priests. Upon the whole, these people appeared to be the most destitute and forlorn, as well as the moft ftupid of all human beings; the outcafts of Nature, who spent their lives in wandering about the dreary waftes, where two of our people perished with cold in the midst of summer; with no dwelling but a wretched hovel of sticks and grass, which would not only admit the wind, but the snow and the rain almost naked; and deftitute of every convenience that is furnished by the rudeft art, having no implement even to dress their food yet they were content. They seemed to have no wish for any thing more than they poffeffed, nor did any thing that we offered them appear acceptable but beads, as an ornamental fuperfluity of life. What bodily pain they might suffer from the feverities of their winter we could not know; but it is certain, that they fuffered nothing from the want of the innumerable articles which we confider, not as the luxuries and conveniencies only, but the neceffaries of life: as their defires are few, they probably enjoy them all; and how much they may be gainers by an exemption from. the care, labour and folicitude, which arise from a perpetual and unsuccessful effort to gratify that infinite variety of defires which the refinements of artificial life have produced among us, is not very easy to determine: poffibly this may counterbalance all the real disadvantages of their situation in comparison with ours, and make the fcales by which good and evil are diftributed to man, hang even between us.

In this place we faw no quadruped except feals, sea-lions, and dogs; of the dogs it is remarkable that they bark, which thofe that are originally bred in America do not. And this is a further proof, that the people we faw here had, either immediately or remotely, communicated with the inhabitants of Europe. There are, however, other quadrupeds in this part of the country; for when Mr. Banks was at the top I 2

of

1769.

January.

1769. January.

of the highest hill that he afcended in his expedition through the woods, he faw the footsteps of a large beaft imprinted upon the furface of a bog, though he could not with any probability guess 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 water-fowl there is great plenty, particularly ducks. Of fish we saw scarce any, and with our hooks could catch none that was fit to eat; but shell-fish, limpets, clams, and muscles were to be found in abundance.

Among the infects, which were not numerous, there was neither gnat nor mufquito, nor any other species that was either hurtful or troublesome, which perhaps is more than can be faid of any other uncleared country. During the fnow-blafts, which happened every day while we were here, they hide themselves; 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 vaft variety; the far greater part wholly different from any that have been hitherto defcribed. Befides the birch, and winter's bark, which have been mentioned already, there is the beach, Fagus antarcticus, which, as well as the birch, may be used for timber. The plants cannot be enumerated here; but as the fcurvy-grafs, Cardamine antifcorbutica, and the wild celery, Apium antarcticum, probably contain antiscorbutic qualities, which may be of great benefit to the crews of fuch fhips as fhall hereafter touch at this place, the following short description is inferted:

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, especially at the watering-place in the Bay

of

of Good Succefs: 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 opposite to each other,
with a single 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 these 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 fame manner, in small tufts at
the top of the branches, but the leaves are of a deeper green.
It grows in great abundance near the beach, and generally
upon the foil that lies next above the spring tides. It may
indeed easily be known by the taste, which is between that
of celery and parsley. We used the celery in large quanti-
ties, particularly in our foup, which, thus medicated, pro-
duced the fame good effects which seamen generally derive
from a vegetable diet, after having been long confined to falt
provifions.

1769.

January.

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

out of the Bay, and continued our course through the
Streight.

CHAP.

С НА Р. VI.

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

1769, A

January.

LMOST all writers who have mentioned the island of Terra del Fuego, describe it as deftitute of wood, and covered with snow. In the winter it may poffibly be covered with fnow, and those who saw it at that season might perhaps be easily deceived, by its appearance, into an opinion that it was deftitute of wood. Lord Anson was there in the beginning of March, which answers to our September; and we were there the beginning of January, which answers to our July, which may account for the difference of his description of it from ours. We fell in with it about twentyone leagues to the weftward of the Streight of Le Maire, and from the time that we firft faw it, trees were plainly to be distinguished with our glaffes; and as we came nearer, though here and there we discovered patches of snow, the sides of the hills and the fea-coaft appeared to be covered with a beautiful verdure. The hills are lofty, 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

the whole proved to be the best that we took in during our voyage. We ranged the coast to the Streight, and had foundings all the way from 40 to 20 fathom, upon a gravelly and fandy bottom. The most remarkable land on Terra del Fuego is a hill, in the form of a fugar-loaf, which ftands on the weft fide not far from the fea; and the three hills, called the three brothers, about nine miles to the weftward of Cape St. Diego, the low point that forms the north entrance of the Streight of Le Maire.

1769.

January.

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 also the appearance of Staten Land; and that some navigators have been deceived by three hills on Staten Land, which have been mistaken for the three brothers on Terra del Fuego, and fo over-fhot the Streight. But no ship can poffibly miss the Streight that coafts Terra del Fuego within fight of land, for it will then, of itself, be fufficiently confpicuous; and Staten Land, which forms the east fide, will be ftill more manifeftly distinguished, for there is no land on Terra del Fuego like it. The Streight of Le Maire can be miffed only by ftanding too far to the eastward, without keeping the land of Terra del Fuego in fight: if this is done, it may be miffed, however accurately the appearance of the coaft of Staten Land may have been exhibited; and if this is not done, it cannot be miffed, though the appearance of that coaft be not known. The entrance of the Streight should not be attempted but with a fair wind and moderate weather, and upon the very beginning of the tide of flood, which happens here, at the full and change of the moon, about one or two o'clock; it is also beft to keep as near to the Terra del Fuego fhore as the winds will admit. By attending to these particulars, a fhip may be got quite through the

Streight