The north as it appeared at that time (4)

I believe the answer is:

then

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'at that time' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'the north' is the wordplay.
'north' becomes 'N' (abbreviation).
'the'+'n'='THEN'

'as it appeared' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for then that I've seen before include "Once upon a time" , "soon?" , "Afterwards - as a result" , "Consequently" , "Subsequently - previously" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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