never-failing specific for scorbutic affections, to which all
persons deprived of it for a length of time are probably more or
less predisposed.

By the 20th of June, the land in the immediate neighbourhood of
the ships, and especially in low and sheltered situations, was
much covered with the handsome purple flower of the _saxifraga
oppositifolia_, which was at this time in great perfection, and
gave something like cheerfulness and animation to a scene hitherto
indescribably dreary in its appearance.

The suddenness with which the changes take place during the short
season which may be called summer in this climate, must appear
very striking when it is remembered that, for a part of the first
week in June, we were under the necessity of thawing artificially
the snow which we made use of for water during the early part of
our journey to the northward; that, during the second week, the
ground was in most parts so wet and swampy that we could with
difficulty travel; and that, had we not returned before the end of
the third week, we should probably have been prevented doing so
for some time, by the impossibility of crossing the ravines
without great danger of being carried away by the torrents, an
accident that happened to our hunting parties on one or two
occasions in endeavouring to return with their game to the ships.

On the 22d, at four P.M., a thermometer, in the shade on board the
Hecla, stood at 51°, being the highest temperature we had yet
registered this season.

On the 24th we had frequent showers of snow, which occur in this