244 



MOUNTAIN DE LA CRUZ. 



June 1829- 



so very steep and slippery was the summit, that we were obliged 

 to go on our hands and knees, forcing them as deeply into the 

 snow as possible, to avoid sliding down again. The highest 

 point is not visible from Port Gallant. 



" While I took angles with the theodolite, the seamen made 

 a fire. It was well we carried some fuel and a tinder-box, with 

 a sheet of copper, upon which to kindle it ; for without a fire 

 we should have been quite numbed. Standing in one place 

 for two hours, after being much warmed by exertion, made 

 us more sensible of the cold. The highest spot is but a few 

 yards wide, and by barometrical measurement is 2,280 feet 

 above the sea.* The height is, in truth, small ; but as the 

 mountain is so steep, and rises so abruptly from the sea, it 

 appears considerable. 



" When we had finished our observations with the barometer 

 and theodolite, we deposited a Memorial, containing a list of 

 the officers and crews of the Beadle and Adelaide — an account 



o 



of the object of their voyage, how far it had succeeded, and 

 where we were going — and a collection of coins, well-soldered 

 up in a tin case — upon the bare rock ; and made a great pile of 

 stones over it. 



" Having again examined the barometer, we began to 

 descend ; for the sun disappearing behind the distant moun- 

 tains, warned us that it was time to return. We had enjoyed 

 a magnificent view on all sides, and were reluctant to leave our 

 station. In descending, we made rapid progress at first, sliding 

 many yards together down the soft snow ; but, by the time 

 we reached the woody part, it was getting dark, and having 

 foolishly tried to return by a straight line, instead of going 

 round, we found steep cliffs, and ravines covered with rotten 

 trees, which perplexed us exceedingly. Darkness, and the 

 deep snow, much increased our dilemma; yet we could not 

 resist laughing heartily at the ludicrous scrapes some of the 

 party got into : one man was rather a-head, looking for a way 

 to descend a steep place, when the snow slipped from under 

 him, and down he went, about eighty feet, partly sliding, 

 * By ang'alar measurement it was found to be 2,270 feet. 



