Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

SOUTHERN ABORIGINES. 131 Rather than occupy time in attempting to give an account of the past state of these ever-varying tribes,— whose numbers have been so much altered, and v.'hose locations may be now changed, — I will endeavour to give some idea of the present condition, distribution, and probable numbers of the people called. Patagonians ; of the natives of Tierra del Fuego, or Fuegians, and of the western tribe called Chonos. By those who have frequented the Strait of Magalhaens or its vicinity, the latter are often called ' Canoe Indians;' and. the Patago- nians, ' Horse Indians.' The Patagonians (Tehuel-het) travel on horseback over the country between the River Negro and the Strait of Magalhaens; from the Atlantic to the Cordillera of the Andes. They have no boats or canoes of any kind ; and their disposition, habits, and language are very different from those of the Fuegians (Ya- cana-kunny, Key-uhue, and Poy-yus). Those who live in the north-eastern part of Tierra del Fuego have neither canoes nor horses. The natives of the southern and western islands, and of the shores of Otway and Skyring waters, also the people who live upon the western islands and coast of Patagonia, have canoes, but no horses. The Patagonians are now divided into four parties, each of which has a separate though ill-defined territory. Each of these parties has a leader, or cacique ; but they speak one language, and are evidently subdivisions of one tribe. When mutually convenient, they all assemble in one place : but if food be- comes scarce, or quarrels happen, each party withdi-aws to its own territory. At such times one body will encroach upon the hunting grounds of another, and a battle is the consequence. About four hundred adults, and a rather large proportion of children, are in each of these parties : the number of women being to that of the men as three to one. Near the Strait of Ma- galhaens about fourteen hundred Patagonians have been lately seen encamped together for a short time ; but usually there is only one horde, of about four hundred grown people, in that neighbourhood. Less is known of the Yacana-kunny than of any other tribe, k2