GO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



killed at eleven o'clock, and in an hour after was towed 

 alongside. The ship was made fast to a large floe of ice, 

 by means of small ice anchors, similar in shape to the 

 letter S : at two in the afternoon the flensing began, 

 which was finished at seven. This whale took out four- 

 teen lines of 140 fathoms each, consequently about 1,960 

 feet of heavy rope. During the time the boats were 

 after her, William Ford spoke the Harmony of Whitby, 

 whose Captain informed him of the loss of the Aimwell 

 of Whitby, commanded by Captain Johnson, from her 

 trying to get to leeward of a large piece of ice: this ship's 

 side was stove in by a large pointed tongue (as the sea- 

 men quaintly call it) of ice, being unseen from the sur- 

 face of the water ; the crew knew nothing of it, until the 

 water had got up to the second tier of casks in the hold. 

 The Esk of Whitby rescued three boats and their 

 crews ; the Lively of the same port received also a boat 

 and her crew; the captain and his officers, by the 

 Abram of Hull, Captain Jackson : fortunately no lives 

 were lost. Beautiful clear weather the latter part of 

 this day." 



" Latitude by Observation, 

 70° 14' N. 

 "Wednesday, July 7. Wind, W. N.W.— The 

 first and middle part, moderate breezes, at times ex- 

 tremely foggy; running to the S. W. among very heavy 

 ice. At meridian a whale was observed, and two boats 

 sent away; at half-past one John James made fast a 

 harpoon, and she run out thirteen lines (about 1820 

 feet): at five p. m. she was killed in a hole formed in the 

 ice. During the latter part, the weather became very 

 f °ggy> and the people endeavoured to get the whale and 

 lines heaved in by the capstan ; but, after many hours of 

 useless labour, this could not be accomplished, and the 

 whale was consequently lost. An immense number of 



