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18 MB. H. TS. BIDLEY ON TH» 



even this portion of the fauna and flora was introduced previously 

 to the deposition of the basalt over the masses of phonolite, 

 which form as it were the skeleton outline of the island. 



I cannot find any recorded observations of the flow of a current 

 in the sea now from the direction of the West Indies ; on the 

 contrary, the current marked on the maps, and which was cer- 

 tainly during our visit throwing up fleets of Velellas, Physalias y 

 Algae, and other marine drift, was flowing from the south. No 

 Physalias or Velellas, nor anything of the kind was to be found 



group 



very 



It is true that 



we did find some pieces of rotten timber on the north side of 

 the island at the foot of the cliffs of the Sapate, but they may 

 have been, and I think were, portions of the mast of a ship. 

 They were, buried under debris from the cliff and quite decom- 

 posed. And, again, I should add that during our visit the wind 

 blew from the south, while we were informed that at other 

 seasons it blew strongly from the north. 



Published Accounts of the Island. 



The earlie 

 above. The 



history is that published by Juan and Ulloa 



; 



. 



. 





» 



their Voyage to South America. These travellers arrived there 

 on their way north from Cape Horn on May 21, 1744. They 

 describe the island as very barren, from want of rain, saying that 

 previous to their visit there had been no rain for two years. 

 However, it must be remembered that the time of their visit was 

 not long after the end of the normal dry season. They mention 

 abundance of fish, including lampreys and morenos (Murana), 

 and describe a fish called a cope. 



In the account of the voyage of the ' Chanticleer/ under 

 Capt. Henry Foster, Mr. Webster, in vol. ii. pp. 326-339 of 

 bis narrative of the Voyage, gives a very good account of the 

 geology, and some remarks on the botany and zoology. Even at 

 that time there were few large trees on the island, the commones 

 being the " Bara." He mentions the Jatropha, Cassia occidt 

 tali*) C.falcata, and several species of Indigofera. The large 

 trees on the island were the " Erythrina exaltata" "T 

 Acacias are the graces of the woods, and cast a sweet perfu 

 around." By these I conclude he alludes to Acacia Fame&iana 



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