been apparently driven up the beach
by two or three of the grounded masses forcing her onwards before
them, and these, as well as the ship, seemed now so firmly aground,
as entirely to block her in on the seaward side. We also observed that
the bergs outside of her had been torn away, and set adrift by the
ice. As the navigating of the Hecla with only ten men on board
required constant attention and care, I could not at this time with
propriety leave the ship to go on board the Fury. This, however, I the
less regretted, as Captain Hoppner was thoroughly acquainted with all
my views and intentions, and I felt confident that, under his
direction, nothing would be left undone to endeavour to save the ship.
I, therefore, directed him by telegraph, 'if he thought nothing could
be done at present, to return on board with all hands until the wind
changed;' for this alone, as far as I could see the state of the Fury,
seemed to offer the smallest chance of clearing the shore, so as to
enable us to proceed with our work, or to attempt hauling the ship off
the ground.

'About seven P.M., Captain Hoppner returned to the Hecla, accompanied
by all hands, except an officer with a party at the pumps, reporting
to me that the Fury had been forced aground by the ice pressing on the
masses lying near her, and bringing home, if not breaking, the seaward
anchor, so that the ship was soon found to have swerved from two to
three feet fore and aft. The several masses of ice had, moreover, so
disposed themselves, as almost to surround her on every side where
there was sufficient depth of water for hauling her off. With the ship
thus situated, and masses of heavy ice constantly coming in, it was
Captain Hoppner's decided opinion, as well as that of Lieutenants
Austin and Ross, that to have laid out another anchor to seaward would
have only been to expose it to the same danger as there was reason to
suppose had been incurred with the other, without the most distant
hope of doing any service, especially as the ship had been driven on
shore by a most unfortunate coincidence, just as the tide was
beginning to fall. Indeed, in the present state of the Fury, nothing
short of chopping and sawing up a part of the ice under her stern
could by any possibility have effected her release, even if she had
been already afloat. Under such circumstances, hopeless as, for the
time, every seaman will allow them to have been, Captain Hoppner
judiciously determine