94 INSTRUCTIONS DEFICIENT. [January, 



tained a promise from a messmate, that, if he died or 

 was drowned, he would destroy certain sealed documents 

 in his desk. The case was referred to the Captain : he 

 referred the matter to three Lieutenants to report upon. 

 The two seniors decided to burn ; the junior was of opi- 

 nion " that it was illegal ; it might be a will or family 

 deeds, and, being dead, not his certainly ; having died 

 without a legal will, they were in the hands of the legal 

 heirs." They were parchments, and they were, with some 

 difficulty, burned ! Let legal men declare, if the actors, 

 who (excepting the party protesting) are now dead, were 

 not wrong, at least before determining, by the preamble, 

 of what character they were. I had a strong suspicion, 

 from the character of Wharton, that they were of great 

 importance to another party, and I urged the matter 

 strongly against the act before the deeds were destroyed : 

 but I was too young to have influence ! The law on 

 these matters should be fully set forth, for the informa- 

 tion of all officers in command. 



The 'Pioneer' having been fitted, in pursuance of 

 orders, in a similar manner to the 'Assistance,' I was 

 gratified to find that the same difference of nineteen to 

 twenty degrees was found to prevail between the ex- 

 ternal and internal air on deck, as has been experienced 

 here. 



January 19. Although the temperature has fallen to 

 52, the cold has not been more sensibly felt than if 

 it had been at 32, owing to the absence of wind to 

 press it to the body. The light has now become very 

 bright, attended with bright auroral tints near the hori- 

 zon, and fringing the hills due south. 



