JOURNAL. ^t 



reptiles ; not even the common earthworm. We favv no Auguft. 

 fprings or rivers, the water, which we found in great 

 plenty, being all produced by the melting of the fnovv 

 from the mountains. During the whole time we were in 

 thefe latitudes, there was no thunder or lightning. I muft 

 alfo add, that I never found what is mentioned by Marten 

 (who is generally accurate in his obfervations, and faithful 

 in his accounts) of the fun at midnight refembling in ap- 

 pearance the moon ; I faw no difference in clear weather 

 between the fun at midnight and any other time, but what 

 arofe from a different degree of altitude ; the brightnefs of 

 the light appearing there, as well as elfewhere, to depend 

 upon the obliquity of his rays. The fky was in general 

 loaded with hard white clouds ; fo that I do not re- 

 member to have ever feen the fun and the horizon both 

 free from them even in the clearefh weather. We could 

 always perceive when we were approaching the ice, long 

 before we faw it, by a bright appearance near the horizon, 

 which the pilots called the blink of the ice. Hudfon re- 

 marked, that the fea where he met with ice was blue ; but 

 the green fea was free from it. I was particularly atten- 

 tive to obfcrvc this difference, but could never difcern it. 

 The Driftwood in thefe feas has given rife to various 

 opinions and conjedures, both as to its nature and the 

 place of its growth. All that which we faw (except the 

 pipe-ftaves taken notice of by Doflor Irving on the Low 

 Ifland) was fir, and not worm-eaten. The place of its 

 growth I had no opportunity of afcertaining. 



The 



