1773. CONSTANTINE JOHN PHIPPS. 505 



of the sun at midnight, which gave the latitude to 

 be 74° 26' ; and in the evening of that day reached 

 the latitude of the south part of Spitzbergcn with 

 a fair wind, without an increase of cold, and with- 

 out any appearance of ice or sight of land. A 

 piece of drift-wood, which w^as fir, was picked up, 

 and not worm-eaten. On the 29th thev stood in 

 with the land, which was formed " by high, barren, 

 black rocks, without the least marks of vegetation; 

 in many places bare and pointed, in other parts 

 covered with snow, appearing even above the 

 clouds; the vallies between the hio'h cliffs were 

 filled with snow or ice. This prospect would have 

 suggested the idea of perpetual winter, had not 

 the mildness of the weather, the smooth water, 

 bright sunshine, and constant daylight, given a 

 cheerfulness and novelty to the whole of this 

 striking and romantic scene.''* On this day the 

 latitude observed was 77° 59' 1 1 '. 



A mountain was measured which was fifteen 

 hundred and three yards in height. The weather 

 along the coast continued to be moderate and fine. 

 At midnight the latitude was 78° 25' 46" ; the dip 

 of the magnetic needle 80° 45'. On the 4th the 

 latitude of Magdalena Hoek- was ascertained to 

 be 79° 34', the same as Fotherby observed it to be 

 in 16 14. On the 5th they fell in with the main 

 body of the ice, along which they stood to as- 



* A Voyage towards the North Pole, p. 31. 

 VOL. I. X 



