ericson's caego. 267 



to Hammerfest, as it would save tlie expense 

 and delay of sending liim by steamboat from 

 Tonsberg, in the south of Norway, to Hammer- 

 fest, in the extreme north. The man thus 

 lucidly avoided a voyage of about 3000 miles. 



Poor Ericson has a pretty wife with a young 

 family in Tonsberg, and he must have gone 

 home to her with a heavy heart, for he has 

 made but a bad summer's "fishing" of it. 

 Between Jan Mayen and Spitzbergen, he has 

 been away from home seven months ; and his 

 letter to me mentions that he has only killed 

 270 Jan Mayen seals, 140 big Spitzbergen 

 seals, 62 walruses, 4 bears, and 35 rein-deer ; a 

 cargo which will aiford but a miserable remu- 

 neration for eight* months' time of a brig 

 carrying twenty-four men, and constantly man- 

 ning four boats, and five upon an emergency. 



Slst. — Early in the morning we are off South 

 Cape, the sea quite free from ice and the 

 weather fine. I think storms are very local 

 in Spitzbergen, and it is probably as coarse as 

 ever at Black Point, that stormy promontory 

 where we encountered so many fierce gales of 

 wind. 



* Allowing one month to reach Tonsberg. 



