360 
APPENDIX NO. V. 
at 46°. I took a meridian-altitude, and devoted the day to washing, 
as there were numerous pools of water on the rocks. This evening I 
took an observation for longitude, and hope to get a corresponding one 
to-morrow morning. 
The sun has been very severe upon us on our journey, every one 
being more or less blistered. Morton lost all the skin of his face; 
Riley and Mr. McGary complain of their eyes. Thermometer, 37°. 
June 15.—This morning we rose early and prepared for a start; but, 
as the wind blew heavy from the S.E., and Mr. McGary being yet 
quite sick, wc deferred it until to-morrow. I took bearings by compass 
of all the prominent points visible from the island. The weather con¬ 
tinues very fine. Thermometer, 42°. 
June 16.—As the fog was so thick this morning as to prevent us 
from seeing more than a few yards ahead of us, we concluded to wait 
until it should clear away. Wc did not get off until 11.30 A.M., having 
first taken a meridian-altitude. Mr. McGary and I set off for the 
glacier, and reached an islaud within two hundred yards of the per¬ 
pendicular face, a nearer approach being prevented by the accumu¬ 
lation of bergs, berg-ice, and precipitous hummocks, interspersed with 
holes of water. This island was about the same height of the perpen¬ 
dicular face at this point, (two hundred and fifty feet;) and I think I 
had a better opportunity for observation than upon the glacier itself. 
From this point the glacier appears to have gradually covered the land 
with a sheet of ice twenty or thirty feet thick, in a succession of 
ridges and knolls, until it reaches the shore, where, still pushing out¬ 
ward, large flakes are precipitated to the foot, and others, sliding over 
them, descend into the water and remain stationary, until in their turn 
they are forced by other discharges into a depth sufficient to float them, 
and are then carried away by currents into the sea. Their manner of 
breakage appears to be into long flakes, which are forced over the descent 
until, their overhanging weight overcoming the tenacity of the ice, the 
piece becomes detached. Above the perpendicular face it is split into 
a succession of parallel cracks and corresponding indentations, forming 
a series of steps, sometimes horizontal, but more frequently following 
the inclinations of the ground under them and extending back to 
where the glacier becomes almost level. Beyond this are seen nume¬ 
rous fissures, where the ice has cracked upon taking a new angle of 
descent and been forced onward to the final launch. 
We were fortunate in reaching this point, as an approach at any 
other would have been impossible, owing to the discharge of bergs and 
