TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 69 
We tried for sotindings several times during the 
day with different lengths of line, from fifty to one 
hundred and seventy fathoms, but never struck bot- 
tom; and, as we had a fine breeze in our favour, it 
was not deemed proper to lose time in sounding to any 
greater depth ; and probably had the Griper been 
able to keep up with us, we should not have sounded 
so often, or to such depth as we did. 
We lost sight of the south land about eight o’clock 
this morning, (the weather being perfectly clear,) 
and we have been at an average about twenty miles 
from the north land during the whole day, (but some- 
times much nearer,) so that these straits, if they 
may be so called, are certainly of the first magni- 
tude, both with regard to their breadth, and depth. 
The land on the north side which we passed to-day 
is of a different description from any that I have 
seen in this country before; the whole of the coast 
appeared somewhat like an immense wall (in ruins) 
rising almost perpendicularly from the sea, to the 
height, asnearas I could judge, of about five hun- 
dred feet. The surface of this precipice consisted of 
horizontal strata of different thicknesses, and the 
debris that fell from them formed kinds of buttresses 
at the foot of the rock. On some of the strata also 
that projected out farther than the rest along the face 
of the precipice, there were collections of the moul- 
dering remains. of the superincumbent rocks ; so that 
from the variety of shapes and sizes that these heaps 
of rubbish assumed, the regularity of the strata, and 
the uniformity that prevailed in the height of the 
rock, this bold coast presented altogether a very 
interesting appearance. Notwithstanding its general 
character was suchas I have just been describing, 
F 3 
