now for some days all but beset in this neighbourhood, calms or
light southerly and easterly breezes constantly prevailing. During this
time the main body of ice remained, in most parts, close to the shore,
leaving us only a "hole" of water to work about in, and much nearer to
the land than on this shoal and shelving coast was altogether safe for
the ships. Notwithstanding this, however, we had soon occasion to
observe that they not only kept their ground, but even drew to the
southward, owing, no doubt, to the current before found to set in that
direction along the coast.

The ice remained close the whole of the 26th; but we continued, as
usual, to drift generally to the southward, and the next morning, being
off Owlitteeweek, were enabled to cast off and make sail, the ice being
rather more open than before. Being favoured by a commanding northerly
breeze, we ran a considerable distance to the southward, having,
however, only just room to sail between the points of the closely packed
ice and a flat, dangerous shore. Without escaping for a moment, from our
confined situation, and almost without perceiving any motion of the
masses of ice among themselves, we had, at noon on the 30th, drifted
down within a mile of a small island lying near the northeast point of
Winter Island. On the 31st the tide took us through between these, the
breadth of the passage being three quarters of a mile, in no less than
sixteen fathoms water. We then passed within a dangerous reef of rocks,
lying a full mile from the shore, and having numerous heavy masses of
grounded ice upon it. After clearing this in a good depth of water, we
were, by the evening, carried along shore within a mile of Cape Fisher.

Thus had we, in a most singular manner, once more arrived at our old
winter-quarters, with scarcely a single successful exertion on our parts
towards effecting that object. The distance from Ooglit to our present
station was about one hundred and sixty miles along the coast. Of this
we had never _sailed_ above forty, the rest of the distance having
been accomplished, while we were immoveably beset, by mere drifting. The
interval thus employed having been barely eight days, gives an average
drift to the southward of above fifteen miles per day.

In the afternoon of the 6th I was much pained at being informed by
telegraph from the Hecla, that Mr. Fife, Greenland master of that ship,
had just expired, an event which for some days past there had