August 9th.—The day had just began to dawn, when an animal was observed swimming near the ship: we at first conjectured it to be a seal, and accordingly sent a quarter-master over the ice, to knock it on the head, if it attempted to get upon it; but the man was fain to make a rapid retreat, when he discovered the form of a prodigious bear emerging from the water. This enormous creature came close to the ship’s head; and had I been armed with a pistol only, it would have been easy to have dispatched him; but during the time we were all bustling for a musquet, the bear marched up the field of ice. Mr. Wells, a young midshipman, and myself, instantly pursued him, by different routes; but the grey of the twilight was favourable to him; and his hide being but a shade or two deeper than the ice itself, he escaped unseen. We afterwards traced his footsteps to the edge of the ice, opposite the spot where he landed, and he must therefore have replunged into the sea from that place. I mention this circumstance to shew in what manner these animals contrive to procure subsistence: they swim, during the night, in the quiet manner now described; and drawing close to a piece of ice, they immediately smell if there be any seals upon the top of it; in which case they ascend gently on the opposite side, and suddenly springing upon the sleeping seal, they instantly tear it in pieces.—As this proved to be a fine day, we drew our seamen out upon the ice, and exercised them by firing at a target. Towards evening the ice began to loosen considerably.
August 10th.—A fine day; but the ice still close. Wind remains at N. W. During the last twenty-four hours, the Eddystone again appeared in sight; and towards evening, she again neared us considerably. We believed this to be owing to her having got into a southerly current. Our latitude this day was 62°. 50′. N.; and at night-fall the thermometer stood at 28°.
August 11th.—At 4 A.M. ungrappled, and got under sail, with a fair wind, running a zig-zag course amongst the ice; the ship, at intervals, striking excessively hard. Towards evening, we again grappled to a piece of ice; and, upon inspection, we found several more trunnels started, and the ship much shaken, by her repeated blows. The Admiralty must certainly have been deceived by the Hudson’s-Bay Company, respecting a Voyage to Hudson’s Bay; or they certainly would never have sent a ship of war to perform it, without previously strengthening her for the occasion. It is exceedingly dangerous for any ship to attempt a passage through the sea of ice in Hudson’s Straits, unless her bows be doubled with oak-plank and heavy blocks of wood, bolted to each side of her cutwater; as the floating masses of ice may be considered so many rocks of crystal.
This day, in a vacancy between the ice, we saw the first regular whale. On his second rising to blow, I discharged a load of small shot into his back; at which, however, he did not even seem to feel the least annoyance, though we saw him no more.
August 12th.—At day-light, ungrappled, with a light wind at south; but, to our great mortification, we were again obliged to anchor, at noon, to a field of ice about half a mile long; and both the other ships made fast to the same piece, so that we could walk across the ice to visit each other. Our people were immediately set to work; and in three hours’ time, we had filled fifty-six casks with snow-water, from a large pond on the ice. We had Charles’ Island in sight, bearing W. N. W. about nine leagues distant. This small island is on the southern shore of the Straits, in the narrowest part; the channel there not being above twenty miles broad. Charles’ Island lies about twenty-one leagues to the west of Lady Lake’s Inlet; and hence the ships leave the northern shore, and steer for the south end of Salisbury Island, lying off Cape Diggs, at the western extremity of Hudson’s Straits.
The ice continuing very close all around us, we were compelled to remain in this situation, without ungrappling, for five days; in which nothing occurred worthy of notice.
Appearance of the Entrance of Prince of Wales’s Sound, bearing S.W.½W. about nine leagues.—taken August 17, 1814.
The Rosamond grappled among close Ice.