280 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. VIII. 



ence of the sun is considerably less than from the 

 meridian to the latter ; in other words, that the 

 power of the sun during the first half of the day, 

 when his rays pass over the eastern land, is much 

 less than when he is pouring his beams on the 

 western land for the second half of the day ? If it 

 be conceded that the setting sun shedding its rays 

 on a western coast creates a more warm or mild 

 temperature than is felt by the more oblique rays 

 at the same time shed on the eastern land, perhaps 

 it may assist to solve the problem ; but the differ- 

 ence is not so great as to explain the cause of the 

 permanently fixed ice for instance on the east coast 

 of Greenland, or of Southampton Island, and many 

 other coasts running north and south. 



" These facts, when taken together," Parry says, 

 " have long ago impressed me with an idea that 

 there must exist in the Polar region some general 

 motion of the sea towards the west, causing the ice 

 to set in that direction, when not impelled by con- 

 trary winds, or local and occasional currents, until 

 it butts against those shores which are actually 

 found to be most encumbered by it ;" and he gives 

 instances of ships being set to the westward in 

 opposition to a strong wind blowing from that 

 quarter ; and, having stated the facts, he concludes 

 by suggesting, for the consideration of others, 

 whether such a tendency of the sea as that no- 



