76 
which, as previously stated, are frag¬ 
ments of them. One of these masses, 
according to Phipps, has been, found 
grounded in twenty-four fathoms water, 
while it towered above the surface to the 
height of fifty feet. Almost every valley 
can boast of its glacier, some of which 
vie with the mountains in height. They 
are occasionally hollow, and immense 
cascades of water are precipitated from 
them. 
The magnificence of this scene, it is 
impossible to describe. The gloomy si¬ 
lence of the surrounding country, the 
hoarse noise of the water dashing from 
an immense height, and the magnificent 
effect produced by the reflection of the 
solar ravs, form a tout-ensemble which 
can only be faintly conceived. 
Though the mountains of Spitzbergen 
consist generally of rocks of primary for¬ 
mation, it is not altogether destitute of 
those of a later origin. Captain Phipps 
