.!) '
ill
S'
and hearty. He made all arrangements rvith the
paymaster ahont supplying us with fresli meat and
potatoes with intelligence and a keen eye to business.
After the departure of our guests, we landed and
spent a long day on shore, exploring the natural
history of the neighbourhood of the settlement and
learning wliat we could of its economy, under the
guidance of Green and some of the better informed
of the elders; while others, and more particularly
some active dark-eyed young women, got together
the various things required for the ship, each
bringing a tally to Green of her particular con-
trihution, which he valued and noted. Most of
those Avho left the island in the ‘ Geyser’ and the
‘Galatea’ have returned, and the colony at present
consists of eighty-four souls in fifteen families, the
females heing slightly in the majority. Most of
the settlers are in some Avay connected with the
Cape of Good Hope; some are Americans. The
greater number of the Avomen are Mulattoes. Many
of the men are engaged in the seal and whale
fishery, and as that has u o a v nearly come to an
end on their oaa'u shores, they are generally employed
on hoard American Avhalers in the southern seas.
We had a good deal of conversation with a son of
Governor Glass, a very intelligent handsome young
man, Avho had been at Kerguelen-land, and at several
other whaling stations in the south, and who gave
us some useful information. The chief traffic of
the islanders is with these American ships, from
eight to tAvelve of Avhich call in passing yearly, to
barter manufactured goods and household stuffs
for fresh vegetables and potatoes.
kii,;
Iiii: -■
The fifteen families possess from five to six hundred
head of cattle, and about an equal number of sheep,
AA'ith pigs and poultry in large numbers. Beef AA'as
sold to our messman at 4 d a pound, mutton at 4 d ,
pork someAAdiat cheaper, and geese at 5s. each, so
th a t the Tristaners, so long as they can command
a market—and the number of tlieir occasional visitors
is increasing Avitli increasing communication and
commerce—cannot he considered in any Avay ill off.
Their isolation and their respectability, maintained
certainly Avith great resolution and under trying
circumstances, induce a perhaps someAvhat u n reasonable
sympathy for them, which they by no
means discourage and which usually manifests
itself in substantial gifts.
The cottages are solid and comfortable. They
usually consist of two or three rooms, and are built
of a dark broAim tufaceous stone, Avhich they blast
in large blocks from the rocks ahove, and shape
Avith great accuracy Avith axes. Many of the blocks
are upwards of a ton in weight, and they are cut
so as to lock into one another in a double roAV in
the thickness of the wall, Avith smaller pieces equally
carefully fitted hetAveen them. There is no lime
on the island, so th a t the blocks are fitted on the
Cyclopean plan, Avithout cement. With all precautions,
however, the Avind sometimes hloAvs from
the south-AA'est with such fury th a t even these
massive dwellings are hloAvn doAvn; and Ave were
assured th a t the rough blocks, brought from the
mountain and laid on the ground to be fashioned,
are sometimes tumbled about by the force of the
wind.
VOL. I I . M