LECTURE ON ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. 155 



cruise a bi-hoiirly registry of atmospheric temperature was made with 

 a single instrument, mounted on the vessel when at sea, and on a post 

 upon the ice when in winter harbor. A like number of barometer 

 readings was also made and recorded. A careful record of meteoro- 

 logical phenomena, including direction and force of wind and general 

 atmospheric conditions, was kept up during the cruise. 



Although there has been no discussion made of these observations, 

 yet there are some manifest general results which may interest you. 

 Our winter was much milder than either of the winters of 1853-54 

 and 1854-55, passed by Dr. Kane at Rensselaer harbor, twenty miles 

 further north. The weather was, unlike that experienced by Dr. 

 Kane, generally stormy. Northeast winds, frequently very strong, 

 prevailed — a fact at least in part accounted for by the open water 

 which was during our stay at Port Foulke constantly visible outside 

 cff the harbor, and it was doubtless due to the same fact that we ex- 

 perienced a modification of temperature. March was the coldest 

 month. It was during this month, and while absent at Rensselaer 

 harbor, that I recorded the lowest temperature, — 68° P. It is re- 

 markable that on the same day the lowest temperature registered at 

 Port Foulke was only — 29°, and on the day previous, when I expe- 

 rienced a temperature of — 66.5° near Rensselaer harbor, the tempe- 

 rature at Port Foulke was — 27°. 



In the autumn I made, in connexion with Mr. Sonntag, a survey of 

 a glacier which approaches the sea through a valley opening from the 

 head of the bay in which we wintered. ■ This had been discovered 

 by Dr. Kane, and by him named "My Brother John' s Glacier." Its 

 face is nearly two miles from the sea, which it is gradually approach- 

 ing. With the view of determining its rate of progress, we ascended 

 to its upper surface and carefull}' measured a base-line in its axis. 

 From either end of this base-line angles were taken, connecting it 

 with fixed objects upon the mountains on each side. Lateral sta- 

 tions were next established, and these were connected with the base- 

 line, and with the before-mentioned fixed objects. The angles were 

 repeated by me after an interval of eight months, and the result 

 showed a downward movement of the glacier, amounting to ninety- 

 four feet. 



In October I performed a journey upon this glacier and the mer de 

 glace to the eastward of it, penetrating about fifty miles into the inte- 

 rior. Our angle of ascent was, at first, about six degrees, decreasing 

 gradually to from one to two degrees. The surface was at first some- 

 what broken and irregular, but as we advanced it became smooth and 

 the ascent regular. Our elevation upon setting out to return was 

 estimated at about 5,000 feet, when we were quite out of sight of 

 land. 



The sun was absent from us 130 days, and I attributed the remark- 

 able healthfulness of our party, during that long period of darkness, 

 in a great measure to the abundant supplies of fresh animal food 

 which we were enabled to obtain. The reindeer, the blue and white 

 foxes and hares were quite numerous in *the immediate vicinity of 

 Port Foulke, and through the persevering energy of our hunters a 



