ready noticed the auxiliaries to which we had recourse to assist in promoting this end; while most officers have resources within themselves, of which scarcely any situation or circumstances can divest them. What with reading, writing, making and calculating observations, observing the various natural phenomena, and taking the exercise necessary to preserve our health, nobody, I believe, ever felt any symptoms of ennui during our continuance in winter-quarters.

Among the recreations which afforded the highest gratification to several among us, I may men. tion the musical parties we were enabled to muster, and which assembled on stated evenings through. out the winter, alternately in Captain Lyon's cab. in and my own. More skilful amateurs in music might well have smiled at these our humble concerts; but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire, to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with the most pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable of affording for, independently of the mere gratifica. tion afforded to the ear by music, there is, perhaps, scarcely a person in the world really fond of it, in whose mind its sound is not more or less connect. ed with "his far distant home.'

With our time thus occupied, our comforts so abundant, and the prospect to seaward so enlivening, it would, indeed, have been our own faults had we felt anything but enjoyment in our present state, and the most lively hopes and expectations for the future.

CHAPTER VII.

Many Foxes caught.-Continued Open Water in the Offing.-Partial Disruption of the Ice in the Bay.-Meteorological Phenomena, and Temperature of Animals.-Arrival of a Tribe of Esquimaux.-First Meeting and subsequent Intercourse with them.-Esquimaux in Want of Provisions.-Supplied with Bread-dust. Some Account of a Sealing Excursion with them.-Fresh Disruption of the Ice in the Bay.-Closing of the Winter Theatre.--Meteorological Phenomena till the end of February, 1822.

THE first day of the new year was a very severe one in the open air, the thermometer being down to -22°, and the wind blowing strong from the northwest. The effect of a breeze upon the feelings is well known to every person, even in comparatively temperate climates, but at low temperatures it becomes painful and almost insupportable. Thus, with the thermometer at -55°, and no wind stirring, the hands may remain uncovered for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour without inconvenience; while, with a fresh breeze, and the thermometer nearly as high as zero, few people can keep them exposed so long without considerable pain.

About noon on the 2d, Captain Lyon observed a considerable body of snow taken up by the wind and whirled round in a spiral form like that of a water-spout, though with us the breeze was quite light at the time. It increased gradually in size till lost behind the southeast point. As a proof of the difficulty which the hares 'must find in obtaining

subsistence during the winter, these animals were at this time in the habit of coming alongside the ships upon the ice to pick up what they could from our rubbish-heaps. A fox or two still entered the traps occasionally, and our gentlemen informed me that they had always been most successful in catching them after a southerly wind, which they attributed, with great probability, to the smell of the ships being thus more extensively communicated over the island. One or two of these poor creatures had been found in the traps with their tongues al. most bitten in two. The traps made use of for catching these beautiful little animals were formed of a small cask, having a sliding door like that of a common mouse-trap, and were baited with oiled meat or blubber. The whole number caught du ring the winter was between eighty and ninety, of which more than seventy were taken before the end of December. In a single trap of Captain Lyon's, no less than fifteen were caught in the course of four hours, on the night of the 25th of November; and the people engaged in watching the trap remarked, that no sooner had one of these animals been taken out, and they themselves retired few yards, than another entered it. So stupid, indeed, are they in this respect, that, in several instances, those which had escaped from the ships entered, and were recaught in the same traps as before.

Jan. 14.-An ermine, of which the tracks had been traced the preceding day up the Hecla's stern, and even on board her, Captain Lyon to-day suc ceeded in catching in a trap. This beautiful crea. ture was entirely white, except a black brush to its tail, and a slight tinge of the usual sulphur or straw

colour on the root of the tail, and also on the fore part of the fore legs. The little animal being put into a convenient cage, seemed soon to feel himself perfectly at home, eating, drinking, and sleeping without any apparent apprehension, but evincing a very decided determination to resent a too near ap. proach to the wires of his new habitation.

Jan. 18.-At a late hour this evening the stove. pipe of my cabin caught fire, which gave us a mo. mentary alarm, but, buckets and water being at hand, it was soon extinguished. This accident was occasioned by a quantity of soot collected in the stovepipe, and yet was not altogether to be attributed to neglect in the persons appointed to sweep the whole of them twice a week. As the cause of it is such as is not likely to be anticipated by persons living in temperate climates, and as the knowledge of it may be serviceable to somebody 'destined for a cold one, I shall here explain it. The smoke of coals contains a certain quantity of water in the state of vapour. This, in temperate climates, and, indeed, till the thermometer falls to about 10° below zero, is carried up the chimney and principally diffused in the atmosphere. When the cold becomes more intense, however, this is no longer the case; for the vapour is then condensed into water before it can escape from the stovepipes, within which a mass of ice is, in consequence, very speedily formed.* The vapour thus arrested must necessarily also detain a quantity of soot, which,

When the weather was not very severely cold, and a part of the vapour escaped from the pipe of the galley-fire, the forerigging was always coated with ice, from the smoke passing by it.

being subsequently enclosed in the ice as the latter accumulates, the brush generally used to clean the pipes cannot bring it away. By any occasional increase of temperature, either in the external air or in the fire below, the ice sometimes thaws, pouring down a stream of water into the fire, and bringing with it a most pungent and oppressive smell of soot. For these reasons, as well as to avoid accidents of the nature above alluded to, it is necessary to sweep the pipes much more frequently than in warmer climates, and even occasionally to thaw the ice out of them by a fire made expressly for the purpose.

On the morning of the 1st of February it was reported to me that a number of strange people were seen to the westward, coming towards the ships over the ice. On directing a glass towards them we found them to be Esquimaux, and also discovered some appearance of huts on shore, at the distance of two miles from the ships, in the same direction. I immediately set out, accompanied by Captain Lyon, an officer from each ship, and two of the men, to meet the natives, who, to the num. ber of five-and-twenty, were drawn up in a line abreast, and still advanced slowly towards us. As we approached nearer they stood still, remaining, as before, in a compact line, from which they did not move for some time after we reached them. Nothing could exceed their quiet and orderly behaviour on this occasion, which presented a very striking contrast with the noisy demeanour of the natives of Hudson's Strait. They appeared at a distance to have arms in their hands; but what we had taken for bows or spears proved to be only a few blades of whalebone, which they had brought