Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1861-02-14
mates and faithful sailors cast the lead as we

4 sIc uTE WHICH tue survivors Oh tue wreck ndu
made as signal to call us to them. Capt. I'll.
at once stood in towards them, and was soon
met by boat from the wreck containing the
captain and six men. They were Chlians,
and were from Valparaiso, having been
wrecked in a snow storm on the goth, and
had been there eleven days. At the request
of the captain we took the supercargo on
board only as the rest would remain until
he could send them help from Sand Point,
where there was settlement and where he
wished to be landed. Early in the p. NJ,
we met a snow storm, and had to anchor for
the rest of the day and night. Here the
Strait is about the same width as Long Is
land Sound off New London, Conn, and we
found good anchorage, although strong tide
was setting to the east. Hoping now to take
some fish, put over my lines, notwithstanding
the cold wind and snow storm, but having
poor luck and soon getting chilled through, |
was glad to retire for the night.
Saturday, Sept. /, clear and cold. Sailed
at $50 keeping nigh to the shore at Patago-
mia, which resembled very much that of Long
lido 3.4rAs>cs: S4>-l~l ~itLa..o-L -
we voyaged on.
In the afternoon the land was much higher,
and on,Tierra-del-F Fuego, nothing but noun
tains all covered with snow, the most gloomy
and forsaken looking land | ever saw.
At4 P NJ we came in sight of Sans Point,
and was soon off the little town Gf such IT
NAV be calied), and as we stopped to land
our ship-wrecked passengers, the Governor
of the colony came out and wished us to wait
for him to write some letters which he wanted
left at Valparaiso or the coal mines OF Lota,
whichever port we made. At first Capt II.
said he could not wait, as he was getting short
of coal. bat at last concluded to stop, and
down went the anchor for the third time,
making Jack growl and swear, as it is - no
| fun to weigh anchor and overhaul chain
cable in latitnde 54 South, and mld-wlnter
at that.
Sandy Point is situated on quite fine bay
and has a good harbor for theStrait OF Magel-
| Ian. The town is small, and in the back
| ground are seen the hills, wooded, but the
whole country draped in snowenoueh to chill
one in looking at the scene after coming from
brazil. The Gillian government purchased
| of the Indians 21 miles for this colony where
they keep guard Of soldiers, as they SEND
some of their convicts here.
As we steamed into the harbor the natives
saw the ship from the mountains and some
| fifty of them rode into town, expecting we had
Icone TO trade, and for one / regretted we had
not. az they had a good stock of furs. In
the evening. Purser Satterlee and some OF the
other officers went over to see them, but found
them not giants, as Magellan stated them TO
be when he first discovered this country
Sarniento, a Spanish voya2er, made them
out to be actual cyclops. Sir Thomas Cav
endish measured their footsteps, which were
eighteen inches long. The Patagonans are
generally tall but not giants; no one mas Deeh
/ seen of late much over SIX feet IN hight. ne
doctor at the station said that the wonderful
tales told about them were and ever have been
by far too large and beyond anything he had
| vet seen. as he knew much about them, DeIne
their medicine man.
, The Patagonians are at present diyldeG
into four tribes, each of which has leader Ol
) cqciQue; but they all speak one language an'
when it is found cOnvententthey all assethon
IN one place, but if food becomes scarce, o
nuarrels hapDen. each party withdraws 70 II.
should come upon the hunting grounds
another. battle woald be the consequence
They wear II antics or cloaks OF skin loosei;
= gathered around them, which make them Iool
+ Very large. Most of them have horses, "it
which thew hunt ostriches and guanacoes; tn
I skins of the latter make beautiful robes. n
doctor made nv friend SatteIlce prese ut O
!, one and said that the Indians about the settle
, ment were not hostile, but quite friendly
r September 2d As the past night wa
4 clear. Capt. II. weighed anchor soon ate
] midnight in order to make the best use
I could of the weather. So when / went o
o deck in the morning ioun1 the STRAIT aoou
the same as the Hudson at the Highlands
e and the land scene about the same aiso,y ou
2 the mountains higher than those al anu aoo'
i West Point, and most OF them without an
e vagotat;on so there was nothing but glooI
l. and desolation to behold on e'ther sue Vi
c apv direction that | turned my eyes.
| ana "
J. were Obliged to anchor, as the passage wa
r narrow, and in many places deep, and man
d small islands, which made the passage ID
a enough in the best of weather
10 While at anchor, two canoes OF the Iierl
e del Fuegins came alongside OF US, conta'niI
six peopIe each, if such they may be Gale
Ii Tierra-ael- -Fuego means, or IS IN Lh9'lsn,
% leland of Fire, and is so called from the mr.
o. tba+ are most ALWAYS seen burning on Il
" mountains. ,Iooi
lie The natives of this Island are hard loo
tn inp race indeed. They are interior IN std
* ure.and badly formed, having vlllalnouS g,
ID nression of features, and have altogether u
Id most savage exterior of the whole human rae
ny Their color is that of old mahogany ana 'n'
on pass much of their time IN low wl4"a'nS'
en- cramped up in small canoes, when very inu i.u
he INJURIES the growth and shape OF thelr Lllh
nj q
1t manner. with the knees much bent. Ih
in rnh their bodies with grease, oil, charco
be ochre. and clay. They wear but scan
et CLOTHING ofskins, but no shoes or any mocC
all sins. and seal skin about their sho
on dars is all with which to cover themselV
,ut Lfrom the cold, snow, seet and rain OF an Ell
he less winter Their canoes, which are ma
of of bark. are verv rude. and when they
of naddlino about in them they always nave
9Th fire burning in heap of earth IN the ihlu'
all of the canoe. They are almost constantly II
ey inc from place to place, and never culslN'
the soil: she'll fish being their food. Gan
let balism still prevails among them, ior WI
I'd thew get short of food and the TIDE so n
they can't get shell-fsh, then they XIII
nee eat their old women; so said one CT the
dis tives that was not long since taken 10 L
1ch land. The scenery of the territory Is IN
, us feet unison with the savage and atrocl
and manners of the natives. Nothing, says
lies mer writer. can surpass the horrid aspect
Oh Tierra-del-Fuego-a heap OF crag9y ro'
9os wild sterile, and desolate, fit only tor the
am drction of monsters rather than oil NEIL
his One of the canoes contained one man,
he women. A Girl about sixteen, two childi
he and two dogs We purchased one OF
ting dogs for knife I'D ,,or+ -
ling They wanted i, IDo ha% for if. and would
he any thlng they ho - or ,,a
IS of change only one article ior d PiotI o- ="
of tobacco at a time. | got from them
cas- spear and lance, the former made OF DO
vest the lance OF Woou, poih'eu WIN III '.,o
sea arrow, but very ruoeiy ihaIiG Ia o. -
ross, The girl gave me her hecA'a'o toi -
lade paper of tobacco, and oy sighs' %lsnII - ni
$ of put it on, which | did, when she laug
oom heartily l have seen people and nat
wing from almost every cline and land on
tain globe but these were the most abject' mi nj
,rly. able creatures have anywhere beheld' L
,uch were quite naked, as have said before
low it was showing heavily at TINS tine' ~
the melted on them, 1t trlckied down theil ~ g
,rses These poor heathens had solne Vi I.o4 e
L - llnr thnIr Sk IL