April 1828. 



NATIVES— CLIMATE. 



141 



Natives had discovered and visited the ship while I was away, 

 but Lieut. Wickham did not encourage them to remain ; and 

 two or three attempts to pilfer being detected, they were treated 

 with very little ceremony ; so finding their company was not 

 desired, they went across the Strait to Lomas Bay, where for 

 several days afterwards the smoke of their fires was seen. They 

 were the same Indians whom we had met at Port San Antonio. 



That these Indians should be received so coolly, may seem 

 to have been impolitic on our side, when it is considered 

 that our smaller vessels and boats might be met with, and 

 their crews ill-treated by way of retaliation. It was, how^- 

 ever, time that they should know our superiority ; for, of late, 

 several very treacherous attacks had been made by them on 

 sealing vessels, and this party was the most forward and inso- 

 lent we had seen. One of them was teazing several of the men 

 to box, an accomplishment he had probably learnt from the 

 crews of sealing vessels ; among others, he fixed upon the 

 Serjeant of marines, who very unceremoniously pushed him 

 over the side, and made him return to his canoe, which he 

 resented by pushing off from the ship''s side, and throwing a 

 stone at the Serjeant, who w^as standing at the gangway. As it 

 missed him, and did no harm, no notice was taken of his mis- 

 chief. We afterwards heard that the same party had visited 

 Bougainville Harbour, where the Adeona was at anchor ; but 

 as Mr. Low neither gave them encouragement to remain, nor 

 permitted them to go on board his brig, they very soon went 

 away. 



The difference between the climates of the western and'east- 

 ern portions of the Strait was very striking. To the westward 

 the country, being principally clothed with evergreens, such as 

 the smooth-leaved beech, and Winter^s-bark, with an underwood 

 of arbutus and berberis, seems to possess a constant verdure, 

 nor until the snow covers all, does it assume any thing like the 

 appearance of winter. To the eastward, evergreens are less 

 common, their place being occupied by the beech {Fagus Ant- 

 arctica)^ whose leaves fall very early. Snow had also begun to 

 cover the lower grounds, giving signs of winter. April termi- 



