this description of
ice, amongst which a lengthened journey became perfectly hopeless, we
struck in for the land, preferring the heavy snow that encumbered the
beach to such a heart-breaking struggle as that on the floe. The injury
had, however, been done during our last day's labour among the
hummocks; a fine clear evening had given us the full effects of a
powerful sunlight upon the pure virgin-snow: the painful effect, those
alone can conceive who have witnessed it. All was white, brilliant, and
dazzling; the eye in vain turned from earth to heaven for rest or
shade,--there was none; an unclouded sunlight poured through the calm
and frosty air with merciless power, and the sun, being exactly in our
faces, increased the intensity of its effects.

That day several complained of a dull aching sensation in the eyeball,
as if it had been overstrained, and on the morrow blindness was rapidly
coming on. From experience, I can speak of the mental anxiety which
must have likewise, with others, supervened, at the thought of one's
entire helplessness, and the encumbrance one had become to others, who,
God knows, had troubles and labour enough of their own. Gradually the
film spread itself, objects became dimmer and dimmer, and at last all
was darkness, with an intense horror of the slightest ray of sunlight.
In this condition, many of the four sledge-parties reached a place
called by us all, in commemoration of the event, "Snow-blind Point," at
the entrance of a bay in 100 deg. W. long.

Unable to advance in consequence of a severe gale, which raged for
six-and-thirty hours, we found, on the 1st of May, that sixteen men and
one officer were, more or less, snow-blind and otherwise unwell; a
large proportion out of the entire number of thirty souls. To be ill in
any place is trying enough; but such an hospital as a brown-holland
tent, with the thermometer in it at 18 deg. below zero, the snow for a bed,
your very breath forming into a small snow called "barber," which
penetrated into your very innermost garments, and no water to be
procured to assuage the thirst of fever until snow had been melted for
the purpose, called for much patience on the part of the patients, and
true Samaritan feelings on the part of the "doctors,"--a duty which had
now devolved on each officer of a sledge-party, or, in default of him,
upon some kind volunteer amongst the men. Happily, the effects of
snow-blindness are not lasting, for we recovered as