May 4th. — It was now Sunday morning, and we still travelled by compass in the direction of west-north-west, as nearly as we could lay that course; being often compelled to deviate from it by the face of the country, interspersed with elevated ridges, watercourses, precipices, &c. This day's journey, though fatiguing, was very pleasant and interesting. Parrots, and other birds of the most beautiful plumage, surrounded us on every side (several of a species which I have never seen in the museums or the private collections of naturalists). I also examined various trees, which I have no doubt are highly valuable, some for cabinet furniture, and others for drugs, and perhaps for die-stuffs. I regretted extremely that we had not a scientific botanist and mineralogist with us, as my own knowledge of those sciences is very limited. But I am confident there is abundance of valuable wood in this unexplored country; and the specimens of copper, lead, and iron which I brought away with me were pronounced to be, by the late scientific Doctor Mitchill, the purest and most free from alloy of any that he had ever seen.

The interior of this country, I also discovered, abounds with some very valuable vegetables for mariners who are pursuing long voyages; such as celery, scurvy-grass, and a variety of berries of very agreeable flavour. To this circumstance Byron imputes the healthiness of his whole ship's company, not a single person being affected with the scurvy in the slightest degree; nor was a single individual on the sick-list from any other disorder. Among other curious trees which I examined in this excursion is the pepper-tree, or winter's bark, noticed by Commodore Byron. These grow here in great plenty, as do many others, with the nature of which I am totally unacquainted.

We continued to proceed in the same direction until ten o'clock, P. M. when we found ourselves on the eastern declivity of a mountain which ascended gradually towards the north. This we concluded to be a part of the celebrated chain before mentioned, the Cordilleras of the Andes, and judged ourselves to be now about thirty miles from the vessel, and forty-five from Cape Froward. Here we built a large fire, and made a hearty supper of venison, having killed a fat deer but a short time before. We then sought a few hours' repose; but found it almost impossible to sleep, as the dogs were engaged the whole night among wild animals of different kinds. We therefore relinquished the hope of rest, and at two hours after midnight, began to retrace our weary steps towards Port Famine.

Source: "Narrative of Four Voyages", Capt. Benjamin Morrell Jr., New York, 1832
Transcribed: April 2007