154 FACE OF THE GLACIER. 



into the fissures, which are sometimes both nu- 

 merous and of considerable depth. 



Like the southern glacier, streams of water 

 from the thawing snow around fall in bold 

 cascades into these fissures, and rush into the icy 

 bowels of the berg, there to be converted anew 

 into ice, or to find an exit at the face of the 

 glacier. In the large iceberg at Dane's Gat, 

 one of these streams was in constant operation 

 during the day, gushing out of the perpendicular 

 face of the glacier and falling into the sea, while 

 another was discharged at the head of a cavern 

 at the surface of the sea.* 



The face, or front, of the glacier is generally 

 perpendicular, and occasionally projects a con- 

 siderable distance into the sea, apparently de- 

 scending to a great depth also. Throughout the 

 whole extent of its surface it presents a wall of 

 pure ice. Caverns sometimes occur near the 

 water's edge, and the sea washing into them 

 occasions long pendent icicles, which have a 

 pleasing effect. 



The sea in the vicinity of almost all the gla- 

 ciers which fell under our observation was deep. 

 In some places we could find no bottom with 

 our deep sea-lines, as close as we dared go ; and 



* In Captain Phipps' view of this glacier, taken in 1773, a 

 cave and cascade are both represented. 



