CONTENTS. Porto Praya-Ribeira Grande - Atmospheric Dust with Infuseria-Habits of a Sea-slug and Cuttle-fish-St. Paul's Rocks, non volcanic- Singular incrustations-Insects the first Colo- nists of Islands-Fernando Noronha-Bahia -Burnished Rocks-Habits of a Diodon- Excursion to St. Fé-Thistle-Beds-Habits of the Bizcacha-Little Owl-Saline Streams- Level Plains-Mastodon-St. Fé-Change in Landscape Geology-Tooth of extinct Horse -Relation of the Fossil and recent Quadrupeds of North and South America-Effects of a great Drought-Parana-Habits of the Jaguar -Scissor-beak - King-fisher, Parrot, and Excursion to Colonia del Sacramiento-Value of an Estancia-Cattle, how counted-Sin- gular Breed of Oxen-Perforated Pebbles- Shepherd-Dogs-Horses broken-in, Gauchos Riding-Character of Inhabitants-Rio Plata -Flocks of Butter es-Aeronaut Spiders- Phosphorescence of the Sea-Port Desire- Guanaco-Port St. Julian-Geology of Pata- gonia Fossil gigantic Animal-Types of Organization constant-Change in the Zoo logy of America-Causes of Extinction. 142 Santa Cruz-Expedition up the River-Indians -Immense Streams of Basaltic Lava-Frag- ments not transported by the River-Exca- vation of the Valley-Condor, habits of- Cordillera-Erratic Boulders of great size- Indian Relics-Return to the Ship-Falk- land Islands-Wild Horses, Cattle, Rabbits- Wolf-like Fox-Fire made of Bones-Man- ner of hunting Wild Cattle - Geology - Streams of Stones-Scenes of Violence- Tierra del Fuego, first arrival-Good Success Bay-An Account of the Fuegians on board -Interview with the Savages-Scenery of the Forests-Cape Horn-Wigwam Cove- Miserable Condition of the Savages-Famines -Cannibals-Matricide-Religious Feelings -Great Gale-Beagle Channel--Ponsonly Sound-Build Wigwams and settle the Fue gians-Bifurcation of the Beagle Channel- Glaciers-Return to the Ship-Second Visit in the Ship to the Settlement-Equality of Condition amongst the Natives....... 204 Strait of Magellan-Port Famine-Ascent of Mount Tarn-Forests- Edible Fungus-- Zoology-Great Sea-weed-Leave Tierra del Fuego-Climate-Fruit Trees and Produc- tions of the Southern Coasts-Height of Snow-line on the Cordil'era - Descent of Glaciers to the Sea-Icebergs formed-Trans portal of Boulders - Climate and Produc -Structure of the Land-Ascend the Bell of Quillota-Shattered Masses of Greenstone- Immense Valleys-Mines-State of Miners -Santiago-Hot-baths of Cauquenes-Gold- mines-Grinding-mills-Perforated Stones Conct-road to Coquimbo-Great loads carried by the miners-Coquimbo-Earthquake- Step-formed terraces-Absence of recent de- posits-Contemporaneousness of the Tertiary formations-Excursion up the valley-Road to Guasco-Deserts-Valley of Copiapó- Rain and earthquakes-Hydrophobia-The Despoblado-Indian Ruins-Probable change of climate-River-bed arched by an earth- quake-Cold gales of wind-Noises from a hill-Iquique-Salt alluvium Nitrate of soda-Lima-Unhealthy country-Ruins of Callao, overthrown by an earthquake-Recent subsidence - Elevated shells on San Lorenzo, their decomposition Plain with embedded canic-Number of craters-Leafless Leches- Colony at Charles Island-James Island- Salt-lake in crater-Natural History of the group Ornithology, curious finches-Rep tiles-Great tortoises, habits of-Marine li zard, feeds on sea-weed-Terrestrial lizard, burrowing habits, herbivorous - Importance of reptiles in the Archipelago-Fish, shells, insects-Botany-American type of organi- zation-Differences in the species or races on different islands-Tameness of the birds- Fear of man, an acquired instinct...... 372 Pass through the Low Archipelago-Tahiti- Aspect-Vegetation on the Mountains-View of Eimeo-Excursion into the Interior-Pro- found Ravines-Succession of Waterfalls- Number of wild useful Plants-Temperance of the Inhabitants-Their moral state-Par- liament convened-New Zealand-Bay of Islands Hippahs-Excursion to Waimate- Missionary Establishment-English Weeds now run wild-Waiomio-Funeral of a New Zealand Woman-Sail for Australia.... 402 Sydney-Excursion to Bathurst-Aspect of the Woods-Party of Natives-Gradual extinc- tion of the Aborigines-Infection generated by associated men in health-Blue Moun- tains-View of the grand gulf-like Valleys- Their origin and formation-Bathurst, gene- ral civility of the lower orders-State of So- ciety-Van Diemen's Land-Hobart Town -Aborigines all banished-Mount Welling- ton-King George's Sound-Cheerless aspect of the Country-Bald Head, calcareous casts Keeling Island-Singular appearance - Scanty Flora-Transport of Seeds-Birds and Insects Ebbing and flowing Wells - Fields of dead Coral-Stones transported in the roots of trees Great Crab-Stinging Corals - Coral-eating Fish- Coral Formations-La- goon Islands, or Atolls-Depth at which reef- building Corals can live-Vast Areas inter- spersed with low Coral Islands-Subsidence of their foundations-Barrier Reefs-Fring ing Reefs Conversion of Fringing Reefs into Barrier Reefs, and into Atolls- Evidence o. changes in Level-Breaches in Barrier Reefs -Maldiva Atolls; their peculiar structure- Dead and submerged Reefs-Areas of subsi- JOURNAL. CHAPTER I. Port Praya-Ribeira Grande-Atmospheric Dust with Infusoria-Habits of a Sea-slug and Cuttle-fish-St. Paul's Rocks, non volcanic-Singular Incrustations-Insects the first Colonists of Islands-Fernando Noronha -Bahia-Burnished Rocks-Habits of a Diodon-Pelagic Confervæ and Infusoria-Causes of discoloured Sea. ST. JAGO-CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS. AFTER having been twice driven back by heavy south-western gales, Her Majesty's ship Beagle, a ten-gun brig, under the command of Captain Fitz Roy, R.N., sailed from Devonport on the 27th of December, 1831. The object of the expedition was to complete the survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, commenced under Captain King in 1826 to 1830-to survey the shores of Chile, Peru, and of some islands in the Pacific-and to carry a chain of chronometrical measurements round the World. On the 6th of January we reached Teneriffe, but were prevented landing, by fears of our bringing the cholera: the next morning we saw the sun rise behind the rugged outline of the Grand Canary island, and suddenly illumine the Peak of Teneriffe, whilst the lower parts were veiled in fleecy clouds. This was the first of many delightful days never to be forgotten. On the 16th of January, 1832, we anchored at Porto Praya, in St. Jago, the chief island of the Cape de Verd archipelago. The neighbourhood of Porto Praya, viewed from the sea, wears a desolate aspect. The volcanic fires of a past age, and the scorching heat of a tropical sun, have in most places rendered the soil unfit for vegetation. The country rises in successiv steps of table-land, interspersed with some truncate conical hills, and the horizon is bounded by an irregular chain of more lofty mountains. The scene, as beheld through the hazy atmosphere of this climate, is one of great interest; if, indeed, a person, fresh from sea, and who has just walked, for the first time, in a grove of cocoa-nut trees, can be a judge of anything but his own happiness. The island would generally be considered as very uninteresting; but to any one accustomed only to an English landscape, the novel aspect of an utterly sterile land possesses a grandeur which more vegetation might spoil. A single green leaf can scarcely be discovered over wide tracts of the lava plains; yet flocks of goats, together with a few cows, contrive to exist. It rains very seldom, but during a short portion of the year heavy torrents fall, and immediately afterwards a light vegetation springs out of every crevice. This soon withers; and upon such naturally formed hay the animals live. It had not now rained for an entire year. When the island was discovered, the immediate neighbourhood of Porto Praya was clothed with trees,* the reckless destruction of which has caused here, as at St. Helena, and at some of the Canary islands, almost entire sterility. The broad, flat-bottomed valleys, many of which serve during a few days only in the season as watercourses, are clothed with thickets of leafless bushes. Few living creatures inhabit these valleys. The commonest bird is a kingfisher (Dacelo Iagoensis), which tamely sits on the branches of the castor-oil plant, and thence darts on grasshoppers and lizards. It is brightly coloured, but not so beautiful as the European species: in its flight, manners, and place of habitation, which is generally in the driest valley, there is also a wide difference. One day, two of the officers and myself rode to Ribeira Grande, a village a few miles eastward of Porto Praya. Until we reached the valley of St. Martin, the country presented its usual dull brown appearance; but here, a very small rill of water produces a most refreshing margin of luxuriant vegetation. In the course of an hour we arrived at Ribeira Grande, and were surprised at the sight of a large ruined fort and cathedral. This little town, before its harbour was filled up, was the principal I state this on the authority of Dr. E. Dieffenbach, in his German trauslation of the first edition of this Journal. 1832.] RIBEIRA GRANDE-ST. DOMINGO. place in the island: it now presents a melancholy, but very pic. turesque appearance. Having procured a black Padre for a guide, and a Spaniard who had served in the Peninsular war as an interpreter, we visited a collection of buildings, of which an ancient church formed the principal part. It is here the governors and captain-generals of the islands have been buried. Some of the tombstones recorded dates of the sixteenth century. The heraldic ornaments were the only things in this retired place that reminded us of Europe. The church or chapel formed one side of a quadrangle, in the middle of which a large clump of bananas were growing. On another side was a hospital, containing about a dozen miserable-looking inmates. We returned to the Vênda to eat our dinners. A considerable number of men, women, and children, all as black as jet, collected to watch us. Our companions were extremely merry; and everything we said or did was followed by their hearty laughter. Before leaving the town we visited the cathedral. It does not appear so rich as the smaller church, but boasts of a little organ, which sent forth singularly inharmonious cries. We presented the black priest with a few shillings, and the Spaniard, patting him on the head, said, with much candour, he thought his colour made no great difference. We then returned, as fast as the ponies would go, to Porto Praya. Another day we rode to the village of St. Domingo, situated near the centre of the island. On a small plain which we crossed, a few stunted acacias were growing; their tops had been bent by the steady trade-wind, in a singular manner-some of them even at right angles to their trunks. The direction of the branches was exactly N.E. by N., and S.W. by S., and these natural vanes must indicate the prevailing direction of the force of the trade-wind. The travelling had made so little impression on the barren soil, that we here missed our track, and took that to Fuentes. This we did not find out till we arrived there; and we were afterwards glad of our mistake. Fuentes is a pretty village, with a small stream; and everything appeared to prosper well, excepting, indeed, that which ought to do so most-its The Cape de Verd Islands were discovered in 1449. There was a tombstone of a bishop with the date of 1571; and a crest of a hand and dagger, dated 1497. |