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

1833. RUINED SETTLEMEXT. 271 Beagle's officer. Next morning Brisbane came on board with his papers, and I was quite satisfied with their tenor, and the ex- planation which he gave me of liis business. Some misappre- hension having since arisen about his being authorized by Ver- net to act in his stead, I may here mention again (though no longer of any material consequence), that Brisbane's instruc- tions from Vernet authorized him to act as his private agent only, to look after the remains of his private property, and that they had not the slightest reference to civil or military authority. This settled, I went to Port Louis, but was indeed disappointed. Instead of the cheerful little village I once anti- cipated finding — a few half-ruined stone cottages ; some strag- gling huts built of turf; two or three stove boats; some broken ground where gardens had been, and where a few cabbages or potatoes still grew ; some sheep and goats ; a few long-legged pigs ; some horses and cows ; with here and there a miserable- looking human being, — were scattered over the fore-ground of a view which had dark clouds, ragged-topped hills, and a Avild waste of moorland to fill up the distance. " How is this .?" said I, in astonishment, to Mr. Brisbane ; " I thought Mr. Vernet's colony was a thriving and happy set- tlement. Where are the inhabitants ? the place seems deserted as well as ruined." " Indeed, Sir, it was flourishing," said he, "but the Lexington ruined it: Captain Duncan's men did such harm to the houses and gardens. I was myself treated as a pirate — rowed stern foremost on board the Lexington — abused on her quarter-deck most violently by Captain Duncan treated by him more like a wild beast than a human being and from that time guarded as a felon, until I was released by order of Commodore Rogers." " But," I said, " where are the rest of the settlers ? I see but half a dozen, of whom two are old black women ; where are the gauchos who kill the cattle .?" " Sir, they are all in the country. They have been so much alarmed by what has occurred, and they dread the appearance of a ship of war so much, that they keep out of the way till they know what she is going to do." I afterwards interrogated an old German, while Brisbane was out of sight.