Its desolate Aspect.--Forests.--Marshes.--Barrens.-- Ponds.--Fur-bearing Animals.--Severity of Climate.--St. John’s.--Discovery of Newfoundland by the Scandinavians.-- Sir Humphrey Gilbert.--Rivalry of the English and French.-- Importance of the Fisheries.--The Banks of Newfoundland.-- Mode of Fishing.--Throaters, Headers, Splitters, Salters, and Packers.--Fogs and Storms.--Seal-catching. 376 CHAPTER XXXVI. GREENLAND. A mysterious Region.--Ancient Scandinavian Colonists.--Their Decline and Fall.--Hans Egede.--His Trials and Success.-- Foundation of Godthaab.--Herrenhuth Missionaries.-- Lindenow.--The Scoresbys.--Clavering.--The Danish Settlements in Greenland.--The Greenland Esquimaux.-- Seal-catching.--The White Dolphin.--The Narwhal.-- Shark-fishery.--Fiskernasset.--Birds.--Reindeer-hunting.-- Indigenous Plants.--Drift-wood.--Mineral Kingdom.--Mode of Life of the Greenland Esquimaux.--The Danes in Greenland.-- Beautiful Scenery.--Ice Caves. 382 CHAPTER XXXVII. THE ANTARCTIC OCEAN. Comparative View of the Antarctic and Arctic Regions.-- Inferiority of Climate of the former.--Its Causes.--The New Shetland Islands.--South Georgia.--The Peruvian Stream.--Sea-birds.--The Giant Petrel.--The Albatross.-- The Penguin.--The Austral Whale.--The Hunchback.--The Fin-back.--The Grampus.--Battle with a Whale.--The Sea-elephant.--The Southern Sea-bear.--The Sea-leopard.-- Antarctic Fishes. 391 CHAPTER XXXVIII. ANTARCTIC VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. Cook’s Discoveries in the Antarctic Ocean.--Bellinghausen.-- Weddell.--Biscoe.--Balleny.--Dumont d’Urville.--Wilkes.-- Sir James Ross crosses the Antarctic Circle on New Year’s Day, 1841.--Discovers Victoria Land.--Dangerous Landing on Franklin Island.--An Eruption of Mount Erebus.--The Great Ice Barrier.--Providential Escape.--Dreadful Gale.--Collision.-- Hazardous Passage between two Icebergs.--Termination of the Voyage. 401 CHAPTER XXXIX. THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. Description of the Strait.--Western Entrance.--Point Dungeness.--The Narrows.--Saint Philip’s Bay.--Cape Froward.--Grand Scenery.--Port Famine.--The Sedger River.-- Darwin’s Ascent of Mount Tarn.--The Bachelor River.--English Reach.--Sea Reach.--South Desolation.--Harbor of Mercy.-- Williwaws.--Discovery of the Strait by Magellan (October 20, 1521).--Drake.--Sarmiento.--Cavendish.--Schouten and Le Maire.--Byron.--Bougainville.--Wallis and Carteret.--King and Fitzroy.--Settlement at Punta Arenas.--Increasing Passage through the Strait.--A future Highway of Commerce. 408 CHAPTER XL. PATAGONIA AND THE PATAGONIANS.