  distance  of  some  miles,  on  the  point 
of  an  islet  thickly  covered  with  tall  cocoa-nut  trees.  Captain  Ross 
and  Mr.  Liesk  live  in  a  large  barn-like  house  open  at  both  ends,  and 
lined  with  mats  made  of  woven  bark.  The  houses  of  the  Malays  are 
arranged  along  the  shore  of  the  lagoon.  The  whole  place  had  rather 
a  desolate  aspect,  for  there  were  no  gardens  to  show  the  signs  of  care 
and  cultivation.  The  natives  belong  to  different  islands  in  the  East 
Indian  Archipelago,  but  all  speak  the  same  language:  we  saw  the 
inhabitants  of  Borneo,  Celebes,  Java,  and  Sumatra.  In  colour  they 
resemble  the  Tahitians,  from  whom  they  do  not  widely  differ  in 
features.  Some  of  the  women,  however,  show  a  good  deal  of  the 
Chinese  character.  I  liked  both  their  general  expressions  and  the 
sound  of  their  voices.  They  appeared  poor,,  and  their  houses  were 
destitute  of  furniture ;  but  it  was  evident,  from  the  plumpness  of  the 
little  children,  that  cocoa-nuts  and  turtle  afford  no  bad  sustenance. 

On  this  island  the  wells  are  situated,  from  which  ships  obtain  water. 
At  first  sight  it  appears  not  a  little  remarkable  that  the  fresh  water 
should  regularly  ebb  and  flow  with  the  tides ;  and  it  has  even  been 
imagined,  that  sand  has  the  power  of  filtering  the  salt  from  the  sea- 
water.  These  ebbing  wells  are  common  on  some  of  the  low  islands  in 
the  West  Indies.  The  compressed  sand,  or  porous  coral  rock,  is  per- 
meated like  a  sponge  with  the  salt  water ;  but  the  rain  which  falls  on 
the  surface  must  sink  to  the  level  of  the  surrounding  sea,  and  must 
accumulate  there,  displacing  an  equal  bulk  of  the  salt  water.  As  the 
water  in  the  lower  part  of  the  great  sponge-like  coral  mass  rises  and 
falls  with  the  tides,  so  will  the  water  near  the  surface ;  and  this  will 
keep  fresh,  if  the  mass  be  sufficiently  compact  to  prevent  much 
mechanical  admixture ;  but  where  the  land  consists  of  great  loose  blocks 
of  coral  with  open  interstices,  if  a  well  be  dug,  the  water,  as  I  have 
seen,  is  brackish. 

After  dinner  we  stayed  to  see  a  curious  half-superstitious  scene 
acted  by  the  Malay  women.  A  large  wooden  spoon  dressed  in  gar- 
ments, and  which  had  been  carried  to  the  grave  of  a  dead  man,  they 
pretend  becomes  inspired  at  the  full  of  the  moon,  and  will  dance  and 
jump  about.  After  the  proper  preparations,  the  spoon,  held  by  two 
women,  became  convulsed,  and  danced  in  good  time  to  the  song  of  the 
surrounding  children  and  women.  It  was  a  most  foolish  spectacle; 
but  Mr.  Liesk  maintained  that  many  of  the  Malays  believed  in  its 
spiritual  movements.  The  dance  did  not  commence  till  the  moon  had 
risen,  and  it  was  well  worth  remaining  to  behold  her  bright  orb  so 
quietly  shining  through  the  long  arms  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  as  they 
waved  in  the  evening  breeze.  These  scenes  of  the  tropics  are  in  them- 


334  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP,  xx, 

selves  so  delicious,  that  they  almost  equal  those  dearer  ones  at  home, 
to  which  we  are  bound  by  each  best  feeling  of  the  mind. 

The  next  day  I  employed  myself  in  examining  the  very  interesting, 
yet  simple  structure  and  origin  of  these  islands.  The  water  being 
unusually  smooth,  I  waded  over  the  outer  flat  of  dead  rock  as  far  as 
the  living  mounds  of  coral,  on  which  the  swell  of  the  open  sea  breaks. 
In  sorrie  of  the  gullies  and  hollows  there  were  beautiful  green  and 
other  coloured  fishes,  and  the  forms  and  tints  of  many  of  the  zoophytes 
were  admirable.  It  is  excusable  to  grow  enthusiastic  over  the  infinite 
numbers  of  organic  beings  with  which  the  sea  of  the  tropics,  so  prodigal 
of  life,  teems :  yet  I  must  confess  I  think  those  naturalists  who  have 
described,  in  well-known  words,  the  submarine  grottoes  decked  with 
a  thousand  beauties,  have  indulged  in  rather  exuberant  language. 

April  6th. — I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  an  island  at  the  head 
of  the  lagoon:  the  channel  was  exceedingly  intricate,  winding  through 
fields  of  delicately  branched  corals.  We  saw  several  turtle,  and  two 
boats  were  then  employed  in  catching  them.  The  water  was  so  clear 
and  shallow,  that  although  at  first  a  turtle  quickly  dives  out  of  sight, 
yet  in  a  canoe  or  boat  under  sail,  the  pursuers  after  no  rery  long  chase 
come  up  to  it.  A  man  standing  ready  in  the  bow,  at  this  moment 
dashes  through  the  water  upon  the  turtle's  back;  then  clinging  with 
both  hands  by  the  shell  of  its  neck,  he  is  carried  away  till  the  animal 
becomes  exhausted  and  is  secured.  It  was  quite  an  interesting  chase 
to  see  the  two  boats  thus  doubling  about,  and  the  men  dashing  head 
foremost  into  the  water  trying  to  seize  their  prey.  Captain  Moresby 
informs  me  that  in  the  Chagos  Archipelago  in  this  same  ocean,  the 
natives,  by  a  horrible  process,  take  the  shell  from  the  back  of  the 
living  turtle.  "  It  is  covered  with  burning  charcoal,  which  causes  the 
outer  shell  to  curl  upwards;  it  is  then  forced  off  with  a  knife,  and 
before  it  becomes  cold  flattened  between  boards.  After  this  barbarous 
process  the  animal  is  suffered  to  regain  its  native  element,  where,  after 
a  certain  time,  a  new  shell  is  formed;  it  is,  however,  too  thin  to  be 
of  any  service,  and  the  animal  always  appears  languishing  and  sickly." 

When  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  lagoon,  we  crossed  a  narrow 
islet,  and  found  a  great  surf  breaking  on  the  windward  coast.  I  can 
hardly  explain  the  reason,  but  there  is  to  my  mind  much  grandeur  in 
the  view  of  the  outer  shores  of  these  lagoon-islands.  There  is  a 
simplicity  in  the  barrier-like  beach,  the  margin  of  green  bushes  and 
tall  cocoa-nuts,  the  solid  flat  of  dead  coral-rock,  strewed  here  and  there 
with  great  loose  fragments,  and  the  line  of  furious  breakers,  all  round- 
ing away  towards  either  hand.  The  ocean  throwing  its  waters  over 
the  broad  reef  appears  an  invincible,  all-powerful  enemy ;  yet  we  see 
it  resisted,  and  even  conquered,  by  means  which  at  first  seem  most 
weak  and  inefficient.  It  is  not  that  the  ocean  spares  the  rock  of  coral ; 
the  great  fragments  scattered  over  the  reef,  and  heaped  on  the  beach, 
whence  the  tall  cocoa-nut  springs,  plainly  bespeak  the  unrelenting 
power  of  the  waves.  Nor  are  any  periods  of  repose  granted.  The 
long  swell  caused  by  the  gentle  but  steady  action  of  the  trade  wind, 
always  blowing  in  one  direction  over  a  wide  area,  causes  breakers, 


1836.]  STONES  TRANSPORTED  BY  TREES.  335 

almost  equalling  in  force  those  during  a  gale  of  wind  in  the  temperate 
regions,  and  which  never  cease  to  rage.  It  is  impossible  to  behold 
these  waves  without  feeling  a  conviction  that  an  island,  though  built  of 
the  hardest  rock,  let  it  be  porphyry,  granite,  or  quartz,  would  ultimately 
yield  and  be  demolished  by  such  an  irresistible  power.  Yet  these  low, 
insignificant  coral-islets  stand  and  are  victorious:  for  here  another 
power,  as  an  antagonist,  takes  part  in  the  contest.  The  organic  forces 
separate  the  atoms  of  carbonate  of  lime,  one  by  one,  from  the  foaming 
breakers,  and  unite  them  into  a  symmetrical  '  structure.  Let  the 
hurricane  tear  up  its  thousand  huge  fragments  ;  yet  what  will  that  tell 
against  the  accumulated  labour  of  myriads  of  architects  at  work  night 
and  day,  month  after  month?  Thus  do  we  see  the  soft  and  gelatinous 
body  of  a  polypus,  through  the  agency  of  the  vital  laws,  conquering 
the  great  mechanical  power  of  the  waves  of  an  ocean  which  neither 
the  art  of  man  nor  the  inanimate  works  of  nature  could  successfully 
resist 

We  did  not  return  on  board  till  late  in  the  evening,  for  we  stayed  a 
long  time  in  the  lagoon,  examining  the  fields  of  coral  and  the  gigantic 
shells  of  the  chama,  into  which,  if  a  man  were  to  put  his  hand,  he 
would  not,  as  long  as  the  animal  lived,  be  able  to  withdraw  it.  Near 
the  head  of  the  lagoon,  I  was  much  surprised  to  find  a  wide  area, 
considerably  more  than  a  mile  square,  covered  with  a  forest  of  delicately 
branching  corals,  which,  though  standing  upright,  were  all  dead  and 
rotten.  At  first  I  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  cause ;  after- 
wards it  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  owing  to  the  following  rather 
curious  combination  of  circumstances.  It  should,  however,  first  be 
stated,  that  corals  are  not  able  to  survive  even  a  short  exposure  in  the 
air  to  the  sun's  rays,  so  that  their  upward  limit  of  growth  is  determined 
by  that  of  lowest  water  at  spring  tides.  It  appears,  from  some  old 
charts,  that  the  long  island  to  windward  was  formerly  separated  by 
wide  channels  into  several  islets  ;  this  fact  is  likewise  indicated  by  the 
trees  being  younger  on  these  portions.  Under  the  former  condition  of 
the  reef,  a  strong  breeze,  by  throwing  more  water  over  the  barrier, 
would  tend  to  raise  the  level  of  the  lagoon.  Now  it  acts  in  a  directly 
contrary  manner ;  for  the  water  within  the  lagoon  not  only  is  not 
increased  by  currents  from  the  outside,  but  is  itself  blown  outwards  by 
the  force  of  the  wind.  Hence  it  is  observed,  that  the  tide  near  the 
head  of  the  lagoon  does  not  rise  so  high  during  a  strong  breeze  as  it 
does  when  it  is  calm.  This  difference  of  level,  although  no  doubt  very 
small,  has,  I  believe,  caused  the  death  of  those  coral-groves,  which 
under  the  former  and  more  open  condition  of  the  outer  reef  had 
attained  the  utmost  possible  limit  of  upward  growth. 

A  few  miles  north  of  Keeling  there  is  another  small  atoll,  the  lagoon 
of  which  is  nearly  filled  up  with  coral-mud.  Captain  Ross  found 
embedded  in  the  conglomerate  on  the  outer  coast,  a  well-rounded 
fragment  of  greenstone,  rather  larger  than  a  man's  head :  he  and  the 
men  with  him  were  so  much  surprised  at  this,  that  they  brought  it 
away  and  preserved  it  as  a  curiosity.  The  occurrence  of  this  one  stone, 
where  every  other  particle  of  matter  is  calcareous,  certainly  is  very 


336  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  **. 

puzzling.  The  island  has  scarcely  ever  been  visited,  nor  is  it  probable 
that  a  ship  had  been  wrecked  there.  From  the  absence  of  any  better 
explanation,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  must  have  come  entangled 
in  the  roots  of  some  large  tree :  when,  however,  I  considered  the  great 
distance  from  the  nearest  land,  the  combination  of  chances  against  a 
stone  thus  being  entangled,  the  tree  washed  into  the  sea,  floated  so  far, 
then  landed  safely,  and  the  stone  finally  so  embedded  as  to  allow  of  its 
discovery,  I  was  almost  afraid  of  imagining  a  means  of  transport 
apparently  so  improbable.  It  was  therefore  with  great  interest  that  I 
found  Chamisso,  the  justly  distinguished  naturalist  who  accompanied 
Kotzebue,  stating  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Radack  Archipelago,  a 
group  of  lagoon  islands  in  the  midst  of  the  Pacific,  obtained  stones  for 
sharpening  their  instruments  by  searching  the  roots  of  trees  which  are 
cast  upon  the  beach.  It  will  be  evident  that  this  must  have  happened 
several  times,  since  laws  have  been  established  that  such  stones  belong 
to  the  chief,  and  a  punishment  is  inflicted  on  any  one  who  attempts  to 
steal  them.  When  the  isolated  position  of  these  small  islands,  in  the 
midst  of  a  vast  ocean— their  great  distance  from  any  land  excepting 
that  of  coral  formation,  attested  by  the  value  which  the  inhabitants, 
who  are  such  bold  navigators,  attach  to  a  stone  of  any  kind,* — and  the 
slowness  of  the  currents  of  the  open  sea,  are  all  considered,  the 
occurrence  of  pebbles  thus  transported  does  appear  wonderful.  Stones 
may  often  be  thus  carried  ;  and  if  the  island  on  which  they  are  stranded 
's  constructed  of  any  other  substance  besides  coral,  they  would  scarcely 
attract  attention,  and  their  origin  at  least  would  never  be  guessed. 
Moreover,  this  agency  may  long  escape  discovery  from  the  probability 
of  trees,  especially  those  loaded  with  stones,  floating  beneath  the 
surface.  In  the  channels  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  large  quantities  of  drift 
timber  are  cast  upon  the  beach,  yet  it  is  extremely  rare  to  meet  a  tree 
swimming  on  the  water.  These  facts  may  possibly  throw  light  on 
single  stones,  whether  angular  or  rounded,  occasionally  found  embedded 
in  fine  sedimentary  masses. 

During  another  day  I  visited  West  Islet,  on  which  the  vegetation  was 
perhaps  more  luxuriant  than  on  any  other.  The  cocoa-nut  trees 
generally  grow  separate,  but  here  the  young  ones  flourished  beneath 
their  tall  parents,  and  formed  with  their  long  and  curved  fronds  the 
most  shady  arbours.  Those  alone  who  have  tried  it,  know  how 
delicious  it  is  to  be  seated  in  such  shade,  and  drink  the  cool  pleasant 
fluid  of  the  cocoa-nut.  In  this  island  there  is  a  large  bay-like  space, 
composed  of  the  finest  white  sand:  it  is  quite  level,  and  is  only  covered 
by  the  tide  at  high  water ;  from  this  large  bay  smaller  creeks  penetrate 
the  surrounding  woods.  To  see  a  field  of  glittering  white  sand, 
representing  water,  with  the  cocoa-nut  trees  extending  their  tall  and 
waving  trunks  round  the  margin,  formed  a  singular  and  very  pretty 
view. 

I  have  before  alluded  to  a  crab  which  lives  on  the  cocoa-nuts :  it  is 
very  common  on  all  parts  of  the  dry  land,  and  grows  to  a  monstrous 

*  Some  natives  carried  by  Kotzebue  j  to  Kamtschatka  collected  stones  to 
take  back  to  their  country. 


i»3&  GREAT  CRAB.  337 

size :  it  is  closely  allied  or  identical  with  the  Birgos  latro.  The  front 
pair  of  legs  terminate  in  very  strong  and  heavy  pincers,  and  the  last 
pair  are  fitted  with  others  weaker  and  much  narrower.  It  would  at 
first  be  thought  quite  impossible  for  a  crab  to  open  a  strong  cocoa-nut 
covered  with  the  husk ;  but  Mr.  Liesk  assures  me  that  he  has  repeatedly 
seen  this  effected.  The  crab  begins  by  tearing  the  husk,  fibre  by  fibre, 
and  always  from  that  end  under  which  the  three  eye-holes  are  situated ; 
when  this  is  completed,  the  crab  commences  hammering  with  its  heavy 
claws  on  one  of  the  eye-holes  till  an  opening  is  made.  Then  turning 
round  its  body,  by  the  aid  of  its  posterior  and  narrow  pair  of  pinchers, 
it  extracts  the  white  albuminous  substance.  I  think  this  is  as  curious 
a  case  of  instinct  as  ever  I  heard  of,  and  likewise  of  adaptation  in 
structure  between  two  objects  apparently  so  remote  from  each  other 
in  the  scheme  of  nature,  as  a  crab  and  a  cocoa-nut  tree.  The  Birgos 
is  diurnal  in  its  habits  ;  but  every  night  it  is  said  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
sea,  no  doubt  for  the  purpose  of  moistening  its  branchiae.  The  young 
are  likewise  hatched,  and  live  for  some  time  on  the  coast  These 
crabs  inhabit  deep  burrows,  which  they  hollow  out  beneath  the  roots 
of  trees ;  and  where  they  accumulate  surprising  quantities  of  the  picked 
fibres  of  the  cocoa-nut  husk,  on  which  they  rest  as  on  a  bed.  The 
Mala}-s  sometimes  take  advantage  of  this,  and  collect  the  fibrous  mass 
to  use  as  junk.  These  crabs  are  very  good  to  eat;  moreover,  under 
the  tail  of  the  larger  ones  there  is  a  great  mass  of  fat,  which,  when 
melted,  sometimes  yields  as  much  as  a  quart  bottle  full  of  limpid  oil. 
It  has  been  stated  by  some  authors  that  the  Birgos  crawls  up  the 
cocoa-nut  trees  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  the  nuts :  I  very  much  doubt 
the  possibility  of  this ;  but  with  the  Pandanus  *  the  task  would  be  very 
much  easier.  I  was  told  by  Mr.  Liesk  that  on  these  islands  the  Birgos 
lives  only  on  the  nuts  which  have  fallen  to  the  ground. 

Captain  Moresby  informs  me  that  this  crab  inhabits  the  Chagos  and 
Seychelle  groups,  but  not  the  neighbouring  Maldiva  Archipelago.  It 
formerly  abounded  at  Mauritius,  but  only  a  few  small  ones  are  now 
found  there.  In  the  Pacifice,  this  species,  or  one  with  closely  allied 
habits,  is  saidf  to  inhabit  a  single  coral  island,  north  of  the  Society 
group.  To  show  the  wonderful  strength  of  the  front  pair  of  pincers,  I 
may  mention,  that  Captain  Moresby  confined  on  in  a  strong  tin-box, 
which  had  held  biscuits,  the  lid  being  secured  w/th  wire ;  but  the  crab 
turned  down  the  edges  and  escaped.  In  turning  down  the  edges  it 
actually  punched  many  small  holes  quite  through  the  tin  1 

I  was  a  good  deal  surprised  by  finding  two  species  of  coral  of  the 
genus  Millepora  (M.  complanata  and  alcicomis),  possessed  of  the  power 
of  stinging.  The  stony  branches  or  plates,  when  taken  fresh  from  the 
water,  have  a  harsh  feel  and  are  not  slimy,  although  possessing  a  strong 
and  disagreeable  smell.  The  stinging  property  seems  to  vary  in  dif- 
ferent specimens  :  when  a  piece  was  pressed  or  rubbed  on  the  tender 
skin  of  the  face  or  arm,  a  pricking  sensation  was  usually  caused,  which 
came  on  after  the  interval  of  a  second,  and  lasted  only  for  a  few  minutes. 

*  See  Proceedings  of  Zoological  Society,  1832,  p.  17. 
t  Tyerman  and  Bennett,     "  Voyage,"  etc.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  33. 


$&  KEELING  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  xx. 

One  day,  however,  by  merely  touching  my  face  with  ofle  of  the  branches, 
pain  was  instantaneously  caused;  it  increased  as  usual  after  a  few 
seconds,  and  remaining  sharp  for  some  minutes,  was  perceptible  for 
half  an  hour  afterwards.  The  sensation  was  as  bad  as  that  from  a 
nettle,  but  more  like  that  caused  by  the  Physalia  or  Portuguese  man- 
of-war.  Little  red  spots  were  produced  on  the  tender  skin  of  the  arm, 
which  appeared  as  if  they  would  have  formed  watery  pustules,  but  did 
not.  M.  Quoy  mentions  this  case  of  the  Millepora ;  and  I  have  heard  of 
stinging  corals  in  the  West  Indies.  Many  marine  animals  seem  to  have 
this  power  of  stinging :  besides  the  Portuguese  man-of-war,  many  jelly- 
fish, and  the  Aplysia  or  sea-slug  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  it  is 
stated  in  the  voyage  of  the  Astrolabe,  that  an  Actinia  or  sea-anemone, 
as  well  as  a  flexible  coralline  allied  to  Sertularia,  both  possess  this 
means  of  offence  or  defence.  In  the  East  Indian  sea,  a  stinging  sea- 
weed is  said  to  be  found. 

Two  species  of  fish,  of  the  genus  Scarus,  which  are  comr-sn  here, 
exclusively  feed  on  coral :  both  are  coloured  of  a  splendid  bluish-green, 
one  living  invariably  in  the  lagoon,  and  the  other  amongst  the  outer 
breakers.  Mr.  Liesk  assured  us,  that  he  had  repeatedly  seen  whole 
shoals  grazing  with  their  strong  bony  jaws  on  the  tops  of  the  coral 
branches  :  I  opened  the  intestines  of  several,  and  tound  them  distended 
with  yellowish  calcareous  sandy  mud.  The  slimy  disgusting  Holuthurise 
(allied  to  our  star-fish),  which  the  Chinese  gourmands  are  so  fond  of, 
also  feed  largely,  as  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Allan,  on  corals ;  and  the 
bony  apparatus  within  their  bodies  seems  well  adapted  for  this  end. 
These  holuthuriae,  the  fish,  the  numerous  burrowing  shells,  and  nereidous 
worms,  which  perforate  every  block  of  dead  coral,  must  be  very  efficient 
agents  in  producing  the  fine  white  mud  which  lies  at  the  bottom  and  on 
the  shores  of  the  lagoon.  A  portion,  however,  of  this  mud,  which  when 
wet  strikingly  resembled  pounded  chalk,  was  found  by  Professor 
Ehrenberg  to  be  partly  composed  of  siliceous-shielded  infusoria. 

April  I2th. — In  the  morning  we  stood  out  of  the  lagoon  on  our 
passage  to  the  Isle  of  France.  I  am  glad  we  have  visited  these  islands ; 
such  formations  surely  rank  high  amongst  the  wonderful  objects  of  this 
world.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  found  no  bottom  with  a  line  7,200  feet  in 
length,  at  the  distance  of  only  2,200  yards  from  the  shore ;  hence  this 
island  forms  a  lofty  submarine  mountain,  with  sides  steeper  even  than 
those  of  the  most  abrupt  volcanic  cone.  The  saucer-shaped  summit  is 
nearly  ten  miles  across;  and  every  single  atom,*  from  the  least  particle 
to  the  largest  fragment  of  rock,  in  this  great  pile,  which  however  is 
small  compared  with  very  many  other  lagoon-islands,  bears  the  stamp 
of  having  been  subjected  to  ^gamc  arrangement.  We  feel  surprise 
when  travellers  tell  us  of  ,.»e  vast  dimensions  of  the  Pyramids  and 
other  great  ruins,  but  how  utterly  insignificant  are  the  greatest  of  these, 
when  compared  to  these  mountains  of  stone  accumulated  by  the  agency 

*  I  exclude,  of  course,  some  soil  which  has  been  imported  here  in  vessels 
from  Malacca  and  Java,  and  likewise  some  small  fragments  of  pumice,  drifted 
bere  by  the  waves.  The  one  block  of  green-stone,  moreover,  on  the 
oorthern  island  must  be  excepted. 


1836.]  LAGOON-ISLANDS,  OR  ATOLLS.  339 

of  various  minute  and  tender  animals !    This  is  a  wonder  which  does 
not  at  first  strike  the  eye  of  the  body,  but,  after  reflection,  the  eye  of 


I  will  now  give  a  very  brief  account  of  the  three  great  classes  of 
coral-reefs ;  namely,  Atolls,  Barrier,  and  Fringing-reefs,  and  will  explain 
my  views  *  on  their  formation.  Almost  every  voyager  who  has  crossed 
the  Pacific  has  expressed  his  unbounded  astonishment  at  the  lagoon- 
islands,  or  as  I  shall  for  the  future  call  them  by  their  Indian  name  of 
atolls,  and  has  attempted  some  explanation.  Even  as  long  ago  as  the 
year  1605,  Pyrard  de  Laval  well  exclaimed,  "  C'est  unemeruille  de  voir 
chacun  de  ces  atollons,  enuironne"  d'un  grand  bane  de  pierre  tout  autour, 
n'y  ayant  point  d'artifice  humain."  The  accompanying  sketch  of 
Whitsunday  Island  in  the  Pacific,  copied  from  Captain  Beechey's 
admirable  Voyage,  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  singular  aspect  of  an 
atoll ;  it  is  one  of  the  smallest  size,  and  has  its  narrow  islets  united 


together  in  a  ring.  The  immensity  of  the  ocean,  the  fury  of  the  breakers, 
contrasted  with  the  lowness  of  the  land  and  the  smoothness  of  the 
bright  green  water  within  the  lagoon,  can  hardly  be  imagined  without 
having  been  seen. 

The  earlier  voyagers  fancied  that  the  coral-building  animals  in- 
stinctively built  up  their  great  circles  to  afford  themselves  protection  m 
the  inner  parts ;  but  so  far  is  this  from  the  truth,  that  those  massive 
kinds  to  whose  growth  on  the  exposed  outer  shores  the  very  existence 
of  the  reef  depends,  cannot  live  within  the  lagoon,  where  other  deli- 
cately-branching kinds  flourish.  Moreover,  on  this  view,  many  species 
of  distinct  genera  and  families  are  supposed  to  combine  for  one  end ; 
and  of  such  a  combination,  not  a  single  instance  can  be  found  in  the 
whole  of  nature.  The  theory  that  has  been  most  generally  received  is, 
that  atolls  are  based  on  submarine  craters ;  but  when  we  consider  the 
form  and  size  of  some,  the  number,  proximity,  and  relative  positions  of 

*  These  were  first  read  before  the  Geological  Society  in  May,  1837,  and  have 
since  been  developed  in  a  separate  volume  on  the  "  Structure  and  Distribu- 
tion of  Coral  Reefs." 


340  AREAS  OF  SUBSIDENCE.  [CHAP.  xx. 

others,  this  idea  loses  its  plausible  character;  thus,  Suadiva  atoll  is 
forty-four  geographical  miles  in  diameter  in  one  line,  by  thirty-four  miles 
in  another  line ;  Rimsky  is  fifty-four  by  twenty  miles  across,  and  it  has  a 
strangely  sinuous  margin ;  Bow  atoll  is  thirty  miles  long,  and  on  an 
average  only  six  in  width;  Menchicoff  atoll  consists  of  three  atolls 
united  or  tied  together.  This  theory,  moreover,  is  totally  inapplicable 
to  the  northern  Maldiva  atolls  in  the  Indian  Ocean  (one  of  which  is 
eighty-eight  miles  in  length,  and  between  ten  and  twenty  in  breadth), 
for  they  are  not  bounded  like  ordinary  atolls  by  narrow  reefs,  but  by 
a  vast  number  of  separate  little  atolls ;  other  little  atolls  rising  out  of 
the  great  central  lagoon-like  spaces.  A  third  and  better  theory  was 
advanced  by  Chamisso,  who  thought  that  from  the  corals  growing  more 
vigorously  where  exposed  to  the  open  sea,  as  undoubtedly  is  the  case, 
the  outer  edges  would  grow  up  from  the  general  foundation  before  any 
other  part,  and  that  this  would  account  for  the  ring  or  cup-shaped  struc- 
ture. But  we  shall  immediately  see,  that  in  this,  as  well  as  in  the  crater- 
theory,  a  most  important  consideration  has  been  overlooked,  namely,  on 
what  have  the  reef-building  corals,  which  cannot  live  at  a  great  depth, 
based  their  massive  structures  ? 

Numerous  soundings  were  carefully  taken  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy  on 
the  steep  outside  of  Keeling  atoll,  and  it  was  found  that  within  ten 
fathoms,  the  prepared  tallow  at  the  bottom  of  the  lead,  invariably  came 
up  marked  with  the  impressions  of  living  corals,  but  as  perfectly  clean 
as  if  it  had  been  dropped  on  a  carpet  of  turf ;  as  the  depth  increased, 
the  impressions  became  less  numerous,  but  the  adhering  particles  of 
sand  more  and  more  numerous,  until  at  last  it  was  evident  that  the 
bottom  consisted  of  a  smooth  sandy  layer :  to  carry  on  the  analogy  of 
the  turf,  the  blades  of  grass  grew  thinner  and  thinner,  till  at  last  the 
soil  was  so  sterile,  that  nothing  sprang  from  it.  From  these  observa- 
tions, confirmed  by  many  others,  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that  the 
utmost  depth  at  which  corals  can  construct  reefs  is  between  twenty  and 
thirty  fathoms.  Now  there  are  enormous  areas  in  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  Oceans,  in  which  every  single  island  is  of  coral  formation,  and 
is  raised  only  to  that  height  to  which  the  waves  can  throw  up  fragments, 
and  the  winds  pile  up  sand.  Thus  the  Radack  group  of  atolls  is  an 
irregular  square,  520  miles  long  and  240  broad  ;  the  Low  Archipelago 
is  elliptic-formed,  840  miles  in  its  longer,  and  420  in  its  shorter  axis ; 
there  are  other  small  groups  and  single  low  islands  between  these  two 
archipelagoes,  making  a  linear  space  of  ocean  actually  more  than  4,000 
miles  in  length,  in  which  not  one  single  island  rises  above  the  specified 
height.  Again,  in  the  Indian  Ocean  there  is  a  space  of  ocean  1,500 
miles  in  length,  including  three  archipelagoes,  in  which  every  island 
is  low  and  of  coral  formation.  From  the  fact  of  the  reef-building  corals 
not  living  at  great  depths,  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  throughout  these 
vast  areas,  wherever  there  is  now  an  atoll,  a  foundation  must  have 
originally  existed  within  a  depth  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms  from 
the  surface.  It  is  improbable  in  the  highest  degree  that  broad,  lofty, 
isolated,  steep-sided  banks  of  sediment,  arranged  in  groups  and  lines 
hundreds  of  leagues  in  length,  could  have  been  deposited  in  the  central 


1836.]  BARRIER-REEFS.  341 

and  profoundest  parts  of  the  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  at  an  immense 
distance  from  any  continent,  and  where  the  water  is  perfectly  limpid. 
It  is  equally  improbable  that  the  elevatory  forces  should  have  uplifted 
throughout  the  above  vast  areas,  innumerable  great  rocky  banks  within 
twenty  to  thirty  fathoms,  or  120  to  180  feet,  of  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
and  not  one  single  point  above  that  level ;  for  where  on  the  whole  face 
of  the  globe  can  we  find  a  single  chain  of  mountains,  even  a  few  hun- 
dred miles  in  length,  with  their  many  summits  rising  within  a  few  feet 
of  a  given  level,  and  not  one  pinnacle  above  it  ?  If  then  the  founda- 
tions, whence  the  atoll-building  corals  sprang,  were  not  formed  of 
sediment,  and  if  they  were  not  lifted  up  to  the  required  level,  they 
must  of  necessity  have  subsided  into  it ;  and  this  at  once  solves  the 
difficulty.  For  as  mountain  after  mountain,  and  island  after  island, 
slowly  sank  beneath  the  water,  fresh  bases  would  be  successively 
afforded  for  the  growth  of  the  corals.  It  is  impossible  here  to  enter 
into  all  the  necessary  details,  but  I  venture  to  defy  *  any  one  to  explain 


in  any  other  manner,  how  it  is  possible  that  numerous  islands  should 
be  distributed  throughout  vast  areas — all  the  islands  being  low — all 
being  built  of  corals,  absolutely  requiring  a  foundation  within  a  limited 
depth  from  the  surface. 

Before  explaining  how  atoll-formed  reefs  acquire  their  peculiar  struc- 
ture, we  must  turn  to  the  second  great  class,  namely,  Barrier-reefs. 
These  either  extend  in  straight  lines  in  front  of  the  shores  of  a  c^itinent 
or  of  a  large  island,  or  they  encircle  smaller  islands;  in  both  cases, 
being  separated  from  the  land  by  a  broad  and  rather  deep  channel  of 
water,  analogous  to  the  lagoon  within  an  atoll.  It  it  remarkable  how 
little  attention  has  been  paid  to  encircling  barrier-reefs ;  yet  they  are 
truly  wonderful  structures.  The  following  sketch  represents  part  of 
the'  barrier  encircling  the  island  of  Bolabola  in  the  Pacific,  as  seen  from 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  Mr.  Lyell,  even  in  the  first  Edition  of  his  "  Princi- 
ples of  Geology,"  inferred  that  the  amount  of  subsidence  in  the  Pacific  must 
have  exceeded  that  of  elevation,  from  the  area  of  land  being  very  small 
relatively  to  the  agents  there  tending  to  form  it,  namely,  the  growth  of  coral 
and  volcanic  action. 


54*  BARRIER-REEFS.  [CHAP.  xx. 

one  of  the  central  peaks.  In  this  instance  the  whole  line  of  reef  has 
been  converted  into  land;  but  usually  a  snow-white  line  of  great 
breakers,  with  only  here  and  there  a  single  low  islet  crowned  with 
cocoa-nut  trees,  divides  the  dark  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean  from  the 
light-green  expanse  of  the  lagoon-channel.  And  the  quiet  waters  of 
this  channel  generally  bathe  a  fringe  of  low  alluvial  soil,  loaded  with 
the  most  beautiful  productions  of  the  tropics,  and  lying  at  the  foot  of 
the  wild,  abrupt,  central  mountains. 

Encircling  barrier-reefs  are  of  all  sizes,  from  three  miles  to  no  less 
than  forty-four  miles  in  diameter ;  and  that  which  fronts  one  side,  and 
encircles  both  ends,  of  New  Caledonia,  is  400  miles  long.  Each  reef 
Includes  one,  two,  or  several  rocky  islands  of  various  heights ;  and  in 
*ne  instance,  even  as  many  as  twelve  separate  islands.  The  reef  runs 
at  a  greater  or  less  distance  from  the  included  land;  in  the  Society 
Archipelago  generally  from  one  to -three  or  four  miles  ;  but  at  Hogoleu 
the  reef  is  twenty  miles  on  the  southern  side,  and  fourteen  miles  on  the 
opposite  or  northern  side,  from  the  included  islands.  The  depth 
within  the  lagoon-channel  also  varies  much ;  from  ten  to  thirty  fathoms 
may  be  taken  as  an  average ;  but  at  Vanikoro  there  are  spaces  no  less 
than  fifty-six  fathoms  or  336  feet  deep.  Internally  the  reef  either  slopes 
gently  into  the  lagoon-channel,  or  ends  in  a  perpendicular  wall  some- 
times between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  under  water  in  height : 
externally  the  reef  rises,  like  an  atoll,  with  extreme  abruptness  out  of 
the  profound  depths  of  the  ocean.  What  can  be  more  singular  than 
these  structures?  We  see  an  island,  which  may  be  compared  to  a 
castle  situated  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  submarine  mountain,  protected 
by  a  great  wall  of  coral-rock,  always  steep  externally  and  sometimes 
internally,  with  a  broad  level  summit,  here  and  there  breached  by 
narrow  gateways,  through  which  the  largest  ships  can  enter  the  wide 
and  deep  encircling  moat. 

As  far  as  the  actual  reef  of  coral  is  concerned,  there  is  not  the  smallest 
difference,  in  general  size,  outline,  grouping,  and  even  in  quite  trifling 
details  of  structure,  between  a  barrier  and  an  atoll.  The  geographer 
Balbi  has  well  remarked,  that  an  encircled  island  is  an  atoll  with  high 
land  rising  out  of  its  lagoon ;  remove  the  land  from  within,  and  a  perfect 
atoll  is  left. 

But  what  has  caused  these  reefs  to  spring  up  at  such  great  distances 
from  the  shores  of  the  included  islands  ?  It  cannot  be  that  the  corals 
will  not  grow  close  to  the  land  ;  for  the  shores  within  the  lagoon- 
channel,  when  not  surrounded  by  alluvial  soil,  are  often  fringed  by 
living  reefs;  and  we  shall  presently  see  that  there  is  a  whole  class, 
which  I  have  called  Fringing  Reefs  from  their  close  attachment  to  the 
shores  both  of  continents  and  of  islands.  Again,  on  what  have  the 
reef-building  corals,  which  cannot  live  at  great  depths,  based  their 
encircling  structure  ?  This  is  a  great  apparent  difficulty,  analogous  to 
that  in  the  case  of  atolls,  which  has  generally  been  overlooked.  It  will 
be  perceived  more  clearly  by  inspecting  the  following  sections,  which 
are  real  ones,  taken  in  north  and  south  lines,  through  the  islands  with 
their  barrier-reefs,  of  Vanikoro,  Gambler,  and  Maurua;  and  they  are 


iM-l  BARRIER-REEFS.  &J 

laid  down,  both  vertically  and  horizontally,  on  the  same  scale  of  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  to  a  mile. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  sections  might  have  been  taken  in  any 
direction  through  these  islands,  or  through  many  other  encircled 
islands,  and  the  general  features  would  have  been  the  same.  Now 
bearing  in  mind  that  reef-building  coral  cannot  live  at  a  greater  depth 
than  from  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms,  and  that  the  scale  is  so  small  that  the 
plummets  on  the  right  hand  show  a  depth  of  200  fathoms,  on  what  are 
these  barrier-reefs  based  ?  Are  we  to  suppose  that  each  island  is 
surrounded  by  a  collar-like  submarine  ledge  of  rock,  or  by  a  great  bank 
of  sediment,  ending  abruptly  where  the  reef  ends  ?  If  the  sea  had  for- 
merly eaten  deeply  into  the  islands,  before  they  were  protected  by  the 
reefs,  thus  having  left  a  shallow  ledge  round  them  under  water,  the 
present  shores  would  have  been  invariably  bounded  by  great  precipices ; 


i.  Vanikoro.    a.  Gambier  Islands.    3.  Maurua. 

The  horizontal  shading  shows  the  barrier-reefs  and  lapoon-channels.  The  inclined 
shading  above  the  level  of  the  sea  (AA),  shows  the  actual  form  of  the  land  ;  the  inclined 
•hading  below  this  line,  shows  its  probable  prolongation  under  water. 


but  this  is  most  rarely  the  case.  Moreover,  on  this  notion,  it  is  not 
possible  to  explain  why  the  corals  should  have  sprung  up,  like  a  wall, 
from  the  extreme  outer  margin  of  the  ledge,  often  leaving  a  broad  space 
of  water  within,  too  deep  for  the  growth  of  corals.  The  accumulation 
of  a  wide  bank  of  sediment  all  round  these  islands,  and  generally 
widest  where  the  included  islands  are  smallest,  is  highly  improbable, 
considering  their  exposed  positions  in  the  central  and  deepest  parts  of 
the  ocean.  In  the  case  of  the  barrier-  reef  of  New  Caledonia,  which 
extends  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  beyond  the  northern  point  of  the 
island,  ir  the  same  straight  line  with  which  it  fronts  the  west  coast,  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  believe,  that  a:  bank  of  sediment  could  thus  have 
been  straightly  deposited  in  front  of  a  lofty  island,  and  so  far  beyond 
its  termination  in  the  cnen  sea.  Finally,  if  we  look  to  other  oceanic 


344  fRINGING-REEFS.  [CHAP,  xx 

islands  of  about  the  same  height  and  of  similar  geological  constitution, 
but  not  encircled  by  coral-reefs,  we  may  in  vain  search  for  so  trifling  a 
circumambient  depth  as  thirty  fathoms,  except  quite  near  to  their 
shores  ;  for  usually  land  that  rises  abruptly  out  of  water,  as  do  most  of 
the  encircled  and  non-encircled  oceanic  islands,  plunges  abruptly  under 
it  On  what  then,  I  repeat,  are  these  barrier-reefs  based  ?  Why,  with 
their  wide  and  deep  moat-like  channels,  do  they  stand  so  far  from 
the  included  land?  We  shall  soon  see  how  easily  these  difficulties 
disappear. 

We  come  now  to  our  third  class  of  Fringing  Reefs,  which  will  require 
a  very  short  notice.  Where  the  land  slopes  abruptly  under  water, 
these  reefs  are  only  a  few  yards  in  width,  forming  a  mere  ribbon  or 
fringe  round  the  shores ;  where  the  land  slopes  gently  under  the  water 
the  reef  extends  further,  sometimes  even  as  much  as  a  mile  from  the 
land ;  but  in  such  cases  the  soundings  outside  the  reef  always  show 
that  the  submarine  prolongation  of  the  land  is  gently  inclined.  In  fact, 
the  reefs  extend  only  to  that  distance  from  the  shore,  at  which  a  founda- 
tion within  the  requisite  depth  from  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms  is  found. 
As  far  as  the  actual  reef  is  concerned,  there  is  no  essential  difference 
between  it  and  that  forming  a  barrier  or  an  atoll ;  it  is,  however, 
generally  of  less  width,  and  consequently  few  islets  have  been  formed 
on  it.  From  the  corals  growing  more  vigorously  on  the  outside,  and 
from  the  noxious  effect  of  the  sediment  washed  inwards,  the  outer  edge 
of  the  reef  is  the  highest  part,  and  between  it  and  the  land  there  is 
generally  a  shallow  sandy  channel  a  few  feet  in  depth.  Where  banks 
of  sediment  have  accumulated  near  to  the  surface,  as  in  parts  of  the 
West  Indies,  they  sometimes  become  fringed  with  corals,  and  hence  in 
some  degree  resemble  lagoon-islands  or  atolls  ;  in  the  same  manner  as 
fringing-reefs,  surrounding  gently-sloping  islands,  in  some  degree 
resemble  barrier-reefs. 

No  theory  on  the  formation  of  coral-reefs  can  be  considered  satis- 
factory which  does  not  include  the  three  great  classes.  We  have  seen 
that  we  are  driven  to  believe  in  the  subsidence  of  those  vast  areas, 
interspersed  with  low  islands,  of  which  not  one  rises  above  the  height 
to  which  the  wind  and  waves  can  throw  up  matter,  and  yet  are  con- 
structed by  animals  requiring  a  foundation,  and  that  foundation  to  lie 
at  no  great  depth.  Let  us  then  take  an  island  surrounded  by  fringing- 
reefs,  which  offer  no  difficulty  in  their  structure;  and  let  this  island 
with  its  reef,  represented  by  the  unbroken  lines  in  the  woodcut,  slowly 
subside.  Now  as  the  island  sinks  down,  either  a  few  feet  at  a  time  or 
quite  insensibly,  we  may  safely  infer,  from  what  is  known  of  the  condi- 
tions favourable  to  the  growth  of  coral,  that  the  living  masses,  bathed 
by  the  surf  on  the  margin  of  the  reef,  will  soon  regain  the  surface. 
The  water,  however,  will  encroach  little  by  little  on  the  shore,  the 
island  becoming  lower  and  smaller,  and  the  space  between  the  inner 
edge  of  the  reef  and  the  beach  proportionally  broader.  A  section  of  the 
reef  and  island  in  this  state,  after  a  subsidence  of  several  hundred  feet, 
is  given  by  the  dotted  lines.  Coral  islets  are  supposed  to  have  been 


1836.]  THEORY  OF  CORAL-REEFS.  345 

formed  on  the  reef;  and  a  ship  is  anchored  in  the  lagoon-channel. 
This  channel  will  be  more  or  less  deep,  according  to  the  rate  of  subsi- 
dence, to  the  amount  of  sediment  accumulated  in  it,  and  to  the  growth 
of  the  delicately  branched  corals  which  can  live  there.  The  section  in 
this  state  resembles  in  every  respect  one  drawn  through  an  encircled 
island  ;  in  fact,  it  is  a  real  section  (on  the  scale  of  -517  of  an  inch  to  a 
mile)  through  Bolabola  in  the  Pacific.  We  can  now  at  once  see  why 
encircling  barrier-reefs  stand  so  far  from  the  shores  which  they  front. 
We  can  also  perceive,  that  a  line  drawn  perpendicularly  down  from  the 
outer  edge  of  the  new  reef,  to  the  foundation  of  solid  rock  beneath  the 
old  fringing-reef,  will  exceed  by  as  many  feet  as  there  have  been  feet  of 
subsidence,  that  small  limit  of  depth  at  which  the  effective  corals  can 
live : — the  little  architects  having  built  up  their  great  wall-like  mass,  aa 
the  whole  sank  down,  upon  a  basis  formed  of  other  corals  and  their 
consolidated  fragments.  Thus  the  difficulty  on  this  head,  which 
appeared  so  great,  disappears. 

If,  instead  of  an  island,  we  had  taken  the  shore  of  a  continent  fringed 


AA.  Outer  edges  of  the  fringing-reef,  at  the  level  of  the  sea.    BB.  Tne  shores  of  the 

fringed  island. 

A' A'.  Outer  edges  of  the  reef,  after  its  upward  growth  during  a  period  of  subsidence, 
now  converted  into  a  barrier,  with  islets  on  it.  B'B'.  The  shores  of  the  now  encircled 
island.  CC.  Lagoon-channel. 

N.B.  In  this  and  the  following  woodcut,  the  subsidence  of  the  land  could  b*  repre- 
sented only  by  an  apparent  rise  in  the  level  of  the  sea. 

with  reefs,  and  had  imagined  it  to  have  subsided,  a  great  straight 
barrier,  like  that  of  Australia  or  New  Caledonia,  separated  from  the 
land  by  a  wide  and  deep  channel,  would  evidently  have  been  the  result. 
Let  us  take  our  new  encircling  barrier-reef,  of  which  the  section  is 
now  represented  by  unbroken  lines,  and  which,  as  I  have  said,  is  a  real 
section  through  Bolabola,  and  let  it  go  on  subsiding.  As  the  barrier- 
reef  slowly  sinks  down,  the  corals  will  go  on  vigorously  growing 
upwards ;  but  as  the  island  sinks,  the  water  will  gain  inch  by  inch  on 
the  shore — the  separate  mountains  first  forming  separate  islands  within 
one  great  reef — and  finally,  the  last  and  highest  pinnacle  disappearing. 
The  instant  this  takes  place,  a  perfect  atoll  is  formed:  I  have  said, 
remove  the  high  land  from  within  an  encircling  barrier-reef,  and  an 
atoll  is  left,  and  the  land  has  been  removed.  We  can  now  perceive 
how  it  comes  that  atolls,  having  sprung  from  encircling  barrier-reefs, 
resemble  them  in  general  size,  form,  in  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
grouped  together,  and  in  their  arrangement  in  single  or  double  lines ; 


346  SUBSIDENCE  OF  CORAL-REEFS.  (CHA*  xi. 

for  they  may  be  called  rude  outline  charts  of  the  sunken  islands  over 
which  they  stand.  We  can  further  see  how  it  arises  that  the  atolls  in 
the  Pacific  and  Indian  oceans  extend  in  lines  parallel  to  the  generally 
prevailing  strike  of  the  high  islands  and  great  coast-lines  of  those 
oceans.  I  venture,  therefore,  to  affirm,  that  on  the  theory  of  the 
upward  growth  of  the  corals  during  the  sinking  of  the  land,*  all  the 
leading  features  in  those  wonderful  structures,  the  lagoon-islands  or 
atolls,  which  have  so  long  excited  the  attention  of  voyagers,  as  well  as 
in  the  no  less  wonderful  barrier-reefs,  whether  encircling  small  islands 
or  stretching  for  hundreds  of  miles  along  the  shores  of  a  continent,  are 
simply  explained. 

It  may  be  asked,  whether  I  can  offer  any  direct  evidence  of  the  sub- 
sidence of  barrier-reefs  or  atolls ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  how 
difficult  it  must  ever  be  to  detect  a  movement,  the  tendency  of  which 
is  to  hide  under  water  the  part  affected.  Nevertheless,  at  Keeling  atoll 
I  observed  on  all  sides  of  the  lagoon  old  cocoa-nut  trees  undermined 


A' A'.  Outer  edges  of  the  barrier-raef  »t  the  level  of  the  »ea,  with  islets  on  it.  B'B'. 
The  shores  of  the  included  island.  CC.  The  lagoon-channel. 

A" A".  Outer  edges  of  the  reef,  now  converted  into  an  atoll.  (7.  The  lagoon  of  the 
Dew  atoll. 

N.B.  According  to  the  true  scale,  the  depths  of  the  lagoon-channel  and  lagoon  are 
much  exaggerated. 

and  falling ;  and  in  one  place  the  foundation  posts  of  a  shed,  which  the 
inhabitants  asserted  had  stood  seven  years  before  just  above  high- 
water  mark,  but  now  was  daily  washed  by  every  tide:  on  inquiry  I 
found  that  three  earthquakes,  one  of  them  severe,  had  been  felt  here 
during  the  last  ten  years.  At  Vanikoro,  the  lagoon-channel  is  remark- 
ably deep,  scarcely  any  alluvial  soil  has  accumulated  at  the  foot  of  the 
lofty  included  mountains,  and  remarkably  few  islets  have  been  formed 

*  It  has  been  highly  satisfactory  to  me  to  find  the  following  passage  in  a 
pamphlet  by  Mr.  Couthouy,  one  of  the  naturalists  in  the  great  Antarctic 
Expedition  of  the  United  States:  "Having  personally  examined  a  large 
number  of  coral  islands,  and  resided  eight  months  among  the  volcanic  class 
having  shore  and  partially  encircling  reefs,  I  may  be  permitted  to  state  that 
my  own  observations  have  impressed  a  conviction  of  the  correctness  of  the 
theory  of  Mr.  Darwin."  The  naturalists,  however,  of  this  expedition  differ 
with  me  on  some  points  respecting  coral  formations. 


1836.]  CHANGES  Iff  COPAT.-REE^.  34) 

by  the  heaping  of  fragments  and  sand  on  the  wall-like  barrier-reef; 
these  facts,  and  some  analogous  ones,  led  me  to  believe  that  this  island 
must  lately  have  subsided  and  the  reef  grown  upwards:  here  again 
earthquakes  are  frequent  and  very  severe.  In  the  Society  Archipelago, 
on  the  other  hand,  where  the  lagoon-channels  are  almost  choked  up, 
where  much  low  alluvial  land  has  accumulated,  and  where  in  some 
cases  long  islets  have  been  formed  on  the  barrier-reefs — facts  all  show- 
ing that  the  islands  have  not  very  lately  subsided — only  feeble  shocks 
are  most  rarely  felt.  In  these  coral  formations,  where  the  land  and 
water  seem  struggling  for  mastery,  it  must  be  ever  difficult  to  decide 
between  the  effects  of  a  change  in  the  set  of  the  tides  and  of  a  slight 
subsidence :  that  many  of  these  reefs  and  atolls  are  subject  to  changes 
ot  some  kind  is  certain ;  on  some  atolls  the  islets  appear  to  have  in- 
creased greatly  within  a  late  period  ;  on  others  they  have  been  partially 
or  wholly  washed  away.  The  inhabitants  of  parts  of  the  Maldiva 
Archipelago  know  the  date  of  the  first  formation  of  some  islets ;  in  other 
parts,  the  corals  are  now  flourishing  on  water-washed  reefs,  where 
holes  made  for  graves  attest  the  former  existence  of  inhabited  land.  It 
is  difficult  to  believe  in  frequent  changes  in  the  tidal  currents  of  an 
open  ocean ;  whereas,  we  have  in  the  earthquakes  recorded  by  the 
natives  on  some  atolls,  and  in  the  great  fissures  observed  on  other 
atolls,  plain  evidence  of  changes  and  disturbances  in  progress  in  the 
subterranean  regions. 

It  is  evident,  on  our  theory,  that  coasts  merely  fringed  by  reefs 
cannot  have  subsided  to  any  perceptible  amount ;  and  therefore  they 
must,  since  the  growth  of  their  corals,  either  have  remained  stationary 
or  have  been  upheaved.  Now  it  is  remarkable  how  generally  it  can  be 
shown,  by  the  presence  of  upraised  organic  remains,  that  the  fringed 
islands  have  been  elevated;  and  so  far,  this  is  indirect  evidence  in 
favour  of  our  theory.  I  was  particularly  struck  with  this  fact,  when  I 
found,  to  my  surprise,  that  the  descriptions  given  by  MM.  Quoy  and 
Gaimard  were  applicable,  not  to  reefs  in  general  as  implied  by  them, 
but  only  to  those  of  the  fringing-class ;  my  surprise,  however,  ceased 
when  I  afterwards  found  that,  by  a  strange  chance,  all  the  several 
islands  visited  by  these  eminent  naturalists,  could  be  shown  by  their 
own  statements  to  have  been  elevated  within  a  recent  geological  era. 

Not  only  the  grand  features  in  the  structure  of  barrier-reefs  and  of 
atolls,  and  of  their  likeness  to  each  other  in  form,  size,  and  other 
characters,  are  explained  on  the  theory  of  subsidence — which  theory 
we  are  independently  forced  to  admit  in  the  very  areas  in  question, 
from  the  necessity  of  finding  bases  for  the  corals  within  the  requisite 
depth — but  many  details  in  structure  and  exceptional  cases  can  thus 
also  be  simply  explained.  I  will  give  only  a  few  instances.  In  barrier- 
reefs  it  has  long  been  remarked  with  surprise,  that  the  passages  through 
the  reef  exactly  face  valleys  in  the  included  land,  even  in  cases  where 
the  reef  is  separated  from  the  land  by  a  lagoon-channel  so  wide  and  so 
much  deeper  than  the  actual  passage  itself,  that  it  seems  hardly  possible 
that  the  very  small  quantity  of  water  or  sediment  brought  down  could 
Injure  the  corals  on  the  reef,  Now,  every  reef  of  the  fri rising-class  is 


34?  BREACHES  IN  BARRIER-REEFS.  [CHAP.  XX. 

breached  by  a  narrow  gateway  in  front  of  the  smallest  rivulet,  even 
if  dry  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  for  the  mud,  sand,  or  gravel, 
occasionally  washed  down,  kills  the  corals  on  which  it  is  deposited. 
Consequently,  when  an  island  thus  fringed  subsides,  though  most  of 
the  narrow  gateways  will  probably  become  closed  by  the  outward 
and  upward  growth  of  the  corals,  yet  any  that  are  not  closed  (and 
some  must  always  be  kept  open  by  the  sediment  and  impure  water 
flowing  out  of  the  lagoon-channel)  will  still  continue  to  front  exactly 
the  upper  parts  of  those  valleys,  at  the  mouths  of  which  the  original 
basal  fringing-reef  was  breached. 

We  can  easily  see  how  an  island  fronted  only  on  one  side,  or  on 
one  side  with  one  end  or  both  ends  encircled  by  barrier-reefs,  might 
after  long-continued  subsidence  be  converted  either  into  a  single 
wall-like  reef,  or  into  an  atoll  with  a  great  straight  spur  projecting  from 
it,  or  into  two  or  three  atolls  tied  together  by  straight  reefs — all  of 
which  exceptional  cases  actually  occur.  As  the  reef-building  corals 
require  food,  are  preyed  upon  by  other  animals,  are  killed  by  sediment, 
cannot  adhere  to  a  loose  bottom,  and  may  be  easily  carried  down  to 
a  depth  whence  they  cannot  spring  up  again,  we  need  feel  no  surprise 
at  the  reefs  both  of  atolls  and  barriers  becoming  in  parts  imperfect. 
The  great  barrier  of  New  Caledonia  is  thus  imperfect  and  broken  in 
many  parts;  hence,  after  long  subsidence,  this  great  reef  would  not 
produce  one  great  atoll  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  but  a  chain  or 
archipelago  of  atolls,  of  very  nearly  the  same  dimensions  with  those  in 
the  Maldiva  Archipelago.  Moreover,  in  an  atoll  once  breached  on 
opposite  sides,  from  the  likelihood  of  the  oceanic  and  tidal  currents 
passing  straight  through  the  breaches,  it  is  extremely  improbable  that 
the  corals,  especially  during  continued  subsidence,  would  ever  be  able 
again  to  unite  the  rim ;  if  they  did  not,  as  the  whole  sank  downwards, 
one  atoll  would  be  divided  into  two  or  more.  In  the  Maldiva  Archi- 
pelago there  are  distinct  atolls  so  related  to  each  other  in  position,  and 
separated  by  channels  either  unfathomable  or  very  deep  (the  channel 
between  Ross  and  Ari  atolls  is  150  fathoms,  and  that  between  the  north 
and  south  Nillandoo  atolls  is  200  fathoms  in  depth),  that  it  is  impossible 
to  look  at  a  map  of  them  without  believing  that  they  were  once  more 
intimately  related.  And  in  this  same  archipelago,  Mahlos-Mahdoo  atoll 
is  divided  by  a  bifurcating  channel  from  100  to  132  fathoms  in  depth, 
in  such  a  manner,  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  say  whether  it  ought 
strictly  to  be  called  three  separate  atolls,  or  one  great  atoll  not  yet  finally 
divided. 

I  will  not  enter  on  many  more  details  ;  but  I  must  remark  that  the 
curious  structure  of  the  northern  Maldiva  atolls  receives  (taking  into 
consideration  the  free  entrance  of  the  sea  through  their  broken  margins) 
a  simple  explanation  in  the  upward  and  outward  growth  of  the  corals, 
originally  based  both  on  small  detached  reefs  in  their  lagoons,  such 
as  occur  in  common  atolls,  and  on  broken  portions  of  the  linear 
marginal  reef,  such  as  bounds  every  atoll  of  the  ordinary  form.  I 
cannot  refrain  from  once  again  remarking  on  the  singularity  of  these 
complex  structures — a  jgreat  sandy  and  generally  concave  disc  rises 


1836.]  DEAD  OR  SUNKEN  REEFS.  349 

abruptly  from  the  unfathomable  ocean,  with  its  central  expanse  studded, 
and  its  edge  symmetrically  bordered  with  oval  basins  ot  coral-rock  just 
lipping  the  surface  of  the  sea,  sometimes  clothed  with  vegetation,  and 
each  containing  a  lake  of  clear  water  ! 

One  more  point  in  detail :  as  in  two  neighbouring  archipelagoes 
corals  flourish  in  one  and  not  in  the  other,  and  as  so  many  conditions 
before  enumerated  must  affect  their  existence,  it  would  be  an  inexplic- 
able fact  if,  during  the  changes  to  which  earth,  air,  and  water  are 
subjected,  the  reef-building  corals  were  to  keep  alive  for  perpetuity  on 
any  one  spot  or  area.  And  as  by  our  theory  the  areas  including  atolls 
and  barrier-reefs  are  subsiding,  we  ought  occasionally  to  find  reefs 
both  dead  and  submerged.  In  all  reefs,  owing  to  the  sediment  being 
washed  out  of  the  lagoon  or  lagoon-channel  to  leeward,  that  side  is 
least  favourable  to  the  long-continued  vigorous  growth  of  the  corals ; 
hence  dead  portions  of  reef  not  unfrequently  occur  on  the  leeward 
side ;  and  these,  though  still  retaining  their  proper  wall-like  form,  are 
now  in  several  instances  sunk  several  fathoms  beneath  the  surface. 
The  Chagos  group  appears  from  some  cause,  possibly  from  the  sub- 
sidence having  been  too  rapid,  at  present  to  be  much  less  favourably 
circumstanced  for  the  growth  of  reefs  than  formerly :  one  atoll  has  a 
portion  of  its  marginal  reef,  nine  miles  in  length,  dead  and  submerged  ; 
a  second  has  only  a  few  quite  small  living  points  which  rise  to  the 
surface ;  a  third  and  fourth  are  entirely  dead  and  submerged ;  a  fifth 
is  a  mere  wreck,  with  its  structure  almost  obliterated.  It  is  remarkable 
that  in  all  these  cases,  the  dead  reefs  and  portions  of  reef  lie  at  nearly 
the  same  depth,  namely,  from  six  to  eight  fathoms  beneath  the  surface, 
as  if  they  had  been  carried  down  by  one  uniform  movement.  One  of 
these  "  half-drowned  atolls,"  so  called  by  Captain  Moresby  (to  whom 
I  am  indebted  for  much  invaluable  information),  is  of  vast  size,  namely, 
ninety  nautical  miles  across  in  one  direction,  and  seventy  miles  in 
another  line ;  and  is  in  many  respects  eminently  curious.  As  by  our 
theory  it  follows  that  new  atolls  will  generally  be  formed  in  each  new 
area  of  subsidence,  two  weighty  objections  might  have  been  raised, 
namely,  that  atolls  must  be  increasing  indefinitely  in  number ;  and 
secondly,  that  in  old  areas  of  subsidence  each  separate  atoll  must  be 
increasing  indefinitely  in  thickness,  if  proofs  of  their  occasional  destruc- 
tion could  not  have  been  adduced.  Thus  have  we  traced  the  history 
of  these  great  rings  of  coral-rock,  from  their  first  origin  through  their 
normal  changes,  and  through  occasional  accidents  of  their  existence, 
to  their  death  and  final  obliteration. 

In  my  volume  on  "Coral  Formations"  I  have  published  a  map,  in  which 
I  have  coloured  all  the  atolls  dark  blue,  the  barrier-reefs  pale  blue,  and 
the  fringing-reefs  red.  These  latter  reefs  have  been  formed  whilst  the 
land  has  been  stationary,  or,  as  appears  from  the  frequent  presence 
of  upraised  organic  remains,  whilst  it  has  been  slowly  rising:  atolls 
and  barrier-reefs,  on  the  other  hand,  have  grown  up  during  the  directly 
opposite  movement  ol  subsidence,  which  movement  must  have  been 
very  gradual,  and  in  the  case  of  atolls  so  vast  in  amount  as  to  have 


3$d  1)l$TRIBLtlON  OF  CORAL-REEFS.  [CHAR  x>. 

buried  every  mountain-summit  over  wide  ocean-spaces.  Now  in  this 
map  we  see  that  the  reefs  tinted  pale  and  dark-blue,  which  have  been 
produced  by  the  same  order  ef  movement,  as  a  general  rule  manifestly 
stand  near  each  other.  Again  we  see,  that  the  areas  with  the  two  blue 
tints  are  of  wide  extent ;  and  that  they  lie  separate  from  extensive 
lines  of  coast  coloured  red,  both  of  which  circumstances  might  naturally 
have  been  inferred,  on  the  theory  of  the  nature  of  the  reefs  having  been 
governed  by  the  nature  of  the  earth's  movement.  It  deserves  notice, 
that  in  more  than  one  instance  where  single  red  and  blue  circles 
approach  near  each  other,  I  can  show  that  there  have  been  oscillations 
of  level ;  for  in  such  cases  the  red  or  fringed  circles  consist  of  atolls, 
originally  by  our  theory  formed  during  subsidence,  but  subsequently 
upheaved ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  pale-blue  or  encircled 
islands  are  composed  of  coral-rock,  which  must  have  been  uplifted  to 
its  present  height  before  that  subsidence  took  place,  during  which  the 
existing  barrier-reefs  grew  upwards. 

Authors  have  noticed  with  surprise,  that  although  atolls  are  the 
commonest  coral-structures  throughout  some  enormous  oceanic  tracts, 
they  are  entirely  absent  in  other  seas,  as  in  the  West  Indies :  we  can 
now  at  once  perceive  the  cause,  for  where  there  has  not  been  subsidence, 
atolls  cannot  have  been  formed ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  West  Indies 
and  parts  of  the  East  Indies,  these  tracts  are  known  to  have  been  rising 
within  the  recent  period.  The  larger  areas,  coloured  red  and  blue,  are 
all  elongated ;  and  between  the  two  colours  there  is  a  degree  of  rude 
alternation,  as  if  the  rising  of  one  had  balanced  the  sinking  of  the  other. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  proofs  of  recent  elevation  both  on  the 
fringed  coasts  and  on  some  others  (for  instance,  in  South  America) 
where  there  are  no  reefs,  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  the  great  con- 
tinents are  for  the  most  part  rising  areas  ;  and  from  the  nature  of  the 
coral-reefs,  that  the  central  parts  of  the  great  oceans  are  sinking  aceas. 
The  East  Indian  Archipelago,  the  most  broken  land  in  the  world,  is 
in  most  parts  an  area  of  elevation,  but  surrounded  and  penetrated, 
probably  in  more  lines  than  one,  by  narrow  areas  of  subsidence,  i 

I  have  marked  with  vermilion  spots  all  the  many  known  active 
volcanos  within  the  limits  of  this  same  map.  Their  entire  absence 
from  every  one  of  the  great  subsiding  areas,  coloured  either  pale  or 
dark  blue,  is  most  striking ;  and  not  less  so  is  the  coincidence  of  tlie 
chief  volcanic  chains  with  the  parts  coloured  red,  which  we  are  led  to 
conclude  have  either  long  remained  stationary,  or  more  generally  have 
been  recently  upraised.  Although  a  few  of  the  vermilion  spots  occur 
within  no  great  distance  of  single  circles  tinted  blue,  yet  not  one  single 
active  volcano  is  situated  within  several  hundred  miles  of  an  archipelago, 
or  even  small  group  of  atolls.  It  is,  therefore,  a  striking  fact  that  in 
the  Friendly  Archipelago,  which  consists  of  a  group  of  atolls  upheaved 
and  since  partially  worn  down,  two  volcanos,  and  perhaps  more,  are 
historically  known  to  have  been  in  action.  On  the  other  hand,  although 
most  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  which  are  encircled  by  barrier- reefs, 
are  of  volcanic  origin,  often  with  the  remnants  of  craters  still  distin- 
guishable, not  one  of  them  is  known  to  have  ever  been  in  eruption. 


I8.J6.]  THEIR  RELATION1  TO  VOLCANOES.  351 

Hence  in  these  cases  it  would  appear,  that  volcanos  burst  forth  into 
action  and  become  extinguished  on  the  same  spots,  accordingly  as 
eltvatory  or  subsiding  movements  prevail  there.  Numberless  facts 
could  be  adduced  to  prove  that  upraised  organic  remains  are  common 
wherever  there  are  active  volcanos  ;  but  until  it  could  be  shown  that  in 
areas  of  subsidence,  volcanos  were  either  absent  or  inactive,  the 
inference,  however  probable  in  itself,  that  their  distribution  depended 
on  the  rising  or  falling  of  the  earth's  surface,  would  have  been  hazardous. 
But  now,  I  think,  we  may  freely  admit  this  important  deduction. 

Taking  a  final  view  of  the  map,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  statements 
made  with  respect  to  the  upraised  organic  remains,  we  must  feel 
astonished  at  the  vastness  of  the  areas,  which  have  suffered  changes  in 
level  either  downwards  or  upwards,  within  a  period  not  geologically 
remote.  It  would  appear,  also,  that  the  elevatory  and  subsiding 
movements  follow  nearly  the  same  laws.  Throughout  the  spaces 
interspersed  with  atolls,  where  not  a  single  peak  of  high  land  has  been 
left  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  sinking  must  have  been  immense  in 
amount.  The  sinking,  moreover,  whether  continuous,  or  recurrent  with 
intervals  sufficiently  long  for  the  corals  again  to  bring  up  their  living 
edifices  to  the  surface,  must  necessarily  have  been  extremely  slow. 
This  conclusion  is  probably  the  most  important  one,  which  can  be 
deduced  from  the  study  of  coral  formations; — and  it  is  one  which  it  is 
difficult  to  imagine,  how  otherwise  couldi  ever  have  been  arrived  at 
Nor  can  I  quite  pass  over  the  probability  of  the  former  existence  of 
large  archipelagoes  of  lofty  islands,  where  now  only  rings  of  coral-rock 
scarcely  break  the  open  expanse  of  the  sea,  throwing  some  light  on  the 
distribution  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  high  islands,  now  left  standing 
so  immensely  remote  from  each  other  in  the  midst  of  the  great  oceans. 
The  reef-constructing  corals  have  indeed  reared  and  preserved  wonder- 
ful memorials  of  the  subterranean  oscillations  of  level ;  we  see  in  each 
barrier-reef  a  proof  that  the  land  has  there  subsided,  and  in  each  atoll 
a  monument  over  an  island  now  lost.  We  may  thus,  like  unto  a 
geologist  who  had  lived  his  ten  thousand  years  and  kept  a  record  of  the 
passing  changes,  gain  some  insight  into  the  great  system  by  which  the 
surface  of  this  globe  has  been  broken  uo,  and  land  and.  water  interchanged. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

MAURITIUS  TO  ENGLAND. 

Mauritius,  Beautiful  Appearance  of — Great  Crateriform  Ring  of  Mountains- 
Hindoos — St.  Helena — History  of  the  Changes  in  the  Vegetation — Cause 
of  the  Extinction  of  Land-shells — Ascension — Variation  in  the  Imported 
Rats — Volcanic  Bombs — Beds  of  Infusoria — Bahia — Brazil — Splendour 
of  Tropical  Scenery — Pernambuco — Singular  Reef — Slavery — Return  to 
England — Retrospect  on  our  Voyage. 

April  2gth. — IN  the  morning  we  passed  round  the  northern  end  of 
Mauritius,  or  the  Isle  of  France.    From  this  point  of  view  the  aspect 


35«  MAURITIUS  [CHAP.  xxi. 

of  the  island  equalled  the  expectations  raised  by  the  many  well-known 
descriptions  of  its  beautiful  scenery.  The  sloping  plain  of  the  Pample- 
mousses,  interspersed  with  houses,  and  coloured  by  the  large  fields  of 
sugar-cane  of  a  bright  green,  composed  the  foreground.  The  brilliancy 
of  the  green  was  the  more  remarkable,  because  it  is  a  colour  which 
generally  is  conspicuous  only  from  a  very  short  distance.  Towards 
the  centre  of  the  islainl  groups  of  wooded  mountains  rose  out  of  this 
highly-cultivated  plain ;  their  summits,  as  so  commonly  happens  with 
ancient  volcanic  rocks,  being  jagged  into  the  sharpest  points.  Masses 
of  white  clouds  were  collected  around  these  pinnacles,  as  if  for  the 
sake  of  pleasing  the  st lunger's  eye.  The  whole  island,  with  its  sloping 
border  and  central  mountains,  was  adorned  with  an  air  of  perfect 
elegance :  the  scenery,  if  I  may  use  such  an  expression,  appeared  to 
the  sight  harmonious. 

I  spent  the  greater  ]>art  of  the  next  day  in  walking  about  the  town, 
and  visiting  different  people.  The  town  is  of  considerable  size,  and 
is  said  to  contain  20,000  inhabitants ;  the  streets  are  very  clean  and 
regular.  Although  the  island  has  been  so  many  years  under  the 
English  government,  the  general  character  of  the  place  is  quite  French  : 
Englishmen  speak  to  their  servants  in  French,  and  the  shops  are  all 
French ;  indeed  I  should  think  that  Calais  or  Boulogne  was  much  more 
Anglified.  There  is  a  very  pretty  little  theatre,  in  which  operas  are 
excellently  performed.  We  were  also  surprised  at  seeing  large  book- 
sellers' shops,  with  well -stored  shelves  ; — music  and  reading  bespeak 
our  approach  to  the  old  world  of  civilization ;  for  in  truth  both  Australia 
and  America  are  new  v\  orlds. 

The  various  races  of  men  walking  in  the  streets  afford  the  most 
interesting  spectacle  hi  Port  Louis.  Convicts  from  India  are  banished 
here  for  life;  at  present  there  are  about  800,  and  they  are  employed 
in  various  public  woi  Us.  Before  seeing  these  people,  I  had  no  idea 
that  the  inhabitants  ul  India  were  such  noble-looking  figures.  Their 
skin  is  extremely  dark,  and  many  of  the  older  men  had  large  moustaches 
and  beards  of  a  snow  \vhite  colour ;  this,  together  with  the  fire  of  their 
expression,  gave  them  quite  an  imposing  aspect.  The  greater  number 
had  been  banished  foi  murder  and  the  worst  crimes ;  others  for  causes 
which  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  moral  faults,  such  as  for  not  obey- 
ing, from  superstitious  motives,  the  English  laws.  These  men  are 
generally  quiet  and  well  conducted ;  from  their  outward  conduct,  their 
cleanliness,  and  faithful  observance  of  their  strange  religious  rites,  it 
was  impossible  to  look  at  them  with  the  same  eyes  as  on  our  wretched 
convicts  in  New  South  Wales. 

May  ist. — Sunday.  1  took  a  quiet  walk  along  the  sea-coast  to  the 
north  of  the  town.  'Hie  plain  in  this  part  is  quite  uncultivated;  it 
consists  of  a  field  of  black  lava,  smoothed  over  with  coarse  grass  and 
bushes,  the  latter  being  chiefly  Mimosas.  The  scenery  may  be  described 
as  intermediate  in  character  between  that  of  the  Galapagos  and  of 
Tahiti ;  but  this  will  convey  a  definite  idea  to  very  few  persons.  It  is 
a  very  pleasant  country,  but  it  has  not  the  charms  of  Tahiti,  or  the 
grandeur  of  Brazil.  The  next  day  I  ascended  La  Pouce,  a  mountain 


1836.]  MAURITIUS.  353 

so  called  from  a  thumb-like  projection,  which  rises  close  behind  the 
town  to  a  height  of  2,600  feet.  The  centre  of  the  island  consists  of  a 
great  platform,  surrounded  by  old  broken  basaltic  mountains,  with 
their  strata  dipping  seawards.  The  central  platform,  formed  of  com- 
paratively recent  streams  of  lava,  is  of  an  oval  shape,  thirteen  geogra- 
phical miles  across,  in  the  line  of  its  shorter  axis.  The  exterior 
bounding  mountains  come  into  that  class  of  structures  called  Craters 
of  Elevation,  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  formed  not  like  ordinary 
craters,  but  by  a  great  and  sudden  upheaval.  There  appears  to  me  to 
be  insuperable  objections  to  this  view;  on  the  other  hand,  I  can  hardly 
believe,  in  this  and  in  some  other  cases,  that  these  marginal  crateriform 
mountains  are  merely  the  basal  remnants  of  immense  volcanos,  of 
which  the  summits  either  have  been  blown  off,  or  swallowed  up  in 
subterranean  abysses. 

From  our  elevated  position  we  enjoyed  an  excellent  view  over  the 
island.  The  country  on  this  side  appears  pretty  well  cultivated,  being 
divided  into  fields  and  studded  with  farmhouses.  I  was  however 
assured  that  of  the  whole  land,  not  more  than  half  is  yet  in  a  produc- 
tive state ;  if  such  be  the  case,  considering  the  present  large  export  of 
sugar,  this  island,  at  some  future  period  when  thickly  peopled,  will  be 
of  great  value.  Since  England  has  taken  possession  of  it,  a  period  of 
only  twenty-five  years,  the  export  of  sugar  is  said  to  have  increased 
seventy-five  fold.  One  great  cause  of  its  prosperity  is  the  excellent 
state  of  the  roads.  In  the  neighbouring  Isle  of  Bourbon,  which  remains 
under  the  French  government,  the  roads  are  still  in  the  same  miserable 
state  as  they  were  here  only  a  few  years  ago.  Although  the  French 
residents  must  have  largely  profited  by  the  increased  prosperity  of  their 
island,  yet  the  English  government  is  far  from  popular. 

May  yd. — In  the  evening  Captain  Lloyd,  the  Surveyor-general,  so 
well  known  from  his  examination  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  invited 
Mr.  Stokes  and  myself  to  his  country  house,  which  is  situated  on  the 
edge  of  Wilheim  Plains,  and  about  six  miles  from  the  Port.  We  stayed 
at  this  delightful  place  two  days ;  standing  nearly  800  feet  above  the 
sea,  the  air  was  cool  and  fresh,  and  on  every  side  there  were  delightful 
walks.  Close  by,  a  grand  ravine  has  been  worn  to  a  depth  of  about 
500  feet  through  the  slightly  inclined  streams  of  lava,  which  have 
flowed  from  the  central  platform. 

May  5//z. — Captain  Lloyd  took  us  to  the  Riviere  Noire,  which  is 
several  miles  to  the  southward,  that  I  might  examine  some  rocks  oi 
elevated  coral.  We  passed  through  pleasant  gardens,  and  fine  fields  of 
sugar-cane  growing  amidst  huge  blocks  of  lava.  The  roads  were 
bordered  by  hedges  of  Mimosa,  and  near  many  of  the  houses  there 
were  avenues  of  the  mango.  Some  of  the  views,  where  the  peaked 
hills  a-nd  the  cultivated  farms  were  seen  together,  were  exceedingly 
picturesque ;  and  we  were  constantly  tempted  to  exclaim,  "  Kov 
pleasant  it  would  be  to  pass  one's  life  in  such  quiet  abodes  1 "  Captain 
Lloyd  possessed  an  elephant,  and  he  sent  it  halfway  with  us  that 
we  might  enjoy  a  ride  in  true  Indian  fashion.  The  circumstance 
which  surprised  me  most  was  its  quite  noiseless  step.  This  elephant 


354  ST.  HELENA.  [CUAP.  xxi. 

is  the  only  one  at  present  on  the  island ;  but  it  is  said  others  will 
be  sent  for. 

May  gtk. — We  sailed  from  Port  Louis,  and,  calling  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  on  the  8th  of  July  we  arrived  off  St.  Helena.  This  island, 
the  forbidding  aspect  of  which  has  been  so  often  described,  rises 
abruptly  like  a  huge  black  castle  from  the  ocean.  Near  the  town,  as  if 
to  complete  nature's  defence,  small  forts  and  guns  fill  up  every  gap  in 
the  rugged  rocks.  The  to\vn  runs  up  a  flat  and  narrow  valley ;  the 
houses  look  respectable,  and  are  interspersed  with  a  very  few  green 
trees.  When  approaching  the  anchorage  there  was  one  striking  view  ; 
an  irregular  castle  perched  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  hill,  and  surrounded 
by  a  few  scattered  fir-trees,  boldly  projected  against  the  sky. 

The  next  day  I  obtained  lodgings  within  a  stone's  throw  of  Napoleon's 
tomb :  *  it  was  a  capital  central  situation,  whence  I  could  make  excur- 
sions in  every  direction.  During  the  four  days  I  stayed  here,  I  wandered 
over  the  island  from  morning  to  night,  and  examined  its  geological 
history.  My  lodgings  were  situated  at  a  height  of  about  2,000  feet ; 
here  the  weather  was  cold  and  boisterous,  with  constant  showers  of 
rain ;  and  every  now  and  then  the  whole  scene  was  veiled  in  thick 
clouds. 

Near  the  coast  the  rough  lava  is  quite  bare ;  in  the  central  and  higher 
parts,  feldspathic  rocks  by  their  decomposition  have  produced  a  clayey 
soil,  which,  where  not  covered  by  vegetation,  is  stained  in  broad  bands 
of  many  bright  colours.  At  this  season,  the  land  moistened  by  constant 
showers,  produces  a  singularly  bright  green  pasture,  which  lower  and 
lower  down,  gradually  fades  away  and  at  last  disappears.  In  latitude 
16°,  and  at  the  trifling  elevation  of  1,500  feet,  it  is  surprising  to  behold 
a  vegetation  possessing  a  character  decidedly  British.  The  hills  are 
crowned  with  irregular  plantations  of  Scotch  firs  ;  and  the  sloping  banks 
are  thickly  scattered  over  with  thickets  of  gorse,  covered  with  its  bright 
yellow  flowers.  Weeping-willows  are  common  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivulets,  and  the  hedges  are  made  of  the  blackberry,  producing  its  well- 
known  fruit.  When  we  consider  that  the  number  of  plants  now  found 
on  the  island  is  746,  and  that  out  of  these  fifty-two  alone  are  indigenous 
species,  the  rest  having  been  imported,  and  most  of  them  from  England, 
we  see  the  reason  of  the  British  character  of  the  vegetation.  Many  of 
these  English  plants  appear  to  flourish  better  than  in  their  native 
country ;  some  also  from  the  opposite  quarter  of  Australia  succeed 
remarkably  well.  The  many  imported  species  must  have  destroyed 
some  of  the  native  kinds ;  and  it  is  only  on  the  highest  and  steepest 
ridges,  that  the  indigenous  Flora  is  now  predominant. 

The  English,  or  rather  Welsh  character  of  the  scenery,  is  kept  up  by 
the  numerous  cottages  and  small  white  houses ;  some  buried  at  the 

*  After  the  volumes  of  eloquence  which  have  poured  forth  on  this  subject, 
it  is  dangerous  even  to  mention  the  tomb.  A  modern  traveller,  in  twelve 
lines,  burdens  the  poor  little  island  with  the  following  titles, — it  is  a  grave, 
tomb,  pyramid,  cemetery,  sepulchre,  catacomb,  sarcophagus,  minaret,  and 
mausoleum  I 


iSj6.]  /75  APPEARANCE.  355 

bottom  of  the  deepest  valleys,  and  others  mounted  on  the  crests  of  the 
lofty  hills.  Some  of  the  views  are  striking ;  for  instance  that  from  near 
Sir  W.  Doveton's  house,  where  the  bold  peak  called  Lot  is  seen  over  a 
dark  wood  of  firs,  the  whole  being  backed  by  the  red  water-worn 
mountains  of  the  southern  coast.  O.i  viewing  the  island  from  an 
a-Eiuence,  the  first  circumstance  which  strikes  one,  is  the  number  of  the 
roads  and  forts :  the  labour  bestowed  on  the  public  works,  if  one 
forgets  its  character  as  a  prison,  seems  out  of  all  proportion  to  its  extent 
or  value.  There  is  so  little  level  or  useful  land,  that  it  seems  surprising 
how  so  many  people,  about  5,000,  can  subsist  here.  The  lower  orders, 
or  the  emancipated  slaves,  are  I  believe  extremely  poor :  they  complain 
of  the  want  of  work.  From  the  reduction  in  the  number  of  public 
servants,  owing  to  the  island  having  been  given  up  by  the  East  India 
Company,  and  the  consequent  emigration  of  many  of  the  richer  people, 
the  poverty  probably  will  increase.  The  chief  food  of  the  working  class 
is  rice  with  a  little  salt  meat;  as  neither  of  these  articles  are  the 
products  of  the  island,  but  must  he  purchased  with  money,  the  low 
wages  tell  heavily  on  the  poor  people.  Now  that  the  people  are  blessed 
with  freedom,  a  right  which  I  believe  they  value  fully,  it  seems  probable 
that  their  numbers  will  quickly  increase :  if  so,  what  is  to  become  of 
the  little  state  of  St.  Helena  ? 

My  guide  was  an  elderly  man,  who  had  been  a  goatherd  when  a  boy, 
and  knew  every  step  amongst  the  rocks.  He  was  of  a  race  many 
times  crossed,  and  although  with  a  dusky  skin,  he  had  not  the  disagree- 
able expression  of  a  mulatto.  He  was  a  very  civil,  quiet  old  man,  and 
such  appears  the  character  of  the  greater  number  of  the  lower  classes. 
It  was  strange  to  my  ears  to  hear  a  man,  nearly  white  and  respectably 
dressed,  talking  with  indifference  of  the  times  when  he  was  a  slave. 
With  my  companion,  who  carried  our  dinners  and  a  horn  of  water, 
which  is  quite  necessary,  as  all  the  water  in  the  lower  valley  is  saline, 
I  every  day  took  long  walks. 

Beneath  the  upper  and  central  green  circle,  the  wild  valleys  are  quite 
desolate  and  untenanted.  Here,  to  the  geologist,  there  were  scenes  of 
high  interest,  showing  successive  changes  and  complicated  disturbances. 
According  to  my  views,  St.  Helena  has  existed  as  an  island  from  a  very 
remote  epoch;  some  obscure  proofs,  however,  of  the  elevation  of  the 
land  are  still  extant.  I  believe  that  the  central  and  highest  peaks  form 
parts  of  the  rim  of  a  great  crater,  the  southern  half  of  which  has  been 
entirely  removed  by  the  waves  of  the  sea :  there  is,  moreover,  an 
external  wall  of  black  basaltic  rocks,  like  the  coast-mountains  of 
Mauritius,  which  are  older  than  the  central  volcanic  streams.  On  the 
higher  parts  of  the  island,  considerable  numbers  of  a  shell,  long  thought 
a  marine  species,  occur  embedded  in  the  soil.  It  proves  to  be  a 
Cochlogena,  or  land-shell  of  a  very  peculiar  form  ;*  with  it  I  found  six 
other  kinds  ;  and  in  another  spot  an  eighth  species.  It  is  remarkable 
that  none  of  them  are  now  found  living.  Their  extinction  has  probably 

*  It  deserves  notice,  that  all  the  many  specimens  of  this  shell  found  by 
me  in  one  spot,  differ,  as  a  marked  variety,  from  another  set  of  specimea* 
procured  from  a  different  spot. 


356  ST.  HELENA.  [CHAP.  ua. 

been  caused  by  the  entire  destruction  of  the  woods,  and  the  consequent 
loss  of  food  and  shelter,  which  occurred  during  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century. 

The  history  of  the  changes,  which  the  elevated  plains  of  Longwood 
and  Deadvvood  have  undergone,  as  given  in  General  Beatson's  account 
of  the  island,  is  extremely  curious.  Both  plains,  it  is  said,  -in  former 
times  were  covered  with  wood,  and  were  therefore  called  the  Great 
Wood.  So  late  as  the  year  1716  there  were  many  trees,  but  in  1724 
the  old  trees  had  mostly  fallen ;  and  as  goats  and  hogs  had  been 
suffered  to  range  about,  all  the  young  trees  had  been  killed.  It  appears 
also  from  the  official  records,  that  the  trees  were  unexpectedly,  some 
years  afterwards,  succeeded  by  a  wire  grass,  which  spread  over  the 
whole  surface.*  General  Beatson  adds  that  now  this  plain  "  is  covered 
with  fine  sward,  and  is  become  the  finest  piece  of  pasture  on  the 
island."  The  extent  of  surface,  probably  covered  by  wood  at  a  former 
period,  is  estimated  at  no  less  than  two  thousand  acres ;  at  the  present 
day  scarcely  a  single  tree  can  be  found  there.  It  is  also  said  that  in 
1709  there  were  quantities  of  dead  trees  in  Sandy  Bay;  this  place  is 
now  so  utterly  desert,  that  nothing  but  so  well  attested  an  account 
could  have  made  me  believe  that  they  could  ever  have  grown  there. 
The  fact,  that  the  goats  and  hogs  destroyed  all  the  young  trees  as  they 
sprang  up,  and  that  in  the  course  of  time  the  old  ones,  which  were  safe 
from  their  attacks,  perished  from  age,  seems  clearly  made  out.  Goats 
were  introduced  in  the  year  1502;  eighty-six  years  afterwards,  in  the 
time  of  Cavendish,  it  is  known  that  they  were  exceedingly  numerous. 
More  than  a  century  afterwards,  in  1731,  when  the  evil  was  complete 
and  irretrievable,  an  order  was  issued  that  all  stray  animals  should  be 
destroyed.  It  is  very  interesting  thus  to  find,  that  the  arrival  of  animals 
at  St.  Helena  in  1501,  did  not  change  the  whole  aspect  of  the  island, 
until  a  period  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  years  had  elapsed  ;  for  the 
goats  were  introduced  in  1502,  and  in  1724  it  is  said  "the  old  trees  had 
mostly  fallen."  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  great  change  in  the 
vegetation  affected  not  only  the  land-shells,  causing  eight  species  to 
become  extinct,  but  likewise  a  multitude  of  insects. 

St.  Helena,  situated  so  remote  from  any  continent,  in  the  midst  of  a 
great  ocean,  and  possessing  a  unique  Flora,  excites  our  curiosity.  The 
eight  land-shells,  though  now  extinct,  and  one  living  Succinea,  are 
peculiar  species  found  nowhere  else.  Mr.  Cuming,  however,  informs 
me  that  an  English  Helix  is  common  here,  its  eggs  no  doubt  having 
been  imported  in  some  of  the  many  introduced  plants.  Mr.  Cuming 
collected  on  the  coast  sixteen  species  of  sea-shells,  ot  which  seven,  as 
far  as  he  knows,  are  confined  to  this  island.  Birds  and  insects.f  as 

*  Beatson's  "  St  Helena."     Introductory  chapter,  p.  4. 

t  Among  these  few  insects,  I  was  surprised  to  find  a  small  Aphodius  (nov. 
spec.)  and  an  Oryctes,  both  extremely  numerous  under  dung.  When  the 
island  was  discovered  it  certainly  possessed  no  quadruped,  excepting  perhaps 
&  mouse :  it  becomes,  therefore,  a  difficult  point  to  ascertain,  whether  these 
stercovoi  ous  insects  have  since  been  imported  by  accident,  or  if  aborigines, 
on  what  food  they  formerly  subsisted.  On  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  where^ 


1836.]  CHANGES  IN  THE  VEGETATION.  357 

might  have  been  expected,  are  very  few  in  number ;  indeed  I  believe  all 
the  birds  have  been  introduced  within  late  years.  Partridges  and 
pheasants  are  tolerably  abundant ;  the  island  is  much  too  English  not 
to  be  subject  to  strict  game-laws.  I  was  told  of  a  more  unjust  sacrifice 
to  such  ordinances  than  I  ever  heard  of  even  in  England.  The  poor 
people  formerly  used  to  burn  a  plant,  which  grows  on  the  coast-rocks, 
and  export  the  soda  from  its  ashes  ;  but  a  peremptory  order  came  out 
prohibiting  this  practice,  and  giving  as  a  reason  that  the  partridges 
would  have  nowhere  to  build  ! 

In  my  walks  I  passed  more  than  once  over  the  grassy  plain,  bounded 
by  deep  valleys,  on  which  Longwood  stands.  Viewed  from  a  short 
distance,  it  appears  like  a  respectable  gentleman's  country-seat.  In 
front  there  are  a  few  cultivated  fields,  and  beyond  them  the  smooth 
hill  of  coloured  rocks  called  the  Flagstaff,  and  the  rugged  square  black 
mass  of  the  Barn.  On  the  whole  the  view  was  rather  bleak  and 
uninteresting.  The  only'  inconvenience  I  suffered  during  my  walks 
was  from  the  impetuous  winds.  One  day  I  noticed  a  curious  circum- 
stance :  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  plain,  terminated  by  a  great  cliff  of 
about  a  thousand  feet  in  depth,  I  saw  at  the  distance  of  a  few  yards 
right  to  windward,  some  tern,  struggling  against  a  very  strong  breeze, 
whilst,  where  I  stood,  the  air  was  quite  calm.  Approaching  close  to 
the  brink,  where  the  current  seemed  to  be  deflected  upwards  from  the 
face  of  the  cliff,  I  stretched  out  my  arm,  and  immediately  felt  the  full 

from  the  vast  number  of  cattle  and  horses,  the  fine  plains  of  turf  are  richly 
manured,  it  is  vain  to  seek  the  many  kinds  of  dung-feeding  beetles,  which 
occur  so  abundantly  in  Europe.  I  observed  only  an  Oryctes  (the  insects  of 
this  genus  in  Europe  generally  feed  on  decayed  vegetable  matter)  and  two 
species  of  Phanaeus,  common  in  such  situations.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Cordillera  in  Chiloe,  another  species  of  Phanseus  is  exceedingly  abundant, 
and  it  buries  the  dung  of  the  cattle  in  large  earthen  balls  beneath  the  ground. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  genus  Phanaeus,  before  the  introduction 
of  cattle,  acted  as  scavengers  to  man.  In  Europe,  beetles,  which  find  support 
in  the  matter  which  has  already  contributed  towards  the  life  of  other  and 
larger  animals,  are  so  numerous,  that  there  must  be  considerably  more  than 
one  hundred  different  species.  Considering  this,  and  observing  what  a 
quantity  of  food  of  this  kind  is  lost  on  the  plains  of  La  Plata,  I  imagined  I 
saw  an  instance  where  man  had  disturbed  that  chain,  by  which  so  many 
animals  are  linked  together  in  their  native  country.  In  Van  Diemen's  Land, 
however,  I  found  four  species  of  Onthophagus,  two  of  Aphodius,  and  one  of 
a  third  genus,  very  abundant  unaer  the  dung  of  cows ;  yet  these  latter 
animals  had  been  then  introduced  only  thirty-three  years.  Previously  to 
that  time,  the  Kangaroo  and  some  otner  small  animals  were  the  only  quad- 
rupeds; and  their  dung  is  of  a  very  different  quality  from  that  of  their  suc- 
cessors introduced  by  man.  In  England  tne  greater  number  of  stercovorous 
beetles  are  confined  in  their  appetites ;  ttiat  is,  they  do  not  depend  indiffer- 
ently on  any  quadruped  for  the  means  of  subsistence.  The  change,  there- 
fore, in  habits,  which  must  have  taken  place  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  is 
highly  remarkable.  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  F  W.  Hope,  who,  I  hope, 
will  permit  me  to  call  him  my  master  in  Entomology,  for  giving  me  tho 
names  of  the  foregoing  insects. 


358  ASCENSION.  [CHAP,  xxi, 

force  of  the  wind :  an  invisible  barrier,  two  yards  in  width,  separated 
perfectly  calm  air  from  a  strong  blast. 

I  so  much  enjoyed  my  rambles  among  the  rocks  and  mountains  of 
St.  Helena,  that  I  felt  almost  sorry  on  the  morning  of  the  I4th  to 
descend  to  the  town.  Before  noon  I  was  on  board,  and  the  Beagle 
made  sail. 

On  the  iQth  of  July  we  reached  Ascension.  Those  who  have  beheld 
a  volcanic  island,  situated  under  an  arid  climate,  will  at  once  be  able 
to  picture  to  themselves  the  appearance  of  Ascension.  They  will 
imagine  smooth  conical  hills  of  a  bright  red  colour,  with  their  summits 
generally  truncated,  rising  separately  out  of  a  level  surface  of  black 
rugged  lava.  A  principal  mound  in  the  centre  of  the  island,  seems  the 
father  of  the  lesser  cones.  It  is  called  Green  Hill;  its  name  being 
taken  from  the  faintest  tinge  of  that  colour,  which  at  this  time  of  the 
year  is  barely  perceptible  from  the  anchorage.  To  complete  the 
desolate  scene,  the  black  rocks  on  the  coast  are  lashed  by  a  wild  and 
turbulent  sea. 

The  settlement  is  near  the  beach  ;  it  consists  of  several  houses  and 
barracks  placed  irregularly,  but  well  built  of  white  freestone.  The 
only  inhabitants  are  marines,  and  some  negroes  liberated  from  slave- 
ships,  who  are  paid  and  victualled  by  government.  There  is  not  a 
private  person  on  the  island.  Many  of  the  marines  appeared  well 
contented  with  their  situation;  they  think  it  better  to  serve  their 
one-and-twenty  years  on  shore,  let  it  be  what  it  may,  than  in  a  ship  ; 
in  this  choice,  if  I  were  a  marine,  I  should  most  heartily  agree. 

The  next  morning  I  ascended  Green  Hill,  2,840  feet  high,  and  thence 
walked  across  the  island  to  the  windward  point.  A  good  cart-road 
leads  from  the  coast-settlement  to  the  houses,  gardens,  and  fields, 
placed  near  the  summit  of  the  central  mountain.  On  the  roadside 
there  are  milestones,  and  likewise  cisterns,  where  each  thirsty  passer-by 
can  drink  some  good  water.  Similar  care  is  displayed  in  each  part  of 
the  establishment,  and  especially  in  the  management  of  the  springs,  so 
that  a  single  drop  of  water  may  not  be  lost :  indeed  the  whole  island 
may  be  compared  to  a  huge  ship  kept  in  first-rate  order.  I  could  not 
help,  when  admiring  the  active  industry  which  had  created  such  effects 
out  of  sucb means,  at  the  same  time  regretting  that  it  had  been  wasted 
on  so  poor  and  trifling  an  end.  M.  Lesson  has  remarked  with  justice, 
that  the  English  nation  alone  xvould  have  thought  of  making  the  island 
Ascension  a  productive  spot ;  any  other  people  would  have  held  it  as 
a  mere  fortress  in  the  ocean. 

Near  this  coast  nothing  grows ;  further  inland,  an  occasional  green 
castor-oil  plant,  and  a  few  grasshoppers,  true  friends  of  the  desert,  may 
be  met  with.  Some  grass  is  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  central 
elevated  region,  and  the  whole  much  resembles  the  worse  parts  of  the 
Welsh  mountains.  But  scanty  as  the  pasture  appears,  about  six 
hundred  sheep,  many  goats,  a  few  cows  and  horses,  all  thrive  well'  on 
it.  Of  native  animals,  landcrabs  and  rats  swarm  in  numbers.  Whether 
the  rat  is  really  indigenous,  may  well  be  doubted ;  there  are  two 


1838.]  VOLCANIC  BOMBS.  359 

varieties  as  described  by  Mr.  Waterhouse ;  one  is  of  a  black  colour, 
with  fine  glossy  fur,  and  lives  on  the  grassy  summit ;  the  other  is 
brown-coloured  and  less  glossy,  with  longer  hairs,  and  lives  near  the 
settlement  on  the  coast.  Both  these  varieties  are  one-third  smaller 
than  the  common  black  rat  (M.  rattus) ;  and  they  differ  from  it  both 
in  the  colour  and  character  of  their  fur,  but  in  no  other  essential 
respect.  I  can  hardly  doubt  that  thesei  rats  (like  the  common  mouse, 
which  has  also  run  wild)  have  been  imported,  and  as  at  the  Galapagos, 
have  varied  from  the  effect  of  the  new  conditions  to  which  they  have 
been  exposed :  hence  the  variety  on  the  summit  of  the  island  differs 
from  that  on  the  coast.  Of  native  birds  there  are  none ;  but  the 
guinea-fowl,  imported  from  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  is  abundant, 
and  the  common  fowl  has  likewise  run  wild.  Some  cats,  which  were 
originally  turned  out  to  destroy  the  rats  and  mice,  have  increased, 
so  as  to  become  a  great  plague.  The  island  is  entirely  without  trees, 
in  which,  and  in  every  other  respect,  it  is  very  far  inferior  to  St. 
Helena. 

One  of  my  excursions  took  me  towards  the  S.  W.  extremity  of  the 
island.  The  day  was  clear  and  hot,  and  I  saw  the  island,  not  smiling 
with  beauty,  but  staring  with  naked  hideousness.  The  lava  streams 
are  covered  with  hummocks,  and  are  rugged  to  a  degree  which,  geo- 
logically speaking,  is  not  of  easy  explanation.  The  intervening  spaces 
are  concealed  with  layers  of  pumice,  ashes,  and  volcanic  tuff.  Whilst 
passing  this  end  of  the  island  at  sea,  I  could  not  imagine  what  the 
white  patches  were  with  which  the  whole  plain  was  mottled ;  I  now 
found  that  they  were  seafowl,  sleeping  in  such  full  confidence,  that 
even  in  midday  a  man  could  walk  up  and  seize  hold  of  them.  These 
birds  were  the  only  living  creatures  I  saw  during  the  whole  day.  On 
the  beach  a  great  surf,  although  the  breeze  was  light,  came  tumbling 
over  the  broken  lava  rocks. 

The  geology  of  this  island  is  in  many  respects  interesting.  In  several 
places  I  noticed  volcanic  bombs,  that  is,  masses  of  lava  which  have 
been  shot  through  the  air  whilst  fluid,  and  have  consequently  assumed 
a  spherical  or  pear-shape.  Not  only  their  external  form,  but,  in  several 
cases,  their  internal  structure  shows  in  a  very  curious  manner  that  they 
have  revolved  in  their  aerial  course.  The  internal  structure  of  one  of 
these  bombs,  when  broken,  is  represented  very  accurately  in  the  wood- 
cut on  the  next  page.  The  central  part  is  coarsely  cellular,  the  cells 
decreasing  in  size  towards  the  exterior ;  where  there  is  a  shell-like  case 
about  the  third  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  of  compact  stone,  which  again 
is  overlaid  by  the  outside  crust  of  finely  cellular  lava.  I  think  there 
can  be  little  doubt,  first,  that  the  external  crust  cooled  rapidly  in  the 
state  in  which  we  now  see  it ;  secondly,  that  the  still  fluid  lava  within, 
was  packed  by  the  centrifugal  force,  generated  by  the  revolving  of  the 
bomb,  against  the  external  cooled  crust,  and  so  produced  the  solid  shell 
of  stone ;  and  lastly,  that  the  centrifugal  force,  by  relieving  the  pressure 
in  the  more  central  parts  of  the  bomb,  allowed  the  heated  vapours 
to  expand  their  cells,  thus  forming  the  coarsely  cellular  mass  of  the 
centre. 


360  ASCENSION.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

A  hill,  formed  of  the  older  series  of  volcanic  rocks,  and  which  has 
been  incorrectly  considered  as  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  is  remarkable 
from  its  broad,  slightly  hollowed,  and  circular  summit  having  been 
filled  up  with  many  successive  layers  of  ashes  and  fine  scoriae.  These 
saucer-shaped  layers  crop  out  on  the  margin,  forming  perfect  rings  of 
many  different  colours,  giving  to  the  summit  a  most  fantastic  appear- 
ance ;  one  of  these  rings  is  white  and  broad,  and  resembles  a  course 
round  which  horses  have  been  exercised ;  hence  the  hill  has  been 
called  the  Devil's  Riding  School.  I  brought  away  specimens  of  one 
of  the  tufaceous  layers  of  a  pinkish  colour ;  and  it  is  a  most  extra- 
ordinary fact,  that  Professor  Ehrenberg  *  finds  it  almost  wholly  com- 
posed of  matter  which  has  been  organized :  he  detects  in  it  some 


siliceous-shielded,  fresh-water  infusoria,  and  no  less  than  twenty-five 
different  kinds  of  the  siliceous  tissue  of  plants,  chiefly  of  grasses. 
From  the  absence  of  all  carbonaceous  matter,  Professor  Ehrenberg 
believes  that  these  organic  bodies  have  passed  through  the  volcanic  fire, 
and  have  been  erupted  in  the  state  in  which  we  now  see  them.  The 
appearance  of  the  layers  induced  me  to  believe  that  they  had  been 
deposited  under  water,  though  from  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  climate 
I  was  forced  to  imagine,  that  torrents  of  rain  had  probably  fallen  during 
some  great  eruption,  and  that  thus  a  temporary  lake  had  been  formed, 
into  which  the  ashes  fell.  But  it  may  now  be  suspected  that  the  lake 
was  not  a  temporary  one.  Anyhow,  we  may  feel  sure,  that  at  some 
former  epoch,  the  climate  and  productions  of  Ascension  were  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  they  now  are.  Where  on  the  face  of  the  earth  can  we 
*  Monats.  der  KOnig.  Akad.  d.  Wiss.  zu  Berlin.  Vom  April,  1845. 


1836.]  BAHIA,  BRAZIL.  361 

find  a  spot,  on  which  close  investigation  will  not  discover  signs  of  that 
endless  cycle  of  change,  to  which  this  earth  has  been,  is,  and  will  be 
subjected  ? 

On  leaving  Ascension  we  sailed  for  Bahia,  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  in 
order  to  complete  the  chronometrical  measurement  of  the  world.  We 
arrived  there  on  August  1st,  and  stayed  four  days,  during  which  I  took 
several  long  walks.  I  was  glad  to  find  my  enjoyment  in  tropical 
scenery  had  not  decreased  from  the  want  of  novelty,  even  in  the 
slightest  degree.  The  elements  of  the  scenery  are  so  simple,  that  they 
are  worth  mentioning,  as  a  proof  on  what  trifling  circumstances  exquisite 
natural  beauty  depends. 

The  country  may  be  described  as  a  level  plain  of  aoout  three  hundred 
feet  in  elevation,  which  in  all  parts  has  been  worn  into  flat-bottomed 
valleys.  This  structure  is  remarkable  in  a  granitic  land,  but  is  nearly 
universal  in  all  those  softer  formations  of  which  plains  are  usually  com- 
posed. The  whole  surface  is  covered  by  various  kinds  of  stately  trees, 
interspersed  with  patches  of  cultivated  ground,  out  of  which  houses, 
convents,  and  chapels  arise.  It  must  be  remembered  that  within  the 
tropics,  the  wild  luxuriance  of  nature  is  not  lost  even  in  the  vicinity  of 
large  cities ;  for  the  natural  vegetation  of  the  hedges  and  hillsides 
overpowers  in  picturesque  effect  the  artificial  labour  of  man.  Hence, 
there  are  only  a  few  spots  where  the  bright  red  soil  affords  a  strong 
contrast  with  the  universal  clothing  of  green.  From  the  edges  of  the 
plain  there  are  distant  views  either  of  the  ocean,  or  of  the  great  Bay 
with  its  low-wooded  shores,  and  on  which  numerous  boats  and  canoes 
show  their  white  sails.  Excepting  from  these  points,  the  scene  is 
extremely  limited ;  following  the  level  pathways,  on  each  hand,  only 
glimpses  into  the  wooded  valleys  below  can  be  obtained.  The  houses, 
I  may  add,  and  especially  the  sacred  edifices,  are  built  in  a  peculiar 
and  rather  fantastic  style  of  architecture.  They  are  all  whitewashed ; 
so  that  when  illumined  by  the  brilliant  sun  of  midday,  and  as  seen 
against  the  pale  blue  sky  of  the  horizon,  they  stand  out  more  like 
shadows  than  real  buildings. 

Such  are  the  elements  of  the  scenery,  but  it  is  a  hopeless  attempt  to 
paint  the  general  effect.  Learned  naturalists  describe  these  scenes  of 
the  tropics  by  naming  a  multitude  of  objects,  and  mentioning  some  cha- 
racteristic feature  of  each.  To  a  learned  traveller  this  possibly  may 
communicate  some  definite  ideas  ;  <but  who  else  from  seeing  a  plant  in 
an  herbarium  can  imagine  its  appearance  when  growing  in  its  native 
soil  ?  Who  from  seeing  choice  plants  in  a  hothouse,  can  magnify  some 
into  the  dimensions  of  forest  trees,  and  crowd  others  into  an  entangled 
jungle  ?  Who  when  examining  in  the  cabinet  of  the  entomologist  the 
gay  exotic  butterflies,  and  singular  cicadas,  will  associate  with  these 
lifeless  objects,  the  ceaseless  harsh  music  of  the  latter,  and  the  lazy 
flight  of  the  former, — the  sure  accompaniments  of  the  still,  glowing 
noonday  of  the  tropics  ?  It  is  when  the  sun  has  attained  its  greatest 
height,  that  such  scenes  should  be  viewed:  then  the  dense  splendid 
foliage  of  the  mango  hides  the  ground  with  its  darkest  shade,  whilst 
the  upper  branches  are  rendered  from  the  profusion  of  light  of  the  most 


362  PERNAMBUCO,  BRAZIL]  [CHAP.  xxi. 

brilliant  green.  In  the  temperate  zones  the  case  is  different — the  vege- 
tation there  is  not  so  dark  or  so  rich,  and  hence  the  rays  of  the  declining 
sun,  tinged  of  a  red,  purple,  or  bright  yellow  colour,  add  most  to  the 
beauties  of  those  climes. 

When  quietly  walking  along  the  shady  pathways,  and  admiring  each 
successive  view,  I  wished  to  find  language  to  express  my  ideas. 
Epithet  after  epithet  was  found  too  weak  to  convey  to  those  who  have 
not  visited  the  intertropical  regions,  the  sensation  of  delight  which  the 
mind  experiences.  I  have  said  that  the  plants  in  a  hothouse  fail  to 
communicate  a  just  idea  of  the  vegetation,  yet  I  must  recur  to  it.  The 
land  is  one  great  wild,  untidy,  luxuriant  hothouse,  made  by  Nature  for 
herself,  but  taken  possession  of  by  man,  who  has  studded  it  with  gay 
houses  and  formal  gardens.  How  great  would  be  the  desire  in  every 
admirer  of  nature  to  behold,  if  such  were  possible,  the  scenery  of 
another  planet  1  yet  to  every  person  in  Europe,  it  may  be  truly  said, 
that  at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  degrees  from  his  native  soil,  the 
glories  of  another  world  are  opened  to  him.  In  my  last  walk  I  stopped 
again  and  again  to  gaze  on  these  beauties,  and  endeavoured  to  fix  in 
my  mind  for  ever,  an  impression  which  at  the  time  I  knew  sooner  or 
later  must  fail.  The  form  of  the  orange-tree,  the  cocoa-nut,  the  palm, 
the  mango,  the  tree-fern,  the  banana,  will  remain  clear  and  separate ; 
but  the  thousand  beauties  which  unite  these  into  one  perfect  scene 
must  fade  away ;  yet  they  will  leave,  like  a  tale  heard  in  childhood,  a 
picture  full  of  indistinct,  but  most  beautiful  figures. 

August  6th. — In  the  afternoon  we  stood  out  to  sea,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  a  direct  course  to  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands.  Unfavour- 
able winds,  however,  delayed  us,  and  on  the  12th  we  ran  into 
Pernambuco, — a  large  city  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  in  latitude  8°  south. 
We  anchored  outside  the  reef;  but  in  a  short  time  a  pilot  came  on 
board  and  took  us  into  the  inner  harbour,  where  we  lay  close  to  the 
town 

Pernambuco  is  built  on  some  narrow  and  low  sand-banks,  which  are 
separated  from  each  other  by  shoal  channels  of  salt  water.  The  three 
parts  of  the  town  are  connected  together  by  two  long  bridges  built  on 
wooden  piles.  The  town  is  in  all  parts  disgusting,  the  streets  being 
narrow,  ill-paved,  and  filthy  ;  the  houses,  tall  and  gloomy.  The  season 
of  heavy  rains  had  hardly  come  to  an  end,  and  hence  the  surrounding 
country,  which  is  scarcely  raised  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  was  flooded 
with 'water ;  and  I  failed  in  all  my  attempts  to  take  long  walks. 

The  flat  swampy  land  on  which  Pernambuco  stands  is  surrounded, 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles,  by  a  semicircle  of  low  hills,  or  rather  by 
the  edge  of  a  country  elevated  perhaps  two  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  old  city  of  Olinda  stands  on  one  extremity  of  this  range.  One 
day  I  took  a  canoe,  and  proceeded  up  one  of  the  channels  to  visit  it ;  I 
found  the  old  town  from  its  situation  both  sweeter  and  cleaner  than 
that  of  Pernambuco.  I  must  here  commemorate  what  happened  for 
the  first  time  during  our  nearly  five  years'  wandering,  namely,  having 
met  with  a  want  of  politeness ;  I  was  refused  in  a  sullen  manner  at 
two  different  houses,  and  obtained  with  difficulty  from  a  third,  permis- 


1836.]  SLAVERY.  363 

siori  to  pass  through  their  gardens  to  an  uncultivated  hill,  tor  the 
purpose  of  viewing  the  country.  I  feel  glad  that  this  happened  in  the 
land  of  the  Brazilians,  for  I  bear  them  no  good  will — a  land  also  of 
slavery,  and  therefore  of  moral  debasement.  A  Spaniard  would  have 
felt  ashamed  at  the  very  thought  of  refusing  such  a  request,  or  ot 
behaving  to  a  stranger  with  rudeness.  The  channel  by  which  we  went 
to  and  returned  from  Olinda,  was  bordered  on  each  side  by  mangroves, 
which  sprang  like  a  miniature  forest  out  of  the  greasy  mud-banks. 
The  bright  green  colour  of  these  bushes  always  reminded  me  of  the 
rank  grass  in  a  churchyard ;  both  are  nourished  by  putrid  exhalations  ; 
the  one  speaks  of  death  past,  and  the  other  too  often  of  death  to  come. 

The  most  curious  object  which  I  saw  in  this  neighbourhood,  was  the 
reef  that  forms  the  harbour.  I  doubt  whether  in  the  whole  world  any 
other  natural  structure  has  so  artificial  an  appearance.*  It  runs  for  a 
length  of  several  miles  in  an  absolutely  straight  line,  parallel  to,  and 
not  far  distant  from,  the  shore.  It  varies  in  width  from  thirty  to  sixty 
yards,  and  its  surface  is  level  and  smooth ;  it  is  composed  of  obscurely 
stratified  hard  sandstone.  At  high  water  the  waves  break  over  it ;  at 
low  water  its  summit  is  left  dry,  and  it  might  then  be  mistaken  for  a 
break-water  erected  by  Cyclopean  workmen.  On  this  coast  the  currents 
of  the  sea  tend  to  throw  up  in  front  of  the  land,  long  spits  and  bars  of 
loose  sand,  and  on  one  of  these  part  of  the  town  of  Pernambuco  stands. 
In  former  times  a  long  spit  of  this  nature  seems  to  have  become  con- 
solidated by  the  percolation  of  calcareous  matter,  and  afterwards  to 
have  been  gradually  upheaved ;  the  outer  and  loose  parts  during  this 
process  having  been  worn  away  by  the  action  of  the  sea,  and  the  solid 
nucleus  left  as  we  now  see  it.  Although  night  and  day  the  waves  of 
the  open  Atlantic,  turbid  with  sediment,  are  driven  against  the  steep 
outside  edges  of  this  wall  of  stone,  yet  the  oldest  pilots  knew  of  no 
tradition  of  any  change  in  its  appearance.  This  durability  is  much  the 
most  curious  fact  in  its  history ;  it  is  due  to  a  tough  layer,  a  few  inches 
thick,  of  calcareous  matter,  wholly  formed  by  the  successive  growth 
and  death  of  the  small  shells  of  Serpulae,  together  with  some  few 
barnacles  and  nulliporae.  These  nulliporae,  which  are  hard,  very 
simply-organized  sea-plants,  play  an  analogous  and  important  part  in 
protecting  the  upper  surfaces  of  coral-reefs,  behind  and  within  the 
breakers,  where  the  true  corals,  during  the  outward  growth  of  the  mass, 
become  killed  by  exposure  to  the  sun  and  air.  These  insignificant 
organic  beings,  especially  the  Serpulae,  have  done  good  service  to  the 
people  of  Pernambuco ;  for  without  their  protective  aid  the  bar  of  sand- 
stone would  inevitably  have  been  long  ago  worn  away,  and  without 
the  bar,  there  would  have  been  no  harbour. 

On  the  igth  of  August  we  finally  left  the  shores  of  Brazil.  I  thank 
God,  I  shall  never  again  visit  a  slave  country.  To  this  day,  if  I  hear 
a  distant  scream,  it  recalls  with  painful  vividness  my  feelings,  when 
passing  a  house  near  Pernambuco,  I  heard  the  most  pitiable  moans, 
and  could  not  but  suspect  that  some  poor  slave  was  being  tortured,  yet 

*  I  have  described  this  Bar  in  detail,  in  the  London  and  Edinburgh 
Philosophic  Magaxine,  vol.  xix.  (1841),  p.  257. 


364  SLAVERY.  [CHAP.  XXt 

knew  that  I  was  as  powerless  as  a  child  even  to  remonstrate.  I  sus- 
pected that  these  moans  were  from  a  tortured  slave,  for  I  was  told  that 
this  was  the  case  in  another  instance.  Near  Rio  de  Janeiro  I  lived 
opposite  to  an  old  lady,  who  kept  screws  to  crush  the  fingers  of  her 
female  slaves.  I  have  stayed  in  a  house  where  a  young  household 
mulatto,  daily  and  hourly,  was  reviled,  beaten,  and  persecuted  enough 
to  break  the  spirit  of  the  lowest  animal.  I  have  seen  a  little  boy,  six 
or  seven  years  old,  struck  thrice  with  a  horse-whip  (before  I  could 
interfere)  on  his  naked  head,  for  having  handed  me  a  glass  of  water 
not  quite  clean ;  I  saw  his  father  tremble  at  a  mere  glance  from  his 
master's  eye.  These  latter  cruelties  were  witnessed  by  me  in  a 
Spanish  colony,  in  which  it  has  always  been  said,  that  slaves  are 
better  treated  than  by  the  Portuguese,  English,  or  other  European 
nations.  I  have  seen  at  Rio  Janeiro  a  powerful  negro  afraid  to  ward 
off  a  blow  directed,  as  he  thought,  at  his  face.  I  was  present  when  a 
kind-hearted  man  was  on  the  point  of  separating  for  ever  the  men, 
women,  and  little  children  of  a  large  number  of  families  who  had  long 
lived  together.  I  will  not  even  allude  to  the  many  heart-sickening 
atrocities  which  I  authentically  heard  of: — norwould  I  have  mentioned  the 
above  revolting  details,  had  I  not  met  with  several  people,  so  blinded 
by  the  constitutional  gaiety  of  the  negro,  as  to  speak  of  slavery  as  a 
tolerable  evil.  Such  people  have  generally  visited  at  the  houses  of  the 
upper  classes,  where  the  domestic  slaves  are  usually  well  treated ;  and 
they  have  not,  like  myself,  lived  amongst  the  lower  classes.  Such  in- 
quirers will  ask  slaves  about  their  condition;  they  forget  that  the 
slave  must  indeed  be  dull,  who  does  not  calculate  on  the  chance  of  his 
answer  reaching  his  master's  ears. 

It  is  argued  that  self-interest  will  prevent  excessive  cruelty;  as  if 
self-interest  protected  our  domestic  animals,  which  are  far  less  likely 
than  degraded  slaves,  to  stir  up  the  rage  of  their  savage  masters. 
It  is  an  argument  long  since  protested  against  with  noble  feeling, 
and  strikingly  exemplified,  by  the  ever  illustrious  Humboldt.  It 
is  often  attempted  to  palliate  slavery  by  comparing  the  state  of  slaves 
with  our  poorer  countrymen :  if  the  misery  of  our  poor  be  caused  not 
by  the  laws  of  nature,  but  by  our  institutions,  great  is  our  sin  ;  but  how 
this  bears  on  slavery,  I  cannot  see ;  as  well  might  the  use  of  the  thumb- 
screw be  defended  in  one  land,  by  showing  that  men  in  another  land 
suffered  from  some  dreadful  disease.  Those  who  look  tenderly  at  the 
slave-owner,  and  with  a  cold  heart  at  the  slave,  never  seem  to  put 
themselves  into  the  position  of  the  latter ; — what  a  cheerless  prospect, 
with  not  even  a  hope  of  change !  Picture  to  yourself  the  chance,  ever 
hanging  over  you,  of  your  wife  and  your  little  children — those  objects 
which  nature  urges  even  the  slave  to  call  his  own — being  torn  from  you 
and  sold  like  beasts  to  the  first  bidder  1  And  these  deeds  are  done  and 
palliated  by  men,  who  profess  to  love  their  neighbours  as  themselves, 
who  believe  in  God,  and  pray  that  His  will  be  done  on  earth !  It 
makes  one's  blood  boil,  yet  heart  tremble,  to  think  that  we  Englishmen 
and  our  American  descendants,  with  their  boastful  cry  of  liberty,  have 
been  and  are  so  guilty;  but  it  is  a  consolation  to  reflect,  that  we  at 


1836.]  RETROSPECT,  365 

least  have  made  a  greater  sacrifice,  than  ever  made  by  any  nation,  to 
expiate  our  sin. 

On  the  last  day  of  August  we  anchored  for  the  second  time  at  Porto 
Praya  in  the  Cape  de  Verd  Archipelago ;  thence  we  proceeded  to  the 
Azores,  where  we  stayed  six  days.  On  the  2nd  of  October  we  made 
for  the  shores  of  England ;  and  at  Falmouth  I  left  the  Beagle,  having 
lived  on  board  the  good  little  vessel  nearly  five  years. 

Our  Voyage  having  come  to  an  end,  I  will  take  a  short  retrospect 
of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  the  pains  and  pleasures,  of  our 
circumnavigation  of  the  world.  If  a  person  asked  my  advice,  before 
undertaking  a  long  voyage,  my  answer  would  depend  upon  his 
possessing  a  decided  taste  for  some  branch  of  knowledge,  which  could 
by  this  means  be  advanced.  No  doubt  it  is  a  high  satisfaction  to 
behold  various  countries  and  the  many  races  of  mankind,  but  the 
pleasures  gained  at  the  time  do  not  counter-balance  the  evils.  It  is 
necessary  to  look  forward  to  a  harvest,  however  distant  that  may  be, 
when  some  fruit  will  be  reaped,  some  good  effected. 

Many  of  the  losses  which  must  be  experienced  are  obvious ;  such  as 
that  of  the  society  of  every  old  friend,  and  of  the  sight  of  those  places 
with  which  every  dearest  remembrance  is  so  intimately  connected. 
These  losses,  however,  are  at  the  time  partly  relieved  by  the  exhaustless 
delight  of  anticipating  the  long-wished-for  day  of  return.  If,  as  poets 
say,  life  is  a  dream,  I  am  sure  in  a  voyage  these  are  the  visions  which 
best  serve  to  pass  away  the  long  night.  Other  losses,  although  not  at 
first  felt,  tell  heavily  after  a  period :  these  are  the  want  of  room,  of 
seclusion,  of  rest ;  the  jading  feeling  of  constant  hurry ;  the  privation 
of  small  luxuries,  the  loss  of  domestic  society,  and  even  of  music  and 
the  other  pleasures  of  imagination.  When  such  trifles  are  mentioned, 
it  is  evident  that  the  real  grievances,  excepting  from  accidents,  of  a  sea- 
life  are  at  an  end.  The  short  space  of  sixty  years  has  made  an 
astonishing  difference  in  the  facility  of  distant  navigation.  Even  in  the 
time  of  Cook,  a  man  who  left  his  fireside  for  such  expeditions  under- 
went severe  privations.  A  yacht  now,  with  every  luxury  of  life,  can 
circumnavigate  the  globe.  Besides  the  vast  improvements  in  ships  and 
naval  resources,  the  whole  western  shores  of  America  are  thrown  open, 
and  Australia  has  become  the  capital  of  a  rising  continent.  How 
different  are  the  circumstances  to  a  man  shipwrecked  at  the  present 
day  in  the  Pacific,  to  what  they  were  in  the  time  of  Cook  I  Since  his 
voyage  a  hemisphere  has  been  added  to  the  civilized  world. 

If  a  person  suffer  much  from  sea-sickness,  let  him  weigh  it  heavily  in 
the  balance.  I  speak  from  experience :  it  is  no  trifling  evil,  cured  in  a 
week.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  take  pleasure  in  naval  tactics,  he  will 
assuredly  have  full  scope  for  his  taste.  But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
how  large  a  proportion  of  the  time,  during  a  long  voyage,  is  spent  on 
the  water, *as  compared  with  the  days  in  harbour.  And  what  are  the 
boasted  glories  of  the  illimitable  ocean  ?  A  tedious  waste,  a  desert  of 
water,  as  the  Arabian  calls  it.  No  doubt  there  are  some  delightful 


366  RETROSPECT.  [CHAP.  xxi. 

scenes.  A  moonlight  night,  with  the  clear  heavens  and  the  dark 
glittering  sea,  and  the  white  sails  filled  by  the  soft  air  of  a  gently- 
blowing  trade-wind  ;  a  dead  calm,  with  the  heaving  surface  polished 
like  a  mirror,  and  all  still  except  the  occasional  flapping  of  the  canvas. 
It  is  well  once  to  behold  a  squall  with  its  rising  arch  and  coming  fury, 
or  the  heavy  gale  of  wind  and  mountainous  waves.  I  confess,  however, 
my  imagination  had  painted  something  more  grand,  more  terrific  in  the 
full-grown  storm.  It  is  an  incomparably  finer  spectacle  when  beheld 
on  shore,  where  the  waving  trees,  the  wild  flight  of  the  birds,  the  dark 
shadows  and  bright  lights,  the  rushing  of  the  torrents,  all  proclaim  the 
strife  of  the  unloosed  elements.  At  sea  the  albatross  and  little  petrel 
fly  as  if  the  storm  were  their  proper  sphere,  the  water  rises  and  sinks 
as  if  fulfilling  its  usual  task,  the  ship  alone  and  its  inhabitants  seem  the 
objects  of  wrath.  On  a  forlorn  and  weather-beaten  coast,  the  scene  is 
indeed  different,  but  the  feelings  partake  more  of  horror  than  of  wild 
delight. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  brighter  side  of  the  past  time.  The  pleasure 
derived  from  beholding  the  scenery  and  the  general  aspect  of  the 
various  countries  we  have  visited,  has  decidedly  been  the  most  constant 
and  highest  source  of  enjoyment.  It  is  probable  that  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  marry  parts  of  Europe  exceeds  anything  which  we  beheld. 
But  there  is  a  growing  pleasure  In  comparing  the  character  of  the 
scenery  in  different  countries,  which  to  a  certain  degree  is  distinct  from 
merely  admiring  its  beauty.  It  depends  chiefly  on  an  acquaintance 
with  the  individual  parts  of  each  view :  I  am  strongly  induced  to  believe 
that,  as  in  music,  the  person  who  understands  every  note  will,  if  he 
also  possesses  a  proper  taste,  more  thoroughly  enjoy  the  whole,  so 
he  who  examines  each  part  of  a  fine  view,  may  also  thoroughly 
comprehend  the  full  and  combined  effect.  Hence,  a  traveller  should  be 
a  botanist,  for  in  all  views  plants  form  the  chief  embellishment. 
Group  masses  of  naked  rock  even  in  the  wildest  forms,  and  they  may 
for  a  time  afford  a  sublime  spectacle,  but  they  will  soon  grow  mono- 
tonous. Paint  them  with  bright  and  varied  colours,  as  in  Northern 
Chile,  they  will  become  fantastic;  clothe  them  with  vegetation,  they 
must  form  a  decent,  if  not  a  beautiful  picture. 

When  I  say  that  the  scenery  of  parts  of  Europe  is  probably  superior 
to  anything  which  we  beheld,  I  except,  as  a  class  by  itself,  that  of  the 
intcrtropical  zones.  The  two  classes  cannot  be  compared  together; 
but  I  have  already  often  enlarged  on  the  grandeur  of  those  regions. 
As  the  force  of  impressions  generally  depends  on  preconceived  ideas, 
1  may  add,  that  mine  were  taken  from  the  vivid  descriptions  in  the 
"  Personal  Narrative  "  of  Humboldt,  which  far  exceed  in  merit  anything 
else  which  I  have  read.  Yet  with  these  high-wrought  ideas,  my  feelings 
were  far  from  partaking  ot  a  tinge  of  disappointment  on  my  first  and 
final  landing  on  the  shores  of  Brazil. 

Among  the  scenes  which  are  deeply  impressed  on  my  mind,  none 
exceed  in  sublimity  the  primeval  forests  undefaced  by  the  hand  of 
man  ;  whether  those  of  Brazil,  where  the  powers  of  Life  are  pre- 
dominant, or  those  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  where  Death  and  Decay 


1836.]  RETROSPECT.  #7 

prevail.  Both  are  temples  filled  with  the  varied  productions  of  the 
God  of  Nature  : — no  one  can  stand  in  these  solitudes  unmoved,  and  not 
feel  that  there  is  more  in  man  than  the  mere  breath  of  his  body.  In 
calling  up  images  of  the  past,  I  find  that  the  plains  of  Patagonia  fre- 
quently cross  before  my  eyes ;  yet  these  plains  are  pronounced  by  all 
wretched  and  useless.  They  can  be  described  only  by  negative 
characters ;  without  habitations,  without  water,  without  trees,  without 
mountains,  they  support  merely  a  few  dwarf  plants.  Why  then,  and 
the  case  is  not  peculiar  to  myself,  have  these  arid  wastes  taken  so  firm 
a  hold  on  my  memory  ?  Why  have  not  the  still  more  level,  the  greener 
and  more  fertile  Pampas,  which  are  serviceable  to  mankind,  produced 
an  equal  impression?  I  can  scarcely  analyze  these  feelings;  but  it 
must  be  partly  owing  to  the  free  scope  given  to  the  imagination.  The 
plains  of  Patagonia  are  boundless,  for  they  are  scarcely  passable,  and 
hence  unknown ;  they  bear  the  stamp  of  having  lasted,  as  they  are  now, 
for  ages,  and  there  appears  no  limit  to  their  duration  through  future 
time.  If,  as  the  ancients  supposed,  the  flat  earth  was  surrounded  by  an 
impassable  breadth  of  water,  or  by  deserts  heated  to  an  intolerable 
excess,  who  would  not  look  at  these  last  boundaries  to  man's  know- 
ledge with  deep  but  ill-defined  sensations  ? 

Lastly,  of  natural  scenery,  the  views  from  lofty  mountains,  though 
certainly  in  one  sense  not  beautiful,  are  very  memorable.  When  looking 
down  from  the  highest  crest  of  the  Cordillera,  the  mind,  undisturbed 
by  minute  details,  was  filled  with  the  stupendous  dimensions  of  the 
surrounding  masses. 

Of  individual  objects,  perhaps  nothing  is  more  certain  to  create 
astonishment  than  the  first  sight  in  his  native  haunt  of  a  barbarian, — 
of  man  in  his  lowest  and  most  savage  state.  One's  mind  hurries  back 
over  past  centuries,  and  then  asks,  could  our  progenitors  have  been 
men  like  these? — men,  whose  very  signs  and  expressions  are  less 
intelligible  to  us  than  those  of  the  domesticated  animals  ;  men,  who  do 
not  possess  the  instinct  of  those  animals,  nor  yet  appear  to  boast  of 
human  reason,  or  at  least  of  arts  consequent  on  that  reason.  I  do  not 
believe  it  is  possible  to  describe  or  paint  the  difference  between  savage 
and  civilized  man.  It  is  the  difference  between  a  wild  and  tame 
animal ;  and  part  of  the  interest  in  beholding  a  savage,  is  the  same 
which  would  lead  every  one  to  desire  to  see  the  lion  in  his  desert,  the 
tiger  tearing  his  prey  in  the  jungle,  or  the  rhinoceros  wandering  over 
the  wild  plains  of  Africa. 

Among  the  other  most  remarkable  spectacles  which  we  have  beheld, 
may  be  ranked  the  Southern  Cross,  the  cloud  of  Magellan,  and  the 
other  constellations  of  the  southern  hemisphere — the  water-spout — the 
glacier  leading  its  blue  stream  of  ice,  overhanging  the  sea  in  a  bold 
precipice — a  lagoon-island  raised  by  the  reef-building  corals — an  active 
volcano — and  the  overwhelming  effects  of  a  violent  earthquake.  These 
latter  phenomena,  perhaps,  possess  for  me  a  peculiar  interest,  from 
their  intimate  connection  with  the  geological  structure  of  the  world. 
The  earthquake,  however,  must  be  to  every  one  a  most  impressive 
event ;  the  earth,  considered  from  our  earliest  childhood  as  the  type  of 


368  RETROSPECT.  (CHAP.  XM. 

solidity,  has  oscillated  like  a  thin  crust  beneath  our  feet ;  and  in  seeing 
the  laboured  works  of  man  in  a  moment  overthrown,  we  feel  the  insig- 
nificance of  his  boasted  power. 

It  has  been  said,  that  the  love  of  the  chase  is  an  inherent  delight  in 
man — a  relic  of  an  instinctive  passion.  If  so,  I  am  sure  the  pleasure 
of  living  in  the  open  air,  with  the  sky  for  a  roof  and  the  ground  for 
a  table,  is  part  of  the  same  feeling ;  it  is  the  savage  returning  to  his 
wild  and  native  habits.  I  always  look  back  to  our  boat  cruises,  and 
my  land  journeys,  when  through  unfrequented  countries,  with  an 
extreme  delight,  which  no  scenes  of  civilization  could  have  created. 
I  do  not  doubt  that  every  traveller  must  remember  the  glowing  sense 
of  happiness  which  he  experienced,  when  he  first  breathed  in  a  foreign 
clime,  where  the  civilized  man  had  seldom  or  never  trod. 

There  are  several  other  sources  of  enjoyment  in  a  long  voyage,  which 
are  of  a  more  reasonable  nature.  The  map  of  the  world  ceases  to  be 
a  blank;  it  becomes  a  picture  full  of  the  most  varied  and  animated 
figures.  Each  part  assumes  its  proper  dimensions :  continents  are 
not  looked  at  in  the  light  of  islands,  or  islands  considered  as  mere 
specks,  which  are,  in  truth,  larger  than  many  kingdoms  of  Europe. 
Africa,  or  North  and  South  America,  are  well-sounding  names,  and 
easily  pronounced ;  but  it  is  not  until  having  sailed  for  weeks  along 
small  portions  of  their  shores,  that  one  is  thoroughly  convinced  what 
vast  spaces  on  our  immense  world  these  names  imply. 

From  seeing  the  present  state,  it  is  impossible  not  to  look  forward 
with  high  expectations  to  the  future  progress  of  nearly  an  entire 
hemisphere.  The  march  of  improvement,  consequent  on  the  introduc- 
tion of  Christianity  throughout  the  South  Sea,  probably  stands  by 
itself  in  the  records  of  history.  It  is  the  more  striking  when  we 
remember  that  only  sixty  years  since,  Cook,  whose  excellent  judgment 
none  will  dispute,  could  foresee  no  prospect  of  a  change.  Yet  these 
changes  have  now  been  effected  by  the  philanthropic  spirit  of  the 
British  nation. 

In  the  same  quarter  of  the  globe  Australia  is  rising,  or  indeed  may 
be  said  to  have  risen,  into  a  grand  centre  of  civilization,  which,  at  some 
not  very  remote  period,  will  rule  as  empress  over  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere. It  is  impossible  for  an  Englishman  to  behold  these  distant 
colonies  without  a  high  pride  and  satisfaction.  To  hoist  the  British 
flag,  seems  to  draw  with  it,  as  a  certain  consequence,  wealth,  prosperity, 
and  civilization. 

In  conclusion,  it  appears  to  me  that  nothing  can  be  more  improving 
to  a  young  naturalist,  than  a  journey  in  distant  countries.  It  both 
sharpens,  and  partly  allays  that  want  and  craving,  which,  as  Sir 
J.  Herschel  remarks,  a  man  experiences  although  every  corporeal  sense 
be  fully  satisfied.  The  excitement  from  the  novelty  of  objects,  and  the 
chance  of  success,  stimulate  him  to  increased  activity.  Moreover,  as 
a  number  of  isolated  facts  soon  become  uninteresting,  the  habit  of  com- 
parison leads  to  generalization.  On  the  other  hand,  as  the  traveller 
stays  but  a  short  time  in  each  place,  his  descriptions  must  generally 
consist  of  mere  sketches,  instead  of  detailed  observations.  Hence 


»836-]  RETROSPECT.  369 

arises,  as  I  have  found  to  my  cost,  a  constant  tendency  to  fill  up 
the  wide  gaps  of  knowledge,  by  inaccurate  and  superficial  hypo- 
theses. 

But  I  have  too  deeply  enjoyed  the  voyage,  not  to  recommend  any 
naturalist,  although  he  must  not  expect  to  be  so  fortunate  in  his  com- 
panions as  I  have  been,  to  take  all  chances,  and  to  start,  on  travels  by  land 
if  possible,  if  otherwise  on  a  long  voyage.  He  may  feel  assured  he  will 
meet  with  no  difficulties  or  dangers,  excepting  in  rare  cases,  nearly  so 
bad  as  he  beforehand  anticipates.  In  a  moral  point  of  view,  the  effect 
ought  to  be,  to  teach  him  good-humoured  patience,  freedom  from  selfish- 
ness, the  habit  of  acting  for  himself,  and  of  making  the  best  of  every 
occurrence.  In  short,  he  ought  to  partake  of  the  characteristic  qualities 
of  most  sailors.  Travelling  ought  also  to  teach  him  distrust ;  but  at 
the  same  time  he  will  discover,  how  many  truly  kind-hearted  people 
there  are,  with  whom  he  never  before  had,  or  ever  again  will  have  any 
further  communication,  who  yet  are  ready  to  offer  him  the  most  dis- 
interested assistance. 

NOTE. — The  snake,  described  at  page  70,  with  the  curious  habit  of  vibrat- 
ing its  tail,  is  a  new  species  of  Trigonocephalus,  which  M.  Bibron  proposes 
to  call  T.  crepitans. 


THE  ISO. 


INDEX. 


ABBOTT,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  26. 

Aborigines  banished  from  Van  Diemen% 
Land,  325. 

of  Australia,  316-336. 

Abrolhos,  n. 

Absence  of  trees  in  Pampas,  34. 

Aconcagua,  volcano  of,  184,  213. 

Actinia,  stinging  species,  337. 

Africa,  Southern  part  desert,  yet  supports 
large  animals,  61. 

Agouti,  habits  of,  50. 

Ague  common  in  Peru,  266. 

Albemarle  Island,  273. 

Allan,  Dr.,  on  Diodon,  n. 

•        on  Holuthurise,  338. 

Alluvium,  saliferous,  in  Peru,  264, 

— —  stratified,  in  Andes,  242. 

Amblyrhynchus,  280,  284,  288. 

Anas,  species  of,  144. 

Animalculse,  see  Infusoria. 

Antarctic  islands,  180. 

Antipodes,  303. 

Ants  at  Keeling  island,  330. 

— —  in  Brazil,  25. 

Apires,  or  miners,  246. 

Aplysia,  5. 

Apple-trees,  216. 

Aptenodytes  demersa,  144. 

Areas  of  alternate  movements  in  the  Pacific 
and  Indian  oceans,  350. 

Armadilloes,  habits  of,  69. 

fossil  animals  allied  to,  na,  193. 

Arrow-heads,  ancient,  76,  259. 

Ascension,  358. 

Aspalax,  blindness  of,  38. 

Athene,  51,  90. 

Atolls,  339. 

A.ttagis,  68. 

Atwater,  Mr.,  on  the  prairies,  85. 

Audubon,  M.,  on  smelling-power  of  car- 
rion-hawks, 133. 


Australia,  313. 
Australian  barrier,  345. 
Azara  on  spiders,  26,  28. 

—  on  rain  in  La  Plata,  34. 

on  range  of  carrion-hawks,  43. 

on  habits  of  carrion-hawks,  41. 

— —  on  a  thunder-storm,  45. 

on  ostrich-eggs,  66. 

on  bows  and  arrows,  76. 

on  new  plants  springing  up,  85. 

on  great  droughts,  96. 

on  hydrophobia,  257. 

RACHMAN,  Mr.,  on  carrion-hawks,  134, 
Bahia  Blanca,  54-76. 
Bahia,  Brazil,  9. 

scenery  of,  361. 

Balbi  on  coral  reefs,  342. 

Bald  Head,  Australia,  327. 

Ballenar,  Chile,  253. 

Banda  Oriental,  30,  103. 

Hanks' s  Hill,  152. 

Harking-bird,  209. 

Basaltic  platform  of  Santa  Cruz,  230. 

Bathurst,  Australia,  314. 

Bats,  vampire,  16. 

Bay  of  Islands,  New  Zealand,  303. 

Beads',  hill  of,  107. 

Beagle  Channel,  Tierra  del  Fuegc,  137. 

Beech-trees,  170,  204. 

Beetles  alive  in  sea,  115. 

dung-feeders,  357. 

•       at  St.  Julian,  123. 

in  brackish  water,  i& 

on  a  fungus,  24. 

Behring's  Straits,  fossils  of,  95. 

Bell  of  Quillota,  185. 

Benchuca,  240. 

Berkeley,  Rev.  J.,  on  Conferva,  II. 

on  Cyttaria,  177, 

—  Sound,  136. 

C  G 


INDEX. 


Bibron,  M.,  278,  280,  287. 

Bien-te-veo,  39. 

Birds  of  the  Galapagos  Arcipelago,  275, 

287. 

Birds,  lameness  of|  200* 
Birgos  latro,  337. 
Bizcacha,  habits  of,  51,  89. 
Blackwall,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  116, 
Blindness  of  tucutuco,  37. 
Body,  frozen,  64,  178,  181. 
Bolabola,  341,  345. 
Bolas,  manner  of  using,  32,  80. 
Bombs,  volcanic,  359. 
Bones  of  the  guanaco  collected  in  certain 
spots,  121. 

—  fire  made  of,  141. 

—  recent  in  Pampas,  112. 

fossil,  60,  91,  93,  112,  126. 

Bory  St.  Vincent  on  frogs,  278. 
Boulders,  135,  173. 
Bramador,  El,  262. 

Brazil,  great  area  of  granite,  9. 
Breaches  in  coral  reefs,  348. 
Breakwater  of  sea-weed,  173. 
Brewster,   Sir  D.,   on  a  calcareous  de- 
Bridge  of  hide,  191. 

of  Incas,  243,  259. 

Buckland,  Dr.,  on  fossils,  95. 

Buenos  Ayres,  87. 

Buffon  on  American  ^njmals,  135, 


igs,  Indian,  259-61,  268. 
Bulimus  on  desert  places,  252. 
Burchell,  Mr.,  on  food  of  quadrupeds,  63. 
— —  on  ostrich-eggs,  66. 
— —  on  perforated  stones,  194. 
Butterflies,  flocks  of,  114. 
Butterfly  producing  clicking  sound,  24. 
Button,  Jemmy,  150. 
Byron's  account  of  fox  of  Falklands,  140. 
— —  on  an  Indian  killing  his  child,  156. 

CACTI,  119,  189,  272. 

Cactornis,  276,  288. 

Calasoma  on  wing  out  at  sea,  114.' 

Calcareous  casts  of  branches  and  roots  of 
trees  at  King  George's  Sound,  327. 

Calcareous  incrustations  on  rocks  of  As- 
cension, 7. 

Callao,  267. 

Calodera,  90, 

Calomys  bizcacha,  89. 

Camarhynchus,  276,  288. 

Camelidae,  fossil  animal  allied  to<  125. 

Canis  antarcticus,  140. 

Canis  fulvipes,  203.  " 

Capybara,  or  carpincho,  36,  209, 


Capybara,  fossil  allied  to,  59, 
Cape  Horn,  153. 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  62. 
Caracara,  or  Carrancha,  40, 
Cardoon,  beds  of,  85,  107. 
Carmichael,  Capt.,  292. 
Carrion-hawks,  40,  87,  133, 
Casarita,  69. 
Castro,  Chiloe,  201,  213. 
Casts  of  trees,  327. 
Casuchas,  243. 
Cathartes,  42,  133,  206. 
Cats  run  wild,  85,  359. 

good  to  eat,  84. 

—  scratch  trees,  98. 
— —  cruelty  to  mice,  144, 
Guide,  effects  of   their  grazing  oo  the 
vegetation,  85. 

know  each  other,  105. 

curious  breed  of,  105. 

waste  of,  107. 

wild  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  137, 139. 

Cauquenes,  hot  springs  of,  191. 
Causes  of  extinction  of  species  among 
mammalia,  125. 

of  discoloured  sea,  II, 

Cavia  Patagonica,  50. 
Cervus  campestris,  35. 
Ceryle  Americana,  100. 
Chacao,  Chiloe,  199. 
Chagos  atolls,  349. 
Chalk-like  mud,  338. 
Chamisso  on  drifted  seeds  and  trees,  331, 
336. 

on  coral  reefs,  340. 

Changes  in  vegetation  of  Pampas,  85. 

in  vegetation  of  St.  Helena,  356. 

Charles  Island,  Galapagos  Archipelago, 

273. 

Cheese,  salt  required  for,  48. 
Cheucau,  209. 
Chile,  187,  246. 

features  of  country,  189. 

Chiloe,  198. 

forests  of,  and  climate,  177. 

— —  roads  of,  199,  212. 

inhabitants  of,  198,  200. 

Chionis,  68. 

Chonos  Archipelago,  204. 

— —  climate  of,  176. 

ornithology  of,  209. 

Chupat,  Rio,  77. 

Cladonia,  264. 

Clearness  of  atmosphere  within  Andes,  in 

Chile,  183. 

Climate  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  Falkland 
Islands,  175. 


INDEX. 


Climate  of  Antarctic  Islands,  180. 
Galapagos,  274,  290. 

•  change  of,  in  Chile,  260. 
Clouds  of  vapour  after  rain,  18. 
on  Corcovado,  21. 

— —  hanging  low,  265. 

at  sea,  292. 

Coleoptera  in  Tropics,  25. 

out  at  sea,  115. 

'         of  St.  Julian,  123. 
Colias  edusa,  flocks  of,  114. 
Colnett,  Capt.,  on  spawn  in  sea,  13. 

•  on  a  marine  lizard,  281. 

on  transport  of  seeds,  286. 

Colonia  del  Sacramiento,  104. 
Colorado  Rio,  51. 
Compound  animals,  145. 
Concepcion,  Chile,  223. 
Condor,  habits  of,  132,  134. 
Confervae,  pelagic,  n. 
Conglomerate  on  the  Ventana,  77. 

•  in  Cordillera,  233. 
Conurus,  100. 

Convicts  of  Mauritius,  352. 

condition  of,  in  New  South  Wales, 

323- 

Cook,  Capt.,  on  Kelp,  173. 
Copiapd,  river  and  valley  of,  255. 

town  of,  257. 

Coquimbo,  248. 

Coral  formations,  293,  329-3501 

stinging  species  of,  337. 

—-dead,  335-349- 
Corallines,  146. 
Corcovado,  clouds  on,  ax. 

•  volcano,  212. 

Cordillera,  appearance  of,  187,  201,  231. 

different    productions  on  east  and 

west  side,  237. 
Cordillera,  passage  of,  228. 
— —  structure  of  valleys,  229. 

geology  of,  232,  242. 

rivers  of,  230. 

•  of  Copiap6,  262. 
Cormorant  catching  fish,  144. 

Corral,  where  animals  are  slaughtered  at 

Buenos  Ayres,  87. 
Coseguina,  eruptton  of,  212. 
Countries,  unhealthy,  266. 
Couthouy,  Mr.,  on  coral-reefs,  347. 
Crabs,  hermit  species  of,  332. 
— —  at  Keeling  Island,  337. 

at  St.  Paul's,  8. 

Craters,    number  of   at  the    Galapagos 

Archipelago,  272. 
—  of  Elevation,  353. 
Crisia,  145. 
Cruelty  to  animals,  109. 


Crustacea,  pelagic,  116. 
Ctenomys  Braziliensis,  37. 

—  fossil  species  of,  59. 
Cucao,  Chiloe,  214. 
Cuckoo-like  habits  of  Molothrus,  38. 
Cuentas,  Sierra  de,  107. 

Cumbre  of  Cordillera,  244. 
Cuming,  Mr.,  on  shells,  284,  357, 
Cuttle-fish,  habits  of,  5,  209. 
Cuvier  on  Diodon,  10. 
Cynara,  85. 
Cyttaria  Darwinii,  171. 

DACELO  Jagoensis,  2. 

Dasypus,  three  species  of,  69. 

Deer,  35,  96. 

Degradation  of  tertiary  formations,  250. 

Deinornis,  145,  311. 

Deserts,  252,  262. 

Desmodus,  16. 

Despoblado,  valley  of,  259. 

Dieffenbach   on   Auckland  Island,   177, 

3*7- 

Diodon,  habits  of,  10. 
Discoloured  sea,  n. 
Diseases  from  miasma,  266,  316. 
Distribution  of  mammalia  in  America,  94. 
of  animals  on  opposite  sides  of  Cor- 
dillera, 237. 

of  frogs,  278. 

of  Fauna  of  Galapagos,  287. 

Dobrizhorfer  on  ostriches,  68. 

on  a  hail-storm,  83. 

Docks,  imported,  311. 

Dogs,  shepherd,  108. 

D'Orbigny,  Travels  in  South  America,  57, 

67,  86,  93,  108,  121. 
Doris,  eggs  of,  145. 
Doubleday,  Mr.,  on  a  noise  made  by  a 

butterfly,  24.  _ 

Drigg,  lightning  tubes  at,  44. 
Droughts,  great,  in  Pampas,  95. 
Dryness  of  St.  Jago,  2. 

of  winds  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  167. 

of  air  in  Cordillera,  237. 

Du  Bois,  278,  291. 
Dung-feeding  beetles,  357. 
Dust,  falling  from  atmosphere,  4. 

EARTHENWARE  fossil,  270. 
Earthquake,  accompanied  by  an  elevation 
of  the  coast,  225. 

—  accompanied  by  rain,  256. 
at  Callao,  268. 

at  Concepcion,  221. 

— —  at  Coquimbo,  249. 
at  Keeling  and  Vanikoro,  and  So- 
ciety Islands,  347. 


$74 


INDEX. 


Earthquake  at  Valdivia,  219. 
— —  causes  of,  226. 

effect  of,  on  springs,  192. 

on  bottom  of  sea,  223. 

effects  of,  on  rocks,  178,  220. 

effects  of,  on  sea,  219,  221,  222. 

effects  of,  on  a  river-bed,  261. 

— —  line  of  vibration  of,  223. 

on  S.  W.  coast,  178. 

tossing  fragments  from  the  ground, 

143- 

— —  twisting  movement  of,  224. 
Eggs  of  Doris,  145. 
Ehrenberg,  Prof.,  on  Atlantic  dust,  4. 
——  on  infusoria  in  Pampas,  59,  93. 
j  in  the- open  sea,  117. 

in  Patagonia,  124. 

— — ^  in  Fuegian  paint,  160. 
— —  on  infusoria  in  coral  mud,  338. 

in  tuff  at  Ascension,  360. 

on   phosphorescence    of     the    sea, 

117. 

•         on  noises  from  a  hill,  263. 
Eimeo,  view  of,  296. 
Elater,  springing  powers  of,  22. 
Electricity  of  atmosphere  within  Andes, 


it,  weight  of,  63. 
Elevated  shells,  61,  93, 124, 184,  216,  225, 

249,  260,  268. 

Elevation  of  coasts  of  Chile,  185,  aia,  225, 
227,  241,  249,  260. 

•  B.  Blanca,  59. 

— —  Patagonia,  124,  270. 

Pampas,  93. 

— —  mountain-chains,  227. 

Cordillera,  225,  230,  233. 

fringing-reefs,  347. 

Peru,  268. 

within  human  period,  270. 

Entomology  of  the  Galapagos  Archipel- 
ago, 285,  286,  288. 

—  Brazil,  24. 

Patagonia,  123,  240. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  172. 

—  Keeling  Island,  332. 

St.  Helena,  357. 

Entre  Rios,  geology  of,  93. 
Epeira,  habits  of,  26,  28. 

Erratic  blocks,  how  transported,  180. 
absent  in  intertropical  countries,  180. 

•  on  plains  of  Santa  Cruz,  130. 

• of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  180. 

Estancia,  value  of,  104. 

Extermination  of  species  and  races,  127, 

316,  325. 

Extinction  of  shells  at  St  Helena,  355. 
••—  of  species,  causes  of,  125. 


Extinction  of  man  m  New  South  WaieS, 

316,  326. 
Eyes  of  tucutuco  and  mole,  38. 

FALCONER,    Dr.,   on   the   Sivatherium, 
105. 

Jesuit,  on  the  Indians,  75. 

on  rivers  in  Pampas,  77. 

Jesuit,  on  natural  enclosures,  84. 

Falkland  Islands,  136. 
— —  birds  tame  at,  291. 

absence  of  trees  at,  35. 

carrion-hawks  of,  41. 

wild  cattle  and  horses  of,  137. 

— —  climate  of,  176. 
•        peat  of,  208. 
Fat,  quantity  eaten,  84. 
Fear,  an  acquired  instinct,  292. 
Februa,  24. 
Fennel,  run  wild,  86. 
Ferguson,  Dr.,  on  miasma,  266. 
Fern-trees,  177,  273. 
Fernando  Noronha,  8,  272. 
Fields  of  dead  coral,  335. 
Fire,  art  of  making,  141,  298. 
Fish,  eating  coral,  338. 

—  of  Galapagos,  284. 

emitting  harsh  sound,  98. 

Flamingoes,  48. 

Fleas,  251. 

Floods  after  droughts,  97. 

clear  after  snow,  231. 

Flora  of  the  Galapagos,  273,  288,  289. 

of  Keeling  Island,  331. 

of  St.  Helena,  354. 

Flustraceae,  145. 

Forests,  absence  of,  in  La  Plata,  34. 

of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  151,  176,  207 

of  Chiloe;  176,  197,  201,  213. 

—  of  Valdivia,  216,  218. 

of  New  Zealand,  311. 

of  Australia,  315. 

Fossil  Mammalia,  59,  93,  94,  ria,  125. 

earthenware,  270. 

Fox  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  140. 
— —  of  Chiloe,  203. 
Friendly  Archipelago,  204, 
Frogs,  noises  of,  21. 
bladders  of,  279. 

—  and  toads,  not   found  on  oceanic 

islands,  278. 
Frozen  soil,  64,  181. 
Fruit-trees,  southern  limit  of,  177. 
Fucus  giganteus,  173. 
Fuegians,  148-170. 
Fulgurites,  43. 
Fungus,  edible,  171, 
Furnarius,  69, 


INDEX. 


373 


GALAPAGOS  Archipelago,  270;  natural 

history  of,  274. 
belongs  to  American  Zoology,  275, 

287. 

Gale  of  wind,  157,  204. 
Gall  egos  River,  fossil  bones  at,  134. 
Gallinazo,  42. 
Gauchos,  32,  120. 

• character  of,  izx. 

— —  live  on  meat,  84. 

Gay,  M.,  on  floating  islands,  193. 

on  shells  in  brackish  water,  16. 

Geese  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  144. 
Geographical    distribution   of  American 

animals,  94,  237. 

•  of  frogs,  278. 

—  of  fauna  of  Galapagos,  286. 
Geology  of  Cordillera,  232,  241. 

of  Patagonia,  123,  131. 

• of  St.  Tago,  4. 

of  St.  Paul,  6. 

of  B.  Blanca,  60. 

•  of  Pampas,  93. 

of  Brazil,  9. 

Georgia,  climate  of,  180. 
Geospiza,  276,  288. 

Gill,  Mr.,  on  an  upheaved  river-bed,  261. 
Gillies,  Dr.,  on  the  Cordillera,  235. 
Glaciers  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  162,  177, 

in  Cordillera,  236. 

in  lat.  46°  40',  177. 

Glow-worms,  22. 

Goats,  destructive  to  vegetation  at  St. 
Helena,  356. 

bones  of,  iai. 

Goitre,  228. 

Gold-washing,  193. 

Good  Success  Bay,  148. 

Gossamer  spider,  116. 

Gould,  Mr.,  on  the  Calodera,  90. 

— —  on  birds  of  Galapagos,  276. 

Granite  mountains,  Tres  Monies,  26. 

of  Cordillera,  233. 

Graspus,  8. 

Gravel,  how  far  transported,  78. 

of  Patagonia,  54,  124. 

Greenstone,  fragments  of,  187, 
Gryllus  migratorius,  240, 
.Guanaco,  habits  of,  120. 
— —  fossil  allied  genus,  125, 
Guantajaya,  mines  of,  264, 
Guardia  del  Monte,  85. 
Guasco,  253. 
Guasos  of  Chile,  187. 
Guava,  imported  into  Tahiti,  393. 
Guinea-fowl,  3,  359. 
Gunnera  scabra,  203. 
Gypsum,  great  beds  of,  333. 


Gypsum  in  salt-lake,  47. 

—  in  Patagonian  tertiary-beds,  124. 
— —  at  Iquique  with  salt,  265. 

—  at  Lama  with  shells,  268. 

HACHETTE,  Mr.,  on  lightning-tubes,  44. 

Hailstorm,  83. 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  on  terraces   of   Co- 

quimbo,  249. 
Hare,  Varying,  33. 
Head,  Capt.,  on  thistle-beds,  86,  89. 
Height  of  snow-line  on  Cordillera,  177. 
Henslow,  Prof.,  on  potatoes,  207. 

on  plants  of  Keeling  Island,  330. 

Hermit  crabs,  332. 
Hill,  emitting  a  noise,  263. 
Himantopus,  82. 
Hogoleu  barrier-reef,  342. 
Holes  made  by  a  bird,  69. 
Holman  on  drifted  seeds,  330. 
Holuthurise  feeding  on  coral,  338. 
Hooker,  Sir  J.,  on  the  Cardoon,  86. 

Dr.  J.  D.,  on  the  Kelp,  173. 

on  Galapageian  plants,  286,  288. 

Horn,  Cape,  153. 

Homer,  Mr.,  on  a  calcareous  deposit,  7. 

Horse-fly,  123. 

Horses  difficult  to  drive,  79. 

drop  excrement  on  paths,  186. 

killed  by  great  droughts,  96. 

— —  multiplication  of,  168. 

— —  broken  in,  109. 

Horse,  powers  of  swimming  of,  103. 

wild  at  the  Falkland  Islands,  138. 

fossil,  59,  93. 

Horsemanship  of  the  Gauchos,  no,  141. 
Hot  springs  of  Cauquenes,  191. 
Huacas,  268,  269. 
Humboldt  on  burnished  rocks,  9. 
on  the  atmosphere  in  tropics,  33. 

—  on  frozen  soil,  64. 

on  hybernation,  71. 

on  potatoes,  207. 

— —  on  earthquakes  and  rain,  255. 

on  miasma,  266,  316. 

Humming-birds  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  33. 

Hybernation  of  animals,  71. 
Hydrochaerus  capybara,  36. 
Hydrophobia,  257. 
Hyla,  21. 
Hymenophallus,  24. 

JACKSON,  Col.,  on  frozen  snow,  336. 
Jaguar,  habits  of,  97. 
Jajuel,  mines  of,  188. 
James  Island,   Galapogos   Archipelago, 
274. 


376  INDEX. 


Juan  Fernandez,  vftlcano  of,  aaS. 
— —  flora  of,  286. 

IBIS  melanops,  119. 
Ice,  prismatic  structure  of,  236. 
Icebergs,  135, 162,  178-183. 
Incas"  bridge,  243,  259. 
Incrustations  on  coast  rocks,  6,  9. 
Indian  fossil  remains,  269. 
Indians,  attacks  of,  46,  57,  oa. 

Patagonians,  169. 

-—  Araucarians,  217. 

of  the  Pampas,  73. 

ofValdivia,2i7. 

perforated  stones  used  by,  194. 

powers  of  tracking,  *?&. 

grave  of,  122,  13^ 

ruins  of  houses  of,  in  Cordillera,  259, 

267. 

antiquities  of,  in  La  Plata,  33,  76. 

decrease  in  numbers,  75. 

Infection,  317. 

Infusoria  in  dust  in  the  Atlantic,  4. 

in  the  sea,  12,  117. 

- — .  in  Pampas,  59,  93. 

Patagonia,  123. 

— —  in  white  paint,  160. 
—  in  coral  mud,  338. 

at  Ascension,  360. 

Insects,  first  colonists  of  St.  Paul's  rocks,  8, 
^^—  blown  out  to  sea,  115. 

of  Patagonia,  123,  238. 

of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  172. 

of  Galapagos,  277,  285,  288. 

of  Keeling  Island,  332. 

of  St.  Helena,  357. 

Instincts  of  birds,  69,  291. 
Iodine  with  salt  at  Iquique,  465. 
Iquique,  263. 

Iron,  oxide  of,  on  rocks,  9. 
Islands,  oceanic,  rolcanic,  6, 

• floating,  193. 

« Antarctic,  180. 

low,  293,340. 

KATER'S  peak,  153, 
Kauri  pine,  311. 
Keeling  Island,  329. 

subsidence  of,  346. 

>         birds  of,  331. 

»— —  entomology  of,  332. 

• flora  of,  330. 

Kelp,  or  sea-weed,  173. 

Kendall,  Lieut.,  on  a  frozen  body,  181. 

Kingfishers,  2,  100. 

King  George's  Sound,  327. 

LABOURERS,  condition  of,  In  Chile,  194. 


Lagoon  Islands,  332,  335,  338. 

Lagostomus,  89. 

Lake,  brackish,  near  Rio,  16. 

with  floating  islands,  193. 

formed  during  earthquake,  270. 

Lamarck  on  acquired  blindness,  37. 

Lampyris,  22. 

Lancaster,  Capt.,  on  a  sea-tree,  72. 

Land-shells,  252,  355,  356. 

Lazo,  33,  no,  137. 

Leaves,  fall  of,  170. 

fossil,  326. 

Leeks  in  New  Zealand,  imported,  311. 

Lepus  Magellanicus,  140. 

Lesson,  M.,  on  the  scissor-beak,  99. 

on  rabbit  of  the  Falklands,  140. 

Lichen  on  loose  sand.  264. 
Lichtenstein  on  ostriches,  66. 
Lightning  storms,  45. 

tubes,  43. 

Lima,  265,  267. 

elevation  of  a  river  near,  261. 

Lime,  changed  by  lava  into  crystalline 

rock,  4. 

Limnaea  in  brackish  water,  6r. 
Lion-ant,  321. 
Lizard,  70. 

marine  species  of,  280. 

Lizards,  transport  of,  278. 

Llama  or  Guanaco,  habits  of,  120. 

Locusts,  239. 

Longevity  of  species  in  Mollusca,  60. 

Lorenzo,  San,  island  of,  268. 

Low  archipelago,  292. 

Lund,  M.,  on  antiquity  of  man,  260. 

Lund  and  Clausen  on  fossils  of  Brazil. 

94.  125. 
Luxan,  240. 
Luxuriant  vegetation  not   necessary  to 

support  large  animals,  61. 
Lycosa,  26. 
Lyell,  Mr.,  on  terraces  of  Coquimbo,  249. 

on  longevity  of  Mollusca,  60. 

— —  on  subsidence  in  the  Pacific,  341. 

on  change  in  vegetation,  86. 

on  fossil  horses'  teeth,  93. 

— —  on  distribution  of  animals,  238. 
— —  on  frozen  snow,  236. 

on  extinct  mammals  and  ice-period, 

126. 

on  flocks  of  butterflies,  114. 

—  on  stones  twisted  by  earthquakes, 
275- 

MAcCuLLOCH  on  infection,  317. 
Macquarie  river,  322. 
Macrauchenia,  59,  126. 
Macrocystis,  173. 


INDEX. 


377 


Madrina,  or  godmother  of  a  troop  of 

mules,  229. 

Magdalen  channel,  174. 
Magellan,  Strait  of,  167. 
Malcolmson,  Dr.,  on  hail,  83. 
Maldiva  atolls,  340,  348,  349. 
Maldonado,  29. 

Mammalia,  fossil,  58, 91, 94, 112, 124,  2701 
Man,  antiquity  of,  260. 

fossil  remains  of,  269. 

— —  body  frozen,  181. 

fear  of,  an  acquired  instinct,  292. 

extinction  of  races,  316,  325. 

Mares  killed  for  their  hides,  in. 
Mare's  flesh  eaten  by  troops,  73. 
Mastodon,  91,  93. 

Matter,  granular,  movements  in,  72. 
Mauritius,  351. 
Maypu  river,  230. 
Megalonyx,  59,  94. 
Megatherium,  59,  60,  94. 
Mendoza,  climate  of,  234. 

240. 

Mexico,  elevation  of,  95. 

Miasmata,  266,  316. 

Mice  inhabit  sterile  places,  261. 

number  of,  in  America,  36. 

how  transported,  209,  275. 

— —  different  on  opposite  sides  of  Andes, 

—  of  the  Galapagos,  275. 

'         of  Ascension,  359. 

Millepora,  337. 

Mills  for  grinding  ores,  193. 

Mimosse,  19. 

Mimus,  39,  287,  290. 

Miners,  condition  of,  189,  193,  246,  251. 

Mines,  189,  247,  251. 

— —  how  discovered,  230. 

Missionaries  at  New  Zealand,  309. 

Mitchell,  Sir  T.,  on  valleys  of  Australia, 

3T9- 

Mocking-bird,  39,  287,  290. 
Molina,  omits  description  of  certain  birds, 

197. 

Molothrus,  habits  of,  38. 
Monkeys  with  prehensile  tails,  20. 
Monte  Video,  30,  103. 
Moresby,  Capt.,  on  a  great  crab,  337. 
.         on  coral-reefs,  349. 
Mount  Sarmiento,  168,  174. 
— —  Tarn,  169. 
Mountains,  elevation  of,  227. 
Movements  in  granular  matter,  72. 
Mud,  chalk-like,  338. 

disturbed  by  earthquake,  223. 

Mules,  229. 

Muniz,  Sig.,  on  niata  cattle,  105. 


Murray,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  116. 
Mylodon,  55,  94,  1 12. 
Myopotamus  Coipus,  209. 

NEGRESS  with  goitre,  228. 

Negro,  Rio,  46,  106. 

— —  lieutenant,  54. 

New  Caledonia,  reef  of,  341,  343,  348. 

Zealand,  303. 

Niata  cattle,  105. 

Noises  from  a  hill,  262. 

Noses,  ceremony  of  pressing,  308. 

Nothura,  33. 

Notopod,  crustacean,  117. 

Nulliporae,  incrustations  like,  7. 

protecting  reefs,  363. 

OCTOPUS,  habits  of,  5. 
Oily  coating  on  sea,  13 
Olfersia,  8. 
Opetiorhynchus,  210. 
Opuntia  Galapageia,  278. 

Darwinii,  119. 

189. 

Orange-trees,  self-sown,  87. 

Ores,  gold,  193. 

Ornithorhynchus,  321. 

Ornithology  of  Galapagos,  274,  290. 

Osorno,  volcano  of,  198,  200,  an. 

Ostrich,  habits  of,  31,  65. 

Ostrich's  eggs,  81. 

Otaheite,  293. 

Otter,  209. 

Ova  in  sea,  13 . 

Oven-bird,  69. 

Owen,  Capt.,  on  a  drought  in  Africa,  96. 

Professor,  on  the  Capybara,  36. 

fossil  quadrupeds,  59,  60,  94,  112. 

nostrils  of  the  Gallinazo,  134. 

Owl  of  Pampas,  51,  90. 
Oxyurus,  172,  210. 
Oysters,  gigantic,  123. 

PAINT,  white,  160. 
Pallas  on  Siberia,  48. 
Palm-trees  in  La  Plata,  34. 

in  Chile,  186. 

south  limit  of,  177. 

Palms  absent  at  Galapagos,  273. 
Pampas,  number  of  embedded  remains  in, 

112. 

S.  limit  of,  54. 

— — —  changes  in,  86. 

not  quite  level,  89,  91,  103. 

geology  of,  93,  112. 

view  of,  from  the  Andes,  238. 

Papilio  feronia,  24. 
Parana,  Rio,  91, 101,  106. 


378 


INDEX. 


Parana,  islands  in,  yj. 

Parish,  Sir  W.,  on  great  drought,  96. 

Park,  Mungo,  on  eating  salt,  80. 

Parrots,  99,  176. 

Partridges,  33. 

Pas,  fortresses  of  New  Zealand,  304. 

Passes  in  Cordillera,  242. 

Pasture,  altered  from  grazing  of  cattle,  85. 

Patagones,  46. 

Patagonia,  geology  of,  123,  239. 

zoology  of,  119,  123,  129. 

Patagonian  Indians,  167. 
Peach-trees  self-sown,  87. 
Peat,  formation  of,  208. 
Pebbles  perforated,  107,  194. 

transported  in  roots  of  trees,  336. 

Pelagic  animals  in  southern  ocean,  117. 

Penas,  Gulf  of,  179. 

Penguin,  habits  of,  144. 

Pepsis,  habits  of,  26. 

Pernambuco,  reef  of,  363. 

Pemety  on  hill  of  ruins,  143. 

— —  on  tame  birds,  291. 

Peru,  263-270. 

dry  valleys  of,  261,  263, 

Petrels,  habits  of,  210. 
Peuquenes,.  Pass  of,  233. 
Phonolite  at  F.  Noronha,  8. 
Phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  117. 

of  a  coralline,  146. 

of  land  insects  and  sea  animals,  ax. 

Phryniscus,  70. 

Pine  of  New  Zealand,  311. 

Plains  at  foot  of  Andes  in  Chile,  191,  232. 

almost  horizontal  near  St.  F6,  91. 

Planariae,  terrestrial  species  of,  19. 
Plants  of  the  Galapagos,  273,  286,  288. 

of  Keeling  island,  330. 

of  St.  Helena,  354. 

fossil  in  Australia,  327. 

Plata,  R.,  28. 

thunderstorms  of,  45. 

Plover,  long-legged,  82. 
Polished  rocks,  Brazil,  9. 
Polyborus  chimango,  42. 

Novae  Zekndise,  43. 

Braziliensis,  40. 

Ponsonby  Sound,  161. 
Porpoises,  28. 
Port  Desire,  118. 

river  of,  77,  1*3. 

St.  Julian,  124. 

— —  Famine,  168. 
Portillo  Pass,  233,  236. 
Porto  Praya,  I. 
Potato,  wild,  207. 
Potrero  Seco,  255. 
Prairies,  vegetation  of,  8$. 


Prevost,  M.,  on-cuckoos,  39. 
Priestley,  Dr.,  on  lightning-tubes,  43. 
Procellaria  gigantea,  habits  of,  210. 
Proctotretus,  70. 
Proteus,  blindness  of,  38. 
Protococcus  nivalis,  234. 
Pteroptochos,  two  species  of,  196. 

species  of,  202,  209. 

Puente  del  Inca,  243,  259. 
Puffinus  cinereus,  210. 
Puffinuria  Berardii,  211. 
Puma,  habits  of,  98, 132,  195, 

flesh  of,  84. 

Puna,  or  short  respiration,  234, 
Punta  Alta,  Bahia  Blanca,  58. 

Gorda,  93,  259. 

Pyrophorus  luminosus,  22. 

QUADRUPEDS,  fossil,  58,  gr,  94, 112, 127. 

•  •  large,  do  not  require  luxuriant  vege- 
tation, 61. 

weight  of,  63. 

Quartz  of  the  Ventana,  79, 

of  Tapalguen,  84. 

of  Falkland  Island,  14* 

Quedius,  8. 

Quillota,  valley  of,  185. 

Quintero,  184. 

Quiriquina  Island,  220. 

Quoy  and  Gaimard  on  stinging  corals, 
338. 

on  coral  reefs,  347. 

RABBIT,  wild,  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 
J39' 

Rain  at  Coquimbo,  246,  253,  253. 

at  Rio,  2r. 

and  earthquakes,  256. 

— —  in  Peru,  265,  266. 

in  Chile,  formerly  more  abundant, 

260. 

effects  on  vegetation,  245. 

Rana  Mascariensis,  278. 

Rat,  only  aboriginal  animal  of  New  Zea- 
land, 311. 

Rats  at  Galapagos,  275. 

at  Ascension,  359. 

— —  at  Keeling  Island,  331. 

Rattle-snake,  species  with  allied  habit,  70, 

Red  snow,  235. 

Reduvius,  240. 

Reef  at  Pernambuco  of  sandstone,  363, 

Reefs  of  coral,  339-351. 

Barrier,  342,  348. 

Fringing,  344. 

Reeks,  Mr.,  analysis  of  salt,  47. 

— —  bones,  112. 

salt  and  shells,  269, 


INDEX. 


379 


Remains,  human  elevated,  269. 
Remedies  of  the  Gauchos,  92. 
Rengger  on  the  horse,  168. 
Reptiles  absent  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  172. 

at  Galapagos,  277. 

Respiration  difficult  in  Andes,  234. 
Retrospect,  36. 

Revolutions  at  Buenos  Ayres,  101. 
Rhinoceroses  live  in  desert  countries.  63. 
—  frozen,  64,  181. 
Rhynchops  nigra,  98. 
Richardson,    Dr.,    on    mice    of    North 
America,  275. 

on  polished  rocks,  181. 

— —  on  frozen  soil,  64,  181. 

on  eating  fat,  184. 

on  geographical  distribution,  94, 

Rimsky  atoll,  340. 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  16. 

Plata,  29. 

Negro,  46-106. 

Colorado,  49. 

S.  Cruz,  128. 

Sauce,  77. 

Salado,  86. 

Rivers,   power  of,  in  wearing  channels, 

131,  232. 

River-bed,  arched,  261. 
River-courses  dry  in  America,  77. 
Rocks  burnished  with  ferruginous  matter, 

10. 
Rodents,  number  of  in  America,  36,  139. 

fossil  species  of,  59. 

Rosas,  General,  49,  75,  102. 
Ruins  of  Callao,  269. 

of  Indian  buildings  in  Cordillera, 

259,  268, 

S.  CRUZ,  128. 

Salado,  Rio,  86. 

Salinas  at  the  Galapagos  Archipelago, 

274. 

in  Patagonia,  47,  123. 

Saline  efflorescences,  56. 
Salt  with  vegetable  food,  80, 
— —  superficial  crust  of,  265. 

with  elevated  shells,  269. 

Salt-lakes,  47,  123,  274. 

Sandwich  Archipelago,  no  frogs  at,  278. 

Land,  180. 

San  Pedro,  forests  of,  204. 

Sand-dunes,  54. 

Sand,  hot  from  sun's  rays,  at  Galapagos 

Archipelago,  274. 

noise  from  friction  of,  263. 

Sandstone  of  New  South  Wales,  318. 

reef  of,  363. 

Santa  Cruz,  river  of,  128, 


Santiago,  Chile,  195. 

Sarmientp,  Mount,  168,  175. 

Sauce,  Rio,  77. 

Saurophagus  sulphurous,  39. 

Scarus  eating  corals,  338. 

Scelidotherium,  59. 

Scenery  of  Andes,  231. 

Scissor- tail,  100. 

Scissor-beak,  habit  of,  99. 

Scorpions,  cannibals,  119. 

Scoresby,   Mr.,  on  effects    of  snow   on 

rocks,  231. 

Scrope,  Mr.,  on  earthquakes,  256. 
Scytalopus  fuscus,  172,  210. 
Sea,  open,  inhabitants  of,  117. 
—  phosphorescence  of,  117. 

distant  noise  of,  215. 

Sea-pen,  habits  of,  72,  146. 
Sea-weed,  growth  of,  I73t 
Seals,  number  of,  206, 
Seeds  transported  by  sea,  286,  331. 
Serpulae,  protecting  reef,  363. 
Shark  killed  by  Diodon,  n. 
Shaw,  Dr.,  on  lion's  flesh,  184. 
Sheep,  infected,  317. 
Shelley,  lines  on  Mont  Blanc,  122. 
Shells,  land,  in  great  numbers,  252. 
— —  at  St.  Helena,  355. 
Shells,  fossil,  of  Cordillera,  233. 

of  Galapagos,  284. 

——  elevated,  60,  93,  125,  184,  250,  268. 

tropical  forms  of,  far  south,  176. 

decomposition  of,  with  salt,  268. 

Shepherd's  dogs,  108. 
Shingle-bed  of  Patagonia,  54,  124. 
Siberia  compared  with  Patagonia,  48. 

zoology  of,  related  to  North  America, 

95- 
Siberian  animals,  how  preserved  in  ice, 

181. 

food  necessary  during   their  exist- 
ence, 64. 

Silicified  trees,  242,  256. 
Silurian  formations  at  Falkland  Islands, 

142. 

Silurus,  habits  of,  98. 
Skunks,  58. 
Slavery,  18,  323,  364. 
Smelling  power  of  carrion-hawks,  133. 
Smith,  Dr.  Andrew,  on  the  support  ol 

large  quadrupeds,  62. 
— —  on  perforated  pebbles,  108. 
Snake,  venomous,  70. 
Snow-line  on  Cordillera,  177,  234,  236. 
Snow,  effects  of  on  rocks,  231. 

prismatic  structure  of,  236. 

red,  234. 

Society,  state  of,  in  La  Plata,  30,  113. 


38o  INDEX. 


Society,  state  of,  in  Australia,  323. 

Archipelago,  293. 

volcanic  phenomena  at,  347,  350. 

Soda,  nitrate  of,  263. 

sulphate  of,  57. 

Soil,  frozen,  64,  181. 
Spawn  on  surface  of  sea,  13. 
Species,  distribution  of,  94,  264. 

extinction  of,  127. 

Spiders,  habits  of,  26-28. 

gossamer,  115. 

killed  by  and  killing  wasps,  26,  27. 

— — —  on  Keeling  Island,  332. 

on  St.  Paul's,  8. 

Springs,  hot,  192. 

Stevenson,  Mr.,  on  growth  of  sea-weed, 

173- 

Stinging  animals,  337. 
St.  Helena,  354. 
—  introduction  of  spirits  into,  300 

¥6,  92. 

Jago,  C.  Verds,  i. 

unhealthiness  of,  266. 

Jago,  Chile,  190. 

Maria,  elevated,  223,  227. 

Paul's  rocks,  6. 

Stones  perforated,  107,  194. 
— —  transported  in  roots,  336, 
Storm,  157,  204. 

in  Cordillera,  236,  262. 

Streams  of  stones  at  Falkland  Islands, 

Strongylus,  24, 

Struthio  Rhea.  31,  65. 

— —  Darwinii,  67. 

Strzelecki,  Count,  326. 

£uadiva  atoll,  340. 

Subsidence  of  coral  reefs,  340,  351. 

— —  of  Keeling  Island,  347. 

of  Patagonia,  124. 

of  coast  of  Peru,  268. 

— —  of  Cordillera,  233,  •>^ 

of  Coasts  of  Chile,  250. 

of  Vanikoro,  347. 

^— •  of  coral  reefs  great  in  amount,  351. 

cause    of  distinctness   in    Tertiary 

epochs,  250. 
Sulphate  of  lime,  48,  124,  268. 

-> soda  incrusting  the  ground,  57. 

—  of  soda  with  common  salt,  48,  268. 
Swainson,  Mr.,  on  cuckoos,  38, 
Sydney,  313. 

TABANUS,  123. 
Tahiti  (Otaheite),  293. 

• three  zones  of  fertility,  995. 

Talcahuano,  220. 
Tambillos,  Ruinas  de,  959. 


Tameness  of  birds,  291. 

Tapacolo  and  Turco,  197. 

Tapalguen,    Sierra,  flat  hilli  of  quartt, 

83- 

Tarn,  Mount,  169. 
Tasmania,  325. 
Tattooing,  294,  310. 
Temperance  of  the  Tahitians,  299. 
Temperature  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and 

Falkland  Islands.  176. 

of  Gslapagos,'27i,  274. 

Tercero,  Rio,  fossils  in  banks  of,  91. 
Terraces  in  valleys  of  Cordillera,  229. 

of  Coquimbo,  249. 

of  Patagonia,  124,  130. 

Tertiary  formations  of  the  Pampas,  59, 

93.  "2- 

of  Patagonia,  123,  239. 

in  Chile,  epochs  of,  250. 

Teru-tero,  habits  of,  82. 
Testudo,  habits  of,  278,  289. 
Theory  of  lagoon  islands,  344, 
Theristicus,  119. 
Thistle  beds,  86,  89,  107. 
Thunder-storms,  45. 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  147-177. 

climate  and  vegetation  of,  r/fi. 

zoology  of,  171. 

entomology  of,  172. 

Tinamus  rufescens,  81. 
Tinochorus  Eschscholtzii,  68. 
Toad,  habits  of,  70. 

not  found  in  oceanic  islands,  278. 

Torrents  in  Cordillera,  230,  233. 
Tortoise,  habits  of,  278,  289. 
Toxodon,  59,  91,  93,  112. 
Transparency  of  air  in  Andes,  237. 

in  St.  Jago,  3. 

Transport  of  seeds,  286,  331. 

of  boulders,  135,  180. 

Transport  of  stones  in  roots  of  trees,  336. 

of  fragments  of  rock  on  banks  of  the 

St.  Cruz  river,  130. 
Travertin  with  leaves  of  trees,  Van  Die- 

men's  Land,  326. 

Tree-ferns,  southern  limits  of,  177,  327. 
Trees,  absence  of,  in  Pampas,  33. 
— —  floating,  transport  stones,  336. 

silicified,  vertical,  242. 

size  of,  256. 

time  required  to  rot,  219. 

Tres  Monies,  204. 
Trichodesmium,  ir. 
Trigonocephalus,  70. 
Tristan  d'Acunha,  292,  33* 
Trochilus,  197. 
Tropical  scenery,  361. 
Tschudi,  M.,  on  subsidence,  a6& 


INDEX. 


Tubes,  siliceous,  formed  by  lightning,  44. 

Tucutuco,  habits  of,  37. 

fossil  species  of,  59. 

Tuff,  craters  of,  271. 

Infusoria  in,  360. 

Tupungato,  volcano  of,  236. 

Turco,  El,  197. 

Turkey  buzzard,  133,  206. 

Turtle,  manner  of  catching,  334. 

Type  of  organization  in  Galapagos  islands, 
American,  286. 

Types  of  organization  in  different  coun- 
tries, constant,  126. 

Tyrannus,  100. 

ULLOA  on  hydrophobia,  257. 

on  Indian  buildings,  259. 

Unanue,  Dr.,  on  hydrophobia,  257. 
Uruguay,  Rio,  98,  106. 
— —  not  crossed  by  the  Bizcacha,  89. 
Uspallata  range  and  pass,  241. 

VACAS,  Rio,  242. 

Valdivia,  216. 

forests  of,  217,  219. 

Valley  of  St.  Cruz,  how  excavated,  131. 

dry,  at  Copiap6,  258. 

Valleys,  excavation  of,  in  Chile,  229,  258. 

of  Tahiti,  297,  300. 

in  Cordillera,  229. 

Valleys  of  New  South  Wales,  319. 

Valparaiso,  183,  227. 

Vampire  bat,  16. 

Vapour  from  forests,  18. 

Van  Diemeu's  Land,  324. 

Vanellus  Cayanus,  82. 

Vanessa,  flocks  of,  114. 

Vanikoro,  342,  343,  346. 

Vegetation  of  St.  Helena,  changes  of,  356. 

— •  on  opposite  sides  of  Cordillera,  237. 

——  luxuriant,  not  necessary  to  support 
large  animals,  61. 

Ventana,  Sierra,  77. 

Verbena  melindres,  29. 

Villa  Vicencio,  241. 

Virgularia  Patagonica,  72,  146. 

Volcanic  bombs,  359. 

—  islands,  6. 

phenomena,  226, 

Volcanos  near  Chiloe,  198,  200,  212,  227. 

— —  their  presence  determined  by  eleva- 
tion or  subsidence,  351. 

Vultur  aura,  42,  133,  206. 

WADERS,  first  colonists  of  distant  islands, 
877. 


Waimate,  New  Zealand,  306. 
Walckenaer  on  spiders,  28. 
Walleechu  tree,  49. 
Wasps  preying  on  spiders  and  killed  by, 

25-28. 

Water-hog,  36. 
Water,  sold  at  Iquique,  263. 

fresh,  floating  on  salt,  28,  333. 

Waterhouse,  Mr.,  on  Rodents,  36,  275. 

on  the  Niata  ox,  105. 

on  the  insects  of  Tierra  del  Fuego, 

172. 

— —  of  Galapagos,  277,  285. 
Waves,  caused  by  fall  of  ice,  163,  179. 

from  earthquakes,  ^22,  225. 

Weather,  connection  with  earthquakes, 

256. 

Weather-board,  N.S.  Wales,  318. 
Weeds  in  New  Zealand,  imported,  286, 

3"- 

Weight  of  large  quadrupeds,  63. 
Wellington,  Mount,  325. 
Wells,  ebbing  and  flowing,  333. 

at  Iquique,  265. 

West  Indies,  banks  of,  320. 

coral  reefs  of,  344,  350. 

zoology  of,  95. 

Whales,  oil  from,  13. 

leaping  out  of  water,  162. 

White,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  26. 
Wigwams  of  Fuegians,  154. 
Williams,  Rev.,  on  infectious  disorders, 

316. 
Winds,  dry,  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  167. 

at  the  Cape  Verds,  2. 

cold,  on  Cordillera,  261. 

on  Cordillera,  235. 

Winter's  bark,  170,  204. 
Wolf  at  the  Falklands,  140. 
Wood,  Capt.,  on  the  Agouti,  50, 
Woollya,  160. 

YAQUIL,  193. 
Yeso,  Valle  del,  233. 
York  Minster,  150. 

ZONOTRICHIA,  38. 

Zoological  provinces  of  N.  and  S.  America, 


Zoology 


of  Galapagos,  274. 

of  Keeling  Island,  331. 

of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  171. 

— —  of  Chonos  Islands,  209. 

of  St.  Helena,  356. 

Zoophytes,  71. 

at  Falkland  Islands,  145. 

Zorillo,  or  skunk,  58. 


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