properly taken care of, and bring them with you. The carpenter of the
'Eothen' will, before you start on your sledge journey, prepare
boxes necessary for the care of relics, remains, or records, should you
discover the same. Whatever you may discover or obtain you will deliver
to Captain Thomas F Barry, or whoever shall be in command of the
schooner 'Eothen', or such vessel as may be despatched for you.
You are now provisioned for eighteen months for twelve men. I shall
next spring send more provisions to you, so that in the event of your
trip being prolonged you shall not want for any of the necessaries of
life. You will be careful and economical with your provisions, and will
not allow anything to be wasted or destroyed. Should the expedition for
which it is intended prove a failure, make it a geographical success,
as you will be compelled to travel over a great deal of unexplored
country."

Thus manned, equipped, and instructed, we sailed from New York. It was
nearly a month before we saw our first iceberg. During the night of
July 11th I heard the order given to wear ship, and was called on deck
to see an iceberg dead ahead; but so great was the distance and so
foggy the weather that it was some time before I could make it out, and
then it appeared only as a thin, faintly bluish line. The eagle eyes of
the second mate had discovered it in time to avoid any danger of
collision; but the captain thought it more prudent to heave to and wait
until dawn before continuing on our course. The following morning a
regular old veteran berg could be seen from the deck, about twenty
miles away. It was apparently about a mile long, and could have
supplied the city of New York with ice for many years, were there any
way to preserve it for that purpose. During the 13th we saw four large
icebergs, which passed close by the ship. While writing in the cabin,
about eleven o'clock of the 15th, the mate on watch called me on deck