112 THE ANTARCTIC. 



is situated in latitude 63° 30' S., and that the coast ex- 

 tended thence to the westward. A wide gulf opened 

 in this direction, surrounded by ice and snow-covered 

 land on the north, w r est, and south-west. To the north 

 rose Mount Percy, the highest summit on Joinville 

 Land, with an elevation of 3,700 feet above sea-level. 

 To the north-west it appeared that there was a channel 

 between Joinville Island and Louis- Philippe Land. It 

 was impossible on account of the ice to penetrate into 

 the wide bay that had been named Erebus and Terror 

 Gulf, and thus Ross had to content himself with steering 

 along the margin of the ice to the south-west. 



On the 1 st of January, 1843, the ships were in 

 latitude 64° 14' S. and longitude 55° 54' W., where a 

 beautiful view of the land lying to the south and south- 

 west was obtained in fine, clear weather. To the west 

 towered Mount Haddington, 7,000 feet high, the highest 

 summit of this region, and like nearly all the others of 

 volcanic origin. Not far from its foot rises a precipitous 

 island, named Cockburn Island, with a height of 2,760 

 feet, and a diameter of barely twice that measurement. 

 For five days the vessels cruised in this region, now sur- 

 rounded by ice, now deprived of all outlook by dense 

 fog. At length on the 6th of January Ross landed on 

 Cockburn Island, and took formal possession of it in the 

 usual manner. The island was found perfectly clear of 

 snow, and to be of volcanic formation ; and the assistant 

 surgeon of the Erebus (subsequently the renowned 

 botanist, Dr. Hooker) was able to collect nineteen 

 species of plants growing there. It lies at the entrance 

 to a deep bay, formed by Mount Haddington in the 

 west, and Seymour Island and Snowhill (about 2,000 

 feet high) in the east. After sailing round the latter, 

 it was found that Mount Haddington forms the southern 

 extremity of Louis-Philippe Land, united to Snowhill 

 by an enormous mass of glacier ice. The whole western 



