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[[boxed]] 1860 Thurs. Nov. 22 [[/boxed]] & down in the hands of a [[underlined]] fifes & drummers [[/underlined]] to make our tactics 'eminently' military in name [[strikethrough]] like [[/strikethrough]] & fact. IX O'Clock night The Moon is now seen [[strikethrough]] now [[/strikethrough]] struggling to give us light but the vapory clouds nearly close it from view. Now & then a star [[strikethrough]] show [[/strikethrough]] peeks out a moment as if to say: 'I am here'. How distant the chances of getting siderial observations! The Navigator during this season of the year must look well to his [[underlined]] "Dead Reckoning" [[/underlined]], providing he is on the deck. While he has the Sun, or Moon, or stars occasionally in view, all will go well with him; but shut out all these for days, aye weeks & what can he do without careful attention to his Dead Reckoning? Ice still forming [[strikethrough]] on [[/strikethrough]] 'in'. The Easterly & Southerly winds of to-day have been the Main Cause of this. Wind at this hour IX o'clk 1/2 o'clock Night South Bar. 29.100 Therm[[guess]] 28[[degree symbol]] [[line across page]] 1860 Friday Nov. 23d This Morning on going on deck, What was the sight before me? Was I dreaming? Had our vessel been torn [[strikethrough]] itself [[/strikethrough]] from [[strikethrough]] her [[/strikethrough]] the place of her mooring & drifted into unknown parts? A short space of time resolved these questions. Not only the increasing light of day, but that light of [[underlined]] reflection [[/underlined]] within my [[strikethrough]] sol [[/strikethrough]] soul served to determine: [[underlined]] we were still in our old quarters [[/underlined]] - saftely[[guess]] & now fixedly here! The change [[end page]] [[start page]] [[boxed]] 1860 Friday Nov 23 [[/boxed]] that has taken place in this Harbor during the last few hours are truly astonishing! Almost Magical! At XII, Wednesday Noon, we were firmly imbeded in ice that seemed firm for the Winter. At 6 o'clock P.M. of said day in some places the ice began to give way. During that night, all the ice left the Harbor & Bay under the influence of the prevailing gale from the N.E. Morning of yesterday, the wind shifted to the E.S.E. & this fresh continued [[strikethrough]] 'strong [[/strikethrough]] till P.M., when it came [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] moderately from the South. By three o'clock 30 min, the ice was seen coming into the Harbor which [[strikethrough]] before [[/strikethrough]] at that time was perfectly clear of it. And so far as we could see "Rescue Bay" was free also. [[underlined]] This Morning, the Harbor & Bay [[/underlined]] (save a narrow channel of open water on the further side of Rescue Bay which we can see from the Mast-head) [[underlined]] are completely packed with ice! [[/underlined]] Up to the extent of the Bay, N.N.W., running 15 miles all [[underlined]] is firm [[/underlined]] in ice! To give an idea of the [[underlined]] compacting [[/underlined]] of the ice [[underlined]] here, there, & everywhere, [[/underlined]] as far as the [[strikethrough]] ey [[/strikethrough]] eye can [[strikethrough]] see [[/strikethrough]] reach, I will [[strikethrough]] her [[/strikethrough]] make record of the fact that nearly the whole of the forenoon of this day was consummed by all hands in liberating the "George Henry" from her ice prison sufficient to draw [[strikethrough]] ing [[/strikethrough]] her 1/4 of her length! It must be born in mind that all this ice, of which I write, has come from some unknown quarter - probably from Davis Strait. Pack-ice, indeed, has us at last. By this term "pack" I mean, a body of drift ice of such magnitude that its extent is not discernible! It is both heavy & light - much of it 5 to 7 feet in thickness - mostly however 1 foot to 3 feet. (XII O'Clk Meridian) The temperature of the sea-water ^[[at]] this time is 26[[degree symbol]] - Air at this moment 18[[degree symbol]] Bar 29.550 Wind West & fresh
