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

SOUTHERX ABORIGINES. 133 culty of obtaining either language or information from the Fuegians can only be well appreciated by those who have had intercourse with them, or with the New Hollanders; whose mimickry of what one says is as perplexing as the same trick is when speaking to the Fuegians. Allowing that theTehuel-het or Pata- gonians amount to 1,600 Yacana 600 Tekeenica 500 Alikhoolip 400 Pecheray 200 Huemul 100, and Chonos , 400 the total will be 3,800, which I do not think is five hundred in error : and I should say, in round numbers, that there are about four thousand adults south of the latitude of forty degrees, exclusive of Childe. By Patagonia is meant that part of South America which lies between the River Negro and the Strait of Magalhaens. Eastern Patagonia is the portion of this district which lies eastward of the Cordillera ; and Western Patagonia, the part lying between the summits of the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Tierra del Fuego takes in all the islands southward of the Strait of Magalhaens (including Staten Land), as far as the Diego Ramirez islets. Before entering into a more detailed account of these abori- gines, I wiU try to give a slight general idea of their personal appearance ; of their horses and canoes ; of their houses and country ; in short, an outline sketch of that which is observed at the first glance of a stranger's eye. The minuter details, which will follow, may be tedious to many readers. Magalhaens first gave the name of Patagones to the natives whom he saw at Port San Julian in 1 520. They were of very large (gigantic) stature, and their feet, being wrapped in rough guanaco skin, by way of shoes, were remarked particularly Probably their footsteps in the sand were noticed, and excited