3l6 SURFACE GEOLOGY. 



preserved. A change of political relations led to the destruction of the 

 commerce between Greenland and Scandinavia, and, followed by attacks 

 of pirates, and the Skraellings or Esquimaux, led to the complete exter- 

 mination of the Norse colony. The history of the last man has been 

 preserved in Icelandic annals, whose death occurred early in the fifteenth 

 century. Europe has been in doubt respecting the fate of this colony 

 ever since, it having been claimed very recently that it was established 

 on the eastern coast, and that the descendants of the original settlers 

 might still be found there, shut off from the rest of the world by ice 

 that had increased in amount since the last ship had communicated 

 with them. The name East Greenland has led to confusion, since it 

 might be interpreted to signify the coast looking towards Iceland instead 

 of Baffin's bay. The most southern of the settlements upon the south- 

 west coast was east of the others, and hence the use of the term East 

 Greenland. The ruins of ancient churches and monuments found on 

 the south-west coast clearly confirm the truth of the Icelandic sagas. 



The island is almost continental in dimensions (perhaps consisting of 

 an archipelago), being over 1,200 miles long and 400 broad, as far as 

 from Boston to the mouth of the Rio Grande, or to Utah. The interior 

 is covered by a field of ice, never entirely traversed by any human being. 

 From three points attempts have been made to learn something of its 

 nature. In 1830, Keilsen went 80 miles inland from Holsteinberg (lati- 

 tude 6"]°), reaching the edge of the ice-sheet, which could not be climbed. 



Nordenskiold, in 1870, went in 30 miles, reaching the altitude of 2,200 

 feet. He observed that the ice rose gradually towards the interior. The 

 outer edge is a high wall. Once entered upon the broad surface of the 

 ice, it is like travelling upon the sea, away from all sight of land. From 

 North Greenland Dr. Hayes penetrated to a distance of 70 miles. It 

 was a day's journey to the wall from the sea. The second day was spent 

 in climbing to the table-land ; the third day allowed a progress of thirty 

 miles, the angle of ascent falling from 6° to 2°. On the fourth day an 

 ascent of 5,000 feet was reached, not the highest point, — but the weather 

 became too inclement to permit a longer stay. The view was that of a 

 frozen Sahara, immeasurable to the human eye. 



It is probable that Greenland slopes westerly in general, thus placing 

 the highest ice-ridge near the eastern border; for there are very few ice- 



