264 CATTLE DEPOT PRODUCE. 



it seems to me the very best situation for locating those bad 

 characters who are unfit to remain at home. But to whomso- 

 ever it may happen to colonize these islands, there can be no 

 doubt that industry will be well rewarded, that health, safety, 

 and a frequent communication with the mother country, will 

 be as certain as in any other colony, and that the only draw- 

 backs to be anticipated are those likely to be caused by wind 

 and deficiency of solar heat. 



Animals increase rapidly, and the quality of their hides or 

 fur improves. Cows give a large quantity of excellent milk, 

 from which good butter and cheese may be made. Not long 

 since, a letter was received from the Hon. George Grey, Cap- 

 tain of H.M.S. Cleopatra, in which he said that the milk and 

 butter at Howick was not superior to that which he tasted at 

 the Falklands. In the event of steamers engaging in the navi- 

 gation of those seas,^ a port of supply and repair, in short, a 

 maritime depot would be required, in or near Tierra del 

 Fuego; but no such establishment could easily be formed there 

 without a military force, and occasional hostilities with the 

 natives, whereas, at the Falklands, the only native opponents 

 would be foxes, horses, and bulls.-f* This immense advantage 

 over most habitable and fertile countries — the having no abo- 

 riginal population — should be duly considered by those who 

 may contemplate planting a colony there. Weddell says, " A 

 settlement at this point of the South Atlantic would evidently 

 afford great facilities to navigation. The extensive tracts of 

 ground, well clothed with grass, and the quantity of fine 

 cattle running wild on the island, are sufficient proofs of its 

 being a country that might be settled to advantage. The win- 

 ters are mild, the temperature being seldom so low as the 

 freezing point. Several of my crew, indeed, went without 



* From Concepcion (37° S.) to Elizabeth Island, near the eastern 

 entrance of Magalhaens Strait, there is every where abundance of wood 

 fuel for steamers. 



t It is very dangerous for persons on foot to approach the wild horses 

 or cattle, especially the bulls, unless they are armed with rifles or balls 

 (bolas) ; and even then, no one ought to venture alone. 



