156 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



The greater part of this ice was out of sight be- 

 fore night, owing to the strong current which runs 

 from the northeast on this part of the coast; this 

 current has perceptibly increased in strength since 

 we came to Spitzbergen, and may now be running 

 at three miles an hour. 



When sailing at some miles from the land it is 

 very difficult to realize the existence of such a cur- 

 rent, for vessel, and boats, and floating ice all go 

 along together, and it is only on approaching any 

 of the large grounded icebergs that one becomes 

 fully alive to it ; but then it appears as if the boat 

 and the small ice were stationary, and the ground- 

 ed berg sailing past them with great velocity — the 

 reverse, of course, being the case. 



The Gulf Stream has little or no influence to the 

 north and east of Black Point and the Thousand 

 Islands, as the ice is always traveling to the south- 

 west (except, of course, in case of southerly gales) ; 

 but directly it is driven to the south or west of that 

 promontory, it comes within the influence of the 

 Gulf Stream, and is rapidly dissolved — that is, dur- 

 ing June, July, and August. After the end of 

 August the Arctic current entirely overcomes the 

 remnant of the Gulf Stream, which has been strug- 

 gling with it so far successfully as to modify its 

 blighting influence on the south and west shores 

 of Spitzbergen during the three preceding months ; 

 and the Polar ice, aided by the increasing cold, 

 comes down in such quantities as to defy the ef- 



