to the Strait of Magellan. 



77 



interior ; their length about one inch, and greatest breadth c«nc 

 quarter of an inch. It bears flowers on each branch of the 

 upper part of the shrub, of a white colour, but of very little 

 smell; the taste bitter, and somewhat insipid ; but, when it is 

 burnt, it exhales a very pleasant odour. 



The myrtle is the shrub which produces the fruit which 

 has been used by perhaps all the travellers who have passed 

 this strait, on account of its subacid sweetish taste, being- 

 of a cooling quality, and extremely pleasant, when perfectly 

 ripe. Of this fruit there are many kinds; some being round, 

 others oblong, others heart-shaped. They vary also in their 

 colour ; some being black, others red, rose-colour, or entirely 

 white ; which last are the sweetest. 



This plant, called by Sarmiento moniina^ is of different sizes, 

 some being found from one foot to two yards, all producing 

 fruit in their season. The leaves are smallish, but long and 

 sharp-pointed ; so much so, that, in getting the fruit, they 

 prick the hands : the colour of all these leaves is a dark-green, 

 and insipid and astringent. This fruit constitutes a part of the 

 food of the Indians, and our crew also eat them abundantly. 



Although v/e saw no more, it would be rash to assert, that the 

 Strait of Magellan produces no other plants than those we have 

 recapitulated, since it is but natural to imagine that it may fur- 

 nish many other kinds, especially in the mountainous track, of 

 which we examined but a very small portion. It was a fortu* 

 nate season for our enquiries, when we were in these parts, as 

 almost all the plants and shrubs were then in flower, and in 

 their greatest vigour, wliich much facilitated our procuring the 

 foregoing account of each sort. We now proceed to that of the 

 trees. 



There are three kinds of trees fotmd in the vast forests which 

 clothe almost the whole surface of the mountainous track of the 

 strait. The first, which is the least valuable, has some resem- 

 blance to the beech of the northern parts of the world, 

 but still differs very materially from that tree; for which reason, 

 it appears, that the celebrated Mr. Banks, (now Sir Joseph,) 

 who accompanied Captain Cook in his first voyage to the South 

 Seas, gives it the name fagus antarcticus; at the same time ob- 

 serving, that he considered it to be peculiar to this country. 



The height of this tree is prodigious ; but, in many that w^e 

 cut down, we found the heart damaged, so that it is not fit for 

 work : nor do its fibres possess that strength which might, from 

 its great size, be expected. 



The second kind, which is more abundant, is called by natu- 

 ralists betula antarctica^ although it bears no resemblance to the 



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