THE STKAIT OF MAGELLAN. 253 



passengers, and that these were disposed to give us a wide 

 berth. Next morning we arrived at Buenos Ayres about four 

 o'clock, anchoring in the inner roadstead ; and about three 

 hours later we left the vessel (which, on account of the 

 shallowness of the river, owing to the extensive mud-banks, 

 was obliged to lie at some distance from the town), in a great 

 awkward flat-bottomed boat, which was sculled to the end of 

 a long pier. We were rather dismayed at first at the amount 

 of the fare demanded for our transport, forty dollars being the 

 required sum, but were reassured by the information that, 

 although the Monte Yidean paper dollar was valued at about 

 four shillings, that of Buenos Ayres was only worth twopence 

 at the present time, owing to the excessive depreciation of 

 the paper currency. After a cursory inspection of our port- 

 manteaus by the custom-house officers, we walked to the 

 '* Universelle Maison," a very good lodging-house in the Calle 

 San Martin, where we took rooms, afterwards proceeding 

 under the guidance of an Englishman to the Strangers' Club 

 in the same street, where we were duly introduced, and soon 

 after had breakfast. This accomplished, we set forth on 

 a tour of inspection, visiting a variety of places, including 

 the office of the well-known Buenos Ayrean Standard^ and the 

 Museum, which, on account of its fine collection of the ex- 

 tinct tertiary Mammals of South America, I was very anxious 

 to see. There I had the pleasure of meeting the distinguished 

 director. Dr. Burmeister, with whom I had much interesting 

 conversation, and who was good enough to show me some of 

 the more interesting specimens in the Museum, including 

 magnificent examples of the Mylodon, Toxodon, Glyjptodon, etc., 

 far surpassing any in the collections in England. On a second 

 visit which I paid to the Museum on the following day, he 

 exhibited to me various other objects of interest, such as the 



