142 THE ATLANTIC. [chap.iii. 



they are generally employed on board American whalers in the 

 Southern seas. We had a good deal of conversation with a son 

 of Governor Glass, a very intelligent, handsome young man, 

 who had been at Kerguelen Land, and at several other whaling 

 stations in the south, and who gave us some useful information. 

 The chief traffic of the islanders is with these American ships, 

 from eight to twelve of which call in passing yearly, to barter 

 manufactured goods and household stuffs for fresh vegetables 

 and potatoes. 



The fifteen families possess from five to six hundred head of 

 cattle, and about an equal number of sheep, with pigs and poul- 

 try in large numbers. Beef was sold to our mess-man at four- 

 pence a pound, mutton at fourpence, pork somewhat cheaper, 

 and geese at five shillings each, so that the Tristaners, so long 

 as they can command a market — and the number of their occa- 

 sional visitors is increasing with increasing communication and 

 commerce — can not be considered in any way ill off. Their is- 

 olation and their respectability, maintained certainly with great 

 resolution and under trying circumstances, induce a perhaps 

 somewhat unreasonable sympathy for them, which they by no 

 means discourage, and which usually manifests itself in sub- 

 stantial gifts. 



The cottages are solid and comfortable. They usually con- 

 sist of two or three rooms, and are built of a dark-brown tu- 

 faceous stone, which they blast in large blocks from the rocks 

 above, and shape with great accuracy with axes. Many of the 

 blocks are upward of a ton in weight, and they are cut so as to 

 lock into one another in a double row in the thickness of the 

 wall, Avitli smaller pieces equally carefully fitted between them. 

 There is no lime on the island, so that the blocks are fitted 

 on the Cyclopean plan, without cement. With all precautions, 

 however, the wind sometimes blows from the south-west with 

 such fury that even these massive dwellings are blown down ; 

 and we w^ere assured that the rough blocks, brought from the 



