of a direct "Passage over the Pole. 335 



peded in its progress to the eastward, by the west side of Green- 

 land ; and therefore must accumulate aguinst this solid barrier, 

 as far at Least to the northward as Greenland extends. Then, 

 and not till then, can ice of any coaiparative quantity drive 

 further to the eastward, or find any passage down to the south- 

 ward. 



All the ice furthest to the northward of Greenland is then at 

 liberty to move on towards Spitzbergen, whilst the ice that may- 

 be in motion closest in with the land, when rounding the N.E. 

 point of Greenland, will take a turn to the southward, and in 

 iGiuards the coast withal, because it will be within the influence 

 of an eddy that must necessarily be produced iu the stream of 

 waters passing nearest to the N. E. part of that land. There it 

 must collect ; and if it consolidates, extend to the shores of Ice- 

 land, or even to Spitzbergen ; or else '• burst its fetters," as it 

 is said to have done lately, and drift away to the southward into 

 the Atlantic. 



This is sufficient to account for the ice between Greenland and 

 Spitzbergen having a general movement to the S.W. ; and there 

 is the same reason to suppose that the ice nearest to the N.E. 

 and E. coast of Spitzbergen has also a similar movement. But 

 it will not warrant the conclusion of there being a current in the 

 sdme direction, at any considerable distance to the nortkivard 

 and eastward of Spitzbergen. On the contrary, it seems tnost 

 probable that any masses of ice found in that direction to the 

 northward of S2" or 83*^, will be more with.ia the influence of the 

 general circumvolving current, and therefore make an east- 

 southerly drift towards Nova Zembla, and perhaps clear of its 

 N.E. point. 



Greenland and Spitzbergen being situated so much further to 

 the northward than any other known land in t!ie Arctic regions, 

 form an impenetrable barrier against the movement to tlie east- 

 ward of any ice but what may be to the northward of them 

 both. 



Much of this northernmost surplus ice finding its way to the 

 southward, is one reason why it seenrs very likely, that, ice in 

 the greatest quantity, and most compact, will be found from 

 about Nova Zembla all along the coast of Asia and America, and 

 extending to the northward as far generally as the north point 

 of Greenland ; and that perhaps less and less ice will be found to 

 the northward of that parallel, as the Pole is apprf)ached ; that 

 is, ad(>|jting the opinion that the ice is first produced on the lands- 

 surrouijding, and accumulated afterwards at sea, so as to extend 

 its surface from those lands, northerly, till it reaches the ])arallel 

 of the north pomt of which the surplus ice m7iit luund before it 

 CU71 pass into the Atlantic, //'Davis\ Strait is obstructed. 



Greenland 



