1875 THE ATLANTIC. 3 



Leaving Bantry Bay the following day, the ' Valor- 

 ous,' which had left Queenstown the previous after- 

 noon, joined company. After communicating with 

 her, and receiving our farewell letters and telegrams, 

 sail was made to a fair wind from off the land. The 

 ships running quickly to the westward were abreast 

 of the Bull, Cow and Calf Eocks by 4 p.m. Before 

 dark, owing to the mist, land was lost sight of astern, 

 and the Expedition was fairly started on its mission. 



The first four days in the Atlantic were fine, with 

 light airs and calms. Some kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) 

 followed us thus far from land, and a few shearwaters 

 (Puffinus anglorum) were observed passing the ship. 

 After crossing the 54th parallel of north latitude, we 

 first met with the fulmar (Procellaria glacialis), and 

 this bird accompanied us on our voyage until we 

 entered the ice of Smith Sound. 



The Atlantic swell proved to be anything but in 

 agreement with the period of the heavily laden 

 'Alert.' Boiling as she did twenty and thirty degrees 

 each way, it was rather annoying than otherwise to 

 those on board of her to observe that the ' Valorous ' 

 and ' Discovery ' were comparatively quiet ; their time, 

 however, was to come. The ' Valorous,' although she 

 set every possible bit of canvas, and disconnected her 

 paddles from the engines to permit them to revolve, 

 could not keep up under sail alone with the Arctic ships ; 

 I accordingly gave her permission to part company 

 and to rendezvous at Godhavn, in North Greenland, 

 early in July. 



On the morning of the 9th we experienced a fresh- 

 ening wind from the northward and rejoiced at last in 



