The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XII, No. 2 [‎281r] (64/154)

AN EXPLORATION IN 1897 OF SOME OF THE GLACIERS OF SPITSBERGEN. 151
are practically devoid of glaciers down their west coast, and have large
glaciers in the east. The whole of the south-east of Edge island is
occupied by a great glacier ending in the sea. Barents Land has
several sharply pointed peaks, but the Edge island hills are mainly
flat-topped, like those along the east coast of the main island.
Brince Charles Foreland now alone remains to be considered. It is
very badly represented on the existing chart. At its southern extremity
is an isolated hill. Then comes a very flat plain of about 50 square
miles, raised but a few feet above sea-level. Next comes a mountain
range consisting of fine, sharp snow-peaks. It is cut off on the north
by a deep depression, running in a south-west direction from Seehonde
bay, which, though marked south of St. John’s bay on the chart,
lies some miles north of it. North of Seehonde bay and valley the
mountain range is continued, but the peaks, though fine in form,
are not so high as those of the south group, but they send down
eastward an almost uninterrupted series of glaciers into Foreland
sound. Further north are yet lower snowy hills, which end in the bold
headland called Bird’s cape or Fair Foreland.
Before the reading of the paper, the Chairman (Sir Charles Wilson, Vice-
President) said: I am sorry to say that our President is confined to his house by a
bad cold, and he begged me to make his excuses for not being here this evening.
Sir Martin Conway is so well known to you all, that it is quite unnecessary
for me to say any words of introduction, and I will ask him at once to commence
his lecture on “An Exploration in 1897 of some of the Glaciers of Spitsbergen,’
which I am sure will be very interesting.
After the reading of the paper, the following discussion took place:—
The Chairman: There are several gentlemen here who I think we should
like to hear this evening, and I will first of all call upon Mr. Garwood, who was
with Sir Martin Conway in his last expedition.
Mr. E. J. Garwood : In deference to the request of our Chairman, I rise to say
a few words, although I am afraid the time is getting late. I must ask you to make
allowance for my feelings, labouring as I am under the novel sensation ot possess
ing, for the first time in my life, some real territory of my own. Having been told
before the meeting that you might like to hear a word or two about the geological
features of the country which we explored this year, I have purloined one or two of
my slides from Sir Martin's box with which to illustrate the subject.
The first point to which I should like to allude is the height of the snow-line in
Spitsbergen. Many of you may be under the impression that in Spitsbergen the
snow-line comes down to the sea-level. Before my visit two years ago, I imagined
that the typical scenery so characteristic of our own climate was totally absent from
the arctic regions; that is to say, that curious denudation curve, that logarithmic
curve, so characteristic of a humid climate like our own, and so well seen in the
valleys of Scotland and the lake district in Cumberland. I was surprised, however,
to find that in the low valleys, where unoccupied by glaciers, this was not the case.
We have there true denudation curves produced even up to a height of 1200 to 1500
feet on the western coast of Spitsbergen. This is well seen in photographs of the
northern slope of the Trident, in the Sassendal, where the beautiful curve and the
wonderfully symmetrical gullies are evidently the work of running water acting
during the short summer months.