nt at which the ships were, and
returned before the men were wanted, I should have sent to ascertain the
fact. The idea of the ships being on the northern coast, the prospect of
their success, and the expectation of the eastern detatchment meeting
them in the summer, afforded enlivening topics of conversation for
several days, and on the day the intelligence came, we celebrated its
arrival with a bowl of punch. The health of Captain Parry, and his
party, as well as that of Captain Beechey, was drank with enthusiasm.

[Sidenote: Thursday, 23rd.] We obtained observations for the time, from
which it appeared that the chronometer, No. 1733, generously lent to the
Expedition by my friend the late Mr. Moore, had only varied its rate two
hundredths of a second, since the 3rd of November. I had worn it next my
skin, suspended round my neck, the whole time; and, consequently, it was
not exposed to much variation of temperature.

After the middle of this month the N.W. winds gave place to a succession
of easterly breezes; whenever these prevailed, we observed the
terrestrial refraction was much increased; double refraction of the land
was not unfrequent, and twice the mist arising from the open water,
appeared like a wall of ice. When the moon shone, halos, and
occasionally paraselenae, were visible; and towards the close of the
month the coruscations of the aurora were often very brilliant.

During this month I noticed that on several occasions the magnetic
needle oscillated when I approached it in a dress of waterproof cloth,
although it remained stationary when others of the party examined it in
their ordinary garments. The waterproof dress probably acted by exciting
electricity in the body, although this opinion is rather contradicted by
the fact of a fur cap, which had been rubbed by the hand until it
affected the gold leaf electrometer, producing no change in the needle,
and my approach to the electrometer not causing the gold-leaf to expand.

[Sidenote: April, 6th.] Having failed in an attempt to make charcoal for
the blacksmith's use at this place, we despatched William Duncan, and
the blacksmith, to make some at Fort Norman, where birch trees are
plentiful; and on the 6th of April we were glad to see them return with
the first load. The carpenters had already prepared the timbers and the
keel for the new boat, and we were waiting for the coals to get the
iron-work forward.

[Sidenote: Monday, 10th.] On the 10th Dr. R