GLACIERS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. 35 



or twelve fathoms water, as rendered their further progress 

 up the branch rash and highly dangerous. This was, however, 

 very fortunately, an object of no moment, since before their 

 return they had obtained a distinct view of its termination, 

 about two leagues farther in the same direction, by a firm and 

 compact body of ice reaching from side to side, and greatly 

 above the level of the sea ; behind which extended the con- 

 tinuation of the same range of lofty mountains, whose summits 

 seemed to be higher than any that had yet been seen on the coast. 



While at dinner in this situation they frequently heard a 

 very loud, rumbling noise, not unlike loud but distant thun- 

 der ; similar sounds had often been heard when the party was 

 in the neighborhood of large bodies of ice, but they had not 

 before been able to trace the cause. They now found the 

 noise to originate from immense ponderous fragments of ice, 

 breaking off from the higher parts of the main body, and fall- 

 ing from a very considerable height, which in one instance 

 produced so violent a shock that it was sensibly felt by the 

 whole party, although the ground on which they were was 

 at least two leagues from the spot where the fall of ice had 

 taken place. . . . 



The base of this lofty range of mountains [between Elias 

 and Fairweather]. now gradually approached the sea-side ; 

 and to the southward of Cape Fairweather it may be said 

 to be washed by the ocean ; the interruption in the sum- 

 mit of these very elevated mountains, mentioned by Captain 

 Cook, was likewise conspicuously evident to us as we sailed 

 along the coast this day, and looked like a plain composed of a 

 solid mass of ice or frozen snow, inclining gradually toward 

 the low border ; which, from the smoothness, uniformity, 

 and clean appearance of its surface, conveyed the idea of ex- 

 tensive waters having once existed beyond the then limits of 

 our view, which had passed over this depressed part of the 

 mountains, until their progress had been stopped by the 

 severity of the climate, and that, by the accumulation of suc- 

 ceeding snow, freezing on this body of ice, a barrier had become 

 formed that had prevented such waters from flowing into the 

 sea. This is not the only place where we had noticed the like 

 appearance : since passing the icy bay mentioned on the 28th 



