THEPACIFIC OCEAN. 89 



lew. Some of our people put it in competition with the ^ '7^6. 



* December. 



<iuck, as rood. 



The feine was hauled once ; but we found only a few flfli 

 about the fize of a fmall haddock ; though quite different 

 from any we knew. The fnout is lengthened; the head 

 armed with fome ftrong fpines ; the rays of the back- 

 iin long, and very ftrong; the belly is large; and the body 

 without fcales. The only fliell fifli are a few limpets and 

 mufcles ; and, amongfl: the ftones, a few fmall ftar-fifli, and 

 lea-anemonies, were found. 



The hills are of a moderate height; yet many of their 

 tops were covered with fnow at this time, though anfwer- 

 ing to our June. Some of them have large quantities of 

 ftones, irregularly heaped together at their foot, or on their 

 fides. The fides of others, which form fteep cliffs towards 

 tlie fea, are rent from the top downward, and feem ready 

 to fall off, having ftones of a confiderable fize lying in the 

 fiffurcs. Some were of opinion that froft might be the caufe 

 of thefe fiffures, which I fliall not difpute ; but how others 

 of the appearances could be effedled, but by earthquakes, 

 or fome fuch fevere fliocks, I cannot fay. 



It appears that rain muft be almoft conftant tiere, not 

 only from the marks of large torrents having rufhed down, 

 but from the difpofition of the country, which, even on the 

 hills, is almoft an entire bog or fwamp, the ground finking 

 at every ftep. 



The rocks, or foundations of the hills, are compofed 

 chiefly of a dark blue, and very hard, ftone, intermixed 

 with fmall particles of glimmer or quartz. This feems to 

 be one of the moft univerfal produftions of Nature, as it 

 conftitutes whole mountains in Sv/eden, in Scotland, at the 



Vol. I. N Canary 



