198 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



depth of 6348 feet. The line was almost perpen- 

 dicular for nearly 9,n hour ; and when the lead was 

 hauled up, I was assured, from its appearance, (the 

 end being covered with soft grease, that would have 

 retained an impression had it struck the ground,) 

 that it had not been at the bottom. 



Each piece of wood attached to the line, was ta- 

 ken off as hauled in, plunged in a basin of water, 

 and conveyed into the cabin, wlu4ie its weight in 

 air and in fresh water was immediately taken. 

 The interval between any two pieces was such, 

 that I had just time to determine the specific gra- 

 vity of one, before the next came up. On the ar- 

 rival of the lead, the attached specimens were im- 

 mediately immersed in water, and weighed as quick 

 as possible, together with their counterparts, which 

 had been secured at the bottom of a bucket of sea- 

 water, during the time the experiment was in pro- 

 gress. As the counterparts would have floated, 

 they were each loaded with a piece of copper, 

 weighing 880 grains when under water. Hence 

 the excess of 880 grains, above the weight of any 

 specimen in water, with this load attached, gave 

 the buoyancy of the wood ; which excess, added to 

 the weight of the specimen in air, afforded the 

 weight of an equal bulk of water ; and the compari- 

 son of the weight in air, with that of an equal bulk 

 of water, gave, of course, the specific gravity of the 

 wood. 



3 



