320 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 
“ The largest floe was from two and a half to three 
miles square, and in some places the thickness of the 
ice was from fifteen to twenty feet. Still these were 
‘ fieldsfor in no one instance had we any difficulty 
in seeing the margins of them in more directions than 
one, by mounting a tolerably high hummock; and 
from a much less elevation than that of a ship’s 
masthead, the whole extent and form of such floes 
would have been very easily discernible. However, 
it was a satisfaction to observe that the ice had 
certainly improved ; and we now ventured to hope 
that, for the short time that we could still pursue 
our onward journey, our progress would be more 
commensurate with our exertions than it had hi¬ 
therto proved. In proportion, then, to the hopes we 
had begun to entertain, was our disappointment, in 
finding, at noon, that we were in latitude 82° 43' 5", 
or not quite four miles to the northward of yesterday’s 
observation, instead of the ten or eleven which we 
had travelled ! However, we determined to continue 
to the last our utmost exertions, though we could 
never once encourage the men by assuring them of 
our making good progress, and setting oat at seven in 
the evening, soon found that our hope of having 
permanently reached better ice was not to be realised; 
