142 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [IX'. 



making any way regularly and uninterruptedly. Add to 

 this, that she is built of iron, — that is to say, an iron sheet 

 of about two centimetres thick constitutes all her plank- 

 ing, — and that her deck — divided into twelve great panels-, 

 is so weak that it has been thought incapable of carrying 

 guns proportioned to her tonnage. Those who have seen 

 the massive vessels of the fishermen of Peterhead, their 

 enormous outside planking, their bracings and fastenings in 

 wood and in iron, and their internal knees and stancheons, 

 may form an idea from such precautions — imposed by long 

 experience of the nature of the dangers that the shock — or 

 even the pressure of the ice — may cause to a ship in the 

 latitudes that we were going to explore. " 



***** 



The ' Oocyte* had also been placed at the disposal of H. I. H. 

 Prince Napoleon. This vessel which arrived at Reykjavik 

 the same day that we did, the 30th of June — is a steam 

 schooner, with paddles, standing the sea well, carying coals 

 for twelve days, but with a deplorably slow rate of speed. 



We found besides at Reykjavik the war transport * La 

 Perdrix ' and two English merchant steamers, the ' Tasmania 

 and the 'Saxon] freighted by the Admiralty to take to Ice- 

 land coals necessary for our voyage to Greenland. These 

 five vessels, with the frigate 'ArtemiseJ which performed he 

 duties of guardship, formed the largest squadron which had 

 ever assembled in the harbour of the capital of Iceland. 



Unfortunately, these varied and numerous elements 

 had nothing in common, and Commodore de la Ronciere 

 soon saw that extraneous help would afford us no ad- 

 ditional security; and, in short, that the ' Reine Horte?ise* — 

 obliged to go fast — as her short supplies would not allow 

 long voyages, had to .reckon on herself alone. However, the 

 [English] captain of the ' Saxon ' expressing a great desire to 

 visit these northern parts, and displaying on this subject a 

 sort of national vanity, besides promising an average speed 

 of seven knots an hour, it was decided that — at all events, 

 that vessel should start alone with the Reine Hortcnse? whose 



