96 Dr Latta*s Observations on the 



phere, we may bring into the account the circumstance, that, from the steep- 

 ness of the hills, the sun is always actually vertical, to one surface or other 

 of the mountainous coast, throughout its daily course." But it must be evi- 

 dent, that, if such were actually the case, if serenity prevailed over the land 

 where the temperature was higher than at sea, it would follow, that, as the 

 interior exposed the broader surface for the sunbeams to impinge on, and as 

 it is removed from the colder atmosphere of the ocean, the heat there would 

 more readily accumulate, and, instead of valleys filled up, and mountains buried 

 under perpetual snow, we would see the whole which had accumulated du- 

 ring the storms of the long dark winter night, speedily dissolved, and thus 

 give rise to torrents and rivers. But, so far as we could discover, the land 

 was riverless, and eternal frost prevailed. During a very great part of the year, 

 the atmosphere is intensely cold, the temperature of the winter months being 

 commonly 60° or 70* below the freezing point * ; during summer it is only 

 on the sea-beach that it ranges a little above 40' : even this is of rare occur- 

 rence ; for the air is for the most part obscured with impenetrable fogs, (for 

 the production of which sharp peaks are peculiarly adapted), so that the 

 warmth of the sun's rays is absorbed long ere it has penetrated the gloom ; 

 and even during the short intervals of serenity, but a small proportion of heat 

 can reach the surface of the earth, on account of the great body of air the ob.. 

 lique sunbeam has to traverse, and the additional resistance opposed to its 

 progress, by the density of the cold atmosphere, which not only intercepts 

 part of its caloric, but counteracts the influence of the small portion which 

 reaches the surface, by the frigorific emanations sent from the superjacent 

 regions of frigidity. Captain Weddell, in his interesting narrative of a voy- 

 age to the Antarctic Ocean, so far from considering the temperature of the 

 islands there elevated, attributes the cold of the neighbouring sea to the fri- 

 gid influence of the soil ; and were Spitzbergen not too insignificant to pro- 

 duce such consequences in the north, I doubt not but the same conjecture 

 might be applicable. It is an island of no great magnitude, and is mostly 

 bristled into lofty peaked mountains ; the soil is refrigerated by the terrible 

 severity of an almost perpetual winter, and excepting adjoining the sea, is at 

 all seasons covered with snow ; consequently the sunbeam has very little ef- 

 fect on it. The influence of these peculiarities is not diminished by the con- 

 dition of the adjoining sea, which is either covered with ice loaded with snow, 

 or open ; in which state it constantly absorbs the little heat left in the impo- 

 verished sun-beams, without having its temperature elevated, this being pre- 

 vented not only by the permanency of the currents, but by the sluggishness 

 of the sea-water at a low temperature. Its freezing point is about 4° lower 

 than that of fresh water, and its mobility, in that condition, being much im- 

 paired, the revolution produced among its particles goes on but slowly, and 

 consequently much time may be spent ere the temperature of the upper 

 strata of the sea can be elevated, even to the freezing point of fresh water ; 

 nor can they attain even that by 2', if the surface is strewed with ice. Un- 

 der these circumstances much caloric may be abstracted from the warmer air, 

 as it flows on to the land, and there its temperature wiU soon be reduced to 



* How has this been ascertained ? — Edit. 



