STONES AND MUD ON ICEBERGS. 137 



the coast line. It lias a precipitous and in- 

 accessible cliff of ice all along its face, varying 

 from twenty to one hundred feet in height; 

 pieces from the size of a church downwards 

 are constantly becoming detached from this 

 icy precipice, and tumble into the sea with a 

 terrific roar and splash, and of course render it 

 highly dangerous to go near the base in a 

 boat. The surrounding sea is always filled 

 with these fragments of all sizes and shapes, 

 and many of them I have observed carrying 

 large quantities of clay and stones embedded 

 in them. 



This great glacier is in three divisions ; the 

 northern and southern divisions are each quite 

 smooth and glassy ; but the piece in the centre 

 is broken up, and rough, and jagged to a 

 degree that is perfectly indescribable ; at a 

 little distance it exactly resembles a great 

 forest of pine trees thickly covered with 

 snow. 



This part of the glacier must have under- 

 gone some great disturbance, arising either 

 from its sliding over a rocky bed, or from its 

 being forced through a narrow ravine in the 

 underlying hills. Whatever the disturbing 



* K 5 



