HUDSON'S STRAIT. 133 



land was visible, and the whole of the horizon 1824, 

 was fantastically fringed by low fog-banks. Sept. 

 Three small bergs were seen on this day, and 

 on one was a large flock of kittiwake gulls, 

 several of which were shot by the officers. 

 We had now ascertained by repeated and satis- 

 factory observations of the sun and pole star, 

 that all easterly errors of the compass had 

 ceased, and that whatever corrections were re- 

 quisite (and they were still very irregular) were 

 w^esterly*. 



The night was fine, and the wind still light. 

 By a bearing of the pole star, the ship's head 

 being west, the magnetic error was nine points 

 westerly. The morning of the 28th was ex- 

 tremely foggy, with calm and occasional flaws 

 of southerly wind, until the evening, when a 

 light breeze arose from north-west 'f-. Before 

 the breeze reached us, a noise as of a beach 



* See Appendix. 



t It is worthy of remark that we had never before 

 known the southerly winds in this country to continue 

 above two or three days, and when the breeze was strong 

 from that quarter, rarely above twelve hours ; yet this 

 last southerly wind commenced on the 22nd, blew very 

 hard, and raised a heavy sea for three days, and then fell ; 

 but without changing its direction, continued light up to 

 this day, the eighth from which it first rose. 



