CHAP. V.] CONFUSED COMBINATIONS. 229 



practice, and the work proceeded with uninter- 

 mitted energy. Looking at the heaps thus re- 

 moved, the broken arches of our galleries, and the 

 rent walls, the cracks in the floe, and the vast 

 mounds around it, one could not help being strongly 

 reminded of the scene which must follow an earth- 

 quake. The ship's head had been turned by the 

 late commotion about three points in shore ; and 

 judging from the land which was clearly seen, 

 she had been set at the same time to the south- 

 ward and eastward, rather towards an opening 

 in the bay, the exact nature of which could not 

 be ascertained. Evidently, however, it ran a long 

 way to the south, as the low land on its western 

 side was lost sight of; and as we could dis- 

 tinguish other points to the eastward, it was by 

 no means impossible that it might be continuous 

 with Evan's Inlet, thus making the land, the 

 eastern extremity of which is Seahorse Point, an 

 island. If this be so, the extraordinary rush of 

 water experienced in the recent convulsion of 

 our floe would be easily accounted for ; still the 

 soundings at noon had undergone no material 

 change, continuing to give eighty-three fathoms, 

 but with a substance containing particles of lime- 

 stone instead of green mud. The latitude was 

 64° 17' N. and longitude 81° 36' W. ; and the 

 extremes of land were from S. 8° 50' east to N. 



q 3 



