A voyage to Spitzbergen / containing an account of that country, of the zoology of the North; of the Shetland Islands; and of the whale fishery

by John Laing

“The chase of the bear, who is never killed before January or February, when they are in the best condition, sets the courage and cool deliberation of the Finmarker in a most conspicuous point of view. In October, the Finmarker carefully watches the haunts of the bear, who, at that time, seeks for a winter retreat; and having marked it, returns in January to the attack. Having prepared a lance, to which a cross-bar is affixed, about one foot from the point, the Finmarker, when the wind is in a favourable direction, makes a large fire before the bear’s den; the smoke soon irritating the animals, they rush out, one by one: at this critical moment the Finmarker, concealing his lance, places himself behind the fire, and the bear, rearing on his hind legs, in order to seize him, he plunges his lance up to the cross-bar in his breast.[37] The rest are served in the same manner.

“The rein deer are here extremely plenty, and very dear; we paid L.2 for one of them. Certainly they had heard something of the wealth of John Bull.

“Some of the better sort of people at Hammerfest, possessed a few cows and sheep. The cows were not larger than a bull-dog, and the sheep like a good tom-cat.

“The female beauty of this place had sufficient attraction to induce the gentlemen of the Princess Carolina and Sybyll to give them a ball and supper. The invitation was quite general, and the whole went off with great eclat.

“Most of the Russian agents and merchants spoke the English language; but they were by no means anxious to communicate information which they thought might, one day or other, ruin their commercial pursuits. It was only when they got a good dinner, and plenty of wine, that any thing particular could be drawn from them.

“The Sybyll and Princess Carolina sailed from the Downs on the 6th of May, and on the 18th of August arrived in Long Hope Sound. Our highest latitude was 78° 16´, where we saw many of the Greenland ships. We sailed as far east as 32° 44´, and experienced one continued series of good weather. The thermometer never was below 26° in the night, and seldom above 44° in the day, with the exception of the time we were at Hammerfest.”

Mon. Day, and Year.	A.M or P.M.	Latitude in.	Longitude in.	☉ Amplitude corrected for dip, &c.	Ship’s head.	Magnetic amplitude.
1814
May	North.	East.
11	A.M.	53° 38	2° 22	24° 12	N.W.	S. 61° 15´ E.
12	A.M.	5 34	2 37	23 59	N.W.bN.	S. 61 20 E.
16	A.M.	57 2	3 37	2 1	N.N.E.	S. 66 45 E.
16	P.M.	57 53	2 21	21 32	NbW.½W.	N. 62 50 W
17	A.M.	59 4	0 32	14 42	N.bW.	S. 75 20 E.
24	P.M.	60 27	1 58	15 21	N.E.bE.	N. 50 15 W
25	A.M.	60 27	2 0	27 6	N.bW.	S. 60 40 E.
26	P.M.	60 52	2 50	18 33	N.E.	N. 58 40 W
June
2	P.M.	73 14	18 10	17 50	N.E.bN.	N. 60 30 W
4	P.M.	74 27	19 58	19 9	W.S.W.	N. 60 30 W
8	P.M.	73 59	29 55	18 20	N.E.bN.	N. 66 15 W
8	P.M.	74 0	29 52	15 22	W.S.W.	N. 48 40 W
13	P.M.	71 10	27 10	8 52	S.W.1/2S.	N. 25 0 W
18	P.M.	75 22	18 21	15 2	N.bE.	N. 37 50 W
26	P.M.	78 11	6 55	20 38	E.S.E.	N. 55 0 W
July
3	A.M.	72 53	21 21	17 47	S.S.E.	S. 78 40 E.
22	P.M.	70 27	10 38	17 14	E.S.E.	N. 61 30 W
Aug.
1	P.M.	68 58	10 25	15 26	W.½N.	N. 52 40 W
2	A.M.	68 33	9 10	13 40	W.½bS.S.	S. 79 32 E.
2	P.M.	68 20	8 59	14 32	S.S.W.	N. 55 30 W
2	P.M.	68 20	8 59	13 50	West,	N. 51 16 W
2	P.M.	68 20	8 59	12 57	N.E.bN.	N. 56 20 W
8	P.M.	67 37	3 20	15 6	South,	N. 57 35 W
11	A.M.	62 10	0 20	13 48	W.bN.	S. 65 55 E.
			West,
14	A.M.	61 23	0 6	20 18	W.1/2S.	S. 52 30 E.
14	P.M.	60 57	0 23	15 47	E.S.E.	N. 60 0 W
14	P.M.	60 57	0v 10	3 00	W.bS.	N. 34 30 W
15	P.M.	60 25	0 28	11 52	E.S.E.	N. 62C0 W
17	P.M.	59 7	— —	13 23	W.bS.	N. 55 30 W
Sept.			West,
2	A.M.	58 17	8 31	6 58	N.W.	S. 61 15 E.
2	A.M.	58 17	8 31	8v 26	North.	S. 62 17 E.
13	P.M.	49 59	6 22	8 12	S.E.bE.	N. 71 30 W
14	A.M.	49 6	— —	19 5	. . .	S. 46 30 E.
14	P.M.	——	— —	— —	. . .	N. 57 0 W