oubted if ever
the wind is violent in the very high latitudes. And that the sea will
freeze over, or the snow that falls upon it, which amounts to the same
thing, we have instances in the northern hemisphere. The Baltic, the
Gulph of St Laurence, the Straits of Belle-Isle, and many other equally
large seas, are frequently frozen over in winter. Nor is this at all
extraordinary, for we have found the degree of cold at the surface of
the sea, even in summer, to be two degrees below the freezing point;
consequently nothing kept it from freezing but the salt it contains, and
the agitation of its surface. Whenever this last ceaseth in winter, when
the frost is set in, and there comes a fall of snow, it will freeze on
the surface as it falls, and in a few days, or perhaps in one night,
form such a sheet of ice as will not be easily broken up. Thus a
foundation will be laid for it to accumulate to any thickness by falls
of snow, without its being at all necessary for the sea-water to
freeze. It may be by this means these vast floats of low ice we find in
the spring of the year are formed, and which, after they break up, are
carried by the currents to the north. For, from all the observations I
have been able to make, the currents every where, in the high latitudes,
set to the north, or to the N.E. or N.W.; but we have very seldom found
them considerable.

If this imperfect account of the formation of these extraordinary
floating islands of ice, which is written wholly from my own
observations, does not convey some useful hints to an abler pen, it
will, however, convey some idea of the lands where they are formed:
Lands doomed by Nature to perpetual frigidness; never to feel the warmth
of the sun's rays; whose horrible and savage aspect I have not words to
describe. Such are the lands we have discovered; what then may we expect
those to be which lie still farther to the south? For we may reasonably
suppose that we have seen the best, as lying most to the north. If any
one should have resolution and perseverance to clear up this point by
proceeding farther than I have done, I shall not envy him the honour of
the discovery; but I will be bold to say, that the world will not be
benefited by it.

I had, at this time, some thoughts of revisiting the place where the
French discovery is said to lie. But then I considered that, if they had
really made this discovery, the end would be as fully answered as if I
had done it myself. We k