A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 191 



The heat of the sun reflected from the snow and ice, and 

 also from the face of the rock, is intolerable ; and whilst on 

 shore, though every step is almost knee-deep in the snow, 

 the head and body are involved in a burning atmosphere. 



At four p. m. the masses of cumulostratus became confused into an 

 uniform feature, varied only by a denser cloud of stormy blue, which 

 lay sullen and still near the horizon in the N. E. : soon afterwards 

 the wind grew strong and menacing : the ship was then set free of 

 the flaw, as a situation near the ice is under such cii-cumstances full 

 of danger : up to the midnight hour it continued to blow a very strong 

 gale, with a heavy sea. 



July 9: ther. 33°, 34°, 32°: wind N.E., strong breeze : cirrostratus 

 generally suffused over the sky, at times richly illuminated by the 

 sun-light: numerous bergs around: procellaria glacialis, colymbus 

 grylle, and Col. glocitans. 



July 10 : ther. 29°, 33°, 40° : wind N., nearly calm : atmosphere 

 thick, and minute acicular snow falling : at noon more clear, when 

 the snow ceased to fall, and the cloud became loose cirrostratus at 

 a considei'able elevation : a cumulostratus appeared in the eastward, 

 where shortly afterwards land came into view : the presence of the 

 latter cloud may be always considered as indicating land, and there- 

 fore the circumstance cannot be too strongly insisted on, and it 

 is imperative on the navigator to know the form of this cloud 

 well, and also to be aware of its indications : proper care in this 

 respect may be a means of saving both the ship and seamen, or 

 afford a gratifying anticipation of expected land. The remark refers 



