VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 3 



frothy appearance to a person standing upon the 

 opposite banks. 



Contiguous to this place, in a town called Mar- 

 ton, was born that great circumnavigator Captain 

 James Cook, whose barometer (that which he used 

 in his voyaga of discovery) we had on board the 

 Resolution. 



Between Whitby and Lyth, a small town distant 

 about four miles, is a beautiful level strand, eene- 

 rally known by the name of Whitby Sands, upon 

 which there used to be annual races ; but now they 

 are less frequent. 



Adjacent to Lyth, is the seat of the Mulgrave 

 family, one of whom, Constantine John Phipps, 

 (afterwards Lord Mulgrave), in 1773, undertook a 

 voyage, by his Majesty's command, towards the 

 North Pole, under the hopes of discovering a pas- 

 sage to the East Indies in a north-east direction : 

 but in which he, like many others, did not suc- 

 ceed. 



Among the sands on the shore are found stones 

 resembling snakes without heads, the " Cornu am- 

 moms" of naturalists. These stones are easily 

 known by circular, or rather spiral windings mark- 

 ed on their outside. One of these being broken, its 

 interior exhibits the appearance of a snake rolled 

 up and ready to make a spring. 



