soms, and these are succeeded by long pods: The whole plant greatly
resembles that which in England is called Lady's Smock, or
Cuckow-flower. The wild celery is very like the celery in our gardens,
the flowers are white, and stand in the same manner, in small tufts at
the top of the branches, but the leaves are of a deeper green. It grows
in great abundance near the beach, and generally upon the soil that lies
next above the spring tides. It may indeed easily be known by the taste,
which is between that of celery and parsley. We used the celery in large
quantities, particularly in our soup, which, thus medicated, produced
the same good effects which seamen generally derive from a vegetable
diet, after having been long confined to salt provisions.

On Sunday the 22d of January, about two o'clock in the morning, having
got our wood and water on board, we sailed out of the bay, and continued
our course through the streight.

SECTION VI.

_A general Description of the S.E. Part of Terra del Fuego, and the
Streight of Le Maire; with some Remarks on Lord Anson's Account of them,
and Directions for the Passage Westward, round this Part of America,
into the South Seas_.

Almost all writers who have mentioned the island of Terra del Fuego,
describe it as destitute of wood, and covered with snow. In the winter
it may possibly be covered with snow, and those who saw it at that
season might perhaps be easily deceived, by its appearance, into an
opinion that it was destitute of wood. Lord Anson was there in the
beginning of March, which answers to our September; and we were there
the beginning of January, which answers to our July, which way account
for the difference of his description of it from ours. We fell in with
it about twenty-one leagues to the westward of the streight of Le Maire,
and from the time that we first saw it, trees were plainly to be
distinguished with our glasses; and as we came nearer, though here and
there we discovered patches of snow, the sides of the hills and the
sea-coast appeared to be covered with a beautiful verdure. The hills are
lofty, but not mountainous, though the summits of them are quite naked.
The soil in the valleys is rich, and of a considerable depth; and at the
foot of almost every hill there is a brook, the water of which has a
reddish hue, like that which runs through our turf bogs in England, but
it is by no means ill tasted, and upon the whole proved to be the best
that we took