100 APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 



having* been deluded at home by hig-hl^-coloured 

 reports of the productiveness of a country where 

 g-rain will not ripen^ and which has not yet been 

 found capable of producing- a tolerable potato. Of 

 the remainder of the place little can be said. There 

 are two g-ood stores where we procured nearly every- 

 thing* we wanted at very moderate prices : — beef 

 of very fair quality is sold at 2d. per pound^ wild 

 g"eese at Is. Sd. each^ and rabbits at four shillings 

 a dozen. The only vegetables, hoAvever, were some 

 small Swedish turnips, which we g*ot by favour. 

 Lastly, a ship may obtain water here with g-reat 

 facilit}^ from a small reservoir from which a pipe 

 leads it down to the boat. 



We had to remain at Port Stanley for thirteen 

 days before the necessary observations for deter- 

 mining- the rates of the chronometers could be 

 obtained. During- this period a thaw occurred, 

 followed by hard frost and another full of snow, 

 making the country as bleak and desolate as before. 

 By all accounts the winter has been unusually 

 fSevere. The ground had been covered with snow 

 for four weeks previous to our arrival, and many 

 cattle and horses had perished ; I also observed at 

 the head of the harbour some beds of mussels, most 

 of which were dead, having- doubtless been frozen 

 when uncovered at low water. The averag-e mean 

 temperature on board ship dm-ing our stay was 

 33°, the maximum and minimum being- respectively 

 37° and 25°. 



