WILKES LAND. 213 



of January, 1840, land was distinctly sighted for the first 

 time. The three vessels, the Viiicennes, the Peacock and the 

 Porpoise, lay at no great distance from each other within 

 their several horizons, the Peacock being south-east of 

 the Porpoise. From the former of these two vessels a 

 chain of mountains was perceived, from which two sum- 

 mits clearly stood out, respectively named Eld's Peak 

 and Reynold's Peak ; between both, several mountain 

 ridges extended in apparently 7 parallel lines, on which other 

 peaks rose whose summits were shrouded in clouds. 

 Ringgold on the Porpoise saw only one elevation, which 

 to him appeared to be an island, as it did also to Wilkes 

 on the Vincennes. The height of the mountains was esti- 

 mated by Eld and Reynold at about 1,000 to 2,000 feet, 

 obviously too low an estimate, all the other elevations of 

 Wilkes Land appearing to be considerably higher. It 

 seems to us that the different aspects presented by the 

 land and the low estimates of the elevations may both be 

 due to the fact that the land w r as situated a good deal 

 further south, and that what the discoverers had perceived 

 was a mountain chain beyond, extending south-east or 

 south-south-east ; from the Peacock, lying farther to the 

 south-east, the land presented the appearance of a moun- 

 tain chain seen from the flank ; the Porpoise had more of 

 a front view of it, consequently the whole mass appeared 

 as a single elevation. From the Vincennes Wilkes ob- 

 tained the same view as Ringgold from the Porpoise ; he 

 called it " Ringgold's Knoll," erroneously making two 

 sightings of land out of a single one. This view of the 

 matter is, however, to be regarded as a mere hypothetical 

 attempt to clear up a confused account, to be refuted or 

 confirmed by a more accurate survey of the coast. It 

 seems probable that this easternmost sight of land is far 

 more likely to be part of a long connected coast, extend- 

 ing possibly as far as Victoria Land, than a chain of small 

 islands as is assumed in Petermann's otherwise excellent 



