356 ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



ture was found as cold as among the ice itself; repeated experiments 

 have shown the same to occur in the Arctic regions. From this I would 

 draw the conclusion that changes are going on, and it appears to me 

 to be very reasonable to suppose, that at periods currents to and from 

 the poles should at times exist ; it is true, we most generally find the 

 latter to prevail, as far as our knowledge of facts extends, but we have 

 not sufficient information yet to decide that there is not a reflow 

 towards the pole ; the very circumstance of the current setting from 

 the higher latitudes, would seem a good argument that there must be 

 some counter-current to maintain the level of the waters. These 

 masses, then, are most probably carried away in the seasons when 

 the polar streams are the strongest, and are borne along by them at 

 the velocity with which they move : that these do not occur annually 

 may be inferred from the absence of ice-islands in the lower latitudes; 

 and that it is not from the scarcity of them, those who shared the dan- 

 gers of the Antarctic cruise, will, I have little doubt, be ready to testify ; 

 for, although great numbers of them studded the ocean that year, yet 

 the narrative shows that vast numbers of them were left. 



The specific gravity of the ice varies very much, as might naturally 

 be expected ; for while some of it is porous and of a snowy texture, 

 other islands are in great part composed of a compact blue flinty ice. 

 This difference is occasioned by the latter becoming saturated with 

 water, which afterwards freezes. 



On the ice there was usually a covering of about two feet of snow, 

 which in places had upon it a crust of ice not strong enough to 

 bear the weight of a man. Those ice-islands, which after having 

 been once seen were again passed through immediately after a gale, 

 were observed to be changed in appearance; but though for forty- 

 eight hours a severe storm had been experienced, they had not 

 undergone so great a transformation as not to be recognised. They 

 also appeared to have shifted their position with regard to one 

 another, their former bias and trendings being broken up. 



During our stay on the icy coast, I saw nothing of what is termed 

 pack-ice, — that is, pieces forced one upon the other by the action of 

 the sea or currents. 



On the 21st the weather became unsettled, with light westerly winds, 

 and we made but little progress to the westward. The barrier, at 6 

 p. M., was seen trending to the westward. In consequence of indica- 

 tions that threatened bad weather, I deemed it useless risk to remain in 

 the proximity of so many ice-islands, and a strong breeze, with squally 



