Correspondence — Straits of Magellan 65 



pated, it having been destroyed in most parts of the island by the cattle, which 

 eat it and trample it down in order to get at the sweet succulent base of the 

 stem ; and that it is now limited almost entirely to small islands and low rocky 

 points close to the sea. The Veronica elliptica, which was cultivated in abund- 

 ance in the gardens at Stanley, was, I was told, not uncommon in the neigh- 

 bourhood, but I did not obtain any wild specimens of it. Round about the 

 settlement, a variety of naturalized plants were to be met with, e. g., Veronica 

 serpylifolia, Senecio vulgaris, Stellaria media. Among the few plants that were 

 still in flower were the Senecio Falklandicus, abundantly, and the Myrtus 

 nummularia and Oxalis enneaphylla, sparingly. I was not veiy fortunate, 

 either, as regards marine zoology or botany. I did not meet with almost any 

 Algce that we had not previously obtained in the Straits, and there was a great 

 similarity in the marine animals to those of the Straits. Thus I picked up 

 specimens of Trophon Magellanicus and Mytilus Magellanicus, two of the most 

 characteristic Strait shells. The dredge yielded nothing, so I was limited to 

 what I could procure on the beach. I found two or three sponges, and a variety 

 of animals in the roots of the kelp, such as a hermit crab I had not seen before, 

 some small Echini, a curious little papillose Ascidian, &c. One day I saw 

 great numbers of a small Medusa, of one of which I have a sketch. I was much 

 struck by the extraordinary tameness of the cormorants and steamer ducks in the 

 harbour, some of the latter positively landing apparently for the purpose of 

 scrutinizing one's appearance. I was very sorry I had no opportunity of visiting 

 any of the penguin rookeries. The weather was very broken, with much rain 

 and wind, and there were not facilities for taking long excursions on land that 

 I had hoped for. I saw one of the well-known streams of stones : it certainly 

 constituted a most remarkable phenomenon, and one which does not admit of 

 easy explanation. From the governor, Mr Robinson, I received specimens of 

 a carbonaceous mineral procured from various parts of the island. As I have 

 not the materials on board requisite for a careful analysis of it, I shall not venture 

 to pronounce a decided opinion as to its nature, which, however, appears to me 

 to partake more of that of anthracite than of coal proper. We left the island on 

 the evening of the 2d of March. On the forenoon of the 3d, Mr Sullivan, the 

 officer on watch, directed my attention to some brilliant scarlet-coloured patches 

 floating past the ship. These, on examination, proved to be composed of 

 multitudes of macrourous decapodous Crustacea, bearing a great general resem- 

 blance to Galathea. The body of the animals (a few of which I kept alive in 

 sea-water for some days) was about three-quarters of an inch long when the tail, 

 which in the ordinary state is curved under the cephalo-thorax, is stretched out, 

 while the claw-bearing limbs were nearly an inch long. The general colour of the 

 body was scarlet ; the eyes, a large patch on the cephalo-thorax, and a line 

 following the course of the alimentary canal, bluish black. The animals swam 

 rapidly backwards, by repeated flexions and extensions of the tail. On the 6th 

 we re-entered the Straits, and anchored off Cape Possession, where I obtained a 

 splendid haul of Terebratula;, as well as some fine Calyptreae, Polyzoa, &c. We 

 proceeded on to Sandy Point next day, in company with the flag-ship, ' Zealous ' 

 which arrived at the Falklands while we were there, and which we again met off 

 Cape Possession. 



On the 8th, on the return of Captain Mayne from taking sights, he 

 brought on board some specimens of gold and copper ore, which the governor 

 of Sandy Point had given him, with the information that they had been pro- 

 cured not far from the settlement. 1 examined them, and feel no doubt as 

 to the genuineness of the gold, which is associated with quartz. The copper 

 ore is a very rich one, consisting of the sulphuret, together with a certain pro- 

 portion of the blue carbonate of copper. In the afternoon I went on shore, 

 spending some time. There I got several Fungi that I had not before seen ; a 

 most beautifully-coloured Polyporus on the deciduous beech ; Cyttaria Hookeri, 

 also on the deciduous beech (this Cyttaria I obtained growing on the same tree 

 with Cyttaria Darwinii, on a subsequent excursion to Sandy Point) ; an Exidia, 

 &c. 



The day after, in accordance with the wish of Admiral Hastings that the 

 ' Nassau ' should pilot him through the .Straits to the western entrance, we left 

 TRAVEL. E 



