182 H. P. STEENSBY. 
northward along the coast in the bank that lies off Cape St. Ignace, 
and it continues still further north along the coast. 
The coast, which to the north of St. Thomas had had a south-westerly 
direction, swings outside St. Thomas in a more westerly direction, but 
at St. Thomas Point, which otherwise is low, the coast curves again tow- 
ards the south-west. The book on pilotage says about the coast, — that 
is to say the high-water mark — that it “is receding, and each year more 
is broken away by ice and sea; the low-water line, however, is not chang- 
ing much.” From this one will be able to conclude that the area of the 
outlet basin has by degrees become somewhat confined, and moreover, 
perhaps, that the whole system of the coast, the outlet basin and the 
mouth of the river are by degrees being shifted further inland. Other- 
wise there is hardly any reason far assuming essential changes in the 
conditions of the coast or of the terrain. 
In other respects great changes have, of course, taken place in the 
region since the beginning of the 11th century. Now it is a well built 
over, settled land. At that time it was virgin land with forests, and, 
presumably also, with more open vegetation near the coast and about 
the socalled basin. And this basin it is which I surmise to be the much 
sought for Hop. 
If one studies the map of the lower part of the St. Lawrence River, 
one will understand that several things can have contributed to Karls- 
efni and his folk settling down just near St. Thomas, instead of advan- 
cing further up Straumfjord. The bay, which is here caused by the swerve 
of the coast in a westerly direction, must have been invitingly situated 
for them, as they came thus from the north along the coast. 
To this can be added that up to now they had had a fairly open 
view across the broad waters, but the view was now blocked by a whole 
number of islands, lying in the St. Lawrence River, outside St. Thomas 
and further on towards Isle d’Orleans. Common prudence must have 
warned the Norsemen not to advance for the present, as in the narrow 
water between the continent and the islands they had not the free retreat 
they had had up to now. 
It is quite unthinkable that the Norsemen could as yet by any means 
suspect that it was not a big fjord but the mighty estuary of a powerful 
river that they had come into. The water was salt, or in any case so 
brackish that the influence of the fresh-water was not very notice- 
able as yet. The difference in the tides is as great as on the sea-shore. 
The coast entirely and wholly resembles the sea-shore as regards sand- 
banks, coast-lines and river outlets from the country. 
Also the conditions of fish beyond the bank of St. Thomas must 
constantly have reminded them of the sea. The remark about their 
having caught halibut in the ditches at high-water mark calls to mind 
what Cartier said about that remarkable fish “Adothui,’” which was 
not to be found elsewhere in the river than at the boundary between 
