220 cook's second voyage feb. 



in 60° and upwards ; whereas in the others it fell as 

 low in the latitude of 54°. This was certainly owing 

 to there being a greater quantity of ice, and to its 

 extending farther to the north, in these two seas than 

 in the .South Pacific ; and if ice be first formed at, or 

 near land, of which I have no doubt, it will follow 

 that the land also extends farther north. 



The formation or coagulation of ice-islands, has 

 not, to my knowledge, been thoroughly investi- 

 gated. Some have supposed them to be formed by 

 the freezing of the water at the mouths of large ri- 

 vers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate till 

 they are broken off by their own weight. My observ- 

 ations will not allow me to acquiesce in this opinion ; 

 because we never found any of the ice which we took 

 up incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as 

 I think it must have been, had it been coagulated in 

 land waters. It is a doubt with me, whether there 

 be any rivers in these countries. It is certain, that 

 we saw not a river, or stream of water, on all the 

 coast of Georgia, nor on any of the southern lands. 

 Nor did we ever see a stream of water run from any 

 of the ice-islands. How are we then to suppose that 

 there are large rivers ? The valleys are covered, ma- 

 ny fathoms deep, with everlasting snow ; and, at the 

 sea, they terminate in icy cliffs of vast height. It 

 is here where the ice-islands are formed ; not from 

 streams of water, but from consolidated snow and 

 sleet, which is almost continually falling or drifting 

 down from the mountains, especially in the winter, 

 when the frost must be intense. During that season, 

 the ice-cliffs must so accumulate as to fill up all the 

 bays, be they ever so large. This is a fact which 

 cannot be doubted, as we have seen it so in summer. 

 These cliffs accumulate by continual falls of snow, 

 and what drifts from the mountains, till they are no 

 longer able to support their own weight; and then 

 large pieces break off, which we call ice-islands. 

 Such as have a flat even surface, must be of the ice 



