June, 1834. 



GLACIERS. 



285 



ther reaching to the head of Kelly Harbour. The accom- 

 panjang wood-cut is copied from the published charts. 



Captain King says its length is fifteen miles, and from the 

 chart one part is seven broad ; it is also described as being 

 lofty ; so that we here have an enormous mountain, covering 

 a wide area, composed of ice. If we compare its situation 

 with countries in the northern hemisphere, the corresponding 

 parallel crosses the Alps of Switzerland. Or we may state the 

 case stronger, by saying that glaciers here descend to the sea 

 within less than nine degrees of latitude, from where palms 

 grow, less than two and a half from arborescent grasses, and 

 (looking to the westward in the same hemisphere) less than 

 two from orchideous parasites, and within a single degree of 

 tree-ferns ! In Norway, Von Buch found glaciers descending 

 to the sea at Kunnen in latitude 67° ; that is twenty degrees 

 nearer the pole, than in this hemisphere; — a difference of 

 latitude rather greater than that between the snow-lines of 

 equal altitude in the same two countries. 



The survey of the inner coast terminated at the gulf of 

 Penas, so that I am far from knowing whether glaciers are not 



