Greenland. 
_— 
Islands. 
MinpRaloe 
GY 
490 
is always intrenched by floating ice to a great distance, 
The island is called by the natives Nunarsott, that is, a 
great land, and is separated from the continent by a 
narrow sound called Jorsukatek. It is uninhabited, and 
even the Greenlanders but seldom visit it. There is no 
island of importance between this place and the 64°, 
where Baal’s River falls into the ocean. This river, or 
rather this firth, is one of the largest on the whole coast. 
It extends 64 English miles to the interior of the conti- 
nent, and then divides into two arms, one of which 
runs towards the north-east, the other towards the 
south-east. Both arms are bounded by the glacier. In 
this firth are three large islands, Sermitstak, Kikertar- 
soak, and Karosut, the first of which consists of one 
large and high mountain, called Saddle by the Danes, 
from its saddle-shaped top. It is seen at a distance of 
380 leagues from the coast. Another large island (called 
Omenak by the Greenlanders, and Kin of Saal, or Faal, 
on the charts) is situated in the 65°, and being easily 
distinguished by its conical form, which resembles a 
easndak it serves as a landmark to navigators. No 
large island occurs until the 69° 14’, where the Island 
Disko is situated. It is the largest on the whole coast, 
its length from the north to the south occupying one de+ 
gree of latitude. It forms (with the continent) Disko 
Bay, called Fish Bay on the charts, and is separated 
from Greenland by a narrow strait called Waygat. It 
is uninhabited, except by the Danish settlement called 
Godhavn, which is established in Love Bay, or Lief de 
Bay, for the purpose of whale fishing. ‘To the north 
of Disko is an island, which deserves to be noticed, 
called by some navigators Haze, or Hazen Island, by 
others Waygat Island ; and in the mouth of Cornelius 
Bay is situated another, called Unknown Island. These 
laces are visited by the whale fishers in the month of 
ay. All the islands from the 71° northwards are 
small, and generally marked on the charts with the 
name Vrowen, or Women Islands. The height of the 
mountains decreases gradually towards the north. 
Mineratocy.—The accumulation of the ice having 
rendered the interior of Greenland totally inaccessible, 
itcan only be examined on different parts of the:coast ; 
and the promontory Cape Farewell, which is its most 
southern point, presents to the eye immense groups of 
precipitous mountain masses, insulated, barren and na- 
ked, sharp-pointed at the top, greatly decomposed at the 
surface, and cleft by the action of the snows and the ice. 
These rocks are intersected by narrow valleys, where 
immer - broken and scattered masses are borne along 
by irresistible currents, and carried immediately to the 
shores, where there is no low land to intercept their 
course, The Grants of this island is fine granular, con- 
sisting of pearl white felspar, greyish black mica, and 
pes little quartz of an ash grey colour. The whole 
rock is-very much ironshot, and disintegrated. At the 
toot of the granite rocks occur beds of common quartz 
of a milk white colour, (not milk quartz,) and flesh red 
felspar, with small crystals of moroxite, (foliated or com- 
mon apatite). In another place are found flesh red fel- 
spar, with little quartz, common hornblende, magnetic 
iron-stone, and gadolinite, crystallized in longish four- 
sided pyramids, A bed on the east side of this promonto- 
vy, contains garnets in a fine granular greyish white rock, 
very. much resembling the rock of Namiest in Moravia, 
called by Werner weiss-stein, (white stone); but the 
crystals of garnet here are larger, and perfect dodecahe- 
drons. The granite extends from Cape Farewell to the 
east and south-east of the coast, via. over the islands of 
Staaten-huck and —s Alluck, and Cape Dis« 
GREENLAND. 
cord, toa distance of atinoltnanihdinnlions Kmiovaaa Gr 
mica slate lie upon it at ippingajak, ingaj con- 
taining garnets. Talc slate:forms a large bed in it at 
j ik, along with actynolite, which occurs in 
large masses. Near the coast of Akajarosanik, is the 
small island called Kakasoeitsiak. It consists of one 
hill, formed of a granitic rock, mixed with some 
horn-blende, slender crystals of zirkon, and the new 
mineral called Allanite. (See Edin. Trans. vol, vi. 
p- 871.) The rock. here assumes the »character 
the Norwegian zirkon-syenite ; but its constituent ™ 
parts are of a finer grain. All the -granitic mountains 
of the islands of Staaten-huck and Cape Farewell, are 
surrounded by numerous very.smallislands, presenting 
round-backed or flat conical low hills of. primitive sye- 
nite. To the west of Cape Farewell, at rs a 
Niakornak, is a very extensive bed of yellowish white 
felspar, crystallized in large flat six-sided prisms, the 
crystals being only by black mica, which 
gives to the rock a rte appearance. The place , 
is very difficultly accessible, it being harassed perpetu- 
ally by the most Sicietiemenn. sieblancainiiaite the tide 
at high water. Not far from this, at an elevation of 
about 1000 feet, the granite. is divided into immense 
columnar or quadrangular pieces, which, seen from a 
distance, present an appearance similar to the ruins of 
atown. The Greenlanders state, that the masses were 
carried thither by some giants, who inhabited the coun- 
try in the oldest times,,and, having been sorcerers, dis- 
appeared from the earth. 
As granite is the principal rock which constitutes the 
mountains of this vast coast; toenumerate all the places 
where it is found would exceed the limits of such an 
article as the present.. Its:most common: colour is grey- 
ish white, flesh-red, and tile-red : the latter colours are- 
characteristic of the coarse granular felspar. Magnetic 
iron ore is ee found. either disseminated or im- 
bedded in the red variety. In:some:places, molybdena 
occurs, and in others: graphite imbedded in the rock. 
At Baal’s river and at Disko island, iron pyrites is 
found ; but, excepting there, the rock isnot on metal~ 
liferous. Precious garnet-occurs very frequently ; also. 
common schorl, tourmaline, common. pina 8 jade, 
rock crystal, moroxite, am a, Fs uor spar, and the 
above mentioned substances. »Rock crystal is only found 
in veins traversing the red coarse variety, and 
appears'to be contemporaneous, the vein being inti- 
mately mingled with the rock, and presenting no walls, 
Beds of hornblende slate, mica slate, felspar, and quartz 
rest upon it ;.and on the red. coarse granite at 
Kogneckpamiedlucek, there is an extensive bed of red 
ironstone: min with massive iron-flint. (eisenkiesel 
of Werner.) At the end ofthe» north-eastern arm of 
Baal’s river, in the vicinity of the. , continental ice, 
the traveller, ascending from a) narrow cliff, suddenly 
beholds a dreadful chaos:of immense columnar granitic 
blocks detached from:each other, and heaped together 
in the most fantastic groups, ‘the planes of fracture be- 
ing so fresh, that pr from which are bro- 
ken are distinctly observable. _ Places of ion al 
devastation of this kind are very. met with 
in the mountains of Greenland. Most of the granitic 
rocks affect the needle. a, 
2. The next rock, which forms numerous mountains 9, 
in this country, is Geiss. It occurs very often alter- 
nating with granite, sometimes with mica-elate, Its 
character er texture may be ascertained y in the. 
cliffs and on the shores, partly by the of the 
mountains. The granitic mountains are always more. 
of new 
