146 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1820. deprived for more than four months. I had soon, however, occasion to find 
that this change was rather premature, and that I had not rightly calculated 
on the length of the winter in Melville Island. The Hecla was fitted with 
double windows in her stern, the interval between the two sashes being 
about two feet; and within these some curtains of baize had been nailed 
close, in the early part of the winter. On endeavouring now to remove the 
curtains, they were found to be so strongly cemented to the windows by 
the frozen vapour collected between them, that it was necessary to cut them 
off, in order to open the windows; and from the space between the double 
sashes we removed more than twelve large buckets full of ice, or frozen 
vapour, which had accumulated in the same manner. 
Wed. 16. About noon, on the 16th, a parhelion faintly prismatic, appeared on each 
side of the sun, continuing only for half an hour. Notwithstanding the low 
temperature of the external atmosphere, the officers contrived to act, as usual, 
the play announced for this evening ; but, it must be confessed that it was 
almost too cold for either the actors or the audience to enjoy it, especially 
for those of the former who undertook to appear in female dresses. We were 
fortunate, however, in having the weather moderate as to wind, during our 
performance ; for, on its freshening up soon after to a strong gale from the 
N.W., which, together with a heavy snow-drift, continued the whole of the 
Thiir. 17. following day, the thermometer did not rise higher than — 36°; a change 
that made the Hecla colder in every part below than she had ever been 
before. The temperature of the lower deck now fell to + 34° for the greater 
part of the day, that of the coal-hole to + 15°, of the spirit- room to + 23°, and 
of my cabin, as low as + 7° during the night, by which the chronometers. 
Nos. 25 and 369, of Arnold, were stopped. Much as I regretted this cir- 
cumstance, it was impossible to prevent it without such an increase in 
the quantity of fuel as our resources, when calculating upon the chances of 
spending another winter in these regions, would by no means admit. 
Captain Sabine and myself, therefore, agreed, that it was better to let 
these watches remain down, during the continuance of the severe cold, which 
was accordingly done. 
The intense cold now experienced on board the Hecla, seems to have 
arisen principally from my having prematurely uncovered the stern win- 
dows, which I had been induced to do, not less from the impatience which 
I felt to enjoy the cheering rays of the sun for eight hours of the 
day, than on account of the saving of candles, the expenditure of which 
