THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 119 



which possesses acrid poisonous qualities in the northern 

 hemisphere, is perfectly innocuous and wholesome in its 

 southern habitat. We were able to pronounce judgment on 

 this point from personal experience, as we frequently ate it on 

 our excursions, finding it to possess a very agreeable flavour, 

 though of course it was not so crisp and succulent as the 

 cultivated variety. Another plant that I observed for the 

 first time on this occasion was the Pratia reopens, a little 

 Lobeliaceous plant, growing in sandy places, with a pale 

 purple corolla appearing as if split down one side. 



On the following day, during the greater part of which 

 the gale continued to blow as violently as ever, we passed 

 the forenoon reading in our tent, a fox paying us an occa- 

 sional visit in search of plunder, but always succeeding in 

 escaping without injury. About noon, some of the men, who 

 had gone off on a stroll to the westward, returned with the 

 news that there was the wreck of a large iron ship lying on 

 the beach at some distance. We therefore walked down to 

 the beach in the course of the afternoon to see her, and I have 

 seldom witnessed a more eloquent demonstration of the feeble- 

 ness of human workmanship as contrasted with the power of 

 the elements, than she presented to our gaze as we approached 

 her. She lay on the sand, broken into large fragments. Her 

 bows still remained in one mass, the figure-head crusted over 

 with mussels, and one of her anchors attached in readiness to 

 be let go, while the other two, one of which yet retained its con- 

 nection with her great chain-cable, lay half-buried in the 

 sand. All around were scattered yards of galvanised iron 

 rigging, and the remains of her cargo, consisting of sledge- 

 hammer heads, flat irons, spades, shovels, pincers, bits, stir- 

 rups and spurs, together with her strong box, with the door 

 rent off, and fragments of cups and plates, etc. The weather 



