AN AUTUMN VISIT TO SPITZBERGEN. 397 



On the authority of Kjeldsen, one of the ice pilots from Troniso, 

 who was with us in 188], most of the islands off the south coast 

 of Edge's Land are rather vaguely placed on the chart ; Halfmoon 

 Island should be where Menke Island is shown, King Ludwig 

 Islands should be immediately south of the assigned position of 

 the Arendts Islands, <fcc. We kept along the edge of the pack 

 all the forenoon, sailing among drift-ice, some of it of a heavy 

 description. We found Hope Island and the Thousand Isles 

 lying well inside the pack, which extended westwards to about 

 the twentieth degree of east longitude up to about eight English 

 miles south of Whale Point, whence it trended away to the west, 

 filling Stor Fjord as far as could be seen from the " crow's-nest." 

 Saw one young Mandt's Guillemot in the forenoon, the first 

 example of that species seen this voyage ; also saw in the course 

 of the day one Northern Puffin, two Eichardson's Skuas, two or 

 three each of Glaucous Gulls and Kittiwakes, several Fulmars, 

 and two or three dozen Little Auks ; one Phoca barbata and about 

 eight or nine P. hispida. We sounded when Whale Point bore 

 north half east by compass about twelve miles (English), and 

 found twenty-three fathoms (= 140 feet), soft, rich brown mud— 

 so soft that the lead, a small light one, stuck very tight in it. 

 Sounded again about about two English miles nearer Whale Point, 

 and found twenty-seven fathoms, same bottom. It was impossible 

 to land anywhere on this coast, as the ice was about eight miles 

 broad all along it and quite compact, though rotten at the outer 

 edge, so that one could not cross it on foot. It is, of course, 

 possible that, if we had waited, the ice might have eventually 

 shifted sufficiently to allow of our advance ; but time was precious, 

 as we were anxious to deliver the mail we had on board to the 

 Swedish Meteorological Expedition at Cap Thordsen in Is Fjord, 

 on the west coast. We therefore reluctantly decided to stand to' 

 the west and make for the east coast of Spitzbergen proper. We 

 could see King Ludvig's Islands and the highest cliff of Negro 

 Point, over a local fog, until long after we had headed west, but 

 Hope Island was only visible for a short time early in the morning, 

 and was soon hidden by fog. So much of the coast of Edge Island 

 as we saw lies high ; the King Ludvig Islands lie low. 



September 6. Lat. at noon, 76° 58', long. E. G. 18° 10'. Tem- 

 perature, noon, press 752, air 32"9, water 32-36.— Snow fell soon 

 after midnight. Early in the morning Arnesen saw four young 



