1834.] MOUNT SARMIENTO. 175 



deserted wigwam, and it alone reminded us that man sometimes 

 wandered into these desolate regions. But it would be difficult to 

 imagine a scene where he seemed to have fewer claims or less authority. 

 The inanimate works of nature rock, ice, snow, wind, and water all 

 warring with each other, yet combined against man here reigned in 

 absolute sovereignty. 



June gth. In the morning we were delighted by seeing the veil of 

 mist gradually rise from Sarmiento, and display it to our view. This 

 mountain, which is one of the highest in Tierra del Fuego, has an 

 altitude of 6,800 feet. Its base, for about an eighth of its total height, 

 is clothed by dusky woods, and above this a field of snow extends to 

 the summit. These vast piles of snow, which never melt, and seem 

 destined to last as long as the world holds together, present a noble 

 and even sublime spectacle. The outline of the mountain was admirably 

 clear and defined. Owing to the abundance of light reflected from the 

 white and glittering surface, no shadows were cast on any part ; and 

 those lines which intersected the sky could alone be distinguished ; 

 hence the mass stood out in the boldest relief. Several glaciers 

 descended in a winding course from the upper great expanse of snow 

 to the sea-coast : they may be likened to great frozen Niagaras ; 

 and perhaps these cataracts of blue ice are full as beautiful as 

 the moving ones of water. By night we reached the western part of 

 the channel ; but the water was so deep that no anchorage could 

 be found. We were in consequence obliged to stand off and on in 

 this narrow arm of the sea, during a pitch-dark night of fourteen 

 hours long. 



June loth. In the morning we made the best of our way into the 

 open Pacific. The western coast generally consists of low, rounded, 

 quite barren hills of granite and greenstone. Sir J. Narborough called 

 one part South Desolation, because it is "so desolate a land to behold;" 

 and well indeed might he say so. Outside the main islands, there are 

 numberless scattered rocks on which the long swell of the open 

 ocean incessantly rages. We passed out between the East and 

 West Furies; and a little farther northward there are so many 

 breakers that the sea is called the Milky Way. One sight of such a 

 coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about ship- 

 wrecks, peril, and death; and with this sight we bade farewell foi 

 ever to Tierra del Fuego. 



The following discussion on the climate of the southern parts of the 

 continent with relation to its productions, on the snow-line, on the 

 extraordinarily low descent of the glaciers, and on the zone of perpetual 

 congelation in the antarctic islands, may be passed over by any one not 

 interested in these curious subjects, or the final recapitulation alone 

 may be read. I shall, however, here give only an abstract, and must 

 refer for details to the thirteenth chapter and the Appendix of the 

 former edition of this work. 



On the Climate and Productions of Tierra del Fuego and of the 

 South-west Coast, The following table gives the mean temperature of 



