On the following morning I proceeded to examine the place, accompanied

by Lieutenant Ross in a second boat, and, to our great joy, found it a

considerable bay, with one part affording excellent landlocked anchorage

and, what was equally fortunate, sufficiently clear of ice to allow the

ship to enter. Having sounded the entrance and determined on the

anchorage, we returned to the ship to bring her in; and I cannot

describe the satisfaction which the information of our success

communicated to every individual on board. The main object of our

enterprise now appeared almost within our grasp, and everybody seemed

anxious to make up, by renewed exertions, for the time we had

unavoidably lost. The ship was towed and warped in with the greatest

alacrity, and at 1.40 A.M. on June 20th, we dropped the anchor in Hecla

Cove, in thirteen fathoms, on a bottom of very tenacious blue clay, and

made some hawsers fast to the land-ice, which still filled all the upper

part of the bay. After resting a few hours, we sawed a canal a quarter

of a mile in length, through which the ship was removed into a better

situation, a bower-cable taken on shore and secured to the rocks, and an

anchor, with the chain-cable, laid out the other way. On the morning of

the 21st we hauled the launch up on the beach, it being my intention to

direct such resources of every kind to be landed as would render our

party wholly independent of the ship, either for returning to England or

for wintering, in case of the ship being driven to sea by the ice; a

contingency against which, in these regions, no precaution can

altogether provide. I directed Lieutenant Foster, upon whom the charge

of the Hecla was now to devolve, to land without delay the necessary

stores, keeping the ship seaworthy by taking in an equal quantity of

ballast; and, as soon as he should be satisfied of her security from

ice, to proceed on the survey of the eastern coast; but, should he see

reason to doubt her safety with a still farther diminution of her crew

to relinquish the survey, and attend exclusively to the ship. I also

gave directions that notices should be sent, in the course of the

summer, to the various stations where our depots of provisions were

established, acquainting me with the situation and state of the ship,

and giving me any other information which might be necessary for my

guidance on our return from the northward. These and other arrangements

being completed, I left the ship at five P.M. with our two boats, which

we named the Enterprise and Endeavour, Mr. Beverly being attached to my

own, and Lieutenant Ross, accompanied by Mr. Bird, in the other. Besides

these, I took Lieutenant Crozier in one of the ship's cutters, for the

purpose of carrying some of our weight as far as Walden Island, and also

a third store of provisions to be deposited on Low Island, as an

intermediate station between Walden Island and the ship. As it was still

necessary not to delay our return beyond the end of August, the time

originally intended, I took, with me only seventy-one days provisions;

which, including the boats and every other article, made up a weight of

268 lbs. per man; and as it appeared highly improbable, from what we had

seen of the very rugged nature of the ice we should first have to

encounter, that either the reindeer, the snow-shoes, or the wheels would

prove of any service for some time to come, I gave up the idea of taking

them. We, however, constructed out of the snow-shoes four excellent

sledges for dragging a part of our baggage over the ice; and these

proved of invaluable service to us, while the rest of the things just

mentioned would only have been an encumbrance.

Having received the usual salutation of three cheers from those we left

behind, we paddled through a quantity of loose ice at the entrance of

the bay, and then steered, in a perfectly open sea, and with calm and

beautiful weather, for the western part of Low Island, which we reached

at half past two on the morning of the 22d.

Having deposited the provisions, we set off at four A.M., paddling watch

and watch, to give the people a little rest. It was still quite calm;

but there being much ice about the island, and a thick fog coming on, we

were several hours groping our way clear of it. The walruses were here

very numerous, lying in herds upon the ice, and plunging into the water

to follow us as we passed. The sound they utter is something between

bellowing and very loud snorting, which, together with their grim,

bearded countenances and long tusks, makes them appear, as indeed they

are, rather formidable enemies to contend with. Under our present

circumstances, we were very well satisfied not to molest them, for they

would soon have destroyed our boats if one had been wounded; but I

believe they are never the first to make the attack. We landed upon the

ice still attached to Walden Island at 3.30 A.M. on the 23d. Our

flat-bottomed boats rowed heavily with their loads, but proved perfectly

safe, and very comfortable. The men being much fatigued, we rested here

some hours, and, after making our final arrangements with Lieutenant

Crozier, parted with him at three in the afternoon, and set off for

Little Table Island. Finding there was likely to be so much open water

in this neighbourhood in the autumn, I sent directions to Lieutenant

Foster to have a spare boat deposited at Walden Island in time for our

return, in case of any accident happening to ours.

The land-ice, which still adhered to the Seven Islands, was very little

more broken off than when the Hecla had been here a week before; and we

rowed along its margin a part of the way to Little Table Island, where

we arrived at ten P.M. We here examined and re-secured the provisions

left on shore, having found our depôt at Walden Island disturbed by the

bears. The prospect to the northward at this time was very favourable,

there being only a small quantity of loose ice in sight; and the weather

still continuing calm and clear, with the sea as smooth as a mirror, we

set off without delay, at half past ten, taking our final leave of the

Spitzbergen shores, as we hoped, for at least two months. Steering due

north, we made good progress, our latitude by the sun's meridian

altitude at midnight being 80° 51' 13". A beautifully-coloured rainbow

appeared for some time, without any appearance of rain falling. We

observed that a considerable current was setting us to the eastward just

after leaving the land, so that we had made a N.N.E. course, distance

about ten miles, when we met with some ice, which soon becoming too

close for farther progress, we landed upon a high hummock to obtain a

better view. We here perceived that the ice was close to the northward,

but to the westward we discovered some open water, which we reached

after two or three hours' paddling, and found it a wide expanse, in

which we sailed to the northward without obstruction, a fresh breeze

having sprung up from the S.W. The weather soon after became very thick,

with continued snow, requiring great care in looking out for the ice,

which made its appearance after two hours' run, and gradually became

closer, till at length we were stopped by it at noon, and obliged to

haul the boats upon a small floe-piece, our latitude by observation

being 81° 12' 51".

Our plan of travelling being nearly the same throughout this excursion,

after we first entered upon the ice, I may at once give some account of

our usual mode of proceeding. It was my intention to travel wholly at

night, and to rest by day, there being, of course, constant daylight in

these regions during the summer season. The advantages of this plan,

which was occasionally deranged by circumstances, consisted, first, in

our avoiding the intense and oppressive glare from the snow during the

time of the sun's greatest altitude, so as to prevent, in some degree,

the painful inflammation in the eyes called "snow blindness," which is

common in all snowy countries. We also thus enjoyed greater warmth

during the hours of rest, and had a better chance of drying our clothes;

besides which, no small advantage was derived from the snow being harder

at night for travelling. The only disadvantage of this plan was, that

the fogs were somewhat more thick by night than by day, though even in

this respect there was less difference than might have been supposed,

the temperature during the twenty-four hours undergoing but little

variation. This travelling by night and sleeping by day so completely

inverted the natural order of things, that it was difficult to persuade

ourselves of the reality. Even the officers and myself, who were all

furnished with pocket chronometers, could not always bear in mind at

what part of the twenty-four hours we had arrived; and there were

several of the men who declared, and I believe truly, that they, never

knew night from day during the whole excursion.[020]

When we rose in the evening, we commenced our day by prayers, after

which we took off our fur sleeping-dresses and put on those for

travelling; the former being made of camlet, lined with racoon-skin, and

the latter of strong blue box-cloth. We made a point of always putting

on the same stockings and boots for travelling in, whether they dried

during the day or not; and I believe it was only in five or six

instances, at the most, that they were not either wet or hard-frozen.

This, indeed, was of no consequence, beyond the discomforture of first

putting them on in this state, as they were sure to be thoroughly wet in

a quarter of an hour after commencing our journey; while, on the other

hand, it was of vital importance to keep dry things for sleeping in.

Being "rigged" for travelling, we breakfasted upon warm cocoa and

biscuit, and, after stowing the things in the boats and on the sledges,

so as to secure them as much as possible from wet, we set off on our

day's journey, and usually travelled from five to five and a half hours,

then stopped an hour to dine, and again travelled four, five, or even

six hours, according to circumstances. After this we halted for the

night, as we called it, though it was usually early in the morning,

selecting the largest surface of ice we happened to be near for hauling

the boats on, in order to avoid the danger of its breaking up by coming

in contact with other masses, and also to prevent drift as much as

possible. The boats were placed close alongside each other, with their

sterns to the wind, the snow or wet cleared out of them, and the sails,

supported by the bamboo masts and three paddles, placed over them as

awnings, an entrance being left at the bow. Every man then immediately

put on dry stockings and fur boots, after which we set about the

necessary repairs of boats, sledges, or clothes; and, after serving the

provisions for the succeeding day, we went to supper. Most of the

officers and men then smoked their pipes, which served to dry the boats

and awnings very much, and usually raised the temperature of our

lodgings 10° or 15°. This part of the twenty-four hours was often a

time, and the only one, of real enjoyment to us; the men told their

stories and "fought all their battles o'er again," and the labours of

the day, unsuccessful as they too often were, were forgotten. A regular

watch was set during our resting-time, to look out for bears or for the

ice breaking up round us, as well as to attend to the drying of the

clothes, each man alternately, taking this duty for one hour. We then

concluded our day with prayers, and, having put on our fur-dresses, lay

down to sleep with a degree of comfort, which perhaps few persons would

imagine possible under such circumstances; our chief inconvenience being

that we were somewhat pinched for room, and therefore obliged to stow

rather closer than was quite agreeable. The temperature, while we

slept, was usually from 36° to 45°, according to the state of the

external atmosphere; but on one or two occasions in calm and warm

weather, it rose as high as 60° to 66°, obliging us to throw off a part

of our fur-dress. After we had slept seven hours, the man appointed to

boil the cocoa roused us when it was ready by the sound of a bugle, when

we commenced our day in the manner before described.

Our allowance of provisions for each man per day was as follows:

Biscuit 10 ounces.

Pemmican 9 ounces.

Sweetened Cocoa Powder 1 ounce, to make one pint.

Rum 1 gill.

Tobacco 3 ounces per week.

Our fuel consisted entirely of spirits of wine, of which two pints

formed our daily allowance, the cocoa being cooked in an iron boiler

over a shallow iron lamp, with seven wicks; a simple apparatus, which

answered our purpose remarkably well. We usually found one pint of the

spirits of wine sufficient for preparing our breakfast, that is, for

heating twenty-eight pints of water, though it always commenced from the

temperature of 32°. If the weather was calm and fair, this quantity of

fuel brought it to the boiling point in about an hour and a quarter; but

more generally the wicks began to go out before it had reached. 200°.

This, however, made a very comfortable meal to persons situated as we

were. Such, with very little variation, was our regular routine during

the whole of this excursion.

We set off on our first journey over the ice at ten P.M. on the 24th,

Table Island bearing S.S.W., and a fresh breeze blowing from W.S.W.,

with thick fog, which afterward changed to rain. The bags of pemmican

were placed upon the sledges, and the bread in the boats, with the

intention of securing the latter from wet; but this plan we were soon

obliged to relinquish. We now commenced upon very slow and laborious

travelling, the pieces of ice being of small extent and very rugged,

obliging us to make three journeys, and sometimes four, with the boats

and baggage, and to launch several times across narrow pools of water.

We stopped to dine at five A.M. on the 25th, having made, by our log

(which we kept very carefully, marking the courses by compass, and

estimating the distances), about two miles and a half of northing; and,

again setting forward, proceeded till eleven A.M., when we halted to

rest; our latitude, by observation at noon, being 81° 15' 13".

Setting out again at half past nine in the evening, we found our way to

lie over nothing but small, loose, rugged masses of ice, separated by

little pools of water, obliging us constantly to launch and haul up the

boats, each of which operations required them to be unloaded, and

occupied nearly a quarter of an hour. It came on to rain very hard on

the morning of the 26th; and, finding we were making very little

progress (having advanced not more than half a mile in four hours), and

that our clothes would be soon wet through, we halted at half past one,

and took shelter under the awnings. The weather improving at six

o'clock, we again moved forward, and travelled till a quarter past

eleven, when we hauled the boats upon the only tolerably large

floe-piece in sight. The rain had very much increased the quantity of

water lying upon the ice, of which nearly half the surface was now

covered with numberless little ponds of various shapes and extent. It is

a remarkable fact, that we had already experienced, in the course of

this summer, more rain than during the whole of seven previous summers

taken together, though passed in latitudes from 7° to 15° lower than

this. A great deal of the ice over which we passed to-day presented a

very curious appearance and structure, being composed, on its upper

surface, of numberless irregular, needle-like crystals, placed

vertically, and nearly close together; their length varying, in

different pieces of ice, from five to ten inches, and their breadth in

the middle about half an inch, but pointed at both ends. The upper

surface of ice having this structure sometimes looks like greenish

velvet; a vertical section of it, which frequently occurs at the margin

of floes, resembles, while it remains compact, the most beautiful

satin-spar, and asbestos when falling to pieces. At this early part of

the season, this kind of ice afforded pretty firm footing; but, as the

summer advanced, the needles became more loose and moveable, rendering

it extremely fatiguing to walk over them, besides cutting our boots and

feet, on which account the men called them "penknives."

We pursued our journey at half past nine P.M., with the wind at N.E.,

and thick weather, the ice being so much in motion as to make it very

dangerous to cross in loaded boats, the masses being all very small. On

this account we halted at midnight, having waded three quarters of a

mile through water from two to five inches deep upon the ice. The

thermometer was at 33°.

At seven A.M. on the 28th, we came to a floe covered with high and

rugged hummocks, which opposed a formidable obstacle to our progress,

occurring in two or three successive tiers, so that we had no sooner

crossed one than another presented itself. Over one of these we hauled

the boats with extreme difficulty by a "standing pull," and the weather

being then so thick that we could see no pass across the next tier, we

were obliged to stop at nine A.M. While performing this laborious work,

which required the boats to be got up and down places almost

perpendicular, James Parker, my coxswain, received a severe contusion in

his back, by the boat falling upon him from a hummock, and the boats

were constantly subject to very heavy blows, but sustained no

damage.[021] The weather continued very foggy during the day, but a

small lane of water opening out at no great distance from the margin of

the floe, we launched the boats at eight in the evening among loose

drift-ice, and, after some time, landed on a small floe to the eastward,

the only one in sight, with the hope of its leading to the northward. It

proved so rugged that we were obliged to make three, and sometimes four

journeys with the boats and provisions, and this by a very circuitous

route; so that the road, by which we made a mile of northing, was full a

mile and a half in length, and over this we had to travel at least five,

and sometimes seven times. Thus, when we halted to dine at two A.M.,

after six hours' severe toil, and much risk to the men and boats, we had

only accomplished about a mile and a quarter in a N.N.E. direction.

After dining we proceeded again till half past six, and then halted,

very much fatigued with our day's work, and having made two miles and a

half of northing. We were here in latitude, by account, 81° 23", and in

longitude, by the chronometers, 21° 32' 34" E., in which situation the

variation of the magnetic needle was observed to be 15° 31' westerly. We

now enjoyed the first sunshine since our entering the ice, and a great

enjoyment it was, after so much thick and wet weather. We rose at half

past four P.M., in the hopes of pursuing our journey; but, after hauling

the boats to the edge of the floe, found such a quantity of loose,

rugged ice to the northward of us, that there was no possibility, for

the present, of getting across or through it. Observing a small opening

at 10.30 P.M., we launched the boats, and hauled them across several

pieces of ice, some of them being very light and much decayed. Our

latitude, by the sun's meridian altitude at midnight, was 81° 23'; so

that we had made only eight miles of northing since our last observation

at noon on the 25th.

The 30th commenced with snowy and inclement weather, which soon rendered

the atmosphere so thick that we could no longer see our way, obliging us

to halt till two P.M., when we crossed several small pools with great

labour and loss of time. We had generally very light ice this day, with

some heavy, rugged pieces intermixed; and, when hauling across these, we

had sometimes to cut with axes a passage for the boats among the

hummocks. We also dragged them through a great many pools of fresh

water, to avoid the necessity of going round them. The wind freshening

up from the S.S.W., we afterward found the ice gradually more and more

open, so that, in the course of the day, we made by rowing, though by a

very winding channel, five miles of northing; but were again stopped by

the ice soon after midnight, and obliged to haul up on the first mass

that we could gain, the ice having so much motion that we narrowly

escaped being "nipped." We set out at 11.30 A.M. on the 1st July, the

wind still fresh from the S.W., and some snow falling: but it was more

than an hour before we could get away from the small pieces of ice on

which we slept, the masses beyond being so broken up and so much in

motion, that we could not, at first, venture to launch the boats. Our

latitude, observed at noon, was 81° 30' 41". After crossing several

pieces, we at length got into a good "lead" of water, four or five miles

in length; two or three of which, as on the preceding day, occurred

under the lee of a floe, being the second we had yet seen that deserved

that name. We then passed over four or five small floes, and across the

pools of water that lay between them. The ice was now less broken up,

and sometimes tolerably level; but from six to eighteen inches of soft

snow lay upon it in every part, making the travelling very fatiguing,

and obliging us to make at least two, and sometimes three, journeys

with our loads. We now found it absolutely necessary to lighten the boat

as much as possible, by putting the bread-bags on the sledges, on

account of the "runners" of the boats sinking so much deeper into the

snow; but our bread ran a great risk of being wetted by this plan.

We halted at eleven P.M. on the 1st, having traversed from ten to eleven

miles, and made good, by our account, seven and half in a N.b.W.

direction. We again set forward at ten A.M. on the 2d, the weather being

calm, and the sun oppressively warm, though with a thick fog. The

temperature in the shade was 35° at noon, and only 47° in the sun; but

this, together with the glare from the snow, produced so painful a

sensation in most of our eyes, as to make it necessary to halt at one

P.M., to avoid being blinded. We therefore took advantage of this warm

weather to let the men wash themselves, and mend and dry their clothes,

and then set out again at half past three. The snow was, however, so

soft as to take us up to our knees at almost every other step, and

frequently still deeper; so that we were sometimes five minutes together

in moving a single empty boat, with all our united strength. It being

impossible to proceed under these circumstances, I determined to fall

into our night-travelling again, from which we had of late insensibly

deviated. We therefore halted at half past five, the weather being now

very clear and warm, and many of the people's eyes beginning to fail. We

did not set out again till after midnight, with the intention of giving

the snow time to harden after so warm a day; but we found it still so

soft as to make the travelling very fatiguing. Our way lay at first

across a number of loose pieces, most of which were from five to twenty

yards apart, or just sufficiently separated to give us all the labour of

launching and hauling up the boats, without the advantage of making any

progress by water; while we crossed, in other instances, from mass to

mass, by laying the boats over as bridges, by which the men and the

baggage passed. By these means, we at length reached a floe about a mile

in length, in a northern direction; but it would be difficult to convey

an adequate idea of the labour required to traverse it. The average

depth of snow upon the level parts was about five inches, under which

lay water four or five inches deep; but, the moment we approached a

hummock, the depth to which we sank increased to three feet or more,

rendering it difficult at times to obtain sufficient footing for one leg

to enable us to extricate the other. The pools of fresh water had now

also become very large, some of them being a quarter of a mile in

length, and their depth above our knees. Through these we were prevented

taking the sledges, for fear of wetting all our provisions; but we

preferred transporting the boats across them, notwithstanding the severe

cold of the snow-water, the bottom being harder for the "runners" to

slide upon. On this kind of road we were, in one instance, above two

hours in proceeding a distance of one hundred yards.

We halted at half past six A.M. to dine; and to empty our boots and

wring our stockings, which, to our feelings, was almost like putting on

dry ones; and again set out in an hour, getting at length into a "lane"

of water a mile and a quarter long, in a N.N.E. direction. We halted for

the night at half an hour before midnight, the people being almost

exhausted with a laborious day's work, and our distance made good to the

northward not exceeding two miles and a quarter. We allowed ourselves

this night a hot supper, consisting of a pint of soup per man, made of

an ounce of pemmican each, and eight or ten birds, which we had killed

in the course of the last week; and this was a luxury which persons thus

situated could perhaps alone duly appreciate.

We rose and breakfasted at nine P.M.; but the weather had gradually

become so inclement and thick, with snow, sleet, and a fresh breeze from

the eastward, that we could neither have seen our way, nor have avoided

getting wet through had we moved. We therefore remained under cover; and

it was as well that we did so, for the snow soon after changed to heavy

rain, and the wind increased to a fresh gale, which unavoidably detained

us till 7.30 P.M. on the 4th. The rain had produced even a greater

effect than the sun in softening the snow. Lieutenant Ross and myself,

in performing our pioneering duty, were frequently so beset in it, that

sometimes, after trying in vain to extricate our legs, we were obliged

to sit quietly down for a short time to rest ourselves and then make

another attempt; and the men, in dragging the sledges, were often under

the necessity of crawling upon all-fours to make any progress at all.

Nor would any kind of snow-shoes have been of the least service, but

rather an encumbrance to us, for the surface was so irregular, that they

would have thrown us down at every other step. We had hitherto made use

of the Lapland shoes, or _kamoogas_, for walking in, which are excellent

for dry snow; but there being now so much water upon the ice, we

substituted the Esquimaux boots, which had been made in Greenland

expressly for our use, and which are far superior to any others for this

kind of travelling. Just before halting, at six A.M. on the 5th, the ice

at the margin of the floe broke while the men were handing the

provisions out of the boats; and we narrowly escaped the loss of a bag

of cocoa, which fell overboard, but fortunately rested on a "tongue."

The bag being made of Mackintosh's waterproof canvass, the cocoa did not

suffer the slightest injury.

We rose at five P.M., the weather being clear and fine, with a moderate

breeze from the south; no land was in sight from the highest hummocks,

nor could we perceive anything but broken loose ice in any direction. We

hauled across several pieces which were scarcely fit to bear the weight

of the boats, and in such cases used the precaution of dividing our

baggage, so that, in case of the ice breaking or turning over, we should

not lose all at once. The farther we proceeded, the more the ice was

broken; indeed, it was much more so here than we had found it since

first entering the "pack." After stopping at midnight to dine and to

obtain the meridian altitude, we passed over a floe full of hummocks, a

mile and a half in length; but any kind of floe was relief to us after

the constant difficulty we had experienced in passing over loose ice.

After several hours of very beautiful weather, a thick fog came on

early on the morning of the 6th July, and at five A.M. we halted, having

got to the end of the floe, and only made good two miles and a half to

the northward. The fog continued very thick all day; but, being

unwilling to stop on this account, we set out again at half past six in

the evening, and passed over several small flat pieces with no great

difficulty, but with much loss of time in launching and hauling up the

boats. Towards the end of our day's journey, we landed on the only

really level floe we had yet met with. It was, however, only three

quarters of a mile in length, but, being almost clear of snow, afforded

such good travelling, that, although much fatigued at the time, we

hauled the boats and all the baggage across it at one journey, at the

rate of about two miles an hour, and halted at the northern margin at

five A.M. on the 7th. The prospect beyond was still very unfavourable,

and at eight in the evening, when we again launched the boats, there was

not a piece of large or level ice to be seen in a northern direction.

We halted at six A.M. on the 8th, in time to avoid a great deal of rain

which fell during the day, and again proceeded on our journey at eight

in the evening, the wind being fresh from the E.S.E., with thick, wet

weather. We now met with detached ice of a still lighter kind than

before, the only floe in sight being much to the eastward of our course.

This we reached after considerable labour, in the hope of its leading to

the northward, which it did for about one mile, and we then came to the

same kind of loose ice as before. On the morning of the 9th July, we

enjoyed the indescribable comfort of two or three hours' clear, dry

weather, but had scarcely hung up our wet clothes, after halting at five

A.M., when it again came on to rain; but, as everything was as wet as it

could be, we left them out to take their chance. The rain continued most

of the day, but we set out at half past seven P.M., crossing loose ice,

as usual, and much of the surface consisting of detached vertical

needles. After an hour, the rain became so heavy that we halted to save

our shirts, which were the only dry clothes' belonging to us. Soon after

midnight, the rain being succeeded by one of the thickest fogs I ever

saw, we again proceeded, groping our way almost yard by yard from one

small piece of ice to another, and were very fortunate in hitting upon

some with level surfaces, and also a few tolerable-sized holes of water.

At half past two we reached a floe which appeared at first a level and

large one; but, on landing, we were much mortified to find it so covered

with immense ponds, or, rather, small lakes of fresh water, that, to

accomplish two miles in a north direction, we were under the necessity

of walking from three to four, the water being too deep for wading, and

from two hundred yards to one third of a mile in length. We halted at

six A.M., having made only one mile and three quarters in a N.N.W.

direction, the wind still blowing fresh from the eastward, with a thick

fog. We were in latitude 82° 3' 19", and longitude, by chronometers, 23°

17' E., and we found the variation of the magnetic needle to be 13° 41'

westerly. We moved again at seven P.M., with the weather nearly as foggy

as before, our road lying across a very hummocky floe, on which we had

considerable difficulty in getting the boats, the ice being extremely

unfavourable both for launching and hauling them up. After stopping an

hour at midnight to dine, we were again annoyed by a heavy fall of rain,

a phenomenon almost as new to us in these regions until this summer, as

it was harassing and unhealthy. Being anxious, however, to take

advantage of a lane of water that seemed to lead northerly, we launched

the boats, and by the time that we had crossed it, which gave us only

half a mile of northing, the rain had become much harder, and our outer

clothes, bread bags, and boats were thoroughly wet. After this we had

better travelling on the ice, and also crossed one or two larger holes

of water than we had met with for a long time, and halted for our

night's rest at half past seven A.M., after nearly twelve hours' hard,

but not altogether unsuccessful labour, having traversed about twelve

miles, and made good by our account, seven and a half, in a N.W.b.N.

direction. The rain ceased soon after we had halted, but was succeeded,

by a thick, wet fog, which obliged us, when we continued our journey, to

put on our travelling clothes in the same dripping state as when we took

them off. The wind continued fresh from the southeastward, and at nine

P.M. the weather suddenly cleared up, and gave us once more the

inconceivably cheering, I had almost said the blessed, sight of a blue

sky, with hard, well-defined white clouds floating across it. We halted

at six A.M., after making, by our day's exertions, only three miles and

a half of northing, our latitude at this time being 82° 14' 28", and our

longitude, by chronometers, 22° 4' E. The thermometer was from 35° to

36° in the shade during most of the day, and this, with a clear sky over

head, was now absolute luxury to us. Setting out again at seven P.M., we

crossed a small lane of water to another floe; but this was so

intersected by ponds, and by streams running into the sea, that we had

to make a very circuitous route, some of the ponds being half-a mile in

length. Notwithstanding the immense quantity of water still upon the

ice, and which always afforded us a pure and abundant supply of this

indispensable article, we now observed a mark round the banks of all the

ponds, showing that the water was less deep in them, by several inches,

than it had been somewhat earlier in the summer; and, indeed, from about

this time, some small diminution in its quantity began to be perceptible

to ourselves. We halted for our resting-time at six A.M. on the 13th,

having gained only two miles and a half of northing, over a road of

about four, and this accomplished by ten hours of fatiguing exertion. We

were here in latitude, by the noon observation, 82° 17' 10", and could

find no bottom with four hundred fathoms of line. We launched the boats

at seven in the evening, the wind being moderate from the E.S.E., with

fine, clear weather, and were still mortified in finding that no

improvement took place in the road over which we had to travel; for the

ice now before us was, if possible, more broken up and more difficult to

pass over than ever. Much of it was also so thin as to be extremely

dangerous for the provisions; and it was often a nervous thing to see

our whole means of existence lying on a decayed sheet, having holes

quite through it in many parts, and which the smallest motion among the

surrounding masses might have instantly broken into pieces. There was,

however, no choice, except between this road and the more rugged though

safer hummocks, which cost ten times the labour to pass over. Mounting

one of the highest of these at nine P.M., we could discover nothing to

the north, ward but the same broken and irregular surface; and we now

began to doubt whether we should at all meet with the solid fields of

unbroken ice which every account had led us to expect in a much lower

latitude than this. A very strong, yellow ice-blink overspread the whole

northern horizon.

We stopped to dine at half an hour past midnight, after more than five

hours unceasing labour, in the course of which time we had only

accomplished a mile and a half due north, though we had traversed from

three to four, and walked at least ten, having made three journeys a

great part of the way. We had launched and hauled up the boats four

times, and dragged them over twenty-five separate pieces of ice. After

dinner we continued the same kind of travelling, which was, beyond all

description, harrassing to the officers and men. In crossing from mass

to mass, several of which were separated about half the length of our

sledges, the officers were stationed at the most difficult places to see

that no precaution, was omitted which could ensure the safety of the

provisions. Only one individual was allowed to jump over at a time, or

to stand near either margin, for fear of the weight being too great for

it; and when three or four men had separately crossed, the sledge was

cautiously drawn up to the edge, and the word being given, the men

suddenly ran away with the ropes, so as to allow no time for its

falling in if the ice should break. Having at length succeeded in

reaching a small floe, we halted at half past six A.M., much wearied by

nearly eleven hours' exertion, by which we had only advanced three miles

and a half in a N.N.W. direction. We rose at six P.M., and prepared to

set out, but it rained so hard and so incessantly that it would have

been impossible to move without a complete drenching. It held up a

little at five, and at six we set out; but the rain soon recommenced,

though less heavily than before. At eight the rain again became heavier,

and we got under shelter of our awnings for a quarter of an hour, to

keep our shirts and other flannel clothes dry; these being the only

things we now had on which were not thoroughly wet. At nine we did the

same, but before ten were obliged to halt altogether, the rain coming

down in torrents, and the men being much exhausted by continued wet and

cold, though the thermometer was at 36°, which was somewhat above our

usual temperature. At half past seven P.M. we again pursued our journey,

and, after much laborious travelling, we were fortunate, considering the

fog, in hitting upon a floe which proved the longest we had yet crossed,

being three miles from south to north, though alternately rugged and

flat. From this we launched into a lane of water half a mile long from

east to west, but which only gave us a hundred and fifty yards of

northing.

The floe on which we stopped to dine, at one A.M. on the 16th, was not

more than four feet thick, and its extent half a mile square; and on

this we had the rare advantage of carrying all our loads at one journey.

At half past six the fog cleared away, and gave us beautiful weather

for drying our clothes, and once more the cheerful sight of the blue

sky. We halted at half past seven, after being twelve hours on the road,

having made a N.b.W. course, distance only six miles and a quarter,

though we had traversed nine miles. We saw, during this last journey, a

mallemucke and a second Ross gull: and a couple of small flies (to us an

event of ridiculous importance) were found upon the ice.

We again pursued our way at seven in the evening, having the unusual

comfort of putting on dry stockings, and the no less rare luxury of

delightfully pleasant weather, the wind being moderate from the S.S.E.

It was so warm in the sun, though the temperature in the shade was only

35°, that the tar was running out of the seams of the boats; and a

blackened bulb held against the paint-work raised the thermometer to

72°. The floes were larger to-day, and the ice, upon the whole, of

heavier dimensions than any we had yet met with. The general thickness

of the floes, however, did not exceed nine or ten feet, which is not

more than the usual thickness of those in Baffin's Bay and Hudson's

Strait.

The 17th of July being one of the days on which the Royal Society of

Edinburgh have proposed to institute a series of simultaneous

meteorological observations, we commenced an hourly register of every

phenomenon which came under our notice, and which our instruments and

other circumstances would permit, and continued most of them throughout

the day. Our latitude, observed at noon, was 82° 32' 10", being more

than a mile to the southward of the reckoning, though the wind had been

constantly from that quarter during the twenty-four hours.

After midnight the road became, if possible, worse, and the prospect to

the northward more discouraging than before; nothing but loose and very

small pieces of ice being in sight, over which the boats were dragged

almost entirely by a "standing-pull." The men were so exhausted with

their day's work, that it was absolutely necessary to give them

something hot for supper, and we again served a little cocoa for that

purpose. They were also put into good spirits by our having killed a

small seal, which, the following night, gave us an excellent supper. The

meat of these young animals is tender, and free from oiliness; but it

certainly has a smell and a look which would not have been agreeable to

any but very hungry people like ourselves. We also considered it a great

prize on account of its blubber, which gave us fuel sufficient for

cooking six hot messes for our whole party, though the animal only

weighed thirty pounds in the whole.

Setting out at half past seven in the evening, we found the sun more

distressing to the eyes than we had ever yet had it, bidding defiance to

our crape veils and wire-gauze eye-shades;[022] but a more effectual

screen was afforded by the sun becoming clouded about nine P.M. At half

past nine we came to a very difficult crossing among the loose ice,

which, however, we were encouraged to attempt by seeing a floe of some

magnitude beyond it. We had to convey the sledges and provisions one

way, and to haul the boats over by another. One of the masses over which

the boats came began to roll about while one of them was upon it, giving

us reason to apprehend its upsetting, which must have been attended with

some very serious consequence: fortunately, however, it retained its

equilibrium long enough to allow us to get the boat past it in safety,

not without several of the men falling overboard, in consequence of the

long jumps we had to make, and the edges breaking with their weight.

On the morning of the 20th we came to a good deal of ice, which formed a

striking contrast with the other, being composed of flat bay-floes, not

three feet thick, which would have afforded us good travelling had they

not recently been broken into small pieces, obliging us to launch

frequently from one to another. These floes had been the product of the

last winter only, having probably been formed in some of the interstices

left between the larger bodies; and, from what we saw of them, there

could be little doubt of their being all dissolved before the next

autumnal frost. We halted at seven A.M., having, by our reckoning,

accomplished six miles and a half in a N.N.W. direction, the distance

traversed being ten miles and a half. It may therefore be imagined how

great was our mortification in finding that our latitude, by observation

at noon, was only 82° 36' 52", being less than _five_ miles to the

northward of our place at noon on the 17th, since which time we had

certainly travelled _twelve_ in that direction.

At five A.M. on the 21st, having gone ahead, as usual, upon a bay-floe,

to search for the best road, I heard a more than ordinary noise and

bustle among the people who were bringing up the boats behind. On

returning to them, I found that we had narrowly, and most

providentially, escaped a serious calamity; the floe having broken under

the weight of the boats and sledges, and the latter having nearly been

lost through the ice. Some of the men went completely through, and one

of them was only held up by his drag-belt being attached to a sledge

which happened to be on firmer ice. Fortunately the bread had, by way of

security, been kept in the boats, or this additional weight would

undoubtedly have sunk the sledges, and probably some of the men with

them. As it was, we happily escaped, though we hardly knew how, with a

good deal of wetting; and, cautiously approaching the boats, drew them

to a stronger part of the ice, after which we continued our journey till

half past six A.M., when we halted to rest, having travelled about seven

miles N.N.W., our longitude by chronometers being 19° 52' east, and the

latitude 82° 39' 10", being only two miles and a quarter to the

northward of the preceding day's observation, or four miles and a half

to the southward of our reckoning.

Our sportsmen had the good fortune to kill another seal to-day, rather

larger than the first, which again proved a most welcome addition to our

provisions and fuel. Indeed, after this supply of the latter, we were

enabled to allow ourselves every night a pint of warm water for supper,

each man making his own soup from such a portion of his bread and

pemmican as he could save from dinner. Setting out again at seven in the

evening, we were not sorry to find the weather quite calm, which

sailors account "half a fair wind;" for it was now evident that nothing

but a southerly breeze could enable us to make any tolerable progress,

or to regain what we had lately lost.

Our travelling to-night was the very best we had during this excursion;

for though we had to launch and haul up the boats frequently, an

operation which, under the most favourable circumstances, necessarily

occupies much time, yet the floes being large and tolerably level, and

some good lanes of water occurring, we made, according to the most

moderate calculation, between ten and eleven miles in a N.N.E.

direction, and traversed a distance of about seventeen. We halted at a

quarter past eight A.M. after more than twelve hours' actual travelling,

by which the people were extremely fatigued; but, while our work seemed

to be repaid by anything like progress, the men laboured with great

cheerfulness to the utmost of their strength. The ice over which we had

travelled was by far the largest and heaviest we met with during our

whole journey; this, indeed, was the only occasion on which we saw

anything answering in the slightest degree to the descriptions given of

the main ice. The largest floe was from two and a half to three miles

square, and in some places the thickness of the ice was from 15 to 20

feet. However, it was a satisfaction to observe that the ice had

certainly improved; and we now ventured to hope that, for the short time

that we could still pursue our outward journey, our progress would be

more commensurate with our exertions than it had hitherto proved. In

proportion, then, to the hopes we had begun to entertain, was our

disappointment in finding, at noon, that we were in latitude 82° 43' 5",

or not quite four miles to the northward of yesterday's observation,

instead of the ten or eleven which we had travelled! We halted at seven

A.M. on the 23d, after a laborious day's work, and, I must confess, a

disheartening one to those who knew to how little effect we were

struggling; which, however, the men did not, though they often

laughingly remarked that "we were a long time getting to this 83°!"

Being anxious to make up, in some measure, for the drift which the

present northerly wind was in all probability occasioning, we rose

earlier than usual, and set off at half past four in the evening. At

half past five P.M. we saw a very beautiful natural phenomenon. A broad

white fog-bow first appeared opposite the sun, as was very commonly the

case; presently it became strongly tinged with, the prismatic colours,

and soon afterward no less than five other complete arches were formed

within the main bow, the interior ones being gradually narrower than

those without, but the whole of them beautifully coloured. The larger

bow, and the one next within it, had the red on the outer or upper part

of the circle, the others on the inner side.

We halted at a quarter past three on the morning of the 24th, having

made four miles and a half N.N.E., over a road of about seven and a

half, most of which we traversed, as usual, three times. We moved again

at four P.M. over a difficult road, composed of small and rugged ice. So

small was the ice now around us, that we were obliged to halt for the

night at two A.M. on the 25th, being upon the only piece in sight, in

any direction, on which we could venture to trust the boats while we

rested. Such was the ice in the latitude of 82-3/4°.

The wind had now got round to the W.N.W., with raw, foggy weather, and

continued to blow fresh all day. Snow came on soon after our halting,

and about two inches had fallen when we moved again at half past four

P.M. We continued our journey in this inclement weather for three hours,

hauling from piece to piece, and not making more than three quarters of

a mile progress, till our clothes and bread-bags had become very wet,

and the snow fell so thick that we could no longer see our way. It was

therefore necessary to halt, which we did at half past seven, putting

the awnings over the boats, changing our wet clothes, and giving the men

employment for the mere sake of occupying their minds. The weather

improving towards noon on the 26th, we obtained the meridian altitude of

the sun, by which we found ourselves in latitude 82° 40' 23"; so that,

since our last observation (at midnight on the 22d), we had lost by

drift no less than thirteen miles and a half; for we were now more than

three miles to the _southward_ of that observation, though we had

certainly travelled between ten and eleven due north in this interval!

Again, we were but one mile to the north of our place at noon on the

21st, though we had estimated our distance made good at twenty-three

miles. Thus it appeared that for the last five days we had been

struggling against a southerly drift exceeding four miles per day.

It had, for some time past, been too evident that the nature of the ice

with which we had to contend was such, and its drift to the southward,

especially with a northerly wind, so great, as to put beyond our reach

anything but a very moderate share of success in travelling to the

northward. Still, however, we had been anxious to reach the highest

latitude which our means would allow, and with this view, although our

whole object had long become unattainable, had pushed on to the

northward for thirty-five days, or until half our resources were

expended, and the middle of our season arrived. For the last few days

the eighty-third parallel was the limit to which we had ventured to

extend our hopes; but even this expectation had become considerably

weakened since the setting in of the last northerly wind, which

continued to drive us to the southward, during the necessary hours of

rest, nearly as much as we could gain by eleven or twelve hours of daily

labour. Had our success been at all proportionate to our exertions, it

was my full intention to proceed a few days beyond the middle of the

period for which we were provided, trusting to the resources we expected

to find at Table Island. But I could not but consider it as incurring

useless fatigue to the officers and men, and unnecessary wear and tear

for the boats, to persevere any longer in the attempt. I determined,

therefore, on giving the people one entire day's rest, which they very

much needed, and time to wash and mend their clothes, while the officers

were occupied in making all the observations which might be interesting

in this latitude; and then to set out on our return on the following

day. Having communicated my intentions to the people, who were all much

disappointed at finding how little their labours had effected, we set

about our respective occupations, and were much favoured by a remarkably

fine day.

The highest latitude we reached was probably at seven A.M. on the 23d,

when, after the midnight observation, we travelled, by our account,

something more than a mile and a half, which would carry us a little

beyond 82° 45'. Some observations for the magnetic intensity were

obtained at this station. We here found no bottom with five hundred

fathoms of line. At the extreme point of our journey, our distance from

the Hecla was only 172 miles in a S. 8° W. direction. To accomplish this

distance, we had traversed, by our reckoning, 292 miles, of which about

100 were performed by water, previous to our entering the ice. As we

travelled by far the greater part of our distance on the ice three, and

not unfrequently five, times over, we may safely multiply the length of

the road by two and a half; so that our whole distance, on a very

moderate calculation, amounted to 580 geographical or 668 statute miles,

being nearly sufficient to have reached the Pole in a direct line.

Our day of rest (27th of July) proved one of the warmest and most

pleasant to the feelings we had yet had upon the ice, though the

thermometer was only from 31° to 36° in the shade, and 37° in the sun,

with occasional fog; but to persons in the open air, calm and tolerably

dry weather affords absolute enjoyment, especially by contrast with what

we had lately experienced. Our ensigns and pendants were displayed

during the day; and, sincerely as we regretted not having been able to

hoist the British flag in the highest latitude to which we had aspired,

we shall perhaps be excused in having felt some little pride in being

the bearers of it to a parallel considerably beyond that mentioned in

any other well-authenticated record.

At 4.30 P.M. on the 27th, we set out on our return to the southward, and

I can safely say that, dreary and cheerless as were the scenes we were

about to leave, we never turned homeward with so little satisfaction as

on this occasion. To afford a chance of determining the general set of

the current from this latitude, we left upon a hummock of ice a paper,

sewn up in a water-proof canvass bag, and then enclosed in a water-tight

tin canister, giving an account of the place where it was deposited, and

requesting any person who should find it to send it to the secretary of

the admiralty. Nothing worthy of particular notice occurred on this and

the following day, on each of which we travelled eleven hours; finding

the water somewhat more open and the floes less rugged than usual. Two

of these were from two to three miles in length, and in one instance the

surface was sufficiently level to allow us to drag the boats for three

quarters of a mile with the sledges _in tow_. Our latitude, observed at

noon of the 30th, was 82° 20' 37", or twelve miles and a half to the

southward of the preceding day's observation, though we had travelled

only seven by our account; so that the drift of the ice had assisted us

in gaining five miles and a half in that interval.

Setting out to continue our journey at five P.M., we could discover

nothing from a high hummock but the kind of bay-ice before noticed,

except on the floe on which we had slept. The travelling was very

laborious, but we were obliged to go on till we could get to a secure

floe for resting upon, which we could not effect till half past four on

the 31st, when, in eleven hours and a half, we had not made more than

two miles and a quarter of southing. However, we had the satisfaction,

which was denied us on our outward journey, of feeling confident that we

should keep all that we gained, and probably make a good deal more;

which, indeed, proved to be the case, for at noon we found our latitude,

by observation, to be 82° 14' 25", or four miles to the southward of the

reckoning.

We halted at five A.M. on the 1st of August, the officers and men being

quite knocked up, and having made by our account only two miles of

southing over a road not less than five in length. As we came along we

had seen some recent bear-tracks, and soon after discovered Bruin

himself. Halting the boats and concealing the people behind them, we

drew him almost within gun-shot; but, after making a great many

traverses behind some hummocks, and even mounting one of them to examine

us more narrowly, he set off and escaped--I must say, to our grievous

disappointment; for we had already, by anticipation, consigned a

tolerable portion of his flesh to our cooking kettle, over a fire of his

own blubber.

In the course of our journey, on the 2d of August, we met with a

quantity of snow, tinged, to the depth of several inches, with some red

colouring matter, of which a portion was preserved in a bottle for

future examination. This circumstance recalled to our recollection our

having frequently before, in the course of this journey, remarked that

the loaded sledges, in passing over hard snow, left upon it a light,

rose-coloured tint, which, at the time, we attributed to the colouring

matter being pressed out of the birch of which they were made. Today,

however, we observed that the runners of the, boats, and even our own

footsteps, exhibited the same appearance; and, on watching it more

narrowly afterward, we found the same effect to be produced, in a

greater or less degree, by heavy pressure, on almost all the ice over

which we passed, though a magnifying glass could detect nothing to give

it this tinge. Halting at seven A.M. on the 3d, after launching and

hauling up the boats a great number of times, we had not only the

comfort of drying all our wet clothes, but were even able to wash many

of our woollen things, which dried in a few hours. The latitude observed

at noon was 82° 1' 48", or twelve miles and a half, to the southward of

our place on the 31st, which was about three more than our log gave,

though there had been southing in the wind during the whole interval.

We proceeded on our journey southward at eight P.M., and were again

favoured with a clear and beautiful night, though the travelling was as

slow and laborious as ever, there being scarcely a tolerable floe lying

in our road. The sun now became so much lower at night, that we were

seldom annoyed by the glare from the snow. It was also a very

comfortable change to those who had to look out for the road, to have

the sun behind us instead of facing it, as on our outward journey. We

stopped to rest at a quarter past six A.M. on the 4th, after

accomplishing three miles in a south direction, over a troublesome road

of nearly twice that length. It was almost calm, and to our feelings

oppressively warm during the day, the thermometer within the boats

rising as high as 66°, which put our fur dresses nearly "out of

commission," though the mercury exposed to the sun outside did not rise

above 39°. Pursuing our journey at eight P.M., we paid, as usual, for

this comfort by the extreme softness of the snow. The upper crust would

sometimes support a man's weight for a short time, and then suddenly let

him down two or three feet, so that we could never make sure of our

footing for two steps together. Several of the men were also suffering

much at this time from chilblains, which, from the constant wet and

cold, as well as the irritation in walking, became serious sores,

keeping them quite lame. With many of our people, also, the epidermis or

scarfskin peeled off in large flakes, not merely in the face and hands,

which were exposed to the action of the sun and the weather, but in

every other part of the body; this, however, was attended with no pain,

nor with much inconvenience.

A fat bear crossed over a lane of water to visit us, and, approaching

the boats within twenty yards, was killed by Lieutenant Ross. The scene

which followed was laughable, even to us who participated in it. Before

the animal had done biting the snow, one of the men was alongside of him

with an open knife; and, being asked what he was about to do, replied

that he was about cut out his heart and liver to put into the pot, which

happened to be then boiling for our supper. In short, before the bear

had been dead an hour, all hands of us were employed, to our great

satisfaction, in discussing the merits, not only of the said heart and

liver, but a pound per man of the flesh; besides which, some or other of

the men were constantly frying steaks during the whole day, over a large

fire made of the blubber. The consequence of all this, and other similar

indulgences, necessarily was, that some of them complained, for several

days after, of the pains usually arising from indigestion; though they

all, amusingly enough, attributed this effect to the quality, and not

the quantity of meat they had eaten. However, notwithstanding these

excesses at first, we were really thankful for this additional supply of

meat; for we had observed for some time past, that the men were

evidently not so strong as before, and would be the better for more

sustenance.

The rain continued so hard at our usual time of setting out, that I was

obliged to delay doing so till six P.M. on the 8th, when it ceased a

little, after falling hard for twenty-four hours, and less violently for

twelve more. When we first launched the boats, our prospect of making

progress seemed no better than usual, but we found one small hole of

water leading into another in so extraordinary a manner, that, though

the space in which we were rowing seemed always to be coming to an end,

we continued to creep through narrow passages, and, when we halted to

dine at half an hour before midnight, had only hauled the boats up once,

and had made, though by a winding channel, four or five miles of

southing. This was so unusual a circumstance, that we could not help

entertaining some hope of our being at no great distance from the open

sea, which seemed the more probable from our having seen seven or eight

narwhals, and not less than two hundred rotges, a flock of these little

birds occurring in every hole of water. At noon on the 10th of August,

we observed in latitude 81° 40' 13", which was only four miles to the

northward of our reckoning from the last observation, although there had

been almost constantly southing in the wind ever since, and it had been

blowing strong from that quarter for the last thirty hours. This

circumstance afforded a last and striking proof of the general tendency

of the ice to drift southward, about the meridians on which we had been

travelling. Another bear came towards the boats in the course of the

day, and was killed. We were now so abundantly supplied with meat, that

the men would again have eaten immoderately had we not interposed the

necessary authority to prevent them. As it was, our encampment became so

like an Esquimaux establishment, that we were obliged to shift our place

upon the floe in the course of the day, for the sake of cleanliness and

comfort.

The wind falling towards midnight, we launched the boats at half past

one A.M. on the 11th, paddling alternately in large spaces of clear

water and among streams of loose "sailing ice." We soon afterward

observed such indications of an open sea as could not be mistaken, much

of the ice being "washed" as by a heavy sea, with small rounded

fragments thrown on the surface, and a good deal of "dirty ice"

occurring. After passing through a good deal of loose ice, it became

gradually more and more open, till at length, at a quarter before seven

A.M., we heard the first sound of the swell under the hollow margins of

the ice, and in a quarter of an hour had reached the open sea, which was

dashing with heavy surges against the outer masses. We hauled the boats

upon one of these, to eat our last meal upon the ice, and to complete

the necessary supply of water for our little voyage to Table Island,

from which we were now distant fifty miles, our latitude being 81° 34',

and longitude 18-1/4° E. A light air springing up from the N.W., we

again launched the boats, and at eight A.M. finally quitted the ice,

after having taken up our abode upon it for forty-eight days.

We had some fog during the night, so that we steered entirely by

compass, according to our last observations by the chronometers, which

proved so correct, that, at five A.M. on the 12th, on the clearing up of

the haze, we made the island right ahead. At eleven A.M. we reached the

island, or rather the rock to the northward of it, where our provisions

had been deposited; and I cannot describe the comfort we experienced in

once more feeling a dry and solid footing. We found that the bears had

devoured all the bread (one hundred pounds), which occasioned a remark

among the men, with reference to the quantity of these animals' flesh

that we had eaten, that "Bruin was only square with us." We also found

that Lieutenant Crozier had been here since we left the island, bringing

some materials for repairing our boats, as well as various little

luxuries to which we had lately been strangers, and depositing in a

copper cylinder a letter from Lieutenant Foster, giving me a detailed

account of the proceedings of the ship up to the 23d of July. By this I

learned that the Hecla had been forced on shore on the 7th of July, by

the breaking-up of the ice at the head of the bay, which came down upon

her in one solid mass; but, by the unwearied and zealous exertions of

the officers and men, she had again been hove off without incurring the

slightest damage, and placed in perfect security. Among the supplies

with which the anxious care of our friends on board had now furnished

us, some lemon-juice and sugar were not the least acceptable; two or

three of the men having for some days past suffered from oedematous

swellings of the legs, and evinced other symptoms apparently scorbutic,

but which soon improved after administering this valuable specific.

Having got our stores into the boats, we rowed round Table Island to

look for a place on which to rest, the men being much fatigued; but so

rugged and inhospitable is this northern rock, that not a single spot

could we find where the boats could possibly be hauled up, or lie afloat

in security. I therefore determined to take advantage of the freshening

of the N.E. wind, and to bear up for Walden Island, which we accordingly

did at two P.M. We had scarcely made, sail when the weather became

extremely inclement, with a fresh gale and very thick snow, which

obscured Walden Island from our view. Steering by compass, however, we

made a good landfall, the boats behaving well in a sea; and at seven

P.M. landed in the smoothest place we could find under the lee of the

island. Everything belonging to us was now completely drenched by the

spray and snow; we had been fifty-six hours without rest, and

forty-eight at work in the boats, so that, by the time they were

unloaded, we had barely strength left to haul them up on the rock. We

noticed, on this occasion, that the men had that wildness in their looks

which usually accompanies excessive fatigue; and, though just as willing

as ever to obey orders, they seemed at times not to comprehend them.

However, by dint of great exertion, we managed to get the boats above

the surf; after which, a hot supper, a blazing fire of driftwood, and a

few hours' quiet rest, quite restored us.

The next morning, the 13th, I despatched Lieutenant Ross, with a party

of hands, to the N.E. part of the island, to launch the spare boat,

which, according to my directions, Lieutenant Foster had sent for our

use, and to bring round the stores deposited there in readiness for our

setting off for Low Island. They found everything quite undisturbed;

but, by the time they reached us, the wind had backed to the westward,

and the weather become very wet, so that I determined to remain here

till it improved.

At ten A.M. on the 14th, the weather being fine, we launched our three

boats and left Walden Island; but the wind backing more to the westward,

we could only fetch into a bay on the opposite or southern shore, where

we hauled the boats up on very rugged rocks, under cliffs about six

hundred feet high, and of the same granite formation as Walden Island.

The wind dying away on the morning of the 17th, we once more set out for

the ship at nine A.M.; but having a second time nearly reached Shoal

Point, were again met by a strong breeze as we opened Waygatz Strait,

and were therefore obliged to land upon the low shore to the southward

of Low Island.

On the 18th of August the wind increased to a strong breeze from the

S.W., with rain and sleet, which afterward changed to snow in some of

the largest flakes I ever saw, completely changing the whole aspect of

the land from summer to winter in a few hours. On the following morning

we prepared to move at an early hour, but the wind backed more to the

westward, and soon after increased to a gale, raising so much surf on

the beach as to oblige us to haul the boats higher up. On the 20th,

tired as we were of this tedious confinement, and anxious to reach the

ship, the wind and sea were still too high to allow us to move, and it

was not till half past seven A.M. on the following day that we could

venture to launch the boats. Having now, by means of the driftwood,

converted our paddles into oars, and being occasionally favoured by a

light breeze, with a perfectly open sea, we made tolerable progress, and

at half past four P.M. on the 21st of August, when within three or four

miles of Hecla Cove, had the gratification of seeing a boat under sail

coming out to meet us. Mr. Weir soon joined us in one of the cutters;

and, after hearing good accounts of the safety of the ship, and of the

welfare of all on board, together with a variety of details, to us of no

small interest, we arrived on board at seven P.M., after an absence of

sixty-one days, being received with that warm and cordial welcome which

can alone be felt, and not described.

I cannot conclude the account of our proceedings without endeavouring

to do justice to the cheerful alacrity and unwearied zeal displayed by

my companions, both officers and men, in the course of this excursion;

and if steady perseverance and active exertion on their parts could have

accomplished our object, success would undoubtedly have crowned our

labours. I must also mention, to the credit of the officers of Woolwich

dock-yard, who took so much pains in the construction of our boats,

that, notwithstanding the constant and severe trial to which their

strength had been put--and a more severe trial could not well be

devised--not a timber was sprung, a plank split, or the smallest injury

sustained by them; they were, indeed, as tight and as fit for service

when we reached the ship as when they were first received on board, and

in every respect answered the intended purpose admirably.

* * * * *

On my arrival on board, I learned from Lieutenant Crozier that

Lieutenant Foster, finding that no farther disturbance from ice was to

be apprehended, and after making an accurate plan of the bay and its

neighbourhood, had proceeded on the survey of Waygatz Strait, and

proposed returning by the 26th of August, the day to which I had limited

his absence. I found the ship quite ready for sea, with the exception of

getting on board the launch, with the stores deposited by my direction

on the beach. Lieutenant Foster's report informed me that, after the

ship had been hauled off the ground, they had again suffered

considerable disturbance for several days, in consequence of some heavy

masses of ice driving into the bay, which dragged the anchors, and

again threatened them with a similar accident. However, after the middle

of July, no ice had entered the bay, and, what is still more remarkable,

not a piece had been seen in the offing for some weeks past, even after

hard northerly and westerly gales.

On the 22d of August, as soon as our people had enjoyed a good night's

rest, we commenced bringing the stores on board from the beach, throwing

out such a quantity of the stone ballast as was necessary for trimming

the ship; after which the cables and hawsers were cast off from the

shore, and the ship hauled off to single anchor. Lieutenant Foster

returned on board on the 24th, having surveyed the greater part of the

shores of the strait, as far to the southward as 79° 33".

Lieutenant Foster saw some seahorses (narwhals) and white whales in the

course of this excursion, but no black whales; nor did we, in the whole

course of the voyage, see any of these, except on the ground already

frequented by our whalers on the western coast of Spitzbergen. It is

remarkable, however, that the "crown-bones," and other parts of the

skeleton of whales, are found in most parts where we landed on this

coast. The shores of the strait, like all the rest in Spitzbergen, are

lined with immense quantities of driftwood, wherever the nature of the

coast will allow it to land.

The animals met with here during the Hecla's stay were principally

reindeer, bears, foxes, kittiwakes, glaucus and ivory gulls, tern,

eider-ducks, and a few grouse. Looms and rotges were numerous in the

offing. Seventy reindeer were killed, chiefly very small, and, until

the middle of August, not in good condition. They were usually met with

in herds of from six or eight to twenty, and were most abundant on the

west and north sides of the bay. Three bears were killed, one of which

was somewhat above the ordinary dimensions, measuring eight feet four

inches from the snout to the insertion of the tail. The vegetation was

tolerably abundant, especially on the western side of the bay, where the

soil is good; a considerable collection of plants, as well as minerals,

was made by Mr. Halse, and of birds by Mr. M'Cormick.

The neighbourhood of this bay, like most of the northern shores of

Spitzbergen, appears to have been much visited by the Dutch at a very

early period; of which circumstance records are furnished on almost

every spot where we landed, by the numerous graves which we met with.

There are thirty of these on a point of land on the north side of the

bay.[023] The bodies are usually deposited in an oblong wooden coffin,

which, on account of the difficulty of digging the ground, is not

buried, but merely covered by large stones; and a board is generally

placed near the head, having, either cut or painted upon it, the name of

the deceased, with those of his ship and commander, and the month and

year of his burial. Several of these were fifty or sixty years old; one

bore the date of 1738; and another, which I found on the beach to the

eastward of Hecla Cove, that of 1690; the inscription distinctly

appearing in prominent relief, occasioned by the preservation of the

wood by the paint, while the unpainted part had decayed around it.

The officers who remained on board the Hecla during the summer described

the weather as the most beautiful, and the climate altogether the most

agreeable, they had ever experienced in the Polar Regions. Indeed, the

Meteorological Journal shows a temperature, both of the air and of the

sea water, to which we had before been altogether strangers within the

Arctic Circle, and which goes far towards showing that the climate of

Spitzbergen is a remarkably temperate one for its latitude.[024] It

must, however, be observed, that this remark is principally applicable

to the weather experienced _near the land_, that at sea being rendered

of a totally different character by the almost continual presence of

fogs; so that some of our most gloomy days upon the ice were among the

finest in Hecla Cove, where, however, a good deal of rain fell in the

course of the summer.

The Hecla was ready for sea on the 25th of August; but the wind blowing

fresh from the northward and westward prevented our moving till the

evening of the 28th, when, the weather improving, we got under way from

Hecla Cove, and, being favoured with a light air from the S.E., stood

along the coast to the westward. On the evening of the 29th, when off

Red Beach, we got on board our boat and other stores which had been

left there, finding them undisturbed and in good order. The weather was

beautifully fine, and the sun (to us for the first time for about four

months) just dipped his lower limb into the sea at midnight, and then

rose again. It was really wonderful to see that, upon this whole

northern coast of Spitzbergen, where in May and June not a "hole" of

clear water could be found, it would now have been equally difficult to

discover a single mass of ice in any direction. This absence of ice now

enabled us to see Moffen Island, which is so low and flat that it was

before entirely hidden from our view by the hummocks. On rounding

Hakluyt's Headland on the 30th, we came at once into a long swell, such

as occurs only in places exposed to the whole range of the ocean, and,

except a small or loose stream or two, we after this saw no more ice of

any kind. On the 31st we were off Prince Charles's Foreland, the middle

part of which, about Cape Sietoe, appeared to be much the highest land

we had seen in Spitzbergen; rising probably to an elevation of above

four thousand feet.

We had favourable winds to carry us clear of Spitzbergen; but after the

3d of September, and between the parallels of 70° and 60°, were detained

by continual southerly and southwesterly breezes for a fortnight. On the

evening of the 17th we made Shetland, and on the following day, being

close off Balta Sound, and the wind blowing strong from the S.W., I

anchored in the Voe at two P.M., to wait a more favourable breeze. We

were here received by all that genuine hospitality for which the

inhabitants of this northern part of the British dominions are so

justly distinguished, and we gladly availed ourselves of the supplies

with which their kindness furnished us.

Early on the morning of the 19th of September, the wind suddenly shifted

to the N.N.W., and almost immediately blew so strong a gale that we could

not safely cast the ship until the evening, when we got under way and

proceeded to the southward; but had not proceeded farther than Fair

Island, when, after a few hours' calm, we were once more met by a

southerly wind. Against this we continued to beat till the morning of

the 23d, when, finding that we made but little progress, and that there

was no appearance of an alteration of wind, I determined to put into

Long Hope, in the Orkney Islands, to await a change in our favour, and

accordingly ran in and anchored there as soon as the tide would permit.

We found lying here his majesty's revenue cutter the Chichester; and Mr.

Stuart, her commander, who was bound direct to Inverness, came on board

as soon as we had anchored, to offer his services in any manner which

might be useful. The wind died away in the course of the night of the

24th, and was succeeded on the following morning by a light air from the

northward, when we immediately got under way; but had not entered the

Pentland Firth, when it again fell calm and then backed to the

southward, rendering it impossible to make any progress in that

direction with a dull-sailing ship. I therefore determined on returning

with the Hecla to the anchorage, and then taking advantage of Mr.

Stuart's offer; and accordingly left the ship at eight A.M., accompanied

by Mr. Beverly, to proceed to Inverness in the Chichester, and from

thence by land to London, in order to lay before his royal highness the

lord high admiral, without farther delay, an account of our proceedings.

By the zealous exertions of Mr. Stuart, for which I feel greatly obliged

to that gentleman, we arrived off Fort George the following morning,

and, landing at Inverness at noon, immediately set off for London, and

arrived at the Admiralty on the morning of the 29th of September.

Owing to the continuance of southerly winds, the Hecla did not arrive in

the river Thames until the 6th of October, when I was sorry, though not

surprised, to learn the death of Mr. George Crawford, the Greenland

master, who departed this life on the 29th of September, sincerely

lamented by all who knew him, as a zealous, active, and enterprising

seaman, and an amiable and deserving man. Mr. Crawford had accompanied

us in five successive voyages to the Polar Seas, and I truly regret the

occasion which demands from me this public testimony of the value of his

services and the excellence of his character.

* * * * *

Having finished my Narrative of this Attempt to reach the North Pole, I

may perhaps be permitted, in conclusion, to offer such remarks as have

lately occurred to me on the nature and practicability of the

enterprise.

That the object is of still more difficult attainment than was before

supposed, even by those persons who were the best qualified to judge of

it, will, I believe, appear evident from a perusal of the foregoing

pages; nor can I, after much consideration and some experience of the

various difficulties which belong to it, recommend any material

improvement in the plan lately adopted. Among the various schemes

suggested for this purpose, it has been proposed to set out from

Spitzbergen, and to make a rapid journey to the northward with sledges

or sledge-boats, drawn wholly by dogs or reindeer; but, however feasible

this plan may at first sight appear, I cannot say that our late

experience of the nature of the ice which they would probably have to

encounter has been at all favourable to it. It would, of course, be a

matter of extreme imprudence to set out on this enterprise without the

means of crossing, not merely narrow pools and "lanes," but more

extensive spaces of open water, such as we met with between the margin

of the ice and the Spitzbergen shores; and I do not conceive that any

boat sufficiently large to be efficient and safe for this purpose could

possibly be managed upon the ice, were the power employed to give it

motion dependant on dogs or reindeer. On the contrary, it was a frequent

subject of remark among the officers, that reason was a qualification

scarcely less indispensable than strength and activity in travelling

over such a road; daily instances occurring of our having to pass over

difficult places, which no other animal than man could have been easily

prevailed upon to attempt. Indeed, the constant necessity of launching

and hauling up the boats (which operations we had frequently to perform

eight or ten, and, on one occasion, seventeen times in the same day)

would alone render it inexpedient, in my opinion, to depend chiefly

upon animals; for it would certainly require more time and labour to get

them into and out of the boats, than their services in the intervals, or

their flesh ultimately used as food, would be worth; especially when it

is considered how large a weight of provender must be carried for their

own subsistence.[025]

In case of employing reindeer, which, from their strength, docility, and

hardy habits, appear the best suited to this kind of travelling, there

would be an evident advantage in setting out much earlier in the year

than we did; perhaps about the end of April, when the ice is less broken

up, and the snow much harder upon its surface than at a more advanced

part of the season. But this, it must be recollected, would involve the

necessity of passing the previous winter on the northern coast of

Spitzbergen, which, even under favourable circumstances, would probably

tend to weaken in some degree the energies of the men; while, on the

other hand, it would be next to impossible to procure there a supply of

provender for a number of tame reindeer, sufficient even to keep them

alive, much less in tolerable condition, during a whole winter. In

addition to this, it may be observed, that any party setting out earlier

must be provided with a much greater weight of warm clothing in order to

guard against the severity of cold, and also with an increased

proportion of fuel for procuring water by the melting of snow, there

being no fresh water upon the ice in these latitudes before the month of

June.

In the kind of provisions proper to be employed in such enterprises--a

very important consideration, where almost the whole difficulty may be

said to resolve itself into a question of weight--I am not aware that

any improvement could be made upon that with which we were furnished;

for I know of none which appears to contain so much nutriment in so

small a weight and compass. It may be useful, however, to remark, as the

result of absolute experience, that our daily allowance of

provisions,[026] although previously tried for some days on board the

ship, and then considered to be enough, proved by no means sufficient to

support the strength of men living constantly in the open air, exposed

to wet and cold for at least twelve hours a day, seldom enjoying the

luxury of a warm meal, and having to perform the kind of labour to which

our people were subject. I have before remarked, that, previously to our

return to the ship, our strength was considerably impaired; and, indeed,

there is reason to believe that, very soon after entering upon the ice,

the physical energies of the men were gradually diminishing, although,

for the first few weeks, they did not appear to labour under any

specific complaint. This diminution of strength, which we considered to

be principally owing to the want of sufficient sustenance, became

apparent, even after a fortnight, in the lifting of the bread-bags and

other heavy weights; and I have no doubt that, in spite of every care on

the part of the officers, as well as Mr. Beverly's skilful and humane

attention to their ailments, some of the men, who had begun to fail

before we quitted the ice, would, in a week or two longer, have suffered

very severely, and become a serious encumbrance, instead of an

assistance, to our party. As far as we were able to judge, without

farther trial, Mr. Beverly and myself were of opinion that, in order to

maintain the strength of men thus employed for several weeks together,

an addition would be requisite of at least one third more to the

provisions which we daily issued. I need scarcely remark how much this

would increase the difficulty of equipping such an expedition.

I cannot dismiss the subject of this enterprise without attempting to

explain, as far as I am able, how it may have happened that the ice over

which we passed was found to answer so little to the description of that

observed by the respectable authorities quoted in a former part of this

volume.[027] It frequently occurred to us, in the course of our daily

journeys, that this may, in some degree, have arisen from our

navigators' having generally viewed the ice from a considerable height.

The only clear and commanding view on board a ship is that from the

crow's-nest; and Phipps's most important remarks concerning the nature

of the ice to the north of Spitzbergen were made from a station several

hundred feet above the sea; and, as it is well known how much the most

experienced eye may thus be deceived, it is possible enough that the

irregularities which cost us so much time and labour may, when viewed in

this manner, have entirely escaped notice, and the whole surface have

appeared one smooth and level plain.

It is, moreover, possible, that the broken state in which we

unexpectedly found the ice may have arisen, at least in part, from an

unusually wet season, preceded, perhaps, by a winter of less than

ordinary severity. Of the latter we have no means of judging, there

being no record, that I am aware of, of the temperature of that or any

other winter passed in the higher latitudes; but, on comparing our

Meteorological Register with some others kept during the corresponding

season and about the same latitude,[028] it does appear that, though no

material difference is observable in the mean temperature of the

atmosphere, the quantity of rain which we experienced is considerably

greater than usual; and it is well known how very rapidly ice is

dissolved by a fall of rain. At all events, from whatever cause it may

have arisen, it is certain that, about the meridian on which we

proceeded northward in the boats, the sea was in a totally different

state from what Phipps experienced, as may be seen from comparing our

accounts--his ship being closely beset, near the Seven Islands, for

several days about the beginning of August; whereas the Hecla, in the

beginning of June, sailed about in the same neighbourhood without

obstruction, and, before the close of July, not a piece of ice could be

seen from Little Table Island.

I may add, in conclusion, that, before the middle of August, when we

left the ice in our boats, a ship might have sailed to the latitude, of

82° almost without touching a piece of ice; and it was the general

opinion among us, that, by the end of that month, it would probably have

been no very difficult matter to reach the parallel of 83°, about the

meridian of the Seven Islands.

THE END.

FOOTNOTES

[001] This name being applied by the Esquimaux to several other portions

of land, all of which are insular, or nearly so, it is probable that the

word simply signifies an island.

[002] The expression "fixed ice" appearing better suited to our present

obstacle than that of "land ice," I shall in future adopt it in speaking

of this barrier.

[003] Lest it should be thought that this account is exaggerated, I may

here state, that, as a matter of curiosity, we one day tried how much a

lad, scarcely full grown, would, if freely supplied, consume in this

way. The under-mentioned articles were weighed before being given to

him; he was twenty hours in getting through them, and certainly did not

consider the quantity extraordinary.

lb. oz.

Seahorse flesh, hard frozen 4 4

Ditto, boiled 4 4

Bread and bread-dust 1 12

________

Total of solids 10 4

The Fluids were in fair proportion, viz.:

Rich gravy-soup 1-1/4 pint.

Raw spirits 3 wine glasses.

Strong grog. 1 tumbler.

Water 1 gallon 1 pint.

[004] We have since heard that these ships were the Dexterity, of Leith,

and the Aurora, of Hull, which were wrecked on the 28th of August, 1821,

about the latitude of 72°.

[005] A fine lad, of about sixteen, being one day out in a boat with one

of our gentlemen at Arlagnuk, reminded him, with a serious face, that he

had laid a gun down _full-cocked_. There happened to be no charge in the

gun at the time; but this was a proof of the attention the boy had paid

to the art of using firearms, as well as an instance of considerate and

manly caution, scarcely to have been expected in an individual of that

age.

[006] Most Greenland sailors use these; but many persons, both officers

and men, have an absurd prejudice against what they call "wearing

stays."

[007] It is remarkable that this poor man had, twice before, within the

space of nine months, been very near death; for, besides the accident

already mentioned, of falling down the hill when escaping from the bear,

he was also in imminent danger of dying of dropsy during the winter.

[008] This birch, they said, had been procured from the southward by way

of _Noowook_. We never met with any of the same kind in those parts of

the country which we visited, except that observed by Captain Lyon in

the deserted habitations of the Esquimaux near Five Hawser Bay.

[009] Toolooak, who was a frequent visitor at the young gentlemen's

mess-table on board the Fury, once evinced this taste, and no small

cunning at the same time, by asking alternately for a little more bread

and a little more butter, till he had made a hearty meal.

[010] Cervical, 7; dorsal, 13; lumbar, 7; sacral, 3; caudal, 19.

[011] Cartwright's _Labrador_, iii., 232.

[012] Ledyard. _Proceedings of the African Association_, vol i, p. 30.

[013] The first travelling boat, which was built by way of experiment,

was planked differently from these two; the planks, which were of

half-inch oak, being ingeniously "tongued" together with copper, in

order to save the necessity of caulking in case of the wood shrinking.

This was the boat subsequently landed on Red Beach.

[014] This article of our equipment contains a large proportion of

nutriment in a small weight and compass, and is therefore invaluable on

such occasions. The process, which requires great attention, consists in

drying large thin slices of the lean of the meat over the smoke of

wood-fires, then pounding it, and lastly mixing it with about an equal

weight of its own fat. In this state it is quite ready for use, without

farther cooking.

[015] The merits of this simple but valuable invention being now too

well known to require any detailed account of the experiments, it is

only necessary for me to remark, in this place, that the compass, having

the plate attached to it, gave, under all circumstances, the correct

magnetic bearing.

[016] It is remarkable, that the Esquimaux word for boot is very like

this--Kameega.

[017] I find it to be the universal opinion among the most experienced

of our whalers, that there is much less ice met with, of late years, in

getting to the northward, in these latitudes, than formerly was the

case. Mr. Scoresby, to whose very valuable local information, contained

in his "Account of the Arctic Regions," I have been greatly indebted on

this occasion, mentions the circumstance as a generally received fact.

[018] It was probably some such gale as this which has given to

Hakluyt's Headland, in an old Dutch chart, the appellation of "Duyvel's

Hoek."

[019] I have been thus particular in noticing the Hecla's position,

because our observations would appear to be, with one exception, the

most northern on record at that time. The Commissioners of Longitude, in

their memorial to the king in council, in the year 1821, consider that

the "progress of discovery has not arrived northward, according to any

well-authenticated accounts, so far as eighty-one degrees of north

latitude." Mr. Scoresby states his having observed in lat. 81° 12' 42".

[020] Had we succeeded in reaching the higher latitudes, where the

change of the sun's altitude during the twenty-four hours is still less

perceptible, it would have been essentially necessary to possess the

certain means of knowing this; since an error of twelve hours of time

would have carried us, when we intended to return, on a meridian

opposite to, or 180° from, the right one. To obviate the possibility of

this, we had some chronometers constructed by Messrs. Parkinson and

Frodsham, of which the hour-hand made only one revolution in the day,

the twenty-four hours being marked round the dial-plate.

[021] I may here mention, that, notwithstanding the heavy blows which

the boats were constantly receiving, all our nautical and astronomical

instruments were taken back to the ship without injury. This

circumstance makes it, perhaps, worth while to explain, that they were

lashed upon a wooden platform in the after locker of each boat,

sufficiently small to be clear of the boat's sides, and playing on

strong springs of whalebone, which entirely obviated the effects of the

severe concussions to which they would otherwise have been subject.

[022] We found the best preservative against this glare to be a pair of

spectacles, having the glass of a bluish-green colour, and with

side-screens to them.

[023] Perhaps the name of this bay, from the Dutch word _Treuren_, "to

lament, or be mournful," may have some reference to the graves found

here.

[024] Mr. Crowe, of Hammerfest, who lately passed a winter on the

southwestern coast of Spitzbergen, in about latitude 78°, informed me

that he had _rain at Christmas_; a phenomenon which would indeed have

astonished us at any of our former wintering stations in a much lower

latitude. Perhaps the circumstance of the reindeer wintering at

Spitzbergen may also be considered a proof of a comparatively temperate

climate.

[025] See p. 254 of this volume. {line 6545 "The quantity of clean moss

considered requisite for each deer per day is four pounds ..." -

Transcriber}

[026] See p. 280 of this volume. {line 7210 "Our allowance of provisions

for each man per day was as follows:" - Transcriber}

[027] See Introduction. {line 6343 "INTRODUCTION." - Transcriber}

[028] Particularly that of Mr. Scoresby during the month of July, from

1812 to 1818 inclusive, and Captain Franklin's for July and August,

1818.