1769.

with strong expreffions of difguft. Curiofity feems to be one of the few paffions which diftinguish men from January." brutes; and of this our guests appeared to have very little. They went from one part of the ship to another, and looked at the vast variety of new objects that every moment prefented themselves, without any expreffion either of wonder or pleasure, for the vociferation of our exorcift seemed to be neither.

After having been on board about two hours, they expreffed a defire to go a-fhore. A boat was immediately ordered, and Mr. Banks thought fit to accompany them he landed them in fafety, and conducted them to their companions, among whom we remarked the fame vacant indifference, as in those who had been on board; for as on one fide there appeared no eagernefs to relate, fo on the other there feemed to be no curiofity to hear, how they had been received, or what they had seen. In about half an hour, Mr. Banks returned to the fhip, and the Indians retired from the fhore.

CHA P. IV.

An Account of what happened in afcending a Mountain to fearch for Plants.

Ο

N the 16th, early in the morning, Mr. Banks and Monday 16.
Dr. Solander, with their attendants and fervants,

and two feamen to affift in carrying the baggage, ac-
companied by Mr. Monkhouse the Surgeon, and Mr.
Green the Aftronomer, fet out from the fhip, with a
view to penetrate as far as they could into the country,
and return at night. The hills, when viewed at a
distance, seemed to be partly wood, partly a plain,
and above them a bare rock. Mr. Banks hoped to
get through the wood, and made no doubt, but
that, beyond it, he fhould, in a country which
no botanist had ever yet vifited, find alpine plants
which would abundantly compenfate his labour.
They entered the wood at a small sandy beach,
a little to the weftward of the watering-place, and
continued to afcend the hill, through the pathless
VOL. I.
wilderness,

D d

1769. wilderness, till three o'clock, before they got a near January view of the places which they intended to vifit. Soon

after they reached what they had taken for a plain; but, to their great difappointment found it a fwamp, covered with low bushes of birch, about three feet high, interwoven with each other, and fo ftubborn that they could not be bent out of the way; it was therefore neceffary to lift the leg over them, which at every step was buried ancle deep, in the foil. To aggravate the pain and difficulty of fuch travelling, the weather, which hitherto had been very fine, much like one of our bright days in May, became gloomy and cold; with fudden blafts of a moft piercing wind, accompanied with fnow. They pufhed forward, however, in good fpirits, notwithstanding their fatigue, hoping the worst of the way was paft, and that the bare rock which they had seen from the tops of the lower hills, was not more than a mile before them; but when they had got about two thirds over this woody fwamp, Mr. Buchan, one of Mr. Banks's draughtmen, was unhappily feized with a fit. This made it necessary for the whole company to halt, and it was impoffible that he fhould go any farther, a fire was kindled, and those who were moft fatigued were left behind to take care of him. Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, Mr. Green, and Mr, Monkhouse went on, and in a fhort time reached the fummit. As botanists, their expectations were here abundantly gratified; for they found a great variety of plants, which, with refpect to the alpine plants in Europe, are exactly what thofe plants are with refpe& to fuch as grow in the plain.

The cold was now become more fevere, and the fnow-blasts more frequent; the day alfo was so far spent, that it was found impoffible to get back to the ship before the next morning: to pass the night upon fuch a mountain, in such a climate, was not only comfortless, but dreadful; it was impoffible however to be avoided, and they were to provide for it as well as they could. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, while they were improving an opportunity which they had, with fo much danger and difficulty procured, by gathering the plants which they found upon the mountain, fent Mr.Green and

Mr.

Mr. Monkhouse back to Mr. Buchan and the people that were with him, with directions to bring them to a hill, which they thought lay in a better route for returning to the wood, and which was therefore appointed as a general rendezvous. It was propofed, that from this hill they should push through the swamp, which feemed by the new route not to be more than half a mile over, into the shelter of the wood, and there build their wigwam, and make a fire: this, as their way was all down hill, it seemed eafy to accomplish. Their whole company affembled at the rendezvous, and though pinched with the cold, were in health and fpirits, Mr. Buchan himself having recovered his ftrength in a much greater degree than could have been expected. It was now near eight o'clock in the evening, but ftill good daylight, and they fet forward for the nearest valley, Mr. Banks himself undertaking to bring up the rear, and fee that no ftraggler was left behind: this may perhaps be thought a fuperfluous caution, but it will foon appear to be otherwife. Dr. Solander, who had more than once croffed the mountains which divide Sweden from Norway, well knew that extreme cold, efpecially when joined with fatigue, produces a torpor and fleepiness that are almost irresistible: he therefore conjured the company to keep moving, whatever pain it might coft them, and whatever relief they might be promised by an inclination to reft: Whoever fits down, fays he, will fleep; and whoever fleeps will wake no more. Thus, at once admonished and alarmed, they set forward: but while they were ftill upon the naked rock, and before they had got among the bushes, the cold became fuddenly fo intenfe, as to produce the effects that had been most dreaded. Dr. Solander himself was the first who found the inclination, against which he had warned others, irrefiftible; and infifted upon being fuffered to lie down. Mr. Banks intreated and remonftrated in vain, down he lay upon the ground, though it was covered with fnow; and it was with great difficulty that his friend kept him from fleeping. Richmond alfo, one of the black fervants, began to linger, having fuffered from the cold in the fame manner as the Doctor. Mr. Banks, therefore, fent five of the company, among whom was Mr. Buchan, forward to get a

Dd 2

fire

1769. January

1769.

fire ready at the first convenient place they could find, January and himfelf with four others, remained with the Doctor and Richmond, whom partly by perfuafion and entreaty, and partly by force, they brought on; but when they had got through the greatest part of the birch and fwamp, they both declared they could go no farther. Mr. Banks had recourfe again to entreaty and expoftulation, but they produced no effect: when Richmond was told, that if he did not go on he would in a fhort time be frozen to death; he answered, That he defired nothing but to lie down and die. The Doctor did not fo explicitly renounce his life; he said he was willing to go on, but that he must first take some fleep, though he had before told the company that to fleep was to perish. Mr. Banks and the reft found it impoffible to carry them, and there being no remedy, they were both suffered to fit down, being partly fupported by the bushes, and in a few minutes they fell into a profound fleep foon after, fome of the people who had been fent forward returned, with the welcome news that a fire was kindled about a quarter of a mile farther on the way. Mr. Banks then endeavoured to wake Dr. Solander, and happily fucceeded; but, though he had not flept five minutes, he had almoft loft the use of his limbs, and the mufcles were fo fhrunk, that his fhoes fell from off his feet; he confented to go forward with fuch affiftance as could be given him, but no attempts to relieve poor Richmond were fuccefsful. It being found impoffible to make him ftir, after fome time had been loft in the attempt, Mr. Banks left his other black fervant and a feaman, who feemed to have fuf fered least from the cold, to look after him; promifing, that as foon as two others fhould be fufficiently warmed, they should be relieved. Mr. Banks, with much difficulty, at length got the Doctor to the fire; and foon after sent two of the people who had been refreshed, in hopes that, with the affiftance of those who had been left behind, they would be able to bring Richmond, even though it should ftill be found impoffible to wake him. In about half an hour, however, they had the mortification to see these two men return alone; they faid, that they had been all round the place to which they had been directed, but

could

could neither find Richmond nor those who had been 1769. left with him; and that though they had fhouted many January. times, no voice had replied. This was matter of equal furprise and concern, particularly to Mr. Banks, who, while he was wondering how it could happen, miffed a bottle of rum, the company's whole ftock, which they now concluded to be in the knapsack of one of the abfentees. It was conjectured that with this Richmond had been roufed by the two perfons, who had been left with him, and that, having perhaps drank too freely of it themselves, they had all rambled from the place where they had been left, in fearch of the fire, instead of waiting for those who should have been their affiftants and guides. Another fail of fnow now came on, and continued inceffantly for two hours, fo that all hopes of feeing them again, at leaft aliye, were given up; but about twelve o'clock, to the great joy of those at the fire, a fhouting was heard at fome diftance. Mr. Banks, with four more, immediately went out, and found the feaman with juft ftrength enough left to stagger along, and call out for affiftance: Mr. Banks fent him immediately to the fire, and by his direction, proceeded in fearch of the other two, whom he foon after found. Richmond was upon his legs, but not able to put one before the other; his companion was lying upon the ground, as infenfible as a stone. All hands were now called from the fire, and an attempt was made to carry them to it; but this, notwithstanding the united efforts of the whole company, was found to be impoffible. The night was extremely dark, the fnow was now very deep, and, under these additional disadvantages, they found it very difficult to make way through the bushes and the bog for themselves, all of them getting many falls in the attempt. The only alternative was to make a fire upon the fpot; but the fnow which had fallen, and was still falling, besides what was every moment shaken in flakes from the trees, rendered it equally impracticable, to kindle one there, and to bring any part of that which had been kindled in the wood thither: they were, therefore, reduced to the fad neceffity of leaving the unhappy wretches to their fate; having first made them a bed of boughs from the trees, and