NOVEMBER 10th. -- The Beagle sailed from Valparaisoto the south, for the purpose of surveying the southernpart of Chile, the island of Chiloe, and the brokenland called the Chonos Archipelago, as far south as thePeninsula of Tres Montes. On the 21st we anchored in thebay of S. Carlos, the capital of Chiloe.

This island is about ninety miles long, with a breadth ofrather less than thirty. The land is hilly, but not mountainous,and is covered by one great forest, except where a fewgreen patches have been cleared round the thatched cottages.From a distance the view somewhat resembles that of Tierradel Fuego; but the woods, when seen nearer, are incomparablymore beautiful. Many kinds of fine evergreen trees, andplants with a tropical character, here take the place of thegloomy beech of the southern shores. In winter the climateis detestable, and in summer it is only a little better. Ishould think there are few parts of the world, within thetemperate regions, where so much rain falls. The winds arevery boisterous, and the sky almost always clouded: to have aweek of fine weather is something wonderful. It is evendifficult to get a single glimpse of the Cordillera: duringour first visit, once only the volcano of Osorno stood out inbold relief, and that was before sunrise; it was curious towatch, as the sun rose, the outline gradually fading away inthe glare of the eastern sky.

The inhabitants, from their complexion and low stature;appear to have three-fourths of Indian blood in their veins.They are an humble, quiet, industrious set of men. Althoughthe fertile soil, resulting from the decomposition of thevolcanic rocks, supports a rank vegetation, yet the climate isnot favourable to any production which requires much sunshineto ripen it. There is very little pasture for the largerquadrupeds; and in consequence, the staple articles of food arepigs, potatoes, and fish. The people all dress in strongwoollen garments, which each family makes for itself, anddyes with indigo of a dark blue colour. The arts, however,are in the rudest state; -- as may be seen in their strangefashion of ploughing, their method of spinning, grindingcorn, and in the construction of their boats. The forests areso impenetrable, that the land is nowhere cultivated exceptnear the coast and on the adjoining islets. Even where pathsexist, they are scarcely passable from the soft and swampystate of the soil. The inhabitants, like those of Tierra delFuego, move about chiefly on the beach or in boats. Althoughwith plenty to eat, the people are very poor: there is nodemand for labour, and consequently the lower orders cannotscrape together money sufficient to purchase even the smallestluxuries. There is also a great deficiency of a circulatingmedium. I have seen a man bringing on his back a bag ofcharcoal, with which to buy some trifle, and another carryinga plank to exchange for a bottle of wine. Hence every tradesmanmust also be a merchant, and again sell the goods whichhe takes in exchange.

November 24th. -- The yawl and whale-boat were sent underthe command of Mr. (now Captain) Sulivan, to survey theeastern or inland coast of Chiloe; and with orders to meetthe Beagle at the southern extremity of the island; to whichpoint she would proceed by the outside, so as thus tocircumnavigate the whole. I accompanied this expedition, butinstead of going in the boats the first day, I hired horses totake me to Chacao, at the northern extremity of the island.The road followed the coast; every now and then crossingpromontories covered by fine forests. In these shaded pathsit is absolutely necessary that the whole road should be madeof logs of wood, which are squared and placed by the side ofeach other. From the rays of the sun never penetrating theevergreen foliage, the ground is so damp and soft, that exceptby this means neither man nor horse would be able to passalong. I arrived at the village of Chacao shortly after thetents belonging to the boats were pitched for the night.

The land in this neighbourhood has been extensivelycleared, and there were many quiet and most picturesquenooks in the forest. Chacao was formerly the principal portin the island; but many vessels having been lost, owing to thedangerous currents and rocks in the straits, the Spanishgovernment burnt the church, and thus arbitrarily compelled thegreater number of inhabitants to migrate to S. Carlos. Wehad not long bivouacked, before the barefooted son of thegovernor came down to reconnoitre us. Seeing the Englishflag hoisted at the yawl's mast-head, he asked with the utmostindifference, whether it was always to fly at Chacao. In severalplaces the inhabitants were much astonished at theappearance of men-of-war's boats, and hoped and believedit was the forerunner of a Spanish fleet, coming to recoverthe island from the patriot government of Chile. All themen in power, however, had been informed of our intendedvisit, and were exceedingly civil. While we were eating oursupper, the governor paid us a visit. He had been a lieutenant-colonel in the Spanish service, but now was miserablypoor. He gave us two sheep, and accepted in return two cottonhandkerchiefs, some brass trinkets, and a little tobacco.

25th. -- Torrents of rain: we managed, however, to rundown the coast as far as Huapi-lenou. The whole of thiseastern side of Chiloe has one aspect; it is a plain, broken byvalleys and divided into little islands, and the whole thicklycovered with one impervious blackish-green forest. On themargins there are some cleared spaces, surrounding the high-roofed cottages.

26th -- The day rose splendidly clear. The volcano ofOrsono was spouting out volumes of smoke. This mostbeautiful mountain, formed like a perfect cone, and whitewith snow, stands out in front of the Cordillera. Anothergreat volcano, with a saddle-shaped summit, also emittedfrom its immense crater little jets of steam. Subsequentlywe saw the lofty-peaked Corcovado -- well deserving the nameof "el famoso Corcovado." Thus we beheld, from one pointof view, three great active volcanoes, each about seven thousandfeet high. In addition to this, far to the south, therewere other lofty cones covered with snow, which, althoughnot known to be active, must be in their origin volcanic.The line of the Andes is not, in this neighbourhood, nearlyso elevated as in Chile; neither does it appear to form soperfect a barrier between the regions of the earth. Thisgreat range, although running in a straight north and southline, owing to an optical deception, always appeared more orless curved; for the lines drawn from each peak to thebeholder's eye, necessarily converged like the radii of asemicircle, and as it was not possible (owing to the clearnessof the atmosphere and the absence of all intermediate objects)to judge how far distant the farthest peaks were off,they appeared to stand in a flattish semicircle.

Landing at midday, we saw a family of pure Indian extraction.The father was singularly like York Minster; and someof the younger boys, with their ruddy complexions, mighthave been mistaken for Pampas Indians. Everything I haveseen, convinces me of the close connexion of the differentAmerican tribes, who nevertheless speak distinct languages.This party could muster but little Spanish, and talked to eachother in their own tongue. It is a pleasant thing to see theaborigines advanced to the same degree of civilization, howeverlow that may be, which their white conquerors haveattained. More to the south we saw many pure Indians:indeed, all the inhabitants of some of the islets retain theirIndian surnames. In the census of 1832, there were in Chiloeand its dependencies forty-two thousand souls; the greaternumber of these appear to be of mixed blood. Eleven thousandretain their Indian surnames, but it is probable that notnearly all of these are of a pure breed. Their manner of lifeis the same with that of the other poor inhabitants, and theyare all Christians; but it is said that they yet retain somestrange superstitious ceremonies, and that they pretend tohold communication with the devil in certain caves. Formerly,every one convicted of this offence was sent to theInquisition at Lima. Many of the inhabitants who are notincluded in the eleven thousand with Indian surnames, cannotbe distinguished by their appearance from Indians.Gomez, the governor of Lemuy, is descended from noblemenof Spain on both sides; but by constant intermarriages withthe natives the present man is an Indian. On the other handthe governor of Quinchao boasts much of his purely keptSpanish blood.

We reached at night a beautiful little cove, north of theisland of Caucahue. The people here complained of want ofland. This is partly owing to their own negligence in notclearing the woods, and partly to restrictions by the government,which makes it necessary, before buying ever so smalla piece, to pay two shillings to the surveyor for measuringeach quadra (150 yards square), together with whateverprice he fixes for the value of the land. After his valuationthe land must be put up three times to auction, and if no onebids more, the purchaser can have it at that rate. All theseexactions must be a serious check to clearing the ground,where the inhabitants are so extremely poor. In most countries,forests are removed without much difficulty by the aidof fire; but in Chiloe, from the damp nature of the climate,and the sort of trees, it is necessary first to cut them down.This is a heavy drawback to the prosperity of Chiloe. In thetime of the Spaniards the Indians could not hold land; and afamily, after having cleared a piece of ground, might bedriven away, and the property seized by the government.The Chilian authorities are now performing an act of justiceby making retribution to these poor Indians, giving to eachman, according to his grade of life, a certain portion of land.The value of uncleared ground is very little. The governmentgave Mr. Douglas (the present surveyor, who informedme of these circumstances) eight and a half square miles offorest near S. Carlos, in lieu of a debt; and this he sold for350 dollars, or about 70 pounds sterling.

The two succeeding days were fine, and at night we reachedthe island of Quinchao. This neighbourhood is the most cultivatedpart of the Archipelago; for a broad strip of land onthe coast of the main island, as well as on many of the smalleradjoining ones, is almost completely cleared. Some of thefarmhouses seemed very comfortable. I was curious toascertain how rich any of these people might be, but Mr.Douglas says that no one can be considered as possessing aregular income. One of the richest land-owners might possiblyaccumulate, in a long industrious life, as much as 1000 poundssterling; but should this happen, it would all be stowed awayin some secret corner, for it is the custom of almost everyfamily to have a jar or treasure-chest buried in the ground.

November 30th. -- Early on Sunday morning we reachedCastro, the ancient capital of Chiloe, but now a most forlornand deserted place. The usual quadrangular arrangementof Spanish towns could be traced, but the streets and plazawere coated with fine green turf, on which sheep werebrowsing. The church, which stands in the middle, is entirelybuilt of plank, and has a picturesque and venerable appearance.The poverty of the place may be conceived from thefact, that although containing some hundreds of inhabitants,one of our party was unable anywhere to purchase either apound of sugar or an ordinary knife. No individual possessedeither a watch or a clock; and an old man, who was supposedto have a good idea of time, was employed to strike thechurch bell by guess. The arrival of our boats was a rareevent in this quiet retired corner of the world; and nearly allthe inhabitants came down to the beach to see us pitch ourtents. They were very civil, and offered us a house; and oneman even sent us a cask of cider as a present. In the afternoonwe paid our respects to the governor -- a quiet old man,who, in his appearance and manner of life, was scarcelysuperior to an English cottager. At night heavy rain set in,which was hardly sufficient to drive away from our tents thelarge circle of lookers-on. An Indian family, who had cometo trade in a canoe from Caylen, bivouacked near us. Theyhad no shelter during the rain. In the morning I asked ayoung Indian, who was wet to the skin, how he had passedthe night. He seemed perfectly content, and answered, "Muybien, senor."

December 1st. - We steered for the island of Lemuy. Iwas anxious to examine a reported coal-mine which turnedout to be lignite of little value, in the sandstone (probablyof an ancient tertiary epoch) of which these islands arecomposed. When we reached Lemuy we had much difficulty infinding any place to pitch our tents, for it was spring-tide,and the land was wooded down to the water's edge. In ashort time we were surrounded by a large group of the nearlypure Indian inhabitants. They were much surprised at ourarrival, and said one to the other, "This is the reason wehave seen so many parrots lately; the cheucau (an odd red-breasted little bird, which inhabits the thick forest, and uttersvery peculiar noises) has not cried 'beware' for nothing."They were soon anxious for barter. Money was scarcelyworth anything, but their eagerness for tobacco was somethingquite extraordinary. After tobacco, indigo came nextin value; then capsicum, old clothes, and gunpowder. Thelatter article was required for a very innocent purpose: eachparish has a public musket, and the gunpowder was wantedfor making a noise on their saint or feast days

The people here live chiefly on shell-fish and potatoes. Atcertain seasons they catch also, in "corrales," or hedgesunder water, many fish which are left on the mud-banks asthe tide falls. They occasionally possess fowls, sheep, goats,pigs, horses, and cattle; the order in which they are herementioned, expressing their respective numbers. I neversaw anything more obliging and humble than the mannersof these people. They generally began with stating thatthey were poor natives of the place, and not Spaniardsand that they were in sad want of tobacco and other comforts.At Caylen, the most southern island, the sailorsbought with a stick of tobacco, of the value of three-halfpence,two fowls, one of which, the Indian stated, had skinbetween its toes, and turned out to be a fine duck; and withsome cotton handkerchiefs, worth three shillings, three sheepand a large bunch of onions were procured. The yawl atthis place was anchored some way from the shore, and wehad fears for her safety from robbers during the night. Ourpilot, Mr. Douglas, accordingly told the constable of thedistrict that we always placed sentinels with loaded armsand not understanding Spanish, if we saw any person in thedark, we should assuredly shoot him. The constable, withmuch humility, agreed to the perfect propriety of thisarrangement, and promised us that no one should stir outof his house during that night.

During the four succeeding days we continued sailingsouthward. The general features of the country remainedthe same, but it was much less thickly inhabited. On thelarge island of Tanqui there was scarcely one cleared spot,the trees on every side extending their branches over thesea-beach. I one day noticed, growing on the sandstonecliffs, some very fine plants of the panke (Gunnera scabra),which somewhat resembles the rhubarb on a gigantic scale.The inhabitants eat the stalks, which are subacid, and tanleather with the roots, and prepare a black dye from them.The leaf is nearly circular, but deeply indented on its margin.I measured one which was nearly eight feet in diameter,and therefore no less than twenty-four in circumference!The stalk is rather more than a yard high, and eachplant sends out four or five of these enormous leaves,presenting together a very noble appearance.

December 6th. -- We reached Caylen, called "el fin delCristiandad." In the morning we stopped for a few minutesat a house on the northern end of Laylec, which was theextreme point of South American Christendom, and a miserablehovel it was. The latitude is 43 degs. 10', which is twodegrees farther south than the Rio Negro on the Atlanticcoast. These extreme Christians were very poor, and, underthe plea of their situation, begged for some tobacco. As aproof of the poverty of these Indians, I may mention thatshortly before this, we had met a man, who had travelledthree days and a half on foot, and had as many to return,for the sake of recovering the value of a small axe and a fewfish. How very difficult it must be to buy the smallest article,when such trouble is taken to recover so small a debt.

In the evening we reached the island of San Pedro, wherewe found the Beagle at anchor. In doubling the point, twoof the officers landed to take a round of angles with thetheodolite. A fox (Canis fulvipes), of a kind said to bepeculiar to the island, and very rare in it, and which is a newspecies, was sitting on the rocks. He was so intently absorbedin watching the work of the officers, that I was able,by quietly walking up behind, to knock him on the headwith my geological hammer. This fox, more curious ormore scientific, but less wise, than the generality of hisbrethren, is now mounted in the museum of the ZoologicalSociety.

We stayed three days in this harbour, on one of whichCaptain Fitz Roy, with a party, attempted to ascend to thesummit of San Pedro. The woods here had rather a differentappearance 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. Thegeneral aspect in consequence was more like that of Tierradel Fuego than of Chiloe. In vain we tried to gain thesummit: the forest was so impenetrable, that no one whohas not beheld it can imagine so entangled a mass of dyingand dead trunks. I am sure that often, for more than tenminutes together, our feet never touched the ground, andwe were frequently ten or fifteen feet above it, so that theseamen as a joke called out the soundings. At other timeswe crept one after another on our hands and knees, underthe rotten trunks. In the lower part of the mountain, nobletrees of the Winter's Bark, and a laurel like the sassafraswith fragrant leaves, and others, the names of which I donot know, were matted together by a trailing bamboo or cane.Here we were more like fishes struggling in a net than anyother animal. On the higher parts, brushwood takes theplace of larger trees, with here and there a red cedar or analerce pine. I was also pleased to see, at an elevation of alittle less than 1000 feet, our old friend the southern beech.They were, however, poor stunted trees, and I should thinkthat this must be nearly their northern limit. We ultimatelygave up the attempt in despair.

December 10th. -- The yawl and whale-boat, with Mr.Sulivan, proceeded on their survey, but I remained on boardthe Beagle, which the next day left San Pedro for the southward.On the 13th we ran into an opening in the southernpart of Guayatecas, or the Chonos Archipelago; and it wasfortunate we did so, for on the following day a storm, worthyof Tierra del Fuego, raged with great fury. White massiveclouds were piled up against a dark blue sky, and across themblack ragged sheets of vapour were rapidly driven. Thesuccessive mountain ranges appeared like dim shadows, andthe setting sun cast on the woodland a yellow gleam, muchlike that produced by the flame of spirits of wine. The waterwas white with the flying spray, and the wind lulled androared again through the rigging: it was an ominous, sublimescene. During a few minutes there was a bright rainbow,and it was curious to observe the effect of the spray,which being carried along the surface of the water, changedthe ordinary semicircle into a circle -- a band of prismaticcolours being continued, from both feet of the common archacross the bay, close to the vessel's side: thus forming adistorted, but very nearly entire ring.

We stayed here three days. The weather continued bad:but this did not much signify, for the surface of the landin all these islands is all but impassable. The coast is sovery rugged that to attempt to walk in that direction requirescontinued scrambling up and down over the sharprocks of mica-slate; and as for the woods, our faces, hands,and shin-bones all bore witness to the maltreatment wereceived, in merely attempting to penetrate their forbiddenrecesses.

December 18th. -- We stood out to sea. On the 20th webade farewell to the south, and with a fair wind turned theship's head northward. From Cape Tres Montes we sailedpleasantly along the lofty weather-beaten coast, which isremarkable for the bold outline of its hills, and the thickcovering of forest even on the almost precipitous flanks. Thenext day a harbour was discovered, which on this dangerouscoast might be of great service to a distressed vessel. Itcan easily be recognized by a hill 1600 feet high, which iseven more perfectly conical than the famous sugar-loaf atRio de Janeiro. The next day, after anchoring, I succeededin reaching the summit of this hill. It was a laboriousundertaking, for the sides were so steep that in some parts itwas necessary to use the trees as ladders. There were alsoseveral extensive brakes of the Fuchsia, covered with itsbeautiful drooping flowers, but very difficult to crawl through.In these wild countries it gives much delight to gain the summitof any mountain. There is an indefinite expectation of seeingsomething very strange, which, however often it may bebalked, never failed with me to recur on each successiveattempt. Every one must know the feeling of triumph andpride which a grand view from a height communicates to themind. In these little frequented countries there is also joinedto it some vanity, that you perhaps are the first man who everstood on this pinnacle or admired this view.

A strong desire is always felt to ascertain whether anyhuman being has previously visited an unfrequented spot.A bit of wood with a nail in it, is picked up and studied asif it were covered with hieroglyphics. Possessed with thisfeeling, I was much interested by finding, on a wild part ofthe coast, a bed made of grass beneath a ledge of rock. Closeby it there had been a fire, and the man had used an axe.The fire, bed, and situation showed the dexterity of an Indian;but he could scarcely have been an Indian, for the race isin this part extinct, owing to the Catholic desire of makingat one blow Christians and Slaves. I had at the time somemisgivings that the solitary man who had made his bed onthis wild spot, must have been some poor shipwrecked sailor,who, in trying to travel up the coast, had here laid himselfdown for his dreary night

December 28th. -- The weather continued very bad, but itat last permitted us to proceed with the survey. The timehung heavy on our hands, as it always did when we weredelayed from day to day by successive gales of wind. Inthe evening another harbour was discovered, where weanchored. Directly afterwards a man was seen waving ashirt, and a boat was sent which brought back two seamen.A party of six had run away from an American whalingvessel, and had landed a little to the southward in a boat,which was shortly afterwards knocked to pieces by the surf.They had now been wandering up and down the coast forfifteen months, without knowing which way to go, or wherethey were. What a singular piece of good fortune it wasthat this harbour was now discovered! Had it not been forthis one chance, they might have wandered till they hadgrown old men, and at last have perished on this wild coast.Their sufferings had been very great, and one of their partyhad lost his life by falling from the cliffs. They weresometimes obliged to separate in search of food, and thisexplained the bed of the solitary man. Considering what theyhad undergone, I think they had kept a very good reckoning oftime, for they had lost only four days.

December 30th. -- We anchored in a snug little cove at thefoot of some high hills, near the northern extremity of TresMontes. After breakfast the next morning, a party ascendedone of these mountains, which was 2400 feet high. Thescenery was remarkable The chief part of the range wascomposed of grand, solid, abrupt masses of granite, whichappeared as if they had been coeval with the beginning ofthe world. The granite was capped with mica-slate, and thisin the lapse of ages had been worn into strange finger-shaped points. These two formations, thus differing in theiroutlines, agree in being almost destitute of vegetation. Thisbarrenness had to our eyes a strange appearance, from havingbeen so long accustomed to the sight of an almost universalforest of dark-green trees. I took much delight in examiningthe structure of these mountains. The complicated and loftyranges bore a noble aspect of durability -- equally profitless,however, to man and to all other animals. Granite to thegeologist is classic ground: from its widespread limits, and itsbeautiful and compact texture, few rocks have been moreanciently recognised. Granite has given rise, perhaps, tomore discussion concerning its origin than any other formation.We generally see it constituting the fundamental rock,and, however formed, we know it is the deepest layer in thecrust of this globe to which man has penetrated. The limitof man's knowledge in any subject possesses a high interest,which is perhaps increased by its close neighbourhood to therealms of imagination.

January 1st 1835. -- The new year is ushered in with theceremonies proper to it in these regions. She lays out nofalse hopes: a heavy north-western gale, with steady rain,bespeaks the rising year. Thank God, we are not destinedhere to see the end of it, but hope then to be in the PacificOcean, where a blue sky tells one there is a heaven, -- asomething beyond the clouds above our heads.

The north-west winds prevailing for the next four days,we only managed to cross a great bay, and then anchored inanother secure harbour. I accompanied the Captain in aboat to the head of a deep creek. On the way the number ofseals which we saw was quite astonishing: every bit of flatrock, and parts of the beach, were covered with them. Thereappeared to be of a loving disposition, and lay huddledtogether, fast asleep, like so many pigs; but even pigs wouldhave been ashamed of their dirt, and of the foul smell whichcame from them. Each herd was watched by the patient butinauspicious eyes of the turkey-buzzard. This disgusting bird,with its bald scarlet head, formed to wallow in putridity, isvery common on the west coast, and their attendance on theseals shows on what they rely for their food. We found thewater (probably only that of the surface) nearly fresh: thiswas caused by the number of torrents which, in the formof cascades, came tumbling over the bold granite mountainsinto the sea. The fresh water attracts the fish, and thesebring many terns, gulls, and two kinds of cormorant. Wesaw also a pair of the beautiful black-necked swans, andseveral small sea-otters, the fur of which is held in suchhigh estimation. In returning, we were again amused by theimpetuous manner in which the heap of seals, old and young,tumbled into the water as the boat passed. They did notremain long under water, but rising, followed us withoutstretched necks, expressing great wonder and curiosity.

7th. -- Having run up the coast, we anchored near thenorthern end of the Chonos Archipelago, in Low's Harbour,where we remained a week. The islands were here, as inChiloe, composed of a stratified, soft, littoral deposit; andthe vegetation in consequence was beautifully luxuriant. Thewoods came down to the sea-beach, just in the manner ofan evergreen shrubbery over a gravel walk. We also enjoyedfrom the anchorage a splendid view of four great snowycones of the Cordillera, including "el famoso Corcovado;"the range itself had in this latitude so little height, that fewparts of it appeared above the tops of the neighbouringislets. We found here a party of five men from Caylen, "elfin del Cristiandad," who had most adventurously crossed intheir miserable boat-canoe, for the purpose of fishing, theopen space of sea which separates Chonos from Chiloe. Theseislands will, in all probability, in a short time become peopledlike those adjoining the coast of Chiloe.

The wild potato grows on these islands in great abundance,on the sandy, shelly soil near the sea-beach. The tallestplant was four feet in height. The tubers were generallysmall, but I found one, of an oval shape, two inches indiameter: they resembled in every respect, and had the samesmell as English potatoes; but when boiled they shrunk much,and were watery and insipid, without any bitter taste. Theyare undoubtedly here indigenous: they grow as far south,according to Mr. Low, as lat. 50 degs., and are called Aquinas bythe wild Indians of that part: the Chilotan Indians have adifferent name for them. Professor Henslow, who has examinedthe dried specimens which I brought home, says thatthey are the same with those described by Mr. Sabine

In the central parts of the Chonos Archipelago (lat. 45 degs.),the forest has very much the same character with that alongthe whole west coast, for 600 miles southward to Cape Horn.The arborescent grass of Chiloe is not found here; while thebeech of Tierra del Fuego grows to a good size, and forms aconsiderable proportion of the wood; not, however, in thesame exclusive manner as it does farther southward. Cryptogamicplants here find a most congenial climate. In the Straitof Magellan, as I have before remarked, the country appearstoo cold and wet to allow of their arriving at perfection; butin these islands, within the forest, the number of species andgreat abundance of mosses, lichens, and small ferns, is quiteextraordinary.

In Tierra del Fuego, above the region of woodland, theformer of these eminently sociable plants is the chief agentin the production of peat. Fresh leaves are always succeedingone to the other round the central tap-root, the lowerones soon decay, and in tracing a root downwards in the peat,the leaves, yet holding their place, can be observed passingthrough every stage of decomposition, till the whole becomesblended in one confused mass. The Astelia is assisted by afew other plants, -- here and there a small creeping Myrtus(M. nummularia), with a woody stem like our cranberry andwith a sweet berry, -- an Empetrum (E. rubrum), like ourheath, -- a rush (Juncus grandiflorus), are nearly the onlyones that grow on the swampy surface. These plants, thoughpossessing a very close general resemblance to the Englishspecies of the same genera, are different. In the more levelparts of the country, the surface of the peat is broken up intolittle pools of water, which stand at different heights, andappear as if artificially excavated. Small streams of water,flowing underground, complete the disorganization of thevegetable matter, and consolidate the whole.

The climate of the southern part of America appears particularlyfavourable to the production of peat. In the FalklandIslands almost every kind of plant, even the coarse grasswhich covers the whole surface of the land, becomes convertedinto this substance: scarcely any situation checks itsgrowth; some of the beds are as much as twelve feet thick,and the lower part becomes so solid when dry, that it willhardly burn. Although every plant lends its aid, yet in mostparts the Astelia is the most efficient. It is rather a singularcircumstance, as being so very different from what occursin Europe, that I nowhere saw moss forming by its decayany portion of the peat in South America. With respect tothe northern limit, at which the climate allows of that peculiarkind of slow decomposition which is necessary for itsproduction, I believe that in Chiloe (lat. 41 to 42 degs.),although there is much swampy ground, no well-characterized peatoccurs: but in the Chonos Islands, three degrees farthersouthward, we have seen that it is abundant. On the easterncoast in La Plata (lat. 35 degs.) I was told by a Spanishresident who had visited Ireland, that he had often sought forthis substance, but had never been able to find any. He showedme, as the nearest approach to it which he had discovered, ablack peaty soil, so penetrated with roots as to allow of anextremely slow and imperfect combustion.

The zoology of these broken islets of the Chonos Archipelagois, as might have been expected, very poor. Of quadrupedstwo aquatic kinds are common. The MyopotamusCoypus (like a beaver, but with a round tail) is well knownfrom its fine fur, which is an object of trade throughout thetributaries of La Plata. It here, however, exclusively frequentssalt water; which same circumstance has been mentionedas sometimes occurring with the great rodent, theCapybara. A small sea-otter is very numerous; this animaldoes not feed exclusively on fish, but, like the seals, draws alarge supply from a small red crab, which swims in shoalsnear the surface of the water. Mr. Bynoe saw one in Tierradel Fuego eating a cuttle-fish; and at Low's Harbour, anotherwas killed in the act of carrying to its hole a large voluteshell. At one place I caught in a trap a singular little mouse(M. brachiotis); it appeared common on several of the islets,but the Chilotans at Low's Harbour said that it was not foundin all. What a succession of chances,

In all parts of Chiloe and Chonos, two very strange birdsoccur, which are allied to, and replace, the Turco and Tapacoloof central Chile. One is called by the inhabitants"Cheucau" (Pteroptochos rubecula): it frequents the mostgloomy and retired spots within the damp forests. Sometimes,although its cry may be heard close at hand, let a personwatch ever so attentively he will not see the cheucau; atother times, let him stand motionless and the red-breastedlittle bird will approach within a few feet in the most familiarmanner. It then busily hops about the entangled mass ofrotting cones and branches, with its little tail cocked upwards.The cheucau is held in superstitious fear by the Chilotans, onaccount of its strange and varied cries. There are threevery distinct cries: One is called "chiduco," and is an omenof good; another, "huitreu," which is extremely unfavourable;and a third, which I have forgotten. These words aregiven in imitation of the noises; and the natives are in somethings absolutely governed by them. The Chilotans assuredlyhave chosen a most comical little creature for their prophet.An allied species, but rather larger, is called by the natives"Guid-guid" (Pteroptochos Tarnii), and by the English thebarking-bird. This latter name is well given; for I defy anyone at first to feel certain that a small dog is not yelpingsomewhere in the forest. Just as with the cheucau, a personwill sometimes hear the bark close by, but in vain manyendeavour by watching, and with still less chance by beatingthe bushes, to see the bird; yet at other times the guid-guidfearlessly comes near. Its manner of feeding and its generalhabits are very similar to those of the cheucau.

On the coast,

But it should always be recollected, that in some othercountry perhaps they are essential members of society, orat some former period may have been so. If Americasouth of 37 degs. were sunk beneath the waters of the ocean,these two birds might continue to exist in central Chile fora long period, but it is very improbable that their numberswould increase. We should then see a case which must inevitablyhave happened with very many animals.

These southern seas are frequented by several species ofPetrels: the largest kind, Procellaria gigantea, or nelly(quebrantahuesos, or break-bones, of the Spaniards), is a commonbird, both in the inland channels and on the open sea.In its habits and manner of flight, there is a very closeresemblance with the albatross; and as with the albatross, aperson may watch it for hours together without seeing onwhat it feeds. The "break-bones" is, however, a rapaciousbird, for it was observed by some of the officers at Port St.Antonio chasing a diver, which tried to escape by divingand flying, but was continually struck down, and at lastkilled by a blow on its head. At Port St. Julian these greatpetrels were seen killing and devouring young gulls. A secondspecies (Puffinus cinereus), which is common to Europe,Cape Horn, and the coast of Peru, is of much smaller sizethan the P. gigantea, but, like it, of a dirty black colour. Itgenerally frequents the inland sounds in very large flocks:I do not think I ever saw so many birds of any other sorttogether, as I once saw of these behind the island of Chiloe.Hundreds of thousands flew in an irregular line for severalhours in one direction. When part of the flock settled on thewater the surface was blackened, and a noise proceeded fromthem as of human beings talking in the distance.

There are several other species of petrels, but I will onlymention one other kind, the Pelacanoides Berardi whichoffers an example of those extraordinary cases, of a birdevidently belonging to one well-marked family, yet both inits habits and structure allied to a very distinct tribe. Thisbird never leaves the quiet inland sounds. When disturbedit dives to a distance, and on coming to the surface, with thesame movement takes flight. After flying by a rapid movementof its short wings for a space in a straight line, it drops,as if struck dead, and dives again. The form of its beak andnostrils, length of foot, and even the colouring of its plumage,show that this bird is a petrel: on the other hand, itsshort wings and consequent little power of flight, its formof body and shape of tail, the absence of a hind toe to itsfoot, its habit of diving, and its choice of situation, make itat first doubtful whether its relationship is not equally closewith the auks. It would undoubtedly be mistaken for an auk,when seen from a distance, either on the wing, or when divingand quietly swimming about the retired channels ofTierra del Fuego.