174 INTENSE COLD: 



the moon frequently shines therewith great brilliancy 

 in winter. Dr. Kane says that in October the moon 

 had reached her greatest northern declination : " She 

 is a glorious object. Sweeping around the heavens, 

 at the lowest part of her curve she is still 1 4 above 

 the horizon. For eight days she has been making 

 her circuit with nearly unvarying brightness. It is 

 one of .those sparkling nights that bring back the 

 memory of sleigh-bells and songs and glad cornmim- 

 ings of hearts in lands that are far away." 



Buttdespite all the varied and transient beauties 

 of the northern skies in winter, the long arctic 

 night is undoubtedly depressing in the extreme. 

 In these regions men speak of being able to read 

 the thermometer on the 7th of November at noon- 

 day " without a light," as being matter for gratula- 

 tion. The darkness still before them at that time 

 would be of about three months' duration, and even 

 then they would only get back to a species of twilight. 



The cold experienced by these navigators of the 

 northern seas is terribly intense. Their thermometers 

 have frequently indicated a temperature as low as 

 75 below zero, or 107 degrees of frost, on Fahren- 

 heit's scale. The thermometers of arctic explorers 

 are always filled with spirits of wine, as quicksilver 

 freezes at about 40 below zero, and is therefore un- 

 suitable. It would be frozen, indeed, the greater 

 part of the winter. 



Dr. Kane says : " At such temperatures chloric 

 ether became solid, and carefully prepared chloroform 



