hristmas
day, divine service on board the Fury was attended by the officers
and crews of both ships. A certain increase was also made in the
allowance of provisions, to enable the people to partake of
Christmas festivities to the utmost extent which our situation and
means would allow; and the day was marked by the most cheerful
hilarity, accompanied by the utmost regularity and good order.
Among the luxuries which our Christmas dinner afforded was that of
a joint of English roast beef, of which a few quarters had been
preserved for such occasions by rubbing the outside with salt, and
hanging it on deck covered with canvass. The low latitude in which
our last summer's navigation was performed would have rendered its
preservation doubtful without the salt.

On the arrival of the last day of the year, it was impossible not
to experience very high gratification in observing the excellent
health and spirits enjoyed by almost every officer and man in both
ships. The only invalid in the expedition was Reid, our
carpenter's mate, and even he was at this period so much improved,
that very sanguine hopes were entertained of his continued
amendment. In consequence of the effectual manner in which the men
were clothed, particularly about the feet, not a single frostbite
had occurred that required medical assistance even for a day; and,
what was more important to us, not a scorbutic symptom had
appeared.

To increase our ordinary issue of anti-scorbutics, liberal as it
already was, we had from the commencement of the winter adopted a
regular system of growing mustard and cress, which the superior
warmth of the ships now enabled us to do on a larger scale than
before. Each mess, both of the officers and ships' company, was
for this purpose furnished with a shallow box filled with mould,
in which a crop could generally be raised in from eight to ten
days. The quantity thus procured on board the Fury now amounted to
about fifty pounds' weight, and before the arrival of spring to
nearly one hundred pounds; and, trifling as such a supply may
appear to those who are in the habit of being more abundantly
furnished, it will not be considered to have been without its use,
when it is remembered how complete a specific for the scurvy
_fresh_ vegetable substance has invariably proved.

With respect to the occupations which engaged our time, during
this season of unavoidable inactivity, I can add little or nothing
to my former account of