OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
291 
the southward, stretching close in to the land a few miles a-head of us. At 1820 . 
noon we were in latitude, by observation, 68° 19' 45", and longitude, by 
chronometers, 66° 05' 45", in two hundred and seventy-five fathoms, muddy 
bottom. The temperature of the sea at the depth of one hundred and 
forty-six fathoms, was 34°, the surface being at 32°, and the air 34°. This 
experiment differing from those which we had lately made as to the com- 
parative temperature, we tried again in one hundred and sixty-five fathoms, 
and found it exactly the same as before. It must be remarked that, for each 
of the last three days, and for these only, we had found the ship between 
seven and eight miles to the southward of the reckoning. 
The wind having fallen, we made little progress to the south-east, till the Tues. 12. 
morning of the 12th, when a light breeze springing-up from the south-west, all 
sail was made to examine the state of the ice. On approaching the floes, how- 
ever, we found such a quantity of bay ice, the formation of which upon the 
surface had been favoured by the late calm weather, that the Hecla was soon 
stopped altogether, a circumstance which gave us, as usual, much trouble in 
extricating ourselves from it, but not very material as regarded our further 
progress to the southward, the floes being found to stretch quite close in to the 
land, leaving no passage whatever between them. At noon we were still no 
farther to the southward than 68° 15" 20", and in longitude 65° 48' 38", the 
former agreeing very well with the reckoning. I was desirous of taking ad- 
vantage of our present unavoidable detention, to make a set of observations 
on the irregularities of the magnetic needle on board the Hecla ; but the 
young ice remained so tough during the day, notwithstanding the weather 
was calm and clear, with the thermometer at 6 5° in the sun in the course of 
the afternoon, that it was found impracticable to turn the ship’s head in the 
desired direction for that purpose. The compasses now traversed very freely, 
and were made use of for the purposes of navigation, in the ordinary way ; an 
account of the variation observed on different courses, as occasion offered, 
will be found among the other observations in the Appendix. 
Soon after ten P.M., the Aurora Borealis made its appearance ; I am in- 
debted to Captain Sabine for the following description of this phenomenon : 
“ The Aurora was visible for upwards of half an hour, its appearance being 
comprised within about twelve points of the heavens, from S.E.b.E. to W.b.N., 
the magnetic north being about N. 76°. W. The character of this pheno- 
menon was peculiar, being distinguished from those which we were accustomed 
to see at Melville Island, by the far greater rapidity with which it spread and 
2 P 2 
