THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 15 



taken for it, owing to the misty state of the atmosphere which 

 commonly prevails in the neighbourhood of this group of 

 islands. In skirting along the coast of the island, the savage, 

 intensely volcanic, barren appearance, of its ridges and heights, 

 made a profound impression upon me. The ruggedness of 

 the cliffs was added to by the occasional presence of project- 

 ing dikes ; and, at first sight, with the exception of a few 

 stiff-growing shrubs, which I felt pretty certain were Ewphor- 

 hias (a conclusion subsequently verified), there appeared to be 

 an utter destitution of vegetation of any description. But as 

 we turned a projecting point, and opened the bay of Porto 

 Grande, I was agreeably surprised by finding that a consider- 

 able portion, alike of the low ground near the beach, and of 

 the slopes of the hills, was rendered green by a covering of 

 herbaceous plants. I was the more astonished by this, as I 

 had been informed by some of my companions, who had pre- 

 viously made acquaintance with the island, that I would 

 find that it presented much the appearance of a gigantic 

 cinder. This unusual display of verdure, was, as I after- 

 wards learned, the result of heavy rains shortly before our 

 visit — a phenomenon of very rare occurrence at the present 

 time on this arid spot. The fertility of the Cape de Verdes 

 appears, however, to have been considerably greater three 

 centuries ago than it is now, if we may trust to the accounts 

 given of them by some of the older navigators. Thus Drake, 

 who visited them in 1578, speaks favourably of Mayo, St. 

 Jago, and Brava, remarking on the sweetness of the grapes 

 and the excellence of the cocoa-nuts, on the first ; and observ- 

 ing of the second, that it is " faire and large, and, as it seemeth, 

 rich and fruitful ;" and, of the third, that it is a " most plea- 

 sant and sweet island, the trees whereof are always greene and 

 faire to look upon." Mr. Darwin also mentions, on the 



