68 EXPERIMENT WITH ALE. Chap. V. 



6th. — Position, 73 49' N., 65 47' W. Many lanes of 

 water. A seal has been seen, the only one for six weeks. 

 Of the old ice which so closely hemmed us in, up to the 

 middle of September, there is hardly any within several 

 miles of us except the large floe-piece we are frozen to. 

 Every crack or lane which opens is quickly covered with 

 young ice, so that it cannot close again ; and in this manner 

 the old ice has been spread out. I heartily rejoice at its 

 dispersion ! 



To-day I put a tumblerful of our strong ale (Allsopp's) on 

 deck to freeze : this was soon effected, the temperature 

 being —35° After bringing it below, and when its tem- 

 perature had risen to 17 , it was almost all thawed — at 22 

 it was completely so : it looked muddy, but settled after 

 standing for a couple of hours, when I drank it off, in every 

 way satisfied with my experiment and my beer : it seemed 

 none the worse for its freezing, but rather flat from its long 

 exposure in a tumbler. 



ijth. — Position, 73 9' N., 63 25' W. Northerly winds 

 blow almost constantly. We have drifted 60 miles since 

 the 1st, and are only 115 miles from Upernivik, — once 

 more upon confines of the habitable world ! good light 

 for three hours daily ; all this is cheering. We continue 

 our snow-hut practice, and can build one in three-quarters of 

 an hour. 



28th. — Position, 72 48' N., 62 35' W. The upper edge 

 of the sun appeared above the horizon to-day, after an 

 absence of eighty-nine days ; it was a gladdening sight. I 

 sent for the ship's steward and asked what was the custom 

 on such occasions ? " To hoist the colours and serve out 

 an extra half-gill, sir," was the ready reply : accordingly, the 

 Harwich lion soon fluttered in a breeze cool enough to 

 stiffen the limbs of ordinary lions, and in the evening the 

 grog was issued. 



