415 



than 500 toises * high. The plain extends on 

 the northern bank of the strait of Magellan, 

 from the Cape of Virgins, to Cabo Negro ; at 

 that Cape the Cordilleras rise abruptly, and fill 

 the whole space as far as Cape Victoria (lat. 52° 

 22'). The region between Cape Horn and the 

 southern extremity of the continent somewhat 

 resembles the origin of the Pyrenees between 

 Cape Creux (near the gulph of Rosas), and the 

 Col de Pertus. The height of the Patagonian 

 chain is not known ; it appears, however, that 

 no summit south of the parallel of 48°, attains 

 the elevation of Canigou (1430 toises), which is 

 placed near the eastern extremity of the Pyre- 

 nees. In the southern country, where the sum- 

 mers are so cold and short, the limit of the 

 eternal snows must lower at least as much as in 

 the northern hemisphere, in Norway, in 63° and 

 64° latitude, consequently below 800 toises -fv 



* It is very distinctly seen at 60 miles distance, which, 

 without counting the terrestrial refractions, would give it a 

 height of 498 toises. 



f I have founded my judgment on the limit of the snows 

 between 48° and 51<> in the Patagonian lands, and on the 

 analogy of climate of the Malouine islands (lat. 51 9 25'Jr 

 the only point equally south which we know with precision. 

 The mean temperature of the whole year in the Malouines, 

 (8* 3 cent.) corresponds, it is true, with that of Edinburgh 

 (lat. 55° 57 ') in the northern hemisphere j but such is the 

 difference of the division of heat, between the different sea- 



VOL. VI. 2 F 



