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[[margin]] Wednesday 1860
Aug. 15 [[/margin]]

for 1/2 its amount & that I would find to ask if he would not trust me with a credit of the some amt. Capt. Allen said that he would see Capt. B. in relative to the matter. & thus it was left. The price asked was $140. The same as he said, he had paid for it. In justice [[insertion]] myself in relation [[/insertion]] to my peculiar situation of being here without a good pocket chronometer I will say that [[underlined]] I spared no exertions at home to get this almost indispensible instrument. [[/underlined]] Not only this, but other instruments I needed, but - [[underlined]] I am thankful for what I did get [[/underlined]]! Honor & gratitude to one man above all others of my countrymen for his liberality toward the expenses of this expedition. I will reveal his honored name: Henry Grinnell. A few others with a tenth part of his voluntary [[assistance]] which he advanced [[strikethrough]] me [[/strikethrough]] would have supplied me with all that could have been desired. 
A chronometer should go hand in hand with the Sextant. The former a great - a ready means of determining one's Longitude - the later his Latitude. The importance of my having [[insertion]] what would complete [[strikethrough]] my [[/strikethrough]][[/insertion]] these means [[strikethrough]] as would be rendered by having [[/strikethrough]] (Capt. A.'s time piece) was pressed home upon [[insertion]] him [[/insertion]] (Capt. A.) as warmly as my heart dictated which was warm indeed. 
Capt. Allen & Capt. B. have conferred together. Capt. Allen says that if he was sure I would return alive to the States at the time I expect (end of three years) he would'nt mind [[strikethrough]] mind [[/strikethrough]] running 1/2 the risk, [[insertion]] as [[/insertion]] it is, he could do nothing but sell the watch for ready pay. Whether this ends the matter I know not - I trust not!

To-day I was [[insertion]] much [[/insertion]] amused with the Esquimaux "Mgat" in his one hundred attempts to pick up some [[strikethrough]] Mercury [[/strikethrough]] Mercury (Quicksilver) which I [[insertion]] had [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] leaked [[/strikethrough]] out upon a sheet of white paper. The metal assumed a globular shape & looked precisely like shot made of [[tin?]]. This was probably one of the most remarkable incidents of his life. An Esquimaux usually is stoical [[insertion]] no [[/insertion]] matter what the character of the thing they witness; but this was beyond his comprehension & one that entirely upsat his established education in use of metals. After nearly half an hour's attempt, he finally failed in acquiring a knowledge of the element before him - failed in further perseverance & in temper bursting out in some of the round [[oaths?]] which he had learned of the Whalers. He declared the devil was in that if in nothing else!