A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE 167 



The ice blink, seen by us on the 13th, is a dull yellowish 

 light just above the horizon ; and, more elevated, a haze of 

 a grey but piercing light, exceedingly distressing to the sight. 



ice recently formed in some bay and carried out to sea : such ice is 

 the thinnest description of congelation which is covered with snow, 

 and readUy dissolves : the snow nearly dissolved from the face of 

 Disko, which is now mostly of a dark brown appearance : at noon 

 the air was exceedingly sultry, wind same time S.W. : a few threads 

 of cirrus seen in the afternoon, with others of comoid character 

 arising out of them, and passing to some distance at right angles : 

 mallemucks numerous ; burgomasters, a paii' ; tenis and kittiwakes 

 around. 



Between eight and twelve o'clock p. m. having in tliis interval 

 kept constantly looking at the patches of ice, among which the boats 

 were busied in pursuit of numerous whales, the colour of the ice, 

 as it appeared to my sight, surprised me very much, assuming 

 at a distance a bright pink, and in situations nearer to the eye 

 a pale piu'ple. There was no cloud over head, nor any visible, 

 except a yellowish-brown stratus occupying the whole horizon. This 

 phenomenon I do not recollect to see noticed by any person hereto- 

 fore. 



June 10 : ther. 31°, 46°, 28°: wind N.E., light breeze: to the fine 

 weather of the last, a dark, chill atmosphere has succeeded, loaded 

 with icy vapour ; but this state of atmosphere is evidently confined 

 to a low degree, as the zenith remains clear : at noon more clear 

 around, and cirrus, with ckrocuiuulus of bi'illiant white, occupied 



