12 The Rev. W. SCORESBY on some remarkable 



the time), it occurred to me that there might possibly be a dif- 

 ference of appearance at another level. And, on ascending to 

 the attic story (about 60 feet above the sea), I was surprised to 

 find the phenomena altogether changed (see Fig. 1.), and the 

 natural form of the land almost restored. Having made a sketch 

 of this appearance, I returned to the sitting-room, and found the 

 refracted state before observed from thence remaining unchanged. 



1 next descended to the cellar-flat (about twenty feet above 

 the sea), where, on a level platform, by the side of the house, 

 there was a clear view of the same coast. Here, again, I expe- 

 rienced another surprise, in finding the appearance almost per- 

 fectly what it ought to be at that level (see Fig. 3.), scarcely 

 any remains of the refractive influence being observable; yet at the 

 middle position, in the sitting-room, the phenomena continued 

 unaltered ! No material change, indeed, occurred in the general 

 character of any of the views, whilst I was making the three 

 first sketches given herewith. The last view (Fig. 4.) was taken 

 on a subsequent day, and all the four were arranged in the same 

 vertical plane, and adjusted to the same proportions, by marking 

 on the sketches the position of a regular series of posts on the 

 side of a wooden pier, which fortunately lay extended beneath 

 the whole line of coast. This renders the comparison between 

 the effects attributable to the refraction, and the natural state of 

 the view, quite certain. 



On this occasion, objects within four miles of the observer, 

 were slightly influenced by the refraction, though the greatest 

 effects occurred, in respect to objects six to ten miles distant. 

 The phenomena continued to preserve their character, as seen 

 from the three different levels, for above an hour, and then the 

 appearance of Fig. 2. began to descend ; so that eventually, as 

 the heat of the day increased, or rather became more general and 

 uniform, the view from the sitting-room became nearly that of 

 Fig. 1., whilst Fig. 2. was seen from a level ten or fifteen feet 



