46 GEOLOGICAL INDICATIONS. 



glared with refracted ice, now wedged into a 

 compact body. At noon, I regretted to find we 

 had drifted a few miles to the southward. Sound- 

 ings were then got with one hundred and twenty- 

 nine fathoms, and consisted of grey sand ; with 

 one hundred and fifty fathoms of line the current 

 set E. S. E., at the rate of two miles an hour ; 

 but the lead being hauled up to sixty-five fathoms, 

 an upper set was observed to be running north, 

 about half a mile an hour. On the floes were 

 found a quantity of stones and small fragments 

 of rocks, with deposits of yellow mud and a few 

 pieces of sea-weed. Some of the former were 

 rounded by attrition, as if they had been exposed 

 to the action of the waves on the beach, and 

 were composed of sienite and limestone, with 

 small crystals of quartz. 



Towards evening the clouds gathered in the 

 north and the breeze freshened, bringing with it 

 occasional showers of snow, but without be- 

 tokening a favourable change for us ; and the 

 following day the appearance to windward was 

 most discouraging, for not a lane of water nor an 

 opening could be made out. Accordingly, as the 

 chance of advancing was diminished, it became 

 important at all events not to lose ground ; and a 

 lanrer floe having drifted near, we cast off from 

 our present holding, and made fast to it. It was 

 now ascertained that the larboard bow had sus- 

 tained injury, to the depth of three inches, from 



