166 Dr Martens on the Glaciers of Spitsbergen. 



causes, either united or separately, contribute to the forma- 

 tion of needle-like points. Thus, the glacier of Talefre, the 

 sides of which are very steep, presents very beautiful projec- 

 tions of this nature, although it rises 2600 metres above the 

 sea,* and is consequently above the lower limit of the Mers de 

 Glace. Those of the Bossons, Bois, and Grindelwald, which 

 unite the two conditions above mentioned, are likewise those 

 in which the needle-like prominences are highest and most 

 beautiful. 



At Magdalena Bay, the surface of the glaciers was uniform, 

 like all the others which had been seen by Scoresby, Latta, 

 and Keilhau ; but at Bell- Sound, the glacier at the bottom of 

 the bay presented a few pyramids at its lower extremity, the 

 spot where the reverberation of the sun's rays from the neigh- 

 bouring mountains must have tended to melt the ice. This 

 peculiarity will surprise no one, when we reflect that this 

 glacier was situated at the extremity of a deep and well shel- 

 tered bay, the climate of which is rather mild compared with 

 that of such portions of the coast as are exposed to all the vio- 

 lence of the winds from the sea. During our residence at 

 Bell Sound, from 25th July to 4th August 1838, the thermo- 

 meter rose to + 8° 2, C, and never sunk below + 0°.3 ; the 

 mean being + 3°. 8. At Magdalena Bay, on the contrary, 

 where we remained from the 1st to the 12th August 1839, it 

 rose only once to + 5°.7, and often sunk to zero. The mean 

 temperature was -f 2°.97. If it be objected to this that these 

 two summers may have been in every respect exceptions to 

 the usual character of the seasons, I would reply that the ve- 

 getation is the best index of difference of climate in regard to 

 two places not distant from each other, and situate, like Bell 

 Sound and Magdalena Bay, on the shore of the same sea, and 

 under the same meridian. Now, :>t Bell Sound, I found fifty- 

 seven phanerogamous plants ; at Magdalena Bay twenty-four, 

 and in this number only two which did not exist at Bell 

 Sound ;t the difference of the two climates is therefore un- 

 questionable. 



* Saussure, t. c. § 652. 



t The following is the list of phanerogamous plants which we found at 

 Bell Sound, those in italics existing likewise at Magdalena Bay : — Bamm- 



