sound, until the mate, who had been there before, told us that it was the "Alerta" of the Spanish soldiers who were stationed over some convicts confined in caves nearly halfway up the mountain. At the expiration of my watch I went below, feeling not a 5 little anxious for the day, that I might see more nearly, and perhaps tread upon this romantic, I may almost say, classic island.

When all hands were called, it was nearly sunrise, and between that time and breakfast, although quite 10 busy on board in getting up water casks, etc., I had a good view of the objects about me. The harbor was nearly land locked, and at the head of it was a landing place, protected by a small breakwater of stones, upon which two large boats were hauled up, with a 15 sentry standing over them. Near this was a variety of huts or cottages nearly an hundred in number, the best of them built of mud and whitewashed, but the greater part only Robinson Crusoe like of posts and branches of trees. The governor's house, as it is 20 called, was the most conspicuous, being large, with grated windows, plastered walls, and roof of red tiles; yet, like all the rest, only of one story. Near it was a small chapel, distinguished by a cross: and a long, low, brown-looking building, surrounded by something 25 like a palisade, from which an old and dingy-looking Chilian flag was flying. This, of course, was dignified

by the title of Presidio. A sentinel was stationed at the chapel, another at the governor's house, and a few soldiers armed with bayonets, looking rather ragged, with shoes out at the toes, were strolling about among 5 the houses, or waiting at the landing place for our boat to come ashore.

The mountains were high, but not so overhanging as they appeared to be by starlight. They seemed to bear off towards the center of the island, and were 10 green and well wooded, with some large, and, I am told, exceedingly fertile valleys, with mule tracks leading to different parts of the island.

I cannot here forget how my friend S- and myself got the laugh of the crew upon us by our eagerness to 15 get on shore. The captain having ordered the quarter boat to be lowered, we both sprang down into the forecastle, filled our jacket pockets with tobacco to barter with the people ashore, and when the officer called for "four hands in the boat," nearly broke 20 our necks in haste to be first over the side, and had

the pleasure of pulling ahead of the brig with a towline for a half an hour, and coming on board again to be laughed at by the crew, who had seen our maneuver.

After breakfast the second mate was ordered ashore 25 with five hands to fill the water casks, and to my joy I was among the number. We pulled ashore with the empty casks; and here again fortune favored me,

for the water was too thick and muddy to put into the casks, and the governor had sent men up to the head of the stream to clear it out for us, which gave us nearly two hours of leisure. This leisure we employed in wandering about among the houses, and 5 eating a little fruit which was offered to us. Ground apples, melons, grapes, strawberries of an enormous size, and cherries abound here. The latter are said to have been planted by Lord Anson. The soldiers were miserably clad, and asked with some interest 10 whether we had shoes to sell on board. I doubt very much if they had the means of buying them. They were very eager to get tobacco, for which they gave shells, fruits, etc. Knives also were in demand, but we were forbidden by the governor to let any one have 15 them, as he told us that all the people there, except the soldiers and a few officers, were convicts sent from Valparaiso, and that it was necessary to keep all weapons from their hands.

The island, it seems, belongs to Chili, and had been 20 used by the government as a sort of Botany Bay, for nearly two years; and the governor - an Englishman who had entered the Chilian navy with a priest, half a dozen taskmasters, and a body of soldiers, were stationed there to keep them in order. This 25 was no easy task; and only a few months before our arrival, a few of them had stolen a boat at night,

boarded a brig lying in the harbor, sent the captain and crew ashore in their boat, and gone off to sea. We were informed of this, and loaded our arms and kept strict watch on board through the night, and were 5 careful not to let the convicts get our knives from us when on shore. The worst part of the convicts, I found, were locked up under sentry in caves dug into the side of the mountain, nearly halfway up, with mule tracks leading to them, whence they were taken 10 by day and set to work under taskmasters upon building an aqueduct, a wharf, and other public works; while the rest lived in the houses which they put up for themselves, had their families with them, and seemed to be the laziest people on the face of the earth. 15 Having filled our casks, we returned on board. Soon after, the governor, dressed in a uniform like that of an American militia officer, the Padre, in the dress of the gray friars, with hood and all complete, and the Capitan, with big whiskers and dirty regi20 mentals, came on board to dine. While at dinner, a large ship appeared in the offing, and soon afterwards we saw a light whaleboat pulling into the harbor. The ship lay off and on, and a boat came alongside of us, and put on board the captain, a plain young 25 Quaker, dressed all in brown. The ship was the

Cortes, whaleman, of New Bedford, and had put in to see if there were any vessels from round the Horn,

and to hear the latest news from America. They remained aboard a short time and had a little talk with the crew, when they left us and pulled off to their ship, which, having filled away, was soon out of sight.

A small boat which came from the shore to take 5 away the governor and suite as they styled themselves brought, as a present to the crew, a large pail of milk, a few shells, and a block of sandalwood. The milk, which was the first we had tasted since leaving Boston, we soon dispatched; a piece of the 10 sandalwood I obtained, and learned that it grew on the hills in the center of the island. I have always regretted that I did not bring away other specimens of the products of the island, having afterwards lost all that I had with me, the piece of sandalwood, 15 and a small flower which I plucked and brought on board in the crown of my tarpaulin, and carefully pressed between the leaves of a book.

About an hour before sundown, having stowed our water casks, we commenced getting under way, and 20 were not a little while about it. We were in thirty fathoms of water, and, in one of the gusts which came from off shore, had let go our other bow anchor; and as the southerly wind draws round the mountains and comes off in uncertain flaws, we were continually 25 swinging round, and had thus got a very foul hawse. We hove in upon our chain, and hoisting and hauling