IG 



lance by their whiteness^ and form a very singu- 

 lar and pleasing" appearance. Those of the in- 

 habitants who are not sufficiently wealthy to 

 liave ice-houses, procure snow from the moun- 

 tains, which they transport upon mules. The 

 consumption of this article is very considerable, 

 as a general use is made of it in summer to cool 

 their liquors. The maritime countries, being at 

 a distance from the Andes, do not enjoy this ad- 

 vantage, but they feel the privation of it less, as 

 the heat is much more moderate upon the coast 

 than in the interior. In the midland provinces 

 is sometimes seen, in the month of August, a 

 white frost, accompanied by a slight degree of 

 cold, which is the greatest that is experienced in 

 those districts. This coldness continues two or 

 three hours after sun-rise ; from which time the 

 w eather is like that of a line day in spring.* 



* So gcTieral is the opinion of the excessive cold in the south- 

 em extremity of America, that it is hazardous to contradict 

 it. I shall, however, venture to suggest some doubts respect- 

 ing so generally an admitted fact. At the same time that 

 Commodore Byron compares the temperatiue of the Straits of 

 Magellan in summer with the climate of England in midwinter, 

 he describes the country in the following manner : " Upon 

 Sandy Point we found a plenty of wood and very good water, 

 aiul for four or five miles t!ie shore was exceedingly pleasant. 

 Over the point there is a line level country, with a soil that, 

 to all appearance, is extremely rich, for the ground was co- 

 vered %Tith flowers of varwus kinds, that perfumed the air with 

 their fragrance ; and among them were berries almost innu- 



