difficult to bend them a different way, that although, from various caufes, the gain of working mines is much decreased; the fascination continues, and almoft every perfon, who takes any active part in the commerce of New Spain or Peru, is ftill engaged in fome adventure of this kind.

Obfervations on the Formation of Iceiflands; and on the Existence of a Southern Continent. Extracted from Cook's Voyage.

I

ice, all tend to prove that there must be land to the fouth; and for my perfuafion that this fouthern land muft lie, or extend, farthest to the north, oppofite to the fouthern atlantic and Indian oceans. I have already affigned fome reafons; to which I may add the greater degree of cold experienced by us in thefe feas, than in the fouthern pacific ocean under the fame parallels of latitude.

HAD now made the circuit of the Southern Ocean in a high latitude, and traverfed it in fuch a manner as to leave not the leaft room for the poffibility of there being a continent, unlefs near the pole, and out of the reach of navigation. By twice vifiting the tropical fea, I had not only fettled the fituation of fome old difcoveries, but made there many new ones, and left, I conceive, very little more to be done even in that part. Thus I flatter myself, that the intention of the voyage has, in every refpect, been fully anfwered; the fouthern hemifphere fufficiently explored; and a final end put to the fearching after a fouthern continent, which has, at times, ingroffed the attention of fome of the maritime powers, for near two centuries paft, and been a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all ages.

In this laft ocean, the mercury in the thermometer feldom fell fo low as the freezing point, till we were in 60° and upwards; whereas in the others, it fell as low in the latitude of 54°. This was certainly owing to there being a greater quantity of ice, and to its extending farther to the north, in thefe two feas than in the south pacific; and if ice be firft formed at, or near land, of which I have no doubt, it will follow that the land alfo extends farther north.

That there may be a continent, or large tract of land, near the pole, I will not deny; on the contrary, I am of opinion there is; and it is probable that we have feen a part of it. The exceffive cold, the many iflands and vaft floats of

The formation or coagulation of ice-iflands has not, to my knowledge, been thoroughly inveftigated. Some have fuppofed them to be formed by the freezing of the water at the mouths of large rivers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate till they are broken off by their own weight. My obfervations will not allow me to acquiefce in this opinion; because we never found any of the ice which we took up incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as I think it must have been, had it been coagulated in land waters. It is a doubt with me, whether there be any rivers in these countries. It is certain, that we faw not a river, or ftream of water, on all the coaft of Georgia, nor on any of the fouthern lands. Nor did

we ever fee a ftream of water run from any of the ice-iflands. How are we then to fuppofe that there are large rivers? The vallies are covered, many fathoms deep, with everlasting fnow; and, at the fea, they terminate in icy cliffs of vaft height. It is here where the iceiflands are formed; not from ftreams of water, but from confolidated fnow and fleet, which is, almoft continually, falling or drifting down from the mountains, efpecially in the winter, when the froft must be intenfe. During that feafon, the ice cliffs muft fo accumulate as to fill up all the bays, be they ever fo large. This is a fact which cannot be doubted, as we have feen it fo in fummer. Thefe cliffs accumulate by continual falls of fnow, and what drifts from the mountains, till they are no longer able to fupport their own weight; and then large pieces break off, which we call ice islands. Such as have a flat even furface, must be of the ice formed in the bays, and before the flat vallies; the others, which have a tapering unequal furface, muft be formed on, under, the fide of a coaft compofed of pointed rocks and precipices, or fome fuch uneven furface. For we cannot fuppofe that fnow alone,, as it falls, can form, on a plain furface, fuch as the fea, fuch a variety of high peaks and hills, as we faw on many of the ice ifles. It is certainly more reafonable to believe that they are formed on a coaft whofe furface is fomething fimilar to theirs. I have obferved that all the ice iflands of any extent, and before they begin to break to pieces, are terminated by perpendicular cliffs of clear ice or frozen fnow, always on one or

or

more fides, but most generally all round. Many, and thofe of the largeft fize, which had a hilly and fpiral furface, fhewed a perpendicular cliff or fide from the fummit of the highest peak down to its bafe. This to me was a convinc ing proof, that thefe, as well as the flat ifles, must have broken off from fubftances like themselves; that is, from fome large tract of ice.

When I confider the vast quantity of ice we faw, and the vicinity of the places to the pole where it is formed, and where the degrees of longitude are very fmall, I am led to believe that thefe ice cliffs extend a good way into the fea, in fome parts, efpecially in fuch as are fheitered from the violence of the winds. It may even be doubted if ever the wind is violent in the very high lati tudes. And that the fea will freeze over, or the fnow that falls upon it, which amounts to the fame thing, we have inftances in the northern hemisphere. The Baltic, the Gulph of Saint Laurence, the Straits of Belle-Ifle, and many other equally large feas, are frequently frozen over in winter, Nor is this at all extraordinary; for we have found the degree of cold at the furface of the fea, even in fummer, to be two degrees below the freezing point; confequently nothing kept it from freezing but the falts it contains, and the agitation of its furface. Whenever this laft ceafeth in winter, when the froft is fet in, and there comes a fall of fnow, it will freeze on the furface as it falls, and in a few days, or perhaps in one night, form fuch a fheet of ice as will not be eafily broken up.

Thus

Thus a foundation will be laid for it to accumulate to any thickness by falls of fnow, without its being at all neceffary for the fea water to freeze. It may be, by this means, these vaft floats of low ice we find in the fpring of the year are formed, and which, after they break up, are carried by the currents to the north. For, from all the obfervations I have been able to make, the currents every where, in the high latitudes, fet to the north, or to the N. E. or N. W.; but we have very feldom found them confiderable,

If this imperfect account of the formation of thefe extraordinary floating islands of ice, which is written wholly from my own obfervations, does not convey fome ufeful hints to an abler pen, it will, however, convey fome idea of the lands where they are formed. Lands doomed by nature to perpetual frigidnefs; never to feel the warmth of the fun's rays; whofe horrible and favage afpect I have not words to defcribe. Such are the lands we have discovered; what then may we expect thofe to be, which lie ftill farther to the fouth? For we may reasonably fuppofe that we have feen the beft, as lying moft to the north. If any one fhould have refolution and perfeverance to clear up this point by proceeding farther than I have done, I hall not envy him the honour of the difcovery; but I will be bold to fay, that the world will not be benefited by it.

I had, at this time, fome thoughts of revifiting the place where the French difcovery is faid to lie. But then I confidered that, if they had really made this discovery, the end would be as fully anfwered as if I

1

My

had done it myself. We know it can only be an island; and if we judge from the degree of cold wa found in that latitude, it cannot be a fertile one. Befides, this would have kept me two months longer at fea, and in a tempeftudus latitude, which we were not in a condition to firuggle with. Our fails and rigging were fo, much worn, that fomething was giving way every hour; and we had nothing left, either to repair or to replace them. Our provifions were in a state of decay, and confequently afforded little nourishment, and we had been a long time without refreshments. people, indeed, were yet healthy, and would have chearfully gone wherever I had thought proper to lead them; but I dreaded the fourvy laying hold of them, at a time when we had nothing left to remove it. I muft fay farther, that it would have been cruel in me to have continued the fatigues and hardships they were continually expofed to, longer than was abfolutely neceffary. Their behaviour, throughout the whole voyage, merited every indulgence which it was in my power to give them. Animated by the conduct of the officers, they fhewed themselves capable of furmounting every difficulty and danger which came in their way, and never once looked either upon the one or the other, as being at all heightened, by our feparation from our confort the Adven

ture.

All these considerations induced me to lay afide looking for the French difcoveries, and to fteer for the Cape of Good Hope; with a refolution, however, of looking for the Ifles of Denia and Marfe

we ever fee a ftream of water run from any of the ice-iflands. How are we then to fuppofe that there are large rivers? The vallies are covered, many fathoms deep, with everlafting fnow; and, at the fea, they terminate in icy cliffs of vaft height. It is here where the iceflands are formed; not from ftreams of water, but from confolidated fnow and fleet, which is, almost continually, falling or drifting down from the mountains, efpecially in the winter, when the froft must be intenfe. During that feafon, the ice cliffs muft fo accumulate as to fill up all the bays, be they ever fo large. This is a fact which cannot be doubted, as we have feen it fo in fummer. These cliffs accumulate by continual falls of (now, and what drifts from the mountains, till they are no longer able to fupport their own weight; and then large pieces break off, which we call ice iflands. Such as haye a flat even furface, must be of the ice formed in the bays, and before the flat vallies; the others, which have a tapering unequal furface, must be formed on, or under, the fide of a coaft compofed of pointed rocks and precipices, or fome fuch uneven furface. For we cannot fuppofe that fnow alone,, as it falls, can form, on a plain furface, fuch as the fea, fuch a variety of high peaks and hills, as we faw on many of the ice iiles. It is certainly more reafonable to believe that they are formed on a coast whofe furface is fomething fimilar to theirs. I have obferved that all the ice iflands of any extent, and before they begin to break to pieces, are terminated by perpendicular cliffs of clear ice or frozen fnow, always on one or

more fides, but most generally all round. Many, and those of the largeft fize, which had a hilly and fpiral furface, fhewed a perpendi cular cliff or fide from the fummit of the highest peak down to its bafe. This to me was a convincing proof, that thefe, as well as the flat ifles, must have broken off from fubftances like them felves; that is, from fome large tract of ice.

When I confider the vast quantity of ice we faw, and the vicinity of the places to the pole where it is formed, and where the degrees of longitude are very fmall, I am led, to believe that thefe ice cliffs extend a good way into the fea, in fome parts, efpecially in fuch as are fheltered from the violence of the winds. It may even be doubted if ever the wind is violent in the very high lati, tudes. And that the fea will freeze over, or the fnow that falls upon it, which amounts to the fame thing, we have inftances in the northern hemisphere. The Baltic, the Gulph of Saint Laurence, the Straits of Belle-Ifle, and many other equally large feas, are frequently frozen over in winter, Nor is this at all extraordinary; for we have found the degree of cold at the furface of the fea, even in fummer, to be two degrees below the freezing point; confequently nothing kept it from freezing but the falts it contains, and the agitation of its furface. Whenever this laft ceafeth in winter, when the froft is fet in, and there comes a fall of fnow, it will freeze on the furface as it falls, and in a few days, or perhaps in one night, form fuch a fheet of ice as will not be eafily broken up.

Thus