TO THE- ARCTIC REGIONS. 11 
the contrast would not differ much wider than if our 
landscape views to-day were compared to those de- 
scribed on the fourth instant. 
Such of the Orkney islands as we had an op- 
portunity of seeing, might, in general, be de- 
scribed as hilly, but neither high nor rugged, and 
declining gradually, although not with an even 
surface, from their middle towards the sea, where 
they in some places terminate in abrupt precipices. 
The summer hardly appeared -to have commenced 
here yet; the ground was indeed clear of snow, 
but vegetation had made but very little progress ; 
for the sides of the hills appeared in the remains 
of their last year’s garb, viz. withered grass, and 
such hardy herbs as the rigour of the winter had 
not been able to destroy. We spoke this forenoon a 
Danish brig from Copenhagen bound to Disco; we 
asked her name, and several other questions, but 
owing to the distance she was off, her answers were 
but very indistinctly heard. She kept in company, 
or rather in sight, the whole day, but edging to 
the northward more than we did, so that, in the 
evening, she was at a considerable distance from us. 
We saw several Kittiwakes (Larus T'ridactylus, Lin.) 
to-day, for the first time this voyage. 
Friday, 21st. — Nothing occurred to-day deserv- 
ing of notice; in the forenoon we lost sight of the 
northernmost of the Orkney islands, and in the even- 
ing we descried the islands of Barra, and Rona, 
