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[Page 80]
1915
outer harbour, we commenced to take in 1900 tons of coal. During the forenoon I went ashore. Port Stanley is an orderly & clean settlement, with a population of about 1000. The houses are generally built of wood, and they are scrupulously clean, & have well kept gardens in which grow many English flowers. The smell of peat, which is burnt as fuel, reminds one very much of the southern parts of Ireland. There is a fine large stone church with a clock tower, several public houses, &, consequently, a gaol. The people, who are mostly English with a few Danes, Germans, & Swedes, seem to be a strong & healthy community. The chief occupations are whaling, sheep farming, horse breeding, & farming. The temperature rarely sinks below 32o F., & rarely rises above 50o F. This fact accounts for the inability to swim on the part of the natives, the water never being warm enough to indulge in a swim, or even bathe. Usually, there are 300 wet days in each year. No trees grow on the islands & their general appearance is extremely bleak. However, the climate is so healthy that the hospital hardly justifies its existence. At this time, however, the staff had been supplemented by 2 naval surgeons left behind with many naval cases, after the Falkland Islands action, so the hospital was practically full. There are