110 THE OCEAN. 



vertical section of it, which frequently occurs at the 

 margin of floes, resembles, while it remains compact, 

 the most beautiful satin spar ; and asbestos, when 

 falling to pieces. At this early part of the season, 

 this kind of ice afforded pretty firm footing ; but as 

 the summer advanced the needles became more loose 

 and moveable, rendering it extremely fatiguing to 

 walk over them, besides cutting our boots and feet — 

 on which account the men called them penknives."* 

 The Captain attributes this peculiar structure to the 

 heavy drops of rain piercing their way downwards 

 throTigh the ice, and separating it into needles. 



There is no phenomenon that more forcibly brings 

 before the mind of a stranger the novelty of his 

 position, than the absence, on entering within the 

 Arctic circle, of that constant alternation of day 

 and night, which we are accustomed to consider as 

 inseparable from the constitution of our world. We 

 have learned this fact in our elementary treatises on 

 Geography, but yet it is diflicult to realise to the 

 mind a pei'petual day, an unsetting sun. "When the 

 sun's disk is obscured by a fog, it is no uncommon 

 thing for sailors to ask each other if it be night or 

 day : and Phipps, on his return voyage, thought the 

 sicrht of a star an occurrence of sufficient moment to 

 be inserted in his journal. " August 24th. — We saw 

 Jupiter : the sight of a star was now become almost 

 as extraordinary a phenomenon as the sun at mid- 

 night, when we first got within the Arctic Circle." 

 Our voyagers usually seek the Ai'ctic Ocean in 

 spring, and leave it at the approach of autumn ; a 



• Narrative of an Attempt, &c., p. 61. 



