Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-01-04
TERRA DEL FUEGO.
Late Information About a Little
Known Country.
Results of Scientific and Geographical!
ENplUratiDuS-F0 Former hlScpgcep-
tions COrreeted-The Name
MiSu0mer.

Terra del Fuego has hereto attracted
! but little attention, and the busy W0TlC
| has been content tc let 1t alone. OF late
! however, circumstances have arisen which
! give the country Interest aud supply in
| formation about it. Within the last five
| years 1t has been the subject of more
| thorough and scientiG investigation 4
| than has ever been previously attem pt ed
Lieutenant Boye, of the French navy, has
| by permission of the Argentine govern
| ment, snd partly under its patronage
made an expedition to the southeast por.
| ton of Terre del FGego; and mis- labUrs
have resQlsed IN valuable report on the
fauna, flora and general characterislj jcs
of the country, aud the condition ana
language OF the people. Another even
more vaIuable contribution to our
knowledge ON the subjec5 has been made
by Rev. Thomas Bridges, Church of
| England missionary, who has lived in the
southeastern part OF Terra del Fuego for
over twenty five years, and has during
that long residence accumulated an iu
portent amount of Information about tn
country and its inhabitants. Mr.. Ju'ius
Popper, man of scientific antecedents,
has also, in behalf of Z mining CONF paDy,
recently made an expedition right across
the country from Useless B B4y on the west
to San Sebastian On the east, and thence
along the coast. Lastly, Don Ramon
L.sta, well known eXplole er and mem
Der of the geographical society of BueDos
Ayres, has Just returned from scientific
and geog ra phicai expedition to the east
and southeast coasts, undertaken at the
instance of the Arg entine government.
These combined sources of information
have served to correct many errors
hitherto current about the country, and
to add to our knoRledge in many inn
pOrtant respects.
The group of islands which form the
archipelago of Terra del Fdego nave an
area OF about eighty thousand square
miles, nearly the same size as England
and Scotland. Darwin describes the
country as - mountainous land, partly
submerged in the sea, so that deep iulets
and bays occupy the place where the val
leys should exist. To find an acre of
level land in any part of the country is
most rare" Don Ramon Lista, however,
who has had greater ard more receut OPP
pOrtunitles of investigation, thinks the
description mistaken one. He describes
Argentine Terra del Fuego as presenting
two aspects. Ia the north there are val
leys more or less extensive, covered with
splended groves, and irrigated by large
rivers, some of which are navigable; the
region enjoying an agreeable tempera
ture, with very little snow during the
winter. South of this he reports that
the appearance of the country changes,
anc extended forests appear, where the
grass is rot so abundant or the rivers 50
large. The face of the land in this part
is something like 5 Switzerland, with small
LAKES, elevated noun aims aDd valuable
timber forests. He seems to think the
country capable of great development,
for he adds: "Ou the plains there will
yet be planted a great pastoral industry,
while | believe the mountains will be
found 10 contain valuable mineral de-
posits"
The geological formation of Terra del
Fuego corresponds with that of Pata
gonia; its mountains are the continuation
and sou hern extremity of the Andes,
while the plains and uplands correspond
70 the Patagonian steppes. In some parts
the formation is decidedly volcanic,
pumice stone is found in large quqntities,
and granite and quartz are abundant.
On the other hand, limestone, iron aud
coal seem to be wa Gting. Gold has been
found in considerable quantities in the
north, and for a number of years the ca
terprisiDg Chilians have been washing it
at the foot of the chain of hills which
forms the coasts of Useless and Future
Bays. Thr climate is certainly not the
best in world, but its disadvantages seem
to have been a good deal exaggerated
by casual visitors who have, perhaps
been unfortunate as to the times
aud localities. Mr.. Brydges tells u has
IN the humid regions of the
west frosts are almost unknown; while in
the central and eastern parts, where the
sky is nee"Iy always cloudless, there is
intense cold during the the four months
from June to September. He adds that
the want of sufficient heat in summe er is
the great drawback to the climate, and is
greater Inconvenience than the cold in
winter, which has never been known to
be lower than u degrees Fahrenheit,
while the highest summer temperature is
only 75 degrees. If it were not for the
rsw, damp winds, the climate of Terra
del Fuego would be much better than that
of Canada. While there are probably
iew streams in the country which are of
sufficient size ever to be utilized for nayi-
cation, there is large number of small
rivers and watercourses, which carry off
The rains and melted snow from the
mountains, and thus assist to irrigate the
lower plains.