A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 201 



regardless of their own, so that they are made an easy spoil 

 to the marksman. The skins of the anas rnoUissima, as 1 

 have before noticed, are in very high estimation. 



Several ships killed whales during the 13th of July, 



coming to N.E., the upper atmosphere cleared, and exhibited cirro- 

 cumulus : no birds to be seen, but an odd mallemucl?: going southward. 



The state of this day is fiiU of those indications that mark the ne- 

 cessity of ships proceeding to the southward, about this date, and even 

 sooner. The Thomas was the last ship that moved off; the rest of 

 the fleet, except a few, having some days since departed. The greatest 

 apprehension of danger arises from the presence of fog, in which, if a 

 vessel become involved, and candied by the current among the packed 

 ice Trd bergs, there is little chance of avoiding destruction : neither 

 can the utmost vigilance guard against such a visitation. The winds 

 being now', usually, very variable, the state of the weather may in 

 the course of an hour change fi-om clear and fine to that of the thickest 

 fog. 



July 23 : ther. 34°, 44°, 'JS° : wind E., light breeze : from the mid- 

 night hour the breeze continued steady till noon, freshening a good 

 deal in the early part of the day : cirrostratus in every species covering 

 the sky : at a Uttle before noon, the whole cloud passed into general 

 suffusion very rapidly, and became very attenuated : at noon a 

 splendidly white fog bank lay immensely along the land in the north- 

 cast, the low tops being then just visible above the horizon : the fog 

 bank came onwards, slow, but unimpeded in progress, involving all the 

 lower objects in interminable obscurity, and shutting up an elegant 



2 D 



