J 835. JAMES ISLAND SETTLERS. 497 



around was smooth and tranquil — a short, deep plunge sud- 

 denly startled every one : but in a minute afterwards the ship 

 was again quiet. We continued to work to the southward in 

 order to reach James Island, and meet Lieutenant Sulivan. 



7th. While working to windward we saw Towers Island, 

 which is different in appearance from all the other islands of 

 this archipelago, being low and flat. We passed it about 

 noon, and Bindloes at sunset. The latter has an irregular hilly- 

 surface, partially wooded, but like the rest is a mass of lava, 

 and indurated sandy mud.* 



8th. The Beagle was close to James Island, a high, lai-ge, 

 and well-wooded tract of ground, or rather lava. We an 

 chored at the northern end, and a boat came alongside loaded 

 with fish, for there was a party of settlers here, detached from 

 Charles Island, whose employment was salting fish and ex- 

 tracting oil from terrapin.f This oil is of a light colour, 

 and exceedingly good quality, being very like pure olive oil. 

 Lieutenant Sulivan returned with his party, and I then de- 

 tached Mr. Chaffers in the yawl, accompanied by Mr. Johnson 

 and six men, to examine Bindloes, Abingdon, and Towers 

 Islands. As Mr. Darwin anxiously desired to see as much as 

 possible of the productions of this central and large island, 

 he was landed, accompanied by Mr. Bynoe, besides his servant 

 and H. Fuller, to remain until the Beagle's return. Although 

 there is abundance of water on the higher parts of this island, 

 so broken and dry are the lower grounds that it does not ai'rive 

 at the shore : at two places only can enough water for even 

 a boat's crew be procured, in the dry season ; and for a ship 

 there is scarcely hope of a sufficiency. The poor fellows who 

 brought us the fish had been living so long upon terrapin, and 

 the produce of their lines, without any thing else, that half a 

 bag of biscuit (50 lbs.) which we gave them, appeared to be 

 an inestimable treasure, for which they could not sufficiently 

 thank us. We sailed in the evening, but made very little 



• Of course much of the information given in tiiese pages was collected 

 by the officers. 



t They alsp salt the terrapin ; or tortoise. 

 VOL. II. 2 K 



