Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-05-19

naviga,ors. Since that time we have receiv
Ell from Hamhsrg, copy of captain Ocken's
log, chart OF his route, aud letter addressed
by him 10 Messrs. Elliott and Go. Of Hamburg
trcm all which il appears that he coasted
Greenland with the land in sight, and anon.
loose ice, but that the most uoriherly point
which he saw was about SO deg y. latitude.
But We nave the direct testimony of Mr..
ScOresby the younger, a very intelligent Davi
gator OF the Greenland seas, tor the disappear.
ance OF an immense quantity of arctic ice. In
letter TO Sir Joseph BankcS, he says, Oh
served on my last voyage, ASH about tNo
Thousand square leagues $1,000 square mites
ot the surface of the Greenland seas, included
between the pareilels "A deg. and 80 de-. per-
fecuy void OF ice, all which has disappeared
within the last TIVE years Aud he further
states. that though ON former voyages he had
very rarely been able 30 penetrate The ice, be
tween the iatitu,ies of al deg. and 40 deg. so
fai to the west as the msridian OF Greenwich,
on iils last voyage he twice reached the louyi-
tude OF 10 deg. w. !; that in the parallel of az
deg. he approached the coast OF Old Green
iana trat there was little ice near tile land
and adding, that there could he no doubt bur
ne might baYe reached the shore, Lad he had Il
Jnstihdble motive for navigating AN unhnowu
sea at 80 late season of the YEAR He also
iound the sea so ciearin returning TO The south.
wsrd, tha, he actually landed on Jan Mayens
island, which is usually surrounded with a bar.
rier OF ice, and brought away specimens OF the
rocks.
Another fact deserves TO be meutiored-
IF ointhuS GREGORY, who sailed from Shet
iand 10 HSterheaj IN the Neptune Vt Aberdeen
on her return from the fishery is said to have
reported that Drisc0le, the master, not only
ian""d on The east coast Of Greenland about
the latitude ot10deg. hut found :. bruus htaway
post bearing an inscription. in Russian cliarac-
!ers. that ship OF that nation had been there
III the year l77i which post with its inscrip-
ton was seen on board by DIR. Gregory 1t
would seem indeed that TIE northern part of
the east coast OF Greenland has eenaprroach-
ell IT NaTiOus times bv different nations
Dutch. Danes and Englisi-Hud in 1907,
Saw the coastnearlyn the same latitude as that
where DriScoie IS supposed TO have landed
and actually sent boat on shore in 80 deg %
min. It's from Hudson'S' Hold with Hope
III about 40 deg. To Cape Farewell that the ice
fixed Itself TO the land from which it has re.
ceRtly been detached.
That this is the case we can state from the
best authority Intelligence was received at
CopGnhasen, from iceland, IN September last.
OF the ice having broken loose from the oppo-
site coast OF Greenland, aud Coated away 10
the Southward, after surrounding the shores
and Sling all the bays ard creeks of that Is.
lard AVID this affecting visitation was repeat
Ell ~ me same year, n circumstance hitherto
uukhOwH.
IL would be waste of words TO enter into
any discussion on the dinImution OF teinpeia.
lure, which must necessarily be0ucaSiontd jv
the proximity OF vast mountains and islands at
ice. he authentic annals OF Iceland describe
that island as having once been covered wish
lmpeUiotts woods AID numerous places stni
bear the name OF IC---St,' which produce only
few miserable stunted brches OF five or six
feet high, aud in which all attempts 10 raise a
tree of any kind have for AGES ptoysd unuVail.
ing. The most intelligent travellers. who, in
our time, have visited this island bear test:Ino.
ny 10 the fact oflaTge logs Of wood being dug
out of hogs and found between the rocks and
in the Yallies. II is also said tina, GOOD culina
ry vegetables were ouce produced on it but
The cabbages seen there by ET Hooker, in The
month OF August, we've diminuiive that Il
halt crown piece would have covered the whole
plant Nothing but deterioration OF climate
could have wrought these changes and this
can only be explained by vast increase of
floating ice which, says Hooker mo! only
nils all the bays, bat covers the sea 10 that eN-
tent from The shore, that the eve cannot trace
It's boundary from the summit of the highest
mountains. Sometimes il connects the island
III one continued mass with Greenland when
The white bears come over III such alarming
numbers that the inhabitants assemble and
wagea national war with them These masses
OF ice drive about with such rapidity aud rush
against one another with so much violence
that the floating wood brought aone with
ITEM Is 'a!o sometimes 10 take fire by the fric-
ton. During thiS conflict, the weather is
unsettled aOd stormy but when ence the ice
becomes fiSed TO the land, the air thcksuS,
and dense iogs. accompanied hya moist and
penetrating cold, DESTROY all yeeetatiou and
the cattle perish.
1t sIch be the facts, and they cannet well
be ques toned, with regard 10 these countries,
it is equally clear that cur own climate,
though iha less degree, must have been affect
ed BY this accumulation of ice on the east
ccast of Greenland. The distance between
the centre of Iceland and Edinbnrg, is not more
than tw ice, aud that from Iceland to London,
not above three times, the distance between
Iceland and the east coast OF Greenland. That !
our climate has '.-en more particularly affected |
in the course of the last three years, by the |
descent OF tie ice into the tantic, and mOre |
especially ~ the SUNNI ers OF tho years lsi6and |
ioi7, is a 5aatier of record for OH comparing, |
by The meteorological register OF the ROYAL 50. |
Ciety, the four summer months, MAY. June, |
July, and August, of 1906, 1896 aud 1907. with |
the IOuf corresponding months fthe last three |
years, il will be seen that a very considerable !
dimGutiou of temperature has taken place IN
the latter periods.
The invention of The thermometer and The
registry of the temperature are Of too recent
date Ia enable uS 10 compare the state OF the
atmosphere, before and after tIe accUDula- |
ton of ice on the coast Of Greenland bui
thercare reasons Tor believing, that previously !
10 the fifteenth century, England enjoy ed |
warmer summer Climate than since thai peri-
cd. 1t is sufficiently apparent that, at one !
time, vineyards were very common i'll Eng |
lu5d aud that wine, III very considerable |
quantity, wasmade from them. Jacitus states,
that vine. yards were planted By the Romans III
Britain and HOliushed quotes The permission
given by PTokus to the natives to cultivate
the vine, and make wine from 1t. The test.
mOuY Of RCde--the old notices 0ftithc on wine, !
which were common in Kent, Surrey, and |
other southern countries-the records Of suits |
IN the ecclesiastical courts the incl0sed |
patches OF gT0uu1 attached 30 numerous ab !
beSs which still hear the name of vincydrds- !
tue plot of ground called East smithield, |
which was converted into aviney yard. and held |
by four successive cOustables OF the Tower, in |
the reigns of Ruius, Henry and Stephen, 10 !
their great enrichment and profit, seem to |
remove all doubt on this question. The Isle Of |
Ely was named. in the early times Of the Nor.
mans, lie dc Vignes,' The bishop Of whicl re |
Ccivcd three or four tens Of wine, yearly, for |
tbs iehih So late as the reign Of Richard III |
the ltils paIk at Windsor was appropriated as |