SPITZBERGEN. ICEBERGS. 101 



A merchant of Holland, of tlie name of Kiin, 

 who accompanied the first Dutch ship which sailed 

 to the Spitzbergen whale-fishery, in the year I6lfi, 

 undertook the dangerous achievement of climbing 

 one of the principal mountains on Charles' Island. 

 He made some progress in the bold attempt, but 

 slipping his foot, he fell down the steep acclivity 

 and broke his neck. 



One of the most interesting appearances to be 

 found in Spitzbergen, is the Iceberg. This term, 

 written Ysberg by the Dutch, signifies ice-moun- 

 tain. I speak not here of the islands of ice which 

 are borne to southern climates on the bosom of the 

 ocean, but of those prodigious lodgments of ice 

 which occur in the valleys adjoining the coast of 

 Spitzbergen and other Polar countries, from which 

 the floating icebergs seem to be derived. AVherc 

 a chain of hills lies parallel to the line of the coast, 

 and within a few miles distance of the sea-beach, 

 having lateral ridges jutting towards the sea, at in- 

 tervals of a league or two, we have a most favour- 

 able situation for the formation of icebergs. Such 

 is precisely the nature of the situation a little to 

 the northward of Charles' Island, where the con- 

 spicuous bodies of ice noticed by Martens, Phipps 

 and others, and known by the name of the Seven 

 Icebergs, occur. Each of these occupies a deep 

 valley, opening towards the sea, formed by hills of 

 ^-bout SOOO feet elevation on the sides, and terminal 



