of March; and, on the western passages, nine hours and forty-three minutes in May, to the westward of 70° longitude, and six hours and thirty-six minutes in August, between the 23d and 33d meridians; while not a particle of ice has been seen during the entire season. Bergs have no doubt been reported to the southward of these tracks this year, but very rarely, and so few of them reach this latitude that the chances of seeing any are very small.
What this immunity from fog and ice means may be appreciated by any one, landsman or sailor, who will take the trouble to look over the files of the "New York Herald" for the "reports" of arrivals of steamers, or those of the New York "Maritime Register," where their logs are published. Here are a few, selected at random:
"Steamer 'Nevada' (Br.), Liverpool: April 12th, passed several large icebergs, and great quantities of field-ice."—Ibid., April 24th.
"Halifax, April 26th: The steamer 'Mark Lane' left Dundee, . . . thirty-six days ago. Three weeks ago the ice was sighted and every effort was made to keep away from it, but without success, and the steamer was soon in the midst of a vast field, with a very slight prospect of an early escape. From then until last Monday, although clear water would sometimes be reached for a short time, ice was never lost sight of. . . . Shortly after getting into the ice the coal on board gave out. . . . All the wood available was then obtained and burned, and at last the shipping (shifting?) boards had to be cut away, and even the topmast broken up for fire-wood."—Ibid., about April 27th.
"Steamer 'Daniel Stienmann' (Belg.), Antwerp, April 12th: Had strong southwest winds to longitude 40°; thence variable winds, foggy and misty weather. April 25th, passed a large iceberg; 28th, saw a large iceberg, and subsequently passed fifteen others, also an ice-field ten miles long; steered one hundred miles southwest by west one half west (south 37° west true?), when the last iceberg was passed."—Ibid., May 2d.
"Boston, May 1st: The British steamer 'Glamorgan,' of the Warren line, arrived here this morning from Liverpool. . . . About four o'clock on the morning of the 26th (April), while going eleven knots an hour, she ran into a field of pack-ice and icebergs; . . . a run of twenty miles was made to the southeast, when the ship was put on her course again. She steamed one hundred and sixty miles on the southern edge of the field-ice, and during that time passed fully one hundred large icebergs. . . . The course of the vessel was changed, as the presence of the ice made it necessary, and a long passage was the result."—Ibid., May 2d.
"Steamer 'Jason' (Dutch), Amsterdam, April 20th: May 1st, fell in with ice, and remained in it three days; passed numerous very large icebergs; had a hole stove in fore-peak."—Ibid., May 12th.
