316 



TROUBLESOME NUMBER OF FUEGIANS. 



1830. 



might be visible, which we had seen in our passage from Con- 

 cepcion to the Strait ; but the weather was at first too cloudy, 

 and afterwards the comet itself was too faint to be discerned.* 



On the 21st, nine canoes arrived in the bay, containing a 

 large party of Fuegians, principally those who frequent the 

 Magdalen Channel, and probably the sea-coast. They had 

 generally shown themselves disposed to be mischievous, and I 

 determined upon preventing their encamping near us; for 

 their presence would greatly impede our watering and wood- 

 ing parties, by distracting the attention of the people. I, there- 

 fore, went to meet them at the watering-place, under Point 

 St. Anna, where they had landed, near one of our boats which 

 was on the beach. Among them we only recognised three who 

 had visited us before, and those three were brought to our 

 remembrance by their former misconduct. I had always made 

 it a rule to treat them kindly, with the view of obtaining their 

 good-will ; but I found it was the wrong way to gain their 

 respect, for it only made them expect more from me, the con- 

 sequence of which was, that when we separated, neither party 

 was pleased with the other. I used on this occasion a more dic- 

 tatorial tone than I had hitherto done ; for, seeing several with 

 slings in their hands, and a collection of large, round pebbles 

 wrapped up in the corner of their mantles, I desired them to 

 throw the stones away, which they did not hesitate to do. The 

 Indians were now all landed, and evidently presuming upon 

 their numerical strength, upwards of eighty being assembled, 

 began to make themselves very familiar. 



I thought it best to check their advances, by desiring them 

 not to visit the side of the bay where our tents stood, but to 

 go round Point St. Anna, to an adjoining cove. They seemed 

 to understand me perfectly, and soon afterwards embarked, 

 while I returned on board. The natives, however, landed again, 

 in the middle of the bay, at the north side, and there encamped. 



Next morning, the men of the tribe visited our tents, but 

 found them surrounded by a rope I had caused to be fixed, 



* The same comet was seen at the Mauritius ; and its orbit calculated. 

 See Ast. Soc. Proceedings, and Phil. Journal. 



