344 DIMINUTION OF SNOW. [CHAP.V. 



brought drizzly rain ; and, as the temperature 

 fell during the night to 31° + , the rigging on 

 May 21st was partly coated with ice, which, as 

 the day grew warmer and the breeze freshened, 

 fell on the deck like a shower of glass. The 

 weather cleared up enough by noon to allow of 

 our seeing Salisbury Island, which, notwithstand- 

 ing a wind directly against us, we seemed to have 

 neared. This, as well as Nottingham Island, 

 were much more free from snow than when 

 seen two days before ; and, indeed, a manifest 

 diminution was visible over the surface of the 

 ice ; yet no lanes were in sight, and but one 

 solitary hole of water in any direction. A 

 lonely raven visited us for a few minutes, but no 

 other birds appeared. One seal, the first seen 

 for a long time, was observed to rise in a hole of 

 water. The temperature at noon was 36°. The 

 next twenty -four hours produced no change but 

 that which was afforded by continued snow and 

 sleet, eventually subsiding into rain ; and on 

 May 2£d, exactly eight months since we had 

 ceased to have the control of the ship's motion, 

 there was not a hole of water to be seen from 

 the mast-head, nor was our position at all 

 altered. The temperature had been as low as 

 29° + , but got up to 38° + . Wind east. The 

 land was seen in the evening, but no change 

 worth mentioning occurred ; and after a night 

 of snow and sleet, May 23d found us almost in 



