48 REMARKABLE FOG. 



1824. pieces of land off them, were seen indistinctly. 

 August. In the evening a singular species of fog passed 

 over us from the Avestward, its height not ex- 

 ceeding thirty feet ; above which was the 

 clear blue sky. From the main-top the va- 

 pour appeared like a dull soft wave rolling 

 past us, while from the deck, when clear of 

 the ship, it resembled a high dusky wall. 

 During the time it surrounded us the sun was 

 very strongly reflected on the part opposite to 

 it, and the appearance was as if a second sun 

 was glimmering through the haze. The night 

 was calm and cloudy, and the sea full of loose 

 hummocky ice, but we no longer saw any bergs, 

 which seemed not to have arrived higher than 

 Charles' Island ; yet even this was very much 

 farther up the strait than we had found them 

 on the last voyage, even at an earlier season 

 of the year. 



We made but small progress to the north- 

 west during the 22d, yet lost sight of Diggs's 

 Islands, and on the morning saw a part of the 

 mountains of Southampton Island, very distant 

 in the west. 



In the first watch some interesting obser- 

 tions were obtained, to ascertain the amount of 

 the deviation of our compasses ; but as I con- 



