90 cook's voyage to march, 



The coast to the north-east of Apoona, which 

 forms the eastern extremity of the island, is low and 

 flat; the acclivity of the inland parts is very gradual, 

 and the whole country covered with cocoa-nut and 

 bread-fruit trees. This, as far as we could judge, is 

 the finest part of. the island, and we were afterward 

 told that the king had a place of residence here. At 

 the south-west extremity the hills rise abruptly 

 from the sea side, leaving but a narrow border of low 

 ground toward the beach. We were pretty near the 

 shore at this part of the island, and found the sides 

 of the hills covered with a fine verdure ; but the coun- 

 try seemed to be very thinly inhabited. On doubling 

 the east point of the island, we came in sight of 

 another snowy mountain, called Mouna Roa (or the 

 extensive mountain), which countinued to be a very 

 conspicuous object all the while we were sailing along 

 the south-east side. It is flat at the top, making 

 what is called by mariners table-land : the summit 

 was constantly buried in snow, and we once saw its 

 sides also slightly covered for a considerable way 

 down ; but the greatest part of this disappeared 

 again in a few days. 



According to the tropical line of snow, as deter- 

 mined by Mr. Condamine, from observations taken 

 on the Cordilleras, this mountain must be at least 

 16,020 feet high, which exceeds the height of the 

 Pico de Teyde, or Peak of Teneriffe, by 724< feet, 

 according to Dr. Heberden's computation, or 3680, 

 according to that of the Chevalier de Borda. The 

 peaks of Mouna Kaah appeared to be about half a 

 mile high; and as they are entirely covered with 

 snow, the altitude of their summits cannot be less 

 than 18,400 feet. But it is probable that both these 

 mountains may be considerably higher. For, in insu- 

 lar situations, the effects of the warm sea air must 

 necessarily remove the line of snow, in equal latitudes, 

 to a greater height than where the atmosphere is 



