T I ERR A DEL FUEGO. 151 



SOUTH AMERICA. ~ 



TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



TIERRA DEL FUEGO may be described as a mountainous 

 land, partly sunk in the sea, so that deep inlets and bays 

 occupy the place where valleys should exist. The mountain 

 sides, except on the exposed western coast, are covered from 

 the water's edge upward by one great forest. The trees 

 reach to an elevation of between one thousand and fifteen 

 hundred feet, and are succeeded by a band of peat with tiny 

 alpine plants ; and this again is succeeded by the line of per- 

 petual snow. To find an acre of level land in any part of 

 the country is most rare. I recollect only one little flat piece 

 near Port Famine, and another of rather larger extent near 

 Goeree Road. In both places, and everywhere else, the sur- 

 face is covered by a thick bed of swampy peat. Even within 

 the forest the ground is hidden by a mass of slowly rotting 

 vegetable matter, which, from being soaked with water, yields 

 to the foot. The trees all belong to one kind, the Fagus 

 betuloidcs. This beech keeps its leaves throughout the year, 

 but its foliage is of a peculiar brownish green color, with a 

 tinge of yellow. As the whole landscape is thus colored, it 

 has a sombre, dull appearance ; nor is it often enlivened by 

 the rays of the sun. 



On the morning of the 28th of January, 1833, Captain 

 Fitz Roy determined to proceed with two boats to survey 

 the western parts of Beagle Channel. The day, to our as- 

 tonishment, was overpoweringly hot, so that our skins were 

 scorched. With this beautiful weather the view in the mid- 

 die of the channel was very remarkable. Looking toward 



