38 MAN AND THE GLACIAL PERIOD. 



tations of its atmosphere upon its own surface. Imagine 

 this, moving onwards like a great glacial river, seeking 

 outlets at every fiord and valley, rolling icy cataracts into 

 the Atlantic and Greenland seas; and, having at last 

 reached the northern limit of the land that has -borne it 

 up, pouring out a mighty frozen torrent into unknown 

 arctic space ! 



" It is thus, and only thus, that we must form a just 

 conception of a phenomenon like this great glacier. I 

 had looked in my own mind for such an appearance, 

 should I ever be fortunate enough to reach the northern 

 coast of Greenland ; but, now that it was before me, I 

 could hardly realize it. I had recognized, in my quiet 

 library at home, the beautiful analogies which Forbes and 

 Studer have developed between the glacier and the river. 

 But I could not comprehend at first this complete substi- 

 tution of ice for water. 



" It was slowly that the conviction dawned on me that 

 I was looking upon the counterpart of the great river- 

 system of Arctic Asia and America. Yet here were no 

 water-feeders from the south. Every particle of moisture 

 had its origin within the polar circle and had been con- 

 verted into ice. There were no vast alluvions, no forest 

 or animal traces borne down by liquid torrents. Here 

 was a plastic, moving, semi-solid mass, obliterating life, 

 swallowing rocks and islands, and ploughing its way with 

 irresistible march through the crust of an investing sea."* 



Much less is known concerning the eastern coast of 

 Greenland than about the western coast. For a long time 

 it was supposed that there might be a considerable popu- 

 lation in the lower latitudes along the eastern side. But 

 that is now proved to be a mistake. The whole coast is 

 very inhospitable and difficult of approach. From lati- 



* Arctic Explorations in the Years 1853, 1854, and 1855, vol. i, 

 pp. 225-228. 



