If we were to judge of the internal surface of the sphere, by its animal productions,—admitting that those animals heretofore enumerated, are propagated there,—we should conclude that the internal region of the earth is as much more favourable to the support of animal life, as the rein-deer is larger than our deer, and the white bear larger than our bear; and, consequently, we must conclude that there are more salubrious climates and better countries within, than any we have yet discovered without.
Hearne also informs us that swans, geese, brants, ducks, and other wild water-fowl, are so numerous about Hudson's Bay, in the spring and summer, that the company every season salt up vast quantities of them, sometimes sixty or seventy hogs-heads.[8] He enumerates ten different species of geese, several of which, (particularly the snow geese, the blue geese, brent geese, and horned wavey,) lay their eggs and raise their young in some country unknown, even to the Indians;[9] as their eggs and young are never seen by them, neither have the most accurate observers been able to discover where they make their winter residence; as it is well known that they do not migrate to the southward; but few of them ever pass to the south, and some of the species are said never to have been seen south of latitude fifty-nine degrees.[10] Most of those fowls molt or shed their feathers in a peculiar manner, in summer, and become nearly naked. Hence it would seem that they must breed in winter while absent, for it is impossible that they could lay and sit whilst molting; whereas, the migratory geese and ducks of this country are not known to shed their feathers, in any great degree; and are well known to raise their young in the summer, whilst in the north. It may, therefore, be inferred, that many of those water-fowls, which Hearne describes, raise their young beyond the icy circle and within the sphere. As many of the ten species of geese he saw there, are unknown further south, it establishes the fact, that they do not come to the south to winter.
In the papers of the Honourable D. Barrington, and Colonel Beaufoy, on the possibility of approaching the north pole, read before the Royal Society of London, there is an extensive collection of instances cited, where navigators have reached high northern latitudes; from which it appears to be well authenticated, that navigators have in numerous instances reached the latitude of eighty-two, eighty-three, and eighty-four degrees:[11] and some are said to have sailed as far north as eighty-eight and eighty-nine degrees.[12] It is almost uniformly stated, that in those high latitudes, the sea is clear of ice, or nearly so, and the weather moderate.[13] To cite the various instances in which navigators have sailed far north, would be too tedious:[14] the whole book principally consists of a series of facts, which have a strong bearing on the subject, and to which I would refer the reader who feels disposed to investigate. The whole appears to strengthen the opinion, that there is a barrier, or circle of ice, about where the whalers go to fish; but, when that is passed, we come to an open sea, and a more temperate region.
The sea is stated to be open, and always clear of ice, even in the middle of winter, on the northern part of Spitzbergen, which is situated in latitude eighty degrees north; and the further north the more clear it is of ice.[15] But, at the same season, on the southern parts of Spitzbergen, the sea is bound up with solid and compact ice.
If the doctrine be true, that the earth is a solid spheroid, the cold must increase regularly as we approach the pole, and, consequently, vegetation invariably diminish: this, however, is ascertained not to be the fact. Nova-Zembla, which is situated in north latitude seventy-six degrees, produces no timber, nor even a blade of grass,[16] consequently, all the quadrupeds which frequent it, are foxes and bears; both carniverous animals. On the coast of Greenland, about latitude sixty-five and seventy degrees, neither timber nor grass grows;[17] while on the northern parts of Spitzbergen, they have rein-deer, which are often exceedingly fat; and Mr. Grey mentions three or four species of plants which grow and flower there, during the summer.[18]
On any meridian passing through England, it is ascertained to be more temperate at the latitude of eighty degrees north, than at seventy-three degrees:[19] and both Pinkerton and Barrington inform us, that beyond the latitude of seventy-five degrees, the north winds are frequently warm in winter;[20] that in the middle of winter for several weeks, there falls almost continued rain; and that vegetables and animals are more abundant at the latitude of eighty degrees than at seventy-six degrees.
It has long been observed that the climates vary very considerably on the same parallels of latitude. New York, which is situated in latitude 40 degrees, is known to be considerably colder in the winter than London, which is situated in latitude fifty-five degrees; and the parallel of latitude forty degrees on the plains of Missouri is much colder than the city of New-York. The climate at St. Peters, on the Mississippi, which is in latitude forty-six degrees, is said to be considerably colder than Quebec.[21] This difference of climate has, by some, been attempted to be accounted for, on the principle that land is colder than water, and that the cold is occasioned by the large portion of land in the continent of America: however, I submit to the consideration of the reader, whether so great a difference could arise from a cause of this nature.
In the northern sea, between Spitzbergen and the continent of America, there is a strong current, which always comes from the north, and sets southwardly.[22] It has been stated by some, that, in the spring season of the year, the water of this current is warmer and fresher than the surrounding water of the sea. Various other currents have, at different times, been observed, in different parts of the sea, setting from the north. Floating southwardly on these currents, have been seen large masses of ice, from fresh water rivers, with wolves and bears occasionally on them. New fallen trees have also been seen floating from the north; and various kinds of timber, some of which the species have hitherto been unknown, are frequently found lodged on the northern part of the coast of Norway, having drifted from some region still farther north. Trees have also been found floating in the ocean at latitude eighty degrees; when no timber is known to grow north of latitude seventy degrees. Also, seeds unknown to our botanists, and those of tropical plants have been found drifted on the coast of Norway, and parts adjacent, many of which were in so fresh a state as to vegetate and grow;[23] when it is well known that no plant of their species comes to perfection in any known climate far without the tropics. And, what makes the matter particularly extraordinary, is, that these things appear to be drifted by currents coming from the north; when, according to the old theory, we must believe the sea to be always frozen at the poles, which would render it difficult, if not impossible, to account for the existence of the currents at all.
In the United States of America, and in Europe, the Aurora Borealis is always seen to the north: But many of those travellers and navigators, who penetrated to high northern latitudes, observed the Aurora Borealis in the south, and never in the north. The region in which it is believed to exist, is supposed to be about the place where the verge commences, and about fifty or sixty miles above the plane of the earth's surface; and that the travellers who discovered these appearances south of them, were at that time beyond the verge.