214 CHILOE. [ouar, A111, 
tile soil, resulting from the decomposition of the volcanic rocks, 
supports a rank vegetation, yet the climate is not favourable to 
any production which requires much sunshine to ripen it. There 
is very little pasture for the larger quadrupeds; and in conse- 
quence, the staple articles of food are pigs, potatoes, and fish. 
The people all dress in strong woollen garments, which each 
family makes for itself, and dyes with indigo of a dark blue co- 
lour. The arts, however, are in the rudest state;—as may be 
seen in their strange fashion of ploughing, their method of spin- 
ning, grinding corn, and in the construction of their boats. The 
forests are so impenetrable, that the land is nowhere cultivated 
except near the coast and on the adjoining islets. Even -where 
paths exist, they are scarcely passable from the soft and swampy 
state of the soil. The inhabitants, like those of Tierra del Fue- 
go, move about chiefly on the beach or in boats. Although 
with plenty to eat, the peoplc are very poor: there is no demand 
for labour, and consequently the lower orders cannot scrape to- 
gether money sufficient to purchase even the smallest luxuries. 
There is also a great deficiency of a circulating medium. I have 
seen a man bringing on his back a bag of charcoal, with which 
to buy some trifle, and another carrying a plank to exchange 
for a bottle of wine. Hence every tradesman must also be 
a merchant, and again sell the goods which he takes in ex- 
change. 
November 24th.—The yawl and whale-boat were sent under 
the command of, Mr. (now Captain) Sulivan, to survey the east- 
ern or inland coast of Chiloe; and with orders to meet the 
Beagle at the southern extremity of the island; to which point 
she would proceed by the outside, so as thus to circumnavigate 
the whole. I accompanied this expedition, but instead of going 
in the boats the first day, I hired horses to take me to Chacao, 
at the northern extremity of the island. The road followed the 
coast; every now and then crossing promontories covered by fiue 
forests. In these shaded paths it is absolutely necessary that the 
whole road should be made of logs of wood, which are squared 
and placed by the side of each other. From the rays of the sun 
never penetrating the evergreen foliage, the ground is so damp 
and soft, that except by this means neither man nor horse would 
be able to pass along. I arrived at the village of Chacao, 
