s discussions and doubts as to the trustworthiness
of the observer, was certainly quite correct, and may be repeated at
any time by cooling mercury under its freezing-point in a
thermometer of sufficient length divided into degrees under 0 deg..
The freezing of mercury[259] takes place from below upwards,
the frozen metal as being heavier sinking down in that portion which
is still fluid. If when it is half frozen the fluid be poured away
from the frozen portion, we obtain groups of crystals, composed of
small octohedrons, grouped together by the edges of the cube. None
of our mercurial thermometers suffered any damage, nor was there any
alteration of the position of the freezing-point in them from the
mercury having frozen in them and again become fluid.

During the severe cold the ice naturally became thicker and thicker,
and by the continual northerly winds still higher _torosses_ were
heaped up round the vessel, and larger and larger snow masses were
collected between it and the land, and on the heights along the
coast. All hopes or fears of an early release were again given up,
and a perceptible dullness began to make itself felt after the
bustle and festrvities of the Christmas holidays. Instead there was
now arranged a series of popular lectures which were held in the
lower deck, and treated of the history of the North-East Passage,
the first circumnavigations of the globe, the Austrian-Hungarian
Expedition, the changes of the earth's surface, the origin of man,
the importance of the leaf to the plants, &c. It became both for the
officers and scientific men and the crew a little interruption to
the monotony of the Arctic winter life, and the lecturer could
always be certain of finding his little auditory all present and
highly interested. Some slight attempts at musical evening
entertainments were also made, but these failed for want of musical
instruments and musical gifts among the _Vega_ men. We had among us
no suitable director of theatrical representations after the
English-Arctic pattern, and even if we had had, I fear that the
director would have found it very difficult to gather together the
dramatic talents requisite for his entertainment.

On the 17th February Lieutenant Brusewitz made an excursion to
Najtskaj, of which he gives the following account:--

"I and Notti left the vessel in the afternoon, and after
two hours came to Rirajtinop, Notti's home, where we
passed the night, togethe