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C H O N O S A l i C H l P H H A O O . Jan. 183.5.
of seals whicli we saw was quite ast.oiiisliiHg; every l)it, oi flat
rock, aud parts of the beach, were covered witli them.
They appeared to be of a loving disposition, and lay huddled
together, fast asleep, like so many p ig s ; but even pigs
would be ashamed of their dirt, and of the fold smell which
came from them. Each herd was watched by the patient
but inauspicious eyes of the turkey-buzzard. This disgusting
bird, with its bald scarlet head, formed to wallow in
putridity, is very common on the west coast, and their
attendance on the seals shows that they are dependant on
their mortality. AVe found the water (probably only that of
the surface) nearly fresh ; this was caused by the number of
torrents, which, in the form of cascades, came tumbling over
the bold granite mountains into the sea. The fresh water
attracts the fish, and these bring many terns, gulls, and two
kinds of cormorant. AA’e saw also a pair of the beautiful
black-necked swans, and several small sea-otters, the fur of
which is held in such high estimation. In returning we were
again amused by the impetuous manner in which the heap
of seals, old and young, tumbled into the water as the boat
passed. They did not remain long under, but rising, followed
us with outstretched necks, expressing great wonder and
curiosity.
7 t h .—Having run up the coast, we anchored near the
northern end of the Chonos Archipelago, in Lowe’s Harbour,
where we remained a week. The islands were here, as in
Chiloe, composed of a stratified littoral deposit of soft
sandstone with shingle; and the vegetation in consequence
was beautifully luxuriant. The woods came down to the
sea-beach, just in the same manner as an evergreen shrubbery
over a gravel walk. AVe also enjoyed from the
anchorage a splendid view of four great snowy cones of
the Cordillera, beginning with the saddle-topped volcano,
next “ el famoso Corcovado,” and then two others to the
southward. The range itself had in this latitude so little
elevation, that few parts of it appeared above the line of the
neighbouring islets. AA’e found here a party of five men
Jan. 183.5.
from Caylen, “ el fin del Cristiandad,” who had most adventurously
crossed the open space of sea which separates
Chonos from Chiloe, in their miserable lioat-canoe, for the
purpose of fishing. These islands will, in all probability, in
a short time become peojiled, like those adjoining the coast
of Chiloe.
Humboldt,* in his Essay on the Kingdom of New Spam,
has given a most interesting discussion on the history of the
common potato. He believes that the plant described by
Molina,! under the name of maglia, is the original stock of
this useful vegetable, and that it grows in Chile in its native
soil. He supposes that thence it was transported by the
Indian population to Peru, Quito, New Granada, and the
whole Cordillera, from 40° south to 5° north. He obsenres
that it is a remarkable circumstance, and in accordance with
all records respecting the course of the stream of American
population, that previously to the Spanish conquest, it was
unknown in Mexico. Among the Chonos Islands, a vild
potato grows in abundance, which in general habit is even
more closely similar to the cultivated kind than is the maglia
of Molina.
These potatoes grow near the sea-beach, in thick beds,
on a sandy, shelly soil, wherever the trees are not too close
together. In the middle of January they were in flower,
but the tubers were small, and few in number ; especially in
those plants which grew in the shade, and had the most
luxuriant foliage. Nevertheless, I found one which was of
an oval form, with one diameter two inches in length.
The raw bulbs had precisely the smell of the common
potato of England, but when cooked they shrunk, and
became watery and insipid. They had not a bitter taste, as,
according to Molina, is the case with the Chihan kind ; and
they could be eaten with safety. Some plants measured
* H um b o ld t’s N ew S p a in , b o o k iv ., c h a p . ix .
! M o lin a ’s C h ile , S p a n ish e d itio n , v o l. i., p . 136.
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