130 UNDUE COLD. [March, 



They are but guesses, founded, it is true, on what Nature 

 has warranted. By the ordinary course of reasoning, this 

 gale, to which it has at length arrived, should have ter- 

 minated, or blown out, at 1.45 P.M. today, or, by the 

 other law, commenced and continued for fourteen days. 

 In these latitudes, however, no gales blow continuously 

 beyond twenty-four hours, and our sure guide " of its 

 heart being broken" is the diminution of temperature ; 

 below 40 it does not blow hard, and at 60 wind 

 is not experienced. 



But our winter here must be something akin to Na- 

 poleon's estimate of some of the Duke of Wellington's 

 battles " He ought to have been beaten." So in our 

 case, according to the minimum degree of cold diffused 

 over the same number of days in preceding seasons, the 

 amount due to the year has already been exceeded, and 

 we have every reason to expect milder weather ; but 

 stern Winter says, No ! and to no human being here in- 

 carcerated is that "No" of such importance as myself, 

 or rather to this service, as regards my intended journey 

 to the ' North Star' before the 1st of May. 



March 19. The breeze has failed and the tempe- 

 rature again fallen to 40. We have not been visited 

 by the old noises termed " bolt-breaking" for some time, 

 but last night the outer ice evinced great uneasiness, and 

 reports of heavy and repeated cracks were heard during 

 the whole night. From the report of those sent to ex- 

 amine the outer ice, I gather that the exterior ice already 

 exhibits large rents, and the fissures generally seem to 

 indicate a probability of off-shore leads whenever the ice 

 is relieved from off-shore pressure. To those accustomed 



