and altered clay-slate. This part of Tierra del Fuego may he
considered as the extremity of the submerged chain of mountains
already alluded to. The cove takes its name of “ W igwam”
from some of the Fuegian habitations ; but every bay
in the neighbourhood might be so called with equal propriety.
The inhabitants living chiefly upon shell-fish, are obliged
constantly to change their place of residence ; but they return
at intervals to the same spots, as is evident from the
pile of old shells, which must often amount to some tons in
iveight. These heaps can be distinguished at a long distance
bv the bright green colour of certain plants, which invariably
grow on them. Among these may be enumerated the wild
celer)' and scurvy grass, two very serviceable plants, the use
of which has not been discovered by the natives.
The Fuegian wigwam resembles, in size and dimensions, a
haycock. It merely consists of a few broken branches stuck
in the ground, and very imperfectly thatched on one side with
a few tufts of grass and rushes. The whole cannot be so much
as the work of an hour, and it is only used for a few days.
At Goeree Roads I saw a place where one of these naked
men had slept, which absolutely offered no more cover than
the form of a hare. The man was evidently living by himself,
and York Minster said he was “ very bad man,” and
that probably he had stolen something. On the west coast,
however, the wigwams are rather better, for they are covered
with seal-skins. We were detained here several days by the
bad weather. The climate is certainly wretched ; the summer
solstice was now passed, yet every day snow fell on the hills,
and in the valleys there was rain, accompanied by sleet. The
thermometer generally stood about 45°, but in the night fell
to 38° or 40°. From the damp and boisterous state of the
atmosphere, not cheered by a gleam of sunshine, one fancied
the climate even worse than it really was.
At a subsequent period the Beagle anchored for a couple
of days under AVollaston Island, which is a short way to the
northward. While going on shore we pulled alongside a
A L
canoe with si.x Fuegians. These were the most abject and
miserable creatures I any where beheld.* On the east coast
the natives, as we have seen, have guanaco cloaks, and on the
west, they possess seal-skins. Amongst these central tribes
the men generally possess an otter-skin, or some small scrap
about as large as a pocket-handkerchief, which is barely sufficient
to cover their backs as low down as their loins. It is
laced across the breast by strings, and according as the wind
blows, it is shifted from side to side. But these Fuegians
in the canoe were quite naked, and even one full-grown
woman was absolutely so. It was raining heavily, and
the fresh water, together with the spray, trickled down her
body. In another harbour not far distant, a woman, who
was suckling a recently-born child, came one day alongside
the vessel, and remained there whilst the sleet fell and
thawed on her naked bosom, and on the skin of her naked
child. These poor wretches were stunted in their growth,
their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their skins
filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their voices discordant,
their gestures violent and without dignity. Viewing
such men, one can hardly make oneself believe they are
fellow-creatures, and inhabitants of the same world. It is a
common subject of conjecture what pleasure in life some of
the less gifted animals can enjoy: how much more reason-
* I b e liev e , in th is e x tr em e p a r t o f S o u th A m e ric a , m a n e x is ts in a
low e r s ta te o f im p ro v em e n t th a n in a n y o th e r p a r t o f th e w o r ld . T h e
S o u th S e a is la n d e r o f e ith e r ra c e is c om p a r a tiv e ly c iv iliz e d . T h e E s q u im
a u x , in h is s u b te r r a n e a n h u t, en jo y s som e o f th e c om fo rts o f life, a n d in
ins c an o e , w h e n fu lly e q u ip p e d , m an ife s ts m u c h s k ill. S om e o f th e trib e s
o f S o u th e rn Afric a , p row lin g a b o u t in s e a r c h o f ro o ts , a n d liv in g c o n c
e ale d o n th e wild a n d a r id p la in s , a r e su ffic ie n tly w r e tc h e d . B u t th e
A u s tra lia n , in th e s im p lic ity o f t h e a r ts o f life, comes n e a re s t t h e F u e g ia n .
H e c an , h ow e v e r, b o a s t o f h is b o om e ra n g , h is s p e a r a n d th row in g - s tic k ,
h is m e th o d o f c lim b in g tre e s , tra c k in g a n im a ls , a n d s c h em e o f h u n tin g .
A lth o u g h th u s s u p e rio r in a c q u ir em e n ts , i t b y n o m e a n s fo llows t h a t h e
s h o u ld lik ew ise b e so in c a p a b ilitie s . In d e e d , from w h a t w e saw o f th e
F u e g ian s , w h o w e re t a k e n to E n g la n d , I s h o u ld th in k th e c a se was th e
rev e rse .