[1] "In The Midst Of This Heavy Gale, I Tried Dr Lind's Wind-Gage, And The Water In It Was

Depressed by the force of the wind 45/100 of an inch." W. According to the same authority, it was

Equally depressed on the 30th, and on the 1st December, it sunk 4/10 of an inch in the squalls. Mr G.F. relates an interesting enough alarm that occurred during this stormy weather. "A petty officer in the forepart of the vessel, awaking suddenly, heard a noise of water streaming through his birth, and breaking itself against his own and his mess-mates' chests; he leaped out of his bed, and found himself to the middle of his leg in water. He instantly acquainted the officer of the quarter-deck with the dreadful circumstances, and in a few moments almost every person was in motion; the pumps were employed, and the officers encouraged the seamen with an alarming gentleness, to persevere in their work; notwithstanding which the water seemed to gain upon us; every soul was filled with terror, increased by the darkness of the night. The chain- pumps were now cleared, and our sailors laboured at them with great alacrity; at last one of them luckily discovered that the water came in through a scuttle (or window) in the boatswain's store-room, which not having been secured against the tempestuous southern ocean, had been staved in by the force of the waves. It was immediately repaired," &c. Incidents of this kind are not often related by a commander, but they are useful to a reader by diversifying the records of bearings, courses, &c. &c. - E.

[2] "At half past ten in the evening, some water which had been spilled on the deck was frozen, and in the morning we passed the first island of ice. It was not very high, was smooth on the top and sides, and not rugged like those I have seen in the north seas." W. - Mr Forster in his observations has entered into a very important discussion respecting the formation of the ice islands, but it is vastly too long for insertion in this place. Few readers, however, it is likely, will object to see it elsewhere. - E.

[3] "They constantly appeared about the icy masses, and may be looked upon as sure forerunners of ice. Their colour induced us to call them the snowy peterels." - G.F.

[4] "We had already had several false alarms from the fallacious conformation of fog-banks, or that of islands of ice half hid in snow storms, and our consort the Adventure had repeatedly made the signals for seeing land, deceived by such appearances: but now, the imagination warmed with the idea of M. Bouvet's discovery, one of our lieutenants, after having repeatedly been up to the mast-head, (about six o'clock in the morning on the 14th,) acquainted the captain that he plainly saw the land. This news brought us all upon deck: We saw an immense field of flat ice before us, broken into many small pieces on the edges, a vast number of islands of ice of all shapes and sizes rose beyond it as far as the eye could reach, and some of the most distant considerably raised by the hazy vapours which lay on the horizon, had indeed some appearance of mountains.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 54 of 461
Words from 27348 to 27908 of 239428