158 THE ANTARCTIC. 



broadens out between longitude 54° 40' and 55° 35' W., 

 and latitude 6i° i' and 6i° 18' S., has an extreme length 

 of about thirty miles, with an open, wide bay at its 

 southern end. This island also is covered with numerous 

 abrupt and steep summits of which the highest are said 

 to be upwards of 3,000 feet high, frequently free from 

 snow. The lower and more level land on the contrary 

 is completely snow-covered, and sends numerous glaciers 

 down to the sea. The west side of the island is more 

 especially surrounded by cliffs, which are continued in the 

 four islands before-mentioned — Narrow, Gibb, Aspland 

 and O'Brien Islands — all of small area but comparatively 

 high and covered with snow. Narrow has a lofty conical 

 mountain almost detached from the island ; on O'Brien 

 three or four rise — so that, according to D'Urville's 

 comparison, the islet resembles the upturned roots of 

 a molar tooth. 



A strait of perhaps seventy-five miles in breadth, and 

 still unnamed, leads across to the central group of the 

 South Shetlands, which extends from Cape South Fore- 

 land on King George's Island in longitude 57° 2>Z' W. 

 to the West Cape of Snow Island in longitude 6i° 20' 

 W., and from the North Foreland of King George's 

 Island in latitude 6i° 50' S. to the southern extremity 

 of Snow Island in latitude 62° 52' S., in a chain of about 

 150 miles in length. It is obvious that the whole at one 

 time formed a single island which has been severed by 

 channels crossing the major axis at right angles, into 

 portions closely ranged side by side. One is reminded 

 of Nova Zembla on a small scale, and its division by 

 the Matotschkin Schar : whether, however, the transverse 

 channels are to be regarded as fjord-like passages or as 

 resulting from techtonic action, it is at present quite im- 

 possible even remotely to determine. Altogether there are 

 two larger islands, five smaller, and a countless number of 

 the smallest islets and dunes, which are characteristically 



