to the Strait of Magellan, 



69 



of the world, the cold should increase proportionably in the 

 winter season, it must be next to intolerable. 



We had no opportunity of experiencing this severity ; but 

 the Dutch, who were detained in this strait by contrary wea- 

 ther, being obHged to remain all the winter in the Bay des 

 Cor<les, lost no less than 80 persons out of their number by the 

 inclemency of the climate : although we need not have recourse 

 to foreign examples, when we reflect on the fate of the colonies 

 planted by Sarmiento, which were entirely destroyed by the 

 climate. 



All authors agree, that the southern hemisphere is, in equal 

 latitudes, twice as cold as the northern. Some pretend, that 

 this arises from the greater space of the former which is occu- 

 pied by the waters of the Ocean; from whence it comes, that, 

 in certain seasons, banks and shoals of snow and ice are met 

 with in no very high latitudes ; and hence also proceed the 

 winds, which continually blow with violence from the west- 

 "ward, which, passing over an immense extent of ocean, without 

 meeting any obstacles to interrupt or divert their course, gradu- 

 ally acquire such force, as to be capable of occasioning the 

 most dreadful effects ; in particular, rendering the passage from 

 the north and east, round Cape Horn, so painful and danger- 

 ous. In the Strait of Magellan we observed some variations in 

 the winds ; only, in general, we found that they followed the 

 direction of the channels amongst the islands and mountains; 

 and the impression produced by an atmosphere so loaded and 

 confined between such lofty mountains, contributed much to 

 form those furious gales, blasts, or hurricanes, which we some- 

 times experienced, and whose fury renders so tedious the pas- 

 sage through this strait. 



It is impossible to conceive the moisture prevailing in all 

 these parts, and the multitudes of rivulets and falls of water 

 which, precipitating themselves from the higher parts of the 

 mountains, form a prospect, at first view most agreeable ; but 

 "which, on a nearer approach, soon produces very opposite 

 sensations. 



These waters are very good when used immediately after 

 they are taken up; but we found that on board ship they did 

 not long remain so, soon acquiring a disagreeable flavour, — 

 a proof of their bad qualities. 



Such being the soil, and such the climate, of the low or plain 

 part of the country bordering on the Strait of Magellan, it is 

 not wonderful that it should produce only the few plants 

 which we are now going to describe ; observing, at the same 

 time, they are all found in the neighbourhood of the sea: for 

 we had not occasion to penetrate much into the country; so that 



