WILLIAM SCORESBY, THE YOUNGER. 
203 
the 2ad September in that year, and the British sailors engaged in 
the Greenhiud trade were called upon to assist in bringing the fleet 
captured from the Danes into British Ports Scoresby was the first 
vohmteer to offer his services for the purpose. On the way home he 
was transferred to another ship, which appears to have been the home 
of nearly all the evils then characteristic of the British naval service. 
On board this vessel were fifty seamen, eighty pikemen, five hundred 
soldiers, fifty women and several children, and Scoresby and his com- 
panions suffered many hardships. They were insulted, ill-treated 
and robbed by the crew, and were refused redress by the officers. The 
vessel narrowly escaped shipwreck on approaching England. Regard- 
ing this inciient Scoresby says, for my own part I was calm and 
collected Death seemed inevitable. Yet I had a sort of vague and 
inexplicable confidence that the merciful God would save us for the 
sake of so large a number of souls." Further, I felt a degree of 
thankfulness to Almighty God for the deliverance, but it was far from 
the sanctified thankfulness experienced by a true disciple of Christ." 
It is very characteristic that, even at this early time, he should have 
analysed so keenly the exact nature and extent of his gratitude. 
In 1808 Scoresby was introduced to Sir Joseph Banks, one of 
the leaders of contemporary science. During this and the following 
year, he ]:)egan also to give special attention to the natural history of 
the Polar regions, and the collection of many hitherto unknown 
specimens of plants. Meteorology also interested him ; he discovered 
and microscopically examined the different forms of snowflakes, 
making drawings of many, and noting the atmospheric and other 
surroundings which might be supposed to influence them. 
In 1809 he had a narrow escape from death, the boat in which 
he was whale fishing having been struck by one of his intended 
victims. The bottom of the boat was driven in, but assistance was 
fortunately at hand, and its occupants were saved. 
Professor Jameson, the chief under whom he studied natural 
history at Edinburgh, always interested himself in Scoresby's pursuits. 
Scoresby lent him his diary, which contained descriptions of the 
whale, and his journal on meteorology. Jameson introduced him into 
society, Scoresby's extreme diffidence making this, to use his own 
