CHAP. III.] BAHIA TO THE CAPE. 141 



stock must ultimately be exhausted; but that can not be for 

 a considerable time. I do not see any thing whatever in the 

 climate or other conditions of Tristan to prevent the growth 

 of the more hardy varieties of the willow, the ])irch, and the 

 alder. The experiment is well worth trying, for the introduc- 

 tion of a fast-growing hardy tree, for shelter and for lire-wood, 

 would increase the comfort of the colony immensely ; indeed, 

 it seems to be all that is necessary to insure its permanence. 



A boat came along-side early in the morning, with eight or 

 ten of the inhabitants, some of them iine-looking, sturdy young 

 men, somewhat of the English type, but most of them with a 

 dash of dark blood. They brought a few seal-skins, some wings 

 and breasts of the albatross, and some sea-birds' eggs. As it 

 was their early spring, they had unfortunately, with the excep- 

 tion of a few onions which had stood over the winter, no fresh 

 vegetables. Their chief spokesman was Green, now an old man, 

 but hale and hearty. He made all arrangements with the pay- 

 master about supplying us with fresh meat and potatoes with 

 intelligence and a keen eye to business. After the departure 

 of our guests, we landed and spent a long day on shore, explor- 

 ing the natural history of the neighborhood of the settlement, 

 and learning what we could of its economy, under the guidance 

 of Green and some of the better informed of the elders ; while 

 others, and more particularly some active, dark -eyed young 

 women, got together the various things required for the ship, 

 each bringing a tally to Green of her particular contribution, 

 which he valued and noted. Most of those who left the island 

 in the Geyser and the Galatea have returned, and the colony at 

 present consists of eighty-four souls in fifteen families, the fe- 

 males being slightly in the majority. Most of the settlers are 

 in some way connected with the Cape of Good Hope; some are 

 Americans. The greater number of the women are mulattoes. 

 Many of the men are engaged in the seal and whale fishery; 

 and as that has now nearly come to an end on their own shores, 



