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NEAR APPROACH TO THE POLE. 29 
CHAPTER II. 
APPROACH TO WITHIN FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY 
MILES OF THE POLE,—EXPERIENCE INTENSE COLD, 
—COMMENCE THE WHALE-FISHERY,—SHIP RESET, 
—EXPERIMENTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MAG¬ 
NETISM, BY A NEW PROCESS. 
'W u continued to approach the Pole, in a sea 
clear of ice to the NW. and W., until one in the 
morning of Sunday, the 28th, when, in latitude 
80° 30', we were stopped by the main northern ice, 
appearing to be a solid impervious “ pack,” trend¬ 
ing, as far as the eye could discern, to the NW. 
and SE. Here we remained standing off* and on, 
or lying to, the most of the day, with the intention, 
after the conclusion of the Sabbath, to proceed to 
the eastward, along the northern face of Spitzber- 
gen, in search of whales; but an unfavourable 
change of wind prevented this object from being 
accomplished. In the afternoon it fell calm. Snow 
began to fall, and the barometer subsided to 29°40'. 
Expecting a gale of wind, we stood from the ice to 
the southward, with the first breeze; but, before 
we could gain a sufficient offing, a gale overtook 
its, and put us under close-reefed top-sails. The 
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