242 ACCOUNT OP THE MINERALOGY 



The village of Eide is situated on the acclivity of one of 

 the headlands which presents a perpendicular front to the 

 ocean. Some of these we had previously been much struck 

 with ; that of Nypennaes puzzled us extremely. Landt re- 

 presents it to be 1200 feet high, which, from the magnitude of 

 every thing around, the little distance we thought we were from 

 it, and without any object by which we could form an estima- 

 tion, we could not bring ourselves to believe. I was therefore 

 determined to ascertain, by the simple mechanical means of a 

 line and plummet, the height of the Kodlen, as the headland^ 

 near Eide is called, and succeeded, by letting down a fishing- 

 line, with a stone at the end of it, from the top of this formi- 

 dable precipice, from which I ascertained its height to be 

 1134 feet*. This, I believe, is a very near approximation to 

 the truth : the elasticity of the cord was the only material source 

 of error; but I endeavoured to counteract this defect, by 

 stretching the cord sufficiently when it was measured off 



We were thus furnished with the means of forming a 

 proper estimation of these tremendous cliffs, and. without it 

 we should in all probability have left the islands under a very 

 different impression regarding them than we did. The Kod- 

 len 



• It was not till after the third attempt that I was satisfied witfi this esperl-- 

 ment. In the two first I met with unlocked for diflBculty, by the hitcl)ing and- 

 entanglement of my cord, upon the projecting points of the rock, and also by the 

 seventy of the blast, which, striking on so large a surface, blew upwards with 

 tremendous fury, even when- there was otherwise apparently but little wind. I 

 consequently bethought myself of coiling a given quantity of cord, upon a round 

 stone, and forming a compact mass, of sufficient weight to overcome the violence 

 of the wind opposed to it at the summit, which decreased proportionably to the 

 opposition it met with in descending ; wliile the shape, and unfolding of the 

 rope, rendered it less liable to attach itself to the points of the rock. By means 

 of this device, I succeeded to my satisfaction. 



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