The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1818-11-10
From The London ooferver Aug 50.
The Arctic Regions Described.

/ FROM the A0uuOn 0cASkbSa aug o.
| The Arctic Regions Described.
The Arctic Expedition which has for ssvera
| mouths attracted the attention of the public,
proposes TWO distinct ohi-cta--to advance to-
wards the Pole, and to explore north weft pas
| sage to China hese are. no doubt, splendid
schemes but ia order 10 form right estimate
of the p'au, and some anticipation of the proba
bic results, we recommend an attentive perusa o.
| the following article.
The rigour 9f the leafonf qvitbie the Hrctil
cucle-bng 7Uinter--fornation Of ICE
6ergs-congelation Of the Jfa--Vafi0ul
| bben0nena.
AFTER the continued action of the
sun has at latt melted away the great
body of ice, ihort and dubious interval
Of warmth occurs. In the lpace of few
weeks, only visited BY 1anting and en-
/ fcebled rays, FroR again resumes his tre-
mendous fway Il begins to snow as
early as Augult, and tne whole ground
il covered, 10 the depth Of two or three
/ feet, before the month of October. a.
long the flores and the bays, the frcih
water poured from rivulets, or drained
from the thawing of former collections
of fnow, becomes quickly converted into
solid ice, AS the cold augments, the air
deposits its moifture in the form of fog.
which freezes into a fine goiIaner net
ting or fpicular icicles, disperfed through
the atmosphere, and extremely minute,
that might feem to pierce and excorlate
the Rin. The boar frost fettles protuse-
ly, in fantaffic clusters, on every Promin-
ence. The whole furface OF the tea
teams like lime kiln an appearance,
called the frost. smoke, caused as IN other
initances of the production OF vapour, by
the waters being Gill relatively warmer
than the incumbent air. AT length the
dispersion Of the milf and confrqpens
clearnefs of the atmosphere announce
that the upper ltratum of the sea itsell
has become cooled TO the fame itanderd;
fleet of ice fpreads quickly over the
fmooth exparle, and often gains. the
thickness Of an inch in a Jingle night
The darkness of prolonged winter now
broods impenetrably over the frozen con.
tinent, unless the moon chances at times
to obtrude her faint rays, which only
discover the horrors and wide delolation
of the scene. The wretched iettlers Gov
cred with a load Of bear skins, remain
crowded and lmmured in their huts, eve,
'ry chink of which they carefully itoP a
gainf the piercing external cold ana
covering about the nove or the lamp
they feek to dozc away the tedious night
Their FENDER ttock Of provllions, though
kept 10 the fame apartment, is often fro
zen 70 hard as to require TO be cut with
Ratchet. The whole OF the inhde OF
their hut becomes lined with q thick
cruft of ice and if they happen for an
infant to open window, the moiiture
of the confined air is Immediately Precip-
Iitated in the form of ihower Of snow.
AS the froIt continues TO penetrate deep
er, the rocks are beard at diEance to
split with loud exploGons. The Aeep Of
death feems to wrap up the fcene 10 utter
and oblivious ruin
AT length the fun re appears above the
horizon bur his languid beams rathei
betray the wide waite, than brighten the
profpect. BY degrees, however the furth
er progrefs Of the froit is checked. Ia
the month of May, the famithed inmates
venture to leave their hut in quelt OF hif
on the margin of the Tea. as the sur
acquires elevation, his power is greatly
increafed. The fnow gradually melts
away-the ice di1lolves apace, and val
fragments of it, detached from the ciltt
and undermined beneath, FreciPitat'
themfelves on the flores with the noli'
and crala Of thunder. The ocean IS nov
unbound, and lis icy dome broken VI
with tremendous rupture. The enormou
fields of ice, thus Ter aaoat, are, by tn
violence Of winds and currents, agar
difcvered and difperfed. Sometimes I'm
PEELED in oPpoGte directions, they ap
proach and arike with mutual ihock
| like the crulh of worlds - inhclent,