Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Pages ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
616 BACSTROM’S VOYAGE TO SPITSBERGEN.
After navigating through thofe floating maffes, we faw the land of Spitfbergen eaft
from us. It is feen at an almoft incredible diftance, fometimes at thirty leagues; a
proof of its immenfe height. It generally appears amazingly bright, of the colour of
the full moon, while the iky above it looks white and cold.
In 79° and 80° you are prevented from going further to. the northward by a folid
continent of ice, ora collection of ice-fields, as they are called ; fome of which are many
miles in extent. You make the fhip faft there with an ice-anchor, and look out for
whales, having two or three boats on the watch conftantly.
No fhip could ever poflibly navigate through the huge mafles of ice, which muft ne-
ceflarily be paffed before it can reach this high latitude, but for a circumftance which
would on firft view be little expected—the fea there is always as perfetly fmooth as the
river Thames: the irregularly difpofed maffes of ice prevent the water from ever ac-
quiring, by the impulfe of the wind, thofe regular undulations, if I may ufe the term,
which, by long continuance of the fame impulfe, would otherwife at laft raife it in
billows.
As {oon as we got into fmooth water, perhaps forty or fifty leagues from the land,
the fevere climate and intenfe cold we had experienced on the paflage in a more fouthern
latitude before we made the ice, changed into a much milder one; and when it was fine
weather it was quite warm, fo that the icicles that hung from the large mafles of ice
diffolved and kept dropping till a return of colder weather. Among the fields of ice,
but more fo in the harbours, it is confiderably warmer than on the paflage near North
‘Cape.
In the month of June we killed feven large whale fifh, and went with them into Mag-
dalena bay, to cut the blubber up into fmall bits to fill the blubber-butts ; which bufinefs
is called making off. As the killing of the whales has been very well defcribed by Zorg-
drager and others, I need not defcribe it.
When you approach a harbour on the coaft of Spitfbergen, and, judging by the eye,
expect to get in and come to anchor in three or four hours time, you are perhaps not
lefs than ten or twelve leagues from it. This deception is owing to the immenfe heights
of the rocky mountains, covered with {now, and bordered with ice towards the fea-fide,
which make very large harbours appear like {mall bafons, and the largeft thips, when
clofe under them, like a boat on the Thames. Magdalena Bay, in 79° north, is capa-
cious enough to hold the whole Britifh navy ; but, on acccunt of the immenfe mountains
which furround it, appears like a very fmall inlet. We came to anchor in this bay,
where we lay three weeks. While the people were making off, the mafters, furgeons,
&c. of the different veflels then there vifited each other, and diverted themfelves in the
beft way they were able. Such vifits laft fometimes twenty-four hours, for there is no
night to interrupt the entertainment.
The firft thing that ftrikes a curious mind here is that folemn filence which reigns
around; fometimes interrupted with a noife, like thunder heard at a diftance, occa-
fioned by huge fragments of ice and rocks rolling down from the immenfe {teeps into
the fea. ’
I attempted to afcend one of thefe mountains called Roche Hill. I got up about half
way, which took feveral hours hard labour, At that height I found the rocks covered
with birds’ eggs of different fizes. :
There are feveral rivulets and waterfalls of excellent water fupplied by the melting
of the fnow. - 1 met frequently with feurvy-grafs, wild celery, endive, water-crefles, and
a few other plants and flowers ; though the general vegetation which covers the rocks
confifts in various kinds of moffes and ferns. There are white bears of an enormous
fize,
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
