132 DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST. 



at the anchorage. Mr. Fisher, the astrono- 

 mer, was directed to fix his observatory upon 

 Dane's Island, and to commence his observ- 

 ations on the pendulum, the dip, and the in- 

 tensity of the needle, the results of which I 

 have briefly given in the Appendix, as they have 

 been published elsewhere by that gentleman ; and 

 Lieutenant Franklin and myself were employed 

 to construct a plan of the port and the adja- 

 cent islands, — which indeed was much required, 

 as the charts that were before in use were 

 extremely incorrect, so much so that even the 

 number of islands was erroneously given. We 

 also assisted Mr. Fisher in determining the 

 geographical position of the observatory. 



In the prosecution of our duties we were led 

 to all parts of the coast which could be con- 

 veniently reached by a boat. We found the 

 shores of this part of Spitzbergen in general 

 very steep, for, with the exception of here and 

 there a narrow flat bordering upon the sea, they 

 speedily rise into mountains of from two thousand 

 feet and upwards in height, increasing to a far 

 greater altitude in the interior. These hills are, 

 for the most part, inaccessible, either on account 

 of the abruptness of the ascent, or of the trea- 

 cherous nature of their surfaces, upon which large 

 stones and fragments of the mountain are so 



