ON SHANNON ISLAND. 535 



able chance to account, is far better than blindly fighting 

 against hindrances which can either not be overcome at 

 all, or, if so, only at the expense of great loss of time 

 and strength. 



At seven p.m. we again stopped, and Dr. Copeland 

 that same evening climbed the highest point of the island. 



Lieutenant Payer, on the contrary, with the officer 

 0. Trammitz, climbed one of the lowest hills. The 

 mountain was composed of syenite, which, for the greater 

 part, had split into huge blocks, making the climbing any- 

 thing but easy. The land-ice, which was here from two 

 to three nautical miles in breadth, exhibited many cracks 

 and fissures, some so broad that Dr. Copeland had to take 

 a plank in order to improvise a bridge over which to 

 cross. 



During the night a thick fog lay to the east, but with 

 a light north wind lifted towards the morning, so that we 

 steamed forwards in fine weather, and with the hope of 

 leaving some miles behind us that day. The water was 

 quite free from ice ; even the pack-ice in the east was no 

 longer visible from the deck. Eight nautical miles v»^e 

 made without obstacles that day, when the road grew 

 narrower and narrower, and at fifty minutes past ten 

 a.m. became blocked by a huge mass ; and from the masts 

 of the ship no signs of water could be seen. This mass 

 was connected with the land-ice ; and, unless it should be 

 separated by a strong wind, all further advance was 

 impossible. Our latitude was 75° 29' N., a few minutes 

 more than we had reached the previous summer. 



As the weather was pleasant, we landed to explore the 

 island ; and as it was clear that this would be the most 

 northerly point of the coast that we could reach with the 



