tbthe north cape on the borders of Rulfia. Thus M. Ramus, lb
juftly celebrated for his kifiory of the civil transactions and anti*
quities;.of his couAtry, iri 'fhe Chorographical defcription ;of; Nof-
#aÿ, comprîtes its length from LMdeinaes in the- diocefe of Chrif- .
tianfand, which lies in 58) or, more precifely, .mm; 7 degrees, 47
mhjfitesr latitude, to the north capiat the fe^retniity éf Fiftniâfk,
at 71,.degrees and half, to fee in a direct line,-‘.or thrOughtHê aiiy
202 miles and a half, but he .'finds that thé "circuit acrofs the
mountains and vallies, or by water, from one babe to, the Other,
increafe it to ab^vé 306 miles, and its breadth from the frontiers
of Sweden weftward, to cape Statt near Sunamoer, in 21 degrees
of longitude frQm the' Ganaries, is 65 miles,: but from theApe, the
country becomes gradually narrower towards the north; I have
no particular knowlege of that part of Norway called Finmark,
which life in the frigid zone* or near the .polar circle* .It is the
country of Norway, ! property fir edited, at The extremity of the
temperate zone, that is here to be chiefly treated, of, and it is the
air of this country, which I affirm to fery^coruidfeablydn refptdt
of the degrees of heat and Côld, light and daffenSfL
S Ê C T. It.
Day iigtt Ih this and moft other points, I fhall chiefly règulate my db-
*f thel* tert^atiahs By thë îfcfeôii o f Bergen, -not ottly.aS it happens to be
the place of my refidêncé, but as its latitude, being 61 degrees
15 minutes* with refpeCt to* north and fouth, lies nearly in the
middle of Norway ^ properivtib-ealkcL— The lanpetLda-yat Bergen
confifts of 19 héuré* the fun rififtg tt half aft hour paft two,
antifettmg at naif an hour after fling; and the. morteft is Oflly fix,
the Sun not rifing before nifie, and feting at thrée.
The gradations of the increafe and decreafe of day-light, are
clearly exhibited in the following table.
* At Bergen ih Norway, Gefle in Sweden,. Nyftad in Finland, and Wybutg in Ca-
rtlia; as being at parallel diftanCës from the equator, the days and nights are of the
lame length. But -at Bergen it is noon at: thé very tamo inftant, as at U$tjecht in Hol-
lind, h/taxïeillës ih Fïdhêê, aft’d Cönftatitiné in Africa.
The rifing and ïeïting of The "Sun in thé horizon of Bergen, in
the 6 1 ft degïëë'or latitude, àècopuin’g foPontdnuSi*
January. February. 1 March. April.
! Sun rifes 1 S un fets ] n 1 rJ; Sun. rifeé | 1 1 Sun rifes |.Sun), fets 1 J. Sun rifes 'j .Sun fets
: 'ÏJ ' T ë . m Ë A 4 ’4- $£■ jla p iK m it.- W 0 t l p f l 'i i m 1 i ' \ : 6 6 J? i | i ;' 11 1 m
H I H i ti 3t f T f . i t s H
1 1 8 : . ' M H ' f ' , III! 1 6 -T ' 21 4 : ■'
S<* 7 v ■ ■ÎÜ ■m i 1 6 i ; 8 T
m m m ; ^lMfi
W m 1' T 7
- May. Jüne. ! 1 1 Hb- - wm Auguft.
Sun rifes j Sort fets 1 rSun rifes |[ Sun fets . j Sun rifes ,| SufiffetsJ î 1 ■>; 1 Sun rifes J, Suit fets
.•* * ' 1 ■ M b« ■ 1 A-
(RUgjjgi f S T ’’ 4 \
7 3 v- K l r,T 5i t f I -2- 4' - Ï 9 i ■ 9 f ' - S
13 .. 3 f SU.,: W m ^ 4 r 9,w h < h £ \ 8j i} , |h |
-121:1g |z® l | m | . , 2 ; , - g'J ! 8 t ’ i f f
28 1 a i 9 * 1%: * w m '2 4 I m m 1%,. fwlpît«,1'1
H li 4,-.- M À J r 6 i
g Nqvetpi[ëf.. . December. %
1 fyïïö'fîfëS 1 Sun fets 1 ’ 1 SjflH nfè§ j; ^l'uA fetS j '■ j;Suh fifes4 ji Suit fets!pT ', . 1 Süh HfeVf ' Iff® “fets
?•« 1 3 4 . 6 4 J 4 6 % «i m 1 I f f 6 9 l '
1.4 1 9 1 11 H i
. j . j H H R J 4 liWPjlN T Ifà'S ■4' - §11.1: ,;
n $ U \ l * ■\ 2 0 . 7 H » w f J1 a i 22
. 7 i 4'T"I I
n w-8: 4 . Él i l 1
Apartacu^r herein oblervable, is,.that.as in ,the beginning o f ..
the year fhe aay-light ificreafes with remarkable celerity, Vf§ it
decreafes at the approach of winter in a like proportion, fn the
middle of February, I have been able to read without difficulty
.afuxNfr the morning, which at thfe utftsb .Hour ip October was not
poffible; the caiife of this, being manifeftly the inclination of the
earth towards the poles, needs no further explanation. '
In tfre'ffimihef flights the horizon, when unclouded, is fo Hdfraeamer. of
and luminotis, that at midnight one ma^fead, write, and dp efeiy nights- ^
kind of work as in the dayT this I have often experienced, even
when age had brought me to the life of fpe&acles. Chriftian V.
during his ftay at Drontheim, in June* 1685, uled to flip ;at
midnight, without the life of lights. In the diftridt of Tromfen,
which is properly the eaeftettuty of Norway, twafds thC'iMhnds o f
Finmark, the fuii is midft of Tummer,
and is obferved to circulate day and night round the north pole,
contracting Its orbit, and then gradually enlarging it, till at- length
it