LABRADOR JOURNAL 171 



iient is all of it iiiuuiitaiiiuus, except the peninsula 

 which parts Rocky Bay, from Table Bay; the 

 extreme point of which forms one side of Indian 

 Tickle. All the islands, the Isle of Ponds, the 

 Seal Islands and some of the small ones which 

 are within the bays excepted, are high; the faces 

 of all the hills which front 1lie sea, ai"e scarce any- 

 thing but bare rocks. The spots where any ver- 

 dure was likely to appear, were covered with drift 

 baidvs of snow; the shore was barricaded with ice, 

 seven feet thick; most of the best harbours were 

 then not open, and all the rest had so much loose 

 ice, driving about with every wind as to render 

 it dangerous to anchor therein; the water which 

 we had to sail through, had a])undance of scat- 

 tered ice floating uj^on it, and all towards the sea 

 was one, uniform, compact body of rough ice. 

 How far it reached from the shore must be left 

 to conjecture; but I make no doul)t it extended 

 fifty leagues at least; perhaps double that dis- 

 tance. There w^as however some advantage from 

 it, since it kept the water as smooth, as land would 

 have done at that distance. Tlie badness of the 

 weather also contributed to increase the horror of 

 the scene. But we no sooner entered Cartwright 

 ITarboin-, than the face of nafni-o was so greatly 

 and suddenly changed, as if we had shot witliin 

 tlie ti-opics. There we saw neither ice nor snow; 

 the hills were of a niodei-ale height, com))letely 

 covered with spruces, lan-hes, iii's and Itii-ch, the 

 different hues of w]ii<-h caused ;i ph'asing variety, 

 and the sh(.>re was bordered round with verdant 



