Chapter VII: Part 7

A fresh north-east monsoon expedited our voyage, and we cut the equator on the 21st of January, in the longitude 253° 38'; then passing between the islands of Sumatra and Java, we reached the ocean, after having safely traversed the Chinese Sea from its northern to its southern boundary, and directed our course towards the Cape of Good Hope, where we intended staying to refresh. When we had reached to longitude 256°, 12° south latitude, the east wind, contrary to all rules at this season, changed for a westerly one, and blew a strong gale; the sky was covered with black clouds, and the rain fell in torrents. At midnight, while the storm was still raging, and the darkness complete, we witnessed the phenomenon known by the name of Castor and Pollux, and which originates in the electricity of the atmosphere; these were two bright balls of the size which the planet Venus appears to us, and of the same clear light; we saw them at two distinct periods, which followed quickly upon each other in the same place, that is, some inches below the extreme point of our main-yard, and at about half a foot distance asunder. Their appearance lasted some minutes, and made a great impression on the crew, who did not understand its cause. I must confess, that in the utter darkness, amidst the howling of the storm and the roaring of the water, there was something awful in the sight.

Our passage was rendered tedious by contrary winds. On the 22nd of February, we crossed the meridian of the Isle of France, three hundred and forty miles off the island, in very stormy weather, and heard afterwards at St. Helena, that a hurricane raged at this time near the Isle of France, causing great damage to many vessels, and to some of them the loss of their masts. We should have probably shared in this danger had we been a hundred miles nearer the coast. I must here recommend every navigator, if possible, to keep clear of the two isles of France and Bourbon, from the middle of January till the middle of March, as, during that season, violent hurricanes continually rage there, which are very destructive even on shore.

On the following day we passed the large frigate Bombay, belonging to the English East India Company, having on board, as passengers, the Governor of Batavia, Baron vander Kapellen, and his lady, with whom we afterwards had the pleasure of forming an acquaintance in St. Helena. On the 15th of March we doubled the Cape of Good Hope. It had been my intention to anchor in Table Bay, but a storm from the north-west came just in time to remind us how dangerous the bay is at this season, and we prosecuted our voyage to St. Helena. On the 25th of the same month, having traversed 360 degrees of longitude from east to west, we had lost a day, and were therefore compelled to change our Friday into a Saturday.

On the 29th we anchored at St. Helena, before the little town of St. James, the whole crew being cheerful and healthy; but our spirits were soon damped by the news of the death of the Emperor Alexander, which we now received. I must here not omit to express my most cordial thanks to the Governor of St. Helena, for his very kind reception of myself and companions, and for his constant endeavours to make our stay on the island agreeable; he gave dinners and balls for our entertainment, and was always ready to comply with our wishes; hence he granted us what it is usually difficult to obtain--permission to visit the celebrated estate of Longwood, where Napoleon closed his splendid career, in powerless and desolate loneliness. We rode thither one fine morning, on horseback. The little town of St. James lies in a ravine between two high, steep, barren lava-rocks; its pleasant situation and cheerful aspect presenting a striking contrast with the gloom of its immediate environs. By a serpentine road cut through the rock, we climbed an ascent, by nature inaccessible; this path, in some parts not three fathoms in breadth, is bounded on one side by the perpendicular rock, and on the other overlooks an abrupt precipice, from which however it is defended by a strong stone balustrade, so that however fearful in appearance, its only real danger lies in an accident which sometimes happens, that large fragments detach themselves from the superincumbent rock, and roll down the precipice, carrying before them every thing that might obstruct their passage to the bottom.

Having with some difficulty reached the highest ground on the island, we found the tropical heat changed into a refreshing coolness, and enjoyed an extensive prospect over the island, which presented a totally different aspect from that under which it is viewed by passing vessels. The sailor sees only high, black, jagged, and desolate rocks, rising perpendicularly from the sea, and every where washed by a tremendous surf, prohibiting all attempts to land except at the single point of St. James: his eye vainly seeks round the adamant wall, the relief of one sprig of green; not a trace of vegetation appears, and Nature herself seems to have destined the spot for a gloomy and infrangible prison. From these heights, on the contrary, the picturesque and smiling landscape of the interior forms the most striking contrast to its external sternness, and suggests the idea of a gifted mind, compelled by painful experience to shroud its charms under a forbidding veil of coldness and reserve.

This remark only, however, applies to the western part of the island, which is protected from the trade-wind. The higher eastern part, where Napoleon lived, is as dead and barren as its rocky boundary. The trade-wind to which this district is constantly exposed, brings a perpetual fog, and drives the clouds in congregated heaps to the summits of the mountain, where they frequently burst in sudden and violent showers, often producing inundations, and rendering the air damp and unwholesome for the greater part of the year. The ground is for this reason incapable of cultivation; and a species of gum-tree, the only one to be seen in the neighbourhood of Longwood, by its stunted growth of hardly six feet, and its universal bend in one direction, proves how destructive is the effect of the trade-wind to all vegetable life. The nearer we approached the boundaries of the circle within which alone the renowned prisoner was permitted to move, the less pleasant became the country and the more raw the climate, till about a German mile from the town we found ourselves on the barren spot I have already described. Here a narrow path leads down an abrupt descent into a small valley, or basin, surrounded by hills, sheltered from the wind, and offering in its verdant foliage and cheerful vegetation, a refreshing and agreeable retreat. "There rest the remains of Napoleon," said the guide given us by the governor. We dismounted, and proceeded to the grave on foot. An old invalid who watches it, and lives in a lonely hut in its vicinity, now came towards us, and conducted us to a flat, tasteless grave-stone surrounded by an iron railing, and shaded by fine willows, planted probably by the last dependents of the unfortunate prisoner. It is a melancholy thing to tread this simple grave of him who once shook all Europe with his name, and here at last closed his too eventful life on a lonely rock in a distant ocean. The stone bears no inscription, but all who behold it may imagine one. Posterity alone can pronounce a correct judgment on the man who so powerfully influenced the destinies of nations. Honesty may perhaps have been the only quality wanting to have made him the greatest man of his age.

The invalid filled a common earthen jug with clear delicious water from a neighbouring spring, and handed it to us with the remark, that Napoleon, in his walks hither, was accustomed to refresh himself with cold water from the same vessel. This little valley being the only spot where he could breathe a wholesome air, and enjoy the country, he often visited it, and once expressed a wish that he might be buried there. Little as his wishes were usually attended to, this was fulfilled.

After spending some time in contemplating this remarkable memorial of the vicissitudes of fortune, we inscribed our names in a book kept for the purpose, and again mounting our horses, rode to what had formerly been the abode of the deceased; where, deprived of all power, the deposed Emperor to the last permitted the voluntary companions of his exile to address him by the titles of "Sire," and "Your Majesty." On quitting the garden scenery of the pretty little valley, the country resumed its dreary and sterile character. A ride of about a German mile through this inhospitable region, uncheered either by the fragrance of flowers or the melody of birds, brought us within sight of an inconsiderable level, or table land, perfectly barren, crowning the summit of one of the highest hillocks into which this huge rock is divided. In the centre of the plain, and enveloped in so thick a fog that it was scarcely perceptible, stood a small unpretending mansion. "That," said our guide, "is Longwood, late the residence of Napoleon." We soon reached the house, expecting to find it as left at the death of its illustrious occupant; with how much interest should we not have visited it, if nothing had been changed or removed! But the English authorities had not taken our gratification into their consideration. The house is divided into two distinct portions; the smaller half, or Napoleon's sleeping apartment, has been converted into a stable, and the larger into a warehouse for sheep-skins, fat, and other produce of the island.

We had been informed that Napoleon had laid out a little garden near his dwelling, in which he often worked, assisted by Madame Bertrand; and, after many fruitless attempts, had been at length rewarded by the blossoming of a few hardy flowers, and the successful plantation of some young oaks; that one of the latter was set by the hand of Napoleon himself, another by that of Madame Bertrand.

As we could see nothing resembling a garden, I enquired of our guide where it lay; he pointed, with a sarcastic smile, to a spot which had been routed up by hogs, saying, "Here Napoleon was as successful in rearing flowers as he had once been in founding empires, and both have equally vanished." Some oaks are still standing beside a broken hedge, but whether planted by Napoleon or not, no one can tell. We were also shown a pretty house, which had been built for Napoleon by the King's command, but which was not complete till a very short time before his death. Though much better and more convenient than the one he inhabited, he never could be induced to remove to it; perhaps already conscious of the approach of death, he felt no farther concern for the accommodations of life.

Strongly contrasted with the gloom and sterility of Longwood, is the summer residence of the Governor of St. Helena, lying on Sandy Bay, on the western shore of the island, and about half a German mile from the town. In this beautiful and healthful climate, every tropical plant flourishes in the greatest luxuriance. We were hospitably received at Plantation-house, a handsome, spacious, and convenient building, surrounded by an extensive park. In this delightful spot nature and art have combined at once to charm and to surprise; yet while breathing its pure and fragrant air, would our thoughts unconsciously revert with sympathy to the melancholy fate of the exile of Longwood.

The environs of Sandy Bay would be a perfect little Switzerland, but that the glaciers are wanting to complete the resemblance. Scattered amongst the enormous masses of rock which lie confusedly heaped upon each other, a frightful wilderness and most smilingly picturesque landscape alternately present their contrasted images to the eye. Such are the traits which the hand of Nature has impressed upon the scenery in this fortunate portion of the island; while that of man, busily engaged in adding to her charms, and in correcting her ruggedness, throws an appearance of life, comfort, and civilization over the picture. Convenient roads wind up the steep ascents, and frequent openings in the cliff, present vistas of fruitful fields, tastefully built mansions surrounded by parks and plantations, and snug farm-houses embosomed in their pretty gardens. Every thing bespeaks industry and comfort. The inhabitants are all well-dressed, healthy, and contented.

Of their hospitality we had the most agreeable evidences. Invited with friendly cordiality into their houses, we were entertained with the best they had, and with the kindest expressions of pleasure in welcoming the first Russians who had ever visited their country.

We were invited to dinner by one of the richest land proprietors of the island, who, although considerably more than seventy years old, still retained the animation and vigour of youth. This intelligent and well-educated man had never, till his sixty-ninth year, left his beautiful home, except for an occasional and short visit to the town. Through the medium of books, and conversation with the strangers visiting St. Helena, he was well versed in the customs and localities of Europe, and felt the highest respect for the perfection to which the arts and sciences of civilized life had been carried in that quarter of the world, but without experiencing any desire to see it; suddenly, however, at this advanced period of his life, curiosity got the better of his love of ease; his wish to become personally and more accurately acquainted with the much-praised institutions, and the wonderful capital of England, was no longer to be repressed, and he determined to undertake the voyage. On landing in London, he was, as he expressed himself, astonished and dazzled by the extent and magnificence of the city. The throng in the streets, which he compared to ant-hills, far exceeded the ideas he had formed; he visited the manufactories, and observed with wonder the perfection of their machinery; the theatres enchanted him, and the succession of new sights and impressions produced an effect resembling a perpetual intoxication. After a time, however, he experienced the fatigue incident to an extreme tension of mind, and began to sigh for the calm retirement of Sandy Bay, to which he took the first opportunity of returning, never to leave it more.

We passed nine very agreeable days at St. Helena, and shall always retain the liveliest remembrance of the kindness shown us by its amiable inhabitants. My crew, though healthy, had in some degree suffered from the effects of a nearly three years' voyage, and I was anxious during our stay here to strengthen them by a regimen of fresh provisions, (which, however, are very dear upon the island,) particularly as we had again to cross the line, and that in a region often considered unhealthy.

On the 7th of April we sailed from St. Helena, and cut the equator on the 16th in the longitude 22° 37'. Here, delayed by calms, and oppressed by the heat and damps, notwithstanding all my precautions, a nervous fever broke out among the men; and, after having escaped so many dangers, we began to apprehend a melancholy conclusion to our voyage.

This misfortune had probably been communicated to us by contagion. The homeward-bound ships of the English East India Company, which almost all touch at St. Helena, having nothing in view but a quick passage, and the profit resulting from it, do not generally, as I have myself had opportunities of observing, pay that proper attention to cleanliness and wholesome diet which is absolutely necessary to health. During our residence at St. Helena, several of these ships were lying in the roads with sick on board. It is true that, according to a standing order, no vessel is allowed anchorage there till a surgeon has examined into the state of health of her crew; but the captains find means to evade the investigation, and thus are the healthy liable to become infected by association with the diseased.

Half our crew lay sick, and our skilful and active surgeon was unfortunately of the number. A favouring gale, however, sprang up, which carried us into a cooler and drier climate, our invalids quickly recovered, and we escaped with the loss of one sailor only. By the 12th of March, when we passed the Azore Islands, the crew was again in perfect health. On the 3rd of June we reached Portsmouth, where we stopped some days. On the 29th we touched at Copenhagen, and on the 10th of July joyfully dropped our anchor in the roads of Cronstadt, from whence we had sailed nearly three years before.

If my readers have by this time become sufficiently acquainted with me to interest themselves in my affairs, they will not learn with indifference, that my most gracious Sovereign the Emperor has honoured me by the most condescending testimonials of his satisfaction, and that after our long separation, I had the gratification of finding my wife and children well and happy.

APPENDIX.

REVIEW

OF

THE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION

OF

FR. ESCHSCHOLTZ,

PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DORPAT.

It may easily be conceived, that in a sea-voyage a naturalist has fewer opportunities of enriching his collection, than when travelling by land; particularly if the vessel is obliged to pass hastily from one place to another, with a view to her arriving at her destination within a limited period. During our three years' voyage, little more than the third of our time was spent on shore. It is true, that curious animals are occasionally found in the open sea, and that a day may be pleasantly passed in examining them; but it is also true, that certain parts of the ocean appear, near the surface, to be almost wholly untenanted; and accordingly a passage of eleven weeks produced only ten species of animals: these, however, being met with only at sea, are still but partially known to the naturalist, and were the more interesting to me, as, during the preceding voyage, I had become acquainted with many remarkable productions of the ocean. My best plan will be, to arrange in a chronological order all the zoological observations which offered in the course of this voyage. The first, then, was the result of a contrary wind, by which we were detained much longer than we intended in the Baltic, and thus enabled to use our deep fishing-nets upon the great banks: these brought to light a considerable number of marine animals. Upon the branches of the _spongia dichotoma_, some of which were twelve inches in length, sat swarms of _Ophiura fragilis_, _Asterias rubens_, _Inachus araneus_, _I. Phalangium_, _I. Scorpio_, _Galathea strigosa_, and _Caprella scolopendroides Lam._ We obtained, at the same time, large pieces of _Labularia digitata_, _Sertularia abietina_, upon which nothing of the animal kind was to be seen, but attached to which was frequently found _Flustra dentata_; also _Pagurus Bernhardus_, _Fusus antiquus_, _Rostellaria pes pelecani_, _Cardium echinatum_, _Ascidia Prunum_, _Balanus sulcatus_, _Echinus saxatilis_, and _Spatangus flavescens_. Two different species of _Actiniæ_, seated on stones, were brought up, which were not to be found either in _Pennant's British Zoology_, or in the _Fauna danica_.

During a calm, by which we were detained two days on the Portuguese coast, _Janthina fragilis_ and _exigua_, _Rhizophysa filiformis_, and another species, were brought up. Many specimens of the _Janthina exigua_ were found, the bladder-like mass of which was stretched out to a great length, and bent into the form of a hook at the end. On the outer side was observed a fleshy streak, bordered by a close row of small paunches: these paunches, which were externally open, contained a great quantity of brown atoms, apparently spawn, and evidently in motion. With respect to the _Rhizophysæ_, it has been discovered that they are of the same genus as the _Physsophora_, the hard part being torn away in the act of catching them; upon this occasion also, several of these separated parts, still in motion, and bearing some resemblance to salpas, were brought up, and accurately examined.

Off the Cape de Verd Islands, in addition to the _Exocoetus volitans_, which abounds there, various specimens of the much larger _Exocoetus exsiliens_ of Cuvier alighted on board our vessel. The latter species is distinguished by the long black fins of the belly, and by its remarkably large eyes, differing greatly from the species described by Gmelin under the same denomination.

The calms near the Equator afford an abundant harvest to the zoologist, the tranquil water presenting an immense variety of marine animals to his view, and allowing him to take them with little trouble in a net. The open woollen stuff used for flags offers the most convenient material for making these nets, as it allows the water to run through very quickly, and does not stick together. A short, wide bag should be made of this stuff, which may be stretched upon the hoop of a cask, and the whole fastened to a long, light pole. From the height on which we stand above the water, it is impossible to perceive the smaller animals; the best way therefore to catch these is, to hold the net half in the water, as if to skim off the bubbles of foam from the surface; then, after a few minutes, if the net is drawn out, and the interior rinsed in a glass of fresh sea-water, one may frequently have the pleasure of seeing little animals of strange forms swimming in the glass. In the course of ten days, I obtained, in this way, thirty-one different species of animals, among which was a small _Diodon_, eight small crustacea of forms almost wholly unknown; a sea-bug (_Halobates micans_); three species of Pteropodes, closely allied to the _Cliodora_; a small and remarkable Hyaloea; two new _Janthinæ_; _Firola hyalina_, _Pyrosoma atlanticum_, _Salpa coerulescens_, and another unknown; _Porpita glandifera_, and a new species of globular form; a _Velella_; two new species of Acalephes, of the same family as the _Diphyes_; and further _Pelagia panopyra_, and two other very small species. When the sea was a little agitated on the Brazilian coast, we frequently saw the large sea-bladder floating on the surface; here we also caught with our net a new species of small _Hyaloea_, and of the fin-footed _Steira_, which approaches the nearest to the _Limacina_.

Brazil has lately been visited by eminent naturalists, who have spent years in the country, and have travelled through it in every direction; we are therefore bound to suppress the few detached observations we were able to make during the short space of four weeks.

Captain Von Kotzebue having frequently sent his people to fish in the Bay of Boto Fogo, we enriched our collection by thirty-two kinds of fish, the greater part of which were very similar to those already described as tenants of the Atlantic, but still differing from them in some respects.

How abundant the insects of Brazil are is generally known, particularly in the warm and moist lands along the coast, in the vicinity of Rio Janeiro. Few of them crawl on the ground; the greater part of them live on the leaves and fruits, or under the bark of trees, in flowers, and in the spongy excrescences of the trees. Among the coleoptera, the _Stachylinus_ is a rarity: the white-winged _Cicindela nivea_ of Kirby is to be found in great abundance on the sand of the beach, which is of the same colour as itself; the _Cic. nodicornis_ and _angusticollis Dej._ on the other hand, frequent the paths in the forests. _Cosnania_, which supplies the place of our _Elaphrus_, is found among the grass by the side of brooks. The little animals of the _Plochionus_ and _Coptodera_ species climb, by means of their indented claws, along the moss on the trunks of the trees: their numbers, in these extensive forests, must be immense. Of the _Cantharis_, the number is small; the strongest of which is the _Cantharis flavipes_ F. the descriptions of which vary, so that it may still be doubted whether we have a correct account of it. To show the proportion of the numerous subdivisions which we observed in the different genera, it will be sufficient to give the numbers of those which we were able to collect during the short period of our stay:--these were, _Elater_, 37; _Lampyris_, 17; _Ateuchus_, 14 (including the _Deltachilum_ and _Eurysternus_); _Passalus_, 13; _Anoplognathidæ_, 14; _Helops_, (including _Stenochia_ and _Statira_) 17; _Curculionidæ_, 108; _Cerambycidæ_, 101; _Cassida_, 24; _Haltica_, 26; _Doryphora_, 12; _Colaspis_, 15; and _Erotylus_, 12. The _Phanæus_, according to MacLeay, distinguished by the total absence of claws from the feet, is peculiar to the warmer parts of America: _Onthophagus_ is not met with along the shore, but is found in the interior. Such large _Copris_ as are seen in the old world, (_Isidis_, _Hamadrias_, _Bucephalus_,) have not been discovered here: their place is supplied by the large _Phanæi_, _Faunus_, _bellicosus_, _lancifer_, &c. A golden-green _Copris_ is a great rarity. _Onitis_ seems to be quite wanting in America: all the specimens, in this part of the world, that have been placed in that class, belong partly to the _Phanæus_, and partly to the _Eurysternus_ Dalm. a remarkable species of the genus Ateuchus.

The _Ateuchi_ are not less numerous in South America than in Africa; and here is found what may be looked upon as the intermediate link between _Copris_ and _Onitis_. No part of the world is so rich in _Rutelides_ as trophical America; and according to the narrow limits within which Mac Leay confines this family, it would seem to be exclusively restricted to this continent. The greater part have not the head divided from the head-shield by a line, and the breast is lengthened in front into a spine: this extensive division is peculiar to America. In the second division, the head-shield of which is bounded by a strongly marked line, those which are provided with a breast-bone are American. South America possesses also the intermediate genus between the _Rutelides_ and _Scarabæi_, in the genus _Cyclocephala_, _Anoplognathidæ_ were hitherto known to us from New Holland, Asia, South Africa, and South America, and are characterised by the drooping form of the upper-lip, falling lowest in the middle, and by the inequality of their claws; the under-lip, at the same time, has either a projection in the centre, or consists of two parts lapping over one another. In the same way that the _Anoplognathidæ_ of New Holland have the appearance of _Rutelides_ proper, are the South American _Anoplognathidæ_ distinguished by their resemblance to _Melolonthidæ_: those of Brazil have no breast-bone, and at least one claw to each foot is cloven, which distinguishes them from those of Asia. _Chelonarium_ and _Atractocerus_ fly about in the evening, and are attracted by a light. The Brazilian jumping beetles differ, almost all of them, in their form, from those of Europe. Among the _Heteromerides_, in the neighbourhood of Rio Janeiro, owing to the dampness of the soil, no unwinged beetle is to be met with; a few varieties of the species _Scotinus_ have been found upon the Organ mountains only.

Owing to the excessive roughness of the weather, our passage from Rio Janeiro to the Bay of Conception afforded us but few opportunities to add to our collections. A snipe blown out to sea from the Rio de la Plata, a specimen of _Diomedea Albatros_ at Terra del Fuego, a large _Salpa_, and a _Lepas_, were all we were able to obtain. The Bay of Conception presents a rich field to the ornithologist. A kind of parrot, with a long tail, and naked round the eyes, flies about in swarms; and a smaller kind from the interior, is to be found tame in the houses; our guns frequently brought down two small kinds of doves. Of _Ambulatores_ we met some, of the genera _Cassicus_, _Motacilla_, _Muscicapa_, _Pyrgita_, _Saxicola_, _Cotile_; of birds of prey, _Percnopterus Jota Mol._, and two buzzards; of _Grallatores_, two kinds of _Hæmatopus_, both with white legs, the one with a black body, as _H. niger_ is described by Quoy and Gaimard, the other more similar to the European; a _Vanellus_ with spurs to the wings, _Numenius_, _Scolopax_, _Phalaropus_, _Ardea Nycticorax_; and lastly a small bird with remarkably short legs, digitated, and with a short thick bill, frequenting the sea-shore, and feeding on seeds of _Rumex_ and _Polygonum_, and constituting a new species, which may be called _Thinocorus_. Of aquatic birds, there were two kinds of _Sterna_ and _Larus_; many thousands of _Rynchops nigra_, which were so numerous as to appear like clouds when they rose into the air; a _Procellaria_ of the variety _Nectris_; two kinds of _Podiceps_, and an _Aptenodytes_ of the variety _Spheniscus_. The upper part of the latter was of a lead colour, and the lower part white, with a line of dullish grey running from the bill to the belly, and forming a boundary between the two colours; the bill and legs quite black. The animal was alive when brought to us. When resting, it lay upon its belly and stretched out its head. In the water it appeared unable to maintain itself afloat except by incessant paddling, the whole of the body being meanwhile under water.

Of amphibia, only five kinds can be distinctly named; a brown _Coluber_, two small lizards of the family of _Scincoidea_, a small _Rana_, with a spot like an eye on the belly, and a small _Bufo_. Of fishes, the most remarkable was a _Torpedo_, with the back of a reddish brown, and smooth; and a _Callorhynchus antarcticus_: the latter may very well remain in the class of _Chimæra_. Of crustaceæ, we collected three _Canceres_, a _Portunus_, a _Porcellana_, a _Sphæroma_, and a _Ligia_.

The dry land along the coast is extremely poor in insects. The number of beetles collected in 1816, together with those taken on the present occasion, amounted only to sixty seven, but they are altogether peculiar to the country. The most remarkable are a _Carabus_ of the beautiful colours of the _hispanus_, but with narrow striped cases to the wings, and a large _Prionus_: the joints of the feet, in this latter, are short and cylindrical, constituting a distinction from the whole family of the _Cerambycinæ_; in every other respect it is unquestionably a _Prionus_, and may be called _Pr. Mercurius_, on account of two wing-shaped appendages, attached to the neck-corselet. Sixteen Carabicides were found belonging to the _Calosoma_, _Pæcilus_, _Harpalus_, _Trechus_, _Dromius_, and _Peryphus_. We were surprised at finding so few dung-beetles. We met with only two large ones, namely, the _Megathopa villosa_ of _Esch_. Entomography, forming a species of the _Ateuchus_, and a _Copris torulosa_, described in the same work; this, however, is owing to the very little moisture in the atmosphere, which dries the dung almost immediately. It is curious, that all the seventeen kinds of _Copris_ of South America known to us, have but seven stripes upon each wing-case; whereas those of the Old World have eight: the larger kinds, _Hamadrias_, _Bucephalus_, and _Isidis_,[4] alone agree with the South American in the number of stripes. Of the Americans, the _C. Hesperus Oliv._ is the only one with a border to the seventh stripe, and the _C. Actæon Klug_ of Mexico is the only one that has eight stripes.

Various kinds of beetles in Chili seek a shelter from the rays of the sun in the dry cow-dung: almost all the Heteromerides with wings grown together, the greater part of the beetles armed with trunks, and several Carabides, were found there. The ten kinds of Heteromerides, with distorted wings, found here, belong to five new classes: the other Heteromerides consist of a _Helops_ and a black _Lytta_ with red thighs. Of beetles furnished with a proboscis, we met with four kinds of _Listroderes_, two remarkable _Cryptorhynchi_, and a few others of the shape of a _Rhigus_. Lastly are to be noticed, a _Lucanus_ of the form of the _femoratus_, a large _Stenopterus_, and a large black _Psoa_. We found very few other species of insects, but several kinds of _Pompilus_, one two inches long, and a curious _Castnia_, were the most remarkable.

Of marine animals there remain to be noticed--a small _Octopus_, a _Loligo_, two _Chiton_, _Patella_, _Crepidula_, _Pilcopsis_, _Fissurella_, _Calyptræa_; of _Concholepas_, only empty shells; a large _Mytilus_, a small _Modiola_, _Turritella_, _Turbo_, _Balanus_; and a Holothuria of the variety _Psolus_.

In the vast sea between the coast of Chili and the Low Islands or the dangerous Archipelago, very few animals appear to live near the surface, at least we saw none; a quantity of flying-fish were seen, resembling the _Exocoetus volitans_, but having the rays of the breast-fins parted towards the end. During the short space of ten days that we stayed at O Tahaiti, the inhabitants, who for a trifling remuneration brought us all sorts of marine animals, enabled us to make acquaintance with all the natural productions of this much praised country. Birds are scarce in the lowlands along the coast. The little blue _Psittacus Taitianus_ frequents the top of the cocoa-palm; the _Ardea sacra_ walks along the coral reefs; but it is seldom that a tropical bird is seen on the wing. A _Gecko_ of the species _Hemidactylus_ lives about old houses; a small lizard of the family of _Scincoidea_, with a copper-coloured body and a blue tail, and a striped _Ablepharus_, are met with frequently among the rocks. Of fishes, the variety is great, many of them of splendid colours, particularly the small ones, which feed upon the coral, and seek shelter among its branches. The same place of refuge is chosen by numbers of variegated crabs, more particularly the _Grapsus_, _Portunus_, and _Galathea_. Three kinds of _Canceres_ already known were brought us, the _maculatus_, _corallinus_, and _floridus_; the two former move but little, and their shells are as hard as stones. A small _Gelasimus_ burrows under the ground, and makes himself a subterranean passage from the water to the dry land. The female has very small claws, but the male has always one very large pink claw, which is sometimes the right and sometimes the left.

A large brownish _Gecarcinus_ lives entirely on the land, in holes of his own making; his gills accordingly are not open combs, but consist of rows of bags closely pressed together, and somewhat resembling bladders. _Hippa adactyla_ F. is very frequent here, and keeps itself concealed under the sands on the sea-shore. It was from these that Fabricius, who has given a wrong description of their legs, formed his species _Hippa_; Latreille mentions them by the name of _Remipes testudinarius_. Six kinds of _Pagurus_. Of Crustacea already described, _Palæmon longimanus_, _Alphæus marmoratus_, and _Squilla chiragra_; the legs of the last are red, and formed like a club; it uses them as weapons of offence or defence, and inflicts wounds in striking them out by a mechanism peculiar to itself. The number of insects collected on the low land was very small; among them the _Staphylinus erytrocephalus_, also a native of New Holland; an _Aphodius_, scarcely to be distinguished from the _limbatus Wiedem._ of the Cape of Good Hope; an _Elater_ of the species _Monocrepis_; of _Oedemera_, three varieties of the species _Dytilus_, to which belong the _Dryops livida_ and _lineata_ F.; two small varieties of _Apate_; _Anthribus_, _Cossonnus_, _Lamia_, _Sphinx pungens_, and a large _Phasma_.

No place could be more convenient for the observation of the Mollusca and Radiata than Cape Venus. At a few hundred paces from the shore is a coral reef, which at low water is completely dry. In the shoal water, between the reef and the shore, is found the greatest variety of the more brittle kinds of coral, and among their sometimes thick bushes, mollusca and echinodermes lie concealed. The rapid movements of a small _Strombus_, which, when taken, beat about it with its shell, formed like a thin plate of horn, and armed with sharp teeth, were very curious. On breaking the stone which is formed by fragments of coral, a _Sternaspis_ was found burrowing in the interior. Seven classes of Holothuria were examined; three belonged to the species of _Holothuria_, called by Lamarck _Fistularia_, but which name had already been given by Linnæus to the tobacco-pipe fish; the fourth was a species newly discovered, and to which we appropriated the name of _Odontopyga_, because the fundament is armed with five calcareous teeth; the belly is furnished with small tubes, and the back covered with bumps. Two more belong to the species _Thyone_; and the seventh kind of Holothuria ought, properly speaking, to form a class apart, not having tubular feet, but adhering, by means of their sharp skin, to extraneous objects, on which account they might be called _Sinapta_; their feelers are fringed and they live concealed among stones. We found five small kinds of sea-leeches; and among three kinds of star-fish, the _Asterias Echinites_, the large radii of which easily inflict a severe wound; another had the form of the _Asterias Luna_, was eight inches in diameter, without radii, and had more the appearance of a round loaf of bread somewhat flattened. Of corals, the variety was very great, as may be judged from the circumstance of our having collected twenty-four kinds within so short a space of time. _Fungia_ is quite at home here; for, independently of _F. agariciformis_, _scutaria_, and _limacina_, a long kind was also found, having, like the two former, only one central cavity; they are found in shallow water among other corals. Of tabular corals already known, there remain to be mentioned, _Pavonia boletiformis_, _Madrepora prolifera abrotanoides_, _corymbosa_, _plantaginea_, and _pocillifera_.

The inhabitants of the Navigator Isles brought us the little _Psittacus australis_, _Columba australis_, and another very prettily marked dove, having green plumage, ornamented with a dark violet line across the breast, and the feet and head of a reddish purple. It climbed about the sides and roof of its cage, did not leave its perch when it wanted to drink, but stooped down so low as merely to hang by its legs; it would not eat seed, but lived principally on fruit, particularly bananas, all which closely agreed with the habits of parrots.

During our passage to the equator, _Sterna solida_ and _Dysporus Sula_ alighted frequently on our vessel, and allowed themselves to be taken. The latter, when old, has a blue beak and red feet; when young, a red bill and flesh-coloured legs. The exterior nostrils are entirely wanting; but in every part are air-cells between the skin and the muscles.

Besides these animals, six varieties of _Pteropodes_ were caught; also a _Glaucus_, differing from that of the Atlantic _Janthina penicephala Per._, a _Planaria_, _Salpa vivipara Per._, a _Pyrosoma_, resembling that of the Atlantic, and a _Lepas_, attached to the shell of the _Janthina_. Our collection of Acalephi was extremely rich; of fourteen kinds taken, only one, _Physalia Lamartinieri_, was known to us.

Our eight days' stay at the coral island Otdia, afforded us an opportunity to observe or collect about one hundred different kinds of marine animals. It has already been mentioned elsewhere, that the only kind of mammalia found upon this island is a middling-sized cat, which feeds on the fruit of the pandanus tree, and makes its nest in the dead branches, which it easily hollows out. Several lizards have also been found in these islands, such as the striped _Ablepharus_ of O Tahaiti, and a small _Gecko_; a large coal-black lizard was several times seen, but always escaped among the dry pandanus leaves. The fishes are remarkable for the singularity of their form, and the beauty of their colours; those brought to us by the inhabitants belonged to the _Holocentrus_, _Scarus_, _Mullus_, _Chætodon_, _Heniochus_, _Amphacanthus_, _Theutis_, and _Fistularia_.

Of Crustacea we saw twenty different kinds; among them a _Gonoplax_ of the middling size, and as white as the coral-sand, among which it lives, on the shore. The _Hippopus_ found here differs from the _maculatus_ already known by the much greater elevation of its shell. The large _Tridachna_ is the _Tr. squamosa Lam._ It is very unusual to meet with an animal belonging to the family of Lepades in tubular holes made in the coral rocks, as is the case with the _Lithonaetta N._ Among the twenty kinds of tabular coral here observed, there was not one of those collected at O Tahaiti; there were three new _Distichoporæ_, _Seriatipora_, six kinds of _Madrepora_, two _Porites_, four _Astrea_, _Pocillopora cærulea_, and another kind, forming broad, yellow, leafy masses, the slime of which stings like a nettle; _Cariophyllæa glabrescens Cham._, and _Tubipora_, with red animalculæ.

A calm of several days, between eighteen and twenty degrees of north latitude, during our passage to Kamtschatka, afforded opportunities for the observation of several remarkable animals. A small animal of Lamarck's family of Heteropodes, with two rows of separate fins, received the name _Tomopteris_. Secondly, a _Salpa_, of the class which lives apart and has fine long fibres projecting from the hinder part of the body. Thirdly, a small animal, nearly allied to the _Diphyes_, the soft part of the body, which contains the tube for receiving nourishment, having no air-bladder. Fourthly, a small _Beroe_, having the power of drawing in its fins. Fifthly, a very small _Porpita_. The sixth animal was a very remarkable crab, the triangular shell on the back, only two lines in length, provided with a spike from eight to ten lines long, (_Lonchophorus anceps_,) projecting both before and behind. Professor Germar has given to a species of beetle the name _Lonchophorus_, but the same had already been described by Mac Leay, under the name of _Phanæus_. Seventhly, an animal belonging to the class _Arthrodiæ_, (_Arthronema N._) the exterior consisting of stiff tubes, in the interior of which is afterwards found a skin, which eventually divides into separate parts. Eighthly, a _Clio_, about a line in length, with a projection from the globular part of the body. Ninthly, a second variety of _Appendicularia_, described by my friend and companion, on board the Rurik, A. von Chamisso, in the tenth volume of the _N. Acta Acad. Leop. Car._, which proved to be a species of Mollusca belonging to the Heteropodes of Lamarck. Tenthly, a _Pelagia_, scarcely, if at all, to be distinguished from the _Panopyra Per._ Lastly, a new kind of _Cestum_, _C. Najadis N._

In the thirty-fourth degree of latitude, renewed calms again enabled us to add to our collection, firstly, a new species of Physsophorides (_Agalma N._); secondly, a new _Diphyes_; thirdly, a new _Pelagia_, with a yellow skin on the belly, attached to which was a small Cirrhipede of the class _Cineras_; fourthly, a Medusa, with broad belly-bags, and four strong fins; fifthly, a Medusa of the same species, with five and six fins; sixthly, a very small Entomostracea of a flat form, and distinguished by its blue glossy colour, similar to that of the _Hoplia farinosa_; seventhly, a _Loligo_, probably _cardioptera Per._, remarkable on account of the largeness of its eyes; eighthly, a second species of _Phyllirhoe_, placed by Lamarck among the Heteropodes, to which class it does not, however, belong. The species found in the South Sea has no eyes, and plain feelers; on which account it was formerly considered by us as forming a distinct class, and called _Eurydice_. But, although the _Phyllirhoe_ is found to vary so remarkably in its formation, owing to the want of feet, still I consider it as nearly allied to the _Eolidia_. Ninthly, a new _Glaucus_, of a remarkably slim body, with short fins, and of a blackish-blue colour. Tenthly, a _Eucharis N._ In addition to these, no less than eight Crustacea were taken in the net. In the vicinity of Kamtschatka, the vessel sailed daily through red masses floating on the surface; on drawing up some of the water, the pail was found full of red _Calanus_, a line and a half long, with rough feelers of the same length as the body.

In Kamtschatka we found the Bay of Awatscha poor in Mollusca and radiated animals, owing probably to the inconsiderable ebb and flood. The objects most frequently met with, were an ugly little _Turbo_, the empty shell of which was tenanted by a black _Pagurus_ and a _Balanus_. A large _Cyanea_ differs from the European _C. ciliata_, in the form of the stomach. Another Medusa, constituting a new kind of _Sthenonia N._, was observed; its digestive organs resemble those of the Aurelia; and about the edge, eight bunches of very long fibres project, provided, like those of the Physaliæ, with two rows of suckers.

The environs of St. Peter and St. Paul, lying under fifty-three degrees of north latitude, possess an insect Fauna, such as is in Europe only found in sixty and seventy degrees of latitude; as for instance, in Lapland and Finland. A great number of species are exactly similar in both regions; others of the Kamtschatkan insects have been met with nowhere else, except in Siberia, and a small number is quite peculiar to the former country. All have not yet been subjected to a diligent examination, and only the following can be with certainty mentioned.

Firstly, in the North of Europe also, are found: _Pteroloma Forstroemii Gyllh._, _Nebria arctica Dej._ (_hyperborea Schoenh._), _Blethisa multipunctata_, _Pelophila borealis_, _Elaphrus lapponicus_ and _riparius_, _Notiophilus aquaticus_, _Loricera pilicornis_, _Poecilus lepidus_, _Dyticus circumcinctus_, _Staphylinus maxillosus_, _Buprestis appendiculata_, _Elater holosericeus_, _Ptilinus pectinicornis_, _Necrophorus mortuorum_; _Silpha thoracica_, _lapponica_, _opaca_, and _atrata_; _Strongylus colon_, _Byrrhus albo-punctatus_, _dorsalis_, _varius_ and _aeneus_; _Hydrophilus scarabæoides_ and _melanocephalus_; _Cercyon aquaticum_, _Hister carbonarius_, _Psammodius sabuleti_, _Trichus fasciatus_, _Oedemera virescens_, _Apoderus Coryli_, _Leptura trifasciata_, _atra_ and _sanguinosa_, _Lema brunnea_, _Cassida rubiginosa_, _Chrysomela staphylæa_, _lapponica_, _ænea_, _viminalis_, _armoracea_ and _vitellinæ_; _Eumolpus obscurus_, _Cryptocephalus variegatus_, _Coccinella_ 7 _punctata_, 13 _punctata_, _mutabilis_, and 16 _guttata_. Secondly, such as have been hitherto found only in Siberia, though their number is but small: _Cantharis annulata Fisch._, _Dermestes domesticus Gebl._, _Aphodius ursinus N._, and _A. maurus Gebl._, and _Leptura sibirica_.

Among the beetles which have as yet been met with nowhere else, and are therefore considered peculiar to the country, may be named: a _Cicindela_, between _hybrida_ and _maritima_; a _Carabus_ of the form of the _cancellatus Illig._, with black feelers and legs; _C. Clerkii N._, and another, green, with gold border, of the form of the _catenulatus_, caught near the line of perpetual snow on the volcano Awatscha: _C. Hoffmanni N._, _Nebria nitidula_, which is the same as the _Carabus nitidulus Fabr._, as appears by that preserved in Banks's Museum, hitherto the only specimen in Europe; great numbers of these are found in the valleys: a second black sort was caught on the volcano. Further, a small bright yellow _Pteroloma_, an _Elaphrus_, _Bembidia_ six kinds, _Agonum_ four kinds, an _Omaseus_, an _Amara_, _Elater scabricollis Esch. Entomogr._; an _Elater_, like _undulatus_ P., three kinds, which like _Bructeri_, live among stones; a wingless kind which is found buried in the sea-sand, and a perfectly black _Campylus_.

Besides these, a beetle forming a peculiar species between _Atopa_ and _Cyphon_; _Cantharis cembricola Esch._, and one resembling the _testacea_; a _Hylecoetus_, scarcely differing from _dermestoides_; _Catops_; a _Heterocerus_, broad and covered with whitish scales; an _Elophorus_; two _Phaleriæ_ with a black ground; two kinds of _Stenotrachelis_, both larger than the European, which has hitherto borne the name of _Dryops ænea_; and in fact, the beetle in Banks's Museum, so called by Fabricius, is either the same, or a species very nearly resembling it, and it may therefore be conjectured that some mistake has accidentally occurred in the designation of its native country in that Museum. There still remain to be mentioned a Chrysomela, like the _pyritosa_, and a _Coccinella_ with five very large spots upon both wing-covers, found on the line of perpetual snow on the volcano. It is also probable that the valley of the Kamtschatka river, although lying farther north than the environs of the Awatscha, yet possesses a richer in sect Fauna, as the climate there is much milder, and adapted to agriculture.

From Kamtschatka our course lay mostly eastward. At first the sea was strongly luminous every night; but when in the midst of this immense ocean, it one night happened, that while the ship was as usual surrounded by brilliant waves, a dark precipice seemed to open before it. On reaching this part of the water, it appeared that all the luminous matters, such as Zoophytes and Mollusca with their spawn, were entirely wanting, and from this point to the American coast the sea remained dark.

We remarked generally of this great ocean, that on the Asiatic coast, even at a considerable distance from land, (as much as thirty degrees west from Japan,) the water is always muddy; it is made so, partly by the great numbers of small Crustacea, Zoophytes, and Mollusca, partly by the impurities of the whales and dolphins, which latter especially, as well as many other kinds of fish, are very numerous here from the abundance of food to be found. On the contrary, the sea in the neighbourhood of the north-west coast of America is clear and transparent, and nothing is found in it except here and there a single Medusa.

In the principal settlement of the Russian-American Trading Company on the island of Sitcha, in Norfolk Sound, we had better opportunities of becoming acquainted with natural productions than elsewhere, as, during our stay there, in the year 1825, from March to the middle of August, we had an almost uninterrupted continuation of fine weather: we were in this respect peculiarly favoured, as in most years this island does not enjoy above one fine day to fourteen cloudy or wet ones. We ourselves experienced this sort of weather in 1824, when we passed the latter part of August and the beginning of September there.

Of the Fauna of this island, about two hundred and sixty species came under our notice: from its immediate vicinity to the continent, it is not wonderful that several large _mammalia_ are to be found. Among these is the _Ursus Americanus_, of the black race; a fox; a stag, which perhaps does not differ from the _Cervus virginianus_, and the common beaver, which feeds on the large leaves of a _Pothos_, said by the inhabitants to be injurious to man. Besides these are observed a small _Vespertilio_ with short ears, a _Mustela_, and a _Phoca_.

Of birds we remarked: the _Aquila leucocephala_, _Astur_, _Corvus Corone_ and _Stelleri_, and some varieties of the species _Turdus_, _Sylvia_, _Troglodytes_, _Parus_, _Alcedo_, _Picus_, _Ardea_, _Hæmatopus_, _Scolopax_, _Charadrius_, _Anas_, and _Colymbus_. _Trochilus rufus_ is not only often found here, but also under sixty degrees of latitude. A small shoal of _Procellaria furcata_ was once driven into the Bay by stormy weather. Of Amphibia, only a small kind of toad is met with. There is no great variety in the kinds of fish, but the individuals are numerous, especially a well-flavoured sort of salmon, and herrings; a _Pleuronectes_ several feet long, and a reddish yellow _Perca_ two feet long and very thick, are extremely abundant.

The number of accurately examined _Annulides_ amounts to sixteen, among which are found some of very fine and unknown forms. Most of them belong to the well-known species _Cirrhatulus_, _Arenicola_, _Aceronereis_, _Nereis_, _Aphrodita_, _Serpula_, _Amphitrite_. A _Nereis_ was found swimming on the surface of the water in the middle of the bay, which measured two feet in length, and one inch in thickness; the appendages at its sides resemble round leaves. An _Aphrodita_ several inches long, and very narrow, was not rare. An animal resembling the Amphitrite kind is found enveloped in a transparent mass like jelly.

Of Mollusca we observed, a _Limacina_; two _Eolidiæ_, some of which have very beautiful colours; a _Laniogerus_; a _Polycera_; four kinds of _Doris_; a _Scyllæa_; an animal which deserves the name of _Planaria_, it was three inches long, two broad, and only half a line thick; on the upper surface, half an inch from the edge, are two projecting eyes; and in the same part, on the surface beneath, the mouth may be perceived; in the middle of this under surface is another aperture, from which the animal, when in a tranquil state, frequently strecthes out four small folds of skin; this creature, like the _Planariæ_, crawls very nimbly. Besides these, a small _Onichidium_, and a new kind of shelled snail.