4 . ' $?_A T U R A L H I S T O R Y -óf. N O R W A Y .
it. -leaves the’horizcaa., Jb that in thé depth o f winter it is invifible
for fome weeks-*, and all the light.psr^ei^ed.at, noon :is a faint
glimmering of about'-'an hour and. half’s continuance, which, as
the- fun never appears above" the horizon,' chiefly proceeds' from
the reflection o f the rays, on the higheft mountains, tlie. furnmits.
of which; are Teen -.more clearly than othèr hbjéóts." Hovyever,
this glimmering is n o t tjie only light with which the inhabitants
o f thefe northern provinces are provided for their fifheries, and
other employments^ in the open a ir.: TÏte I wife and |botihttful-
creator hath afforded them 'all jpofliblcfa|hftahcë,~for th§fe and p
.cither. .pnrp.pfeSv-.Tëfides ”the which 3 y reflection
from- the mountains, is-exceedingly bright i ih -the^vjil^^ and
créeflsp thefe northern pe®plk-;as well asHhejjjeafapt^ ajuffiftiet-
men' in flhö diopefesof Bergen, whepi thciriday-light is Contracted
,ti) fix hours,1 find, confideraMêLilelief, from ..the-north=-li^ht~.called,
Aurora borealis; it often affording them all the fight neceflary to
their, ordinary labors, efpecially assit is now fiothThere! and elfe^
where more frequent and'extenfive than foïnfeHyV
1 H I . ; , / -
The Aurora ' This light in the air j-, which here,' and in Sweden, is knoWn
i d.hy the namp o f Vrerlios, .Xyfiiar , Xyfepigar, and Lqttetfkien, is.
ae -^elfövhere ’generally called /the north-light, as ufualiy ifluing from
the north, and its appearance moftly known to - the northern
people, although the real_ caufe o f f f^ f e ;nefe, ng^.lèfs jthan- in
other parts, h-verv dark problem, and. involved in^^My fu n cer-
tainües, ï fhall the lefs jpreiume ap adranee-anry-Ahi^^
and decifivfe on this head,^ fince cpunjellpr. Ramus, a native ó f
Nprway, and a rcelebrate^ mathematician,,, fiatjq .not ventured to
. * Even in iiiteic provinces, where,- I have already obferved the fhorteft day to con-.
fift of -fix hoiirs,' there are alfo feme few parts fo inclofed within the ftéep .mountains,
that for feveral months theyf cannót fée'ïhè fun’s dilk, thoughits heaths are vifible to
■ them. As I palfed in-my violation-, through the ifland .of Laerdahl,-tjhe matter ,of .the
• houfe where I lodged,’ afiured me, that he, and his next neighbour^ wereSlefled with
: the fun’s appearance, not more Share four, mónthe of thé’whole ye'at, inatnely, from1 the
middiRof April,1.; tp-the middle, of^Uguff^ yetj.bffet;s:, jit .the diftance of.lt'ut a quarter
'o f a; mile, where'thé valley widehs; c'oultóe'e.it'a^p&aft;‘‘This muff ,b,e theicóndjtióh
' of tome'Of the inhabitants of the Alps, efpecially about Monte Cepis,’which fepafates
Savoy from Piedfnont, where, in fome valleys, though the fun'dóes not appear during
the whole winter; yet the inhabitants enjoy- the nfeceflary daylight:
m g- In England, and'efpecially in the horth parts, where the north light is alfo well
known,Ht is.by reafon of its defoltory motion, c^édMorricerjdancers, Merry dancers,
■ and ftreaiiiers. V
2 account
N A T U R A L H 1S T O R Y of N O R W A Y .
account fo r ,it ,. and nothing o f this kind is found even in the Adta
Spcietatis, Ifafniepfs^ I. fX . and, T . IIT.Ny. y i , where it
nygfct mo^: naturally •ha^eypeCfedt gs jtl^ef^piepes contain hiftori-
cpl and phyfijdpi,’ aec6ura%,@f ligflt, with feveral plates,
reprefentipg the3gbfervatioq^|pade| im mjany parts-of Europe, on
f q t u C a p f rTfpipjnan, .another, great iqatutflmrof INorway, pub-
fiffied'a pQftflpnMUR^piqce ,of hi&fetbqr’s ,, on^feflieat q f jh e fun,
&jG,<ftnd, h%wTe< on..tflefnprthfljght, ,,£}is fyftem o f the mean?.
anff »pipiner fby/ wfiichj thq/f t^ m ^ s n 5ces,qur.le^,th; and. the other
plap@te,,,at fu^fi ^^imjtpenfe diftance, -though, aefh^gnLiex^
pan/f^- .^Aertajiniy ^Wy^nge.niQUsi ..bp.t I ani. c^utaqu^of.fljbfcrfb-'
flng^o ifA1asptrqpppfesrtl^^9&iEu^{.pf-Nfe^tor^ Wolfius', (Reinbeck,'
and other eminent' mathematicians; yet his., thoughts ’on
the north-light, h&was.,)both,a perfon.offgregt erudition arid
experience in ,philofpphy,)f>deferye to be hqre^ infected, ^long .with
other.pqnjejffure^t ^fpeciafly.as he there-treats o f -anpthei4phffinor
menon analogous -topit, namely;, a^ea-fight, .on a luminous-.ab-.
pearance inI(the.water, qallefl, .by tne.-N,orw^ans,,; Mopr-Ha. His
fentiments or^ hoth thefe fuhieCts ^re^(fthlowsv:, YfllEus tt is oB-
feryed in ,the frigid zone, that the -force which g iv^ motion to
t^ie .high >vmds, is there at i its - ytmoft - h e ig it ; infomnch, ^ that
femetimes.-the lower region q f the, -air^ whjch js nlled-with nitrous
vapours, is whirled round, anefthen is formed that light In the-
air pallpd the Aurora, bpr.ealis,. or horth-light: • ypt this is a, light
vm3'”of'fteat, and oflth e flam© fl^ure with''tRatT^iywnicn_ the
people of,
the feme caufe ns the tMoor7Ild, the latter proceeding from an
agitation ;nff tfle felt-water ini a. Jdark nightf" which h a th been
every year obferved by the herring-fiflfermen, wpen'tq'ivnig their
nets along in & calm; -for the fea appears in a kind“o f flambf’as
far as the nets reach, whereas before the motion o f the nets,**fiot
-»the leaft glimpfe. p f light Was difeernible.Nv In freffi-water lakes,
there is no fuch flame' apparent; .-it being’ formed’ by theTalinff
particles, which upon apnotton o f ‘ the fea begih to fparMe, and
Caufe an pifulgence *7 T he feme ha? jbderl ^likewife obferved in
■ ' '*: ^ i y f^aAAliff^ Are-in the fea;.%^libe<t/reate(hof.mbreia£ large in cliap.3, feft. -8,
. whan we come to treat of-the fe.a, to which, it, jgroperly. relates.
•-"«0 ' navi