Ill
fe I'
tions consisted only of a few "species of Coleóptera, two or three
Lepidoptera, and two Hymenoptera.
Among the sea-shells, the most abundant was the P atella
deaurata, Lamk.; this, with three other species of Patella, one
Chiton, three species of Mytilus, three of Mureso, one of Crepi-
dula, and a Venus, were all that we collected.
About the country, near the sea-shore, there is a small tree,
whose stem and roots are highly esteemed for fuel by the crews
of sealing-vessels which frequent this coast. They call it
‘ piccolo.’ The leaf was described to me as having a prickle
upon it, and the flower as of a yellow colour. A species of
berberís also is found, which when ripe may afford a very
palatable fruit.
Our short visit gave us no flattering opinion of the fertility
of the country near this port. Of the interior we were ignorant
; but, from the absence of Indians and the scarcity of
fresh water, it is probably very bare of pasturage. Falkner,
the Jesuit missionary, says these parts were used by the
Tehuelhet tribes for burying-places: we saw, however, no
graves, nor any traces of bodies, excepting the jaw-bone above-
mentioned; but subsequently, at Sea Bear Bay, we found
many places on the summits of the hills which had evidently
been used for such a purpose, although then containing no
remains of bodies. This corresponds with Falkner’s account,
that after a period of twelve months the sepulchres are formally
visited by the tribe, when the bones of their relatives and friends
are collected and carried to certain places, where the skeletons
are arranged in order, and tricked out with all the finery and
ornaments they can collect.
The ships sailed from Port Santa Elena on the 6th December,
and proceeded to the southward, coasting the shore as far
as Cape Two Bays.
Our object being to proceed with all expedition to the Strait
of Magalhaens, the examination of this part of the coast was
reserved for a future opportunity. On the 13th, we had
reached within fifty miles of Cape Virgins, the headland at
the entrance of the strait, but it was directly in tjie wind s eye
of us. The wind veering to S.S.W., we made about a west
course. At day-light the land was in sight, terminating in a
point to the S .W ., so exactly like the description of Cape
Virgins and the view of it in Anson’s voyage, that without
considering our place on the chart, or calculating the previous
twenty-four hours’ run, it was taken for the Cape itself, and,
no one suspecting a mistake, thought of verifying the ship s
position. The point, however, proved to be Cape Fairweather.
It was not a little singular, that the same mistake should have
been made on board the Beagle, where the error was not discovered
for three days.*
From the appearance of the weather I was anxious to
approach the land in order to anchor, as there seemed to be
every likelihood of a gale; and we were not deceived, for at
three o’clock, being within seven miles of the Cape, a strong
wind sprung up from the S.VY., and the anchor was dropped.
Towards evening it blew so hard, that both ships dragged
their anchors for a considerable distance.
On the charts of this part of the coast the shore is described
to be formed of “ chalk hills, like the coast of Kent.” To
geologists, therefore, especially, as they were not disposed to
believe that such was the fact, this was a question of some
interest. From our anchorage the appearance of the land
favoured our belief of the existence of chalk. The outline was
very level and steep ; precipitous cliffs of whitish colour, strati-
iied horizontally, with their upper part occasionally worn into
hollows, strongly resembled the chalk cliffs of the English
coasts.
The gale prevented our landing for three days, when (19th)
a few minutes sufficed to discover that the cliffs were composed
* A similar error was made by one of the ships of the fleet under
Loyasa in the year 1525. The Nodales also, in their description of the
coast, mention the similarity of appearance in the two capes, Virgins and
Fairweather. Y venido de mar en fuera á buscar la tierra fácilmente
podían hacer de Rio de Gallegos el Cabo de Vírgenes,” (and in making
the land Cape Virgins may easily he mistaken for the river Gallegos).
Viage de los Nodales, p. 53.