36 GEEAT GLACIER OF GREENLAND. Chap. II. 



regular, that no change in its appearance is per- 

 ceptible from age to age. If even the untaught 

 savages of luxuriant tropical regions regard the 

 earth merely as a temporary abode, surely ^all 

 who gaze upon this ice-overwhelmed region, 

 this wide expanse of " terrestrial wreck," must 

 be similarly assured that here " we have no 

 abiding place." 



During daytime the strong glare is very dis- 

 tressing, hence the subdued light of midnight, 

 when the sun just skims along the northern 

 horizon, is much the most agreeable part of the 

 twenty-four hours ; the temperature varies be- 

 tween 30° and 40° of Fahrenheit. 



The drift-ice of various descriptions about us 

 is constantly in motion under the influence of 

 mysterious surface and under currents (according 

 to their relative depths of floatation), which 

 whirl them about in every possible direction. 



To the S.E. are two small islands, almost 

 enveloped in the glacier, and far within it 

 an occasional mountain-peak protrudes from 

 beneath. 



From observing closely the variations in the 

 glacier surface, I think we may safely infer that 

 where it lies unbroken and smooth, the support- 

 ing land is level ; and where much crevassed, 

 the land beneath is uneven. The crevassed 



