fartheft to the North, oppofite to the Southern Atlantic and
Indian Oceans. I have already afligned fome reafons ; to
which I may add the greater degree of cold experienced by
ns in thefe Teas, than in the Southern Pacific Ocean under the
fame parallels of latitude.
In this laft ocean, the mercury in the thermometer feldom
fell fo low as the freezing point, till we were in 60° and up-
~wards.; whereas in the others, it fell as low in the latitude of
540. This was certainly owing to there being a greater
•■ quantity o f ice, and to its extending farther to the North, in
thefe two feas than in the South Pacific; and if ice be firft
formed at, or near land, of which I have no doubt, it will
follow that the land alfo extends farther North.
The formation or coagulation of ice-iflands has not, to my
knowledge, been thoroughly inveftigated. Some have fup-
pofed them to be formed by the freezing of the water at the
Inouths of large rivers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate
till they are broken off by their own weight. My
obfervations will not allow me to acquiefce in this opinion ;
bccaufe we never found any of the ice which we took up
incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as I think it
mull have been, had it been coagulated in land waters. It is
a doubt with me, whether there be any rivers in thefe
■ countries. It is certain, that we faw not a river, or ftream
of water, on all the coaft of Georgia, nor on any of the
fouthern lands. Nor did we ever fee a ftream of water run
-from any of the ice-iflands. How are we then to fuppofe
that there are large rivers! The vallies are covered, many
fathoms deep, with everlafting fnow; and, a* the fea, they
terminate in icy cliffs of vaft height. It is here where, the
ice-illands are formed; not from ftreams of water, but
from
from confolidated fnow and fleet, which is, almoft conti- >77s-
nually, falling or drifting down from the mountains, efpe-
cially in the winter, when the froft muft be intenfe, During
that feafon, the ice cliffs muft fo accumulate as to fill up
all the bays, be they ever fo large. This is a fa<5t which
cannot be doubted, as we have fee.n it fo in fummer. Thefe
cliffs accumulate by continual falls of fnow, and what drifts
from the mountains, till they are no longer able to fupport
their own weight; and then large pieces break off, which
we call ice iflands. Such as have a flat even furface, muft
be of the ice formed in the bays, and before the flat vallies ;
the others, which have a tapering unequal furface, muft be
formed on, or under, the fide o f a coaft compofed of pointed
rocks and precipices, or fome fuch uneven furface. For
we cannot fuppofe that fnow alone, as if falls, can form, on
a plain furface, fuch as the fea, fuch a variety of high peaks
and hills, as we faw on many of the ice ifles. It is certainly
more reafonable to believe that they are formed on a coaft
whofe furface is fomething fimilar to theirs. I have ob-
ferved that all the ice iflands of any extent, and before they
begin to break to pieces, are terminated by perpendicular
cliffs of clear ice or frozen fnow, always on one or more fide a
but moft generally all round. Many, and thofe of the
largeft fize, which had a hilly and fpiral furface, fhewed
a perpendicular cliff or fide from the fummit of the
higheft peak down to its bafe. This to me was a convincing
proof, that thefe, as well as the flat ifles, muft have
broken off from fubftances like themfelves; that is from
fome large tract of ice.
When I confider the vaft quantity of ice we faw, and the
vicinity o f the places to the pole where it is formed, and
V o l . II. I i w h e r e