16 VOYAGE TO SPITSBERGEN. 



sixty and sixty-one degrees of north latitude, and 

 have their longest day about nineteen, and their 

 shortest about five hours. 



These islands, with those of the Orkneys, make 

 one of the counties of Scotland, which send a re- 

 presentative to the British Parliament. 



The climate of these, as of all other isles of like 

 size, is far from being settled. The atmosphere is, 

 in general moist. They have also heavy snows, 

 but not much frost ; and are often visited by dread- 

 ful storms of wind, rain, and thunder, in so much 

 that the water is agitated even to the bottom of 

 these comparatively shallow seas. 



Owing to the great refraction of northern lati- 

 tudes, for about three months in summer they en- 

 joy the sight of the sun almost without intermis- 

 sion ; but for the same space in winter, (especially 

 in December,) that luminary hardly rises above 

 the horizon, and is commonly obscured by clouds 

 and mists. 



" The sun from far shows with a sickly face, 

 Too weak the fogs and mighty dews to chase." 



In this gloomy season, the absence of day is 

 supplied partly by moon-light, and partly by the 

 radiance of the aurora borealis, or merry-dancers, 

 as they are called in these islands. These are 



