s are as follows:--A.M. Standing in
for the land, northward of "Women's Isles," saw several whalers fast to
the ice, inshore. Observe one of them standing out. H.M.S. "Assistance"
is ordered to communicate. We haul to the wind. I visit the "Resolute."
Learn that we altered course last night because the floes were seen
extending across ahead. The whaler turns out to be the "Abram," Captain
Gravill. He reports:--"Fourteen whalers stopped by the ice; Captain
Penny, with his ships, after incurring great risk, and going through
much severe labour, was watching the floes with the hope of slipping
past them into the north water."

Mr. Gravill had lately ranged along the Pack edge as far south as
Disco, and found not a single opening except the bight, up which we had
been steering last night. He said, furthermore, "that there would be no
passage across the bay, this year, for the whalers, because the water
would not make sufficiently early to enable them to reach the
fishing-ground in Pond's Bay by the first week in August; after which
date, the whales travel southward towards Labrador." The report wound
up with the discouraging statement that the whale-men agreed that the
floes, this season, were unusually extensive, that the leads or cracks
of water were few, and icebergs more numerous than they had been for
some years.

It appears that a northerly gale has been blowing, with but slight
intermission, for the last month; and that, in consequence, there is a
large body of water to the north, the ice from which has been forced
into the throat of Davis' Straits. All we have to pray for is, a
continuation of the same breeze, for otherwise southerly winds will jam
the whole body of it up in Melville Bay, and make what is called a
"closed season."

[Headnote: _A CHECK._]

Mr. G---- (though not a friend of Penny's) told us that Penny was
working day and night to get ahead, and had already run no small risk,
and undergone extraordinary labour. Poor Penny! I felt that fate had
been against him! He deserved better than to be overtaken by us, after
the energy displayed in the equipment of his squadron.

In the first watch the brigs "Lady Franklin" and "Sophia" were seen by
us, fast between loose floe pieces, to seaward of which we continued to
flirt. The "Intrepid" and "Pioneer" were now to be seen slyly trying
their bows upon every bit of ice we could get near, without getting
into a scrape with the commodore; and, from the ease w