The Great Frozen Sea

ight of land, o

s around, and

eads descends a

sable clouds in

nds the foaming

leet is forced

. And from

ng land like d

ps confirm the

rg

ain fell sullenly through the murky air. This, with head winds, was our normal condition for many days. Steam was occasionally raised during any lengthened periods of calm;

d permission to ignore the presence of a senior officer and make the best of h

at seemed to exist was highly satisfactory. As a proof of the desire of each one to assist his neighbour, it may not be out of place to mention that the petty officers of the "Alert," a day or two after leaving

ained; a clinical thermometer was inserted into the mouth and kept there for an apparently interminable time for the purpose of ascertaining the temperature of the blood. The treatment we were subjected to in the cause of science was thus described by one whose acquaintance with the Royal Navy was only of a few days' standing: "I was unceremoniously laid hold of and measured, forced into a chair and weighed, was compelled to answer the most impert

s to cause serious anxiety in the mind of our worthy caterer, who was fearful that the allowan

sure the certainty of each man drinking it daily. It was therefore the practice to serve it out on the quarter-deck every forenoon in the presence of an officer. This was never omitted during the whole period that our ex

owever, was laid in; but as an anticipated absence of three years had to be provided for, we were restricted to an allowance of two glasses of sherry per diem, a glass of port or

were provided by Government and formed part of the ship's stores. It was gran

means a pleasant or a comfortable one. Gale followed after gale. If they had only blown from th

It was decidedly annoying, one day, when I entered my cabin to find my nice smart crimson table-

pens, and

d up and d

are uninitiated in nautical terms it must be explained that "battening down" means the careful closing and covering with a tarpaulin of every skylight and hatchway, in order to

ced canvas. During the night a large steamer, supposed to be bound for Quebec, passed close to us, so close

were in hen-coops on the upper deck, were drowned; only two escaping! Fresh meat being scarce the manner of their death did not prevent their appearan

lation was, the very poor one of trying to believe that these storms would eventually be the means of ass

down through the skylight into the ward-room, where it splashed about from side to side with every roll of the ship. An officer, a most zealous and enthusiastic collector in all branches of natural history, being in bed at the time, thought that he detected by the dim light of a lantern some interesting, and perhaps unknown, specimens of zoology in the water. His landing net

ere actually farther off Cape Farewell, the point of l

r first ice. The greatest eagerness was shown by all on board to become acquainted with the e

this would be the last vessel we should see for many a long day, and she was consequently watched with a great deal of interest. She was, in all probability, a homeward bound Peterhead vessel laden with cryolite. The cryolite is a rare mineral and the sole one which has become an article of trade in Greenland. It is found only in one single spot called Ivigtut in 61° 10′ N., imbedded like a massive b

ose essentially whaling ports Dundee and Peterhead, watered as they beheld what by them would have undoubtedly been considered a god-send! The evident look of wonder, not unmixed with contempt, that showed itself upon their countenances was truly ludicrous when they found that we were about to pass so valuable a prize unheeded. This fish-for all "right" whales (Bal?na mysticetus) are denominated "fish" by those engaged in their capture-had probably been struck by some whaler and, having succeeded in evading its persecutors, had since died of its wounds; or else it had been killed by the inveterate enemy of the whale the Orca gladiator, or "grampus," sometimes called "sword-fish," which pursues and harasses these harmless unoffending leviatha

s the weather was thick and foggy extra precautions were adopted in order to guard against coming into serious collision with any icebergs, for,

afterwards sighted, and by 4 P.M. the ship was steami

ng us to that icy world in which we afterwards lived for fifteen months. To me it gave rise to reminiscenc

en to him who should first succeed in doing so, steered straight for a heavy piece nearly submerged. His efforts were crowned with success, but they were also accompanied by a gen

nt manner he describes "the land being very high and full of mightie mountaines all covered with snowe, no viewe of wood, grasse, or earth to be seene, and the shore for two leages into the sea so full of yce as that no shipping cold by any meanes come neer

d looming in the distance like real islands. As one of our men wittily remarked o

f Greenland, and had been swept round Cape Farewell. They were of very deep flotation, and great care had to be taken in steering the ship through, so as to avoi

SKING ON

looking for all the world like human beings. The fabulous merman and mermaiden seemed to us easily accounted for. The seals observed were o

ing us for days together and breaking the solitude tha

d there a few small patches of ice reminded us of our proximity to the Arctic circle, while a certain sharp-bracing crispness in the air, together with a rather low temperature, served to assure us that the high snow-covered land in the distance was in reali

signs of inhabitants. It was at Godthaab that Hans Egede landed on July 3rd, 1721, with his wife and children, and commenced his noble and disinterested labour of love amo

cenery. The mountains, with their peaks so pointed as scarcely to admit of the snow resting on their steep and almost preci

consort the "Discovery," who, like ourselves, had been roughly handled

of fresh cod and halibut. Soundings in thirty fathoms having been obtained on one of these banks, the ship was stopped and permission given to fish. Immediately fifty or sixty fishing lines were over

uled in with unimportant results, on

sail; on approaching it a little nearer it assumed the appearance of a huge column-shaped basa

e continuous day. The nights had for some time past been getting gradually shorter: now they had

ll, it is the most important establishment in the Inspectorate of North Greenland, for here resides the Royal Inspector, who controls,

the smoke from which had scarcely blown away before Mr. Krarup Smith, the Inspector, came on board, anxious t

is little settlement. Their sole desire was to please and aid us in every way, and

nk's "Greenl