56 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR ^EA. JTJLY 



the higher lands. We had previously supposed that 

 the mounds of pebbles met with formed part of the 

 actual shore, but the tidal movement has lately tilted 

 some of the pieces of ice and so displayed the lower 

 stratum below the gravel. 



' Lightened as such floebergs are by the melting 

 away of the original upper surface, since they were 

 forced high up on shore, many of them must be floated 

 off to sea when the ice breaks up, carrying with them 

 their cargo of rounded pebbles. 



' The marks which were placed in the floe to ascer- 

 tain how much the ice would decay during the winter 

 by superficial evaporation, and which proved to be 

 nil, indicate to-day that ten inches of the upper 

 surface has melted or evaporated during the last 

 fourteen days. Many lost articles which have remained 

 buried during the winter are therefore now again ap- 

 pearing in sight. 



* Similar marks fixed in a floeberg show that seven 

 inches of ice has decayed from the upper surface and 

 nearly as much from its southern face. The rounding 

 off of the sharp edges is therefore very considerable. 

 Had we known of this during the autumn, we could 

 readily have ascertained which floebergs had been 

 recently stranded and which had been subject to a 

 previous summer's thaw. 



' Although the decay of the ice near us far exceeds 

 our expectations, the large expanse of surface in 

 the Polar pack would not be affected to so great an 

 extent ; nevertheless, the evidence is in favour of the 

 superficial decay of the North Polar ice being at least 

 equal to, if not greater than, any possible increase 



