410 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



blows hard, it commonly veers to the N. or N. E. ; 

 and it is observable, that a very hard southerly or 

 easterly gale is frequently succeeded, within a few 

 days, by another from the opposite quarter. 



With the advance of the month of IVlay, storms 

 become less frequent, and the weather becoines sen- 

 sibly better. The winds then begin to blow more 

 frequently from the N. W. In June, the most com- 

 mon winds are N. and N. W., S. and S. W. ; and in 

 July south and south-westerly v/inds prevail. At this 

 season, calms or very light winds also become fre- 

 quent, and continue sometimes for several days toge- 

 ther. In high northern latitudes, however, very heavy 

 storms from the southward occur in July, and blow 

 for thirty or forty hours at a time. Such storms 

 are common about Hakluyt's Headland, when, at the 

 same time, they are not felt to the southward of the 

 Foreland. In August, north-east winds begin again 

 to prevail. 



In one of my Father's journals, appear the fol- 

 lowing remarks on this subject. " For sixteen out 

 of twenty-two years, in which I have successively 

 visited the Greenland Seas, the wind, during the 

 months of April and May, has almost always blown 

 from the N., N. E., E. and E. S. E., between the la- 

 titude of 74t° and 81° N. ; but very rarely from the 

 westward, until about the middle of June, when 

 winds from the W. and N. W. mostly occur *." 



* These directions are per compass ; all the others are refer- 

 able to the true meridian. 



