Association of American Geologists and Naturalists. 155 



had led his own mind, leaving abler judges to decide upon the value of 

 such facts and the correctness of the inferences. He remarked that 

 the opportunity of witnessing the actual operation of the huge bodies of 

 drifting ice, known as Bergs or Islands, was of so rare occurrence that 

 its true character appeared to him not clearly understood, and conse- 

 quently geologists were liable to overlook or err in judgement upon 

 some important points in the dynamics of aqueo-glacial agency. Mr. 

 C. then proceeded to a statement of the geographical position of a 

 number of icebergs, as determined by reference to his journals. The 

 first noted was observed on the 28th of May, 1822, during a passage 

 from Havana to Rotterdam, and was in 42° 10' N. lat., 44° 50' West 

 from Greenwich. Its size must have been very considerable, as it was 

 visible from the deck of a vessel of two hundred tons, for eighteen 

 miles. Numerous small streams of water were pouring down its sides, 

 and a boat was sent with a view to obtain a supply, but on approaching 

 it, the swell, notwithstanding its being quite calm, was found to dash 

 against its face with such force, and the lower portions were so worn 

 and ragged, as to render it inaccessible. Although the weather was so 

 serene, and the sea so tranquil, yet the berg was constantly turning 

 slowly round as the swell stx'uck its many promontoriform projections. 

 It appeared to have lost little of its primal magnitude, the summits re- 

 taining a conical or rounded form, instead of being v^^orn like others he 

 had seen, into sharp pinnacles and acicular ridges by the action of the 

 atmosphere and rain. 



The next observed by Mr. C, was on the return passage in September 

 of the same year. It was aground on the eastern edge of the great Bank 

 of Newfoundland, in 43° 18' N. lat., 48° 30' W. long. Sounding three 

 miles inside of it, the depth was found to be one hundred and five 

 fathoms, and as the water deepens rapidly toward the edge of the bank, 

 the berg must have been in at least one hundred and twenty or one hun- 

 dred and thirty fathoms. There was a heavy sea running at the time, 

 causincr it to rock, and oscillate horizontally to and fro, with a heavy 

 grinding noise distinctly audible to all on board. A fresh wind from 

 the east was continually forcing it farther up on the bank, but in the 

 event of a contrary gale spiinging up, it would doubtless have been 

 driven off again into deep water to pursue its course to a milder clime, 

 loaded with materials ground into its base while stranded. 



Between this period and the summer of 1827, several icebergs were 

 seen by Mr. C, but not being able at present to lay hand on his journals 

 of that interval, he could enter into no particulars, farther than to state 

 that as with a few exceptions, his voyages were between the United States 

 or West Indies and Great Britain or the Mediterranean, it was probable 

 that they were chiefly met between the 36th and 42d parallels of north 



