DE LONG'S LOG-BOOK. 263 



slight drift northwest being indicated by the lead line ; 

 weather dull and gloomy in the forenoon ; close, bright and 

 pleasant in the afternoon. At seven P. M. land was sighted 

 from aloft by William Dimbar, ice-pilot, and bearing south 

 78 deg. 45 min. west (magnetic) or north 83 deg. 15 min. 

 west true. It appears to be an island, and such portion of it 

 as is visible is of this shape : 



= 8. 78 45' W. (mag.) 



But owing to fog hanging partly over it and partly to the 

 northward of it no certainty is felt that this is all of it. It 

 is also visible front the deck, but no estimate can be made of 

 its distance. 



As no such land is laid down upon any chart in our pos- 

 session, belief that we have made a discovery is permissible. 



This is the first land of any kind seen by the ship since 

 March 24th, 1880, at which date we saw for the last time the 

 north side of u Wrangel Land." 



WEDNESDAY, May 18, 1881. Latitude north 76 deg. 43 

 min. 38 sec., longitude east 161 deg. 42 inin. 30 sec. 



The land sighted yesterday remains visible all day, but 

 with greater clearness. We are now able to determine 

 its shape with greater exactness, and it is as below, roughly 

 sketched : 



Sd.. 



= 8. 78 45' W. (mag.) 



The clouds of yesterday, or fog-bank as then called, hav- 

 ing disappeared from the upper part of the island, we are 

 able to see apparent rocky cliffs with a snow-covered slope 

 extending back to the westward from them and terminating 

 in a conical mass like a volcano-top. 



