120 CAPTAIN HORSBURGH ON ICEBERGS IN SOUTHERN LATITUDES. 
First, — That in April, or early in May, both in the northern and southern 
hemisphere, icebergs, or large masses of ice, have been found in lower 
latitudes than at other times, which appears to be anomalous, as a difference 
of six months in time might be expected between the nearest approach to the 
equator of the northern and southern icebergs. 
Secondly, — That the existence of a large tract of land near the Antarctic 
circle seems to be necessary for the origin and accretion of the southern 
icebergs, and probably situated somewhere between the meridian of London 
and longitude 20° east ; from whence these icebergs have been carried in a N. 
and N.N.easterly direction by the united forces of current, winds, and waves, 
prevailing from S.S.W. and S.W. ; for Sandwich Land, in latitude about 60° 
south, longitude 27° west, seems to be too far west from the prevailing line 
of direction of the currents, winds, and waves, to be the place of formation 
of the icebergs found near the Cape of Good Hope, and of that seen by the 
Farquharson. Bouvet’s Island, and Thompson’s Island, in latitude about 
54° south, longitude 5|° east, are not of magnitude sufficient to have been the 
basis of these icebergs; and Kerguelen’s Island, in latitude 49° south, longi- 
tude 70° east, is too far to the eastward to have been their original base. 
Thirdly, — That from the unprecedented appearance of icebergs in the vici- 
nity of the south coast of Africa in April 1828, and in April 1829 further to the 
eastward, some unknown cause probably produced a disruption of these icebergs 
from the place of their formation, such as an earthquake, or volcanic forces, 
which seldom or never had before happened in those regions ; but more parti- 
cularly during the last century, a period when icebergs have not been seen in 
the Southern Ocean near the coast of South Africa. 
if, however, these icebergs were dislocated from the land by some unknown 
cause, which seldom or never had before happened, the anomaly adverted to 
above, of the northern and southern icebergs appearing in the lowest latitudes 
in April or May, would in such case only apply to these icebergs having been 
carried from the polar regions by similar currents in the same months, instead 
of a difference of six months, in reference to the set of the North Atlantic cur- 
rent and that of the Southern Ocean, as might have been expected. 
