The wind being unfavourable for sailing I went on shore with Dr.
Richardson and took several lunar observations at the place of our former
residence. The result obtained was latitude 58 degrees 56 minutes 56
seconds North; longitude 3 degrees 17 minutes 55 seconds West; variation
27 degrees 50 minutes West; dip of the magnetic needle 74 degrees 33
minutes 20 seconds. In the afternoon the wind changed in a squall some
points towards the north and the Prince of Wales made the preparatory
signal for sea. At three P.M. the ships weighed, an hour too early for
the tide; as soon as this served we entered into the passage between Hoy
and Pomona, and had to beat through against a very heavy swell which the
meeting of a weather tide and a strong breeze had occasioned.
Some dangerous rocks lie near the Pomona shore and on this side also the
tide appeared to run with the greatest strength. On clearing the outward
projecting points of Hoy and Pomona we entered at once into the Atlantic
and commenced our voyage to Hudson's Bay, having the Eddystone, Wear and
Harmony, Missionary brig, in company.
The comparisons of the chronometers this day indicated that Arnold's
Numbers 2148 and 2147 had slightly changed their rates since they had
been brought on board; fortunately the rate of the former seems to have
increased nearly in the same ratio as the other has lost, and the mean
longitude will not be materially affected.
Being now fairly launched into the Atlantic I issued a general memorandum
for the guidance of the officers during the prosecution of the service on
which we were engaged, and communicated to them the several points of
information that were expected from us by my instructions. I also
furnished them with copies of the signals which had been agreed upon
between Lieutenant Parry and myself to be used in the event of our
reaching the northern coast of America and falling in with each other.
At the end of the month of June our progress was found to have been
extremely slow owing to a determined North-West wind and much sea. We had
numerous birds hovering round the ship; principally fulmars (Procellaria
glacialis) and shearwaters (Procellaria puffinus) and not unfrequently
saw shoals of grampusses sporting about, which the Greenland seamen term
finners from their large dorsal fin. Some porpoises occasionally appeared
and whenever they did the crew were sanguine in their expectation of
having a speedy change in the wind which had been so vexatiously contrary
but they were disappointed in every instance.
Thursday, July 1.
The month of July set in more favourably; and aided by fresh breezes we
advanced rapidly to the westward, attended daily by numerous fulmars and
shearwaters. The Missionary brig had parted company on the 22nd of June.
We passed directly over that part of the ocean where the Sunken Land of
Buss is laid down in the old, and continued in the Admiralty charts. Mr.
Bell, the commander of the Eddystone, informed me that the pilot who
brought his ship down the Thames told him that he had gained soundings in
twelve feet somewhere hereabout; and I am rather inclined to attribute
the very unusual and cross sea we had in this neighbourhood to the
existence of a bank than to the effect of a gale of wind which we had
just before experienced; and I cannot but regret that the commander of
the ship did not try for soundings at frequent intervals.
ENTER DAVIS STRAITS.
By the 25th July we had opened the entrance of Davis Straits and in the
afternoon spoke the Andrew Marvell, bound to England with a cargo of
fourteen fish. The master informed us that the ice had been heavier this
season in Davis Straits than he had ever recollected, and that it lay
particularly close to the westward, being connected with the shore to the
northward of Resolution Island and extending from thence within a short
distance of the Greenland coast; that whales had been abundant but the
ice so extremely cross that few could be killed. His ship, as well as
several others, had suffered material injury, and two vessels had been
entirely crushed between vast masses of ice in latitude 74 degrees 40
minutes North, but the crews were saved. We inquired anxiously but in
vain for intelligence respecting Lieutenant Parry and the ships under his
command; but as he mentioned that the wind had been blowing strong from
the northward for some time, which would probably have cleared Baffin's
Bay of ice, we were disposed to hope favourably of his progress.
The clouds assumed so much the appearance of icebergs this evening as to
deceive most of the passengers and crew; but their imaginations had been
excited by the intelligence we had received from the Andrew Marvell that
she had only parted from a cluster of them two days previous to our
meeting.
On the 27th, being in latitude 57 degrees 44 minutes 21 seconds North,
longitude 47 degrees 31 minutes 14 seconds West and the weather calm, we
tried our soundings but did not reach the bottom. The register
thermometer was attached to the line just above the lead, and is supposed
to have descended six hundred and fifty fathoms. A well-corked bottle was
also fastened to the line two hundred fathoms above the lead and went
down four hundred and fifty fathoms. The change in temperature shown by
the register thermometer during the descent was from 52 to 40.5 degrees;
and it stood at the latter point when taken out of the tin case. The
temperature of the water brought up in the bottle was 41 degrees, being
half a degree higher at four hundred and fifty than at six hundred and
fifty fathoms and four degrees colder than the water at the surface which
was then at 45 degrees, whilst that of the air was 46 degrees.
