pos illustret, ac
etiam montium praecipitia ac noxias feras a lorge prospiciant evitandas_.
Which Testimony I the less Scruple to allege, because that it agrees very
well with what has been Affirm'd to me by a Physician of _Mosco_, whom the
Notion I have been Treating of concerning Whiteness invited me to ask
whether he could not See much farther when he Travell'd by Night in
_Russia_ than he could do in _England_, or elsewhere, when there was no
Snow upon the Ground; For this Ingenious Person inform'd me, that he could
See Things at a farr greater Distance, and with more Clearness, when he
Travell'd by Night on the _Russian_ Snow, though without the Assistance of
Moon-shine, than we in these Parts would easily be perswaded. Though it
seems not unlikely to me, that the Intenseness of the Cold may contribute
something to the considerableness of the Effect, by much Clearing the Air
of Darkish Steams, which in these more Temperate Climates are wont to
Thicken it in Snowy weather: For having purposely inquir'd of this Doctor,
and consulted that Ingenious Navigator Captain _James_'s Voyage hereafter
to be further mention'd, I find both their Relations agree in this, that in
Dark Frosty Nights they could Discover more Stars, and See the rest Clearer
than we in _England_ are wont to do.

[8] Gent. Septen. Histor. lib. 4 cap. 13.

6. I know indeed that divers Learned Men think, that Snow so strongly
Affects our Eye, not by a Borrow'd, but a Native Light; But I venture to
give it as a Proof, that White Bodies reflect more Light than Others,
because having once purposely plac'd a parcel of Snow in a Room carefully
Darkned, that no Celestial Light might come to fall upon it; neither I, nor
an ingenous Person, (Skill'd in Opticks) whom I desir'd for a Witness,
could find, that it had any other Light than what it receiv'd. And however,
'tis usual among those that Travel in Dark Nights, that the Guides wear
something of White to be Discern'd by, there being scarce any Night so
Dark, but that in the Free Air there remains some Light, though Broken and
Debilitated perhaps by a thousand Reflections from the Opacous Corpuscles
that Swim in the Air, and lend it to one another before it comes to arrive
at the Eye.

7. Thirdly, And the better to shew that White Bodies reflect store of
Light, in comparson of those that are otherwise Colour'd, I did in the
Darkn'd Room, formerly mention'd, hold not far from the Hole, at which the
Light wa