Year: 1874

Il


No experience of the long days in
the north of Scotland, or even at
Throndhjem 1884 degrees J, gives any
adequate forecast of the true arctic
night. Near the arctic circle you
may, for about a fortnight at mid
summer, see the sun descend below
the horizon at ten minutes to twelve,


leaving subdued light, as if he were


behind cloud, and rise again at ten


minutes past nearly at the same spot,


which of course was north, with en-


hanced splendor. For the few min


utes of the suns absence a night
chill is perceptible, which is dispell-
ed directly by his rising rays; but so


far we have not yet reached the arc
tic summer. The next night, if you
have been vOyaging on meanwhile,
you must be a degree or so within
the circle, and if the weather is fine
and the northern horizon free from
high land, you may carefully watch
the golden orb (not generally so red
as with us) descend toward the hori-
zon, but, when about three times his
own diameter from the horizon, after
few minutes of apparent standstill,
begin to rise again, moving toward
the east. The heat and brillianey of
the sun this night are such that
parasols are generally used, till the
interest of the few minutes of crises
causes them to be discarded, and that
if there be not too much wind, holes
may be made. in woolen clothes, pipes
lighted, ETC., by ordinary burning
glasses; the sun may be gazed on,
though with some pain, by the naked
eye. The further north you go, the
higher is the suns lowest point, till
at Trcmso $50 degrees 40 minutes)
he is five or six times his diameter
above the horizon, and the longer is
the period during which he never
sets, which is full month at Ham
merfest 90 degrees 40 minutes. }
The amount of light of course di-
minishes during the evening, but af-
ter haft-past ten remains the same,
and appears toward midnight rather
to increase. 1t has greater sOftness
than the light of day, and sheds pc
culiar warm glow over the sea and
rocks, which must be seen to be
thoroughly understood. After mid
night it is interesting to watch the
evening light change its character;
about half-past twelve or rather la
ter it assumes a whittier color, more
like what we know as early morning
light an hour after sunrise. The
birds fly about, the fishes jump, and
animated nature seems to know as
little of night as inanimate. On
shore for instance, ut Tromso, people
are out walking or standing at their
house doors, enjoying the night as we
do the day. Perhaps they retire to
sleep at one or two; but sleep seems
scarcely a necessity to them, and
they are up again early. 1t deserves
to be recorded also that photo
grapher ut Tromso took successful
portraits of a large group of steam
boat passengers exactly at midnight
of June 81. 1t need hardly be men
toned that neither within the arctic
circle nor considerably south of it
were any stars visible at midsummer,
nor till the end of July; and the
moon but rarely, and then as pale as
at noon in England. Of course this
description is true only of bright,
clOudless nights; there are dull
nights there, as there are dull days
with us; and many a traveller may
steam from Throndhjem to the
North Cape without ever seeing the
sun at midnight, or being able to
read the smallest print all night
through his portfolio, as the present
writer could do shortly after leaving
Throndhjem.


The temperature is very different
from what is often supposed. 1t va
ries to an extraordinary degree with
the clearness of the day and with the
direction of the wind. A north or
northeast wind brings severe cold;
yet if it be not very strong, the sun
shining free from clouds counteracts
it so far as to make every sunny seat
very hot. Especially at night and
in the early morning is this heat re-
markable, because then we expect
cold and dew. A south or west wind
is of course mild, and would cause
great heat but that it generally
brings clouds and rain, as on the
similarly circumstanced west coast of
Scotland. On the land the heat is
felt in the arctic region far more than
on the sea. iThe soil undergoes no
cooling process in the night, andis
therefore unrefreshed by any dew.
The hills afford frequent shelter
from the wind, and enclose many a
spot on which the sun pOurs his full
heat; while on board ship the wind
is always present. On this account
many of the valleys in the far north
have an intolerable and worse than
tropical heat, and large tracts are
said to be absolutely uninhabltable
from the mosquitoes, against which
NO protection is found to be OF the
slightest use. = London Saturday