once into the Atlantic, and commenced our voyage to Hudson’s B a y -
having the Eddystone, Wear, and Harmony Missionary brig in
The comparisons of the chronometers this day indicated that
Arnold’s Nos. 2148 and 2147, had slightly changed their rates since
they had been brought on board ; fortunately the rate of the former
had increased nearly in the same ratio as the other had lost, and the
mean longitude was not 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,
a n d f a llin g i n w i th e a c h o th e r . „ , t ’
At the end of the month of June, our progress was found to have
been extremely slow, owing to a determined N.W. wind and much
sea We had numerous birds hovering round the ship ; principally
fulmars (procellaria glaciate,) 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
Thursidna ye,v Jeruyly i n1s.t—anTche.e 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 22d 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.
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 Besolution 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° 40' N., 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° 44' 21" N., longitude 47° 31' 14"
W., and the weather calm, we tried for soundings, but did not reach
C