GREENLAND OR POLAR ICE. 



S75 



on the west coast of Spitzbergen, has always a 

 tendency to drift, and actually does advance in a 

 surprising manner to the south or south-west ; 

 whence, some vacancy must assuredly be left in 

 the place which it formerly occupied. 



These openings, therefore, may be readily frozen 

 over whatever be their extent, and the ice may 

 in time acquire all the characters of a massy 

 field. 



It must, however, be confessed, that from the 

 density and transparency of the ice of fields, and 

 the purity of the water obtained therefrom, it is 

 difficult to conceive that it could possess such cha- 

 racters if frozen entirely from the water of the 

 ocean ; — particularly as young ice is generally 

 found to be porous and opaque, and does not af- 

 ford a pure solution. The succeeding theory, 

 therefore, is perhaps more consonant to appear- 

 ances ; and although it may not be established, 

 has at least probability to recommend it. 



It appears from what has been advanced, that 

 openings must occasionally occur in the ice be- 

 tween Spitzbergen and the Pole, and that these 

 openings will in all probability, be again frozen 

 over. Allowing, therefore, a thin field or a field 

 of bay-ice to be therein formed, a superstructure 

 may probably be added by the following process. 

 The frost, which constantly prevails during nine 

 irionths of the year, relaxes towards the end of 

 June or the begiiining of July, whereby the coVer^ 



