The great entrance to the Arctic Ocean by the Spitzbergen Seas is not attended with much difficulty. Ships sail every year from shores of the Atlantic! Ocean to Archangel, and must necessarily pass round North Cape, 71° 10' N. lat.; other vessels proceed annually to flab for whales, which they never expect to take south of about 78° N. let.; and others much smaller gu every year from Hammerfest and other places to fish for walrusses along the western shores of Spitzbcrgen. Barentz, the Dutch navigator, in 1594 and 1596, traced the western shores of Nova Zembla as far as North Cape, 75° N. lat.; and the Russian navigator Ziwolka, who in 1836 surveyed the island of Nova Zembla, found no difficulty in tracing the western coast to Cape Nassau, and even the eastern coast to 61° E. long.; but im penetrable masses of ice prevented his advance farther to the east.
The greater or less severity of cold in the Arctio Seas seems to depend more on circumstances of locality than on the degrees of latitude. Thus, on the European side of the Polar Basin, the navi gation, as has been shown, is open as far as 80' N. lat.; on the Asiatic side it is generally closed by masses of ice ; on the American side the cold is very severe, and the navigation everywhere difficult and in many parts dangerous. At North Cape, in Europe, 71° 10' N. lat., the mean temperature of the year is 32° Fahr.; at Bear island (Cherry Island), between North Cape and Spitzbergen, 74° 30' N. lat., the mildness of the climate is extraordinary ; but opposite the coasts of Siberia, farther to the east, the floating masses of ice render the navi gation so dangerous that some portions of the coastline have not been surveyed. This tract includes the most northern point of Siberia, Cape Sever° (Severs) Vostochinii Noss). In this part of the Polar Basin are the Liakehov Islands, the largest of which are named Kotelnol Fadeifskol, New Siberia, and Liakehov. They are situated between 73° and 76°N. laL On these islands the snow does not entirely melt even in summer, and there is no vegetation whatever. Along these coasts of Siberia it has been ascertained that in winter the large body of the sea is free from ice at certain distances from the shore. North of New Siberia and Kotelnol the distance is less than 20 miles. Farther east it approaches nearer to the coast. Near 165° R long. it is about 170 miles distant; but between 175' and 130° E. long., oppo site Cape Yacan, it is only about 4 miles distant. At Ustyanek, in Siberia, near the month of the river Yana, 70' 55' N. lat., the mean
temperature of the year is only 4° Fahr. At Winter Island, on the north-eastern coast of America, in 6G° 11' N. lat., 30' W. long., the mean annual temperature is not more than 7° Fahr., while on the south shore of Melville Island, about 74° N. lat., the mercury of the thermometer is frozen every winter during four or five months.
That there is a great sea comparatively unincnmbered with ice in the vicinity of the North Pole, and perhaps flowing over it, memo to have been rendered probable by many facts and circumstances. Bareutz, in 1594, remarked, " as soon as we made from the land [Nova Zambia] and put more into the sea, although it was much farther northward, presently we felt more warmth." Captain Parry, in his attempt to reach the North Pole in 1827, leaving his ship, the Heck, moored in a bay on the north-east coast of Spitsbergen, proceeded with his party over the ice, dragging the boats and sledges which had been con structed for the purpose. On July 27th they reached 82° 45' N. lat., 19' 25' E.long., when, the reason being far advanced, and finding that the ice over which they were travelling northward was itself drifting southward, they relinquished their attempt, and commenced their return-journey. On August 12th they reached Little Table Island, or rather a rock north of it, which Captain Parry named Ross's Islet, and which is the farthest land known In the northern hemisphere; it is in 80° 47' 30' N. lat., 20' 2t' E. long. Captain Parry and his party were absent from the Heck 61 days, the distance traversed being 654 miles. On Jnly 15th, being then in 82'17' N. lat., it rained incessantly for 21 Imam On July 16th the temperature was 87° Fahr. in the shade. "In the evening it was so warm in the sun, though the tem perature in the shade was only 35', that the tar was running out of the seams of the boats." They found the ice everywhere broken, but moat so when they were farthest north. After the middle of July no ice entered the bay where the Heck was moored, and for some weeks afterwards not • piece was seen in the vicinity.
In further confirmation of there being a great sea in the vicinity of the North Pole, it may be stated that Sir Edward Belcher saw an extensive sea with little ice north of the Wellington Channel, as did also Captain Penny north-west of the Victoria Channel; that Captain Inglefield saw a great sea north-east of Whale Sound, near the head of Baffin's Bay, and also north of Smith's Sound, which seems to be an outlet into the Polar Basin from the head of Baffin's Bay.