The constant dampness of the air, though not favourable to many European plants, especially to fruit-trete, maintains a vigorous vegeta tion. The forests, which cover the sides of the mountains for two thirds of their height north of 45' S. lat., rival in luxuriance those of the tropical regions. Stately trees, with smooth and highly coloured barks, are covered with parasitical plants ; large and elegant ferns are numerous, and arborescent grasses twine round the trees to the height of 30 or 40 feet. South of 45' S. bit vegetation is less vigorous; but even at the most southern extremity, on the Strait of Magallaaens, the country and bills, from the height of 2000 feet above the sea to the Very verge of high-water mark, are covered with trees, mostly ever some large enough to be need aa Umber, as the evergreen (Fagsu befidoides), and two other species of beech. Capt King saw large and woody-stemmed trees of Fuchsia and Veronica, in England considered as tender plants, in full Bower within a very short distance of the base of a mountain covered two-thirds down with snow, and this with a temperature of 36'.
Wiens the mountains border on the eastern plains, a kind of deer, with short straight horns, is abundant There are also pumas as far south ou 53' S. let, emits, and nuttier • seals, otters, fur-seals, and sea elephants. Fish is very plentiful, 'errand smaller kinds, which live in the subaquatic forests formed by the gigantic seaweed (Facia gigamicus of Solander), which covers all the rocks near the open coast and in the numerous straits. Land birds are not numerous but water-fowl abound, among which is the black-necked swan (Anger wigricoll 4) and several kinds of geese and ducks. Shellfish of several kinds occur in the reoessee of the inlets, and they constitute the prin cipal food of the inhabitants during a part of the year. On the Guaianeco blinds and the Ch000s Archipelago the potato grows wild : they are small and quite tasteless.
Thesplains of Patagonia, which occupy the greater portion of the country, extend along the Atlantio Ocean. Though similar in aspect, -these plaitsa seem to differ in their natural capacities. Between 47' and 45' 8. lat the coast forms a wide promontory, projecting near 100 miles from the body of the mainland. On this promontory, at the back of Cape Blanco, are the high lands of Espinosa, which rise at least 4000 feet above the sea, and form an irregular range with several peaked summits. On this promontory and the contiguous coast, as far north as 45° S. lat. and southward to 49°S. 1st., the rocks are porphyritic, but they seldom rise more than 300 or 400 feet above the sea-level, when they stretch westward in an undulating plain, which is covered with a light Mindy soil, through which the rock pro trudes in many places. This tract is dry and parched, and has no vegetation except a few tufts of grass and here and there a straggling bush of berberis, or of a dwarf woody shrub, which supplies good lire-wood.
South of 49° S. lat, to the northern shores of the Strait of Magal haens, the cliffs are composed of soft marly clay, without any gravel or impression of organic remains. Between the high and low tide mark, there is a smooth beach of green clay hardened by the action of the surf to the consistence of stone, which extends about a hundred yards into the sea, and is succeeded by a soft green mud, over which the water gradually deepens. The outer edge of the clay forms a
ledge parallel to the coast, upon the whole length of which the sea breaks with violence. The cliffs rise rather abruptly to the height of 200 or 300 feet They form the descent of an elevated plain, which extends several miles westward, and is then followed by an escarp ment of from 100 to 150 feet elevation, which constitutes the slope of another and more elevated plain. Thus the country extends from east to west In wide plains, which rise one above the other like terraces. These plains are traversed by some broad and flat-bottomed depressions. The soil consists of well-rounded shingle mixed with a whitish earth. It is in most places without vegetation. Here and there are scattered tufts of brown wiry grass, and still mors rarely some low thorny bushes. In the depressions the bushes are more abundant, and in some places they grow up to stunted trees. Fresh water is seldom found, but Wines, or salt-pools, are numerous. Marine shells are frequently scattered over the plains, but they abound most on the plains nearest to the sea.
The plains are traversed from west to east by the Santa Cruz River, which is supposed to rise iu the Andes and traverse their base for a considerable distance from north to south : its mouth is near 50' S. lat. It was ascended by Captain Fitzroy to a distance of 140 miles from the sea in a straight line, and 245 miles by the course of the river. The river runs in a vast excavation below the level of the neighbouring plains. East of 70' W. long, this valley varies between one and five miles in width, and is bounded ou both sides by steppe-like terraces. Tho valley is hardly more fertile than the plains which surround it, and no bushes grow in the upper part; even the wiry half-withered grass is scanty. West of 70' W. long. the valley contracts in some parts to a mile iu width, and here the upper part of the adjacent plains is capped with a layer of lava from 120 to 320 feet thick. This part of the plain is 1400 feet above the valley, which is 400 fe..t above the sea. The lava seems to extend to the foot of the Andes, where the platform of the plains probably attains an elevation of 2000 or 3000 feet. The width of the lava seems to be about 100 miles. The layer of earth on which it rests does not differ from the materials of which the plains near the Atlantic are composed. Within the lava district, between 71' and 72' W. long., the valley is from 5 to 15 miles wide, and there is here a flat tract of apparently good land, exhibiting many swampy places covered with rich herbage; and higher up is a large plain, on which shrubs, small trees, and bushes are sparingly scattered; yet parts of this plain may be called fertile and woody by comparison with the tracts farther east The Santa Cruz River is supposed to traverse in its upper course several lakes, among which is Viedma or Caper Lake, which lies between 48° and 49' S. cat, and Is about 30 miles long and from 10 to 12 miles wide. At its mouth the Santa Cruz forms an testuary, in which the neap tides rise 18 feet and the spring-tides from 38 to 42 feet The exten sive shoals which lie near the mouth of this river are ascribed to the meeting of the rapid stream with an extraordinary tide.