A VOYAGE TO 
104 
5779 - 
March. 
this mountain muft be at leaft 16,020 feet high, which ex¬ 
ceeds the height of the Pico de Teyde, or Peak of Teneriffe, 
by 724 feet, according to Dr. Heberden’s computation, or 
3680, according to that of the Chevalier de Borda. The 
peaks of Mouna Kaah appeared to be about half a mile 
high; and as they are entirely covered with fnow, the alti¬ 
tude of their fummits cannot be lefs than 18,400 feet. But 
it is probable that both thefe mountains may be conhder- 
ably higher. For, in infular lituations, the effedts of the 
warm fea air muft neceffarily remove the line of fnow, in 
equal latitudes, to a greater height than where the atmo- 
fphere is chilled on all ftdes by an immenfe trad! of perpe¬ 
tual fnow. 
The coafl of Kaoo prefents a profpedt of the molt horrid 
and dreary kind : the whole country appearing to have un¬ 
dergone a total change from the effedts of fome dreadful 
convulfion. The ground is every where covered with cin¬ 
ders, and interfedled in many places with black ftreaks, 
which feem to mark the courfe of a lava that has flowed, 
not many ages back, from the mountain Roa to the fhore. 
The Southern promontory looks like the mere dregs of a 
volcano. The projecting head-land is compofed of broken 
and craggy rocks, piled irregularly on one another, and 
terminating in fharp points.. 
N ot withftanding the difmalafpedt of this part of the ifland, 
there are many villages fcattered over it, and it certainly is 
much more populous than the verdant mountains of Apoona. 
Nor is this circumflance hard to be accounted for. As thefe 
iflanders have no cattle, they have confequently no ufe for 
pafturage, and therefore naturally prefer fuch ground, as, 
either lies more convenient for hilling, or is belt fuited to 
the cultivation of yams and plantains. Now* amidft thefe. 
ruins. 
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