I 58 PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS. 



a bank of fog appeared to be drifting up to envelope us ; so 

 after sounding we made for Kerguelen's Land, greatly of course 

 to my disappointment, for the flora of the Crozets was then 

 quite unexplored. The slopes appeared from the ship as if 

 covered with a similar vegetation to that of Marion Island, 

 which, however, did not extend so high up the mountains. 



The slopes were covered with albatrosses, nesting as at 

 Marion, and the birds seen about the ship were the same as 

 at that island, but in addition a Mollymauk was seen. 



East Island presents towards Possession Island very high 

 sheer precipices, with most remarkable jagged summits. Only 

 these summits, with their bold outline showing out against the 

 sky, lit up by the light of the sunset, were to be seen ; the base 

 of the cliffs was hidden in impenetrable fog. The Crozets are 

 in about the same latitude as the Prince Edward Islands. 



Crews of vessels have several times been cast away on the 

 Crozet Islands. I have already referred to the account given 

 by Charles Goodridge of his stay of two years in the islands in 

 1821-23.* Goodridge describes the discovery by his party, at 

 above a mile from the reach of the tides, of several trunks of 

 trees about 14 feet long, and measuring from 14 to 18 inches 

 through, which were found lying on the ground as if thrown up 

 by the sea. The wood was close, heavy, and hard, but being 

 split up with wedges made very good clubs. Hence it was not 

 fossil wood. Goodridge concluded that it was drift-wood 

 thrown up so far during some volcanic convulsion. 



We were told by the sealers that the rabbits, which are 

 abundant on the Crozets, were not good to eat, because of 

 their food. The wild hogs were, in Goodridge's time, very 

 fierce and dangerous to approach single handed. The hogs 

 have large tusks. Sealers told us that it would not be well to 

 introduce pigs into the other southern islands, as they would 

 destroy the birds, the main support of chance castaway mariners. 

 The last account of a visit to the Crozets is that of Captain 

 Lindesay Brine, R.N., who saw an iceberg 300 feet in height 

 within sight of the group.f 



The mean temperature of the air whilst the ship was off the 

 islands, from December 30th to January 2nd, was about 44° or 

 45°. The highest reading was 50°, which occurred twice, the 

 lowest 39 6°'. 



January 6th. — We sighted Bligh's Cap in the evening. It 

 appeared as a hazy rounded cone on the horizon. Numerous 

 birds surrounded the ship, and as on our approach to the other 



* "Narrative of a Voyage to the .South Seas," etc., pp. 42, 43, by C. M. 

 Goodridge. London : Hamilton & Adams, 1833. 



f Capt. Lindesay Brine, R.N., "Geogr. Mag.,'' Oct., 1877. 



