MOUNT
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found feveral Imall ifles and a large one, all lying in a direftion
from Weft to Eaft, or nearly fo ; thefe illes,. and thofe feen by Mr.
de Kirguelen, are expreflfed in a chart publifhed under the patronage
o f the Duc de Croy, by Robert de Vaugondy, Though we
had not the good luck to fall in with them, we have, however, no
reafons to difbelieve their exiftence ; and, probably their fituation
will be aicertained by that able and indefatigable navigator, Capt.
Cook, in the expédition in which he at prefent is employed,
Thefe illes feem to be a feries or chain o f fubmarine mountains,
running nearly from Weft to Eaft, T h e lands, vifited by us and
others, in the Southern parts o f the Atlantic ocean, are Sandwich
Land, South-Georgia, Falkland Iflands, and Staten Land, together
with the broken lands belonging to Tierra del Fuego, and thefe
form another chain o f fubmarine mountains, lying almoft in the
fame direftion with the former. T h e low ifles to the Eaft o f O -
Taheitee, with the Society Ifles, the Friendly Ifles, the N ew - I Ie -
brides, and New-Caledenia, together with the intermediate ifles of
Scilly, Howe, Pallifer, Palmerftone, Savage, and Turtle-Ifland,
as well as the ifles o f Hope and Cocos, Capt. Carteret’s Queep
Charlotte’s-Ifles, and feveral more, as far as New-Hibernia, ;New-
Britain, and New-Guinea, are one great chain o f fubmarine mountains
; extending through an immenfe fpace, or three-fourths of
the whole South-Sea.
N or-
Norfolk-Illand, and Ncw-Zcelatul, feem to belong to a range-of
mountains branching out from the great chain, and running from
North to South. I f we confides this-dire<ftk>n-of ifles* or fubmarine
mountains, it fhould feem they were defigned fo give greater foli-
dity and ftrength to the compages o f our globe.
T h e next circumftance relative to the mountains is their h e i g h t .
T h e higheft o f all the mountains, which we faw in the courfe o f
this voyage, is, in my opinion, Mount Egmont, on the Northern
ifle o f New-Zeeland, w-hofe fummit was covered with fnow a great
way-down, and almoft conftantly. capt with clouds; though at intervals
we few- its* top very diftindtly.
In France, in about 46° o f North latitude, the line of eternal
plow is found at the height o f about 3280 or 340© yards above the
level o f the fea. On the Pico de Teyde, on the ifle o f Teneriffe,
in about 28" o f North latitude, the fnow is to be met w ith . at the
height o f 4472 yards. Mount Egmont is very nearly in. 39” o f
South latitude : but, as we conftantly found, that in Southern latitudes
the cold is much more intenle than in the correiponding
degrees of the Northern hemifphere, I will fuppofe the climate of
Mount Egmont equal tb that o f France, and therefore the line o f
fnow to be at the height o f '3280 yards; and, as the fiiow feemed
to occupy one third of its height, the mountain will be 492 0 y ards
high, or 14,760 feet, which is fomewhat left than Dr. Heberden
found
M'OUN-
T A-IN-Si