THE WILD POTATO. 23 



but, rising, followed us with outstretched necks, 

 expressing great wonder and curiosity. 



^th. — Having run up the coast, we anchored near 

 the northern end of the Chonos Archipelago, in 

 Low's Harbour, where we remained a week. The 

 islands were here, as in Chiloe, composed of a strat- 

 ified, soft, litteral deposit, and the vegetation, in 

 consequence, was beautifully luxuriant. The woods 

 came down to the sea-beach just in the manner of 

 an evergreen shrubbery over a gravel walk. We 

 also enjoyed from the anchorage a splendid view 

 of four great snowy cones of the Cordillera, in- 

 cluding " el famoso Corcovado :" the range itself 

 had in this latitude so little height, that few parts 

 of it appeared above the tops of the neighbouring 

 islets. We found here a party of five men from 

 Caylen, " el fin del Cristiandad," who had most ad- 

 venturously crossed, in their miserable boat-canoe, 

 for the purpose of fishing, the open space of sea 

 which separates Chonos from Chiloe. These isl- 

 ands will, in all probability, in a short time become 

 peopled like those adjoining the coast of Chiloe. 



The wild potato giows on these islands in great 

 abundance, on the sandy, shelly soil near the sea- 

 beach. The tallest plant was four feet in height. 

 The tubers were generally small, but I found one, 

 of an oval shape, two inches in diameter : they re- 

 sembled in every respect, and had the same smell 

 as English potatoes ; but when boiled they shrunk 

 much, and were watery and insipid, without any 

 bitter taste. They are undoubtedly here indige- 

 nous : they gi'ow as far south, according to Mr. 

 Low, as lat. 50^, and are called Aquinas by the 

 wild Indians of that part : the Chilotan Indians 

 have a different name for them. Professor Hens- 

 low, who has examined the dried specimens which 



