S66 



ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



good ground for imagining such a thing, I presume 

 the objection would not bear upon the conclusion ; 

 because, though a basin of water might occur, it 

 must be entirely surrounded with ice, whereby 

 every general wind which could blow, must pass 

 over such an extent of ice, that nearly the full fri- 

 gorific effect might be supposed to be produced, of 

 which its influence was capable. 



I might, in connection with this subject, enter in- 

 to an investigation of the probable range of tempe- 

 rature in the winter months, from a similar mode 

 of reasoning as has been hitherto adopted ; but 

 the subject being so entirely speculative, I shall 

 content myself with mentioning the range of tem- 

 perature in those months, in which my observations 

 have been conducted. The mean annual range of 

 temperature in the polar seas, observed in April du- 

 ring seven years, was 26^, the greatest range 41'^ ; 

 the mean highest temperature 30°.6, and the mean 

 lowest 4°.6. The following table, however, will 

 show these matters more conveniently. 



