536 GEOLOGICAL MEMOIRS. 



out his plan of observation round the great bays of Norway and 

 the adjacent islands, and, following the curves which mark former 

 levels, to measure their height above the sea at points sufficiently 

 near each other to make sure of the elevation having taken place 

 at every point between them. This is an enormous undertaking 

 when we consider the vast extent of the coast line of Norway, 

 but it may be broken up into a number of parts, any one of which 

 may be undertaken by an ordinary traveller, and I may add that 

 the results obtained offer conclusions of sufficient interest to in- 

 duce the traveller so to occupy himself. 



With the view of assisting in this work, I have taken advantage 

 of my stay of a year in the province of Finmark (the most northerly 

 part of Norway), making myself familiar with the class of facts 

 alluded to, the importance of which was suggested by M. Elie de 

 Beaumont, and endeavouring by a system of measurements to 

 complete the lines of ancient sea-coast from the furthest extremity 

 of the Bay of Alten to the little village of Hammerfest, a dis- 

 tance of about fifty miles. 



When I have given to the reader the actual result of my obser- 

 vations, I may be allowed, perhaps, to point out some analogous 

 facts observed in other parts of Arctic Norway and in the 

 southern districts of the same country, besides others in Sweden, 

 at Spitzbergen, and even in the north of Scotland, since this state- 

 ment will not be without value as illustrating and rendering more 

 valuable the result of my own labours. 



The Bay or Gulf of Alten (Alten-fjord) is one of the most 

 remarkable in Finland. Its direction is N.N.W. and S.S.E., 

 and a double range of islands intervenes between it and the ocean. 

 Sounds, or narrow and deep channels separate these islands from 

 each other, and from the main land, and these, as well as the 

 fjords or firths might almost be considered as true lakes, were 

 they not affected by the tides and marine currents of the Atlantic. 



The shores of the sounds are with one exception escarped and 

 high, and the valleys are short and narrow, and rapidly shelving, 

 so that for the most part a considerable alteration in the height of 

 the water makes but little difference in the form of the coast line, 

 and this circumstance is extremely favourable for the deter- 

 mination of the lines of ancient level, since these are little removed 

 from the present shore ; and coasting along the shore with a boat I 

 stopped wherever I could find indications of an ancient beach, and 

 in a few minutes, by means of the barometer, obtained materials 

 for determining the height.* 



§ 1. On the two principal Lines of ancient Level. 



There are two very distinct lines of ancient coast, which cor- 

 respond, without doubt, to two distinct periods of elevation in 



* The heights thus taken are all published in the original memoir. They 

 are measured from the mean level of the sea, the mean being taken according to 

 a method described at the close of the memoir. — Ed. 



