224 THE VOYAGE. .^TAT. 25. [1834. 



canoe loaded with presents, and very happy. The most 

 curious thing is, that Jemmy, instead of recovering his own 

 language, has taught all his friends a little English. "J. But- 

 ton's canoe " and " Jemmy's wife come," " Give me knife," 

 &c., was said by several of them. 



We then bore away for this island — this little miserable 

 seat of discord. We found that the Gauchos, under pretence 

 of a revolution, had murdered and plundered all the English- 

 men whom they could catch, and some of their own country- 

 men. All the economy at home makes the foreign movements 

 of England most contemptible. How different from old Spain. 

 Here we, dog-in-the-manger fashion, seize an island, and leave 

 to protect it a Union Jack ; the possessor has, of course, been 

 murdered ; we now send a lieutenant with four sailors, with- 

 out authority or instructions. A man-of-war, however, ven- 

 tured to leave a party of marines, and by their assistance, and 

 the treachery of some of the party, the murderers have all 

 been taken, there being now as many prisoners as inhabitants. 

 This island must some day become a very important halting- 

 place in the most turbulent sea in the world. It is mid-way 

 between Australia and the South Sea to England ; between 

 Chili, Peru, &c., and the Rio Plata and the Rio de Janeiro. 

 There are fine harbours, plenty of fresh water, and good 

 beef. It would doubtless produce the coarser vegetables. 

 In other respects it is a wretched place. A little time since, 

 I rode across the island, and returned in four days. My ex- 

 cursion would have been longer, but during the whole time it 

 blew a gale of wind, with hail and snow. There is no fire- 

 wood bigger than heath, and the whole country is, more or 

 less, an elastic peat-bog. Sleeping out at night was too 

 miserable w^ork to endure it for all the rocks in South 

 America. 



We shall leave this scene of iniquity in two or three days, 

 and go to the Rio de la Sta. Cruz. One of the objects is to 

 look at the ship's bottom. We struck rather heavily on an 

 unknown rock off Port Desire, and some of her copper is torn 

 off. After this is repaired the Captain has a glorious scheme ; 



