176 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



diaii of London, in high latitudes. In the year 

 1817, the sea was found to be of a blue colour, and 

 transparent, all the way from 12 etist, in the pa- 

 rallel of 74° or 75°, to the longituile of 0° 12' east, 

 in the same parallel. It then became green, and 

 less transparent. The colour was nearly grass- 

 green, with a shade of black. Sometimes the 

 transition between the green and blue water is pro- 

 gressive, passing through the intermediate shades 

 in the space of three or four leagues ; at others, it 

 is so sudden, that the line of separation is seen like 

 the rippling of a current ; and the two qualities of 

 the water keep apparently as distinct as the waters 

 of a large muddy river, on first entering the sea. 

 In 1817, I fell in with such narrow stripes of va- 

 rious coloured water, that we passed streams of pale 

 green, olive green, and transparent blue, in the 

 course of ten minutes sailing. 



The food of the whale occurs chiefly in the green 

 coloured water ; it therefore affords whales in great- 

 er numbers than any other quality of the sea, and 

 is constantly sought after by the fishers. Besides, 

 whales are more easily taken in it, than in blue 

 water, on account of its great obscurity preventing 

 the whales from seeing distinctly the approach of 

 their enemies. 



Nothing particular being observed in this kind 

 of water, sufficient to give it the remarkable colour 

 it assumes, I at first imagined that this appearance 



