AN AUTUMN VISIT TO SPITZBERGEN. 403 



September 10. Temperature, 11 p.m., air 32°. — We weiglied 

 about 2 p.m., the sails being then all frozen ; the wind came 

 tolerably fresh from the west, but at 4 it suddenly dropped round 

 to the N.E., causing us to beat slowly up the Fjord. Saw two or 

 three young Mandt's Guillemots close to the ship, three Puffins, 

 and an occasional Fulmar and Kittiwake. In the afternoon saw 

 a Briinnich's Guillemot and young, and there may have been a 

 second couple. Our progress being very slow, Rabot went off to 

 the coast in the boat, and took some photographs. He shot a 

 Glaucous Gull, and saw numerous Skuas. 



September 11. Temperature, 0.30 p.m., press. 76T4, air 28"58, 

 water 38'84. — Cold N.E. breeze; all day beating up towards the 

 Middle Hook, on our way to visit the Swedish Meteorological 

 Expedition, and take them their last batch of letters and news- 

 papers. M. Rabot and I each secured a young Mandt's Guillemot. 

 Two (or more) others were seen, and an occasional Fulmar ; one 

 Puffin. I did not, I believe, see a single Kittiwake to-day. One 

 Ringed Seal in the afternoon. 



September 12. — Although the house at Cap Thordsen had 

 been visible for a short time at 10 a.m. on the 11th, we only 

 anchored off there about 1.15 this morning. Soon after 8 we 

 landed. The landing-place is simply an open beach, opposite a 

 cleft in the low cliif which forms the background (about 164 feet 

 high), and a very awkward place in bad weather, as we found out 

 before we again set foot on the ' Cecilie.' On the top of the cliff 

 is a large storehouse overflowing with supplies of every kind, 

 including tons of provisions generously sent out by Mr. Oscar 

 Dickson for the use of Mr. Leigh Smith's party in case they had 

 retreated that way, and of whose safety we had the satisfaction of 

 informing the Swedes, the news having reached Tromso just before 

 we sailed, coming from Hammerfest, where the schooner chartered 

 by Sir Allen Young to assist the ' Hope ' in her search for the 

 ' Eira's ' crew had returned some days after the ' Hope ' had 

 reached Scotland. From here to the dwelling-house the ground 

 gently rises, and a tramway between the two buildings — a distance 

 as the tram runs of about one mile 260 yards*— facilitates the 



* In the notice of this visit which appeared in the ' Proceedings of the 

 Geographical Society,' December, 1882, the distance, by some error, is called 

 "nearly four miles." 



