TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 17¥ 
the thermometer was as low as 55°, but a light 
breeze having sprung up shortly after, it soon rose 
to 50°. As I considered this day to be one of the 
coldest that we are likely to have this winter, I 
made an experiment, which, although trivial, de- 
serves to be mentioned, as it exemplifies in a very 
simple manner the rapidity with which water is 
frozen in such a temperature as we have had. 
The experiment in question was thus made: I 
took a quart bottle, full of fresh water to the main- 
top, and there poured it through a small cullendar, 
when it was found that by the time the drops of 
water had fallen to the roofing over the ship, they 
had congealed into irregular spherical masses. 
The height between the main-top and the place 
on which they fell was 40 feet 8 inches. * 
Thursday, 17th. — ‘The thermometer in my 
cabin last night was as low as 10°, and the average 
height of it there for these ten days past has been 
from 15°. to 20° ; in the day time, indeed, it some- 
times rises to 24°, but seldom above that. 
Thursday, 24th. — Nothing of any importance 
occurred for this week past; but an event took 
place to-day of rather an unpleasant nature. At 
a quarter past ten in the forenoon, the house on 
* J ought to mention, however, that the water did not fall 
quite perpendicularly, owing to a light air of wind that existed 
at the time ; consequently it must have occupied more time in 
falling than a body moving freely would take in describing the 
same space; for according to the rule, that, ‘“ the spaces 
described by a body falling, increase as the squares of the time 
increase,” it would appear that the water in question froze in 
Jess than two seconds. 
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