- 317 — 



iiiiw lo 1h' áhoiil .'520, \\ liilsl ."{O yt.'íirs nnn tlii'\ were 3000, ns 

 l'nlh |irn\'('il liy lisls of fiiiiiil¡es (lien l:il\i'ii l>y me. Tliis de- 

 ci'eíise is cliicll) ów'in,:^' tu ¡injiorted deseases as m-easles, 

 smallpox iVc. 



Amon;;' (liis li-ilie tlie ('.lir¡st,¡an Mission al, (Josh()\'ia has 

 AA'orked liv tan.ulit i'or smne 33 years, :iiid with good surcess 

 as far as iinppovenienl ¡ii lite aufl rnanaers of the natives ;ind 

 also in llieir pliysical Ijeneíit every A\"ay. Tlieir deciniatioii is 

 not iiwiiig- tü the ("lii-isliiin Mission, Iml In Ihe sins of visitors 

 to the country. and Ihe ari'ival of disease through their means 

 not before known by the natives. Also the iinmoraUty cons- 

 tantiy prevalent among Iheni resulted in a high death rate, 

 chiefly from disease of a sci'ofulous and pidiminar) desei-ip- 

 lion, in |>art no doubt owing to tlie prevalency of boisterous, 

 wet & eold Aveather. The natives of al! pai'ts had even in for- 

 nier times hl<e diseases, amongsl, wliich consnniption, lyplins 

 fever. itciiing diseases, were common and even leprosy was 

 not unknown. Caneer was common among persons of advan- 

 ced Ufe. Tlie Alacnhif are allied to the Chonos Indians south 

 of ChiU, lint as to the origin of the YaHgans we can tind no 

 elue, eitlier in traditions current among them, or in reseni- 

 bh'inces' in their language to any other. Of the three Fuegian 

 l.-inguages Yahgan decidedly hnlds swny for eupfiony & pro- 

 nounoeabieness. Il is an ampie language evei'y way, and regular 

 in its varied inflexions. 



The measles which some se\en years ago took away fully 

 70% of the people wlio happened not to reaeh those sequestered 

 in the extreme south of the eountry, and there accordingly 

 are found more thaii two thirds of the existing Yaligan tribe, 

 viz.'. aboul loo in Ihe Wollaslon group of Islands, and anotlier 

 hundred in the district ealled New Year's Sound. 



Tierra' del Fuego occupies in latitude about 300 miles, and 

 in longitude aboul 10 degrees. Its extreme southern point Cape 

 Horn borders the 60° South. Thus there is considerable diffe- 

 rence of climate in the north and south, but tlie greater diñ'e- 

 rence of climate is owing to the extreme humidity of the wqsI, 

 & the comparative dryness & olear skies of the east & north, 

 the climate of which is like that of South Patagonia. The 

 land occupied by the Alaculuf, i. e. the west & north west of 

 the country & about three sevenths of tlie whole is a land 

 that can best be described as Aldean. It is a continuous suc- 

 cession of mountainous land the valleys being tortouse, & 

 narrow, and their sides steep, but richly clothed with foresls 



