CONDITIONS OF CONTINENTAL ICE. 207 



Testimony of Icebergs. — We shall now enter into the 

 consideration of the question. In the first place, the 

 conclusion that " ice at the temperature at which it is 

 in contact with the surface of the earth's crust within 

 the Antarctic regions cannot support a column of itself 

 more than 1400 feet high without melting" is in direct 

 opposition to known facts. 



The immense tabular icebergs found in the Southern 

 Ocean, which have been so well described by Sir 

 Wyville Thomson, are, of course, portions broken off 

 the edge of the ice-sheet, and the thickness of the 

 bergs represents the thickness of the ice-sheet at the 

 place where they broke off. Now, some of these 

 icebergs have been found to be more than three times 

 thicker than the limit assigned by Sir Wyville. The 

 following are a few out of the many examples which 

 might be adduced of enormous icebergs, taken from 

 the Twelfth Number of the "Meteorological Papers," 

 and from the excellent paper of Mr. Towson on the 

 " Icebergs of the Southern Ocean," both published by 

 the Board of Trade : — 



Sept. 10th, 1856.— The "Lightning," when in lat. 55° 

 33' S., long. 140° W., met with an iceberg 420 feet 

 high. 

 Nov., 1839. -In lat. 41° S., long. 87° 30' E, numerous 



icebergs 400 feet high were met with. 

 Sept., 1840.— In lat. 37° S., long. 15° E„ an iceberg 1000 



feet long and 400 feet high was met with. 

 Feb., 1860. — Captain Clark, of the "Lightning," when 

 in lat. 55° 20' S, long. 122° 45' W., found an 

 iceberg; 500 feet high and 3 miles long. 

 Dec. 1st, 1859. — An iceberg, 580 feet high and from 

 2 J to 3 miles long, was seen by Captain Smithers, 

 of the "Edmond," in lat. 50° 52' S., long. 43° 58' 

 W. So strongly did this iceberg resemble land 



