une^, 1834. 



HEIGHT OF SNOW' LINE. 



277 



different condition of things. In the pass of the Portillo (to 

 the southward of 33°) Dr. GiUies determined barometrically 

 the height of the double range ; and he found the two ridges 

 to be respectively 13,210 and 14,365 feet. On March 21st 

 and 22d (1835), shortly before fresh snow fell, I crossed 

 these mountains,* and although there were large masses of 

 snow, there were much greater spaces at some height on each 

 side uncovered. Dr. Gillies f says, the summit (of the 

 volcano of Peuquenes) is generally J covered with snow, and 

 its elevation cannot be less than 15,000 above the level of 

 the sea.^^ From these statements, compared with my obser- 

 vations, the snow-line when I crossed certainly was con- 

 siderably above 14,365, — we may assume 15,000 as about 

 the limit. From the results obtained by Humboldt, Pent- 

 land, Gillies, and King, we are enabled to draw up the 

 following table of the extraordinary range of the snow-line 

 on the Cordillera of South America : 



Latitude. 



Height in feet 

 of Snow- line. 



Observer. 



Equatorial region ; ) 

 Mean result. $ 



15,748 



Humboldt. 



Bolivia, ) 

 Lat. 160-180 S. 5 



17,000 



Pentland.} 



Central Chile, > 

 Lat. 33° S. 5 



f 14,500 

 ^ to 

 L 15,000 



Gillies. 



Chiloe, I 

 Lat. 4P-430 S. 5 



6,000 



Officers of the Beagle. 



Tierra del Fuego, > 



540 s. 5 



f 3,500 



■<; to 



L 4,000 



King.ll 



* I crossed the Uspallata Pass on April 5th. The height, as given by 

 Mr. Pentland (Geographical Journal), is 12,454. In the ravines there 

 were some inconsiderable patches of snow, but the general surface was 

 quite bare. 



f The Edinburgh Journal of Natural and Geographical Science, 

 August, 1830, p. 316. 

 % I have reason to suspect that the snow-line in Chile is subject to ex- 



