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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE, 107
compafs, or of the needle, was S.S. W., where was the true fouth, the moon being eight
days old; whence it appeared that the moon and fun were at the diftance of eight rumbs
from each other.
This difference therefore between the place where they were and Venice was five
hours in longitude, and that being fuppofed, we may compute how much farther they
were to the eaft than the city of Venice, that is to fay, five hours, each hour being of
fifteen degrees, which makes feventy-five degrees ; from which it is eafy to conclude
that they were not miftaken in their computation, but that by the means of thefe two
planets they had found the true longitude; for the city of Venice is in long. 37° 25’,
and the declination being 46° 5: it follows that the hut which was in Novaya Zemlia was
in long. 112° 25’, and lat. 76°. All which circumftances are here related to fhew that
there was no error in their computation of time.
As to what regards the difference of time, which was about fifteen days, that they
had feen the fun at Novaya Zemlia fooner than it fhould have appeared, it is left to the
learned to argue and to determine as well as they can.
On the fame day, the twenty-fixth of January, the fick man of the company fell into
a great {woon, and continued very bad till paft midnight, when he died. On the twenty-
feventh they dug a grave in the {now near the hut in order to bury him, though with
no fmall difficulty, on account of the cold which obliged them to work by turns. In fine,
the pit being feven feet deep, they buried the dead man. The thirty-firft was a very
fine day, and they were able to enjoy the brightnefs of the fun with pleafure.
The firft feven days of February were bad and ftormy, which nearly occafioned them
to defpair ; for in the hopes of finer weather they had not. taken the ufual precaution
of providing themfelves with wood. ‘The hut was again furrounded with high ramparts
of {now : the fog was greater than it had been in the mid{t of winter, and the fnow fell
as thick as ever. But they did not as before give themfelves the trouble of difengaging
their door each time; and when any thing occurred which obliged them to go out,
they paffed through the chimney, and thofe who were not able were conftrained to per-
form their neceflities within.
On the eighth the weather became finer : they faw the fun rife in the S. S. E. and fet
in the S.S. W., that is to fay, with refpect to the dial of lead they had conitructed near
their hut, and fixed exaétly fouth of that place ; for otherwife there was a difference at
leaft of two rumbs from their other ordinary compaffes.
On the thirteenth they cleaned their traps: while they were thus occupied they fawa
large bear coming directly towards the hut, to which they all retired in great hatte.
One of them having taken aim, the ball ftruck the bear on the brealt, pafled quite
through the body, and went out by the tail, fo that it became as flat as a halfpenny.
The bear being wounded, made a great leap, and retired for twenty or thirty feet fro-n
the hut, where he fell. Thofe who purfued him found him {till living, and he raifed
his head as if to fee who had wounded him.
As they had already too fatally experienced the ftrength of thefe animals, they did
not top there, but fired two other mufket-fhots at him and killed him: they ripped up
his belly, and having taken away more than a hundred pounds of fat and lard, they
melted it; and by this means they had wherewithal to feed their lamp every night,
which they had not done for fome time, being in want of material; but now they had
the pleafure of having each a lighted lamp by his bedfide when they chofe. ‘The ikin
of the bear was nine teet long and feven wide.
On the twenty-firft they had no more wood remaining to warm themfelves, and the
weather was very fevere as well on account of the wind and fnow as of the cold. It was
CA neceflary
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