Mr Scoresby’s Excw'doji to Jan Ma/yeri's Island. 
Among them we recognised the Rumex digynus, Saxifraga 
tricuspidata, Arenaria peploides (not very certain), Silene acau- 
lis, and Draba verna. The other specimens we were not able to 
make out ; and, before our arrival at home, they were so dis- 
figured, that they defied the skill of the botanist to ascertain 
their genus. 
Near the sea shore, the burrows of blue foxes were seen in dif. 
ferent places, and traces of their feet upon the beach below high- 
water mark. The foot-marks of bears, and probably of rein- 
deer, also were perceptible. The birds were neither so nume- 
rous, nor appeared in such variety, as I had anticipated. We, 
however, saw burgomasters, fulmars, looms, sea-parrots, sea- 
swallows &c. 
As the icebergs already described suggested the idea of fro- 
zen cataracts, a poetic imagination would, in the hollow metal- 
lic sound of the earth beneath our feet, as we climbed the volca- 
nic mount, have conceived the cavern of Vulcan ; and, in the 
iron manufactured in the bowels of the earth, the fabrication of 
the same deity, for the use of his parent Jove. 
We returned to our* ships at six in the morning, when, the 
weather being clear, I took bearings of the most remarkable 
parts of the coast, together with several altitudes of the sun, for 
ascertaining the longitude by the chronometer. 
A fishing party whom I sent out proving unsuccessful in the 
offing, approached the shore, about two miles to the eastward of 
the place we visited ; where, though the surf was considerable, 
and the strand very contracted, they succeeded in effecting a 
landing. They observed much drift wood, a boat’s oar, and 
some other pieces of wrought wood, scattered along the shore- 
Every mineral they noticed bore the marks of volcanic action. 
Near some larffe fissures which here and there occurred in the 
O 
rocky precipitous cliff, vast heaps of lava appeared, which seem- 
ed to have been poured out of these chinks in the rocks. Cin- 
ders, earth slag, arenaceous ironstone, and various descriptions 
of volcanic rocks, covered the beach, and so much of the cliff as 
they had leisure to examine. 
Whitey, October 1817 . 
* This was a beautiful web -footed bird resembling a swallow ; i‘ had large 
wiogs and tail, with red feet and bilh 
