138 THOUGHTS ON WINTER FITTINGS. [October, 



officers and myself might have very much changed the 

 results of this Expedition. 



Our attention must now naturally revert to the com- 

 pletion of our winter arrangements. The temperature 

 had not yet afforded sufficient proof of the necessity of 

 covering our decks with snow, or building walls round 

 the ship : of the propriety of both these matters I enter- 

 tained my doubts, and wished further experience before 

 I committed myself. Of the advantage to be derived 

 from a good snow-wall, distant about a foot from the 

 sides, and suffered to fill in with light snow, I had little 

 doubt ; but the plastering on a non-conductor a solid 

 body of fine ice, such as the snow-embankment arrives 

 at eventually, could not prove of much importance. The 

 matters connected with winter fitting have never met 

 with a due amount of deliberation in England, or I feel 

 well satisfied that much better arrangements for secur- 

 ing the health, as well as comfort of the crew, could be 

 attained by more simple as well as efficacious means 

 than those generally adopted. But these matters shovdd 

 have had full consideration in England, and the means 

 for carrying them out provided. Beside this, there is a 

 kind of awkward responsibility attending innovations of 

 this nature, which, unless founded on something stronger 

 than mere authority, would induce restless writers to at- 

 tribute every mischief and misery, however remote from 

 common sense, to the innovator. Under such reasoning, 

 the only alternative is " If they were miserable and 

 sickly before, Captain - found he could not remedy 

 it ; and therefore, however comfortable the cabins of the 

 captain and officers may bo, matters must be conducted 



