STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. 549 



momentum helps one across the sliding stones, and there is no 

 time for stones to roll down from above. I certainly thought 

 that the horse managed his feet better than the mule on this oc- 

 casion, and as far as my experience goes, a horse that is thoroughly 

 accustomed to mountain work is better than a mule to ride in 

 difficult places, and is certainly quicker, though the mule has 

 secured the credit of being the better mountaineer. 



Messier Channel and the Straits of Magellan, December 31st, 

 1815, to January 20th, isle— The ship entered the Gulf of Peiias 

 on the coast of Patagonia, south of the Chonos Archipelago, on 

 December 31st, and for a fortnight steamed through the won- 

 derful series of sounds or fjords into which the south-west 

 coast of South America has, like the coasts of British Columbia, 

 of Greenland, Norway, and other countries, been slowly engraved 

 by the prolonged action of glaciers. Such an indented coast- 

 line occurs only in those regions in high latitudes where there is 

 a constant precipitation of moisture, since glaciers can only be 

 fed, and perform the eroding work where there is an abundant 

 snowfall.* 



The Western Patagonian fjords are very beautiful. The 

 route led through narrow channels, between successive ranges of 

 mountains, capped here and there by snow and glaciers, the 

 dwindled representatives of those that scooped out the main 

 features of the scenery. The fjords remind one somewhat of 

 those of Norway. They branch and send off offsets on either 

 hand perpetually. Thus, as these long sounds are traversed, 

 constant glimpses are obtained down the communicating 

 channels, which show themselves bounded by successions of 

 mountain ridges, fading gradually out of sight, one behind the 

 other in the distance. 



In the upper part of the Messier Channel, near the Gulf of 

 Peiias, the mountains are covered from top to bottom by a dense 

 forest of small trees, and one of the chief peculiarities of the 

 scenery is caused by the fact that these forests come right down 

 to the sea-shore, and overhang the beds of mussels growing on 

 the rocks. The channels are full of Pur Seals, which were to be 



* O. Peschel, " Neue Probleme der Vergleichenden Erdkunde." Leipzig, 

 Duncker und Humboldt, 1876. Die Fjordbildungen, s. 9. 



