Chap. VII. CAPTAIN G. F. LYON. 231 



discover something approaching to indiscretion in 

 conducting the navigation of the ship during a 

 dense fog, with compasses inactive, or acting only 

 to deceive, unknowing in what direction the land 

 lay; whether it was judicious to let go all the an- 

 chors at once — these are points that are to be decided 

 only by nautical men and by a direct knowledge of 

 all the circumstances existing at the time. That 

 which is here to be observed upon, especially by a 

 landsman, is the cool, the unflinching, the obedient 

 demeanour of the men, and the steady undisturbed 

 conduct of the officers — these are the subjects under 

 consideration, and which are deserving of the highest 

 degree of admiration and praise. The drawing of 

 lots for the choice of boats, " two of which must 

 inevitably have swamped the moment they were 

 let down into the sea," and the cool and orderly 

 manner in which every man brought up his bag 

 and dressed himself in his best clothes, to take leave 

 of this world, are traits peculiar in the character of 

 British seamen not to be found in any other class 

 of men, and are worthy of all admiration. 



The ship is commended by the Captain for her 

 strength, but condemned for her sluggish and bad 

 sailing qualities. She appears, indeed, to have 

 been utterly unfit to contend with this worst of all 

 possible navigations, though she had on more than 

 one occasion to contend with the icy seas of the 

 Arctic regions, both in the Polar and the Spitz- 



