THERMOMETERS. 159 



of an hour it became dull in colour and flat- 

 tened at its edges, and in two hours and a 

 half more was frozen. In the interval Pasto- 

 relli's had fallen to 35° 5' — , and New- 

 man's to 44° — . After this test the one last 

 mentioned was fixed on a post about seventy 

 paces from the ship, and thenceforth registered 

 as the standard thermometer ; the others, how- 

 ever, north and south, as well as one contained 

 in a tin case perforated with holes and hoisted 

 to the mast-head, being also noted in the log- 

 book. The cold was now sufficiently severe to 

 freeze some of the people as they were employed 

 on the ice ; the temperature being 49° — . 

 However, being desirous to satisfy my doubts 

 about the practicability of getting on shore, and 

 as to the extent of the bay ice near us, I went on 

 snow-shoes, and on arriving at the boundary of 

 the floe, which just at that part was unaltered, 

 found a narrow lane of water kept from 

 freezing by the agitation caused by the moving 

 ice. Thinking that the lane did not extend far, 

 I skirted along it, first towards the west, and 

 then more north, until I lost sight of the ship. 

 In this distance, perhaps about six or seven 

 miles, the breadth of the lane was much reduced, 

 but a continuous crack, in places large enough 

 to admit a boat, ran in an easterly direction fur- 

 ther than I could venture alone. But what 



