1769. ROUND THE WORLD. 63 



to prevent their perishing with cold in the summer 

 of this country, much less in the extreme severity of 

 winter. The shell-fish, which seems to be their only 

 food, must soon be exhausted at any one place ; and 

 we had seen houses upon what appeared to be a 

 deserted station in St. Vincent's Bay. 



It is also probable that the place where we found 

 them was only a temporary residence, from their 

 having here nothing like a boat or canoe, of which 

 it can scarcely be supposed that they were wholly 

 destitute, especially as they were not sea-sick, or 

 particularly affected, either in our boat or on board 

 the ship. We conjectured that there might be a 

 streight or inlet, running from the sea through great 

 part of this island, from the Streight of Magellan, 

 whence these people might come, leaving their canoes 

 where such inlet terminated. 



They did not appear to have among them any 

 government or subordination : none was more re- 

 spected than another; yet they seemed to live together 

 in the utmost harmony and good fellowship. Neither 

 did we discover any appearance of religion among 

 them, except the noises which have been mentioned, 

 and which we supposed to be a superstitious cere- 

 mony, merely because we could refer them to nothing 

 else : they were used only by one of those who came 

 on board the ship, and the two who conducted 

 Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander to the town, whom we 

 therefore conjectured to be priests. Upon the whole, 

 these people appeared to be the most destitute and 

 forlorn, as well as the most stupid, of all human 

 beings j the outcasts of nature, who spent their lives 

 in wandering about the dreary wastes, where two of 

 our people perished with cold in the midst of summer j 

 with no dwelling but a wretched hovel of sticks and 

 grass, which would not only admit the wind, but the 

 snow and the rain ; almost naked ; and destitute of 

 every convenience that is furnished by the rudest art, 

 having no implement even to dress their food : yet 



