the surface of the water at the beginning of winter, when the
frost first commenced, and perhaps, therefore, had been floating
there dead. We remarked that, whenever any hard substance is laid
upon the ice in small quantities, it soon makes a deep hole for
itself, by the heat it absorbs and radiates, by which the ice
around it is melted. There were at this time upon the ice
innumerable holes of this kind, some forming small, and others
large pools of water; and in every one of these, without
exception, some extraneous substance, such as seaweed, sand, and
not unfrequently a number of small putrid shrimps were found. In
one of these holes the fish alluded to were found. It was curious
to see how directly contrary was the effect produced upon the ice
by a quantity of straw which was put out upon it in the early part
of May, and which, by preventing the access of warmth, had now
become raised above the general surface more than two feet;
affording a strong practical example of the principle on which
straw is made use of in ice-houses, and, what was at that time of
more importance to us, a proof, how much the upper surface of the
ice had been insensibly wasted by dissolution.

Lieutenant Hoppner returned on the evening of the 29th from his
hunting excursion to the southwest, bringing with him some game,
and, what was to us much more acceptable, the welcome information
that the ice had been observed in motion in the offing on the 22d.
This circumstance was first observed by Messrs. Skene and Fife,
who were of Lieutenant Hoppner's party, and who were awakened by a
loud grinding noise, which, as they had soon the satisfaction to
find, was occasioned by the heavy field-ice setting rapidly to the
eastward, at the distance of five miles from the land, and
apparently at the rate of a mile an hour. The wind was at this