Jan. 1827. 



MOUNT SAllMIENTO. 



27 



and excellent is his description. It is also mentioned in the 

 account of Cordova's voyage.* The peculiar shape of its 

 summit as seen from the north would suggest the probability 

 of its being a volcano, but we never observed any indication of 

 its activity. Its volcanic form is perhaps accidental, for, seen 

 from the westward, its summit no longer resembles a crater. 

 From the geological character of the surrounding rocks its for- 

 mation would seem to be of slate. It is in a range of mountains 

 rising generally two or three thousand feet above the sea ; but 

 at the N.E. end of the range are some, at least four thousand feet 

 high. The height of the "Snowy Vol can Oj'"" or as we have called 

 it. Mount Sarmiento,-|- was found, by trigonometrical measure- 

 ment, to be six thousand eight hundred feetj above the level 



* Ultimo Viage, p. 120. 



t From an attentive perusal of the voyag-e of Mag-alhaens, I have lately- 

 been led to think that this is the mountain which Mag-alhaens called 

 Roldan's Bell. Sarmiento has, however, assigned that name to a moun- 

 tain at the back of his Bay of Campana, which will be noticed in it's 

 proper place. The name of Mount Sarmiento was too long-, and too well 

 established with us, or I should have restored the name bestowed upon it 

 by Magalhaens. Herrera, in his Descripcion de las Indias Occidentales, 

 cap.xxiii, notices the "Campana de Roldan " as a great mountain in 

 the midst of the entrance of a channel ; they gave it this name (Cam- 

 pana de Roldan) because one of Magalhaens's companions, named Roldan, 

 an artillery officer, went to examine it. " Y la Campana de Roldan una 

 Peiia grande en medio al principio de un canal : dieron le este nombre 

 porque la fu^ a reconocer unodelos companeros de Magallanes llamado 

 Roldan que era artillero." 

 I By angular measurement, with a theodolite, from the tent, 

 the base being by difF. of lat. 297,863 feet, and allow- 

 ing -/j of the intercepted arc for terrestrial refraction . . 6,864 feet* 

 By angular measure with sextant (index error, dip, and ^3 

 of the intercepted arc being allowed) the base being 



290,074 feet 7,237 



By angular measurement, with a theodolite, from Warp 



Bay, by Lieuts. Skyring and Graves 6,800 



Mean 6,967 feet. 



but as the last observation, from the angle of elevation being greater, was 

 more likely to be correct, 6,800 feet is considered to be its elevation. 



