XI.] THE JAN MAYEN ICE RIVERS. 187 



as you could do to distinguish the further mountains 

 peeping up above its surface. The height of the precipice 

 where it fell into the sea, I should judge to have been 

 about 120 feet. 



On the left a still more extraordinary sight presented 

 itself. A kind of baby glacier actually hung suspended half 

 way on the hill side, like a tear in the act of rolling down the 

 furrowed cheek of the mountain. 



I have tried to convey to you a notion of the falling im- 

 petus impressed on the surface of the Jan Mayen ice rivers ; 

 but in this case so unaccountable did it seem that the over- 

 hanging mass of ice should not continue to thunder down 

 upon its course, that one's natural impulse was to shrink 

 from crossing the path along which a breath — a sound — 

 might precipitate the suspended avalanche into the valley. 

 Though, perhaps, pretty exact in outline and general effect, 

 the sketch I have made of this wonderful scene, will never 

 convey to you a correct notion of the enormous scale of the 

 distances, and size of its various features. 



These glaciers are the principal characteristic of the 

 scenery in Spitzbergen ; the bottom of every valley in every 

 part of the island, is occupied and generally completely 

 filled by them, enabling one in some measure to realize the 

 look of England during her glacial period, when Snowdon 

 was still being slowly lifted towards the clouds, and every 

 valley in Wales was brimful of ice. But the glaciers in 

 English Bay are by no means the largest in the island. We 

 ourselves got a view — though a very distant one — of ice 

 rivers which must have been more extensive ; and Dr. 

 Scoresby mentions several which actually measured forty or 

 fifty miles in length, and nine or ten in breadth ; while the 

 precipice formed by their fall into the sea, was sometimes 

 upwards of 400 or 500 feet high. Nothing is more dan- 

 gerous than to approach these cliffs of ice. Every now and 

 then huge masses detach themselves from the face of the 

 crystal steep, and topple over into the water ; and woe be to 

 the unfortunate ship which might happen to be passing below. 



