48 RIO TO TERRA DEL FUEGO CHAP, in 



World, p. 60), and A. frustrum, Ulva intestinalis, and Corallina 

 officinalis. 



~L4:th. Staten Land is much more craggy than Terra del 

 Fuego, though the view of it in Lord Anson's voyage is 

 exaggerated. The Captain stood into a bay just within 

 Cape St. Vincent [Staten Island] ; and while the ship stood 

 off and on, Dr. Solander and I went ashore. I found about 

 a hundred plants, though we were not ashore above four hours. 

 Of these I may say every one was new, and entirely different 

 from what either of us had before seen. 



The country about this bay is, in general, flat. Here is, 

 however, good wood, water, and great quantities of fowl. In 

 the cod of the bay is a flat covered with grass, where much 

 hay might be made. The bay itself is bad, affording but 

 little shelter for shipping, and in many parts of it the bottom 

 is rocky and foul. This, however, may be always known in 

 these countries by the beds of Fucus giganteus, which con- 

 stantly grow upon the rock, and are not seen upon sand or 

 ooze. These weeds grow to an immense length. We 

 sounded upon them, and found fourteen fathoms of water. 

 As they seem to make a very acute angle with the bottom 

 in their situation in the water, it is difficult to guess how 

 long they may be, but probably they are not less than half 

 as long again as the depth of the water, which makes their 

 length 126 feet ; a wonderful length for a stalk not thicker 

 than a man's thumb. 



Among other things the bay affords, there is plenty of 

 Winter's bark, 1 easily known by its broad leaf, like a laurel, 

 of a light green colour, bluish underneath. The bark 

 is easily stripped off with a bone or stick, as oaks are 

 barked in England. Its virtues are so well known that of 

 them I shall say little, except that it may be used as a 

 spice even in culinary matters, and is found to be very 

 wholesome. Here is also plenty of wild celery (Apium 

 antiscorbuticum) 2 and scurvy grass (Cardamine antiscor- 



1 Drimys Winteri, Forst. 



2 Apium prostratum, Thou. A variety of the European celery, and as 

 wholesome. 



