158 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS'. 



what relates to its navigation, with a few brief noti- 

 ces respecting its principal mountain and glaciers. 

 The British fishers ,are now in the frequent habit of 

 making this land in their outward passage, but 

 seldom approach near the shore, I was, therefore, 

 fortunate, in my passage homevvard in the year 1817, 

 in effecting a landing upon it, A narrative of my 

 excursion upon this interesting island, was read be- 

 fore the Wemerian Society in December 1817; 

 and the substance of that paper I shall now repeat 

 in this place. 



On approaching Jan Mayen with a clear atmo- 

 sphere, the first object which strikes the attention, is 

 the peak of Beerenberg. This mountain rears its 

 icy summit to an elevation, as ascertained on this 

 visit, of 6870 feet above the level of the sea. It 

 frequently appears above the clouds, and may be 

 seen, in clear weather, at the distance of thirty or 

 forty leagues*. It is seated on a base, which is it- 

 self mountainous, being about 1500 feet in height ; 

 but in a small interval between two cliffs on the 

 south side, the slope of the hill is continued with 

 little variation, at an inclination of perhaps 40° ta 

 50°, from the summit to the margin of the sea. 



The general appearance of the land, has a strik- 

 ing resemblance to that of Spitzbcrgen, both in col- 



* I saw Beerenberg from the deck of tlie ship Fame^ on 

 the 29th April 1818, when at the distance, (by observation,) 

 af 95 to 1 00 miles. 



