FAST m THE ICE. 153 



aurora in the N. W., from which I anticipate an increase 

 of barometric pressure, and a fall of temperature to- 

 morrow. During the day and until the wind went to 

 the northward, snow fell. We have not had thus far 

 any unusually heavy snow-storm, but these high winds 

 blow the snow that does fall up into drifts, through 

 which we unexpectedly flounder over knee deep. We 

 do not seem to be affected, as far as the ship is concerned, 

 by these high winds; she heels steadily 5° to starboard, 

 and occasionally changes her head a point either way, 

 but that is of course due to a motion of the entire floe 

 in azimuth. Beyond an occasional trembling as a sud- 

 den gust strikes her, the ship is as steady as if she were 

 in a dry dock, shored up ; and whatever pressure may 

 be exerted on the edges of our floe, it does not extend 

 to our position within it. What were leads behind and 

 ahead of us when we first pushed the ship in here have 

 long since frozen over and have been covered with snow, 

 and we detect them in high temperatures, say 30°, by 

 sinking through the snow to the sludgy ice beneath and 

 seeing water ooze up from its partially thawing surface. 

 Our floe drifts around of late to the S. W., and I very 

 much hope that when these blows are over (for when 

 the barometer rises first from its present low point 

 28. 77, we must surely look for high winds), and the 

 air gets clear of driving snow, we shall have a good 

 view of this land to the southwest of us. An indicated 

 drift this time to the N. W. 



Octoher litli, Tuesday. — During the clearing of the 

 atmosphere at noon we saw land very distinctly to S. S. 

 W. (true). As we have had no observations for four 

 days I cannot speak with certainty when I say that this 

 land is not Herald Island ; but it had not the now fa. 

 miliar shape of Herald Island, and extended too far in 



