210 



December IbtJi, 1862. 

 President in the Chair. 



Prof. J. D. Whitney read the following paper : 



Which is the highest Mountain in the United States, and which 

 in North America ? 



It is a curious fact, that, up to the present time, the greatest 

 uncertainty exists as to the height of the loftiest mountain peaks, 

 not only of the United States, but of the North American Conti- 

 nent. The greatest errors are being constantly repeated in our 

 school geographies ; and, on looking farther back into our Gazet- 

 teers and Encyclopaedias, we find the same condition of things. 



The object of this communication is to set forth, as far as can be 

 done fi'om materials accessible in California, what is known in regard 

 to the height of the dominating peaks of the mountain ranges of 

 North America. 



It is well known that the elevations of the loftiest portion of the 

 Appalachian chain are but trifling compared with those of the 

 Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade range, or 

 of the ranges intermediate between these two gi-eat chains. The 

 highest point of the Appalachian chain, as detennined by Guyot, is 

 Black Mountain, or the Black Dome, in North Carolina, which is 

 6,707 feet above the sea level, or less than half the height of sev- 

 eral of the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade range. 



In the Rocky Mountain chain proper, by which term I designate 

 the group of ranges haring a general north and south direction, 

 extendmg from the southern boundaiy of the United State to lati- 

 tude 43° north, and lying between the 105th and 107th meridians, 

 the culmuiating points are Pikes', Long's and Laramie peaks ; but 

 it is not known that either one of these has been acciirately meas- 

 ured. Dr. Parry has recently given the names of Torrey, Gray, and 

 Engelmann, to three peaks hi the range east of the Middle Park ; 

 but he has not measured their height. In his interesting paper on 

 the botany of this region, he speaks of the highest points as being 

 over 12,000 feet. 



At present the culminating points of the Rocky Mountain ranges, 

 usuig the term here to include all the groups of mountain chains 

 east of Salt Lake, are behoved to be in the Wind River Mount- 

 ains ; the highest point of this chain was ascended by Fremont and 

 measured barometrically, and is now known as Fremont's Peak. It 

 was measured, however, by a single barometer, not in perfect or- 



