660 THE JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY. 



broken away, but were still detained in the fixed bay ice. A 

 series of promontories and nunataks break the continuity of the 

 ice border. The most remarkable of mirages occupied large 

 segments of the horizon nearly all day, and limited the field of 

 good observation, but their extraordinary character (there being 

 two, three, and even four reflecting horizons superposed on each 

 other, giving- rise to imitations of castellated structures of the 

 most fantastic and beautiful forms) was some compensation for 

 the illusions they constantly threw over large portions of the 

 landscape. 



That afternoon, when within sight of Cape York, and in the 

 highest spirits over the delightful passage of so much of the 

 dreaded Melville Bay, the lane we had followed to so great advan- 

 tage led away from the land, and became broken and intricate. 

 During the night the ice closed upon the vessel while trying to 

 force her way through a narrow passage, and she was nipped 

 astern and her rudder severely strained, but not permanently 

 injured. The vessel was held fast, with a strong "list," all the 

 following day, which was Sunday, and so, by no virtue of ours, 

 the day became "a day of rest" and, I need scarcely add, of more 

 than puritanical sobriety. About three o'clock next morning, 

 however, the ice relaxed, the vessel settled back to her normal 

 position, and again began threading and ramming her way through 

 the pack with such success that by ten o'clock she was in a wide lane 

 leading to Cape York, which was reached at noon ; or, to speak 

 more accurately, the fixed ice, which extended about two miles 

 out from the cape, was reached. During a short stop here speci- 

 mens of the rock in place (gneiss) and of the drift (gneisses, gran- 

 ites, syenites, red and white quartzites, etc.) were collected, photo- 

 graphs of the glaciers and the icebergs were taken, and a few general 

 observations made. The bay east of the cape was full of icebergs 

 derived from the glaciers that debouch into it, and at its mouth 

 there was a very notable cluster, probably aground. Numerous 

 large icebergs also lay along the coast northwest of Cape York, 

 skirting the "Crimson Cliffs" as far as Conical Rock. As we 

 sailed along these Crimson Cliffs (their color is due in part to 



