286 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
the northward, and endeavour to get across the 
north end of it. Our progress in this retrograde | 
movement, to-day, was very slow, chiefly for want 
of wind, and to our being also very much impeded 
by the young ice. A number of whales have been 
seen to-day, and for several days past. 
Saturday, 16th.— The weather has been so 
thick during these two days, that we have been 
obliged to make fast to a floe, in order to wait 
for its clearing up to see which way to steer; 
for we are so surrounded with ice, that by attempt- 
ing to run at present, we might only hamper 
ourselves by getting into the middle of a pack. 
We sounded to-day in eight hundred and ten 
fathoms, soft mud: the temperature of the water 
at this depth was ascertained by the self-register- 
ing thermometer to be 27°, that of the surface, at 
the same time, being 303°. By way of experiment, 
four pieces of wood were fastened to the sounding 
line on this occasion, which when they came up, 
were, as might naturally be expected, very much 
saturated with moisture, from the great pressure of 
the water at such a depth. The pieces of wood 
were, one of oak, another of elm, the third of ash, 
and the fourth of fir; and they were, as might also 
be presupposed, saturated in proportion to their 
density ; that is, the weight of the piece of oak was 
least, and that of the piece of fir most increased, 
by the quantity of water forced into them. 
Sunday, 17th. — The weather having cleared up 
a little this morning, we prepared to cast off; the 
only preparation, indeed, necessary on the occasion, 
was to endeavour to get on board one of the 
14 
