268 SECOND JOURNEY TO THE 



supposed to be the case, from the feebleness 

 of the electric fluid in very high latitudes, 

 that the parallel of 65° N. is more favour- 

 able for the frequency, the brilliancy, and 

 the activity of this phenomenon, than those 

 higher latitudes of 70° or 80°. 



It may be recollected, that Captain Parry 

 in his second voyage crossed the line from 

 east to west, or, in other words, passed 

 from one side to the other of the magnetic 

 pole, whose position he was thus enabled to 

 compute pretty nearly. Captain Franklin, 

 for eight successive months, appears to have 

 paid a constant and minute attention to the 

 variation of the needle, having noted down 

 not only the daily but almost hourly varia- 

 tions ; the result of which, as compared with 

 that of Captain Parry, is not only interest- 

 ing but highly important, as fixing almost 

 to a point the present position of the m ag- 

 ue tic al pole. 



" The position of the magnetic pole, as 

 computed from our observations by Pro- 

 fessor Barlow, is in 69° 16' north latitude, 

 and 98° 8' west longitude, and by the obser- 



