THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 301 



September last, at nine o'clock and twenty-four minntes, at the top of 

 Mount Jlitchell, the barometer stood twenty-three and forty-nine hun- 

 dredths (23.49) inches. At the highest point, which I reached pre- 

 cisely at twelve o'clock, or two hours and thirty -six minutes later, it 

 was twenty-three and three-tenths (23.3) inches. I remained on th^ 

 top until one o'clock witliout perceivinsi; any change. Taking each of 

 these nineteen hundredths (.19) at this altitude to represent eleven 

 feet, there would be a difference of two hundred and nine (209) feet in 

 favor of the latter peak. At Asheville, from eight o'clock to twelve 

 o'clock, (the time when he closed the bank,) Mr. McDowell saw no 

 change whatever in his barometer. Dr. Forster observed his at ten 

 o'clock, at twelve o'clock, and at two o'clock, without any change 

 whatever being perceptible. Neither observed his barometer at a 

 later hour than I have indicated above. I found, however, at six 

 o'clock in the evening, on my return to the house I had left at eight 

 o'clock in the morning, there had, in the interval of ten hours, been 

 a fall often hundredths, (.1). Indei)endently of the fact that neither 

 gentleman saw any change^ during the morning, in his barometer, I 

 liave reason to believe that the fall took place in the afternoon, be- 

 cause it became somewhat cloudy, and from the circumstance that the 

 barometer continued to fall slowly for two or three hours later in the 

 evening. If, however, part of this fall should be taken to have oc- 

 curred during the morning, between the hours of nine and twelve 

 o'clock, it would somewhat reduce the altitude of the highest peak 

 above Mount Mitchell, but would still show it to be the higher from 

 one hundred and forty (140) to two hundred (200) feet. Of the fact 

 of its greater elevation no o..e will doubt who visits them both on the 

 game day, provided it be clear enough to allow them to be seen in con- 

 nexion with the other mountains around. 



Until, however, I had attained the highest point, I did not feel 

 altogether sure but that one of the other j^eaks immediately north of 

 it; might not be equally or nearly as high. It happens, however, that 

 the course of the ridge northward was diiectly towards the Roan, a 

 mountain that for nine miles of its length has nearly a uniform height, 

 ascertained by Dr. Mitchell to be six thousand one hundred and eighty- 

 seven (6,187) feet above the sea, or more than five hundred (500) 

 feet lower than the Black. As its direction is nearly at right angles 

 with the line from my position to it, portions of it were beyond the 

 highest points of the northern range of the Black. Thus, though it 

 was distant nearly thirty (30) miles, in a direct line, and though it 

 was more than five hundred (500) feet lower than the spot on which I 

 stood, yet portions of it were visible directly over these points. Hav- 

 ing been there more than once, I saw clearly that the line of vision 

 passing the top of any one of the peaks on the Black would have 

 struck it below the crest of its ridge. What was still more satisfactory 

 to me, was the fact that these three points of the Black appeared to 

 the eye to have about the same elevation, being almost, but not quite, 

 in a line with each other. The northern, or most remote one, at the 

 termination of the mountain, near Burnsville, was ascertained by 

 Professor Mitchell to be ninety (90) feet lower than the Roan. It was 

 distant from me about eight (8) miles, and though much lower than 



