TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 201 
and preparing to get jury-masts up: a jury fore- 
mast was got up to-day, and the main-top-mast 
is ready for going up to-morrow morning. We 
saw a strange sail a few miles astern of us in 
the afternoon, but the weather being thick at the 
time, we could not make out what she was, and, as 
the wind was light, she did not come up with us 
in the course of the evening. 
Thursday, 19th. — Nothing more has been seen 
of the vessel just mentioned, whether she steered 
a different course during the night in order to avoid 
falling in with us from seeing the state we were in, 
I cannot pretend to say: but, be that as it may, 
We are now ina condition that does not require her 
assistance even if she were to appear, for we have 
got a jury-bowsprit rigged, and top masts up. 
The wind and weather is still, however, rather un- 
favourable for us, for the sea has not yet gone 
down, and the wind is from the southward and 
eastward. 
Friday, 27th.— Nothing occurred for this 
week past worthy of any notice; the wind has 
been generally rather against us, and we have 
had ever since the last gale of wind a heavy 
swell. We saw three vessels yesterday, one of 
which showed Prussian colours. Soon after day- 
light this morning land was descried, which we 
knew from our latitude to be Fula or Foul Island, 
one of the Shetland Islands. Our longitude by 
the chronometers agreed with that in which this 
island is laid down within three or four miles, 
which shows the great utility of these machines, if 
such a proof were wanting ; but their use in navi- 
UP 
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