456 Thirty Years 



hoped might reach to the coast, and he of service by 

 driving the ice from the land. This hope, however, 

 lasted only a few minutes ; for, on casting our eyes 

 to seaward, there appeared no open water into which 

 it could be moved, except near Herschel Island. The 

 view into the interior possessed the charm of novelty, 

 and attracted particular regard. We commanded a 

 prospect over three ranges of mountains, lying paral- 

 lel to the Buckland chain, but of less altitude. The 

 view was bounded by a fourth range of high-peaked 

 mountains, for the most part covered with snow. 

 This distant range was afterwards distinguished by 

 the name of the British Chain ; and the mountains at 

 its extremities were named in honor of the then Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer, and President of the Board 

 of Trade — the Eight Honorable Mr. Kobinson, now 

 Lord Goderich, and Mr. Huskisson. When seen from 

 the coast, the mountains of the Buckland chain ap- 

 peared to form a continuous line, extending from N. 

 W. by N., to S. E. by S. ; but from our present situa- 

 tion we discovered that they were separated from each 

 other by a deep valley, and a rivulet, and that their 

 longest direction was N.N.E. and S.S.W. The same 

 oidcr prevailed in the three ranges behind the Buck- 

 land chain ; and the highest of their mountains, like 

 Mount CoDybeare, were round and naked at the top ; 

 the vallies between them were sirassv. We erected a 



