1852.] THOUGHTS ON EQUIPMENT FOR TRAVEL. 163 



dains the cabin, or of reaching many feet of it, never- 

 theless carefully conveying all offensive effluvia, tobacco 

 smoke, etc. Not that I disagree with his principle, but 

 that he cannot carry it out ; he cannot, more than our- 

 selves, demand that we should sail by the head, to give 

 his current ascent. But the matter will be more tho- 

 roughly sifted (under very different arrangements) next 

 winter. 



November 28. The increased thickness of the ice, 

 and consequent gradual rise of the ship, prevents the 

 tide-gauge from acting correctly, unless indeed the en- 

 tire frozen surface does not permit the due flow of tide. 

 The difficulty, and incessant labour also, of breaking 

 away the constantly-forming ice, is too much for the 

 men ; I have therefore put it out of gear until spring. 

 Our attention is now principally directed towards the 

 general equipment of the spring travelling parties, and 

 we begin to find that these matters should have been 

 cautiously considered in England, and not left simply to 

 the mind of one, but of a board of officers. Indeed, I 

 do not think that any part of the equipment comes pro- 

 perly within the province of a seaman ; it is much more 

 that of a ship-broker and the higher classes of trades- 

 men. The delay in appointing the officer who is to 

 command until too late to make much more than his 

 own equipment, and barely time to complete his ordi- 

 nary duties, independent of any preparation of scientific 

 instruments militates sadly against the interests of such 

 an expedition. I can safely say that very few of the 

 leading officers, including myself, were properly equipped, 

 nor could we learn, from any reliable channel, what was 



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