MORTON'S OBSERVATIONS. * 89 



rupted by the Open Sea, when they drove some distance along the 

 shore, and lastly Morton went alone on foot as far as he oould to 

 obtain a survey of the navigable water farther towards the north. 

 The whole journey, from the moment they saw the Open !Sea until 

 they were compelled to return, after a very difficult passage, during 

 which they were also bear-hunting, lasted only three days, or from 

 the 21st to the 24th of June. 



\\ hat Morton saw in these three days is the foundation for the 

 whole theory of Kane's Open Polar Sea, and whatever stands in 

 connection therewith. Kane gives us this account with his own 

 explanations, and in a separate Appendix he has communicated 

 Morton's own journal. It is stated that this man had instruments 

 with him to determine the geographical positions. As far as 1 can 

 judge from the chart, as laid down in the first volume, and from the 

 Appendix, No. VI., 1 more than 20 points of longitude and latitude 

 are determined by him on that toilsome journey beyond the Hum- 

 boldt glacier, besides the numerous points on the opposite coast, to 

 which they did not come, and which, therefore, appear to be laid 

 down only after bearings. 



When I consider the great haste required to reach the farther- 

 most point towards the north, and to return before the ice broke up, 

 the very difficult and toilsome passage through deep snow, over 

 openings, the most trackless ice-walls, &c. &c, 1 cannot sufficiently 

 admire Morton's dexterity in attending at the same time to these 

 observations which require so much repose and accuracy. 



The travellers drove past the floating icebergs that were torn 

 loose from the glacier and lay piled up before it. Several reasons 

 are adduced to show that it could be ascertained that they were 

 formed or torn loose very recently, as they had a fresh shining 

 surface and no projecting foot under the water. It is, however, 

 especially from the accounts given of this place that 1 conclude 

 that the Humboldt glacier does not belong to the most active of 

 the inland ice-streams of North Greenland. The icebergs lay only 

 a few Danish miles out from the fast land-ice, and one must con- 

 sider that they have perhaps taken several years to be filled up, 

 as all the navigable waters thereabout were frozen ; they could 

 scarcely come out any other way than towards the south, and this 

 passage perhaps opens only now and then in different years. The 

 great ice-fjords that are known in North Greenland are annually 

 cleared of great masses of ice, that are driven to sea. If this wore 

 not the case, the inner navigable waters would soon bo stopped up, 



1 The astronomical observations obtained by Mm-lou arc three meridional 



altitudes ul the »uii. — lin. 



