HAVING been delayed for nearly a fortnight in thecity, I was glad to escape on board a packet boundfor Monte Video. A town in a state of blockademust always be a disagreeable place of residence; in this casemoreover there were constant apprehensions from robberswithin. The sentinels were the worst of all; for, fromtheir office and from having arms in their hands, they robbedwith a degree of authority which other men could notimitate.

Our passage was a very long and tedious one. The Platalooks like a noble estuary on the map; but is in truth a pooraffair. A wide expanse of muddy water has neither grandeurnor beauty. At one time of the day, the two shores,both of which are extremely low, could just be distinguishedfrom the deck. On arriving at Monte Video I found thatthe Beagle would not sail for some time, so I prepared for ashort excursion in this part of Banda Oriental. Everythingwhich I have said about the country near Maldonado is applicableto Monte Video; but the land, with the one exceptionof the Green Mount 450 feet high, from which it takesits name, is far more level. Very little of the undulatinggrassy plain is enclosed; but near the town there are a fewhedge-banks, covered with agaves, cacti, and fennel.

November 14th. -- We left Monte Video in the afternoon.I intended to proceed to Colonia del Sacramiento, situatedon the northern bank of the Plata and opposite to BuenosAyres, and thence, following up the Uruguay, to the villageof Mercedes on the Rio Negro (one of the many rivers ofthis name in South America), and from this point to returndirect to Monte Video. We slept at the house of my guideat Canelones. In the morning we rose early, in the hopesof being able to ride a good distance; but it was a vainattempt, for all the rivers were flooded. We passed in boatsthe streams of Canelones, St. Lucia, and San Jose, and thuslost much time. On a former excursion I crossed the Lucianear its mouth, and I was surprised to observe how easilyour horses, although not used to swim, passed over a widthof at least six hundred yards. On mentioning this at MonteVideo, I was told that a vessel containing some mountebanksand their horses, being wrecked in the Plata, one horseswam seven miles to the shore. In the course of the day Iwas amused by the dexterity with which a Gaucho forceda restive horse to swim a river. He stripped off his clothes,and jumping on its back, rode into the water till it was outof its depth; then slipping off over the crupper, he caughthold of the tail, and as often as the horse turned roundthe man frightened it back by splashing water in its face.As soon as the horse touched the bottom on the other side,the man pulled himself on, and was firmly seated, bridlein hand, before the horse gained the bank. A naked manon a naked horse is a fine spectacle; I had no idea how wellthe two animals suited each other. The tail of a horse is avery useful appendage; I have passed a river in a boat withfour people in it, which was ferried across in the same wayas the Gaucho. If a man and horse have to cross a broadriver, the best plan is for the man to catch hold of the pommelor mane, and help himself with the other arm.

We slept and stayed the following day at the post ofCufre. In the evening the postman or letter-carrier arrived.He was a day after his time, owing to the Rio Rozario beingflooded. It would not, however, be of much consequence;for, although he had passed through some of the principaltowns in Banda Oriental, his luggage consisted of two letters!The view from the house was pleasing; an undulatinggreen surface, with distant glimpses of the Plata. I findthat I look at this province with very different eyes fromwhat I did upon my first arrival. I recollect I then thoughtit singularly level; but now, after galloping over the Pampas,my only surprise is, what could have induced me everto call it level. The country is a series of undulations, inthemselves perhaps not absolutely great, but, as comparedto the plains of St. Fe, real mountains. From theseinequalities there is an abundance of small rivulets, andthe turf is green and luxuriant.

November 17th. -- We crossed the Rozario, which wasdeep and rapid, and passing the village of Colla, arrivedat midday at Colonia del Sacramiento. The distance istwenty leagues, through a country covered with fine grass,but poorly stocked with cattle or inhabitants. I was invitedto sleep at Colonia, and to accompany on the followingday a gentleman to his estancia, where there were somelimestone rocks. The town is built on a stony promontorysomething in the same manner as at Monte Video. It isstrongly fortified, but both fortifications and town sufferedmuch in the Brazilian war. It is very ancient; and theirregularity of the streets, and the surrounding groves ofold 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 tenthousand thunder-storms of the Rio Plata. Two-thirds ofthe building were blown away to the very foundation; andthe rest stands a shattered and curious monument of theunited powers of lightning and gunpowder. In the eveningI wandered about the half-demolished walls of the town. Itwas the chief seat of the Brazilian war; -- a war most injuriousto this country, not so much in its immediate effects,as in being the origin of a multitude of generals and allother grades of officers. More generals are numbered (butnot paid) in the United Provinces of La Plata than in theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain. These gentlemen havelearned to like power, and do not object to a littleskirmishing. Hence there are many always on the watch tocreate disturbance and to overturn a government which as yethas never rested on any staple foundation. I noticed, however,both here and in other places, a very general interestin the ensuing election for the President; and this appearsa good sign for the prosperity of this little country. Theinhabitants do not require much education in theirrepresentatives; I heard some men discussing the merits of thosefor Colonia; and it was said that, "although they were notmen of business, they could all sign their names:" with thisthey seemed to think every reasonable man ought to besatisfied.

18th. -- Rode with my host to his estancia, at the Arroyode San Juan. In the evening we took a ride round theestate: it contained two square leagues and a half, and wassituated in what is called a rincon; that is, one side wasfronted by the Plata, and the two others guarded by impassablebrooks. There was an excellent port for little vessels,and an abundance of small wood, which is valuableas supplying fuel to Buenos Ayres. I was curious to knowthe value of so complete an estancia. Of cattle there were3000, and it would well support three or four times thatnumber; 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. Forall this he had been offered 2000 Pounds, and he only wanted500 Pounds additional, and probably would sell it for less. Thechief trouble with an estancia is driving the cattle twice aweek to a central spot, in order to make them tame, and to countthem. This latter operation would be thought difficult,where there are ten or fifteen thousand head together. Itis managed on the principle that the cattle invariably dividethemselves into little troops of from forty to one hundred.Each troop is recognized by a few peculiarly markedanimals, and its number is known: so that, one being lostout of ten thousand, it is perceived by its absence from oneof the tropillas. During a stormy night the cattle all mingletogether; but the next morning the tropillas separate asbefore; so that each animal must know its fellow out of tenthousand others.

On two occasions I met with in this province some oxenof a very curious breed, called nata or niata. They appearexternally to hold nearly the same relation to other cattle,which bull or pug dogs do to other dogs. Their foreheadis very short and broad, with the nasal end turned up, andthe upper lip much drawn back; their lower jaws projectbeyond the upper, and have a corresponding upward curve;hence their teeth are always exposed. Their nostrils areseated high up and are very open; their eyes project outwards.When walking they carry their heads low, on a shortneck; and their hinder legs are rather longer comparedwith the front legs than is usual. Their bare teeth, theirshort heads, and upturned nostrils give them the most ludicrousself-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.

November 19th. -- Passing the valley of Las Vacas, weslept at a house of a North American, who worked a lime-kiln on the Arroyo de las Vivoras. In the morning we rodeto a protecting headland on the banks of the river, calledPunta Gorda. On the way we tried to find a jaguar. Therewere plenty of fresh tracks, and we visited the trees, onwhich they are said to sharpen their claws; but we did notsucceed in disturbing one. From this point the Rio Uruguaypresented to our view a noble volume of water. Fromthe clearness and rapidity of the stream, its appearance wasfar superior to that of its neighbour the Parana. On theopposite coast, several branches from the latter river enteredthe Uruguay. As the sun was shining, the two colours ofthe waters could be seen quite distinct.

In the evening we proceeded on our road towards Mercedeson the Rio Negro. At night we asked permission tosleep at an estancia at which we happened to arrive. It wasa very large estate, being ten leagues square, and the owneris one of the greatest landowners in the country. His nephewhad charge of it, and with him there was a captain inthe army, who the other day ran away from Buenos Ayres.Considering their station, their conversation was ratheramusing. They expressed, as was usual, unbounded astonishmentat the globe being round, and could scarcely creditthat a hole would, if deep enough, come out on the otherside. They had, however, heard of a country where therewere six months of light and six of darkness, and wherethe inhabitants were very tall and thin! They were curiousabout the price and condition of horses and cattle in England.Upon finding out we did not catch our animals withthe lazo, they cried out, "Ah, then, you use nothing butthe bolas:" the idea of an enclosed country was quite newto them. The captain at last said, he had one question toask me, which he should be very much obliged if I wouldanswer with all truth. I trembled to think how deeply scientificit would be: it was, "Whether the ladies of BuenosAyres were not the handsomest in the world." I replied, likea renegade, "Charmingly so." He added, "I have one otherquestion: Do ladies in any other part of the world wearsuch large combs?" I solemnly assured him that they didnot. They were absolutely delighted. The captain exclaimed,"Look there! a man who has seen half the worldsays it is the case; we always thought so, but now we knowit." My excellent judgment in combs and beauty procuredme a most hospitable reception; the captain forced me totake his bed, and he would sleep on his recado.

21st. -- Started at sunrise, and rode slowly during thewhole day. The geological nature of this part of the provincewas different from the rest, and closely resembled thatof the Pampas. In consequence, there were immense bedsof the thistle, as well as of the cardoon: the whole country,indeed, may be called one great bed of these plants. Thetwo sorts grow separate, each plant in company with itsown kind. The cardoon is as high as a horse's back, but thePampas thistle is often higher than the crown of the rider'shead. To leave the road for a yard is out of the question;and the road itself is partly, and in some cases entirelyclosed. Pasture, of course there is none; if cattle or horsesonce enter the bed, they are for the time completely lost.Hence it is very hazardous to attempt to drive cattle atthis season of the year; for when jaded enough to face thethistles, they rush among them, and are seen no more. Inthese districts there are very few estancias, and these feware situated in the neighbourhood of damp valleys, wherefortunately 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 poorestpeople. The extreme though rather formal courtesy of ourhost and hostess, considering their grade of life, was quitedelightful.

November 22nd. -- Arrived at an estancia on the Berquelobelonging to a very hospitable Englishman, to whom I hada letter of introduction from my friend Mr. Lumb. I stayedhere three days. One morning I rode with my host to theSierra del Pedro Flaco, about twenty miles up the RioNegro. Nearly the whole country was covered with goodthough coarse grass, which was as high as a horse's belly;yet there were square leagues without a single head of cattle.The province of Banda Oriental, if well stocked, would supportan astonishing number of animals, at present the annualexport of hides from Monte Video amounts to threehundred thousand; and the home consumption, from waste,is very considerable. An "estanciero" told me that he oftenhad to send large herds of cattle a long journey to a saltingestablishment, and that the tired beasts were frequentlyobliged to be killed and skinned; but that he could neverpersuade the Gauchos to eat of them, and every eveninga fresh beast was slaughtered for their suppers! The viewof the Rio Negro from the Sierra was more picturesque thanany other which I saw in this province. The river, broad,deep, and rapid, wound at the foot of a rocky precipitouscliff: a belt of wood followed its course, and the horizonterminated in the distant undulations of the turf-plain.

When in this neighbourhood, I several times heard ofthe Sierra de las Cuentas: a hill distant many miles to thenorthward. The name signifies hill of beads. I was assuredthat vast numbers of little round stones, of various colours,each with a small cylindrical hole, are found there. Formerlythe Indians used to collect them, for the purpose ofmaking necklaces and bracelets -- a taste, I may observe,which is common to all savage nations, as well as to the mostpolished. I did not know what to understand from thisstory, but upon mentioning it at the Cape of Good Hopeto Dr. Andrew Smith, he told me that he recollected findingon the south-eastern coast of Africa, about one hundredmiles to the eastward of St. John's river, some quartz crystalswith their edges blunted from attrition, and mixed withgravel on the sea-beach. Each crystal was about five linesin diameter, and from an inch to an inch and a half inlength. Many of them had a small canal extending fromone extremity to the other, perfectly cylindrical, and of asize that readily admitted a coarse thread or a piece of finecatgut. Their colour was red or dull white. The nativeswere acquainted with this structure in crystals. I havementioned these circumstances because, although no crystallizedbody is at present known to assume this form, it maylead some future traveller to investigate the real nature ofsuch stones.

While staying at this estancia, I was amused with whatI saw and heard of the shepherd-dogs of the country.

The shepherd-dog comes to the house every day for somemeat, and as soon as it is given him, he skulks away as ifashamed of himself. On these occasions the house-dogs arevery tyrannical, and the least of them will attack and pursuethe stranger. The minute, however, the latter has reachedthe flock, he turns round and begins to bark, and then allthe house-dogs take very quickly to their heels. In a similarmanner a whole pack of the hungry wild dogs will scarcelyever (and I was told by some never) venture to attack aflock guarded by even one of these faithful shepherds. Thewhole account appears to me a curious instance of the pliabilityof the affections in the dog; and yet, whether wild orhowever educated, he has a feeling of respect or fear forthose that are fulfilling their instinct of association. Forwe can understand on no principle the wild dogs beingdriven away by the single one with its flock, except that theyconsider, from some confused notion, that the one thusassociated gains power, as if in company with its own kind.F. Cuvier has observed that all animals that readily enterinto domestication, consider man as a member of their ownsociety, and thus fulfil their instinct of association. Inthe above case the shepherd-dog ranks the sheep as its fellow-brethren, and thus gains confidence; and the wild dogs,though knowing that the individual sheep are not dogs, butare good to eat, yet partly consent to this view when seeingthem in a flock with a shepherd-dog at their head.

One evening a "domidor" (a subduer of horses) camefor the purpose of breaking-in some colts. I will describethe preparatory steps, for I believe they have not beenmentioned by other travellers. A troop of wild young horsesis driven into the corral, or large enclosure of stakes, andthe door is shut. We will suppose that one man alone hasto catch and mount a horse, which as yet had never feltbridle or saddle. I conceive, except by a Gaucho, such a featwould be utterly impracticable. The Gaucho picks out afull-grown colt; and as the beast rushes round the circushe throws his lazo so as to catch both the front legs. Instantlythe horse rolls over with a heavy shock, and whilststruggling on the ground, the Gaucho, holding the lazotight, makes a circle, so as to catch one of the hind legsjust beneath the fetlock, and draws it close to the two frontlegs: he then hitches the lazo, so that the three are boundtogether. Then sitting on the horse's neck, he fixes a strongbridle, without a bit, to the lower jaw: this he does by passinga narrow thong through the eye-holes at the end of thereins, and several times round both jaw and tongue. Thetwo front legs are now tied closely together with a strongleathern thong, fastened by a slip-knot. The lazo, whichbound the three together, being then loosed, the horse riseswith difficulty. The Gaucho now holding fast the bridlefixed to the lower jaw, leads the horse outside the corral. Ifa second man is present (otherwise the trouble is muchgreater) he holds the animal's head, whilst the first puts onthe horsecloths and saddle, and girths the whole together.During this operation, the horse, from dread and astonishmentat thus being bound round the waist, throws himselfover and over again on the ground, and, till beaten, isunwilling to rise. At last, when the saddling is finished, thepoor animal can hardly breathe from fear, and is white withfoam and sweat. The man now prepares to mount by pressingheavily on the stirrup, so that the horse may not loseits balance; and at the moment that he throws his leg overthe animal's back, he pulls the slip-knot binding the frontlegs, and the beast is free. Some "domidors" pull the knotwhile the animal is lying on the ground, and, standing overthe saddle, allow him to rise beneath them. The horse, wildwith dread, gives a few most violent bounds, and then startsoff at full gallop: when quite exhausted, the man, by patience,brings him back to the corral, where, reeking hot andscarcely alive, the poor beast is let free. Those animalswhich will not gallop away, but obstinately throw themselveson the ground, are by far the most troublesome. This processis tremendously severe, but in two or three trials the horseis tamed. It is not, however, for some weeks that the animalis ridden with the iron bit and solid ring, for it must learnto 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 humanityand self-interest are not closely united; therefore Ifear 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 shoutedto 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 somedifficulty in making him comprehend that it was for thehorse's sake, and not on his account, that I did not chooseto use my spurs. He exclaimed, with a look of great surprise,"Ah, Don Carlos, que cosa!" It was clear that suchan idea had never before entered his head.

The Gauchos are well known to be perfect riders Theidea of being thrown, let the horse do what it likes; neverenters their head. Their criterion of a good rider is, a manwho 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 horsedown twenty times, and that nineteen times he would notfall himself. I recollect seeing a Gaucho riding a verystubborn horse, which three times successively reared sohigh as to fall backwards with great violence. The manjudged with uncommon coolness the proper moment forslipping off, not an instant before or after the right time;and as soon as the horse got up, the man jumped on his back,and at last they started at a gallop. The Gaucho never appearsto exert any muscular force. I was one day watchinga good rider, as we were galloping along at a rapid pace,and thought to myself, "Surely if the horse starts, youappear so careless on your seat, you must fall." At this moment,a male ostrich sprang from its nest right beneath thehorse'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 startedand took fright with his horse.

In Chile and Peru more pains are taken with the mouthof the horse than in La Plata, and this is evidently aconsequence of the more intricate nature of the country. InChile a horse is not considered perfectly broken, till he canbe brought up standing, in the midst of his full speed, onany particular spot, -- for instance, on a cloak thrown onthe ground: or, again, he will charge a wall, and rearing,scrape the surface with his hoofs. I have seen an animalbounding with spirit, yet merely reined by a fore-finger andthumb, taken at full gallop across a courtyard, and thenmade to wheel round the post of a veranda with great speed,but at so equal a distance, that the rider, with outstretchedarm, all the while kept one finger rubbing the post. Thenmaking a demi-volte in the air, with the other arm outstretchedin a like manner, he wheeled round, with astonishingforce, in an opposite direction.

Such a horse is well broken; and although this at firstmay appear useless, it is far otherwise. It is only carryingthat which is daily necessary into perfection. When a bullockis checked and caught by the lazo, it will sometimesgallop round and round in a circle, and the horse beingalarmed at the great strain, if not well broken, will notreadily turn like the pivot of a wheel. In consequence manymen have been killed; for if the lazo once takes a twistround a man's body, it will instantly, from the power of thetwo opposed animals, almost cut him in twain. On thesame principle the races are managed; the course is onlytwo or three hundred yards long, the wish being to havehorses that can make a rapid dash. The racehorses aretrained not only to stand with their hoofs touching a line,but to draw all four feet together, so as at the first springto bring into play the full action of the hind-quarters. InChile I was told an anecdote, which I believe was true; andit offers a good illustration of the use of a well-brokenanimal. A respectable man riding one day met two others, oneof whom was mounted on a horse, which he knew to havebeen stolen from himself. He challenged them; they answeredhim by drawing their sabres and giving chase. Theman, on his good and fleet beast, kept just ahead: as hepassed a thick bush he wheeled round it, and brought uphis horse to a dead check. The pursuers were obliged toshoot 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 dyingrobber, and rode home. For these feats of horsemanshiptwo things are necessary: a most severe bit, like the Mameluke,the power of which, though seldom used, the horseknows full well; and large blunt spurs, that can be appliedeither as a mere touch, or as an instrument of extreme pain.I conceive that with English spurs, the slightest touch ofwhich pricks the skin, it would be impossible to break in ahorse after the South American fashion

At an estancia near Las Vacas large numbers of maresare weekly slaughtered for the sake of their hides, althoughworth only five paper dollars, or about half a crown apiece.It seems at first strange that it can answer to kill maresfor such a trifle; but as it is thought ridiculous in thiscountry ever to break in or ride a mare, they are of no valueexcept for breeding. The only thing for which I ever sawmares used, was to tread out wheat from the ear, for whichpurpose they were driven round a circular enclosure, wherethe wheat-sheaves were strewed. The man employed forslaughtering the mares happened to be celebrated for hisdexterity with the lazo. Standing at the distance of twelveyards from the mouth of the corral, he has laid a wagerthat he would catch by the legs every animal, without missingone, as it rushed past him. There was another manwho 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 atedious job); and he engaged that he would perform thiswhole operation on twenty-two animals in one day. Or hewould kill and take the skin off fifty in the same time. Thiswould have been a prodigious task, for it is considered agood day's work to skin and stake the hides of fifteen orsixteen animals.

November 26th. -- I set out on my return in a direct linefor Monte Video. Having heard of some giant's bones ata neighbouring farm-house on the Sarandis, a small streamentering the Rio Negro, I rode there accompanied by myhost, and purchased for the value of eighteen pence the headof the Toxodon.

By the middle of the day, on the 28th, we arrived atMonte 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 thannear the Plata. Not far from Monte Video we passedthrough the village of Las Pietras, so named from somelarge rounded masses of syenite. Its appearance was ratherpretty. In this country a few fig-trees round a group ofhouses, and a site elevated a hundred feet above the generallevel, ought always to be called picturesque.

During the last six months I have had an opportunity ofseeing a little of the character of the inhabitants of theseprovinces. The Gauchos, or countryrmen, are very superiorto those who reside in the towns. The Gaucho is invariablymost obliging, polite, and hospitable: I did not meet witheven one instance of rudeness or inhospitality. He is modest,both respecting himself and country, but at the sametime a spirited, bold fellow. On the other hand, many robberiesare committed, and there is much bloodshed: thehabit of constantly wearing the knife is the chief causeof the latter. It is lamentable to hear how many lives arelost in trifling quarrels. In fighting, each party tries tomark the face of his adversary by slashing his nose or eyes;as is often attested by deep and horrid-looking scars. Robberiesare a natural consequence of universal gambling,much drinking, and extreme indolence. At Mercedes I askedtwo men why they did not work. One gravely said the dayswere too long; the other that he was too poor. The numberof horses and the profusion of food are the destruction ofall industry. Moreover, there are so many feast-days; andagain, nothing can succeed without it be begun when themoon is on the increase; so that half the month is lost fromthese two causes.

Police and justice are quite inefficient. If a man who ispoor 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 thecountry invariably assist a murderer to escape: they seemto think that the individual sins against the government,and not against the people. A traveller has no protectionbesides his fire-arms; and the constant habit of carryingthem is the main check to more frequent robberies.The character of the higher and more educated classeswho reside in the towns, partakes, but perhaps in a lesserdegree, of the good parts of the Gaucho, but is, I fear, stainedby many vices of which he is free. Sensuality, mockery ofall religion, and the grossest corruption, are far fromuncommon. Nearly every public officer can be bribed. Thehead man in the post-office sold forged government franks.The governor and prime minister openly combined to plunderthe state. Justice, where gold came into play, washardly expected by any one. I knew an Englishman, whowent to the Chief Justice (he told me, that not thenunderstanding the ways of the place, he trembled as he enteredthe room), and said, "Sir, I have come to offer you two hundred(paper) dollars (value about five pounds sterling) ifyou will arrest before a certain time a man who has cheatedme. I know it is against the law, but my lawyer (naminghim) recommended me to take this step." The Chief Justicesmiled acquiescence, thanked him, and the man beforenight was safe in prison. With this entire want of principlein many of the leading men, with the country full ofill-paid turbulent officers, the people yet hope that ademocratic form of government can succeed!

On first entering society in these countries, two or threefeatures strike one as particularly remarkable. The politeand dignified manners pervading every rank of life, theexcellent taste displayed by the women in their dresses, andthe equality amongst all ranks. At the Rio Colorado somemen who kept the humblest shops used to dine with GeneralRosas. A son of a major at Bahia Blanca gained hislivelihood by making paper cigars, and he wished to accompanyme, as guide or servant, to Buenos Ayres, but hisfather objected on the score of the danger alone. Manyofficers in the army can neither read nor write, yet all meetin society as equals. In Entre Rios, the Sala consisted ofonly six representatives. One of them kept a common shop,and evidently was not degraded by the office. All this iswhat would be expected in a new country; nevertheless theabsence of gentlemen by profession appears to an Englishmansomething strange.

When speaking of these countries, the manner in whichthey 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 forthat which may be deficient. It is impossible to doubt butthat the extreme liberalism of these countries must ultimatelylead to good results. The very general toleration offoreign religions, the regard paid to the means of education,the freedom of the press, the facilities offered to allforeigners, and especially, as I am bound to add, to every oneprofessing the humblest pretensions to science, should berecollected with gratitude by those who have visited SpanishSouth America.

December 6th. -- The Beagle sailed from the Rio Plata,never again to enter its muddy stream. Our course wasdirected to Port Desire, on the coast of Patagonia. Beforeproceeding any further, I will here put together a fewobservations made at sea.

Several times when the ship has been some miles off themouth of the Plata, and at other times when off the shoresof Northern Patagonia, we have been surrounded by insects.One evening, when we were about ten miles from the Bayof San Blas, vast numbers of butterflies, in bands or flocksof countless myriads, extended as far as the eye could range.Even by the aid of a telescope it was not possible to see aspace free from butterflies. The seamen cried out "it wassnowing butterflies," and such in fact was the appearance.More species than one were present, but the main part belongedto a kind very similar to, but not identical with, thecommon English Colias edusa. Some moths and hymenopteraaccompanied the butterflies; and a fine beetle (Calosoma)flew on board. Other instances are known of thisbeetle having been caught far out at sea; and this is themore remarkable, as the greater number of the Carabidaeseldom or never take wing. The day had been fine and calm,and the one previous to it equally so, with light and variableairs. Hence we cannot suppose that the insects were blownoff the land, but we must conclude that they voluntarily tookflight. The great bands of the Colias seem at first to affordan instance like those on record of the migrations of anotherbutterfly, Vanessa cardui;

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 considerablenumber of beetles in it, and although in the open sea, theydid not appear much injured by the salt water. I lost someof the specimens, but those which I preserved belongedto the genera Colymbetes, Hydroporus, Hydrobius (two species),Notaphus, Cynucus, Adimonia, and Scarabaeus. Atfirst I thought that these insects had been blown from theshore; but upon reflecting that out of the eight species fourwere aquatic, and two others partly so in their habits, itappeared to me most probable that they were floated into thesea by a small stream which drains a lake near Cape Corrientes.On any supposition it is an interesting circumstanceto find live insects swimming in the open ocean seventeenmiles from the nearest point of land. There are severalaccounts of insects having been blown off the Patagonianshore. Captain Cook observed it, as did more lately CaptainKing of the Adventure. The cause probably is due to thewant of shelter, both of trees and hills, so that an insect onthe wing with an off-shore breeze, would be very apt tobe blown out to sea. The most remarkable instance I haveknown of an insect being caught far from the land, was thatof a large grasshopper (Acrydium), which flew on board,when the Beagle was to windward of the Cape de VerdIslands, and when the nearest point of land, not directlyopposed to the trade-wind, was Cape Blanco on the coast ofAfrica, 370 miles distant.

On several occasions, when the Beagle has been withinthe mouth of the Plata, the rigging has been coated withthe web of the Gossamer Spider. One day (November 1st,1832) I paid particular attention to this subject. The weatherhad been fine and clear, and in the morning the air was fullof patches of the flocculent web, as on an autumnal day inEngland. The ship was sixty miles distant from the land, inthe direction of a steady though light breeze. Vast numbersof a small spider, about one-tenth of an inch in length, and ofa dusky red colour, were attached to the webs. There musthave been, I should suppose, some thousands on the ship. Thelittle spider, when first coming in contact with the rigging,was always seated on a single thread, and not on the flocculentmass. This latter seems merely to be produced by theentanglement of the single threads. The spiders were all ofone species, but of both sexes, together with young ones.These latter were distinguished by their smaller size andmore dusky colour. I will not give the description of thisspider, but merely state that it does not appear to me to beincluded in any of Latreille's genera. The little aeronaut assoon as it arrived on board was very active, running about,sometimes letting itself fall, and then reascending the samethread; sometimes employing itself in making a small andvery irregular mesh in the corners between the ropes. Itcould run with facility on the surface of the water. Whendisturbed it lifted up its front legs, in the attitude ofattention. On its first arrival it appeared very thirsty, andwith exserted maxillae drank eagerly of drops of water, thissame circumstance has been observed by Strack: may it not be inconsequence of the little insect having passed through a dryand rarefied atmosphere? Its stock of web seemed inexhaustible.While watching some that were suspended by asingle thread, I several times observed that the slightestbreath of air bore them away out of sight, in a horizontalline.

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 thensail away horizontally, but with a rapidity which was quiteunaccountable. I thought I could perceive that the spider,before performing the above preparatory steps, connectedits legs together with the most delicate threads, but I am notsure whether this observation was correct.

One day, at St. Fe, I had a better opportunity of observingsome similar facts. A spider which was about three-tenthsof an inch in length, and which in its general appearanceresembled a Citigrade (therefore quite different from thegossamer), while standing on the summit of a post, dartedforth four or five threads from its spinners. These, glitteringin the sunshine, might be compared to diverging rays oflight; they were not, however, straight, but in undulationslike films of silk blown by the wind. They were more than ayard in length, and diverged in an ascending direction fromthe orifices. The spider then suddenly let go its hold of thepost, and was quickly borne out of sight. The day was hotand apparently calm; yet under such circumstances, theatmosphere can never be so tranquil as not to affect a vane sodelicate as the thread of a spider's web. If during a warmday we look either at the shadow of any object cast on abank, or over a level plain at a distant landmark, the effectof an ascending current of heated air is almost always evident:such upward currents, it has been remarked, are alsoshown by the ascent of soap-bubbles, which will not rise inan in-doors room. Hence I think there is not much difficultyin understanding the ascent of the fine lines projected froma spider's spinners, and afterwards of the spider itself; thedivergence of the lines has been attempted to be explained, Ibelieve by Mr. Murray, by their similar electrical condition.The circumstance of spiders of the same species, but ofdifferent sexes and ages, being found on several occasions atthe distance of many leagues from the land, attached in vastnumbers to the lines, renders it probable that the habit ofsailing through the air is as characteristic of this tribe, asthat of diving is of the Argyroneta. We may then rejectLatreille's supposition, that the gossamer owes its originindifferently to the young of several genera of spiders:although, as we have seen, the young of other spiders dopossess the power of performing aerial voyages.

During our different passages south of the Plata, I oftentowed astern a net made of bunting, and thus caught manycurious animals. Of Crustacea there were many strangeand undescribed genera. One, which in some respects isallied to the Notopods (or those crabs which have theirposterior legs placed almost on their backs, for the purposeof adhering to the under side of rocks), is very remarkablefrom the structure of its hind pair of legs. The penultimatejoint, instead of terminating in a simple claw, ends in threebristle-like appendages of dissimilar lengths -- the longestequalling that of the entire leg. These claws are very thin,and are serrated with the finest teeth, directed backwards:their curved extremities are flattened, and on this part fivemost minute cups are placed which seem to act in the samemanner as the suckers on the arms of the cuttle-fish. Asthe animal lives in the open sea, and probably wants a placeof rest, I suppose this beautiful and most anomalous structureis adapted to take hold of floating marine animals.

In deep water, far from the land, the number of livingcreatures is extremely small: south of the latitude 35 degs.,I never succeeded in catching anything besides some beroe,and a few species of minute entomostracous crustacea.In shoaler water, at the distance of a few miles from thecoast, very many kinds of crustacea and some other animalsare numerous, but only during the night. Between latitudes56 and 57 degs. south of Cape Horn, the net was putastern several times; it never, however, brought up anythingbesides a few of two extremely minute species of Entomostraca.Yet whales and seals, petrels and albatross, are exceedinglyabundant throughout this part of the ocean. It has alwaysbeen a mystery to me on what the albatross, which lives farfrom the shore, can subsist; I presume that, like the condor,it is able to fast long; and that one good feast on the carcassof a putrid whale lasts for a long time. The central andintertropical 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 animalsfeed on the Infusoria, which are now known, from theresearches of Ehrenberg, to abound in the open ocean: buton what, in the clear blue water, do these Infusoria subsist?

While sailing a little south of the Plata on one very darknight, the sea presented a wonderful and most beautifulspectacle. There was a fresh breeze, and every part of thesurface, which during the day is seen as foam, now glowedwith a pale light. The vessel drove before her bows twobillows of liquid phosphorus, and in her wake she was followedby a milky train. As far as the eye reached, the crestof every wave was bright, and the sky above the horizon,from the reflected glare of these livid flames, was not soutterly obscure as over the vault of the heavens.

As we proceed further southward the sea is seldomphosphorescent; and off Cape Horn I do not recollect more thanonce having seen it so, and then it was far from beingbrilliant. This circumstance probably has a close connectionwith the scarcity of organic beings in that part of the ocean.After the elaborate paper,

On two occasions I have observed the sea luminous atconsiderable depths beneath the surface. Near the mouthof the Plata some circular and oval patches, from two tofour yards in diameter, and with defined outlines, shone witha steady but pale light; while the surrounding water onlygave out a few sparks. The appearance resembled the reflectionof the moon, or some luminous body; for the edges weresinuous from the undulations of the surface. The ship,which drew thirteen feet of water, passed over, withoutdisturbing these patches. Therefore we must suppose that someanimals were congregated together at a greater depth thanthe bottom of the vessel.

Near Fernando Noronha the sea gave out light in flashes.The appearance was very similar to that which might beexpected from a large fish moving rapidly through a luminousfluid. To this cause the sailors attributed it; at thetime, however, I entertained some doubts, on account of thefrequency and rapidity of the flashes. I have alreadyremarked that the phenomenon is very much more commonin warm than in cold countries; and I have sometimes imaginedthat a disturbed electrical condition of the atmospherewas most favourable to its production. Certainly Ithink the sea is most luminous after a few days of morecalm weather than ordinary, during which time it hasswarmed with various animals. Observing that the watercharged with gelatinous particles is in an impure state, andthat the luminous appearance in all common cases is producedby the agitation of the fluid in contact with the atmosphere,I am inclined to consider that the phosphorescence isthe result of the decomposition of the organic particles, bywhich process (one is tempted almost to call it a kind ofrespiration) the ocean becomes purified.

December 23rd. -- We arrived at Port Desire, situated inlat. 47 degs., on the coast of Patagonia. The creek runs forabout twenty miles inland, with an irregular width. TheBeagle anchored a few miles within the entrance, in front ofthe ruins of an old Spanish settlement.

The same evening I went on shore. The first landing inany new country is very interesting, and especially when, as inthis case, the whole aspect bears the stamp of a marked andindividual character. At the height of between two andthree hundred feet above some masses of porphyry a wideplain extends, which is truly characteristic of Patagonia.The surface is quite level, and is composed of well-roundedshingle mixed with a whitish earth. Here and there scatteredtufts of brown wiry grass are supported, and still morerarely, some low thorny bushes. The weather is dry andpleasant, and the fine blue sky is but seldom obscured. Whenstanding in the middle of one of these desert plains andlooking towards the interior, the view is generally boundedby the escarpment of another plain, rather higher, but equallylevel and desolate; and in every other direction the horizonis indistinct from the trembling mirage which seems to risefrom the heated surface.

In such a country the fate of the Spanish settlement wassoon decided; the dryness of the climate during the greaterpart of the year, and the occasional hostile attacks of thewandering Indians, compelled the colonists to desert theirhalf-finished buildings. The style, however, in which theywere commenced shows the strong and liberal hand of Spainin the old time. The result of all the attempts to colonize thisside of America south of 41 degs., has been miserable. PortFamine expresses by its name the lingering and extremesufferings of several hundred wretched people, of whom onealone survived to relate their misfortunes. At St. Joseph'sBay, on the coast of Patagonia, a small settlement was made;but during one Sunday the Indians made an attack and massacredthe whole party, excepting two men, who remainedcaptives during many years. At the Rio Negro I conversedwith one of these men, now in extreme old age.

The zoology of Patagonia is as limited as its flora.

The guanaco, or wild llama, is the characteristic quadrupedof the plains of Patagonia; it is the South Americanrepresentative of the camel of the East. It is an elegantanimal in a state of nature, with a long slender neck andfine legs. It is very common over the whole of the temperateparts of the continent, as far south as the islands near CapeHorn. It generally lives in small herds of from half a dozento thirty in each; but on the banks of the St. Cruz we sawone herd which must have contained at least five hundred.

They are generally wild and extremely wary. Mr. Stokestold me, that he one day saw through a glass a herd of theseanimals which evidently had been frightened, and were runningaway at full speed, although their distance was so greatthat he could not distinguish them with his naked eye. Thesportsman frequently receives the first notice of theirpresence, by hearing from a long distance their peculiar shrillneighing note of alarm. If he then looks attentively, he willprobably see the herd standing in a line on the side of somedistant hill. On approaching nearer, a few more squeals aregiven, and off they set at an apparently slow, but really quickcanter, along some narrow beaten track to a neighbouringhill. If, however, by chance he abruptly meets a single animal,or several together, they will generally stand motionlessand intently gaze at him; then perhaps move on a few yards,turn round, and look again. What is the cause of this differencein their shyness? Do they mistake a man in the distancefor their chief enemy the puma? Or does curiosityovercome 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 almostalways approach by degrees to reconnoitre him. It was anartifice that was repeatedly practised by our sportsmen withsuccess, and it had moreover the advantage of allowing severalshots to be fired, which were all taken as parts of theperformance. On the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, I havemore than once seen a guanaco, on being approached, notonly neigh and squeal, but prance and leap about in the mostridiculous manner, apparently in defiance as a challenge.These animals are very easily domesticated, and I have seensome thus kept in northern Patagonia near a house, thoughnot under any restraint. They are in this state very bold, andreadily attack a man by striking him from behind with bothknees. It is asserted that the motive for these attacks isjealousy on account of their females. The wild guanacos,however, have no idea of defence; even a single dog willsecure one of these large animals, till the huntsman can comeup. In many of their habits they are like sheep in a flock.Thus when they see men approaching in several directionson horseback, they soon become bewildered, and know notwhich way to run. This greatly facilitates the Indian methodof hunting, for they are thus easily driven to a central point,and are encompassed.

The guanacos readily take to the water: several times atPort 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 drinkingthe briny fluid from a salina near Cape Blanco. I imaginein several parts of the country, if they do not drink saltwater, they drink none at all. In the middle of the day theyfrequently roll in the dust, in saucer-shaped hollows. Themales fight together; two one day passed quite close to me,squealing and trying to bite each other; and several wereshot with their hides deeply scored. Herds sometimes appearto set out on exploring parties: at Bahia Blanca, where,within thirty miles of the coast, these animals are extremelyunfrequent, I one day saw the tracks of thirty or forty, whichhad come in a direct line to a muddy salt-water creek. Theythen must have perceived that they were approaching thesea, for they had wheeled with the regularity of cavalry, andhad returned back in as straight a line as they had advanced.The guanacos have one singular habit, which is to me quiteinexplicable; namely, that on successive days they drop theirdung in the same defined heap. I saw one of these heapswhich was eight feet in diameter, and was composed of alarge quantity. This habit, according to M. A. d'Orbigny, iscommon to all the species of the genus; it is very useful tothe Peruvian Indians, who use the dung for fuel, and arethus saved the trouble of collecting it.

The guanacos appear to have favourite spots for lyingdown to die. On the banks of the St. Cruz, in certaincircumscribed spaces, which were generally bushy and all nearthe river, the ground was actually white with bones. On onesuch spot I counted between ten and twenty heads. I particularlyexamined the bones; they did not appear, as somescattered ones which I had seen, gnawed or broken, as ifdragged together by beasts of prey. The animals in mostcases must have crawled, before dying, beneath and amongstthe bushes. Mr. Bynoe informs me that during a formervoyage he observed the same circumstance on the banks ofthe Rio Gallegos. I do not at all understand the reason ofthis, but I may observe, that the wounded guanacos at theSt. Cruz invariably walked towards the river. At St. Jagoin the Cape de Verd Islands, I remember having seen in aravine a retired corner covered with bones of the goat; weat the time exclaimed that it was the burial ground of all thegoats in the island. I mention these trifling circumstances,because in certain cases they might explain the occurrenceof a number of uninjured bones in a cave, or buried underalluvial accumulations; and likewise the cause why certainanimals are more commonly embedded than others in sedimentarydeposits.

One day the yawl was sent under the command of Mr.Chaffers with three days' provisions to survey the upper partof the harbour. In the morning we searched for somewatering-places mentioned in an old Spanish chart. We found onecreek, at the head of which there was a trickling rill (thefirst we had seen) of brackish water. Here the tide compelledus to wait several hours; and in the interval I walkedsome miles into the interior. The plain as usual consistedof gravel, mingled with soil resembling chalk in appearance,but very different from it in nature. From the softness ofthese materials it was worn into many gulleys. There wasnot a tree, and, excepting the guanaco, which stood on thehill-top a watchful sentinel over its herd, scarcely an animalor a bird. All was stillness and desolation. Yet in passingover these scenes, without one bright object near, anill-defined but strong sense of pleasure is vividly excited.One asked how many ages the plain had thus lasted, and howmany 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 thenpitched the tents for the night. By the middle of the nextday the yawl was aground, and from the shoalness of thewater could not proceed any higher. The water being foundpartly fresh, Mr. Chaffers took the dingey and went up twoor three miles further, where she also grounded, but in afresh-water river. The water was muddy, and though thestream was most insignificant in size, it would be difficult toaccount for its origin, except from the melting snow on theCordillera. At the spot where we bivouacked, we were surroundedby bold cliffs and steep pinnacles of porphyry. I donot think I ever saw a spot which appeared more secludedfrom the rest of the world, than this rocky crevice in thewide plain.

The second day after our return to the anchorage, a partyof 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 acouple of tons, had been placed in front of a ledge of rockabout six feet high. At the bottom of the grave on the hardrock there was a layer of earth about a foot deep, whichmust have been brought up from the plain below. Above it apavement of flat stones was placed, on which others werepiled, so as to fill up the space between the ledge and the twogreat blocks. To complete the grave, the Indians had contrivedto detach from the ledge a huge fragment, and tothrow it over the pile so as to rest on the two blocks. Weundermined the grave on both sides, but could not find anyrelics, or even bones. The latter probably had decayed longsince (in which case the grave must have been of extremeantiquity), for I found in another place some smaller heapsbeneath which a very few crumbling fragments could yet bedistinguished as having belonged to a man. Falconer states,that where an Indian dies he is buried, but that subsequentlyhis bones are carefully taken up and carried, let the distancebe ever so great, to be deposited near the sea-coast. Thiscustom, I think, may be accounted for by recollecting, thatbefore the introduction of horses, these Indians must haveled nearly the same life as the Fuegians now do, and thereforegenerally have resided in the neighbourhood of the sea.The common prejudice of lying where one's ancestors havelain, would make the now roaming Indians bring the lessperishable part of their dead to their ancient burial-groundon the coast.

January 9th, 1834. -- Before it was dark the Beagle anchoredin the fine spacious harbour of Port St. Julian, situatedabout one hundred and ten miles to the south of Port Desire.We remained here eight days. The country is nearly similarto that of Port Desire, but perhaps rather more sterile. Oneday a party accompanied Captain Fitz Roy on a long walkround the head of the harbour. We were eleven hours withouttasting any water, and some of the party were quiteexhausted. From the summit of a hill (since well namedThirsty Hill) a fine lake was spied, and two of the partyproceeded with concerted signals to show whether it was freshwater. What was our disappointment to find a snow-whiteexpanse of salt, crystallized in great cubes! We attributedour extreme thirst to the dryness of the atmosphere; butwhatever the cause might be, we were exceedingly glad latein the evening to get back to the boats. Although we couldnowhere find, during our whole visit, a single drop of freshwater, yet some must exist; for by an odd chance I found onthe surface of the salt water, near the head of the bay, aColymbetes not quite dead, which must have lived in somenot far distant pool. Three other insects (a Cincindela, likehybrida, a Cymindis, and a Harpalus, which all live on muddyflats occasionally overflowed by the sea), and one otherfound dead on the plain, complete the list of the beetles. Agood-sized fly (Tabanus) was extremely numerous, and tormentedus by its painful bite. The common horsefly, whichis so troublesome in the shady lanes of England, belongs tothis same genus. We here have the puzzle that so frequentlyoccurs in the case of musquitoes -- on the blood of whatanimals do these insects commonly feed? The guanaco isnearly the only warm-blooded quadruped, and it is found inquite inconsiderable numbers compared with the multitudeof flies.

The geology of Patagonia is interesting. Differently fromEurope, where the tertiary formations appear to have accumulatedin bays, here along hundreds of miles of coast wehave one great deposit, including many tertiary shells, allapparently extinct. The most common shell is a massivegigantic oyster, sometimes even a foot in diameter. Thesebeds are covered by others of a peculiar soft white stone,including much gypsum, and resembling chalk, but really ofa pumiceous nature. It is highly remarkable, from beingcomposed, to at least one-tenth of its bulk, of Infusoria.Professor Ehrenberg has already ascertained in it thirtyoceanic forms. This bed extends for 500 miles along the coast,and probably for a considerably greater distance. At PortSt. Julian its thickness is more than 800 feet! These whitebeds are everywhere capped by a mass of gravel, formingprobably one of the largest beds of shingle in the world: itcertainly extends from near the Rio Colorado to between 600and 700 nautical miles southward, at Santa Cruz (a river alittle south of St. Julian), it reaches to the foot of theCordillera; half way up the river, its thickness is more than200 feet; it probably everywhere extends to this great chain,whence the well-rounded pebbles of porphyry have beenderived: we may consider its average breadth as 200 miles,and its average thickness as about 50 feet. If this great bedof pebbles, without including the mud necessarily derivedfrom their attrition, was piled into a mound, it would form agreat mountain chain! When we consider that all thesepebbles, countless as the grains of sand in the desert, havebeen derived from the slow falling of masses of rock on theold coast-lines and banks of rivers, and that these fragmentshave been dashed into smaller pieces, and that each of themhas since been slowly rolled, rounded, and far transportedthe mind is stupefied in thinking over the long, absolutelynecessary, lapse of years. Yet all this gravel has beentransported, and probably rounded, subsequently to thedeposition of the white beds, and long subsequently to theunderlying beds with the tertiary shells.

Everything in this southern continent has been effectedon a grand scale: the land, from the Rio Plata to Tierra delFuego, a distance of 1200 miles, has been raised in mass (andin Patagonia to a height of between 300 and 400 feet), withinthe period of the now existing sea-shells. The old andweathered shells left on the surface of the upraised plain stillpartially retain their colours. The uprising movement hasbeen interrupted by at least eight long periods of rest, duringwhich the sea ate, deeply back into the land, forming atsuccessive levels the long lines of cliffs, or escarpments,which separate the different plains as they rise like steps onebehind the other. The elevatory movement, and the eating-backpower of the sea during the periods of rest, have beenequable over long lines of coast; for I was astonished tofind that the step-like plains stand at nearly correspondingheights at far distant points. The lowest plain is 90 feethigh; and the highest, which I ascended near the coast, is950 feet; and of this, only relics are left in the form of flatgravel-capped hills. The upper plain of Santa Cruz slopesup to a height of 3000 feet at the foot of the Cordillera. Ihave said that within the period of existing sea-shells,Patagonia has been upraised 300 to 400 feet: I may add, thatwithin the period when icebergs transported boulders overthe upper plain of Santa Cruz, the elevation has been at least1500 feet. Nor has Patagonia been affected only by upwardmovements: the extinct tertiary shells from Port St. Julianand 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 800to 1000 feet in thickness: hence the bed of the sea, on whichthese shells once lived, must have sunk downwards severalhundred feet, to allow of the accumulation of the superincumbentstrata. What a history of geological changes does thesimply-constructed coast of Patagonia reveal!

At Port St. Julian,

The relationship, though distant, between the Macraucheniaand the Guanaco, between the Toxodon and theCapybara, -- the closer relationship between the many extinctEdentata and the living sloths, ant-eaters, and armadillos,now so eminently characteristic of South American zoology,-- and the still closer relationship between the fossil andliving species of Ctenomys and Hydrochaerus, are mostinteresting facts. This relationship is shown wonderfully -- aswonderfully as between the fossil and extinct Marsupialanimals of Australia -- by the great collection lately broughtto Europe from the caves of Brazil by MM. Lund and Clausen.In this collection there are extinct species of all thethirty-two genera, excepting four, of the terrestrial quadrupedsnow inhabiting the provinces in which the caves occur;and the extinct species are much more numerous than thosenow living: there are fossil ant-eaters, armadillos, tapirs,peccaries, guanacos, opossums, and numerous South Americangnawers and monkeys, and other animals. This wonderfulrelationship in the same continent between the dead andthe living, will, I do not doubt, hereafter throw more lighton the appearance of organic beings on our earth, and theirdisappearance from it, than any other class of facts.

It is impossible to reflect on the changed state of theAmerican continent without the deepest astonishment. Formerlyit must have swarmed with great monsters: now wefind mere pigmies, compared with the antecedent, alliedraces. If Buffon had known of the gigantic sloth andarmadillo-like animals, and of the lost Pachydermata, he mighthave said with a greater semblance of truth that the creativeforce in America had lost its power, rather than that it hadnever possessed great vigour. The greater number, if not all,of these extinct quadrupeds lived at a late period, and werethe contemporaries of most of the existing sea-shells. Sincethey lived, no very great change in the form of the land canhave taken place. What, then, has exterminated so manyspecies and whole genera? The mind at first is irresistiblyhurried into the belief of some great catastrophe; but thusto destroy animals, both large and small, in Southern Patagonia,in Brazil, on the Cordillera of Peru, in North Americaup to Behring's Straits, we must shake the entire frameworkof the globe. An examination, moreover, of the geology ofLa Plata and Patagonia, leads to the belief that all thefeatures of the land result from slow and gradual changes. Itappears from the character of the fossils in Europe, Asia,Australia, and in North and South America, that those conditionswhich favour the life of the _larger_ quadrupeds werelately co-extensive with the world: what those conditionswere, no one has yet even conjectured. It could hardly havebeen a change of temperature, which at about the same timedestroyed the inhabitants of tropical, temperate, and arcticlatitudes on both sides of the globe. In North America wepositively know from Mr. Lyell, that the large quadrupedslived subsequently to that period, when boulders werebrought into latitudes at which icebergs now never arrive:from conclusive but indirect reasons we may feel sure, thatin the southern hemisphere the Macrauchenia, also, livedlong subsequently to the ice-transporting boulder-period. Didman, after his first inroad into South America, destroy, ashas been suggested, the unwieldy Megatherium and theother Edentata? We must at least look to some other causefor the destruction of the little tucutuco at Bahia Blanca, andof the many fossil mice and other small quadrupeds inBrazil. No one will imagine that a drought, even far severerthan those which cause such losses in the provinces of LaPlata, could destroy every individual of every species fromSouthern Patagonia to Behring's Straits. What shall we sayof the extinction of the horse? Did those plains fail ofpasture, which have since been overrun by thousands and hundredsof thousands of the descendants of the stock introducedby the Spaniards? Have the subsequently introducedspecies consumed the food of the great antecedent races?Can we believe that the Capybara has taken the food of theToxodon, the Guanaco of the Macrauchenia, the existingsmall Edentata of their numerous gigantic prototypes? Certainly,no fact in the long history of the world is so startlingas the wide and repeated exterminations of its inhabitants.

Nevertheless, if we consider the subject under anotherpoint of view, it will appear less perplexing. We do notsteadily bear in mind, how profoundly ignorant we are of theconditions of existence of every animal; nor do we alwaysremember, that some check is constantly preventing the toorapid increase of every organized being left in a state ofnature. The supply of food, on an average, remains constant, yetthe tendency in every animal to increase by propagation isgeometrical; and its surprising effects have nowhere beenmore astonishingly shown, than in the case of the Europeananimals run wild during the last few centuries in America.Every animal in a state of nature regularly breeds; yet in aspecies long established, any _great_ increase in numbers isobviously impossible, and must be checked by some means.We are, nevertheless, seldom able with certainty to tell inany given species, at what period of life, or at what periodof the year, or whether only at long intervals, the checkfalls; or, again, what is the precise nature of the check.Hence probably it is, that we feel so little surprise at one, oftwo species closely allied in habits, being rare and the otherabundant in the same district; or, again, that one should beabundant in one district, and another, filling the same placein the economy of nature, should be abundant in a neighbouringdistrict, differing very little in its conditions. If askedhow this is, one immediately replies that it is determined bysome slight difference, in climate, food, or the number ofenemies: yet how rarely, if ever, we can point out the precisecause and manner of action of the check! We aretherefore, driven to the conclusion, that causes generallyquite inappreciable by us, determine whether a given speciesshall be abundant or scanty in numbers.

In the cases where we can trace the extinction of aspecies through man, either wholly or in one limited district,we know that it becomes rarer and rarer, and is then lost:it would be difficult to point out any just distinction