DALY : GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHEAST COAST OF LABRADOR. 207 



Itinerary of the Cruise. 



On June 25th the " Brave " weighed anchor at St. John's, Newfound- 

 land, and sped rapidly northward with a fair wind to about Lat. 49° 20' 

 north. The next day a strengthening gale decided our captain to run 

 for shelter at Greenspond. Compelled to remain there until July 2d, 

 we had leisure to examine the hummocky islands of Laurentian porphy- 

 ritic granite and to study the hard conditions of life in a town of New- 

 foundland fisher-folk. We came to a full understanding of the fact that 

 the dangerous sea more readily gives them livelihood than the soilless 

 ledges which need imported earth before they yield a useful vegetable. 

 A quick run without incident, save a halt at Change Island, brought us 

 to Cape Bauld at noon on July 4th. Here we were destined to disap- 

 pointment in the hope that the Straits of Belle Isle might be crossed 

 and " the Labrador " attained without delay. The northern half of the 

 strait was found to he impassable on account of a broad stream of pan- 

 ice ; the " Brave " beat back and anchored at nightfall in Kirpon Harbor 

 which lies in the " tickle "' east of Kirpon Island. 



The next day, from a hill north of the harbor, we had a remarkably 

 striking view of drift-ice streaming west-southwest into the strait and 

 southward past Belle Isle along the east coast of Newfoundland. The 

 Labrador current was a vivid reality to us as we watched the truly 

 majestic procession of these dazzling migrants from a polar sea. That 

 day closed with no indication that our snug harbor would be threatened 

 with an invasion, but we came on deck the next morning to find our- 

 selves in an Arctic landscape. The schooner was firmly wedged in 

 among the heavy pans of ice which during the night had quietly drifted 

 into the " tickle " under the impulse of north wind and flood current. 

 The unusual thickness and quantity of the ice, coupled with the steady 

 character of the north or " up " wind, caused our detention in this har- 

 bor until the morning of the 13th. These seven days were spent among 

 the picturesque hills and valleys in the vicinity and among the exqui- 

 sitely tinted ice-floes. Among the sedimentary rocks which compose 

 Kirpon Island, Jacques Cartier Island, and the mainland roundabout, 

 an interesting boulder basalt, with pillow structure, was discovered. It 

 is hoped that a description of this typical occurrence will be given on 

 another occasion. 



Along with more than a hundred other schooners from the many 

 anchorages of this indented coast, the passage of the straits was finally 

 made. Not the least memorable scene of the summer was this bril- 



