The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-20
Explorations II the American Coast
Surveying Expedition.
The SubIimity and Variety Of
Antarctic Scenery.
The Glacial Theory Of Professor
Agassiz Proved Correct.
SOUNDING BEFORE A "WILLI-WAW.'
Patagonian Coal and Fue-
gian Manners.
INVITED STATES COAST SURVEY STEAMER HAssLER
TIA q ALL 10 Anr L

UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY STEAMER HAssLER
TALcAHUANo, Chile, April II, 1872 J
Arriving at Sandy Point Patagonia on March
10, we were detained there until the 10th by the
necessity for taking In fresh supply OF coal. The
anchorage though rather exposed to southern
winds, ls very good; but the absence Of any pier
Or wharf at which to land and the heavy surf which
sets In on the beach, often cause, In our case I'M
necessary detentlons. An attempt made to reach
the shore on the day following our arrival was at
tended with considerable risk of swamping the
boat and was altogether unsuccessful, so that for
Swenty -four hours we were compelled to form our
Ideas OF Sandy Point from Its appearance as seen
nom the deck of the Hasser The settlement Is o
couple Of miles south OF the projection from which
1t takes its name, and is built on the summit of
bank twenty or thirty feet HIGH surrounded by
moderately fertile plain and backed by q dense
forest. 1t presents q long, struggling, double row
OF houses, parallel to the beach, the most
conspicuous being that Of the Governor. 1t is
. penal settlement under military rule, and
its isolation from civilized human intercourse
was almost complete from the time OF its origin In
1913 until within few years. In consequence.
however OF the increase Of trafllc through the
Straits the Chilean government has offered new in
ducements to emigration and the colony has be-
come more active. The next day, the wind and
sea having subsidized, we effected landing and ex-
cursiOns In various directions were taken. coal
mine, which Ia being worked within five miles OF
the city and 1000 feet above the seq level, was
visited by Professor Agassiz, the ladies and Others
The coal has ordinarily been described q tertiary
ignite Of inferior quality but the Professor found 1t
to he true coal Of the carboniferous era. The fu-
ture fate OF Sandy Point probably depends to q
greater degree upon the abundance OF this COAL It's
commercial value and the facility OF Its extraction
han thar milf
way between two great oceans, on their main chan
mel Of communication, Offering safe and reliable
anchorage to all vessels, possessing fine pastur-
age for cattle and an tnexhaustible supply
Of timber, II 1t could produce good steam
coal in suffcient quantities its speedy con-
version into q prosperous and important city
would be almost certain. Gold Is found along the
banks and in the bed Of the little stream which
near the town, and the nuggets picked up there
form one Of the articles Of tralc Of the natives,
being bought as keepsakes by strangers. In the
vicinity of the coal mine an immense bed Of fossil
oyster shells discovered, fragments broken or
nom which were found to consist OF nearly pure
carbonate of lime, SO that demand for building
materials once being established lime kiln would
not be an Improbable speculation. In the forest
near the town
HUGE ANTARCTIC BEECHEs
(Fu0As dntarcttca) were found, six or seven feet in
diameter and about one hundred feet high. These
trees have o rough bark, small, obong, cronated
leaf and bear nut which Ia considerably smaller
than our beech nut. Another interesting tree
was the Winters Bark, noble evergreen,
varying In height from sixty to seventy feet
having o smooth gray bark, light coriaceocus
leaves and bearing tuft Of white flowers at the
end Of the branches It belongs to the natural
Sfder md5noltacsG, which includes our magn9lias
and liriodendra. when in the latter part Of the
sixteenth century, Sir Francis Drake passed through
the Straits, pursuing his celebrated circumnavi-
eating, fortune-seeking, buccaneering voyage, one
Of his companions, Captain Winter, whose men were
amicted with the scurvy, conceived the idea Of
using this as condiment and found it to possess
excellent anti-sc0rbutic properties Both the bark
and the fruit are warm stmulant, aromatic tonics,
having as described by another English worthy,
s'the SAVIOR of all kinds of spices together most
comfortable to the stomach.n The seeds are still
more active, almost irritant. We subsequently OBJ
served large numbers Of these trees,
On the following morning. the coal having been
saken on board and the day being beautifully bright
and clear, we got under way, having thanked the
Governor, sehor Don Oscar viel for his numerous
courteses The mountains to the south Of us, Of
which we had previously obtained but rare glances,
were then plainly visble-Samiento rearing his
dazzling, forked peak up above the clouds into
bright sunlight and looking down from his 1000
feet upon the lesser heights around him. Passing
through narrow channels, under steep bluns and
across broad sheets Of water, surrounded by fields
OF uxuriant grass and shrubbery, In the afternoon
We reached Port Famine our anchorage for the
night, a lovely spot, but with q sad history.
FATE OF A SPANISH SETTLEMENT.
When Sir Francis Drake, this same voyage,
emerged from the Straits, he so harrassed,
plundered and devastated the Spanish colonies on
the western coast that Philip l, sent one OF his
most trusty captains, Don Pedro Sarmiento, with
orders to capture or destroy him. Not succeeding
inthis attempt Sarmiento urged upon the King
the propriety Of fortifying some portions Of the
Straits, so 90 to command the passage, and finally
organized an expedition for that purpose. After
many delays and misfortunes two settlements
were established-one at Port Famine, then called
Gan Felipe, In honor Of the King, and one little
further to the eastward. They were not fated to
enjoy what, II 1t looked to them to u.s. must have
seemed on their arrival haven Of peace and pros
perity Sarmiento going from one colony to the
other was blown out to sea with his single vessel,
and was unable to return. Mtdwinter came ON with
great severity provisions gave out, disease over
took them, and after few months Of suffering
and despair all but two Of the 300 original settlers
were frozen or starved to death. Those two were
rescued by an Engnshman, who gave the locality
the name 1t has since retained-a gloomy memento
OF these incidents. On going ashore short, but
oimcult, walk through grass, weeds and brambles
waist high took us to a point Of land on which had
oeen situated the rude residences Of the colonists,
DOorposts, rotting with age or charred by fire. two
Old twenty-four Founders, spiked, turned with
their muzzes inward barely discernible through
The moss and lichens which had overgrown them,
and partially cleared spots, which, II not graves,
seemed 80 to our imagtDations, suficed as RENT.
niscences OF the tragedy once enacted there, and
we could not look on the really beautiful prospect
spread out below us in sunset glories without
thinking OF the strained eyes and sckenng hearts
which must have watched In vain for the return Of
sarmiento. The usual collection Of plants. shells,
&C., having been made, we returned to the vessel,
ann on the Following day resumedspur journey.
NATURE IN HER eRASpEsr> FORM