VICTORIA LAND. 201 



otherwise Ross would have made mention of it. Accord- 

 ing to the view given by him and here reproduced, Coul- 

 man Island, with the exception of the steep face of the 

 rocks, is completely enveloped in ice and snow. 



Very little is known concerning Capes Philipps and 

 Sibbald, as Ross was unable to approach near enough 

 to gain a good view on account of the heavy land-ice. 

 Cape Sibbald lies at the foot of Mount Monteagle, one 

 of the highest mountains of Victoria Land, looking down 

 with its steep summit on the others, and overtopped 



Coulman Island (after Ross). 



only by Mount Melbourne, the highest known summit 

 of the south polar regions, said to be nearly 15,000 feet 

 high. The outlines of Mount Melbourne, which bear 

 a striking resemblance to those of Mount Etna, and also 

 its crater at the top, evidently indicate its volcanic nature. 

 At the same time Mount Melbourne marks the boundary 

 of the coast actually seen by Ross, although he saw a lofty 

 mountain chain in the west, the Prince Albert range, 

 which either really is considerably less lofty than the 

 other parts of Victoria Land, or only appears to be so on 



