The continent of Greenland is surrounded by many-thou sand isands of different sizes, upon which the Greenlan ders generally reside, on account of their good situation for sea-game. The continent of Greenland itself is inter sected by innumerable bays, inlets, and firths, many of them 100 miles in length. Their direction is generally from south-west to north-east ; and some reach as far as the tremendous glacier which covers uninterruptedly the mid dle of the continent, and separates the east coast from the west. The connection of these firths with the large conti nental ice causes the numerous ice-mountains which plunge down in the summer, and are driven by the currents into the open sea. The most remarkable of the firths are, 1. 7'unugliarbik, and 2. Thareseksoak, both in the 60th degree of latitude; these reach to the glacier, and are generally full of floating ice. 3. Sermiliarsuk, the same firth or bay which is marked on the charts with the name Forbisher or Frobisher Strait, but falsely, as this hay extends to the great continential glacier, which surrounds it. 4. Baal's River, one of the largest firths, is divided into several branches by large islands. 5 Xerusutok, remarkable for its violent currents. 6. Sermilik or Ictfiord, a firth, which presents the largest ice mountains on the whole coast. It is supposed to have been formerly a sound, which divided the continent, but is now shut up by ice. 7. Omenaks Bay, called St. James Bay and Cornelius Bay on the English and Dutch charts, whichis the most extensive firth on the whole coast, and contains more than twenty islands. It is situated in the 71° of latitude, and in all its different branch es is connected with the largo glacier. 8. Kangerdluarsur soak, in Baffin's Bay, called Horn's Sound on the charts, in the 74° of latitude, is likewise a most dreadful flab, on account of its monstrous masses of ice. In the months of May and June, the Greenlanders visit the firths, to provide themselves with a kind of small fish, the salmo arcticus, Fabricii, (clupea Mulleri,) which visits the firths in millions at that season. They are dried in the sun on the rocks, and used instead of lo cad. They arc the prin cipal food of the seal in summer, and followed by them in great numbers. Seals are also caught here.
The rivers are neither numerous nor large. They can have but a small supply in that desolate region, where the valleys are covered with eternal ice, which does not melt frequently, and then only on the surface. In the rallies between precipitous mountains, there are occasionally very large lakes, which have their origin from the melting of the ice and snow on the mountains, and arc confined by the rocky bottom of the valley. The springs and rivulets which come from the mountains, rapid as they are in the spring, generally dry up in summer. The inundation of these rivers in the spring, makes the soil marshy, and pro duces good vegetation on the shores of the firths. The old Norwegians and Icelanders formerly made all their settlements in such situations.
What are called springs by the Greenlanders, frequently consist only of ice-water, forced out of its accustomed chan nels by the power of the waterfalls running through the ruins of destroyed rocks. There are, however, some spring wells, one of which is very remarkable, from its rising and falling with the tide, although it. is situated more than 36 feet above the level of the sea. Its water is not blackish, perhaps from the circumstance of its being filtered in through a bed of very fine sand. The most interesting is a warm spring on the island which has a temperature of of Reaumur (104' Fahrenheit) at all seasons. It is situated on the south-east of the coast, in the 60°.
The streams or currents of. the sea have an easterly di rection, and are in some places very rapid and dangerous, particularly during high tides. It is supposed that these currents are produced partly by the unevenness of the bot tom of the sea, and partly by the numerous islands, which increase the rapidity of the currents by diminishing their channels. The obstacles, which rise from the bottom of the sea, may assist in producing back currents and whirl pools. One of the most dangerous whirlpools exists at the mouth of a Firth, (called by the natives Puiosortok,) in the south-east of Greenland.
The water of the sea near the shores, is less salt than that at some distance from them, the former being always in contact and communication with the ice-water. The rising of the tides is very unequal, in consequence of the number of islands through which the tide passes. They rise in the south (from 60° to 64° of N. Lat.) to eleven feet, and de crease gradually in the north of Davis Strait (74°0 where they do not rise more than four and six feet. The highest flood is the third day after new moon, and the third day after full moon. The Icefiord, or Serrnilik, in Disko Bay, has flood, but no ebb. Greenland, from its most southern point to its most northern extremity, consists of insulated rocky mountains and shatp acuminated cliffs, se parated by narrow valleys, which are rendered inaccessible by the glaciers. These places never enjoy the rays of the sun, and are mostly intersected by rapid torrents, which precipitate themselves from the mural cliffs of the mountains. Ice and snow accumulate here in dreadful
masses, and fill the spaces with increasing devastation. Even the Greenlanders, so accustomed to the horrors of nature, call some of these spots places of desolation. The water, converted into ice, splits the rocks with mighty force, which are precipitated from the summits with thun noise in the summer, hreatening death to the clever. The mountains themselves are covered with a mourning veil of black lichens, variegated bete and there with spots of crumbling snow, which, being dissolved by sun and rain, run in small torrents along the precipice. The view of the valleys watered by the inlets and firths is mote agreeable, and presents the entire vegetation of that deserted country.
The small islands which surround the continent, are ge nerally of a different character, forming small roundish elevations or hills, the base of which is inhabited by innu merable sea fowls, which breed there at the return of spring. The large islands are similar to the continent, and consist of barren insurmountable rocks, The valleys of which are filled with eternal ice. Amongst the largest are particularly remarkable : 1st, Cape Farewell, called by the Greenlanders Kangekkyadlck, that is, the cape run ning towards the west. The entire island, which turns front west to east and south-east, has the name Sermesok, or Iceland, its narrow and dreadful valleys being always covered with ice. It has very little low land, and is there fore very seldom visited in summer by the natives. No family lives there in winter ; but the ruins of old houses on the west side, slim that it was formerly inhabited. The most eastern islands nearest to Sermesok, or Cape Fare well, are Omenak and Cangersoak : The latter is called Statenhuk by the navigators, and both are uninhabited. In the east of Kangersoak, or Statenhuk, arc more than 100 small islands called Kittiksorsoit. The Greenlanders of the neighbourhood visit these- islands in the beginning of spring, to procure seal game, which is there very plenti ful. The large islands, which form the promontory of the southern coast, extend 11° from the west to the south, and are separated from the continent of Greenland by a sound of five English miles in breadth, called I kareseksoak, through which runs a very rapid current. The sound is generally filled with immense flat masses of floating ice, and innu merable ice mountains, which are driven out from the in lets and firths of that continent. Many vessels have been beset in this floating ice by currents from north-east, and have been lost on the coast. From this, a series of small islands border the continent as far as the 61° 2 i', where the eye is terrified by another island, barren, precipitous, and of considerable extent. It presents so dreadful a view, that the older navigators, although accustomed to dangers and terrors, called it the Cape of Desolation. This cape, which reaches far to the open sea of Davis Strait, is al ways intrcnched by floating ice to a great distance. The island is called by the natives Nunarsoit, that is, a great land, and is separated from the continent by a narrow sound called Torsukatek. It is uninhabited, and even the Greenlanders but seldom visit it. There is no island of importance between this place and the 64°, where Baal's river falls into the ocean. This river, or rather this firth, is one of the largest on the whole coast. It extends 64 English miles to the interior of the continent, and then divides into two arms, one of which runs towards the north-east, the other towards the south-east. Both arms are bounded by the glacier. • In this firth are three large islands, Sermitsiak, Kikertarsoak, and Karosut, the first of which consists of one large and high mountain, called Saddle by the Danes, from its saddle-shaped top. It is seen at a distance of thirty leagues from the coast. Another large island (called Ome nak by the Greenlanders, and Kin of Saal, or Zaal, on the charts) is situated in the 65°, and being easily distinguish ed by its conical form, which resembles a suga•-loaf, it serves as a landmark to navigators. No large island oc curs until the 69" 14', where the Island Disko is situated. It is the largest on the whole coast, its length from the north to the south occupying one degree of latitude. It forms (with the continent) Disko Bay, called Fish Bay on the charts, and is separated from Greenland by a narrow strait called Waygat. It is uninhabited, except by the Danish settle ment called Godhavn, which is established in Love Bay, or Liefde Bay, for the purpose of whale fishing. To the north of Disko is an island, which deserves to be noticed, called by some navigators Hare, or Ha=en Island, by others IlTaygat Island ; and in the mouth of is situ ated another called Unknown Island. These places are visited by the whale fishers in the month of May. All the islands from the 71° northwards are small, and gene rally marked on the charts with the name Vrowen, or Wo men Islands. The height of the mountains decreases gra dually toward's the north.