A NORTH-WEST 1 PASSAGE. 1(5] 



character. " Those strangers," they saj', " are helpless 

 and bad ; know not the use of the paddle or dart, and if 

 left to themselves must starve." European vices, through 



rections, but chiefly towards the north-west. Many seals continued 

 sporting in view this evening : a few looms, but no other birds 

 seen. 



May 22: ther. 32°, 42°, 30°: wind S.S. W., light breeze fi-om 

 variable : Disko crowned with brown cirrostratus ; others aj)pear in 

 profile pointing north and south : the day continued unusually fine : 

 procellaria glacialis, lams tridactylus and canus in small number : 

 a few seals appeared, but were evidently very cautious, from the 

 habitual persecution of the natives. 



May 23: ther. 28°, 33°, 32°: wind N.E. shifting to S.W., fresh 

 breeze : dark vapory cirrostratus, and others in profile, pointing 

 northward : larus maximus seen : at ten p. m. a beautiful parhelion 

 appeared above Disko. This phenomenon, which is commonly named 

 a mock sun, exhibited two distinct portions of an iridescent circle 

 surrounding that luminary, and parallel to the line of the horizon : 

 no portion of such light as the sun afloi-ds, but the briUiant colours 

 of the rainbow, were reflected from the sun's light upon a deep 

 brown bed of cirrostratus, through which the sun-Ught broke, aflfect- 

 ing those colours in its passage through the cloud : it is quite erro- 

 neous to apply the name of mock sun to such a phenomenon ; it might 

 be equally assigned to the rain-bow. See again Plate IV. A seal 

 was shot, but the body sunk before a boat could be lowered down to 

 seize it. . ,«' 



