THE LAST OF THE JEANNETTE. 513 



miles N. 33° W. This is our highest latitude thus far, 

 but not the highest I hope for the cruise. 



The gales and strong winds hold on with curious per- 

 sistency. To-day it blows from southeast from twelve 

 to nineteen miles an hour, while, strange to say, the ba- 

 rometer goes up steadily from 30.39 to 30.68, and the 

 temperature as regularly falls to minus 13.5°. Under 

 ordinary circumstances this would indicate a northerly 

 wind, but there is no disposition to change. 



My wind record for January is curious. Of the 

 7,644.8 miles of wind, 5,137.1 are from between east 

 and south by east, and of these 2,892.2 are from east 

 alone. Our experience since September, 1879, fails to 

 show as windy a month. Our drift for the month end- 

 ing to-day is ninety-nine miles N. 59° W., as against 

 sixteen and a half miles S. E. for the same month last 

 year. There is so much encouragement in these fig- 

 ures that I record them here. A bright red glow on 

 the horizon at noon showed us where the sun had got 

 in his effort to reach us on the 3d. 



February 2d, Wednesday. — Still drifting rapidly, 

 this time due north, and a marked increase in our 

 soundings thirty-six fathoms. The old lead astern is 

 opened to-day, and before ice can form Alexey and 

 Aneguin go out to it and fortunately get a seal. 



February 5£/i, Saturday. — Observations to-day place 

 us in latitude 74° 49', longitude 171° 49' E., a still 

 further drift of thirteen miles to N. W. I confess T am 

 considerably disappointed, for, flattered by the increase 

 of soundings, and the rapidity of drift indicated by the 

 lead line, I was in strong hopes of finding our latitude 

 to be 75°. We no doubt have been further north than 

 74° 49', and are set back somewhat by the N. W. wind 

 of yesterday evening, though our lead line to-day, in 



