In some of the gullies and hollows there were beautiful green and other coloured fishes, and the form and tints of many of the zoophytes were admirable. 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. 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. I can hardly explain the reason, but there is to my mind much grandeur in the view of the outer shores of these lagoonislands. There is a simplicity in the barrierlike beach, the margin of green bushes and tall cocoanuts, the solid flat of dead coralrock, strewed here and there with great loose fragments, and the line of furious breakers, all rounding away towards either hand. Nor are any periods of repose granted. The long swell caused by the gentle but steady action of the tradewind, 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 conviction that an island, though built of the hardest rock, let it be porphyry, granite, or quartz, would ultimately yield and be demolished by such an irresistible power. The organic forces separate the atoms of carbonate of lime, one by one, from the foaming breakers, and unite them into a symmetrical structure. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Moreover, this agency may long escape discovery from the probability of trees, especially those loaded with stones, floating beneath the surface. These facts may possibly throw light on single stones, whether angular or rounded, occasionally found embedded in fine sedimentary masses.

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 country, viewed from an eminence, appears a woody plain, with here and there rounded and partly bare hills of granite protruding. The general bright green colour of the brushwood and other plants, viewed from a distance, seemed to promise fertility. 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 landshells, became enclosed. 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. 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. 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. In another dance, one man imitated the movements of a kangaroo grazing in the woods, whilst a second crawled up, and pretended to spear him. When both tribes mingled in the dance, the ground trembled with the heaviness of their steps, and the air resounded with their wild cries. Every one appeared in high spirits, and the group of nearly naked figures, viewed by the light of the blazing fires, all moving in hideous harmony, formed a perfect display of a festival amongst the lowest barbarians. 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. I leave your shores without sorrow or regret. Helena the introduction of scarlet fever is dreaded as a plague. Macculloch considers the whole case, although often previously affirmed, as ludicrous. But the ant enjoyed a better fate than the fly, and escaped the fatal jaws which lay concealed at the base of the conical hollow. The history of the inhabitants of this place, in as few words as possible, is as follows. Liesk, who had been a mate in his vessel. Hare upon this was ultimately obliged to leave the place.

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 this first slope, the view of the extensive woodland to the east was striking, and the surrounding trees grew bold and lofty. 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 the depth of perhaps 1500 feet. 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 seacoast. 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. If we imagine a winding harbour, with its deep water surrounded by bold clifflike 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. 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. 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. Other similar cases might have been added. But considering the form of the irregularly branching valleys, and of the narrow promontories projecting into them from the platforms, we are compelled to abandon this notion. Some of the inhabitants remarked to me that they never viewed one of those baylike recesses, with the headlands receding on both hands, without being struck with their resemblance to a bold seacoast. 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? We now entered upon a country less elevated by nearly a thousand feet, and consisting of granite. This place offers an example of one of the large farming, or rather sheepgrazing 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.

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 foresttrees. I should have enjoyed it more, if my companion, the chief, had not possessed extraordinary conversational powers. After drinking tea with his family party, we took a stroll about the farm. 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 watermill. All this is very surprising, when it is considered that five years ago nothing but the fern flourished here. 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. Davies, and gave him a knife and gimlet, saying that he had found them on the road, and did not know to whom they belonged! These young men and boys appeared very merry and goodhumoured. A more decided and pleasing change was manifested in the young women, who acted as servants within the houses. The cordiality and happiness so plainly pictured in the faces of the little circle, appeared equally felt by the older persons of the mission. In the morning, prayers were read in the native tongue to the whole family. 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. I measured one of the noble trees, and found it thirtyone feet in circumference above the roots. 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. Matthews informed me that one forest only thirtyfour miles in width, and separating two inhabited districts, had only lately, for the first time, been crossed. 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. I took leave of the missionaries with thankfulness for their kind welcome, and with feelings of high respect for their gentlemanlike, useful, and upright characters. I think it would be difficult to find a body of men better adapted for the high office which they fulfil.

The queen is a large awkward woman, without any beauty, grace or dignity. The royal party did not return on shore till past midnight. 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 water of this vast expanse. A gale of wind lasting for some days, has lately given us full leisure to measure the future stages in our homeward voyage, and to wish most earnestly for its termination. 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. Only a single canoe came alongside. In the afternoon we went on shore to one of the larger groups of houses, which yet hardly deserves the title of a village. The hovels of the natives are so diminutive and paltry, that they can scarcely be perceived from a distance. The summits were cut into steps or successive terraces, and frequently they had been protected by deep trenches. I afterwards observed that the principal hills inland in like manner showed an artificial outline. 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. They consist of a double stockade of thick and tall posts, placed in a zigzag line, so that every part can be flanked. Within the stockade a mound of earth is thrown up, behind which the defenders can rest in safety, or use their firearms over it. On the level of the ground little archways sometimes pass through this breastwork, by which means the defenders can crawl out to the stockade and reconnoitre their enemies.

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 mountainous that the only way to penetrate into the interior is to follow up the valleys. The valley soon began to narrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more precipitous. After having walked between three and four hours, we found the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded that of the bed of the stream. On each hand the walls were nearly vertical, yet from the soft nature of the volcanic strata, trees and a rank vegetation sprung from every projecting ledge. Until the midday sun stood vertically over the ravine, the air felt cool and damp, but now it became very sultry. Shaded by a ledge of rock, beneath a facade of columnar lava, we ate our dinner. My guides had already procured a dish of small fish and freshwater prawns. As soon, however, as it reached the shore, the whole population took to flight, and tried to hide themselves from the mancarrying pig, as they christened the horse. A little higher up, the river divided itself into three little streams. 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, lilaceous plants, and other luxuriant productions of the tropics. 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. He fixed the ropes to a projecting point, and lowered them for our dog and luggage, and then we clambered up ourselves. We continued to ascend, sometimes along ledges, and sometimes along knifeedged ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. On each side of the ravine there were great beds of the mountainbanana, covered with ripe fruit.

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. They are both herbivorous, although the kind of vegetation on which they feed is so very different. It is very interesting thus to find a wellcharacterized genus, having its marine and terrestrial species, belonging to so confined a portion of the world. The aquatic species is by far the most remarkable, because it is the only existing lizard which lives on marine vegetable productions. 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. We have, therefore, in this quarter of the world, three great conchological seaprovinces, quite distinct, though surprisingly near each other, being separated by long north and south spaces either of land or of open sea. As before remarked, the insects, for a tropical region, are of very small size and dull colours. The botany of this group is fully as interesting as the zoology. Of the flowering plants, 100 are new species, and are probably confined to this archipelago. Lawson, declaring that the tortoises differed from the different islands, and that he could with certainty tell from which island any one was brought. Gray nor myself could find in them any specific differences. In landshells this law of distribution does not appear to hold good. Waterhouse remarks, that of those which were ticketed with their locality, not one was common to any two of the islands. Hooker has furnished me with several other most striking illustrations of the difference of the species on the different islands. But it is the circumstance, that several of the islands possess their own species of the tortoise, mockingthrush, finches, and numerous plants, these species having the same general habits, occupying analogous situations, and obviously filling the same place in the natural economy of this archipelago, that strikes me with wonder. I must repeat, that neither the nature of the soil, nor height of the land, nor the climate, nor the general character of the associated beings, and therefore their action one on another, can differ much in the different islands. 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. I will conclude my description of the natural history of these islands, by giving an account of the extreme tameness of the birds. Formerly the birds appear to have been even tamer than at present.

Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact that mystery of mysteries the first appearance of new beings on this earth. Gould as specifically distinct. Gould has divided into four subgroups. Seeing this gradation and diversity of structure in one small, intimately 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. The far greater peculiarity of the landbirds, namely, twentyfive out of twentysix, being new species, or at least new races, compared with the waders and webfooted birds, is in accordance with the greater range which these latter orders have in all parts of the world. With the exception of a wren with a fine yellow breast, and of a tyrantflycatcher with a scarlet tuft and breast, none of the birds are brilliantly coloured, as might have been expected in an equatorial district. 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. We will now turn to the order of reptiles, which gives the most striking character to the zoology of these islands. The species are not numerous, but the numbers of individuals of each species are extraordinarily great. 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 saltwater, than could the slimy spawn of frogs? 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. The tortoises which live on those islands where there is no water, or in the lower and arid parts of the others, feed chiefly on the succulent cactus. 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. Near the springs it was a curious spectacle to behold many of these huge creatures, one set eagerly travelling onwards with outstretched necks, and another set returning, after having drunk their fill. When the tortoise arrives at the spring, quite regardless of any spectator, he buries his head in the water above his eyes, and greedily swallows great mouthfuls, at the rate of about ten in a minute.

The 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. During our whole visit the climate was far from being so delightful, as it is generally represented. These mountains, seen in stages, one above the other, through openings in the clouds, had a very grand appearance. In all seasons, both inhabitants and foreigners suffer from severe attacks of ague. The attacks of illness which arise from miasma never fail to appear most mysterious. So difficult is it to judge from the aspect of a country, whether or not it is healthy, that if a person had been told to choose within the tropics a situation appearing favourable for health, very probably he would have named this coast. 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 abundance of miasma at such times? It appears certain that those who stay on board a vessel, though anchored at only a short distance from the coast, generally suffer less than those actually on shore. 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! Lorenzo, which forms the harbour, was nearly the only place where one could walk securely. Callao is a filthy, illbuilt, small seaport. 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 reason assigned was, that he had not an officer to whom he could trust so important a charge. He himself had good reason for thinking so, as he had obtained the presidentship by rebelling while in charge of this same fortress. Lima stands on a plain in a valley, formed during the gradual retreat of the sea. Steep barren hills rise like islands from the plain, which is divided, by straight mudwalls, into large green fields. In these scarcely a tree grows excepting a few willows, and an occasional clump of bananas and of oranges.

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. This is of infinitely more consequence than rain in the lower country. Rain, as often as it falls, which is about once in every two or three years, is a great advantage, because the cattle and mules can for some time afterwards find a little pasture in the mountains. It is on record that three times nearly all the inhabitants have been obliged to emigrate to the south. 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. 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. Scrope, that when the barometer is low, and when rain might naturally be expected to fall, the diminished pressure of the atmosphere over a wide extent of country, might well determine the precise day on which the earth, already stretched to the utmost by the subterranean forces, should yield, crack, and consequently tremble. Great prostrate silicified trunks of trees, embedded in a conglomerate, were extraordinarily numerous. 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. After 1808, a long interval ensued without any cases. He said he had been wandering about the mountains for seventeen days, having lost his way. 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. Every one seems bent on the one object of making money, and then migrating as quickly as possible.

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. The road continued to follow the coast, at no great distance from the sea. The country became more and more barren. It is curious to observe how the seeds of the grass and other plants seem to accommodate themselves, as if by an acquired habit, to the quantity of rain which falls upon different parts of this coast. Proceeding northward, the quantity of rain does not appear to decrease in strict proportion to the latitude. Living for weeks together in the most desolate spots, when they descend to the villages on feastdays, there is no excess of extravagance into which they do not run. They sometimes gain a considerable sum, and then, like sailors with prizemoney, 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. 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. The country was so thinly inhabited, and the track so obscure, that we often had difficulty in finding our way. Yet there can be no doubt, that the same capital well employed in these mines would have yielded an immense return, a confidential man of business, a practical miner and assayer, would have been all that was required. It required considerable exertion on my part, when standing directly over it, to lift it from the ground. The load was considered under weight when found to be 197 pounds. The apire had carried this up eighty perpendicular yards, part of the way by a steep passage, but the greater part up notched poles, placed in a zigzag line up the shaft. According to the general regulation, the apire is not allowed to halt for breath, except the mine is six hundred feet deep.

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. 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. This was very unfortunate, as it continued the whole day, and quite intercepted our view. 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 increased brilliancy of the moon and stars at this elevation, owing to the perfect transparency of the atmosphere, was very remarkable. Travelers having observed the difficulty of judging heights and distances amidst lofty mountains, have generally attributed it to the absence of objects of comparison. It appears to me, that it is fully as much owing to the transparency of the air confounding objects at different distances, and likewise partly to the novelty of an unusual degree of fatigue arising from a little exertion, habit being thus opposed to the evidence of the senses. I am sure that this extreme clearness of the air gives a peculiar character to the landscape, all objects appearing to be brought nearly into one plane, as in a drawing or panorama. To the same cause we must attribute the singular facility with which electricity is excited. We soon entered the band of clouds, and did not again emerge from it that day. The same remark holds good with the quadrupeds, and in a lesser degree with the birds and insects. In both cases, we must leave out of the question those kinds which have been able to cross the barrier, whether of solid rock or saltwater. The most striking feature consisted in the rivers, which, facing the rising sun, glittered like silver threads, till lost in the immensity of the distance. At midday we descended the valley, and reached a hovel, where an officer and three soldiers were posted to examine passports. We here heard that the silvery clouds, which we had admired from the bright region above, had poured down torrents of rain. The whole distance is over a level desert plain, with not more than two or three houses.

Several of the officers visited it before me, but their strongest language failed to give a just idea of the scene of desolation. In almost every severe earthquake, the neighbouring waters of the sea are said to have been greatly agitated. 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. From the intimate and complicated manner in which the elevatory and eruptive forces were shown to be connected during this train of phenomena, we may confidently come to the conclusion, that the forces which slowly and by little starts uplift continents, and those which at successive periods pour forth volcanic matter from open orifices, are identical. Mary, which was upraised thrice the height of the neighbouring country, seems to be undergoing this process. I believe that the solid axis of a mountain, differs in its manner of formation from a volcanic hill, only in the molten stone having been repeatedly injected, instead of having been repeatedly ejected. Being very near the land, and a fog coming on, the anchor was dropped. Caldcleugh most kindly assisted me in every possible way in making the little preparations which were necessary. Numerous cottages were surrounded by vines, and by orchards of apple, nectarine, and peachtrees their boughs breaking with the weight of the beautiful ripe fruit. In the evening we passed the customhouse, where our luggage was examined. There are very few valleys which lead to the central ranges, and the mountains are quite impassable in other parts by beasts of burden. In this instance, the contrast with the same class of men in most other countries was strongly marked. 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. Carrying an iron pot, we cooked and ate our supper under a cloudless sky, and knew no trouble. The affection of these animals for their madrinas saves infinite trouble. The mule always appears to me a most surprising animal. That a hybrid should possess more reason, memory, obstinacy, social affection, powers of muscular endurance, and length of life, than either of its parents, seems to indicate that art has here outdone nature.

His children and pigs seemed almost to live, during this season of the year, in his orchard. 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. I am sure, in the morning, there was not a space on my legs the size of a shilling which had not its little red mark where the flea had feasted. 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. The greatest difficulty is in making them observe the ceremonies of marriage. All have their long hair bound by a scarlet fillet, but with no other covering on their heads. I spent the evening very pleasantly, talking with the padre. Being a man of some little education, he bitterly complained of the total want of society. They were finelooking men, and they rode one after the other, with most gloomy faces. One was a goodhumoured old man, but from his wrinkled beardless face looked more like an old woman than a man. The buildings were in a most ruinous state, and the guncarriages quite rotten. Wickham remarked to the commanding officer, that with one discharge they would certainly all fall to pieces. 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. 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. 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? I happened to be on shore, and was lying down in the wood to rest myself.

Cryptogamic plants here find a most congenial climate. Fresh leaves are always succeeding one to the other round the central taproot, the lower ones soon decay, and in tracing a root downwards in the peat, the leaves, yet holding their place, can be observed passing through every stage of decomposition, till the whole becomes blended in one confused mass. In the more level parts of the country, the surface of the peat is broken up into little pools of water, which stand at different heights, and appear as if artificially excavated. Small streams of water, flowing underground, complete the disorganization of the vegetable matter, and consolidate the whole. 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. Of quadrupeds two aquatic kinds are common. It then busily hops about the entangled mass of rotting cones and branches, with its little tail cocked upwards. Its manner of feeding and its general habits are very similar to those of the cheucau. Besides these birds only few others inhabit this broken land. 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. 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. We should then see a case which must inevitably have happened with very many animals. 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. Julian these great petrels were seen killing and devouring young gulls. 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. 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.

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. 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 twentyfour in circumference! The stalk is rather more than a yard high, and each plant sends out four or five of these enormous leaves, presenting together a very noble appearance. The latitude is 43 degs. How very difficult it must be to buy the smallest article, when such trouble is taken to recover so small a debt. In doubling the point, two of the officers landed to take a round of angles with the theodolite. 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. 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. 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 1000 feet, our old friend the southern beech. We ultimately gave up the attempt in despair. White massive clouds were piled up against a dark blue sky, and across them black ragged sheets of vapour were rapidly driven.

No man is so rich as to send out people to pick up such rubbish. This was rumoured through the town, and at last the padres and governor consulted together, and agreed it must be some heresy. We continued to pass over green plains without a tree. I stayed here the two ensuing days, and although very unwell, managed to collect from the tertiary formation some marine shells. The puma, after eating its fill, covers the carcass with many large bushes, and lies down to watch it. The puma is easily killed. In an open country, it is first entangled with the bolas, then lazoed, and dragged along the ground till rendered insensible. It is a very silent animal, uttering no cry even when wounded, and only rarely during the breeding season. It lives on the ground, sheltered among the thickets which are scattered over the dry and sterile hills. With its tail erect, and stiltlike legs, it may be seen every now and then popping from one bush to another with uncommon quickness. It really requires little imagination to believe that the bird is ashamed of itself, and is aware of its most ridiculous figure. 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 beneath the ground. From this character, from the length of its legs, scratching feet, membranous covering to the nostrils, short and arched wings, this bird seems in a certain degree to connect the thrushes with the gallinaceous order. It is very common, and frequents the bottoms of hedgerows, and the bushes scattered over the barren hills, where scarcely another bird can exist. I opened the stomachs of several specimens, shot in different parts of the continent, and in all, remains of insects were as numerous as in the stomach of a creeper. When this species migrates in the summer southward, it is replaced by the arrival of another species coming from the north. 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.

The orchards were beautiful, presenting one mass of peachblossoms. I stayed here five days. But the first case is much the most curious. It is very odd that, in a country where mining had been extensively carried on for many years, so simple a process as gently roasting the ore to expel the sulphur previous to smelting it, had never been discovered. 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. The miners who work in the mine itself have twentyfive shillings per month, and are allowed a little charqui. But these men come down from their bleak habitations only once in every fortnight or three weeks. 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 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. A heavy fall of snow on the mountains prevented me during the last two days, from making some interesting excursions. I attempted to reach a lake which the inhabitants, from some unaccountable reason, believe to be an arm of the sea. We ascended to a great height, but becoming involved in the snowdrifts failed in reaching this wonderful lake, and had some difficulty in returning. The black 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. 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. At the first glance of this view, it was quite evident that the plain represented the extent of a former inland sea.

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 coastice. 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. Kendall found the body of a foreign sailor which had long been buried, with the flesh and all the features perfectly preserved. 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. 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. 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. It appears that seaweed grows extremely quick. It is probable that much of the snow at these great heights is evaporated rather than thawed. When morning came, everything appeared delightful. 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 rather steep. From its position, it consists of one long, straggling street, which runs parallel to the beach, and wherever a ravine comes down, the houses are piled up on each side of it. The rounded hills, being only partially protected by a very scanty vegetation, are worn into numberless little gullies, which expose a singularly bright red soil. I took several long walks while collecting objects of natural history. The country is pleasant for exercise. 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!

Whether we look at it as a cause or a consequence, the more civilized always have the most artificial governments. 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. As they fell down sideways, they splashed the water high up, and the sound reverberated like a distant broadside. It is truly surprising to find in a space of twenty miles such a change in the landscape. The whole population of the toldos, men, women, and children, were arranged on a bank. Low to leave any one of his sailors with them. Low, six or seven, and all the women, and even children, their one own horse. We were, however, lucky in getting two fine days. A boat was sent for them. They had been living for some days on musselshells and berries, and their tattered clothes had been burnt by sleeping so near their fires. They had been exposed night and day, without any shelter, to the late incessant gales, with rain, sleet, and snow, and yet they were in good health. 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. A boat was sent with orders to fire a few musketshots wide of them. At last, seeing the balls cut and strike the trees, they ran away, and we were left in peace and quietness. So gloomy, cold, and wet was every part, that not even the fungi, mosses, or ferns could flourish. In the valleys it was scarcely possible to crawl along, they were so completely barricaded by great mouldering trunks, which had fallen down in every direction. We at last found ourselves among the stunted trees, and then soon reached the bare ridge, which conducted us to the summit. The strong wind was piercingly cold, and the atmosphere rather hazy, so that we did not stay long on the top of the mountain.