TRAILL ISLAND. 
247 
for their appearance. And in this opinion both 
the captains of the ships in company acquiesced. 
The land, abreast of the ship (bearing N WbW. 
true) had every appearance of an island. It was 
named Traill Island, in compliment to a high¬ 
ly esteemed friend. Dr Thomas Stewart Traill of 
Liverpool. The latitude of the middle of it, is 
about 72° 12'. The south-eastern part of it is (r p 
stupendous cliff) rising from the very sea, without 
a yard of beach, at an angle of fifty degrees, 
or upwards, to the height of about 1300 feet. 
This cliff is of singular beauty. The prevailing 
colour, which is slate-blue, or bluish-grey, is inter¬ 
sected and variegated by zig-zag strata of bright 
yellow and red. From the peculiar structure and 
distribution of the strata of this part of the coast, 
it received the name of Vandyke Cliffs. The 
northern termination of these cliffs, consists of an 
acute ridge, jutting into a short promontory, which 
was named Cape Moorsom, out of respect to Mr 
Richard Moorsom junior of Whitby ; and ano¬ 
ther headland, a little farther north, was call¬ 
ed Cape Mewrurn, after an old school compa¬ 
nion and fellow collegian. 
The summit of the ridge on Cape Moorsom, 
consists of a series of sharp and elevated pinna¬ 
cles. Some of these arc so particularly slender, 
so full of rents, and so devoid of support, except- 
