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BV S I R J O H N R O S S, C. B., K. S. A., K. C. S., &o. ^o. CAPTAIN IN THE ROYAL NAVY. <^().M VIANDEU, > ow CAPTAIN, JAMES CLAUK ROSS, R.N., I.R.S., F.L.S., f,,. AND ®t)c i3iscouerp of m iaortDcrn if«aflnctit mu. LONDOiX: ^ \V. u KHSTEH, i5(i, REG EM STREET. I HA.Xii ' 4 C" I i (.ItNl'IlM', BK^flOltl llOl-t, tlH^M'. j TO HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, WILLIAM IV. KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, &c. THIS NARRATIVE OF THE IN THE YEARS 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, anh 1833, isi DEDICATED WITH HIS MAJESTY'S GRACIOUS PERMISSION, BY HIS MAJESTY'S LOYAL AND DEVOTED SUBJECT, JOHN ROSS, CAPTAIN IN THE ROYAL NAVY. ADVERTISEMEM HE Autho. . .ens.b.e that he owes h.s „u.„en,us .ad gene.ous 8,..,...,b... .so.ne ^.pology for the delay which ha. occurred i„ the pubHcation of his work: a .,eh.y ■. ve.vat,ous to him as it must have been wearisome to them. But they wi.o knoj'thc ....bles connected with printing, and still more w.th engraving, w.ll not be surpr.sed ,- ■ U. those causes he n.ust ad., h.s absence from England during many mo ths of tl-e last year. Trustu.g in this, 1„ subscribes himself. Their most obedient humble Servant, JOHN KOSS. EK K AT A. i IX, 1 I, line 0, for souilarli/, read norllicrhi- JO, 11, for yiii(icn(, read t-ngiiufr. .'■.>, I. 17, alter mutinij, insert a eomina, and rorrecl the two lines thus; having taken ailmnlagc u)' oui ihlmi in joining that ship- It irus S'mn, iVc 'M, I. 1 J, lor reef, read reefed. .14, I. 12, after us, insert /ram. 35, 1. 14, after Malin head, insert in sight 39, .'i lines from the bottom, for delectable, read detestable. 43, hi-st line, after along, insert when. 4.'i, I. 8, after and, insert with. 47, 4 lines from the bottom, after stream, insert iiul. 48, I Hi, for would, read might. 50, I. '2, forjbr, read un. 51,3 lines from tlie bottom, tor looms, read /ou'i.s'. 53, 3 lines from the bottom, for again was. read was again. 5B, 1. Hi, for heing, read is. 61, !• 7. for jiers/ieelion, read prs/ii'i'/ii'i;. 02, I. 13, after Mou/.i'/i, insert it was. (Jti, 1.1-1, for unii (Acir hair, read jc/iiVc Mt'o- Aijic was. 'Vi. l'.4Gl 107, I. 9, after jiai/ing, insert (( 110, I. 20, after rotten, insert ui/iifc I 10, 3 lines from Oie bottom, lor beech, lead /»<(,/, 1 14, .) lines from the bottom, after and, insert /■■ Houthia, insert Iwing ; and after wiVc. line J Ir. bottom, insert and 123, I. 3, lor 78^ 59', read 70' 59 158, 1. 22, for 1(,° 22', read 70 22 188, I. 15, for unreeving, read nnne/ini; 228, 1. 5, for accorded, read reeouled. 231, 3 lines from the bottom, for Here, read iiai. 34(5, 7 lines from the bottom, here, and lUuHlie funeral, rearl funereal 399,4 lines from tliebottoi. I. {r,r i'migraliuna,\KM\ miiii 418, 1, tj, for in, read oh. I 454, last line but one, dele to. I 4ti7, I. 20, after us, add hopes of ; and I 21, allei dele hopes of I 475, I. 0, for 8, read K , 1 495, last line, for the, read tnis ! 517, 1. 11, for 12', read 12 I 584, last line but one, for game, lead nuit i 5"8, I. 20, for winlri), read wanting . 027,1. 14, for »'t'rt' let', read ree were. ; 628, lines 18 and 25, for tracts, read tracks '. 047, I. 20, for so be, read to be. 050, 1. 10, for informing us, read informing them 058, 1. 8, for one, read once. 090. lines tram die bottom, lor farundi. lead /«.i( . .■Il.i II. lilt II. t(ii att'ot.. :i INTRODUCTION. \ That th. public should ex|..ct sun.c n.tro.luction to .1... joun.il of u vov»ue which 1ms ,.ttra..t<.d .o „,uch notice, is natural ; but havu.g placed at the connucnccuu.,.t of •1.0 narrative, all those n.atters which n.htle to th.. onpnal project, to tiu. fumncal arranocu.ent. under which the expedition was undertaken, to the fitting out of the slup. and the selection of the olKeers and crew, [ have anticipated, if I n.av so say, in the "ork itself, much oftlmtwhieii is ;,.enerally referred to an introduction, ,n books of tliis nature. That n. oivin,r an aeco.,,.t of the hist voyage which has b..en undertaken for the .iisoovery of a north-west passa-e, an.l of the last which will probably be attempted for .onie years to come, 1 out;l.t t., have sketched, at least, the liistoiy of the endeavours made to liiid such a passajre to the westward round the northern shores of Amei,ca, has been the opinion of many of my friends, and of him in particular on whom I have most relied. But so much has been published on tins subject, ami by so many writers. Ion. before my first voy;e^n., ^,,,1 ,„|i ,„.„.,. ,,„,)„„. „,^. y^,,,^^ ^^.,,,^.,^ ,^^^^.^, mfrvened between that .uul the present one, that I cannot but lu'lieve that all who inleiot themselves in this -inestion, must be as fnllv mformed respecliii- it as they coul.l desire ; wliih' perhaps ex cry leader of this joiinial is siillieuiitly aeipiamted with the sul.j..ct...ith..r from the inteinie- ti'iice. 1527 Hobert Thonie, o( Itristol, is said, in llnkluyt's Collection, to have sailed for the discovery of the Ndrlli Pole , but there is no account (jf hm voyaye. INTRODUCTION. Ill 1553 Sir Hiifrh VVilloughby sailed from England, and is said to have disco\L.it.(l ^•n^;l Zi'nibla ; but, on his return, ho was frozen to death in Lapland, wiih all liis cicw. l).">.5-15o7 Steven Burough and Richard Cliancelor made two voyages, in which tluv reached the Island of Weigatts, and Nova Zembla, but without eflectiiii; a north- east passage, which was the object these navigators had in view. 1576 Martin Frobisher made his first voyage, discovering the strait which bcins ins name, which 'vas at one time supposed to have divided or cut off a [n.Umi of cjld Orecnland : but this expectation was afterwards i)roved to be fallacious, while ii IS now concluded that this imaginary passag'i is probably nothing more than one of the openings on the west coast of Davis's strait. 1677 The same navigator made a s. eoiid voyage, and named Mount \V;:ruick, to the southward ..f wliat has since been colled rmbislier strait ; but it docs not appear that he made any advance towards the discovery of a passauc. 1578 In this year he made a third voyage, which was unsuccessful. .After this, two brothers of the same name sailed to discover a north-west passage, but tiiev ne\cr returned, nor is there any conjecture respecting their fate. 1579 Kdward Fenton sailed to discover a north-west passage, by the wav of tlic Pacific : but he returned, without having even proceeded towards the object which 1^ had in view, in consequence of his fear of the Spaniards, by whom he e.vpectcd to be taken or intercepted. 1580 Mcrcator, Pet, and Jackinan tried, without success, to penetrate through Wcmatz strait, and returned with much diflicultv. I.".S3 Sir Humphrey Gilbert, intending to discover the north-west pas.sage, sailed to Newfoundland. 1585 John Davis made his first voyage, and discovered the strait which bears his name. On the eastern side of this wide .si a, so improperly termed a strait, he discovered and named what has retained liis appellative of Cape Desolation, and, on the wegiern shore, Mount Raleigh, Cape Walsinghuin, Exeter Sound, and some other places still bear the names which he nave them. 168G his second voyag... this enUrprisina and persevering seaman examined the coast oil the west side of the strait between Cumberland island and the latitude of f)(ij' north. 1587 Not .liscouiaged, however, by hi8 want of .ucce.g, thii nnvitjator luad.^ .i third b3 IV INTRODUCTION. voyntjo, and affirms that he reached the 73d degree of latitude. In this, he exuniiucd tlie coast which he had seen before, giving names to some other places^ but made no advance towards the solution of tlie problem which he had in view. The discoveries, however, which he made in the course of his three voyages proved of great connnercial importance : since, to him more than any preceding or subsequent navigator, has the whale fishery been indebted. I.ct not his name be slightly passed over. In talent he has not had many rivals : and it is ignorance, probably, rather than ingratitude, which fails to thank him for the debts owed him by British commerce. 1588 The voyage of Maldonado has been so strictly canvassed, and so utterly discre- dited in consequence, that if I name him in this chronological list, it is but for the sake of those \tho may have heard of his voyage but not of the criticisms which it has justly received. He did not make the north-west passage to which he pretends ; beyond this I need not say what it was that he asserted himself to have done. 1392 Juan de Fuca was sent to discover the supposed strait of Anian. By his own account he followed the coast until he discovered an opening, up which he sailed in various directions during twenty days, after which he entered into the North Sea ; when finding it to be so wide for 30 or 40 leagues within the strait as to make liini suppose that it really would afibrd that passage of which he was in search, he conceived that he had discharged his duty, and therefore returned. lo94-lo9C) U'illjani Barents, in i.'onipany with three others, made three voyages ; in the last of which he and half his crew perished: but these voyages were all directed to the iiorfh-iv/»/ passage, and he advanced no further than ^^'eigat» strait, and the north-west end of Nova Zenibla. 1602 George Weymouth sailed Iroin Kngland, but he reached no latitude higher than (J4'', and therefore made no discoveries. I(i05 James Hall sailed to (iieeuland with two ships, and coasted the land up to fiii' , but made no discovery. l()0(i-l()0" III these years he iiiadi; two more voyages to the same coast, but he only reached C()% and returned without success. l()Of) John Knight sailed to discover that same north-wegt passage occupied the dreams of half ihe navigating and comnierciul w Inch seems to have portion of iiiaiikiiid INTRODUCTION. v at this time, and during so many previous and subsequent years: but he only reached the coast of Labrador, and returned, abandoning the enterprise 1607 Henry Hudson's first voyage was to the east coast of Greenland, anU he returned by the way of Spitzbergen and Cherry island. Ifi08-1610 In these years, this commander, whose name has had the good fortune ot being perpetuated in no common manner, by the results which gave rise to th( incorporation of so opulent a mercantile company as that which bears his name, and by the enormous territory which has fallen under their sway, made two other voyages. He then discovered the bay which bears his name, but made no other discovery. 1611 In his fourth voyage his men mutinied, and he lost his life, after he had penetrated to 73° north. 1609-1611 James Poole made two voyages, and reached the 73d degree of latitude in D".vis's straits, which was the nearest approach to the Pole that had been made down to that period. 161 1 Sir Thomas Button made a voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage, l.uf it was without the expected success : his voyage was never published. 1612 James Hall sailed on a fourth voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage. He reached Ramelsford, in Greenland, in 67°, and was there killed by a savage. The new master decided on returning, without making any further ettbrt. 1614 Captain Gibbons sailed to discover a passage, but having been entangled in the ice, he took shelter in a creek about the latitude of 57°, where he remained five months ; after which, contriving to escape, yet not without considerable damage, he retiirned to England. 161.') In this voyage Robert Bylot was master, and \Vm. Baffin acted as the mate and pilot. Their success was not great, since they only reached as far us 65' north, exannni ,g the coast of Davis's strait, and tracing the coast thence to Resolution island, where they abandoned their ])iirsuits, returning to England in September. I6H) Bylot and Baffin again sailed, and oircnnmavigated the bay which now bears the name of the latter, until they came to a sound which was named Sir James Lancaster's sound, in lat. 74° 20. The narration of this voyage is virv mi- perfect, while there is a reference to a chart which is not given by Piirchus, and as far as I now know, is not to be found at present. TIumc air charts, however, which INTRODUCTION. probably s^ivc tbese discoveries in the exact manner ni which they were liud tlown by Bartin : but as I have had cKcasion to remark at some U>njr*.h at the end of tills Introduction, it is exceedinsily incorrect in the Kmgitndes. though sufficiently true ill the latitudes, whik' tlie conse(iuences of the forme'- error are of such im- IHirtanrc as to have led me into a detailed criticism on tile question of this geo- graphy. |()14-l(iUi Fotherby made a voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage, but without success. Itilli ,lans Munk, entered Hudson's bay, in this year, and visited Tiioifield inlet, re- tuiiiiiii;- witiiout success. I0:Ji)-1(m1 Luke Fox (commonly called north-west Fox), made an attempt to pene- trate by Hudson's bav, but lie added nothing to former discoverers, and re- turned unsuccessful. KJOl James sailed fiumi Bristol, and asserted that he discovered that now well-known island to which he ixave his iiaiuc. Since my own voyage, in IHlS, there have been doubts rcspectiiit; this " .lames's island ;" and the subject is so remarkable, not less than en fl.thoms. II. ...unied to ,1„. San.lwich islands, and there, as ,s well known, he lost his l,fe in a contest with the natives. I7«.) <;aptains Clerke and King made another unsuccessful atte.up, u, il... sun-c loyment on this arduous service, that as he had beer the proposer he nnght share in the glory of the enterprise. Wiiy his services were rejected does not appear, but I have his own authority for saying that he would have accepted " any situation ni the expedition which a gentleman could hold." He cannot, however, be deprived of the merit of being the ])romoter of all the attem])ts which have been made since that time. Sir Joseph Banks's liigh reconnnendation of Ins jiroposal to the Government was attended to, and a circidar was written to discover what ollicer of the navy had served most among ice. In the mean time slii[)s were purchased, and were not only in a great state of forwardness b<'fore I was selected to connnand them, but all the junior ollicers were ai)i)ointed. The purser and my nephew, then only seventeen years of age, being the only individuals ol' my own selection. I believe there is no instance on record where an olKcer was appointed to command such an enterprise witiiout his havnig been consulted as to the (lualities of the ships lie I INTRODUCTION. XI was to conduct ; but with me it was not the case, and when I arrived in London I was concerned to discover tliat the ships (by that time half finished), were totally unfit for s\icli a service ; but my remonstrances were too late, and I was told that if I did not choose to accept the command some one else would ; and as I hud left the Driver, it was the only chance I liad for promotion. I must here remark, however, that I throw no blame on the late Admiralty on this account; their lordships consulted, before I was selected, people well qualified to give them information ; but these people had ships to sell or strengthen, and the temptation of gaining G or 7000/., was sullieient to turn the scale ; and 1 alone, who had the whole responsibility, was doomed to be the sufierer. The truth of my aFsertion is fully demonstrated in the narrative of my first voyage, and in the em[)loyineut, subsequently, of ships of a totally difl'eient class. The officers were all, certainly, as seamen and navigators, well qualified, but none had ever wintered, or had any considerable experience among ice ; the service was entirely now t-^i them, and for this reason ice masters and mates were appointed, whose opinions of course had much the more weiglit, but if I had had ofiiccrs of my own selection, I could have found those who combined those qualities with experience among ice, even more than my own ; and I would certaiidy have employed Mr. Scoresby. As the results of my first expedition have been long before the public, and as it has been alluded to in the course of this narrative, I need only remark that it, as well as the sub- nequent voyages which precede my last, proves how much, or rather how entirely our humble endeavours depend on Divine Providence, which has wisely put less w ithin our powerthan in any other kind of navigation. Added to the disadvantages which I have mentioned, there were others which were beyond our control, which seemeil to com- bine against the success of the enterprise, and the disappointment created a feeling towards the commander, against which nothing but a consciousness that he had always done his duty, could have supported him ; and which he now confesses made him anxious to prove that he could treat with a far difi'erent feeling all the abuse which has been so unsparingly, and he nuist add unjustly attached to his name. The expeditions sub- sequent to my first were closely watched by myself, with the view of correcting errors from whatever cause they might arise, and I soon discovered that the ships which had been employed since 1817, had been far too large ; for while they carried pro visions only in the same proportions to their crews, as a vessel half the size does to her crew, they drew such an increased depth of water, viz., eighteen feet instead of eight, c2 INTRODUCTION. I.; i' iis to render navigation in tliom much more unsafe, as in the instance of the Fury, which ship was damaged because her deptli was greater than that of the ice, and when damaffcd liad to be. unloaded and hove down, and during tliis process that occupied several days, she was wrecked ; wheieas the Victory was actually laid on the ground, with idl her stores, and when the tide fell she was dry (for slie drew only seven feet), and her leak was stopped. Like the Fury, she carried two and a half years' provisions, hi'sidos coals for 1000 hours; iind had the boiler and other parts of the machinery not "jiven way, there can be no doubt but the services might have been performed, as far as the navigation was concerned, in fifteen months instead of four years and a half. Baffin's ship, though only tliirty tons, was (iir morei- than either the Isabella, Fury, or Hocla. Sir Edward Parry's two voyages in that direction, and Sir John Franklin's jour- neys to the Polar Sea, had directed the eyes of the scientific world to Prince Regent's inlet, and with the exception of the late Major Rennell, there was no one that I conversed with on the subject, who did not say, that if no passage was found between Capo Gurry and Point Turnagain there could be none at all. The Major was indeed of opinion that there was none there, and his reasons for it were well founded. It was, how- ever, obvious that it became my duty, in undertaking this enterprise, to decide that question in the first place, and then turn my attention to the next opening further north, and it was an extraordinary fact that the first discovery we made was, that Crcsswell bay was at least thirty miles deeper than where the land had been laid down on the preceding voyage, even after it had been seen from both the ship and the shore for several days, and it was not until we actually walked round it that we were certain that 110 passage existed in that direction ; proving how very deceiving the appearance of ice in a bay or passage is, by its having deceived all the officers of both Hecla and Fury, after, too, an experience of eight years, just as it had myself and the pilots of the Isabella, in 181S, Nevertheless I determined to follow my first plan, which was also that approved ' XIV INTRODUCTIOX. ' \ Jl use (if the mouiis nificiliiUy put within tboir power, there ure no difficulties whicli cannot 1)(' overeonie, and no case too desperate! It is not necessary tliat 1 sliould, in this Introduction, enter into a formal discussion respeclinLj the ])rol)al)ility that yet remains of findiiif;- a " North-west Passage," to the northward of the 74th degree of latitude. Such remarks as I have had occasion to make on this subject, will be found in the course of the following narrative, wliere\cr occasion for theni chanced to arise: while, even had I aught more to sav on tins great question than I have done, any such dissertation has been long super- seded by that of Sir Edward Parry, to which I gladlv refer. Let no one su]i])ose that I do not estimate the merits of that otlicer, both as a writer and a navigator, as highly as the public luis agreed to do. We were once partners in the same pursuit, and have together undergone tlie same dangers and the same ftnxieiies ; we have smcc, if separately, carried on the same warfare with ocean and ice, mth storms ► ,ind toils; each still pursuing one ol)ject and endeavouring after one fame. If we have thus been as rivals, it has been a rivalry in whicli neither jealousy nor dislike could ever have intermiiigled: as well might it be supposed that La Poioiise should hate the memory of Cook, or that this great man, had he then lived, should have sickened at the success of the bold and intelligent French navigator, nrothers in the Service, we have been such also In one track of iliscovcry. It' there are men who ])lease them- selves with iniiigining or exciting jealousies and dislikes among those who ])ursue a common object, their just pimishinent will be to know that they have tailed. Itiit although I do not tlniik it necdiiil to discuss the ([uestioii of tlim passage, I may here make a few remarks on thi' subject uhicli miijht not verv readily occur to my readers, or, not at least, to those who have not laimliarr/.cd tlieniselves with this great point m geography, by previous reading. Hefore I left I'jiiiland on the present expedition, various hypotlirses were iitloal respeeliiit; the probiilili> place of the expected imssiiLre. All these were jiistitiabli', in ■ioiiie maliiier or ollur, or in a ureater or less dei^rce ; as hvpotlieses must ever be when thiy pretend to no more, or when, at least, the evidences on which they rest, fall slinil C.I prodl. (»ii ihi' asserted, or iniaf;iiiary, indications of such a passiigc, ui ', IS now fully admitted, or not, since the failure of I'trry's bold atleiiipt, this too is a (juestion respecting which the course of my own navigation did not allow luc tu luiin any additional conjectures. If now, the attempt which I carried on, of which, as liir as a passage is coiiieiiitd. the failure is now before tiie public, has givt a me no new liypotliesis to ntjer, imr any fresh scheme to pro])ose, and if all, therefore, of a positive naliiie, a?, hope is concerned, remains as it was, the negative result is of much value on this (luestinii, independently of all the other knowledge in geogra|)hy or whatever else, uiiirli has lieeii gained by this labori.uis voyage, under the hard-earned lu.iiouis uliieh iiiav Im assigned to it, or, possibly, refused. That point on which our own iittempt was made, had formed one of ijie places nl hope : I may call it one of the Hypotheses, or rather a basis for one of tho-e lo win, h I have )ust alluiled. In this direction, and with a vaijiie. but lustilialile aiul iialurjl hope of succeeding, was the last eH'oit of Parry made, as the |.r. ceding one ha.l been, though under a dilli'ienl jdan, and by taking a very ddieieiit course (roni iiniie. llo« he faded in both, from causes beyond human prudence i.yfteit oi eouirol, is «rll known ; ami that hope, or that possibility, still therefore remained. Tins hope IS ii„w extinguished; and if it be, on all occasions ol hi.' i- iii this, a Uiiin to deiunlish tliose lioprs «hieh only tend to didiision, the merit of (his result at least b.l,.iig>, to , air present voyage. We navigaled. orexumined by liavelhiiu on s|i,.re. the i w f II XVI INTRODUCTION. i.,) ¥ (if only part of these lands where the possible passage in question might have existed : and hy means of our journeys the examination was made complete. How complete it was, the journal, but, still more clearly, the appended chart will show : yet the result, thouijh it was but to fail in finding this problematical opening, is iiighly interesting ; while it was very taiiiiilizing to us, and, as I really may say, without more temper tiian the event justifies, proved in the end mortifying. It is mortifying ti) labour hard and suB'er much, under hopes so often held out, to be ever on some ;»nticipated brink of the discovery which should indemnify us for all those toils, and ))iace the crown of success on our labours, and then at length to find that we have not missed that reward by having indulged in absurd or groundless expectations, have not been striving against those obstacles, the utterly insurmountable nature of which may console us for the disappointment, but have been, in reality, nearly within reach of the expected object, yet as fur from attaining it, for ever, as if mountains had intervened. It will be seen, on examining those documents, that the tract of land which separates Pniicc Regent's inlet from the iiorl hern sea of America westward, at the place of our investigations, is not only very narrow, but is largely occupied by lakes, by which the leniith of the land itself which separates the two seas, is reduced to three miles. How little, therefore, nature has here done towards preventing such a passage between the eastern and western sea, or otherwise, how nearly she has approached towards permitting it, is a|)])arcnt; while no one can be surprised if we hud often indulgc Gurry; and hence my own dis- coveries may be marked as commencing at this place. If not very extensive in point ol sp:ue, they are minute and accurate : under our extraordinary detention for so long a time, in so narrow a tract, they could not indeed have been enlarged, over a country where travelling by land was so completely restricted by its mountainous, or rather hilly form, and tar more by the ice and snow with wlrcli it was almost c'tenially covered, as not less by the very short season of u lew weeks when alone any travelling was possible. The minuteness and that accuracy are indeed far greater than the subject req\iired ; so that it may bi' but a worthless boast to say, that they exceed in this respect any thing ever yet done by navigators. In New South Wales, such work wotdd have had a value which it never can possess here; but wc had little else to do, and no harm at least was ])roduccd by this superfluous care. The chart will show that IVom the point which 1 have named, our survey of this shore extended to the (iUth degree of latitude, and between the k)ngitudes of 89 and 99, terminating at the place to which [ have given the name of Point Franklin. Hence it (12 i; ' XX INTRODUCTION. l^: Ui extended through this portion of the Northern American continent, so as to give a correct draught of the interior land, with its multifarious lakes and rivers, over a space for which the chart must be consulted, since it cannot be defined by words. Thus, further reaching to the western shore of that isthmus to whicii I have given the name Boothia, it has defined that portion of the coast between the latitudes 72° 30', and 69', and under longitudes lying between 89° and 99° west. What it has thus eflfected for the geography of this part of the continent of America is therefore obvious ; but I must further note in what manner these discoveries conduce to that general problem, to which an interest, next ut least to that of a " north-west passage" has been attached ; namely, the completion of the coast line of the Northern American continent, from Hehring's strait to Baffin's bay, as it had been determined by the several navigators employed on this inquiry, under the more recent as more remote voyages. If, in the catalogue with whicli I have commenced this introduction, I have men- tioned the several distant and unconnected points whieli had been noted, or tlie coasts which had been more extensively examined, by Hearne and Mackenzie, by those whu had preceded them in coming from the eastward through Behring's strait, and by the navigators and travellers who were employed on tliese services after my first voyage, namely, Parrv, Franklin, and Beechy, so may I now say that the line of the American northern shore which has thus been traced iiy their joint lai)ours, is the following. The chart mdeed shows it; but for tliose to whom the examination and measuring of charts is a n. alter nf some eH'ort, and for whom especially it is difficult to trace an extent in miles, under the ratio which these bear to degrees of longitude in those northern lati- tudes, the following verbal explanations will be of use. Commencing at Behring's strait and from the Cape Barrow of iieechy, the coast has now been marked, by means however of nautical surveys only, and tli()s<' of course far from nnnute, while also not always boasting of much accuracy, thence to Point Back of Franklin. Here, and as far as the month of Mackenzie river, being the oidy discovery of that traveller, it is again laid down by nich.udson to the exit of the (;o()per-niiiU' river, bomg Hearne's sole discovery on th" coa'l. Thence to Point Turiragum, lie the discoveries of Frankhn ; after which, in the progress eastward as far us Point Jane FVanklin, there is a blank of ','-'2 units, whu'h we hope will be filled up by (,'aptain Buck. Should this expectation be gratified, the discoveries whicli I hiivi' thus traced n: INTRODUCTION. XXI will be united to our own ; when all that will be wanted to complete our knowledge of the northern coast of America will be the space between the Banks's land of Parry, and Boothia Felix. Thus the progress and connexion of these several discoveries brings iis to Cape Turnagain, being the nearest point toward which we had protracted our own investigations : and hence it appears that the blank which now remains on the chart between that point and the westernmost land which we had either touched, or inferred by the usual modes of observation, amounts, in English miles, to 500. I haveelsewheif said, how much I regretted that Connnaiider Ross was prevented Iroui extendini; the journeys which he undertook toward the west, so iiir as to have completed this con- nexion, which would thus have left nothing for future examination between this point and Behring's strait, but the other spaces already mentioned. I must, however, admit his plea, grounded on the dKficulty of carrying or procuring provisions, rather than on any impediments oHcred by the country or the climate ; unavoidably regrettiiii;, nevertheless, that we could not connnand the means of completing this very short por- tion of the coast, and of thus drawing on our chart that line, of which ])erha])s the only satisfaction that can ever be derived would lie, that there is, on a ])iece of paper a black line instead of a blank. But of such imaginary joys does human lia])pincss full often consist: and what matter, if even less than this, the anatomy of a (ly's Uk; nr whatever else, will serve to make men happy, and proud of themselves ? On what else remaii.s unknown of the American coast, from the northernmost point on this western shore which our voyage; had ascertained, I need say nothing, since I have not undertaken to analyze or describe the whole of this yet misettled line. 'Ih,. chart itself can be consulted for what remains hence tn Lancaster strait; of the con- tinuity of which coast I presmne there can be no doubt, since this may be inlbrred frouj that of the eastern shores examined by Sir Kdward Parry and mvself. Of the exceed- ingly uncertain and obscure natine of that land ternunl Melville islands, I have iu)t fh.' smallest right to speak : and althouLih I circumnavigated Batlin's hay in my Hr-t voyage, thus restorin;; to that able and extraordinary man the honours of winch it had been attempted to rol lun, I will not say that there niiiy not lie in it an opening to the northward, and possibly at nuire points than one, and will therefore not otlcr any con- jectures respecting the nature o( all this tract from Melville islands even to Oreenlaiul, its insularity, or rather insularities, or on what the extent, nature, and connexions of these islunils nray be, if, as is presumed, thi.y funu a group of this kiud, so delined ir XXII INTRODUCTION. J, I ' "i v 'I 'V I I ! I* f ■■ u ^li •(I ! »• and restricted too, as to leave a wide and clear ocean about the northern pole of the earth ; if not a " polar basin" in the sense of one of the well-known speculations on this subject. But the results of the present voyage, and a comparison of that of Baffin with my original one, which I could not have made at that time with the same confidence as I now do, added to some further investigations into this subject which I could not then liave ventured on, and might probably not have had the confidence to propose without the new grounds of judgment which I have now acquired, have led to some conclusions which I must now state. To myself, they seem of considerable moment, not merely as they concern the accuracy, or otherwise, of the ancient navigators of the seas in ques- tion, but as they relate to the true geography of tliose regions, so long obscure, and so long the source of error and obscurity to more modem voyagers, as to geographers and their labours ; with the consequence of producing confusion and doubt in all that relates to the charts of these seas, and to the true forms and relations of the land in this part of the world. If, in any manner, the examination and analysis in question may seem, to the ignorant, to attack the reputation of any of our modern discoverers, let me assure them that there are no sucli thoughts in my mind ; as it is not my own opinion, that any tiling on which I can defend tht; discoveri(!s of the ancient navi- gators, ougiit, in the slightest manner, to interfere with the claims or diminish the merits of those who have recently followed in the same career. No one, of those at least who are acquainted with the theory of navigation, or with I hi- sciences on which it depends, can bo ignorant of the diflficulty which the ancient iiaviiiators found in determining tlieir longitudes, I need scarcely say how litth; was then known even of practical magnetism, of s\ich simple facts as the variation and the 'lip of the needle ; and still less need I here notice how uncertain wore the means of determining " the longitude." That Baffin should but have shared in this general difficulty, is no cause for surprise; and thence it is that I have traced those errors of his which I am about to note, not to such observations as he might have made during a riui of a few days across till! head of the bay bearing his name, but to the distanec and length of time which was |iasscd over and occupied during his voyage thither from England ; the latter amount- mg to some months, and the Ibrmer being only a few days. 4 {- fi n:. INTRODUCTION. XXIU =.¥ In consequence of this more than suspicion, since it w e unquestionable source of all his subsequent errors, I have commenced by laying down the true longitude of the east coast of this bay, as determined by those modern methods which leave but the slightest error; thence assuming this as the basis, or "point of departure," for all the subsequent determinations which he has made, and which I have here undertaken to correct. Having first determined this, and thence assuming that the distance estimated by him in his short passage across the bay is correct, since I do not see how he could here have committed an error of any possible moment, it must follow tiiat he had seen all that land to the east of Melville islands and the north of Fury strait, which we hiivc supposed to have been first discovered by our recent navigators. The consequence of this becomes very remarkable on an inspection of our present and new charts. The strait of the Ilecla and Fury, as laid down by Parry, thus proves to be the Baffin's strait of this navigator ; while the land now laid down by us as lying t(. the eastward of Prince Regent's inlet, will turn out to be James's island, as named by James. Further, that land to the southward of this island, of which we have traced the eastern coast, but of which we have not examined the inlets, should be the " three islands" of Batlin and his (Cumberland island : while it is to be hoped that future examnia- tion will verify his assertions. On the same grounds, our Barrow's strait will be tht Lancaster sound of BalHn, as our coast of North Somerset, thus named by Parry, will prove to be that wliicli BalHn termed Prince William's land. The opposed shore, there- fore, which has been called North Devon, will equally be the west side of James's island. Let it now be supposed that these views are incorrect, and we will then see the con- sequences which will follow ; as these, if I mistake not, will confirm the criticisms which I am here making. Though Baffin's longitude is incorrect on the east side of his bay, wiiich he has placed nearly four degrees too far to the eastward, it has been found, on the west side, to be so coincident with the observations of modern navigators at that place which I formerly considered the entrance of Lancaster sound, and have thus named in my chart of 1818, that the result would be to exterminate James's island altogether : which cannot be, without considering James's account to be false. Having thus passed such geographical criticism on this subject, as my voyages and the deductions I have since made from them seem amply to justify, I must now turn to ^,:i^ei^>* INTRODUCTION. H 1! 1 1) tlie western portion of these northern shores, that I may compare the really puzzling and obscure account of Bemarda and Juan de Fuca with the recent examinations, or dis- I'civeries, as they have not unnaturally been termed, which my followers and coadjutors have made on this part of the northern coast of America : still, however, disclaiming all intention to deprive them of their well-merited and hard-earned honours. I think I have good reasons to suppose that these very early navigators effected their voyages by pure coasting, as was the practice in the far more remote times of the ancients, and, for the most part, of our Scandinavian ancestors, without any regard to oljservations, for which they did not much carr, as they had little means of making liiose. Thus do I believe it possible tiiat they passed through Behring's stniit, and held cm their course even as far as that part of this coast which I have termed the isthmus of Boothia; while I find, in their accounts, a sufficient congruity with those of our modern discoverers to justify this belief. This is especially remarkable in the fact which I noted in a former part of this Introduction, namely, that Bemarda had sailed tov/ards the east, to a certain longitude, and had there ascended a land, not far from Davis's strait or Baffin's bay, which 1 have concluded, on good grounds, as it seems to me, to have been the isthmus of Boothia. Supposing now that my views of the voyages of these two navigators are correct, it is plain that they had long ago effected, in some manner iit least, what has since been performed by Kotzebue, Beechy, Hearne, Mackenzie and Franklin ; doing even more, since the last point to the eastward which they reached was that isthmus which I have just named. This subject, however, is so obscure in itself, while t'." novelty of this criticism, added to that obscurity, is such as to render all verbal explanations insufficient, that I iiave constructed a chart, here appended, for the purpose of rendering it more intelligible. It will require some attention, even to consult and understand that chart ; but the follow- ing explanation will, I hope, render it intelligible to every reader, and at the same time adequate to the appreciation of this \neai of geographical criticism. It will be seen that It also serves to illustrate those remarks on Baffin which I have just made; while having nothing of the same nature to discuss respecting Bemarda and. De Fuca, I riiust entirely trust to this chart, and the following explanations of it. l,;| h •x *l- I- 1, ij « s •^• J. V '^ I ! 1 '=; ^ V \ ■ii-^- '•■ — . .•c=2>, ,ii^ z < -i z ':^. " u a: i^^-\^. -^ z < u o o z < J I- < o . /' n,-^'"!. rJ> ■?■■ J ■''- "V-.^ CO J < CO ,.-"-' r .SV,."' V .^ '? \ z if^- ii ^f- : i: / '} •$ \ < I h (^ ^ z < ■ i .-€" '' c 4 \ -T S--- \>, z < y o o o i INTRODUCTION. XXV ,^ I. \ Erpfanation of the Chart. Tins draught, wliiizes. Uiiiiimmkii ice, ice so mievi n and roieh as to be impassabli' or nearly so on loot. I icsli-iriitci ice, ice formed on a lake or fresh water, and which is transpaieiil. lire hole, a bole in the ice, kept open in order to obtain water to extinguish lire. ScHinnr, holes throut:h the side or gunwale to let water out. Miigcr mint, a small mast at the stern, with a s;iil re-eiiibling a lug sail hiiiiiii, the boily iif a wiiaU' alter the bliiblier is taken oil. 4. I ' IJi ^'19^ C O N T E N T S. CHAPTER I. Tlio Project of ilic Expedition and its Oiitlil, p. 1. CHAPTER II. Leave the liiver— Detcm jh at the Isle of Man— Accident to the Engineer— Landin- at Port Logan— Arriv. n ].0( : Hyan— Meeting of the John Tender, p. 8. CHAPTER III. Leave Loeli liyan— Gale of Wind off Ireland and Loss of tlic Foro Topmast— First Si^■llt of the Iceblinks — Entrance of Davis's Straits, p. 30. CHAPTl-R IV. Off Cape Farewell— First Iceberg seen -Abreast of Haal's River— Si^lit of Siikkertop --{.and and Mand.s near Wideford seen— A Codbank discovered— Mountain called Old W.inuiirs Uoo. CHAPTER XIV. The .Month Cdinniencts Storinv and Cold — Iiuprovement in its progress — Remarks nn llie Thiimumeter and Barometer — Occurrence of a splendid Aurora Borealis — Summary of the Mcituh, p. '3 Hi. CHAPTER XV. Uipcated occurrence of .Aurora Borealis — (.'hrislmas-day — Summary of the Month — Uemarks at the termination of the Year 18i0, p. '3-27. CHAPTER XVI. ( 'niimiicenunt of the Year 1S30 — Fir^l meeting with tho l".s(|uimaux on thisCoast — Desciip- ii(m of their X'iMage, and of their Society and Maniiirs — They are entertained on Board — CoinmuiiuMie sonic Geograpliical Information, and promise more, p. '2.)9. CHAPTER XVII. Hecnve more (ieographical luforpiation from (jiie of the .Vativcs called Ikmallik — ('oi:tiniw our Coimnunicatioiis with them — Pure .Mercury freezes at length, at minus J'.t — The first Sunrise of the Year — Death of the Armourer — End of the .Month, and Summary, p. ■^.j',>. CHAPTER XVIIf. I'llfeniig on the part of the Natives — The first fall of Si|ow of this Year— Native Dance — Summary of the .Month of Pebruury, p. 'i/i*. CHAPTER XIX. Purchase of Dogs from the Natives — Coiiimander Ross departs on an I'xpedilioii to the .Value lliit.«, for infortmitiun — Process of budding Snow Huts— Summary of liie .Month ot .Man h. p, -iV'J. I I I 1 t i ' I. 't i I 'i CONTENTS. CFIAPTER XX, Proceedings to the Tentli of April— Journey and Narrative of Commander Ross, p. 301. CHAPTER XXI. Narrative of Commander Ross, p. 304. CHAPTER XXH. Proceedings in the Ship, and with the Natives, p. 3-20. CHAPTER XXIir. Cummander Ross's Second Journey and Narrative, p. ;)-26. CHAPTER XXIV. Departure of Commander Ross on a Third Expedition— Threatening of a Rupture will. th( Natives— Commander Ross's Return, p. 333. CHAPTER XXV. Narrative of Commander Ros-, p. 338. CHAPTER XXVI. Repetition of heavy Snow— Another Expedition by Commander Ross-Another Expeditiou under my own charge— Summary of the Month of April, p. 372. CHAPTER XXVII. Expedition cmmenced-Narrativeofonr Journey-Return to the Ship-Observations made to obtain til., difference of the Elevation of the Easter., and Western Seas-Tlie Dip of .1,, Needle, and intensity of Magnetic Force, p. 381. CHAPTER XXVIII. Proceedings in tin Ship from the First of June— Commander Ross's Return, p. 30S. CHAPTER XXIX. Commander Ross's .\arrative, p. 401. CHAPTER XXX, Continual ion of the Journal— Summary of the Month, p. 43(). CHAPTER XXXI. Am Expedition to Fish for U.e supply „f I'isi, for the Crew, undertaken by Myself and Parlv- Nairative and Return, p. 443. CHAPTER XXX 11. J.u.rnal of the Month of July-Sun,mary of the Month-Transactions during Au^u^t an^l .1. Summary, p. 4 ")4. CHAPTER XXXIII. Warping out, IJiiloading. and final i:s,-,,p.. from our Ila,b,.ur_Iuetlectual Movements am.ing the lee-Hecoine fixed i.> the Alleinpt lo liiid a new Harbour for the Winter-Sun.marv of .September, p. 4(i(). • '' ..■"^fSSSS. r , fr"-' XXXIl CONTENTS. 'I I' I iM ' 'i (J '1 CHAPTER XXXIV. Labour in Cutting through tho Ice — Bocoine lixed for the Winter — Suniniitry of the Month, p. 4TG. CHATTER XXXV. TransuL'tions in Noveniher — Snniniixrv of lliitt Month — Prcrcwhngs in Doecmlier, with w Suniniitry, p. 4S4. CHArTEI? XXXA^I. 'riansLtctinns on Board lh( Ship in January, 11^31 — Summary of that Montli. lulirnary ; with lis Smnniary. March: its Sunimarv, p. 500. CHAPTER XXXVII. A|)ril — An Mxpt'dition i'i(ltMtal«'n — Acconni of this Journey — Summary of tho Month, p. OIU. CHAPTER XXXVin. May — C'ommandi'r liovs's Journey, p. ;")19. CFIAPTER XXXIX. Narrative of ConnnaTuler Uoss, p. ."i.!l. CHAPTi:il XL. Jnnrnal of ^Lly- A Juiuncy in companv witli the Natives, p. a'.'S. CHAPTER XLL Transaelion? in ,luiu — Uetiirn of Commander Ho-i from his I''\peditioii, p. .■)4.'!. CHAPTER XLll. Cniinuandei' Do^s > N.inalive' — Hrs .Imniuv for aseerlaininu' the I'hiee of ih. Nortli .WaiiieUe I'.ile — Oliservalions tin ihe I'nrposeof assi'.:nini;- its Place, and l)e(hictions from tliuse, p. Vpt. ClLVPTEli XLin. lieniaiksiin ihe A.-sijiunriil nl' tiie Ma'.;iu'tic I'oh', p. .')(J7. CHAPTER XLIV. Tran^aelions durni'.; Ihr remaMnh'r of .hnu — The .lumnal and the Sijr.mKUy of .luly. p .'iTO, ( IIAPTER XI.V. l'rocccdin;;s in July, Angn>t, and Seplendier, with ihe Summaries of those respi'ctive Months, p, r,". CHAPTER XL\L .luurnal dl' Aiiijus' — The \'ie|iav moved im\ of lur llarhonr — Attempts lo pmceed alon^; tin Shore — The Ship forced liv ihe Ice inlo anntlnr Harbour — Summary of the .Monlh— Journal 111' September, and lis Nummary, p. .^ss. CHAPTl'R XL\M. .louinalof Oeiobia — The Journals ol' November and December, ami the ind of the Veai, p. (109. CHA1'T1:R XLVIM. The Journals es-Death and I'uncral of the Carpenter, p. 689. Lcain ami CHAPTER LV. ■''nllnre r "'"T"' ""1 """""^^y-^''^^ ■ "— .u-enu.nt of the Journevs intended U ,he utnre Lxpedmon-June : ,he continuance of these advancng Jonrnevsljulv • til d. •lonment of the Winter House, and arrival at the Boats-.Sununary, p! 697 ' ' CHAPTER I,VI. August— Detention at Batty Bay— The Ice breik-s n . , r. l^astern Coast of Prmco^Rege .fs ^tlM^t ",?,;'", : ''"^ f-''^-"^--'" "- Uoar.l, p. 713. ' "" ''"'''^"'>' "'"^ "^'^ ^'^ceivcd on CHAPTER LVIF :«*»=r!5; :r| PLATES PAGED FOR THE BINDER. 't i ) PAGE 1 Victoria Harbour - - - Frontispiece. 2 Comparative Chart - - To face page xxv 3 Victory dismasted in a storm - - " ■sz 4 Taking possession, &,c. , . - - 116 5 Elizabeth Harbour . - - - 142 6 Christian's Monument - - " 165 7 Andrew Ross Island - - 169 8 Cape Margaret - - - " 172 9 Victory finally stopped by Ice - - " 175 10 Felix Harbour (Summer) - - - - 194 1 1 Ditto (Winter) . - . - - 232 12 First Communication - - - " 243 13 North Hendon - - - - - 249 14 Ikmallikand Apclagliu^ _ . . . 260 \o Chiirt by the Natives 3 16 Tulluachiu and Family - - - - 272 17 Felix Harbour (Chart) . . - - 300 18 Umingmack (Conuuander Ross shooting a Musk Ox) 350 19 Lady Melville's Lake . . . - 390 20 Graham's Valley . . . - - 401 21 Sheriirs Harbour, and Copeland Islands 518 22 Saumarez River . . - - - 531 23 Tilson's Islands . . . - 542 24 River Lindsay . . - - - 581 25 Victory under sail for the last time 595 2() Victory Harbour (Chart) . . - - 608 27 Somerset House (Summer) 653 28 Ditto and Ground Plan - . - - *G88-9 29 Victory's Crew saved - - - - 720 30 Chart ... - Finis. f1 liii lb' SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. I CHAPTER I. I hi; i'Uoject ok tiii: kxpiodition, and its oirrni . iVFTEH the retmii of that expwiitiou which lisui attempted to rearli tlie J*ole in 1827, I submitted, to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and, suhse(|uently, to the L«»rd High Athniral, tlie phin of the voyane which I am now about to lehite. I had long been convinced tiiat the navigation of the arctic sea vvouhl proxe imne easy to a steam vessel than to any merely sailing ship, and for reasons which will, I believe, be fully appreciated by all to whom this navigation is familiar. AVhen the ice is i»pen, or the sea navi- gable, it is either calm, or the wind is ailverse, since it is to southerlv winds that this state of things is owing : so that the sailing vessel is stopped exactly where every thing else is in her fav.air, while the steam boat can make a valuable progress. The small draught of water in the.se ve.s.sels i.s another ad\ antage ; their power can also 11 ' . ';i 2 SIXOM) VOYAGE OF DISCOVKIIV ii Imy ire wliere, except in a fresh and lavouraliie brtr/.t', a sailing- sliip would l)e entirely ini|)e(led : while to add to all, the facility with which they can be moved, without wind, or in sj)ite of it, must render it comparatively easy for them to avoid the masses of ice, and also to tind places of shelter, where other vessels would fail. I'liis proposal was not, however, ac(,'e|)ted : but being satisfied (hat the possibility (»f the expected route to the westward, through Prince liegent's inlet, might thus be established, or otherwise, and the cpiestion, therefore, iis far as related to a north-west pas- sage by this strait, be set at rest, I resolved not to abandon my design, without making some further trials, in another manner. I therefore laid the s<;heme which I had formed, before Mr. Sheritf Booth, an old and intimate friend, with whose liberality and spirit I was well a<'cpiainted : but as, at that time, the parlia- mt iitary reward of 2(),/. was still held out to the discoverer of ;; north-west passage, he de(;lined end)arking in what might be deemed, by others, a mere mercantile speculation. In 18'iH, I again submitted my plan to the Admiralty, with some improvements; but the answer which I received was, that govern- ment did not intend to .send out any more expeditions on this encpiiry. r was then persuaded to apply to Mr. Thornton, of Old Swan, a well-known London merchant : pointing out to him, as a temp- tation, the value of the pnmiised reward, and that of the Fury's stores, which I could not fail to reach. My answer was delayed for three mouths; and, at the end of that time, it was a refusal. ^ i| f I M ij '^1 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. "•V Soon after, it was with some surprise I lieanl that a liill had been brouglit into parliament and passed ; of wliieh, while abolish- ing the board of Longitude, the effect also was to repeal that which had held out the above named reward for the discovery of a north- west passage. Whatever else might be my thoughts on this subject, it had the advantage of at least removing the scruples of Mr. Sheriff' Booth : and I accordingly received from him, in the most liberal and dis- interested manner, entire power to provide on his account, all that I deemed necessary for the expedition. After examining various steam ships that were advertised for sale, I purchased, at Liverpool^Jhe Victory, whicli had been once // ^ employed as a packet between that port and the Isle of Man, and replaced the old paddles by the superior ones of Mr. Robertson's (!onstruction : arriving with her in London, on the second of Novend)er. Here she was put into the hands of Mr. Fearnall, to be raised on, and to I)e strengthened in the usual manner, which I need not describe. Her original tonnage was 86; but by raising five feel and a half on her, she became capable of carrying a hundred and fifty tons, including the engine with the necessary complement of provisions. The engine was made by Braithwaite and Erickson, being a patent contrivance; ami the paddle wheels were so constructed that they could be hoisted out of the water in a minute. I'here was no flue; instead (»f which, the fires were kept in action by bellows, and it was, of co»n-.se, a high pressure engine, the boilers b2 i ,, ,..'1 ''1! ! II it;;. i 1 1. ; ( f 4 si;ro\D vovagk or l>lS{ovF,«^ of w liirli wf'iv lieated by pipfs passiiiij flirouifh tliein, in a manner now sufticiently fiuniliin'. The stores of provision and fnel were for a tlionsand nitie' wasthe interest whicli had been excited. They were not less numerous from men who wished to serve as sailors: but my orti«'ers liati already been chosen, and the li.st of men was soon filled up. As my second in command, I had chosen my nephew, Com- maiuler IJoss. wlut had been (»ne very one t>f the northern voyages: I TO TlllO AIU'TIC riEfilO.VS. .'t while my former Purser in tlie Isuhellti, Mr. Thoir,, volunteered iis third ; hotli of these oHicers undertaking;, like myself, to serve without pay. A Suri^eon, Mr. .^lacdiarmid, was procured some time afterwards. Amon^^ the petty fittieers were three mates : and our crew con- sisted of a carpenter and his mate, tw<» engineers, three stokers i steward, a cook, and nine seamen; the names of the ship's com- pany were as follow : John Ross, Captain, R.N. James Clark Ross, Commander, ditto VVilliam Thom, Purser, ditto. George JMacdiarmid, Suryeon. Thomas Blanky, tirst Mate. Thomas Abernethy, .second ditto fjreorge Taylor, tiiird ditto. Chindiam Thomas, Carpenter. - Alexander Brunton, tirst Engineer. Allan Macinnes, .second ditto. M illiam Light, Stewjird. Henry Eyre, Cook. Richard Wall, IIar|)0(»ner. James Curtis, ditto J«»hn Park, Seaman. Anthony Buck, ditto. John A\'ood, ditto. f "^ t J < ." i <{ SKCONI) VOYAGK OK DISCOVERY ■''l tt: '' Dji\ id Wood, Seaman. UohiTt SIirtM'vt', Carpenter's Mate. James Marsliii, Arnuuirer. James Dixon, Stoker. Cieorye Haxter, ditto. William Hardy, ditto, alYerwards, in eonse(|nenee ol" the l(»ss of his arm, replaced at Port {..oifan. I>y Halliard Lanuhy, ditto. Thus were tiie arraii^enieiits of our ship eompleted : but tliis did not eonstitnte the >vlio|e ot'the plan. It lieiiiti" neeessa'v to carry stores and provisions lor .several years, to which our o\mi tonnau:e was unequal, it had iieeii in- tended to take a consort storeship tor this purpose : on the sup- position that wliile carryiiiu- to Prince Keyeiit's inlet whatever ^^as thonuht necessary, ,sheiiiit>lit also tisli l»y tlw way, and I'lirther, lirinnaway some ot' the stor«'s of the Fury ; so as to coiiipensat<-, to the liheral titter-out of this expedition, for such additional cxpeiic«-, as miifht thus he incurred. A >\haler, laiilt (»f teak, and in every way adapttd to such a strvice, was theretore purchased at rireeiioek ; l>\ name the John, manned with a crew of lil'tv-four men, and coiiii'iaiHled Ity the master. C'oitmhe. under whom she iiac ii tomiiiiit. as our onii could roiivi'iiitiitly iiiaii;i,i>«', \v»' olt- laiiiol, by tin- kindiuss of tlx' A naiiie (tf Knisnisfein : and «i' wore provided wifli two hoafs wliieh had Imcii used l»\ C'apfaiu Frankliu. Ill Mareli \H>i>, I addnssed hfhis to the several hariied soei, - ties, sinnilViiiy- my intentions, and requesting to know in uhat iiianner I eonhl aid them in their se\eral ohjeets of pursuit : ree«i\- ini; from caeh, such answers as they thouyht proper. My hist application was to the ditilrent foreii>ii aml)assadors, with a re«|uesf to h«' considered luiilral in case <.f war: on whi
  • 1 A HE tuenty-tliird of May Itaviii!;' hecii at leiiu'tlt lixt'tl »ui lor «nir tle-partiiiv, 1 attt'iult^d at the Admiralty, and took my luave : the othrial eiiiiaiieiiients ot' Lord Mel\ ille and Sir (it'ortre ('«>rkl>iirii not perinittint;' them to pay a tina! visit to the ship, as had het-n inteiuled. Arriving,' at Woolwich. I t'onnd my excellent friend Sir Hyam Martin, CJoinptroller of the Na\y, and Sir, John Franklin, on Uoard ; and we were afterwards liononred by the visit of the Duke of Orleans (his presj-nt Majesty of France), attended by the (then) Duke of Chartres and a nuinerous snite. If the inspection of the arran.ucnients \\a> a source of ^latitica- tion to our xisitors. my iVieiids were as little satisfied as myself with what I had Ionic anticipated, if not to so u:reat an extent ; and which, while it was to he a cause of hourly torment and \exation to US tor many weeks, was at lenulh to lead to the ahandonnieut of one of our chief hopes, in addition to all the waste of time and money, conserossl^ ne<;lii;'ent •ondnct of our engine- A TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 9 makers. The .ship hfid been brought by her .steam power from the upper part of Galleon'.s reacli, to the buoy opposite to the dock ; but her progress was so .slow as to promise nothing but disappoint- utent ; while, even thus early, a part of her machinery lia*! beoouje displaced, .so as to be an additional source of delay. Keceiving here the materials of the boats which had been lent us by the Government, together with a spare foreyard whi<'h had been made for us, we were also joined by Mr. TluHuas Abernethy. Criiinier of the Blossom, and Mr. Chimham Thomas, Carpenter of the Eiuydice, v.ho had both volunteered; the former on the pre- ceding day, and the latter but a few hours before. Abernethy had been leading man on two former expeditions, and Thomas was also accustomed to the northern seas; while both had l»een promoted for good conduct. If I had reason to consider these two men as forming a valuable actpiisition, .so have I especially cause to l>e grateful to the Admiralty for the prompt and handsome manner in which they were di.scharged on my application; leave of absence having been given, and their names placed on the cheque at Woolwich. At three o'clock, my deservedly esteemeard, with the intention of accompanying us to Margate, and we sailed at six. with our boat the Krusenstern in tow, after taking in our gun- powder at the lower buoy; Captain Beaufort, the Admiralt> lt}drogra|>her, with Mr. and iMrs. Fearnall, having been the last to «|nit us. \Vr arriv«'d at Gravesend, under our steam, at eleven o'clock. anf us ; little foreseeing at that time the length of our separation, and the doubts hereafter to arise whether we should «'ver meet again on this side of eternity. Whatever my fonner fears or suspicions might have been, the defects of the nja«'hinery, now that we were fairly embarked on oiH' voyage, began to weigh ^ery seriously on my mind ; as I now also discovered nnich more imperfection than our former opportu- nities had afforded the means of even conjecturing. 'I'hc boilers leaked so nnich, that the additional forcing pump which had l>een placed in the engine room to be worked by hand, was kept con- stantly going; while the fresh wafer necessary fo ccunpensiite that loss could nt»f be spared, even on file passage fo Scotland. It was moreover impossible for the men to remain, for any length of time, at this work, in a place where the temperature was above J).Y : while, although they pert'ormed if \>ithout nnn'inuring they soon became exhausted, as 1 was fully convinced by the titinfing of one of fhem, whom it then'fore became necessarv f«» briuu" on deck before he could be recovered. Ifow nuich more |iainfully I was yet to be convinced of fhis, will shortly be seen. Nevertheless, we had no resour<;e b\d fo persist ; «hen. about Yt 1 4 i j0 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 11 % 8 o'clock, while rounding the north Foreland, a breeze sprung up from the north-east, which induced us to heave our paddles out of tile water and trust to our sails; under which, passing the Downs ill company with several vessels, we discharged our pilot and pro- ceeded to sea. But as the wind increased, and with it the swell, we soon had the mortification of finding, thai in addition to the evils of our vexatious machinery, the ship was so leaky as to require the constant use «tf two pumps : though I hoped that this would prove but a temporary inconvenience, as such elfecls are very apt to follow the doubling of vessels, and had actually occurred in the Isabella on a former occasion, and moreover, to such a degree, in the Trent, that it became necessary to heave her down in Shetland, during the expedition of 1818. Tlie wind however contiuuing fair, it was some consolation to find that our vessel sailed, with the wind free, as well as any ship in «;oinpanv ; and in the moriiinuf we were off IJe; •hyl Mav J.-, the wind ENE, and comparatively smooth water, which accom- panied us in our passage of the Isle of Wight the same evening. At midnight, being otf the Bill of Portland, the wind and sea had increased so much, that we ran some risk of losing the Kruscnstern. in consejjuence of her being driven against the quarter during our plunges in this detestalde Hace, while we wvvv endeavouring to secure her by anollur rope. In the fidlowing evening, however, M.iv -'«;. we again rea«>lied smoolh water under (he Bolthead, where she was erti'ctually secured. The wind continuing in the same bserved the lati- tude at noon in -W 21' N. On the "iiMh, an«»tlier observation at the same hour gave us ;"><> 21' N: and as wc were nearly in tln' same longitude, we found, that daring the last twenty-four hours, we had lost three miles in beating against a steady foul wind. 'Vlw engine being however supposed capable of being again used. we put on the steam, and as the win. M 4 .;'i TO THE ARCTIC REGIOWS. 13 as might have been expected, gave way very shortly ; so that it w as not till after two days, and having made three new keys, that we were enabled to replace the machinery in what we hoped to ])rove a workable condition. By onr observations we now fonnd that we had gainetl twenty miles against the wind, and on this day spoke a fishing boat from Kiiisale, fi"» which we procnred a supply offish. The thirtieth. iH'ii '»un(ii- 'vas made a day ot << - '\y us, as it had been made such by nature herself, since it was an ab.solute calm ; our kititude being oO 43' ami onr longitude, west, by the chronometer, 7 «legrees. The three new iron keys being ready, and the weather moderate, the fires were lighted and the engine again set to work; but each of them broke after about an hour's trial, .so that >»e w«'re obliged to give up our hopes from such expedients, with all further attemi)ts at repairing the evil in our present situation. Inde- pendently of this, the performance of the engine was most unsa- tisfact«»ry. Even with a [)res,sin'e of forty-five pounds on (he inch, we could never obtain more than fifteen strctkes in the minute; and as it thence followed, that the outer edge of (he paddles had no greater velocity than five miles in the hour, that of the vesst-l conhl not possibly exceed three. The b»»ilcrs also con(iinied to leak, though we had put . steadily ailvei-se breeze, but that we were beaten by every vessel that we saw, so ill did we sail upon a wind. Our passage tlms promised to be as tedious as it was irksome ; hut, on the seoonm the increasing gale. On this morning we came to anchor in Douglas bay ; when still desirous to make another attempt with oju- engine, I here procuretl proper nraterials, so as to construct two new keys for the .shaft ; writing also to London and to Li\ erpool for a su[)ply of other spare ones, in case we should at all su('<*eed in carrying this machinery further on oin* destination. We were here detainek place with a shift of wind on the following morning; enabling us to weigh our anchor at six o'clock, with a breeze from the north-east. AVe stood towards the Calf of ir\ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 17 Mann ; but, the wind falling light, made little progress, though working the engine, as we had attempted to do before, without the condensing apparatus. Yet, even thus, succeeding in obtain- ing only fifteen strokes in the minute, and being unable to make some intended repairs while the engine was at work, we had once more to depend on our sails alone, and against a wind which was now adverse. On Sunday we were off the harbour of Peel, when by taking advantage of the tides, and carrying a press of sail, we made con- siderable progress, and soon saw the Mull of Galloway to wind- wanl. Early on Monday morning, the engine being once more ready, sun occurred to destroy the pleasure resulting f.om this new and unex- pected su.'cess. ^Ve luul just taeen nuiij. more i i aiy ease in cutting away half a dozen masts in a gale than in tlM,s • doct..r- ing" one arm, I could not Imt be gratified as well as interested b, the eftect which this occurrence, vexatious and puiuful as it was (o n.e, pro.luce(l on the men. The arrangements of the medical r«.nsieur Larrey. respecting the effect of his excellent n.edical arrangements on the froopsof the farsighted soldierunder whom hissystemwasorganized. d2 20 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERV Anxious as we were for o»r projjress, we were now even more impatient on account of our unfortunate patient ; and we thus viewed witli pleasure tlie proijress wliicli we were now makini; l)y the new lielp of (mu' lee pa(htle wheel. We thus calculated that iiMii >. we should make Port Logan, then altont nine miles off, before the end of the tide ; hut at noon all our hopes were destroyed by the breaking of the teeth which turned the fly wheel of the small bellows. On a sudden they uave wav with a loud crash, so that this instrument became useless, and although, as the steam was then high, we ho|H.'d that this failin'e would not have much efl'ect. it was shortly reported that the boilers had burst : as if it had been predetermine*! that not a single atom of all this niiichinery siiould be aught but a source of vexation, obstruction, and evil. 'I'liis report did not indeed prove (piite a«-cin'ate ; but .some of the joints had sn far givru way. that the water was pouring out of the turuace door; and v«ith such rtii-ct. that in ten minutes the tire \vas txtinguishrd, and the engine sto|)ped. During these few hours the tide hati cliang<'d against us; aiul as the win*! \>as done, there remained n<» prospect of gaining either l'ass us: M» a>. t:> 'Mn^in*'*' us oltlic n*'*'cssii\ of improving *iur «»wu sailing <|tialitiy the watddiouse and flugstatfon that to the south. forming the station of thi! coastguard at this place. There is good holding ground in the bay; and ships may choose their depth of water, since it shoals from thirly to three fathoms. It is secure to the south-west, but is open to the north-west winds. It is a great advantage here, that ships can run for the pier, though at half tide; since, even at low water, it has seven feet, as, in fh< former case, there are tourteen, which at spring tides is increased to eighteen. There is ni» daiiger in entering, as e\ery thing is visible: and as the tide .sets outwards during eight hours, on the north sid< , a vessel has no d (iicnitx in b«ating out. This is decidedly the best harlxan* of leftiye. e\en in its present state, on this part of the c«»ast ; deriving advantage also from the pro\iniit\ of the lighthouse on the .Mull of(i,dlouay. It has been n)ni|Mited that a breakwater might be erected uitliin the bay. at an evpence of Ht>.(KK>/. ; and should this ever Ite eHected, it \>iil become one of the most safe and commodious liai hours in Scotland. IJi^fore ( iitering the pier, we were boaided bv Mr. IIar\ev. the ollicer of the cttastguard. with an otllr t»f his ser\icvs; and it was liini.' '•. I' y 1m 1 1 I ^r 22 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY \L 1 y here, on Isuuling, tliat, we procure*! a sprin^jj car for the conveyance of our patient to my house at Stranraer, wliere he was put under the care of our own sura:e«>n, Mr. M'Diarmid; and that of Mr. \A'iIson and Dr. Uitchie, wlio completed the operation whicli I was obliijed to leave imperfect, and attended liini kintlly to a cure. I umst not liowever tpiit the history of this spirited fellow, seaman thoui>'h he was not, without addiuif, tliat while he found his way up the two ladders of the engine room without help, and made no roniplaint at any time, the only re;;ret he exj)ressed was, that he should " now not he able to ^o <»n the expedition." 1 might well regret, niysrif being obliged to leave behind such a man as this. Having folhmed Hardy to my luaise, that I might see him pn»- perly tlisposed «»f, I sent for .Mr. Th«tm, to whom I had coniiited the management of the John : when I had the vexation to learn from him. that her olheers and men were in a state approaeh- ini>' to uniting . leaking aiivantage of our delay in going on board, it was soon easy to see in the looks of the oHieers and men, that Mr. Thorn's report of their unwillingness to go on this expe- dition was but too true; the latter appearing ilisorderly and dirty, iis tlu'y skulked and sneaked about the ship. .Intlging it theretore necessary to eome to an innnediate explanation, I went on JMianl the ,lohn. and ordered all hands to be ealled. I then expresM'd my legret at tinding there was dissatisfaetion anionic them: but as I dared not suppose that it proceeded from fear, I trusted that a little e\pl:iiiation Mould rectify this misunder- stantling. Ila^inif nr • It' sailed from (ircenock. I had desired TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 23 that Greenock men shouhl share with me the honours ami as true, tliat the season minht apjjear to them somewhat advanced; but independently of the advantages our steam power might give us, I knew so well where t(» find abundance of fish, that there could be no question of our success, ande of conduct which wouhl bring disgrace both on themselves and their native port. On this, a pause took place, when, after some interchange of signiticant looks and whisperings between the mates and the men. the boatswain stepp«'d forward, and after calling on .some others to join him, observed, that as the season was so far advanced. tlie\ were not willing to go without a fresh agreement; a resolution in whicli he was joineil by the majority of the crew. On in<|uiring into the nature of this new demand, I was answered that the\ would not go, unless I would ensure them, in writing, the same shares as if thty had retm'ued with a full ship. It would not ha\e been easy to frame a much more unreasonable request, when siicli a promise would necessarily deprive them of all inducement te exert themseUes in fishing I could not hesitate therefitre iii answering to so absurd a prop(»sid. that I would ensure findinu them tish in abundance, but that, to take them ami fill the ship, unisl be their own business. I was answered, however, that uothnig le^s would satisfy them than au absolute promise of ll I* <■ 11 J % II liii,,' \'\ 24 SKCOVn VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ■i aid the John in towing, this feeling would .subside and they would relnrn to their duties under our agreement. I returned therefore to Port Logan without loss of time : and the remainder of this day, June 9, was employed in landing the small boiler, together with the apparatus inteiuled for cutting the ice, which, it was now evident, exceeded the power of the engine to work. We thus got rid of six or seven tons of what was now mere bnnber; replacing it by three tons of water. On the following day I was visited bymy tVicnd.Ctdonel 1\I' I )ouall, accompanied by others, I'clatiims and friends; nor did he part with us without a substantial present to furnish our next Christmas dinner, in the shape of one of the best (lalloway catlle from his own estate. At six in the • vcning we cast oti* Irom the pier; and, with the assistance of tlie TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 25 coastguard, were towed round the point of Logan, under a light air from the south-east. At eiglit it fell calm, and we were ohligetl to stop the tide oti' Port Kale, under our kedge ; and though weighing again the following morning at six, with a light breeze from the north-east, we were unable to round Corswall point, so that we were again comjjelled to stop the tide in the same manner These delays allowed us to examine into the nature of the damage already mentioned as having been indicated in our boilers; when we found that the failure consisted chiefly in that of the iron cement which had been usetl in securing some of the joints : while the engineer had neither been informed of this, nor provide»| with the materials for replacing it in case of need. The small bellows, with the machinery belonging to it, was also in need of a thorough repair, as was the large one more partially ; but I must be excused from dwelling on this endless and provoking subject at present, further ihan to say, that every ilay convinced us still uiore that we must consider ourselves in future, as dependent on our .sails, for such progress as it should be our g(tod fortune to make. We now weighed iinchor once more at half-past five in the after- noon, rounded the point of Corswall, and bore up for I^och Hyan ; but, as it fell calm, wen- oh.iged t<» coine to anchor until the next morning, when, favoured by the breeze and a flowing tide, we ran alongside the John, having taken Mr. Thoin on board tlie evening before, on making tlu' Loch. The Victory being now alongside of the John, and lier crew .liiiie II June i: IMj r ' X f ,,' Hi 26 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ranged on the deck, I again went on board. When the hands were called, I exphiined at considerable length the advantages tliey would obtain, and that I did not entertain an intention of keeping them out to a second year. But .seeing that all I said was without ertect, I adtlresse«l my own crew, by remarking that such cowards as the men of the John were not worthy to accompany such gallant fellows as themselves, even to the edge of the ice. Yet as it was also necessary that I should prove a positive act of disobedience, I desired 31r. Comb, the master, to order his crew to assist ours in removing the coke. This was refused at once by the men, who at the same time called on those of the Victory to join then in " stiniding up for seamen's rights," as they expressed it. liut the appeal, as I expected, was received by my own people with indig- nation ; u|)oii which 1 returned on board, and after praising them as they well merited, both for this and all their other good conduct, proposed that we should sail by ourselves, and leave the r'owanlly John to her own proceedings. This proposal was receiveleaseil. It was still ne<'essary, however, that I shouhl luuster the John's crew, so as to ascertain the feelings of each individual; and this therefore was «lone by the master, at my instance. It commenced with the first unite, IMuirliead, who declared that he wouhl not abide by his agreemi-ut, nor go ou the voyage, without a guarantee for l.'jt) tons of oil anul: by the defei'tion of our intende«l consort, and had perhaps es<'apereship. This <)( cupied the best part of the following day ; and, at six in the evei.ing, all being ready, I cast oft' aiul stood to sea with a light breeze from the south-west ; Ijaving taken leave of all our friends on shoi-e and settled respecting the future manageuient of our patient Hardy; receiving the cheers of t^aptain Sharpe anti his men, whosp countenance and aid had been of great service to us during the troubles of the preceding day. On the morning of Sunday it was calm, and at noon the Mull of Cantyre bore north, the Craig of AiJsa bearing ea.st ; when a fresh breeze from the south-west, with a favourable tide, carried us rapidly through the north Channel. It was at the first moment that we found ourselves settled and h ' l\ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 31 at peace after the disturbances of the preceding days, that I took the opportunity of expressing to my officers and crew the grati- tude I felt for the support which all had afforded me, and of declaring my entire confidence in them through the future voyage, whatever troubles we might be destined to contend with. Assembling them for this purpose, and also thanking them flace the loss of Hardy, 1 also enli.stt'd a third man from the John's crew, in addition to the two fornitrly mentioned ; thus giving us an increase of three men, all \<»lunteeis, and immeiliiitely coalescing in har- mony with the remainder of our peoph'. JL "^ ..* \\ M 32 SECOND VOYAGE OK DISCOVERY We Inul HO sooner passed the island of Riichlin, than we found a heavy swell setting in from the north-west; the apparent ronse- quence of the long series of gales from that quarter which had recently occurred. Thus at least we at first thought ; but we were soon undeceived, since it proved the forerunner of a storm still more severe than any which had yet occurred. It assailed us in a moment, when we were in hopes that we had at length overcome iill our difficulties ; and as the gale continued to increase rapi>. Pll t , , ' 11 IT (i ' n TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. f riiul in them all, the true spu'it of seamen, since it ta ijjht me that I could depend on them in any emerijeneies; ready ol>et our ground. At mi Inight we split the jib; an■ ' ■ : I ;,il H tl(^ 34 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 11 l!',j luill- 1' June IH. Irish coast. We were therefore able to innintnin our westing; .ind shortly after noon the gale began to break, when, by the chronometers, we ascertained our longitude to be 7° west; the latitude observed at noon being 5(r 23' N. In the evening we were enabled to add the reefed foresail ; but as the sea was very heavy, we made little progress. During the night we stood to the northward, in consequence of the wind having backed to the west; but in the morning of the 17th it became northerly, and we again wore. At .seven we saw the Bishops isles, together with Tirey at a great distance to the nortli-east. The gab' hiid gradually decrea.sed ; but the swell continued, and the shi|) laboured so uuich as to prevent us taking any steps about our cripplnd mast. At midnight it fell calm ; and the swell having abated on the eighteenth, we contrived to .secure the riggint"- on tlu fcuviuast head sonu-what better. The topma.st, which had betu broken off above the fid hole, an»l thus reduced in length, was pointed up: and the hfel being secured by a lashing to the lower ujast, aJMiut six feet below the rigging, there was surtlcieut length remaining to .set the $..j>gidlant .sail as a topsail. No sail could howfvcr b' set on the pole, wlii<'h was sprung about halfway u|>. .At n«»ou Maliii head was in sight to the south-east, and flic observed latitude was Vi hT 14' M, the huigitnde by the chronometer being 7 40' W . On this day the carpenters were employed in making a trunk to carry the wafer from the pumps to the scuppers, owing fo the circumstances .stated in the account of our passage down the river. If was satisfactory to find that one pump had l>een .sutficient to keep the ship clear, during the whole TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 96 of this gale, though we were obliged to have that one constantly going ; but as this labour became less imperious as the wind moderated, we were convinced that the princi[ial leak must be somewhere above the water line. On this day the wind was still adverse ; and as we had every June if. prospect of a long passage, I began to entertain serious thoughts of putting in to Loch Svvilly, which was now in view, and wiiicii we could just fetch, in order to take in an additional supply of water and provisions, and either to get a new foremast, or to «;ause the old one to be stepped on tiie lower y 32', longitude T 55' V, with Maliu head. A boat now came ort'which we believed to be a pilot vessel, but it proved to be a Dublin fislijng boat, from which we obtained a good su|»ply of fresh fish. The wind, which was n<»w variable, died away entirely at (> p. m., when we were ten miles from the entrance of the loch ; but at nine, a fresh breeze une\pecte«lly springing up from the south-south-west, we changed our plan, and l»ore up under all .sail t(» con*'i ''e our voyage. As it was now evident thai we h: -I rot water and hay enough, to feed both the bullocks in oi r posm ion .h far as the edge of tlie ice, one was killed. .At I'.iidnigh' tS. breeze had increased, and tiie sea ha lel't the ciiief of our ti'oubles beiiind us. •'•If" '-' The wind was from the south-east both on Saturday and Sunday, and wr f'ound that we had made about 2(M) niihs. ]Ji\ine s('r\i«v was pert'ormed on this last day, being the 21st, at eleven (t'elork. an«l we trusted tliat o\n' thanks to the Providence which iiad hitherto protected us through a series of troubles, which, though not extreme, were by no means light, were accepted. .iiiiK JO On .Monday the wind came to the north-east, being nuirh nion niodc'i I'athoms. 'V\\r state of the weather dii miles, but lin,^' no obser- viition^. TIk tow ittpi Nofthe Ki'iiseu.^tvrn appearing to be eliat'ed. We shortened sitil and secured thein. at'ter w liieli wi held on oin course \\t Were here suri'ounded b_\ sjieiirwillers, but there WHS Inn niiieli >.>M II to idlow us to hoist out a boat in this pursuit. On iiiht .'I the twt iiiN-lburth we were enabled to make obser\ations : and. tindinu MUM Ues to the xoiithwanl of our reckonini;, altered our i M TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 37 course to north-west by west, so as to make a true west by north eoiuse. In tlie alternoon of tliis day we got up our ], oper fore- vard an(i set the foresail with the lower and topmast stu«ldin,u sails. 'IMie swell had considerably Jibated, and the wind was now nnirh more moderate. Thoui;!! we had some small rain on this day, the wind and the sea eontinued to s latitude on the following day, Sunday, was r>7 7 N, and the Itxigitude by the chronometer Ho \V. The ship's company was i.'uisltred, and divine service performed. The wind nas now \ I' inble, and tending to a calm; and, luwvirds the evening, the little Inv /,e of the , ■ supicious mode «»f cookery for meat :.mA TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 39 of su<;h a nature, and were glad to find that we need not even be forced by hunger to adopt a food which, if it never did more, would at least affbnl us variety. And I will now make this remark for the benefit of all who may be situated as we have often been, whatever use it may be turned to by those who, not knowing want, may find in the sea birds a source of variety or luxury. It has been ov rlooked by every one, that the fishy flavour of all these animals is confined to the fat ; the whole of which nlso is lodged immediately under tlie skin, and is chiefly situated on tl»e haunches. The muscles are always free of any oily, or rancid, or fishy taste ; so that nothing more is requisite than to skin the animals, and especially on the back, to render them undistinguisliable from ii land bird. In this way even the cormorant and the puflin, strong- tasted its they are, can be cooked in any manner, without the possibility of being recognised for seafowl. In fact this is equally true of many land birds ; and in Sweden, where the cock of the W(M>d and the black cock feed on juniper and fir, especially in winter, they are (tften scarcely eatable, from the flavour of tur- pentine ; while that is entirely removed by the same mode of treatment, so as to render them a very acceptable game for the table. 1 believe, however, that I must except the mollemoke (fulmar peterel) ; since, in this bini, the fat is so mixed with the muscles, that no contrivance can rid them of their delectable flavour. It being daylight soon after three iit the morning of this day. a light air came from the eastward, and we set all our sails. We had seen an Iceland hawk last nighf, and now observed two .Itine 29. 40 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY \i m finiiers riinniiio; to the nortli-cast. The carpenters were again set to work on the skill', it being Monday, and were also employed in making a jigger-mast. We had made bnt twenty miles in the last twenty-tbnr hours ; being tlie worst run we had had since quitting the Irish cojtst; but, in the evening, a bree/e came from the eastward, which continued during the night, and served to help us on considerably. At sunset there was a shower of rain: al'ter which we .saw an iceblink bearing north-north-west, the roast of fireenland being computed to be about 'i'iO miles otf in that direction. We also saw at this time manv of the birds called lioatswains, besides our former attendants the shearwatrrs and niollemokes. jiiii. to On the thirtietit we had fresh breezes and cloudy weatiier, with the wiiul from the north. All .sail was .set; and the carpenters tinished their work on the boat and the jigger-mast. The fresh bei.'f of the bullock which we had killed was this day exhausted: but we deci«led on keeping the other animal, if possible, until we arrived at the ice, as we might then contrive to use the whole, by means of the cold, in a fresh .state. The boilers seemed to continue tight, and the pinnp was in consi«lerable progress; the bellows being also tinished; so that we had a prospect of being again able to use our steam, to .some extent at least, should the neces.sity for other aid than our sails arise, as indeed could not tiiil to lie the case. '"i\ I The leaks which had now required us to ke«p our pumps going for at least an hour during every watch, in tine weather, and without cessation when it blew hanl, were this day discovered II I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. n |i to be tlie produce of three treeniiil holes oii the htrbouni siile, abreast of tite eiigme room. The hirgest of these, whicli Wiis about thioe feet below the water line, was easily stopped, and this gave innnediate relief to the pump. Tlie other two, though less in size, were situated near the floor-heads, so that we could not get at them till an opportunity should ofler for laying the ship aground: it was, however, satisfactory to have found <»ut the real nature of these two leaks, which also, in point of eflect, were of little consequence. The landblink was now very perceptible; and in the evt'ning we discerne and the water 47% at sunset. On this day we began to keep our regular register of the ther- mometer every two hours, though unfortunately losing one at the very first trial, through the unhandiness of the mate. The winVe now passed the spot where the llecla and (irifxr G I \ 42 SKCOM) VOYAfJK OK DISCOVEUV hilv luK 1 lin«l brtii on the tliirtrcnth of June, IHlf), atW having left Fair ishind on the nineteenth of May; and as we had taken our own de|):n'tui-e iVoni Loeh Swilly on the eiifhteentli of June, it foSlov.vd tliat «e had uaiiied eh-ven davs on that expedition, in nearly tlie same run of i:j(H! miles. \V*' had served out to the nwn. on the first of July, an allounnce of eiothes ealenlated for the climate we were now to eneounter. This consisted of a hine jiM'ket and trousers, ;i Hannel siiirt, a eom- tortaide. a pair of witdmal hose, a pair of tiainiel drawers, ji Welsh wiff, a pair of sea hoots, and another of carpet hoctts. The jackets of the othcers and petty officers were sliyhtly distinu'uisliHl, so that our e(]uipau'e had altou'ethera very imiforin and orderly appearance. Tliex clothes, with exception of the hoots, were a present to the men; aiul a reserve set for «'acli was kept in store, in case of nt-Hl. Our new iiifirer-mast had lieen yot rea«lv on the se«.'ond (vester- day), toaelher « itii two lieams at the stern to support it and the out-risigt-r ; anti, alter examining; our run, we t'ounil it to Ik- ninety-six miles. Imt nid'ortmiately on only a south-west course. Thus, on ilns diiy, ■!(' found ourselves in ' ititndi- .')7 47'. ami in longitude jiy account. IfJ -W The temperature of the air at mi«l- niglit had heen If . and that of the sea 4-J . After making a hoard to the sonlh-west. wi- tacked at H i>, m.. and stood all nit-ht to the northward: so that at noon on the )iext day, wc I'ound ourselves in latitude. I»y ohscrvation, .')T '>}), and longitude 17 31. The wtather was lia/y, and the winds light and variable. I TO Tilt; A IK TIC m:(;i()Ns. 1.'} CHAPTER IV. OFF CAPK FAKFWELL — FlUsT l( KliKRG SKEN — AIJHKAST OF JJAAL- IllVEIl — SIGHT OF ST'Kklcr ''OP — LAND AND ISLANDS NKAR AVIDE- FOIID SEEN — A CODHAM (OVEUED — MOINTAIN lALLED OLD woman's hood — auiiival at ax anciiokage. JL HIS (lay, bfiiija,- Suiimeter QiY 54' ; so that we found that we had made 14<) miles in the last twenty-four hours. 'J'he temperature of tlu' air was 48 , and that of the water 44^ ; and there was now no land in sight. July 7. The breeze stdl continued till three in the afternoon of this day ; and we found by the log, at noon, that we had run 138 miles since the preceding one ; but as the haziness of the weather, prevented us from taking any observations for the chronometer, we could not form a more accurate computation. As the latitude however, which was Or .'JJ)', gave four miles more of northing on a north- west course, we attributed this increase of westing to a swell from the .south-s(Mith~east. In consequence of this swell we were obliged, in the evening, to ,«ihorteu sail, by taking in the mainsail, gatt' top- sail, an. Iiilv II. adtletl to our usual commons : and we also found that a ^anm-t pie was preferred to the best piece of corned beef wiiich we could pro- duce, confirming the remark I have already made. Many more shearwaters were afterwards seen, so that I might safely call their numbers immense. Two tinners also came alongside ; and one of them was struck in the shoulder by a musket oall, without how- ever being killed, as far as we could discover. This tlay was perfectly calm during the whole twenty-four hours, with the exception of some cat's paws that lasted only a few minutes. The ship's head was generally to the north and north-east, and 1 now ha«l occasion to regret that the engine «as not so ready for use as I had anticii>ated a few rning the wind sprung u|» from the north by west, being ii . Much drift woy us; the kittiwakes becoming mmh more numerous. As on the preceding evening, the water fell in tem- perature, but again rose shortly after; the lowest being ii'\ , and thr highest l:} : whence we concluded that we had again ap- proached some ice. At eight in th<' evening we tell into a strong rippling cm rent, which made the .ship very uneasy, and seeineIance between the forms of the two should have been so great an we found it. We sent a boat to it for the purpose of procuring ice which would furnish us with water, and she returnetl in three hours with two tons on board. The oHicer reported that he .siw .several whales, and many seals near this iceberg, which was covered I with birds; and he found no ditfiodty in landing. The brig which we had seen on Sunday morning was also in sight, nine miles to the north of us; an The wind was more moderate this day, and the swell so much abated that we set the lee paddle of the engine to work. We found that it made seventeen revolutions in the minute, and assisted us very much in plying to windward. In fact we could now keej> tlie ship one point nearer the wind, with a velocity also of three and a half miles, instead of two and a half, and without making more tiian the half of our former leeway. In the morning watch, a good many whales and seals were seen, with numerous flocks of shearwaters asleep on the surface of the sea. Land was also seen a little to the northward of that which we had noted yesterday, yet only for a few minutes between seven and eight o'clock ; while a fog that attended us cleared away. At eleven in the morning, the engine not having been at work more than three? hours, one of the boilers began to leak. The fire was therefore immediately put out in it, when the other was found not to have sufficient power to keep the wheel going. Every tiling was therefore stopped, and the fires extinguished, that we might endeavour once more to get the damage repaired. On examination, it was found that the largest and the larboard pipe, which are placed within the boiler, had been pressed flat, antl that the outer edges of each had rent ; thus accounting for the escape of the water, which was found to have made its way out at seven points in the larger, and at three in the smaller one. We immediately set to work to rephice the large, and to repair the smvdl pipe : but found this to be both a tetlious and a difficult undertaking. The screwlioles in the flaunches did not correspond to each othti, so that we were obliued to make new ones, after TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ->'} plugging up the old. Neither did the Haunches themselves meet as they ought to have done ; thus materially increasing the trouble ot the workmen ; while we regrettetl every hour the loss of the valuabU time which was slipping away. Thus did we labour till midnight, when on trying the pipes by forcing water into them, we still foiuid further alterations necessary, as, eventually, we had t.j fit Um* ue\v pipes, so as to occupy us the whole of this, the 17th day of July. Our latitude by observation this day at noon, wits (>y 37 , and the longitude by the chronometer, 50 ; showing that we had made ten miles northing. The temperature of the air and the sea had not changed, and the wind had rather increasetl, without however any .sensible augmentation of the swell. The engineers and armourer were still employed on the engine ; my own anxiety also causing me to pass nearly all my time in the engine room, since I found that this repetition of adverse winds might materially ob.struct our passage to Whale islands. Hy noon, consequently, we had only made four miles northing ; and it ^^a^ not till five in the afternoon that the work was reported to Ije readv After an hour's labour in getting uj) the steam, the engine was thus at last set to work on tlie lee paddles ; but they had not been quite half an hour in motion when the main key of the shaft ga>e way, and we were once more obliged to stop, under greater provocation to the patience of all of us than it would be easy to describe. There seemed indeed no end to the vexations produced by this accursed machinery; .since the larboard boiler also again was found to have sprung a leak. Nevertlteless we twk the opportvuiity of screw ing up the flaunches. tliough they were still warm : and the workmen set to .lulv If 54 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 1^ I hi work immetliately to make a new key, though we could not hope to be ready tor MoncUiy. The paddle was cousequently also hove up; when, as if we were not sufficiently troubled already, tl»e tackle block gave way, and it came down, but, fortunately, without doing any damage. We however fitted a new tackle, and thus got it out of the water. i.iiv II. During the last night the wind and weather remainetl without alteration, nor was there any change in the temperature of the .sea or the air. This morning, being Sunday, the weather was foggy, and the wind in the same direction, but more moderate : we conse- quently made little progress. At noon, as usual, the men were mustered in go«xl health and spirits, and divine service performed. AVe .saw the tirst walrus this day, with a goo' liuliJ ahead, and so strong that the engine, as it was now acting, w;i«> quite useless. It wa.s therefore stoi»[»ed. He had (ished on the bank as long as it was <'abn, in depths varying fntni 14 t<» ;{(» fathoms; but on standing to tlie west, we dropped siuldenly into fifty, and then into seventy. As the small engine had been unable to work the bellows, this duty tell on the men. who had eonse- <|nently nnt help once uKtre observing from this point in our present voyage, what had already struck us s(» forcibly, in the raritv, almost the absence of iccbertrs. namelv, that all the visible land was peculiarly free from ice. This le the soutliwaid of the ishnid with tlie appointed siuiial flying, to signify tJiat slie had discovered a liarbour. We therefore bore up for it under all sail, as the wind had now much moderated. On approaching the high land, we found it nearly calm, though there was a strong breez«' still in theofling; and at two o'clock Com- mander Ross came on board. His report was, that he had disco- vered a cove at tlie eji.st side of the l)eacon island, appearing to be |»erfectly safe, and with four fathoms a little after high water; l)eing at the same time so small tluit it would Ije necessary to moor the ship both head and stiTii. Admitting that the water might cbl» another fathom, there would l)e still enough for a siiip of so mo- derate a draught as ours; .so that we determined to make for it at once. 13 .Inlv '23. If li '1 I ; » t h fl 1 '1 ; 1 <)() SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY Proceed ill, if, we first passed a round island, and afterwards a rock above water, resembling a dead whale, situated to the right hand of the island/ There appeared to be a good channel, how- ever, oil each side of it; and standing on till we approached the isliiiid. we found it to be about two hundred yards in length. It Wiis betMecii this and the beacon island that our intended harbour lav, \> hich was thus defended from the north by the main land and the islands near, as, to the south, it was covered by many others, situated at various distances. The boats soon towed us round, and we entered from the south, mooring by ropes from each bow and <|uarter. It was (hiring this attempt that we first .saw the moon since we had quitted the «'oast of Scotland on the fourteenth of June. The eonsequence was, that we had bet-n unable to procure a single lunar observation during thewiiole pa.ssage. It was now most brilliant; and being seen between the peaks of the lofty and pictures«|ue iiiountaiiis of this coast, the efiect was splendid in the highest degree; llie nigged sides and peaks of all these hills appearing in all their distinctness tlir(»iigh an atmosphere which seemed as if it had never known a vapour. At l\\^' (('clock the tide had ebbed (M>nsiderai>ly, .s(» as to leavens only t\\(I\e feet water. We found no inhabitants on the beacon island: l>ul the presence of three Es(|uimaii\ dogs a.ssiired us that wt^ were not far fntiii simie settlement. Ascending to the beacon, I gained a > iew of two magnifi(;eiit inlets, surrounded by iiuumtains of a very striking character; far more striking now than they had appeared on entering the harbour, as the view which I obtained TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ()1 was more extensive. Being entirely elear of snow, while broken into precipiees, and shooting upwards their f-iarp and rugged peaks, their aspect was very different indeed from what had ocoinred to us in our former voyage, when the season was earlier, and the presence of snow on them not only ohscured their forms in many places, Init, by bringing them near to the eye, destroyed all atmospheric perspection ; all keeping and all landscape effect. It was truly a splendid and a striking scene, well worthy of the pencil of a very ditlerent aitist, as it defied the little power which I possessed. The sight of numerous rocks and breakers, both to the north ami the south, now proved that we had chosen the right passage, or rather the only navigable one; guided more by go«Kl fortune than by observations which we had not in reality the power of making. The island itself was a far finer object than our fi>rmer experience at an earlier, and perhaps in a worse season, had given us reason to expect on this icy coast, and reminded us in a lively manner of the far fain-r lands which we had «|uitted but a month before, and the suunuer "hich we believetl we had left behind. Kvery practicable part of the surface, even the smallest spot which was not a pure precipice or a sea rock, was covereil with verdure ; while a profusi()n of wild plants, now in full anf our enterprise, and requested permission to [uirchase such provisions and stores, with spars or whatever else might be needful anil suitable to us, of tht>se III 1' ; ,1 1 ■ : i ■ : t ( ,:1 If k .;(! '•» yr\ Hi SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY which remained under his custody tVom tlie wreck. To this he readily consented ; assuring us that he todk nnich interest in the success of our undertaking, and also repeating his otter of fur- nishing us from his own stores nith whatever else we might >>ant. It occurred to me immediately, among other things, that the niizen mast of the RookwootI, which had once been the Uattler slcMtp of war, must be about the size of our foremast, and that by taking it, instead of tongtiing our own, we should not only save nnich time, but get a far more secure and suitable mast. In reality, this mast was already provnl to have been two feet too short : anti the pro- jected repair to which we haedroom, a small parlour, and a kitchen ; the Ciovernor's having an extra room a«ljoining, for the acconnnodation of his t\vo boats' crews and two pil(»ts. The apartments were low, and having cross beams in the ceiling, resendjled the fore cabin of a 5() gun ship. The upper story con- tained only bedrooms for servants, being a s[>ecies of attic, T<» the church there is a small steeple somewhat surmounting the building; the inside being neat and plain, with an t>rgan at <»ne extremitv and the altar at the other, though the former \vas not TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 67 seen, sis it had been sent home to be repaired. The Church is capa- l>le of contiining two hundred persons, and is well attended ; tlie sermon and prayers being in the Esquimaux and in the Danish language on the alternate Sundays. I need not say that the Danish form is the Lutheran ; nor need I repeat the praise so well deserved, and so often bestowed on tlie Danish Government for their attention to the spiritual welfare of the Greenlanders ; and as little need I notice the well-known success, which has attended the labours of tlie worthy clergymen who have undertaken this office, under such a banishment and such privations. The storehouse at the landing-place is the receptacle of all heavy articles ; and at the other, higher up, some of the people reside. There is no view of the .sea from the town, the harbour alone being- visible. It is defended from the east by high rocks, and also from the west by others, so as to be well sheltered ; while it is covered from the south, though at a greater distance, by the huge mountain called the Old Woman's Hood, and has also a prospect of a range of lofty hills fronting the harbour. It is thus a really interesting, and almost a romantic .spot; nevertheless scarcely endurable as a resi- dence, were even a tolerable portion of the year such as it chanced to be at our visit. From an eminence a little way beyond it, we obtained a fine view of the sea and its countless islands ; forming an interesting maritime landscape, out of the power of our pencils at least, if not of better one's than ours; and, from the same point, we could also discern our own floating home, lying snug in her little cove. The Esquimaux name of this town is Tirieniak Pndlit, meaning, as we understood, the "foxes' holes." k2 B 'I * s 68 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY Proceeding, after our return, to exiiniiiie the Rookwood, I soon found that some of her stores would he a valuable acquisition to us ; so that besides the pleasure which we were here enjoying, in the only day of comfort which we had met with since our departure from Woolwich, we had also fallen on what was as good, to us at least, considering our few wants, as an English dockyard. The mizen mast suited us as well as if it had been made on purpose for our foremast; and the provisions which remained unsold, were suthcient to make our own up again, to our needful complement. It thus gavt- gn at satisfaction to our hospitable friends to find tliat I shotdd lose no time in bringing the Victory into their harbour; and having promised to dine with the Governor on the following «lay, we took one of his pilots on board in his boat. On my return, I found that Mr. Tlutm, whom 1 had left on board to superintend the nec^essary operations, had already got out the loremast, ami was in the act of doing the same for the mizen mast. These things being finished, I prepared to run up the harbour, by hoisting a topsail upon the sheers which had been set up, the wind being fortunately quite fair, itnd by the aid of warps; under which we soon reached the town, and made fast to rings on the rocks, by means of whale lines ; our situation being within a hundred yanls from the shore on the east side. Wt- immediately proceeded to get the miztn mast out of the lloukwood ; and about nine on the same evening, the V^ictory won hauled alongside of the wreck, it heing then high water. The mast ^^ as soon hoisted out by means of our own mainmast ; when we again hauled to our moorings, and the carpenters were set to .1 TO THE ARCTIC UUGIONS. 00 work; the men being- sent to take their four hours' rest at one o'clock. The next day they were employed in getting up the '"W -*• f'areniiist and foretopniiist ; and Mr. Thoni went on shore to liike an aocount of the provisions, which were shipped off in the Krusenstern, together with .some other stores that we had selected. In the mean time, 1 proceeded, in company with Commander Ross and the Surgeon, to an eminence on the shore near to the ship, which commanded a complete view of the rocks, shoals, and entrance of this place ; when sights wen- tiiken for the chrono- meters, together with a meridian altitude of the sun by the artiticial horizon. A series of angles were further observed, for the purpos«^ of determining the positions of several places in view ; but under an annoyance from the mosquitoes, which far exceeded the persecu- tions of the former day, and under which my nephew suffered in a most extraordinary manner. >\'ho is it that abuses Acerbi for his eternal repetition of the sutlerings he enduretl from these pestilent animals, which, in these climates, render every moment a torment, so as to occupy the entire attention, and to make it almost as impos- sible to act as to enjoy ? Let them try the ex[)eriment, not of a whole sununer, but of a single day in Sweden, or even here in (rreenland; and I am mistaken if they do not justify the accu- nudate«l complaints of all the travellers that ever annoyed their readers with the records of what they had endiu'ed from this most iucredilile, and never to be Ibrgotten generation of worse than vipers. Having nevertheless completed our observations, in despite of this .1 70 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERV i4 ^ 111 , ;f 'I irmy o( ruthless devils, we proceeded to dine with the Ciovernor; meeting also the elertrynian and his amiable wife, and bein^ regaled with tare and wines that would have done credit to a very es, or doing any other work which chanced to l»e in hand ; r.howing their good will at least, and in reality giving us some useful help. 3fany also brought for sale such articles as they had for disposal ; and thus our men furnished themselves with l)oots and gloves, in exchange for cotton handker- <'hiets anti old clothes. Few of them .seemed t«> be acquainted with the value of money : and one, who had proposed a pair of handsome gloves to Mr. Thorn, preferred an ohi handkerchief to cither a shilling or a sovereign, which were su<;cessively tendered to him in exchange. .After dinner I proceeded on Imanl to .superintend the work : and .Mr. Thom, by means of the Krusenstern, continued to ship the pro- visions, sails, and cordage which we had purchasnl. C'ommander Ross, with Mr. M'Diarmid, took a walk t»» collect specimens of plants, or whatever else might otter itself; after whi<'h we all met at supper at the Gftvernor's luuise. At table, we were entertanieer was taken. We further understooti that Mr. Kijer had the pastoral charge of the districts of Holsteinborg and Sukkertop, under the esta- blished church, and that he visited the latter during the spring; l>ai>tizing and contirming the natives as they were l)orn and as they grew up to years of discretion. lie further informed tis, that a regular account of the population is transnntted to the Dainsli Government. If I myself witnessed nothing but the most perl'en good order during our short stay here, so I was infornie«l that thert were very few instances of innnorality, and that the general cha- racter of the Greeidanders was so mild and jmciHc as to afibrd no in.stances even <»f common fighting ; as, in no case, were they the aggresso-s when contests took place between tin in and the Danish settlers or other luuropeaiis. 1 have plac d in the Appendix correct aci-ouiits of the po|uilit- tioiiofthe settlements which were kindly furnished to nie by .Mi Kijer, No one ex pet, -ts to hear that there weie trees in the (ioveinor'> garden, u hen e\en the Shetland islands are reputed to contain but one; but we fi,>und it cultivated, with salad, ladisiies. and liiniips h i r il 72 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Here, as in Lapland, the wild angelica abounds, as ashep, I found a poor Ks(|nimaux waitina: in his canoe alonuside, with an oar wliicli had been lost from one of the boats, and which he had picked up. lie was of course handsomely rewarded for his honesty: showinnat the same time that lie had ii(» expctution of >hc present by which he was so delii-lited. I know not how far the « xertioiis of the worthy cleruymaii destrve to share in the merit of tiiis and the other ^^ood comhict whicli we witnessed : but be this as it may, I (h» but justice to the natural character of tliis mre. almost every where within »Mir experieiwe, to say that ihcy art aiiionu- the most worthy of all the rude tribes yet known < • voyauers, in whatever part of the world. line also. I must not foriiet fo notice, we procure(|ui- iiianx d«»i>s: a portion of our movina,- force that we were likclx to waid before the winter had lon<. arrived, and miyhl not obtain when wc dtsircd. Kvcntually. they proved of essential use to us The paMiieiil tor the articles which we had ]n-(Miiie(l «as of ii somewhat compliciited natuiv. but by the kindness of the ,uo\einor. «as madf \ery liyht. lie would take no return for the greater part of what he had I'lirnished. the do<>'s bein^ also his |)i«;!'Mt' and as tar as tin.' stores taken from tlu' wreck of the l{ookwoo«| wer« coiiceriird. all that wc had to do was to siiid a list to .Mr. iMellish, with a reference to Mr. Itooth. L 74 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY !■ It .llllv .'I' After breakfast we went on shore to renew our operations for (leterniiniuij^ the exact situation of llolsteinbor^, and found the hititude to be (>()' .>H' N, and tlie longitude .')3" 54' W, by the means of tive chronometers. The jfovernor and tlie clerify man's party dined with us, and j^ave us an opportunity of showing; thtni our present arrangements, toj^etlier with those whicli we sliould be oblined to adoj)t in the future, adding^ to tliis whatever else might i>ratity their curiosity about an expedition in which they seemed to take an interest etpially friendly anil anxious, and not less than that shown bv our own countrymen. Our ship was still however in great (Confusion, as could not fail to be the case ; aiul it was not till late in the evening that we could expect to be in readiness to proceed. Taking the boat, 1 therefore landed on the small spot called Lines island, which afforded the best view of this .settlement, taking a .sketch of it and of the magniHcent screen of mountains by which it was backed ; after which, having written the last letters to England which I was now likely to write foi manj a day, I joined the whole party at the governor's house at nine, that we might fake our probable farewell, and, a<'cording eipially to northern and maritinu' custom, shake hands over a " parting glass." 'J'here was every a|)pearance of a favourable change in the win«l, and the lelfers were forwarded to Haal's river, to the charge of the Danish ship that had on board the master and crew of the Hookvvood, through whom we could be sure of their being carried on to Kiigland. This day, being Sunday, it was rffotteii that the Moravians have been the instructors in each case, and that, |>ossil)ly, more merit is due to the instructor than the pupil. The clergyman afterwards presented me with a hynni in the Es<|uimau\: lanifuage, which I subjoin for the sake (»f the few who may take an interest in this wide-spread tonf>iie. KONGIVTIMK Ell I N . — Nallunakau tokodhfiura . 1. .Ainerdlarsorsoangortikit Atatak ! Kongiin udloee! Taniasa pillee atlatikit Paraluu'o kotsiniiuerme Tiissarkit tuksiautivut Sajmauii'iunht koniierput ! t:,l Tennitarpin opernarsusek Arsufisjfeinarliuk 'Jamafigudh* sajmarsusek Illigut i:a>llun«jeliuk Tussr rkii' — a ! Kenutivut Sajmauuiiiglo Kongerput ! Tile translation will lie found in the A|»peiidix. i'lh' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. / / Tlie bretze being at last fair, and onr vessel afloat, it was necessary to take our (le[)art»ire, as we could not now aflbrd to lose «^ven a single day, nay, scarcely an hour; so tar was the season advanced and so much ground lay yet before us, between our pre- sent place and that in which, w herever it might prove to be, we should be com[)elled to w inter. Our kind friends accompanied us on l)oar\'hether the two kind and worthy men with whom we had thus parted, and whom we were little likely to see again, may ever read this te.stinnmy of gratitude to them, is unknown to me, but [ am happy in the opportunity of recording their benevolence. To their disinterested generosity we couhl not find the means of making an\ retm'n, beyond the simple keepsakes which they were willing to receive; refusing every thing in the nature of remuneration. { thought it however incunil)ent on me, as an officer in the King of England's service, to write a letter of thanks to the governor, which I accompanied by one t<» the Danish Court: a simple testimony in favour of one to whom no recommendation from me, could lie of any service in that quarter. I ,1 .'I ^! 'ifi 78 SFXOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER VI. nrsro ifSLAND — enter ox the first of atgi'st — reach our FIRTIIEST INTENDED POINT NORTH — STEER FOR LANCASTER SOIND — ENTER THE SOLND REMARKS ON THE FORMER DIS- COVERY OF THIS SPOT. Auk pilot hiiviiit? quittfd us, Commander Ross continued to take the angjles necessary for deterininina: the positions of the sur- rounding islands, of which he had given us the names, as well as those of the several mountains and promontories. We understood from him, that Lieutenant Graaf had set out on a very interesting expedition to Rist Greenland, and that Captain Ilolholl luul removed to the district of lianVs river. Having finished our angles, the breeze continued to freshen in our favour, and we passed through an excellent channel insi call at Whale islands, that inten- July ■>-. tion was abandoned ; and as I had no desire to meet the John, our intended consort and tender, supposing, as was not very likely, tliat she had sailed, I held on our course in pursuit of our main object. The wind continued to favour us all Monday, and at mid- night it had increased to a smart gale, which made us regret that we had not tidcen time to clear the Kru.senstern of j)art of her cargo. The land about ^V'ild islands, and near South bay, was .seen at a distance; and, like what we had already passed, was remarkably clear of snow. We also now j)assed many i(;ebergs. all of which seemed to be in a .state of dissolution, while the tem- perature of the air was 40°, and that of the .sea 3i)\ We contrived to carry all our sail during the day, in spite of the force of the breeze, until one of the tow-ropes of the Krusenstern broke, which obliged us to ttike in some of our canvas. The mate. Blanky, had got on board of her to fasten a new haw.ser, when a violent .sea caused her to strike against our stern, iloiiig some damage to her stem, ami one of the seaman, John Wood, then jumping into her, was .so unfortunate as to break his leg. This obliged \is to heave to, that we might get him on board the ship and put him under the siirgeon's care. Just at this time, she gave a heavy lurch, which carried away the temporary topmast, its rigging having been rather slack, as it was, itself, sprung at the head. The topsail however hap- |M'ne\ hale- tish islands, without losing more time than we could now spare: especially as the wind was fair lor us. E\eu among the ice- bergs, the temperatine of the sea was 41 at noon, and at mi. nil r,' m SKCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVKIIY iirticles, in order tliut she might be towed with more ease. At noon we were in hititude 71' 1' and longitnde off, the Bhick rock hearinff north. The Kind towards the .sea was here also clear of snow, bnt the high mountains in the interior, both here an\'e wouhl gladly have sent to it for some water, of which we were beginning t«» be in want, but the swell was too great to permit our landing on it. .At noon the latitude was 73 oiJ', and the longitude ().V .'M)', the temperature of the sea and the air being c(|ually 10 ; and that continued inichauged at midnight. It was, in every thing else, a sunnner day ; the .sea and sky resendtling ni<»re what we should liiivc expected in the Mcditcrranciiii thnu in such regiuus as {{iitiiu's biiy. The wind at length came graduidly to the westward, and then died away, so that the engine Wiis again lUiide re;idy. To no purpose, howe\er, as a brec/e soon sprung up agiiin ; while, as one of the boilers appeared fo leak on(;e nions we were well pleased that we were not <-alled on to use it, and thus took the opportiniity of rcpsiiring it. \ii-ii>i ?. The wind (resliening in tlit; same directitm, we stood toward the north, with one iceberg in sight ; and as Sinid:iy rose on us, it proved a beautiful day, with a sky of the utmctst serenity ; the atmosphere transparent, au*l the sea so smooth, as almost t«» leave u> without motion. Hut Ibr one iceberg that wsis in sight, we might li:Me imagiuiil ourseUes in the summer seas ol' iMigland. tliouuli the air was onlv ttt l'> as the water was at l>'i . The lati- TO THE AUCnC REGIONS. K5 tude at noon was 74 18', and the longitude (Mi 49'. There was not an honr «lnring the whole day that we coukl not see twenty leagnes all roinid us. Divine service was performed, and the remainder of it was made what we always wished, a period of rest. On this day a large spot was seen near the centre of the sun ; and two bottles were thrown overboard containing our subscription with the latitude and longitude. Like the preceding, this was a sununer's day ; and as there was AuuM-t i. a ge tbnud the \ii::i|..i i men as 1 did this morning at six, sendtbing the decks without shoes or stockings. The pump of the iMigine was completed bet'ore }:• 8(> SECOND VOVAGi; OF DISCOVEKV nine, Imt the starbojirtl boiler liegan to leak again so soon after it liad been set going, that we were ol»lige(l to make nse of the other by itself; so that we could only obtain ten revolutions in the minute, and that with but one wheel. Thus, althongh it was a dead calm, «e could make but a mile and a quarter in the hour; ypt this was better than nothing at all, though oiu* debt to the tiigine was assiu'edly as small as it well could be. 'i'hough tile sea was smooth, the sky was cloudy, so that we could <»btain no observation; antl the temperature of the sea was one degree higher than that of the air, which was 10. We passed between two icebergs, but did not choose, under the present circumstances, to deviate from our course for the purpose of getting water from them. The never-ending engine was again set to work as soon as we had stopped the leak in the boiler : and. aliout live o'clock, we contrived to niake somewhat more than a mile and half in the hour, by the aid of both boilers, but wifh only one paddle, of which \\v could thus connnand nearly fourteen revolutions. 'I'he people were employed in fitting the new capstan, and in preparing the forehold to receive some more stores : and one of the stokers was nearly suflbcated by inhaling some sulphurous gas at the furnace mouth. A few mollemokes were shof for the dogs, and we found some shrimps of a species new to us. \b«»uf ele\en, there being a small iceberg ahead. ( oannaiidir Ko» went in (he boat to (etch som*' ice for water as that which we had taken in at llolsteiidierg was expended. H. had not calculated on being so long without the means of renewing i(, since we had alwavs me( abundance of Held ice in our ^1 TO Tllli; ARCTIC HEfilONS. 87 former voyages. About luiduiglit, a smurt shower of rain oanie ; hciiiy miicli more vvelcoiiie than the snow, wliich would have been a substitute for it in our preceding voyages. At one o'clock this day we got pretty near the iceberg, when Aui^u^t the boat returned with three tons of excellent ice. It had been found to be in a state of decay ; and it was not long before we saw it fii I to pie(!es. The wind becoming fair in a short time, the fires wei put out after the engine had been working interruptedly about fourteen hours. For the present, the boilers had given over leidving. IJut this wiud did not la.st long, and at length inclined to the soutii-uest ; so that it was again set to work and kept in action about twelve hours, being the longest period during which it had yet worked without accident or inten'upti(»u. The weather was clear and pleasant, and the wind varying more to the north- ward. At noon the latitude was 73 43', and the longitude 73 30': and at six, we had in«'reased this to 74 , being about sixty miles to the east of Cape' Byam Martin. \Vr saw the land looming, but the view was not such as to enable us lo recognise it. At eight a fog came on, but the temperature of tht; air and sea continued at 4(r, just as it had been at noon. The carpenters having finished the plattbrm for the new capstan between the main and lore hatchway, it was shipped into its place. 'I'wo icebergs were in sight befV»rt; the log set in, but we .soon h»st sight of them and of e\ery thing else. Some advantageous changes were made in the machinery, in con,se(|uencc of which we made fullv thirteen revolutions in a miinite, with a velocitv of more than a mile and a half in the hour. The fog thickened much at mid- I ,: if !,": n; \k 88 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY night; but, as the temperature was 43 , it art of the <;oast. 'I'lncf ieebcrgs appeared, one of a very remarkable appearance, since it resendded a bridge with a castle perched on its sunnnit. The other two seemed in a (Jia/v state, and we afterwards saw one ft ' of theiii fall to pieces. Some of the krang of a whale had l>een seen ill tile nioiiiiiig; and, in the evening, that of a very large rish came iiciir us, so that wf sent out the boat and procured a supply ! r TO THK ARCTIC REGIONS. «y for the dogs. A piece of ship timljer vvsis also picked iif), with u few shelltisli adhering to it. In tlie evening the wind was directly against iis, and the engine was stopped ; as it was then of little use. and as the feeding pump had again gone wrong. The teniperatiin of the air and sea was 40^ On entering Lancaster sound, I was naturally reminded of that period in my ft»rmer voyag«', and being now near tiie spot at which we liad decided to return, under the firm belief that we could pene- trate no further westward in tliis direction, I could not help making in my journal the remarks which I now transcribe from Ihat entry : though I have carefully reviewed this subject, in the sketch of the whole series of attempts to disco\er a north-west passage, which I have given in the introductory chapter to the present work. ' Sir I'xiward Parry remarks that Lancaster sound had ' <»btained a degree of notoriety beyond what it might otherwise have been considered t<» possess, from the very opposite opinions which ha\e been held with regard to it." This language is somewhat andti- guous, at least ; and either from this cause, or others, it has been inferred by some of those persons who took an interest in the dis- coveries ancl proceedings of that voyage, that Sir Edward's opinion was opposed to mine, when we were employed together on that first expedition. Under such a conclusion, the same persons ought als«» to hav( perceived, that as a matter of course, he nnist have then cvpressed that difierence of opinion to me, since this was his ssible that I may not. even now. intluenee or alter the conclusions to wliicii I ha\e thus alluded, siiu'e it is in human natiu'e to adhere to judgn cuts once Ibrmed. ani)tei=ii TO TIIK ARCTIC REGIONS. })3 CHAPTER VII. PHOGRKSS DOWN LANCASTER SOUND — SIGHT OF CATHARINE AND EMZAHKTH MOUNTAINS PASS CAPE YORK AND STEER FOR PRINCE regent's INLET CAPE ELWIN AND ELVVIN BAY THE COMPASSES CEASE TO TRAVERSE DISCOVER ADELAIDE RAY APPROACH TO FURY REACH — FIRST SIGHT OF THE TENT POLES LEFT AT THE TIME OF THE WRECK THE VICTORY MOORED. X HE ship made al)out four miles of iiortliin^i; in the morning, Anirii-i *. after which it fell quite calm, with the vessel's head to the north- ward. Several icebergs were in sight, and a boat was sent for another load of ice, with which she returned about one o'clock. Tiie boilers were then filled; and the engine being clean and rea5 evening. As the sun declined to the nortlivvard, there was an appearance of wind in the clouds ; and, and at ten, a light air arose, so as to induce us to set all our canvas. The remains of whales were still seen, in various directions, covered with niolle- mokes, and we also observed a flock of ducks, and some of the ivory gulls. Tlie water seemed crowded with minute marine animals, and afforded us some specimens by means of the gauze nets. During all the last week the utmost anxiety was expressed by all on board for a fair wind ; and our impatience to profit by the fine weather made the miserable performance of the engine more grievous. That it was a frequent subject of execration, I might guess, if I did not hear it ; and if the constructor received his share also, no one could have expressed much surprise. It re- quired constant and minute attention to persuade it to work at all ; as even with all the goodwill of the workmen, my presence was for ever required in the engine room, insomuch that I was scarcely allowed to sleep. It may well then be believed that the appearance of a breeze from the eastward was looked for with the utmost solicitude. Every hand was held up to feel if a wind was coming, every cloud and fogbank %vatched, and all prophesied according to their hopes or fears, till they were fairly driven off the tieck by the neces.sity of turning in to sleep. Had we been less anxious ourselves, we might have been more anuised by observing how the characters of the men influenced their conduct on this occasion. Those of an eager disposition were continually watching the eastern sky, to discover, in the changes of the clouds, or whatever 96 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I 'ill 'I 'A Mi I ill; Aiiiusi '.'■ else inii>l)t occur, the firsl promise of a fair wind : uliile the (lespoiuliiig characters occupied tlie bows, hjokinu: in irloomv silence at the dark sea and sky before them, and niarkini;, even without a word, their despair of our nitiuiate success, or their fears that our vovaare was about to come to an end, at even this early day. At midniglit, however, every symptom of a wind from the east beyan to show itself; the despairin^^ i\w recovered their spirits, and the satisfaction of the hopeful was at length diffused throughout the ship. This welcome wind which had at last arrived, gradually increased : all sail was set, and the engine kept in action till three o'clock, though by considerable ex< rtions of the men at the Itellows. The weather still felt mUd, though the wind was east; and as the men had undergone nmch fatigue, they were sent to rest after divine service. The latitude was observed at 74" 1', and the longitude by the chronometer was 77\ No ice of any kind was in sight; but the snowy tops of the mountains, and particularly of the two remarkable ones formerly named Catharine and I'^lizabeth, were seen rising above the clouds. The ccmrse steered by the compass was here north-north-east, which, under a variation of 114, led us directly np the sound; making thus a course nearly west. In the evening. Cape Liverpool was also seen above the clouds. At noon the temperature of the air and the sea equally, were at 40', and at midnight it snbsideVe were indeed preparing to anchor, as the only o 98 gECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ! Pi i: I >l II alteiiiiitive left, wlifii the w iiul suddenly retiuued to the ohl quarter, and we weathered the point. To aid us throui;li these e had gra»lually gained a suHicient oHing to enable us to sfeer according to the trending of the land to the we>(waieen deposited in the airpipes, and that both the feeding pumps were again out of order. The cleaning and ordering <»f these things occupied us for six hoiu's, and by mid- night the bre«ze was liist increasing. The weatlur this day. although foggy, w.s not such as to pre\(iit us t'rom keeping sight of the land, and at six, while passing Cape Vorkc. a peaked hill was recognised by Conmiander Unss, yVv now met with a stream of heavv ice, but t'ounil a ••o«mI passage through it : ami. Iietore noon had passed, through the openings of three others, nuicli larger than the tirst. .At the same time, it t'ortiinat.dy bei-ame sulliciently clear to enable us to see our lit it I TO TIIR AIICTIC REGIONS. 09 way, and also to get a good observation at noon ; when we found the hititnde to be 73" 40', and the h)ngitnde H4° '2ti'. After tliis, we found no more ice of any eonsequeme, and were able to make a ht. When about ten miles to the north of ^lie place wlure the Fnrv was wrecked, and near KIwin bay, we obtained some good obser- vati(Mis. In running down, we perceived some! of the land ice still fast in the bays; but, except a small icelM'rg, then- were net out- standing masses on the shore. At nine we passed Hatty bay, alter which we met ice of a very dirt'erent character from that in Hatlin's bay, being nnich more uneven, and, generalK, thicker; and troiu its appearance we concluded, that not oidy this, but most of « hat we had just passed, was the produce of the previous year, and had been now bioken off from the shores north of Trinee Kegeiit's iidel. As soon as we had passnl the streams of ice already noticed, tin t4'mperatnrc of the water at the surface rose t'rom lt\ to ;j.'J , giving o'J I I I 'I n ^ KM) SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY US liopes fliat we should now see no more of tliis kind ; while, alfhoujili we liiid the jn'ospectof heiiiju: obliju:e purpose. At five, nevertheles.s, we had reached a point about five miles to leeward, or to the south of Fury point, at which time the wind and weather had both impn»ved. Connnander Ho.ss inunediately st>t out in the whale boat to look for an anchorage, and we followed, with the ship, now under .steam and sail Jmth, into the bay as it appeared lo us, but inlet as it afterwanis proved, which takes a (lirection due east from this part of the coa.st. He had found a plarv, as he judged, which would artbrd us security for the night; but we had disc<»vered in the mean time that there was an v{U\\ current .setting along shore to the north-east, in the «lirection that we wi.shed to go, and that there was a clear line of water insith- the ma.sses of i<'e, which seenn-d to be agroimd. We th«-i-et'oi-f st'HKl towards this place, and found that we had just sulhc.'ient water t4» pa.ss within musket-shot of the land. The shore here was at rir.st .sloping: but, further to the north- ward, we found that the land rose from the sea in perpendicular clitls from tw«» to three hundrtd tint in height. M'e easily ascer- tained that they con.sisted of linie.stone, presenting the appearance of 1 kXi^^ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 103 a liorizoiital stratification ; but as to any otlier details, our geolo- gical opportunities extended no further. A very large white bear came down to the beach, as if to gratify some curiosity respecting us; but it did not follow long, nor come within gunshot of tlie ship. It soon became quite calm ; but between the eddy and the steam we were carried at the rate of two miles an hour. It was quite clear to-day, and it was now we discovere, whi(!h we coidd not here Uike time to repair. In fact, the wheels cns this day, including ten tons of coals; and, after allowing the men some rest, we contrived to get these, together with all the jM'ovisions and a part of the stores, on board before dinner time. We had found the spare mizen top- mast <»f the Fury ; and this was selected by the carpenter for a new boom, in place of the one that we had lo.st. We al.so got .some anchors and hawsers, together with some boatswain's and carpenter's stores to make up our deficiencies. Some of the best of the sails were taken io make lutusings; having found that belonging to the Fury damaged from having been ill made up, and from having lain in a situat'on which prevented the melted sn<»vv from running otf. A skreen lined with fearnought wius also founeiug entirely emptie leaving England, we carried on both sets of longitudes in our procee ll-i SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEKV \ii^ii«i It liiid liHii nearly calm for two days; but at ei,i>lit in tlit- after- noon a fresh breeze spnuiii' np from the northward, and the ice har- l»our that wehiy in be/ijan to break up. A ilojikt-nnel for whicli we had no use, was hnided above hi^h water-mark, and two bottles Wert' left in it, containing an account of our procet-dintrs up to that date. The boats wire then hoisted up ant! secured, as was the Krus(;nstern in the usual manner; and eastinj; oft* the ship fron> the lec we made sail for Cape Ciarry. It is true that the opeuinu which we had seen Uadin^to the westward held tmt the appearance of a passaj;e, but it was less clear of ice, and had a much more ;. ft'clde ciu'nnt than that to the southward. It was this also which seemed likelv to lead us soonest to the American continent; while, ill addition to all these reasons, we had the tem|)tation of a fair wind ill this direction. At midnight the weather became thick, and .soon after it rained in fe, rents, when we lost sight of laud. .As I formerly remarked. our compasses had ceased to traverse whenever the ship had an% motion; aiion- sidering that there were but ten t'athoms water on the outsiile. This opinion was contirnnd by finding that there was here no appearance of any current. «'itiicr into or out of it. though there was a \cry strong one ruiniing «Mitside. I named this inlet lla/ard inlet. |{ound this point we found a \er\ '^mall i>land, to which I ga\e the name of Ditchburn, and the land within it Hoiithia. at tliedis- tance of a mile, appearing to be continuon^^ in the general direction alrcadv \isiblc. It now tell nearl\ calm; but, while the i(*e became thicker and hea\ier towards lour in the al'ternoon, the tog cleared wax, autl there broke on oiu' \i|troach nearer, on account of a tract of closely-|>acked ice. which lornicd a crescent vfrnding tVom the shore round to the east and north-east. This . 'li'i 116 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY h r! progress tlian we could originallj' have expected in a single season, as we should also have gained nothing by being earlier. At eight in the evening the wind came fresh from the north-west, which gave us an opportunity of examining more minutely the possibility of penetrating further ; but no opening was to be found, neither was there any clear water visible over the ice, in any direc- tion south of the east or west. Wtt were therefore obliged to haul off and beat the whole night among the drift ice, which was streaming from the north-west, out of the different bays and creeks. Our estimated distance was about tliirty miles south of Cape Garry. Angiift i(j. The wind continued about north-west, and we kept on beating to gain the weather shore, near the last point we had passed, which now bore north-west by west. At two in the morning we got near to the land, and made fast to an iceberg about musket-shot from the beach, in three and a half fathoms water, being at the com- mon entmnce of two beautiful little harlMtnrs. By the time Wf were secured and the sai's furletl, it was t«)o late for the usual church service; and as the men had inidergoiu; great fatigue, they were allowed the hours for rest. I went on slutre with all the officers, to take formal possession of the new-discovered land ; and at one o'clock, being a few niiuufes after seven in l^ndon, the colonrs were displaved wifh the usual ceremonv. ann the night ; high water being at twelve o'clock on the .second .lay lifter the full moon. Though the wind was unaltered, the cI.muIs .ontinueil to cover the .sun so as to prevent any observati(»n. 'J'lie sea aboundetl in small marine animals, of wlncli some were atl.Ud to our collection. To this place \ gave the name, Brown island, after the amiable sister of Mr. Hnoth ; the inlet was named nrct- ford bay, and the islands Grimble islands. / |;|ii: ^!;i I' (I \l I 118 SECOM> VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Aii-ii^i 17. The sun appearing for the first time this morning, sights were obtained for the chronometers and tlie variation. The observations here made on the dip of the magnetic needle, gave 89", being the greatest that had yet been observed, and an increase of one degree since we left tlie Fury's beach. As the variation also was westerly, we expected that we should find, or pass over the mag- netic pole, which, under such a dip, could not be for distant. IJefore noon we had a perfect view of the land, e point which we had next to pass being due south of our present anchorage; mid it was a promising sight to observe that the ice still conti- nued to separate and dissolve, so as to justify our attempting to \>ork through it. The latitude observed at noon gave 71" 5{)', and the longitude by chronometer, <'orrected to Fury poini, })-J' 32' ; making the place where the flag was hoisted, exactly 73 N. and f).'{ -JO' VV^. We had here left a bottle containing an account of our proceedings, and hail well seciu'etl it by means of a cairn of stones, on which Mas placed a post. The ti«le having risen during the night, and rtoateening that seemed to lead to the southern point, which was ten or twelve leagues «listant. It soon, however, fell calm, and the engine acting very badly, we made little progress. At six we were to the eastward of a large rock which seemed to TO THE AIICTIC REOIOXS. 11}) be part of a reef extending bet^veen tlie points of the inlet in view to the westward, and which was f.dl of ice. Near this rock then^ were many whales, apparently fee,ling and enjoying themselves in perfect secnrity, and one large one came very near the ship. Whenever also the paddles were in motion, the seals were roused lip, and seemed to be very abundant. At eight o'clock a breeze sprung up from the northwar.!, ena- bling us to a,,proach the land, which was tolerably clear of ice till laidnight ; hut the engine working to little purpose it was stoppe,!. and the paddle hoisted up. Unfortunately, the weather became thick at ten, so that we could only shape our course by the wind : a hazardous guide, as it might shift, without our being able to per- ceive it, for want of marks or compass, anu. fathoms; but we soon increased it to thirty-three by drifting There were sufficient indications that the wind had continued true north, and therefore that we had steered south and a little easterly About ten the weather cleared, so as to enable u. to see our wav 120 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY l,l' 1 V,! r J rl \' « 1 HI !. drift to the southward, pretty smoothly, together \uth the ice, until eight ; when it slackened a little, so as to give us the ineans of entirely extricating the rudder, which was then hoisted up and laid across the stern. Not long after, some ft-esh masses of ice lifted the Krusenstern nearly out of the water, and turned our own head to tlie shore ; but after this we lay quiet all night, in depths varying from fifty-five to thirty-two fathoms ; while, by the marks on the land, we coultl see that we were drifting southward with the whole body of ice. At midnight the temperature of the air was 3(J\ and that of tlie water 30^ ; the nearest land being about four miles off. Aiiiust 20. The weather wa.s more clear this morning than it had been since Sunday, and we had a good view of this newly-discovered land, which extended from north 2o west to south 20^ east. We hud l)een drifted so close to the low point nearest us, that carrying the characters of the preceding in our eye, we could see that this con- sisted of the same limestone. It was a smooth tract, as far as it was visible, which was over an extent of ten miles, without either depressions or rising grounds. IMiat liehind it ottered, as it had done before, a complete conti-ast of character ; having the rug- gedness and irregularity of surface whi(;h marks the granite or analogous rocks, and the atmospheric colouring making it appear of a dark blue. The coast was broken and hollowed into little bays, an«l skirtecl by rocks and small islands ; one of which ajjpeared about a mile in length, elevated at the western .side, and terminating in a low point to the eastward ; whence we concluded that such wa.« U^ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 123 the general elevation and tendency of the limestone, flat as it might have appeared to us ^hen seen in a different direction. I1ie latitude observed here at noon was 70=59', and the lon«it,ule f)3 2'. The ice still continued closely packed and drifting, with several lanes of water among it. Many whales were seen, together with some seals; but we could not contrive to take any of the latter The soundings exhibited fragments of granite an.l limestone; and the temperature of the air and water were, respectively, 39° an.l 32" We aire,l the snuill sails and the people's clothes; an.l several matters were done in the ship i„ the carpenter's department, and in that of the engineer; especially in clearing the pipes of the coke dust by which they were choked. The wind was variable during the day; and, by the marks on the shore, we could see that we ns, though un.ler the many .lisadvantages by which ue ha.l been attende.1. There was not, in.lee.l, any inune.liate prr^spe.-t of a release; and even we who had acquired experience from other voyages in these regions, were somewhat .lis.«oncerte.l by fin.linjr that a formati.)n of new ice was commencing .>n the holes near r2 p 124 SKt"OM> VOVAGK OF DISCOVKIIY llu' ship's side, tlie theiiiiometer, for i\w first time, faWinfr as low as '2U' ill the wafer, while the air was only 30 . Still we thouyht that the clear water near the land was inc reasiiii"- m diiiu'iisioiis, and the great paHis of ice heooiiiiiit; slacker. fi: TO THE AlirTlC IlEGIONS. I2't CHAPTER IX. atti:mi>ts to wouk alont; siioiih: — oi LAM) -niCUi; — TIIAC SJOVKHY OK POUT IXKJAN — OK i;syi IMAIX — I.AHOl'UI.Nt hi:— m.s( OVKIIY of ELIZAIIKTII IIAUHOI ■i AMOSii TIIK It. o N this (lay there was a great ami siuklen change o( that ll ireat- Ahmhm -ji ening temperature. If was again, to the le.liugs, lik • lay ill Kiiglaiul, aixl the tli ve a siiiiiiiicr .sea did to ;jr ; Hiis change I the morning. Much of tl ■riiiometer ro.se to ;jH , as ihaf of iJi ia\ing commenced at four o'cjocl k III le new ice dissolved llieiil ore. more sea apiicared opi„g ,.,vature except two large whales. At noon the ohsmations show.d that uc were a mile mid a half further >oulh than on the,l.,y preculjng, |,„tue had no sights for the longitu.le. Il 126 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY |. m Tlie ship continued l)eset, ami went on drifting with the ire, in all directions, iis the win«l elianeed to vary, while tlie depth of the water increased to 87 fathoms. The men were emph»yetl, in their several departments, ahont the ri^pni; and the enpne, and in tittiiiif a collar and hits for a new howsprit. 'I'owards the eveninu,- the slackini; of the ice was more pen-eptihle, and a lane of clear wafer lo the south-east was dis<.-ernilile hy the fcrr<'strial refrac- tion. The Krusenstern, which had contimied raised on the i<-«-, dropped into the water, and (here was a eonsi.• 'I'liis day. heint;- almost calm, the ice remained in the same state. Tlie ship was warped round to the north side of the H«»e, where there was a larifcr extent of uater; and it was in a hefter situation in case the ice should open. In the mornini;' we were visited liy a larii'c whale, and af'tcr laeakliisl hy a Iwar, wliiih «as wounded hy a sJiMt. hut escaped on some of tlii' loose ice, and then pliuiifcd into the -.vater. Manv seals were >hot durinu: (he dav, hut (hev all sink. SI) that we ohtainetl none. A second hear, in the evening, was similarly wouudnl, hut escaped in the same manner. Vt uooii the latitude showed us (hat we had heeii drifted (hree- ipiar(ers of a mile to the north ; as we t'onud ourselves a mile o(f (he shore, hy the hearings of the laud Owiuu: to (he clearness of the dav we had (he Ik's( \iew of the C(.iis( (hat we had vet oh(aiued : and as we could more certainly perceixe a line of clear water near it. iiur incapacity to extricate ourselves from the ice was the more proNukinu. 'I'he (emperature of the air rose to M> . and (ha( of (he wa(er to li>% ; the laiul, in thu evening, hecoinin^ ver) much ele- |4' TO TIIR ARCTIC IIEOIONS. 1-i: ,atey the retViU'tion, so as to exhibit the open water aloiiessary lor lis to east ott' tVoiii the th>e \vhi«ii had l)eenoiiraiH'liorai?e torso many days; when tlie iee haviiii; s!aekey sailini; and warpinu:; Ixit at six we were a,s;:dii ol>li,i>'ed to lirinu up at a hirue Hoe, in t'ifty fathoms water. 'I'he teinperathr*' of the air \an«d trom ii-'t to .')7 , ami that of the water was altoiit .'{| , It was alto- ":ether a heaiitifiil dav, with a c) -ar skv and a liyht lireeze. We saw here some sea unicorns and many seaK: anil, diirinu the ev»'ninir, found ourselves driflinu to the southward, thoiiu:h we had made some northing in the morning' when under sail. No I'har water was .seen on this day ;\eipt to the nortli-east : lint the ice was apparently liuiiter, and it had not fro/en diirinu: the pre- eedin^' niulit. 'I'he ice lieinu too unsteady for the artifieial hori/on. no ol>servatioi'<: <■ ere procured. TIk weather eontinned tine at midniifht. The mo iiinu:, 'i* 'Murcian. pive us some hopes of •ieilinir nearer aiii.i.«i '.m to the land, «>i^Kci,illy as the ice seeiin d siiHiciently opened to allow us l(» f >rce the shlo throiiuh it. The enuine uas therel'ore ^ot ready, '«>< from tlu' low point whicli hore soutli-west «Iit'ii \w stnifcd. AlMMit noon, a hivezf lia«l liowevtr sprung' u|) from llir «'ast\vanl, and ihns rlu'cked our attempts to get further south al this tirnr. W'f Mrrc lorhniate, ncvi-rtheh'ss, in havini; secnred ourselves to ihis inunovahh' rock of ice; since, as the eveninif came on, the uhoh' paek whiHi we had (^nitteil heuan to dril't with ureat vel(»- eity to the northwau'd, showing us what our own fate >>onhl ha\e l>een had we remained \\U\\ it. Tlie ire to which w»' were fas) was agronnd in se\en fathoms; and after fhis tin* w.xU'.v rose aho\e foart'eet; the tide Iteginninu' here to the so\itii\\ard. wliil" that in the otfinu >Mis nnniing in th<' contrary direction. Tlie \\<'ather heinu' ch>n(l\. no ohs<>rvations Mere made, hnt at michiiuht the air was at ti'> and th«' water at W . .Many seals were seen, and the had lironght up limestone. Our position was in the niiddle of a large liight, and we had closed in the island to lh< southward. We had I'ully resolv«'d to try the steam, lait the wind freshened against us lief'ore long, to the exact degree, thougli no more, that w«»uld ha\e rendered it useless, leelde as was all the power it could exert. On no oceasion was ;his wart of [tower more pro\oUing: since if it could lint liaM' forced us Iwo miles an hour, we should lisive lieen aide to gain the most distant point in \ iew , which was aliout sixteen miles off. We tried wlial we coidd do. hut to m. purpose; so tint we were oldiged to eousole oursel\e-i in l»cing at least i|ui< t. and ni a lietter plaee dnui the oue thai w had left; since it had now drifted man\ mil s to the noilhward. while w*' TO THE ARCTIC RKGIONS. 189 ooiild see iininense masses of ioe passinu' over tlie very spot where we liiul l)eeii. Altlioii<>-|i the tiassajLi<- aloni; the land was clear; yet e\en this want was prohahly in our favour as matters were situi'ted ; since, l»y carrying; the ii'c away from !!!<■ i(ij;iiier to which our views were directed, it wouhl prolialdy uivc us a still clearer sea in n<» loni;' time. 'rhouuh the wind iucreascil considerahly towards evening, the weather hccamc nnich warmer, and, to our )L>reat joy, there came on some rain, since wc concluded that it wouhl aid in thawing and lirealvini>' up the ice. At noon the ol>ser\ew, it appeared to he limestone, as hefore, with many loose fragments. Within a mile of the shore the water deepened to tifty fathoms ; hnt even hen- we fonnd that the large icehergs were agronnd, tonehing the roeks in many places. Ahont fonr o'clock a fog came on, hnt w»' were aide to keep the land in sight by sailing within a qnaiter of a mile of it. At seven Connnander Uoss was sent to l<»ok for a harhonr in the hay, and he was fortunate in tinding a very good one. which I named Port Logan. VVf entered it at right, thr water being shoal«-r, and the ice- bergs gronnded at such a distance fr«)m (he shore as to give ns an excellent pier harbour within them, with tv. .'I\«- t'eet at low water, and onr stern not hIiovc fifty fathotus t'rom the rt)cks. This was, h«)^^ever. a sili position, notwithstanding that proximity and the suiall de|>th of water, since the icebergs were innnox ible. We landtd at nine to take [lossession. and walked three niilev, up a \alley of a nnich more |)leasing ciiaracter than the g»'neral aspect ot" the I'ountry had led ns to expect It was traversed bv a ri\er. thron<;|i the channel of wiiicli a small strenm was now ruiniing. but which bor<' the marks of being a con- siderable t<»ri«nt during the melting of the snows. This ri\er was named the .Macdoual. W r saw here the rei'ent marks of deer and of the nnisk o\, iiiid also shot a white hare. \ii.:>i4t .*7. This day wtts a continued calm, and though foggy in the morning, sights wi're obtainid for the chronometers. I ascendetl ji^ m TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. i;n I I wjtli Comnianiler Uoss to the precipic'e ut wliich tlie ship was fast, whir'h seemed about 2(K) feet higli, Imt our view was ohstrueted \t\ inui.'h higher hind to the southwani and westward. We saw no animals; Imt the traces of l»ears, deer, an 4H'. and the longitude!)*') IH. giving })*i 18' when (!orrect«'d by that of Imh'> point. The dip of tli< uuignetic needle was KJ) 4({' west. After these needful observations, wc took possession of this continuation of o\ir discoveries, according to the usual forms, selecting aiiotlu-r elevated spot for this pm'pose. At that part of this coast the land was undulated into hills and valleys; most of the latter containing lakes aboiiiidinu in <>mall lisli aiioiit three inches long, not unlike tront, described among the other arti«'les in natural liistor>, hereafter. W* obtained some do/.eiis Ity means of our net ; but it was too larg« in the meshes to secure as main as we might otherwise have taki-n U'e hence prooeiled to a hill about •')()<> teet high, five miles s2 ]:n SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ' t I' rurther to the southward, from tlit' top of wliich we liad a most satisfa«'tory view. The huul appeared to extend in a south-westerly direction from the island, an«l, to the eastward <»f south, ail was water for a space of thirty miles; the ice hein^; su<'h as to jjfive us every prospect of geftini^ throujih whenever the wind sluuld become fair, since it was vain to reckon on the assistance of the cnfi'ine any longer. Me here fell in with a covey of ptarmigan, anil killed a brace; as we also shot the only other hint we .saw, a snow hunting. From the furthermost |M»int of Ihe bay in which we lay. and at the distance of si\ miles, (here appeared an inlet, or bay, about (wo miles deep : the point which was to the southward of it extciuling <>onsiderably to the eastward, while off its northern one there was an island uhich seemed, on its north side, to have a good harbour about half a mile in circinnferencc, which I named Moltkc bay, giving the name of lijornstjerna to the inlet itself The narrow and low island lying t«» the «-astwarf the water, and seeming to otter a passage between it and the shore. It was named |{osea Island. From its southern extremity the land tn'uds to the soutli- south-ea.st, presenting a succession of points and harboins whi<-h We hail «»ccasion to «'\amine nu)re particularly afterwards. It<-liind the southernmost point of the island mentioned on the '2*J«I as bearing south II K. the land appeared to tnnd more to the westward; and w<' were now sure that the t'nrthest point we saw was the same that bore south of us wIkii l\iug at the tloe on that tla\ . TO TIIK ARCTIC REGIONS. N3;i f W^^ retiirneil at nine, after an interestiiisi; walk, Imt wliicli liad proved very laborious along' the shore, in eonsequence of the fraj;- inents of ice and rocks. In tlK^ evening it was f(i»_uij:y; and towards midnight there was a breeze from the north-north-west. The tide i'o.se three feet six inches, it being three days before t'ull moon: but it was irregidar, antl we could not make out its ve lot'ity. At the bottom of the bay, I must now add, we had found about twenty summer habitations of the Ks((uiuiaux, situated between two streams there tlowing into the sea. They were of such recent erection as to mark no distant time (Uu'ing which they had been o(H-u|»ie«l. Near them we t'ouud a pair of reindeer's horns and some fox traps, its well a.s some of the graves of the natives. Again the engineers were clearing the pipes, which were once more choked with coke dust; and \\\t had more reason to-day than ever to regret the ill pertorniance of this wretched machine, since we might easily hav«' made thirty miles, with one of the mo.st inoeing exactly at noon and tin* ebb at six : the temperature of the air being ii4 , and that of the \\at«'i' ;{'J . Nevertheless the ice seemetl to be dissolving fast around us. llioui::h some heavy floes weredrifte»l into the mouth of the ba\ : Ml giving us no uneasiness, as we were well protected by th»- spoundejl icebergs. As we wouhl not venture on shore to-da\, for fear of a ciiange ui .»ur favour, it was employed in exannning and preserving the specinu'us in natural history that had been collected the da\ iH'Ibre. A ready method of cleansing the seal skins uas touiui. by putting them overboard, where they were renden'd free of every particle of flesh and blubli«'r b^ the shrimps, in the course of a \ery simrt time. The .seal's flesh, as before, turned out gooil, with very ill i TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. I.{.') iiiiKh of tlM! flavour of the loons which we had shot in Daviss strait. We had the t-ood fortune to recover a rifle whicli liad lidlen overl)(.ard hist night; the clear water enal.ling us to see it at the bottom, in the eleven feet .sounding where we lay. It was higl, water this ni(»rning at two ; heing nearly at th. Am^t ..hange of the moon, which took place, at Greenwich tinu-. at ?> A. M. The tide rose «xactly six feet; having heen f-nf ti; ve feet six inches the preceding day, as, on the following, ;a iult-jMst one. it waw ' ' twenty-two inches. This is a snflicier.J proof ui{»ie irre- guiaril lie tides in this strait; preventing all possibility of anticipiiiiiig th(ir extent and nature. Whatever other circum- stances may he among the causes of this uncertainty it se. nis plain that the northerly winds and currents make them «oine earlier and rise higher, and that the reverse happens in southerly winds. The i m perfect .security. As it was high water half an hour earlier than I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. i;« Oil the preceding night, we had additional proof of the irreguhirity of the tides in this strait; caused, unquestionably, by the compli- cated action of the winds and the drifting ice. In the morning the hills were covered with snow; a sight which was very far from agreeable, though we had no reason to expect aught else. Yet we had not nmch rea.son to complain, though we should eventually have been stopped here ; since we had already penetrated further, by a hundred and twenty miles, even during this very short summer of ours, than any previous expedition had done in two years. This l)eing Sunday, was made a day of rest. The gale continued from the north-east the whole day, accom- panied l>y snow and sleet, the temperature of the air being at 34° and that of the sea at 32°. Both the ebb and the flood had so diminished, that the «lifference was scarcely two feet : and we couhl now see that our little harbour was the only secure place on the coast, all the rest being closely beset by ice. But we still expected that the wind would remove these fragments, and that we shouhl l»e able to make some miles of progress before the winter should fairly set in. This morning the land was entirely covered by snow, and there Augu, was n(» more of the usual blue colour to be seen. Once more the tide rose five feet and a half, and the ice was chisely pack.il all round. As the day advanced the snow turned to sleet, and at length to a steady rain ; the tempenitun; of the air rising afterwards to 37 . With this, the snow on the hills began to melt and disap|>ear. (Joing on shore, a lane of water was found to have made its appearance in the south, and another in the eaxt. while T •' If! i ■! I'l *. Siijl. 1. 138 Si:COM> VOYAGK OF DISCOVKRY the ice bej^an also to slacken both to the northward and southward of our harbour. The rivers were found much swollen, but no Huiuials were seen. This day the water only rose two feet aiul a half. At four in the morning, as there appeared a possibility of working the ship into clear water, she was hauled out to an iceberg, and, by the ai as to show us the land, bearing from soiilh 88' east to south, and also from south to south-south-west. It was tlie island which we had .seen on the twentieth, bnt its distance proved to be much greater than we had tiien imagined. It was named Alicia Island. \\Vkept under sail as long as we could, but were at last compelled, by the closing of the ice, to make fast to a large ])iece of it, w Inch happeneil to be at hand. This, with the whole pack, proved to be drifting to tin- south- ward, :nnl thus brought us neanr to the islands, though we were beating in (he opposite direction. Towards evening it became mode- rate, and (lie ice seemed to have stopped. The rudder was therefore unshipped, and the Krusenstern placed in a secure situation, in case we slioidd become pernianendy bes«t, as no« appeared inevitable; while I need not sa\ (hat we were once more reduced to a state of utter helplessness. The temperature of tin- air was Sii in (he day, but at night it fell to 34". Tin; depth of water was o'i fathoms, und the distance from the nean.'st land three miles; but as we t TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 139 approached within two miles in drifting to the southward, it deepened to eighty fathoms. Some seals were seen, and aii ivory gull was shot. IJy this morning the ship liad drifted abreast of the highest part of that island which had been so long in sight; which now, how- ever, proved to Iv, not one island, as we hatl thought, ]>nt a rocky chain of islets extending in a south-east and north-west direction. The latitude was 70 30', and the longitude Ur 0'; whence w«' found that we had made eleven miles to the southward. After noon the current changed, and the whole pack began again to drift to the south-east : clear water was visible about three miles to the north, but in no other direction. The islands from which we were now only two miles distant, presented the most barren and repulsive tract which we had yet .seen ; displaying an entire surface of dark and rugged rocks, without the least trace of vegetation, or the prescnee of even a bird to eidiven them. The clearnessof the day allowed us to see some land which appeared to be about nine leagues otl'; and it was higher, as it seemed to us, than what we had passed before; while, in the intermediat»! space, were more of the rocky islands. The piece of ice to wU'uU we were no>v fast was about two acres in dimensions, and had a pond of fresh water, whence we replenished our stock; after which it was made a washing place for such articles as demanded this op< ration. 'J'hongh the tem- perature of this day was only 40 , the ept . i! ■ !, 1 !i ]M 140 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY deptli of water was here ninety-five fathoms. Except a small whale, no living animals were seen about this place. The snow ha ; and some clear weather in the evening discoveretl to us that we had made three miles further south since yesterday. The sight of one bear and one seal was not enough t(» enliven this wearisome dav. It appeared to us, at this point of our progress, that the large islan«l whose aspect hiid so often changed, consisted in reality of three, which formed part of a rocky chain extending along the coast as far as we could sec, and which, by stopping the ice, causeil the difliculty of the inshore navigation. Thus we again found use for our patience : while, by following this ■ from us very early in the morning ; and, as it became clear, we found that we had drifted oft' the land. Perceiving then that the whole pack had considerably slackened, we attempted, in eonse- quence, to force through it towards the land, in spite of many heavy blows, which fortunately did no mischief. M'e here found that our latitude was 70' .Vy, and that we had lost nineteen miles in a northerly direction, together with fi)urteen miles in lonui- tude, during the three hours which we had been driving with the ice. At five it clearetl, and we saw, in the south-east, but at a greater distance, the never-ending island which, it almost seemed, we were destined not to quit. Forcing the ship through nuich heavy ice, we at last cleared the whole pack ; when, the wine^,\. li. "^piie wind continued in the same (juarter, with rainy weather, .so that we could form no plan for proceeding. After divine service we went on shore to .seek for a more secure harbour, as our present place was a very un.safe one. Entering an inlet with the boat, about a quarter of a mile \> ide, we sounde.l in fifteen fathoms ; and, following it for a nnle, we Ibund it open into a spacious harbour, having twenty fathoms in the middle, and shoaling gradually t-> the sides. We here too ascertained that what we had taken for an island, the night before, was a peninsula. The harbour was named Kli/.abeth, in compliment to a sister of the patron of our expe- ilition. The country consisted of limestone and granite, resembling what we had formerly examined. A iierd of reindeer pas.sed at a sufiicient distance to make us waste .some shot, if not to tantalize us. as we proceeded to aseend the hill to the .southwanl. Hence we had a perfect view of a harbour not exceeded by any in the world; before this, we had not been able to form a just estinmte of its extent or nature. The pursuit of some hares which we .saw , did not, however, tempt us to prolong our stay, since we could dis- cover that the ice was drifting fast upon us. i i -^4 f ■ ■; k ! il V" II- I ! 1^ ,5^ J •4 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 143 CHAPTER X. ATTEMPT TO QUIT FiLIZABETH HARBOUR— SLOW PROGRESS ALONG SHORE— CRITICAL POSITION OF THE SHIP AMONG THE ICE, AND ESCAPE THROUGH PERILOUS PASSAGE— DISCOVERY OF ECLIPSE HARUOUR— FURTHER DISCOVERIES— CAPE ST. CATHERINE, AND LAX HARBOUR. Having returned on board by two o'clock, we made sail there- fore from the iceberg, and entering into the harbour, moored the ship to a small one in seven fathoms, not far from the beach. A boat was then despatched to see if there was any exit on the southern or eastern side ; bat the result was, that we had entered by the only opening, as it was also found that it was separated from the strait without, by a narrow range of limestone about three miles long, level and straight. The boundary to the westward was of high land, and that to the north consisted of lower hills interspersed with lakes containing fish : the rocky point and peninsula where we had first taken possession forming its eastern side. The granite here presentetl irnany varieties, and was studded with garnets, probably in the veins, which we did not take sufficient care to distinguish at the time. I now indeed suspect, that on this and other occasions, what I have termed granite was gneiss; a mistake I. ll !' il • . .-.rpl. 144 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERV wliicli is often easily made by those who are not practised niine- rah>gists; bnt as I could not collect specimens at every place that was visitere- .sent, which was neap, rising but four. In the evening it blew hard from the northward, bringing the ice past the place w hich we had left, and packing up the whole chainiel to the southward. IJut we were safe, and quiet; with the security that if this ice should clear away, we could easily get out by aid of the tide, and take advantage of the opening. The temperature of the air >vas from 34^ to 35 , and that of the water •J'i , At midnight there was rain, the wind continuing fresh. It rained heavily all the morning, and a good deal of small ice drifted into the harbour, proving that there was a considerable (juantity moving along the strait with the current. We therefore |)ro«.'ecded in the boat, to examine into the condition of things out- I Si. !■ v^T--.: TO THE ARCTIC IIEGIONS. 146 t s side, more particularly, an tllanded on tlu northern isthmus. We tluis saw, that at the back of the great isthmus, the quantity of ice was nuicli diminished since tlie precedin^^ day, while there wsis a bay to the eastward quite clear; but, near the mainlant-., it was still •-'losely packed. The west side of the southern islands, however, were also clear of ice. In this excursion we saw some rein-deer, and shot three white hares, The air felt warm; but, on board, the ther- mometer was only ^G , the weather being calm, with a thick fog. Though things remained in the same state till noon, we expected Sept. 8. a wind, and therefore left the harbour by means of the ebb and of towing; making fast to an iceberg at tiie entrance, that we might be ready. But the wind coming now from the south-south-east, we cotdd |)ro('eetl no lurther, and 1 iheiefore sent a party to exa- mine the state of things along shore, in the whale boat, which was, however, obliged to stop after proceeding two miles. Being then hauled up, the party i)roceeded by land along the isthmus, and thus saw that the ice was closed up to a rock at its termination, so as to prevent all further passage in this direction. Two rocky islands and a good harbour were also seen m this quarter; as it was further a.scertaintui, that while the shore was covered with heavy ice, the channel of moving ice and water lay between it and the heavy pack which was about finee miles off. The evening being calm, and the ice stationary, Commander Itoss went on shore to take angles, and in his way found a dead deer,wliich we had wounded on our lir.st landing. It was so large that they could only bring on board the head and horns, leaving it for the next day to remove a carcase too valuable to be lost. Men u ' ■: |i 146 SECOND VOYAGIC OF lilSCOVERV were also sent to erect a cairn of stones to mark tlie entrance of tlie liarbonr, otherwise ditiieult to find, in case we slionM be oliliged to retnrn to it. Landina;, myself, afterwards, I obtained a ifooil view, from the north side, of the several places tliat we had passed, killinij^ also two liares. At eiyht the wind was lis>ht, and S'^ntherly. with clear weather in the ninht, the temperatnre of the air from 34^ to iiG\ and that of the water li'2 \ Onr fresh water was replenished, and many seals were seen. The !j:eolog^ical strnctiire of this part of the coast exactly resendjled what we had formerly examined, with perhaps more va- rieties of ffranite, or irneiss; the whitish shale of the limestone con- taining; shells as before. The sonndini;s were in clay so tonifh as to require ^eat force to extract the lead from it. Some sandstone was also observed here; and in many of the small bays there were accumulations of white sand, which, however, miirht ecpially have been furnished by the jjranite. Tiiere was no wood: a heath, with stems about an inch thick, bein<;- the larirest plant jjrowinir Near the sea the land was generally bare; Init, inland, there were plains and valleys of considerable extent, covered with vegetation; each of the latter containinu; a lake, of which the largest seemed about two miles long, as many of them were but large pools. These, as betore, Mere full (»f fish, which we then had no nteans of taking. Many liares, f'ar fr«»m shy, were concealed among the n»cks, and tracks of reindeer were seen near the shore. On the north side the remains of |<>i|Miniaux sunnuer habitations were numerous, together with fox-traps and b(»nes of u hales; but all of so old a date as to show that it was long since this part of the shore had been inhabit) d i ■.L: TO th'j: arctic kixjions. 147 It was quite oalm all this day, with an occasional light air from Sept. m. the southwarti, suthcient, with the current, to prevent us Iroui niakinu: any progress. Notwithstanding this, we hauled still further out, to be in readiness in case of a favourable change. It fr<)ze so hard in tlu; previous night, that the harbonr was covered \vith bay ice; insonnicii that the wiiale boat which had been sent for the deer could scarcely make her «ay throngh it. Towards evening, however, it was all dissolved, as was that which had been formed in the lakes. Even at three o'clock it was like a summer's day in Kngland; and. tiiongh (;Io.se to the iceberg, the temperature i»n board was ;38 , while on shore it was 41 . This, indeed, had an unfortunate etl'ecl on our deer, which, though but three tiays killed, was only fit for the dogs. We here built a cairn on the highest hill on the north .side of the harbour. A slight breeze coming from the north-west at daylight, we left ^^ept lo. the iceberg a1 half-past three, and stood out among the loo.se ice under all sail ; steering through various lanes and openings which led t(»\>ards the south-east. I Jut at two o'clo«.'k tiie wind came directly against us ; and it was with niui'h dithculty we reached an iceberg which was agronnd alMuit half a mile eastward of the islands described on the second ol" Septemlier, and about eight miles Irom oiu" last station. .After two honrs, however, the ice set in with snch rapidity, that we wfre obliged to cast oil" when a more favonrable breeze enabled ns to reach a small harbonr in the passage between the islands and the main, whence we were able to warp into a sitaation for the night. 'J'hus we Were enabhid to land «»n the islands; and, having u2 ' I? 148 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY i' % I ascended tlie liigliest summit near lis, we had a good view of the state of the ice, whioli was such as to make us resolve to attempt a passage between tlie rocky islands and the point, so as to get hold of the mainhuid. The ship was therefore warped, with much toil and hazard, through a narrow and rocky sound leading to the channel, and made fast to an iceberg, and to the rocks, from which she was not more than half her length distant, in three fathoms water. It was not, however, a good place ; since the ice set both ways, alternately, with great rapidity, so as to be in constant motion. Angles were here taken from a cairn which we erected on the highest hill, being about three hundred feet, and .sketches made. The furthest projecting land was an island bearing south-east, at a considerable (bsfance from the point of the mainland The outer- most of the islands on which we were seemed about a mile long, and the land formed a great bay, in which we counted nine islands and some clusters of islets ; together with two inlets, and some openings that .seemed to constitute three goo:lit not rather be driven on the rocks which surromided us on all sides, some below (he water and some above it. IJut our nood fortune pre> ailed ; anil the stream carried us into the northernmost and widest passage ; tluMig'h it was to the north-eastward, and therefore, otherwise, to our loss. ,Vnd hen-, to complete our success, such as it was, the ice shortly o[)ened, so as to allow us to extricate the shij>, though by extraordinary exertions; on which, making her fast to a grounded iceberg, we foimd ourselves near the point on the north side of this channel, and fell ourselves thus secure for a time. During the nighl, and especially when contesting i»ur way to this s])ot, the ship had been nju'atedly raised, and sometimes heeled «»v«'r, by the |>r«'ssure; while the Krusenstern was once thrown out of the water, on the ice. But neither received any nijury. ^\'e had reason to be surprised: but every new adventure of this kind had the goctd etlect of increasing our conridence, in the case of future anil similar emergencies; of which, it was but too eertaiii, there were many yet before us. At nine, the change of tide, and that a rapid one, setting to the westward, ^np rose to six feet eight inches, with the flood from the northward The two icebergs to which, we were moored just floated ; but we kept them fast to the shore by ropes until the tide had lowered. A thick fog prevented us from moving till two; when, the wind X 2 ii I 't 1 1 , Kt ■ 'I I! !^ .: 1^ 156 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY being north-north-west, we made all sail and stood for the point througli loose ice, which, however, soon closed, so as to oblige us to run tor a small bay to the north of the cape. This proved a very good shelter : and having gone on shore, and ascentU'd the hill on the point, we saw that the ice was still more open than it had been the day before, that the land trended more to the southwfird, and that tl"! outermost portion was but an island, six or seven miles from the mainland. Many fine harbours were also visible, and the shore was intersected by inlets in every direction. Having taken the usual formal possession of this cape, since even that which is nugatory or absurd must be done where custom dictates, a cairn and a beacon were erected, with the ship's name, and the date, on a plate of copper, as before. This cape was named Verner, and the harbour Joanna. The geology was here nearly what it had all along been : but one of the masses of gra- nite formed a pyramid alike striking from its form and its dimen- sions, while we also perceived some coarse argillaceous schist. As the point on the north side of the harbour was the most con- venient for observation, we erected a cairn here also, for determining angles and laying down positions; though it was not likely to prove of much use hereafter in verifying the accuracy of tlie dis- coverers. Just before dark, the channel between the shore and a small island was cleared of ice by the rapidity of the ebb : but too late to allow us to attempt our way through it. The temperature of the air was from 35' to 36", and that of the sea from 3r to 32 all this day ; and the tide rose two feet less than it had done in the night preceding. No animals, nor any traces of Esquimaux were seen. 1.1 '^:::z^\ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 157 : CHAPTER XL A HEAVY GALE : SUCCESSION Or TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER, U ITII SNOW PARTIAL CLEARING OF THE ICE, AND EXTRICATION FROM IT — DISCOVER THE ISLAND OF ANDREW ROSS, CAPE MARGARET, BEST HARDOUR, AND MARTIN ISLANDS A NEW BAY — END OF SEPTEMBER — GENERAL REMARKS ON THE PAST PROGRESS OF THE SHIP AND THE MODE OF NAVIGATING AMONG ICE. J. HE sky had worn a very unsettled aspect on tlie preceding evening ; and the wind, rising, increased to a storm during the night. Having also veered round to the northward, it brought around us a great quantity of heavy ice; so that, at daylight, we found ourselves completely locked in, to onr no small vexa- tion, which was much augmented by seeing clear water within a quarter of a mile. Every exertion was made to warp out, or to extricate ourselves in some manner : but a whole forenoon of hard labour gainetl us scarcely more than four times the length of our ship. At length the ice accmnulated to such a degree, that we were obliged to abandon the attempt. In the mean time the storm increased, with squalls of snow, so as to render our situation both critical and uncomfortable ; since we Sept. It rT mpamim I. .1.' lit 158 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ?:l S0|lt Ifi could not regain the liarbour which we had so prematurely left. Thus exposed to tlie storm, the |)ressure of the ice was also to be feared, as the icebergs were acciunulating on the shores of the cape, which thej' were too tleep to pass. At length the one to which we were mooretl went afloat, giving us much trouble : while the largest one near us s})lit into six pieces, with a noise like thun- der; falling over and throwing up the water all around. One of these fragments gave our ship a violent .shock; and another, rising up beneath the Krusenstern, lifted her out ol he water on the ice, and then launched her ofl' again. Fortunately, no damage was sustained. The night tide was further diminisheil, and we continued, after tliis last adventure, to be not far from the point of the cape behind which was the clear water: while we were obliged t«> wait with patience for s(»me favourable change of the win»l. 'J'he thermo- meter was at 34 , anil the snow was so heavy as to cover the moun- tains. A party was .sent to the cairn, to examine into the state of the ice, and, having returned, they reported it to be (piite <>lo.sed to tlie southward, with exception of a narrow lane of water along the land, which now appeare<|iialls of snow ; the thermometer falling to 21 in the air, and 23 in the water. Wf had therefore, once more, great rea.s(»n to Im^ tliankt'ul that we had not been able to get out of this haven, where the heavy masses of ice around us atlorded very tolerable security, since tiny were aground on all sid«'s, and exerted no pressun- against us. The gide continued with uiidiminisl'.ed fury trom the northward roken up by the swell, and at daybreak the waves reached within a quarter of a mile of the ship: while the motion of the solid masses around produced such an iigifation in her as to compel us to carry out steadying ropes and fenders. In consequence of the t'uU- now risinif to an unusual height, manv icebergs drove near to the shore; but as that fell, things became comparatvely (piiet : though the rapid destrucli(ui (»f the ice, under all the present violence, gave lis great alarm lest we should lose the protection which had hitherto sheltered us so well. At hn in the morning, therefore, we went on shore, in hopes of obtaining a better view <»f (he circumstances in which we were now engaged; the wind having once more m<»derate-|it, was there any annouiieenieiit of a chaiiife. We were safe within the large pack which haroaeh of spring; since its hard frozen siu'face >ery widely prevented the gales from dispersing it in the form of drift, while we weie quite sure that a much larger quantity had accumulated during the winter than that which remained when the thaw commenced. On the utility of this arrangenunt in diminish- ing the great tlow of uater which wouhl otherwise take place at that period, I need make no remarks. ^ 2 I i i 1 u I (.1 1(J4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Sept. 'io. It was comparatively moderate iluring the ni^Iit, with tlie same wind, bnt no snow. At daylight a large pack of ice was seen ap|>n>achiiig the bay, when it divided : one portion passing to the eastward of us, while the rest closed in, so as, in a few hours, to Muck us up more completely than we had ever yet been. After le, if we could but ubtiiin a westerly wind. The thermometer was at 27% but there was no new ice in the harbour, although the land pools were frozen over. In the evening the swell subsided every where, and at mid- night it was calm and freezing hard; but the ice did not open, as we hoped it might do on the ebb. >■))! .'1 This ice .still appearetl stationary, there being a light air from the north ; and, on examination, we found that the huge ma.sses around us were frozen together, giving us the prospect of being conrded in carrying oin- vessel throuiih. without anv accident, in M .h' TO THE ARC^'C REGIONS. 167 spite of a rapid tide and the numerous sunken rocks in the passage. The vvliole of this expedition, successful, if of little extent, was terminated in an hour. It was our intention to have entered the harbour; but, on standing towards its entrance, we thought it probable that we miglit reach a i'tw miles further, the current being still in our favour, though the wind was against ns. We continued, therefore, to work along shore, and having pas.sed the harbour at noon, reached the furthest point that we had seen from our last station. Hence, the land trended nearly due south, being more bold and rocky, and also more elevated than what we had hitherto seen: and here also we \1 if' l(J8 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY three miles : tlie temperature of the air rose from 26° to 32°, but the barometer fell half an inch. By our reckoninju;-, we had made about fourteen miles : an unexpected progress, which put us all into high spirits, and made us anxious for the return of another day. »o|ii. -'•. Though the weather hatl been moderate during the night, the rtood tide set in with great rapitlity, and the iceberg to which we were fast receiveil so many severe blcjws from tlie floating masses, that we began to suspect it would itself be carried otfat high water. An alarm to this effect was indeed given : but, on examination, we found that it was the vessel which had sheered ; on which she was UKwred to the rocks. The wind, which ha«l been gradually changing during the night, became south-east at dayli<;ht; and we could then see from the island, that the ice was fa.st closing on us: .so as to give us timely warning to quit a place where it was impossible to remain long with .safety. We theref(»re made .sail; and, pa.ssing to the eastward of the island, found a channel through which the tide was running with a moderate velocity. We then sent the boats to examine into this apparent harb» r v, and to .select a place where we could make fast : but it was .s(»on discovereli ; yet not without sawinij otFsoine project- ing points on the two opposite iceberifs, so narrow was tlie passage. We (li«l not, however, extricate ourselves from this periltuis situation, without passinu; two (ttlier icebergs, one higher than «uu- niast-hear than formerlv, and no laud was visible bevond the cap«'. \Vr proceeded to examine and sound (he harbour near us. together with the several entrances to it ; but these latter were all blocked up. with exception of <|ie one lo w liich we were opposite. Thus, after all. the place w liicli we had first chosen prover(il. 2U Sf'pt. 2* 17-2 SECOND VOYAGE OK lilSCOVERY itiiy new ioe. Tlit' harbour liaviiiif been at length quite surveyed, was foiuul to liave rtl'teeu feet at low water, with an even nnuMy liottoni, to be free of currents, except in the main channel, and »ieeure from every wind. Where the current did run, it was. indeed, very powerful ; carrying the ice throii<''h it with fearful velocity and tremendous collision. Kxcept a glaucous gull, Wf here saw no animal. Th(»ugh (*alm and clear after midnight, and the thermometer nt>t more than 27 , no new ice was formed in the still water, an«l the tide carried away the greater part of that which had o.'cupi*d the ehannel. Hut, at nine, it began to come in at the nnow. put an end to all pr«»spect of advancing tor this day. Soon at'ter dark, the temperature fell to 'io , and the snow contiimed to tall; but, under the iuHuence of the tides, the ice began to elear ,\\Mi\ in both directions. An increase of wiiul t'orced us to carry out additional ropes, and the Krusenstern uas also motu'ed in a place o|" security. Dining the night it blew a very hard gale t'roni the northward, and the tide risiug high in eonseipu-nce, all the icebergs were set in motion. Oar strongest haw.s«'r slipped ort" the hm-U to w liich it was listened, and obligni us to let go an anchor, as it was dark : but u hen da> light came, w<- transferred the former to another loek. and ui)t the anehor up asfain. It was then seen that the channel was I'loM'd with ice at both ends; and thus it c«»ntinued the whole dav.tliouuh having some elear water in the middle, at its widest part A uood deal of hea\y iee came to the entrance of this little ♦ II -mJ»- M- v- ■ J' •IK I Ir :. l i 'l«l '!i ' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. I7:i , S 9 harbour, but did not reacli our own clear water, on wliicb no new ice was formed, in consequence, probably, of the gale. After muster and prayers, part of the crew was sent on shore for exercise, and the remainder in the eveninji:. Heinf? with this last party, we saw that in spite of some ojjen sea, there was no chance of »»ur being released from our present situation without a change of wind. We had time to walk over this island, which is the largest of the group, l>ut found no vegetation, nor any animal ; though, on the following morning, we killed a seal and a glaucous gull. The tein|>erature of the air and water equally, was W, and it came i»n to bl(»w hard from the noith-west soon after we got on boartl. Though tiie wind veerefl to the west during the night, it did not S( pt. »>; reh'a.se us, as we had hoped. The ice, indeed, hail ccurred. .Vccordingly, we wer^ visiteff. The thermometer was at one time 22", and rose to 28 . We examined the island to the south of us to-day, but found nothing on it to attract our attention. Sept J!". The snow storm continued without intermission all night; but, in tlu' morning, it had so far cleared away the ice as to render the passage na\igable. The state of the weather would not, however, permit us to get under »ri«y, since no canvas could have stood against the gale. Towards noon, and in the evening, the wind was in squalls, and the snow ceased to fall; when such was the ett'ect on the land, as to blow away the snow by which it had been previously covered. The thermometer was at 23' in the middle of the storm, and did not snik below 2V : while, in the evening, the barometer began to rise. By this time the 'utrance of the harbour was cleared, and all the new ice and frozen snow were dispersed. After the tide had risen, it continued the whole day at nearly the same elevation, marking that effect of the winds which we had more than once before noticed. The latitude was observed at 70 12', and the longitude, uiu'orrccted, at !>2 21'. No one could leave the ship during the whole of this day. M'lii )i>. The storm abated gradually during the night; and at five, being daylight, it seemed sutKciently moderate t(» warrant an attempt to uct out : the channel, to the southward, being nearly clear of ice. Accordingly, the cables and hawsers were cast off, and at six we got under way, with the Krusenstern in tow. Though tin- tide in the channel was setting north, or against us, the northerly breeze it' 1 ■ i J.I !,'■ i Si , 11 i' i' 1 . 1 - r ' i TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 175 with V - . as sufficient to make us run through it at tlie rate ot" five miles an ^lour; estimating the (uirrent, at the same time, at hidf that quantity. At seven we passed the southern entrinice of the harbour and the south-east opening of the channel ; finding the ti«le stronger as we advanced, and most rapid in the narrowest ]>art. as might have been expected. It was now necessary to know more of what was likely to folhtw, since we had arrived at the boundiiry of our present knowledge; and we were, therefore, in great anxiety to discover the tren«ling of the land; watching the westernmost cape, and every successive point that opened as we advanced. We found that the distant laud which we had seen between the round island and the main, was a cluster of large islands, and that the coast was trending to the west- ward. At eight we had rounded the cape; successively opening out seven points, of which the fifth marked the place of a large inlet or bay, which, on our approach, we found to be full of ice. A bay beyond the second point seemed also to offer a good har- bour : while we further noticed a remarkable inlet, with what appeared to be two islands at its entrance. I'hese several ]>laees were named; but I need not here give what will be more usefully seen in the chart and tables. Our distance gradually increased, in running down the coast. from a hundred yards to two miles; and, at noon, the great body of ice was .seen extending from the shore about two miles north of the extreme point of the mainland, to the islands southward : thus «;oiiipletely obstructing all further passage, since it consisted of very heavy masses mo,st closely packed. We had run seventeen .1 ul ill '1 ,'■ '^^■' ii ' I ii,i rr' I7() SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEIIY U:i ■ 1 :| li. » 1 !-i i ( I l|,. miles; rive to the south and twelve to the soiitli-west : and we now, therefore, tacked and beat np to the land in search of a iiarlHtm-, detaching a boat as we approache*!, to sound and seek for a safe position : while, in the mean time, we made fast to a nei,!^hb(»nring iceberg, but in a situation that could not be trusted, from the small depth of water. 'i'he boat discovered, to the north-eastward of our place, a spat-ious bay, but open on three points of the compass; and, to the south-west, an island which oft'eretl a place of security, having a rock above water to the south, with a shallow ridge near the northern entrajice. This position we therefore took ; making fast to two icel»'rgs, and under protection of the islet, so as to be not more than a (piarter of a mile distant from the barrier of heavy ice, which we rould now better see to consi.st of hundreds of icebergs wedge«l together into a soliearing south-west, and extending to the ea.stwani of south; but, whether lonnected with the land near us. or not, we could not (iiscover. The large islaner of a .ship to force her- self through such obstructions: and thence ied, with its fuel, tw<»-thirds ol our tonnage, in weight and measurement. It had iK-en, Irom the Ix'ginning, a very heavy grievanee in another way, and in addition to the endless trouliles and vexations whieh I have already le- eurded : sinee it demanded and tinployed the services of tour per- » 1 1' [1 ■ I m {■r^' I t ! » III k\ ^. 182 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY sons, who wtre necessarily landsmen, not sailors: thns cramping, \ery seriously, the number of our real, or nautical, crew. As the engine, moreover, hail been consiilcretl the essential moving power in the original arrangement of the vessel, the masting and sail- ing haer, for taking t<» pieces the boilers, that we might land them as s<»on as the ship should be frozen in: an event that couhl not be distant; while, to this, I had more than the conciuTence of every oHicrr, and, prol>ably, that of e\ery man. It is true that we thus ronsenttd to re«luee oui'scUes to a degree of power tar inferior to that of any preceding vessel engaged in fhes«- services; but, in realitv, that evil had nireadv (tccurred against TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 183 our will, ami onr voluntary act of self condemnation was, after all, little more than a form. l)urin<>: the last night, the thermometer fell to 17°, threatening us n.-. i, with having reached oiu" last position for this sea.son ; but, towards daylight, the weather became cloudy, and the temperattire rose to 2r, with a fall of snow, which continued the whole day. We were thus, however, prevented from ascending the high land near us, and, thence, from making those observations on the state of the coast and the ice, which were indispensable towaixis any further atte^npt at proceeding. We couhl do nothing more therefore than sound and survey our little harbour; and were please,[. > day for an inland excursion. ^^ C landed on the north side of the harbour, as the ice was not such as to enable us to cross it to the southern one, which was, to us, the important point. .After passing ii valley c«»ntainiug a fro/«'n lake, I ascended a high hill, and thence discovered that a creek Mhich had caused us to make a circuit, was an inh-t running about six miles within the land, in a north-west direction. Mere I also saw the head •<' the great inlet wlii<-h we had observed on the thirteenth, surrounded by land l..'LiE I U ' ' ' 1 ' Iff i ff^l m\ 1". : i- J' ?( 'i u t 184 SECOND VOVAGK OP DISCOVERY appearing coiisiderably higher tliaii that to the south-west, which ronsisted of a suw hills. Ueyoiiii this laud I rouhl see no water. To the south-east, there was a perfect view of the islands that we had passed on the thirtieth of September, toge- ther with some land t«> the eastward and southward, which was probably the American continent; though this point could not then be determined, any more than I coidd ascertain whether it was a coutinmition of that on which I was now standing. At present, it was more imp«»rtant to know what the state of the ire was, and what it was likely to be; but what we saw gave us ni» hopes of any further progress. We were at a stand. We had indeed long suspected that the event which could not be very dis- tant, was impending, nor c<»uld we, in reason, be surprised that it had arrived. Vet we had been busy and active up to the present point, an as drawing nearer every hour, that it was (Miming every minute, that it was come; thus nourishing that blind liopt, which even in the face of inevitable danger or of certain ruin, even on the lied of «leath itself, is the result of effort and re- sistance ; that hope wliicli ceases only with the exertions by which it was supported, when the helpless ship tails asunde.'ou the rock, and the sun fades before the eyes of the dying man. It was now that we were compelled to think, for it was now that there was nothing more to be performed ; as it was now also that the long and dreary mouths, the long-coming year I might aluutsl sav, (»f oiu' inevitable detenti<»n among this iuuuoveable ice ros^* I ■' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 185 full in our view. The prison door was slnit upon us for tlie first time ; while feeling that if we were helple.ss as hopeless captives, that not even Nature could now relieve or aid us, for many a long and weary month to come, it was impossible to repel the intrusion of those thoughts which, if they follow disappointment, press on us ever more heavily, under that subsidence of feeling which follows on the first check to that exertion by which hope was supported. .Should we have clone better, been further advanced, have passed through these difficulties, and more, should we have passed all, and found ourselves where we wished, forming a junction with the discoveries to the westwanl, had the engine not ;j TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 189 12°; rising in the course of the day to 14^ We now therefore pro- ceeded to cut the ice, so as to get the ship into what we considered the position of greatest safety for the winter ; a work which occu- pied the whole day. There was still a little open water to the northward: not much snow fell, and, in the evening, the wind shifted to the south, blowing fresh. The tedium of this day, the forerunner of many far wor.se, was enlivened by a successful bear hunt, being the first chance of the kind which had occurred to us. The animal, having approached the ship, was turned towards the i.sland ; and in this way our party was enabled to cut it oft' from the land. Thus imprisoned, we turned our Greenland dogs on it ; but they proved to be of no use, showing nothing of the instinctive desire to attack this animal, which is .so general in their race. It was then chased to the water; where, plunging into the new-formed ice, it could make little pro- gress, and was, consequently, overtaken by the skift' and killed. Being brought on board, it proved to be a female of a medium size ; measuring six feet eight inches between the nose and the tail, and weighing five hundred pounds. / After a fine morning, the snow came on at eight; but the Oct. 7. weather was so much milder, that the thermometer ro.se from 12° to 2r. The sawing of the ice was finished at noon ; and the ship, being hauled in, was placed with her head to the northward, between the island and the main, so as to be quite defemled, both from the ettstern and western blasts. With land also toward the north, and the rock to the south-east, she was open to only three points of the compass, so that we had reason to be pleased with t f: I n ' 'II i ' n, I I 'h'tl I^H i\ i' ' ! ip If I ; I I i t Oct. «. I DO SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY our success, wliere no great choice could have beeu commanded at any time. The depth of water was thirty-three feet; and as there had been a current as long as there conld have lieen one, we had a right to conclude that it would return with the summer, and expe- dite the disruption of the ice, so as to assist us in getting out, when- ever that season shouhi arrive. The boats were now therefore landed, the decks cleared of ropes and .spars, and the other need- ful arrangements made for housing the ship «hiring the winter. There could, in fact, no longer be the least doubt that we were at onr winter's home; if we could indeed have rea.sonably doubted this .some days before. But, as I have already ssiid, it was a time to <;ome, sooner or later ; and if we had, within this last week, found reasons enough to feel neither surprise nor disappointment, .so, as T had concluded at our first entiinglement in this place, were we far from Ijeing sure that we had any thing to regret. We could not, indeed, expect to lead an active life now : we 8' 42" an.l longitude J>2 1' 6'. i)it. II Tlie sky being overcast, the thermometer rose to 18", but, even at this temperature, it did not feel cold, as the breeze was moderate. The ship's crew were nuisteretl in good health, excepting 1{. Wall, who had fallen down into the engine room, yet without any serious injury. .After church s«'rvice, the men were allowed their turns on shore; and, in their walk, they set up a landmark for the ship, about four miles ott' on the c«>ast. The wind freshened at night, and the thermometer fell to IT. '),! I.', It. There was no material change. The work in the ship was con- tinued, and a |dace for a powder magazine selected on the island near us. which was consecpiently named .Magazine Island. I'he hold being restowed, the fuel was measured, and found to amount to seven hundreil bushels of coal aiul coke; being, as we computed. sutHcient for the ordinary wants of the ship during the same num- ber of da\s. A complete examination of the provisions als<> took place: and the result was, to lind that there was enough for \\\k\ \ears i»iid ten months, on full alhmance; a tpiantity easily made to cover tln'ee years consumption. The ((uantity of oil and tallow was found such as to promise a duration eipiivalent to that of th« provisions; presummg, at least, on the t'urther assistance that wt- had a right t<> e\pe<>l I'rom our captures of bear, and seals, on sea and land. The thermometer, on the twelHIi, was II, fulling to 10 the ii ^ I V'i TO THL ARCTIC REGIONS. 105 iiexi day ; and, again rising to 20^ it remained so till late, not falling below \T at midnight; the weather becoming more and more cloudy, with an appearance of threatening snow. We thought ourselves fortunate in discovering here what might turn out a source of fre.sh provisions, in a large whelk, which had not been seen in the former voyages. Some unsuccessful attempts were made on the seals, and a part of the engine was hoisted o\er on the ice. The snow, on the following «lay, fulHlled its promi.se; Oct. 14. coming on very early in the morning, when the thermometer rose to 20, and then to 22", falling back to 17 towards night. The brass guns were put on the ice, with more of the engine, and the lower deck was (-leareil of some spare stores, by stowing these in the hold. They who valued omens were left to speculate «»n the prophesying of a raven which flew round the ship. How far they die taken into consi(ierati«>ii ; while some of the eir- I'umstances are either so little heedcil, or so ditiieult to perceive, that if the reader is sumetimes puzzled to explain the apparent eontradietions in the reports on the actual heat aial on that of M'II- sation. they who t'eel that of which others read, are otllen not less puzzled them 'Ives. I may as well state here, once for all. what c IS X II Ifl •■ 111 ill 1 ' ' 'i > il, 'if- 1! 'I- kr 1- f 1 i i r %m, ,i! I iih'i ) ( 'M I* ll» TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 197 has struck me when tliinking on tliis subject ; since the same col- lision of facts is likely to be of frequent occurrence, and the reader will be thus enabled to explain for himself, many future statements of the same nature, and save me the trouble of recurring to what I believe to be the philosophy of this subject. Among these considerations, is the hygrometrical state of the air, of which we did not preserve any register : but this is not so simple a case as it appears at first sight. Every one knows that a damp air feels cold and raw ; it is a better conductor of heat. Yet the .same effect on the sensations is produced by the reverse condition of the atmosphere. .V dry air increases the evaporation from the body, antion, in another manner, by checking the evaporation from the bmiy. Hut the state of the ' ody itself is scarcely of less moment than all this, in any attempts to explain these ap|)arent contradictions; as it complicates the wlnde }> Ill mentioning this, I am also, in justice to the chief sufterers in our crew, bound to observe, tliat i have myself been noted, by a physiologist of well-known reputation, as possessing in a very high degree, the power of generating heat, whence too, as he infers, that indifference to cold of which I was always conscious : together, consequently, with the very limited comparative suffering that I experienced during that long protracted winter, as 1 may fairly call it, which occupied four of the winters of England, yet such winters as E. ^land never saw ami will never conjecture, together with five summers, of which every one would, in that • •ountry, be deemed severe beyond the severity of its own Januaries and Februaries. I nuist leave it to the reader to judge how far this constitution may have influenced my reports on the tem- perature of sensation, on many occasions ; it is certain that I coidd not judge what others felt; but I could not have describeil what I did not myself feel. These remarks are not mere matters of philosophicsd speculation, nor are they questions of amusement or curiosity alone. They orter useful hints to those who may hereafter engage in similar expj'ditions ; since they deserve some among the first attentions in the .selection of a crew. Other circumstances of apparent health and .strength being equal, it is he who seems the readiest generator of heat who ou/^ut to be the .selectnl individual; for no one will know, until he has .suftered from it, what disappointments ami vexations and lalionrs, and restraints to the service, follow from the siis<;eptibility of cold in the individuals who may form the crew of a ship, on a service like this : to say nothing of the accidents, in mor- .• '"1 i| i|i \ ^ ill ifi'tf 200 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY tifications and death, and in scurvy too, I liave little doubt, which follow from the same cause. I know not, however, that I can give rules that will not produce disappointment, where the test of facts would be the really desirable guide. But this at least seems certain, that men of the largest appetites and most perfect digestion produce tlie most heat; as feeble stomachs, whether tlyspeptic, s»s it is termed, or merely unable to receive much food, are su'-^ct to suffer the most from cold; never generating heat enough to .esist its im- pre,ssions. Physicians must determine whether the strong digestive power and the heat-generating one are but parts of one original constitu- tion, or whether the large use of food is not a cause of the production of heat; but what follows is at least practically true, as the reasons seem abundantly plain. He who is well-fed resists cold better than the man who is stinted ; while the starvation from cohl follows but too soon a starvation in food. This, iloubtless, explains in a great measure, the resisting powers of the natives of these frozen cli- mates : their consum}>tion of food, it is familiar, being enormous, and often incredible. IJut it is also a valuable remark for those uho may hereafter be situated like ourselves; since if these views are correct, sis 1 believe them, both from experience and reasoning to be, it shows that no etlbrt should be spared to ensure an ample supply of the best food. Our system, whether in the navy or the merchant seiTice, and in whatever parts of the world, be it the icy seas, or the tropical ocean, has been as fixed as it is uniform; and perhaps I ought not to blame those who have nmde regulations, when they did not know, TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 201 and could not therefore take into consideration the .lyrounds on which their orders ought to have been regulated. If the allow- ance of the food for seamen, under all possible differences of cli- mate, or labour of service, technically speaking, has been fixed, and uniform, implying circnmstances, and involving consequences respecting which I dare not here take room to speak, so, in the «:ase immediately before me, have we been accustomed to fix the allow- ance of food, to restrict it, I may fairly say, through an experience founded on far other circumstances, or under a system calculate*! from very different data. The conclusion therefore in which I wish to rest, willingly as I would have extendeitlier remark respecting tlie constitutions wliicli peculiarly generate heat, because this is the business of physicians ; but they will be ready enough to correct me if I am wrong. A ruddy, elastic, florid, or clear complexioned man, has always seemed to me better securetl by nature against cold, than the reverse constitution ; an«l the ternj for the former is a sanguine temperament, while that which is applied to the other is, a phleg- matic or a melancholic man: but physicians best know how many species there are in this class. At any rate, the pale, and tJabby, and sallow, and melancholy-looking men, are not the men ior an arctic voyage; they snfter most from cold, whatever individual excej)tions there may be ; and therelbn- I suppose that they do not manufacture heat to the same extent as the others. If such n r^n also are slow and melancholy in mind, as I believe to be very common, this is most assuredly an additional reason against employing them ; for even when these feelings occur in a better temperament, they diminish the power of resisting cold; as if the ex«.'iting passions, as they are termed, a fact which I know not how to doubt, led to the generation of heat, and the depressing ones to the reverse. And this, b«- the theory true or not, being practically the fact, inasmuch as hope and contidence make men bear that cold under which the timid and desjjoiuling sutler, though perhaps it is only that the same constitution leads to both results, produ<'ing hop<,' and displaying energy while it also generates heat, another suggest ion otters itself respecting the care to be bestowed on TO THE ARCTIC RKGIONS. 203 the crew, and the occupations wlii<;h should be invented for them, as well as in regard to the original choice ; since it thus becomes the interest, not less than the duty, of the commanding officer, to keep up their spirits and hopes, by any means that he can con- trive ; as, in doing this, he also knows that he is adopting one of tlie best expedients against the attacks of the scurvy. 1 will only add to tL. se remarks, what may, I trust, be of use to future arctic navigators, namely, that although every expetlient in the way of clothing should be adopted for resisting the impressions of external temperature, as these are too well known to require detail, nothing will compensate for the want of the heat-generating energy, but external heat; as thiit is but too often an imperfect expedient. It is of little use to clothe him who will not, in himself, produce heat; it is like the attempt to warm a piece of ice by means of a blanket; but it is too conunon a mistake to imagine that the expe- dient which can only preserve heat is capable of producing it. The weather contimied tine, but the thermometer fell to G\ We Oci. lo. continued to lighten the ship antl get out the boilers. I ascended the highest accessible hill to the south-west, and obtaining a good view, conceived that the distant land was continuous from the south- west till it closed in with the west end of the island, though I could not l)e |)ositive respecting objects so far off, nor be sure that there was not sonif opening. The land was very rugged, and intersected by ravines, w ith many small islands scattered along the shore. There Mas still some clear water to the northward and in the inlet; but the hori/.on being hazy, we coukl not .see further than Ilecla and Fury island. The holes in the ice which we had noticed, were now 2 D '2 m '>IM 'I ¥■ . i' '\ \\ f 'I, ui II vT, til II '1. '204 SKCOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY 1 t frozen up, and all marks of a current had, of course, disappeareain to minus i)\ Tlic last of the engine was hoisted out : may I not say tliat there was not one of ns who did not hail this event with pleasure. We could not even look at its fragments without recollecting what it ought to have been, and what it proved to be; nor without reflections, and those not kind ones, on its maker, when we remendM-rttl the endless and ever recurring trials of our patience which it had caused, the never ceasing labour of the men in its reparation, the ever renewed hopes, producing ever new disappointments, and the loss of temper, to most of us, I fear, of which it had been tlw; fertile <'ause. The enemy, however, was at last at our feet; and while it Mas incund)ent on us to store it up. 1 hough it would in reality be (liiHcult to .say why, were it not from that habit, or feeling, which rebels against ab.solute wastefulness, I believe there was not one jjresent who ever again wished to see, even its minutest fragment. The Kru.senstern was secured yesterday, and, at night, an aurora Ocx. Ji. made its appearance. A iish which we believed might be a new species, as we had not seen it before, was taken. The thermometer wiis low, ranging betwe<^n plus and minus 4' : the weather nearly calm. The erection of a roof over the .ship was commenced, and a white fox shot. We could ge't no limar observations, and were nut likely to procure them again for the next four months. Though the land was much elevated by refraction, this day, it Oci. J2. showed us nothing new : the thermometer ' V I'W r m ^^1 1 1 .' la h \i 11,1 .>.- •>()(; SECOND VOVAGK OF DISCOVERV nine inches; iuul we proee«^Ie(l to Imild np a '.)ank of snow and ice round her, tor shelter from tiie eohl. The Ridley was also moved, and phieed in the centre of the men's berths, that the iieat fr<»m the fire niiyht he more equally distributed. A tank of plate iron was, turf her, placed on the upper deck, over the coppers ; and, by this eontrivMiice, the steam, which is a constant annoyiutce at these low temp( nidu'es, was secured and condensed. Anot!i«'r raven was seen; iind oiu' tishery of whelks, Ihouith nev«*r very productive, was con- tinued d.iily. Oit if. A fresh breeze nndered the cold very sensible t«t-day ; but ils effect was. ncNcrlheless^ to raise tiie thermometer from minus (> (o plus t>: to minus il , and then rising' :m:iiu ii>< hiuh iis plus !•> . This is a sure indication of >>nt*\v in thesr cliiii:itrs : and accordinulv a heavv fall came on at midiiiuht. Some other useful alterations were this day made in the ship; and. amonu'the rest, u pipe w.is carried from the up]>er deck to the tire, by niemis of which that was ciisily regulated. 'I'liese thinu's beinu done, it was found lh:it a vcrv small nuantitv of fuel w:is sutlicicnt to keep the hiwerdeck, wlieri' the crew lived, dry and coiuf M'tidtle. and to maintain a medium heiit of idiout 'm , iH'iiii; u h:it I jndifcd the most ad\antimeons one. The snow eontiiHiinii' in llic morninifthe thermnui) ti r rose to 18, but bi'L:iin to fdl ill uotMi. and. in the e\eninu, was at niinns (> . I'rayers, and «\ercise on shore, occupied, as usunl, their portions of the intsent Sundiiy. \\v li:id set a fo\-trap yesterthiy, and to-da^ it uas found robl«(l b> the do;is. TO THE AUCTIC UIOGIONS. 207 Thoii<«li the tein|)irafure was not imiterially ditt'ereiit this ihiy, (Ki. -i . Ji smart g-iili' ina eoiii|>lete the ren- ters and engineers, fonnd ns in- i -'T o'eloek, and the weather cleared : alter which the snow <*eased, and it heeanie calm. Me were thns enabled to make consiileralde pr«>- ^ress for a time in onr snow fortitication ; hot in the evening- it blew as hard as ever, and the thermometer tell to minns 1 1 . Thns it continncd till six on the followini;' morning', when it settled and ■*'! -^ clea!\-d. In the coarse of this day the temperatnrc sinik to minus Hi, bein^ the lowest that had yet occurred. 'I'he ship, houc\er, beinir now c«»mplctclv housed in, u«- t'onnd ourselves in a \erv com- fortable position. In the course of the preceding; niifht the thermometer rose to im vn pins a , and, dnrinu the day, to A ; a state of things, as I ha\c just remarked, always attendini; snow, which aecordinuly till in coii- sidcrablr «» great o^i- '<*'' that >\e could not p"o(*eed with onr endianknicul. The changes in the temperature were not so remarkable as to ncnl recording lure; but I must remark, that on this, as on almost c\ery preceding oeca- sion, the barometer indicated the coming gale. A white lo\ uas taken in the trap, ali\e, nl i'M' I i . . m\ ' I ' il •208 SRCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Oct. ;!i. The wind blew still liiinler, aiul the thermoiueter fell to minus l(f . At sunset there was a large halo, heiiig but (he second that we had seen ; it was, however, only a white one. There was after- wards an anrora to the southward. The tops of the nutuntains were eousiderably bared of their sn(»w by the gale : but the eontrasl of their dark rocks w ith the whiteness around, only served t«» render the aspect of this w inter landscape nmre desolate. The poor fox was acoidenfally strangled : only, however, anticipating a fate which we should have been (»bliged to iidlict her«'aft»T, though we did not then foresee it. \\ f had, on this day. completed the first month of our imprison- ment in this drearv and mis«rable countrv. and wtre natnrallv led » » • to eouipare our present condition with those of preceding voyagers, and to make some general remarks on various matters, the m<»st important of whicli I may now record, as brietl\ as uiay be. I may first note, that in this climate, unlike to Swnien and Nor- way, flif degree of the te «'ases, (he (empera(ures wi-rr observed on board (he ships, no( on (he ice; while (he alhmanee of (hree degrees (or (hat difterence is far from suflicient ; my own e\perience showing tha( i( may amount to even (>' ill TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. •20}) These are the facts in question : Lnt. Victory'spositioii M<'lville ishiiid . Winter ishind . Igloolik . Port Itowen . IjOUO-. Mean Temp, of ()J> 6}>'(Mr «)'i (M (»()" 1 Oct. 182}) 74 J7 20' no 48' 7' 1>... 181}) I <;(» II 27 83 II 0' I Do. 1821 (»}) 20:J0' 81 .)2 4(>' j Do. 1822 7;J ia40' 88 .">4 48" i Do. 1824 + 8 , 43' - cr, 50' + })", 51 + , 7})' \- 10 , 85' In the next phiee, roinpiirin/j: onr proiiress w ith some preeediiiu on«'s, it was true that we had not reiielied so tar westward as iMelvilht ishnid ; JMit we had wrouifht our way through :.s inueh iee, siu(!e the extent of this na\igiition had l>een 240 geographieid niihf.s, as our progress had also heen a very lahorious one, and not a little hazardous on more thiui one oeeasion. It was now, lurther. ijuite ascertained that the titles came from the northward, and were hoth later and loucr when tla^ winil wa^ from the south. N\'e had seen no uhah's for the last sixty miles, and had ne\er fallen in with a walrus. I formerly inentionni the ipiantity of provisions and fuel that we had remaininu. uhich 'knc compnt<'d to lit till .August. 1832 But there was only one . ■ ■•'s allo\\an< f spirits, uhich was a subject rathrr of ( «.,:g(afnli.'inn tiian others isr. since there can !••• no question of then' p'. nticious ei}i-cts in tlirse t'ro/cn climates; one of those heing, I ha*<' ii<» doubt, t i iMcreasr the tcnd< ncy to scurw It was neees.s»ry, however, iliat v.hat wi- had should be reserved lor the tuture parties on hind ••xcursions. wh'ic it might often pro\e ol' considerable, if temporary service; or, as might beiome necessur), 2 K •1 1 I. L I ^'5 I 'I +: iM t » ! :,' y M't ■J 10 SECOND VOYAOK OK DISCOVEIIY M lor oiu" use in case of shipwreck, aiul our beiii^' coiuleinned to take to the boats ; since tliis article wouhl then he valuabh' not merely as an artichi of (het, but as fuel ; or, finally under the chance of ojn* being unal)le to liberate the ship in the sprini;-, anil being thus compelled to continue our investigations by land. Orders were acciu'dingly given to stop the use and allow anc«' of grog; while it was very satisfactory to find that tlies*- were received without remonstrance. Our roofnig had been perfected in this month ; but it still re- mained to complete our endiankment, anse of keeping the vipour afloat till it was eunden^il on the beams and de<'k. This, t(K», mvolved a great .suvmg o( fuel since we fuuml that a leinperalure I ; TO TIIK ARCTIC RKC.IONS. 211 between 40' and ')()' was snfhcient to make the place dry, warm, and coniforfahle, whereas it had, in the sliips that preceded ns, been necessary to carry it as liiyh as 70 . The regnhitions adopted on other matters were th«; foUowing: and I point them out, that future adventurers in this country may gain, without htbour, the evperien«'e which had now been pur- (•hased by many successive \(»yages. It will easily be seen how much of all this was directly useful, for some on»' or other specitic purpose, and how far the intention was to tirnl occupation for the minds of the mm, and exercise for their bodies. The men slept in hannnorUs, which were taken down at six in the morninu:, and hunu' up at ten at niuht, beinu; also aired twice a week. The h»wer deck, beinu' the dwelling tloor, was covered with hot sand every morninu', and scrubltcd with sand till eiuht, when the men breakfasted. Monday wms settled in fntiu'e as the washinir day: and this operation being iiuished by noon, the linen was dried at the stove. The upper deck having been at length covered with su<»w two feet and a half in tliicku« ss. it was trod down till it became a solid mass of ice. and was then spriidiled with sand, so as to put on the appearani f a rolled gravel walk. .Above this, was the roof already mentioned, of uhieh the canvas sides were continued so low as to cover tlm^e of tin ship. Tlie surroundin.: liank of snow. iM'iug completed, reiieh* d to the ship's giniuale, so that the union of this with the rouf t'ormed a perfect shelter tVom all wind, and thus excluded, very uialtriidiy. tlie uupressious of ilie external cold. In the same maun< r there uas a covering of snow to the cabin deck, while theskvlight was titled with double sashes: but the way trom I I Wh \ ^:l I : :j 1 : i I 1 i ) tl 1 I* '• Ml Ui; l( **» Hi ■212 SKCOXn VOY.VGK OF DISCOVERY • I' tli(> cabin to tlie dee'k was not closejl, since the frost was not yet so intense as to niuler that ntressary: the imier ys. M'itli respect to the arraii,ii- the space between six in the morning and nine at niulil. the steam kitchen was found sufficient both for warmth an dry Hie air within this principal apartment. Hy thes*' me'ar.,-, he vapour wa^■ enabled more easily to ascend L TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 213 i>nd setth^ in tlie external condensers, instead of becoming" water in the room itself; while, what was not less important, the fires were kept hnrning with a nniform dtgree of strength. In proof of the ertect of the ntility of the condensers, I may now remark that it wa« onr practice to clear them ont every Satnrday, and that the qnantity of ice they <>ontained averaged about a bushel a day : the repre- sentative of a quantity of vapour first, and of a corresponding |>roportion of water afterwards, that would not only have been extremely annoying but truly pernicious. In continuation of our wintering system, every atom of rigging was taken «lo\vn, cleaned, marked, and stowed away. In arranging the duties and the victualling of the men, the following plan was julopted ; the whole cn-w being divided into five watches. The three leading mates, the engineer, and the harpooner, had, each, with one seaman, the charge of the de(;k in their respective turns: th«'ir duty being, to keep a look out respecting fire, wild animals, and natives, to register the direction and strength of the wind, with the appearances of the sky and weather, and the temperature, as well as the state of the tides and the oo'urrence of auroras. The officers, with tln-ir servants, the carpenters, the annoiu'ers, and the eook. had siillicient other duties in their respective departments. Tile breakfast, of which the hour has been alreailv mentioueulations havini!; regard to the collateral uses we nnght deriv«; from the heat necessary for tli«»se purposes. The allowance of provisions to (lie men and the oUicers, issued for fourteen days, is seen in the following table. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 215 i./l Account of the Dailif Proportion q/' Provisions served to 1% Men for 14 Dflj/s. No I'ltiimli of We"'. Uny8 Sunday . . Mtmilay . 'I'lii'sday . Wednesday Thursday . Friday . . Saturday . Sunday . . Monday . Tuesday . Wednesday Thursday . Friday . . Saturday . Total . 63 63 120 64 13J 64 i 13i U5i 2|f 24* 2|| 2H| •2H, H4i U4^ Ay 4i 44 4i 4i 3yf U41 , 1141 _li'4J- U Hirf I'ickitt Sjiirilj I 3 h 13^ 13i 131 134 108 1 134 1 131 134 1 134 134 1 13i 404 404 3 SI 14 14:141 •4*' " I i Besides this, vinegar was served as it was required ; but, more ran '.y, preserve SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY i. CHAPTER XIV. ! I THE MONTH COMMEN( ES STORMY AND COLD — IMPFIOVKMENT IN IT!* PROGRESS — REMARKS ON THE THERMOMETER AND RAROMETER — OCCl'HRENCE OF A SPLENDID Al RORA HOREAMS srMMAR\ OK THE MONTH. ft^ m d 1 1' '« N..V. 1. No J. HE most seven- stxrui that we liad \ii ex|»« rieneetl cuuie on this . We tiMuid traces of foxes during our walk on shore. More was done towards computing our sn«»w fortification; and I believe most readers now know, that the frozen ir TO TIIK ARCTIC UKOIONS. 217 snow is cut into masses res< inhlinij squared stones, and applied in the same manner, as the cement is formed of water. On the iourth, there was snow airain, dnrini*' the whole dav : the thermometer rose to zero; falliui:^ ayain, in the niijht, to minus U)'. We ha I.' Ni.v. 1, .\,>V, t). N.iv. r. ^ ! il' \ y tS? ' H t^i ji, i S I, ilf I '1 !f It ! - > ' ., ,i # IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) %^ fe? /r 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^ i^ IIIIM ^ ■- lillM 2.0 i -- III! 1.8 U 111.6 7 PhoiDgraphic Sciences Corporation )3 WIST MAIN STRirr WHSTiR,N.Y. USU (716) •7a-4S03 4 ■^ ,^ t/.x, ^ Xv % S^ ^f '«ftR;/.'«:J ii A' M 'i!S SKCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVKRY II ■ r,. :llEi m 4 why also >ve onuiit to expect tlie severest c<»lf what has been deemed most <'ertain, namely, the changes in the barometer; and if what we had occa- sion at ditferent times to observe, be at present inexplicable, I can only remind my philosopiiical readers, that it has often, and amply, been confu'med, by the reports of J..a Ferouse and the experience of naviifators bevond nundier. The inercurv has risen when it shotdd have fallen; and it has sunk when there was present every reason that has been assigned for its rise. It has faller ,vith wineii under the reverse circumstances, being the receive«l ones for its fall. Thus has a low barometer brought fair weather, anns : this being intended as a standing order for every Sunday on which it might be practicable. All were well, except the arnnturer, whose con- stitution could imt bear the climate. He ought not, indeed, to have l)een with us ; having been destined for our consort, the John, as the armourer of that ship was intended for the Victory. I'nbickil^, that man was one of those who joined the mutineers; and though I had intended to send the present ailing and feeble person home by the first whaler that we should meet, not one had fallen in our wav The fine weather continued, with the thermometer at minus I0\ N.i.f). A shttoting party had no success; seeing merely some hares, and the track of a bear. On the next I.' 't II ' t !• ! i. i: 1 1" I !i u 1 w ■1^ 1 !'i N'dv .Niv II •2-20 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVKRY vented from getting some occultations by the inoon, in Taurns, on \vlii<'li we luul caleuliited, and for whii.'li we had made |)ni)arati«»n. After blow ini>- witli increased fnry, the cale became somewhat more moderate towanls the eveniny^. It is worthy of remark, that the range of the thermometer, in the hist thirty-six lionrs, was 4H\ If the ice was at all broken \\\t by this gale, it was a matter which we hail no means of discovering, as there were now but three honrs of daylight. IJut it was likely ; for the wind coming from the north- east to the sonth-east in the evening, there was an unusnal high tide, and the i(;e near us burst open w ith a tremendous noise, admitting the water above it. The thermometer at midnight was as high as 2(> plus. Nov If I'he temperature did not begin to fall till nfter noon on this day, and then very gradually. This was a longits but the appearances of a similar sun in our own latitmles. 1 had reason to believe, from the colour of the sky, that there was some open sea to the northward: and we could distinctly see one clear space of about a mile in diameter, not a very great way fro:n us. together with some smaller pools, the eflectsof the late storm. The weather continued calm, and not ct>ld ; since the thermome- ter did not fall lower than V, and rose as high as 8". A very litth' snow fell : but, on shore, the valleys and ravines were already quite tilled, as the tar larger part of the hills and of the other ground in general was covered; only a solitary black rock appearing here aner, a very singular appear- ance of the snn occurred, witli an effect too in4 SIXOM) VOVAOli OP I)ISC()V|:KV li! i' i; .;i Ji li'; and persisting- tilltliefollowinginornir.g. It, constituted a briglitai'i'li, the extremities ofwliicli seemed to rest on two opposed hills, while its e<»loin' was that of the lull moon, and itself seemed not less luminous; though the lanet; but here the conjecture was per- haps verified ; so exactly was the form and light of this arch whal we nuist conceive of that splendid planetary appendage when seen crossing the Saturnian lieavens. It varied however, at length, so much as to aftect this fancied resemblance; yet with an increase of brilliancy and interest. While the nuiss, or density, of the luminous matter was such as to obscure the constellation Taurus, it pro- ceeded to send forth rays in groups, forming such angular points as are represented in the stars of jewellery, and illnminatiu!'' the objects on land by their coruscations. Two bright nebulae, of the same matter, afterwards appeared l»eneath the arch ; sending forth similar rays, and forming a still stronger <;ontrast w ith the dark sk\ near the hori/on. About one o'clock it began to break up into fragments and nebulie ; the coruscations becoming more frequent and irregular nnlil it suddenly varished at four. It being n(»« the s[)ring tides, the water Ho^ed through the Hre- liole, as it is termed, (being an aperture made for procuring water in case of the occurrence of fire on board,) and covered the ice near the ship in such a manner, that we were ttbligeil to make a fresh end>anl\ment round it. to prevent this inconvenieiu'c. The ther- moujeter fell, in the evening, to minus 27 , and vet the air did not rB-- I I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 22o feel very cold. According to our hititiule, the sun should have di.sappeared for the winter, yesterday ; but, unluckily, for the last three days, there was a cloudy horizon which prevented us from seeing it. It was not, indeed, certain that we might not see it once or twice more, froiu the effect of refraction. The twenty-eighth Nov. 2r. was, however, no clearer than the preceding day.s, but the thermo- meter rose to 2V, minus. It fell again however to 27', and the cloudy horizon at noon once Nov. 29. more prevented a sight of the sun. Every thing proceeded as was j^^^ ,0. usual on Sundays. Monday was the clearest and the calmest day we hail experienced aring now the mean temperature of this month with that which had occurred in preceding expeditions, we found no reason to expect a more severe winter than is usual in 2g I' . .i.-'*r. ^r.iiii;;. ■ i i' 1-1, ir 11 pr n : 'k 'fi I 1 . ..I- I I 226 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEIIY these climates, notwithstaiuliufi' the appearance of severity at the coniinencement, and the very low temperature on tlie last tlays. It was also now discoverable, that the hiuhest temperatures luul been with the north-easterly winds, and the lowest with the southerly ones : being the exact reverse of what was to be expected, and of what had occurred in former voyages. The only explanation that we could suggest, whetln^r right or wrong, was, that there was open water to the northwarti, and that the whole southern quarter was a mass of ice, whether on land or at sea; in either of which cases, the prospect of future ])rogress in this direction was far from flattering. The weather was such all this month as to deprive us of the power of making any observations on the occnltations of stars by the moon, as well as all others, of whatever nature : and the men were too much occupied with more indispensable duties to admit of our erecting observatories for magnetic and astronomical observations on shore. It was most satisfactory, however, to rind, that the eflects we had nitended by all these arrangements had been attained. The system of comfort and economy which had been planned was as perfect as could be desire I i.' \r i'u f ' i IF f^' . m :;}:i m I ■ i «',t fA m >»' >ti ' I f •2->8 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY lf>% and, on the t'oUowinjx day, t. Dec. 17. 'II i^r'iH 'M m I, 1 7 1 1 ' I- ■ • Hi '23<) SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY • (i: K ' i •A I 'II ilL l\ ^' colder, as there was a smart breeze, until after noon, when it be- came calm and pleasant. There was no success in shooting ; all animals seemed to have nearly deserted this part of the coast. Our carpenter being a musician, I ought already to have said that the men were permitted to dance on the Saturday nights ; holidays of this nature having always been found acceptable, ami advantageous; while it was also, necessjirily, a .school holiday. Dti. QO The aurora .still continued ; and, in want of other variety, it af- forded us amusement amid this wearisome uniformity. There was much snow drift; and the wind renase in those circumstances; the ther- mometer being at minus 1(5 . The horizon was .so clear that every thing on it was visible; and thus we sjiw all around, more perfectly than ever, all the land that we had seen at several times before. Dec. 22. On the next tlay it was the same, and we obtained, from the hills above, a ctunplete view of the horizon, particularly to the south- I TO TIIK AUCTIC KBGIONS. •231 ward : where the oohjiiriim; of tlie sky was most various ami splen- did ; being a fitter subject of paintinj; than of description, if it was indeed within the limits of art. Much of the snow was blown away from the summits of the hills, so as to leave the b-own and bare rocks visible. Tlie morning commenced with an overcast sky and a breeze, but L)" - ' it soon became calm, aiul was followed by an aurora of short dura- tion. The same weather continued the next day, and the clearness 1J.< 24 of the sky allowed us to see stars of the first magnitude during the brightest part of the twenty-four hours, inchuling, of course, the hour of noon. Venus was also seen in the southern quarter, dis- playing a bright golden (dolour. 'J'here was again an aurora : ano- ther to add to a succession of these appearances more regular and durable than any whi(;h had been experienced in the fi)rmer voyage to this climate. It was Christmas whom it is some- what more. The elements themselves si^mermerly witnessed. The church service allotted for this peculiar da> was adopted; but, as is the etiquette of the naval service, the holiday !1 l.ifj r ^ ' lil! 232 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY h f : I i Ih 1 iH , i-1 I' I » was also kept by an unusually liberal dinner, of which, roast beef from our Galloway ox, not yet expendetl, formed the essential and orthodox portion. I need not say tiiat tlu; rule against grog was rescinded for this day, since, without that, it would not have been the lioliday expected by a seaman. The stores of the Fury ren- dered us, here, even more than the reasonable service we might have claimepy days had a moral value with us, little sus- pected by those whose lives, of uniformity, and of uniform ease, peace, and luxury, one or all, render them as insensible to those hard-won enjoyments, as unobservant of their effects on the minds of men. 'I'o display all our flags (as .shown in the engraving), was a matter of course; and the brilliancy of Venus was a .spectacle which was naturally contemplated as in harmony with the rest of the day. Dec. •if). Christmas day was followed by a calm and (;lear morning, with the thermometer ranging from minus 18' to 22'. A few olwerva- tions by the transit instrum<-nt were taken, and there was anitther Uec. 27. aurora. This contiiuu-d till eight on the following morning, and the thermometer .siuik t(» minus .'J2\ IJeing Sunday, no work was done. There was litth; change, and nothing new, on the f^ Hi '1 i* II i > 1 i (: I ■ i Mi 1, 'VI ifri Y\ u f(i: fs f It: M Dec. v>r,. m ', ! r Dec. '27. <«,( n 'III I 11 ! i H 'If h', ; Ml I • . jlh:; ,:■- 'J 1 1 1 i 1 A h Ht m In J, ? i;, 1 ■< t . , X. ^ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 233 twenty-ninth, it went down as low as 37^^ minus, so tliat tlie sus- Die 2-). pecteil mercury froze a^ain ; but, being calm weather, the cold was not felt to be very severe. On this day we saw one hare, having seen two yesterday; so D. i 30. tliat all the animals had not disappeared. I'here was very good light during the day, from ten till half after three ; and, in the course of it, the temperature rose to minus 20°. There was also a fainl aurora; and some transits of stars were observed. On the fol- lowing morning the sky was overcast; but the weather felt mihl, Dd. ii. and the thermometer rose twelve degrees. \\'e found, on shore, the footprints of a wolf, which .seemetl to be travelling northward, having passeject. The observatory, I nnist now remark, was built on a nnich better 2 II ill ' ! I i '1 If it 'it I L "I' I-; '■ \n \ :, 11!';. \ f! ■ y;' 1 Uji^ I' 'i:i r^r . I' I •\ I !' ll i i 'i, ^' \l\ ' M " i* 1 4 \: II I (1 i- . i 234 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY plan than that of former years. Being larger, as well as more commodious, the breath of the observers was not so ready to con- dense on the instruments. Our transit instrument was also on a much larger scale, l)eing of thirty-six inches ; while its position had been perfectly verified by observations on circumpolar stars. With respect, however, to observations in general, it had not been a fortunate month. During its northern declination, the moon had been always obscured by clouds, and thus disabletl us from obtain- ing the usual lunar distances. We had still to hope that January would be more favourable, as we were in an excellent state of pre- paration for the observations that we were desirous of making. On the aurora borealis which we had so often seen, no experiments could be made, from the .state of the weather and the force of the winds at those times. I do not here note the state of the barometer; as I have seldom also mentioned it in the journal. It is a fitter subject for an appen- dix and a table ; where the whole can be seen together, on a simple inspection, anil where it can also be compared with the tempe- ratures, the winds, and the weather, at the same time: circum- stan«,'es to which these observations owe the better part of their value. With these it will be found in approximation, in the tables on this subject. I need only here say, that this instnnnent was regularly registered four times in the twenty-four hours; being, with .some others, that which was used in former voyages, and fur- nished by the liberality of the Admiralty. The magnetic arrange- ments furnished nothing worthy of record. In the crew, it was highly satisfactory to find that not the slightest accident had occurred from the frost ; as, with equal care, we hoped TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 235 to avoid them in future; though quite iiware that all care was sometimes unavailing, since the mere turning of an angle after a progress through an inoffensive temperature, might instantaneously expose us to an unforeseen blast, to some partial or casual current of air, with an effect so sudden as to be unavoidable ; while the sufferer himself is the only one who does not know what has hap- pened, and, if alone, may therefore be irremediably frozen. With this general good state of health, it was painful to see that the poor armourer was approaching to his end ; being, however, equally con- scious of the inevitable event, and prepared to meet what he had for some time expected. But it was a destiny that he could not long have protracted, though he had remained at home ; and we had no reason to think that it had been accelerated by the voyage or the climate. The trial of another month continued to satisfy us of the goodness of our internal arrangements ; nothing had failed, and there was nothing to alter. We were especially pleased with the success of the apparatus for condensing the vapour from within : the principle of which, it is evident, is similar to that of the condenser in Watt's engine, different as the circumstances are. The proof of its efficacy had been ample : but I must now note, in correction of the first statement respecting the quantity of ice collected weekly in the three condensers, that it was subject to considerable variations. I originally stated it at about a bushel in the day, for the whole : that being the result of our first trials, before we had fully regu- lated the production and the average of the heat between decks. Hut in the course of the.se attempts at discovering and maintaining the best temperature, it was found to vacillate ; the produce being, in some weeks scarcely four bushels : while we easily ascertained '2 li 2 t i.! Ill t'*!'! II, , ' : I ■kin !!P» •I I ! ; ! >f 't ;'-' '-i I U k 2m SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY that the quantity increased with augnientiition of tlie internal heat, and remarkably so on the days when the washed linen was dried ; as a little consideration will show to have been a necessary conse- quence. In this increase of the heat there was no advantage; and as the temperature first adopted was found unnecessarily liigh for comfort or use, it was reduced to an average of 4o°, while the ice then produced weekly, amounted to a mean of four bushels or less. It is not all, that the men were thus made comfortable, and the interior, with its various materials, kept dry. All necessity for placing stoves in the hold and in remote corners ceased ; and while there was thus a great saving of labour and inconvenience, anti not im- probably of hazard, the consumption of fuel was materially dimi- nished. Every one knows that those {)oints had engaged the attention of all the former navigators in these climates ; and it was, therefore, also a source of self-gratulation, that we had been the tirst to succeed, and that too by means as simple and little expen- sive as they were rigidly philosophical. That I herf oint out this expe»lien(, in future, to ships, in general, navigatir.g the northern seas, on whatever pursuit, woultl be to little purpose, were it not as easy of adoption as it is intelligible, without any further description than the general one already given. The .school had continual to engage the men's atfections; and their continued improvement both in knowledge and in religious antl moral feelings, was evident. It would have been valuable, even though it had found no more than an occupation : and, in some manner or other, we contrived to be always occupied. The pursuit of game was indeed an unproductive one, but it was still exercise,, and it was variety ; while we amu.sed ourselves with hope, in ,V TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. •>ii7 defect of hares: often traced, seldom seen, and so seldom sluit, that our sporting book was nearly a blank. In some manner or other, however, the last three months, constitnting the whole period of our durance uj) to this point, had passeil away without weariness, and had indeed been almost unfelt; while, I may add, that we liad been under no necessity of inventing any idle amusements for the purpose of killing time. Tliose among the men who were ambitious, thought, I believe, that it had passed too quickly; since they foresaw that the duties of the summer days would render it necessary to interrupt the school, before they ha ^0 J (1 .StbT. 0. SI-: 18. in-,bi;.(l. R.SR.20. EbS.ll. " " 1 C _-fl o ,^I.J. uu NhbE.O. NE.O. NEb,N.52. K N E.". "NbE.O. J - " , tl n ■,'■.' n NUy. NWbN.o.NW.H2..N«bkV,o. \VMV.49. «bN,o. ,." ., ■■'- . -" . 11 II SWy, SUb\V.I)SW.45, S\Vl,SO. SS\\7l3. SbW.O N \Vy.-^454 ■ SWy. =-110 SEy. - 6() NEy. Total. (jf)() liimrs. ■\h (lu. calm. ru -31 iiiivs. OCTOHEB, 16>! iiiffni ti'inpLTatiirp ! ^ * ' Tiitiil fortf of tbo \\ incl . . . Mean force of tlic Wind . . gKbS.O. SK.4. "sEbK.O. ESE.2(i. KbS.O. . ;j_ Si 1.17 in .jn I N£bE.43. NE.IJO. NEbN.-.l27.NXE.389. NbK.125. __(> _ R3 n 1 « _ i'l .NEbE.u. NE.ro. NTibS.d. NNE.132. SEy. Ii2 • 311 Total. .'.(lil bniirs. 121 (Ut. calm. 720--30(lays. NOVEMflER, 192!). Iliirlicst, Inwi'st, & \ ...o_37- iiiciui tcmin'iatiirc / Total force of tbe Wind . . . Mean force of tbe Wind . . .91 + 1976 -3.5H 161 CI _ NWy.-- 229 " \\ bN.O. SWy. =131 Sh tt .0. o SEv EbS.O. S.J NEy NbE.Hi). - !15 -121 Total. srg liours. ■ 16:. do. calm. 744 "=31 days. DECEMnRU, 1«29. Hitrbcst, lowest. *•' 1 _g_Q-. iiican tcnipcratnrc / Total force of tbe Wind . . . Mean force of the Wind . . ."iT ^'■li'—The numerator si^nijiis hours. £"4. .N. 150, it s; liours, north iclocittf 0/ ttu wind 150. .vi EGIONS. 239 ^VI. FIRST MEETING WITH THE PTION OF THEIR VILLAGE, NERS — THEY ARE EXTER- DME GEOGRAPHICAL INFOR- il'i iiii ill !■ fjl, t * . >:'< and beautiful weather, and J'" '• 1830. s at minus 16^ falling after- ay ed the beautiful tints of a jrent from any thing occur- stant hills on the horizon :lowing purple sky above, • than an analogous twilight . . xx. ' id holiday of the Christmas season was celebrated by the same indulgences to the men ; vvhf • contrived for themselves a concert of about the same quality as their ball; each of them, however, being in very just and harmo- nious proportion to our apartments, our establishment, and our climate ; and having therefore the merit of fitness at least. But what matters the mode, if people can make themselves innocently happy ? At home, it is probable, half of them would have been in- i Mi i j.lVlMH i ! !Ui. ■l! \, ' I I m 0i '1 r ■ U'i wKmnwm i<^w I'! < i . i li iu 338 SECOND V were hopes before us, of fol of ascertaining-, at last, tlr geography, which, I presui of all sensible men on this i tion, with a new summer a long time; and when the p new st: p would be a new d If our reflections also tur idle promise that we might we were disappointed that account of ourselves since o at Holsteinborg, in July, dering what our course an( easily inform our friends, reason for doubting of our provided with a winter ho could ha>e furnished, in tl W' U 1^' ABSTRACT OF TH N isii Sb\V.M.S><\v'.iii,Nv\Ls.iJ9.N\v'.8r)a.M\l\r.a«. *S,4I. Mlfi.MI t \v'sw.4ii. sVMjU.o. Mv.ir.'. s»"i,.s.i4. sSW.sr. SMv.o. '' " sMio. TiHi.Ko. si-: n. 7ir,i,l..,i. Kslvgo. b.i.s.ii. KU.V.lir.ENK.O. "NUK.O. I\'k.i>. NKbN.52. SVIf..;;. MiK.O. '*' — N JOa. NbVV.l. .♦ " W.\f «l,SO. I t n S :ll. SbK.O. K II. EbN.o. : i n N.H'-MiW.o ti,' •! W.lna.VVbS.O. '» llU.MiK.O. hit. Eli's ci. N\\\>ii. NWbN.o.NW.lia NWbW.o. «N"\y.«s. u'bN.o. ' '' '' " 1- " I ) n SW'v » fi" WSW 10. SHbW.OSW.J.I, .sUi.so. .S.s«.l3. SbW.O. 8NK.0. «Kbao. SK.i. Til^iKo. KsR.aO. F.l.'so. '' " *" ..i, , .■'-' ■•» 1"; Tit -■. NKv. -Du fcNhl Nf.ut 1.1. NK 1.111. NKbN.a-.';.NM;,3M). Nbli.ljs. it 4.1 itv>. I'nlin. iiii'iui ti'i)i].t'ratiiro.' ' " ""•• * Total f..rrt'. If 111,. \Mm| . . . l»:6 rtl -31 itavs. -— Menu fiirri' 111 tilt' Wiiiil . . C.i.ri .,.„,^, NdVKMIIKR, IKJi). ■■.(Ill lliiliri lllL-lu'-t, hnv,-t, * A .,,„_„_,,, f.'l .In. , '111111. tiuaiiti-iuii.'iutiiri') •"'"'" ■"" Tlil«l fiitl'C ill till' Wlllll . 1(14(1 r'JO iioilnyn. — Mciiii liircc iif the Wlllll . . .M Ut) . 'i'Jll v\'\.. '■' " ' " 1 .' 1 NWr. .N.N«.CIiJ.\Ui..S .ll.NW.'jrc.NHbW.O.W \W,M. UbS.ll. W'iv/.K. SAVbVV.o. si\v.,3...Ni\'l,.-i.ii. SsiV.iKI. SlAV.n. "**>'■""' NSK.'JU. nkbX.O. Ht:.l). nKbK.O. l:»K7. EbS.O. '' "' I'.M',.ii. .ShbE.ii, M'.,,-(l. NbbN.ii. SSH.uj. MiK."!!. lil'.cr.MllKII. mail lllWl'.l. \ ' ii|ii ■ l(l> ilii.iBliii, ui t.'iii|,iiiitiiri ! -"—^. -«'!'"* — 'iiiiui ruu'i' III till' WiiiU . . . irii4 74l-9lilty>. — Mi-nii fiilTc i.r llio WiMil . . Slt.li,- N.H.—Tlit DHmirultr tlftlin houri. £j. N. isn, (i i: hours, iiiilhttlMlIt oj ik, wiiiil lid. li .i.71 1S4 Kill TO THE ARCTIC IIEGIONS. .239 CHAPTER XVI. is.to. COMMEXCEMEXT OF THE YEAR 1830 — FIRST MEETIXG WITH THE ESQI'IMAIX OX THIS COAST — DESCRIPTIOX OF THEIR VILLAGE, AXD OF THEIR SOCIETY AND MANNERS — THEY ARE ENTER- TAINED ON BOARD — COMMUNICATE SOME GEOGRAPHICAL INFOR- MATION, AXD PROMISE MORE. X HE new year commenced with serene and beautiful weather, and J"' ' it was mild, though the thermometer was at minus 16, falling after- wanls to 'i'i". Tlie meridian sky displayed the beautiful tints of a summer evening, but of a character different from any thing occur- ring in more southern climates ; the disUint hills on the horizon being of a nearly scarlet hue, while a glowing ])ur|)le sky above, gradually darkened into a shade deeper than an analogous twilight would produce in England. This second holiday of the Christinas season was celebrated by the same indulgences to the men; who contrived for themselves a concert of about the same «]uality as their ball; each of them, however, being in very just ami harmo- nious proportion to our apartments, our establishment, and our climate; and having therefore the merit of fitness at least. Hut what matters the mode, if peoj)le can make themselves innocently hnppy ? At home, it is pmbable, half of them wouhl have been in- t \Wi M ;:^l m ' I*' I til !|t ^n? W lb .1.111 -! 240 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY toxicated ; that being the exchisive road to happiness in the estima- tion of our countrymen ; but I cannot help thinking, with Froissart, that although tliis is the usage of Britain, it is to enjoy ourselves " bien tristement;" while it were well if this was the worst result. Last night the thermometer luiderwent many changes within a t't'W hours, without any apparent cause, and there was a remark- able halo round the moon. On cutting through the ice, it was fouiul to be five i'eft four inches thick, giving an increase of nearly three fet^t during the la.st month, unless, as was possible, .some loose pieces had been floated in beneath the tield, by the tide, ami there atta«,'hed. The wind increased to-day with gloomy weather, and the cold Mas severely felt, though the temperature was not lower than 1})°. The next day it was milder, because calmer; the tem- perature being the same at first, though afterwards rising fo IT. It was Sunday, and was spent as usual. There was some snow from the southward, with an overcast sky : and the thermometer ro.se to minus 7'. The rocks that had been laid bare were once more covered, .so that all the landscape was one indiscriminafe surface of white; presenting, together with tlie solid and craggy sea, all ejpudly whitened by the new .snow, the dreariest prospect that it is pttssible to conceive, while unaccom- panied by a single circumstance of the picturesque, or any thing capable of exi-iting the smallest interest. Such it is indeed, alm<»st every where, in this wretched country, and, abt»ve all, in winter. The voyager may be a painter, or he may be a poet ; but his talents at description will here be of no \alue to him* uidess he has the hartlilHKxl to invent what there is not to sec. Whatever may be I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 241 tlie interest attached to the iUnstratioiis adopted in tliis work, it is easy at least to perceive that they owe nothing to the actual hind- scape; to a nature void of every thini? to wliich the face of a country owes its charms. We thought tliere wiis a visible ircrease of tlie meridian twilight .im > yesterday ; but this tlay was overcast and dark, tliuugh calm, and therefore mild; the average temperature being minus H\ and the greatest heat minus 4 . The thickness of the weather, increasing in the evening, turned out prov(»king ; but did not Hnally prevent us from getting an oceultation of Vhlebaran by the moon, together with one of Capella. and some others of importance. It happened that the hares appeared in nnnd>ers to-on saw four Esquimaux near a small iceberg, not far from the land, and about a mile from the .ship. They retreateil behind it as soon as they perceived me ; but as I approached, the whole party came suddenly out of their shelter, forming in a body often in froi.t and :hree deep, with one man detached, on the land side, who was ajjparently sitting in a sledge. I therefore sent back my companion for Connnaiuler Ross t(* join me, together with some nn'n, wiio were directed to keep at a distant'e behind him. J*roce«-ding then alone, to within a hundred yards, I found that each was armed with a spear and a knife, but .saw no bows and arrows. Knowing that the word of .salutation between meeting tribes was Tinia tima, 1 Iiailed them in their own language, and was answered by a general shout of the same kind ; the detached nnin ii 1 wl ''HJBlrl "' M I- I .1 ' , tin* I I ' m; I i I' ^.,- 1 i (Ji « ■' I ;i , i fcJ v ^ I I'lii; "i till In ^' I ' I ii 111: i 'V<\' |5«t i k ; : i'' 1 4:, 1 '' ,, 1 1 1 1 i : h '*! it i '• I ll i '1 ■ K ' ' ' ' ' ij* *i ■ i ' Ih 'If- J:^ I? ' ■ ' il\ r , 1,! f \ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 243 being then called in front of t tr line. The rest of my party now coming up, we advanced to within sixty yards, and then threw our guns away, with the cry of ^;fl, Tima; being the usual method, as we had learned it, of opening a friendly communication. On this, they threw their knives and spears into the air in every direction, returning the shout Aja, and extending their arms to show that they also were without weapons. J3nt as they did not quit their places^ we advanced, and embraced in succession all those in the front line, stroking down their dress also, and receiving from them in return this established ceremony of friend.ship. This seemeognise among them any of his former ac(|naintances, while he was e\ idently unknown to them ; but when he nn^ntioned the names of |)laces in Kepnise bay, they innnediately understood him and pointed in that directi(»n. lie could also make out that they had come from the southward, and 1 I. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. I4b had seen the ship the day Jjefore, that their huts wpi •• »♦ soni«' »*'NtjiTice to the northward, and that tliey had U'ft tliein only in the nutriiini;'. Having- no foresight of these visiters, we had of course no pre- sents at hand for them, and we tlierefore sent a man back to the ship for tliirty-one pieces of iron lioop, that there might be a y'ift for eacli iinhvidual. Hut, in the mean time, tliey consented t«» accompany us on board, and we soon arriveci at our snow wall. At this they expressed no surprise; it was, indeed, too nnu-h like their own work to ex«'ite anv ; nor did they show any of those marks of astonishment, at either the ship itself or the cpiantify <»f wood and iron before tliem, which we had found auKmy the iu>rthern savages of HaHin's bay in IHIH. It was evi«leut that thev were no strangers to even an aljundance of these materials. The present of the iron excited universal delight. In retiu'u, they otfered us their spears aiul knives, which, to their equal astonishment and satisfaction, we refused. We <'ould now easily see that their appearance was very superior to our own; being at least as well clothed, and far better Ctn] ; with plump cheeks, of as rosy a colour as they could be under so dark a skin. Like the other tribes of Ksjpiimaux, their gooduatiu'ed faces were of a regular oval, the eyes dark and approa<'hing each other, the nose small, and the hair black : nor were their skins of so dark a copper tint as those which I had formerly seen in the norlh. They seemed a cleaner peo|)le too ; and, what I had not seen before, their hair was cut .short, and arrangetl in no "areless manner. Their dresses were made with peculiar neatness; and some were ornamented with fringes made of .sinews, or with strings of small H'^ , I ' !; . im fK V / .;,r' ■ •i 1 \ i (■ 1 1 1 :i 1 |; rj: ! 1 j^': 1 i \i i? 1,; lli-ii ill:) w 24(! SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEIIY l>ones. The skins of gluttons, ermines, and grey seals, hung at the breast, seemed also to be ornamental appurtenances. Their sledges were singularly rude; the sides consisting of pieces of bone tied round and enclosed by a skin, and the cross bars on the top lieing made of the fore legs of a deer. One of them was but two feet long, and fourteen inches wide, the others were between three and four feet in length. On thennder part of the runner, there was a coating of ice attached to the skin, rendering their motion very easy. Three of the men were, after this, introduced into the cabin, where, at length, they showed abundant signs of wonder. The engravings, rej)resenting their <,*ountrymen, selected from the several former voyages, gave them great delight, as they instantly recogni.sed them to be j)ortraits of their own race. The looking- glas.ses, as usual, were, however, the chief source of a.stoni.shment, as, especially, was a sight of themselves in our largest wiirror. Scarcely less surprise was excited by the lamp and the candle- sticks ; but they never once showed a desire to possess themselves of any thing; receiving, merely, what was offered, with signs of thankfulness that could not be mistaken. They did not relish our preserved meat ; but one « ho ate a morsel .seemed to do it as a matter of obetlience, saying it was very gf»od, but admitting, on being cross questioned by Coimnander Koss, that he had said what wits not true; on which, all the rest, on receiving permission, threw away what they had taken. JJut the same man, on being ortered .some oil, drank it with much satisfaction, admitting that it was really good. Thus admiratdy fire the tastes of all these tribes adapted to their compulsory food, and their views of happiness to TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. '24' the means of it which have lieeii provided; nor, assuredly, ha«l these men, amidst their blubber and their oil, their dirty diet and villainous smells, any reason to envy the refined tables of the south; iis, amonji; those, they would not only have experienced et enio\in<;' the most perlict \iiionr. the most w«'ll-fed health, and all else that here constitutes, not merely wealth, hut the opu- lence ot" luxury : since they w«re as amply t'ln'uislied with provi- sions, as with e\ery other thinii' that could be necessary to their wants. .Vnd if the moralist is inclintd to speculate on the natiu'c aulace for the whole. At the v\u\ of this sat the mistress of the hous*-, n, , i)site to the lam[), which, being of moss and oil, as is the universal custom in 2 K 'lil (:■ f '-Tf,, M 250 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I a i^ these regions, gave a siiftioieiit tlanie to supply botli light and heat; so tliat the apartiiieiit was pertectly (•oiiitortabk\ Over the huiip was the eooking- dish of stone, containing tlie tiesli of ileer and of seals, with oil ; and of snch |)rovision there seemed no want. Every thing- else, dresses, implements, as well as provisions, lay almnt in nnspe'akahle «'onfnsion, showing that order, at least, was not in the class of their virtnes. It 'vas much more interesting to ns to tind, that among this disorder thenMvere some fresh salmon ; since, when they conid tind this fish, we were sure tiiat ii v.onld also fnrnish ns with supplies which \\»' coidd not too much mnlliply. On in(|niry, we were informed that they were ahundant; anple ottered to accompany us, and we took leave of the women and children ; inviting the lame man to come on the following day, that he might be examined by our surgeon. l':ight of the men attended us to the ship, and while six were turned over to the care of the seamen, we invited the two leaders to our own cabin dinner. Much astonishment was of course excited by the knives, plates, and other furniture of the table; and if their taste was not improved since the day before, while it had probably, then, only been taken by surprise, they at least relished the soup, and, with scarcely any awkwardness, immediately learned the use of tJie spoon. They were at least good mimics ; since, after observing our proceedings for a little while, they equally found out the management of the knife and fork, shortly using these as if they had been long accustomed to them. They seemed now to relish the preserved meat; as they di' : while, ex|)ecting our new friends, we did not go out. At one o'clock the man who had lost his leg, whose name was Tulluahiu, sirrived, with another, very intelligent native, called Tiagashn, drawing him on a sledge. On examining tiie stunin, the surgeon found it a sound one, long healed, while, the knee being bent, there was no dirticidty in applying a wooden leg. The carpenter was therefore sent for to measure him ; while, anticipating the purpose he expressed the greatest «lelight. As they seemed now to be unusually communicative, the chart was prfxluced : when it ap- peared that they were acquainted with every place between Igloolik and Repulse bay, or with their names at least, and with those of some of the iidiabitants. AVhen .Ackoolee was mentioned and pointed out in the (.-hart, they innnediately recy which he could go over land to the salt water in nine days. They, however, told us that one of their party was a much better geographer than themselves, and promised that we should see him. This philosophical discussion being at an end, they intbi'ined us that eighteen of their men had gone out to kill seals, but that it was too cold for the women and chihiren : and we then amused them till dinner time w itii the engravings in the preceding- voyages. They seeuicd to recognise all the names, as if they had, at lea.st, heard of the j)ersons mentituied, though they ha\ as produced by a large reading-glass, through which, when held between them, each saw his friend's tace mag- nified beyond all understanding. Such are the delights of novelty, and thus does the curiosity of pure ignorance ever find new gratifications. JJut we who, here, know every thing, knowing e>en what we have not seen or learned, have contrived to get rid of these pleasures; it is even to be feared that tlie " schoolmaster abroad " will shortly find his place a mere sinecure; .so universidly does knowledge seize, even on those who do not take the trouble to pursue it. It is almost a proverb, that there is no royal road to .scit'uce; but a road as brief as royalty could have dtsired, without being able to c< purchased with gold. Let no man imagine that he knows what a present is worth, till he has found what happiness can be pro- •i L Mi .; k'' Mf J' |U tjl I. I ;l|' I \U ffrf^ ■ i ' 2.J8 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY (luced l)y ii blue bead, a yellow button, a iieeiUe, or a piece of an old iron hoop. A very cold breeze prevented ns from eseortinp; them on their journey, as we had intended. We did nothinju; else on this «lay, but remove some small stores out of the way, lest they sliouid tempt these hitherto honest people, and thus make us uuiity of teachin^i- them a vice to whi(«) SKCOND VOYAGE OK DIStOVKKY Jan. II. oiire ivcogni.swl : ami Ikiiiiillik tlien taking the pencil, proeeetle*! to prolonu: tlie sketch from Akullee, following very nearly, for a very considerable space, the line alrout halfway from their village, un- i'A < (i i J i! "rtJi m f\> 'I . ,!-■ »: ri MrL IMUKraiMBaMaBI 1 : 1 if r 1 1 1 i ^ 1 ( I I 1 ill 1 ' 1 I fi; i f u > . . Avi ' I TO THK ARCTIC REGIONS. 2(>l urinecl; and they turned back quite deli<^hted when told that we meant to proceed to their liuts. A sharp breeze then springing up against us, the danger of being frost-bitten became considerable : on which they all undertook to watch us, giving notice whenever it was neces- sary to apply our hands to any part of our faces that were in danger of sutlering, that we might rub them for restoring the circulation. The women had lo.st much of their timidity, on this our second visit : and finding that the seal-hunting party was absent, we entereil Tulluahiu's hut, where we met a kind reception from his mother, wife, daughter, and two young children, forming his appa- rent family. A complete female dre.ss had been made ready as a present for me; being of the materials and ("onstruction already described, with an appearance of unusual care in adjusting the synnnetry of the skins, so tliat the colours shoiihl correspond on each side; while there was a fringe below, and a border of white round the hood and the openings for the arms. I had no doubt that it was a first-rate specimen of mantua-makiug; and it was m\ business to estimate it as a London lady would havedruie the hiftiest production of the highest dress-maker in the calendar of fashion. In return, I presented this generous lady with a silk handkerchief; being the article, of all that I had .shown her, which attracted her chief admiration. 1 .soon found too, that this personage, woman though she was, did not want a knowledge of geography, an ' I 4 I t' ' i* i I if :^ I • ■II ,1 • '2()fi SHCOVI) VOYAOK OK DISCOVKIIY •^ of tilt' tril>e, m;is iiiiioii^st tlir most iiitcllip'iit tliat we had con- verseil with ; liiit neiUuT of th«in, aflrr iiispfctiiii;- the chart, added any thiii^ ikav to our previous iiitorinatioii. 'J'hey were amused, as these peopU' had always heeii, uifh the sketches whieli we made of them, and hiu_i>hed heartily at the portraitsof the wooden-legged man and his companion. 'J'hose who had not received tin canisters before, as |)rcsents, «ere now treated with one each ; and on parting, if we understood them rightly, they informed us that they had lately seen some of the people from Igloolik. 1'he thermo- meter tell to 42" minus, in the evening, and there was an incon- spicuous aurora. laii 17. After having been at 43° miiuis in the morning, the temperature ro.se a few degrees in the course of the day. During divine service, five of the Esquimaux !ie of the men was distinguished by a row of foxes' teeth in his hair, anti seemed especially intelligent. It occurred to me to-day, that we might, by taking a couple of boys into the ship, contrive to teach them Engli.sh, and also, by aid of the books furnished by the mini.ster at Ilolsteinborg, enable them to learn the art of reading and writing their own language. Thus, should we succeed, they might be rend"ved of es.sential use hereafter ; and I therefore con- cluded on maiv' ,: the proposal at the first opportunity. The gale abated to-day, and the weather became settled and .um. jo clear. C< ^inlander Uoss and the surgeon paid a visit to the native 2 M 2 M ii;' '>' : iln J„ s! <• n = ' m k : ^""j"-f'ta g ff j fT i ilr- M ,.:,,!;. : ^?S?B ■ii i ir Bi ii i :!:! I t V Jan. !\. 268 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY village, and were amused by an exhibition of singing and dancing. The sun appeared for the first time, after an absence of fifty days, being about half its diameter above the visible horizon; so that we might have seen the upper limb before, as we had calculated, had the sky been sufficiently clear. That, however, which gave us pleasure, had no such efi^^ct on the Esquimaux, to whom the night of this region is their day; or to which it is, at least, far preferable, since it is of far more value to them in hunting the cunning and cautious seals. For this reason they always returned home when the day broke ; complaining of the light sls their enemy and as the cause of a compulsory, not a wilful idleness. After this, having informed us that they had marked down some ptarmigans, we were induced to proceed on the pursuit of this game, and at length contrivetl to shoot one. It proved, however, to be a willow partridge ; showing that this bird exists in tiiese regions during all seasons of the vear. The unfortiniate armourer, James Maslin, died this evening. It had been long ascerbiined that he was sufi'ering under tubercular consumption, and could not survive; so that our regrets were necessarily limited. That he had l>ecn in hospitals in Kngland for the .same complaint, had been known to us from a very early peri«Ml of our voyage, but not under such circumstances as to enable us to senot quit this life without having liecn long prepared for the event. The twenty-first was calhi and clear. A boy and a girl from the ICs(|uimanx, in company with some men, paid us a visit. Tlie TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. '2m) latter was so wrapped up in furs tliat slie hud the figure of a glol>f stsiiidiiig on two pins; but black piercing eyes, added to rudtly cheeks and youth, produced a pretty face, where our staiuhird of beauty had ceased to be fixed at a very high degree. I iniagine that this is a much more tractable standard than is coininonly sup- posed ; and that habit effects, in a tiir shorter time than has been thought, that change in the feelings on this subject which we vainly suppose can never occur. Such at least has been the experience nf all travellers ; and the arrangement is un(|uestionabIy a wise one, .since that which is the only accessible ought also to be the most acceptable. This young person was already betrothetl, as is the custom of this country ; the affiance being even settled, in many cases, during extreme infancy, or almost from the birth of the female child. We have all read romances in which tlie.se early con- tracts had proved unsuccessful : perhaps they sncceed btjtter lu-re, because there is .so little variety to distract attention, that one wife is equivalent to any other that might be chosen ; but if the .system is not practically very ilifferent from that of the Turks and (Mnncse, (presuming the contract to be irrevocable, which we ilo not know), the husband at least sees his future bride, can watch her progress upwards, and does not, to u.se a very vulgar phrase, " buy a pig in a sack," like the man of China, or him of the race of (Mhman. My readers are prol>ably tirwl of the names of men who can have no peculiar interest for them, and whom, like the writers (»f Indian history, (if these persons would but recollect it, which, nn- fortunately, they have never yet done.) wc can distinguish by nothing to make one hard word rememlKTed in preference to li|: l!'l 'jrir ; 1 . I ' 1 h, ^ i\ 'h i 5«a li M il •270 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY anotlier. Nor can it iiiiu-li iuttrest any one, who was tlie wife, son, nepliew, t;ran, a small circle, nnitually dependent, and .separated from all theworhl, it would have been a paint'ul office, since it was almost that of the parent or brother who digs the grave of his dearest relation, on a desert island, not knowing when his own turn ma\ come to claim the same ser\ ice from those w ho reinaui ; but our long con\ n-tion of the inevitable event had blunted those feelings and wearieplc, the name for iron applied to all. The presents which we made fo liie.se also, did not prevent the di.sappearanct- of a |>air «»1" snuffers; though we could not a.scerfaiii who the culprit wsis. Fifteen of the Ksquimaux arrivevo of our former friends, with their wives. To prevent temptsition also, all the portable articles which were outside of the ship, having been placed on the ice for convenience, were brought on board ; while some men wereapjK>inte'i to watch, in case of any attempts at pilfering. Even without the e, together with a seal-.skin, valued at a pie«'e of an iron hoop. We had, of course, the trouble of the usual office of showmen : but to our further inquiries about Neitchillee the only answer we could get was, that there wa-s a large river, with plenty offish. They had taken more seals during S4)me days past, and were to proc^eecl with this Imnang. The temperature rose, and the sun was felt to have some power i this day. Fourteen Esquimaux came alongside, including five ween numerous and successful. The preparations for cutting a canal in the ipe had been continued as occasion offered. H4 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 279 CHAPTER XVIII. PILPEUING ON THE PART OK THK NATIVES — THE FIRST KALI. OF SNOW OF THIS YEAR — NATIVE DANCE SUMMARY OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. X HERE was anotlier arrival of Esquimaux, on the first day of tliis f.1). i. new inontli, with wives and chiUlren; and we bought from them three skin dres.ses ; but tlie bear continued to be promised. The man uitli the swelled face wjis better, and brought a bow that he had proposed to give us. One of the women had an ornament on her head, consi.sting of the head of an owl, with some ermine skins. 'J'he temperature was minus "2'), and the day so cloudy that none of the expected occultations in Taurus could be observed, nor any of the moon-culminating stars. It did not become clear till the moon had passed Taurus and \\\,. .'. tliere was nothing more to be observed; a mortitication sutfi(.'ieiitly conunon with itstronomers. Tlie Ksquimaux brought some more skins, which we bought; but not the bear: we had rea.son to suspect that this promise was not about to l)e ke]>t. Hut we had now .so:nething more to discu.ss with them : and tlie event was to show that they were not tho.se examples of absolute honesty, whicii ''^,,: .1 I i mi J I '.1^- MP ■WJ- % \t I ■' I ' |-,l> 1 '2«() SECOND VOYAGi; OF DISCOVEIIY \\v had at first su|)|)ost'n considerati«»n, to suspect the conjuror Otookiu ; the canttle having gone out, for some time, in the cabin, after I had brtn exhibiting its effects to him. This was oonlirm(>d afterwards, bv his unw illinuness to admit me into his house at mv last visit to the village. I therelore told him that the swelled face had lu-en produced by the magical glass, and that it must be returned. Ilis cout'e.ssion innnediat«'ly followed, tttgethtr with a promist^ to bring it back on the following day: without uhich, \ a.ssured him that his other cheek would swell in the same manner. It was brought back accordingly, togi'tli«-r with a hannner which had disappeared; while the snuflrrs were admitted to Ik.' in the possession of one of the women, together with a glass out of my spectachs, which one of the chihiren had found, on its having dropped out. The terror of the conjuror was indeed so great, that he brought back a hook and ,1 harpoon head which I had given him in exchange for a bow : on which, to preserve this probably UM'ful impression of terror. F agreed to a re-exchange. On the preeeding day we observed a transit of the in<»on, and had many observations of stars on this one; the weather being umisually I Ji TO THE ARCTIC REGION!^ 281 ••lear. Tlio tlierinometer was first as low as HH iiiinns, and it aftor- wurds tell to 40 . The Ks(]iiimaux hroii<>:lit iiotliiiiu' Itiit a part ot' tile hear's skin; hut we piiri'hase*! a reintleer skin from them. The spertaele glass was returned, and the In-arer rewardtil with a tin i-anister, as this had not heen a true theft. The siuiHers also were produeed ; and it was then ex|>lained, that if any thini;' should here- after he lost, noup of the natives would he suH'ered to come on hoard any more. Nor would we admit any of them ar this time, that we miuht give a tangihie proof of our resolution, and of our tinnness in adhering to it. 'I'he tem|ierature s;ud\. to minus t'i . lint the day was clear and im> i calm, so that the <-old was not severe on shore. Some natives came, and sold us some dresses, together with the ornament made of teeth. Kiglil seaU had lieen taken hy them in the last two days. They lirouiiht a small part of the hear, savinu' that tlit^ eould u'et no more. .A \\w retiu'neil on the tiilluuing day, and, among the i-ig. and evposed uaUnl to the air. at the lireasi, with the t hernioineti r at mums 10 It rose til '-i'* to-da\, tlie Weather euntinuing ealm and lin«'. The tdi. •' wliolt lhirt\-one ICMiuimaux e'aine : and as two had not yet sicn the ship. tlieN wen aduntted The eunjurorwas in great disti'ess. Iteeause he had taken no seals; atlrihutnig his ill hiek to the mauieal glass I pionused that the enehaiitineiit sjundd etase ui twuda\s: iintl lhe\ agreed to hriiig us a seal on the t'ollowing da\ . It lilt \ sueeeeded ill taking one. On eiiltillg thriMigh the iee, W llieh we had liegiiil )o do the day het'oie. it was t'ouild tu he six feet thiek: heing an increase of twenty inches within the last month. •i o f W: frm ■, ' U f /• ^M" ■I ! I (. ' f H I' i f 1 1 •2H2 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY and ifivina; a irreahT thirkncss, by a foot and a half, than af fh<- corrcs|MMi(h?(H- season at Port IJowrn in IH"i'>. III'. 7. 'I'he . s. follouini; day they hronuiit us three more, and informed ns that their (h>!;s had kiMed a hear on tlie ice, \vhi«-ii \vouhl lie at th<'ir houses on the next day. We pniposed to |un'ehase it, touether with a M'al. The wind ehan.ued very often in the course «tf ihi*; ith the usual kind reception : hut as neither hear nor seal had yet arri\ed. our lahour was thus tiir lost. In returninu' aL>'ainst the \\ ind, the cold was very severe; yet «e visited the cairn which had hecn erected for one extrennty <»f a triuononietricid hase, where idso we had made experiments on the velority ot' sound at these hm temperatures, which I sli;dl Slave occusion to note lien'alll«'r. In the e\eiiini;, the thermometer simk t the skin of ;i youn^ hear and some other articles. 'riie\ in- i,t, II lornicd us that the expect«d hear had not Mt arri\ed. 'i'here was an aurora seen; hut not so marked in character as to deser\e deseripliou. Oil the follow inu day. they lirou/fht more things for «Hle; the womlen-le^gcil man also hriii.i(ing a thindtle and a needle • I »ll TO TIIK ARCTIC llK(ilONS. '2H3 \vliit*li one ot* the natives had either luiind or stolen ; for whieh he uas r I < monieter f«-ll to minus l'> . On tlie folhnvin;; day, more women, with some hoys, eanie fo sell other artieles, and all uere houiiht ; a man also hrinuinu his seal sjiear and har|>oon, for whieh he received his price. The sun had consideralde power to-da\. and the thermometer rose to >M minus. .Vtter church, "ome Ks(piiman\ men and women came, hrin.uinjf some seal hluhlier for our d«»;;s, and promisin<; a whole seal on the morrow. A uale had come on last niifiit, with heavy .s name on the hiade; saxin^r that he had olitain. hips formerly u' !.'*H»lik. The l»aromel«'i |(.j',; to -"iO 7!i, without any apparent reason, as i,i, uv the weather t\ .s not >o iin«- as it had he<-n lor some «la>s past. The lem|ieraln' \acillated n^ -i irds, till it reached -i'i minus. .V natixe came in the laorninu to viy dial lliey had heen unsueeessful in r'alchinu: seals; and three otlitts, in the evening, conlirmed the same tah' Some ot' the ollicers wiut to tlie xilla^e, but did not procure one. A male |'o\ was (aui>ht in the trap. Kb I ». lib f,i :|! n .> ! I 384 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY tvb 17. The sky was overcast, with some drift siiow, unci the theriiioiiieter rose to minus \6\ We hoiiiiht some articles hroiiglit by the natives, but (lid not sutter them to come on board. But this was not tlie only purpose of their visit; since there was a j;eneral restorati<»n, as we understocKl, of all other things wiiich they had purloinni ; among which, a table knife from the mate's mess had alone be<^n missed. ^\'ifli this there was a piec • of iron, another of an iron hoop, and a sliuaveofa block. The cause of this repentancrand restoration \\a>. \\f found, to be attributed to the guns which had been tired for thf purpose of the experiments on soun agreed ttt rtturn evir\ thing. \\ f had to regret that \\t' possessed no >u<'h powers of ronjuratiou o\er the nnich kss pardnnablr thi<\es of onr own dear uati\e land : among its other advantages, the " march "of know ledge has deprived the good of tliis |M)\\er also, over the e>il ones of this uorlil. What the rehi- ti\e gain and loss uiay be it is not here ui\ business to diseuss; liiit let us reeolleet. at leas , that it is nut all gain At au\ late. We here made use o|' tile ad Vantages still in our power, and there- lore did not lose tin iip|)ortunity of contirming them in their go«Kl intentions to -steal no more;" inl'orming them eonse(|nently that this was the cause of their late ill sueeess in sial hunting Thf- I'ailure of this ehaee, with which we had Itecome ac(|uaiut)(l. was -.t piece of knowletlge. of wllieh. like many unicli less pardniiable eoiijurors, We took this jiistiliable ad\aiilatfe. rile teinpeiatur*' rose as high as iiiiuus !) . and the axeiage oi TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 286 l-.li III the tliiy was 12''; tlie wiinl being from that which was always the wannest quarter; north-etisterly. The natives brought the long promised seal at hist; but it wa.^ so inutihited as to be fit only tor the dogs. They desired also .some remedies for one of tiie w(»men. wh«» iia(i been taken ill. The surgeon therefore went to visit her, in the sledge, drawn by six dogs ; and having preseribeil for a rough and eold, returne !at night. Tlie rirst fall <>*' snow f<«r ihis year was (o-day, and the tem- perature rose to miinis 7 . S«»me native w«.inen eanie, with trilling articles for sale, and were much gratified by the sight of a sledge of oin' own ronstruetion : this being niachiner> much more witlnn their c. aM«i thus, I doubt not, giving them a more rational idea of our superiority, 'i'lie snow did not last a second day, aixl the weather '>'. ■:\< was cloudy and mild. A female fox was taken in the trap, anil \\v had thus the uiians of |irocuring a breed, if we chose. Some l->(|uiniaii\ arrixed ; an nnagnii'd, and the body soon contrixes to lind a new an«l iinicli htwer scale of com tort able or «iidurable h*'at. 'I'he natives arri\ed, at length, and, with a seal of unddling si/.e. for which they recei\ed the promised reward of a woman's knife This is the usual kntte i M .',: ^'' ! i'ti M' i It,! . ■'ki ;; V fl ■ f '^'j. :.^ L^..ii^^ <*■■ ■iin^ ll 28fi SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY \A ' of the leatlier-ciitters, beiiij; i' seiniciroiilar blade; and it is used liy tliein tor the same purposes as a biitelier's kiiil'e is with us: the reserved (hity ot' rutting up the seals being tlie ])nvilege, or service, be it whieliever it may, of the fair sex. They were put under I'harge of tlie wateli during >upply of riotliiug foi- a long time The heat (,ii -.'v fll to niiiiiis |(t MM the tollowmg day. The two fox-triips pro- diii'td tacli a female prisoner, one of which was nstrved alive. W'f also bought ».ome seaUkin jarket> from the natives. lii>. .>(i. Till ui-atuir wa» nnich enldtT, though the fall of the thermo- inetir -ii I not »\c;«'d ;!• degrees. The nati\es brought another '^kiii oi a glutton, caught also but the day before, with three more TO Tllli ARCTIC REGIONS. 287 sealskin jar-kcts. A knife was tlie established price of all sneli articles. >\'lietlier there was any holiday anion^- them, or whether it was to he taken us a trihute of ,u,ratitnde, Ikniallik, the geoura- j)her, had brought a party for the purpose of treating us with a danee. There were not less than twenty. The danee was more like an exhibition of bears than uught else; though a Sav«»yard bear, at least, must be admitted to be the better dancer. The dance was tVdIowed by a vocal concert, the women ranging them- selves in a semicircle, shutting their eyes, and opa\\ a glutton an«l a hare dining their excursion. On the Sunda\ it became once more cold, the i;ii -i". thermometer tidling to :\\ \ tVesh bree/e made it severely (elt din'ing sn»ved that they do nut migrate to the south in winter. Ill our internal eomt'orts and the satisfaetion of the men, there \Mis no alteration : all had unne on well. Some \aluable observa- tions liati belli added to our astronoiiiieal eolle(e detaehed. one to the nnrlhward, and the other eastward on the iee, inv tlie |tnrp(tse o|' etiteliin,i> seals, but that thev w«>nld soon return to waleh lor tin animals \\hieh were then expected to lie miuratinu' from the southward. Maitii i. There was little ehannf in the weather Two women (>am«- to inlorm us that the rest had all gont lo hnild some huts t'urther to the eastward, on the iee, near the island that was in siuhl. and that they were to join them in the cm ninu. The distance, therefore could not be ^(reat. The dead man was said to be not yet buried : and when some ol" our ollictis allerwards visited the \illane, ihev I'ound nothinu' altered, e\c«'pt that sonn- ol' the entrances wfre deuiolishi>«|, and the ice windows removed. M ivii h Tin sun had power < nonuh. while it lasted, to rai>^e the tem- perature Ironi '{H to !H niiinis, Imt it then lell to "il . 'I'lic huts Were revisited by the same party who liiinid the c(tr|»se «»t" lllicto. Ill one of them, ir the posture in which he seemed to have died. An incision in the alHlomen had been evidently mad<- alter death: and as they had not removed him, we supposed that they con- sidered his present place a suHicieiit tomb; at this season oltlie year, perhaps the best, or only one. .\ hole was cut in the ice. and a tide pole inserted ; by which we found a rise of four feet 4 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 291 i and a halt'. An nnlucky cloud nibbed u.s of a very promising observation. No Es(|niuiaiix intertered with the present Sunday. The weather Mn. h 7. was tine, and the teniperatiu'e not very ditterent. We could now oliMTve the tides, whirh were very irre<;ular; but the extreme rise was nearly six l"eet. On the .Monday, it was but one foot einrht .Mardi s in<.'hes in the niorninu', but was tive feet three in the ev«-!!Ji>^ Two old females came, and informed us that tivr seal.« h.'O hoe)) Uiken: and w. I illed a fox. It \\i\ and ••aim weatln'r, with a full moon. The irre^u- M^kIio. larity in uie ebbs and /Idws. and in tlu- heiiihts of the tides, was extreme. Two of our otheers walked to the new town on the ice. w liicli proveil to be about .seven miles ott". They found tive t'amilie.s, that had been very successful, havinu,- taken a ureat many seals. The rest had uoih- about tifleeu miles to the northward. Coni- niinider Hoss went in the sledge, about the sunn- distance, to the south-westward: and liiouuh he ;oo(l dinner; hut when it was time for rest, althoum'li there was a good bed for each, one wake«l while the other slept. AVhether this was suspicion or ceremony, we could not discover. Our school seemed to surprise them even as much as the kaleidoscope. .Mil. h 1 1 . llie thermometer range«l from 14^ to 32^ minus, being colder than it had been for some days; but tlie weather was very fine. We found that when it had become very late in the morning, both our visitors had consented to fall a,slee[) : perhaps their suspicions were fjui»;ted. Their breakfast, consisting 3 Tlie tide.s ami tJu;ir iiTe^ularities need not he recorded, tliouyli Manii u the latter continued ; siix*', thus far, they had Ie\'hafevere\p;Misi(Mi it may undergo on crystalliziilioii. if indeed that which has been supposed be true, the increase of bulk is not adeught, in lieu of one that had been icturiicd : and we t'onnd that they had taken tive Mini. II). Mills. 'I'hc ttniperatnre It'll again to miiMis l]H on the following (lav, and vvc received another visit from a party which brouulit us a small .seal, a sledge made of the bones and skin of the umsk ox, and ^onie boots and gloves. W c heard also that there was a new party of 1Cs<|uiinan\ about two days' journey from us to the southward. tl iH ii 17. 'I'he men uiuhr Commander Uoss had been employed for some ■ ..\ 1 9 TO THK ARCTIC IlKCilOXS. '2!)> time in measuring ti base for the trigonometrical operations ; and tliis work was still going on, in s[)ite of tlie cold, which to-day was minus 40". Some of the natives arrived, with the l)o) Kawalua, an orphan, and the nephew of the geographer Ikuiallik. It Mas he that I had marked out as the most Htting to be taken on board an«l instructed; and he therefore remained, on the return of the others, commencing his attenihtnce at the school on the same evening. It being a fine day, Commander Hoss took a journey in the sledge about thirty miles to the southward, returning in the evening ; and iiaving taken the Ks<|uiniaux boy witii liim, he recei\e«l nnich information. IJy his account, they had reached half tiie way to ^feitchillee, and it was not, therefore, so far off as wr had iniagiiied ; while his infonnation respecting places agreed so well with what we had heard before, as to assure us of his accuracv. lie also described a place where they were obliged t(» cross, in their canoes, a stream of salt water that was always lloMing to the eastward. and which could never be passed in any other manner. .As this was not more than a two days' journey, by his account, Me hopt'«l soon to be able to explore it, and ascertain the nature of this strait and current. He saw , in this excursion, the tracks of a glutton and of a reindeer, but no living animal. In the course of the da\. our friends brought us a tine seal and its young one. In iu\ own Wftlk, I found the tracks of hares and foxes in nnich gnatt-r nund>er than formerly ; and two ra\ens from the northward tlew over the ship. The natives brought oidv trifles this dav, and we allowed the boy to go back w ith tlu'ni, under a promise of his returning on the following. They brought us then some more gloves and boots. ,\1,>kI. M.IM I, Iff. »l,\n ii ■:(■>. 'II '1 . • %}-. '■1 1 1 ^ 1 r : : i 1 . ni.!, 1 1 !>. u ?,'' ■ . .11 ;* ! ' . . l|i' ! '1 1 l\ ■ ! r •■: r I |. ^ i- 11 n- \ I I ! fi i I , ':IL fff 1 IF 20(J SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I !' '«» with a fine dog- ; as >ve were now making up a second team, trnsting tliat we should l)e able to feed them hereafter in some manner, at least as well as their orin'inal masters. Mr. Thorn and the surgeon set out to walk to a rock which was determined by the survey to l>e ten miles otf, but were <»vertaken by night in returning, and did not arrive till very late, nearly exhausted, after having given us some alarm. Nothing of moment was seen fr«»m the point in ably broke loo.se to follow its own master. ^^ e could now easily treat them with boiled seal, and thus could always aflitrd to give them \ ivel was returned, and a party from the other .station brought us a seal, which was bought for an old file, being the article now i;i demand. Wv aftmipted to »;h'ar away the snow from our bows, but the water came up and obliged us to desist. iMiii.ii J4. The temperature rose to plus 10 , and it was thus a mild of our own tlogs, which were useless, we had purchased eight new ones, thus having a good team often. The information aey which the ship could go better into an oj)en sea where no laud was to be seen. Thtuigh now on terms of entire contidence. the intended pupil had no* i> i\\ persuaded to remain, nor could we obtain any substitute. He had not returnetl after his first departure on what we had believed a mere ludiilay oi- leave <»f absence. The lane of gravel on the ice, intended, through the action of the sun on it. to thaw a channel tor us Ix'tbre it would naturally bre.ik up, hail been finished; and the dogs and sle«lges were in gooil training and •J if J ii! i'i. !• ' ! 1 1 1 1 1 1* • i, 1 'i i I. / l.< ii I ;j(M) SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY order. All our interiiiil arrangements continued satisfactory, and all were in perfect liealtli. Game had been very scarce; the four foxes constituted our chief captures. Tlie highest tide had been six feet ; the mean of the barometer 30 inches. The triangulation had proceeded : but the observations in this month, respecting occultations by tlie moon, were not more success- ful than formerly. It was always cloudy at tho.se times. Some transits and lunar distances were of value. It is la.stly worthy of remark, be it exphiined as it may, if indeed it be a steady fact, which we do not yet know, tliat all the coldest days occurred near the time of the full ntoon, and a little after, and that the temperature was highest innnediately after the change. ill i Ki I)- .1' PLAN OF FELIX HARBOUR FROM THE SURVEY RV COMMANDCR JA* CLARK ROSS RN F. R S &C. I850 Kf-^y rfl .if' Ofn ffnuf ^ / OftSFKVATOHV M*Lt. ZOUO fLLT TO AN t X- lllr ■ '1 I .1 < . !, I- ' ip '•'■■I * ; !■, ! I 1 ; 1 ! 1 k- / 1 % ■ Pi ^^' ' ri f; 'ttll 'ii' i ( if s» ^^ii^wa hu. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 301 CHAPTER XX. A|)iil I. April ,'. PROCEEDINGS TO THE TENTH OF APRIL JOURNEY AND NARRATIVE OF COMMANDER ROSS. X 1IEK1<2 was snow, with a much lower temperature and a cold breeze. Tlie natives came to us from all their quarters; and .Awack, the future guide to Neitchillee, was especially welcome. Tile nearest party had been Mnsucces.sful in seal hunting. The next day was like the siinnner to the feelings, and the thermometer rose to plus 2'2\ The Esquimaux were still unsuccessful, and JMigan to fear they should be short of provisions. Seeing the sextant in use for an observation, they were very desirous to know if it related to seals, and if we saw any. The sun was .sufficient to dry the washed clothes, and the melted snow was every where flowing in water down the rocks. A seal was brought, and exi'hanged for a file ; but there was still a failure of this hunt. In proof of tlu* effect of external heat on our arrangements within, the quantity of ice in the condensers, this week, was but two bushels. It was a few degrees colder than yestenlay : but it now became necessary to build a snow wall round the ])illar to which the thermometer was attached, to protect it from the reflected heat of the surrounding snow. Sunday did not prevent the natives coining from all quarters: Apni i. ■\|,nl .i. "Mil 4!! ill, V'i' 'rihi ■ ( « i ! i ■ i j 1' i !' I ! i il h ¥ \ 302 Aiinl .\|>nl i> .\|»il SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY hut we (lid not allow tlifiii to impede us in our usual duties. Aujoug tlieui, Awaok and <)ol)lo(»ria, the two promised _i>uides, eame with their sledges, dogs, and provisions; and all the former in- tormation was confirmed. Our own preparati«)u for the journey had been completed, and the otlieers that were to aerompan} them were ready. The tiiermometer fell U* minus H at niyht. The weather was cloudy, w ith a mode-rate breeze, w hich, being from the n«)rth-east«ard, was favourable for travelling. Com- mandt^r Itoss, with the chief mate, HIanky, and the two l^squimaux, departed at ten, on two sledges, with ten days' provisions : but the therinonieter falling to minus 4\ we were concernevas a gale of wind, which we feared would arre.st them cntinly. Oiu" consola- ti(Mi was, that our two olKcers had with them the most experienced auil active of the Ksciuiinaux iiui«les, and that thev would therefore be housed in good (inie. The natives from the ea.stward brought us a tine seal, and w«' «ere thus enabled to afford some assistance to 'I'iaifashu's familv, which seemed to be in want, It contiiuied to blou fresh, with snow, shifting fr(»m the north- ward to the eastward; yet the thermometer became plus 'il' at noon : while, in the evening, it went round to the south. A blue light was hoisted, and a signal ritcket thrown up, to in«licate the ship's place to the travellers. .\t night, the wind nioderateecame moderate by nine. At five in \,„ii if the evening our party relurned, after a very laborious journey, and nnich sufiering from the cohl, but without any serious accident. They had seen the sea to the westward, and were confident that «e were now on the coast of America. The channel of which we had heard as leading to the sea, was still. Inmcver, uncertain; there being two inlets u little to the northward of our harbour, with apjiarently e<|ual claims as yet. while it might also exist in what had been term«'d Cresswell bay, in latitude 7"i 40. lint the nar- rative of <'ommander Uoss must be given in his own words. J ,i % ^i,! 11! I '!>!' il >f itil .a > I ■ I I * «l I |x.'!0 A|inl .-. :M)4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XXI. NARKATIVE OF COMMANDER ROSS. 1 HE morning was far from pro\ iug favourable for our journey , as it snowed hard, and tlit-re was a fresh northerly wind : my j^iides, indeed, disliked the look of the weather st> nnich, that they were very desirous of deferring the expedition to another day. I still hoped, however, that it would improve ; and as I was anxious to reach the spot which we had been looking to uith m» nmeh desire and interest, we at length prevailed on them, and set otf at six in the morning. Our party consisted of Awack and Oohlooria, as guides, together with Mr. IJlanky, the chief mate, and myself Our i»\>n haggage was lasht'd i»n two sled/^es, druMii by d(tgs; and being nnieti heavier than that of our companions, ur were nmeh trlr. ]}lanky, therefore, suggested the possibility of mending their sledge by means of their sjiears; but as I knew that they would not '"onsent to this surrender of their weapons, I broke them both, without asking any questions, into lengths fit for the purpose. As might have been expected, this was followed by a sudden burst of luiited surprise and anger; but on assuring them that 1 would give them two much better spears as soon as we should return to the ship, they became pacifie»l, anusieags. Here at length we could keep out this enemy, an, might not have awoke very soon, hatl it not been for a mutiny anti rebellion which broke out among the dogs. They had rid them- selves of their traces find got loose; while, never being over fed, and at that time, doubtless, tolerably hungry, tliey hud attacked the sledge of Awack for the [)urpose of «levouring the frozen fish of which it was constructed, unless, indeed, they preferred the liides of the nnisk ox by which these were bound together. The owner soon ran to the rescue ; and as the damage was (»nly com- menced, the repairs were neither very dithcidt nor tedious. We had, indeed, but too much time on our hands for this work ; as the inclemency of the weather rendered it impossible to proceed. This leisure enabled us to have a goojl deal of conversation with our new friends; who being now at their ease, and free from the apprehensions uhich they had at first entertained, began to im- prove very nuich in our estimation : displaying, in particular, far more acuteness and intelligence than we could have expected to fiiul under countenances so heavy, and physiognomies .so dull. What was ctf most importan<;e, however, to us, was the information which they atfonled respecting the nature of the coast, and the ocean to the westward ; the latter of which they represented to lie of great extent. F(U' the first lime, also, they now spoke of an island, which they called Oo-geoo-lik and \>liere, in the summer, as they informed us, we should see great inunbers of Ksquimaux ; naming par- ticularly, among those, a man who was described as lame, and a 1 u I Ufa H.) m. «1( : I i ''^^!\ i t i! 1» V ■r:i }\ 'H 1 , '1 I I' aoH SKCOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY woman called Kahlalla, who was spoken of as a personage of great importance among tliem ; and giving me, in addition, the name of her husband and children, together with those of many more of her kindred. They described the |>lace lermed Oo-geoo-lik as very distant; saying also tliat it recjuired many days' journey across the salt water, to reach it. This confirmed their previous account of the extent of the sea to the we!=tward ; but I could not at this time contrive to make them understand my wishes to go there. 1 was therefore obliged to content myself with listening to tlie anecdotes which they related about their people, and to answer, as well as I could, the several questions which they asked me about the Esquimaux whom I hatl seen at Igioolik, in whose concerns they seemed to take a very lively interest. Their priuci^ial questions, however, related to the manner of hunting among those people, to their amusements, and to their singing ; and they were also curious to know whether I had seen the "angekoks," and witnessed their tricks. With all this I had formerly been familiar; having been on many excursions with those people, after the seal anti the walrus, and having seen also enough of the operations of the conjurors. 1 was to .say also whether 1 had heard " Torn-gah," the spirit, and to repeat what he had said; all of which questions I answered as well as I could, so that there was amusement at least, if not employment, for this day of detention. I was also obligecl to repeat frequently the names of the "angekoks," with tlu>se er those; for which they laboured |jy frecpient repetition. They seemeil greatly anuised to hear that so I „k I '* ? TO THE ARCTIC KEGIONS. 309 inuny of them had two wives; adding also, that they knew a man to the westward who was thus doubly provided, iiaving brought them from Repulse bay. From this I shouhl have concluded tliat the practice of bigamy was very rare among the present tribe ; but we afterwards found abundant reason to recal this conclusion. We were much more interested, however, in hearing them relate the circumstances which had brought them to tiiis part of the coast, and to our immediate neighbourhood. Two «)f their people had been tishing to the northward, at a place called Ow-weet-tee-week, and there saw the ship beset by the ice and carried past to the south- ward ; this being, as \\'ell as I could conjecture, on the second or third of September. Being much alarmed in consequence, ♦hey immediately set off to join the main body of their tribe at Nei-tyel-le, where they remained till the arrival of a woman calletl Ka-ke-kag-iu. This person had a sister who was one among the party that had been with us at Winter island, in the former voyage to this part of the world ; and from her, they received so enticing an account of the reception which the latter had met with from us on that occasion, that they came to the resolution of going to seek us, wherever the Victory might chance to have been brought u|> This they accordingly did; and our companions now described to us their .sensations at the tirst .sight of our tootmarks in the snow, their astonishment at the size of the prints, and the consultation which was held, to determine whethci they should proceed or not. The elo(|uence of Ka-ke-kag-iu, however, overcame all their fears; and they now repeateefore we came away from the ship. It was therefore fortunate, yet for other and better reasons, that the weather soon began to clear, and Ihu.-. gave our guides a speedy prospect of replacing their larder. In conse(|uence of this, I obtained some observation.s for determining our position, and tor the angles reipiired for my intcntled survev. « [I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 311 The latitude of our present position was 09' 44' 20', and the longitude 0° 44' G' west of the ship. The hut was built on the .south shore of an inlet about three miles loni;, lying on a west- south-we.st line. On each side, the land presented high and rugged shores of granite ; and a considerable river entered on that which was opposite to us, at about the distance of half a mile. The name which our natives gave to this, was Ang-ma-look-took. and they described it as abounding in tish, in tlie summer time. The name of the inlet, in the language of the country', is Too-nood-lead, and it is thus di.stinguished in the chart which I drew up. On my return from a rising ground to which I had gone for the purpose of obtaining better ideas of our .situation and of th»; <<»ast in general, I found the two guides Awack and Ooblooria busily employed in loading their sledge, and was equally surprised and displeased to find that they were preparing to return to the j)lace that we had left, to obtain a fresh supply of every thing, and espe- cially of provisions, .since they had eaten up every thing, damaged their sledge, and broken their spears for the purpose of repsiiring it : while without these latter, they had no means of procuring provisions. lliere was nothing left for me, to prevent them from putting this provoking resolution into practice, but to trick them into abandon- ing this scheme; since it is not very easy to reason with a man's stomach ; above all, with that of an Esquimaux ; and as, in truth, it was not very easy to produce any good reasons against such arguments as the.se. A question of their own geography would not have weighed with taem, when put into competition with a dinner of .seal and a drink of oil ; and how could I expect that , i m* •::■ W ;1 W' •'IHV •'' I m >* n ill' I ! i1 I i I f I I ■ Hi ! I f '' 1 ' / , f I ) . 1 i ' ' ' 1 1 '. ■ ( V 'p ' I i , %, &' 312 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY our pursuits of this kind, which must really have seemed abundantly purposeless to them, and which, perhaps, may not seem of any vast importance to persons of very tlifferent information, were to in- fluence them, when put into the balance against the slightest wishes or caprices of their own ? To carry my objef't, I therefore engaged them apart in conver- sation, while Mr. Blanky selected some of the best pieces of seal's flesh in our possession, part of a considerable provision that we liaeen buried in this manner to preserve the timbers from rottin/:^; while the skin covering- halan(i wliicli tlie guides called O-wuk-she-o-wik because the p;irticular cod, termed by them O-wuk is caught near this place during the summer and the autunni ; frequenting its shores, as they informed us, in great abundance. From this we turned toward the south, and, after that, to tlie south-east; when, passing tirst a small lake where T procured a meridian altitude of the sun, and traversing a low shore of limestone, we arrived at the great lake of Nei-tyel-le at one o'clock. The east shore of this piece of wuter presented a ridge of granite hills, and the guides pointed out on the faces of these, several win- ter huts which they called O-ka-u-eet. The guide Awack had left his canoe here ; and he therefore separated from us to go in search of it, while we pursued our course to the southward, soon reaching the banks of a river. I attempted in vain, at this time, to form some estimate of the size of this lake; for the snow drift was so heavy as entirely to prevent this, since I could never see more than a mile in any direction, during the time that we were near it. We found the canoe lielonging to the other guide, on a small islet in the river ; and, at this point, we estimated the stream to be half a mile in breadth ; while, as the ice on it was of very con- siderable thickness, I was inclined to believe that the water was deep. From the infornuition of the guide Ooblooria it runs into the sea in a direction to the south-west of this islet, flowing out of the south-eastern end of the lake which we had passed. The banks were of limestone ; and, from some fragments of this rock, with the assis<^ance of jMr. Blanky, 1 erected a cairn, and we went through the usual ceremony of taking possession. At three o'clock we had 2s 2 il M i .!! I II I'^l "'If i •' 13 'I w ..;■ I :i *. iii ■ttM' I. i » i, '! 4 1; i. ill' I 1^ ( ;jifi SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY \y i i finished all tliac we could now do in this, quarter, and prepared for onr return. In no lon;n' time we found the canoe, which Awack liad left for us to pick up, while he went forward to melt some snow to be ready on oiu" arrival at the hut. At six we reached tht sea once more, and the river of l*ad-le-ak at seven ; at which time the weather liad i»ecome settled and clear. I therefore ascended an elevated •rround, with Ooblooria, an-h and bold cape, which terminated the north-east shore of the inlet, no land could be seen to the westward. Hut, from the south-west t«» the south-east, there was a tract of land comiect- intf the <>-round on wliicli wv stood with Ac-<'ool-le and the shores of Kepuisc bay, while there was no way into this sea from the south; so that if our ship dTcat continent of America, and that if there was any passai^e to the westward in this quarter, it nmst be sought to the northward of our present position. To the cape in tpiestion 1 gave the name of Isabella, being that of my sister, on whose birthday it was diseov<'red. ) i r '; I h %M. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 317 The guide Ooblooria now pointing to the soutli-west, said that tlie way toOo-geoo-lik lay in this direction; on which I endeavoured to |)ersuaetter, whether that should arri\e or not. A native came to beg a new stick for his spear, in lieu of his own, which was broken : but we thought it ex|»edieiif to refuse him. To give lightly, was to deprive ourselves of the power of rewaid- ing; even had it not l»een absolutely necessary to keep up the price of our connnodities, lest they slioidd fall to no value, and deprive us of the future means of purchasing what was indispensable. A \isit from oin- friends to-day was satisfactory, inasmuch as we Apni u found that they had all reconnnencetl taking seals. The weather, both on this and the folhmingday, was mild an } } '! . i h' .1 » 322 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY necessary to remove the weight of snow from tiiat part of the deck. It was now also time to clear away the snow-bank ronnd the ship, Apnl \r^. being no longer wanted. Tiiis found us work for the following tlay also. The temperature during these three days vacillated on each side of zero; the greatest rise being plus 2^ On tlie last, another visit inf«)nned us that some of the party had removed to an inlet northward of their first position. Apnl 17. Commander Ross and the mate departed on the .sledge. The natives brought us a skin and a seal, and I was again teased by one, while making observations, to show him where the seals might be found. To get rid of him, I pointed to a place, at hazard ; and, in the event, acquired the reputation of a conjuror, inasmuch as they afterwards caught three. l*rognostication was, however, a trade far too dangerous to our reputation, to be indulged in ; and I hoped that the opportimities would not often be forced on us in this manner. One of the seals was very gratefully brought to me, as an acknowledgment ; but the bearer was nevertheless rewarded with a rile. The first snow buntings of the .season were seen this day. Commander Hoss returned in the evening .'; from the newly erected northern huts, about six miles oti': and "! having explored the reported inlet, determined that there was no ' passiige in that direction. Thus was one of our projects exter- minated ; but there were two still remaining. \()iii IH. This Sunday was a culm one; but the temperature did not rise beyond 11" jdus After church, one of the men brought back the iron door of the fo*;-trap which his brother had stolen after he had built it. There seeme«l more t(;mptation to .steal, than de.sire to retain ; for they never hail any reluctance in returning what had f, " I 1 I 1 If ^•^\ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 323 been stolen. Tlieir opinion seemed to be, tbat although it was wrong to steal, no harm was done if the owner did not miss the property : an argument not uncommon, I am sorry to say, among their betters in onr own country, but not the more defensible because it has an apologist in Shakspeare. Making no concealment from their friends, these did not fail to inform: while, not denying when accused, they seemed to consider the whole matter, the reproach of thief, and all else, as a " good joke." Yet they sometimes brought peace offerings; as they did on this day, in a small seal. I also reco- vered the trough of the artificial horizon, which had been missed for two days, together with a dog which had been detained : the culprit, who was going to Neitchillee, being apparently very peni- tent, and desirous of making friends with us before his departure. All of them were about to remove; and it is probable tliat we were more sorry than they, at a parting, after which, as we then thought, we were not likely to meet again. It blew fresh, with thick drift snow, but it did not prevtMit many Aimi u». of the natives from coining to us, to take a second farewell. Ejich received .some present; and at ten, they drove off to the southward, leaving their former habitations empty. They were evidently sorry at parting, though expecting to see us at Neitchillee; and their final adieu was a universal shout of thanks ami goecame calm. April 2n. A s. al was brought to us from the northern village; and Tkniallik's son proposed to be a guide to Shag-a-voke, the stati«»n nearNeitchillee. where we were desirous of examining a strong current of the tide. He was accordingly kept on board till the morning, when the 2 T 2 'pill ^ H -I i Pi ,^ll !j;ii f~"' t I' 1^, I' )!':'> f ■)'; f i f \ 3 :J>4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY expedition was to take place ; the promised reward being a tile. They told us that they had seen the first gull of the season, on the day before, which was good news; but we could not persuade them to remain all night, because they had promised to return. The engineers were employed in cutting up the boilers, to obtain a new sheathing for the outside, where the iron had been ori- ginally bad, and whence arose some of our leakiness. The ther- mometer «lid not rise beyond zero. April a. Conunander ]?oss, and lilanky the mate, departed with their guide and seven ^ The natives brought a large seal and four skins, whicli were bought ; while they informed us, at the same time, that they were soon to leave their present station for a more southern one. At eight, our own officers returned from their journey, leaving the guide, who was quite exhausted, w ith his frie'ids, who had encamped six miles further, to the .south of our .station. In .spite of the cold and drift, they had succeecled in a.scertsiining that there was a crooked channel, not more than two hundred feet wide, at the new settlement of Shag-a-voke; that it was a mile in length, and lay at the bottom of an inlet, while also leading inland. 1 1r I' k TO THE AlltTIC REGIONS. 325 to the westward, into a spaci^ basin, dye miles in diameter [t was the same which they had crossed in their former Journey, before they came to the reporteil inlet into the western sea, where they had ascertained the existence of a narrow isthmus. The tapes whi.h bound the entrance of this inlet were visible from the ship, as was the continent to the soutli-east, which seemed to trend towards Akullee in Kepnise bay. But I must -ive the narrative of Com- mander Ross in his own words. i :! ' i I (••'•t'l r .1 I I 326 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY IT iM t 5* CHAPTER XXIII. f ' ) !* :i COMMANDER ROSS'S SECOND JOURNEY AND NARRATIVE. i-i-io. VV E had already ascertained that it was the western ocean whicFi we liad formerly seen across the narrow isthmus of that tract of land which we afterwards named Boothia ; and coupling this knowledge with the account which the £«:quimaux liad given us of the place which they called Shag-a-voke, and where they described a strong current running from the 'vestward, through a narrow strait, we conceived the not unnatural hope tliat we might there find some passage into the western sea. The natives, indeeN!l4. 9m exertions during the last journey, and w* n ilde to a* iinpauy April 21. us, Noak-wiisli-yuk, a laf the entrance. In proceeding upwards into it, the shores gra- dually approximate; and, at the distance of abuut four miles from the entrance, where they take a remarkably tortuous course, the breadth of the inlet was only a himdred and twenty feet; that place forming its narrowest portion. Narrow too as this channel is, it is still further contracteil by some rocks within it, which rise above the water, on which, at this time, mucli heavy ice was grounded. From all the.se particulars, I doubtt^l whether even a boat could be carried into the upper part of this arm of the sea; as it certainly would not atlbnl a passage to any ship. But being now desirous to make a more accurate examination than I could ilo while we were in motion, I .selected a spot for a luit; and declaring my intention to halt, set Noak-wu.sh-yuk to work to build us the usual snow house : departing alone on th' • pursuit. That I might proceed the more lightly, I left my gun behind, wluL'h I had soon occasion to regret ; as, within an hour's time, I perceived two animals trotting behind me. It being dusk, I mistook them for wolves, and though these were not the most agreeable companions for an unarmed man, I was infinitely more iiiortitied at the wiint of my gun, on finding them to be two fine deer, which pa.ss('tl within ten yards of nie. They were the first which had been .seen this seiison. I here .saw, that above the narrow strait just mentioned, the inlet expanded again to a breadth varying from one (juarter to three (jaartersofa mile; snid after about tin'ee hours' of quick \Valking, 1 arrived at its further extremitv, and landed on the small islet TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 329 where we l»a«l foumlTulloack's canoe hiiried. I hjid thus completed the exainiiuition of tlie only inlet to the south throu^i^li wliich we louhl have hoped to find a passage to the western sea. Tliis inlet, Shag-a-voke, derives its name from the rapidity witii which, in the summer time, the stream rushes out through the con- tracted an," the liar. lie himself was evidently ashamed ; thoiitsli whetlier of his comhict or his nickname, we could only at first <;onjecture : hut it was |)ro- l>ahle that his conscience was the cause, since he did not apply to nie for the file which I had promised him as the reward of his services; and, still more did this appear to he the reason, because when I afterwards asked hiiu why he had forjfcttten it, his answer was that he was not entitled to it, because he had un{ told the truth, llv, after that, related the whole afi'air to the p»(»ple of his own party who had come to the ship with him ; without any feelinif of ort'ence, and with jierfect apparent simplicity. \Vhat sort of disapprobation is h»ic atlaclicd to falseho«Mt. it uas not very easy to «liscover; since it was more olttii i\ matter of jtst with those people, than of actual censure. If that whi<'li is termed a "white lie" is only a matter of joke in this country, our friends here did not difilr nnich from ourselves on the sidtii^cl of veraeifv ; but there seemed reason to believe that the merit or demerit of a real one, intended to deceive, depended (»n its success or failure : that, as in the case of tliet't, m hetlier in Sparta or amon<>- its I'ellow savajfes «»f the South sea. the uusuccessfnl royue uas the only one deserving blame or ridicule; as the vr-ry fact that our friend was laughed at rather than blamed, confirms this notion. 'I'here have •i r •> HilH ^i ii 5 I "I I * L " h:;H f .}, ( I f il f ' i \ 332 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY been two hypotheses, and two errors, union^ travellers who have visited the rude and savajije tribes of the world. The one sees virtue every where, and even finds it disguised under the garb of vice : tlie other is the direct reverse. 1 cannot help sometimes suspecting that we ourselves had been somewhat too much inclined to look at our Rsquimaux friends through a sunny coloured glass: but at any rate, that is the mo.st comfortable view which preserves ourselves in the best humour. The farce, however, ended at last by a {>romise from the " liar" to (.'ommit this sin no more : on which tiie file was given to him : and he trotted off to join his friends, with a light heart, and, doubt- less, with a conscience no longer aching. I I iH I I <■ i ^^ J i; !S .i L ^^ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. aaa CHAPTER XXIV. DEI'AIITIIRE OF COMMANDER ROSS ON A TIUKD EXPEDITION — IIREATENING OF A RCPTIRE WITH THE NATIVES — COMMANOEH Ross's RETURN. It had now, therefore, l)een ooinpletely ascertained that tliere was no passage into the western sea to the south of tlie 70th decree ; aiul it therefore Ijeoame unnece.ssary to hiy phuis for proceeding- in this iliredion with the sliip. The more ininnte examination to the northward, was therefore tlie object t(> whicli onr attention was next to be directed. Thus also did we find reason to lie thankful that we had made no further progress; little as we foresaw, at one time, that we should have cuine to sucli a determination as this. Had that been the case, we should have been entanuied still deeper in a bay encumbered with peculiarly heavy ice, and, after all, been oblip'd to retrace our steps to the northward ; while under in- tinitely greater -day was at minus t} . 'I'lie caulking and pitching \\er^' finished, and the nun connneuced to fit the skins on the canoe frame which they had prepared. 'I'he thermometer at night sank to minus 9 ; and a snow storm came oit in the morning, with the \|,ni u<. winti from the northward. It was impossible to work outsitle of the ship, and we receivnl no visits. In suuuning up this last month, I may remark that the first half was nnich warmer than was t(t have been expected at this .season : but the end was so cohl, that the average tor the , ole was zero. The most imp<»rtant of the events in it were the two journeys: and the sumoftheinfonnation|»rocuredbytliem appeared to be the following: I \H m \i 'H., 1. 1 B f ■ 1 ' ! * I 'il' ''i - ■ I' < H!' . 1, iiyl 'I '4 'If! m I I fi ij i r ■ \ !« ;i Jl'l: I i U ' i if ■ Miv I 336 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Wn were sure tliat we were on the continent of America. The western sea had been seen ; but we found also, that if there was any passajne to it, that nuist be within a tleji;ree to the northward of our position, at the bottom of Prince Regent's inlet, and in Cresswell bay, where, after sailing up six miles, no land could be seen in any direction. As the limits to our necessary researches were, thus, much contracted, our obvious business was to examine minutely the several inlets to the northward ; while, sliould we find ;:o passage, we should return to Prince Itegent's inlet, and examine the only remaining opening on the south side of Leopold's i.slands. This had l)een done, as far u,s it could by land, in the fir,st journey ; but the result, thus far, was not satisfactory. It was for a future day t(» know the success of the expedition on which Commander Koss had just ()n)ceeded. Much needful work had been done in the ship, and the men were in good health : they had even escaped the usual intlannna- tion of the eyes from snow ; excepting the mate, who had sutfered from it in his first jcurney. The ice had been found seven feet and a half thick ; and we did not expect that it would increase any more. Many good observations had been made, and the experi- ments on .soun«i continued: but the resultsofthe.se were so irregular, that we knew not yet what conclu.sions to f the pints, but it was mild, at least, till the evening, wh«'n there was a strong north-easterly breeze. There were no visits from natives: and though many hares were seen, none were killed. We expected the return of our party to-day. in \!iin. The midnight temperature was minus 4 , and the barometer fell half an inch. K I ) TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 3a: There were still no sijLpis of our party, nor did the natives visit May '2. tis. After church, the mate and a party went tive miles in the direction in which they were expected ; but returned without any tidings. The thermometer rose, for some hours, to plus 18^: n«» observations could be taken, excepting a transit of the moon ; such was the state of the sky. Our party being still absent, we began to be anxious : and Mr. -'^lay *• Thom, with the surge Neitchillee ; but those who had been with us were to remain some time long* r. Our party returned in the afternoon to our great satisfaction. They had killed two nnisk bulls, and had brought part of them within three miles of the ship. It was nuich more important t" know that they had found a chamiel leading to the western sea : but, as on the former occa.sion, Commander Ross's narrative nuist be given in his own words. We lost no time in sending for pju-t of the beef: the animals had been unusually large ones. Many rein- deer had been seen ; and some ptarmigans shot on the wing, to the great surprise of the native guide. M.iv -4. \\ i \' x.^ \\f : ' ■ I i! i, « 1- il r: ■l A:^ ■' I' ■ i; r • 1? ' ■ \ i Mil 1^ n il s! I 1 I I ^1 i I, r- 1,;'. 338 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XXV. NARRATIVE OF COMMANDER ROSS. 1830. -As the season was now rapidly advancing, I became very desirons, if it was possible, to visit that place to the northward which the natives called Aw-wuk-too-te-ak, as a preparation for the journey which we had projectetl to the Western Ocean. The Esquimaux had now also broken up into different parties ; and we were there- fore afraid that they woultl all quit our neighbourhood before we had ascertained the position of that place. It was, to us, a very important one, if their information was correct: since they said, that, beyond that point, the coast turned and extended to the north- west, and that this was the only route by which we could get round to the sea of Nei-tyel-le. Correct as this information might be, for aught that we could suppose to the contrary, having no grounds to form any conclusion, we thought it a remarkable circumstance, as it was one which diminished our confidence in the reporters, that although many of these people had been at Aw-wuk-too-te-ak, anti some of them three or four days' journey beyond it, none had ever gone to Nei-tyel-le by the route which they intlicated to us. All their information was derived from report; and when they spoke of a communication between the eastern and western .seas, existing at a certain point, we began to suspect that this was at so great a distance as probably to imply the passage at Barrow straits. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 339 But under any doubts, whether A\v-\vuk-too-te-ak was situated at no greater distance than we were told, or wherever it might prove .<> be, it was most needful tliat we should see it. The country was quite unknown to us; every thing around was equally obscure or doubtful ; however generally accurate the geographical descriptions of these people had proved, they could never be thorougldy trusted; the land might be intersected at any part by narrow straits, or we might be on an island : while, under any view, it was our business to search this country as we would .seek for the mouth of a river; since for this purpo.se we had come, and since we could never fore- see where the long .sought honour might not be lying in wait to reward our exertions. A large party of the Esquimaux had come to the ship while these reflections were pas.sing through our minds; and taking advantage of this incident, one of them was engaged to conduct me to the place in question, and the arrangements made for our departure on the following morning. I was to be accompanietl by the mate Abernethy ; and the surgeon was to attend me to the huts, where the guide was to meet us, that he might bring word back to Captain llossof the nature of our final arrangements for the journey itself, antl of the probable time of our absence ; so that, if needful, he might take measures for supplying us with pro- vi.sions. U'e departed accordingly, early in the morning of the 27th of Apni 27 April, and approaching the huts, were exceedingly disappointed at not hearinu: the cheerful shouts willi which we Inul been nsuallv greeted. That was sn<.'ceeded by a very disagreeable surprise, on finding that the women and children had l)een all sent out of the 2x2 )lii. M i : I m1 ' I, f u.^ hii- 'I I f t^ (i ,M "\ t i ). i i. 1 340 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY / way, since we knew tliis to be a si_ii;nal of war; a fact of which we / were speetlily conviiice«l by seeing that all the men were armed with their knives. Tlie tierce ami sullen looks of tliese people also boded mischief: but what the cause of all this could be, it was quite impossible t<» conjecture. We could see them better than they could distinguish us, as the sun was in their faces ; it was the noise of our dogs which gave them notice of our arrival and proximity ; and as soon as this was heard, one of them rnsluil out of a hut, brandishing the large knife used in attacking bears, while the tears were streaming down his aged and ftirrowed face, which was turning wildly round in .search of the objects of his aninutsitv. In an instant he lifted his arm to throw his weapon at myself an«l the surgeon, who were then within a few yards of him, having ad\anced in order to ascertain the cause of all this commotion. But the .sun, dazzling him, caused him to suspend his arm for an in.stant; when one of his sons laid hold of his uplifted iiand, and gave us a moment's time for reflection. The result of that was, of course, an immediate preparation for defence: though we could have done little against such odds as our unexpected enemies displayed. We therefore retired to the sledge, where I had left my gun ; and not daring again to tpiit it, as Mr. Abernethy had no arms, waited for the result, while losing our- selves in ^ ain conjectures respecting the cause of oflence, seeing that we had parted gocnl friends on the preceding day. The ferocious old man Pow-weet-yah was still held fast, and, now, by both his sons, who had pinioned his arms behind him ; th(»ugh he strove hard to disengage himself; while the rest of the jiarty seemed to be standing in readiness to second any attempt 11/ f'l f .,/■ / I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 341 which he might make oa us. That there was some difference of opinion among them, however, and that all were not equally hostile, was j)lain from the conduct of these young men ; so that we could still hope for some jiarley before matters came to extremity. They now began to talk among themselves, vuid then separated in such a manner as to lie ready to surround us, which having nearly effected, and we not choosing to be .so cut off from the ship, I warned those who were closing in on the resir, to desist. This produced a short pause, and a still shorter conference ; but they inunediately again beg-an to close in, brimdishing their knives in deriance, according to their usual custom, and had nearly g-dined their object, when finding that farther forbearance would be hazardous, I placer! the gun to my shoulder, and w;i.s about to fire, when 1 fortunately saw that the tJireat alone was sufiicient to give them a check. Witli little loss of time, tiiose who had advanced nearest broke off, in evident alarm, and retreated towards their huts; thus leaving us an open passage in the rear. But as I coidd not induce any of them to approach, or to answer my questions, we <*ontinued for nearly half an hour in this state of suspense and perplexity, when we were relieved by the courage or confidence of one of the women, who came out of a hut just as I was again raising my gun, and called to me not to tire, advancing up to our party inunediately, without showing the least mark of fear. From her, we soon learned the cause of all this hubbub, which, ab.surd as it was, might have had a fatal termination, as we should probably have been thechief sufferers. OneofPow-weet-yah's adopted .sons, a fine boy of seven or eight years of age, whom we knew, had been killeil on the preceding night, by the falling of a stone on hU ! V tiii 1 B r I I '*' ' ■:„ ■I"'" *'l i '<: 1 1 1 >l 1 "v 1 1 1 , I 'i ?Ml ( I'll I VI I 1 I l:i ■hi il .^^ VI !l ' i I i 1 1 j :J42 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEHY lifiul. This they had ascribed to our agency, tiirough the super- natural powers which we were believed to possess; while the father, not very unnaturally under this conviction, had meditated revenge in the manner which we had experienced. I had nutch ilifficulty in persua I ' i ; ■;| (I f i 1 ! (I I if|. „tV V 1 344 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY If I have dwelt on tins adventure at some length, it is because this was the only occasion on which they ever showed any liostile feelings towards us, during all the years which we passed in their neighbourhood. I nnist not, however, take to myself all the merit of having brought our little party out of this adventure in safety: the coolness and self-possession of my two companions were mainly conducive to a termination of that, in which the least act of teme- rity or incaution might have cost the whole of us our lives. It was at ten o'clock that we connnenced our journey towards the north-west corner of the bay, and we were followed by the acclamations of our friends as long as we were within hearing. Mr. M'Diarniid went back, as was agreed, to inform Captain Hoss «4'what had happened, and to .say that we expected to be absent lour f»r five days, as far us I could judge from the calculation of the guitle ; so that our party consisted now but of four, including the two Esquimaux. The baggage and provisions were placed on two sledges, each drawn l>y six dogs; and, by their aid, we travelled very (juiekly over the smooth ice of the bay. Aifcr lia\ing llms made ten or twelve miles, the guide I'o<»-yet-tah stopped his sledge, and said that he was going to a stid hole that he knew ot", at some distance on om- left hand. As I could not help suspeding that lie .'uiglit leave us and return to the huts, I propose«l to accompany him; U\ which he consented without any hesitation. Al'ter we had walke«l sonic time, he, being ti advance, turned round, and, striking me on the breast, said that I was " go»Ml ;*' when remarking als<» for the first time, that I had letl my gun behind, he placcil his spear in my hand, saying that I should bt> I ('■ i\t' -m- TO THE ARCTIC RKGIONS. ilio armed as well as he, and drew tVoiii iiis dress, whore it had Itctn roncealed, his Ion;; knife, for his own arm. On arriving n\ the seal hole, he lay down, and, pntting his nose to the slight (.•o;iting of snow hy winch it was covered, said that the animal had deserted it for some days. As there was thus nothing to be gained, we returned t() the sledges and continued our journey ; each, by turns, undertaking to h-ad on foot, and then, in rotation, taking his seat in the vehicle. At two in the afternoon we enterey him Ne-ak-kog-e-nck ; an appellation derived from a rock projecting through the shingle, which bore a fancied resemblance to a human head. The western point, t(!rmed Neck-ler-rid-yeo*), forms the t<'rmination of Ar-<'(iod-l»-ruk-tuk : a name which they seem to apply to all pieces of Imd, or penin- sulas, which are nearlv surrounded l)V water, be that fresh or salt. We contiiMU'il, henc*-, to jom'ney along the western slior<' »»f this inlet, till we ent<-red the mouth of a river, about a mile and a half from its «'ntraiice, turning ott' to the west-north-\test, and leaving t(» our right the termination of .\n-ne-reak-to. This part of the river h* called Ac-cood-le-it-pang-nt , and though cov«'red «itli iVesliwater ice, bore evident marks of a rise and t'all of the tide on its shores. .\t thre«' o'clock we arrive«l at a pttint where the stream was contractetl. no as to produce a ra|Hd, or fall, of about twenty }ards in length; but hence oiu' journey Ix'caiut' exceedingly laborious, as the whole valley was so tilled with loose snow that we could no longer pursue the windings of the river us we had hitherto done. Thus far, the '-» \ iy .;! 11 i i •' il 1 1 ■'■ , r f; t il.<. m .1'! - M /k I 111 I is. 346 SKCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY right bank, of the stream consisted of loose blocks of limestone, throngh which masses of gneiss could be seen projecting in difterent places, while the left side ascended from the water in a gentle slope, so as to uttitin an elevutiun of u hundred feet at the distance of a mile. At six we came to a small lake, which is the source of this river, surrounded by high, rugged, or precipitous shores, the ravines of which were tilled with closely-packed drift snow, by which the sunnnits of the hills in the distance were also covered. From this place we then turned more to the northward, crossing a high ridge for the purpose of reaching another lake, and under- going great laboiu' during an ascent of an hour and a half, from the steepness of the ground and the depth of the .snow. It was not till ten at night that we arrived at our halting place, and tinished this day's journey; men, and dogs too, all equally tired with a laborious struggle against a high wind and driving snow, diu'ing a space of thirty miles which we computed that we had travelled. The two Es(|uimaux soon erected an excellent snow hut, an«l, arter our supper of frozen meat, we betook ourselves to rest; lieing all Ml fatigued that we could not converse, even on the events of the morning, on which I should otherwise have entered, for the purposf of understanding better (he nature of their funeral usages, as well as that I might e'onviiice my.self of (he entire removal of all their t'ancies resptrting our supernatural and mischievous agency. The night was ex(remely tempestuous; and, in the morning, it birw very hard d deal, V I '" % t i TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 347 after wliich the day became beautiful. The latitude, by a meri- dional observation, was 70° 25' 19', and at this time, being noon, we passed a great number of E-squimaux marks placed on an islet in a large lake. This, as our guides informnl us, was a tishing station much frequented in the summer and autumn ; the lake abounding with salmon during these seasons, which was the time during which they ascended from the sea, through a river which finds its exit from the north-<'astern corner of this piece of water. The station itself was called Nap-pur-re-uk-ta-lig. This place is entirely sur- rounded by granite hills, and the islets consist of the same rock. The lake itself is of a very irregular shape, and of considerable extent from the north-east to the south-west. Leaving this spot, we crosseeen gained under many hours ; as he continued to shoot without appa- rent effect, Hnding his opportunities for an aim with much difficulty, and losing much time, afterwards, in recovering his arrows. I was plea.sed, therefore, independently of the value of the expected game, to find an opportunity of showing him the superiority of our arms, and I therefore fired at the animal with two balls, at the distance of al)out fifteen yards. They took effect, and it fell : but rising again, made a sudden dart at us, standing close together as we were. We avoided the attack, by dodging behind a large .stone which was luckily near us; on which, rushing with all its force, it struck its head so violently, that it fell to the ground with such a crash that tlie hard ground around us fairly echoed to the sound. My guide, on this, attempted to stal» it with his knife; but failing in this, he sought shelter behind the dogs, which now again came forward to the attack. At this time it was bleeding so profusely, that the long hair on its sides were matted with blo\ " ^ • I i !.. i I) ' I- , i i' I .' .m il!»t A;t.-, TO THE ARCTIC KKGION8. iib\ iiie as before, to the great alarm of Poo-yet-tah, who called to ine to return to the same shelter. But I had time for a cool aim ; and it iuunediately fell, on the discharge of both barrels, but not till it was within five yards of me. The sight of his fallen enemy made my companion scream and dance with joy, and on his coming up, it was dead ; one ball having passed through the heart, and the other having shattered to pieces the shoulder joint. He was lost in astonishment at the effect of the fire-arms ; first carefully examining the holes which the balls had made, and pointing out to me that some of them had passed quite through the animal. But it was the state of the broken shoulder which most surprised him ; nor would it be ea'jy to forget his look of horror and amazement, when he looked u[» in my face and exclaimed " Now-ek-poke ! " (it is broken.) We had now been eighteen hours without any refreshment, and I naturally, therefore, expected that njy friend would have lost no time in extracting a dinner out of the ox. I had how- ever done him injustice : his prudence was more powerful than his stomach. He was content with mixing some of the warm blood with sr.ow, thus dissolving as much as he requireil to quench his thirst, and then immediately proceeded to skin the animal ; knowing very well, what I might have recollected, th.it the ope- ration would shortly become impossible, in consequence of the severity of the cold, which would soon freeze the whole into an impracticable nuiss. For the same reason, he divided the carcase into four parts ; atlerwards disposing of the paunch and intestnies in the same uianner, their contents being previously separated. 1 did not before know, that they did not eat these as well as the ?' !»!' IJ C\ ■ i t I i' . ! I f ll fm SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY / anulogoiis matters of the reindeer ; and could only conjecture, that at this season of the year, the plants on which the musk ox feeds were disagreeable to their taste. In the reindeer, the matters found in their stomachs are considered a great delicacy ; and however our own might revolt at a vegetable dish cooked in this manner, this forms a very useful and salutary ingredient among their gross animal diet, since it is scarcely possible for them to collect any eiitable vegetables by their own exertions. As we were unable to (;arry olF our prize, we were obliged to build a snow hut over it, after which, setting up marks to enable us to find it again, we set out on our return to the pla<,'e where we had left oiu' companions. In the way, we discovered an«)ther ox about ii (juarter of a mile off, uncler the face of a precij)ice, but were far too fatigued to think of pursuing it. The guide, however, as.sured me that this was of no consequence, since it would remain there for .some time, and we might easily go after it in the morning. April iy. We reacheil the hut that had been built, at five in the morning of the twenty-ninth, hungry and fatigued enough to find a very serious enjoyment in a hot su[)per and rest. We had brought away souie of the beef, and found it exceedingly good, not having, at this .season of the year, the lea.st flavour of nnisk. In August, at Mel- ville island, on a former occasion, this taste was very offensive : and it is only consonant to other experience in many animals, to sup- pose that this effect takes place in the rutting season. My obser- vations here, made the latitude 70° 35' 4!)", and the longitude 0' :J8' .'j.r west of the ship. We had not been a.sleep more than four or five hours, when we were awoke by the shouts of I*oo-yet-tah and the barking of the m TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 353 dogs in full cry. On inquiring of the boy, lie informed me that our guide and huntsman had crept out of the hut silently, about an hour before, and was gone in pursuit of the ox which we had seen on the preceding day. In a short time he returned, and told us that he had found the animal grazing on the top of the hill, that he hail advanced upon it by the only accessible road, keeping him- self in the middle of his dogs, and that he liad done this with so much rapidity, that the creature finding no other mode of escape, had tJn'own itself over the precipice. On going to the spot, we accordingly found the carcase in the place whirh he had mentioned, exceedingly mangled by the fall, which had exceeded thirty feet while the place which it had struck was an irregular block of granite. As far as use was concerned, it was however no worse than if it had been uninjured ; and the same operations were therefore repeated : the whole day being after- wartls occupied in this work, and in bringing the meat to our hut. 'J'his, however, left me leisure for my observations; and the morning proving fine, 1 was successful in making them. Among other things, I thus ascertained that our present place was about jbrty miles from the ship, in a direction north 19" west. In the afternoon, there arose a strong breeze with drifting snow; so that we were glad to have iv^conrse to the shelter of our hut, and thus also made our dinner at a much earlier hour than usual : getting into our liir bags shortly after, that we might ensure a good night's rest. It blew so hard a gale from the north during the whole day, April w. that we were unable to leave the hut; which gave us an opportu- nity of some conversation with our guides and .companions, and 2z 11 f I tli'i |i ri 'iJ! 1] i '1: ! i, , i 1 H' 'i i I, :| I UJ ir ) ) I. 3i4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY wliicli I made use of in einleavourinj;- to extract from them a fuller history of the event whieh had led to our dissensions, and of their feelings and proceedings in consequence. l*oo-yet-tah himself was equally anxious to exphiin : so that it was scarcely necessary for me to name the sulyect. Having com- menced, he proceeded in his tale with so much rapidity and vehemence, that it at tirst seemed to me as if he had re-excited his anger on this subject, and that we were now likely to renew a quarrel which had been suspended, not settled. I soon found, however, that all this energy was the result of his anxiety to con- vince me that his friends were not in reality to blame, that they had acted under what they l»elieved a conviction of our treachery, or wicked interference, and that we ought now to be perfectly reconciled, since we had exculpate> liiippen, that we were all attaohecl to liis people, and y whom she had four more sons. This husl)aud was drowned; leaving his widow a large fortune in the shape of these five sons, who are here consire informed me tld, if not very counnon, merely such because of a general numeric>al •'(|ualify between the sexes. Of this custom we had found no instanct at igloolik : and I know not that it is related by tra- vlh-rs of any but certain tribes in India. Others nnist consider for themselves, of the propriety or delicacy of such a connexion as thai of two brothers witii a single wit'e, since 1 do not .set up for the moral eouwneiitator on a people, respecting whom every one is now nearly as uell inlormed as myself; so nnich has been written ■Ir TO THE AIU'TIC IlKGIONS. ;j.'>7 respecting them by us, the recent northern navigators, anil h\ many more, foreigners as well as English. As it was my intention to make an excursion in the direction ol" <)o-geoo-lik after returning from my present journey, I pro- cured from my informant a list of the names of all those whom I was likely to meet, and was charged at the same time with several messages to them. These I wrote down, as the best letters of introduction that I could have received : and, if aught could no« have been wanting, the entire confidence between us was thus perfectly establisluHl. Thus this dreary day was shortened; and a truly dreary one it was. The wind without, howled round our walls of snow, and the drift which it brought soundwl against them with a hissing noise, which I was glad to forget in the talk that rendered if for a tinif inaudible. If our house was but four feet high, .so that it kept us constantly in a sitting posture, it was nevertheless warm, and, by contrast, comfortable; a far better one has not often been so accejitable, and has rarely indeeil aH'orded such a .vense of thankful security and enjoyment. The talk «»f our friends did not, however, prevent them from using their jaws in a very diti'erent manner. During the whole day they were employed in removing the meat from the upper half of the ox; cutting it <»ff'in long narrow slips, which, in the usual manner, they crannned into their mouths as far as they could push it in; then cutting the morsel trom the end of their noses by the means of their sharp knives, they bolted the mouthfuls as a hungry dog would have done. Thus passing the slice tVom one to the other, alternately, they contrived at length to swallow all tin- meat i^ I I' A' • ,' 1 f II lf r !l Hi ( ! ' I \ i M I i*' Mnv I. •ViH SRCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY from tlip neck, Ijaoklmne, ami ril)s, ot'one side oftlie ox : suspend- inii' their motions, however, every now and then, to romplain that they ro\dd eat no more, and lyini^ back on their beds, hot still retaininif their knives in one hand, witii tlie mitinislied morsel in the other, and auain l)e<>'iiniin,u: ^villi as nnieli eneriry as before, as soon as they felt it possible to <;et down another bimp. Disgnstinu: lirntes ! the very hyaena woiild have filled its belly and gone to sleep : nothing bnt absobite ineapaeity to pnsh their food beyond the top of the throat, eonld cheek the gormandizing of these specimens of reason and hnmanify. Hv the time that thev seemed reallv incapable of devonrini>' anv more, (tnr own soup was ready, and I tln-retbre ottered them to partak*-. Out of polittixsN, Poo-yet-tah took two or three spoonfuls, ami then confessed that he could swallow no nmre. Placing my hand on his stomach, I was perfectly astonished at the distension which it had undergone, and which, without such an examination, I could not ha\t' believed it possible tor any human treatnre to bear; as. had I not known tlair habits, I should have expected that nothing but death couhl be the ci»nse(pience. This enormous stulhug caused our guides to pass but a lestless night : if they had possessed a term lor tin nightmare, we should probably ha\e heard of it in the morning. In the mean time the Uale moderated: so that, when we rose at (ive o'clock on the next day, the weather was sio-h as to idlow of our proceeding: lliough still hazy and somewhat threatening, as the bree/e was from the northward, and was acconipani'-d by some drift. Our sledge was soon loaded, but the guides had not so soon rerovi-red from the elfects of their dinner, so that it wiis past seven W if'( TO THE ARCTIC REGIOXS. 3oi) o'flook liefore we conUl j;et tlieiii to move. But when ready, l*oo-yet-tuli saiil, on my expressing my unwillingness to lose another «lay, that as we should be obliged to travel t»ver high hills, where the sledges could not go, we must leave all our baggage at the hut, and that we might then proceed to Aw-wuk-too-teak and return to sleep. We accordingly set out at half-past seven, taking with us our arms and three ot' the dttgs, in case of our Tailing in with any more of >he unisk oxen, and leaving Mr. Abernethy and the boy in charge of the baggage. Travelling over a very rugged «;ouutry covered with deep snow, during t«o hours, we at length descended on the lak«' which they call Aw-« uk-too-teak and which will be found in the chart. This piece of water extends, according to its longest dimensions, from north-east by east to south-west by «est, and, in this direction, appear«'d about tour miles in length. In shape, it i.s very irregular, as it is bounded by tiw distinct hills, separated t'rom each other l)y an «'qual nundier of ravines, which, during the thaw, are water- courses, su|»plyiiig the lake. A\'here it empties itself, the issuing stream is broad, aneared to be shallow ; but its source seemed to be a rapid one, and its termination was in the ,sea to the northward. The names of these hills as given by tin* gu'Ie are as follow , distinguishing them by their true bearings, li.tm the roiniNinu:, instead of improving; so that I H'solved to give up all turther pursuit of this object, and turned my f'ace lo return to the hut where I had left my companions. On this, I iiuniediat) ly iKiird the voic4' of Poo-yet-tah hal- looing from behind a stunr. close to me, and was not a little surprised to sy the washing of which it was prol)ably renre, but I could not bear to abandon a sjjot which seemed to contain the only chance of a passage by whieh our ship might reach that we.stern sea which I had now seen. My labour was however lost. The snow began to fall thicker, nothing could l>e seen, and we were glad to descend again in all haste, and make our way back to the hut. In our progress thither, we put up a pa<'k of six grouse, and I had the good fortune to bringdown «>newith each barrel. These were the first objects that l*oo-yet-tah had seen shot on the wing, and his surprise was even greater than it had been at the killing of the nuisk ox. Shortly after, they rose again at half a mile's distance, when he nrgetl me to fire once nu)re, as he afterwards wished me to follow them to the spot where they ha'h onlv tbrtv miles r<)ject for the present. I TO THE ARCTIC RKOIONS. 365 I now reflected on tlie uneertiniity of the weather at tins season of tlie year, and being also aware that onr absence iVoni the ship had been prolonged lieyond the time which had been anticipated, I became learfnl lest considerable anxiety should be felt by Captain Ross on onr account, and the ujore so from the circum- stances of doubtful friendship with the natives under which we hary manner, and that these probable inconveniences wouhl be njate- rially increased in consequence, I at length resolved to return t«t tlie ship, and to take some better opportunity of completing an examination too important to l)e slurred over as it must have lieen under such circumstau(.'es as the existing ones. Knowing its exact |>osition, I could also now revisit it without difliculty, and, should tliat be necessary, without a guide; so that althougli I hay ourselves, lind the hut in which we had slept on the night of the twenty-seventh, which was the place tiiaJ we had proposed to rea(;h when we had set out in the morning. I was, indeerove, and [)romised to become more favourable every hour. If TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 367 It was, nevertheless, to the considerable surprise of our two guides when we departed without them ; and as we occasionally turned, to see whether they might not change their minds, we saw them abandon their work several times, for the apparent purpose of watching the route which we were taking, and the progress that we made. The former was a subject of some hesitation, and the latter far from rapid ; since the recent gales had completely obli- terated our Wrmer tracks, and the fall of snow had so alteretl the features of tiie country in some parts, while others had been bared and ren»lered black by the storm, that I continued in great uncer- tainty about the road, till we arrived at the place called Nap-pur- re-uk-ta-lig. Here 1 immediately recognised the peculiar form of the lake, and thus found that we had not materially deviated from our intended direction. If our progress was small in proportion to the time and exertion we had spent in reaching this place, .so were we exceedingly fatigued, and suttering extremely from thirst. I was therefore oliliged to unload the sledge in the middle of the lake, for the purpose of getting at the spirit lamp, that we might melt .some snow for drinking; which having done, we were soon refreshetl, and tit to continue our jfturney. It must api)ear strange to readers ignorant of these countries, to hear thai the people sutler more from thirst, when travelling, than from all the other inconveniences united. By us, at home, where the snow can never be very cold, where it can therefore be easily meltcil by the ordinaty iieat of the botly, and where it can even be eaten as a substitute iW water, the very K s ISCOVEUY 1 i • I i' r-t i M lire even igiionint of this Tact. N<» great iiu:<,»iiveuience can occur as to this matter, wiiere its heat is rarely much l)eio\v the freezinju: point, and scarcely ever falls as low as twenty degrees. It is a verj* ditterent thing, when perhaps the highest temperature of the snow during the winter months, is at zero, and when it often falls to minus fi'"ty or more, or to eighty degrees below the point at which we should attempt to thaw or to eat it in England. Were it not so had a conductor as it is, we could, in tliis country, no more take it into the mouth, or hold it in the hands, than if it was so much red- hot iron : hut, from that cau.se, this conseresuming, to suggest that the extreme cold of the material thus swallowed, when the body is heated and exhausted by fatigue, may bring on some intlannnatory state of the stomach, so as to <;ause the sutfering in question. Hesuuiing our joinney ae-ross the lake, we founeen laid equally bare; and, though comparatively rough, it was .still slippery, so that we got over it easily, with the exception of a lew falls in the snow holes which are generally found in ice of this nature. In the evening, by seven o'clock, we had arrived at that ex- panded portion which I had formerly named after the Re>. l^^lward StanUy ; and at nine reached the western point of the inlet called An-ne-re-ak-to. The whole lenuth of the Stanley river, from the lake to the sea, 1 thus found not to exceed ten miles, while its greatest breadth appeared to be about a quarter :i u \i Ji [ 1 I"' i-'l) I i:i j; I I m :J7(> SECOVD VOYAGE OF DISroVERV 'if' ' ,1 S i V i Ml" ;i mile. We liiid l)eeii iiit'oriiMil fliiit it ahouiHleti with fine ^i^lllloIl ill the siiiiiiiiei': iind .ve eoiiltl now see tlie eviileiiees of this, in the remains ot* lints scattered about its hanks, heiii^ the |»la«'es wliere the natives are aome(l to secure and conceal their winter stocks ot" fish. \Vv Mere ii«m approachiiiii' the huts where «)ur threatening .idxeiiliire had occurred at<»nr first setti out; and iH'iiig donhtt'iil ol' their (eelinu's, or uncertain of what iniuht have occurrtnl during our absence, I was >utiiced to rcuio\e ad doubts, and I there- tore greeted him in our usual kind manner, to his infinite delight. i'Aplaiiiing then to him the prociediiigs aiiti ob)«'cts of the guides that we had bit lieliiml. the chief of w hom was his brother, for w lioin he ha«l at first expressed considerable anxiety, he became i|uite satisfied, and went oil' to communicate the news to his party at the hills. In no long time w«- uaiiied sight of our ship, after ha\ing now Irax'lled eighteen hours, without rest or refreshmetit I nliickily, at this moment, one of thr runners of the sledge sank into a deep track, and stuck so fast that we were unable to extricate the machine b\ all the I'oree that We could appl> \\ e Were therefore i I w TO THE AllCTK HEGIONS. :J7I obliged to throw oft' tlie load, wliicli we did with much ditiicidty. as we were botli seized witli a giddiness that threateiieil taintinu : to have undergone which at this teiiiperatiire, and with no aid at liand, w(Mdd prol)al)Iy have Ix^n fatal to us. This, however, heinu: etfected, and our stores left hehin«t, to l)e l)rou^'ht on the next 1 i! .'J » i ' 0% 15 ;. iTi) I It I' I :i7-2 StX'OND VOYAGK OF DIStOVERV CHAPTER XX Vl. m I I Mav ■. M.tv M,s \ll\ s iu:i»i;i'i ri(»N ok iii:avv snow — avotiiku i;\im;i)I iion in ( om- MA\r)Kll IIOSS — AXOTIIKK KXIMCDITION INDKIl >M «l\VV ('IIAI{(il-'. — >l MMAUV OK TIIK MONTH OK AIMlll,. IT was coltler on this tiiiy than on the pri^crdin;;, and then' was a tVtsh l»n'«'/«'. \\\' wriT visitt^d l)v a laruf party of natives troui the norlhwanl, hrinuinu' some <;'0(mI skins lor sah'. 'I'here came al'terwards tVoni the westuanl. the two who had lieen Commander Hoss's ;;Ki«h-s on the hist jonrneN : ImiI they had not heen aide to Itrin^ in the other nnisk on. and had not sren aii\ more. On the I'oMouin^ day. another party eame (roni the sonthward, hrini^inif some seal, and some skins; an«l, al'terwards. an old man whom ue had not seen het'ore. Init who uas father to tun of the hoys whom we knew His wite. it seemed, had left her las) Imshand, of three, to live uith him : and. as t'ar as we eoiihl inakt out. this was law. or iisa;>e e(|iiivalent to law Tikalauin als<» arrivinu'. on his wuy southward. I eii<;au:ed him to remain, that he iinulit ai'eoiii|ian\ me III a tiMir on the followini: day. \ heivy tiill of siiuw rendered this jonrnex im|>raetiealile : it would at least ha\e heeii useless 'I'lie uiiide himself was llilieh more pleased to ii main on lioard than to tiaM I in such weather It was e(|ually useless to proceed the nevt «la>, as every tiling was Iniried n snow: hut tlw ifuide went awa\ \t\ himself to tetch his ' \ ... 1 TO TIIK AllCTK IlKOIONS. ;J7.*J cnnfM'. Ill tli«' eveiiiiii": w«' received ii visit tVoni tlie stronger old luan, his wife, and two eliildreii. The wife was a }(Mm<; one; l)nt we found that he had anotlier, while the two youn//; men had hut one between them ; the whole party livii::^ toother There was also an old woman with two husltands, mutiny t(» t'orm tiiis s(ran,;;e |>olyu-amons fiimily ; and we were assured tlial matters went on with perfect harmony Of course, it recpiired moie intimacy than we had yet attained with these trihes, to understand t!ioroui::hly their system of matrimonial arraniicnunts : hut what we thu> already knew, sulhced to render it prohidde thai the history which Cu'sar has ^iven of our British ancistors on this sultjecl, is not so untrue as it has heen sometimes ihouuht A northerly wind, as usual, brought the (herinonieler iVoju /em May •» u|> to IK. Sunday service heiiitj performed, tiie man who hiid uone f(U' his <-anoe retin'ued with the frame on his hack, ha\in^ lirou;;lit it from Shay-a-vok*'. lie was jtromised a new hoop for it, if he would hrinu; us ii seal; and, pr<-t'errinu to travel at niulit, S4't oti'al ten o'<-lock A fo\ was taken in one of the traps. I'he weather continued cold; hut uheii the snow ceasi-d. it was nuv i<> ehar A parly went to the ^real lake to measure the ice. which they found to '», li^ht t'ect thick, ;'!i's killed. .Vl the end of uiir base line, soundings wen obtained in iN> talhoms. All the power of the sun, with a clear sky, could not raise the Mi;. IJ i'i; ii i rf' \ 1 a74 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVKHY temperature heyoinl 11. No rtsli were round at the lines, but a ptarMiiuau was shot. Two of our chief trieuds among tlie natives May 13. arriving, arrangements were made for a new journey. Sonn; more eame from tlie soutli, on (lie foUowiiig day, l)ut brought nolliiug : tii«-y went on to (he northern huts; ,nid, tinding that this jtarty was gone on an evpeditiou. returned to she|> on huartl. The tliermo- meter ranged between I and !•> . M,i\ It Nearly the whole of the northern party eame to us, and brought the head and skin of the seeond musk. u\ ; but as it had lost the hind legs, it uas spoiled as a speeinieii. They also brought the reniainiiig (|uarter, or rather haunch, which weighed forty-three pountis, tdgetlirr \\\t\\ some skins, and a specimen of a greenstone Miiy lo. chisel. Oui' (»nl\ success in sporting was a single grouse, ^\'e had stipulated tor a seal, tor our dogs, but they did not arrive on the next da> : havinu' iirobablv been uiisuccesstul. Kvcrv thing was arranu'ed to-dav tor thf contemidated iournev on Monday. The fitting of the ship went on; but the condensing tanks were iiow reuio\ed. as being no longer nece.s.sarv. M.s !(>. Chunh being held as usual, a large pait\ canie I'rom the north- ward, and another I'roin the southern \illage; but they brought no >»eal, noi' .miilit eKf Tlir last set int'ornied us that thev wt-re to break up til) next day. and to divide into two parties; one for hunting the musk oxen, and the other liir lishiug in the lake. ICach prouii.s«-d lo bruig us supplies bet'ore they took leav«'. The thermometer was altout 10 M.iv i: I'he nun and the Itadinu ntatc went on with the sledg«- and the l)oai. lor till purpose o|° transporting them a stage of tin miles, when the nu-n who were not nil< nded to procenl were to return !' I h i '^ itti TO TIIK ARCTIC HFfilONS. :}:-) Tliis llicy «lif the last expedition had lieeii in- tlamed l»y their jonriiey, aixl they »«••!•»' taken eare of accord injfly. The Mii'u'eon returned, with the mate, from the detai'hed party, which he had lef't alioiit twenty miles nlK nnd«'r the care «pnman\ : lirinu'iiiu hack their sletlu:)- and do^s. The mate's eyes were so much atl'ecled, that lie could not iiroceed. Tliex had purchased t'ood tor the do^x. from the l Mas 1''. .\Lis -.'It. .M.iv :i .M.iv i 1. i! J 'I,: ^ '^ • f 0h fii i ,1 I' •t \l.is -M Mi.s J- Mu> V\ ;i7(; SI-XOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEIIY land. The iniisk ox fuiiiislied us with fVesli boiled and roast meat for the whole n-»'\v. It had no njore taste of nuisk than before: and, havin,u; been lonj^er kept, was more tender. During their walk afler ehnreh, the men traeked a white bear, as well as some hares and u:rouse. In the evening, Ikmailik, the ueourapher, with his wife and familv, and two other men, arrived, with the intention of atteneen unsueeesstid in seiil huntin<;', but had diseovered some holes, itu«l lio|M'd shortly to brin<;' us an animal for the do<;'s. b^iehofthe men ree<'ived a tish-hook a< a pre.sent : an«l the wit'e a pinenshion One of th<- men ua\e proof' of his parental ati'eetion, by •^ivini'' his ^t<»'-kinu's to his Im)\, who hiid step|)e«l into a pool of water, and uouiu barefottted home. 'I'Ik' eaiivas roof was to-day taken otl'as far as the mainmast, the vledu«- pi'epiired, and other work tlont' to the ship. The wind was north: but. at midniulit. the thermometer was at plus 12. Hoth days wep' eiear and tine: the work went on; a ptarmiuan was killed, and the traeks of deei- and woKes seen ^^ <■ had a riu'ht to eonelude that the t'ornier were niiurat int; to ''i,. noith. w ith their enemies hanuniu on their rear It was the hiuhesi tide wi had \et witnessed: I'isuii; to iiearlv eiuht t'eet. i ■■.■• (\r ' i'ou we hail seen this >ear eame on this morninu. and i'f TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. a / / was followed l)y a fine day, tlie tliennometer rearliin^ 25°. Tlie snow was reported to l)e nieltinuf fast ; and a liole heinsf rut in the ice, in a plaee wliicli Iiad been oriffinally late in IVeezinj;, in eon- seqneneeof a current, it was found to lie little more than five feet thick. The temperature continued risinj? on the followinij day, yet M'v -'7. slowly ; and the mean, heina: ♦'•*' hip:hest we had seen this year, was 20°. 7\t the hole just mentioned, I found a current run- ning a mile an hour to the eastward, with ten fatlioins water, which was less .salt than that near tiie ship. The footmarks of deer contiiuied to tantalize us: it was ditficult to guess how they contrived to pass in this manner, so long, without being seen. The weather liecame so much wanner as to averag*- '2^), rising to May :■<. near the freezing pcunt. I ascertained, from a measured base, that the height of the highest hill near us was 4(K> feet : that of (he i.sland close to ns was jorty. I <»btaiued five sets of lunar dis- fcinces, ami made so>mv trials with the dipping needle. A l)ra«'»' of ptarmigans was killed. The fhermouieler rose next day to m.,\ >•>. Jjr, and I obtained more lunar distances : preparing also for my intended journey on Monday. After ilivine service, we waited in vain for our pronnstil guid< v. m.u m. who.se appointment had been fixed' for this day. 1 knew thai it would take a longer time to cjuivey tin* provisions to tli«' apponitid pla(!e without their assistance, and therel'ore dttrrniiued to go by oiirs«'lves, in atlvauce. The shdge was thereforr loaded with fixe •lays' provisions for Coiuniander Uoss's party, and eight for my own, with thf adilitinu nt' a summer tent; and I departed at seven, with the surgeon, two mates, inid one of tli«' tire tt'asers. An addi- I it n 5 ' i; 1 ' C'lt i\ H «'. i «' II I , 1 1 k 1 r1''- 1 1' \ ' ;J7« SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY M i ' w 1 .1 ( ' I I i tional party was taken to draw our sledge ten miles, when they returned ; leaving us at one in the morning. That I may not interrupt the narr.itive of this journey, I shall here give the snnnnary of the present month. The anxiety which naturally attended Connnander Uoss's absence during the expedition which he had undertaken, terminated in congratulations on account of his safety and success. His guide had conducted him to the narrow channel leading between the two seas, and he had determined its latitude to be such as to give forty- five miles to the north of our position ; being in one of those inlets wiiicii could not be explored, on account of the ice, situatetl a little to the nttrthward of Elizabeth harbour. Hence it was probable that Cape Manson would be found to form the north-east point of Ameri<;a, supposing the sea to be continuous to Cape Turnagain. The exploi-jiig of the coast to the northwanl of Patl-le-ak bay, together with that to the westwanl of it, had further been the w(»rk of the same olKcer, as ha ; while that at l*ort Howeii was 17 ()•>. and the mean of the four ditferent plaees 1(> , 'I'liis augured but ill (or our spredy release: but we wer«' willing t<» u TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 379 think, tliat having taken Ijetter care of our thermometer, it had only shown a Knver temperature because the others had l)een managed with less attention to a true result. We had l)een constructing lee iKiards for our ship, with the inten- tion of making her more weatherly; and our labours in refitting the rigging were in a state of great forwanhiess. Many observa- tions, of various kinds, had been made. As yet there was no appearance of scurvy; but two or three of the men showed just enough of threatening to make us fear that they would not be hmg exempt, uidess we obtained a more ample supply of fresh provisions during the coming summer. The snow blind- ness was not more connnon among us than with the natives: and, in other respects, the health of the men was good. We- had not succeeded in procuring much game : while, in reality, we were too steadily occupieeMded on the results w hieli have been obtained. lint we had also done somewhat by land: with the prospect of ;j c > i" n li \i. : ik.J, ! nf llii! > i 1/ I I 380 SKCONI) VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY doing luiich uiore, should the seu fail us: and, wliile there was one view, at least, holding out hopes in which we could scarcely he disappointed, its there was anotht^r, which, on the average of diances, might have been equally gratiiied, if far less promising in the anticipation, we had reason to be content with our pre- sent situation and prospects. The year, too, had been pa.ssed busily, and with its little discomfort its wjts well possible : there had been dangei-s, but neither frequmt nor extreme; and, with constant occupations, not well likely to fail us, we had not the day to kill, nor the loss of time to regret. To tind that our crew continued in really good health, notwithstanding the triding evils just mentioned, and tliat no one had suliered during .so long a navigation and so bitter a season, was not the least source of satisfaction : the case of the unfortunate armourer not being a genuine drawback on this state of things, if the loss of the stoker's arm in Scotland ought perhaps to be enumerated among our contingencies. TO THE ARCTIC RKGIO.NS. 381 ! ''i I ii, CHAPTER XXVII. EXPKDITION COMMRNCED — NARKATIVE OP OUR JOIIRNF' — RETl'RN TO TIIK SHIP ORSKRVATIONS MAOK TO ORTAIV TKK i>lj r; HKNCR OF Till". KLKVATION OF TIIK KASTRRN AND WK'STKU.M SKAv^ — TIIF. DIP ■'■ <'ii|.: NEEDLE, AND INTENSITY OF MAGNKI'IC FORCi.;. J IIK wiiither was foggy during the jouriify of tins day, so that M;,v' a. [ obtained no good views of any part of the land, except a ro(;k re- sembling the Bit*.s island otl'the Firth of Forth. We saw four gulls and an owl ; and proceeded along a rocky coast to the south-wesf- ward, skirted with large islands, very much resembling some of the shores of Sweden, between Ciott»iil)urg and Stromstad. ^^'e passed within them all, in a clear chamu'l, wide enough for large ships, and clear of icebergs. At seven in the morning we arri\ed at the huts, seventeen miles from our vessel : all taking an ecjual share, officers and men, in the heavy work of drawing the sledge, which, for the last four miles, was considerable, as the smtw was mid-leg deep. The men were m:ich fatigued; and the mate, Blanky, could go no fiirtluT. But having lighted a fire and made 'wme coffee, they were enabletl to proceed to the next place, con- taining the huts, at twenty-two miles from our ship. Acconliiigly, at eight, we set forward; and, the fog having cleared away, I obtained some views of the land. We arrived iu\ , 1 1 i^ ' i', IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■ 50 2.5 2.0 ?■« I m 1.25 1.4 1.6 4 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporation # i\ i ' ' :n I '.; I- .lllllC I, 383 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVL.iY before eleven, where we found seven of the natives, who supphed lis with water, but liad no meat remaining. As we calculated on getting their dogs for a few miles furtlier at least, to assist our labours, we pitchetl our tent to make our meal, being breakfast and dinner conjoined. We soon, however, discovered that they were going immediately in the same direction as ourselves, and were thus to be so heavily laden that they could give us no assistance ; since it would take themselves two days to get to the first place at which they could expect food. They departed accordingly, at one o'clock. I procured some observations at noon, determining the hititudf.', among other things, at 69' 59', and the longitude at 92 1 . At five, an old woman whose avarice had procured her the nick- name of Old Greedy, passed us to the southward, with three dogs drawing a seal-skin full of blubber, which she was to deposit in advance ; but we could not prevail on her to lend us one of her team. Our present position was ocmsiderably picturesque, being surroundtil by rugged mountains and islands, in every direction except to the north-eastward. The (Conical hills to the north-west were partially covered with snow ; and at the foot of the nearest, was a detached rock not unlike a milestone, on which we foun\ards, at an elevation of about fifty feet; and at length arrived at a small lake, part of which was covered, almve the ice, by water. Here we met the old woman returning with her dogs, having de|iosited her load. On being questioned about the axe, she confessed that she was of the party that had stolen it. and that it was in p«»ssession of two of the men at the eastern huts. Having passed this lake, we then held our way over another of *■ i t i ' ] ! 1 ill ( ' rm,. mi I . I ! t V [ ' if" i 384 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY the same size and aspect, iKninded by lower land, wliich was, however, equally covered by hnj;e blocks of stone, some of them in very fantastic shapes. This was about twenty feet higher than the former; and, following the windings of the hills for a mile, we came to tlie north-eastern end of the great lake, M'hich seemed eleven or twelve miles in length. We soon found the huts of the Esquimaux who had left us on the precaling day for the purpose of coming here to fish : they were still built of snow, as before, but were now covered with skins. The people denied all knowledge of the axe, and said it was in possession of the old woman. Proceeding on the lake, after this, we found a ridge of icebergs on it, differing much in aspect from those of the sea : but here we were obliged to stop for rest and refreshment; some of the party being much fatigued. We set forward again at half-past five, and, soon after eight, arrived at an island in the middle of the lake. The men, how- ever, were so nnu.'h tired, from the sinknig of the sledge into the soft snow, that we were obliged to stoj>; lighting onr fire and cooking our dinner, without pitching our tent. The time required in melting snow for drink, tietained us so long, that we did not move again till ten o'cl<»ck ; the weather being clear, with a gentle breeze. We saw some reintleer, as we had done at osr first resting-place on the «lay bef«»re, but had no (»pp(»rtunity of firing at them, from the distance at which they passed us. IJy mi needle. This bay is ten miles wide at this part, and is full of small islets. At three in the mornini; a party arrived anil pitched their tents a little to the south of us ; promising' to bring us tish, in which, however, the> iti I liiru' 3. •t|;! > h > Lit !!h. 1 li I'f I 1, ii.i h'i r .! » ' ! II 388 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY June 4. I went With the surgeon to the tents, and found that the natives ha!ies of the animals which the inhabitants had eaten. I took the Esquimaux who had (;onducted us hither, to ascenng space towards its source, when it was lost anion^: the distant mountains. The land in that direction \\\\s liiu'lier than that on which we stood; and a .stream, running; from it through a ravine, formed a cascade, whicli, presenting nothing but its complicated pendants of ieicles in.stead of falling water, produced a very .singular ettect. The name of the Vis- counte.ss Melville was given to this remarkable .scene. After descending, I measured the breadth of the river opposite to the huts, aiul found it to be two hundred feet, with a de|)th of thirty. i was inf(»rmed that there were many rapids and water-falls between the lake and the eastern sea, and that a «,'anoe coidd not ascend. The guide .said that there was also a river at the other end, w hieh, he believed, was not navigable, and which ran into the western .sea ; but that it was very far otf. The alternate ert'e<,'t of the sunshine and the cold on the face and hands, bli.stered the skin while I was here employed in sketching the land. Having tinally taken •A meridian observation, I jpiitted Neitchillee at one o'clock. We .saw many cranes and plovers ; but having unfortunately lost my stock of percu.ssitM) caps after shooting a snipe, 1 could tire no more ; to the great surprise of the natives, to whom I could only excuse myself by pretending snow blindness; not wishing them to suppose that our tire-arms could ever be disabled or usele.ss. This loss proveil still more vexatious on the passage of a doe and hei' 1 X*j^ i; ' I If M • '*' i !| ,* .'I ,45-vi ,i Hi t :i f^ n i;-! M I V Tfi' ''U m j4 'i w ;Ji I ■) I. ir I ii f'ljii 1 \..A' TO THE AKCTIC REGIONS. y!>i (awn, which (jsiine within twenty yiirds of thi- sledu,*'; iit the si<>ht of whieh temptation, greater perhaps to them tlian ev<'n to a deer- stalker of my own ooiuitry, they encouraged me to rire, with hnul vociferations. This, unfortunately, was impossil)le; and the dogs, breaking tlie restraint in whicii they were held, set ott' in cha«;e, with the sledge at their heels, )»ut were soon stopped Ijy its becoming entangled among the .stones. Having arrived at oin* tent at five o'clock, the guide was paid : on whicli he departed, after being informed that we would call on them in our way homewards. It was .satistlu'tory to tiud that the peo|)le were nearly recovered, and that we had still pro\isions until Sunday. Another note for Commandtn* Ross was now t '» I 'V '11 It: it if 1 i hi. U¥'r¥> 1 1 1 ! h 1 j {I 1 \ '•', 'f( 4 ',M !■ u if I M ■i ii'l I I ll [■-. i'i' ,iiiii< ;39> SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY (tiid of oilier inuttcrs; prouiisiiig- also to the Esqiiiinaiix, that the delivery ot' this letter would he rewarded hy a tish-hook. We then parted, on the most friendly terms, after T had presented each of the women with a sixpence to hang round their neeks; one of them giving us a eomplimentary ««onvoy along shore, for ahont two miles. We had here found the native who had heen ill of a sore throat some months before; and the phial of nietlicine he hail receivep as «e came, but it was now just enough frozen at the surface t(» prevent our light sliilge from breaking through it. This great lake, which is ten miles long, appears ti» be only a mile wide in some places. Ix'cause it iu<*ludes a chain of islands; but, in other parts, it seems three or four miles in breadth, and imiy indeed be more. I'he icebergs on it had probably been «'ollecled into the ridge which crossed from side to side, by the storms in the Ii TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 393 early part of the winter. The flattish lands ronnd it were still much covered by snow. We departed once more, at seven in the afternoon, having made what was termed our breakfast : the weather being fine and <:lear. Having crossed two lakes, we arrived at the gulf of Shag-a-voke, which is the upper end of an arm of tlie eastern sea, extending inward about eight miles. Thus the isthmus is reduced to seven- teen or eighteen miles in breadth ; while twelve of these are fresh water : so that there are in reality but five miles of land between the eastern and the western seas. As the gulf, inlets, and' strait of Shag-a-voke had not yet been regularly examined, I now changetl our course to the south-east- ward; and, after travelling two miles through a very detp snow, we came to the .strait which separates the gulf, or upper part, from the sound. Here, on each side, there are precipices of nearly three hundred feet high, the general breadth of it being three-quarters of a mile; while a flat boggy tract, under the northern clitt* reduces the breadth of the water, in that part, to le.ss than two hundred feet. We could not make this Sunday a day of re.st ; and I continued my examination of this inlet. About the middle, it was half a mile wide, and bounded by high mountains. Our |>rogrcss was ren- dered very tedious and laliorious by the de|)th of the snow ; so that we did not arrive at the second strait, which separates the middle of the inlet from the lower part, or bay, till three o'clock. A point of land here projecting fnun tlie north side, seems to block out the seu; looking like an island, but connected with the shore by an isthmus, and leaving the breadth of the water, in this place, about 3 E ,iuiU' I). m ft I, ' 1 i'f ;ii.' .^ ill ' 1 1.' .394 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY a hundred feet. There were many rocks in the middle of it : and the ice being now partially broken up, the title was running up at the rate of four miles an hour ; while we calculated, from the old high water-mark, that it would still riow for two hours. This would be rive o'clock, and it was the day of full moon. Jielow this peninsulu, the channel of this strait bends to the southward, and a part of it runs into a gulf formed by a .second peninsula, re.sembling the fir.art of Shag-a-voke. The north .side of this opening descended gradually to a low point projecting eastward ; the southern one continuing four miles more in the same direction, iUid then trending to the south-j-ast. This side appeared clear of rocks and islets ; but oft* the other, there was a rock, very remarkable, which, with two other islands, were named I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 3{)5 after my friend, T. Tilson, Esq., and liis daughters, as seen in the plate ; while, further north, there were three islets, tiiking an east- erly direction, which seem nearly joined to the main at low water. We arrived at the southernmost of these islands at seven in the morning ; and at this time the action of the sun on the snow had rendered ♦ravelling very difficult : the proper time, in reality, heing \ the night ; whence our inversion of «lay and night for the purposes of re.st and sleep. The tent « as here therefore pitched, and the men allowed to rest and eat, while I made .some necessary observa- tions for the latitude, but was obliged to refer those for the longitude to a future comparison with the ship's place, as my chronometer ha«l met with an accident. A hare and a brace of ptarmigans were killed, antl I saw many gulls and small birds. / At five in the afternoon, the men being rested, we proceeded with our package, and departed at sevep.. The labour in this part of the journey was very severe, as we were obliged to draw the sledge over hummocky ice for eight miles; sinking up to our knees at every shp, and often being obliged to lift it over the obstructions. This piece occupied us six hours. The weather was fortimatt ly very clear, and the snow had wasted away very nuich from tht land. At half-pa.st one we had reached Cape Keppel, where we iioisted '"i,' our colours, ane deemed mediiMual, or, for any spe<;ial reasons, useful. Such is the account of this journey : but as it contuins no register of the proceedings at the ship for so many y means of the snow that had l»een removed. An opening being made on the lee side, it was stuppce Isabella rises abruptly, and often precipitously, to alHiut Hve hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is formed of grey granite, presenting patches of vegetation, which, for this climate, seemed to have been unusually luxuriant in the past sunnuer. The tracks of grouse, hares, and foxes, were the only indications of animal life that were .seen. From the acc<»uiits of the Es(|uimaux, I had expected to see a narrow entrance to this inlet, be\ond the cape, to which they hame islands. Mat, instead of this, the land on which I stood, still preserved it.s westerly trending, while the opposite shore e determined hv the hunnnocky ice of the ocean. The needful observations for this cape were then made ; but, in returniniy to the party, I had the misfortune to break my only compass by a fall ; an accident which preventetl me from makin;L^ any further observations on the variation of the needle, and thus causes a blank which I nuist regret, per- vading the remainder of this journey. Our labour hitherto had exc^eeded our strennth ; and it was therefore regulated thenceforward, that we should rise at four in the afternoon ; an«l, after our meal, with the necessary stowage an«l arrangements, procee«l on our daily, or rather nightly, journey between six and seven : limiting the length of it to ten hours. Tiie lalionr of encamping, the evening (being truly a mornnig) meal, repairs of clothes, and other matters, then occupied three or four hotn's, .so that the seven or eight remaining were left for sleep. / Under this new arrangement we .s«!t out at six in the evening: pursuing oiu' route (*lose along shore, under the iirojecting point of limc^tone which skirts Cape Isabella, and extends along this shore for some miles, where it is broken into capes anil inlefs by means of long ridges of that rock. The direction, here, of tin- coast, for about ten miles, is west-norfh-west, after wliieh it beeomes more northerly: and il became ntn'essary to examine the wlioh; of the bays and inlets thus formed, because I iniderstood from the natives that the entran<*e nf the expected inh't was narrow. They, how- ever, proved shallow; and being light in comparison with the I I ! rt ■■') , I 1 (■ ( n fi i !l fl « . I {;, !: .M;.v ■2\. 40(5 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY loaded party, I was enabled to searcli the whole accurately, while the rest skirted the coast between the several points. After a fatiguing day's journey of twenty miles, we halted soon after four in the morning; and, in this as in the preceding, we passed several canoes covered with stones, and some vaclu'cs of provisions belonging to the Esquimaux, which, of course, we took care not to disturb. The occasional discovery of seaweed, shrimps, and shellfish, also served to confirm us in the beli«^f that we were really on the shores of the ocean, and not of any freshwater lake, supposing that there could have been, here, one of such magnitude as to occupy the great flat space of ice before us. This, indeed, had been at one time imagined by some of the party, in conse- quence of the want of a tide-mark on the shore, and of there being no hinnmocky ice in the oHiug. For the last four or five miles of this journey, the coast was formed of granite, containing large crystals of felspar, with gar- nets ; the hills, at a short distance from the sea attaining the height of six or seven hnndn-d feet. Our present encampment was on the shore of a .small inlet; and. on examining it, I found a good harbour, but of no great extent, at its end, well protected by two small islands. Meeting the party at the further point of this sinuosity, a snow hut was found; and this we believed to have been occupied by the natives, who had arrived at the .ship shortly before our departure. lien', from a lofty point, I gained a very extensive view of a considerable inlet to the west- ward of the cape, which seemed to promise the T high and nigged, deeply intersected by ravines, and skirted by nnineroHs rocky islets ; while the opposite one was very low, and consisted of limestone. In order to save time, I proceeded immediately, in company with Abernethy, to examine this inlet; taking, to aid us, the sledge, with five dog.s, so as to a.ssist us alternately, and thus diminish that fatigue by which we should have been inconvt^ niently retarded. We thus passed many islets along the eastern shore, presenting abundant traces of Esquimaux; and, after an hour's travelling toward the north-west, arrived at the entrance of an arm of the sea, or perhaps of the mouth of a river, about half a mile in breadth. Here the hills on each side were of granite, rising, in .some places, perpendicularly, to the height of three hun- dred feet. The glassy surface of the ice, here at least, indicatetl its freshwater origin; and this, with other puzzling eircumstances, rendered a minute examination necessary. We therefore continued our journey ; and after travelling five or six miles to the north-nortli-<'ast, reached the termination of the inlet, and there found the estuary of a river; the banks being con- tracted at the exit to a few hundred feet, so as to proiliK.'e a rapid : while, a little higher up, it was a quarter of a mile in breadth. The nnniber of eanoes that we found buried on the western bank, proved it to be a principal tishing station of the Itlsquimanx : as we might equally have judged from the numerous landmarks and cacfu'es. The weather lieing very fine, I ascended a hill about a thousand feet high, whence 1 obtained an extensive view of a chain of lakes, leading to the north-east through a limestone country, while the i L.i:J!i ( 1 5 I 1 1 I'- l-l ■^. I I' ,' ill' 1 ' 1 1 ' ' 1 ' ' :-.i i 1 1 1 , 1 !:; # .1 i! • : i'' ! > 408 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEllY 1; I: I ( ;>ranite hills took a iicrth-north-westerly direction. In descending, the party came in siglit near the bottom of this inlet ; and being (lirected onwards to tlie fnrther point, I completed the survej' of this bay, and rejoined them at their encampment. The river thus discovered was named after Nicholas Garry, Esq. M;iy -'2 A fresh breeze made onr bnrrow colder than was agreeable, thongh the thermometer was still above zero. The drift and haze which accompanied, prevented us also from starting till eight in the evening, when we continued our journey along the coast, which soon began to trend to the northward of west ; and, shortly after, the cheering sight of the sea, covered with hunnnocks of ice, con- \ inced me that we had at length arrived at the .strait called Ik-ke- rush-yuk by the Esquimaux. Continuing to follow the coast, we found it turn (piickly round t() the north-west; while the heavy- washed sea ice on our left removed all doul)tof the course now to be pursued. I therefore resolved to reach the opposite coast, shoidd this attempt prove to be practicable; and Hndi'ig a favourable tract of smttoth ice, we left that on which we were, i»efore midnight. In proceeding, we came to a ridge of hunnnocky ice thirty feet high, running across our path, which we had gresit ditiiculty in sur- mounting; it being necessary to carry the luggage over it, and to cut a passage for the sledge with axes. This occupied more than an hour; when, observing .S4»me islets to the south-west that had previously been concealed by this riilge, we .steered for them, and after passing several lower ones, nearly on a lev<'l with tin- Hat ice. were obliged by a supervening haze, to encamp on the east side of an extensive i.sland, at five on the morning of the twenty-third; M [I .1 ) ill',. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 409 liaving travelled fiboiit sixteen miles. Tliis, being tlie anniversary May 21. of unr (lej)artnre from Enulaml, was distingnislied by a dinner of frozen roast beef, and, what was now rare with ns, a glass of grog. The gronp of islets to the north-west was named IJeverly, and the liMid on which we encamped Matty Island, in compliment to the fair donors of the beantifnl silk colonrs wliich we then displayed, in InMioin- of the day, and on the nsnal formalities of taking possession of this hitherto undiscovered spot. ToAvards noon, the clearing away of the hnze allowed me to , obtain a good view, disclosing the north end of this island, about tw«) miles otf, with a great extent of ocean, terminating in heavy packed ice. [lere, also, seeing that the land to the- south-west was low, and apparently broken into islands, I resolved to keep along the north shore of ^Tatty i.sland, where the hunnnocky ice assured ' nie that we were on the boinidary of the great northern ocean. We therefore pursued our journey at the nsnal time, but found the way extremely laborious among this rough ic*; ; whih' our toils \ were much increased by a thick fog, which froze on our clothes so a.s to render ns nearly incapable of moving under tlieir w«'ight and stirtness. It was even ^^ itli great diflicnlty, so nnicli were the men exhausted, that \v<' could form our encampment at six in the morn- ing, when we hailed. The |)lace we chose was under (he west point of >Ia(ty island, formed, like the IJeverly islets, of small ridges of linu'stcme, rising (o a considerable lieiglil, which have a W('st-sontli-«eslerly direction. We had coasled along it about twelve miles; but all else that we had seen consisted in a ffw tracks of partridg<'s, together with some footsteps of bears, hares, and foxes, which appeared (piite recent. ;j o It 3 iS I I* 410 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEFIY li *i/ ' 1 1; 1 I' ■i 1 i .ti ' 1 1 '1 ' I ) Miiy M. We were in a miserable plight, from the fatigues of this day, ami passed a comfortless night. To resume our hard and frozen dresses* was also a most ditfieult and painful operation ; but the evening proved fine, and a little courage and exertion soon put us in motion once more. From the place which we, thus, shortly attained, the opposed shore of the island which we had left, appeared divided into numerous islets ; while the ridge of hummocky ice which we hail crossed on the day before, was elevated above the heavy pack that tilled the inlet, and .stretched out in an unbroken line as far as the eye could reach, in a tlirection toward the north-north-west. After three hours of hard labour, we succeeded in crossing from Matty island t<) a low point of the mainland \to which I gave Mr. Abernethy, our mate's name j) conferi'ing that of Cape Sabine on ^^ a cape to the northwest which we shortly afterwanls rounded. We thence found the coast trending directly to the westward ; and here AI.i> -' , Huding level ice as well as tine weather, we made a rapid progress along the shore; halting at s\\ on the morning of the twenty-fifth of May, after a smart day's journey of twenty miles, and encianip- ~f ing, or burrowing, on a point which 1 nameil C"a|)e Young, after the member for Tynemouth. \ A reef extending from this point north-westward, for two miles and a half, .so as to meet the north point of Tennent island, protects an excellent harboin*, could such a harbour ever be of any use : iind its entrance, Mhi«'h is two miles wide, is divided in the middle l»y an islet tfiat would effectually cover it from the inva.sion of heavy ice. As the island was named after Mr. Emerson Tennent, ^ so has this, by the title of Port Kinerson. Si'tting out at »'ight o'clock, we passed along the reef and by the southern en»l of Tennent island, gaining (he opposite shore of the » ( ! A TO THE AIICTIC REGIONS. 411 harbour at eleven o'clock. Here the land trended to the west- north-west till we came to the last point of an extensive inlet, or bay, to which was given the name of Uannerman, in compliment to the member for Aberdeen. To cross this was a very laborious task, and occupied us three hours ; the ice being extremely ruggetl and hummocky, and also covered with loose snow, which lay very deep among the crevices. After this, the land trended more to the northward ; when, following it during three more hours not less laborious, we at length rested at live in the morning, in one of our usual burrows ; a house, which with a little pardon for the want of precision in the term, might be called subterranean .j I here began to doubt what our actual position niighl be, when ^ I now considered all the indentations of the coast that we had seen or passed. The question with me was, whether we were ir reality skirting acontnient, or whether all this irregular land might not be a chain of islands. Those unacquainted with fro/en climates like the present, nnist rec«>lle(.'t that when all is ice, and all one dazzling mass of white, when the surface of the sea itself is tossed up and rtxerese!it position : and thence one disagreeable ('onse(|nence, which, trilling as it may seem to a reader when compared to an essential geographical fact, was of no small moment to us, and indeed to the progress and -i G '2 May JO. 1 I- ' 1 : ( Ml ^ili I't^i I ' i % f* I 'i 11 I' I I ♦ 412 SECONU VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY i ' 111 success of the expedition itself. Had we been sure that we were on the continent, we luiglit iiave left in concealment a large por- tion of our provisions, and this wouhl have enabled us to proceed with nuich more ease and rapidity. ]{ut in case that it proved but a chain of islands, these would have been left behind, to our unspeakable inconvenien(;e, or rather i>erhaps to our clestruction in ease I shttuld do what was really essential, in returning by the continental shore ; while, if not daring to attempt this for such a reason, a principal object of our journey would have been aban- doned. I was therefore at length (letermined to take the safest resolution ; and thus consent to be still encumbered with the heavy load that so much augmented oiu' labours, and so disad- vantageously contracted our time. And, indeed, diminished as the weight was by the consumption which our provisions hati already undergone, that load was not only still a heavy one, but was relatively to our strength, even more troublesome than it had hitherto been. The dogs haassable; while, as the ground is laid bare on shore, and the water opens at sea, it becomes utterly impossible TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 413 to travel either by laiul <: ater, or rather, as I might safely say, by that which is both or neither. Latterly, indeed, we had but two of the.se animals in a serviceable state, and one of the poor creatures died at our present encampment. I here contrived to shoot two partrid/^es, which not only g-.ive us what was now rare, a warm meal, but enabled us to .save our pro- visions; a most important matter, as we were now situated. No one will be surprised to hear how often durini^ all these years we had formed the idle wish that men could live without food ; a wish, idle and nonsensical as we felt it, that was ever intruding', since the necessity of eating was the ever-recurring* obstacle to all our endeavours. / Three low islands, situated about ten miles to the northward of our present position, were named Beaufort islands, after the well- known hydrographer to the Admiralty. \ A dense haze prevented us from moving till nine o'clock on this evening, when, continuing our journey, we arrive 1 , Tlie projecting- point in tlie centre of tliis bay was named Stanley, from liim who is sutHciently known by liis travels in Ice- la^ul ; and we here found several stone Inits which appeared to have been occnpied by the natives nt»t long before. The weather being fine, we could hence distinguish the coast still trending to tlie north-west; and tlience, as for otlier reasons, I was desirous to continue our journey for another 41' It may be believed that I rejoiced in this ut fons iVeb £ on their parts; and the necessary rednction was thinloi! iunn 4iately an- nounced. Under this alteiation, which enabled us to advance for two days longer, we set out at eight in the evening, and, after passing ovei- some small lakes, reached the sea at eleven. We then continued our course along the coast, in a north-westerly direction till mid- night, much annoyed by thick fogs for a time, l)nt finally reaching a point, at two o'(;lock on the twenty-eighth of May, which formed one side of an extensive bay. This was named after Dr. Richardson : and as it was a convenient spot for a depot, since by it we sliouUI be obliged to return, we resolved here to disburden ourselves of part of our encumbrances. We therefore left behind every thing which we could spare, an«l taking four days' provision in the sledges, set out at three in the morning, crossing Richardson's bay, and encamping at six. Departing again at six in the evening, we found tlie land to trend toward the north-west till midnight, when we reached a point that was then named Cape Felix, after the founder of our expedition ; at the back of which was an accunudation of hummocky ice. This point is the south-west cape of the gulf of Boothia^ nanied after the same singidarly generous and spirited individual, whose fame and deeds will go down to posterity among the first of those whose ♦•haracters and cond to the south-west, while the vast extent of ocean then before our eyes, assured us that we had at length reached tiie northern point of that [)ortion of the continent .\l;iv '^S. i / f ii ■ 0i 'J^ n 'r iii .. >. ii li .1 /i 'M' ', .1 1 1"( ^ii I 'W ■ i I . ' ?ii 11 i:i t: 'i i i I i4 ^i i: I 410 SECOND VOYAOE OF DISCOVERY wliirh T lind already ascertained witli so much satisfaction to be treiuliiiii^ towards Cape Turnapiin. Tlie pack of ice which had, in the antiiiim of the last year, been pressed aifainst that shore, con- sisted of the heaviest masses that T had ever seen in snch a situation. AVith tliis, the lighter floes had been thrown np, on some parts of the const, in a most extraordinary and incredil)le manner; turnintj np large (piantities of the shingle bef<»re them, and, in some places, having travelled as much as half a mile bevond the limits of the highest title-mark. Continuing hence to the south-westwani, till about two in the morning, we arrived at the north point of a bay, across which we passed, over much hummo(;ky ice, gaining its southern point after two hoiu's of hard labour. Hence the coast continued to trend about so)(th-west by south, till we halted about six o'clock, after a journey of twenty miles, though with much fatigue to ♦'•r »vliole party. J The latituout eight miles otf. Hut to niake an actual examination was now impossible; .since our time wsts nearly expended, and the ruggedness of the ice between the.se points woidd have deniiuidetl a very tedious and laborious [(uirney. \Yv now therefore unfurled «»ur thax f<>i' the usual ceremonv, an«l took possession of what we saw as far as the distant point, while that on wlii«'h we st«»od Mas named Victory point; being the " ne. plus ultra " of our labour, as it afterwards proved, while it will remain a standing reconi of the exertions of that ship's crew. 'I'he point to the south-west was also named Cape Franklin : and if that be a name which has now been conferred on more places than one. tliest- honours, not in tact \ei-y solid when .so widely shared, are beyond all thought less tlian the merits of that otHcer deserve. On Victory p<»int we erected a cairn ofston»'ssix feet high, and we enclosed in it a canister containing a brief account of the proc«'ed- ings of the expnlition since its departure from ICngland. Such has been the custom, and to that it was <»ur business to conl'orrn : though I nnist sa\, that we tlid not entertain the most remote hope that our little history >\onld e\er meet an Knropean's eye. \t,. TO TIIK AllCTir HIXilONS. 4IJ) even liad it esra|)e(l the accident of faninu,- into the hands of the Ksr|niinanx. Yet we shouhl have none about our work with sonietliinu: like hope, if not ('ontidence, had we then known tliat we were reputed as lost men, if even still alive, and that our ancient and tried friend Hack was about to seek for us, and to restore us once more to society and honi«'. And if it is not impossible that the course of his jiresent investigations from Cape Turnaifain east- ward may lead him to this very spot, that he may tind the record and proof of our own " turnauain," we have kno\m what it is for the wanderer in these s«»litu(h>s to aliyht upon such traces of friends and of home, and can alm<»st envy him llie imagined happiness; while we shall rej«)ice to hear that he has tlone that in which we failed, and perhaps not less than if \^e had ourselves succeeded in completing' this lonu' pursued and perilous \\<»rk. It was at one in the morninu' of the thirliitli of May that \\v ai.i> ki. turned our backs on this last and furtliot point of (»ur jouriiev. arri\ ing at our former «ncampmeul at six. Me had here found a single piece of drift wood, the only one lliat we had seen since we let't the ship: but were fai' better pleased to li;i\i' angnieiited our slender store of pnivisious by a hare and two grouse. ICvery thing thus united to render this a marked da\ : and, such animals arc we. ^ in spite of ourselves, that the rare occurrence of a hot supper and a glass of grog made us tor a moment t'oruet all our disuppoint- melits. iuid rather caused us to feel pleasure that we Were now returninu' home, than regret that, in so doinu. we weie renouncintr the very object of our long anxiety and hard pursuit. The longiiude of ih* point on which we wen eucampul. and whieh I naniul Point ('ulgrutr, was dcternnned b> a pocket ihro- ;) II '2 "■■> I li ^ «'})' 4(r 10". The time of high water was three o'i;lock, and the rise and fall but seventeen inches. Victory point lies in latitude 65)° HT 4ir, and longitude i)H 4(V 4{)' : while «.f Point Franklin, as near as those could be determined from an estimated distance, the latitude is (Ki 3\ 13", and the longitude mr 17 58'. At seven in the evening we ciunmenced our journey homeward, steering across the coiuitry dire(;t for the point of our depot. W'v were thus enabled to cut ofFa considerabh- distance; and as we thus also contriveVe were still eighty miles from the ship, and the r«'maining provisions amoinitcd only to five diiys' consumption ; while we were by no means sure that we might | not meet with many iinpcdiiuenLs in our way back to Nei-tyel-ie. t f : lis y* 111. .1* Mi , 111 i ■'1' i':i:'l I < 1' 1 l- I i. ' I '.' \ vl 'I .llMIl 422 SECOND VOVAGE OF DISCOVERY This also served to alter my plans, or at least to throw a doubt over their accoinplishiiieiit; since I saw that unless the coast should assume an easterly direction the next day, I nmst abandon the intention of completing tJ-'s whole line of shore, as I had hoped. Soon after reconnnencing our journey in the evening, we arrived at the entrance of a considerable inlet, but the haziness of the weather prevented me from gaining a distinct view of its termina- tion. I therefore crossed to the southern point, ane passed, and the depth of tlie snow in the intervals, that we sutfered great fatigue, and two of the dogs were left behind. As the coast still trended to the sontli-soiith-east, I determined now ro steer direct for Nei-tyel-le, as our pntvisions would no longer permit any further examination of the .shore in this (piarter. We therefore left Point Smyth at foiu, and directed our course to the .southernmost of a grttnp of ish ts, nearly east of us, where we arrived at seven in the morning. 'I'his ishl, of which the latitude is (!J) '>!)' li'T, and the longiUule J>"> 1-V •")<>, is high, and atlordnl an extensive >iew of the neigiibonring islands, with nmch more of the continental shore than I had snn from l*oint Smyth; but a thin ha/e which covered the land preMided me from tracing it \erv tlistinetly to the south-eastward. 'I'lie ,sn(»w was now se|iaraled into patches in ditferenl places; and we found three siutw huts, which had l>een occupied in the preceding winter by the \t ift TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 423 fuinily of Kaii-ny-yoke, whose route towards the ship by the Stan- ley river could be traced for a certain distance, by the marks of tlie sledges. The number of the traces of the Esquimaux founti about here, showed also that this was one of their steady places of resort ; while, further finding the landmarks in gre.it numbers, as they had been described to us, I had no hesitation in giving to this islet the native name of()-wut-ta, since by this it had been indicated to us. Though the evening was foggy, the sun's pl.ace could be occa- sionally seen through the ha/e, and enai)leJ> 15' 4()", and in longi- tude ihY Vi' (>", we had some dilticidty in Huding sn<»w deep enough to form our burntw ; while the hardness of the ice beneath, on which we were thus compelled to lie, was suHiciently uncom- fortable, contrasteil with the solt be eomparative, a home to our hopes and feelings, such as e\en I i f\ \ 't * If 'i l\ /> It blew hard at eight, when we set out; and, steering direct for Nei-tyel-le, we passed within two miles of Cape Isabella. On one of the islets we found a small pool of water, but we afterwards uiuler- stood that the thaw had commenced at the ship some days earlier. Af- ter a fatiguing journey, we again encamped on the ice at seven in the morning of the eighth of June, about .seven miles from Nei-tyel-le. At noon it blew a strong gale; and, for the first time since leaving the ship, I was unable to obtain any observations for lati- tude. It was an occurrence that reminded us how higlily we had been favoured on this journey, by a long tract of good weather. Early in the evening I .set oti" alone in .search of the Esquimaux, whose footsteps were every where visible; directing the party to follow at the usual hour. After tracing these marks for two hours, I rea<;hed the islet where I had requested Captain Koss to send a supply of provisions, but could discover no mark of the visit «»f our own people. I soon, however, heard the shouts of the Esqui- maux : and a young man shortly after joinecl me, with a welcome expressive of the highest .satisfaction. A set of dogs was inune- diately harnes.sed by them and sent off to assist our party in coming up. Vtayaraktak now letl me to a cairn of stones where I found A note from Captain Koss, informing me that he had there waiteF''-luk-ta had that morning carried it home. I immediately therefore went to his tent, when his mother brought out all that was left, acknowleonsumption had materiallv reduced their store. i: TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. mt Leaving tlie party, therefore, to work at such repairs of various arti(>les as were now wanted, I set out with this man, and after tra- vellinjj; about five miles to the south-south-westward, we arrived at the entrance of an inlet somewhat less than a quarter of a mile in breadth, but enlarifing considerably in its progress. This strait he <'alle«l Ik-ke-rush-yuk, a name derived from the rapidity with which the water rushes out in the summer; the stream being fresh and good for drinking, as he said, though at this point, where I tasted it, I found it very salt. I obtained no sound- ing here in six fathoms, which was the length of my compa- nion's line. While he remained to fish, I proceeded along the left shore of the inlet, about four or five miles; and ascending an elevated ground, gained a commanding view of the inlet, though I could not be quite sure of the continuity of the opposed and remote shore. My conclusion, however, from the report of the Esquimaux, was. that the west branch of the river in question must fall into the sea .somewhere to the southward of Point Scott. The shore on which I stood had gradually changetl its trending from south to so»ifh-east by east; and at two or three miles beyond, the inlet appeared to l>e not more than half a mile broad, whence it turned more to the north-east : and here I could see the spot I had visited on my first journey to this place. But as I could pursue the pre.sent examination no further, I returned to my fishing frien I ■■ \ \> t •^li,.': i'' i ' t ' v-;i»! f •!tsi.ai H' f ]i I !r •<' I .llllK' M. Mr. Abernt'thy here infonneil me that during our .absence the nativtis liad given them a feast ; eacli tlimily having cooked a kettleful of fish. They were consequently first invited to one of the tents, wliere the contents of tlie kettle having been despatched, the next family treated them in the same manner, and so on, in rotation, till they had run this sort of eating gauntlet through the whole of the five tents. It is not surprising if they thus ate much more than they ought to have done. It was a feature of somewhat refined politeness in their entertainers, and more to be expected from an ancient Spaniard than an Esquimaux, that during the whole time of this prolonged meal these really kind hosts continued thanking them for the honour thus conferred : reminding them also that they had themselves been fed in a similar manner at the ship, in th«; preceding winter, and tluis proving those grateful feelings which we might formerly have doubted ; while of this we couhl now l)e quite sure, since, having hitherto made no presents in return, we made none on the present occasion, nor during the whole of our stiiy with them : being desirous to put otFtill the very last what we intended to give, that we might remove all doubts on this subject. Being now much recruited l)y a day's rest antl all this good living, we set out at ten in the night of the tenth of June : liaving first, since we could now entertain no doubt of their real gratitude, vhen they could no longer see us, owing to the irre- gularities of the ground. They had desired us to follow the tracks of a party which had preceded; and this instruction proved of e . ential service, in spite of n»y endeavours to find a shorter road for myself by neglecting their advice. I had imagined that they were going to fish at some place which would hike us ofi' the most direct road, and therefore quitted the indicated track, attempting to gain the route by which we had formerly travelled. In this, however, I was completely l>affled, by the great depth of the snow and water on that line, wherever I attemptetl to diverge into it ; so that I was at length glad to abandon, and I believe fortunate in surrendering, my ow n opinion, and consenting to follow my yet unseen guides. A dense fog, indeed, .soon servetl to convince me of the wisdom of this choice; since, without that track which served us as a comjia.ss, we should have been compelled to halt in the middle of one of the lakes, without being exactly certain where we were, or what was to be done next. / We arrived at Tar-rio-nit-yoke in latitude 69° 41' C", and longi- tude U-l' 54' 21", at eight in the morning of the eleventh, an«l encampe . He had expected the restoration of this pair of spouses at this time and |)lace: but the borrower Sh<»oiig-ug-u-wuk had taken them \\ itii liim on the expedition at'ler deer, and this breach (»f agreement seemed to be the chief i'ause of our friend's \exati«»u and disappointment. If we once supposed that this practice, for which the.sc people mav plead the aulhoritv of aiKMcnt Kome, was limited to the » I » natives of Hepnise bay, we had subseipieiit occasion to believe that it was universal among this tribe; the iidiabitants of lioothia, as wt' must now term this country. Others may analyze the kuorality of this fashion; but one thing at least appearef of the necessity of condensing the exjiedition from which we were now retin'ning, within th«' very limits to which it had Iteen fixed. It is true that onr confined stock of pr<»visions tormeti the actual restraint on our further advance, and that our return was, as 1 have already shown, compulsory, fnun this (uuise. Yet in thus restricting that allow- ance, and, with it, the time o( our absence, we had not acted im- prudently, as th«' facts now prove* I ; whether or not w»' are to l»e allowed the credit of having shown prudence and toresight in our calcidation. And liowcver impossible it was then, and even now is. to suppress the constantly returning regret that we did not nach Cape 'rurnagain, I cannot see how we could have completed that survey and returned in satcty, or perhaps r«'- tnrned at all, even though W4' had been amply pro\i«led for a longer journey. At any rate, it was plain that the arrangements for such an expedition nnist be very ditlirent from what ours had be«>n : and that if it was to be undertaken in the following season, a new calculation nnist be made, and very ditl'erent expedients ii K jljil it^ b «.< P '4 : ^ 'k : , 1 1 " )«* '* • '* i ' i V I ii: 434 3ECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ') r (M. ^' adopted, tof>etlier with much more force, to ensure any chance of suf'cess. Under the present obstructions we were recommended by ()w- wen-ynn-ah to ^o round by Sliau^-a-voke, since he considered that tlu' water was t deep for us to cross. This however would have materially increased our distance from the ship; and, as I also knew that the ice was very ba«l at the entrance of the inletwhich we should thus be obIiulty, the travellin;; was amoni;- the easiest that we ha«l found. The water, which had here also over/lowed the surtace, had dissolved the snow, and afterwards escaped throuLch the fissures beneath, which had been produ<'ed b\ the rise and tall of the tide. We foinid therel'ore a smooth plain of polished ice ; and on this we proceeded with great expniitioii. not without wishinu: that nnu'c or all of the t«-rriiory uliicli we had passed, both outwards and on (UU* return, had been of th*' same character. I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 435 .III lie 1-: Tlie river Ang-ina-look-took now appeared nuicli more extensive than I had formerly .sui)pof hum- mocks of ice and deep p«k>Im half fro/en, but proceeding with unicli more ease after reaiHiing the mainland, while feeling additiiuial energy and strength as we diminished our distance from the ship. It was at seven in the morning when we came in sight of her: iimr i:t when I issued the last remaining dram to the party, an • i.(!' .1 l.f. 1 i'' '.I 1^ CHAPTER XXX. CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNAL SUMMARY OF THE MONTH. 18)0. .Iiini' 1-4. J line IV A STRONG westerly breeze made the weather cold, and the theniioineter fell to 33°, with showers of snow. It did not prevent onr work from ^oing on, neither on this nor the following «lay, when it fell in much greater abundance. It only remained on the .luiii- ii. ice, however; on the hind it soon melted. On the next it was inutroller's islands. He gave us the native names of the biril of rheumatism, aiul were relieved by the steam bath. The Saturday began cold ; and, in the coui-se of i the day, it rained heavily. Fortunately, the caulking of the deck had been finished, so that it did not interfere with the comfort of the men below. The weather seeme. !•'. !:i ■\ I I li |«li S * .1 \: 'I ! 43H SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEav 1: t ii> i a ♦M "t ,i.-ii '1 f r, *^'', Ur I Juno 'Ji. Monday was misty, with small rain; the thaw continuing, though it was less warm. A diver was again shot, together with a king and a qneen duck. Preparations were made for a travelling party to trace the line of coast to the south-eastward, and the men were .)iiiio-22. employed within the ship. On the next day, the weather was foggy till the evening, under a north-east wind ; when it became clear. The larboard leeboard was fixe. ill i if f ; I ; I T'tl ' T' I ■! 1 ■ , \ ; , M «; '! !■■ >' : I'l,' ■J! ' . I U I- I t' ,« 1 i,,.l I '■', 1 I \.i I . ■fly if M I! f. i: i.l I .1 440 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEKV a party of seven men Wfiit off in advance, witli tlie sledge, a lioat, and onr provisions and pa<'kages: tlie supply being for six days, and the plaee of tlieir hah the north-west inlet. At seven, T fol- lowed, with the surgeon and three men, anwed, moreover, by frost and snow, so as to throw back every thing to the same condi- tion as in the earlier days of June. In many places, indeed, the ice had become nmch thinner : but it was still very thick and compact. The weiither had however been favourable for the exploring jiarties. Counnander Hoss had not been at all interrupted in his travelling, and his reports were favourable: while, among other things, the limits of our future endeavours were much narrowed by the result of this expedition. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 441 Onr intercourse with the natives had much decreased, in conse- quence of their removal ; but, wlienever it occurred, we were on terms of greater confidence than ever. They had been unsuccesslul in hunting, and had therefore been unable to bring us any sup- plies; but whenever they were in want, and we couhl furni.sh them with food, we did so; receivnig in return every mark of gratitude and thankfulness. In reality, with exception of tiie adventure consequent on the boy's death, in which their mistake was after- wards fully rectified and atoned for, and excepting also some sufti- ciently pardonable and not very serious pilfering, we found every reason to be pleased with the character and conduct of this tribe, not only to us, but towards each other. 1 have given several instances of their kindness, in their dragging the helpless on sledges, and the care of their children; anh constitutes the whole, it may almost be said, of a savage's enjoyments. 1 had no reason to suppose that I had prematurely forinetl this favourable opinion, though it is so much at variance with what has been reported of «>ther tribes of the same people. It remained for time to determine what the exact truth was. The alterations an«l fittings in the ship had made so nnich |)ro- gress, that it was plain we should be ready long before it couhl serve any purpose. Though the health of the crew was generally good, three or four continued to show such a proneness to s(;urvy, that we were obliged to regulate their diet jmd treatment accordingly. They ha«l been nnich harassed and fatigued 'I'he observations and surveys had been going on, including many on the dip and variation of the needle. The highest tem- peratine of the inontli had been 62^ plus, and the lowest 26° : tht mean was iMi\ 76° : I need not repeat the comparisons witli tlnjse «>t'the other expeilitions in the same month. Our sport was but indifferent : yet some good specimens of animals were procured. The perpetual hunting of the natives seemed to prevent the deer, together with the animals of prey which followed on their traces, from resting for any time in this neighbourhood ; while the same cause, doubtless, drove the musk oxen, and possibly also the hares, from this vicinity, to places where they could find greater security in the solitude of these tieserts. K ' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 443 CHAPTER XXXI. A\ EXPEDITION TO FISII FOR TIIK SUPPLY OF FISH FOR THE CREW, CNDERTAKEN BY MYSELF AND PARTY — NARRATIVE AND RETURN. , ilAVING proceedetl towards the place where the sledf?e had lieen appointed, we caiiie suddenly on two hirge white bears, before we had reached the end of tlie lake ; but as our guns were loaded with small shot only, we were compelled to avoid them. It is not a safe animal to provoke unarmed. We met, after tiiis, the men returning with the broken sledge, and afterwards arrived at the boat where the ammunition and tishing tackle had been deposited. We then proceeded over the ice, which was very full of cracks and holes. Early in the morning, we reached the point forming the entrance of the inlet, which we believed to be the estuary of the river in which we had proposed to fish ; but were obliged to pitch the tent, as it began to snow heavily, with a strong northerly gale. IJeing in a sheltered spot, we were, however, enabled to cook our dinners and go to rest. We had killed two ducks and a plover, and seen some reindeer. The land at this place was rugged, clear of snow, and divested of all vegetatiim. We found the ice, in many places, dan- gerously thill, independently of many large holes and wide cracks ^ l2 18:)(). ,hiMo2'). June fi). • !■ I 3 •K , 1 « ■%) ill '■ ■ nil ■K ' 'tvl. M II i M 444 SECOND VOYAGE OF DI9COVEHY I I 1 '4 '■''! 1.7 ' m : ,f I, 1 I m' i'\ r.'i '' .,( H '■!. i; Jiilv I. After dinner, at five in tlie eveninjjf, we proceeded up tlie inlet, wliich turned to the north-east; travelling over the ire for five miles, till it divided into two branches ; one leadinjL^ to the north- west, and the ,sual salutation, he was discovered to be our friend Awack. I then persuaded him to accompany us to our tent: giving him the gun to carry, in hopes of thus better establishing confidene'e among us. We had walked thirteen hours, and were glad to find a dinner, in which we made our friend partake. lie informe(> ' s tiiat his uncle Ikmallik's party were at a river that entered the bay about ten miles off; and thither we determined to go, to his great satisfaction. O'u- tent and baggage were immediately packed on the sledge with the little boat and the net, and we set off with fresh spirit, ifi ,5,; I- m ( "'<< ' ii ''■ it 44« SIXOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I { 'i't V. '! f , f t. to I • il ;?* passim; severni islands and points, till we came to one of tliose alluvial mounds wliirli I formerly f these climates demands mon- abundant fooil than one more temperate, and that, in particular, oily fos on one ot' onr plates, where there clian(*ed to be some leni(»n-jui*-e, made wry faces, to the great auMisement and laughter of the ,est. Man seems a laughing aniuiiil.as he has been termed, «\i'n where he apjtroaehes as nearly as he can to his inferiors of f«»nr legs. We proceed«'li ; promising, nevertheless, that if we caught none, we should |iartaki of their store, i'heir ii 11 »H : I I 'h ' 'I i, (( 4.J0 SFXOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY a M iH r I «l Jiilv ■.' proplieoy was correct; for, in three casts, we took but half a tlozeii small tish called Kanayoke, while the last brought only a large stone. This produced great laughter ; but if it did not give them a goo«l opinion of our dexterity in this art, so it had the advantage of preventing them from coveting our net. Hut the fame we might have lost in tishing, was compensated by our shooting, on the wing, a gull and a wi'l goi>se ; and, by presenting them with these ::nd .some other birds that we had shot, our favour went on increasing. After twenty-five luuirs of wakefulness and labour, it was, however, necessary that these natives at least should slee|), and I therefore sent them all to their Intls, appointing a meeting when the sun should be in the south. I accordingly went with Ikmallik to one of the pits where they keep their fish, fro/m ; and sreing that it probiddy contained not le.s.s than forty salmon, otiered him a large knife for the wh«de, which was readilv acceple*!. He had alwavs been the m(»sl contented «»f these dealers, while tin- others lo(»ked up to him fiir example; so that the other two men ottered me their stores at the same priee. Had I kno\ni the eonteiits «)f the whole. I could not have ventured to otler such a price ; as I found two hundred and twenty tish, averaging five pounds each, and tliere- f<»re produeing a ton v i ghl of salmon ; of which the purehast- money was thus no more than se>en shillings and sixpence. W'v had thus more than we eould well earry ; but as this tVesIl meat was most needful for the health of the crew, especially for th(»se who were threatened with seurvy, we adoptetl se\eral con- trivances for transporting at least as many as we could. The seal- skin iM-ds were made into two bags, and. with one more lent by I ! i TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 451 Ikiiiallik, we succeeded in packing; up two hundred and ten of these fislies, keeping the rest for present use. The offer of two pieces of wood to make a spear and a pa(Ulle, produced us. further, the loan of four dogs, with the assistance of tiiree natives, to ai«l us on our journey home, ami to bring back the animals, together with their reward. Having all dined together, as before, we were ready to depart, when they said that they Avould show us their method of killing seals; pointing to a large one half a nule off, on the ice. Eight of them consequently set out along th«' shore nearest to it, and then approached the animal slowly until it raised its head, when those in front stopped, and shouted as loud as they could ; on which three others ran up with incredible swiftness, but as the leader raised his spear to strike, the creatiu'e suddenly plunged into a crack on the ice, and disappearctl. AVe did not retaliate their laughter at our want of success in the fishery, as we were really disappoiuled. They afterwards showed us the manner in which they take the salmon. The weapcm is a spear, with two very divergent barbs of bone or ivory; and, by this, they are stru<-k in the water. They described this method as being without dillicultv: ns the fish swam up in the chamu'ls between the ice and the land, in such dense crowds, that they could not throw their instru- ment witli(».it striking some. This was the migration fo the ri\ers for s|iawning. without doul>t ; and it was the end of this migration that liatl caused them to abandon a place, which, if we had then understood these matters better, we should have resorted to at an earlier period. That report also confirms a discredited .Vmerican '.i M 1 *■.. I Ml ii'iiii I I.' ■I I' il^ IV I i'lij ill I 452 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ^! |i ' tale, in which the fish are described to be so abundant, at some seasons, in certain rivers, that tliey are trampled to death by the hoofs of horses in fording; while, if confirmation were necessary, the reports of La Perouse on the same subject, are beyond questioning. We at length set ofl^", dragging the three bags of fish after the sledge, iis it could not bear the weight. The ice being humniocky, and full of cracks anti holes, gave us nmch trouble : so that it required four hours -/.(' hard work to reach the first of the islands, about four miles oft'. I here determined on burying two of the bags; carrying on only one, in the boat on the sledge. At midnight we arrived at the second island, four uiiles further : and here it was necessary for us to eat and rest, having thirteen miles more to tlu' ship. The ntute continueho had not arrived many minutes bet'ore us, from a similar fishing expedition. U'e fiunid all well on boiinl TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 453 There is little to add to the narrative of this short expedition. The river which we had visited is called by the natives Tatchik, and is only fifteen miles from the ship, though our circuitous course had made it twenty to us. It is about five hundred feet wide, and from six to ten deep; the bottom full of large blocks of granite, and the current running strong at first, but diminishing before we had left it. There was a rapid also aliout two miles up the stream, preventing its navigation : while the natives informed me that it ran out of s, trge lake which was supplied by others at a greater distance. To our connnunications with the natives I nuist also add, that they endeavoured to entertain us in their liest manner; acting over again the drama of our first meeting, together with that which was to take place when we met hereafter at Neitcliillee. Our attempts to repeat their words was also a source of great amusement to them. If the meeting had been fortunate for us, in procuring such a supply of fish, which we should have missed had \\ebeena -27. Jnlv •2H. The weather was really hot, as well as eali'i, the thermo?',ieter rising to 70^ The swarms of mosquitoes wen^ as great and as troublesome as iu the >\'est Indies. There seemeil *u be different species ; and a large kind was the most venomous. The same calm and warm weather continued on tiie following two days, bringing us to the end of the week ; but with as little variety of occurrence as during the preceding. W'g had work, indeed, to employ us, but it was nevertheless upwards of .seventy pounds. The various works had been going on as usual ; and Saturday night brought them to a close for the week, bringing with it also, the end of the month of July. Although it had been a warmer and a better one than June, it had not compensated for the lateness of the sea.son in the two pre- ceding ones. The first of August was arriveil, and we had not yet seen any clear sea, nor had any of the ice on it appeared to move. Still it was pr<»l)able that the first .southerly gale would break it up, could that last but for forty-eight hours : .so that we might still feed on hope. The month had been uniform, and therefore comparatively dull to us; but we had not at least been wearietl for want of occupation. The siiip had been completely refitted ; and the new painting, while useful, had also improved her appearance. She was ,so little leaky now, as not to make more than five or six inches of water in the twenty-four hours. Lee boards had been ap))lied to her, and 3n II r I A h^h I h.. 4;j8 SECOND VOYAGE Ol i ^,COVrUY M n 1 ■ \ !■ <■ • ,!l i • Hi! '1 B 1 .: !'■' '|i:: 1! iiV T 1. i. ■ 1 ti)f V we trusted that tltese would improve her sailing ■ of the disposal ot' tlie several parts of the rejected engine, I have just spoken. The health of the men had so far improved, on their amended diet, that even the suspicious ones were now quite well. This great supply of tish was a matter of congratulation, and somewhat ba- lanced our other disappointments. They who, in reading this journal, may read of meat and eating, must add .something to the coanuon ideas usually associated in their minds with this subject. At home, a good or a bad dinner is but a matter of content or the reverse: and the first .salmon of the .sea.son no more than a luxurv. The bad dinner of yestenlay will also be compen.sated by a better one to-morrow ; and he who cannot get salmon will easily find an etpiivalent. Hut, to u.s, good diet or bad, .salt provisions or fresh, s ifliced to turn the scale between activity and weakness, health and sickne.s.s, and, as well might hap{)en, as u.sed to happen but too often in former davs, between life and death. And the first salmon of the sunnuer were a mecMcine which all the drugs in the ship could not replace : while, tliough they had done no mt»re than diminish the wearisomeness which uien feel fntrn being confined to the eternal sameness of a ship's provisions, they would have had a value to us. greater than all the salmon of the Thames ttt tho.se who can provide tluMUselves with su<'h dainties. Our communications with tlie natives had (Continued to confirm our good opinion of them : while, if we had attained to more knowledge of their |>eculiarities. and had witnessed many things repugnant to our habits and feelings, I must reserve these for future rem i/ks. Having fre(piently spoken of the Krusenstern, I have now to » ( >; TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 4o9 observe, tliat when the ice liad overflowed it had sunk her, carrying her witli it to the bottom. (h\ tlie thaw slie was at la.st relievet 1. Aiii:"-' J Aii'jii-^i Au;ul s, Aiii;ii«l III tlav, tlie flsliery was nearly as siic(;essful. The weather eontiiiued very fine. It was still tine weather, 'nit the fishery tailed; excepting that we took the laru,est front that w»' had yet seen ; weighing three ponnds and a half. The evening ot' the fifth prodnred a smart show«r ot' rain : lint things settle*! back to the same state on the (<}||owingreeze, nin(*h more cleared away, so that an extent of two miles of elear water was seen to the northward. \ good deal was, how«*ver. afterwanis hroiiglit hack hy the wind shifting to the north : nor indeed wonid the tide have admitted of making an attempt to get out. For many days now, the midnight temperature hn iiig dav was ■\iii:u-,l I I. •\iH;il»t I J. .\ll;;ll«l 1 '<■ \ii.;ii-l Id Aiinuvi 1' viii; |<, I ■ n. I i I 1 , I 40-2 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY ralin and mild, and tln^n' was no clianije in the ice. The midnight tein|K'rature rose ayain to li\ . Nor was there any thinj; nortli \ii-ii^tis. noticing on the eiuhteentli. Our sneeess in tishint;. on al! thes<" days, was very small; and we had to reijret the h>ss of one of our tame foxes, after liaving been one of tlie family for six mI .' 1 ' if' TO THE AUITIC RKfJIONS. 46a rapid inntitni tit the soiitliwanl, aiwl pai-kiii;*' into the hott«iin of Iht- buy. The inner part of the harbour «as thus chjared, as the eoast was, tor about two miles to the southwanl ; but al'terwarils, a park of theiee streauitd in, and tilled all «'X'". pt the place where we la\. that beiuif drliiided by the uroundinu <»f soriu' h»;uv iuass»s outsiile. The unxl eoutinunii;' to blow iVrsh froui llic north-eastwarti, tile ire euntiinied to aennuulate so on us, that a very small spaei wa.s left rh-ar. it was uiort* moderatt- in tin- morning', \>ith rain: but tlurt' was otherwise no ehaiiL:<-. Kotli tlw subsrtiurut days were e<|ually t"nr of any events worth notieiiiu, beyond som< indilK'nut snenss in tisliiu;; and shootiujiz', ineludinu' the taking' ol a seal Anolhtr week was ^onc ; and the ni^lil theririouieter had littlf ehanu'til, varying belwi-en iUi and HH Sunday promised somfliiinu nt-w ; the u ind becoming a ifah fro (he southward till four o'eloek. when il sli. ,>,->. I. iind remained stationary the \> hole da\ On tlit foll«>\ intr. tl « . ' wa> no ehaniie in the weather till e\eninu, when ii raine ma«le ready for haubnu the ship oii> into ii |iool to the northward of ns. that we miuh; .< in«'"' in the Wi»y ol" exlriealiim onrsehes when the lee should l'aiil\ open Vuil vhIIi this was sinnnied up the month ol' Aiiiiust \iijii-i .1.. \ii-ii.i ."' \iu'i>.' ii' \ii.ii«i :! I '(1 ,1 1 1 i i 1 ' 1 1' 1: * a fl. ^ ' 404 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY The end of that month also left us eleven months fixed to one spot. Whatever value voyages of discovery may have in these <,'ountries, they are certainly purchased at a hij^h price in time, though there were notliing else. We might have circumnavigated the gloi)e in the .same |)eriod : and I imagine no one was very sanguine about future north-west pa.ssages, even should we contrive to make one ourselves Tiiat this was a month of daily anr; from oru iiAitnorn — INFFFFCTUAL MOVKMKNTS AMONG TIIK l( K — lUCCOME FIXED IX THE ATTEMPT TO FIND A NEW IIAItiiOlTIt FOIl THE WINTER — SIMMAIIY OF SEI'TEMIIEK. ^ipt. 1. J. Ills luoiifli set in with unat severity: tin; tlM-riiioineter was ;it tlie fret'zint:: )>oiiit. sinking Hnall\ fo '2V\ and lliert; was a violent storm of" snow, which covt'ivd tlie hills I'or the first time this season : while it was also the stven'st pile we had experienceil diirini; the whole siimnier It varied hetuceii the west and the north ; and tlionuh it tontinned to paek the loose ice, thise(»iihl not move tar, l>ein<>-soon stopped by the tixed mass at the bottom ofthf hay. Onr o\\ n passage to the main was filled l»y two larjje ioelierus. Si|)t. .' The same i;ale hiew, aixl uas very heavy ahont tuo o'elock, when then- was an eelipse of' the moon, invisilile to ns. The ice was dri\inu' to the southward with irreat rapidity, and packing itself in iinmeii'e masses. In the eveiiinu: tl>*' wind diminished, and tlu snow which had tiillen on the hills disappeared. Sr|>t. :t It did not blow so .xtroiii;. and the ice was at a stand ; hut it t'ro/.e ^ i>r I. hard at midnight, with the thcrmomiltr at 'i!) Tin- weather being fine next (lav. and expecting: a hi out it fell so much, that ue remained aground ( I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 467 ill only fourteen inches of water. Hy this acri|Ksof here discovered in the ship's bottom, in the search alter a leak which had plagued us, and ihey were a<-cordiiigly secured. A shift of the wind up towards the north produc«-d such a tide as enabled us to heave olf the bar very earlv in the morning. Yet the ic<' had so grounded, that we ctuild not advance far enough to avoid grounding ourselves when the tide should fall, and did not thence dare to bring oii board much of what had been laiulcd. During the day eveiy thing was covered with sm>w. which parfi dly .'i o -J* >.iii. .). "<■ 111 'i. i "I i !l I I 11 468 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I . » dissolved under an evening lia/e; and at ni^lit it was clear and frosty. Sept. 7. It blew a gale from the northward during the night, hut the i<'t' did not move. Towartis morning we contrived to heave out, .so as to get a foot more of water, which enabled us to proceed with the reloading of the .ship ; and, after this, by aid of the ice at our bows, we gained another foot, thus advancing about ten feet in di.stiuice. This was a depth sutticienttoall«)w us to reload entirely; but that caused us work enough for two «lays. The thermometer was 5° higher, and there was .some snow. Sept. 8. The changes in the wimi and weather were triHing, and we pro- ceeded with the reloading o( our di.scharged stores ; also cutting some ice at our bows, that we might have no obstru<;tion to our Sept. 0. next attempt. The following day was without change or interest, except that more ice was cut, anil the ship hove a few feet ahead. Sept. lij. Every thing, however, was g()t on board and .stowed. The next day did not advance us even a foot. The lakes on shore had not yet frozen, though there was i(!e on the pools. Sept 1 1. The wind came to the .southward, but was not sutficient to nu)ve the heavy ice. The pool between the island and the main wa.s covered with thin bay ir-e, having a very prognosticating evil a.spect; and the temperature fell with the setting sun to 21°. We still went on cutting the ice, and the ship was hove a little further ahead. The cold weather seemed really coming on, as the thermometer by midnight was 18 : and the shooting of ne brought us into five fathoms water, though n«)t two ships' length from our position of yesterday. What remained on shore, of iron- work, am'hors, and other things, were now, therefore, got on board ; but that furnished us occupation for the whole day. We were consc<|uently ready to start by evening; but the breeze died away, with the ice still drifting up and down before the tide, in the calm. That wind was of little .service to-ve out two cables' length, to take advantage of any opening that might occur. Sonu' lanes of water appeared in the evening, along the shore to the northward. The thermometer was 40' in the day, and *2J)' at midnight. It fell to '2b' before the s,|,t i: following morning, anti there was an aurora borealis. .\t daylight ' ii I M r-rr--a r^"?^ l^jt^ I M: ii ' mr If? I 1 11 1 'l ■ 1 j '> 1 1 M. i 'i' 1 i' :S it ' 1 ' '■t, r> l> \ > . ■'; iH! 1^ M' in . 1 1 ':» 1^ ■ ! ' n i I ■ 470 SF.COM) VOYAGE OF DISCOVKRY f- we oould see tliat the ice liatl drifted uff the hind, but there wa« still a <;oiii|>lete rid^e hetweeii the s!ii|) and a lane of water which led to a point three miles to the nori'iiward. About two in the afternoon, however, it seemed to he breaking up; wiien «e innnv- diately cast oiY, warpey inoniin^, our passage was blocked up ; so fliat wr w« re coin pel led to remain. In the otliiig, it was sweeping up and down before the tide ; and, in the evening, as the wind beeauit northerly, it went away rapidly once ni(»re to the southwanl. 'i'here was lunch snow to-day, and the land was entirely covered. Four hares that were shot did not nuu^h condbrt us under this detention, however they might vary <»nr dinners. A gale had come on siuldenly last night, aail. <;oaUiuiing till high n liter, this forenoon, as it .served to raise ll.ut tide i-ousiderably, our I tloatei^.. './.^ u.. 1.0 I.I 1.25 If 1^ i^ Mi li& !!: i;s III 2.0 1.4 1^ 1.6 m v^ /: .^ ;> y # Photographic Sciences Corporation \ A :\ ,v \ <^ ^ ^ 4^ ^^S- or 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WISSTiR,N.Y. MStO (716) S72-4S03 -«?* "^mwm 1 I Ml t il 1 !; I' '. '1 ■If 472 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY have gone with them into the moving pack, or been driven on the rocks ; each of them but hazardous positions, if not worse. The temperature fell to 48% and there was snow with this gale. Sept. 22. It continued on the next morning, yet the ice in the bay seemed partially cleared. But, after this, coming to blow even harder, we were worse blocked up than before, though there was still a lane of water in the bay. It was however the only clear water visible : all else was a solid surf:;ce of ice. At night the wind was much Sept. J3. more moderate. On the following day there was no change. We were completely frozen in ; and were obliged to cut round the ship, that she might right herself, having been heeled over by the ice. Si|)i. 24. There was a heavy fall of snow all day, and it continued on the .s,.|ii. 23. twenty-rtfth. The week was expended ; and we were idle and im- movable. The thermometer, from hiiving been at 24° for the past days, reached to 30°. Sept. -ib. There was nothing to interfere with the services and repose of Snndiiy ; and no change. The temperature, however, seemed gra- s.'pt. 27. dually falling; it had been but 7^ in the night, and was no more than 14^ all Monday. A lane of water was seen near the islands that s.pi. 28. were next to us. It became wider on the following day; so that, had we not been imprisoned, we might have made some progress to the northward. s,.pi. 29. The thermometer fell to 5°, and the clear water of yestenlay was covered with bay ice. The surrounding hummocks were also cemented together in such a manner, that nothing but a storm could separate theni. Our hopes of a liln-ration were therefore fast pas.s- ing away ; and our work was now to cut through the ice, .so as to attain a harbour that was likely to prove our home for the better TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 47:3 part of another year. It was found to be a foot tliick ; and as there were also many lieavy pieces in the way, our progress was neces- sarily very slow, and the labour hard. There was not wind enough to prevent the formation of bay ice. Under the continuance of the same low temperature, the whole ^'ii' ^'>- sea was now covered with ice. There was no longer, therefore, occasion either to hope or fear : and there was an end to all anxiety at least. The agitation under which we had so long lalioured had subsided into the repose of absolute certainty. Our winter |)rison was before us; and all that we had now to do, was to reach it, set up our amphibious house, and, with one foot on sea and one on shore, " take patience to ourselves." Though we ha, is one of the least agreeable that I have yet to record. It was now winter, without dispute. Theoretically, it ought to have been such ; and that it was practically so, we had long Ih^'u sure, whatever efforts might have been made fo flatter flie men, or 3i' / 1 \ k V '1 1, [l 1 k ■l ; ' 1 1 ri ii! (■. . ;| H I i n :\' I \ } ft 'V I » ■. I i I 474 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY ourselves, that it was otherwise. It had been a busy and a labo- rious month ; but it was busy idleness, as far as any result had followed, and all the labour had produced no return. It was, in every sense, a wasted month, and it had been an amply provoking one : there was not one in all the preceding year in which we had not done something useful, or at least made preparations for it; tluis finding occupation that satisfied us ; while there was not one which had not held out, what was even better, hopes, and those most lively when the chance of release was most distant. We had now to hope again, for nearly another year; to count months, weeks, even days, yet with less confidence than we had done during the last winter. He who can hope a second time as he did the first, is of a more fortunate constitution tiian some of our people seemed to be. The despondent could not conceal their feelings; though, of the greater luunber, I am bound to say that their contentedness, or rather re- signation, exceeded what I had anticipated. It was my business to show them the brighter side of this picture, by recapitulating our success in discovery, the excellent condition of our ship, the com- fortable home which we had now learned to make of it, our ample stock of provisions, our good health and peace, and the better har- bour which we should now secure, as it was one also whence it would prove mu<;h more easy to extricate ourselves hereafter. Hut the bright side of life is not easily seen through the dark one; and T had, therefore, to trust to time and habit, and to ho|»etliat b«'tween our own resources a n« I the connniuiications of the natives, supplied, as weexpj'cted to be by them, with fresh pntvisions. and, befon- long, with the ptmer of renewing «»ur expeditions by land, time would puss on, and the present evils become lighter. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 476 In reviewing the weather and the temperature during this month, it is seen tliat it was more severe than that of the preceding Sep- tember ; and tluis, being an earlier winter, it also promised to be a worse one. The higliest and the lowest in the present were 43' and 5° plus, and the mean 27, 42' plus: in the former, the two first had been tAf p.nd 8' plus, and the last 32° plus. In the Sep- tember of 1821), there were several gales from the west and south, which cleared the coast in such a manner that it could often be navigated ; but in the present one, there had not been a single breeze from those quarters, capable of making any impression on the ice. On the contrary, there had been several gales from the northward ; so that as fast as that which was in the southern part of this sea dissolved, tiie space was filled by the arrival of heavier masses from the north. It was as if the northern ocean were send- ing all its stores into this quarter ; and we knew that it was now the unquestionable parent of an inexhaustible supply ; while, as if the blockade was not already sufticiently complete, every little shift of wind from the north to the eastwarti, filled up the little bays which might have affonh'd us a retreat, liiid, too, as this was in itself, it was rendered much more efl^ectiuilly so by the state of the tides, which did not allow these masses to fioat again, when once agrotnid ; so that they could n(»t be removed, even though we had cut them, while, when once taking the shore, they became as much a part of it during the ensuing season, sis the r<»cks themselves. I need not, in this summary, go back to any general re<'ord of the ship's proceedings or our own ; they otter less interest than usuiil, and we had not been in a situation to make any observatitms of niomcnt. Our sporting cah'udar presents little more than some friiilltss firing at .seals, and the iuetll'ctual pursuit of a white bear. 3 p 2 v:,^ I. I M h-l^'' IS II f I 1; I ,, I ll ^ t : V \ 'd ^!i ; 476 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XXXIV. ! e obliged to adopt the negative scale of the thermometer as well as the positive. It siond at zero this morning ; and it had not reached that point last year, till the lOtli of the same month. We were thus obliged, again, to labour on Sunday; since another forty-eight hours of such frost woidd ren- der it extremely difiicult to cut the ship in ; as the ice around her was, even now, three and four feet thick. Nor had we made more (I.I. 1(1. I ,il I iii. I tl) '■fii -^ -A li. h i\>'\ ""W (.:- I f 'rfii i ! n 478 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVER%'. tj' ij 1]., rt^: ^\H]} ^1 •11 Oct. 1 1. Del. |-.>. fhl. I.;. (I.I. It. iirt. !,<;. 0,t. IH i)-i. i: I), I. 18. On. 19. than the hnlf ofour needful voyage ; while it was absolutely neces- sary for her safety, tliat she should be removed to a place where she could float, which was not less than a hundred yards oflf. We gained but thirty feet by all our exertions. The weather did not change, and we advanced forty-five feet. On the next morning a fog covered the rigging with ice, and we gainetl as nnicii more. The thirteenth was a beantiful clear and calm ew ice in the offing had been once more broken up, .so as to show some clear wafer. The ship was a. / '1 ■ ' if It fi-l i! ) Ir i5 ■ i ■ I ) ! I ii f'f I if ,i i!;, f'^^BI 480 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. > ( ' i ii k ^' hS ■••■II J' o,t .'!J. night. Tlie snow on sliore was knee deep, and made walking very lal)orions. We gained but thirteen feet; the ice being very thick, and freezing again as fast as it wascut. On the next we advanced fourteen more, so as to have eleven feetat low water. There was some at night, and the temperature rose to fi° plus. Ooi. .')0. We now cut six feet further; it was not much, and there were two hundred yards remaining before we could obtain deeper water or a better position, being work for a hundred more dfiys, at the same rate. But the ice was daily becoming so much thicker, that we could not hope to make any impre.ssion on it during that time, i»t all proportional to what we had already alFected ; and as our place was at least not very unsafe, hemmed in as we were all round l)y ice, we concluded on putting an eu> ■■( » : P i i! "ii-K^ tmi I J H'-^'^Ji ^ \i AiCDUiil iif I'ruvkiiins tni Inidrdof llic I'iilttri/ on f/ie first i>j' October, 1830, together with the Arntiiiiviiiviils llieit iiindcjor the Glen's Diet. lb. Pri). fur ■-' years lor Q;t mtii= 19,514 = IlLiniiiiiiii.; on Ixiaril 17,.'i()4 lb. Andrrw's tloiir lliliils. cnntaiiiiiij; 79'J8 I Scott's Hour 7 luU. I'oiitaiiiiiig ;il(i4 . 5/ I'iMv's Hour .S ciisks, contiiiiiiiig I9'J liiirliN'ssuft :!(ilb. Vury'sdo. 180=1080 llr. 1 Lrss tliim fur 'J years - '2150 lieilwfU's raisins 700, bread l.'iOO = -2000 do. I But with ,',; allowance for waste will only a • ' last to June I, 183-2. Salt bcel' 2841 lb. salt pork .'j^.',i) lb = 8 194 \ Proportion ol'salt beef, pork, \ and preserved meat for 27 1'2,061 Preserved meals - - =5050 J= Ueniaining on board 13,'250 This surplus consists entirely in salt pork; there bcini^, with allowaueo for bad canisters (inly -^ of pork ... . - 1189 surplus lb. -v lb. .Sui^ar '2 hds. and 1 box Bedwell 1 184 lb. / Proportion for 2 years includg. waste 28'28 3.1 r 30 ) = Remain Fury 2; B. 1049lh. Molasses 1 cask •223.1 ainint; on board 2738 Quantity of sufrar. short of '2 years, from October 1 , 1830, - - 90les^ Cocoa ti cases, termed Bedwell, 595; l''ury 2,' barrels, G14 = 1209 lb. Proportion foi 2 years 1371 lb. Dill'. Ili2 lb. less than 2 years' pro[Jorti(iii. But the 162 short for 2 years made good by tea 1 chest, 82 lb. ,j ditto, 14 lb., which will complete tea and cocoa for two years. I'e is, split, 7.J casks, 18 bush. G gall. ; round do. 1 bag, 3 bush. (1 gall. = 22 bush. 4 gall- Proportion for two years, 32 bush. 4 gall. = short of two years, 10 bush. .Spirits, rum, 120 gall. ; Uice, 250 lb. ; Lemon-juice for one year at the present allowance. Pickles 4 small casks; slicrrl hnion 2 cases; Mustard 2 boxes; Barley 2 casks, and 5 jars. This isexelusive of prcservicheuie which we could have adopted. 1. Mouilay — ^J poiMid salt b( ef and ;? jround of flour. 2. Tuesday — J pound preserved meat, and j pound ditto with barley in soup. 3. Wednesday — 1 p lund of pork, with pease soup. 4. Thursday — 3 pound of preserved rni at with j ]iound of preserved meat with barley so\ip. 5. Friday — J pound of salt beef, and i pound of Hour. TO TIIK AllCTIC REGIONS. 48.3 P. Saluiday— J pound of piisorvcMl inuat with A pound of ditto luadc into Ijai-lcv l)mil,. *• Sunday — 1 pound o( pork with jicasi.' soup. «. Monday—:; pound of preserved meats will. ve!,a>tal)le soup. Tims li.e nion would have soup on six days out of every ei-lit— and on the other two, beef and piiddiiijr—whilo a constant siie- cossion of diet would he obtained. Thus we trusted that their lieaUh and strensith woukl l,e kept up, so as to enable them to go through the fatin^ue of traveliinL.- in the spring-. The place of tlie .ship, I must now remark, was in a hay exteiid- ing to the soufh, after enterii.ir the inlet to tlie eastward, which was termetl Sherir.s bay, while the point to the cast was called Watch point. Though the clear water in the offing did not reach so far south as in the preceding year, it was longer open; and notwithstanding the occasional severity of the cold, the mean temperature was higher by five degrees than in the corresponding month of lH-2i): the highest having been 24, and the low^^st 12. It closed also at plus 24', being 40° higher than on the tinal day of last October. On the whole, having but the surgeon to spare for the chace, the produce in hares had been respectable ; but this tract ha^ ing been the residence of the Esquimaux in the preceding year, the animals in general had been frightened away or exterminated. The place where we were now fixed was very near to JJie huts which they hud then inhabited. M" m} !'■ 3q2 !li ■Mi V a / ^:ir I II a i' I li ^ i 1 h' Ml 1- 'I ■■ • , I .^ I V I ' Nov. I. \..v. ■ \"uV. I. Niiv. 4. Nov. .-.. Nov. 7. Nov. ^. Nov ;) 484 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY •■» ' I CHAPTER XXXV. TR.4NS.\CTIONS IN NOVEMBER — SUMMARY OF THAT MONTH — PRO- CEEDINGS IN DECEMIiER, WITH A SUMMARY. 1 Ills month began at least favourably ; the temperature aver- agiuif *ir |)bis, with winds varying both in (breelion and intensity. To eommeiice our winter preparations, the sails were unbent, and the topmasts unrigge; :l. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. AH.') Nu>. 10. N.,v, II Nov, r. \m. I;;. they uere employed in breakinif up the snow round the sliip, and on the folh>\ving, in bankini*' it up, as they had done hist year. The weather on those two days varied much, and the ranue ot" the thermometer was from plus 10" to minus Kf; hut, on the eleventli, there came on a very severe snow-storm, which histed sixteen hoju's: the temperature varyinu^ between minus 2 and minus 10 . No work coukl have been done outside yesterday, Imt it l)iing fair and motlerate to-chiy, tlie end>ankruent went on. It was not less fine «)n the next, but the thermometer fell to minus "iO", beinu' the lowest we had yet experienced. On the .same «lay in last November, it was plus 20'; making- the great dirteren».'e of 4(» degrees. It was a clear and calm Sunday, but cohl enough, as the thermometer tell to minus 'if) . A bright aurora borealis was the only noticeable event. They had been rare or al)sent for a long time. .V fire-hole was cut in the ice «mi Mondav, and the em- bankment went on. An overcast skv on the next dav cause |.l \,.v, |-,, N\iv. !(., N.->. 17. .\i.\. It-'. Ni.>. li'. NnV 'JO. Nov -.'1. h I ■' 'I r> i >M l\ y ■i ' '11 !i ; r !ri|i;.i' '^' 1- ii 486 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Nov. -':;, Nov. J I. Nov. ■.'."). \o\. ■.'«,. No\ . -.'7. N.)v. :s. SViv. -iO. trap ; bein^' tlie first that we had seen tliis season. It was young and starved ; and iunnediately devoured what uas ottered ; we gave it the phiee wliieh had been rendered vaeant l>y the death of a former white one. A pilhir tor the therniouieter was erected on the t'oMowing day. 'J'iie onlinary works went on as usual ; the weather gradually herouiing colder, though clear; and thus several transits were obtained. The thermometer was at 3J)' minu.s, and the mercury froze tor the first time. It has been thought that nun'ury expanded on cooling, like many other metals, and woidd therefore break the bulb of a thernuMueter. This does not hap|>en ; and therefore it contracts instead of expanding, like lead, tin, and many more. The sun did not rise above the southern hills to-day; and was therefore not .seen from the ship, tiiough visible from the higher groimds (tn shore; it was the first warning of a very long night to come. The two last days of this week we e w ithout interest or variety. I'lie weather was alternately gloomy and clear, now and then threatening snow, anti the thermometer rose to minus Hi . On Sunday it was II , and the history of the rest (»f that day is as usual. Oil the preceding, the work of embarking, and other matters, had been going on. The morning being mild and fine, I walked to the place where the ship had wintered during the last season. I found that our old harboin* was nnich more hampered with heavy ice than it had then been : as was the ea.se e<|ually. with the bay. I 4*ertaiidy thought our present e direction posts for the natives, as it was probable they would come here before long to seek for the shi|>. I'hese marks simply pointed to her present place, and that was .sulhcient. Wr might even have concluded that they would seek for us till they found us, since their interest in the matter was greater than ours, as far as opinions went, at least; thougli oin-s was not small, when we expected to obtain fresh provisions, of some kind, from them. 1 saw neither aninial, nor trace of one. in this walk. Yesterday and this ery sevtre, tiatugh recovering a little towards the en«l. The mean was 41 less than in the last corresponding month. The niereiu'y tro/e also on the twenty-titth: and, though some bad mercury had fro/.en with us n K.lit % -f u: >l Hi 488 SFXOVD VOYAGE OF DISCOVEUV f *u fa ?'. ■,:i I ) ).' r< on the sevtiiteeiitli of IX^cembev, when the temperature was but iiV iniiins, it was not till the fourteenth of January that it reached 3i)°, so as to freeze that which was pure. I'he period of the real freez- inu: of mercury, between the two seasons, differed therefore by nearly two months. Haxing reserved the nieteoroloifical tables to an appendix, 1 have not hitherto introduced any such record into the journal of our transa('tions ; but as many reail>— 10°.774305 0.400 ^roMidiMgl.t — 10°.97165 vT.) Noon — .5'.073r)) I Id .Mi(lniglit — .12/7^ i'^"*''"'"'"'-'"'f-?_ 4^703,(315 4^723,.il.-, 5' .016 IF. 133 4-.200 fi^.'2.583 4°.G083 I8-'9-30. S Qrwrx lower in 1330 than 1820, by 4 dogiTCs and 7, &:r. nan uneler. leiiiiietaturc i>f the Uarnnietcr and Chronometer Room. lit '• \.M. ;iii.o(i7'.3 I S30 mean 30.02283 at il A.M. :!!t.08 I 1830 mean 40.42.'> It .) I'.M. 3l).(l3(i()3S at .1 P.M. 41.80 ) Till' Tempprntiiro of the Iciwer deck was I.'. — of my cabin 34 —and of the eabiii -W" W'v had no occasion to alter onr opinion of our harbour, as to good or evil. Our vessel was out of the stream of the drift ice, when- ever it shoidd move, and that was a most important consideration. The whole month had been occupied in housing the ship, building (he embankments, and levelling the huunno«ks of ice near us ; and having now had m«»re practice, we had tlone our I 1' |. i, TO TIIK AFICTIC REGIONS. 489 work better than in the ureeedinjf year. The lower deck had been rendered bi>'hter and more conitbrtable, by a i'oat of white paint. The observatory had l)een erected on a rork as near to the ship as possible, and its eonstrnotion ha(4 and a half thick. We pnrsned in vain two willow partridges; bnt the time for sporting was now very nnich <'ontracte«l, even haise, since it h'-»s no duty to perform for vegetation ; and if the .snow protects any thing, it is a soil without plants to derive J)enefit, or rocks which are alike indifferent to rain or drought, heat, or cold. Our tanks had now once more come into full use, since the cleaning them on Saturday night produced three bushels and a half <»f ice. That was a proof that we were warm enough between decks; and the comfort was disputed by no one. I formerly describetl the nature of this contrivance, when I suggested also the principle on which it acted ; comparing it to the condenser of the usual steam engine. But I ought then to have said what I may do now, namely, that by this very sim{)le expedient, all necessity for the opero,se means formerly adopted for preserving the comfort of tile men between decks has been superseded. It is well remem- bered that none of the expensive contrivances in cork linings, (»r whatever else, prevented that condensation of steam from the human and other evaporation within the ship, which caused a per- petual dripping of water, and rendered the situation of the people 3 r2 .■ I It it ;1 (I, fA nii;^ li'' 1 I' 4J)> SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY mm ii ■1. \ '■ll 'Hi 1 '• \ \ I ti I.. ,'l» most uncomfortable, particularly in tlieir sleeping- places. T (l<» not wish to pass any censure on those who suggested those contri- vances, and am the less entitled to do this, when my own ship in the vovaire of ISIH was not free from the evil in question, anti when the ju'eseut scheme liad not occurred to me. But iiaving now l)een fully trietl, and with the most perfect success, I may safely recommend it anmiig those fittings which should be a|)plied to every ship undertaking a voyage in the.se nortlieru regions. iJii. i. The week was ended in the usual manner; and tlie refer (ish oil, has made bones a substitute lor band>oos, and blubber for pineap|)les; learning al.su that a seal-skin is a more titting dress than a cott«>n wrapper, and that snow may be substituted for wood and stone : while, not ,1 1' TO THE ARCTIC KKGIONS. 49y forgettini^ to hriiii;- with liim fire, and what is better, as iinieh cun- ning as he can convert to use, he lias made hiinselt'at home, and is so at home, that he wouUI envy no man of any country, nor any country of any man, even though he knew what they were, and what they possessed. Is not the animal as vain of himself and his superiority as any other man under any other life ? If he is not much vainer, then it is not true that the vanity of all rude and ignorant people is commensurate with their ignorance and rude- ness, lint the arrangement is admirable; and philosopiiers ale right: — in the generals, however; not so right in the a|)plicatioii. Man, in the mass, is equally happy in all conditions of life, all regions of the earth, and all states of cultivation. It is a very ilirtereiit thing to maintain that, individually, all are ((lually ''"PP^' '^J* t'"Jt> to all, there are equivalent compensations of happiness and surtering. If there >vas little novelty to-day, there was at least the rirst lh<. ;. glorious evening that we had seen; the joint morning, noon, and evening of a sun which never rose and never set; which, promising both, performed neither, and of which tlie higliest noou was l>ut a twilight, creeping, not along the horizon, but over the short space which iohi us that it would see us no more lor a long time. Vet it was a glorious golden meridian of twilight and sunset ; \\ Idle the crimson clouds were brilliant with tints rarely seen in the more favoured climate of our own country. The erection of an observatory for the magnet had occupied Uk . >. our [leople }esterday, and found them work this day. There was nothing worthy of peculiar note on the two following. The wea- iXt. 'i. ther was, on the whole, agreeable, though varying; but it ought Dec. H. to be called tine. The lower raiiues of the therinomefer varied ! \ ^' \ I Mi ■, f t' mi III i, h |f 1 / 1 i Ill /'I 'vii 494 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 1 ( .; 'ii (I f :. I 4F pic. II. between 10" and 32° minus, and tliis was the termination of another week of durance. They who were fond of idle puns, thought the term Sherift''s harbour not misapplied. ]Jcc. 1-2. Tiie men who went on shore for exercise, after church, saw the Dec. 13. tracks of a glutton. Monday, like Sunday, wjis calm and clear, Dec. 14. and there was an aurora of no great note. On Tuesday there was little change in the now unavoidable sameness of our occupations and our amusements. On this and many other days we tracked animals and did not see them ; carried guns and did not fire; watched for the invisible sun that we might at least know it wa."< still in exi.stence ; and were not sorry when (I cannot say the day was done, where all was night), but when we might at least end another of our own days by going to bed. pec. la. A strong breeze, with snow, formed a sort of variety just now ; but it imprisoned the men, and that was an evil. No one is much the better for thinking : tho.se who had nothing very cheering to think of, were always the worse. They who copMiianded had however no great right to believe themselves o' u, more hopeful and buoyant character, than tho.se whose business it was to obey ; whatever the fact might have been as to either party. Tliey had an object in view which the others could scarcely keep in sight : jind ambition, or vanity, or whatever else, looked forward to a gratification which, under any success, could be little to tho.se who had only to follow as they were directed : participating the labour, yet, if not the fame, so also, be it remarked, free of all anxiety, and subject to no responsibility. Dec 1(3. There was little to note this day but a slender aurora. The weather and the temperature scarcely differed so much from what they had generally been for some time, as to require notice for any H TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 495 Deo. H». Dec. -20. Other object than tliat of a register. The present work of the men Dec. i7. was to cover tlie boats with snow, for the purpo.se of protecting tiieni from the weather. A strong gale interrupted this, but did not h>st beyond the day. Yet it began again on the following, though .soon Doc. is moderating, and giving us the remainder of Saturday for our .seve- ral works, now not requiring notice. On .shore, the efi'ect was to harden the snow .so that it could generally liear our weight, anf IH! ! .1 ill' m •: i' 1»j Si t' ml m H 1 I Mil mi i^'i m I ' IK li III .: [-.il I. i ( "1 1 1 \ 1 1 1 } 1," ( 1 I ir ni :nf I Ijii H* . ]t' ; 1^ i'4 i'" I' ,1 'I MhiMi t <^ M I),.'. .'",. DfC. i'i. \\r.l7. D.c. ■.'>'. DlT.-.'". D.c. ■;•). 496 SECOND VOYAOE OF DISCOVKRY further biirina: the rocks anements in good order, and tixed on a reasonable temperature at which to rei>ulate the dwelling place of the men between decks. The month and the year ended toijelher with verv cold weather, ft was the highest tide that we had yet seen, l)eing nearly eight feet and a half fn summing up a month which presents neither variety nor interest, I may tirst make a few remarks respecting tiie transactions of the year. It is the i)eriod which contains the chief of our disco- veries; and although these do not occupy a large geographical space, they are of great importance, since they have so narrowed TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 4j): tlir limits of investigatiuii as to reiuler it possible to tiiiisli what iviiiaiiis to be done, in a single season, and with iiineh less of iiazanl and expense than would otherwise have been necessary. There is now some reason to believe that we might have extri- cated our ship in the present winter, had we proceeded in a ditierent manner ; had we begun sooner, and attempted to creep along the shore. In this matter, however, I thought it prudent to yield to the superior experience of Commander Ro.ss in this kind of navi- gation ; and the more especially liecause he, in particular, was acquainted with this great inlet. He consitlered such a proc-eed- ing not le.ss perilous than laborious, and entertained no doubt that the ice in the cliannel would clear away in time sutHcient t<» enable ns to make as great a progress, or a greater one, by the same date, and without needless risk. That his anti(;ipations were wrong, the event has shown ; whether we might really have suc- ceeded by adopting the other plan, will never be known. The ship appeareil to have suffered .some damage by being so long and so often aground, since she was again leaky. Hut our winter accommoilations were perfect, and the men seemed as healthy as possible; having apparently profited by our new system of diet. If the regular exerci.se contributed to this, that was (.'onducive to another good end ; since the men would thus be well trained for travelling by the time the season should arrive. Though the weather had been often very cold, the temperature was very changeable; nor was the mean so low as that in the last December, by four ilegrees. That mean is minus 20.24; the highest temperature was plus 6, and the lowest, being on the last day of the month, was 47" minus. as , I 'ii rlViii ti 'I t Mf '} ■a ■ ! : Ki tj i 498 SiKCOND VOYAOK OF DISCOVKRY ■ I J ABSTRACT OF THE METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAI, i: I . . ' 1 J ; .. '. I or. (> ^ i o n o S.:t!i(l..\..vV.ar5.NNVV.187."NWliN.(j.SW.6a. NWbU'.o. WnW.ii. WliN.n. SV'.s,-- VviiS.o. WSW.o. SWl.W.o.sW.iHi. Sft'bS.ii. ".ssW.i'JD siiw.iir. 4 1 n li. .1 ,'. i< , .1 II !i.,-!), SbE.ii. SSK.ad. SEbsi). SE.s. SKIjE.u. KsKii. k1iS.II. 7 (I ,S It o v';l n E.5. EbN.o. T2NE.10. NEbE.i). NE.o. NEbN.o. NM'..,-|. NbK.o. NWy. -3J5 SWy. -2J0 SEy. . li'.' NEy. = 40 K'.air.NbW.o. N'.^W.s. N\VbN.o.T«W.». SWbW.i). WnW.o. Wun.o. 17" 7 " .i7 II l;l II SWy W.ii. WbS.o. wsw 15. sWb\V.os\v.i33. sWbs.o. ssW.ys. sbW.n. i.i.i .1 II II I. I) II t SEy. s.rjli. sbK.ii. ssE.n. sEbs.ii. SEO. sEbE.ii. EsE.ii. Kbs a. .11 1) II _ .If. ii. 7.1 II NEy. ^ifii.i K.a. EbN.o. ENE.IO NEbEO. NE<4. NEbM.I<.^.^•NE.I.VV NbE.O. NU'y, = l(ll 102 (.■I ;i i'.l 44 Ifi II NWy. -212 \.ji>;I.Nb\V.s.\ V\V.(Io. "frWiirJ.o. N W..so. NW iiW.o.ttN ftM i. AViiN.o. I 1 i< II II 7 1 ) III :■ S'tVv 1()2 W.BJ. WbS.il.W.lW.'JJ. S\VbU .11. SW.k;. S« b.S.l. .SSW.*;. SbW.rt. ,' 1 .1 t .1 4 _ i> II II SKy. - 31 s.u. iSbB.o. SsE.i. .sBb^ .0. XE.i. i>T:bX:(i. RsK.o. KbiTo. I t II I _ ;• 4 1 I H II NEy. -.101 Ell. Eb.V.ii. ENE.I. NEbE.a. ..E.!);. N EbS.a. N.N E.ilil .M.E.o. TlllHl. (i.'ir tlimrs. n; (Id. i-tilm rn"31 ilaya. Tiitiil. till li'iitrs. 12 till. Willi! vbliv lliililii. laliii. (l,-2 . 2S itnys. Tiitnl. .MOll.Mll". 2;ii till. L'lUm. rii ' 31 iliiy>. JAM .\11V, IMii lliirlicst, Kmvsl, &1 _,_,. ... ,, nu'iiii ti'tMi'iiiiliirc ' ' ' " ' liitHl fiini'i'l ibt' Whiil . . . lli.-,li Miaii f.irii' lit till' WliiJ . . i3.ti rniin miv. i-m. IliKlKM. Ii,wi-1, & U 1,1-1- m 11 T.it.il Mill- 111 Ihv XMml . . . Iii'» M-an fiin-i' ii( Hit' Wmil . , .r.t M.MICII. ls:lo. niciiii U'lniuTiitiiri' 1 Tiilal fiiro' III llio WimI . . . r.&J. Mrnii fiirri'iil tlii'Wiiiil . . .j: r \f - 1 .1 4.' I .''• ■' NWv. 2lli T .N l!U NbWilil.NNW'.Ua.NWb.N.o. N« ,il-...SW bW.o.W .S W.rtJ.W b.N.il. I VI .% ;t 4 o 711 II 'J i.i 4 KWy. —aflO ^V.l•2ll.\vbS..^. WsW.i.io. SWbW.o. s\v.2m. SWbSo. >>\V..VI. Si.W.lg III .1 III II I',' II II '■ SEV. ' 113 .X 5H. Sb(r.;i. SsE.iifl. SeIiSo. sE.aa. -"KiiEo. l'..sE.o. I'.bH.o. I . II n [I CI I. I 1 ■ ii ^E^ nil E.23. EbN.o. KNE.o. NEbEo. NK.ihh. NKbN.o. NNE.Jiih. SbE.o. Total. fi.'it biHir^. ' .'ill till, rallll. rao- :io ^h\\■^. J lliltlli-t li.v.i-t.nmU ,1 ., n,,„, iiu.iii l*'iii|n'iiruri' ' i»-i..iiii I'oUl lori-i- III tbc Wliiil . . iri*lt Menu fnt.-i' ii( III.- Wlriil MJ II NW\ M' .HI II 7 1 II H " 17 I Nllli. NbW.aj.KNW'.m.l.SWbS.o. N\V.r;l. .SWIiW.u. W.NW.U.-i.WmN.ih. I II " .,'1 II 111 1 .1 . II SWy. 112 W.IIJ. Wb.S.O WSH ro, sWbW.O. S1V.?1. 8Wll8.ll. SSrt.3). KbW.IO ill 1. I. II i'.4 I li II .sEy liio S.,"l(. .SbE.I3. 8»E.r. MEIiS.O. NK.II. ."(EbK.I. KsK.lo. I'.bs.o, 111! i II II ,1 >■ II pill I NEy. r-3:li E ma. EbN.K. «NE.O. S'EliK.il. NICH, NEb.N.ii, N N E 2.'iH, M.|; l, — - I'lllKl. 700 liDiirK. II il > i-alni. 7il -31 dnyn. M\\, I Kan, lll|tllo»t, IiiwpM, a 1 .... , . ,, . ni.'on liiMiiir.iiuri'l ' ' *'^ • li.tiil luri't' III llii' \Mii I I.M \K.\n fiiri'i' iif till' Winil 1^.7 'I r I ' 7 1 II 4it n Jii I II NWy. ^133 N l:li.Nli«.o SVW I'jd SnViiV.o. >v\..2.i N»li\V.o. «N\Vi. «'i,S o I, .1 f.,i II 4i, 1 1. >l\^ y "210 U.j77.«bSo.\\»W.i. SHbtt.o. sW.iao. HWb.H.o. S.SW.iou. ShW.a? Ill 11 ',• II n II 11 II HEy. - 12 ».\» MbR.o. iiNR.i. Sl.bS.o. 8E.a. kr.bK.o. E.sEii. Kii.S.u. l.\ <> . ..II 4. 1114 I .' I II NEy. -Jilt I II i.l,\.o. ESEu. NKbEu Ni:.\7.lM:bN 111 NNEuili M.E o liitiil I'mi iiiiiii.:, 71 llii. rilliO. Till 1:1 ilH).. .nvE. I- lliirliu..i, liiwi'.t. A ttiriiii leniiirrntiiri' riilul I.I.I' I.' Il;i. Wlliil Mriili fiirrp iif th". Wliiil ■{HU 1 13.1 TO Till: AIUTK IICGIONS. ^ 1 1 1 N.i-^> M,>\.i. N.NW.ij:,.\\VliN.ii, MV.«;t. Nwi>\v.i i.WMV.o. wli's o. 1 > ' ;' i.KUb».l).\VN\V.l0. WhS.;. ^ ' f .^ ^ I 17 (I I ;i ' swv. ■ W.!!.!. Wl.S.J. WSW.l;l. SWiiW.H. SW.;!-.'. SU bS.i). .S.SW.IW. SbW.rt. j 1 ,1! . 7 '1 I .i 11 II II .SKy. h.m. SbK.ii. N.sn.i?, .M-;i).s.ii. SKKi. Si;i;IT:n. IvsD.n. Kb.s.ii. ■' " I " " t I III ■! M!v. ^..^■ l:hN.o. KNU.l. NKIilO.ii. Mi.lMi, Nl:bN.:l. N Mi..-,u, NbK.JJ. •un'] Tiiial. »7 I linil iMiiirs. Hiiln. wind vbli-. V(» ilii. caiiu. i.l!l ril '11 clayn. 400 Jl'I.Y, H;1CI. HiBliORt, lowest, * 1 mpaii tcmiHTaliirt' / ^'" ^ ■'- ^ "■!. Total lorct' tif tbi' Wiiiii . I tin Moan force of the Wind . i_* ii:i .\l'(asT, isilii HiBhfHt, lowest, Sil ^, , ,., ,,^. iiieaii ti;i.4j ;n (iR f'ii IV tf ■! ' i^o 17 NWv '31(1 N.JJl.SbW.l;ia.\ N \V lili.VU liN.iii.N W ,1 jjl.WN b"W..-,.\\ S, W,,"!!. WbS.a!). *■> 17 I "i 7 t !' '' It 1 I * S\\ \ I'r NV.liiiP.WbS.JS. \VS\V.,-i|. l:i. NKrti. Mib.N ..S.VK.llJ. SbK.ll. __ It 1 I.' k__ 1,1 .t 10 .',1 ■' -, NWv 't'J N..ii .SbW'.ij.N.\W.in.NWbN.io,NW.mvN\Vb\V.in.w.sW.ioo,wnN.«7. ;'." ..II I .' - 1 o7 .11 I .' t SWy. -ni tt.jiici,Wiis,ii. wsw.nja.sttiiw.j. sw a.'ij. SHiis.j;. s.sw.aii suw.^. ,i i I ■> 1 o i I II o I. SEy. -110 S.llill SliK.M. SSE.IO. .SEIlS.O. »E.a.l. .Slillir.O. liSK.O. EbS.1,1. k.i.-ii.HiiN.o. asy.i. NElVK.o. NR.rs. Nt'bN.ia. NNE.ui. m"iK..1. " ''' — I "'I " -t" 1 t> .'i t 11 II N\\v--2"S N.4»;i, MiW.O. N N W.oa. .S » IiN-.;r. NW.l h. N^\ bW.il. W .■< rt'.'J,-,. W h.N.o. 7 ■' II 'I .1 lit II 1 .1 i> SWy, ~ I)- W.H-.. Wll^,0. WSW.O. SHIi«.l;l. SW.ll. SWIl.SO. SSW.ll, SliU .«. " ' ■-' II „ .'' .'ll ;'li :l II SEy. 143 s,<;. sbli.a. s.ii'.'S. SEbS.ij. sE.ii:). SEbK.s3. ESE.ii. libs.o. liilii liiMirs. T till. wiiHl vble. I,- do. culm. ,-ao - 30 Ja)s. I'olal. liUl Iniins. I do. wind vlile III do. ctlliii. I I r.. l.oN.ii. I..NE.JO. Ni;i.l;.4. N'n.iii, NKb.N.i;,. NNK.s. .NbE.O. SEy. II !H .11 day- Total. .'dlM lioiirs. 11 do. wind vbic lOH do. culm. r-.'o 10 days N.Mj.NbW.o.S.NW ..-.iji. sUb.S.liH.NH.H 1 . NW V. 211 NUbW 0. W .NW.Jll. Wl.N w'.oi. wiiS.n, wV\v.:iii. .sw'bw.o. sw.iii. .swiisii. NMVdo. sii'w.j, ' '' """ 121 .^1 -.\'i o o I EbKii. NK.o, .NLUK.O. N.VE.IJ. NbE.O. I'olal. tiil lioiirs. I do. wind vble III) do. ealtii. 7H 31 davs SEITEMIIEH, ls;hi llit'liest. lowest, and 1 mean leiii|ieniliire f +'■' * ' '"•■ '- Total l.irec vi tlie Wind . . Jli-tl Meari force of the Wind . Kr.rii OCVDIIKII, is.io Highest, lowest, Xi-l .,.._,.,. ,„,,., nieati tciujicratiirc ; "I' ■ Total force of llio Wind . 11 ,r, Mean lorce of tlie Wind . Os.s NOVEMIlElt, i~io. Ilicliesl. liiwe-t, J< \ ., mean lcm|ieratnre ; ^"' " ~'ll^ Total force ol the Wind lioil Mean force of tlie Wind iiiiio l>E( KMHEII, is.io. Iliilhe-t, lowcsl. \ 1 mean temiicr.itiire I !-"—'■ — Jn.-'l Total force of the Wind . Mil Mean force of the WiiiiJ . . ,^^,4■i M m ^ '• f'l ¥i I' ■iri.rK I Hit •J s i 'I 'I'! I , •)00 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XXXVI. I ' I ' J ■* »■; Jan. I. ,1,111. J. .Ian. .1, A. & .'.. .1,111. ii. ,laii, '. ,1.(11. s. ,Inn. ;i. TRAXSACrrON'S ON nOARO THE SHIP IN JANUARY, 1H31 SIMMARV OF THAT MONTH. FEBRUARY : WITH ITS SUMMARY. MARCH: ITS SUMMARY. 1 HOUGH tlic temperature remained at minus 47\ it was ealm, and the cold wa.s not severe to tlie feelings. The colours were lioisted, and the ship dressed out; new year's playe«l, while there was occasionally an additional halo of five degrees, eipially coloured. The whole .Ian. Ill, • Imi. i;i. .I;ni. I I. ,i;iM. \.;. ■ Ian, li.. ,lari. IT. .laii. 18. ■ Ian. \\>. I.lll. '?{!. :i. .V .'-'. l;il ; '4 '' lli f;i !il li ll m '< If a i|*'( I 'I i ! M tmm J' ' I 1 1 W2 SECOND VOYAGK OF DISCOVERY 1 ( ; < I .'1. .t ■^". I, in, •-'... 1.1 n. jr. I, 111. J^. .1,111. 2'>. ,1,111. 10. .1,111. :>l. ;i{>pearance lasted an hour; when the weather became hazy, witli snow. 'J'here was a tVesh breeze, witli more snow, on Sunday. Monday was clear, with the thermometer at minus 11 ; and, risinij^ to 7' on tlie next, that also proved a very mihl day. On the twenty-sixth, the sun readied the ship tor tlie first time, and slione bright. The bind was very clear, and mucli elevatetl by refraction. Commandei- Koss was empU»yed in measuring a base. A remarkable halo occurred to-day, about the sun, being, of coiu'.se, somewhat more than a semicircle : the lower ends being red passing to yellow, ami becoming w hite in the upper part of the sky. There was little change of weather or occupation; but some w illow partritlges were shot, and many ravens, hares, and grouse were .seen, while on Saturday, a fox was taken. The temperature of Sunday was 1!) minus. After church, the men walked six miles to the islands where the natives had been resi- dent last year, but found nothing exci'pt the deserted huts and traps. The last ; TO THE ARCTIC KEGIONS. :")(>:{ There were many f>iiles, as tlie juiinial has sliowii ; and, «»ii all those days, tlje barometer fell and the temperature rose. IJiit it was an invariable remark, that, when the gale was Irom the north- ward, the former fell less, and the thermometer rose more, than when it was from any other quarter; as this was also most strikiny' when the wind was from the southward. The aurora? were very incon- spicuous; but the haloes were of a very strikinsi' character. The total of our sport in this month |)roduc d .seven foxes ;ind tour birds. The lak«! was at last frozen throuyh where wc tried if, and the ice nearly four feet thick: the increase haviii!.^ be»n ten inches since l)e<'end)er. Thouffh the sun was first seen on the nineteenth, s«Mne followiiiir days of thi<-k weather prevented us from obtaininti: a second siuiit of it till it was three degrees high. Daybreak was now at eight o'clock ; and thus we had abundant time for work and exercise. We had been disa|ipointed in not receiving the expected visit from the natives, but attributed their al».st'nce to the badness of the weather. The month began with a strong northerly gale, nnd llie thernio- i,i. i. meter rose till six in the evening, when it reached plus ({ ; beinu: the highest temperature ever «»bserved in these regions so early in the year. It rose to plus II on the following diiy, w liicli w sis cidin i,i,. j. and mild at the beginning, but ended in an<»ther e(|ii:dly sti'ong gale from the same tpiarter. Thus it continued on the thir zero, but rising a little in the evening, to recover the same degree at midnight. It was an over«'ast day with snow: the wind came rtMuid to the i,i,.4. south; and, in confirmation of my tbriner remarks, the temiterature I !| iH^ \ I ! li' ■II i". -^._ i 504 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY '( Vf nsii fell to minus 15^ The men had employment in building an obser- vatory tor noting retractions, and in repairing the others ; one of which had been shaken from the foundation, in consequence of its <'onnexion with the ice near us that had broken during one of the Fob. 5. past gales. Saturday ended with the thermometer at minus 24°. ivii.'., On Sunday it went down to 3'2 . 3Iany willow partridges were seen l)y the men during their walk after divine service. IM. :a i^. The coUl weather continued through the two following days, in which there was nothing remarkable but a slight aurora. Nor was K, I) ■). tliere much change on the next ; the only notiible occurrence was the taking of an unfortunate fox, which had lost its tongue through the frost, in biting at the iron bars of the trap. On the i\Ik m, tenth, the teuiperatnre reached 42" minus, and it was very cold. Anotlier fox was taken. I attempted, a second time, to make observations on the diurnal variation, but the needle would not traverse. iMi. !i. There being a .stiff breeze, with a thermometer at Si) minus, the men fuund it impo.ssible to walk on shore ; and it was the same on III. 1.2 Saturday. The tanks having produced five bushels of ice this week, r.!, 1 1, confirmed the remarks already made. Sun»lay passetl as usual, and iMi, i4. the weather was unchanged. In the evtiiingof IMonday, the tem- (lerature was down at 4') , and another fox was taken : as was a F.I. i.v second on the f'oUowiug day. In compensation, one of our own Fill Hi. e.scaptid on the next carrying off with it the chain. The thermo- meter went down one decree more. The .sea ice was cut through, and found to measure about four feet and a half Two more foxes were taken, of which one had lost its tongue in the same manner as a former. The escaped one wa.s TO THE ARCTIC RKGION^. 505 forgetful enongli to enter one of the traps, and was retaken on Saturday. During these days^ tlie temperature vacillated a little i-eb I9. about the low standard it had held for some time; it was 45° when midnight closed the week. Foxes seemed now abundant, Sunday morning having found Feb. 20. another in the trap. A very few grouse and hares had been seen latterly. On Monday, there was again a fox taken. The weather ivb. 21. was much the same as in the preceding week ; but, with a cloudy sky, it rose to 31^ minus on Tuesday, when again the trap produced Feb. 22 u fox. Had our former neighbours been at their old post, not much of this game would have fallen to our share. A fall of snow raised the thermometer to 22 degrees ; and this Feb. 2,1. weather continued till the following day, when it became clear, as Feb. 24. was the next, l, 7, M Hi' If K : TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. .->(>: tlu- dogs. We froze oil oftilinonds ' shot-mould, at minus 40°, and fired it against a target; which it split, rebounding unbroken. A simihn* liall of ice had no etfect. The two last will not b«' unintere.stinii'. The thernnnneter sank on this day, Sun- day, to minus o'i ; and the average of the twenty-four hours was but 4!) . At four on the j^ionday morning, the sun crossed the equator at this exceedingly low temperature; an occurrence which had no parallel in the preceding voyages. There was no change in this respect on the two follo>ving days; though the barometer rost- and fell several times. Thert was a ditlerence of a few degrees, for the better, on the next, when the .} r i Mmcli 1 1 . Maid. 1-2 March 1: & II. Marcli Miiich 111 .Marcli 1^. March 19. March -20. March 21. Manli JO March -2-1. Ill ;:• ':\ i- ■1- ■ 'i ' f ^ ^V n- M f! '-• I , it [I I ( V( I. ■'iM !■'■' I' '1 i.' .>08 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY .\Iaicli 25. Maicli -20. mean rose to 30°, and the heat in the clay to 25° minus. Friday and Saturday presented no material changes; and the thermometer on this last night was at 35° March 27 v'S, & 29. Sunday and the following two days were almost equally without note. There was variable weather, gloomy and clear alternately, with occasional showers of snow, and, latterly, a fresh breeze. The lowest temperature of the three days lay from 35'^ to 28°, gradually rising. Muili 30. ()u the thirtieth, a decided and a very pleasing change took place. The thermometer reached IT minus, and the day was so mild to our sensations that the men were congratulating each other on the " fine warm day," even when it had sunk to 20\ There could be no doubt that it did really feel warm ; sucli is the effect of contrast in this case. At forty degrees above th.is, it would have been a wintry cold seldom known in England, and we all knew what we should have felt there, even with this enormous dif- .\i4icii )i. ference. It was still warmer on the following, since it ro.se to 8^ in the day, and did not fall below 17^ in the night. Another month was ended. The great coldness of this month nuist already have been remarked. It had much exceeded that of the former corresponding * ones in the voyages of the preceding navigators. The mean was 3(V minus, being not less than seventeen degrees lower than the similar means during those, and it was eleven degrees lower than the lowest of them. The highest was 8 minus, and the lowest 52'. Much snow having tallen, nearly the entire surface of the land was a mass of ice and snow. On one occasion only, the latter melted for a .short time beneath the influence of the sun, on some •II. TO THB ARCTIC KEGiUNti. 4m rocks that were exposed to its rays; yet not ma. became lius exposed, and the eft'eetwas of no long duration. In thi Mif-li ot' tlje preceding year, however, during several days, the water was running down in streams. It was an adverse prospect as our future plans were concerned ; and had, at times, some etiect in casting a damp on the men, wliich their tire.some sameness of occupation had no tendency to remedy. Yet they were in perfect health. There had been none on the sick list, and there was no appearan(,'e of scurvy. Altogether, many observations had been made and recorded ; the place for which is the appendix, not this journal. In addition to many foxes, twelve white hares had been shot, with some ptar- migans ; but of our tamed animals, only two remained alive. Our disappointment in not seeing the Esquimaux continued daily increasing, as their expected arrival was the longer delayed. They furnished us with occupation and amusement, more required by the men than ourselves. VVe were also in want of seal's flesh for our dogs, which would have been starved had it not been for our success in taking foxes; for ourselves, too, fresh venison and fish would have been more than acceptable; nor were we so well stocked with skin dre.sses as not to wish for more. We still looked forward to their visits with hope. ',1 I \ H . 1 - ,11 I 1^! M A 'i ft 11 fii |l ; I:' ■ iv ! a". va 510 Si:COND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XXXVII. ' I, ..n I i r -It f ■! » ^ i ■■■»i tti ii ■ 1S31. April I. A I ml '2. April 3. April A. April .'). April April 7. April 8. Ajiril 9. April 111. April 1 I . M i; APKIL — AN EXPEDITION rNDEUTAKEN — ACCOl'NT OF TIUS JOlItNEY — SUMMARY OF THE MONTH. A HE weatlier iniproved very slowly: but, on the secomi, the iiinht temperature was zero, and the highest in the day, plus .'j \ The dippin<; needle was found to be out of order. On Sunday there was a breeze, which liecanie a gale on the folloA\ing day. The variations in the temperature were unimp(»rtant. Tliis was the day on which our travelling had commenced iii..; year. The condition of things was now very dilferent, besides which, we could not well manage without the aid of the natives and the assistance of their rove- ment. We were employed in preparations for a projected journey. I I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Oil This favourable change tlid not, however, hist, since it fell to '2ii on the following' day. Last year, at the same time, there were many pools near the ship and along the shore ; at present, all was solid ice. On the two next, the temperature gradually improved, and reached near to zero at noon. It came to plus 4' on Friday ; and settled, on Saturday, with 2 as its maximum. Preparations for travelling continued. The first snow bunting of the season was seen this morning. On Monday the preparations for our journey were coujplete, and we waited only for weather. A change seemetl promised the ucaI ' tonus; :" on which we proceeded to join them. It was the party which had wintered at Awatutyak, consisting of three families ; an»l they were now at their station near the entrance of the inlet leading to that place. They had been met by Commander Ross, from whom April I-.'. April 13 A- I 1. Apiil Ij. April lb. Apnl IT. April |!5, Aiivil I "I. April Jd. April 01 i'W F I ' ■.,) ni I ii- ■ti ' >* '^ 1^ 1 ) 1 1 \ ■ ■ i 1^. • I *■ I ") 1^' ■■ ! t t -It h 1 I ,1 ,11 r: '. i 512 SECOND VOYAC.K OF DISCOVERY I received a note, infonnina: ine tliat lie liad purcliaseainls ; and she repayed her physic by the stone which is used in striking fire, which was, in reality, a valualde present to make. iHi her part. Thej' otlcrcd us water, which is a scarce article at this .wason, as it reipiires much oil t«» melt any (piantity of snow; together with salmon, which we took, that we might not oH'end them; returning some trifiing presents. Inquiries about taniilies and new-born childr<>n were repaid by questions revpecliug our own people; one of the children had been .-) V 11 ■ 1 ^1 <• u It '!' i¥ { li»' ,\ ; :t H >i I' M. 1 >• It' :• I ol4 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY named Aijliiirira, in compliment apparently to Commander Ross, wiiose Esqnimaux patronymic it was. The presence of fifty seal- skins proved that their hunting had been successful ; and, besides the Hesh visible in tlie hut, there were depots in the snow. They had further killed two nmsk oxen and two bears, hoping that we might come to purchase the former ; in defect of which, they had been eaten. Of the bear-skins they had made dresses; but they had nothing of this nature to sell at j)resent. The rising of a breeze in the evening made our hut so cold that we were obliged to construct a crooked passage for it; and, after all, it was but at '2-') minus, at night, while our messengers had n(»t returned with the fish. We were obliged to amuse ourselves with playing at the Ksi|uimaux game of bear and dogs, with the chil- dren, to the very great delight of all the party. At midnight the two young men returned with the fish, which were very fine, and weighed, altogether, a hundreit and fifty pounds. The proMiist-il knile gave great satisfaction. Their own appear- ance, and that of their dogs, showed that they had travelled a long way, as they had also been absent fourteen hours, which we com- puteil to be erpiivalent to thirty-six miles. He sent them to l>e( TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 515 three dogs, for wliicli service, and a spear wliich he had made, he was to receive a file. We .set out accordingly, after presenting the women with a needle each. It was a fine day, though the breeze was strong ; for- tunately, however, being with us, it was not inconvenient. After four miles, we arrived at a high cape called Ne(»kouak, and then crossed the inlet by a nearer and better way than we had taken in '■onnng, thus also .saving a mile. Halting about halfway on our journey, for some rest and refreshment, we were obliged to delight our native friends: while the men had extra allowance, and so fi>rth, according to ciistom. One of the natives, being invited into the cabin, in- formed us of some of the afiliirs of his coterie. The wiclow of the dead man had innnediatelv obtained anew husltand; because she had five children. The because woidd not be a very good reason in ICngland, it is certain; the ready made family of another is not often a source of much comfort ; and that it is not a valuable pro- perty nenls not be said. Itut here, the five children were a com- modity of price, u great fortune, a source of profit instead of loss, 3u2 il, ! ; I »,(■ I- hi M { I'ltr tr i ' Mm»^ ^ :; 1 p I 11 It •'' in I' 516 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY and of happiness instead of vexation and torment. Even at eight they begin to be serviceable : in a few years they are able to main- tain more than tliemselves ; and when the parents are old, be they step-children, or entirely an*' absolutely adopted, as is also here the usage, it is on them that the helpless aged depend for that support which is a matter of course. There are no poor-rates in this country. VV^henever this shall happen, during the progre.ss of knowledge and legislation, the children will cease to maintain even them- selves, there will be an end to adoption, the witlow of five children will advertise in vain for a husband, they will all go to the work- house, and they who can catch seals will labour to maintain the inomy I nm.st not speak with approliation : yet there is some philosophit^al titness in it too, whencou|ded with that which has preceded. U'e nnist not pull a system of legislation to pieces, and then say that this or the other law is a bad one. Jj^i the whole Ix:* contemplated in a mass, and h»oked at in all its bearings, before we presume to decide what is right : that is generally right which is most fitting. It is the cus- I M >. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 617 torn to interchange wives. If the Romans diti the same, under very other civilization, I fear that their reasons are indefensible, though I need not here inquire what those were. In this oouritry. the views of the citizens may be |>hysioIogically philosophical, f(»r aught that I know to the contrary, though it remained to dis ■: -4 ' J-1; ! >» i I » il ii: k i !■ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Ol9 CHAPTER XXXVIII. MAY COMMANDER ROSS 8 JOURNEY. 1 HE temperature ranged to-day between 2' and 12° plus, as if a decidedly favourable change had taken place. After church ser- vice, Commander Uoss returned, having left his party about twenty miles oft" to the northward. He came for assistance to be sent to them : the mate Taylor had been frost-bitten in one foot, so that he could not walk, while it had become necessary for the other four men to draw him, although they were themselves much fatigued. All hands were therefore sent to n»eet them ; and while the mate was likely to be disabled for the remainder of the summer, the others seemed much in want of a week's rest. Commander I{oss reported, that from his party having been art'ected by snow blindness, he did not reach the sea at Awatutyak till the sixth day, JMonday, when he proceeded to look for the passage, examining minutely every creek, and traversing the whole line of coast on foot. Thus he determined, without hesitation, that there was no passage here to the western sea. It w us ])lain therefore, that the sea which the natives sup[)osed to lead to Neitchillee, was only the eastern sea, or part of the gulf at this place, between Port Logan and Elizabeth harbour: wiience it was plain that there coidd be no passage nearer than the latitude of TF 5o', where 1831. May I. f 1 I, :i ri Wfe ir i I'i r !« i t; 520 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEnv there is another great inlet. Tliis, unfortunately, was too far away to be examined by land from our present position ; and thence had we much reason to regret that we could not make a further pro- gress in the last autumn. All that we could now do, was to examine the line of coast to the westward of the peninsula; and it was lit days on tlieir way to a phice on the western sea, called Xeak-koif-na-geoo, and that they intended to travel across the country, by a chain of lakes Jeuding' to the sea, to the northward of \ei-tyel-le. The observations made during- the two preceding- winters, had led me to suspect that the magnetic pole lay in that direction, and at no great distance from our ship; and 1 was therefore very de- sirous to examine the spot to which they were bound. I prevailed on them, in conseeen built in the preceding year. In spite of a fresh breeze from the north accompanied by some drift snou, the weather was very fine, and, although with much ]al)Our, we at last succeeded in sur- mounting with our sledge the hills that lay between us and the lake Aw-wuk-too-teak. We had finished this journey by six in the morn- ing, and encamped on the north shore of the lake, about a quarter of a mile from the exit of the river which flows from it to the sea. 3x2 it '., ii( ,ii II m^i m { i 1^^ (t 524 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I here asoeiuled tlie liill of Ac-cootl-Ie-riik-tuk, and tlie iiiuniiiiju: beiiijr i'lear, obtained a very wide view, inoliidini; the entrance ot" the inlet vvhieli had so loni;: been the object of (»nr pursnit. It appeared to be about five niih's distant, btit did not seem very extensive. Some observations wliieh I pnx-nred, .s;ave the latitude at 7(> 3H ;i2", and the h>n,iiitu(le at OAiV west of the ship. Above our encampment rose tlie hill Il-low-na-lijy, and here was a snow hut in ruins that had formed the s«>litary winter residence of Now- ven-noo-ah and his wite. Apiil J.j. At eight in the evening, we proceeded down the course of the river to its estuary, under considerable snltering iVom the lameness of some of the men, consequent on the freezing of their boots, and from the blindness of another. The termination of this inlet being visible tV(»m an eminence whi(.-li I now ascended, and at no great distaniH', I cansid the men to encamp, and proce<-ded with Abernethy to examine it. Jl was not that I litre expecteil to tind that <»pening which the Es(|uinianx had described to us as leading to the western sea at N«'i-tyel-le, bet-anse that one, by their ac- ronnt, was so wide, that in sonu' places, one (tf the shores could not In' sftMi from the opposite side, though the land on both was high. Vet we had not examined the present one wlitn mc pasM'd down the coast in \H'2i), and as it was the ou\\ one that had bern neglected, I thought it necessary to make a miinite investigation of it, that we might not be drtaintd for this pin'pt'-'e when we shouhl proceed northward in the ship during (he ensuing sunnuer. .A|,iii .'I.. This survey was tinished in a satisfactory manner by srven in the morning of the 2(ilh ; so as to unite this part of the const with that which we had explored I'rom the ship. Thi' latitude of TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. '>'2r) our encampment was 70^ 4-1 2', and the longitntle 40 1' west ol tlie sliip. In the course of this walk I loun«l the monuments which we had erected in August, 1829, but the I'lsqiiimaux liad intenneihlled witii tliem, and taken away the coins that we had «leposited. Here, as in so many other places on this shore, the nn-ks consistetl of red granite ami limestone, the western side displaying the t'ormer, and the eastern one the latter. The view seaward exhil»ite«l a level ot' smooth ice to the verge ot" the hori/on, where, however, there were sharp points indicating a tormation Itelonging to the preceding year. Having thus accoinplish<-d the main oliject of our journey, I de- termined to return to the ship by the sea-coast, so as to survey this shore nn)re accurately than w»' had previously been able to do. W'v therefore set out at hall-past tive in the aftrrnotm, and in spite of a dense tog, contrived to keep on along the shore. On the twenty- \|,iii j- seventh, at one in the morning, wv reached the entrance <»f l*ort KlizalM'th, and Ibnnd our progress much lacilitated by the smooth slate of the ice, though the snow was often knee d< rp, A strong breexe, with nnicli drit't, ctMupellrd us however to hall at length, at four o'elock, on the southern bank of the isthmus, when there eame on the most violent gale, attended by dril'ting snow, that ue Inul ever witnessed, lasting till the noon of the twenty-eighth. It then moderated, and the weather beeame line in thr ai'lernoon; \|'i>l .'^ rt'lcasing ns from that narrow coiitinenient in our snow burrow, \ which we always frit to Im' niorr painful than e>t'ii a hard day's work. \\°econtrive nuich reduced beyond our ralcuhdion, in consequence of the deten- tions we had unelve hours. Three of the party had been thus completely exhausted, so that we were compelled to halt at f«o in the nutrniug of the first of May, abo\it three miles to the southward of Andrew Koss island. Itut as our provisions wen' now nearly expended, and as it was nece.ssary that the disidiled man should get medical assistance as s«»ou as possible, while in addition, the seamen could not proceed I ' >! ! P TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. .•>->7 for some liours, I set out alone for the sinp, that I inijiht send some relief to the party as soon as | ossible. The distance was only twenty miles, but the road l)eing l):r sale, they were sent to fetch it. The weather was cold to-day, with the tlierinometer about zero. On Tuesday the natives returned with a seal, but only with a small supply offish, as they had not been able to find their hoard : there were but six*y-five pounds. The temperature rose to plus 20 , and the mean was 4". The tw«» men left us, with a promise to bring us more .salmon, and a .seal, in three days. They were t(» fish here in the autumn, aiul at Neitehillee in the winter. Our new cooking apparatus proved t'rteetive: its advantage being, (hat il would r«'quire no fuel but tallow or oil. The ice near ns, In-ing «'ut through, was fiv feet and a half (hick . the (emperadire at night, zero. On Saturday a party was sent to bring back some stores that had been left behind to make room for the lame mate; and thuseiuled the week. After (;hurch we receivtil a visit from some native families. One of the men underto(»k to guide us to Neitehillee, by the lakes, in eight days; his reward to be a pole. Another, who had remained I ' TO THE ARCTIC RKOIOXS. 529 on board, went liome on the following, promising to return in four (lays. Neither on these two days nor the succeeding, Wiis m.iv lo. there nnich change ; though the mean temperature was gradually increasing. There was a strong gale, with drift snow, this day, which settled May ii. into a stiff breeze on the following. The native returned, but had .m.iv 12 nothing to sell except some clothing. The preparations for travel- Mi,y u. ling were in progress; and, among other things, provisions for twelve men . walk : these animals were apparently returning for the sunnner. Monday morning was employed in preparing every thing for our journey; and, at eight in the evening, the first sledge, with the pontoon and three weeks' provisions, and the second with the same <|uantity of provisions alone, each calculated for six men, set out to explore the second <'hain of lakes ami the west coast of the peninsula, as far to the northward as it was possible to reach. These parties were to be guided through the lakes by two of the natives. Calculating that we should reach the west <'oast in seven davs, our design was, that the second division under Coniniander Hoss should eontiuue their investigations, while the first n'turiied for a supply of pr(»visions, then contriving to nune back to the former by the shortest route. It was our further purpos*- to obtain from the natives some more geographical intbrmation, and also, supplies of provisions and elothiiig. Wf made nine mihs before mid-day; the weather being fine, but May ifi ro\i\. 4)n the next, we arri\e«l at the native huts at Neotaknag; Muv it. 111 Ijj # i |» Ti !| (! * M.iv 18. 530 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY preceding the sledges about an Iionr, and pitdiing our tent. Our promised guides were to be ready in the evening; and int'ornied us that many reindeer had passed lately, followed by a wolf. M'e had formerly found among them, a piece of a large spar, .some iron hoops, and some store.s, and had suspected that they had been either stolen from us, or sold by some of the men ; but our dis- agn^eable suspicions were now removed, and the mystery solved. They were articles that we had formerly thrown overboard to make room, and they had been found by those people. 1 ascended a hill about 800 feet high, to examine the country; and, by even- ing, our guides were ready, punctual to their promises. Our march had a very nomatlie and new appearance, as the line of it also was somewhat picturesque. The mother of the two men led the way in advance, with a stati'in her hand ; my sledge follow- ing, with the dogs, h(»ly a native drawing two skins of oil. and. at a distance, ourselves with one of the little boys. Many halts were made, as (»ur burdens were heavy, the .snow deep, and the i i Uoss;i We were surprised at finding this river open, but were more so fo learn that it had been in this state all the winter, while it was now running in a considerable stream. Ou further incpiiry. «e tunwA that tht re w« re many springs in the lake above, whi«'h was a mile off. Wv now liauled fhe sledges over a ridge, and obtained a view of it, lying, as it seemed, in a south-west direction. At one |)lace, the riv«r was confined by precipices eighty feet Iiigh, through M hich it forced its way in a space so narrow that we miglil iiluiost funcy ue could jump across it. The temperature of this water «as ;M . and it supplied us all with i i'* I ;]4- 1; ti "1 532 SKCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. I , I i ." ' ' • !; The ice on the hike was not so deeply covered with snow as that on the sea, but it bore no marks of dissohition. We proceeded along the west side of it, where a liigh precipice of the mountain desceiided, and pitched our tent at the distance of three miles from the river, close to the huts of the guides who had preceded us. In .spite of all our caution and care, one of the men suliered from a frozen toe, and was of little use during the remainder of the journey ; he had concealed the injury so long that we could do little good : the similar accident of another num was easily remedied, as he had given timely notice of the injury. The natives were here employed in making holes to deposit their heavy .stores, of provisions and other matters ; and by this we were much lightened. They also made some sledges of the fresh-water ice; the shape being that of a shallow elliptical basin. Two of the.se, fastened together, contained a considerable quantity of their goods, and could carry one of the women on the top of all : while, though very heavy, they travelled with consijicrable rapidity. It was not till nine, however, that they were ready to march, when we continued along the west side of the lake, the old woman still leading the way : tinding the sitles high and rocky, its breadth varying from one to two miles, and its direction more westerly. At eleven we reached a strait about a hundred yards wide, precipitous on the south side, and having, on the other, a low point coveretl with circles of .stones. These had been the sunnner tents of the present party, and here was deposited a store for them on their return. We were informetl that it was.-an excellent station for witching the lake trout, but that the .sea fish couhl not ascend so far, in consequence of the strength of the current in the narrow strait of the river just described. _H TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. r)33 While our men took tlieir refreslimeiit and rest, the natives made a hole in the ice for the purpose of fishing. We were surprised to fin1 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. .-j:{.'> to exiiiniuL' a new slt;(lj;e which they hiul lirou^ht up, and Avhi
  • th we tini.Nhed this dav's ionrnev, after havinu travclleJ) 4'V 'l{)\ and the longitude 9o. It was soon ; ,; cessary, however, to move again ; two of the nati\es whom we had ieii behind now joining us. Here, as at every )>lac( where we had stopped, they deposited a store, to await them on their returii ; but it was with much diHi<.'ulty that one of them ,M,.\ M n ::\ !i|^f l|;f 'I : \i "r™"^, i'~;'"-^r^-l»7:^v w 530 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY I ' 1 If fonUl be persnnileil to proceed, which I believe he wouKl not have iO at noon. M.,s ■>•,. \\i' started at oue in the morning, and keeping a westerly direc- tion, reached the end of the lake in two hours; when, passing a ridge of land again, we came to a ri\er called after the Crown Princess of Sweden, and having crossed it, arrivi-d at the channel of (he gr«-at river, .\fter a iieedl'ul halt, wf caiue to its mouth, which was at the bottom of an iidet three miles long. It was that which had beeu t'ornicrlv surveved bv Connnander lloss. 'I'lie lautl was here rugged aud precipitous, and, us was here rare, it I, TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 537 was somewhat romantic: the place wliere we first stopped was rallnl Padliak; and the entrance of the inlet liad been ascertained to be thirty-five miles from it, west by north. At this place we saw a herd of twelve reindeer. Here we also found three families of our acquaintance, in two M.i) ir huts; but were vexed to learn tiiat Kablala had departed sonn- tiine ago, that Ikmallik's party was beyond Neiteliiliec, and that we haes; guessing our rcMite as well as we could, amid the darkness and eonfusion wliieh was profhieed by tlu' density of the fog. .\( midnight we arrived at an opening resenddiug (hat which leads Ha •i l:i »'i II. I ;:i / I I L'f 1 \\ III I ■] ' ; :: '» "■' 1 1 ,'« li ' ■« .'>38 SKCOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVER V tVom Padliak to tlie great lake; where, finding n<» natives, I deter- mined to |>roreed, as soon as we had made the neeessary halt, since our provisions were now heroniing short. But having some tinte on my hands, in eonse(|nenre, F liere repeated the observations whieh I had formerly made for tlie pnrp)»se of determining the height of this lake aliove the level of the sea. May ."». Our tent was on an elevation whence I conld obtain a good view as soon as the weather should become clear, but there was a gale with snow, lasting all the day. In the evening it moderated. anearance of the land, that I scarcely recognised any of the objects with which I had foi-m«rly been so well ac<|uaiiitele for travelling than the rough ice of the land which wi had iiitlii rto laboured through, under no small I'atigue. Having thns far suc(<'i inttt with these harbingers of' the spring-time of this wintry land. A spring indeed, of v\liic|i the migrations nl those ami tiie otii) r animals which instinct drives to tln-se regions, is the onlv sign, since all else is deep W inter. W'llV the\ come, is better known to tliemsebes than to me. since we could never at tliisearlv season disco\cr where I ' TO THE ARCTIC UEGIO.NS. .>a!) tliey found tlioir food ; Imt it is l)est know n to Him who directs their fiiglits, and who, as He eannot deceive them, has assuredly provided for them tliose stores whicli He has ordered them to seek, that the table which He thus has furnisiied for them in the wilder- ness shall not be wasted for want of guests. y /The weather was calm and tine till four; and at right w» .M,i\ io pitched our tent on the land, having- tr.ivellcd fourteen miles, after which it became so (hick, that we couUI not proceed, \^'e however started again at eight; and, after sonit; diHiculty, found the valley which led to Shag-a-voke. \\\'. had seen some rein- ileer, and two hares; but couhl gel no observation of the sun. I was more fortunate afterwards in shooting two of the latter, and a grouse. I here repeate«l, once more, the observatio;is which 1 had .s«) recently made for the second time on the altitude of the land at this place, being very oke at <»nt in the morning, and .M,(\ u. ;i z i ,1! ! ', i!. 1 1 ( \ >\ I- • r I »( '• 1 i>40 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEaV left tlie boat for Commander Ross's party. George IJaxter, one of the men, was ill ; but being' much lightened by leaving this load, we contrived to proceed, and pitched our tent on the sea, about twenty-six miles from the ship, at seven o'clock. It soon came to blow hard, with snow, and as we could not get our bed skins dried, were not very comfortable, though well sheltered from the storm. Tiiis was nearly the place where we had encampel last year; and we could now trace the difference between the former and the pre- sent state of tilings ; while what we saw was by no means Hattcring to our future progress. At that time, the land was nearly bare, and now it was h end 1 pro- ceeded in advance, that I might .send my party assistance from the men who had rema'ued on ; »ard. U'ith all my efforts, however, 1 did not succeed in arriving at <»ur home until ten. I had been tempt* d to pursue a deer, an object well worth a chace to us, and as the road was now very bad, from the state of the ice, I also expe- ritjiiced many severe falls, adding to this delay. It blew a gale uheii 1 arrived, and was very thick. The men whom I had left made their appearance at two, having left the sletlge on the way. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. r>U They were all ill, or utterly fatigued : I was the only one of the party who was quite well. Thus ended a journey which had la.sted from the seventeenth of the month of May till its termination. During this walk, I had a further opportunity of comparing' the uncommon severity of the present season with the state of the pre- ceding. I had found no clear water along the shore, while it ha", Com- mander Ross's first journey had determined that there was no passage into the western sea at .\watutyak and therefore nonr tit the southward of 72*. Thisjomiiey had been a viry unfortunate one for the mate Taylor, w ho was expected to lose part of his right foot; and the rest were so much fatigued that they were scarcel\ i ■il ,;ll ai li ' i U 11 srXOXD VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY recovered in tourfeeii diiys. The report of healtli for this month is therefore iiii unpleasant one ; hut there was no threatening of scurvy, and to this, tlie supp'iAs of fish, procured from the natives, had essentially contrihnted. Mv own iournev liad enabled me to extend the !jreoi>raphv of this part of the country, in spite of the obstacles projlucetl by the weather, which haers; and they were tin- calendar of the spring, as I hive already remarked, if indeed ue had not warning enough, in the surr«)unding waste ot° snow, that it was not vet arrived. I Jp»«^ %: ■I'll;' I- } > 'i H in I t: r I l:» 111 'l (1 1 ! 1 1 i 1 i 1 L| II- •1 1 1 1 ^^ TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ■J4:3 CHAPTER XLI. .llMll TRANSACTIONS IN JUNE RETIRN OF COMMANDER ROSS FROM !;iS EXPEDITION. J. HK weather wu-n «;oI(I on tliis day and the folhnvinif, and on the 'mih i latter it wa.s stormy. The sledjLje was l)ronght in from the plaee where it had been left. The hnvest point to which the thermo- meter sank was l}>^ We shouhl not liave occasion, it was now hoped, to reifister its negative scale, for some time to come. It W.1S a bfid commencement of this month, to tiiul that it had become nece.s.sary to amputate part of the foot of the mate Tayh»r. which was mortified. This was ac<'ordini>lv performed bv the snr- geon, with credit to both parties; that of sntiering well, to the patient. The other frost-bitten men seemed likely to escape for a trifiing sore or two. On this I must be allowed to make a remark : it is not inten«led for the purpose of praising luy own management, bill that fntnic travellers in northern climates, not less than navigators like our- selves, may .see what a very little care and attention can etiict. It is very certain, that no travellers, under any circumstances, nor any navigators, among all those who have winteretl in northern climates, have ever encountered the winters of a country more severe in it.s teinperatiu'e and its storms, nor in the duration of such low teiiipe- i \f' '^ ' 1' r, I 'i if ■ ! i 1 i il: in! ' *. '» ,' '>44 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY r-j i ■)!;;« M ratures, aiui the frequenry of such storms. Thus was it also our h)t to pass, not one winter or one year, far less one or a few niontlis, as most of those who have experienced the coKI of these climates have tlcMie, but u louiy succession of years, of which I may safely say, that nearly the whole is one lonif winter; while, with little exception, as the records of our loni^ detention in the ice shows, those years were, even in this ever wintry climate, seasons of un- I'onmion severity. Nor were we spariniif of our t<»ils out of doors, as my joiu'nal has every where proved. Our men, like ourselves, travelled as much as was requisite, and lid»«^>.ired in the open air, without restriction or fear, on every object and for every purpose that our duties de- manded, even as if we had been in Hui>land. No service was ever sliinnied or countermanded, from fears of the weathev, except under those very peculiar circumstances which I have always pointed out whenever they occurred. Ilow truly this is the fact, may easily be uathered fVom the whole of this narrative, since it is that simple statement from which all may ast of no secrets, the commonest precautions sufficed, and those precautions are in every one's power. Let the crew which I brought back to their homes say whether those cares sufficed or not. The third and fourth were unaltered, and we were not very busy. The Sunday was marked by nothing but divine service: but we had prepared, on the previous day, for an expedition on Monday, and every thing was therefore kept in readiness. In the evening, the surgeon and a party went forward with the sledge, seven miles in advance; but it blew a gale on the fol- lowing day, with heavy snow, so that we could not set out. We at- tempted it next night : but a strong breeze with snow coming in tiur faces, we did not reach the sledge till six in the morning. The sun then burst out suddenly at nine ; which so blinded us that we were obliged to pitch our tent three miles only^ forward, near the rock which we had compared to Ailsa. \t eight in the evening we resumed our march to the south-west- 4.\ liiiic:i\' (. .Iiiiii' -'i. ■Inn,- '1. .Iiiiif 7. liini- S. . ,■ ' ih III U I i ! I I f^r^ ^ t r'- 1 h- iy.mi. June 10. 546 SECOND VOYAGE OF Dut N hRV ward ; and passing inside tlie islands, reached a precipice twenty miles from the ship, formerly noticed for the gulls which frequented it, where we saw the first that had arrived this season. A mile further we found two native tents, and were invited in by some of our old acquaintances ; though they were taken by surprise, and all in bed, with little discrimination of wives, husbands, and children. Two of the young men informed us that they were on their way to the ship with fish; promising further that they would supply us during the summer. They had heard of Commander Ros.s, but had not seen him, and had observed our pontoon without meddling with it. They were directed to the ship, and we parted. June 9. A thick fog came on, but we had our own former tracks and those of the natives to guide us. At eight we reached Shag-a-voke and pitched on the .shore, as the sun's light was once more too strong to bear. 1 left the intended stork of provisions for Com- mander Ross, with a note, and erected a cairn and a flagstaflf with the neces.sary directions. As the fog again prevented me from examining into any thing, we turned our .steps homeward. The tracks of the natives which we foUowwl, showed that they had no sledges, but were dragging their things on skins; and, at five, we pitched at our former place, where, at last, we found water to drink : after which I left them, that I might send aid from the ship, in consequence of which I arrived three hours before them. 1 found that the two natives had been there, but had not brought the fish: they were to come the next day. Of the reports of the ship during cur absence I need only remark, that the ice-hole had been cut tlirongh, anti found to contain seventeen inches in thick- ness of new ice. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 547 The party with the sledge arrived, and long after, those who luneii. had been sent to meet and assist them ; having missed the place. The welcome natives came at eight, bringing ninety-seven pounds of fish, consisting chiefly of small cod and coalfish, with a little salmon, besides a bear-skin and some clothing. The women came afterwards, and were admitted on deck, as Saturday was an incon- venient day to receive them below. More fish were promised on the following day. At five in the morning of Sunday, there arose a furious snow- j^,,,. jo .storm from the westward, which lasted for sixteen hours. Not- withstanding this, after divine service, the promised party came with their fish and clothing, and some other articles. After this, [ took them into the cabin, and read to them .some portions of scripture from the Esquimaux bible which I hatl received at Holsteinborg. This, which I scarcely expected, they seemed to comprehend ; listening with great attention, and <;orrecting my pronunciation, while making me repeat such words as seemed obscure, till they understood the meaning. I then read the creed and the Lord's prayer from Egede's book, which .seemed equally intelligible, as far at least as the words were concerned. To con- firm my belief of this, I read to them from Egede's vocabulary also, and was then satisfied that they understood his words better thiin the more recent ones which have been printed. They were not suffered to depart without a meal of fish ; promising to re- turn. It was in vain to be anxious to know what they thought of what they had heard, or whether they comprehended its pur- pose; since Me were not far enough advanced in their language for such an attempt as this. / 1 A '2 •\ I I ' ) X ii ■ i A M t >48 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. X 5 I . i 1 I . '■ I' I >i .. I If .liii.i I This I liiUi imic'li o(,*easioii to regret. I neither speak a.s a fanatic, nor reheud any thing of all tiiat I attempted to explain - explaining the simplest things in the simplest manner that I could d<-vise. I could not ctmjecture. Should I have gained uiorr had I belter understood their language? 1 have nuicli reason to doubt. That they have a moral law of Mime extent " wrilleu in the heart," I ei»uld not doubt, (and I have said .so elsewhere,) as numerous traits of their conduct slum; but beyond this, I could satisfy unself of nothing, nor did these ettbrts, and many more, enable uir to conjecture aught uorlli recitrding, respecting f heir opinions ou the essential points fr«Mn which I might lia>e prcvunied oil a religion. I was obliged at present to abandon the attempt, and I was inclined to despair. At ti\e ill the morning, ('oinmaiider Hoss returned with his parl\, end all in good health; the natives look leave, on their leliirn to Neilchillee to fish for us. I shall not make any al>- stract of the narrative of this expedition, but give it in the words «)f that oHi( er himself. *^ >> TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. .>4}) CHAPTER XLII. COMMANDER ROSS S NARRATIVE — IMS .lOURNEV I'OR AS(ERTAIMN(i THE PLACE OE THE NOIITM MA(iXKTU' I'OI.K — OBSERVATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OE ASSI(;NINEOl'CTION>- EROM THOSE. 1 1 ' \ i.:l I'lAVINCi f;iveii to tlir Itoyiil So«'i«'ty a |iii|i*T on the siihjecl ol" '■ tlie North Mitniit'lic I'oh-, which tht-v have «luiit' iiic llit* hoiuMir to print, I iit'tnl not here n-pKit tlie pr«-liiiiinary or oilier g«iieral remarks uliit'h it contains, hut confine tliis narrative, as 1 liave (lone my t'ormer ones, tu the tacts and rcHections uliich occnrreil >>Miuie in which I have iHtrne the share assigned ti> inc. 1 1" I here are scieiititic read«'rs uho ilesin- to see what I have written on this snhject since my return, they will liiid it ill the IMiilosophical Transactions for is;il. It must Im- known to many more readers than those, that the subject here in tpiestion had en^'ajL>:ed the attention o|' our prede- cessors, I'iirry and I'Vanklin, durinu; their se\eral voyages and travels ill tliese regions lor those purposes ot't;eoi>ra|diical disc(»ver\ which are now so t'aniiliar to every one. It' all general praise ot tlies«- conspicuous nien is now superlluous, I must here however remark, that the numerous and accurate ohservatioiis on the snlij«T| ol' magnetism, made hy them and theoliicers under their command Si. < . > 55() SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY h.ive proved of ^reat value towards tlu' advaiiceineiit of magnetic science in general, if more partitndarly to tlie assignment of tlie laws by which that of the glolie, as it regards the needle, is regulated. The geographical restrictions, Jiowever, to which these »liscoveries had been sul»jecte»l, were such as to prevent them from extending th<-ir observations over so large a space as was to be desiretl. They had at ditlerent times made nearer approximations to the expected place of the North magnetic pole than had ever before been eft*ectee of this important spot had bet-ii ralciilated. and witli a de^Ti'*' of precision, as it afterwards proved, far pvater than conhl have heen expected. At the time <»f our departure from l|)eare4i, tliat in the eourse of my hind jourm-y to the westward in the preceding- year (IsyO), I had l>een within ten mihs of this assi<>:ned phi«;e, when near ('ape Fehx : hut, as I was not then |>rovided w ith the necessary instnnuents, I couhi do nothinif towards verifyin<>' tlie fact, and had the m«»rtitication of hein^ ohhp'd to return, when thus, as I l»eli<'\cd. on tile point of accomplishing- this Ion;; w ished-for tdtject. U'e had now, lu>wever, heen compt lied to pass another w inter in i»ur ship, not far from the place which we had occupied in tlh' former year, and I thus hoped that I sh'iuld he able to investigate this spnt more etrectually in the coniinu' sprini*-. \\ ith this view I carried on a .series of ina)L!;netic ohservations during the winter, and thus at leni;th succeeded in assi^nini; a place tor this ma^jiietic pole which I helieved to he nnu'h more ac<-urate than the oin* which had pre- viously lieen supposed. 'J'he dip of the needle at the place of ohser- vation exceeded K!) : and it was thus a nnnh nearer annroxiniation VV d in distance tli.i.i liad yet lu-en attaiii(il hy v...'i>taiii Uoss and a party under his diree- tio2 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Unfortiinately, liowever, the weatlier iKMMime so very unfavourable that I could no longer rontinue these nognetie observations : and this vexatious state of things attended us during nearly the wh(de of our journey across the eountrv. We were, nevertheless, obliged to persist, as it was impossible to wait for better weather when our time was always so much contractef) 114' 4o', and longi- tude J)r .VI '2'.V west. The ucatlicr now iM-came tine for a tim«', and I was thus enabled fn obtain some very .satisfactory observations: by whi<;h I found that the magnetic dip had increased to H*> (I' north, and that the north end of the h<»ri/ontal needle pointed to notvu '')7 west. I)\ means of these observations, therefore, I was enabled to determine b(»th the direction in which we nmst procetil, aixl the distance that |;iy betuecn us iuid the great object in view, as far at leasi as this latter could Im- maile out through our instruments and the calcula- tions founded on what thev had indicated. I need not sav liou tliankt'iil I was for this tbrtniiate, if temporary, clearing of the weather, since it thus pliici-d iis in the right track, and served to encourage even the Weary and the ailing, by shouing them that the end of their tods was not I'ar oH' hut for their sakes. that I nn^dil both give them rest and ii:.->;] tliein willi greater coiirnnv, I (lt't«Tiiiiii*.V 'I'i .T)' west. (H" the ,iivvndinu our time wnd increasing our labour. Ilavini; at h-n;^th completed a direct distance of about twht in the morniui; of the thirtieth (»f May, in latituile (Hr !()- ;».-)', and lon^rit„de J).') IJ) 11 west. At lialf- •,\(\vr nine in the eveiiiiiLr we airain set out ; but a thick lia/c, .icco(npanie«l by occasional showers of snow, compelled ine to lead \\\e party alon^ all the windings and iiahiitations of tjie coast, that i D \I.IV >). 1 1 1 i 1 i! » r I il. ♦ / U! 054 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY , ) 1 'H i\ .1 » \ 1 I iiii^ht |)fi'ioi'in tlie reiuaiiuler of that survey wliich, under such weather, I eouUl execute in no other manner. Soon after niidniu'iit, liouever, it cleared ; and, ascending' a lii;j;h point of land, I ohtainni a fuie view of the inlet, wiiieli was now covered, as far as tiie eye <;ouhl discern, with an nid)rokeii surface of level ice. replacing tlu- iMnnniocky and irreynlar masses tliat had liien packed into it when 1 passed alon^ the opposite shore in the .lime of the preceding: year. This was a proof that, in the latter part, at least, of that summer, this inlet had been free from ice, and might tlKii have lieen easily navigated had we lieen on the SIM It at that t me How muc!i we all regretted this, I need scanx'ly say. Instead of a laborious walk, with the hazard, at tile same time, «)f want or starvation, ue >liould lia\e lieen <>om- paratively at onr ease in all respects; ujiile I miulit then, not only have pursm .1 my investigalions in security and coinl'ort, so as to lia\e assigned the ali'^olnte and exact place of the magnetic poh-. Iiiit should prolialry have been enabled to trace the .Vmerican sIkii'c much I'lirther towards Cape 'I'nrnagain than it was my for- tune to do. \\'e encamped at eight in tlir moniiiig of the tliirty- Miiv )i. tirst, having completed thirteen miles. We were now within I'ourleeii miles of the calculated |iosi- tion ot' tlic magnetic pole ; and ni\ anxiety, tlnerefore, did not iiermil me to do or endure anv tliinu' which miuht delav inv arrival at the long wish«'d-(or spot. 1 lesolveil, in coiise(|Uence. to lea\e liehimi the great)-r part of our bag<;age ai.d pro\ isions, and to take onwards nothini;' more than uasstrictU necessarv, lest bad weather or otli( : iccif its should be addeil to delay, or lest nnl'oreseeii cir- <'iiiiistat:i-es, still more )• itowai'd, should deprive me entirclv of I ' T-k TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS /VVi tlic Iiigli i>ratiiicnti(Mi which I roiihl not but h>ok to in accomplish- ing^ this most «h;sire(' object. We commenced, therefore, a rapitl march, com|)aratively ' June. I believe I nnist leave it to others to imagine the elation of mind with which we found ourselves now at len^ifh arrived at this p-eat object of our andiition : it almost seemed as if we had accomplished every thinir that we had come so far to see anli about a mile inland. U e coubl have wished that a place so important had possessed more of marU or note. It was scarcely censurable to reunt that there «as not a mountain to indicate a spot to which so nmch of interest nnist ever h* attached ; anil I could even have pardoned an^ one ainoiiu us who had been so romantic or absurd as to expect that the maunetic pole was an oltjcct as conspicuous and m\sterious as tli«' tabled mountain of Siidtad. that it even was a mountain of iron, or a matfuet as larife as Mont lilanc lint Nature had here erected no miunnnent to denote the spot which she had chosen as the centre of one of her ;j;ri'at and dark powers; and where we could do little 1 n i i;\ I . I M t-ii I I i ■» 1^^ 1 •1 » •V>(> SIXOND VOYAGK OF OISCOVERY nui>elvts to.vanls this end, it was our business to siiliinit, and to bt content in notin;;- l)y niatlieniati<'al numbers and signs, as with tilings ot" far more im|)ortan('e in tlie terrestrial system, what we could but ill distinguish in any other manner. We were, however, fortimute in here liudinuf some huts of Ksqui- niaux, that ha*( ii since comnnniicat<-d to the Uoyal Society ; as a paper contain- ing all that philosophers rcipiire on the subject has now also been print* d in their 'I'ransactions. I need not therefore repeat them here, even had it not liem the plan of the whole of this volume to refer e\ery scientilic matter which had occurred to Captain Koss and inxself, to a separate work, under the name of an ap|)endi\. IJut it will gratify general curii)sity 1o state the most conspicuous results in a simple and popular manner. The place of the obser- \atory wasas near to the magnetic pole as the limited means which I possessed enabled me to tleteruiiue. The amount of the dip, as indicated by my dipping n<-edle, was HJ)' ''>U . being thus within one minute (if the \w know fo be one which proves that the urth. We had abinidance uf materials for building, in the fragments of limestone that covered the beach; and we tluTelore erected a cairn of sonie magnituih-, under which we buried a canister, containing a record of the interesting fact: only regretting that we had not the means of constructing a pyramid of niU to have the oo-«jperatiouof «lirterent observers, at dift'erent distances, and in ditterent directions, from the calcuKited phioe; while, to obtain all the interestini;' results which these must l»e expecttd to furnish, such hibours should also be carried on lor a considerable time. What these several expectations are, I need not here sa\ . since thes«d)ject is, in this view, somewhat too abstruse for popular readers; thou<^h I may barely allude to the diurnal au«l annual motions of the needle, and to the variations in the pla ^ -i 'he pole itself, with tl ^' '.-onsequent deductions that mijiht hi lu.ale is- to tlie future Is this respect : all of them being of the hi;ihest importance in the •' f\ of magnetism. Having- thus therefore stated, however briefly, what yet remains for future observation, having pointed out what, I may learlessiy say, is still wanting, and which, as such, claims the attention nf those who have the jiower of promoting a work of this nature. I tun only express my wishes, if I dare not indidge in hopes, that the same nati(jn which has already carrieil its discoveries so far, that oiuoun Britain which has already established its supremacy in scientific ;nid geographical researches, \\\l\ not now abandon them, and lea\i' to others to reap the crop of which it has in this case sown the ^eeds. That the place for the needful observations is now far more acces- sible than it was once supposed, has been proved by om- own voyagt and its results; so that the main ditlicnlty is at least levelled, and the readiest excuse that could have been otiered is no longer of any weight. The chief oliject of our present exiiedition having thus been accomplished in a manner even nmi'e satisfactory than we could have expected, and in a shorter time also than we had much right 1 I T is h'- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 i.l 1.25 2,5 i !^ IIIIIM S- t^ lllllio lllllm U IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation \ ^> V Lv ^ \ \ ^. % <^ ^. 6^ 0".A ^^^ 73 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTIR, NY. MSBO (716) 173-4303 ^ v5ifr/mi-» f^ i^l •VM) SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 1 .( Il( i ^ 1 m ' I i i ;f, ' .li'J * 1, 1 i i! 'V •f : »^ „ :• 'V 1 ' * 1, r 1 1 i', 11 1 ■ ;i 1 'ii 1 . :; I 1 . ' V' ^ 1 '■ 1 !• » r p * I i 111 no 2k to anticipate, I became desirous to extend our knowledge of the country as much further to tlie nortlivvard as tlie state of onr time, and of our finances, if I may give this name to our provisions, would permit. Unhickily, the latter would not allow me to devote more than one day to this object. I could oidy wish that we had been l>etter stored w th the means of travelling: but, as on all former occasions of a similar nature, it was idle to regret what no con- trivance on our part could have remedied. Oh that men could live without food! was a wisli that haoast conM otter, and had done every thing that >\as to be etl'eeted. Oiu' walk was, therefore, as nnicli without note as without interruption, during two days ; nor was I sorry that [ had not to record oci'urrences and remarks which had long ceased 4 c .IllllC 1. .lllllL' ? ■ I tl I f r f ■■■i 1 t Jul .linir ■< '>()2 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY to interest myself, as tliey must often have appeared tiresome to the readers, equally of my journal, and of that of Captain Koss, indispensable as their relation has l)eeu. luiif 0. But I must nevertheless note, that on the sixth, in the morninjf, we encamped on the spot where we had formerly been detained by the blindness of some of our party, already noticed, and that I here repeatetl the magnetic observations which I had made in the same place duriiii;' our progress forward, confirming by them that ac- curacy of which it was so important t«» be assured. Here also I had an opportunity of examining my chronometer ; aud was grati- fied to liinl that it had preserved a steiuly rate, since it was the watch l»y which I had determined the longitudes (»n the coast which we had n«t\\ (piitted. At nine in the evening we <;ross»'d over to the south-east point of the inlet ; but the ice being very rugged, and some of the party lame, \\edi«l not reach it till seven in the morning of the seventh At tW!M)n this morning the thermometer was at only four degrees above zero; (hat being a severity of temperature which we had never before e\perien<'ed at the same peri(»d of the year. On the evening of this day, at s»!ven, we set forward «»nce m«>re towards the now well-known Neitchillee, having chosen this roa^liing : and tliracticable, and encamped near I'adliak ; having loiuid it utterly impossible to travel any further at this time, in conseijuence of the increased densily of the fog. Hut towards noon it cleared away ; and this horrible mist, bad enough in a known country, bid incredibly worse amiil such obstructions as the surface here for ever presents, and where there is no guide but a compass, was succeeded by bright and brilliant weather. The sun shone forth, in consequem-e, with such power, that we obtained abuiulance of water from the streams which ran from the rocks and lodged in the pools formed among them : a far more ac( ply tlian it is easy for readers to conceive, as it may, ptrliiips, sinprise them to be told ihat it was the first natural water that we had <»btaiued during this year, though it now wanted l>ut a fewdaysof Midsunnner. Istlu re aught that can convey a deeper ini|)rt ssioii of the state and nature of this most atroci«Mis dimiite ? If there be, I know not well what it is. If I here also obtained sonn- m;ignetic observations, as I ha«l before done at C:q)e Isabella during this returning journey, they are matter for the appendix, not for this place. There at least .liiuo '^. 1 C '-' 4 . ili ill 11 k '!* I .1 I 1? '■ I I I fl J Is' '' ', . 1 i ' r It ; I ! M 'i ♦ 111 , ,V 3 ', I i '( ■•« i! f .iiin 1. II i; T iV t( , t It. .i()4 SECOND VOVAGK OF DISCOVERY .luiio 10. tliey can be consulted by the scientific reader, ainons? much more, wlietlierin nieteorolotiy or in the other liranches of natural history, which it has been judged most convenient to place in such a supple- ment: but as far as the present observations are concerned, the jjaper in the Transactions of the Royal Society to which I have already alluded, will give complete information to all those wh«> may be interested in this subject. I have, however, attached to the end of this narrative, the means of the observations in question, that they who are inclined may see at least the general results. It is for this simple journal to say, that we proceeded along the valley of Padliak at ten o'clock, and reached the great^uMthHe Jake, so often described, about midnight. Then coasting along its southern shore till nine in the morning of the tenth, we halted on the northern point of a small inlet, putting up some grouse, and seeing a nundjer of deer under the pursuit of a wolf At ten in the evening, according to our usual plan, which advantageously turned day into night, we directed our course to the north-east corner of this lake, in order to ascertain whether there was any river which counnunicated between it and its neighbour, so as to discharge this collection of waters into the sea. Thus it proved, and we thence ascertainerogress, at another p'a.v, r.ow f;iniiliar from its having been a spot of rest during more than oiu' of our former journeys; but it presented at this time a very dift'eient appearance from what if had « lone on r was there the slightest mark to indicate the conimenceuient of a thaw. Can it be believed that there were bnt ten days to Midsnmnier, that all was still hartl winter, and that winter in the middle, I may almost say, of sununer : a season such as the January of our own native land seldom sees. It was no small satisfaction for hard-worked men and hungry .stomachs, (ofind on the opposite .shore of this inlet, .some provisions which had been deposited for us by Captain Uoss ; and, taking po.ssession of them, we crossed the two next lakes and encamped, at six in the evening, near the head of the bay into which their water finds its exit. Here we were detained by a heavy storm from the south-west until noon on the twelfth of June, when it began to moderate, and tempte«l us to proceed on our now lastday of labour; the ship being at length within our reach. But our attempt pntved vain. The gale was soon renewed with increased violence, and the snow drifted so densely as to entirely blind us to our way, so that we were compelled, in spite of all our eftbrts and wishes, to halt and encamp at nine on the following morning. It was an unusual ve were to exert our patience, at lea.st this once more, and exerted it was, IJut this trial (»f our tempers was not destined to be very durable. The gale at length moderated solar, that we could contrive to see and find our way ; and having bnt ten miles remaining, we bestirred our- 11 1 M- / J 1 ^f 1 i t I 1 f\ > « ■■ H i i i '' I ! J .it lit 'f'w I 1 tA''J-r T I'. f I' in ., t ■ ofifi SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY selves in proportion, even till niidnij^lit ; when, after as much hard labour as we could well manage, and might not have endured if not under such a stimulus, we neared our home ; still labouring with all our power till we found ourselves at length, and once more, luno li on board the Victory, at five in the morning of the thirteenth of June. Weliad been absent twenty-eight days. If we were fatigued and extenuated, who could be surprised ? but excepting petty grievances, we were all in good health. Ohscrvdlidiis on the Dip of the Magnetic Needle. ■ natt> Time of tho Day. I'ulCS Of the .W'ctilc tlirpct. Pok'^of thi' Xpfillo reversed. observed Dill. Remarl(s 1831. o -' , t .. '1 Feb. I.-.. Noon. 8lt 40','>:) H!) ;>-4ii 88 .5ti-,l7 1 - 2H. I I'.M. Hi) 'i'.i-r^ II ti .j.V.^l 89 '261 .\1 iiroli 1 . 'J I'.M. R!) L",''BO llli 3.)0 KU ."in^O ■^- ■1. Noon. ll'.l l.Ml HII .il ",'.■) 89 'JM 1... 91. 22. 91. 1 P.M. I I'.M. I I'.M. 3 I'.M. '-' I'.M. »'.) 6 1.) Itil '.',!■ 14 UK '17 •< i)(i ."il-'lZ li'.) 1".'7 liH bit II'.) (18 ll'J .^(>■,5,> ;.?-9r 1 1 -.19 47-'J9 40 89 1 ^.'i 1 nn 40 .ii; nti ;v.)-i,i, 88 .19-3(i 1 11!) ■-' 61 ^fenn nhservid dip at Sheriff's liav in lat. 70** 1' N, and Iuii(.'. 91" ,i4 W. \ ariati'.n i'.)(l" l'.'-3\V, previ"'is to my jnnriiev towards the magnetic pole=- a8'-'.i7-0i \. (,11131.) ?.i. ;> j'..M. 111) .l.'i-tl.> li'.) H.4-.' : lin .''li "4 1 .■10. :t I'.M. 111) .l3-.l(i 11!) I'j.o lili .'"7. en! .\pril 1. 'J I'.M. lili .>!-.'? 11!) :,-JT , IIH .■>9','7 L • •I I'.M. lilt 411-0 1 119 '.'■04 ; nil .i.'iot '' Miiv ','(!. H \ M. li'.l 411-117 ll'.l .It".' n!i .ti-.vi 89°41 '-9 N. Variation ,'i7' l."! \V ; lat, 69° 34 4.V' N ; 2 I'.M. IW .^.i^l 11!) i'll'H.i 119 4'.''.'7 loni;. 94" .'i3 W . Juno I. Noon. W •,"7.) 119 ;-)4V9 It!) .^11 .')'.' 1 89 ,'ill-I 1 N. ..Xssuineddirectionof meridian S.7."i°\V. 3 I'.M. '.») 71 119 .M 71 119 .')7'71 (Frue,") .'l I'.M. '.10 17 'J 11!) .iO-li II!) -V)'!!? H'l ' ,*i9''4(i.'> -V. Assumed direction of meridian 7 I'.M. !10 1'-' 'J.i 119 ,'>.vll7 90 '.'■!)(i N . 60- W ; lat. 70 ,'i 1 7 N ; lonK. 'M- 4,i 411" \\ . ''. !) A.M. 11 .UM. '.M 4-1.'-' li'J .'>4'0II «9 119 ,■■9' 11 !)l) lllii .'in- 17 II!) ■''6-1'.' i ,89",'i9'N. Assumed direction of nieridiiin N. l.^*^ W. *). H \ M. ll'.l 4'.' .Ill H9 .'ir-ol 11!) .('PI!' 'Siiine position tiii on tlio 'JHIIi of .Miiv. It. 9 A.M 119 .iO-.ill 119 14-04 II!) l.'-.'-.i3iAt Ciipp Isabell'.i. Liit li9 -,'6 '.'0' ;' loni;. 9,1' ftl' W. 0. f! ,1.M. li'.l •.1-03 1.9 13-.l.i'li9 17in;At I'ailleiik. l.iit. (i!l .10 1"; Ion-. i).i" '.7 .V." W . 17. 'i P.M. lii' 34-ft till .11 (i.i : It!) 4'J-.' ' .lulv 1.1. Aiiij;. IJ. .'> P.M. 'J P. SI. 1 P.M. ll'.> 14-,i7 li'.) 'JO -10 B'.l '.'0-:!."> an iin nil M ; n9 :i-79 1 19-0 1, II!) 4-74 .14-.'i7 ! i;9 'J-,l(i Observed dip at Sheriff Hay on niv return from the luiijjiietic pole b'J'-' 3 -3'J N. (^1831.) I'd. Noon. 111) •l-.>3 nil .■ill .17, 119 l-.io 0(1. '>\. 10 A.M. B'.l 7-10 H« 4!i-31 ! «ll .14 Iill 1" wo 9 A.M. ill) ','4-1 'J lilt 3.i-li3 1 111! .^9-.o7 j '.M. Noon. lilt .'ill 1.7 1 nil .'i.l ll.i t lili .'i.i 30 ' Not. '.'1. ,\onn. li!) 17 W ; II 1 •<■•-' 47 ', lili .'lO'.".' •-'-'. 1 P.M. ll'.l 'Jl-,> nil -,'1 (I.l , nil J.l 07 •■!:'<. 1 P.M. II'.' 1 1 im 34-1111 88 .^-.1 !)■.' I8:i'.'. .Ian. '.'1. 10 \.^l. 1 I'M. li'.l li;,'.i7 ll'.l 111-07 tut iin 41 r!H4U 89 IP 1!) 1 11,1 .'i4 -.'/ ! 1 Oh.served dip at Victory Ilnrboiir 88^ .li' 86 N. \ urnilion 101'^ 3'J O.i \V ; lat. 70 ' 9 18' N; Noon. 11!) '2'.)-3'.' 11 a 3,)-9 n9 I'dl long. . 16. 1 P.M. H!l ID-Ot nil 3 "'Jii ! H9 .^31 1». 1 P M. 111) 6 '.' nn 4')' 1,1 nil .'i?n!.' Miir.h 17. 3 P.M. li!) 'J-een long- since indicated by many experiments on the dip and the variation of the needle, and, most of all, through those performed by the personal attention or under the (hreclion of Sir Ivlward Parry. 'J'lms was it known to is, that while we had advanced fur- ther into this country than the ill fortune of this ofticer had permitted him to do, so were we nearer to fhis presumed point, indicated as it had been by these observations, and others, and by the calculations founded on them. I know not Ihat we shoidd <'ven have felt greater <'on!idence on this s>d)ject had we left England with the knowledge of Professor IJarlow's calculations, gratifying as it was, after our return, to find how exactly his (U'termination from a sound theory had coincidetl with our o\\ n observations near to and at the very phu'c itself. While, therefore, this obje<;t was among those which we had pro- posed to ourselves in leaving England, and was but second in our 111 i. I ■'! TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. iiGU att'ections to the discovery of a passage wliich sliouUI enable iis to trace the course of the northern shores of America, even to IJehring's strait, hoping too that we shonhl effect this olyect and return home by Cape Horn, so was it ever kept in view from the first moment of our making the shores of this region, and during the whole of our detention. For this purpose it was, that we, at ditterent times, and in difi'erent places, erected those magnetic observatories which I have occasionally noticed in my own journal ; though conformably to its plan, I have nowhere given those observations, nor even alluded to their purpose; as judging them fitter for an Appendix, while reserving any other and general remarks which I might have to make, to the present place. On the several occasions also of our excursions inland, this was an object ever in view, for whatever other and additional purposes these journeys might have been undertaken ; and if in the narra- tives of those expeditions no notice of this subject has been observed in reading my journal, it is because of the same systematic exclusion of scientific observations, and because no result admitting or re- quiring a popular record had been obtained, until this last journey by Commander Ross, just narrated, when the successful event which has been seen, had at length furnished the means of such an account of this termination of our labours as has just been given. It wouhl not now be here worth my while to detail this our progress in the approximation to the magnetic pole, even could it be made intelligible or annising to popular readers, which is impos- sible: but scientific men will find them in my Appendix, and can thus trace the last steps to that discovery, or rather determination, which was at length crowned with success, 4d i t ■ 1 * ; ■■ }■ i 1 1 . ■ U'l^H iil r . .>70 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY If tliis last journey of tliirty miles, as it appears by the narrative, was pertbrnied without my presenee, >\ Inch was required in another direction and for other purposes, and this keystone of all our pre- vious labours laid by the party, consisting chiefly of the mates RIanky and Abernethy, under the immediate orders of my suc- (•essful nephew, heaven forbid that I should attempt to rob them ttf such honours as they are entitled to on this ground, or to claim the credit of having planted the British flag on this long desired spot with my own hand. Let this last closing act of my labours on this subject, as of theirs, confer such honour on this party as they may <,'laim or deserve : 1 can say, like others, though in a quotation rather hackneyed, " Palmam qui meruit ferat," and if I myself consent to award that palm fo him who commanded this success- ful party, as is the usage, it nnist not be forgotten that in this I surrender those personal claims which are never abandoned by the connnander of that flag-ship which so often gains the victory through the energy, intelligence, and liravery of the men and otticers whom he directs and onlers, or by the captain-general who carries a town thru.igh the courage and activity of the sergeant who leads the " forlorn hope." But if I have done this, I should not be justified in thus surren- dering the rights of the brave, and [)atient, and enduring crew of the Victory, nor perhaps those of him, the noble-minded and generous, who sent the Victory and her crew to the Polar regions. It must be hereafter remembered in history, and will be .so recorded, that it was the ship Victory, under the command of Captain John Ross, which assigned the north-west Magnetic Pole, in the year 1831, and that this vessel was fitted out by hiui whom -.^ TO TUB ARCTIC HBGIONS. &71 1 can now call Sir Ftlix Bootli; a nanie to be liuiiouied, liail it even remained vvithont such a IT. Jnni- I'.l •1 JO 572 SECOND VOYAGE OK OrsCOVEUV CHAPTER XLIV. TRANSACTIONS DUllING THE REMAINDER OK .lUNE — THE .lOrRNAL AND THE 81MMARY OK Jl'LV. ONONV fttll to-(lay, aiul llie ^roiiiul was so r«»ven^l, tliat no land roiilil be seen, nor was there an atom of running;' Wiiter or u single pool visible. The temperature, however, rose to •10' for the tirst time. S)ine grouse were killeil yestenlay and this tlay, antas at length a pool of water near the ship. That water iVo/e again an ineh thick, and did not open till noon, w hen .some impre.ssion was made in the snow, increasing on the tollowing day, and thus t«'rminiiting our week. Siuiday .saw the usual duties perrornitii. On Monday the day was warm, and tlu' night tt-mperature was iVee/iug. Flocks of thicks and gee.sc w«'re seen Hying to (he north; and sttme grouse were killc«l. The sun had now very nearly reached its greatest elongation. It was the summer solstice, and not a drop ot' rain ha«l yet talleii, nor had the thermometer once made its r«»und ot' tweiily-tbur hours without reaching th(; t'r«t-/ing point. Hut in the course of this day, the tirst rain tell, lasting two hours: thoiigh (he ice torined in the night had lieen uii ineh thick. r \l i.'i TO TIIK ARCTIC UKCIONS. 67;{ There was a fresli gale I'roin the n<»rth\\ ard in the inoi'iiiiii; ; but on tliis and the foMowing day, it froze e(]nally hard at night along- side of the ship. On the twenty-fonrth it was still eoldcr ; since the thennonieter was at 30'' in the morning, and irds, consisting of geese, docks, griuise, and plovers, had been killed within these past tiays. Sunday oHered n(» change; on Monday there was rain in the evening, and we could now at last supply ourselves with water from the shore. Yet th«' poids froze again on the twenty-ninfh, the thermometer falling to 31*; and, on the tliirtictli, the mean of the twenty-four hours was but 3'V. In tin- mean time, the rigi^ing of the ship had been going on, and was now nearly completed. It was .somewhat (lispiriting to Hnd that we should be ready so long before the weather, and that we had arrived at the end of June, had passed the solstice, and w<'re still to se«' nightly fn»sts, with little compensation in the dav. A winter solstice in Knt>lanvould have nothing to drink for nine nmnths of the vear. He smells at no th>wers, for there are luuie to smell at; but he prefers the ulonr (»f train oil. lie has no carrots or " small herbs," for his soup ov his seasoning; but his soup and his seasoning are, alik(>, oil, and he can find a sallad, when hik luck .lull.' ■.'■.'. .lui., ■.' !, ,lui,r .'I .Inn.- ■.'.'.. .lllllO '^'>. !7..V Js. .llllU> r\ u i *. I li f : t - ■ 1 4; I" • I ; * :; II ' ■ •! 1 u ) ■ 1 (' ♦ I' fl» 1 _k 574 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY is particularly great, in the stomuch of a reindeer ; and that salla\'here all the lia|)piness was ba.sed upon the abundance of eating, and where there was nothing to prevent that stt-ady supply of the materials of this happiness, which these specimens of man partook with tlie animal tribes t<» wlntin it constitutes the almost sole enjoyment and purpo.se of life, all that the severity or badne.«is of the climate could etfect was nothing; nor, earing little tor a hard winter <»r a long one, had they any rea.M»ns to anticipate a season, bud or good, to hope <»r to tear. The present state of things was very difterent to us ; whose misery it «a^ to tear, or to hope, (ejpial TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 575 miseries in the result I imagine) respecting a summer that might not arrive till winter was once more at its heels, and once more about to resume a command that was likely to endure for the better part of another year. The summary of the month is not consolatory. If we had con- sidered the lust June as colder than any which had been recorded in former voyages, the present had turned out much worse, having been both more cold and more stormy. For the first two weeks, the mean temperature was 7" ; and during the last, between 2° and 3^ : giving a mean, for the whole month, less by 5' than that of the preceding June. Moreover, the first rain fell on the twenty-first, and was little more than a shower; whereas, in the former year, that had occurred on the tenth. 1 have already noticed that the summer .solstice had passed v.ithout our having had one whole day above the freezing point. There was nnicli stormy weather ; but it is also a remarkable fact, that while, in the former year, the temperature always rose on those occasions, it never altered in the presetit one; making an es.sentia1 difierence betwet^n the two sea.sons, the cause of which was not apj)arent. The general result, in the state of the snow and the ic»', has already been seen; and the prospect was therefore suffi- ciently discouraging. At the best, and should no worse come, this season was three weeks later than any former one on reconl in this climate. The possible future was still before us : it might prove betbr than was expected ; but I am not (juite sure that nuiny of us hoped nuich. Except the mate Taylor, all the men were now well, and his wound was healing. The supply of fish by the natives had been I ; 576 SECOND VOVAGE OF DISCOVERY aJuiiulaiit ami l)enefioial. Tlie late period at which tlie waterfowl arrivwl was remarkable ; but our sport in general liad l>een more successful than formerly. Commander Koss liad explored much more of the coast; and it was remarketl by both of us, that the temperature on the western side of the peninsula and on the western lakes, was from 10° to 16* lower than that at the ship, which was on the east side ; while the comparisons were made with such care that we could not have been deceived. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 077 CHAPTER XLIV. PROCEEDINGS IN JULY, AUGIST, AND SEPTEMBER, WITH THE SI BI- NARIES OF THOSE RESPECTIVE MONTHS. if*ai. IHE morning was cold and stormy, and it continued to blow i„iy i cV hard in squalls during the following day, the temperature falling to 3V and the air feeling extremely cold. There was snow at nine, and it moderated. Commander Ross went out shooting with a party, and met a collection of five native families, all strangers to us except one, who liad been once on board during the former summer. They pitched their tents for the night, and five of the men came to the ship with our officers, making as much clamour on their arrival as our original friends had done. They had heard of us at Neitchillee, and came for the purpose of bartering some rluthing for our valuable articles. It was proper, of course, to go through all the usual exhibitions of wonders, and the effects were such as might have been expected. I'hey had heartl of the more northern men, who.se portraits we po.ssessed, but had never seen a ship, as their stations were further we.st than Akullee. Each received a piece of iron hoop as a pre- sent, and they engag«l to bring their articles of barter the next day, together with their wives and families. The frost was so severe in the night, that it froze an inch and a 4 E .liih '■; M" til it 1 [A . l. 1 ■ 1 . -■ I I , i i 1 1: J ;<< i, I : fi! 'If i; h r T i* 1 •• „ 1 i: 4 M I' I 578 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY linlt'tliick near tlie ship. There were several showers of snow in tlie forenoon, and in tJie evening it blew a fresh gale. Soon after ehnrch the natives -.(rrived, forming a large collection of men, wives, and children, j hey were good looking, as Esqnimanx, and their behavioin- was orderly ; bnt they had bnMight only a pair of .seal- skin tronsers for sale. All were entertained in some part of the ship or other, and none of the women were dismissed withont .some j)resent, including among the.se, the valnable tin canisters. The hus- bands seenietl particularly pleased by this attention to their wives. It really .seems as if these people possessed some of those feel- ings of gallantry, or chivalry as it has been termed, which have been supposed peculiar to the refined among men and nations. How rare this is among the " .savages" of the world, every one knows; how directly the reverse the feelings and the contluct are, in most of the islands of the .southern ocean, and above all, in .Australia, has been long familiar, li we are correctly informed, many others of the Esquimaux tribes in Northern America conduct themselves towards their females in no better manner than the .Australians; while among the red Indians of the .same portions of this continent, if the treatment of wives varies among different tribes, the balance far inclines to that mixture of severitv and neglect which is assuredly the general rule for man in his un- cullivated state. Whence is this difference, equally characteristic of the present tribes and of the Cireenlanders ? We could not be mistaken as to the facts, if .sometimes conscious that our temper was to look at every thing in the most favourable light; and if, to European eyts, what we hear occasionally related of the occupations and duties of TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. o7J) the women seems to point to a different conclusion, it must be re- uieuihered that these belong to a system of the " division of labour." In such a condition, the women cannot be idh;; there is no leisure for tliat idolatry of the sex which would keep them as objects, either of a(hniration or amusement : all must work, or mo.st would starve : while it is also true, that the duties of women are here claimed as rights, even as it is the right of the women, not their service, to carry the men out of the water on many parts of the French and Dutch coasts, where also any infringement of the.se on the part of the men, would be resisted by every weapon which the sex so well knows how to use. It has been said that this gallantry belongs .nost conspicuously, if not exclusively, to nations under kingly or despotic governments, even as it did to that singular species of despotism which consti- tuted the feudal system. We can refer to the Greek republics in proof of this theory, in the reverse manner; and who is there now, that is not ecpially ready to quote the United States of America, where the feelings of democracy, in necessarily rendering all men tynmts, has produced that neglect, at least, of the .sex, which is as near an approach to oppression as could be practised in a country so tlir partaking of Europe as it does. In the blessed country, however, now under review, this theory does not apply, for there is not even an aristocracy, as there is, in reality, no government ; so that I must leave it to others to solve this problem : while this history of the palmy .state (»f the fair portion of creation in Boothia Felix, may also tend to .show that no hypothesis yet advanced is competent to the solution of that great question, namely, the treat- ment of women by the other sex, its causes and its modes. 4 B 2 t ■ M' m >i: ,1 •r ,|! /'I i; i I I ■li 580 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY July 4. .Iiilv r,. ,!ulv 6. Julv 7. .liily8A9 July 10. July II. Ji:lv I-.'. Julv 1.3 &"l). The men came to-day, according to promise, bringing some clothing and trifles for sale ; but they went away soon, with a promise to return with some seals and some fish. There was snow, both on this day and the next, and the thermometer still fell to the freezing point at night. In the morning the strangers appeared, informing us that they were going to fish in the lake and at the river where we procured the fish last year : on which Commander Ross en- gaged to accompany them. Fog and snow continued ; but when our ofiicers had arrive«l .t the native huts, they had been all taken down, and the party was gone in the direction of Neitchillee. We were unable to account for this change of plan. A litter of foxes was discovered by one of the mates, who had killed the male ; and a party going out <»n this day, shot the old female, and brought away six living cubs. In Boothia Felix there is not at least starvation enough to prevent foxes from having sufficient families. About twenty ducks, and .some other birds, were shot on these different days. There was nothing to note on Friday and Saturday ; which last ended witlj the night thermometer at 33°. There was a fresh northerly breeze on Sunday, and it was very cold. On the following day, it was more squally, and the maximum of the thermometer was but 37". On the twelfth, there was tht highest tide that we had ever seen ; since it rose to more than eighteen feet, being the third day after the moon's change. Our sport was very succe.s.sful ; and we found among other birds, the Lapland finch with its nest of eggs. The thermometerro.se to 40', but fell again on the next day, which was very cold, with sleet and rain and an easterly wind, so that the evening ended at 33°. I i Ml Vi' !P''| >^i\ il* •■I si: ' >\ 'I »H .^,i -'' ■ I' 'If 1 ; ' i^ II , I- ■• V J 1 .1 , |l i,: N" I ft ■ I ilSi- ^ v.! 54 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. OH I ■lulv I.- .ImIv Ih ("oiitrived to take several fish, on these days, by means of th«- spear wliich the natives use for this purpose. This morning displayed a mixture and succe-^.sion of rain, snow, mist, and clouds; any where else, it would have been a bad fifteenth of November instead of a fifteenth of July, and it nearly froze at night. Two of the natives came with thirty pounds of salmon, in- forming us that they had many more ; on which it was settled that Commander Ross should go with a party to fetch them ; a journey that woidd occupy four days. On tlie sixteenth, the thermometer reached 44', being the finest day we had yet seen during this year : and Commander Ross, with the surgeon an(>() pounds. The curing- and packing of thesr found employment for every one. The party again set oti'for more fish, after the sle7S fish at one haul. The ice was, however, decaying so rapidly, that he found they could not all be conveyed to the ship in a sound state, even had the roads permitted. There was abundant work for us now, and no prospect of want : those that could be s[)ared were sent back on the same errand, to the halfway island where these tish were deposited, Commander Ross arrived, reporting that both his parties were on their way, with five hundred fish: and that there were as many more to bring from the island. They ha•. .iiiive:. .li.U ,IhIv !(! .1 ,1 ( . Ml ' IMf M, m^ fJHJ 4* li \ I'^i «!\ V,. Jl ) I I' ■i !i i 1 :ir '1; : I.,> I, 11 tt ' :t I ' ■■...., I ! '^] '■ 9 .,r' 584 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. tlie ineuit 41'. At eight in the morning, one of the sledges came baek with the nets and tents, and three hnndred and fifty fish. Finding that two of the men belonging to the other sledge were exhausted, two others were .sent to replace them, and all returned at ten. The thermometer on Saturday night was 4V : it had never yet been so high at that hour. IiiIn 31 The day of rest was e.specially acceptable. The ice at length dissolved .so much, that we could not get on shore from the ship without the aid of a boat ; though this bay was far from being .so clear as it was at the same date in the last year, while the ice in the oHiug was not nearly so advanced in decay. The month ended at last, with fine weather : there was not a cloud to be .seen when the sun set at midniuht. A comparison of the mean temperature of this July with th<' preceding one, shows that it had been nearly 70° colder : that hav- ing been HT in.stead of 44 . 'J'he highe.st heat had been 70° in the la.st : in the present, it was but oO' : but the lowest only difieret experience*! a fit ever since we had taken him on board, we hoped that it might not soon return. The men having becomr more practi.sed sportsmen, our success in this way had gone on iiu-reasing ; and as every thing was thrown into th«' public stock and divided among the messes, the game thus obtained a useful variety in their diet. TO THE ARCTIC UEGIONS. bSo If our success in fishing made up for tlje disappointment which we experienced from the natives, so was it of great use to them. We had discovered that the sahnon arrived, on the breaking up of the ice, in even greater crowds than we had at first understood ; since, by entering the water outside the line of their course, tlie natives could tirive them into the small pools on the shore, or even on the dry land itself It is plain, that whatever the seals may devour, the fish cannot here have many enemies : while this, indeed, seems generally true of all the northern shores uhere sal- mon abound. By accompanying us in our fishery, the natives had now, for the first time, seen the use of a net, and what is not always the case with those whose conceit is ever conunensurate with their ignorance, they were fully aware of its value. Seeing this, we took the trouble to teach them the art of making one, though not jpiite sure whether the materials to which they are limited would enable them to fabri<'ate any that could be of much u.se. If this should, however, prove the fact, then had we taught them a valuable art, in making tijem a pres( ii( <»f knowledge which, to them, was of the first im- portaiu'e; in this t II i. ;i *A 1 li; I ' i; J ,'1 690 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVE'^Y we luul to sliare witli the rest of the world, those evils of petty sick- ness which are siitticicntly grievous while they exist, though they make but a small figure in the history of life, and would make a much smaller one in that of such an expedition as ours. Had we not also undergone abundance of anxiety and care; of the surterings of disappointed hope; of more than all this, and of not less than all, those longings after our far-distant friends and our native land, from which who that has voyaged far from that home and those friends has ever been exempt r And who more than we, to whom it could not but often have occurred, that we might never again see those friends and that home ? Yet was there a pain even beyond all this ; and that grievance seldom ceased. We were weary for want of occupation, for want of variety, for want of the means of mental exertion, for want of thought, and (why should I not say it ?) for want of society. To-day was as yesterday, and as was to-(hiy, .so would be to-morrow: while if there was no variety, as no hope of better, is it wonderful that even the visits of barbarians were welcome, or can any thing more strongly show the nature of our pleasures, than the confession that these were delightful ; even as the s»»eiety of London might be amid the business of London ? Fn the night which succeeded to this day, the thermometer fell to aH', and it was therefore lar from warm : of course, the ice remained unaltered, as may be easily conjectured. It is ditlicult to convey to my readers the impression |)roduced by this sleepy and stationary ( ondition of a sea thus impracticably frozen. When the winter has once in reality set in, our minds become made up on the sul)- ject; like the dormouse (though we may not sleep, which would be the most tlesirable condition by much), we wrap ourselves up in 11 !> TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ojn a sort of furry contentment, since better cannot be, and wait f(»r the timts to come: it was a far otlier thing, to be ever awake, waiting to rise and become active, yet ever to find that all nature was still asleep, and that we had nothing more to do than to wisli, and groan, an«l — hope as we best might. In this visit to the tents, we (bund that the wooden leg was once more ailing, in some manner of which I did not particularly in- quire, since the carpenter-doctor was at iiand to examine into the grievance, and was ready to repair it as he best knew how. If. in this matter, he had always tlis|)layed abundance of good nature, I believe tins to be a praise which was amply deserveil by our civw in general, in all our communications with these people. I do iHtt say that any of our men were not really kuid in their dispositions: but certain it is, that good nature is not less contagious than tiit- several evil passions, and that as one peevish or irascibh' person renders irascible or peevish, a nature otherwi.se kinr finds him to be of morose conduct whom another j)erson or anothcr .society esteems as among the agreeable and the mild, so do gentle- ness and smoothness of disposition and conthict, on the other hand, produce the same character even where it may not actually exist : or, at the least, ensure the display of good nature, where an op[(Osite temper may be tlie more natural one, an«l when morose or peevish conduct would have called that int(t its worst activity. Let the married, at lea.st, profit by a remark to which the gentle tempers of o«n' I^s(|uiinaux have given rise. They were not «»nly kind, but as Falstatf says of wit, they were the cause (»f kindness in those around them, including ourselves; and perhaps, am<.:ig ourselves, in one or two, who, with a difierent |)eople, would have ilisplayed a far otlier character than they did. t. ' r > I, If iMil p 'i I r; 592 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERV, AiigiiM 14. Tlie natives were not permitted to come on board till after chnrcli, when the boat was sent for tlieni. The wooden leg had been bounil with copper, and was better than ever. We bartered and made presents as nsual. They were to divide their parly the next day, for the purpose of going to Shagavoke and to Neitchillee, and promised to bring us venison in the winter. A seal was shot to-day : it was a sport in whicli we had hitherto found no success. Aii-ust I ".. The weather was very bad, with an easterly gale and rain, which prevented the natives from moving. In consequence, ten of them <^ame on board, chiefly to apologize for their dogs, which had broken loose and stolen some of our fish. The poor animals had been punished accordingly, and somewhat too severely. This always appeared to us the greatest defect in the general domestic conduct of this people; and it has been equally a subject for the remarks and censures of other voyagers and travellers among the«e races. They derive great .services from their dogs, yet never appear to love them. The animals are hardly used, and worse fed : they would be treated far worse, in every way, were it not for their indis- pensable utility. It might be an excuse, that the canine race is not here of an amiable character ; yet I suspect that this character is oidy the result of their treatment, and that were they domes- ticated and treated with the kindness which the^ experience among ourselves, they would be as attached to their masters and compa- nions as our own are. Yet perhaps I ought not to blame them. Kngjainl does not treat its horses in a much better manner; and the comparison too between a pack of IJritish fox-hounds and a team of Ksquimaiix dogs, would not leave nmch to boast of on the part (jf our own countrymen. The men were treated to the .seal for their «linners; and. in the evening, they left their post, after M Ih F f H TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 593 having pre. jusly renewed their promise of supplying us with venison in the winter. The ice was in motion, and the pool which had opened was filled up again. After a continuance of the rain, there was a heavy fall of snow, and the ground was all covered again, as it had been in the winter, until a renewal of the rain dissolved it once more. The following day presented a mixture of fog, snow, and rain, but it became calm in the evening ; only, however, that the same weather might return in the morning. It was mild on the next ; but no alteration took place in the ice during these three days. On the twentieth, a southerly breeze made the ice move in the othng, but, coming round to the westward, the motion of this great body of floating masses ceased once more ; notwithstanding which, a considerable pool appeared on each side of the point. There was some shifting of the ice on Sunday, so that it was loose about the ship ; but it came in at last and tilled up the bay as before. The next day there was rain which ended in sleet, as the thermometer was never above 33°. It seemed as if the new winter was already conmiencing. It was cold and foggy on Tuesday, but mild on the following day, and every thing remained as it had been. The shooting of another seal was the only variety. The weather was much the same, but the ice near us was in motion. The whale boat was thus jammed between the ship's side and a large piece of these never-ending rocks, which, float away as they might, only departed to be succeeded by as bad, or worse, since the storehouse which sup})lietl them was inexhaustible. " Till the rocks melt with the sun" is luld that impossible event, in one of the songs of my native land, to which some .swain com- 4g August 16. August 17. August 18 & 19. August '20. August 21 . .August ■J'2. August ■?.'.). Anguj; i4. Auirusi C"). ^ ]' i i ,s il ll ' II 594 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY .;'Hi' f ' 1 1 , 1 (• t ' ^ 1' 1 '^ if . T ( { ' 1 t, '^ ' / pares the durability of his afTection for his beloved ; and I believe we began at last to think that it would never melt those rocks, which, even at this late period of the year, continued to beset us in every shape which their beautiful, yet hateful crystal could assume. Oh ! for a fire to melt these refractory masses, was our hourly wish, even though it had burnt up all the surrounding region. The injury which had thus been sustained by the boat was such that she could no longer be repaired so as to carry six oars. We therefore determined to construct a smaller one out of her, and she was accordingly taken on board. Another seal was shot. The thermometer was 38' at midnight. August 2(j. It fell to 34° the next nijjht; and the wind being from the south in the evening, the ice began to move, .so as to show .some clear August -i?. water. The tide was high on the next day, and floated oft' so much of it as to open a line of water, a mile in length, to the northward. Ducks of different kinds, with other birds, were shot witiiin these past days; and we had now a living menagerie on board, consisfiug of four foxes, three hares, and twelve northern mice. Aui^usi '28. The wind blew strong fronj the westward on the twenty-seventh, and the ice began to drift out of the bay, to the eastward. But it was evening before a passage was practicable. The ship was then warpetl a quarter of a mile to the south-west, into a convenient place for taking advantage of the first opening. As soon as this was done, we got under sail, but, unfortunately carrying away the mizen boom, could not weather a piece of ice. She was thus brought \ about by it, and equally failed in weathering a large iceberg on the otiier tack, which was grounded ; by which means she took the f ill ll f 3):' r 1 1 '. I. V i"' p ' Id 1 1 ! 1 \ 1 ( 1 \ 1 \ ?l i ^ n m I \i\, ii ' Ml i » ( ) At I "^ s k TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. •W) ground herself. We soon, however, hove Jier off by hawsers to the shore; and thougli her bottom did not prove to be damaged, the lower rudder iron was broken, so that there was an end to our progress for this day. Itlarly in the morning the rudder was repaired, and the wind a, remained steady and strong at west, with occasional snow. It was the very wind that we wanted ; and, after much doubt and anxiety, we felt that we were at last liberated : liberated, however, not yet free. We cast off, therefore, soon a<-' c four, and, with a reefed topsail, stood for the islands through what appeareti to be loose ice. Unluckily, when about two-thirds over, the «ind came to the north-west, and we were unable to fetch witliin a mile to the ea.stward of them r after which, shifting to the north, with a snow squall, it brought the ice down along the north shore. We were therefore obliged to ply to windward, in which we derived much assistance from our new leeboards. At nine it backed again to the north-west, and we were soon close in shore, after having run four miles. We had passed two bays, and two remarkable rocks, when, at one, a heavy .shower of snow coming on, we were obliged to haul our wind, and stand in for a little bay; where a baffling breeze nearly laid us on the rocks, and the weather shortly began to Ihreaten for a storm. A boat was therefore sent out with warps, to a rock on shore; but slipping off while we were hauling on them, we were obliged to let go the anchor in twenty-three fathoms. After this, however, we weighed and warped to the weather shore, during which we were able to examine the bay, whi<'h we found to be secure from all points of the compass except 4g2 crust -I'K { (I if Uh i ;m. ^ I n X 1 : ' 1, ^ (I » r ;> 1 I I I '-•K ' 9 096 SECOND VOYAGE OP DI8COVEKY four, ami completely out of the stream of ice when that was moving umler the tides and currents. AVe therefore warped to the head of this new harbour, where a small river entered, and innnediately made fast to the shore with two hawsers. No sooner, however, had we done this, than a violent gale came on from the north, with a heavy fall of snow, which compelled us to carry out more hawsers. We here saw the ice passing to the south-west with considerable rapidity, and had occasion to be very thankful that we were so secure. IJ^nder this feeling, the hard labour which every one had mulergone was soon forgotten. ^11 ,i,^, .„, It was very cohl in the morning, and the thermometer was but '21. The wind shifted from north to south, and back again, carrying out some new ice which had tbrined. From the shore, the passage « as seen to be clear, at eleven, as far as Andrew Hoss island, but the wind was right against us. \\\' found the latitu«le of tliis harliour to be 70 18' 1 1'; and, on examining the land t'urther, I found that the inlet to the north of tlu; passage approached within a mile of us, while the inlenne})7 ioe : it was impassable. W'f," shot two liare.s, and fouiul thein alrea- a month as it had been an anxious one. The mean temperature was lower than in the preeediiig Annnst; the snow remaineci longer on the ground, and fewer of the animals whieh, in these eonntries, migrate to the north had appeared. The i<'e was not so miieh decayed as it had been last year at the same period, and there had been much less motion among it. If the last ilays were the only good ones for our purpose, they had brought us four miles, to the place 1 had named Mumly har- bour, in IH'ii). Ami here we were prisoners: yet the prospect was not absolutely bad, since we coidd have got (tut of it last year, as late as the fourth of Octolter, and such might be the case again al an earlier perioil. It was an unplcasing circumstance to know, that although we had no men absolutely sick, and there had l>een no scurvy, the health of our crew in general was not what it had been ; as they had also pro\cd that they were incapable of bearing fatigue, and especially the travelling among ice. That it had been ii dull month, on the whole, to ns, I necil scarcely say. I fear that this meagre journal bears but to«) evident marks of it, and on more occasions than the present. Hut what can the journalist do, more than the na>igator ^ If this was a durance of lew events, and those of litth' variety, even these luul no longer aught to mark a ditlerence among them, nothing to attract attention or excite thought. The sameness «)f every thing I ^! i,H; M ill Hill n I! i ! M ' 1 ! ^ v; ,1 : ] V ,i ■> ( II "I H' I ) ftl ^1 fl.i.Hi^'! in y,« '■ i I. ' 1 . 1 f u i j 1 l' »l»^l( 598 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY weighed on tlie spirits, anil the mind itself flagged under the want of excitement; while even such as there was, proved but a weari- some iteration of what had often oceculiarities were loo limited to interest us long, and whose ideas were exhausted at almost the tirst ujeeting. U'ho, <-ontined to suj'Ii materials as these, shall hope to produce a book of interest and amusenu-nt ? It is uorse than the coudenniation to " make bricks without straw." To-day the ice set in, and carried away one of our warping lines, obliging us to let go the bower anchor; after which the ship v^as secured within twenty yards of the shore, with a piece of ice groinided between us and the rocks, and with another at hand to MS TO THE AIICTIC REGIONS. ."iy}) which we might moor if necessary. There were rain and snow on the second, and the pas.suge was navigable; but we could not attempt it till the morning's tide. The wind then came to blow from the north ; an«l, in the evening, the ice in the strait had niatle it impassable. At night there was a gale with snow. Nothing could be done on Sunday, the ice ■■ If! >l \ Sciii. 10. IP 1 I \ mo SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Scpi. )■,> Si'iit. l.i Sciit. 1-1. and, in the oftin^a:, si'l was motionless. Nature did not permit Sunday to be other than a |)ortions, aiul with that, too, more and worse than all else, the harmony of colouring ; giving us a motley patchwork of black and white, in place of those sweet gradations and combinations of colour which nature produces, in her summer mood, even amid the most deformed and harsh of landscapes. These are the objections to a snow landscape, which even the experieu(!e of adiiy may furnish : how much ujore, when, for more than half the j'ear, all the elenient al)Ove head is snow, when the gale is a gale of snow, the fog a fog of snow, when the sun sliines but to glitter on the snow which is, yet does not fall, when the breath of the mouth is snow, when snow settles on the hair, the dress, the eyelashes, where snow falls aroimd us and fills our cham- bers, our beds, our dishes, shouhl we open a door, should the external air get a(;cess to our " penetralia;" where the "crystal stream" in which we must (pieuch our thirst is a kettle of snow with a lamp of oil, where our sofas are (»f snow, and our houses of snow : wlie!'. I > I 1 I! TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ma snow was our decks, snow our awnings, snow our observatories, snow our larders, snow our salt; and, when all the other uses of snow should be at last of no more avail, our coffins and our graves were to be graves and coffins of snow. Is this not more than enough of snow than suffices for admira- tion ? is it not worse, that during ten of the months in a year, the ground is snow, and ice, and "slush;" that during the wliole year its tormenting, chilling, odious presence is ever before the eye : Who more than I has admired the glaciers of the extreme north ; who more has loved to contemplate the icebergs sailing from the Pole before the tide and the gale, floating along the ocean, through calm and through storm, like castles and towers and mountains, gorgeous in colouring, and magnificent, if often capricious, inform: and have I too not sought amid the crashing and the splitting and the thundering roarings of a sea of moving mountains, for the sub- lime, and felt that nature could do no more ? In all this there has been beauty, horror, danger, every thing that could excite; they wonld have excited a poet e»on to the verge of madness. IJut to see, to have seen, i(*e and snow, to have felt snow and ice for ev«r. and nothing for ever but .snow and ice, during all the months of a year, to have seen and felt Imt uninterrupted and unceasing ice and snow rni to the established usages? Sunday exempts me from any record. Monday does not furnish one, if it be not that we were employed in sawing the bay ice about the ship, in case the outer masses should set it in motion and aimoy us. This it did in spite of our precautions; since the heavy ice from the outside pressed upon it during the following day, yet without doing us any harm. It blew fresh, with the wind to the northward ; in consequence of which the ice drifted, but still remained stationary at the har- bour's mouth, so that we gained nothing. On the next morning, the old ice <|uitted the bay, but the new remained ; the sea outside was covered with heavy masses of the same interminable materials, and the land with snow. We were in a worse condition than ever. On this day we were able to carry the ship to an edge of the outer ice, doing this under the enhance that the following day might favour our escape. This, it did not choose to do. There was the usual hope, if wishes c",in be <'alled by this name, and that was all. On Sunday the pressure of the o\iler ice gave us some additional trouble, but there was no good to balance it. For the present, we were " har^ljind fast :" I do not well know who expecte k TO THE ARCTIC IIEGIONS. G05 Sfiil. that of preventing us from wasting our time in hopes or specula- tions : there was nothing to be seen, and nothing was now left for conjecture. We had at least the certainty, on the following day ^^i^ of clear weather, that the ice was as closely packed as it could possibly be : it is some gain in this life not to be troubled with hoping. A gale of wind on the twenty-eighth could not have mended the state of things: but whatever was the tact, the snow- drift was such that we could see nothing. In the last days, the thermometer, at night, had ranged between 16' and 30 . The two following ones were as nothing ; and the end of the month found us exactly in the same condition, with our prospects of freedom becoming less every d>iy. 1 may indeed say that they had ceased. It was impos.sible to expect any further progress under such a mass and weight of winter as that which surrounded us : even in a much better one, it was not to have been expected. The worst part of the prospect, however, was the distant one ; it seemed likely that the ship would never be extricated, and that we should be compelled to abandon her, with all that was on boartl. But I believe this dream was like many others which men form, under the usual condition of life. We fear evil events, or rather, I believe, imagine that we fear them, and then argue or talk our- selves into the belief that they nmst really happen, while our soberer juilgment, under the solitude of our own thoughts (unless these should be those of the naturally ilespairing or the hypochon- driacal), is that the probabilities are in our favour, that the evil which we imagined ourselves to fear, will never oc".{ f I i'f' S ! : ' ![ " if" ,' t si 600 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY r ]\, f !• ;i the evil, as we have been extricated before. Thus did we fear and hope, anticipate in despair, and then anticipate a far other prospect ; relief, escape, triumph, the return to our own home in England, and a return to boast of what we had attempted, what we had suffered, what we had feared, what we had achieved. The uniformity of our journal gives to the whole record of this month, a tranquil appearance; as if nothing was out of the ronunon order, and as if we had been all, like the ship, at peace. It was a very different thing, however, as our minds were con- cerned; but what is a journal of hourly hopes and fears, of fears indeed more than hopes, to those who cannot feel them ; of regrets under which we could not, on examination, blame ourselves, antl of that anxiety which has no repose? Do men write, on such occasions, what they think and what they feel ? I .should desire other f,;Oof of this than any which 1 have yet seen. The every-day work, and, above all, when that every- day work is to exert ourselves for the preservation of lil-j, were there even not the heavier, the ever down-weighing duty of pre- serving the lives of others, leaves little time for any reflections but those which the circiunstances demand. I am much mistaken if the time of action is that also of reflection, of other thoughts at leitst than are imperious for the ends in view. We act, because we must, an«l, for the most part, I hope, rightly : a time comes, when we can think of what we did, and when, I susj)ect, we only imagine what we then thought : but it matters little : historians imagine what other men thought two thousand years since, and surely «e have as nuich right to believe that what we think now was what we ourselves thought a year before. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 607 On the men, tlie effect was tangible, because it was simple. When we first moved from our late harbour, every man looketl forward to his three years' wages, his return to England, and his meeting with friends and family ; the depression of their spirit'* was now proportionate. They were not less in haste perhaps to relate their adventures, most of them having kept journals ; but, at present, it was better not to dwell on these matters, by any pre- mature discussions : the time of resolving what was to be done, and of labouring to effect it, was to come ere long. Compared to the preceding Septembers in point of temperature the present stands thus to that of 1829 and to that of 1830, namely, having a mean of G degrees less than the first, and of 4 degrees less than the last : and in the three, the extremes stand thus : 1829 highest 40' plus, lowest 17' plus. 1830 do. 43 plus, do. o plus. 1831 do. 36 plus, do. plus. The comparison of the weather is more remarkable. In 1829, there were storms, which broke up the ice, and finally drove it to the southward, so as to allow us to navigate this very sea at the same date. It was equally stormy in 1830, with the same effects : so that we could have .sailed from the position in which we now were, as late as the fifth of October. IJut the present montli had been generally a tranquil one; there having been but one gale, and that late; while, its the chief winds had been from the east- ward, the blockade of the land and the sea proved complete. There was not an atom of water to be seen, and the grouiul was every where '■' V) ' , - -^ ; ,'- A.i "■ .-■ ~ \ N '* :■ '-^'I , ■--] , -^ \ 1 ■ . -v \ ■ |-,r,rr rr — i 1 — .»/»/» f/' /-Vy t'rtrri.r , I ir '•■ IJ 'I ii t 4 1' ill 1 I ■ ) u I I ' ■ I TO THE ARCTIC IlEOION'S. G(M) CHAPTER XLVII. .lOUXNALOK OCTOUEIl — TIIK .lOUUNAI.S OF NOVEMISKIl AM) DIM KM- UEIl, AM) THE EM) OF THE YEAH. rt^ 1 1 IE weather was fo<>:p:y and ealm on fNaturday, and was little dif- ferent on Snnday. On the foUowinu day the iee in the oHinir was in motion ; and, on the next, the vessel was rut into a l)etter herth, in ten tathonis water, while the rndder was unshipped. It came to blow on the firth, and the outward ice beg^an to move and drift to the northward, showini; some open water at «laylight about a mile from the ship. We therefore cut channels in the new ice, that we niiuht be prepared should it open more ; Imt it became calm in the evenintr, and all remained as before. On the three la.st days of the week the temperatin-e «as between I({ and IJ) ; the weather bein^ variable, with a northerly breeze on Siiturday, which caused a lane and a pool of water in the otiini;': but this was all that occurred to mark the first week of Octolnr. SiMiday was only noticeable by the thermometer fallini!; to 8 , and by the disappeiirance of the little open water of the precediii^f dav. On .Monday we bi'i>an to unbend the sails and dismantl«> the ship It uould hav«' been keeping up the tarce of hope nnicli too idlv to have delayed this lontrer. An observatory on shore was therelbre 4i ls;i ' .ui<'al period; which n .Monday it fell to miims •Zii ; making the whole fall o()' w ithiu three days. A few hares and grouse had been sttn, and some were slictt, while (he track of a ifluttou had been also observed. Part uf our own occupation was to continue the survey of the present spot, so as to complete our chart, and to take the altitudes of the hills; while, if our work is not accurate as well as niiinite, it was not at least for want of time. There was a storm on the twenty-fifth, and it blew so violently as to tear into rags the canvas of our housing, which had now gone through a long service. We could no( even attempt to save it, from (he great diinger ofexposing (he men lo (he c»»ld. I«V»Mn the north, (he wiiul changed (o the sondi on the t'ollowing day; and when we < Id look ou(, \\v found that it hati cleared (he hills of snow. It contiinicd variable during (he remainder of (h.' wnU, ui(h a (em- I I 2 Oct. IT, Oil. IS Orl. -JO ( )i'l •.' 1 . O.I. '.'.'. del.'.':) n.i. •:.-.. Oil. '.'i; On. 'j: lo '."I, ,n I i4 1' I' l.lpllfj Ir'If I i i 1 1 ■1 '■ -i '• 4 !*' * ■* '• i 1 '■' J > • 1 > •' ]■ Gli SECOND VOYAGE OF DIStOVEIlY perature about zero; and the reconstruction of a Iiousing found full employment for the people. Oct. JO. The weather on Sunday was tine, but the thermometer fell to 7' minus. Two reindeer had been seen on the lakes, somewhat unex- iht. 31. pectedly ; and, on Monday, it was remarkable that the temperature ran/fed between IT minus, and 17^ plus. The sunnnary of this October cannot be much, in detail, and is of as little moment in point of interest. Some (ireparations for .sulking the ship in spring', hud been made, as I have already noticed, uniler our project of travelling by land and by boatii to the place of the Fury's stores. Every thing, excejit the provi.sions and stores indispensable for our use, had been landed ; and the two boats had been placetl in such a position as to admit of the con- struction of sledges under them. The tem|>erature had ranged from 22^ plus to '2ty minus; the mean had been 8' plus, and the extremes 20' plus and 23" minus. The thickness of the sea ice was found to be nineteen inches on the la.st day of the month ; an,. thermometer was plus 20 , and the lowest minus 2 . On Sun record of this voyage, even to the moment of quitting tiiis country after four years of detention, and durini? the wliole of what I may almost call one long winter, unparalleled, too, for its severity, shows that it never very seriously assailed our people, and, almost without exception, was the cause of serious injury to none. That this was the conscfpience of care, cannot be doubted : how arthe effect is due to the connnander of the expedition, it does not become me to say; but care there was, antl on the part of more than myself, or the good residts in question could never have been. If nuist be seen, in the first place, that we were entirely cut off from one of the best known and most effective means of prevention and remedy; since the country produced no vegetable food, nor con M our men learn the use offish oil, which 1 believe to be one of the antiscorbutics provided by nature for the inhabitants of these frftz« n climates. It is not less true that a largo ))roportion of «)ur provi- sions consisted in the usual salt meat, of jjork at least; but if we had an occasional resource in the fish which we fomul in the country, and in the preserved meat, the vinegar, the sugar, and the lemon-Juice of our stores, I doubt if these, which have so often proved of small eflicacy, would have maintained our men in health during so long a period, and in such a climate. There was more wanted; and that we obtained by those atten- tions which 1 nmst now point out, for tin benefit of future navi- gators in the same country. The southern whalers assert, that as a want of water is one of the most et^cient causes of scurvy, so they find a remedy in supplying this to their .1 '( ' ; 'U y^ ,• r. i 1 ' » 1 ::; . 1 '' 1 r • I' I . UJ' 1 1 1. > ' '■ Hi ii^..s 6U) SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY' part to obtain our own water through artificial lieat. With the same view, we never suffered our people to remain in their wet clothes, as our contrivance in warming their habitation between ; TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. (il!) than J had ever seen tlieiii. Tliere was nothinj^ interesting lienee onwards till Satnrday. The wind was from all quarters alternately, and the lowest mark of the thermometer, being on the last of the week, was 22° niiiins. Sunday came in with a strong northerly g;de, which, with a temperature of 24' minus, made it very cold. On Monday at noon it moderated, so that the next day was calm and clear ; hut another gale sprung up on the fourteenth, blowing hard during the two following days, but ending in a calm and clear Saturday. 'I'iie temperature varied during the week between 2' and tiV minus. It being calm and clear on Sunday, the temp- iature fell to ;j.V. It contiinied fine till the twentieth at night, when it blew a storm, and the thermometer rose to 8"; while that gale, with severe (hift snow, increased till mid-day «mi the twenty-first, subsiding to a calm in the evening. Tims it continued till the twenty-fourth, the thermometer having ranged between 24' and ;j(J'. Christiiuis-day was made a holiday in all senses. In the cabin dinner, the only fact worth remarking was, a nunul of beef which had been in the Fury's stores for eight years, and which, with some veal and some vegetables, was as good as the day on which it was cooked. r know not whether the preservation of this meat, thus secured, be interminable or not; but w hat we brought home is now, in 1H.'3.'>, as good as when it went out from the hands «»f the maker, or whatever be his designation, the Gastronome for eternity in short, in 1S2:3. If it »>an be kept so long without the slightest alteration, without even the diminution of flavour in such things as hare soup and piiri-c of carrots, why may it not endure for 4 K 2 Dec. 11 l-i 17. I)(r. n M ■24. I),T. I. I jVl ' ( i It IP: ! T i ,1i ' 1 i ! ■> ' ' '• •% '* u i 1 ,' f y- , i *< •'■ } i' i' • ;»":> ^ ;l (' ■ I 1 1 I' 620 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Dec. Qi) to 31. ever, supposing that the vessels were theiii.selve.s perdurable r Often have I imagined wliat we shoukl have felt had Mr. Appert's contrivance (of which, however, neither he nor his suc- cessors are the real di.scoverers), been known to Rome, could we have tlug out of Ilerculaneum or Pompeii one of the suppers of Lucuilus or the di.shes of N'asidienus; the " fat paps of a sow," a boar with the one half roasted and the other boiled, or a muraena fattened on Syrian slaves; or, as might have happened, a box of sauces prepared, not by Mr. Burgess, but by the very hands of Apicius him.self How much more would antiquaries, and they even more than Kitchener or Ude, have triumphed at finding a dish from the court of Amenophis or Cephrenes, in the tombs of the Pharaohs ; have regaled over potted dainties of four thou.sand years' standing and have jo^'ed in writing books on the cookery of the Shepherd kings, or of him who was drowned in the Red Sea. Is it possible that this may yet be, some thousand years hence, that the ever-during frost of Roothia Felix may preserve the equally ever-during canisters of the Fury, and thus deliver down to a remote posterity the dinners cooked in London during the reign of George the Fourth ? Happy indeed will such a day be for the antiquaries of Boothia Felix, and happy the Boothia to which such discoveries shall be reserved. There was nothing to note in the next three days, but the loss of two of our dogs : a serious one now, since they could not be replaced, and were to form part of our future dependence. The remainder of this month was equally uniform and dull, and it ended with the thermometer at 27" : in the four tirst it had not been more than 37°. On cutting the ice on the htst day, its thickness proved to be four feet in the sea, and six inches more in the lake. i t . ii f ' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 621 Tliis inontli of December commenced with the mercury frozen : but a change took place on the thini, just after the new moon; and we experienced, for three weeks, such a succession of storms as we had never before witnessed. These liad tlie effect of raising the temperature, yet less than usual ; while, though little snow fell, the drift was very great, since that which had fallen was like tint flour. The men were much reduced in strength, but the scurvy had been kept in check. One man alone, Dixon, being afflicted witii a complication of disorders, was not expected to live very long. The comparative view of the December of this and the two preceding years, may be thus abstracted : 1 829 liighes 3west, and mean temperature — 8 — 37 — 23.08 ia30 Ditto - . _ . +(;_47_2().24 l&Jl i)itto - _ _ — 2 — 42 — 23.9() '/■:■ [\ ti; t I'S , •;): :|.!f s I (>'ii SKCO.ND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY J i '■,^ I' >;t'H «^ ,. AHSTIJACT OF THE METEOUOLOCICAL JOURNAL. N.-.'.-i-XhW.rn. N.'V\V.2si.'>\U.S.sii.n\v.;ii)ji..nui,v\.i U n « .u.U i,N i;. ' I . .' "■ _ '• 7 5 II II ) ' s\\ V « .KJ. WhS 1, WSW .3. >WliW.O.S\V.lllJ. SSMiS.d. SsW.O. SI.W.1 1 "" I' - (■ ■< .'ii 11 II r. SRv. s.in5..SI,l..|ii. .ssi:.ii.l- hCuScl. .SK.ili. Sr.liH.o. ESK.il lili.s.ii. " '' *^ "4 II 1 " II NKy - Kti, KliX.o. I:nK.(k SHiE.ci. iSk.i. NKliS.n. \.s'K,3ii. MiK.o. N.ui.MiW.ii, Ns'vf.iac) S'\V|i!«.(i.n'Iv.io:..x\VMV.o. \VX\v.is. ttVN.B. '' :!■-•!■ 1 Tiitiil. I.ilj (il.'i hours. I a (In. wind villi- l:ll f la; ilii. c-iilin. »V.l)2. Whs 1. U.SW.li.l. SWliW .(ISW.ali). SWiiSU. SN\\.;u. lie II .1 n .III II 7 .s.aii.sliR.ii. .ssE.i.-,. sKhH,o. hK.i.'!. "SKhKo. i:M:.r. I'M. F.hN.c KNK.i NKhKii. NEH. NKhN-:;). N.NE.lil. SbW.I T-;hs 0. MiE.ll. .S«y. SEy. NKy. N.<1. .NhW.o.NNrt.ni. SWhS.l.l.NW.Hl. V\\h\V.O.\\"N\V.,-|. w"h.S.o. ' ' 11 P 1 I 1 1 tt.»:i. \\b.i.a;.WsW.hii..sl\h\V.ii. sw.idii. Shi,>.ii. n.su.m 1 I 1 ."„ II I II .1 s.ir>i..siil'..ii. S.SK.aii. sKhS.-j. SK.3I. .sllhl.o F-sEn 1 1' •■ ."• 11 i.'i 11 1 ' i;.ll. Kli.V.n. H.SH.lli .NKUE.n. NE.3J. >.i< !ibl..lo. .^.SE.J^. .SKb.'*). .Ml,-. M.l.E.O, I'.SE ,1. F.hS n. E.H, EbS.d. em: II. NEbEO. \'k.^. MlhN.lii, S VE-liil. NbE.n ' '^' Kill 1 T.iliil lO.'l ! li.ill lldlllH ll.l lll'l IKIIIIH I ,- (III. Will 'll II I -ll (III. (lib.. n I rilo • ;io (liiyn. .1 \sr.\KV, H31 lliirlip«t. Iii« t, ■\w~l, I.i« (. X 1 . i.-.int,'iii|H,,itim ^ '■J!-'!')-''' " iiilal liinv .1 Hif Wiiiil . . Ifc; Mean forrt- (if llic Wiml EFIllllAllY, isii llinlii-t, liiwi'M, iiiti.l tiiriiMil thr Wind . Mi'Uii fiuci' iif till- Wind lli.li ir.liJ MiMK II, Is.ii. lliL-ll,..t, IllWOst. A \ ,,,_,. ,., -, liiciiii tciiiiicratiirc I ' ' ■"' ' Tdlal liiKV (ll tbi' Hind . . . lolir Minn fiiiiviil (lie Wind . ii.ij lllt'ln-t. |.i«, •; NH'y. Mo 1 N Hi). NbW.l9 \Vxw.;lO(l,NWliN.).| NWMII1.SWliW.i.l,H\tt.l'j. Wi.N.l. cT II |;t 1, (,i ,1 ( .. HWy W.lli5. Wb.-,.0. WSW .in. .SWbW.l.l.>iiV.«». SWhS.ll. KHW.). ShW.U. •I '.', -'I 'I I I " Hi n SKv. Ml. fnhd. ShE :IV SKbS.ll, NE SJ. sKbK.d. I.SKIIl. HhS.d. II 11 11 A I i II i» I M-.y Kill. Kh.V.n, K.SK-Jl, SEI.Eii. NE1J3. NEb.V.ii, .S > El 1 1. ,\bK I. t i 1 ■ rtiu N UJ.NbW.l.SNW.Iil. N\Mi\..lil.\\> a.vi.NHbtt'o 'I -'I '♦. . ' I !.• » M H.Jll.HbH.O.WHW.Ili, >\bH.:l|M>.i,-. ,»»!,.,,. (,.,« 'I -.». II. .■ I!' .1 » N.ll). Kbk.H. Ksr..j^. M.b^.d. g '1 'I II K.i;. bbV.O. ENIi.l. NEhE.V M;.a,l. Hi bi;.o. E>K IK n'k.w. M'.u.So. .N.^K.r , N H 1 Klii.HiiN.i:! II iSWv I Mii^.d. HKy. ElL^n. .NbE.ii NEy. lU mil Tntll. ilill hiinr-. lA dii. wliiil \ldi' ;d (In culm. ,"14 :ll(law. Tot«l. lil,' 1(111114, " dti, wind *li; (iA (Id. raldi. Ian loilnyi. MVV. IMI. Iliirliisl, li.wc.l. 1 1 ^,,,1 ,a^,„.., MicaiilciiiiHTaliiicf +"'-"•*■ '""J Tiiial liinc (.1 ibc Hind . . i-.-n Minn fiiric (i| the Wind liu.vj mean iciiiiicratiirc ' ' ■^'» i'»-" Tidiil liiric lit the H ind Mran furcr ii( tlic Wind i,-ij «; i; ^ TO Tin: AlltTU REGIONS!. (m ihi,\t aa II . ,Tt> S.m:Shw-.,3. NNWii4.Nvvh\.ir.NVv.iii.K-wb\v.2i).WN\v.i(ii).\viAii. w.ioo.wijs.ii. wsw.ii). sw'bW.u. sw.ri. svvbs.o. ss'w.i. sii'vv.o. s.nii sUE,:i-... ssK.ii-,. sKbs.d. SKoi. sKl.liu. y.hk.m. ki.s.ii. E.lU2.fa)N.S. KNH:.;ii. NEbK.ii. sk.lMI, SKbN.lu.NsWlcli. NbK.l-JI N\Vy.-'205 SWy, _ 61 SKy. -155 NKy. M5 Ti>lal. (irti bimrs. 'i'i tlo. wilUt Vlllf. Hi llM. CHllll. ,"11 Jl(lny> Jri.v, iNii. Iliirlu'st. Invviwl, \ 1 nu-aii tcmiicrjitiirt' t "*" Tc'tal l.prctol till' Wiiiil Mfrtti force nf the Will. I I ri.NbW, ir. 1 ; NN».K'r.N\VbN.i(i,NW.jj;.N\ibW.,-.»N\V,li ' ' ;> J t ■; ^'5 (. ,, W.Ml.WliS.l.l.HSW.lilll.SWbW.lO.SW.rJ, SWbS.il. ss\\.-. "n. ;t II .1 v.i n ,1, ' ^.ll^. Nbl;.;!. S,SK.J4. .sKbS.i). SKjs. SLblTii. K.SC li- .. 7 .. , .1.1 .... 1,-, ., i; ' h.lrr.KbS.ll. H.SH.MI. NKbE.5:l. Mi.sti. NKbS.o. SNK.ij. 1:' N«v WbN.!)5. ■Jli 1 1 I SWy. SbW.Hj. lai .1 SEy. KbS.ii. 111! NKy, SbKu, ma r..tai. nr lu.iirs. U .1". wih.l \blf l:l il.i. i-aliii. ti ;ll ibiv«. Aldl SI. n.u. Ilii:br.^t. I..»i'-I. .S 1 iiii'Hii li'iiiiaTaturi' i "*"" * Tiical fiirii' III ihf Wiml Moan film- of tlii' Wliul !1. I(i '.I . -.'11111 "7 :l J I 1 .1 N.)65.Nbrt'.l5Cl.N s W.rno. .Nvl'iS • t n I •,• II NWy. hS.tiS.NH.lii..S«bW.ja.« Nrt'.w. Ub.S.u. a'' " 1 ■■' '> I I' 1 10 I 't .Sli'v ft .111. Wb.S.O. WSW.JK. aWliW.o. .S«.5:l.TS\Vb:s.a. ^■-•".- .1.... "">■ V:'... Sbl^.O. II..H. RbN.is .S8K.K. I 1;M:.i: .Ss\V.:i5. .> SEIMKMIIKU, i-Jl. Hii:lio>t. Iitwt..*t,»iiii-i , iiu-aii li'itijiiTatiiri' f +•"*'' ■I'lilal liirri' III till' Wiiiil Mi'ni, InriTiil 111.' Wiiiil N.5W.Nb\V.,i.i.NNW..llHt.NWbN.,i.sW.I5. NWbtt.l). NV.'v'W.J. WliNU "»•'■" 1 ,,.,,,^| 11 , 11 , SWy. ^--lii ; liili biiiu.. ssw.,-11 SbW.ia. t ■.'! ilii. wiiiiivhk- un.sbk.,,. s^^k'i, sii;s.:,i.^iliii. SKMi.ii. KmLj. Ebs.u. ""^v. ^.J:! , J«,l,.. ™;i„. !. " HI y NEy. t^ (ia I ,-44 ;llil»y». ftt v. U .1 I,-, ,1 \\.4I. WUS.Il. HSW.mi. SWIiSV.ll.SW.rn. SWbS.U. EbS II. K.\K.|. NKbliil. NE.30 M,bN 0. SNE.IiO. NIJEll. ^ "ni>iii;n, i-.!! Miithosl. liiwi'M, \% incaiiti'iiiiHTiitiirc/ **■■ liitHl li.nv III llu- \Miiil Mraii liinc III till' Wiml I -till I (111 I s'tHa.SbW.im.\^\\\lt*.\\\\,\M. NW.».i. Si\bW.ii « NW..-,. w'li.N.,,, '*^''>-'''" j .,,,,,^1 f '.J. Wbs.o. WSW.II. swbw.i, Mv.1.1. .sw'ii.s:„. s.iw.,-.i. .siiw.i. **"''■ "' I, '■'';, i.'iTimU III, WVus^iK... s^E.i,:,. Hl^l.s.,. Si.i.ii.SEhR.,,. kJr ,. K^i,. ^'^'^ '"' fill"" '"'"'• >. JD. Kb'.V.ii ESi;..i NKiiK.u SE.l N EbN.ii. NSK.o. si,V..„. '^'''^'' -11 J '■" "*' I.I I SbW.I \\ II WliSil VijH Nb'>Vu,rN'\H\.ii,,,,NHb.S'.ii..\!\.«,-.Sw'bW-.o.WNW.ii. VUN „/'**'> ^■' j ,.,„„, 13 an liimn>. \ Hi itn. wiml villi- Hill I I.J il.i. I'Hilll. SWbS.il. SSW II. SbW.ll. SWy. 1 11 7 WSH I SWIiW 0. SW.-JII. S.4H SbK.,1 Hsk.u. sMil. SKJil. sltl.K.u. KhK.4. nil's.!). "'"''■ " ' "I 11 NEv .sEUEii si;,-, .\KbNil N.M:.-, .sbE.o. >* .1 KCl EbN.u. ENEn «-.. II il«y« .NllVEMllEH, i-ll llii:lii'.i, invisi, ^ > im-an ti-mi.iraliui.; "i-'-H— '•- I ■.'■' r.ital l.iri-i III 111,. Wiml 141,1 liital liin-i Mi'Hii l.ir,-i- lit 111,. Wiiiii llECEMIIEIt, I- I Mlitbriit, llllvl>^l, \ I .,_ ., iiii-ali t,-ii)ii,'ialiir,- .^ '* i'*---' T"tal l,ir,-i.,i| llu- Wliiil j; Ml. ,11 t,ir,-,-iii III,, w, f* ■'it M 1A \ M 1 I « K « ,1 '^ ?, r 1 ■ l '■■' i ! 1 • 1. b I ',' (524 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XLVIII. l.S:t2. 1.111. 1 in .') I.tli li 111 S ,1,111. > I.I It THE JOUIINALS OK JANIARY, FEBRUAKY, AND MARCH. k^UNDAY iH'injj; past, we prepared oiir luiiiinu: tools for the pur- pose ot' Htakiii^' a place of roiicealiiient for our stores, A very hriiliaiit meteor, as large as tlie moon, was .seen, finally splitting into sparks, and illnminating tlie whole valley. The thermometer fell to lUi" on Tuesday, and to H) on the following day; rising again hut to reach the .same point on the next, when there was a brilliant aurora of a golden colour, passing through the north star. I repeatnl the expemnent formerly made with the dif- tereiitial thermometer, to as little purp«).se. The thermometer cam«- down to I.') . hut, being calm, it was not very cold : it is certiiin also that we had now resumed our winter standard of sensation on this sultject. 'I'he aurora was again seen on Saturday; and Sunday passnl as usual. The invalil< , hut tranquil, and ot'ten calm. Th< temperature rose from 4*j' as far as I'i . On the tenth, the long-ailing James Dixon died. A heavy fall of snow, with a storm from the north- west ward, hrought another wi-ek to a close. The same men who hud been employed, whenever it i! I TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ()2& was possible on the tunnel, had also prepared the grave for our patient. It was necessary to postpone the funeral on account of the weather : but a sermon appropriate to the subject was selected for this Sunday. On the lollowing morning the interment took place with the usual solenniities. The two next days were mild, and the work of the tunnel went on. On the three last of the week, the weather was variaide, and the thermometer from 2(5 to 2!)". It began however to blow fresh on Saturday night, and conti- nued with great severity all this day and the following. On Tuesday it fell a little at noon, but was as violent as ever in the evening. In spite of (he drift, the sun was seen on this day, but the storm continued on the twenty-tifth, and did not subside till the n»»on of the following day, when it was clear and calm. The last two days of the week were moderate, and the thernumieter ended on Siifurtlay night at iV,V. On the Sun«lay and i\Ionday the w ind was north, and it was very <.old, with a thermom* ter at y<) . It varied little on the following; and the month tmlcd on the Uiirty-tirst, with a lempeiature of 2(» . Little or nolhing could be done out of the ship on most of the past days, and our txercise was e(|ually nstricled to the deck. Ouring three out of the w»'eks of this month (here was windy or stormy weather, which nnide .le c(di). 1 toi. The month began with a furious storm, which continued for two days, ani\ shore during these (lays. On the twenty-ninth it again blew so strong as to put a stop to this work; and they were therefore employed on board in preparing stores and necessaries for tin ensuing journey. It was a more moderate day, though the ihermometer at night was at 16°. There was abundant employment now, in preparing skin bags for bedding, in working at the sledges, and in other matters intended for travelling. The .sea ice was cut on Satunlav by erecting a tent over the spot, since a strong breeze rendered it impossiltle to work otherwise, and it was found to be seven feet thick ; having gone on increasing in this month, and having gained nine inches on the former. The temperature on the last night of March was 20°. In this month, the average temperatme of the first half was lower than it had yet been in the same on the former years, since it was 42^ untler zer(». It became gradually niihler towiuds tin end, so that the mean of the whole was nearly the same, being minus 31', as the lowest and highest were minus 4J and minus IHJ . Hut, like February, it was a very cold month t(» the feelings, in eonse<|uen<'e of the frequent winds; while it is certainly also true. .M.uvh ■:: I' t T^; i':. ( I If f r " I. k^ ''1 • I 1 '• \ 1.' 1,1 1' it s, am SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY that our comparative weakness, and the alteration in our diet, made us feel it more severely. This had impeded the concealment of our stores, and retarded the work on the sledges; but we had been busy on board in arranging and concentrating our several travelling necessaries: a work of some consideration, since, besides provisions, arms, ammu- nition, and tools, we had fuel to carry, had it even been but to thaw snow for drinkin besides instruments and all else that belonged to our personal accommodations. In our crew, we had now one blind man; and the mate, Taylor, was still so lame that he could walk but a very little way : besides w hich there were three other men, in very indifterent health ; while no one was as strong as in the preceding year. On my part, the prudent conduct, as it concerned this state of things, now seemed to be, to restore the whole to full allowance; and this was accord- ingly done. Tlw magnetic observations lia«l proceeded ; but are likely to be of little value, from the situation of the neetlle, near high hills and among rocks. What Saussure had originally shown, the observa- tions of Dr. M'Culloch have extended tar more widely, by demon- strating the influence of granite as well as many other rocks, not less than the basaltic ones, on the magnetic needle, so as to produce " deviations" such as those wliicli occur from the presence of iron in a ship. On instruments, and with experiments, so delicate as ours, this induence was likely to be (le.structive of all true results. There having been little snow, in comparison, and much wind, the hills wer«' tolerably bare. That we hatl not seen any natives, coidji not be a matter of surprise. Our success in game had been almost nothing. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 631 N.a,',.Si,W.4ii.NNVv.a;n8.>nvbN.o.NW.rr SVVbW.o \vnW.o. WiiK.o Tntal. i " (,) 1} 4 7 II SWy. - lil fi04 liimrs. VV'.lO.WbS.II. WHW.O. sHbAV.iisw.ia. sWus.o. SSW.ll. SbW.O. , i:»(l(). wind vbtc 1 1.. .1 1 .1 11 4.1 .t • 1 SKy. - 02 ;y tin, calm. SDH. sl>K.o. ssE i«. S KliS.O. SK 69. SKbE.O. ESI5.3. l-:iis 0. - — j.i (1 fi ,, . bE.H. hEUKl ARY, IhJS. 'l'Bl'i'»t, lowest, \ 1 mean tcmiHTRtun- / ' ' ■ Tiitnl forfi' ol tlu' \N mil . Jsir Mcau furce of the Wimt . . ^6 (i^ l| /:' ' ABSTRACT OF THE METEOROLOGICAI JOURNAL. ;:/;• H it ,1 S 2 15 4 17 ? , n N \Vy, N rUti.NbW.129.NNW.lSO0.N'V\bN.lf).NW.66.T{^VbW.O.Vl'X\V.2. WbN.o. V».23. \VbS.». 0» o (I J-' " 4il _ "„ WSW.O. SVVbW.0.S\V.5i. SWbS.O. 'S.Stt^,212. SbW.II. 101 SWv. - «!l S.Jl.i.SbE.i). SSE. 127. ,i I) o EU. EbN.l). KNK.o. SKy. -131 4 11 NKy. - 13 NEbTPT.o. Mi;5. NKbH.o. frNK.ii. NbE.o. sEbSo. SK.ra. SkbE.j. ESE.o. Kb.s.o, j_ 11 4 ji NKy. - 13 Total. 614 liiiiirs. ■Mi (In. wind vblc. lUO do. calm. TH =i\ (lays. .lANUARV, 11-J2. HiKlio^t, lowest. \ 1 _.,_, Total fori-eof tlu' Wind , . Mean furcc nf tlic Wiiul a'n; N.u. MW.o.NNW.I98.'i.KT\'b'K.o.Ntt..'i!). TnVbW.O.WNW.I. WbX.n, NWy. ■',13. i^O*» .U. l^ I' »» . I'JO.I. .1 •! un .w. n •• ..i-j. It II tj •» .u. IT .1 II , I . II U11 ,11, ^,13. WbS.o. W.SWo. Sw'bW.()..s5\:3. TiVb^.o. "Ssiv.70. Sb'w.u. ' ' ... . . .. > . .. .-. .. VI.'.- . ... S*ll. TibE.O. .sVE.:i6. SEb.S.O. sill:!. SKbE.O. F.SR.ij. KbS.o. V.u. EbK.o. ITNE.o. 'SEbE.o.NE.15. NEbN.o. NNK..). hbEO. SEv. . gi NEy. r- 411 Total. ^s-^ bours. ■j;i do. wind vblc. 13.t .lu. I'alni. rii-'Sidaya. MARtll, ib.lj. IliKhrst, lowest, ^1 _ . ,.|. |. nii'Hn tcnippratnri' J 'i ' J •'■. Total loiM' ol the Wind iv^ii .Mcau furce uf tlic WiiHt . . : *>* f> rat 1 ' I y 1 ^^^ :1 i 1 ji ■* 1: 1 M'l M Aiinl I t< A|>iil '{ IH 14. (i32 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CHAPTER XLIX. APlllI. — COMMENCE THE OPERATION OF CARRYING FORWARD BOATS, SLEDGES, AND PROVISIONS, WITH THE VIEW OF AHAN- DONINC; THE SHIP — MAY — CONTINUATION OF THE SAME WORK — THE SHIP IS AHANDONED. . It blew SO hard that the men were imprisoned after divine service. On Monday it was more inodtrate, and the people were employed in cnttinif round the Krusenstern, preparatory to hauling her up. The tliinl, fourth, and fifth, became gradually milder; though the thermometer ditl not ri.se above minus 14'^, and sank to 30° at night : l)ut on Friday it was again very cold. On Saturday the thermometer ro.se on a sudden to plus 7° ; not having pa.ssed zero be'fore, for I3f{ i .\|,nl I.' lu -21, Ai-iii r.. \l.iilJ.!. % a ! 'I .! It 'I 7 r' I 1 ! 1 I I 1 ■' I I .\| ul M. (>34 SECO>; VOYAGE Of DISCOVERY divided equally, and we proeeedeil with great lalioiir and ditKculty, through rough ice, so that we were at length obliged to carry on hut one at a time, returning lor the other alternately; in conse- «|nen<'e of wliieh Me did not gain more than a mile, after tive hours' work. It then began to Mow so hard, with cirift snow, that we were t»bliged to halt and build snow huts. These we covered with canvas, and by means of the tieer-skin beds, and our cooking apparatus, the wliole party of tourteen was well accounuodated, tiiough the teni|)erature of uur house at night was but minus 1>V, while it w as as low as 30' outside. Degrees of a thermometer make little impression on readers ; and, above all, the minus side of the scale is powerless to those who have not lived in lands like that in ({uestion. The number thirty may catch the eye, without making the readers feel that it is sixty degrees under the freezing point. Our sleeping room, on this occasion, was forty-seven ilegrecs under that point. How did we continue to sleep, how can men sleep in such a temperature ? This is what r have tried t(» explain on t'ormer occasions, yet with very bad success, I fear, since, in this case, there is no exercise to gene- rate heat, or counteract the etllcts of cold. Once more I nmst leave it to the all-informed [diysiologists. ^^'e proceeded so(»n after noon, with the second boat, through the same kiuil of ice, and, after lour hours, reached the sea-shore, where we found a terrace of ice formed by the spring tides, so as to pro- tluce a level way within the huunnoi.'ks on each side. Here the travelling was comparatively easy, and, by six, we were about ••even miles from North point, where we left the boat and returned to our (juarters of the preceding night. I.I I ii H 1 1 TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 635 We began our mfircli esirly, this day, with flie second boat, and Apni -'.^. witli the provision shulge, alternately, in spite of a very annoying wind, with snow-drift ; reaching the advanced boat f»f yesterday, and then carrying the whole a little way fnrflier, till eight, when we were obliged to house ourselves as on the first day of this journey. Our meat was so hard frozen that we were (tbliged to cut it with a saw, and conhl only attbnl to thaw it by putting it into our warm cocoa : we could not spare fuel for both pur|H»ses. A strong gale with a sn(»w drift nearly covered our hut in a short time, and we had the greater mortification of finding our- selves obstructed by a ridg«; of ntcUs jutting into the sea, on which the ice had accumulated to the height of fifty feet. Men have smiled at the narratives of eating in " old Homer," and critics have defended him. " J)ormifavit " it may be, on inanv things, but on this subject at least, he never slept ; yet the " good man" need not have been very anxious about the ! '. ill I T ■ I .( Nil I (i:i(i SEtONO VOYAfJE OF DISCOVEUV rook, or hivakfusts to eat; but tluTc was little iiielinatioii for a uaiitoinic'ss of rtronl on tliiims of bitter necessilv, or to tell tales of a liiiii,i>ry stomach and sIitH't <'onnnons tor the entertainment of readers. The seanty allowanees of yesterday or to-onhl never hav<' been reco<>nis«'d as the rebcs of philosophers who had come so tar. to do — \\ hat has Ikcii ilonc Heaven only knows what woidd have been our t'ate. had the animals of this country, with lour h'U's or tuo, pbnuh'red our depo>its on the various occa- >ions where we had trusted to their stupidity or their m<»re than doiddfnl honour, or had the t'aibire of our streuuth or our means of con\evance let't ns to the miserable and casual resource of a stray fo\ or a ti'W liulls. \\ ( were impri^oned all the I'ollowiuu: eous rest to the men. On the t\>enty-se\entli. earl\. we attempteil to make ua\ o\rr the sia iee. where the road was so dillicult that we diil not i;ain more than three hundred \ard-< in two hours, Ueachini; howe\er, at he^t. the terracr ot' ice which skirled the shore, the way became comparatively easy. lliou<;|i it «'onipelled us to go round e\ei'y point oj' hiiid, and e\ery bay: reuderiu,^' the gain in hteen ; while it would he neeessiuy toyooNcr this spjiee three tiims more, before every tliiui;- eould l)e even thu^ tar ad \ a need in a jnurneN whieh was destined ultimate^ to be three hundred utiles, lliouuh the direel one was oul\ a hundred and eighty. I deem it unn« ssary to j;ive any abstrael of the month of .\pril, as the p:ist details are ample. The tirst of .May was mild, with the thermometer between "i anti \i. •i<» plus N\ e were employed iu prepariiiy provisions lor the ailvanee; aud \i ! I 1 1 m f :( ■1 . 'hi ■ ) I' • iiOH SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERV the suit meat and otluT stores wliidi we nmlcl nf>t rarry wcro got out ill readiness to he deposited in tlie Kriisensteni on shore, as a last resonret- in ease ot' onr retnrn. 'J'his, and other work occn- Mn .' pied the ro||o\viii<>- (hiy: \vh«n. althonuii the thiTMioineter was phis •20 in the day. it fell to zero at ninht. Miu s. Two sle'd^es were taken lo tlie M-a ire, four inih's otl", the men M IS ( retnrnintf at seven (»'eloek. On the fourth we eomineiK'ed our second journey: the party eonsistinu' of myself aiitl Coinniaiider Itoss, with ten men. heing the whole of our etieelive erew. drag- gin:;- one heavy-loaded sledge. After tindiiig that which had In-en tleposittil yesterday, w«' had gttod ice for live miles, and thus carried on the two sledges, until one was hrokeii in attempting to pass some hummocks in our way ; arriving at the first of our stations in the night, with oiieof tluni only. M.IV V .VII was found safe iVom the evpected intrusions of tlu- glutton . and after eight hours' rot, the men went hack with the broken sledge for repair, and to Itring on the two others which were yet to come up. The day was spent in this alternating labour, and after twelve hours, we liati brought one sinlge, by midnight, to a distance of ••ight«-en miles from the ship M.iy i> 'I'he second Was brought up on the following day, and the broken one repaired : when, the loads being e(|uali/.ed. we set out for the next station, which we did not reach till eight at iiiuht. in conse- ipieiice of a I'all of snow which n iidered the way much worse than bffoif 'I'lieii unloading the sledges, we returned to onr last night's i{uartei's, alter a journey «»f foiirtnn miles. Th«- thermometer was at zero. .M.iy : We set out with the remaining provisions and beiltlmg, and I ^' l! If ii' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. fi39 M.iv s reached the .second st!itioafs and tive weeks' piMvisions, besiiles a present supply tor ten days more. Our hd)our was miii-h too serious and anxious U\ allow ofany jestiuir; yet we <>ouUI not hel|> fe.jini; that our travellin^i resemhled that (»f the person in the algelmne eipiatinn, u hose husi- iie.ss it i.s to convey enus to a point by one at a time. Here, repair- \\\iX the sledi^es that had suttered, we advanced another step of seven miles with two of them, and of live more witij a sinu^le one; having thus made a day's journey «»f sixteen miles, and shepinu again at oin- hut. A severe fall of snow impris(Mied us all the day ; hid if it '^-.wk- us rest, it alarmed us for the state of oui road. 'I'he niyht tlier- nicMueter rose to plus 18 . 'I'h»- folhtwing- was nnieli worse, with an m >> " easterly gale; yet the thoiighdess sailors slept and enjoyed them- selves as if fhere was notliing else for them to d(». leaving the anxiety and tin; sleeplessness to him ulio held all the respoiisihilitv On the tenth, however, there being no cessation of the gale and the \i.,n h. drift, they appeared to become wearied of this rest, in a !nit so small that it was impossible to change tlu' position which had lirst been adopted. K\ mi«h sailor." or anv other sailor, .o it is to that of a ChicUasaw, or a Chinese. 'I'he animal has a character of its own, that is certain: liut it is as I'ar '^ )l f } "W. \ i f: ill I , I « Ml" II (i40 SECOND VOYAGE OF OlSt'OVEIlV Miv IJ tVniii lli:it uliicli tlif public, tliiis ti'iis(iii<; to jcsfs iiixl hiillails, l)c'li«'Vis, as it is to niiy possihh- toriii iiiidcr wliirli liiiiiiaii nature so situated ran display itself. Mow tar it is worse, I ouylit not to s'.iv : in w hat resperts it is better or ditHreut, it is not here within my limits to detail, hut this at least is universal : let any thini;' lie, pro\isioiis or water in i\ hours, at an islaml near the main, and returned to our nuarfers bv the exe'iin;;'. The thermometer in the di;\ n»arly subsid<'d to the fre«'/.iu;f point, and was plus IH at niiiht. At eijiht We set out With tile other boat, »'ontainiiig the extra »%{ TO TIIK ARCTIC REGIONS. (Ml Week's provisions; iuid, in spite of a fresh breeze, with drift snow, sticceeded in iU;etting her to the same ishmd, returning oiiee more to sleep. On t!u- thirteenth we pieked np the sh-di^e whieh had been May i;). left f«.nr , and carried it on to the same point. I'he next day was employe*! in earryinu; f«»rward two sledj-es, u jih the tents, m,,v i i. Iieddin-;, and provisions, in spite (»f a mde \\hieli, risinir when we were ihont hidfway, gave ns nineh Ironhle; as did the .letieiincv of two of iIm- iiKM, who lia(( Inronie snow l)linuhl hereafter turn day into night. We passed across a narrow neck of hind, an li. siH»w, and crossed the neck just mentioned, which Wiis only tive hundred yards wi«le, and not ab<»ve tifty feet in eh valion. Wv thus descended to the sea on the other Me, which proved to be a spacious harbour, containing one island; bounded to the north bv a point so high, thit iju- sea could not 1 was thru hauled to the mainland; and A- )c seen over it. 11 le boat We returned, afle. an pi'iiil, and Mii> \' advance of eight miles. On this day two sledges u, rr taken on to the sain* th«' ivmamder of the provisions w«'ie transported on the following: m„ ^ each load thus c«.sting us a sixteen mile walk. On the nineteenth m 4 .N IV v.). f I I I If t i i * I' I ^r G42 SKC'OND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY M.iv -H). Miiv -M. we set out willi the remainder of our equipage, aiui arrived at the next advanreil post at eleven. The snow was so deep and the road so had on tlie following day, that we oouhl barely draw the two light sledges ; but, in spite of this, we arrived at length at four in the tuorning, at tlu- station, which was twelve miles from the ship: after wliir'h, we took the empty sledges and reached the termination of the bay, i»n our return to her, about I'onr miles from her place. Arriving on board, about noon, we found another mouth's provi- sions ready, which was nearly all that remained ; but we ascertain«'d that it would retpiire a week to repair the sledges and put the men in a condition l<» draw them. \\ e liati time, therelbre, to review what we had lately done : and the result was that we had travelled three hundred and tweiit>-nine miles to ifiiin about tliirtv in a «lirect line; carrying t'le two boats with full alhtwauce of pid- \isionstor tiv< weeks; and expending, in this labour, a month. It was. (iowe\er, the Worst part olthe road. Tile tw<» days after our arrival were so bad, from a nurtherh gi< ifi-* y Jim . I (Jill' (i4(i SF.COND VOYAGE OF DISCOVICIl V t.\u' siifi'ty of the whole piirty, iind hixi declined ineiitioiiiii^' on our return to l'lut;liind. I have ever been more desirous to praise than to l»lanie; and havtn<>' iiinply praised what was ri|>>'ht in the eondnet ot" my olHcers and creu , nnist not now remember, more than I can help, what there was to censure, «ith somewhat more of severity, as of ill <-onse(pience to (hem, than would be a^'ei-abh- to my own ttelinys. It must suHice that these ditlit.-ulties were surmounted, and that I brought that ]>arty safe home : if I have not experienced the gratitude that I deserved, for this and more, 1 am too well experienced in mankind to be surprised, or to entertain enmity against those who only acted according to their evil natures. On the ridge of I'k'lipse harbour, this tlay, we found that there had been some pools of water, wliicii were again frozen three inches thick, and we arrived at our huts at six. We here used the sum- mer (lilts; and though the temperature was at freezing, they were not uncomt'ortalde. Having then brought on the remainder of our things, since every stage rejpiired two journeys, we proceeded in the evening with the sledge and one boat, and at midnight crossed the ridge which bounds |<^!i/.abeth harbour on the south. On the following day we reached the extreme entrance, deposit- ing oiu' loads and returning to the tents tor the remainder. \\ C had shot two hares in these two da}s, which aided somewhat our short allowance. We crossed the ridge as far as the tirst boats on tin next day, returning to the tents at eight, much I'atigned from the snow in our roa4T praise tliaii the <;<>iidiirt than I can of severity, to iiiy own iirniounted, 'Aperienced iiu too Hell ain enmity itures. I that there hrt «■ inches d tiie sinu- , tliey were iider ot'our rof.'eedetl in f;ht crossed L'e, de|>(»sit- nder. We iiewhut our st boats on i,i>'iied t'roui >f" reinileer, on the fol- e depot in IlIlM |(> Klixabeth harbour. Here we ascended tlie hill, so as to exainisie the state of the ice; the extremely bad aspect of which made us oouclude that it would be impossible to carry the boats any further As they were now als»» within reach, in case we should be com- pelled to return, I determined to proceed with the people, aud three weeks' provisions, for twenty (»r thirty miles; leaviiii;- the rest here as a reserve, aud seudiuii an adv !•«%«! party to Fury beach. t(» ascertain the state of thin^is at tlu^l i\'e found water, for the first time, on th«' t'ollouiiig morning, and halted at the second cairn which the advanced parly had encted ; finding a note to say that they had been checked by lameness and by intlained eyes^ Our journey this night had not exce<'de^'hile the men slept, I proceeded to examine the land, as we j,„, .j had not before been able to survey this part of the country; and, after this, we proceeded in the evening, as usual, till we arrived at the south Grimble islands, where I foumi Commander Ross's cairn, being the end of his fourth day's journey. Hy his observations wc were twelve miles, and, by mine, eight, from the place where we had first taken possession on the tenth of August, 18-i!). As there were eight miles yet to make, before we could cross the inlet, we preferred sleeping on the ice where we were, and after six in the umc Qv morning, leaving the men to their rest, I proceeded to examine this inlet. After the usual measurements and observations, I ascertained its figure and extent, finding that its bottom gave entrance to a large river, and, consequently, that there was no opening, or passag*' to the western sea at this place, as might otherwise have remained a point in doubt. It was also evitlently a shallow piece of water.\ 4o # f h I ,!' 1 :' ', '■' 1 i (' I' « 1 ^'I 'M ( ( 11 I .1, ' !'! Pi: i\ •I (ioO ScCOND VOYAGE OF OISCOVEKY Havinii' proceeded at nine, we passed two considerable rivers at tlie nortiiern part of tliis in'et, and, after that, several islands; arrivina: at a point where we again found a cairn, with a note. We pitched on the south-east side, where I completed the survey of this bay. iiinc '3). At three on this niornins; we reached the fifth cairn of our advanced party ; and as the note reported all well, I calculated that they would, at this date, have been two days at Fury point, and that they would conse(|uently meet us on their return, in two days more. 1 therefore left a note at the cairn, informing ns that we had pas.sed it, and .should keep close to the land ; as it was possilde they might take a (lifferent road and miss us. iiiiu 'j. We accordingly continued our journey along shore, and passed a point, soon after which we met and joined Commander I{o.ss's party. The information he brought from Fmy point wa.s, that the sea had risen high and carried otf three of the boats, with many other things, to the northward, and that one of them was seriously damaged. All else was in the same condition as we had Itjftit; and the bread and other provisions were in abundance and in gootl order. \\'e all pitched for the day, and found, that with what they had brought, and some which they had .j1 ,iuiu' .;- .llllK- I'l. On tlup day we reached the hind near the Ijottoni of the bay, which seemed the outlet of a great river ; and though unabh^ to make a perfect survey, I not only found the water shallow, b»it could see the land so well all round, as to assure nie that there was no passage westward in this direction. On the next we passed through much water, often above our knees: it was a novelty, yet not an agreeable one; but we traced it to the efflux of several small rivers at this part of the coast. We resumed our journey as usual, being now obliged to carry Imhc i" the lame man, in addition to the rest of our load, and passed several low points and islands of limestone. The sun had a great effect on the snow, and the aspect of the land was hourly changing; but, in the offing, the ice seemed as firm and continuous as ever. At noon the thermometer was at 47°, and at midnight at 32°. We had shot several ducks in the last few days, and they were somewhat better than a luxury to us, especially before our allowance had been increased. Finally, we ended the month within hail of Fury Ijeach. The water was now, at last, running down the large cracks in inlv i. the ice, and every thing was hourly changing in appearance. Three ravines that we passed were also pouring down their re- spective torrents; and at the foot of one of them «e pit<;hed our tents; here also finding a cask of tlour which luul been washed hither. The lust part of our journey was unusually laborious, from the wedged masses of ice, so packed as to denote (he gnat violence which they had undergone ; but we at length passed them all, and encamped on Fury beach at ten o'clock. We were once more at home, for a time at least, such home as it j,iiv .>. 4o2 -i- ! t i .III ff i ,1 til ;it [i^ ji 'J Hi!" 1 1 I' « f 1 '' i 1 J"' ; July 'i. Oo2 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY was, and however long or shore was tlie time that we were Jestinetl to occupy it. There was the feeling of home at least, and that was soniethinif : it had been once the home of all of us, since it had been our storehouse ; and it had twice been that of Commander Ross. The men I doubt not, felt this most, after all their fears, and the pleasure was little diminished to them, by any anticipations of what might yet be to come. The first measure which I adopted, was to send them all to rest tor the night, that we might once more bring back the regularity of our days ; and after this we proceeded to take a survey of the stores. IJeing .scattered in every direction, it was, however, dithcult to ])revent the half-starved men from getting access to them ; in consequence of which, and in spite of all orders and advice, many suffered smartly for their imprudence. Excepting the damage done by the high ri.se of the ,sea, formerly mentioned, the only important one we discovered was ihe loss of candles, by the foxes, which had opened some of the boxes and devoured the contents. As .soon as the men were restetl, they were appointed to their several tasks. The first thing to be done was to construct a house, which was planned at thirty-one by sixteen feet, and seven feet in height, to be covered with canvas; and, by evening, the frame was erected, while we ended this notetl day with a luxurious sup- per from tluf stores which had been left when we first supplied ourselves from this deposit. There was a fog yesterday, with the thermometer at freezing, though, before thi.s, it was at 50 , and, on this morning, there birw a strong gale from the eastward ; which somewhat impeded o\u- w ork, as that was aiiied by the illness of the men who hud over- TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Coil July 4. eaten themselves ; but the rest were employed in bringing the di.,- persed boats to a proper plac^ for being repaired. The first shower of rain for the season fell this day, being three weeks later than had ever yet been recorded. The house was finished, and received the nickname of Somerset house; this tract of land having been previously called North Somerset. It snowed on the fifth; and this ended in a clear northerly gale, so cold, that July ,o. the rain which had fallen, froze ; the highest degree of the thermo- meter being but 30", as the lowest was 2T. As it snowed again all the night, the land was as completely covered on the following July u. morning as ever it had been during the winter. I'he carpenters were set to work on the boats; the plan for which was, that each of them should be strengthened by means of two bulk heads and two .strong beams. I had intended to rig the whole with shoulder of mutton sails, as the .safest and best; but Commander Ross preferring a spritsail, was allowe«l to manage one of them in his own way. The house, which we now j^roceeded to occupy, was divided into two rooms, one for the men, and another, containing four small cabins, for the officers : at present, the cook's department was a tent. The purser proceetled to take the regular account of provisions. The snow dissolved at night; but the ice in the offing was as July 7. heavy as ever, and at night it .snowed again, being two degrees under freezing. On Sunday the usual regularity of divine service J"iy s. recommenced, after many unavoidable interruptions. Nothing of note occurred on many following days, unless it be j^i^ <, that the temperature rose once to 50", but was at the freezing point '° ' ' at night, on most days. It blew hard on the twelfth, but inode- n I ! ;i " ,!l \h'i I vm ^:.f ( I: I ■» IJ It 1, 1 ' ill" I I' I '•1 '•'J .•;t f ii .Inlv Hi lo'-'l. Iiilv 2-2 t<)";ii. Oo4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY rated on the following day : nor is there any thing to record during the whole of this week, on to Sunday, except that the work on the boats was in progress. The weather was variable during the three first days of the fol- lowing week, and there was a little rain on Thursday. The snow was slowly disappearing, but the night temperature never rose beyond the freezing point. On one of these days I Mas able to ascend the highest hill, about a thousand feet high, whence I could perceive that the whole sea was a solid mass of ice, without motion, as far as the eye could reach. Some deep ravines, carrying no water l)ut that from the melting of the snow, were, for this country, rather picturesque. Of the remainder of this month I neetl not give a detailed journal. The weather proceeded in the same manner, calm, windy, cle'"', hazy, and rainy, in rotation ; with a temperatiire at night gra- dually rising to 40". Our work was uniform, consisting in the pre- paration of the boats and j)rovisions : the occasional shoot^ing of some dovekies and other sea birds formed but a small variety in this monotonous life. A slight disruption of the ice on the twenty- ninth, nnist not, however, pass without remark; and it went on increasing «»n the following ones. In |>utting in order the Fury's three boats, one of which had been ex(;eedingly damaged, I had at first to regret that we had been obliged to leave our own behind, as they woultl probably have been ready sooner than the others, which might possibly detain us after the water was open. ]Jut as it turned out, all Mas ready together, and we were in a state of preparation for our voyage. l« TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 655 The general temperature of this July shows a mean of plus 3-y with the two extremes of plus 50" and plus 22". There had been rain but six times, and the first at a very late period ; but there had been a good deal of snow. Vegetation was therefore very backward. The men having been now on full allowance, had improved in health. The following is an explanation of the Meteorological Tables formed at the end of tin- //t'(/rs 1830 rtWl 831. The direction of the wind is expressed fractionally, thus n^n*w : that is, 4 liours at NNW . the numerator expressing the number of hours, and the denominator the direction. When the figure occurs, it signifies that tiie wind was not in the direction expressed by the denominator, during the month. The sum placed to the right of the denominator, gives the total force of tiie wind in the same direction ; this will be given in full in the tables of the Appendix, denoted by figures in the following manner : 0. Calm. 1 . Light air, or just sufficient to give steerage way. 2. Light breeze 3. Gentle breeze 4. Moderate breeze 5. Fresh breeze 6. Strong breeze 7. Moderate gale 8. Fresh gale 9. Strong gale or that in which a man-of-war, with all sale set, and clean full, would go in smooth water. or that which a well-conditioned man-of-war would carry in chase full and by. ' 1 to 2 knots. 3 to 4 knots. 5 to G knots. Royals. Single - reefed topsails and top gallant-sails. Double-reefed topsails. Triple-reefed topsails. Close- reefed topsails and courses. 10. A whole gale, or that which scarcciy could bare the close-reefed main-topsail and foresail. 11. A storm, or that which would reduce li r to storm staysails. 12. A hurricane, or that which no canvas could withstanil. < )! i m 'm-1 ! G56 SECOND VOYAGE OF ji>l9C0VEItY CHAPTER LI. .ii l|\ II.' I iiJ''u •w I I! r* 'I AIGUST — DEPAKTL'RE FROM FURY BEACH IN THE BOATS — DETEN- TION, AND DIFFICULTIES ON THE COAST — SUMMARY OF AUGUST — TRANSACTIONS IN SEPTEMBER — BAFFLED IN OUR ATTEMPTS TO PROCEED RETURN TOWARDS FURY BEACH SUMMARY OF SEP- TEMBER. vJN the last clay of the preceding month, the ice had iinexpecteed at nine o'clock und«r the Aery precipice where the Fury was wrecked. It being low water, .J .14 t/1 11 t II; PTi [, !, ''1 I ' I\ r, I il r I' ■ I' « II it. Si i ''.).•.! flip. iiiii* ! i I] '" t) TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. O.'i? and the northward motion of the ice teasing at eleven, it was evident tliat it would soon return on us; so that the boats were unloade. shift in the night ; but it became so much worse that we were obliged to haul still higher, and to cut a dock for the boats in a large hunnnock : a position and a delay which gave the carpenters the opportunity of finishing some work that had been left incom- plete. Some rain in the course of the day loosened stones from the precipices, one of which struck a boat's mast ; and we found, from the fragments below, that the vicinity of this precipice, which was four hundred and seventy feet high, was a place of danger. This seems but a cool remark to make, where such a clift', rising to sucli an altitude, impended over our heads, and when we knew, what all know, the ettects of a thaw in throwing down those rocks which the previous ice has split. In reality, it was a position of tlie utmost danger: we might all have been overwhelmed, without notice, in half a minute, as the state of the beach below testified, or the brains of any individual among us might have been " knocked out" before he could have suspected any such accident. IJut I be- lieve that we were fully tried by hazards, and had become somewhat 4p I. f the thaw, wiiicli was general in the day. We reached it at noon, with coiisi(Ieral)le dilH- culty ; and some water shortly afterwards opening, we passed more prt!cipices, and succeeded in getting a few miles further ahuig the shore. We thev. found the water to the northward to be a solid mass of ice, and were obliged to haul up the boats, once more, on a beach where we were almost as nnich annoyed by falling stones as we had been in our last position. 'I'he thermometer was at ;J0' in the night, and die sucM-eeded. On the eighth, the ice threatened us. even on shore, such was its pressure ; at any rate it secured our iuipn>-onnient. .\ii.;ii< \ii.;ii^l TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. (Jo!i The itv^ in the chuiinel streamed ott" to the nortli, and at length Angusi !i opened just so much on the coast, as to allow us to embark at two o'clock. ]Jut we could not proceed more than two hours, and were then obligetl to haul over rugged ice to the first beach we (;ould find, since all was solid beyond us to the northward ; while we had barely room for our tents under the j)recipice. The thermometer was never more than 34° in the day, and fell to 3r at night: it was absolute winter still. It being tine weather on this day, we were able, by lightening the AujrnM uk boats, to track them along the shore to a better beach halt" a mile otK, where we took our position at the foot <»f a cascade, bringing forwards what we had left. We attempted to move again the next Aumist ii day; biit were soon stopped by the ice, and ghul to return to the |)lace where we had a good position for the tents and an excellent harbour for the boats. On the twelfth we were imi)risoned l>y snow All-u^l i.' and wind, and l>y the absolute closin'e of the ice. As there was no change to-day, Mr. Thorn was sent with a boat Ahhmm im, to Fury beach, tor three weeks' provisions; there being open water in that direction, (hough there was none to the north of ns. It blew hard from the north on the next day; but though the etlect of the Anirnsi 1 1. wind was to prrung up, and the tide ro.se eight feet, but without any effect on the i','e. There was snow again iji the evening, at 29^ of temperature. On (he folhming day it fell to 26', and the breeze was much stnMiger : it was left to us Ut guess whether this cold belonged to the <»ld winter or was the connneiice- meiit of a new one. The ice thus drifted to the .southward, and the pressure was so great on our .shore, as to force many heavy mas.ses on the boat, higher than it had yet reached under any previous wind and tide. The rise of (his tide was nine feet; and as it was sfill blowing hard from ihe north, the ice pas.scd quickly to the southward; wlitn, veering to the north-west, it all began t(» leave the shore, TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 601 and in two hours, the wliole coast was cleared as far as we coidd see. At midnight it blew a gale, with heavy gusts from the pre- cipices, so that our boats could scarcely lie where they were; and, very provokingly, the cascade was so frozen, that there was now no water to be obtained without thawing •• the thermometer being at 2(r at night. It moderated at noon, and we embarked, proceeding under sail Aicnsi js. along shore, and exposed to very heavy squalls from the precipices, which rentlered extreme care necessary : when, passing Hatty bay, we reached Elwin bay at midnight. We then stood for a beach about a mile further north, and, as it was now blowing a whole gale, pitched our tents, amid a storm of snow, which, in the night, covered all the land. It moderated, however, towards morning, and we put to sea by August •.'pings, yet without being able to get to the beach, which was every where blocked up l>y heavy ice. ' There was snow, and the range of the tliermotneter in the twenty-four hours was from iiO' to lUV, We were obliged to sle«'p in our boats, in no comfortable posi- ahuhm :m. tiou ; and as our place was not tenable, we re-end);irked at six in the mnrning, with a southerly wintl. Wv soon met with the ice pack, and ran along it up Harrow's strait ; but to no purpose, as there was no exit any where. U'e therefore stood in to the shore. r> I \\)\ i'« ) n it ■0. ki \ 662 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY and fuuiul a good position for pitching tlie tents and hauling up the boats ; wliile it was near a mountain that promised us a view of the distant ice; the pack being so high above the boats' gun- wales that we could not see over it. Aiuii I u. It snowed all the morning, and we removed the boats to the ground ice for the sake of launching them more easily. We found here many remains of Esquimaux huts, and some fox-traps; and as we saw many seals, the reason for the natives fixing in this place was apparent. The hill itself was a peninsula, joined to the main by a long bank, or rather a neck of land, about two miles broad, and on each side was a bay ; while, as in neither of these the ice had yet broken up, we had a sufficient proof of the severity of the season. All the sea to the north was hence seen to be completely full of solid ice, though it drifted occasiojially, near the land, under the induence of the tides. August had been a month of peculiar anxiety ; and a succession of hopes anil disnppointments severely tried the i)afience of :;ll. On (|iiittiiig Fury beach, appearances were so favourable, that every advance to bay, or point, or cape, along the coast, tliittered us with tin- prospect of soon reaching the northern iii\ixe. of the ice, and then of surmoiniting the greatest dillicndty in the way, by making a passage across IVince Kcgent's inlet. By the time, how- ever, that \\v had reached 73 of hititude, we were unfortunately detained so long by the slate of the ice, that it became doubtful if we should succeed during the present season. Here was one of the main trials of our patience; and a look-out house, built in the clitt's by the uien, became the chief thing which ali'orded them any amusement, while that consisted in watching I ii li TO THE ARCTrC REGIONS. ()'():3 for tl.e changes in the ice, which, after all, did not arrive. This detention reconciled those who had first opposed iiiis proceeding, as unnecessary, to our past labour in bringing on provisions to this place ; since we were thus enabled to keep up a better allowan<;e- to the people. That consisted of half a pound of meat, with a pound of bread and a pint of cocoa, divided into breakfast and supper, which were regulated, in point of time, just as our travel- ling permitted. All game was considered as an extra and lux- urious allowance; but what we obtained was very little, since it am.)unted but to three foxes and as many hares, with a c.Kiple of ducks. All the waterfowl had disappeared about the end of the month. The boats sailed nearly alike; but being made of mahogimV: proved so heavy, that it gave us great trouble to haul them up on tin beach ; so that the whole party was required to draw up one, while even this often required the assistance of tackle. This work also |)roved an occasional source of great danger, as well as incon\e- nience, since the ice sometinjes drifted down on the short' so rapidly, that these boats ran the innninent risk, on those octa- sions, of being crushed before we could get them into a place of safety. 'J'he coast which we had thus passed consisted entirely of limestone, often presenting precipices of five hundred feet in height for a space of five or .six miles. Every valley bore marks of a stream or of its bed : but these seemed never (o convey water, except during the melting of the snow. Scarcely any vegetation was to be seen. Of the temperature I may finally say, that the extremes i \ 1!!';^ 1 ll' l„'v '[ 1 1 "1 1 1 ' lii .,:i' I i h ■ c . r J ; ''1 : ■ . Pi: i ';Vsj '! " ■1 '» ■ •is i t V i '1 {•: |,,!' ii 1 ! •■•■(■ 1 ! 1' • 1 i 1 '■» 1 '■ 1 ''? n 664 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY were 40° plus and 20° plus, and that the mean was 3V plus, which, relatively to our former Augusts in this country, gives the fol- lowing comparison : 1830 Highest, lowest, and mean temperature + 58 + 33 + 40.87 1831 Ditto - - - - +54 + 24 + 36.51 1832 Ditto _ - - . +40 + 20 + 31.23 *.u TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. (i6b CHAPTER LII. ATTEMPT TO PROCEED IN THE HOATS— OBSTRUCTIONS RY THE ICE PROPOSAL TO RETURN TO KURV BEACH — RENEW OUR ATTEMPT — PUT ASHORE NEAR RATTY BAY — LAND THE STORES — SUMMARY OF AUGUST — ABANDONMENT OK THE MINERAL SPECIMENS. W E were kept prisoners by a ^^ale of wind, and all our variety was the sight of four black whales and many white ones. There was no chaiioe on Siniday. On Monday I ascended the mountain, which is in reality the north-east point of America, whence I ob- tained a sight of Cape Warrender and Hope's monument on one side, and, on the other, of Cape York, with three headlands beyond it. including the whole of that part of the sound which is called Harrow's strait. This was an unbniken field of ice : there was not even a pool of water to be seen ; every thing was precisely such as it had been on the thirty-first of August in ISIS. It was a bad prospect; since it seemed to prophesy that we should yet be com- pelled to return to Fury beach. There was no material change on the fourth of September, except that it became gradually colder, the thermometer falling to 16' on the sixth. There was occasional snow, with colli winds. The same weather continued till the end of the week, when the 4q 18:?'2. S.'|it. I, Sopt. J it J. to 8. '( ' ll ,i' I" i,1 , !' I li',,^ It 1 :;! %\ i if? ti'i '■ » i ! I 666 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY No change took place Sept. 9 to 15. .Sept. 16. Sopt. i: inaxiinum heat was 16°, and the lowest 12° in the fixed ice. Tlie three first of these days were, like tlie preceding, without material change, and without events. A view from the iiill on Thurstlay showed the whole of Lancaster .sound, Barrow's strait, and Prince Regent's inlet, covered with solid ice, excepting a very narrow line close to the isthmus near Leopold's islands. The remainder of this week was, equally dull and uniform. The thermometer was subsiding gradually, never rising to the freezing point in the day, and going down to 21° at night. It was so cold in the tents, that we were obliged to build snow walls round them : and the drift, together with the snow, rendered the weather sufliciently intolerable. Some ice moved ott' the land, under a north-westerly wind, on the .seventeenth, but it closed again on the Sept. i«. following day. Two foxes were killed, with some ptarmigans; and we thus had game enough for the difierent messes. In the beginning of our sojourn in this country, we had thought the fox l»ad eating; but it was now preferred to any other meat. .Sept. lit. It was still colder, the thermometer falling to 18°, and not rising Sept. JO. above 26° ; but as the ice appeared to be loosening on the twentieth, we embarked our things, leaving an account of our proceedings in a tin case beneath a cairn. Putting oli' at noon, we reachetl the pack edge of the ice at the junction of IJarrow's strait and Prince Regent's inlet, aft. .• forcing our way through nuich of that which had been newly formed. It was found to be a'contiiuious .solid mass, giving no hopes of breaking up during the present .sea.son, advanced as that now was. The land was equally blocked up by heavy ice; so that we were obliged to return whence we had come ; though I ] > TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 667 not effecting this without much difficulty, and not landing a minute too soon, as the ice immediately came down on the shore with great force. If any one still hoped to get through this great ol>- stacle, I was willing to wait here for a further trial, though it seemed utterly useless. We accordingly remained three days, in nnxlerate weather, Sept. 21 the thermometer reaching 9°, On the twenty-fourth, every one agreed that all hope was at an end, and that it only remainetl for us to return to Fury beach. On the next day the wind was more Sept. 25. favourable, and the in-shore ice in motion ; a little water being also seen off Cape Seppings. We therefore prepared to embark ; and I buried, in the same place, a fresh account of our proceedings and intentions, with a sketch of our discoveries. At noon, we sailed with a fresh breeze for our return "home;" and, arriving at the Cape, found a clear, but very narrow passage, between the main ice and that on shore, just allowing the boats to pass singly : after which, standing on through water which sheathed them two inches thick with ice, we arrived at our former position, near Elwin bay, by six o'clock. We could not, however, approach the shore, and were at last obliged to sleep in the boats, in a creek not far from it, during a very raw, disagreeable night of snow. Attempting to cross Elwin bay the next morning, we were much Sept. 2f;. beset and stopped by the floes, and were finally obliged, at mid- day, to haul into a cove in the ice, when we pitched our tent on it. By six on the following morning, the thermometer had fallen to Sept. 27. zero, though it rose to 20" in the day; and we remained prisoners : gaining somewhat towards a dinner, in a fox and two gulls. The ice became more loose on the next day, and we departed, making Sept. 28. 4q2 i 5 ']>■" I M i V ■ ' M i •'' ■f. 668 3ECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY a very slow proju^ress through lieavy bay ice ; when a gale coming on at ten in the morning, increased so fast that we could carry no sail by mid-day, anli \U' were now placed, .served alsf» to prove another point beiuing <'ssentiiilly on my voyage of IHIH, ;ind on tiie discussions to which it al'terwanis gave rise. The fact, indeed, was but too surely proveil for our sufety or hopes: it wouhl have been far better for us at present, hiid that been false which I hiid iisserted to have been then true; hiid |{:ii'row's strait been inoipable of freezing, had it never been, iind «iis never to be, tVo/en over: as had been most conlidently iisserted of late. It was now tVo/eu, or :it least hiid hitherto been so, during the preciMJiiig winter iind the present sii'iiiiier. e\en up to this time, into a s'tlid sea, from .Adniirally inlet to Croker's iiih>t : iind this is precisely what I found it to be in IHIH. I have etpiiillv little doubt, from the state «»f things with us during all the years of our preMiit detention, thiit this hud been its cinidition during the whtde ( I I t i I I I ,1 t| ' TO THE ARCTIC REGION'S. 673 peritKl ; while there are even proots of this, in the endeavours of the whalers to penetrate into Lancaster strait, and in the failures whieh they experienced. If the assertion which T have thus controverted is therefore untrue, .so are there collateral facts to prove that the c(»ndition of this strait in 181H must have been what I then represented it to he. It had been a calm season, beinn" the most unfavourable weather for navigating- these seas, since it is only through the force of the winds that the i(;e ('an be opened and dispersed, as navigators are iiulebted to the northerly gales of summer for whate\er pro- gress they can make. In that summer there was but one "-ale while we were on this part of the «oast, lasting two days; and as this was from the south, not the north, its effect was to bring up the ice instead of dispersing it, so as to ensure the result in question, if ni»t to have produced it. 'I'lieuce it was, that when we arrived otf Lancaster sound on the tliirly-first of .August, the pack <»f ice was still to the northward of i( ; while that on the south side was, beyond all doubt, in the same state that wv now found it, forming a solid uidiroke ass, stretching from side ti i:i iri ■i .1 ri I fe' i; ;; t 1 [ A •^"• I' M i (. " » ••I J :*li' I 074 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISt'OVEIlY that (late we had but ten 'h remaining to melt the snow which would he required for our consumption of water. Thus did our arrival at Hatty bay turn out to be a most providential circum- stance, as there were, from this jmint, but thirty-two miles of direct distance remaininif ; a line which all the intricacies and obstruc- tions of the route could not well increase to more than forty. At this time it was, that we beuan to experience the greatest suf- ferings we had yet endured from the cold. U'e had been unable to carry with us our usual quantity of (.'lothes and of canvas, so that we were most in want of protection from the weather when we were least able to bear up against its severity. There was not now the employment that would have aided us to resist it, by keeping us in action ; and perhaps, still worse, the diminution of our hopes during the latter nth t<'ndes of his men, so may I add it to those rules and precautions whir-h I formerly laid d<»wn on this subject, lie all fliis as it nniy, we were really very cold, and very miserable; and fnc^i what I have tbrmerly said of my own constitution, I have reason to believe, that whatever my own sufferings might have been, every one of TO THE ARCTIC REOrONS. 676 tlie party was much more miserably cold than myself. Tlie prospect before iis, in the case of being obliged to return, was even worse ; unless imleed the excess of our labours in the expected journey, with the conviction that there was an obje*jt, and a home, such as that was, in view, should en.tble «is to accomplish this undertaking. During the latter part of this month our success in procuring foxes ami ))tarmigans had been considerable; and uliile our whole party was not so large as to prevent this supply iVom being of real use, so did it form a valuable addition, both in fpiantity and quality, to our much too scanty stock of provisi(»ns. There was great reason to drea«l the effect of a narrowed diet on the men: not merely on their health or strength, but on their very lives. All of us IuhI already suflere, t:ver siiu'e the middle of .Vugusf. had been entirely covered with snow, so that, but for llif appearan<,'e of the sun, every thing bore the aspect of deep winter. Having formerly uoticetl the necessity which conqielled us to leave at North-east Cape the largest c»»llection of minerals which we had made, \ may now add, that I afttr wards |M»iiiteil out the I K ,> « ^! ii tt !ft /> ^W' I » " • '•'J !■ I I . f'l U ill' I.' 1 1 676 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY spot to Cnptnin Hiiinplireys, of the Isabella, with the hope that he might have reached that place in the succeetling suniiner, and thus put me once more into possession of the materials whence I might have drawn up an account of the geological structure of this country. While this sheet was preparing for the press, that collec- tion arrived ; l)ut it is a subject that I am compelled to refer to the Appendix, among the other matters appertaining to science and natural history. i: TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 677 CHAPTER LIII. CONTINUATION OF OUR TRAVELIJNG SOUTHWARD IN OCTOBER- RETURN TO FURY REACH— ESTABLISH OURSELVES AT SOMERSET HOUSE FOR THE WINTER— SUMMARY OF THIS MONTH— JOURNAL AND SUMMARY OF NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER. 1 HERE was a very heavy fall of snow on tliis day, and the ther- monieter rose from zero to 10". A stronir north-west bree/e made no impressi(m on the ice, which now covered tlie whole sea, giving it the same appearance as in the depth of winter. It was the work of the whole day to dig a way throngh it for the boats, and to hanl them np on the beach above high water-mark. The carpenter began to make sledges out of the empty bread casks ; and his chips became very wel(;ome fuel, serving to cook a couple of foxes in aid of our short commons, which, during the whole of this expedition, had been distributed into two meals, break- fast and supper. That work was not rtnished till the fourth, amid very heavy snow; when they were loaded with our tents and whatever else might be wanted at Fury beach. There could be no further ho|>e of getting back there iu the bouts : and thence I hud originally determined to leave them here for the next vears 1K.3J. (trt I. (»rt. ■>. Ocf, I ^ 4. 'i m H;>*.»V'«f' f ") i! I, \m i'« 1 ^ '1 N fi78 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY use ; and to proceed with sledges in the best manner that we r.oyM. We found this attempt almost insuperably diflicnlt; and the whole progress that we eould make was but four miles. The way was rendered nearly impassable by the deep and loose snow which had been falling : and, to increase oin* troubles, the lame man, Taylor, couhl neither walk with his crutches, nor ride on the sledges, which were perpetually upsetting upon the rough ice. In some manner or other, however, we gained a bad resting place at seven; when it was already dark, with the thermometer at zero. Oct. .0. We passed a miserably cold night, but fortunately escaped frost- bites. In the morning, one of our three sledges being broken, we were compelled to leave here some stores; taking nothing but the provisions, tents, and beds, on the other two, and thus having stronger parties to (haw them than on the preceihng day. We thus gained seven miles on this day's journey, in spite of a strong cold wind and constant snow, and were enabled to carry the mate Taylor, by returuiug for him with an empty sledge. Burdened and obstructed as we already were, this was a great additional grievance: but they win) were inclined to nuuinur, had at least the .satisfaction of reHecting that their case was better than his. Oct. fi. It was a diHiculty of ano'her kind which we had to encounter on the next day; as t!;« heavy ice was pressed up to the precipices along the shore, and w.- were often obliged to tpiit a tolerable track, to get round them in the be.st manner that we could. Hut the labour kept us warm ; and, by noon, arriving at the cascade, within eighteen miles of Fury beach, the men acquired fresh TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 679 courage; when, having made eleven miles, we pitched within eiglit of our winter liome, killing several foxes in the way. Sunday morning found us a fnw liours more of similar work ; u,r. 7. and this being over, we reached our house, Somerset house, at three o'clock ; our labours at an end, and ourselves once more at home. But we had left the tents at the last stage, to accommodate the men that remained behind, who were to return as .soon as possible, for the clothing and other matters which could not be brought forward at this time. We found our house occupied by a fox, which soon made its escape. Every thing was as we left it: and as we were not le.ss hungry than cold, having finished our last morsel at breakfast, the men were treated with a good meal, wiiich, however, the im-' prudent did not partake of without surtering. Two of the men were fomul to have frost-bites, and 1 had been deeply cut in the leg. The following day furnished employment for the men, in re- (ht. b cV v pairing the sledges and their shoes, for another journey. On the tenth, a heavy gale rendered all out of door work impracticable, and even our house was in great ' I i' DiU I'J ome of our stores had been depo.siled. The thermometer .sank to minus 2°, but there was nothing else to mark these three days. On the twenty-first, Connnander Uos.s's party retiirnetl, bringing every thing except the tents, which hati l»een left at the last stage. Among the re.st was our other stove, which was immediately prepared for use. The ice that liaisposer of events. First, I may eininurate the loss of the Fury, by which accident the stores and provisi(»ns were left : next, the mutiny of the John's crew, for if that ship had come with us, we intended to have cleared Fmy beach : thirdly, the engine boilers, without which, we might have got so fur that we could not have returned : fourthly, the Fury's boats, after having been carried ofl' in the storms of the winter; having been cast on shore near the same place, without any material the ice in Prince Kegent's inlet, and drivinu; it down Baffin's bav, must have been of great service ; but the hjw temperat.ire was against us. Taylor, Laughy, and J. U'ood, were on the sick list. We began to keep regular watch, and register the thermometer every two liours. It still blew a gale from tlie northward, which > Nov. i;i Nov. 11 Nov. 1.) Nov. ir- Nov. 17 Nov IS Nov. 10 Nov. 20 Nov. ei Nov. O.) closed in on tlie shore. IJy throwing water on the walls, and pointing the joints with wet snow, it became quite impervious to cold. Oil the seventh, the thermometer sank to 35° minus; and a strong breeze sprung up, ending in a gale with drift snow at night, which continuing on the next day, lasted all the following; the ice driving to the .southward, and opening much clear water to the north. Sunday «as calm and cold. On Monday it blew hard, with tirift snow ; still moving the ice and opening more water. Nor di«l it change on the next day, while the thermometer fell to 37' minus. 'Hie sun was in the horizon on the fourteenth, and was seen for the la.st time on the fifteenth. There was no change in the weather, except an unexpected ri.se of the thermometer to minus 10°, The gale became worse than ever, and there was now clear water as far as we could .see to the north-ea.stward, which, on the next day, was entirely frozen over and covered with snow. On these days of confinement there had been abundant work within, in fitting up the bed places, and in con.structing anspects had not, indeed, been brightened by the aspect (tf the weather in this month; but we were all in endurable spirits, and the thankt'ul were contented with the lulvantaycs which we enjoyed. I.. . I'here is little to mark the l)eginniug of December, except that Sunday, the second, was a very slitrmy day, and that the mercury froze on tlie tourtli ; being foiu" days later than in the last year at .< -*. the same tlate. Hence, on to Saturday night, there was a succession of storms Mith drift and new suow ; Ihe wind oft( n shifting, and the ie<- siill nio\ing up and tloun the strait, so as to expose pieces «if open water. I'rom 10 minus, the thermometer gradually rose till it Milled at '2U . ') ll \\a< not better on Sunday, but became a perl'erl storm al)er this; holding on with little change till the Iwell'ih. u hen it fell calm; yet only lo leturu : having proilueed nior<' open water than we had yetseen, which was neverllu less covered with lloating pieces of ice, and soon bieame sheeted with a new formation of the same now to be expected substance. 'Hie thirteenlli wasealm and char, ami Ihe ueatlit r was moderate; \\ hile, after a gale on the fourteenth, the Week ended with calm leather, and with the temperature '21 . TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 687 The men were able to walk on Sunday, after service; and the weather, havinjj, become clear, continued moderate, and unmarked all the rest of the week ; when the thermometer fell to 4.T, beiutf the greatest degree of cold we had yet experienced. I'hree or four foxes had been taken in the trap at dirterent times. It blew fresh on the Stniday and Monday, so as to prevent the men from going out ; but a fox having been taken, servef the atlier, lOllgll «il the :V i' I J' H H I A "I l« I m\-i I TRANSVERSE. SECTION. 9 p-H-- -«' lArilUOl. ;.i (u4tifSLONGlTUntdl?*7W. 1 ONi.iril 1)1 N A L SFCTION ^ u M L l< ■) I 1 HOUSE ' I i *G88 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE OF SOxMERSET HOUSE. Tlie suniexed phite represents two sections of onr habitations dnrin^ the winters of 18'i"i-3; the upper or transverse seetion shows two persons sittin^tf at a table in the shadetl part, the divi- sions of which sliow the frame, first anii,!4itudinal section, shows tlie men and otticers sitting- at their mess tabh*, tlie fireplace, oven, and funnel, and part of the ice wall which formed an enclosure for exercise. The tidie projecting through the roof i.s the valve to let ofi" the loul air or vapour. f I, V f I. ,1 f ^ Ml I t i ''1 [ • '' ) ■' M t, I ■•) I '■•, f!J '' » '■J '•'1 " I li TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. •G89 EXPLANATION OF THE GROUND PLAN. Hepiesents a ground plan of our winter habitation^ wliich is fully explained in itself, exreptinj? tliat the dotted line across the ice wall is meant to show the air tlue leadii g- from the outside of the house to the fireplace, the passage or entrance, though not mentioned, is sufficiently obvious, \\ 1 I i li 1 r m I irfl i^rl ik\ ( ■ : ■ . 1 Is ' • ' hy^y 1 '' I 1 ' .1 J \--\ '3 ■V'- l, 1, : "^m: B }'■ : uiy 1^ l^t : ■ 1' -l • i '' -y. .1 ■■ ■ ; '»i 1 ' " 1 ; i 1 . 'M! ^ i «'> "1 '■ -iia 1 ^l i!' .'T-i u ^lilM H i r'';,:iii :■' \ I '» "1 1 '■' ^i* .^: Hiis ! I '$ 1 '' TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 689 CHAPTER LIV. THE JOURNALS OF JANUARY, FEnRUARY, AND MARCH, « fTM THEIK RESPECTIVE SUMMARIES— DEATH AND FUNERAL OK THE CAH- PENTER. Our new-year's feast was like tliat of Christinas-day. The remainder of the week was fine, and the people were able to take exercise every day. The temperature ranged between .'33^ and SH\ A breeze came on upon Sunday, with snow-drift; and the sea, whicli had been covered with new ice, broke np. It nioilerated next day; but, on Tuesday, blowing hard with the thermometer at 43', it was intolerably cold. The temperature rose a litUe the followinja; day, but went down to 44' on the tenth. Friday and Saturday were both .stormy, with the ice in violent motion; and the result of this gale was to raise the temperature to 2()'. This Sunday was marked by a perfeet storm ; yet it moderated on the next day, and still more so on the following ones, so that we could again go out during all the remainder of the week ; the thermometer, which had not been very low in comparison, being then at 31°. Sunday ended with a gale and drift snow, which continued the following day, and left the ice in motion on Tuesday. The weather was uncertain all the rest of the week, with strong breezes and 4 T Jan. 1 10 I). )un. liio \-1 ,l,in. 1 ; to I'J. ,lan. ^O to Oli. ¥ i I I I I i 1 1 1 690 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY JiUl. Id J ,i,ui. ;30 .V 3 I . IM). I t(.0. I-'.I.. 11) II. 10. calms. Oh Saturday the sun should have beeu visible for tlie first time; but tlie snow-drift deprived us of the sight: and this week produced nothing else to note. It blew so hard on the first days of the week, that we could not go out. The twenty-ninth was a very fine day ; and the upper lind> of the sun appeared at a quarter after eleven ; showing three- quarters of the disk above the liorizon at noon, and setting at half after one. It was the first time that we had seen it during seventy- four days. On the thirtieth, the thermometer rose to 11°, and the month was ended with it at 4° ; being a great change within a very short space. This month began, and continued for ten days, with such severity that it promised to be the coldest on record. It improved, however, about the middle, so that the mean temperature was 30° minus, while the extremes were minus 4' and minus 44°. Nevertheless our habita- tion was very cold and miserable ; while, in attempting to warm ourselves on one side, we were frozen on tht! opposite, and were otherwise more than enough wearied, from the want of books or other occupation, and the impossibility of taking exercise out of doors. The crew, with the exceptions formerly noticed, were not ailing : but, of the carpenter's recovery, there was no hope. The weather confined us for the first two day.s of February ; but Sunday was fine, as was the next tlay ; a violent gale coming on upon the fifth, which, after another peaceful day, recurred on the seventh, freezing the mercury, and continuing to blow with great fury till the end of the week, the thermometer then falling to 44°. Tlie carpenter being now in a hopeless state, an appropriate seriiion was read on the present Sunday. On Saturday morning TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 691 lie died. This was the coldest week which we had seen, the ther- inonieter havinj; ranged between 44° and o5° : the weather had also been variable, but not marked in this respect, after what we had so often experienced. During the whole of the subsequent week the weather was moderate but cold; and on the twenty-second, the carpenter, Chiniham Thomas, was interred with the usnal solemnity. It was not easy, nevertheless, to read the service out of doors, the thermo- meter being at 45% while the ground was so hard that we had great difficnlty in making a grave. This poor man had been three months ill, and his case had long been esteemed hopeless; as he was suffering from scurvy, in addition to a worn out constitution. It was the first of our losses, however, which could, in any fair- ness, be attributed to the climate and our peculiar situation : the first man who died could scarcely have lived longer at home; nor was the death of the other, one that could have been delayed long, any where. The temperature rose suddenly from minus 3(1' to G", and then reached zero, falling again to 23% till the end of the month. The first change gave ns some hopes, but these did not last. In the weather, which was variable but moderate, there was nothing to remark. There is nothing surprising, as there is no novelty, in the re- trospect of February. It could nut have been much better, and it was satisfactory that it had not been worse, bad as it was. Wiiat the weather had proved, I need not repeat : imt as the temperature is not discoverable from the narrative, it is necessary to say that the mean was 32.87' minus; as that in the preceding Februaries were, 4 T 2 I'cb. 17 to -y.i. I'rh, ■.'-) to -JS. ft f '1 'J l» ! '\i i i m i' ! n; ^t ^ijV' : i. t' 1 r >') ■ V 1, t i 1 ''}' i 1 1 ..* !■« mill ! i' i i MF 1 1 i • 1 , ■ t ( 1 I'l 692 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY respectively, for tlie years; minus 29.9°, 32°, and 33.()9°. The extremes were pins 0°, and minus 55°. The chief event was that of the death of the carpenter, Thomas ; wliieh, apart from any rej;ret for a worthy and useful man, the more painful when we looked round on all, saw the decided illness of some, and eould not easily avoid anticipating what our own fate might be, was a very serious loss ; since his assistance could scarcely tail to be required hereafter, in the reparation of the boats, and in such other matters as belonged to his profession. Respecting himself, I need only note the excellent character he had acquired, in the navy, before he joined us : but, to compensate any pain that might have been felt under the impression that this expedition had been fatal to him, we knew that his constitutitm had been much impaired by long service, especially on the American lakes and in the Uirmese war. His age was forty-eight; and at that lime of lite, a seaman who has served nnich is an aged man, if he does not ehance to be worn out. My own condition, from the state of ancient wounds, brought into troublesome action by that tendency to scurvy which displayed itself in no other very marked way, was, at this time, somewhat threatening. I had now, indeed, .some reason to suppose that I might not be ultimately able to surmount all the present cir- cumstances ; in whi<'li case, I know not that my anxiety for the fate of those who might not have very well guided themselves when I was no longer present to aid them, was not nnich greater than any thing which 1 felt on my own account. The state of the ice couhl not have been worse than it was at the end of this month, and tin- hills were entirely covered with snow. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 093 Tl le It was so deep about the place of our compulsory residence, that our miserable al)ode was almost hidden by it, like the snow hut of an Esquimaux iii winter: and, as to our course of life and feel- ings, these are things which poetry might tell once, but which neither poetry nor prose can repeat for ever, with the hope that any one can listen, and untierstand, and feel. 3Iarcli began with a heavy gale of wind and diiftsnow, so that we could n(»t see fifty yards off. The roaring of the ice was terrific ; and, on the following day, the temperuturd fell once more to minus 4{r, proceeding till it reached 4^°, on the fourth. There was no cessation of this gale till the sixth, when open water was visible to a great extent. Two reindeer were seen on the seventh, which «<• considered very early in the season, and on the two following days the temperature was 25". On Sunday it blew hard from the north-east, and the thermometer, to our great surprise, rose to plus V, reaching 5' on the following day. On the twelfth, the water closed, and no more was seen this week; wl;en it fell ealm on Saturday night, having blown a hard gale during the two pre<;eding Ve had taken but three fox'^s and two hares in the whole month ; which, as food, amounted to nothing. .At the end of it, after all the changes (hat had taken place under the gales, the ic<' was so rough (hat it was impassable on sledges, and even on foot. No atu'ora borealis had been .seen; and, indeed, we had scarcely noticed one the m hole winter. We were indeed all very weary of this miserable home. It had been a welcome oni: m hen we first n-aclntl it ; because it was a con- l> TO THE ARCTIC REGION'S. GD'i trast to what had been much worse. It had received us, fati-ued, shelterless, and half-starved, and it at least promised us comparative peace and rest. But the novelty of tliis feeling had long been worn out; and, for a long time now, the days had been almost without variation or mark; each duller than its predecessor, an. I the night retmning only to tell „s that another such ,lay wo.dd ron.e to-morrow. Even the storms were without variety, amiok, equally, for variety and employment, an.l to lintl neither. If those of ' }* I i'f ()96 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEUV far more tlian time enoiigli ; far too imicli to occupy in action, and incalculably too much for thinking : and while part of our standing work was to complete the duplicates of our journals, some weary hours were filled up by noting our recollections of the natives with whom we had been so long in communication. What mine were, furnished a sketch, which I am very unwillingly compelled to defer to an appendix, gladly as I would have introduced it into this journal ; which, if it may often have wearied the reader, by its unavoidable repetition of similar occurrences, cannot have tired him to one ten-thousandth part of the degree that the entry and the retrospect wearied myself Let him who reads to condemn what is so meagre, have some compassion on the writer who had nothing better than this meagreness, this repetitiiui, this reitera- tion of the ever resendding, every day dulness to record, ano plus. It snowed on the tenth, and we saw two luars with two eul.s, approachinii, orahont to pass not far from us. Tli.- hiii(!( rmosi was eomiuu on alone, heiny the male; and, passinu near to us, was killed, The last days of the week were very seven- ones, u iih a heavy uale and drift snow ; and the thermomeler fell to 21 minus. Sunda\ was not less sformy, and no one could p» out. It moderated towards the affern. on MoiuJay, hut we were still all Hiiprisoned. On the ut xl day it was still nu.re quid; liut there 4 V IS.),!. April I 10,1. April i Id iil It Icj '20. n / ^w. :j " (I .,J . '» , ' I' > : . 1 , h I * 4 ■ ' ^llli li' ' C98 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY April il & 22. .April ■:,!. wa.s no possibility of undertaking any journey till the nineteenth, when a party of men were sent forward in advance, with a sledge of provisions, and, having deposited it about eight miles off, they returned ; making a second journey on the Saturday, with a similar supply, and returning at midnight. Nothing was done to-day, and it was too cold on Monday for travelling. Our present plan now, was to carry forward in ad- vance, to the boats which we had left, sufficient provisions to last us from the first of July till the first of October; as that was the point whence our summer journey and voyage would commence. On Tuesday, Commander Ross and the parties set oft' with two loads of various articles to the depot, and returned about mid-day ,\|.iil : t. on the twenty-fourth. In their way back, they saw a bear, and killed a seal : and, in the evening, another of the former, approach- ing the house, was killed. It had been at our llagstaft* which it ha0 miles. The tilt of the bears which we had killed was an addition of some moment to our fuel, as the skins had their own value. Five grouse had been killed ; but not a snow bunting had yet been seen. ihw fox only had been taken. The nun were better, except one of th« scorbutic patients, John Wood, who appeared to be in a hopeless state. The sun had pro- thiced a visible elfect on the snow, which was now disappearing fr(»in the tops of the hills. Tlu' gale, which continued all this , at three in May 9, 4 u2 I: I ( ; 1 \^r? 1 'i ■ 1 'li .. ■■! i 1; .: . t 'if 1 '» ;• .; i.» 1 f 1 IJ M .' t ' |l':" 700 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY the morning, we attained the first position ; having travelled eight miles. At eight in the evening, having rested here, we set ont once more with the sledges, containing six casks of bread ; having left three sick men at the house to be brought up by another journey. May 10. At noon we reached the second position in Two River bay; whence, depositing the first load, we returned ten miles to bring up another. The ice was found extremely bad, so as to compel us to keep close under the precipices. In the evening we went back to that place with the second load, arriving with it at three in the morning At eight we returned for the third cargo, and brought it up on the twelfth, a little after midnight : going back once more to our old position for a fourth load, which was brought up on the thirteenth, a))out the same hour. \ot fo repeat tliese daily proceedings, I may now say, generally, that in this ar them and the con- ceale t, about midnight, a bear jjulled away the stones which supported the canvas roof, and fell in, nearly on the place where I lay. On calling out to know who was there, the creature went oft" to the other hut, when, as it was examining the cook's kettle, it received a shot from my gun, under which, whether bounded or not, it was soon out of sight. The last days of this most tiresome travelling were by much the worst; as there were se\ere showers of snow, with very cold weather, by which the way was at last made so bad, that had it happened .sooner, we should have been stopped altogether. On the twenty-ninth, all having at It-ngtli been concentrated, we re- turned to our house on Fury btiich. 1 killed a bear and two foxes on one of these days; the tohd nundjer of the hitter in this month Jiaving been twelve. The sight of some gulls twice in this month was a very welcome one. The mean teujperature (»f this month was low* r by seven degrees than that at Port IJowen in 1X24 ; it was I I plus, inid the extrenu-s })lus 'iO and minus ;j . Theit; had been im :ipp.;iriinV 111. .Ilillr 11 to I",. ,1'HH.' Ill J mil- 'J.'i w r I 1 i r I 3 V\ '\i li'l '■> 1 }-^ 1,1 ;. U!>1 s- "* if ; ': ••,1!:.,, hJI'l 1 It 'MV'' : 1 1 ;- ■ ' I* 1 1 i ^.w, .lllllC J In •.>9. "04 SFXOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVEIIY time : thoiigli, on other occasions, these delicacies were reserved for the sick. On the twenty-fifth, a party went forward with a sledge- load of fuel an period. It however im- prove«l, though there was very little rain during the time, and liiuch snow. The extremes were 4r> and l(»° plus, and the mean |)bis ;io|/. ^^'e had advancee sacrificed to a «luty which thus curtailed our means of conveying forward the provisions and accommodations necessary to oui- own ex- istence, and what is still more, were indispensable to the accomplish- ment of our ultimate hopes, a return to England. It was also, as 1 have since been told, a greatsacrificeof our own comforts, to have reserved our best and most delicate food for the sick, to have nursed and tended those who had ceased to be aught but an en- cumbrance, and of whom, some, as we full well knew, were not destined to .survive. That may be very true: I believe, (hat as regarded oursehes, we did wrong; it is possible that such notions may have occurred to me for a moment or two since my return, when the ingratitude and obloquy which I have experienced from those very persons in particular has vexed me ; and I believe that when the history of the wreck of the Meduse has been recited to 4x / % f -rr ll It ' i » 1' ■ 1 , ' 1 : 1 i ""t \ I l' ) •■* ( ,1 ! ■ *' 1 * j, , > i' . Pf: \\ t'^ "1 I'M ^' ' ■ ■; t r. 1 '! ''F M i II r III .ll.l\ 1 I.. '.I. mi SKfONU VOYAGE OK DISfOVEKY 111*' l>y lliosc (Vij'iids, I iiuiy liavo soiiictiiiies woiidti't'd wliy we should so lai- liavc diO'cn-d ; littli- \villin<>- as I am tu reiiiciidu'r any tliiii<; wliicli may iiiaki- liiimaii iiadiiv appear in an evil lii;'lit, or t(» add to Uie hitler le«'liMht, in any situati«)n. It' it is tru«' that France really wants such a lesson, I nuist he sorry; hut I tear that no lesson will influence those \\ ho have not in their hearts the inclina- tion to do riiilit, or who are not governed hy some heller motive than the |>r.nsc of men; in this expectinu,' that poor reward, which, in ju^t punishment ot' their motives, may even he withheld. The wind and w«'ather were variahle during the first loin" days of .Inly, l»ut generally cold, with snow auil sleet, while the thermo- melcr al night scarcely e\t r rose ahove the tVee/ing point. Our preserved meat was expended ; and we hatl here, now, no other fresh animal food than what we could procin'e hy our guns; which was not nmch as yet, since it consisted hut of a I'ew ducks and dovtkies. Some spare grates were matle for the house, and the roof was npaired and strengthened, in case we should he ohiiged to rdurn to it lor the ensuing winter ; though somewhat at a loss to kn«»w how we were to suhsist under such an unfortimate e\eut. TO rriK ARCTIC IlKCJIONS. 707 } A <|iianfity of Uanncl cartiidues utrc givm to tlir iiicii (i>r ic- paiiiiiuf flirir clotlies hclorc eiu-oiintniny; \\iv joiiriu y (o liiilly l;;iv. An iival:nidi<" <»f ire from the vWlYs, iiittniiixtd \vi(li rocks iuid water, was a novel si;j;lit, and, in this dearth of events, uouli have been, interesting;, even liad it been far less splendid as a sp( dacle. Fallint!: into the sea, it carried all before it; breakin'- ihc tlM i.r (o Ji great distanee, and showing ns, had that been now niwessary, the manner in which the icebergs are s<»nielinies fonnd to be cov( leil with fragments of ro -k and layers of rarth. So many of my conntrymen lut ve now seen the avalancln s of (lu! Alps, und so many more li!»ve reu! of those, in prose and in poeiiv, as there are some who can ;.. ver forg: ♦ the splendid pictinc of Lontherbonrg on this snbject, that m ■ attempt on my part U> (leseribesueh an oecnrrence as this isuist be snoerHuons, as it can- not fail to be feel)le. Yet tli re was a variety :,• this, iviiicli, could 1 adeqnately describe it, in i yen jhe plainest prose, or npnseni it in the meanest drawing, wonhl not tail t(» strike even those who have witnessed what Switzerland can show. It was not the snow ball, giganti(;as that may be. res>. and then thundering down an irregular declivity, sliding, bounding, and breaking, till it had safely lodged itself in the valley b. low, or in the bed of a torrent; there perchance to obstruct a stream, be scattered ov-. ; ;> plain, or, if even overwhelming a cottage, to fall into repo.e among the ice that had received it. Here, all was as instantaneous as it was unexpected. The i(!y mountain that had towcreit »»ver our heads so long, was irone before we could sav, Jiehold, '.)v aware : the instant of its motion was that of its descent, 4 .\ '2 Jlliv .1 m *i f> ^■fjr' i ' i! f ■ i. J ' l' •1 * It 1 ■ f* 1: 1 ,1 1 "1 '1 I « s " » I '■■' "I I Mi ro8 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY and before if seemed to liave (•omineuced that descent, it had plunged into the sea: no, not into a sea of water, but a sea of ice; hreakinu: u|i those ghissy fiehls which had so long hound us in, as if indeed they were liut a feeble mirror; scattering their fragments far and \\ i«le, with a noise exceeding thunder, and prolonged even like the reveri>erations of the thunderbolt, until all settled again into the dead and icy stillness of its former repose; yet to leave that new mountain in the waves, a record of this catastrophe, as long as record (;ould be of those mountains which the sun would »'re long melt, and the winds float ofl" to other and far distant regi(ms. iiiiy 7. 'J'he sho(»ting of fd'ty dovekies yesterday gave the men a good Sunday's dinner: and the last divine service we trusted ever to attend in this house, was perl*oruie were anxious it. quit this dreary place, as we hop<'d, for ever. \'«t, with thoM- hopes, there were mingled many fears; enough to render it still but too doubtl'ul in all our minds i. :0 THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 709 wlietlier we might not yet be compelled to return ; to return once more to ilespair, and perhaps, to return but to die. To have been able, confidently, to say. Adieu (or ever, would have been indeed to render this a delightful parting; when even the shelter which we had re(;eivebli<;e\'«> h:id lately obtained a good sup- ply of«lovekies, mid could now aHind «'V«'ry one a good brriikfast; w Inch was not less necessary than agreeablr, cmaciMtcd as most of us were, and nevertheless compelled tiM-iiilure this cinistant hibour. In the at'lernoon, the road on thr shore being better, we contrived to takf most of our stiM'es, the sick included: but it Wiis not, finally, till aftrr manv ditiiculties in ii\«>idinu: and traversimr bad ice, that we reachnl the boats in Hatty bay. at eight in tlir morning. We foinid that the bears jind t'oxes lind connnitted considerabh depredations on our stttrts, by destntying a cask ol" bread, sonn- oil, and some sugar, and also all the bather shoes iind boots they could find. 'I'll*- weather was \ery line, and the doNckies being numerous, we killed some for oin* provision. ICven at midnight the thei- i I «i TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. rii moiiieter was now 48^ : it was a i-reat revolution in the weather, and It liad been a sudden one; unexpected, but not undue. Two lijrht sled^res to-day brought up the few tilings whieh we had been .►bligwl to leave at the last place, together v ith some sorrel lor the sick ; while we obtained thirly dovekies. Sunday was made a boats was «-ontiiiued. ,\ii easterly wind made the thermoin.ter fall tc» :iH . On Sunday the ice was repc.rted to b.- broken up in the oiling; but after three days, without any thing material to note, except the killing of fifty dove- kies, it remain<'«l close packed on tii«- shore, so that i was impos- sible for us t(» move. Th.' uealher. from this time. \ e had now seen the ie,' leave the sluMV at las), but had tester- day Imcii prevented tiom embarking, by a h.avy fog. This ending JmIv 1.;. .Iiilv 14. •Iiilv 11. .Inly |i. .iiiiv i; In |;i. .Idiv .'ii. .ImIv >\ til .to. liiK SI. '', a- \\ f. 712 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY in rain and sleet, with an adverse east wind, on the last morning of the month, we did not load the boats till mid-day ; butas it proved, in vain, since it came to blow antl rain so heavily all the afternoon and evening, that it was impossible to embark. In every way it wsis desirable to quit this place ; as the stones had now begnn to fall from the clitls, in conseqnence of which 'two men experiencetl severe contusions, and one narrowly escaped with hi . life. Thus ended July. Of that month, any summary is superseded by the preceding journal ; it is almost sufficient to note that the mean temperature had been 36*, and the extremes 28^ and 5(r phis, [thad not been an unfavourable one to our prospects, on the whole, while we had no right to expect an open .sea in these regions at .so etirly a perioreceding years. That the sick luul improved was a very consoling circum- stance ; while our situation was, at least, one of joint exertion and ho[)e. TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 713 CHAPTER LVI. AUGUST— DETENTION AT BATTY BAY— THE ICE BREAKS— DEPAR- TURE IN THE BOATS— REACH THE EASTERN COAST OP PRINCE REGENTS INLET— MEET WITH THE ISABELLA, AND ARE RE- CEIVED ON BOARD. Between the first and the fifteentli of the month orAiij-ust, the rlf.m^cs of the wind and tlie vacillations in the natnre of the weather were .sucii as I have often recorded dnrint; the past two; while th« general resnit is all that is here worthy of notice. The prevail- ing nafnre of the former was north-easterly : and the conseqnence was, to l.loo heavy that the bay must open sooner, so as to give ns notire where ne might possibly pass it, we returned, as there was nothing to gain by Ihis proj<'(f. But even this fruitless laboin- was not without its use. The result •>f it «as. to do something: and, to do, even what was umLss, was to keep up the spirits and hopes of the people, as it als<» inter- rupted that miiformily ofidle wakefulness which le«l them to brood over their pnsent condition, and to indulge in evil anticipations. 1 > IR.l.t AllUMSl I lo I.-,. -^ (>• ]: 'i I' ' it 1 • i , '1 • l\ 1 1 M .'I •'F 714 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY The IJiglilaiiii squire who makes J{oswell huiil on the backstay in a gale of wind, displays more knowledge than a landsman has any right to possess. 1 know not what we should have done, what woidd have " become of us," as the phrase is, had we not made work when we had ceased to find it. " The men," as they are calleil, are not much given to thinking, it is certain ; thougii seamen of the present day (and I am sorry to say it), think naich more than they did in the days of my junior service, and, most assuredly and certainly, are "all the worse" for it. Let my fraternity in connnand say whether this be true or not; and they are the bold men who will so say, despite of the paltry, fantastical, and pretending, ultra philanthropy uf these days of ruinous folly. But that is an over serious matter to discuss at present. " An idle man is a pdlow for the devil," says a Spanish or Italian proverb: it was not goial that our men should have been pillowed in this manner : better was it that tliey should w»»rk themsnlves into utter weariness, that they should so hunger as to think only of their stomachs, fall asleep and dream of nttthing but a better dinner, as they awoke to hope and lal>our for it, and that their sleep should be, not on the pillow of the proverb, but on a couch of snow, suHicieut to ini|)ede all retiections but the wish for a better bed after a better supper, and the gnawing loyed in cuttinu' the ivr \'>'i^>-' i "' which obstructed the shore, as .arly as four o'clock in the ntorniuir; and the title havinu- risen soon after, with a tine westerly bre« /e, we huuH'lied till' boats, embarked the stores and the sick, and, at ei<;|it o'clock, wt re under \\.\y. I V '2 1:1 P -^ \*: i ii ! U 'I ' ! J I, 't ' »\ - 11 • M rit* 7 i • 1 r< 1 '! •F r ,1 ' 1 I. 1 ! 1 ■ t i I 716 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY We really were under way at last ; and it was our business to forget that we had been in the same circumstances, the year before, ill the same place; to feel that the time for exertion was now come, and those exertions to be at length rewarded ; to exchange hope for certainty, and to see, in the mind's eye, the whole strait open before us, and our little fleet sailing with a fair wind through that bay which was now, in our views, England and ho.ne. We so(m rounded the north cape of liatty bi^, and, finding a lane of water, crossed Elwin's bay at midnight; reaching, on the Aii-iisi I'i, sixteenth, that spot to the north of it where we hati pitched our leiits on the twenty-eighth of August in tlie preceding year. I know not if all were here quite free of recollections to damp our new hopes. The tiiflerence in time was but twelve days; and should those days pass as they had done in the former, it might still be our fate to return to our last winter's home, and (here to end our toils its it was Imt too easy to anticipate; the first wlio.se fortune it should be, in a frozen grave, and the la.st in the maws of bears and foxes. We found here no pa.ssage to the eastward, but the lane of water still extended towards the north; so that our stay was of no longer diii'iition than was indispensable for re.st. As we proceeded, the open water increased in breadth ; and, at eight in the evening, we leached »)ur former position at the north-eastern cape of America. .\ view from the hill here, showed that the ice to the northwarti and iKMtli-eastward was in such a state as to admit of sailing through it; but as it blew too hard to venture among it in the night, we pitched our tents for rest. Ai.L'.ivt IT At three in the morning we embarked once more, leaving an TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. ?17 additional note of our proceedings, in tJie same place where the former was concealed. It was calm, and we held on to the east- ward hy rowing, until, at noon, we reached the edge of the packe "ff ,!l}. hm ill* !■' j-' .] ! ' Pi: ,( i\ " t* 'I .■ . i 718 SECOND VOYAGE OP DISCOVERY Aiiijiisi IS. The wind moderating, and it at length becoming calm, we were obliged, in the morning, to take to the oars; and finding no ice to obstrnct ns, rowed along to the eastward, and by midnight rested for a short time at the cape to the east of Admiralty inlet. On the Aiisiist 19. next day, the weather being the same, we were halfway between tliis place and that termed Navy-board inlet, by eight in the morn- ing ; when, the men being exhausted with nearly twenty hours' rowing, we stopped on the beach an\ed al<»ng among icebergs, till we arrived at an excellti^t harbour, receiving a considerable stream, where we were protectetl by these heavy masses, while we could, if necessary, haul the boats into a ])Ool at the month of the river. VVe had thus gained five miles more; and being six or seven to the west of Navy-lM>ard inlet, were within eighty of Possession bay. All-list .'0. Ft begiui to blow hard hist night with a north-ea.st wind, and a heavy sea, which continued this day ; blocking lis up completely, but allowing us to haul up the boats for repair, (irowing worse at Am-iimoi. length, we brought them into the inner hiU'l)nur which the pool t'oruied : «hen, increasing to a violent gale, all the icebergs which liiui arranged themselves into an outer one, broke awiiy and dis- jippeared. There was, with this storm, a steady tall of mixed rain an » I t i i ■I 722 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY wliat we really were, as well as what we seemed to others. Poverty is without half its mark, unless it be contrasted with wealth : and what we ini^ht have known to be true in the past days, we hiid forgotten to think of, till we were thus reminded of what we truly were, as well as seemed to l>e. Hut the ludiiTous soon took place of all other feelings; in such a crowd and such I'onfusion, idl serious thought was impossible, while the new buoyancy of our s|)irits made us al)undantly willing to be amused by the sceiie which n«»w opened. Every man was hungry and was to be fed, all were ragged and were to l>e clothed, there was not one to whom washing was not indispensable, nor one whom his beard did not deprive of all Knglish send)laMce. All, every thing, too, was t(» be clone at once; it was washing, dressing, shaving, eating, all intermiuglrd, it was all the mati^rials of each jundtlnl together; uhile. in the midst of all, there Mere inter- minable tpiestions to lie asked and answered on all sides; the ad\<'ntin'es «»f the Victory, our own escapes, the politics of England, and the news Mhi<-h was now fom* years (dd. Itut all sidisided into peace at last. The sick were accommodatnl, the seamen disposed of, and all was done, for all of us, which <'are and kind- ness could pert'orm. Night at length brought (|uiet and serious thoughts; and I trust then' was not one man among us >\ho did not then e\|iress. ulnre it was duf, his gratitude for that interpo- sition which had raised us all from a despair which nonr could now forget, and had brur|>osed yet to remain nut tor some time. The Isahelht had ^one u|i Prinee liepnt's iidet, as tar as .Mount Sherrar, followed l»y the U'illiam I.iee, which was the vessel that we had seen, and was i>mw in siirlit : while we intended to .send on hoard of her a |»art of our erew. lie had inaile a Ixdd attt in|>l to oross I'rinee He^eiit's inlet to Leopold's islands, in hopes ot llnding some traces of us, rather t!ian oinsehes; hut had Immii stopped at ahout two-thirds of the way, by a field of ice. lie had run alon^ the etlj'^e of this on the day hetore we crosM-d, and it was in this manner that we had missed him: while il was on hiv return that we met, after he had examined the eastern shore tor us in vain. That he had not noticed our hoats. tliou^h he had seen them, arose from his having mistaken them lor those of the William Lee. Meinsi desirous to leave, at J*()ssessioii hay. a notice to any ve.ssel which mi^ht land there in search of us, as also to verily my chru- TO THE ARCTIC aEGIONi). 72o iiometer, 1 was liiiuled for these purposes; and, after huryinji a bottle, with a state of the facts, at the same cairn which we ha«l built in 1818, we retunnni on iM)ar i\ 5} 1 ,'1 \. l*F , i i ,i|M ••2(> SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY s»'verity, and it became evident that we eould not remain much U>nger in those seas. The Clarendon, which was in company, departeil without taking' tlie hitters which I had intended to send hy her; though, liad we not lieen obliged to hind some men in Orkney, we sliouhl have been at home as soon as that vessel. It wos on the thirtieth of September that we quitted Davis's straits ; and on the twelfth of October, after only a twelve days' passage, we landeoratiou, the orti(!ers of the Trinity-house, and the PhiliM>pliical Sori.ly, together with many af the principal persons of this aucieri place. The freedom of the town was afterwards conferred on iViutls«»r : receiving per- mission to dedicate my journal to him, and to add the name of William the P'ourlh to the Maifuelic Pole. iH I ', I ADDEND A. IW / i )', i '« Pi: I "I ' '■) }'M.n\ in ; '■ h -^ vi I !H ADDENDA On my arrival in Lniidi.n on tlic ^(Hli of Oclolicr, lft;3;j, it bfcamo my first diify to repan- to llio royal palace at Wiiulsor, with an accoiuit of my voyage, and to lay at the feet of His Maiesty the British (lag- which hud l)i'eii hoisted on the .Mamietie I'ole I had the honour of btini; most gvaeiously received hy Ills .Maie>t\, who had always taken a d<'e|> interest in my enteriaise, and wdio immediately granted me per- missiun to uisenbe his iliui-trions name, and thai of llei .Majesty the (,»iieen, on my ehart at the Magnetic I'oio; and eoiumaiided ii.i to place around it the names of ilie Hoyal Family, and the ivignin^ crowned licads of Knrope. On the -'Isl my letter (appended) was read at the Admiralty, and snhseqnently published by order of the Right Honourable Sir .lame^ (iraham, liart., then Fii>t Lord of flu; Adniiraltv. vmiIi whom I iiad an interview immediately after his arrival in town. 'I'he very liberal maimer in which (i Wight Hon. H. Cutlar FerguKson, was discussed on tin ITth of March, when, for the first time, I leariil that 6 A f "T lii W3 1/ if^i H \\ J M t* i V 730 ADDENDA. it was supposed my undertakini; this enterprise was to recover a lost reputation. My case was, fortunately for me, sutmiitted to a Select Connnittee of the House of C'oni- uious, and 1 had before this high tribunal an opportunity of ri-'iiitiiii calunuiics which had been industriously circulated ap;ainst lue, by |)roducini; dricuuu.ntary evidence that my conduct on the former ex))edition had been approved of by the Admiralty, as will appeal liy ihe /'(•llowin!; extract from tlie minutes of the Connnittee: " Ciiif\/i(i>i — Did you conceive your reputation had been placed at all in (juestion in consequeiu-e of the result of your first voyaj^e? " Aii.sirrr — No, certainly not. Tlie Admiralty approved of my c (induct bv giving ine promotion subsetpient to my return. WIumi I was attacked anonvniously I ap]ilied lor a court-martial on my conduct, and was told by Lord Melville that I had received my promotion, and the court-martial was therefore unnecessary, and that 1 must not take notice of any thing that was written against me. " Queslidii — Did he at the same time state that you would not have received your promotion if the .Xdniiralty liad not been satisfied with your condnet ? " Aii.Mcer — Yes. I have a letter frc>m Lord Melville in proof of that fact, which I will read : " ' I (Utertaia no ddiibl wbiitcver, from the genend impression on my mind, and lionj iiference to the (iate> of ynur promotion to tin' rank of Commander and of Ca])taiii, and to ynur I'inployiiiciit m the intervening peiind, that your conunission in ISlH was in ciinsecjueiice nf tnrmer services. On the other hand, if your conduct as cuimnander ot the Isabella had been disap])roved of at the Admiralty, most assuredly you would not have been |iii'iii'iled so soon after your return.' " The (.'onniiiltei' having unaninuinsly expressed their satisfaction, proceeded to inquire .ii'M Tiiv \asc relative to the last \(py. <;'•, and made the following Hi|)ort, which is eMraclni tu'iu llie pailaimentary Jiapers : The Seleit ('oinmiltce consisted of— Mr. Ciitlai l"i'r;;iissiiu Sir Holiiii Peel Sir Uobeit liij;lis Sir James Uruliam Mr. Unit Mr. A;;liiiiil)y Mr. Cli.ipMian Sir Ileiiiy Ibinliiisr Sir Edward ('u(liiii"'t(ii I'r. William (iladstonc Mr. I'wart Mr. Lianiieniiaii Sir Andrew Agncw Mr. F-dward Stewart Mr. fleiirjjc Kobiuson Mr. Wailiintoii I.I. Ill nnilUy Stuart .Mr. Stuart Mackenzie Mr. I'ox Talbot Mr. Urotliertciii .Mr. lantrsoii Teiineiit Mr. G. 1". Young; Mr. Hiinhes lluiilies Lord Viseiiiiiil Saiiiloii Mr. I.abduclierc Mr. O'Coiniell The said ('oiiiniitlic had power to send for Persons, I'apers, and Records, and U\v were d(!clared to be a (|uorum. ADDENDA. 731 REPORT. Your Coniiiiittce luive imt felt themselves eitlicr called iipcm by their older of refe- rence or coniiieteiit to «^ive iin opinion on the precise merits or extent of the tliscoveries made (luring the expedition conunanded hy (Japtain John Ross, whitL ■, .;i i geoijra- phieal or scientific point of view ; they have tiierei'ore confined theiu-ilvii ft ^iich a general investigation into the facts, as may sutlice for a decision oi; th-j nmn ij'iestion conunitti 'hen- hands, whether any reward siiould be allotted {jnni the (inul'C purse, and towli' ' rcwani is due. In tlu I'i'this Incpiiry they find that, in the year 1827, Captain Hoss, stimu- lated by tiic desire of securing to this country tiic honour of settling the long-agitated (jm'stion of a Xorlh-west Passage, jjroposcd first to His Majesty's (lovermuent, and, on their declining to tuidertake it, to his friend, Mr. Fiiix Hootli, to fit (mt an expedi- tion for that jiurpose ; that in the foliovviug year Mr. Hootii, finding that the Act by which a pariiauienlary rcuard was held out for the discovery of a North-west Passage iiad been repealed, and that no suspicion of interested motives could any longer rest upon the undertaking, " having no otiier object in view than the advancement of the honour of his country and the interests of science, and to gratify the feelini;s of a friend,'' inimediatelv aLireed to Captain Ross's proposition, on condition that his connexion with the enlerprise should not be made known: that accordingly, with the exception of aliout two thousand jwuiuls expended by Captain lioss, Mr. Hooth did actually luarail the charges of the ex|)edition, to the amount of between seventeen and eighteen thou- sand pounds: that Captain Ross, beiui; left by ^Ir. Booth at liberty to choose whom be pleased to accoiii|)aii\ him, received gratuitous oilers of zealous service and assist- ance, in aiiv capaiiiv, from those irit of those who made them; but finally selected his nephew, Coinmander ,l;iuies Clark Ross, a young ollicer of (listiiigiiished scientific attainments, who had been employed in every previous expedi- tion to tile Arctic Seas; and having engaii'ed -Mr. Tlioiii as purser, who, as well as Coinmander Koss, agreed to go without ])av, and Mr. .M'Dianuid as surgeon, together with a crew of nineteen men, sailed from l•'ll^lalul in May IHJi): that in spite of the mutiny of the crew of ;i whaler, which had been engaged to accompany them with pi nvisioiis, Captain Hoss jiersevered, in reliance on tindinij: the sui)iilies which had been landed by the I'lirv, on Fury IJeach, and then entered upon a course of sull'erings, of dangers and discoveries, for a summary of v\ hich your Committee would refer the House to the following letter addresbjd by him to the Secretary of the Board of Ailiniralty. ,'. A 2 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 Hf*- Mii I.I 1.25 ■no o •^ MM I" m 2.0 1.8 1.4 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WHSTIR.N.Y 14SI0 (716) 873-4503 .•\ ^V 4^ i\ \ IS 4: w \ i f -fir !'l IP i! r« ■ HI' t. i,l 'I ' I >! 1^ I! t ,1 1. 732 ADDENDA. Copy of a Letter from Captain Ross to Captain the Honourable Ceorge Elliot, C.B. , dated on board the Isabella of Hull, Baffin's Hay, September \KV.i. On ttoard tlio Isnbclla of Hull, Bafiin's Bay. Sir, September 183'!. Kiii)wiii.inmisn;;itude !>i west, where the land, after having carried ns as far east as 90' , took a deiidcd westerly direction, while land at the dislaiiee of forty miles lo sonlhwaid, was seen trending (ast and west, .\t this extreme point onr progress was arrested on 1st October liy an iiiipi iietrabic barrier of ii c. W'c. however, found a'- excellent wintering port which wc named Felix llarbnur. F.iilv in .laniiarv |S3<). wc had the good fortune to establish a friendly intercourse with a ino«l iiiteii stmi;' assoei.ition of natives, whom belli'.; insul.iled by nature, had never before com- nitinic, lied with straiejers; from them wc 'jiradually obtained the important iiiformaiioii ihai we bad aln .tdy sien the f'ontineiit of .\nieriea, that, about furtv miles lo ihe south-west tlii-ii' were two y;re it seas, one lo the west, which was divided I'roin thai In the i ast bv a narrow sirail ol iiei k of land. The ventiealiim of this iiilelligence either way, on which onr fiiliin operations so niatirially depended, devolved on (^Jmlnnllder Boss, who voliinteenil lhi~ siTNici early in .April, accnmpanied bv one of the mates, and guided bv two of the natiu'S, proceeded to Ihe spot, and found that ihe north land wascoiinected to the south, bylwo ridges of hiiih hind. Mi miles in breadth; but taking into account a chain of fresh water lakes, which oeciipiii! the \alleys beltteeii, the dry land, which acliiallv separates the two oceans, is only five mile-. This 1 MiaoidiiKiry isthmus was subseipieiitly visited bv nivself, when Commander Boss prill I eiled ininntely lo survey the sea co.ist to ihe southward of the isthmus leadiie.: lo the westwaid. which he succeeded in tracing lo the ',)!ilh ilegree, or to 2'2U miles of ( ape i'liin- .igaiii. of I'lankhn. lo which (loiiit the hind, after leading hiin into the Tilth degree of north hililnde, lieiiih d din lily ; duriiii; the same journey lie also surveyed 30 miles of the adjaceiit coast, or that In the iioilh of the isthmus which, In also lukiiig a westerly direction, formed the lermin.iliiin of the wesli rii sea into a irnlf. Fhe rest of this season was employed in tracing 'he sea coast nouth of llii' isthmus, leading lo the caslwiiid, which was done so as tu leave nu I. ■'JMJjSfY**^.)""^ ADDENDA. 733 (lonl)t that it j(.ine(l, ris tlie natives had previously intbmied us, to Acknlloc, and the hind forniins UopiiUL' Bay. It was also determined that there was no passage to the westward lur 30 Miiles to the northward ofonr position. Tins summer, like that of 1818, was beautifully tine, but extren>ely unfavourable for naviga- tion, an.l our object being now to try a more northern latitude, we waited with anxiety for the disruption of the ice, but in vain, and our utmost endeavours did not succeed in retracing our steps more than four miles, and it was not until the middle of November, that wc suc- ceeded in cutting the vessel into a place of security, which we named " Sheriff's Harbour." 1 may here mention, that we named the newly discovered continent, to the southward, " Boothia," as also the isthmus, the peninsula to the north, and the eastern sea, after my worthy friend, I'elix Booth, F.s((.. the truly patriotic citizen of London, who, in the ino-^t disinterested manner enabled me to e(|nip this expedition in a superior style. The last winter was in temperature nearly ecjual to the means of what had been experienced on the four preceding voyages, but the winters of 1830 and 1831 set in with a degree of violence hith.rlo bevond record, the thermometer sank to 9'2 ' below the freezing point, and the average of the year was 10 below the preceding ; but notwitstanding the severity of ihe summer, we travelled across the country to the West Se.i, by a chain of lakes, 30 miles north of the istlmms, when Commander Ross succeeded in surveying 50 miles more of the coast leading to the N.W . and, by tracing the shore to the northward of our position, ii was also fully pro\eil that there eoulil be no passage below the 71st degree. This autumn we succeeded in geltimr the vessel only 14 miles to the northward, and as we had not doubled the !• astern Cape, all hopes of saving the ship was at an end, and put .|uit.' beyond possibility by another very severe winter, and having only provisions to last us to.lune I . 1 832, dispositions were accordindy luade to leave the ship in her inesent port, which (after her) was named " \'ictory Harbour."' I'rovisions and fuel being carried forward in the spring, we left the ship on May '^O. IH.i'.', lor Fury lieaeh, being the only chance left of saving our lives. Owing to the very riiirged nature of the ice, we were obliged to keep either upon or close to the land, making the circuit of every bay, thus increasiie.; our distance of '2(10 miles by nearly one half, and it was not until July I that wo reached the bach, completely exhausted bv hunger and fatigue. A hut was speedily coiislructed. and the boats, three of which had been washed .'11 ihe beach, but providentially driven on shore again, were repaired dining this month; Imt tlu unusual heavv ajipearance of the ice alliu-ded us no cheering prospect until .Vugi.st I , when in three boats' we reached the Ill-fated spot whcie the l-ury was lirst driven on shore, and it was not until September I we reached Leopold South Island, now established to be the NM., ..niut of .\nieriea, in lal. 73 .W , and long. ;»0 west. From the summit of the hifty mountain on Ihe promontory we could s.t I'rince Kegeiifs Inlet, Barrow's Strait, and Lancaster Sound, which presented one nnpenitiable mass of ice just as I had seen it in 1H18 ; here we remained in a slate of anxiety and suspense, which may be .Msier imagined than described. .Ml 'mm attempts to push tiircmgh were vain; at length being forced by want of provisions and tin approach of .« most severe winter to return to Fury Beach, where alone there remained where- with to sustain life; there we arrived on October*, after a most fatiguing ami laborious mar.li. Iiavinc birn obliged to leave our boats at Batty Bay. Our habitation, which eonsistid in a fiaiiie of spars, :iv' feet by Hi. covered with canvas, was durin- the month of November enclosed, and th.' re cheers, received us with every denionstration of kindness and hospitality Hliich hiiinanity could dictate. I might to nicntioii, also, that Mr. Humphreys, by landing me ,it Possession Bay, and snbseiiuently on the west coast of Batlin's Bay, atlordi il me an excel- lent opportunity of concluding my survey, and of verifying my former chart of that coast. I now have the ))leasiiig duty of callinsr the attention of their Lordships to the merits of Commander Ross, who was second in the direction of this expedition. The laliours of this otlicir, who had the departments of Astronomy, Natural Uislorv, and Surveying, will speak lor tlienisi'lves in language beyond the ability nf my pen, but ihey will be duly appreciated by lliiir Lordships, and the learned bodies of which he is a member, :inil who are already Well actpiainted with his acquirements. My steady and faithful iVieiid, Mr. William Thoni, of the Royal Navy, who wns formerly with nu! Ill the Isabella, besidis his duty as third in coinniaiid, took iliaige of the Meleoro- logieal Journal ; the distnhnliMii and iconoiiiy ( Under these ei.cn.iis.ances yo.ir Co.n.nittee can have no hesitation ... lepoitni., ,1k., a ..cat p.iblu. .seivice has been pe...on..ed. In.lepe.idently of ,he dc.no. s,..,,: one p=.sage which ad been considered by preceding .lavi^atoi-s ,o be o..e ^ h 1 fo. ... . lie expeditions, if s.ich should ever be un.ler.akcn ; .ndepeiiden.lv ,^ Ik. a dition o between s,x and s,.cn hund.cd n.iles of co,.st to o„r 'eo,...,., h e. knowledge, a.id o the valnable additions to magnetic science a..d ..le.eor^lo,:; tins exped. ,0,. will s.ipply. yoi.r ro.nin.ttee cannot oveidook ...e public seivu,. «...' I. is rende.c.1 to a ,„i.i„„..e eount.y. especially in tnne of peace, bv deeds of danii. . . erpns.. an p.,,en, .,..d„n...eo of ha.dsh.p. wh.ch exCe ,l.e pi.bbc sy.npa.hy and . ni.s, the ,ene,al leclin, ... ,uv.n.r of n.aritin... adventine. Of this .esidt .liey hav.. ^irong end,.nce ... , he nat.o.,al subsc.ipt.on wh.ch .un.ished ,iie ,^,„ds ,or th.: expe- .t.un o, Captiun Hack in sea..cl. of C-ap.a.n Ross and 1... ,aila.., pi.r.v, to wind, e tioveriimeiit also c(iiiiribii|,.d 'JOOO/. ' '••'"I"' n.,po.„„,ce of thes.. co..si,le,.„fion,s yo.ir Con-mittee a,e happv ,o have to '■" ■' "- ^'''.l-'y^<'-"..ne.,t bus .lot been .nse.is.bie. Allhough i^^Z ff -f^] m !1 1 M 1.1 11 1 '' 1 t , ::l '« i,r I ( M ; t "• ( i;i ' 5) .1 n : r ■1. .i'l ! i ?. 736 ADDENDA Ross's expedition -as undertaken entirely on piivalc risk, anil tiic Boara of Aiinnraity could not tlierctDie be held responsible tor any liabilities incurred, or be called upon in strictness to notice in any way the services of the individuals engaj^ed in it, yet, as far as the power of the Adniiraltv extends, none of these services has jrone unnoticed or nnrewanied. It a])pears from a nienioranduni delivered in to your Committee by the Admiralty, that " all the men have received ilouble full pay \nitil they finally abandoned their ship, and fidl pay after tiiat until their arrival in Ivuijlaud, auiounluii; to the gros? sum of 45H0/. ; that they liave besides been employed in eligible situations in the dock yards, or placed in others that will lead to promotion ; '' that Mr, Abernethy, the uuiincr, " has been promoted, and a|)pointed to the Serini;iipataui : " that Mr. Thom, purser, " has been appointed to the lucrative situation of purser of the Canopus, iif eiiihtv-fuur fiuns;" that Mr. M'Diarniid, the medical ollicer of the expedition, " has been a|i])ointed assistant-surgeon of the iiavv, and, \\lien qualified to jiass his examinatuiii, will be promoted to the rank of surgeon;" that Conunander Hoss, to whom it appears that the greater jiart of the scientific results of the expedition are due, " has been |)laccd nn full jiay, and a|)pi>inted eommander of the N'ietory fiir tw{>lve months, that he may by that length of service be enabled to receive the rank nf post- captain, which is bv a special niimite of the Admiralty ensured to him at the i xpiration of that time;" and that Captain John lliiiiiphn ys, nt the Isabella, to whose perseveriug humanity alone (^a))tain Ross aiul his party, under I'rnvidence, in all i)robal)ilit\ (IMC tiien' lives, has received that renumeration for the expense of briicui;;' them lionu> which, upon consideration, has been thought proper by the Adniiraltv, and whicli appears tn voiir Connnittee to be a reasonable compensation. Captain Doss alone, tlu ronunandei (if the expedition, who had the auxi(uis and painful responsibilitv of tin health and discipline of the party lor above four years, under circumstanees of unpa- ralleled dilliculty aiul hardship, and who had the merit of maintaining both health and discipline in a remarkable degree (lor only one man m twenty-three was lost in consefpieiice of the expedition), is, owing to his rank, not in a situation to receive all^ reward from the Admiralty in the way of proiiKjtiou. Having incurred expenses and losses to the amiunt of nearly three thousand pounds, and received no more than the half-pay which had aecumulated during the expedition, he remains with the same rank with which he went out. Tiider these circumstances, and looking to the advantages to science and the honour to his eminliv, whieli iiave resulted from the expedition undei his eomniiind ; looking to the expense which the eoimtrv has been willing to incur on huiner occasM lis for similar ex|)editi()ns, and to the rewards which it has voted even for less iui|oitant and honourable objei ts, voniConimitlce hojie they are not trans- jiissiuii till bounds i I a due regaid to public noiioniy, in reiiPinmendiin: that a sum III live till iiMiiid pounds he \otcd to Captain .loliii Itoss, To .Ml. I'l h\ liootli, to whose modest public spirit and rare munilieeiice this expedition IS eiiliiely due, \i w Crnmiittee nuret that they have it not in their power t'l projci-e somi fit token of public iickiiowledgmenl ; bet they euiiiiol forbear olltniig tlir tiibiite of their admiration and respect. m. ADDENDA. 737 Tlio case of a poor man afflicted with bliiulncss in coiiscqucnre of I'lr expedition, lias l)een broiiolit before the notice of your Cuniniittce by n member of the House; and your Connnittee bci, to recommend it to such consideration, as to His Majesty's Government, after due investigation of the facts, may seem fit. April, 1834. LORD VISCOUNT S.-VNDON, Chuinmm. I may here mention that no subscription has ever been received by me for my o«n Ijcuefit. APPENDIX APPEN'DI.X, No. 1. Ciipy of a Letter f I om Captain John Pass, R. A'., to Caittuin the lion. George Elliot, C. B., dated October '1-2, 183:3, Poitliind Hotel, Oct. Q2, 1833. Sir, — The expedition from which I am now returned, having been undertaken in 18'21), at my own expense, I necessarily came nndir certain cn!I 1 \ ■l^i \ il n •h ^ J ) 5) 1 "^ "* i! "■ il' iifi APPENDIX, No. 3. (■»]>y of a Letter from Captain John lioss, li.X., to Mr. Barrow, dated October IG, 1833. Portland Hotel, Oct. 26, 1833. Sir, — In consequence of a verbal communication with Sir Thomas Hardy, 1 have the hoi .jur to tran'?init for the consideration of the \.o\i\s Commissioners of the Admiralty, a List (see Nil. ,")) ijf the officers and men employed on the lute expedition to the Arctic Seas, showinp; the pay (Inc to each on the principle that I should have felt it niv duty to act upon towards them, had the discharge of those claims rested with myself, instead of being taken up by their Lord- ships, on the grounds of the public nature of the service to which the object of the expedition was directed ; and I have reason to know that the officers and men will consider themselves fully reconi))ensed by the proposed scale of pay. I trust I may be allowed to take this opportunity to express for myself and for every person under my command, the deep sense we luue of the kind protection so cheerfully extended t(j MS by their Lordships. I am, lite. {Signed) JOHN ROSS, Capl. R.N. APPENDIX, No. 4. Ciipy of a Litlir from Mr. Barrow to Captain John Ross, R.N., dated October 28, 1833. Admiralty, Oct. 28, 1833. Sir, — I have received and laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty your letter of the 2iilh instant, transmitting a list of the (jfticcrs and men (tn|j|oye(l on ycjuv late expe- dition to the Arctic Seas, showing the amount of pay due to each, according to 'ihe scale by ADDENDA. 739 whicli you would have felt yourself bound to remunerate them for their servicss, and 1 am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you in reply, that although these men have no claim on Ills Majesty's Government, inasmuch as the expedition was not sent oui, liv the Board of Admiralty, yet, in consideration of its having been undertaken for the benefit of science, of the sulferings these men liave undergone, the perilous situation in wliich they were placed for so long protracted a period, and their uniform good conduct under circumstances the most trying to which British seamen were perhaps ever exposed ; and their Lordships being moreover satisfied of your utter inability to fulfil the engagements entered into by you, and of the desti- tute slate in which these jieople have providentially arrived in their native country, have been imhiccd under such peculiar circumstances from a feeling of humanity, immediately to relieve yon from your engagement, and them from pressing necessity, rather than wait till Parliament shall be assembled, to which it is intended to submit the case ; their Lordships have therefore directed the Accountant-General of the Navy to advance to you the sum of 4580/. \2s. 'Ml., as the amount which by your statement you feel yourself under an engagement to pay to the persons therein named ; from each of whom on making them |)aymcnts, you will take u stamped receipt as a voucher in full of all demands they may respectively have upon you. 1 am, &c. (Signed) J. BARROW. APPENDIX, No. .5. Liit of I Ik: .Xunirs ami Sums of Moiiri/ jiaid to the Crew of the Discoviri/ Sliip Victori/. Cujituin John Russ, Ii.\., Iiy AdiniraUy Order, Octoher viS, 1S33. NAMES. QIAUTIES. SIMS. KE.MAKKS. tieorfie M'Diurmid . Surt;eon . ma s. lil (1. Promoted to Surgi'on K. \. William I.ii;lit . Steward . . .7.. u n Not reroninu'tided. Tlinnias Dhiiiky . . Mute ;i4.i >j i An ap|ioiiitmont in tlie mercl lallt serviee. Uiiliiiril W all . Senmun . . in in II Diito in the Dock ^ ard. AiitiiDtiv Muck . , Ditto l',7 1) Lost lii:« eye-sij;lit. Allan M'lnnc'8 . St'coud Kn^ineor 111',' 111 II Hi'tnrned to liis t'riends. .Itiiiit's Alariiliii , , Armourer . . .id IB 8 Dicil nn the vovai;e. •Tolia j'ark Seamu.i i'.;(i IT (1 Made (Junner H.N. josepli Curtis . . l)i' u . . i'.'.7 17 Ditto. John \\ oikI l)it ■ r-'.") 7 Ueturuo i to his friend.s. Itdhcrt Slin'i've . . ('ur|ie::- /s Mate lilt; 4 Ditto. II'Mii'v Ay re Cook !(,.'■) •J II Died soon after his return. '1 lionias Abt'rm'lliie niute . . . Si'." 14 H I'romotea ut gunner ol' the .> mthaniiitoii. Chiiiiliam 'I'lidiiias Carpenter . 2'.)6 111 U Died on the voyajie. (iaurfre 'I'avlor . . IMiite . . . 3'.'9 !> ■I Heturiied to his tauiily. Alt'xaiiilcr Itrtinton First Kngiiieer . (it 7 I,S Ditto. Harni'v I.Bchey . . Landman . . I'.'l I.") (1 Coast tluaril Serviee. Diiviil Wood Sisnnan I'.'l 11 Ueturiied to his iVkllds. ./aiues l)i.\,jn . . l.undmau . , m' II Died on the vovai^e. Uoorgo UiixtiT . Ditto t'.;i II Heturned to liis t'rieiids. •i.)80 li :l f ^ 11 u !:i /4i) ADDENDA. Captain Ross lias produced receipts for the payment of all above sums except two (James Marsliii and James Dixon, dead), whose wages have been repaid into the hands of the Treasurer. The representatives of James Marslin have made a ilaim for the arrears due, but ii is still under consideration. (Signed) J. T. BRIGGS. ' it ■ 1 ill if ::; d III ', :■ i Tianslulion of the Esqniimiux Hymn, pa^e 70. OF OUR KING. Time. — Kulliiiiakau tokoiiksuia. -Make many, O Father, the days of the king ; make steadfast all his doing?, pitservin- liirii on hinli ; hoar diir prayuis. nnd be gracious to our kina. Let irntli ever be the oniameiit of tliinc anointed, and let liini every where show mildness a., iliou. Oh ! hear our praytrs, and be gracious to our king. F I X I S. h' U *:. vnniN(,, iiK.AL'iuiii iiui^j;, MnAND. i i h