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Excerpt from American Cyclopedia, Vol. 15: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge; Spiritualism-Uzziah
Charles island are 5 summits ranging fi'om to feet high. The N. Shores of Spitzbergen and N orth-east Land are more level, and here and on several of the smaller islands some soil is found, in which a few very diminutive plants spring up and mature in a month or 6 weeks of the short summer. Im mense glaciers abound, and the islands are almost covered with perpetual snow. The mean temperature of the 3 warmest months is For 4 months of the year the sun does not rise, but the long night is relieved by a faint twilight, and the occasional brilliant light of the aurora borealis; the moon and stars also shine here with great brightness. The islands are frequented by great multitudes of sea fowl, as well as by polar bears, foxes and reindeer. Marble and coal of a good quality are found. The neighboring seas abound with whales, seals, and walruses, which are taken in large numbers by the vessels that visit this inhos pitshle region; and Russian Whalers have lived or years on the islands - These islands are supposed to have been first discovered by Wil loughby in 1553; but their discovery is gener ally dated from the visit of Barents, the Dutch navigator, in 1596, in his search for a N. E. Passage to the Pacific, who named the princi pal island Spitzbergen (pointed mountains) from its numerous sharp peaks. Their sover eignty is claimed by Russia. A Swedish scien tific expedition under Prof. Torell explored Spitzbergen in the summer of 1861, Whose re port is expected to form an im ortant addition to thigrevious knowledge of at region.
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