(iíi i, I
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part of the community, but they were not inclined
to choose partners so suddenly. The Prince and his
suite had luncheon with Mr. Green and met some of
the chief men, and all the ladies were introduced to
him. Altogether, instead of the colony showing any
tendency to an immediate break up, there seemed to
he very general comfort and contentment.
At day-break on the 14tli, the summit of the peak
of Tristan only was visible from the deck of the
‘ Challenger,’ a symmetrical cone, the sides rising at
an angle of 23° to a height of 7,100 feet above the
level of the sea, covered with snow which came far
down occupying the ravines, dark ridges of rock
rising np between. On account of the distance, the
lower terrace and the more level p art of the island
could not he seen. A sounding was taken in 2,025
fathoms, glohigerina-ooze, the bottom temperature
1°-6C. The dredge was p u t over, and brought up
two specimens of a small Diadema only. In the
evening we resumed our course towards the island,
and made all arrangements for sending out exploring
parties the first opportunity. Early on the morning
of the 15th we were at anchor close under the land,
in a shallow hay open to the westward. A slope of
rough pasture, ahont a quarter of a mile in rvidtli,
extended to onr right, running up from the beach to
an almost precipitous wall of rock a thousand feet in
height, the mist lying I oav upon it so th a t Ave could
see no further. To the left the rampart of rock came
sheer doAvn almost into the sea, leaving only a narroAV
strip of a fcAV yards of shingly beach. A stream ran
down from the high ground, nearly opposite the ship,
and the I oav fall AA'ith which it tumbled into the head