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Journal   of  Researches 


Charles  Darwin. 


Journal   of  Researches 

During   the 

Voyage  of  H.M.S.   "Beagle" 


By 
Charles    Darwin 


Illustrated 

By 

Eight    Photographs 


Collins'    Clear-Type    Press 
London  and  Glasgow 


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^8.09 


10  19 


31 


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TO 

CHARLES    LYELL,    Esq.,    F.R.S., 

THIS  SECOND  EDITION  IS  DEDICATED  WITH  GRATEFUL  PLEASURE, 
AS  AN  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  THAT  THE  CHIEF  PART  OF  WHAT- 
EVER SCIENTIFIC  MERIT  THIS  JOURNAL  AND  THE  OTHER 
WORKS  OF  THE  AUTHOR  MAY  POSSESS,  HAS  BEEN  DERIVED 
FROM   STUDYING   THE   WELL-KNOWN   AND   ADMIRARLE 

PRINCIPLES   OF   GEOLOGY. 


PREFACE. 


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,  accom- 
panied by  an  offer  from  him  of  giving  up  part  of  his  own 
accommodations,  that  I  volunteered  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 
enjoyed  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  Fit? 
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,  in  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.  Waterhouse ;  of 
the  Birds,  by  Mr.  Gould ;  of  the  Fish,  by  the  Rev.  L. 
Jenyns  ;  and  of  the  Reptiles,  by  Mr.  Bell.  I  have  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 

'  I  must  tnke  this  opportunity  of  rcturniiiR-  my  sincere  thnnks  to  Mr.  Hyiior, 
the  surgeon  of"  the  Bea^lt,  for  his  very  kind  attention  to  mc  when  I  was  ill 
at  Valparaiso. 


8  PREFACE. 

authors,  could  not  have  been  undertaken,  had  it  n< 
been  for  the  liberality  of  the  Lords  Commissioners 
Her  Majesty's  Treasury,  who  through  the  representation 
of  the  Right  Honourable  the  Chancellor  ot  the  Exchequei 
have  been  pleased  to  grant  a  sum  of  one  thousand  pounc' 
towards  defraying  part  of  the  expenses  of  publication. 

I  have  myself  published  separate  volumes  on  the  **  Stru( 
ture  and  Distribution  of  Coral  Reefs;"  on  the  "VolcanJ 
Islands    visited    during     the    Voyage    of    the     Beagle 
and    a   third   volume   will   soon  appear  on  the  "Geolo^ 
of   South    America."      The    sixth   volume    of   the    **Ge< 
logical   Transactions "   contains    two    papers    of  mine    oj 
the  Erratic  Boulders  and   Volcanic    Phenomena  of  Soutj 
America.      Messrs.    Waterhouse,    Walker,    Newman,    an^ 
White  have  published  several  able  papers  on  the  Insect^ 
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 
assistance  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  assistance 
which  the  kindest  friend  could  offer. 

June,  1845. 


POSTSCRIPT. 


( 

1 1  TAKE  the  opportunity  of  a  new  edition  of  my  Journal 
'  to  correct  a  few  errors.  At  page  92  1  have  stated  that 
the  majority  of  the  shells  which  were  embedded  with  the 
extinct  mammals  at  Punta  Alta,  in  Bahia  Blanca,  were 
still  living  species.  These  shells  have  since  been  examined 
(see  "Geological  Observations  in  South  America,"  p.  83)  by 
M.  Alcide  d'Orbigny,  and  he  pronounces  them  all  to  be 
recent.  M.  Aug.  Bravard  has  lately  described,  in  a  Spanish 
work('*ObservacionesGeologicas,"i857),  this  district,  and  he 
believes  that  the  bones  of  the  extinct  mammals  were  washed 
out  of  the  underlying  Pampean  deposit,  and  subsequently 
became  embedded  with  the  still  existing  shells  ;  but  I  am 
not  convinced  by  his  remarks.  M.  Bravard  believes  that 
the  whole  enormous  Pampean  deposit  is  a  sub-aerial  forma- 
tion, like  sand-dunes  :  this  seems  to  me  to  be  an  untenable 
doctrine. 

At  page  374  I  give  a  list  of  the  birds  inhabiting  the 
Galapagos  Archipelago.  The  progress  of  research  has 
shown  that  some  of  these  birds,  which  were  then  thought 
to  be  confined  to  the  islands,  occur  on  the  American 
continent.  The  eminent  ornithologist,  Mr.  Sclater,  informs 
me  that  this  is  the  case  with  the  Strix  punctatissima  and 
Pyrocephalus  nanus ;  and  probably  with  the  Otus  gala- 
pagoensis  and  Zenaida  galapagoensis :  so  that  the  number 
of  endemic  birds  is  reduced  to  twenty-three,  or  probably 
to  twenty-one.  Mr.  Sclater  thinks  that  one  or  two  of 
these  endemic  forms  should  be  ranked  rather  as  varieties 
than  species,  which  always  seemed  to  me  probable. 

The  snake  mentioned  at  page  376,  as  being,  on  the 
authority  of  M.  Bibron,  the  same  with  a  Chilian  species, 
is  stated  by  Dr.  Gunter  (Zoolog.  Soc,  Jan.  24th,  1859)  to 
be  a  peculiar  species,  not  known  to  inhabit  any  other 
country. 

Feb.  \sl,  i860. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Porto  Praya — Ribeira  Grande — Atmospheric  dust  with  infusoria— Habits  of 
a  sea-slug  and  cuttle-fish — St.  Paul's  Rocks,  non-volcanic — Singular  in- 
crustations—Insects the  first  colonists  of  islands — Fernando  Noronha — 
Bahia— Burnished  rocks — Habits  of  a  diodon — Pelagic  confervae  and 
infusoria — Causes  of  discoloured  sea 15 

CHAPTER   H. 

Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  north  of  Cape  Frio — Great  evaporation — Slavery 
— Botofogo  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 — Gregarious 
spider — Spider  with  an  unsymmetrical  web •    3* 

CHAPTER    HI. 

Monte  Video — Maldonado — Excursion  to  R.  Polanco — Lazo  and  bolas — 
Partridges — Absence  of  trees — Deer — Capybara,  or  river  hog — Tucutuco 
—  Molothrus,  cuckoo-like  habits  —  Tyrant-flycatcher  —  Mocking-bird  — 
Carrion-hawks — Tubes  formed  by  lightning — House  struck        .        .        •    SO 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Rio  Negro — Estancias  attacked  by  the  Indians — Salt-lakes — Flamingoes — 
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 — Zorilla        .     73 

CHAPTER  V. 

Bahia  Blanca — Geology — Numerous  gigantic  extinct  quadrupeds — Recent 
extinction  —  Longevity  of  species  —  Large  animals  do  not  require  a 
luxuriant  vegetation — Southern  Africa — Siberian  fossils — Two  species  of 
ostrich — Habits  of  ov«o-bird — Armadilloes — Venomous  snake,  toad, 
lizard— Hybernation  of  animals-^Habits  of  Kca-pen — Indians'  wars  and 
massacre* — Arrow-head,  antiquarian  relic 90 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Set  out  for  Buenos  Ayres — Rio  Sauce — Sierra  Ventana — Third  Poata — 
Driving  horses — Bolas — Partridges  and  foxes — Features  of  the  country — 
Ix)ng-legged  plover — Teru-tero — Hail-Btorm — Natural  enclosures  in  (he 
Sierra  Tanalguen — Flesh  of  puma — Meat  diet — Guardia  del  Monto — 
Effects  of  cattle  on  the  vegetation— Cardoon— Buenos  Ayres— Corral 
where  cattle  are  »laiightrred 113 


i:i  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Excursion  to  St.  F^— Thistle  betls— Habits  of  the  bizcacha— Little  owl— » 
Saline  streams — Level  plains — Mastodon — St.  F6— Change  in  landscape 
— Geology — Tooth  of  extinct  horse — Relation  of  the  fossil  and  recent 
quadrupecls  of  North  and  South  America — Effects  of  a  great  drought — 
Parana — Habits  of  the  jaguar — Scissor-beak — Kingfisher,  parrot,  and 
scissor-tail — Revolution — Buenos  Ayres — State  of  government  . 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

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  organisation  constant — Change  in  the  zoology/ 
of  America — Causes  of  extinction 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Santa  Ciuz — 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 — W'oU-like  fox — Fire  made  of  bones — Manner  of  hunting'  ' 
wild  cattle — Geology — Streams  of  stones — Scenes  of  violence — Penguin — 
Geese — Eggsofdoris — Compound  animals iSi 

CHAPTER   X. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  first  arrival — Good  Success  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 — 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 207 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Strait  of  Magellan — Port  Famine— Ascent  of  Mount  Tarn — Forests — Edible 
fungus — Zoology — Great  seaweed — 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 — 
Transportal  of  boulders  —Climate  and  productions  of  the  Antarctic  Islands 
— Preservation  of  frozen  carcasses — Recapitulation 233 

CHAPTER   XII. 

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       ...,,..  253 


CONTENTS.  13 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Chiloe— Gener.1l  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 — Myopotanius,  otter  and  mice — Cheucau  and  bark- 
ing-bird— Opetiorhynchus — Singular  charact.er  of  ornithology — Petrels      .  272 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

San  Carlos,  Chiloe — Osorno  in  eruption,  contemporaneously  with  Acon- 
cagua and  Coseguina — Ride  to  Cucao — Impenetrable  forests — Valdivia — 
Indians — Earthquake — Concepcion — Great  earthquake — Rocks  fissured- 
Appearance  of  the  former  towns — The  sea  black  and  boiling — Direction  of 
the  vibrations — Stones  twisted  round — Great  wave— Permanent  elevation 
of  the  land — Area  of  volcanic  phenomena — The  connection  between  the 
elevatory  and  eruptive  forces — Cause  of  earthquakes — Slow  elevation  of 
mountain-chains 290 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Valparaiso — Porlillo  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 — 
Mcndoza — Uspallata  pass — Silicified  trees  buried  as  they  grew — Incas' 
Bridge  —  Badness  of  the  passes  exaggerated  —  Cumbre  —  Casuchas  — 
— Valparaiso 3TI 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Coast-road  to  Coquimbo — Great  loads  carried  by  the  miners — Coqtiimbo— 
Earthquake — Step-formed  terraces — Absence  of  recent  deposits — Contem- 
poraneousness of  the  tertiary  formations — Excursion  up  the  valley — Road 
to  Guasco— Deserts — Valley  of  Copiap6— Rain  and  earthquakes — Hydro- 
phobia— Tiic  Despoblado — Indian  ruins — Probable  change  of  climate — 
I'ivcr-hed  arched  by  an  eartliquake — 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  em- 
bedded shells  and  fragments  of  pottery — Antiquity  of  the  Indian  race    .  " . 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

The  Galapagos  group  volcanic— Number  of  craters — Leafless  bushes- 
Colony  at  Ch.-irleg  island— James  Island— Salt  lake  in  crater — Natural 
history  of  the  group— Ornilhoiogfy,  curious  finches — Reptiles— Great 
tortoises,  habits  of — Marine  lizard,  feeds  on  sea-weed — Terrestrial 
lizard,  burrowing  habits,  herbivorous— -Importance  of  reptiles  in  the 
archipelaKo— Fish,  shells,  insects -Botany— American  type  of  organwa* 
tion— Differences  in  the  species  or  races  on  dilFerent  islands — Tnmeness 
of  the  birds— Fear  of  man,  an  acquired  instinct 36S 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Pass  through  the  Low  ArchipeUigo — Tahiti — Aspect— Veg-etation  on  the 
mountains  —  View  of  Eimeo  —  ICxcursion  into  the  interior — Profound 
ravines — Succession  of  w'atei  falls —Nun^ber  of  wild  iisetui  plants  — 
Temperance  of  the  inluibitants— 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  New  Zealand  woman — Sail  for  Australia    .... 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sydney — Excursion  to  Kathurst — Aspect  of  the  woods — Party  of  natives — 
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 424 

CHAPTER   XX. 

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  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 — Distribution  of  volcanoes — Subsidence  slow,  and  vast  in 
amount 444 

CHAPTER   XXL. 

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  —  Pemambuco  —  Singular  reef —  Slavery  —  Return  to 
England — Retrospect  on  our  voyage 474 


The  Voyage  of  the  ''Beagle." 

CHAPTER   I. 

ST.   JAGO — CAPE   DE   VERD   ISLANDS. 

Porto  Praya — Rlbeira  Grande — Atmospheric  Dust  with  Itifusoiia 
— 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 — Pelag'ic  Confervae  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  Pniya,  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 


i6  AT   rORTO   PRAYA.  [chap.. 

his  own  happiness.  The  island  would  generally  be  cc 
sidered  as  very  uninteresting  ;  but  to  any  one  accustonu 
only  to  an  English  landscape,  the  novel  aspect  of  an  uttei 
sterile  land  possesses  a  grandeur  which  more  vcgetati(i 
might  spoil.  A  single  green  leaf  can  scarcely  be  d'd 
covered  over  wide  tracts  of  the  lava  plains ;  yet  flocf 
of  goats,  together  with  a  few  cows,  contrive  to  exist. 
rains  very  seldom,  but  during  a  short  portion  of  the  ye^ 
heavy  torrents  fall,  and  immediately  afterwards  a  lig| 
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.  VVheiv  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  {Dace/o 
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  appearance ;  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- 
bulldlngs,  of  which  an  ancient  church  formed  the  principal 
part.  It  is  here  the  governors  and  captains-general  of  the 
islands  have  been  buried.     Some  of  the  tombstones  recorded 

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


^  1832.]  NATURAL  VANES.  17 

dates  of  the  sixteenth  century.*  The  heraldic  ornaments 
L-  were  the  only  things  in  this  retired  place  that  reminded  us 
I  of  Europe.  The  church  or  chapel  formed  one  side  of  a 
[  quadrangle,  in  the  middle  of  which  a  large  clump  of 
i;  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  consider- 
able 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  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  prevailing  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  inhabitants.  The  black  children,  completely 
naked,  and  looking  very  wretched,  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  tlieir 
heads  cocked  up  ;  and  if  pursued,  they  readily  took  to  the 
wing. 

'  The  Cape  d<  Vcrd  Islands  were  dibCovcrcd  in  1449.  There  was  a  tombstone 
of  a  bishop  with  the  date  of  1571  ;  and  a  crest  of  a  band  and  dagg^ 
dated  1497. 


"hapM 
'  total5 


18  AT  ST.    DOMINGO.  [chap, 

The  scenery  of  St.  Domingo  possesses  a  beauty 
unexpected,  from  the  prevalent  gloomy  character  of  the 
rest  of  the  island.  The  village  is  situated  at  the  bottom  oi 
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  appear- 
ance, 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  29.6  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  aerial  transparency  with  such  a  state  of  weather  ? 

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

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


1832.]  STRANGE   DUST.  19 

siliceous  shields,  and  of  the  siliceous  tissue  of  plants.  In 
five  little  packets  which  I  sent  him,  he  has  ascertained  no 
less  than  s?xty-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  In  It 
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  crypto- 
gamlc  plants. 

The  geology  of  this  Island  Is  the  most  Interesting  part  of 
its  natural  history.  On  entering  the  harbour,  a  perfectly 
horizontal  white  ban^  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  over- 
lying 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  scorlaccous  fragments  of  the  lower  surface 


20  A  SEA  SLUG.  [chap. 

of  the  stream,  It  is  converted  into  groups  of  beautiful 
radiated  fibres  resembling  arragonite.  The  beds  of  hi\ 
rise  in  successive  gently-sloping  plains,  towards  the  Interic 
whence  the  deluges  of  melted  stone  have  originally  pr 
ceeded.  Within  historical  times,  no  signs  of  volcar 
activity  have,  I  believe,  been  manifested  in  any  part  61 
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  a 
of  the  streams. 


II 


During  our  stay,  I  observed  the  habits  of  some  marl 
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  muddj 
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  purpllsh-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,  with 
the  rapidity  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  yellowish-green.     The 


1832.]  THE  OCTOPUS.  21 

colour,  examined  more  carefully,  was  a  French  gray,  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  pass- 
ing 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  produced  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. t 

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  individual,  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  after- 
wards 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  siplion  on  the  under  side  of  its 
body.  From  the  difficulty  which  these  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 

*  So  named  according:  to  Patrick  Syines's  nomenclature. 

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


22  WHITE   ROCKS.  [chap. 

island  of  Fernando  Noronha.     The   highest  point  is  onl 
fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  entire  circui 
ference  is  under  three-quarters  of  a  mile.     This  small  poii 
rises  abruptly  out  of  the  depths  of  the  ocean.     Its  mineral 
ogical  constitution   is  not  simple  ;   in  some  parts  the  roclj 
is  of  a  cherty,  in  others  of  a  felspathic  nature,  includinij 
thin  veins  of  serpentine.     It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that 
the  many  small  islands,  lying  far  from  any  continent,  in  thij 
Pacific,  Indian,  and  Atlantic  Oceans,  with  the  exception 
the  Seychelles  and  this  little  point  of  rock,   are,  I   believe 
composed  either  of  coral  or  of  erupted  matter.     The  volcanif 
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  so  closely  resembled  in  general  appearance  certain 
nulliporae  (a  family  of  hard  calcareous  sea-plants),  that  in 
lately  looking  hastily  over  my  collection  I  did  not  perceive  the 
diffet;ence.  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  certain  cryptogamic 
plants  {MarchanticB)  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  gray.  I  have  shown 
specimens  of  this  incrustation  to  several  geologists,  and 
they  all  thought  that  they  were  of  volcanic  or  igneous 


1832.]       THE    BOOBY  AND   THE   NODDY.  23 

origin  !  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  bones  and  shells,  of  all  living  animals, 
it  is  an  interesting  physiological  fact*  to  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, 
in  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  ot 
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  dis- 
turbed 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  {Offersia)  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 

*  Mr.  Horner  and  Sir  David  Brewster  have  described  ("  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions," 1836,  p.  65)  a  sinffiilar  "artificial  substance  resembling  shell."  It 
is  deposited  in  fine,  transparent,  highly  polished,  brown-coloured  laminae, 
posbessinsT  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  it  much  softer,  more  transparent,  and  contains  more  animal 
matter,  than  the  natural  incrustation  at  Ascension  ;  but  we  here  again  see 
the  stronff  tendency  whidi  carbonate  of  lime  and  animal  matter  evince  to 
form  a  solid  substance  allied  to  shell. 


24  OCEAN   ISLANDS.  [chap. 

beneath  the  dung  ;  and  lastly,  numerous  spiders,  whi( 
I  suppose  prey  on  these  small  attendants  and  scavenge! 
of  the  waterfowl.  The  often-repeated  description  of  th 
stately  palm  and  other  noble  tropical  plants,  then  bird^ 
and  lastly  man,  taking  possession  of  the  coral  islets 
soon  as  formed,  in  the  Pacific,  is  probably  not  quite  correct 
I  fear  it  destroys  the  poetry  of  this  story,  that  feather  ai 
dirt-feeding  and  parasitic  insects  and  spiders  should  be  t\ 
first  inhabitants  of  newly-formed  oceanic  land. 

The  smallest  rock  in  the  tropical  seas,  by  giving  a  founda- 
tion 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  considerable  depth,  was  first  discovered  by  the  cir- 
cumstance offish  having  been  observed  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Fernando  Noronha,  Feb.  20th. — 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  remarkable  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  constitu- 
tion, had  been  formed  by  the  injection  of  melted  rock  Into 
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.  Half-way  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.  2^th. — 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. 


1832.]  SAN  SALVADOR.  25 

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  vegeta- 
tion, 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  wander- 
ing 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 
two  thousand  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  crystallised  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  ovfer  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 

*  "  Personal  Narrative,"  voL  v.i  pt  i,,  p.  i8. 


26  THE   DIODON.  [chap.M 

of  manganese  and  iron.     In  the  Orinoco  it  occurs  on  tfl 
rocks  periodically  v/ashed  by  the  floods,  and  in  those  pai^ 
alone  where  the  stream  is  rapid;    or,  as  the  Indians  sdfl 
"the  rocks  are  black  where  the  waters  are  white."     HeH 
the  coating  is  of  a  rich  brown  instead  of  a  black  coloi^B 
and  seems   to   be   composed   of  ferruginous  matter  alonfl 
Hand  specimens  fail  to  give  a  just  idea  of  these  brov^B 
burnished  stones  which   glitter   in   the  sun's  rays.      Th^H 
occur  only  within  the  limits  of  the  tidal  waves  ;    and  ^| 
the  rivulet  slowly  trickles  down,  the  surf  must  supply  t^M 
polishing  power  of  the  cataracts  in  the  great  rivers.      19 
like  manner,  the  rise  and  the  fall  of  the  tide  probably  answer 
to  the  periodical  inudations  ;  and  thus  the  same  effects  are 
produced  under  apparently  different,  but  really  similar,  cir- 
cumstances.     The   origin,   however,   of  these   coatings   of 
metallic  oxides,  which  seem  as  if  cemented  to  the  rocks, 
is  not  understood  ;  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  antennaius^  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  cut  of  water,  but  a 
stream  drawn  in  by  the  mouth  constantly  flows  through 
them. 


S832.J  A  SHARK'S   CURIOUS   DEATH.  27 

The  fish,  having  remained  in  this  distended  state  for  a 
short  time,  generally  expelled  the  air  and  water  with  con- 
siderable 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 
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,  floating  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  iZth. — We  sailed  from  Bahia.  A  few  days  after- 
wards, 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 
confervae,  in  bundles  or  rafts  of  from  twenty  to  sixty  in  each. 
Mr.  Berkeley  informs  me  that  they  are  the  same  species 
{Trichodesmium  erythrceum)  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  confervse.  They 
appear  especially  common  in  the  sea  near  Australia  ;  and 
off   Cape    Leeuwin    I    found    an    allied,    but   smaller    and 

•  M.  Montajfne,  in  "Comptes  Rendui,"  etc.,  Juillet,  1844;  and  "  Annal,  dea 
Scienc.  Nat.,"  Dec.  1R44. 


of 
of 

ii 


28  A  DISCOLOURED   SEA.  [cha 

apparently  different,  species.  Captain  Cook,  in  his  thl 
voyage,  remarks,  that  the  sailors  gave  to  this  appearam 
the  name  of  sea-sawdust. 

Near  Keeling  Atoll,  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  I  observed  many 
little  masses  of  confervae  a  few  inches  square,  consisting  of 
long  cylindrical  threads  of  excessive  thinness,  so  as  to  ~ 
barely  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  mingled  with  other  rath 
larger  bodies,  finely  conical  at  both  ends.  They  vary 
length  from  .04  to  .06  and  even  to  .08  of  an  inch  In  lengt 
and  in  diameter  from  .006  to  .008  of  an  inch.  Near  o 
extremity  of  the  cylindrical  part  a  green  septum,  formed  of 
granular  matter,  and  thickest  in  the  middle,  may  general,' 
be  seen.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  bottom  of  a  most  delica 
colourless  sac,  composed  of  a  pulpy  substance,  which  lin 
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  con- 
tract 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  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,  cone  beside  cone, 
at  that  end  where  the  septum  occurs. 

I  will  here  add  a  few  other  observations  connected 
with  the  discoloration  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  reddish  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  clllae.  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 


1832.]  QUEER   ANIMALCULE.  29 

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  feed  on  them  I  do  not 
know ;  but  terns,  cormorants,  and  immense  herds  of  great 
unwieldy  seals  derive,  on  some  part  pf  the  coast,  their  chief 
sustenance  from  these  swimming  crabs.  Seamen  invariably 
attribute  the  discoloration  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 

*  M.  Lesson  ('*  Voyage  de  la  CoquilU,"  torn,  i.,  p.  2155)  mentions  red  water 
off  Lima,  apparently  produced  by  the  same  cause  Pcron,  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 
fvol,  ii.,  p.  ait)).     To  the  references  given  hy  Peron  may  be  added,  Humboldt's 

Personal  Narrative,"  vol.  vi.,  p.  804;  Flinders'  "Voyage,"  vol.  i.,  p.  92; 
Labillardiire,  vol.  i.,  p.  287  ;  Ulloa's  "Voyage  "  ;  "  Voyaire  of  the  Astrolabt  and 
of  the  CoquilU  "  ;  Captain  Kin^;'*  "  Survey  of  Austialia,    etc 


n  of 

"41 


30  YELLOW  COLOURED   BANDS.      [chap.  i. 

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  ovules  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  o^ 
the  bands  indicates  that  of  the  currents  ;  in  the  descril 
case,  however,  the  line  was  caused  by  the  wind, 
only  other  appearance  which  I  have  to  notice,  is  a 
oily  coat  on  the  water,  which  displays  iridescent  colours, 
saw  a  considerable  tract  of  the  ocean  thus  covered  on  th~ 
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  confervas,  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  organised  bodies  are  produced  in  certain 
favourable  places,  and  are  thence  removed  by  the  set  of 
either  wind  or  water.  I  confess,  however,  there  is  a  very 
great  difficulty  in  imagining  any  one  spot  to  be  the  birth- 
place 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. 


n 


1833. 1  31 

CHAPTER   11. 

RIO  DE  janf:iro. 

Rio  de  Janeiro — Excursion  north  of  Cape  Frio — Great  Evapora- 
tion —  Slavery  —  Botofogfo  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 — Gregarious  Spider — Spider  with  an  unsym- 
metrical  Web. 

April  Afth  to  July  c^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  ^th. — 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  midday 
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  Marlca.  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  notorlou.9 
from  having  been,  for  a  long  tmie,  the  residence  of  some 
runaway  slaves,  who,  by  cultivating  a  little  ground  near 
the  top  contrived  to  eke  out  a  subsistence.  At  lengtli 
they  were  discovered,  and  a  party  of  soldiers  being  sent, 
the  whole  were  seized,  with  the  exception  of  one  old  woman, 


32  A  WAYSIDE   INN.  [chAp? 

who,  sooner  than  again  be  led  into  slavery,  dashed  hen 
to  pieces  from  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  In  a  Romai 
matron  this  would  have  been  called  the  noble  love  o 
freedom  :  in  a  poor  negress  it  is  mere  brutal  obstinacy 
We  continued  riding  for  some  hours.  For  the  few  las' 
miles  the  road  was  intricate,  and  it  passed  through  £ 
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  ^th, — We  left  our  miserable  sleeping-place  before 
sunrise.  The  road  passed  through  a  narrow  sandy  plain, 
lying  between  the  sea  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  Mandetiba ;  the 
thermometer  in  the  shade  being  84'.  The  beautiful  view 
of  the  distant  wooded  hills,  reflected  in  the  perfectly  calm 
water  of  an  extensive  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  bedrooms  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  vinda  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  senh6r  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 

*  V^nda,  the  Portuguese  name  for  an  inn. 


1832.]  MANNERS   OF  THE    HOST.  3j 

Providence  for  having  guided  us  to  so  good  a  man.  The 
conversation  proceeding,  the  case  universally  became 
deplorable.  "Any  fish  can  you  do  us  the  favour  of 
giving  ?"—"  Oh,  no,  sir."  "Any  soup  ?  "— "  No,  sir." 
"Any  bread  ?  "— "  Oh,  no,  sir."  "Any  dried  meat  ?  "— *'Oh, 
no,  sir."  If  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 
unsatisfactory  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  accom- 
modation 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  v^nda,  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." 

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  Limnaea  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  ampullarlae,  living  together  in  brackish  water. 
I  also  frequently  observed  in  the  lagoon  near  the  Botanic 
Garden,  where  Ihe  water  is  only  a  little  less  salt  than  in 
the  sea,  a  species  of  hydrophilus,  very  similar  to  a  water-beetle 

•  "  Annal«»K  des  Sciences  Naturclles  "  ff>r  iR-t^. 


34  BATS  AND   HORSES.  [chap. 

common   in  the  ditches   of    England :    in   the   same   lal 
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 
volcanoes  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  breeci. 
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  after- 
wards produces.  The  whole  circumstance  has  lately  been 
doubted  in  England  ;  I  was  therefore  fortunate  in  being 
present  when  one  {Desmodus  (Torbignyi,  Wat.)  was  actually 
caught  on  a  horse's  back.  We  were  bivouacking  late  one 
evening  near  Coquimbo,  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  after- 
wards we  rode  the  horse  without  any  ill  efi'ects. 

April  i-Tfth. — After  three  days'  travelling  we  arrived  at 
Soclgo,  the  estate  of  Senhdr  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  con- 
trasted 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  a  rude  kind  of 
quadrangle  ;    in  the  centre  of  which  a  large  pile  of  coffee 


1832.]  SOME   NATIVE   PLANTS.  35 

was  drying.  These  buildings  stand  on  a  little  hill,  over- 
looking 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  likewise  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  feijad,  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  rooms  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 


36  EFFECTS   OF   SLAVERY.  [chap.' 

the  labour  of  two  days  is  sufficient  to  support  a  man 
his  family  for  the  whole  week. 

April  i^th. — Leaving  Socego,  we  rode  to  another  est 
on  the  Rio  Mac^e,  which  was  the  last  patch  of  cultivatec 
ground  in  that  direction.  The  estate  was  two  and  a  hal 
miles  long,  and  the  owner  had  forgotten  how  many  broad 
Only  a  very  small  piece  had  been  cleared,  yet  almost  ever) 
acre  was  capable  of  yielding  all  the  various  rich  productions 
of  a  tropical  land.  Considering  the  enormous  area  oJ 
Brazil,  the  proportion  of  cultivated  ground  can  scarcely  be 
considered  as  anything,  compared  to  that  which  is  left  in 
the  state  of  nature  :  at  some  future  age,  how  vast  a  popula- 
tion it  will  support !  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  abounded  with  beautiful  objects ;  among  which 
the  tree  ferns,  though  not  large,  were,  from  their  bright 
green  foliage,  and  the  elegant  curvature  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  of  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  together  for  many  years,  even  occurred  to 
the  owner.  Yet  I  will  pledge  myself,  that  in  humanity  and 
good  feeling  he  was  superior  to  the  common  run  of  men. 
It  may  be  said  there  exists  no  limit  to  the  blindness  ol 
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, 


1832.J  THE   CABBAGE   PALM.  37 

'  who  was  uncommonly  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  i^th. — In  returning  we  spent  two  days  at  Socage, 
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.  Senhdr 
Manuel  was  then  making  a  canoe  70  feet  in  length  from  a 
solid  trunk,  which  had  originally  been  1 10  feet  long,  and  of 
great  thickness.  The  contrast  of  palm  trees,  growing 
amidst  the  common  branching  kinds,  never  fails  to  give  the 
scene  an  Intertropical  character.  Here  the  woods  were 
ornamented  by  the  Cabbage  Palm — one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  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  the  world  of  foliage  above,  to  the  ground 
beneath,  It  was  attracted  by  the  extreme  elegance  of  the 
leaves  of  the  ferns  and  mimosa2.  The  latter,  in  some  parts, 
covered  the  surface  with  a  brushwood  only  a  few  inches 
high.  In  walking  across  these  thick  beds  of  mimosae,  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  i^th. — Leaving  Soc6go,  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 
'  ntn  the  coast.     I  noticed  that  each  time  the  horse  put  Its 


se  was  ¥ 


38  A  ROUGH   ROAD.  [chap. 

foot  on  the  fine  siliceous  sand,  a  gentle  chirping  noise 
produced.  On  the  third  day  we  took  a  different  line,  and 
passed  through  the  gay  little  village  of  Madre  de  Deds. 
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  has  been  spilled.  On  the 
evening  of  the  23rd  we  arrived  at  Rio,  having  finished  our 
pleasant  little  excursion. 


I 


li 


During  the  remainder  of  my  stay  at  Rio,  I  resided  in 
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  advantagi 
by  always  having  something  to  attract  his  attentio 
but  in  these  fertile  climates,  teeming  with  life,  t 
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  terrestrial 


1832.]  A   CURIOUS   EXPERIMENT.  39 

Planariae  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  paren- 
chymatous 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  Planariaj ;  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  Planariae  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  may  be  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. 
1  have  seen  a  number  of  little  boys  practising  this  art  as  a 
game  of  play,  and  from  their  SKill  in  hitting   an   upright 

*  I  have  described  and  named  thf!«e  ipecics  in  the  "AnnaU  of  Natursi 
Hiatory,"  vol.  xiv.,  p.  041. 


40  SCENERY  AT  BOTOFOGO.        [chap.-^ 

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  ex- 
tremity 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.  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  2300  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  delightfiil.  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 


1832.]  FROGS   AND   FIREFLIES.  41 

hours,  1.6  inches  of  rain  fell.  As  this  storm  passed  over 
the  forests  which  surround  the  Corcovado,  the  sound  pro- 
duced 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  performers  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  cicadas  and  crickets,  at 
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  diffierent  kinds  of  glowworms,  shining  elaters,  and 
various  marine  animals  (such  as  the  Crustacea,  medusas, 
nereidae,  a  coralline  of  the  genus  Clytia  and  Pyrosoma), 
which  I  have  observed,  the  light  has  been  of  a  well-marked 
green  colour.  All  the  fireflies  which  I  caught  here  be- 
longed to  the  LampyridcB  (in  which  family  the  English 
glowworm  is  included),  and  the  greater  number  of  specimens 
were  of  Lampyris  occidentalis.'^  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  wajj 
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  scintilla- 
tion, whilst  the  uninjured  parts  were  obscured.  When  the 
insect  was  decapitated,  the  rings  remained  uninterruptedly 

*  I  am  greatly  indebted   to  Mr.  Waterhouse  for  his  kindness  in  naminK 
tor   me    this    and    many    other    insects,    and    in    giving    me    much    valuabU 
2   assistance. 


n  witn 


4a  OTHER  LUMINOUS   INSECTS,    [chap, 

bright,  but  not  so  brilliant  as  before  :  local  irritation 
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  obse.rved,  that  every  now  and  then  tl 
extremity  of  the  tail  was  applied  to  the  mouth,  and  a  drc 
of  fluid  exuded  on  the  meat,  which  was  then  in  the 
of  being  consumed.  The  tail,  notwithstanding  so  mud 
practice,  does  not  seem  to  be  able  to  find  its  way  to  the 
mouth ;  at  least  the  neck  was  always  touched  first,  anj 
apparently  as  a  guide. 

When  we  were  at  Bahia,  an  elater  or  beetle  {Pyrophc 
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  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 

*  Kirby's  "  Entomology,"  vol.  u.,  p.  317. 


iva, 
iata 

i 

ucl^ 
the 


1832.]  A  TROPICAL  ATMOSPHERE.  43 

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  con- 
traction, without  the  aid  of  some  mechanical  contrivance. 

On  several  occasions  I  enjoyed  some  short  but  most 
pleasant  excursions  in  the  neighbouring  country.  One  day 
I  went  to  the  Botanic  Garden,  where  many  plants,  well 
known  for  their  great  utility,  might  be  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  vegetation,  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  gray,  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  topsail  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 


44  HUMMING   BIRDS.  [chap. 

streamlets  of  clear  water.  Sitting  down  on  a  block 
granite,  it  was  delightful  to  watch  the  various  insects  anc 
birds  as  they  flew  past.  The  humming-bird  seems  particu- 
larly 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  height  of  five  or  six  hundred  feet,  one  of  those  splendid 
views  was  presented,  which  are  so  common  on  every  side 
of  Rio.  At  this  elevation  the  landscape  attains  its  most 
brilliant  tint;  ^nd  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  feelings.  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  fewer  numbers  than  in  our  own  temperate 
regions.  I  was  much  surprised  at  the  habits  of  Papilio 
\feronia.     This  butterfly  is   not  uncommon,    and  generally 


1832.J  BUTTERFLIES   AND    BEETLES.  45 

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,  similar  to  that  produced  by  a  toothed  wheel 
passing  under  a  spring  catch.  The  noise  was  continued  at 
short  intervals,  and  could  be  distinguished  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,  t  The  cabinets  of  Europe  can,  as  yet, 
boast  only  of  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  CaralidcB  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  HarpalidcB  reappearing  on  the  temperate 

*  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  LangsdorlFs 
travels  (in  the  years  1803-7,  p.  74)  '■<  is  ^aid,  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. 

t  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  cauglr, 
sixty-eight  snccien  of  that  order.  Among  these,  there  were  only  two  of  tlit 
Carabin.-c,  tour  Brachclytra,  fifteen  Rhyncophora,  and  fourteen  of  th<- 
Chrysomclidac.  Thirty-seven  species  of  Arachnida:,  which  I  brouglit  homr, 
will  be  sufficient  to  prove  that  I  was  not  paying  overmuch  attention  to  the 
generally  favoured  order  of  Coleoptera. 


1 

rs  ancP 


46  MIGRATING  ANTS.  [chap. 

plains  of  La  Plata.  Do  the  very  numerous  spiders 
rapacious  Hymenoptera  supply  the  place  of  the  carnivorous 
beetles?  The  carrion-feeders  and  Brachelytra  are  very 
uncommon ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  Rhyncophora  and 
Chrysomelidce  all  of  which  depend  on  the  vegetable  world 
for  subsistence,  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  divisior. 
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  countleaH 
numbers.  One  day,  at  Bahia,  my  attention  was  drawn  t^H 
observing  many  spiders,  cockroaches,  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  reascended  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  impression,  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  neighbourhood  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 


i832.]  AN    INSECT   DUEL.  47 

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  immediately 
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.t 

The  number  of  spiders,  in  proportion  to  other  insects, 
is  here,  compared  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  characterised  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  EpeirUy  and 

•  In  a  MS.  in  the  British  Museum  by  Mr.  Abbott,  who  made  his  observa- 
tions in  Georgia;  see  Mr.  A.  Whites  paper  in  the  "Annals  of  Natural 
History,"  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. 

\  Don  Felix  Azara  (vol.  i.,  p.  175),  mentioning  a  hymenopterous  insect, 
probably  of  the  same  genus,  saysj  he  saw  it  dragging  a  dead  spider  througli 
tall  grass,  in  a  straight  line  to  its  nest,  which  wa.s  one  hundred  and  sixt)- 
three  paces  distant.  He  adds  that  the  wasp,  in  order  to  find  the  road,  every 
now  and  then  mad«  "  demi-tours  d'envirua  irois  palm«s." 


48  SPIDER  AND   WASP.  [chapTI 

is  therefore  allowed  to  prey  on  the  minute  insects,  whiclB 
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  tuherculata  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  grass- 
hopper 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 
envelopes  its  prey  in  a  case  like  the  cocoon  of  a  silkworn. 
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  with  its 
head  downwards  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  whilst  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 


1832.]  SPIDERS.  49 

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.  F6 
Bajada,  many  large  black  spiders,  with  ruby-coloured 
marks  on  their  backs,  having  gregarious  habits.  The 
webs  were  placed  vertically,  as  is  invariably  the  case 
with  the  genius  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  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,  however,  recollect  seeing  a 
central  nest  as  large  as  a  hat,  in  which,  during  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  gre- 
garious 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. 

*  Azara's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  i.,  p.  ai> 


50  [chap. 


CHAPTER   III. 

MALDONADO. 

Monte  Video — Maldonado — Excursion  to  R.  Polanco — Lazo  and 
Solas — Partridges — Absence  of  Trees — Deer — Capybara,  or 
River  Hog-  —  Tucutuco  —  Molotlirus,  cuckoo-like  habits  — 
Tyrant-flycatcher — Mocking--bird — Carrion  Hawks — Tubes 
formed  by  Lightning — House. Stiuck. 


ina 


July  ^th,  1832. — In  the  morning  we  got  under  way,  an< 
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  fur- 
rowed 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  penguin's,  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  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  26th. — We  anchored  at  Monte  Video.  The  Beagle 
was  employed  in  surveying  the  extreme  southern  and 
eastern    coasts    of  America,    south   of   the    Plata,   dui.mg 


1832.]  MALDONADO.  51 

the  two  succeeding  years.     To  prevent  useless  repetitions, 
I  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.  It  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  land- 
owners, 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  uninteresting  ; 
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  bound- 
less 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 


52  ASTONISHING  THE   NATIVES,    [chap. 


maai  1 
•  miles 


them,  I  will  give  an  account  of  a  little  excursion  I 
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  with  pistols  and  sabres  ;  a 
precaution  which  I  thought  rather  unnecessary  ;  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  ex- 
cited the  liveliest  admiration  that  I,  a  perfect  stranger, 
should  know  the  road  (for  direction  and  road  are  synony- 
mous 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. 
If  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  !  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.  Wash- 
ing my  face  in  the  morning  caused  much  speculation  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 


2.]  AMONG   THE   GAUCHOS.  '^  53 

/  neard  from  my  guide  that  we  did  so.  He  eyed  me  with 
'  much  suspicion  ;  perhaps  he  had  heard  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  guide  told  of  my  breaking- 
stones,  knowing  venomous  from  harmless  snakes,  collect- 
ing 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  rocky  mountains.  It  is  of  the  usual  symmetrical 
form ;  and  with  its  whitewashed  church  standing  in  the 
centre,  had  rather  a  pretty  appearance.  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  con- 
sequence, 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  handsome,  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  clank- 
ing 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  ex 
cessive  ;  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. 


54  POINTS   OF   ETIQUETTE.         [chap. 

On  the  third  day  we  pursued  rather  an  irregular  cours 
as  I  was  employed  in  examining  some  beds  of  marble, 
the  fine  plains  of  turf  we  saw  many  ostriches  {Struthio  rhedj^ 
Some  of  the  flocks  contained  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  con- 
versation 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  of  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  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  con- 
sisted of  hardened  mud,  and  the  windows  were  without 
glass  ;  the  sitting-room  boasted  only  of  a  few  of  the  roughest 


1832.]  THE   LAZO.  55 

chairs  and  stools,  with  a  couple  of  tables.  The  supper, 
although  several  strangers  were  present,  consisted  of  two 
huge  piles,  one  of  roast  beef,  the  other  of  boiled,  with  some 
pieces  of  pumpkin ;  beside  this  latter  there  was  no  other 
vegetable,  and  not  even  a  morsel  of  bread.  For  drinking, 
a  large  earthenware  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  vegetables.  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  compli- 
cated 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  move- 
ment 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  hftched.  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  tnem.     The  balls  are  sometimes  made  of  iron,  and 


56  HURLING  THE   BOLAS. 


.AP^ 


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  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  I  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  themselves  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 
picturesque.  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 

*  Heame's  "  Journey,"  p.  383. 


1832.]  RELICS  OF  OLD   INDIANS.  57 

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  signalise  any  event,  on  the  highest  point  of  the  neighbour- 
ing land,  seems  an  universal  passion  with  mankind.  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  Minas,  willow-trees 
are  not  uncommon.  Near  the  Arroy  Tapes  I  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  favourable  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  ap- 
parent ;  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  prob- 
ability, 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 
\cessive  degree.t     We  see  nearly  the  whole  of  Australia 

'  Maclaren,  article  America,  Kncyclop.  Britann. 

t  Azara  sayn,  "Jecroia  que  la  quantity  annuelle  dei  pluies  est,  dana  toutea 
c«a  cuntr^ea,  plua  conaid^rable  qu'en  Espagne." — Vol.  i.,  p.  36. 


lAP.  9 


58  TREES  AND   HUMIDITY.  [chap 

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  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  Guayaquil  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  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 


1832-3.]  INQUISITIVE   DEER.  59 

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  trans- 
port 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  horse- 
back, 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  ten  times  from  within  eighty 
yards  at  one  animal ;  arid  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  a  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  overpoweringly  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  overcome  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 


6o  A   LARGE   RODENT.  [chap,  ii 

perceived  the  odour.  This  appears  an  astonishing  instanc 
of  the  permanence  of  some  matter,  which  nevertheless  in  i^ 
nature  must  be  most  subtile  and  volatile.  FrequentlyT 
when  passing  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  to  leeward  of 
a  herd,  I  have  perceived  the  whole  air  tainted  with  effluvium. 
I  believe  the  smell  from  the  buck  is  most  powerful  at  the 
period  when  its  horns  are  perfect,  or  free  from  the  hairy 
skin.  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.  I  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  HydrochcBrus 
capyhara  (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,  t  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 

*  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. 

t  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 
g'rind  into  pulp  the  aquatic  plants  on  which  it  feeds. 


1832-3.]  THE   TUCUTUCO.  61 

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  this,  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  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  gregarious  :  the  man 
who  procured  the  specimens  for  me  had  caught  six  together, 
and  he  said  this  was  a  common  occurrence.  They  are 
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  easv  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  suc- 
cession :  *  the  name  Tucutuco  is  given  in  imitation  of  the 

*  At  the  R.  Neg^ro,  in  Northern  Patagonia,  there  is  an  animal  of  the  same 
habits,  and  probably  a  closely  allied  Hpecies,  but  which  I  never  saw.  Its 
noiss  is  different  from  that  of^the  Matdonado  kind  ;  it  is  repeated  only  twice 


riAP.  fjM 


62  BLINDNESS   IN   ANIMALS.        [chap. 

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  irj 
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.  Considering  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*  (probably  with  more  truth 
than  usual  with  him)  on  the  gra.dua.Uy-acgutred  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  con- 
nected 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. 

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  doubt 
concerning-  it. 

*  "  Philosoph.  Zoolog.,"  torn,  i.,  p.  242. 


1832-3.]  THE   CUCKOO.  63 

Birds  of  many  kinds  are  extremely  abundant  on  the  un- 
dulating 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  remark- 
able 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  smg,  or  rather  to  hiss  ;  the  noise  being  very 
peculiar,  resembling  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  ^%^  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  bein^  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  :  the  molothrus,  like 
our  starling,  is  eminently  sociable,  and  lives  on  the  open 
plains  without  art  or  disguise  :  the  cuckoo,  as  every  onr 
knows,  Is  a  singularly  shy  bird ;  it  frequents  the  most 
retired  thickets,  and  feeds  on  fruit  and  caterpillars.  In 
structure  also  these  two  genera  are  widely  removed  from 

"  "  Magrazinc  of  Zoolog^y  and  Botany,"  vol.  i.,  p.  917. 


64  THli   CUCKOO.  [cHAPTm. 

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.  Provost  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  depositing  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  ot  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 

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


1832-3.]  THE   CALANDRIA.  65 

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  con- 
tinually repeats  without  change  a  shrill  and  rather  agree- 
able 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  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.  Pata- 
gonica  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  cir- 
cumstance, 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  procured  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,  tameness,  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,  tne  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 


m 

es,  anff 


66  CARRION   HAWKS.  [chap. 

well  supply  the  place  of  our  carrion-crows,  magpies, 
ravens  ;  a  tribe  of  birds  widely  distributed  over  the  rest  of 
the  world,  but  entirely  absent  in  South  America.  To  begin 
with  the  Polyhorus  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  branch  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  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  dis- 
gusting 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,  necrophagous  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  recognised  by  every  one  who 


1832-3.]  THE  CARRANCHA.  67 

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.  After  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, 
grasshoppers,  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  considerable 
ingenuity. 

The  Polyhorus  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  Polyhorus  Novce  Zelandi<B, 
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  extra- 
ordinarily tame  and  fearless,  and  haunt  the  neighbourhood 
of  houses  for  oflal.  If  a  hunting  party  kills  an  animal,  a 
number  soon  collect  and  patiently  await,  standing  on  the 


HAP.H 


68  A   PECULIAR   BIRD.  [chap. 

ground  on  all  sides.  After  eating,  their  uncovered  crawS 
are  largely  protruded,  giving  them  a  disgusting  appearance. 
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  boldness  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  comes  out.  They  were  constantly  flying  on  board 
the  vessel  when  in  the  harbour  ;  and  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  a  good  lookout  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,  quarrel- 
some 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  there  heads  upwards  and  backwards, 
after  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)y  and  the  Gallinazo.  The  former  is  found  wherever 
the  country  is  moderately  damp,  from  Cape  Horn  to  North 
America.     Differently  from  the   Polyhorus  Brasilensis  and 


JS32-3.J  THE   GALL1NA20.  69 

Chimango,  it  has  found  its  way  to  the  Falkland  Islands. 
The  turkey-buzzard  is  a  solitary  bird,  or  at  most  pfoes  in 
pairs.  It  may  at  once  be  recognised  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  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  oi 
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-teeders,  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 


70  SAND  TUBES  FORMED  BY  LIGHTNING,  [chap.  iii. 

every  particular  those  from  Drigg  in  Cumberland,  described 
in  the  *  *  Geological  Transactions. "  The  sand-hillocks  of 
Maldonado,  not  being  protected  by  vegetation,  are  con- 
stantly changing  their  position.  From  this  cause  the 
tubes  projected  above  the  surface ;  and  numerous  frag- 
ments 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  blow- 
pipe. The  sand  is  entirely,  or  in  greater  part,  siliceous ; 
but  some  points  are  of  a  black  colour,  and  from  their 
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  occasionally  even  equals  a 
tenth.  On  the  outside  the  grains  of  sand  are  rounded, 
and  have  a  slightly  glazed  appearance  :  I  could  not  dis- 
tinguish any  signs  of  crystallisation.  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  circum- 
ference 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  vised),  must  have  been  about  one  inch  and  a  quarter. 

*  "  Geologic.il  Transactions,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  528.  In  the  "Philosophical 
Transactions"  (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. 


1832-3.]  SAND  TUBES  FORMED  BY  LIGHTNING.   71 

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 
extraordinary  refractory  as  quartz  ! 

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.  Fromlthis  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-nillocks, 
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  well  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  are  produced  by  successive 
distinct     shocks,    we     must    believe     that    the    lightning, 

*  "  Annales  de  Chimie  et  de  Physique,"  torn,  xxxvii.,  p.  319. 


»AP.  -^M 


72  ELECTRIC   PHENOMENA.         [chap, 

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  of  minute  holes.  A  part  of 
the  wall  was  shattered  as  if  by  gunpowder,  and  the  frag- 
ments 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  volatilised,  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. 

*  Azara's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  L,  p.  36. 


1833.]  73 

CHAPTER   IV. 

RIO    NEGRO   TO   BAHIA   BLANCA. 

Rio  Negro — Estancias  attacked  by  the  Indians — Salt  Lakes — 
Flamingoes — 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  2^th,  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  civilised  man. 

The  country  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  wretched  In 
the  extreme  ;  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  in- 
variably brackish.  The  vegetation  is  scanty  ;  and  although 
there  are  bushes  of  many  kinds,  all  are  armed  with  formid- 
able 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 

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


74  ESTANCIAS  ATTACKED   BY  INDIANS,  [chap.  iv. 

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  dis- 
ciplined. They  first  appeared  in  two  bodies  on  a  neighbour- 
ing 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  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 


1833.]  SALT  LAKES.  75 

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  im- 
morality. 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  times  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  ot" 
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  sail 
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  considered  it  as  fifty  per  cent,  less 
valuable.  Hence  the  Cape  de  Verd  salt  is  constantly  im- 
ported, and  is  mixed  with  that  from  these  salinas.  The 
*  The  bovelt  of  the  Indians  are  thus  called. 


76  BORDERS   OF  SALINAS.  [chap.  iv. 

purity  of  the  Patagonian  salt,  or  absence  from  it  of  those 
other  saline  bodies  found  in  all  sea-water,  is  the  only  assign- 
able cause  for  this  inferiority  ;  a  conclusion  which  no  one, 
I  think,  would  have  suspected,  but  which  is  supported  by 
the  fact  lately  ascertained,*  that  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  embedded ;  whilst  on  the  surface 
others  of  sulphate  of  soda  He  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  confervae  :  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  these  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  cnis- 
taceous  animal  {Cancer  salinus)  is  saidt  to  live  in  countless 

*  Report  of  the  Agricult.  Chem.  Assoc,  in  the  "  Agricult.  Gazette,"  1845,  p.  93. 

t  "Linnean  Trans.,"  vol.  xi.,  p.  205.  It  is  remarkable  how  all  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  tlie  salt-lakes  in  Siberia  and  Patag:oma  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  8!h<»r''(jn    salt-lakes    are  inhabited  by  small    crustaceous  animalii ;    and 


1833.]       RIO    NEGRO   TO    RIO   COLORADO.  77 

numbers  in  the  brine-pans  at  Lymington  ;  but  only  in  those 
in  which  the  fluid  has  attained,  from  evaporation,  consider- 
able 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  snow — all  support  organic  beings. 

To  the  northward  of  the  Rio  Negro,  between  it  and  the 
inhabited  country  near  Buenos  Ayres,  the  Spaniards  have 
only  one  small  settlement,  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  the 
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  postd)^  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  proceed- 
ing 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 

flamingoes  ("  Edin.  New  Philos.  Jour.,"  Jan.  1830)  likewise  trcquent  them.  Aa 
these  circumstances,  apparently  so  trifling:,  occur  in  two  distant  continents 
we  may  feci  sure  that  they  arc  the  necessary  results  of  common  causes.— Sco 
Pallas ■  "Travels,"  1793  to  1794,  pp.  129-134. 


78  THE  ALTAR   OF   WALLEECHU.     [chap.  iv. 

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. 

Shortly  after  passing  the  first  spring  we  came  in  sight 
of  a  famous  tree,  which  the  Indians  reverence  as  the  altar 
ofWalleechu.  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  ;  after- 
wards 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 
of  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  mat^  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  surrounded  by  the  bleached  bones  of 
horses  which  had  been  slaughtered  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  landmark  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, 


1833.]  THE  AGOUTI.  79 

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 
tlie  night ;  at  this  instant  an  unfortunate  cow  was  espied 
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  Patagonicai)  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 
shot  by  Captain  Wood  in  one  day  at  Port  Desire,  that  they 


m 

hapTH 
ormefly 


fio         Ix\   THE    COLORADO    COUNTRY.        [chap. 

must  have  been  considerably  more  abundant  there  forme 
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  same  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  appearance  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  surprising  ;  I  have  been 
assured  that  an  unloaded  horse  can  travel  a  hundred  miles 
a  day  for  many  days  successively. 

The  encampment  of  General  Rosas  was  close  to  the 
river.  It  consisted  of  a  square  formed  by  waggons,  artillery, 
straw  huts,  etc.  The  soldiers  w6re  nearly  all  cavalry  ;  and 
I  should  think  such  a  villainous,  banditti-like  army  "W^as 
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 


1833.]  INDIAN   FAMILIES.  81 

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  recommendation  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  graciousness.  We  took  up  our  residence  in  the 
ranchoy  or  hovel,  of  a  curious  old  Spaniard,  who  had  served 
with  Napoleon  in  the  expedition  againgt  Russia. 

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  over- 
flowed 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  civilization.  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, 

*  I  am  bound  to  express,  in  the  strongest  terms,  my  obligation  to  the 
Government  of  Buenos  Ayres  for  the  obligingf  manner  m  which  passports 
to  aJl  parts  of  the  country  wer«  ipivcn  me,  as  oaturallat  of  the  BtagU. 


82  GENERAL  ROSAS. 

which  roams  free  over  the  plain.  In  fighting,  his  fii 
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  of  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  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 

*  This  prophecy  has  turned  out  entirely  and  miserably  wrongr.     1845. 


i833.]  GENERAL   ROSAS.  83 

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  accomplish- 
ment of  no  small  consequence  in  the  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,  without  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  accord- 
ingly elected ;  and  doubtless  made  a  fit  general  for  such 
an  army.  This  extraordinary  feat  has  also  been  performed 
by  Rosas. 

Bv  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  doubt- 
less 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  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 
'ire  driven  into  the  ground,  and  the  man  is  extended  by  hi'? 

ins  and  legs  horizontally,  and  there   left  to  stretch  foi 


e  usual 


84  IN   THE   COLORADO   VALLEY,     [chap. 

several  hours.  The  idea  is  evidently  taken  from  the 
method  of  drying  hides.  My  interview  passed  away  without 
a  smile,  and  I  obtained  a  passport  and  order  for  the  govern- 
ment 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  the  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  their  nakedness.  This  change  in  the 
vegetation  marks  the  commencement  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  depres- 
sions and  elevations  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 


1833]  A   NEGRO   LIEUTENANT.  85 

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  ©ctuary,  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  his  credit  be  it  said,  there  was 
not  a  rancho  between  the  Colorado  and  Buenos  Ayres  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,  how- 
ever, 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. 


villa^i 


86  ATTACKED   BY   INDIANS.        [chap. 

Bahia  Blanca  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a 
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  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  ol  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  armadilloes,  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  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,  hy  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 


1833.]  SALT  LANDS.  87 

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  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  intoler- 
ably 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  sun,  yet  the  thirst  rendered  me  very  weak. 
How  people  survive  two  or  three  days  under  such  circum- 
stances, 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  trouble- 
some to  me. 

I  have  several  times  alluded  to  the  surface  of  the  ground 
being  incrusted  with  salt.  This  phenomenon  is  quite 
different  from  that  of  the  salinas,  and  more  extraordinary. 
In  many  parts  of  South  America,  wherever  the  climate  is 
moderately  dry,  these  incrustations  occur  ;  but  I  have  no- 
where 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  above  the 
level    of   the  sea,    or    on    alluvial   land   bordering    rivers. 


ftp.  \H 


SS  AN   ADVENTURE.  [ch^p. 

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  circum- 
stance 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  phenomenon  Is  well  worthy  the  attention  of 
naturalists.  Have  the  succulent,  salt-loving  plants,  which 
are  well  known  to  contain  much  soda,  the  power  of  decom- 
posing 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?)  **  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, 

*  Voyage  dans  rAmerique  Mend.,  par  M.  A.  d'Orbigny.  Part.  Hist., 
tom.  i.,  p.  66< 


1833.]  THE   SKUNK.  89 

and  knees  to  reconnoitre.  He  remained  in  this  position 
for  some  time,  and  at  last,  bursting  out  in  laughter,  ex- 
claimed, "  Mugeres  !  "  (women  !)  He  knew  them  to  be  the 
wife  and  sister-in-law  of  the  major's  son,  hunting  for 
ostriches'  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-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  searching  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  midsl 
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 
do^  nor  man.  If  a  dog  is  urged  to  the  attack,  its  courage 
is  mstantly  checked  by  a  few  drops  of  the  fetid  oil,  which 
brings  on  violent  sickness  and  running  at  the  nose.  What- 
ever is  once  polluted  by  it,  is  for  ever  useless.     Azara  say^ 


90  GEOLOGY.  [chap.  v. 

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  Quadru- 
peds —  Recent  Extinction  —  Longevity  of  Species  —  Large 
Animals  do  not  require  a  Luxuriant  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  hei"e  on  the  24th  of  August,  and  a  week 
afterwards  sailed  for  the  Plata.  With  Captain  Fitz  Roy's 
consent  I  was  left  behind,  to  travel  by  land  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. 

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 


1833.]  EXTINCT  ANIMALS.  9^ 

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  bther  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,  an  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  Pachydennata :  judging  from  the  position  of  its  eyes, 
ears,  and  nostrils,  it  was  probably  aquatic,  like  the  Dugong 
a,nd  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  ! 

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  thi 
Pampas,  in  which  these  remains  were  embedded,  contains, 
according  to  Professor  Ehrenberg,  eight  fresh-water  and 
one  salt-water  infusorial  animalcule  ;  therefore,  probably, 
it  was  an  estuary  deposit. 

The  remains  at  Punta  Alta  were  embedded  in  strati fiedL 


92  EXTINCT  ANIMALS.  [chap.  v. 

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  proportional  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  entombed  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  ot 
Its  legs,  we  may  feel  assured  that  these  remains  were  fresh 
and  united  by  tneir  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  Owen  t  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 

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

t  This  theory  was  first  developed  in   the  "  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the 
BeaglCf"  and  subsequently  in  Professor  Owen's  "  Memoir  on  Mylodon  robustus." 


:333.J  ANCIENT  VEGETATION.  93 

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  encumbrance ;  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  !  The 
Mylodon,  moreover,  was  furnished  with  a  long  extensile 
tongue  like  that  of  the  giraffe,  which,  by  one  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  vegeta- 
tion 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.  Never- 
theless, from  the  following  considerations,  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 


94  VEGETATION   IN  AFRICA.  [chap.  v. 

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  Capri- 
corn, 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  convey  any  accurate  idea  of  degrees  of  com- 
parative 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  quantity  on  an  equal 
area,  in  the  interior  parts  of  Southern  Africa.  The  fact 
that  bullock-waggons  can  travel  in  any  direction,  except- 
ing 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  inhabiting  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. 

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


r833.]  LARGE   QUADRUPEDS.  95 

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  wander- 
ing 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  elephant  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  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  o! 
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  i- 
supplied  by  a  fresh  stock.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  ho\\ 
ever,  that  our  ideas  respecting  the  apparent  amount  ot 
food  necessary  for  the  support  of  large  quadrupeds  arc 
nuich  exaggerated;  it  should  have  been  remembered  that 


96  HERBIVOROUS   QUADRUPEDS.      [chap.  v. 

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  vegeta- 
tion must  necessarily  be  luxuriant,  is  the  more  remark- 
able, 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,  together 
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,  t  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  vicupa,  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,  I  that  among  the  mammalia  there  exists 
no  close  relation  between  the  hulk  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 

*  "  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  South  Africa,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  207. 

t  The  elephant  which  was  killed  at  Exeter  Change  was  estimated  (being 
partly  weighed)  at  five  tons  and  a  half.  The  elephant  actress,  as  1  was  in- 
formed, weighed  one  ton  less  ;  so  that  we  may  take  five  as  the  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. 

X  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  carcass 
so  gigantic  being  supported  on  the  minute  Crustacea  and  mollusca  living  in 
the  frozen  seas  of  the  extreme  North  ? 


i833-]        PROPORTIONATE  VEGETATION.  97 

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  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 
accumulated  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  preserved.  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  >forthern 
Europe  and  Asia,  have  lived  on  the  spots  where  their 
remams  are  now  found.  I  do  not  here  speak  of  the  hind 
of  vegetation  necessary  for  their  support ;  because,  las  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 

*  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  tha 
coast.  ' 

t  See  Humboldt,  "  Fragmens  Asiatjques,"  p.  386;  Barton's  "Geography  of 
Plants";   and   Malte   Brun.     In   the   latter  work  it  is  said   that   the  limit  oC 
15   the  growth  of  trees  in  Siberia  may  be  drawn  under  the  parallel  of  70*. 


9?     THE   SOUTH  AMERICAN    OSTRICH,     [chap.  v. 

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)  even  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  interesting  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  appears  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 


1833.]     THE   SOUTH   AMERICAN   OSTRICH.  99 

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  countr)^ 
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  contained  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  dangerous,  and  that  they  have  been  known  to 
attack  a  man  on  horseback,  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  re- 
marks, "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.  1  may  add,  also,  that 
It  is  believed  in  Africa,  that  two  or  more  females  lay  in  on<.' 

*  Sturt'*  "  Travel*,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  74. 

t  A  Gaucho  aaiiured  me  that  he  had  once  keen  a  aaoW'Wbitc  or  albino  variety 
tad  that  it  waa  a  most  beautiful  bird. 


loo  OSTRICH  HABITS.  [chap.  v. 

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  extra- 
ordinarily great  in  proportion  to  the  parent  birds,  and  like- 
wise 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  t  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  could  not  sit,  from  not  having  finished  laying.  |  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  the  huachos,  although  often  found  addled 
and  putrid,  are  generally  whole. 

When   at    the    Rio    Negro    in    Northern    Patagonia,    I 

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

t  Azara,  vol.  iv.,  p.  173. 
_  {  Lichtenstein,  however,  asserts  ("Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  25)  that  the  hens  begrin 
sitting:  when  they  have  laid  ten  or  twelve  egrgs  ;  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 
aig:ht 


t833.]  the  AVESTRUZ   PETISE.  ioi 

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 
chese  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  de- 

Eosited  them.  At  Santa  Cruz  we  saw  several  of  these 
irds.  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 


102  THE  TINOCHORUS.  [chap.  v. 

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  exertions  to  procure  this  bird,  but  never  had  the  good 
fortune  to  succeed.  Dobrizhoffer  t  long  ago  was  aware  of 
there  being  two  kinds  of  ostriches ;  he  says,  *  *  You  must 
know,  moreover,  that  emus  differ  in  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  gray  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  tinochorus  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,  recall  the  idea  of  a  snipe.  The  sportsmen 
of  the  Beagle  unanimously  called  it  the  short-billed  snipe. 

*  When  at  the  Rio  Negro,  we  heard  much  of  the  indefatigable  labours 
of  this  aaturalist.  M.  Alcide  d'Orbig-ny,  during  the  years  1825  to  1833, 
traversed  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. 

t   "  Account  of  the  Abipones,"  a.d.  1749,  vol.  i.  (English  translation),  p.  314. 


1833.]  OVEN   BIRDS.  103 

To  this  genus,  or  rather  to  the  family  of  the  Waders,  its 
skeleton  sKows  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  snovi^-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  relations  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  Fumarius  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-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  of  mud  and  bits 
of  straw,  and  has  strong  thick  walls  :  in  shape  it  precisely 
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  Fumaritcs  {F.  cuntcularius), 
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 
iK^st  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 

iicceeded  m  getting  to  the  end  of  the  passage.     The  bird 

iiooses  any  low  bank  of  firm  sandy  soil  by  the  side  of  a 


104  ARMADILLOS.  [chap.  v. 

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  armadillos  three  species 
occur,  namely,  the  Dasyptis  tninuttis  or  pichy^  the  D.  villosvs 
or  peludOf  and  the  apar.  The  first  extends  ten  degrees 
further  south  than  any  other  kind  :  a  fourth  species,  the 
Mulita^  does  not  come  as  far  south  as  Bahia  Blanca. 
The  four  species  have  nearly  similar  habits ;  the  peludOy 
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  off"ers  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,  are  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  perceived,  it  was  necessary,  in  order  to  catch  it, 
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  TrigonO" 


1833.]  A  HIDEOUS   SNAKE.  105 

cephaltis,  or  Cophtas),  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  struc- 
ture 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  termin- 
ated in  a  triangular  projection.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw 
anything  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  obtam  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  vermiHon,  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 
Diaholicus,  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  crawls  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 


io6  HIBERNATING  ANIMALS.  [chap.  v. 

reptiles  possess  great  powers  of  cutaneous  absorption.  At 
Maldonado,  1  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  {Procto- 
tretus  multimaculatus)  remarkable  from  its  habits.  It  lives 
on  the  bare  sand  near  the  sea  coast,  and  from  its  mottled 
colour,  the  brownish  scales  being  speclded  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  hibernation  of 
animals  in  this  part  of  South  America.  When  we  first 
arrived  at  Bahia  Blanca,  September  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  15th,  a  few  animals  began  to 
appear,  and  by  the  i8th  (three  days  from  the  equinox),  every- 
thing announced  the  commencement  of  spring.  The  plains 
were  ornamented  by  the  flowers  of  a  pink  wood-sorrel,  wild 
peas,  Oenotheras,  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  observa- 
tions 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  of  July  and  the  19th  of 
August,  the  mean  temperature  from  276  observations  was 


IS33-]  HIBERNATING   ANIMALS.  107 

58.4° ;  the  mean  hottest  day  being  65.5°,  and  the  coldest  46°. 
The  lowest  point  to  which  the  thermometer  fell  was  41.5°, 
and  occasionally  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  seen 
that  at  Bahia  Blanca,  which  is  four  degrees  southward, 
and  therefore  with  a  climate  only  a  very  little  colder,  this 
same  temperature  with  a  rather  less  extreme  heat,  was 
sufficient  to  awake  all  orders  of  animated  beings.  This 
shows  how  nicely  the  stimulus  required  to  arouse  hibernat- 
ing 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  hibernation,  or  more  properly  sestivation,  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 
have  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  mud.  He  adds, 
"The  Indians  often  find  enormous  boas,  which  they  call 
uji,  or  water-serpents,  in  the  same  lethargic  state.  To 
reanimate  them  they  must  be  irritated  or  wetted  with 
water. " 

I  will  only  mention  one  other  animal,  a  zoophyte  (I 
believe  Virgularia  Patagonica\  a  kind  of  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  feet.  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, 
liie  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  zoopliyte  is  enabled  to  rise 
again  through  the  mud.      Each  polypus,  though  closely 


io8  AN   OLD  TALE   EXPLAINED.       [chap.  v. 

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  move- 
ment ;  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  discover  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  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  transfonhed  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 

*  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,  irreg^ular  grains,  aggregated  together  into  par- 
ticles 01  various  sizes.  All  such  particles,  and  the  separate  grains,  possessed 
the  power  of  rapid  movement ;  generally  revolving  around  different  axes, 
but  sometimes  pro^rressive.  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  occasions,  when  dissecting  small 
marine  animals  beneath  the  microscope,  I  have  seen  particles  of  pulpy  matter, 
some  of  lar^e  size,  as  soon  as  they  were  disengaged,  commence  revolving. 
I  have  imagined,  I  know  not  with  now  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. 

t  Kerr's  "Collection  of  Voyages,"  vol.  viii.,  p.  119. 


1833.-]  INDIAN   STORIES.  109 

of  Commandant  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,  vinopue  sepultus 
Cervicem  inflexam  posuit,  jacuitque  per  antrum 
Immensus,  saniem  eructans,  ac  f»-usta  cruenta 
Per  somnum  commixta  mero. 

In  the  morning  they  started  for  the  scene  of  the  murder, 
v/ith  orders  to  follow  the  "rastro,"  or  track,  even  if  it 
led  them  to  Chile.  We  subsequently  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  independent?  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 


no  INDIAN   STORIES.  fcH/CP.  v. 

account  of  the  last  engagement  at  which  he  was  present. 
Some  Indians,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners,  gave  informa- 
tion 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  mountainous  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?  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  : 


1S33.]  INDIAN   STORIES.  iii 

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  informa- 
tion ;  and  to  extort  this  they  were  placed  in  a  line.  The 
two  first  being  questioned,  answered,  "No  s6  "  (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  !  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  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,  between  the  Indians,  extends 
from  the  Cordillera  to  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic. 

General  Rosas's  plah  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 
re  fighting  with  Rosas.     The  general,  however,  like  Lord 

hesterfield,  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 
(  ompletely  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 


112  AN   INDIAN    MAZEPPA.  [chaK  v. 

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  in- 
habitants. 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  exterminated,  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  headquarters  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  or  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  little  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  ! 

*  Purchas's  "Collection  of  Voyages."     I  beUeve  the  date  was  really  tS37' 


1833.]     BAHIA  BLANCA  TO   BUENOS  AYRES.      113 

I  saw  one  day  a  soldier  striking  fire  with  a  piece  of 
flint,  which  I  immediately  recognised  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  Enclosures  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  Sth. — 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  uninhabited  country.  We  started 
early  in  the  morning  ;  ascending  a  few  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, 

*  Azara  has  even  duubted  whether  the  Pampas  Indiant  ever  uatd  bow*. 


^ 


114  THE   RIO   SAUCE.  [chap, 

without  a  single  bush  or  tree  to  break  the  monotono" 
uniformity.  The  weather  was  fine,  but  the  atmosphere 
remarkably  hazy ;  I  thought  the  appearance  foreboded  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  doubt  that  this  is  the  case  ; 
for  the  Gauchos  assured  me,  that  in  the  middle  of  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  ascer- 
tained 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.  Probably  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  3340  feet — an  altitude  ver}^ 
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  Blanca  knew  anything  about  it.  Hence  we  heard 
of  beds  of  coal,  of  gold  and  silver,  of  caves,  and  of  forests, 


1833.]  SIERRA   DE   LA  VENTANA.  115 

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  mdtmtain  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  with- 
out 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 
fri-ible  calcareous  stone  and  loose  detritus.  I  do  not  think 
Nature  ever  made  a  more  solitary,  desolate  pile  of  rock ; — 
it  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-gray  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  circumstances  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  settle- 
ment, 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  in- 
sensibly sloped  up  to  a  height  of  between  800  and  900  feet 
above  the  sea.  In  the  morning  (9th  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. 
Irhe  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 

*  1  call  these  thistle-stalks  for  the  w  ■m  f  correct  name.     1   believe 

^  a  apecien  of  Erj-nKium. 


n6  A  DISAPPOINTING   MOUNTAIN,    [ch 

the  ridge,  my  disappointment  was  extreme  in  finding! 
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  pro- 
ceeded 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  on  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  have  already  said  the  mountain  is  composed  of  white 
quartz  rock,  and  with  it  a  little  glossy  clay-slate  is  associ- 
ated. At  the  height  of  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  plain, 
patches  of  conglomerate  adhered  in  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,  at  a  period  when  the  great 
calcareous  formation  was  depositing  beneath  the  surround- 
ing sea.  We  may  believe  that  the  jagged  and  battered 
forms  of  the  hard  quartz  yet  show  the  eff"ects  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 


1833.]    CATTLE  DRIVING   ON   THE   PLAINS.        117 

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  10th. — 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  fighting  there.  My  guide  had 
been  present  when  many  Indians  were  killed  :  the  women 
escaped  to  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  fought  most  desperately 
with  great  stones  ;  many  thus  saving  themselves. 

September  11th. — 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  snort  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  towards  us  ;  when  far 
distant  my  companions  knew  them  to  be  Indians  by  their 
long  hair  streaming  behind  iheir  backs.  The  Indians 
generally  have  a  fillet  round  their  heads,  but  never  any 
covering  ;  and  their  black  hair  blowing  across  their  swarthy 
faces,  heightens  to  an  uncommon  degree  the  wlldness 
of  their  appearance.  They  turned  out  to  be  a  party  of 
Bernantio's  friendly  tribe,  going  to  a  salina  for  salt.     The 


ii8  SKILL   IN    BOLA  THROWING.     [ciiAr. 

Indians  eat  much  salt,  their  children  sucking  it  like  sug'£ 
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  13M. — 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 

*  "  Travel*  ia  Africa,"  p.  «33. 


1833.]  A  WRETCHED   PARTY.  119 

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  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,  armadillos,  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 
mat6.  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. 

id  thus  drive  together  the  wild  animals.     One  day  I  went 


I20  AN   OSTRICH'S   NEST.  [chap.  vi. 

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  rolled  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  destroj^er,  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  i/^th. — As  the  soldiers  belonging  to  the  next 
posta  meant  to  return,  and  we  should  together  make  a 
party  of  five,  and  all  armed,  I  determined  not  to  wait  for 
the  expected  troops.  My  host,  the  lieutenant,  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  hospitality,  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 

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


1833.]        SETTING   FIRE  TO  THE   PLAIN.  121 

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  of  some 
difficulty  in  procuring  horses  \^e  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  armadillos  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  superfluous 
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  consisted  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 
{Himantopus  nigrkollis)  is  here  common  in  flocks  of 
considerable  size.  It  has  been  wrongfully  accused  of  in- 
elegance ;  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, 
like  those  on  the  legs  of  the  common  cock.  As  our  peewit 
takes  its  name  from  the  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 


122  HEAVY   HAILSTORMS.  [chap. '^^ 

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  1 
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) ;  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 :  we  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 

*  "  History  of  the  Abipoaes,"  vol.  u.,  p,  6. 


1833.]  THE   PUMA  AS   FOOD.  123 

vast  numbers  of  cattle  :  the  Indians  hence  called  the  place 
Lalegraicavalca,  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, 
makinp:  round  holes,  but  not  cracking  thern. 

Having  finished  our  dinner  of  hail-stricken  meat,  we 
crossed  the  Sierra  Tapalguen  ;  a  low  range  of  hills,  a  few 
hundred  feet  in  height,  which  commences  at  Cape  Corrientes. 
The  rock  in  this  part  is  pure  quartz  ;  further  eastward  I 
understand  it  is  granitic.  The  hills  are  of  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  of  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  "  lie  flesh  of  the  lion  is  in  great  esteem, 
having  no  small  afiinity  with  veal,  both  in  colour,  taste,  and 
flavour."  Such  certainly  is  the  case  with  the  puma.  The 
<iauchos  differ  in  their  opinion,  whether  the  jaguar  Is  good 
ating,  but  are  unanimous  in  saying  that  cat  is  excellent. 

September   lyth. — We    followed    the    course    of    the    Ri  • 
Tapalguen,    through   a   very  fertile   country,  to   the    ninth 

*  Falconer's  "  Patagonia,"  p.  70. 


124  AN  ANIMAL   DIET.  [chap.  vi. 

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,  residea 
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  hand- 
some— 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  them- 
selves 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,*  also,  has  remarked, 
' '  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  physio- 
logical 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  i^th. — 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 

*   "Fauna  Boreali- Americana,"  vol.  i.,  p.  35. 


1833.]  RIDING  ARAB-FASHION.  125 

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-hke  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  i<^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  with  bizcacha  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  inhabitants  assured  me  that  here,  as  well  as  in 
Banda  Oriental,  where  there  is  as  great  a  difi"erence  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  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, t  "ces  chevaux  (sauvages) 
ont  la  manie  de  pr6f6rer  les  chemins,  et  le  bord  des  routes 

*  See  Mr.  Atwater'*  account  of  the  Prairies,  in  Silliman's  N.  A.  Journal, 
vol.  i.,  p.  117. 

t  Azara's  "  Voyag^e,"  vol.  i.,  p.  373. 


126  FENNEL  AND   CARDOON.        [chap.  vi. 

pour  d6poser  leurs  excremens,  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  {Oynara  carduncuhis)*  has  a  far 
wider  range  :  it  occurs  in  these  latitudes  on  both  sides  of 
the  Cordillera,  across  the  continent.  I  saw  it  in  un- 
frequented 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,  how- 
ever, 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  proportion  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.  Number- 
less other  changes  must  likewise  have  taken  place  ;  the 
wild  pig  in  some  parts  probably  replaces  the  peccari ;  packs 

*  M.  A.  d'Orbigrny  (vol.  i.,  p.  474)  says  that  the  cardoon  and  artichoke  are 
both  found  wild.  Dr.  Hooker  {_Botanical  Magazine,  vol.  Iv.,  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  cardoon  ; 
and  more  like  a  thistle  properly  so  called. 


1833.]  VALUE   OF  A   PASSPORT.  127 

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  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  naturalised ;  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  **E1  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  20th. — 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 
iierchant,  to  whose  kindness  and  hospitality,  during  my 
.^tay  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 

tight  angles  to  the  one   it  crosses,  and   the'  parallel   ones 

iKiing    equidistant,    the    houses    are    collected    into     solid 

quares   of  equal   dimensions,    which   are  called   quadcas. 

•  It  in  said  to  contain  60,000  inh<-\bitant9.  Monte  Video,  the  second  town 
of  importance  on  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  has  15,000. 


128  A  GREAT   CORRAL  [chap,  vi. 

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  revolution, 
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  ihe  chooses.  The  animal 
ploughing  up  the  ground  with  outstretched  legs,  in  vain 
efforts  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  ham- 
strings. 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.  Tne 
whole  sight  Is  horrible  and  revolting  :  the  ground  Is  almost 
made  of  bones  ;  and  the  horses  and  riders  are  drenched  with 
gore. 


i833-]  129 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BUENOS   AYRES   TO   ST.    Fl^. 

Excursion  to  St.  F^— Thistle  Beds— Habits  of  the  Bizcacha— 
Little  Owl — Saline  Streams — Level  Plains — Mastodon — St. 
F^ — Change  in  Landscape — Geolog-y — 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 — Kingfisher, 
Parrot,  and  Scissor-tail — Revolution — Buenos  Ayres — State 
of  Government. 

September  2yth. — In  the  evening  I  set  out  on  an  excursion  to 
St.  F6,  which  is  situated  nearly  three  hundred  English  miles 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  on  the  banks  of  the  Parana.  The  roads 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city,  after  the  rainy  weather, 
were  extraordinarily  bad.  I  should  never  have  thought  it 
possible  for  a  bullock  wagon  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 
wagons  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  wagons  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  intermediate 
pair,  a  point  projects  at  right  angles  from  the  middle  of  the 
long  one.  The  whole  apparatus  looked  like  some  imple- 
ment of  war. 

September  T&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  hero  wide  apart ;  for  there  is  little  good  pasture,  owing 
K  to  tlio  land  being  covered  by  beds  either  of  an  acrid  clover, 


I30  GIANT  THISTLES.  [chap" 

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  labyrinth.  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  circum- 
stance in  its  geographical  distribution,  that  It  has  never 
been  seen,  fortunately  for  the  Inhabitants  of  Banda  Oriental, 
to  the  eastward  of  the  river  Uruguay  :  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, 

*  The  bizcacha  {Lagvstomus  trichodactylus)  somewhat  resembles  a  larg-e 
rabbit,  but  with  bigger  g-nawing  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  of  the  fur. 


1833.]  THE   BIZCACHA.  131 

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,  and  a 
man  on  horseback  passing  by  seems  only  to  present  an 
object  for  their  grave  contemplation.  They  run  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  neighbourhood  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  any- 
where 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  inhabi- 
tants of  the  country  are  quite  ignorant  of  it.  The  only  fact 
which  I  know  analogous  to  it,  is  the  habit  of  that  extra- 
ordinary Australian  bird,  the  Calodera  maculaia,  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,  informs  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 


132  THE   PARANA.  [chap.  vii. 

undulatory  flighttoa  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  country  I  should  think  four 
additional  miles  for  turnings  would  be  a  sufficient  allowance. 

September  2^th  and  'Tpth. — 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  perpendicular,  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 

*  Journal  of  Asiatic  Sac.,  vol.  v.,  p.  363. 


1833.]  FOSSIL   BONES.  133 

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  1st.  —  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  perpendicular 
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 !  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  luxuriance  of  its  gardens,  was  one  of  the  prettiest 
villages  I  saw.  From  this  point  to  St.  F6  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  skeleton 


134  CURES   FOR   HEADACHE.        [chap. 

of  an  Indian  with  the  dried  skin  hanging  on  the  bones, 
suspended  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.  Ffe  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  revolution  ;  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  slaughtered  forty-eight,  and  sold  the  children 
at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  pounds  apiece. 

October  <,ih. — 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 


1833.]  AT  SANTA  Ft,  135 

introduction  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  6000 
inhabitants,  and  the  province  30,000 ;  yet,  few  as  the  in- 
habitants are,  no  province  has  suffered  more  from  bloody 
and  desperate  revolutions.  They  boast  here  of  repre- 
sentatives, 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  quad- 
rupeds. 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 
in  it  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'Orbignv  found  on  the  banks  of  the 
Parana,  at  the  heii^^ht  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 


136  A  FOSSIL  HORSE.  [chap.  vii. 

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  Pampgean  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  contemporaneously  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  from  the  United  States  a  tooth  of  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  mar- 
vellous 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,  possibly  of  an  elephant,  t  and  of  a  hollow-horned 
ruminant,  discovered  by  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,  |  in  lat.  20°,  where  the 

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

t  Cuvier,  *'  Ossemens  Fossiles,"  torn,  i.,  p.  158. 

X  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  Zoolopry  of  N.  America  read  before- the  Brit.  Assoc, 
1836  (p.  157),  talking  of  the  identification  of  a  Mexidan  animal  with  the 
Syrutheres  prehensilis,  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  Sou  tit  America." 


1833.]    SPECIFIC  ZOOLOGICAL   ."DIVISIONS.        137 

great  table-land  presents  an  obstacle  to\the  migration  of 
species,  by  affecting  the  climate,  and  by  irpnning,  with  the 
exception  of  some  valleys  and  of  a  fringe  ^of  low  land  on 
the  coast,  a  broad  barrier ;  we  shall  then  ihaye  the  two 
zoological  provinces  of  North  and  South  Ameirica  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  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  prob- 
ably, 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 

"    See    Dr.   Richardson's    Report,   p.    icy;    also    L'lnstitut,    1837,    p.    sm. 
ivier  says  the  kinkajou  is  found  in  the  Larger  Antilles,  but  this  is  doubtful. 


138  A  FATAL   DROUGHT.  [chap? 

to  indicate  that  thi^  archipelago  was  formerly  united  to  the 
southern  continer^t,  and  that  it  has  subsequently  been  an 
area  of  subsidenj^g. 

When  America,  ^and  especially  North  America,  possessed 
its  elephanjts,  mastodons,  horse,  and  hollow  -  horned 
ruminant5ij'  {^  ^^s  much  more  closely  related  in  its 
zoologij}^!  characters  to  the  temperate  parts  of  Europe  and 
Asia  than  it  now  is.  As  the  remains  of  these  genera  are 
feund  on  both  sides  of  Behring's  Straits  *  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  Old  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  West  Indies,  into  South  America, 
where  for  a  time  they  mingled  with  the  forms  character- 
istic of  that  southern  continent,  and  have  since  become 
extinct. 

While  travelling  through  the  country,  I  received  several 
vivid  descriptions  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  highroad.  This  was  especially  the  case  In  the 
northern  part  of  the  province  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  the 
southern  part  of  St.  Fe.  Very  great  numbers  of  birds, 
wild  animals,  cattle,  and  horses  perished  from  the  want 
of  food  and  water.     A  man  told  me  that  the  deert  used 

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. 
Jou-m.  1826,  p.  395. 

*  Seethe  admirable  Appendix  by  Dr.  Buckland  to  "  Beechy's  Voyage ;"  also 
the  writings  of  Chamisso  in  "  Kotzebue's  Voyage." 

+  In  Capt.  Owen's  "Surveying  Voyage"  (vol.  2,  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 


1833.]  A   FATAL   DROUGHT.  139 

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  loss  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  consumption  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
animals  roamed  from  their  estancias,  and,  wandering  far 
southward,  were  mingled  together  in  such  multitudes, 
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  land- 
marks became  obliterated,  and  people  could  not  tell  the 
limits  of  their  estates. 

I  was  informed  by  an  eye-witness  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  carcasses,  that  the  master 
of  a  vessel  told  me  that  the  smell  rendered  it  quite  im- 
passable. 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 
1  escribes  *  the  fury  of  the  wild  horses  on  a  similar  occasion, 
ushing  into  the  marshes,  those  which  arrived  first  being 
overwhelmed  and  crushed  by  those  which  followed.  He 
tdds  that  more   than   once  he  has.  seen  the  carcasses   of 

I  .wn,  in  a  body,  to  possess  themselves  of  the  wells,  not  being-  able  to  procure 
.  riy  water  in  the  country.  The  inhabitants  mustered,  when  a  desperate 
imflict  ensued,  which  terminated  In  the  ultimate  discomfiture  of  the  in- 
vaders, but  not  until  they  had  killed  one  man,  and  wounded  several  others." 
The  town  is  said  to  have  a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand  I  Dr.  Mal- 
f.olmBon  informs  me,  that  during  a  great  drought  in  India  the  wild  animals 
entered  the  tents  of  some  troops  at  fillore,  and  that  a  hare  drank  out  of  a 
vessel  held  by  the  adjutant  of  the  re{;imcat. 
*  "  Travels,"  vol.  i.,  p.  374. 


140  DECAYING   ISLANDS.  [chap,  vil 

~m 

upwards  of  a  thousand  wild  horses  thus  destroyed.  ^H 
noticed  that  the  smaller  streams  in  the  Pampas  wer^^ 
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  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,  finding  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  Indios  "  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 

*  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 
yeafs. 


i833.]  THE  JAGUAR.  141 

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.  F6  ;  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  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  diff"erent  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 
common  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 


142  THE  SCISSOR   BEAK.  [chap. 

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  troublesome.  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  iK^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  literally,  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  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 


1833.]  THE  SCISSOR  BEAK.  143 

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  quick- 
ness, 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 
primaiy  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  on  its  wild  and  irregular  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  1  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  mactnp 
buried  in  the  sand-banks  on  the  coast  of  Chile  ;  from  thoii 
weak  bills,  with  the  lower  mandible  so  much  projecting, 
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  mentionin  g.     One  is 


144  OTHER   BIRDS.  [chap.  vii. 

a  small  kingfisher  {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  murimis),  with  a  gray  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 
2500  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  ombu  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  16th. — 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; 


i833.]  DOWN   THE   PARANA.  145 

and  the  only  really  gallant  action  on  either  side  was  per- 
formed 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  iSth  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  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  revolu- 
tions, 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  con- 
tains a  certain  body  of  men  imbued  with  the  principles  of 
justice  and  honour. 

October  2.0th. — Being  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Parana, 
and  as  I  was  very  anxious  to  reach  Buenos  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  conversa- 
tion 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 


[AP.    ^1 


146  A  REVOLUTION.  [chap. 

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  Beagle's  de- 
parture 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  con- 
versation. 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  ot 
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 
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  of  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 


1833.]    BANDA  ORIENTAL  AND   PATAGONIA.       147 

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  of  5500  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  a  noble  estuary  on  the  map  ;  but  is  in 
truth  a  poor  affair.  A  wide  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  arrivmg  at  Monte  Video 
I  found  that  the  BenfrJe  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 


148  HORSES  AS   SWIMMERS.       [cha! 

near  Maldonado  is  applicable  to  Monte  Video  ;  but  the 
land,  with  the  one  exception  of  the  Green  Mount,  450  feet 
high,  from  which  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  to  Monte  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  Jos6,  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  splash- 
ing 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 


1833.]  OVER  THE   ROZARIO.  149 

being  flooded.  It  would  not,  however,  be  of  much  con- 
sequence ;  for,  although  he  had  passed  through  some  of  the 
principal  towns  in  Banda  Oriental,  his  luggage  consisted 
of  two  letters  !  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  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.  F6, 
real  mountains.  From  these  inequalities  there  is  an 
abundance  of  small  rivulets,  and  the  turf  is  green  and 
luxuriant. 

November  17M. — 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  fortifications  and 
town  suff"ered  much  in  the  Brazilian  war.  It  is  very 
ancient ;  and  the  irregularity  of  the  streets,  and  the  sur- 
rounding 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 


ISO  CATTLE  TROOPS.  [chap.  viii. 

disturbance,  and  to  overturn  a  government  which  as  yet 
has  never  rested  on  any  stable  foundation.  I  noticed  how- 
ever, 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  repre- 
sentatives ;  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  iZth. — 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  supplying  fuel  to  Buenos  Ayres.  I  was 
curious  to  know  the  value  of  so  complete  an  estancia.  Of 
cattle  there  were  3000,  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  ,-^2000,  and 
he  only  wanted  ;^5oo  additional,  and  probably  would  sell  it 
for  less.  The  chief  trouble  with  an  estancia  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  dilBcult,  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  recognised 
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 


i833-]  CURIOUS   CATTLE.  151 

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, 
d.nd  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  t  one  of  the  niata  breed, 
characterizes,  as  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Falconer,  the  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  trans- 
mits her  peculiarities  more  strongly  than  the  niata  bull 
when  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 

•  Mr,  Watcrhouse  has  drawn  up  a  detailed  description  of  this  head 
which  I  hope  he  will  puljlifih  in  nornc  Journal. 

t  A  nearly  nimilar  abnormal,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  hereditary, 
structure  ha«  been  observed  in  tlie  carp,  and  likewise  in  the  crocodile  of 
the  f  i.in^fes  :  "  Histoirc  dcs  Anomalies,'  par  M.  laid.  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire. 
torn,  i.,  p.  244. 


152  STRANGE  QUESTIONS.         [ch^ 

is  under  a  great  disadvantage,  and  would  be  exterminated 
if  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  i()th. — 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,  un- 
bounded 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  !  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 


1833.]  THE   PAMPAS  THISTLE.  153 

Dbliged  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 
judgment  in  combs  and  beauty  procured  me  a  most  hospit- 
able reception  ;  the  captain  forced  me  to  take  his  bed,  and 
he  would  sleep  on  his  recado. 

November  21st. — 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  consequence,  there  were 
immense  beds  of  the  thistle,  as  well  as  of  the  cardoon  : 
the  whole  country,  indeed,  may  be  called  one  great  bed  of 
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  itself  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. 

Novembet  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 ; 


154  A  HILL  OF   BEADS.  [chap.  viii. 

yet  there  were  square  leagues  without  a  single  head  of 
cattle.  Tlie  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  con- 
sumption, from  waste,  is  very  considerable.  An  estanciero 
told  me  that  he  had  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  I  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  undulations  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  stones,  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  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  finding  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  small  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 


1833.]  CLEVER   DOGS.  155 

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  sometimes 
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  similar  manner  the  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  understand  on  no 
principle  the  wild  dogs  being  driven  away  by  the  single 
one  with  its  flock,  except  that  they  consider,  from  sonif" 
confused  notion,  that  the  one  thus  associated  gains  power, 
-<s   if    in  company   with    its    own    kind.      F.    Cuvier    ha^ 

\T.   A.  fl'Orbig'ny  has    given   nearly  a    similar  account    ot    these    dogs, 

...in.  i..  p.   T75. 


iS6  TAMING  WILD   HORSES.  [cha] 

observed,  that  all  animals  that  readily  enter  into  domesti- 
cation, 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  if  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  horsesj  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  impracticable.  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 


1833.]  GOOD   HORSEMANSHIP.  157 

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  is 
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  respectable  "  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 !  "  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  himself.  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 

ck,  and  at  last  they  started  at  a  gallop.     The  Gaucho  never 


iS8  WELL-BROKEN   HORSES.  [chap,  viil 

appears  to  exert  any  muscular  force.  I  was  one  day  watch- 
ing 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  con- 
sequence 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-linger  and 
thumb,  taken  at  full  gallop  across  a  courtyard,  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  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  laizo  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 


^  1833.]  WELL-BROKEN    HORSES.  159 

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  down,  kill,  skin,  and  stake  the  hide  for  drying  (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  olT  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. 

November  26M. — 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 


i6o  A  TOXODON'S   HEAD.  [chaP 

entering  the  Rio  Negro,  I  rode  there  accompanied  by  my 
host,  and  purchased  for  the  value  of  eighteenpence  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,  embedded  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  extraordmary  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  sub- 
aqueous 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  28th,  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 

*  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. 


1833.]       CHARACTER   OF   THE  GAUCHOS.  161 

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  is  modest, 
both  respecting  himself  and  country,  but  at  the  same  time 
a  spirited,  bold  fellow.  On  the  other  hand,  many  robberies 
are  committed,  and  there  is  much  bloodshed  :  the  habit  of 
constantly  wearing  the  knife  is  the  chief  cause  of  the  latter. 
It  is  lamentable  to  hear  how  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  indolence.  At  Mercedes,  Tasked  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  are  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  consequence  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.  Nrarly  every  public  officer  can  be 
bribf'd.      The    head    man    in    the    post-ofBce    sold    forged 


i62         MANNERS   OF  THE   COUNTRY,     [chap.  vm. 

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 
Rosas.  A  son  of  a  major  at  Bahia  Blanca  gained  his 
livelihood  by  making  paper  cigars,  and  he  wished  to  accom- 
pany me,  as  guide  or  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  of  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 
cveiy  one  professing  the  humblest  pretensions  to   science 


1833.J         A   SHOWER   OF   BUTTERFLIES.  163 

should   be  recollected  with   gratitude  by  those   who  have 
visited  Spanish  South  America. 

December  ^th. — The  Beagle  sailed  from  the  Rio  Plata, 
never  again  to  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  of  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  seamen  cried 
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  Carahidce  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  must  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  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.  1 
lost  some  of  the  specimens,  but  those  which  I  preserved 
belonged  to  the  genera  Colymbetes,  Hydroporus,  rJydrotnus 

*  Lyell't  "  Principle!  of  Geology,"  vol.  m.,  p.  63. 


i64  INSECTS   AT. SEA.  [chap.  viii. 

(two  species),  Notaphusy  Cynucus,  Adimonia,  and  Scara- 
bcBus.  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  been 
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  grass- 
hopper (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 
ist,  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,  T 
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  pro- 
duced 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 

*  The  flies  which  frequently  accompany  a  ship  for  some  days  on  its 
passagfe  from  harbour  to  harbour,  wandering  from  the  vessel,  are  soon  lost, 
anH  all  disappear. 


1833.]  SPIDERS,  16^ 

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 ;  this  same 
circumstance  has  been  observed  by  S  track :  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  circumstances,  I  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  un- 
accountable. 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,  at  St.  Fe,  1  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  da^  was  hot  and  apparently  quite  calm  ;  yet  under 
irh  circumstances,  the  atmosphere  can  never  be  so 
mquil  as  not  to  affect  a  vane  so  delicate  as  the  thread 
t     I   spider's  web.     If  during  a   warm  day  wo  look  either 


i66  SPIDERS.  [chap.  viii. 

at  the  shadow  of  any  object  cast  on  a  bank,  or  over  a 
level  plain  at  a  distant  landmark,  the  effect  of  an  ascend- 
ing 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,  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  m  three  bristle-like  appendages  of  dis- 
similar 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  extrem- 
ities 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°, 

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


i833-J  A   PHOSPHORESCENT  SEA.  167 

I  never  succeeded  in  catching  anything  besides  some  boroe, 
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  entomo- 
straca.  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  intertropical  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  reflected  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  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 

*  An  abstract  i*  given  in  No.  IV.  of  the  Mafoaint  of  Zoology  and  Botany. 


i68     CAUSE  OF  PHOSPHORESCENCE,     [chap.  vm. 

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  after 
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  Diancea  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,  with- 
out 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  atmo- 
sphere was  most  favourable  to  its  production.  Certainly 
I  think  the  sea  is  most  luminous  after  a  few  davs  of  more. 


1833.J  A'l   PORT  DESIRE.  169 

calm  weather  than  ordinary,  during  which  time  it  has 
swarmed  with  various  animals.  Observing  that  the  water 
charged  with  gelatinous  particles  is  in  an  impure  state,  and 
that  the  luminous  appearance  in  all  common  cases  is  pro- 
duced by  the  agitation  of  the  fluid  in  contact  with  the 
atmosphere,  I  am  inclined  to  consider  that  the  phosphor- 
escence is  the  result  of  the  decomposition  of  the  organic 
particles,  by  which  process  (one  is  tempted  almost  to  call 
it  a  kind  of  respiration)  the  ocean  becomes  purified. 

December  2.yd. — We  arrived  at  Port  Desire,  situated  in 
lat.  47°,  on  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  nefw  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 
well-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  horizon  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  soon  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  miser- 
able. 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 


I70  THE  GUANACO.  [chap.  viii. 

St  Joseph's  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  a  small 
sottlement  was  made  ;  but  during  one  Sunday  the  Indians 
*nade  an  attack  and  massacred  the  whole  party,  excepting 
two  men,  who  remained  captives  during  many  years.  At 
che  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,  cicadas,  small  lizards,  and 
even  scorpions,  t  At  one  time  of  the  year  these  birds  go  in 
flocks,  at  another  in  pairs ;  their  cry  is  very  loud  and 
singular,  like  the  neighing  of  the  guanaco. 

The  guanaco,  or  wild  llama,  is  the  characteristic  quad- 
ruped 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  anirnals  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  see  the  herd  standing  in 

*  I  foood  here  a  species  of  cactus,  described  by  Professor  Henslow,  under 
the  name  of  O/nentia  Dartmnii  {Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,  vol.  i., 
p.  466),  which  was  remarkable  by  the  irritability  of  the  stamens,  when  I 
inserted  either  a  piece  of  stick  or  the  end  of  my  finger  in  the  flower.  The 
acgtnents  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 
Jatitade  as  here,  namely,  in  both  cases,  in  47°. 

t  These  insects  were  not  uncommon  beneath  stones.  I  found  one  cannibal 
•OQTpion  quietly  devouring  another. 


iS33.  HABITS  OF  THE  GUANACO.  171 

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  motionless  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  over- 
come 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  repeatedly  practised  by  our  sportsmen  with  success, 
and  it  had  moreover  the  advantage  of  allowing  several  shots 
to  be  fired,  which  were  all  taken  as  part  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  him  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 
I  ndian  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 
fort  Valdes  they  were  seen  swimming  from  island  to 
island.  Byron,  in  his  voyage,  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 
IJIanco.  I  imagine  in  several  parts  of  the  country,  if  they 
flo  not  drink  salt  water,  they  drink  none  at  all.  In  the 
middle  of  the  day  they  frequently  roll  in  the  dust,  in  sauc^'- 
shaped  hollows.     The  males  fight  together;  two  one  t. 


lya  ANIMAL   CEMETERIES.        [chap.  vili. 

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,  I  one  day  saw  the  tracks 
of  thirty  or  forty,  which  had  come  in  a  direct  line  to  a 
inuddy  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  understand  the 
reason  of  this,  but  I  may  observe,  that  the  wounded  guanacos 
at  the  St.  Cruz  invariably  walked  towards  the  river.  At 
St.  J  ago  in  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  I  remember  having 
seen  in  a  ravine  a  retired  corner  covered  with  bones  of  the 
goat ;  we  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  3f  the  harbour.     In  the  morning  we  searched  for  some 


1833.]  A   DESOLATE   PLAIN.  173 

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.  From  the 
softness  of  these  materials  it  was  worn  into  many  gulleys. 
There  was  not  a  tree,  and,  excepting  the  guanaco,  which 
stood  on  the  hilltop  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  ages  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,  M*-.  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  bivouacked, 
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  this  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  been  brought  up  from  the  plain  below.  Above  it 
a  pavement  of  flat  stones  was  placed,  on  which  others  weir 

•  Shelley,  lincH  on  Mont  Blanc. 


174  AN   INDIAN   GRAVE.  [chap.  viii. 

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,  or  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  havmg  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  there- 
fore 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. 

January  <^th^  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 ;  for  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  hyhrida^  a  cymindis,  and  a  harpalus, 
which  all  live  on  muddy  flats,  occasionally  overflowed  by  the 


1834]  GIGANTIC   SHINGLE   BEDS.  175 

sea),  and  one  other  found  dead  on  the  plain,  complete  the 
list  of  the  beetles.  A  good-sized  fly  ( Tahanus)  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  common  shell  is  a  massive 
gigantic  oyster,  sometimes  even  a  foot  in  diameter.  These 
beds  are  covered  by  others  of  a  peculiar  50ft  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  its  average  breadth  as 
200  miles,  and  its  average  thickness  as  about  50  feet.  If  tliis 
great  bed  of  pebbles,  without  including  the  mud  necessarily 
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  In  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  rolledf,  rounded, 
and  far  transported,  the  mind  is  stupefied  in  thinking  over 


176  GEOLOGICAL   MOVEMENTS,    [chap.  viii. 

the  long,  absolutely  necessary,  lapse  of  years.  Yet  all  this 
gravel  has  been  transported,  and  probably  rounded,  sub- 
sequently 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  1200  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  3000  feet  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cordillera.  I  have  said  that  within  the  period  of  exist- 
ing 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  1500  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  1000  feet  in  thickness  : 
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 

*  I  have  lately  heard  that  Captain  Sulivaa,  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 
discovery. 


ij4]  TYPES   OF   ORGANIZATION.  177 

on  the  90-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  palaeo- 
therium ;  but  in  the  structure  of  the  bones  of  its  long  neck 
its  shows  a  clear  relation  to  the  camel,  or  rather  to  the 
guanaco  and  llama.  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  macrauchenia  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  macrau- 
chenia and  the  guanaco,  between  the  toxodon  and  the 
capybara — the  closer  relationship  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  Hydroch(BruSy  are  most  interest- 
ing 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  mf^f  pif^mics,  rotiipared  with  the  iinft-f>Mlent, 


178  EXTERryriNATION    OF   SPECIES,     [ch 

allied  races.  If  Buifon  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  seashells.  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  examination,  moreover,  of  the  geology 
of  La  Plata  and  Patagonia,  leads  to  the  belief  that  all  the 
features  of  the  land  result  from  slow  and  gradual  changes. 
It  appears  from  the  character  of  the  fossils  in  Europe,  Asia, 
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  con- 
ditions 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  icebergs 
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  in- 
road 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  province  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 


1834.]  CAUSES   OF   EXTINCTION.  179 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  descendants  of  the  stock 
introduce<f  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  of  their  numerous  gigantic 
prototypes?  Certainly,  no  fact  in  the  long  history  of  the 
world  is  so  startling  as  the  wide  and  repeated  extermina- 
tions of  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  geometrical ;  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,  01  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  some  place  in  the  economy 
of  nature,  should  be  abundant  in  the  neighbouring  district, 
differing  very  little  in  its  conditions.  If  asked  how  this 
is,  one  immediately  replies  that  it  is  determined  by  some 
slight  difference  m  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  inappreciable  by  us,  determine  whether  a  given 
species  shall  be  abundant  or  scanty  in  numbers. 

In    the  cases   where   we  can  trace  the  extinction   of  a 

i'cies    through    man,    either    wholly  or   in    one    limited 

Ml   lii(  1,    \v(     Ictiow  that  it  becomes  rarer  and   i-urT,   .md  is 


i8o     RARITY  PRECEDES  EXTINCTION,    [chap,  viri, 

then  lost :  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any  just  distinc- 
tion* 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  extinct — 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  compared  with  the  mega- 
therium, 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.  Lyell,  in  his  "  Principles 
of  Geology." 


1834.]  *Sm 

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 — Condor,  Habits  of— 
Cordillera — Erratic  Boulders  of  g-reat  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. 

April  I'^thy  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  perhaps  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  wind- 
ing course  through  a  valley,  which  extends  in  a  direct  line 
westward.  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 


i82  SIGNS  OF  INDIANS.  [chap.  flP 

:,iundred  feet,  and  have  on  the  opposite  sides  a  remarkable 
correspondence. 

April  i(^th. — Against  so  strong  a  current  it  was,  of  course, 
quite  impossible  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  each  boat 
was  quite  independent  of  the  others.  After  sunset  the  first 
level  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  2oth. — 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  altogether.  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  (21st)  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  22nd. — The  country  remained  the  same,  and  was 


1834.]  CANNIBAL  MICE.  183 

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  the  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  likewise  very  abundant, 
probably  derives  its  entire  support  from  these  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  everywhere  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  2/\fh. — Like  the  navigators  of  old  when  approach- 
ing 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  Cordillera. 
The  top,  however,  of  a  heavy  bank  of  clouds,  which  re- 
mained almost  constantly  in  one  position,  was  the  most 
promising  sign,  and  eventually  turned  out  a  true  harbinger. 
At    first    the    clouds    were    mistaken    for    the    mountains 

The  desert*  of  Syria  are  characterized,  accordinflr  to  Volney  (torn,  i., 
!ii),  bv  woody  bushes,  numerous  rats,  gazelles,  and  hares.  In  the  land- 
(ic  of  Patagonia,  the  g^uanaco  replaces  the  gar.clle,  and  the  afpoub*  the  hare. 


i84  BASALTIC  PEBBLES.  [chap.  ix. 

themselves,  instead  of  the  masses  of  vapour  condensed  by 
their  icy  summits. 

April  26th. — We  this  day  met  with  a  marked  change  in 
the  geological  structure  of  the  plains.  From  the  first 
starting  I  had  carefully  examined  the  gravel  in  the  river, 
and  for  the  last  two  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  : 
considering  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  beheath  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  thickness  ;  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  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  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.  What  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, 


1834.]         EXCAVATION  OF  THE  VALLEY.  185 

though  it  has  so  little  power  in  transporting  even  incon- 
siderable 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  valley  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  of  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  over- 
whelming debdcJe;  but  in  this  case  such  a  supposition 
would  have  been  quite  inadmissible  ;  because,  the  same 
step-like  plains  with  existing  sea-shells  lying  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  tlie  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.  Nevertheless,  we  must  believe  that  the  strata,  under- 
mined 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  transported  back  again  to  the 
barren   valleys   of  the   island   of    St.    Jago.      Amonjr    tl^ 


i86  HABITS  OF  THE  CONDOR.        [c 

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 
Patagonia)  burst  forth  ;  and  they  could  be  distinguished 
at  a  distance  by  the  circumscribed  patches  of  bright  green 
herbage. 

April  lyth. — The  bed  of  the  river  became  rather  narrower, 
and  hence  the  stream  more  rapid.  It  here  ran  at  the  rate 
of  six  knots  an  hour.  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 
four  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  ste«p 
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 


1834I  CAPTURING  THE  CONDOR,  187 

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 
considered  as  a  gregarious  bird.  In  this  part  of  the  country 
they  live  altogether  on  the  guar  acos  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  1  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  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  horseback  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  froili 
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  difiicult  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  m,  had 
hccn   tied   with    rope,    and    was    much    injured  ;    yet,    the 


i88  SCENT   IN   CARRION-HAWKS,     [chap.  ix. 

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  1  pushed  it  closer  and  closer,  until 
at  last  he  touched  it  with  his  beak ;  the  paper  was  then 
instantly  torn  off"  with  fury,  and  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  {Caihartes  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  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. 

*  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. 


1834.]  FLIGHT  OF   CONDORS.  189 

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  discoveriiig 
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  Intended  together ;  but  they  were  seen  distinct  against 

•  Loudon's  Magazine  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  rii. 


190  THE   CORDILLERA.  [chap.  ix. 

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  the  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  steady  movement  of  a  paper  kite.  In  the  case  of  any 
bird  soarings  its  motion  must  be  sufficiently  rapid,  so  that 
the  action  of  the  inclined  surface  of  its  body  on  the 
atmosphere  may  counterbalance  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  move- 
ment 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  2^th. — 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  clouds. 
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, 


i834  J  BACK  TO   THE   BEAGLE.  191 

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 
suprised  at  this  ;  but  it  is  explained  by  the  stony  nature  of 
the  plains,  which  would  soon  disable  an  unshod  horse  from 
taking  her  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  ^th. — Captain  Fitz  Roy  determined  to  take  the  boats 
no  higher.  The  river  had  a  winding  course,  and  was  very 
rapid  ;  and  the  appearance  of  the  country  offered  no  tempta- 
tion 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  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  gf-eat  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. 


192  AT  EAST  FALKLAND  ISLAND,      [chap,  ix. 

On  March  ist^  1833,  ^"^  again  on  March  16th,  1834, 
the  Beagle  anchored  in  Berkeley  Sound,  in  East  Falkland 
Island.  This  archipelago  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  Government  of  Buenos  Ayres  then  sold  them  to  a  private 
individual,  but  likewise  used  them,  as  old  Spain  had  done 
before,  for  a  penal  settlement.  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  gray  quartz  rock  breaks  through  the  smooth  surface. 
Every  one  has  heard  of  the  climate  of  these  regions  ;  it  may 
be  compared  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  16th. — I  will  now  describe  a  short  excursion  which  I 
made  round  a  part  of  this  island.  In  the  morning  I  started 
with  six  horses  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,  however,  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 

*  From  accounts  published  sincp  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. 


t834.]  "CARNE  con  CUERO."  193 

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  country  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  a  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  difficulty  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  him  ;  and  when 
she  would  not  move,  my  horse,  from  having  been  trained, 
would  canter  up,  and  with  his  chest  give  her  a  violent 
pu^h.  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  in  to  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  the  main  tendon  of  the  hind  leg  ;  after  which,  without 
much  difficulty,  he  drove  his  knive  into  the  head  of  the  spinal 
marrow,  and  the  cow  dropped  as  if  struck  by  lightning.  He 
cut  ofT  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  ofa  saucer,  so  that  none  ot 
the  gravy  is  lost.  If  any  worthy  alderman  had  supped  with 
us  tliat  evening,  '*  carne  con  cuero,"  without  doubt,  would 
<;oon  have  been  celebrated  in  London. 

During  the  night  it  rained,  and  the  next  day  (17th)  was 


f^ip!??^ 


194  A  STUBBORN  BULL.  [chap.  ix. 

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  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  interest- 
ing 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  dis- 
engage 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  help- 
less, 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  intro- 
duced 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. 


1834.]  WEAKENED  HORSES.  195 

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  locaHty  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 
originally  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  Sulivan  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  to  its  fate.  Captain  Sulivan  can 
so  far  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  pre- 
dominant colours  are  roan  and  iron-gray.  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 
probably  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  1000  to  1500  feet  above  the  sea, 
about  half  of  some  of  the  herds  are  mouse  or  lead-coloured, 

tint  which  is  not  common  in  other  parts  of  the  island. 


196  ABOUT   RABBITS.  [chap.  ix. 

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  for  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 
probability  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  ;  for  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  contend  against  pre-existing  enemies,  in  the  fox 
and  some  large  hawks.  The  French  naturalists  have  con- 
sidered 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  to  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  the 

*  Lesson's  "Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Coquille,"  torn,  i.,  p.  168.  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  Iriah  and  English  hare  rests  upon  nearly  similar 
characters,  only  more  strongly  marked 


1834]  DARING   FOXES.  197 

black  kind  being  different  from  the  gray,  and  they  said  that 
at  all  events  it  had  not  extended  its  range  any  further  than 
the  gray  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  I 

The  only  quadruped  native  to  the  island  *  is  a  large  wolf- 
like  fox  {Cants  antarcticus),  which  is  common  to  both  East 
and  West  Falkland.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  a  peculiar 
species,  and  confined  to  this  archipelago ;  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  ;  "  t 
but  I  have  seen  both,  and  they  are  quite  distinct.  These 
wolves  are  well  known,  from  Byron's  account  of  their  tame- 
ness  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  frpm  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  fox  will  be 
classed  with  the  dodo,  as  an  animal  which  has  perished 
from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

At  night  (17th)  we  slept  on  the  neck  of  land  at  the  head 

I  have  reason,  however,  to  suspect  that  there  is  a  field-mouse.  The 
' otnmon  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  arc  very  fierce,  and  have  great  tusks. 

t  The  "culpeu"  is  the  Canis  Magcllanicus  brought  home  by  Captain 
King  from  the  Strait  of  MaB:ellan.     It  is  common  in  Chile. 


198  A   NOVEL   FIRE.  [chaK  ix. 

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  i^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  day'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 
CompositcB)  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  \^th. — 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,  for  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 


1834.]  GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURES.  199 

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,  which  have  been 
brought  to  the  spot  on  purpose.  From  their  previous  treat- 
ment, 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  sand- 
stone, containing  fossils,  very  closely  related  to,  but  not 
identical  with,  those  found  in  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 
s(;ats  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 

•  Fcrntty,  Voyage  aux  hits  Malouintt,  p.  536, 


200  ROCK  STREAMS.  [chap.  ix. 

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  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  Inclina- 
tion 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  endeavour- 
ing to  describe  these  scenes  of  violence  one  is  tempted  to 


i834.j  ROCK   STREAMS.  not 

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  down- 
wards. 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  subse- 
quent to  the  land  having  been  raised  above  the  waters  of 
the  sea.  In  a  transverse  section  within  these  valleys,  the 
bottom  is  nearly  level,  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  overwhelming 
force,*  the  fragments  have  been  levelled  into  one  continuous 
sheet.  If  during  the  earthquake  t  which  in  1835  overthrew 
Concepclon,  in  Chile,  it  was  thought  wonderful  that  small 
bodies  should  have  been  pitched  a  few  inches  from  the 
ground,  what  must  we  say  to  a  movement  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, 

*  "Nous  n'avons  pas  ^te  moins  sainiii  d'itonncment  4  la  vfle  de  I'lnnom- 
brable  quantity  de  pierres  de  toutcs  grandeurs,  boulcverBdcs  Ics  uiics  sur  Ics 
autrcs,  et  ccpcndant  ranj;ie9,  comme  si  dies  avoient  iti  amonccliics  nigli- 
gfemmcnt  pour  rcmi»lir  den  ravins.  On  ne  se  Uussoit  pas  d'admirer  les  effeU 
prodigicux  de  la  nature," — Pemety,  p.  526. 

t  An  inhabitant  of  Mendoza,  and  hence  well  capable  of  judjfinK,  assured 
•np  that,  during    the  several  years  he   had  resided  on  these  isl.ind^,    hi-   had 

V  er  felt  the  ahghtest  shock  of'^an  earthquake. 


202  PENGUINS.  [chap.  ix. 

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  probably  some  day  give  a  simple  explana- 
tion 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  Polyhorus. 
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 
successively  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  demersd)  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  grease  frequent  the  Falklands.     The  upland 


1534.]  HOW   WINGS   ARE   USED.  203 

species  {Anas  Magellanicd)  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  matter.  The  rock-goose,  so  called  from  living 
exclusively  on  the  sea-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  brachyptera),  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-duck 
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  feeds  entirely  on  shell- 
fish from  the  kelp  and  tidal  rocks  ;  hence  the  beak  and 
head  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  them,  are  surprisingly 
heavy  and  strong :  the  head  is  so  strong  that  I  have 
rarcely    been    able    to    fracture    it    with    my    geological 

immer ;  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  oda 
mixture  of  sounds  which  bull-frogs  do  within  the  tropics. 


204  LOWER   MARINE  ANIMALS.      [chap.  ix. 

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-organised  division  of  that  class.  Several  genera 
{Flttstra,  Eschara,  Cellaria^  Crisia,  and  others)  agree  in 
having  singular  movable  organs  (like  those  of  Flustra 
aviculariay  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,  though  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  ofl 
from  a  cell,  the  lower  mandible  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 

*  I  was  surprised  to  find,  on  counting  the  eggs  of  a  large  white  Doris  (this 
sea-slug  was  three  and  a  half  inches  long),  now  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  adhered  by  its 
edge  to  the  rock  in  an  oval  spire.  One  which  I  found,  measured  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  seven  individuals. 
No  fallacy  is  more  common  -with  naturalists,  than  that  the  numbers  of  an 
i'nrf'T'iefu^l  species  depend  on  its  powers  of  propagation. 


'j??34  1  COMPOUND   ANIMALS.  203 

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  independently  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?)t  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  independ- 
ently 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  transmission  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 
sea-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  organised.  Having  kept  a  large  tuft  of  it  in 
.1  basin  of  salt  water,  when  it  was  dark  I  found  that  as 
often  as  I  rubbed  any  part  of  a  branch,  the  whole  became 
-.trongly  phosphorescent  with  a  green  light :  I  do  not  think 
I  ever  saw  any  object  more  beautifully  so.  But  the  remark- 
able 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   interesting  to   me.     What   can   be  more  remarkable 

lian  to  see  a  plant-like  body  producing  an  e^^,  capable  of 

wimming  about  and  of  choosing  a  proper  place  to  adhere 

),  which  then  sprouts  into  branches,  each  crowded  with 


2o6  COMPOUND  ANIMALS.  [chap.  ix. 

innumerable  distinct  animals,  often  of  complicated  organiz- 
ations? The  branches,  moreover,  as  we  have  just  seen, 
sometimes  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  realised  ;  so  that 
the  union  of  separate  individuals  in  a  common  body  is 
more  striking  in  a  coralline  than  in  a  tree.  Our  concep- 
tion 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  hersell 
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. 


iS32.]  207 

CHAPTER  X. 

TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO. 

Tierra  del  Fuegfo,  First  Arrival — Good  Success  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 — 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  lyth,  1832. — Having  now  finished  with  Patagonia 
and  the  Falkland  Islands,  I  will  describe  our  first  arrival  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego.  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  Statenland  was  visible  amidst  the 
clouds.  In  the  afternoon  we  anchored  in  the  Baj^  of 
Good  Success.  Vhile  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 
mountams  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  from 
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 


2o8  A   FUEGIAN    FAMILY.  [chap.  x. 

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  civilized  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  westward  ;  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  countenances  distrustful,  surprised,  and  startled.  After 
we  had  presented  them  with  some  scarlet  cloth,  which  they 
immediately  tied  round  their  necks,  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  articulate.  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. 


1832.]  CLEVER   MIxMICS.  209 

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  Cafifres  :  the  Australians, 
likewise,  have  long  been  notorious  for  being  able  to  imitate 
and  describe  the  gait  of  any  man,  so  that  he  may  be  recog- 
nised. How  can  this  faculty  be  explained?  Is  it  a  con- 
sequence 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  waltz- 
ing. 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 

.   Captain    Fitz    Roy   to   undertake   our   present   voyage ; 

;id  before   the   Admiralty  had    resolved   to   send  out  this 


jio  CIVILIZED   FUEGIANS.  [chap.  x. 

expedition,  Captain  Fitz  Roy  had  generously  chartered  a 
vessel,  and  would  himself  have  taken  them  back.  The 
natives  were  accompanied  by  a  missionary,  R.  Matthews ; 
of  whom  and  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  affec- 
tions 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  disposition.  He  was  merry  and  often 
laughed,  and  was  remarkably  sympathetic  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  !  "  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  appear- 
ance ;  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  qualities,  that  he  should  have  been  of  the 
same  race,  and  doubtless  partakers  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 


1832.]  ACUTE   SIGHT   OF    FUEGIANS.  211 

and  Spanish,  when  left  on  shore  for  only  a  short  time  at 
Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Monte  Video,  and  in  her  knowledge 
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  impossible  to  find 
out,  by  cross-questioning,  whether  one  had  rightly  under- 
stood anything  which  they  had  asserted.  Their  sight  was 
remarkably  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  difference  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  un- 
trimmed  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  white- 
ness, just  in  the  same  way  in  which  I  have  seen  the  ourang- 
outang  do  at  the  Zoological  Gardens.  We  thought  tliat  they 
mistook  two  or  three  of  the  officers,  who  were  rather  shorter 
and  fairer,  though  adorned  with  large  beards,  for  the  ladies  of 


2T2  IN   TIERRA    DEL   FUEGO.  [chap.  x. 

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  tip-toe.  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 
Tierradel  Fuego.  After  our  first  feeling  of  grave  astonish- 
ment 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  looo 
and  1500  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  3000  and  4000  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  concealed  by  a  mass  of  slowly  putrefy- 
ing 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  con- 
tinued 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 


1832.]  SMALL   BEECH-TREES.  213 

a  difference  :  for  in  these  still  solitudes,  Death,  instead  of 
Life,  seemed  the  predominant  spirit.  I  followed  tlflfc  water- 
course 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  Fagtcs  hetuloides ;  for  the  number  of  the  other 
species  of  Fagus  and  of  the  Winter's  Bark  is  quite  in- 
considerable. 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  20th. — One  side  of  the  harbour  is  formed  by  a 
hill  about  1500  feet  hi^h,  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  com- 
pelled 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 
fraight  path  made  by  the  guanacos  ;  for  these  animals,  like 
lieep,  always  follow  the  same  line.     When  we  reached  the 

ill  we  found  it  the  highest  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood, 

nd  the  waters  flowed  to  the  sea  in  opposite  directions.  We 
obtained  a  wide  view  over  the  surrounding  country  :  to  the 


214  DOUBLING   CAPE   HORN. 

north  a  swampy  moorland  extended,  but  to  the  south  we 
had  a  scpne  of  savage  magnificence,  well  becoming  Tierra 
del  Fuego.  There  was  a  degree  of  mysterious  grandeur  in 
mountain  behind  mountain,  with  the  deep  intervening 
valleys,  all  covered  by  one  thick,  dusky  mass  of  forest. 
The  atmosphere,  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 
beyond  the  confines  of  this  world. 

December  21st. — 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  mountains, 
which  made  the  ship  surge  at  her  anchors. 

December  25^^.— Close  by  the  cove,  a  pointed  hill,  called 
Kater's  Peak,  rises  to  the  height  of  1700  feet.  The 
surrounding  islands  all  consist  of  conical  masses  of  green- 
stone, 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  neighbourhood  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 


1832.]  WRETCHED   NATIVES.  215 

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  can- 
not be  the  work  of  an  hour,  and  it  is  only  used  for  a  few  days. 
At  Goeree  Roads  I  saw  a  place  where  one  of  these  naked 
men  had  slept,  which  absolutely  offered  no  more  cover  than 
the  form  of  a  hare.  The  man  was  evidently  living  by  him- 
self, 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  certainly  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  atmosphere,  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  recently-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  I     These  poc 


2i6  A   HARD    LIFE.  [chap,  x, 

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  sufi'er  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  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,  as  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 


1832.]  CANNIBALISM  AMONG  THE   NATIVES.     217 

evidence  of  the  boy  taken  by  Mr.  Low,  and  of  Jemmy 
Button,  it  is  certainly  true  that  when  pressed  in  winter 
by  hunger  they  kill  and  devour  their  old  women  before 
tliey  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  ! 

Captain  Fitz  Roy  could  never  ascertain  that  the  Fuegians 
have  any  distinct  belief  in  a  future  life.  They  sometimes 
bury  their  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  distiibuted  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  (York  imitating  his  manner),  "What  that?" 
;uid  crawling  onwards,  he  peeped  over  the  clifT.  and  sa\^ 


2i8  RELIGION   OF  THE   FUEGIANS.    [chap.  x. 

"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,  irl  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  chief;  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  ol 
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. 


1833.]  CAUGHT    IN   A   SQUALL.  219 

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  of 
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 
productions  of  his  miserable  country. 

After  having  been  detained  six  days  in  Wigwam  Cove 
by   very   bad    weather,    we    put    to    sea    on    the    30th    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  compelled   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    12th   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 
13th  the  storm  raged  with  its  full  fury  ;  our  horizon  was 
narrowly   limited    by   the    sheets    of    spray   borne   by  th< 
wind.      The   sea  looked   ominous,    like   a   dreary   wavin; 
plain    with    patches    of    drifted    snow;     whilst    the    shi| 
laboured  heavily,  the  albatross  glided  with  its   expandon 
wings   right   up    the  wind.      At   noon   a  great  sea    brok< 
over  us,   and   filled   one   of  the   whale-boats,  which    wa 
obliged    to    be    instantly    cut    away.      The    poor    Hea^i 
trembled  at  the  shock,  and  for  a  few  minutes  would  no' 
'»oy  her  helm;  but  soon,  like  a  good  ship  that  she  was, 


220  IN    PONSONBY  SOUND.  [chap.  x. 

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 
delightful  was  that  still  night,  after  having  been  so  long 
involved  in  the  din  of  the  warring  elements  ! 

January  i^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  remark- 
able feature  in  the  geography  of  this  or  indeed  of  any  other 
country ;  it  may  be  compared  to  the  valley  of  Loch  Ness  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  i<)th. — Three  whale-boats  and  the  yawl,  with  a 
party  of  twenty-eight,  started  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Fitz  Roy.  In  the  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  retirement.  The  next  day 
(20th)  we  smoothly  glided  onwards  in  our  little  fleet,  and 
came   to  a  more  inhabited  district.     Few   if  anv  of  these 


1833.]  AMONG  THE   NATIVES.  221 

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  lire),  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  over- 
hanging 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  their  hf  ads,  and  sent  forth  the  most 
hideous  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  at  it  as  I  should  have  done  at 
putrid  blubber.  Jemmy  was  thoroughly  ashamed  of  his 
countrymen,  and  declared  his  own  tribe  were  quite  different, 
in  which  he  was  woefully  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  "  give  me."  After  point- 
ing 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  (21st),  being 
ioined  by  others,  they  showed  symptoms  of  hostility,  and 

'  thought  that  we  should  have  come  to  a  skirmish.     An 

uropean  labours  under  great  disadvantages  when  treating 
with  savages  like  these,  who  have  not  the  least  idea  of  tiie 


222  IGNORANCE   OF   FIREARMS.       [chap.  x. 

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  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  understand  how  it  is  effected  ; 
for  the  fact  of  a  body  being  invisible  from  its  velocity  would 
perhaps  be  to  him  an  idea  totally  inconceivable.  Moreover, 
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. 

January  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 


1833.]  FOREST-CLAD   HILLS.  223 

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  higli,  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  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 
nnked    bodies    all   bedaubed  with  black,  white,*  and  red, 

'  This  substance,  when  dry,  is  tolerably  compact,  and  of  little  specific 
gravity :  Professor  Elirenberg  has  examined  it :  he  states  (A'o/i/jf  Aknd. 
der  Pvissen :  Herlin,  Feb.  1^45)  that  it  is  composed  of  infusoria,  mcludine 
fourteen  polycfastrica  and  four  phytolitharia.  He  says  that  they  are  all 
inhabitants  of  fresh  water;  this  is  a  beautiful  example  of  the  results  obtain- 
able throujjh  Professor  Ehrenberff's  microscopin  rosc.irches  ;  for  Jemmy  liuttf)i' 
told  me  that  it  is  always  collected  at  the  bottoms  of  mountain  brooks.  It  is, 
moreover,  a  strikint;  fact  in  the  geographical  di.stnbutiun  of  the  infusoria, 
which  are  well  known  to  have  very  wide  ranges,  that  all  the  species  in  thir 
substance,  although  brought  from   the  extreme   southern   point  of  Tierrs  dki 

i^-gro,  are  old,  known  formn. 


224  JEMMY  AND   HIS   FRIENDS.      [chap.  x. 

they  looked  like  so  many  demoniacs  who  had  been  fighting. 
We  then  proceeded  (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  seem  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  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 
demonstration  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  the  mother  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 


1833.]  'J'HE   NATIVES    DISAPPEAR.  223 

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 
interested  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.  Bvnoe,  with  whom 
he  was  out  walking — "Oh,  Mr.  Bynoe,  on,  bird  all  same 
horse  I  "  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.  Every- 
thing 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  showeci,  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  milos  distant.  Matthews,  with  his  usual 
quiet  fortitude  (remarkable  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 
lo  find  all  quiet,  and  the  men  cniployod  in  thoir  c:ino"» 
spearing  fish. 


226         SURVEYING   BEAGLE  CHANNEL,     [chap,  x. 

Captain  FItz  Roy  determined  to  send  the  yawi  and  one 
whale-boat  back  to  the  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  our  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  * 
spouting  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  yielding  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  conscious- 
ness 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  2<^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  three 

*  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,  they  splashed  the 
water  high  up,  and  the  sound  reverberated  like  a  distant  broadside. 


1833.]       ADVENTURE   WITH   A  GLACIER.  227 

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  white  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  of  half  a  mile  a  perpendicular  cliff  of  ice, 
and  were  wishing  that  some  more  fragments  would  fall. 
At  last,  down  came  a  mass  with  a  roaring  noise,  and 
immediately  we  saw  the  smooth  outline  of  a  wave  travel- 
ling 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  of  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  01 
granite  and  mica-slate,  out  of  which  old  trees  were  grow- 
ing. 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  seaweed  between  them  ;  and  when  the  tide  rose, 
we  had  to  get  up  and  move  our  blanket-bags.    The  farthest 


22^    BAD   CONDUCT  OF  THE  NATIVES,    [chap.  x. 

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 
underground.  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 
leaving  the  three  Fuegians  with  their  savage  countrymen ; 
but  it  was  a  great  comfort  that  they  had  no  personal  fears. 
York,  being  a  powerful  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  re- 
marked, "  What  fashion  call  that  ?  "  he  abused  his  country- 
men, "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  civilised  men,  would,  I  am  sure,  have  been  glad  to 
have  retained  their  new  habits  ;  but  this  was  obviously  im- 
possible. 1  ff^ar  it  is  more  than  doubtful,  whether  their 
visit  will  have  been  of  any  use  to  them. 


1834.]  YAMMERSCHOONER.  229 

In  the  evening,  with  Matthews  on  board,  we  made  sai) 
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  tihe 
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  settlement 
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  circumstance 
of  being  quite  superior  in  force  made,  in  the  interest  of  be- 
holding 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 !  "  when  one  more  faint  halloo 
from  an  all-powerful  voice,  heard  at  a  prodigious  distance, 
would  reach  our  ears,  and  clearly  could  we  distinguish — 
"yammerschooner."  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  satis- 
faction with  which  one  young  woman,  with  her  face  painted 
black,  tied  several  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  round  her  head  with 


230      BARTER  AMONG  THE   FUEGIANS.     [chap.  x. 

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

Some  of  the  Fuegians  plainly  showed  that  they  had  a  fair 
notion  of  oarter.  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  admiration  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'oeuvres  de  I'industrie  humaine, 
comme  ils  traitent  les  loix  de  la  nature  et  ses  ph^nom^nes." 

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  fla^  flying,  was  seen  approach- 
ing, 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  recognise  him 
till  he  was  close  to  us  ;  for  he  was  ashamed  of  himself,  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  appear- 
ance. 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 


1834.J       THE   LAST  OF  JEMMY    BUTTON.  231 

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 
Vork  Minster  had  built  a  large  canoe,  and  with  his  wife 
Fuegia,*  had  several  months  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  the  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 !  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  perfect  equality  among  the  individuals  composing  the 
Fuegian  tribes  must  for  a  long  time  retard  their  civilisation. 
As  we  see  those  animals,  whose  instinct  compels  them  to 
live  in  society  and  obey  a  chief,  are  most  capable  of  improve- 
ment, so  is  it  with  the  races  of  mankind.     Whether  we  look 

•  Captain  Sutivan,  who,  iiince  his  voyaRC  in  the  Btagle,  hai  been  employed 
on  the  iturvey  of  the  FalklanrI  Iblands,  heard  from  a  aealer  in  (1842?),  tiiat 
when  in  the  wcNtern  part  of  the  Strait  of  Mag:ell»n,  he  waa  astonished  by  a 
native  woman  comini^  on  board,  who  could  talk  aomc  Kngliah.  Without  (timbt 
this  was  Fueifia  liasket.  Sh«  lived  (I  fear  the  ttrm  probably  bears  a  doubU 
interpretation)  aoins  days  on  board. 


232  EQUALITY  AND   CIVILISATION,     [chap.  x. 

at  it  as  a  cause  or  a  consequence,  the  more  civilised  always 
have  the  most  artificial  governments.  For  instance,  the 
inhabitants  of  Otahelte,  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  distributed ;  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  comparatively  civilised.  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  arts  of  life,  comes  nearest 
the  Fuegian  ;  he  can,  however,  boast  of  his  boomerang,  his 
spear  and  throwing-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. 


1 834-]  233 

CHAPTER  XI. 

STRAIT  OF   MAGELLAN. — CLIMATE   OF  THE   SOUTHERN- 
COASTS. 

Strait  of  Mag-ellan — Port  Famine — Ascent  of  Mount  Tarn — 
Forests — Edible  Fungus — Zoolog^y — Great  Seaweed — 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 — Trans- 
portal  of  Boulders  —  Climate  and  Productions  of  the 
Antarctic  Islands — Preservation  of  frozen  carcasses — 
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  Impervious  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  Inter- 
view at  Cape  Gregory  with  the  famous  so-called  gigantic 

•  The  Bouth-westerly  breezes  are  generally  very  dry.  January  29th,  being 
At  anchor  under  Capt-  r.rcKory  :  a  ver^  hard  gale  from  W.  by  S.,  clear  sky  with 
few  cumuli  ;  temperature  57*,  dew-point  36°--(lilfcrcnce  21*.  On  January  15th, 
at  Port  St  Julian  :  in  the  morning  light  winds  with  much  rain,  followed  by  a 
very  heavy  squAll  with  rain — »«Tttlc<l  into  heavy  gale  with  larfjc  cumuli — 
cleared  up,  blowing  very  strong  from  S.S.W.  Temperature  60*,  dew-point  4a* 
—difference  18*. 


334  AMONG  THE   PATAGONIANS.     [chap.  xi. 

Patagonians,  who  gave  us  a  cordial  reception.  Their  height 
appears  greater  than  it  really  is,  from  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  communication  with  sealers  and  whalers, 
that  most  of  the  men  can  speak  a  little  English  and  Spanish  ; 
and  they  are  half  civilised,  and  proportionally  demoralised. 

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 
(1580),  these  Indians  had  bows  and  arrows,  now  long  since 
disused  ;  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 

*  Reng-ger.  "  Natur.  der  Saeugethiere  von  Paraguay,"  S.  334. 


i834]  AT   PORT   FAMINE.  235 

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  1st. — 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  6800  feet  high,  presented  a  very  noble  spectacle. 
I  was  frequently  surprised,  in  the  scenery  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego,  at  the  little  apparent  elevation  of  mountains  really 
lofty.  I  suspect  it  is  owing  to  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 
base  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  disinter- 
ested 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  da]^ 
without  any  shelter,  to  the  late  incessant  gales,  with  rain, 

f-et,  and  snow,  and  yet  they  were  in  good  health. 
During  our  stay  at  Port  Famine,  the  Fuegians  twice 
tame  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 


236  CLIMBING   MOUNT  TARN.        [chap.  xi. 

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  them- 
selves behind  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  effectu- 
ally, 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  m  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  2600  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  landmark,  though  in  a  mountainous 
country,  was  completely  shut  out.  In  the  deep  ravines,  the 
death-like  scene  of  desolation  exceeded  all  description  ;  out- 
side 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  com- 
pletely 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  \yj 
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 


1834.]  LARGE  TREES.  237 

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  evergreen  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  any- 
where else  :  1  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  importance  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.  This  fungus  belongs  to  a  new  and  curious 
genus ;  t   I   found  a  second  species  on  another  species  of 

•  Captain  Fitz  Roy  informs  me  that  in  April  (our  October),  the  leaves  ot 
those  trees  which  grow  near  the  base  of  the  mountains  change  colour,  but  not 
those  on  the  more  elevated  parts.  I  remember  having  read  some  observations, 
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 
vcar  entirely  shed  ihcir  leaves. 

t  DcBcribc'd  from  niy  specimens,  and  notes  by  the  Rev.  J.  M,  Berkeley,  in  the 
hinncan  Transactions  "  (vol.  xix.,  j>.  37),  under  the  name  of  Cvttariu  iJarwiuii « 
'if  C'fiilian  sv)ri  ics  is  thr  ( .'    Hrrteroii.     This  geous  tfl  allied  to  buli^aria. 


33»  EDIBLE   FUNGUS.  [chap,  xr? 

beech  in  Chile ;  and  Dr.  Hooker  informs  me,  that  just 
lately  a  third  species  has  been  discovered  on  a  third  species 
of  beeches  in  Van  Diemen's  Land.  How  singular  is  this 
relationship  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  vegetable  food  beside  this 
fungus.  In  New  Zealand,  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  from  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  {Cants  Magellanicus  and  C.  AzarcB)y 
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  accumu- 
lated 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, 


■ 


1834.]  ZOOLOGY   OF  TIERRA   DEL  FUEGO.        239 

I  have  the  word  of  Jemmy  Button  for  saying,  that  neither 
of  these  animals  are  found. 

The  gloomy  woods  are  inhabited  by  few  birds  ;  occasion- 
ally the  plaintive  note  of  a  white-tufted  tyrant-flycatcher 
{Myiohiics  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 
Magellanicv^)  hops  in  a  skulking  manner  among  the 
entangled  mass  of  the  fallen  and  decaying  trunks.  But  the 
creeper  {Oxyumis  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  uttering  a  harsh  twitter,  it  flutters  from  tree  to 
tree,  withm  a  few  feet  of  the  intruder's  face.  It  is  far  from 
wishing  for  the  modest  concealment  of  the  true  creeper 
{Certhia  fatniliaris) ;  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.  1  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 
1  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   {Ilarpalida   and    HeteromidcB)    living    undei 


1 

2^0  KELP   COVERED   ROCKS,         [chap,  xi^ 

stones.  The  vegetable  feeding  Chrysomelidce,  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  :  Suc- 
cinea  at  first  appears  an  exception  ;  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  Macrocystis 
pyrifera.  This  plant  grows  on  every  rock  from  low-water 
mark  to  a  great  depth,  both  on  the  outer  coast  and  within 
the  channels. t  I  believe,  during  the  voyages  of  the  Adven- 
ture and  Beaglsy  not  one  rock  near  the  surface  was  dis- 
covered 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  sur- 
prising than  to  see  this  plant  growing  and  flourishing 
amidst  those  great  breakers  of  the  western  ocean,  which  no 
mass  of  rock,  let  it  be  ever  so  hard,  can  long  resist.     The 

*  I  believe  I  must  except  one  alpine  Haltica,  and  a  single  specimen  ol  a 
Melasoma.  Mr.  Waterhouse  informs  me,  that  of  the  Harpalidse  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 :  Staphylinida,  Elateridae,  Cebrionidae, 
Melonlonthidae.  The  species  in  the  other  orders  are  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  described  by 
Mr.  Waterhouse  in  the  "Annals  of  Natural  History," 

t  Its  geographical  range  is  remarkably  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)  as  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  ran^e  in  latitude  ; 
and  as  Cook,  who  must  have  been  well  acquainted  with  the  species,  found  it  at 
Kerjfuelen  Land,  no  less  than  140*  in  longitude. 


i»34-]  NATURAL   BREAKWATERS.  241 

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  *  up  from  the  greater  depth  of  forty-five 
fathoms.     The  beds  of  this   sea-weed,    even   when   of  not 

freat  breadth,  make  excellent  natural  floating  breakwaters, 
t  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 
encrusted  with  corallines  as  to  be  of  a  white  colour.  We 
find  exquisitely  delicate  structures,  some  Inhabited  by  simple 
hydra-like  polypi,  others  by  more  organised  kinds,  and 
beautlfulj  compound  AscidicB.  On  the  leaves,  also,  various 
patclllform  shells,  Trochi  uncovered  molluscs,  and  some 
bivalves  are  attached.  Innumerable  Crustacea  frequent 
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  Holuthurice^  PlanaricB, 
and  crawling  nereldous  animals  of  a  multitude  of  forms,  all 
fall  out  together.     Often  as  I  recurred  to  a  branch  of  the 

•  "Voyages  of  the  Adventure  and  Beagle"  vol.  i.,  p.  361. — It  appears  that 
«ea-weed  jjrows  extremely  quick.  Mr.  Stephenson  found  (Wilson's  "Voyage 
round  Scotland,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  itK)  that  a  rock  uncovere*!  only  at  8prin{;-tic!c.s, 
which  had  been  chiselled  bmooth  in  November,  on  the  lolhiwini;  May,  that  is 
within  six  months  afterward*,  was  thickly  covered  with  Fucus  digitatus  two 
'■-'    '  '"'     ■    'ilcntus  six  feet,  in  length. 


242  MARINE  FORESTS.  ^chap.  xi. 

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  FlustracecB^  and 
some  compound  AscidicB  ;  the  latter,  however,  are  of  dif- 
ferent 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  fish- 
ing 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  Sarmiento,  which  was  then  hidden  in  the 
clouds.  At  the  base  of  the  lofty  and  almost  perpendicular 
sides  of  our  little  cove  there  was  one  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  <^th. — In  the  morning  we  were  delighted  by  seeing 
the  veil  of  mist  gradually  rise  from  Sarmiento,  and  display 


i834.]  SARMIENTO.  243 

it  to  our  view.  This  mountain,  which  is  one  of  the  highest 
in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  has  an  altitude  of  6800  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  tihese  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  10th. — 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  shipwrecks,  peril,  and  death  ;  and  with 
this  sight  we  bade  farewell  for  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  tb*»  former  edition  of  this  work. 


244 


CLIMATIC   DATA. 


[chap.   XI. 


On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  oj 
the  South-west  Coast. — The  following  table  gives  the  mean 
temperature  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  Falkland  Islands,  and, 
for  comparison,  that  of  Dublin  : 


Latitude. 

Summer 
Temp. 

Winter 
Temp. 

Mean  of 

Summer 

and  Winter. 

Tierra  del  Fuego 
Falkland  Islands 
Dublin  .... 

53°38'S. 
53  2i'N. 

50" 
51° 
59.54 

33°.  08 
39^2 

41° .54 
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.  According  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  !  *  In- 
hospitable 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  Patellce^  Fissurellcs, 
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  Terehra.  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 

*  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  Sullivan 
for  the  mean  of  the  mean  temperature  (reduced  from  careful  observation  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. 


1834.]         CLIMATE  AND   PRODUCTIONS.  245 

Terehra,  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  *  are  often  brought  into  the  houses  to  be  dried 
and  ripened.  At  Valdivia  (in  the  same  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  un- 
favourable to  our  fruits,  yet  the  native  forests,  from  lat.  45° 
to  38',  almost  rival  in  luxuriance  those  of  the  glowing  inter- 
tropical regions.  Stately  trees  of  many  kinds,  with  smooth 
and  highly  coloured  barks,  are  loaded  by  parasitical  mono- 
cotyledonous  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  Dlcmen'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  orchidcous  plants  are  parasitical 
on  the  trees.     In  the  Auckland  Islands,  ferns,  accordl nt^'-  to 

•  AgrUeroi,  "  Dewcrip,  HUt.  de  la  Prov.  de  Chilo^,"  i?,',  i 


246     GLACIERS    AND    THE    SNOW-LINE.     [chap.  xt. 

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  : 


Latitude. 

Heig-ht  in  Feet 
of  Snow-line. 

Observer. 

Equatorial  region ;  mean 

result. 
Bolivia,  lat.  16°  to  18°  S.  . 
Central  Chile,  lat.  33°  S.  . 

Chiloe,  lat.  41°  to  43°  S.    . 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  54°  S.  . 

15.748 

17,000 
14,500  to  15,000 

6000 
3500  to  4000 

Humboldt. 

Pentland. 
Gillies,  and  the 

Author. 
Officers  of  the 

Beagle, 

and       the  j 

Author. 
King.                   1 
1 

As  the  height  of  the  plain  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  3500  or  4000  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  in  height,  namely,  about  9000  feet, 
between  the  snow-line  on  the  Cordillera  behind  Chiloe  (with 
its  highest  points  ranging  from  only  5600  to  7500  feet)  and 
in  central  Chile  t  (a  distance  of  only  9°  of  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 

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

t  On  the  Cordillera  of  central  Chile,  I  believe  the  snow-line  varies  exceedingly 
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  probabe  that  much  of  the  snow  at  these 
great  height*  »««  *vaporited,  rather  than  thawed. 


1834.]      GLACIERS  AND  THE   SNOW-LINE.  247 

Chile,  on  the  other  hand,  a  little  northward  of  Concepclon, 
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 
remarkable  flexure  of  9000  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  3000  to  4000  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)t  on  a  body  like  a 
glacier,  already  in  motion,  and  traversed  by  fissures ! 
1  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   mountain    is    only  6200    feet    high. 

*  Miers's  "Chile,"  vol.  i.,  p.  415.  It  is  said  that  the  sugnr-cane  grew  at 
Ingcnio,  lat.  3a*  to  33°,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  the  manufacture 
profitable.  In  the  valley  of  yuillota,  south  of  Ingenio,  1  saw  some  large  dat-- 
palm-trees. 

t  Hulkelcy's  and  Cummin's  "  Faithful  Narrative  of  the  1-oss  of  the  IVaf^er." 
The  earthquake  happened  Aufrust  ajth,  1741. 


248  ROCKS   IN    ICEBERGS.  [chap.  xi. 

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  farthest  from  the 
Pole,  surveyed  during  the  voyages  of  the  Adventure  and 
Beadle,  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  mission- 
aries *  encountered  *  *  many  icebergs,  some  great,  some  small, 
and  others  middle  sized,"  in  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  on 
the  22nd  of  the  month  corresponding  with  our  June,  and  in 
a  latitude  corresponding  with  that  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva  ! 

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  1230  miles,  nearer  the  pole  than  the  Laguna  de 
San  Rafael.  The  position  of  the  glaciers  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  4^° 
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  orchid- 
eous  parasites,  and  within  a  single  degree  of  tree-ferns  ! 

These  facts  are  of  high  geological  interest  with  respect  to 
the  climate  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  period  when 
boulders  were  transported.  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  great 
unstratified  formation  of  mud  and  sand,  containing  rounded 
and  angular  fragments  of  all  sizes,  which  has  originated  t 
in   the   repeated   ploughing   up   of  the   sea-bottom   by  the 

*  Agiieros,  "Desc.  Hist,  de  Chiloe,"  p.  227. 
t  **  Geologficsd  Transactions."  voL  vL,  p.  4.15. 


1834.]    BOULDERS   TRANSPORTED   BY   ICE.        249 

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  farther  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.* 

On  the  Climate  and  Productions  of  the  Antarctic  Islands. — 
Considering  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  js  truly  sur- 
prising. 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  correndera),  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  t  found  the  bay,  in  which  he  was  at  anchor, 
beginning  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  depth  beneath  the 
surface  it  must  remain  perpetually  congealed,  for  Lieutenant 

•  I  have  given  details  (the  firit,  I  beh'cve,  pubHshed)  on  this  aubject  in  the 
fiftt  edition,  and  in  the  appendix  to  it.  I  have  there  shown  that  the  apparent 
exceptions  to  the  absence  of  erratic  boulders  in  certain  hot  countries,  are  due 
to  erroneous  observations :  several  statemeiita  there  {fiven,  I  have  since  found 
confirmed  by  various  iiiithors. 

t  Gtofrra/ hical  Jpu-^nal,  1830.  pp.  65,  66. 


250  PRESERVATION    IN    ICE.         i[chap.  xi. 

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  hemisphere  (but  not  in  the  broken 
land  of  Europe  between  them),  we  have  the  zone  of  perpetu- 
ally 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  excessively  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  hulk  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 
independejatly  of  the  imagined  difiiculty  of  supplying  them 
with  food  from  the  adjoining  countries,  the  whole  case  is 
not,  I  think,  so  perplexing  as  it  has  generally  been  con- 
sidered.    The  plains  of  Siberia,  like  those  of  the  Pampas, 

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


i834.]  RECAPITULATION.  251 

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,*  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  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  ;  t  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  hemisphere  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  Valuta^  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  Orchidece  would  thrive  amidst  the 
thick  woods.  Even  as  far  north  as  central  Denmark 
humming-birds  would  be  seen  fluttering  about  delicat 
flowers,  and  parrots  feeding  amidst  the  evergreen  woods 


*  Mesars.  Dca«e  and  Simpson,  in  Geographical  Journal,  voL  viii.,  pp 
t  CuvW  ("  Oa««man»  FoaaiUa,"  torn,  i.,  p.  ij)i),  from  Billing:'*  "  Voy 


ai8,  aa'. 
oyaea." 


252  RliCAPlTULATlON.  [chap.  xi. 

and  in  the  sea  there,  we  should  have  a  Volutay  and  all  the 
shells  of  large  size  and  vigbrous  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  ever- 
lasting 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  astonishing  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  prodigious  masses  of  ice  into  the  waters  below. 
Lastly,  some  missionaries  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  great ;  and  this  would  have  occurred  on  our 
twenty-second  of  June,  and  where  the  Lake  of  Geneva  is 
now  spread  out !  * 

*  In  the  former  edition  and  appendix,  I  have  g-iven  some  facts  on  the  trans- 
portal  of  erratic  boulders  and  icebergs  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean.  This  subject 
has  lately  been  treated  excellently  by  Mr.  Hayes,  in  the  Boston  Journal  (yo\.  iv., 
p.  426).  The  author  does  not  appear  aware  of  a  case  published  by  me  ideograph- 
ical 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  appendix  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 


i834-]  253 

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. 

July  2.2,rd. — The  Beagle  anchored  late  at  night  in  the  Bay 
of  Valparaiso,  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  1600  feet  high, 
and  father  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,  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  Chimborazo  ; 
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  pomt,  owe  the  greater  part  of 
their  beauty   to   the  atmosphere   through   which  they  are 

.cebergs  off  North  Amcrici  push  before  them  pebbles  and  vand,  and  leave  the 
submarine  rocky  flats  quite  bare;  it  is  harclly  possible  to  doubt  that  such 
ledfires  must  be  polished  and  scored  in  the  direction  of  the  set  of  the  prevailin; 
currents.  Since  writing^  that  appendix,  I  have  seen  in  North  Wales  (Londim 
I'hil.  Mag.t  vol.  xxi.,  p.  i8o)  the  adjoining:  action  of  glaciers  and  ol  lloating 
iccberfca. 


254  AT  VALPARAISO.  [chap.  xii. 

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  of  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,  however,  it  is  sufficiently  abundant.  The  vegeta- 
tion 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  356 
.rniles  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.  What  a  difference  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  14M. — I  set  out  on  a  riding  excursion,  for  the 
purpose  of  geologising  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  ot 
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  of  coast  are  unequivocal  :  at  the  height  of  a  few 
hundred  feet  old-looking  shells  are  numerous,  and  I  found 
some   at    1300  feet.     These   shells   either  lie  loose   on   the 


1834.]  STRUCTURE   OF  CHILE.  255 

surface,  or  are  embedded  in  a  reddish-black  vegetable  mould. 
I  was  much  surprised  to  find  under  the  microscope  that  this 
vegetable  mould  is  really  marine  mud,  full  of  minute 
particles  of  organic  bodies. 

August  ic^th. — 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 
patchwork  valley  the  more  pleasing.  Whoever  called 
"Valparaiso"  the  "Valley  of  Paradise,"  must  have  been 
thinking  of  Quillota.  We  crossed  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  tne  Cordillera  and  the  Pacific  ;  and  this  strip 
is  Itself  traversed  by  several  mountain-lines,  which  in  this 
part  run  parallel  to  the  pfreat  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  F'uego  and  the  western  coast.  Chile  must 
formerly  have  resembled  the  latter  country  in  the  con- 
figuration of  Its  land  and  water.  The  resemblance  was 
ocrasionallv  shown  strikingly  when  a  level  fog-bank  covered, 
Mantle,  all  the  lower  parts  of  the  country:  tli» 


2.S6  FERTILITY   OF  THE    PLAINS.       [chap.  xii. 

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 
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  over- 
flowing abundance  of  peaches,  figs,  and  grapes.  With  all 
these  advantages,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  ought  to 
be  much  more  prosperous  than  they  are. 

August  i6th. — The  major-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  6400  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  4500  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 


?!^'^' 


W^- 


■^k 


i8:,4.J  TREACLE    FROM   TREES.  257 

early  spring,  in  August,  very  many  are  cut  down,  and  when 
Llie  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,  however,  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  absolutely  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  atmo- 
sphere so  clear,  that  the  masts  pf  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  charqui  (or  dried  slips  of 
beeQ.  took  our  matd,  and  were  quite  comfortable.  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  17M. — In  the  morning  we  climbed  up  the  rough 

mass  of  greenstone  which  crowns  the  summit.     Tiiis  rock, 

as  frequently  happens,  was  much  shattered  and  broken  into 

huge  angular  fragments.     I  observed,  however,  one  remark- 

I  able    circumstance,    namely,    that    many    of    the    surfaces 


258  ON  THE    BELL   MOUNTAIN,     [chap.  xit. 

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  il 
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 
Cordillera — 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  unexamined.  I  spent  the  evening  as  before, 
talking  round  the  fire  with  my  two  companions.  The 
Guasos  of  Chile,  who  correspond  to  the  Gauchos   of  the 


1834.]  THE  GUASOS.  259 

Pampas,  are,  however,  a  very  different  set  of  beings.  Chile 
is  the  more  civilised  of  the  two  countries,  and  the  in- 
habitants, in  consequence,  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  gentleman  ;  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  trousers  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   iHtA. — We  descended  the  mountain,  and  passed 

nine   beautiful    little    spots,    with    rivulets   and   fino    (ro<»s. 

Having   slept   at   the   same    hacienda   as    before,    a.        >de 


26o  MINING    IN   CHILE.  [chap.  xii. 

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,  pre- 
senting 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.  The 
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  super- 
intendent of  the  mine,  was  a  shrewd  but  rather  ignorant 
Cornish  miner.  He  had  married  a  Spanish  woman,  and 
did  not  mean  to  return  home  ;  but  his  admiration  for  the 
mines  of  Cornwall  remained  unbounded.  Amongst  many 
other  questions,  he  asked  me,  "Now  that  George  Rex  is 
dead,  how  many  more  of  the  family  of  Rexes  are  yet 
alive  ?  "  This  Rex  certainly  must  be  a  relation  of  the  great 
author  Finis,  who  wrote  all  books  ! 

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  introduced  by  foreigners  have  been,  first, 
reducing  by  previous  roasting  the  copper  pyrites — 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.  I  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 


1834.]  A   MYSTERIOUS   LAKE.  261 

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  has  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  intro- 
duced 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  qf  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.  feut  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  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  interest- 
ing 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  pro- 
posed to  attempt  cutting  a  channel  from  it  for  the  sake  of 
tho  water,  but  the  padre,  after  a  consultation,  declared  it 


262  ACACIA  WOODS.  [chap.  xii. 

was  too  dangerous,  as  all  Clille  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  snowdrifts,  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  olack  sky  showed  that  a  fresh 
snowstorm  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  atmosphere  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  v/e  pushed  our  horses  into  a  gallop, 
and  reached  the  city  before  it  was  dark. 

1  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 


i834.]  POOR   BRIDGES.  263 

merchants,  whose  hospitality  at  this  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  ^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  absurdity 
of  a  bishop  having  a  wife  particularly  struck  them  ;  they 
scarcely  knew  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  dillicult 
even  to  perceive  whether  the  horse  is  moving  onward  or 
standing   still.      In   summer,   when   the  snow   melts,   the 


264  HOT   MINERAL  SPRINGS.       [chap.  xii. 

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  dislocation,  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  this  appears  to 
be  the  result  of  an  unequal  mixture  of  cold  water  :  for  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  ;  the  temperature 
being  suddenly  changed  from  1 18°  to  92°.*  It  seems  probable 
that  mineral  waters  rising  deep  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  would  always  be  more  deranged  by  subterranean  dis- 
turbances than  those  nearer  the  surface.  The  man  who 
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  a^ain  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. 

*  Caiddeugh,  in  "  Philosoph.  Transact."   or  ji!V|& 


1834.]  FLOATING   ISLANDS.  265 

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  unattempted,  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,  rbr  he  invariably  shot  any  one  who  hesi- 
tated 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  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  gener- 
ally circular,  and  their  thickness  from  four  to  six  feet,  of 

*  "Annalrn  des  Sciences  Naturelle«,"  Miirch  1833.  M.  Gav,  a  zealoiij*  and 
able  natiiraliHt,  was  then  occupied  in  studying  every  branch  ot  natural  liistory 
throughout  the  kingdom  of  Chue. 


266  HARD   CLIMBING.  [chap.  xii. 

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  pro- 
fusely, 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  for  stealing  gold  is  to  secrete 
pieces  of  the  ore,  and  take  them  out  as  occasion  may  offer. 
Whenever  the  mayor-domo  finds  a  lump  thus  hidden,  its 
full  value  is  stopped  out  of  the  wages  of  all  the  men  ;  who 
thus,  unless  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  described,  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. 
After  having  been  left  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  rewashed, 
it  yields  gold ;  and  this  process  may  be  repeated  even  six 


1834.]  POVERTY    OF   LABOURERS.  267 

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  procured  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.  Hence  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  con- 
siderable numbers.  They  are  of  a  circular  flattened  form, 
from  five  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  hole  passinj^; 
quite  through  the  centre.  It  has  generally  been  supposed 
that  they  were  used  as  heads  to  clubs,  although  their  form 


268  AN   AMUSING   CONVERSATION,    [chap.  xii. 

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  con- 
versation which  took  place  between  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 — hay  un  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  i^th. — 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. 
{20th)  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 
diff'erent   elevations,  and  they  are  traversed  by  broad,  flat 

*  Burchell's  "Travels,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  45. 


1S3.4.]  ZOOLOGY   OF   CHILE.  269 

bottomed  valleys ;  both  of  which  circumstances,  a^  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  1  felt  very  unwell,  and  from  that  time  to 
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  2^th. — Our  course  was  now  directed  towards 
Valparaiso,  which  with  great  difficulty  I  reached  on  the 
27th,  and  was  there  confined  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  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  feet.  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  condor- 
wheeling  in  the  air,  every  now  and  then  descend  to  partal. 
of  the  feast,  and  being  angrily  driven  ;i\vny,  rise  :i1l  inj^^fthn 


270  HUNTING  THE  PUMA.  [chap.  xii. 

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  Guacho 
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  discrimi- 
nation. 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  in- 
sensible. 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 
Iweeding  season. 

Of  birds,  two  species  of  the  genus  Pteroptochos  {megapodius 
and  albicoUis  of  Kittlitz)  are  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous. 
The  former,  called  by  the  Chillenos  **  el  Turco,"  is  as  large 
as  a  field-fare,  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  uncommon.  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  quick- 
ness. 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  !  "  It  cannot  be  made 
to  take  flight  without  the  greatest  trouble,  nor  does  it  run, 
but  only  hops.  The  various  loud  cries  which  it  utters  when 
concealed  amongst  the  bushes,  are  as  strange  as  its 
appearance.     It   is   said   to  build  its   nest  in  a  deep  hole 


[834.]  THE  TAPACOLO.  271 

leneath  the  ground.  I  dissected  several  specimens ;  a 
gizzard,  which  was  very  muscular,  contained  beetles, 
vegetable  fibres,  and  pebbles.  From  this  character,  iVom 
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  nidifica- 
tion,  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  bird,  and  continually 
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  2500  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  extremefy  humid  climate,  this  little  bird,  skipping 
from  side  to  side  amidst  the  dripping  foliage,  is  perhaps 
more  abundant  than  almost  any  otlier  kind.  I  opened 
the  stomachs  of  several  specimens,  shot  in  difTerent  parts 
of  the  continent,  and  in  all  remains  of  insects  were  as 
numerous  as   in   the   stomach   of  a  creeper.      When   this 

•  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  Molina^  though  dencribing:  in  detail  all  the  bird* 
and  animala  of  Chile,  never  once  mention*  Ihia  genuii.  the  aperies  of  which  arc 
■o  common,  and  ro  remarkable  in  their  habits.  Was  he  at  a  losa  how  to 
classify  them,  and  did  be  consefiiicntly  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  been  least  expected. 


272  HUMMING-BIRDS,  [chap,  xiii 

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  tlie 
genus,  it  moves  from  place  to  place  with  a  rapidity  which 
may  be  compared  to  that  of  Syrphus  amongst  flies,  and 
Sphinx  amongst  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  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   Xni. 

CHILOE   AND    CHONOS    ISLANDS. 

Chiloe — General  Aspect — Boat  excursion — Native  Indians — 
Castro — Tamefox — Ascend  San  Pedro — Chonos  Archipelago 
— Peninsula  of  Tres  Monies — 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  21st  we  anchored  in  the  bay  of 
San  Carlos,  the  capital  of  Chiloe. 
This  island  is  about  ninety  miles  long,  with  a  breadth 


1834.]  A   PRIMITIVE   PEOPLE.  273 

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  difficult 
to  get  a  single  glimpse  of  the  Cordillera :  durihg  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  a  humble,  quiet,  industrious  set  of 
men.  Although  the  fertile  soil,  resulting  from  the  decom- 
position of  the  volcanic  rocks,  supports  a  rank  vegetation, 
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  impene- 
trable, 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  state  of 
the  soil.  The  mhabitants,  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  suflicient  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 


274  AT  CHACAO.  [chap.  xiii. 

charcoal,  with  which  to  buy  some  trifle,  and  another  carry- 
ing a  plank  to  exchant^e  for  a  bottle  of  wine.  Hence  every 
tradesman  must  als(>  be  a  merchant,  and  again  sell  the 
goods  which  he  takes  in  exchange. 

November  24M. — The  yawl  and  whale-boat  were  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  outside,  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 
belonging  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  inhabitants  were  much  astonished  at  the  appearance  of 
men-of-war's  boats,  and  hoped  and  believed  it  was  the  fore- 
runner 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  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. 


1834.]  A  LAND   OF  VOLCANOES.  275 

November  2^th. — Torrents  of  rain  :  we  managed,  how- 
ever, 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  26th. — 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.  Subse- 
quently we  saw  the  lofty-peaked  Corcovado — well  deserving 
the  name  of  "el  famoso  Corcovado."  Thus  we  beheld, 
from  one  point  of  view,  three  great  active  volcanoes,  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  neighbourhood,  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 
converged  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.  Every- 
thing I  have  seen,  convinces  me  of  the  close  connection  of 
the  dllTerent  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  civilisation,  however  low  that  may  be, 
which  their  white  conquerors  have  attained.  More  to  the 
south  we  saw  many  pure  Indians :  indeed,  all  the  in- 
habitants of  some  of  the  islets  retain  their  Indian  surnames. 


276  CAUSES   OF   WANT  OF   LAND.     [chap.  xiii. 

In  the  census  of  1832,  there  were  in  Chiloe  and  its  depend- 
encies 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  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 
valuation,  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  un- 
cleared 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 


1 834.]  AT   CASTRO.  277 

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  ;^iooo  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  ^f^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  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  any- 
where 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  a.«-  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  fiom  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  shehor  during  the  rain.  In  the  morning  1  asked 
a  young    Indian,   who   was   wet  to   the  skin,    how  he  had 


278         BARTER  WITH  THE   NATIVES,     [chap.  xiii. 

passed    the    night.       He    seemed    perfectly    content,    and 
answered,  **  Muy  bien,  seiior." 

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  inhabitants.  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  capsicum, 
old  clothes,  and  gunpowder.  The  latter  article  was 
required  for  a  very  innocent  purpose  :  each  parish  has  a 
public  musket,  and  the  gunpowder  was  wanted  for  making 
a  noise  on  their  saint  or  feast  days. 

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  occasionally  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  ot 
rfiree-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,  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  understanding  Spanish,  if  we 


1834]  AN   INQUISITIVE   FOX.  279 

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  scabm)^ 
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  cir- 
cumference !  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  few 
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  diflicult  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  of  angles  with  the 
theodolite.  A  fox  {Cants  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  rocUs.  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 


28o         THE   ASCENT  TO   SAN    PEDRO,     [chap.  xiii. 

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,  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 
looo  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  lo/'A.^— The  yawl  and  whale-boat,  with  Mr. 
Sulivan,  proceeded  on  their  survey,  but  1  remained  on  board 
the  Beagle^  which  the  next  day  left  San  Pedro  for  the  south- 
ward. On  the  13th  we  ran  into  an  opening  in  the  southern 
part  of  Guayatecas,  or  the  Chonos  Archipelago  ;  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  wa*^  white  with  the  flying  spray,  and  the 


1834.]  ALONG   THE   COAST.  281 

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  \Zth. — We  stood  out  to  sea.  On  the  20th  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  next  day  a  harbour  was  discovered,  which  on  this 
dangerous  coast  might  be  of  great  service  to  a  distressed 
vessel.  It  can  easily  be  recognised  by  a  hill  1600  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 
iindefinite  expectation  of  seeing  something  very  strange, 
jwhich,  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. 

I  A  strong  desire  is  always  felt  to  ascertain  whether  an^ 
Ihuman  being  has  previously  visited  an  unfrequented  post 


282  A   GRASS  BED.  [chap.  xiii. 

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  2%th. — 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  afterwards  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  I  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. 

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  2400  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  or 
the  world.  The  granite  was  capped  with  mica-slate,  and 
this  in  the  lapse  of  ages  had  been  worn  into  strange  finger 


1835.]  HERDS   OF   SEALS.  283 

shaped  poincs.  These  two  formations,  thus  differing  in 
their  outlines,  agree  in  being  almost  destitute  of  vegetation. 
This  barrenness  had  to  our  eyes  a  strange  appearance,  from 
having  been  so  long  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  an  almost 
universal  forest  of  dark  green  trees.  1  took  much  delight 
in  examining  the  structure  of  these  mountains.  The  com- 
plicated 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  recognised.  Granite 
has  given  rise,  perhaps,  to  more  discussion  concerning  its 
origin  than  any  other  formation.  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  know- 
ledge 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 
mT  torrents  wiiich,  in  the  form  of  cascades,  came  tumbling 

\er  the  bold  granite  mountains  into  the  sea.     The  fresh 


284  ADV  ^NTUROUS   FISHKRS.     [chap.  xiu. 

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 
in  which  the  heap  of  seals,  old  and  young,  tumbled  into  the 
water  as  the  boat  passed.  They  did  not  remain  long  under 
water,  but  rising,  followed  us  with  outstretched  necks, 
expressing  great  wonder  and  curiosity. 

January  yth. — 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,  composed  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  abun- 
dance, 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 

*  "Horticultural  Transact,"  vol.  v.,  p.  249.  Mr.  Caldcleugh  sent  home  two 
hibers,  which,  being  well  manured,  even  the  first  season  produced   numerous 


i83S.]    FLORA  OF  CHONOS  ARCHIPELAGO.      285 

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  con- 
genial climate.  In  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  as  I  have  before 
remarked,  the  country  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  Archi- 
pelago, 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  mageUanicd)^  which 
by  their  joint  decay  compose  a  thick  bed  of  elastic 
peat. 

In  Tierra  del  Fuego,  above  the  regions  of  woodland,  the 
former  of  these  eminently  sociable  plants  is  the  chief  agent 
in  the  production  of  peat.  Fresh  leaves  are  always  suc- 
ceeding 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,  vet  holding  their  place,  can  be 
observed  passing  through  every  stage  of  decomposition, 
till  the  whole  becomes  blended  In  one  confused  mass.     The 

potatoes  and  an  abundance  of  leaves.  See  Humboldt's  interesting  discussion  on 
this  plant,  which  it  appears  was  unknown  in  Mexico. — in  "Polit.  Essay  on  New 
Spain,"  book  iv.,  chap.  ix. 

*  Hy  sweepinj;  with  my  insect-net,  1  procured  from  these  situations  a  con- 
siderable number  of  minute  insects,  of  the  family  of  Staphylinidte,  and  others 
allied  to  Pselaphus,  and  minute  Hymenoptera.  Hut  tlie  most  characteristic 
r.4pilly  in  number,  both  of  individuals  and  species,  throughout  the  mote  open 
■itfiru  of  Chiloe  and  Chonos,  is  that  of  the  Telephorid*. 


286  PRODUCTION   OF   PEAT.       [chap.  xiii. 

Astella  is  assisted  by  a  few  other  plants — here  and  there 
a  small  creeping  Myrtus  {M.  num7nularia)^  with  a  woody 
stem  like  our  cranberry  and  with  a  sweet  berry — an 
Empetrum  {E.  rubruin)^  like  our  heath — a  rush  {Juncics 
grandiJlorus\  are  nearly  the  only  ones  that  grow  on  the 
swampy  surface.  These  plants,  though  possessing  a  very 
close  general  resemblance  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  disorganisation  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  situa- 
tion 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  circumstance,  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  characterised  peat  occurs  ;  but  in  the  Chonos  Islands, 
three  degrees  farther  southward,  we  have  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 


i83S.]         FAUNA   OF   CHONOS   ISLANDS.  287 

throughout  the  tributaries  of  La  Plata.  It  here,  however, 
exclusively  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  fish,  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.  hrachiotis)  ;  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  suc- 
cession of  chances,*  or  what  changes  of  level  must  have 
been  brought  into  play,  thus  to  spread  these  small  animals 
throughout  this  broken  archipelago  ! 

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"  (/*/^ro/»/<9cAo,r  rubecula):  it  frequents  the  most 
gloomy  and  retired  spots  within  the  damp  forests.  Some- 
times, 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  oranches,  with  its 
little  tail  cocked  upwards.  The  cheucau  is  held  in  super- 
stitious 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  absolute!} 
governed  by  them.  The  Chilotans  assuredly  have  chosen 
a  most  comical  little  creature  for  their  prophet.  An  allied 
species,  but  rather  larger,  is  called  bv  the  natives  *'  Guid 
guid "  {rieroptochos  Tamii)^  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 

•  It  i»«  said  that  Rome  rnpaciouii  birds  brinfr  their  prey  alive  to  their  nestii.     If 
•io,  in  the  course  of  crntiiries,  every  now  and  then,  one  miffht  esc.-ipc  from  the 
ling  birds.      Some  such  agency  is  necessary,  to  account  tor  the  dlNtribntiuii  of 
'  Hinallcr  gnawing  animals  on  islands  not  very  near  each  other. 


2SS  FAUNA   OF   CHONOS   ISLANDS,     [chap.  xni. 

yelping  somewhere  in  the  forest.  Just  as  with  the  cheucau, 
a  person  will  sometimes  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  dusky-coloured  bird  [Opetiorhynchus 
Patagonicus)  is  very  common.  It  is  remarkable  from  its 
quiet  habits  ;  it  lives  entirely  on  the  sea-beach,  like  a  sand- 
piper. 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  whew- 
whew  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-flycatcher 
{Myiohius)  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  of  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 

*  I  may  mention,  as  a  proof  of  how  great  a  diiFerence  there  is  between  the 
seasons  of  the  wooded  and  the  open  parts  of  this  coast,  that  on  September  20th 
in  lat  34°,  these  bird  had  young  ones  in  the  nest,  while  amon^  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. 


1835.]  THE    "BREAK-BONES."  289 

which    must    inevitably   have    happened   with   very   many 
animals. 

These  southern  seas  are  frequented  by  several  species 
of  Petrels  :  the  largest  kind,  Procellaria  g-igantea,  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  it  for  hours  together 
without  seeing  on  what  it  feeds.  The  "break-bones  " 
is,  however,  a  rapacious  bird,  for  it  was  observed  by 
some  of  the  officers  at  Port  St.  Antonio  chasing  a  diver, 
which  tried  to  escape  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 
{Ptiffinus  cinereus)y  which  is  common  to  Europe,  Cape 
Horn,  and  the  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  Beranii\ 
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  straignt  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,  it 
short  wings  and  consequent  little  power  of  flight,  it 
form  of  body  and  shape  of  tail,  the  absence  of  a  hind  tot- 
to  its  foot,  its  habit  of  diving,  and  its  choice  of  situation, 
xw.xkr   it   ;it    first  doubtful   whether  its    relationship    is    not 


290  A  VOLCANO    IN   ACTION.       [chap.  xiv. 

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  and  Coseg'uina — Ride  to  Cucao — Impene- 
trable Forests — Valdivia — Indians — Earthquake — Concep- 
cion — Great  earthquake — Rocks  fissured — Appearance  of 
the  former  towns — The  sea  black  and  boiling — Direction  of 
the  vibrations — Stones  twisted  round — Great  Wave — Per- 
manent elevation  of  the  land — Area  of  volcanic  phenomena — 
The  connection  between  the  elevatory  and  eruptive  forces — 
Cause  of  earthquakes — Slow  elevation  of  Mountain-chains. 

On  January  the  15th  we  sailed  from  Low's  Harbour, 
and  three  days  afterwards  anchored  a  second  time  in 
the  bay  of  San  Carlos  In  Chiloe.  On  the  night  of  the 
igth  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  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     (2700     miles     north     of 


1835.]  A   CURIOUS   ROAD.  291 

Aconcagua),  accompanied  by  an  earthquake  felt  over  1000 
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  remarkable  ;  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  2000  miles  on  the  western 
coast,  show  in  how  equable  and  connected  a  manner  the 
elevatory  forces  have  acted. 

Captain  Fitz  Ro}'-  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  9 
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 
<'Hrth.  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  uMidc 
the   Chilotan  horses.     In   crossing  bad   parts,  where   tl 


292  PRIMEVAL   WOODS.  [chap.  xiv. 

logs  had  been  displaced,  they  skipped  from  one  to  the 
other,  almost  with  the  quickness  and  certaint)"^  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  in  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.  x\s  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  efi'ect  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 
civilised.  Shortly  after  sunset  we  bivouacked  for  the  night. 
Our  female  companion,  who  was  rather  good-looking, 
belonged  to  one  of  the  most  respectable  families  in  Castro  ; 
she  rode,  however,  astride,  and  without  shoes  and  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 


1835.]  IN   A   PERIAGUA.  293 

ni^ht  was  cloudless  ;  and  while  lying  in  our  beds,  we 
enjoyed  the  sight  (and  it  is  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  him- 
self. 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  gentleman  offered  to  come  himself ;  but  for  a  long  time 
nothing  would  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  some- 
times through  pretty  cleared  spots,  abounding  with  corn 
and  potato  crops.  This  undulating  woody  country,  partially 
cultivated,  reminded  me  of  the  wilder  parts  of  England,  ancl 
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  inhabi- 
tants 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 
{>iill  us  over,  without  deigning  to  tell  them  whether  they 
would  be  paid.  The  pcniagua  is  a  strange  rough  boat,  but 
Ihe  crew  were  still  stranger  :  I  doubt  if  six  uglier  little  men 
'ver  got  into  a  boat  together.     They  pulled,  however,  very 

veil  and  cheerfully.     Tlie  stroke-oarsman  gabbled  Indian, 
and    uttered    strang(;    cries,    much    after    the   fashion   of  h 


294  ■       AT  CUCAO.  [chap.  xiv. 

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  Chiloe.  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 
manufacture,  and  they  have  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  authoritative 
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,  or  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  mat^.  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  breakfast,  we  rode  a  few  miles  north- 
ward 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, 


1835.]  A   PRICKLY   PLANT.  295 

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  1  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  im- 
practicable. 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  26th, — Re-embarking  in  the  perlagua,  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  upwards. 
Although  the  inhabitants  were  so  assiduous  in  settmg  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 


296  VALDIVIAN    ORCHARDS.         [chap.  xiv. 

the  north,  stood  out  in  proud  pre-emhience :  scarcely 
another  peak  in  the  long  range  showed  its  snowy  summit. 
I  hope  it  will  be  long  before  1  forget  this  farewell  view  or 
the  magnificent  Cordillera  fronting  Chiloe.  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  a^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  35c 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  :  from  among  these  shells, 
large  forest-trees  were  growing.  Another  ride  w^as  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  the  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. 
In  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  accident- 
ally 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 


1835]  USEFUL  APPLES.  297 

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-tree  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  his  motto, 
"  Necesidad  es  la  madre  del  invencion,"  by  giving  an 
account  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  nth. —  I  set  out  with  a  guide  on  a  short  ride, 
in  which,  however,  I  managed  to  see  singularly  little, 
either  of  the  geology  of  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  uncomfort- 
able, 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 
imcleared  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  after- 
noon one  of  the  horses  knocked  up  ;    we  were  then  on  a 


298  AMONG   THE   INDIANS.         [chap.  xiv. 

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  "  re- 
ducidos  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  other- 
wise 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  be  the  wife  of  a  cacique 
is  an  honour  much  sought  after  by  the  Indian  woman. 

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  diff'erent  from  that  of  any  other 
tribe    which    I    had    before    seen.      Their    expression     is 


1835.]  AMONG  THE   INDIANS.  299 

generally  grave,  and  even  austere,  and  possesses  much 
character :  this  may  pass  either  for  honest  bluntness  or 
fierce  determination.  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  him- 
self 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  con- 
cerning 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  Chllotan  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  Nicbla.  The 
buildings   were    in    a    most    ruinous   state,    and    the    gun 


300  AN    EARTHQUAKE.  [chap.  xiv. 

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  good  face  upon  it,  gravely  replied,  '*  No,  I  am  sure,  sir, 
they  would  stand  too  !  "  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  7000  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  my  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  20th. — This  day  has  been  memorable  in  the 
annals  of  Valdivia,  for  the  most  severe  earthquake  ex- 
perienced 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  move- 
ment 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  of  his  body. 

A  bad  earthquake  at  once  destroys  our  oldest  associa- 
lions ;  the  earth,  the  very  emblem  of  solidity,  has  moved 


1835]  A   GREAT   EARTHQUAKE.  301 

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 
earthquakes,  experienced  by  all  who  have  thus  seen,  as 
well  as  felt,  their  efi*ects.  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  woman 
who  was  on  the  beach  told  me,  that  the  water  flowed  very 
quickly,  but  not  in  great  waves,  to  high-water  mark,  ana 
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  ^th. — We  entered  the  harbour  of  Concepcion. 
While  the  ship  was  beating  up  to  the  anchorage,  I  landed 
on  the  island  of  Quiriquina.  The  mayor-domo  of  the  estate 
quickly  rode  down  to  tell  me  the  terrible  news  of  the  great 
earthquake  of  the  20th  : — '*  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 


302    EFFECTS   OF  THE   EARTHQUAKE,    [chap.  xiv. 

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  conspicuous  by  the  fresh  fractures  and  dis- 
placed soil,  must  be  confined  to  near  the  surface,  for  other- 
wise 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  Concepcion.  Both  towns  presented  the  most  awful 
yet  interesting  spectacle  I  ever  beheld.  To  a  person  who 
had  formerly  known  them,  it  possibly  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 


1835.]     INCIDENTS   OF  THE   EARTHQUx^KE.       303 

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  distinguished.  From  this  circumstance  Concepcion, 
although  not  so  completely  desolated,  was  a  more  terrible, 
and,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  picturesque  sight.  The  first  shock 
was  very  sudden.  The  mayor-domo  at  Quinquina  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  courtyard,  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  liis  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, 
lor  thieves  prowled  about,  and  at  each  little  trembling  of 
the  ground,  with  one  hand  they  beat  their  breasts  and  cried 


304  A    GIGANTIC    WAVE.  [chap.  xrv. 

"  miseiicordia  !  "  and  then  with  the  other  hlched  what  the}- 
could  from  the  runis.  The  thatched  roofs  fell  over  the  fires, 
and  flames  burst  forth  in  all  parts.  Hundreds  knew  them- 
selves 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  subter- 
ranean 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  un- 
able 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  irre- 
sistible 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  ofi^ 
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 
10  their  boat  riding  securely  over  the  swell,  if  they  could 


1835.]  MISERY   CAUSED    BY    EARTHQUAKE.        305 

reach  it  before  it  broke.  One  old  woman  with  a  little  bov, 
four  or  five  years  old,  ran  into  a  boat,  but  there  was  nobody 
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  cling-ing- 
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 
pai-ents  were  miserable.  It  was,  however,  exceedingly 
interesting  to  observe,  how  much  more  active  and  cheerful 
all  appeared  than  could  have  been  expected.  It  was  re- 
marked with  much  truth,  that  from  the  destruction  being- 
universal,  no  one  individual  was  humbled  more  than  another, 
or  could  suspect  his  friends  of  coldness — that  most  grievous 
result  of  the  loss  of  wealth.  Mr.  Rouse,  and  a  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  inerry  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  accourit  of  the  earth- 
quake, 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  everywhere  to 
be  boiling  ;  and  it  "became  black,  and  exhaled  a  most  dis- 
agreeable sulphureous  smell."  These  latter  circumstances 
were  observed  in  the  Bay  of  Valparaiso  during  the  earth- 
quake 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  earth- 
quake 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  volcanoes,  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  alTected. 


3o6  EFFECT   ON    CONCEPCION.     [chap.  xiv. 

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  pre- 
sented 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  ex- 
tended 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  nearly 
three  times  the  height  of  any  other  part  of  the  coast. 

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  brick-work  were  of  great  dimen- 
sions ;  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 


1835.]  INTERESTING   PHENOMENA.  307 

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  build- 
ings. Nevertheless,  a  poor  lame  old  man,  who  had  been  in 
the  habit,  during  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  appearance  of  Concepcion,  for  I  feel  that  it  is  quite  Im- 
possible 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  In- 
habitants 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  Con- 
cepcion, 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  overwhelming  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  coast  of  America,  it  is  certain  that  the  first  great 
movement  of  the   waters   has    been   a   retirement.     Some 

*  M.  Arago  in  "  L'In«ti'tut,"  i8to,  p.  337.     See  also  Mi'cr'u  "Chile,"  vol.  i., 
p.  39a  ;  ul«o  Lyell'a  "  Principle*  of  Gcolog'y,"  chap,  xv.,  book  ii. 


3o8  PERMANENT  ELEVATION  OF  LAND.  [chap.  -xiv. 

jiuthors  have  attempted  to  explain  this,  by  supposing  that 
the  water  retains  its  level,  whilst  the  land  oscillates  up- 
wards ;  but  surel}^  the  water  close  to  the  land,  even  on  a 
rather  steep  coast,  would  partake  of  the  motion  of  the 
bottom  :  moreover,  as  urged  by  Mr.  Lyell,  similar  move- 
ments 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  pro- 
duced, 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  v/aves, 
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  ofiing  ;  and  as  this  is  of  general  occurrence,  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  gener- 
ated ;  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  up- 
raised 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 


1S35]  EFFECT   ON   JUAN    FERNANDET:.  309 

adhering  to  the  rocks,  ten  leet  above  high-water  mark  :  the 
inhabitants  had  formerly  dived  at  low-water  spring-tides 
for  these  shells.  The  elevation  of  this  province  is  par- 
ticularly 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  1000  feet.  At 
Valparaiso,  as  I  have  remarked,  similar  shells  are  found 
at  the  height  of  1300  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  of  this  year,  and  likewise  by  an  insensibly 
slow  rise,  which  is  certainly  in  progress  on  some  parts  of 
this  coast. 

The  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  360  miles  to  the  N.  E., 
was,  at  the  time  of  the  great  shock  of  the  20th,  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  south- 
ward 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  volcanoes  burst 
forth  at  the  same  instant  in  violent  action.  These  two 
volcanoes,  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  volcanoes, 
did  not  perceive  the  shock  of  the  20th,  although  the  whole 
surrounding  province  was  then  trembling  ;  here  we  have 
an  eruption  relieving  and  taking  the  place  of  an  earth- 
quake, 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  20th,  and  an  island  in  the 
Chonos  Archipelago  was  permanently  elevated  more  than 
eight  feet.  It  will  give  a  bettor  idea  of  the  scale  of  these 
phenomena,  if  (as  in  the  case  of  the  glaciers)  we  suppose 
them  to  have  taken   place  at  corresponding  distances  in 


3IO  DATA    AND    CONCLUSIONS.         [chap.  xiv. 

Europe  : — then  would  the  land  from  the  North  Sea  to 
the  Mediterranean  have  been  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  volcanoes 
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  20th 
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  con- 
tinents, 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  upraised,  and  their  injection  by  fluidified  rock. 
This  rending  and  injection  would,  if  repeated  often  enough 
(and  we  know  that  earthquakes  repeatedly  afi'ect  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  under- 
going this  process.  I  believe  that  the  solid  axis  of  a 
mountain,  difi'ers  in  its  manner  of  formation  from  a 
volcanic  hill,  only  in  the  molten  stone  having  been  re- 
peatedly 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 


1835.]  OFF  TO   VALPARAISO.  311 

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 — Grea.t  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 — Valparaiso. 

March  Jth,  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  his  men  to  keep  quiet,  whilst  he 
listened  for  the  breakers.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  hailed  him, 
in  a  loud,  clear  voice,  to  anchor  where  he  then  was.  The 
poor  man  must  have  thought  the  voice  caine  from  the  shore  : 
such  a  Babel  of  cries  issued  at  once  from  the  ship — every 
one  hallooing  out,  "  Let  go  the  anchor!  veer  cable  !  shorten 
sail!"  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  after- 
wards found  that  the  mate  stuttered  :  I  suppose  all  hands 
were  assisting  him  in  giving  his  orders. 

For  a  full  account  of  the  volcanic   plicnompna   which    accompanied    tl 
iiihqvtake  of  the  20th,  and  for  the  conchisions  cleduciblc  from   them,  I   mii>i 
rctcr  to  Volume  V.  of  the  Gtological  Transactions. 


312  PORTILLO    PASS.  [chap.  xv. 

On  the  nth  we  ancliored  at  Valparaiso,  and  two  days 
afterwards  I  set  out  to  cross  the  Cordillera.  I  proceeded 
to  Santiago,  where  M*-  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  iS/A.— 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  sur- 
rounded 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  im- 
passable 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  m}^  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  anec- 
dote 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  Instantly,  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.  Our  manner  of  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. 


1835.]  "MADRINAS."  313 

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 
"madrlna."  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  ot 
these  animals  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  immedi- 
ately 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  ot 
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  in- 
dicate that  art  has  here  outdone  nature.  Of  our  ten 
animals,  six  were  intended  for  riding,  and  four  for  carry- 
ing 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  \<^th. — 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  characterised  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  Chilr, 


314  SHINGLE   TERRACES.  [chap.  xv. 

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 
7000  and  9000  feet,  when  they  become  hidden  by  the 
irregular  piles  of  debt  is.  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  deposited  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  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  frag- 
ments, 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 


1835.]  EFFECTS   OF   MOUNTAIN   TORRENTS.      315 

to  the  geologist ;  the  thousands  and  thousands  or  stones, 
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,  1  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  ot 
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  3000  to  6000  or  8000  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  ;l 
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  in  this  countiy  are  generally 
harder  than  the  surrounding  strata  :  hence,  during  the 
gradual  wear  of  the  hills,  they  project  above  the  surfat  (^ 
of  the  ground.  .Secondly,  almost  every  labourer,  especial l\ 
in  the  northern  parts  of  Chile,  understands  somethin; 
about  the  appearance  of  ores.  In  the  great  mining.; 
provinces   of    Coquimbo    and    Copiap6,    firewood    is    very 


3i6APPEx\RANCE  OF  THE  CORDILLERA,  [chap.  xv. 

scarce,  and  men  search  for  it  over  every  hill  and  dale ; 
and  by  this  means  nearly  all  the  richest  mines  have  there 
been  discovered.  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  20th. — 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  2000 
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 

*  Scoresby's  "Arctic  Regions,"  vol.  i.  p.  122. 


1835.1  VALLE    DEL   YESO.  317 

earth  and  iVagnients  of  stone  on  the  suriace,  were  perhaps 
less  effectually  removed  by  slowly  percolating  snow-water* 
than  by  rain,  and  therefore  that  the  appearance  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.  Occasion- 
ally 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  surrounding  rocky  deserts.  The 
valley  takes  its  name  of  Yeso  from  a  great  bed,  I  should 
think  at  least  2000  feet  thick,  of  white,  and  in  some  parts 
quite  pure,  gypsum.  We  slept  with  a  party  of  men  who 
were  employed  in  loading  mules  with  this  substance,  which 
is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  We  set  out  early  in 
the  morning  (iisi),  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 
jiad  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  brief  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  of  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  ot 
the    submarine    craters.      These    alternating    masses    are 

•  I  have  heard  it  remarked  in  Shropshire,  that  the  water,  when  the  Severn  is 
flooded  from  long-continued  min,  is  much  more  turbid  than  when  it  proceeds 
from  the  Know  melting  on  the  Welsh  mountains.  D'Orbijfny  (toni.  i.,  p.  184), 
in  explaining  the  cause  of  the  various  colours  of  the  rivers  ui  South  Amrrica, 
remarks  that  those  with  blue  or  clear  water  have  their  source  in  the  Corilillera, 
where  the  snow  melts. 


3i8      GEOLOGY   OF  THE    CORDILLERA,  [chap.  xv. 

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  the  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  dis- 
located, baked,  crystallised,  and  almost  blended  together, 
through  the  agency  of  mountain  masses  of  a  peculiar  white 
soda-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  rests 
beds  of  a  conglomerate  several  thousand  feet  in  thickness, 
which  have  been  upheaved  by  the  red  granite,  and  dip  at  an 
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  conclude  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  sandstone  baked  by  it),  we  may  feel 
sure  that  the  greater  part  of  the  injection  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  in- 
jected 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 


1835.]      GEOLOGY   OF  THE   CORDILLERA.  319 

we  gain  time,  at  all  sufficient  to  explain  the  truly  astonish- 
ing" 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  6000  feet — so  as  to  have  allowed  that  amount  of  sub- 
marine 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  supposition  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 
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  Httio 
difficulty  in  our  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.  TIk- 
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 


3JO  A   CURE   FOR    "PUNA."         [ciiAr.  xv. 

here  have  puna"  ;  others  that  "where  there  is  snow  then 
is  puna  "  ; — and  this  no  doubt  is  true.  The  onl}''  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  respira- 
tion 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  half-way  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  back- 
wards, a  glorious  view  was  presented.  The  atmosphere 
resplendently  clear  ;  the  sky  an  intense  blue  :  the  profound 
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 
nivalisy  or  red  snow,  so  well  known  from  the  accounts  of 
Arctic  navigators.  My  attention  was  called  to  It  by  ob- 
serving footsteps  of  tile  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 


1835.]  IN   THE   PEUQUENES.  321 

power  of  the  crystals  of  snow,  the  groups  of  these  micro- 
scopical plants  appeared  like  coarse  particles.  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  re- 
marked, is  generally  impetuous  and  very  cold  :  it  is  said* 
to  blow  steadily  from  the  westward  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  coasts  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  otherwise 
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  appear- 
ances of  gathering  rain-storms  :  we  may  imagine  that  the 
wind,  which,  coming  from  the  eastward,  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  con- 
sequence 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  1  could,  and  went 
to  sleep.  About  midnight  I  observed  the  sky  became 
suddenly   clouded :    I    awakened   the    arriero    to    know   if 

'  Dr.  Gillies  in  Journal  oj  Natural  and  Geographical  Science,  Aug.  1830. 
i  hia  author  givca  the  heights  of  the  Puasea. 


322  AN    OBSTINATE   POT.  [chap.  xv. 

tliere  was  any  danger  of  bad  weather  ;  but  he  said  that 
without  thunder  and  lightning  there  was  no  risk  of  a  heavy 
snowstorm.  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  snowstorms  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  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  conclusion,  **  that  the  cursed  pot 
(which  was  a  new  one)  did  not  choose  to  boil  potatoes." 

March  22nd. — 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  snowstorm,  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  occur- 
rence 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 

*  This  structure  in  frozen  snow  was  long  since  observed  by  Scoresby  in  the 
iceberg-s  near  Spitzbergen,  and  lately,  with  more  care  by  Colonel  jfackson 
{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 


1835.]  ON   THE   CREST   OF  THE    PORTILLO.      323 

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,  wdien  the  snow 
was  continuous,  and  afterwards  the  surrounding  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  vieu^  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  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  atmo- 
sphere, was  very  remarkable.  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 
r^Mves  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, 

structure  secrna  to  be  determined,  to  th«  joint*  that  traverse  nearly  all   rocks, 
iat  wliich  arc  bcKt  aeen  in  the  non-stratified  niasNCH.     I  may  ul>8crve,  that  in  the 
ise  of  the  frozen  Bnow,  the  columnar  striKture  must  be  owing  to  a  "meta- 
inorphic"  action,  ond  nut  to  a  proccM  during  deposition. 


324       KFFKCTS  OF   DRY  ATMOSPHERE,  [chap.  xv. 

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  lacility  with  which  electricity  is  ex- 
cited. 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  2yd. — 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. 

I  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  difi"erence  of  longitude  very  trifling. 
The  same  remark  holds  good  with  the  quadrupeds,  and  in 
a  lesser  degree  with  the  birds  and  insects.  I  may  instance 
the  mice,  of  which  I  obtained  thirteen  species  on  the  shores 
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 
the  opposite  shores  of  the  ocean.  In  both  cases,  w^e  must 
leave   out  of  th«   question  those  kinds  which   have  been 


i^iS']  A  VIEW   OF  THE   PAMPAS.  325 

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  Patago^iia. 
We  here  have  the  agouti,  bizcacha,  three  species  of  arma- 
dillo, 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  ex- 
amination, absolutely  Identical.  It  had  always  been  to 
me  a  subject  of  regret,  that  we  were  unavoidably  com- 
pelled^ 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  2^th. — Early  in  the  morning  I  climbed  up  a 
mountain  on  one  side  of  the  valley,  and  enjoyed  a  far  ex- 
tended 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  mid-day  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  horseback.  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 

*  Thi.H  is  merely  ;in  illiistrntion  of  the  admiiabU;  laws,  first  l.iid  down  by  Mr. 
I -yell,  on  the  gcograpliicnl  distribution  of  animals,  as  influenced  by  ^eolo^ic.il 
(  lian;-{es.  The  whole  reasoniiijj,  ot  course,  is  founded  on  the  assumption  ot  the 
immutability  of  species;  otherwise  the  difference  in  the  specirs  in  the  two 
rejfions  mignt  be  cf«i-i''--''l    '-  -■•;>'tmvI A  'Itirin^j  a  b-nyth  of  time. 


326  A  WATERLESS   REGION.         [chap.  xv. 

clouds,  which  we  had  admired  from  the  bright  region 
above,  had  poured  down  torrents  of  rain.  The  valley  from 
this  point  gra.dually  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. 

March  25^^. — I  was  reminded  of  the  Pampas  of  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  seven- 
teen 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  farther  north.  To  the 
eastward  of  this  curved  line,  lies  the  basin  of  the  com- 
paratively 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  estuarv  mud  of  the 
Plata. 


1835.]  A   SWARM    OF   LOCUSTS.  327 

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  mezzo- 
tinto  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  un- 
common 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 
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  imper- 
fectly 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  surrounded  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  wingk^ss  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 


328  AT    MENDOZA.  [chap.  xv. 

Iqulque  (lor  they  are  found  in  Chile  and  Peru)  was  ver};' 
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  lyth. — We  rode  on  to  Mendoza.  The  country  was 
beautifully  cultivated,  and  resembled  Chile.  This  neighbour- 
liood  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  in- 
habitants 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 
Ay  res,  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,  they  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. 

March  2(^th. — We  set  out  on  our  return  to  Chile,  by  the 
Uspallata   pass    situated   north  of  Mendoza.      We  had  to 


1835.]  VILLA   VICENCIO.  329 

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  formidable  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  im- 
palpable 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  'Tpth. — The  solitary  hovel  which  bears  the  Im- 
posing name  of  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  Facillc.  P'rom  this  resemblance  1  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    fort 


330  PETRIFIED   TREES.  [chap.  xv. 

converted  into  coarsely-crystallised  white  calcareous  spar. 
They  were  abruptly  broken  off,  the  upright  stumps  pro- 
jecting a  few  feet  above  the  ground.  The  trunks  measured 
from  three  to  five  feet  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  accumulated  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  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  re- 
ceived such  thick  masses,  must  have  been  profoundly  deep  ; 
but  again  the  subterranean  forces  exerted  themselves,  and 
I  now  beheld  the  bed  of  that  ocean,  forming  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  pro- 
jecting 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 


1835.]  ACROSS   THE    RIO    VACAS.  331 

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  fossil- 
iferous  strata  of  Europe  and  America, 

April  1st. — 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  crossed  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 
full,  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  of  the  Portillo  pass.  Little  can  be  seen  beyond 
the  bare  walls  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  1 
did  not  see  a  place  where  an^  one  might  not  have  walked 
over  backwards,  or  got  oflf  his  mule  on  either  side.  One 
of  the  bad  passes,   called  las  Animas  (the  Souls),    I   had 


332  PUENTE   DEL   INCAS.  [chap.  xv. 

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  dfth. — From  the  Rio  de  las  Vacas  to  the  Puente 
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 
\yhich  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 


1835.]       CHARACTER   OF   THE   SCENERY.  333 

number,  and  under  the  Spanish  Government  were  kept 
during  the  winter  well  stored  with  food  and  charcoal,  and 
each  courier  had  a  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  west- 
ward 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  arriera  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 
1  he  admiration  expressed  by  some  travellers.  The  extreme 
pleasure,  I  suspect,  is  chiefly  owin^  to  the  prospect  of  a 
good  fire  and  of  a  good  supper,  alter  escaping  from  the 
cold  regions  above ;  and  I  am  sure  I  most  heartily 
j)articipated  in  these  feelings. 

April  ^th.AVc  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  falling  ;  and  of  the  labourers — some 


334  OFF  TO   COQUIMBO.  [chap.  xvi. 

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. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

NORTHERN    CHILE   and   PERU. 

Coast-road  to  Coquimbo — Great  loads  carried  by  the  miners — 
Coquimbo  —  Earthquake — Step-formed  terraces — Absence 
of  recent  deposits — Contemporaneousness  of  the  Tertiary 
formations — Excursion  up  the  valley — Road  to  Guasco — 
Deserts — Valley  of  Copiap6 — 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  2'jth. — 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  Copiap6  I  sold  them  again  for 
twenty  -  three.  We  travelled  in  the  same  independent 
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  dStour  from   the    hi  gh   road   to  the  foot  of  the  Bell  of 


i83S.]  A   BARREN    LAND.  335 

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^th. — In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  a  cottage  at 
the  foot  of  the  Bell  mountain.  The  inhabitants  were  free- 
holders, 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  12th,  which  detained  me  a 
prisoner  at  the  Baths  of  Cauquenes.  The  interval  was 
seven  and  a  half  months  ;  but  the  rain  this  )^ear  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 
great  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 
lode. 

May  yd. — Quilimari  to  Conchalee.  The  country  becann 
more  and  more  barren.  In  the  valleys  there  was  scarcel\ 
sufilcient  water  for  any  irrigation  ;  and  the  intermedial 
land  was  quite  bare,  not  supporting  even  goats.  In  thr 
sparing,  after  the  winter  showers,  a  thin  pasture  rapidh 
springs  up,  and  cattle  are  tiien  driven  down  from  tli 
Cordillera  to  graze  for  a  short  time.  It  is  curious  ( 
observe  how  the  seeds  of  the  grass  and  other  plants  seem 


336  IMPROVIDENCE    OF    MINERS,  [chap.  xvi. 

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  Copiapo  produces  as 
j^reat  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  north- 
ward, 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  Ofth. — Finding  the  coast-road  devoid  of  interest  of 
any  kind,  we  turned  inward  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  b}'^  bare  rocky  moun- 
tains. 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  Horncs,  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  extrava- 
gance 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  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 


1835-1  A   STRANGE    FUNERAL.  337 

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  geologise.  The  country  was 
so  thinly  inhabited,  and  the  track  so  obscure,  that  we  often 
had  difficulty  in  finding  our  way.  On  the  12th  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,  6000  or  8000  pounds  sterling)  ;  yet  it  had 
been  bought  by  one  of  the  English  Associations  for  an 
ounce  of  gold  (^3,  8^.).  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  in- 
stance, piles  of  cinders,  abounding  with  minute  globules 
of  metallic  copper,  were  purchased;  yet,  with  these  advan- 
tages, 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  infatuation  ; — 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  samt- 
capital  well  employed  in  these  mines  would  have  yielded 
an  immense  return  :  a  confid(;ntial  man  of  business,  a 
practical  miner  and  arisayer,  would  have  been  all  that 
was  required. 


338  LOADS   CARRIED    BY   MINERS,  [chap.  xvi. 

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  con- 
siderable 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  for 
breath,  except  the  mine  is  six  hundred  feet  deep.  The 
average  load  is  considered  as  rather  more  than  200  pounds, 
and  1  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  !  At  this  time  the  apires  were  bringing 
up  the  usual  load  twelve  times  in  the  day ;  that  is,  2400 
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  cheerful.  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,  ar^d 
apparently  quite  fresh  descended  the  mine  again  at  a  quick 
pice.  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 


1835.]    EFFECTS   OF   MOISTURE   ON   LAND.        339 

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,  contamination,  and  evil  to  be 
derived  from  contact  with  such  a  person.  To  this  day  they 
relate  the  atrocious  actions  of  the  buccaneers  ;  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  i^th. — 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  6000  to  8000 
inhabitants.  On  the  morning  of  the  17th  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  third  shower  should  fall,  they  would  reap  a  good 
harvest  in  the  spring.  It  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  highroad. 

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  thi.s 


340  A   CURIOUS   COINCIDENCE,    [chap.  xvi. 

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  Copiapo. 
Accordingly  he  opened  the  door  ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  done 
this,  than  he  cried  out,  "  Here  it  comes  again!"  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,  however,  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  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  g'enerally 
only  five  ;  they  run  up  the  valley  for  thirty-seven  miles  from 
the  coast.  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 


1835.]  SHINGLE  TERRACES   AT   COQUIMBO.       341 

formed  by  the  denuding  power  of  the  sea,  during  long 
periods  of  rest  in  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  cpntinent. 

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  north- 
ward 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 
fossiliferous  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  sub- 
merged. The  explanation,  no  doubt,  must  be  sought  in 
the  met  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  obviousl}'^ 
impossible  that  strata  of  any  great  thickness  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  formation  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  reoent 


342  FOSSILIFEROUS   DEPOSITS,     [chap.  xvi. 

period,  nor  of  any  period  intermediate  between  it  and  the 
ancient  tertiary  epoch,  have  been  preserved  on  either  side  of  the 
continent,  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  i  loo  miles  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and 
of  at  least  1350  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  the 
enormous  power  of  denudation  which  the  sea  possesses,  as 
shown  by  numberless  facts,  it  is  not  probable  that  a  sedi- 
mentary 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,  unless  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,  unless 
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  approximately  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,  circumstances 
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  2ist. — I  set  out  in  company  with  Don  Jose  Edwards 
to  the  silver-mine  of  Arqueros,  and  thence  up  the  valley  of 
Coqulmbo.  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 


1835.]  PROFITS   ON    MINING.  343 

not  be  fully  appreciated  in  England,  namely,  the  absence  of 
fleas  !  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  2000  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.  Th*  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,  "Let  us  see  which  rolls 
farthest."  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  be- 
longing to  a  relation  of  Don  Jose,  where  we  stayed  the 
next  day.  I  then  rode  one  day's  journey  farther,  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  surround- 
ing 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 


344  OFF  TO   GUASCO.  [chap.  xvi. 

and  grapes  of  this  district  are  famous  for  their  excellence, 
and  are  cultivated  to  a  great  extent.  This  valley  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  productive  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,  follow- 
ing 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  half-way  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  'Tyfd. — 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 
damp  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. 

Ju7ie  ^tk.— Carizal  to  Sauce.  We  continued  to  ride 
over  desert  plains,  tenanted  by  large  herds  of  guanaco. 
We  crossed  also  the  valley  of  Chaneral  ;  which,  although 
the   most   fertile   one    between    Guasco    and   Coquimbo,    is 


1835.]  LACK    OF    RAIN.  345 

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,  superintendhig  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  ot 
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  farther  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 
whitewashed  houses.  Again,  ten  leagues  farther  up 
Ballenar  is  situated  ;  and  above  this  Guasco  Alto,  a  horti- 
cultural 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 
»f  equally   good    fortune,   whit  I),    ;<     fortnight   afti^rward 


346  A   LONG   RIDE.  [chap.  xvi. 

were  realised.  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  govern- 
ment, 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  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  examination  ;  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  nth. — 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  courtyard.  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 


1S35.]  THE  VALLEY   OF   COPIAPO.  347 

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 
Copiapo.  I  was  heartily  glad  of  it ;  for  the  whole  journey 
was  a  continued  source  of  anxiety  ;  it  was  most  disagree- 
able 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  happen(id 
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  foi- 
some  time  afterwards  find  a  little  pasture  on  the  moun- 
tains. 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  i^s  produce  is  sufilcient  only  for  three 
months  in  the  year  ;  the  rest  of  the  supply  being  drawn  from 
Valpaniiso    and    the    south.      Beforn    the   discovery   of    the 


348        EARTHQUAKES   AND   WEATHER,  [chap.  xvi. 

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  of  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  a  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 
dififtcultforanypersonwho  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  coincidences  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, 

*  Vol.  iv.  p.  II ;  and  vol.  ii.  p.  217.  For  the  remarks  on  Guayaquil,  see 
Si'lliman's  "Journal,"  vol.  xxiv.  p.  384.  For  those  on  Tacna  by  Mr.  Hamilton, 
see  "  Transactions  of  British  Association,"  1840.  For  those  on  Coseguina,  see 
INIr.  Caldcleugh  in  "  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. 


1835.]        EARTHQUAKES   AND   WEATHER.  349 

when  mentioning  to  some  people  at  Copiap6  that  there  had 
been  a  sharp  shock  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  the  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  eruptions,  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  ex- 
pected 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,  aftier  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 
K'traced  our  steps  to  the  house  of  Don  Benito,  whore  I 
stayed  two  days  collecting  fossil  shells  and  wood.  Great 
prostrate  siliciried  trunks  of  trees,  embedded  in  a  con- 
glomerate, were  extraordinarily  numerous.     I  measured  one 


350  HYDROPHOBIA.  [chap.  xvi. 

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 
sometimes  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  earth- 
quakes and  volcanoes  ? — why  some  springs  were  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  known  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 
betw^een  twelve  and  ninety  days  after  the  bite  ;  and  in  those 
cases  where  it  did  come  on  death  ensued  invariably  within 


1835.]  LOST   ON   THE   MOUNTAINS.  351 

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  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  dwelhngs  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  witli  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 
'nys'  journey   within    the    Cordillera;    and   pasturage  for 

■  "  Observa.  (lohri;  el  climu  dc  Lima,"  p.  67 ;  Azara's  "  Travels."  vol.  ?., 
I>.  381  ;  Ulloa's  "  Voyage,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  Ai;  Hurchcll's  "  Travrju,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  524  : 
vVebjitcr'jt  *'  DcHcriplion  of  the  Azores,"  p.  i2<j;  Voyage  A  lisle  de  France  par 
uii  Ofhcicr  flu  Kui,    tumc  i.,  p.  a48;  "Description  of  St.  Helena,"  p.  113. 


^52  THE    DESPOBLADO.  [chap.  xvi. 

animals  is  a  shilling  a  day  :  all  this  for  South  America  is 
wonderfully  exorbitant. 

June  26th. — 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  com- 
pletely 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  retirement  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 


1835.]  INDIAN    RUINS.  353 

most  offensively  putrid  and  bitter  ;  so  that  we  could  not 
force  ourselves  to  drink  either  tea  or  mate.  I  suppose  the 
distance  from  the  river  of  Copiap6  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  half-way  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  considerable  number  of  persons.  Tradition 
says  that  they  were  used  as  halting  places  for  the  Incas, 
when  they  crossed  the  mountains.  Traces  of  Indian  habi- 
tations 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  situ- 
ated 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  specu- 
late 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,  instru- 
ments of  precious  metals,  and  heads  of  Indian  corn,  are 
not  unfrcquently  discovered :  an  arrow-head  made  of 
agate,  and  of  precisely  the  same  form  with  those  now 
used  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  was  given  mc.  1  am  aware  that 
M  the    Peruvian    Indians    now   frequently    inhabit   most  lofty 


354  INDIAN   RUINS.  [chap.  xvi. 

and  bleak  situations  ;  but  at  Copiapo  I  was  assured  by 
men  who  had  spent  their  lives  in  travelling  through  the 
Andes  that  there  were  very  many  {inuchisimas)  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.  Nevertheless 
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,  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  1000  to  1300  feet, 
since  the  epoch  of  existing  shells  ;  and  farther  inland  the 
rise  possibly  may  have  been  greater.  As  the  peculiarly  arid 
character  of  tlie  climate  is  evidently  a  consequence  of  the 
height  of  the  Coniillera,  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 
cllmae.  On  this  notion  of  a  change  of  climate  since  the 
buildings  were  inhabited,  the  ruins  must  be  of  extreme 
antiquity,  but  I  do  not  think  their  preservation  under  the 


1835.]  EARLY   PERUVIAN   WATER   CONDUITS.    355 

Chilian  climate  any  great  difficulty.  We  must  also  admit 
on  this  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  Indo-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 
countr}'.  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  move- 
ments. I  may  here  mention,  that  the  Peruvians  actually 
carried  their  irrigating  streams  in  tunnels  through  hills 
of  solid  rock.  Mr.  Gill  told  me,  he  had  been  employed 
professionally  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,  without  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 
I  ultivation,  but  now  quite  barren.  Near  it  was  the  dry 
( ourse    of   a    considerable    river,    whence    the    water    for 

*  Temple,  in  his  travels  throuRh  Upper  Peru,  or  Bolivia,  in  going  from  Potosi 
to  Oruro,  says,  "  I  mw  many  Indian  villages  or  dwclUnjfs  in  ruins,  up  even  to 
the  very  tops  of  the  moimtaiiis,  attesting  a  former  population  where  now  all  is 
desolate."  lie  makes  similar  remarks  in  another  place ;  but  I  cannot  tell 
whether  this  desolation  has  been  caused  by  a  want  of  population,  or  by  an 
altered  condition  of  the  land. 


356  THE   VICUNA.  [chap.  xvi. 

irrigation  had  formerly  been  conducted.  There  was 
nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  watercourse  to  indicate 
that  the  river  had  not  tiowed  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, 
wh  ch  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  fertilising 
stream,  and  become  a  desert. 

June  2-jth. — We  set  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  by 
mid-day  reached  the  ravine  of  Paypote,  where  there  is  a 
liny  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  2%th, — 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 
5mall  rodents,  which,  as  long  as  there  is  the  least  vege- 
tation, subsist  in  considerable  numbers  in  very  desert  places. 
In  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 


1835.]  A   CURIOUS   STORM.  357 

portions  of  the  earth — even  on  Islets  In  the  midst  of  great 
oceans. 

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  benunibed. 

In  the  Cordillera  farther  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  cloudless,  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 
oi'  cold  air.  The  gale  lasted  for  more  than  a  day  ;  the  men 
l)Cgan  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, 
iving  by  the  side  of  his  mule  near  the  road,  with  the  bridle 

ill  in  his  hand.  Two  other  men  in  the  parly  lost  their 
iingers  and  toes  ;  and  out  of  two  hundred  mules  and  thirty 
(  ows,  only  fourteen  mules  escaped  alive.  Many  years  ago 
the  whole  of  a  large  party  are  supposed  to  have  perisJKHl 


358  EL   BRAMADOR.  [chap.  xti. 

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  2<^th. — We  gladly  travelled  down  the  valley  to  our 
former  night's  lodging,  and  thence  to  near  the  Agua 
amarga.  On  July  ist  we  reached  the  valley  of  Copiapo. 
The  smell  of  the  fresh  clover  was  quite  delightful,  after  the 
scentless  air  of  the  dry  sterile  Despoblado.  Whilst  staj'- 
ing  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  sufficient  attention  to  the  account ;  but,  as 
far  as  I  understood,  the  hill  was  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  circum- 
stance which  I  several  times  noticed  on  the  coast  of 
Brazil. 

Three  days  afterwards  I  heard  of  the  Beagle's  arrival  at 
the  Port,  distant  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  vegetation  is  owing 
to  the  quantity  of  saline  matter  with  which  the  soil  Is 
impregnated.  The  Port  consists  of  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 

*  Edinhurgh  Philosophical  Journal,  Jan.  1830,  p.  74  ;  and  April  1830,  p.  25S. 
Also  "Daubeny  on  Volcanoes,"  p.  438;  and  Be?igal  Journal,  vol.  vii.  p.  324. 


1835.]  AT   igUIQUE.  ^59 

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,  2000  feet  in  height,  here  form- 
ing 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 
Doats  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.  In  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  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  exceed- 
ingly rich  silver-mines  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  their 
produce  is  now  very  small. 

Our  arrival  in  the  offing  caused  some  little  apprehensioii 
Peru  was  in  a  state  of  anarchy  ;  and  each  party  haviii- 
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,  consequently  confessed,  and  the  plate 
was  recovered.     The  convicts  were  sent  to  Arequipa,  which, 


36o  A   REAL   DESERT.  [chap.  xvi. 

though  the  capital  of  this  province,  is  two  hundred  leagues 
distant;  the  j^^overnment  there  thought  it  a  pit}^  to  punish 
such  useful  workmen,  who  could  make  all  sorts  of  furniture  ; 
and  accordingly  liberated  them.  Things  being  in  this 
state,  the  churches  were  again  broken  open,  but  this  time 
the  plate  was  not  recovered.  Tiie  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  shoot- 
ing them.  At  last  the  authorities  interfered,  and  peace  was 
established. 

July  i^th. — 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.  Except- 
ing the  Vultur  aura^  which  preys  on  the  carcasses,  I  saw 
neitlier  bird,  quadruped,  reptile,  nor  insect.  On  the  coast- 
mountains,  at  the  height  of  about  two  thousand  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  belc  ngs  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.  Farther  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  )>ones  of  the  dead  mules. 
This  w^as  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 
Gopiap6.  The  appearance  of  the  country  was  remarkable, 
from  being  covered  by  a  thick  crust  of  common  salt,  and  of 
a  stratified  saliferous  alluvium,  which  seems  to  have  been 
deposited  as  the  land  slowly  rose  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 


1835.]  A   SALT   PLAIN.  '    361 

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  appearance  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  surrounding  country  is  incrusted  with  various 
saline  substances.  We  must  therefore  conclude  that  it  per- 
colates 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  itN 
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  tlie  saline  stratum.  The 
surface  of  the  plain  is  3300  feet  above  the  Pacific. 

July  \^th. — We  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Callao,  tli 
aport  of  Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru.  We  stayed  heitt 
\-  weeks,  but  from  the  troubled  stale  of  public  affairs,  I 
tvv  very  little  of  the  country.  During  our  whole  visit  the 
imate  was  far  from  being  so  delightful  as  it  is  generally 
presented.  A  dull  heavy  bank  of  clouds  constantly  hung 
or  the  land,  so  that  during  the  first  sixteen  days  I  had 
Illy  one  view  of  the  Cordillera  behind  Lima.  These 
mountains,  seen  in  stages,  one  above  the  other,  through 


362  CAUSE  OF   MIASMA.  [chap.  xvi. 

openings  in  the  clouds,  had  a  very  grand  appearance.  It 
is  ahiiost  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,  however,  it  is  said  that  the  climate  is  much 
pleasanteF.  In  all  seasons,  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. 
Ihi  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  cir- 
cumstanced, 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, 


1835.]  ANARCHY   IN    PERU.  363 

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  air."*  On  the  coast  of  Peru,  however,  the 
temperature  is  not  hot  to  any  excessive  degree  ;  and 
perhaps  in  consequence,  the  intermittent  fevers  are  not 
of  the  most  malignant  order.  In  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  greater  abund- 
ance 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  t  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  visit,  there  were  four  chiefs  in  arms 
contending  for  supremacy  in  the  government  :  if  one  suc- 
ceeded 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  1000  feet  in  height,  cluring  this  season  of  the  year  (winter), 

*  "Political  Essay  on' the  Kingflom  of  New  Snain,"  vol.  iv.  p.  199. 

t  A  similar  ititcrcsting  case  is  rcconicfl  in  the  Afadras  Medical  Quarterly 
Jountal,  1830.  P-  340*  t^f-  FcrgUBon,  in  his  admirable  Paper  (see  t)th  vol.  of 
"  Edinburgh  RoyalTrariBactions  "),  shows  clearly  that  the  poison  is  Kcntrated  in 
the  drying  process  ;  and  hence  that  dry  hot  countries  are  often  the  most 
unhealthy. 


364  APPEARANCE    OF   CALLAO.      [chap.  xvi. 

comes  within  the  lower  limit  of  the  clouds  ;  and  in  con- 
sequence, 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  Ainmicaes.  This 
indicates  a  very  much  greater  degree  of  humidity,  than  at 
a  corresponding  height  at  Iquique.  Proceeding  northwai'd 
of  Lima,  the  climate  becomes  damper,  till  on  the  banks  of 
the  Guayaquil,  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  Guayaquil. 

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  president- 
ship 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  feet  :  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  occasional  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  filth  are  piled  up  In  all  directions,  where  the 
black  gallinazos,  tame  as  poultry,  pick  up  bits  of  carrion. 


t835.]  ruins   at   lima.  365 

The  houses  have  generally  an  upper  storey,  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 
iiYimediate  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,  irrigat- 
ing 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  earthen- 
ware, 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  civilisation.  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  vVave.  The  destruction  must  have 
been  more  complete  even  than  at  Talcahuano.  Quantities 
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  Im- 
probable, 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  com- 
parison 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 


366  SHELL  TERRACES.  [chap.  xvi. 

is  not  opposed  to  the  belief,  of  a  small  sinking  of  the  ground 
having  subsequently  taken  place.  The  side  ot  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  lime  (both  probably  left  by  the 
evaporation  of  the  spray,  as  the  land  slowly  rose),  together 
with  sulphate  of  soda  and  muriate  of  lime.  They  rest  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  associated  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 


1835.]  EFFECT  OF  AN    INUNDATION.  367 

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-iive  feet,  e7nhedded  amidst  the  shells  and 
much  sea-drifted  rubbish,  some  bits  of  cotton  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  earthen- 
ware, 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,  there- 
fore, most  probable  that  at  a  period  when  the  land  stood  at 
a  lower  level,  there  was  a  plain  very  similar  to  that  now 
surrounding  Callao,  which  being  protected  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  1746.  The  water 
would  then  have  deposited  mud,  containing  fragments  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 
tliere  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  ofthe  Indo-human  race 


368  GALAPAGOS   ARCHIPELAGO,    [chap.  xvii. 

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  about  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  en- 
tombed ;  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  ot 
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   XVn. 

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  Archipelago — 
Fish,  shells,  insects — Botany — American  type  of  org-anisa- 
tion — Differences  in  the  species  or  races  on  different  islands 
— Tameness  of  the  birds — Fear  of  man,  an  acquired  instinct. 

September  ic^th. — This  archipelago  consists  of  ten  principal 
islands,  of  which  five  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  fragments  of  granite 
curiously  glazed  and  altered  by  the  heat,  can  hardly  be  con- 
sidered as  an  exception.  Some  of  the  craters,  surmounting 
tlie  larger  islands,  are  of  immense  size,  and  they  rise  to  a 


1835]    FEATURES   OF   THE   ARCHIPELAGO.        369 

height  of  between  three  and  four  thousand  feet.  Their 
flanks  are  studded  by  innumerable  smaller  orifices.  I 
scarcely  hesitate  to  affirm  that  there  must  be  in  the  whole 
archipelago  at  least  two  thousand  craters.  These  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  sides, 
or  quite  broken  down  and  removed.  As  all  these  craters 
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  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  {i^th)  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 
[)ossible,  I  succ(U'ded  in  getting  very  few ;  and  such 
wretched-looking  little  weeds  would  have  bettor  become 
an    arctic    than    an    equatorial    Flora.       The    brushwood 


370  A   CYCLOPEAN   SCENE.        [chap.  xvii. 

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  Euphorbiacece :  an  acacia  and  a  great 
odd- looking  cactus  are  the  only  trees  which  afford  any 
shade.  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  m}^ 
fancy  like  some  antediluvian  animals.  The  few  dull- 
coloured  birds  cared  no  more  for  me  than  they  did  for  the 
great  tortoises. 

September  2yd.  —  The  Beagle  proceeded  to  Charles 
Island.     This  archipelago  has  long  been  frequented,  first 


1835.]  AT   CHARLES    ISLAND.  371 

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.  In  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  2(^th. — We  doubled  the  south-west  extremity  of 
Albemarle  Island,  and  the  next  day  were  nearly  becalmed 
between  it  and  Narborough  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  s.r.v  .1   ^n.:.Il   i.(   of  smoke  curling  from  the 


37^  ALBEMARLE   ISLAND.  [chap.  xvii. 

summit  of  one  of  the  great  craters.  In  the  evening  we 
anchored  at  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. 

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  2000  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  breastplate  roasted  (as  the  Gauchos  do 
came  con  cuero),  with  the  flesh  on  it,  is  very  good ;  and  the 
young  tortoises  make  excellent  soup ;  but  otherwise  the 
meat  to  my  taste  is  indifferent. 


1835.]  AT  A   SALINA.  373 

One  day  we  accompanied  a  party  of  the  Spaniards  in 
their  whale-boat  to  a  saHna,  or  lake  from  which  sal^  is 
procured.  After  landing,  we  had  a  very  rough  walk  over 
a  rugged  field  of  recent  lava,  which  has  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  crystallised,  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  sealing-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  oppressive.  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  deserves  attention.  Most  of  the  organic  produc- 
tions 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 
.uchipelago  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  numb<i 
of  their  aboriginal  beings,  and  at  their  confined  range 
Seeing  every  height  crowned  with  its  crater,  and  lliQ 
hounciaries  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 
j)ace  and  time,  we  seem  to  be  brought  somewhat   n»ai    In 


374  FAUNA    OF    THE    GALAPAGOS,  [chap.  xvri. 

that  great  fact — that  mystery  of  mysteries— the  first  appear- 
ancp  of  new  beings  on  this  earth. 

Of  terrestrial  mammals,  there  is  only  one  which  must  be 
considered  as  indigenous,  namely,  a  mouse  {Mus  Gala- 
pagoensis),  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 
subjected.  Although  no  one  has  a  right  to  speculate  with- 
out 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  transportation  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  oryzi- 
vorus),  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  Polyhori :  and  with  these  latter  birds  it 
agrees  most  closely  in  every  habit  and  even  tone  of  voice. 
Secondly,  there  are  two  owls,  representing  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  Pivgne  purpurea  of  both  Americas, 
only  in  being  rather  duller  coloured,  smaller,  and  slenderer, 
is  considered  by  Mr.  Gould  as  specifically  distinct.  Fifthly, 
there  are  three  species  of  mocking-thrush — a  form  highly 
characteristic  of  America.     The  remaining  land-birds  form 


1835.]  WADERS  AND   WATER-BIRDS.  375 

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  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  chafiinch,  and  (if  Mr.  Gould 
is  right  in  including  his  sub-group,  Cetthidea,  in  the  main 
group),  even  to  that  of  a  warbler.  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,  inti' 
mately  related  group  of  birds,  one  might  really  fancy  that 
from  an  original  paucity  of  birds  in  this  archipelago,  one 
species  had  been  taken  and  modified  for  different  ends. 
Jn  a  like  manner  it  might  be  fancied  that  a  bird,  origin- 
ally 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.  Con- 
sidering 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 
rjrders  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  insect*  of  this  archipelagc. 


376  REPTILES..  [chap.  xvii. 

Two  of  the  waders  are  rather  smaller  than  the  same 
species  brout^ht  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 {Pryocephalus),  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  brilliantl}' 
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  gaudy  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  g'ives  the 
most  striking  character  to  the  zoology  of  these  islands.  The 
species  are  not  numerous,  but  the  numbers  of  individuals  of 
each  species  are  extraordinarily  great.  There  is  one  small 
lizard  belonging  to  a  South  American  genus,  and  two  species 
(and  probably  more)  of  the  AmblyrhyncJiiis—^.  genus  con- 
fined to  the  Galapagos  Islands.  There  is  one  snake  which 
is  numerous  ;  it  is  identical,  as  1  am  informed  by  M.  Bibron, 
with  the  Psainmophis  Temviinchii  from  Chile.  Of  sea-turtle 
I  believe  there  is  more  than  one  species  ;  and  of  tortoises 
there  are,  as  w^e  shall  presently  show,   two  or  three  species 


1 835- J  THE   TORTOISE.  377 

or  races.  Of  toads  and  frogs  there  are  none:  I  was  sur- 
prised at  this,  considering-  how  well  suited  for  them  the 
temperate  and  damp  upper  woods  appeared  to  be.  It  re- 
called 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  1  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  t!ie  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 
nig-ra,  formerly  called  Indica),  which  has  been  so  frequently 
alluded  to.  These  animals  are  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  liad  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 

*  "Voyage  aux  Quatre  lies  d'Afrkiuc."  With  respect  to  the  Sandwich 
lands.  »ce  Tyernian  and  Bennett's  "Journal,"  vol.  i.  p.  414.  For  Mauntiu.s 
'•  "Voyage  par  un  Officier,"  etc.,  part  i.  p.  170.  There  arc  no  fro^s  in  the 
inary  Islands  (Webb  ct  Berthelot.  "Hist  Nat.  des  lies  Canaries  ").  i  saw 
■lie  at  .St.  Jago  in  the  Cape  dc  Vercis.     There  are  none  .nt  St.  Helena. 


378  THE   TORTOISE.  [chap.  xvii. 

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  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  fila- 
mentous lichen  {Usnera plicatd),  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  considerable  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  out- 
stretched necks,  and  another  set  returning,  after  having 
dnmk  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  dis- 
tended 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 


1835.]  A   CURIOUS   OPERATION.  379 

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  would  be  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  of 
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  were  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 
jdie  from  accidents,  as  from  falling  down  precipices  :  at 
east  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  1  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 
g'ot  on  their  backs,  and  then  giving  a  few  raps  on  the  hinder 
()art  of  their  shells,  they  would  rise  up  and  walk  away  ;  but 
i    found  it  very  difficult  to  keep  my  balance.     The  flesh  of 

lis  animal  is  largely  employed,  both  fresh  and  salted;  and 

beautifully  clear  oil  is  prepared  from  the  fat.  When  a 
Mitoise  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  i(  is  not,  the  animal  is  liberated; 


380  AN   AQUATIC   LIZARD.         [chap.  xvii. 

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 
ii/'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  been  an  imported  species  this 
would  hardly  have  been  the  case  in  a  group  which  has  been 
so  little  frequented.  Moreover,  the  old  buccaneers  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  any  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  resem- 
bling 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 
cominon  on  all  the  islands  throughout  the  group,  and  lives 
exclusively  on  the  rocky  sea  beaches,  being  never  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  ope  weighed  twenty  pounds  :  on  the 
Island  of  Albemarle  they  seem  to  grow  to  a  larger  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 


1835.]        HABITS    OF   AQUATIC   LIZARDS.  3S1 

this  lizard  swims  witli  perfect  ease  and  quickness,  by  a 
serpentine  movement  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  vi^elght  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  lava  which  every- 
where 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  outstretched  legs. 

I  opened  the  stomachs  of  several,  and  found  them  largely 
distended  with  minced  seaweed  {Ulvce),  which  grows  in  thin 
follaceous  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  ot 
a  tortoise.  The  Intestines  were  large,  as  In  other  herb- 
ivorous 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 — 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  1  could  Into 
a  deep  pool  left  by  the  retiring  tide,  but  it  invariably 
r-rurned  in  a  direct  line  to  the  spot  where  I  stood.  It 
im  near  the  bottom,  with  a  very  graceful  and  rapid 
..lovcment,  and  occasionally  aided  Itself  over  the  unev("n 
ground  with  Its  feet.  As  soon  as  it  arrived  near  the  edge, 
but  still  being  under  water,  it  tried  to  conceal  itself  in 
t  he  tufts  of  seaweed,  or  it  entered  some  crevice.     As  soon  a 


382  A   LAND    LIZARD.  [chap.  xvii. 

It  thought  the  danger  was  past,  It  crawled  out  on  the  dry 
rocks,  and  shuffled  away  as  fast  as  it  could,  I  several 
times  caught  this  same  lizard,  by  driving  It  dov^n  to  a 
point,  and  though  possessed  of  such  perfect  povi^ers  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  its 
eggs  ;  they  said  that  they  knew  nothing  of  its  propagation, 
although  well  acquainted  with  the  eggs  of  the  land-kind — a 
fact,  considering  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,  Barrlngton,  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  James  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 


i83S.]       HABITS   OF  THE   LAND   LIZARD.  383 

movements  they  are  lazy  and  half-torpid.  When  not 
frightenjed,  they  slowly  crawl  along  with  their  tails  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  fragments  of  lava,  but  more  generally  on  level 
patches  of  the  soft  sandstone-like  tuff.  The  holes  do  not 
appear  to  be  very  deep,  and  they  entered  the  ground  at  a 
small  angle ;  so  that  when  walking  over  those  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  themselves  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 
shuffle  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  Amhlyrhynchiis  is  held  and 
plagued  with  a  stick,  it  will  bite  it  very  severely;  but  I 
rnught  many  by  the  tail,  and  they  never  tried  to  bite  mr. 
I  f  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 


384  FOOD   OF   THE   LAND   LIZARD,  [chap.  xyii. 

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 
ii,\[  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  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  soai 
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  Ambfyrhynchus  agree,  as  I  have 
already  stated,  in  their  general  structure,  and  in  many  of 
their  habits.  Neither  have  that  rapid  movement  so  character- 
istic 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-characterised  genus,  having  its  marine 
and  terrestrial  species,  belonging  to  so  confined  a  portion 
of  the   world.       The   aquatic   species    is    by  far   the    most 


1835.]  DISTRIBUTION    OF   SHELLS.  385 

remarkable,  because  it  is  the  only  existing  lizard  which 
Jives  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  Amhlyrhynchus 
— 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  re- 
places the  herbivorus  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  procured  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.  Gumming,  before  our  voyage,  procured  here 
ninety  species  of  sea-shells,  and  this  does  not  include 
several  species  not  yet  specifically  examined,  of  Trochus, 
TurbOf  Monodonta  and  Nassa.  He  has  been  kind  enough 
to  give  me  the  following  interesting  results :  of  the  ninety 
shells,  no  less  than  forty-seven  are  unknown  elsewhere  t/ 
.1  wonderful  fact,  considering  how  widely  distributed 
-i-shells  generally  are.  Of  the  forty-three  shells  found 
in  other  parts  of  the  world,  twenty -five  inhabit  th* 
western  coast  of  America,  and  of  these  eight  are  dis 
tinguishable  as  varieties :  the  remaining  eighteen 
(including  one  variety)  were  found  by  Mr.  Gumming 
in  the  Low  archipelago,  and  some  of  them  also  at  tin- 
Philippines.  The  tact  of  shells  from  islands  in  the  central 
•   trfs     (^'^     til'-     l';ir  ific     occurring     here,     deserves,     notico 


386  DISTRIBUTION   OF  SHELLS,  [chap.  xvii. 

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  Cancellaria, 
genera  common  on  the  west  coast,  but  not  found  (as 
I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Gumming)  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.  Gumming  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  conch- 
ological 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  pains  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  pro- 
cured very  few,  excepting  some  minute  Diptera  and 
Hymenoptera,  mostly  of  common  mundane  forms.  As 
before  remarked,  the  insects,  for  a  tropical  region,  are 
of  very  small  size  and  dull  colours.  Of  beetles  I  collected 
twenty-five  species  (excluding  a  Dermestes  and  Corynetes, 
imported  wherever  a  ship  touches) ;  of  these,  two  belong 
to  the  HarpalidcB,  two  to  the  HydrophilidcE,  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 

*  Ann.  and  Mag.  of  Natural  History,  vol.  xvi.  p.  19, 


1835.]  FLORA  OF  THE   GROUP.  387 

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  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  archipelago.  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  distance 
is  only  between  500  and  600  miles  from  the  continent ;  and 
that  (according  to  Collnett,  p.  58)  driftwood,  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  Ccnnpositce ^  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  !  Dr.  Hooker  informs  me  that 
the  Flora  has  an  undoubted  Western  American  character  ; 
nor  can  he  detect  it  in  any  affinity  with  that  of  the  Pacific. 
If,  therefore,  we  except  the  eighteenth  marine,  the  one 
fresh-water,  and  one  land-shell,  which  have  apparently 
( ome  here  as  colonists  from  the  central  islands  of  the 
Pacific,  .and  likewise  the  one  distinct  Pacific  species  of  the 
( lalapageian  groups  of  finches,  we  see  that  this  archipelago, 
though  standing  in  the  Pacific  ocean,  is  zoologicall\ 
part  of  America. 

If  this  character  were  owinjf  merely  to  immigrants  from 


3SS  A   REMARKABLE   FEATURE.    fcnAP.  xvii. 

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  difl'erent  manner — why 
were  they  created  on  American  types  of  organisation  ?  It 
is  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  hlstor}'  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  partlall}' 
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 


1835.]  DISTRIBUTION    OF   ORGANIC   BEINGS.    389 

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  the  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.  M.  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  prob- 
ably 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.  parvuhcs ;  and  all  from 
James  and  Chatham  Islands  (between  which  two  other 
islands  are  situated,  as  connecting  links)  belonged  to  l\f. 
melanotis.  These  two  latter  species  are  closely  allied,  and 
would  by  some  ornithologists  be  considered  as  only  well- 
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  dilterent 
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  gradu- 
ated series  in  the  size  of  their  beaks.  Two  species  of  tli' 
sub-group     Cactornis    and    two    of    Camarhymhus,    wei- 

*  "Voyage  In  the  U.S.  %\\\^  Essex^"  vul.  i.  p.  aij. 


390  DISTRIBUTION    OF   PLANTS.       [chap,  xvii: 

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  specimens  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.  Waterhouse  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  of  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  LeguminoscB^  moreover,  have  as 
yet  been  only  approximately  worked  out : 


Name 

Total 

No.  of 
Species 
found  in 
other  parts 
of  the 
World. 

No.  ot 
Species 

No. 
confined 

No.  of  Species 

confined  to  the 

Galapagos 

of 
Island. 

No.  of 
Species. 

to  the 
Galapagos 
Archipelagfo. 

to  the 

one 
Island. 

Archipelago, 

but  found  on 

more  than  the 

one  Island. 

James.     . 

71 

Z2* 

38 

30 

8 

Albemarle 

46 

18 

26 

22 

4 

Chatham 

32 

16 

16 

12 

4 

Charles    . 

68 

39 

(or  29,  it  the 
probably  im- 
ported plants 
be  subtracted) 

29 

21 

8 

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 


1835.]  DISTRIBUTION    OF   PLANTS.  391 

confined  to  this  one  island  ;  and  in  Albemarle  Island,  of  the 
twenty-six  aboriginal  Galapageian  plants,  twenty-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 
CompositcB,  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  CompositcB  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  difi'erent 
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  Galapageian 
sub-groups  of  finches,  and  almost  certainly  of  the  Gala- 
pageian genus  A  mblyrhynchus. 

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  whatever  ; — 
or  if  the  different  islands  were  inhabited,  not  by  repre- 
sentative 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 


392  REASON    FOR   DISTRIBUTION,  [ciiAPr 

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  intermediate  islands 
between  them  which  were  not  visited  by  me.  James  Island 
is  only  ten  miles  from  the  part  of  Albemarle  Island,  but  the 
two  points  where  the  collections  were  made  are  thirty-two 
miles  apart.  1  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  transported 
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  consideration  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, 


1835.]  TAMENESS   OF   BIRDS.  393 

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. 
Cowley  (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  of.  our  company  did 
fire  at  them,  whereby  they  were  rendered  more  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  them- 
selves 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  buccaneers  and  whalers ;  and  the  sailors  wandering 
through  the  woods  in  search  of  tortoises,  always  take 
cruel  delight  in  knocking  down  thi;  little  birds. 

These  'birds,  although  now  still  more  persecuted,  do  not 
ifUly  become  wild:  in  Charles  Isl.md,  which  had  then 
n  colonised  about  six    years,    1    saw  a    boy    silting    by 


394  TAMENESS   OF   BIRDS.        [chap/xvii. 

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 
Amhlyrhynchus,  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  Polyhorus^  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  sportsman  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  would  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  colonised  during  the 
entire  period.  Even  formerly,  when  all  the  birds  were  so 
tame,  it  was  impossible   by  Pernety's  account  to  kill  the 


1835.]  TAMENESS   OF   BIRDS.  395 

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 
£t  Bourbon  in  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  him^  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. 

*  '*  Linnean  Transactions,"  vol.  xii.  p.  406.  The  most  anomalous  fact  on  this 
subject  which  I  have  met  with  is  the  wildness  ot  the  small  birds  in  the  Arctic 
parts  of  North  America  (as  described  by  Richardson,  "  Fauna  Bor.,"  vol.  ii. 
p.  332),  where  they  are  said  never  to  be  persecuted.  This  case  is  the  more 
strangle,  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 
well  remarks,  utterly  inexplicable  connected  with  the  different  degrees  ot 
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  frequently 
rear  its  young  in  shrubberies  close  to  houses  I 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

TAHITI    AND    NEW    ZEALAND. 


I 


Pass  through  the  Low  Archipelag-o — Tahiti — Aspect — Vegeta- 
tion 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  Zealand  Woman — 
Sail  for  Australia. 

October  20th. — The  survey  of  the  Galapagos  Archipelago 
being  concluded,  we  steered  towards  Tahiti  and  commenced 
our  long  passage  of  3200  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  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  over- 
whelmed by  the  all-powerful  and  never-tiring  waves  of  that 
great  sea,  miscalled  the  Pacific. 

November  i^fh. — 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 


i835.]  AT   TAHITI.  397 

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  produced  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  memor- 
able Point  Venus,  ready  to  receive  us  with  laughing,  merry 
faces.  They  marshalled  us  towards  the  house  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  themountains,  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  productions  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  abundance  has  become  as  noxious  as  a 
weed.  In  Brazil  1  have  often  admired  the  varied  beauties 
of  the  bananas,  palms,  and  orange-trees  contrasted  to- 
gether ;  and  here  we  also  have  the  bread-fruit,  conspicuous 
trom  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  admiration.  The  little  winding 
paths,  cool  from  the  surrouiuliiu;-  shade,  led  to  the  scallcred 


ill  Aa*-rii1  / 


398    APPEARANCE   OF  THE   NATIVES,  [chap 

houses  ;  the  owners  of  which  everywhere  gave  us  a  cheerful/ 
and  most  hospitable  reception. 

I  was  pleased  with  nothing  so  much  as  with  the  inhabi- 
tants. 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  the}^  are 
advancing  in  civilisation.  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  re- 
quires 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  embraced  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  suc- 
ceeded 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  w^^omen 


i835.]  A   PRETTY   SCENE.  399 

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  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 
bonfires,  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  lyth. — This  day  is  reckoned  in  the  log-book 
as  Tuesday  the  17th,  instead  of  Monday  the  i6th,  owing 
to  our,  so  far,  successful  chase  of  the  sun.  Before  break- 
fast 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  considerable  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 


400  A    STRIKING   VIEW.  fcHAP.  xviff 

ridge  between  two  of  the  deep  ravines.  The  vegetation 
was  singular,  consisting  almost  exclusively  of  small  dwar/ 
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  com- 
parative 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  productions  which  characterise  a 
continent,  cannot  be  expected  to  occur  in  an  island. 

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  gateway,  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  engraving,  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  any- 
thing 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  migiit  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 


1S35.]  OFF  TO  THE   MOUNTAINS.  401 

on  board,  Mr.  Wilson  interpreted  for  me  to  tlie  Tahitian 
who  had  paid  me  so  adroit  an  attention,  that  I  wanted 
him  and  another  man  to  accompany  me  on  a  short 
excursion  to  the  mountains. 

November  iSth. — In  the  morning  I  came  on  shore  early, 
bring^^ing  witli  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.  1  told 
my  guides  to  provide  themselves  with  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  7000  feet.  The  whole  island  is  so  moun- 
tainous that  the  only  way  to  penetrate  into  the  interior 
is  to  follow  up  the  valleys.  Our  roaji,  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  rank  vege^^ation  sprung  from 
every  projecting  ledge.  These  precipices  must  have  been 
some  thousand  feet  high  ;  and  the  whole  formed  a 
mountain  gorge  far  more  magnificent  than  anything 
which  I  had  ever  before  beheld.  Until  the  mid-day  sun 
stood  vertically  over  the  ravine,  the  air  felt  cool  and 
damp,  but  now  it  became  very  sultry.  Shaded  by  a  ledge 
1  of  rock,  beneath  a  facade  of  colunmar  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  ;  Jind  where  the  water 
■  was  deep  and  in  eddies,  they  dived,  and  like  otters,  with 
their  eyes  open  followed -the  fish  into  hoks  and  corners, 
id  thus  caught  them. 


402  A   DANGEROUS   CLIMB.       [chap,  xviit. 

The  Tahltians  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  Pomare  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,  search- 
ing for  fruit,  had  discovered  a  tract  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,  and  lowered 
them  for  our  dog  and  luggage,  and  then  we  clambered 
up  ourselves.     Beneath  the  ledge  on  which  the  dead  tree 


1835.]  NATIVE   COOKERY.  403 

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 
nie  to  have  attempted  it.  We  continued  to  ascend,  some- 
times 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  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  3. 
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  fire  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  con- 
sumed, 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, 


.^ 


404  .    FOOD   PLANTS.  [chap. 

so  that  no  smoke  or  steam  could  escape.  In  about" 
quarter  of  an  liour,  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,  tiiough  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  ev^ry  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  served  us  for  dessert,  for 
it  is  as  sweet  as  treacle,  and  with  a  pleasant  taste.  There 
were,  moreover,  several  other  wild  fruits,  and  useful  vege- 
tables. The  little  stream,  besides  its  cool  water,  produced 
eels  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 
gt  n-rally  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  ; 


1835.]     GOOD    SENSE   OF   THE   TAHITIANS.         405 

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  i^th. — 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  eflfect  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  companions  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  from  the  introduction  of  spirits 
became  very  prevalent.  The  missionaries  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  persuaded  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  to  be  sold,  before  the  law  came  into  efTect.  Bui 
when  it  did,  a  general  search  was  made,  in  which  even  lh( 
houses  of  the  missionaries  were  not  exempted,  and  all  the 
ava  (as  the  natives  call  all  ardent  spirits)  was  poured  on 


4o6  THE   RETURN  JOURNEY,      [chap,  xviii. 

the  ground.  When  one  reflects  on  the  effect  of  intemper- 
ance on  the  aboriguies  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 
tlie  little  island  of  St.  Helena  remained  under  the  govern- 
ment 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  I'idges,  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  Introduction  of  Christianity,  there  were  wild  men 


i83S.]    IMPRESSIONS   OF   THE  TAHITIANS.        407 

who  lived  in  the  mountains,  and  whose  retreats  were 
unknown  to  the  more  civilised  inhabitants. 

November  20th. — 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  produc- 
tions, interspersed  with  cottages,  comes  close  down  to  the 
water's  edge. 

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  necessarily  be  very  im- 
perfect. First  impressions  at  all  times  very  much  depend 
on  one's  previously-acquired  ideas.  My  notions  were 
drawn  from  Ellis's  "Polynesian  Researches" — an  admir- 
able and  most  interesting  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  im- 
pressions, 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  missionaries.  Of  the 
latter  feeling  I  saw  no  trace,  unless,  indeed,  fear  and 
respect  be  confounded  under  one  name.  Instead  of  dis- 
content being  a  common  feeling,  it  would  be  difficult 
in  Europe  to  pick  out  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 
1  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  the  missionarios,  their  system,  and  the 
effects  produced  by  it.     Such  reasoncrs  never  compare  the 


loS     MORALITY   OF   THE   TAHITIANS.  [chap.  xvin. 

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  of  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  and  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,  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  Papiete,  where 
the  qui^-en  resides,  may  be  considered  as  the  capital  of  the 
island;  it  is  also  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  chief 
resort  of  shipping.  Captain  Fitz  Roy  took  a  party  there 
this  day  to  hear  divine  service,  first  in  the  Tahitian 
l.inguage,  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 


1835.]  PAYING  A   DEBT.  409 

in  the  apparent  degree  of  attention  ;  but  1  believe  my 
expectations  were  raised  too  bigli.  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  *' tafa  ta,  mata  mai,''^ 
rendered  it  monotonous.  After  English  service  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  com- 
pensation ;  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  enquire  concerning  this  debt,  and 
to  demand  satisfaction  if  it  were  not  paid.  Captain  Fitz 
Roy  accordingly  requested  an  interview  with  the  Queen 
Pomare,  since  famous  from  the  ill-treatment  she  has 
received  from  the  French  ;  and  a  parliament  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  ap- 
peared, had  not  been  paid  ;  perhaps  the  alleged  reasons 
were  rather  equivocal;  but  otherwise  I  cannot  sufiRciently 
express  our  general  surprise  at  the  extreme  good  sense, 
the  reasoning  powers,  moderation,  candour,  and  prompt 
resolution,  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  subscribe  and  complete 
the  sum  which  was  wanting  ;  Captain  Fitz  Roy  urged  that 
it  was  hard  that  their  private  property  should  be  sacrificed 
r  the  crimes  of  distant  islanders.  They  replied  that  they 
A  ere  grateful  for  his  consideration,  but  that  Pomare  was 
their  Queen,  and  that  they  were  determined  to  help  her 
in  this  her  difilculty.  This  resolution  and  its  prompt 
<>;ecution,  for  a  book  was  opened  early  the  next  morning, 


4IO  A   ROYAL  VISIT.  [chap,  xviii. 

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,  the  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  !  The  royal 
party  did  not  return  on  shore  till  past  midnight. 

November  26th. — 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  \<^th. — 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  likewise  been 
passed  ;  and  now  every  league,  it  made  us  happy  to  think, 
was  one  league  nearer  to  England.     These  Antipodes  call 


1835.]  THE   BAY   OF   ISLANDS.  411 

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  2iJ^.— 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  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  south 
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  exceptions,  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  numberof  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  pleas- 
ing to  behold  the  English  flowers  in  ths  gardens  brfore  tli<- 
houses;  there  were  roses  of  several  kinds,  honeysuckle, 
jnsmine,  stocks,  and  whole  hedges  of  sweetbriar. 

December  22nd. — In  the  morning  1  went  out  walking, 
but  1  soon  found  that  the  country  was  very  impracticable. 


412  THE   PAHS.  [chap.  xvm. 

All  the  hills  are  thickly  covered  with  tall  fern,  together 
with  a  low  bush  which  grows  like  a  cypress  ;  and  very  litlle 
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 
ess  fortified.  The  summits  were  cut  into  steps  or  succes- 
sive 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  difference  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  potatoes  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  intro- 
duction 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  ground. 
They  consist  of  a  double  stockade  of  thick  and  tall  posts, 
placed  in  a  zig-zag  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  some- 
times 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  Pah  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  yot  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. 


1835.]  THE   NEW  ZEALANDERS.  413 

tlie  chief  cannot  order  one  party  to  go  here  and  anotlier 
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  vvarHke  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  voHeys 
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  civilisation,  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  gunpowder  was  in  a 
bad  state,  and  that  It  would  not  keep  much  longer.  This 
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.  1  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  ioiget  or  forgive  these  injuries.  To 
fulfil  this  oath  appears  to  have  been  Shongi's  chief  motive 
for  going  to  England  ;  and  whon  there  it  was  his  sole 
object.  Presents  were  valued  only  as  they  could  be  con- 
verted into  arms  ;  of  the  arts,  those  alone  interested  him 
which  were  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 


414  THE   NEW   ZEALANDERS.    [chap,  xviri. 

Mr.  Marsden  ;  their  conduct  was  civil  to  each  other ;  but 
Shoiii^i  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  of  the  missionaries,  to  pay  a  visit  to  Korora- 
dika :  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  civilised  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  expres- 
sion  to  their  countenances.  The  complicated  but  sym- 
metrical 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  superficial 
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  filthy  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  asked  how  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 


i835-]  EFFECT  OF   IRONY.  415 

awkward  fashion.  A  few  of  the  principal  chiefs  have 
decent  suits  of  English  clothes  ;  but  these  are  only  worn 
on  great  occasions. 

December  2yd. — 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  asking  a 
neighbouringilJhief  to  recommend  a  man,  the  chief  himself 
offered  to  g* ;  but  his  ignorance  of  the  value  of  money 
was  so  complete,  that  at  first  he  asked  how  many  pounds 
I  would  give  him,  but  afterwards  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  youi 
slave  do  for  you?"  The  man  would  then  instantly,  with 
:i  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  (heir  muskets.  Mr. 
Bushby  was  slightly  wounded  ;  but  the  party  was  at  length 
driven   away.     Shortly  afterwards  it  was  discovered  who 


4i6  PUNISHING   A  CHIEF.       [chap.  xvm. 

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  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  raisef 


I 


i83S.]  RUBBING    NOSES.  417 

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  civilisation  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  com- 
pleted 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 
o  whole    scene,    in  spite  of  its  green   colour,   had   rather  a 


4i8       A  ONE-SIDED   CONVERSATION,  [chap.  xvin. 

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  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  en- 
joyed my  walk.  I  should  have  enjoyed  it  more,  if  my 
companion,  the  chief,  had  not  possessed  extraordinary 
conversational  powers.  I  knew  only  three  words  ;  *'  good," 
"bad,"  and  "j^es";  and  with  these  I  answered  all  his 
remarks,  without  of  course  having  understood  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  an  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, 


1835.]  EFFECT   OF   CIVILISATION.  419 

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  black- 
smith's forge,  and  on  the  ground  ploughshares  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  white  with  flour,  like  his  brother  miller  in 
England.  When  I  looked  at  this  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  fatherland  :  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  a  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  observ- 
ing one  of  their  own  sons  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
game.  A  more  decided  and  pleasing  change  was  mani- 
fested 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 


420  KAURI    PINES.  [chap,  xviii. 

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.  1  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  I 
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  2^th. — 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 
readily  done  by  the  natives. 

A  little  before  noon  Messrs.  Williams  and  Davles  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 


1835.]  A   DENSE   FOREST.  421 

likewise  small  compared  with  the  brandies.  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 
extraordinary  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  Deinomis, 
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. 
Tlie  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.  1  think  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find  a  body  of  men  better  adapted  for  the  high  office  which 
they  fulfil. 

Christmas-Day.— \n  a  few  more  days  the  fourth  year  of 
our  absence  from  England  will    be    completed.     Our  first 


422  FIVE   CHRISTMAS   DAYS.     [chap,  xviii, 

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  Montes  ;  this  fifth  here  ;  and  the  next,  I 
trust  in  Providence,  will  be  in  England.  We  attended 
divine  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  26th. — 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.  *  Follow- 
ing 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 


i83S.]    A   HEATHEN    FUNERAL   CEREMONY.       423 

five  days  before.  The  hovel  in  which  she  had  expired  had 
beea  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  con- 
spicuous from  afar.  Her  gown  w^as  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  Waiomlo. 
Here  there  are  some  singular  masses  of  limestone,  I'e- 
sembling  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,  however,  cried  out, 
"  Let  us  all  be  brave,"  and  ran  on  ahead  ;  but  when  within 
a  hundred  yards,  the  whole  party  thought  better  of  it,  and 
stopped  short.  With  perfect  indifference,  however,  they 
allowed  us  to  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  basketful  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  tiie  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 
:hief's  wife.  We  afterwards  enjoyed  a  pleasant  walk  back 
CO  the  boat,  but  did  not  reach  the  ship  till  late  in  the 
f  evening. 


4^4  AUSTRALIA.  [chap.  xix. 

December  2,0th. — 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. 


dl 


Sydney — Excursion  to  Bathurst — Aspect  of  the  Woods — Party 
of  Natives — Gradual  extinction  of  the  Aborigines — Infection 
g-enerated  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 
populous  city.  Having  entered  the  harbour,  it  appears 
fine  and  spacious,  with  cliff-formed  shores  of  horizontally 
stratified  sandstone.  The  nearly  level  country  is  covered 
with  thin  scrubby  trees,  bespeaking  the  curse  of  sterility. 
Proceeding  farther  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 
storey  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.  Wc  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 


1836.]         ON   THE   WAY  TO    BATHURST.  425 

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  tlian  an  equal 
number  of  centuries  have  effected  in  South  America.  My 
first  feeling  was  to  congratulate  myself  tliat  I  was  born  art 
Englishman.  Upon  seeing  more  of  the  town  afterwards, 
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  ale- 
houses here  were  more  numerous.  The  iron  gangs,  or 
parties  of  convicts  who  have  committed  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,  of  at  once  opening  good  roads  throuj;hout 

,  the  country,  has    been,  I    believe,  one  main  cause  of  the 

early  prosperity  of  this  colony.     I  slept  at  night  at  a  very 

'oni.^ortable  inn  at  Emu  ferry,  thirty-five  miles  from  Sydney, 

1  near  the  ascent  of  the  Blue   Mountains.     This  line  of 

1    ;id    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 


426        UNIFORMITY   OF   VEGETATION,   [chap.  xix. 

rearing  hedges.  There  are  many  substantial  houses  and 
good  cottages  scattered  about;  but  although  considerable 
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  Sou^h  Wales.  Everywhere  we  have  an  open  wood- 
land, the  ground  being  partially  covered  with  a  very  thin 
pasture,  tvith  little  appearance  of  verdure.  The  trees 
nearly  ati  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  leafless  tree.  They  may,  however,  say 
that  we  pay  dearly  for  this  by  having  the  land  covered  with 
naked  skeletons  for  so  many  months.  This  is  too  true ; 
but  our  senses  thus  acquire  a  keen  relish  for  the  exquisite 
green  of  the  spring,  which  the  eyes  of  those  living  within 
the  tropics,  sated  during  the  long  year  with  the  gorgeous 
productions  of  those  glowing  climates,  can  never  experi- 
ence. 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  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  lead- 
ing young  man  a  shilling,  they  were  easily  detained,  and 
threw   their   spears    for   my   amusement.     They    were    all 


1836.]  THE   ABORIGINES.  427 

partly  clothed,  and  several  could  speak  a  little  English  : 
their  countenances  were  good-humoured  and  pleasant,  and 
they  appeared  far  from  being  such  utterly  degraded  beings 
as  they  have  usually  been  represented.  In  their  ou^n  arts 
they  are  admirable.  A  cap  being  fixed  at  thirty  yards 
distance,  they  transfixed  it  with  a  spear,  delivered  by  the 
thro  wing-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  civilisation  then  the  Fueglans. 

It  is  very  curious  thus  to  see  in  the  midst  of  a  civilised 
people,  a  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  belong- 
ing to  several  tribes.  These,  although  thus  enclosed  by 
one  common  people,  keep  up  their  ancient  distinctions, 
and  sometimes  go  to  war  with  each  other.  In  an  engage- 
ment 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 

*  It  is  remarkable  how  the  aamc  diseaRs  is  modified  in  difFcrent  climates.  At 
the  little  island  of  St.  Helena,  the  introduction  of  scarlcl-fever  is  dreaded  as  .-i 
plagruc.  In  some  countries,  foreijjncrs  and  natives  are  as  diflferently  affected  bv 
certain  contagious  disorders,  as  if  they  had  been  different  animals;  of  whicij 
fact  some  instances  have  occurred  in  Chile;  and,  according  to  Humboldt,  in 
Mexico.     ("  Polit.  Essay."  New  Spain,  vol.  Iv.) 


428  DECREASE   OF  ABORIGINES,   [chap.  xix. 

a  manner  extremely  sudden  compared  to  what  happens  in 
civilised  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  tliewide  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,*  says, 
that  the  intercourse  between  natives  and  Europeans,  "  is 
invariably  attended  with  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  ;  t  and  what  renders  this  fact  remark- 

*  "Narrative  of  Missionary  Enterprise,"  p.  282. 

t  Captain  Beechey  (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.  Macculloch 
considers  the  whole  case,  although  often  previously  affirmed,  as  ludicrous.  He 
adds,  however,  that  "  the  question  was  put  by  us  to  the  inhabitants,  who 
unanimously  agreed  in  the  story."-  In  Vancouver's  "  Voyage,"  there  is  a 
somewhat  similar  statement  with  respect  to  Otaheite.  Dr.  Dieffenbach,  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 


1836.J  THE   BLUE   MOUNTAINS.  429 

J    able  is,  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  first  appears  ;  for  several  cases  are  on  record  of  the 

j  most  malignant   fevers    having   broken  out,  although  the 

parties  themselves  wlio  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  putrefaction  has  commenced,  should  often  be  of 

so  deleterious  a  quaHty,  that  the  mere  puncture  from  an 

Instrument  used  in  its  dissection,  should  prove  fatal. 

January  lyth. — 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  cliffy  On  the  summit  an  almost 
level  plain  extends,  which,  rising  imperceptibly  to  the 
westward,  at  last  attains  a  height  of  more  than  3000  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 
'•  extensive  woodland  to  the  east  was  striking,  and  the 
I  rounding  trees  grew  bold  and  lofty.  But  when  once  on 
tiie  sandstone  platform,  the   scenery  becomes  exceedingly 

'  (land.  It  is  impossible  that  such  a  belief  should  have  become  universal 
he  northern  hemisphere,  at  the  Antipodes,  and  in  the  Pacific,  without  sonic 
1  foundation.  Humboldt  ('*  Polit.  Lssay  on  Kinff  of  New  Spain,"  vol.  iv.) 
>,  that  the  great  epidemics  at  Panama  and  Callao  arc  "marked"  by  the 
val  of  ships  from  Chile,  because  the  people  from  that  temperate  region  first 
ii'-rieiicc  the  fatal  effects  of  the  torrid  zone:*.  I  may  add  that  I  have  heard  it 
i<;d  in  Shropshire,  that  sheep,  which  have  been  imported  from  vessels, 
lough  themselves  in  a  healthy  condition,  if  placed  in  the  same  fold  with 
';r8,  frequently  produce  sickness  in  the  Bock. 


430     CHARACTER   OF  THE   COUNTRY,  [chap.  xix. 

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 
2800  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  a  depth  of  perhaps  1500 
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  absolutely  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  w^ater  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  sand- 
stone plateau  has  here  attained  the  height  of  3400  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  com- 
fortable inn,  kept  by  an  old  soldier ;  and  it  reminded  me 
of  the  small  inns  in  North  Wales. 


1836.]  GOVETT'S   LEAP.  431 

January  i^th. — Very  early  in  the  morning,  1  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  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  remarkable.  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  3000  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  perpen- 
dicular cliffs,  and  eight  miles  lower  down,  it  contracts 
from  an  average  width  of  half  a  mile,  to  a  mere  chasm, 
impassable  to  man  or  beast.  Sir  T.  Mitchell  states  that 
'le    great   valley  of  the    Cox  river  with  all   its  branches, 

jutracts,  where  it  unites  with  the  Nepean,  into  a  gorge 
;i 200  yards  in  width,  and  about  1000  feet  in  depth.  Other 
similar  cases  might  have  been  added. 

The  first  impression,  on  seeing  ihe  correspondence  of  tha 

*  "Travel*  in  Australia,"  vol  i.  p.  154.  I  must  express  my  obligation  to 
Sir  T.  Mitchell,  tor  several  inli'icstirnf  pcisonal  conimuniculions,  ou  the 
tiubjcct  of  tlieac  great  valleys  of  New  South  Wales. 


432  GREAT  VALLEYS.  [chap. 

horizontal  strata  on  each  side  of  these  valleys  and  great 
amphitheatrical  depressions,  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  subsided.  But  considering  the  form  of  the  irregularly 
branching  valleys,  and  of  the  narrow  promontories  pro- 
jecting 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  receding  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  harbours,  which  are  generally  connected 
with  the  sea  by  a  narrow  mouth  worn  through  the  sand- 
stone 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  tiiese  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 


1S36.]  A   SHEEP   FARM.  433 

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  kindness  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  tlat  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  sufBcient  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  were  rather  more. 
Although  the  farm  was  well  stocked  with  every  necessary, 
there  was  an  apparent  absence  of  comfort ;  and  not  one 
single  woman  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 


434      FRUITLESS    KANGAROO    HUNT.      [chaITxh 

superintendent,  had  the  kindness  to  take  me  out  kangaroo 
hunting.  We  continued  riding  the  greater  part  of  tht 
day,  but  had  very  bad  sport,  not  seeing  a  kangaroo,  o; 
even  a  wild  dog.  The  greyhounds  pursued  a  kangarot 
rat  into  a  hollQw  tree,  out  of  which  we  dragged  it  ;  i 
is  an  animal  as  large  as  a  rabbit,  but  with  the  figun 
of  a  kangaroo.  A  few  years  since  this  country  aboundec 
with  wild  animals  ;  but  now  the  emu  is  banished  to  a 
long  distance,  and  the  kangaroo  is  become  scarce ;  tc 
both  the  English  greyhound  has  been  highly  destructive. 
It  may  be  long  before  these  animals  are  altogether  ex- 
terminated, but  their  doom  is  fixed.  The  aborigines  are 
always  anxious  to  borrow  the  dogs  from  the  farmhouses ; 
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  woodland  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  I  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  jack- 
daws were  not  uncommon,  and  another  bird  something 
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  a  river,  and  had  the  good 
fortune  to  see  several  of  the  famous  Omithorhynchus 
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 


1836.]  A   DUSTY   RIDE.  435 

and    beak    when    fresh ;    the    latter    becoming    hard    and 
contracted.* 

January  20th. — 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  the  sirocco-like  wind  of  Australia,  which  comes  from 
the  parched  deserts  of  the  interior.  Clouds  of  dust  were 
travelling  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.  1  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  pro- 
sperity 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 
2200  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  3000  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 

*  I  wa«  interested  bry  finding  here  the  hollow  conical  oitfall  ot  the  lion-ant. 
or  some  other  insect :  nrnt  a  fly  fell  down  the  treacherous  slope  and  immediately 
disappeared  ;  then  came  a  large  but  unwary  ant  ;  its  strufj^gies  to  escape  being 
ven*  violent,  those  curious  little  jets  of  sand,  described  by  Kirby  and  Spcnce 
("Kntomol.,"  vol  i.  p.  435)  as  being  flirted  by  the  insect's  tail,  were  promptly 
directed  against  the  expected  victim.  Hut  the  ant  enjoyed  a  }>ettcr  fate  than 
the  fly,  and  escaped  ttie  fatal  jaws  which  lay  concealed  at  the  ba«e  of  the 
conical  hollow.  This  Australian  pit-fall  was  only  about  half  the  size  of  that 
made  by  the  European  lion-ant. 


436  CHARACTER   OF   THE   PEOPLE,  [chap. 

respectable  river,  and  it  is  the  larg^est  of  those  draining 
this  part  of  the  watershed  ;  yet  to  mj'  surprise  I  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  farther  inland. 

January  22nd. — I  commenced  my  return,  and  followed 
a  new  road  called  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  thf^y  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  our  former  road,  and  ascended 
Mount  Victoria.  1  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  w^ere — 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  1  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 


'  1836.]         CHARACTER   OF   THE   PEOPLE.  437 

1  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  un- 
inviting 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 
;re  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  a  limit.  The  country  is 
totally  unfit  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 
"Ircady    pushed     far    into    the    interior:     moreover,     the 

mntry  farther  inland  becomes  extremely  poor.  Agri- 
>,ulture,  on  account  of  the  droughts,  can  never  succeed 
on  an  extended  scale :  therefore,  so  far  as  1  can  see, 
Australia  must  ultimately  depend  upon  being  the  centre 
of  commerce    for  the  southern  hemisphere,  and,  perhaps 


438  THE   CONVICTS.  [chap.  xix. 

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 
opportunities  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  settle- 
ments, 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. 


1836.]  AT   HOBART  TOWN.  439 

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  civilisation — It  has 
succeeded  to  a  degree  perhaps  unparalleled  in  history. 

January  2pth. — The  Beagle  sailed  for  Hobart  Town  in 
Van  Diemen's  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  3100  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  warehouses,  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  these  colonies  appeared  very  contemptible.  Com- 
paring 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,  con- 
tained   13,826  inhabitants,   and    the   whole   of    Tasmania 

36,  SOS- 
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 


440  DRIVING   OUT  THE   NATIVES,     [chap.  xix. 

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  Diemen'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,  stole 
during  one  night  through  the  lines.  This  is  far  from  sur- 
prising, 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  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  themselves  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  ^ct  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 

*  "  Phj'slcal  Deacription  of  New  South  Wales  and  Van  Diemen's  Land,"  p.  354. 


1836.]    GEOLOGY  OF  VAN    DIEMEN'S   LAND.     441 

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,  uncontamlnated 
by  contact  with  the  whites,  swarms  with  children,  those  of 
Flinders'  Island  had  during  eight  years  an  accession  of 
only  fourteen  in  number!" 

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  farm- 
houses, 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  steam- 
boat, 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-thlrty  years ! 
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,  where  the  vegetation  was  very  luxuriant ;  and 
where  the  labour  of  the  ascent,  from  the  number  of  rotten 
trunks,  was  almost  as  great  as  on  a  mountain  in  Tierra 
del  Fuego  or  in  Chiloo.  It  cost  us  five  and  a  half  hours  of 
hard  climbing  before  we  reached  the   summit.     In   many 

irts  the  Eucalypti  grew  to  a  great  size,  and  composed  a 


442  TREE    FERNS.  [chap.  xix. 

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  3100 
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  ; 


1836.]  A   "CORIIOBERY."  443 

the  place  mentioned  by  so  many  navlg-ators,  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  beds  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  be- 
came consolidated  by  the  percolation  of  calcareous  matter  ; 
and  the  cylindrical  cavities  left  by  the  decaying  of  the  wood 
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  '*  corrobery," 
or  great  dancing-party.  As  soon  as  it  grew  dark,  small 
fires  were  lighted,  and  the  men  commenced  their  toilet, 
which  consisted  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  accompanied  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 
tiie  movements  of  a  Icangaroo  grazing  in  the  woods,  whilst 
a  second  crawled  up,  and  prelendtd  to  spear  him.  When 
both  tribes  mingled  in  the  dance,  the  ground  trembled  with 


444  KEELING   ISLAND.  [chap.  xx. 

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  14th  of  March  we  gladly  stood  out  of  King  George's 
Sound  on  our  course  to  Keeling  Island.  Farewell, 
Australia  !  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  for 
respect.     I  leave  your  shores  without  sorrow  or  regret. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

KEELING    ISLAND  : — CORAL   FORMATIONS. 


I 


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  inter- 
spersed with  low  Coral  Islands — Subsidence  of  their 
foundations — 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  sub- 
merged Reefs — Areas  of  subsidence  and  elevation — Dis- 
tribution of  Volcanoes — Subsidence  slow,  and  vast  in 
amount. 

April  1st. — 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, 


1836.J  A  USEFUL  TREE.  445 

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  afterwards.  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  mis- 
management, 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  furnished  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 
wliich    vessels   can    pass    to    the    anchorage    within.       On 

lering,  the  scene  was  very  curious  and  rather  pretty; 
.  ■  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 
Mid,  is,  when  illumined  by  a  vertical  sun,  of  the  most 
id  green.  This  brilliant  expanse,  several  miles  in 
\\  idth,  is  on  all  sides  divided,  either  by  a  line  of  snovv- 
v.hile    breakers    from    the    dark    heaving    waters    of    the 

'•an,   or  from   the  blue  vault  of  heaven  by  the  strips  of 
d,   crowned   by   the   level   tops   of  the  cocoa-nut  trees. 


446  ON    DIRECTION    ISLAND.       [chap.  xx. 

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,  and 
consists  of  insignificant  weeds.  In  my  collection,  which 
includes,  I  believe,  nearly  the  perfect  Flora,  there  arc 
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  productions  must  have 
been  transported  here  by  the  waves  of  the  sea.  In  accord- 
ance 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 


1836.]  DISPERSION    OF   SEEDS.  447 

different  g^enera,  and  these  again  to   no  less  than  sixteen 
families  !  * 

In  Holman'sf  "Travels"  an  account  is  given,  on  the 
authority  of  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  have  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  interest- 
ing 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,  ar& 
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  1800  and  2400  miles. 

Chamisso,!    when    describing    the   Radack   Archipelago, 
situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  Pacific,  states  that  "the 


p.  3 
\ 


•These  plants  are  described   in  the  "Annals  of  Nnt.    Hist.,"  vol.  i.  i88.?, 

Holman's  "  Travels,"  vol.  iv.  p.  ;}78. 
Kotrebue's  First  Voyage,"  vol.  in.  p.  15? 


448  ZOOLOGY   OF   THE   ISLANDS,  [chap.  xx. 

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  jet  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  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,  accord- 
ing 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  when- 
ever 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  tlie 
only  true  Insect  which  was  abundant.  Although  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  land  are  thus  scanty,  if  we   look   to    the 

*  The  thirteen  species  belong:  to  the  following:  orders: — In  the  Co/eo/iera,  a 
minute  Elater  ;  Orthoptera^  a  Gryllus  and  a  Blatta ;  Hemiptera^  one  species ; 
Homoptera,  two ;  Neuroptera,  a  Chrysopa ;  Hymenoptera,  two  ants ;  Lepid- 
optera  nociuma,  a  Diopasa,  and  a  Pterophorus  (?) ;  Diptera,  two  species. 


1836.J  ZOOLOGY   OF  THE   ISLANDS.  449 

waters  of  the  surrounding  sea,  the  number  of  org-anic 
beings  is  indeed  infinite.  Chamisso  has  described*  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, t  carrying  on  their  backs  the  shells  which  they 
have  stolen  from  tlie  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  ex- 
presses, 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  ^rd. — 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 

•  "  Kotzcbuc'M  Firnt  Voyaffc,"  vol.  Hi.  p.  222. 

t  Tho  large  claws  or  pinccm  of  lome  of  these  crabs  are  most  beautifully 
i|.N'(i,  when  drawn  back,  to  form  an  operculum  to  the  shell,  nearly  as  perfect 
ih«  proper  one  orizinaily  belonging  to  the  molluscous  animal.  I  was  assured, 
I  as  far  as  my  observation  went  I  found  it  so,  that  certain  species  of  the 

rmit-crabs  ulwayn  use  certain  apecies  of  shells. 


450  EBBING   WELLS.  [chap.  xx. 

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  remark- 
able 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  permeated  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  garments,  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 
(he  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  w;ell 
worth  remaining,  to  behold  her  bright  orb  so  quietly 
shining  through  the  long  arms  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  as 


1836.]  TURTLE   HUNTING.  451 

they  waved  in  the  evening  breeze.  These  scenes  of  the 
tropics  are  in  themselves  so  delicious,  that  they  almost 
equal  those  dearer  ones  at  home,  to  vi^hich  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  some  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  en- 
thusiastic 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  dih. — I  accompanied  Captain  Fitz  Roy  to  an  island 
at  the  hegid  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  very  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 
I    knife,    and    before    it    becomes    cold    flattened    between 

-irds.     After  this  barbarous  process  the  animal  is  suffered 

regain  its  native  element,  where,  after  a  certain  time, 
t  new  shell  is  formed;  it  is,  however,  too  thin  to  be  o 
niy  service,  and  the  animal  always  appears  languishin; 

d  sickly." 

When  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  lagoon,  we  crossed  a 


452  A  LAGOON-ISLAND.  [chap.  xx. 

narrow  islet,  and  found  a  great  surf  breaking  on  the  wind- 
ward 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  rounding  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, 
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  con- 
viction 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  as  with 


1836.J  DEAD   CORAL-GROVES.  453 

forest  of  delicately  branching  corals,  which,  though  stand- 
ing upright,  were  all  dead  and  rotten.  At  first  I  was  quite 
at  a  loss  to  understand  the  cause  ;  afterwards  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  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  explana- 
tion, 1  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  must  have  come 
entangled  in  the  roots  of  some  large  tree  :  when,  how- 
ever, 1  considered  the  great  distance  from  the  nearest  land 
the  combination  of  chances  against  a  stone  thus  beinr 
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  .ifraid  of  imagining 
a   means  of  transport  apparently   so   improbable.     It  was 


454  STONES   CARRIED   BY  TREES,  [chap.  xx. 

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  trans- 
ported does  appear  wonderful.  Stones  may  often  be  thus 
carried  ;  and  if  the  island  on  which  they  are  stranded  is 
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 
harbours.  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 

*  Some  natives  carried  by  Kotzebue  to  Kamtschatka  collected  stones  to  take 
back  to  their  country. 


1836.]  A  LAND   CRAB.  455 

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  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  ^yhere 
they  accumulate  surprising  quantities  of  the  picked 
fibres  of  the  cocoa  -  nut  husk,  on  which  they  rest 
as  on  a  bed.  The  Malays  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 

"^Miagos  and  Scychelle    groups,  but    not  the  neighbouring 

iaidiva  Archipelago.     It  formerly  abounded  at  Mauritius, 

,       •  See  "  Procecdinifi  of  Zoological  Society,"  183a,  p.  17. 


456  STINGING  CORALS.  [chap.  xx. 

but  only  a  few  small  ones  are  now  found  there.  In  the 
Pacific,  this  species,  or  one  with  closely  allied  habits,  is 
said*  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 
one  in  a  strong  tin-box,  which  had  held  biscuits,  the  lid 
being  secured  with  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  ! 

I  was  a  good  deal  surprised  by  finding  two  species  oi 
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  different  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.  One  day,  however,  by  merely  touching  my  face 
with  one  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  seaweed  is  said  to  be  found. 

Two  species  of  fish,  of  the  genus  Scarus,  which  are 
common  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 

*  Tyerman  and  Bennett,  "  Voyage,"  etc.,  vol.  u.  p.  33. 


1836.]  FISH  THAT  EAT   CORALS.  457 

coral  branches  :  I  opened  the  intestines  of  several,  and 
found  them  distended  with  yellowish  calcareous  sandy 
mud.  The  slimy  disgusting  HoluthtiricB  (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  holuthuricB^  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,  how- 
ever, of  this  mud,  which  when  wet  strikingly  resembled 
pounded  chalk,  was  found  by  Professor  Ehrenberg  to  be 
partly  composed  of  siliceous-shielded  infusoria. 

April  12th. — In  the  morning  we  stood  out  of  the  lagoon 
on  our  passage  to  the  Isle  of  France.  1  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  7200  feet  in  length, 
at  the  distance  of  only  2200  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  organic 
arrangement.  We  feel  surprise  when  travellers  tell  us  of 
the  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  accumu- 
lated by  the  agency  of  various  minute  and  tender  animals  ! 
This  is  a  wonder  which  does  not  at  first  strike  the  eye  of 
tiie  body,  but,  after  reflection,  the  eye  of  reason. 

I  will  now  give  a  very  brief  account  of  (he  three  great 
classes  of  coral-reefs  ;  namely,  Atolls,  Barrier,  and  Fring- 
ing-reefs,  and  will  explain  my  views  ton  their  formation. 

*  I  exclude,  of  coiirge,  nome  soil  which  has  been  imported  here  in  vewels  from 
MaL-icca  and  Java,  and  lilcewige  nome  small  frapmentii  of  pumice,  drifted  here 
'  ••  flie  waves.     The  one  block  of  green-stone,  moreover,  on  the  northern  island 
st  be  excepted. 

t  These  were  first  read  before  the  Geological  Society  in  May,  1837,  and  have 
c  been  developed  in  a  separate  volume  on  the  "Structure  nnd  Diatribution 
Coral  Kcefs." 


458  FORMATION   OF  ATOLLS.       [chaF 

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  une  meruille  de  voir  chacun  de  ces 
atollons,  enuironn^  d'un  grand  banc  de  pierre  tout  autour, 
n'y  ayant  point  d'artifice  humaln."  A  mere  sketch  can 
give  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  instinctively  built  up  their  great  circles  to  afford 
themselves  protection  in  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 
delicately -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  combina- 
tion, 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  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 
Chamlsso,  who  thought  that  from  the  corals  growing 
mbre  vigorously  where  exposed  to  the  open  sea,  as 
undoubtedly  is  the  case,  the  outer   edges  would  grow  up 


1836.]  FORMATION   OF  ATOLLS.  459 

from  the  general  foundation  before  any  other  part,  and 
that  this  would  account  for  the  ring  or  cup -shaped 
structure.  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  wi'thin  ten  fathoms,  the  prepared  tallow  at  the 
bottom  of  the  lead  invariably  came  up  marked  with  the 
impression  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  observations,  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  miles  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  4000  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  1500  miles  in 
length,    including    three    archipelagoes,     in    which    every 

land  is  low  and  of  coral  formation.  From  the  fact  of 
tie  reef-building  corals  not  living  at  great  depths,  it  is 
absolutely  certain  that  throughout  these  vast  areas,  where- 
ever  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 

'gree,    that    broad,    lofty,   isolated,    steep-sided    banks    of 

f  diment,  arranged  in  groups  and  lines  iiundreds  of  leagues 
in  length,  could    hnve   been    deposited   in   the  central  and 


460  BARRIER-REEFS.  [chap.  xx. 

profouiidest  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  hundred  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  structure,  we  must  turn  to  the  second  great 
class,  namely,  barrier-reefs.  These  either  extend  in  straight 
lines  in  front  of  the  shores  of  a  continent  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  is  remarkable  how  little  attention  has  been  paid 
to  encircling  barrier-reefs ;  yet  they  are  truly  wonderful 
structures.  For  instance,  in  the  barrier  encircling  the 
island  of  Bolabola  in  the  Pacific,  seen  from  one  of  the 
central  peaks,  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     xpanse  of  the  lagoon-channel. 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  Mr,  Lyell,  even  in  the  first  Edition  of  his  "  Principles 
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. 


1836.]         ENCIRCLING   BARRIER-REEFS.  461 

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  one  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  some- 
times 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,  group- 
ing, and  even  in  quite  trifling  details  of  structure,  between 
a  barrier  and  an  atoll.  The  geograpiier  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 
'feat  distances  from  the  shores  of  the  included  islands? 
1 1  cannot  be  that  the  corals  will  not  grow  close  to  the  land  ; 
for  the  shores  within  the  lagoon-channel,  when  not  sur- 
rounded by  alluvial  soil,  are  often  fringed  by  living  reefs; 
and  we  shall  presently  see  that  there  is  a  whole  class, 
wliich    I    have   called    Etinging    Reefs,    from    their    close 


462 


SECTIONS   OF   BARRIER-REEFS.  [chapTxx: 


attachment  to  the  shores  both  of  conthients  and  of  islands. 
Again,  on  what  have  the  reef-building  corals,  which  cannot 
live  at  great  depths,  based  their  encircling  structure?  This 
is  a  gieat  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  laid  down,  both  vertically  and 
horizontally,  on  the  same  scale  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  a 
mile. 


303Z/* 


I.  Vanikoro.     2.  Gambler  Islands,     3.  Maurua. 

The  horizontal  shading-  shows  the  barrier-reets  and  lagoon-channels.  The 
inclined  shading  above  the  level  of  the  sea  (AA),  shows  the  actual  form  of  the 
land ;  the  inclined  shading  below  [this  line,  shows  its  probable  prolongation 
under  water. 


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 
10  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 
formerly  eaten    deeply  into    the   islands,  before   they  were 


1836.]  FRINGING   REEFS.  463 

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  ;  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  im- 
probable, 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,  in  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  stralghlly  deposited  in  front  of  a  lofty 
island,  and  so  far  beyond  its  termination  in  the  open  sea. 
Finally,  if  we  look  to  other  oceanic  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  foundation  within 
the  requisite  depth,  from  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms,  is  found. 
As  far  as  the  actual  reef  is  concerned,  thee  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 


464  THEORY    OF   CORAL   REEFS. 

more  vigorously  on  the  outside,  and  from  the  noxioi 
effect  of  the  sediment  washed  inwards,  the  outer  edge  of 
the  reef  is  tlie  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  some- 
times 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.  i^K 

No  theory  on  the  formation  of  coral-reefs  can  be  con- 
sidered satisfactory  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 
\he  wind   and  waves   can   throw  up   matter,  and   yet  are 


i 

~^^M 


I 


»••    A 


ifi,el  of  Jei 


AA.  Outer  edges  of  the  fringtng-reef,  at  the  level  ot  the  sea.  BB.  The 
shores  of  the  fringed  island. 

A' A'.  Outer  edges  of  the  reef,  after  its  upward  growth  during  a  period  ot 
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  be 
represented  only  by  an  apparent  rise  in  the  level  of  the  sea. 

constructed  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,  repre- 
sented 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  conditions  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, 


1836.]  THEORY   OF   CORAL   REEFS.  465 

the  island  becoming  lower  and  smaller,  and  the  space 
between  the  inner  edge  of  the  reef  and  the  beach  pro- 
portionally 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  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  subsidence,  to  the  amount  of 
sediment  accumulated  in  it,  and  to  the  giowth  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,  thai 
small  limit  of  depth  at  which  the  effective  corals  can  live  : — 
the  little  archiiects  having  built  up  their  great  wall-like 
mass,  as  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  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 
ciion  is  now  represented  by  unbroken  lines,  and  which, 
-,  1  have  said,  is  a  real  section  through  Bolabola,  and  let 
it  go  on  subsiding.  As  the  barrier-reef  slowly  sinks  down, 
tlie  corals  will  go  on  vigorously  growing  upwards  ;  but 
as  the  island  sinks,  the  water  will  gain  inch  by  inch  on 
tlie  shore — the  separate  mountains  tirst  forming  separate 
lands  within  one  great  reef — and  finally,  the  last  and 
i^Hiest  pinnacle  disappearing.  The  instant  this  takes 
place,  a  perfect  atoll  is  formed  :  I  have  said,  remove  the 
liigh  land  from  within  an  encirciing  barrier-reef,  and  an 
'oil  is  left,  and  the  land  has  been  removed.  We  can  now 
:ceive  how  it  comes  that  atolls,  having  sprung  from 
'  iicircling  barrier-reefs,  resemble  them  in  general  size, 
lorm,  in  the  manner  in  which  they  are  giox»ped  together, 


466 


SINKING   OF   CORAL    REEFS,    [chap:  x* 


and  in  their  arrangement  in  single  or  double  lines ;  fo 
they  may  be  called  rude  outline  charts  of  the  sunkei 
islands  over  which  they  stand.  We  can  further  see  hov 
it  arises  that  the  atolls  in  the  Pacific  and  Indian  ocean; 
extend  in  lines  parallel  to  the  generally  prevailing  strik( 
of  the  high  islands  and  great  coast-lines  of  those  oceans 
I  venture,  therefore,  to  affirm,  that  on  the  theory  of  th( 
upward  growth  of  the  corals  during  the  sinking  of  th( 
land,*  all  the  leading  features  in  those  wonderful  structures, 
the  lagoon-islands  or  atolls,   which  have  so  .long  exc 


.i«t.c:. 


A" 


\ 


A' A'.  Outer  edges  of  the  barrier-reef  at  the  level  of  the  sea,  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.  C.  The  lagoon 
of  the  new  atoll. 

N.B.— According  to  the  true  scale,  the  depths  o.f  the  lagoon-channel  and 
lagoon  are  much  exaggerated. 

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  subsidence  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 

*  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  partly  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  formationa, 


1836.J  CHANGES   IN   CORAL   REEFS.  467 

on  all  sides  of  the  lagoon  old  cocoa-nut  trees  undermined 
and  falling  ;  and  in  one  place  the  foundation  posts  of  a 
shed,  which  ihe  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  remarkably  deep,  scarcely  any  alluvial  soil  has 
accumulated  at  the  foot  of  tlie  lofty  included  mountains, 
and  remarkably  few  islets  have  been  formed  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  showing  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  of  some  kind  is  certain  ;  on 
some  atolls  the  islets  appear  to  have  increased  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 

changes  and  disturbances  in  progress  in  the  subterrnnean 

;ions. 

It  is  evident,  on  our  theory,  that  coasts  merely  fringed 

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  upheavfd. 
Now  it  is  remarkable  how  generally  it  can  be  shown,  by 
the  presence  of  upraised  organic  remains,  that  the  fringed 


468  CIIANUES   IN   CORAL   REEFS,    [chap^. 

islands  have  been  elevated ;  and  so  far,  this  is  indirecl 
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  siiown  by  their  own  state- 
ments 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  fringing-class  is  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  tlie  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 
mto  two  or  three  atolls  tied  together  by  straight  reefs — 


1836.]  BREAKS   IN   CORAL   REEFS.  469 

ajl  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  archi- 
pelago 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  Archipelago  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  explana- 
tion in  the  upward  and  outward  growth  of  the  corals, 
originally  based  both  on  small  detached  reefs  in  their 
lagoons,  such  as  occur  in  conmion  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  great  sandy  and  generally  concave  disc  rises 
abruptly  from  the  unfathomable  ocean,  with  Its  central 
expanse  studded,  and  its  edge  symmetrically  bordered  with 


470  DEAD   OR   SUBMERGED   REEFS,  [chap.  xx.  ' 

oval  basins  of  coral-rock  just  lipping  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  sometimes  clothed  with  vegetation,  and  each  con- 
taining 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  inexplicable  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 
follQWs  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  destruction  could 
not  have  been  adduced.  Thus  have  we  traced  the  history 
of  these  great  rings  of  coral-rock,  from  their   first  origin 


1836.]    DISTRIBUTION   OF   CORAL   REEFS.         471 

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  01 
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  of  subsidence,  which 
movement  must  have  been  very  gradual,  and  in  the  case 
of  atolls  so  vast  in  amount  as  to  have  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  of  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  thatthey  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  move- 
ment. 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  exist- 
ing 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 
sf-as,  as  in  the  West  Indies  :  we  can  now  at  once  perceive 
ihe  cause,  for  where  there  has  not  been  subsidence,  atolls 
rannot  have  been  formed  ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  West 
Indies  and  parts  of  the  East  Indies,  these  tracts  are  known 

.  have  been  rising  within  the  recent  period.     The  larger 

•as,  coloured  red  and  blue,  are  all  elongated;  and 
i/'tween  the  two  colours  there  is  a  dr-gree  of  rude  alterna- 
tion, as  if  the  rising  of  one  had  balanced  the  sinking  of  the 


473      CORAL   REEFS   AND   VOLCANOES,  [chap.  xx. 

oilier.  Taking  into  consideration  the  proofs  of  recent 
elevation  both  on  the  fringed  coasts  and  oh  some  others 
(for  instance  in  South  America)  where  there  are  no  reefs, 
we  are  led  to  conclude  that  the  great  continents  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  areas.  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  have  marked  with  vermilion  spots  all  the  many  known 
active  volcanoes  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  the  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  volcanoes, 
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 
distinguishable,  not  one  of  them  is  known  to  have  ever 
been  in  eruption.  Hence  in  these  cases  it  would  appear, 
that  volcanoes  burst  forth  into  action  and  become  extin- 
guished on  the  same  spots,  accordingly  as  elevatory 
or  subsiding  movements  prevail  there.  Numberless  facts 
could  be  adduced  to  prove  that  upraised  organic  remains  are 
common  wherever  there  are  active  volcanoes  ;  but  until  it 
could  be  shown  that  in  areas  of  subsidence,  volcanoes  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  (he 


1836.]  SLOW   SUBSIDENCE   OF   LAND.  473 

areas,  which  have  suffered  changes  in  level  either  down- 
wards 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  could  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  inhabi- 
tants 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  wonderful  memorials  of  the  sub- 
terranean 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  up,  and  land  and  water  inter- 
changed. 


474  [chap.  xxi» 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

MAURITIUS   TO    ENGLAND. 


J 


Mauritius,  beautiful  appearance  of — Great  crateriform  ring-  of 
Mountains — Hindoos — St.  Helena — History  of  the  changfes 
in  the  veg-etation — 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  2()th. — In  the  morning  we  passed  round  the  northern 
end  of  Mauritius,  or  the  Isle  of  France.  From  this  point 
of  view  the  aspect  of  the  island  equalled  the  expectations 
raised  by  the  many  well-known  descriptions  of  its  beautiful 
scenery.  The  sloping  plain  of  the  Pamplemousses,  inter- 
spersed 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 
island  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  stranger'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  part  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  in- 
habitants ;  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 


1836.]  LA   POUCE.  475 

bespeak  our  approach  to  the  old  world  of  civilisation  ;  for 
in  truth  both  Australia  and  America  are  new  worlds. 

The  various  races  of  men  walking-  in  the  streets  afford 
the  most  interesting  spectacle  in  Port  Louis.  Convicts 
from  India  are  banished  here  for  life;  at  present  there  are 
about  800,  and  they  are  employed  in  various  public  works. 
Before  seeing  these  people,  I  had  no  idea  that  the  in- 
habitants of  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-white  colour  ;  this, 
together  with  the  fire  of  their  expression,  gave  them 
quite  an  imposing  aspect.  The  greater  number  had  been 
banished  for  murder  and  the  worst  crimes ;  others  for 
causes  which  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  moral  faults, 
such  as  for  not  obeying,  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  1st. — Sunday.     I  took  a  quiet  walk  along  the  sea- 
coast   to  the  north  of  the  town.     The  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  so  called 
Irom    a   thumb-like   projection,    which   rises   close   behind 
the  town  to  a  height  of  2600  feet.     The  centre  of  the  island 
consists    of  a   great   platform,   surrounded    by  old  broken 
basaltic    mountains,  with    their   strata   dipping  seawards. 
i  he    central     platform,    formed    of    comparatively    recent 
srrcams  of  lava,  is  of  an  oval  shape,  thirteen  geographical 
miles  across,  in  the  line  of  its  shorter  axis.     The  exterior 
unding    mountains   come    into    that   class  of  structures 
lied  Craters   of  Elevation,  which  are  supposed  to  have 
'■n  formed  not  like  ordinary  craters,  but  by  a  great  and 
(klen  upheaval.     There  appears  to  me  to  be  insuperable 
jections  to  this  view;  on  the  other  hand,   I  can  hardlv 
lieve,  in  this  and  in  some  other  cases,  that  these  marginal 
iteriform    mountains  are  merely  the  basal  remnants  01 


476  A   PLEASANT  LAND.  [chap.  xxi. 

immense  volcanoes,  of  wlilch  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  productive  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  yrd. — 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 
centra!  platform. 

May  ^th. — Captain  Lloyd  took  us  to  the  Riviere  Noire, 
which  is  several  miles  to  the  southward,  that  I  might 
examine  some  rocks  of  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  oi  Mimosa,  and  near  many  of  the  houses  there  were 
avenues  of  the  mango.  Some  of  the  views,  where  the 
peaked  hills  and  the  cultivated  farms  were  seen  together, 
were  exceedingly  picturesque ;  and  we  were  constantly 
tempted  to  exclaim,  "How  pleasant  it  would  be  to  pass 
one's  life  in  such  quiet  abodes  !"  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. 


1836.]  AT   ST.    HELENA.  477 

This  elephant  is  the  only  one  at  present  on  the  island  ;  but 
it  is  said  others  will  be  sent  for. 

May  c^th. — 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  town  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,  boldy  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  excursions  in  every  direction. 
During  the  four  days  1  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 
2000  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  de- 
composition 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  1500  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 

*  After  the  volumes  of  eloquence  which  have  poured  forth  on  thin  (iul)ject,  it 
i.inpcrous  evtn  to  mention  the  tomb.  A  modern  traveller,  in  twelve  line*, 
iflcn.H  the  poor  little  island  with  the  following  titlea — it  in  n  crave,  tomb* 
i.imid,  cemetery,  sepulchre,  catacomb,  •arcopba{fus,  minaret,  nno  m.iii^olriim. 


478  WELSH  CHARACTER  OF  SCENERY,  [chap.  xxi. 

plants  now  found  on  the  island  is  746,  and  that  out  of  these 
tifty-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  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.  On 
viewing  the  island  from  an  eminence,  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  5000,  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  be  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  disagreeable  expression  of  a 
mulatto.  He  was  a  very  civil,  quiet  old  man,  and  such 
appears  the  character  of  the  greater  number  of  the  lower 


1836.]  GEOLOGY    OF   THE    ISLAND.  479 

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.  Accord- 
ing 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  Cochlo^ena,  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  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    Deadwood  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 

1  hogs  had  been  suffered  to  range  about,  all  the  young 

('s  had  been   killed.     It    appears    also    from    the  official 

ords,    that    the    trees    were    unexpectedly,    some   years 

('rwards,  succeeded  by  a  wire  grass,  which  spread  over 

tiic  whole  surface. t     General  Beatson  adds  that  now  this 

I  I  lin  "is  covered  with  fine  sward,  and  is  become  the  finest 

It  deserves  notice,  that  all  the  manv  spccimcnB  of  thi«  shell  found  by  nir  in 
spotj  difTcr,  fi«  a  marked  variety,  from  another  set  of  sprciinens  prcn  nrrxJ 
1  a  different  spot. 
Hcaison'a  "St.  Helena."     I ntroductor>' chapter,  p  4. 


48o  CHANGES   IN    THE   PLAINS,    [chap.  xxi. 

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  '^ay 
scarcely  a  single  tree  can  be  found  there.  It  Is  also  said 
that  in  1709  there  vvcre  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  thfcy  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 
Uiat  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,  of  which  seven,  as  far  as  he  knows,  are  confined  to 
this  island.  Birds  and  insects,*  as  might  have  been 
expected,  are  very  few  in  number;  indeed  I  believe  all  the 

*  Among  these  few  insects,  I  was  surprised  to  find  a  small  Aphodtus  {nov. 
spec)  and  an  Orjctcs,  both  extremely  numerous  under  dung.  When  the  island 
was  discovered  it  certainly  possessed  no  quadruped,  excepting  perhaps  a 
mouse  :  it  becomes,  therefore,  a  difficult  point  to  ascertain,  whether  these 
stercovorous  insects  have  since  been  imported  by  accident,  or,  if  aborigines,  on 
what  food  they  formerly  subsisted.  On  the  banks  of  the  Plata,  whr,re,  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 
E^eneralJy  frcd   on   deca)'ed  vegetable   matter)   and   two   species   of   Phanseus, 


lit,"  f    ^■  ••  ' ■  " 


•;  '  '  ' 
A. 


i8j6.J  A   CURIOUS   CIRCUMSTANCE.  481 

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  Culti- 
vated fields,  and  beyond  them  the  smooth  hill  of  coloured 
rocks  called  the  Flagstaff,  and  the  rugged  sqi'iare  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  circumstance  :  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,  wiiere  1  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  force  of  the 
wind:  an  invisible  barrier,  two  yards  in  width,  separated 
perfectly  calm  air  from  a  strong  blast. 

common  in  such  situations.     On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Cordillera  in  Chlloe, 
another  species  of  Phanaeus  is  exceedingly  abundant,  and  it  buries  the  dung  ot 
the  callle  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   Etirope,  beetles,   which   find   support  in   the    matter   which   has 
already  contributed   towards   the  life  of   other  and    larfyer    animals,   are  so 
numerous,  that  there  must  be  considerably  more  than  one   hundred  different 
species.     Considerin;j  this,  and  observing  what  a  quantity  of  food  of  this  kind  is 
lost  on  the  plains  ot  La  Plata,  I  imagined  I  saw  an  instance  where  man  had 
filsturbed   that  chain,  by  which  so  many  animals  are  linked  together  in  their 
native   country.     In    Van    Dicmen's    Land,   hoxyevcr,    I    found  tour  species  of 
(^nthophagus,  two  of  Anhodius,  and  one  of  a  third  genus,  very  abtmdant  under 
the  dung  otcows  ;  yet  these  latter  animals  had  been  then  introduced  only  thirty- 
three  years.     Previously  to   that  time,   the   Kangaroo  and   sornc  other   small 
•  nimals  were  the  only  quadrupeds  ;  and  their  dung  it  of  a  very  difTcrent  quality 
•n   that  of   their   successors    introduced    by  man.     In   Knyland    the   greater 
inber  ot  stercovorous  bertles  are  confined  m  their  appetites  :  that  is,  they  do 
t  depend  indifterently  on  any  quadruped  for  the  means  of  subsistence.     The 
mgej  therefore,  in  liabits,  which   must  have   taken  place  in  Van  Dicmcn'a 
id,   IS  highly  remarkable.     I   am  indcbtetl   to  the  Rev.   F.  W.    Hope,  who, 
liope,  will  permit  me  to  call  him  mv  m.ister  in  I'".iitf)molo!rv,  for  fiivinr  nif  the 
M  iine»of  the  foregoing  insert' 


482  AT  ASCENSION.  [chap.  xxi. 

I  so  much  enjoyed  my  rambles  among  the  rocks  and 
mountains  of  St.  Helena,  that  I  felt  almost  sorry  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  to  descend  to  the  town.  Before  noon 
I  was  on  board,  and  the  Beagle  made  sail. 

On  the  19th  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  slaveships,  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  one-and- 
twenty  years  .on  shore,  let  it  be  what  it  may,  than  in  a  ship  ; 
in  this  choice,  if  I  werea  marine,  I  should  most  heartily  agree. 

The  next  morning  I  ascended  Green  Hill,  2840  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  mile- 
stones, 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  such  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  would  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 


1836.]  A   TREELESS    ISLAND.  483 

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  worst  parts  of  the 
Welsh  mountains.  But  scanty  as  the  pasture  appears, 
about  six  hundred  sheep,  many  goats,  a  few  cwws  and 
horses,  all  thrive  well  on  it.  Of  native  animals,  land  crabs 
and  rats  swarm  in  numbers.  Whether  the  rat  is  really 
indigenous,  may  well  be  doubted  ;  there  are  two  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.  ratius) ;  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  these  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. 
<  xtremity  of  the  island.  The  day  was  clear  and  hot,  and 
1  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,  geologically 
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  ;  1  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 
(lay.  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. 


4S4  GEOLOGY   OF  THE    ISLAND,    [chap.  xxi. 

In  several  places  I  noticed  volcanic  bombs,  that  is, 
masses  of  lava  which  have  been  shot  through  the  air 
whilst  fluid,  and  iiave  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  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  centrifrugal 
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. 
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  appearance  ;  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 
extraordinary  fact,  that  Professor  Ehrenberg  ^  finds  it 
almost  wholly  composed  of  matter  which  has  been 
organised  :  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 

*  Monats.  der  Kbnig.  Akad.  d.  Wi'ss.  zu  Berlin.     Vom  April,  1845. 


1836.]  IN    BRAZIL.  485 

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  different  from  what  they  now  are.  Where  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  can  we  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  measure- 
ment of  the  world.  We  arrived  there  on  August  ist,  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  about 
three  hundred  feet  in  elevation,  which  in  all  parts  has  been 
worn  into  flat-bottomed  valleys.  This  structure  is  remark- 
able in  a  granitic  land,  but  is  nearly  universal  in  all  those 
softer  formations  of  which  plains  are  usually  composed. 
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  wnere  the  bright  red  soil  affords 
.1  strong  contrast  with  the  universal  clothing  of  green. 
I^  rom  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 
(heir  white  sails.  Excepting  from  these  points,  the  scene 
is    extremely    limited ;    following    the    level    pathways,    on 

ich   hand,   only  glimpses   into  the  wooded  valleys' below 

in  be  obtainedf.  The  houses,  I  may  add,  and  especially 
the  sacred  edifices,  are  built  in  a  peculiar  and  rather  fan- 
tastic style  of  arcliitecture.  They  are  all  white-washed; 
')  when  illumined  by  the  brilliant  sun  of  midday,  and  as 

on  against  the  pale  blue  sky  of  the  horizon,  they  stand  out 
more  like  shadows  than  real  i>>uildings. 


486  A   NATURAL   BREAKWATER,    [chap.  xxi. 

Such  are  the  elements  of  the  scenery,  but  it  is  a  hopeless 
attempt  to  paint  the  gfeneral  effect.  Learned  naturalists  de- 
scribe these  scenes  of  the  tropics  by  naming  a  multitude  of 
objects,  and  mentioning  some  characteristic  feature  of  each. 
To  a  learned  traveller  this  possibly  may  communicate  some 
definite  ideas  ;  but  who  else  from  seeing  a  plant  in  a  herb- 
arium 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  ex- 
amining in  the  cabinet  of  the  entomologist  the  gay  exotic 
butterflies,  and  singular  clcidas,  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 
brilliant  green.  In  the  temperate  zones  the  case  is  different 
— the  vegetation  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  inter- 
tropical 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 !  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 


1836.]  PERNAMBUCO.  487 

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  intention  of  making  a  direct  course  to  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands.  Unfavourable  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  out- 
side 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  com- 
memorate 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, 
permission  to  pass  through  their  gardens  to  an  uncultivated 
hill,  for  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 
(jf-basement.     A   Spaniard  would  have  felt  ashamed  at  the 

'•ry  thought  of  refusing  such  a  request,  or  of  behaving  to  a 

t ranger  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 

■reasy  mud-banks.     The  bright  green  colour  of  these  bushes 

ilways  reminded  me  of  the  rank  grass  in  a  churchyard; 


488  A   NATURAL   BREAKWATER,    [chap.  xxi. 

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  neighbour- 
hood 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  waveij  break  over  it ;  at  low  water  its  summit  is 
left  dry,  and  it  might  then  be  mistaken  for  a  breakwater 
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  consolidated  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,  turpid  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  SerpulcB^  together  with  some  few  barnacles  and 
nulliporae.  These  nulliporae,  which  are  hard,  very  simply- 
organised  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  SerpulcB,  have  done  good  service  to  the  people 
of  Pernambuco  ;  for  without  their  protective  aid  the  bar  of 
sandstone  would  inevitably  have  been  long  ago  worn  away, 
and  wilhbut  the  bar,  there  would  have  been  no  harbour. 

On  the  19th  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 

*  I  have  described  this  Bar  in  detail,  in  the  Landon  and  Edinburgh  Fhilo- 
ioj'hic at  Magazine,  vol.  xix.  (1841),  p.  257. 


1836]  HORRORS   OF   SLAVERY.  489 

vividness  my  feelings,  wlien  passing  a  house  near  Pernam- 

buco,  I  heaid  the  most  pitiable  moans,  and  could  not  but 

suspect  that  some  poor  slave  was  being  tortured,  yet  knew 

that  I  was  as  powerless  as  a  child  even  to  remonstrate.     I 

suspected  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: — nor   would    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 

inquirers  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   thnt   self-interest    will    prevent    excessive 

I  uelty;  as  if  self-interest  protected  our  domestic  animals, 

!iich  are  far  less  likely  than  degraded  slaves  to  stir  up  the 

ge  of  their   savage    masters.     It   is   an    argument  long 

lice  protested  against  with   noble  feeling,  and  strikingly 

omplified,  by  the  ever  illustrious  Humboldt.     It  is  often 

tempted    to    palliate    slavery  by  comparing    the   state   of 

ives  with  our  poorer  countrymen  :  if  the  misery  of  our  poor 

caused  not  by  the  laws  of  nature,  but  by  our  institutions, 


40O  AT   FALMOUTH.  [chap.  xxi. 

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 
trom  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!  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  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  Vo3'age  having  come  to  an  end,  I  will  take  a  short 
retrospect  of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  the  painsand 
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  ad- 
vanced. 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  counterbalance  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 


1836.]  DARK   SIDE   OF   TRAVEL.  491 

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  griev^ances,  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  navi- 
gation. Even  in  the  time  of  Cook,  a  man  who  left  his 
fireside  for  such  expeditions  underwent  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 !  Since  his  voyage 
a  hemisphere  has  been  added  to  the  civilised  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  illimit- 
able ocean?  A  tedious  waste,  a  desert  of  water,  as  the 
Arabian  calls  it.  No  doubt  there  are  some  delightful 
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  shote,  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 


m 

p.  ^^H 


492  THE    BRIGHTER   SIDE.  [chap. 

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  en- 
joyment. It  is  probable  that  the  picturesque  beauty  of  many 
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  monotonous. 
Paint  them  with  bright  and  varied  colours,  as  in  Northern 
Chile,  they  will  become  fantastic  ;  clothe  them  with  vegeta- 
tion, they  must  form  a  decent,  if  not  a  beautiful  picture. 

When  1  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  intertropical  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  pre- 
conceived ideas,  I  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  feel- 
ings were  far  from  partaking  of  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  unde- 
faced  by  the  hand  of  man  ;  whether  those  of  Brazil,  where 
the  powers  of  life  are  predominant,  or  those  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego,  where  Death  and  Decay  prevail.  Both  are 
temples  filled  with  the  varied  productions   of  the  God  of 


1836.]  PERSONAL    IMPRESSIONS.  493 

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  frequently  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  ?  1  can  scarcely 
anah'se  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 
knowledge  with  deep  but  ill-defined  sensations? 

Lastly,  of  natural  scenery,  the  views  from  lofty  mountains, 
though  certainly  in  one  sense  not  beautiful,  are  very  memor- 
able. 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 
avage  state.  One's  mind  hurries  back  over  past  centuries, 
ind  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 
civilised  man.  It  is  the  difference  between  a  wild  and  t^me 
animal  ;  and  part  of  tiie  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  {he.  rhinoceros,  wandering  over  the  wild  plains  of  Africa. 


194  REMARKABLE    PHENOMENA,  [chap.' xxi. 

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  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  Insignificance  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  civilisation  could; 
have  created.  I  do  not  doubt  that  every  traveller  must' 
remember  the  glowing  sense  of  happiness  which  he  ex- 
perienced, when  he  first  breathed  in  a  foreign  clime,  where j 
the  civilised  man  had  seldom  or  never  trod.  i 

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- 
sounded  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  pur  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  improve- 
ment, consequent  on  the  Introduction  of  Christianity 
throughout  the  South  Sea,  probably  stands  by  itself  on  the 


1836.]  ENJOYMENT   OF  TRAVEL.  405 

records  of  history.  It  is  the  more  striking  when  we 
remember  that  only  sixty  years  since,  Cook,  whose  excelient 
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 
civilisation,  which,  at  some  not  very  remote  period,  will 
rule  as  empress  over  the  southern  hemisphere.  It  is  inj- 
possible  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  civilisation. 

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  tlie  chance 
of  success,  stimulate  him  to  increased  activity.  Moreover, 
as  a  number  of  isolated  facts  soon  become  uninteresting,  the 
habit  of  comparison  leads  to  generalisation.  On  the  otiier 
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  arises,  as  I  have 
found  to  my  cost,  a  constant  tendency  to  fill  up  the  wide 
gaps  of  knowledge,  by  inaccurate  and  superficial  hypotheses. 

But  I  have  too  deeply  enjoyed  the  voyage,  not  to  recom- 
mend any  naturalist,  although  he  must  not  expect  to  be  so 
fortunate  in  his  companions  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  selfishness,  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 
nlso  to  teach  him  distrust  ;  but  at  the  same  time  ho  will 
discover,  how  many  truly  kind-hearted  people  there  arc, 
with  whom  he  never  before  had,  or  ever  again  will  have 
any  further  communication,  who  yet  are  ready  to  olTer  him 
the  most  disinterested  assistance. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  47. 
Aborigines  banished  from  Van 

Diemen's  Land,  439. 

of  Australia,  427,  441. 

Abrolhos,  27. 

Aconcagua,  volcano   of,  253, 

290. 
Actinia,  stinging  species,  456. 
Africa,  Southern  part  desert, 

yet  supports  large  animals, 

97- 
Agouti,  habits  of,  79. 
Ague  common  in  Peru,  362. 
Albemarle  Island,  372. 
Allan,  Dr.,  on  Diodon,  27. 

on  Holuthurlaj,  457. 

Amblyrhynchus,  380, 382,  384. 
Anas,  species  of,  203. 
Animalculae,  see  Infusoria. 
Antarctic  islands,  249. 
Antipodes,  410. 
Ants  at  Keeling  Island,  448. 

in  Brazil,  46. 

Apires,  or  miners,  338. 
Aplysia,  20. 
Apple-trees,  296. 
Aptenodytes  demersa,  202. 
Armadilloes,  habits  of,  104. 
fossiUanimals  allied  to, 

136,  160. 
Arrow-heads,  ancient,  113. 
Ascension,  482. 
Aspalax,  blindness  of,  62. 
Athene,  80,  131. 
Atolls,  457. 
Attagis,  103. 
Atwater,  Mr.,  on  the  prairies, 

125. 


Audubon 

power 

188. 

Australia,  424. 
Australian  barrier,  465. 
Azara  on  spiders,  47,  49. 
on  rain  in  La  Plata 


M.,   on    smelling 
of    carrion-hawkgi 


57. 


of    carrion- 


of 


on    range 

hawks,  69. 
on    habits 

hawks,  67. 

on  a  thunderstorm,  72. 

on  ostrich  eggs,  100. 

on    bows    and    arrows, 

on  new  plants  spnngmg 

up,  125. 

on  great  droughts,  139. 

on  hydrophobia,  350. 

Bachman,  Mr.,  on  carrion- 
hawks,  189. 

Bahia  Blanca,  85-108. 

Bahia,  Brazil,  24. 

scenery  of,  485. 

Balbi  on  coral  reefs,  461. 

Bald  Head,  Australia,  442. 

Ballenar,  Chile,  346. 

Banda  Oriental,  53,  147. 

Bank's  Hill,  213. 

Barking-bird,  287. 

Basaltic  platform  of  Santa 
Cruz,  184. 

Bathurst,  Australia,  425. 

Bats,  vampire,  34. 

Bay  of  Islands,  New  Zealand, 
411. 

Beads,  hill  of,  154. 


INDEX. 


49: 


Beagle  Channel,  Tierra   del 

Fuego,  220. 
Beech-trees,  237,  280. 
Beetles  alive  in  sea,  163. 

at  St.  Julian,  174. 

in  brackish  water,  33. 

on  a  fungus,  44. 

i  Behring's  Straits,  fossils  of, 

138. 

Bell  of  Qiiillota,  258. 

Benchuca,  327. 

Berkeley,  Rev.  J.,  on  Con- 
fervas, 27. 

on  Cyttaria,  237. 

Sound,  192. 

Bibron,  M.,  376,  380,  389. 

Bien-te-veo,  65. 

Birds,  tameness  of,  393. 

Birgos  latro,  455. 

Bizcacha,  habits  of,  131. 

Blackwall,  Mr.,  on  spiders, 
166. 

Blindness  of  tucutuco,  62. 

Body,  frozen,  97,  250,  252. 

Bolabola,  460,  465. 

Bolas,  manner  of  using,  55, 
118. 

Bombs,  volcanic,  484. 

Bones  of  the  guanaco  col- 
lected in  certain  spots,  172. 

fire  made  of,  198. 

recent,  in  Pampas,  160. 

fossil,  91,  133,  136,  160, 

176. 

Bory  St.   Vincent    on    frogs, 

377- 
Jjoulders,  190,  240. 
Bramador,  El,  358. 
r.razil,  great  area  of  granite, 

"5- 

•  aches  in  coral  reefs,  464. 

Ijieakwater  of  sea-weed,  241. 

i'.iewster.  Sir  D.,  on  a  cal- 
careous deposit,  23. 


Bridge  of  hide,  263. 
Buckland,  Dr., on  fossils,  138. 
Buenos  Ayres,  129. 
Buffon  on  American  animals, 

178. 
Bug  of  Pampas,  327. 
Buildings,   Indian,  353,  355, 

365- 
Bulimus  on  desert  places,  344. 
Burchell,    Mr.,    on    food    of 

quadrupeds,  96. 

on  ostrich  eggs,  99. 

on  perforated  stones,  268. 

Butterflies,  flocks  of,  163. 
Butterfly  producing  clicking 

sound,  45. 
Button,  Jemmy,  210. 
Byron's    account    of    fox    of 

Falklands,  197. 
on  an  Indian  killing  his 

child,  218. 

Cacti,  170,  261,  370. 
Cactornis,  375,  389. 
Calasoma    on    wing    out    at 

sea,  163. 
Calcareous  casts  of  branches 

and  roots  of  trees  at  King 

George's  Sound,  443. 
Calcareous  incrustations   on 

rocks  of  Ascension,  22. 
Callao,  364. 
Calodera,  131. 
Camarhynchus,  375,  389. 
Camelidae,       fossil       animal 

allied  to,  177. 
Canis  antarcticus,  197. 

fulvipcs,  279. 

Capybara,  or  carpincho,  60, 

287. 

fossil  allied  to,  91. 

Cape  Horn,  214. 

Cape  of  (iood  Hope,  97. 

Caracara,  or  Carranclia,  65. 


49? 


INDEX. 


Cardoon,  beds  of,  126,  153. 
Carmichael,  Capt.,  395. 
Carrion-hawks,  65,  127,  188. 
Casarita,  103. 
Castro,  Chiloe,  277,  291. 
Casts  of  trees,  443. 
CaSLichas,  332. 
Cathartes,  69,  188,  283. 
Cats  run  wild,  127,  483. 

good  to  eat,  123. 

scratch  trees,  141. 

cruelty  to  mice,  202. 

Cattle,  effects  of  their  grazing 

on  the  vegetation,  125. 
killed  by  great  droughts, 

139.  151. 

know  each  other,  150. 

curious  breed  of,  150. 

waste  of,  157. 

wild    at    the    Falkland 

Islands,  193,  194. 
Cauquenes,   hot   springs   of, 

263. 
Cavia  Patagonica,  79. 
Cervus  campestris,  59. 
Ceryle  Americana,  144. 
Chacao,  Chiloe,  274. 
Chagos  atolls,  470. 
Chalk-like  mud,  457. 
Chamisso    on    drifted    seeds 

and  trees,  447,  454. 

on  coral  reefs,  458. 

Charles    Island,    Galapagos 

Archipelago,  370. 
Cheucau,  287. 
Chile,  253,  335. 

features  of  country,  255. 

Chiloe,  272. 

forests  of,  and  climate, 

roads  of,  274,  291. 

inhabitants  of,  273,  276. 

Chionis,  103. 

Chonos  Archipelago,  280. 


^ 


Chonos    Archipelagc 

thology  of,  287. 
Chupat,  Rio,  114. 
Cladonia,  360. 
Climate  of  Tierra  del  Fueg 

and  Falkland  Islands,  244 

of  Antarctic  Islands,  24c 

Galapagos,  373,  392.    ' 

change  of,  in  Chile,  35^ 

Clouds  of  vapour  after  rain 

36. 

on  Corcovado,  40. 

hanging  low,  359. 

at  sea,  396. 

Coleoptera  in  tropics,  45. 

out  at  sea,  163. 

of  St.  Julian,  174. 

Colias  edusa,  flocks  of,  163. 
Colnett,  Capt.,  on  spawn  ir 

sea,  30, 

on  a  marine  lizard,  380, 

Colonia  del  Sacramiento,  149 
Colorado,  Rio,  80. 
Compound  animals,  205. 
Concepcion,  Chile,  301, 
Condor,  habits  of, 
Confervae,  pelagic, 
Conglomerate   on 

tana,  115. 

in  Cordillera, 

Conurus,  144. 

Convicts  of  Mauritius,  475. 

condition    of,    in    New 

South  Wales,  438. 
Cook,  Capt.,  on  kelp,  241. 
Copiap6,  river  and  valley  of 

347- 

town  of,  351. 

Coquimbo,  343. 

Coral   formations,    397,  446, 

469. 

stinging  species  of,  456. 

dead,  453,  470. 

Corallines,  204. 


[87,  189. 

27. 

the    Ven 

317-  9 


INDEX. 


499 


Corcovado,  clouds  on,  40. 

volcano,  290. 

Cordillera,     appearance     of, 

246,  255,  315. 
— —  different  productions  on 

east  and  west  side,  317. 

passage  of,  311. 

structure  of  valleys,  313. 

\ geology  of,  317,  329. 

rivers  of,  314. 

of  Copiap6,  358. 

Cormorant  catching  fish,  202. 
Corral,    where    animals    are 

slaughtered      at      Buenos 

Ayres,  128. 
Coseguina,  eruption  of,  290. 
Couthouy,      Mr,,     on     coral 

reefs,  466. 
Crabs,  hermit  species  of,  449. 

at  Keeling  Island,  455. 

at  St.  Paul's,  23. 

.Craters,    number  of,    at  the 

Galapagos       Archipelago, 

369. 
of  Elevation,  475. 

Crisia,  204. 

Cruelty  to  animals,  156. 
Crustacea,  pelagic,  167. 
Ctenomys  Brasiliensis,  61. 

fossil  species  of,  91. 

Cucao,  Chiloe,  294. 
Cuentas,  Sierra  de,  154. 
Cumbre  of  Cordillera,  333. 
Cuming,  Mr.,  on  shells,  385, 

480. 
Cuttle-fish,  habits  of,  20,  287. 
Cuvier  on  Diodon,  26. 
Cynara,  126. 
Pyttaria  Darwinii,  237. 


Deserts,  344,  356. 
Desmodus,  34. 
Despoblado,  valley  of,  352. 
Dieffenbach      on      Auckland 

Island,  246,  428. 
Diodon,  habits  of,  26. 
Discoloured  sea,  27. 
Diseases  from  miasma,  362, 

428. 
Dobrizhoffer     on     ostriches, 

102. 

on  a  hail-storm,  122. 

Dogs,  shepherd,  155. 
D'Orbigny,  Travels  in  South 

America,  88,  102,  126,  135, 

i55»  172.      ^ 
Doris,  eggs  of,  204. 
Doubleday,  Mr.,  on  a  noise 

made  by  a  butterfly,  45. 
Drigg,  lightning-tubes  at,  71. 
Droughts,  great,  in  Pampas, 

138. 
Dryness  of  St.  Jago,  16. 
— —  of  winds   in  Tierra  del 

Fuego,  233. 

of  air  in  Cordillera,  323. 

Du  Bois,  377,  395. 
Dung-feeding  beetles,  480. 
Dust,     falling     from     atmo- 

sphere,  18. 

Earthenware,  fossil,  367. 
Earthquake,  accompanied  by 

an  elevation  of  the  coast, 

308. 
accompanied    by    rain, 

348. 

at  Callao,  365. 

at  Concepcion,  302. 

at  Coquimbo,  339. 

at  Keeling  and  Vanikoro, 

and  Society  Islands,  467. 

at  Valdivia,  3CX). 

causes  of,  310. 


Soo 


INDEX. 


Earthquake,     eflcct     of,     on 

springs,  264. 

on  bottom  of  sea,  305. 

effects  of,  on  rocks,  247, 

302. 
— 1 on    sea,    301,    302, 

304- 

on  a  river-bed,  356. 

line  of  vibration  of,  306. 

on  S.W.  coast,  247. 

tossing  fragments  from 

the  ground,  200. 
twisting   movement   of, 

307- 
Elirenberg,  Prof.,  on  Atlantic 

dust,  18,  19. 
on  infusoria  in  Pampas, 

9h  135- 
in    the    open    sea, 


167. 


in  Patagonia,  175, 
in    Fuegian   paint, 


223. 


in  coral  mud,  457. 
in  tuff  at  Ascension, 

484. 
on    phosphorescence    of 

the  sea,  167. 

on  noises  from  a  hill,  358. 

Eimeo,  view  of,  400. 

Elater,  springing  powers  of, 

42. 
Electricity      of      atmosphere 

within  Andes,  324. 
Elephant,  weight  of,  96. 
Elevation  of  coasts  of  Chile, 

233.  257,  290,  309,  330,  340, 

354- 

Bahia  Blanca,  90. 

— —  Patagonia,  176,  368. 

Pampas,  136. 

mountain-chains,  310. 

Cordillera,  309,  314,  318. 

fringing-reefs,  468. 


-^offB 


Elevation  of  Peru,  3T 

within    human    perib : 

367. 
Entre  Rios,  geology  of,  .1.31 . 
Epeira,  habits  of,  48.     ^^flj 
Erratic    blocks,    how    ^H 

ported,  249.       ^  .^l 
absent    in    intertropic ; 

countries,  249.    • 
on  plains  of  Santa  Cru; 

184. 

of  Tierra  del  Fuego,'a4' 

Estancia,  value  of,  150.    ■  ■ 
Extinction    of  shells    at    S 

Helena,  480. 

of  species,  causes  of,  17J 

of    man    in    Austral  if 

427»  439. 

Falconer,  Dr.,  on  the  Siv^ 

therlum,  151. 
Jesuit,   on  the  Indian; 

112. 

on  rivers  in  Pampas,  1 1^ 

on    natural    enclosures 

123. 
Falkland  Islands,  192. 

birds  tame  at,  394. 

absence  of  trees  at,  58. 

carrion-hawks  of,  67. 

wild  cattle  and  horses  oi 

194.  ^ 

climate  of,  244. 

peat  of,  286. 

Fat,  quantity  eaten,  124. 
Fear,    an    acquired    instinct 

395- 
Februa,  45. 
Fennel  run  wild,  126. 
Ferguson,  Dr.,  on   miasma 

363. 
Fern-trees,  245,  371. 
Fernando  Noronha,  24,  370. 
Fire,  art  of  making,  198,  403 


INDEX. 


SOI 


Fish,  eating  coral,  456. 

of  Galapagos,  385. 

emitting    harsh    sound, 

142. 
Flamingoes,  76. 
Fleas,  297,  343. 
Floods  after  droughts,  140. 

clear  after  snow,  317. 

Flora  of  the  Galapagos,  371, 

390.  391- 

ot  Keeling  Island,  446. 

of  St.  Helena,  477. 

Flustraceae,  204. 
Forests,   absence    of,    in 

Plata,  58. 
of  Tierra  del  Fuego, 

245,  285. 
of  Chiloe,  245,  273, 

292. 

of  Valdlvia,  296,  297. 

of  New  Zealand,  420. 

of  Australia,  426. 

Fossil    mammalia,    90,    136, 

137,  160,  177. 
«-- —  earthenware,  367. 
Fox  of  uiie  Falkland  Islands, 


La 


276, 


197. 
—  of  Chiloe, 


279. 


Friendly  Archipelago,  472. 
Frogs,  noises  of,  41. 

-  bladders  of,  378. 
and  toads,  not  found  on 

':eanic  islands,  377. 

1  it-trees,  soutlicrn  limit  of, 

-'45-     . 
1  ucus  giganleus,  241. 
'    : -gians,  207-232. 

Mgus,  edible,  237. 
1    .marius,  103. 

'  •  M.APAGOS  Archipelago,  368  ; 
latur.'il  history  of,  371. 

belongs     to    American 
/oology,  373,  387. 


Gallegos  River,  fossil  bones 

at,  176. 
Gallinazo,  69. 
Gauchos,  53,  157. 

character  of,  161. 

live  on  meat,  124. 

Gay,  M.,  on  floating  islands, 

265. 
on    shells    in    brackish 

water,  33. 
Geese  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 

202. 
Geographical  distribution  of 

American      animals,      136, 

325- 

of  frogs,  377. 

of  fauna  of  Galapagos, 

382.^ 

Georgia,  climate  of,  249. 

Geospiza,  375,  38q. 

Gill,  Mr.,  oil  an  upheaved 
river-bed,  355. 

Gillies,  Dr.,  on  the  Cor- 
dillera, 321. 

Glaciers  in  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
227,  247. 

iii  Cordillera,  322. 

Glaciers  in  lat.  46°  40',  246. 

Glow-worms,  41. 

Goats,  destructive  to  vegeta- 
tion at  St.  Helena,  480. 

bones  of,  172. 

Goitre,  312. 

Gold-washing,  266. 

Good  Success  Bay,  207. 

Gossamer  spider,  164. 

Gould,  Mr.,  on  the  Calodera, 

'31- 
on  birds  of  Galapagos, 

374.  375- 
Granite      mountams,      Tres 

Monies,  282. 

.of  Cordillera,  318. 

Graspus,  23. 


502  INDEX. 

how  far  transported 


Gravel 

115- 

of  Patagonia,  84,  175. 

Greenstone,     fragments     of, 

257- 
Gryllus  migratorius,  327. 
Guanaco,  habits  of,  170. 

fossil  allied  genus,  177. 

(iuantajaya,  mines  of,  360. 
Guardia  del  Monte,  125. 
Guasco,  345. 
Guasos  of  Chile,  258. 
Guava  imported  into  Tahiti, 

397- 
Gumea-fowl,  17,  483. 
Gunnera  scabra,  279. 
Gypsum,  great  beds  of,  317. 

in  salt-lake,  75. 

in    Patagonian    tertiary 

beds,  175. 
at    Iquique    with    salt, 

361. 
at  Lima  with  shells,  366. 

Hachette,  Mr.,  on  light- 
ning-tubes, 71. 

Hail-storm,  122. 

Hall,  Capt.  Basil,  on  terraces 
of  Coquimbo,  340. 

Hare,  Varying,  56. 

Head,  Capt,  on  thistle-beds, 
126,  130. 

Henslow,  Prof.,  on  potatoes, 
284. 

on    plants    of    Keeling 

Island,  446. 

Hermit  crabs,  449. 

Hibernation  of  animals,  106. 

Hill  emitting  a  noise,  358. 

Himantopus,  121. 

Hogoleu  barrier-reef,  461. 

Holes  made  by  a  bird,  99. 

Holman  on  drifted  seeds, 
447. 


1 

J  on  cu§i 


on     tl: 


I 


Holuthuriae  feeding 

457. 
Hooker,     Sir     J. 

cardoon,  126. 
Dr.  J.  D.,  on  the  kel| 

240. 
on  Galapageian  ph 

387.  391- 
Horner,     Mr.,     on     a 

careous  deposit,  23. 
Horse-fly,  175. 
Horses     difficult     to     dfm 

117. 
drop  excrement  on  paths 

125. 
killed  by  great  drought 

139. 

• multiplication  of,  234, 

broken  in,  156. 

Horse,  powers  of  swimming 

of,  148. 
wild    at    the    Falklanc 

Islands,  194. 

fossil,  91,  136. 

Horsemanship   of   the   Gau- 

chos,  157,  198. 
Huacas,  365,  367. 
Humboldt      on       burnished 

rocks,  25. 
on    the    atmosphere    ir 

tropics,  43. 

on  frozen  soil,  97. 

on  hibernation,  107. 

■ on  potatoes,  285. 

on      earthquakes      and 

rain,  349. 

on  miasma,  363,  429. 

Humming-birds    of    Rio    de 

Janeiro,  44. 

of  Chile,  271. 

Hydrochaerus  capybara,  60. 
Hydrophobia,  350. 
Hyla,  41. 
Hymenophallus,  44. 


INDEX, 


503 


Ibis  melanops,  170. 

Ice,    prismatic   structure    of, 

322. 
Icebergfs,  190,  227,  248,  252. 
Incas'  Bridge,  332,  353. 
Incrustations  on  coast  rocks, 

19,  22. 
Indian  fossil  remains,  367. 
Indians,  attacks    of,  74,   86, 

133. 

Patagonians,  235. 

of  the  Pampas,  109. 

of  Valdivia,  298. 

perforated    stones    used 

by,  267. 

powers  of  tracking,  325. 

grave  of,  174,  191. 

ruins   of  houses   of,   in 

Cordillera,  353,  365.^ 
antiquities    of,    in    La 

Plata,  57,  113. 

decreasein  numbers,  112. 

Infusoria     in     dust     in    the 

Atlantic,  18,  27. 

in  the  sea,  167. 

in  Pampas,  91,  135. 

Patagonia,  175. 

— —  in  white  paint,  223. 

in  coral  mud,  457. 

at  Ascension,  484. 

Insects,  first  colonists  of  St. 

Paul's  rocks,  24. 

blown  out  to  sea,  164, 

of  Patagonia,  174,  325. 

of    Tierra     del    Fuego, 

240. 
of  Galapagos,  376,  386, 

390- 
of  Keeling  Island,  448. 

of  St.  Helena,  480. 

Iodine  with  salt  at  Iqiiique, 

361. 
Iquique,  359. 
1 1  on,  oxide  of,  on  rocks,  25. 


Islands,  oceanic,  volcanic,  22. 

floating,  265. 

Antarctic,  249. 

low,  396,  459. 

Jackson,    Col.,     on     frozen 

snow,  322. 
Jaguar,  habits  of,  141. 
Jajuel,  mines  of,  260. 
James      Island,     Galapagos 

Archipelago,  372. 
Juan  Fernandez,  volcano  of, 

309. 
flora  of,  387. 

Kater's  Peak,  214. 
Kauri  pine,  420. 
Keeling  Island,  444. 

subsidence  of,  466,  467. 

birds  of,  448. 

entomology  of,  448. 

flora  of,  446. 

Kelp  or  sea-weed,  240. 
Kendall,  Lieut.,  on  a  frozen 

body,  250. 
Kingfishers,  16,  144. 
King  George's  Sound,  442. 

Labourers,  condition  of,  in 

Chile,  266. 
Lagoon  Islands,  451,453,  460. 
Lagostomus,  130. 
LaUe,    brackish,    near    Rio, 

33- 
with    floating    islands, 

265. 

formed  during  earth- 
quake, 367. 

Lamarck  on  acquired  blind- 
ness, 62. 

Lampyris,  41. 

Lancaster,  Capt.,  on  a  sea- 
tree,  108. 

Land-shells,  344,  479,  480. 


504 


INDEX. 


Lazo,  55,  158,  194. 
Leaves,  fall  of,  237. 

fossil,  441. 

Leeks  in   New  Zealand,   im- 
ported, 421. 
Lepus  Magellanicus,  196. 
Lesson,   M.,  on   the    scissor- 

*beak,  143. 
on   rabbit   of  the   Falk- 

lands,  196. 
Lichen  on  loose  sand,  360. 
Liclitenstein  on  ostriches,  100. 
Lightning  storms,  72. 

tubes,  69. 

Lima,  361,  364. 

elevation     of     a    river 

near,  355. 
Lime  changed   by  lava  into 

crystalline  rock,  19. 
Limnsea  in   brackish  water, 

92. 
Lion-ant,  435. 
Lizard,  106. 

marine  species  of,  380. 

Lizards,  transport  of,  377. 
Llama    or    guanaco,    habits 

of,  170. 
Locusts,  327. 
Longevity  of  species  in  Mol- 

lusca,  92. 
Lorenzo,  San,  island  of,  365. 
Low  Archipelago,  396. 
Lund,    M.,    on    antiquity    of 

man,  355. 
Lund  and  Clausen  on  fossils 

of  Brazil,  136,  177. 
Luxan,  327. 
Lycosa,  47. 
Lyell,    Mr.,    on    terraces    of 

Coquimbo,  340. 
• on    subsidence    in    the 

Pacific,  460. 
on  change  in  vegetation, 

126. 


Lyell,  Mr.,  on   fossil  hor 

teeth,  136. 
on       distribution 

animals,  325. 

on  frozen  snow,  322. 

on  extinct  mammals, 

ice-period,  178. 
on  flocks  of  butterflies, 

163. 
on    stones    twisted 

earthquakes,  307. 


ii 


MacCulloch    on    infection, 

428.      ^ 
Macquarie  river,  435.         -^^ 
Macrauchenia,  91,  177.      ^H 
Macrocystis,  240. 
Madrina,  or  godmother  of  a 

troop  of  mules,  313. 
Magdalen  Channel,  242. 
Magellan,  Strait  of,  233. 
Malcolmson,  Dr.,  on  hail,  123. 
Maldiva  atolls,  458,  467,  469. 
Maldonado,  51. 
Mammalia,    fossil,    90,    136, 

137,  160,  177. 
Man,  antiquity  of,  355. 

fossil  remains  ot,  367. 

body  frozen,  250. 

fear     of,     an     acquired 

instinct,  395. 
extinction  of  races,  428, 

439- 
Mares  killed  for  their  hides, 

159- 
Mare's  flesh  eaten  by  troops, 

109. 
Mastodon,  133,  135. 
Matter,  granular,  movements 

in,  108. 
Mauritius,  474. 
Maypu  river,  314. 
Megalonyx,  90,  137. 
Megatherium,  90,  91,  137. 


INDEX. 


505 


Mendoza,    climate    of,    321- 

328. 

Mexico,  elevation  of,  137. 
Miasmata,  362,  427. 
Mice   inhabit    sterile   places, 

356. 
number  of,  in  America, 

60. 
how   transported,   287, 

374- 
different     on     opposite 

sides  of  Andes,  324. 

of  the  Galapagos,  374. 

of  Ascension,  483. 

Millepora,  456. 

Mills  for  grinding  ores,  266. 

Mimosas,  37. 

Mimus,  65,  389,  393. 

Miners,  condition  of,  260,  266, 

336,  343. 
Mines,  260,  337,  343. 

how  discovered,  315. 

Missionaries  at  New  Zealand, 

411. 
Mitchell,   Sir  T.,   on  valleys 

of  Australia,  431. 
Mocking-bird,  65,  389,  393. 
Molina  omits   description  of 

certain  birds,  271. 
Molothrus,  habits  of,  63. 
Monkeys      with      prehensile 

tails,  40. 
Monte  Video,  50,  147. 
Moresby,  Capt.,  on   a  great 

crab,  455. 

on  coral  reefs,  470. 

Mount  Sarmiento,  235,  242. 

Tarn,  236. 

Movements       in       granular 

matter,  108. 
Mud,  chalk-iike,  457. 
disturbed  by  earthquake, 

305. 
Mules,  313. 


Muniz,  Sig.,  on  niata  cattle, 

151- 
Murray,  Mr.,  on  spiders,  166. 
Mylodon,  92,  137,  160. 
Myopotamus  Coipus,  286. 

Negress  with  goitre,  312. 
Negro,  Rio,  73,  152. 

lieutenant,  85. 

New  Caledonia,  reef  of,  461, 

463,  469. 

Zealand,  410. 

Niata  cattle,  150. 
Noises  from  a  hill,  358. 
Noses,  ceremony  of  pressing, 

417. 
Nothura,  56. 

Notopod,  crustacean,  166. 
Nulllporae,  incrustations  like, 

22. 
protecting  reefs,  488. 

Octopus,  habits  of,  20. 
Oily  coating  on  sea,  30. 
Olfersia,  23. 
Opetiorhynchus,  288. 
Opuntia,  261. 

Darwlnli,  170. 

Galapageia,  370. 

Orange-trees,  self-sown,  127. 
Ores,  gold,  267. 
Ornithology    of   Galapagos, 

374.  393- 
Ornithorhynchus,  434. 
Osorno,  volcano  oi,  273,  275, 

290. 
Ostrich,  habits  of,  54,  98. 
Ostrich's  eggs,  120. 
Otaheite,  396. 
Otter,  287. 
Ova  in  sea,  30. 
Oven-bird,  103. 
Owen,   Capt.,   on    a  drought 

in  Africa,  138. 


5o6 


INDEX. 


Owen,  Professor,  on  the  cap}'- 
bara,  60.  * 

— —  fossil  quadrupeds,  91, 
92. 

nostrils  of  the  gallinazo, 

188. 

Owl  of  Pampas,  80,  131. 

Oxyurus,  239,  288. 

Oysters,  gigantic,  175. 

Pahs,     fortresses     of     New 

Zealand,  412. 
Paint,  white,  223. 
Pallas  oh  Siberia,  77. 
Palm-trees  in  La  Plata,  57. 

in  Chile,  256. 

south  limit  of,  245. 

Palms  absent  at  Galapagos, 

371- 
Pampas,  number  of  embedded 

remains  in,  160. 

S.  limit  of,  84. 

changes  In,  126. 

not  quite  level,  129,  133, 

148. 

geology  of,  135,  160. 

view  of,  from  the  Andes, 

325- 
Papilio  feronia,  44. 
Parana,  Rio,  132,  134,  139. 

islands  in,  140. 

Parish,    Sir    W.,    on    great 

drought,  139. 
Park,  Mungo,  on  eating  salt, 

118. 
Parrots,  144,  244. 
Partridges,  56. 
Passes  in  Cordillera,  331, 
Pasture  altered  from  grazing 

of  cattle,  126. 
Patagones,  74. 
Patagonia,  geology  of,    175, 

f90. 
zoology  of,  170,  17s,  183. 


Patagonian  Indians,  235. 
Peach-trees,  self-sown,  127. 
Peat,  formation  of,  286. 
Pebbles,  perforated,  154,  26; 
transported  in  roots  ( 

trees,  454. 
Pelagic  animals  in  souther 

ocean,  167.  ^^ 

Penas,  Gulf  of,  248.         |H| 
Penguin,  habits  of,  202.  ^B' 
Pepsis,  habits  of,  47. 
Pernambuco,  reef  of,  487. 
Pernety  on  hill  of  ruins,  199 

on  tame  birds,  394. 

Peru,  359,  368. 

dry  valleys  of,  354,  359. 

Petrels,  habits  of,  289. 
Peuquenes,  Pass  of,  317. 
Phonollte  at  F.  Noronha,  24 
Phosphorescence  of  the  sea 

167. 

of  a  coralline,  205. 

of  land  Insects  anc 

animals,  41. 
Phryniscus,  105. 
Pine  of  New  Zealand,  420. 
Plains   at    foot   of  Andes   iv 

Chile,  262,  316. 
almost  horizontal  neai 

St.  F^,  133. 
Planarlae,   terrestrial  species 

of,  38,  39. 
Plants     of    the     Galapagos, 

37o>  387^  390- 

of  Keeling  Island,  446. 

of  St.  Helena,  478. 

fossil,  in  Australia,  443. 

Plata,  R.,  50. 

thunderstorms  of,  72. 

Plover,  long-legged,  121. 
Polished  rocks,  Brazil,  25. 
Polyborus  Chimango,  67. 

Novae  Zelandias,  67. 

Brasiliensis,  66. 


1 


INDEX. 


S07 


Ponsonby  Sound,  223. 

Porpoises,  50. 

Port   Desire,  169 ;    river   of, 

St.  Julian,  174. 

Famine,  235. 

Portillo  Pass,  317,  323. 

Porto  Praya,  15. 

Potato,  wild,  284. 

Potrero  Seco,  347. 

Prairies,  vegetation  of,  125. 

Provost,  M.,  on  cuckoos,  64. 

Priestley,  Dr.,  on  lightning- 
tubes,  70. 

Procellaria  gigantea,  habits 
of,  289. 

Proctotretus,  106. 

Proteus,  blindness  of,  62. 

Protococcus  nivalis,  320. 

Pteroptochos,  two  species  of, 
270. 

■ species  of,  278,  287. 

Puente  del  Incas,  332,  353. 

Puffinuria  Berardii,  289. 

Puffinus  cinereus,  289. 

Puma,  habits  of,  141,  142, 
183,  269. 

• flesh  of,  123. 

Puna,    or    short   respiration, 

3^9- 
Punta  Alta,  Bahia  Blanca,  90. 

Gorda,  135,  353. 

Pyrophorus  luminosus,  42. 

Quadrupeds,  fossil,  135,  137, 

160,  177. 
—   large,    do    not    require 

luxuriant  vegetation, 93, 94. 

weight  of,  96. 

Quartz  of  the  Ventana    115. 

ofTapalguen,  123. 

—    -  of  Falkland  Islands,  199. 

Quedius,  23. 

Quillota,  valley  of,  255. 


Quintero,  254. 
Quinquina  Island,  301. 
Quoy  and  Gaimard  on  sting- 
ing corals,  456. 
on  coral  reefs,  468. 

Rabbit,   wild,    at  the   Falk- 
land Islands,  196. 
Rain  at  Coquimbo,  335,  345, 

349-    „. 

at  Rio,  40. 

and  earthquakes,  349. 

in  Peru,  359,  362. 

in  Chile,  formerly  more 

abundant,  354. 

effects    on    vegetation, 

336. 

Rana  Mascarlensis,  377. 

Rat,  only  aboriginal  animal 
of  New  Zealand,  421 

Rats  at  Galapagos,  374. 

at  Ascension,  483. 

at  Keeling  Island,  448. 

Rattle  -  snake,  species  with 
allied  habit,  105. 

Red  snow,  320. 

Reduvius,  327. 

Reef  at  Pernambuco  of  sand- 
stone, 488 

Reefs  of  coral,  445-473. 

Reeks,  Mr.,  analysis  of  salt, 

75- 

bones,  160. 

salt  and  shells,  366. 

Remains,    human,    elevated, 


367-  . 
Remedies 

134- 


of    the    Gauchos, 


Rengger  on  the  horse,  234. 
Reptiles  absent  in  Tierra  del 

Fuego,  239. 

at  GalapHgos,  376. 

Respiration  difllcult  in  Andes, 

319- 


5o8 


INDEX. 


Revolutions  at  Buenos  Ayres, 

145- 

Rhinoceroses  live  in  desert 
countries,  95. 

frozen,  97,  250. 

Rhynchops,  nigra,  142. 

Ricliardson,  Dr.,  on  mice  of 
North  America,  374. 

on  polished  rocks,  252. 

on  frozen  soil,  97,  250. 

on  eating  fat,  124. 

on  geographical  distri- 
bution, 136. 

Rim  sky  atoll,  458. 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  44. 

Plata,  50. 

—  Negro,  73,  152. 

Colorado,  80. 

S.  Cruz,  181. 

Sauce,  114. 

Salado,  125. 

Rivers,  power  of,  in  wearing 
channels,  184,  319. 

River-bed,  arched,  356. 

River  -  courses  dry         in 

America,  114. 

Rocks  burnished  with  fer- 
ruginous matter,  26. 

Rodents,  number  of,  in 
America,  60,  183. 

fossil  species  of,  91. 

Rosas,  General,  80,  82,  146. 

Ruins  of  Callao,  365. 

of  Indian   buildings  in 

Cordillera,  353,  365. 

Salado,  Rio,  125. 
Salinas    at     the     Galapagos 
Archipelago,  76. 

in  Patagonia,  76,  174. 

Saline  efflorescences,  86. 
Salt  with  vegetable  food,  118. 

superficial  crust  of,  360. 

with  elevated  shells,  366. 


Salt-lakes,  75,  174,  372. 
Sandwich     Archipelago,. ^| 

frogs  at,  377.  S 

Land,  249.  -^M 

San  Pedro,  forests  of,  280. 

Sand-dunes,  84. 

Sand,    hot  from    sun's   rays, 

at  Galapagos  Archipelago, 

373-  . 

noise  from  friction  ot,  358, 

Sandstone     of    New     Soutli 

Wales,  431. 

reef  of,  488. 

Santa  Cruz,  river  of,  181. 
Santiago,  Chile,  262. 
Sarmiento,  Mount,  235,  242. 
Sauce,  Rio,  114. 
Saurophagus  sulphuratus,  64. 
Scarus  eating  corals,  456.^^, 
Scelidotherium,  92.  j^lj 

Scenery  of  Andes,  316.     '^^1! 
Scissor-beak,  habit  of,  142. 
Scissor-tail,  144. 
Scorpions,  cannibals,  170. 
Scoresby,   Mr.,   on  effects  o 

snow  on  rocks,  316. 
Scrope,  Mr.,  on  earthquakes 

349- 
Scytalopus  fuscus,  239,  288. 
Sea,  open,  inhabitants  of,  167. 

phosphorescence  of,  167, 

distant  noise  of,  294. 

Sea-pen,  habits  of,  107,  204. 
Sea- weed,  growth  of,  241. 
Seals,  number  of,  283. 
Seeds    transported    by     sea, 

387,  448. 
Serpulae,  protecting  reef,  488. 
Shark  killed  by  DIodon,  27. 
Shaw,    Dr.,    on   fion's   flesh. 

123. 
Sheep,  infected,  429. 
Shelley,  lines  on  Mont  Blanc 

173. 


,                                          INDEX.  ^^ 

&err/4.      '"       ^'■^"  ^;>.stateoUnAustraHa, 

b  ^o'sll.  "  Craira.  3.8.  ?!l1>o-.  ArcMpelago  396^ 

—  of  Galapagos,  385.  467,  47^""=  Phe""'™"''  «'• 

—  elevated,   93,    135,    176,  Soda,  nitr'-              , 
^54.35^.366-  sulph^-^^/j' 36  • 

, tropical    forms    of,    far  Soil,  frozen/.'-'^  ^  '     ' 

south,  244.  Spawn  on  su  97)  ^S^- 

decoiiljosition    of,    with  Species,  distil^/.^^f.^/ ^^^,?'  "9- 

salt,  366.  356.               sibution  ot,   13/. 

Shingle-bed     of    Patagonia,    extinction      - 

Jj>}75'                   ^           .,  Spiders,  habits.  °*;^/9. 

Siberia,       compared       with    gossamer,;    '**"  ^ 

Patagonia,  76.  killed    by  j|     4-      ,  .^j.^^ 

—  zoology    of,    related    to  wasps,  47,  48.  \                     ^ 
North  America,  138.                on  Keeling  \t„,      .    .  .0 

Siberian   animals,    how   pre on  St.  Paul's,>J^^^"^'  44»- 

;    served  in  ice,  250.  Springs,  hot,  264.    \  3-    - 

' food    necessary    during  Stephenson,  Mr.,  ok     o-^q^^i^ 

/    their  existence,  97.  of  sea- weed,  241.    'v  » 

Silicified  trees,  329,  349.  Stinging  animals,  45^^ 

Silurian  formations  at  Falk-  St.  Helena,  477 ;  introa:,^     .^^^ 

land  Islands,  199.  of  spirits  into,  405. 

Silurus,  habits  of,  142.  St.  F^,  133. 

'      inks,  89.  St.  Jago,  C.  Verds,   15;  un^ 

ery,  36,  433,  489.  healthiness  of,  362. 

liiiieiling   power    of  carrion-  St.  Maria,  elevated,  306,  310. 

hawks,  188.  St.  Paul's  rocks,  21. 

ilh,    Dr.   Andrew,   on  the  Stones,  perforated,  154,  267 

ippoit     of     large     quad-  Storm,  219,  280. 

ipeds,  94.  in  Cordillera,  322,  357. 

on    perforated    pebbles,  Streams   of  stones   at  Falk- 

:4.  land  Islands,  200. 

!ce,  venomous,  105.  Strongylus,  44. 

.v-line  on  Cordillera,  246,  Struthio  Rhea,  54,  102. 

o,  322.  Darwlnii,  102. 

w,    effects   of,    on   rocks,  Strzelccki,  Count,  440. 

if).  Suadiva  atoll,  458. 

prismatic    structure    ot,  Subsidence    of    coral     roolls, 

'■2.  460,  473. 

red,  320.  ot  Keeling  Island,  400. 

i'ty,      state     of,     in     La of  Patagonia,  176. 

lata,  51,  161.  of  coast  of  Peru,  365. 


342. 


510 

Subsidence  of  Cordillera ' 

330- 
— —  of  coasts  of  Chile 

ofVanikoro  46*'Veat  in 

oi  coral    reefs 

amount,  471        anctness  in 

cause  of  dis'  ^.^ 

tertiary  epochs, '-5   j 

Sulphate  of  lime,^,ijs'tirg     the 
soda     in. 


INDEX. 


1 


rSy  366. 


ground,  87. 
of  soda 


with 


salt,  76,  366  '^^^1^         6 
Swainson,  on^ 
Sydney,  424. 


Tabanus, 


aheite),  396. 


Tahiti  (Ot^  zones  of  fertility 


thre 
T-i^^u     ^ino,  301. 

i,^"^^^icolo  and  Turco,  271. 
^^Ppalguen,  Sierra,  flat  hills 

^'of  quartz,  123. 
..  Tarn,  Mount,  236. 

Tasmania,  439. 

Tattooing,  398,  420. 

Temperance  of  the  Tahitians, 

405- 
Temperature    of   Tierra    del 

Fuego        and        Falkland 

Islands,  244. 
- —  of  Galapagos,  369,  373. 
Tercero,  Rio,  fossils  in  banks 

of,  133- 

Terraces  in  valleys  of  Cor- 
dillera, 313. 

of  Coqulmbo,  340. 

of  Patagonia,  176,  185. 

Tertiary  formations  of  the 
Pampas,  90,  135,  160. 

of  Patagonia,  175,  330. 

in  Chile,  epochs  of,  341. 


Teru-tero,  habits  of,  121. 
Testudo,  habits  of,  377,  3 
Theory  of  lagoon  islands, 
Theristicus,  170.  ^^ 
Thistle  beds,  130,  13^1^!  j 
Thunderstorms,  72.  ^| 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  207,  24 
climate   and   vegeta 

of,  244. 

zoology  of,  238. 

entomology  of,  239. 

Tinamus  rufescens,  12a. 
Tinochorus,  102. 
Toad,  habits  of,  105. 
not    found    in    oce; 

islands,  377. 
Torrents  in   Cordillera, 

317- 
Tortoise,     habits     of, 

385. 
Toxodon,  136,  160,  177,  i; 
Transparency  of  air  in  Anc 

323. 

in  St.  Jago,  18. 

Transport  of  seeds,  387,  4 

of  boulders,  184,  252. 

of    stones    in    roots 

trees,  453. 
of  fragments  of  rock 

banks  of  the  St.  Cruz  ri: 

186. 
Travertin     with     leaves 

trees.  Van  DIemen's  La 

441. 
Tree-ferns,     southern    lin 

of,  245. 
Trees,  absence  of,  in  Pamp 

57- 
floating,        transp 

stones,  454. 

silicified,  vertical,  32c 

size  of,  350. 

time    required    to    1 

300. 


Montes,  281. 
hodesmium,  27. 
onocephalus,  105. 
'^1  tan  d'AcLUiha,  395,  ^^. 
Jjchilus,  271. 
ii  ical  scenery,  485. 
If  udi,  M.,  on  subsidence, 

jl  -s,  siliceous,  formed   by 
[|'«itning,  69. 
^jtuco,  habits  of,  61. 

—  fossil  species  of,  91. 
*^,  craters  of,  369. 

infusoria  in,  485. 

jngato,  volcano  of,  322. 
•rco.  El,  270. 
irkey  buzzard,  188,  283. 
rile,  manner  of  catching, 

'    51- 
rannus,  144. 

["LOA  on  hydrophobia,  350. 
'3i-    on    Indian    buildings, 
353. 
I  naniie,      Dr.,      on     hydro- 

•  hobia,  350. 

I    uguay,  Rio,  141,  152. 

•  —  not  crossed  by  the 
bizcacha,  130. 

■>3pallata    range  and    pass, 

ACAS,  Rio,  331. 

'aldivia,  296. 

—  forests  of,  297. 

-''alley  of  Si.  Cruz,  how  ex- 
cavated, 185. 

i- —  dry,  at  Copiap6,  353. 

'alleys,  excavation  ot,  in 
Chile,  314,  352. 

—  of 'laliili,  401,  406. 
f- —  in  Cordillera,  313. 

—  of  New  South  Wales, 
43I- 


yaraiso,  253,  311. 
yjjr  from  forests,  36. 
Y^^iemen's  Land,  439. 
^t\['3  Cavanus,  121. 

Veftat;^i^46^,;4g;^^.^^^ 

_^_^^"-^f,  480. 

Cordille?^^^^"    ''^'^    °^ 

luxuri^^4- 

luxurr  j^Qj.  iiecessarv 

to  suppoi  animals 

93.  94-      .     ^ 

Ventana,  Sie 

Verbena  meli'  ^^^'. 

Villa  Vicenci'tje^'  ^ 

Virgularia  P^^^'  107. 

204.  » 

Volcanic  bombi  ^ 

islands,  22.^  ^' 

phenomena, 

Volcanoes  near  C^{q^^  273. 
275.  290,  309. 

—  —  their  presence  (Jeter- 
mined  by  elevation  or  sv\b- 
sidence,  472. 

Vultur  aura,  68,  188,  283, 

Waders,     first    colonists    of 

distant  islands,  375. 
Waimate,  New  Zealand,  415. 
Walckenacr  on  spiders,  49. 
Walleechu  tree,  78. 
Wasps    preying    on     spiders 

and  killed  by,  47,  48. 
Water-hog,  60. 
Water,  sold  at  Iquique,  359. 
fresh,  floating   on  salt, 

50,  450- 
Waterhouse,  Mr.,  on 

Rodents,  60,  374. 

on  the  niata  ox,  151. 

on  the  insects  of  Tierra 

del  Fufgo,  240. 


51-i 


NDKX. 


Waterhouse,  Mr.,  on  l!}' 
sects  of  Galapagos,.-  ^r^' 

Waves,  caused  by  ft  ^  ^^^' 
227,  247. 

tVoni  earth  '^''''   304, 

Wealiier,  con^^^'^  ^^^^^ 
earthquake? r  •        c      .1 

Weatherboar^*^^^  South 
Wales,  47C      ^        o 

Wellington,  ""i'  558.. 

^^ells,  ebbi^"^  flowing. 
450.  ^ 

^^est  Indie  '^"'"  °^'  "^32- 
'—^  coral  r'^-°^''^^'^'  47i- 

^^^'ales,  of'"°'"'  30. 

~~-^   iean,-3    out    of  water, 

226.      ' 
^^hite,  Af .  o"  spiders,  47. 
^%wan'  ot  Fuegians,  215. 
^'iUiaw  ^^^'m  on  infectious 

disr^ers,  428.. 
Win-iS,    dry,    in    Tierra    dtl 
Fuego,  233. 


Winds  at  the  CapevJ|| 

cold,  on  Cordillera, 

on  Cordillera,  321., 

Wi rater's  bark,  237,  280. 
Wolf  at  the  Falklands,  1 
Wood,  Capt.,  on  the  Ag 

79. 
Woollya,  230. 


Yaqcil,  265. 

Yeso,  Valle  del,  317. 

York  Minster,  210. 


ZOXOTRICHIA,  63. 
Zoological    provinces   oi 

and  S.  America,  137. 
Zoology  of  Galapagos,  37 

of  Keeling  Island,  4/ 

of    Tierra    del    Fue 

238. 

of  Chonos  Islands,  2I 

— —  of  St.  Helena,  480. 

Zoophytes,  107. 

at    Falkland     Islar 

204. 
Zoiillo,  or  skunk,  89. 


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