EXPLORATIONS AMONG THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 65 



subject of much speculation" as they passed through Eaton and Conway. 

 Dr. Belknap, the early historian of the state, and Dr. Fisher, of Beverly, 

 Mass., were of this party, but neither of them succeeded in reaching the 

 summit. Dr. Fisher remained at the notch " to collect birds, and other 

 animal and vegetable productions." The objects of the expedition were 

 but partially attained. It happened unfortunately that thick clouds 

 covered the mountains nearly the whole time, so that the instruments, 

 which they had carried up with much labor, were rendered useless. They 

 made some unsatisfactory barometrical observations, but were unable to 

 test them in an attempted geometrical measurement from the base. 

 The barometer had suffered so much agitation that an allowance was 

 necessary, and the altitude was computed in round numbers at 5,500 feet 

 above the meadow in the valley below, and nearly 10,000 feet above the 

 level of the sea. This was no greater altitude than appears to have been 

 generally assigned to these mountains. Dr. Belknap, in 1792, gave his 

 opinion that these figures were too small, predicting "that whenever the 

 mountain can be measured with the requisite precision, it will be found 

 to exceed ten thousand feet, of perpendicular altitude, above the level of 

 the ocean."* 



The plants of the upper region were now described for the first time, 

 but only in a general way. The following extract from a manuscript of 

 Dr. Cutler, which is quoted by Belknap, points out the more prominent 

 botanical features, as seen by the first scientific party: "There is evi- 

 dently the appearance of three zones, 1, the woods; 2, the bald, mossy 

 part; 3, the part above vegetation. The same appearance has been 

 observed on the Alps and all other high mountains. I recollect no grass 

 on the plain. The spaces between the rocks in the second zone and on 

 the plain are filled with spruce and fir, which perhaps have been growing 

 ever since the creation, and yet many of them have not attained a greater 

 height than three or four inches ; but their spreading tops are so thick and 

 strong as to support the weight of a man without yielding in the smallest 

 degree ; the snows and winds keeping the surface even with the general 

 surface of the rocks. In many places on the sides we could get glades of 

 this growth some rods in extent, when we could, by sitting down on our 



* Belknap, N. H. iii, p. 33. 

 VOL. I. 9 



