Litchfield enquirer., 1850-01-10
Winter in the Polar Rsgions,

in Port Leopold, a spacious harbor, with excellent groundingA deep water. They ! entered the harbor onthe l4th of SepleIn> f Der (l64S) al which time it was perfectly \ clear of ice. An interesting account of the | manner in which the long and dreary win l ter of six months was passed, we cepy from I an English paper:-
 The provisions were deposited with all despatch under the impression that the exs | petition would start the next morning bui1 on the 18th the significant appearance ofI the young ice setting in very sharp aud the probability of being frozen in ata more l disadvantageous position, Sir-IameS Ross was induced to delay his departure, and Gl- f tima,ely to make this anchorage his Bin. ter quarters, this being the most eligible point of departure in the ensuing spring. - In the course of few days Sir James's pre-, dic,ions were verified ;-lhe harbor contin- ued to freeze over, alternately freezing and clearing until abou, the 24th, when the ice became settled. The crew were now employed 10 cut cane forty fAaa wIls, leading in towards f the north. east side of the harboI, and pros
 tected, by Whaler's Point, from any heavy pressure of ice setting in from the inlet, or Barrow's Straits. This harbor was found 10 be most connections and safe, with good depth of water and sandy bottom. The ice was perfectly fiat and frozen oyer with as plain surface as the Serpentine in aIaNu%' ary. The ships were moored abreast each other, about 20Q yards apart. As soon as they were frozen in, they were housed over from the forecastle to the mizen-m&st, and
 the anchors were weighed and slowed.
 The crews then commenced building
 wall of snow seven feet high, from one ship
 to the other, to facilitate communication, and the next thing was the erecting of all observatory for each ship for magnetic obs seryations. They were composed entirely
 of snow, with plates of ice for the windows. They were six feet high inside, and built of l snow bricks one foot thick aRd two feel
 long, cut out with cutlass, and well l squared and trimmed. these little houses displaying tasteful, varied, and, in some instances, fantastic forms of architecture. The wall of communication required great
 attention, from the accumulation of snow.
 The sun was not seen from the Eth of Nos
 vember until the 9th of February from the
 ship, but from the top of hill N. E. Cape
 Leopold, sight was caught of him SO ear-
 ly as the 26th of January. During the
 long evenings, from October till May,
 schools were formed along the midshipl
 part of the lower decks, which were well
 attended by the young men, who were in
 srucied in reading. writing and arithme" 1 tic, on board the Enterprise, by the clerk,
 and a youngster from Greenwich scheoL named Gransell, second class vOlunteer,
 taught the pupils navigation. Many ct
 the scholars ,. de great progress in their
 studies curing the six months. Ample
 tins was allowed to the clews of both ships
 to meet each ether, and games Of football
 and other exercises relieved the poHpiony f which surrounded them.
 During the whole of that dreary winter, I the only other living animals seen were the white foxes. These were not allowed to be shot. but as many were taken alive as could be trapped, and about forty were thus sent away with copper collars round their netks, upon which were stamped the names sf the ships, and the localities of the dspots of provisions, &c. As it was well known that these foxes travelan imnenss distance. this measure was resorted to with the view of making them the possible medium of ac> quainting the missing parties with the means taken for their relief and succor.- The foxes were caught in barrel convert cd into a door-trap, and to show the inten> sity of the cold, il may be stated that the poor little animals, in endeayoring to es> cape. often attempt to gnaw the iron bars,
 when in many cases, their tongues adhered
 to the iron, and were frozen off, when they
 were killed from motives of humanity The foxes were facetiously denominated l sTwo-penny Post-m The thermometer at this time was about IS below zero but
 the Sylvester stove apparatus, which an swered admirably well, always kept the low. CT decks at temperature of between % and 60 degrees.
 Christmas day and New Years day
 were kept as seaSons of fun and jollity.- Double allowance of spirits and provisions
 was served out and every one fared sump>
 tuousIy. The health of the Queen was drank with devotion, loyalty and enthusi- asm by the gallant little band; "absent friends'' and "sweet hearts and wives"
 were not forgotten and the dance and song enliyened the festivities. For few hours the outward world was forgotten in ihe iovouS realization of the comforts and happiness of home.
 I employed in making tools and portable ap
 paraius for travelling in the spring, and some parties were employed in laying down gravel on the ice, to facilitate the cutting of passage for the ships from the harbor at the proper season. The gravel which was taken from the shore on sledgeS, was laid so as to absorb the sun's rays, which, acting upon the ice, spredisposed is to rot and.,o melt away. This werk very much assisted the aFdaous task of cuhing a ca nal oui of the harbor of fifty feet wide, and two miles and . half long. These and othsr exercises during the winter some what acclimated the men. inured them to sustain the privations which they subse. que ently encountered in the searching sxpe- ditions. All around Leopold Harbor notk. ing vas Ssen bu. snow, rocks HOO feet high bounded each side, and . narrow low ridge Al kAwa