SHANNON ISLAND. 289 



as we can judge, tliey are seldom free from an icy 

 covering ; thus one can easily see how difficult it must be 

 to give their exact limit. In some neighbourhoods it was 

 no easy task to decide whether we were on land or ice. 



In summer time the low-lying lands, when not covered 

 with snow, are mostly changed into a muddy swamp. 

 The whole island, with the exception of the northern part 

 between Cape Copeland and Cape Borgen, where it con- 

 sists of fine syenite, is of volcanic origin. The party to 

 which I belonged consisted of three, Dr. Borgen, the 

 sailor Klentzer, and myself. Our task was to explore the 

 ground, if possible, completely, and also with regard to 

 the possibility of measuring a base in such a position as 

 to start from, and, if necessary, triangulate along the 

 whole coast. We soon ascertained, however, that it was 

 not possible here to get a good triangle for the purpose 

 of measurinof. 



The 18th of xiugust was at first foggy, but it afterwards 

 cleared, and we raised a row of stone hea,ps on the best 

 spots of ground we could find. One of these spots, in 

 the north of the peninsula, is a small basaltic dome, and 

 although only 250 Rhenish feet high, gave us a fine 

 distant view into the interior of Shannon. 



On the lOtli we had fog for breakfast again, but in the 

 afternoon we continued our explorations in a north- 

 easterly direction. Close to the coast we were astonished 

 at the sight of a fine group of basaltic columns ; they were 

 the first we had seen of so regular and distinct a form. 

 The largest must have been quite twenty feet high. 



From here we marched for an hour and a quarter over 

 to East Shannon. The land resembled that by Cape 

 Philip Broke, but the high levels were more extensive, 



u 



