TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 29 
~ 
Sunday, 20th. — We had a distant view again this 
morning of the land seen yesterday, but although we 
were rather nearer to it than we were last even- 
ing, our view of it was less distinct, or properly 
speaking, more deceiving than before, for the shape 
of it was altered so much by refraction, that a hill 
could scarcely be distinguished. from a valley. In 
fact it appeared to be all of one uniform height, or 
like what is commonly called ‘ ‘Table land;” and 
at one time, in addition to this uniformity, it pre- 
sented the most fantastic appearance that can well 
be imagined, being distorted in such a manner that 
the tops of the hills appeared broader than their 
bases. In the afternoon, a strong breeze sprang up 
from the southward and eastward, of which we availed 
ourselves in making our passage across the Straits, 
our object being to get over to the west land.. We 
passed in the course of the afternoon through a con- 
siderable quantity of heavy ice, being evidently frag- 
ments of icebergs, or the outskirts of the glaciers 
that form along the shore. Some of the parts that 
were above the surface of -the water, presented 
the most grotesque shapes, such as arches, caves, 
arcades, and dilapidated columns, with immense 
capitals; m which a fanciful imagination might be 
able to trace some resemblance to the different ar- 
cchitectural orders. Among other things with which 
these masses of ice were compared, one of them 
that we passed about noon was said by somebody to 
resemble that part of a pulpit which overhangs 
the clergyman when in the sacred rostrum. It is 
probable that this simile originated from an asso- 
ciation of ideas produced by the recent occurrence 
