The National Register.
London, England, 1818-01-04 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL )tECTISTER.,

widths, and so deep that the eye seeks the bottom in vain
That part of the ice which appeared to he uneven is nothing
but projecting hillocks w ith deep ravines. *here it is impos-
sible to proceed, and which bear the appearance of the sea
in most violent motion, instantly congealed. If yon look down
into the rents or observe the ice at the extremities, youti nd
the lower stratum of a blue colour, which is darker towards
the bottom, but towards the serfage the colour is lighter,
the uppermast stratum having its natural whiteness.. The
noise of water•fslla is heard in some of the rents, and a
thundering sound is frequently heard under your feet,
when a new rent is made. O■ inspecting the extremity of
the ice, when it is forrunig in low places, you will find it
undermining the ground and pushing it aside as if it were
by a plough. This detritus lies collected in heaps all along
the sides of the ice, like walls, arid at the first breaking sip
of the ice is sunk into it for ever. In many places entire lakes
re filled up; the ice spares nothing. The blocks of ice, that
form a continnation of the land-ice and project over the water
in tho inner parts of the bays, are yearly increasing. The sea
below throws its waves over them, and makes such excava-
tions, that in many places large poles of ice are hanging
down at the sides, having the appearance of pipes of organs,
and in other places it forms immense arches. In proportion,
as these blocks increase above and become heavier, and the
excavations below are extended, immense masses are preci-
pitated into the water. Many bays are really deep enough
to receive smith ice mountains. As one mass falls down, that
which is behind is carried along with it, and thus one follows
the other with a tremenduns cracking noise, like a heavy can-
nonade. The sea, as is easily imagined, is thereby put into a
violent motion, and nverdows the land to a great height, and
this inundation is felt at the distance of several miles. It has
even happened that tents pitched at a considerable diatance
from the sea have been carried away and the people have
perished. Boats are also in great danger.
" Such masses of ice are at first precipitated deep in the
water, and returning to the surface cont' for a long time
in motion. Sometimes they rrc united to the tlat ice in the
bays by congelativa, and thus remain surrounded by it for a
time, or they break in their fall the ice which is already
formed there.

" • Another circumstance which increases these mountains,
is that in some places there are large lakes above the ice
blocks, discharging their water through openings under them.
Round the edges of thr lakes are banging pieces of ice,
which in the above-described manner are precipitated into
them. They are then driven to the mouth of the opening,
through which the smaller pieces are carried down into the
tea, but the larger ones block up the opening, by which not
sonly the water is stopped, but also the masses of ice. The
water rising higher detaches still more of those pieces, and
the lake is at last so full of them, that they break a new
channel. Thus the masses that were heaped one upon the
other are hurled into the sea, accompanied by a continued
thundering miss. The sea is put into terrible commotion,
and the inhabitants in the neighbourhood, when they hear
this roaring, expect to sec the whole bay blocked up with
ice, _ .

" If the ice mountains remain for some time under the
projecting blocks of ice (which depends on the state of the
wind and the current) their size is then increased, and they
rise to a terrible height, assuming the most curious shapes.—
At last they are driven from one bay into another, or they
advance into the sea and float about in Davis's Streight, till by
moving southwards they are dissolved in more temperate la-
titude. I do not mean to say that all ice mountains in Davies's
Strelght have their origin on Greenland, for some of them
probably came front more distant legions : but I think it most
probable that the greatest part of this sort of ire has been
detached from the western coast, and from the eastern coast
of Greenland, which they call Old Greenland."'
"From this and other evidence which might be adduced,
it is clear that the quantity of ice in the northern regions has
undergone a very considerable and even rapid increase, and
we are of opinion that this circumstance is sufficient to ac-
count for that deteioration of our climate which we set oat
with deploring, and which if the same causes continue to act,
is equally threatening to our at present more fortunate neigh-
bours upon the continent of Europe. t
" It now becomes a question whether there are any hopes of
amendment; whether matters may not take a turn the other
way; arid whether by the gradual breaking up of the ice, the
climate of this part of Europe may not regain its former state.
In favour of this idea, it seems in the tirst place highly impro-
bable, from what we know of the beneficent adjustments of
Nature, that there should be no remedy or compensation
provided for so great au evil ; but, secondly, it seems that
within the last year a very notable relaxation of the cold has
actually taken place. East Greenland, as we have before
mentioned, has not only been inaccessible, but even invisible
for a long period ; but last year it was observed by one of the-
whalers, that the ice had there suffered a most astonishing
decrease; that about two thousand square leagues had disap-
peared, and that land was again visible. We learn too from
Copenhagen, that intelligence was there received in August
last that the ice which from time iinmetuorial had interrupted
the communication with East Greenland hail vanished. It
is further probable that the process of thawing is going
on to a yet go eater extent further north, for the ice islands
met with in the Atlantic are almost entirely conveyed thither
by the southern current which constantly runs in Davis's
Streight, and they were last year much more iiiiii %emus than
usual—many, and large ones, were even seen in 420 south
latitude in the summer and autumn ut' 1816, and we think it
by no means improbable that the extreme chillness of that
season may in great measure be referred to these visitors
from the north ; for the south-west winds could nut but have
been chilled by passing over these frozen masses. We think
there is one other remark worth recording, though we would
not be understood to lay any stress upon its reference to,
or connection with the more propitious state of the weather
that we now look for—it is, that at the very time we heard
of the thawing of the northern ice, and a consequent proba-
bility of the return of those regions to their former state,
the westward variation of the magnetic tn-s tile begun to
decline, and it is already retrograded some degrees towards
due north.
1' From America, too, we learn, that in eons:quence of the
coldness of the seasons, Indian corn will no longer ripen in New
England, and that the farmers have consequently taken to the culti-
vation of wheat, which has suceeetled so weft, as to render it likely to
supersede maze.

The Duke of Clarence, at dinner given bitn by the Na% a
Officers resident at Rath, lamented tin slate policy that 1..1(1
prevented hint front sharing their glories and iho t -.
and leading such heroes as those present to victory a,. -
nown. His Royal Highness's last toast was—" Toe .
wheat, the land of oats, tile Laid of potatoes, and the laud oh
leds.r.-Baiil