294 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. IX. 



fuel brought it to the boiling point in about an hour and a 

 quarter, but more generally the wicks began to go out before 

 it had reached 200°. This, however, made a very com- 

 fortable meal to persons situated as we were. Such, with 

 very little variation, was our regular routine during the 

 whole of this excursion." — pp. 55 — 59. 



The party must have been grievously disap- 

 pointed on finding the state of the ice wholly the 

 reverse of what it had been represented before 

 setting out. Instead of being a fine smooth level 

 plain, " over which a coach might have been driven 

 many leagues ;" instead of compact floes, it consisted 

 entirely of small loose and rugged masses, oblig- 

 ing them " to make three journeys, and sometimes 

 four, with the boats and baggage, and to launch 

 several times across narrow pools of water." And 

 yet the descriptions given by Captain Lutwidge and 

 Mr. Scoresby might be quite correct at the time, 

 though now totally different, the condition of the 

 ice varying from year to year. One day, we are 

 told, during heavy rain, they advanced but half a 

 mile in four hours. At another time, in thick 

 weather, the ice was so much in motion as to make 

 it dangerous to cross with loaded boats, the masses 

 being so small. Another day they landed on a 

 small floe, but " it proved so rugged that we were 

 obliged to make three and sometimes four journeys 

 with the boats and provisions, and this by a very 

 circuitous route; so that the road by which we 

 made a mile of northing, was a full mile and a half 



