284 CHONOS ARCHIPELAGO. [chap. xiii. 



profitless, however, to man and to all other animals. Granite to 

 the geologist is classic ground : from its wide-spread limits, and 

 its beautiful and compact texture, few rocks have been more 

 anciently recognised. Granite has given rise, perhaps, to more 

 discussion concerning its origin than any other formation. We 

 generally see it constituting the fundamental rock, and, however 

 formed, we know it is the deepest layer in the crust of this globe 

 to which man has penetrated. The limit of man's knowledge in 

 any subject possesses a high interest, which is perhaps increased 

 by its close neighbourhood to the realms of imagination. 



January 1st, 1835. The new year is ushered in with the 

 ceremonies proper to it in these regions. She lays out no false 

 hopes : a heavy north-western gale, with steady rain, bespeaks 

 the rising year. Thank God, we are not destined here to see the 

 end of it, but hope then to be in the Pacific Ocean, where a blue 

 sky tells one there is a heaven, a something beyond the clouds 

 above our heads. 



The north-west winds prevailing for the next four days, we 

 only managed to cross a great bay, and then anchored in another 

 secure harbour. I accompanied the Captain in a boat to the 

 head of a deep creek. On the way the number of seals which we 

 saw was quite astonishing : every bit of flat rock, and parts of 

 the beach, were covered with them. They appeared to be of a 

 loving disposition, and lay huddled together, fast asleep, like so 

 many pigs ; but even pigs would have been ashamed of their 

 dirt, and of the foul smell which came from them. Each herd 

 was watched by the patient but inauspicious eyes of the turkey- 

 buzzard. This disgusting bird, with its bald scarlet head, formed 

 to wallow in putridity, is very common on the west coast, and 

 their attendance on the seals shows on what they rely for their 

 food. We found the water (probably only that of the surface) 

 nearly fresh : this was caused by the number of torrents which, 

 in the form of cascades, came tumbling over the bold granite 

 mountains into the sea. The fresh water attracts the fish, and 

 these bring many terns, gulls, and two kinds of cormorant. We 

 saw also a pair of the beautiful black-necked swans, and several 

 small sea-otters, the fur of which is held in such high estimation. 

 In returning, we were again amused by the impetuous manner in 

 which the heap of seals, old and young, tumbled into the water 



