On the 25th, the Carcass being becalmed very near Moffen Island, Captain Lutwidge took the opportunity of obtaining its exact extent, which he communicated to Captain Phipps.  The master had been on shore for the purpose of this survey; and with him, doubtless, our young adventurer.  They found the island to be nearly of a round form, about two miles in diameter; with a lake or large pond of water in the middle, all frozen over, except thirty or forty yards round the edge of it, which was water, with loose pieces of broken ice, and so shallow, that they walked through it, and went over on the solid ice.  The ground between the sea and the pond was from half a cable’s length to a quarter of a mile broad, and the whole island appeared covered with gravel and small stones, without the smallest verdure or vegetation of any kind.  They met with only one piece of drift wood, about three fathom long, with a root on it, and as thick as the Carcass’s mizen mast; which had been thrown up over the high part of the land, and lay on the declivity towards the pond.  They saw three bears; and a number of wild ducks, geese, and other sea fowls, with birds-nests all over the island.

Off this island, the survey of which must have afforded a high treat to Horatio, one of the Carcass’s boats were attacked by a herd of sea-horses, as they are corruptly called by the sailors, from the Russian name of morses, which were with difficulty driven away.  These marine animals are the Trichecus Rosmarus of Linnaeus, and the Arctic Walrus of Pennant and most other naturalists.

On another occasion, two officers, in a boat belonging to the Racehorse, having fired at and wounded one of these animals, it immediately dived, and brought up a number of others; which all joined in an attack on the boat, wresting an oar from one of the men, and were with difficulty prevented from staving or oversetting the boat:  but a boat from the Carcass, guided by the intrepid young coxswain, soon arrived, and effectually dispersed them.

This was on the 29th of July, near what they called the Low Island; of which Dr. Irving, who went on the party to visit it, gives in substance the following account.  On the shore were several large fir-trees lying sixteen or eighteen feet above the level of the sea:  some of these trees were seventy feet long, and had been torn up by the roots; others cut down by the axe, and notched for twelve feet lengths.  This timber was not in the least decayed, nor the strokes of the axe at all defaced.  There were, likewise, some pipe-staves, and wood fashioned for use.  The bench was formed of old timber, sand, and whale-bones.  The island, which is flat, was found to be about seven miles long.  It was formed chiefly of stones from eighteen to thirty inches over, many of them hexagons, and commodiously placed for walking on.  The middle of the island was covered with moss, scurvy-grass, sorrel, and a few ranunculuses then in flower.  Two reindeer were feeding on the moss:  one of these they killed, and found the venison to be fat and of high flavour.  They saw a light grey fox; and a spotted white and black animal, somewhat larger than the weasel, with short ears, and a long tail.  The island abounds with small snipes, similar to the English jack-snipe.  The ducks were hatching their eggs, and many wild geese feeding by the water-side.