6 Voyage along the Coast of Norway. 



and diet, and the use of the means with which you are fumislied, prevent 

 those diseases most prevalent in cold climates- 



" On the supposition of your having wintered on the coast of Greenland, 

 you are, in the succeeding summer, as soon as the navigation shall be open, 

 to make the best of your way to England. If, however, on your return, either 

 in the present or following year, Captain Sabine should be desirous of visit- 

 ing Cape Farewell, or any other part of Iceland, for the sake of repeating his 

 observations at either of those places, you are at liberty to do so." 



We weighed anchor early in the morning of the 11th; and 

 made sail, running through the King's Channel, and proceeded 

 without any material occurrence till Saturday 17th, when we 

 descried the coast of Norway, distant about thirty or forty miles. 

 From this time, till our arrival at Hammerfest, we had a good 

 sight of the land, having ran along it for upwards of 300 miles. 

 It is from 1500 to 2000 feet high, rising abruptly from the sea. 

 The mountains are caped with snow, without the least appear- 

 ance of vegetation. The coast is indented with numerous fiords, 

 or arms of the sea, that run forty or fifty miles inland, and, from 

 the similarity of the head -points, are difficult to be made out, and 

 easily mistaken by those who are not cautious and correct in their 

 reckoning. It seems but little known to most navigators, and 

 apprehended as dangerous ; but, although it is an iron-bound 

 coast, without soundings, it lulls in-shore, and, even should the 

 gale blow home, situations for shelter will generally be found 

 among some of the numerous openings. Anchorage may not 

 always be obtained, but, in general, will be found pointed out 

 by that land Avhich terminates in a level. Whatever dangers • 

 there may be on the coast, will, with a very few exceptions, show 

 themselves, particularly in bad weather, when the sea breaks 

 high. 



We had favourable winds as far as the Laffoden Islands, and 

 I was in hopes of reaching Hammerfest by the 22d ; but a suc- 

 cession of calms and contrary winds lengthened our passage till 

 the 2d June. By speaking with fishing-boats, we were enabled 

 to grope our way along a coast so difficult to distinguish, and 

 on the charts of which we could place no dependence. I was 

 particularly unwilling to commit any error by running into a 

 wrong inlet, as the Griper's sailing would hardly have compen- 

 sated for the time we must necessarily have lost. 



On the ISth, in taking azimuths, found a variation of 16" 



