Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/24

 F A L F A L Map of the Falkland Islands. deeply indented, and many of the bays and inlets form secure and well-protected harbours. East Falkland is almost bisected by two deep fiords, Choiseul and Brenton Sounds, which leave the northern and southern portions connected only by an isthmus a mile and a half wide. The northern portion is hilly, and is crossed by a rugged range, the Wickham Heights, running east and west, and rising in some places to a height of nearly 2000 feet. The remainder of the island consists chiefly of low undulating ground, a mixture of pasture and morass, with many shallow freshwater tarns, and small streams running in all the valleys. The general appearance of the country is tame and uninteresting, not unlike one of the outer Hebrides. The general colouring is dark brownish-green, relieved along the strike of the hills by veins of white quartzite denuded by the wearing away of softer rocks on botli sides, and left projecting on the mountain slopes like fine park and the abundance of deer. The east side of the building was accidentally burnt in the reign of Charles II., and the park was ruined during the time of Cromwell, when the fine oaks were cut down in order to build a fort at Perth. In one of the dungeons David, duke of Rothesay, eldest son of Robert III., was starved to death by the duke of Albany (the king s brother) and the earl of Douglas in 1402. In 1715 the famous Rob Roy gar risoned the palace, and laid the burgh and vicinity under contribution. The palace till recently was allowed to fall into decay, but what remained of it has been renovated, and is now occupied as a dwelling house. The western front lias two round towers, similar to those at Holyroocl, and the southward range of buildings is ornamented with niches and statues, which impart to it a close resemblance to the Perpendicular style of the semi-ecclesiastical architecture of England. Falkland was constituted a royal burgh by James II. in 1458, and its charter was renewed by James VI. in 1595. Population of the burgh, 1144 ; of the burgh and suburbs, 1283. FALKLAND, VISCOUNT. See CAKY, Lucius. FALKLAND ISLANDS (French, Malouines ; Spanish, Malvinas), a group of islands in the South Atlantic, belong ing to Britain, and lying about 250 miles E. of the nearest j point in the mainland of South America, between the parallels of 51 and 52 45 S. and the meridians of 57 20 and 61 4G W. The islands are about 200 in number, but only two are of considerable size ; the largest of these, East Falkland, is 95 miles in extreme length, with an average width of 40 miles, and the smaller, AVest Falkland, is 80 miles long, and about 25 miles wide. The area of East Falkland is about 3000 square miles, and that of West Falkland 2000. Most of the others are mere islets, the largest 16 miles long by 8 miles wide. The two principal islands are separated by Falkland Sound, a narrow strait from 18 to 2^- miles in width, running nearly due north and south (magnetic). The coast-line of both islands is dilapidated stone dykes. Two fine inlets, Berkeley Sound and Port William, run far into the land at the north eastern extremity of the island. Port Louis, until lately the seat of government, is at the head of Berkeley Sound, but the anchorage there having been found rather too ex posed, about the year 1844 a town was laid out, and the necessary public buildings were erected on Stanley Harbour, an admirably sheltered recess within Port William. Above Stanley Harbour the land slopes up for a hundred feet or so to a low ridge, beyond which what is called there the &quot; camp&quot; (ramjx)) extends nearly level for many mile*. The little town of Stanley is built along the shore of the harbour and stretches a short way up the slope ; it has a population of GOO or 700 inhabitants. The houses are mostly square, whitewashed, and grey-slated, much like those of one of the newer small towns in the West High lands of Scotland. The Government house puts one iu mind of a Shetland or Orkney manse, stone-built, slated, and grey, without the least shelter. The Government barrack, occupied by an officer and a company of marines, is a rather imposing structure in the middle of the town, and there is a neat little Episcopal church. Many of the houses belonging to the agents of the Falkland Islands Company, and to the representatives of several private firms, have very pretty greenhouses attached to them, the gay groups of fuchsias and pelargoniums of all the best home varieties contrasting pleasantly with the barrenness without. In 1845 Mr S. Lafone, a wealthy cattle and hide mer chant on the river Plate, obtained from Government a grant of the southern portion of the island, a peninsula 600,000 acres in extent, and possession of all the wild cattle on the island for a period of six years, for a payment of .1 0,000 down, and 20,000 in ten years from January 1, 1852. In 1851 Mr Laf one s interest in Lafonea, as the peninsula has since been called, was purchased for 30,000 by a company chartered in London for the purpose of turn ing the islands to more account. The headquarters of the Falkland Island Company are now at Stanley, where their colonial manager resides, while their grazing and boiling-down operations are carried out in different parts of the islands. The development of the undertaking has necessitated the establishment of stores and workshops at Stanley, and now ships can be repaired and provided in every way, much better and more cheaply there than at any of the South American ports, a matter of much importance, seeing that a greater amount of injury is done annually to shipping passing near Cape Horn by severe weather than in any other locality in the world. The average number of vessels entering Stanley Harbour in the year is about 50, with an aggregate tonnage of 20,000 tons. Of this number about one-fourth arrive in distress and are repaired at Stanley. Next to Stanley the most im portant place on East Falkland is Port Darwin on Choiseul Sound, a station of the Falkland Island Company, a village chiefly of Scottish shepherds with a little iron church with schoolhouse attached, and a Presbyterian clergyman and a competent schoolmaster. West Falk land is more hilly near the east island ; the principal moun tain range, the Hornby Hills, runs north and south parallel with Falkland Sound. Mount Maria, at the back of Port Howard, is 2270 feet high. In 1867 there were no settlers on the west island, and Government issued a proclamation offering leases of grazing stations on very moderate terms. In 1868 all the available land was occupied, producing an annual revenue of about 1350. Some good houses have lately been built at Port Stephens, Mr Dean s station on West Falkland. The Falkland Islands were first seen by Davis in the year 1592, and Sir Richard Hawkins sailed along their