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1769. January.

with the inhabitants of Europe. There are, however, other quadrupeds in this part of the country; for when Mr. Banks was at the top of the highest hill that he afcended in his expedition through the woods, he saw the footsteps of a large beast imprinted upon the furface of a bog, though he could not with any probability guefs of what kind it might be.

Of land-birds there are but few; Mr. Banks faw none larger than an English blackbird, except fome hawks and a vulture; but of waterfowl there is great plenty, particularly ducks. Of fish we faw fcarce any, and with our hooks could catch none that was fit to eat; but fhellfifh, limpets, clams, and muffels were to bel found in abundance.

Among the infects, which were not numerous, there was neither gnat nor musquito, nor any other species that was either hurtful or troublesome, which perhaps is more than can be said of any other uncleared country. During the fnow-blafts, which happened every day while we were here, they hide themfelves; and the moment it is fair they appear again, as nimble and vigorous as the warmest weather could make them.

Of plants, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found a vast variety; the far greater part wholly different from any that have been hitherto defcribed. Befides the birch and Winter's bark, which have

been

been mentioned already, there is the beech, Fagus antarcticus, which, as well as the birch, may be used for timber. The plants cannot be enumerated here; but as the scurvy-grass, Cardamine antifcorbutica, and the wild celery, Apium antarЯticum, probably contain antifcorbutic qualities, which may be of great benefit to the crews of fuch ships as fhall hereafter touch at this place, the following short defcription is inferted:

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The fcurvy-grafs will be found in plenty in damp places, near springs of water, and in general in all places that lie near the beach, efpecially at the watering-place in the Bay of Good Success: when it is young, the state of its greatest perfection, it lies flat upon the ground, having many leaves of a bright green, standing in pairs oppofite to each other, with a fingle one at the end, which generally makes the fifth upon a foot stalk: the plant, paffing from this state, shoots up in ftalks that are fometimes two feet high, at the top of which are small white bloffoms, and thefe are fucceeded by long pods: the whole plant greatly resembles that which in England is called Lady's fmock, or Cuckow-flower. The wild celery is very like the celery in our gardens, the flowers are white, and stand in the same manner, in fmall tufts at the top of the branches, but the leaves are of a 'deeper green. It grows in great abundance

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1769. near the beach, and generally upon the foil that January lies next above the spring tides. It may indeed

Sunday 22.

eafily be known by the taste, which is between that of celery and parsley. We used the celeryin large quantities, particularly in our soup, which, thus medicated, produced the fame good effects which feamen generally derive from a vegetable diet, after having been long confined to salt provisions.

On Sunday the 22d of January, about two o'clock in the morning, having got our wood and water on board, we failed out of the Bay, and continued our courfe through the Streight.

CHAP

CHAP. VI.

A general Defcription of the S. E. Part of Terra del Fuego, and the Streight of Le Maire; with fome Remarks on Lord Anfon's Account of them, and Dis rections for the Paffage Weftward, round this Part of America, into the South Seas.

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LMOST all writers who have mentioned

the island of Terra del Fuego, defcribe January it as deftitute of wood, and covered with fnow. In the winter it may poffibly be covered with fnow, and thofe who faw it at that feafon might perhaps be easily deceived, by its appear ance, into an opinion that it was deftitute of wood. Lord Anson was there in the beginning of March, which anfwers to our September; and we were there the beginning of January, which anfwers to our July, which may account for the difference of his defcription of it from ours. We fell in with it about twenty-one leagues to the weftward of the Streight of Le Maire, and from the time that we firft faw it, trees were plainly to be diftinguished with our glaffes; and as we came nearer, though, here and there we discovered patches of fnow, the fides of the hills and the fea-coaft appeared to be covered

1769. with a beautiful verdure. The hills are lofty, January, but not mountainous, though the fummits

of them are quite naked. The foil in the valleys is rich, and of a confiderable depth; and at the foot of almost every hill there is a brook, the water of which has a reddish hue, like that which runs through our turf bogs in England, but it is by no means ill tafted, and upon the whole proved to be the best that we took in during our voyage. We ranged the coaft to the Streight, and had foundings all the way from 40 to 20 fathom, upon a gravelly and fandy bottom. The moft remarkable land on Terra del Fuego is a hill, in the form of a fugar-loaf, which stands on the weft fide not far from the fea; and the three hills, called the Three Brothers, about nine miles to the westward of Cape St. Diego, the low point that forms the north entrance of the Streight of Le Maire.

It is faid in the account of Lord Anfon's voyage, that it is difficult to determine exactly where the Streight lies, though the appearance of Terra del Fuego be well known, without knowing alfo the appearance of Staten Land; and that fome navigators have been deceived by three hills on Staten Land, which have been miftaken for the Three Brothers on Terra del Fuego, and fo over-shot the Streight. But no fhip can poffibly mifs the Streight that coafts

Terra

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