M OU N~
TAIN.S .
found the Pico o f the ifle of Teneriffe * to be. Th e futmnifs of the
other mountains, in the interior parts T>f New-Zeelartd, both in-
Queen Charlotte’s Sound and in Dulky Bay we foünd conftantly
covered a-good way down with eternal fnow.
W e obferved thefe fnow capt heads all the way along, 'when we
failed from Dulk y Bay to Queen Charlotte’s Sound in May, in the
year 1773, and We took-notice o f the fame-eircumftance in the fame
year in October, on the other fide of the Southern ifle, when contrary
harms brought us a good way: along its South Eaft Ihore, almofl as
far as Banks’s Illand. Th is I believe, fufficiently proses, that thefe
mountains form, as it were, one continued chain, running through^
out the whole Southern Ille, and that they are little inferior in height
to twelve or fourteen tho.ufand feet. This long feries o f mountains,
running in the fame diredtion, gives room for a probable cónjedïure,
that the metallic veins, which in all likelihood are to be met w i th in
the mountains o f New Zeeland, are o f a very rich'and valuablenature.'
The
* The Chevalier- DE B oxba has in Auguft, 1776, meafured the height of the Peak of
Teneriffe, and found it to be 19 j ! French toi'fes = ' 1'2,-340 -Engiifltifeet,-. and very »car the
fame quantity he obtained by trigonometrical meafuremcnt. Dr. Heberden’s operations gave
1.3,396 Englilh'feet as the height of the Peak of Teneriffe. Phil. Frtof. vol.x lvn . p. ${6.
The fame Dr. Hcberdcn remarks there, that the Sugar-loaf, .o r la Pericofa, is an eighth fart
f a league to the top, -and that it is covered uuifhfntnu the !greatejl part of the year. Deducting,
therefore," 1980 feet ;= to one eighth part-of a league, -from j^,3C)fffeet, the total for the
height o fth c Peak accordiitgto Dr. Heherden, there remain 13,416'foot = 447a yard's, to
the line of-fnow. -Or, if thefe 1980 feet be deduced from. 12,340, or the height according
to thé Chev. Boh DA, there remain 16,360 feet = 3453 yards, as the line of fnow in about
38V and fome odd minutes North latitude.
The hills of Fierra del Fuego, Staten Land,. South Georgia, and m o u n -
Sandwich Land net conftantly covered with fnow j however, in the two
firft only the fummits o f the hills had fnow, but in the latter the
£now and ice reached in molt places to the very edge of the fea, in
the midft o f their fummer; which certainly proves the extreme
rigour! of the climate, as the line of eternal fnow comes -down, fo low.
ItVhat is llillmore remarkable, this happened in ifles furrounded by
the moilt and therefore mild fea air, which undoubtedly weakens ■
the intenfenefs o f the froft, and commonly mitigates the rigour of
the climate.
Th e mountain in the middle o f the great peninfulaof O-Taheitee -
or o f Tobreonoo, is as far as I can form any idea, the highefl: of all
the mountains in the Tropical Ifles : it is in fome places of an.eafy
and gentle Hope, and interfered by numerous and very deep valleys,
converging towards the -middle o f the ifle,. where its fummits
are to be met with. Th e highefl: point o f this hill is at a very juft
eftimate, about, feven miles from Point Venus. According to1
Captain Cook’ s map, it feems to be nine miles diftant from thence;
but as I have been twice up to this hill, I rather think the diftance
m the map to be too great; and the .more fo, as the valley,, wherein
Matavai-river runs, fcarcely extends at its very extremity to more
than fix miles, and this valley is almofl at the fame diftance from the
fea, with the highefl part of the hill. Mr. Wales our Aftronomer
F took