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Show 242 TIERRA DEL FUEGO. Jan. 1833· point of his spear. If any p.resent .was .design~d for one canoe and it fell near another, It was mvanably given to the right ~wner. We were always much surprised at the little notice or rather none whatever, which was evinced respecting m~ny things, even such as boats, the use of which m.ust have been evident. Simple circumstances,-such as the whiteness of our skins, the beauty of scarlet cloth or blue beads, the absence of women, our care in washing ourselves,-excited their admiration far more than any grand or complicated object, such as the ship. Bougainville has remarked concerning these very people that they treat the " chef d'reuvres de l'industrie humaine, comme ils traitent les loix de la nature et ses phenomenes." The perfect equality among the individuals composing these tribes, must for a long time retard their civilization. As we see those animals, whose instinct compels them to live in society and obey a chief, are most capable of improvement, so is it with the races of mankind. Whether we look at it as a cause or a consequence, the more civi~ized always have the most artificial governments. For instance, the inhabitants of Otaheite, who, when first discovered, were governed by hereditary kings, had arrived at a far higher grade than another branch of the same people, the New Zealanders,-who although benefited by being compelled to turn their attention to agriculture, were republicans in the most absolute sense. In Tierra del Fuego, until some chief shall arise with po~er sufficient to secure any acquired advantages, such as the domesticated animals or other valuable presents, it seems scarcely possible that the political state of the country can be improved. At present, even a piece of cloth is torn into shreds and distributed ; and no one individual becomes richer than another. On the other hand, it is difficult to understand how a chief can arise till there is property of some sort by which he might manifest and still increase his authority. JANUARY 28TH.-In the evening, Captain FitzRoy sent two boats back to the ship from Ponsonby Sound, and with Jan. 1833. BEAGLE CHANNEL. 243 the two others proceeded to survey the western end of the Beagle channel. ~he view in .this central part was very remarkable. Lookmg towards either hand, no object intercepted the vanishing points of this long canal of the mountains. The circumstance of its being an arm of the sea was r~ndered ~ery .evident by several huge whales spouting in different directwns. On one occasion I saw two of. these monsters, probably male and female, slowly swimming one after the other, within less than a stone's throw of the shore over which the beech extended its branches. ' We sailed on till it was dark, and then pitched our tents in a quiet creek. The greatest luxury here is to find a beach of pebbles, for they are both dry and yield to the body. The peaty soil is damp; rock is uneven and hard; sand gets into one's meat, when cooked and eater1 boat-fashion; but when lying in our blanket bags, on a good bed of smooth peb hies, we passed most comfortable nights. It w~s my watch till one o'clock. There is something very solemn in these scenes. At no time does the consciousness in what a remote corner of the world you are then buried, come so strongly before your mind. Every thing tends to this effect; the stillness of the night is interrupted only by the heavy breathing of the seamen beneath the tents, and sometimes by the cry of a night bird. The occasional barking also of a dog, heard in the distance, reminds one that it is the land of the savage. 29TH.-Early in the morning we arrived at the point where the Beagle channel divides itself into two arms; and we entered the northern one. The scenery here becomes even grander than before. The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the whole country. They were covered by a wide mantle of perpetual snow, and numerous cascades poured their waters, through the woods, into the narrow channel below. In many parts magnificent glaciers extended from the mountain side to the water's edge. It is scarcely possible to imagine any thing more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of the glacier, and especially when R2 |