Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/91

] its leeward side to an elevation of abont two thousand feet in some parts. The trap rocks of which it is composed assume most extraordinary shapes: the more remarkable of these are the Sugar Loaf Hill, near the southern, and the Nine Pin Rock, at the north-western part of the island. This latter projected to the height of eight hundred and fifty feet, almost perpendicularly from the sea, in the form of a beautifully proportioned column, is attached at its inner side to a ridge of hills two or three hundred feet high, which, like the mountains that present an insuperable barrier between the short beach of large rounded pebbles on which we landed, and the interior of the island, is chiefly composed of greenstone.

As a magnetic station, our observations here were utterly valueless, but the results may be useful by pointing out, in a striking manner, the great amount of error to which those made on shore are liable. Three dipping needles placed at only just sufficient distance apart to ensure their not influencing each other, indicated as much as three degrees difference of the dip, and all of them considerably less than that corresponding to the geographical position. To as large an amount also were the observations of variation vitiated by the local disturbing magnetic influence; whilst those taken on board our ships were perfectly free from these errors.

Horsburgh mentions that the island abounds with wild pigs and goats; one of the latter was seen.