MISCELLANEOUS. 83 
depths were found to vary from 800 to 80 fathoms, with a generally shelly or 
muddy bottom, and in every respect most favourable for the reception of a 
telegraph cable. On the afternoon of the following day the Fox again got under 
way, steaming through Hestoe Fiord, a wild and romantic channel, inclosed 
between the high mountains of Stromoe Island and the lofty basaltic cliffs of the 
islands of Nailso, Hestoe, and Coultra, for Heldervig, on the north side of 
Stromoe, The wind increased to a gale during the afternoon, she again anchored 
for the night in the small harbour of Westmanshaven, near the end of the fiord, 
The weather continued stormy and wet during that night and next day, so that it 
was late in the afternoon of the 6th of August before the Foz could again get 
under way. After getting clear of the land and outside the fiord, a severe gale 
of wind again sprang up, with a heavy sea, both setting the ship dead towards 
the stupendous basaltic cliffs, some of which rose perpendicularly from the sea to 
a height of 2,000 feet. While beating the ship out of this unpleasant position, an 
accident occurred which might have caused the loss of several of the crew. While 
the men were reefing, the foretopsail yard snapped in the middle, leaving the 
men clinging to the pieces, which dashed violently against the mast with every 
roll of the ship, threatening momentarily to fling them off into the sea, from 
which it would have been impossible to rescue them. They were all, however, 
eventually rescued from their perilous position; but five of them were more or 
less injured. The wind shortly afterwards fell again light; but the sea continued 
to drift the ship into unpleasant proximity to the cliffs, and it was not without 
some difficulty that she succeeded in rounding the north point of Stromoe, and 
reaching Heldervig Fiord. 
On the evening of the 6th of August, the party under Dr. Rae, who had left 
the ship at Thorshaven for the purpose of making an examination of the island of 
Stromoe, arrived, and on the afternoon of the 7th, the damages having been 
repaired, the Foz started for Iceland, taking a line of soundings from the mouth 
of the fiord to about 20 miles out to sea, the depth varying from about 30 to 200 
fathoms, with a bottom generally of a nature favourable to submarine lines. On 
the morning of the 8th it again blew a strong gale of wind from the north-east, 
with a heavy sea, which obliged the ships to lay to until the following morning, 
when the wind again fell light, but, the swell being heavy, little distance could be. 
made by aid of the steam. In the afternoon a sounding was obtained, somewhat 
to the southward of the proposed line of cable, in 624 fathoms. The 10th was 
another day of light variable winds, during which but little progress could be 
made. At midnight, though some considerable distance from land, soundings 
were obtained in 60 fathoms’ water. At daylight on the morning of the 11th, 
the high and beautiful mountains of the east coast of Iceland were plainly visible 
above the clear horizon, but they were soon obscured by one of those dense fogs 
which so frequently prevail in the North Atlantic during the summer. The ship 
was consequently obliged to come to an anchor for the day, under the lofty head- 
land of Oster Horn. At daylight on the morning of the 12th of August, the fog 
having again lifted, the Fox got under way for Beru Fiord, standing northward 
along the coast, here rising in one beautiful chain of lofty and rugged volcanic 
mountains, the dark and barren sides of which are occasionally relieved by snow- 
