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In a small cave near the “ governor’s dripstone,” an old sailor
lived during several y e a rs: he had been unfortunate, and was
tired of the world. Ten-apin and potatoes were his food, till
a former ñiend, the master of a whaler, recognised him, and carried
him away by force. So strongly was the old man attached
to his cave, that he shed tears when taken away.
There are goats and hogs upon this island, b u t they are
scarce and wild, not having yet had time to increase m u ch ;
they are hunted with dogs, though it would be wiser to let
them alone for a few years. T h e settlers have abundance of
vegetables, and depend chiefly upon terrapin for their meat.
Many of these animals being large and heavy, the people
who go in search of them kill and open them on the spot,
then take out the fleshy pieces and p u t them in a bag. Th u s
one man can carry away the useful parts of more terrapins
than several men could lift.
T h e quantity of tortoise shells lying about the ground,
shows what havock has been made among these helpless animals.
On the lower ground, near the spring, I saw an apology
for a garden, in which the large terrapin shells were used to
cover young plants, instead of flower pots. In a place one
has not seen before, some marked peculiarity occasionally
reminds one, more forcibly than the ordinary novelties of
scenery, th a t all around is strange and new. T h e palm-trees
and arid appearance of St. Jago, the sedan chairs of Bahia,
the boats of Rio de Janeiro, the beef carts of Monte Video
the travelling waggons of Buenos Ayres, the ‘ toldo ’ of the
Patagonian, the wigwam of the Fuegian, the wooden houses
and clogs of San Carlos de Childe, the stockades o f Valdivia,
the effects of earthquake a t Concepcion, the concentrated
bustle o f Valparaiso, the quiet and uniform serenity of Coquimbo,
women riding astride and troops of ill-used donkeys
at Lima, are a few instances among the multitude of such
local peculiarities.
Small birds are numerous on this island, and so remarkably
tame th a t they may be knocked down with a stick. Lizards
are also numerous ; and there are a few small snakes, bu t those
we caught were not venomous. Among the useful vegetables
we noticed the plaintain, pumpkin, yuca, Quito orange, castor
oil plant and melon, besides those before mentioned.
Returning on board we met Mr. Stokes on his way from
the southern parts of the is la n d : he described the lava thereabouts
as having such a form and rugged surface as the sea
would present if suddenly congealed, while ruffled by a very
strong wind.
26th. After completing the necessary observations in Post-
Office Bay, we weighed and worked round to an anchorage off
Black Beach : and at nine in the evening Mr. Chaffers returned,
having been round the south side of this island after
visiting the small eastern islets. H e found much difficulty in
landing on them, b u t succeeded, and from the top of Gardner
Islet saw a dangei’ous breaker about a mile to the south eastward.
27th. B e i n g Sunday, many of the officers and ship’s company
were on shore in the afternoon, and some of the officers went
to the top of the highest hill, which has a crater, as have all
the hills we examined about these islands; and these craters are
all similarly broken down on the side towards the south.
28th. Having taken on board live pigs and a quantity of
veo-etables, we weighed and stood towards Albemarle Island.
P o u r small islets, the remains of volcanoes, lie near the low
south-east extreme of this island, and together with Brattle
Islet, are extremely useful in warning vessels of their approach
to a very dangerous piece of coast. So low are the south-eastern
extremities of Albemarle Island that they are not discernible
until you see the surf on the shore. A heavy swell setting towards
the land, and generally light winds, add to the danger
of getting near this co a st; b u t there is anchorage in case of
necessity.
Albemarle Island is a singular mass of volcanic ejections.
Six volcanoes have there raised their summits from two to
four thousand feet above the ocean, and from them immense
quantities of lava have from time to time flowed towards the
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