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51 in the Western Arctic Sea. carried into the warmer atmosphere between decks, where we were obliged to hang them on lines. A considerable supply of Donkin’s preserved meat, of concentrated vegetable soup, vine gar, lime-juice, wine, beer, &c. furnished the means of varying the provisions served out for the ship’s company; and whenever any game has been procured, it has been divided, without the smallest distinction of quality or quantity, among officers and men. Our bread is baked on board instead of bringing out biscuit. To give you, my dear Thomas, some notion of the manner in which our time on board is usually employed, you must know that the day and night are each divided into four watches of three hours each. At six in the morning the men are called up, and the decks are cleaned with warm sand. At eight all go to break fast, and at a quarter past nine the men are inspected on deck. While the examination is going on below, the men have a run on deck. They are then, if the weather permit, sent to take exercise on shore till noon, when they dine. In bad weather they walk or run, or dance on deck, keeping time to an organ, or to their own song; the officers exercise themselves also on shore, from noon till two when they go to dinner. The danger of snow-drifts however confines these excursions to narrow bounds. In the afternoon the men are employed below in various ways, preparing articles necessary for the ship. At six P. M. they are again inspected and go to supper, after which they amuse themselves in any way they choose, at various''games, dancing, singing, on the lower deck till nine, when they go to bed, and their lights are extin guished. The officers have tea while the men are at supper, and in reading or writing, conversation, a game at chess, a tune on the violin or the flute, pass the time till half-past ten, when all not on duty retire to rest. To guard against the danger from fire, proper officers visit the lower deck every half hour; and large holes are opened twice a day, close by the ship’s sides, to obtain water. On Sundays di vine service is performed in both ships, and a sermon read; and you can not conceive with what propriety and decorum it is attend ed by every man of the crew. When the ships were properly arranged, and the system of dis cipline and economy was established, a plan was pitched upon for establishing an observatory. The spot was nearly half a mile to the westward of the ships, and a wooden building was erected on a more sheltered position, to hold the astronomical clocks and other instruments. So hard frozen was the ground that it was with great difficulty holes could be made, to fix the posts of the house, which was framed of double planks, with a stuffing of moss ; so that it is hoped a stove may be able to keep it in an