PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERY. 107 



an increase of water was reported, not sufficient 

 to excite apprehension in itself, but such as to 

 render hourly pumping necessary. Moved by 

 these indications, and to guard against the worst, I 

 ordered the provisions and preserved meats, with 

 various other necessaries to be got up from below 

 and stowed on deck, so as to be ready at a mo- 

 ment to be thrown upon the large floe along- side. 

 To add to our anxiety, night closed prematurely, 

 when suddenly, from some unknown cause, in 

 which, if Ave may so deem without presumption, 

 the finger of Providence was manifest, the floe, 

 which threatened instant destruction, turned so 

 as in a great degree to protect us against an in- 

 crease of pressure, though for several hours after- 

 wards the same creaking and grinding sounds 

 continued to annoy our ears. The barometer 

 and other instruments fell with a regularity un- 

 precedented, yet the gale was broken, and by 

 midnight had abated considerably. 



Sept. ^Ist. there was a lateral motion in some 

 pieces of the surrounding ice, and after several as- 

 tounding thumps under water against the bottom, 

 the ship which had been lifted high beyond her line 

 of flotation and thrown somewhat over to port, sud- 

 denly started up and almost righted. Still however 

 she inclined more than was agreeable to port, nor 

 was it until one mass of ponderous dimensions 

 burst from its imprisonment below that she alto- 



