HUDSON'S STRAIT. 27 



which I had never experienced on the last 1824. 

 voyage ; and I felt most forcibly the want of August. 

 an accompanying ship, if not to help us, at 

 least to break the deathlike stillness of the 

 scene. The agreeable visits from ship to ship, 

 which so pleasingly break in on the monotony 

 of a Polar voyage^ were now denied us^ but I 

 was amply compensated for the want of a 

 more extensive society, by having the happi- 

 ness of knowing that I had officers and men 

 with whom I was confident of continuing on 

 the most friendly terms. We had already in 

 our passage across the Atlantic arranged our 

 little plans of improvement and amusement, 

 and I looked forward with pleasure to the ap- 

 proach of winter. 



The night was mild, clear, and calm, yet 

 although the ship had scarcely any way 

 through the water, we found on the morn- 

 ing of the 7th that she had not drai^m to 

 the eastward ; a proof that the impetuosity of 

 the tides ceases, or is considerably diminished, 

 thus far up the strait. The whole of the 7th 

 was equally delightful, but the sea was still 

 covered with heavy sailing ice. A quantity of 

 sea weed was seen on the water, and during 

 the last two days we had also observed many 

 pieces of drift wood, and small distorted pines 



