814 Glaciers of Spitzber gen. 



perhaps have an opportunity of making useful observations on 

 this subject. 



15. On the Glaciers of Spitzber gen. — The mountains of 

 Spitzbergen are covered with eternal snow throughout a great 

 part of their extent, and vast glaciers descend in great num- 

 bers to the sea. 



The valleys of this country, says Lord Mulgrave, filled up 

 with eternal ice, are totally inaccessible, and are only distin- 

 guishable by the intervals which they cause between the tops 

 of the mountains, or by the glaciers which mark the places 

 where they terminate in the sea. One of the most remarkable 

 things which can be seen in Spitzbergen, says Captain Scoresby, 

 is the icebergs. 



The most favourable situation for the formation of icebergs 

 is, where a ridge runs parallel to the shore ; and it is precisely 

 a similar situation which, a little to the N. of Charles's Island, 

 has favoured the accumulation of those enormous masses of ice 

 known by the name of the Seven Icebergs. Each of these 

 masses fills up a deep valley, which proceeds from the side next 

 the sea, and is enclosed by mountains of about 2000 feet in 

 height, and terminated in the interior of the island by the great 

 chain whose elevation reaches from 3000 to 3500 feet, and 

 which follows the direction of^^the shore. These icebergs are 

 quite of the nature and appearance of the glaciers of Switzer- 

 land. 



Each of these seven icebergs, continues Captain Scoresby, is 

 about a mile in diameter, and perhaps 200 feet high on the side 

 next the shore ; but some of those to the south are much larger. 

 The largest which I have seen is situated a little to the north 

 of Horn Sound ; it extends for eleven miles along the shore. 



The face of the icebergs, says Lord Mulgrave, is of an eme- 

 rald colour. Cataracts of melted snow rush down from different 

 parts of the summit, and black pyramidal mountains streaked 

 with white border the sides, and are piled rock on rock, and 

 summit on summit, as far in the perspective as the eye can 

 reach. Sometimes immense fragments of ice are broken off, and 

 fall into the water with the most terrible noise. A piece of one 

 of these masses, of a brilliant green, having fallen in this man- 



