aggerated ; for, ip the course of a. three weeks* residence, in
which we visited" every quarter of the town and its neighbourhood,
we saw nothing that could warrant any such conclusion
; and I should r a tW be inclined to think that the whole
force of the Brazils, from one extremity to the other, did
not amount in regular troops to more than ten thousand
men.
T R I S T A N D A C U N H A . >37
C II A P. VI.
T H E I S LANDS OF T R I S T A N DA C CN I IA A N D AMS T ERDAM.
Advantageous Situation of Tristan da Cunha— Description and Dimensions of
the Island of Amsterdam— Crater— Other volcanic Appearances— Thermal
Springs Boiling Fish in them— Sharks— Observations on the digestive
Powers of the Stomachs of Animals— Birds taken on the Island—Plants—
Proofs of its being a new Island— Examples of new Creations— Theories of
the Earth— Seal-Catchers found on the Island.
A s the three uninhabited islands of Tristan da Cunha are
situated nearly in the track of ships on their outward-bound
passage to the Indian Ocean, we steered directly for them,
and on the 31st of December we anchored on the north side
of the principal island, in 32 fathoms, at the distance of
about half a mile only from the shore. As it was late in the
day when the ships anchored, little communication was had
with the shore ; but the evening was spent in laying our plan
for accomplishing a complete tour of the island, by setting
out from the ship at an early hour the following morning.
This plan was, however, frustrated by a sudden gust of wind
driving the Lion from her anchorage, so that I can give only
a very general idea of the nature and extent of this island.
Its situation is in latitude 37° 7' south, and longitude, according
to our chronometers, 12° 10' west. I t does not appear to
be more than ten or twelve miles in circuit. In the centre of
T