The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-21
TIE FALKLAND ISLANDS.
[ QUEER ExIsTEN0EINA QUEER
 PLACE.
Lonesome Population Far From Any where i'm the Wild South Seas.

Apfll 10, lO4, Thanks to the courtesy of the English sovernor, a steam yacht was placed at he disposal of our party, whose captain ad instructions to aid us in exploring he islands" But that would be a rath- large undertaking, as there are more han two hundred in the group; so we lave gained a general idea of life in |slis little world lost in a waste of lone II waters. by cruising around the two trgest islands, and visiting their few fttlements, which are all near the spast. The total population of the Fchipelago is only about two thou And- mostly Englishmen, Scotchmen nd Argentine Guachos. East Falk- &nd, the largest of the islands, has an rea, of three thousand square miles; et it contains only three insignificant hmlets besides Port Stanley-the rest the people living on widely separated heep-runs. There are no roads on any the islands, but they are criss- tossed in all directions by horse trails, r here everybody goes on horse back, h Journeys that cannot be made by a. Every well-to-do Falklander owns s yacht, as the citizens of other coun- fes keep their carriages. There is also steam-launch that regularly plies the bund between the two main islands; bile the produce brig of the Falkland land Sheep Farming Company" is pa pnized by the poorer classes.
 Dur first objective point was Port St. 1puis, a little north of Stanley, on erkeley Sound, where the French Funded the earliest settlemnt on the Archipelago Gin 1763), and which, Tough many times destroyed by bonn rdment. as various countries enforced eir claims to possession, remained the lat of government until few year #o, when it was removed to Stanley. he big island is nearly cut in two by " d sound on either side which Aves 4ts northern and southern por- ms connected by an isthmus hardly NO miles wide. The lower half of the land is crossed by a range of low but E gged hills, and the remainder is g. ailge mixture of peat-beds and tus- fk grass, pasture and swamp, with Any small streams and shallow tarns fresh water. Next to Stanley, the pst important village is Port Darwin ' station of the Falkland Island com &ny. It is peopled entirely by Scotch ! bpherds, and such a quaint little *vn can be found nowhere else out Se of Scotland, with it's Presbyterian k Appropriately built of iron to Itch it's stern creed), and its s'blue esbyterian" clergyman and school Ester, who rule the lives of the vil- sers to the minutest detail, temporal D spiritual.
 Though more than three hundred les distant from Patagonia, scientists lee that these islands were once a 't of that country, and are still con- eted herewith by an elevated sub rine plateau. At any rate, the geo. Neal formation and flora of the two essentially the same, though to the gnds no animals are indigenous but les, rats and rabbits There are only V things to be said in favor of the bleasant climate in this locality St 1t is remarkably uniform (uniforn- kad), and that the chilly winds which Der trees from growing, and fruit corn from attaining maturity, pre- st likewise the existence of many liv- pests that abound nearer to the ator. There are no snakes here nor Eiles of any sort; no toads nor spi- s, flies nor f1eas, nor any other ob- ioflabIe creature, winged or crawl
 Trees would probably grow if al mi M eternal gales. There are none upon of the islands, if we accept kind oox, two or three feet high, to be nd in some localities, and the one eh- boasted apple tree, which is ggIing for existence in Stanley re is a species of wolly rag-weed, oh often grows as high as mans llder, and is said to assist the chilly ds in producing the bronchial and rrh troubles with which most flanders are afflicted. The only lnds worth trying to cultivate are hd along the margin of the sea, in ain plains that are partially shell d by hills; but nowhere can grain ully ripened or vegetables brought any segree of perfection. During
 
 ember and December a great varie- wild flowers literally carpet the md, and lichens are everywhere. A
 years ago the whole archipelago
 covered with "tussock" grass-a
 curious vegetable production, h looks a little distance off like a Bt of miniature palms. It is a gi- ic sedgy grass which grows in e tufts, often two or three hundred springing from the same tuft,
 stalks six or seven feet long and es even longer. Cattle and horses Extremely fond of it, and it's fatten- uualities for all kinds of stock are
 great. It f1ourishes in every situ-
 in winter as in summer, and may eut three times a year. being im- ed by each cutting. Not only are
 leaves and stems most excellent er. but the stool-like roots have a t, nutty flavor, irresistible to all verous and herbivorous creatures. rives best on shores exposed to the n,s spray; and a great pity it is in few years more not root of Il be left anywhere on the islands
 wonder it is being rapidly exter- ted, considering the enormous