10 M'Keevor's Voyage to Hudson's Say. 



nou need to us that a part of the island was about to give way. 

 Every one appeared in the greatest alarm. The boatswain 

 ordered the boat to be pushed off instantly. Before, however, 

 we could get completely free of the ice, the whole side of the 

 mountain was detached with a noise like thunder, and in- 

 stantly we were immersed in the yawning gulph, from which 

 we never expected to rise again ; in a few seconds, however, 

 our little jolly-boat rose triumphant on the ridge of the foam- 

 ing wave. Having cleared out the fragments of ice which 

 had got into the boat, we made towards the ship, where we 

 were welcomed as if we had risen from th< dead. After 

 changing our clothes and taking some refreshment, we soon 

 forg-ot this nearly fatal occurrence. The violent noise which 

 those dinuptions, or icec/uakes, as they are very appropriately 

 termed, produces, is not, as Mr. Lesslie remarks, to be al- 

 together attributed to the crash of the falling fragments. 

 " In those frightful climates," observes this ingenious philo- 

 sopher, " the winter at once sets in with most intense frost, 

 which probably envelopes the globules of air, separated front 

 the water in the act of congelation, and y invading them on alt 

 sides, reduces them to a state of high condensation. When 

 the mild weather begins, therefore, to prevail, the body of 

 ice, penetrated by the warmth, becomes soft and friable; and 

 the minute, but. numerously interspersed globules of impri- 

 soned air, exerting together their concentrated elasticity, pro- 

 duce the most violent explosive dinuptions." Sec LESSLIE 

 on Heat and Moisture. 



With regard to the manner in which those mountains and 

 fields of ice are formed. I do not propose entering into any 

 lengthened discussion ; and this I conceive the more unne- 

 cessary, as Mr. Scoresby's late ingenious and very able publi- 

 cation contains almost every thing that can be said on this 

 obscure, though very interesting subject. I propose condens- 

 ing the few remarks I have to make into as narrow and a 

 simple a form as possible. 



The greater part of the difficulties and principal source of 

 obscurity in the numerous discussions which have taken place 

 on. this subject, appear to me to turn on this single point : Can 

 ice be formed on the surface of sea-water ? For my part, I 

 can conceive no reason whatever why it should not. 



ing boats and men in one common ruin. The awful effect produced by a 

 solid mass, many thousands of tons in weight, changing its situation with 

 the velocity of a falling body, whereby its aspiring summit is in a moment 

 buried in the ocean, can be more easily imagined than described. See 

 SCOKESBY on Polar Ice. Transactions of the \Y KRNERIAN SOCIETY. 



