58 
A hundred yards from the shore the wa¬ 
ter is about sixty fathoms deep ; but a 
little farther out no soundings have been 
found. 
The seas neighbouring to this island 
were formerly much frequented by whale- 
fishers, (especially from 1611 to 1633); 
but those animals are now seldom found 
here, having withdrawn to the ice, where 
they enjoy more security. 
The bears, sea-horses, and other vora¬ 
cious marine animals, together with the 
foxes and carnivorous birds, not finding so 
good a supply of whale carrion as usual, 
have also, in a great measure, deserted 
the coast. 
On the land are still seen some ves¬ 
tiges of those temporary buildings, where 
the fishers of that time boiled their 
blubber. 
This practice of boiling blubber in the 
North has long since been discontinued, 
arid is now performed on the return of 
the vessels to their respective ports. 
