456 Thirty Years 
hoped might reach to the coast, and be 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 Right Honorable Mr. Robinson, 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 8. E. by 8. ; 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 8.8.W. The same 
order prevailed in the three ranges behind the Buck- 
land chain ; and the highest of their mountains, like 
Mount Conybeare, were round and naked at the top ; 
the vallies between them were grassy. We erected a 
