400 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



the frozen metal as being heavier sinking down in that] portion 

 which is still fluid. If when it is half frozen the fluid be poured 

 away from the frozen portion, we obtain groups of crystals, 

 composed of small octohedrons, grouped together by the edges 

 of the cube. None of our mercurial thermometers suffered any 

 damage, nor was there any alteration of the position of the 

 freezing-point in them from the mercury having frozen in them 

 and again become fluid. 



During the severe cold the ice naturally became thicker and 

 thicker; and by the continual northerly winds still higher 

 torosscs were heaped up round the vessel, and larger and larger 

 snow masses were collected between it and the land, and on the 

 heights along the coast. All hopes or fears of an early release 

 were again given up, and a perceptible dullness began to make 

 itself felt after the bustle and festivities of the Christmas 

 holidays. Instead there was now arranged a series of popular 

 lectures which were held in the lower deck, and treated of the 

 history of the North-East Passage, the first circumnavigations of 

 the globe, the Austrian-Hungarian Expedition, the changes of 

 the earth's surface, the origin of man, the importance of the 

 leaf to the plants, &c. It became both for the officers and 

 scientific men and the crew a little interruption to the monotony 

 of the Arctic winter life, and the lecturer could always be certain 

 of finding his little auditory all present and highly interested. 

 Some slight attempts at musical evening entertainments were 

 also made, but these failed for want of musical instruments and 

 musical gifts among the Vega men. We had among us no 

 suitable director of theatrical representations after the English- 

 Arctic pattern, and even if we had had, I fear that the director 

 would have found it very difficult to gather together the 

 dramatic talents requisite for his entertainment. 



On the 17th February Lieutenant Brusewitz made an 

 excursion to Najtskaj, of which he gives the following 

 account : — 



" I and Notti left the vessel in the afternoon, and after two 

 hours came to Rirajtinop, Notti's home ; where we passed the 

 night, together with his three younger brothers and an invalid 

 sister, who all lived in the same tent-chamber. Immediately 

 after our arrival one of the brothers began to get the dog-harness 

 and sleigh ready for the following day's journey, while the rest 

 of us went into the interior of the tent, where the invalid sister 

 lay with her clothes off, but wrapt in reindeer skins. She took 

 charge of two train-oil lamps, over which hung two cooking 

 vessels, one formerly a preserve tin, and the other a bucket of 

 tinned iron. One of the brothers came in with a tray, on 

 which was placed a piece of seal blubber, together with frozen 



