ice, than as the means of
security, which, in seas not subject to any considerable rise of
tide, they had so often proved to us on former occasions. To
these circumstances was added our uncertainty whether very high
tides during the winter might not crack the ice, thereby exposing
the ships to the double danger of being "nipped" about their
water-line, and of being drifted out of the bay by northerly gales.
That which was, however, perhaps the most to be apprehended, was
the possibility of the ships being forced into shoal water, without
detaching themselves from the mass of ice cemented to their bends,
the weight of which, hanging upon the sides of a ship left aground
by the tide, could not but produce very serious injury.

About the time of our arrival in the bay, when the thermometer had
fallen nearly to _zero_, the condensation of vapour upon the beams
of the lower deck, and in the cabins near the hatchways, commenced
just as it had done at a similar temperature before. To remedy
this evil, no time was lost in lighting a fire in the warming-stove
upon the orlop-deck, everything being previously moved from its
neighbourhood that was likely to create danger. The iron tanks in
the main hatchway were laid bare on the top, and the interstices
between them filled with sand, to form a secure platform in front
of the fire; and the sailroom, bulkheads, and stancheons covered
with sheet copper. Four steady men, of whom one was a petty
officer, were appointed to attend the fire in regular watches,
being made responsible for the due expenditure of the fuel, and
for the safety of everything about the stove. They had likewise
particular charge of the fire-engine, buckets, and two tanks of
water, all of which were kept in the hatchway in constant readiness
in case of accidents. In addition to these precautions, some
general regulations were established for stationing the officers
and men in the event of fire; and a hole was directed to be kept
open in the ice alongside each ship, to ensure at all times a
sufficient supply of water. In twelve hours after lighting the
stove not a drop of moisture remained.

The regulations for the maintenance of due cleanliness among the
ships' companies were principally the same as those established on
the preceding voyage. As a source of rational amusement to the
men, soon after our arrival I proposed to Captain Lyon and the
officers of both ships once more to set on foot a series of
theatric