398 OBSERVATIONS. 



as the narrowest part of the mouth of the estuary. 

 The coast here was much lower and shelving 

 than the precipitous and bold one we had left; 

 but we observed the same naked and round- 

 backed rocks as at Point Beaufort; differing, 

 however, in colour, the latter being composed 

 almost entirely of a light flesh-tinted felspar and 

 splintery quartz, whilst these consisted wholly of 

 a dark grey felspar with minute granular quartz, 

 and perhaps hornblende. Among the debris on 

 the beach, it was not a little surprising to find 

 fragments of limestone, though no rocks of that 

 formation had yet been passed. 



The following day brought no change for the 

 better ; for the north-east wind had packed the 

 ice still closer to the shore. As it was therefore 

 impossible to move, I took the opportunity of 

 making some further observations on the dip and 

 magnetic intensity, which latter showed a less 

 interval ; an anomaly ascribable perhaps to the 

 difference of situation, as in this instance the 

 stand was placed on a sandy beach, removed 

 sixty or seventy yards from the nearest rocks, 

 whereas on the former it stood on the very base 

 of the rock where we were encamped. It is 

 necessary to remark, however, that the smallest 

 piece of iron deranged the needles, especially 

 Hansteen's ; and I have reason to believe that 

 even my brace-buckles caused a material differ- 



