255 



the facts, and especially the tiistribiition of the gravel itself, 

 seem to speak with far greater emphasis in favour of a sub- 

 marine formation. But, on the other hand, one hesitates to 

 assume that the sea can so recently have stood nearly 1000 

 metres higher than now, and in any case it is difficult to ex- 

 plain the absence of correspondingly huge, fossiliferous deep 

 sea formations. As matters now stand, we may very well 

 imagine that there was here a large inland sea basin, though 

 this interpretation scarcely holds good of Patagonia. A few 

 small finds of sand that were examined for micro-organisms 

 proved to be sterile. 



The conditions along the coast at Hurry Inlet have partly 

 been touched on above, and it only remains for us to speak 

 of the coast profile itself. The Jurassic beds here usually 

 form a steep, often unsurmountable rocky wall, at the foot of 

 which are terraces and often extensive moraine-like formations 

 deserving of closer study than I could give them. It is most 

 probable that here under the lee of the high, perpendicular 

 wall, huge abruptly dipping drifts of snow and ice have lodged 

 for certain periods of time. Under the influence of wind and 

 thaw water, gravel and dust have been carried out onto their 

 surface, and then, when the snow melted, collected at the foot, 

 where they still lie, like embankments. The same phenomenon 

 can often be observed in full activity in the Polar regions. — The 

 interior of the territory forms part of the large plateau described 

 above, and, just as the beds dip, it gently sinks towards the S. 



Of some interest are the river valleys one comes across 

 here, and whose type is common in bolh the areas described. 



M Far in the interior of Jameson Land, at a height of at least 300 — 400 m 

 above the sea, I made an interesting find, viz.. a large piece of drift- 

 wood; according to Hartz, probably from a pine-tree. This undoubtedly 

 endorses the opinion that the sea in a late time readied so high, since 

 no other agent, even human, seems possible. As well known, driftwood 

 has been found at still greater heights, on Kllesmere Land, by Ihe 

 .Nar es Expedition. 



