East Coast of West Greenland. 343 
and the boldness of the coruscations, seemed to bring it to a low 
elevation ; and, when the rays were darted towards the ship, it ap- 
peared almost to descend to the very mast-head. 
“ Between the parallels of 62 ° or 63* and 70°, the aurora borealis 
is of very common occurrence, in the spring and autumn of the 
year. On the 3d of April 1820, I observed the most interesting 
display of this meteor that nearly forty passages to and from the 
fishery had afforded. The evening was fine and clear, the wind 
westerly. The aurora first appeared in the north, and gradually ex- 
tended in a luminous arch across the zenith, almost to the southern 
horizon. A dim sheet of light then suddenly appeared, and spread 
over the whole of the heavens to the eastward of the magnetic meri- 
dian, while only a few insulated specks were visible to the west- 
ward. The eastern aurorae were grey and obscure, and exhibited 
little motion ; but the arch extending across the zenith, showed an 
uncommon playfulness of figure and variety of form. Sometimes it 
exhibited a luminous edge towards the west, in some places concen- 
trated into a fervid brilliancy. The rays were a little oblique to 
the position of the arch ; but generally parallel to each other, and 
commonly ran in the direction of the magnetic north and south. At 
one time they extended sideways against the wind ; at another in 
the contrary direction. Now they shot forward numerous luminous 
pencils, then shrunk into obscurity, or dispersed into the appearance 
of mere vapour. The colours were yellowish- white and greyish- 
white. All the stars of the fourth magnitude were visible through 
the meteor, even in its most vivid coruscations. Ursa Major was at 
one time encircled with such a characteristic blazonry of light, that 
the Bear seemed to spring into figure, and to be shaking his shaggy 
limbs, as if in contempt of the less distinguished constellations around 
him. The Pleiades were almost obsured by the light produced by 
the aurora ; though Venus, and all the superior stars, shone with 
becoming splendour. I have never been sensible that the shooting 
of the aurora was accompanied by any noise ; the turbulence, in- 
deed, of the water at sea, or noise of the sails during calms, prevents 
slight sounds from being heard/’ P. 16-18. 
For some days after the aurora borealis, the weather was fine. 
During a run of 50 leagues, the sea was constantly of an olive- 
green colour, remarkably turbid ; but, on the afternoon of the 
17th April, it changed to transparent blue. This green appear- 
ance of the sea in these latitudes, was occasioned by myriads of 
small marine animals. A calculation of the number of these 
animals, in a space of two miles square, and 250 fathoms deep, 
gave an amount of 23,888,000,000,000. 
Their Latitude, on the 17th, was 65° 58', Long. 3° 53' W. A 
great quantity of drift-wood passed during the day. Two trees 
were picked up, one of which was about 30 feet in length. This 
wood is probably derived from some of the great rivers of Sibe- 
ria, which empty themselves into the Frozen Ocean, and being 
