136 FALKLAND ISLANDS^ [CHAP. ix. 



north and south by the basaltic platforms, and fronted by the long 

 range of the snow-clad Cordillera. But we viewed these grand 

 mountains with regret, for we were obliged to imagine their nature 

 and productions, instead of standing, as we had hoped, on their 

 summits. Besides the useless loss of time which an attempt to ascend 

 the river any higher would have cost us, we had already been for 

 some days on half allowance of bread. This, although really enough 

 for reasonable men, was, after a hard day's march, rather scanty food : 

 a light stomach and an easy digestion are good things to talk about, 

 but very unpleasant in practice. 



May $th. Before sunrise we commenced our descent. We shot down 

 the stream with great rapidity, generally at the rate of ten knots an 

 hour. In this one day we effected what had cost us five and a half 

 hard days' labour in ascending. On the 8th we reached the Beagle 

 after our twenty-one days' expedition. Every one, excepting myself, 

 had cause to be dissatisfied ; but to me the ascent afforded a most 

 interesting section of the great tertiary formation of Patagonia. 



On March isf, 1833, and again on March ibth, 1834, the Beagle 

 anchored in Berkeley Sound, in East Falkland Island. This archi- 

 pelago is situated in nearly the same latitude with the mouth of the 

 Strait of Magellan ; it covers a space of one hundred and twenty by 

 sixty geographical miles, and is little more than half the size of Ireland. 

 After the possession of these miserable islands had been contested by 

 France, Spain, and England, they were left uninhabited. The Govern- 

 ment of Buenos Ayres then sold them to a private individual, but 

 likewise used them, as old Spain had done before, for a penal settle- 

 ment. England claimed her right, and seized them. The Englishman 

 who was left in charge of the flag was consequently murdered. A 

 British officer was next sent, unsupported by any power: and when 

 we arrived, we found him in charge of a population, of which rather 

 more than half were runaway rebels and murderers. 



The theatre is worthy of the scenes acted on it. An undulating land, 

 with a desolate and wretched aspect, is everywhere covered by a peaty 

 soil and wiry grass, of one monotonous brown colour. Here and there 

 a peak or ridge of grey quartz rock breaks through the smooth surface. 

 Every one has heard of the climate of these regions ; it may be com- 

 pared to that which is experienced at the height of between one and 

 two thousand feet on the mountains of North Wales ; having however 

 less sunshine and less frost, but more wind and rain.* 



May ibth. I will now describe a short excursion which I made 

 round a part of this island. In the morning I started with six horses 



* From accounts published since our voyage, and more especially from 

 several interesting letters from Captain Sulivan, R.N., employed on the survey, 

 .it appears that we took an exaggerated view of the badness of the climate 

 of these islands. But when I reflect on the almost universal covering of peat, 

 and on the fact of wheat seldom ripening here, I can hardly believe that 

 the climate in summer is so fine and dry as it has lately been represented. 



