What They Called Field Ice Is
Thicker; And The Whole Field, Be It Ever So Large, Consists Of One Piece.
Whereas this which I call field-ice, from its immense extent, consists of
many pieces of various sizes, both in
Thickness and surface, from thirty or
forty feet square to three or four, packed close together, and in places
heaped one upon another. This, I am of opinion, would be found too hard for
a ship's side, that is not properly armed against it. How long it may have
lain, or will lie here, is a point not easily determined. Such ice is found
in the Greenland seas all the summer long; and I think it cannot be colder
there in the summer, than it is here. Be this as it may, we certainly had
no thaw; on the contrary, the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer kept
generally below the freezing point, although it was the middle of summer.
It is a general opinion, that the ice I have been speaking of, is formed in
bays and rivers. Under this supposition we were led to believe that land
was not far distant; and that it even lay to the southward behind the ice,
which alone hindered us from approaching to it. Therefore, as we had now
sailed above thirty leagues along the edge of the ice, without finding a
passage to the south, I determined to run thirty or forty leagues to the
east, afterwards endeavour to get to the southward, and, if I met with no
land, or other impediment, to get behind the ice, and put the matter out of
all manner of dispute. With this view, we kept standing to the N.W., with
the wind at N.E. and N., thick foggy weather, with sleet and snow, till six
in the evening, when the wind veered to N.W., and we tacked and stood to
the eastward, meeting with many islands of ice of different magnitudes, and
some loose pieces: The thermometer from 30 to 34; weather very hazy, with
sleet and snow, and more sensibly colder than the thermometer seemed to
point out, insomuch that the whole crew complained. In order to enable them
to support this weather the better, I caused the sleeves of their jackets
(which were so short as to expose their arms) to be lengthened with baize;
and had a cap made for each man of the same stuff, together with canvas;
which proved of great service to them.
Some of our people appearing to have symptoms of the scurvy, the surgeons
began to give them fresh wort every day, made from the malt we had on board
for that purpose. One man in particular was highly scorbutic; and yet he
had been taking the rob of lemon and orange for some time, without being
benefited thereby. On the other hand, Captain Furneaux told me, that he had
two men, who, though far gone in this disease, were now in a manner
entirely cured by it.[6]
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