1875 BRINE AT A LOW TEMPERATURE. 177 



the winter ration of that article was increased ; an 

 arrangement that was much appreciated by everyone. 



Substantial snow-houses were built on the floe and 

 on shore in which to store the salt meat. So long as 

 the temperature did not fall much below zero the 

 brine in the meat remained unfrozen and continued to 

 drip, thus ridding the beef of a large portion of the 

 salt. This plan proved a most excellent one, the meat 

 retaining more flavour than when soaked in water. 

 Mr. Kennedy, when wintering in North Somerset 

 during 1851-52, adopted a somewhat similar mode- 

 He remarks : ' On the suggestion of one of our officers, 

 we have for some days been trying an experiment to 

 ascertain how far the exposure of our salt provisions 

 to the frost, and burying them in the snow, would have 

 the effect of freshening, that is, drawing the salt from 

 them ; but we have had no reason to put any faith in 

 it.' They probably did not protect the meat in a snow- 

 house from too severe a temperature. 



The banking up of the ship's sides progressed 

 but slowly, for the snow within a reasonable distance 

 was soon exhausted, and it was found necessary to 

 drag a great quantity on sledges from the shore. 

 Large and substantial magnetic and astronomical ob- 

 servatories were constructed on the land, and were at 

 once named by the men Kew and Greenwich. Fortu- 

 nately for the architects, the gales in the middle of 

 September had formed hard snow-banks, out of which 

 a compact building material was readily procured ; but 

 the heavy fall of snow early in the month had covered 

 this completely ; consequently the accumulation of 

 discarded material round each building was consider- 



VOL. i. n 



