ATMOSPHEROLOGV.^— REFRACTION. 385 



columnar extension of their parts, which columns 

 are always perpendicular to the horizon : at other 

 times, they appear to be quite lifted into the air, 

 a void space being seen between them and the 

 horizon. This phenomenon is observed most fre- 

 quently on or before an easterly \nud, and is gene- 

 rally considered as indicative of such. 



When the glaciers, lying to the south of Bern 

 and Neufchatel, " appear nearer, plainer, and larger 

 than usual, the country man looks for rain to follow," 

 which commonly occurs the next day. " And the 

 Tartars at the mouth of the river Jenisei in Siberia, 

 look upon a magnificent appearance of the islands, 

 as the presage of a storm *." 



A most extraordinary appearance of the Foreland 

 or Charles's Island, Spitzbergen, occurred on the 

 16th of July 1814f. While sailing to the south- 

 ward along the coast, with an easterly wind, I ob- 

 served what appeared to be a mountain, in the form 

 of a slender but elevated monument. I was sur- 

 prised that I had never seen it before ; but was 

 more astonished when I saw, not far distant, a pro- 



* Gmelin's jouniey, t. iii. p. 129., from Craxtz' Green- 

 land, i. 50. 



t Latitude of the ship 77° 50', longitude 9° E. Thermome- 

 ter at noon 46*^ 6 P. M. 42°, midnight 40°. A light breeze of 

 wind at E. S. E. Barometer 29°.79. Thick fog in the mor- 

 ning. 



VOL. I. B b 



