392 Thirty Years 



the officers made good use of a stock of books and 

 quarterlies which they had brought with them. 



The winter, though severe, passed rapidly away, 

 and spring opened. We quote from Franklin's 

 Journal. 



Wednesday 0n the 2 4 t h f May, 1826, the mosquitoes 

 appeared, feeble at first, but, after a few days, they 

 became vigorous and tormenting. The first flower, a 

 tussilago, was gathered on the 27th. Before the close 

 of the month, several others were in bloom, of which 

 the most abundant was the white anemone. The 

 leaf-buds had not yet burst, though just ready to 

 open. 



The carpenters had now finished the new boat, 

 which received the name of the Reliance. It was 

 constructed of fir, with birch timbers, after the model 

 of our largest boat, the Lion, but with a more full 

 bow, and a finer run abaft. Its length was twenty- 

 six feet, and breadth five feet eight inches. It was 

 fastened in the same manner as the other boats, but 

 with iron instead of copper, and to procure sufficient 

 nails we were obliged to cut up all the spare axes, 

 trenches, and ice-chisels. Being without tar, we 

 substituted ships of water-proof canvas, soaked in 

 Borne caoutchouc varnish, which we had brought out, 



to lay between the seams of the planks ; and for 

 paint, we made use of resin, procured from the pine- 



