178 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1820. ceding September, on which the correction of the longitudes observed during 
the navigation of 1819, in part depended. 
Wed. 24- Early on the morning of the 24th, Mr. Allison reported that he had felt a 
few drops of rain fall upon his face, an event which we had scarcely dared to 
anticipate so soon, but which was hailed with much satisfaction, as nothing 
appears to be so effectual as rain in producing the dissolution of the ice. The 
clouds had a watery appearance throughout the day, and at half-past eight in 
the evening, we were agreeably surprised by a smart shower of rain which was 
shortly after succeeded by several others. We had been so unaccustomed to 
see water naturally in a fluid state at all, and much less to see it fall from the 
heavens, that such an occurrence became a matter of considerable curiosity, 
and I believe every person on board hastened on deck to witness so interesting 
as well as novel a phenomenon. The rain which fell in the course of the 
evening, made several little pools upon the ice, which now remained unfrozen 
for twelve or fourteen hours in the day, as did also the sea-water around the 
ships. Two ivory gulls ( Larus Eburneus ) were reported to have been seen in 
the course of this day by a party employed in cutting turf on shore. 
Sat. 27. I am now to mention an occurrence which took place at this period, and 
on which I should gladly be silent, but that it is intimately connected with 
the important subject of the health of seamen in this and in every other 
climate. It was reported to me, through one or two of the Hecla’s petty- 
officers, that one of our seamen, whose name I am unwilling to record, and 
who had lately been cured, by the greatest care and attention, of a rather 
severe attack of the scurvy, had been in the frequent habit of eating with his 
bread a quantity of the skimmings of the water in which salt meat is boiled, 
called by the sailors “ slush.” This kind of fat or grease, which is always 
understood to be a perquisite of the cooks in His Majesty’s navy, and the use 
of which is well-known to be in the highest degree productive of scurvy, had 
always been a source of considerable anxiety and apprehension to me during 
the voyage. Soon after our leaving England, when the issuing of salt-meat 
commenced, I sent for the cook of the Hecla, and in presence of the officers, 
warned him on no account ever to permit a particle of this slush to be used by 
the ship’s company ; and, on condition of his faithfully complying with this 
injunction, I permitted him, under certain restrictions, to preserve it in casks, 
for his own future benefit. With these directions the cook had, I believe, 
punctually complied till the middle of the winter; when he had been gradu- 
ally led into a practice of furnishing the people occasionally with a small quan- 
