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Marine Biological Laboratory Library
Whods Hole, Massachusetts

Collected

by | i

Newcoms THomeson Montgomery

(1907-1986)
Philadelphia architect nephew! of

Thomas Harrison Montgomery (1873-19/2),

MBL investigator, and Priscila Braislin
Montgomery (1874-1956), MBL Ibrarsan.

Gift of thar sons Hugh Montgomery, MD.
and Raymond B. Montgomery — 1987.

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L baton Published by Longman Huret, Rees, inne Pion n, Paternoster Row, May tide. *
a

JOURNAL

OF A

VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

TO THE

Airctic Regions,

— ‘MAJESTY’S SHIPS
HECLA AND GRIPPER,

IN THE YEARS 1819 & 1820.

BY

4
ALEXANDER FISHER, Surcron R.N.

FOURTH EDITION, CORRECTED.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR rr
LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN,

PATERNOSTER-ROW,

1823...
- 2

RR Te

TON COLLEGE
\_ LIBRARY.

Printed by A. and R. Spottiswoode,
Printers-Street, London.

LIST

ORM ss8 “

PLATES. AND

eee 2 “Tg

A Chart of Discoveries,

Map of Melville Island,

Walrus, or Sea-Horse,

White Bear, - -
The Narwhal Fish, -
The Musk Ox, - -

The Old Esquimaux,

* Ps

IWOOD-CUTS.

> Facing the Title.”

- Pagel :
39

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INTRODUCTION.

‘Tur object of the Expedition, of which the
following pages contain a brief Narrative, is
already so generally well known, that it re-
quires little to be said upon it in the way of
preface. Before we sailed on the first Expedi-
tion to the Polar Seas, great hopes were enter-
tained, from the reports of several masters of
Greenland ships, and other persons, that
some great change had taken place in the
Arctic regions; in consequence of which
they were expected to be found navigable to
a greater extent than they had been for some
centuries past. From what we saw, however,
on that voyage, we had every reason to sup-
pose that Nature is nearly as regular and uni-
form in her operations there as in other parts
of the globe; for our Greenland masters,
who had been in the habit of visiting these

Vill INTRODUCTION.

seas annually for nearly twenty years, declared
that they observed no material difference in
the state of the ice.

Although the hopes thus raised were in
some measure subverted by our first expedi-
tion, yet other facts and circumstances, of a
more substantial kind, were observed during
that voyage, which tended to prove the ex-
istence of a North-West Passage in a much
clearer manner than the supposititious argu-
ments that had been advanced in favour of it
before ; for we have reason to believe, from
what we saw, that the different wide openings
on the north and west side of Baffin’s Bay,
which were before called Sounds, are exten-
sive inlets, leading to another sea in these di-
rections ; for the only one of these inlets into
which we entered was that which Baffin called
Lancaster’s Sound; and from what we ascer-
tained of it, 1 believe that no doubt remained
on the minds of most of those who were
there, that it was a Strait, or Passage, and
not a Sound. This is the rational infer-
ence, since we went upwards of eighty miles
into it, and yet saw no appearance of land, or
any thing else to obstruct our progress.

Various other circumstances might be men-
tioned that tended to make this spacious inlet

INTRODUCTION. ix

an object of interesting inquiry ; but the ques-
tion respecting it has already been so much
agitated, that it is unnecessary to say any
thing on the subject, farther than that one of
the principal objects of the Expedition was
to explore it.

The vessels appointed for this service were
His Majesty’s ships Hecla and Griper, the
former a vessel of nearly four hundred tons,
and from her construction, (having been built
for a bomb,) well adapted for stowage,—an
object of the first importance where we were
obliged to carry fuel, provisions, stores, and
indeed every article that we were furnished
with for the voyage. The Griper was a
much smaller vessel than the Hecla, having
been formerly a twelve-gun brig. Her ac-
commodations. however. were considerably
improved by her having been rose upon ;
but she was notwithstanding very much in-
ferior to the other ship in every respect, as she
neither sailed so well, nor did she carry her
own supply of provisions, &c. ; for, although
the Expedition was furnished with stores and
provisions for two years, yet, in less than half
that time, the Griper required to be supplied
from the Hecla with different articles. In
other respects, however, their equipment was

ray

4 INTRODUCTION.

very good, and nothing was neglected to
render them fit for the service on which they
were to be employed. They were strength-
ened in every way, as much as wood and iron
could strengthen them, having, in the first
place, the whole of their outside, from the
keel to some distance above the water-line,
covered with an extra lining of oak-plank,
from three to four inches thick, and, within,
a number of additional beams, and other
timbers, put into their hold, in order that
they might withstand the pressure of the ice,
in the event of their being caught between
two floes of it. Their bows were also covered
with strong plates of iron, to defend them
from receiving damage by striking against
the floating ice. They were likewise fitted
up, inside, so as to make the accommodations
of both officers and men as comfortable as
the size of the vessels would admit. To guard,
as much as possible, against the rigour of the
climate, we were also provided with standing
bed-places, which were deemed to be warmer
than cots, or hammocks; and, in the event of
our not effecting the passage, we were pro-
vided with planks, tarpaulins, and Russian-
mats, for housing the ships during the winter,
so as to be able to take exercise on deck in
bad weather. The men, as on the former

INTRODUCTION. Xl

voyage, were furnished by Government with
a suit of warm clothes, and a wolf-skin blan-
ket, gratis.

The means of preserving the health of the
crews were also well attended to; for besides
the salt provisions being of a good quality,
and recently cured, there was a large quantity
of Messrs. Donkin and Hall’s preserved meats
and soups supplied. Antiscorbutics, of dif-
ferent kinds, were also provided, such as
lemon-juice, sour-crout, essence of spruce,
and essence of malt and hops; and, in case of
our meeting with Indians or Esquimaux that
could supply us with provisions, or any thing
else that might be useful, Government sent
with us a considerable quantity of toys, and
other articles, to barter for whatever they
‘might have to interchange. These articles
consisted of jackets and trowsers of coarse
cloth, shirts, brass-kettles, knives, forks, and
spoons, looking-glasses, glass-beads of various
colours, and other matters, either for use or
ornament. In fact, every thing had been
provided that was deemed likely to be of use
in forwarding the object of the Expedition,
and in making those who were employed on
it as comfortable as the nature of the service
would admit.

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London, Published by Lonaman, Hurst, Kees, Orme & Brown Laternoster Row, May 2 80821. : |

A JOURNAL

OF
THE PROCEEDINGS OF HIS MAJESTY’S SHIP

HECLA.

Torspay, May 4th, 1819.— Many interesting par-
ticulars connected with our expedition might be
mentioned prior to the details of this day; but as
they cannot, strictly speaking, be considered as
forming a part of the occurrences of the voyage, I
shall begin my narrative only from the time that we
started from Deptford. We have been ready for
sailing for some days past, but during that time the
wind has been from the eastward, which prevented
our departure. In order therefore to avoid farther
delay, steam vessels were applied for to tow us down
yesterday : but, in consequence of the great demand
for these vessels for some time past, none could be
procured until this morning; the delay occasioned
was not, however, much regretted, as it afforded many
an opportunity of passing another night amongst
their friends whom they were on the point of leaving
for some time. The eventful moment of departure
at length arrived, for at a quarter before eight o’clock
this morning, we cast off from His Majesty’s hulk
B

Q A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Dedaigneuse, and were immediately taken in tow
by the Eclipse steam-boat, which, notwithstanding
the wind, and, for some part of the time, the tide were
against us, managed to take us down to Northfleet,
a distance, I believe, of eighteen miles, in less than
five hours ; for we made fast to one of the buoys at
the above place at half past twelve o’clock.

The appearance of the country along the banks of
the river, as we went down, was at this time ex-
tremely beautiful, particularly on the right side,
where the villas, &c. that adorn that bank were seen
to the greatest advantage, surrounded with groves of
fruit and other trees, all in blossom, and the mea-
dows which lay between them and the river abound-
ing with the most luxuriant vegetation, on which
were feeding numerous flocks of sheep, and herds
of black cattle. In fact, nature and art seemed as
if they had combined their efforts, in order to give us
a beautitul specimen of the scenery of our native
isle, that we might contrast it with the dreary pro-
spects which we soon expected to see in the frozen
regions wé were about to visit: the comparison
might, indeed, at this time be made by most of us,
as the greater number had already seen the snow-
clad mountains of the frigid zone.

_ As there was only one steam-boat procured, that
which brought us down returned immediately (we
made fast) for the .Griper, and arrived with her a
little before eleven o’clock at night.

-. I cannot omit mentioning, in this place, a certain
coincidence which has occurred with respect to the
day of the month that the expeditions on discovery
sailed last year, and this; for it was on the 4th of
April we sailed from Deptford last year, and although

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 8

a month later this year, it appears somewhat remark-
able, that, without any preconcerted plan, it should
happen to be the same day of the month on which
we commence the second voyage.

Thursday, 6th.— We received (from Woolwich)
all our ordnance-stores to-day, except the powder,
which is expected down to-morrow.

To guard as much as possible against the magnetic
influence of iron upon the compasses, a pair of brass
guns (six pounders) have been sent for the quarter
deck. After the guns and other stores were placed
in the respective places where it is intended they are
to remain, an experiment was performed for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the effect of local attraction on
the compasses; or, to use the term that has been
lately adopted, to determine the deviation of the
compass, or magnetic needle, with the ship’s head
brought to the different points of the compass. As
the result of this experiment may be better under-
stood by a diagram of the operation than by words
only, I have drawn a sketch of the whole process
(see Appendix), which exhibits at one view the
amount of deviation with the ship’s head on every
point of the compass except west, W. by %., and
W.S. W., the tide being so strong that the ship’s
head could not be kept steady on these points.

Friday, 7th.— We received our powder this morn-
ing, and at two o’clock in the afternoon we cast off
and made sail, but the wind being against us, we
got no farther than that part of the river called the
Lower Hope, where we anchored between four and
five in the afternoon.

We were agreeably surprised to-day to find that
the Griper behaved so well under canvass; for the

B 2

4, A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

general opinion was, from the trial made with her

some time ago at Deptford, that she would be very -
crank. The breeze we had to-day was not indeed

sufficiently strong to enable us to judge with certainty

of her qualities as a sea-boat; I shall therefore avoid

saying any thing more respecting her for the pre-

sent, as we shall have many opportunities hereafter

of judging of her under circumstances that will enable

us to speak with precision of her good or bad qua-

lities. All that can be said at present is, that she an-

swers beyond expectation, inasmuch that all those

who had any doubts respecting her, and saw her

under weigh to-day, are already perfectly satisfied of
her safety as far as her construction is concerned in

rendering her sea-worthy.

With respect to the Hecla, she appears to fulfil
every anticipation, in being one of the fittest vessels
that could possibly be chosen for the service we are
going upon, for she is easily worked, is very capa-
cious for a vessel of her tonnage, and is remarkably
strong, a quality of the first importance in the re-
gions we are bound to explore.

As to the sailing qualities of either vessel, very
little can as yet be fade it would be preposterous,
however, to suppose that ships bound up with wood
and iron, in the way in which they are, can be fast
sailers ; and even if they were, it would be only a
quality of secondary consideration: for our business
is not to run, and have only a bird’s-eye view of' the
places we pass, but to examine with patience and
perseverance; ‘* for who knows what there is, where
man has never been ?”

Saturday, 8th.— We got under weigh early this
morning, and worked down as far as Sea-Reach,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 5

where we anchored about seven o’clock, A. M., being
unable to proceed any farther, on account of the flood-
tide beginning to flow. We weighed again about
noon, and worked down to the Nore, where we an-
chored between four and five o’clock in the afternoon.

Immediately after we anchored, the Bee Tender came
alongside with the chronometers, and the different
nautical, astronomical, and meteorological instru-
ments, &c. supplied for the expedition. With regard
to the number and variety of these instruments, we
are, as may be seen from the list in the Appendix, as
amply supplied as any expedition that ever left
this, or, perhaps, any other country. Besides the
instruments provided by government, most of the
officers have some of their own, so that altogether
it may be presumed we are, as I have just said, as
well furnished with the means of fulfilling all the
nautical and other scientific objects of the expedition
as any of the illustrious navigators who have been
employed on similar pursuits before us.

Monday, 10th. — The ship’s companies were paid
this afternoon the wages due to them since they
joined the ships, together with three’ months’ ad-
vance, in order to enable them to purchase clothing,
and such other articles as they might deem necessary
for the voyage ; and in case any of them, from care-
lessness, or want of due consideration of the climate
to which they are going, should neglect to provide
themselves with the articles of clothing most necessary
for their own comforts, a list was made of those things
that were deemed indispensible, with which ve
was ordered to furnish himself.

In the evening, a lighter came alongside with four
bullocks, some Ganka of beer, and as eee fresh water

B 3

6 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

as completed our stock of that necessary article for
some months, so that we are now perfectly ready to
take our departure.

Tuesday, 11th.— The anxious moment of the
actual commencement of our voyage at length
arrived ; for, at ten o’clock this forenoon we weighed
and made sail with a fine breeze from the westward,
which enabled us, before dark, to get clear of that
intricate passage the Swir, and the different shoals
with which this part of the coast abounds.

We commenced our meteorological register to-day
at noon: the temperature of the air in the shade was
at that time 62° ; that of sea-water at the surface 57°,
and the height of the barometer 30.19 inches. The
specific gravity of the sea-water is intended to be
taken also every day at noon; but it would be use-
less to take it to-day, as it would undoubtedly be
affected by the fresh water from the Thames, and
the numerous smaller streams that discharge their
contents into the sea about this place. The temper-
ature of the air and water, as above stated, is to be
taken every two hours, both day and night, and the
height of the barometer four times a day ; viz. at six
o’clock in the morning, noon, six in the afternoon,
and midnight. ‘The direction of the wind, and state
of the weather, are also to be noted at the time of
registering the above observations, together with any
other phenomena connected with meteorology that
may occur.

Wednesday, 12th. — We have been enabled within
these two days to judge of the comparative merits,
in point of sailing, of the two ships (before the
wind), with a degree of certainty that puts the
matter completely beyond doubt ; the disparity, in-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 7

deed, is sd considerable, that it was deemed ne-
cessary to take the Griper in tow this morning. We
were obliged to anchor this evening abreast of Win-
terton Lights, owing to the wind getting so light
that it was impossible to stem the flood-tide.

Thursday, 13th.— We weighed again last night,
and worked to the northward until seven o’clock this
morning, when we were again forced to bring to,
until the tide came in our favour, which took place
about one o’clock. We dropped anchor again in the
evening, to preserve the ground we had gained in
the course of the afternoon. We had considerable
satisfaction to find, to-day, that the Griper answers
remarkably well upon a wind, a very essential quality
indeed in some situations in which we may happen to
be placed.

Friday, 14th. — We got under weigh again this
morning, and were making the best of our way to
the northward until a quarter before five o’clock,
when we were all on a sudden a little startled by the
ship striking on the east end of Sheeringham Shoal.
The shock, or rather the shocks, for she touched
three times, brought almost every person on deck
in a few minutes ; but before many of us got there,
all was right again. I suspect, indeed, that had it
not been for the rough sea that was running, which
caused the ship to pitch considerably, that she would
have gone over it without touching ; but, fortunately,
even as it was, there was no damage done.

Thursday, 14th. — The wind being still against us,
it would again be necessary to anchor when the ebb
tide was done; but from the freshness of the breeze,
the sea got up so much that this couldnot be done onan
open coast such as that where we were, without run-

B 4

®:
8 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ning the risk of losing an anchor and cable. In
consideration of these circumstances it was deemed
the most proper measure to put back to Yarmouth
Roads, which was the nearest port, and there to re-
main until we should be favoured with wind that
would enable us to resume our voyage with some
prospect of success. Our stay here was, agreeably
to our wishes, of very short duration, for we only
arrived at half past one o’clock, and, about midnight,
we were again under weigh. During the time we
lay in the Roads, we were visited by Captain Wells
and some of the officers-of His Majesty’s ship Wye,
which lay at anchor.

Saturday, 15th. — We have been employed all day
working to the northward, and in the evening it fell
calm, so that we were as usual obliged to anchor, to
prevent our being carried by the tide amongst the
sands that lie off this part of the coast.

Sunday, 16th. — We got under weigh again early this
morning, and made all sail, the wind having at length
sprung up right in our favour ; this being the Griper’s
worst point of sailing, she was again taken in tow.
In the course of the forenoon, divine service was per-
formed, which almost the whole of the officers and
ship’s company were able to attend, the weather
being so fine that their duty was not required on
deck. During the day, we passed several flocks of that
species of diver called by Linnzus Colymbus Traile,
and commonly known to seamen, bythe name of Loon,
or Willock. ‘These birds must be very widely scat-
tered over the northern seas; for we found them last
year in great numbers in Davis’s Straits, and Baffin’s
Bay, and occasionally in different parts of the At-
antic during our passage across it,

a
TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. )

Monday, 17th. — We discharged our pilot this
morning into the Swallow revenue cutter... He was
charged with a considerable number of letters from
the officers and men, this being, in all probability, the
last opportunity we should have for some time of
sending letters to our friends. In the course of the
day, we saw several of the divers called in the Lin-
nan arrangement Alca Arctica, and commonly deno-
minated by seamen Puffin.

Tuesday, 18th. — Nothing occurred to-day worthy
of remark, the weather continues very fine, and the
wind still in our favour; in the course of the after-
noon we had a distant view of Morven Hill, and
several other mountains in Banffshire, that appeared

as it were rearing their lofty summits out of the
ocean.

Wednesday, 19th. — A similar appearance was pre-
sented to-day by Fair Island, on being first seen. It
is not indeed of any great height, but it is a fact well
known in optics, that, unless a person has something
of a correct idea of the distance of an object, he will
fancy it great or small, according as he estimates its
distance. I do not mean to imply by this, however,
that we were ignorant of the distance Fair Island was
from us; but merely, that, if we could suppose it to
be as far from us as the hills in Banff were when
seen yesterday, we should necessarily imagine it to

10 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

be of considerable height. We continued to approach
it until four o’clock in the afternoon, at which time
it fell calm, the island at that time bearing north-
east. of us, and distant about five leagues. In order
to profit as much as possible by the delay caused by
the weather, the ship’s company turned to, to catch
fish, at which they were pretty successful, for a con-
siderable number of cod and coal-fish were taken in
course of the afternoon.

On the back and sides of the cod, at least such of
them as I examined, I observed several small insects
of two different species, one of the shape of a tad-
pole with a forked tail, and the other not unlike a
small shrimp. During the day, we saw several solan
geese (Anas Bassanus, Lin.), Mallemuckes or Fulmar
Peterel (Procellaria Glacialis, Lin.), and a bird some-
what resembling a Rail, which kept at such a dis-
tance that we were not able to make out with any
certainty what species it was.

Thursday, 20th.—Our progress was retarded again
to-day by calm weather, which continued until six
o’clock in the afternoon, when we were again favoured
with a fine breeze from the north-east (comp.), which
enabled us, in the course of the evening, to get round
the north end of the Orkneys, some of which were
in sight the whole day. We had a very disiinct view
of two or three of them, particularly Ronaldsha, and
Sandi, on the latter of which there is a light-house.
The appearance of these islands was well calculated
to prepare our minds to view the regions we are
about to visit, with some degree of tolerance ; for if,
instead of comparing them to the fertile banks of the
Thames, we compare them to these bleak islands,

TO THE- ARCTIC REGIONS. 11

the contrast would not differ much wider than if our
landscape views to-day were compared to those de-
scribed on the fourth instant.

Such of the Orkney islands as we had an op-
portunity of seeing, might, in general, be de-
scribed as hilly, but neither high nor rugged, and
declining gradually, although not with an even
surface, from their middle towards the sea, where
they in some places terminate in abrupt precipices.
The summer hardly appeared -to have commenced
here yet; the ground was indeed clear of snow,
but vegetation had made but very little progress ;
for the sides of the hills appeared in the remains
of their last year’s garb, viz. withered grass, and
such hardy herbs as the rigour of the winter had
not been able to destroy. We spoke this forenoon a
Danish brig from Copenhagen bound to Disco; we
asked her name, and several other questions, but
owing to the distance she was off, her answers were
but very indistinctly heard. She kept in company,
or rather in sight, the whole day, but edging to
the northward more than we did, so that, in the
evening, she was at a considerable distance from us.
We saw several Kittiwakes (Larus T'ridactylus, Lin.)
to-day, for the first time this voyage.

Friday, 21st. — Nothing occurred to-day deserv-
ing of notice; in the forenoon we lost sight of the
northernmost of the Orkney islands, and in the even-
ing we descried the islands of Barra, and Rona,

12 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

which are usually reckoned the northernmost land in
Europe. It was dusk before we approached near
enough to be able to have any thing of a good view
of them.

Saturday, 22d.— The breeze happened however to
be so light during the night, that we only passed
them between seven and eight o’clock this morning,
and at such a distance (four or five miles), that we
could see them very plainly. Rona appeared to be
considerably larger than the other, and is, I under-
stand, inhabited: their distance apart was estimated
to be about eight miles. ‘Their appearance in every
respect was similar to the Orkney islands, to which
groupe indeed they may be considered to belong,
although at a considerable distance from it.

Whilst in the neighbourhood of these islands, we
saw a great many sea-fowls, particularly of the Peterel
tribe, (viz. Fulmar), and Kittiwake gull. These
islands, like St. Kilda, and other solitary rocks in this
part of the world, are particularly well calculated
for the resort of sea-fowls; because, in the first
place, they have around them a wide expanse of that
element from which they derive their food ; and, in
the second place, the inaccessible precipices which
here and there overhang the sea, afford them asylums .
to build their nests in, which the daring inhabitants,
with all their intrepidity, cannot always molest.

We threw a quart bottle overboard this afternoon,
containing half a sheet of foolscap paper, on which was
printed, in six different languages, a request that the
person who should happen to pick it up, should send
it to the Secretary of the Admiralty, or the Minister
ot Marine, of the country to which the person be-
longed, with a note of the time and place where it

TO THE .ARCTIC REGIONS. 13

was found. Besides the request, the lat. and lone.
of the ship at the time, and the temperature of the
air, and sea-water, the force and direction of the
wind, and the state of the weather, were also inserted
on it. As the whole may be better understood by
giving a copy of the paper itself, I shall insert in the
Appendix all that it contained. It is intended to
throw one of these papers overboard every day in
order -to increase the probability of some of them
being picked up.

Their object is to afford data for detecting
the force and direction of currents in these seas.
By knowing the time and place where they were
thrown into the sea, and the place and time, where,
and when they were found, it is very clear that this
object may, in a great measure, be determined, for
the elapsed time will give the force, and the relative
situation the direction of the current; that is, if the
bottle is found immediately, it is driven on shore, or
out of the influence of the current.

Some of the bottles that we threw overboard last
year for the same purpose, tended very materially to
throw some light on this subject. One of them had
already been received at the Admiralty some time
before we sailed ; it was picked up in Killala Bay, in
Ireland, about the latter end of March, and it appeared
by the date upon it, and the geographical situation
of the ship at the time it was dispatched, that it
floated about one thousand and eighty miles in the
course of ten months, which is upward of three miles
a day during the whole time.

There was another of our bottles picked up by a
Danish vessel some time before we left England, but

zo

14 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

I have not heard the particulars respecting the time,
and place where it was found.

It is almost unnecessary to add, that the mouth of
the bottle is first secured by a tight cork, which is
covered with sealing wax, having the ship’s name
impressed on it, and over that a piece of white cot-
ton, with a view of making it more conspicuous, and
thereby render it more likely to attract notice.

Sunday, 23d. — Divine service was performed this
forenoon, at which were present almost the whole of
the officers and ship’s company, the weather being so
fine that very few hands were required on deck.

Monday, 24th. — We had a distant view to-day of
that remarkable insulated rock, called Rockal; it
looked at the distance we were from it (viz. between
four and five leagues) exactly like a ship under sail :
it was reported indeed by the person who first saw it
to be a strange vessel. Its resemblance not only in
form, but also its colour, tended to make the decep-
tion more complete, for it appeared to be perfectly
white, a hue most probably produced by the excre-—
ment of birds. Our distance from it indeed was too
great to enable us to speak with certainty on this -
head; but, from the number of birds we saw in its
neighbourhood, and its insular situation, we may
fairly conclude that it is well inhabited by the
feathered race, for here they are perfectly secure
from the attacks of their greatest enemy, man.

If we estimated our distance from it at all correctly,
its situation, as determined by His Majesty’s ship
Endymion, is very accurately laid down, at least inas-
much as it agrees with the mean of the results of the
sights taken for our chronometers.* In the course

* Lat. 57° 39! 30’ N. and longitude 13° 30! W.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 15

of the afternoon, when at least forty miles from this
rock, we found soundings in one hundred and fifty
fathoms water; so that it may be regarded as the
summit of a very extensive submarine mountain,
whose sides, at least the western one, declined very
gradually.

Thursday, 27th. — Nothing has occurred for these
two days past worthy of remark, the weather has
been, generally speaking, very fine ; the temperature
of the air being most commonly at 50°, and of the
sea at the surface about a degree less. This after-
noon the weather being almost perfectly calm, we
availed ourselves of the opportunity of trying for
soundings, on the supposed sunken land of Buss,
according to its situation by Lieutenant Pickersgill,
who, on his passage to Davis’s Straits in the year
1776, struck soundings with a line of three hundred
and twenty fathoms in the very place * where we
happened to get becalmed this afternoon; but, strange
to say, although we had one thousand one hundred
and twenty fathoms of line out, we found no bottom.
It ought not to be inferred from this, however, that
the bank on which that officer sounded does not
exist, for it is more reasonable to suppose that he
might be mistaken in his longitude of the place, than
that the existence of the bank itself should be ques-
tioned, more especially as some of our latest charts
(by Stee/) lays the sunken land of Buss down several
degrees to che westward of where we sounded to-
day. I shall therefore forbear saying any thing more
concerning this lost land at present, as we shall most

* The latitude and longitude of the place where Pickersgill

struck soundings are 57° N. and 24° 24! W. which agrees with our
situation this afternoon at the time we sounded

16 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

probably, in a short time, have an opportunity of de-
termining whether it exists or not where it is laid
down on the charts.

In the mean time, however, it may not be amiss to
say a few words respecting the authorities on which
the former existence of the land in question rests.
The first account we have of it, is derived from frag-
ments of journals, and letters written by Nicolo, and
Antonio Zeno, two Venetian navigators, who were
employed about the latter end of the fourteenth cen-
tury by a Scandinavian prince, named Zichmni, in
making discoveries in the north seas. And among
other places discovered by these navigators, is men-
tioned a large island which obtained the name of Fries-
land, situated to the southward of Iceland ; but the
whole account of this, as well as of most of the other
lands which they explored, is so confused and imper-
fect, that it is impossible to ascertain the situation of
the places of which theyspeak ; and some writers have
even gone so far as to consider their voyages a ro-
mance altogether, which I think is rather too harsh
a conclusion, for although the imperfect state in
which the accounts of their discoveries have been
handed down to us, render them of no real utility,
we ought not, without some good reasons, to regard
them as fabulous.

From the time of the Zenos, two centuries had
nearly elapsed before any thing more was heard of
their Friesland, when its entity was again revived
by one of the ship’s belonging to Martin Frobisher’s
fleet (on his third voyage), having, on her return home
in the year 1578, fallen in with a large island covered
with wood, in latitude 57°, 30’ N., along which she
sailed for three days. The vessel’s name was the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 17

Busse, of Bridgewater, from which the island ob-
tained the name of Buss. ‘This then, I believe, is
the last account we have of this mysterious island,
whose supposed ruins we have this afternoon been
trying to find.

Whilst sounding to-day, we availed ourselves of
the opportunity thereby afforded, of ascertaining the
temperature of the sea, at as great a depth as it had
perhaps ever been obtained before. A self-regis-
tering thermometer was tied to the sounding line at
the distance of ten fathoms from the lead, or rather
the clamm* ; for that was the instrument used on this
occasion. Allowing, then, that there were one hun-
dred fathoms of stray-line or inclination from the per-
pendicular, which I think is the utmost that there
could be, the thermometer must have gone upwards of
one thousand fathoms below the surface. The temper-
ature indicated by it at this depth was 452°, the tem-
perature of the water at the surface at the same time
being 484°, and the air 492°.

Pacey, 28th. — We jaa to-day the jeeuiaiae
of water brought: from the depth of one hundred
and thirty fathoms by Dr. Marcett’s Water Bottle t
to be 484°, both the air and sea at the surface
being at the time 49°. |

Monday, 31st. — We tried yesterday and to-day f

. * This instrument is intended to bring up a greater quantity of
sounding, (that is, of the mud, &c. at the bottom) than the usual
arming of the lead was capable of bringing up.

.. t The use of this machine is to bring water up from the bottom,
or indeed from any other depth that a person may require; for
the shot or weight that shuts the bottle is not let go until it is at
the bottom, or at the depth that the water is to be brought from.

} Our latitude yesterday at noon was 57° 46! N. and longitude

29° 09' W., and to-day latitude 58° 13! N. and longitude 30° 20’. W.

Cc

18 & VOYAGE OF ‘DISCOVERY

for soundings, with one hundred and sixty fathoms
of line, but found no bottom. The object for sound-
ing, on this occasion, was to ascertain whether a bank
exists in the place where the sunken land of. Buss
is laid down on Steel’s chart; but our researches
here, as on Pickersgill’s bank, have been in vain ;
so that I think the existence of any remains of Buss’s
Land (if ever there was such an isle) may now be very
justly questioned. At all events, hydrographers may,
with perfect safety, henceforth expunge from their
charts all traces of it in either of the places hitherto
assigned ; or, in other words, in those two situ-
ations where we were induced to look for it.

Tuesday, June 1st. — Notwithstanding the season
is advancing, the weather has been for these two days
past colder and more disagreeable than we have had
it since we left England ; the cold indeed has not
been sufficient to put us to any inconvenience, but
the weather being for the most part of the time
foggy and rainy, rendered it somewhat uncomfort-
able.

Several snow-buntings (Emberiza Nivalis, Lin.)
were observed in the course of the day flying about
the ship; we supposed from the direction of the wind
(about N. W. true) that they have been blown off
the coast of Greenland, from which we were distant
at noon three hundred and seventy-six miles.

Several Arctic gulls (Larus Parasiticus, Lin.)
were seen to-day for the first time. This bird is
commonly called by our Greenland seamen the boat-
Swain, and sometimes dirty Allen, a name somewhat
analogous to.that by which it is characterized by the
Danes, viz. Stroudt-jager, or dung-bird. All these
names have had their origin from a mistaken notion

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 19

that these birds lived on the excrement of the lesser
gulls, which, on being pursued, either from fear, or
to relieve themselves from the prosecution of fierce
enemies, voided something to satiate the voracious
appetites of their pursuers, and by that means escape
from further molestation. The fallacy of this-opi-
nion is now, however, pretty generally known. That
the Arctic gulls do pursue those of their own genus
which they can master (particularly the kittiwakes)
is an incontestable fact; but the object of their
pursuit is not the excrement but the prey that the
pursued is at that time possessed of, and which
at length they are forced to drop, to secure their
own safety ; which they effect during the time that
their enemy is employed picking it up, although that
is done in a very short period, for they manage the
business with such dexterity, that the object dropped
is generally caught before it reaches the water.

Gulls are not the only birds that disburden them-
selves of their prey when pursued, for I often ob-
served last summer that the fulmar peterel or mal-
lemucke, when approached whilst feeding, (which I
have seen them always do sitting on the water,) not
only abandon their food, but even disgorge what
they had swallowed before they would, or, as I ima-
gined, could, take their flight. Several of them that
we caught alive at different times, exhibited other
proofs of the facility or power which they possess of
unloading themselves of the contents of their sto-
machs ; for whenever a person approached them sud-
denly, they ejected a spout of oil from their nostrils.
This is’ considered by naturalists (as I have no
doubt is the case) a means of defence for these
birds.

c 2

20 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

A bird resembling a snipe was also seen to-day,
but we had such an imperfect view of him that it,
was impossible to determine what species he be-
longed to.

Wednesday, 2d.— ‘The weather has been ra-
ther boisterous the whole of this day; in the after-
noon in particular it blew a strong gale of wind,
which soon rose a heavy sea; and, if we are to put
any confidence in an augury, which seamen always
regard as a sure indication of bad weather, we may
anticipate a heavy gale very soon. The augury I
allude to is the appearance this afternoon of a flock
of Mother Carey’s Chickens, or Stormy Peterels,
(Procellaria Pelagica, Lin.) under the ship’s stern.
These birds have always been considered by sailors
‘as the harbingers of storms; and if the reports on
record concerning them be true, they certainly de-
serve the mariner’s notice. Although not the bearers
of welcome intelligence, yet they warn him of the
-approaching storm, it issaid, sometimes even six hours
before it happens. ‘Their appearing so long as this
-before the coming on of bad weather, may be regarded
in some measure as a proof of: their possessing some
instinct, through which they are aware of the change
‘that is about to ensue; unless we admit (which I
think is not improbable), that their coming to ships
is amatter of mere chance, whilst flying from the
rage of the tempest that prevails, but at such a dis-
tance that it requires hours to reach the vessels... As
far, however, as my own observation goes, I cannot
bring to my recollection any instance where they
‘were seen before a gale commenced, or at least be-
fore such apparent indications of it were seen, as

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. QY

rendered their appearance unnecessary to confirm
what might be expected to follow. ‘The reason of
their keeping in the vicinity of ships in tempestuous
weather, is, very clearly, to get sheltered from the
rage of the elements; this indeed-was very evidently
visible from the manner in which they acted this af-
ternoon, for they always took shelter under the ship’s
Jee-quarter, which position they kept with the ut-
most perseverance, as they never allowed the ship to
go above thirty yards from them before they got up,
and came skimming along the surface to the same
place (relatively) which they occupied before.

We saw also during the day, several flocks of an-
other species of Peterel, that had not been seen before
this voyage, called the Shearwater, (Procellaria Puf-
Jinus, Lin.) These birds are supposed, from their cry,
to be the birds of Diomede, so famous in antiquity
from an affecting fable. Linnaeus, however, sup-
posed that the Albatross is the bird of Diomede, and
has, on that account, named it Diomeda.

Thursday, 3d.— Nothing particular occurred to-
day, except that, in the course of the afternoon the
gale moderated, and before the evening the sea
subsided very considerably. - I remarked that the
stormy peterels mentioned yesterday, kept in our
vicinity until the violence of the gale was over.

Friday, 4th. — ‘This being the anniversary of our
venerable Sovereign’s birth-day, his health was drank
in our little community with as much respect, and
cheerfulness, I may venture to say, as at any table
in his extensive dominions; and in order that the
men as well as the officers might be able to celebrate
the day by an extra-bumper, the main-brace was

es

a2 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

spliced*, and a signal was made to the Griper to do ~
the same; and to finish the festivity of the day, they
enjoyed themselves in the evening with the healthy
and mirthful amusement of dancing, the weather
being at the time both mild and calm, tended very
materially to the comfort and conviviality of all
engaged.

We tried in the afternoon for soundings, with a
line of two hundred and fifty fathoms : (no bottom.)
At this depth we found, contrary to what has been
usually observed, that the temperature of the water
was greater than at the surface by a quarter of a de-
gree, the latter being 443°, and the former, by the
self-registering thermometer, 443°, the temperature
of the air at the time being 43°. This leads me to
mention a singular, and to me rather an unaccount-
able difference in this respect, that occurred to the
two expeditions employed last year in the Arctic re-
gions, which is, that we found the temperature of the
sea at every depth, and on every occasion where it
was tried, to be less than that of the surface at the
time; and the expedition to Spitzbergen found it
always the reverse; that is to say, the temperature
at the surface always less than at the bottom, or at
any considerable depth where it was tried.

Can this difference be owing to the greater thick-
ness of the ice at Spitzbergen, which throughout
the-whole summer prevents the solar rays from warm-
ing more than a very small portion of the surface of
the sea ; whilst, on the contrary, the greatest extent of

* This nautical phrase signifies any extra allowance of spirits

that is given to seamen, in consideration of arduous duties that
they have occasionally to perform during bad weather, &c.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 28

the surface of the water in Davis’s Straits, and Baf-
fin’s Bay, is exposed to the influence of the sun for
the most part of the summer ?

Saturday, 5th. — Several whales of the species call-
ed Finners (Balena Physalus), were seen last evening
and this morning. These fish derive thename of finner,
from a fin on their back, which is often seen when no
other partof their body is abovethesurface of the water.
Some of them are as long as the ordinary-sized Green-
land or black whale, that is, from fifty to sixty feet,
but never so bulky as that fish. They are much more
active, and consequently more difficult to kill than
the common whale ; for that reason, and their afford-
ing but little oil, they are seldom molested by the
fishermen ; the Esquimaux, however, are said to hold
their flesh in higher estimation than that of the black
whale, but, from the danger and difficulty that they
would have to encounter in killing them, it may be
presumed that their palates are but seldom gratified
with their favourite dish. We observed that flocks of
Peterels, both of the Shearwater and Fulmar species,
kept hovering over the places where-these fish came
up to blow, no doubt with a view of picking up some-
thing in the way of food. Several other of the well-
known inhabitants of these northern regions, were
seen in the course of the day, for the first time this
voyage ; such as Terns, or Greenland swallows
(Sterno Hirundo, Lin.), Porpoises (bete Phocena, Lin.),
and the species of Mollusca, called the Clio Borealis,
and, by the Greenland fishermen, Whale’s food. Some
Solan geese and seals were also seen to-day, which
rather surprised us, for we were at noon four hundred
and nine miles from Cape Farewell*, a distance from

c 4

D4, A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

land much greater than that at which either are usually
accustomed to be met with.

Sunday, 13th.— Nothing has occurred for this week
past worthy of being mentioned, unless the changes
in the state of the weather were recorded in their re-
gular order, and even these were so uninteresting
that it would be too tedious a task to notice them;
let it suffice, that it has been sometimes fine weather,
at other times the reverse, occasionally blowing fresh,
and at other times light breezes ; but what annoyed
us most was, that during the greatest part, indeed I
may say the whole of this period, the wind has been
directly against us. We had slant of wind in our fa-
vour this forenoon, but it soon veered round again to
the northward and westward.’ Theweather being favour-
able this afternoon for making observations, azimuths
were taken with the ship’s head on different points of
the compass, witha view of ascertaining the deviation
of the needle from the magnetic vives diet From the
result of these observations .we find, that the devia-
tion has, as might naturally be expected, increased
very considerably since we left England; but its m-
crease appears to have been very regular, for north
and south are still found to be the points of change :
and the greatest deviation is found to take place
when the ship’s head is to the westward, which is
very easily explained, forthe local attraction of the
iron in the ship, and the directive power of the earth,
are then in some measure co-operating, or perhaps it
might be more proper to say, that the latter has less
power to counteract the influence of the former,
when the ship’s head is in that direction.

* Our latitude at noon being 55° 03' N. and long. 36° 00! W.
by chronometer.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. pty

Monday, 14th.— Wepassed a considerable quantity
of sea-weed to-day, some of which was picked up,
and found to be the common kind of sea-wrack (Fucus
vesiculasus ) so abundant on our own coasts ; we passed
also in the afternoon a piece of pine-wood about six
feet long, which appeared to have been for a consi-
derable time in the water. |

Tuesday, 15th. — We were favoured this forenoon
with a fine breeze from the southward and eastward,
and, in order to take advantage of it as much as
possible, the Griper was taken in tow. About noon
we saw land at a very great distance, bearing N. E.
by E. by compass, or about north true: Cape Fare-
well being the nearest land to us in this direction,
there could be no doubt of this being it. If we take
then the situation in which that Cape is laid down in
the Requisite Tables, which I think is one ofthe best
authorities we can refer to, and compare it with our
situation to-day at noon, it will appear that the land
seen to-day must have been one hundred and thirty-
three miles from us, even of difference of latitude
alone ; for according to these Tables (third edition)
Cape Farewell is in lat. 59° 38’ N. and longitude
42° 42’ W., and we were at noon by account in lat.
57° 25° 44” N.* and longitude by mean of the
chronometer 42° 43’ 42” W. As an additional
proof that the land seen to-day must have been very
distant, we crossed the meridian we were on at
noon to-day, on our way home last year, in latitude
58° 50’ N., and saw no land at that time to the
northward of us.

* It may be presumed that although our latitude to-day is only
by account it cannot be much out, for we were by meridian alti-
tude (of the sun) yesterday, in latitude 57° 36’ 43” N.

26 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Thursday, 17th. — We found to-day that-there is a
considerable current settling to the southward here,
for the latitude observed *, and that by account
differed, since yesterday, eight miles, which will of
course be the daily rate of the current.

Friday, 18th.— We made the. ice, for the first
time, at an early hour this morning; it was in the
form which is called ‘* loose streams,’’ that is, a
collection of broken pieces of ice so detached from
each other that a ship may sail through them. In
the course of the day, several icebergs were seen,
some of them of a size sufficiently large to attract the
attention of those who had never witnessed any thing
of the kind before; but as most of us had seen last
year those stupendous masses that were met with in
Baffin’s Bay, and the upper part of the Straits, those
seen to-day were not calculated to attract much
notice. I understand that the fishermen consider it
as a sign of a good season to meet the ice in the
early part of the year well to the southward, for in
that case they reckon that it must have broken up to
the northward early in the spring. I do not perceive
however that any inference can be drawn from our
having met with it in so low a latitudet, as the
season is now so far advanced, that it has had suf-
ficient time to drift this far without any necessity for
an early breaking up: for my own part, indeed, I
think that the “ Fiords,”’ or inlets about Cape Deso-
lation and its neighbourhood, are quite sufficient to
produce all the ice that is.usually met with otf Cape

* The latitude by meridian altitude to day was 58° 29! 56” N.
and by account 58° 58’ 55” N., and that observed yesterday was
58° 12’ 43” N. and by the dead reckoning 58° 33! 56” N.

+ Our latitude to day at noon was 59° 38’ 41” N.

15

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 27

Farewell, and the mouth of the Strait on the Green-
land side.

We no sooner fell in with the ice this morning
than flocks of the little divers, called Rotges ( Alea
Alle, Lin.), were seen flying, swimming, and diving
about in its vicinity. It would appear, that the neigh-
bourhood of ice is the favourite haunt of these birds,
for I do not remember to have seen any of them last
year, except when we were amongst it, or at least at
no great distance from it, and I believe none were
seen this voyage until we made the ice. In fact, they
might, with propriety, be called, the Ice-bird, and, if
1 mistake not, they have been so denominated.
Another species of diver was seen to-day for the first
time this voyage, which, like the preceding, is seldom
seen except in the vicinity of ice; it is called by
seamen, Dovekey, (Colymbus Grylle, Lin.)

Saturday, 19th. — It has been observed, that the
colour of the water has changed since we got
amongst the ice, for, instead of the clear blue colour
of the ocean, it has been within these two days of a
dirty brownish tinge, not unlike the colour of the
sea at the estuary of large rivers. The temperature
of the water is also very sensibly affected by the ice,
for since we came amongst it, we find that the mer-
cury seldom rises more than 4° above the freezing
point ; the temperature of the air is likewise propor-
tionably low, the extremes of the range of the ther-
mometer, in the shade, for these two days, being be-
tween 33° and 43°. The true variation of the compass
was obtained to-day, by taking azimuths on a floe
of ice, at such a distance from the ship as to be clear
of all local attraction. ‘The result of these observ-
ations gave 48° 40’ westerly variation. It may be said

28 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

that this is the only instance in which the true vari-
ation was ascertained since we left England; for
magnetic observations taken on board of a ship in
these high latitudes, especially in this part of the
world, are not to be much relied upon, on account
of the compasses being so much affected by. local
attraction, which is, at the same time, continually
changing, according as the ship changes her position.
In other words, in proportion as she approaches,
or recedes from the magnetic pole, so will the effects
of the local attraction be increased or diminished.
_ About eight o’clock in the evening, the weather
having cleared up, we had a distant view of the land
about Cape Desolation *, it was estimated to be from
twelve to fourteen leagues from us, a distance by far
too great to enable us to'say any thing respecting it,
except that it appeared to be high and rugged, and
seemed as if it consisted of a number of islands,
seen in detached pieces.

I understand that we sailed this forenoon over the
place where His Majesty’s ship Sybille laid down
Cape Farewellt ; how far that promontory was from
us at the time it is impossible to say, but it may be
presumed to have been some distance off, for there
was no land in sight. I ought to observe, indeed,
that the state of the weather nearly throughout the
day was not very favourable for seeing to any great
distance. We found a current setting 8. 50° W. at
the rate of six miles per day.

* The northern extreme of the land bore by compass E. 41° N.
and the southern extreme E. 24° S. the ship’s head at the time
being N. N. W.

+ We were at noon in latitude 59° 48’ 26” N. (by meridian
altitude) and longitude 47° 47’ 36” W. by the chronometers.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 29

~

Sunday, 20th. — We had a distant view again this
morning of the land seen yesterday, but although we
were rather nearer to it than we were last even-
ing, our view of it was less distinct, or properly
speaking, more deceiving than before, for the shape
of it was altered so much by refraction, that a hill
could scarcely be distinguished. from a valley. In
fact it appeared to be all of one uniform height, or
like what is commonly called ‘ ‘Table land;” and
at one time, in addition to this uniformity, it pre-
sented the most fantastic appearance that can well
be imagined, being distorted in such a manner that
the tops of the hills appeared broader than their
bases. In the afternoon, a strong breeze sprang up
from the southward and eastward, of which we availed
ourselves in making our passage across the Straits,
our object being to get over to the west land.. We
passed in the course of the afternoon through a con-
siderable quantity of heavy ice, being evidently frag-
ments of icebergs, or the outskirts of the glaciers
that form along the shore. Some of the parts that
were above the surface of -the water, presented
the most grotesque shapes, such as arches, caves,
arcades, and dilapidated columns, with immense
capitals; m which a fanciful imagination might be
able to trace some resemblance to the different ar-
cchitectural orders. Among other things with which
these masses of ice were compared, one of them
that we passed about noon was said by somebody to
resemble that part of a pulpit which overhangs
the clergyman when in the sacred rostrum. It is
probable that this simile originated from an asso-
ciation of ideas produced by the recent occurrence

30 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

of circumstances, for we had at the time just come
on deck after attending divine service.

Wednesday, 23d.— Nothing of any interest oc-
curred for these two days past, the weather has
been very generally foggy, with occasional showers
of rain; but we suffered little inconvenience
from either, because we have scarcely met with
a piece of ice to retard our progress since we left
the coast of Greenland, so that fewer hands were
required to be exposed to the inclemency of the
weather in working the ship.- During the time
several seals, porpoises, and birds of- different kinds,
whose names have been already mentioned, were seen,
besides two species of birds whose names have not
been noticed before this voyage. The one is com-
monly called by seamen Burgomaster (Larus Glau-
cus, Lin.), a name very clearly of Dutch origin, and
said to have been suggested to the fishermen of that
country, from observing that this bird exercised as
much power over all the other aquatic birds of this
country, as the magistrate of that name used to exer-
cise over his fellow-citizens.

The other bird alluded to is the Red Phalarope
(Phalaropus Hyperboreus, seu -Tringia Fulicaria,
Lin.), whither we saw several large flocks, close to
an iceberg, whither a boat went for the purpose of
making (magnetic) observations. *

In returning from this berg, we saw indeed another
bird that had not been seen before this voyage, and
which I do not remember to have seen last year
either, although mentioned by ornithologists as one
of the visitants of these regions. It has various names,

* It was found to be so steep however all round, that it wae
impoesible to get upon it.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. bs |

such as puffin, caulterneb, and Greenland parrot,
(Alea Arctica, Lin.) Of these names, however, 1
believe the first is that by which it is most generally
known. Whilst close to the iceberg above men-
tioned, we sounded in two hundred fathoms, white
sand. The object for sounding was to determine
whether the berg was aground, and the conclusion
was that it was not, for its height was estimated to be
only about fifty feet above the surface of the water.

Thursday, 24th. —I have omitted to mention an-
other species of the feathered tribe that was seen
yesterday, for the first time this summer ; it is called,
from the whiteness of its plumage, the ivory gull,
(Larus Eburneus, Lin.) Although this name is very
appropriate, inasmuch as it characterizes the colour
of the plumage of those specimens that are to be
seen in ornithological collections, yet it is far from
being descriptive of the whiteness of their garb
when alive, which certainly equals, in the purity of
its colour, new-fallen snow.

Friday, 25th. — We have made very little progress
to-day, having fallen in again with the ice, which
is so closely packed to the westward, that it is im-
possible to force through it; a great number of ice-
bergs have also been in sight the whole day, one of
which appeared to be very large, both with respect
to its height and extent. [wo Greenland, or black
whales (Balena Mysticetus, Lin.) were seen this
morning for the first time; and I understand that
two white bears (Ursus Maritimus, Lin.) were seen
on a piece of ice this afternoon, by the Griper’s
people.

Saturday, 26th. — We have been since four o’clock
yesterday afternoon closely beset with the ice in

$2 A VOYAGE. OF DISCOVERY

every direction ; the open sea may be seen indeed
to the eastward, but between us and it there are se-
veral miles of close-packed ice, and to the northward
and westward, there is nothing to be seen as far as
the eye can penetrate, but one continued body of

The average thickness of that around us, is from
four to five feet, and the extent of the pieces seldom
exceed forty or fifty feet; and, generally speaking,
they are smaller than that.. We find on many of
them pieces of quartz and granite, and occasionally
heaps of sand and gravel, which I think renders it
probable that this ice has been formed amongst the
archipelago of islands that. lie to the northward and
westward of us. There are several icebergs situated
here and there. amongst this pack, but they are in
general of a small szie. ‘The delay occasioned by
the ice, for these two days, has afforded us an op-
portunity of making a considerable number of observ-
ations*; some of which must have been omitted had
the ship been at sea ; and others were performed with
greater certainty on the ice than they could have been
on board : I allude, in the first instance, to the mag-
etic observations, and, in the second place, to the
facility with which we were enabled to take lunar
distances. As both these objects then are deemed of
_considerable importance (the latter in particular being
80, on account of its affording us an opportunity of
judging of the going of the chronometers), we have

* Our latitude to-day by meridian altitude was 63° 59’ 29” N.
‘and longitude by mean of several lunar distances 61° 12’ 15” W.
and by chronometers 61° 26’ 10’ W. The variation was found to

be 61° 15’ westerly, and the GP or inclination of the magnetic
needle, 84.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 33

very little reason to regret the delay occasioned,
as yet.

In the course of the afternoon a large whale came
up to breathe, in a small opening between two pieces
of ice, within a few yards of the ship, and remained
there for a considerable time ; and would probably
have stopped much longer had not the curiosity of
some of the seamen induced them to go to the edge
of the hole where she lay, in order to have a better
view of her. My object in being so particular about
this whale, is, because she went down in a manner,
which I understand from the fishermen on board, ts
very unusual for these fish; that is, tail foremost.
It may be remarked, then, that this deviation from
the common method of diving, evinces a consider-
able share of sagacity in these animals; at least it
shews, that they have sense enough to depart from
their usual habits to accommodate themselves to cir-
cumstances ; for had this fish gone down in the way
which they are accustomed to do, it is more than
probable that her tail would have entangled her in
the ice.

Sunday, 27th. — We are still closely beset by the
ice. . We find by our observations to-day, that we have
drifted twelve miles to the southward since yesterday
at noon, for our latitude to-day by meridian altitude
was only 63° 46’ 50” N.; and yesterday it was
63° 59’ 29” N. ‘The actual distance indeed that we
have been carried to the southward since yesterday, is
more than twelve miles; for the direction in which we
have been drifting is S.W. by S. by compass, which
by taking the variation, as found then, will be
about S.S.E. $ E. true. It will be seen from this
circumstance, that what I suggested yesterday re-

D

3k A WOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

specting the place where the ice with which we are
surrounded came from, is, in some measure, confirmed —
from our observation to-day of the direction of the .
current by which it is carried along.

Our change of position during these four and
twenty hours has altered our soundings in a contrary
way to what might be expected ; for, although we
have been drifting away from the land, we find that
the water gets shallower, since we sounded yesterday
in one hundred and twenty-five fathoms, fine sand ;
this morning in one hundred and twenty fathoms,
‘and in the afternoon it decreased to one hundred and
fifteen fathoms, the same sort of bottom as before.
A fresh breeze sprang up this forenoon from the
eastward, which, before the evening, rose such a swell
that we were obliged to put fenders of junk over the
ship’s side to prevent her from being damaged ved
tthe ice, which was all in motion.

We added another Gull to-day to our list of birds ;
its common name is the Black-backed, or Black-
mantled Gull, (Larus Marinus, Lin.)

Monday, 28th. — Shortly after day-light this morn-
ing, a white bear was observed on the ice close to
the ships. He came indeed so close to the Griper, that
they fired at him from that vessel, and wounded him,
but not so badly as to disable him much at first. On
being pursued, however, and again struck, he either
voluntarily or accidentally fell into the water between
two pieces of ice, and in a short time disappeared.
He was supposed to have been attracted to the ships
by the smell of some herrings that were roasted in
the Griper the evening before. The keen scent of
these animals is well known to our Greenland fisher-
men, and I am told that they very frequently take

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 35

advantage of it to decoy them off from the land, by
burning crang, or some other oleaginous refuse, which
brings them so near to their ships that they very
often kill them without much trouble.

Tuesday, 29th. — Although the first day or two
that we have been detained here, might be in some
measure considered as usefully spent in making ob-
servations ; yet such a continuation of delay as we
have now had in this place, tends at length to try
our patience, more especially as the prospect of
getting released from our situation, appears to-
day less flattering than we have had it yet. The
motion amongst the ice, caused by the swell, yester-
day, and last night, has jammed it together much
closer than it was before, and a fall of snow which we
had this morning has given it the appearance of
being consolidated into one immense field. About
seven o’clock in the evening, the weather being very
clear, we saw land bearing by compass, from W.N.W.
to W., distant, as near as we could judge, from twelve
to fourteen leagues. From our situation *, and thie
direction in which this land was séen, it is pro-
bable that it was the islands at the entrance of
Frobisher’s Straits, or that which Davis called Lum-
ley’s Inlet; it appeared indeed to us like three
islands, one of which seemed to be considerably
larger than the other two. We sounded to-day both
in the fore and afternoon in one hundred and thirty-
five fathoms, fine sand and small black stones.

* Our latitude to-day at noon (by account) was 63° 32’ N. and
longitude 62° 17’ W. and the entrance of Frobisher’s Straits, or
Lumley’s Inlet, is said to be in latitude 63° 08’ N. from which it is
very evident that the land seen this evening must be about the
entrance of these straits.

D2

a

30 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Just after the sun went down this evening, the
sky to the northward and westward presented the
most beautiful appearance I ever remember having”
seen ; it is impossible for me indeed to describe it, and
I have no doubt but the painter would find it a diffi-
cult matter to represent it. I shall therefore only ob-
serve, that the prevailing colour was red, of all the
different shades, decreasing gradually from the deep-
est, near the horizon, until in the zenith it vanished
in a clear blue sky. And the clouds which were
illumined by these brilliant rays, presented as great
a diversity of shapes as there were variety of tints.

Wednesday, 30th, —'The ice having been observed
to open a little this morning, we availed ourselves of
this favourable opportunity to get into clear water,
and, by dint of perseverance in towing and warp-
ing for about seven hours, we at length finally suc-
ceeded in getting again into the open sea.

I formed a piece of ice from the floe alongside of
us this morning into a cube, whose sides measured.
four inches and eight-tenths; and when it was put
into a bucket of sea-water at the temperature of 31°,
and of the specific gravity 1.023, only six-tenths
or one-eighth of it remained above the surface of the
water.

Thursday, July 1st. — We have been running to
the northward all day along the edge of the western
ice, which extended to the westward as far as we
could see ; and as we had a view in the afternoon of
a considerable portion of that coast, it is probable
that the ledge of ice we have been sailing along for
these two days reaches the land, or at least within a
short distance of it. To the eastward of us the sea is
perfectly clear, with the exception of some loose

16

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 37

streams of ice in our immediate vicinity ; but these
are evidently nothing more than a few fragments that
separate occasionally from the main body to the west-
ward, as we can plainly see the clear water beyond.
them.

We have passed a considerable number of icebergs
in the course of the day, some of them of a very
large size.

Friday, 2d. — Nothing occurred to-day worthy of
remark, except that in the evening a large bear was
seen walking about on the edge of the ice, as we
went along ; but as we had a fine breeze in our fa-
vour at the time, we passed by without molesting
him.

Saturday, 3d.—'Yhis has been another day barren
in events, but very important to us in another way.
I allude to the progress that we have made to the
northward during these four and twenty hours past,
for we have this afternoon crossed the Arctic circle,
and consequently are now in the region of BeLpe tual
day, for some. time to come.

Although we have not yet had the sun actually
above the horizon during the whole day, or,
properly speaking, for four and twenty hours _toge-
ther, for some days past there has been scarcely
any darkness, even at midnight. The twilight,

-ever since we crossed the parallel of 62° north lati-
-tude, has been so great, that we have been enabled
to see the direction, or, as it is called, the lead, most
proper to be taken to get through the ice.

Monday, 5th. — We passed a piece of ice this fore-
noon on which was lying a large Walrus, or, as it is
commonly denominated, a Sea-horse, ( Trichecus, Lin.)
We fired at him as the ship passed; but if he was

p:3

38 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

wounded it must have been very slightly, for he
rolled himself off the ice into the water, with as
much, if not greater ease, than a person could ex-
pect from his unwieldy form and size. His back
appeared to be of a dark bay colour, and what we
saw of the under part of his body seemed to be of
the same colour, but of a lighter hue, and mottled
with white spots. His tusks, I think, were between
eight and nine inches long.

Tuesday, 6th. — We were more successful to-day
im an attack we made on one of the same kind of ani-
mals I have just mentioned. About noon, we observed
five of them lying on a piece of ice about a mile
and a half from the ship. A boat was immediately
equipped for attacking them, and on our way towards
them it was agreed, that, instead of firing at the
whole indiscriminately, we should all aim at one;
and for the sake of convenience, and likewise to
avoid having occasion to speak when we came near
them, it was settled that the one which happened to
be nearest to us should be our object.

Having every thing thus properly arranged, we
pulled slowly and quietly towards them unobserved,
until we were within forty yards of the piece of ice
on which they lay. The one that lay in the middle,
and apparently the largest, now lifted his monstrous
head; and the moment he perceived us, he roused
the rest of his drowsy companions that were huddled
around him. We had by this time got within a few
yards of them, and, according to our preconcerted
plan, just as they were in the act of rolling them-
selves into the water, we all fired at the one which
was nearest to us. He was wounded so badly that
he came up again instantly close to the boat, and

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 39

apparently with a view of attacking it ; but the ren-
counter, if it may be so called, was of very short du-
ration ; for the moment he appeared above water,
he was pierced to the heart with a small harpoon.
Notwithstanding he was thus mortally wounded, we
had very nigh lost him; for in his violent struggles
he broke the harpoon, (part of it remaining in his
body,) but before he had time to sink, he was again
struck, and secured. His weight and dimensions,
&c. are noted below.* Ia the mean time I

* Weight, including 16lbs. for the blood lost before he was

weighed ° . - = - - 1400
Weight of the heart - fee : : 8
Do. liver - : 2 A 24
Do. kidneys - - - * 5
Do. spleen - E = é a

Feet. In.
Length from the snout to the end of the hind flippers - LO 3
Circumference behind the fore flippers . = 66. 40

D 4

40 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ought to mention that the other four escaped, with-
out attempting, as is customary with these animals,

Feet. In.
Circumference of the neck - Ca - 4 5t
Do. of the head (round the eyes) - = ae
Extent of the fore flippers when extended - - 510
Breadth of the fore flippers at their extremities - - 1-0
Extent of the hind flippers when extended - - 410
Breadth of the hind flippers at their extremities - ~ 2 0
Circumference of the fore flippers - - 2 2 Ge
Do. : hind ffippers . - a |

94
Both the fore and hind flippers had each five toes joined
by membranes, and each toe consisted of three bones
or phalanges; near the extremity of each toe of the
fore flippers there was a small nail, and a small de-
pression in the same place on each of the hind ones.
Length of the middle toe of the fore flipper 6 inches, and

of the hind - - - my OT,
Do. from the end of the fore flippers to the shoulder

joint - - - . - 2 0
Do. do. hind flippers to their inser-

tion in the body - - Sie 1t 9
From the anus to the organs of generation - - - 2 4
From the organs of generation to navel - Su at,
Length of tusks - - - - 0 5
Breadth between the extreme points of the tusks A Oe 7
Do. _at their roots or insertion into the jaw _—- - O 4

Teeth on each side of the upper jaw 5 inches, and in the
same place in the lower jaw 4 inches; they were situ-
ated at some distance from one another, and scarcely
protruded beyond the gum.

Distance between the eyes - - => 9
From the eyes to the tip of the snout eee = OT
Do. to the orifice of the ears - SON S
No external ears, orifice large enough to admit a goose ;
quill, nostrils of a lunated form, one inch in diameter,
and about 3 of an inch apart; bristle in the upper lip
two inches long, and about the thickness of pack-thread.
Length of the bone of the penis = = tls aE
The

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. A}

to rescue their wounded companion. We followed
them for some time, but they appeared to be so much
frightened that it was impossible to get near them
again. ‘Their vigilance and terror, indeed, was so
great, that at one time, when upwards of half a
mile from us, attempting to get on another piece of
ice, they perceived us going towards them, they
immediately abandoned the ice and dived agam
into the deep. I observed that one of them had lost
one of his tusks, a thing indeed that [am not much
surprised at; for it is chiefly by their means that
they manage to get upon the ice ; so that, when we
take into consideration the enormous weight of their
bodies, which must on such occasions be chiefly, if
not entirely, suspended by their tusks, it will appear
rather a matter of surprise that accidents do not
befal them oftener than they seem to do. It is said
also that they occasionally lose their tusks, and some-
times their lives, in their conflicts with the Polar
bears. But to return to those facts that came under
our own observations, I shall briefly state such ana-
tomical remarks as I have made on the construction
and appearance of the abdominal viscera of the Wal-
rus which we killed to-day. After being weighed, and
the dimensions of the principal parts of his body
taken, he was opened in a longitudinal direction,
from the neck to the after part of the body, by
which means all the internal parts were exposed to
view at once in their respective situations.

The hair on the body was thin, and rather coarse, and its colour
was the same as that described on the Walrus seen yesterday, that
is, a dark bay on the back, becoming gradually of a lighter colour

on the sides, and the under part of the body mottled, not unlike
the commen seal.

4,2 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

The thorax was, as in terrestrial quadrupeds, &c.
separated from the abdomen by a diaphragm. The
heart was the only viscus in this cavity that I was
desirous of examining ; and, unfortunately, the har-
poon with which the animal was killed, as I have
already mentioned, entered it, and lacerated the
principal part of it in such a manner that very little
can be said respecting its peculiarities, if it had any.
What I was more particularly desirous of ascertaining
was, whether the foramen ovale was open or not ; and,
from what I saw, I feel satisfied that it was not open,
for a cicatrice was very plainly perceptible in the sep-
tum between the auricles, with a sort of sinus leading
from one side of it to the left auricle ; these, I have
no doubt, then, were the remains of the passage in
question. The stomach appeared small, considering
the size of the animal. It lay transversely, imme-
diately behind the diaphragm, in a sort of sigmoid
flexure. The contents of it was examined very mi-
nutely ; but it was found to contain nothing but a
greenish, oleaginous matter, of a slimy consistence.
My object in being particular in the examination of
the stomach, was to ascertain whether it contained
any stones, because we have well authenticated ac-
counts of their being found in the bowels of these
animals. Le Sieur de Villefort, Enseigne de Vaisseau,
who sailed under M. de Beauchesne Gavin (a French
navigator who went on a voyage to the South Seas
many years ago), mentions their having killed a sea
lion* in Port Desire, in whose stomach they found

* It is perhaps necessary to mention, that the animal called the
Sea Lion by the old navigators, is the same that is now generally
known by the name of Walrus, or Sea Horse, in the Arctic Seas ;
but I understand that in the Straits of Magellan, and on the
islands in its neighbourhood, they are still called Sea Lions.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 43

several stones; and I am informed that a number
of stones were found in the stomach of a Walrus
that was killed last summer by the expedition that
went to Spitzbergen.

All that I have now to say of this animal is a few
words respecting him as an article of food. The
flesh of the sea-horse has been represented by dif-
ferent navigators as very good eating ; but, with due
deference to their opinion, I must own that as far as
I am able to judge, nothing but absolute want could
ever induce a person not accustomed to such food to
eat it. In the first place, immediately under the
skin, there was a layer two inches and a half thick of
fat, that differed not materially in appearance, and
not at all in its nature from whale’s blubber ; and the
flesh, or muscular substance underneath this oleagin-
ous coating, was as black as the crangt of a whale,.
and smelt so intolerably, that even the dogs we had:
on board would not touch it. It is but just, however,
to mention that we cooked the heart, which was
found to be tolerably good eating; but the disgust.
occasioned by the offensive odour from the carcase
of the animal was so great, that we could hardly rid
ourselves of the idea that the heart did not partake
in some degree of the disgusting qualities of the
body. ‘The fat, or blubber, has, nevertheless, been
turned to some advantage, for it was stripped off,
and put into a cask, until an opportunity occurs for
boiling it, when it is expected to produce from
thirty to forty gallons of oil.

We had to-night, for the first time this season, a

* This is a term used by the Greenland, or whale-fishermen,
which signifies the fleshy, or muscular part of the whale, that is
Jeft after the blubber is flinched or taken off.

AA A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

meridian altitude of the sun at midnight, or, pro-
perly speaking, below the pole, for we have now of
course no night; but, as the terms day, and night,
are convenient when speaking of the time when any
event occurs that is necessary to be mentioned, I
shall always make use of them for the sake of per-
spicuity, although no natural distinction of the kind
now takes place.

Friday, 9th. — Nothing has occurred for these
three days past deserving of particular notice. The
weather has been variable, sometimes fine, at other
times the reverse ; but our greatest annoyance has
been, and still is, the ice, with which we are con-
stantly hampered. There is one thing we find,
which is, that, by standing to the eastward, we get
clear of it; but our object is to get to the westward,
if possible.

Sunday, 11th. — As we were sailing along amongst
the ice this forenoon, a large white bear was observed
on a piece of it close to the ships. A boat was imme-
diately lowered to go after him. The weather hap-
pened to be foggy, so that he did not see us until we
were within about. a hundred yards of him; he was
walking about at the time, but as soon as he per-
ceived us he crouched down on the edge of' the ice,
and watched our approach very attentively, as if in
expectation that we should in a short time become his
prey. We were, on the other hand, no less sanguine
that he should very soon be our captive, and in
order to make sure of our mark, we continued to
pull towards him until the boat was within about
forty yards of him, when we all fired. One shot
broke his right hind leg, and the rest (viz. three)
struck him in different parts of the body. On being

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 45

wounded he uttered a hideous roar, and grasped with
his teeth at the places where he was struck. He then
plunged inte the water, and tried to escape in that
way ; but, on finding that we were gaining upon
him, he attempted to get again on the ice; but
he was by this time so much exhausted by loss of
blood that before he could get out of the water we
secured him by throwing the bight of a rope round his
neck. His weight and dimensions are noted below.*

B6’#DBMuo
==

i OD Ee Sy
*Weight : ) : - 895 Ibs.
Feet. In.
Length from the snout to the tail = . hike Sey
Circumference round the middle ee SE? 6 “0
Length from the snout to the shoulder joint - Spat
Height from the heel of the fore-paw to the top of the
back between the shoulders’ - o - Pipl. Pit
Do. from the heel of the hind-leg to the top of the
rump - - - - - 3. A
‘Circumference of the fore-paw - - - - 111
Breadth of do. . - - - O 84

Length from the fore-toes to the knee-joint - - 2. 5%

40 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

dt will be seen that his weight is not at all in pro-
portion to his dimensions ; for he was a very large
animal, as far as length and height went; but, al-
though six inches longer than ihe bear we killed
in this country last summer, he was upwards of two
hundred pounds lighter.
On opening him, we discovered the cause of this
disparity ; for the whole of the alimentary canal was
in a high state of gangrene, the liver and lungs were
very much inflamed, and the spleen apparently shrunk
considerably below its natural size. The stomach was
empty and collapsed: in fact, the whole of the ab-
dominal viscera bore evident marks of disease.

Feet. In
Circumference of the fore-leg below the knee - - 2 §
Do. of the hind-paw_ - - - - “3510
Do. of the hind-leg - - ae WE
Breadth of the hind-paw - s - e283
Length from the hind-toes to the knee-joint - --2 i$
Length of the tail - - - : =O: 6
Circumference of the head before the ears - on Pen |
Do. of the neck - : “ 2 SO
Distance from the snout to the eye - - - 0 8}
Do. between the eye - - = is
Longest axis of the eyes . - = = Opi
Depth of the snout - - . - - O 3
Do. from nose to under part of the lower jaw - - 0 5h
Breadth of septum narium . - - O Q3
Nare, elliptical
Length of the ears - - - - O 3
Breadth of do. - - - - - O

Front teeth in each jaw 6 inches; canine 2 inches; molares or
grinders 5 inches; length of the upper tusks 14, inch; breadth
between their tips 34 inches ; length of the lower tusks 12 inch;
(the tip of the right side tusk was broken) breadth between their
tips 3 inches.

The liver weighed 16 lbs.; the lungs 14 Ibs. ; the heart 6 lbs. ;
the kidneys 3 lbs.; and the spleen 1$]bs.

TO THE ‘ARCTIC REGIONS. 47

_ The weather has been colder to-day than we have
yet felt, being half a degree less, indeed, than we
had it during the whole of last voyage, our lowest
temperature, last year, being 263°, and to-day it was
as low as 26°. We sufter, however, no inconvenience
from the cold, but the moisture that freezes on the
rigging renders it disagreeable to handle.

Thursday, 15th.— Nothing has occurred for
these three days past deserving of remark; the wea-
ther has been, I may almost say, invariably foggy,
which, together with the quantity of ice that we
have been constantly hampered with, has rendered
our progress to the northward very slow. Our
latitude to-day, at noon, was only 70° 27’ N., which
is only a little more than one degree farther than we
were four days ago. We have reason to suppose,
however, that the three or four last degrees of lati-
tude that we have come through, are the most diffi-
cult to navigate of any part of these seas, for they
are the narrowest part of the Straits, and at this
season of the year will, I have no doubt, be always
found choked with the ice that drifts down from
Baffin’s Bay. ‘Two boats were sent this forenoon to
an iceberg, to bring some of it on board for dissolv-
ing into water. As this ice appeared to be more
compact than what [ have usually observed the berg-
ice to be, I formed a piece of it into a cube *, for the
purpose of determining its specific gravity, which
was found however not to differ materially from what
_ we have been accustomed to find it by similar experi-

* The sides of this cube measured six inches and ;*,, and when
put into a tub of sea-water at the temperature of 33° and of the

specific gravity 1.0256, nine-tenths of an inch remained above
the surface of the water.

AS A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ments last year; that is, about one-seventh remain-
ing above the surface of the water.

Friday, 16th. — A small piece of ice was picked
up to-day, however, whose specific gravity differed
very much indeed from any that I have ever seen
in these seas before. Its size would not admit well
of being made into a cube, it was therefore formed
into a rectangular parallelogram, two inches seven-
tenths in breadth, and one inch seven-tenths in
thickness; and when put into a bason of salt water,
at the temperature of 35°, and of the specific
gravity of 1.0262, only one-tenth of an inch re-
mained above the surface of the water, or, in
other words, one-seventeenth of the whole.

We passed the Brunswick, of Hull, to-day, on her
way home: they broomed * to us, that they had taken
nineteen whales ; and, as she passed the Griper, they
told them that there were about. fifty whalers to the
northward (close to the coast of Greenland), be-
tween the 74 and 75 degrees of latitude. This was
all the communication we had with her; or, properly
speaking, that the Griper had, for she passed too
far from us to speak her.

I have omitted to mention before, ‘that, during
these two or three days past, we saw several large

* This is a term used by the whale fishermen to express the
manner in which they communicate to one another the number
of whales they have taken. The way in which the intelligence is
conveyed is this; on board the ship that is asking for the inform-
ation in question, some person holds up a broom in a conspicuous
place where it may be seen by the other ship, where some person
with a similar instrument gives the required information by lifting
a broom up over his head as many times as the number of fish
they have taken; hence the origin and meaning of the term broom-
ing a ship.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 49

flocks of eider ducks (Anas Malissima, Lin.) flying
to the eastward.

Saturday, \7ih. — We made fast this afternoon to
a floe of ice, where we remained for a while, which
afforded us anopportunity of making some magnetic
and other observations. In order to make sure of
our being clear of the influence of the ships upon the
compasses, the observations were made at least a
quarter of a mile from either of them. The variation
at this place was found by the mean. of several azi-
muths, to be 81° westerly, and the dip, or vertical
inclination of the needle, 84° 6’. The latitude of
the place of observation (reckoning from noon) was
72° N., and longitude, by sights taken for the chro-
nometers at the time, 60° 5’ W. We found, on dif-
ferent parts of the ice which we walked over this after-
noon, large quantities of earth and gravel; this is,
however, such a common thing, that it hardly de-
serves to be mentioned, for scarcely a day ever
passes without our seeing either stones or earth on
some of the floes amongst which we are.

Monday, 19th. — The weather for some days past
has been very foggy, which, I think, is in some mea-
sure owing to our being so far from the land; for I
observed last year, when we were detained for some
days at Waygat Island, that there was very often a
thick fog over the surface of the sea at some distance
from the land; whilst over the land itself, and along
the coast, for a space of two or three leagues from
it, there was commonly a fine clear sky. Paradox-
ical as it may appear, yet we find, that although the
weather is in general so cold that the fog freezes on
the rigging, the ice is undergoing dissolution very
rapidly, for on most of the floes we observe large

K

50 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

pools of water, from one of which we supplied the
ships (with water) two days ago.

Although it must certainly be admitted (from the
circumstance that I have just mentioned), that the
sun contributes very materially to the-destruction of
the ice, yet I concur in opinion with the intrepid
navigator, Davis, and the illustrious Cook, that the
sea is the great destroyer of the ice in these regions.

We find that there is a constant current setting to
the southward, which has been observed, indeed,
more or less, ever since we entered the Straits. Its
daily rate, and the exact course it takes, is not, in-
deed, very easily ascertained with entire precision ;
for the various courses we are obliged to make
amongst the ice, are such as to baffle all attempts at
comparing the latitude observed with that deduced
from the dead reckoning ; and I have no doubt but
the ice affects, in some measure, the direction of the
current near the surface.

Tuesday, 20th. —On account of the fogginess of
the weather, we got so close to a large iceberg, to-
day, before it was seen, that we were obliged to
lower our boats in great haste to tow the ship off
from it; and, notwithstanding the smartness with
which every thing was done, she went over a tongue
of it that projected some distance from the body of
the berg. This tongue happened, fortunately, how-
ever, to be about twenty feet below the surface of
the water, so that we went over without touching,
and, in a few minutes more, got clear, altogether,
of this threatening mass of ice; such I must cer-
tainly call it, for the side of it that we ran along
was consideranly higher than our mast-head, and
some parts of it projected beyond. A perpendicular

TO THE ARCFRIC REGIONS. AY

jine rose from its base, or at right angles with the
surface ot the water; and in addition to these cir-
cumstances, it was full of vertical fissures, or rents,
which showed, in a very unequivocal manner, the
danger of approaching too near. The depth of
water alongside of it was found to be one hundred
and twenty fathoms; and, as it appeared from the
tide-mark on it, to be aground, its height above the
surface of the water might be estimated at one hun-
dred and twenty feet ; for the proportion of the ice,
above, to that below the surface of the water, will
generally be found to be nearly as one is to seven.
We shot a seal this evening, of the common species.
(Phoca Vitulina, Lin.) He was lying on a piece of
ice at the time. It is unnecessary to give any de-
scription of him, as he differed in no respect from
the seals that are seen on our own coast: his length,
from the snout to the tail, was five feet one inch, and
the circumference round the thickest part of the
body three feet six inches.

Wednesday, 21st.—The weather cleared up to-day
for the first time for some days past; and about
eight o’clock A.M. we had a very good, although
a distant view, of the coast of Greenland, bearing
by compass from south to east of us. ‘The moun-
tain called by Davis, «‘ Hope Sanderson,’”’ was rea-
dily recognised by such of us as had seen it last year ;
although its distance from us was estimated to be
about forty miles: it bore, by compass, 8° S. 30’ E.
Some of the Women Islands were also in sight. It
appeared to me that there was more snow on this
part of the coast, than there was last year when we
passed it ; but our distance from it was too great to

E 2

52 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

enable us to say any thing with certainty on thi
head. ise

We found an immense number of icebergs off this
coast ; no less than eighty-eight were seen this morning
at one time from deck, and most of them so large that I
have no doubt of their being aground, for we sounded
atthe time in one hundred and six fathoms—sand and
pieces of broken shells. Between us and the land
there was also a considerable quantity of loose ice,
sufficiently open, however, to navigate amongst it,
to the northward ; but as I have said some time ago,
our object is not to get to the northward along this
coast, but if possible to penetrate to the westward.
What time it will take to accomplish this desirable
object in this high latitude, isa question that must
certainly remain in doubt until the thing is done, for
last year’s experience does not afford us any ground
on. which to draw a conclusion on this subject ; we
found then (as we do now) a barrier of ice to the west-
ward, from the time that we first made it until we
got nearly to the top of Baffin’s Bay; and although
we never succeeded in getting through it, it was
certainly not from want of attempting to do so.
Whether these attempts might not have been success-
ful if persevered in, is a thing on which it does not
become me to give an opinion.

We are possessed however. of some knowledge this
year, beyond our information previous to last summer,
with regard to the extent of this ledge or barrier of
ice ; forthen it was doubtful how far it might extend to
the westward, but now we know perfectly well how
far it extends in that direction. But, to be brief
on the subject, I believe the intention is, to make

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 53

every effort to force our way to the westward from
this place, so as to make the entrance of our hopeful
inlet, Lancaster’s Sound. We are not indeed quite in
the parallel of latitude * of it yet, but as the land
trends a little to the eastward on the south side of that
opening, a passage across at this place will be shorter -
than farther to the eastward.

This day, in addition to its being fine and clear,
was, I think, the warmest. day that. we have had
since we left England, for at two o’clock in the af;
ternoon the thermometer in the sun rose to 82.

In the evening, as we were making the best of
our way to the westward, a large bear was observed
on a piece of ice close to us, but time was deemed
too precious to lose any of it in going after him.

Saturday, 24th. — Little has occurred during
these two days past deserving of remark. We got
beset amongst the ice on the evening of the 22d, and
have been so situated ever since. We have at differ-
ent times during that period endeavoured to force
the ships through by warping, but have made but
very little progress, the ice being so close and heavy,
that our utmost efforts avail very ‘little ; there are pros-
pects, however, of clear water to the westward, for
the sky in that direction has.a watery appearance,
_ and the ice is dissolving very fast, its surface being
full of pools of water, in one of which was caught,
two days ago, a small fish answering to the descrip-
tion of the Gadus Virens of Lin.

As there was nothing particularly doing, a series
of experiments were again performed this afternoon,

* The entrance of Lancaster’s Sound may be said to be in
latitude 74° N., and ours to-day at noon was 72° 58! 12’ N.
E 3

a4 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

for determining the deviation of the compass ; the
mode of operation was similar to that described some
time ago, when an experiment of the same kind was
made: that is, a set of azimuths were taken with
the ship’s head on every second point of the com-
pass, and the difference of these azimuths from the
true variation found on the ice, will, of course, be the
deviation on these respective points. In this experi-
ment anewly invented needle by Mr. Jennings was
used, and as far as we could judge from this trial it
appeared to answer remarkably well. It differs in its
construction from the common needle, for instead
of one bar, or needle, it consists of two placed at
right angles to one another, so that the magnetic
north and south falls in a line between the two oppo-
site arms of it. As the result of this experiment may
be more easily comprehended by a diagram than by
words, I have drawn one *, which exhibits at one
view the whole operation, or rather, as I have just
said, its results.

It will be seen from this experiment that the de-
viation has increased very considerably since it was
tried before ; this is, however, nothing more than
what might be expected, or, in fact, it is only what
we knew, from other circumstances, must happen ;
for it is very clear, that as the directive power of the
magnetism of the earth upon the compass decreases
as we approach the magnetic pole; so will the power
or rather the effect of the iron in the ship increase.

Sunday, 25th.— The ice having slackened a
little during the night, all hands were employed the
whole day tracking and warping the ships to the

* See Appendix.

~

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Sg

westward ; and in the evening, in consideration of
the great exertions made, and the length of time
they were employed, each man had half a pound of
Donkin’s preserved meat, and a gill of rum served
out to him, as an extra allowance.

Monday, 26th. — We were employed again to-day
in a similar way as above mentioned, but with less
success, for the ice closed so much that our ut-
most endeavours to force through it were of little
avail.

Tuesday, 27th. — Although yesterday’s exertions
were not of much use, we were not discouraged on
that account from recommencing the same labour
again to-day, and I have much pleasure in being
able to say, that the unwearied efforts displayed not
only on this occasion,*but for some days past, were this
afternoon crowned (as good causes generally are, when
persevered in with zeal and proper management)
with success, for we got into what may be called clear
water, that is to say navigable, although not alto-
gether free from ice. From similar motives to
those mentioned on the 25th inst. the men had again
this evening an extra allowance of fresh meat served
out to him. |

Wednesday, 28th. — I have remarked that since we
lost sight of the coast of Greenland very few icebergs
have been seen ; to-day especially there has not been
above five or six seen altogether, and these were of
an inferior size. ‘This is no doubt owing to the water
increasing in depth as we proceed to the westward,
so that they cannot ground. We sounded to-day in
two hundred and ninety-six fathoms, a depth evident-
ly too great for icebergs to ground in, unless they
were of an extraordinary magnitude. The floe ice

E 4

56 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

is also much thinner than it was a few days ago ; Some
of it indeed that we passed to-day was so honey-
combed, or as it is commonly called, so rotten, that
parts of it would not bear even a man’s weight. I
think this rapid dissolution may in some measure
be attributed to the greater depth of the water here
than to the eastward ; for it is well known that shoal
water freezes more readily than deep water, conse-
quently when ice happens to drift into deep, it will
be destroyed quicker than in shoal water.

Thursday, 29th. — We got yesterday evening into
a clear sea, and there is to-day every appearance of
its continuing so; the sky looks watery to the west-
ward, and we have had all the forenoon a considerable
swell from that direction, so that we may, I think,
with safety presume, that the sea is open at least as
far as Lancaster’s Sound, and as we know that
there is a greater depth of water in that inlet than
where we now are, it is not likely that we shall find
much obstruction from ice there. ;

We were at noon only one hundred and sixty
miles from the entrance of it, having, in the course
of the last twenty-four hours, ran upwards of one
hundred miles; a distance, certainly, that in tem-
perate climates would be performed by a ship under
the most ordinary circumstances ; but in these re-
gions, and after such tardy movements as we have
for some time past been accustomed to, appears to
us a great run, and, taking every thing into consi-
deration, is so in reality.

We saw several whales to-day for the first time
since we entered Baftin’s Bay, or at least since we
passed the latitude of 70° N., for I believe the line of
division between it and Davis’s Straits is not yet well

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. of

defined ; it may, therefore, in speaking of it, be better
perhaps to refer to some parallel of latitude.

Friday, 30th. — The sea still continues open, and
there is every prospect of its being so to the west-
ward,: for the sky in that direction promises well,
and we have, as I mentioned yesterday, a consi-
derable swell. The weather being fine and clear
this forenoon, we had very excellent sights for the
chronometers, from which, and our latitude at noon,
we found that we were no great distance from the
entrance of Lancaster’s Sound; it was indeed com-
puted at the time, that if the breeze continued as we
then had it, that the west land would be seen in the
course of the afternoon, and to our great joy these
expectations were fulfilled about five o’clock, for at
that time land was descried from the mast-head,
which we knew from our latitude to be the mountains
on the south side of the inlet just mentioned. The
welcome news was immediately telegraphed to the
Griper, then both ships set all sail they could pos-
sibly carry, having, as it were, received fresh vigour
from the prospect now before them.

As we drew in with the land every eye appeared
to be directed towards that spacious inlet so often
the theme of conversation for these eleven months
past.

So much indeed has been said about it, that were
we quite ignorant of the place, we must have felt
some pleasure in seeing it; but to us it was peculiarly
interesting, for most of us had seen it before, or,
more properly speaking, we were witnesses of the
promising appearances it afforded of being the place,
that not only we, but many other navigators, for up-
wards of two centuries, had sought.

58 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

At the same time that we are thus delighted with
having the object of our hopes in sight, a sort of
secret anxiety hovers occasionally over the mind, on
recollecting that it has been affirmed, from ocular de-
monstration, that the magnificent opening now before
us is only a bay. It would be needless, if not improper,
however, to enter into a lengthened detail of the rea-
sons that might be adduced against that opinion, for
such only can I call it ; let it suffice then, that there
is at present every prospect of our being soon able to
decide the subject in question, in a manner that will
henceforth leave no doubt about the matter ; for the
sea is quite clear to the westward as far as we can
see, and we have a fine breeze of wind: it is not
indeed directly in our favour, being from the N. W.,
but it is sufficiently so, if it continues, to enable us
to get to the entrance of the Sound, as it is gratuit-
ously called, before to-morrow morning.

The number of whales that have been seen to-day
is astonishing ; no fewer than fifty are said to have
been seen in the course of one watch, (viz. four hours, )
this afternoon. May not this circumstance be con-
sidered as an indication of the opening before us
being a passage from Baffin’s Bay to another sea,
into which these fish are now going, in consequence
of their being pursued and harassed by the fishermen
in these seas ?

_ The mountains appear to have more snow on them
than they had last year when we were here; this
may, however, in a great measure, be accounted for,
from our seeing them a month earlier this year, as
it was on the 30th of August that we were at this
place last voyage. Along the coast, however, and
for about three hundred feet up the side of the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 59

mountains, the land is, with very few exceptions, per-
fectly clear of snow. We estimate the height of the
mountains to be from sixteen hundred, to two thou-
sand feet above the level of the sea.

Saturday, 31st.— We got this morning off the
place that was called, last year, Possession Bay, from
our having landed there and taken possession of the
country. As we had it in a different point of view
from that in which it was seen last year, it was not
recognised until the pole erected on the top of one
of the hills was seen. As soon as we got abreast of
it the ships were hove to, and a boat went ashore
with Mr. Parry and Capt. Sabine to make magnetic
and other observations *, and during the time they
were employed in making these observations, two
men and myself were directed to proceed up the
stream which flows through the valley, with instruc-
tions to observe if any pieces of wood or bark were
to be seen in the bed of it, and to make such re-
marks on the nature and productions of the place as
might be deemed useful. We commenced our ex-
eursion from the mouth of the stream, at which
place it is, as near as I could judge, from thirty-five
to forty yards broad ; and at low water, as was the
case when we landed, not above knee deep: there
is at this place however a bar across it, within which
it both deepens and widens. ‘The depth of it, for
about one hundred and fifty or two hundred yards
within the bar I was not able to determine, being

* The latitude at the mouth of the stream was found to be
73° 31'16” N., and longitude 77° 44! 42” W. (by chronometer) ;
the variation of the compass by the mean of several azimuths
108° 50’ westerly, and the dip, or vertical inclination of the
dipping-needle, 86° 9’.

60 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

too considerable to wade across: its breadth at
that place was, I think, from forty-five to fifty feet.
The tide went up it to the distance of two hundred
and fifty or three hundred yards, as was evident by
the tide-mark left on its banks, and the bones of
whales that were lying on the left side of it at the
above distance from its mouth. The bed of the
stream above the bar as far as the tide went consisted
of soft viscous mud ; beyond this it became rough and
hard, consisting of loose stones and sand, which was
indeed the nature of the bottom all the rest of the
way as far as we went: it continued likewise nearly
of an uniform breadth, that is, from forty to fifty
yards, and every part of it pera where the tide
flowed, was fordable.

The first thing that attracted our notice in going
along the bank of the stream, was to meet human
tracks in so perfect a state, that, had the place been
known to be frequented by man, we should have
supposed that people had been here only a few days
before ; but one of the men who was with me, as
well as myself, remembered that we had been on the
very same spot, where the tracks were observed, last
year gathering plants, so that we had not the small-
est doubt of their being the remains of our own foot-
steps then made. For had any Esquimaux been at
this place since we were here before, it is more than
probable that they would have taken away the pole
on the hill; as, from what we saw of them last year,
nothing could be a greater prize for them than a
piece of wood of the size of that in question. Be-
sides, we observed that the impression of the heel of
the shoe was deeper than that of any other part of
it, which would not be the case were they the tracks

TG THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Ol

of Esquimaux, for they never have heels to their
shoes or boots; and, in fact, the size and shape of
the footmarks were such as to satisfy us perfectly as
to their origin. Irom this circumstance we may
conclude that there is no great fall of snow in this
country in the winter, since doubtless the melting of
it would have effaced these tracks. After tracing
them for some distance we resumed our course up the
stream until we came to the foot of a mountain,
which from the sea appeared to terminate the valley
through which it flowed : but instead of finding the
source of our stream here, as we imagined, we found
that it issued from another valley to the right, or
southward and westward. Our time being limited,
we could not follow it any farther; at this time we
were, as near as I could judge, about three miles and
a half} or four miles, at farthest, from the sea. At
this distance from the coast there were only two or
three small patches of snow in the whole valley, and
there was very little of it indeed for a considerable
way beyond this up the sides of the mountains.
The only animals we saw during our excursion were
a Fox, (Canis Vulpes, Lin.); a Raven, (Corvus
Coraz, Lin.); several Ring-Plovers, (Charadrius
Hiaticula, Lin.); and Snow-Buntings, (Emberiza
Nivalis, Lin.) ; a bee was also seen, from which we
may infer that there is honey even in these wild
regions. We saw several tracks of bears, and some
cloven-footed animal, from their size apparently those
of a reindeer, none of them however appeared to
be very recent. Considering the high latitude in
which this place is situated, vegetation flourishes re-
markably well, for wherever there was moisture tufts

52 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
of grass and various plants grew in considerable
abundance; creeping, or ground willow, was the
only ligneous production we met with, the diameter
of the thickest of them that I saw did not exceed
that of a person’s finger, and, generally speaking, they
were not so large.

The fixed rocks consisted chiefly of basalt and gra-
nite, and in the valley there was a vast quantity of
limestone, in loose fragments ; but I do not recollect
having seen any rocks of it: granite, quartz, sand-
stone, trap, felspar, and various other minerals, were
to be met with in considerable abundance in the bed,
and about the banks of the stream before-mentioned.
On our way back to the boat I picked up a piece of
whalebone, two feet ten inches in length, and two
inches broad: it had forty two holes in it, placed
nearly in a straight line, and at regular distances
from one another along one of its edges: these holes
were perfectly round, and of a size sufficient to ad-
mit a goose-quill. Besides the holes just mentioned,
there were also fine oval holes along the middle of it,
at the distance of eight inches apart. We supposed
it had been part of an Esquimaux sledge ; and from
the situation in which it was found, it is probable
that it had been carried there by some of these people;
for it was between three and four hundred yards from
the sea, and about the same distance from the stream
up which we went ; so that it could not be brought by
either to the place where it was found.

On returning from our excursion, we found that
the tide had risen so much that we could not wade
across the bar at the mouth of the stream. The tide
appeared to flow from the northward, or most pro-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 63

bably out of Lanecaster’s Sound; for this place is si-
tuated to the southward and eastward of it. It was
just low water at the time we landed, and during the
three hours we were ashore, it rose between three
and four feet; but from the distance up the beach
that the bones of whales, sea-weed, and other things
that must have been washed up by the sea, were found,
it would appear that the tide rises considerably
higher than what might be expected from the result
of our observation on it to-day. I ought to observe,
however, that in all probability, a very heavy sea sets
into this bay occasionally, for when we landed, al.
though the wind was very moderate, there was a very
considerable surf breaking on the beach; so that
when it blows hard from the eastward, it may be pre-
sumed that the sea runs so high as to have washed
the bones above-mentioned up to the place where
they were lying; that is, some distance beyond the
regular tide-mark. The water deepens very suddenly
in this bay, for we sounded as we were coming
ashore, and found fourteen fathoms within a cable’s
length of the beach. Even closer than that its
depth must be considerable ; for just as we were
landing, two whales were observed so near the
shore, that I expected at one time that they would
run themselves aground. Whilst we were ashore
they tried for soundings on board, with a line of two
hundred and ninety fathoms, and found no bottom ;
but on recollection, I ought not to mention this as
a remarkable circumstance, as they sounded in a
thousand fathoms last year, in the Isabella, in the
very same place, or at least pretty near it. As the staff
planted at that time on the hill, already mentioned, is

4 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

still standing, it would be unnecessary to set up ano-
ther this year; but, in order to leave some memorial
of this our second visit, a sort of obelisk, or rather a
pile of loose stones, was erected on the right bank of
the stream, and about two hundred yards from the
beach ; and under the pile was buried a quart bottle,
containing a slip of paper, on which were written the
names of ships, and commanders, and the time when
we were here. Having now given an account of every
thing I saw during this excursion, that appeared to
me to be deserving of notice, I shall again resume
the narrative of our transactions on board. Immedi-
ately after the boats returned (one being on shore from
the Griper), we made sail towards Lancaster’s Sound ;
but the wind being at the time rather against us
(N. E. by compass) we made but little progress
during the remainder of this day.

Sunday, August 1st. — The wind still continuing
to blow out of the Sound, we have as yet got but a very
little way into it; every thing else, however, appears
favourable, the sea is perfectly clear to the westward,
as far as we can see, and aheavy swell is setting from
that direction, from which we may conclude that
there is neither land nor ice very close to us on that
side. We passed several streams of ice to-day, on the
north side of the Sound, it is true, but they lay so close
in with the land, that they offered no obstruction to
our progress; and, with regard to icebergs, it may
almost be said, that they have totally disappeared,
for there has been only one seen to-day. It has been
observed that since we got within the capes that
form the entrance of this magnificent Sound, the
colour of the water changed from its usual light
green colour, to a dirty brownish hue.

16

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 65

Monday, 2d.— There being but very little wind
this forenoon, we availed ourselves of the oppor-
tunity thus occasioned for sounding, which occu-
pied a considerable portion of time, for we had no
less than one thousand and forty-eight fathoms of
line out before we found bottom ; it was estimated,
however, that the actual depth was not above eight
hundred and fifty, or nine hundred fathoms, as there
was a very considerable portion of stray line. ‘The
deep-sea-clamm was used on this occasion, the sound-
ings brought up, consisted chiefly of mud, intermixed
with small stones, and_ pieces of broken shells of a
very delicate texture. At eight o’clock in the even-
ing a breeze sprang up from the southward and east-
ward, accompanied by fine clear weather, which ena-
bled us to have an excellent view of the land on both
sides of this spacious opening ; and although we had
not as yet got so far into the Sound as we were last
year, frequent visits were nevertheless made to the
Crow’s Nest*, to look for Croker’s Mountain, for
such was our anxiety, that we began to look for what
we had good reasons to suppose did not exist, and
that too before we got far enough to see them if they

* This is the name given by the Greenland fishermen to a
look-out place they have at the mast-head. It is frequently made
of a cask, by taking one end out, and cutting a scuttle in the
other for a person to get through; the use of it is to shelter the
person looking out for whales, or the best lead amongst the ice,
from the inclemency of the weather. We have two crows’ nests
up, one at the main, and the other at the fore-mast head, and
whenever we are amongst the ice, one or other of them is always
occupied by some person looking out for the best way to get
through, and to-day they have, as I have mentioned above, been
frequently visited by persons looking out for what I hope we shall
never see.

F

66 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

did exist. ‘There is every appearance, at present,
however, of our being able before long of satisfying
ourselves on this point; I shall therefore forbear to
say any thing more on the subject until that period
comes. Wesaw an immense number of whales again
to-day, between thirty and forty being seen in
every watch ; it has been remarked, that a great many
of them were of a small size. I observed that they
went in shoals in the same way that porpoises usually
do, generally coming to the surface nearly about the
same time, and diving in the same manner. We
passed in the course of the day a great number of
what is commonly called sea-blubber, (Medusa), on
which I think it is very probable the whales feed ;
for it isa sort of food well adapted to the formation
of their mouth, requiring little or no mastication, an
operation which the whale is by no means calculated
to perform.

As we came along to-day, we observed that the
stream, or ledge of ice mentioned yesterday, still
stretches to the westward, but so close in with the north
land as to be no impediment in our way. Amongst
it were seen this evening, three icebergs, but of so
small a size that we would have hardly noticed them,
had it not that so few have of late been seen.

Tuesday, 3d.— We .made considerable pro-
gress to the westward to-day, being at noon (by
chronometer) in longitude 80° 30’ W., and since that
time we have had an excellent run, for at eight
o’clock in the evening, we were by account in 82° W.,
and if the breeze continues but a few hours as it is
now, we shall decide whether land exists where it is
said to have been visible last year; at present the
weather is perfectly clear, and there is nothing to be

een tothe westward but a clear sea!

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 67

The south land, after passing Cape Castlereagh,
trends to southward and westward, forming a large
bay, the bottom of which was so distant from us,
that it is presuming too much indeed to call it a bay,
as it might, for aught we know, be a. passage to the
southward. The land to the westward of this bay,
or opening, appeared to be lower than that on the op-
posite side of it, and the formation, or contour of it,
differed also from that of the land to the eastward ;
for it appeared somewhat like that which is called
Table Land, whilst the land that we have passed is
full of acuminated hills, rising one above another
from the sea-side, tothe top of the mountains. On
the north side, and a little to the westward of the bay
or opening which I have just been describing, there isa
similar gulf, or passage, and of greater extent than
the above; our distance from the northernmost part
of it was likewise too considerable to enable us to
speak with certainty of the continuity of the land ;
it appeared to us indeed as if it consisted ofa number
of islands. The land to the westward of this opening
differed also in its features from that on the north
side of the entrance of Lancaster’s Sound, for its out-
line appeared to be more regular, and less elevated
than the latter, and it has much less snow on it. As
we were sailing along this forenoon, we happened to
pass close by an iceberg, to which a boat was sent to
take some azimuths, and, to our surprise, the result
of them gave less variation, nearly by two degrees,
than we found in Possession Bay, notwithstanding we
have every reason to think that we are approaching
the Magnetic Pole; but these observations were taken
rather too near noon, so that they are not so much
to be depended on as those taken the other day.

F 2

68 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Whilst the boat was at the berg, they were employed
on board sounding ; they struck bottom in three
hundred and seventy-three fathoms, soft mud, and at
the same time a tide, or current, was found setting
N. 65° E. true, at the rate of seven fathoms per hour.

Wednesday, 4th. —'The momentous question so
often alluded to in the course of this narrative, (and
indeed a subject of conversation for nearly a twelve-
month past, ) has this day been decided in the manner
in which I always thought it would be, that is, that no
land exists on the west side of Lancaster’s Sound, where
it was said to have been seen last year; for we were
to-day at noon in longitude 86° 56’ W., which is nearly
three degrees to the westward of where it was laid
down. It would perhaps be unbecoming to take a re-
trospective view of the opinions and arguments ad-
vanced by those who maintained that Lancaster’s
Sound was of all others the place that appeared most.
likely to be the opening or inlet through which the pas-
sage so long sought after would ultimately be found ;
because a review of that kind might be considered as a
triumph over those who have the misfortune of being
this day proved to be wrong. Although people may
refrain, however, from making an ostentatious parade
about their own merit or judgment, yet they cannot
avoid feeling a secret satisfaction that their opinions
have turned out to be true ; nor is it indeed necessary
to stifle these inward pleasures. But, to abandon the
subject, I shall resume my diary by relating the rest
of the events of the day, leaving to others the task
of contrasting and judging of the respective merits
of the deeds and opinions of the parties or indivi-
duals concerned, for upwards of two centuries, in pro-
jecting or performing voyages to this country, similar
to that on which we are employed.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 69

We tried for sotindings several times during the
day with different lengths of line, from fifty to one
hundred and seventy fathoms, but never struck bot-
tom; and, as we had a fine breeze in our favour, it
was not deemed proper to lose time in sounding to any
greater depth ; and probably had the Griper been
able to keep up with us, we should not have sounded
so often, or to such depth as we did.

We lost sight of the south land about eight o’clock
this morning, (the weather being perfectly clear,)
and we have been at an average about twenty miles
from the north land during the whole day, (but some-
times much nearer,) so that these straits, if they
may be so called, are certainly of the first magni-
tude, both with regard to their breadth, and depth.

The land on the north side which we passed to-day
is of a different description from any that I have
seen in this country before; the whole of the coast
appeared somewhat like an immense wall (in ruins)
rising almost perpendicularly from the sea, to the
height, asnearas I could judge, of about five hun-
dred feet. The surface of this precipice consisted of
horizontal strata of different thicknesses, and the
debris that fell from them formed kinds of buttresses
at the foot of the rock. On some of the strata also
that projected out farther than the rest along the face
of the precipice, there were collections of the moul-
dering remains. of the superincumbent rocks ; so that
from the variety of shapes and sizes that these heaps
of rubbish assumed, the regularity of the strata, and
the uniformity that prevailed in the height of the
rock, this bold coast presented altogether a very
interesting appearance. Notwithstanding its general
character was suchas I have just been describing,

F 3

7O A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

yet in some parts of it there appeared to be inlets or
chasms in which were apparently very secure har-
bours; but our distance from it was too great to
_ enable us to speak with any degree of certainty on
this point.

The surface of the country inland, as far as we
could see, had very little snow on it, which I thought
might possibly be owing to its being so plain that no
part of it afforded shelter for the drift-snow to lodge ;
its height was also very inconsiderable, for it ap-
peared to rise but very little beyond the cliffs along
the coast. We found the sea quite clear of ice as
we sailed along during the day, with the exception
of a few small bergs; but, in the evening, we came
to what appears to be an island, with a ledge of ice
extending from the north and south ends of it as far
as we cansee. That which runs from the north end
appears to reach as far as the land ; but as it happened
to become hazy just as we made the ice, it is possible
that we might have been deceived as to its extent.
At all events, as long as we are not interrupted by
land, a little stoppage by ice is a matter of very
little consequence ; for I have no doubt but we shall
manage to get through it. Between the island just
mentioned and the north land, or that along which
we have been sailing all day, there appears to be a
large open bay, or, it might perhaps be more pro-
perly said, that the land opposite this island trends
to the northward and westward, instead of due west
as before. As we approached the ice this afternoon
we saw from twenty to thirty whales.

Thursday, 5th.—The weather had been foggy
since yesterday evening until five o’clock this after-
noon, so that we had been during that time little
better than stationary, standing alternately off and

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 71

on along the edge of the ice, in readiness to take
advantage of the first opening that would be discover-
ed when the weather cleared up; but to our disap-
pointment, when this happened (between five and six
o’clockin the evening), we found that the ice extended
from the island mentioned last night to the north
land, a distance of about thirty miles. This body of
ice appeared so compact that it would be folly to
attempt to force through it, more especially as it
extended to the westward farther than we could see ;
we had the satisfaction, however, of not observing any
land beyond it in that direction. We had no other
choice then but to remain inactive, looking at the slow
dissolution of this immense barrier of ice; or proceed
to the southward in hopes of finding a passage to the
westward in that direction. As the latter route
(although not leading so directly to the westward)
afforded more immediate employment, and, at the
same time, prospect of success, it was determined to
try what could be done by shaping our course to the
southward and westward. As we were sailing along
the edge of the ice, we discovered another island,
about six or seven miles to the southward and west-
ward of that seen last night ; and about the same dis-
tance, farther on in that direction, more land appear-
ed. ‘The whole of the space between these islands
and the- land just mentioned was full of ice, which
extended indeed for several miles to the eastward of
them, so that we could not approach within some
distance of either the one or the other. These islands,
as well as the land beyond them, have very much the
appearance of that which I have been describing
yesterday ; the islands in particular appeared to rise
almost perpendicularly from the sea to the height of
EF 4

a2 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

between two and three hundred feet ; they had very
little snow on them, their top or surface being, like
the land alluded to, almost level. In this respect,
however, the land to the southward and westward of
them differed from them very materially, for the in-
terior of it, at least that part of it that bounded our
view, rose toa considerable height, and the hills that
composed it were well covered with snow ; its sur-
tace was, however, generally speaking, smooth, that
is, free from rocks or abrupt precipices. The depth
of water off these islands corresponds (as I have ge-
nerally observed to be the case) with the boldness of
the coast, for we sounded in the forenoon in one hun-
dred and thirty-five fathoms (soft mud), and in the
afternoon it increased to one hundred and seventy-
five fathoms, the same sort of bottom. Although we
are at present checked a little by the ice, our hopes
of success had reason to be increased by a certain
circumstance that was observed to-day. The cir-
cumstance I allude to is the vast number of white
whales (Beluga, Lin.) that were seen in the course of
the day, from which it is not unreasonable to conclude
that there is a passage from where we are, as far at.
least as M‘Kenzie’s river, as that traveller mentions
his having seen them there. People inclined to be
sceptical, however, would probably consider this cir- .
cumstance as of little or no importance, and perhaps
not at all deserving of being noticed in the light in
which I have mentioned it; but as I am not a cold
speculator, disregarding every thing except facts that.
amount almost toa positive proof, I hope to be excused.
for mentioning such circumstances as these, though.
they may be attributed to my confidence of success.
As there was nothing particular doing in the forenoon,
a couple of boats were sent to try if they could kill

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 73-

one of the tish above mentioned ; but we found that
they were too wary for us, notwithstanding every art
was practised for the purpose of getting near them, by
pulling and sculling after them, and, at other times,
lying still when they happened to be coming towards
us. The latter method appeared to promise most
success ; and if we had had a gun harpoon, I have no
doubt but we might have succeeded, for they general-
ly came within thirty or forty yards of us before they
dived. On coming under the boat, they used to re-
main for some time apparently viewing our motions ;
but they took care to keep always at such a depth that
it was impossible to reach them. The average length
of these fish was, as near as I could judge, from
eighteen to twenty feet; their tail was horizontal,
like the rest of the order (Ce¢e) to which they belong,
and they had a spiracle in the crown of their head,
through which they respired in the same manner as
the common whales do: their colour was, with few
exceptions, perfectly white; the exceptions were
two or three that I saw of a dusky hue.

Whilst we were pursuing them to-day, I noticed a
circumstance that appeared to me rather extraordi-
nary at the time, and which I have not indeed been
able to. account for yet to my satisfaction. The
thing alluded to, is a sort of whistling noise that
these fish made when under the surface of the water ;
it was very audible, and the only sound which I
could compare it to, is that produced by passing a
wet finger round the edge, or rim of a glass tumbler.
It was most distinctly heard when they were coming
towards the surface of the water, that is, about half
a minute before they appeared, and immediately after
they got their head above the water the noise ceased.
The men were so highly amused by it, that they re-

74: A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

peatedly urged one another to pull smartly, in order
to get near the place where the fish were supposed
to be, for the purpose of hearing what they called
a ‘¢ whale-song :”’ it certainly had very little resem-
blance to a song, but sailors are not generally the
most happy in their comparisons.

Several fish of another genus of the cetaceous
tribe were seen this forenoon for the first time this
voyage, viz. the Sea Unicorn, or Narwhal, (Monodon
Monoceros, Lin.) ‘They were seen together in a
shoal, in the same manner that the White-Whales
went.

Friday, 6th. — The weather having cleared up
about noon, land was seen very distinctly to the
southward and eastward of us, which forms, with
the land to the southward and westward of the two
islands before mentioned, a large inlet or opening
leading about S.S. W. true. The west side of this
inlet is full of ice, so that in getting on we shall be
obliged to sail along pretty near the south-east land.
I shall therefore not say any thing respecting its
appearance at present, as we are likely to see more
of it hereafter. We sounded to-day in one hundred
and eighty fathoms, soft mud. A great number of
white-whales were seen again to-day, and a few also
of the common, or black-whale ; seals were also seen
in great numbers, both on the ice and in the water.
The compasses have become within these two days
so sluggish in their motions, that they are almost
useless, for all bearings of land are obliged to be
taken by astronomical observation, that is, by the
bearing of the sun, and the ships are indeed con-
ducted more by the same means than by the com-
pass, so that, when that luminary is obscured by

18

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Te

foggy weather, it is a difficult matter to know which
way we are going.

Saturday, '7th.—As we happened to be at no great
distance from the south-east land to-day, it was
deemed an object of importance to draw close in
towards it, for the purpose of sending a boat ashore
to make (magnetic) observations, the compasses being
as I have already mentioned, in such a state *, that
we have reason to suppose we are at no great
distance from the magnetic Pole. t It will be seen
from the result of the observations made on this
occasion, that our supposition cannot be far wrong ;
for the dip, or vertical inclination of the dipping-
needle, was 86° 28’, and the variation 118° westerly ;
and Captain Kater’s azimuth compasses, notwith-
standing their delicate construction, were so sluggish
in their motions, that they required to be very nicely
levelled, and frequently tapped before the card tra-
versed. J'rom these circumstances it may be very
readily seen how little dependence there is to be
placed in our compasses on board, which, in addition
to the disadvantages they labour under from their
construction, are at the same time so much affected
by local attraction, that they can no longer be trusted
as guides —but if successful, the more difficulty
the greater merit. Besides the Egyptians are said
to have circumnavigated Africa long before the use
of the compass was known, and why should not we
circumnavigate America two thousand years after,

* I need only mention one circumstance to shew the state in
which the compasses were in on board, which is, that when the
ship’s head was west, the variation was 180°, or, in other words,
the north point of the compass pointed south.

+ The latitude of the place where these observations were
made, was 72° 45’ N., and longitude 90° 10’ W.

76 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

without the help of that useful instrument? [ wish
only that no greater obstacle than the want of
compasses may impede us, and then I am sure that
we shall accomplish our object ; but to leave the
subject for time to prove, I shall briefly notice such
circumstances as came under my observation to-day
during my excursion on shore.

The part of the coast where we landed, and, in-
deed, every part of this land that we have yet seen,
is, generally speaking, low near the sea-coast, and
rising gradually inland ; but no part of it, as far as
our view extended, rose to a sufficient height to be
called mountainous. . It had very little snow on it,
its appearance at a distance was very barren, and on
getting to it we found that its distant prospect
had not deceived us; for it was one of the most
sterile spots that I have yet seen, even in the Arctic
regions. Of vegetation, it could hardly be said that
any existed; a few small tufts of grass along the
banks of the streams, and, here and there, some
stunted poppies, composed the chief part of the
Flora of this place. Lichens might also be enumerated
amongst the vegetable productions of this land, but
as these are to be met with in every place where
rocks exist, it can hardly be necessary to mention
them. It also appeared to be very thinly inhabited
by animals of any description; all that we saw were
a couple of Ptarmigans (Tetrao Lagopus, Lin.), and
a few Snow-buntings. We have reason to suppose,
however, that some quadrupeds live on it, although
we did not see any, for we found in a sort of cave, or
excavation in one of the rocks, a quantity of white
hair, or fur, which we supposed to be that of a fox ;
and, in the same place, there were several seals’
bones, from which it may be concluded, that the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Th

visitant of that retired spot must have been, at all
events, acarnivorous animal. No traces were seen of
any human beings having been here before ourselves,
but if any should ever happen to visit the same
place hereafter, it is probable that they will not
have the same thing to say, for, on the top of a hill,
about half a mile from where we landed, we planted
a pole that might be seen at some distance, having a
piece of board nailed across the top of it, on which
were painted these words: ‘* His Britannic Majesty’s
ships, Hecla and Griper, August 7. 1819,” and at a
short distance from the staff was buried a quart bottle,
in which was a slip of paper, containing the follow-
ing short, but very explicit, piece of information :
‘«* His Britannic Majesty’s ships, Hecla and Griper,
were off this coast on the 7th of August, 1819, in
search of a north-west passage.’?. With respect to
the mineralogy of this place, I have only to remark,
that the fixed rocks consisted chiefly of limestone,
which was in a very disintegrated state, being some-
what like lime in the act of slaking. The surface
of all the loose pieces of stone in the neighbourhood
of these rocks was incrusted with lime, which had, ap-
parently, been in a fluid state, for it looked more like
the top of a cauliflower than any thing else to which
I could compare it. This incrustation was not confined
to limestone alone, for I observed that quartz, granite,
hornblende, or whatever other minerals happened to
lie on these rocks, were coated in the same manner.
The limestone appeared to compose only the
surface of this land, for the bed of a stream *
that ran between two rocks of limestone, was

* The temperature of the water of this stream was 423°, that

of the air in the shade 514°, and of the earth near the surface
44°,

78 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

composed entirely of clay slate, and the rocks along
shore, wherever they appeared, were also of this
kind. The beach did not seem to be much beaten
by the sea, as the recks and loose stones that com-
posed it did not bear the marks of much attrition. .
This may, in a great. measure, be attributed to the
manner in which it is guarded by ice, for all along
shore there was a chain of large pieces of it from
eight to ten feet thick, which of course shielded all
within it from the violence of the sea, if the sea is
ever in that state.

The greater part of this ice was floating when
we landed, but when we came off it was chiefly
aground, having been left on the beach by the ebb-
ing of the tide, which during the three hours we
were ashore had fallen six feet. It had ebbed before
we landed about eighteen inches, so that the rise and
fall of the tide at this place may be estimated at
twelve, or fourteen feet. We observed that the ebb
set to the southward and westward, consequently the
flood must come from that direction, a circumstance
which Ithink must be evident to every person as being
very much in our favour; for if the flood came from
the Atlantic, why not come through the extensive
passage formerly called Lancaster’s Sound? ‘To this
it may be answered, indeed, that the opening or
inlet in which we are, may communicate with the
Atlantic through Cumberland’s Straits, or any of
those passages between this and Hudson’s Bay, and
that the flood may come from that direction. That
such may be the case is certainly true, but when a
question admits of two solutions, it is not unreason-
able to put that construction on it which is most
congenial to a person’s views. But to abandon this
field of conjecture, I shall briefly state the few

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 79

remaining occurrences that came under my observ-
ation in the course of the day. When speaking of the
beach, I omitted to mention, that, in the little pools of
water left when the tide ebbed, we found myriads of
small shrimps, or what are vulgarly called sea-lice; on
the beach there were also a great number of shells of
different kinds, the greatest part of those that I-saw
consisted of the Venus and Mya genera.

Sunday, 8th.— We came this morning to a
compact barrier of ice, which extended in an oblique
direction from the west land, to the south-east land,
or that on which we were yesterday. We were by
this means reduced again to two alternatives, viz.
to wait here* until an opening might happen to take
place in the ice, that would enable us to proceed on,
or to return again to the northward, to see if any
favourable change had taken place there of which we
might take advantage. As the distance we have to
go back is not very considerable, it was deemed most
proper to retrace our course again to the northward,
than to remain inactive at this place. Other consi-
derations might also be mentioned, tending to favour
this resolution ; 1n the first place the northern pas-
sage, if | may so call the opening described on the
5th instant, appeared to lead directly to the west-
ward, or in fact it seemed to be a continuation of the
spacious passage, through which we came from
Baffin’s Bay ; and, in the second place, we have had
experience enough of the ice to know that extraordi-
nary changes take place in it, without any apparent
cause, for we have often seen the most compact
bodies of it opening, without either wind or tide

* Our latitude at noon was 72° 13’ N. and longitude 90° 29’ W.,

which must have been very nearly the farthest that we went in
this inlet.

SO A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

affecting it in any way that we could perceive.
Under these circumstances, we are not without hopes
that, by the time we have reached the place alluded
to, some favourable change may have taken place in
the state of the ice. Although I have thus endea-
voured to shew, that the northern passage appears to
lead more directly in the way in which we want to
go, yet I am far from thinking that the inlet in
which we are, does not also communicate with the sea
seen by Messrs. Hearne and M‘Kenzie. Its extent,
indeed, and the depth of water which we have found
in it, are too considerable to lead us to suppose that
it terminates near where we were when stopped. by
the ice; for at that place, it must have been at least
from forty to fifty miles broad, and the depth of the
water, although we were only a few miles from the
land, was from thirty to forty fathoms ; and yesterday,
when we were more amid channel, we tried for
soundings with a line of two hundred fathoms up and
down, and yet we did not strike bottom.

From these considerations then, in addition to the
fact mentioned yesterday respecting the tide, it, I
think, appears very obvious, that this inlet commu-
nicates with the ocean, through another channel
besides that through which we went.

Monday, 9th.— We have been working to the
northward all day, along the eastern edge of the ice,
that is, between it and the south-east land. In this
channel we have, during these few days past, seen such
a number of the common, or black whales, that our
(Greenland) masters seem to think that an establish-
ment, or factory, situated here for the purpose of
killing whales, would be very likely to turn out a
lucrative speculation ; for, in addition to the oil that
might be collected, a vast quantity of ivory might

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 81

also be procured; for we have seen, during the time
that we have been in this inlet, hundreds of narwhals,
or sea unicorns, and [ understand that their horns are
very good ivory. I have of late spoke so often of
magnetisni, that introducing that subject again, will, I
have no doubt, appear little better than a recapitula-
tion of what has already been said. I cannot help
mentioning, however, that we observed to-day the
compasses to be so much affected by local attraction,
that, in whatever direction the ship’s head happened
to be placed, the north point of compass pointed
towards it. This. was more particularly obvious in
Captain Kater’s suspended needle, which, from the
delicacy of its construction, went round regularly as
the ship’s head moved, when she went about: the
other compasses, indeed, traversed so badly, that they
frequently remained almost stationary for some time
after the ship changed her course; but by being
tapped a little by the hand they generally traversed
round, until, as I have stated, their north point coin-
cided with the direction of the ship’s head. The
cause of this directive power of the ship on the com-
passes may easily be accounted for, at least, it appears
to me to be simply thus: that, as the greatest part of
the iron in the ship is situated before the binnacles,
i.e. between them and the ship’s head, the north
point of the needle will of course be attracted in that
direction. It is unnecessary to observe, after what
has been said, that the compasses are now become
totally useless. An instrument was got up to-day,
however, that promises to be a very good substitute
for them whenever the sun shines; but when that
luminary is not visible, it will be of no man-
ner of use, for it is in fact a sun-dial, divided like
G

SZ A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the mariner’s compass-card into thirty-two points,
or rhumbs; and for the sake of greater accu-
racy these points are again sub-divided into de-
grees. In the centre of it there is an index,
gnomon, or nave, that revolves on a pivot, so that
by knowing the time of the day, the course the ship
is steering is easily ascertained by turning this index
towards the sun; for it is obvious that when the
azimuth or bearing of the sun coincides with that
point of the dial that is of the same denomination,
all the other points of the horizon will correspond
with the respective points of the same name on the
dial-plate. For instance, at noon, or when the sun
is due south, if the point of the dial marked south
be turned towards the sun, all the other points of it
will be directed to those of the same name in the
horizon; and that which points towards the ship’s
head, if the dial is a midship’s, will of course be the
direction she is going in at that time. I ought to
observe at the same time, that the dial should be
adjusted at least every three quarters of an hour,
to correspond with the motion of the sun in azimuth,
and whenever the ship alters her course it will ne-
cessarily require to be adjusted afresh. From these
different corrections or adjustments being so often
required, it would seem at first to be rather a trouble-
some guide, and, when compared with that invaluable
instrument, the compass, it certainly is so; but under
the present circumstances, it is, as I have already re-
marked, an useful instrument. The makers, and if
I mistake not the inventors of this instrument, are
Messrs. Atkins and Harris.

Tuesday, 10th. — The ieaities, és been foggy
during the greatest »art of the day, so that the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 83

compass-dial above described has been of very little
use to us; our course was so bounded however by
the land on one side, and the ice on the other, that
a compass was very little required, for it was impos-
sible for us to go much out of our way.

The land we have passed during these two days,
appeared to be as barren as that on which we
landed to the southward (on the 7th inst.) ; it dif
fered from it however in some respects, being in the
first place considerably higher, and along the coast
much more rugged, not unlike the land on the north
side of the passage.

Wednesday, 11th. —The weather being foggy the
greatest part of the day, it was ee without
compasses to know which way we were going; we
therefore made fast to a floe of ice, and watered the
ship from the pools on the surface of it. In the course
of the afternoon several Narwhals were seen about
the ship; and, as we had nothing particular to do at
the time, a boat was lowered and sent after them, to
try to kill one if possible ; in this the people succeed-
ed without much difficulty, for one was secured by the
first harpoon, and I have no doubt, had- fishing been
our object, but many more might have been got.
Notwithstanding his size, we managed to hoist him
on board without being cut up; we could not conve-
niently weigh him; but Ishould imagine from his bulk,
when compared with the sea-horse, or Walrus, which
we killed some time ago, that he would have weighed
upwards of two tons. ‘The different measurements
taken of him are inserted in the following page:
I have therefore to add only the few remarks that
appeared to me worthy of being noted. In the
first place, then, as the horn is the most prominent

G&

A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

84

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 85

object about this fish, it may not be improper to
say a few words respecting it, in addition to the
dimensions given below. It protruded from the
left side of the upper snout, in a line parallel with the

Dimensions of the Narwhal. Feet, In.
Length of the horn * beyond the head - - en es
Circumference of the horn at its root = = /O oe
Do. atthe tip - | - - 0 2%
Length of the body from the root of the horn to the
fork of the tail - - - - 13 5%

Estimated circumference of the thickest part of the body
From the root of the horn to the eye - Shes
From the angle of the mouth to the end of the lip -
Breadth across the mouth at the broadest part -
Depth of the snout across the mouth - -
From the root of the horn to the fore part of the fin -
Breadth of the fins at the root ~ - - -
Do. at the broadest part - - ' -
Length of the fins - = . -
Expansion of the tail - : :
Depth of do. - - - -
Circumference of the smallest part of the body ; that is,

moOomocnooor © &
©

at the place where the tail began to expand - 1 8%
From anus to the fork of the tail - - . - &.G
From the fork of the tail to the teats (two in number) - 4 8
Do. to penis - - - 6 4
Do. to umbilicus - - - 8 O
From the eye to the orifice + of the organ of hearmg - 0 54
Diameter of the spiracle (which was situated in the

crown of the head, and 1 foot 24 inches from the

snout) - - - - - O 2%
Thickness of the skin - : - .- O° Of
Do. of the blubber, at an average - - O 34

* The end of the horn was hollow in consequence of a piece having been °
broken off. It is probable that at least six inches of it had been broken.

+ It was so small that it was some time before we discovered it. It being of a
size sufficient only to admit a small probe.

ao

GO

86 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

body of the fish taken lengthwise; on the opposite
side of the snout thefe was not the least appearance
of a horn, or protuberance of any kind, as is said to
be frequently observed in these fish: but much greater
anomalies than this have occasionally been met with,
for specimens are known where the two horns grew
to the usual size, and, if I am rightly informed,
many instances have occurred where the horn on the
right side has protruded through the skin. The
female of this fish is said never to have any horns,
and, owing to this circumstance, I have been told
it frequently happens at the custom-houses, where
our whalers give an account of the fish they have kill-
ed during the season, that all the unicorns they have
taken are said to be “ she ones,” in order to evade the
duty on the horns. The narwhals have no teeth, nor
the appearance of any other substance that can an-
swer as a substitute for them, so that their food, like
that of the common whale, must be of a very soft
nature ; their tongue is also like that of the latter
fish, not at all calculated to assist in mastication,
being nothing but a mass of soft fat adhering
nearly throughout to the under part of the mouth.
The eyes were small, considering the size of
the fish; they were deep-seated, but not so far
in as to be situated in the socket of bone that was
underneath them. ‘The form of the eye, or rather
of the eyelids, was that of a triangle, whose sides
measured about three-fourths of an inch. The tail of
the narwhal resembles the rest of the cetaceous order,
in being horizontal, and consists, like that of the com-
mon whale, of gristly fat, covered with skin, as is the
rest of the body. ‘The fins are also formed of the
same materials, so that it may be said that these fish

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 37

differ in every respect from the rest of the finny race,
except in form, and the element in which they live :
they have been indeed very properly named by Dr.
Shaw, the fish-formed mammalia. The skin on-the
back and sides was mottled, of a black and white
marble colour, and that on the under part of the
body was nearly all white; it was very soft, and was
formed, as in the black whale, of vertical fibres, some-
what like a transverse section of a piece of wood.

Immediately under the skin there was a layer of
blubber, from three to four inches thick, which en-
veloped the whole body; this coating was stripped
off and put into casks, and it is expected when boiled
to yield from sixty to seventy gallons of oil. The
muscular part of the body was exceedingly black,
and so soft as to be torn very easily by the hand.
The lungs were large and of a light fleshy colour :
the heart was also of a very considerable size, but its
parietis was not strong in proportion to its bulk.
The liver was of a dark brown, or chocolate colour,
and very oily. The stomach contained nothing but
a small quantity of a greenish oily liquid; and the
rest of the alimentary canal, although of consider-
able size, had nothing in it at this time but a small
quantity of the same sort of fluid. The kidnies
were large, and composed of a congeries of small
round masses like those of an ox. The urinary blad-
der was not larger than that of the animal just men-
tioned ; the testes were, however, much larger than
those of any of our domestic quadrupeds.

I have now only to observe, that the relative situ-
ation of all these viscera, was the same as in terres-
trial animals of the mammalia kind.

G 4

88 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

In concluding the diary, or events of the day, I
ought to mention that we sounded in the afternoon,
whilst fast to the floe, in one hundred and seventy
fathoms water, soft clay-coloured mud. Our distance
from the east land at the time was from eight to ten
miles.

Thursday, 12th.— We observed to-day that the
compasses traversed with greater facility than they
had done for some time past; Mr. Jennings’ insulating
compass was found to agree within five degrees with
the plane of the magnetic meridian*, so that we
may infer, that by going to the northward we recede
from the magnetic pole. . It must not be understood,
however, from this, that the compasses have improved
so much as to be of any use yet to navigate, or steer
the ships by them ; on the contrary, we were obliged
to remain fast until six o’clock this morning to the
floe to which they were secured yesterday fore-
noon, on account of its being so foggy that it was
impossible to know which way to steer. ‘The dis-
tance that we have gone, indeed, from the place
where I spoke of the compasses last, is not sufficient
to make any great difference in this respect: for
our latitude to-day at noon was only 73° N. and
longitude 90° 34’ W. We sounded this evening in
one hundred and ninety fathoms water, (soft mud). |

* As it is possible that this expression may appear equivocal,
it may perhaps be necessary to observe, that by saying that the
compass agreed within five degrees with the plane of the magnetic
meridian, I meant that the north point of the compass, or rather
the needle itself, coincided within five degrees with the plane of
the M. meridian, as determined by an azimuth compass on
the. ice.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 89

Friday, 13th. — A boat went ashore this forenoon,
to examine an inlet or creek that appeared in the
east land, where they found a very good harbour,
having an island at the entrance of it, that sheltered
it from the violence of the sea: there was depth
enough of water in it for a ship of any size, so that
if this place should ever happen to be frequented by
shipping, we can assure them of finding at least one
secure harbour on this coast. It is situated in lati-
tude 73° 12’ N., and longitude 89° 41’ W.

The land here is much higher, and the coast bolder
than to the southward ; it is composed however of the
same material, viz. limestone. We find also, as I
have frequently observed before, that the depth of
the water increases in proportion as the coast becomes
bolder ; this forenoon when we were only about two
miles from the shore, we had no less than one hun-
dred and thirty fathoms water, (soft mud).

Since we got into deeper water, I observed also that
the whales have been seen in greater numbers, and
as for the narwhals they are swimming about at all
hours of the day in shoals: it would appear from
what we observe that this is their time for coupling.

Sunday, 15th. — We are still retarded by the ice,
which extends, as I mentioned some time ago,
from the north land to the two islands that lie
between it and the south-west land. The distance
between these islands and the nearest part of the
south-east land (off which we are at present) is found
to be considerably less than was expected, when we
went down the inlet in which we have been for some
days past; from the result of the different angles
taken for the purpose of determining the width of

90 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

this opening, it is found that the distance between
the easternmost island, or that first seen, and the
S. E. land, is only twenty-eight miles, and between
it and the other island still less, oa no more than
twenty-six miles and a half.

A boat landed to-day again on the east coast,
which they found to be more barren, if possible, than
where we landed on the 7th inst. From the minera-
logical specimens brought off, it appeared to consist,
like that to the southward, of limestone, in some
pieces of which were found fossil shells, flint, and
agate ; several pieces of madrepore were also brought
on board. A pile of loose stones was erected on the
top of a hill, near where the boat landed, under which
was buried a quart bottle, containing a slip of paper
intimating our being off this coast on such a date.
The dip and variation of the magnetic needle was,
as might naturally be expected from recent observ-
ations, found to be less here than to the southward ;
the latter was only 115° W. Whilst the boat was on
shore, we sounded in one hundred and seventy
fathoms water (soft mud), being at the time not more
than two miles and a half, or three miles at most,
from the land. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to
remark, that the soundings and the formation of the
coast corresponded, as I have always observed to
be the case before, in the latter being bold, and in
some places precipitous.

Monday, 16th.— Whilst we were sounding this
afternoon, a boat was made fast to the deep-sea-line,
in order to try the force and direction of a tide or
current that seemed to exist; the result of the trial

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Ol

indicated its direction to be N. N. W. (true), and
going at the rate of a quarter of a mile per hour.
The ice forms still a compact barrier to the west-
ward, so that it would be vain to attempt to force
through it; we are, as usual, constantly surrounded by
whales, unicorns, &c. and, within these two or. three
days past, seals of the kind called by seamen saddle-
back, from a dark-coloured stripe across their back.
Thursday, 19th. — Nothing occurred during these
two days past deserving of particular notice, the ice
forming still a compact body to the westward, all that
could be done. was to sail about along its edge,
watching the first favourable change that might
occur, to push through. Although that wished-for
change has not yet taken place, there is every pros-
pect to-day that it will soon happen ; for a strong
breeze of wind sprang up last night from east by
north (true), which already seems to have had some
effect on the ice, as we found several loose streams,
and detached pieces of it, scattered about to-day in
all directions. It is probable then, that if the wind
veers round to the northward and westward, we shall
soon have a clear passage; for there is plenty of
clear water between this and Baffin’s Bay to receive
an immense quantity of ice. As we had some reason
to hope, then, that this would soon take place, we got
close in with the north land to-day, in order to be in
readiness to start immediately an opening occurs,
which it is presumed, from the direction of the wind,
will take place between that coast and the ice.
Friday, 20th. — We found to-day, that our antici-
pations respecting the ice had turned out just as we
wished ; for a narrow channel was discovered be-

92 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

tween it and the land, which we entered, as might
be expected, with great pleasure; but the wind
having become very light after we got close in with
the land, we made very little progress. We have
the satisfaction, however, of finding, that there is an
open channel along the coast as far as we can see to
the westward. We got in the afternoon abreast of
a deep bay in the north land, where we sounded in
one hundred and thirty-two fathoms water, (soft
mud). .

Sunday, 22d. — The mri was sel nearly the
whole of yesterday, so that nothing was done worthy
of being mentioned. A light breeze sprung up,
however, this forenoon, which enabled us to push
ona little way. The part of the coast that we passed
to-day was very much intersected with bays and
inlets, some of which were of considerable extent.
The appearance of the land itself was somewhat
similar to the same line of coast to the eastward, only
it was more broken, and consequently presented a
greater variety of shapes. In some parts of it there
were perpendicular cliffs of very great height, but
still retaining, like the other parts of this coast al.
ready deseabsed, a stratified appearance.

As the ships were making but little progress, on
account of the lightness af the wind, a couple of
boats were sent ashore in the afternoon to a sort of
headland off which the ships happened to be at the
time ; but a breeze of wind having sprung up shortly
after we landed, our stay on shore was very short.
A few observations were made, however, by which
it was determined that the variation of the compass
was 129° W.; the longitude of the place. by sights

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 93S

taken for the chronometers, 91° 55’ W.; and the
latitude, by Cole’s method, 74° 40’ N. What little
we saw of this coast was as barren as any place that
we have yet landed on; for, with the exception of
stunted poppies, there was scarcely any other ve-
getable production to be seen. It appeared also to
be but thinly inhabited by the animal kingdom ;
for all that we saw were some mallemucks which
were hovering about the face of the rocks, where
they apparently had nests ; a couple of glaucous gulls,
with their young: the old birds were shot, and the
two young ones, being unable to fly, were brought
on board alive. There was also another gull shot,
which was about the size of the glaucouses, and re-
sembled them almost in every other respect, except
in having the primary feathers of the wings tipped
with black, from which it was concluded to be that
species called the Larus Argentatus, which forms
the connecting link between the glaucous and the
herring-gull. Although the land seemed to be
but thinly inhabited, the sea appeared to be as
well stocked as usual; as during the short time we
were on shore, six large whales were seen. close in
with the land, and a number of seals and sea-horses
were also seen in the course of the day. Even the land
looked as if it were indebted for a considerable por-
tion of its constituent ingredients to the sea; for the
rocks, which were of limestone, contained an im-
mense quantity of marine fossil shells, and madre-
pores. The former, in particular, composed so large
a proportion of the fixed rocks, that it would be
difficult to find a single fragment of them of any size
that did not contain many shells ; and if pieces in

O+ A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

which they were most abundant were to be selected,
hand-specimens might have been obtained in which
there were dozens. ‘They were all, or at least all
those that I remembered having seen, of the bi-
valve kind, and appeared to consist chiefly of va-
rieties of the Venus genus. .

In that part of the rock which was washed by the
sea, I observed some horizontal strata of beautiful
white marble; and I saw several loose pieces of it
amongst the debris of the rocks that overhang the
shore. ‘These rocks, at the place where we landed,
rose to the height, I should imagine, of between three
and four hundred feet above the level of the sea;
but, from the quantity of rubbish that fell from
them, the only part of their surface that could be
seen, was about twenty feet of their base, where
these mouldering remains were washed away by the
sea, and from sixty to eighty feet of the top of them,
from which the fragments in question-fell. Their
surface, both at their top and base, was stratified.
The strata at the base appeared to be horizontal ; but
those at the top seemed to dip a little to the west-
ward, —a thing that I observed, indeed, in all the
rocks that form this coast to the eastward. And,
from other similarities of appearance between the part
of the coast on which we landed this afternoon, and
that to the eastward, I have little doubt but all
of it is composed of limestone. Now, to conclude
the remarks that I have been enabled to make during
our visit on shore to-day, I have only to add one
circumstance, which, I must confess, I feel less plea-
sure in relating, than any other of the occurrences
of the day: it is, that we found the ebb-tide come

15

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Q5

from the westward. ‘This circumstance may, however,
be attributed to localities, so that we need not be com-
pelled to draw any unfavourable inference from it.
The tide ebbed during the time we were on shore,
which was about fifty minutes, between ten and
eleven inches.

As soon as the boat returned on board, we made
all sail to the westward; but the breeze subsided
before we got more than a few miles on, and it con-
tinued almost a calm during the rest of the after-
noon. ‘Lhe weather being fine and clear, we had a
very extensive view in the evening, when the sun got
low, so that if any thing was wanting to increase our
hopes, the prospects before us to-night are certainly
quite adequate to gratify every person ; for there are
two large openings or passages in sight to the west-
ward, the one leading about north-west, and the other
west-south-west (true); the former is perfectly clear of
ice, and what ice there is in the latter does not
appear to be sufficiently close to obstruct our passage.
Before concluding my account of the events. of this
day, I ought to mention that two icebergs were seen
this evening, because they have, for some time past,
become rare objects.

Monday, 23d.—Our success to-day has been
greater than the most sanguine could have expect-
ed, for we were at noon in the ninety-fifth degree
of west longitude, having, in the short space of the
last twelve hours, got no less than three degrees to
the westward ; and if it were not for a ledge of ice
that we fell in with this afternoon, it is probable that
we should have added three degrees more to this
day’s run. We have no reason to complain, as yet,

06 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

however, of the delay occasioned by it, for although
it has indeed prevented us from making a straight
course to the westward, it is not so compact as to
obstruct us entirely, or indeed to prevent us from
making very considerable progress through the lanes
or channels that intersect it. But before I enter any
farther into a detail of the occurrences of this day,
I must observe, that we are in the southernmost of
the two passages mentioned yesterday afternoon ;
the land between them, indeed, appears to be only
an island, for we found after getting round the S. E.
end of it, that it trended away to the northward and
westward. On the east end of this island, if I may
venture to call it so, there are two remarkable hills,
resembling at a distance two boats, bottom up: from
this circumstance, the headland on which they
are situated, obtained the name of Boat Cape.
Three or four leagues to the westward of this island,
there is another smaller island, which differs from
the former in its general features ; in the first place
it is lower, and in the next place its surface is more
regular, and its coast is not bounded by rocks like
that on which we landedyesterday; in this last respect,
indeed, both these islands differ from the north land,
for neither of them, as far as we have yet seen,
have what is usually termed, a bold coast. The
whole of the space between them is full of ice,
the most part of which appeared to be one floe,
whose surface differed from what we have generally
seen before, for it was full of round hummocks,
that rose between two and three feet above the
surface: it was remarked also, that this ice was
much heavier than any we have previously seen this

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS: 97

season, being estimated to be at an average between
eight and nine feet thick. It was observed to-
day, that, as we came to the southward and west-
ward, the compasses became more sluggish again in
their motion, so that it may be presumed we are
again approaching the magnetic Pole.

Tuesday, 24th. — I omitted to mention, that when
we were abreast of the two islands described yester-
day, there was a long piece of land to the south-
ward of us, which ran in a direction nearly east and
west. The distance between this land and the
islands is, as near as we could estimate, about
thirty miles. We never came close enough to it
to be able to say any thing respecting it, farther
than that it resembled the land on the west side
of the inlet that runs to the southward in the
ninetieth degree of west longitude, which has already
been described ; and, from the trending of the north
side of that land, as far as we could ascertain, it is
probable that what we saw yesterday is a continu-
ation of it; but as this isa matter of very little con-
sequence to us, it is ummecessary to say any more
on the subject.

To commence then with an account of the occur-
rences of the day, I have to relate that we have
had another fine run to the westward ; for we were
at noon in longitude 98° W., and we have every
prospect of advancing, indeed, more so, if possible,
than we ever had before. With the exception of
some streams of ice to the southward and westward
of us, there is an open sea, as far as our view extends.
In addition to that, another circumstance occurred
to-day, from which, I think, a favourable conclusion

H

98 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

may be drawn. The circumstance in question is,
that we have had a fresh and steady breeze all day
from the northward, a thing that has not happened
before to the same extent since we entered these
Straits, if the passage that we have come through
may be so denominated ; for the wind, whenever it
blew steadily for any length of time, has always
been from the eastward or westward, or, in other
words, in the direction of the passage ; and, as far
as my own experience goes, and, indeed, by what I
can learn from others, it appears to be almost a ge-
neral rule, in straits, or narrow channels, for the
wind to blow either out or into them, particularly
when it blows fresh, as was the case to-day. It may
be presumed then, upon these grounds, that we have
now got an extensive sea to the northward of us.
We passed three or four low islands to-day again ;
but as it would be somewhat difficult, and at the
same time of little importance to give their rela-
tive situations, with respect to each other, I shall
merely observe, that their features are entirely of a
different cast from the land to the eastward, their
surface being smooth, low, and apparently sandy ;
the depth of the water corresponds also with the na-
ture of the land, for we sounded at one time in
thirty-four fathoms, and the greatest depth of water
we sounded in was seventy-eight fathoms.
Wednesday, 25th. —'The wind being from the
westward to-day, we have not been able to make
much progress. ‘The islands mentioned yesterday
were in sight all day, and a range of higher land,
apparently islands also, was seen to the northward.
The sea still continues to be shallower than we have
19

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 99

usually had it: — we sounded several times to-day in
from thirty to forty fathoms water, when at least
seven or eight miles from the land.

Thursday, 26th. —The wind still continues to. blow
from the northward and westward, so that all the
ground we have gained for these two days has been
by beating to windward between the land and the
ice, which we find extends in a compact body to the
westward, at the distance of between four and five
leagues from the islands to the northward. In some
places indeed this channel of clear water is much
narrower, but the ice does not in any place, as far
as we have yet seen, join the land, and I think it is
probable that as long as we find land to the north-
ward to stop the polar ice from drifting down upon
us, we shall always find a passage to the west-
ward along the land. I do not mean, however, to
say that a passage will without any interruption be
constantly found to exist between the land and the
ice; on the contrary, I am aware that a southerly
wind may give us occasional checks, by forcing the ice
in with the coast, but immediately the wind changes
to the opposite direction it will necessarily have the
contrary effect. This is not indeed a matter of spe-
culation, nor do I intend it to be considered as such,
for both this and last year’s experience has afforded
us so many instances of the truth of what I have
said, that I have no hesitation in giving it as my
opinion that the vicinity of land to the northward
will always be in our favour. My reason for being
so particular on this point is, because there are some
amongst us of quite a different opinion.

Friday, 27th. — We had a slant of wind in our

H 2

j

100 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

favour to-day, which enabled us to make consider-
able progress, for we were at noon in longitude
102° 30’ W., latitude 75° 03’ N. ; and, as far as present
appearances go, we have every reason to suppose
that, if the wind continues, we shall add a few
more degrees to the number before this time to-
morrow. No land has been seen to the southward
for these three days past, but the ice extends in that
direction as far as we can see, and is about the same
distance from the islands to the northward that I
mentioned yesterday. I ought to observe, that as we

_came along, more islands have been seen to the

northward ; they are of the same character as those
I described four days ago, that is, low near the coast
and rising gradually towards their centre.

Saturday, 28th. — A boat was sent this forenoon
to an island to make observations for determining the
variation of the compass, which, somewhat to our
surprise, was found to have changed from west to
east, or, in other words, it exceeded 180°, if the
usual term of westerly variation was to be continued.
In consequence of the sluggish manner in which
the compasses traversed, and the observations being
made very near noon, when the sun moved slow in
azimuth, the results of these observations were, as
might be expected, rather wide of one another, for
the first set of azimuths I took gave the variation
167° E.; the next set 168° E.; and the third and
last set 169° E.: the magnetic dip, or vertical incli-
nation of the dipping-needle at this place, was
88° 27’.* The place where these observations were

* For the magnetic dips given in different parts of this journal,

I am indebted to Mr. Griffiths (of the Griper), who has been good
enough to furnish me with these observations.

‘TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 101

made we found to be in latitude 75° 9’ N., and longi-
tude, by chronometer, 103° 50’ W. The tide was
flowing when we landed, and, during the four hours
we were on shore, it only rose sixteen inches; the
flood came from the northward and westward. This
island was, as near as I could judge, about ten miles
in length, that is, if it be taken for granted that its
greatest diameter is from north to south or in the
direction that we viewed it; but it is possible that I
may be premature in thus attempting to give its
dimensions before we have seen it all round, for it
may extend to the westward farther than we have
any idea of yet. It resembled exactly, as to appear-
ance, the islands that we have been passing for seve-
ral days past, being low near the coast, and rising
gradually towards the interior. ‘The sea-coast, and
a considerable part of the surface of it, indeed, as
far as we went inland, was composed of fine sand ;
and the fixed rocks, wherever they were seen above
the surface, were found to consist of white sandstone
of a very soft and fine texture ; and I have no doubt
but the islands that we have passed lately are com-
posed of the ‘same kind of stone, for ever since we
got amongst them the soundings have been found to
consist of fine sand; whilstthat brought up by the lead,
when we were passing the high land to the eastward,
consisted of soft mud that effervesced when touched
with acid. The vegetation on this island was, when
compared with what we have lately seen, rather
luxuriant ; moss in particular grew in considerable
abundance in the moist valleys, and along the banks
of the streams that flowed from the hills. These
streams were, indeed, at this time almost dried up,
H 3

102 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

their source, viz. the snow, being entirely dissolved ;
along the beach, however, there were numerous frag-
ments of heavy floe-ice aground, and in one place
there was an extensive ledge of it firmly attached
to the beach, with its surface covered with sand,
in such a manner, that a cursory observer might take
it to be a part of the land.

We saw no animals of any kind on this island; but
we found evident proofs of its having been frequented,
_ not only by different species of the brute creation,
but that it had also, at some period or other, been
inhabited by man; for, at the distance of about a
quarter of a mile from the shore, we found the ruins
of six huts close together on the side of ahill, From
the dilapidated state of these ruins, it was impossible
to draw any certain conclusions as to the period when
they had been inhabited, but it must have certainly been
along time ago, for nothing remained of them but the
stones that marked their size and site; and, from the
small number of stones of which the ruins were com-
posed, it is probable that they were only temporary
residences. ‘They had been all nearly about the same
size, that is, about twelve feet long and from eight
to ten feet broad, besides a space about three feet
square formed by four flags set up on their edge, at
the end of each hut. I understand from those that
have been often amongst the Esquimaux huts in
Greenland, that they have always a small apartment of
this sort at one end of their habitation, in which they
keep all their provisions; so that we may infer from
this circumstance that the ruins we have seen to-day
belonged to a small tribe or party of Esquimaux who
were here probably on asummer excursion. Those in-
clined to assign to these ruins greater antiquity, may

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 108

consider them as one of the resting-places of the Es-
quimaux in their emigration from Asia to Greenland ;
for, according to the tradition of the Greenlanders
themselves, their forefathers came originally from
the westward. But be this as it may, it does not ap-
pear to me that the remains we have seen to-day are
likely to be one of the stations occupied at that re-
mote period, more especially as a more probable
way of accounting for them may be ascribed to a
party of Esquimaux having visited these islands
during some of their excursions from the coast of
America ; for we know, from Hearne’s Account, that
that continent is inhabited by these people nearly op-
posite to where we are.

Although we are left in doubt as to the era when this
island was visited by man, we have very unequivocal
proofs of its being recently inhabited by different
animals, for we discovered numerous tracks of what
we supposed to be reindeer, some of them apparently
very lately made; and several of their horns, and
small portions of their hair, were found in different
places where they had been lying. We had an
equally good proof of this place being frequented by
Musk-oxen (Bos Moschatus, Lin.), for we found
the skeleton of one in a perfect state, except that
the bones of the legs were separated from the rest,
most probably by some carnivorous animal. The
skull and horns were entire; but from the ap-
pearance of the horns, and indeed of the bones in
general, they must have been exposed to the wea-
ther at least one winter. Whether the cloven tracks
we saw were chiefly those of the musk-oxen, or
reindeer, it 1s impossible to say ; but if we were to

H 4

104 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

judge from the number of deer’s horns we saw, we
should be inclined to consider them as being princi-
pally those of the latter animal. It would appear
that bears also frequent this land occasionally ; as
we found two or three of their skulls, and their
tracks were pretty numerous along the beach. On
the sand-hillocks along the shore, there were immense
numbers of small sea-shells of the Venus kind,
which had unquestionably been carried there by
animals, for they were considerably beyond the tide-
mark. i

From all these circumstances, then, it is very
evident that this island is frequented occasionally by
different kinds of animals, although we had not the
good fortune of seeing any of them, which is not
a matter of so much surprise, as the weather became
hazy very soon after we landed, and continued so
during the whole time we were on shore, so that it
would be more a chance than any thing else if we fell
in with any living creature.

On the top of a hill, or rather of a rising piece of
ground, about two miles from where we landed, a
pile of loose stones was erected, close by which a
quart bottle was left, containing a slip of paper men-
tioning as usual the ship’s name, and our being off
this coast on such a day, &c. Whilst the boat was
ashore they sounded on board in forty fathoms (mud);
and, by making a boat fast to the deep sea-line at
the time, it was found that a current or tide set
to the southward (true) at the rate of half a mile per
hour.

Monday, 30th.— The weather being foggy the
whole of yesterday, and during the greatest part of

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 105

this day, it was impossible to know which way to
steer amongst the ice, which, during these two days,
has, as far as we could see, surrounded us in every
direction. Our chief occupation, therefore, during
this period, was sounding; and by means of a
small net, anda dredge occasionally fastened to the
deep-sea-line, a great variety of small shells and
star-fish were brought up from the bottom. About
five o’clock this afternoon, however, we found em-
ployment more congenial to our wishes, for the
weather having at that time cleared up, we cast off
from a floe to which we had been fast, and made sail
to the westward, round the south end of the island
on which we landed two days ago.

Tuesday, 31st.—We made fast to a floe of ice again
last night and remained there until nine o’clock this
forenoon, when we cast off and made sail as near as
we could judge to the westward. I have said as near
as we could judge, for it was impossible to tell with
certainty which way we went, the weather being
so hazy the whole day that the sun was never seen
distinctly ; but we were able, for most part of the
time, to distinguish the direction he was in from the
brightness of that part of the heavens, and directed
our course accordingly, as the compasses had for
some days past been agajn quite useless, their north
point being invariably directed towards the ship’s
head in whatever direction it happened to be.
At night, then, when the sun went down (for he
sets now for a short time) and left us as it were without
any means of knowing our way, necessity suggested
a plan to steer by, which deserves to be remembered,
inasmuch as it is one of the best proofs of the truth

106 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

of the old proverb, ‘ that necessity is the mother of
invention,’ and at the same time shews under
what circumstances we were occasionally obliged to
prosecute our voyage. The method in question,
then, that occurred as the only means left us by which
to direct our course, was to keep the Griper right
astern of us; which was her position when we shaped
our course by the last faint view we had of the sun,
We sounded frequently during the night, and indeed
throughout the whole day, as a necessary precaution
under the circumstances in which we were placed.
The greatest depth of water we found during the whole
day was fifty-two fathoms, and the least twenty-three
fathoms (mud and sand). We had ice around us in
every direction during all this period, but we never
foundit so close at any time as to obstruct our passage ;
and, had it not been for the state of the weather, it
is probable that we should have found openings clear
of it altogether. We had, in the course of the day, a
very ¢ Poul view of the manner in which the floe-ice
is for made ; for the surface of the water being smooth,
the snow that fell upon it formed what is called
sludge, which, no doubt, had the weather been a few
degrees colder, would have become ice. In those
places where there was a considerable portion of open
space between the larger pieces of ice, the undul-
ations of the surface of the water gave this sludge a
curious variegated appearance, not unlike the painted
imitations of blue and white marble, the sludge form-
ing the white, and the surface of the water the blue
part of it.

Ever since we got amongst these low islands, it
has been couture that very few birds, or indeed

Melville Island.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 107

animals of any kind, have been seen. A
few Mallemucks and Seals would, I believe,
comprise the whole list.

Wednesday, September 1st. — When the
weather cleared up this morning, we found
ourselves within three or four miles of
what seemed to be another flat island,
apparently of greater extent than any of
those we have passed to the eastward.
The eastern extreme of it bore at this
time N. by W. (true), and the western ex-
treme due W. (true). We happened to be
sounding at the time it was seen, and,
notwithstanding the nature of the land,
we found ourselves in forty-five fathoms’
water, soft mud.

We have been running along this land
(for it is presuming too much to call it an
island), the whole day, and we find that it
presents, as far as we have yet examined, the
same appearance as that part of it which we
first saw in the morning; that is, low near

- the coast, and rising gradually towards the

interior, but the height of any part of it
which has yet been in view is very incon-
siderable. Its surface is, generally speaking,
even, and is, I may almost say, entirely clear
of snow, for I saw only one or two small
patches of it the whole day; the sea to
the southward, however, is covered with
ice as far as we can ascertain, and along the
shore there are pieces of it aground all
the way that we have come to-day, but the

108 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

channel between the land and the ice is sufficiently
wide for our purpose, being at an average from two
to three leagues in breadth, and the least depth of
water that we have sounded in has been seventeen
fathoms, and it was supposed that we were on a bank,
for we were at the time about five miles from the
land. I believe I have omitted to mention that
no land has been seen to the southward since the
24th of last month, all the islands that we have
passed since, being to the northward of us.

The same paucity of animals, as I observed yes-
terday, still exists ; a solitary Phalarope was the only
bird seen to-day, and one or two seals were all that
we saw of the watery inhabitants.

Thursday, 2d.—'The wind having died away
about noon, two boats were sent ashore to make ob-
servations, and to afford a party of the officers an
opportunity of having an excursion on the land that
we have been coasting along during these two days.
We found it to be inhabited, like the island we
landed on, on Saturday last, by musk-oxen and rein-
deer: of the latter we saw a couple, but they
were so frightened at the sight of a dog we had with
us, that we could not get near them.

From the immense number of cloven tracks, and
the great number of deer and musk-oxen’s horns
which we met with, it is very clear that this land
must be well stocked with these animals; a great
part indeed of the body and skin of one of the latter
was found in such a perfect state, that there was no
doubt of its having been killed this summer. The
hair was exceedingly long, and as fine as any wool ;
its prevailing colour was black, mixed with a little

TO THE ARCTIC. REGIONS. 109

white hair of the finest texture, and shorter than the
other. Several of the skulls and tracks of bears
were also found here, so that we may presume
they are likewise inhabitants of this land; and on
the top of many of the dry hillocks which we passed,
we found numerous burrows, some about the size of
rabbit holes, and others much smaller; the former
we supposed to be fox-holes, and the latter those of
field-mice. That mice are among the animals here is
beyond a doubt, for we saw a great many of their
skeletons lying about the holes above mentioned.
Of the feathered tribe I believe only one species
was seen, namely, the Ptarmigan, of which seve-
ral were shot by some of the officers of the Griper ;
but whilst we were ashore, several large flocks of
snow-buntings passed the ships, a flock of geese,
and another of ducks, were also seen coming off
from the land, most probably commencing their mi-
gration to a milder climate.

Along the beach, there were an immense number of
small shrimps, and various kinds of shells, the latter
indeed we found abundantly scattered about every
where as far inland as we went, being, no doubt, as I
have already observed, carried there by birds, or
some quadruped that feeds on the animals they con-
tain. The soil of this land is much superior to any
that we have yet seen in these regions; along the
shore indeed, and for a little distance inland, it con-
sists only of fine sand, but, beyond this, the surface
is covered with black mould, which, in a temperate
climate, I have no doubt would be very productive,
since even here, in the valleys and places where there
was any moisture, it produced grass of considerable

110 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

length, and the finest moss in abundance. At this
time, however, the soil was so much dried up, that
the chief part of the vegetation was in a state of
decay.

My description of this land to the eastward, ren-
ders it unnecessary to repeat my observations, as the
formation of it where we landed to-day, agrees
exactly with that described yesterday. Of its mi-
nerals, little, or, I may say, nothing, can be said, for
rocks, or even loose stones, of any size, were rarely
tobeseen. On the tops of the hills and places where
nothing grew, the surface was covered with small
pieces of a greenish friable stone, that crumbled
easily by the pressure of the hand. A few small
pieces of quartz, clay, slate, and limestone, were also
occasionally met with; but, as I have already men-
tioned, not in sufficient abundance to be considered
as forming a constituent part of the country.

Several sets of azimuths were taken on shore, but
we found that their results viewed separately differed
in the same manner as those taken at the®*last
place where we landed; collectively, their mean re-
sult gave the variation 149° easterly. The dip,
or vertical inclination of the magnetic needle, was
found to be greater at this place, than at any
other, where it had been tried before, being 88° 45’.
The latitude of the place where these observations
were made, was 74° 58’ N. and longitude by chro-
nometer 107° W. We had much pleasure to-day
again, in finding that the flood-tide comes from the
westward ; it was ebbing when we landed, and it was
observed that during the five hours we were on shore,
it only fell about four feet, so that we may conclude

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. lil

that the rise and fall of the tides at this place are very
inconsiderable. If we were to judge, however, of their
rise and fall from another circumstance which was
observed, we should be apt to draw a very different
conclusion: the circumstance I allude to, is the dis-
covery of the skeleton of a whale, and some pieces of
fir-wood, at the distance of between two and three
hundred yards from the beach, and which were sup-
posed to have been washed up there by the sea. ‘That
the wood had been carried hither by the sea, is I think
beyond a doubt* ; and as to the bones of the whale,
it is very obvious from whence they came.. The only
way then in which I can reconcile this fact, with the
rise and fall of the tide, is by supposing that, in the
spring, when the ice breaks up, pieces of it may be
driven up considerably beyond the tide-mark, by the
violent shock, or pressure of one floe being forced
upon another by the wind, &c., consequently, what-
ever happens to be lying on the beach will, of course,
be carried inland by the ice. That floes do force
smaller pieces of ice on shore in this manner, when
they happen to come with velocity against the land,
is a fact that I have no hesitation in affirming to be
true, from the many instances that I have seen of ice
aground where we knew it could not have been floated
by the tide. I am not disposed, however, to assert
that this is the way in which the bones and pieces of
wood in question, were carried to the place where they
were found; I have only suggested that they might
possibly be driven there by these means.

* The pieces of wood in question bore indeed evident marks

of their having been brought here by the sea, for they were
bruised into thin laminz and fibres, by the pressure of the ice.

2 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Friday, 3d. —We were coasting along the land
again to-day, but the wind being very light we made
but little progress ; our longitude in the afternoon by
chronometer was only 108°. We have the satisfaction
however of finding that want of wind is our only ob-
stacle, for the sea is quite clear along the land.

Saturday, 4th. — At seven o’clock this afternoon,
we accomplished the first portion of the discovery of
the north-west passage, deemed by the British go-
vernment worthy of reward! for at that hour we
crossed the meridian of 110° of longitude, west of
Greenwich. The exact time of our crossing it was
well ascertained, as we had good sights for the chro-
nometers at six o’clock P.M., the mean of which gave
longitude 109° 50’ W., and the patent log shewed
when the other ten miles had been accomplished.
The only land in sight at this time was that on which
we were ashore two days ago, and it is somewhat re-
markable, that, at this very place, there should be a
bold cape, which is indeed the first and only high land
that we have seen since we made this coast. The
ridge of high land, or mountains, that terminated in
this promontory, extended inland as far as we could
see. A little to the westward of the above cape, a low
projecting point of land juts out to the southward, so
as to form between them a sort of open bay. ‘The
land to the westward of this assumes again its usual
form, namely, low, smooth, or even surfaced, and
rising gradually from the coast towards the interior.
The sea to the southward is still covered with ice,
but there is as usual an open channel between it and
the land, as far as we can see to the westward, so that
nothing appears to be wanting but a brisk breeze of

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Lk3

wind to enable us to get on. I observed this afternoon
a notable instance of the restless, or ambitious disposi-
tion of the human mind, for I remarked, that for some
time past, mostly every person declared that it would
be the consummation of their wishes, if we could
only reach the longitude of 110° W. this season ; but
no sooner. was this completed, than it was begun to
be computed, what time it would take us to reach the
longitude of 150° W., or the second place specified
by the late Order in Council respecting the north.
west passage ; and some were even so sanguine as to
consider it very probable, that we should get that far
before the winter set in. It is not my intention to
make any animadversions on the subject, nor did I
indeed mention the above circumstance with any
other view, than merely, as I have said, to show that,
when man is possessed of any object that he may have
been in pursuit of, so far from being satisfied there-
with, he immediately sees another object, the pos-
session of which would, in his opinion, add more to his
happiness than that which he has obtained. In the
instance in question, however, I think our ambition
a very laudable one; and however improbable its
accomplishment may appear, we certainly ought to
live in hopes.

Sunday, 5th.—I omitted to mention in my
diary of yesterday’s occurrences, that we passed,
early in the morning, a part of the coast where
there was an opening in the land which some were
disposed to consider as an inlet, or division be-
tween the part of the land we are abreast of at
present, and that on which we landed on the 2d
instant ; or, in other words, that they are two dis-

I

114 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

tinct islands. Iam inclined, however, to think, that
this is not the case, for in the first place we passed
the opening in question at night, so that it was im-
possible to say, with any degree of certainty, how far
it extended ; and, from the great length of this land,

it is but natural to suppose that it has considerable
breadth also, and that the opening above mentioned
is only a deep bay or inlet that runs into it. After
prayers to-day, all hands were called on deck, when
Mr. Parry told the ship’s company, in an official man-
ner, that we had last night passed the meridian of
110° west of Greenwich, and by that means became
entitled to the reward of 5000/. promised by parlia-
ment to the first ship that reached that longitude be-
yond the Arctic circle. He took also this opportunity
of informing them, how highly satisfied he was with
their past conduct, and stating he had no doubt, by
their continuing the same zeal and perseverance they
had hitherto shown, but that we should ultimately
accomplish the object of the expedition, and by that
means become entitled, not only to the whole of the
pecuniary reward, but to the much more lasting
honour of being the first discoverers of the north-
west passage; an honour, indeed, which our most
illustrious navigators for centuries back sought in
vain. ‘The enthusiasm excited by this short, but pa-
thetic speech, was truly astonishing, and the ardour
which it inspired might be seen in every countenance ;
and I have no doubt but that whenever an opportu-
nity occurs of showing the impression it made, its good
effects will be very evident. Yet, to do every officer
and man on the expedition justice, I firmly believe
they require no stimulus to urge them to their duty.
In the afternoon we came to a low projecting point

TO THE-ARCTIC REGIONS. jig ae

of land, from which a ledge of compact ice extended
to the southward until it joined the main body of it.
As it would be in vain to attempt to pass through
this barrier, we prepared to anchor, and at three
o’clock P. M. we came to with the small bower,
in eight and a half fathoms’ water, at the distance of
about three quarters of a mile from the shore. I
think it may be considered a remarkable instance in
our voyage, that the first anchor we let go since we
left England was in the 110° of west longitude.*

Monday, 6th. — A boat went on shore last even-
ing after we anchored with two or three of the of-
ficers, who, as usual, erected a pile of loose stones
in a conspicuous place ; close by which they buried
a quart bottle, containing a slip of paper, on which
was written the ships’ names, and the rest of the in-
formation generally given on these memorials. We
landed again this forenoon at the same place, for the
double purpose of making observationst, and bring-
ing on board a quantity of turf, which was reported
by some of those who went ashore on the preceding
evening to be found here in considerable abundance,
and of a quality that promised to be found useful
as an article of fuel. That which was brought on
board, however, does not appear to answer the fa-
vourable description given of it; but from what I can

* The place where we anchored this afternoon, is, I believe, to
be called Coppermine Roads, in consequence of its being in the
same longitude as the mouth of the river of that name, to which
Mr. Hearne travelled.

+ The latitude of the place where we landed to-day was found

to be 74° 46! 46” N., and longitude, by the chronometers, 110° 50’

W.., the variation, by the mean of several azimuths, 127° E., and
the dip 88° 30’.
Fes

116 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

learn, those who went for it, had not the good for-
tune to fall in with the spot where the best kind
was seen yesterday. Another article of fuel was
found to-day, however, which, if we should have
the good luck to find in a considerable quantity,
will be of the most essential benefit to us. ‘The
article I allude to is coal, several small pieces of
which was discovered by different persons scattered
about on the surface of the ground ; but not in spffi-
cient quantity to be of any use, except as specimens
of mineralogy. All the pieces that I saw were of
a slatey texture, light, and burnt quickly with a clear
white flame, and its colour had something of a
brownish tinge. The basis of this portion of the coast
is composed of white sandstone, and the greatest part
of the surface of the little peninsula * on which we
landed, was also covered with loose fragments of the
same material. The vegetable productions at this
place were less abundant than where we landed on
the 2d instant to the eastward, but our stay on shore
was so short, that we saw very little of the country ;
though, if we were to judge from the general appear-
ance of the land, we should suppose it to be equally
productive with any other part that we have yet seen
of this coast. No quadruped of any kind was visible,
but we observed traces of the place being frequented
by reindeer, and musk-oxen, for besides their tracks
being very numerous, several of their horns and bones
were found scattered about. Of the feathered tribe

* This peninsula was formed by a sort of open bay on one
side, and a little inlet or harbour on the other; one of the boats
sounded the mouth of this harbour, and found the greatest depth
of water to be only fourteen feet.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 117

_ aconsiderable number were seen, particularly ducks,
~ which were noticed in small flocks along the shore,
but they were so shy that we could not get within
gun-shot of them; several glaucous gulls, and tern were
also remarked, but they seemed likewise to keep at
a greater distance than usual. A solitary seal, I be-
lieve, was the only inhabitant of the sea seen to-day.

Tuesday, 7th.— We weighed between four and
five o’clock yesterday afternoon, but we had not
been above four hours under sail when we were
obliged to make fast to a floe, the ice being so
close in with the land that it was impossible to force
through it. We remained in this place until two
o’clock this afternoon, at which time the ice being
observed to slacken, we cast off from the floe and made
sail ; but we had not got on more than a few miles,
when we found ourselves again stopped by the ice.
Our only alternative was, therefore, to secure the ships
again to a floe close in with the land, to prevent our
drifting to the eastward, for we found the ice, at a
little distance from the coast, to be moving in that
direction with considerable velocity : most probably
fromthe action of the tide. As we were coasting along
this afternoon, two herds of musk-oxen were seen
grazing at the distance of about three-quarters of a
mile from the beach. One herd consisted of nine,
and the other of five of these cattle. Our distance
from them was too considerable to enable us
to have any thing of a good view. I shall, therefore,
merely observe, that their prevailing colour was
black, and as far as we could judge, their size was
about equal to that of a Shetland cow. We had also
a distant view of two rein-deer this afternoon, so that

&

dK

118 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

I am in hopes we shall be able, before long, to give , .
a better account of some of them, than the bare state-
ment of a distant sight.

Wednesday, 8th. — The ice still forms a compact
body to the westward, so that it would be vain to
attempt to force through it. We found that, during the
flood-tide, it drifts, as I mentioned yesterday, to the
eastward: we, therefore, in the afternoon, cast off
from the floe to which we had been fast, and towed
the ships to a hummock which was aground in
twelve fathoms’ water, at about a quarter of a mile
from the shore, where they were secured, to prevent
their being carried to the eastward along with the
drifting ice. A party of the officers who went on
shore to-day killed several grous, and a white hare
(Lepus Variabilis, Lin.) : a fox, some field-mice, se-
veral snow-buntings, were seen, and a large white
bird, supposed to be an owl, probably the snowy
owl of Pennant and Latham, (Strix Nyctea, Lin.)
Four musk-oxen were also seen to-day before the
boats landed, but those who went on shore had not the
good fortune to fall in with, or even to see them after
they landed. Several pieces of coal were picked up
again to-day, and it was found that the same soil,
mineral, and vegetable productions, prevail here as at
the last place where we landed.

Friday, 10th. — The wind being these two days
past chiefly from the southward and westward, has
consequently kept the ice closely packed in with the
land, so that we are still obliged to remain in the
same place at which we came to on Wednesday
Jast. As nothing particular was doing during this
period, parties have been away for most part of the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 119

time shooting.* Their success hitherto, however,
has not been very considerable, for two or three hares
and a few grous are all that have been killed. All
the hares are perfectly white, and of a large size ;
one of the first that was killed weighed eight
pounds, which, I believe, is about the average Behe
of all those we have seen since. The plumage
of a few of the grous is also entirely white, but
generally the backs and coverts of the wings are
speckled with rusty yellow and dark spots, a the
colour of the under part of the body of all of them
is white. They are rather larger than the common
partridge, but not quite so heavy as the red grous,
or Tetrao Scoticus of Latham. A musk-ox was seen
by some of the men who were on shore yesterday,
one of whom fired at him, and, according to his own
account, wounded him, but not mortally, for, after
spurring or tossing up the ground for a little time,
he took to the hills with greater speed than an animal
of his shape was supposed capable of using. Al-
though we have not yet seen many of these animals,
it is very evident that this land must be frequented,
if not constantly inhabited, by them in great num-
bers: for their bones and horns are found scattered
about in all directions, and nearly the whole of
the carcase of one of them was seen to-day by a

* A party went also to gather coals yesterday, and although it
may be said that they were pretty successful when the quantity
they collected is compared with what we have usually seen,
yet IL am not inclined to believe that we shall replenish our stock
of fuel much in this country, unless we have the good fortune to
discover a bed of coal,—for, after some hours’ search in the ’
place where it appeared to be most abundant, they only brought
on board about half a bushel.

1 4

120 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

party that was on shore. The skulls of two carni-
vorous animals have also been picked up here ; one of “©
them is evidently that of a wolf, and the ine which
is considerably smaller *, appears to be the skull of
some animal of the feline tribe, most probably the
amorock of the Greenlander, which is supposed to
be a creature of the lynx species. The descrip-
tion which John Sackhouse (the Greenlander who ac-
companied us last year) gave of it, appeared to make
it an animal of this kind, for, if I am well informed,
he spoke of it as being very clear-sighted, and said that
it bounced with great rapidity on its prey. Notwith-
standing the tide has such influence in driving the ice
about, we find that its rise and fall is very inconsider-
able, for, by a staff planted in the tide-mark on the
beach, it appears to be no more than three feet ; its
effects on the ice, however, is the same as I have
already mentioned, that is, it carries it to the east-
ward during the flood-tide, and the ebb-tide in the
contrary direction. It has been remarked that the ice
we have seen of late appears to swim lighter than that
in Baftin’s Bay. In order, therefore, to determine whe-
ther there is any real difference in its specific gravity or
not, I made a cube f from a piece of the hummock, to
which the ships were fast these two days; and from

* Tt is much beasties however, in proportion to its size than
the wolf’s skull; in its shape it resembled very much the skull of
the wild cat, but was considerably larger.

+ The sides of this cube measured one foot three inches and a
half, and when floating in the sea alongside the hummock of ice
from which it was ade! two inches and three quarters of it re-
mained above the surface of the water. The temperature of the
water at the time was 31°:

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 121

the result of the experiment it appears, that it is

specifically lighter than any ice we have ever sub-
mitted to a similar trial before; there being about
one-fifth of it above the surface of the water—where-
as, in the former experiments of the same kind
made at different times, we generally found that one-
seventh was about the proportion of the ice above,
to that below the surface.

Saturday, 11th. — One of the parties on shore
to-day shot a musk-ox, but he was so far from
the ships that they could not bring him on board. I
shall therefore forbear saying any thing respecting
him in this place, as we shall most probably have him
on board to-morrow, and then a particular descrip-
tion will be given of him. I may observe, however,
in the meantime, that a steak of him brought on
board, was found to be much more palatable than we
had reason to expect from the accounts given of the
rankness, or musky taste of their flesh. The speci-
men that we have had of it to-day, however, is per-
haps not sufficient to enable us to say much for or
against the matter; but I am in hopes that we shall
soon be able to speak with certainty on the
subject, as a herd of seven or eight were seen by
another party that were on shore to-day, but the
weather becoming rather thick, they were deterred
from following them. [I may remark, indeed, in this
place, that the weather has within these two or three
days past assumed a very wintery aspect: the sky
is almost constantly cloudy, the wind is much
sharper than usual, and whenever we have a calm,
as has been the case for most part of this day, there
is always a little snow falling. In fact, every thing

122 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

tends to indicate the approach of winter} at night, in
particular, when the sun goes down, it is inplousibil to
avoid reflecting on the nearness of that period which
will inevitably arrest our progress for this season. It
is possible, indeed, and I hope probable too, that if
we once got through the ice with which we have of
late been hampered, we may get on a few degrees
yet before the winter sets in; but certainly the
advanced period of the season, and our experience
of these seas, does not encourage us to be too sanguine
of doing much more this year.

Sunday y, 12th. — A good deal of anxiety prevailed
to-day for the safety of a party of six men and an
officer (the master) belonging to the Griper, who
went away about four o’clock on Friday morning,
with a view of travelling fifteen or twenty miles in-
land, for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of
the country, and to see whether reindeer, or musk-
oxen were more numerous towards the interior than
along the sea-coast. It was desirable also to know
how far this land extended to the northward; but,
as it was not meant that they should be away more
than a day, they took only provisions enough with
them to last for that period. They have now, however,
been away upwards of double their limit, which be-
gins to cause some uneasiness respecting them,
more especially as the weather since yesterday
afternoon, has been very unfavourable, being hazy,
and snowing almost constantly during the whole
time. In order to direct them, poles, with flags on
them, have been set up on the top of the highest hills
in the neighbourhood to-day, and to each of these
poles a bottle was fastened, containing directions how

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 123

to find their way to the next post, and ultimately, to
the ships. At two of the larger poles (on one of
which an ensign, and on the other an union-jack
were hoisted) provisions were also left for them ; and,
after dusk, a large fire was lighted on the top of one
of the most conspicuous hills near the coast ; and,
on the top of a pole erected at the same place, was
fastened a lanthorn, which, from its elevated situa-
tion, must be seen at a considerable distance. Lights
are also hoisted at the ship’s mast-heads, guns are
fired, and rockets set off at regular intervals; in fact,
every thing has been done, and is still doing, that
can be deemed likely to be of any service in directing
the party to the vessels.

Monday, 13th. — Arrangements having been made
last night, four parties started at day-light this
morning in different directions, in hopes of falling in
with the unfortunate people above-mentioned, for
such we now had every reason to consider them ; —
the length of time they had been absent, the in-
clement state of the weather during these two days
past, and the inadequate manner in which they were
provided to withstand it and hunger together, were
certainly sufficient reasons to put every person in a
state of anxiety, if not of apprehension, for their safety.
In the afternoon, however, we were relieved from
this state of inquietude by the appearance of one of
our parties returning with four of them. From these
we learned that the other three could not be far dis-
tant, as they only parted with them yesterday;
moreover, the officer who went with the party is one
of the three who are now missing, and from know-
ing him to be an intelligent man, we all felt

124 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

satisfied that they would soon make their appearance
also ; and before dark we had the satisfaction to find —
our expectations fulfilled. The feet of most of them
are very much frost-bitten, and they are all exces-
sively fatigued, but I have no doubt, from the proper
manner in which they were managed on first com-
ing on board, but that they will all in a short time get
perfectly well. With regard to food, it happened that
they were by no means badly off, for they managed to
kill as many grousas they couldeat. It appears that
they lost their way the second day, or rather the night
of the first day on which they went away; conse-
quently, very little information could be gathered from
them as to where they had been during the rest of the
time. They seem to think that they were never above
twenty, or at most five-and-twenty, miles inland.
They found the country, after travelling fifteen or
twenty miles from the coast, to be much more fer-
tile than in the neighbourhood of the sea; the vallies
and level plains in particular they describe as abound-
ing with grass and moss. On these plains they saw
several herds of reindeer, and two animals of the deer
kind, but much larger than the reindeer ; they sup-
posed them to be the elk, and their description of
them seems to answer to that which we have of these
animals. ‘They saw also a number of hares inland,
but no musk-oxen. Some of those, however, who
have been in search of the stray party during these
two days past, saw some herds, of these cattle. In
the course of their wandering, they fell in with a
small lake of fresh water, in which they found fish, two
of which they brought on board, and they turned out
to be a species of trout. As it was after they lost their

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 125

way that they fell in with this lake, they of course can-
not say in what direction it is, or how far it is off: they
describe it to be about two miles in length and one
in breadth. Before I conclude my account of the
. mixed feelings and occurrences of this day, I cannot
help mentioning an event that took place, which, al-
though of no great moment in itself, yet, owing to
the time that it happened, we could not avoid feeling
as an additional misfortune. ‘he circumstance I
allude to was an accident that happened to one of
the seamen (named William Lancaster), who was in-
advertently coming up the ship’s side with a pot of
water off the ice, when one of the guns was fired to
direct the parties on shore, by which he got his face,
breast, and right arm very severely scorched.

Tuesday, 14th. — It may be considered a very for-
tunate circumstance that the stray party returned
yesterday, as had they been out last night, it is more
than probable that they would not have outlived it ;
for it came on to blow very fresh after sunset, and
the thermometer at three o’clock in the morning fell
as low as 9°, and the average temperature ever since
has been no more than 15°, so that we may very
reasonably conclude that people exhausted in the way
in which they were, would have had very little chance
of withstanding the rigour of such weather for any
length of time.

Wednesday, 15th. — The weather being clear to-
day gave us an opportunity of ascertaining the geo-
graphical situation of this place. The latitude was
found to be '74°27’N., andlongitude, by chronometer,
112° PEW ysl 6 tis: perhaps, proper to remark, that

126 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

these observations may be a little out, as the altitudes
were taken with the natural horizon, which was co-.
vered with ice. The error thereby occasioned cannot
amount, however, to any thing very considerable in
the latitude, but I conceive it best to mention under
what circumstances observations are taken, when
there is any chance of their being doubtful.
Thursday, 16th. — We had the pleasure of finding
this morning that the strong north-west wind which
we have had during these two days past has forced the
ice off from the land to a little distance; no time
was lost, therefore, in availing ourselves of this op-
portunity of proceeding ; but our success was not of
long duration, for, after getting between eighteen and
twenty miles to the westward, we were stopped again
by the ice, which extended in a compact body from
the land to the southward and westward as far as we
could see. It was very heavy ice, but it was broken
up so much that we could not get a piece large
enough to make the ships fast to; and the water was
found to be so deep, that it was not deemed prudent
to anchor so close in with the shore as it would be
necessary to do; we, therefore, stood back to the
eastward again, and at half past eight o’clock we
made fast to a hummock of ice aground in fifteen
fathoms, about seven or eight miles to the
westward of the place whence we started in the
morning. After passing a headland four or five
miles to the westward of where we made fast this
evening, we found that the land trended to the north-
ward and westward, and that its formation beyond
this cape was also quite different from any part of the
coast to the eastward, being more like the land on

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 127

the north side of the passage between the 86° and
92° of west longitude, —that is, bold, and in some
places precipitous, and the debris that fell from it
forming buttresses in the same manner as on the coast
alluded to.

Friday, 17th. — We cast off again this morning,
and stood to the westward until we came to the ice
which we found to be nearly in the same situation
as when we were stopped by it yesterday. It was ob-
served to be much heavier than what we have gene-
rally met with before, being somewhat like that
which they describe the Greenland ice to be ; so that
I think itis most probable, that it is not formed here,
but drifts down from higher latitudes, or what may
be termed the Polar Sea.

It was packed equally as close in with the land as
on the preceding day, so that it would be vain
to attempt to force through it ; besides, the land, as I
have already said, trends to the northward, a circum-
stance which may be regarded as rather against us ;
for were it possible even to advance between the land
and the ice, as we have usually done, it would in the
present instance only take us out of our way.

We know so little, however, of what is before us,
that it is perhaps hazarding too much to say that a
change in the direction of the coast is to be consi-
dered at once as an unfavourable circumstance. I
shall therefore not dwell any longer on the subject,
as we shall most probably have an opportunity very
soon of determining the point in question in a more
satisfactory manner than by conjectures. Adter
tacking about for some time along the edge of the ice,
we stood again to the eastward, and at six o’clock in

128 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the afternoon made fast to a hummock of ice aground
about a cable’s length from the shore, and nearly in
the same place that we started from in the morning.
We had not been fast above two hours when it was
observed that the ice was closing in upon us; to
avoid therefore getting jammed between it and the
land, we cast off again, and kept sailing about during
the remainder of the night, wherever we could find
clear water.

Saturday, 18th. —It froze so hard during the
night, that at six o’clock this morning the ships were
regularly beset in the bay-ice: we tried to send the
boats to a piece of ice aground near the shore, with
a hawser to make the ship fast to it, but it was found
that the young ice was already too strong for them
to get through it. We were therefore obliged to let
go an anchor in thirty-nine fathoms’ water, to prevent
our being carried to the westward (amongst the
heavy ice) by a strong tide or current which was set-
ting in that direction. It now appeared, from the
effects of last night, and indeed from the state of the
weather for this week past, that the winter had at
length fairly set in, and that, unless some strenuous
exertions were made, we were likely to get beset
here for the winter, and as far as appearances go,
we could not be caught in a less desirable place, for
it is a completely exposed coast, without a bay, or
even a projection of any kind in the land to afford
the least shelter. .

After duly considering all these circumstances,
then, it will be seen that prolonged attempts to prose-
cute the voyage any further this season, would be
endangering the safety of the ships, and that too

18

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 129

without the prospect of any benefit. We therefore
got under weigh between nine and ten o’clock in the
forenoon; and very much against our inclination,
although to all clearly necessary, we stood to the
eastward, in hopes of being able to reach the harbour
that we passed on the sixth instant, before the ice got
too strong for us to force through it. From noon until
six o’clock in the evening, we were favoured with a fine
breeze from the southward and westward, so that we
got back a considerable distance ; but no sooner had
the wind become light than our progress was stopped
by the bay-ice, notwithstanding every effort was made
to get through by breaking it up with capstan bars,
and blocks of wood, and by rolling a boat amongst it
under the ship’s bows. At the very time that our
progress was thus arrested, the necessity of getting
on became more evident than ever, for a large floe
was observed to be moving to the westward with
considerable velocity, and at the same time closing
in with the land, from which we were not distant
above a quarter of a mile. Our situation was there-
fore a very precarious one indeed, but as it was impos-
sible to avoid the danger that threatened us, we let
go an anchor in ten fathoms of water, after being
driven within less than a cable’s length of the shore.
Here we awaited with great anxiety the approach of
the floe, for although we were pressed towards the
shore by it, we were not actually in contact with the
floe itself, being carried along with the bay-ice
which it impelled towards the land. Close to where
we anchored there happened, very fortunately for us,
to be a large hummock, or rather a pile of heavy
pieces of ice aground, so that when the floe arrived,
K

130 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

this aggregation received the shock of it, and the colli-
sion was certainly tremendous. Immense masses of the
floe were broken off, and piled up on the top of what
was already aground, from which most of them fell,
or slid back again on the floe, and this operation
continued for some time, until at length the force of
the floe, which was at first going at the rate of two
miles per hour, was almost entirely spent. It is un-
necessary to observe, that had the ships been caught
between the floe and the hummock just mentioned,
their destruction would have been inevitable.

Sunday, 19th. — Although we escaped last night
without sustaining any damage, the Griper was not
quite so fortunate, for she lost an anchor and the best
part of a chain cable*, by the edge of the floe touching
as it passed. - The boat which they had under the
bows breaking the bay-ice was also carried away by
the floe. But these are trifling losses when we
consider what mischief might have happened had not
the pile of ice before mentioned fended off the violent
pressure of the floe ; for had the ships received the
shock, I have little doubt but it would have forced
them up on the beach; and indeed had we been
only a few yards nearer the outer extremity of the
heap of ice in question, the consequences might have
been equally destructive. Nothing occurred to-day
worthy of notice, the ice being closely packed all
around us, we had no other choice but to remain
still in the same place where we brought up last
night.

Monday, 20th. — Between four and five o’clock in

* [have understood since that the cable was not carried away,
but unshackled in order to get clear of the ice.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 131
the morning, the ice was again observed to be
moving to the westward ; every necessary precaution
was immediately taken, to secure the ships in such a
manner as to be protected as much as possible, by
the hummock or pile of ice so often described.
These measures had the desired effect with us;
but the Griper was again less fortunate, for about
half past eight o’clock the edge of one of the floes
that were passing at the time having come against
her, she was forced in a few minutes aground on the
beach ; happily, however, it happened to be low
water at the time, so that when the tide flowed, she
got off without sustaining any damage. But her
situation for some time was certainly critical, for
when she heeled over, there was only six feet water
on that side next the shore, but the beach happened
very luckily to consist of sand, so that no injury was
occasioned by it.

The wind being from the northward and eastward,
and blowing pretty fresh all day, has cleared the
immediate neighbourhood of the coast of ice, so that
I am in hopes that the first slant of fair wind we
have will enable us to get on. Every day, indeed,
tends to show the necessity of proceeding as quickly
as possible to some place of security, for the weather
of late has been, I may almost say, constantly cold,
and boisterous; and the drift snow that comes off
from the land, gives the whole scene a dreary aspect.
A musk ox was noticed last night going along the
beach, and two or three covies of grous have been
seen at different times from the ships; but at present
something of greater moment than going after them,
employs every one’s attention.

K 2

132 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Wednesday, 22d. — It blew very strong from the
northward all yesterday, so that it was not deemed
prudent to get under weigh, more especially as the
ice was observed to be moving about with greater
velocity than usual, owing no doubt to the force of
the wind. Early this morning, however, the wind
moderated a little, and at the same time veered
round to the northward and westward. Of this
favourable change we took immediate advantage,
and at five o’clock were under weigh, in order to make
the best of our way to the eastward. We suffered very
little interruption from the heavy ice, but our progress
was so much obstructed by the young, or bay-ice, that
had we not been favoured with a strong breeze,
it would have been impossible to force through
it. We had a good opportunity to-day of seeing the
effects of the frost, in forming ice on the surface of
the sea, at a time when there was even a strong
wind, and consequently a considerable ripple on the
water, circumstances which by some men have been
considered capable of preventing the formation of
ice. But I think from what we have seen _to-
day, we may very reasonably conclude, that when
cold is very intense, ice may be formed on the
surface of the sea, even in a gale; for the ther-
mometer was never below 17°, and yet ice was,
as I have already said, forming very rapidly. It
may be argued indeed, that there was so small a por-
tion of the surface of the water clear of old ice,
that there could not be much of a sea running, and
such was certainly the case ; but I observed that the
young ice, or sludge as it is first called, smoothed the
surface of the water immediately it began to form, in

™~™

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 1838

the same manner as oil does when poured on a
turbulent sea. It appears to me then, that ice may
by formed in an open sea, even in the most boisterous
weather, provided the temperature is as low, as we
have reason to expect it to be, in these regions in the
winter ; there may be also another requisite, which
is, that the water should be, as in these seas, not very
deep.

But as future experience may enable us to speak
with more certainty on this subject, I shall avoid
saying any thing more about it at present. And to
finish my account of the occurrences of the day, I
have only to add, that between seven and eight
o’clock in the evening we brought to, about two
miles to the eastward of the place, where we let go
the first anchor, on the 5th instant.

Thursday, 23d. — We got under weigh this morn-
ing, and ran in within three-quarters of a mile of the
entrance of Coppermine Harbour, where we anchored
again about noon, in hopes that when the boat
which was then away sounding, returned, we should
immediately prepare to get into the harbour. But
when the crew came on board, we learnt that the
greatest depth of water at the entrance of it was
fourteen feet, which is less than either of the ships
draw. Between twoand three miles to the westward
however, they found another harbour, or rather a
small bay, which is in some measure secured to sea-
ward, by a reef of rocks that runs in a slanting
direction, across part of the entrance, in such a
manner as to prevent any large floes of ice from
being driven into it. It is not, perhaps, a place that

k 3

154 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

we should choose * for our winter-quarters, had we
time to look about for a better ; but under present
circumstances we may consider ourselves fortunate,
in finding that there is such a good harbour within
our power to reach, for the winter is making rapid
strides. There is, indeed, very little of the surface
of the sea now that is not covered with ice, and close
in to the land it is already from four to six inches
thick, all along the coast, so that we shall have to
saw our way into the harbour. The people who
were away sounding to-day, saw several seals, which
are the only animals of any kind that have been seen
during these two days past.

Friday, 24th.— We got under weigh early this
morning, and ran to the westward to the mouth of the
harbour intended for our winter residence, where we
anchored about eight o’clock. Immediately after
breakfast the crews of both ships commenced sawing
a channel into the harbour, in which operation they
were pretty successful, having before six o’clock
P.M., made a canai thirty-five feet in breadth, and up-
wards of half a mile long, into which the ships were
tracked in the evening. The thickness of the ice
through which they cut to-day, was from seven to
eight inches. It is intended to resume the same
operation to-morrow, for the harbour is at least three
miles in length; and I understand the intention is
to get within about half a mile of the top. It has
been sounded so far to-day, and it was thus ascertain-

* After getting into this harbour, and after having had time te
examine it more minutely, we found it to be as secure a place te
winter in as we could wish for, as will be seen hereafter.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ” 235

ed that there is plenty of water for us even within a
cable’s length of the shore.

We found on the ice, close to where they were
cutting the canal to-day, a dead swan (Anas Cygnus,
Lin.), which is the first and only bird of the kind
that we have seen in these regions. It was in a very
perfect state, and must necessarily have lain here
but a short time, for there was no ice on the place
less than three weeks ago, when we passed in going
to the westward.

Saturday, 25th. — All hands were again employed
to-day cutting the canal through the ice, and instead
of hauling the pieces which they cut out, into the open
sea, as they did yesterday, they forced them under
the floe, which was found to be a much more expe-
ditious way of getting rid of them, than floating
them out of the canal. But in speaking of an open
sea, I must observe, that according to the strict
meaning of the word, there is no such thing now
existing within our view: the place where the ships
lay yesterday morning, and, indeed, the whole of the
sheet of clear water that stretched outside of them,
are now covered with ice of last night’s formation ;
and that on the canal was so strong this evening as
to bear the weight of a person. In consideration of
the hard labour that the men have had for these two
days past, an extra-allowance of Donkin’s preserved
meat has been served out to them each day.

Sunday, 26th. — From seeing the rapid increase
in the thickness of the ice, and consequently the
additional labour that must be incurred by any de-
lay, it has been deemed proper to employ all hands
again to-day, in cutting the canal, in which work

K 4

136 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

they have now become so expert, by these two or
three days’ experience, that notwithstanding the
increased thickness of the ice, they have cut
through more * of it to-day than either of the pre-
ceding days, and that too in less time. For at a
quarter past three o’clock in the afternoon, the ships
‘were warped to the top of the canal, when the men,
in the usual way in which British seamen express
their joy, gave three hearty cheers, as a proof of the
pleasure they felt at having in safety reached their
winter-quarters, after performing, on every occasion,
all that was possible for men to do; and, what is
more, after having accomplished infinitely more than
any of the multitude of adventurous seamen who
have been employed (at different times for upwards
of two centuries past), in search of the same object.
In concluding my account of the operations of this
season, it is certainly a tribute due to every officer
and man on the Expedition, to say, that they always
evinced the utmost zeal for the service on which
we are’ employed; and I do not think it can be
considered that we hold what we have done in too
high an estimation, if we say that our zeal and per-
severance have been rewarded with ample success ;
nor can it be said that our hopes are too sanguine, if

* After they had done cutting the canal to-day, its length was
measured, when it was found that they had cut the
Ist day 1200 yards,
9d — 1984: - do.
3d — 1598 do.

Total 4082 do.
making the whole length of the canal equal to 2! miles nearly.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 137

we flatter ourselves with the expectation of being
equally successful next season.

However, as we are likely to have time enough to
speculate on this subject, before we leave this place,
it is unnecessary to say any more about the matter
now; I shall therefore conclude my narrative of
this branch of our operations, by briefly stating the
few remaining occurrences of this day. In the first
instance, then, I have to remark, that in speaking
of this place in future, it will be always called
Winter Harbour, which is the name that it is hence-
forth to be known by. I may say of this harbour,
as I have just said about our future prospects, that as
we are to be here for a considerable time, it is unne-
cessary to enter into a lengthened detail respecting it
at present, as we shall be able to give a better ac-
count of it and its neighbourhood, before we leave
it, than we can give at this time. It may not be im-
proper, however, to observe, that as far as we are
able to judge, it appears to bea place as well adapted
in every way, for wintering in, as any which we could
hope to find in these regions, allowing that we had a
whole arctic summer to do nothing else but look for a
harbour: for its mouth, or entrance, is, as I have al-
ready remarked, partly guarded from the violence of
the sea by a reef of rocks, over which there is, in
some places, not above one fathom of water ; and be-
tween this reef and the land, there is for the greater
part of the way, a bar, or bank, over which we
found, in some places, only 33 fathoms water. And
where the ships are, although nearly at the top of
the inlet, and within eighty-one fathoms of the
beach, we have five fathoms water, which is the

18

. 136 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

more remarkable, since the shore, and, indeed, the
whole of the land around the harbour, and its
vicinity, is low. This country has now a very bleak
appearance : the whole of the surface of the land is
covered with a thin layer of snow; and in the val-
lies, and those places where vegetation was most
abundant, it is in some parts of considerable depth.
Notwithstanding the best pasture is in this manner
already covered over, we have the satisfaction of
finding that the reindeer have not yet left this neigh-
bourhood, as two very large ones were seen this fore-
noon at a short distance from the ships. The nature
of the land is certainly not favourable for approaching
these timid animals unperceived; but still Iam in
hopes that we shall succeed in killing some of them.
Two covies of grous were also seen to-day, so that
it may be expected that we shall be able to procure
some of them also.

Thursday, 30th. — The people have been employed
for these four days past in unrigging the ships, and
taking the boats, yards, masts, and rigging* ashore,
where they are to remain all winter, under a shed
that is to be erected for them. The lower masts and
rigging are not to be touched, and I believe that our
main-top-mast is not to be removed, in order that
parties that may be away shooting, may see the direc-
tion in which the ships are, at a greater distance than
they would otherwise do. Of this indeed, I have al-
ready proved the advantage, for I could see the mast-
head to-day when several miles in the country, and

* Our anvil was lost the other day by breaking through the ice
whilst they were taking it on shore.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 139

as the sun gets lower, its utility as a distinguishing
mark will be more perceptible. The weather, for
these three or four days past, has, considering the
time of the year, been tolerably fine, and the mean
temperature has not been much lower than we have
had it for a week before ; but we experience that
the degree of cold indicated by the thermometer,
and that conveyed by our feelings, are widely
different, for whenever there is a breeze of wind
we find that it is much more disagreeable to walk
about, when the thermometer is at twenty degrees
above zero, than when it is at zero itself in a calm.
I do not mean to say, however, that this is any new
discovery : on the contrary, I am aware that the
same thing may be felt and observed, in any other
climate as well as here; but I have for some time
past observed another fact, which, for aught I am
aware of, may be also equally well known, though
certainly it never struck me so_ forcibly be-
fore. It is, that whenever the wind increases in
strength, the thermometer rises, and vice versa ;
however, as we shall have many opportunities of
observing the extent of this rule, or connection
between the wind and temperature, I shall defer
saying any thing more about it till then. The
canal is now frozen so firmly from one end to the
other, that we can only just distinguish where it
was, so that the ships are now as firmly fixed, as if
they were a component part of the floe itself. In
case, however, that the ice breaks up in consequence
of any unforeseen cause, anchors have been set in
the beach, to which a cable is fast from each ship’s
larboard bow, and another from their quarter.

140 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Another reindeer was seen this afternoon, which
we immediately went after, and owing to the
weather being thick at the time, we managed to
surround him, and by that means got so near him,
that he was at length shot. He was perfectly
white, except one brown patch on the top of his
rump; the carcase weighed, when skinned and
cleaned, 147 pounds.

Friday, October 1st.— Another deer was killed on
this date. A beautiful white bear was also seen to-
day, but we were unsuccessful in our attack upon
him, notwithstanding he approached so near to the
ships, that we fired at him from them. Several
shot struck him, however, in different parts of the
body, as we could plainly perceive from the
streams of blood that gushed from the wounds ;
but before we could re-load, he was out of gun-
shot range from the ships. A large party of the
officers and men immediately pursued him*, in
expectation from the quantity of blood that issued
from his wounds, that he would soon fall, or at
least become so much exhausted that they would
shortly come up with him; in both these expect-
ations, however, they found themselves disap-
pointed, for the cold, in a short time, stopped the
effusion of blood, and as none of the shots
happened to be in a mortal part, he suc-
ceeded in keeping out of their reach. They
supposed, however, that they would have ulti-

* All our dogs went after him also, but none of them would
zo very near him; and if they had, I have no doubt but he would
soon make them suffer for their temerity.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 141

mately come up with him, had they not been
stopped from pursuing him by his swimming across
a lane of open water that separated the sea-ice
from that attached to the land. After getting out
of the water on the opposite side of this channel,
he was observed to be again of a perfectly white
colour; but before he had been many minutes on
the ice, his coat was changed again to the same
crimson hue as before, so that it is probable, al-
though he escaped from his pursuers, he will ulti-
mately die of the wounds he received. Notwith-
standing which, we have had evident proofs, from
the number of their skulls we found on this land,
that bears are at least occasional visitors, yet as
we had never seen any of them before to-day,
it was supposed that they only came here in the
summer time ; persons went, therefore, out walk-
ing, not only singly, but often unarmed ; a thing
which, I presume, is not likely to happen in
future, more especially as the bear pursued
to-day was first noticed by a person who was
walking out alone. On seeing the animal, he im-
mediately returned with all speed to the ships,
with the bear after him, which induced many to
believe, that the animal was in pursuit of him;
but, I think, it is most probable, that his scent
had led him towards the ships, and that he would
have come to them whether he had met the per-
son in question or not: be this as it may, it is
certainly best to promulgate the idea, that he
followed the man, as it may put others on their

guard, not to go too far singly, especially without
means of defence.

142 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Wednesday, 6th. — Nothing occurred for some
time past worthy of particular notice, except the
gradual change in the state of the weather, which
is getting colder every day: at four this morning,
the thermometer was as low as eight degrees below
zero. But we have now got the housing over the
ships, so that the increased severity of the weather
is not felt in the least on board, nor does it, indeed,
put us to any inconvenience in our excursions on
shore, except when there is a breeze of wind,
which, as I have already remarked, renders the
cold Jess tolerable to our feelings, although it raises
the thermometer; but I may, perhaps, be going
too far in saying, that it increases the temper-
ature. Probably, a corresponding change taking
place in the temperature of the atmosphere
whenever a breeze of wind comes on, so many
instances of it have now come under our obsery-
ation, that we already begin to consider it asa
general rule. Several deer have been seen during
these five or six days past, but we were not fortu-
nate enough to kill any of them : to-day, however,
one of them, which happened to come close to
the ships, was shot from the Griper; it weighed
170 lbs.

Saturday, 9th. — Although the sun has not yet
entirely left us, we now receive but little benefit
from it, either in the way of heat or light; for ever
since the housing has been put over the ships, we
have been obliged to use candles the whole day, or
properly speaking, as long as our allowance of
these necessary articles last, which, I am sorry to
say, is very inadequate, being only one candle

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 145

(ten of which go to the lb.) every six days, to each
officer, or a little more than an inch of candle
a-day. When it is considered, then, that we are to
be about three months deprived entirely of the
light of the sun, and at least three months more
deriving little or no benefit from it on board, I
hope it will appear to every person, that I have not
unnecessarily expressed regret at our not being
more amply supplied with the useful article of
candles. It is but just to observe, however, that
as we have a light in the gun-room the whole day,
no person has any occasion to complain of want of
light, even if he was disposed to do so; but so
far from that being the case, I have reason to
believe that every officer on board would cheer-
fully submit to any privation that might be deemed
necessary for the good of the public service ; and
I have no doubt, should we ever happen to be
situated under such circumstances as to put our
zeal or endurance to the test, but my prognostica-
tion will be verified.

Sunday, 10th.— Seven deer were seen to-day,
one of which we killed, and another was severely
wounded, but, owing to the night coming on, he
got away, after being pursued for several miles.
The ardour with which he was followed very nearly
led the party that went after him into a serious pre-
dicament ; for they were so loath to give up the
chace, that, before they thought of returning, the
day was so far spent that they lost their way
coming back. Two of them returned about six
o’clock, in so exhausted a state, and so much
affected by the cold, that we began to entertain

144 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

serious apprehensions for the safety of the two
remaining persons of the party who were yet
absent. As it was evident, from the report of those
who returned, that the others had lost their way,
we commenced immediately to fire guns, set off
rockets, and burn blue lights, in order to direct
them towards the ships. About a quarter past
seven one of them arrived, but he was in such
a state of insensibility, that we could not obtain
any correct information from him respecting the
other man, any further than that they parted about
an hour before he came on board. One of his
hands was very much frost-bitten, and he was
altogether in such a state of pain, stupor, and
confusion, that his answers to the questions
put to him were so incoherent, that nothing could
be learnt from him. It may easily be conceived,
then, that if we were apprehensive before, we had
double reason to be so now ; for even the first two
of the party that returned were very much ex-
hausted, and, as to the person just mentioned, it is
very clear that he could not have held out much
longer, as both his body and mind had suffered so
very considerably from the severity of the weather.
Inauspicious, however, as these circumstances
were, we had strong hopes that, as the person who
last returned had only parted with him who was
yet absent, about an hour before, he could not be
far off; and, in order that no means might be left
untried that could be deemed likely to direct him
towards the ship, poles were set up, with lanthorns
on their top, at different places, on the highest parts

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 145

of the land around the harbour, and the firing of
guns, setting off of rockets, and burning of blue-
lights, were continued on board as before. At length
our endeavours were crowned with success, for at
half past eleven o’clock the stray person returned;
and, very much to our pleasure and surprise, had
not suffered the least from the cold, notwithstand-
ing he had been away upwards of four hours
longer than any of the rest !

Thursday, 14th. — A wolf was seen to-day at the
distance of about half a mile from the ships ; he was
of a white colour, and about the size of the Esqui-
maux dogs which we took home last year; some sup-
posed that he was a little higher than these, but as
far as I could judge, he was much about the same
size, and not unlike them in shape, only that his
legs appeared to be somewhat longer than their’s.
Four reindeer were also seen to-day, but the wea-
ther being pretty clear at the time, we could nei-
ther get near to them nor to the wolf unperceived ;
as the latter however appeared to be prowling about,
as if inclined to keep nigh the ships, a small gun
was taken on shore and set as a trap for him, by
tying a piece of meat to a line affixed to the trigger,
in such a way that an animal laying hold of the
meat must inevitably receive the contents of the
gun, that is to say, if it goes off; but that is a point,
however, on which I am very doubtful, for we find
of late that our fowling-pieces very frequently miss
fire, from the moisture which freezes on the lock.
They furnished to-day the house that has been
built for the astronomical clocks, &c. and a shed
has been constructed with spars and sails, which

L

*

146 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

covers the boats, rigging, and stores which have
been landed.* In order to detect any symptoms, or
appearance of scurvy amongst the men, their gums:
were examined this morning, and I understand the
same thing is to be done every Thursday, for the
future. All hands are also to be mustered in divi-
sions, at nine o’clock in the morning, and six in
the afternoon every day, in order to see that the
men are all clean and sober, two of the most es-
sential things for preserving their health ; this also
affords an opportunity of examining what state their
bed-places are in, which is done whilst they aré
on deck.

Friday, 15th.— No less than fifteen deer were
seen to-day in one herd, but those who saw them
were not so fortunate as to be able to kill any of
them, from the reason I mentioned yesterday,
namely, that they could not get their muskets to
fire off at the time they were within shot of
them.

Monday, 18th. — Eleven deer were seen yester-
day, and upwards of twenty to-day, in one herd ;
out of those seen to-day we succeeded in killing
one, which is much smaller than any of those
killed before, weighing only a little more than
ninety pounds, when skinned and cleaned. I have
remarked, that all the deer we have seen since
we came to this harbour, set off to the westward,
when they are pursued, and even when not molested
they are observed to be travelling in that direction.

* Parties have been employed also for some time past cut-
ting turf, and bringing it down to the ships for fuel.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 147

Monday, 25th. — Nothing of any importance has
occurred for this week past, the weather has been,
as might be expected, getting gradually colder, the
thermometer being some days ago as low as 17°,
but we have not had any considerable fall of snow
yet; in the vallies, indeed, there is a good deal of
drift snow, but the surface of the land, in general,
has very little more snow on it than there was when
we came into the harbour. Notwithstanding the
only part of the land where there was any consi-
derable vegetation is now covered with snow, the
rein-deer have not yet left it, for several large herds
of them have been seen during this week past; but
they all appeared, as I have already remarked, to
be on their way to the westward, and whenever we
approach them they set off at full speed in that di-
rection, so that from this reason, and the uncer-
tainty, and even difficulty of managing fire-arms
with any dexterity, owing to the coldness of the
weather, we have not succeeded in killing any of
them. A wolf was seen to-day at a little distance
from the ships ; he was about the same size, and of
the same colour, as the one seen some days ago:
the general opinion, is indeed, that it is the same
animal. A small white fox was also seen to-day,
he seemed not to be quite so wild as the wolf, but
unless they are caught in traps, I suspect that we
shall find it a difficult matter to get nigh enough
either of them to be able to shoot them: in the
night time, however, I have no doubt but they come
very near the ships, to pick up some of the refuse
that is thrown on the ice, so that I am in hopes
that we shall entrap some of them before the win-

L 2

148 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ter is over. I observed this afternoon two vertical
columns of prismatic colours, about 15° on each
side of the sun; they were about five degrees in
length, their lower end touching the horizon.
They preserved the same intensity of colour, for
about an hour, that is from noon until one o’clock ;
they then began to vanish, and in less than an hour
disappeared altogether. ‘The only remaining oc-
currence of this day that I have now to mention,
is, that a channel about three feet wide was cut
all round the ships, in order to take the pres-
sure of the ice off them*, if such a pressure
exists, of which I am myself very doubtful, for I
ain not aware that ice continues to expand after its
formation, and if it does not, the ships cannot
be crushed by it; but even allowing that such a
pressure existed, I am inclined to think it will
be found a difficult matter to keep an open chan-
nel round them all the winter.

Friday, 29th. — A fox was caught last night ina
trap set by the Griper ; he is perfectly white, and
is about the same size as the hares that were killed
last month ; his long bushy tail, indeed, gives him
the appearance of being somewhat larger than
they are: but as his dimensions will most likely be
taken, I shall forbear saying. any thing more
about his size. On being caught he displayed
several of the cunning tricks peculiar to his tribe,
for when he was taken out of the trap, he shut his
eyes, and lay motionless, no doubt with a view of

* [ understand that some cracking that was heard amongst
the ice alongside the Griper lately, has given origin to the
idea of pressure existing.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 149

being taken for dead, so that when those who were
around him got careless, he might watch an oppor-
tunity of getting off. Such an artifice might, and
very probably does, enable these animals to escape
from the bears and wolves occasionally ; with his
present captors, however, his wily tricks have little
chance of affording him an opportunity of effecting
his purpose. He is not hurt in any way, for he was
caught in an empty cask with a slide in one end of
it, which fell, and shut him up immediately on his
laying hold of the bait within. It is probable
therefore that they will be able to-preserve him
alive for some time, or at least until his habits are
known, which I shall take an opportunity of men-
tioning hereafter, should he display any peculi-
arities deserving of notice. Very few deer have
been seen for some days past, so that I am afraid,
we shall not be able to lay in such a good winter
stock of these animals as was at first expected, for
the daylight now lasts but a very short time, so
that it would be dangerous to go any distance on
shore: there has been an order, indeed, issued
some time ago, prohibiting any person from going
out of sight of the ships.* Besides, the state of
the weather now is not very favourable for long
excursions. The thermometer this evening was
as low as 28° below zero, and we have generally a
breeze of wind, which, as I have already remarked
two or three times, renders the cold less tolerable
to our feelings. We find that the wind is almost

* But if 1am not mistaken, this order was issued in con-
sequence of what happened on the 10th instant, and with a
view of preventing a recurrence of the same in future.

ES

150 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

invariably from thenorthward; but, contrary to what
might be expected, we do not experience that it is
any colder than that from any other direction, nor
does the thermometer even indicate any, particular
difference in this respect, for it is affected only by
the force, and not by the direction of the wind.
Columns of prismatic colours, similar to those de-
scribed on the 25th inst., have been observed again
two or three times since that day, at the same dis-
tance from the sun, of the same altitude, and in-
deed in every other way resembling those before-
mentioned. .The Aurora Borealis was seen also
two nights ago to the southward, but it was too
faint to deserve any description.

Tuesday, November 2d.— The weather has been
milder during these two or three days past, than
we have had it for some time before, for the ther-
mometer has been for most part of the time at
zero, which we now consider a high temperature ;
the sky during almost all the above period has
been overcast, which may be the reason of the
comparative mildness of the weather. We have
not had any considerable fall of snow yet, but, I
suspect, that during the hazy weather we have
lately had, some fell, although scarcely perceptible
at the time, owing to its being in such small parti-
cles, and so dry that the lightest breeze of wind
drifts it along, so that it is impossible to say whe-
ther the accumulation of it in some places is owing
entirely to the drift, or is partly increased by new-
fallen snow. I think it is probable, however, that
the latter cause contributes in some measure to
augment the local collections which we find to

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 151

be daily accumulating in the vallies and ravines in
our neighbourhood. The man (John Pearson,,.
marine), belonging to the Griper, whom I men-
tioned, on the 10th instant, as having returned in
a state of stupor and very much frost-bitten, has
had this afternoon the four fingers of his left hand
amputated, in consequence of the injury he re-
ceived at that time. He has not lost the whole
of these fingers, but only the extreme pha-
langes, and part of the second of the three largest
of them, and the two extreme and part of the
third phalanx of the little finger. It is unneces-
sary to state that every means was used at the
time the man came on board, and, indeed, for
several days afterwards, to restore life in the parts
that were frost-bitten ; and, considerable as the loss
has. been, it is but just to observe, that the treat-
ment pursued has been productive of greater suc-
cess than could in the beginning have been ex-
pected, for the whole hand appeared at first to be
in imminent danger when he came on board, being
as hard as a piece of marble.

_ As the ships are now housed and secured, and
the days getting so short that neither officers nor
men can amuse or employ themselves by excur-
sions to the country, two intended sources of
amusement are about to be set on foot for the
purpose of making the long approaching winter
pass as cheerfully as possible. One of these
inventions, which is a weekly newspaper, called
‘© The Winter Chronicle, or New Georgia Ga-
zette,”? has already commenced, for the first num-
ber of it came out yesterday morning ; and the

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152 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

other design for amusement consists in acting
Plays, for which they are now preparing. The
last of these I have no doubt will answer its end,
—that of diverting the men; but the first I am
not quite so certain of, as 1 have seen one
or two instances, and have heard of many
more, where newspapers on board of ship, instead
of affording general amusement, and promoting
friendship and a good understanding amongst
officers, tended in a short time to destroy both :
for although the professed object and intention at
first may be to afford entertainment and convey
knowledge, yet for lack of materials to answer the
expectations excited, jokes and reflections upon
one another will at length be admitted to fill the
columns: these will, by some, be taken in good
part, and by others in a contrary way; conse-
quently those who consider themselves offended
will retaliate, perhaps, in less courteous language,
on those whom they consider their annoyers; until
at length the paper, instead of being the source of
amusement and instruction, becomes the vehicle of
sarcasms and bitter animadversions. And should
the conductor, or conductors of the paper have
discretion enough to refuse admission into their co-
lumns of productions of this nature, yet they can-
not repress the sentiments or opinions of the par-
ties concerned, who, to make the matter worse,
generally know one another; for, to be an ano-
nymous writer on board of ship is but a thin veil
to prevent a person from being known, as peoples’
talents and turn of mind are soon discovered,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. lag

when situated as they necessarily are, when contined
together at sea. Although I have thus far entered
into a detail of what J have seen and heard of
newspapers written on board of ship, it must not
be understood that I am by any means inimical,
or even augur any ill consequences from the
«‘ Winter Chronicle ;”? on the contrary, there is
reason to hope, from the character of the person
who is to conduct it, that it will afford amuse-
ment, and perhaps useful instruction ; at all
events, I presume, that such is its intention at
present.

Thursday, 4th. — This being the last day that
the sun was above our horizon this season, accord-
ing to its declination taken from the Nautical
Almanac, several of us went to the top of one of
the adjacent hills to have a farewell look at him ;
but the weather at noon being cloudy, nothing
could be seen of the parting luminary but a faint
light in the direction in which he was.

Friday, 5th. —'The officers performed this even-
ing the farce called «‘ Miss in her Teens,”’ to the
great amusement of the ships’ companies ; and con-
sidering the local difficulties and disadvantages
under which the comedians laboured, their first
essay did them infinite credit. Some of them, in-
deed, I believe had previously appeared on the stage,
but the majority of them never wore the sock or
buskin before this evening. The theatre was
opened by a very appropriate address, spoken, and
written purposely for the occasion, by Mr. Wake-
ham ; and two songs, the composition of the same
gentleman, were sung between the acts; so that by

154 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the united exertions of all concerned, two hours
were spent very happily on the quarter-deck,
notwithstanding the thermometer outside the ship
stood at zero, and within, as low as the freezing
point, except close to the stoves, where it was a
few degrees higher.

Monday, 8th.— The weather was very bright to-
day, so that we had several hours’ twilight, nearly
as Clear as if the sun had been above the horizon
in hazy weather. At noon, indeed, the sun must
have been very near the horizon, by refraction, for
the sky over it was very beautifully illuminated,
of a bright reddish colour, which vanished gradu-
ally in its intensity towards the zenith. An ex-
periment was made to-day on a piece of ice, simi-
lar to that which was performed at Petersburg at
the marriage of the late Emperor of Russia. — I
allude to the ice-guns that were used on that oc-
casion. That which we made, however, hardly
deserved to be called a gun, at least when com-
pared with those in question, for the block of ice
which was used was only about three feet long, two
feet broad, and a foot and a half in thickness ; and
the bore, which was made with a two-inch augur,
was about two feet in length ; it was loaded with
three ounces of powder, but when fired, instead
of going off like the Russian ice-guns, it burst
into a thousand fragments. Ice formed on salt-
water is, from its porosity, very little calculated
for an experiment of this sort; and if it were in-
tended to withstand the shock of the explosion,
the mass, I presume, ought to be larger than that
which we used. It was, however, the thickest

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 156

that we can as yet procure; but if there was any
object in repeating the experiment, I have no doubt
but we shall soon be able to get heavier ice; for
that formed on the channel round the ship since
Saturday, none being cut yesterday on account
of its being Sunday, was found to-day to be eight
inches thick.

Wednesday, 17th. — Nothing of any importance
occurred for this week past, except that the wea-
ther has been getting gradually colder : yesterday
it was as low as 42° below zero, consequently our
mercurial thermometers are now of no use. The
severity of the weather, however, does not con-
fine the wolves to their dens, for their tracks are
observed every day, at no great distance from the
ships; and one of them was bold enough to-day
to chace one of our dogs very close to us, or
rather he followed the dog until that animal took
refuge under the protection of the persons with
whom he was walking at the time. The wolf, on
this occasion, betrayed a considerable degree of
cunning, in order to circumvent his intended prey,
for he never moved whilst the dog was running to-
wards him ; but immediately on observing that the
dog would not approach any nearer, he made to-
wards him at full speed; and probably, had he
had a great way to run, he would have overtaken
him. At the same time that the wolf in question
was chasing the dog, another animal of the same
kind was heard howling at a short distance off, but
the twilight at the time was so faint. that he could
not be seen. In the evening one of them came
within seventy or eighty yards of the ship, and

156 ~ A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

kept walking about within that range for a con-
siderable period, howling at short intervals during
the whole time. Their howl is long, and some-
what lamentable to the ear; the only sound with
which I could compare it, is the cadence, or ter-
minating sound of a bugle-horn at a distance.
What attracted them so much to-day we supposed
to be the smell of some of the narwhal’s blubber,
that we killed in the summer, and which we were
boiling on the ice this forenoon. . Between three
and four o’clock P. M., a remarkable cloud
was observed in the south-west: the centre of
it, indeed, bore S. W. by S. (true). It diverged
from a centre, at the horizon, in strait lines, or
columns, which extended to a great distance over
the surface of the sky: the lower edge of it, on
each side, was very straight and well defined ; and
formed an angle of about 45° with the horizon.
Directly over its centre, instead of straight lines,
it had more the resemblance of an immense vo-
lume of smoke than any thing else. The whole
was compared by our gunner to a powder-maga-
zine exploding ; which those who had had an op-
portunity of seeing such a sight, thought a very
apt comparison ; for the reflected rays of the sun,
which illumined that part of the sky behind the
cloud, gave it very much the appearance of an
immense explosion. It is probable that this re-
markable cloud had some connection with the
Aurora Borealis ; for, after it had vanished, which
it did about six o’clock, that phenomenon was
seen in the same part of the heavens which the
cloud had occupied: it was visible, indeed,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 157

before the cloud disappeared entirely, but not
before it had lost its radiated form, and dispersed
so much that nothing particular could be seen
about it.

Tuesday, 23d. — The weather, during the prin-
cipal part of the past week, has been very bois-
terous; within these two days, in particular, it
blew so strong that there has been no communi-
cation between the two ships, although they are
only about eighty yards from one another, on ac-
count of the clouds of drift snow that are carried
along by the wind. I have already remarked so
often the effect the wind has in raising the tempe-
rature of the atmosphere, that it will perhaps be
considered tautology to notice the same thing
again: even allowing this to be the case, I cannot
help observing in this place, however, that the
same thing occurred, on this occasion, in a more
striking manner than I have ever noticed it be-
fore; for, on the evening of the 19th inst., the
wind, from light airs, died away toa perfect calm;
and, as it diminished, the thermometer continued
to fall, till at midnight it was as low as 47°.
During the whole of the succeeding day the wind
was never stronger than what is termed a light
breeze ; and the consequence was, that the ther-
mometer never fell below 40°; but on the 21st it
came on to blow strong, and has continued to do
so ever since; and the effect has been, that the
thermometer from that day, at noon, until this time,
has never been above 25°, notwithstanding the
wind, during the whole time, has been from the
northward. Severe as the weather has been dur-

158 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ing these few days past, the wolves still continue
to prowl about, and are often heard howling at
night in the neighbourhood of the ships: I have
said at night, perhaps, improperly, for ever since
the sun left us, and until it returns, it may be
said to be one continued night; but, as it is most
convenient to distinguish the different parts of the
twenty-four hours, in the way to which we
have been accustomed, I shall still make use of
the common distinctive words, of morning, noon,
evening, and night, in the same manner as if
these distinctions were apparent in nature; and I
may remark, that it is not more incongruous to
continue these appellations now, than to make use
of them in the summer time, or when the-sun is
never below the horizon.

Wednesday, 24th. — Another play was perform-
ed by the officers this evening, which amused
the people very much, and, I believe, it is in-
tended to repeat one every fortnight during the
winter, if the weather does not get so cold as to
hinder it. The weather has of late, indeed, been
very severe, but when there is no wind, we can
take exercise in the open air without any incon-
venience, although the thermometer is generally
between 40° and 50° below zero. A person cannot,
however, make much use of his hands in the man-
ner in which they are obliged to be covered, to pre-
vent them being frost-bitten : they have, therefore,
left off cutting the ice round the ships, having
found that it was impossible to continue that
operation with safety to the men; two or three
of them indeed, got their toes slightly frost-bitten,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 159

during the last days they were employed at it.
We have the satisfaction to find, too, that the
discontinuation of cutting the channel above men-
tioned, has not yet been, nor do I think it is likely
to be productive of any bad consequences ; on the
contrary, there is reason to expect, that the snow
which is accumulating round the ships will be of
considerable benefit to us, in the way of keeping
them warm, and in order to do this more effec-
tually, they have banked the snow up against
their sides all round, except at one place, where a
hole is to be kept open in the ice in case of fire.
Monday, 29th.—A very interesting and curious
fact was observed this evening, which tends to
subvert a point that I believe has hitherto been
received as a general law, namely, that mercury
does not freeze in a higher temperature than 39 or
40 degrees below zero. The instance in question
was simply, that the mercury used by some of
the officers this evening as an artificial horizon
whilst taking lunar observations, was found, after
being four hours exposed in the open air at the
temperature of 36 degrees below zero, to have
frozen into a solid mass. The novelty of the thing
immediately excited attention, and in order to be
perfectly satisfied that the temperature of the
atmosphere was not lower than what was indi-
cated by the thermometer used for registering the
temperature on board, another thermometer was
tried, and that also fell to only 36°. The only way
in which I can account for this strange deviation
from the general law, is, that the mercury had be-

160 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

come amalgamated with the lead, of which the
artificial troughs generally used are made. *

Tuesday, 30th. — The same thing was observed
again this evening with regard to the mercury, for
it became solid at the temperature (by a spirit
thermometer) of 36° below zero. I do not men-
tion this, however, as a matter of surprise, for it
was the same mercury that was used last night,
consequently it ought of course to freeze again at
the same temperature.

Wednesday, December 1st. — Between seven and
eight o’clock this evening, four Paraselena, or
mock moons, were observed, each at the distance
of about 212° from the moon. One of them was
situated close to the horizon, and another perpen-
dicularly above it; the other two were one on
each side of the moon, in a line parallel with the
horizon. Their shape was somewhat like that of
a comet, but they were incomparably larger, hay-
ing their tails on that side farthest from the moon ;
their colour was slightly prismatic, the side that
was nearest the moon being of a light orange
colour, which vanished Staal into a yeton
towards their tail.

Shortly after they were seen, a halo, or lumi-
nous ring, having the moon for its centre, made its
appearance; the radius of this ring was equal to
the distance between the Paraselenze and the

* That some impurity in the mercury is the cause of its
freezing at such a low temperature is obvious, I think, from this
circumstance, namely, that the mercury in the mercurial ther-
mometer did not freeze even at 38°, and the temperature of
the air was registered by it until it exceeded that cold.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 16L

moon, consequently it passed through them. At
the same time that the ring appeared, two yellow-
ish coloured lines joined the opposite Paraselene,
and bisected each other at the centre of the circle,
thereby dividing it into four equal quarters. These
lines, or columns, as well as the halo, or ring, and
the Paraselenze, or mock moons, were at different
times of different degrees of brightness ; and above
the halo, that is, between it and the zenith, there
appeared occasionally a segment of another halo,
which touched the upper edge of that above de-
scribed, or rather the Paraselene which occupied
that part of it. These phenomena, if I may so
call them, continued for upwards of an hour, and
during that period frequently varied, as I have
already said, in the intensity of their colours, but
every part preserved constantly the same shape,
although at times, some parts, particularly the
upper segment and the cross that divided the
halo, became so faint as scarcely to be visible...
Thursday, 2d. — A Halo, with Paraselene, and
a cross similar to that above described, were seen
again this evening, nearly about the same time.
It is unnecessary to enter again into a detail of
their appearances, as the above description ap-
plies in every respect to what was seen to-night.
Wednesday, 8th. — Nothing occurred for this
week past deserving of any particular notice ; the
weather has, to our surprise, been much milder
than we had reason to expect from the month of
December, for the thermometer, since the begin-
ning of this month, has seldom been lower than
30°, and the average cold has not been greater
M

162 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

than 20° below zero. What little wind we have
had has been generally from the northward; but
I do not mean to imply from this, that it~ has
been more so this month than the last; on the
contrary, I believe the reverse would be nearer
the truth, for it was almost invariably from the
northward during the month of November. I
omitted to mention, at the time it happened,
a few nights ago, that the fox caught by the Griper
has made his escape, owing to the getting loose
of the chain with which he was made fast. He
was seen next morning close to the ships, and the
mark of the chain has been noticed on the snow,
at no great distance off, several times since; but I
think it is probable, unless he is again entrapped,
that he will soon fall a prey to the wolves, as
he must be so much encumbered with the links he
has carried off with him, that he will not be able
to escape from them should he be pursued, and
they must also be a great hindrance to him in
the way of procuring his food. *

At the time he was caught, I said very little
respecting him, beyond a few words, stating his
size, and general appearance; being then in
hopes that I should, as I remarked at the time,
be able to give a better description of him at
some future period, when his habits, &c. were

* We have reason to suppose that mice constitute the
principal part of their food, for we have seen several of these
animals during the winter, and their tracks are very numerous
onthe snow. They are perfectly white, and are rather larger
than the common mice. Their shape indeed is quite different, for
they are short, thick, and flattish, and their tail is not above
half an inch in length.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 163

better known. I must confess, however, that even
now, I can add but slightly to what has been
said of him at the time he was taken. He became
daily more domesticated, and was latterly so tame,
that a person might handle him with great free-
dom, without running any danger of being bitten ;
he ate any kind of food that was offered to him, but
what he chiefly subsisted on was bread and peas.

Sunday 19th. — These ten days past have been
as barren of events worthy of notice as any period
of equal length since the commencement of the
winter: —all nature appears, if I may use the
expression, as if she had gone to rest, for darkness
has spread her sable mantle over the whole sur-
rounding scene; and the occasional howlings
of the wolves, and the whistling of the wind,
are the only interruptions to the perpetual silence
that reigns over these dreary regions. ‘The plays,
however, and such other sources of amusement as
are within our reach, have hitherto made the time
pass very cheerfully, and I hope that they will
continue to do so.

Tuesday, 21st. — ‘This being our shortest day,
or, more properly speaking, the day on which the
sun is farthest from us, several of the officers went
out on the ice at noon with books to determine
whether it was possible to read by the twilight,
and, surprising as it may appear, yet we found
that the smallest print could be read by it. The
book which I took was a small (pocket) Common
Prayer-Book, (which was the smallest print I could
find,) and, by facing it towards the south, I could
read it very distinctly. As the portion of it that

M 2

164 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

presented itself by chance on this occasion con-
tains a good moral lesson, I hope it will not be
considered an idle or impious thing to quote
the sentence that happened to be the subject of
experiment. It was the first verse of the forty-
sixth Psalm : God ts our hope and strength : a very
present help in trouble. In addition to what has
been said, I ought also to mention that the wea-
ther at the time was rather cloudy, so that very
few stars could be seen, and the moon’s declin-
ation was about 154°S., consequently below the
horizon ; therefore the twilight was the only source
from which we could receive any light at the time.
My object in being so minute in detailing this cir-
cumstance is simply to give an idea of the degree
or quantity of light which we still receive from the
sun. It must not be understood, therefore, that I
mention it as any thing extraordinary or unex-
pected ; for even if such were my design, I should
be only exposing my own ignorance, since it is
known to every person that the twilight does not
cease until the sun is eighteen degrees below the
horizon, or has passed the imaginary line called
the crepusculum.

I have omitted to mention until this time, that,
ever since we came into this harbour we have used
no other water except that which is obtained by
the melting of snow; and yet we have not found
any of those bad effects from it that are mentioned
by Captain James in his disastrous voyage in search
of the north-west passage in the year 1631. He
says, that the snow-water made himself and his
people so short-breathed that they could hardly

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 165

speak. His precise words are, “ If made us so short-
“breathed that we were scarce able to speak.’
What Captain James attributed to the snow-water
was most probably one of the incipient symptoms
of scurvy, or some other complaint, brought on by
the cold and comfortless situation in which they
passed the winter in Hudson Bay. I ought per-
haps to defer, however, saying any thing on this
subject until we have got through the winter our-
selves, lest we should be so unfortunate as to
prove that his report was true; but until then
I shall have some doubt whether snow-water does
produce that effect.

Thursday, 23d. — The officers performed the
play called «The Mayor of Garratt’? this even-
ing, and after it a piece written purposely for the
occasion, by Mr. Parry, called the ‘* North-West —
«« Passage, or the Voyage Finished.”’ I believe the
object of this piece was to point out to the men
the probability there was of our accomplishing the
discovery of the north-west passage, and the rewards
and honours that would be heaped upon all on re-
turning home, after performing such an extraordi-
nary service. And, as far as I was able to judge, it
appeared to answer remarkably well the purpose for
which it was intended. ‘The thermometer in the
open air at the time of the performance was at 32°,
and on deck, even where the people were sitting,
it was as low as 19° during the whole representation;
but the pleasure they derived from seeing a scene
exhibiting their own character in so favourable a
point of view, completely overcame any incon-

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166 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

venience they suffered from the state of the
weather. ‘

Although it may perhaps to some appear a fri-
volous anecdote what I am about to mention, yet
I cannot help noticing it, as it tends to show the
favourable reception with which the dramatic piece
in question was received, and at the same time
exhibits in a very noted manner the misapplication
of words by men who make use of terms or ex-
pressions which they do not thoroughly under-
stand themselves. Whilst the curtain was down
between the first and second acts, all the men were
conversing together, extolling the merits of the
new play, when the boatswain, wishing to pay a
higher compliment to it than any other person, said
that it was much superior to fine or excellent (the
epithets of approbation used by the seamen) ;
that it was ‘in fact, real philosophy !”

Saturday, 25th. — Notwithstanding our seques-
tered situation, and the climate in which we were
situated, we spent Christmas-day as happily as we
could do in England, with the exception of notbemg
amongst our friends. Indeed, the only thing that
could give us any concern, was their not knowing
that we were so comfortable. As far as meat and
drink were concerned in making us so, we had
certainly every reason to be contented, for we
fared most sumptuously, had excellent roast beef
and venison, and plenty of good port wine, and
above all, good health to enjoy these luxuries.*

* The weather to-day was what we are now accustomed to
call mild, the thermometer being only 24°; a temperature in

18

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 167

Saturday, January 1st, 1820.—The new year
was ushered in without any remarkable event
to distinguish it: the cold has not, as we ex-
pected, been at all severe; for the thermometer
at midnight last (that is at the moment of the
commencement of the year) was only 5°. About 11
o’clock this forenoon a very beautiful halo, 45° in
diameter, was observed round the moon. It was in-
tersected by two luminous columns of a yellowish
white colour, which crossed each other at right an-
gles over the moon’s disc. The breadth of this cross,
or rather of the columns that formed it, was equal
to the moon’s diameter, in her immediate vicinity ;
but, as they receded from her, they became nar-
rower, so that at the place where they touched the
halo, they had tapered to so small a point as to
be scarcely visible. In those points of the
halo, where they terminated, were luminous spots,
or paraselenz : the two horizontal ones, or those
situated in that part of the circle where the hori-
zontal column of light ended, exhibited in the
prismatic colours very beautifully, and each of
them had a long tail proceeding from it, similar
to that which I described on a former occasion,
when mentioning the appearance of a phenomenon
of the same kind. The luminous spot, or parase-
lene, in that part of the halo immediately above the
moon, was of a very faint colour, when compared
with the two just mentioned, and the fourth one,

a calm day such as this was, is not at all inconvenient. I had,,
indeed, as pleasant a walk to-day, for upwards of an hour, as if
1t had been in Hyde Park.

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168 A VOYAGE OF ‘DISCOVERY

that is to say, if it existed, was hid from us,- owing
to its being (as well as a segment of the halo) below
the horizon, the moon’s altitude being only about
18°. The halo itself was not equally bright all
round, for in those parts that were equidistant, that
is 45° from the paraselenz, it was of a very faint
colour, and from these points towards the paraselenze
it became gradually brighter. Like the Aurora Bo-
realis, its intervention did not obstruct the light of
the stars it chanced to pass over, for the planet
Mars happened to be situated in the brightest part
of the horizontal luminous column, and yet ap-
peared as bright as usual; its reddish colour seemed,
indeed, to be a little increased in brilliancy. This
halo, as well as that described last month, happened
about the time of full moon. A hole was cut
through the ice to-day, to ascertain its thickness,
which was found to be four feet one inch, ex-
clusive of the snow that was on it.

Sunday, 2d. — Another halo was seen about the
moon this forenoon, similar in every respect to that
described yesterday, except that there was a seg-
ment of another halo touching its upper side.
The colour of this segment was much lighter than
that of the halo itself. The moon’s altitude at the
time the halo was seen, was 17°, consequently a
segment of it was, as I mentioned yesterday, —
the horizon.

Thursday, 6th. — The officers performed the
farce called “ Bon Ton”? this evening, in a lower
temperature than perhaps any dramatic piece had
ever been played before, at least by Europeans ; for
a thermometer, hung up in front of the stage, stood

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. (169

at 12°, and some parts of the theatre, if I may use
that word, must have been considerably colder,
as the stoves and hot shot with which it was
warmed, were much nearer the place where the
thermometer hung up, than the after-part of the
deck where the people sat. The thermometer
outside the ship at the time was only 27°; but
there happened to be a fresh breeze of wind, a
circumstance that rendered the cold, as I have
often observed, less tolerable when the tempera-
ture is comparatively high, than we find it in the
severest frost during calm weather.

Wednesday, 12th.— A very noted instance of
this occurred indeed to-day, for I was out walking
in the afternoon when the thermometer was 51° be-
low zero, and, owing to the weather being calm at
the time, I felt no more inconvenience from it
than if it had been at zero in a breeze of wind. A
small quantity of strong brandy was exposed in the
open air this afternoon for the purpose of experi-
ment. Ithad not been above ten minutes on deck
when it began to congeal, and in the course of half
an hour it became of the consistence of honey,
and not unlike it indeed in appearance. It never
became harder than this, although left on deck for
upwards of an hour; it was tried again in the
evening, and after being exposed about an hour
longer to the same temperature, we found the only
difference produced was, that it became dryer,
being in consistence and appearance somewhat like
moist brown sugar. ‘The freezing did not appear
to alter either its taste, or strength, in the least ;
we tasted it in its frozen state, without suffering

170 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

any inconvenience from it, except a little smarting
of the tongue.

Saturday, 15th. —- Between seven and eight
o’clock this evening, the Aurora Borealis was seen
forming a beautiful arch, coincident with the plane
of the meridian, and extending from the southern
horizon, across the zenith to the northern horizon.
After remaining stationary and of this shape for
about ten minutes, it then formed an ellipsis of
great extent, whose transverse diameter was also
parallel with the plane of the meridian, and situated
on the east side of it, and in such a position that
the west side of the ellipsis reached the zenith. It
remained of this form only a few minutes, and
then assumed a variety of shapes, which were con-
stantly varying, being chiefly shooting in streams
from the southern horizon towards the zenith.

Wednesday, 19th. —One of our dogs had a
severe fight with a wolf this morning, at the
distance of between two and three hundred
yards from the ships; it was so early in the
morning, however, that they were not seen
at the time, but in the course of the forenoon, the
place where the conflict happened, was readily
found out, from the blood and tufts of hair left
on the snow. It is impossible to say which of
them was beat: I think, indeed, that they parted
by mutual consent, for both must have suf-
fered considerably : there is certainly no question
about what the dog has sustained, as we have ex-
amined the extent of the damage, which is a severe
laceration of the integuments of the lower jaw and
fore-part of the throat : there appears, indeed, to be

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 177%

a piece taken out of that part of the neck over the
root of the tongue. Although we have not ac-
tually seen the wounds of the wolf, yet there
are two or three circumstances which lead us to
suppose, that he suffered at least as much as the
dog: for, in the first place, the dog is a very
powerful one, and certainly much superior in point
of strength tohisenemy ; and, in the next place, we
found a considerable quantity of blood at a place,
where the latter animal had lain down, about a
mile from the ships, from which we may conclude
that he had received some serious wounds, since
the blood was not staunched after having gone that
distance and in such weather. We were some-
what at loss at first, when the dog came on board,
to know what animal he had been fighting with ;
for we had no reason to think that it had been with
a wolf, since a dog belonging to one of the officers
of the Griper has been seen frequently with one of
that species, which has been in the habit of coming
within sight of the ships for several days past ;_ in-
deed, the dog in question had been away the greatest
part of last night and this morning, as we suppose,
with a wolf. The only way therefore in which I can
account for the favourable reception with which one
dog has been received, whilst another has been so
roughly used, is, that the latter may have fallen in
with a male wolf, at the same time that the former
may have been paying his court to the female;
besides, the Griper’s dog is mostly of the same
colour as the wolves themselves, and might there-
fore very possibly be mistaken by them for one of
their own kind; but our dog, being perfectly

172 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

black, could not be easily taken for an animal of
the same sort. I mention these circumstances,
however, as a mere matter of opinion, and I am
free to confess to the charge that I have
said more about the subject altogether than it
deserved.

Thursday, February 3d.— Nothing of any im-
portance occurred for this fortnight past; the
weather has been for nearly all the time more
boisterous than we usually had it during the
first part of the winter: the thermometer has there-
fore never been very low ; for, from the 20th of last
month, until two o’clock this afternoon, it had
never been under 40°; this evening however
it came on a calm, and before midnight it
fell as low as 44°. For some days past we have
had so much light about noon, that both officers
and men generally went to the mast-head to look
out for the sun ; for although we were perfectly
aware of the time on which it should re-appear,
according to its declination, yet as the Dutch
navigator, Barentz, saw it at Nova Zembla several
days before it ought to have been seen, in the lati-
tude in which he wintered, we had reason to
suppose that whatever effect refraction might have
there, the same might be expected to take place
here. Notwithstanding our vigilance, we always
found, however, that although it must have been
very nigh the horizon for some days past, it
never appeared above it until to-day.* As the

* It deserves to be mentioned, that although we have
not seen the sun so long before the time calculated as
Barentz did, yet that its re-appearance to-day is three days

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 173

forenoon was very fine and clear, we made sure of
seeing it ; several of us were therefore in the main-
top about half past eleven, to welcome its return,
and at twelve, or rather a few minutes after, we had
the pleasure of witnessing the glorious luminary
again, after an absence of ninety-two days. It is
more easy to conceive than describe the pleasure
that every person felt on this occasion, at oncemore
seeing that heavenly agent, which is to set us free
from confinement. But I consider, that to do jus-
tice to this subject, and to the sensations excited
by so sublime and joyful a sight, would require my
entering into rhapsodies, more suitable to the effu-
sions of a poetical imagination, than the unadorned
language of a plain narrator; I shall therefore
avoid saying any thing more about the matter.
During the time the sun was above the horizon *,
a vertical column of a beautiful red colour extended
from it towards the zenith; the colour was
most brilliant near the sun, and diminished gradu-
ally as it went upwards. It was observed also, that

sooner than it ought to be seen in this latitude, according to its
declination ; but when we consider the density of the atmo-
sphere in these regions, and consequently its increased refractive
power, we ought not to be surprised, but, on the contrary,
rather expect to find that the sun would be visible some time
before it got within 90° of us, after allowing for the ordinary
‘refraction.

* There was little thin haze in the horizon, so that the, sun’s
disc was not well defined; from this circumstance one or two
persons who were inclined to be sceptical, even doubted the
sun’s being above the horizon at all ; but characters of this sort
will always assert themselves in subjecis that admit of a doubt.

174 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

it was not always of the same brilliancy, but that it
twinkled so that the upper part of it vanished
altogether for a moment; it then instantaneously
brightened up as splendidly as before; this twink-
ling went on in quick succession, during the whole
time the column appeared. Its breadth was about
equal to the sun’s diameter, and its height, or
altitude, when in its greatest splendour, was be-
tween four and five degrees.

Friday, 11th. — The dog belonging to one of
the officers of the Griper, which has been men-
tioned some time ago, as having been in the habit
of paying visits to the wolves, or at all events on
being on very familiar terms with them, has been
missing since the 2d inst. He was supposed, for
the first day or two, to have remained only a little
longer than usual to gratify his propensities,
and that, after his desires had been satiated, cold
and hunger would induce him to return. But the
length of time that he has now been away, leaves, I
think, very little hope that we shall see him any more.
It is most probable that the wolves decoyed him
into one of their dens, and there destroyed him ;
some, however, are of opinion that he lost his way
in returning to the ships, and ultimately perished
by the cold ; but as it is a subject not worthy of
any great speculation, I shall leave it in uncer-
tainty. It is possible, indeed, that when the snow
melts in the spring, we may fall in with some
remains of him that will tend to show the manner
in which he was lost. The weather to-day, and for
some days past, has been very fine; from ten o’clock
in the forenoon, until two in the afternoon, there is

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 175

generally a zone or belt, of a beautiful red colour,
all about the horizon, from the S. E. round by
north to the S. W. The breadth of this ring is
from four to five degrees ; it is brightest near the
horizon, and its colour diminishes gradually
towards its upper edge, where it terminates in a
pale yellow. The colour of the sky above this
belt is of the finest blue, which increases gradually
in intensity, or darkness, towards the zenith.
The Aurora Borealis has been seen for some nights
past, but never very brilliant ; the electrometer
has been tried, but it was not affected by it, nor
has any effect been produced by it on the most
sensible of our azimuth-compasses.

Monday, 14th.— ‘The thermometer this after-
noon fell to 54° below zero, which is the greatest
cold that we have yet registered, or indeed that
we have any well authenticated account of any
one else having registered.* The weather at the
time was perfectly calm, and although certainly
cold, it was so far from being intolerably so, that
we walked about in the open air without any
inconvenience, and without any additional clothing
more than we have been accustomed to wear
throughout the winter. I am of opinion, indeed,
that a much greater degree of cold might be en-
dured in calm weather without suffering any bad
effect from it, for the feelings does not appear by

* M. Haiiy indeed mentions that it is recorded in the Trans-
actions of the Academy of Petersburg, that a temperature of
57° below zero had been registered once in some part of
Siberia.

176 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

any means to be so sensible after the thermometer
has fallen to between 30° or 40° below zero.

We had a good instance to-day of the effect that
different colours have in reflecting heat, for the
piece of board on which the thermometers were
suspended had one side of it painted black, and
the other side white, that is of the colour of the
wood itself, and it was observed that the ther-
mometer suspended on the black side, never
fell lower than 52°, while the one that hung
on the white side of the board stood at 54°.* I
remarked also at this time that the smoke
from the ships rose quite perpendicularly, (there
being no wind at the time,) so that a low tem-
perature alone does not appear to be sufficient to
produce the phenomenon of smoke falling to the
ground as some have observed, but which I must
confess I have never seen myself, although I have
frequently, during this winter, looked out for it.
I have observed, indeed, two or three times,
that the vapour from the coppers, when they
were melting snow, condensed, and fell immediate-
ly it came into the open air; but this is easily ac-
counted for, nor could indeed any thing else be
expected than that aqueous vapour would, on
coming into a temperature of thirty or forty
“degrees below zero, immediately condense, and
consequently fall.

Tuesday, 15th. — At six o’clock this morning

* As the piece of board on which they (thermometers) were
suspended, was set up on the ice at a considerable distance,
(perhaps from 80 to 90 yards) from the ship, we are certain
that this difference could not be caused by any locality, or
substance that was near it.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 17¥

the thermometer was as low as 55°, but a light
breeze having sprung up shortly after, it soon rose
to 50°. As I considered this day to be one of the
coldest that we are likely to have this winter, I
made an experiment, which, although trivial, de-
serves to be mentioned, as it exemplifies in a very
simple manner the rapidity with which water is
frozen in such a temperature as we have had.
The experiment in question was thus made: I
took a quart bottle, full of fresh water to the main-
top, and there poured it through a small cullendar,
when it was found that by the time the drops of
water had fallen to the roofing over the ship, they
had congealed into irregular spherical masses.
The height between the main-top and the place
on which they fell was 40 feet 8 inches. *
Thursday, 17th. — ‘The thermometer in my
cabin last night was as low as 10°, and the average
height of it there for these ten days past has been
from 15°. to 20° ; in the day time, indeed, it some-
times rises to 24°, but seldom above that.
Thursday, 24th. — Nothing of any importance
occurred for this week past; but an event took
place to-day of rather an unpleasant nature. At
a quarter past ten in the forenoon, the house on

* J ought to mention, however, that the water did not fall
quite perpendicularly, owing to a light air of wind that existed
at the time ; consequently it must have occupied more time in
falling than a body moving freely would take in describing the
same space; for according to the rule, that, ‘“ the spaces
described by a body falling, increase as the squares of the time
increase,” it would appear that the water in question froze in
Jess than two seconds.

N

{78 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

shore was observed to be on fire; every person ran
immediately to put it out ; but the mats with which
the inside of it was lined were so dry, that it was
found impossible to extinguish it, or rather to
smother it, for, as we had no water, the only thing
that we could substitute was snow, which was
thrown on it in great abundance, but with very
little effect; as notwithstanding the violence
of the fire, it melted very little of the snow. But
although it did not extinguish the flames, it an-
swered another purpose, almost equally beneficial,
for by covering the different astronomical instru-
ments, &c., they were secured from the fire, and
after this important point had been accomplished,
the roofing was pulled off, and in a few minutes
after the whole was extinguished. When the
wreck was cleared, it was found that very little
damage had been done to any of the instruments ;
the astronomical clocks, which were the most
valuable articles there, were fortunately in the
cases as they were landed, which saved them
completely. A repeating circle was the only
instrument of any importance that was injured ;
and all the damage it sustained was its levels
having got broken, most probably by the boil-
ing of the spirits which they contained. A pair
of mountain barometers, and two or three thermo-
meters, were, I understand, destroyed, together
with several articles of wearing apparel, (that
had been taken there to get washed,) and
three or four fowling-pieces, that had been there
undergoing some repair: these had their stocks

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 179

very much disfigured, and one or two of them ren-
dered unserviceable altogether; but, upon the
whole, much less damage was done than we
had at one time reason to expect, for the con-
flagration when the roofing was taking off, gave
little hopes of any thing being saved. Consider-
able as the fire was, its influence or heat extended
but a very little way, for several of the officers and
men were frost-bitten. The two men in particular,
who were in the house at the time the accident
commenced, suffered very severely; one of them,
indeed, is in great danger of losing some of his
fingers, for, notwithstanding every effort was, and
is still making to restore them te life, most of them
are, as yet, without the least sensation. Some idea
may be formed of the state they were in when he
came on board, from the circumstance that when
they were immersed in a small tub of cold water
for the purpose of thawing them, the cold they
communicated to the water was so great that a
thin film of ice was immediately formed on its sur-
face. This may appear to some to be so extraor-
dinary, as to be almost incredible, and I have no
doubt that I should be. apt to disbelieve it also,
had I not been an eye-witness of it myself;
but this was certainly one of the coldest days I
ever experienced, for it blew very fresh, and the
thermometer was at the time we were out at 43°
below zero. What therefore must be the effect of
such a cold on a man having his bare hands ex-
posed to it for an heur, as was the case with the
man in question ? The way in which the fire broke
out at first, was from some clothes which were hung
nN 2

180 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

up close to the stove having caught fire, and
communicated immediately to the dry mats with
which the inside of the house was lined.

Monday, 28th. -— We had a portion of the 2d,
19th, and 22d articles of war read on the quarter-
deck to-day, and after that a long order relating
chiefly to some difference between two of the ae
cers some days ago.

Wednesday, Ma ‘ch 8th.— Nothing has occurred
for this week past deserving of particuilas notice,
except haloes and parhelia, which have been seen at
different times round the sun; their usual distance,
or I may say, indeed, their almost invariable dis-
tance from it is about 223°; although from their
edge being sometimes but badly defined, it is
found occasionally to be a few minutes, and some-
times even a degree less. The most beautiful phe-
nomenon of this kind that I have yet seen was ob-
served this afternoon ; the parhelia were so bright,
that had the sun not been in sight, either of them
(for there were two) might be supposed to be the
real one behind a thin cloud. They were parallel
to the horizon, at the usual distance from the sun,
and situated so that a straight line drawn from the
one to the other would pass through that luminary.
The side that was nearest to it was of a bright
reddish colour, which vanished gradually into
orange, and that again into yellow ; but instead of
the rest of the prismatic colours following, as
usual, in succession, the next colour was a very
brilliant white, which occupied the centre of the
parhelia. The halo was also very beautiful, and
presented all the prismatic colours faintly.

18

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 181

The weather, for two or three days past, has
been much finer than we have had it since the
commencement of the winter, and the thermometer
was for some hours yesterday, and the day before,
above zero: at two o’clock yesterday afternoon,
when placed in the sun under the stern of the
ship, it rose to 35.

Tuesday, 14th. —One of the men who was frost-
bitten when the house was burnt a fortnight ago,
had parts of three fingers of the left, and two of
the right hand amputated to-day, in consequence
of what he then experienced, having destroyed
life in the joints that were removed. Whatever
the process is that destroys vitality by means of
cold, its effects on the parts that are destroyed are
very different from what is produced by sphacelus,
or mortification of any other kind, that I remem-
ber to have ever seen; for neither the size, nor the
texture of the parts in question, were in the least
altered, except that the skin and nails came off a
few days ago.

The destruction or rather the detachment of the
skin, has almost invariably taken place in every
case of frost-bite that has occurred since the be-
ginning of the winter. Respecting the mode of treat-
ing the casually, although our practice has been very
considerable, I am not aware that we can throw
any additional light on the subject. Friction, with
snow at first, and afterwards immersion in cold
water, until sensation is restored, appear to be the
best means to begin with; and when cold
applications did not subdue in a short time
the inflammation that occurred, I always obs

N 3

182 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

served that cataplasms were the most efficacious
remedies.

Thursday, 16th. —'The weather, for these ten
days past, has been, generally speaking, very
windy, which we attribute, as is customary, to
the approach of the equinox. The temperature
of the air still keeps very low, for the thermometer,
to-day, at noon, in the shade, was 21° below zero ;
whilst, in the sun, at the same time, it rose to
29°, making the extraordinary difference of 50°
between the sun and the shade. The officers per-
formed this evening the last play that is intended
to be acted this season ; and after it, was spoken a
very appropriate epilogue, written for the occasion
by Mr. Wakeham.

Monday, 20th. — A large white bird was seen to-
day by two of our men, who were on shore; it is
generally supposed that it was an owl; but the
men themselves think that it was a glaucous gull,
or burgomaster as they call it; and as one of those
who saw it has been often in Greenland, and con-
sequently must have frequently seen these birds,
some deference is certainly due to his opinion,
however much we may be surprised at finding a
bird of this kind in these regions so early.

Thursday, 23d.— A hole was made _ to-day
through the ice, about a cable’s length from the
ship, for the purpose of ascertaining its thickness,
which was found to be six feet six inches, exclu-
sive of six or seven inches of snow that lay on its
surface. Although the temperature of the air is
still much below the freezing point, it may be pre-
sumed, I think, that the ice will not increase

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 183

much more in thickness this season, for the in-
fluence of the sun is now very perceptible from
noon until two o’clock.

Monday, 27th.—'The people have been em-
ployed for some days past in bringing stones down
from the hills to the beach for ballast. This way
of employing them happens to come very oppor-
tunely, for some cases of scurvy have lately made
their appearance ; but it is to be hoped, that since
the weather now permits of their being employed in
the open air, the disease will be prevented from
spreading any farther. We found a fox to-day
(dead) in one of the traps that were out; he is
about the same size, and in every respect similar
in appearance to the one caught by the Griper in
the winter time. The weather, although fine, still
keeps cold; for the thermometer, at four o’clock
this morning, was as low as 33 below zero, and for
some days past it has not, at any time of the day,
been higher than 18°.

Saturday, April 1st.— Paucity of events induces
people sometimes to record things that are
rather trivial, and of this description, I have no
doubt many would consider the following cir-
cumstance; but as it throws some light on
a point that lay in obscurity, I shall insert it.
What I allude to is a stone that was found
to-day about three miles inland from the ship,
having the letter P cut on it. As we had
every reason to suppose that no civilized person
had ever been on this island before ourselves,
and as but few had been in the habit of going in
the direction where the stone was found, it excited.

N 4

184 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

enough of curiosity to cause an enquiry to be
made, if any person in either ship had: cut the
letter in question; when it was found, that one of
the men belonging to the Griper, who was of the
party that lost their way in the month of September
last, recollected his having, during the time they
were away, cut the letter P, which is the first of
his name (viz. Peter Fisher), on a stone, whilst he
was sitting downj resting, himself. From this
it would appear, that the party in question,
instead of proceeding, as some of them thought,
a great way inland, must have gone to the
eastward, no great way from the coast, for the
distance between the place where the stone
was picked up, and where the ships then lay, is
upwards of twenty miles, so that their going and
returning over that space would occupy no incon-
siderable portion of the time they were away.

Wednesday, 5th. —'The weather to-day, and for
some days past, has been remarkably fine: the
thermometer in the sun this afternoon rose as high
as 46°; in the shade, however, it still keeps low;
at four o’clock this morning it was 24° below. zero,
and even at noon it was 12°.

In speaking of the scurvy having made its ap-
pearance last month, I omitted to mention that
several cases of it occurred also in the Griper about
the same time, one or two’of them with symptoms
rather more unfavourable than any we had here.
In consequence of this, and of their having a greater
proportion of cases than we had, it was deemed
expedient to remove the men’s bed-places, and to
substitute hammocks for them, as it. was supposed

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 185

that the dampness occasioned by the steam of their
victuals, and breath, &c. condensing in their bed-
places, from the smallness of their deck, had been
conducive to the increase of the disease. What
share of influence this alteration has had in pro-
ducing the favourable change that has since taken
place, I will not venture to assert; but I have
pleasure in stating, that all those who were il! in
both ships are now recovering fast; and, indeed,
with the exception of one or two, are all quite
well.* .

Sunday, 9th. — Haloes and parhelia have been
visible at different times since the beginning of this
month ; but as none of them differed in any way
from those that have been already described, I have
omitted saying any thing about them. One was
seen to-day, however, which differed very mate-
rially from any hitherto spoken of. It first ap-
peared at noon, and continued visible until six
o’clock in the evening. It exhibited the greatest
display of colours about one o’clock. — It consisted
of one complete halo, 45° in diameter, and seg-
ments of several other haloes; the most perfect
of them was immediately above it, where their
peripheries touched : the other segments were one
on each side of the halo, not unlike parts of a
rainbow resting on the horizon ; and two above it,
that is, between it and the zenith. Besides these,
there was another complete ring, of a pale white co-
lour, which went right round the sky, parallel with
the horizon, and at a distance from it equal to the

* Their speedy recovery on board of us, may be attributed
in a great measure to some mustard and cress, which Mr. Parry
took great pains to grow in his cabin for them.

186 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

sun’s altitude. Where this ring or circle cut the halo,
there were two parhelia, and another close to the
horizon, directly under the sun ; this was by far the
most brilliant of the parhelia, being exactly like the
sun slightly obscured by a thin cloud at its rising or
setting. With respect to the colours of the other
parhelia and haloes, I may say of them in general,
that they were prismatic, and showed more or
less to advantage, according to the state of the
weather: when there was a little snow falling, as
was frequently the case during the day, the dif-
ferent colours shone with the greatest splendour.
I have always observed, indeed; when these haloes
or parhelia are seen, that there is a little snow
falling, or rather small spicula@, or fine crystals of
ice.

Friday, 14th. —One of our dogs, which had
been- with a wolf for these three days past, re-
turned to the ship this morning, without having
suffered any injury from its ravenous companion,
which we suspect to be a she-wolf, from the in-
timacy that appeared to subsist between them. On
Wednesday, a party of us were within a hundred
yards of them, when another dog which we had
with us ran up to them; but he appeared to be
a very unwelcome visitor, for she gave him a few
rough shakes, which soon sent him back howling.
She was about the size of a Newfoundland dog,
and not unlike one in shape, only that her tail was
longer, for it reached the ground. The weather
is fine and clear; but, considering the advaneed
state of the season, it is much colder than we anti-
cipated having it at this time; the thermometer
has been for several nights past as low as 30° ; and

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 187

the average temperature throughout the whole
day is 20° below zero.

Thursday, 20th.— ‘There has been a consider-
able fall of snow to-day ; and it descended in
flakes, different from any that we have seen
since last summer ; for what fell during the winter,
used always to be something like fine powder.
The weather, since this fall of snow, has become
much milder than it was before; this afternoon
the thermometer in the shade rose as high as 4°
above zero, the wind at the time being from the
southward and eastward, which we always find to
be the warmest wind.*

Wednesday, 26th. — The weather continues to
improve ; the snow that was on the roofing of the
ships all melted off to-day ; and on shore, where
the black turf appears through that covering, the
edge of it has dissolved a little; and the plants
that are exposed in these places, are already
beginning to bud. ‘The ground, however, is more
generally clothed with snow, than it has been
since the beginning of the winter; for that which
fell lately has been, as I have already mentioned,
moister than heretofore, so that it has not blown
off as it used to do. ‘The wolf has been frequently
seen of late, and the dog I have before-men-
tioned continues to pay her his visits: he gene-
rally, indeed, remains with her for two or three days

* It is only within this month past, however, that we have
found that the S.E. wind has been warmer than any other;
for it may be remembered that I remarked during the winter
that we found no difference in point of warmth from whatever
direction the wind was.

188 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

at a time. They generally keep within sight
of the ships; but she is so wary, that it is
impossible to get within gun-shot of her; and
the traps we have are too small to hold her, —
for some animal, which we suppose to be a wolf,
has been in them once or twice, but yet managed
to get away. .

They have, within these few days past, been
surveying the provisions, fuel, and stores of the
Griper; but as they have not finished, the
report of survey is not yet made out. I under-
stand, however, that the frost has done some da-
mage to their lemon-juice, by bursting many of the
‘bottles. This, indeed, is a thing that has occurred
to our own, and with which we have been ac-
quainted for a long time past ; for, in many of the
lemon-juice cases that were opened during the
winter, several bottles were found broken.

Thursday, May 4th.— An order has been issued
to-day, stating that the officers and men of both
ships are, on the 8th instant, to be reduced to two-
thirds’ allowance of all sorts of provisions, except
‘‘ meat, and sugar for cocoa.’? “Whether this re-
gulation is in consequence of any deficiency that
has been found by the late survey or not, I am
unable to say, as the order did not state the
cause ; but certainly there must be good reasons
for adopting such a measure, particularly at this
time, when active employment is about to com-
mence. ‘The weather is now improving daily ;
the thermometer, about midnight, generally falls
as low as zero, but during the day it is, for the
most part of the time, from 10° to 15° above it ;

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 189

and on the 30th of last month it rose to 32°,
which is the greatest heat that we have experi-
enced since we came to Winter Harbour.

The people have been employed, during these
two days past, in clearing away the snow that was
banked up against the ship’s sides at the begin-
ning of the winter; and, after it is cleared off,
it is intended to cut the ice round the ship, as it
is not considered safe to put ballast into her whilst
fast in the ice.

In that part where they have cleared away the
snow, we had an opportunity of observing that the
ice has not increased in thickness from its upper
surface during the winter ; since the surface of the
ice on the channel that they used to cut round
the ship was exactly in the same position, with
respect to her sides, as when they left off cutting
it; and the ice on the edge or bank of this
channel was a few inches higher, exactly as
it was before it was covered with snow. My
reason for mentioning this circumstance, is, be-
cause an opinion was some time ago entertained
that a considerable part of the floe-ice was formed
by the snow which fell upon it, consolidating on
its surface; and, certainly, there was very good
foundation for supposing this to be the case, as
the water obtained from the floe-ice, when dis-
solved, we never found to be any more than
slightly brackish, and that which we found in the
pools on its surface was so fresh, that we used to
water the ship from them. It is evident, how-
ever, from the foregoing circumstance, and many
others that might be adduced, if necessary, that

190 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the ice is formed from the water, and not from
the snow, although there can be no doubt but the
latter adds very materially to the thickness of the
floes. Since the first of this month, the sun has
been seen above the hills at midnight, so that we
have now lost the natural distinction of day and
night ; however, for the sake of perspicuity, I
shall continue to use these terms.

Wednesday, 10th. — Nothing has occurred for
this week past deserving of notice, except the
gradual improvement in the state of the weather,
and that, indeed, is very slow; for the thermo-
meter, even now, fell at midnight to zero: the
progress of vegetation is, however, beginning to
be very perceptible. The people have been em-
ployed, as above mentioned, cutting the ice round
the ship. The average thickness of it is about
seven feet, which I think may be presumed to
be the general state of all the ice on this har-
bour, and perhaps, indeed, of all the ice that has
been formed off this coast during the last winter.

Friday, 12th. — At two o’clock this afternoon
the thermometer in the shade rose as high as
18°, although the wind at the time was from
the northward ; we had besides to-day another
indication of the approach of summer, which is that
of a ptarmigan having been seen. Its plumage,
with the exception of the tips of the tail feathers,
was perfectly white, and these were of a jet-black
colour.

Saturday, 13th. — A ptarmigan was shot to-day,
which is supposed to be that seen yesterday, as it
was found near the same place ; it was in very good
condition, from which we might infer, if we were

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 191

in doubt about the matter, that it had been living in
a better country than this during the winter. But,
I believe, every one is perfectly satisfied that they
migrated to the southward at the commencement
of the winter ; because if they lived in this country
_ we must have surely seen some of them during these
eight months past ; besides, if we had no other
ground to reason upon than the myriads of them
that are found in the neighbourhood of Hudson’s
Bay during the winter, it might be established
that they migrate thither in that season.

Monday, 15th. — Several ptarmigans have been
seen by different persons yesterday and to-day,
and their tracks and excrement are met with: so
frequently on the snow, that a great many of them
must have already arrived. I have seen four
of them to-day on the wing coming from the south-
ward. A snow-bunting and a raven were also seen
to-day. One of the parties that were out observed
a curious scene between the latter and awolf: when
the raven had lighted, the wolf managed to get
within a few yards of him unperceived, but imme-
diately he (the wolf) perceived that he was seen by
the raven, instead of running directly on to him, he
began to go round him, at the same time closing
upon him so gradually as to be scarcely obvious ;
but before he had accomplished his object, the
party got so close to them as to set them off. Se-
veral tracks of reindeer were seen yesterday lead- -
ing to the northward: they were supposed to be
fresh tracks by those who saw them, but the tracks
that they left on the snow before the winter set in
are yet in some places so perfect, that some doubts

192 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

are yet entertained whether those in question are
not old tracks. For my own part, I consider it quite
unnecessary to offer an opinion on the subject, for
if they are fresh tracks, it is more than probable
that in a very short time we shall have unequivocal
proofs of the return of the deer. The weather has
been very mild for these two days, though the ther-
mometer in the shade has not been above 20°, but
it is above the freezing point in the sun every day
in places that are sheltered from the north wind,
and having a southerly aspect. As soon as the
weather is likely to become permanently fine, I un-
derstand that it is intended that a party should go
over land to the northward, to ascertain, if possible,
the breadth of this island, and to see what state the
sea is in to. the northward, as well as to make
such other remarks as they may be able. | For the
greater convenience of carrying the provisions,
tents, and other needful baggage, a light cart is
making, which the men are to draw. The
tents (two in number) are made of blankets, and
are to be set up on boarding pikes, which, in case
of its being necessary to make defence against any
animal, will be found useful weapons. The pro-
visions are packed in such a way that, in the event
of the cart breaking down, or its being for any
other reason abandoned, they may carry them on
their backs. I shall forbear saying any more
about the subject at present, as I expect a few
days will enable me to give a full account of the
equipment, &c. of the party.

Wednesday, 17th. — Several of the people who
have been out on excursions at different times dur-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 193

ing this week past, have experienced on their
return severe pains in their eyes, or, as it is com-
monly called, snow-blindness. It first commences
by a sensation resembling that which is felt
when sand or dust gets into a person’s eyes: in-
deed those who were first affected could hardly be
persuaded but that their sufferings proceeded from
something of that sort, for the general complaint
was worded in that way. The true cause is now,
however, perfectly well known, and to prevent
the recurrence of the complaint, all the men
before they go out are ordered. to wear a piece
of crape, or some substitute for it, over their
eyes. All the cases that have yet occurred of
this disorder were cured in two or three days
by keeping the eyes covered, and bathing them oc-
casionally with some cooling lotion; that which we
have used is what is commonly called the sugar of
lead (Cerussa acet.) Notwithstanding all the cases
that we have hitherto had yielded easily to the
topical application above mentioned, some of
them had their eyes highly inflamed, and, as I
have already said, exceedingly painful, insomuch
that one or two of them could hardly be per-
suaded, the first day, but that they would lose
their eye-sight.

Several grous (Ptarmigans) have been killed
within these two or three days past, and we are
now perfectly certain that there are deer on the
island, although we have not yet seen any of
them.

They finished cutting the channel round the
ship to-day, and immediately that she was relieved

Oo

194 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

from the ice, she rose about a foot and a half
forward, and a foot aft; which was contrary to
what was generally believed would take place,
as it was supposed that she was buoyed up by
the ice. A little reflection, however, would show
that the reverse must have happened, for alk
the fuel and provisions that have been consumed
for these eight months past must have necessarily
lightened her very considerably ; consequently,
the ice, by maintaining her in the same position
that she occupied at the commencement of the
winter, would tend to keep her down, or, in other
words, force her to draw more water than was ne-
cessary to float her.

Thursday, 18th.— The weather continues to
improve daily. I need only mention as a proof of
this that the Griper’s housing was taken off her
to-day, and I believe ours is kept on merely be-
cause the survey on some of the stores, &c. is not
yet completed.

Wednesday, 24th.— Nothing has occurred for
this week past deserving of notice, except I were
to give a diary of the gradual change in the state
of the weather, which, as I have frequently men-
tioned of jate, continues to improve. The ther-
mometer to-day, inthe shade, has been from eight
o’clock in the morning until midnight above the
freezing point, so that in the sun the snow and
ice must be dissolving very rapidly. Within these
two or three days past, little pools of water have
been formed on the snow, in different places where
earth had drifted over it. This is particularly exem-
plified on the snow between the two ships ; for the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 195

sand and sweepings of the decks, that used to be
thrown overboard, drifted there, and the snow in
that space is now completely honeycombed, if J
may use the expression. The reason of this is
obvious; it is caused by the sand and sweepings
just mentioned absorbing the rays of the sun,
and by that means acting on the snow; and the
same reason will account for the pools of water
that are met with on the snow, on the land, where
it is mixed with earth. Another circumstance oc-
curred to-day, that shews, if possible, in a stronger
degree, the alteration in the weather, which is,
that we had two showers of rain, one in the
morning, and the other in theevening. ‘This is
such an extraordinary phenomenon in these re-
gions, that when the first shower was reported, we
all ran on, deck to see it, and some were not
satisfied even with that, but were so much taken
with the novelty of the thing, that they went out-
side to receive a little of it.

Saturday, 27th.— ‘Two ivory gulls were seen
to-day, from which we may infer, that there
must be open water at no great distance off.
Among the many instances that I have lately
mentioned, of the favourable change that has taken
place in the state of the weather, nothing can
more clearly shew this, than a circumstance
that occurred this afternoon, viz. that two mus-
quitoes have been caught. They were rather
smaller than those of tropical climates, but re-
sembled them in every other respect. Great
portions of the hills are now uncovered of their
winter garb, and vegetation is in some places well

0 2

196 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

advanced. From this circumstance we have been
induced to manure, and delve two or three pieces
of ground, in which are to be sown radishes,
onions, and some other seeds of culinary plants,
that were supplied to the ships.

Thursday, June 1st. — ‘The expedition which
I mentioned some time ago, as getting ready
for travelling overland to the northward, is in-
tended so set off this evening. It is to consist of
five officers, and seven men, whose names are as
follows, viz.

Lieut. W. E. Parry - -, Hecla.
Capt. E. Sabine, R. A. - ditto.
Mr. Alex. Fisher, Assistant Surgeon ditto.
— Jo. Nias, Midshipman - ditto.
— And. Reid, ditto - Griper.
Serjt. Martin, R. A. 5 - Hecla.
M<Makon, R. M. - ditto.
Wm. Dick, seaman - - ditto.
Rich. Drew, ditto = - ditto.
Jo. Kately, marine < ~. \idittal
P. Fisher, seaman - - Griper..
Benj. Scrivener, ditto. Vat Sedneta:

As I am appointed to be one of this party, I must
necessarily omit saying any thing concerning the
occurrences that may happen on board, until our
return ; therefore, what immediately follows, will
be a diary of every thing worthy of notice, that
comes under our observation in the course of our
excursion. The object of the expedition I have
already mentioned, being that of determining, if
possible, the breadth of this land, and if that can
be accomplished, to see what state the sea is in.to

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 197

the northward. Some minor objects might also
be enumerated, which render it desirable that
such a survey should be undertaken; for Euro-
peans have seen so little of the interior of Arctic
lands, that, had we no other object, that alone
would be a sufficient motive for undertaking such
a journey, more particularly as it happens to be a
time when nothing else can be done, as although
the weather is very fine, the ice on the harbour is
dissolving but slowly, so that there is no imme-
diate prospect of an open sea. We are to take
three weeks’ provisions with us, two tents, and se-
veral bundles of dry weod for fuel, these articles,
being, as it were, public property, are to be car-
ried in the cart.* Every officer and. man is be-
sides to carry a certain number of articles, (for
his own particular use,) of which a list has been
made, in order that they may furnish themselves
accordingly. These are.a blanket, a spare pair of
shoes, two spare pair of stockings, a flannel shirt,
and a number of smaller articles, that hardly de-
serve to be specified separately ; let it suffice, that
the whole of every individual’s private baggage,
weighs from eighteen to twenty-four pounds. We
carry it in. knapsacks; the officers have one each,
and the men a knapsack between every two. Be-
sides the articles above-mentioned, we have three
fowling-pieces, and two pistols, with a consider-
able quantity of ammunition, by means of which,
we may presume, on being able to add a little to
our stock of provisions on our way.

* The weight of every thing on the cart was altogether about
S00 Ibs.

a
O00

198 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Being thus equipped, we started from the ships
at a quarter of an hour after five o’clock in the af-
ternoon. We were accompanied to the beach
by almost every individual in both vessels, where
they gave us three hearty cheers, which we re-
turned with equal spirit. The major number of the
people now returned on board ; sixteen officers and
men, however, who were anxious to give us, if
possible, a more convincing proof of their zeal
towards the enterprize we were undertaking, ac-
companied us for about five miles, carrying our
knapsacks, and drawing the cart. On their parting,
another volley of cheers was interchanged. We
now proceeded on by ourselves, until a quarter
past eleven o’clock, when we stopped, pitched our
tents, and supped, or, according to our intended
arrangement of time, dined ; for as we are to tra-
vel at night, it will be best, I think, to name our
meals as they occur with regard to our time of
rest. The reason that we are to reverse the order
of time, or, in other words, to sleep in the
day and travel at night, is because the day-time is
the warmest, and consequently the fittest for rest-
ing to people provided as we are with ‘no other
covering than what we wear, except the tent, and
a Single blanket each.

Friday 2d.— We had every thing packed up
again at a quarter before one o’clock lis morning,
iia resumed our journey. In the Donkin’s pre-
served meat-case that was emptied at dinner, we
put a slip of parchment, on which-was written a
brief account of the party who left it, and depo-
sited it under*a small pile of stones at the place

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 199

where we dined. Shortly after we started, this
morning, we came to a small lake about half a mile
in length, and two hundred yards in breadth; a
considerable part of it was clear of ice, which led
us to suppose that two Eider ducks: that flew past
us, a little while before we went thither, had come
from it. Soon after we passed this lake, we saw
several ptarmigans, and in the course of the night
shot seven of them as we went along. Between
two and three o’clock in the morning, we got to the
north-west end of a range of hills, which terminate
the view to the northward from Winter Harbour.
From the top of these hills we could see the ships’
masts very plainly with the naked eye, the distance
being, as near as we could judge, tenor eleven miles.
From these hills also we had a very extensive view
of an immense plain extending to the northward
and westward of us. It was completely covered
with snow, and so level, that, had we not been con-
vinced that it was considerably higher than Winter
Harbour, we should have been apt to suppose it was
the sea; but as this objection could not be started
against its being a large lake, some were of opinion
that it was so; on approaching the border of it,
however, we were soon satisfied that it was only a
Jevel plain. Our route from the time of our leav-
ing the ships, until we came in sight of this plain,
was over ground, generally speaking, pretty even,
but gradually ascending : its surface, for the greater
part of the way, was at least more than two-thirds co-
vered with snow. Soon after we got to the confines
of the plain above-mentioned, we saw a reindeer,
and a fawn coming across.it from the southward,
oO 4

200 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

The fawn appeared to be very young, at least if I
may judge of its age by its size, for it did not look
to be much larger than a full grown eat. It could
run however very fast, for one of our party who
went a little distance after them, found that he had
no chance of coming up with them by dint. of
speed. The fawn seemed to be rather of a darker
colour than the doe; the latter did not differ
in this respect from those which we killed in the
beginning of last winter.

We continued our journey until six o ‘clock this
morning, when we again pitched our tents, supped,
and iy down to rest, leaving an officer and a man
on watch, to keep a look-out, in case of our being
taken by surprise, by any wild animal, &c. Soon
after we pitched our tents, an accident occurred
to our thermometer, owing to the carelessness of
one of the men, who let something fall upon it,
which rendered it useless. The ground was frozen
quite hard when we lay down, but the heat of the
sun was so very powerful during the day, that we
found no inconvenience from cold in our tents,
though from being as yet unaccustomed to bivou-
acking, few of us got any sleep; we rested however
very comfortably. -

We found by meridian altitude, our latitude to
be 75° 00’ 37” N., and longitude, by chronometer,
10’ east of Winter Harbour, so that we must have
travelled over fifteen or sixteen miles of ground,
‘since ‘we left the ships; the difference of latitude
alone between them and us being thirteen geogra-
phical miles. At four o’clock P. M. we all got up,
and prepared for resuming our journey. We break-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 201

fasted on biscuit, and a pint of gruel, each made
of salop powder, which we found to be a very pa-
latable dish. Immediately after breakfast, a party,
consisting of an officer, and two men, who accom-
panied us for the first day’s journey, returned to the
ships. This escort consisted properly of three men,
but we found the snow so soft inland, that it
was deemed-necessary to take one of these men with
us*, so that our travelling party now consists of
thirteen persons, instead of twelve, as was origi-
nally intended. We started again at six o’clock
in the evening, and continued our journey until
half-past ten P. M., when we again pitched our
tents, dined, and rested between three and four
hours. We had a very heavy pull all the after-
noon, our march being along the skirts of the plain
before-mentioned, which as [have already remarked,
is so deeply covered with snow, that it required
the united exertions of all the officers and men of
the party to drag the cart through it. The only
animals we saw in the course of our journey this
evening, were a few ptarmigans, and a white owl,
The latter was so shy, that we could not get near
it, and of the former we got only one or two, the
assistance of all of us being so indispensably neces-
sary for getting the cart along, that we had but
‘little time for sporting.

Saturday, 3d.— We resumed our journey again
at half-past two o’clock this morning, the weather
being hazy, with a light breeze of wind from the
southward. Soon after we started, we came to the

* His name is Benjamin Hadman, seaman.

202 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

side of a hill, on which we found small pools of
water, from which we filled our canteens, having
been hitherto obliged to melt snow to procure that
necessary article. As we went along we fell in with
a reindeer (without horns), which was at first ex-
ceedingly tame, for he came within twenty or
thirty yards of the party who first saw him; they
happened unfortunately however to -have no fire-
arms with them, and by the time those who had,
came up with him, he became more wary : he was
fired at, however, but without success. We pitched
our tents again at six o’clock A. M., supped, and
at eight retired to rest, under the protection, as
before, of an officer, and a man on watch; but
as this precaution is to be always adopted. when-
ever we stop for that purpose, .it will be unne-
cessary to mention the thing hereafter. In order
to give each individual as much rest as possible,
every officer and man, indiscriminately, are to
keep watch in their turn, so that the men will
not have above an hour’s watch each, every night,
and the officers rather more than an hour and a
half.

Our latitude by meridian altitude at noon was
75° 0’ 52” N., and longitude, by chronometer,
20’ 48” E. of Winter Harbour, or rather of where
the ships lie.* We resumed our journey again at
a quarter before six in the afternoon, and conti-
nued on the march until a quarter past eleven,
when, as usual, we pitched our tentsand dined. Our

* Azimuths were also taken, by which we found the variation
here to be 129° 22! 59” E.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 203

route this evening was over as barren a track of
land as I ever saw, for there was not a single ve-
getable production of any kind to be seen, except
lichens. ‘The surface of the country through which
we passed, was, generally speaking, even, but in
many places very rough, being covered with loose
stones, over which we found considerable diffi-
culty in dragging the cart: but the greatest ob-
struction that we have yet met with, was in getting
it across a deep ravine on our way. AA little to
the northward of this ravine we passed a piece of
ground covered with patches of red sandstone, in
a very disintegrated state. We saw no animal of
any kind during our march this evening, nor even
the traces of any, except here and there the tracks
of a fox.

Sunday, 4th. — In describing the occurrences of
yesterday, I omitted to mention that we left the
border of the extensive plain along which we came
the evening before ; how far we are from it at pre-
sent it is impossible to say, as the weather is hazy,
and has been so for most part of the time during
these four-and-twenty hours past. At the place
where we dined last night, we left a tin canister,
containing a piece of-parchment, on which was
written a short account.of the party who left it.
We built over it a pile of loose stones, about three
feet high. We started again a quarter of an hour
before three o’clock this morning, and continued
on the march until twenty minutes after seven.
Our route was over a plain so completely covered
with snow, that the eye looked in vain for land in

204 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

any direction*, except to the westward, where an
extensive range of mountains, (which from their
appearance we usually call the Blue Mountains),
terminate our view. ~This range seems to run
nearly north and south, for our route during these
two days past has been parallel with them, and at
the distance, as near as we can estimate, of twelve or
fifteen miles. Between five and six o’clock this
morning a breeze sprang up from the southward,
of which we availed ourselves in a way in which
I never saw wind made use of before ; for we got
one of the tent-blankets rigged out on the cart as
a sail, which made our caravan truly characteristic
of our travellers, as certainly none but seafaring
people would ever think of such a contrivance :
the benefit that was derived from it however ex-
ceeded the hopes even of those who suggested it.
The weather being cloudy, we had no observations
at noon. We did not resume our journey this
evening until half past seven o’clock, owing to the
weather being very unfavourable, for it blew very
tresh, snowed, and drifted the whole day, which
made the tents for the first time rather uncomfort-
able ; and, to add to this, one of the officers of the
party was taken ill with a complaint in his bowels,
which rendered it necessary to have him carried
on the cart for the greatest part of this evening’s
march. We had the sail on the cart again for some
time, and found it, as before, of considerable ser-

* To give an idea of the little space there was free from snow,
I need only mention that the only spot that was clear of it, was
that on which we pitehed our tents, and it was so small that they
covered the whole of it. |

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 205

vice whilst we went before the wind; but this was
not always practicable, as we had at different times
to cross ravines, and other places which obliged
us to deviate from our true course. The direction
of ‘all the ravines that we crossed this evening
was from east to west; one of them was very
large, having its southern side very abrupt, and
the opposite slanting gradually.

Monday, 5th. — The weather became so foggy
after ten o’clock last night, that we could not see
distinctly above fifty or sixty yards before us, so
that we were obliged to steer our way by compass.
This indeed we found no great difficulty in doing,
but owing to the ground being so completely
covered with snow, we could not find a single spot
clear of it to pitch the tents on at our usual time of
resting, and we were at last obliged to be content
with a sort of pavement which we formed of loose
stones to place them on. Fatigue however made
it as soft to us as a bed of down, for we rested
from a quarter after one o’clock this morning,
until half past five, as comfortably as_ possible.
After dinner this morning we drank His Majesty’s
health, in honour of the anniversary of his birth-
day. We were rather behind hand in point of
time in paying this compliment, but as the circum-
stances already stated prevented our dining earlier,
we may hope to be excused for our delay. Our
trip this morning was, comparatively speaking, but
short, for we did not start until a quarter before
six o’clock, and we stopped again at eight. Our
course was across a level plain, so completely
covered with snow, that, had the weather been clear

206 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

last night, I believe we should have found some
difficulty to get a space clear of it to pitch our tents
on. The place where we stopped this forenoon
was the best spot for our purpose that we met with
since we left the ships. It was at the bottom of an
open ravine, where there was abundance of water,
and fine dry ground to lie upon. We ascertained
the latitude of this place by meridian altitude to
be 75° 22’ 43” N., and longitude, by chronometer,
25’ 57” west of Winter Harbour. We built here
a circular pile of stones, about eight feet high,
in the centre of which we deposited a small
cylinder containing a slip of parchment, similar to
those already mentioned which were put in the tin
canisters. Weresumed our journey at half past
five o’clock in the evening, with a fine breeze of
wind from the southward, and beautiful, clear wea-
ther. ‘The wind being fair we set sail immediate-
ly we got out of the ravine. At about four miles
from the place whence we started, we came to
another ravine, and between three and four miles
farther on we crossed a second, both of which I
remarked had their south side (for they ran east
and west) abrupt, and the north side sloping like
those already mentioned. ‘This conformation I
am inclined to think is owing to the snow that col-
lects in the north side of them, for we could not
see the ground on that. side, whilst on their south
side the surface of the earth was always visible.

We steered our course to-day entirely by com-
pass, for our route was over a level plain, so
entirely under the snow, that no remarkable
object could be seen at a distance to be guided

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 207

by. The-way in which we managed therefore, was
by putting the compass on the snow until we got
our eye fixed on some particular object, four or
five hundred yards on, in the direction we wanted
to go, and when we got there, taking a fresh mark
in the same way. ‘This was always done by two
persons who went on before the rest, so that those
who dragged the cart never had any occasion to
stop; indeed, asa proof thatthere was no time lost,
we estimated that we walked over more ground this
evening, than we had done at any one spell since we
first started ; the ground being even, and the wind
in our favour, contributed certainly very much,
besides, we were a considerable time on the march,
and did not stop until midnight.

No living creature of any kind was seen to-day ;
we saw however the track of a deer, and several
foxes’ tracks. ‘The blue hills before mentioned
were in sight the whole day. In our route we
thought that we approached them a little, but I
do not believe that we have been at any time with-
in four leagues of them. About an hour before we
halted this evening, (7. e. at eleven o’clock,) we
descried a range of hills extending from north by
east to the eastward, which we hailed with as much
pleasure as mariners do land on first seeing it ;
for the monotony of the plain we have been
travelling over for these two days past, has been
uninteresting in the extreme. How far these hills
are off we can as yet form no certain estimate, but
to have some object in view, let it be ever so remote,
affords some satisfaction to the mind. Besides,
I am in hopes fhat we have already reached the

208 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

extremity of the plain over which we have lately
been travelling; for where we pitched our tents this
evening, there are two or three eminences not
covered with snow. : |

Tuesday, 6th. — We started again at four o’clock
this morning, and in less than half an hour got to
the top of one of the eminences just mentioned,
where, very much to our surprise, we found the
land descend rapidly, as near as we could judge,
between three and four hundred feet; from the
foot of this declivity it sloped more gradually for
the space of three or four miles, where it termi-
nated in a large plain, of which we could see no
end to the northward.

This was the impression we received when the
prospect opened first to our view, but after a few
minutes’ observation, we were satisfied that this
plain could be nothing else but the sea, for, on view-
ing it with a telescope, we could make out several
pools of water on its surface, and along the edge
of it there were hummocks of ice thrown up on
the beach, the same as on the south coast of the
island ; in fact, nothing now remained to convince
us of its being the sea, except tasting the water,
and that test we were determined to add also as
soon as we reached it. Before we could accom-
plish this, however, the weather became thick, and
it began to rain a little, with afresh breeze of wind
from the southward. In order, therefore, to secure
a dry spot to pitch our tents upon, we were ob-
liged to stop at six o’clock, being then, as near as
we could judge, about two miles from the coast.
To shelter ourselves from the wind, which was, as

19

TO THE ARTIC REGIONS: 209

i have already observed, very fresh, we built a
wall between five and six feet high and seven or
eight long to the windward of the tents. Ina valley
close to us, there was a small lake of open water
which appeared to be frequented by wild geese,
for we saw eight of them flying about in its neigh-
bourhood. ‘The under part of their body, from
the breast backwards, was of a dull white colour,
all the rest of the body was dark. As the wind
still continued to blow pretty fresh, and the ground
was covered with snow that had fallen during
the day, we did not move with the tents in the
evening, but at six o’clock, P. M., a party started
to examine the coast more particularly, and at
eleven o’clock they returned perfectly convinced
that this was the sea; though the ice was so thick,
that they could not, with the means they had, pene-
trate through it. In order, however, to leave no
room for any person, let him be ever so sceptical, to
doubt on this point, it is determined to remove the
tents early to-morrow morning down to the beach,
and then to employ all hands in making a hole
through the ice. It is desirable also to determine
the latitude and longitude of this part of the coast,
for the state of the weather to-day prevented our
obtaining either. With respect to the nature of
the country on this side of the island, there is as
little to be said in favour of its fertility as for any
part of it that we have examined; in fact, it is as
barren as it is possible for land to be: even the hardy
poppy that abounds on the south side of the island,
in the worst soil, is not to be found here. The only
mineral that we have yet seen on this side, is sand-
P

910 A VOYAGE OF. DISCOVERY

stone of a whitish colour, and generally of a slatey
nature.

Wednesday, 7th. — We packed up the tents and
set off for the sea-side at a quarter before two
o’clock this morning, and at twenty minutes after
four pitched them again on the beach, under the
shelter of some high hummocks of ice which were
thrown up there. As the weather was inclement
at the time, we did not begin to dig the hole
through the ice until the afternoon. It fortunately,
however, cleared up for a little while at noon, so
that the meridian altitude of the sun was obtained,
and, in the afternoon, sights were taken to deter-
mine the longitude, and azimuths for finding the
variation. The results of these observations were
as follows, viz. lat. '75° 34’ 47” N., long. 12’ 18” E.
of Winter Harbour, and the variation of the com-
pass 134° 32’ 20” east.

We had reason to consider ourselves very fortu-
nate in having been able to determine these points
in so short a time, and in so unfavourable weather.
We were no less successful in cutting through the
ice, for although we had no other instruments
but the boarding pikes to dig with, we suc-
ceeded in our labour by ten o’clock, P. M. Its
thickness exceeded any floe-ice that we have seen
in these regions before, being no less than four-
teen feet four inches, and it likewise appeared to
be of a firmer texture than usual, being as blue as
any berg-ice, and equally as compact. ‘The water
that rushed through it did not taste very salt ; it was
sufficiently so, however, to distinguish it to be that

TO THE: ARCTIC REGIONS. 211

ef the ocean, so that we had now all the proof which
could be obtained, that we had reached the sea,
aud by that means fully accomplished the object
of our expedition.

And as we may fairly claim the honour of being
the discoverers of this coast, Mr. Parry took this op-
portunity of establishing our right to that honour,
by naming the different remarkable places that were
seen on the occasion. The hills I mentioned as
having been seen on the night of the fifth instant,
bearing then, from north by east, to the eastward
of us, appear now to be a separate island, which
he has named Sabine Island. The northern ex-
tremity of the blue hills which have been so fre-
quently mentioned in the course of our journey,
he has done me the honour of naming after me,
Cape Fisher. It bore N. W. of us, distant, as
near as we could judge at the time, six or seven
leagues ; from the view that we had of it, it ap-
peared to be very bold, and of a considerable
height. The point on which we pitched our tents,
he named after one of the gentlemen of the party,
Point Nias, and another point of land, a few miles
to the eastward of this, he named Point Reid,
after another gentleman of our number; and a large
bay, lying between Cape Fisher and Point Nias,
was named after the ships, Hecla and Griper’s
Bay. ‘hese were the different places that were
distinguished with names on this occasion, and as
the weather was fine and clear in the evening, we
had a very excellent view of them, and angles
were taken, from which their situation will be
correctly laid down in the chart, or rather the map

BS

212 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

of our travels. Before I conclude my diary of
this day’s events, I must mention one circum-
stance more, which, although trivial in itself,
deserves to be noticed, inasmuch as it tends to
shew, that although this shore is at present blocked
up with such heavy ice, yet that there are times
when there is open water here. The circum-
stance that I allude to is that a piece of fir-wood
seven feet and a half long, andabout the thickness
of a man’s arm, was found between seventy and
eighty yards (inland) from the hummocks on the
beach, and at least five and twenty or thirty feet
above the level of the sea. Most part of it was
buried in the ground, and it appeared, indeed, to
have lain there for a considerable time, for the
earth had penetrated between the fibres of it, so
that when it was dug up it separated into distinct
filaments, according to the grain of the wood.
Thursday, 8th. — We packed up our tents at
half-past two o’clock this morning, and took the
cart up to the top of an eminence about half a
mile from the beach, where we had determined
yesterday to build a monument; but, owing to the
weather being so bad in the forenoon, and the
cutting of the hole in the ice having occupied so
much of our time in the afternoon, we were obliged
to defer it until this morning; it did not delay us
long, however, for there were so many stones on
the spot we had selected, that we finished it
by four o’clock. It is of a circular form, and of
the following dimensions, namely, twelve feet in
diameter at the base, and about twelve feet high.
In a small apartment which we made in the centre

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 218

of it, we deposited a tin cylinder containing a slip
of parchment, on which was written a brief account
to the same purport as customary on the papers left
at other places where we halted. Along with the
cylinder we also left a sixpence coined in 1817, a
penny-piece, bearing the date of the year 1797, and
a half-penny dated 1807 : — several naval uniform
buttons were likewise put there by some of the
men.

I mentioned two days ago, that the stone chiefly
met with on this side of the island, is sandstone,
and of this we had to-day a very convincing proof ;
for the point on which we erected the monument
being our farthest north, we were all desirous of
taking something back from it; and, as nothing
was to be found on it but stones, our choice was
necessarily confined. But we had no idea, until we
began to examine the place, that it afforded so
few varieties ; for, after the most diligent search,
nothing was to be met with but sandstone, except
one small piece of granite, which we divided into
specimens.

The object of our expedition being now accom-
plished in every respect, we began our journey
back at four o’clock in the morning. As our route
to the northward was on a tract so barren of
interest, it is intended not to return in that direc-
tion, but to go to the blue hills so often mention-
ed, where we may expect to meet some variety,
and as they run nearly north and south, our going
along them will not take us much out of our way;
and even if it did, we have plenty of provisions

P38

214 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

to return with. Our course, therefore, after we .
started this morning, was to the southward and
westward, for a considerable part of the way along
the south-eastern coast of Hecla and Griper’s Bay.
The weather was so cold that it froze the water in
our canteens, and one of them was burst in con-
sequence. We pitched our tents again at seven
o’clock, on the side of a dry sandy hill, the top
of which we found to be full of holes, like a rab-
bit warren ; most probably fox burrows. At this
place also we found a ptarmigan: so that we may
already say, that we have met with more to interest
us than we did during the last three days of our
journey to the northward. ‘The latitude of this
place we found, by meridian altitude, to be '75°
33’ 55” N.; and longitude by chronometer 1’ 23” 5,
W. of the ships.

We resumed our journey again at half-past five
o’clock in vhe afternoon, and continued on the
march until half past eleven. Our route during
this day’s journey was for the most part over plains,
the greatest extent of which was covered with snow:
as we came along, however, we found that the
parts that were clear of it, improved very much in
their appearance; for vegetation was, in some
places, well advanced, especially in those where
the ground was moist from the dissolution of
the snow. In course of our journey, this even-
ing, we shot a ptarmigan, and saw two geese of
the same kind as those that were seen on the 6th
instant.

Friday, 9th. — We started again a quarter after
three o’clock this morning, directing our course

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 215

more to the southward, in order to keep ona ridge
of rising ground, which was almost clear of snow,
and led to the Blue Hills. As our route
was chiefly over such good travelling ground, we
got by seven o’clock to the foot of these hills;
where we pitched our tents on the top of a fine
dry eminence; from which, we had a tolerable
good view of the plain to the northward and
westward of us. We shot three ptarmigans at
this place, two of which were hens, and had the
colour of their plumage so much changed, that a
person would hardly suppose them to be the same
kind of bird with those that we killed about a week
ago; for the belly was the only part of them that
was white; the head, neck, back, and upper side
of the wings, and the tail, being nearly of the
same colour as a partridge. ‘The cock was per-
fectly white, as before. In the course of our trip,
this morning, we saw, for the first time this season,
a running stream of water; and we passed several
large pools of it in the ravines which we crossed.
We found the lat. of the place of our encampment
by meridian altitude, to be 75° 26’ 43” N.
and long., by chronometer, 53’ 37” 5 W. of Win-
ter Harbour. The weather was extremely fine,
with a light air of wind from the southward
and westward. The men employed themselves,
during their respective watches, in washing their
flannels, stockings, and such other articles as
they had dirty; which were all perfectly dry
by half-past five o’clock in the afternoon,
the time when we started again. Our route
this evening was sometimes across plains and
Pp 4

216 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

valleys, and at other times, over hills; on the
former, we find it now rather heavy travelling ; for
the snow is melting so rapidly, that the land is, in
these places, completely saturated with water.
The progress of vegetation is astonishingly quick :
the sorrel is already so far advanced, that we picked
enough, during our march this evening, to afford
us some refreshment. ‘The ground travelled over
to-day must be, at times, well stocked with deer;
for we passed a great many of their horns;
and their old tracks were very numerous. We
killed two ptarmigans in the course of the evening,
and two or three more were seen. Between nine
and ten o’clock the weather became hazy, with
occasional light showers of snow: we continued on
the march, however, until a quarter before eleven
o’clock.

Saturday, 10th. — We resumed our journey again
at a quarter before three o’clock in the morning,
and continued on the march until a quarter after
seven. Our route was, as yesterday, over hills
and plains; we also crossed several ravines,
some of which we found a little difficulty in
passing, especially one or two, for the snow in
them is now so thoroughly soaked with water, that
the cart sunk into it up to the naves. ‘The wea-
ther was so thick this forenoon that we could see
to no great distance, and even if it were clear, I
believe our view would not be so extensive as we
thought it would when we saw these hills at a dis-
tance ; for they are so nearly of a height, that every
little rising obstructs the prospect from one over
the other. The plains on their top are yet almost

rO THE ARCTIC REGIONS: 217

entirely covered with snow; we came across one of
these this morning, that was several miles in ex-
tent, and had scarcely a single black spot on it.
The only animals we saw during this march were
four arctic gulls (Larii Parasitic’) flying to the
eastward. Our latitude by meridian altitude to-
day was 75° 20’ 54” N.

We started again at half-past five in the after-
noon, but the weather was so bad that we were
obliged to halt again at half-after nine ; for it blew
very fresh indeed from the south-east, and snowed
so incessantly that it was impossible to see dis-
tinctly thirty yards before us. We were fortunate,
however, in getting a good place to pitch our
tents in, having reached a very deep ravine that
afforded us excellent shelter: and there happened
to be plenty of slatey sandstone in the same place,
with which we paved the floors of our tents. In
the north side of this ravine there was an immense
accumulation of snow ; great pieces, or avalanches
of it, which had broken off, were lying at the
bottom of the ravine. I have hitherto omitted to
mention that, since we got into the neighbourhood |
of these hills, and particularly since we got on
them, we have found a considerable difference in the
mineralogical productions; sandstone is indeed the
predominant mineral, for all the fixed rocks that we
have seen are entirely composed of it; but we fre-
quently meet with pieces of granite, quartz, and
felspar, and sometimes hornblende. The sand-
stone is remarkably schistose, being frequently as
thin as roofing slate; solid blocks of it, indeed,

218 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVER¥

are rarely to be met with of any considerable
size. ?
Sunday, 11th. — The weather cleared up this
morning, the wind having veered round to the
N. W. We therefore packed up our tents and re-
sumed our journey at five o’clock. Our first out-
set was up the south side of the ravine in which
we slept last night; this we found to be an under-
taking that required all our exertions, for it was
so steep, that it took us nearly three-quarters of an
hour to get the cart up. Our route afterwards
was for about three hours over a plain covered
with snow. It appeared to be of a considerable
height, for we had a very extensive view from it
in every direction. After we got to the end of this
plain, a very romantic prospect all at once pre-
sented itself to our view; for we beheld at the foot
of the plain, and about two or three miles to the
south-eastward of it, a sheet of ice of great width,
with an island about three-quarters of a mile in
length, rising abruptly from the middle of it to
the height of six or seven hundred feet. The
shores of this lake, or gulf (for we were unable at
this time to say which it was) appeared to be very
rugged and precipitous, particularly on the north-
west side, or that on which we were. We con-
tinued to approach it until ten o’clock, when, going
down the side of a steep and rough hill that lay
on the north side, the axle-tree of the cart snapt
in the middle. As this was an injury that we had |
no possible means of repairing, it required no
time to consider what was to be done; we there-
fore got every thing immediately taken off,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 219

and carried down to a valley at the foot of the
hill. It was at first intended to break the wheels
up for fire-wood, but on reconsideration it was
found that the body of the cart would afford
as much fuel as we were likely to require; the
wheels and axle were therefore left, for future
travellers (if any should pass that way) to see that
they were not the first adventurers who passed
over these rocky mountains. Although the loss of
the cart was a thing by no means to be wished for,
yet we did not consider it in any way in the light
of a disaster; for what provisions remained we
found to be no more than what we could manage
to carry very well, when properly divided amongst
officers, and all.

Had the accident occurred indeed when we
were on the north side of the island, it might have
put us to some inconvenience, but we have reason
to think, that, instead of its retarding our progress
at present, we shall get on much quicker without
the cart, as the ground has been getting gradually
worse for travelling every day for some time past,
and there is every chance of its continuing to do
sO.

From the top of the hill on the side of which the
cart broke down, we could see ‘* Table Hill,” or at
least, a hill which we have every reason to suppose
from its bearing and estimated distance to be that
so named ; for our latitude by meridian altitude at
noon to-day, was 75° 12’ 50” N., and longitude by
chronometer 1° 00’ 31” 5 W. of Winter Harbour* :

* The variation of the compass at this place was found to be
125° O1' 52” E.

220 ‘A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

and the hill in question was always judged to be
between six and seven miles from the ships. After
we had pitched our tents, and got every thing that
‘was on the cart down to them, we supped and lay
down to rest until the evening, when we began to
make preparations for resuming our journey. All
the provisions, tents, and indeed every article of
public property, were weighed, and equitably dis-
tributed amongst the officers and men according
to their supposed strength. I am sorry to say,
however, that, notwithstanding the necessity there
was on this occasion, for every person to take
some share of the public burden, there was one
amongst us who did not offer to carry a single
article but his own private property; his name I
forbear to mention, nor would I indeed notice the
circumstance at all, were it not in justice to the
rest of the party to say of them, that, instead of
showing any inclination to imitate such a glaring
instance of a want of public spirit, it appeared to
stimulate them to emulate one another in their
exertions.

Monday, 12th. — We struck the tents at two
o’clock this morning, every thing else that we
intended to take with us being by this time packed
up. What we left indeed were articles of very
little use, such as empty canteens, and meat-cases,
in which we used to carry water, and wash; some
spare ammunition was also left, and a few other
trifles which were deemed useless. The pole
of the cart was set up against the side of a wall
that we built yesterday to shelter the tents from
the wind, and at the foot of this pole we deposited

fO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. QZ]

the tin-cases and canteens, and indeed all the rest
that was abandoned.* We began our journey at
half-past two o’clock, and about three reached the
shore of the gulf, or lake before mentioned ; our
route was from this time until five o’clock along
the foot of the mountains which bound the north-
western side of it at this place. During this part
of our march we saw several ptarmigans, two or
three of which we shot, and on a pool of open
water, close to the beach, we saw a couple of
geese of the same kind as those seen on the
north side of the island. A raven was also observed
in the course of the morning, and some bank swal-
lows. The rocks along the foot of which we came
this morning were composed of sandstone, but
different in character from that which we met with
in the ravines we have been passing for some
days past, for it existed in large blocks. At five
o’clock we came to a low point, from which we
had a good view of the extent and direction of the
gulf, or lake, as it stretched inland. Of its extent,
indeed, we could form no certain judgment, as we
could not see the termination of it; but with re-
spect to its direction we found that it ran to the
northward and eastward, or rather between north-
east and east. After ascertaining that to go round
the top or north-east end of it, would take us very
much out of our way, it was determined to ven-
ture directly across it from this point; but as we
had already been nearly three hours on the march,

* We deposited a cylinder here which contained a piece of

parchment, on which was written the same information as on
those that we left at the different places already mentioned.

222 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

it was deemed to be too great an exertion to at-
tempt this without halting, the distance at the
narrowest part being estimated to be at least six
or seven miles; and as the halt could not be made
conveniently on the ice, our only alternatives were
to rest where we were, or to go to the island men-
tioned yesterday, which we considered to be about
halfway across, and not lying much out of the
direction in which we wished to go. We there-
fore started for the island a little after five o’clock,
and arrived there at seven. A few minutes
after we landed there, we discovered that this large
sheet of water, respecting which we were hitherto
in doubt whether it were a lake or an arm of the
sea, was actually the latter, for one of the men who
happened to take up a pot-full of water out of a
pool on the ice close to the beach, found that it was
very brackish, which decided the point quite to
our satisfaction; very little doubt, indeed, re-
mained on our mind before, for we noticed as
we came along hummocks of ice thrown up in
different places on the shore, a thing which we
could hardly suppose would happen if it was a
lake. We found the island to be composed, like
the adjacent hills, of sandstone, and very barren.
It is about three-quarters of a mile in length, from
north north-west to south south-east ; and nearly
of the same breadth. It rises perpendicularly
from the sea on the west side to the height of six
or seven hundred feet, and the ascent to it,
on every other side, is pretty steep. From the
top there was a very good view of the gulf to
the westward, or, in other words, towards its

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. BOS

mouth, for it runs nearly east and west. The two
capes that form the entrance of it are, I under-
stand, to be called Cape Beechey, and Cape Hopp-
ner, after the two officers of these names belong-
ing to the expedition. The distance between
these capes and the island was estimated to be from
six to seven leagues, and the average breadth of
the gulf beyond the island to the westward, be-
tween four and five leagues. ‘The gulf itself is to
be named Liddon’s Gulf, in compliment to the
commander of the Griper; and a bold promontory
on the north side of it is to be called Cape Kd-
wards, after the principal medical officer of the
expedition ; and the island is to be named Hooper’s
Island, after the officer of that name belonging to
the Hecla. In speaking of the mineralogy of
Hooper’s Island, I omitted to mention that we
found several pieces of crystallised carbonate of
lime on it, small pieces of quartz and felspar were
also met with, and it is probable that if we had
time to examine it more minutely, we should meet
with many other varieties. Nor is it in minerals
only, that it promised to be an interesting place ;
it seemed to be a great resort for birds, as we
saw several ptarmigans on it, and a great many of
the geese so often mentioned in the course of our
journey, were swimming on the pools of water that -
lay off it. Of these birds we managed to shoot four
during our stay, and found them to be brent geese
(Anas Bernicla, Lin.) ‘They weighed about four
pounds each, at least that was the weight of the
first one that we shot, and the rest appeared to be
about the same size. The latitude of the place where

224, A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the tents were pitched was found by meridian alti-
tude to be 75° 05’ 08” N., and longitude by chro-
nometer 1° 08’ 03” W. of Winter Harbour.* We
left the island at half-past six, and directed our
course to the nearest part of the land on the south-
east side of the gulf, where we arrived at half-past
eight.

On reaching the shore we saw two reindeer,
and some ptarmigans, but we could not, nor indeed
did we try much to get near them, for the ice
where we crossed it this morning was so deeply
covered with snow, that every person appeared to
be pretty well fatigued by the time we stopped.
The land on this side of the gulf, we found to be,
comparatively speaking, low, and less covered with
snow than on the opposite side. After crossing a
piece of rising ground near where we landed, we
entered into a fine open valley leading to the south-
ward and eastward. In the N. W. side of it there
was a lagoon, about three quarters of a mile in
circumference ; it communicated with the gulf by
a channel about fifty yards in breadth, across which
we travelled. On the top of a small eminence,
about thirty feet above the level of the sea, and
close to the entrance of the lagoon, we found a
piece of fir wood about two feet long, and at the
thickest end about the same circumference. We
also found here the skeleton of a musk-ox, and .
several reindeer’s horns were seen as we came
along. ‘There was every appearance indeed of
this valley being very much frequented by these

* The variation of the compass on this island was found to
be 122° 59 37” E. er

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 995

animals, for their tracks were very numerous, and
even without these indications it might be inferred
that it is a place likely to be resorted to both by
deer, and musk-oxen, as it afforded the best pas-
turage of any place that I have yet seen on this
island. At eleven o’clock we pitched our tents,
and dined.

Tuesday, 13th. — Instead of resuming our jour-
ney this morning, as usual after dinner, it was
determined not to start until the evening, in order
to employ the forenoon in examining the valley
and the shore of the gulf, in this neighbourhood,
more particularly, as being places where we were
likely to meet with objects of interest; and the
sequel will show that our anticipations were re-
alized, and consequently that our delay was amply
repaid. Our success in the sporting way was not
indeed so great as we expected, for a few ptarmi-
gans and a golden-plover were all that we killed ;
but we had the satisfaction of finding, that much
more might be done, as we saw no fewer than thir-
teen deer in one herd, and a musk-ox was also seen
for the first time this season. But what is still more
interesting, we found that this island had been
inhabited at some period or other: for we found
the remains of six Esquimaux huts, at the distance
of two hundred and fifty, or three hundred yards
from the beach, on a stony eminence on the south-
east side of the valley. They resembled, in every
respect, the ruins which we met with, and were
described on the 28th of last August, and also the
Esquimaux huts which we saw the year before in
Baffin’s Bay ; being composed of rough stones, and

Q

296 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

of a rude oblong figure, about eight feet long,
and five or six feet broad, besides a place about.
two feet square at the end of each, which, I have
been told, is that where the Esquimaux keep their
provisions. Detached from the huts, we found a
square between two and three feet each way, which
we supposed to have been the cooking place of the.
whole party. Ata little distance from this there
was another rectangular place, of the use of which
we could form no idea; it was about three feet
long and one foot broad, and filled to the depth of
six or seven inches with ptarmigans’ dung. How
long it is since these huts were inhabited, it is im-
possible to say, but it must have been’many years
ago, for the flags with which they were paved were
covered with moss, and the exposed sides of the
stones that composed the walls were all covered
with lichen. But whatever the length of time may
be since they were inhabited, it is probable that
those who did inhabit them were not strangers to
this coast, for they certainly chose the most eligible
spot for game that we have seen in the country.
The geographical site of these huts was nearly
as follows, viz. lat. '75° 2’ 37” N., and longitude,
by chronometer, 48’ 48” west of Winter Harbour ;
I have said nearly, because the observations from
which these results were obtained were made at
the tents, which were about half a mile inland of
the huts. The variation of the compass was found
here to be 126° 1’ 48” easterly. Every object that
we had in view at this place, being at length
accomplished, we packed up, and resumed our
journey at six o’clock in the evening, the weather

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 227

being at the time hazy, with a fresh breeze of wind
from the S.S.E. We had not been above an hour
on the march, when it came on to snow; we con-
tinued on our way, however, until nearly eight
o'clock, thinking that it would, perhaps, clear
up; but, on finding then that there was no ap-
pearance of it, we pitched our tents to secure a dry
spot before it was too late.

Wednesday, 14th. —'The weather having cleared
up about four o’clock, we began immediately to
prepare for our journey, and in rather less than
twenty minutes we were again on the march.
About five o’clock, the atmosphere became fine and
clear, so that we had an excellent view of the
rocky precipices on the north side of Liddon’s
Gulf; and shortly after we saw Table Hill, which
we kept in sight, and towards which we directed
our course until we stopped at eight o’clock. ‘The
surface of the country which we traversed this
morning, was, generally speaking, even, but not
level, for it rose gradually as we went along to
the southward and eastward. <A very considerable
portion, I think, indeed, nearly one half the sur-
face of the land, is now clear of snow.

This has been one of the finest days we have
had this summer, for it was for some part of
the time warmer than we could wish it. Our
latitude, at noon, was 74° 53’ 55” N., and with
respect to our longitude, it is not an object
worth being mentioned now, as we are so near
Table Hill, that we expect to reach it in our next
journey. We started again a little before six
o’clock in the evening, and directed our course,

Qk

2298 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

as before, towards Table Hill, which we reached
about twenty minutes before ten, and pitched our
tents at the foot of it. Our route was, during this
march, over ground of the same nature as that
which we passed in the forenoon, with this differ-
ence, however, that it was much more difficult to
travel over, for it is so completely saturated with
water, that we frequently sank into it up to the
ankle, and sometimes farther, and even in the
driest parts of it we went down an inch or two; in
short, we avoided the black ground to-day as much
as we sought it ten days ago. We observed,
during this day’s march, a considerable difference
in the mineralogical character of the country, for
instead of the whitish sandstone that prevailed
so abundantly from Liddon’s Gulf to the north
side of the island, we found that the kind of
stone we generally met with had a greenish tinge,
and was of a loose or disintegrated texture, like the
sandstone in the ravines near Winter Harbour.
Small pieces of granite, quartz, and _ felspar,
were pretty frequently met with, and when we
got within a couple of miles of Table Hill, we
began to observe limestone. Vegetation is now
in a very flourishing condition, the sorrel is far
advanced, and there is a species of saxifrage
(oppositifolia) beginning to blossom. |

Thursday, 15th. — After taking a few hours’ rest,
we all turned to (at two o’clock) to build a monu-
ment on the top of Table Hill*, which we finished

* As this hill is a conspicuous object at a very considerable
distance, its geographical position deserves to be mentioned.

15

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 299

by six. It is of a circular form, ten feet in diame-
ter at the base, and about eleven feet high. In
the centre of it we deposited an empty Donkin’s
meat-canister, containing a slip of parchment, on
which was written the same brief notice that was
on the pieces that we left at the other places that
I have already mentioned, viz. «‘ This was depo-
sited here by a party from his Majesty’s ships
Hecla and Griper, who wintered on this island in
1819 and 1820.” In building it we left also a
small passage, leading on an inclined plane from
the outside to the centre, through which it is in-
tended to convey a cylinder (that is to be sent out
from the ship*), in which will be a paper giving a
more detailed account of our stay, and object in
visiting these regions, &c. As it was apprehended
that we should find it disagreeable to travel in the
heat of the day, instead of setting off to the ships
after we had finished the monument, we retired, as
usual, to rest. We broke up our encampment
again, for the last time, at a quarter after three
o’clock in the afternoon, and got on board by seven

It was obtained from observations made at the monument that
we erected on the top of it, viz.
Latitude by meridian altitude 74° 48’ 33” N.
Longitude by chronometer - 23 04 W. of the ships.
Variation of the compass 123 16.01 E.

* This cylinder was sent out after our return; and in the en-
trance of the hole through which it was conveyed, there was
fixed a copper-plate, on which was punched the names of the
ships, and the date of the year. I may remark, also, in this
place, that a similar plate was fixed on the south-west side of
the pile that was erected on North-East Hill, near Winter
Harbour.

Qa

250 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

in the evening, where we were received with every
demonstration of a hearty welcome ; after having
performed a journey of at least one hundred and
eighty miles, since, by the most moderate com-
putation, I think we must have averaged twelve
miles a-day. In giving the account of this journey,
Tam perfectly aware that I have been’ more minute
in many instances than the subject of which I was
treating merited ; but I thought that, by attempt-
ing to cull it,. | might omit some circumstances that
deserved to be mentioned. I have, therefore, given
the whole almost verbatim from the notes which I
made at the time on the spot.

Friday, 16th. — Nothing occurred on_ board
worthy of particular notice during the time we
were away ; getting the ballast in, and re-stowing
the holds, were, I believe, the principal things
done during our absence. A very great difference
however, has taken place in the state of the country
around Winter Harbour, for those parts that were
covered with snow when we left it, are now
abounding with plants of various kinds begin-
ning to blossom ; in fact, the aspect of the coun-
try is so much changed, that, were we not so
thoroughly acquainted with every place in this
neighbourhood, we should hardly recognise it
again. The ice in the harbour has got con-
siderably thinner, but there is no part of it open
yet, nor is there indeed any appearance of its
breaking up for some time. As there is no im-
mediate prospect, therefore, of our leaving this
for some time, it is intended to send a party from
each ship with ten or twelve days’ provisions, in
order to try what they can do in the way of pro-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 931

curing game for the use of the expedition. Each
party are to take tents with them of the same kind
as we had’ on our late journey, so that they can
easily remove them from one place to another,
according as they find game more or less abundant
in different situations. The party from the Hecla
are to consist of three officers and three men, and
as I am appointed to be one of it, my narrative
of the events that may happen on board, must be
again interrupted until our return. We started
from the ship at half past eleven o’clock in the
evening, accompanied by an officer and three men,
who were sent to assist us in carrying the tents and
provisions, &c. We directed our course to the
eastward, for we learnt from a party that went
out on an excursion in that direction some days
ago, that they saw a great many geese on some
lakes on the west side of what is commonly call-
ed Bounty Cape.* We got there between five
and six o’clock next morning, and pitched our
tents on the top of a dry eminence, which
we estimated to be from eight to nine miles
from. the ships. A regular diary of all the cir-
cumstances that occurred from this period un-
til our return again on board, would be so
crowded with repetitions about things of little
interest, that the reading of it would be more
apt to be considered a tedious task, than a
source of pleasure or information. Under this

* This name was first given by the men to that remarkable
headland that is situated near the 110th degree of longitude,
in consequence of that meridian being that for which the first
reward is given; and, I understand, from the name being so
very appropriate, that it is to be confirmed.

Q 4

232 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

impression, therefore, I shall deviate from my
former plan of giving the occurrences of every day
separately, in the order in which they happened,
and endeavour to comprise and arrange every thing
worthy of notice under different heads, in regular
succession. In the first place, then, with respect
to the country, although we were here «only
ten days, it was surprising to see the great change
that took place. On first going out we found
the greatest part of the low land covered with
snow, and the streams of water that flowed from
it, had not then formed into any regular channels,
but were spread all over the plains near the coast,
making them as it were one entireswamp. Before
we came in, however, these swamps had in a great
measure been drained of their water, which formed
three or four streams (within the space of five or
six miles) so that we used generally to distinguish
them by the name of rivers, and one or two of
them indeed were of such magnitude for some
time, as not to be altogether undeserving the ap-
pellation. ‘These streams passed through many
small Jakes, which appeared generally to be very
shallow. We saw two or three lakes, however,
amongst the mountains, which, from the character
of the land around them, we had reason to sup-
pose were of considerable depth ; and I remarked
this difference between them, that the lakes on the
low land were clear of ice, whilst those amongst the
hills were almost entirely covered with it. Vegeta-
tion was very far advanced indeed by the time that
we returned, for on some spots where there was
moisture and good soil, the grass was from two to
three inches long ; and the sorrel was so abundant

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 933

that we used in a few minutes to collect enough
to make a sallad every day to our dinner. With
respect to the mineralogical character of those
parts, I observed nothing different from what
was seen in the immediate neighbourhood of
Winter Harbour, viz. sandstone, composing the
whole of the fixed rocks, and the greatest part of
the loose stones also; granite, limestone, and
small pieces of red felspar were frequently
met with, but these formed but a very small
proportion when compared with the quantity of
sandstone. Having thus taken a cursory review
of the mineral and vegetable productions that
we had an opportunity of seeing, my next ob-
ject is to notice the different kinds of animals.
The deer were not so numerous as we ex-
pected to find them, for two dozen, or thirty at
most, were as many as we saw the whole time
we were out, and of these we only succeeded in
killing two; this we attributed in a great measure
to the shyness of the does, for they were so careful
of their young, that there was no possibility of
getting near them. ‘The two deer that we killed
were very lean, although they appeared to be full-
grown ; the first one weighed only 54 lbs. when
skinned and cleaned, and the other which we got
about a week after 64 lbs. Their horns were not
above nine or ten inches in length; they were
covered with a soft skin, which had a fine downy
coat ; their tips were flexible, but if bent much,
were easily broken ; the substance of the horns
was very porous, and full of blood. The colour
not only of these two, but indeed of all the deer
we saw, was white, with the exception of a light

934: A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ash-coloured patch on their back ; but the fawns
appeared to be entirely of that colour. The next
animals I ought to mention, if I take them accord-
ing to their size, are a couple of wolves which we
saw one afternoon; but as we had but a dis-
tant view, I can say nothing about them. We
had also a distant view, two or three times, of some
foxes ; the only thing in which they appeared to
differ from those that were caught during the win-
ter was, in their having a black patch on their
sides a little before their hind quarters.

We saw several hares during the time we were
out, and killed four; their average weight was
from: seven to eight pounds; they were perfectly
white, with the exception of the tips of their
ears, which were black. ‘These were all the varie-
ties of quadrupeds which we observed, and of the
feathered tribe the number was not much greater.
Brent geese, king ducks, and long-tailed ducks,
arctic and glaucous gulls, comprised the whole
of the aquatic birds; and a few ptarmigans, plo-
vers, sanderlings, and snow-buntings, were all the
land birds that were seen. ‘The geese for the first
two or three days after we went out, were pretty
numerous, but, on finding themselves disturbed,
most of them went away, and those that remained
secured themselves. by keeping in the middle of
two or three large lakes, where our shot would not
reach them ; we succeeded, however, in killing a
dozen during the time we were near them. The
ducks were not numerous, so that our success in
that way was very trifling. With respect to the
ptarmigans, I believe all were killed that were
seen, viz. fifteen; and, if fifty times the number

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Boo

had appeared, I believe we might have killed
them all, for they are as stupid as any birds I ever
saw. ‘These are all the circumstances worthy of
being mentioned that occurred during our ten
days’ excursion; and I am not sure, indeed, that
they are of sufficient importance to claim so much
notice as I have taken of them. As soon as we
returned on board, another party was sent out for
the same purpose, with ten days’ more provisions.

Tuesday, 27th. — With respect to the events
that occurred on board during the time we were
absent, they have been of so little consequence that
they do not deserve to be noticed. ‘The ice on
the harbour has decayed indeed, very considerably
during these ten days past ; it is covered now with
pools of water along shore, and at the places where
the streams of water from the ravines discharge
themselves into the harbour, it is quite detached
from the beach. The land is now completely
clear of snow, with the exception of what there is
in the ravines, and that is dissolving very rapidly
indeed; for the torrents of water that run down
them, exceed any thing of the kind that we have
witnessed in these regions before. ‘The surface of
the country presents a very pleasing appearance ;
some parts of it, in particular, abound with such
abundance of purple-coloured saxifrage in blos-
som, that even persons accustomed to a better
climate than we have been for some time past,
could not help admiring it; but to us, who experi-
enced, and who have so recently emerged from the
dreary scene of an arctic winter, it naturally ap-
pears more delightful. The sorrel is, however,
the only vegetable production from which we

236 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

derive any benefit ; and from it we have a very
abundant supply of a most useful, and very palat-
able article of diet. All the men are sent on
shore twice a-week, viz. on Sunday and Thursday,
to gather it, and what they collect, after being
mixed with vinegar, is served out to them regu-
larly.* Notwithstanding every attention has been
paid to the different seeds that were sown in the
gardens, I believe that we shall receive but very
little benefit from their produce, for their growth
is exceedingly tardy.

Friday, 30th. — At two o’clock this morning
departed this life, William Scott, boatswain’s
mate, who had been ill for some months past, first
with scurvy, and afterwards with diarrhoea, and
general debility. He was reckoned a very good
and quiet man, and I am told an excellent seaman;
but, unfortunately, it is said that he was rather
addicted to spirits. Whether a consciousness of
this failing preyed on his mind or not, I cannot
pretend to say ; but he was often observed to be
very low-spirited, which amounted sometimes,
during his illness, to hypochondriacism.

Sunday, July 2d.— Immediately after divine
service this forenoon, his body was taken on shore,
and interred on a plain between two and three
hundred yards from the beach. Almost the whole
of the officers and men of both ships attended on

* As a considerable quantity of the lemon-juice has been,
as I have already remarked, destroyed by the frost during the
winter, it has, of course become an object of importance to
economise what remains, and as the sorrel that is gathered is
considered to be a good substitute for it, the serving of it out
has for the present been suspended.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ae 7

this occasion, to perform this last duty which we
owe to one another; we all walked two and two,
in regular procession, and in the order which is
always observed on these occasions. *

Friday, 7th. — The weather has been remark-
ably fine since the beginning of this month, the ice
on the harbour is now full of holes in the neigh-
bourhood of the ships, and along shore it is
entirely detached from the land at high water; we
found the thickness of it in several places where
we measured it this evening, to vary from a foot,
to eighteeninches. In the course of the afternoon
a large flock of loons flew across the harbour,
going to the westward, from which we are inclined
to think, that there is some open water in that
direction, and we have reason to suppose, that we
shall soon have it here also. A few days ago
we picked up on the surface of the ice, between
the ships and the shore, three fish, between ten
inches and a foot long each, which answered to
the character given by Linneeus of the pouting
whiting. We presumed that they got on the surface

* On a slab of schistose sandstone about three feet long, and
two feet broad, there was cut the following inscription :
(73 To
The Memory of
Wo. Scorr, Seaman,
His Britannic Majesty’s ship
Hecla ;
Obiit June 30th, 1820.
sEt. 33 years.”

This stone was placed at the head of the grave, with its front
facing to the westward ; and the grave itself was covered with
stone, in order to prevent its being disturbed by wolves, or any
other animals.

238 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

of the ice, at the time it was overflowed by the
stream tides in the winter. In speaking of tides,
it reminds me that I have hither omitted to men-
tion, that we have been for nearly. these two months
past, observing regularly every day, the rise and
fall of the tide in this harbour. * And we found,
from the result of these observations, that the
greatest rise and fall is only four feet two inches,
and that occurred only once, viz. at eight o’clock
in the forenoon, on the 13th of May last.

Friday, 14th. — Nothing of any importance has
occurred for this week past. ‘The ice has now got
very thin, but it has not yet broke up any where
except along the shore. It is expected, however,
that the first strong breeze of wind we have will
break it up ; and, in order to be able to avail our-
selves of the first opportunity that may offer for
getting away, every thing is now, I believe, ready
for taking our departure. Among other mementos
that we have left to indicate our stay at this place,
is a large pile of stones, or monument, as it is
called, which we erected yesterday, on the most
conspicuous hill in this neighbourhood, situated
about two miles to the north-east of where the
ships lay, and from thence usually termed North-
East Hill. ‘This pile is about ten feet in diameter
at the base, and between ten and eleven feet
high. In the centre of it we deposited a tin cy-
linder, containing some silver coins, and a paper
giving an account of our stay, and object in visit-
ing these regions. On the south end of a large

* See Appendix.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 239

stone, situated between two and three hundred
yards from the beach, on the south-west side of
the entrance of the harbour, we cut the follow-
ing words so deepiy, that I imagine some traces
of them will be legible for centuries to come.
The words are these: — “ His Britannic Ma-
jesty’s ships, Hecla and Griper, commanded by
W.E. Parry, and M. Liddon, wintered in the
adjacent harbour, 1819-20.” I may remark also
that the inscription on the tomb-stone of the
late William Scott will be another lasting monu-
ment to show the place near which we have now
passed the best part of a year. JBesides these,
many other relics will be left, which would identify
Winter Harbour for some ages; but, what is more
unperishable than all these marks, which time will
destroy, we have determined its geographical po-
sition with such precision, I presume, that if any
future navigator should hereafter visit this coast,
he will have no difficulty in finding this port, at
least as far as its situation will be concerned.

The latitude of the spot where

the ship lay since the 26th of

Bepbeniser el oi oh.) PS Eh AI OfO INR
Longitude of ditto, by lunar ob-

Servatrons © 7S FAT Le PLO: 464: BOM Ws
Variation of the compass, as

found on shore, clear of the

Shapes aueraccrone 2.0 cele eGR.

Although we are now in perfect readiness,
and, I may say, indeed, in daily expectation
of leaving this place, it is intended to keep
parties out shooting until we have an immediate

94,0 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

prospect of setting off. My diary of the occur-
rences on board must, therefore, be again sus-7
pended for a while, as I am appointed to be one
of the party that is to go out this evening to re-
lieve those who are at the tents. We left the ships
at ten o’clock at night, and arrived at the tents at
four o’clock next morning.

Tuesday, 25th. — My account of all the circum-
stances that came under our observation, from that
period, until our return, may be comprised in very
few words. It would, indeed, be little better than
a mere tautology of the events of our first shooting
excursion, if I were to relate those that occurred
at this time. With respect, therefore, to the ani-
mals that we met with, I have to observe only,
that they were of the same kind as those we saw
before ; but much fewer in number, owing, no
doubt, to their being so much chased and disturbed
for these six weeks past. The face of the country
is very much improved, as far as regards its being
much drier, and consequently better adapted for
travelling ; but with respect to its appearance, it has
lost very considerably in this point, for almost the
whole of the flowers that adorned it, about a fort-
nightor three weeks ago, have nowrunintoseed, and
their petals are fallen off, so that the land has begun
again to look naked. Thelakes and streams that were
so numerous, and some of considerable size, when
we were out about the middle of last month, are
now almost entirely dried up; even those streams
which we then dignified with the name of rivers, are
now so small, that we crossed them on our return
to-day without wetting our feet. The exhalation
from these lakes is almost incredible, considering

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 941

the nature of the climate ; for the vapour that
rises from them sometimes appears at a little dis.
tance, as thick as if it rose from the surface of
hot water. During our excursions, lately, we ob-
served another curious circumstance, peculiar, I
imagine, to this climate, at least to the extent
that we saw it. What I allude to is, that in se-
veral places along the sides of the hills, we ob-
served where pieces of ground, from fifty to sixty
yards in length, and between thirty and forty in
breadth, had started from their place, and slid
down these hills to the distance of sixty or seventy
yards, forming, where they had stopped, large
heaps of earth, and in other places spreading over
the face of these hills. ‘The depth of the chasms
that were left by the removal of these pieces of
ground was, in general, about two feet; the
surface of the ground in them was firmly frozen,
whilst the proand that slid away was so soft,
that a person would sink into it.

How far these casual circumstances may operate
in changing the face of this country, I do not pre-
tend to say, but there is one thing certain, that it
has undergone a very considerable change, and
that too at no very distant period of time; for we
found the jaw-bones of a whale on a plain, at the
distance of a mile, at least, from the sea, and a
crown-bone of a whale was picked up about the
same distance from the shore, near Winter Har-
bour. And, in both these cases, the bones were,
I think, too heavy for wolves or bears to drag them
that distance inland; and, if that be admitted, I
do not see any other way in which the event can

R

242 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

be accounted for, except by supposing that the
coast has extended its former limits. But my ob-
ject being that of stating facts, I shall avoid enter-
ing any farther into these conjectures, for fear of
drawing wrong conclusions. On returning to the
tents this morning, we found an officer and three
men there, who were sent out to assist us in taking
the tents, &c., on board, there being hopes, at
length, of leaving Winter Harbour ; for all the ice
on it is now broke up, and drifting about from
one side to the other, according to the direction
of the wind. We started at three o’clock in the
afternoon, and got on board by eight o’clock in
the evening.

Wednesday, 26th. —'The wind being from the
southward this forenoon, all hands were employed
warping the ships out towards the mouth of the
harbour, where we anchored, the entrance being
as yet choked up with ice; but, as we know that
there is clear water along shore outside, this ob-
struction, we may reasonably expect, will soon be
removed by the first fresh breeze of northerly
wind. é

Friday, 28th. — We are still detained by the
ice above-mentioned, which has been thrown up,
by the late southerly wind, into large hummocks
on the reef, at the south-east side of the en-
trance of the harbour. Our passage, indeed, is
not over that reef, but the ice that has grounded -
on it, seems to offer obstruction in its passage
outward, to that which is in the harbour. We
saw a large seal on the ice to-day, but he lay so
near the edge of the piece on which he was, that

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 945

he succeeded in getting into the water before we
reached him, although he was severely wounded
with balls.

Tuesday, August 1st.— The first of August ap-
pears to be a lucky day in the events of this
voyage, for it was on this day last year that we
entered Lancaster’s Sound, and at twenty minutes
after one o’clock this afternoon we made sail out
of Winter Harbour, after having been part of
every month in the year in it, and, consequently,
upwards of ten calendar months. Our anxiety,
for some time past, to recommence our labours after
so long a period of inactivity, and the pleasure
that we felt on finding that long-wished-for period
at length arrived, may be more easily conceived
than expressed ; for, notwithstanding the several
plans that were adopted to keep both body and
mind employed, we could not help occasionally
reflecting, that much of our time was idly spent,
whilst. a great deal yet remained to be done, be-
fore the object of the expedition would be accom.
plished. On getting out of the harbour to-day,
however, the prospect before us afforded every
reason to hope that, notwithstanding the shortness
of the season, much might be done; for, as far as
we could see to the westward, there was a channel
of open water, three or four miles in breadth,
along the land. To the eastward, this channel
appeared to be still wider, but that not being our
way, we paid but little attention to what lay in
that direction. The weather was extremely fine ;
but the wind being for most part’ of the time
against us, we made no great progress.

R 2

24.4 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Wednesday, 2d. — The wind being still adverse,
our advance to the westward was, as yester-
day, very slow; and in the afternoon it veered
round to the southward, and, consequently, soon
set the ice in with the land, so that we were
obliged, at four o’clock, to make fast to a hum-
mock aground near the shore.

Thursday, 3d.——The weather was foggy most
part of this day ; and, the ice being close in with
the land, we have not moved from the place where
we brought up yesterday. It has been observed,
since we made fast here, that the flood-tide comes
from the westward, and that the time of high-
water corresponds with that in Winter Harbour.

Friday 4th.— The wind having veered round to
the N. W. this forenoon, the ice soon began to
drive off from the land, and by one o’clock in the
afternoon we cast off and made sail. As we ad-
vanced to the westward, we found the channel to
be gradually widening, so that, about midnight,
we were in as great a space of clear water as we
ever observed before off this part of the island,
and, in the opinion of some, more, indeed, than
we found last year; for the ice was estimated to-
night to be, at least, four miles and a half, or five
miles, off the coast; and as to the extent of this
channel to the westward, we had the pleasure of
seeing no end to it in that direction, and, to add
to this, we had a fresh breeze of wind in our fa-
vour, and fine clear weather. About midnight we
got abreast of the place where we were stopped
so long by the ice, at the time the Griper’s party
lost their way, in the month of September last.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Q4.8

Saturday, 5th. — We got this forenoon abreast
of the high land, where we were stopped by the
ice last autumn ; the wind having failed us about
noon, a party went ashore to make observations,
&c. They found the rocks here to consist of
sandstone, as on all other parts of this island,
where we have yet landed. The sorrel, and
other plants brought on board, were considerably
larger than those of the same kind that we picked
about Winter Harbour, most probably owing to
the more favourable situation in which they grew;
being well sheltered from the northerly wind by
the high land, and having a southerly aspect. It
appears that this part of the coast is well stocked
with hares, for they saw four during the short
time they were on shore; a glaucous gull, and a
raven were also seen. At six o’clock in the even-
ing we got to the edge of a loose stream of heavy
ice; but as we advanced into it, it became closer,
and at a quarter before nine it was found to be so
compact that there was. no possibility of getting
through it. We therefore made fast to some
hummocks, about twenty yards from the beach,
in from seven to nine fathoms’ water. We had not
been above an hour or two fast, when we ascertained
that the ice had closed in with the land, both to the
eastward and westward. Our situation, therefore,
was not deemed to be by any means safe; for the
ice was driving to the westward with considerable
velocity, and our only protection against it was a
low point of land, that lay to the eastward of us.
Whilst the ice ran to the westward, however, this
point sheltered us very well ; but, in the event of

rR 3

24.6 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

its returning by the wind or tide in the contrary
direction, or from the southward, we must be
completely exposed to it; circumstances may,
however, become more favourable before such a
change takes place.

Sunday, 6th. — After we made fast last evening,
some of us went ashore, and, in the course of the
night, killed fourteen hares, and a number of glau-
cous gulls, which were found with their young on
the top of an insulated rock, about thirty feet
high, situated near the mouth of a ravine, about
five miles to the eastward. The coast here is very
bold and precipitous, rising abruptly from the sea to
the height of about eight hundred and fifty feet. At
the foot of the rocks there is, indeed, in some
places, a slope from forty to fifty yards in breadth,
covered generally with the loose fragments of
stone that fall from them. These rocks consist
entirely of schistose sandstone, and a kind of
slate-clay, of a light green colour. Along the
face, and pretty near the top of these precipices,
there are a number of insulated columns, or rather
insulated masses, that resemble, in some measure,
when viewed a little way off, the turrets of a di-
lapidated building; but, when inspected more
closely, that is, from the foot of the precipices,
their natural structure is seen to great advantage ;
and, as far as lofty and rugged cliffs can be said
to be picturesque, some of those in question were
eminently so. Nor is this romantic scene confined
only to the rocks that faced the sea; on the con-
trary, several of the ravines that ran inland, ex-
hibited some that excelled the former, if possible,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 247

in the variety of their fantastic shapes. There
is one of these ravines near the ship, that is
particularly interesting in this way. I remarked
that all these rocks were invariably stratified hori-
zontally. The surface of the country is, generally
speaking, plain, and, if viewed from the sea, would
come under the denomination of table-land.
Monday, 7th. — From the top of the hills above-
mentioned, land was seen to-day, extending from
S. to W. 8. W., and supposed to be about fifty
miles off. Whether this is the continent of Ame-
rica, or an island lying off it, is certainly a question
that our present knowledge is inadequate to decide ;
I shall therefore not offer an opinion on the sub-
ject. From the same elevated situation whence this
land was seen, we had also a good view of the sea
to the westward, or rather, I am sorry to say, of
the ice ; for, as far as we could see, in that direc-
tion, as well as to the southward, and even to the
eastward, it was covered with ice. ‘There were
here and there, indeed, small pools, and lanes of
open water, but no continuous opening. ‘The ice
that lay close in with the land was in general
broken up, into what might, comparatively speak-
ing, be termed small pieces; but, beyond this, that
-is, to seaward, it appeared to consist of immense
floes, some of them several miles in diameter. We
find also that the ice here is much heavier than any
met with before, and is at the same time quite
of a different character; for, instead of its pre-
senting an even surface, like that in Baffin’s
Bay, it is completely covered with hummocks,
resembling what I understand the Greenland ice
R 4

IAS A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

to be. Since we came here we have observed
another circumstance that deserves to be men-
tioned, when speaking of the ice off this part of
the coast : the circumstance that I allude to is, that
a ledge of ice is firmly attached to the land, and
extends from it in general no more than fifteen or
twenty yards. The surface of this icy girt is
covered with five or six feet water, and its outer
edge is so steep, that from six to seven fathoms
are found immediately alongside of it.

Wednesday, 9th.—The ice has been almost con-
stantly in motion during these two days past; some-
times it is drifting to the eastward, and at other
times in a contrary direction, but it never leaves a
clear space of any extent in either way. We had
an opportunity of observing this evening an instance
of the violent pressure that takes place occasionally
by the collision of this heavy ice ; for two pieces
that. happened to come in contact close to us press-
ed so forcibly against each other, that one of them,
although forty-two feet thick, and at least three
times as much in length and breadth, was forced
up on its edge on the top of another piece. But
even this is nothing when compared with the
pressure that must have existed to produce the ef-
fects visible along the shore, for not only heaps
of earth and stones, several tons’ weight, are forced
up, but hummocks of ice from fifty to sixty feet
thick are piled on the beach. It is unnecessary
to remark that a ship, although fortified as well as
wood and iron could make her, would have but
little chance of withstanding such overwhelming
force ; and, from a conviction of this, we consider

18

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 24.9

our present situation, as I have already said, to
be a very precarious one. But to dismiss this
subject for something more interesting, I have to
notice, in the first place, that «whale was seen two
nights ago, for the first time this season; and, on
the same day, we shot a fawn, which weighed
thirty-eight pounds. A few hares and glaucous
gulls have also been killed within these two days,
but our success to-day, in the sporting way, de-
serves most notice, for we shot a musk-ox. When
first seen, he was going along the beach to the
eastward; and, from the nature of the ground,
was obliged to pass so close to us, that he was fired
at from the ship. We thought at first that he was
wounded on this occasion ; but we soon had rea-
son to alter our opinion, for he galloped off at
greater rate than an animal of his shape could be
supposed capable of going. The nature of the
ground was, however, as I have already remarked,
very favourable for our purpose; for he was
hemmed in by the sea on one side, and steep cliffs,
which he could not ascend, on the other. When
he found, therefore, that he was assailed in such
a way that there was no possibility for him to
escape, he immediately put himself in a posture of
defence, by taking up a position in front of a large
stone, where he could not certainly be attacked by
any other animal, except under a great disadvan-
tage; but to the means that we had, he could
offer no resistance, and consequently fell.

His weight and dimensions were as follows :
viz. —

250 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Length from the snout to the end of the tail -

Length of the tail - - - 2
Height from the sole of the fore-hoof to the top
of the hunch - . : :

From ditto to the knee-joint of the fore-leg -
From the hoof to the second joint, (z.e. the length

of the fore-leg) - - - =
Length of the fore-hoof — - - = =
Breadth of ditto - - z b
Circumference of the fore-leg below the knee -
Length from the sole of the hind-hoof to the hock
Length of the hind-leg - 2 .
Length of the hind-hoof — - - = -
Breadth of ditto . - - 5 e
Circumference of the hind-leg below the hock —-

Height from the sole of the hind-hoof to the top of

the back - - - - -
From the end of the snout to the fore-shoulder = -
From ditto to the upper part of the root of the
horns = : e as

—

Feet. In.
6 10
O 3

8

1
B, 3
O 45
O 5
Oe
1 5
Ziisy9
O A
0"! ae
O 63
4 2
2g &

—
oO

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 251

Feet. In.

From the end of the snout to the eyes - - Gere:
From the root of the horns to the top of the hunch AiO
Between the tips of the horns - - - ee 0)
Circumference of the horns as low as could be

measured - - - - - 1 Of
Base of the horns longitudinally - - - 0 114
Length of the ears (which were pointed and situ-

ated close behind the horns) - - mG
Circumference of the neck close to the head - os 8
Incisores (lower jaws) six in number, and molares

in both jaws twenty-four, viz. twelve in each
Length of the nostrils - : - - 0.23
Breadth between the nostrils (upper end) — - - O 4
Breadth between the eyes - - - 0 il
Length of the longest hair on his rump - : 2

Weight of the carcase when skinned and

cleaned - - - - Ibs. 421
Weight of the head, skin, and feet - 134
Estimated weight of the entrails and

blood, &c. - - - - 160

Total weight - 415,

The hair on different parts of the body was of
different lengths, and of various colours, the pre-
vailing hue, however, was black, and the longest
hair was, as above stated, on the rump and hind
quarters. He had a thick mane extending from
the head to the top of the hunch; the colour of it
was of a pale russet. Immediately behind the
hunch there was a saddle, or bed, of short hair, of
a yellowish white colour, about a foot and a half in
length, along the ridge of the back, and nearly of
the same breadth. ‘The legs, as far as the knee-
joint, were of a dirty white colour, and the hair on
them thus far was no longer than that on an Eng-
lish ox. At the root of the long hair, there was a

952 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

finer kind of an ash colour, which was indeed as
fine as any wool, and would certainly, if manufac-
tured, make as fine cloth as any English wool.
Mr, Pennant, indeed, mentions, in his description
of the musk-ox, that a man of the name of Jeremie
had stockings made of the wool, or hair, of that
animal, which were equally as fine as any silk
stockings. It would seem, that the animal casts
this fleecy covering annually, for in the thick part
of the mane, and on each side of the neck, there
was a layer of this wool quite detached from the
body of the animal, and only prevented from
falling off, by being interwoven amongst the long
hair. The hair on his forehead was all matted
into small lumps with earth, and the roots of the
horns were also covered with it, from which it
would appear, that he was in the habit of tearing up
the ground with his head ; of this, indeed, we were
ourselves eye-witnesses in one instance, for after we
had surrounded an ox, so as to prevent his escape,
he began rubbing his head against the ground,
as if threatening us with destruction if we approach-
ed nearer, and I have no doubt, that to any animal
that inhabits these regions, not excepting the bear
itself, he would be a formidable antagonist. His
flesh tastes a good deal of musk, but not so much as
to be disagreeable ; on this point, however, I ought
to pay some deference to the opinion of a few per-
sons amongst us who think differently. With re-
gard to the heart and liver, it was agreed by all
parties that they were not very palatable ; and those
who ate the kidnies say, that they tasted more
musky than any other part. To conclude the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, Q58

subject, | have no doubt that people living a little
more affluently than we have been for some time
past, would not relish even the best parts very
much at first, but it is a taste which, like many
others, I think might easily be acquired.

Friday 11th.— Nothing has occurred during
these two days past worthy of particular notice.
The ice, as I have already remarked, drives one
time to the eastward and at another time to the
westward, according to the set of the tide or di-
rection of the wind; but it never leaves a clear
space of any magnitude in either way, so that we
have as little prospect of getting on as we had the
first day we made fast here.

Monday, 14th. — I formed a piece of floe-ice to-
day (taken indiscriminately from alongside) into
a cube whose sides measured one foot, two inches
seven-tenths, which, when put into salt-water at the
temperature of 34° and of the specific gravity
1.0105, one inch and eight-tenths of it remained
above the surface of the water, or rather more than
one-eighth of the whole mass. Judging therefore
of the thickness of the floes in this neighbourhood,
from the proportion of them above the surface of
the water, we are led to conclude that their average
thickness is from forty to fifty feet, and many of
them much more.

Tuesday, 15th. — The ice having been observed
early this morning to clear off the coast for a little
way to the westward, we got under weigh at five
o’clock, A. M., and ran about two miles along
shore, when we were obliged to make fast again
at six, the ice being close in with the land. All-

9514, A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

though we gained but little ground on this occa-
sion, we have benefited very considerably by get-
ting the ships into a much more secure place than
that which we left; for we have advanced into a
creek formed by large hummocks of ice aground
within twenty yards of the beach; in fact, we lie so
close to the shore, that we step almost immediately
on it from the ship. In the course of the day I
took a walk of five or six miles along shore to the
westward, during which excursion I shot nine
hares, and saw a great many tracks of reindeer,
and musk-oxen. ‘The land is of the same charac-
ter, as far as I could see, as that which I described
where we had been lying for this week past. ‘The
coast now begins to trend very much to the north-
ward, as nigh as I can judge about north-west, for
the place that we left this morning was in latitude
74° 25’ 24” N. and longitude by chronometer
113° 42’ 30” W., and that where the ships now lie
is in latitude 74° 26’ 06” N. and longitude by the
mean of three sets of sights for chronometer
113° 46’ 05” W.* With respect to the state of
the ice, I could perceive no material difference in
it to-day, from what it has been for this week past :
close in with the land it is broken up, as I have
already mentioned, into small pieces; but at the
distance of a mile (or two at the farthest) from
the coast, commence a line of floes which extend to
the westward and southward, as far as the eye can

* These last results, viz. latitude 74° 26’ 06” N., and longi-
tude 113° 46’ 05” W., were obtained from observations made on

the 16th instant, although mentioned amongst the events of
the 15th.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 25S

penetrate from the most elevated situation in this
neighbourhood, and leaving, as before, no clear
space except a few pools, and small lanes.
Wednesday, 16th. — Without digressing much
from the subject of my narrative, I may here re-
mark, that the reason generally given, why so
much heavy ice should lie off this part of the
coast, is, because we are near the west end of this
island, so that the ice which comes from the north-
ward lodges here. The land which we see to the
southward and westward may be considered also
as another locality that tends to keep this place
always hampered with ice. In consideration of
these circumstances, the advanced period of the
season, and perhaps other reasons which it is nei-
ther my business nor intention to enquire into, the
object of prosecuting our voyage to the westward,
in this parallel of latitude, has to-day been aban-
doned. And by a general order to the officers who
keep watch, it appears that our object now is to
endeavour to get to the southward, for they are
required to keep a good look-out for any opening
that may appear amongst the ice in that direction.
We therefore cast off from the ice at half past two
o’clock in the afternoon, and made sail to the east-
ward, not without some feelings of regret and dis-
appointment, at being at length obliged to abandon
our hopes of a passage, where we had at one time
so much reason to expect our endeavours to be
crowned with success. I am fully persuaded, how-
ever, that every person who will take the trouble
of making himself acquainted with the events of

256 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

our voyage, will be perfectly convinced that our
retrograde movement to-day is neither an inconsi-
derate, nor a precipitate measure; on the contrary,
I believe, the annals of navigation will produce but
few, if any instance of such perseverance as we
have manifested in our attempts to get to the west-
ward along this coast, for it is now within a few
days of twelve months since we made the east
end of this island, a distance of very little more
than one hundred miles. But to leave the subject
for others to judge, I shall proceed to give an ac-
count of any occurrences that may happen dur-
ing our return to the eastward. ‘The wind being
light, we made no great progress this afternoon, and
about midnight we were stopped altogether by the
ice; we therefore made fast as usual to some hum-
mocks of it that were aground within a few yards
of the beach.

Monday, 21st.— These four or five days past
have been very barren of events worthy of notice ;
we are still detained at the place where we made
fast on the night of the 16th, and if we had not
had one year’s experience of the length of the
summer season in these regions, we might be apt
to suppose that the winter had already set in, for
what little space there was of clear water when we
made fast here, is now covered with young or
bay-ice, as it is called, which is in general about an
inch thick ; but in those places along shore where
it is overshadowed by the hummocks along the
beach, it is considerably thicker, since it does
not dissolve in such situations during the heat of
the day.

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 257

Wednesday, 23d.— A breeze of wind sprung up
this forenoon from the westward, which, in a short
time, drove the ice a little way off the land, or
rather slackened it, for it did not open a clear pas-
sage. We availed ourselves however of the open-
ing, such as it was, and at half-past twelve, A. M.
cast off, and made sail to the eastward; but we
were obliged to make fast again at seven o’clock in
the evening, the ice being close in with the land.
Abreast of where we made fast this evening, we
found the large piece of ice that was mentioned on
the 9th instant, as having been pressed up on its
edge, from which circumstance it would appear,
that there is a current, or prevailing tide setting to
the eastward along this coast, as this piece of ice
has come about twenty miles to the eastward within
these sixteen days past, the difference of longitude
alone being upwards of a degree.

Thursday, 24th.— We cast off and sailed again
at ten o’clock this forenoon, but the ice was
-so close that we made but little progress, and at
noon we were stopped by it altogether, and again
made fast to a hummock_ of ice aground in nine
fathoms’ water. Soon after we made fast, we ob-
served a herd of seven musk-oxen at the foot of a
hill, at the distance of about two miles from the
beach. We prepared immediately to go after them,
but the eagerness of one or two who wished to be
foremost set them off before we got sufficiently
near; by following them, however, we succeeded
in shooting one of them, which was a bull, and ap-
parently the largest in the herd. Among those that
got away there were two calves, and all the rest,

Ss

258 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

with the exception of one, appeared to be cows.
In the course of the evening, another musk-bull
was shot, which was found by itself, and therefore
supposed not to be one of the herd just mentioned.
It would be quite unnecessary to enter into a de-
scription of these two animals, as they differed in
no respect from the one which we killed on the 9th
instant, except in being a little smaller, or rather
lighter, for the first one that was shot to-day weighed
only three hundred and fifty-nine pounds, and the
other three hundred and sixty-eight pounds. This
difference appeared to be chiefly owing to the one
that we killed some time ago, being in better con-
dition than these, since they did not seem to differ
much in size. At the foot of the hill where we saw
these musk-oxen to-day, and along a plain that lay
between it and the sea, we passed so many skulls
and skeletons of musk-oxen, that I am inclined to
alter my opinion respecting their migrating to the
coast of America during the winter, for if they only
visit this country in the summer-time, it is some-
what strange that so many should die here during
such a favourable part of the year. Besides, they
are so well provided by nature for enduring the
rigour of the climate, that the necessity for their
leaving this island does not appear to be altogether
so indispensable, as a person would at first sight be
inclined to believe. ‘This, however, is a subject on
which much might be said for or against the ques-
tion, butas I am not particularly interested, on my
own part, to establish the point, whether they
migrate or remain here, I shall forbear saying any
more about the matter, any farther than that we

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 259

know that wolves and foxes pass the winter here,
and neither of them appeared to be better provided
for withstanding the cold, than the musk-ox ; and
with respect to food, there is certainly much more
grass in the valleys in this vicinity, than they can
destroy this season.

Friday, 25th.— We made an attempt again this
evening, to get to the eastward, but from want of
wind, and the closeness of the ice, we were obliged
to make fast again, without having gained above a
mile, after several hours’ labour. I made a cube of
ice to-day, from a piece that was thrown up on the
hummock to which we were fast; its sides mea-
sured two feet, and when put into salt water with
that side of it uppermost that the piece of ice from
which it was made had up at the time, three
inches and a half remained above the surface of
the water, but when the opposite side was up only
three inches appeared above the water. This was
no doubt owing to one side of the cube being
denser, and consequently heavier than the other ;
in making it, indeed, I remarked, that the side
that was uppermost of the piece of ice was the
most porous. Although the weather is still re-
markably fine, we have many indications of the
approach of winter; the young ice continues to in-
crease in thickness, and some of it was measured
to-day that was three inches thick ; stars have also
been seen about midnight for this week past, and
many other things might be mentioned that tend
to show that the close of this season is not very far
distant.

Saturday, 26th.— A fresh breeze sprang up
sin2

200 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

from the northward and westward this morning,

which soon opened.a passage along shore; we, ©

therefore, got under weigh at six o’clock, and
made sail to the eastward. We were a good deal
hampered with ice during the forenoon; but in
the afternoon we got into a clear sea, so that by
six in the evening we were abreast of Winter Har-
bour. We saw very plainly with the naked eye,
as we went along, the pile of stones on North East
Hill, although it was estimated that we passed at
the distance of seven or eight miles from it. The
monument on Table Hill was also in sight during
most part of the afternoon, in fact every hill
that appeared in sight was recognised; and _ al-
though I believe none regretted taking this last
farewell view of the ground that we had so often
trod, yet it was impossible to look at it with the
same indifference as at other parts of the coast; for
every object reminded us of some circumstance or
other that happened during our perambulations
these eleven months past. In the evening we got
into so wide a space of clear water that no ice
could be seen even to the southward, except from
the mast-head.

Sunday, 27th.— We had a fine run to-day to
the eastward, and were in the evening off the
east end of Melville Island. As this is the first
time that I have made use of this name, it may be
necessary to mention that the island off or on which
our exploits have been performed for these twelve
months past, is named after the nobleman who
presides as first lord of the admiralty ; and I un-
derstand that it, and all the islands that lie in its

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 261

neighbourhood to the eastward, are to be called, in
honour of our sovereign, the North Georgian Isles.
The various other names that have been given to:
islands, capes, points, bays, and inlets, which we:
have discovered during our voyage are so nu-
merous that it would be too tedious to mention
them all in this place, nor would the particulariz-
ation be of any use, unless I were to refer to the
chart (on which they are laid down), and even
such a reference would be rather out of place if
made at this time. I cannot omit noticing, how-
ever, that the magnificent opening or passage, that
leads from what was formerly called Lancaster
Sound into these seas, is named Barrow’s Straits,
after the well-known gentleman of that name,
whose clear judgment foresaw the existence of
this passage, and whoze zeal and influence had
been so instrumental in fitting out the expedition
for its discovery, even when doubts were enter-
tained and propagated against the probability of
its success. But I must leave this subject to those
who are much better able to discuss it, and resume
my diary of the rest of the events of the day.
After divisions this morning, Mr. Parry
addressed the officers and ship’s company in
words to the following effect, viz. that it was
his opinion, and that of the senior officers of
the expedition, that the farther prosecution of
our voyage to the westward in this parallel of lati-
tude would be useless; therefore, that our pre-
sent object was to endeavour to get to the south-
ward, and if that should be found impracticable,
that it would be necessary to return to England:
s 3

262 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

and finally he informed them, that whenever this
last resolution should be determined on, they
shouldbe again put on full allowance of provi-
sions.

Monday, 28th. — Our progress to the eastward
still continues to be very rapid ; we were to-day at
noon in latitude 74° 58’ N. and nearly in longitude
100° W. . The sea is quite open to the eastward,
but to the southward it is completely covered with
ice. This ice, and all that we have passed
on this side of Winter Harbour, has been, com-
pared to that to the westward, very light, and in
other respects quite of .a different character; as
its surface is perfectly smooth, and appears to be
one continued floe altogether, or, more properly
speaking, one extensive field; for, if 1 am not
mistaken, the distinction between the two terms
is, that a floe may be seen over, but if it should be
of such a size as not to be seen across, it is called a
field. Ifthis definition is correct, then the ice
that we have been passing during these two days
comes under the latter denomination, for we have
never seen water beyond it.

All the land that we have passed to-day is com-
pletely covered with snow that looks to have
fallen lately, for near the shore it appears to be
but very thinly covered.

Tuesday, 29th. — We passed last night and dure
ing this forenoon several islands which we had not
seen before, owing to our being obliged, on ac-
count of the ice, to keep more to the northward
than we did when going to westward last year.
Some of these islands are of considerable extent,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 263

and all of them were, like those mentioned yester-
day, covered with snow. In their general character
they resemble those that we saw in this neighbour- -
hood last year, that is, they are low, and even
surfaced. This description does not, however,
apply to them all, for several seen this forenoon
were high, and, in many places, rugged. It was
so dark last night that we were obliged to lay to
for three hours; we have made considerable pro-
gress to-day, however, for we got in the evening
to the west end of Barrow’s Straits. We have in
the course of the day seen a number of malle-
mucks, which, as far as I remember, are the first
birds of the kind that we have met with for these
twelve months past.

Wednesday, 80th. — The blank space where we
saw no land last year, from 91° to 92° of west
longitude, owing to the distance we were from it,
we found last night to be a continuous line of
coast, having a kind of large open bay in it, facing
to the northward. Early this morning we got to
the entrance of Regent’s Inlet *, which I under-
stand was full of ice, consequently no attempt was
made to get into it. ‘This being the easternmost
inlet or opening that we know of, leading to the
southward, the object of making any further
attempts in that direction, appears to be at length
abandoned, or rather it seems that it is now

* This being, I believe, the first time that I have used this
name, it may be necessary to remark, that the place called
Regent’s Inlet, is that large opening leading to the southward
and westward, into which we sailed the second week of August
last year.

s 4

204 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

determined to return to England. Mr. Parry
therefore, made this determination publicly known
to the officers and ship’s company this morn-
ing, and, as he promised in his address to them
on the 27th instant, full allowance of provi-
sions is now ordered to be issued; and in the
afternoon a suit of warm clothes, furnished by
yvovernment, gratis, was given to every person on
board.

Thursday, 31st. — After passing Regent’s Inlet,
we continued our course to the eastward, keeping
as near the south side of Barrow’s Straits as the
ice would allow us. The distance we were from
the coast, was generally from seven to eight miles,
and this space was completely filled up with
ice; however, as the weather was clear, there
was no necessity for our going any closer, as we
could see it very plainly. Indeed, the nature of
the land was such, that it might be seen very dis-
tinctly at three times the distance we were off, in
such weather as we had to-day; for the shore on
the north side was seen as we came along, and that
opposite to it on the south side of the straits, is
exactly similar to it in character, and I believe
also in height, being, I imagine, from eight or nine
hundred, to a thousand feet high, bold, and com-
posed of horizontal strata, that looked at a distance
like gigantic steps rising one above another. The
land on both sides was completely covered with
snow, and that on the south side apparently very
deeply. Between us and the north land there
appeared to be no ice. From two to four o’clock
this morning, we were passing the mouth of a

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 268.

spacious inlet, from four to five leagues in breadth,
that ran to the southward. The entrance of it was,
like Regent’s Iniet, full of ice. It is to be named,
I understand, Admiralty Inlet. From the east side
of this inlet, the character of the land is very
much changed, for here the stratification ceases ;
and the land, instead of rising abruptly from the
sea, ascends gradually as it recedes from the coast,
so that the highest part of it, or that which termi-
nated our view, was a long way inland. About
eight leagues to the eastward of the above inlet, is
the opening that was called in our former voyage,
Barrow’s Bay ; but from the view that we had of
it this morning, we have strong reasons to doubt
its being a bay, for we were much nearer to it than
we had ever been before, and we could see no
land at the bottom of it. The space that was
open did not appear indeed, to be very wide;
but wherever the continuity of land is not ac-
tually seen, I think it would be presumption to
assert, that there is no passage, especially in re-
gions like these, that have never been explored.
This bay, or inlet, or whatever it may be termed,
was like that which we passed in the morning,
full of ice; at the entrance of it there appeared
to be two low islands, and at the bottom, and
nearly in the middle of the opening, another
small, round-topped island; but this last was so
far off, that we were in doubt whether it
might not be the top of a distant hill. In the
course of the afternoon we passed a large bear
swimming, at the distance of two miles at least
from the land; a boat was dispatched after him,

266 A VOYAGE. OF DISCOVERY

but there was so much sea on at the time, that we
never got sight of him after leaving the ship. A
whale was also seen this evening, for the first time
since we returned to the eastward. I may also
remark, that we passed some icebergs to-day, for
the first time since we left this place last year.

Friday, September 1st.— We passed Possession
Bay last night, and have been running all this day
to the southward, within a few leagues of the coast.
At three o’clock in the afternoon we came abreast
of an opening, which agrees in its situation with
Pond’s Bay on the coast.. We stood in towards it
until we were stopped by the ice, which lay off this
part of the coast. It was estimated that we were
at this time, from eight to ten leagues from the
entrance of this inlet; but, notwithstanding we
were at that distance, we are certain that if it is a
bay, it must be a very deep one, for we could see
nothing like land at the bottom of it. The capes
that formed the entrance, and the land on both
sides of it, as far in as we could see, were bold
and very high. The angle which the capes sub-
tended, measured 8° 44’, which, if the distance
we were off be properly estimated, would make the
entrance about six miles wide.

Saturday, 2d. — We were running to the south-
ward all day along the land, and generally between
ten or twelve miles distant from it. The space
was, for most part of the way, covered with ice,
but the land being high, we had no occasion for
going any nearer, for the purpose of a general
survey, such as we are taking. In the course
of the forenoon, we passed a place where there

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 267

appeared to be a large harbour. In two or three
sites along this part of the coast, we saw some
large glaciers, one of them that we passed this
morning was estimated to be at least two miles
long. A great number of icebergs were also seen
in the course of the day: most of them lay be-
tween us and the land, and several of them ap-
peared to be aground, for the tide-mark on them
was at one time five or six feet above the surface
of the water. We sounded several times as we
were passing, and found from sixty to seventy
fathoms’ water. During these two days past, a
great number of mallemucks, and several of the
various other aquatic birds that frequent these
seas have been seen, viz. glaucous, and ivory gulls,
loons, ratges, and the black-diver, commonly called
dovekey, or Greenland dove.

Sunday, 3d. —'The wind being very light, and
what little there was being against us, a party
landed this forenoon on the coast situated in la-
titude 71° 30’ N., and longitude 71° 15’ W.
Near where we landed, there was an island about
three miles long, situated in a sort of bay, and
separated from the mainland by a channel about
two miles broad. ‘The east end of this island,
or that end which faced the sea, terminated in
a very remarkable cliff} which was estimated to
be from three to four hundred feet high, and
rose quite perpendicularly from the sea; in one
point of view, indeed, it overhung a little. The
whole of the coast of this island, as far as we saw,
was so precipitous as to be perfectly inaccessible.
On the mainland, also, about this place, there are

268 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

some of the most remarkable peaked mountains [
ever saw, for some of them are so pointed, that
they look at a distance not unlike the spires of a
ruined building. ‘The land is mountainous, and
exceedingly rugged, and is covered with snow
down to the sea side. The rocks are composed
entirely of granite and gneiss, the former of the
kind that is termed, by geologists, the oldest
granite, that is, consisting of large crystals of the
different component parts, particularly the felspar.
Fragments of beautiful white quartz were also very
abundant here. Of the vegetable productions of
this place we could say very little, for the land
was, as I have already noticed, covered with snow,
and besides it is too late in the season to collect
plants in this climate. Of the animal kingdom we
also saw but few specimens ; among these few, how-
ever, were two red-throated divers which we shot,
and which are the only birds of the kind that we
met with this voyage. ‘Two flocks of Brent geese,
some glaucous gulls, and a few snow-buntings,
were, I believe, all the animals observed here. We
saw, however, the tracks of bears, wolves, and foxes,
in considerable numbers, and the track of some
cloven-footed animal was also among them; we
supposed it to be that of a musk-ox, but it was
much larger than any we had seen before. We
met also with bones of a whale, that had been
thrown up on the beach, and not far from the
same place were found indications of some people
(probably Esquimaux) having been here, for a
piece of whale-bone which they had cut was
picked up, and, as a proof that it had not been

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 269.

driven there by the sea, the chips that had been
cut off it were lying there. It was low water at
three o’clock, and from that time until half-past
five, it had risen twelve inches: it set to the south-
ward.

Monday, 4th. — We made no great progress to-
day, owing to there being but little wind for a con-
siderable part of the time ; our course has been the
same as for some days past, along shore, and about
the usual distance from it, that is, between three
and four leagues. In the course of the afternoon
we crossed two banks lying about the distance
just mentioned from the coast. The soundings on
them varied from twelve and a half to eighteen
fathoms; coarse sand with black and red specks.
Between the two banks, the water deepened to
fifty-six fathoms; nature of the bottom the same
as above. Whilst we were on these banks, it was
remarked that a tide or current was drifting us
very fast to the southward ; and, on getting into
deep water, we tried to ascertain its rate, but, to
our surprise, could not find either tide or current.
There were a great many icebergs aground about
the edges of these banks, and there was also a
considerable quantity of loose ice in the same
neighbourhood, no doubt owing to its being
retained there by the bergs. At one o’clock
we were a little surprised to see a strange ship
bearing N. E. of us, and distant between seven
and eight miles; in the course of the afternoon
three more sails were seen, from which we imme-
diately concluded that they must be whale-ships.
Although we are all anxious to hear the news, yet,

270 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

as we are on our way home ourselves, I believe the
general wish is, that we should avoid falling in with
these vessels, in order that we may he the bearers
of our own news ; but two of them lie so directly
in our way, that, without altering our course, we
must pass very close to them, and as our desire to
avoid them does not go so far as to induce us to
go out of our way, it is probable that we shall
speak them to-morrow morning.

Tuesday, 5th. —In the course of the forenoon |

we passed close to one of the ships seen yes-
terday, and found her to be the Lee, of Hull;
having thirteen fish on board. We learnt from
her, that King George the Third, and His Royal
Highness the Duke of Kent are dead, and several
other pieces of information of minor importance ;
among others, that riots and tumults have been
stirred up in different parts of the country by dis-
affected people, but that all of them, however,
have been happily suppressed, without much vio-
lence. They also told us that no less than eleven
ships were destroyed in this country by the ice last
year, and as nothing was heard of us after that ca-
tastrophe, some unfavourable opinions were enter-
tained by many people respecting the fate of our
expedition. After remaining for a short time in
company with her, we sent some letters on board,
in the event of her getting to England before us;
but if they follow the plan they seem to have in
view at present, it is probable that we shall be
home first ourselves, for they intend going as far
north as the latitude of 72°, in order to get round
a barrier of ice, which they say extends from the

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 271

land a little way to the southward of us, that is,
between the 69th and 7Oth deg. N. as faras the
parallel just mentioned. But as we ran down along
this coast two years ago, at the same part of the
season, without meeting with any ice to obstruct
our progress ; and as the avoiding of ice is not so
much our object as that of surveying the coast, it
is intended, I believe, to continue our course along
the land, running all hazards of whatever obstacles
we may happen to meet with. Therefore, after
parting company with the Lee, we resumed our
former course, but keeping rather closer in with
the land, in order to see a small party of Esqui-
maux, which, they told us, lived near the shore on
the north side of a bay, about twenty miles to the
southward. In the course of the afternoon we fell
in with another whaler, called the Friendship, of
Hull, having seventeen fish on board. We received
no news of any importance from her, except a repe-
tition of what we heard from the Lee. I ought not
omit mentioning, however, that this ship and ano-
ther, (the Truelove, of Hull,) were, this summer,
at the top of Baffin’s Bay, and looked into Sir
Thomas Smith’s Sound, which they found to be
like another of the Sounds of Baffin, a Sound with-
out bottom. ‘They informed us also, that some of
the whale-ships entered Lancaster’s Sound this
summer, and, among others, the Alexander, of
Aberdeen, one of the ships employed on the former
voyage of discovery to these seas.

Wednesday, 6th. — As we were standing in this
evening towards the place where the Lee told us
the Esquimaux lived, four canoes were observed

Qe A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

paddling towards us. While they were yet at a
considerable distance off, we could hear them
making a great noise, which they continued as
they approached us. They came alongside with-
out the least hesitation, and one of our boats
being there, our people assisted them in getting
out of their canoes, which were all hoisted on
board, and helped them up the side. On getting
on board, they evinced no signs either of fear or
astonishment : on finding themselves in security,
their first act was to begin to dance; if turning
round, jumping, and other wild gesticulations
deserve that appellation. At the same time that
they were showing us their accomplishments in the
dancing way, they gave us a specimen of their
vocal talents also ; but to call the two or three mo-
notonous ejaculations which they uttered, a song,
would certainly be a misapplication of the word, for
the whole of their melody consisted only of these
three words, viz. “ hey yey yagh,’”’ which they
repeated with great rapidity, and with vehemence,
in proportion to the movements of the body ;
these were at first very violent, but by degrees
became more moderate, from their being unable,
I imagine, to continue such fatiguing exertions.
After due time was allowed them to exhibit all their
elegant acquirements, we made signs to them to
go below, to which proposal they readily assented,
and, in order to entertain them in return for their
exhibition on deck, two or tree tunes were played
on the hand organ. Whether they were cheered
by the music, or considered it necessary to con-
tinue to amuse us, I cannot say for certain; but
16

YO THE ARCTIC REGIONS, 278

they skipped about, and hey yey yagh’d more fu-
riously than ever. We have reason, however, to
think, that all this proceeded more from a desire
to please us than from any pleasure they had in it
themselves; for one of them, who was an older
man than any of the rest, on its being signified to
him to sit down in order to have his picture taken,
immediately took his seat very composedly, whilst
the others were displaying all their antic feats.
This old man appeared to be of a very facetious

disposition, and a very great adept at mimickry ;

for now and then, when his attention was drawn

off to view the surrounding objects, it was signified
T

274 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

to him the necessity of maintaining a steady pos-
ture ; and in doing so, he used to imitate, with an
air of the most complete buffoonery and good
humour, the attitude of the person who was show-
ing him the position in which it was wished he
should keep himself.

This man appeared to be between fifty-five and
sixty years of age, for his hair and beard were quite
grey. His visage differed materially from that of
any of the rest, particularly in being much narrower.
He was also considerably shorter than any of them,
for he measured only four feet eleven inches and a
half, and the shortest of the others was five feet
four inches and a half; the remaining two were
nearly of the same height, one measured five feet
five inches and a half, and the other five feet six
inches. The two last appeared to be also nearly
about the same age, that is, between five-and-
twenty and thirty ; the young man did not look
to be above one or two and twenty. The Esqui-
maux countenance has been so often, and so accu-
rately described, that it would be quite unnecessary
to enter into a minute detail respecting the fea-
tures of these people, as it could differ in no respect
from the numerous accounts already given ; viz. a
broad and flat countenance, high-cheek bones,
small and deep-sunk eyes, short pug nose, large
mouth, thick lips, coarse black and straight hair,
and a thin black beard, both on the chin and upper
lip, and the colour of the skin somewhat of a light
tawny-brown, and greasy. With regard to their
clothes, they differed but little also from what are
worn by the Esquimaux of Greenland. The jackets,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Q75

or rather frocks, of the three young men, were made
of white dog or wolf skin, having the fur-side in, or
next their body : they came down as far as the hip-
joint; and their lower border was straight all round,
with the exception of a small slit in the front :
they all had hoods to them, which served for a
head-covering. ‘Their breeches were also made of
the same kind of skin, but having the fur-side
out ; and their boots, which came up to the knee,
were likewise made of the same material, and
had the fur-side in. The old man’s dress was
entirely of seal-skin, but in its shape it differed
in no respect from the others: it had this
peculiarity, however, that his frock had the fur-
side of the skin out. Their.canoes were made of
seal-skin, and of the same shape as those of the
Greenlanders, but rather larger, and not near so
neat, probably owing to the latter having better
instruments to execute their work with. ‘The
frames of their canoes were made chiefly of fir-
wood, as were also their paddles, which were
about nine feet and a half long, double-headed,
and the rim of the blades very neatly edged with
bone. Their spears were from four to five feet long,
and were made of narwhal’s horns: most of them
were headed with sharp-pointed pieces of bone ;
but one of them had a lance-pointed piece of iron
fitted on to the end of his spear ; and the old man
had a piece of wood, about the same length as their
spears, near one end of which there was a sharp
iron hook, made apparently of a nail. They had
a scimetar-shaped knife each, made of the tusks
of the walrus, or sea-horse; and on each canoe
a

~

876 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

there was a large inflated bladder, which I suspect
to be that of the same animal. These implements,
a few seal-skins, and two or three spare jackets,
were all the articles they had, and with all of
them they very soon parted; for, after they had
pretty well tired themselves jumping and bawling,
they turned to, to barter, and in a very short time
disposed of every thing they had, except their
canoes, and before they went away, they bartered
one of them also. As there was no intention to
impose upon them, nothing was offered them
except such things as were deemed to be useful
to them, such as knives, scissars, needles, nails,
gimblets, and pieces of wood ; and for the canoe
they, or rather the man it belonged to, received
four boarding pike-staves, and the heads of five or
six others, several pieces of wood, a handkerchief,
a pair of mittens, and a piece of red cloth. One of
our men made them a present of ahand-saw, and an-
other gave one of them ared shirt; beads, looking-
glasses, and a number of other things of little value
were also bestowed upon them; as I have already
remarked, not in exchange for what they had, but
merely as donations. They showed a great deal
of intelligence and probity in their dealings; for
they evinced no great desire for beads, or any
other baubles, and they never attempted to take
any thing except what was given them. We re-
marked, that every thing they received they im-
mediately touched with their tongue, apparently
to show that it was then legally their property.
From what we saw of them, they appeared to be
perfectly honest, a virtue which has seldom been
found amongst uncivilized people. It may be said,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 277

indeed, in this instance, thatthey hadno great oppor-
tunity for pilfering, if they were so disposed ; but
if such a disposition existed, it is probable that some
symptoms of it would be detected; but as there
were none discovered, it is but a piece of justice due
to them to consider them as honest, whilst nothing
to the contrary can be said against them. We un-
derstood, from the people of the Lee, that when
they fell in with them, they could hear nothing
from them but the word <« Pillitey,”’ which signi-
fies, I believe, in the Esquimaux language, Give me
something. Of this begging expression, however,
they made very little use whilst on board of us,
most probably owing to the commercial system
that was adopted, from which they soon learned
that they had the means of procuring what they
wanted, without humbling themselves to beg for
it. We endeavoured to learn a tew words of their
language, or rather we tried to ascertain if it is
the same as that spoken by the Esquimaux in other
parts of these regions, and as far as our means of
deciding this point went, we have reason to sup-
pose that it is. The method that was adopted to
ascertain this, was by showing them specimens,
and drawings, of the different animals with which
we had reason to think they must be acquainted.
Immediately the head of the rein-deer was shown
them, they called it ‘ tooktook,” and according to
Mr. Chappell’s account of the Esquimaux in Hud-
son’s Straits, they call the deer “ muck-tu.”” A
drawing of a bear, and others of some other ani-
mals being shown them, they appeared to know
very well what they were intended to represent ;
T 3

278 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

but they talked so much, that it was impossible to
say for certain what their names for them were.
With respect to the musk ox we are not sure
that they are acquainted with him, and if they
are, it is doubtful what their name for him is; for
although a good drawing, and, afterwards, a head
of one of these animals were shown them, they
said nothing that appeared to be expressive of his
name, until some person pointing to the head, said,
umimack, which word they immediately repeated,
but pronounced it as if spelt oomingmack. It 1s
doubtful, therefore, whether they understood that
we were informing them, that umimack was our
name for the animal, or that they were telling us
that oomingmack was their name for him. There
is one circumstance, however, which may be men-
tioned, that tends to strengthen the latter opinion,
which is, that the tribe of esquimaux we fell in
with near the top of Baffin’s Bay two years ago,
told Saccheuse (our Esquimaux interpreter) that a
large animal, which they called umimack, frequented

that country. ‘They described it as having a horn.

on its back, but this would be so extraordinary a
thing, that it is more reasonable to suppose that
they meant a hunch, although from the paucity of
words in their language they might not have a
term to express it. But this is a subject which
our present knowledge does not enable us to say
much about, with any degree of certainty ; though
I think we may take it for granted, that all the
Esquimaux tribes scattered along the shores of
Greenland, North America, and its adjacent
islands, are the same race of people, and, as far
as our observations go, their appearance, dress,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 279

manners, mode of living, as well as their language,
tend to confirm this point. With regard to their
origin, most of the writers who have written about
them suppose them to be of Samoeid or Tartar
descent ; but on this point I have no pretensions to
offer an opinion.

After our visitors had bartered every thing they
had to dispose of, and we had obtained from them
all the information that was possible to be acquired,
they were assisted into their canoes again, and a
boat was sent with them to land the man that sold
his canoe. On leaving the ship they made no
signs indicative of taking farewell, but they went
away apparently very much pleased with their
reception, and the bargains they had made. On
the way going ashore our boat tried for a little
while to pull against them, but our people soon
found that they were no match for them, espe-
cially the two young men, for the old man either
could not, or did not, exert himself much on the
occasion. During this trial an opportunity occurred
for observing how quickly they noticed any thing
that was said when they could make out the mean-
ing of it ; for on hearing the officer who had charge
of the boat tell the men to “ pull away,” they
immediately comprehended, from the exertions
that were made, that this was an injunction to the
men to increase their efforts, and by way of jocosely
showing their own dexterity, they used to go on
a-head of our boat, and call out ‘ Pull away, pull
away.”’ Immediately after they landed, another of
them sold his canoe to the officer who went in the
boat, for his dirk, a Flushing-jacket, a shawl that

he |

280 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

he had about his neck, a knife, and some beads,
It being dark at the time they landed, our people
did not see their huts, but they judged that
they were at no great distance from them; for
about a quarter of an hour after they left the
shore, on their return, they heard great shouts,
apparently of rejoicing; and amongst them they
could distinguish the voices of women and children,
or at least voices that they considered to be such.

Thursday, 7th. — We stood in this morning to-
wards the fiord, or inlet, where the Esquimaux
landed last night, and when we got close in, a boat
went ashore to see their habitations, which they
found to consist of two huts made of seal-skins,
and situated close to the beach. ‘The inhabitants
of these huts they found to be the four men who
visited us last night, four women, and nine chil-
dren. One of the women was very old, and was
on that account supposed to be the wife of the old
man already mentioned. ‘Two of the others were
judged to be about thirty years of age, and they
were supposed to be the mothers of all the young
family: one of them was pregnant. The fourth
damsel appeared to be too young to be yet living
a conjugal life; and there was another circum-
stance remarked with regard to her, that was
considered as a mark that she had not yet ar-
rived at the happiness of a matrimonial life.
The circumstance alluded to is, that the other
three were tattooed, whilst she was not, from which
it was supposed, that this barbarous decoration was
the distinguishing badge of a married woman. This
honourable, and no doubt. in their estimation, or-
namental piece of artificial beauty, consisted. of

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ~ 281

two curved lines, extending from the outer corner,
or angle of the eyes, down to the upper lip. The
convex side of these lines pointed backwards, and
their junction at their lower end formed an acute
angle. ‘The chin and lower lip were also tattooed,
by straight lines, which-diverged from the mouth
downwards. Whether it was owing to her being
free from .these barbarous scars, or not, I do not
pretend to say,..but they who saw her, speak of
the young girl, comparatively, as a great beauty ;
whilst they describe the old dame as the picture of
ugliness. With respect to their dress, the women
seem to have been habited nearly in the same
manner as the men, namely, in leather-jackets,
boots, and breeches. ‘Their huts were about the
same shape and size, as the ruins of those we
met with on Melville Island ; but the square place
at the end of them, which was supposed, at that
time, to be the place where they kept their provi-
sions, appears to be their fire-place. They did not
find them so filthy inside, as the Esquimaux habit-
ations are generally described to be; but it must
be recollected that these were their summer-huts.
They seemed to live in a state of great affluence, at
least as much so as people situated as they are,
could be expected, for they had several stores of
sea-horses’ flesh, covered with stones, along the
beach. And as another proof that they cannot be
badly off for provisions, they had no fewer than fifty
or sixty dogs, which number would require no small
quantity of food. Although it is probable that they
derive the chief part of their sustenance from the
sea, it is probable that they also occasionally ma-

282 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

nage to kill deer ; for they showed one of the gen-
tlemen that went on shore the skin of one, and
made signs to him that the animal had been killed
by an arrow, pointing to the hole that the arrow
had made. The only bow found amongst them,
however, was a small one made of whalebone, which
appeared to be intended as a play-thing for one of
their children; but the advantages of such an instru-
ment, and the very ordinary ingenuity and means
required to make it, render it probable that they are
acquainted with the use of the bow andarrow. It
may be mentioned, indeed, as a proof of this, that
the arrow belonging to the small bow just spoken of
was feathered, a circumstance which can hardly
be supposed to have been accidentally done to
adorn atoy. With respect to their fishing imple-
ments, none were seen that differed much from
those that they brought on board last night. Some
articles were found amongst them, however, which
evidently show that they had intercourse, either
directly, or through the means of others, with Euro.
peans, for they had a piece of a file set in a bone
handle, in such a way as to resemble an adze in
miniature; they had also some beads, differ-
ent from any that we had given them when they
were on board. This place appears, however, to be
at present their permanent residence; for one of
the officers who went up a little way into the bay, or
inlet where they lived, in order to sound, found
their winter-huts there. And certainly, as far as ap-
pearances go, they could not possess a more eligible
situation for their abode in this country; for the
inlet is full of small islands, which, I should ima-

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 283

gine, to be places likely to be very much resorted to
by walruses, and in the breeding season, by the
different birds which frequent these regions. How
far this inlet goes inland, it is impossible for us
to say, as we could see nothing like a termina-
tion to it : if we were to judge of its extent by the
depth of the water, we might suppose it to be
very considerable ; for we found one hundred and
eighty fathoms. within the entrance, and not
above a mile from the shore. It appeared to be
from four to five miles in breadth, as far in as we
went. But toreturn again to the natives of this
inlet, I have only further to say of them, that from
whatIcan learn, they all displayed the same spirit of
cheerfulness, contentment, and good humour, which
they evinced in so eminent a degree on board ; and
if they had reason at that time to be well pleased
with the bargains they had made, I understand
that they had equally as good cause to be satis-
fied with their traffic to-day; for they got a hat-
chet, five brass-keittles, several knives, nails, pieces
of wood, beads, and various other things, in ex-
change for another of their canoes, a sledge, (made
of bones, ) fourteen dogs, (most of them puppies, )
two stone troughs, made of Japis allaris, or pot-
stone, and one or two spears. The stone troughs are
exceedingly well made, considering their means ;
one was nearly a foot long, and about half as much
in breadth and depth; the other was considerably
larger ; the former served them to cook their vic-
tuals in, and the latter to hold the oil or grease
which they burnt, to cook them with. The head of
one of the spears, which was also made of stone,

284, A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

(clay-slate,) was remarkably well executed; in fact,
when we consider that the only instrument they
were seen to possess, that could be of any use in
making the different articles they had, was the
piece of file above mentioned, it is surprising how
well they finished every thing. Judging, therefore,
from these circumstances, we have reason to hope,
that with the means we afforded them, they will
benefit very considerably for many years to come.
Among the occurrences of this day, I omitted to
mention, that the sun was beautifully eclipsed from
eight to nine o’clock this morning.

Saturday, 9th.— Nothing of any importance
occurred during these two days past ; our course.
has been, along the land, to the southward; but as
we have had but light winds for most part of the
time, we have made no great progress. We were
at noon to-day about the latitude of 693° N. ‘The
character of the land at this place differs very
materially from that to the northward, for it is,
comparatively speaking, low, and even-surfaced.
Along the coast, indeed, for about a degree to the
northward from this, the land is low near the sea ;
but inland it is backed by a range of high hills ;
here, however, no high land is visible even in the
interior, as far as we can see.

Sunday, 10th. — We had a strong breeze of itil
to-day from the north-west, by compass, so that
we had, or rather might have had, a good run
to the southward, but most part of the forenoon
was occupied in examining a large bay which we
crossed. At the bottom of it there are six or
seven high, round-topped islands, one of which is

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 285

remarkable from its being of a reddish colour.
When we were abreast of these islands, it blew
very fresh off the land, from which I am inclined
to think that another inlet runs in here, similar to
that where we found ee Esquimaux the other
day.

Tuesday, 12th. — We have made very little
progress during these two days, owing to there
being very little wind ; we have also been impeded
a good deal by the young ice which forms during
the night. ‘The land here is of the same high and
rocky character as that to the northward. We
passed a rock yesterday which was very remark-
able, for the front of it that faced the sea was at
least four hundred feet high, and quite perpendi-
cular, and on the face of it there were several
white streaks running up and down, which looked |
at the distance at which we were, to be columns of
the rock. Along this part of the coast there are
several small islands, particularly at the entrance
of the inlets, or harbours, which abound here in
such numbers.

Wednesday, 13th. —The Aurora Borealis was
seen last night, streaming very beautifully from
west to south-east; in the latter direction its
motions were very rapid, and its colours were also
very brilliant: the prevailing colour was a light yel-
low ; but the outer edge of those coruscations which
streamed towards the zenith appeared at different
times of a light purple hue. We came this morn-
ing to a barrier of ice, extending from the land to
the northward and eastward as far as we could see.
Our only alternative was, therefore, to return to

286 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

the northward, and endeavour to get across the
north end of it. Our progress in this retrograde |
movement, to-day, was very slow, chiefly for want
of wind, and to our being also very much impeded
by the young ice. A number of whales have been
seen to-day, and for several days past.

Saturday, 16th.— The weather has been so
thick during these two days, that we have been
obliged to make fast to a floe, in order to wait
for its clearing up to see which way to steer;
for we are so surrounded with ice, that by attempt-
ing to run at present, we might only hamper
ourselves by getting into the middle of a pack.
We sounded to-day in eight hundred and ten
fathoms, soft mud: the temperature of the water
at this depth was ascertained by the self-register-
ing thermometer to be 27°, that of the surface, at
the same time, being 303°. By way of experiment,
four pieces of wood were fastened to the sounding
line on this occasion, which when they came up,
were, as might naturally be expected, very much
saturated with moisture, from the great pressure of
the water at such a depth. The pieces of wood
were, one of oak, another of elm, the third of ash,
and the fourth of fir; and they were, as might also
be presupposed, saturated in proportion to their
density ; that is, the weight of the piece of oak was
least, and that of the piece of fir most increased,
by the quantity of water forced into them.

Sunday, 17th. — The weather having cleared up
a little this morning, we prepared to cast off; the
only preparation, indeed, necessary on the occasion,
was to endeavour to get on board one of the

14

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 287

Esquimaux dogs, that had been on the ice for these
three days past ; but, notwithstanding most of the
ship’s company were sent after him, he was so
wild that it was impossible to get hold of him ;
rather, therefore, than leave him to starve, he was
shot.

Monday, 18th.— The weather still continues
foggy, and we meet with a considerable quantity
of floe ice, some of which is heavier than any that
I remember having seen in Davis’s Straits before.
In order to avoid danger, we therefore make fast
during the night. We sounded to day in eight
hundred and ninety seven fathoms ; no bottom.

Friday, 22d.— Nothing of any importance has
occurred during these four days past : the weather
has been generally foggy; and our progress to the
southward has been very much impeded by the
ice, which, as I have already remarked, is heavier
than we have been accustomed to meet with
in these seas. Several of the floes that we have
passed lately were from two to three feet above
the surface of the water, which, from the differ-
ent experiments we have made on the specific
gravity of ice, would make the thickness of these
floes, from fifteen to twenty feet. We had an
eclipse of the moon this morning ; but from the
impossibility of observing the immersion or emer-
sion, with any degree of correctness on board of
ship, nothing was deduced from it in the way of
determining our longitude. We spoke the ship
Ellison of Hull, during the night, with fifteen fish
on board.

Saturday, 30th. — This week past has been as

988 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

barren of incidents worthy of notice as any period
of equal length, for some time. We crossed
the Arctic circle on the 24th inst.; and since
then we have had generally coarse weather; we
have now, however, got clear of the ice, and
have kept at such a distance from Cape Farewell,
that there is nothing to apprehend whatever way
the wind may blow. Our latitude, to-day, at
noon, was 58° 44’ 51”, and longitude by chron.
53° 12’ W.

Monday, October 2d.— We have had a gale of
wind during these two days past, which moderated
considerably in the course of this afternoon. We
lost sight of the Griper about six o’clock this
morning: she appeared at the time that we last
saw her to be lying to. We ran, however, until
nine o’clock, at which time the wind began to abate
a little, we, therefore, brought to, and waited for
her until two in the afternoon; but as she had not
made her appearance, although the weather had
by that time cleared up, there was reason to sup-
pose that she had taken a different course from
that which we came, and had probably passed us
before the weather cleared up; we, therefore,
made sail, keeping rather tothe northward of our
course, in hopes of falling in with her.

Tuesday, 3d.—A vigilant look-out has been
kept all day for the Griper, but nothing has as yet
been seen of her; so that we now begin to suspect
that we shall not see her again until we meet at
Shetland, which, I understand, is the appointed
place of rendezvous in case of separation.

The Aurora Borealis appeared very beautifully

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 289

from nine till eleven o’clock this evening, forming
an arch extending from east to west across the
zenith ; almost the whole of the south side of the
hemisphere was indeed illumined by it, but it
was not seen to the northward except near the
zenith. It presented at different times a beautiful
display of some of the prismatic colours, particu-
larly the red, orange, yellow, and green; lake was
also a predominant colour in some parts occa-
sionally. With respect to the different forms that
it assumed, and its various movements, I consider
it impossible to give a correct idea of them by
words. It appeared sometimes in immense sheets
of light, moving rapidly along the surface of the
sky, and at other times it darted in straight
columns from different parts of the sky towards the
zenith. The most remarkable appearance, how-
ever, that it presented, was a sort of serpentine
motion which it had at one time from west to east,
across the zenith. ‘The electrometer was tried, but
it was not affected, nor did we hear any noise
such as has been said to be produced by this phe-
nomenon. Whether the Aurora Borealis dims the
light of the stars or not, I can hardly pretend to say,
but I can affirm this much, that I could see very
plainly, in the thickest part of it, the four small
stars forming the diamond-shaped figure in the
constellation of the Dolphin, from which I imagine
that a great part of the dimness that appears to be
occasioned, is owing to the stars and Aurora Bo-
realis being nearly of the same colour.

Wednesdas y, 11th.— We picked up this afiier:
noon a piece of pine three feet eleven inches in

U

290 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

length, and seven inches in diameter; it appeared to
have been a considerable time in the water; there
was no axe-mark, or that of any other tool, to be seen
upon it, so that it is probable that it had been
drifted to this place from the coast of America.
Our latitude at noon was 61° 8’ N., and longitude,
when sights were taken for chronometer in the
forenoon, 34° 44’ W. Several land-birds, namely,
hawks, and wheat-ears, have been seen about the
ship at different times for some days past.

Monday, 16th. — A heavy gale of wind. com-
menced very suddenly at nine o’clock in the fore-
noon of Saturday last, and continued to blow very
violently from that time until noon to-day, and
heavy squalls occurred indeed occasionally until
three o’clock in the afternoon. During the first
night of the gale our stern-boat was carried away
by a sea, which struck her. That, however, was
a loss that hardly deserves to be mentioned, when
compared with what we sustained to-day, for at
half-past one o’clock this afternoon, we carried
away our bowsprit, fore-mast, (about two feet above
the deck,) and main-top-mast, a little above the
cap. Our best bower-anchor was also obliged to
be cut away, in consequence of some of the wreck
getting entangled with it. Notwithstanding the
bustle and confusion that were unavoidably occa-
sioned by this accident, and the boisterous state
of the weather, the ship was cleared of the wreck,
and the remaining masts secured without any per-
son being hurt.

Wie diasiles 18th. — All hands have been busily
employed during these two days fitting the rigging,

TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 201

and preparing to get jury-masts up: a jury fore-
mast was got up to-day, and the main-top-mast
is ready for going up to-morrow morning. We
saw a strange sail a few miles astern of us in
the afternoon, but the weather being thick at the
time, we could not make out what she was, and, as
the wind was light, she did not come up with us
in the course of the evening.

Thursday, 19th. — Nothing more has been seen
of the vessel just mentioned, whether she steered
a different course during the night in order to avoid
falling in with us from seeing the state we were in,
I cannot pretend to say: but, be that as it may,
We are now ina condition that does not require her
assistance even if she were to appear, for we have
got a jury-bowsprit rigged, and top masts up.
The wind and weather is still, however, rather un-
favourable for us, for the sea has not yet gone
down, and the wind is from the southward and
eastward.

Friday, 27th.— Nothing occurred for this
week past worthy of any notice; the wind has
been generally rather against us, and we have
had ever since the last gale of wind a heavy
swell. We saw three vessels yesterday, one of
which showed Prussian colours. Soon after day-
light this morning land was descried, which we
knew from our latitude to be Fula or Foul Island,
one of the Shetland Islands. Our longitude by
the chronometers agreed with that in which this
island is laid down within three or four miles,
which shows the great utility of these machines, if
such a proof were wanting ; but their use in navi-

UP

~

292 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.

gation is too well known to require any comment
of mine.

Saturday, 28th. — We have been running to the
southward to-day between Fair Island and Ro-
naldsha, both of which were in sight for most part
of the day. )

Sunday, 29th. — When the weather cleared up
at noon to-day, we saw Mormond Hill in Banft-
shire, bearing W.S. W. by compass, and distant
five or six leagues. I must here conclude my nar-
rative, as an order has been issued to-day, re-
questing all logs and journals, &c. that have/been
kept by any person during the voyage to be sealed
up, and sent to Mr. Parry, in order to be trams-
mitted to the Lords Commissioners of the Admi-
ralty.

In concluding this journal, I may remark that
although we have not actually discovered the
north-west passage, yet we have so far proved
its existence, that I presume no person can hence-
forth be so sceptical as to doubt it; and Iam even’
in hopes, indeed, to see the day, when its actual
existence will be demonstrated beyond a doubt.

APPENDIX.

No. | — A List of the Officers and Ships’ Companies of the

Expedition.
HECLA.

Names. Rank or Quality. | No.

William Edward Parry, - | Lieut. and Command.) 1
Frederick William Beechey, -| Lieutenant, - -| 1
John Edwards, - - | Surgeon, > -| 1
William H. Hooper, - - | Purser, - =|el
Edward Sabine, - - | Captain R. A., =t7 4
Alexander Fisher, - - | Assistant Surgeon, 1
Joseph Nias, - - icabipmnay =o) I
William J. Dealy, . - | Ditto, ale I
Charles Palmer, - - | Ditto, 2 oe Nee
James C. Ross, - - | Ditto, « BF ee |
John Bushnan, = or CEOS = ~bry I
James Halse, - - | Clerk, By Rae |
John Allison, - - - | Master Pilot, 1
George Crawford, - - | Mate, - =A yt
James Scallon, - - - | Gunner, - miiey &
Jacob Swansea, - - | Boatswain, - 1
William Wallis, - - | Carpenter, 1
Seamen, - - - | Petty Officers, & A. B. 33
Marines (including a serjeant), Serjeant & Privates, 6
A serjeant and private of artillery,| Artillery-men, -| @2
Total -| 58

GRIPER.

Matthew Liddon, 3 - | Lieut. and Command.) 1
H. P. Hoppner, = - | Lieutenant, =e d
Charles J. Beverley, — - - | Assistant Surgeon, 1
Andrew Reid, - - | Midshipman, -{ 1
A. M. Skene, - - - | Ditto, - =) ore
William A. Griffiths, - = | Ditto, - cane.
Cyrus Wakeham, - - - | Clerk, - = |p iell
George Fyfe, - - | Master Pilot, aul
Alexander Elder, - - - | Mate, - 1
Seamen, - - - - | Petty Officers, & A. B. 22
Marines, : . - | Corporal & Privates,| 5
Total -| 36

294 APPENDIX.

No. II.—- A List of Nautical, Astronomical, Meteorological,
and other Instruments supplied to the Expedition. The Num-
bers in the right-hand column refer to the portion of the
different Articles supplied to the Griper, and consequently those
an the middle column to the number kept on board the Hecla.

Instruments supplied to the Expedition.| Hecla. | Griper.

Astronomical clocks and stands .. 2 } 2
Altitude instruments .. .....ccccceee 4 2 2
Agtificial horizong’ 22. ccups602>0n000es: - 6 3 3
Azimuth compasses .........ecceesees 8 4 4
Ams lometers 2: 22S Fy bercedeesaes seria 2 2
Barometers (iiaritte) iecsscecccsesecees 4 2 2
Ditto (MOUNGAIE) cccvacseoos ens Z 2
Beam Compasses s. sist peccesncesee 2 1 1
Brass scales .....sess00 pa tes Bae are, 1 1
Chronometers
Compasses (steering) seseeccrrere 4 3 1
Citcular protractdrs sp ioiecesccecseue 2 1 1
Cyaniameters ... ee cciweccscs 2 1 1
Charts, boxes of ........ Mie ketcscsacssete 2 1 box 1 box
Drawing instruments, cases .,....0 2 lcase | Icase
Dip Sectors 1. Coat ee E cincwess'one 2 1 1
Dippine rieedle . tas.2.¢4h ss ego tose 1 1
Dip-steering needle.........0000 sssvceee I 1
Electrometers a iia davenancnions 2 2
PIECHIC (CHAINS 5. csccessvcistetecevearsccssss. | 2 2
Giwiter SCALES, wssdesseseseond “Bait eee 1 1
FIvGrOMmeters, Jevssstenscessaces sineseiesea | 2 1 1
TL yeTOMICtETS © Coassssssasonscoctetuse ree ee 2
Ey UTOpHOres™ sc -ecscceses eat eeeee 1 1
Instrument for magnetic force...... 1 1
MAETOMELCI caterers shes iocrauscactes, ol 1
PapalleMnmens*.sicsascocssssepocsecovecancs 1 2 2
Poptable observatory ios. 3.c.cccnsssses 1 1
Repeating circle ......00.. doaheesssnesenues 1 1
FPREPMOMEtES © 2.022 isscceserecooee on 20 10 10
Ditto Pa (Terister) (oc... .csseat ] 1
Theodolites, (one small and the

OCHER "/=1ACH) soe vesetieness <i eee 2 |17-inch} 1 small
Transit instruMent a.cccccccorrorees 1 1
Teleseopes|(2” feet) Cote: cecnnc-ooes- 6 4 2
Watiation transit | ..c...sseaeee sceees ss 1 1
Ditto NECAICs csc ccsncessoncee easeaenes 1 1
Biter bottles... .vsscosceusccecatecees 3 2 1

295

APPENDIX.

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299

APPENDIX.

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301 -

APPENDIX,

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-

305

APPENDIX.

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307

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312 APPENDIX.

No. IV.—A DIAGRAM,

Exhibiting a Series of Azimuths taken on every second point of the Compass,

for the purpose of determining the Deviation on board His Majesty’s ship — |

Hecla, July 24th, 1819, in latitude 73° 00’ N. long. 60° 26’ W.

81°20/25"
39/35"

,

8/°05.

\66°11'19" 66

pLG OTo96 uF UGSoST Ama eran -
\ES SE096 1 1/G9 086

In the above diagram, the letters contained in the outer circle represent the direction of the
ship’s head when the azimuths were taken ; the circle next to it shews the amount of the yari-
ation observed on each direction of the ship’s head; the figures on the left side * of the rhumb-
lines being taken by one of Kater’s azimuth compasses, and those on the right side of the same
lines, by a card of Mr. Jennings (placed on the stand of Walker’s azimuth compass), having
two magnetic needles placed at right angles to one another. The figures on the left side of the
xhumb-lines in the next circle, are the mean of the two observations, which is taken as being
likely the nearest approximation to the truth: the figures on the right side of the rhumb-lines in
this circle, shew the difference between the mean variation observed on each direction of the ship’s
head, and the true variation, as observed on the ice, which, by the mean of twenty-six‘azimuths,
was found to be 82° W. ‘The figures in the inner circle are the sum of the two opposite points,
which is presumed to be the true variation on these points; finally, the mean of all the obsery-
ations, when summoned up, were 80° 48! 39” 37°” W.

* As this term may, in the present instance, be misunderstood, it is necessary to observe, that
the figures on the left side of the rhumb-line, North, are 81°43’ 10’, and on the right side
#0° 57’ 40”, and so on.

APPENDIX. 813

No. V.—- A DIAGRAM,

Shewing the deviation of the compasses on board His Majesty’s ship
Hecla, at Northfleet, May 6th, 1819. The magnetic dip, or vertical incli-
nation of the magnetic needle, being 74° 35'. The manner in which the
experiment was performed, is thus: — the true magnetic bearings of some
distant object on shore was obtained, which, in this instance, was the steeple
of a church, bearing E. 6° 30’ N. The inner circle shews the bearings of the
steeple, with the ship’s head on each of the rhumb-lines, except west,

Sv <i

08
aseu aes NV

o

W. by S. and W.S. W.; and the middle circle contains the amount of the
deviation on those points, which is equal to the difference between the true
magnetic bearings of the steeple ; and its bearings with the ship’s head on
the different rhumb-lines marked in the outer circle.

314 APPENDIX.

No. VI. — Copy of the Paper contained in the Bottle thrown
overboard, May 22d, 1819.

‘‘ His Majesty’s Ship Hecla, at two o’clock P.M., on the
22d of May, 1819, latitude 59° 4’ N., longitude 6° 55! W., light
breezes and fine weather, wind East, Griper in company. All
well. Temperature of the air, 514°. Sea water, 48%.”

(Signed) W. E. PARRY, Lieutenant and Commander

‘‘ Whoever finds this paper, is requested to forward it to
the Secretary of the Admiralty, London, with a note of
the time and place at which it was found.”

ac# ‘ Quiconque trouvera ce papier, est prié d’y marquer le
tems et lieu ou il l’aura trouvé, et de le faire parvenir
au plutot au Secretaire de l’Amirauté Britannique 4
Londres.”

oct “ Quienquiera hallara este papel, esta pedido de enviarlo
al Secretario del Almirantazgo, a Londrés, con una
nota del tiempo y del lugar en los quales se hallé el
dicho papel.”

ace “ Enhver som finder dette papur, anmodes at insende samme
unfortdvet til Regjeringen i Tudbenhavn eller i Stock-
holm, eller til Secretairen af det Brittiske Admiralitet
i London, med bemerkning angaaende tiden naar, og
stedet hvor papiret er fundet.”

@ce “Een ieder die dit papier mogt vinden, wordt hiermede
verzogt, om het zelve, ten spoedigste, te willen zenden,
aan den Heer Minister van de Marine der Nederlanden
in ’S Gravenhage, of evel aan den Secretari der Britsche
Admiraliteit, te London, en da by te voegen eene nota,
inhoudende de tyd en de plaats alwaar dit papier is
gevonden geworden.”

APPENDIX. 815

No. VI. — continued.

eet Ka bite fire Haugemby Cele nici,
UALTE ENV GOCTILUCUTTOS onbie Ses oreorttre fu
we. MAiue Cb = Curehive Tanapiyprs
ee uny Muricnpy Coens
Mopchitxe cuits, wate b2 Aorrgortsle-
/pemapto Hp wusvctato Vy WH apa Mit.
CIIlA, OBHA UB Nw CEANG Aut 16 Ope.

atakorga, co Mena ngt6,OH bt bey Haucgeklo

316 APPENDIX.

No. VII.— Copy of a TIDE-TABLE kept on board His
Majesty’s Ship Hecla, from the 4th of May to the 21st
of June, 1820, in Winter Harbour, Melville Island.

Rise of the Fall of the
Time. Tide from last| Tide from last
low Water. | high Water.

Hourand |A. M. or| Feet and Feet and

Day of the Month. Minute. P. M. Inches. Inches.
hy am ft. in ft in
May 4th, 1820. 5 Ad Pave.
Mid. 1 5
May 5th G0 A.M. 2 35
O 30 P.M. Z 2
6 45 P. M. 1h ere
May 6th O 45 A.M. 1 1
7 20 A.M. 2 1
2 10) P. M. 1 11
S70 P. M. OF a 1
May 7th 2 30 A. M. oO 113 .
9 0 A.M. Lic pl dee .
4 0 P.M. oy ie
11 (0) P. M. 1 5
May 8th ah V® A. M. 1 54
10 45 A. M. 2 a
5 45 P.M. Q . 4
Makes CaN 1A AG 2 15 ;
May 9th 5 $0 A. M. 1 1]2
Noon 2 9
5 45 P. M. 3 33
May 10th Oil A.M. 2 112
6 20 A. M. 2 10
LD 320 Pie 3 2
6 > A. M. 3 9
May IIth 1 (0) A.M. 3 8
7 15 A. M. 3 Es
1 10 PVE. 5} 65
to © P.M. 3 8F
May 12th Ls A. M. 3 83
7 30 A.M. 3 65
130 P. M. 3
8 O P. M. 3 10
May 13th ee A. M. 4 1
8 10) A. M. 4 2
PKC) TEA NIE 3 95
8 15 P.M 3 74
May 14th he IS} A.M 3 95
8 45 A.M. 3 BE
3 O P. M. 3 3
9 10) Tei 3 3
May 15th S20 A. M. 3 10
9 30 A. M. 3 8
Sie ke) P. M. 3 O
00730 PM 3 1

APPENDIX. 317

TIDE TA BLE — continued.

Rise of the Fall of the
Time. Tide from last|Tide from last
low Water. | high Water.

Hour and |A. M. or} Feet and Feet and

Day of the Month. Minute. PS IVE. Inches. Inches.
hy * m: ft. in. ft. in.
May 16th, 1820. 3 so | A.M. g “Ils
10 10) A. M. 3 1
4 (0) P. M. 2 3
10) 25 P.M. . 2 63
May 17th 4 (0) A.M. 2 93
10 50 A.M. 2 7
4 45 Pp. M. 2 O
ll 0 P. M. 2 O
May 18th By SL A. M. 2 6
11 30 A. M. 2 25
5 45 P. M. 1 32
Mid. 1 3
May 19th 6 Oo A.M. 25, 40
12° 5 | sPOM. 1) 103
6 30 Jee 1G 6 1 J
May 20th Oo 30 A.M. 1 os
Tf (0) A. M. 1 74
1 Fie! SP avi 1 ees
8 15 P.M. 1 (0)
May 21st 2 O A. M. Oo 10
8 30 A. M. 1 9
2 25 122 WE 1 8
9 O 1a & 1 1
May 22d 3 15 | A. Ms 17.0
9 30 A. M. 1 6
4 10 Pave 1 11
10 30 P.M. 1 6
May 23d 4 45 A.M. 1 43
11 10) A. M. 1 6
5° 034) Pe Q 9k
11 45 | PM 2. Ute
May 24th 6 (0) A.M. 1 53
Noon . 2 Oo
6 30 | P.M. ae Fe
May 25th Oo 15 | A.M. 2 3%
6 45 A. M. 2 2
12 20 | P.M. 2. Nese
6 30 | P.M. ape hy
May 26th Oo 40 A. M. 2 84
mY Teal As Me re oe
1 | O+| -P.M. % | 4E
6 30 | P.M. 3) se
May 27th 1125 A.M. 2 53
7 30 A.M. 3 1
iE 45 P.M. 2 ll
We SO IPs 3 25

318 APPENDIX.

TIDE TABLE — continued.

Rise of the Fall of the

Time. . Tide from last|Tide from last
low Water. | high Water.
Hour and |A. M. or| Feet and Feet and
Day of the Month. Minute. ip; Mc Inches. Inches.
h. m. ft jin. Tt: an.
May 28th @.) to WM. Me Me. ne. 17
8 (6) A. M. 3 (0)
2 10 P.M. 3 0)
ayes | P.M.
May 29th ee 30 A.M. 5”) 10
9 (0) A. M. 3 Ti
3 oO JER AMIS 3 3
9 oO PS ME 3 6
May 30th 3 (0) A.M. 8 0)
9 ns A. M. 3 1
3 (0) P.M. 2 73
9 30 P. M. 3 15
May 31st 8-50 A.M. 3 7%
10 15 A. M. 2 33
Chee ontsto) P.M. 2 7
10 r@) P.M. 2 7
June Ist 4 15 A. M. 3 4
4 45 A. M. 8 4
4 30 1 eae AY 2 25
ial Oo P.M. 2 3
June 2d 5 ao A. M. 3 (0)
11, 80 A.M. 2 10%
6 oO P. M. 1 8
Mid. 1 10
June 3d 6 (0) A. M. 2 9
0 45 | P.M. 2 65
7 oO P. M. I 9
June 4th 1 SBS A.M. 1 73
7 30 A. M. 2 9
2 Oo P.M. 2 24
8 oO P.M. 1 6
June 5th 2 80 A. M. 1 8
8 80 A.M. 2) 7
3 5 P. M. 2 5%
5 15 P. M. t 10z
June 6th 3 45 A. M. 1 8
9 40 A.M. 2 5
4 30 P. M. 2 10
10 30 P.M. 2 4
June 7th 4 40 A.M. 2 14
10 30 | A.M. 2 62
5 oO P. M. 2 63
11 0) P.M. 2 64
June 8th 5 BO A. M. 2 9
Noon 2 10
6 10 P. M. 2 10

APPENDIX. 319

TIDE TABLE — continued.

: Rise of the Fall of the
Time. Tide from last|Tide from last
low Water. | high Water.
Hour and |A.M. or] Feet and Feet and
Day of, the Month. Minute. Pave Inches. Inches.
mi: in. fi= shine fie) ans
June 9th Oe °SO A.M 2 104
6 40 | AM 2 11%
0 45 | P.M. 3 of
6 50 | P.M. ae a 8
June 10th 0. 55 |-A.M. Vee 4
a 10 A. M. 3 3
1 15 PPM: 2 11
7 15 | P.M. 3" AZ
June 11th 1 40 A. M. 3 65
8 O A. M. 3 7
1 50 P.M. 2 ll
8 10) P. M. 3 1
June 12th Ammer 85 A. M. 3 6
8 35 A. M. 3 5
2 50 PAVE 3 10)
9 10) P. M. 3 4
June 13th Si 30 A.M. 3 85
9 40 | A.M. GOCGe
3 15 P.M. 3) 1l
9 25 | P.M. 2 114
June 14th 3 40 A. M. 3 7
10 10) A. M. 3 1z
4 10) P. M. 3 10)
9 45 P. M. 3 2
June 15th 4 30 A.M. 3 5
10 30 A. M. 3 ]
4 35 Pave 2 3
10 40 P. M. > 10
June 16th 4 50 A. M. 3 3
1l 10) A. M. 2 10
4 30 PAVE 2 oO
il (0) P. M. 2 1
June 17th 6 15 A. M. 2. 10
1 O P. M. 2 7
7 15 | P.M. au” OS
Mid. 2 4
June 18th 6 0 A. M. 2 64
O 45 P. M. 2 4
7 (0) P. M. 1 6
June 19th 1 (0) A. M. 1 5
vf 30 A. M. 1 10
1 45 | P.M. aE Oe
Qh. OPE le os
June 20th 2 0) A. M. 1 8
8 (0) A.M. 2 (9)
3 oO PSE 1 4

oa
t| Tide from last
high Water.

Hour and |A. M. o
Minute. Pp. M.

Inches.

hs. sams ft. in.
June 20th 10 0) yl ei.
‘ June 21st (0) A. M. pal?
P 0 Ps M.
% m 0 .M. 1
« 30 P. M.
THE END.
*

ee = ‘ a =
Printed by A. and R. Spottiswoode,
/ Printers-Street, London.

g..

Fit
Boyton