,.'^.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 1.0 I.I l££|Z8 |2.5 ^ m ^ 1^ 12.0 11.25 nil 1.4 1.6 7] ^>. >> ^ W^l^^' /: ■v/ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation IZ WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 ^^ V ^ 6^ CIHM/fCMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques C'"- Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The c to th( The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of 'liming, are checked below. D D a D D D D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul^e I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque □ Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion ie long de la marge int6rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte. mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 film^es. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a itd possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ K This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/oi Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul^es I I Pages damaged/ I ] Pages restored and/or laminated/ Theli possi of th< filmir Orlgh begin the Is sion, other first I slon, or illi \71 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ /\\ Pages d^color^es, tachetdes ou piqu6es I I Pages detached/ Pages d^tachdes Shovythrough/ Transparence Quality of prir Qualitd in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary materie Comprend du matdriel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible |T71 Shovythrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 filmdes d nouveau de facon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X >/ 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Theli shall TINU whici Maps differ entire begin right requii methi The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library of the Public Archives of Canada L'exemplaire fllm6 fut reproduit grflce d la gAn6rosit6 de: La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies In printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upp^r left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 Les images sulvantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soln, compte tenu de la condition et de Iq nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions doj contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires origlnaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont film^s en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidra page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration, soit par la second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires origlnaux sont film6s en commen^ant par ia premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration ta en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur ia dernidre Image de cheque microfiche ^elon ie cas: le symbole — ^ rignifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour §tre reproduit en un seul clichd, 11 est film6 A partir de Tangle sup6rleur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 fj s o ^ |4 « fe ^ @ ea K L :i f JVARRATIVE or AN EXPEDITION IN H.M.S. TERROR, ^3 ONDERTAKKW WITH A V«W TO GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY OK THE ARCTIC SHORES, IN THE YEARS 1836-7. BY CAPTAIN BACK, R.N. COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. ILLUSTRATED BY A MAP AND PLATES. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. MDCCCXXXVIir. fL^tfitiie;^? ^ Uiiy\m^ 'Mt, \\ ' LONDOK: Printed by A. Spottiswoode, New-Street- Square. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD GLEJVELG, HER majesty's principal SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES, &c. &c. &c. THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION TO THE ARCTIC SHORES, IS. WITH SINCERE RESPECT, IlEDICATED BY HIS lordship's MOST OBEDIENT / • VERY HUUBLE SERVANT, GEORGE BACK. ■ ^Sa^w ^iS B.aMy- d CONTENTS. Preliminary Chapter Page 1 CHAPTER I. Departure from England. - Cape Farewell. - Porpoise, and Gulls -Driftwood with Roots and Bark. -Lore the Vicmity of Cape Farewell. - Icebergs. - Cou^e novel Descrrrt -Resolution I.lani - WhirTpool l' Uescry 1 wo Vessels. — Dreary Asnect of th. « — Vessel moored to an Icebere — rr«„, "^'faa"on. vered. - Deviation in Co^pa^e.. _ Trinity w"h°" obhged to heave-to.- Whak, seen.- Ship imb^ddeH' Ice. -Baffin and Southampton Islands. _ Perirstnl Uo„. - Whi.e_ Whaies. - Winter IsIandlT wl; 17 CHAP. II. Steer for Soutiampt™ Island. - Conjectures respecting the Icebound in Sight of Land. - Wind veers to SnLh 7 Prospect of Release — rx^„ ^"/^^'^^/^ ^^^"th-west. ^ xveiease. — Hopes disappointed. ~ Ship vi CONTENTS. driven nearer Land. — Mr. Gore Hhoots a Fox. — Ship in extreme Peril. — Frightful Increaae of Pressure. — Pro- vidential Delivery. — Exploring Expedition. — A Dock cut in the lee. — Considtution of OlHcers. — Rapid De- struction of the Floe. — Bow of the Ship split. — Hopes of progressing baffled. ... Page 77 CHAP. HI. Lane of Water discovered. — Prospect of wintering on the Ice. — Violent Concussions experienced. — Employment of the Crew. — Erection of an Observatory.— Favour- able Position of the Ship. — Disruption by a Gale. — Expansion of open Water. — Offict-rs build Snow Houses. — Excursions to Land. — An exploring Party. — Experi- ment of wearing a Mask. — Survey of a Harbour.—. Pass Cape Comfort. — Risk of being crushed. — Robbed by Foxes and Shrimps. — Thermometer rises. — Huge Mass of Ice. — Amusements. — Thermometers tested.— Accident to the Carpenter. — School for the Crew. — Curious Phenomenon. — Register Thermometer. — Rein« deer killed. — Fearful Storm. — Floe cracks. - 119 CHAP. IV. Extraordinary Disruption. — Anxieties. — Rapid Change. — Commotion. ■— Masquerade. — Results of Commotion. — Temperatures. — Invalids. — Anxiety for the Floe. — Advantages of Situation. — Death of a Sailor. — Reflec- tions. — Desolation of the Land. — Curious Meteor. — Land Excursions. — Tracks of Animals. — Increase of Sick. — Precautions. — Phenomena. — Invalids. —Spirits of Crew improve. — Weather. — Grinding of Ice. — Health. — Under-Currents. — Floe diminishes. — Phenomena of Ice. — Callosity of Limbs. — Intensely cold. — Influence of Sun. — More Limpers. — Death of Mr. Donaldson. — Fine Weather. — The Coast. — Soundings as before. — Set of Current. — Heavy Gale. — Gale abates. — Holes of Water. - - - - - - 177 CONTENTS. Vii hip ill -Pro- Dock 1 De- li opea ^ge 77 in tho jrmcnt ivour- ile. — ouses. xperi- ur. — obbed Huge ed.— iVf. — Ilein- 119 ;e.— )n. — »e. — eflec- Land Crew h.— flee, ce of ■Fine - Set ?s of 177 CHAP, V. Valentine's Day. — Floe damaged. — Outli no of Coast. — Alarming Symptoms. — Chaotic Commotion. — Tumult ceases, — Clearing Deck. — Dovekie shot. — Awful I'eril. — Grandeur of Scene, — Expectation of Crisis. — Havoc spreads — Desolation. — Ship remains nipped. — Turmoil. — Set of Ice. — Ship rights. — lee Hills. _ Bolts, &c. loosened by Pressure of Ice. — Flight of Hirds. — Nautical Artists. — Divine Service. -- Blows a Gale. — Imminent Peril. — St. Patrick's Day. — Ice fluctuates. - Sir J. Gor- don's Bay. -Peril of Two Sailors. ~ Flock of Ducks, and White Bear. — Death of a Sailor. — Baffin's Obser- vations. — Flocks of Loons. — Improvement in Crew's Health. — Diminution of Snow. — Mr. Gore Snow- '^"°^- • - • - Page 217 CHAP. VI. Feast of Loons. — Mr. Vaughan's Path. — Perilous Ex- cursion. — White Whales. - Carpenters busy under- mining Ship. _ Result of Labours. ~ Polar Expeditions — Narwhales. — Report of Health. - Cannonading Floe. — Cheerful Labours in sawing away the Ice.— Employ- ment for Armourer. — Impedimenf s from Calves. — New Rent discovered. — Report of the Ship's Drift. — Ship bursts her Bonds. - Novelty of Scene. - Stern-post shat- tered — Officers' Opinion in favour of Return to England. — Awkwardness of Situation. — Expedition frustrated.' — Ship's Draught increased, — Visited by Esquimaux. — Ship struck by a Floe. _ Shattered Condition of Ship. - Sad for England.— Arrival at Chatham. - - 343 Appendix 4.49 NARRATIVE OP AN EXPEDITION IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP TERROR, IN THE YEARS 1836-7. PRELi: VARY CHAPTER. The interest which had been excited by the former Expeditions through the interior and along the coast of North America, and the sue cessive information gained on every trial, induced the Geographical Society to draw the attention of Government to a proposed expedition for completing the coast line between Regent's Inlet and Point Turnagain. The project was entertamed, and I had the honour to be selected to carry it into execution. On May 13th, 1836, I received my official appointment to His Majesty's ship Terror then lying alongside the Hussar hulk, at Cliatham. She had been recently doubled, and m every respect strengthened with the most massive iron and copper fastenings, for a voyage to the Polar Sea. Some alterations were now li 2 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. made to accommodate her to the new service on which she was destined, and a leak, which had been discovered on a short trip which she had made to Hull, was effectually repaired. She was also provided with a warming apparatus, whicli however, though probably well calcu- lated for more temperate climates, was not found to answer its intended purpose in the North. It may be briefly described as a purely wrought iron pipe two hundred and forty feet long, an inch in diameter, and five eighths of an inch bore, extending nearly round the ship and the midship cabins ; the solution of strong brine, with which it was filled by the aid of a forcing-pump, being kept hot by means of a furnace, strongly built in brick within an iron tank or casing, in the interior of which several coils of pipe wound round. To guard against accidents, there were expansion tubes abaft the first bend coming from the furnace, which, in case of an excess of heat, became filled, and so prevented the bursting of the apparatus. The advantage proposed to be gained over the well-tried method adopted by Sir E. Parry, was a diminution in the consumption of coals, a bushel being considered quite enough for a day's use. How far this calculation would have been borne out by fact, there was no opportunity 1^1^- PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 3 Of proving; but it is only justice to Mr. Heath. one of the firm by which the apparatus was provided, to state, that he himself declared, " he should have scarcely recommended so novel a scheme on a service such as ours, where, if an accident occurred, there would be considerable d^culty m makmg the necessary reparations." _ Xhree capacious, but comparatively light, whale boats were buUt, and an equal number of sledges with iron runners, so contrived as to whin r f *' """^ °' ^ '^^S'- -Wch, when placed on wheels adapted to the con- trivance, were expected, and could not fail, to be most useful for the conveyance of stores. &c. over the land. For food at once the most portable and sub- stantial, upwards of three thousand pounds weight otpemmican were manufactured from the choicest meat, with pimento and other spices mixed, to make it more palatable. In addition to this, there was a liberal supply of preserved meats and soups, together with a great variety of anti- scorbutics ; warm clothing to provide against the cold of winter, such as fur caps, carpet or cloth boots, with cork next the feet, and bear skin blankets, &c. : but as I experienced some trouble m makmg out a list of what was actually i„. dispensable, it may be of future use to insert it here : — 4 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. Sea boots Cloth ditto, with cork soles Ankle shoes Pea jackets Monkey jackets - Flushing trousers, lined with baize WARM CLOTHING. 1 SO pair. 132 — 130 — 131 65 130 — Red flannel shirts 130 Wadmil hose - 185 pair. Swanskin drawers 130 Comfortables - 195 Welsh wigs - 130 Fur caps - - 63 Green crape - 100 yds. Bear skin blankets 70 PROVISION FOR EIGHTEEN MONTHS' CON- SUMPTION. Bread Spirits - Brandy Wine Salt beef Salt pork Flour - Suet - Raisins Tea Oatmeal Peas Chocolate Sugar Do. for lime juice Butter Cheese - Vinegar Concent'' do. Soap Tobacco Fresh beef and live stock for Lemon juice Pemmican Candles, wax and tallow Pemmican, with currants Preserved meats - Vegetable soups - 35,860 lbs. Preserved 1519 gals. vegetables 1320 lbs. 100 — Potatoes 4480 49i — Carrots in sand - lOcao^vs. 1634 lbs. Molasses 800 lbs. 3280 Essence of 9896 — spruce 50 pots. 1652 — Do. do. 50 —. 728 — Macaroni 1200 lbs. 613 — Rice 1541 — 82 — Pickled cabbage - 125 gals. 145 — Walnuts 50 — 1951 — Horse radish - 50 — 3107 Onions - 50 -- 798 Mixed pickles - 100 — 337 — Cranberries 100 — 450 Salt 336 lbs. 203 Mustard 375 — 50 Pepper 60 — 1200 Normandy 1001 pippins 55 — Arrow root 30 — 35 days Prepared barley 24 — 798 lbs. Portable soup - 20 — 4874 — Coals - 112 tons. Oil 101 gals. 3124 — Cooking appara- tus for boats 1080 — complete 3 9001 — Pyroligneous ether 120 pts. 372 qts. PBEMMINAKY CHAPTER. s These together with a complete set of anti- madewed tents, oiled-cloth floorings and covers supply of fo,rf,„g^,eees, rifles, and ammunition, made our outfit of the most perfect description. Artificial horizon Marine barometer Azimuth compasses Alexander's steering do. Boat compasses Kater's compasses Dipping needle Case of instruments Massey's logs Sounding machines Hygrometer Case of bar magnets Measuring chain I We were also provided with Fraser's fire hearth and coppers, which, besides throwing out more heat than those commonly in use, had the decided advantage of consuming less fuel, and were therefore particularly desirable in a ship with a limited quantity of coals. Most of the oflicers, and all the men, were volunteers ; the whole number amounting to sixty, m the following proportions • - 1 Magnetic intensity in- 1 strument 2 Sympiesometer 1 j Spirit thermometers 3 j Six's thermometer 2 , Small do. in brass cases - Common mercurial ones - Transit instrument Night telescope Bottle of spare mercury - i Also a variety of books and stationery. 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 4 6 1 1 1 George Back William Smyth Owen Stanley Archibald M' Murdo James Saunders B 3 Captain. First Lieutenant. Second Lieutenant. Third Lieutenant. Acting Master. 6 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. li I 'i ; James Donovan, M.D. - Surgeon. Graham Gore - Mate. Robert M« Clure - Mate. Peter Fisher - Mate. Charles Marcuard - Extra Mate. James A. Mould - Assistant Surgeon. William Lawes - Clerk in Charge. Thomas Donaldson - Gunner. John Vaughan • Boatswain. John Smith - Carpenter. George Green - Ice Mate. SEAMEr. Captain's coxswain - 1 Quarter-masters - - 3 Boatswain's mate - 1 Sailmaker and crew - 2 Armourer - - I Armourer's mate - 1 Carpenter's crew, inclu- ding 1 mate - - 4 Able seamen - - 22 Captain's steward - 1 Captain's cook - - 1 MARINES. Seijeant John Maslin - 1 Corporal Henry Plumstead - - 1 Privates - - - 5 The following orders were enclosed in an official communication from the Honourable Charles Elphinstone Fleeming, at that period commander-in-chief at Sheerness : — (( By the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c. ** His Majesty's Government having been pleased to command that another attempt by the way of Wager River should be made to trace the northern boundary of the North American Continent : We have thought fit to appoint you to the command of that expedition, and you are PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 7 hereby required and directed to put to sea in His Majesty's ship Terror, under your command, the moment that she is in all respects ready, and to proceed with the utmost celerity in the ex- ecution of the following Instructions : " If, on quitting the Nore, the wind should be decidedly from the westward, you will pursue the usual track, north about ; but if, on the con- trary, the wind should appear to promise a more speedy passage down the English Channel, you are to push out in that direction, as affording the best chance of completing this undertaking within the present year, which will mainly depend on your early arrival off Hudson's Straits, so as to be able to take advantage of the first opening in the outer barrier of ice, provided you should find it still shut up. " Having once entered this strait, you will pro- bably find the water comparatively free till you approach Salisbury Island, and you wUl then have to choose between the direct and obvious course up Frozen Strait, which was performed with ap- parent ease by the Fury and Hecla in 1821, or the more circuitous route by the Welcome, which was unsuccessfully attempted by the Griper in 1824, but which you are left at liberty to adopt, if the state of the ice, ifter the late severe winter, should render Frozen Strait impassable. Again, though we consider Wager B 4> 8 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. River will be, for many reasons, the most eligible place for the commencement of your operations, yet, as the same combination of wind, tide, and ice, which would render that inlet difficult of access, might equally facilitate your entrance into Repulse Bay j and as this bay would ap- pear to be not more distant from Regent's Inlet than Wager Bay, you are further left at liberty to run for the former, instead of persisting in a tedious struggle to reach Wager Bay. " Into whichsoever of these inlets you may find it expedient to conduct His Majesty's ship, your first object will be to place her in present safety ; and then, having previously arranged a sufficient number of light reconnoitering parties, and having duly provided them with all necessary provisions, tools, and signals, you will detach them in any and every direction that may appear mostpromptly to lead to the discovery of a suitable track for transporting the boats and stores across the laud which intervenes between these inlets and the sea. " While these parties are employed on this im- portant service, a rapid examination must be made of the character of the shores of one or other of these inlets, and of their several creeks and harbours, along with the set and rise of the tides, in order to the selection of such an anchor- age as may ensure the perfect security of the U ' PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 9 ship during your absence, and as may promise a ready egress to her at the close of the season, when your operations have terminated, and when the young ice may be expected to form. In this point of view, the position, and the small comparative depth of Repulse Bay, would appear to offer an easier and more speedy egress. " Tlie officer left in charge of the Terror is to receive from you specific orders, not only as to his general proceedings while you are away, but as respects his intercourse with the natives, as well as the series of observations he is to record, and the mode in which he is to conduct a survey of the inlet, including the neighbouring lakes. Its accessory rivers, if any, a continued register of the times and heights of the tides at high and low water, and the elevation and geological character of the adjacent hills. You will com- municate to him the probable period of your absence, and you will arrange with him a few signals, by means of a gun fired in the stillness of night, at a precise hour, or by rockets or flashes, some of which may eventually be of great importance in cases where assistance may be required. Lastly, you will give him directions how to act, should any misfortune befall yourself and the other detached parties ; and in the con- templation of such an event, which may retard the return of the parties about the period fixed 10 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. for their purpose, you will appoint some ultimate period in the ensuing year, beyond which he is not to protract his stay, but peremptorily to repair with His Majesty's ship to England; in which case it would be advisable that he should endeavour to communicate a statement of any accident that may hav*; occurred to Fort Churchill. "Havingsatisfactorily settled these preliminary but important arrangements, you will then pro- ceed in the execution of ths main objects of the voyage. These objects are, — "First, To ascertain the general form and position of that part of the northern coast of America which extends from the point where you may first strike the sea shore of Prince Regent's Inlet, as far as the western mouth of Fury and Hecla Strait; and if that service should be accompHshed with facility, or if no serious obstacle should there present itself to the timely return of the party, the western coast of Cock- bum Island might be pursued as far as the Cape Kater of Parry's first voyage, but forbidding the officer of the boat whom you may detach on this service, to penetrate far into any of the openings by which that probable group of islands may be intersected ; and on no account to risk the prolongation of the ^^xed period for retuniing to the ship ; not even to persevere in the attempt PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 11 to cross the Fury and Hecla Strait, provided any very serious difficulty should present itself. " Secondly, The determination, in a simUar manner, of the continental coast line from the point of arrival on Prince Regent's Inlet, to the mouth of the River Back, and after passing Mac- onochie island, the continuation of the main shore as far as the Point Turnagain of Franklin ; to cross the strait which is supposed to separate the continent of America from the islands to the northern end of it, tracing the shore to the farthest point of Captain James Ross's discoveiy, and, if time will allow, to proceed from thence to the spot where he determined, by observations, the position of the northern magnetic pole. " You will instruct the officers in command of the two foregoing parties to note down as they proceed, on each day, the state of the sea with regard to ice, the one party in a northern direction, the other to the westward; and also, if any land should appear in these directions, \o like its bearings and probable distance, it being of great importance to ascertain whether the Arctic Sea, to the northward of the north coast of America, be from appearance navigable by ships of considerable burden. " In the event, however, of finding that these positions of Captain James Ross are actually on the continent of America, the party may return PftELTMINART CHAPTEn. to the hip, a'^ the senmuj party, directing their course towards Point 1 urn.igain, will, in that case, deciili from what point the trending of the coast to tlie northw »rd commences. •* To the vigorous pui uit of these interesting geographical questions, all minor objects must be sacrificed ; and no halt in the progress towards the termination of the journeys above mentioned should be any where permitted, for the purpose of obtaining information on any of those colla- teral subjects which otherwise it would be highly desirable to collect. ** Nevertheless, on the return of the parties, when they can estimate what time they have to spare, and at every nightly station, every adverse gale, or impervious fog, will afford opportunities for observing the magnetic dip and intensity, and tor encouraging a variety of valuable researches in other branches of science, the necessary instruments for which purposes have been sup- plied to you, and the opportunities for effecting which you will no doubt discreetly employ. ** in any large enterprise of this nature much must be left to the experience, judgment, and responsibihty of the commanding officer ; and as the general objects of this Expedition I>av« been fully explained to you, so the detailed manner of executing them is hereby committed t- your own discretion and zeal, always re- PRELUVflNARY CHAPTEU. IS collecting our anxiety for the health, comfort, safety, and ultimate credit of j^ourself, your officers, and your crew. . In like manner you will have to repose a similar confidence on those officers to whom you entrust the command of the detached parties j but you will endeavour to guide them by the most explicit instructions which It may be in your power to give. "You will assist them by a minute exposition of all the resources which you have derived from the fruits of your own experience, and you will give them peremptory injunctions to return to the ship at a definite fixed period. "The foregoing instructions have been fra med with the intention, and in the full beUef, that rhis service may be duly and faithfully perforn ed m the course of the present season, and that this Arctic Expedition maybe distinguished from all others by the promptitude of its execution, and by escapmg from the gloomy and unprofitable waste of eight months* detention : it is therefore our distinct orders, that every effort shall be made to return to England in the fall of this year. Difficulties may however occur, which we cannot foresee ; some of the detachments may have been detained by uncontrollable events or may have been visited by accidents requiring assistance at a considerable distance ; and in these cases you may find yourself compelled to u PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. winter abroad. If such should, unfortunately, be the issue of all your best exertions to comply with our order to return home, you will en- deavour to provide, in the most effectual man- ner, for the safety of his Majesty's ship, and for the health and comfort of your crew, and you will continually and sedulously employ all the scientific means at your disposal, in rendering your long winter as beneficial as circumstances will permit. " In the same spirit, when the days become sufficiently long, you will, by short arid well-pie- pared expeditions, add as much as you can to our knowledge of the adjacent regions. In the case supposed, when the ice opens in the ensuing summer, you may devote a short season to such pursuits, and in such directions as you n»ay consider most conducive to the general objects contained in these instructions, but you will take such timely measures as may prevent the pos- sibility of a second year's detention. "On your arrival in England, you are imme- diately to repair to this office, to lay before us a full account of your proceedings ; and you will demand from the officers, and from all other persons under your command, the logs and journals they may have kept, together with any charts or drawings they may have made, all which are to be sealed up, in order to their being PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 15 hereafter disposed of as we may think proper to determine. "Given under our hands, this 11th day of June, 1836. "Charles Adam. "George Elliot. " To George Backy Esq.y Captain of His Majesty* s ship Terror, at Chatham, " By command of their Lordships, ^^ John Barrow,** The kind and valuable assistance I received from the officers who preside at the head of the different departments from which we were sup- phed with stores, &c. demands my warmest ac- knowledgments. Admiral the Hon. C. E. Tleeming lost no op- portunity of facilitating my wishes in every respect j while it would be difficult to express what I owe to Sir James Gordon, for the interest he evinced, and the active measures he pursued to get the ship quickly ready for sea. Nor can I sufficiently thank Lieutenant (now Commander) Smyth, the officers and crew of the Terror, for their energetic services and most praiseworthy conduct, under trials of no 16 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. ■ i. ¥ i ordinary description, sustained by all with patient fortitude. From the journal of Commander Smyth I have derived much benefit in the com- pilation of the following Narrative, and to him, also, I am indebted for the faithful and spirited drawings which embellish it. The Chart is the work of Lieutenant Stanley, to whose efficient services I have great pleasure in bearing testimony. 17 CHAPTER I. Departure from EngUnd. - Cape Farewell - Porpoises and l^ulU. — Driftwood wUn Roots and Bark.— Leave the Vicinity of Cape Farewell. - Icebergs. - Course nmeland interesting Resolution Island. — Whirlpool. — Descry two Vessels — Dreary Aspect of the Savage Islands Fi. sited by Esquimaux. — Difficult Navigation. — Vessel moored to an Iceberg — Crew exerdsedat Small-arms under Its Lee. — Geological Indications. — Careen the Ship. — Progress through the Ice. — Salisbury Island. — Shipfol- lowed by Esquimaux. — Land discovered. — Deviation in Compasses.— Trinity Isles Ship obliged to heavcto. — Whales seen. Ship imbedded in Ice Baffin and South- ampton Islands. — Perilous Situation fVhite Whales. — fVinter Island. — Water Shy. The incidents of a voyage along the coasts of Great Britain and across the North Atlantic, however interesting to the actors, have been rendered so familiar to the English reader, that, passing rapidly over the earlier events, I shall hasten forward to the peculiar circumstances that distinguish the present expedition from those which have preceded it. I had requested, and obtained, from the Ad- miralty the assistance of a steam vessel until we should be clear of the shoals, and about eleven A. M. of the 14th June, 1836, the Terror left Chatham, and was towed along the Medway by the Rhadamanthus steam vessel, amidst cheers li i m« li. l.j; t»i»Wqip. 18 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. from the vessels on either side of the river. At Sheerness we were compelled to wait for gun- ners* stores, and it was not till the l6th that we were finally under weigh and clear of the river. Baffling head-winds prevented me from discharg- ing the steamer as I had intended at Flambo- rough Head, and we were towed along at a slow rate until, on the 21st, we reached the bay of Aberdeen. The wind, which for some days had been squally, had now freshened to a gale, and, as it was impossible to make any advance, the vessel was brought to an anchor. The watering was completed, and, in accordance with a plan on which I had previously determined, the re- maining leisure was employed in converting the ship into a barque. To nautical men, especially those accustomed to polar navigation, it is unne- cessary to explain the advantages of the change ; but to the uninitiated it may be proper to men- tion, that the difference consists in the more simnle rigging of the mizen-mast, whereby several sails, in themselves of no great use, being dispensed with, the vessel is more easily worked, and many hands are set free for other duties essential in the difficult navigation through the ice. The superfluous spars, which would have only en- cumbered us, were placed on board the Rhada- manthus and returned to Chatham. Even as it was, our decks presented a singular PHEPAItATlONS FOR DEPARTURE. 19 appearance : there was a large stock of coals stowed in double rows along the quarter-deck and gangways, leaving but a very narrow space for the officers and men to pass. There were three boats on the booms and two on the quar- ters. On the skids over the quarter-deck were two whale-boats, besides several immense sledges, and whatever else could be stowed there. Large spars, planks, and a hand-mast, two tons of po- tatoes, provender for twenty sheep and ten pigs, the sheep and pigs themselves, with sundry ducks and fowls, occupied every other disposeable nook ; and though, by a little method and skilful stow- ing, all this mass of dead and living lumber had been made to assume some degree of form and regularity, yet it may be well imagined that there was no superfluous space. The crew, when mustered at divisions on the Sunday previous, presented to the view as fine a body of men as could glad the heart of a com- mander ; and, though experience had taught me to distrust impressions of this kind, yet, when I cast my eyes over the files, and, on a subsequent inspection, saw the neatness and comfort con- spicuous in the berths, I could not avoid drawing a favourable omen for the future. Early in the morning of the 22d (the wind having shifted in the night) we left our anchor- age, still towed by the Rhadamanthus, and stood c a 20 DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND, along the shore for Buchan-ness. In the even- ing, the wind freshening to a stiff breeze, com- pelled us to cast off the tow-rope ; and with a view of saving time, as well as the risk of lowering a boat, we sent off our letters in a keg made fast to a line veered from the Rhadaman- thus for the purpose. The next morning, being off the Orkneys and the wind favourable, it was thought unnecessary to detain the Rhadamanthus any longer, and Mr. King having received his instructions, parted company from us, in the true English style with three hearty cheers from his crew. We now shaped our course for Cape Farewell. From the 24th to the 27th, we had occasional squalls, with a short pitching sea, and, on the 27th, a strong gale from the S. W. The sailing qualities of the Terror were thus put to the test ; and it was gratifying to find that, deep and lum- bered as she was, and though at every plunge the bowsprit dipped into the water, she yet pitched so easily as scarcely to strain a rope-yarn, and, in seaman's phrase, made very good weather of it. This sort of weather continued with little intermission till the 30th, the sea washing over the decks, and the men constantly employed ; but, on that day the wind moderating and be- coming at the same time more favourable, the royals and all the studding-sails were for the first time set, and the gallant ship in the full pride CAPE FAREWELL. 91 of her expanded plumage floated majestically through the rippling water. On the 4th of July, we were distant from Cape Farewell 537 miles, in lat. 59" 59' N. and Ion. 25° 25' W. Here a remarkable change was ob- served in the colour of the sea, which, though under a cloudy sky, assumed a sort of bottle- green tint, such as is often seen in shoal water over a sandy bottom. On this, as on some of the preceding days, there was a heavy swell from the S.W., the waves being estimated to range from 15 to 18 feet in height. On the 6th, we found ourselves in lat. 61° N. ; and, though there was reason to expect that from the combined action of the westerly winds which had so long prevailed and the southerly current, the drift ice from Davis and Hudson' Straits would be carried so far to the S. E. as to leave a clear passage to the north ; yet, apprehensive that some ice might still be hanging along the coast east of Cape Farewell, I put the ship on the other tack, and stood to the southward. On the 9th, the weather was calm, and, taking advantage of this to inspect the holds, we de- tected an unusually fetid odour, which on exa- mination was found to proceed from a quantity of carrots packed in casks filled with sand. The casks were opened, and so offensive were the contents, that even the pigs refused to eat them, c 3 ' f!r'^^w''T^^'^w?'.5TOPfTfflWi > ^4 SAVAGE ISLANDS. 5 ll the rigging as it fell, and hung in icicles from the boats and hammock-rails. There was now no choice but to endeavour to close the shore and get to windward of the whole body of ice, and this having succeeded after repeated trials in effecting, we continued during the remainder of the forenoon running at a moderate rate through sailing pieces, which from their size there was little trouble in steer- ing clear of. Observations could not be got, but the dead reckoning placed us in latitude 61" 39' N., and some doubtful sights gave the same latitude, and longitude 67° 7' W. The weather, which during the day had been hazy, cleared towards the evening, and gave us a distinct view of the bleak and snow-streaked land, with several islands, which we conjectured to be part of the group lying between the middle and lower Savage Islands. The sea being very calm the officers lowered a boat, and set off in quest of the seals and loons which were swim- ming about ; but a brace of the latter was the only result of a considerable expenditure of powder and shot. During the night, with a liffht breeze heading us and the vessel close hauled, I found to my surprise that, of course under the influence of some current, the ship had weathered, or, in other words, gone to the westward so much, that I gladly kept under '^4! n t ' I! SADDLEBACK. as weigh, passing between large pieces of ice with- out inconvenience. The same thing continu- mg the next day we found ourselves at noon, by the observations, abreast of the middle Savage Islands, and could see the extremes of land from S. E. to N. N. E., the nearest being six or «even miles distant. It was not, however, till some hours had elapsed, that the remarkable land called Saddle-back could be made out. At this place, every vessel having occasion to visit the straits has invariably fallen in with Esqui- maux; but, although we stood within a few miles of the shore, none appeared, nor did we per- ceive any trace of them, from whence I inferred they had already made their annual barter with the Hudson's Bay ships, and were gone into the interior to hunt. About three in the afternoon an iceberg, about forty feet high, and of very pic turesque form, suddenly, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile from the ship, either toppled over, or parted with a large mass detached from Its summit. The splash in the water, the foam which succeeded, and the fearful rockings of the berg before it again settled upon its base, gave us some notion of the danger of a too close neighbourhood on such occasions. The breeze was lost as night drew on, and the usual calm succeeded; but at 11^ p.m. a light air crept along the water from the south, and having D 2 •1-^s f^' jnyaj 56 DESCRY TWO VESSELS. again set the studding-sails, by midnight we were making some progress through the water. Early on August 5th the ice, which for a brief interval had disappeared in a manner altogether unaccountable, was again reported to be a-head, and we shortly found ourselves beset by it on all sides, not, however, so compact as to stop us altogether. In this we might be considered fortunate, for, at 4*^ a. m., a ship and brig, sup- posed to belong to the Hudson's Bay Company, were observed working through heavy-packed ice to leeward, the brig corisiderably a-stern of the other. Our colours were immediately hoisted at the mast-head, but were not answered j and, every moment being precious, I pushed on with- out further notice of them, until about 7'' a. m. I was arrested, in my turn, by a continuous line of the same pack, which it was now evident run in towards, if not altogether to, the upper Savage Islands. At first, the prospect of de- tention seemed inevitable, but few things are more uncertain than the navigation among ice, and, however desperate the situation, there is generally room for hope. So it turned out now in our case ; for, when measures were about to be taken to reduce sail, lanes of water were dis- tinguished round the deep bay or inlet formed within the upper Savage Islands ; and, although the following of these lanes involved the ne- DREARY ASPECT OF THE SAVAGE ISLANDS. 37 cessity of running towards a lee-shore with a wind from the south ; yet rather than lose ground, as the weather was extremely fine, and I had great confidence in our resources, I determined on making the attempt. In effecting this, we had to pass within a short distance of the eastern extremity of the bay, and had a distinct view of the hills and valleys of the shore. There were many rocks, more or less clad with a dark and russety herbage unenlivened by a single patch of green, and altogether as me- lancholy and repulsive as fancy could conceive. It was a place, in short, that even the sea-tired mariner would scarcely leave his ship to visit. Tlie ice, it was gratifying to find, was entirely of last winter's produce ; and, though sometimes close and thick, offered but a weak resistance as we bored our way through it. The tide also, which was flowing, lent us its aid, dispersing the ice so as to leave a clear lead almost to the farthest point in view. Just as we had got abreast of a large island, on which Sir E. Parry had landed in 1821, and were looking at a cairn erected, possibly by him, on its highest hill, we were in- formed by the look-out man from thecrowVnest, that a number of canoes had set oft' from a point of the island and were making towards us. It was some time before they were visible from the deck, but fortunately for them the breeze at D 3 38 VISITED DY ESQUIMAUX. that moment moderating, between twenty and tliirty Keiyaks and tliree Oomiaks came up with their noisy owners vociferating their accustomed •< Tima'* or ** Chimo," and " pilletay," till we could scarcely hear each other's voices. These were clearly apart of the Saddleback Esquimaux, and began their traffic with the advantage of practised traders, determined to make the best of the market. Accordingly, no device or cun- ning was left untried by them ; and in this re- spect, at all events, it must fairly be confessed, that they proved their superiority. They began by offering the most trifling articles first, such as seal-skin mittens and boots, of which many had already seen service, and some were actually patched; one pair of mittens particularly with old blue cloth, which, however, the eager purchaser did not perceive. When they were detected, their loud laughter showed how greatly they enjoyed the joke. Neither could they be prevailed upon to part with bags of oil, or any thing else of real value without something better in return than the old iron hoop, which was all that 1 would permit to be offered in exchange. The women, in particular, were more outrageous than I had ever observed before, for besides disposing oi their garments, which they never hesitated to do, more than one actually offered to barter their children for a few needles. In the rest of their f ? lV V, CREW TRAFFIC WITH THE ESQUIMAUX. 39 get her round so as to be ready for the first air to stand farther off. At that time no lead could be ilescried from the mast-head, whence all in the direction of our course seemed to be one compact body. Nevertheless, when towards midnight a breeze sprung up from the south- west the studding-sails were again set, and, though we received an occasional hard thump, we had the consolation to find that we were creeping along the land ; a low point of which, directly a-head, we were most anxious to get round, from an impression that a clear space would certainly be found to the westward of it. The next day (August 6th) brought with it an increase of wind, which enabled us to bore through some heavy masses, one of which nearly carried away the fluke of the best bower anchor. The ship, indeed, struck with great force, break- ing the smaller impediments and thrusting the larger ones out of the channel, sc as to make a lane for herself; and having, at length, suc- ceeded in rounding the low point already men- tioned, and having found there, as had been anticipated, a clearer space along shore, we fol- lowed it, though not without difficulty. The SECOND VISIT 01' THE ESQUIMAUX. 41 winter line of ice was very apparent along tlu?. beach, exactly as on the banks of hikes and broad rivers in the interior of America. The height was less than I should have sup[)osed, and could not have exceeded tiiirty feet from low-water mark. It must, therefore, have been formed during an unusually calm season ; for, even in these inland situations, a rise of full twenty feet is by no means uncommon. We had a second visit from the Esquimaux, with the same noisy bartering, the same cupidity, and the same unnatural readiness to exchange their children for a few needles or a saw. Es- quimaux, indeed, will give any thing to procure what they desire ; a laughable instance of which was afforded by a young woman who, observing that one of the officers had not much hair on his head, immediately offered to supply him wit!i her own at th. easy price of a curtain-ring. The weather continued beautifully fine, with a tem- perature of 3o°, and the wat r 32"; and, at noon, the latitude was 62° 39' N. longitude, 70" 50' W. For the remainder of this day and the next we continued beating along the siiore, wherever a lane of water was to be found; arul such was the strength of the current which set us in the direction of our course, that, notwithstanding the impediments by which we were besat, and a wind for the most part heading us, we made 4^ FALL IN THE BAROMETER. satisfactory progress. We received, it is true, some heavy thumps from the drift ice, but to these we were now become familiarised. In the early morning of the 8th, the wind having shifted more to the west, we were enabled to make a considerable advance ; but, about nine o'clock, tlie scene was materially changed. We were abreast of the five hillocks spoken of by Sir Ed- ward Parry, when, instead of the enlivening view of open water, which had just before greeted us, nothing could now be discerned but one firmly knitted pack of ice, stretching from the outer point of the shore as far south as the horizon, and forbidding even the hope of an opening in any available direction. The barometer, too, which of late had showed but very little varia- tion, had fallen from 29° 87' to 29° 54/, and the sky became dark and gloomy, snow fell, and the wind blew half a gale from the N. N. W. What small sails we had up were instantly taken in, and the topsails reduced two reefs. But all our efforts to hold on our course were unavailing ; and as there happened to be a tolerably large berg at no great distance, I determined to make fast to it, as the only way of keeping to windward. Accordingly, having run to leeward, a boat was lowered, containing two ice-anchors and lines ; and, while the most experienced of the crew were employed in fixing these in the berg, on its .VESSEL WaoIlED TO AN ICEBERG. 43 shelving side, (for the other was perpendicular,) the ship made a tack, until, upon signal, she again dropped down and shot up to the very edge of the berg. Then, sending out two strong hawsers, which were affixed to the anchors, she soon became safely moored j and the sails were furled. Here we lay, snugly sheltered from the gale, which now freshened, carefully watching how- ever the slightest motion of the berg, lest, upon some change of its equilibrium, it should topple over, and so prove our destruction instead of oar safety. Nothing however occurred to dis- turb us till about two o'clock of the following morning, when a heavy floe drifted against the berg, on the weather-side, with a violent shock. For some minutes it seemed uncertain whether the ponderous mass would not turn completely over J but, after many oscillations, a large piece was supposed to have broken off from the south weslern point, which, though it increased the agitation for a time, seemed to have restored the balance, and the maos again became stationary. During this suspense, it will be easily believed we were not idle ; for, not knowing how soon we might be overwhelmed, the hawsers were in- stantly veered away to eighty fathoms, and careful hands stationed to cut the ropes in case the danger became more imminent. It ><\ CREW EXERCISED AT SMALL ARMS. As the day advanced the body of ice to wind- ward was not found, as had been expected, to have undergone any favourable alteration ; but it was consoling to find by the bearings of the land that we had rather gained than lost ground by making fast to the berg, and it was evident that, for the present, nothing better could be done than to remain where we were. In .the mean time, as there was nothing to be appre- hended for the safety of the ship, which lay extremely easy under the lee, the crew, for occupation, were exercised at small arms; and, considering that many of them had never had a musket in their hands before, they acquitted themselves very creditably. By the bearings of a remarkable hill, N. 94" E., it was clear that although we were certainly going slowly to the northward and westward, yet we were setting at the same time towards the shore. At 4'' p. m., however, there was an apparent re-action in the inshore body of ice, which now began to set about S. S. E., and, to avoid being hemmed in, it became necessary to cast off from the berg. Having done so, we went under as easy sail as the ice would allow between south and west; and, though we had now the mortification to behold, from the mast-head, a continuous pack, extending from what we took to be Broken Point to south-west, yet, by carefully watching such SOUNDINGS. 4>d openings as offered themselves, and making more sail on the ship, we succeeded in reaching a hole of water; beyond this however there was no outlet, and the ship was necessarily hove-to. At daylight, the wind having veered to the south- west, we bore up, and ran between the detached ice as near as we could, though not without many violent shocks that made the whole frame- work of the ship tremble. We continued all that day laboriously boring our way through heavy streams of ice, or vainly endeavouring to weather the larger masses, un- der the disadvantage of a dense fog : but the ^hip at length received so m.any blows, and the «ce closed so fast while we were continually drifting to leeward, that it would have been rash to have continued any longer the unequal and profitless contest. I there . .nade fast, with an ice-anchor, to an adjoining floe, and, having furled the sails, employed the men in making a few necessary reparations. Soundings were ob- tained with one hundred and twenty seven fathoms of line, when the bottom was found to consist of green mud, the current then setting N. W. by W., one mile an hour. Some observations for the dip made on the ice, out of the sphere of the sliip's attraction, gave 85° 54'. At daybreak of the 11th, not the slighest alteration was perceptible, except indeed that the north and west horizons 4.6 GEOLOGICAL INDICATIONS. '. i m I I 'I I;.'/ a glared with refracted ice, now wedged into a compact body. At noon, I regretted to find we had drifted a few miles to the southward. Sound- ings were then got with one hundred and twenty- nine fathoms, and consisted of grey sand ; with 6ne hundred and fifty fathoms of line the current set E. S. E., at the rate of two miles an hour ; but the lead being hauled up to sixty-five fathoms, an upper set was observed to be running north, about half a mile an hour. On the floes were found a quantity of stones and small fragments of rocks, with deposits of yellow mud and a few pieces of sea-weed. Some of the former were rounded by attrition, as if they had been exposed to the action of the waves on the beach, and were composed of sienite and limestone, with small crystals of quartz. Towards evening the clouds gathered in the north and the breeze freshened, bringing with it occasional showers of snow, but without be- tokening a favourable change for us; and the following day the appearance to windward was most discouraging, for not a lane of water nor an opening could be made out. Accordingly, as the chance of advancing was diminished, it became important at all events not to lose ground ; and a larger floe having drifted near, we cast off from our present holding, and made fast to it. It was now ascertained that the larboard bow had sus- , tained injury, to the depth of three inches, from ili REPAIR THE SHIP. 4/^ the force with which the ship had struck against the ice in boring ; and having careened her, the whole of the forenoon was employed in restoring it with plank and a sheathing of iron. At noon the observations made us six or seven miles to the southward of yesterday's position, but at the same time somewhat to the westward. We en- deavoured to try the different dipping-needles ; but after getting the instruments fixed, the ice was found to move too much in azimuth, and we were obliged to relinquish the attempt. The floe to which we were attached, seemed to have been formed by the pressure of many detached pieces together, some of which were uplifted ten or fifteen feet above the level of the general mass. Several pools of excellent fresh water were found on it ; and this being a good opportunity to fill the empty tanks, the ship was warped alongside and with the assistance of the engine, the task was soon completed. The officers amused them- selves with shooting, and bagged two or three brace of dovekies, which after being skinned and steeped for a time in water, were made into sea pies, and pronounced very excellent eating. They also endeavoured to kill some seals, which continually popped their heads out of the water with apparent curiosity, gazing stupidly at those who were about to destroy them. But though it is certain they were lilt, and often on the head,. ^^m^^^ms^^s^: i ? I 48 IMriiDED BY FOG AND ICE. ! I ih ■ » < i yet in no instance could they be secured before they sunk. About 4" p M., though it was still perfectly calm, the ice began to set past the ship to the south-east, at an unusual rate, and then, by a counter-movement, closed in around us so quickly as to compel us to move, by warping on the other side of the floe. A very light air then sprung up from the S. S. W., but gradually got more to the westward, accompanied as usual by a dense fog ; and at nightfall it was remarked that young ice was rapidly forming between the stationary pieces. On the 13Mi the fog still continued, and it had again fallen calm ; but the floes near us being large and hummocky., we cast oft' from the ice, and sending a boat a-head, along such open- ings as could be found, made fast a line to pro- jecting masses or hummocks, and so warped the ship to the north. A faint breeze from the right quarter fortunately came to our aid, and enabled us to make sail on the vessel, and dispense with this laborious substitute. The ice, however, was distressingly close and heavy, and no clear water could be seen in any direction. The wea- ther indeed remained continually hazy, and so prevented us from distinguishing the right, or in- deed any, lead beyond the distance of two hundred yards. My object was to force a passage to the 1 ship's progress through the ice. 49 north, from a conviction that, as we got nearer to the shore, the influence of the tides would be more felt, and more open water thereby created or at least that the ice would be lighter : for such heavy and extensive masses as we now encoun- tered were contrary to the experience of all who had gone before us, and I could only suppose that the ice had not been broken up at all last year, but, having come down in a body, created our present impediment. At noon the latitude was obtained on a small floe, and made us within a mile of yesterday's situation. The sun shone brightly through the mist ; and though, owinff to the radiation of heat from the decks and bul! warks, there was no perceptible dampness below, yet the rigging aloft was coated with fine icy particles, which, being viewed from the crow's- nest, presented the appearance of a prismatic halo resting in the concavity of the fore-topsail. The wind at length freshened precisely as we wished it. and the ship, with her studding-sails set, bored between masses often more than half a mile in length, resisting the pressure, and driving pieces before her in a manner perfectly surprising, and no sooner had she made a way for herself than the icy portals closed firmly, and as It seemed, impassably behind her. At length the entire body ahead looked like one compact hummocky field, streaked with a few dark lines E 1 ill' ^0 ship's progress through the ice. of unequal breadth ; boring through which, we seemed to be, as it were, ploughing a furrow towards the north. Advancing in this manner, I was glad to see that there was, a few miles off, ice of a looser kind ; and no effort was left unprac- tised to reach it. Just as we were on the very point of succeeding, two floes were attracted, or driven by a current together, and effectually jammed us in. Happily the breeze at the same moment freshened ; and, after some delay, in which the floe of last winter's formation began to crack and yield, while that of the previous season remained Arm as a rock, the ship, break- ing a large mass away and forcing it before her bluff bows, cleared a passage through. It would be a tedious repetition to relate all the trouble and anxiety that we experienced in forcing through the heavy barrier, which, I am of opi- nion, hangs about this part of the strait from the influence of opposing currents issuing, the one from the north, probably through the open- ing formed by Broken Point, and the others from between the islands to the south. The influ- ence of the same barrier, I apprehend, aided by easterly gales, produces the interruption occa- sionally met with by the Hudson Bay ships on their homeward passage, and which but a short time ago compelled them to winter in the country. However this may be, we were heartily if SALISBURY ISLAND. 51 glad to get out of the thick of it, which, though sm hampered on every side by small floes and drift masses, we now considered ourselves as havmg achieved. As we advanced to the north- west, the lanes and holes of water increased; but the weather continuing hazy, with intermittent showers of snow, and the night gloomy, and consequently darker than usual, the smaller sails were taken in, and, running securely under top- gallant sails, we kept > a devious course through the ice. ° Early on the 14th, during a partial clearance ot the clouds to the west, some of the people fancied they saw land, which, according to the bearmg, could be no other than Salisbury Island ; and, in the forenoon, the wind then blowing fresh, land was reported on the lee-bow, which our reckoning made the north coast of the strait m longitude 76° 50' W., to the eastward of the Nottingham Island of Sir E. Parrv, or Mill Islands of Arrowsmith. It was evident there- fore that our progress had been very favour- able ; and, if a passage were to be effected this autumn, I felt assured that we were now in the best channel for accomplishing it. Having stood withm three miles of the land, the ship was put round, and directions given to work to wind- ward along shore. The first appearance which the coast presented was a round-backed hill, E Q I. 52 SHIP FOLLOWED BY ESQUIMAUX. I'^l which, as seen through the haze, seemed isolated, but as we n eared it proved to be part of a low island. There were several others almost in a line with it, all presenting the same sombre as- pect which characterised the coast generally, except one, which was relieved by a light yellow colour as of sand, but which, on inspection with a telescope, was found to be rock. The land behind the islands was tolerably high, and bold, broken into bluffs and points, and, from its in- dented shape, probably formed some good har- bours. The ship was now going at the rate of five knots through the water, when two Esquimaux kieyaks were seen endeavouring to overtake us ; presently the wind becoming more fair the stud- ding-sails and royals were set, and the speed of course increased. The poor Esquimaux never- theless paddled away with all their might, and finally succeeded in coming up with us, though almost in a state of exhaustion. They had little to offer except the horn of a narwal ; and, after receiving a few bits of iron hoop, they went away but ill compensated for the fatigue which they had undergone. About 6 p. M. the weather became very thick, and snow fell so abundantly as completely to cover the decks and boats. Tlie wind also changed to the north, so that we could no LAND DISCOVERED. 53 longer lie our course; and, not knowing ex- actly ijow near Mill Islands might be, or, from the amazing difference in the variation, whether we might not be actually standing on them, the small sails were taken in and the topsails reefed, and, with the anchors ready to let go, we proceeded with the utmost caution. That we were near to the land was certain, but none could be distinguished through the haze, either to windward or leeward, and we literally groped our way in much uncertainty, and not without some anxiety. The wind also increased to such a degree that the ship was put under snug canvass, and, for the first time since leaving the Atlantic, there was a regular sea, and consequently no continuous ice. The next morning brought no change for the better, for the wind was accom- panied by snow, and that, with the haze, so em- barrassed us, that it was difficult to determine in what direction to proceed. However, when daylight broke the ship was put about ; and we had the pleasure of seeing that the head sea which tumbled us about was at the same time fast reducing the ice into fragments. About 7^ A. M. land was discovered, formino- a semicircle to windward, and which, guided \y the log, we conjectured to bt Seahorse Point of Baffin, on Southampton Island. The distance certainly seemed rather more than the ship was E 3 ' ( 54t PERPLEXITY OF SUlp's COUIISE. in the habit of accomplishing ; and what added to the uncertainty was, the incomprehensible manner in which the islands had been passed (if passed at all) witliout having been seen. The mountains — for such they appeared through the haze — were nearly covered with snow, the effect of the preceding night ; and some small islands could be nidistinctly made out. Our course was held parallel to them, in the hope, rather than the persuasion, that they would terminate in the point which was to lead us to Frozen Strait ; but, about 11'' A. M., we suddenly found ourselves em- bayed, and, from the still prevailing murkiness, had barely time to get the ship round ; when it was indisputably ascertained that the coast tended far to the east. Under these perplexing cir- cumstances, I determined not to incur any risk which might endanger the safety of the ship, and directed her to be kept, under easy sail, close under the J'^e of the high land just mentioned, until the weather should be clear enough to justify me in acting differently. It was for- tunate that I did so ; for, having obtained the latitude at noon, and the longitude soon after- wards, we found, much to our astonishment, that we were not near Southampton Island at all, but had been deceived by great deviation in the compasses, and a powerful current, which had driven us along the eastern side of Mill Islands, and thence to the main shore of the strait, where DEVIATION OF COMPASS. dS in fact we had been embayed. However, We must have passed between tlie Islands during the night, though how, or in what direction remained a mystery ; and we were thankful, as we had reason to be, for our happy guidance among them. In the afternoon the sky became more clear; and it was then apparent, that though un- der a press of sail, we could not stem tiie current, which at that time (7" p. m.) was carrying us bodily away to tho ,t.u h and east. The variation of the compass vith t\v ship's head N. W. was found to be six t. id ti iialf points, but when N.E. only three f i a half. At 10'' p. m. we were to leeward of our afternoon's position, and stood in again for the main. After beating about between Mill Islands and the north shore all night, we found ourselves in the morning, the l6th, still to leeward of the former, and utterly unable to make head against the current. Near noon, being then within a mile of the shore, we could perceive a strong race, within which was an eddy sweeping the ice about in a furious manner. At the line of its junction with the regular tide there was a fall produced of at least three or four feet, which hid all but the upper surface of the ice near it. My object hac' been to get close in shore, from an impression that we should be less opposed by the current there than further out ; but, as either E 4 •T-"^-'(tidt^^ m I '^: ]} &6 TRINITY ISLES. ,1 ' W i Qurrent or tide was now driving us fast towards the land, it became necessary to tack, and try our fortune once more in the offing. It was evident that no ordinary cause could thus have detained us two days with a commanding breeze ; and I began to think that nothing but a fair wind would release us, when suddenly the ship took a start, and just as unaccountably went away in mid channel, hurrying us in a short time abreast of the Trinity Isles of Fox. The north shore was partially covered with the snow that had lately fallen ; all that could be seen consisted of solid and barren rock, entirely destitute of herbage, or, as far as I could judge, of any thing capable of supporting life. Not an inhabitant, nor even an animal or bird was seen. By 4^" P.M. the islands were upwards of ten miles astern, when the breeze left us, and we obtained soundings in one hundred and twenty- three fathoms, the bottom consisting as usual of blue mud. Soon after we had snow, and the barometer began to fall. Hardly had the necessary reduction been made in the sails, when the wind increased to a fresh gale, which speedily brought us to the edge of some L^avy ice. Tiie whole o£ the night was occu- pied in endeavouring to twine our way through it ; ,and although in the morning of the lyth, from its detached appearance hopes were excited that the interruption would not be of long con- SHIP HOVE-TO. 57 tinuance, yet the favourable breeze soon brouglit in sight an enormous floe, the extremes of which were lost in the driving snow and mist. Un- willing to try the north end of it, as that would have led us again to the eastward, in which di- rection it trended as far as could be discerned, I determined on running along its lee side. This was almost in the direction of cir course, but, as it turned out, conducted us into a labyrinth, that might have been of serious consequence had the wind at all abated ; for, after sailing for some time, we found ourselves between two floes of unknown extent ; and though if the weather had been clear we might perhaps have found a passage, yet with every thing daik a-head, and the liability to be nipped by the closing of the ice, no such chance could be trusted to. Not a moment therefore was lost in worming our way back, which after some trouble and anxiety w s accomplished. An attempt was then made in another Mead ' which only guided us to a solid pack j so that] baffled at every turn, the ship was for a time hove-to. As soon as the weather cleared— which it did with a change of wind, directly contraiy to our progress, but the very best for sepa- ratmg and clearing away the ice — we took the only course left to us, and beat to wind- ward, towards a narrow opening, which it was thought might possibly offer a channel. Snow ' i-::t-li^j^iMsiiiiMiiif£i,iak.iiaSib,M}m 58 WHALES. had fallen, which, after being partially thawed on the decks, was there solidly frozen — a result to be expected with a temperature of 29° + . Land was supposed to have been seen, in the direction of Southampton Island ; but, in the absence of good observations, no reliance was placed on the report. Persevering in plying to windward, amongst the heaviest drift ice I had ever be- held, it was not without great difficulty, and at a great sacrifice of distance, that the innume- rable masses surrounding us could be steered clear of; nor was this always the case, since, in spite of all our care, the ship would sometimes drive on them with a concussion that made all the bells ring, and almost threw those below from their chairs. Two whales, the first seen since our arrival in these latitudes, excited the curi- osity of the novices, but did not produce r nong the Greenland sailors the enthusiasm which I remember to have observed with much pleasure on a former occasion. At that time they ran up the rigging, and followed every motion of the whale with the most unequivocal symptoms of delight ; and one of their number, unable to contain his joy at seeing the monstrous creature heave its bulk partly out of the water, cried out in ecstasy, " There she goes, my boys, tail up for Greenland." The next morning two other whales were seen. The remainder of the day was employed in SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND. 59 the tedious mancer already described; and in the night the ship, having little head-way, ran against, or rather dropped broadside on, a floe, from which she could not be removed without the aid of a warp, which was accordingly carried out to a projecting point. The land o£ Southampton Island was now distinctly made out, bearing by compass N. W.^N., but far away. Both com- passes were more than commonly sluggish, and required constant tapping ; a phenomenon which was observed to be more palpable with the ship's head west, than on any other point. The next day (August 18.), after beating to windward slowly till noon, the ice became so close that there was but one hole of water to work in ; nearer the land, which v> , ow visible from the deck, looking like blue hills, it appeared to be somewhat looser, but as it was not suffi- ciently so to allow of our reaching it, we were compelled to go wherever the least chance of an opening presented itself. At length we came to a solid and unbroken pack, of such fearful extent as to throw a sudden damp on our hopes. It looked, from the crow's-nest, as if it were joined to the land, and stretching thence, west and north, glared in one undivided mass to the utmost limits of the sight. To the south and east the prospect was little better, rendering it doubt- ful whether, in a case of necessity, a passage f J ■f ! -J pi €0 COURSE OBSTRUCTED BY could have been found in that direction. The most experienced of the seamen (many of whom had spent their lives in the Greenland trade) declared they had never beheld such heavy ice, and were confident that it had never been broken up. To me, however, it seemed to consist of numerous floes, but so wedged together as to be utterly impassable, not only by a ship but in any way ; for so ragged and piled up was the entire surface, that the height of the ridges frequently exceeded fifteen feet, and no human being could, by any exertion, have travelled over it for more than a short distance. To those who were un- accustomed to polar navigation nothing could be more discouraging; for it required more than ordinary strength of mind not to be persuaded that, in this direction at least, a limit was now put to our progress. Those, however, who had experience of the singular uncertainty of the navigation in these seas, looked forward to the accidents of the coming nigjit — the change of wind, the tide or current, or some of those un- accountable circumstances which, in a few hours even of entire calm, create so sudden and mar- vellous a change in the scene. Still, it was a situation to call forth our most active energies ; and, though resolved to persevere by this route as long as the remotest chance was offered of success, yet I could not conceal from myself the ENORMOUS RIDGES OF ICE. ei striking difference of the season which Sir E. Parry had experienced in passing through this channel, where he speaks of the weather as fine, and even mild j whilst we, on the contrary, were regaled with constant snow, and had the ther- mometer at f28° + . We soon worked through the remaining part of the open space ; and all speculations of the chance of a further progress being at an end, the ship was made fast to the floe. At the same time, soundings were tried for with three hundred fathoms, but without effect. The night was cloudy, and almost calm ; but shortly after midnight of August Ipth, many large pieces of ice, near the pack, were observed to be drifting away to the south-west, at the estimated rate of half a mile an hour ; and at 3" 30° A. M., finding we were likely to be hemmed in, the ship was cast off from the ice, and, by means of lines carried out and attached to pro- jecting masses, warped towards the north-east, where alone there seemed to be a lane of water. In an hour the desired spot was gained ; and, as there was every appearance, from the darkness of the sky, of a continued channel, . sail was im- mediately made on the ship, and, to the surprise and joy of all, the impediment was found to have yielded to a greater power, and a path opened through what seemed an impenetrable barrier. Such are the strange incidents of polar navi- ^ '! I s 62 OBSTIIUCTION BY THE ICE. gation, which, though less striking than the wild commotions of the earthquake or tornacfoj uie at all events calculated to excite equal giadtafje to that merciful Providence whose protecting care is over all his works, — in the icy waste i>o less than in the thronged city. For two or thre c hours the sun struggled in vain with the mist, which enveloped sky and ice, still we met with no hindrance ; and, havin{^ made a few tacks to avoid the krge driit pieces, at noon we were still ad- van* rug to the north, the latitude* as obtained on a ii'jc, hdng (k° 57' N., the variation 52° W. At leij^'i^. however the mist dispelled and with it the I'opes in which we had been indulging. A glance satisfied us that our further progress would be very short. The breeze had died away, and allowed the ice to pack afresh. Not a lane, not a hole of water was to be seen in any direction but the one just passed ; and again, most reluctantly, were we compelled to secure the ship to a floe. August 20th. Though the night was gene- rally calm, yet a motion in the ice, find the suspicious approach of a large floe, which seemed to threaten a squeeze, induced us to cast off and warp a little to the south ; where v/e once more made fast to the same extensive piece of ice. The morning gave no sign of a favourable change, and the crew were < >.( rcised, iS : J: ( ►t 1,1; VARIATION IN COMPASSES. 63 on the floe, in firing at a mark. About 11" a. m. an attempt was made by hauling the ship to an outer point of the floe, and making all sail ; but the light air was very faint, and she barely glided through the water. Observations, at noon, gave the latitude 65° O-V N., longitude 80° 44' W., and variation 57° W.; which was so far satisfactory as showing that no ground had been lost. The compasses continued to be very sluggish ; indeed fo much so, that, on one occasion, the larboard one showed the ship's head to be south, while that of the starboard made it north. The wind soon died away al- together ; and none springing up, as had usually before been the case, with the declining sun we again moored to a floe for the night. The men amused themselves by a riotous game of leap-frog on the ice; and the disaster of one of the officers, who, in crossing a point covered with snow, fell through and took a -old bath, excited a hearty laugh. During the night, which was perfectly calm, young ice formed entirely around us. A month later this circumstance might have given me some uneasiness j but now it was deemed of con- sequence only as adding to the delay andabridg- ing the time which we hoped to employ in the more interesting objects of the expedition. Unless, indeed, this seasor. were to be very dif- r II y\] ( i 64 SHIP IMBEDDED IN ICE. ferent from all others recorded of the climate, I felt assured that the customary westerly winds would sooner or later prevail ; and that, under their influence, the body of ice which now inter- rupted our progress would open a passage for us. None, however, were insensible to the annoyance of our position, thus hampered, and as it were fixed in a bed of ice; and a burst of joy followed the announcement, from the * crow's- nest,* of an appearance of water towards the N. N. E. By warping and hauling till we reached the * lead,' and then carrying studding-sails till we had exhausted it, some little way was gained ; and at noon, though the latitude was much the same as yesterday, the longitude differed. Through the remainder of the day we went on struggling with the ice, tacking continually to weather or avoid the floes, and praying for a breeze, but praying in vain. A few whales and narwals alone relieved the monotony of the scene ; and night found us again attached fo a floe, and lying motionless and dark on the bright bosom of the icy wilderness. About 2'' A. M., August 22d, a light air came from the north-west, of which immediate ad- vantage was taken ; and leaving the floe, we got, by the aid of warping, into a Mead.* Studding- sails were soon hoisted, and the ship was forced through the close ice for a time, and thus soon 111? OCHRISH-COLOURED ICK. 65 again obliged to have recourse to the lines, was at last brought into comparatively open water- The conduct of both officers and men in this arduous and irksome service deserved all praise ; and their exertions were not altogether without reward, for the land supposed to be Cape Com- fort was evidently further off; and, at noon, this conjecture was confirmed by the increase of lati- tude, which was 65° 25' N., the longitude being 81 ° 0-8' W. Hitherto my endeavour had been to follow the leads, in the hope of being brought out into open water ; but now, as none was in sight, I determined on steering directly towards Frozen Strait, and, singular to say, the ice opened as we advanced, though but half an hour pre- vious it was tightly pressed together. As the day drew in, the southern horizon became dark and cloudy, sending what had been long ardently desired, a south-west wind. The effects of this were soon conspicuous in the ice ahead, which now began to part into holes and lanes, and en- couraged a hope among the more sanguine that we were, at length, near the edge of that vast body which had so long detained us. It was remarkable that the whole of the ice, whether detached or compact, floe or drift, was of a dirty ochrish colour, totally unlike any which we had seen before, and must therefore have been close to the land. The middle of the night being E ii ■ i i 10 66 BAFFIN AND SOITTHAMPTON ISLANDS. now dark, we necessarily ran foul of many a piece of ice, and got some violent knocks ; but, depending ( '.be iucngth of the sliip, I could not forego luv pkasure of pusliing on while a chance leniained, and we continued to thread our tortuous way as well as the faint gleam from the ice allowed us to pick it out. It was with consiil,iauie satisfaction that, at 4** A. M. of the 23d, I heard the announce- ment of Baffin Island bearing N. N. W., and shortly afterwards that the land of Southampton Island was made out to the westward. Had there only been a channel, even as wide as a brook, we should soon have got to the strait ; but the scene around us now presented an apparently solid sea of ice, thrown up in many parts to the height of eighteen feet, and so ragged, peaked, and uneven, as to bid defiance to any aHempt even to walk over it. Had it been composed of mere drift-ice, which is invariably detached by a strong breeze, there would have been more en- couragement ; bat the ^ inits of the enor"ious floes surroUitding us ( auid not be discerned, and it was absolutely marvellous that we should be able to peneuate it at all ; yet, at noon, we were still moving slowly; and the observations (for the weather was beai'tifuhy clear) gave the lati- tude 65° 42', longii ^e t" 41' W., ariation 49° 52' W. The soui er.j wind now fi shened, :« \ « CHEEBLES PROSPECT. 67 and, despite of increasing obstacles, we continued to gain a few yards. Warping was next resorted to ; but at last all failed us, and at 3" p. m. we were compelled to give up the attempt as utterly hopeless. Cheerless, indeed, was the prospect ; for, excepting within a few feet of the ship, where the black streaks of water looked like inky lines on a fair sheet of paper, far as the eye could reach all was ice. Soundings were obtained in one hundred and two f.thoms, and showed a muddy bo^ )m. The tide had little or no effect here ; but about 7' p. m., a large floe having exhibited symptoms of moving round so as to nip us, the sails were again hoisted, and the ship forced a {>ad about her own length, when immediately the smai' opening we had quitted was clewed up. It was evident that we were equally secure under canvass as without ; and as it was possible that so long as the ship could be kept ^' rigiit way something might be gained, we kei ^'»e sails full, and at long intervals she moved some twenty or thirty yards, and again stopped. As the breeze grew fainter more sail was set and still ^ ced her onwards ; ou> at day- break of the 24th ,o change taking plac e were once more fast, and after two hours* warping, and edgmg he ship next to a large fl je, which had hevn ^een ahead, ve found our- selves i tantly hemmed in bv tht surrounding F 2 I I v r 1, I HI 68 YELLOW-COLOURED SNOW. masses. Baffin's Island was yet in sight, about twenty-four miles off; but we had drifted a little to the north of it. I may remark here, that having procured some of the yellow-coloured snow, it was '' und to be caused by innumerable small grains of earth ; a convincing proof that the immense quantity passed must have been in the immediate neighbourhood of the shore, and had, in all probability, drifted down from the north. No other alteration occurred during the day than the setting of the whole body of ice to the eastward, though at too moderate a rate to carry us far awav ; but about S"* of the morning of August ^2.Hli, the masses around us seemed something more apart -, and after some warping, which brought us to the odge of a floe, where, as is generally the case, the ice was less pressed together, we made sail, and " bored" through towards the south-west, in the hope of getting nearer to Southampton Island. The wind, how- ever, on which we depended, veered more to the eastward, and at the same time becoming lighter, allowed the ice to pack again ; so that, after many fruitless trials, we were forced to desist, and soon lost all traces of water. The weather was and had been for some days past extraordinarily fine; the thermometer at mid- day being 42° + , in the sun, and 36°+, in the m PICTURESQUE SCENE. (39 shade. The hours were passed in a feverish state of excitement, and many an upward glance was cast at the little vane at the mast-head ; but all was calm, and the wonder was, not how we were to get on, but how we had contrived to get here. Towards evening a light air, together with a *• slack" among the ice, allowed a trifling distance to be made ; but at sunset we were stopped near to an extensive floe, where, from the effects of pressure, some ponderous masses had been heaped up, like Titanian ruins, to the height of thirty feet. The land, blue from dis- tance, and beautifully sofl as contrasted with the white cold glare of the interminable ice around, reflecting by the setting sun the tints of the inter- vening masses thrown into the most picturesque groups and forms— spires, turrets, and pyramids, many in deep shade — presented altogether a scene sufficient for a time to cheat the imagina- tion, and withdraw the mind from the cheerless reality of our situation. It was past 4" a. m. of August 26th before the ship could, even by the use of warps, be forced ahead ; and then weari- some indeed was the task. A mile at the utmost rewarded our exertions ; and the wind having veered round more to the north- east, the entire body of ice swept down upon us, and tho im- minent peril of being nipped was only avoided by the cativity of tlie officers and crew in heav- F 3 f I, 70 PERILOUS SITUATION. I ing the ship into a sort of basin, formed by two projecting points of the nearest floe. Here we were again set fast. A summer's day, with the thermometer at 44" + in the sun, and a bright and cloudless sky, made us deplore more than ever our mortifying detention during weather so advantageous for work along the coast with our boats. But not the slightest improvement took place in our condition ; though at long intervals the mournful crashing of the young ice, as yielding to the larger masses it was thrown up in solid foam, gave token that all was in mo- tion. There was no wind, and evidently but little tide or current, for the bearings and dis- tance from the land remained nearly as they were yesterday ; still there was an occasional stir, and the pressure against the ship was de- cidedly increased. About midnight, though still calm, this became more perceptible by additional pieces of ice bv ng squeezed against the bows and between the larboard side and the floe to which we were secured, producing thereby a heavy strain on the hawser, and threatening to force the stern against what had hitherto been a security, a projecting point. Another strong hawser was therefore carried out and fixed to an ice-anchor ahead, and being hove tight by the windlass, materially relieved the strain upon the other. Preparations were, at the same time, WHITE WHALES. 71 going on to unhang the rudder, which, in the event of the ship's coming astern, must have struck the floe and been carried away. Until past 1 a. m. (August 27th), we remained ^n suspense, which was then relieved by the ice returning again to its former position, and giving us an opportunity to warp closer to the floe. An attempt was made to remove some of the smaller masses from between the ship and the floe ; but notwithstanding repeated trials with all the re- sources in our power, we vere completely baffled. Strange too at this late season, the breeze once more came from the south-east, though the height of the barometer indicated a totally differ- ent result ; and there was no hope for us until the faithless wind should round to the north- west. During the whole of the day and follow- ing night, the breeze blew freshly. Four white whales were seen playing about sunset in a pool ahead, and remained undeterred by our cries, apparently enjoying the only breathing place for many a league around. In the night there was a great pressure against the bows, and a severe strain upon the hawsers. In the morning of August 28th this abated, but in its stead the entire body became more closely packed than ever ; and the ship, having to bear a great re- sistance from the upturned pieces against her F 4 M I \ 72 WINTER ISLAND. sides, gradually lay over to starboard, being, in the technical phrase, slightly nipped. I had thought it not unlikely that the force of the wind might possibly have turned round some of the heavy remote ice, and thereby have left a little clear space for the removal of that near us ; but it must have been wedged against the coast or among the islands which were visible (Winter Island among the rest) from the crow's nest. Appearances, indeed, were more unpromising than we had yet experienced ; and our devotions of that day (for it was Sunday) were tinged with an humble hope that we should shortly be released from our anxious situation. Rain fell occasionally, and towards evening the wind veered round to the south-west, directly off the floe, affording one other chance of re- moving the ice along the western shore, if any unoccupied space were left in that quarter. The effect on the ship was sensibly felt by her being forced more over to starboard ; and during the early part of the night, she was lifted up by the stern in consequence of several loose pieces of ice having got under her counter. On tha fol- lowing day (the 29th), the strain on the haw- sers was as nmch as they could bear ; and as little or no motion could be detected in the ice, it was attributed to the tide or current, which, however, scarcely altered our position. V J m -tl u I ! P i !5 (; I MOVEMENT OF THE ICE. 73 In the forenoon the barometer had gone down unusually low ; and as on former occasions this had been invariably followed by a southerly breeze, the same result was apprehended now ; much to our relief, however, the wind blew with some strength from the north-west, bringing with it a prospect of release ; and though, packed as the whole body south and east of us was sup- posed to be, this could only be a work of time, yet sanguine ideas were immediately entertained of yet reaching our destination early enough to do something this season. At noon, according to the observations, we were within two miles of the same spot ; but the effect of the wind was shown by two or three partial openings near the ship ; and, as early as 5 o'clock, a general moven e-^t of the ice began. It came from the westward, n id immense quantities skirting the extremity of the larger floe to which we were secured, and bearing down cir ^e upon us, wfjre there caught w^ithin 'he circl~ of an eddy, and shortly swept away to tl.t eastward. It is need- less to say with how much pleasure so joyful a sight was hailed, and how sincerely we prayed that both the cause and effect might continue until a passage should be cleared to the Frozen Strait. The night was dark, with frequent squalls and snow ; but on the morning of the 30th, the ice was found to be still drifting in the same { \ :-;^?r-^ytf^>^-^q??^|f^yi^-"~^ (.! 7^ SEVERE PRESSURE OF ICE, direction, and the pieces were thought to be considerably smaller and lighter ; still there was no continuous 'lead* of which advantage could be taken. As the day advanced, and the breeze be- came more southerly and moderate, little further effect was produced on the ice. At noon, the ob- servations made us rather to the southward ; and as the ice appeared inclined to return from that quarter, nnd the wind was drawing gradually to the eastward, it was necessary to make sail and get as far as the openings would allow. This was speedily accomplished; and, with much trouble from the closing of the ice, we contrived to gain a mile or two fi:om the floe, which had been left, and found ourselves again brought to a full stop, and in a more awkward situation than before. Warps were immediately put into requisition ; and with the aid of the capstan the ship was wedged between the opposing masses, until finding less obstruction the sails once more pressed her onwards. The severity of the shocks as we encountered the ice, notwithstanding our familiarity with them, was on this occasion ab- solutely startling. But there was mo help for it, nor any other chance of getting on j for the channel we ploughed before us closed ere the ship had gone twice her length, and cut off all retreat, even had retreat been thought of. To complete the catalogue of annoyances the 2 ..™ mm SINKING OF THERMOMETERr 15 breeze veered directly east, and came charged with abundance of snow, which fell incessantly, and filling u^- >„"ie hollows and crevices of thf ice, baulked the sight by an appearance of uni- formity. As the wind was fresh, we might possibly, with the advantage of daylight for se- lecting the right * leads,' have got well in with the land ; but this the night frustrated, and having pushed on till 10 o*clock, p. m., we were unable to get farther ; still the topsails and fore- sail were kept hoisted and set, in the hope that on the turn of tide an opening might be made. August 31st came, but with no friendly aspect, for snow fell thick and fast, and the thermometer sunk to 26° + , accelerating the formation of young, and serving to cement the old ice, in an alarming manner. However aoout 4 a. m., a kind of * slack * was observed, and, after four hours* labour, it was conjectured that one mile of distance had been gained. Then being again stopped, and not a pool of water in sight, the sails were partly taken in. The hour arrived when it was expected that the tide might have some beneficial effect in loosening the vedged masses, but arrived in vain : so the useless sails were furled ; and in the midst of increasing snow, and the worst and dreariest weather that could have beflillen us, we submitted in silence to what no human power could control. At sun- It' 76 WATER SKY. set the sky became clear, and Baffin Isl:md was seen bearin- N. 87° W., and a hill on Soi th;, np. ton Island S. 4 r W. j a water sky * too was j e- ported to the south-west, but scarcely succeeded in again cheating us into hope. The nJght was more than ordinarily cold, for the temperature of the air was only 19° + , and that of the water 23°+ : an omen as gloomy as unlooked foi at this early season, when Sir E. Parry, in the same latitude, was enjoying almost the warmth of summer. But the startling fact could not be concealed from ourselves, that the rigour of a precocious winter was thrust upon us, at the moment when we were almost in sight of our port. • Prod-.u Mi! by the dark vapour from the water, and used m opposl-oK to «« ice-blink." I.K 77 Iriven nearer Land, in extreme Peril. — CHAP. II. Steer for Southampton ^xland. — Conjectures respecting the Ice. — Islands.— Pressure of the Wind. — Ship immove- able. — Cutting away the Ice. - ^now. ■ Drijling towards Land. — Accident to Rudder. — Aspect ontiguous Coast. New Moon. — Recreations of I - Chase of a Bear. — Hawser carried away bi^ Icebound in sight ofLd id. — Wind veers to South - Prospect of Re lease. — Hopes disappointed. — /S — Mr. Gore shoots a Fox. — *S' Frightful Increase of Pressure. — Providential Delivery. — /daring Expedition. — A Dock cut in the Ice. — Con- tion of Officers. — Papid Destruction of the Floe Bow oftlie Ship split. — Hopes of progressing baffled. This detention, so irksome to the officers, though, as it seemed, little regarded by the men, continued throughout the forenoon of the 1st September, the observations at noon showing no perceptible difference in our situation, which, considering the manner that the Hecla and Fury* were whirled about in the same place, is another T^roof of the capriciousness ofp.'lar navigation. The wind, however, gradually drew round to the westward of n( ^h ; yet, though tolerably fresh, it was long before it made the smallest impression on the ice. At last at 5 p. m. the * See Parry's Narrative. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 U 11.6 V] ^ /a el v: /^ w/ «/// '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 78 STEEn FOR SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND. cemented masses near us suddenly broke asunder, and disentangled the ship from the thin crust that had surrounded her. This change, which was evidently the effect of the breeze, was gra- tifying, as showing that three days* continuation of it would, in all probability, clear the whole of Frozen Strait, and, as it was, a clear channel on the following day was confidently anticipated. During the first part of the night, the wind con- tinued to blow freshly J but early on the following morning it moderated, and the ice at once returned to its former position ; yet again, about 6 A. M., with unaccountable eccentricity, the entire body half a mile round was in agitation. Prompt to seize the lucky moment, we warped to a spot where the sails could be advan- tageously used, and, contrary to all the ex- pectations of but an hour before, found ourselves making headway. As the day grew clearer the same dark-bluish grey clouds were observed in precisely the same bearing as had been noted two days ago, strengthening the opinion already expressed that they were the certain signs of open water. Fortunately the * leads,' narrow and hampered as they were, took a direction towards the desired point, and allowed us to hold a course directly for Southampton Island, which I was the more eager to attain, from a conviction in my own mind that a passage existed alongshore, close in CONJECTURES RESPECTING THE ICE. 79 with the land. Hitherto, indeed, every attempt to approach it, since leaving Mill Islands, had been thwarted by consolidated bodies of inter- vening ice, but at the moment this was not regarded. It was the opinion of Sir E. Parry, that the ice adheres to the shores of the con- tinent and Southampton Island, unless blown off by a strong breeze ; and in this opinion I entirely concur as applicable to the appearance of ice there in ordinary seasons j but in our case it was obvious that some other explanation was to be looked for of the extraordinary impediments by which we had been beset. To me it seemed almost certain that the great body of ice had not been broken up at all in the previous year 1835, and that having, with the accumulations of the following season, been detached from its bonds by the storms of the spring, it had been driven, probably by the combined action of the wind and current, from the bays and harbours of the north to the place where we found it. That there were two distinct kinds of ice could not be doubted ; since the most cursory observer could not fail to remark that the one was massive, old, and irregular, with huge piles tossed up in picturesque confusion — the other light, clean, and comparatively smooth. The time too which had been consumed amidst the laby- rinths of the old ice, with so trifling a change of 80 FOOT-PRINTS OF A BEAR ON THE ICE. H situation, convinced me that any further delay among it would be fatal, and all these consider- ations made me, as I have said, most desirous to close in with the land. With this object, and a favourable wind, we * bored * the whole of the forenoon through the lighter kind of ice, making occasional circuits as the accident of shape required. Still no water appeared, though the Greenlandmen did not lose their faith in the dark clouds which yet hung upon the skirts of the horizon, seeming to recede as we slowly approached them. The fresh foot-prints of a bear which had crossed the ice within the last twenty-four hours was the novelty of the day ; and a goose was seen where perhaps none but a goose would have been seen. At noon the difference in longitude amounted only to four miles ; the latitude remaining the same. Indeed, by the increasing closeness of the ice, the difficulty of advancing in any di- rection was becoming hourly greater. For some time we were entirely stopped ; but by keeping a press of sail set, and with the aid of a freshening N. E. breeze, we forced our way by a few hundred yards at a time, proceeding in this manner with little variation until midnight. The wind then increased considerably, compelling us to take in sail ; but that which, under more favourable circumstances, would have facilitated, now only /i ISLANDS* 81 no served to impede our progress, for the strong breeze packed the ice. September 3d brought a cold and chilling day, with a temperature of 25° +, and a surface of young ice on all the pools around. Every attempt therefore to move was as useless as laborious ; and, after carrying away a warp in trying to change the situation fifty paces forwards, we were obliged to yield to necessity, and desist altogether. The sails were taken in ; and our stock of fresh water being almost exhausted, the crew were employed in refilling the tanks, a task which was completed in the forenoon. The sky, which had been dark and hazy towards the land and to the east^'r.rd, had become clearer, and enabled us to see Southamp- ton Island somewhere about Cape Comfort, which was high and much co^^ered with snow. On this side of it, and within perhaps twelve miles of the ship, Fife Rock was also visible ; whik far away to the eastward of North, was Baffii jla^id. In fact, after all our labour, we found by the observations that we had only got twelve miles to the south. A Burgomaster, or GlaucusguU, was seen; and a golden plover, blown off the shore by the force of the wind, was shot. Towards sunset several pools of water were formed, one of which, on the lee-bpw, was of some extent. That nearest w i' h . II 82 PRESSURE OF THE WIND. to US was, for a few minutes, an object of attrac- tion, owing to the sudden appearance there of three or four white whales. It now blew a fresh gale, accompanied by squalls, and though cold, the weather was clear. On trying an anemometer, kindly lent to me by Mr. Rice of Chatham dockyard, the pressure on a square foot of canvass was found to be equal to four pounds. The night brought no change ; but, on the morning of September -Ith, we were glad to perceive that the ship, and consequently the whole body in which she was beset, had drifted n^'ich nearer to Southampton Island, which was now visible from the deck. We had also passed Fife Rock. The frost, however, was so severe that a hole was obliged to be cut along- side to draw water from. As this was Sunday, I fter the usual muster at divisions. Divine Ser- vice was read, with an appropriate sermon, which was listened to with becoming attention, and as I hope and believe, with the devotion befitting the perilous uncertainty of our situation. At noon, the observations both by lunar and chrono- meter made us a little to the east in longitude, and the latitude showed that we had been set fifteen miles south, the distance from Fife Rock being west five miles, fi:om Southampton island about twenty-four miles, and from Repulse Bay SHIP IMIvIOVEABLE. 83 not more than one hundred and thirty-six miles ; so thut with but a moderate share of westerly winds to open the ice from the land, there was still good reason to look forward to the accom- plishment of the passage before the close of the season, though the thermometer was as low as 20*+ in the night, and but 27°+ during the warmer part of the day. Some hours elapsed without the slightest variation in the ice, but at &" p. M. an extraordinary movement took place, which with astonishing celerity dispersed it inshore so much &s to leave a wide and long lane, and we were not without hope that a branch of it might even have reached us. Not, however, that we waited for such a consum- matioM without putting our shoulders to the wheel ; for, brides the sails well filled with a fresh breeze, our strongest hawsers were fas- tened to the ice, and then hove round by the capstan. The united force was of course very great, and no device was left untried to heave the ship ahead; but so firmly had the * sludge* been frozen quite round the bends, that all our efforts were unavailing, and not an inch could we stir her. To see open water within one hundred yards, and yet be unable to reach it, was a type of the torment of poor Tantalus : but so it was, and there was nothing left but to sub- G 2 '4' i\ 84 CREW EMPLOYED IN mit. The sails were furled, and the ship again thrown on the chances of what might befall The wind decreased during the night, and at daylight of September 5th there was a calm. We found also that we had drifted considerably nearer the land, which was high, and thinly and partially covered with snow. Fife Rock 'was just visible to the north. Lanes of water were seen at different points of the compass along shore ; and, though they were rather far apart, and of no great extent, the usual trial was made to reach, them, but again without success. The last resource therefore was adopted. . The whole of the officers and men were despatched, under the orders of Lieutenant Smyth, to the only open water at all near ; and with axes, ice chi- sels, handspikes, and long poles, began the la- bouring process of cutting away the * sludge * that bound the pieces together, and removing them into the clear space. "In this, service they were frequently obliged to fasten lines to the heavier masses and haul them out ; and, though slipping and tumbling about, yet the light-hearted fellows pulled in unison to a cheer- ful song, and laughed and joked with the un- reflecting merriment of schoolboys. Every now and then some luckless wight broke through the thin ice, and plunged up to his neck j an- M ni ^ain d at aim. ably and "was ivere long part, lade The hole nder only chi- le la- dge* >ving rvice es to and, : the heer- B un- now ough : an- I • It i 1 'r 1 ! 1 i I m I' fl CUTTING AWAY THE ICE. 8S \ other, endeavouring to remove a piece of ice by pushing against a larger mass, would set him- self adrift with it, and every such adventure was followed by shouts of laughter, and vociferous mirth. In this way considerable progress was made, and in the meantime the weather be- came warmer, and the wind veered to the south- ward. It became therefore more desirable than ever that the ship should be liberated, and, if possible, got closer to the shore, to avoid being drifted with the pack away to the north, as we knew must happen if the breeze should freshen from the quarter in which it now was. At noon, the latitude was something south of yesterday's, and the longitude a mile or two west. The temperature was 33° + . In the afternoon, the wind drew more to the eastward, and destroyed the hope of warping the ship out in the channel which we had been employed in cutting ; but as it was by that process alone tliat we could hope to get clear, the task was resumed with undiminished ardour in a direction immediately to the westward, where the ice was not quite so tightly pressed as elsewhere. The work went on cheerily, and as the breeze increased the sails were hoisted, and much to our satisfaction forced the head round, when the ship gradually gathered way, and went slowly G 3 I 86 SNOW. towards the land. There was indeed an infinite expanse of ice, but every dark spot of water encouraged the hope that an oif-shore wind would soon place us in a navigable channel.. Accordingly as the masses separated from time to time, the hawsers were got out, and the ship hove between them, and thus, about 10'' p. m., we suddenly emerged into a free space. This proved to be nearly four miles long ; but there was no opening beyond it^ and again, in the morning of September 6th, all was closed. The wind freshened, but brought with it sr ow, the most unwelcome thing which could befall usi nevertheless the warps were tried, and with them and the sails together we managed to push, perhaps a mile altogether, towards the land. It was then noon, and hazy, no land in sight ; ther- mometer 29"+. The effect of the E.S.E. breeze was shown in the slow setting of the ice upon the coast ; and, as many of the pieces were of sufficient dimension to entitle them to the name of floes, their motion created occasional lanes, which, if we had been able to see but a few hundred yards ahead, might perhaps have been followed with advantage. Even with all the uncertainty and risk, I confess the tempt- ation to gain a single mile was almost irresistible. That the prudent course was the best was soon, I i APPEARANCE OF THE LAND. 87 however, exemplified ; for the whole of the ice within range of sight shortly after closed, and hemmed us in. For an hour it was doubtful whether we should not be nipped, but by warp- ing into a bight accidentally formed by the overlapping of one floe over the point of another, we fortunately escaped. The wind too increased, so the sails were furled, and the ship secured to the largest floe. Soundings were struck in one hundred and twenty-nine fathoms, the bottom being composed of sand and shells, and by the line it appeared that the s ^ was drifting N. by E. The night was dark and cheerless from the snow, which continuing to fall clogged the rigging and decks. At daybreak, there was no opening in any direction, east or west ; and the ice had been packed against the land, which could be traced from south-east to north ; Fife Rock being still visible E. N. E. Our distance from the land was about ten or twelve miles ; but, not to speak of the icy barrier which se- parated us, there was nothing which invited to a nearer approach. The soft blue tint which, twenty-four hours ago, had cheated the imagin- ation, was gone ; and now there was the chilling reality of precipitous black rocks streaked with snow, and a mantle of the same cold whiteness spread over the whole of the head land. G 4 9S DRIFTING TOWARDS LAND. ( 'I It was now the 7th of September, and, with so premature a winter, I could not fail to be more than ordinarily anxious about our situation. I was aware that Sir E. Parry had been within a few niiles of the same spot on the 17th of the same month on his return to England ; but at that time the temperature — the season — in short, every thing was different; whereas we were lying power- less as a log, and nothing was left to my choice but to sail through the first favourable opening that offered. So much snow had fallen, that the better part of the forenoon was taken up in clearing it from the decks. At noon, the wind had veered to N. E. by E., which was dead on the land. Soundings were found with one hundred ; and fifty-five fathoms. Temperature 29" + . Soon after, there was a perceptible move- ment in the ice near us. At first, I thought it was the re-action produced by the intensity of the pressure ; but the blocks and pieces thrown up on the surface of resisting masses, and against the ship's sides, proved that some agent was at work, and not long after a five-inch warp, which held us to the floe, suddenly broke. At 4" p. M. we were evidently drifting much nearer to the land, though no such indication was given by the soundings, which were one hundred and fifty fathoms, with a bottom of green mud» ACCir^; TO RUDDER. 89 Indeed, it could be owing only to the amazing pressure from the north, which ground the smaller pieces into powder, and either sunk or threw up others, at various heights and angles, upon the larger pieces, that a space was cleared for our drifting. Whatever the cause, we were set- ting directly on the shore, without the slightest means of averting it. Near 8'' p. m., a general hubbub, with harsh grating sounds, announced a commotion about the stern, which being turned away from the floe, among the looser ice, was more exposed than any other part The tiller had been secured with lashings, to confine the rudder amidships, but a steep and heavy mass coming against it under the quarter, snapped the lashings like threads, and forced the rudder violently on one side, from which position it could not be re- lieved until the ice moved away. About the same time another warp was broken, after which we were not much further disturbed during the night. Sept. 8th brought no change. The same dreary weather overhung the heavens as with a veil. The coast however was dimly seen, forming, according to our position, a long bay, termi- nated abruptly to the westward by a projecting bluff point, which we supposed to be that dis- 90 ASPECT OF CONTIGUOUS COAST. < '3 f ^ tinguished in the chart by the, to us, most unappropriate name of Cape Com^ rt. Beyond it, a low neck of land could be made ot^t, run- ning to the north, which was conjectured to be Cape Bylot. Fife Rock bore N. E. There was not, to use the ice mate's expression, " a sup of water in sight." All our hopes, therefore, rested on the uncertain chance of a westerly breeze, uncertain only in such a season as this, inasmuch as ordinarily the westerly and north- westerly winds are the unfailing companions of autumn in these latitudes. The barometer had been for the last fortnight very steady, scarcely varying with any difference of wind. At noon the latitude was 65'' 09', and longitude 82°51' W., not more, therefore, than fifty miles from Duke of York's Bay in Frozen Strait. The temperature, which had at one time fallen to 23°+, rose again to 28** + , wind N. E. The hours which usually brought some slight alteration arrived, and passed away, leaving us as we were, so that we were driven to infer that the pressure from seaward had now attained its maxi- mum, and that the compact and boundless field of ice had vanquished tide and current, and was be- come fixed and immoveable. A mild night suc- ceeded, though at first overcast, yet by 10** p. m. some stars were seen, giving indications of a clear . NEW MOON. 91 sky to the north-west. For an hour or two indeed the wind did veer as far round as N. N. W., and tantalized us by vacillating between that and N. N. E. How often did we look up at the mast-head vane, and how often presume to say that it must get to the southward and westward. In the morning (9th Sept.) all was still and motionless, though it seemed that we had drifted a little to the south along the land. At noon, a gentle air might just be felt from the south- west ; and as the breeze grew stronger, the hope deferred which had made our hearts sick was again doubtfully re-admitted. At night there was no longer any pressure, for the ship, which had been forced over considerably to starboard, now righted ; and this joyful fact the least san- guine construed into an omen of a speedy re- lease. But the next morning (September lOth) the capricious wind first drew more to the south, bringing with it snow, then veered round again to N. N. W., and finally fell nearly calm. The only perceptible variation was the welcome sight' of two or three streaks of water within a few yards fi-om the ship. The weather now became unusually mild, the thermometer being at 35°+, and as there was to be a new moon at midnight, we fixed on that event as the harbinger of a ^ change. The hour arrived, but not the prognos- iril H i i 1 1] m RECREATJONS OF THE CREW. ticated wind ; and, in the still serenity of the star- lit sky, yvt glowing in the west with the lingering tints of a gorgeous sunset, there was a spirit of bei^utiful repose which seemed to mock our dis- appointment. All was uniform and motionless, S9,ve where the fickle air aloft played with the languid vane, coquetting round and round from every point of the compass, as if, in very waywardness, it knew not where to settle. The morning of Sept. 11th was also calm, and a mist overhung the barren coast. The ice had opened a few yards, and the ship was with diffi- culty hauled into the space. As the sun gained power the mist dispersed from the land, or lay in Jong thin clouds along its dark cliffs, but no water could be seen from aloft. Until to-day no animals had visited us ; but now two seals and some small fish appeared close to the stem. After service the officers collected in groups, and basked in the sunshine of an arctic summer day, with the thermometer at 35" + . For the last three or four evenings the people had been permitted to go on the floe alongside, where they amused themselves by playing at various games, and among others the well-known game of baiting the bear. To-day they went upon the ice for quiet exercise merely, but had not proceeded more than a hundred yards, when Mr. Greer, CHASE OF A BEAR.: ^ the ice mate, being on the mast-head, espied a real bear, and the alarm being immediately given, the men ran belter skelter to the ship, headed by a bull-dog belonging to the Serjeant of marbles, which was first on board. Every one below, hearing the rush, flew on deck, and, learn- ing the cause, seized the first gun at hand to prepare for the attack. Meantime the noble animal (a fine polar bear) nothing startled at a hubbub which might well have frightened k legion of his kindred away, approached with deliberate steps nearer and nearer. His gait was loose, and rolling as if weak from hunger, for he rather drew than lifted his huge limbs over the rugged surface ; and still as he advanced, he now raised his black nose and sniffed, and now paused, as appetite or fear prevailed. At length he took courage, and followed up the scent j till, at the distance of about fifty paces from the ship, he stood like a target to receive the balls which were soon showered on him. He fell, but re- covering his legs, limped, with what strength was left, a short space off. Then, all hurry to pursue, one grasped a handspike, another poised a lance, a third more heedless rushed on with a mere stick to give the coup de grace. The more pru- dent however retained their guns, and a few more shots terminated the sufferings of poor 94 DIMENSIONS OF BEAR. I! t bruin. The sailors with their wonted fun hauled the bulky carcase over the floe, and hoisted it on board.* The condition of the teeth indicated that it had attained to some age. It was lean, and the stomach was found to be entirely empty. * The following dimensions were taken by Dr. Donovan and Mr. Mould : Ft. Inch. Length from the snout to the tail - - 6 IH Circumierenoe round the middle - - 5 From the snout to the shoulder joint - - 2 From the heel of the fore-paw to the top of the back 4 From the heel of the hind leg to the top of rump Circumference of fore-paw, inckding claws Breadth of the fore-paw - - - Length from fore middle toe to knee joint Circumference of fore-leg below the knee Circumference of hind-paw - - - Circumference of hind-leg - - - Length of the hind-paw - - - Breadth of the hind-paw . . - Length of hind middle toe to knee joint Length of tail .... Circumference of head below the eyes - Circumference of neck - - - - Distance of snout from the eye - Dbtance between the eyes (internal angles) Length of axis of the eye (perpendicular) Depth of snout . - - - Depth from snout to lower part of under jaw - Breadth of septum narjum - - - Nare elliptical - Length of ears - - - - Breadth of aperture of ear - 3 2 1 2 1 1 3 6 4 8i 10 7 7 8f 8^ 9 7' 10 u 9+ 5i Of 1 7 Oi 4 3i WEATHER MILD AND CALM. 95 This novelty, trifling as it was, was sufficient to give a turn to our conversation ; and the eternal inquiries about the wind, and the speculations as to the probable quarter from which it would next come, were for an hour or two suspended j indeed, there was little to excite us on that subject, for the weather continued very mild and calm, though towards evening it was observed that the ice had opened a little, and what was still more singular, that the ship had a slight undulatory motion. The thermometer during the night did not sink below 32^°+, and early on September 12th, finding there was a chance of getting through some lanes in the direction of Cape Comfort, the ship was with infinite trouble warped about half a mile, when the ice again Number of front teeth in upper jaw- Number of canine teeth Number of molar do. Small teeth between the tusks and molars Front teeth in lower jaw Canine (one broken) Molars Two small teeth between the canine and molars Length of lower tusks Length of upper tusks Breadth between the tips of upper tusks Breadth (^supposed) between lower tusks Length of middle fore claw - Length of middle hind claw m 6 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 6 - 2 - 8 Qolars 2 Ft. Inch. 2 2+ 3i 2+ 2i 2 ' 1 HAWSER CARRIED AWAY BY ICE. ii ' : '11 \ closed, and the breeze blew, though light, from the eastward, that is to say, fromthe quarter directly opposite to what we wished: again therefore our efforts were discontinued, and the ship secured. The thermometer at noon was 35° -^t and in a small pool of water £ stern three white whales were seen. Later ii the day the weather became overcast, and brought with it a S.E. wind, thus at once overtiming hopes of a week's growth, and making the pros- pect of our liberation as remote as ever. Never- theless, as the ice slacked, about 7" p-m., we warped a couple of hundred yards ahead, and then, setting the sails, endeavoured to bore through the annoying obstruction ; a little way, perhaps half a mile, we accomplished ; and even ihat little was gratifying, for our long detention had begun to be dispiriting. The ice then be- coming closer, the sails were furled, and on the morning of the 131-h September we found our- selves rather closer in with the coast, but owing to the thick state of the weather the precise spot could not be ascertained. During the whole of the forenoon there was nothing but snow, and the breeze blew dead on the land ; the result showed itself, as was to be expected, by an in- creased pressure of the snow and ice, which tight- ened so much, that before we were aware of it the securing hawser was carried away. It was MOTrON JN THE ICE. 07 replaced by a stroiigei- one, but we could not venture to tlirow a strain even on this ; and when- ever any sudden change took place among the ice it was immediately slackened. The snow did not cease until 6^ 30'". p. m., and then so laden were the decks with it, that the people were actively occupied more than an hour in clearing it away : the mist at the same time par- tially clearing, permitted a glimpse of the land, which was found to be considerably nearer than any one had anticipated, and proved that we had been set further than was expected to the west- ward. At S*" p. M. Cape Comfort bore by compass N.N.E., and soundings were obtained with one hundred and seventy-five fathoms of line, at a dis- tance of not more than five miles from the nearest rocks. During the night the increased violence of the wind, and its unwelcome constancy to the adverse quarter, had a direful effect on the shore ice in which we were embedded ; and though every piece was so closely and firmly packed against the other that there was not a hole large enough to admit of drawing water, yet at4^30"'. a.m. Sept. 14th, an agitative motion discovered itself among the surrounding ice, so violent, and indeed irresis- tible, that what was not crushed by its enormous force was raised up to various heights j one pon- derous mass, with several peaks, to upwards of twenty feet. H \ 4|| It I I 9h ICl.^'^ui IN 8IO»T OF tAND. as we were, we partook of the general commotio!? •. and the ship being deep and too Jieavy to ris^ with th*^ rest, it liaJ to sustain the whole pressure uri'i became severely nip«»ed, leaning over consideravbly to starboard, lue breeze, too, which still blew from N. E., so far from abating, came on attended by snart squalls. At this time we appeared to be not more than four miles from the land, which was broken into exposed bays, utterly without shelter from the north, and blocked up with close packed ice. Not a pool of water was visible in any direction : to the mercy of Providence alone could we look for rescue from our perilous situation. None but those who have experienced it can judge of the weariness of heart, the blank of feeling, the feverish sickliness of taste which gets the better of the whole man under circumstances such as these. Not an incident occurred to reUeve for a moment the dull monotony of our unprofit- able detention. Will the wind ever come from the westwavd ? was the question fretfully asked and peevishly answered. This one idea had taken entire possession of the mind, and whilst even a doubt remained, no occupation, no amusement, however ordinarily gratifying, had power to please or even distract the thoughts. Not that this, or ai part of it, was expressed in words, but the fteii- . t'^s i^ot the less easily detected. PARTIAL MOVEMENT OF THE MASSES. Qi) As the sun set the sky became rather mam bright at N. W., and with mu( '^ satisfaction the wind was observed to veer that way. A faint aurora was also seen at S. W., and as it iias been often considered as a sign of wind from that quar- ter in which it appears, even that prognostic, unr^ertain ns it is, was eagerly caught at. But altiiou/'rh the breeze blew off or along the coastal! the nigiit, yet on Sept. 15th not the minutest change was visible, until near 8" a. m., when a very partial movement took place in about a dozen large masses immediately around us. The effect of this was so flir beneficial that it released the ship from the heavy pressure she had been sustaining, and as the sunken pieces, from beneath her bottom, rose to the surface with a bound, and others glided along the sides, she gradually righted. But when we were looking with eager eyes for some little space of water, the motion stopped at once, as if arrested by the hand of magic, and left us again to hope and again be disappointed. The temperature which had been as low as 21° + , at noon rose to 23°+- The wind blew fresh along the land until evening, but it was late in the first watch before the faintest stir was heard among the ice, which then merely moved in azimuth, causing the ship to go a few yards astern. Yet to move at all was encouraging, since it proved that the pieces, though wedged H 2 I 100 WIND VEERS TO SOUTH-WEST. and heaped together, were not yet rivettedby the continually increasing severity of the night-frosts. Half of the month had now slipped away, and we were held still within siglit of the same land as it were in the grasp of a giant. Yet the prospect though unpromising enough was not yet hopeless ; for about midnight the wind drew round to the south-west, and came with a force which, a week before, would have fulfilled our most sanguine desires. The ice now, however, was too close wedged to yield at once to its- influence, though considerably loosened. Up to noon of Sept. 16. no effectual alteration took place : the thermometer had once fallen as low as 15° + , though it had now risen again to 81" + - The height of the land made our distance from shore appear less than it really was ; and often a proposition was made to me that a small party should endeavour to make their way across the land to the westward, and satisfy themselves if any open water was to be expected in that direc- tion. However, being myself pretty confident that there was open water, and moreover not very far away, I could not at this crisis give my consent to it. Besides the toil and difficulty which must necessarily be encountered in the attempt to traverse the country along the coast, broken as it was into ravines and vallies, ren- dered more impassable by the snow lately fallen; PROSPECT OF HELEASB. lOX the hazard of their being separated from the ship left no room for hesitation, though I pro- mised that on a future occasion the proposition should not be forgotten. The wind now got more to the southward, and after being unsettled for an hour or two, began to blow fresh from S. by W. : still the ice did not stir. However, about 4'' 30", it opened out a little, and though no water was visible from the Crow's Nest, the breeze was so strong that it was deemed expedient to set the sails j and answering to their power, the ship imme- diately forged ahead, generally, of course, very slowly, but wherever the ice was smaller with a speed that brightened every countenance. It was indeed singular to behold the vast ship gliding along without any perceptible water. This could not last, and though it blew a gale of wind, yet even with warps and all appliances and means to boot, we were at length beaten by the solid mass. The last gleam of twilight, however, had just brought to sight several narrow lanes of water precisely where they were most wanted, so that the probability of a release was greater than it had been for at least three weeks. The wind veered a little to the eastward, but rather increased than diminished in violence, so that most of the sails were taken in, leaving enough to press the ship forward if the ice should give way. II 3 ^„K^m^im mx4»^mmm mfl u 102 HOPES DISAPPOINTED. ■: Morning of the 17th came, and our hopes were strongly excited. It was an auspicious day, for it was the date of Sir E. Parry's getting clear from nearly the same place on his return to England ; but there was no such good fortune in store for us. We had been forced nearer to Cape Comfort, which jutted out something to the north, forming with the wind then pre- dominating a weather shore, under the lee of which it was natural to suppose there would be a Mead* of water ; but contrary to experience and the expectation of all on board, the ice was found to be locked in to the very base of the rocks, and presented a barrier as insuperable as the one just before us. Still the gale from the eastward howled on, and though not a spot of water could be detected ahead, yet there was a channel for upwards of three miles formed in the place we had left ; in fact, all that was wanted was a breeze of the same kind from the west. The weather throughout the afternoon was wild and gloomy, and the evening closed in with showers of sleet. The ice was disturbed, and though too firmly wedged to open out, cracked and heaved as if seeking relief from the grinding pressure, but all in vain. The whole cemented mass, however, yielded to the general impulse, and ice and ship were borne helplessly along before the violence of the gale. Much water had been SHIP DRIVEN NEARER LAND. 103 seen along the shore to the eastward, and there seemed some likelihood of its overtaking us by daylight, if by any means we could hold on to some floe so as to let the smaller pieces drift past. But this, howeve«- desirable, was. found impracticable, as the whole mass moved together. Throughout the night the wind scarcely abated, but towards morning of Sept. 18th it became moderate j and as the heavy clouds cleared away before the rays of the rising sun, it was discovered that we had been driven past Cape Comfort about three or four miles, and at the same time had been set considerably nearer to the coast which, immediately abreast of us, was fearfully forbidding. To the. north it pre- sented a towering and perpendicular front, rent into fissures, or jagged with splintery ridges, all deeply black j whilst towards the south it receded from the summit in round backed hills, entirely (except where sharp-angled rocks peeped out) covered with snow. Farther west the land gra- dually declined with longer slopes and wider vallies, and terminated in a point, either Cape Bylot or Cape Welsford of Parry. Through- out the entire range I was unable to detect any of those marks which indicate the track of the Esquimaux in their periodical migrations. The latitude at noon was 65" 12' N., and in liavingbeen tUifted thus fiir, we liad the consola- II i< '^' im MR. GOIIE SHOOTS A FOX. ( tory conviction that there must be an open space of water somewhere to the west We knew more- over that the further we advanced in that direc- tion the more we should be liable to the influence of the high tides in the neighbourhood of the Welcome, where the changes among the ice would be more frequent, and our chance of reaching Repulse Bay consequently improved. In fact, a long narrow lane had begun to form close to the beach, reaching nearly to the extre- mity of the view, but the breeze freshening from S.S.E. forced the seaward body of ice in, and closed it up again. BaflSn Island was visible from the mast-head, but there was no opening in that direction. A raven and a little snow bunt- ing came near the ship. No soundings were got with one hundred and fifty fathoms. As the sun declined the breeze freshened still more, sending the low and light scud before it with the swiftness of an arrow. It was not however till near midnight that we stirred, when the ice, driven by the wind and tide, carried us about a mile. Sept. 19th sail was set to endeavour to force the ship clear of some large pieces, which ground with a grating noise against the bot- tom, but it was to little purpose. About this time an Arctic fox, probably allured by the scent of the skeleton of the bear which was hanging to the main-stay, came so close that it i'l SHIP IN EXTREME PEUIL. 105 was shot by Mr. Gore. A raven, too, wheeled its flight twice round the ship. What must be the wearisome uniformity of a life in which inci- dents such as these become memorable I When the haze over the land was in some measure dispersed, we found that we had been set something further towards Cape Bylot, beyond which more land could be made out, and at noon Baffin Island bore N. 50° E. The temperature continued 31° + , and the southerly wind still prevailed. Four points more to the west was all that we required. No water in sight. In the early part of the night a thick mist came on, and the wind gradually veered to east, bringing with it sleet and snow. The next morning (Sept. 20th) it drew more to the northward, and, what was worse, blew fresh, thereby setting the seaward ice down towards the land with more force than had yet been experienced. Shortly after 9^ a. m. a floe piece split in two, and the extreme violence of the pressure curled and crumbled the windward ice up in an awful man- ner, forcing it against the beam fully eighteen feet high. The ship creaked as it were in agony, and, strong as she was, must have been stove and crushed, had not some of the smaller masses been forced under her bottom, and so diminished the strain, by actually lifting her bow nearly two feet out of the water. In this perilous crisis steps ^MMP |M i i 106 FRIGHTFUL INCREASE OF PRESSURE. were taken to have everything in readiness for hoisting out the barge, and without creating un- necessary alarm, the officers and men were called on the quarter-deck, and desired, in case of emergency, to be active in the performance of their duties at the respective stations then notified to them. It was a serious moment for all, as the pressure still continued, nor could we expect much, if any, abatement until the wind changed. At noon the weather and our prospects re- mained the same. The barometer was falling, and the temperature was 26° + , with unceasing snow. Much ice had been sunk under the bottom, and a doubt existed whether it was not finding its way beneath the lee floe also ; for the uplifted ruins, within fifty paces of the weather beam, were advancing slowly towards us like an im- mense wave fraught with destruction. Resist- ance would not, could not have been effectual beyond a few seconds ; for what, of human con- struction, could withstand the impact of an icy continent, driven onward by a furious storm? In the mean time symptoms too unequivocal to be misunderstood demonstrated the intensity of the pressure. The butt-ends began to start, and the copper, in which the galley apparatus was fixed, became creased, sliding doors refused to shut, and leaks found access through the bolt- heads and bulls-eyes. On sounding the well too, PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERY. 107 an increase of water was reported, not sufficient to excite apprehension in itself, but such as to render hourly pumping necessary. Moved by these indications, and to guard against the worst, I ordered the provisions and preserved meats, with various other necessaries to be got up from below and stowed on deck, so as to be ready at a mo- ment to be thrown upon the large floe along-side. To add to our anxiety, night closed prematurely, when suddenly, from some unknown cause, in which, if we may so deem without presumption, the finger of Providence was manifest, the floe, which threatened instant destruction, turned so as in a great degree to protect us against an in- crease of pressure, though for several hours after- wards the same creaking and grinding sounds continued to annoy our ears. The barometer and other instruments fell with a regularity un- precedented, yet the gale was broken, and by midnight had abated considerably. Sept. ^Ist. there was a lateral motion in some pieces of the surrounding ice, and after several as- tounding thumps under water against the bottom, the ship which had been lifted high beyond her line of flotation and thrown somewhat over to port, sud- denly started up and almost righted. Still however she inclined more than was agreeable to port, nor was it until one mass of ponderous dimensions burst from its imprisonment below that she alto- 108 niESSUIlE UNEXPECTEDLY CONTINUES. gether regained her upright position. On be- holding the walls of ice on either side between which she had been nipped, I was astonished at the tremendous force she had sustained. Her mould was stamped as perfectly as in a die. Asto- nishment however soon yielded to a more grateful feeling, an admiration of the genius and mechanical skill by which the Terror had been so ably pre- pared for this service. We had many old Green- land seamen on board, and they wer ' unanimously of opinion that no ship they had ever seen could have resisted such a pressure. On sounding the well she was found not to leak, though the car- penters had employment enough in caulking the seams on deck. At last the wind got round to the westward, and though not a pool of water was visible, still expect- ation was again on the stretch ; but though a fresh breeze prevailed till the evening, and again after a partial calm blew through the night, and though the effect to be anticipated from this would be the sending of the ice to the eastward, if moved at all, yet, strange to say, the very reverse took place, as the creaking of the pressed ship gave us but too plainly to understand. On Sept. 22d. the vessel was again sharply nipped, but without strain ing as before. At noon the thermometer rose a few degrees from 15° +, the point to which it had fallen in the night, and EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 109 by observations, we were at the distance of twenty- five miles only from Duke of York's Bay ; but we could no'^^ possibly advance so much as twenty- five inches, or, with such a succession of untoward winds, I should long ago have endeavoured to get the ship into some place of safety. Birds of all kinds had lefl us, and animals too, except a solitary seal espied to-day from the mast-head : this was immediately pursued by one of the officers, but after a fatiguing walk over the ice, he found the wary seal on the look-out and, instead of waiting to be shot at, it prudently disappeared through a hole in the ice. As the scene of operations was daily growing more circumscribed, and the outward body of ice forced us further in shore, directly towards a bay, bounded at either extreme by craggy rocks ; it became important to get some knowledge of its formation, in the hope of finding a shelter behind some protruding rock or point, if circumstances should permit us to get there. Accordingly a party of officers and men, under the direction of Lieutenant Smyth, having volunteered their ser- vices, the remainder of the day was taken up in making the requisite preparations for their de- parture on the following morning. Sept. 23d came on with thick weather and snow, which, together with the quantity that had already fallen, 110 A DOCK CUT IN THE ICE. t K hid the looser portions of ice between the floes, and thereby rendered the destined expedition too hazardous. About 9** a. m., a relaxation in the pressure encouraged us to try to warp the ship from her present unsafe situation, and this being found impracticable, the whole crew were em- ployed to cut a canal with axes and ol'ier implements, which attempt also was after a liiir trial abandoned, as the heavier masses of ice squeezed forward into each vacancy as fast as it was made. The large floe against the larboard, which was the side nearest to the land, was much piled up with hummocks, and directly alongside was upwards of twenty feet thick j and with the double view of employing the people, and to make an experiment which, if successful, might be found advantageous, it was determined to cut a dock in the pure ice. Accordingly, after the dimensions were measured, the officers and men set to work, and having, in the course of four hours, sunk a trench as many feet deep, satisfied me that, assuming the floe to be of a uniform thickness, they could finish the work in ten days at the most. On this occasion, it hap- pened, contrary to expectation, that the ice near us, and only that near us, began at tha' n\oment to open, so that by five o'clock p. m. tl.ere was a lane for two or three hundred yards, so free of HOPES AGAIN DISAPPOINTED. Ill interruption, that a whale line was made fast to the upper part of the fore-mast, and the men actually tracked the ship along. We had now been precisely a month beset, without the option of moving in any direction but where the openings occurred, or where the whole body of the ice drifted; and this at a period admit- ted to be the most favourable for navigating these seas. With every thing flattering to decoy us on within twenty miles of Baffin Island, we there found ourselves suddenly stopped, and saw the ice close behind us in an unbroken line, cutting off all retreat. It will easily therefore be con- ceived, that the phenomenon which permitted even this trifling advance was hailed with exult- ation ; and though we were soon arrested, yet three or four cracks between the floes and packed body ahead, intimated that some- thing favourable might be expected from the returning tide. The weather, too, continued mild, and a light air blew from the west. Still, though there were occasional fluctuations in the ice during the night, Sept. 24th came without the consummation so eagerly anticipated. By some unaccountable caprice, scarcely had the narrow opening begun to enlarge when the ice suddenly stopped, and then with a reaction truly alarm- ing, pressed against the ship, so as to heave her over considerably on one side to the no small risk of the part nipped, which creaked and com- m CUTTING AWAV ICE WITH AXES. plained bitterly ; it was some hours before she righted again. It was now an object so to place the ship, that the excessive pressure, aided as it was by the spring tide, should be received equally on every part of her; and as this could not be effected without the ice saws, they were shortly made ready, and having been fixed to large tri- angles formed of three high poles, were worked by means of a pulley. With one saw and some axes we were enabled to cut away a sharp piece which had already caused much annoyance, and were about removing it, when the ship which had been warped there, was suddenly set by the ice against it, and in a short time crushed up the whole mass. From that moment the pres- sure was very great, and after midnight of Sept. 25th, the timbers were strained so severely that there was a general creaking. Happily it did not last, for the crack again opened out and permitted our hauling a few yards ahead, and thereby to escape being caught by an extensive floe which, after sinking all smaller pieces, had forced its way to us. The rudder had borne an amazing force with- scarcely any injury, but as there was no longer any reason for expos- ing it, it was unhung and slung under the stern. We were nearly half way between Capes Comfort and Bylot, were in sight of each side of Frozen Strait, could clearly distinguish Cape Welsford C0N3L1.TATI0N OF ;. . ,CER«. U{i and the dark water sky over Duke of York's Bay were only tiveor six mile, from the «l,ore, wi.icl', would have afforded m some shelter, a,.d yet here we wore fixed, compelled to endure the *ur,ou., buffets which each successiye tide brought "pon us, and at the mercy of the mighty power that bound „.,. The temperature had taried from 18" to 23% and the wind had .Irawn round to the east, though this was now become of tri- fling importance, as the westerly wind on which so much reliance had been placed had not even separated the floes, much less driven them from the land; and in fact, according to our united opinions, had made no impression whatever Deeply sensible as I was of the growing peril of oursituationwithdayscontmctingandtheprospect •ofa speedy decrease of temperature, I now made an official demand on the officers of his majesty's ship, for their respective opinions in writing upon he probabdity of any further progress beingmade by our own exertions in the present season, to. wards Repulse Bay. Their unanimous coiivic. tion, from the experience of the thirty-four days in which the ship had been beset, was, that any thing more, with that view, was utterly im- practicable, and they suggested the adoption of ceruim precautions in the event of any sudden contingency obliging us to have recourse to the boats for safety. I„ this opinion I entirely coin- m 114 RAPID DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOE. cided, and considering that the period had now arrived for taking a decisive step, had deter- mined to cut a dock in a favourable part of the floe which we had quitted; that being the largest, and, according to the ice mate, the only one sufficiently strong for the purpose. I felt assured that, if this could be accomplished, the ship would be protected so long as the floe held together, and in short it was my only resource. The resolution thus adopted was tp^have been car- ried into execution, but the following night, with- out the aid of any strong breeze, produced the most extraordinary changes yet witnessed. There was a general commotion ; and the entire body by which we were hampered separating into single pieces, tossed into heaps or ground to powder whatever interrupted its course, and finally, in the early morning of the 26th, rushed violently to the westward, directly up Frozen Strait. The ship bore well up against the hurly burly, and when daylight broke, and we could distinguish objects, we looked in vain for the floe. In the wild convulsion of the night it had been broken and scattered with many other ponderous masses, which now lay piled in ruins around us. It was evident, too, that the ship had been set nearer to Cape Bylot, for the coast beyond it, as well as Baffin's Island, were plainly seen from the deck ; so that, for aught we knew, we might still be li •; " lirv 1 i \ m f f 'u t :♦ I % ■ n ■■<.» ) ^^m* BOW OF THE SHIP SPLIT. 115 carried even to the goal of our wishes without any effort of our own. One fact, at all events, was incontrovertible, that, now the ice, though heavy enough to do great injury, was not exten- sive enough to shelter us as I had designed, and that there was nothing left but to drift with it until Nature in her own good time should release us. The ice remained unusually tranquil the whole of the afternoon ; but as the night ad- vanced Ihe north-east wind increased, and at 11'' P.M., when the flood-tide made, the ship became sharply nipped : fortunately it did not last long, and on Sept. 27th she was free again. The effect of the breeze which still continued, accompanied with snow, had been to drive us nearer to the land, but without any inconvenience from pressure ; and we were congratulating our- selves on this, when, at ll'* a.m., the creaking of the beams and sides abaft the main-mast inti- mated that the ice was in motion. On looking over the stern, a heavy piece, driven on by several others, was seen crashing or sinking everything before it, and being now checked by the ship, which it struck under the quarter^ raised her at once several feet out of the water, the bow at the same time being pressed with such force against a mass ahead as to split it in two or three directions, the whole going bodily I 2 110 PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY. forward. In tliis alarming manner the ice brought up, leaving the stern elevated seven and a half feet, and the bow jammed against the ponderous masses ahead. Nothing could be done by us to relieve the ship ; and as there were no floes of sufficient surface on which to place boats and provisions, if driven to that necessity, I decided on hoisting out the two whale boat^ from the skids, and hanging them up alongside, 50 that these with the third and the two cuttersj might be lowered at a moment's notice. A fur- ther quantity of provision also was to be got up, with ammunition and other necessaries to sup- port life in case of the worst. As for the barge, though in itself the most suitable boat, her size and weight would have rendered her totally un- manageable on the broken and moving ice which surrounded us. The day was spent in executing these arrangements, and I waited with anxiety for the hour when the returning flood-tide should again act. With the wind dead on shore, it was not very likely to loosen the ice ; and if it packed it still more, who could calculate on the result? As midnight drew near, an occasional sharp crack about the counter warned us that something was giving way, but it passed ; and on Sept. 28th, though the breeze had rounded more to the eastward, the ship had not altered her inclination. Much snow fellj and it blew 14 ice he spot whence they returned, which was considered about halfway, was estimated at something more than a mile. At noon, the ANOTHER EXCURSION. ux thermometer having bee*, at S^-f- rose to 9°+, the wind from the westward. In the early morn- ing two prismatic hmar halos had been seen. The pack was now arrested by the young ice, which on the following day I went to examine, in company with a small party of the officers, who continued their walk to the shore. They re- turned in the evening with an account of the toil they had had in scaling the precipitous sides of the rocks, which, there, were of red granite. Seals and a recent track of a bear were seen, as well as the excrement of Alpine hares. From the summit of the hills, the young ice could be traced ahead or to the eastward of the ship, almost surrounding the pack, which was decidedly the heaviest in sight. The weather being obscure to the westward, nothing could be ascertained in that quarter. On November 1st, the thermometer was 10"+, and the ice stationary. The iwlds having now been arranged, as well as the coals would allow with more advantage, the articles liable to injury from the frost placed in midships, and six months' provisions stowed near the hatches ; there remained little of duty to occupy the at- tention beyond the important one of setting to rights the warming apparatus. Assuredly, no pains were spared to solve the puzzling question, why it would not act. Some of the 142 TROUBLE OF HEATING APPARATUS. I i pipes were again repaired and a volume of hot salt-water having been driven with a forcing pump from one extremity to the other, its entire reparation was thought to be conclusively established. The fire therefore was lighted, and, as the warmth spread throughout the ship, it was considered that all obstacles were finally over- come, when suddenly, to our great and serious disappointment, first the starboard side cooled rapidly, and ten or twelve hours later the larboard followed the example. The evil now began to press on us the more heavily as our remedies were failing ; for, not foreseeing nor imagining such a succession of disasters, we had been sup- plied only with such a quantity of mortar as might be sufficient for making good any fracture in the furnace, the whole of which was expended ; so that it was necessary to leave it untouched until some substitute could be discovered. As there was reason to suppose that the pipes had become foul or partially obstructed, I directed that a stream of hot water should be forced through the whole range of pipes for several hours with- out interruption, and went myself to superintend the operation. Half an hour's trial, without visible result, convinced me that, to do anything effectual, a part (at least) of the tedious con- trivance must be unscrewed and examined, and this, notwithstanding the confusion it would AN EXPLORING PARTY, 143 create in the officers* cabins through which it passed, and the doubt of our being able to put it together again, was accordingly directed to be done. In the mean time the temperature had fallen to 22°-, throwing the lower deck into a most uncomfortable state, and yet not so bad as the after cabins, which were dripping with moisture. Much to the credit of the officers no complaints were heard, nor was the health of any one affected. Moreover, under every dis- advantage, the deck was kept perfectly dry. November 4th. I accompanied a party of officers to the land for the purpose of satisfying our curiosity respecting an opening about three miles from the ship, which had the appearance of a harbour. The result in some measure verified our conjecture, for we walked upwards of a mile from the entrance to the further end, where, providing the holding ground were good, any vessel would be securely sheltered. From a bold perpendicular rock, one of the many by which it is girt in, the echo was so clear, that an unhappy wanderer in these dreary solitudes might have listened to his own voice, and fan- cied himself no longer alone. We attempted to ascend a sloping side to gain the heights above ; but all except myself being unprovided with snow-shoes, sunk so deep in the snow that the effi^rt was found too laborious, and was therefore abandoned for another opportunity. In this ''■^ H r ,?,:^*"^« losed and a tank placed over it for a condi nsei hile tlio ladder was transferred to the main hatchw a^ having a fearnought screen round it below, and a regular door entrance above on deck. With those, and numerous othei precautions of a like kind, it was hoped we might contrive to get through the coldest months of the winter. After service on Sunday, Nov< nher 6th, the people strolled on the ice, \mi L extending their n IP! ^fi^'i (; I I It ' M i H6 SUIIVEY OF HAKBOUB. walk to the land. On the following day a party under the orders of Lieutenant Stanley, was directc(1 to make a survey of the harbour. This was completed by the evening. It was ascertained to be one niilo and a half long, and half a mile broad, by iu..neasurement; exposed to a north-north-east wind, but sheltered from all others. The echo-rock was six hundred and fifty feet high ; some others varied from that to eight hundred and fifty feet ; these again were backed by the coast range, running generally from one thousand to fourteen and sixteen hun- dred feet above the level of the sea. Neither the depth of water nor the nature of the bottom could be got, on acco iit of the under layers of ice intercepting the lead. I called it Smyth's Harbour, after the first Lieutenant of the Terror. Some of the gentlemen ascended the hills by the vallies, and observed on their way numerous tracks of animals, — bears, wolves, foxes, and rein- deer. A few willows were also seen, near which were the tracks of partridges. The pack in which we were frozen had now remained so long unmoved, and the bay ice had attained such a solidity, that many concluded we were definitively fixed for the winter ; but on the 8th November a fresh gale ushered in the new moon, and before night drove the huge pack from the inshore ice, leaving between the '1 Pass cape comfort. 147 two a dark lane of water. Tlie land was effectually shut out from view by the whirls of drift raised by the gusty wind, but on the following day, November <}th, a partial clearance showed that the pack had not only drifted out, but was also setting to the eastward. Cape Comfort being at that time full on the beam. After this, the same kind of weather continu- ing throughout that day prevented us from ascertaining the precise situation of the ship, till daylight of the 10th, when we found we had just passed Cape Comfort. Our pack, in leaving tlie station where it had been so long undisturbed, had carried away a considerable portion of the bay ice attached to its edges, and had now turned round about ninety degrees, placing the stem of the ship towards the land, and consequently leaving her head true north. From the crow's nest much young ice was observable on every side, but only in lanes intervening between the heavier bodies, of which it was remarked that our pack was the most extensive. The thermometer still retained an elevation whicli we thought high, viz. 11° + . It may v/ell be imagined that these spring-tide changes of position gave rise to no little specu- lation whither we might be driven by the time the ice commonly breaks up. During the three succeeding days we were blo^v.i backwards and L 2 II I'!'' t; 1. ii' f^'l. s1» M ill '' \ : til I' 148 DRIVEN TOWARDS CAPE COMFORT. forwards until tlie pack set in towards tlie shore a little to the westward of Cape Comfort, and here it was hoped we might remain undisturbed up to the time of the next spring-tide : but not so ; for a strong north-westerly breeze coming on with heavy squalls and much drift, we were again set in motion to the eastward, in an oblique direction towards the land, whicL, when seen at intervals through the drift, appeared to be nearer than we had yet approached. The tem- perature now fell to 14°—, and this, though not in fact so low as on some previous occasions when the crew had walked out for exercise, was foimd, with the aid of the breeze, too biting to be faced without great discomfort ; and, conse- quently, after our accustomed assemblage at divisions and church on the 13th, the men were directed to walk unJer the housing. Through- out the latter part of the day and most of the night, heavy squalls were frequent from the same quarter, and though these had considerably abated by the 14th, yet, to our astonishment, . tiie pack had taken us, according to Lieutenant Stanley's measurement, within three thousand six hundred and fifty yards of the inaccessible cliffs of Cape Comfort, against which, therefore, there was reason to apprehend that the ice might strike, break up, and wreck the ship. The extra- ordinary disappearance of extensive bodies of RISK OF DEINC CRUSHED. 11.9 inshore ice, and the occupation of their places by the still heavier ones from seaward, seemetl at first quite unaccountable, till the fact was established that two thirds of it were actually ground and pressed up to the height of twenty feet, in a solid mass agaii;st the unyielding rocks. What fatal consequences, therefore, might not be appre- bended if any untowai-d fracture of the pack should unmoor us from our present bed I A small hole of water was all that was visible from the mast-head, but happily that was off the point to the eastward, and between the pack and the shore there was yet a weak barrier of drift and bay ice to fend off any serious concussion. The drift had spread such a uniform carpet over the entire surface of the ice, that it seemed like one immense floe, A vast proportion of it had evidently been drifted down from the north- ward, and having wedged itself between the western extremity of our pack and Frozen Strait, was thus, in combination with the wind, gradually forcing us out : situated as we were, this was a consummation most devoutly to be wished, for our return to the strait was clearly impossible, even if the wind should veer to the eastward; and any change of place was ob- viously better than a position immediately off an iron-bound cape. And now again the annoyance returned which L 3 I r ■ I; P!. I u t r m 111 U ti,P ?( 1 ] 1.50 HEATING APPARATUS CONDEMNED. has been already mentioned oftener than I could wish. In spite of every attention, our trouble- some warming apparatus could not be made to answer. Scarcely did it begin to throw out a little heat than one pipe or other gradually cooled, and left us teeming with vapour which it had just had the power to generate. Not a day passed without a complaint of its inefficiency. In its best state the officers' cabins were drip- ping, and a stove was necessary to dry the deck. I had been most reluctant to abandon it altogether, but at last, on repeated represen- tations of its failure, I issued an official order to the proper officers to survey it, and on their report pronouncing its condemnation, I directed the furnace and its appurtenances to be dis- mantled, and availed myself of the lead and cop- per attached to it, for fitting up a Fraser's stove a little before the main-hatchway on the lower deck. November l6th. We continued to move ac- cording to the direction of the wind, off the point of Cape Comfort, with some holes of water round the pack, caused by its own motion, but did not get beyond it, either to the east or to the west. I examined the recently formed ice near the land, which was broken into slabs, and piled up in the utmost confusion, so steep and irre- gular as to be almost impassabJc. Just at the DRIVEN FARTHER OUT. 151 edgt of the pack, while keenly following the fresli track of a bear, in the company of three of the officers, we suddenly came to some gravel evidently thrown up by the lower ice, and look- ing more attentively round, observed that the adjacent ice was in a raised and spherical form, as if resthig on a rock or bank of similar shape. The pack was only a few yards from this, and had evidently been arrested by it, as was further demonstrated by a crack about twenty feet from its edge. To get away from the shoal, there- fore, would require an off-shore breeze ; nor was this long wanting, for on the very same night it blew fresh from the westward, and urging the ice along the land, faster than might have been expected in a neap-tide, by the fore- noon of the 18th we had completely rounded the Cape, and were considerably farther out than we had been since the early part of last month. On making an excursion with a small party, I observed that our pack had received ano- ther shock, and that an extensive crack on the side nearest the land was the consequence. Again I saw the same convexity of surface, terminated by huge mounds of spHntered fragments amount- ing to hundreds of tons in weight, each piece or fragment, though of this year's ice, being from two to two and a half feet thick. The exist- ence of shoals was manifest, since the pressure L 4. t miNi I : II! if VV >: I If w • I' 152 ROBBED BY FOXES AND SHRIMPS. causing the accumulation referred to, ceased abruptly where this and other similar remark- able elevations appeared. Beyond that line, and occupying a full mile in breadth, was a sheet of young ice, alternating with lieaps of a different character, and extending towards the land, which, however, we were prevented from reaching by a narrow lane of water. Tracks of bears, wolves, and foxes were noticed, of which the last mentioned alone ever ventured to ap- proach the ship. Indeed these met with no very friendly reception, having put an end to all relations of amity, by stealing sundry pieces of beef, left carelessly by the owners outside on the snow. To do them justice however, they were not the only depredators, as they soon ex- perienced who, having been taught to mistrust the honesty of the foxes, afterwards to be very safe, sunk their allowance of beef in the '* fire hole." Alas! to adopt the pathetic lament of oldShylock, ** There be water thieves and land thieves :" and here a greedy colony of shrimps made such havock, tliat wiien in th^ morning one of the men went to draw up tlie meat intended for the dinner of tiis mess, he found in its place a few miserable slireds, to which iUo ; xates still clung with un- satiated appetites. TJie temperature fluctuated from 0" to about 21° — , but there were neither iiuiora nor other phenomena to excite attention DlilVEN CLOSE IN SHORE. 153 and employ the mind ; and all attempt to make magnetic observations, except in occasional in- stances, was frustrated by the constant moving of the pacK. This indeed was a serious disappoint- ment, as we had many experiments in view, which could not have failed to be highly interesting. November 19th. The wind veered to thesouth- east, and some signs were observed of water in the opposite quarter, occasioned, as we knew, by the motion of our own pack. The night was unusually calm, yet it was apparent to every one that some disturbing force was carrying us rapidly towards the frowning precipices not a gun-shot distant. The attention of those on deck was riveted to sounds distinctly heard of breaking ice, crashing and grinding with a discord the more horrible^ as with that exception nature was in dead re- pose. When day dawned it appeared that we had been driven to the westward, and close in shore, where the bay ice was still in tumultuous agi! tation, having been thrown up against the rocks in some shelving places, to the height of tliirty or forty feet. After church a large party went to the edge of the pack, or floe, as it was now termed, and witnessed the work of destruction as It wt . on. It was a spectacle indeed not less sublime than appalling 5 filling tlie mind with awe, and at the suuic time inspiring it with ilevotional gratitude to that lieiiig whose Pro- ^1 J I-.,!.. \ '.vS^H^ teie«i«««d«bMliiftii^*M, 154 THERMOMETER RISES > f',' I fi li' HM lltv /' ill i vidence watclied over us and preserved us in the midst of such fearful perils. On the 21st Novem- ber we moved but little, though close in with the point of Cape Comfort, and therefore exposed to the influence of those alternate tides which worked so much confusion amongst the bay ice. The wind however began to blow fresh and steadily from the south-east, with the same degree of force v/hich had hitherto characterized it on the days of full and change. In consequence of this change the thermometer showed a dis- position to rise, and on the 22d was 9° + , the weather being overcast, and the ship farther off shore. Still, notwithstanding the continuance and strength of the wind, we did not increase our distance from the land so much as might have been expected, a circumstance which can only be accounted for by supposing that its influence was partial, or that ice had accumulated in the north so as to prevent any egress in that direction. Whatever it was, we certainly had not been drifted more than five miles ; and after the period of full moon, an op^ ^site breeze sent us again in shore, altogether to the westward of the Cape, On making holes at two places, a quarter of a mile apart, the thickness of the ice beneath the covering of snow, was found to be not more than two and two and a half feet. Much snow now fell, and even with a fresh northerly wind, the 14 HUGE MASS OF ICE. 1.55 temperature was 1 1° + , So mild did the weather continue, with every wind, for several consecutive days, that the snow remained fleecy and soft, and, -obliterating every trace of the old tracks, perplexed us considerably in our daily exercise. Our floe had undergone a change of form from the pressure on the extremities, and having been forced against the compact and solid ice off the western low point of Smyth's Harbour, a large portion of it had broken and separated from the main body. On examining it myself, I saw that there were cracks in all directions, and concluded that two more such encroach- ments would infallibly extend to us : nor was it possible to avoid the reflection that no art could save us, if we were once exposed to the grinding pressure of the mass against the rocks. Commur. r,i4r 1 with the shore was cut off; but having folio ved the channel some way to seaward, it was found to be connected with another open space of more thnn usual extent, though now fast becoming coaiod vith thin ice. Nor was this distant from the shii* . and within a few hundred paces was an accumulation of ponderous masses of ice, the interstices between which were filled up with snow drift, so firmly cemented, and of such height, that it might well have passed for a berg. From it? summit .1 ifi ■i \< > ! i I: If! 1 1 i' % i \}* t m > I 'I i;." 156 IIAPID MOTION OF THE ICE. I looked down into the Terror's main-top. One of the crew saw some fish in the water which he described to be as large as salmon, but we were unable to set lines, owing to the overlap- ping of the ice below the surface. November 28th. There had been a dark steel coloured sky, extending from about Winter Island to the situation of Repulse Bay, so ex- actly resembling that which indicates open water, that we could not forbear imagining the ice in the centre of the Welcome to have broken up. That some such occurrence must have taken place was indeed evident, for the ice was now perpetually in motion, and we were driven occasionally five or seven miles. A strance refraction of the horizon to the north was remarked about sunrise, or rather when the sun was seen just above the south-eastern hills. At the part to the north the sky was a dark gi-ey, and the icy horizon appeared in detached horizontal lines at a very acute angle. The temperature fell to lO°~, with a moderate wind from the westward. Without much vari- ation in the state of the weather, a very sensible diminution was brought about on the edge of the floe by the successive action of the in- shore ice against it. But as the temperature hud fallen to 30"- of Pastorelli's thermometer. 'm AMUSEMENTS. 157 and 38"— of Newman's, it was rather thought that the detached pieces might again unite and form a stronger bulwark of defence than before. It has been ahcady ii rationed that the crew were daily exercised on the ice j and as it seemed better that the mind should be fixed on some object, the accomplishment of which might be looked forward to with a sort of interest, the whole were directed to build up snow walls and galleries in different directions from the ship. These being destined for the comfort of all, the work was cheerfully undertaken, and the operators were rewarded with a proportion- able stock of health. Good, however, as was the general health, it was necessary to relieve the monotony of scene and occupation ; and in this view the officers kindly undertook to perform a play for the amusement of the men. Accordingly, on November 29th, a day speci- ally selected on account of the gallant action off Pelagossa, 1811, (such had been the deep impression left by Sir J. Gordon's good offices and urbanity), every preparation that our limited means would permit having been made, it was announced that the Farce of Monsieur Tonson would be acted that evening. The exhibition at the appointed hour, ushered in by an appropriate j)rologue from the first lieiitenant, and set off by scenery from the brush of the same accomplished performer, occasioned hearty 'I 'I ^mj^ JJ ' 4' " ' ,) • I ill ' 1. '' i 158 CRUSHING OF ICE. laughter, plentiful plaudits, and in conclusion, three hearty cheers. After the perfornmnce, the dramatis personae, with the otiier officers, passed a few hours together ; and I question whether in any other quarter of the globe, an equal number could be found more free from care than were the merry group so assembled. The sea, however, was not chinned into inac- tivity, for the usual grating noise was heard by the watch on deck, and in the morning the floe was found to have turned in more towards the shore. A drift was skimming over the ice, which rendered walking, even with the advan- tage of snow-shoes, a more severe task than was agreeable j but being desirous to see what effect had been produced by the uproar of the night, I went to our nearest boundary, and found that it had sufFere«1 rtnther encroachment, and was crushed and thrown up like the rest beyond it. Dark, and theretbre recently formed ice, occu- pied some conspicuous openings, though this could scarcely last beyond the next tide. December 3d. The temperature now began to decrease rapidly. The difference between Pastorelli's thermometer and mine, made by Newman (the same which I had with me on my last expedition), amounted to eight degrees, the former being 3li°~, and the latter 4^°-. I determined to test tliem by exposing a saucer of mercury to the atmosphere. In the course THERMOMETERS. 159 of an hour it ' came dull in colour and fl tened ..l its edges, aiu in two hours an( a half more was ozen. In the interval Pasto- relli , had fallen to 35° 5'-, and New- man's to 44 -. U'ter this test tlie one last mentioned was fixed on a post about seventy paces frnm the ship, and thencefoi reg-^tered as the standard thermometer ; the others, liow- cvcr, north and south, as well as one J in a tin case perforated with holes ai ted to tlie mast-head, being also noted ii q log- book. Tfie cold was now sufficiently severe to freeze some of the people as they were employed on the ici the temperature being 49"—. However, dug desirous to satisfy my doubts about the practicability of getting on shore, and as to the extent of the bay ice near us, 1 went on snow-shoes, and on arriving at the boundary of the floe, which just at that part was unaltered, found a narrow lane of water kept from freezing by the agitation caused by the moving ice. Thinking tliat the lane did not extend far, I skirted along it, first towards the west, and then more north, until I lost sigh^ of the ship. In this distance, perhaps abont six or seven miles, the breadth of the lane was much reduced, but a continuous crack, in places large enough to admit a boat, ran in an easterly direction fur- ther than I could venture alone. But what (fl IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 A if. 1.0 I.I ^ 140 25 1.8 11.25 mil 1.4 IIIIII.6 V] on ch, w I ' I . ^ I.. ^ "s n ■■:,-■ L ■ * ^^' •i |»H 11 J? m P' ■W Ifi jijIM it i| xJ si^fjir M'; i; GOOD EFFECTS OF THE DUCKING. ICl being extended, checked his further descent. Wh"' TmT/ "" "'''"''"" "'■ Lieutenants Smyth and M'Murdo, who, with Mr. M'Ciure being close by, instantly rescued him. The' temperature at that time was 43«- i„ the air ^ton of pleasant warmth, doubUess attributable tothed other precautions, the most unre. "ot!h'' T"""" "*' "'" ^''"i"' ''«'^«- could not altoge«,er prevent the accumulation of mois- urem particular spots. In such cases, our only remedy was to use the stoves belonging to the Joa^, and as these, having no funnels toLry off the smoke almost suffocated us, it will be readily ?o sol!':,"""? '"' "-essity induced us theZ . "•; /'^'"^ «"■"'•' moreover, that the ot a,r from below froze against the inside of the ho^^smg. producing a most disagreeable efHu- the'rlof Tr', *'""' ' ^1""^ ''"'« -••« cut in the roof of the housing, which being opened occasionally had the desired effect, lut these .nc»nven.ences were trifles in comparison S what m,ght have been expected from the failure of the heating apparatus. Though the clear weather which so unexpect. ecUy continued was free from fresh winds,';^ ^^ tides sepamted the ice, so as to leave open places m various directions. Through the niTi «iere adbeenas,uallortwofrom%hti east, and on the morning of the 10th a broad round the floe to seaward, and to mahitain a bevondi; 'f ' r " ^'^ "^■■'^ '"'^crvable chCel ' ^""'."'''""■'^^''^ "° ^-"-^cting channel or opening from the one lane to the other! M 2 IIM :ll 1 > 1G4. CUTIIOUS PHENOMENON. i ?■ i" hi Our own position >vas something nearer the rocks, and moreover a little to the westward. There being now, as was thought, wind enough for the kite, it was sent up, but as in repeated trials it only mounted about two hundred and fifty feet, we desisted. It was evident, indeed, that the wind only prevailed to that height, which was also, according to appearance, nearly the lieight of the dark vapour surrounding us. It had been remarked for a considerable time, that though the water immediately froze every- wliere else, yet on the larboard beam of the ship, about ten or twelve feet from the bends at the base of the snow embankment, there was always sludge, or on its removal, salt-water in its place, though the ice beneath was solid. I remember three in- stances of the same kind in rivers, where, not- withstanding the low state of temperature, the surface for some distance, near particular spots, was invariably so moist, that our snow-shoes were coated with ice, which it was necessary to scrape away. In the present instance, the phe- nomenon was not confined to any precise period, but existed through the neap as well as the spring tides. The days now dwindled fast away, the sun being only visible for a few minutes at 11 o'clock. It rose above the edge of a serrated hill, and in favourable weather, brightened the gloomy outline. Its altitude was 2° 10'. REGISTEn THERMOMETER. Jg^ December 12th. The floe had nearly resumed Its old position, and was steadier than of late In consequenceof this, two of the people reached the shore over the bay ice, which for upwards of a mile was much thrown up and packed. To sea- ward, mdeed, a very visible reduction of the floe had taken place from sheer pressure, wiiich in many parts had ploughed it up and broken it into comparatively small pieces. The wind havmg mcreased enough to accomplish the rais- mg of the kite, it was sent up with a self^regis- tenng thermometer. This showed a difl^erence ot eight degrees greater cold at twelve hundred feet perpendicular than on the ice, the figures being zero, and eight degrees minus. It may be remarked, also, that the spirit thermometer at the masOhead, which had hitherto during the recent weather, when the wind did not extend beyond the surface, indicated less cold than those on deck, stood, when the kite was up, at three degrees plus, or greater cold than below, aoree, mg in this respect with Six's. '' December 13th. Th. ice remained almost stationary, and enabled one of the officers to reach the shore. Here he saw a reindeer, wliich at first bounded from him, but soon, as if not quite convinced that it had cause for alarm turned round and trotted back again, gazing and moving slowly on until Mr. Gore, having crept M S M 'I't V I f 1G(> iii.in-i)i:j:ii killed. oil his liiiiuls aiul knees near enough, killed it at the first shot. His exploit had been witnessed from the ship, and some men were immediately disjiatched with a sledge to bring on board the unlooked-for addition to our Christmas faro. It was very lean, and when skinned, only weiglied (iOlbs., the head included. This event, how- ever, raised the emulation of our sportsmen, of whom several started early on the following day, but they saw only three wolves, which made the vallies echo with their howling. The weather was still fine, and the thermometer high, varying from 20"- to 5"-, which, without wind, we thought satisflictory enough. The extreme edge of the sun's upper limb was barely visible now above the lowest hill. A tranquil interval of uninterrupted clear weather followed, and all anxiety was set at rest by the firm adhesion of the ice to the land, which was now almost daily visited either for exercise or amusement. A few more deer were seen, and a Polar hare as well as two white partridges shot. Lines also were set for fish, but in this attempt we failed. A young fox had been slightly wounded and caught. It was put into an open snow hut and secured, but though in the night it got loose, it made no attempt to escape ; on the contrary, it diverted itself by running round the ship, and quietly retreated to HAPID FALL OF THEUMOIMETEU. IG? tlie Jiut, where it soon buiTowed. When any one attempted to caress it, the little creature made a half stiHcd snarl, and snapped, but not viciously, at the extended hand. It rejected biscuit, but devoured a tallow candle with avidity and seeming satisfaction. From our proximity to the shore, the im had not been visible since the 12tli instant, when its altitude a few minutes after 11" was 1" 40' ; vet, according to our perception, little if any difference was observed in the diminution of daylight. At length the ^2 1st December arrived; and as the moon would be at full on the following day, we began to fancy that another spring-tide would pass by with impunity. Indeed every circum- stance concurred to confirm the opinion, until towards night, when the barometer began to fall with such precipitation as to prepare the minds of all for some uncommon occurrence. ihe mercury which had stood at 30 inches, had, in the course of eighteen hours, which brought It near the time of change, fallen to ^8.26. During this interval the wind had been light and unsteady, veering round the compass, but at 11" a. m., December 22d, it settled at S.S.E., and soon blew hard. WhUe these changes were in progress the whole sky had become overcast, and a dense haze, occasioned by the partial falling of snow, limited the view M 4 r .,i ■^ .^-.^.».. k 'i '■' « I !!! I 168 FEARFUL STORM. to a very few yards. Hearing a rustling noise like the rushing of water apparently beneath us, we supposed that the floe w^.s already separated, and that the consequences would soon be ma- nifested alongside, but very shortly all specula- tions were merged in the reality before us. Since our departure from England na such storm had been experienced. Within an hour it raged with such fury, that not a man could face it. Several who endeavoured to perform some duty outside the ship were instantly frost- bitten, and obliged to return, and the officer of the watch in merely going from the housing to the tafrail to register the thermometers had the whole of his face frozen. Not that the tem- perature was so low as it had been a few days previous, for it was then 53° minus, and now only 30" minus, but the rapid extraction of heat was beyond endurance, and a very short expo- sure would have been certainly fatal to the hardiest. As night advanced the barometer indicated a change, but the storm still raged like a hurri- cane, and covered the ship with snow drift. Our topmasts shook like wands, and the lee rigging was forced out like a bow : piles of snow were whirled on the lee side of the housing, until the chain which sustained the rough spar that formed the ridge pole broke, and the i\ Fl-OE CRACKS. 169 accumulated weight fell, but the end of the spar fortunately striking the windlass, was stopped in •te descent, and thus saved the burge. which otherwise must have been severely if not irre- parably injured. As the wind was directly off shore, there was no great cause for appre- hens.on as to the holding together of the floe, unless indeed the drift should cause sufficient open water to admit of any sea rising, for i„ fu^ of the tempest grad,.-.lly abated, it was not entirely exhausted until u.. 24th. Then the sky was again serene, and a tolerably clear view showed us that instead of having been driven out towards Frozen Strait, we were actually twelve or fourteen miles to the eastward of Cape Comfort. This can be accounted for only on the supposition that the flood-tide had come fi-om the Welcome through Fury and Hecla Mraits. and. taking the channel of the Frozen t>trait. had met the course of the gale nearly at light angles, ar.d thus produced a mean line of du-ection for the ship between the two. which in fact answered to the position. Our floe was slighUy cracked within a few yards from either side ; but in other respects it looked more extensive and firmer than ever. This was verified by examination, for the high tide had raised the entire body of old and young ice to tl 170 GLOOMINESS OF THE CREW. h i Ji; the very rocks, and with the aid of the gale, the whole mass having been driven away, an interval was produced, which was already firmly frozen over. As to the rest, no water was visible ; but what gave us infinitely more pleasure, the sun peeped over the distant moun- tains, gladdening us with his returning beams, after a short absence of twelve days. It was a glorious and a joyful sight, when we considered that each day would make its influence more felt, and that at last, having liberated us from our crystal bonds, it might light us to a happy issue of our labours. Sailors, it is proverbial, are naturally light hearted, and have in general a great flow of animal spirits ; but in this respect ours most assuredly differed from their brother tars. Whe- ther this arose from the services in which they had been brought up, or from their never having been subject to the salutary influence of naval discipline, I know not, but certainly their want of cheerfulness was not attributable to any lack of example or encouragement on the part of the officers. For about six hours every day except Sundays, they were kept at some easy work on the ice, as was absolutely requisite for their health ; but it was in vain that we endeavoured to lead them into the wholesome habit of amusing themselves with games or dancing, to cheer their TJ: A.IUCALS OF THE MEN. 171 Spirits, and while away the long hours of our winter evenings. The most trivial cold or other complaint induced despondency, and an attack in the joints of the legs and limbs attended with extravasation of blood, for which it may be re- marked there was some difficulty in accounting, excited the most discouraging apprehensions. Under these circumstances, I was not a little delighted when informed that they had contrived, in imitation of the officers, to get up a play, and had appointed Christmas Eve for its performance. In due time two farces were announced for representation, the " First Floor" and the « Be- nevolent Tar ;" and thesewent off with unbounded applause in a stifling atiposphere between decks, though outside the thermometer stood at 30°-. Christmas Day which succeeded, was duly and religiously observed; neither were the personal comforts, more majorum, neglected, for, as we were on two thirds' allowance, I directed a double portion to be served of all but spirits, and thus gave the men a treat without intoxication. Theofficers also dined together ; and, among other luxuries which the providence of the caterer had furnished, was a haunch of the rein-deer, shot by Mr. Gore, and what every one most anxiously looked forward to, a smiling plum pudding, the considerate and substantial gift of Sir James Gordon's amiable family, who in this way had i 1' I 172 FOOTBALL. .! l^ !t ' largely contributed to our comforts. With these incitements to enjoyment, no wonder that care was forgotten ; mirth prevailed, friends were toasted, home remembered, and the evening passed quickly and happily away. December 26th, some occasional gusts of wind came from the south-east, and as well as the mist over the land would allow us to judge, we seemed to have gone a little to the eastward. The severity of the cold daily increased : the temperature was 44°— ; and as the effect of this was aided by strong winds and gales from the north-west, it is not surprising that we felt it more acutely than formerly. All occupation outside the ship, except for amusement merely, was now abandoned, for notwithstanding the unremitting endeavours of the officers to keep the men in sufficient exercise for the rapid circulation of the blood, such was their perverseness or sluggishness, that though constantly frost-bitten from mere want of exertion, they would lounge about, when left to themselves, with the listlessness which be- longs to a tropical climate. One expedient pro- posed was the game of football, and every day, the whole crew were made to play at this active and amusing diversion with the officers, who left no- thing untried to encourage them. Still in spite of all our efforts, fresh men were daily seized with numbness of limbs, affections of the gums, SCURVY. 1>JQ and other symptoms of scurvy. The gunner, Mr. Donaldson, was in a very feeble state, not being able to walk more than a quarter of an hour without assistance ; and many more were limping and complaining of general debility. As the most sedulous attention had been bestowed, both as to the quantity and the quality of the clothing of every one, we were satisfied that this unwel- come visitation, from which recent voyages to this quarter have been for the most part happily exempted, could not be attributed to any defici- ency in these respects. Neither could it be as- cribed to any deficiency in quantity or sameness m kmd of food, since fresh preserved meat with maccaroni or rice, pickles and lime juice, had been issued twice a week. But that nothing might be omitted towards the eradication of the evil, the last named article was now directed to be served out three times, and an extra quantity of preserved soup, cranberries, and other fruits in our possession, considered to be anti-scorbutic, were likewise placed at the disposal of the medi- cal gentlemen. As it was necessary to prohibit the use of spirits to such as were attacked, a privation which few sailors like, they were apt to conceal their situations, until detected by their limping. I therefore directed Doctor Donovan to examine the whole crew, when only two or three additional cases, and those slight, were dis- ' I* fi ff 4 Mi H'' 'ifi* i' 1 ] i i i t i f ' 1 1 ■ i •i' m !■ ft I 1 f I f f ^ '■■ 174 ANNOYANCES TUOM STOVF.S. covered : this system was continued afterwards at stated times, independently of the daily in- spection at divisions. Hitherto the officers had escaped every complaint, although two were now temporarily indisposed from a return of attacks to which they had been previously subject in other climates ; yet as these would probably have manifested themselves anywhere else, they did not create the same uneasiness as the former. I do not feel myself competent to pronounce in what the malignant disease had its origin with us ; but when it is considered that the difference of temperature, between the outside and inside of the ship, amounted frequently to one hundred and ten degrees, that the air outside was pure and extremely dry, whilst that inside was fetid and excessively moist, there seems to be good ground for presuming that this was, if not the source, ceiiiainly a great aggravation of the evil. The total failure of the warming apparatus had indeed proved a serious misfortune. The stoves were just sufficient to produce a warm current about the central line of the deck, whilst the sides were cool enough to convert this into vapour, which, having accumulated within the cabins, streamed down the sides and from over head, until they were half afloat. If open stoves were brought down to dry up the vapour, we were half suffia- cated by the sulphuric odour of the coals ; and CANVASS F(JNNEL. i75 the sick, who had no other retreat, were tortured. Condensers of various kinds had been tried and some were still continued ; but at last it occurred to me that it would be worth while to try the effect of a long canvass funnel, fixed on the top of the doorway and carried above the housing, in the hope tliat a considerable part of the im- pure atmosphere below might thus be carried off. This was no sooner fixed than the advantages were at once perceptible ; a continuous stream of vapour rose through it resembling smoke, for which, indeed, a novice would have taken it. A difference of temperature of eighteen degrees was tne consequence ; but, for the first time, we could see along the whole length of the lower deck. The two following days were so bitterly cold, the wind still blowing fresh from N. N. W., that no exercise could be taken outside the ship. On the 31st the wind veered a few points to the north, but with scarcely any diminution in force, and we were confined to the semi-circular space inclosed between snow walls on the larboard side of the ship, and called humourously enough " the Court-yard." But notwithstanding foot- ball twice a day and a swing from the bowsprit, which, as a novelty, was for a time much used* the liabihty to pains in the legs still continued • to obviate which, still further precautions were taken agamst damp clothing by fitting up a dry. 176 DRYING ROOM. ing-room, and requiring every man to hang up Ills clothes there on coming in from the outside air. That there might be no evasion or remiss- ness on the part of the more negligent, proper officers were specially appointed to see these directions carried into execution. And thus un- comfortably ended the fourth month of our impri- sonment, and the last of this disastrous year. 7 T':- I : 177 CHAPTER IV. Tempermun,. - InvaUA. - An^ciCj for Oe fZ Z Mvantag,, of Situation. - Death of I Sailor, it flZ f^-De^ion of the Land, -.drum MeUor.-tLi Excurnms. _ Track, ofAmmrJs. - Increase of S^Z. PfecauHone. -Pienomem. - Invalid.. - SpirL ofTrZ. <'J/'"nl'>—Inlemelyeold.-I,^ucnee of Sun. -More ^ IJ Coast.- Sounding, aa before. -Set of Current — ■ Beavy Gak. -Gale abau,.- Hole, of W^. The Ut January. 1837, which, at the request of Mr M I ' ;, !t|i; W Mi 20G INTENSELY COLD. [ciIAr.IV. while making observations. Faint auroras, occa- sionally brightening up a little, were seen fre- quently, but without any of the interesting phenomena which I had been accustomed to observe in the inland regions of this latitude. The ice continued to move, more or less, at a little distance fron> the floe, while a zigzag crack had commenced at one part on the starboard quarter ; and, after an eccentric course through some of the thickest and largest hummocks, not unlike the wild track of lightning, had turned round and ended as it had begun among the looser particles. On tlie 31st January, we had been set far enough off shore to distinguish a distant point beyond Cape Fisher, tlie bearing of which at noon was S. E. (true) while tlie other extreme was west ; the observed latitude being 64** 46' N. and longitude 82° 19'W. Happily for us, the weather continued beautifully fine, though in- tensely cold, the thermometer during several days Slaving never been liigher than 38° minus, and generally below 44°. This night, the register at midnight was 54° minus ; but though thus coldly welcomed, the month of February was hailed by us with heartfelt gladness, as bringing us nearer to the day of liberation. The mercury froze in the artificial horizon j and such as were interested CHAP. IV. J INFLUENCE OF SUN. ao7 in the experiment fired a pistol ball of that metal into a i)iece of wood which hud been long ex- posed to the cold. Now, as before, we found there was more grind- ing during the prevalence of calms, or light airs, than in a breeze ; for, the greater part of the even- ing and night of the 1 st February, there was a fear- ful noise outside and even at the edge of the floe, and on examination the next day I ascertained that a further encroachment had been made; and, from the uplifted waves of ice, and the con- fused and massive heaps thrown up or partly crushed, it was evident the force must have been irresistible. Many lanes of water were visible on themorningof FebruarySnd J and though the ther- mometer was still low, the sun whose altitude was 8° 39' 45'''' at noon, began to produce some effect on the southern thermometer exposed on board though surrounded with snow, the difference be- tween this and the northern one am.ounung to 15°. If any thing, the ship had gone a little nearer the shore. The variation was 60° 45' west. On walking round the floe, I observed that some one had cut the figure of a cross on the overhanging and inner face of a huge wave of ice, left by a former pressure in that menacing attitude. The wind having got round from N. E. to I iiii Ull lH'tL 208 MOnK MMPEJ18. [chap. IV. r \^ S. E., and varyinf»; between tliat and S. S. W., broiiglit with it an overcast sky and t'resli breezes, approaching often to a smart gale, which soon caused a separation between the sea and land ice, and drove us slowly ofF shore. On the 4th the distance had increased to ten miles ; and, from a partial glimpse of the land, it was conjectured we had also moved seven miles to the east, a result exactly similar to what had been before expe- rienced from an oflp-shore wind, and the reasons for which have already been assigned. Although the barometer liad predicted with such accuracy the heavy gale which had driven us from the west- ward of Cape Comfort to Ridge Cliff, on this occasion it had not yet indicated the breezes experienced since the i^nd instant ; but what was remarkable enough, and forced itself unwillingly on our notice, was the general effect on the sick, who all complained of being worse. The temperature, it should be observed, had risen to zero on board, and 2°— on the ice j at the same time there was a wide lane of water between the ship and the land. On inspecting the crew at divisions this morning, I was sorry to observe more people limping, while not one could be got out of the list. It was beyond our comprehen- sion or control. They had abundance of pro- visions, the allowance having been again recently CriAP.IV.] DEATH OF Mil. DONALDSON. ^09 increased, with antiscorbutics of various iunds ; their bedding was shaken and purified ; they were never suffered to remain below in damp clothes ; the deck was free from anything like a close atmosphere ; persons were appointed to see them take sufficient exercise for health three times a day ; and the men themselves were as cheerful as the temperament of each permitted. As a still further precaution, chloride of lime was put into the pump-well, which had never more than six, and generally less than three inches in it. We may be said, indeed, to have brought the disheartening malady with us in the person of one of the marines, who must have been strongly predisposed to the complaint, as he showed symptoms of it so early as a fortnight or three weeks after the expenditure of our live stock. Anderson, though improved in health, was unable to quit his K .. and poor Mr. Donald- son lay in a state c^i drowsy torjjor, from which the medical officers had great difficulty to rouse him. He scarcely took any sustenance; and we could nof contemplate the slow but marked change winch was going on without gloomy apprehtiisions. These fears were but too soon verified; for after another day of lethargy, and beckoning away with his hand any attempt to give him nourishment, he may be said to have slumbered to death at the hour of six o'clock on i\ ;r Ik'i. FINE WEATHER. [[CHAP.IV* Sunday moniing, and was the next day com- mitted to the deep with the usual ceremony. His case was very different from those who were still suffering from indisposition, and who, with sound constitutions, were attacked with a local, and, as we hoped, a temporary complaint, brought on we knew not how j whereas Donald-* 9dn had worn out a frame originally strong and vigorous, in a succession of long and arduous services in the whale fishery, in the different voyages of discovery under Sir E. Parry, on board ships of war, and now finally in the Terror. Though leading what is generally styled a hard life, he had seldom if ever been ill ; but when his constitution once began to break up, the symptoms of decline were the more marked and rapid, and he died at the early age of forty-three. Though the event had been long anticipated, it did not fail to cast a gloom over the spirits, which however yielded in some measure before the holy duties of the day, and the reflections naturally arising from them. The wind had abated but once, when for a brief interval it fell calm, and the thermometer rose to 4°—; but in a few hours aflerwards, viz. at 8^ A. M. on February 6th, the cold had in- creased to^Q"— , with a fresh breeze from north- west and a clear sky overhead, though misty and indistinct with snow drifl along the horizon. i^ CHAP. IV. J THE COAST. fill We were at least five miles from the nearest land, and had been set and blown with the entire body of the ice so far to the eastward, as to have the Widge Chff for the most westerly bearing astern. At noon the observed latitude was 64° 38' 30" N longitude 82° 01' W., and soundings were ob-' temed m one hundred and fifty fathoms, with a bottom of green mud. In the course of twenty, four hours we had altered our position eleven miles m latitude, and nearly twenty of longitude. ihe ice appeared to be drawing to the land, though no open water was seen near it, and the wind still continued on the quarter. The out- line of the coast was more regular and sloping at the point, which, with an elevated and ob! tusely peaked hill, formed what seemed like islands, and were probably taken for such on a former occasion. Abreast of us were two bays. The wmd having fallen considerably, the ship and ice continued to draw nearer to the land, but towards night the breeze freshened from' N. W. by N., and we began again to drift to the eastward. The coruscation^ of the aurora were visible at intervals to the south-east. At clear daylight, it was perceived that we had been set round the comparatively low point described as forming yesterday the eastern boundary of view, and now saw at the extreme limit of vision ahead, a high bluff, disconnected from the p 2 ^¥i 212 SOUNDINGS AS BEFORE. [CHAP. IV. I %ll\ '■ h^tin low land farther south. From the mast-head, with a glass, about two points of the compass presented a clear horizon, and then began the low land, which after making a long curve approached the shin to within four or five miles. This part not having been surveyed, many conjectures were made as to the probability of a passage to the south of the bluff land ahead, which it was further supposed might be found to lead into Evan's Inlet of Lyon. It was how- ever impossible at our remote situation to form any conclusion, because, notwithstanding appear- ances, the clear space might be nothing more than the circular trending of the coastline, terminating somewhere about Seahorse Point. The change in the rounded and shelving outline of the hills was too remarkable to escape the notice of the most careless observer, though this did not seem to affect the soundings, which at noon were in one hundred and fifty fathoms, with the same description of mud as before. The extremes of land at the above hour were from E. 65° S., to W. Sd"" N., and the latitude was 64" 32' N. The whole of the 8th was foggy j nor did the weather clear until near midnight, when the aurora shooting up to the zenith threw a faint light around, and enabled the officer of the watch to catch a glimpse of the land, which he fancied to be nearer. At broken intervals there was a CHAP. IV.] SET OF CURRENT. 213 rumbling and crashing noise as of splintered ice towards the southwest, which continued more or less until day-break of February 9th. Theweather was still calm, and yeU when the sun rose, it was evident the ship and ice had been drifted to the eastward, at a distance of five miles from the land, which became lower, more sloping, and more free from bays. The soundings at 1** p.m. were found in one hundred and fifty-two fathoms, and with a bottom of darker mud than before. The latitude observed was 64^" 29' N., and longi- tude 81° 46' W., thus establishing the set of the current along the coast. In two instances we hac' %oen checked in our progress, and forced d::^ naily about S.W. by W. towards the land; and the coincidence of times at which this oc- curred pointed to the action of two forces, that is to say, the tide from the ea.. aiJ in com- bination with the prevailing current from the north-west. All our boats which, except the barge, had been necessarily kept hung at the davits, with a few in- dispensable stores in them, to be prepared for any sudden emergency, were now thoroughly cleansed from ice and snow, and after a minute and atten- tive examination by Mr. Smith, the carpenter, I had the satisfaction of learning that they were uninj ured, and perfectly ready for service. They p 3 I: 111 Jil pff T- i il I'i i I I' ; Si4 HEAVY GALE. [chap, IV. were, therefore, restored to their places, and the upper parts covered with their sails as before. The northerly wind continued to blow fresh during the night, and in the morning of the 10th a kne of water was discovered at the edge of the floe astern, extending from thence to due south near the shore. In this opening a few seals were seen. In the forenoon two ravens were observed flying northward. At noon it blew a fresh gale, and the streams of snow-drift effectually shut out the land. As the gale increased durhig the day, it was conjectured we were setting to the southward, and through- out the night, and up to noon of February 11th, it blew hard. The barometer in the meantime had risen in the last twenty-four hours, from 29. 59 to 29. 70, while the theimometer on the ice had fallen from 18°- to 37°- ; and, such was the keenness of the cold occasioned by the wind and drift, that it was at some hazard the officer of the watch could venture even to the regis- tering station, though less than a hundred yards from the ship. Edtlies and clouds of drift whirled incessantly round us, and caused the wood and spars to crack and split, so that on one occasion I thought we had got into shoal water, and the ship was touching. Neither could the people take their accustomed exercise ijii CHAP. IV.] GALE ABATES. 215 on the ice; and though sometimes a glimpse was caught of the land, all that could be ascer- tained was, that it was low, and seemed very much like an island. The latitude gave 64° 21' N., from which, and the fact of the gale being north, there was every reason to believe we were drift- ing into the bay. Soundings gave one hundred and three fathoms, and the lead had struck on green mud. This uncomfortable weather continued through- out the greater part of Sunday the 12th j but in the afternoon some of the people were able to walk round the floe, and in so doing discovered that a piece of ice one hundred and twenty yards broad and two hundred yards long had been separated from the western angle, and that there were several cracks striking in a direction towards the centre of it. Towards night the wind got round to the westward, and soon after- wards a loud grinding noise was distinctly heard in that quarter; and, in the early part of the 13th a wall of bay and other ice was seen at the western edge of the floe, which had been forced up perpendicularly to the height of eighteen feet, without, however, doing much damage. The mercury in the barometer continued to fall, and, as the bronze abated, some light snow suc- ceeded and kept falling for several hours. Land p 4 i ■ >' n ! ' kiL .'i \i 21(1 HOLES OF WATER. [CIIAIMV. was discerned from S. S. W. to N. N. W., but too indistinctly for any satisfactory observation. Four or five holes of water however broke sud- denly upon the sight, the largest to seaward, or in the direction of Fox's Channel, and the others between the ship and the shore to the westward. 217 CHAPTER V. Valentine's Day. — Fhe damaged.— Outline of Coast*-' Alarming Symptoms. — Chaotic Commotion. — Tumult ceases. — Clearing Deck. — Dovekie shot. — Awful PeriL — Grandeur of Scene. — Expectation of Crisis. — J7 voc spreads Desolation. — Ship remains nipped. — Turmoil — Set of Ice. — Ship rights.— Ice Hills. — Bolts, Sfc. loosened by Pressure of Ice. — Flight of Birds. — Nautical Artists. — Divine ."Service. — Blows a Gale. — Imminent Peril. — St. Patrick's Day. — Ice fluctuates — Sir J. Gor- don's Bay. — Peril of Two Sailors. — Flock of Ducks, and White Bear. — Death of a Sailor. — Baffin's Obser- vations. — Flocks of Loons. — Improvement in Crew's I Health.— Diminution of Snow. — Mr.Gore Snow-blind. The 14th February, Valentine's day I By uni- versal consent in the temperate regions of Europe, the harbinger of spring, the day when iiope revives and the future begins to triumph over the past ! Even with us, fast locked in the dreary wilderness of ice, amidst driving sleet and fog, the time was not without its influence, and I mark this day as the boundary from which we began to look forward to our final release. " How short the past, how long the future appears," is the trite and universal reflection ; yet in my case the reality was exactly the reverse. When I looked back upon the past, (and it was the first lime that I remember to have experienced such f\ ! U li? ml 218 11 4' 11 i)t ■l It I '1 1 i ■'(. i , * i i li valentine's day. [chap. v. a feeling), the time since we left England, though but eight months, seemed longer than any three years of my former not unadventurous life. Days were weeks, weeks months, months almost years. As objects seen through a haze appear more distant, so to me the past had a dim and shadowy indistinctness which magnified its proportions. There were no marks to separate one day from another, no rule whereby to measure time ; all was one dull and cheerless uniformity of dark and cold. But from this date, on the contrary, the successive days being occupied in active and exciting employment, with continual novelties of situation, and expectation of something to come, seemed to fly with accelerated speed as each brought us nearer to the termination of our im- prisonment. But I return to my narmtive. Our day of promise set in, it must be confessed, unpromisingly enough ; for through the night a breeze blew from the N. E., directly on the land, and the mist and snow drift continued so thick, that there was no possibility of seeing at what part of the coast we were. The barometer too kept falling, and the wind increasing. At noon, soundings were obtained in one hundred and thirty fathoms, but the sun was too obscure to get an observation. About ^^ p. m. it being rather squally, a lane of water was formed along the edge of the floe one half round it, and the ice CHAP, v.] FLOE DAMAGED. «19 seemed to be fast drifling to the south. During the early part of the niglit a lunar halo, slightly prismatic, and of 48° diameter was observed. Shortly after the wind veered more to the north, and with a rising barometer blew a strong gale, which remained unabated till morning of the 15th. From a severe shock, that was felt on board sometime in the middle watch, as well as various dull crackings about the stern frame and counter, I inferred that some commotion had been in ope- ration among the ice. I was not, however, pre- pared to hear that an opening, commencing within a short distance of the laiboard bow, had made its way to within forty paces of the ship, and then running diagonally across had absolutely bisected the floe ; nor, on furtlier examination, was this all, since, at the southern extreme, we had lost another large portion, broken off in a parallel line, while to the north innumerable cracks appeared in every du'ection. Tliis was the most unpromising sight experienced from the time of our being frozen in, for there could be no doubt that tlie bulwark of our security had been shattered j and, as no instance had been known of a reunion of parts once separated from the mass, we could not but feel, though with an humble reliance on the mercy of that Providence which had hitherto sustained us, how precarious was henceforth our Im i li' ii i I'l 220 SURVEY OF FLOE. [CHAP.V. \f I'i condition. At noon, soundings were found in ninety-five fathoms, but no land was visible. The latitude, however, by a hazy sun, was 64° 21' N. This day was remarkable as that on which our oldest invalid was rescued from the sick list, but though well in general healtli his leg con- tinued crqoked. A parhelion was seen, whose semidiameter was 23** : the barometer was slowly rising, and at length the sky began to clear, so that about 4'' p. m. land was made out to the south east, and also astern. About night fall a lane of water appeared on the western extremity of the floe, extending round the northern part of it to south east. The night itself was beautifully clear, and soon after midnight quite calm. The barometer again fell, and at 6" a m. a light air came from the south west. We had been of late so enveloped in mist and snow drifl, that a fine day was quite a treat ; and afler divisions and the usual inspec- tion of the decks, all hands rambled about the floe, which now formed the limit of our excursions. I, also, as undisputed sovereign of the floe, (and never certainly was monarch more anxious to preserve the integrity of his territory, or more jealous of the smallest encroachment on his border,) went forth to make a survey of my icy domain. After tracing the various cracks from one extreme to the other, I was sorry CHAP.V.] ENORMOUS PRESSURE. S9I to find not only a complete verification of the former report, but additional fractures also, of a very threatening aspect. The pressure had been enormous, having thrown up tenific piles of broken, and in many instances ponderous, slabs of ice. Sad inroads had been made upon the floe which, however, much as it was reduced, was yet infinitely the largest compact body within the circle of the horizon In many parts, where a temporary rent and separation had given free- dom to masses confined underneath, huge calves, yellow and brown with age, darted up to the surface, looking like unsightly blotches on the pale features of the general scene. One small crack even trespassed on the ship : but what most astonished me was the state of the ice com- posing the entire body to the verge of the horizon. Formerly it had been remarked to con- sist of innumerable floes of different sizes, all more or less irregular, but chiefly crowned by peaked and massy hummocks, whirh, without any straining of the imagination, might, in some atmospheres, have been mistaken for islands. Of these, not one now remained. Ihe whole had been crushed, ground, and powdered into an appearance, which I can liken only to the spiculated and splintery surflice of broken granite, as seen through a powerful magnifier. How it was that this effect had been produced. !:; if!'' y i^'ir i Ti 99x OUTLINE OF COAST. [ciIAP.V. whefher there had been no resistance, or tliat the particles had intermixed and consolidated, we could not determine ; but the fact was indis* putable, that none of the hideous ruins piled up on both extremities of our floe were distinguish- aJe elsewhere. It is worthy of remark, as illus- trating the fracture of chrystals, that the cracks in general pursued their course through every impediment of ice, large or small, in a track not unlike that sometimes marked by lightning on other substances. How far these continued, we had no means of ascertaining. The clearness of the day enabled us to define the outline of the coast very satisfactorily. We had evidently been set a little into a bay, though the nearest land which seemed rather low and shelving, was at least twelve or fifteen miles away. From the deck, it seemed to trend southerly, until quite lost in the horizon ; but with the assistance of a glass, as ^dewed from the crow's-nest, it formed a very deep bay, and again vanished behind a line of high blue land, clearly visible two points on the starboard bow. Beyond the latter, and stretcliing something more to the east, was the last point in sight, and which it was considered must be the western side of Seahorse Point, or at least very close to it. The ship's head (which it will be remembered was turned jouud by u commotion of the ice when not far J4 CHAP. V.J ALARMING SYMPTOMS* itiS tiom Cape Bylot) was in an excellent direction, and allowing that the floe held together, and the wind continued from the westward, it was not unreasonable to sup])ose we should eventually be tiiken somewhere among the cluster of islands at the western extremity of Hudson's Straits. At noon, soundings on a green muddy bottom were struck in eighty-six fathoms, and at the same time the extremes of land extended from N. W. i N. to S. E. i N. The latitude observed was C4" 10' 30" N. a id tin 'ongitude 81° 40' W. February 17th, f( r )me i ut of the day, might be said tobc calm ; anj asus.al, the ice under what might have been thought favourable circum- stjuices, began to work wilh a noise by no means welcome to our ears. The weather was beautifully fine, and the wind quite light, rather otfthe land ; but though there was nothing in this respect which betokened a change, the barometer was slowly falling, and it was remarked that the grinding noise around the floe increased more than usual. From 1" to 3' a. m. of the following day (February 18th) the crashing of the ice at the eastern edge of the floe was alarmingly loud, and a few minutes afterwards I was awakened by a hoarse rushing sound, quickly followed by several severe shocks against the ship. The officer of the watch hurrying down, reported that the floe was certainly breaking up alongside, and I hastened on deck, where the first Lieutenant CHAOTIC COMMOTION, [[CIIAP.V. ■Hi t : , »t !■ had arrived before me. Here we saw a rent in the ice, extending from the stern of the ship to the edge oi the floe, and another stretching from the bow directly ahead to the eastern brink 5 thus, in fact, forming a continuous Hne of separation directly through the centre. The bands were immediately turned up and set to work in bringing on board the armourer's forge from a shed alongside, and hoisting up the dingy,* which, for convenience and preservation had been stowed on the floe within our wall. The ship now began to complain, and strained considerably under the counter. She then heeled over to port, and relieved herself about six inches from the starboard embankment against the side, making by the effort gaping rents through the snow walls. At this time, the crashing, grind- ing, and rushing noise beneath, as well as at the borders of the floe, the rents and cracks in all directions towards the ship, herself suffering much, the freezing cold of 33°-, together with a W.N.W. wind, and the dimness of the early hour, combined to render our situation not a little perilous and uncomfortable. 1 had been alone to examine the edge of the outer ice, which thoug.j greatly disturbed and making a deafening noise, had not yet broken into our floe. But at 5" A.M., a commotion like an earthquake took place; additional cracks displayed themselves * A small boat. CHAP, v.] TUMULT CEASES. 225 across our snow houses, galleries, and court yard. The ship creaked in her beams and timbers ; and to cur great dismay, the increasing daylight shewed an advancing rampart of ice forming a semicircle to seaward, and already much nearer to us, from having rolled in one vast body full eighty yards. It extended from S. W. to N. E., and Lieutenant M*Murdo who made the report, estimated its height at thirty feet.* In all parts now, within the scope of the above bearings, enormous calves, some round and massy, others like small floes, had escaped from confinement, and tossed up into irregular positions looked like so many engines threatening destruction. But at this moment of most imminent peril there was a pause, and at near T a.m. the whole tumult suddenly ceased. It will be remembered that as a screen from the severity of the climate, the decks had been covered with layers, and the sides protected hy embankments of snow, now hardened almost into solidity. I gave orders that the whole of these should be cleared away, as well to lighten the ship as much as possible, as to get access to our supply of pro- visions, which were ranged along the bulwark, and this was the only step I could take towards our preservation, in the event of the ship being * Tt afterwards sank to eighteen feet. ' i|« ! ; n ,t / ^ : ( i 226 CLEARING DECK. [CHAP.V. crushed. The ice all round was so splintered and jagged, that to put a boat upon it was out of the question. Neither could it be made, even for an hour, a deposit of provisions, full as it was of clear cracks and small holes, the production of each instant. Nothing therefore could have been conveyed to the land, distant at least seven or nine miles, and I think it at least doubtful whether any one, even without incumbrance, could have reached it. The work of clearing the deck with pick-axe and shovel went on briskly ; and at 3*' p. m. the ship rose up four inches, and towards evening, when the after-part was completed, eight inches more. The men under the inspection of the officers, had exerted themselves considerably, because, according to past experience, it was thought the disturbance would recommen'^e about three o'clock. Nothing, however, beyond, a partial motion was then perceptible, nor until 5^ 15"" P. M. when the ship was lifted up abaft. From that time, symptoms of the influence of some under-current were audible in the cabin, where the concussions of passing ice striking underneath were too clearly heard to be misun- derstood. It ended in the separation of two edges of a large crack, not more than fifty yards from the ship, which opened in the space of five minutes into a hole of water. The extraordinary CHAP. v.] DISUNION OF FLOE. 227 part of this was, that the opening did not con- tinue along the crack to the edge of the floe, but took place only in a particular spot, as if the ice had been scooped out from the interval so created. At 10^ p. m. it closed a little, and imme- diately a mound of ice was raised at the western termination, adjacent to the starboard quarter ; this had probably eased the pressure from the ship, since little more was felt on board than a few squeezes and an occasional concussion. Meanwhile, the body of the ice outside the ramparts, which had been for some time at rest, began to be again disturbed. February igth arrived, and we looked with some anxiety to the approach of the same hours, du"'*iff which, on the preceding morning, we had . ]fered so much annoyance, fully expecting a repetition ; but, fortunately the chief pressure fell on the new- ly-opened crack, extending however occasionally as far as the ship, and ending by heeling her over to starboard. In fact, when the sun rose, it was found she had forged about eight inches from the bank of the dock on the larboard side, where bay or young ice had closed up the interval. Alx)ut 10*" A.M. another crack close ahead, or rather on the starboard bow, opened, and en- larged others near it, which in their turns pro- duced fresh fractures, thus gradually separating the floe into its original constituent parts. In Q 2 M nB DOVEKIE SHOT. [CHAP.V. M: I •'Js '. !•' i this latter disunion, I could not but remark how quickly the young ice was formed on the ex- posed surface of water, onwhichthechrystals might actually be seen darting and glancing till they formed a continuous sheet. It happened that a solitary Dovekie had found in its wanderings the now circumscribed hole of water, which had been created the evening before, and gladly availed itself of this relief from its wearied flight, unconscious of the dangerous neighbours who observed it. Our keen sportsman, Mr. Gore, soon brought it triumphantly on board, where of course it underwent a careful scrutiny. Besides the two white spaces in the wings,, the breast and under part were entirely white, as were the whole of the neck and back except three patches of a grey or speckled colour where the black and white plumage were intermixed. Though the maw was quite empty, the bird was tolerably plump. From the circumstance of its coming so far from land, it was inferred that there could not be much, if any, open water in that direction ; yet in a couple of hours, three or four lanes became suddenly visible, in one of which, at the edge of the floe, the ice was drifting past us to the S. S. E. . Sunday had been kept on all occasions, when the duty allowed of it, as a day of entire rest ; but the necessity of clearing away the ice and snow compelled for once a deviation from our 14 CHAP, v.] CONFUSED COMBINATIONS. 229 practice, and the work proceeded with uninter- mitted energy. Looking at the heaps thus re- moved, the broken arches of our galleries, and the rent walls, the cracks in the floe, and the vast mounds around it, one could not help being strongly reminded of the scene which must follow an earth- quake. The ship's head had been turned by the late commotion about three points in shore j and judging from the land which was clearly seen, she had been set at the same time to the south- ward and eastward, rather towards an opening in the bay, the exact nature of which could not be ascertained. Evidently, however, it ran a long way to the south, as the low land on its western side was lost sight of; and as we could dis- tinguish other points to the eastward, it was by no means impossible that it might be continuous- with Evan's Inlet, thus making the land, the eastern extremity of which is Seahorse Point, an island. If this be so, the extraordinary rush of water experienced in the recent convulsion of ' our floe would be easily accounted for j still the soundings at noon had undergone no material change, continuing to give eighty-three fathoms, but with a substance containing particles of lime- stone instead of green mud. The latitude was 64° 17' N. and longitude 81" 3& W. ; and the extremes of land were from S. 8" 50' east to N. il II Q 3 230 5H£DS TAKEN DOWN. [cHAP.V, Ife, ! I'l 32 W . i barometer 29. 53, and temperature of air 30°—. A parhelion was observed. In a very short time the ice got into moti\ the edge of the floe from west to north displayed signs of considerable pressure, which, riffeciing the ice alongside, drove it onwards with p rum- bling do'; t: so as to heel the ship over to starboard, 'Ihe beans whale-boat being thus brought tor; VA:m \-he ice, was hoisted half up the maiD rigging. The shed too, which had been so long familiar to our sight as the armourer's work-shop was now necessarily taken down and the spars, sails, ice-anchor, &c., brought on board. At 8'' p. m. a barrier was thrown up nine feet high on the starboard bow, and, owino- to some under convulsion, the large pieces of the floe on that side were much cracked and broken j besides which, the chink astern leading to the edge of the floe in that direction became sufficiently wide to admit of the water being seen through it. There was onlv a light air of wind rather off-shore, so that these changes must have been occasioned principally by irregular tides. At 10' 30'" p. m. several 12 CHAP, v.] AWFUL PERIL. 231 singular openings suddenly appeared in sights and were soon followea by another of those loud rushing noises, known by experience to be the forerunners of evil. The thermometer was 40° — , and the weather very cold. February 20th. For three hours after mid- night the ice opened and shut, especially on the starboard beam and quarter, where mounds and heaps were squeezed up alarmingly near the ship, but without in any manner disturbing her, beyond an occasional concussion and squeaking pressure under the counter. But at 4'' a. m., the whole of the ice was in motion, producing instantaneous fissures, and, among these, an actual separation of the ice along the starboard side, extending beyond the bow, and throwing down every thing in its way. Some of the galleries were now floating in the water, looking like tunnels. To find ourselves at freedom to move, would, two months liter, have been the summit of our wishes; but now we saw it with reluctance, as it only mocked us with a hope which could not be realized, while it involved us in immedi- ate peril. At 7*" a. m., the ice returning with accumulated force made the ship crack fore and aft with a hideous creaking that for some seconds held us in suspense for the result. My cabin door could with difficulty be forced open, and was split with the pressure. The people, in Q 4 ■r;il I' 1 , tr ' til 282 INSTRUCTIONS TO CHEW. [CHAP.V. alarm, crowded on deck ; and even the poor sick came tottering aft, in an agony of terror. Provi- dentially the ship lifted herself up fully eight inches, under the pressure of a force that would have crushed a less strengthened vessel to atoms ; and thus the opposing ice either passed in part beneath the bottom, or was wedged against the large masses at either extremity. After 8" a. m. we had some quiet ; and at divisions, I thought it necessary to address the crew, reminding them that as Christians and British seamen, they were called upon to con- duct themselves with coolness and fortitude ; and that independently of the obligations imposed by the Articles of War, every one ought to be influenced by the still higher motive of a con- scientious desire to perform his duty. I gave them to understand, that I expected from one and all, in the event of any disaster, an implicit obedience to and an energetic execution of every order they might receive from the officers, as well as kind and compassionate help to the sick. On their observance of these injunctions, I warned them, our ultimate safety might depend. Some fresh articles of warm clothing were then dealt out to them ; and as the moment of destruction was uncertain, I desired that the small bags in which those things were contained should be placed on deck with the provisions, so as to be ready at 1 1 > PHAP.V.] GRANDEUR OF SCENE. 233 an instant. The forenoon was spent in getting up bales of blankets, bear-skins, provision, pyro- ligneous acid for fuel, and in short whatever might be necessary if the ship should be suddenly broken up, and spars were rigged over the quarters to hoist them out. Meanwhile the ice moved but little, though the hour of full moon was passed j but at noon it began to drift slowly to the northward. We were now from five to eight miles off the nearest land. The soundings were m eighty-eight fathoms, and showed black mud, wliich had not been seen before. The latitude was 64° 16' N., and we had gone a little to the eastward. Thermometer 21"-, and cold, owing to spiculae faUing. Barometer stationary at 29-55. Wind west. Though I had seen vast bodies of ice from Spitzbergen to 150° west longitude, under various aspects, some beautiful, and all more or less awe-inspiriiig, I had never witnessed, nor even imagined, any thing so fearfully magnifi- cent, as the moving towers and ramparts that now frowned on every side Had the still extensive pieces of which the floe was formed been split and divided like those further off, the effect would have been far less injurious to the ship ; but, though cracked and rent, the parts, from some inexplicable cause, closed again for a time, and drove with accelerated and almost irresistible force against the defenceless vessel. ( 't ii 'I M .1 :l. 234 EXPECTATION OF CRISIS. [CHAP.V. i: F f r: l!l'- In the afternoon the other boats were hoisted higiier up, to save them fioni damage in the event oi" the ship t> lu^ 'irown much over on her broadside, i^or tliree hours we remained unmolested, though the ice outside of the floe was moving in various directions, some pieces almost wlnrling round, and of course, in the effort, disturbing others. Al .> * p. m., however, the piece near the ship having previously opened enougii to allow of her resuming a nearly up^ right position, collapsed again with a force that m;ide every plank complain ; and further pres- sure being added at six o*clock, an ominous cracking was heard, that only ceased on her being lifted bodily up eighteen inches. The same unwelcome visitation was repeated an hour afterwards, in consequence of the closing of a narrow lane directly astern, l^he night was very fine, but the vapour which arose from the many cracks, as well as the small ope . "^pace alongside, quickly becoiiting converted into small spiculae of snov^ rendered th > cold intolerably keen to those wliu faced tl " ,vind. Lp to mid- night we were not much annoyetl, and for four hours afterwards, on l^ebruary fiist, all Wd6 quiet. Every man had gone to rest with his clothes on, and was agreeably surpriF'id at being so long undisturbed by the usual Im iitory grind' ig. However, at 4>*' 10" a. m. a ; >miu *tion was he d, which appeared to be confined to the angle co. CHAP. v.] BEAMS, 8c^ .^/SPECTED. 235 tained between west and north-west. On look- ing round at day-break, it was found that the ship had been released by the retreating of the ice, and had nearly righted ; but at 5" a. m. she was again sorely squeezed, and the nip being repeated at y'* a. m., she rose eighteen inches as before ; she was then at intervals jerked up from the pressure underneath, with a groan each time from the woodwork. Yet notwithstanding these successive attacks, very little additional water found its way into the well, which was sounded every five minutes, and had not yet exceeded seven inches in the twenty four hours. On inspecting the beams and decks_a precaution that followed every nip -the former were found firm, and the bolts still tight; but the latter tor about twelve feet abreast of the store-rooms Oil the lower deck, had risen three quarters of an mch, while the binding planks on the larboard ttr% al am had also started a little. In order, th. -fore, to give additional support, it was pro' posed to put up quarter shores along the lower deck, and store-rooms, and the proposition was nnmcdiately carri .1 into effect. At o' h, ice eased off, and some an the outside appear. ^ if setting to the « . which was in shore of us. The weather was fine, but for the reason already assigned, extremely co d in the sh de, or facing the northerly wind in the neighbourhood of gS6 HAVOC SPREADS. [CHAP.V. I' ll '}. ' I fik i I' frost smoke. I felt it keenly in making the round of the now much rent floe, and in looking with fresh wonder on the gigantic piles before alluded to. Of the awful grandeur of these no language could givo an adequate description, and even the more effective pencil has been able only to catch one momentary aspect of a scene, the terrible sublimity of which lay chiefly in the roll- ing onw rd of these mighty engines of destruc- tion. Cracks, rents, and banks extended from the edge or base of the barrier towards the ship, in every bearing on the north-east side, where the ice was much the heaviest, and, conse- quently, unless it should be splintered into smaller masses, ii.ost to be dreaded in the encoun- ter. Around the other part of the floe the havoc was, if possible, still greater, reaching, by four or five transverse fractures, even to the starboard side of the ship, while ahead and astern longitudinal mounds of ice and snow began to assume the appearance of barricades. . Whilst engaged with the first Lieutenant in contemplating these effects, within ten paces of the vessel, the sound of rushing water beneath warned us to expect some change. All at once, however, it ceased : another rush was heard, which stopped as suddenly; but a third, ad- vancing with a louder roar, threw the whole body into motion, and bringing the ponderous CHAP. v.] VIOLENT PRESSURE. 437 acres with all their loads against the ship, threw her up and considerably over to starboard, with great violence, though, strange to say, without apparent injury. It was then we saw her rise to tlie pressure, and endeavour to thrust the ice beneath her bends, a result much to be desired, as it would form a sort of bolster to support her! We had certainly gone somewhat to the east- ward, since a point named, after the third Lieu- tenant, M'Murdo, the bearing of which yester- day was before, was now abaft the beam, and the high bluff land was more clearly visible, though in some measure dimmed by frost smoke. There was no interruption from this time until 3" 30" p. M., when the ice suddenly pressed up against the ship. It was not however till 6^ that it came with much force, when the decks, espe- cially the upper one, creaked fearfully in the afterpart, notwithstanding the four newly erected shores in my cabin. As usual, after some resist- ance, she rose and heeled over to starboard. The two following hours kept us in a state of painful suspense, for the ice closing in different points occasioned violent pressure, that threw her over twenty inches, and raised her nearly as much. This was accompanied by one of those loud rushing noises beneath, so frequently men- tioned before. Judging from the previous even- ing, we might now hfive expected a few hours of A 238 DESOLATION. [^CHAI*.V. il I ' U ii i tranquillity ; but when every other part was undisturbed, the extensive piece on the larboard side moved slowly to the south, and again nipped us. At 11'' this slackened, and thenceforth we were quiet until 5^ a. m. of February 22d, during which interval I conceive the tide and current were setting to the south and east. From 5^ until 8^* a. m, the commotion again went on, and caused several new, and enlarged many old cracks, the detached pieces taking dif- ferent directions, though still close together, and, consequently, grinding or overlapping whatever obstructed them. The pressure came suddenly and without warning on the ship, and strained her fore and aft, more especially, however, about the orlop deck, where, on examination, the car- penter discovered that some of the iron fasten- ings in the store-rooms had received injury. There had been, indeed, an immense pressure on the starboard bow, as may be conjectured from the fact that a huge mass had been thrown up fully nineteen feet above the level. The remnant of the wall across the bow had been thrown down, and the ice there so bro- ken as to present a most ruinous and deso- late appearance. The whole i^cene indeed, far as the eye could stretch, was confusion worse confounded. Broken points at every angle, from tiie perpendicular to the nearly horizontal, hum- as rd ve id it. m if. er ly 2d Ut ir- n- re 3d •n id o- o- ar se mi Tl- h^:'>' S -^ 'l "■ ■'■>i^ I CHAP. v.] SHIP REMAINS NIPPED. QSQ mocks, mounds, jagged and warted masses, splinters, walls, and ramparts, with here and there, at far intervab, the remains of some floe not yet entirely broken up ; -such was the picture which saluted us on every side, teach- ing the lesson of humility and resignation to the will of Heaven. Much ice was forced un- derneath the bottom on the starboard side, and often bounded up with severe concussion! along the run abaft, making the ship tremble at each successive shock. The angle of inclination on that side was nine degrees. Up to noon scarcely any alteration took place the vessel remaining heavily nipped. It had been remarked during the last eight or ten days, that from the early part of the day until a few hours past noon, we had been regularly set to the west • but now, the ship's head had not only been turned more out, and consequently in a better direction for going along the coast, but we were drifted by the ice to the north west until 3'' 30™ p m when we seemed to be stationary. Among the numerous cracks around, were several astern, that after a temporary separation generally closed again ; but an entirely new one now opened from fifteen to twenty feet wide, within the short distance of thirty paces from the quarter : not far from this, .-rrl completely isolating the hio-h hummock which under the name of Mount I I •m F 240 LANES CLOSED. [CHAP.V. if M 1 1 ^; I 5 f ■ I- } ■'■■ Pleasant, had for the whole winter, served as a look-out station, was another lane ; and this again was bisected by a third, that cut in two the snow hut first made, the two parts of which were, on a shifting of the lane, carried different ways. A larger and more distant hut was already partly crushed, and only awaited the advancing roll of the rampart, now within a few feet of it, for its final downfal. Between the hours of 6^ and 8^ p. M. the rushing *bore,'* was faintly audible to the westward, and after various checks seemed to resume its course with increased violence, setting in motion whatever impeded its progress. The lanes adjacent were all closed, and began grinding down their edges, which were speedily thrown up into bordering mounds. The cracked ice on either side was also agitated, and saved us considerably by affording a channel for the bore. Our anxiety indeed was not of long duration, for the ice immediately adjoining the stern was more pounded and the ship less affected than on any of the recent assaults. The sky was clear over- head, id almost calm, and midnight came with- out any more disturbance than an occasional rustling at the extreme barriers. This tran- quillity remained until about 6^ a. m. of the 23d, when a remote jound indicated another commo- * The bore is a sort of rampart or wall of water, thrown up by the opposition of the current and the set of the tide. CHAP.V.] CONTINUED PRESSURE. 24>i tion ; but this effect was neither serious nor lasting, and up to noon there was no annoyance. Ihe ship, however, had still the same indination, about three feet four inches to starboard, and consequently remained nipped; and the bread room having been cleared for an examination abaft, a knee-cliock on the larboard side was found wrenched f of an inch from its position on tJie after part, above which the deck was raised | of an inch. Three shores were fixed on each side of the bread room, as an additional support, The weather was calm, and to a certain heio-ht misty, from the great increase of minute frozen particles. The difference between tlie two ther mometers on board, (those on the ice havino- necessarily been taken down,) was at a little pas" noon 27° : the one being 19" -, and the other 8"+ . The higli h, d was still in sight, and evidently nearer ; the extremes being from S. to W. N. W, The latitude was 64" W :,0" N. I'he ice co'/ tinned setting to the V. W. undj 4'- p.m., then remained stationary unti; C\ after which there was disturbance at intervals, in the direction of the north east, but without any material effect except that a short cracking sound indicated extra pressure on the ship. The 21.th was comparatively tranquil, and at noon the ship remained with precisely the same mclmation. Still, as the wind was now directly on R ii ! f III 1' I ftf ( i « S 242 doctor's report. [chap. v. if !l?' U ],.: I ^:l: shore, there was no saying at what moment a nip might come on ; and as the upper deck had been more affected than any of the others, the firstLieu- tenant suggested a method of lashing its beams to the stronger ones of the lower deck, to prevent them from rising u]), as they had always a tendency to do, when under the influence of heavy pressure amidships, or on the topsides. The people were forthwith set to work in canting the barge and clearing the booms for that purpose. The wind had set us towards the land abeam ; and that ahead bore S. S° E., distant about eight or ten miles. After inspection to-day, Doctor Dono- van made a favourable report of the health of the crew, which he considered to be manifestly improving. One only was added to the list, whilst many of those who had been affected were so far recovered, as to stand in no further need of an extra quantity of acid. Until 5^ p. m. the ice was generally in motion, and setting fast to the westward ; at that hour tlie motion ceased, and was succeeded by a noise to the northward, occasioned, as was supposed, by the freshening breeze breaking up the ice in that quarter. Soon after the cracking of the pitch and timber about the stern frame gave notice of fresh an- noyance ; and, though nothing could be detected by tiie officer of the watch denoting any action on tlie surface, the cracking became more vehe- CHAP.V.J VIOLENT STRAINING. ns ment, accompanied with a splitting of part of the lining. It was evident, therefore, that there was considerable p ..^sure existing about the larboard quarter ; and, a few minutes before 8*^ p. m., the cause announced itself by a succession of loud rushing noises, followed bv the rending of the ice near us, and the squeezing of the ship. For two hours more there was incessant motion of one kind or other, bearing the ice hard against the larboard side, particularly the quarter, and at midnight the ship was straining much. February 25th. During a brief interval we were reheved from anxiety by a general stillness, but the same unwelcome sounds soon returned ; the vast bodies pressed more closely together! producing complaints from the larboard quarter! When the sun rose the ship was carefully exa- mined, but notwithstanding all the sound and fuiy heard in the night, no marks of external violence were discovered. Early in the forenoon the ship began to set towards the S.S.E. As the low land abreast could now be distinctly made out, it seemed that we must have neared it; the blue bluff ahead bearing ' due south was' dim from the quantity of small snow which was flying about, causing a penetrating cold that all complained of. The wind kept to the north with a moderate force, and the temperature was 33°- ; but the southern thermometer being R 2 !-t iii' li ' [ ■-'i ^^ ' 1 1 '"l 11 si i ■'» ! ■ m 11 j ||| it 'M ^fli 244 SEVERK SHOCKS. [nHAP.V. i ^) tit sometimes sliaded by the ngffing, nnd having no other place so siee from radiation to put it, ihe register was not to be depended on. Baro- meter, 20. 94. Latitude, 64" 14' 20" N., and longitude, 81° 27' 15" W. During the entire part of the afternoon the ice appeared to set in a northerly direction, though at 5^ r. m. the hi[;h land was fur more distinct than I had iiitherto seen it, many breaks and inequalities being observed whicli were not previously visible. For a couple of hours there were irregular movements near us, and between 7'» 30™ and 8'' the usual rushing sounds were heard in the north-west quarter. The cracking ice marked the course of the disturbing force whatever it was, which, though frequently de- viating arul interrupted for a few seconds, again hrka ouward with increased violence, bear- in o- down I'll opposition. Such were the severe attacks the ship had continually to withstand, and that too, at the weakest point. She cracked much around the quarter, and was otherwise heavily pressed. February 26th. During several hours, the ice, though to all appearance close jammed to- o-ether, was often in motion, and came with such sudden shocks, that few were able to sleep. Many, indeed, lay down in their clothes, ready to start up at a moment. Our devotions this mt WW »" B A < I CHAP. V.J S£RMON. ^^4J day >v re tin, -d with a solemnit fining the preca iousness of our condition j 1 a sermon, upon ilie appropriate text «• It is the Lord : let Him do wh\t seenieth Him good," was listened to with ; lie most profound and serious attention. At noon the high land was much nearer, and we had now opened the deep ba inlet, or strait, mentioned before. The land' s very low, not unlike the description coast to the south of Evan's Inlet. The , which had been denominated the blue bluff*, 1 i the tinge always seen on it, could now be made out perfectly clear, ar^ ^ was not more than ten miles off", and the di' ce of the nearest low land did not exceed tour miles. Soundings were found in seventy- two fathoms, having a bottom of rock and sand^ Some of the gentlemen thought they saw the track of a fox, which, if so, must have taken more than common trouble to make so long a journey, and would find itself but poorly requited after all. As usual, in the afternoon, the ice eased off'a little astern,and, after afcw concussions underneath, began to set hi a body to the north- west. While this was in j)rogress, there was an evident dispositic in the broken masses of ice, under the stern, to rise up; and as they would undoubtedly have staved in the cabin windows, if nothing worse, some thick planking was nailed across them, which, with the dead * w I R 3 .^^i-, >.^.^'Vi '^'^ ^'^\^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) f ^ // ^/ ,.^^s continually thumped and hammered by the huge calves struggling to get free, each blow shaking the whole frame so violently as to be sensibly felt on deck J and, not knowing what the effect might be, the hands were turned up and the sick dressed, to be ready for the worst. The thermometer at the time was 25°— , and the weather decidedly cold. By midnight there was a pause, and at 1" a.m. March 6th, a relaxation on the starboard side, where two cracks had separated sufficiently to show the water. The submerged masses, now ^i' CHAP, v.] ICE HILLS. 259 more at liberty, sought release from their im- prisonment ; and finally, the ship freed by these various secessions, righted. Still however the disturbance continued, and at 3" a. m. the ice again closed with the same almost intolerable pressure. When daylight broke, the land was discovered bearing from S. E. by E. to N. W, i W., and apparently we had gone somewhat to the eastward. From what had occurred in the last twelve hours a more than ordinary change was expected, nor in vain ; for besides several fresh barriers, niasf of many tons* weight were seen riding on the top of mounds which even before had been considered very high. But the most striking effect had been produced along the walled side of the shore ice, where, for several miles, actual hills fifty feet high had been thrown up. We were also nearer than before, but hoped that the several considerable pieces which yet interposed, would, for some time, perhaps entirely, prevent our being driven on the land. At 9** 30"* A. M. as the tide turned, we of course suffered, but not materially as compared with what had just passed, and up to noon all was tolerably quiet. The wind was still north, the barometer SO. 37, thermometer at 21°-, difference in the sun 14". Latitude 64° 12' N. and longitude 81° 16' W. At 1" 45" p. M. the ice ceased its drift to the N. W., and after some cracking alongside, s 2 W a 'U ir V 200 anxiety; [ciiAr. V. :Ai at S*" p. M. it set at the rate of between two and three miles an hour to the S. E. The barometer indicated a furtlier rise, and therefore fine weather ; but though clear overhead it grew misty about the horizon as the sun went down ; and the breeze freshening in squalls brought a proportionate pressure from the entire body to windward, whicli caused much straining and cracking on the lar- board side and quarter. The ice too alongside and near became agitated, occasioning consider- able annoyance. On this day of the new moon^ indeed, such effects were to be expected, but our fear was that, having commenced earlier than was expected, they betokened something more serious afterwards. Our anxiety {fov there is no becom- ing indifferent to this kind of trial) lasted till 8'' p. M., during which interval we had drifted closer to the fearful looking wall of what was called the shore ice. About 9^ p. m. the ship suffered many shocks and hard rubbings from afresh disturbance, and we should doubtless have been kept in a state of restlessness all night, had not a sepa- ration taken place in a crack about fifty paces from the ship, which allowed a lateral escape to the pressure of the opposing parts. On the following day, March 7th, we were un- usually quiet until5" a. M.,whenanothercommotion began, and again made the poor ship crack and tremble violently. This was accompanied by a u:hap.v.] jlTHER AGITATION. 261 grinding and heavy thumping abaft under the Jarboard counter, where I understood from the officer of the watch, a very compact gallery, built on a solid mass, was forcing itself underneath and lifting the ship over. Going on deck, I found she had risen two or three feet, and was cer- tainly suffering under severe pressure. Mean- time she was carried by the ice rapidly to the S. E. We had the land more broad on the bow, and could clearly distinguish the farthest point ahead from the deck ; but we were not, as I thought, nearer the wall, which however was very distinct, and perpendicular as well as high. Hitherto it had been supposed to be attached to the land ; but Mr. Green, the ice mate, now detected the movement of an inner body, by ac- cidentally seeing two hummocks cross each other, the outer one steady, the inner one moving. It was evident, therefore, that we were at the edge of the strongest set of the current and tides, and, could we have been divested of other anxieties;, were perhaps in the very best situation for getting early into open water. After a tranquil day, the ship setting backward and forward with the tide as before, at d^ SOT p. m. she was thrown up three inches higher than before. This was the beginning ofa series of strange and unaccountable convulsions, which to any less fortified ship would assuredly have proved fatal. The nortlierly and N. N. E. s 3 262 APPALLING SHOCKS. [CHAP.V. fresh breezes which had brought the ice down for more than three hundred and sixty miles, had fallen calm, and given way to a more west- erly and very light air ; an interval too of more than twelve hours had elapsed to check the im- petus so given, and it was, therefore, reasonable to conclude that no impediment would occur to a peaceable progress. In this, however, we were cruelly deceived. From 6^ p. m. ominous rush- ing sounds were heard far off to the north east and north west. These gradually drew nearer, as the flood made its way either under the com- pact bodies that withstood the shock, or along the cracks and openings — gaining in these latter a furious velocity, to which every thing seemed to yield. It happened that there were several of these around the ship ; and, when they opened on us like so many conduits pouring their con- tents to a common centre, the concussion was absolutely appalling, rending the lining and bulkheads in every part, loosening some shores or stanchions, so that the slightest effort would have thrown them down, and compressing others with such force as to make the turpentine ooze out of their extremities. One fir plank placed horizontally between the beams and the shores, actually glittered with globules. At the s-ime time the pressure was going on from the larboard side, where the three heaviest parts of the ruin m CHAP. v.] BOLTS, &C. LOOSENED. 26ii of the floe remained, cracked here and there, but yet adhering in firm and solid bodies. These of course were irresistible; and after much groaning, splitting, and cracking, accompanied by sounds like the explosion of cannon, the ship rose fore and aft, and heeled over about 10° to starboard. On sounding the well there appeared a trifling in- crease of water, amounting in the day to 2^ inches, a proof that she was loosened. Below indeed, during the pressure, a part of the bulkhead of the steward's room had fallen out into the after cockpit ; while three of the lower deck beams eighteen inches square, abreast of the larboard fore chains, had been lifted half an inch from the shelf-piece : the bolts that fastened them were drawn a quarter of an inch, and several treenails also were much loosened. Even when the weather became calm the agitation of the ice did not subside, but continued up to midnight, assail- ing the ship with almost unremitted violence. Nor on the following day, 8th March, was there much abatement; and at 7*" a.m. the ice closed, and again straining the ship, raised her several inches higher, making in the whole four feet three inches. A light air was now blowing from the S. W. which was nearly off shore, but wedged as the vessel now was we could scarcely expect to escape all annoyance. In fact, not a hole of water was visible from the mast-head ; and, with s 4 \ > !■ i ' ; > "i ■ i ^64 FLIGHT OF BIRDS. [CHAP.V. ! ■ the ice so jammed in every part, it must have required an astonishing impetus in the first in- stance to make the effects felt so far. Nothing indeed but a current from the north co-operating with the tide, could in my opinion possibly have brought about such a result. We had decidedly gone more tovirards the outer point, which, even when thrown up by refraction as all the land was, appeared too low to answer the descrip- tion of high coast given by Captain Lyon as forming the Seahorse Point of Button. The land formerly called the blue bluff was now nearly abeam, and appeared, as well as the snow per- mitted me to judge, to be composed of rocks, in some of which were gullies. It seemed the eastern entrance to the Inlet, Strait, or Bay frequently alluded to before ; and receding from it further south and east, the land bending in a semi-lunar form terminated in two bold and tolerably high hills, which are perhaps the most remarkable along the whole coast as far as Cape Bylot. Their dome-like summits assumed a more an- gular outline as we altered the bearings, and the coast had some bays and cliffs. A novelty presented itself in the shape of a flight of birds, supposed to have been dovekies, which were seen flying from the land towards the north, most likely in search of open water. At noon the black thermometer was 35"+, the plain one HHIMi iflHwNE ^ ^^^H ^^^B ^ CHAP.V.] GALE. 265 P.M. 7° + , and the one in shade 14°-. At 1" the blackened thermometer was as high as 41° + . The day passed quietly over, and at last, for the first time for many nights, I enjoyed the comfort of unloading myself from a stack of clothes. At noon of the 9th a visible progress had been made along the land, the south extreme of a high bluff bearing S. 38° W. The afternoon was rather fine j and though there was no perceptible motion on the surface, yet the two large pieces of ice opened apart almost athwart the stern, and within only a few paces from it. This was done quietly, and directly against the fbrce of the wind ; but when the ship began to set to the S.E., as she did at a little past 4*" p. m., they closed again, occasioning a strain upon the larboard quarter. From that time the breeze freshened rapidly from the N.E., a point from which it was least desired, as it brought the whole force of the windward ice against the broadside. At T 30" p.m. there was a strong gale, and squalls in quick succession, driving the low scud over the young moon with great velocity. The natural accompaniments were not remote, and soon announced in grating sounds their impetuous and destructive march. I beheld two enormous masses, one of which had hitherto resisted every attack to thrust it from its place, hurled onward across the stern, '! ' \ \'\ Pi: I 11 ^66 TREMENDOUS HUBiiUB. [CHAP.V. id W' V t\ i in a line for the shore ice, which there seemed little prospect with such a gale of long avoiding. The ship cracked and shook violently, and no longer able to offer direct resistance rose several inches. It was a boisterous and restless night, passed in wearisome listening to the incessant crashing, which, for aught known to the contrary, indicated the final dissolution of our hope and stronghold, the floe. The hubbub at length reached its climax. A hollow grinding, as from the onward motion of some vast body, came louder and louder on the ear, and, speed and sound increasing as it approached, finally burst with deafening fury on the ship, causing such fearful cracks and ominous tremblings, that all waited the result in painful suspense. A little more and she must go ! What of human con- struction could withstand the violence of such an onset I Still she continued to rise as the pressure increased. In an instant it ceased, and all was still as death. After midnight, March 10th, the wind veered more to the north, blowing heavily in squalls ; and, in the north-west circle of the heavens, a beautiful meteor was seen shooting athwart the sky in an elliptic course, with a brilliant pale blue light. After this we were indulged with a few hours of repose, but from 4'' to 8'' a. m. we were again disturbed, and again listened with ciiAr.v.3 SET OF ICE. 267 anxiety to the severe complainings of our excel- lent ship. On examination, the proper officer found that she had been lifted up forward three and a half feet, and one and a half abaft. No injury, beyond an indentation from the pressure, could be detected outside, and with the excep- tion of two or three trifling leakages in the upper deck, there had been no mischief below. During the remainder of the day nothing mate- rial occurred. The ship was set backwards and forwards with the tide along the mural edge of the in-shore ice, still advancing towards the S.E., but more slowly to-day in consequence of the course of the wind along the elbow of the wall. About 9** 30"* p. M. there was an easing of the ice from the sides, and a free space created of three feet on one, and nearly two on the other side, whereby the ship was allowed to slide a little astern and come more upright. We were favoured with a tranquil night, and on March 11th, after a slight commotion, the whole body set flist to the S. E. At 1 1" 40"" a. m. this ceased, and at noon again set N. W. By the bearing of the land we had gone a little to the eastward. Though there was not much change in the ice inside of us, that to seaward certainly 1( jked less high than formerly, while the reaction which had made the whole body thereabouts ease out, indicated open water to the north. Indeed i I ^J^' 268 NAUTICAL ARTISTS. [CHAP.V. the fact of our being driven to this distance from Frozen Strait, explains at once liow it was that Sir E. Parry saw so much open water off Winter Harbour. In all probability it was at this very moment equally free from all but young ice, as the prevalent winds would have cleai ed it from every more sohd impediment. At l^'p. m. the black thermometer was 43" + . The ice con- tinued perfectly still, and the day being fine, some of the men amused themselves by cutting out figures from blocks of snow, bringing them as they were finished within a few feet of the star- board bow, and depositing them on a smooth piece of soHd ice for exhibition. The oddity of the grouping provoked a smile. The most con- spicuous figure was that of a female, favoured with a most liberal allowance of bust, arms akimbo, a very slender waist, great deficiency of hips, and legs deplorably curtailed. Injustice however to the delicacy of the artist, it ought to be observed that the limbs were supposed to be enveloped in a straight tight gown, ornamented with a fringed apron foiling so low as to disclose only the sub- stantial feet and still more substantial ankles. Grouped around this principal personage, were various little boys in hats and trowsers ; houses, forts, vessels J and a heavy piece of ordnance, doubtless intended as the symbol and guarantee of her sovereignty. She was attended, moreover, CHAP, v.] TURMOIL. 209 I should rather perhaps say fijiiardcd, by a sort of fierce wolf dog, whicli amidst all changes main- tained its post by its mistress's side. I encouraged this humour of the men, glad to perceive that their minds were free enough from care to indulge in it. Indeed the first warmth of the sun and the tranquillity of the ice had dispelled the notion of immediate danger, and the light-hearted sailors yielded to their feelings and enjoyed the hour while it lasted. Afler C)^ p. M. the tide set towards the S. E., and notwithstanding the calmness of the weather and the decreasing flow and ebb, there were at long intervals, distant sounds, that portended nothing favourable. As these increased in strength and rapidity, the various cracks and openings near us gradually drew closer, but without squeezing the ship. At length, afler many rushes and many sudden pauses, the larger remnants of the floe to seaward came slowly nearer, preceded by ruins which, though insignificant as compared with what had been, were still massy enough to make a fearful clamour as they were sunk beneath and wedged against the ship's bottom. At this time (past 9'' P. M.) she showed symptoms of suffering in the hull, which was evidently undergoing a severe ordeal. Inexplicable noises, in which the sharp sounds of splitting and the harsher ones of grinding were most distinct, came in quick y 9 ,'<[ 11 liJ «70 INTENgE SUSPENSE. [cHAP.V. it ' li 'n jssion, aii^d IImM aj^ain shipped suddenly, hiving ail so still tiiiit not even « breath was heird. In an instant the ship was felt to rise V^der our feet, and the roaring and rushing recuiiinierjced with a deafeniu^ din alongside, abeam, and astern, at one and the same instant. Alongside, tiie grinding masses held the ship tight as in a vice ; while tlie overwhelming pres- sure of the entire body, advancing from the west, so wedged the stern and starboard quarter, that the greatest apprehensions were entertained for the sternpost and frame-work abafl. Some idea of the power exerted on this occasion may be gathered from this : — At the moment which I am now describing, the forepart of the ship was lite- rally buried as high as the flukes of the anchors in a dock of perpendicular walls of ice, so that in that part she might well have been thought immovable. Still, such was the force applied to her abafl, that after much cracking and per- ceptible yielding of the beams, which seemed to curve upwards, she actually rose by sheer pressure above the dock forward, and then with sudden jerks did the same abaft. During these convul- sions many of the carpenters, and others stationed below, were violently thrown down on the deck as people are in an earthquake. It was a mo- ment of intense suspense ; and to avoid con- fusion, L'e hands were called, and the officers CIIAP.V.3 SHIP 8Tli aNED. 871 with their respective crews statioiiofl at their boats, ready for lowei in/r and sccnring dit'in on the larger parts of the flt,e. All this wtxfi done by the first Lieutenant, under my inspection, with the utmost coohiess and promptitude ; and thus prepared, we waited the result. Heaven, however, again protected us, and at ll** r. m. all was ij dead repose. An examination for the purpose of ascer- taining what injury had been sustained was immediately commenced by clearing the bread- room ; and, so far as our compact and heavy cargo would permit the inspection (for we were afraid to move it lest the solidity and means of resistance should be weakened below), little was detected on the larboard side and right aft. But on the other, at eight feet from the round of the quarter, one of the stringers, nine inches thick, was found severely split, though the extent of the mischief could not be seen, owing to the diagonal doubling across it. Four of the lower-deck beams also had been lifted from their pillars three-eighths of an inch. The well was sounded every five minutes, and at first we thought she did not leak ; but the unwelcome truth was forced upon us, when, from five to ten inches were reported. This was soon cleared out, and subsequently she made about an inch and a half of water an hour. It was now, therefore, certain that the ship had \f 272 DIVINE SERVICE. [CIIAP.V. )>{' been seriously strained ; and as it would be necessary for the future to inspect narrowly the complaining parts, I caused the bread, which had hitherto been stowed there, to be taken up, and placed, carefully covered over, on deck. March 12th. The ice began to set to the eastward, and at the dawn of day a narrow lane of water was descried ahead, extending north and south. On going outside, the ship was seen fairly lifted on the ice forward, and fearfully wedged up abaft. She was in fact four feet eight inches above her usual line of flotation. The ice was much pressed up at certain points, and closely jammed in all ; a circumstance easily accounted for by the fact, that as we were nearer the mural ridge, this also had undergone a change in its outline : for though still, at unequal distances, thrown up in smooth and perpendicu- lar cliffs, terminated by peaked or jagged tops, there were spaces between these corresponding with the rest of the crushed masses around. We fancied, moreover, that farther inshore there was another similar ridge. We assembled at Divine Service as usual on Sunday, and returned thanks for the protection which had been so signally and mercifully afforded us j and in this, if I might judge from the earnest and devotional tone of the responses, there was no want of sincerity. Noon came peacefully. We had undoubtedly advanced along CHAP, v.] FIXING SHORES. 273 the high land, and were bringing the lower point ahead clearer into view. The weather was calm: the latitude 64° 8' 30" N., and longi- tude 81° 5' W. After midnight, March 13th, there was a com- motion heard to the northward, but it did not extend to the ship, and again we had the luxury of a quiet night. In the morning the ship was found to have settled down a few inches, although^ with the exception of the tidal lane, there was no open water in sight. One of the officers attended by a couple of men attempted to reach the shore to the eastward, but after a rather tedious walk of two or three hours, he found so much inter- ruption from narrow but open cracks leading into the principal lane, that he halted. He had seen the fresh tracks of an enormous bear. About 8'' 30"" p. M. I heard a faint rush under the stern, and from that time until midnight there was considerable under pressure, which, with occasional cracking, in that part especially, raised the vessel up an inch or two more. Find- ing that, notwithstanding the shores which had been fixed in the bread-room and elsewhere, there was still an immense strain fore and aft, we determined on increasing the number, and for that purpose immediately selected the best and fittest spars on board. Thrown up and nipped as we were under the resistless action of three { !i» 274 GENERAL ORDER. [ciIAP.V. hundred miles of drift ice, it was obvious that if any thing did happen, it would be as sudden as in all probability it would be serious ; and I therefore issued a general order to the officers in charge of the boats, to the following effect : that whenever it should be considered necessary to lower the boats, they were to see them first removed far enough from the ship's sides to avoid accidents from any motion which might be going on, and, if there were time, to lighten them of the stores always kept there ; they were then to be hauled to separate pieces of the largest ice, and placed, together with the stores, in temporary safety. The invaHds (if the case were urgent) were to be taken care of by the crews to which they severally belonged, and the medical officers were to see that such coverings and protection from the weather were provided them as the pressure of circumstances might permit. A man was to be left in charge of each boat and cargo ; after which, the officers and their respective mates and crews were to return on board and make their reports to me. On the 14th March the barometer continued to fall, and the wind increased to a fresh gale, accompanied by snow and much drift. At in- tervals, indeed, the ship was quiet, but more frequently cracked and strained, in a manner that showed how severely she was suffering. f ^m ¥>>■>! 1 ! ft< [l I -iSTw-'- "^ ■"■*■- --la.:..*- '.^-v-^ 3 k w o n I fill 1^ o r 3:fi ^^^^^^B^^B^ .(i. ^^^^^^^HBji ^^^^E 4 / m *" i I f ^' % H^ r. E If I fl r ^ 13 i;/rn 1 1' '1 ^Ms^^l m iWjH ' f iHH L. ^i^^^H 1 !| /^^H aVB^HH J '■ -J w CIIAP.V.] TUEMENDOUS UU8II, «77 curve of the laud the pressure and strain were violent on the larboard quarter and bow, forcing the ship upon the ice, and raising her so much as to bring tlu eleven feet water mark in sight fore and aft Several rushes succeeded and lifted her up more by the stern, again raising the beams and causing a severe strain on the diagonal shores. The whole of the ice continued to set eastward, producing in its progress a jerking motion as it was checked by the shore ice and the land. At noon the weather was misty, with the wind blow- ing fresh in squalls from N. W. by N. : barometer 21). 17, always falling; latitude observed 64,". S' N. Up to this day, however anxious, we were yet safe ; but we were now destined to witiiess trials of a more awful kind. While we were gliding quickly along the land— which I may here remark, had become more broken and rocky, though without attaining an altitude of more than, perhaps, one or two hundred feet— at 1" 45"" p. M. without the least warning, a heavy rush came upon the ship, and, with a'tre- mendous pressure on the larboard quarter, bore her over upon the heavy mass on her starboard quarter. The strain was severe in every part, though from the forecastle she appeared to be moving in the easiest manner towards the land ice. Suddenly, howevej-, a loud crack was heard below the mainmast, as if the keel were broken T 3 if 278 IMMINENT PERIL. [CHAP.V. *|.^ ! I ©r carriied away ; and simultaneously, the outer stern post from the ten feet mark was split down to an unknown extent, and projected to the larboard fiide upwards of three feet. The ship was thrown up by the stern to the seven and a half teet mark ; and that damage had been done was soon placed beyond doubt by the increase of leakage, which now amounted to three feet per hour. Extra pumps were worked, and while some of the car- penters were fixing diagonal shores forward, others were examining the orlops and other parts. It was reported to me by the first Lieutenant, Master and carpenter, that nothing could be detected inside, though apprehensions were en- tertained by the two former, that some serious injury had been inflicted. In spite of the com- motion, the different pieces of our floe still re- mained firm ; but being unable to foresee what miglit take place in the night, I ordered the two cutters and two whale boats to be lowered down, and hauled with their stores to places considered more secure ; this was accordingly done, though not under two hours and a half, even with the advantage of daylight. The ship was still setting fast along shore and much too close to the fixed ice ; but it was not till past 8*" p. m. that any sus- picious movement was noticed near us: then, however, a continually increasing rush was heard, which at 10'' 45*" p. m. came on with a heavy CHAP, v.] ANOTHEU HUSH. 279 roar towards the larboard quarter, upturning in its progress and rolling onward with it an im- mense wall of ice. This advanced so fast, that though all hands were immediately called, they had barely time, with the greatest exertion, to extricate three of the boats, one of them, in fact, being hoisted up when only a few feet from the crest of the solid wave, which held a steady course directly for the quarter, almost overtopping it, and continuing to elevate itself until about twenty-five feet high. A piece had just reached the rudder slung athwart the stern, and at the moment, when, to all appearances, both that and a portion at least of the frame work weie ex- pected to be staved in and buried beneath the ruins, the motion ceased ; at the same time the crest of the nearest part of the wave toppled over, leaving a deep wall extending from thence be- yond the quarter. The effect of the whole was a leak in the extreme run, oozing, as far as could be ascertained, from somewhere about the stern- post. It ran in along the lining like a rill for about half an hour, when it stopped, probably closed by a counter pressure. The other leaks could be kept under by the incessant use of one pump. Our intervals of repose were now very short ; for at 12*' 50™ a.m., March iGth, another rush drove irresistibly on the larboard quarter and stern, T 4 '(l:- ;i 280 THE CRISIS. [CHAP.V. i. ■n and forcing the ship ahead raised her up on the ice. A chaotic ruin followed ; our poor and cherished court yard, its wall and arched doors, gallery, and well-trodden paths, were rent, and in some parts ploughed up like dust. The ship was careened fully four streaks, and sprung a leak as before. Scarcely were ten minutes left us for the expression of our astonishment that any thing of human build could outlive such assaults, when at 1** a. m. another equally violent rush succeeded; and in its way towards the star- board quarter threw up a rolling wave thirty feet high, crowned by a blue square mass of many tons, resembling the entire side of a house, which, after hanging for some time in doubtful poise on the ridge, at length fell with a crash into the hcllow, in which, as in a cavern, the after part of the ship seemed imbedded. It was indeed an awful crisis, rendered more fright- ful from the mistiness of the night and dimness of the moon. The poor ship cracked and trem- bled violently ; and no one could say that the next minute would not be her last and, indeed, his own too, for with her our means of safety would probably perish. The leak continued, and again (most likely as before, from counter- pressure) the principal one closed up. When all this was over, and there seemed to be a chance of a respite, I ordered a double allowance of pre- CHAP. v.] COMMOTION SUBSIDES. «81 served meat, &c. to be issued to the crew, whose long exposure to the cold rendered some extra stimulant necessary. Until 4'* a. m. the rushes still kept coming from different directions, but fortunately with diminished force. From that hour to S"* A. M. every thing was still and the ice quite stationary, somewhat to the westward of the singular point, terminating as it were in a knob, which was the farthest eastern extreme yesterday. We certainly were not more than three miles from the barren and irregular land abeam, which received thenameof Point Terror. To this was attached a rugged shelf of what for the time might be called shore ice, having at its seaward face a mural ridge of unequal, though in many parts, imposing height, certainly not less than from fifty to sixty feet. Such had been the diminution of our nucleus, that the ship was now within four hundred yards of the water line of demarcation between the floe and the land ice. I was naturally anxious to ascertain as far as possible the amount of damage received; and, on inspecting the outside of the ship with the first Lieutenant and carpenter, we saw that the fore-foot was completely exposed, the ship having been literally lifted up on the surface of the same ice, which had formerly, as I have said, imbedded her up to the flukes of the anchors. How far she was :v pw 282 CREW IN COUNCIL. [cHAP.V. from the water's edge could not be ascertained, though it was seen from the marks, that she was lieaved up seven feet abaft, whilst on deck the ascent in walking forward was considerable. The larboard side was found to be flattened and indented in such a manner, as to make it proba- ble some injury had been sustained about the timbers near the line of flotation, in a direction six or eight feet from the main ciiannels forward, and the quarter on the same side was bolstered up as liigh as the tafrail by one of the largest floe pieces, which pressed severely on one of her weakest points. These appearances with the facts of the damaged stern post and the leaks, raised a doubt in my mind, how far the ship might be trustworthy when the ice should slacken off sufficiently to let her down to her bearings ; and, though every precaution had been adopted with respect to the provision, &c. on deck, which was ready to be thrown on the ice upon any sudden emergency, and other prepara- tions had been made for the worst ; yet, when instead of the ice remaining, as we had fer- vently hoped, stationary, it began again to move in a body to the eastward, and there was every reason to expect during the night a similar visi- tation to that of yesterday ; I thought it my duty to collect the opinions of the officers, the ice mate, and some of the leading men, who had t >■ u CHAP, v.] THEIR OPINIONS. 2SS I had much experience among ice. They agreed that a light boat with provisions should, if possible, be landed, to serve as a last resource to com- municate with the Hudson's Bay Company's Factory, in the event of the loss of the ship. Other opinions were also given, creditable to the good sense and firmness of those who uttered them ; and as the greater part of them coincided with my own, I felt more comforted and assured. All that could be done immediately, was to get on deck some more sails, with flour and other provisions, and one of the cutters having been removed to a firmer piece of ice, the two whale boats were again hoisted up for greater security. In the meantime we were ra- pidly setting to the eastward, and by noon had passed the point, and opened another line of higher and more hilly coast, with ranges above and beyond the land forming the beach. The crew were now put on full allowance of provision. The weather continued misty, with abundance of small snow : the top of the highest land in sight was S. 63'' W. ; latitude 64," 4' ; wind N. W. by W., fresh at times j barometer, 29. 25, thermometer 12°—. During the remainder of the day there was some disturbance, not very material, and in the evening we appeared to be crossing a bay antl nearing higher land ahead. During the ( \l 284 ST. I'ATUICK S DAY. [CHAP.V. /< as soon as the gale had fairly set in the barometer began to rise very rapidly, tliat is to say, with a southerly windy in the same way that it had often previously done wif , ? irtherlj/ one. It varied in tiie ascending scale considerably in a few hours, and still continued to rise; never- theless, the gale blew with much violence througho..t the night, at the same time lowering the temperature. March 28th. The ship cracked so as to induce an idea that she was easing down ; but, in all probability, it was merely the eftect of the gale coming full on her uplifted bulk, and causing her to shake at every squall. However, at break of day our inclination was precisely the same, though u 4 ('■ , J8J.L1. ! ! ;: . r i / i ^ '.^^ ii / 29G RE-STOWING. [CHAP.V. we were farther away from the land — a change which the proximity of the two icy boundaries yesterday had taught us to appreciate. There was still a mist hanging over objects in that direction ; but a dark gleam of water was visible, forming a part of the lane now much encumbered with old pieces of ice, that must have been detached from larger masses to the eastward. To seaward was still one unbroken body. In the forenoon the sky became clear, the wind having shifted to S. E. A few well-defined clouds were remarked upon as a sight which had not for a long tmie been observed. Our decks were naturally much lumbered from the store of provisions which I considered it still ne- cessary to keep there J but as the small snow which constantly fell was found to injure them, and particularly the bread, the whole was now restowed, and covered well over with sails. As night drew on the wind again got round to the N. E., and at intervals came in heavy squalls which drove the ship fast towards the land. March 29th. The weather became more threatening ; and in a short time a cracking noise was heard to windward, accompanied by a grinding sound among the bay ice just within us. At 5^ A. M. the narrow lane about forty paces astern suddenly opened from fifteen to twenty feet, again partially closing a few hours after. k «■■< CHAP. v.] ICE FLUCTUATES. gf)- The ship creaked more than usual from the force of the breeze, indeed so much that it was thought possible we might have set against the land ice • and m truth, when daylight came, we were closer to the shore itself than at any other period. But the most extraordinary fact was, the great dis tance that the ice had drifted, with the wind abeam, to the westward ; for we now found our- selves, much against our wish, in the precise spot where we had been so roughly treated on he mght of the I5th. For a considerable in- terval the ice remained motionless, so far as the tide was concerned J though on going to sound, which was done in sixty fathoms, the loose young ice was observed to rise and fall between the edges of the larger pieces as it would have done in a sea or swell. Afterwards for two hours and a half, the entire body set very slowly to the eastward, and then stopped. The wind was N. N. E., and blew fresh m squalls : thermo- meter 16°+, and in the sun 22°+. The next twenty.four hours nothing occurred worthy of notice ; and at noon of March 30th, the only alteration near the ship was in the lanes ahead and on the larboard quarter, which presented a considerably larger open surface. It was remarked that as one edge receded from the other, calves and smaller pieces of old yellow ice emerged from beneath into the temporary free space i:> IJ'l i ll |l! '.'l.Ul-l-,^.. 298 DOVEKIES. [CHAP.V. i i ! Our acquaintances, the ravens, paid us daily visits, and sometimes perched on the pinnacle of the most elevated hummock, apparently watching the movements of those on board. We explored the surface of the lanes for seals or other ani- mals, but in vain, until a couple of curiously speckled dovekies appeared playing about, though, from whence, no one could tell. A wish was expressed to shoot them, to which I — whom their lively motions and seeming enjoy- ment amused and gratified— was unwilling to accede. The mottled plumage, however, was too great a temptation, and finally one of the offi- cers set off to secure them j he waited for some time in ambush gazing at them, and hoping they would come within shot, till at last wearied and cold, he was fain to relinquish the attempt. In the evening much snow fell, and two fresh holes of water appeared on the starboard quarter with- in a short distance of the ship. March 31st. The ice remained perfectly tran- quil round the ship, though daylight showed a greater difference than had been noticed for a long time. There were several lanes of open water immediately surrounding our pack, while near the same places, but to seaward, were holes and openings in various directions ; most of them at right angles to the land. in addition to these, some of the waves of ice had CHAP.V.3 8EAL» 299 eased down ; and to our no small astonishment in one instance, no sooner had the ponderous mass fallen into the opening space, than a seal started up from beneath, i„ evident alarm. Up to noon, the wind being moderate from the westward, the ice moved a little in the opposite direction. Soundings were obtained in fifty-six fathoms, having a hard bottom. The weatlier was always thick : thermometer 12°+ and I30+. barometer 30. 31. All continued tranquil ; and as the western tide made, the ice closed about the lanes, &c. turning our pack, and, consequently, the ship's head about three points more to the south. April 1st. The wind came from E. N. E and about d' A. M. the ship's head was veered mJre to the west, almost dead on for the land ; the ice then moving slowly to the westward. The change in the weather was such as to thaw the snow on the sails and housing, from which we beheld the novel sight of water dripping and runnmg along the decks. And although there was not the least alteration in the uncomfortable position of the ship, yet it was gratifying to ob- serve the pump less constantly in action, and still more enlivening to behold the people clear- ing the wet deck and removing the accumulated rubbish of a winter's gathering. At 2" p. m. the temperature in the sun was 35' + , and 29« 5+in ,.'): J r 300 MILD WEATHER. [CHAP.V. I ■r h:, n the shade ; and, such was the effect of the transi- tion, that large well trodden cakes of ice adher- ing to the anchors and found the bows, which a week before would have remained firm under the blows of a sledge hammer, now peeled off with little effort, enabling us entirely to clear the upper works. The breeze increased to a gale during the night, and at one time a faint aurora was visible in the N. W. During the 2d of April we were set rather to the west under the influence of the easterly wind. In the night the wind veered to N.N.E., and on the 3d, a slight commotion was heard to windward, but without result. At daylight several small holes of water were seen, and there was a manifest diminution in the height of some of the waves and mounds, though in other respects the ice was perfectly close. The weather continued overcast, though the tempera- ture was 25° + and even 30 on tlie south side. A slight difference was perceptible on the hills from the effect of the mild weather. The season was now rapidly advancing, and under different circumstances I should have commenced making the necessary preparations for more active employment. As it was, although the ship remained cradled precisely as before, it was deemed prudent to caulk where there was no strain from external pressure. Accord- CHAP, v.] CAULKING. 301 mgly, the carpenters were set to work in board, and some slight leaks on the quarter were stopped. The largest unbroken remnant of our former floe, which lay between us and the shore on the starboard side, as yet had borne every encounter; but at 4" p.m. to-day, with- out visible cause adequate to such an effect, it split in two, and the parts opened out about eighteen inches. The crack ran close to the cutter, which, together with the stores, was quickly removed nearer the ship. On the following day, 4th April, the medi- cal officer following up the system acted on throughout the past winter, carefully inspected the whole crew ; and with the exception of two men, before spoken of as still labouring under scorbutic symptoms, they were reported free from positive illness and rapidly improving in appear- ance. In fact, the mild weather, though still gen- erally below the freezing point, had produced a visible alteration for the better in all of us. This was thenight of thenewmoon ; and, renderedwary from the past, we could not entirely divest our- selves of every anxiety, though there was nothing immediately prognosticating further chano-e However, on the next day, April 5th, all was trani quil, and from daylight to 8" a. m. the ship was carried something more to the east than before, but the ice obeying the returning tide soon J •t y . m i3» iw ii»aaegr«e-;.i - ur . t t- ^xh '• ) li « J 302 SOUNDINGS. [CHAP.V. retrograded. Much light snow had fallen ; and for a short interval when the sun had power to dart its rays through the misty atmosphere, it melted at once, so that water was to be seen lodged in the hollows of the boats* coverings. Soundings were found in one hundred and thirty fathoms. By 7^ p. m. we had passed two fresh barriers thrown up on the mural edge of the land ice, and at 8" we were stationary, having been set considerably farther to the eastward than at any former period since last August. April 6th. All was still quiet ; and when day broke, it was seen that we had gained more ground to the eastward, being apparently drifted along the tidal edge of the land ice, which here- abouts was smoother than that more to the west. Unfortunately the land was obscured by a mist, but, from the faintness of the receding outline, it appeared to form a curved bay, across which we were setting to and fro with the variations of the tide. In the evening we had neared some high land ; and at 11" 30"" a. m. soundings were obtained in twenty-seven fathoms, which were the least we had yet found. At noon the weather continued misty, but a point of land bore S. 24° E., and a black mark on a distant hill N. 79" E. Wind N. by E., moderate. The sun shortly broke through, and partly dispersing the mist, showed us actually within a mile from 14 CHAP, v.] CLMIRENT OP ICE. 308 the beach, where numerous huge fragments of dilapidated floes were strewed about in con- fusion. Tliey occupied the space lying between the tidal edge and the land, and did not appear to have been of recent production. The density of the atmosphere had deceived us in other respects also; for that which, from its white smooth glare, had been set down for land ice, now turned out to be the ven shelving side of the snow-clad coast. After 5" p. m. a lane of water opened out on the larboard bow of the ship, and this seemed to be the beginning of a general movement immediately around us ; for soon after, the ice in every direction was evidently easing down from those formidable ramparts into which it had been thrown, and settling into a freer space. We were at the time crossing the bend of a bay, and it was ob^^erved that the ice was set by the tide and current in a circle, as if within the influence of an eddy j but as this, from the straight line of bearing of the southern land, was scarcely probable, the eflTect may have been produced by the meeting of counter cur- rents from the north and south. Be the cause, however, what it might, we were in momentary expectation of seeing the two remaining floe pieces on which we were partly poised, separate, so as to allow the ship to settle into the water; especially, when the outer portion of the cracked . ii I r it '' I a 11 iiMI*. # rl JI, i : 1' , 304 PROSPECTS. [CIIAP.V. floe, on the starboard side, suddenly parterl from its better half, and glided mysteriously away among the still rugged but looser fragments near. But when our favourite look-out, which we had jestingly denominated Mount Pleasant, the ikithful companion of our wanderings from Cape Bylot to this spot, staunch and unshaken amidst the crash and ruin which had surrounded it ; when this, too, departed, and became lost and indistinguishable amongst other peaks and hummocks, what could we look for but an utter dissolution of all the parts of our system ? In spite, however, of all these defections, in spite of upper or under current, spring or neap tide, for the present we remained firm as a rock ; the only alteration being, that the direction of the ship's head was exactly reversed, having been turned round from the south to N.W. by W., in much the same manner as had been the case last autumn at the western end of the island. All these things plainly demonstrated that the eastern ice was gradually drifting through Hudson's Straits into the Atlantic, and making way for our liberation ; which I still sanguinely hoped would take place, so as to enable me to carry into effect some of the objects of the expe- dition. A narwhal was supposed to have been seen in one of the adjoining lanes, and was described as being spotted, like those seen last CHAP, v.] PARHELION. 305 year. During the night there was repeated noise among the ice ; l)ut as it was rather that of easing down than the harsh grating of pressure, it did not much aflfect us. Twice we sounded in tliirty fatlioms, and about two miles off shore in twenty-two fathoms, the bottom being com- posed of rock, shells, and mud. Daylight of the 7th showed that we had already gone and were still going rapidly to the south-east, along a hilly -orist, apparently con- sisting of barren rod s witii precipitous cliffs, based upon a lowshdviig skpe, which passed imperceptibly into the h^'v^ ice; both being covered with snow, and only distinguishable, in some places near the margin, by the black tops of protruding rocks. Here, then, was a totally different formation from the smooth and rounded low tract lately passed, and answered better to the land about Seahorse Point. There was a beautiful parhelion for a short time, while a W. S. W. breeze was blowing about a great quantity of small snow, but it soon disappeared. At noon the coast was distinctly seen from S. E. J S. to Mount Minto at W. ^ N., terminating at the furthest east abruptly in a bluff point. There was another bluff something nearer to us. In the afternoon lanes of water opened out between us and tlie shore ; but as the wind blew very fresh off the land, it only X i'i ? 11 lU jl afl m ii^^H IH 11 306 SIR J. Gordon's bay. [ciiap.v. ii i:' l:\ bound us the more against the sea ice. As he tide changed, these places soon closed ; and again at daylight, April 8th, opened much wider than before. We drifted past the high point, which was then ascertained to be the north-western extremity of a fine open bay, called after Sir James Gordon ; which making a sweep of about two miles, with a radius from three quarters to one mile, formed a Sv.cond point, and thence stretched to the farthest land in sight. Much frost smoke was rising from the open water beyond this land; and in conse- quence of the mist it caused, we were unable to make out satisfactorily whether two comparatively low spots were continuous with the main coast, or islands off it. One fact, however, was beyond question, viz. that the land ended there ; and that the boundary, therefore, must be Sea Horse Point. Could the ship have been once freed from her icy fetters, I should soon have set the mat- ter at rest ; since the fresh gale of the night, combined with a favourable juncture of tide, had so marvellously dispersed the inner, and indeed some of the outer ice, that there was no other impediment sufficient to have prevented our gettin^^ entirely round it. As it was, I had no choice but to remain quiet until nature should set us free ; satisfied for the present if I could purchase exemption from nipping. Every day. CHAP, v.] INVALIDS. 307 however, the sun had more power, and another month or six weeks might effect much. My object was to try the Welcome. A wind coming from the land at west, chilled us all; but the thermometer did not fall below 10°-: andasthe wind veered more to the north it speedily rose again. A couple of large seals were seen, but neither fish nor birds, notwithstanding the expanse of water along the coast. At noon there were soundings in fifty-eight fathoms, by which time there was scarcely any water to be seen, and the ship had considerably near 1 the land, being not more than two miles off. Though, as I before observed, our invalids generally con- tinued to improve, yet some of the number could not yet conquer the obstinate rigidity oi the muscles of the leg. Of the two who re- mained still on the list, Alexander Young (who was also the person first affected) was now in so low a s^ate as to make his recovery extremely doubtful— much to the regret of us all ; for his happy disposition and steady conduct as gun- room steward had made him a favourite with the officers, who left nothing undone to minister to his comfort. Every thing on board favoured the health of the crew j for, since the adoption of the funnels for carrying away the vapour, and still more within the last ten days, during which the hatchways and fore scuttle had been thrown X 2 f^ vammm smm 308 HUSH OF ICE. [CHAP.V. i fi ' open in the day-time, our lower deck had been perfectly dry and pure. Until 8** the ice was quiet ; but about that time, there being a light wind blowing from the north, a low grinding was heard at the outer edge of the outer floe-piece, and soon after, the two or three holes of water in that quarter closed up. The commotion was followed at 10'' p. m. by a heavy rush of the seaward ice against the same piece, on which it not only made encroachments, but shook it throughout its whole dimensions so as to intimate the effect on board by the short cracking of the after part of the ship. Ultimately a barrier was thrown up about eighteen feet high. It became prudent, therefore, to secure the provisions and stores, which were alongside the cutters, and to have the latter in readiness to hoist up ; since, notwithstanding the immense masses still appear- ing in every direction, there was not another piece proper to receive them. Nothing further occurred at that time ; but when daylight came, on April9th, the starboard floe-piece was found to be cracked in several parts. At 5^ a. m. the ice was setting to the east, and the temperature had fallen to 26°—. However, at 8^ it had risen to 10° + . Shortly afterwards the seaward ice became agitated, and ground so suspiciously against our diminishing territory, that it was considered prudent to hoist up both the cutters. In the CHAP. v.] AGITATION CONTINUES. 3ogt interim we continued to drift east, and being almost across Sir J. (Gordon's Bay were unques- tionably farther in that direction than at anytime before. With the turn of the tide the direction of the drift changed as usual, and until ^'^ p. m. we were setting rapidly to the west. April 10th. It was too obscure to see what was going on ; but at 4" 50™ the wind had got to the northward, and the ice commenced setting to the east. The breeze increased rather more than was desirable, and the ice being extremely closepacked began about 8" a. m. to make a grinding noise. This soon became louder as larger masses were thrown up ; ana looking towards the tidal edge of the shore ice, we observed an immense piece, many tons in weight, forced up vertl a!; to a height of between twenty and thirty feet. Scarcely had we had time to remark this, when a heavy rush of the seaward ice from the windward called our attention to the opposite side ; and, after watching many piled-up mounds tumbhng with a rattle on our starboard floe-piece, we were greatly surprised at seeing the latter slowly assume a convex form, and, after gradually attaining a moderate elevation, splinter into fragments, one-third of the' original piece breaking off and sailing heavily away to the eastward. While this was going or, a similar inroad was made in a line towards the starboard X 3 SIO PEKIL OP TWO SAILORS. [CHAP.V. ' f i i f ,\ bow, and matters were beginning to wear a serious aspect, when, in an instant, the noise was hushed. The whole body, the weight of which, greatly augmented by the breeze, we had to bear our part in sustaining, was brought up by the curve of coast where we were em- bayed. Indeed it could not be otherwise ; for any wind coming from between N.W. by W. and N.N.E., must of necessity drive the entire body of northern ice to this its only place of egress into the Atlantic. While the turmoil was going on, two of the men carelessly loitering about soon found themselves separated from us, and it required some activity in scrambling over the moving mounds before they succeeded in reaching the ship. The wind blew fresh and keen from N. by W., the temperature being at 0", though 23° + in the sun. The carpenters now commenced caulking wherever they could outside the ship. At 7^ p. m. a slight noise was heard among the ice about a mile to the westward of the ship, which, for the succeeding two hours, drove fast towards the straits ; but as the tide grew weaker the onward motion of the ice was of course checked, while the breeze urged the whole western body with irresis- tible force against it j the effect of which was, that at 9^ P. M., while we were making the curve of a bay, our floe-pieccs were suddenly assailed by a \ CHAP.V.] DREADFUL COMMOTION. 311 powerful rush of the seaward ice, which, thrusts ing us close to the tidal wall so as to cause almost a dead pressure, began to grind and plough up the edges on every side. Fre- quently during the process there were brief intervals of cessation in one part or another, followed by a quick repetition, in a direction perhaps exactly opposite. Again, there would be a general pause, not unlike the silence which succeeds a heavy crash of thunder ; but sud- denly, when hope was beginning to whisper that all was over, on it came again with a burst of deafening roar, destroying every thing in its furious course. Wherever our eyes were turned they were met by rising waves of ice rolling their burdens towards the ship. One in particular, not more than thirty paces away, had reared itself at least thirty feet on our inner floe^piece, which, strong as it was, gave way under the accumulated weight j and a mass of several tons being thus upturned and added to the original bulk, the whole bore down slowly upon our quarter. The ship herself was high out of the water on the ice, but this over- topped her like a tower. Meantime we were getting nearer and nearer to the land ice : large rents were showing themselves in the ice, at right angles, on each side of the fore, chains : the ship unable to right herself began to complain, X 4 /)] ;^^fS^^PHHBI «i 1 . I I I i J I H r I IM II IM A ^ i\ 312 IMMINENT PERIL. [CHAP.V. and the ^ ;ene every moment became more dark and threatening. Extra purchases were fixed to the pumps ; the hands were turned up ; the sick provided for ; and though nothing effectual could be done for our prtjservation, the attention of the men was occupied in hoisting two of the boats higher up. On former occasions there were large pieces of ice around, any one of which would have afforded a sufficient .lepowt for boats, provisions, or whatever in the exi- gency of *r ' moment might have been placed upon it. iNi'v, on the contrary, we were sur- rounded by rrutjlu d and broken ice, some, indeed, pondercL's enough, but all too angular and fractured to trust a boat upon : nor could we ourselves have found footing so long as every part w:ts more or less in motion ; or, even if some of the more active and hardy had succeeded in doing so, still they could not possibly have reached the land. Knowing this, and feeling acutely for the many beings entrusted to my charge, it may be conceived with what intense anxiety I listened to the crashing and grinding around. The strength of the ship, tried and shaken as it had already been, could hardly be expected to withstand the overwhelming power opposed to it ; and, what the result of that night might have been it is impossible to say and pamful to contemplate, hud not an overruji'ig CIIAP.V.] TUMULT ARIIESTED. sia Providence mercifully averted the crisis, by sud- denly, and at the momei^t of greatest peril, arresting the tumult. In less time than it could be spoken, there was the stillness of death, and we were saved I The watch was called, the crew dismissed; and I trust that none that night laid his head on his pillow without offering up a devout thanksgiving for the mercy which had been vouchsafed him. April 1 1th. About half an hour after midnight the wind having veered more to the west, the ic3 was observed to slacken out; and this it continued to do so rapidly, that at daylight the large wave and other ramparts of ice on the larboard side had considerably subsided, and ultimately they dis- appeared, leaving only some straggling pieces to mark the scene of so much terrific grandeur. To seaward no alteration had taken place, and we had leisure to contemi)late the devastation that a few short hours ha J brought home to the very side of the ship. The cracks were wider apart, and our territory greatly diminished ; we were, however, further off shore, and at 5»' 50"" a. m. were driving quietly to the east towards the low point. In our progressa deep bay or, possibly, inlet was seen, for there might be a passage through its south-eastern termination, though the land ap- peared continuous from the crow's-nest, whence ice was made out on the other or eastern side of '• s tJ iHI SH ISLANDS. [CHAP.V. in i 'i I' ;f M Jf n I it. The high land which joined it, and along which we were setting, rounded down to a point, between which and one or two islands, for we could not satisfactorily make them out, was unquestionably an icy channel. Soundings were found in forty-eight and fifty fathoms, with a muddy bottom. At noon the ice was stationary. At IS** 45" the ice began to set slowly to the westward, and the breeze freshening at the same time forced it off shore j so that in a few hours a lane of water was plainly discovered along the mural edge of the land ice, while that within us, and bordering our floe piece, was * brash,' such as under favourable circumstances might have been sailed through. At 6^ p. m. we were going slowly towards the east ; and, being now at a different angle with the land, thought that there certainly was a passage through the bay just mentioned, which had been concealed before by the overlapping of two projecting points. At daylight of the 12th we found ourselves still farther off shore, and the breeze had not only kept us more than usual to the west, but had caused several holes of water to open in different places. There was indeed a continuous channel in shore for several miles, extending however, no farther than the point. Beyond, all was compact ; the necessary consequence of a leeward situation, such as this would be with the CHAP.V.] REFLECTIONS. 315 wind blowing slantingly from Hudson's Bay and the Straits. Considerably to the west, near the spot where we had passed the last three weeks, was a dark water sky, and accordingly from the crow's-nest, water was seen in the direction and to the extent so pointed out. It seems, therefore, certain that on this coast the first place where a channel is to be looked for is along the land, though probably with some winds not extending far, unless on favourable occasions, such as the one experienced in the last autumn, when an un- hampered vessel might have sailed round the island. Farther out, whatever theprevailing wind, a ship must be immovably beset, and dependent altogether upon the drift of the entire body of ice : if that take her into clear water, well ; if not^ she must submit to the event. Undoubtedly a vessel is more secure when beset than when comparatively at liberty. In the former case, so long as the ice remains firm, she is exempted from serious pressure, and tolerably safe; whereas along the land, every rock, bank, or projecting point, catches the moving mass, and subjects the unhappy vessel to all the disastrous effects. It is in this sudden stoppage, or in nautical phraseology, < bringing up,' that all the danger lies. April 13th. The wind had veered a little to the east, and freshened, so that by noon we had been hiJ ! I 316 SQUALLS. [CHAP.V. I driven so far to the west, as to bring into siglit land that we scarcely expected, and, in truth, did not wish to seea^min froiv, ' "s side of the island. It was gratifying K avpv< . to find ourselves much farther off shor<\ as well as to behold a greater portion of the intervening space occupied by fresh ice, forced in by the wind and tide from the Straits, which would serve as a buinor to ]<:^ep us off from the mural edge, in case a change of wind sliould drive us near our former station. On the next day we found ourselves set still farther to the westward without other alteration, but daring the afternoon and night the barometer indicated a change in the weather. Accordingly at night it blew fresh from N. by E., and on the 15th the gale increased with squalls and snow. The slightest change in the direction of the wind had always an immediate effect on the ice, and we were set nearer to the land, though from the mistiness of the atmosphere we m\d not say how much. About 9*" a. m. the young ice, formed around, rose up un(' r an easy pres- sure to the height ci a footu 'o, die edge of our inner floe, now but forty paces distant from the ship. This however did not contuiue long, and at noon all was quiet, except the fresh breeze which came stronger after every iull. Snow of a soft and flaky kind, un e le glitteriii': chrystals of the winter mom is, icll lightly bi CHAP. v.] DOCTORS* li RT, 317 I incessantly, and o])scured the land. At 2" p. m. some of the ice near us became again agitated for about ten minutes, and then ceased, after which the breeze gradually diminished in strength, and towards midnight drew more round to the east. April l6th. Every thing was quiet. The weather was overcast, and after divine service,. examining the north thermometer, I was delighted to find it exhibiting a temperature of 32^"+, being the first time this year that it had risen above the freezing poi Little lines of water soon dribbled from the snow on the weather side of the .eck and other places j and great was the pleasure with which I remarked that instead of instantly congealing as usual, it maintained its liquid form. Sir E. Parry had the same degree of . . ,;erature at Winter Island, a little more than two degrees north of our situation, on the wth, /. e., exactly one week later in the year 182 On til, 17th and 18th the weather was iiild, but still so overcast that the points of the land could not be distinguished. Ae-ain on the 1.9th all was tranquil. The crew were inspected by ! ; medical officers aiiu reported to be in an anjjroving state. Three houcver were still larfron well, and one (Jone.s) had rather retrograded. Several otheis. though i Hi!' If If. fit .ki US. ia«i<«t« ■Ml r; ;ii!i " ' If \ilm W' J, III i ; ii ai8 FLOCK OF lURDS. [CIIAP.V. able to do their duty and free from pain, con- tinued to walk lame from tlie rigidity of which I ]( xve so often spoken. April 20th. The outsiile caulking of the ship was completed as far as practicable ; and though under some disadvantage, on account of the pressure of our inclined position, yet the carpen- ters were desired to proceed with the same operation along the water ways and upper deck. The sails were also under examination, and had prudence permitted us to restow the six months* provisions, which sadly lumbered the quarter deck and gangways, we might soon have assumed something of a ship-shape appearance. This however could nc be until the ship was fairly afloat, and it was necessary therefore to be satis- fied with having all in readiness for good or evil. At noon the ice, affected by the con- stant blowing of the northely wind, which had prevailed since the day before, was found to have gone considerably to the eastward. A large flock of birds, supposed to be ducks, though more likely dovekies, was observed flying north- ward. At daylight of the 21st, it was found that the spring tide had set us faitlier east than we had yet been ; a hole or two of water also was seen within a few hundred yards of the ship, and the ice bad the appearance of easing down. 14 CHAP, v.] Lyon's rem arks. 819 a natural consequence of the offshore wind. Tiie temperature which had been lowered by a breeze from the N. W. to 2"+ rose again as the sun gained power, and at noon was 18" + and 53° . At 2" p. M. the ice commenced setting to the east, and by 6*" p. m. we had drifted so far to the soutli east, as to bring into view some new land, low, and apparently forming a shoal point, inasmuch as at some distance oft; there were four rounded mound;? of high and heavily packed ice, thrown up upon what we con- cluded to be sand banks or reefs. As the bearing (true) was S..37° W. it was certain that we were opposite to Seahorse Point, which was in latitude 63"43'N., longitude 80° 10' W., and variation, 49** 00 W. This is the most eastern part of Southamp- ton Island, but too low to be visible from Point Leyson, though, as Captain Lyon remarks, the heights behind might be seen from thence ; and it seems to me most likely that the high land which he saw, and had supposed to be the continuation and boundary of the range terminating in the otherextremityatCape Comfort, was really Mount Minto, which is fully one thousand feet high, and the adjacent ridge that was still within view of the ship. It had always been an interesting speculation with me what would be the direc- tion taken by us, or ratler by the ice driven by 1 ^1 ■f !^| i !^l 1 ij^l [■ i •,«»'■■ 3Q0 FLOCK OF DUCKS. [CIIAP.V, the current, on arriving at this spot ; for it was difficult to say whether we should be set round the point along the coast towards Caryswan's Nest, or to the East of Mansfield Island to- wards Labrador, or, directly through Hudson*^ Straits into the Atlantic. Confiding in the observations of those v/ho had preceded us, and assuming, therefore, that the meeting of the tides from the Welcome and Fox's Channel was somcr where about Caryswan's Nest, I held to the first opinion; conjecturing further, that the nu- merous detentions likely to be encountered from different winds, eddies, or other causes, would eventually lead us near open water, perhaps quite as early as any practical use could be made of it. In the course of the evening a flock of fifty ducks was seen approaching, but after coming within five hundred yards, they wheeled round and flew away to the south east. At 2^ A. M. of Apri^ 22d the ice in its course to the eastward eased out so much, that many calves sprung up from beneath the pack, and soon after a few holes of water were seen. By 8^ A. M. the south point bore S. .5^" W. ; but the ice, as usual, with the change of tide setting again in the contrary direction, at noon, the ex- treme point bore S. 32" W., and Momit MintoN. 80" W. TIic wind was moderate from the S,W., CHAP, v.] A WHITE BEAR. 321 and though otherwise fine the temperature was only 24° + . April 23d found us twelve or fifteen miles off Seahorse Point, which, nevertheless, we did not get beyond, the wind being light and very un- stear^v. Certainly either the tide was not strong, or the whole body of ice moving together pre- vented our observing it. Some ducks were seen, apparently looking for open water. About 4" p. M. the ice slackened considerably round the ship and to the southward, causing in the course of two hours several lanes and holes of water, but too far disconnected to have aided our escape, even had we been at liberty. It was not a little singular that with so much water there should have been no appearance of seals, sea- horses, whales, or any other denizen of the Arctic regions. This evening, however, a visitor was announced in the following manner. De- tached groups of the crew were sauntering about the ridged and extremely uneven ice that formed the nucleus of our floe-pieces, when the Cor- poral of Marines, who was somewhat apart from the rest, gazing listlessly upwards at the peaked hummock above his head, saw, to his amaze- ment, quietly looking at him, a white bear. At the first glimpse he started off with all the speed which circumstances permitted, leaped a wide opening, which, on common occasions. w ' i Ml mmmmm < }' ^'1 m III , ii i I > f '! .^22 DRIVEN OFF SHORE. [CHAP.V. he would not have attempted, and in breathless agitation announced the intruder. Instantly were heard a hundred voices in all varieties of tone, from the shrill scream to the hoarse bawl : tlie news flew fast, and gathered as it flew ; so that, by the time it had travelled from the fore- castle to my cabin, it saluted me with the intel- ligence, that t?/jo bears, an old and a young one, were close to the ship. On reaching the deck I saw, indeed, a young bear about ninety paces ahead of the ship, shaking and eating a piece of an old jacket which it had just picked up. The first Lieutenant and Mr. Gore fired, and, both balls taking effect, the animal staggered away about forty paces and fell dead. It was a female cub of last year ; and though on being opened the stomach was found entirely empty, there was still some fat adhering to the flesh. To us the adventure was a novelty, and gave occasion to some jests. By midnight the wind blew fresh from the south-east, soon closing the holes near us ; and during the next twelve hours, so far had the ice taken us off shore, that at noon, when the sun was fortunately clear for a few minutes, it was evident that the ship's head was now pointing E.N.E., in a line directly for Mill Islands, and that we were not less than seven or eight leagues from Seahorse Point. In this new posture of affairs it was deemed expedient imme- CHAP. v.] RESTOWING PROVISIONS. 3^3 diately to refit, so far as could be conveniently done. The small sails and geer had already been put into order, and now the topsails under- went an inspection, while the bulwark inside was caulked, the seams paid over with a layer of resin, scraped, and primed with a coating of yellow paint. The tanks were also ordered to be cleansed in order to their being filled ; and, as the com- paratively small dimensions of the fragments of ice which now surrounded us, as well as its loose and disconnected state, would necessarily render futile any attempt to save a stock of provisions, &c., in case of accident, and there no longer, therefore existed any reason for keeping it on deck, I crave directions that every thing should be restowed • except a sufficient supply of pemmican, preserved meats, &c., to be kept on deck for each boat in readiness for any emergency, against which it was still necessary to provide, as it was uncertain whether the ship would float, when once more in open water. At all events, whenever that time should arrive, whether soon or late, and whether with good or evil fortune, it was 'clear that the promptest activity would be required from all on board j and that it was necessary therefore, to have all prepared beforehand. Up to noon on April 25th nothing occurred worth mentioning. We were perhaps a little fhrtlier from the land, the nearest part of which I: ^ i' • m J I, Y 2 ''^,>''* M ' 1 i'::) I ;;i- 324 IDEATII OF A SAILOK. [cHAP.V. bore S. 85° W., distant by estimation twenty- three miles. Mount Minto v.as once seen, and by admeasurement was forty^ miles away. To- wards evening the breeze became steady from south-east, and gradually freshened as night drew in. A small bird, supposed to be a snow bird, flew near the ship. In the early part of the 26th the wind increased to a gale from the southward, and placed us in latitude 63° 57' 02' N. j but the horizon being rather misty no land was seen, and the sun w^as not clear enough to get sights. This day terminated the life of Alexander Young (marine), who had been long slowly sinking under his flital malady. There had been occasional fluctuations which afforded a ray of hope ; but, at length, after lingering on the verge of disso- lution durinrj a wearisome period, in which he displayed no want of mental energy or proper resignation, he yielded to the overmastering disease, and with some appearance of sufF-^ring closed his mortal career. At his own request the body was opened by Messrs. Donovan and Mould, who found tJje liver affected and very much en- larged. The blood was poor and extremely gerous, almost ind^'id separated into two parts ; and some water was lodged in the region of the heart. The following day, April 27tli, the last sad officcH were paid by the officers and crew, and a third poor shipmate was committed to the deep. CHAP. v.] FORGE AGAIN ERECTED. 325 Soon after the mournful ceremony was con- cluded, a little snow-bunting was observed to hover for a few seconds over the aperture through which the body had been lowered, and then to fly away. For the preceding eighteen hours the wind had freshened considerably from the south- west, and at noon the weather being dark with snow no observation could be got, neither was any land in sight, though we con- sidered we were setting with the entire body of ice towards Mill Islands. The people were occupied in refitting different parts of the ship, and our winter housing was taken down. So great indeed was the quiet we now enjoyed, that the forge was again erected on the ice, for the purpose of making and repairing several articles of which we stood in need. No water was visible : another flock of ducks passed near. In the evening the wind veered to W. N. W., and occasionally blew fresh in squalls. Early on April 28th a few holes of water were observed, but soon closed again. What how- ever was more interesting, was an island faintly distinguished from the mast-head, bearing south- ist. At noon it was no longer in sight, in con- sequence of the ship having drifted to the south- ward. The temperature had once fallen so low as 1"-, but. subsequently rose again to s . i, . H ,)!• J < ' ! t i 326 ISLANDS IN SIGHT. [CHAP.V. 5° + . The latitude was 63° 58' N., and longitude 79° 04' 15" W., which made us about twenty-five miles from the western extremity of Mill Islands. The wind still blew from the same quarter, neither was there any change around the ship. April 29th. At daylight land was descried to the south-east, and at noon the bearings, as taken from the crow's-nest, were Mill Island E. ^ N , Salisbury Island S. E. J E., and north- east end of Nottingham Island S. J E. We still remained undisturbed, though apparently drawing nearer to Salisbury Island, which the haze of the evening shut out from our sight. Another large flock of ducks was observed flying towards the north-v/8st. April 30th. The wind had veered to north ; but from the dullness of the weather our precise situation, with respect to the land, could not be ascertained. One large hole of water was made out about three miles to the eastward, but this soon afterwards closed, giving place to two of smaller dimensions, which opened something nearer t-^ us. The operations of the last week had dono much to clear and cleanse the vessel, and the upper deck having been scraped, there was an air of comfort and neatness, to which the climate not less than the anxieties of the winter had for many months rendered us strangers. The coldness of the westerly winds, which in •ii r CHAP.V.J ADVANCE OF SEASON, 327 the night reduced the temperature below zero, and in the day seldom suffered it to rise much above, had proved an annoying drawback to the exertions of the first Lieutenant; unfor- tunately, however, we were not pressed for time, for at present there was nothing around but one wide range of closely packed ice. Still the end of the month had arrived ; the sun beamed brightly and travelled far in its diurnal circuit ; the heralds of spring had flown beyond us towards the north, and the gladness of ad- vancmg summer was felt by all of us. At 6" p. m. a part of Mill Islands was seen, bearing N.E. by E-i E., and some other land near it, most likely one of the group. The breeze freshened from N.N.W. in the night, and on May 1st the weather was keener than it had been for some time. A momentar; -lir/ipse was caught of the land on the starboard bjam, but the haze prevented our distinguishing what part it was. The boats, which it may be remembered had been hoisted high up the rigging to keep tht i> .hove the frowning masses which then threaten J to overwhelm us, were now removed to the davits, in the hope that danger of that kind was past. The horizon was still obscured at noon ; but from sights with the artificial horizon, the latitude was found to be 63° 49' N., and longitude 78° 54> iio' W.; thas giving the anomalous result of our having been Y 4 »r It il 141 %' as an 528 PROBLEM. [CHAP.V. set to the westward against a westerly wind, and with fresh squalls from the north a progress south of only four miles. For this, I am at a loss to account in any other manner than by sup- posing the passage between the islands to have been closely blocked up ; so that the southern ice, acted upon by the floods which attend the dis- ruption of the spacious lakes and rivers of the in- terior, had been pressed forward with such force as to resist even the vast body of ice bearing down upon it from the north. The mast-head thermo- meter, which throughout the winter had been in a position eighty-seven feet above the sea now varied so little from those on deck, seldom more than 2° or 3° at the most, that it was taken down and the registering of it discontinued ; and I may take this opportunity of observing that there were very few occasions which on trial were found favourable for flying a kite with an appended self-registering thermometer, during the former portion of the winter when the floe was un- broken, and that the operation was utterly im- practicable in the latter part, when the ice was ground into thousands of peaked and irregular heaps, mounds, and barriers, which defied the activity of the most alert. The weather continuing obscured, nothing could be distinguislied beyond a mile or two from the ship, and on May ^2d there was no change ex- feH^» CHAP. v.] CHAUTS DEFECTIVE. 329 1 cept a fresh layer of snow, and a south-east wind instead of a northerly one. Several large flocks of ducks flew past us *o the north, and one flock was seen resting in a binall hole of open water about a mile to the south. Land was indistinctly seen abeam. The latitude at noon was 63" 39' N., but the few miles gained to the south would probably be lost again from the change in the direction of the wind. The difficulty which we experienced as to the exact bearings of the land would have been in a great degree obviated, had the observations and charts of the only navigatoi's who, as far as I know, have ever passed between these islands been transmitted to posterity. " Purchas," says Sir John Barrow, in his Chronological History of Voyages into the Arctic Regions, *' is blameable, o a certain degree, for the meagreness of Baffin's Journal, and the suppression of a chart which accom- panied it; for he admits, in a marginal note, that * this map of the Author's for this and the former voyage, with the tables of his journale and sayling, were somewhat troublesome and too costly to insert.' " The consequence was, that the true places of these islands were lot inserted in the maps j and though the hiatus thus left has been in part filled up by other sea- men, and among these, recently, by Sir Edward Parry and Captain Lyon, yet from the fact of m I I 830 DAFFIN*S OBSERVATIONS. [CHAP.V. all tlirse officers having passed north, south, or east of the islaiids, and ^\ui\c to the west, tlieir remarks, however excellent in themselves, were compar - tively without value to us. It is therefore, I repeat, much to bt regretted that the entire account of Baffin's voyage in 1615 has not been handid down to modern times ; for we find it stated that, afler getting beyond Ca])e Comfort, they " tacked and turned Lhc shippes head homewards, without any further search ;** and again that, after this, they " passed Nottingham's Isle, near which they remained till the 27th of July, observing the set of the tides, the time of high water, &c., and taking in ballast. From thence they proceeded between Salisbury and Nottingham Islands." For our embarrassment, however, as to the width of the channel between the islands, ' depth and dangers, we were compensat wi bj not experiencing any of those turbulent coi^jruotions of the ice which had so painfully harassed us before. We now drifted to and fro with the mass, on which the ship was still poised, with little inconvenience beyond the awkwardness of our position and the irksome monotony of the scene. On May the 3d we were much nearer the land, the north-west point of which bore S. 20° E. The sky was blue, the weather nearly calm ; and at noon the temperature was 24° +, and 55° + CHAP. v.] GULLS, DUCKS, &C. 331 in the su But that which most pie, ^< -, was the sipfht of a gu.. Hying towards the i th-west. I had lu or known these birds to arrive earlier than the 7th ; and at Fort Reliance, at the east end of Gre; Slave Lake, more than a degree to the south ot our position, the same birds did not appear before the 15th of i month. Hence, tiiough no water was visible trom t mast-head, 1 felt confident that there mu me at no great distance from us. The e was over- cast, and snow continued to fa roughout the better part of the night, but on am next day the sun dispersed the gloom, and the weather, for the i ^ time these several months, became plea- sant Two rather extensive lanes of water opened out on either side, about a mile away from the ship, and at noon Nottingham Island was still in sight. Some flocks of ducks being detected, two of the officers, unable to resist the temptation, went in quest of them. They re- turned in the course of the afternoon, sunburnt and weary, with the acquisition of two loons instead of ducks ; and I cannot but suspect that what before had been taken ibr ducks were also loons. A few dovekies and three gulls were tlie only other kinds of bi.as that had been seen; but later in the day a white whale showed itself for a few minutes. As the temperature in the shade at 2" p. m. was 46" + , it was not surprising ) ill f IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ // J^ 4i. '^ < <;^ V#>^ s'- 2i 1.0 I.I |^|28 2.5 1.8 L25 IIIIII.4 IIIIII.6 V] .^<^ //%^/ r^jr o / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^'-^^ (, 1 ii w I Mi' 332 WATER ANKLE-DEEP. [cHAP.V. that they should have experienced much diffi- culty in picking their way over a surface so extremely rugged, but I was scarcely prepared to hear, as was the fact, that water bad been found ankle deep. This was the effect of one day's sun ; and if the thaw continued at the same rate, there seemed every probability that a large portion of the lighter pieces of ice would soon be resolved into water, and that our release would be earlier than we had anticipated. May 5th. We appeared to be something nearer to Nottingham Island, which, from being high and hilly, now declined by an easy slope to the southward. A lane or two of water was still open ; and, besides many extensive floes in shore, one, at least a mile and a half long and quite even, was discovered at no great distance from us. Such floes could not have subsisted where we had been ;,. and it was therefore inferred that» up to that time at least, there had been no violent pressure in this quarter. This was the more remarkable, as it is a fact well attested that, about the spring tides, when the ice has space to move about in, the violence and irregu- larity of cross sets, together with that unac- countable " bore," or furious rush of waters, of which I have so often had occasion to speak, have been experienced by all who have fre- quented these straits, perplexing the Commanders, i I ' CHAP, v.] REFITTING. 333 and hampering their vessels so as to create alarm for their safety. Sir Edward Parry men- tions the buflfetings his ship received from the eccentric motion of masses of ic?, which, under the influence of a fresh working breeze, he was unable to avoid ; and on several occasions Captain Lyon was so startled at the sudden tumult of waters around £he Griper, that he was under great anxiety to know where the " wild eddy*' would carry her; once, indeed, he says, "a noise as of a beach surf was heard, and the fog being very heavy, the boats were lowered to tow our head off the supposed shore, but the sky was suddenly cleared by the breeze, and no land was seen in any direction.** The Ci'ew were kept employed in refitting, &c., and in the evening the top gallant masts were swayed aloft and pointed. The next day. May 6th, brought a rather fresh breeze from the westward, and, at noon, the south-west point of Nottingham Island in sight, bore S. E. by S. J S. But one lane of water was seen, and that was to the south ; beyond it, however, therv, appeared to be a water sky. On May 7th the ice was perfectly close, and at noon we had been set nine miles to the south, and five to the west ; the extremes of land at 8" A. M. having been from N. 84" E. to S. 60" E. For the whole of the day the ice carried us to the f ; ■ i I i m i \ I' 334 HILLY COAST. [CHAP.V. southward, but still not a drop of water was iir sight. Three burgomasters (Larus Glaucus) flew past, and were followed by some flocks of loons. May 8th. There was no change in the ice, but several flocks of birds were observed winging their flight to the west. At noon we had gone nine miles to the south of yesterday's position. On clearing away the booms to caulk the deck, the seams were found more open than was antici- pated, and numberless rents were discovered between them, all of which were now filled up and made tight. The ice remained perfectly quiet, and on May 9th there was no water in sight, nor could the land be seen on account of the haziness of the weather. About 7 ^ SO" p.m. before sunset, the sky became clearer, and showed us the coast of this part of Nottingham Island, extending farther than we had yet seen to the south-east. The distinct view now afTorded us, gave an outline more marked than any hitherto passed, for irregularity and sinuosity, ravines and isolated hills. Of the hills, many had an elevation of no less than one thousand or fourteen hundred feet, and it is probable that some, in the interior, were still higher, as their peaks also were faintly visible. One, the nearest of the detached heights, sprang abruptly from the comparatively smooth summit of a shelving slope that rose CHAP, v.] FLOCKS OP LOONS. 335 from the yet lower land abutting the sea, and in shape resembled the roof of a large barn. Two others, differing from the first in having more ridged and rounded extremities, next caught the eye, which, from these, wandered over a more regular surface, until arrested by a gorge or pass. To the north and west of this succeeded a range of uneven heights, extremely varied and novel. The southern termination appeared like an island, but was supposed, in fact, to be con- nected by a small ridge of low land. The summits and rounded tops of a portion of this extraordinary island were still enveloped in their winter mantle, but innumerable patches proved the influence of the adva < ng season. .. - May 10th brought no change : not a living creature was seen, nor a drop of water detected within scop . of the horizon ; the ice, so far as we were conscious, was motionless, though our observations assured us that ve v,.re drifting gradually to the south east. As dusk drew on, two holes of water were seen in a south east di! rection, but up to midnight they were not en- larged. Very early on the 1 1 th an immense number ofloons flew towards the west, and were shortly afterwards followed by additional flocks which seemed to pursue the same course. The sky was overcast, and the land consequently indis- tinct ; but there was little doubt that we had J ■\k 336 SQUALLS. [CHAP.V. moved slowly towards the southern point of the island. Soon after a light breeze sprung up from the south west, and several lanes and holes of water shortly appeared in that and other direc- tions, though the ice immediately round the ship continued exactly the same. Over all these places there was a dark horizontal cloud. The atmosphere being favourable for seeing remote objects, it was observed, that beyond what had been thought the termination of Nottingham Island, there was an extensive line of low circuit- ous coast, apparently dipping into the water, or rather losing itself in the ice ; and to the right of it, at a bearing of S. 35° E., other land was de- tected, which could be no other than one of Diggers Islands. May 12. After midnight the breeze freshened from E.S.E. and drifted us somewhat to the N.W. along the land, now within a moderate distance; a fact curious enough, since no pressure had occurred inshore to make any va- cant space for an admission. Such, nevertheless, was the case. In the forenoon the wind veered to south and blew with considerable violence in squalls, bringing light snow which dissolved on the deck as it fell. An interesting event was noticed by one of the officers yesterday evening : Lieutenant M*Murdo was outside the ship on the ice, and his attention being awakened by a CHAP, v.] RAIN. 887 Shrill screaming overhead, he looked round, and saw a large white hawk with the tips of the wings and the end of the tail black, chasing, what he imagined to be a solan goose, but which, from his description, I considered to be one of the northern divers. The hawk kept always above and repeatedly struck at it but without accom- plishing its purpose, when, scared by the sound of Lieutenant M* Murdo's dog-whistle, it wheeled round and went off slowly towards the south, in a direction for the coast of Labrador. The only hawks of a similar description that I remember to have seen, were a few, found on the rocky borders of Artillery Lake in latitude 6r 66' N and longitude 108" 24' W.; and it may be worth remarking that the broad feathers of the tail are held in such high estimation by the more war- like tribes of Indians, that there is scarcely any thing they will not give to obtain them. In the latter part of the day the snow was converted into drizzKng rain, the first we had had for more than eight months, and in date corresponding with remarkable precision to the same circumstance in the interior of the Hudson Bay Company's territories. At Fort Franklin, in |atitude65" 1 1'56" N. an d longitude 123« 08' 52 "W. in 1826, the first shower of rain fell on the 11th of May. At Fort Enterprise in 1820, being in lati- tude64°28'24" N., and longitude IIS^OGW W., z i 338 SHIP LEAKY. [CHAP.V. i ! i I 1 t * , and at Fort Reliance in 1834., in latitude 62° 46' 09" N. and longitude 1 09° 00 39" W., rain fell about the same period; and now off Nottingham Island, in latitude63° ll'^^" N. and longitude 78° 56' 30" W., it came on the 12th May 1837 ; so that, in this respect, two degrees of latitude and forty-four of longitude occasioned far less difference than might have been expected under circumstances and modifications so various* A solitary raven and some large flocks of ducks or loons were seen going to the north-west, probably to open water somewhere thereabouts. The rain, which ran down the rigging and across the deck^ served to tighten the former, and to prove the leaky condition of the latter. It was, indeed, to be expected that, twisted and shaken as the ship had been, to say nothing of the chinks occasioned by the climate, some leaks would show them- selves, especially about the butt ends ; but the water found its way through so many places, that unfavourable as the position of the ship was for caulking, it seemed prudent to do so at once, even though a further repair might be required '~3reafter when she came upright. Accordingly on the 13th the carpenter com- menced operations,, and the temperature being much higher than usual, the opportunity was taken to rattle down the rigging. No open water was made out, but many dark clouds were CHAP, v.] RAPID THAW. 339 hanging round the horizon. In the afternoon the weather was much clearer though the sky remained overcast, and there was certainly more land free from snow than on the previous day: the ice, too, surrounding the ship was hourly becoming more honeycombed on the surface ; fresh water found its way into the cracks ; several pools gratified the sight ahead and astern as well as m the cavities between the huge mounds ; and, such was the softness of the under ice in some few places, that both ohicers and men, while en- deavounng to pass along, frequently sank above the knee into water, until stopped by the sub- stratum of ice. At 8" P. M. some long lanes of water towards the south-west and Diggers Islands appeared, and the whole sky in those points assumed a dark steely-blue hue, which, as it prognosticated, brought about midnight abun- dance of rain, the thermometer being then at 34 +, May 14th. The welcome rain did not Vate and the surface of the pack, stripped of the frozen snow, displayed a variety of tints, by which the age of its component parts might easily be detected J among these, it was not the least interesting to observe the dim and sombre hue of irregular mounds, ridges, or peaks of age-stricken ice, peering out conspicuously amidst the more recent and brighter formations, like z 2 840 GLOOMY WEATHEn. [cHAP.V, I feudal castles frowning over a level waste. After attendance at divine service, I was in- formed by the officer of the watch that the ship had settled down three inches forward, but an alteration so trifling was not apparent on deck ; and, what was far more consolatory was the fact that the leak had taken up so much, as to make it an easy task to keep it free with one pump, used four or five times a day. At noon the weather was thick and gloomy, with light rain, ihe temperature being 35" + . Drizzling rain, ultimately succeeded by snow, fell during most of the night, and at daylight of May 15th water could be made out from the crow*s-nest, extend- ing from south-east to west. The thermometer did not fall lower than 29°+ during the night, and began to rise rapidly after S^ a. m. For the first time this season the sails, which had been wetted by the late rain, were loosed to dry. The land was dimly visible and the sky still overcast, but the same dark horizontal clouds were always seen to the south-west. The breeze freshened as the day declined, and some lanes of water displayed themselves to the southward as usual. May l6th. When the land could be made out, it was seen that we had set more to the south, and by noon we were opposite the rounded rocky hill, which had formed the terminating CHAP. V.J IMPllOVEMENT IN chew's HEALTH. 341 point of view on the lOth of May. It was remarked that a lower continuation of land ran beyond it. and now, a still more sloping part ended in what, judging from some grounded and up-turned pieces of ice lying off it, we imagined to be a shoal. However, we were evidently drifting clear between it and Digge's Islands, which from the mast-head were seen to bear directly astern, but the main land was not visible. Countless flocks of loons, ducks, and teal were winging their way to the northward, all flying low, and what struck me as strange and unusual, there was not a single one to be found on the water ; for though they not unfre- quently passed across and round it, as if tempted to bathe and sport awhile, yet restrained, as it seemed, by some more powerful motive, they pressed onward to their destination. At noon the temperature was 36°+, and even in the night, under the influence of the north-west wind, it only fell to Q6\ Upon inspection by the medical officers the crew were reported to be in reasonable good health : one alone was unable to do duiy, though three or four more, perfectly well in other respects, had not yet recovered the complete use of their limbs. Indeed, Barker's leg was as inflexible as stone. As the sky cleared we were rather surprised to find ourselves full ir sight of Digge's Group, z 3 li! S4« ISLANDS. [CHAl'.V. with high craggy land stretching to the eastward. Between the latter and Nottingham Island were several lanes of water, which, either from the change of tide, or some other cause, began gra- dually to close, but were again found open early on May 17th, the ship having by that time been drifted more to the south-east. Vast numbers of birds whizzed through the grey haze of the morning, which, from a heavy lurid glare, min- gled with a dull red tint, had all at once saddened to mist. The sun, however, struggled through it ; and as the vapour passed away we were glad- dened by the sight of a lane of water in a manner surrounding our pack, besides others not very remote, and dark cloudy patches along the horizon denoting still more. Salisbury Island was also seen beyond the point of Nottingham, as were Digge*s, and the wild-looking land a little to the east of Cape Wolstenholm, which must be much higher than was supposed by Captain Lyon, whose description, however, gives an excellent idea of it. " The land here- abouts," he says, ** has a very remarkable appearance, being broken into high perpen- dicular bluffs, of from six to eight hundred feet, between which the rocks were split into deep ravines, descending abruptly to the water's edge, and, at a few miles* distance, giving the idea of their being the entrances to narrow ■J^a^i^'^is:^ l^S*^. CHAP. V.J POOLS OF W/.TER. 943 fiords. The rocks are apparently of gneiss, tlie strati of which dip, with u considerable curve, to the northward." I may add to this account, that the land behind rises into round and high acclivities, which were then in many parts free from snow. By noon the ice a few miles off assumed a more detached appear- ance. Speculation as to when and where the eagerly desired event of our liberation would occur was now over, for it was evident that no one could, with any show of reason, assign any preference of place. The wind having set in from the eastward slowly checked the outward passage of the ice, though by the evening we had altered the bearings of the different re- markable bluffs and other projections more than four points of the compass. During the whole of May 18th we remained much in the same position between the Labrador Coast and the Islands, the t^^mperature at noon being 36\ and 5V+ in the sun. May 19th. There was no alteration in tlie ice, and the ship was almost in the same place. About 6^ P.M. the ice commenced setting fast to the eastward, and near the main land seemed to be easing out. Numerous flocks of loons flew towards the south, and one snow bunting was seen. Pools of water formed from the melting of the ice and snow around the ship. The wind having veered round to the north-eastward z 4 r|i in] R-H 3U DIMINUTION OF SNOW. [CHAP.V. ^/•i ij '' :! brought drizzly rain j and, as the temperature fell during the night to 31° + , the rigging on May 21st was partly coated with ice, which, as the day grew warmer and the breeze freshened, fell on the deck like a shower of glass. The weather cleared up enough by noon to allow of our seeing Salisbury Island, which, notwithstand- ing a wind directly against us, we seemed to have neared. This, as well as Nottingham Island, were much more free from snow than when seen two days before ; and, indeed, a manifest diminution was visible over the surface of the ice ; yet no lanes were in sight, and but one solitary hole of water in any direction. A lonely raven visited us for a few m?nutes, but no other birds appeared. One seal, the first seen for a long time, was observed to rise in a hole of water. The temperature at noon was 36". The next twenty-four hours produced no change but that which was afforded by continued snow and sleet, eventually subsiding into rain j and on May 22d, exactly eight months since we had ceased to have the control of the ship's motion, there was not a hole of water to be seen from the mast-head, nor was our position at all altered. The temperature had been as low as 29" + , but got up to 38" + . Wind east. The land was seen in the evening, but no change worth mentioning occurred ; and after a night of snow and sleet. May 23d found us almost in \l^\ CHAP. v.] captain's STEWARD ILL. 345 as the same place. We were then set back a few miles to the westward, until the wind, veering to W.S. W., brought us to our former position, at the same time separating the ice into lanes, which opened and closed more or less through- out the night. May 24th. The sky was overcast, but about noon Salisbury Island could be just distinguished, and by the bearing we seemed to have been drifted to the east. The temperature was 23"+, but subsequently rose to 37° + . After the favour' able account whic^ I had so recently received of the health of the crew, I certainly did not expect to hear of any fresh attack, but I was now given to understand that the malady had fastened on my steward, though no one had been more regular in taking exercise, or more particular about his diet and comforts. The symptoms, it is true, were at present but trifling ; but as they had displayed themselves in the same place and manner as in all the former cases, there could be no doubt of the nature of the malady, against which, therefore, there seemed to be no security. The decks were not only well ventilated and dry, but extremely clean and comfortable, and there was certainly no want of anti-scorbutic diet or generous nourish- ment. I was the more distressed by this new case as fearing that it might extend further, at a time when the active services of every one 346 SNOW. [CHAP.V. ^ I would assuredly be required. It was observed that we had gone more to the eastward in the latter part of the day than during the whole of the last fortnight, and as the evening closed Nottingham Island bore astern, making that of Salisbury more abeam. The wind veered half round the compass and brought abundance of snow, which continued without interruption until noon of the 25th, when, from the obscurity that prevailed, no land could be seen. The ice looked white and wintry, the fresh- water pools were all hard frozen ; and, with the solitary exception of one opening, probably the effect of the tide, the whole surface was again one compact mass. The temperature was as low as 22° + ; wind westerly. By the 26th we had gone sufficiently to the eastward, to be in sight of the extremity of Salisbury Island as well as of a very high and rocky part of the Labrador coast. On the 27th the ship was set a little to the north-east, or in a direction nearly across the straits. No water was in sight, but immense flocks of loons kept flying to the south. On the 28th the weather was warmer but yet no lanes ap- peared, though the entire body of ice had assumed a more even appearance and was evi- dently easing down. Two large birds like swans flew past to the north. The temperature rose at noon to 45" + . A couple of loons were 'I'j^rrx CHAP.V MR. GORE SNOW-BLIND. 347 shot L; Mr. Gore. The day was dedicated to the celebration of His Majesty's birth, the crew being allowed an extra store of good things to quicken their loyalty. There was little wind, and therefore little change of any kind. On the 29th the temperature, which had sunk to 27° + , ran up the scale until at noon it reached 48% and in the sun 64° + . Our sportsman, Mr. Gore after about ten hours' exposure on the ice, became snow-blind. No water was to be seen. On the 30th the weather was thick with light snow, which shut out the land from sight. The crew were again examined by the medical officers, and reported to be a little improved, though there was not one instance of perfect recovery, and my steward was quite lame. At a*' p. m. the east bluff of Salisbury Island bore N.N.W., by which it seemed we had been set something to the N.E. In the night the wind blew fresh from the S.E., and snow fell without cessation ; nor up to noon on May 31st was there any change. Still no water in sight, until at 5^ p. m, while the ice in the distance was perfectly close, we were surprised by the sudden opening of a serpentine lane thu-ty yards astern, extending to either side of the ship. The wind blew fresh in squalls during the night, and the entire body of the ice appeared to be setting to the north-east. ■6 i < 348 [chap. VI. CHA? TER VI. ftl^ Feast of Loons. — Mr. Vaughans Path. — Perilous Ex- cursion, — White Whales. — Carpenters busy under' mining Ship. — Result of Labours, — Polar Expeditions. — Narwhales. — Report of Health. — Cannonading Floe. — Cheerful Labours in sawing away the Ice. — Employ- ment for Armourer. — Impediments from Calves. — New Rent discovered. — Report of the Ship's Drift. — Ship bursts her Bonds. — Novelty of Scene. — Stem-post shattered. — Officers' Opinion in favour of Return to England. — Awkwardness of Situation. — Expedition frustrated. — Ship's Draught increased. — Visited by Esquimatix. — Ship struck by a Floe. — Shattered Condition of Ship. — Sail for England. — Arrival at Chatham. In the diary of the last month I have had few incidents to record, and 1 am sensible that to the general reader it may have presented little to attract attention. It is, however, the duty of iiavigators to detail with some minuteness such fects as, however in themselves uninteresting, may hereafter be found useful as guides to those who follow in the career of adventure, and I proceed therefore with my journal. June 1st. The temperature fell to 23"+, but the lane astern, as well as two or three others, continued open, and some loons and seals being discovered, several parties weat in quest of them, but without much succ^si>. Mu^h light snow CHAP.VI.] FEAST OF LOONS. 349 fell during the night, but the weather cleared up on the 2d ; and shortly after 8" a. m. the lanes, or rather the one close to the ship, opened so much, that some of the officers went out in the dingy, while others made a long circuitous walk. The party altogether shot upwards of thirty loons, which being first skinned, and allowed to steep for two days in salt and water, were then dressed like jugged hare, and with red wine sauce and currant jelly, were esteemed by us as nearly equal in flavour. At all events we found them a grateful change from the preserved meats and other cured stock in our possession. At noon the lane began to get narrower, but in the course of three hours I had watched no insignificant quantity of detached pieces of ice stream without noise from the main body, and drift rapidly to the north-east as far as the lane would allow. This was encouraging, as betokening the facility with which a general separation would take place, whenever the barrier farther down the straits should ease off sufficiently to allow of it. Salisbury Island bore directly ahead, and the Labrador Coast was merely in sight. The temperature varied from 22"+ to 42°+. The ice became more slack, and began to assume a promising look to the eastward. Numerous parties were tempted by the novelty to try their skill in shooting, and as the cheerfulness -M s4 \' 350 Mil. vauohan's path. [chap. VI. I ■.M which the sport was calculated to excite was valuable at the moment of recovery from indis^ position, I encouraged the inclination. There were, however, other substantial advantages ; for such v,as the success of the day, that a sufficient number of loons were killed to allow of the dis- tribution of an extra allowance to each mess in the ship. Many, too, were the anecdotes related on the occasion. The Larus Glaucus, or Bur- gomaster, seemed to defy the powder and shot of the ablest marksman, contenting itself, when struck, with merely looking round, uttering a short guttural screech, and flying deliberately to the nearest wounded loon, which he dispatched in so artist-like a manner as to leave no other remnants than the clean bones and a few of the larger feathers. But the boatswain, Mr. Vaughan, had met with the oddest adventure. Having walked over soft and hard ice along the margins of the different lanes, sinking to various depths in treacherous holes, and always holding a charged gun, ready to fire at the first thing that came within hail, but all to no purpose; he very resignedly stuck the butt end of his piece into the snow, and thrusting both hands in his pockets, walked up and down so much after bis usual methodical fashion, that he had soon beaten down a path the exact length of the forecastle of the ship. In this mechanical perambulation CHAP. VI.] A WALRUS. 351 some time passed away, and probably his thoughts Were wandering to far other scenes, when sud- denly, from among the pieces of ice at his feet, up sprang a walrus. The stranger startled the boatswain beyond measure; and, far from attempting to touch his gun, he stood staring with riveted astonishment at the long tusks, and, to use his own language, the ^^ grey heard** of the apparition before him, until the walrus having sufficiently breathed itself, and less curious than the astonished seaman, quietly sank again to the dark recesses of the deep. He then remembered it was a sea-horse, and came on board with the account. Towards night the ice opened, and streamed away to the eastward past the ship, insomuch that it became necessary to dispatch the boat for some parties, who suddenly discovered that, in- stead of being on the main pack, they were slowly floating away on detached masses. The utmost extent of water was not more than two miles, in a south-west direction towards Hud- son's Bay, and this, during the night, was par- tially closed, though on June 3d there was an appearance of many slack places in the same quarter. The officers amused themselves in en- deavouring to kill an immense seal, that incau- tiously rolled across a piece of ice within three hundred yards from us; but, notwithstanding w 352 PERILOUS EXCURSION. [CHAP.VI. Ml 1 ' Ml the correctness of their aim, it contrived to reach the margin and plunge into the water. Those of the crew who had been sporting were equally unfortunate, having met with few birds ; among those shot, however, may be mentioned a fat dovekie, and a kind of widgeon. The weather cleared and showed us Salisbury Island, which bore N.W. J W. At 2" p. m., it being then spring-tide, the ice, gradually slackening beyond our pnck, set to the N.E. for two hours, after which it partially closed again, leaving, however, a few holes, to which some of the officers and men went off, for the purpose of shooting what- ever they /night find. But about S^ p. m. there was a partial slacking out of the ice between them and us, and the water being soon covered with brash and sludge, which lay thickly between the larger pieces, it was impossible to send out a boat. The officers, who, being disappointed of their sport, were nearer the ship, found no dif- ficulty in returning ; but the men, who had straggled farther, were very diiferently situated. They had not only a lane to cross, but had to pick their way from piece to piece over two miles of loose ice *, a labour which we, unable to render the least assistance, watched with no little uneasiness, lest those who were less alert should fall into the water or be disabled. They managed, notwithstanding, to arrive on board CHAP. VI.] ICE MORK COMPACT. 353 shortly after I of course much fagged with their exertions. # ' June 4th. The ice closed at 4>^ a. m., and, with some trifling variety, remained so till noon, when we were about four miles south, and two east, of our former position. The tem- perature had ranged from 23° + to 42** +, with a light south-east wind. There was no favour- able change of any description, either in the afternoon or throughout the night, the ice being rather more compact than heretofore, a fact which I was unable to comprehend, as the wind w-as much too light to affect it in any way, still less when subject to the counter influence Of a spring-tide. The most probable conjecture seemed to be, that this very tide might have dis- lodged some heavy bodies of ice from the many friths and bays to the north of Resolution Island j and that, aided by the southerly current, together with the light winds which had prevailed of late between south-east and south, those bodies might have been driven against, or partly into, the mouth of Hudson's Straits, and so blocked up the space between that and our position. Certain it was, we had scarcely altered the bearing of Salisbury Island, which at noon was N. 60° W. In the afternoon, while occupied in exercising the crew at small arms, and afterwards in reefing and furling, the wind came from the eastward A A ^54> SNOW. [chap. VI. \trith more than usual violeuce, bringing with it so much snow, that, in tlie course of four hours, it lay eight inches deep on the deck j deeper, that is to say, than had been the case on any previous occasion, in the same time. The ice was closely wedged, without a single hole of water so far as we could see. On .Tune 6th there was a partial slackening out, within a few hundred yirds of the ship, but the whole soon closed agaii, forming one un- broken body in every dire<:tion. That such had not always been the case i:i other seasons we are assured from the fact, that Bylot and Baffin found little or no impediment to their sailing past this very spot in June. Still, the Hudson's Bay Company's ships, admonished no doubt by experience, seldom or never leave the Thames earlier than the 6th June ; and, without ques- tion, last year they must have found tiiat date quite soon enough. At noon the weather, which had been misty, cleared a little, but not suf- ficiently so to enable us to see land. The tem- perature varied from 25° to 49° +. The wind now veered to west, and, like that from the op- posite quarter, brought snow, from which indeed we were seldom exempted. The ice presented an a,ppearance of opening, and with a fresh breeze down, or, in other words, out of the Straits, it might have been supposed that CHAP. VI.] STHONO WINDS. 355 this would continue for several hours j yet our conjectures in this, as in many other cases, were wrong, and it closed again almost immediately. Neither was there any improvement during tlie night, and on June 7th the whole surface was more compact than had been observed for a month past } not a drop of water was to be seen. The thickness of the weatlier intercepted our view of the land, though, from a hasty glimpse, Salisbury Island seemed farther to the north. Tiie wind, which continued to blow steadily from the same quarter, but with increasing vio. lence, at length began to have some effect on the immense suiface surrounding us; and al- though at midnight no water was visible, shortly after, on June 8th, a lane opened out astern, extending, with some interruption, three or four hundred yards to the south-west, in which di- rection several large holes were subsequently seen. The ice immediately astern and adjoining the lane was more loose and disengaged from the larger compact masses than it had previously been, so that there was fresh reason to hope that the seaward body was streaming away from the entrance of the Straits and the neighbourhood of the Labrador coast. At noon we had drifted by estimation, about eleven miles: Salisbury Island was no longer to be seen. The latitude placed us one mile to the south of yesterday's A A 2 I ! I h If h a iSfi WHITE WHALES. [CHAP.VI. positior , All repairs ah..iit the ship and rigging being completed, there was little occupation to be found il • the crew, wiio, by way of ex- tercise, were regularly fl rilled by the Sergeant of M wines, under the n pection of Lieutenant Smyth, and made to march quick and travel hard round the upper deck, for an hour or more, until Ihey had been properly breathed for the day. Having now more pemmican than with our weakened crew could be made use of on boat service, and as this was a perishable article, I ordered it to be issued once a week, in the place of preserved meat j the store of which, if not required, might be appropriated hereafter in any manner Government thought proper. In the afternoon it blew a gale which separated the ice so far as to leave a considerable space of open water, where, for the first time this season, some white whales were observed. At 6" p. m. land was descried to the south, the bearings of which were from S.W. to E. S. E. June 9th. There was much loose ice to the eastward, mingled with several smooth and regular floes, which evidently had neither been exposed to pressure nor otherwise i v bed, except as we now beheld them. The Ic:. ^ui l> ing our pack was unaltered in area, though slightly diminished in thickness from the in- creased temperature of the day. At night the CIIAP.M.] THICKNESS OV ICE. 357 pools still froze, being invariably found crusted with ice in the moruing ; still, from the effect of the sun and i 'h> heat radiated from the sides of the ship, upwards of two teet of ice and frozen snow had slowly sunk away, thus almost exposing the keel from the fore-toot to tiie fore- chains, while a deep trench resulting from the same cause extended quite round, exhibiting above it the ruins of the ponderous waves, ia the hard gripe of which the whole of the after part of the ship lay immovably wedged, T'here were no means of ascertaining the actual thickness of the accumulated masses, wh'ch in so extraordinary a manner cradled us up, but some of the pieces floating in the clear , nace were estimated at forty feet beneath the lii e of flotation; and, indeed, from the force applied during the convulsions so providentially escap jd, when the ship with all her heavy load was felt rising under our feet, it could hardly have been less, while from the irresistible pressure that drove one mass under another, it might have beei i even more. It seemed, therefore, indispensable^ that before we could get free, the weaker bodies surrounding us and as yet adhering, should be entirely detached, so as to afford room for our supporters to glide away easily. An operation of this magnitude could only be accomplished by natural means ; but in order to divert the A A 3 I 358 OFr CHAllLES ISLAND. [CHAP.VI. J! l< ^! minds of the crew^ they were set to work with pickaxes, spades and axes, to reduce the for* midable summits of the nearer waves, and mark out the most feasible line of escape, when acci- dent or time should favour us. There was a great deal of loose ice between us and the land, which the fineness of the day brought clearly into view. It turned out to be Charles Island ; so that the late gale had driven the ice rapidly to the eastward, and, as regarded the ship, some- thing to the south. At noon the land bore from S.S.W. to E.S.E.; and, as seen from the deck, had the appearance of three islands. The ice closed again. The adverse direction from which the breeze came kept the ice much closer than of late, and for a few hours we seemed to retrograde ; but in the night this ceased, and up to noon, June 10th, we might be said to be stationary, the ice then being very compact. The temperature varied only from 30° to 38°+. The following night we were set a few miles off the land in conse- quence of the breeze having veered to south- east, and increased in strength j and though for a brief interval some openings were observed, yet they soon closed again, and in the morning of June 11th, the ice was again perfectly com- pact. However, soon after divine service, the weather became so fine, that little rills of water CHAP. VI.] BRIGHTENED HOPES. 35D were pouring down from the more elevated pieces of ice into the hollows and thence into the sea. Before noon, a hole had appeared within fifty paces of the starboard quarter, and, singular enough, without other apparent cause than a trifling motion in the looser floating ice. About the same time, and without any noise, a ser- pentine lane of water unexpectedly broke on our sight, at no greater distance than one hundred and sixty yards. It was connected with the hole just referred to, and extended across the bow towards some brash and mixed ice to the south-west, in the limit of which direction, for some days past, a dark lane of water had been more or less visible. The appearance, as if by magic, of an opening so near the ship, was pro- bably the most fortunate event that could have happened, for until some such occurrence, we could indulge but slender expectations of a speedy release ; whereas, now, the hopes which frequent disappointment had dimmed suddenly bright- ened, and cast an enlivening gleam on the future. The temperature had not been lower than 30° + . . Up to noon of June 12th, the only further change was another separation between two of the heavier floe pieces, still nearer to the star- board side of the ship; after which another twenty-four hours of tedious uniformity rolled heavily away amidst a dead calm and thick A A 4 I ii »i ^ mm ■ii 111 iiii •1 lit S60 DIMINUTION OF ICE. [cHAP.VI, atmosphere. One novelty indeed there was in those stagnant hours, and that a suffi- ciently gratifying one, viz. that the temperature remained above the freezing point through- out the night, the lowest having been 33°+, At noon of June 14th it was 54°+, the sky being still overcast and no land in sight. Some lanes of water appeared, but none of any conse- quence. Within the last few days the upper portion of the ice had undergone a perceptible diminution from increased warmth, but there was still an immense thickness to be dissolved ; and one summer, such as this region could bq expected to afford, might not suffice for th^ destruction of so vast and, as it seemed, inter- minable a body, without the co-operation of some more powerful and speedy influence. The im« potence of our own efforts had been already mani- fested in the attempts in which, although zeal and self-interest had prompted every man to do his utmost, we found ourselves unable to effect more than to level down some of the inequalities of the surface near the stem, or on either side of the ship. Nothing, indeed, favourable could be ex- pected, until the ice should become slack enough to allow the imprisoned under pieces to rise to the surface. The period had again arrived for examining the crew, who were reported to be in much the \ CHAP. VI.] INVALIDS. 36t same state, some still continuing lame, and Gibbs, poor fellow, barely able to walk once or twice along the deck by the aid of a stick in one hand^ and resting on the bulwark, or whatever else he could grasp for support with the other. Jones also was unable to do any duty, though in a less degree affected, while Barker and Anderson continued to complain of the stiffness of their legs. Smith (my steward) was still suffering, and walked very lame, and two more were tem- porarily on the sick list. Indeed, the knee or ankle joints of two-thirds on board were more or less affected with shooting pains or twitches, betokening weakness, and few could take even ordinary exercise without sensations of languor and uneasiness. The lowest temperature of this day was 32° +. The prevalence of the northerly breeze, though moderate, was sufficient to bind the whole of the surrounding ice on the Labrador side, and consequently our change of position, at the most, did not exceed two miles to the south. Some few holes of water were occa- sionally seen as the ice varied in its movements, but generally speaking it was more packed and forbidding than had of late been customary. Much, however, was expected from a westerly wind, whenever it might come, and in the mean- time there was some satisfaction in witnessing J. I" mm 362 CARPENTERS BUSY. [CHAP.VI. 'V;,: w the diminution of the upper ice, which wasted away from one to two inches in the twenty-four hours. On June 15th not fewer than twenty-six planks of the ship's side could be counted from the fore chains directly down to the ice, and as this had dissolved enough to bring within reach of the carpenters several more streaks, prepara- tions were made to caulk and coat them with coal tar like the rest. It was found, too, that we could, by removing the ice down to the water level, reach the upper part of the damaged stern- post, though this was not to be accomphshed without hard labour, since the mere pressure had formed an icy cement so tough and adhesive, that fragments stuck to the planking, even be- tween the narrow breadth of the strokes of the pickaxe. It looked, indeed, as if the ship had been placed in a bed of some plastic compo. sition, which time had indurated into the solidity, and almost the substance, of limestone iOck» However, under the direction of Lieutenant Smyth, the men contrived to get below the ten feet mark, and it was then ascertained that the doubling as well as the split stern-post were more twisted from their true positions than when last seen about tliree months ago. The water in some measure interrupted the proceedings, but with the assistance of the fire engine it was kept CHAP. VI.] UNDERMINING SHIP. 36B y SO much under, that the work could be con- tinued, while a second party, co-operating with the former, went on steadily undermining the fore-foot, which has been described as 'jesting upon the surface of the ice. It will be readily understood that the object of these proceedings was to remedy, as effectually and speedily as pos- sible, whatever portion was accessible of the seri- ous injuries which it was probable the keel and lower section of the hull had sustained ; and, though nature would in time have effected the same thing without labour of ours, yet it was of moment to be ready for any of those extraor- dinary changes which, through the disruption of the surrounding ice, would sooner or later launch us into freedom. Three swans, a flock or two of ducks, and an occasional plover or snipe passed towards the north, while a few loons and two or three kinds of gulls flew round or hovered over the different holes of water. At noon Charles Island was just distinguishable from aloft, and soundings were obtained in forty-six fathoms on a rocky bottom with small pebbles, and a part of some crustaceous animal. This corresponded exactly with the soundings, as given in Captain Lyon's chart, and al^ those of the Hudson's Bay Com- pary in our possession. The labour of excavation was carried on with 'i i !!( i ,'■ S64^ RESULT OF LABOURS. [CHAP.VI. cheerful alacrity, and by the incessant use of draining machines, in the shape of the engine, boats* pumps, and buckets, we contrived to penetrate as low as the seven feet markj but the sea water then beginning to ooze through the under ice, rendered abortive any further attempt to keep the space clear. This result, however, had been gained. It was ascertained that the doubling, and a portion of the stern-post below, projected over to the larboard side several feet ; and that another portion, from the ten feet six mark to seven feet five, was incapable of repair. It was, consequently cut away. The night passed tranquilly, and a flock or two of geese flew past towards the north. No change trans- pired among the ice until early in the morning of June l6th, the anniversary of our sailing from the Nore, when it began to slacken round the heavy ice which we were partly entrenched in and partly upon. The weather, too, cleared, for the wind came lightly from the south, and the distinctness of the blue land (the snow being now gone) of Charles Island, was a convincing proof that we had been drifted a few miles in that direction. Still there was not the faintest indi- cation or promise of an open space ; for, let the eye roam where it would, there was one wide glare of dazzling white but too familiar to our senses. It is not a little remarkable to reflect on the l» CHAP. VI.] POLAR EXPEDITIONS. "365 various ineffectual attempts that have been made by ^different commanders in modem days, to fill up the small blank on the northern charts, between the bottom or south part of .Regent's Inlet and Point Tumagain. Parry's and Frank- lin's achievements are too well known to require observation or eulogium from me; yet the former could not penetrate through Fury and Hecia Strait, and the latter found it imprac- ticable, from the damaged condition of his canoes, the want of provision, and the advanced state of the season, to proceed beyond Point Turnagain. Of Sir John Ross's eventful expe- dition all have heard. My own, in search of him, is also before the public. Captain Lyon, in trying to reach Repulse Bay by the Welcome, was baffled by a succession of bad weather and heavy gales ; and now again, I, acting upon the united experience of most of the distinguislied names just mentioned, under circumstances con- sidered favourable, after getting nearly within sight of my port, am stopped by drift ice, at what is generally the very best period for navi- gatmg the Polar Seas — am frozen fast, in Octo- ber 1836, at the entrance of Frozen Strait—and now, June 16th, am carried into Hudson's Strait, on some of the very same ice that originally begirt the ship, without having had it once in my power either to advance or retreat. In m DIVERSIONS. [chap. VI. hh i»,i !;■ ' short, from north, south, east, and west, the attempt lias been made, and in all equally with^ out effect J and yet, with a tolerably open season, the wholp liffair is within the accomplish* ment of six months. The crew were variously employed, but principally in removing the ice from under the fore-foot, the bend of which was literally above the level of the sea, now ascertained by the bursting up of the water from beneath ; on the other hand, the stern-post was immersed or imbedded a little more than nine feet. The officers also had their occupations : some of the keener sportsmen lurked for the chance of a shot ; others were speculating on the possibility of coaxing the ship*s peas to germinate in a heterogeneous composition of coal dust. A fishing line, too, was set, but the most per- severing had not been rewarded even by a nibble. My aim was to encourage every thing that could relieve the mind by abstracting it from a too fixed attention to our situation ; and as there were no complaints, it is fair to pre- sume that the end was in a great measure attained. Though the temperature at noon was 46°+, and with a blackened bulb thermo- meter 66" in the sun, yet it had been as low as 29° + in the night, and consequently the fresh and brackish pools were once more coated with CHAP.VI.] INCREASE OF WATER. S67 ice. Little transpired throughout the night, but on June 17th the wind veered to the N.W., and the ice began to open out all round, ex- posing by noon considerably more water than had yet been seen. A fog soon rose from it, which so completely darkened the sky that we neither saw land nor got observations, and were consequently ignorant whether we were drifting down the Straits or not. The ship appeared to have risen bodily up one inch during the twenty, four hours j but this of course was attributable to the thawing of the ice on the surface. A small fish was found in the mouth of a gull (boatswain), and more ducks and geese flew towards the north. By 4" p.m. the ice was again cemented, and subsequently Charles Island was seen, the position indicating that we had been set a short distance to the south and east Dark patches of sky created by the vapour from open water appeared all round the horizon, except towards the main land, in the direction of which were some extensive floes of a remark- ably even surface. One or two, of minor dimensions, could be just descried to the east- ward J and as a conclusive proof that there was something more than a mere opening and shutting in of the ice by the action of successive tides, several pieces of broken and discoloured mounds, quite new to us, were swept near and ii'ii L>' i! II-'! ' • St)8 A GALE. I '\ I [CHAP.VI. ultimately past the ship. The temperature sank to 30°+ in the night, and tlie pools of fresh water froze over. Much small snow also fell without intermission up to noon of June 18th, with a temperature of 43° + . The ice again moved about with great irregularity, flattering Us one hour by its loose and disconnected aspect, and annoying us the next by resuming its compactness. Yet these transiticn^v unsatis- factory as they were, betokened an activity of some sort towards the entrance of the Straits, which might therefore be clearing so as to ahow the western ice to drift down. The haziness of the weather concealed the land, but the latitude made us still farther south. In the afternoon soundings were obtained in eighty-five fathoms, on a rocky bottom. The ice opened out towards night, and a solitary walrus showed its huge frame above water but made no long stay. About midnight, and on June 19th, the wind blew from the E.S.E., and, increasing to a gale, speedily set the ice in motion all round us. Occasionally, streams of drift-pieces drove, at the rate of two miles an hour, against the corners or edges of our heavy floe-ruins ; and though without any perceptible shock or injuiy at the time, yet, as it afterwards appeared, with effective force, since, at 11'' a. m., a large strip silently separated itself iVom our CHAP. VI.] BOLT STARTED. SG9 general mass. It was then that numerous lanes and holes of water ranged themselves in a line exactly across the direction of the wind, almost up and down the Straits ; and the land becoming visible during a partial cessation of sleet, snow, and rain, with which we had been refreshed, the ice-mate, Mr. Green, imagined he could make out several conical tents, from whose tops smoke, as he thought, issued. Unfortunately, dark clouds soon obscured that part of the land, which seemed like an island, depriving us, for tiie present, of the satisfaction which the realization of this idea would have afforded. On inspecting the hull, as was customary, it was discovered that one of the copper bolts, situated in the eleventh plank below the fore. part of the main chains, on the larboard side, had started, and projected one- eighth of an inch outside the doubling j a cir- cumstance that made it necessary to cut beneath the head and clinch it afresh. Again, while em- ployed in clearing out the fore part of the bread- room, for the purpose of getting at coals and provisions, just below the broken stringer on the starboard side, one of the through bolts of the lining was found to have started, and, from the mere collapsing of the after part of the ship, one of the casks had been actually pressed to such a degree, as to stick into the lining. Prudence, therefore, required that the stowage should not B B »n 370 ICE MORE OPEN. [CHAP.VI. be disturbed until we were afloat, for the ship still inclined over as before, and it might be that, at intervals, a strain was thrown on that particular part. The east end of Charles Island bore S.W., and the weather was ilark and gloomy, with a temperature of 31" +. The ice, this after- noon, was more detached and open than it had been during the season; and had the ship been freed of her bonds, there was space enough to have moved two or three miles to the westward. But, as it was uncertain when that consummation so devoutly wished would take place, or what might be her state when afloat, as it was possible that she might be near the land, or in a situation requiring to be immediately worked, I thought it right to make such preparations for steering her, as the urgency of the occasion might demand. From what had been already seen, there were reasons for apprehending an insuperable difficulty in shipping the rudder; and, indeed, if, as was conjectured, the split stern-post projected three or four feet at right angles to the keel, to say nothing of the doubling forced up, it seemed evident, that even if the old rudder could by any management be fixed in its place, it would serve only for an additional purchase to weaken the already broken parts thereabouts. To provide against a contingency so serious as well as proba- CHAP.Vr.] nUDDKR CONTRIVED. 371 VI ble, it was requisite to devise a rudder of an en- tirely different construction, yet so contrived as to lose little of its power, and such a one was ingeniously hit upon by Lieutenant Smyth. It was effected by the siinpleoperation of transposing the wood, forming the lower part or heel of the rudder, to that forming the u])per part, thus giving to it when finished an oblong form, not much unlike that used by a Thames barge riggeci with sails, and at the same time the desirable property that it could be hung on the sUongest part of the stern-post. Having a spare rudder on board, which had fortunately been put together in pieces for the convenience of stowage, as it \yas divided into twoportions, an upper and lower, just where the division was wanted, the thing was half done to our hand*, some iron work and a few fittings for putting it together being all that was required. Throughout the night the ice kept opening and closing, and the temperature sank to 30° +. In the early part of June 20th, however, it became very slack to the westward, especially along the shore of Charles Island, to which we were much nearer. The Strait, never- theless, was completely blocked to the north and east, though the ice, at least that near us, was certainly drifting slowly down towards the * The rudder had been made in this way to provide against accidents. B B a I" ? if ( i i ■li 372 SOLIDITY OF FLOE. [CHAP.VI. ; ! ! ! I 1 entrance. We now began to Cut through the mounds at the edge of the floe pieces, and to open a communication with the visible parts of those cracks extending diagonally from one ex- treme to the other, and in one instance crossing the ship's bows ; for as it was mere speculation how deep or tortuous these flaws might be beneath the surface, it was at all events an equal chance whether our operations might not ac- celerate their rupture. Som€ snow had fallen which was succeeded by a south-west wind, and at noon thick weather came on that hid the land. The temperature was only 35"+. The wind became variable, coming sometimes in fresh gusts accompanied by snow and rain : partly from this cause and partly from the tide, there was a more than common stir among the ice, which now separated itself into detached streams and single pieces, exposing a checquered surface of water to the west- ward, most cheering to the eye. During the night the ice was, what the Greenland sailors term, running about j and, though firmly con- nected pieces of various dimensions, from one to three or four hundred feet in diameter, struck our floe with considerable violence in passing by, yet such was its solidity and weight that the effect was merely to grind away insignificant points along the edges. CHAP. VI.] TRENCHING THROUGH ICE. 373 June Slst came in with snow and a tempe- rature of 30° + . At 5*^ A.M., all hands were employed in trenching through the mounds, and cutting as low into the water as they could. Saws unfortunately were altogether useless, on account of the thickness of the ice, which being measured with a line, as far down as a projecting tongue, was found to be thirty-three feet, and was conjectured to be, in the whole, between forty and fifty at that particular place. Some large calves rose up from beneath the starboard floe piece, which indeed was the most vulnerable, and we now marked out a line of work at three different places, which were ultimately to be connected, so as to form an upper channel of communication with the sea. I would willingly have trenched down and cleared away the frozen snow, which adhered so tenaciously to the afler part of the ship, but for the impracticability of shoring her up, and the risk that must have attended the disturbance of the shores on the parting of the floe ; all that could be done, there- fore, was to conduct a channel of water within a few feet of the starboard side, to which she inclined, in the hope that a severance might be effected by some sudden jerk through the entire depth below. By noon, we were rather nearer to the east end of Charles Island, which was quite bare of snow, except in fissures and ledges. The B r> 3 » r ii I :,h " 1'^ i:. V 'I I f i li 374 EXTRAORDINARY EDDIES. [CHAP.VI. ! i jM Wi !' ,ia i temperature was only 40° + , the weather calm but hazy with snow, the barometer 29. 5 1 . Much ice drifted past and as far as the ship in the afteraoon, among which, were several perfectly even floes of six to seven hundred yards long, of a pale blue colour, and evidently of last winter's formation ; while, contrasting with these* were others more soiled and channeled, that had ap- parently strayed from the northern lands at the head of Fox's Channel, bearing on their shoulders the ruins of other floes which had been broken and borne over them in the convulsions of those extraordinary eddies. These did not re- main ; for in the early morning, a little after the close of the longest day, with the last rays of which the sky was yet tinted, they swept by, leaving us as usual fixed in our unyielding bed. There was a dead calm, and even on the day of the surrmer solstice, the temperature sank to 27° + . The crew, under the immediate direction of the first Lieutenant, were set to work at 5^ A.M., and performed the novel duty with good humour and perseverance. By noon we had been drifted to the eastward, the latitude being 62" 54' 50'', and longitude 74° 40' 30". The character of the shore was comparatively low, even, and rocky, about the eastern extremity, but farther west, was more hilly, and if not com- posed of more than one island must possess some CHAP. VI.] MASS BREAKS OFF. 375 vi very deep bays. The last twenty-four hours, the leak had increased twelve inches. By a sud- den change, the weather had become sultry, the thermometer in the sun being 62". A very few birds, but not a fish or animal was seen. The ice merely opened and closed with the flood and ebb tide, without further effect. On June 23d, the crew were employed in cut- ting away the outer mound on the starboard side of the ship, and made such rapid progress in their early labour, that the edge of the floe rose two feet six inches out of the water, and this was immediately followed by the appearance of a transverse crack between them and the ship. At lO** 15"* A. M., while steadily occupied at their work, the disconnected body of ice was observed to run with considerable velocity past the stern of the ship, directly towards the part they were reducing, and an enormous piece coming in sud- den contact with a projecting point, that had been purposely formed by cutting away the ice about it in the morning, the whole mass broke off with the concussion, and rolled partly over in conse- quence probably of the upshooting of several im- mense calves from underneath it and the floe. At the very moment of disruption a number of men were working on the separated piece, the rocking of which placed them for the time in a perilous situation. From this, however, they B B 4 M It 'i! 376 MOTION OF ICE. [chap. VI. '.* 'i ( were promptly rescued by launching the dingy to their assistance, though not soon enough to save all the pickaxes, shovels, handspikes, &c., some of which were lost. This circumstance made a great difference both in the magnitude and compactness of our island floe, and encouraged a hope of getting the ship afloat earlier than had been expected; still this was a consummation which at the present juncture was hardly to be wished, as it would have been impossible to pre- vent the running ice from striking, or the heavier bodies from nipping her ; either of which, strained and shaken as she was, it was obviously desirable to avoid. The motion of the ice on this occasion was singular, being rotatory, as if influenced by an eddy, as indeed was not unlikely to be the case about the eastern end of an island, having only a narrow passage between it and the main, so far as could be distinguished from the deck. The tempe- rature varied from 30° to 4-7° + , and in the sun was 73° + . The ice moved backwards and forwards as usual, but towards the close of the day was more wedged than customarily. However, at 4^ a. m., 24th June, there were many lanes of water to the eastward, without a single one in the oppo- site quarter. Fresh [water ran off our floe in streams during the warmth of the day ; and, what with those and cutting away more ice on the starboard quarter, it was found by the CHAP. VI.] SET OF CURRENT. 377 '\\ marks on the stern-post that the entire mass, composing that part of the floe, had risen three inches. In the forenoon the ship was set to the eastward, and had certainly drawn nearer to the land, especially the eastern end of Charles Island, which was not more than five or six miles away. The other land, appearing at first continuous with the latter island, was now ascertained to be the dark and forbidding coast of Labrador. It is worth mentioning that even in calms we were evidently set to the southward and east- ward, but more particularly to the former, owing, probably, to the set of the current through Fox's Channel and between the islands, which would strike somewhere on the main shore be- fore turning directly towards the Atlantic. There was no other change during the night than what was occasioned by the tides ; and on June 25th, the weather was too overcast and misty to allow our position to be ascertained. At 11 ''SO™ soundings were struck in one hundred and eighteen fathoms, and the bottom was com- posed of mud and shells. It might be that the heavier ice, by which, I mean that formed in the winter, had drifted out of the Strait, as the lighter pieces which now surrounded us seemed to be the recent production of the spring, being mostly even and of but a few feet thickness, tinged with blue instead of the brownish green y! 1 I. ,i io ,1' 978 REPAIRING FOREFOOT. [CHAP.VI. and yellow of the older formation. Three or four pieces had been lifted on the edge of our floe, in consequence, o^ course, of some un- seen pressure. It was thought, too, that the ship was a little more upright. The land was only dimly visible once or twice, for the day was overcast and gloomy, and towards evening settled into rain, which poured incessantly the whole night Soundings were found in eighty- six fathoms. In consequence of the prevailing easterly wind the ice continued remarkably close, slackening, however, occasionaUy near the ship. Nothing, indeed, could have been done even had she been afloat, except to ascertain with some precision, as I was very desirous of doing, the extent of our damage. For this purpose, on June 26th, the crew were again employed in removing the mounds, while the carpenters were occupied about the fore-foot, which, owing to the rising of the ice, was now sufficiently exposed to allow of the broken and damaged part being examined with more exactness. It had been ground away by the action of the ice, but the stem was un- injured, and we began immediately to cut away the ragged parts, with a view of substituting more solid pieces in their stead, and finally covering the whole with iron sheathing, t^ken from the upper works of the bows, where ex- CHAP.VI.3 NARWHALES. 379 perience had taught us it was not likely to be of service. At noon the weather was still dark, and the land invisible. A continuation of the same gloomy atmosphere prevaUed, and immense floes of ^ring ice, not exceeding in thickness three feet, and black with water on the surface, crowded round our still solid island from diffe- rent points, but chiefly from the main or Labra- dor coast, which happened to be the windward shore. Many of these, driven forward by wind and tide, struck against us with considerable violence, but without splintering a fragment from our rock-like mass. In the evening soundings were got in one hundred and twelve fathoms (sand). All night the ice remained very close, the wind being fresh from the eastward; and in the morning of June 27th all hands recom- menced their labour on the larboard mound, which unlike some of its neighbours was one body of solid blue ice, and though causing more hard work, yet began sensibly to diminish before the exertions of the crew. But few birds flew past, though some narwhales were seen plajdng about, to the great relief of the ice-mate, who, having been engaged in the Davis Straits' fishery the greater part of his life, had been almost inconsolable at the paucity of * living creatures,' as he termed them. His joy, therefore, on this occasion, was commensurate j and I m m fi. a, having m- 330 REPORT OF HEALTH. [CHAP.VI. , tently watched their gambols to the moment of disappearance, he descended from the crow's- nest, and with evident signs of pleasure pro- ceeded to give me a minute account of their size, colour, and length of horn. By observation at noon, it was found we were eight miles north of the last latitude, and by the view of the land which was quite clear, it was equally evident the ship had been set rather east than west, though the wind blew, and had been blowing fresh from the former quarter of the compass. It follows, therefore, that the northern ice must have so completely blocked up the channelswe had passed, as to prevent any thing liice a retrograde action. The temperature varied from 34° + to 39° + , and the barometer was 30*01. Wind east. The men were examined to-day by the medical officers, and reported to be free from actual com- plaint, with the exception of the few individuals mentioned before, some of whom were rather worse. At this time, in an official letter addressed to Doctor Donovan, 1 demanded his opinion of the probable consequences if the ship were detained another winter in these regions. His answer was, that it would be fatal to many of the officers and men, some of whom were even now in a pre- carious state; and he also reported that the most useful medicines for the prevalent disease were expended. The good effect of the labour of ^1 CIIAP.Vr.] CANNONADING FLOE. 381 the crew in throwing the weight of ice off the floe, was made manifest by the fact of the ship's having risen two inches, her immersion in the water and ice aft being 8 feet 10 inches. In the evening the ice was close, but much to our satisfaction a large piece was separated from the larboard side of the floe ; and, after midnight of June 28th, the wind then blowing fresh in squalls from the south-east, a sudden disruption took place one hundred and fifty yards ahead of the ship, and split the floe right across. We therefore returned to our task with fresh spirits ; and, as a matter of experiment, fired a couple of six-pounder shot at a mound, but without the results expected, as instead of splintering and throwing it down, the shot merely cracked it, and buried themselves deep in the substance without doing further injury. One of the shot was next day recovered from the mound. It had been discharged at the distance of twenty-one yards, with a charge of 16 ounces of powder, and had penetrated one yard and a half, splitting the mass in various directions. The land was seen once, and at noon we had drifted eight miles to the north, being nearly in midchannel ; but the whole body of the ice was very close, infinitely too much so for any vessel to have made way. The temperature varied from 30° to 36°+ ; and ice was formed on all the fresh water pools r'p »/ 382 CAULKING, &C. [CHAP.Vr. I. (luring the night. Barometer 29.95. A few holes, some distance apart, showed themselves in the evening, but, on the whole, the ice was ex- tremely close. The carpenters completed and had made a good job of the fore-foot, which was well secured with three plates of iron. June 29th. Land was fiiintly seen from S. S. E. to S. W. ; the work went on as usual. At noon the south-east wind had drifted us a little to the west, the ice being very close and no land in sight. Temperature from 32° to 36° + . Nothing transpired to alter our condition, for the wind with singular constancy kept to its old point of south-east, and consequently wedged the ice closer than ever 5 nevertheless all opportunities were seized to do whatever might accelerate our release from this icy cradle, and the carpenters were again busied in caulking the butt ends of the planking, as they came day by day within reach. On June 30th, four white whales appeared in a small hole of water near the ship, and occasionally a seal popped up its head. The laborious work upon the mounds went on cheerily, and though some of the men began to be affected with inflamed eyes, they did not on that account shrink from their duty. They had all along worn each a small screen of green veil j but finding that this did not effectually answer the purpose, they CHAP.Vi.] INAUSPICIOUS COLD. dSS contrived to make goggles witli crape over the ends, instead of glass, with other devices not without ingenuity. The most distressing event, however, was another instance of a relapse, in the person of Mr. Mould the assistant surgeon, who was very lame and altogether far from well. Gibbs, too, could not but be considered in an extremely precarious state, and his limbs, poor fellow, were dreadfully shrunk, and so weak, that he could not walk the length of the lower deck without assistance. In clearing away the ice from the fractured parts of the stern-post, apiece of its doubling two feet six inches in length, ex- tending from the four feet six inches mark to the seven feet, and consequently under water, was brought up by the carpenters, who further ascertained that the outer stern-post had been forced aft, and at the eight feet eight inches mark it had opened from the wooden ends one inch and a quarter. The night brought no change, and on July 1st the work was continued as before, but so cold had it been, that not only was ice formed on the fresh pools, but young ice was seen even round the edge of the floe on the sea water ; a strange phenomenon in the middle of summer, and not very auspicious for our hopes ; and, indeed an open passage could now hardly be expected, ifwewere tojudge from whatsurrounded us, for the entire body of ice was not only closely t(h )■■•■>' fi : i 384 CHEERFUL LAnOUIlS. [CHAT.VI. I m m wedged, but was more to the westward, more packed, and altogether more unfavourable to the prospect of a speedy release than a month before. In fact, all depended on the direction of the wind, as must ever be the case in the navigation of these seas. Unless that be favourable for driving out to sea the western packs of heavy ice, all human efforts must be vain. Land was once made out, bearing S.S.W., and the weather was dull and cold, the temperature having got to 80° + . The new moon brought us a north-east breeze, with a dark gloomy sky and abundance of rain, which did not cease throughout the night. One or two small calves started up from between the cracks alongside, and on July 2d the ice began to open out a little, having a limited space to niove in towards the main land to leeward. The temperature varied only from 30° to 33" + . No variation of any sort inter- vened to relieve the dull aspect of affairs, but July 3d at least brought us what we had not ex- perienced fur a fortnight — a fine day. We now discovered one part of the floe, on the starboard beam, less thick than the part at which we had been working ; and the men having got the ice- saw to work, and singing to time as they lifted it up and let it down, made such progress, that in the course of the forenoon, though the general thickness averaged from twelve to four- LHAP.VI.] SAWING AWAV THE ICE. 886 tccn feet, they got througli thirty feet ; whilst^ on the otlier side of the ship, another party was busy in clearing away the ice from the crack leading athwart the forefoot to the extremity of the floe in that direction. In the meantime the ship remained precisely in the same position* The observations made us a few mile? to the north and west, the latitude being (JS" I7' N., and longitude 7'i" 39' W. Finding the ice be- came thicker as the work approached the ship, it was necessary to have a longer saw j accordingly, the armourer, by means of the forge, formed two into one, thirty feet long, which, however, from its comparative thinness, we were apprehensive would not be strong enough. No change took place throughout the night, but the ice remained so pa» ked, that, had the sea||in been farther advanced, the whole would moit certainly have been connected im one iramense body. As it was, the temperature did not sink below freezing point, though it arrived at it, as indeed it had done foi* some time, within a degree or two. Oil July 4th the large saw was put into motion, and answered remarkabiv well, its own .weight being sufficient to carry it down without any other incumbrance. With it, iiierefore, we made better progress, though the ice was often as much as twenty feet thick, and by noon, had cut to a main crack, the least pressure against c c ill I :!| Mi ; r I M> 386 EMPLOYMENT FOB ARMOURER. [cHAP.VI. I I. f '■'' i I .' it which, it was hoped, would carry away the piece altogether. The wind having veered to N.N.E., made the ice a little more slack, though it re- mained still perfectly fixed. Having sawed as far as we could, the next step was to extricate the saw itself, in attempting which, having been accidentally broken in two, it was again repaired by our industrious and zealous armourer, who never seemed more delighted than when he had plenty of work on his hands. We now made a fresh survey of the ice directly astern of the ship j and, finding that some places were much thinner than others, we forthwith commenced digging and sinking a trench, from the edge of the floe towards, and in a line with, the keel, preparatory to trying what might be effected with the long saw. The rest of the afternoon was employed by the carpenters putting in two screw ring-bolts, about three feet fiom, and on a level with, the eleven feet mark, according to a plan by the carpenter, Mr. Smith, for securing the wooden ends and injured parts of the ship's dead wood. This consisted in simply passing the stream chain under the heel of the stern-post, through both ring-bolts, and securing it firmly on deck abaft, the object being to prevent any further damage tliereabouts, either from the ice or sea. On July 5th, land, which proved to be Salis- bury Island, was distinctly seen at N.W. by N., CHAP. VI.] LABOURS CONTINUED, 387 and some water could be made out from the mast-head, between south and west, but the ice near us was so close, that there would have been little difficulty in walking five or six miles in any direction. Indeed, it could not be otherwise with these never-ending easterly winds. As early as 4" a. m. the crew were working the long saw astern, and by noon had cut through twenty, five feet, or more, of sixteen-feet ice. On all these occasions the first lieutenant never quitted them, early or late, frequently putting his hand to the ropes himself, as did some of the mates and wairant officers ; and it is but justice to say, that nothing could exceed the cheerfulness and order in which this laborious daily toil was en- countered. The strictest regulations were ob- served respecting the changing of boots and stockings, &c., each time the men came on board, and again on returning to work, so that there were no complaints or illness of any kind from the constant exposure. Boards and plankinff were provided for them to stand upon, and a weak mixture of lime-juice was issued, at stated mtervals, to counteract any ill effect that might arise from too copious a use of cold water. New ice was nightly formed on all the pools, and sometimes at the edges of the salt water, though according to the thermometer, the tempcratui-e c c 2 III i '^ !' ' ii I li '. ', 388 IMPEDIMENTS FROM CALVES. [CHAP.VI. had only Varied from 33" to 34" + , the excess having been 40"+ in the southern exposurcr Notv^^ithstanding the compactness of the ice, the ship was this afternoon whirled round several times; and some calves becoming entangled with our floe near the part where the people were sawing, so impeded them, that the utmost achieved was only five feet. Early on July 6th the work was renewed j but from having cut in too slanting a direction, little was then accomplished : nevertheless, such was- their energy, that by noon fifty-three feet alto- gether were completed, through a thickness of twenty-six feet. Other parties were not behind in their endeavours, and three good sized calves were extricated from underneath heavier pieces, whilst another was heard by the first Lieutenant and myself grinding its passage out towards the^ edge of the floe. The entire body of the ice continued close as before, and Salisbury Island bore about W. by N., the latitude being63'^20' N., longitude 75° 25' W. Nothing could exceed the gloominess of the weather ; and though from the rain that fell it might have been expected to clear, there was no improvement, and neither wind nor ice seemed disposed to change. On July 7th some rumbling noises were heard by the officer of the watch, the precise cause of CHTAP.VI.J NEW HEN T DISCOVERED. 3gg which he was prevented by the fog from ascer^ ta;.iing. The crew assembled at the customary hour, and renewed their labour cheerily, though some were obliged to stand in the water which covered that part of the ice, in order to guide the saw. Fearing the consequences of this unavoidable exposure, I took care that they were often reheved, and an extra allowance of oatmeal, with a small quantity of spirits, was issued. Pieces of ice of various dimensions were either disentangled, or started up of their own accord, from between the broad crack athwart the bow and on both sides of the ship ; and as a further encouragement to us, we saw for the first time an entirely new rent through a thick part of the floe, which opened into the line of work made with the saw By noon another space of twenty.five feet . i oeen cut through, although a depth of from twenty-four to thirty feet of tough solid ice had to be penetrated at every motion of the saw ; and on examining the marks on the stern-post, it wa^ seen that the ship's draught was 8 feet 91 inches, and that she had settled down 5k inches. The general body of ice continued deplorably close, while the tempe- rature ranged between 32° and 43"+; the wind at east, and the barometer 29*94. A single seal was seen, the only one for many days. July 8th, It was found by the marks on the stern-post, &c. that theshiphadsunk three quarters c c 3 iifa^^' m^ 390 RIGGING SET UP. [CHAP.VI.^ lr» m m J of an inch forward, and risen half an inch abaft. The crew were early at their work, and felt the comfort of the extra allowance. The ice main- tained a similar thickness, and by noon another twenty-two feet were gained, which made alto- getherone hundred feet since the commencement; in fact, they were now approaching the stern, and at intervals they heard loud cracks close to them, as if something were yielding underneath. Considering that the event might taike place at a moment when least looked for, to the great danger of the people, I ordered ladders and ropes, to be hung from the stern within their reach, to which, if requisite, they might cling. They however seemed quite indifferent about the matter, and sang and worked as merrily as if they had been on terra firma. Easterly winds still prevailed, as did the gloomy sky ; but though the land was often obscured, yet once the Labra- dor coast appeared bearing from S. W. to S« W. by W., and Salisbury Island from N. W. by W. to N. W. by N., making us much about the same spot where we had been a month ago. The ice was impenetrably close. At midnight there was what seemed to be a dark water sky to the south- ward, along the coast, or it might be only the clouds, which were frequently seen hanging over the skirts of the land. On July 9th the fineness of the day tempted us to set up the rigging, and forego what we never CHAP. VI.] OCCUPATIONS. 391 did omit except on urgent occasions, the ob- servance of divine service j but a fine day was so uncommon, that we were glad to take advantage of it under any circumstances. The ice continued as close as ever, there being only one small liole of water near the ship. Here some narwhales came to breathe; and, as their timidity is extreme, they would scarcely have ventured so near, had there been any other place for the purpose. At noon SaUsbury Island was in sight from the deck, much in the same bearing as before. The latter part of the day was employed in erecting with the spare topmasts a pair of sheers, to transport the temporary rudder aft, and get it over the ship's side, in case the original one could not be brought into use when the ship floated. At mid- night the ice round us was slightly in motion but still kept close. July 10th. Water was discovered about six miles off, from S. W. to S. E., along the Labrador coast, and at noon Salisbury Island bore W. N. W. The people resumed their sawing in the early morning; and, although from the hardness of the ice, they did not make their usual progress, yet they kept hard at work, in the hope of reaching the stern- post in another twenty-four hours. Not far from them, others were cutting a nev/ trench at right angles to the ship, where it was intended to saw, in order, if possible, to disunite some of the ice c c 4 lii :' M I S92 nErORT OF THE Sllip's DRIFT. [cHAP.VIi i w j on which we were partly borne up. Already, indeed, it was so split by cracks, and our own exertions, that it seemed almost certain that the first commotion, when the whole body should begin to drift, would release us. The wind having blown from the east twenty-two days, at last veered to west; the weather became fine; and the temperature veered from 32°+ to 46°+. The following statement of the drift of the ship, whilst beset in the ice, between the 1st of January and the SOth of June 1837, was drawn up by Mr. Saunders (acting Master). Course Between Ist Jan. and 1st Feb. If. Feb. & Ist March. 1st Mar. & 2d April 2d April & Ist May Ist May & SOth May S.23° 4' E. S. 38° 12' E. S.62M5' E. S.69P59' E. S. 60=00' E. SOth May & SOth June S.87°SS' E. Distance. 6 Miles. 36 „ 29 „ 46 „ 70 „ 47 » January 1st, February 1st, March 1st, April 2d, May 1st, May SOth, Latitude observed. 64.° 51' 00" N. 64° 45' 00" N. 64° 16' 00" N. 64° 05' 00" N. 63° 49' 00" N. 63^^ 14' 00" N. 63" 12' 00" N. Longitude observed. 82° 25' 00" W. 82° 19'00" W. 81° 26' 00" W. 80° S7' SO" W. 78° 54' SO" W. 76° 38' 45" W. 74° 54' 00" W. June SOth, Thus it appears that the aggregate drift for six months only amounted two hundred and thirty-four miles. Some more narwhales appeared again in a hole close by, and a seal drew itself on the ice, / 1 1 111 « d U: •His ■■I m HBH {HM| I^Bm iw |^^^^Mn|t.. 191 IPI I ft t I 5B^v i 10"'.. if jm si' ^nMJt^'^W. ,, i, M n i > ■ ' i . 'i i , 1 ^ ll^^^l ■BI^^^H .+j ■fl^^H ■^ I^H ii ^^1 I^^H El Hll^^l y.^^^^i r 1 :;! 1/,^ «i m .1 !•' * CHAP. VI.] SHIP BURSTS HER DONDS. 395 no doubt to have a quiet lounge in the sunshine. This, however, the keenness of our sportsmen would not permit; and though they failed in their benevolent intentions, they effectually friglitened the visitors away. The light air from the westward had been so far beneficial as to loosen the ice, which was tranquil or in motion according to the tide, and whilst in motion several calves rose up from about and under the fore-foot. Early on July 11th Salisbury Island bore W.N. W. seven or eight leagues distant. The ice now acquired a more rapid drift ; and an old floe piece, having been driven against us, forced up some light ice by its pressure, but without breaking a morsel of our impregnable rock. The crew had resumed their customary labour ; and, as they drew nearer to the stern-post, v irious noises and crackings beneath them plainly hinted that something more than usual was in progress. After brcakfas*t I visited them, and the other parties, who were busy extricating calves and cutting a trench, as previously stated. Scarcely had I taken a few turns on deck and descended to my cabin, when a loud rumbling notified that the ship had broken her icy bonds and was sliding gently down into her own elem nt. I ran instantly on deck, and joined in the cheers of the offi- cers and njcn, who, dispersed on different pieces .,1 i m ^1 ,1' i 891 NOVELTY OF SCENE. [CHAP.VI. ii^ ,iji m 1; 11- ii i VI of ice, took this significant method of express- ing their feelings. It was a sight not to be forgotten. Standing on tlie tafrail, I saw the dark bubbling water below, and enormous masses of ice gently vibrating and springing to the sur- face J the lirtit Lieutenant was just climbing over the stern, while other groups were standing apart, separated by this new gulf; and the spars, together with working implements, were resting half in the water, half on the ice, whilst the saw, the instrument whereby this sudden effect had been produced, was bent double, and in that position forcibly detained by the body it had severed. I was then informed that having cut to within four feet of the stern-post, they had ceased for a few minutes, to refresh themselves, when the disruption took place, barely giving them time to clamber up as they could for safety ; whilst in the midst of all this bustle the first Lieutenant, finding himself raised up by the ice on which he stood to the highest step of one of the stem ladders, was seen composedly mounting it to come on board. Nor were the other parties less fortunate in escaping accidents; so that our joy on the oc- casion was not saddened by any serious misfor- tune. We soon found that the ship had only sunk down to the ten feet seven inches and a (luartcr mark foi*ward, and to the eleven feet nine ' N CHAP. VI.] WELL SOUNDED. 395 inches aft, having a heel of about two streaks over to port. The first thing w vs to sound the well, the water in which increased four inches in a quarter of an hour; and, supposing that this might be attributable to the change of the ship's plane, whereby the water which had been lodged astern was allowed to come forward, it produced for the moment but little uneasiness. I soon however perceived tJiat not only the offensive odour of the well water wap --Tie, but that what there was, was equally salt ^vith tin sea water alongside. As the slii. re.ster: almost entirely on the star- board bilge, e ruturally hoped that the first twirl of tide would set her fully at liberty j and in this hope the top-gallant masts were fielded, the yards crossed, and every thing put in readil ness to make sail. At noon the ice was stUl close except immediately round the ship. Mean- time an increased quantity of water found its way into the well, which in four hours, notwithstan- ding the constant use of one pump, had filled to the depth of nineteen inches. Subsequently, we gained two inches on the leak, which thence, forth kept pretty steady at ten or twelve inches. Below this, without the use of other means, it could not be reduced. The ponderous bodies that had hemmed us round for nine months and more, the objects of our terror, and yet perhaps the appointed means of safety, were now seeri I if i>. 396 STERN'POST SHATTERED. [cHAP. VI. m V: floating away, dark and discoloured, among tlie fresh and unspotted ice. We were now able to see clearly that the stern-post was sadly shattered; entirely broken from the starboard side, and projecting fully three feet and a half over to port. What other injury there might be we could not yet divine, as the keel and lower part of the hull were firmly imbedded in solid ice on both sides, though chiefly on the starboard, where a heavy fragment of the old floe still ad- hered. Imagining that additional weight in the ship might assist in breaking the under ice away, we hauled alongside of a small floe, where there was a pool of fresh water, and having got the engine to work with a long hose, shortly com- pleted our water to nineteen tons. But finding this without the effect desired, all sail was set ; and then, after bracing the yards in the most advantageous manner for our purpose, the officers and men sallied alternately from the one to the other side, and then fore and aft, still however without effect ; for although this shook the ship it shook the ice also, and the two, forming one connected body, merely undulated slightly to- gether. Sail, however, was kept set ; and with or ' extraordinary appendage, we drifted gently wherever the wind, which happened to be fair, listed to take us. Our motion did not exceed a quarter of a mile an hour; and, notwithstanding CHAP.VI.] LEAK NOT REDUCED^ 397 *» that detached pieces of greater or less dimensions were frequently encountered, they did little else tlian produce some deviation in the line of drift. Much water opened in sight to the southward and to the south-west, but the breeze was W.N.W., and we were driven about S.S.E. Throughout the night the pump was incessantly going, by which means, though the water at one time gained upon us, we were enabled generally to keep even with the leak, though not to reduce it. July 12th. The wind c ntinuing light, stud- ding sails and royals were set, the ship drifting as before. Some shores were placed under the fore chains, in the hope that they might assist to lift the ship off; but I was apprehensive that a strong purchase might have the effect of tearing away any fractured or splintered parts that should happen to be imbedded in the ice. In- deed, it was evident that great caution was required in the endeavour to release her entirely from her icy coating, as well on account of the damage which was already known, as of the further injuries that might have been sustained along the keel, which we were in no condition at that time to ascertain. It was, therefore, determined to have recourse again to the saw, which was forthwith put into order by our able armourer, the whole of the crew that could be spared from the pumps being, in the meantime. :'l i' 39S PROSPECTS CONSIDERED. [CHAP.VI, ' > f' t) . tj .1 ! , ,.'■ Jrv .,t employed in throwing off the surface of two of the three or four solid hummocks which yet remained alongside, while others of the same party cut a trench at right angles to the ship's beam, preparatory to using the saw. At noon there were some narwhales near, and flocks of loons flew past; but there were few or no gulls. Owing to the haziness of the weather no land was in sight. As I now hoped that a few days at most would yield the Terror to my own control, it became necessary for me to decide as to the possibility of accomplisliing the original purpose of the expe- dition J and, although the altered state of the health of almost all on board made the prospect less favourable than it had been ten months ago, yet I had not, until recently, entertained a doubt of executing in part, if not entirely, the mission on which I had been despatched It cannot, however, be denied that the loss of three valuable men, the entire disability of four or five others, the symptoms of disease lingering in many more — to say nothing of some of the officers who were visibly effected — had, together with Dr. Donovan's letter on the subject, ah'eady given me great uneasiness ; and now that the known damage of the ship proved to be far beyond what I had anticipated, or rather had hoped against hope ; this, with her leakage, and other injuries, apprehended though not known, forced uie to contemplate the possibility of a different CHAP. VI.] officers' opinion. 399 conclusion. Unwilling, however, to admit a thought so destructive of all my fondly-cherished liopes and wishes, I demanded the written opi- nion of the three Lieutenants and Master. These, in separate communications, and for various rea- sons, decided that nothing was left but to get the ship to England without delay ; and my own sense of duty finally concurring in this opinion, the resolution was most reluctantly adopted. In the afternoon we got the saw to work, and by 5" p. m. had cut to within a few feet of the ship's side, when, the ice being closer ahead, sail was reduced. We then drift,ed alongoide of a floe, round a point of which we contrived to pass about midnight, and saw much open water to the south-east. - : July 13th. Though there was ice in every direction, we continued to drift about a quarter of a mile an hour. Some small calves found their way from beneath our clog, and it was with great satisfaction that we contemplated the in- creased breadth of the saw line -a satisfaction not lessened by the discovery that the ship had settled more down, her draught now being abaft thirteen feet eight inches, and forward twelve feet eight. Neither, with the incessant working of one pump, had the water accumulated in the well beyond eleven inches. At 9'' a.m. there was a moderate breeze from the westward with •f 400 DISRUPTION NEAR SHIP. [CHAP.VI. a tilin mist, and, to our unaccustomed eyes a sight almost marvellous, a gentle swell on an apparently unbroken surface. It was thought the agitation, slight as it was, might crack or break the ice alongside ; but as it proved other- wise, two warps fixed to ice anchors, and lead- ing to either extremity of the ship, were firmly attached at a favourable angle for separating and entirely disuniting the entire mass; however, while we were in the act of heaving a powerful strain on the warps, it suddenly split diagonally from a hummocky point about fifteen paces from the starboard bow,, along its outer edge, to some- where near the after part of the main chains. Th3 detached portion, on which were two men, (a third being in the dingy, close to them), was instantaneously splintered into three pieces, two of which, singularly enough, were separately occupied by the persons just mentioned, who, standing steadily on the whirling and heaving ice, thus violently discarded, gave a hearty cheer, while their companion, having lost his balance from the sudden jerking of the dingy, lay stretched at full length, and grasping the gun- whale on each side. The cheering however was turned to astonishment, as they watched the ship slowly rising and heeling over to port. We on board had been surprised that no counter action occurred, and were beginning to wonder that the CHAP. VI.] PERILOUS EMEUGENCY. 1^01 vessel did not recover her equilibrium, but were now startled by the conviction that she was gradually going over ; and the great inclination rendering it impossible to stand on deck, every one clungon to windward as he best could. Then it was we beheld the strange and appalling spec- tacle of what may be fitly termed a submerged berg, fixed low down with one end to the ship's side, while the other, with the purchase of a long lever, advantageously placed at a right angle with the keel, was slowly rising towards the surface. Meanwhile, those who happened to be below, finding every thing falling, rushed or clambered on deck, where they saw the ship on her beam-ends, with the lee boats touching the water, and felt that a few moments only trem- bled between them and eternity. Yet in that awful crisis there was no confusion ; the sails were clewed up and lowered ; fresh men from former crews were stationed in the boats, which again were rather unhooked than lowered ; the barge was hoisted out ; and with a promptitude and presence of mind which I shall ever remem- ber with admiration, the whole five were pro- visioned and filled with arms, ammunition, and clothing, and veered astern clear of danger. The pumps were never quitted, and though ex- pecting that the ship might capsize, yet the question of "Does the leak gain on us*?" was 1) D * \ I I'l 1. .''« .;' H M ill ■( 1 i 402 AWKWARDNESS OF SITUATION. [CHAP. VI. ik ked, and when answered in the negative, there was still a manifestation of hope. Our fate, how- ever, yet hung in suspense, for not in the smallest degree did the ship right ; luipps'y for us there was a dead calm, which perhiitttd us to examine the berg. At the only part along the side, where we could effective I V act, h was found to be four fathoms thick, and along thi/' it was deter- mined to cut with liie saw, if, providcntiiillv, tin*e were sspared us for the operation. On goifKt round outside with the first Lieutenant, I counted nearly fourteen planks below the filled i>^; pari of the main chains to the edge of thti water, the angle of inclination being about twenty "five degrees, while on the lee side I stepped from the boat's thwart on deck. Looking at the bottom, we perceived that the keel, from the fore-foot aft, was torn and ragged, but to what extent the damage extended could not yet be ascertained. The exceeding awkwardness of our situation occasioned some difficulty in slinging and placing the stages and sheers for sawing, but this was surmounted j and by 11'' a.m. the work was begun, and went on cheerily. The men were told that much depended on their exertions, and were encouraged to finish their task the same day. Provisions were issued on deck, and weak grog supplied occasionally ; and thus fortified, and assisted by the ofiir'ss, they at CHAP. VI.] CREW HAUD AT WORK. 403 sang and worked with that characteristic indif- ference to peril vhich has been so often admired in British seamen. While we were thus occu- pied, several seahorses came up, and after listening and stretching out their necks with a sort of curious stupidity as they drew them- selves on the ice, they seemed undecided whether to remain or not; at length, however, they tumbled their uncouth bulks into the water, and disappeared. Meantime, considerable progress, as was imagined, was made with the saw ; but,' on sounding, it was found that instead of cutting up and down it had taken a slanting course, and thus obliged us to recommence ; and the lower part, too, proved so hard, that a longer time was required for finishing the half yet undone Seeing this, and reflecting that the heaviest part was detached, the same process was tried from aft j and, this being found to be easier, by midnight then; remained but twenty-five feet to cut, for connecting the two sections. Again the crew were supplied with food, making the third pound to each man since the commence- ment of the work in the forenoon ; but, on this occasion, hot cocoa was given instead of grog. After one hour's rest the laborious duty was re^ sumed, and,;stimulated with the desire of seeing the ship once more upright, they did not relax until nature asserted her prerogative. D D 2 (I IN f !il 404. SHIP RIGHTS. [chap. VI. ,H ; 'i/, After 2*" a. m., July 14th, many became so fligged and drowsy that, in spite of the energetic remonstrancesof the first Lieutenant, they worked mechanically, with their eyes shut ; and there- fore, anxious as I was that all should be accom- plished before a change of weather or other con- tingency should interfere, and though ten feet only were wanting to unite the fore and aft line, I gave direction that all should quit the ice, and lie down for two hours. It was remarked, about that time, that the ship had righted a few inches, but still no one could move about the deck with- out holding on by the ropes to windward. The people had crept under the shelter of the deck to escape from the chilling air of the morning (for filmy ice was forming on the sea) j the officers were dispersed about the deck above ; and I was contemplating the languid action of those whose turn it was to take the pumps, and more particularly, three or four jaded forms, stretched out in death-like slumber on the lee side — when, suddenly, there was a sensible yielding bfciieath the feet, with the grating sound of breaking ice, and, before a word could be spoken, the liberated ship righted entirely; while broken spars, the bent saw, and the massy berg, were all in com- motion together. Quick as they could spring, the crew jumped on deck, and I know not how many cheers commemorated the joyful occasion. ^ VI. ! SO etic ked 3re- 3m- :on- feet ne, a,nd out les, ith- rhe 2ck ing the md ose ore led !'i en, ath ce, ted the m- ow m. W^M ml ^1: Jl, j ■ i 1 • 'i^ • ; 1 i J. If •• i Hi ■' If i(1 '^» a S H H hi i> 1 ' .-1 ]' ill • '( v> 1H1 I *' CHAP. VI.] GRATIPyiNO IlEFLECTIONS. 405 It was u scene not to be forgotten by the spec- tators. It wanted but one day to complete four months since the ship had been thrown upon the ice. In that period what extraordinary phenomena we had witnessed— what manifold mercies had shielded us when all seemed des- perate, and now we were free : the good ship was once more in her own element, and subject to the will of man 1 I aimost doubted the reality of what I saw. yy The crew were agiiw alive for duty; and having unloaded and hoisted up the boats, the termination, as we hoped, of our weary anxieties was celebrated by the distribution of a little grog to the crew, who, after three cheers, which they requested permission to give, to myself and the officers, the fine 'fellows were sent to their hammocks. The officers were glad to follow the example of the men : Lieutenant Smyth, in particular, must have been greatly flitigued ; for since the 21st of June he had been himself daily at work, and his exertions throughout this trying affiiir were as meritorious as they were harassing. Two accidents only happened, from first to last, and one of these was slight; the other, as having befidlen an invalid, was more serious, but yet not dangerous. What might have happened had the people remained on the ice it is difficult to conjecture ; bu as it rose and fell against the DD 3 I f., / •\h I ': » fi'ii M J I' I i' ! H^r'l ui'i It I; 406 CLEARING DECKS. [CHAP.VI, ship's side, which again, on leaning over, pressed upon it, there is reason to apprehend that few would have survived that fetal crush. Wonder- ful, therefore, was the whole I and well might we repeat with the Psalmist, "They that go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their busi- ness m great waters ; these men see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." Who amongst us can ever forget that day ? The ship, though tolerably upright, had a trifling list to port : her draught of water, after the consumption of one year's food, was reduced only one foot, being fourteen feet eight inches forward, and fourteen feet seven abaft. Left to her own guidance, she went slowly before the wind, avoiding, in a remarkable manner, the many pieces of drift ice which surrounded her. At noon the weather was beautiful. I now heard from the carpenter, that during the time the ship was on her beam ends, the midship part of the upp'^r deck rose up, while both the ends were unsupported 5 a trial which, in his opinion, no other vessel could have withstood, but must inevitably have broken her back, and been in great danger of sinking. As soon as the hands were turned up, we commenced clearing the decks, and in endeavouring to stow away the gunner's stores, it was discovered that the water was pouring into the ship in two rills, which, CHAP. VI. j POMPS AT wonic. 407 finding their way by the stem-post, fell over the transom with a gush. Every thing was imm&- diately cleared out to enable the carpenter to get at the leak, and most of the things Were wet from having been under water. The casks in which bread was stowed, being water-tight^ little or no injury had been sustained by this important article* The water in the Well had been kept under, at first with three, and sub- sequently with two pumps, constantly at work ; and, even when the carpenters seemed to check the stream, which lashed through the leak, still those on deck could not relax in their efforts. July 15th. To the N.E. there was a pack of solid ice, and the drift ice was too thick to allow the ship to yaw about amongst it ; the little head- sail, therefore, that had been set, was taken in, and we began to pass a chain round and under the projecting part of the stern-post, heaving it so tight as to secure it against the effect of a heavy sea. The old rudder was now, by the help of the sheers erected for that purpose, taken on board, and the new one hoisted out and hung in its proper place. Sail was then set, and, having tacked under some disadvantage, we entertained a very favourable opinion of the result of the experiment. The ship, however, was very leewardly, and the shock occasioned by the first piece of ice that struck agamst her, D D 4 a I: III V' i f «i >i P^<4 h' 1. 1 y I i 408 EXPEDITION FRUSTRATED. [cHAP.VI. showed clearly how much she was shaken and weakened. I had waited for the verification of my apprehensions, before I could bring myself finally to relinquish the object of my mission ; but my last hope having now vanished,— the ship crazy, broken, and leaky,^I had no longer a choice ; and, accordingly, assembling the crew on the quarter deck, I told them they were now going home. It may be well pardoned them that their countenances brightened at the intel- iigence, and their feelings were manifested by three hearty cheers. Thus in effect ended an expedition, from which, had it been permitted to reach its port of disembarkation, it was reasonable to expect the full accomplishment of its objects. Un- controllable circumstances prevented it. The problem itself, which it was intended to solve, remains of course unaltered. Whether, notwith- standing a repulse which may fairly be considered as accidental, a further trial is to be made, is a question for the consideration of those to whose zeal and perseverance the science of geography is already so deeply indebted. The wind having got to the eastward, the ship was kept in the open water off Charies Island, in readiness to avail itself of any lead towards the mouth of the Strait. Another leak was discovered, which again intruded on our J CHAP. VI.] SLOW PROGRESS OF SHIP. 409 Sunday semce. At noon, the eastern point of Charles Island bore S. ^ W., and the ice con- tmuing packed to the eastward, we contented ourselves with standing off and on. The ship, however, was so leewardly, that by noon, July 17th,* we were only opposite to the east end of the same island, having made but seven miles to wind- ward in twenty-four hours ; though, in smooth water, with all reefs out and top-gallant sails set. Ihe leaks had been partially stopped ; but another passage was soon found out through and between the lining and the sides, and the same quantity of water made its way into the ship as before. As there was little prospect of much improvement in this respect, a different mode of working the pumps was adopted, and conduits were laid down and caulked, from the pumps to the ship's sides, in order to carry off the water without wetting the deck. We now sailed among loose ice, avoiding as carefully as possible any concussion ; for the shock even of a small piece made the ship's frame tremble in a manner that proved beyond doubt her rickety condition. Night as it advanced, brought rain with fog, and a freshening breeze wiiich induced us to shorten sail, and having tacked from the edge of the pack, we hove to. Next day, July 18th, the topsails were freble reefed, and as the same misty weather prevailed 410 HAINY WEATHER. [CHAP.VI. much caution and dexterity were required on the part of the officers in keeping clear of drift ice. All hands were yet occupied during the day in clearing those parts of the after hold ad- jacent to the leaks, and in restowing such as had already been disturbed. The carpenters detected a considerable rising in the lining of the star- board side of the bread-room, just between the sleeper and the stringer, against which there had been so violent a pressure for many months past. He secured it with sixteen long nails. Though the wind had got round to the westward, yet, thick and rainy as the weather was, all that could be done was to steer clear of the ice ; but on July 19th, the wind again veered to the north, and compelled us to beat to windward, to avoid being driven on the southern shore. At noon it rained heavily, and the ice was closely packed to the north-east. The two pumps were kept going as before, the leak making about four feet of water per hour. Temperature 35°-^. In the afternoon the freshening of the breeze made it necessary to reef the to >sails, and we continued skirting the f'dge of the pack until after midnight, when on the 20th, the ice beginning to stream off, and drift in v.'s quantities towards the southern land, it was requisite to make an effort to elude it, for fear of l>eing carried with it in that direc- tion. This, of necessity, threw us into the midst CHAP. VI. J DIFFICULTY OF STEERING. 411 of it } and, unmanageable as the ship was, and always going to leeward, the utmost attention on the part of tho^e on deck could not prevent her striking or grazing against various pieces, from the concussion of which she suffered greatly. Observing that the ice opened out to the north- east, in which direction I wished to go, for the pur- pose of returning along the known track of the iiorth shore, rather than by the unfrequented, and almost unknown navigation of the south one, ad- vantage was taken of the circumstance j and, though greatly annoyed by numerous unavoidable shocks from the drift ice, sufficient distance was gained to bring in sight the coast along which we had passed last year. Such, however, was the diffi- culty of steering clear of concussions, and so great the importance of saving our new rudder, which was in dauger of being carried away, that further progress was impossible j and as by good fortune an extensive floe was near, the ship was got to it and made fast by the usual means of ice anchors. At that time, one compact sheet of ice filled the Straits from shore to shore, and extended to the utmost limit of view to the eastward. At noon Charles Island bore (east end) W.S.W, and the Labrador shore stretched to the south and east, terminating in a point The temperature was 37°-f, and 44°+ in the sun. That of the sea water which in a free i \l\ ir !■. I 412 ship's DRAUGI!T INCREASED. [CHAP.VI. space was 35" + , was, when surrounded with ice, only 31° + . The effectual labours of the car- penter began to be manifested by a small but perceptible diminution of the depth of water in the well: in consequence, however, of the wood becoming sodden, the ship had increased her draught of water about two and a half inches. We found ourselves setting, as was supposed, fast to the south-east ; and, in the evening, the floe to which we were attached split into three pieces, though leaving our part stiJl large enough to hang on by. July 21st. The ice had driven us nearer to the Labrador Coast, a few miles from which was an island conjectured to be that called Weggs. The main shore was high and apparently rocky, behig diversified by hill and valley, where streaks and patches of snow yet remained. The channel between it and Charles Island seemed wide, and probably contributed to form some of the eccen- tric whirls, or currents, which every now and then visibly affected the ice. In the forenoon we w -e obliged to get more warps out, to haul the ship out of the way of such floe pieces as threat- ened to drive against the rudder; for, though the south shore might have been approached, there was not the smallest opening to the north and cast, nor indeed to the west. Two whales were seen, and a narwhale, together with a few boat- CHAP. VI.] HILLY COAST. 413 swains. At noon Charles Island bore W. by N. about eight leagues distant. There was much drift ice incommoding us in the afternoon, when the ship was hauled alongside the floe to allow of our fdling our tanks with fresh water. There must have been a perfect block to the east ; for though the wind was westerly, and, consequently, down the Straits, we moved only to the south- ward with the ice, which took us nearer and nearer the shore. About 6^ 30™ there was a probability of getting three or four miles to the south-east, whereupon we cast off from the floe and made sail, and, having accomplished the distance at 8^ p. m., we again made fast to a large floe. This had certainly been exposed to heavy pressure, for many blocks and masses of ice were thrown upon it, to the height of fiite^ri ^ r twenty feet. Jul> ^^2d, presented one glare of ice to the north- east and south-eitst from shore to shore, and at noon, we found by the observations that our drift had rather c:ir5v:^d m in shore ; so that we had now an opporti r ty of beholding the coast in all its frowning grandeur. It rose into high hills, deserving the name of mountains, and these were broken into numerous vallies, that after shelving in some places towards the sea, terminated abruptly in fearful precipices and perpendicular cliffs, accessible only to birds. j4 IIJ ' !i w A ' ili 414 FLOE-PIECES IN MOTION. [CHAP.VI. Some islands lay off, and, though evidently of no mean altitude, were completely in shade under these towering cliffs. Harbours pnd deep bights were sufficiently defined, but all were choked with ice, and unapproachable except by such pressure as we had no desire to experience. Two pumps were still required to keep the ship free. A whale was seen and several morses. Throughout the afternoon large floe pieces were observed to be setting in atmost every direction, even against the wind, which had considerably increased in strength; and frequently we were not a little embarrassed to protect the rudder against their assault, being compelled to make use of warps to avoid them. The carpenter, on examining the lining below, found that the water trickled through still higher than before, and that, in consequence, the ship's draught was augmented to fourteen feet eleven inches fore and aft, being three inches deeper than when she righted from the ice. Finding that the ice continued in motion, and that there was a lead somewhat nearer the land, I now decided on trying it, a^ not the slightest probability appeared of an opening towards the north shore, where, on the contrary, the view presented only one compact body of impene- trable ice. Although, therefore, I was not with- out some anxiety of being closed in against the CHAP. VI. CHAP. VI.] FREAK OF THE SHIP. 415 tly of no ie under jp bights choked by such )erience. the ship morses. :es were irection, iderably we were rudder make Iter, on bat the before, ^ht was les fore 1 when 3n, and e land, ightest ds the le view npene- t with- ist the shore, if, as was not impossible, the breeze should veer to the north and drive all the wind- ward ice ■ pon us ; yet I had, in fact, no alter- native. At 8^ 50"* p. M. the surrounding masses began to diift to the south-east ; and, coasting off from the floe, we threaded an in-shore lead under easy sail until 11** p. m., when farther progress being interrupted by the closing of the ice, the ship was kept beating to windward of the pack until the morning of July 23d, with the view of taking the first favourable opening that presented itself. The ship, however, de- cided the point herself rather more quickly than was anticipated; for, refusing to answer the helm, which had been put a-lee for tacking, she drove bodily to leeward into the pack, to the great risk of carrying aw? - the rudder and the remainder of the stern-post. This freak cost us some severe shocks in forcing a passage to a floe, round whose point we contrived to get by means of warping; and, as the prospect was rather more promising, sail was kept on the ship, and she bored her way with many sharp concussions and infinite windings till about 1^ p. m., wi^en, having run between twenty and thirty miljs, she was stopped by the usual impediment. Trifling as this distance may appear, it seemed considerable to us who had been so long driven wherever wind and tide chose to carry us. The line of :;:|. I f-^ ( ' lit) Nl9 i- iv' iu Ih' urn HBi w l''^l |\i3 I'll k! m 416 VISITED BY ESQUIMAUX. [CHAl'.VI. coast was still mountainous and imposing, with a singularly irregular outline, partially lost in a horizontjil band of fleecy clouds, whic . tl? ^ fine- ness of the day allowed to dwell there. Nor was variety wanting; for, besides num! rous dark and rugged islands extending fvoni point to point, there were spacious bays and harboui , almost land-locked, and stretching so far inland as to lose their sombre aspect in the soft 1 'ue of the distance. In one place there was an amphi- theatre of frowning hills, the bases of which were buried in mist, while the picturesque sum- mits stood out clear and defined, touched here and there with snow, producing an effect most striking, but of which no description could give an adequate idea. Four noisy natives of the Esquimaux race had the hardihood to venture through much difficult drift ice to the ship, from whence, however, they returned amply rewarded, and the richest of their tribe. Some of the pre- sents, supplied for that purpose by government, were given to them, together with a few brass medals, having the ship's name on one side, and a figure of Britannia on the other. The north shore could be seen from deck. In the evening the ice became rather slacker, and an intimation of the freshening of the westerly wind was given by the slipping of the warp over the head of the hummock to which it CHAP.VI.] ANOTHER INVAUO. 417 w fast( led, in consequenc he increased sti tining ^ the ship. Early , July 24th a tf pting lead appearing in the right direction, that is to say, slanting off the shore, sail was agair made, and leaving the floe, under the influence of a liesh breeze, we proceeded three or four miles without ; y imnediment from ice. At the end of that distance, uowever, the ship was compelled to bore an vy masses, and in so doing there was no bility of escaping many serious blows that )k her whole frame, though still without appai . nt injury. At 9" 30"* the impracticability of proceeding further became oparent, and we made fast to an extensive old floe, of the yellow tinted kind, which happened to be at hand. I ought to mention that, at one time, we fancied a brigantine was in sight, which, as the day became clearer, turned out to be an iceberg, being over towards the north shore. We had succeeded in diawing away from the land about twenty miles, and the whole of the forenoon we were set considerably to the south- east. The hope of getting entirely iree of the ice and breathing a different air had diffused fresh spirits in most of our invalids ; but it was annoying to find a new patient in the list, and one, too, who had passed through the regions of the winter without evincing the least symptom of disorder. The whole affair, indeed was inex- E E M i: ^^i. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V. A < V". % Z ^ 1.0 I.I 11.25 1^ 1 2.8 u 1^ 2.5 20 111= U IIIIII.6 ^ %""' vl 9^ > 7 /> 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 i" 4 '^°J%i N I -^IS TLOES NUMEROUS, [CHAP.VI. plicable to the medical officers, as we had had the advantage of the best provisions, and assuredly every comfort which persons situated as we were could possess. At l*- p m. catching a glimpse of an opening we left the floe, but after some boring were stopped, and again held on by the heaviest floe we had seen since the winter. There had been immense pressure on it, as with the floes in Fox's Channel, whence, judgmg from its dirty yellow colour, it had in all pro- bability come. In the evening we made another attempt, which, after an hour's trial, was again relinquished, and we made fast as before to another floe, a great number of which lay ^^ every direction. July 25th. The westerly breeze now failed us, and up to noon the ice was infinitely too close to permit our moving. After some time however, the ship was warped from floe to floe, as circumstances admitted, and at ^'^ p.m., just when it was thought that further progress was hopeless, and we were about to make fast, the ice gradually opened out, and sail being immedi- ately crowded on the ship, she went with hard boring between very heavy ice, at thj rate of two or three knots an hour, as was imagined, directly towards the north shore. ^ July 26th. It fell partially calm, but after 8" A. M, a light air sprang up j and, though com- CHAP. VI. J CURRENTS. 419 pletely hampered with ice of all descriptions, for the berg was then plainly discerned from deck, yet we thumped and glided on from piece to piece, and thus contrived to make a kind of devious course to the east-north-east. The Labrador coast was thrown up considerably by refraction, and, even allowing for this, appeared much nearer than our estimated run gave us reason to suppose. At noon tiiis was accounted for by the discovery that, though the longitude was considerably to the east, the latitude was actu- ally a few miles south of yesterday»s, thus demonstrating the influence of a current set- ting from the west along the Labrador shore, directly contrary to the set described by other officers as existing on the north side of the Straits. This fact corresponded with what we had already experienced somewhere about Mill Islands, where it may be remembered some overfalls were seen, which, together with a strong set down Fox's Channel, so completely overpowered the sailing qualities of the Terror, that for two days she was unable to beat through them. It is not improbable, therefore, that the upward current, becoming dissipated and broken along the sinuosities of the northern shore, may be finally turned by the stronger one from Fox's Channel, the effect of which would be that the set would be carried between the islands towards EE 2 ■ . , ^t. 420 SLOW PROGRESS. f CHAP. VI* Charles Island, and thence east into the Atlantic, as we found to be the case in fact. During the remainder of the day, and until noon of the 27th, the wind was light, but still strong enough to enable us to sail and bore among extremely heavy ice, which, from pieces of moderate dimensions, all at once changed its character to enormous floes, completely blocking up the passage across. We could therefore only coast along them, as well as the impediments permitted.* Our progress, therefore, was neces- sarily slow; but after g*' p. m. a casual slack taking place, the ship forced her way a few miles ahead, striking with startling violence, but yet, as on former occasions, without increasing her leakage, though a great deal of oakum had worked from out the seams under the counter. The ice was of an extraordinary thickness, and had, moreover, long projecting tongues two or three fathoms below the surface, which so ob- structed our course that, though the ship's head pointed often N.N.E., we only made good a S.E. line of direction. By midnight the entire body of ice closed in and beset us ; and the appearance, at the same time, of a faint aurora, brought about the recollection of last autumn. * Two pieces of ice with fragments, refuse, &c. passed us. They were conjectured to have come from one of the Hudson's Bay Company's ships probably passing along the north coast. CHAP. VI.] REFRACTION OF OBJECTS. 421 July ^8th brought no difference in our pro- spects, except indeed the unwonted presence, at this season of the year, of no fewer than nine or ten large bergs, the produce of Davis's Straits^ proving the prevalence of easterly winds from seaward, although of late we had experienced westerly ones in Hudson's Strait. Bergs of this description are always described, by those employed in the Greenland fishery, to *hold,* as it is termed, a great deal of water ; but every one of these, so far as could be discerned from the mast-head, was hemmed tightly round with ice, nor was water visible in any j)oint of the compass, with the sinfr^e exception of a narrow lane towards the Labrador shore. At noon the centre of Long Island bore S. W. There was, and had been for two days, considerable refraction of objects. The ship did not go her own length ahead, by l y ^' wer derived from her sails, and at nig' thj ice was unusually close-packed ; but what most astonished us' was a gentle swell, which perceptibly agitated the whole body around us, and indicated the- neighbourhood of open water, disturbed by strong easterly winds ; so that, having, in a manned exhausted the fine westerly breeze which had brought us thus far through the seemingly end- less nuisance (for it was now one year since we, first encountered it), our ship gently drifted to E E 3 !( I ' ki 4>22 POSITION AS BEFORE. [CHAP.VI. thesouth-east, in a sort of neutral territory between the confines of the polar and temperate regions. July 29th. It was in vain that topmast and top-gallant studding sails were set, for though they seemed to hug the gentle air aloft, we re- inained immovable. Daylight however proved, by the altered appearance of Long Island, that our drift had been southerly, and this was farther verified by the appearance of some flocks of ducks flying from the land towards the north. At noon our position was much the same, only that land, supposed to be Green Island, was observed to bear south-east. The temperature was 54°, hav- ing risen from 33°+. We were still completely beset, and as the day declined, the wind, gra- dually veering to the eastward, so interlocked the points of ice as to give the appearance of one vast floe. In the twenty-four hours, according to the noon observation of July 30th, our drift had been a little westerly, and full fifteen miles due south, which brought us still nearer to some low ishnds lying off Long Island, With every available sail set, the ship iiad forged ahead about twice her own length in four hours ; and though more or less sail was carried, according to the strength of the breeze, at midnight only a few hundred paces of distance had been gained. On July 31st, so close was the ice, that there GHAP.VI.] REVOLUTION OF ICE ASTERN. 423 was ho possibility of keeping the ship's head in the right direction, or preventing her from drifting bo- dily towards the land : sail, therefore, was shortened, and we made fast to the largest piece near. By this measure, however, our way to the south was rather increased than diminished, and sail was again set ; when, after drifting considerably to leeward, her head was at length forced in the right direction, and she went ahead about twice her own length. Then,findingallfurther exertion useless, theformer plan of carrying out an ice-anchor to the heaviest piece was adopted, and, the sails being furled^ we remained quiet until 10** 30"* a. m., when, by a sudden revolution of the ice astern, a weighty mass came in contact with the rudder, and, be- fore we could warp out of danger, had well nigh carried it away. A few minutes, however, sufficed to haul the ship's broadside to the larger piece, where we lay secure. It might have been expected, from our previous drift with a westerly breeze, that now that the wind had drawn round to the north-east we should have been driven still more to the southward, where some low rocks, apparently not much above the water, were ready to receive us. But here again was another anomaly; for, notwithstanding the drag of the ship against the ice to which she was anchored, greatly to our astonishment she went to wind- ward, almost, indeed, in the wind's eye, so that £ E 4 424 PUMPS STILL REQUIRED. [cHAP.VL, by nightfall the coast of Long Island, whose rugged rocks were contemplated eight hours l^efore with no agreeable sensations, was beginning to assume a fainter tinge, and to give place to the loom of some uncertain land, conjectured to be Green Island, bearing about east. Heavy rain, similar to that ordinarily met with at the edge of a pack, or at least in the vicinity of open water, together with thick weather, effectu- ally screened the shore from view. This continu- ing throughout the night, on August 1st we had no means of ascertaining our position otherwise than by sounding; but as this gave one hundred and twenty.eight fathoms water, on a muddy bottom, all cause for anxiety was at an end. The ice continued to slacken about the ship and to windward, and at noon the tempera, ture was 34". Two pumps were always required to keep the ship free; and, notwithstanding our present sheltered situation, yet the jerking and concussions received from passing ice added to the effect of a slight swell, just sufficient to swing the broadside at intervals against the piece to which we were attached, had contri- buted to weaken still further the after part of the ship, so that, to use the carpenter?s phrase* «the bolts wept;" or, in other words, were already sufficiently loosened to allow of the Waters oozing between them and the wooci* H J^ CHAP.Vr.] SHIP STRUCK BY A PLOE. 4gJ The result was an increase of water in the well, amounting now m a little more than five feet per hour, and an apprehension tliat it would be still further augmented on exposure to a rolling sea. Several heavy remnants of floes hovered for three or four hours of a rainy night alarmingly near our rudder and quarter ; and, anxious as we were to guard these tender and important points, it was not a little curious to observe the eccentric movements of those huge masses j now pressing directly towards us, now turning aside and athwart the previous course, as it were reluctantly retreating ; then again, as if urged by fresh vigour, turning slowly round, and gradu- ally reapproaching ; until suddenly, under some powerful but unseen influence, their whirling ceased, and they started off with accelerated speed in a straight undeviating line, immediately against the wind, ploughing up or tossing aside every impediment that crossed their way. Rain fell all night, up to noon of Av ijst 2d, the wind continuing north-east and the ice close, whilst a gentle swell occasionally agitated the ship. No land could be seen. At 2" 40"' p. m. a sudden commotion took place among the ice, perhaps occasioned by the spring tide, which drove a large floe against the ship, upon the star- board quarter, ^yith a crash that brought most of the officers on deck. Fortunately, the blow IF 42G HKAVY MISTS. CciiAP.vr. if f- r ft was not rc^^eatccl; and, after a lapse of two hours, it floated away to tlie leeward, whither, indeed, all tlie lighter ice seemed to be drifting, in the direction of south-east. The same dark thick weather, with incessant rain, prevailed throughout the night, the ice being often very slack, and then closing again with some degree of violence. August 3d. Finding that the stern was more exposed than the bow, which had the shelter of a projecting point of our holding piece, the ship was turned round end for end, and secured ; though, such was the uncertain action of the drift ice, that it was little better than chance which was the better direction. At noon we were still in the dark as to our position; but, judging from the numerous flocks of loons flying backwards and forwards morning and evening, it was conjectured that the land could not be very remote. Meanwhile, the easterly wind and mist continued, the temperature varying from 32° to 37° + . About ^- P.M. the ice closed rapidly around us; and a heavy floe which had been at rest for some hours, acquiring instant speed, struck our holding piece so forcibly as to split it, leaving, however, a remnant sufficient for our purpose, when some necessaiy alterations had been made with the warp. At 4^ there was a partial clearing above, and some low land CHAP. VI.] TWO BERGS DISCOVEUliU. 427 was indistinctly seen, bearing E.S.E. ; but the return of the mist again obscured it, and left us ignorant of wliat part it was. Immense flocks of loons kept constantly flying in every direction, betraying a restlessness altogether unaccountable. There was no lack of water, which, however, they seemed to disregard ; so that had not we caught a glimpse of our position, I should have certainly thought we were not far from the rocks where they roosted. Not long after this, two bergs were discovered ; and the wind having veered to north-west, and the ice become more apart, I determined on casting off from what had carried us safely through three days of mist. I was utterly at a loss to know whether the ship was north or south of her last ascertained posi- tion ; but, as the horizon was visible for about four miles, and nothing appeared to indicate land, we warped a short distance, and then made sail. The ice continued slack, and we had the satis- faction to find that the ship glided through the water, tliough not without the usual penalty of some sev . ;, shocks, which made her tremble to her very keel. The carpenter had been assidu- ously employed in an attempt to force up a quantity of oakum and tallow between the doubling and the rents in the stern-post, in the hope of choking some portion of the leaks thereabouts j and the experiment, so far as he ^!^- ■^4- -^ J..Ba3iuj.U(i. .\\ ) 11 ■■^■t f, Mr. Rice says, — " I beg to lay before you a sketch of the fractured stern-post and run of the ship, copied from an outline taken with great accuracy by Lieutenant Smyth, with a camera lucida, feeling sure that such a repre- sentation will give a better idea of the nature of the damage than any thing short of actually seeing the ship." ./ 75" Broken ?} ^ jo^ Dip 86° 56 ^ ,. 4j« fTn the Surfers of ... Show& the Ship^ tro with the nudn body The letters alontf eaeh days ' true I of the wuui and w wind and die futures itt j'orce . TOR T olr" NH 6^ .(i6 I I G5 61 .63 / ■"•c ./ / I i I o en > •A dc»i w ,t*^ M^. / J / ^*> C.PnBlm)kr ( V J Z' y ^'' Man* ell ' Island 7K» Imidon /iii/tj/Atti aay>/\ law tvJ,t of I'miiani^t bv J.Mirrav June 28 '!" 1338. h o Cm O CQ iz; •< IS » O i I i 1 -'^' tf • 3^ CM O) § 0» 8 8 2 00 01 ^1 0» a (M S3 05 at 00 .H 0« (M O) 05 0> Oi 01 00 O) 00 04 E I i o 01 O) 01 o Oi 04 Wi O) 01 o so 0» CO 04 CO 0> O) 04 V4 CO o 04 00 o 04 00 o> 04 S §5 0» 01 O) 04 o> 04 00 CO 04 04 00 04 00 o 04 u 8 SI'S a c CO CO o CO 04 «5 o» 04 O CO 05 04 ^ rf 05 O) 05 05 04 o 00 o CO 00 o 00 00 CO 05 0» 04 05 0> 04 04 to O O CO « CO 00 o CO "5 o CO 00 00 o CO CO O- co o CO o CO t' ■* o CO o 04 o CO a I 1< o CO 00 04 •s 01 a. ^ i CO J. •* 04 oo 00 04 +g + CO , CO + P . -: . "5 I 2 I o I d I c5 . 04 I 04 I 04 I CO 1 ri + i^ ,04 .« + '-' +* 4.*^ j.'^i ^-1 ^M +C0 +(0 CO ^ CO 04 01 o 00 +:: 01 4^ CO E a e I + s -*1 ^ ?! -i5;i§?i^i;Sio,5|to 04 04 04 05 04 ■^n ^ ^ ?l+^+^+2+<^+gJ4.^ ^ ^ s I a I " O) aco c oo « o u *> 5co lU 00 o -^ n en «& lU 3 •^< ^c Ml- 3 2 c S n o 0^ "a! c§ •s- Ol u ki. > /.'I le. Variat" W. ' 5 5 5 APPENDIX. 453 • 53 00 56 12 i i 454. , I f .APPENDIX. ^ ^ pH ••• ^ s 1.; 1^- ^>r^ o v> S^s «5^ -3 , ^« S'S S?"^ '^ K >>a •♦* 3 « ■« *> . w ►. •si '^ S c '3 0.2 ^ C9 ca 1^ IS^ « . w . »^ >-) 3 O « »-4 o >o *< M o <£) ,8 APPENDIX. I O "K ^ .s g ^ a. _§ # ^ ■3 •y S ^ « ■3 t» :S .& s ■a 1 ll 1 > § 1 0) 1 1 "? 1 1 l3fl s . ^ ^ •11 5 •? 1 1^ 8 b 1 8 ? V 4; ►-« ■5 5 5°o. H S a c a"' o O O O « I III w) Sd 8) Si's _ ^ J 3 r I ■a ^ II •a •9 IIP OO w«o OO0O o ooo to « 00 ©1 o (O « o o •-< t- 00 V U) U) U5 «o U5 U5 O U5 01 U5 to 11 »5 00 W to O If) «i to to o o tn 00 CO 00 CI 01 m 00 •H O 00 00 o o 00 8 IN to 00 "5 (N ^ N . 58 58 55 40 14 07 35 )3 MR. MURRAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW BOOKS IN THE PRESS, OR IN PREPARATION. JULY, 1838. UNIVERSAL BIOGRAPHY. The character of our general Biographies, as measured with some now existing elsewhere, must be allowed to be unworthy of the literary and scientific fame and resources of this country. We have no works of the class that are not at once narrow in plan, and clumsy in exepution ; but even had their original defects been less discreditable, the lapse of time must have been sufficient to render them comparatively useless, Mr. Murray has, during several years, had his attention fixed upon this remarkable deficiency ; and he is now enabled to promise the speedy issue of a DETAILED PROSPECTUS OF A NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY UPON A LARGE SCALE. Arrangements are made by which he has secured the assistance, in every department, of persons who are acknowledged to have reached distinguished eminence in their several pursuits; and the general supervision is entrusted to a few gentlemen, capable of giving unity of purpose and tone to the whole mass of materials. It is the object of the Editors to combine accuracy of statement with a certain liveliness in style and method, so as to furnish at once a tmstworthy book of reference, and a large collection of instructive and amusing reading. No party or sectarian feelino-s or prejudices will be allowed to interfere; and though the illus- trious persons of our own country, whether dead or living, must of course be treated at greater length than others, such space shall be given to all really great names, that the English Student may henceforth be independent of foreign repositories. The Work will appear in Monthly Parts, 8vo. *«* Communications, suggestions, and proposals, addressed to the Editors, will be welcomed with every attention and consideration. \1 il MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF NEW HOOI THE GREAT LOUD CHATHAM. ^'2^¥f ^.^^'"^^^^N^E or WILLIAM PITT. First Edited by the Executors of his Sou, JOHN, 8vo. Vol.1. Ready. Earl of Chatham. _ EARL of CHATHAM. NOTICES OP THE GOVERNMENT and PEOPLE of AUSTRIA To whit4i is added a JOURNEY from VI I«:NN A through STYRIA, ILLYRIA, ami iSTRrA. to TRIESTE and POLA. By PETER EVAN TURNBULL, Esq., F.R.S. F.S.A. CAPTAIN BACK, R.N. An AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE of the PERILS and ESCAPE of HER MAJESTY'S SHIP TERROR, after having beer. Enclosed from more than Twelve Months in the ice ot Hudson s Strait and Fox's Channel By CAPTAIN BACK, R.N. With numerous Views, Drawn on the Spot by Captain Smyth, Illustratmg the Dangerous Situation of the Vessel. 8vo. Ready. WILLIAM SCROPE, Esq. The ART of DEER-STALKING ; illustrated by a Narrative of a few days' Sport in the Forest of Alholl, with some Account of the Nature and Habits of the Deer, and a short Description of the Scotch Forests, their Legends and Super- Spnn^^""^' ""^ Poachers, Freebooters, &c. &c. By WILLIAM SCROPE, Esq.. F.L.S. Illustrated from the Drawings and Paintmgs of Edwin and Charles Landseer, R.A. RoyalSvo. I CHARLES LYELL, Esq. ELEMENTS of GEOLOGY, for the Use of Begin- ners. ° By CHARLES LYELL, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S.. Author of the ' Principles of Geology.' With numerous Views and Diagrams, Explanatory and Illustrative • and Figures of Fossils. 1vol. 12mo. ' LORD MA HON. HISTORY of ENGLAND, from the Peace UTRECHT to the Peace of AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. By LORD MAHON. Volume IIL (which completes the Work). 8vo. of ^ MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF NKVV BOOKS. 3 THE LATE WILLIAM MOORCROFT. TRAVELS in the HIMALAYAN PRO\ INCES of III DOSTAN and the PANJAB, in LADAKII and KASHMIR, in PESHAWAR, KABAL, KUNDUZ and BOKHARA. By Mr. WILLIAM MOOIU ROFT and Mr. GEORGE TREBKCK. Prepared for the Press from Origiiuil Jonrnals nnd C'lrrespondence. By HORACE HAYMAN WILSON. M.A., F.R.S. With an elaborate Mup, by John Aiihowsmith, and Plates. 2 vols. 8vo. LORD BYRON. LETTERS, JOURNALS, and PROSE WORKS of LORD BYRON, including his LIFE by THOMAS MOORE. Printed uniforndy with the recent Edition of his Works. Complete in one volume, with Original Notes, now first published, wjth Portrait anil Frontispiece. Koyal 6vo, RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, Esq. The ' SILURIAN REGION,' and Adjacent Coun- ties of ENGLAND and WALES, Geologically Illustrated; including Salop, Hereford, Radnor, Montgomery, Brecknock, Caermarthen, Penibroke, Monmouth, Worcester, Gloucester, aiid Stafford. By R. I. MURCHISON, F.R.S., Vice-President of the Geo' tgical Society, F.L.S., Hon. Member R.I.A., &c. &c. 2 vols. Royal 4to. With large Geological Map, Views, Coloured Sections, and numerous Plates of Organic Remains. Price Five Guineas to Subscribers; Eight Guineas to the Public. ' \| VISCOUNT ROYSTON. The REMAINS of the Late LORD VISCOUNT ROYSTON, with a Memoir of hi , Life. By the Rev. HENRY PEPYS, B.D., Prebendary of Wells. Royal 8vo. Ready. of HENRY HALLAM, Esq. An INTRODUCTION to the HISTORY of LITE- RATURE in the XVth. XVIth, and XVIIth. Centuries. By HENRY HALLAM, F.S.A. Volun)es II,, III., IV. 8vo., which complete the Work. MR. MUKUAYS LIST OF NEW BOOKS. NRW GUIDES TO THE CONTINENT HAND-BOOK FOR TUAVKLLKHS SWITZERLAND. SAVOY, and PIEDMONT With a Map. PoHt 8vo. A HAND-BOOK for TRAVELLERS NORTHERN EUROPE. HKINfl A OUIDK TO DENMARK. NORWAY, SWEDEN and RUSSIA. With Map and Plans. Pont 8vo. Rev.IJ H. MILMAN'S Edition of GIBBON Vol. V. With Map. 8vo. (On the Ist August.) THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. The Eleventh Volume of DISPATCHES md TOR ,?^SPONpENCE of His Grace the DUKF c^ WEI LING rON. Edited by COLONEL GURWOOD 8vo Ready. GENERAL WOLFE. . MEMOIRS of GENERAL WOLFE, MTiU r- r '^^^ Conqueror of Canada. With Extracts from his Correspondence. 2 vols. Post 8vo. POPULAR GEOGRAPHY, containing ail that most deserves to be known of the Nature and Histo^ of the ult^^Jl-'r' "^ '^'l ^"I"" '^ ^" P'"^^^"^ ^" 'he Public a Popular embrac^ equally Historical and Physical °Geo^->-raphv a Jn especally to be ment....ed, since the fbrmer branl She ScE of Geography ,s generally omitted in works hitherto nubliZd which are rather books of reference • while thk 11'^ !i r ' general perusal, as well as for reference ^'"^"'^ ^""^ BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY A Smaller UNIVERSAL BIOGRAPHY. Alpha- betically arranged In One closely printed VoLUMf 8vo Contaunng, by a Novel Arrangement, more InformaUon bv onr' third than any similar Work of equal bulk '"'°""*"''" ^y °n«- MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF NKW BOOKS. NEW SCHOOL BOOKS. A New CLASSICAL DICTIONARY of AN- CIKNT MYTHOLOGY, HISTORY, lUOGIiyVPHY, iiiul OEOORAPHY, on an improved plan. Broii« SUCCESSFUL l^n^VoftsVT^: "^ '"* HENRY HALFORD, ,^ . „,„ BISHOP HEBER. KaI nffh^f P^? '■"^ ^™^ SUNDAY in the Third Edi- THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY. nf'th^M^^^J^^^^ ^"^ CORRESPONDENCE VOYAGE de I'ARABIE PETREE. Par M. LEON de LABORDE. laJd'lin^F original magnificent French Work recently trans- nrinl \ ?"!'"H; f ^^'y '^™'»«d number of Copies were pnnted and the Book is now become rare. With'^ Seven v L^rge Plates and Forty Woodcuts. Folio. 12L *'"" ^^^^"^^ SIR HUMPHRY DAVY. CONSOLATIONS in TRAVEL- or thp TA«iT «art., late P.R.S. Third Edition. Foolscap 8vo. 6*. H. GALLY KNIGHT, Esq. The NORMANS in SICILY; or, Notes of I Jour- ''?,rt" •" -^'^CILY in the Autumn of 1836, chiefly illustrative ' Notes ofa Tour in Normfndy.?"/o'stl:o:' Kc/. """''" '^ ILLUSTRATIONS of the NORMANS in SICILY Being a Series of Drawings of the Saracenic and Norman Re- F,rv.lf:Lr"t';. '■"" '■ ■"" "• ^°«°- <=""'"^"^'^ A MEMOIR of PEREGRINE BERTIE, Eleventh ' Elizabeths Forces ]n the Low Countries and in Prance and GETrRAT,oT'''^^S ''''''^E^'''A'*T '» the FOURTH l»b^JlHATION. Witli Portrait. 8\o. 8s. 6rf. MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF NEW BOOKS. 11 ROBERT SOUTH EY, Esq. The BOOK of the CHURCH. By ROBERT SOUTHEY, Esq. Fourth Edition, Corrected, and Improved by the Insertion of all the Authorities, and a Copious Index. 1 vol. 8vo. 125. MRS. SOMERVILLE. On the CONNEXION of the PHYSICAL SCI- ENCES. By MARY SOMERVILLE. Fourth Edition. 12mo. 105. 6d. SIR GEORGE HEAD. A CONTINUATION of the HOME TOUR through various parts of ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, and IRELAND, including the CHANNEL ISLANDS and ISLE of MAN. By SIR GEORGE HEAD. Post 8vo. 9s. 6d. JESSE'S GLEANINGS in NATURAL HISTORY. Fourth Edition of the Three Series. In 2 vols. With Woodcuts. Fcap. 8vo. 12s. JOURNAL of a NATURALIST. Fourth and Cheaper Edition. With Illustrations. Post 8vo. JOURNAL of the GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. Vol. III. Part 2. With Maps, &c. Bvo. 2*. 6d. Contents : — W. I. Hamilton, Esq. Notes of a Journey in Asia Minor.— Captain Vetch, on the Political Geography and Geogra- phical Nomenclature of Australia. — Lieut. Whitelock. Sketch of the Islands and Coast at the Entrance of the Persian Gulf. — William Ainsworth, Esq., on the Geography of the Cilician and Syrian Gates.~Lieut. R. Ethersey, on the Bore in the Gulf of Cambay. — Mr. T. Spratt, on the supposed Situation of Minoa and Nisffia. — Professor Baer, on the Ground Ice or Frozen Soil of Siberia. — Messrs. Dease and T. Simpson, recent Arctic Dis- coveries. — Monsieur De Falbe, heights obtained during the Campaign to Kostantinah, in September, 1 837.— Lieut.-Colonel Chesney, on the Bay of Antioch, and the Ruins of Seleueia Pieria. —Sketch of the Progress of Geography, and of the labours of the Royal Geographical Society during the years 1837-8. By the Secretary. CONTENTS OF MR. MURRAY'S LIST OF BOOKS. A New Biographical Clctiouary . * • A'jetcrombie on the Inti^llectual Powers . . /fabLage's Bridegwater Treatise . . . Lack, Captain, Perils and Escape of Her Majesty's Ship Terror Barrow's Life of Howe . i . . Biographical Dictionary, a suialler . . . Bowles Discourses on the Cartoons . . i Buttman's Irregular Oreek Verbs . . Byron, Lord, Life and Prose Works . . rhatham Papers . • • . Classical Dictionary for Iischools ... Conversations on Nature and Art . . . Cousin on Education in Holland . . . Crabbe's Life by his Son j « . . Davy's Consolations in Travel . . . . Geographical Journal, Vol. VIII. . . . Geography, Popular, for Schoi'ls . . • Haltbrd, Sir Henry, New EsHay . Hallam's, Dr., Literary History, Vols. II., III., luhi IV. . Hand-buok for Travellers in Switzerland aud Sav.iy • Hand-book for i ravellers in Denmark, Norway, ^weOsi, and Riisuia I: -iiKi-l'ook for 'yiavellers on the Continent, New Editi.)a H^'ui's Home Tour . . • . HeLfi !» Pa:; ih Sermons .... Hortou'sSis' R. Wilniol, i'efenceof EarlBathurst's Canadian Administrati „ Oath on the Catholic Relief Bill considered Jesse's »rl\ .■injfs in Natural History . . . Knight.'* 7s icraaan in Sicily . . . Illustratio\!s of . . . . Laborde's Visit to Petraea and Mount Sinai . . Voyage de I'Arabie PetrSe . • • Lockharl's Life of Burns .... Lyell, Charles, Elements of Geology . . Mahon's, Lord, History of England, Vol. III. • . Memoir of Peregrine Bertie .... Milman's Gibbon, Vols. I. to HI. . . • Vol. IV. .... Moorcrofl's Travels .... Murchison's Silurian Region . . Naturalist, Journal of • • • • Oxeuham's Latin Elegiacs . . • Pedro of Castille .... Peel'i, Sir Robert, Speech on Ballot . Royston, Viscount, Remains of • • • Scott, Sir Walter, Life of . . • . Scrope's Art of Deer Stalking Somervillc, Mary, on the Physical Sciences . Southey's Book of the Church Siate Papers, published by Her Majesty's Commission, Vols. IV. and V. TurcbuU's Notices of Austria Wn-igen's Art and Artists in England . Ward's True Character of the Revolution of 1688 Wellesley's, Marquis, Dispatches Wellington's Dispatches, Vol. XI. . • Wellsted's Travels in Ambia .... Wilberforce's Life .... Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians . • . Wolfe, Life of General .... Wordsworth's Pompeian Inscriptions . . . Wordsworth, i /. Charles, New Greek Grammar , ion Page 8 8 6 4 7 9 ;i 2 5 8 8 ib. 10 11 4 10 3 4 ib, 9 11 10 5 ib. 11 10 ib. 8 10 9 2 ib. 10 6 4 3 3 n 5 8 7 3 9 2 11 ib. 7 2 6 9 10 4,6 7 5 6 4 9 5 BOOKS. IU1& ministration red and V. Page 8 8 2 4 7 'J 3 t 5 8 8 ib. 10 11 4 10 3 4 ib. 9 11 10 5 ib. 11 10 ib. 8 10 9 2 ib. 10 6 4 3 3 11 5 8 7 3 9 2 11 ib. 7 2 6 9 10 4,6 7 5 6 4 9 5