80 
has not been corroborated by the experi¬ 
ence of subsequent voyagers. During 
my stay in this country, in 1806 and 
1807, distinction between day and night 
Was almost completely lost. Any per¬ 
ceptible difference between the splendor 
and radiance of the mid-day and mid¬ 
night sun, in clear weathef, (if these ex¬ 
pressions may be used,) arose only from 
a different degree of altitude. Some of 
our most experienced Greenland sailors, 
when called upon deck x have frequently 
asked me whether it was day or night; 
and I have often seen them obliged, even 
in clear sun-shine, to consult the qua¬ 
drant on this head. I may add, that 
Captain Phipps has also contradicted Mr 
Marten in the most positive manner. 
The temperature here is extremely 
fluctuating. Sometimes the heat is so 
great as to melt the pitch on the decks 
and cordage of the vessels, and in a few 
minutes after, succeed high winds, snow, 
