In the Arctic Regions. 141 
i 
‘as producing a serious reduction in our stock of 
rovisions, : 
As it may be interesting to the reader to know how 
'e passed our time at this season of the year, I shall 
1ention briefly, that a considerable portion of it was 
ccupied in writing up our journals. Some newspa- 
ers and magazines, that we had received from Eng- 
ind with our letters, were read again and again, and 
ommented upon, at our meals ; and we often exer- 
ised ourselves with conjecturing the changes that 
aight take place in the world before we could hear 
rom it again, The probability of our receiving let- 
ers, and the period of their arrival, were calculated to 
/nicety. We occasionally paid the woodmen a visit, 
ir took a walk for.a mile or two on the river. . 
In the evenings we joined the men in the hall, and 
ook a part in their games, which generally continued 
o a late hour ; in short, we never found the time to 
lang heavy upon our hands ; and the peculiar occu- 
vations of each of the officers afforded them more em- 
rloyment than might at first be supposed. I re-cal- 
ulated the observations made on our route; Mr. 
Tood protracted the charts, and made those drawings 
f birds, plants, and fishes, which cannot appear in 
his work, but which have been the admiration of every 
me who has seen them. Hach of the party sedulous- 
y and separately recorded their observations on the 
