456 



GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. Sept. 1835. 



tree, herb, nor grass, but a few dildoe (cactus) trees, except by 

 the sea-side/^* This description is at present applicable only 

 to the western islands, where the volcanic forces are in 

 frequent activity. 



The day, on which I visited the little craters, was glowing 

 hot, and the scrambling over the rough surface, and through 

 the intricate thickets, was very fatiguing ; but I. was well 

 repaid by the Cyclopian scene. In my walk I met two 

 large tortoises, each of which must have weighed at least 

 two hundred pounds. One was eating a piece of cactus, 

 and when I approached, it looked at me, and then quietly 

 walked away : the other gave a deep hiss and drew in its 

 head. These huge reptiles, surrounded by the black lava, 

 the leafless shrubs, and large cacti, appeared to my fancy 

 like some antediluvian animals. 



September 23d. — The Beagle proceeded to Charles 

 Island, This archipelago has long been frequented, first by 

 the Bucaniers, and latterly by whalers, but it is only within 

 the last six years, that a small colony has been established 

 on it. The inhabitants are between two and three hundred 

 in number : they nearly all consist of people of colour, who 

 have been banished for political crimes from the Republic 

 of the Equator (Quito is the capital of this state) to which 

 these islands belong. The settlement is placed about four 

 and a half miles inland, and at an elevation probably of a 

 thousand feet. In the first part of the road we passed 

 through leafless thickets, as in Chatham Island. Higher 

 up, the wood gradually became greener; and immediately 

 we had crossed the ridge of the island, our bodies were 

 cooled by the fine southerly trade-wind, and our senses 

 refreshed by the sight of a green and thriving vegetation. 

 The houses are irregularly scattered over a flat space of 

 ground, which is cultivated with sweet potatoes and 

 bananas. It will not easily be imagined how pleasant the 



* Dampier's Voyage, vol. i., p. 101. 



