Everyone is wonderfully cheerful; there is laughter all day long.  Nelson finished his series of temperatures and samples to-day with an observation at 1800 metres.

Series of Sea Temperatures

Depth
Metres Temp. (uncorrected)

Dec. 14        0            -1.67
,,          10            -1.84
,,          20            -1.86
,,          30            -1.89
,,          50            -1.92
,,          75            -1.93
,,         100            -1.80
,,         125            -1.11
,,         150            -0.63
,,         200             0.24
,,         500             1.18
,,        1500             0.935
Dec. 17     1800             0.61
,,        2300             0.48
Dec. 15     2800             0.28
,,        3220             0.11
,,        3650            -0.13 no sample
,,        3891             bottom
Dec. 20     2300 (1260 fms.) 0.48 deg.  C.
,,        3220 (1760 fms.) 0.11 deg.  C.
,,        3300             bottom

A curious point is that the bottom layer is 2 tenths higher on the 20th, remaining in accord with the same depth on the 15th.

Sunday, December 18.—­In the night it fell calm and the floes opened out.  There is more open water between the floes around us, yet not a great deal more.

In general what we have observed on the opening of the pack means a very small increase in the open water spaces, but enough to convey the impression that the floes, instead of wishing to rub shoulders and grind against one another, desire to be apart.  They touch lightly where they touch at all—­such a condition makes much difference to the ship in attempts to force her through, as each floe is freer to move on being struck.

If a pack be taken as an area bounded by open water, it is evident that a small increase of the periphery or a small outward movement of the floes will add much to the open water spaces and create a general freedom.

The opening of this pack was reported at 3 A.M., and orders were given to raise steam.  The die is cast, and we must now make a determined push for the open southern sea.

There is a considerable swell from the N.W.; it should help us to get along.

Evening.—­Again extraordinary differences of fortune.  At first things looked very bad—­it took nearly half an hour to get started, much more than an hour to work away to one of the large area floes to which I have referred; then to my horror the ship refused to look at it.  Again by hard fighting we worked away to a crack running across this sheet, and to get through this crack required many stoppages and engine reversals.