April 



2^0 A VOYAGE T O 



»77.8- arc of a very moderate height ; but even the highefl: are en- 

 tirely covered to their tops with the thickefl: woods ; as well 

 as every flat part toward the fea. There are fometimes fpots 

 upon the fides of fome of the hills which are bare; but they 

 are few, in comparifon of the whole, though they fufli- 

 ciently point out the general rocky difpofttioji of thcfe hills. 

 Properly fpcaking, they have no foil upon them, except a 

 kind of compoft, produced from rotten niofles and trees, of 

 the depth of two feet or more. Their foundations are, 

 therefore, to be confidered as nothing more than flupendous 

 rocks, of a whitifli or grey cafl, where they have been 

 cxpofed to the weather; but, when broken, they appeared 

 to be of a blueifli grey colour, like that univerfal fort which 

 were found at Kerguelen's Land. The rocky fhores are a 

 continued mafs of this ; and the little coves, in the Sound, 

 have beaches compofed of fragments of it, witii a few other 

 pebbles. All thefe coves are furniflied with a great quan- 

 tity of fallen wood lying in them, which is carried in by 

 the tide ; and with rills of frefli water, fuflicient for the ufe 

 a Ihip, which feem to be fupplied entirely from the rains 

 and fogs that hover about the tops of the hills. For few 

 fprings can be expected in fo rocky a country, and the frelli 

 water found fartlicr up the Sound, moll: probably arofe 

 from the melting of the fnow ; there being no room to fuf- 

 pedt, that any large river falls into tlie Sound, eiiher from 

 llrangers coming down it, or from any other circumllance. 

 The water of thcfe rills is perfectly clear, and diflblves foap 

 cafily. 



The weather, during our flay, correfpondcd pretty nearly 



with that which we had experienced off the coaft. That is, 



when the wind was any where between North and Weft, 



the weather was fine and clear ; but if to the Southward of 



§ Weft, 



