188 FALKLAND ISLANDS. [chap. ix. 



with regret, for we were obliged to imagine their nature and pro- 

 ductions, instead of standing, as we had hoped, on their summits. 

 Besides the useless loss of time which an attempt to ascend the 

 river any higher would have cost us, we had already been for 

 some days on half allowance of bread. This, although really 

 enough for reasonable men, was, after a hard day's march, rather 

 scanty food : a light stomach and an easy digestion are good 

 things to talk about, but very unpleasant in practice. 



5th. Before sunrise we commenced our descent. We shot 

 down the stream with great rapidity, generally at the rate often 

 knots an hour. In this one day we effected what had cost us 

 five-and-a-half hard days' labour in ascending. On the 8th, we 

 reached the Beagle after our twenty-one days' expedition. Every 

 one, excepting myself, had cause to be dissatisfied ; but to me 

 the ascent afforded a most interesting section of the great tertiary 

 formation of Patagonia. 



On March 1st, 1833, and again on March 16th, 1834, the Beagle 

 anchored in Berkeley Sound, in East Falkland Island. This archi- 

 pelago is situated in nearly the same latitude with the mouth of 

 the Strait of Magellan ; it covers a space of one hundred and 

 twenty by sixty geographical miles, and is a little more than half 

 the size of Ireland. After the possession of these miserable 

 islands had been contested by France, Spain, and England, they 

 were left uninhabited. The government of Buenos Ayres then 

 sold them to a private individual, but likewise used them, as old 

 Spain had done before, for a penal settlement. England claimed 

 her right and seized them. The Englishman who was left in 

 charge of the flag was consequently murdered. A British officer 

 was next sent, unsupported by any power : and when we ar- 

 rived, we found him in charge of a population, of which rather 

 more than half were runaway rebels and murderers. 



The theatre is worthy of the scenes acted on it. An undulat- 

 ing land, with a desolate and wretched aspect, is everywhere 

 covered by a peaty soil and wiry grass, of one monotonous brown 

 colour. Here and there a peak or ridge of grey quartz rock 

 breaks through the smooth surface. Every one has heard of the 

 climate of these regions ; it may be compared to that which is 



