Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/118

1840 cliffs, much worn away by the action of the waves. We observed two or three conical hillocks, like the small craters of a volcano, of a deep red colour, whether arising from an oxide of iron, or vegetable matter, we could not discern. The South Cape has a perpendicular face, the termination of a long terrace-like projection from the foot of the hills. The mountains in the centre of the island rise to a considerable height; but their summits being enveloped in mist, we could not determine their elevation, although we could see they were partially covered with snow. We imagined we could distinguish small trees, still of this there is considerable doubt: Captain Cook, although at a much greater distance, asserts that he saw trees and shrubs, but he was assuredly mistaken. Long lines of sea-weed extended two or three miles from the shore beyond the East Cape, whilst strong eddies of tide, occasioned probably by their meeting at this point, seeming to indicate concealed dangers, and darkness now coming on, we hauled off for the night, having first seen a small cove a short distance to the northward, where we hoped to be able to land the next morning. This part of the coast was populated by vast numbers of penguins, in groups of many thousands each, and other kinds of sea-birds were abundant. Some seals that were playing in the surf about the small detached rocks were pronounced to be of the fur species (Arctocephalus Falklandicus), by those well acquainted with them: it is not improbable that on the western coast some of