GLACIAL DRIFT. 317 
bergs off theyeastern coast, such as would be seen if the glaciers dis- 
charged themselves as they do upon the western side. At the rate of 
increase indicated by the observations of Hayes, the height of land may 
be averaged at 5,000 feet, and the thickness of ice above it as 10,000 feet. 
This flows mainly into Baffin’s bay, Smith’s sound, and the other waters 
to the west. A northward transportation is indicated at Polaris bay, 
where Dr. Bessel found numerous granitic rocks containing peculiar 
garnets, such as abound in South Greenland, resting upon Silurian lime- 
stones. On the western side are no less than thirteen well marked gla- 
ciers discharging their bergs into the sea, as far north as Upernavik, 
about 73° north latitude. The largest ones occur further north, some of 
them being 3,000 feet thick. The bergs derived from them are of this 
thickness, as measured by Hayes. The Humboldt glacier enters Smith’s 
sound with a width of 60 miles, the ice-cliffs, from 50 to 300 feet high, 
extending 2,000 feet deep in some places. The adjacent rock-cliffs are 
500 to 1,000 feet high. 
The derivation of icebergs from glaciers is well proved. The glacier 
pushes down the fidrds into the sea, till the buoyancy of the ice, lifted up 
by the waters, causes it to separate in large blocks which float out to sea, 
urged onwards by the land motion, and afterwards by the oceanic cur- 
rents. Baffin’s bay and Davis straits are filled with these bergs, which 
float southerly till the warmer air and water of the lower latitudes dis- 
solve them. It is uncommon to see them as far south as 40° north lati- 
tude. The romantic history of Tyson’s party illustrates the long con- 
tinuance of floating ice. This party consisted of nineteen persons, and 
they floated southwards 1,800 miles in six months’ time, before they were 
rescued,—October 16 to May 1. 
These bergs often carry earth and rocks in immense amount. Scoresby 
saw some carrying from 50 to 100,000 tons of material. Every Arctic 
traveller describes them. This rubbish falls to the bottom as fast as the 
bergs melt or topple over. It has been suggested that much of the 
Great Banks of Newfoundland has been accumulated from the leavings 
of icebergs. 
Greenland may be compared to a broad platter slightly inclined west- 
erly, with occasional chinks in the sides through which the ice discharges 
itself, as if it were a viscous body. We might say the ice accumulates 
VOL. III. 41 
