The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-04-15


Greenland soil According to Maury,
this has probably, in the course of time,
formed the Grand Bank Of Newfound-
land. They are in incredible numbers
As many as FIVE hundred have been
counted in sight together, ranging from
fifty TO three hundred feet in hight,
and from all sizes up TO mile in ex-
tent. Their appearance is very beauti-
inl and no less extraordinary. Gothic
churches, Egyptian temples, aerial pal
aces with pillars and arched windows
festooned with crystal draperies, are
only some Of the inconceivable varieties
of form displayed, while they CLEAN
under the summer sun like mountains
of FURNISHED silver, with pinnacles and
cliffs of clear sapphire or the palest
green, from which rush cataracts. of
limpid water mingled with fragments
of ice These various hues arise from
several causes. Bergs are originally
composed of fresh water ice of different
ages, but that formed from salt water
frequently overlays it in parts. A great
deal Of snow lies on their submits, and
forms large ponds of fresh water, when
dissolved by the heat of the sun. Fl
nally, the solar rays touch the bergs
capsize in consequence of the sea under
mining their base. An ominous rolling
motion gives notice Of this event; it
continues for some time, and at last the
berg heels over and disappears with a
terrific plunge, sending up columns of
spray. 1t reappears bottom upwards,
balances itself, and floats quietly on
with changed face. -.t
All the antarctic land yet discovered
consists of gigantic cliffs without a
single opening, three thousand feet
high in some places, descending in
others to one hundred feet. The whole
is faced with ice of enormous thickness,
and covered with snow, SO that at
glance the eye can scarcely imagine it
to be land at all, but for spots showing
the dark stone where the cliff is too
perpendicular to admit of even ice
maintaining its hold. Nothing is SO
tenacious as the cold of the antarctic
regions. In February the warmest
summer month of 1841, the thermome-
ter never rose above IA degrees at noon
near the continent It is rarely above
80 degrees in the sun at midday during
summer, and falls in winter more than
so degrees below zero. The sun stays
week longer north of the equator than
it does south, making the winter and
night. Of the antarctic regions longer.
South Georgia, in a latitude correspond
ing with that of Yorkshire in the
northern hemisphere, is always covered
with frozen snow, and produces scarcely
anything but moses or lchens. The
immense preponderence Of water south
of latitude so degrees allows the fierce
westerly winds to blow round and round
the world, perpetual cyclone, keeping
the sea in constant agitation.
The two polar circles differ greatly
in physical conditions. The antarctic
has marine climate, that is to say, il
is equable. Though wet and stormy,
it is not subject to extremes of temper
ature, and it is believed that the south
pole must be warmer than the north in
winter. Arctic sunshine raises the
thermometer to sc degrees of 20 de-
grees, and hung in the shade immedi.
ateIy after, the mercury falls to the
freezing point The arctic climate il
continental-dry, calm, and variable
The thermometer has range of abou
1870 degreesY and while the round o
the seasons brings but little change il
the frightful antarctic wastes, nothing
can surpass the beauty of the arctic
summer-"an endless blaze of light
the air and sea and earth teeming witt
life," plains glowing with richly tinted
flowers, and strange, glittering formI
sailing past lin stately and solemn
procession" Its currents are strong
and bear large numbers of bergs Il
meet the warm Gulf-water, and, as i
is natural to suppose, bergs are fount
to be most numerous where the drift i
strongest. The antarctic seas are il
direct opposition to this. Not only ar
its currents sluggish and feeble, bu
the most powerful of them, Hum
boldt,s Current, carries few bergs alon,
the Chilian coast, while the main ice
= drift is towards the Falklands on on
side, and the Cape of Good Hope o.
the other, where there is scarcely an,
portion of the water This is fac
which no navigators are able to explain
except perhaps on the supposition tina
there may be strong submarine cur
rents at great depth below the surface
Bergs have been observed in Baffin'
|, Bay drifting rapidly TO the north, wher
. there was a powerful surface e-currer
running against them, showing that i
consequence of their weight and in
' mense draft of water fin some instancC
more than a thousand feet), they mu
> be influenced by some ''resistless al
: dertow" yet stronger.
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