244 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEBGEN. 
sledges. Deer meat is very good if eaten soon after the 
animal has been killed, or again at some long interval 
afterwards. Once the flesh sets and becomes rigid 
it is not near so toothsome and nutritions. The Spitz- 
bergen reindeer certainly offers the best meat; and the 
newly-discovered land to the eastward of Mid-Spitz- 
bergen is reported to have reindeer of a quality still 
better in point of flavour and condition to those we 
have been killing. This discovery of new land gives 
additional zest to exploration; the north-east point 
of this new region is in Lat. 78° 8' N. and Long.. 
50° 15' E. Altman had touched here previously to 
Johnsen, and his three islands are now found to be 
but one vast land with a coastline of forty-five miles.. 
The sea in the vicinity was free from ice, except on its 
northern shores, and on the island no snow-field of any 
extent was observed, and only one glacier, and the 
shores abounded with immense quantities of saddle¬ 
back seals (P. Groenlandicus ). The whole coast to 
the height of 20 feet, and extending 100 feet inland, 
w^as covered with quantities of driftwood, most pro¬ 
bably washed out of the mouths of Siberian rivers. 
The tallow of a large reindeer will weigh from 
eight to twelve pounds ; the tongues are first cut out 
after the deer is killed, and in some places where the 
difficulty of land-carriage is not to be overcome,. 
