248 NEAR HEINLOPEN STRAIT. 



no hill near us on which we could ascend to 

 obtain a more extended view in that direction. 

 From the top of the highest rocks we could 

 find we could see no high land to the east 

 ward, nor anything but low, flattish, rugged 

 hillocks of a coarse red-brown Plutonic rock, 

 with many small glaciers lying amongst them. 

 The surface of these rocks was much smooth - 

 ened and polished, as if by the passage over 

 them of much heavy ice in bygone times. 

 There was not a particle of vegetation to be 

 seen, and the aspect of the country was bleak, 

 sterile, and gloomy beyond description. 



Christian said the sky in that direction had 

 the peculiar appearance which indicates ice 

 underneath, and altogether our impre ssion was 

 that we were within a very few miles of the 

 East Sea, probably at or about Heinlopen 

 Straits. If the longitude of the coast of these 

 straits is laid down in the charts at all cor 

 rectly, we undoubtedly were close to them 

 now ; but the old charts of Spitzbergen are so 

 extremely defective, that no reliance is to be 

 placed upon them in any respect. 



I turned my back upon these unexplored 

 straits with regret, and we now hoisted the sail 

 and stood slowly along the coast of the main 



