THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 171 



plating the magnificently savage character of the scenery of 

 the Patagonian and Euegian coasts, the mountains on either 

 side towering up steeply from the water's edge, with their 

 summits in many instances thickly mantled with snow. 

 Turning Cape Froward, the southernmost point of the conti- 

 nent of South America, we kept along the Patagonian side of 

 the Strait, passing, after a time, the striking cliffs of Cape 

 Holland, and towards the close of the afternoon reached 

 Fortescue Bay, at the entrance of Port Gallant, where we 

 anchored for the night. 



On the following day (11th) it was blowing very hard 

 squalls, with but brief intervals between them, outside our 

 anchorage, and it was therefore considered unadvisable to 

 make a move — a circumstance regretted by few of us, as 

 aftbrding an opportunity for the examination of the country 

 in the neighbourhood. Early in the forenoon, therefore, a 

 large party of us, well encased in waterproofs, left the ship, 

 landing on a small wooded islet (Wigwam Island of the 

 charts) at the entrance of Port Gallant. As we neared the 

 beach, our attention was attracted by the brilliant red colour- 

 ing presented by a thicket of tall bushes, which we supposed 

 to be Fuchsias; and on stepping on shore we ascertained that 

 our conjecture was correct, and were greatly delighted with 

 the beautiful appearance of these elegant shrubs, which 

 attained a height of from eight to twelve feet, and were loaded 

 with blossoms. This Fuchsia (the F. Magellanica) is widely 

 distributed throughout the western part of the Strait, the 

 Channels, and the west coast of Patagonia, the Chonos Archi- 

 pelago, Chiloe, and South Chili, and was, until within the 

 last few years, confounded with the Fuchsia coccinea of Alton, 

 a very distinct species as Dr. Hooker has demonstrated. It 

 very generally occurs in thickets, affording a most serviceable 



