ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 49 



remarkable, and reminds us of the difference between the 

 eastern and western Cordilleras of Chili, that it is only the 

 chain of mountains nearest to the sea (the Californian 

 range), which has still active volcanoes. The conical moun- 

 tains of Regnier and St. Helen's are seen to emit smoke 

 almost constantly, and on the 23rd of November 1843, 

 Mount St. Helen's sent forth a quantity of ashes which 

 covered the banks of the Columbia for forty miles like snow. 

 To the volcanic Coast Eange also belong, (in Russian 

 America in the high north), Mount St. Elias (1980 toises 

 high, according to La Perouse, and 2792 toises, according 

 to Malaspina (12660 and 17850 E. feet), and Mount Fail 

 Weather, (Cerro de Buen Tempo) 2304 toises, or 14732 

 E. feet high. Both these mountains are supposed to be 

 still active volcanoes. Fremont's expedition, (which was 

 important alike for its botanical and geological results), 

 collected volcanic products, such as scoriaceous basalt, 

 trachyte, and even obsidian, in the Rocky Mountains, and 

 found an extinct volcanic crater a little to the east of 

 Fort Hall, (lat. 43 2', long. 112 28 W.) ; but there 

 are no signs of volcanoes still active, that is to say, 

 emitting at times lava or ashes. We are not to confound 

 with such activity the still imperfectly explained phenomenon 

 of " smoking hills ;" "cotes brulees," or "terrains ardens, " 

 as they are called by the English settlers, and by natives 

 speaking French. An accurate observer, M. Nicollet, says, 

 " ranges of low conical hills are covered with a thick black 

 smoke almost periodically, and often for two or three 

 years together. No flames are seen." This phenomenon 



VOL. I. E 



