48 ACCOUNT OF THE AECTIC REGIONS. 



tiirc, it has been deduced by Professor Kirwaii, that 

 the means of temperature of the montlis of May, 

 June and July, in la^titude 78°, are respectively as 

 high as 37% 51°.5, 50°.5, and the mean of the year 

 33°.2 or, according to other meteorologists 34^2, 

 notwithstanding no allowance appears to have been 

 made for the supposed extraordinary power of the sun 

 when continually above the horizon. But from calcu- 

 lations founded on twelve years observations on the 

 temperature of the icy regions, I have determined the 

 mean temperature of the month of May, latitude 

 78°, to be 32°.5, of June 31°. 4, of July 37'; and of 

 the whole year ] T, being below the temperatures 

 calculated, by 14°.5 in May, 20°. 1 in June, 13.5 

 in July, and 16° or 17° in the mean annual tempe- 

 rature *. Hence, so far from the actual influence 

 of the sun, though acknowledged at a certain season 

 to be greater at the Pole than at the Equator, be- 

 ing above what it is calculated to be by the ordi- 

 nary formulas for temperature, it is found in lati- 

 tude 78' to be greatly below it, — how then can the 

 temperature of the Pole be expected to be so very 

 different ? Prom the remarks in the ensuing pages 

 it will be shown, that ice is annually formed during 

 nine months of the year in the S])itzbergen sea ; 

 and that neither calm weather, nor the proximity 



* Appendix No. I., contains the whole series of Meteorolo- 

 gical Tables for the year 1S07 to 1818 inclusive; from whence 

 these resultSj as included in No. 11.^ are derived. 



