16 SPITSBERGEN 



his eyes open, we have the first description of the 

 Spitsbergen glaciers. He was at the time the 29th of 

 July in Green Harbour in Ice Fjord. " One thing 

 more I observed," he says, "in this harbour which I 

 have thought good also to set down. Purposing on a 

 time to walk towards the mountains, I, and two more 

 of my company, ascended up a long plain hill, as we 

 supposed it to be ; but having gone a while upon it, we 

 perceived it to be ice. Notwithstanding we proceeded 

 higher up, about the length of half a mile, and as we 

 went saw many deep rifts or gutters on the land of ice, 

 which were cracked down through to the ground, or, at 

 the least, an exceeding great depth ; as we might well 

 perceive by hearing the snow water run below, as it 

 does oftentimes in a brook whose current is somewhat 

 opposed with little stones. But for better satisfaction 

 I brake down some pieces of ice with a staff I had 

 in my hand, which in their falling made a noise on 

 each side much like to a piece of glass thrown down 

 the well within Dover Castle, whereby we did estimate 

 the thickness or height of this ice to be thirty fathoms. 

 This huge ice, in my opinion, is nothing but snow, 

 which from time to time has for the most part been 

 driven off the mountains ; and so continuing and in- 

 creasing all the time of winter (which may be counted 

 three-quarters of the year) cannot possibly be con- 

 sumed with the thaw of so short a summer, but is only 

 a little dissolved to moisture, whereby it becomes more 

 compact, and with the quick succeeding frost is con- 

 gealed to a firm ice." 



Next year he was out again in the Thomasine, one of 

 a fleet of thirteen vessels, and in endeavouring to pass 



