376 Drift Ice mid Currents of the North Atlantic. 



north, perceived an opening to the southeast, and succeeded in 

 disengaging himself. From the 29th of January to the 3d of 

 February, the brig only made four miles a day ; and during the 

 twenty nine days this navigation lasted, he descried near one 

 hundred very extensive mountains of compact ice. 



Ship Isabella, Meredith, struck an iceberg on 9th May, 1841, 

 in latitude 42° 2', longitude 43° 45'. The iceberg^broke through 

 the bows, and caused the ship to fill with water so fast that the 

 crew had barely time to take to the boats, without water, provi- 

 sions or clothing : the ship immediately went down, or disap- 

 peared in the fog. The crew continued in the boat until the 

 afternoon of the 11th, when they were picked up by the Kings- 

 ton, of Hull, bound to Pictou. 



Ship Lowell, on the 10th of March, 1842, at 9 a. m., latitude 

 44° 15', longitude 48° 30', came in contact with a field of ice ; 

 was at that time steering W. N. W., with the wnnd. Tacked 

 and stood to the eastward two hours, when she again tacked to 

 the westward. At 2 a. m, again fell in with the ice. Continued 

 beating to the southward, and falling in with the ice on the west 

 tack till March 13th. Passed the southern extremity of the field 

 in latitude 42°, longitude 49° 15', having seen it extending in a 

 N. N. E. and S. S. W. direction, nearly 150 miles. 



A letter from Capt. Hosken, of the steamship Great Western, 

 says : " April 18th, 1841, the ship steering west, at 6 p. m., first 

 saw one iceberg on the starboard bow, at 7 30 passed it ; at that 

 time four or five others in sight ; at 9 15 p. m. passed several 

 small pieces of ice — slowed the engines. In a few minutes after, 

 the ship was surrounded with light field ice, which appeared 

 similar to a field I ran through on the 11th of February, 1839. 

 This induced me to go slowly, with the hope of getting through, 

 as I had done on that occasion ; but by 9 30 finding it closely 

 packed, and much thicker, prudence dictated our escape by the 

 same channel we had entered. I then stopped and attempted to 

 get the ship's head to the eastward, by turning ahead and astern 

 until there was room for her to come round ; in the course of this 

 operation the ship had occasionally (at least) two streaks heel 

 given by either wheel passing over large masses of ice. At 

 10 15, succeeded in getting the ship's head to the eastward, and 

 by 11 p. M. entirely clear. From that time went slowly, passing 

 several icebergs ; the night at times very clear, the aurora bo- 



