FROM THE SEPARATION OF THE SHIPS. 65 



while on tlio east coast of Greenland, down to its most 

 southerly point, presses from one year's end to another a 

 powerful mass of heavy ice. The boundary of the icy sea 

 (as a sea covered with ice) may now upon the whole be 

 settled by a line drawn from Cape Farewell to Iceland, 

 from thence to Spitzbergen, and lastly to Nova Zembla. 

 The cause of this appearance lies really in the existence 

 of two important sea-currents. From the coast of 

 Norway up to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla stretches 

 the north-easterly branch of the Gulf Stream, driving back 

 all floating ice, and from the comparative warmth of its 

 waters conducing to the melting of the same all along the 

 ice boundary. 



On the other hand, on the east coast of Greenland 

 runs the Polar current in a south-westerly direction to a 

 great distance, carrying with it the heavy ice formed in 

 the extreme north, and picking up on its way all the 

 younger ice frozen during the winter; while, from the 

 coldness of its waters, it prevents the melting of the same 

 in a remarkable degree. Thus it is explained how from 

 Davis' Straits also must flow towards the south just 

 such another cold, ice-burdened stream, and how on 

 the voyage fi^om Germany to New York are often seen 

 one or more drifting pieces of ice, or even icebergs. 

 This Greenland ice-current forms the main outlet for the 

 removal of the Polar ice, and we may very reasonably 

 liken it to a floating glacier whose farthest domain is 

 the Polar basin. 



Upon the nature of the ice in this Polar current, tlie 

 following preliminary remarks may throw some light. 

 At the beginning of the current, in the same latitude as 

 Spitzbergen, and much nearer to the coast, as far down 



F 



