JUAN FERNANDEZ. 



351 



rather fatiguing ; and we were glad to sit down under a large quince 

 tree on a carpet of balm bordered with roses, now neglected, and 

 rest, and feast our eyes with the lovely view before us. Lord Anson 

 has not exaggerated the beauty of the place, or the delights of the 

 climate ; we were rather early for its fruits ; but even at this time we 

 have gathered delicious figs, and cherries, and pears, that a few more 

 days' sun would have perfected. I was quite sorry to leave our station 

 in the park, and return to the landing-place to embark for the dark 

 close ship. 



The landing-place is also the watering-place ; and there a little 

 jetty is thrown out, formed of the beach pebbles, making a little 

 harbour for the boats, which lie there close to the fresh water, which 

 comes conducted by a pipe, so that with a hose the casks may be 

 filled, without landing, with the most delicious water. Along the 

 beach some old guns are sunk to serve as moorings for vessels, which 

 are all the safer the nearer in-shore they lie : violent gusts of wind 

 often blow from the mountain for a few minutes. Dunne our ab- 

 sence, we found that Glennie had been calculating the height of the 

 island, which he makes about 3000 feet. 



26th. — I went ashore with Lord Cochrane's party early to-day, as 

 I wished to make some sketches, and, if possible, to climb up some 

 of the hills in search of plants ; therefore, when they all resumed 

 their scheme for reaching the highest point in order to see the other 

 side of the island, I remained behind. They were soon out of sight : 

 the vessel was far from hearing ; no boat was ashore ; and I was left 

 alone among the ruins of the once-flourishing colony. I did not 

 long stay there; but walked, or rather crawled — for the steepness of 

 the land rendered it necessary often to depend partly on my hands 

 in the ascent — to a place where the marks of cultivation led me to 

 search for the herbs or trees which might have been imported ; and 

 there I found the vine grown wild over a pretty considerable track ; 

 pot-herbs, particularly parsley, I found abundance of; and such beds 

 of sweet mint spread along the water-courses, that I think it must be 

 native ; so are the strawberry and the winter cherry. 



