The Missionary shewed me a Testament, Creed, and Lord’s Prayer, in the Esquimaux tongue: but it will be easily imagined that many deficiencies must have arisen in the first instance; consequently, whenever the Esquimaux were at a loss for words to express any new idea, or the name of any article that they had not before seen, the Missionary supplied them with a corresponding German expression; as the German language, of all others, is most easily pronounced by an Esquimaux.
An English frigate had been on a cruize in Davis’ Straits; and returning thence, along the coast of Labrador, she put into a little bay, for the purpose of procuring a supply of wood and water. The affrighted Esquimaux flew to their beloved Missionary, and pointed out the strange vessel as the cause of their fear: they were, however, soon pacified, and returned quietly to their occupations. Nothing, then, could equal the astonishment of the officers, on landing; when, instead of a wild race of savages, prepared to oppose them, they found a small village, inhabited by an inoffensive people, peaceably employed in their daily duties; and the little children going quietly to school, with books under their arms. Their surprise, however, must have been greatly increased, when they were given to understand, that all this had been accomplished by one man, zealously actuated by a wish of serving his God, in the services he had rendered to these poor Indians[8].
July 25th.—Course run, W. by N. 35 miles. Light variable winds from the southward. We were this morning visited by an officer from one of the Hudson’s-Bay ships; an intelligent man, who had thirty times performed the same voyage. It was his opinion, that the sharp cold, which we had experienced on the 18th of this month, must have been occasioned by the vicinity of ice; and we should doubtless have met with it on that day, had we not fortunately tacked about in time to avoid it. Our latitude at noon, this day, was 58°. 46′. N., and longitude 50°. 16′. W. Towards nightfall, the wind freshened to a fine steady breeze from S. S. W.; and we could plainly discern a bright appearance in the sky, towards the North; this was believed by every person on board to be a certain indication of ice in that direction.
July 26th.—Course run W. by N. 128 miles.—A fine fair breeze all this day; the ship going about seven miles an hour. In the forenoon, we took on board the chief-mate of the Prince of Wales, (one of the Hudson’s-Bay ships,) to act as pilot, or rather to instruct us in the management of our ship, amongst the ice in the Straits. He immediately advised us to raise our anchors, lest the shocks of the heavier masses of ice should break the stocks: we also rove smaller braces to all the yards, that we might be able to manœuvre the ship with the greater facility. At noon, we were in latitude, by account, 50°. 11′. N., and longitude 54°. 20′. W. We now kept our course more to the northward, to prevent the possibility of our falling in with the ice to the southward; as there are always large quantities drifting out of Hudson’s Straits, along the coast of Labrador. Ships do well, therefore, to keep to the northward, until they reach the latitude of Cape Resolution; and when that is attained, they may haul in N. W. and keep close in to the North shore; thus making a semicircle round the ice: but they should be particularly cautious not to keep too much to the North, until they reach the longitude of 54° W. and are consequently quite clear of the coast of Greenland.
July 27th.—Course run N. W. by W. 182 miles. As we were now getting well to the northward, the air began to feel quite frigid; and the wind drawing round to the East, we hauled up North. Latitude, at noon, was 60°. 54′. N. Longitude, 59°. 19′. Our distance from Cape Resolution we computed to be about 171 miles. In the afternoon we saw the first iceberg, which was an immense mountain of solid ice, in the shape of an English barn[9].
Towards evening, we passed another iceberg. It had a complete chain of floating fragments on the lee-side of it, through which we butted our way. We continued to run in for the land, all night, with a fair wind, although it was a very thick fog, and there were numberless icebergs in all directions; indeed, it appeared to me almost miraculous, how we escaped being dashed upon some of them.
July 28th.—The thick fog still continued, until 9 A.M. when it suddenly cleared up, and we saw the island of Cape Resolution, bearing E. N. E. about eighteen miles distant. We had been long wishing to get into the Straits; and now that object was accomplished, we as sincerely wished ourselves back again into the ocean. The prospect on every side was of the most gloomy nature: the black and craggy mountains on shore were only visible towards their bases; their summits being covered with eternal snows, and the aspect of the countless icebergs, on all sides of us, truly terrific. The strong southerly current continually setting out from all the Northern seas has been hypothetically explained, by supposing that Nature thus supplies the deficiency of water occasioned by the evaporation caused by the heat of the sun between the Tropics. It is not my intention to discuss this philosophical question: suffice it to say, that I can bear testimony to the existence of such a current in all the Northern seas, and along the Coast of Labrador and Newfoundland, facing the Atlantic; and the effect caused by the continual flowing of the waters towards the South, is attended with the most beneficial effects; as the Northern seas are consequently cleared of the vast accumulation of ice, which would otherwise infallibly block them up, and render all navigation impracticable. We had taken care to get into the latitude of Lake Resolution, before we bore away to make the land; and although, in running in for the Cape, we still continued to steer a point to the northward of our true course, yet, after all, the southerly current proved so strong, as to set us to the southward of our land-fall: and on our making the Cape, it was eighteen miles to the northward of us.
During the remainder of the day, we were endeavouring, with light winds from the N. E. to get in with the north shore; and towards evening we saw much field ice towards the south. As the setting sun had a different appearance to what it generally exhibits in England, perhaps it may be thought worthy of notice. Although it glittered to the eye, and threw a golden tint on the water, yet it produced no rays, and might be viewed, for any length of time, without paining the sight by its refulgence. So far was it from bestowing warmth, that the air appeared more intensely cold than it had been during the whole of the preceding day. The clouds, in parallel lines immediately above the descending luminary, exhibited, in the most beautiful manner, all the varieties of the rainbow; the dusky red and deep blue being the most predominant colours. If to all this we add the dazzling reflection which glittered from the snow-capp’d summits of the rugged mountains, and the shining fantastic forms of the floating icebergs in the Straits, the prospect will easily be imagined to have excited in our minds those feelings, which induce the mariner, as well as the poet,
“To look, through Nature, up to Nature’s God!”
At midnight we passed an immense iceberg, which roared like a thunder storm; occasioned, perhaps, by some cavity in its side, through which the sea was bursting. It was nearly a calm; and the surface of the sea was quite smooth at the moment, attended with that gentle undulating swell which is always prevalent in deep waters.