JEANNETTE ISLAND. 195 



tablishecl by observations on different days, the ship having 

 drifted rapidly and giving a long base line, the extremities 

 of which were established by artificial horizon and sextant 

 observations. I was confined to my room at the time of the 

 discovery, but every item of it was brought to me by Dun- 

 bar, Melville, and Chipp, and everything was so minutely 

 described to me that I could almost see the land through the 

 ship's side. 



I understood Jeannette Island to be small and rocky. The 

 southern end appeared high, and the land sloped down to a 

 low point to the northward when the island was first seen, 

 but subsequently mountains behind the low point were ob- 

 served, and from this fact the island was adjudged to bo 

 more extensive than at first supposed. Sketches were made 

 whenever the island was in sight, but it would have .been 

 foolish to have attempted a journey to it, for the drift of tho 

 ship w r as too rapid and the state of the ice so changeable. 



A few days afterwards, Henrietta Island hove in sight, 

 and appeared extensive. The drift of the ship seemed ar- 

 rested by the northeast extremity of the island. Lieutenant 

 Chipp was sick a-bed with what afterwards proved to be tin 

 poisoning, and I was confined to my room with my eyes. So 

 Mr. Melville had the good fortune to be the first to visit 

 Henrietta Island, and he did his work admirably. When he 

 left the ship the captain judged the island to be from twelve 

 to fifteen miles distant, it appeared so plain, but he had not 

 yet triangulated for it owing to the state of the weather. 



The journey from the ship to Henrietta Island was one of 

 the hardest on record. Melville had to travel over immense 

 masses of broken ice that were constantly in motion, and in 

 most cases the dogs were worse than useless. He landed in 

 a state of exhaustion, took a short run on the island, and 

 then ordered the men to turn in. He intended to sleep 

 until ten o'clock the next morning, but was probably anx- 

 ious, and when he turned out his watch said seven o'clock, 

 but it was probably P. M. In his anxiety he had slept only 

 an hour and a half or two hours. The men said that they 



