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January.

CHA P. V.

The Paffage through the Streight of Le Maire, and a further Defcription of the Inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, and its Productions.

N the 18th and 19th, we were delayed in getting on

1769 board our wood and water by a fwell: but on the 20th, ON

Wednef. 18.
Thursday 19.
Friday 20.

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the weather being more moderate, we again sent the boat on fhore, and Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went in it. They landed in the bottom of the bay, and while my people were employed in cutting brooms, they pursued their great object, the improvement of natural knowlege, with fuccefs, collecting many shells and plants which hitherto have been altogether unknown: they came on board to dinner, and afterwards went again on fhore to visit an Indian town, which fome of the people had reported to lie about two miles up the country. They found the diftance not more than by the account, and they approached it by what appeared to be the common road, yet they were above an hour in getting thither, for they were frequently up to their knees in mud; when they got within a small distance, two of the people came out to meet them, with fuch ftate as they could assume; when they joined them, they began to hollow as they had done on board the fhip, without addreffing themfelves either to the ftrangers or their companions; and having continued this ftrange vociferation fome time, they conducted them to the town. It was fituated on a dry knoll, or fmall hill, covered with wood, none of which feemed to have been cleared away, and confifted of about twelve or fourteen hovels, of the most

rude

rude and inartificial ftructure that can be imagined. They were nothing more than a few poles fet up fo as to incline towards each other, and meet at the top, forming a kind of a cone, like fome of our bee-hives: on the weather fide they were covered with a few boughs, and a little grafs; and on. the lee fide about one eighth of the circle was left open, both for a door and a fire place; and of this kind were the huts that had been seen in St. Vincent's bay, in one of which the embers of a fire were ftill remaining. Furniture they had none; a little grafs, which lay round the infide of the hovel, ferved both for chairs and beds; and of all the utenfils which neceffity and ingenuity have concurred to produce among other favage nations, they faw only a basket to carry in the hand, a fatchel to hang at the back, and the bladder of some beaft to hold water, which the natives drink through a hole: that is made near the top for that purpose.

The inhabitants of this town were a small tribe, not more than fifty in number, of both sexes and of every age. Their colour resembles that of the ruft of iron mixed with oil, and they have long black hair: the men are large, but clumfily built; their ftature is from five feet eight to five feet ten; the women are much lefs, few of them being more than five feet high. Their whole apparel confists of the skin of a guanicoe, or feal, which is thrown over their fhoulders, exactly in the state in which it came from the animal's back; a piece of the same skin, which is drawn over their feet, and gathered about the ancles like a purse, and a small flap, which is worn by the women as a fuccedaneum for a fig-. leaf. The men wear their cloak open, the women tie it about their waift with a thong. But although they are content to be naked, they are very ambitious to be fine. Their faces were painted in various forms: the region of the cye:

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was in general white, and the reft of the face adorned with horizontal streaks of red and black; yet scarcely any two were exactly alike. This decoration feems to be more profuse and elaborate upon particular occafions, for the two Gentlemen who introduced Mr. Banks and the Doctor into the town,were almoft covered with ftreaks of black in all directions, fo as to make a very striking appearance. Both men and women wore bracelets of fuch beads as they could make themselves of fmall fhells or bones; the women both upon their wrists and ancles, the men upon their wrifts only; but to compenfate for the want of bracelets on their legs, they wore a kind of fillet of brown worsted round their heads. They seemed to fet a particular value upon any thing that was red, and preferred beads even to a knife or a hatchet.

Their language in general is guttural, and they express fome of their words by a found exactly like that which we make to clear the throat when any thing happens to obstruct it; ; yet they have words which would be deemed foft in the better languages of Europe. Mr. Banks learnt what he supposes to be their name for beads and water. When they wanted beads, instead of ribbons or other trifles, they faid hallěcă; and when they were taken on shore from the ship, and by figns asked where water might be found, they made the fign of drinking, and pointing as well to the casks as the watering place, cried Ooda.

We faw no appearance of their having any food but shellfish; for though seals were frequently feen near the shore, they seemed to have no implements for taking them. The fhell-fish is collected by the women, whofe bufinefs it feems to be to attend at low water, with a basket in one hand, a ftick, pointed and barbed, in the other, and a satchel at their backs: they loosen the limpets, and other fish that adhere to

the rocks, with the stick, and put them into the basket; 1769. which, when full, they empty into the fatchel.

The only things that we found among them in which there was the least appearance of neatness or ingenuity, were their weapons, which confifted of a bow and arrows. The bow was not inelegantly made, and the arrows were the neatest that we had ever feen: they were of wood, polished to the highest degree; and the point, which was of glass or flint, and barbed, was formed and fitted with wonderful dexterity. We faw alfo fome pieces of glafs and flint among them unwrought, befides rings, buttons, cloth, and canvass, with other European commodities; they must therefore fometimes travel to the northward, for it is many years fince any fhip has been fo far fouth as this part of Terra del Fuego. We obferved also, that they fhewed no furprife at our firearms, with the use of which they appeared to be well acquainted; for they made figns to Mr. Banks to shoot a feal which followed the boat as they were going on shore from the fhip.

M. de Bougainville, who, in January 1768, just one year before us, had been on shore upon this coaft in latitude 53° 40′ 41′′, had, among other things, given glass to the people whom he found here; for he says, that a boy about twelve years old took it into his head to eat fome of it: by this unhappy accident he died in great misery; but the endeavours of the good father, the French Aumonier, were more fuccefsful than thofe of the Surgeon; for though the Surgeon could not fave his life, the charitable Priest found means to steal a Christian baptism upon him so secretly, that none of his Pagan relations knew any thing of the matter. These people might probably have some of the very glass which Bougainville left behind him, either from other natives, or perhaps VOL. II. from

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from himself; for they appeared rather to be a travelling hord, than to have any fixed habitation. Their houses are built to ftand but for a fhort time; they have no utenfil or furniture but the basket and satchel, which have been mentioned before, and which have handles adapted to the carrying them about, in the hand and upon the back; the only cloathing they had here was scarcely fufficient to prevent their perishing with cold in the fummer of this country, much lefs in the extreme feverity of winter; the shell-fish which feems to be their only food must foon be exhausted at any one place; and we had seen houses upon what appeared to be a deserted station in St. Vincent's bay.

It is also probable that the place where we found them was only a temporary refidence, from their having here nothing like a boat or canoe, of which it can scarcely be fuppofed that they were wholly deftitute, especially as they were not fea-fick, or particularly affected, either in our boat or on board the fhip. We conjectured that there might be a streight or inlet, running from the sea through great part of this island, from the Streight of Magellan, whence these people might come, leaving their canoes where fuch inlet terminated.

They did not appear to have among them any government or fubordination: none was more refpected than another; yet they seemed to live together in the utmost harmony and good fellowship. Neither did we discover any appearance of religion among them, except the noifes which have been mentioned, and which we fuppofed to be a fuperftitious ceremony, merely because we could refer them to nothing elfe: they were used only by one of thofe who came on board the fhip, and the two who conducted Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander to the town, whom we therefore conjectured to be priests.

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