April 1828. NATIVES—CLIMATE. 141 
Natives had discovered and visited the ship while I was away, 
but Lieut. Wickham did not encourage them to remain ; and 
two or three attempts to pilfer being detected, they were treated 
with very little ceremony ; so finding their company was not 
desired, they went across the Strait to Lomas Bay, where for 
several days afterwards the smoke of their fires was seen. They 
were the same Indians whom we had met at Port San Antonio. 
That these Indians should be received so coolly, may seem 
to have been impolitic on our side, when it is considered 
that our smaller vessels and boats might be met. with, and 
their crews ill-treated by way of retaliation. It was, how- 
ever, time that they should know our superiority ; for, of late, 
several very treacherous attacks had been made by them on 
sealing vessels, and this party was the most forward and inso- 
lent we had seen. One of them was teazing several of the men 
to box, an accomplishment he had probably learnt from the 
crews of sealing vessels; among others, he fixed upon the 
serjeant of marines, who very unceremoniously pushed him 
over the side, and made him return to his canoe, which he 
resented by pushing off from the ship’s side, and throwing a 
stone at the serjeant, who was standing at the gangway. As it 
missed him, and did no harm, no notice was taken of his mis- 
chief. We afterwards heard that the same party had visited 
Bougainville Harbour, where the Adeona was at anchor ; but 
as Mr. Low neither gave them encouragement to remain, nor 
permitted them to go on board his brig, they very soon went 
away. 
The difference between the climates of the western and east- 
ern portions of the Strait was very striking. To the westward 
the country, being principally clothed with evergreens, such as 
the smooth-leaved beech, and Winter’s-bark, with an underwood 
of arbutus and berberis, seems to possess a constant verdure, 
nor until the snow covers all, does it assume any thing like the 
appearance of winter. To the eastward, evergreens are less 
common, their place being occupied by the beech (Fagus Ant- 
arctica), whose leaves fall very early. Snow had also begun to 
cover the lower grounds, giving signs of winter. April termi- 
