experienced in this region are not unworthy of mention a remarkable was noticed between two mountains at bay another noticed by our party in a cliff at cape gives back more than a dozen echoes and baron relates that a pistol fired near some cliffs on the river is echoed a hundred times the great distance to which small sounds are sometimes is also worthy of record the first time this clearness of the atmosphere came under observation was at saint where a conversation carried on at an incredible distance could be distinctly heard amid the grim silence and desolation of heretofore island at a time too when the air was for that latitude i distinctly heard our a small man with a voice of no great volume giving orders two miles away while laughter and sounds of the voice when any one spoke above the ordinary tone were heard with such amazing distinctness as to suggest communication where the conditions were so favorable to the reflection of waves it was natural to expect the occurrence of a phenomenon an echo at sea such as i once noticed in a fog off the banks while crossing the atlantic in a french steamer whose fog whistle was echoed in a surprising manner but at no time was it observed that the state of the atmosphere overhead or the of fog banks gave rise to anything like an echo although as a rule no very marked differences in the deep sea and surface were observed yet a few of the noticed are deserving of mention for instance near herald island on july the temperature at the bottom was o and � a few days later off the coast miles to the southward it measured � while later in sea over miles to the southward it fell to the of the sea water as observed by mr f e assistant engineer of the is shown in the accompanying table the instruments used in obtaining the results were a and a water was drawn at about feet below the surface and heated to a temperature of � f and the or specific gravity is shown by the depth to which the sinks in the water as sea water commonly contains one part of matter to parts of water the instrument is marked in thirty seconds as c and the are parts of one thirty second of i l at saint sea off bay asia ocean near straits ocean near ice on coast sea off saint island bay sea july sea between ring s island and ca e prince of wales july entrance to sound july cape ocean july icy cape july herald island in the ice july � cape august island surface in ice august island below surface feet august the use of the resulted in finding the usual forms that have been already described in works relating to ages in latitude � a spot known among the as the post office � the brought up some mud of a temperature of while the water near the measured examination of the mud revealed some shells of in passing straits the tint of the water was noticed it resembled that often seen in the water of mill which has been by leaves the of steamer in the ocean of the sea was also observed in september in latitude and several patches of red snow were seen at bay and at herald island but whether the tint was owing to the presence of some red or not am unable to say the records kept on board the being of use in connection with the of the vessel only are therefore so far as making any from them in regard to is concerned in connection with this subject it may be inferred from the absence of above straits and the existence of huge ones in the more southern part of compared with which the great of the is a mere that the amount of is much less in the higher of the pacific but the finding of and rock and other evidences of former as well as of coal which says is the sun s rays in form and also the remains of the along with luxuriant tropical or semi tropical vegetation would imply the existence at a remote period of a different condition a change in which has been brought about according to the explanation of the in long la of time through the change in the of the earth s in combination with the of the and the movement of the whether a climate existed in former days the to on vegetable food as suggested by professor or whether the in his personal while to overcome the influence of climate was detained in his present position by the sudden it is impossible to say sir charles seems to account satisfactorily not only for the of these animals in the northern parts of and america but for the permanent masses of ice known as his explanation is as follows this snow is commonly blown over the edges of steep cliffs so as to form an inclined hundreds of feet high and when a torrents rush from the land and throw down from the top of the cliff soil and gravel this new soil soon becomes covered with vegetation and the foundation of snow from the rays of the sun water occasionally into the and of the snow but as soon as it it serves the more to the mass into compact ice it may sometimes happen that cattle in a valley at the base of such cliffs on the borders of a river may be overwhelmed by drift snow and at length in solid ice and then transported toward the region or a herd of returning from their summer pastures in the north may have been surprised while crossing a stream by the sudden of the waters in the course of the summer we fell in 