]0 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. .Jim: 



considerable an age and thickness before they drift 

 into warmer latitudes as those encountered by us in the 

 Polar Sea. 



During the morning we experienced a dense fog, 

 which prevented our seeing clearly the most open 

 channels through the pack. At 10 a.m., after struggling 

 through a very thick part, which nearly obliged us to 

 retrace our course for a short distance to the south- 

 ward, we suddenly entered perfectly clear water at a 

 temperature of 38° ; the line of demarcation between 

 the pack-ice and clear water being very decided, 

 proving that had we kept farther from the land we 

 should have met with less impediment in the shape of 

 ice. As we left the pack the thick fog-bank cleared 

 off, rolling away before a northerly wind, which shortly 

 afterwards increased to such an extent that we were 

 forced to lie-to during the following night with a close- 

 reefed main topsail and trysails. The current running 

 to the northward against the wind produced a very 

 short and high sea breaking heavily, and causing the 

 ship to roll quicker and deeper than she had in the 

 Atlantic. Many seas broke on board, endangering 

 the boats, and compelling us to batten down the hatch- 

 ways. 



This northerly gale, occurring with a falling baro- 

 meter, was peculiar. As we ran out of the pack in 

 the forenoon the barometer was stationary at 29*50, the 

 weather calm, with a very decided golden-coloured hazy 

 appearance to the northward, and a clear sky over- 

 head ; this lasted for about half-an-hour, and was then 

 replaced by an arch of clouds which quickly rose and 

 spread themselves over the sky. At sunset, 1030 p.m., 



