92 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



of his wound. It was somewhat lighter than those 

 we had in use, so we ground it sharp, and after- 

 ward used it at the capture of many walruses. I 

 found a very large pine-tree (I think Abies eoccelsa) 

 with the roots on, but much water-worn and worm- 

 eaten, as if long at sea ; this tree, as well as thou- 

 sands of others I have seen, lay far above high-wa- 

 ter mark. 



Lord Dufferin, in his clever and delightful "Let- 

 ters from High Latitudes, 11 states that this drift- 

 wood is "brought to Spitzbergen by the Gulf 

 Stream ;" but I think his lordship must have in- 

 serted this remark without due consideration ; for, 

 although a feeble remnant of the tail of the Gulf 

 Stream undoubtedly prevails over the polar current 

 during the three summer months, so far as to exer- 

 cise considerable influence on the south and west 

 coasts of Spitzbergen, still it is impossible that it 

 can bring pine wood with it, as the debris of the 

 pine forests of North America can not come with- 

 in the influence of the Gulf Stream. There are cer- 

 tainly pine forests on the south of Cuba and in 

 Florida, the refuse of which might possibly, by the 

 course of the currents, be directed toward Spitzber- 

 gen ; but it is obviously not from these compara- 

 tively limited areas that the vast quantity of pine 

 drift-wood found on the shores of Spitzbergen is de- 

 rived. I once found on the beach, near Hammer- 

 fest, a large piece of mahogany much water- washed, 

 and drilled as full of worm-holes as it could be 



