32 



Den Iste August 1878 laa Expeditionen under Nord- 

 ostsiden af Beeren Eiland for at have Ly for den paa 

 Havet blæsende Sydvest Storm. Da Vejret ora Aftenen 

 syntes at bedage sig. forsøgtes at lande paa Øen. Dette 

 lyktes ogsaa. Vi kom i Land ved Muudingen af Engelsk- 

 Elven. der ved sit Udløb i en liden Bugt danner en Fos. 

 Vi steg op paa Beeren-Eilands flade Plateau, der fandtes 

 at ligge omtrent M Meter over Havet, og vandrede en 

 Mils A T ej nordover. Kysten er overalt ganske brat, flere 

 Steder helder Fjeldvæggen udover. Deri er dannet af hori- 

 zontale Lag. der som bekjendt tilhøre Stenkulperioden. 

 Fra Soen af ser Kystlinien temmelig ret ud, men fra Land 

 viste den sig 'at beståa af fremspringende Nes afvexlende 

 med indgaaende Bugter. Brændingen arbejder uafiadelig 

 paa at udgrave de lavere Lag. De overliggende Lai: miste 

 sit Underlag, brydes af og styrte i Stranden, hvor de 

 sonderraales af Bølgeslaget. Paa Land saa vi. indenfor 

 Plateauets Band. gabende Sprækker, der havde dannet sig 

 ved de uudergra vede Lags begyndende Synkning. I Fjæren 

 saa vi. hvorledes Bolgerne tumlede vildt med det nedrasede 

 Lands Rester. Ved enkelte Nes staar igjen Stabber eller 

 Søjler. adskilte fra Landet, ogsaa som Vidnesbyrd om 

 Havets Magt. Disse Stabber, med sine horizontale Lag. 

 frembyde søgte Hækkepladse for talløse Søfugle. der her 

 kunne være i Fred for Fiender. Saaledes skrider Beeren- 

 Eilands Ødelæggelse frem. Den grunde Banke, der strek- 

 ker sig fra Øst-Spidsbergen til Beeren-Eiland, er sandsynlig- 

 vis for en stor Del Besterne af dette Land. Nu kommer 

 hertil det faste Materiale, som Drivisen forer med sig og 

 afsætter ved sin Smeltning. 



Vort Billede viser denne Kyst med de udoverhæn- 

 gende Lag, de fremstikkende Nes. de af Bolgerne udhulede 

 Bugter. i hvilke Brændingen arbejder. og to af de frit- 

 staaende Stabber. 



Inde paa Sletten passerede vi. i en Afstand af et 

 Par Kilometer fra Kysten, en Række smaa grunde Fersk- 

 vandsoer. hvis Vand havde en Temperatur af 9° C. og 

 sum syntes at være et yndet Opholdssted for talrige Sø- 

 fugle. Overdåden af Fjeldet bestod af lutter løse Stene. 

 dels som løs Ur. dels som mindre Stene med Jord imellem, 

 der frembød en Smule Vegetation. Hist og her fandtes 

 sammenhængende Mostepper. 



Øn the Ist of August. 1878, the "Vøringen" rode at 

 anchor off the north-east coast of Beeren Eiland. during 

 a heavy gale from the south-vest. In the eveniug, the 

 weather having somewhat abated. an attempt was made to 

 land on the island. It proved successful. "We landed at 

 the mouth of Euglish River, wkich forms a cataract where 

 it disembogues into a small bay. We ascended to the pla- 

 teau of Beeren Eiland. that attains an elevation of about 

 110 feet above the sea. and strolled for a fe w miles in a 

 northerly direction. The coast is everywhere precipitous, 

 in several places with beetling cliffs. It is built up of horizon- 

 tal strata belonging to the true carboniferous era. As seen 

 from the sea. the coast appears to extend in a compara- 

 tively unbroken line; hut on landing, it was found to form 

 numerous headlands and bays. The ceasless action of the 

 surf gradually wears away the lower strata. The upper 

 layers being thus deprived of their support, give way. and 

 topple down into the sea, where they are broken up by the 

 lashing of the waves. Near the edge of the plateau were 

 seen yawning rents in the surface, showing that the sub- 

 jacent layers were about to give way. Øn the beach. we 

 could observe the action of the waves in tossing about the 

 fallen masses. Stumps or columns of rock still remain off 

 sorae of the headlands. — another proof of the niarvellous 

 power of the waves. These columnar rocks afford favourite 

 breeding-haunts for sea-fowl. where they have nothing to 

 fear from their euemies. Thus proceeds the gradual 

 demolition of Beeren Eiland. The bank extending from 

 East Spitzbergen to Beeren Eiland. is probably in greater 

 part the remains of this land, along with the solid matter 

 deposited on the melting of drift-ice. 



Our view of this coast shows the beetling stratified 

 cliffs, the bold projecting headlands. the bays and ereeks 

 hollowed out by the sea. in which the surf is for ever 

 engaged in its work of destruction, and two of the isolated 

 columnar rocks. 



On the plateau. about a mile from the coast. we 

 passed a chain of small freshwater lakes, apparently the 

 favourite resort of innumerable wild-fowl; the temperature 

 of the water was 9° C. The surface of the island con- 

 sisted exclusively of loose materials, in part dry gravel, in 

 part small stones embedded in earth exhibiting traces of 

 vegetation. Here and there was seen a carpet of moss. 



4. Spidsbergen. 



Den Ste August 1878 tile vi lor forste Gang Øje paa 

 Spidsbergen. Ved Middag saaes Syd-Spidsbergen forud, et 

 skydækket Land hum] Sne og Isbræer. Udenfor Sydkap 

 Ligge Qogle ganske laveØer, \'i sejlede søndenom disse og 



4. Spitzbergen. 



On the 5th of August, 1K7S. we got our first view 



of Spitzbergen. About n the "Vøringen" hore down 



on South Spitzbergen, a cloud-capt land, with snow-tields 

 and glaciers. Ull' South Cape are seen a number of small. 



