The ''''Stone-vans'''' of the Falklands. 31 



front, s'-ands pre-eminent ; and although there are some fine 

 pieces of modern architecture, such as the Bolsa, or Exchange, the 

 latter are so stowed away among lofty houses in narrow streets, 

 that they require to be specially looked for to be noticed at 

 all. I must qualify the above observations by mentioning that 

 these are the impressions of only two days' sojourn in Buenos 

 Ayres. 



Some days later, His Excellency the Governor of the Falkland 

 Islands (Mr. Callaghan) and his wife arrived at Monte Video, en 

 route for his seat of government ; and as the sailing schooner, which 

 was the only regular means of communication between Monte 

 Video and the Falklands, was then crowded with passengers, the 

 Governor gladly accepted Sir George Nares's kind invitation to 

 take him as his guest on board the Alert. 



We left Monte Video on the 14th of December, and on the 

 26th, amid a furious storm of wind and hail, anchored in Stanley 

 Harbour, Falkland Islands. Here we found that the great topic of 

 convei'sation was a landslip of peat, which had occurred about a 

 month previous to our arrival, laying waste a portion of the little 

 settlement. On the summit of a hill above the east end of the 

 town, a circular patch of turf, about two hundred yards in diameter, 

 had collapsed ; and at the same time a broad stream, four feet 

 high, of semi-fluid peat, flowed down the hillside to the sea, in 

 its course sweeping away walls and gardens, and partly burying 

 the houses. This phenomenon, occurring at night, caused great 

 consternation among the inhabitants of such an uneventful little 

 place ; but after the people had shaken themselves together 

 somewhat, and recovered from their surprise, they found that 

 after all no great damage had been done. The appearance of the 

 peat avalanche, as seen from the ship, was very peculiar, and in 

 many respects the whole occurrence resembled a lava flow. 



On the evening of our arrival, we were most hospitably enter- 

 tained at Government Flouse, where we had also the pleasure of 

 meeting all the rank and fashion of this part of the colony. 



