of the perpcfiml Snoius 'in the North, 291 



sliows that this is not the case. We fiiu), in fact, nndor the 70th 

 degree ol'latitiule, liehls and gardens well cnltivated; a numerous 

 population also covers the shores of the great arms of the sea, 

 and beautiful forests grow in the valleys. It is towards the ex- 

 tremities of Lapland that the innnense chain of mountains of Nor- 

 way divides and finally disappears. One of the latter peaks, the 

 Akka-Sokki, situated in the interior of the Gulf of Alten, was 

 not covered with snow when M. de Buch ascended it on the 16th 

 of August 1807, and nevertheless, according to the barometrical 

 observations, its height above the sea is 1023 metres : but an ad- 

 joining mountain, the Storvauds Field, retains the snow the whole 

 year; its height is 107 1 metres : — hence it results that in the 70th 

 degree the limit sought ought to be nearly 1060 metres. This 

 height is, as we see, considerable ; it equals that of the Puy du 

 Dome, above the ridge of Clerm.ont, and surpasses the height of 

 the principal mountains of Germany. Henceforth we ought no 

 longer to he astonished that at the level of the sea, i. e. 1000 

 metres below the snow limit, vegetation has still some vigour and 

 the forests extend to great heights: besides, the heights at which 

 the various species of trees and shrubs cease to grow are very 

 clearly defined. The limits of tlie pines and birch-trees never vary 

 beyond 30 metres, and exhibit themselves like lines of demarcation 

 cut along the sides of the mountains. We dwell upon this obser- 

 vation (in all respects so curious) the more forcibly, as M. de Buch 

 made use of it to determine the snow limit at the North Cape. 

 The following is the table of his results : Metres. 



The Pine {Piiuis syli'estris) disappears at 237 

 The Bircli-tree (/jV/?//rt«//;a) - - 482 



The Myrtle ( raccininm Ah/rtilli/s) - G20 



The Mountain Willow {Snlix mi/rsinilcs) 656 

 TheDwarf Birch (Z?6'/?</« ?■«//«) - - 836 

 The snow ceases to melt at - - 1060 



There is therefore a diflerenceof 215 metres between the limit 

 of the pine and that of the birch-tree, and 578 metres between 

 thelimit of tlie birch-troe and the snow limit. These relative 

 differences are the same in Norway and Lapland, although the 

 absolute heights of the limits are different. Thus we see the pines 

 disap|jear at OSO metre"; wo must rise to 1225 metres = 980 



-f-245 in order to fuid the limit of the , and the snow limit 



will be at 1803 metres =1225-1-578. 



We might easily, bv setting out from these data, determine the 

 height of the snows on the remotest islands towards the frozen 

 sea; although, considering the little elevation of the mountain, the 

 snow does not remain the whole year. Thus near llannner Fest, 

 the lait city of Europe to the northward, wc find birch -trees 

 under the form of weak shrubs at a height of 227 metres; — at Ma- 



T 2 geioo 



