ey were tried at Woolwich, in the
presence of many naval and military officers, as to their qualities of
sailing, rowing, and paddling, and found to answer fully the
expectations that had been formed of them. At the same time we tried
another little vessel belonging to the Expedition, named the
Walnut-Shell, the invention and construction of which I owe to my friend
Lieutenant-Colonel Pasley, of the Royal Engineers. Its length was nine
feet, its breadth four feet four inches, and it was framed of
well-seasoned ash, fastened with thongs, covered with Mr. Mackintosh's
prepared canvas, and shaped like one valve of a walnut-shell, whence its
appellation. It weighed only eighty-five pounds, could, when taken to
pieces, be made up in five or six parcels, and was capable of being put
together in less than twenty minutes. So secure was this little vessel,
that several ladies, who had honoured the trial of the boats with their
presence, fearlessly embarked in it, and were paddled across the Thames
in a fresh breeze. It was intended to provide against a similar
detention in crossing rivers to that which proved so fatal to our party
on the former journey; and it was also thought, that this little bark
would be found useful in procuring water-fowl on the small lakes, to
which the boats could not be conveyed.

In the choice of astronomical instruments I was necessarily guided by
their portability. Our stock consisted of two small sextants, two
artificial horizons, two altitude instruments, a repeating circle for
lunar observations, and a small transit telescope for ascertaining the
rates of the chronometers. We had a dipping needle mounted on Meyer's
plan, a plain needle very delicately fitted for observing the diurnal
variation; two of Kater's azimuth compasses, and a pocket compass for
each officer. The atmospherical instruments were two electrometers, two
of Daniel's hygrometers, Leslie's photometer and hygrometer, besides a
good supply of mercurial and spirit thermometers of different sizes. The
magnetic instruments were examined in concert with my friend Captain
Sabine, previous to my departure from London; and the observations that
were obtained for dip and intensity, served as points of comparison for
our future results.

The stores consisted of bedding and clothing, including two suits of
waterproof dresses for each person, prepared by Mr. Mackintosh, of
Glasgow; our guns had the same bore with the fowling-pieces, supplied