CHAPTER IV. Extent of damage ascertained.-Captain Buchan's determinanation thereupon. - Description of the anchorage, and of the adjoining coast.-Geological feature.-Line of perpetual snow.-Glaciers, their formation, &c.-Danger of approaching them. As soon as the Expedition was securely moored at South Gat, an inspection of the hulls of both vessels took place. The Trent was found to have sustained less injury than the Dorothea, which had the greater part of her timbers either broken or shook, and several of her beams sprung. The larboard side had been forced in so much, that several spare oak planks, four and five inches in thickness, which were stowed in the wing, were found broken in various places. The spiritroom, which was built in the centre of the ship, was forced in; many casks of provision, stowed in the body of the hold, were stove, and even some that were bedded in coals in the ground tier had their staves broken. It is hardly possible to imagine such extensive mischief occur K 130 ing to any vessel without her immediately foundering, and it is quite evident that, under Providence, nothing but the judicious precaution of lining the vessels with felt prevented the occurrence of that disaster. FUTURE PROCEEDINGS CONSIDERED. As soon as the extent of the damage the Dorothea had sustained was communicated to Captain Buchan, he began seriously to consider the propriety of complying with that part of his Instructions which directed that, in the event of his own vessel being disabled, he should abandon her, and prosecute the voyage singly in the Trent.* The subject was naturally one of great anxiety, from the conflicting arguments which arose in the course of its consideration; and the urgent request of the commander of the Trent that he might be allowed to proceed in his own vessel upon the interesting service still unexecuted, rather increased than diminished the embarrassment. To have taken command of the Trent himself would have been Captain Buchan's straightforward line of duty as pointed out by the Instructions; but, either to have done this, or have complied with Lieutenant Franklin's solicitation, would have subjected the Dorothea to the necessity of returning home unaccompanied, which might have proved fatal to * See Instructions. CAPTAIN BUCHAN'S DETERMINATION. 131 all her crew; and, in addition, by taking command of the Trent himself, Captain Buchan felt he would incur the appearance of wishing to escape the danger to which his crew would be exposed. To this, therefore, he determined on no account to accede; and as to Lieutenant Franklin's request, he preferred taking upon himself the responsibility of appearing to deviate from his Instructions, rather than subject his crew to the risk of proceeding home singly in a vessel so shattered and unsafe. He finally determined, therefore, upon remaining in his own ship, and sharing the fate of those who had accompanied him in so many trials and dangers, retaining also the Trent as a convoy. The next consideration was, whether something more might not yet be accomplished by a boat expedition over the ice; but, upon consulting with Lieutenant Franklin, and examining into the resources of the ships for such an enterprise, they were found so inadequate to the purpose that the project was speedily given up. Captain Buchan was thus reluctantly compelled to abandon all further discovery, and to proceed to England as soon as the necessary repairs of his vessel should be completed. It was now proposed to make the most of the few days which the vessels had to remain at the anchorage. Mr. Fisher, the astronomer, was directed to fix his observatory upon Dane's Island, and to commence his observations on the pendulum, the dip, and the intensity of the needle, the results of which I have briefly given in the Appendix, as they have been published elsewhere by that gentleman; and Lieutenant Franklin and myself were employed to construct a plan of the port and the adjacent islands, which indeed was much required, as the charts that were before in use were extremely incorrect, so much so that even the number of islands was erroneously given. We also assisted Mr. Fisher in determining the geographical position of the observatory. In the prosecution of our duties we were led to all parts of the coast which could be conveniently reached by a boat. We found the shores of this part of Spitzbergen in general very steep, for, with the exception of here and there a narrow flat bordering upon the sea, they speedily rise into mountains of from two thousand feet and upwards in height, increasing to a far greater altitude in the interior. These hills are, for the most part, inaccessible, either on account of the abruptness of the ascent, or of the treacherous nature of their surfaces, upon which large stones and fragments of the mountain are so lightly poised, that the smallest additional weight precipitates them to the bottom of the hill. I have already described the difficulty of the ascent of Rotge Hill; the same difficulty we found to beset the ascents in other parts of the coast. This impediment did not escape the notice of early navigators, some of whom lost their lives in their endeavour to overcome it. Martens, speaking upon this subject, recommends chalking the footsteps during the ascent, in order that the descent may be more easy and certain, and others have had recourse to various expedients. But, how far these recommendations are to be followed it is not my intention to inquire; I mention the circumstance merely to show, that the unusual precipitancy of the elevations has incurred general observation. The summits of the mountains, which form an extensive range, traversing the island in a north and south direction, terminate in remarkably sharp peaks, from which, as I have elsewhere observed, the island has derived its name. The lateral ridges which branch off from this great chain are less pointed, and sometimes partake of the appearance of a house-top, of which there is a remarkable instance on the north side of Magdalena Bay. These ridges, however, are sufficiently surmounted by peaks to form a strong |