I860.] LAMONT SPITZBEEGEN'. 431 



the mountains appear to melt and crumble away like mole-hills 

 under the gigantic force and pressure of frost and glacier ; and I 

 can imagine nothing better calculated to give one an idea of the 

 appearance Scotland must have presented during the glacial epoch 

 than a visit to Spitzbergen. I have observed many appearances in 

 the glens of the Highlands, and particularly in Glen Turrit in Perth- 

 shire, which were enigmas to me at the time, but which are very 

 plain reading after observing the action of ice and glaciers in Spitz- 

 bergen. 



Deeva Bay is marked in the charts as being unexplored at the 

 top ; but we hunted all over it in the boats. It is very shallow and 

 very muddy, and had five or six square miles of " fast ice" of one 

 winter's growth at the extreme end. We killed three Bears and 

 a good many Seals about this sheet of ice. 



There are several extensive glaciers on both sides of the Bay. 

 One of these glaciers has a curious detached " moraine," something 

 like a breakwater, in front of it : I annex a sketch showing its posi- 



Eig. 2. — Glacier in Deeva Bay. 



#1 fkh , 



SEA 



tion and shape. This " moraine" is formed entirely of mud or 

 earth, more or less consolidated ; it extends three or four miles in 

 length, by 200 to 400 yards in breadth, and is 20 or 30 feet in 

 height. The glacier does Dot appear to have been in contact with 

 it for many years, as the earth appeared to have been long undis- 

 turbed, and many Mosses and Saxifrages were beginning to grow 

 upon it. The glacier and this "moraine'' arc distant at least two 

 miles, and were divided by a sheet of water mostly covered by 

 " fast" ice. The glacier blended so insensibly into this " fast" ice, 

 thai at first I thought the latter actually formed part of the glacier, 

 until with my glass I discovered some loose pieces moving about, and 

 several Seals lying upon it and diving into the interstices. I could 

 not form any idea quite satisfactory to my own mind as to how 

 this " moraine" had come to be separated so far from the glacier 

 which had obviously occasioned its existence by great immediate 

 pressure. I picked up some shells* on the " moraine." 



The lower hills of South-cast Spitzbergen verj much resemble 

 the long dreary ranges of limestone hills whit li hem-in on both sides 

 the valley of the Nile from Cairo to Assouan ; and this resemblance 

 exists both in their colour, size, shape, inclination, and general ap- 

 pearance, as well as in their almost total solitude and the absence 



* Labelled specimens sent. (See Appendix, p. 437.) 



