I' ! «!> l l
V 'i'
4 ,
F rom th e r e g u la r ity o f th e d ire c tio n o f th e s tra ta in th e slate
d is tric ts th e vallies a re v e ry ex ten siv e , a n d , b e in g b o u n d e d on
e ith e r side b y p re c ip ito u s m o u n ta in s m u c h in te rs e c te d b y d e ep
ra v in e s, re c e iv e la rg e stre am s o f w a te r, w h ic h , u n itin g to g e th e r in
th e ir course to th e sea, fo rm n o in co n sid e rab le riv e rs . D u r in g
th e w in te r m o n th s th e se r iv e rs be com e swollen a n d overflow th e ir
b a n k s, a n d d ep o sit a q u a n tity o f a llu v ium , w h ic h , b le n d in g w ith th e
fa lle n le av es a n d o th e r p u tr e s c e n t su b stan c es, p ro d u c e s a goo d
su p erfic ia l soil, in w h ich tre e s g row to a la rg e size, a n d th e s h ru b s
a n d sm aller p la n ts becom e p a rtic u la rly lu x u r ia n t a n d p ro d u c tiv e .
A t P o r t F am in e , a n d in its n e ig h b o u rh o o d , th e e v e rg re en b e e c h
{Fagus hetuloides) g row s in th e g re a te s t a b u n d a n c e , a n d re a ch e s a
v e ry la rg e size. T ree s o f th is species, o f th r e e fe e t in diam e ter,
a re a b u n d a n t ; o f fo u r fe e t, th e re a re m a n y ; a n d th e re is one
tre e (p e rh a p s th e v e ry same n o tic e d b y Com m o d o re B y ro n * ),
w h ic h m e a su re s seven fe e t in d iam e te r fo r sev en te e n fe e t above
th e ro o ts, a n d th e n d ivide s in to th r e e la rg e b ra n ch e s , e ach o f
w h ic h is th re e fe e t th ro u g h . T h is v e n e rab le tre e seemed to be
so u n d , b u t from o u r e x p e rie n c e o f s ev e ra l o th e rs th a t w e re c u t
d ow n , m ig h t b e ex p e c te d to p ro v e ro tte n in th e c en tre . Th is
te n d e n c y to d e c a y in g in th e h e a r t m ay b e a ttr ib u te d to th e coldness
o f th e schistose su b -so il u p o n w h ic h th e tre e s a re ro o ted , as
w e ll as to th e p e rp e tu a l m o is tu re o f th e c lim a te above a llu d e d to .
T h e slate fo rm a tio n ceases a t P o r t S t. M a ry , b u t th e r e is no
d e c id ed c h a n g e in th e v e g e ta tio n u n til w e come to C ap e N e g ro ,
w h e re th e clay commences ; a n d from th e n c e o nw a rd s th e re is n o t
a ti-ee to b e fo u n d . T h e n a tu re o f th e soil is n o t fa v o u rab le to
p la n ts w h ic h ta k e a d e ep ro o t, a n d , th e re fo re , o n ly s h ru b s a n d
g ra sse s a re fo u n d ; th e fo rm e r a re th in ly s c a tte re d o v e r th e exten
siv e p la in s w h ic h ch a ra c te rise th is c o u n try ; b u t th e grasses a re
a b u n d a n t, a n d a lth o u g h o f a h a rsh a n d d ry ap p e a ra n c e , m u s t be
n o u rish in g , fo r th e y fo rm th e chosen food o f n um e ro u s a n d la rg e
h e rd s o f g uanacoes.
B esides th e e v e rg re e n be ech a b o v e-m en tio n ed , th e re a re b u t
few o th e r tre e s in th e S tr a it th a t c an be co n sid e re d as tim b e r tre e s.
S u c h a n ap p ellatio n o n ly be lo n g s to tw o o th e r species o f be ech
a n d th e W in te r’s b a rk . T h e la st, w h ic h is also a n ev erg re en , is to
b e fo u n d m ix ed w ith th e first, in a ll p a rts o f th e S tr a it ; so th a t
* Hawkesworth, V’oyages, i. 38.
th e c o u n try a n d h ills, from th e h e ig h t o f tw o th o u s a n d fe e t above
th e sea, to th e v e ry v e rg e o f th e h ig h -w a te r m a rk , a re co v ered
w ith a p e rp e tu a l v e rd u re w h ic h is rem a rk a b ly s trik in g , p a rtic u la rly
in those pla c es w h e re th e gla c iers d e sc en d in to th e s e a ; th e s u d d
en c o n tra s t in su ch cases p re s e n tin g to th e view a scene as a g re e ab
le as i t seems to b e an omalous. 1 h a v e m y s e lf seen v e g e ta tio n
th r iv in g most lu x u ria n tly , a n d la rg e w o o d y -s tem m ed tre e s o f
F u c h s ia a n d Veronica* (in E n g la n d co n sid e red a n d tre a te d as
te n d e r p la n ts ), in fu ll flower, w ith in a v e ry s h o rt d is tan c e o f th e
b ase o f a m o u n ta in , co v e red fo r tw o -th ird s d ow n w ith snow, a n d
w ith th e tem p e ra tu re a t 36°. T h e F u c h s ia c e rta in ly was r a re ly
fo u n d ex c ep t in sh e lte re d spots, b u t n o t so th e V e ro n ic a ; fo r th e
b eaches o f th e b ay s on th e w e st sid e o f S a n J u a n I s la n d a t P o r t
S a n A n to n io are lin e d w ith tre e s o f th e la tte r, g row in g ev en m th e
v e ry w a sh o f th e sea. T h e r e is no p a r t o f th e S tr a it m o re exp
o sed to th e w in d th a n th is , fo r it faces th e re a ch to th e w e st o f
C ap e F row a rd , d ow n w h ich th e w in d c o n stan tly b low s, a n d b n n g s
w ith i t a succession o f ra in , sleet, o r s n ow ; a n d in th e w in te r
m o n th s , from A p ril to A u g u s t, th e g ro u n d is co v ered w ith a la y e r
o f snow, from six in ch e s to tw o or th re e fe e t in d e p th .
T h e r e m u s t b e , th e re fo re , some p e c u lia r q u a lity in th e a tmosp
h e re o f th is o th e rw is e rig o ro u s c lim a te w h ic h fav o u rs v e g e ta tio n ;
fo r i f n o t, th e se c om p a ra tiv e ly d e lic a te p la n ts c o u ld n o t liv e a n d
flourish th ro u g h th e lo n g a n d severe w in te rs o f th is reg io n .
I n th e sum m e r, th e tem p e ra tu re a t n ig h t wa s fr e q u e n tly as low
as 29° o f F a h re n h e it, a n d y e t I n e v e r n o tic e d th e fo llowin g m o rn in
g any b lig h t or in ju r y su sta in e d b y th e se p la n ts , ev en in th e
s lig h te s t d eg re e.
I h a v e occasionally, d u r in g th e sum m e r, b e e n u p th e g re a te r
p a r t o f tb e n ig h t a t m y o b s e rv a to ry , w ith th e in te rn a l as well^ as
th e e x te rn a l th e rm om e te rs as low as fre e z in g p o in t, w ith o u t b e in g
p a rtic u la rly w a rm ly clad, a n d y e t n o t fe e lin g th e le a s t c o ld ; a n d
in th e w in te r, th e th e rm om e te r, on s im ila r occasions, h a s b e en a t
24,° a n d 2 6 °, w ith o u t m y su ffe rin g th e s lig h te s t in co n v en ien c e .
T h is I a ttr ib u te d a t th e tim e to th e p e cu lia r stillness o f th e a ir,
a lth o u g h , w ith in a sh o rt d is tan c e in th e offing a n d o v e rh e ad , th e
w in d was h ig h . ^ ,
W h ils t u p o n th is su b jec t, th e re a re tw o facts w h ich m a y b e
* T h e stems of both from six to seven inches in diameter.