1875 MERCURY FROZEN. 197 



so slightly distorted that it appeared in its true form 

 until the points of the upper horn sank behind the land, 

 not to return to us for thirteen days. 



6 23rd. — A cold day with a clear sky. Mercury 

 frozen for the first time : temperature down to minus 45°. 

 Being calm, there were no ill effects from the extreme 

 cold, the work outside the ship being carried on as 

 usual. 



' The cracking noise mentioned by former voyagers 

 has only lately been heard on board; as the spring- tides 

 approach the noise increases in frequency ; it is evi- 

 dently due to the movement of the ice in close contact 

 with the outer skin of the ship. 



' Taking advantage of the cold weather, we com- 

 pared a number of spirit thermometers with each other ; 

 although their readings were widely different, yet 

 when the Kew correction was applied each agreed 

 fairly with the general mean. 



1 2Qth. — This morning we experienced a southerly 

 wind. During the afternoon the weather was very 

 squally, but the wind never exceeded force 5 ; the tem- 

 perature, however, rose nineteen degrees, proving that a 

 gale was blowing in our near neighbourhood. 



'A band of smoky-looking clouds has collected 

 above Eobeson Channel ; remaining stationary, they 

 denote that the wind does not extend to any great 

 height above the hills. I could see no water or water- 

 smoke at noon from the look-out hill, but by the tem- 

 perature rising forty degrees there is probably some 

 water in Eobeson Channel. Immediately the wind 

 changed from S.S.E. to W. the temperature fell twenty 

 three degrees.' 



