1834.J THE LAST OF JEMMY BUTTON. 231 



to go back to England ; in the evening we found out the 

 cause of this great change in Jemmy's feelings, in the 

 arrival of his young and nice looking wife. With his usual 

 good feeling, he brought two beautiful otter-skins for two 

 of his best friends, and some spear-heads and arrows made 

 with his own hands for the captain. He said he had built 

 a canoe for himself, and he boasted that he could talk a 

 little of his own language ! But it is a most singular fact, 

 that he appears to have taught all his tribe some English : 

 an old man spontaneously announced ** Jemmy Button's 

 wife." Jemmy had lost all his property. He told us that 

 Vork Minster had built a large canoe, and with his wife 

 Fuegia,* had several months since gone to his own 

 country, and had taken farewell by an act of consummate 

 villainy ; he persuaded Jemmy and his mother to come with 

 him, and then on the way deserted them by night, stealing 

 every article of their property. 



Jemmy went to sleep on the shore, and in the morning 

 returned, and remained on board till the ship got under 

 weigh, which frightened his wife, who continued crying 

 violently till he got into his canoe. He returned loaded 

 with valuable property. Every soul on board was heartily 

 sorry to shake hands with him for the last time. I do not 

 now doubt that he will be as happy as, perhaps happier 

 than, if he had never left his own country. Every one 

 must sincerely hope that Captain Fitz Roy s noble hope 

 may be fulfilled, of being rewarded for the many generous 

 sacrifices which he made for these Fuegians, by some ship- 

 wrecked sailor being protected by the descendants of Jemmy 

 Button and his tribe ! When Jemmy reached the shore he 

 lighted a signal fire, and the smoke curled up, bidding us a 

 last and long farewell, as the ship stood on her course into 

 the open sea. 



The perfect equality among the individuals composing the 

 Fuegian tribes must for a long time retard their civilisation. 

 As we see those animals, whose instinct compels them to 

 live in society and obey a chief, are most capable of improve- 

 ment, so is it with the races of mankind. Whether we look 



• Captain Sutivan, who, iiince his voyaRC in the Btagle, hai been employed 

 on the iturvey of the FalklanrI Iblands, heard from a aealer in (1842?), tiiat 

 when in the wcNtern part of the Strait of Mag:ell»n, he waa astonished by a 

 native woman comini^ on board, who could talk aomc Kngliah. Without (timbt 

 this was Fueifia liasket. Sh« lived (I fear the ttrm probably bears a doubU 

 interpretation) aoins days on board. 



