Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

April 1828. natives — climate. 141 Natives had discovered and visited the ship while I was away, but Lieut. Wickham did not encourage them to remain ; and two or three attempts to pilfer being detected, they were treated with very little ceremony ; so finding their company was not desired, they went across the Strait to Lomas Bay, where for several days afterwards the smoke of their fires was seen. They were the same Indians whom we had met at Port San Antonio. That these Indians should be received so coolly, may seem to have been impolitic on our side, when it is considered that our smaller vessels and boats might be met with, and their crews ill-treated by way of retaliation. It was, how- ever, time that they should know our superiority ; for, of late, several very treacherous attacks had been made by them on sealing vessels, and this party was the most forward and inso- lent we had seen. One of them was teazing several of the men to box, an accomplishment he had probably learnt from the crews of sealing vessels ; among others, he fixed upon the Serjeant of marines, who very unceremoniously pushed him over the side, and made him return to his canoe, which he resented by pushing off from the ship's side, and throwing a stone at the Serjeant, who w^as standing at the gangway. As it missed him, and did no harm, no notice was taken of his mis- chief. We afterwards heard that the same party had visited Bougainville Harbour, where the Adeona was at anchor ; but as Mr. Low neither gave them encouragement to remain, nor permitted them to go on board his brig, they very soon went away. The difference between the climates of the western and east- ern portions of the Strait was very striking. To the westAvard the country, being principally clothed with evergreens, such as the smooth-leaved beech, and Winter's-bark, with an underwood of arbutus and berberis, seems to possess a constant verdure, nor until the snow covers all, does it assume any thing like the appearance of winter. To the eastward, evergreens are less common, their place being occupied by the beech {Fagus Ant- arctica), whose leaves fall very early. Snow had also begun to cover the lower grounds, giving signs of winter. April termi-