358 
GREENLAND VOYAGE. 
topsail, until new wheel-ropes were arranged, and 
then pursued our course to the southward. At 
midnight we were in the latitude of the northern 
part of Iceland, a parallel that we crossed in a 
dark tempestuous night with considerable anxi¬ 
ety. The sight of the sun obtained on the 2d, 
gave, by the chronometer, a longitude a little to 
the eastward of this island ; but as its rate had 
not yet been sufficiently determined, there was a 
possibility that it might not be correct. This 
suspicion, however, was fortunately not realized ; 
and we ran safely during the remainder of the 
gale. It is observable, that the barometer, which 
had been at 28.35 for upwards of thirty hours be¬ 
fore the commencement of the gale, began to rise 
the moment the gale attained its height. It rose 
about Aths of an inch, in a very short interval. 
This rising of the mercury, at the commencement 
of a storm, is a circumstance that I have frequent¬ 
ly observed. It is not indicative, however, either 
of a short duration or an approaching cessation of 
the gale, for after such a rise, I have known many 
gales to continue for thirty or forty hours unaba¬ 
ted. 
The gale began to subside soon after day-light 
appeared, and at 8 a. iu. we were enabled to make 
sail. The latitude at noon was 6T.56'; longitude 
* 0 : 7' W. Towards evening, ,thc barometer ha- 
