1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 19 



44 20', there is a narrow ridge of hills that rises di- 

 rectly from the sea, and is covered with wood : close 

 behind these hills are the mountains, extending in 

 another ridge of a stupendous height, and consisting 

 of rocks that are totally barren and naked, except 

 where they are covered with snow, which is to be seen 

 in large patches upon many parts of them ; and has 

 probably lain there eversincethe creation of the world: 

 a prospect more rude, craggy, and desolate than this 

 country affords from the sea, cannot possibly be con- 

 ceived, for, as far inland as the eye can reach, nothing 

 appears but the summits of rocks, which stand so near 

 together, that instead of valleys there are onlyfissures 

 between them. From the latitude of 44 20', to the 

 latitude of 42 8', these mountains lie farther inland, 

 and the sea-coast consists of woody hills and val- 

 leys, of various height and extent, and has much 

 appearance of fertility : many of the valleys form 

 plains of considerable extent, wholly covered with 

 wood, but it is very probable that the ground, in 

 many places, is swampy, and interspersed with pools 

 of water. From latitude 42 8', to 41 30', the land 

 is not distinguished by any thing remarkable : it rises 

 into hills directly from the sea, and is covered 

 with wood ; but the weather being foggy while we 

 were upon this part of the coast, we could see very 

 little inland, except now and then the summits of the 

 mountains, towering above the cloudy mists that ob- 

 scured them below, which confirmed my opinion that 

 a chain of mountains extended from one end of the 

 island to the other. 



In the afternoon, we had a gentle breeze at S. W., 

 which, before it was quite dark, brought us abreast 

 of the eastern point which we had seen at noon ; but 

 not knowing what course the land took on the other 

 side of it, we brought to in thirty-four fathom, at the 

 distance of about one league from the shore. At 

 eight in the evening, there being little wind, we filled 

 and stood on till midnight, and then we brought to 



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