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LE ROY’S NARRATIVE OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS. 609
In winter they frequently were {peGtators of that phoenomenon called by natura-
lifts the northern lights. ‘This contributed greatly for atime to diminifh the difmay,
which the thick darknefs in which the hemifphere is enveloped in this climate during fo
long a night, is calculated to imprefs on the mind of man.
One would imagine a country fo near the pole, and in which the heat of fummer is
very tolerable, notwith{ftanding the continual fhining of the fun for fome months to-
gether, would be fubject to exceflive and infupportable cold, as long as winter lafted :
neverthelefs it has a different peculiarity. For about feven weeks, namely from the mid-
dle of November, until the beginning of January, reckoned by thefe good men according
to holidays, viz.: from the beginning from that of St. Philip, which falls on the fifteenth
of November, until the day of confecrating the water, called the Holy Three Kings, and
which ison the fixth of January ; for thefe feven weeks it rained for the moft part abun-
dantly, and without ceafing on this ifland, the weather being pretty mild, and the cold
very fupportable : however after this period, that is to fay, when the land winds blew,
and more particularly the South, the cold became infufferable.
This may indeed occafion fome furprize, fince the fouth wind is generally warm in
all countries, and the north commonly cold: but we mutt take into confideration, that
the fouth wind in refpeét to our iflanders blew over all Europe, in winter covered with
{now ; and particularly over the northern part where the cold is extreme: but the
north wind {weeping an open fea, inftead of cold brought exhalations, yet fomewhat
frefh in themfelves, as they always bore along fome fnow with them: moft men will
have noticed when in harbour, that the land breeze is at all times colder than that from
fea. What confirms this account is, that all thofe who have been upon the Riphzan
mountains or chain, called the Poias Semnoy, and which feparates Ruffia in Europe
from Siberia, give a fimilar defcription with our mariners, of the quality of the north
and fouth winds.
As for fnow, fuch an aftonifhing quantity fell on this ifland, that their hut in winter
was commonly entirely en¢lofed by it, fo that they were left without any other means
of getting out, than by an opening which they contrived in the roof of their entry
room.
In reply to my enquiries refpecting tempefts, thefe failors informed me, that they did
not once hear it thunder during their refidence on the ifland.
If we except white bears, rein-deer and foxes, which, as I have before noticed, were
found in great plenty on the ifland, it is deftitute of all four footed animals, as well as
of men. It is true fome wild fowl were feen in fummer: but they were only geefe,
ducks, and other water fowl.
The fea likewife round about the ifland is deftitute of every kind of fifh. ~ Our failors
in other refpects very {trict in their religion, contrary to the cuftom of this defcription
of people, could not therefore obferve either the great or the fingle fafts. Nay had
there been a fuperabundance of fifh upon the coaft, thefe unfortunate men could have
derived no benefit from the circumftance; fince asthey had neither tackle nor nets, they
could not have caught them: the choice of meat might in fuch a cafe however have
fageefted to them, to employ their ingenuity in conftrudting tackle ; this they probably
would have effe&ed inthe end, yet at any rate not without great difficulty,
Few whales were perceived nigh the fhore, but fea dogs and fea calves in very con-
fiderable numbers. It muft not therefore be wondered at that the Ruffians fhould have
«* When the fun left rifing, the moon affumed its place, and fhone day and night without fetting ; as it
was then inits higheft quarter.” See Regueil des Voyages qui ont fervi a l’etabliffement et aux progrés de
la Compagnie des Indes Orientales formee dans les Pays Bas.
VOL. I; 41 fome-
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