IGtbrarg ImuprBxtg of J^ttlaburglji iCibrarg Untwrfittg of JPtttaburglj Darlington Memorial Library CfHaBH.C^...fcs;...<i>..52....?>. „ IBook A.&.\^ ta IiMisliedas C/ie act directs j JOURNAL f OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC; PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1819—20, IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS HECLA AND GRIPER, UNDER THE ORDERS OF SVC WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, R.N., F.R.S., AND COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY. LONDON JOHN MURRAY, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY, AND BOARD OF LONGITUDE MDCCCXXI. JOURNAL ? OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC: PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1819—20, IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS S HECLA AND GRIPER, UNDER THE ORDERS OF S^f WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, R.N., F.R.S. AyO COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY. LONDON JOHN MURRAY, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY, AND BOARD OF LONGITUDE MDCCCXXI. 3' ^\^ \^> ^373 LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES, Xorthuuiberland-court. To THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD VISCOUNT MELVILLE, '""hIg'h ADMrr'n';'""*^^ ™" KXECUTING THE OFFICE OP LORD HIGH ADMIRAL OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, 4c. .tc 4c THIS VOLUME, CONTAINING THE JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, UNDERTAKEN AND EXECUTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OP HIS LORDSHIP. IS INSCRIBED, WITH DUE RESPECT AND GRATITUDE, BY HIS OBLIGED AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY. London, May, 1821. CONTENTS. Introduction Official Instructions CHAPTER I. Passage across the Atlantic — Enter Davis* Strait — Unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the ice to the Western Coast — Voyage up the Strait — Passage through the Ice to the Western Coast — Arrival off Possession Bay, on the Southern side of the entrance into Sir James Lancaster's Sound ......... 1 CHAPTER II. Entrance into Sir James Lancaster's Sound of Baffin— Uninterrupted Passage to the Westward —Discovery and Examination of Prince Regent's Inlet — Progress to the Southward stopped by Ice — Return to the Northward — Pass Barrow's Strait — and enter the Polar Sea ........... 29 CHAPTER III. Favourable appearances of an Open Westerly Passage — Land to the Northward, a Series ol Islands — General Appearance of them — Meet with some obstruction from low Islands sur- rounded with Ice — Remains of Esquimaux Huts, and Natural Productions of Byam Martin Island — Tedious Navigation from Fogs and Ice — Difficulty of Steering a Proper Course — Arrival and Landing on Melville Island — Proceed to the Westward, and reach the Meridian of 110° W. Longitude, the First Stage in the Scale of Rewards granted by Act of Parliament . . . . . , . . .53 CHAPTER IV. Further Examination of Melville Island — Continuation of our Progress to the Westward — Long Detention by the Ice— Party sent on Shore to hunt Deer and Musk-Oxen— Return in Three Days, after losing their way — Anxiety on their account-^Proceed to the Westward, till finally stopped by the Ice — In returning to the Eastward the Griper forced on the beach by the Ice — Search for, and discovery of, a Winter Harbour on Melville Island — Operations for securing the Ships in their Winter Quarters . . . .75 CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. PAGE Precautions for securing the Ships and Stores — for promoting Good Order, Cleanliness, Health, and Good-humour, among the Ships' Companies — Establishment of a Theatre, and of the North Georgia Gazette — Erection of an Observatory on Shore — Commence our Winter's Amusements — State of the Temperature and various Meteorological Phenomena — Miscellaneous Occurrences to the close of the Year 1819 .... 101 CHAPTER VI. First Appearance of Scurvy — The Aurora Borealis and other Meteorological Phenomena — Visits of the Wolves — Re-appearance of the Sun — Extreme low Temperature — Destruc- tion of the House on Shore by Fire — Severe Frost-bites occasioned by this Accident . 131 CHAPTER Vn. More temperate Weather — House re-built — Quantity of Ice collected on the Hecla's lower Deck — Meteorological Phenomena — Conclusion of Theatrical Entertainments — Increased Sickness on board the Griper — Clothes first dried in the open Air — Remarkable Halos and Parhelia — Snow-Blindness — Cutting the Ice round the Ships, and other Occurrences to the Close of May . . . . . . . . .151 CHAPTER Vni. Journey across Melville Island to the Northern Shore, and Return to the Ships by a different Route . . . . . . . . . . .181 CHAPTER IX. Occurrences at Winter Harbour in the early Part of Jhine^Gradual Dissolution of the Ice upon the Sea, and of the Snow upon the Land — Hunting Parties sent out to procure Game — Decease and Burial of William Scott — Equipment of the Ships completed — Temperate Weather during the Month of July — Breaking up of the Ice near the Ships — Move to the lower Part of the Harbour — Separation of the Ice at the Entrance — Prepare to sail — Abstract of Observations made in Winter Harbour . . . . . 206 CHAPTER X. Leave Winter Harbour — Flattering appearance of the Sea to the Westward — Stopped by the Ice near Cape Hay — Further Progress to the Longitude of 113° 48' 22". 5, being the Westernmost Meridian hitherto reached in the Polar Sea, to the North of America — Banks's Land Discovered — Increased extent and dimensions of the Ice — Return to the East- ward, to endeavour to penetrate the Ice to the Southward — Discovery of several Islands — Re-enter Barrow's Strait, and survey its South Coast — Pass through Sir James Lan- caster's Sound, on our Return to England ...... 228 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL PAGE Progress down the Western Coast of Baffin's Bay — Meet with tlie Whalers — Account of some Esquimaux in the Inlet called the River Clyde — Continue the survey of the Coast, till stopped by Ice in the Latitude of 68|° — Obliged to run to the Eastward — Fruitless attempts to regain the land, and final Departure from the Ice — Remarks upon the pro- bable existence and practicability of a Nopth-West Passage, and upon the Whale- Fishery — Boisterous Weather in crossing the Atlantic — Loss of the Hecla's Bowsprit and Foremast — Arrival in England. . . , . , . . .271 APPENDIX. I. An Account of the going of the Chronometers of the Hecla and Griper II. Lunar Observations ........ III. Observations to determine the Latitude and the Longitude by Chronometers IV. Abstract of Observations on the Dip of the Horizon at Sea, with Doctor Woliaston Dip Sector, in 1819 and 1820 ...... V. Magnetic Observations . . . V'l. Table of Days' Works kept on board the Hecla VII. Tide Table in Winter Harbour, Melville Island . .... VIII. An Account of Experiments to determine the Acceleration of the Pendulum in dif ferent Latitudes ........ IX. Remarks on the State of Health and Disease on board the Hecla and Griper XXI Ixi cxliii civ clxi clxvii LIST OP THE PLATES. A I- II. III. , IV. V. , VI. VII. VIII. ._ IX. X. XI. . XII. , XIII. , XIV. i-xv. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. General Polar Chart, shewing the Track, S^c. — to face Situation of H. M. Ships Hecla and Griper, July 4th, 1819 Iceberg in Baffin's Bay, July, 1819 . Chart of the Discoveries, 4"c. ^c. Headlands, ^c, commencing with Cape Bathurst Ditto Cape Warrender Burnet Inlet •■.... Headlands, ^c, commencing with Hobhouse Inlet I^'tto Prince Leopold's Islands Chart of Port Bowen ..... Headlands, Sfc, commencing with Cape Cockburn Situation of the Hecla and Griper, September 20th, 1819 Cutting into Winter Harbour Hecla and Griper in Winter Harbour Chart of Winter Harbour .... Situation of the Hecla and Griper, 17th to 23d of August, 1820 Mnsk-Ox ....._ Chart of a Part of the Western Coast of Baffin's Bay Esquimaux of the Inlet called the River Clyde Chart of the River Clyde .... Title Page. . II . 17 . 29 . 31 . 32 . 34 . 35 . 36 . 44 . 58 . 92 . 97 . 122 . 226 . 254 . 257 . 271 . 282 . 288 The following; Errata occur in the Noon Longitudes in the Nar- native, in consequence of having inadvertently inserted those by Chronometer No. 2i8, instead of those by the mean of the whole number' employed. Page 4, line <l, fromthcbottora,./;-!- 25 11 51 rearl Vi 10 51) — 7,— 7, . — 48 0150 — 48 09 42 — 7, — 2, from the bottom, — 01 32 49 — 61 38 25 — 8,— 8 — 8134 28 — 6139 53 — 8, — 4, from the bottom, — fit 42 5S — 61 48 07 — II, — 9, do. do. — 56 47 56 — 57 07 56 — 12,— 9 — 57 46 26 — 57 5113 — 12, — 4, troni the bottom, — 57 00 43 — 57 05 54 — 13,— 5, —57 22 57 — 57.27 25 — 13,-20, — 58 10 30 — 53 14 55 — 14, — 4, from the botiom, — 57 33 56 — 57 37 40 — 15, — 7 — 59 II 53 — 50 14 57 — 16, — 3, — 59 46 18 — 59 43 04 — 17,-10 — 59 03 54 — 59 05 39 — 18,— 6, — 53 42 11 — 58 43 57 — 19, — 12 — 60 09 07 — 60 11 30 — 19, — 4, from the bottom, — 60 07 54 — GO 03 40 — 20, — 7, do. do. — 60 U 52 — 60 II 58 — 21, — 6, do. do. — 00 24 27 — 60 22 27 — 24, — 7, — 75 02 14 — 74 59 58 A Supplement to the Appendix, containing the Zoology, Botany, Geology, ^c, of the Arctic Regions, will be published on the \st of June. INTRODUCTION. His Majesty's Government having determined on the equipment of an Expedition to attempt the Discovery of a North-West Pas- sage into the Pacific, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to honour me with the command ; and my Commission for His Majesty's ship the Hecla, was dated the 16th of January, 1819. I arrived in London on the 20th, and commissioned the Hecla at Deptford on the following day. The second vessel appointed for this service was the Griper, gun-brig ; she was commissioned by Lieute- nant Matthew Liddon, who was directed to put himself under my orders, on the 29th of January. The Hecla was a bomb, of three hundred and seventy-five tores, built in a merchant's yard at Hull, in the year 1815, of large scant- ling, and having a capacious hold, which made her peculiarly fit for this service. The Griper was originally a gun-brig, of one hundred and eighty tons ; and it was proposed by the Navy Board to raise upon her a deck of six feet, so as to increase her stowage as much as pos- sible. Both ships had been taken into dock about the middle of December, in order to undergo a thorough repair, and to receive every strengthening which the nature of the service demanded. INTRODUCTION. The number of individuals employed on this service, amounted to ninety-four ; their distribution on board each ship will be seen in the following table. A TABLE shewing the Officers, Seamen, Marines, SfC, embarked on board His Majesty's Ships Hecla and Griper. KANK. ON BOARD THE HECLA. Officers' Names. No. of Rank ON BOARD THE GRIPER. Officers' Names. each Rank Lieutenant and Commander Astronomer . . . . . Lieutenant Surgeon Purser Assistant Surgeon ... Midshipmen Clerk Gunner .... Boatswain . . . Carpenter . . . Greenland Master . Greenland Mate . Cook Leading Men . . Quarter-master Gunner's-mate . . Boatswain's-mate . Carpenter' s-mate . Armourer' s-mate . Sailmaker . . . Able Seamen . . Serjeant of Marines Privates of ditto . Serjeant of Artillery Private of ditto William Edward Parry Capt. Edward Sabine, R. A. Frederick William Beechey John Edwards ..... William Harvey Hooper Alexander Fisher .... ■Joseph Nias . . William J. Dealey Charles Palmer . James Clarke Ross .John Bushnan James Halse . . James Scallon . . Jacob Swansea . . William Wallis . John Allison • . George Crawford . Accompanying Capt. Sabine Total 58 Matthew Liddon . . , Henry Parkyns Hoppner Charles James Beverly . Andrew Reid .... A. M. Skene . . . . William Nelson Griffiths Cyrus Wakeham . . . George Fife Alexander Elder Corporal of Marines Total INTRODUCTION. Ill As an encouragement to the oificers, seamen, and marines, who were desirous of being employed on this service, the Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty were pleased to grant to every individual engaged in the Expedition, double the ordinary pay of His Majesty's Navy. The ships were speedily manned with a full complement of excellent seamen ; nearly the whole of those who had served on the former Expedition having again volunteered tlieir services, besides numerous others who were anxious to be employed on this occasion. The mode of fortifying or strengthening the ships was principally the same as that adopted on board the Isabella and Alexander in 1818 *. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to direct the Navy and Victualling Boards to furnish every thing which the experience of the former voyage had suggested as necessary, and during the whole progress of our fitting, I received the greatest attention and assistance from those Boards, who most readily com- plied with every wish expressed by me for the more complete equipment of the ships. The mode of rigging the vessels was that of a barque, as being the most convenient among the ice, and requiring the smallest number of men to work them ; a consideration of no little importance, where it was a material object to sail with as few persons as possible, in order to extend our resources to the utmost. The Hecla's mizen-topsail was, therefore, taken away, and the mizen-mast, top-mast, gaff, and driver-boom length- ened, so as to make up, by a large driver and gaflF-topsail, nearly the same quantity of after-sail as before ; the foremast and mainmast remaining the same as on the former establishment. By this al- * See the Narrative of the former Voyage. IV INTRODUCTIOK. teration we were enabled to put the ship's company into three watches, a regulation which is well known to tend very es- sentially to the health and comfort of seamen, while it serves also the important purpose of teaching them their own strength, and increasing their activity on occasions requiring more than ordinary exertion. The ships were completely furnished with provisions and stores for a period of two years ; in addition to which, a large supply of fresh meats and soups, preserved in tin cases, by Messrs. Donkin and Gamble, of Burkitt's essence of malt and hops, and of the essence of spruce, was also put on board, besides a number of other extra stores adapted to cold climates and a long voyage. The anti- scorbutics consisted of lemon-juice (which forms a part of the daily rations on board His Majesty's ships), vinegar, sour-krout, pickles, and herbs ; and the whole of the provisions, which were of the very best quality, were stowed in tight casks, to preserve theni from moisture or other injury. As a matter of experiment, a small quantity of vinegar, in a highly- concentrated state, recommended and prepared by Doctor Bollman, was also put on board, and was found of essential service, the greater part of the com- mon kind being destroyed by the severity of the frost. In order to save stowage, only a small proportion of biscuit was received ; flour, which had been previously kiln-dried with great care, being substituted in its place. For the purpose of baking for the daily con- sumption of the crews during the winter months, a portable oven was furnished to the Hecla ; and after a good leaven had been once obtained, we found no difficulty in baking light and wholesome bread, even in the severest part of the season. The ships were ballasted INTRODUCTION. .Y entirely with coals, (of which the Hecla stowed seventy, and t||e Griper thirty-four chaldrons), together with such a quantity of fire- wood as was necessary for the stowage of the casks in the holds. To add to our warmth, and to keep out the snow during the winter, a housing-cloth was prepared of the same materials as that with which waggons are usually covered, and which being laid on planks, supported amidships by spars lashed fore and aft between the masts, and resting with their lower ends on the gunwale, completely answered the purpose for which it was intended. Care was taken to provide abundance of warm clothing, and one suit of the best quality was liberally furnished for each man employed in the Expedition, to be served gratis at my discretion. Among the numerous articles of this kind which con- tributed essentially to our comfort, a wolf-skin blanket was supplied for each officer and man, which, in addition to those of the common sort, effectually kept the people warm in their beds, although from the necessary economy in fuel, the temperature of the decks was frequently much below the freezing point during the nights. To be prepared against the chances of meeting with any natives in the countries which we were about to visit, the ships were directed to be furnished with a large quantity of various kinds of presents, both to se- cure their friendship, and to purchase any supplies of which we might stand in need. In short, nothing was omitted which could in any degree tend to the success of the enterprise, or to the health, con- venience, and comfort of those engaged in it. I feel myself par- ticularly indebted to the kindness of Commissioner Cunningham, and the officers employed under him in the different departments VI INTRODUCTION. of the dock-yard at Deptford, in complying with, and even anti- cipating, my wishes for the promotion of these objects. My thanks are also due, in an especial manner to my friend Captain Henry Garrett, agent victualler at that port, whose ready attention to all our wants in his public department, could only be equalled by the warm hospitality we experienced from him during the time of our equipment. While care was thus taken that nothing should be wanting to ensure the success of the Expedition in its main object, the improvement of geography and navigation, as well as the general jnterests of science, were considered as of scarcely less importance. For this purpose, a number of valuable instruments, (of which a list is subjoined), were furnished to each ship ; and Captain Sabine, of the Royal Artillery, who was recommended by the President and Council of the Royal Society, was embarked on board the Hecla, as Astronomer to the Expedition. Previously to our leaving Deptford, the ships were visited by Viscount Melville, who presided at the Admiralty, as well as by several of the Lords Commissioners, and by the Comptroller of the Navy, who were pleased to express their satisfaction at the manner in which their directions and intentions had been complied with in the general equipment of the Expedition. On the 2d of May, I repaired to the Admiralty, to receive their Lordships' final Instructions for the conduct of the Expedition, a copy of which immediately precedes the Narrative. INTRODUCTION. VII List of the Instruments^ ^c. embarked on board each of the two Ships. Those marked with an Asterisk were furnished to the Hecla only. * 2 Astronomical Clocks, with stands. 11 Chronometers on board the Hecla, and four on board the Griper. * 1 Transit instrument. * 1 Portable observatory. * 1 Repeating circle. 1 Dipping-needle. * A second ditto, the property of Henry Browne, esq. * 1 Instrument for magnetic force, on Captain Kater's improved construction. * 1 Variation transit. * 1 Variation needle. 4 Azimuth compasses, on Captain Kater's improved construction. 1 Dip-sector, invented by Dr. Wollaston. 2 Mountain barometers. 2 Marine ditto. 2 Altitude instruments, invented by Captain Kater. i Theodolite. 2 Anglometers. 1 Circular protractor. 3 Artificial horizons. 1 Hydrometer. 1 Water-bottle, invented by Dr. Marcet. 10 Thermometers. * 4f Self-registering ditto, (Sixe's), with iron cases for fastening to the deep-sea lead. * 2 Electrometers, with chains. Together with a complete set of drawing instruments, scales, beam- compasses, <^c. for the construction of charts. Viil INTRODUCTION. 'f?5' On our return to England, in the beginning of November, 1820, all the journals, logs, charts, and drawings, which had been furnished by every individual belonging to the Expedition, were delivered to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to be at their disposal; and their Lordships were pleased immediately to direct them to be returned into my hands, for the purpose of preparing for publication, under their authority, an official account of the voyage. In performing this duty, it has been my earnest endeavour equally to avoid, on the one hand, a too minute and tedious detail of occur- rences, which, as the materials for a future account, properly form a part of a manuscript journal, but which, if given in their original form, would only serve to tire by their repetition ; and on the other, to omit nothing which came under my notice,' and that may be con- sidered interesting, either by the scientific or the general reader. It ;>^*feaving been suggested to me that both these purposes would be best answered by throwing into an Appendix the whole of the matter which relates exclusively to geography, natural history, and the details of scientific observations, this method has been adopted ; except in a few cases, in which it was considered expedient, for elucidating the subject under consideration, to introduce a brief notice of them into the body of the work, without occasioning any material interruption in the Narrative. The following account of the proceedings of the Expedition is taken principally from the official Journal kept by myself on board the Hecla, and always written within twenty-four hours after the occur- rence of the events recorded in it. In several instances, however, I have been happy to avail myself of the journals or reports furnished by the other officers, in all which cases the obligation is acknowledged INTRODUCTION. IX by inverted commas, and by personally mentioning the individual who supplied the account. The various observations made on board the Hecla during the voyage, have been carefully collected into tables on the model of those of Wales and Bayly, by Captain Sabine, to whom I am in- debted for the arrangement of nearly the whole of the Appendix, and for the superintendence of that part of the work during its progress through the press. I feel it no less a duty than a pleasure to acknowledge that, in the performance of this task, Captain Sabine has added another to the many obligations I owe him, for his va- luable advice and assistance during the whole course of this voyage, to the credit of which his individual labours have so essentially contributed. Of the manner in which the subject of natural his- tory, contained in the Appendix, has been treated by those gen- tlemen who did me the favour to undertake the examination and description of the specimens brought home by the Expedition, it does not become me to speak; but I may be permitted to offer them my best acknowledgments for the very handsome and ready manner in which they rendered me their assistance on this oc- casion. The Drawings made by Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner were put into the hands of skilful engravers, soon after the arrival of the ships in the River, such of them being selected for publication as were considered most likely to afford interest or entertainment. It must be confessed, however, that there is little in the scenery of the Polar regions on which the art of the painter can be exercised with ad- vantage ; and the opportunities were necessarily the less frequent on the late voyage, in consequence of the length of time which we X INTRODUCTION. were confined to one spot. Of the merit of the drawings made by Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, I am not a competent judge, further than as regards the accuracy and faithfulness of the delineation ; and to this I am anxious to bear the most unqualified testimony, no less than to the zeal and industry displayed by these gentlemen* whenever opportunities offered of performing this branch of their, duty, in compliance with their Lordships' Instructions on that head. The Charts contained in this volume, comprising surveys of every coast visited by the Expedition during the voyage, are reduced from those drawn on board the Hecla under my immediate in- spection, by Mr. Bushnan, Midshipman of that ship, a gentleman well skilled in the construction of charts, and in the art of marine surveying. The original charts are lodged in the Hydrographical Office of the Admiralty, together with a detailed account of all the angles and other materials used in their construction. As it was known that no reliance could be placed on the compasses from the spot where our discoveries commenced (namely, from the entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound, westward), it was deter- mined, from the first, altogether to reject magnetic bearings in the construction of the charts, using only those deduced astrono- mically from the sun's altitude and azimuth, together with its angular distance from the object whose true bearing was required. Astro- nomical bearings were always thus obtained at the same time with observations for latitude and longitude. Whenever it was considered expedient to take them at other times, the log was of necessity re- sorted to, in order to obtain the ship's place from the nearest observation; and when this time happened to fall nearly midway INTRODUCTION. Xf between two observations, the mean of the reckoning, worked backwards and forwards, was taken, to fix the ship's place. In the selection of angles for the construction of the charts, those have, for obvious reasons, been preferred, which were most easterly or westerly, when an observation for latitude was made ; and those which were most northerly or southerly, at the time of an actual observation for determining the longitude. When angles only were taken, that is, when the sun was obscured so as to prevent the possibility of ob- taining his altitude and azimuth, the angles were used by laying them off from one or more points, whose geographical position had been previously fixed ; and by this means, in many instances, the former angles have been found to correspond and intersect accurately, when there would otherwise have been considerable doubt as to the exact place of the ship. The observations for latitude and longitude have been seldom or never made by less than two, and frequently by three or four, observers, and a mean of these used in the con- struction of the chart. The observers were generally Captain Sabine, Lieutenant Beechey, Mr. Hooper, and myself; the angles were taken with a sextant; sometimes by myself, and sometimes by Lieutenant Beechey, to whose skill and industry in this depart- ment of my duty, I am happy to acknowledge myself very materially indebted. A detailed account having been given by Captain Sabine in the Appendix, of the chronometers used in obtaining the longitudes for the survey, and of the mode of correcting their rates, it is unne- cessary for me to add any thing on that subject, the care which has been bestowed upon them being sufficiently apparent on an inspection of the tables. In the daily winding of the chronometers, Captain Xil INTRODUCTION. Sabine was assisted by Mr. Hooper, purser of the Hecla, a gentleman to whose zeal and exertions, during a period of three years that we have been employed together on this service, I am more indebted than I can adequately express. By those who have been accustomed to the charge of chronometers for any length of time, and who know the weight and importance of that charge, it will be considered as deserving no small credit on the part of these gentlemen, that, for a period of nearly twenty months, during which, eleven chronometers were on board the Hecla, only two instances occurred of a single; chronometer being suffered to go down by neglect. >..p. VT The observations for the variation of the magnetic needle, made on board the ships, have been altogether omitted in the course of the narrative ; because, until a correction for the effects of local attraction has been applied, they give little or no information as to the true amount ; the whole, therefore, have been referred to the Appendix, in the order in which they were taken. A number of these, obtained for the express purpose of ascertaining the amount of the ship's attraction upon the needle, with her head placed in different di- rections, and when the dip and true variation were known, will be found useful, perhaps, towards establishing some general formula for the correction of those errors at sea. Such a formula, however, is the less important from the facility with which the amount of this irregularity may at almost any time be found, when the sun is visible, by taking azimuths on a north and south magnetic course, in order to obtain the true variation, and then upon any other required direction of the ship's head. For the purposes of navigation, indeed, it is generally necessary only to ascertain the variation to be allowed on one or more courses, without regard to the true amount. This is par- INTRODUCTION. XIU ticularly the case when magnetic bearings are made use of in the construction of a chart, a mode of surveying which, of course, will only be resorted to when absolutely necessary. In such cases, it will be proper to observe the variation of the needle upon the same course as that on which the bearings are taken ; by this means a degree of correctness may be attained, which would be little expected by those who are unaccustomed to adopt this precautiouj^ and most of those errors avoided, which it has been usual to attri-fi bute to a defect in the compasses. To avoid unnecessary repetition in the course of the following Narrative, it must be remarked that all the bearings are the true ones, unless otherwise expressly noticed ; and the whole of the latitudes are North, and the longitudes West from the meridian of Greenwich. The temperatures were registered entirely by Fahrenheit's thermometer, and it may be necessary to inform the general reader, that the signs + and — preceding any number of degrees, signify above or below zero of that scale. .; The temperature of the sea at different depths was obtained, unless otherwise noticed, by Sixe's self-registering thermometer, confined in an iron case, and attached to the deep-sea lead. The bottle used for bringing up water from different depths below the surface, was invented by Doctor Marcet, expressly for the use of this Expedition<Lt It consists of a strong and heavy cylindrical box of cast iron, having a small aperture at each end ; through these apertures passes a bolt which, when let down into its place, completely closes them, but when held up by means of a catch in the upper part of the box, o allows the water to pass through them freely, both at the top and,>2 bottom. Being thus set, it is let down to any depth required, byo XIV INTRODtJC'riON. a line passing through a hole in a spherical iron weight about the size of a four-pounder shot, which is retained on board till the instrument is low enough ; the weight is then let go, and running rapidly down the line, strikes the catch so as to release it, and close the apertures, confining the water which has entered the cylinder. This instrument, from its extreme simplicity, and the certainty with which it obtains the water from a known depth, seems the best of any which has yet been adopted for this purpose. Care has been taken to avoid, as much as possible, the use of technical expressions, which might serve to render the Narrative unintelligible to any but seamen : as, however, such expressions cannot at all times be dispensed with, especially in the navigation among ice, the nature of which is totally different from any other, I have sub- joined an Explanation of the few terms of this kind which occur in the course of my Journal. I had once thought to have cursorily drawn up a connected Nar- rative of the numerous efforts and the results of former Expedi- tions sent out, by this country and other maritime nations, to ex- plore the Arctic regions, from the earliest periods to the present time ; but as this would have occupied a considerable space, and, after all, would have been but a brief abstract of what Forster, Burney, and Barrow, have already done, it appeared, on second thoughts, a superfluous undertaking. My motive indeed, it must be frankly owned, was rather of a selfish kind, the gratification of myself and comrades, by thus bringing together the repeated exertions of two centuries, and those of a single voyage, and by instituting a com- parison of their results, so favourable and so flattering to all of us INTRODUCTION. W who had the good fortune to be employed on that voyage. Here, however, I must be permitted to say that, whatever the extent of our success may have been, it is to be ascribed, in a great degree, to the zealous and cordial cooperation of Lieutenant Liddon and all the officers of both ships, and the uniform good conduct of the men, to all of whom, collectively and indivi- dually, I am most happy in availing myself of this opportunity, of publicly rendering that justice which is so eminently their due. In closing this introductory part of the work, I would willingly offer a few words by way of apology, for the many faults which, I am but too well convinced, will be found in the stile of the Narrative. It has been said, " Les marins ecrivent mal, mats avec assez de candeur" None can feel more deeply than myself the truth of the former part of this assertion ; and none, I can with equal sincerity aver, have studied more to deserve the concluding part; but I build my chief hopes of disarming the severity of criticism, on a consideration of that early period of life at which the nature of our profession calls us from our studies, and which, in my own case, drew me away at the age of twelve, and has kept me constantly employed at sea ever since. The extent of my aim has been, to give a plain and faithful account of the facts which I collected, and the observations which were made by myself and others, in the course of the voyage ; and these, as far as they go, may be relied on as scrupulously exact. It is for others, better qualified than ourselves, to make their deductions from those facts. We collected, and have brought home, specimens of the natural productions of those seas and islands which we visited ; marking with XVI INTRODUCTION. care the places at which they were respectively procured ; and it is hoped, that the papers in the Appendix, relating to Natural History, will shew that no great loss to that branch of science has been sustained, by the absence of a professional naturalist in the Expe- dition. In fact, Captain Sabine, in a great degree, supplied the place of a person of this description ; and to him, in particular, the Appendix will shew, that science and philosophy stand greatly indebted for a collection of facts and experiments, in a part of the world hitherto but little known, and never before visited by Eu- ropeans. ~:i^)iMir*m'i<!^i hmmlkf -■ EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS MADE USE OF IN THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE. Bay-Ice. — Ice newly formed upon the surface. Beset. — The situation of a ship, when so closely surrounded by ice, as to prevent her sailing about. Bight. — An indentation in a floe of ice, like a bay, by which name it is sometimes called. Blink. — A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere which is almost always perceptible in approaching ice, or land covered with snow. — Land-blink is usually more yellow than that of ice. Bore. — The operation of " boring" through loose ice consists in entering it under a press of sail, and forcing the ship through by separating the masses. Clear Water. — The sea unincumbered with ice. Crow's-]^ EST. — A circular house, like a cask^ fixed at the mast-head, in which the look- out man sits, either to guide the ship through the ice, or to give notice of whales. Dock. — An artificial dock is formed by cutting out with saws a square space in a thick floe, in which a ship is placed, in order to secure her from the pressure of other masses which are seen to be approaching, and which might otherwise endanger her being " nipped." — A " natural dock" is simply a small bight, accidentally found under similar circumstances. Field. — A sheet of ice, generally of great thickness, and of such extent that its limits cannot be seen from a ship's mast-head. Floe. — The same as a field, except that its extent can be distinguished from a ship's mast- head.— A " bay-floe" is a floe of ice newly formed upon the surface. A Hole, or Pool of Wa ter. — A small space of clear water, surrounded by ice on every side. Land Ice. — Ice attached to the land, either in floes, or in heavy grounded masses, forced up near the shore by external pressure. XVIU EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS. A Lead. — A channel through the ice. — A ship is said to take a right lead, when she follows that channel which conducts her into a clear, or at least, a navigable sea, and vice versa. Nipped. — To be forcibly pressed between two or more masses of ice. A Pack. — A large body of loose ice, whose extent caimot be seen. A Patch of Ice. — The same as a pack, but of small dimensions. Sailjng-Ice. — Ice of which the masses are so much separated, as to allow a ship to sail among them without great difficulty. A Tongue. — A mass of ice projecting under water, in a horizontal direction, from an ice- berg or floe. — A ship sometimes grazes, or is set fast on a tongue of ice, which may, however, generally be avoided, being easily seen in smooth water. A Water-Ukt. — A certain dark appearance of the sky which indicates clear water in that direction, and which, when contrasted with the blink over ice, or land, is very conspicuous. Young Ice. — The same as bay-ice. su'MmiXiSV '■'i^ OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, <^c. ^c. Whereas we have thought fit to appoint you to the command of an Expedition, for the purpose of endeavouring to discover a North- West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean ; you are hereby required and directed to put to sea in the Hecla, and, in company with the Griper, which, with her commander Lieutenant Liddon, has been placed under your orders, make the best of your way to the entrance of Davis' Strait. On your arrival in this Strait, your further proceedings must be regulated chiefly by the position and extent of the ice; but, on finding it sufficiently open to permit your approach to the western shores of the Strait, and your advance to the northward as far as XX OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. the opening into Sir James Lancaster's Sound, you are to proceed in the first instance to that part of the coast, and use your best endeavours to explore the bottom of that Sound ; or, in the event of its proving a strait opening to the westward, you are to use all possible means, consistently with the safety of the two ships, to pass through it, and ascertain its direction and communications ; and if it should be found to connect itself with the northern sea, you are to make the best of your way to Behring's Strait. Ifj however, you should ascertain that there is no passage through Sir James Lancaster's Sound, but that it is enclosed by continuous land, or so completely blocked up with ice as to afford no hope of a passage through it, you are in that case to proceed to the north- ward, and in like manner examine Alderman Jones's Sound. Fail- ing to find a passage through this Sound, you are to make the best of your way to Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, which is described by Baffin as the largest in the whole bay; and carefully explore, as far as practicable, every part of it, as well as of any strait you may discover, leading from it into any other sea. On failing to make a passage through this Sound, you are to return to the southward down Baffin's Bay, and endeavour to make your way through Cum- berland Strait, or any opening in that neighbourhood which may lead you to the seas adjoining the eastern or northern coast of America ; you are then, by whatever course you may have reached these seas, to pursue your voyage along that coast, to the northward or westward to Behring's Strait. .tAf-fp^sMVi-v.fti ^^■fiffir,^'^fif^f.,^^ iUiWe have hitherto supposed that, on your first arrival in Davis' Strait, the navigation to the northward shall be found practicable. If, however, you should find the contrary to be the case, and that OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. the sea towards the western side of the Strait is so loaded with ice, as to render it difficult and dangerous for the ships to proceed so far to the northward as Lancaster Sound, at so early a period of the season ; it may be advisable, in that case, to endeavour in the first instance, to examine Cumberland Strait, or any other opening that may be likely to ^bring you to the eastern coast of America, in preference to the loss of time and the danger to the ships, which might be occasioned in persevering too anxiously in the at- tempt to get to Lancaster Sound; and should you, on your first reaching Davis' Strait, find it to be impracticable to make your way up the western side of the Strait to that Sound, or even to Cumberland Strait, you will understand, that you are at liberty to proceed towards those places, going round by a more easterly track, if the state of the ice, and all other circumstances, should induce you to think it most advisable to do so. Thus, although the track, which we wish you to pursue, if practicable, is pointed out ; you will, nevertheless, perceive, that the course to be finally adopted by you for getting to the northward, is, in fact, left to your own discretion, on a careful examination into the state of the ice on your arrival in Davis' Strait ; always bearing in mind, that, it is an important object of the Expedition, that Lancaster Sound be thoroughly examined by you, and afterwards those of Jones and Smith, if you should have failed in previously finding a passage to the westward. . :, .; Should you be so successful as to find a passage to the westward,' it will be advisable to make the best of your way, without stopping to examine any part of the northern coast of America, to Behring's Strait; and if you should fortunately accomplish your passage XXll OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. through that Strait, you are then to proceed to Kamtschatka (if you think you can do so without risk of being shut up by the ice on that coast), for the purpose of deliv.ering to the Russian Governor, duplicates of all the Journals and other documents which the passage may have supplied, with a request that they may be forwarded over-land to St. Petersburgh, to be conveyed from thence to London. From Kamtschatka you will proceed to the Sandwich Islands, or Canton, or such other place as you may think proper, to refit the ships and refresh the crews ; and, if during your stay at such place, a safe opportunity should occur of sending papers to England, you should send duplicates by such conveyance. And, after having re- fitted and refreshed, you are to lose no time in returning to England, by such route as you may deem most convenient. If, at any period of your voyage, but particularly after you shall haye doubled the north-eastern extremity of America, the season shall be so far advanced as to make it unsafe to navigate the ships, on account of the long nights having set in, and the sea not being free from ice ; and the health of your crews, the state of the ships, and all concurrent circumstances, should combine to induce you to form the resolution of wintering in those regions, you are to use your best eji* deavours to discover a sheltered and safe harbour, where the ships may be placed in security for the winter; taking such measures for the health and comfort of the people committed to your charge, as the materials with which you are supplied for housing-in the ships, or hutting the men on shore, may enable you to do. And, if you shall find it expedient to resort to this measure, and you should meet with any inhabitants, either Esquimaux or Indians, near the place where you winter, you are to endeavour, by every means in your power, to OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXIII » cultivate a friendship with them, by making them presents of sucli articles as you may be supplied with, and which may be useful or agreeable to them. You will, however, take care not to suffer yourself to be surprised by them, but use every precaution, and be constantly on your guard against any hostility. \*'o'- ^ You will endeavour to prevail on them, by such reward, and to be paid in such manner, as you may think best to answer the purpose, to carry to any of the settlements of the Hudson's Bay Company, or of the North- West Company, an account of your situation and pro- ceedings ; with an urgent request that it may be forwarded to England with the utmost possible despatch. In an undertaking of this description, much must, of course, be always left to the discretion of the commanding officer ; and, as the objects of this Expedition have been fully explained to you, and you have already had some experience on service of this nature, we are con- vinced we cannot do better than leave it to your judgment, when on the spot, in the event of your not making a passage this season, either to winter on the coast, with the view of following up next season, any hopes or expectations which your observations this year may lead you to entertain, or to return to England, to report to us the result of such observations; always recollecting our anxiety for the health, comfort, and safety of yourself, your officers, and men ; and further considering how far the advantage of starting next season from an advanced position, may not be counter-balanced by what may be suffered during the winter, and by the want of such re- freshment and refitting, as would be afforded by your return to England. ^^, We deem it right to caution you against suffering the two XXIV OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. vessels placed under your orders to separate, except in the event of accident or unavoidable necessity, and we desire you to keep up the most unreserved communications with the commander of the Griper; placing in him every proper confidence, and ac- quainting him with the general tenor of your orders, and with your views and intentions, from time to time, in the execution of them; that the service may have the full benefit of your united efi"orts in the prosecution of such a service; and that, in the event of unavoidable separation, or of any accident to yourself, Lieutenant Liddon may have the advantage of knowing, up to the latest practicable period, all your ideas and inten- tions, relative to a satisfactory completion of this interesting under- taking. 'f* We also recommend, that as frequent an exchange take place, as conveniently may be, of the observations made in the two ships ; that any scientific discovery made by the one be, as quickly as possible, communicated for the advantage and guidance of the other, in making their future observations ; and to increase the chance of the observations of both being preserved. ;'«i We have caused a great variety of valuable instruments to be put on board the ships under your orders ; of which you will be furnished with a list, and for the return of which you will be held responsible ; and we have also, at the recommendation of the President and Council of the Royal Society, ordered to be received on board the Hecla, Captain Sabine, of the Royal Artillery, who is represented to us as a gentleman well skilled in Astronomy, Natural History, and various branches of knowledge, to assist you in making such observations as may tend to the improvement of Geography and Navigation, and the OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXV advancement of science in general. Amongst other subjects of scien- tific inquiry, you will particularly direct your attention to the variation and inclination of the magnetic needle, and the intensity of the mag- netic force ; you will endeavour to ascertain how far the needle may be affected by the atmospherical electricity, and what effect may be produced on the electrometer and magnetic needle on the appearance of the Aurora Borealis. You will keep a correct register of the tem- perature of the air, and of the sea, at the surface and at different depths. You will cause the dip of the horizon to be frequently observed by the dip sector, invented by^ Dr. Wollaston ; and ascer- tain what effect may be produced by measuring that dip across fields of ice, as compared with its measurement across the surface of the open sea. You will also cause frequent observations to be made for ascertaining the refraction, and what effect may be produced by observing an object, either celestial or terrestrial, over a field of ice, as compared with objects observed over a surface of water : together with such other meteorological remarks as you may have opportunities of making. You are to attend particularly to the height, direction, and strength of the tides, and to the set and velocity of the currents ; the depth and soundings of the sea, and the nature of the bottom ; for which purpose you are supplied with an instrument better calcu- lated to bring up substances than the lead usually employed for this purpose. And you are to understand, that although the finding a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific is the main object of this Expedition, yet, that the ascertaining the correct position of the different points of the land on the western shores of Baffin's Bay, and the different observa- tions you may be enabled to make with regard to the magnetic influ- (I XXVI OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. ence in that neighbourhood, supposed to be so near the position of one of the great magnetic poles of the earth, as well as such other observations as you may have opportunities of making in Natural History, Geography, ^c, in parts of the globe, ^c, little known, must prove most valuable and interesting to the science of our country; and we, therefore, desire you to give your unremitting attention, and to call that of all the officers under your command, to these points; as being objects likely to prove of almost equal import- ance to the principal one before-mentioned, of ascertaining whether there exist any passage to the northward, from the one ocean to the other. For the purpose, not only of ascertaining the set of the currents in the Arctic Seas, but also of affording more frequent chances of hear- ing of your progress, we desire that you do, frequently after you have passed the latitude of 65° north, and once every day, when you shall be in an ascertained current, throw overboard a bottle, closely sealed, and containing a paper stating the date and position at which it is launched ; and you will give similar orders to the Commander of the Griper, to be executed in case of separation ; and, for this purpose, we have caused each ship to be supplied with papers, on which is printed, in several languages, a request, that whoever may find it should take measures for transmitting it to this office. And although you are not to be drawn aside from the main object of the service on which you are employed, as long as you may be enabled to make any progress ; yet, whenever you may be impeded by the ice, or find it necessary to approach the coasts of the continent or islands, you are to cause views of bays, harbours, headlands, ^c, to be carefully taken, to illustrate and explain the track of the vessels. ' OFFICIAJ* INSTRUCTIONS. XXVll or such charts as you may be able to make ; in which duty you will be assisted by Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, whose skill in drawing is represented to be so considerable, as to supersede the necessity of appointing professional draughtsmen. You are to make use of every means in your power to collect and preserve such specimens of the animal, mineral, and vegetable king- doms, as you can conveniently stow on board the ships ; and of the larger animals you are to cause accurate drawings to be made, to accompany and elucidate the descriptions of them : in this, as well as in every other part of your scientific duty, we trust that you will receive material assistance from Captain Sabine. .^ In the event of any irreparable accident happening to either of the two ships, you are to cause the officers and crew of the disabled ship to be removed into the other ; and with her singly to proceed in pro- secution of the voyage, or return to England, according as circum- stances shall appear to require ; understanding that the officers and crews of both ships are hereby authorized and required to continue to perform their duties, according to their respective ranks and stations, on board either ship to which they may be so removed, in the event of an occurrence of this nature. Should, unfortunately, your own ship be the one disabled, you are, in that case, to take the command of the Griper ; and, in the event of any fetal accident happening to yourself, Lieutenant Liddon is hereby authorized to take the command of the Hecla, placing the officer of the Expedition, who may then be next in seniority to him in command of the Griper ; also, in the event of your own inability by sickness or otherwise, at any period of this service, to continue to carry these Ipstructions into execution, you are t^ transfer them to the officer the next in conunand to you employed OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. on the Expedition, who is hereby required to execute them in the.uf best manner he can, for the attainment of the several objects in ft, view. His Majesty's Government having appointed Lieutenant Franklin to the command of an expedition to explore the northern coast of North America, from the mouth of the Copper-mine River of Hearne ; it would be desirable, in the event of your touching on that coast, to leave some testimonial of your having been there, with the date, and such circumstances as you may find convenient, for the lieutenant's information ; and you will do the same wherever you may stop on that coast, by erecting a pole, having a flag, or some other mark by which it may be distinguished at a distance, (and you should endea- vour to place such mark on the situation in which it may be most ex- tensively visible,) and burying a bottle at the foot of it, or otherwise, containing an abstract of your proceedings and future intentions ; corresponding instructions having been given to Lieutenant Franklin to leave a similar notice at any convenient part of the coast which he may discover between the mouth of the said river and the eastern part of North America. You are, while executing the service pointed out in these Instruc- tions, to take every opportunity that may offer of acquainting our Secretary, for our information, with your progress : and on your arrival in England, you are immediately to repair to this office, in order to lay before us a full account of your proceedings in the whole course of your voyage ; taking care, before you leave the ship, to demand from the officers, petty officers, and all other persons on board, the logs and journals they may have kept ; together with any drawings or charts they may have made ; which are all to be sealed up ; and OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXIX and you will issue similar directions to Lieutenant Liddon and his '^ officers, i^c. ; the said logs, journals, or other documents, to be there- > after disposed of as we may think proper to determine. ' Given under our hands the 1st day of May, 1819. jam/- (Signed) Melville, liioH G. MooRE, ' ^^"ovf a M-gmfsd 1U0X }' G. CocKBURN. Bi/ Command of their Lordships, (Signed) J. W. Croker. •- sfljt no ' vsra ii iiDfxfw ■Iq vi Tjjov 'Bol oi To ^1 io ja; Lieutenant William Edward Party , Commanding His Mcfjesty s Ship the Hecla. ma Aih liqoi 9V^ ' >ns uoY ■.a III -■-,' !;.^..w io :> 3i{ijnri,oi^ 4 hoB gTjoi bn£ ^ qu b9l-B98 9d oJ Ua siu ibuiw | Qham 9¥fid -^sra ^od^ gJierio lo VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. CHAPTER I. PASSAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC ENTER DAVIs' STRAIT UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO PENETRATE THE ICE TO THE WESTERN COAST VOYAGE UP THE STRAIT PASSAGE THROUGH THE ICE TO THE WESTERN COAST ARRIVAL OFF POSSESSION BAY, ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE INTO SIR JAMES LANCASTER'S SOUND. 1 HE Hecla and Griper were ready to drop down the river in the early part 1819. of April ; but, the wind continuing to the eastward, the pilots would not v^.^ venture to turn them down. The wind remained in the same quarter till the beginning of May, beyond which time it would not have been prudent to delay our moving. Application was, therefore, made for a steam-boat to tow the ships to Northfleet, and on the 4th, at eight A.M., the Hecla was taken in tow by the Eclipse, of sixty-horse power. With a fresh breeze right a-head, she moved at the rate of three miles and a half an hour through the Avater, and was made fast to the buoy at Northfleet at a quarter past noon. The steam- boat returned to Deptford for the Griper, and arrived with her at night. The guns and gunner's-stores were received on baord on the 6th ; and, all the iron being now stowed, as it would probably remain for the rest of the voyage, the afternoon of that day was occupied in obtaining some steady observations on the irregularities of the magnetic needle on board the Hecla, by turning her head round to each point of the compass in succession. These observations will be found in the Appendix. 2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. The ships took their powder on board on the 7th, and moved to the LoAver- x,,^^ Hope. On the evening of the following day they anchored at the Nore, where the instruments and chronometers were embarked. I furnished Lieu- tenant Liddon with a complete copy of the Instructions which I had received from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, together with an order containing general directions for the economical use of the provisions and stores, and for the mode of registering the various observations to be made during the voyage ; appointing also certain places of rendezvous in case of unavoidable separation. Captain Sabine went on shore at Garrison-Point, on the 9th, to make ob- servations on the magnetic force with some needles of a new construction by Captain Henry Kater. Of these observations an account by Captain Sabine will be found in the Appendix. Commissioner Boyle came on board on the evening of the 10th, to superin- tend the payment of the arrears of wages, and three months' advance, to the seamen and marines. On the following day, when the men had supplied themselves with a sufficient stock of clothes, according to a list which had been previously issued, the ships weighed at ten A.M., and at noon were abreast the Nore-light. The wind being free, the Hecla, at sunset, had out- sailed the Griper about three miles. Wed. 12. Finding the Griper continued to detain us this morning, I determined to take her in tow, and at three P.M. we ran through Yarmouth Roads, but anchored in the evening with the flood-tide, the wind being too light to enable the ships to stem it. Soon after midnight we again weighed, the Frid. 14. wind having got round to the N.b.W^. On the morning of the 14th, in beating to the northward, the Hecla touched the ground on the east end of Sheringham-Shoals, Cromer Light-house bearing S.b.E. per compass. The pilot should not have brought it to the eastward of south, on which bearing there is no danger. Finding the ships made no way, and that it would not be practicable to anchor with the lee-tide, we bore up for Yarmouth Roads, and anchored within the Cockle Gat at two P.M. Sat. 15. At noon on the following day, while getting under way, I received a visit from Captain Wells, of His Majesty's sloop the Wye, who kindly offered every assistance in his power, and sent us our last supply of English beef, as we passed his ship. A favourable breeze springing up on the morning of Sun. 16. the 16th, the Griper was taken in tow, and at two P.M. on the 19th, we made Wed. 19. Fair Island. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 3 It fell calm in the evening, and several fine cod fQadus MorhuaJ and coal- fish fGadus Carbonarius) were caught ; the centre of the island bearing N.E. half N. per compass, distant eight or nine miles. This was the last supply of fresh fish that we obtained during the voyage. It was light enough at mid- night, to see Fair Island distinctly at the distance of ten miles. On the 20th, we spoke the Danish brig David Eske, from Copenhagen, Thur. 20. bound to Disko Island. The Griper was taken in tow again in the evening, and we rounded the northern-point of the Orkneys, at the distance of two miles and a half, having from thirty to thirty-six fathoms of water. We made the island of Rona on the 21st., and Bara on the following Fnd. 21. morning. The position of these islands by our observations is : Sat. 22. BARA. RONA. Latitude, ... 59° 04' 24". 59° 05' 54". Longitude, . . 6° 14' 34". 5° 52' 04". As we ran along to the northward of them, at the distance of six or seven miles, the soundings were from fifty to seventy-five fathoms, the deepest being off Bara, on a bottom of gravel, coarse sand, and broken shells. It is recommended by the most experienced of the Greenland Masters, to cross the Atlantic to Davis' Strait, about the parallel of 57|° or 58°, and I shaped our course accordingly. A bottle was thrown overboard, containing a printed paper, stating the date and the situation of the ships, with a request, in six European languages, that any person finding it would forward it to the Secretary of the Admiralty, with a notice of the time and place where it was found *. One bottle, at least, was thrown out daily during the voyage, except when the ships were " beset" in the ice. The wind being right aft on the morning of the 24th, the Griper, still in Mon. 24. tow, took the wind out of our sails, and forged a-head, obliging us to cast off the hawser. Soon after noon we made Rockall ; its latitude, by our observations, was 57° 38' 40", and its longitude 13° 47' 42". The geogra- phical position of this remarkable rock was determined by Captain Capel, in 1818, to be lat. 57° 39' 32", long. 13° 31' 16", which is to be preferred to * The purpose intended to be answered by this kind of communication, will be best understood, by referring to my Instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. B I 4 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY ours, owing to the distance at which we passed it. There is, perhaps, no more striking proof of the infinite value of chronometers at sea, than the certainty with which a ship may sail directly for a single rock like this, rising like a speck out of the ocean, and at the distance of forty-seven leagues from " any other land. At seven P.M., the Griper having again dropped five or six miles astern, we hove to for her to come up ; and, taking this opportunity to try the temperature of the water below the surface by Six's self-registering thermometer, we unexpectedly obtained soundings in one hundred and forty fathoms, on a bottom of very fine white sand, Rockall bearing S. 85° E., distant thirty miles and three-quarters. The temperature of the water at the bottom was 47|°, that of the surface being 491°, and of the air 50°. The Griper was again taken in tow, with a breeze from the eastward, which in- Tues. 25. creased to a fresh gale the following morning, when the hawser, by which we towed the Griper, gave way ; we hove to for her in the evening, being in lat. 57° 04' 10", long. 17° 52' 50", when some water was brought up from one hundred fathoms' depth in the bottle contrived by Doctor Marcet ; its specific gravity was 1.0268, at the temperature of 58°, that of the surface water being the same. The temperature of the water at the same depth was 49°, that of the surface being 50°, and of the air 50|°. Tliur. 27. On the 27th, we cast off the Griper, and hauled a little to the northward, in order to pass near the spot where Lieutenant Pickersgill obtained sound- ings, from three hundred and twenty to three hundred and thirty fathoms, on the 29th of June, 1776 ; and, at six P.M., being in lat. 56° 59' 39", and long, by chronometers, 24° 33' 40", the deep-sea clarams were sent down with one thousand and twenty fathoms of line, without finding bottom. The temperature of the sea at that dejith was 45|°, that of the surface being 48|°, and of the air 49°. Frid. 28. It fell calm towards noon on the 28th, the ship being in lat. 57° 26' 16", long. 25° 11' 51". The current was tried in a boat moored by an iron kettle, in the usual way, but not the smallest stream was perceptible. Six's ther- mometer was sent down to one hundred and twenty fathoms, but did not indicate the temperature, owing to the mercury rising past the index, instead of pushing it up before it ; a failure 1 have often had occasion to regret in this useful instrument, when thus exposed to a very sudden change of temperature. It might, perhaps, be improved for this particular purpose, by making the lower end of each index a little larger, so as to prevent the passage of the mercury between it and the tube. Some water, from one OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 5 hundred and thirty fathoms' depth, was at the temperature of 48° on coming to the surface, that of the surface being 49°, and of the air 49°. Its specific gravity was 1.0266 at the temperature of 61°, being the same as that of the surface-water. The wind veered to the westward on the 30th, and increased to a fresh Sun. .30. gale, with an irregular sea, and heavy rain, which brought us under our close-reefed topsails. At half-past one, P.M., we began to cross the space in which the " Sunken Land of Bus'' is laid down in Steel's chart from England to Greenland ; and, in the course of this and the following day, we tried for soundings several times without success, the ship's position being as folloAvs: LONGITUDE. FATHOMS. - - - ^ 29° 30' 160 LATITUDE, 57° 46' 57 49 58 02 58 07 58 14 58 13 - - - - 29 22 90 - - - - 29 32 80 - - - - 29 34 85 - - - - 29 46 100 - - - - 30 52 170 This being the anniversary of His Majesty's birth-day, and the weather Friday4. being calm and fine, I directed an additional allowance of grog to be served out, or, in seamen's phrase, " the main brace to be spliced." In the evening, being then in lat. 55° 01', and long. 35° 56', we tried for soundings with two hundred and fifty fathoms of line, without finding bottom. The temperature of the sea at that depth was 44|°, surface 44,j°, air 43°. On the 7th and 8th, we had hard gales from the westward, with a heavy 7 and 8. sea. Indeed, from the 1st to the 14th of June, we experienced a continued series of unfavourable winds and unpleasant weather, so that very little progress could be made to the westward. On the 13th, being in lat. 57° 51', and long. 41° 05', the temperature of Sun. 13. the sea, at two hundred and thirty-five fathoms' depth, was found to be 39°, surface 40|°, air 41 1°. A very slight current was found to set to the southward. We saw, to-day, large flocks of sheerwaters (Procellaria PuffinusJ, called by the sailors, " cape hens," from an idea that they are only to be. found near Cape Farewell. I do not remember to have met with these birds in any other part of Davis' Strait, or in Baffin's Bay. On the 15th, a breeze sprung up from the eastward, and at noon we very Tues.i5. 6 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY unexpectedly saw land at a great distance, bearing due north. This could be no other than the land about Cape Farewell, of which the longitude, by our chronometers, being the same as that of the ship, was 42° 56' 41", agreeing nearly with that given in the tables of Maskelyne, Mendoza Rios, and Robertson, and in the Connaissance des Terns, being from 2° to 3° to the eastward of the po- sition assigned to it in most of the charts. This accounts for a remark, which is common among the whalers, that they always make this headland in coming from the eastward, sooner than they expect ; a circumstance which they natu- rally attribute to the effect of a westerly current. If the latitude of Cape Farewell be so far to the northward as 59° 37' 30'', which is the mean of nine different authorities, our distance from it this day must have been more than forty leagues. It is by no means impossible that the bold land of Greenland may be distinguished at so great a distance ; and it is proper to remark, that the weather, at the time we saw it, was precisely that which is said to be most favourable for seeing objects at a great distance, namely, just before or after rain, when the humidity of the atmosphere increases its transparency *. Wed. 16. The wind again backed to the westward on the 16th, and we stretched to the Thur. 17. northward towards the land. On the evening of the 17th, being in lat. 58° 52', and long. 48° 12', the colour of the water was observed to be of a lighter green than that of the ocean in general ; but we could find no soundings with two hundred and ninety fathoms of line. The temperature of the sea at that depth, was 38|°, of the surface, 38|, and of the air, 381°. Frid. 18. Early in the morning of the 18th, in standing to the northward, we fell in with the first " stream" of ice we had seen, and soon after saw several ice- bergs. At daylight the water had changed its colour to a dirty brownish tinge. We had occasion to remark the same in entering Davis' Strait in 1818, when no difference in its temperature was perceptible. The temperature of the wa- ter this morning was 36^°, being 3° colder than on the preceding night ; a de- crease that was probably occasioned by our approach to the ice. We ran through a narrow part of the stream, and found the ice beyond it to be " packed" and heavy. The birds were more numerous than usual ; and, besides the fulmar petrels, boatswains, and kittiwakes, we saw, for the first time, some rotges {"Alca AlleJ dovekies, or black guillemots (Colymbus GrylleJ and terns (Sterna Hirundo,) the latter known best to seamen by the name of the Greenland swal- low. Soon after noon, being in lat. 59° 40', long. 47° 46', and the water being * Humboldt. Personal Narrative, I. pp. 81. 101, 102. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 7 of the same colour as in the morning, we tried for soundings, but could find no ^^l^- bottom with two hundred and sixty fathoms. The temperature of the sea at ^,*-t-v.' that depth was 39°, that of the surface being then 37°, and of the air 35°. The specific gravity of the surface water which at noon was 1.0262, at the temperature of 56", had decreased to 1.0257, at that of 57°. On the 19th, at noon we were Sat. 19. in latitude, by observation on the ice, 59° 48' 26"*, and in longitude, by the chronometers, 48° 01' 50", when a current was found to set S. 50° W. at the rate of six miles per day. A breeze springing up from the eastward, we bore away to the W.N.W., through rather close " sailing ice." The fog which had pre- vailed during the day cleared away in the evening, and discovered to us the coast of Greenland, bearing from N. 3° W. to N. 62° E., at the distance of twelve or thirteen leagues. On the following morning a very remarkable hill, being the Sun. 20. highest land in sight, was found, by a base measured by Massey's patent log, to be in lat. 60° 53' 29 ', and long. 48° 42' 22". This position answers nearly to an island called Nona in Arrowsmith's chart, a little to the eastward of Cape De- solation. The water still continued of the same dirty colour as before ; but at half past four P.M., when we hove to, for the purpose of taking the Griper in tow, we could find no bottom with a hundred and forty fathoms of line. On the evening of the 21st, having run to the westward as far as 55° 01' W. in the Mon. 21. lat. of 61° 26'; we observed the colour of the water to have changed from the brownish tinge before-mentioned, to a light bluish green ; and it is remarkable that its specific gravity was found to have increased, within a few hours, from 1.0257 to 1.0261, both being at the temperature of 57° when weighed. These experiments seem to confirm those made on the 18th, and to render it highly probable, that the brown colour remarked in the sea was occasioned by the admixture of a large portion of fresh water, supplied by the melting of the snow and ice. On the 21st and 22d, we sailed to the W.N.W. in an open sea ; and, onTues. 22. the 23d, at noon, being in lat. 62° 43' 09", long. 61° 32' 49", we saw several Wed. 23. icebergs, and some loose ice, to the north-westward. We obtained soundings * The ice here havmg a motion -which was very perceptible in the artificial horizon, we had recourse to a mode of observing the meridian altitude, which we had occasionally adopted in the former voyage. Two observers brought the same limb of the sun down in separate horizons ; the first of these taking care never to allow the two images to separate entirely, and the second never permitting them to overlap. The mean of the two ob- servations being then taken, the error arising from the rolling motion of the ice may thus be in a great measure obviated, and the altitude obtained within the nearest minute. 8 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. in the evening in two hundred fathoms, fine sandy bottom, being close to a v,,^^ large iceberg, from which copious streams of water were flowing on the side next the sun. Tluir.24. On the clearing up of a fog, on the morning of the 24th, we saw a long chain of icebergs, extending several miles in a N.b.W. and S.b.E. direction ; and, as we approached them, we found a quantity of " floe-ice" intermixed with them, beyond which, to the westward, nothing but ice could be seen. At noon being in lat. 63° 34' 24", long. 61° 34' 28", we had soundings, with one hundred and twenty fathoms of line, on a bottom of fine sand, which makes it probable that most of the icebergs were aground in this place. In the afternoon, we sailed within the edge of the ice, as much as a light westerly wind would admit, in order to approach the western land, as directed by my instructions. Some curious efiects of atmospheric refraction were observed this evening, the low ice being at times considerably raised in the horizon, and constantly altering its appearance. An iceberg, at the distance of two or three njiles from us, assumed an inverted shape, as in the , following figure : Inverted Image. Iceberg. Frid.25, The weather being nearly calm on the morning of the 25th, all the boats were kept a-head, to tow the ships through the ice to the westward. It remained tolerably open till four P.M., when a breeze, freshening up from the eastward, caused the ice through which we had lately been towing, to close together so rapidly, that we had scarcely time to hoist up the boats before the ships were immoveably " beset." The clear sea which we had left was about four miles to the eastward of us, Avhile to the westward nothing but one extensive field of ice could be seen. It is impossible to conceive a more helpless situation than that of a ship thus beset, when all the power that can be applied will not alter the direction of her head a Sat. 26. single degree of the compass. On the 26th, we were in lat. by observation, 63° 59' 29", and long. 61° 42' 58", having one hundred and twenty-five fathoms, on a fine sandy bottom. The deep-sea line indicated a drift to the S.b.W. Some of our gentlemen, having walked a mile or two from the ships, imagined that they saw the marks of a sledge upon the ice, but, as OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 9 no traces either of doars or of one human foot appeared, they were perhaps 1819. June. mistaken. The observations made here on the dip and variation of the magnetic needle, and on the intensity of the magnetic force, as well as the result of a number of lunar distances, obtained on this and the two following days, while thus beset, will be found in the Appendix. The wind increased to a strong gale from the northward, which continued the whole of the following day-; when we found by observation that the ships had drifted Sun. 27. S. 23° W., thirteen miles and a quarter, the soundings having decreased to one hundred and twenty fathoms. A large black whale, (Balcena MysticetusJ being the first, was seen near the ships.' It is usual for these animals to descend head-foremost, displaying the broad fork of their enormous tail above the surface of the water ; but, on this occasion, the ice was so close as not to admit of this mode of descent, and the fish went down tail-foremost, to the great amusement of our Green- land sailors. As long as the wind continued to blow strong towards the ice, so as to keep it close, the ships lay securely sheltered from the sea ; but at nine in the evening, when it veered a little to the westward, the ice became more slack, and we began to feel the effects of the swell which was thus admitted from without : each roll of the sea forced the heavy masses of ice against the rudder and counter with such violence as would have greatly endan- gered a ship built in the ordinary way ; strengthened as ours were, however, they escaped without damage. Frequent endeavours were made to heave the heads of the ships round, in order that they might receive the heaviest pressure on their bows, but every attempt proved unsuccessful, and we re- mained in the same unpleasant situation during the whole of the 28th. Mon. 2i. While in this state, a large white bear came near the Griper, and was killed by her people, but he simk between the pieces of ice. This animal had, probably, been attracted by the smell of some red herrings which the men were frying at the time. It is a common practice with the Greenland sailors to take advantage of the strong sense of smelling which these creatures possess, by enticing them near the ships in this manner. The swell had somewhat subsided on the 29th, but the ships remained Tues. 29. firmly fixed in the ice as before. In the course of the day we saw land bearing N. 69° W. about thirteen leagues distant, appearing from the mast- head like a group of islands, and situated near to the entrance of Cumber- c |0 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. land Strait ; the soundings were one hundred and thirty-five fathoms ; the temperature of the sea at that depth 30° ; that of the surface being the same ; Wed. 30. and of the air 34°. On the 30th, the ice began to slacken a little more about the ships ; and, after two hours' heaving with a hawser on each bow brought to the capstan and windlass, we succeeded in moving the Hecla about her own length to the eastward, where alone any clear sea was visible. The ice con- tinuing to open still more in the course of the day, we were at length enabled to get both ships into open water, after eight hours' incessant labour. Our first attempt to approach the western coast having thus failed, I consulted the Greenland Masters, as to what were the most likely means to be adopted for effecting this object. Mr. Allison thought it would be advisable to run a degree or two back again to the southward ; while Mr. Fife was of opinion, that it might be attempted, with better chance of success, about the latitude of Mount Raleigh, which forms one side of the narrowest part of Davis' Strait. I determined on the latter, as being more conformable to the tenor of my instructions ; and a course was accordingly shaped close along the edge of the ice, which led us considerably to the eastward of north, in order to take advantage of any opening which might occur. On getting into clear water, we found that the rudders were much rubbed by the blows they had received while beset in the ice. July, On the 1st and 2d of July, we continued to keep close to the edge of the 1st & 2d. ice without perceiving any opening in it. Its outer margin consisted of heavy detached masses, much washed by the sea, and formed what is technically called " a pack," this name being given to ice when so closely connected as not to admit the passage of a ship between the masses. Within the margin of the pack, it appeared to consist of heavy and extensive floes, having a bright ice-blink over them ; but no clear water could be discovered to the westward. The birds, which had hitherto been seen since our first approach to the ice, were fulmar petrels, little auks, looms, (Uria Brunnkhii,) and a few glaucous gulls, (harus Glaums.) Sat. 3. On the morning of the 3d the wind blew strong from the eastward, with a short breaking sea and thick rainy weather, which made our situation for some hours rather an unpleasant one, the ice being close under our lee. Fortunately, however, we weathered it by stretching back a few miles to the southward. In the afternoon the wind moderated, and we tacked again to the northward, crossing the Arctic circle at four P.M., in the longitude of 57° 27' W. We passed at least fifty icebergs in the course of the day, many vt W>J\- ^ OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. U of them of large dimensions. At a quarter past five P.M., we sounded in 1819. one hundred and fifteen fathoms ; the water at the surfaee of the sea had the vi^p^ same brownish tinge which has already been noticed, but no difference in its temperature or specific gravity could be detected. Towards midnight, the wind having shifted to the south-west, and moderated, another exten- sive chain of very large icebergs appeared to the northward : as we ap- proached them the wind died away, and the ships' heads were kept to the northward, only by the steerage way given to them by a heavy southerly swell, which, dashing the loose ice with tremendous force against the bergs, sometimes raised a white spray over the latter to the height of more than one hundred feet, and being accompanied with a loud noise, exactly resembling the roar of distant thunder, presented a scene at once sublime and terrific. We could find no bottom near these icebergs with one hundred and ten fathoms of line. At four A.M., on the 4th, we came to a quantity of loose ice, which lay Sun. 4. straggling among the bergs ; and, as there was a light breeze from the southward, and I was anxious to avoid, if possible, the necessity of going to the eastward, I pushed the Hecla into the ice, in the hope of being able to make our way through it. We had scarcely done so, however, before it fell calm ; when the ship became perfectly unmanageable, and was for some time at the mercy of the swell, which drifted us fast towards the bergs. All the boats were immediately sent a-head to tow ; and the Griper's signal was made, not to enter the ice. After two hours' hard pulling, we succeeded in getting the Hecla back again into clear water, and to a sufficient distance from the icebergs, which it is very dangerous to approach when there is any swell. At noon we were in lat. 66° 50' 47", long. 56° 47' 56", being near the middle of the narrowest part of Davis' Strait, which is here not more than fifty leagues across. Davis, on returning from his third voyage, sets it down at forty leagues* ; and in another place remarks : " In the latitude of sixtie- seuen degrees, I might see America, west, from me, and Desolation, (Green- land), eastf ." The truth of this last remark had been much doubted, till the observations made on our expedition of 1818, by determining the geographical position of the two coasts thus seen by Davis, served to confirm the accuracy of that celebrated and able navigator. * Hakluyt's Collection of Voyages. t The Worlde's Hi/drographicall Discription, 1595, 12 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. On the 5th, it was necessary to pass through some heavy streams of ice, ^„„^i^ in order to avoid the loss of time by going round to the eastward. On this, Mon. 5. ag Qjj jnany other occasions, the advantage possessed by a ship of considerable weight in the water, in separating the heavy masses of ice, was very apparent. In some of the streams, through which the Hecla passed, a vessel of a hundred tons less burthen must have been immoveably beset. The Griper was on this, and many other occasions, only enabled to follow the Hecla by taking advantage of the openings made by the latter. Tues. 6. At noon, on the 6th, being in lat. 67° 44' 05 ", long. 57° 46' 26", we had soundings in one hundred and seventy-two fathoms, on a bottom' of shining sand, mixed with small black specks. A number of looms were killed, which being very good to' eat, were served to the officers and ship's company. A herd of sea-horses (Trichecus Roswiarus) being seen lying on a piece of ice, our boat succeeded in killing one of them. These animals usually lie huddled together, like pigs, one over the other, and are so stupidly tame, as to allow a boat to approach them, within a few yards, without moving. When, at length, they are disturbed, they dash, into the water in great confusion. It may be worth remarking, as a proof how tenacious the walrus sometimes is of life, that the animal killed to-day struggled violently for ten minutes after it was struck, and towed the boat twenty or thirty yards, after which, the iron of the harpoon broke ; and yet it was found, on examination, that the iron barb had penetrated both auricles of the heart. A quantity of the blubber was put into casks, as a winter's supply of lamp-oil. Wed. 7. On the 7th, in standing to the northward, we came to a stream of ice, three quarters of a mile wide, which obstructed bur passage in that direction. The wind died away as soon as we had entered the stream, and it required six hours' rowing in the boats to tow the ships into clear water beyond it. It is curious to observe, in passing under the lee of ice, however small its extent or height above the sea, an immediate decrease in thestrengthof the wind. This effect cannot be attributed to any degree of shelter afforded by the ice, as, in the cases to which I allude, it is, perhaps, not more than a single foot above the surface of the sea. At noon, being in lat., by observation, 68° 24' 52", and in long. 57° 00' 43", we obtained soundings in a hundred and seventy-five fathoms, on a bottom of greenish-coloured mud, into which the lead sunk several inches. At two P.M. a thermometer in the sun rose to 70°, the temperature of the shade being 44°, and the weather perfectly calm and cloudless. The card OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 13 commonly used in Walker's Azimuth Compass had traversed so sluggishly for 1819. some days past, that it was now found necessary to substitute a lighter one, ^Jtr^ supplied by the maker for this purpose. The looms and tern were numerous near the ice. On the 8th, at noon, we observed, in lat. 68° 30' 01", and long. 57° 22' 37",Thurs. 8. being 6' 51 " to the southward, and 9' 53" to the eastward of the dead reckon- ing. We sounded in a hundred and seventy-eight fathoms' water, the bottom being of the same nature as on the preceding day. On the 9th, having reached the latitude of 68° 45' 53", long. 57° 49' 51", the Frid. 9. ship was found to have made less northing by eleven miles and three quarters than the log gave. The soundings were a hundred and fifty-two fathoms, the lead being covered with soft green mud, mixed with sand and gravel. Large flocks of tern and looms were seen about the ice. A northerly wind prevented our making much progress, for the ice was still so compact in every part as to render it impossible to penetrate to the westward ; and nothing, therefore, remained to be done but to make the best way we could, by beat- ing to the northward along the edge of the pack. On the 10th a thick fog came on, which made great caution necessary in Sat. 10- sailing, there being a great many icebergs near us. There is, however, even in the thickest fog, a strong reflection of light from these immense bodies of ice, which, with an attentive look-out, is generally visible at a sufficient dis- tance to enable the navigator, if in smooth water, to avoid coming in contact with them. At noon, the wind being still against us, we had only reached the lat. of 69° 04' 28", being 9' 49" to the southward of the dead reckoning. The long, by the chronometers, was 58° 10' 30", being 23' 47" to the eastward of the account in two days. We obtained soundings in a hundred and sixty-seven fathoms, on a bottom of green mud,*Avith a little sand and gravel. At night the fog froze as it fell upon the rigging, making it difficult to work the ship among the ice. . A large bear (Urms MaritimusJ being seen on a piece of ice, near which we Sun. li. were passing this morning, a boat was despatched in pursuit, and our people succeeded in killingand towing it on board. As these animals sink immediately on being mortally wounded, some dexterity is requisite to secure them, by first throwing a rope over the neck, at which many of the Greenland seamen are remarkably expert. It is customary for the boats of the whalers to have two or three lines coiled in them, which not only gives them great stability, but, with good management, makes it difficult for a bear, when swimming, to put 1^ VOYAGE FOE, THE DISCOVERY 1819. his paw upon the gunwale, which they generally endeavour to do ; whereas, ,.^1^^ with our boats, which are more light and crank, and therefore very easily heeled over, I have more than once seen a bear on the point of taking pos- session of them. Great caution should, therefore, be used under such circum- stances in attacking these ferocious creatures. We have always found a board- ing-pike the most useful weapon for this purpose. The lance used by the whalers will not easily penetrate the skin, and a musket-ball, except when very close, is scarcely more efficacious. We sounded at noon in two hundred and two fathoms, being in lat. by ac- count, 69° 24' 40", long. 58° 16' 42", without making any allowance for the current, which, for the three preceding days, appeared to have been setting the ships to the S.S.E., at the rate of from eight to thirteen miles per day. In the afternoon, on the clearing up of the fog, we found ourselves so sur- rounded by ice, in every direction, that it became necessary to stretch to the eastward, to avoid the risk of being again beset, a circumstance which might have occasioned a serious loss of time. A great number of seals were seen as we sailed through the ice, but very seldom two together. Mon. 12. The weather was again so thick on the 12th, that we could seldom see above three or four hundred yards. The sun being visible, however. Captain Sabine and myself left the ship, and ascended an iceberg, in order to obtain the me- ridian altitude, which gave us the lat. of 69° 42' 43", and which was 8' 20" to the southward of the dead reckoning, our longitude, by account, being 57° 46" 13". Streams of the purest water were flowing from this berg, a luxury not so often enjoyed by seamen in any other navigation, and which is, per- haps, of essential importance in the preservation of health, were scurvy is the disease most to be apprehended. The fog froze so hard upon the sails and rigging during the night, that I believe some tons were shaken off in the Tues. 13. morning, to enable us to handle the ropes, and to work the ship with greater facility. The fields of ice and the icebergs must occasionally, during the summer, receive a considerable addition by this kind of deposit. Of the lat- ter when the fog had cleared away for a short time in the evening, we counted no less than sixty -two of large dimensions, at no great distance from us, be- sides a number of smaller ones. We were, at noon, in lat. by account, 70° 06" 32", and in long. 57° 33' 56"", having a hundred and forty -seven fathoms' water, on a muddy bottom. Wed. 14. The weather continued so foggy on the 14th, that very little progress could be made. We caught some fine specimens of the Clio Borealis, called by the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 15 sailors whales' food, and also of Beroes, which were very numerous near the jgjg surface of the water. July. On the 15th, the fog being still as thick as before, our latitude, observed on Thur. 15. an iceberg, was 70° 28' 52" ; while that observed on board by Lieut. Beechey, with Captain Kater's altitude-instrument, was 70° 27' 43", the difference accord- ing exactly with the bearing and distance of the iceberg from the ship. The longitude was 59° 11' 58", and the variation of the needle, as observed upon the ice, had increased to 79° 48' westerly. Mr. Fisher made an experiment on the specific gravity of berg-ice. Having formed a piece of this ice into a cube, whose sides measured sixty-eight lines, he floated it in a tub of sea- water, of the specific gravity 1.0256, and at the temperature of 33°, when nine lines remained above the surface of the Avater, being nearly one-eighth. On the 16th, in running along the edge of the ice with a fresh breeze from Frid. 16. the south-west, we passed the Brunswick, whaler, of Hull, beating to the southward. She crossed within hail of the Griper, and the master informed Lieutenant Liddon that he had, on the 11th, left a large fleet of fishing-ships about the latitude of 74°, unable to proceed farther to the northward. We had been stopped in a similar manner, and in the same place, on the voyage of 1818, which renders it not improbable, that, at this period of the year, the same obstruction will generally be found to occur about that latitude. The annual experience of the whalers has, indeed, long ago, made it evident, that the facility with which a ship may sail up Davis' Strait, depends entirely upon the season at which the attempt is made. For the first fortnight in June, it i§ seldom practicable to get much beyond the Island of Disko, or about the latitude of 69° to 70°. Towards the 20th of that month, the ships usually reach the great inlet, called North-East Bay ; and, by the end of June, the ice allows them, though not without great exertion, to penetrate to the Three Islands of Baffin, which lie just beyond the seventy-fourth degree of latitude. From that time till about the end of August, the ice presents almost daily, less and less obstruction ; so that, if the object be simply to sail as far north as possible into Baffin's Bay, without regard to the capture of whales, there is every reason to believe that a ship, entering Davis' Strait on the 1st of July, may sail into the latitude of 74° or 75°, without meeting with any detention on account of the ice, and, perhaps, without even seeing the land till she arrive in a high latitude. On the 17th, the margin of the ice, appearing more open than we had yet Sat. 17. seen it, and there being some appeai-ance of a " water-sky" to the north- 16 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY west, I was induced to run the ships into the ice, though the weather was too thick to allow us to see more than a mile or two in that direction. We were, at noon, in latitude 72° 00' 21", longitude 59° 46' 18", the depth of water being one hundred and ninety fathoms, on a muddy bottom. The wind shortly after died away, as usual, and, after making a number of tacks, in order to gain all we could to the westward, we found ourselves so closely hemmed in by the ice on every side, that there was no longer room to work the ships, and we therefore made them fast to a floe, till the weather should clear up. The afternoon was employed in taking on board a supply of water from the floe. It may be proper at once to remark that, from this time till the end of the voyage, snow-water was exclusively made use of on board the ships for every purpose. During the summer months, it is found in abun- dance in pools upon the floes and icebergs, and in the Winter snow was dissolved in the coppers for our daily consumption. The fog cleared away in the evening, when we perceived that no further progress could be made through the ice, into which we had sailed to the westward about twelve miles. We were, therefore, once more under the necessity of returning to the eastward, lest a change of v/ind should beset the ships in their present situation. Previously, however, to our return, we made some ob- servations, on the ice, for the variation and dip of the magnetic needle, the foi-mer of which was found to be 80° 55' 27" W., and the latten'84i° ;4<' 9". Sun. 18. A thick fog came on again at night, and prevailed till near noon on the 18th when we came to a close but narrow stream of ice, lying exactly across our course, and at right angles to the main body of the ice. As this stream extended to the eastward as far as we could see from the " crow's nest," an endeavour was made to push the ships with all sail through the narrowest part. The facility with which this operation, technically called "boring," is perfonned, depends chiefly on having a fresh and free wind, with which we were not favoured on this occasion ; so that, when we had forced the ships about one hundred yards into the ice, their way was completely stopped. The stream consisted of such small pieces of ice, that when an attempt was made to warp the ships a-head by fastening lines to some of the heaviest masses near them, the ice itself came home, without the ships being moved for- ward. Every effort to extricate them from this helpless situation proved fruitless for more than two hours, when the Hecla was at length backed out, and succeeded in pushing through another part of the stream in which a small opening appeared just at that moment. All our boats were immediately OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 17 despatched to the assistance of the Griper, which still remained beset, and 1819. which no effort could move in any direction. We at length resorted to v^^J-^ the expedient of sending a whale-line to her from the Hecla, and then making all sail upon the latter ship, we succeeded in towing her out, head to wind, till she was enabled to proceed in clear water. The crossing of this stream of ice, of which the breadth scarcely exceeded three hundred yards, occupied us constantly for more than five hours and may ^eive as an example of the detention to which ships are liable in this kind of navigation. In the course of the afternoon, one of the Hecla's boats was upset by the ice, and Mr. Palmer, with all her crew, thrown out of her; but, by getting upon the ice, they fortunately escaped with no other injury than a thorough wetting. The wind having veered to the northward, we tacked ofF and on, beating Mon. 19. along the edge of the ice, in which no opening appeared, to encourage a hope of getting through it to the westward. At noon we had reached the lat. of 72° 31' 58", and long. 59° 03' 54'", our soundings being one hundred and forty-two fathoms, on a muddy bottom. In the afternoon, a ship running to the southward, and which we supposed to be one of the home- ward-bound whalers, passed us at the distance of seven miles. At noon, on the 20th, we were in lat., by account, 72° 57' 31 ", long. 58° 40' 57", Tue». 20. and the depth of water was one hundred and twenty fathoms, the bottom consisting of mud, with small black stones. At this time, the weather being perfectly calm, with a thick fog, we perceived that a current, setting to the S.S.W.,was drifting the ship towards a large iceberg in that direction ; and a quantity of floe-ice, which was driving the same way, threatened to enclose us between it and the berg. All the boats were instantly lowered, and sent a-head to tow, by which means we cleared the berg, just one minute before the floe-ice came forcibly in contact with it, surrounding it on every side. This iceberg was about one hundred and forty feet high in one part, and froiii the soundings we obtained near it, must have been aground in one hundred and twenty fathoms, so that its whole height was about eight hundred and sixty feet. The weather continued so foggy during the rest of the day, that it required our utmost attention to keep clear of the numerous ice-bergs which lay in our way. Early on the morning of the 21st, the fog cleared away, and discovered to wgd. 21. us the land called by Davis Hope Sanderson, and the Woman's Islands, being the first land we had seen invading northwards into Baffin's Bay, from D IS VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 181.9. the lat. of 63|°. We found ourselves in the midst of a great number of viiiX/ very high icebergs, of which I counted from the crow's nest, eighty-eight, besides many smaller ones. We tacked immediately to the westward, in order to take advantage of the only clear weather we had enjoyed for the last fourteen days, to examine the state of the ice, and observed at noon, in lat. 72° 58' 13", the long., by chronometers, being 58° 42' 11". The soundings were two hundred and twenty-eight fathoms, muddy-bottom, having deepened from one hundred and six, in sailing eight miles to the westward. Having now reached the latitude of 73°, without seeing a single opening in the ice, and being unwilling to increase our distance from Sir James Lan- caster's Sound, by proceeding much farther to the northward, I determined once more to enter the ice in this place, and to try the experiment of forcing our way through it, in order to get into the open sea, which the experience of the former voyage led me to believe we should find upon the western coast of Baffin's Bay. This determination was strengthened by the recollection of the serious obstructions we had met with the preceding year, in the neighbourhood of Prince Regent's Bay, where greater detention, as well as danger, had been experienced, than on any other part of that coast. Being now, therefore, favoured with clear weather, and a moderate breeze from the south-eastward, we ran into the ice, which, for the first two miles, consisted of detached pieces, but afterwards of floes of con- siderable extent, and six or seven feet in thickness. The wind died away towards midnight, and the weather was serene and clear. The altitude of the sun on the meridian below the pole, gave the latitude 72° 59' 13", being 11' 57" to the southward of that deduced from the observations of the preceding and following noons, which error may, perhaps, be attributed to the elevation of the horizon by terrestrial refraction. The temperature of the air at this time was 40° ; of the water, 34°, and the barometer stood at 29.57 inchfes. A large bear was seen on one of the floes, and we passed the tracks of many others. Thur. 22. On the 22d. the wind was light from the eastward, and we made very little progress. We had occasionally to heave the ships through with hawsers, between the heavy masses of ice, which became more and more close as we advanced, till, at length, towards the evening, we were fairly beset, there being no open water in sight from the mast-head in any quarter of the compass. Some hands were kept constantly employed in heaving OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 19 the ships through the ice, taking advantage of every occasional opening 1819- which presented itself, by which means we advanced a few hundred yards ^yli,' to the westward during the night. At six, A.M., on the 23d, a thick fog came on, which rendered it impos- Frid. 23. sible to see our way any further. It often happens, in thick weather, that much distance is lost by ships taking a wrong " lead," as the channels between floes of ice are technically called; so that, on the weather clearing, it is discovered, when too late, that another opening, perhaps a few yards only from that through which they had sailed, would have conducted them into clear water. We, therefore, warped to an iceberg, to which the ships were made fast at noon, to wait the clearing up of the fog, being in lat. 73° 04-' 10", long. 60° 09' 07". The soundings were one hundred and ninety -seven fathoms, on a muddy bottom, and the variation of the needle 82° 33' 21" westerly. Some observations on the intensity of the magnetic force, by Captain Sabine, will be found in the Appendix. At eight, P.M., the weather cleared up, and a few small pools of open water were seen here and there, but the ice was generally as close as before, and the wind being to the westward of north, it was not deemed advisable to move. When ships are thus beset, there is a great advantage in securing them to the largest body of ice that can be found, and particularly to the bergs, as they are by this means better enabled to retain their situation, the drift of the ice being generally less, in proportion to its depth under water. Another advantage in securing a ship to an iceberg is, that these bodies usually keep a small space of clear water under their lee, in consequence of the quicker drift of the floes and loose ice to leeward. It not unfrequently happens that a ship is thus dragged into clear water, as the sailors express it, that is, that the whole of the floe-ice is carried to leeward past the berg to which the ship is attached, leaving her at length in an open sea. The ice appearing to open a little in the W.N.W., on the morning of the Sat. 24. 24th, preparations were made for warping the ships in that direction, the wind being still to the westward of north, but the fog came on again so thick, that it was necessary still to remain at the berg. At noon, by our observations, we were in lat. 72° 59' 50", long. 60° 07' 54", making a drift of four miles and two-thirds in twenty-four hours, in a S. 1° E. direction. The soundings had deepened to two hundred and sixty-five fathoms, the bottom being light-green mud. The afternoon was occupied in obtaining 20 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819 azimuths on board the Hecla, with her head on different points of the July, compass, in order to ascertain the amount of the irregularities of the magnetic needle produced by local attraction. These observations will be found in ■ the Appendix, and by comparison with those previously made at Northfleet, will serve to shew in what degree the irregularities alluded to had increased with the increase of dip, and with the consequent diminution in the directive power of the earth's magnetism upon the needle. Sun. 2.5. The weather being clear on the morning of the 25th, and a few narrow lanes of water appearing to the westward, the Griper was made fast astern of the Hecla ; and her crew being sent to assist in manning our capstan, we proceeded to warp the ships through the ice. This method, which is often adopted by our whalers, has the obvious advantage of applying the whole united force in separating the masses of ice which lie in the way of the first ship, allowing the second, or even third, to follow close astern, with very little obstruction. In this manner we had advanced about four miles to the westward, by eight P.M., after eleven hours of very laborious exertion ; and . having then come to the end of the clear water, and the weather being again foggy, the ships were secured in a deep " bight," or bay in a floe, called by the sailors a " natural dock." An extra allowance of meat and spirits was served to the ship's companies, and all hands were permitted to go to rest till the state of the weather and of the ice should become more favourable. Mon.26. Early on the morning of the 26th, there was clear water as far as we could see to the westward, which on account of the fog, did not exceed the distance of three hundred yards. We made sail, however, and having groped our way for about half a mile, found the ice once more close in every direction, except that in which we had been sailing, obliging us to make the ships fast to a floe. I sent a boat away to endeavour to find a lane of clear water leading to the westward. She returned on board in an hour, without success, having with difficulty found her way to the ship, by our mus- quets, and other signals. The latitude here, by obsei-vation, was 73° 02' 17", long., by chronometers, 60° 11' 52", by which the drift of the ice in the last twenty-four hours appears to have been N. 1° E., five miles and three quarters, or in a direction nearly opposite to that of the wind. The soundings were two hundred and eight fathoms, on a muddy bottom. At half-past three, P.M., the weather cleared up, and a few narrow lanes of water being seen to the westward, every exertion was immediately made to get into them, , On beginning to heave, however, we found that the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 21 " hole" of water, in which the Hecla lay, was now so completely enclosed 18I9. by ice, that no passage out of it could be found. We tried every corner, ^,lij but to no purpose ; all the power we could apply being insufficient to move the heavy masses of ice which had fixed themselves firmly between us and the lanes of water without. In the mean time. Lieutenant Liddon had succeeded in advancing about three hundred yards, and had placed the Griper's bow between two heavy floes, which it was necessary to separate before any further progress could be made. Both ships continued to heave at their hawsers occasionally, as the ice appeared to slacken a little, by which means they were now and then drawn a-head a few inches at a time, but did not advance more than half-a-dozen yards in the course of the night. By our nearing several bergs to the northward, the ice appeared to be drifting in that direction, the wind being moderate from the southward. About three A.M., by a sudden motion of the ice, we succeeded in getting Tues. 27. the Hecla out of her confined situation, and ran her up astern of the Griper. The clear water had made so much to the westward, that a narrow neck of ice was all that was now interposed between the ships and a large open space in that quarter. Both ships' companies were, therefore, ordered upon the ice to saw off the neck, when the floes suddenly opened sufficiently to allow the Griper to push through under all sail. No time was lost in the attempt to get the Hecla through after her, but, by one of those accidents to which this navigation is liable, and which renders it so precarious and un- certain, a piece of loose ice which lay between the two ships, was drawn after the Griper by the eddy produced by her motion, and completely blocked the narrow passage through which we were about to follow. Before we could remove this obstruction by hauling it back out of the channel, the floes were again pressed together, wedging it finnly and immoveably betwixt them ; the saws were immediately set to work, and used with o-reat effect, but it was not till eleven o'clock that we succeeded, after seven hours' labour, in getting the Hecla into the lanes of clear water which opened more and more to the westward. Our latitude, by account at noon, was 73° 05' 56 ", the longitude 60° 24! 27". Being now favoured with a fresh breeze from the S.E.b.S., we made con- siderable progress, though on a very crooked course, to the northward and westward. In one respect the character of the ice was here altered, as we found a great many floes of " young" or " bay" ice, which had probably been newly formed in the sheltered situations afforded by the larger floes. m VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY To avoid the necessity of going round, or where no other channel presented itself, we ran through several of these bay-floes, which were from four to six inches thick, ploughing up the ice before the ship's stem, at the rate of five miles an hour. If they were not very broad, the Hecla did not lose her Way in passing through them. Frequently, however, she was stopped in the middle, which made it necessary to saw and break the ice a-head, till she made another start, and, having run a short distance in clear water, was again imbedded in the same manner. We passed one field of ice, about ten feet in thickness, and many miles in length, as we could not see over it from the mast-head. This was the only " field," according to the definition ir- applied to that term by the whalers, that I had ever seen in Baffin's Bay. About eleven P.M. the lanes of open water a-head became very contracted, and at half-past eleven, in endeavouring to force through a floe, under a heavy press of canvass, the Hecla was completely wedged in, having run her own length into it, though its thickness was between a foot and eighteen inches. In the course of this day's sailing, the ships received many severe blows from the ice, but apparently suffered no damage. The concussions which the chrono- meters experienced, were, perhaps, such as few watches of this kind had ever before been exposed to ; but we did not subsequently discover that any alteration had taken place in their rates, in consequence of them. n:, ,• Wed. 28. The wind continued to blow strong from the south-east with heavy-rain ;• and at half-past three A.M., after several hours' sawing, in which the men suffered much from wet and fatigue, we succeeded in getting clear ; but after ' running a quarter of a mile, Avere again beset in the same manner. By the time the Griper had joined us, we had once more unavoidably hampered the Hecla among the ice, and did not succeed in extricating her till four P.M., after which we found so much clear water as we proceeded, that, with the exception of a few streams and " patches," which we met with on the following day, and through which the ships sailed without much difficulty, we had now passed every impediment which obstructed our passage to Sir James Lancaster's Sound. The breadth of this barrier of ice, which occupies the middle of Baffin's Bay, and which had never before been crossed in this latitude at the same season, was eighty miles, in a N. 63° W. direc- tion. I have been thus particular and minute, perhaps tediously so, in detailing our endeavours to obtain a passage through the ice to the western coast of Baffin's Bay, in order to shew how necessary it is to per- severe and not to be discouraged by frequent failures, nor deterred from '■;. f): OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 2^ entering the ice by the apprehension of being beset. By taking advantage of every little opening that is afforded, I believe that a strong-built vessel of proper size and weight may, in most seasons, be pushed through this barrier which occupies the centre part of Baffin's Bay, about this parallel of latitude. It must, at the same time, be confessed, that, had we not been favoured with strong south-easterly winds, it would probably have required several days longer to effect this passage. On the 29th, we had so much clear water, that the ships had a very per- Thur. 29. ceptible pitching motion, which, from the closeness of the ice, does not very often occur in the Polar regions, and which is, therefore, hailed with pleasure, as an indication of an open sea. At noon we had reached, by the i dead reckoning, the latitude of 73° 51' 17", and longitude 67° 47' 51 ", and we could find no bottom with three hundred and ten fathoms of line. At five P. M. the swell increased considerably, and, as the wind freshened up from the north-east, the ice gradually disappeared ; so that by six o'clock we were sailing in an open sea, perfectly free from obstruction of any kind. During the time we had been beset among the ice, the temperature of the air, in the shade, had varied from 28° to 38°, except in very clear and calm weather, when the thennometer had occasionally risen to 4<>i°. The tem- perature of the water had been almost uniformly from 31° to 33°, but soon after our leaving the ice this evening, it increased to 37°, which tem- perature continued for a run of sixty-three miles to the westward, and then fell to 32° and 33°, till we had entered Sir James Lancaster's Sound. At four A. M. on the 30th, two or three ice-bergs were in sight, being the Frid. 30. first we had seen since leaving the ice to the eastward. It is probable that these, together with some streams of ice which occurred in the afternoon, pro- duced the diminution in the temperature of the sea, to which I have alluded above, and which took place soon after noon on this day. The Griper detain- ing us considerably, and the sea being now sufficiently open to allow us to take her in tow, we hove-to at nine A. M. for that purpose. We now seemed all at once to have got into the head-quarters of the whales. They were so numerous that I directed the number to be counted during each watch, and no less than eighty-two are mentioned in this day's log. Mr. Allison, the Greenland master, considered them generally as large ones, and remarked, that a fleet of whalers might easily have obtained a cargo here in a few days. It is, I believe, a common idea among the Greenland fishermen, that the presence of ice is necessary to ensure the 24) VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. finding of whales; but we had no ice in sight to-day, when they were J^J^ most numerous. At noon we observed, in lat. 74° 01' 57", being the first meridian altitude we had obtained for four days, and differing from the dead reckoning only two miles, which is remarkable, considering the slug- gishness of the compasses, and would seem to afford a presumptive proof that no southerly current exists in this part of Baffin's Bay. The longitude, by chronometers, was 75° 02' 14.". In the afternoon the wind broke us off from the N. N. W., which obliged us to cast off the Griper, and we carried all sail a-head to make the land. We saw it at half-past five P. M., being the high land about Possession Bay, and at the same time several streams of loose but heavy ice came in sight, which a fresh breeze was drifting fast to thie south-eastward. Sir James Lancaster's Sound was now open to the westward of us, and the experience of our former voyage had given us reason to believe that the two best months in the year for the navigation of these seas were yet to come. This consideration, together with the magnificent view of the lofty Byam Martin mountains, which forcibly recalled to our minds the events of the preceding year, could not fail to animate us with expectation and hope. If any proof were wanting of the value of local knowledge in the navigation of the Polar Seas, it would be amply furnished by the fact of our having now reached the entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound just one month earlier than we had done in 1818, although we had then sailed above a fortnight sooner, with the same general object in view, namely, to penetrate to the western coast of Baffin's Bay, where alone the North-west Passage was to be sought for. This difference is to be attributed entirely to the confidence which I felt, from the experience gained on the former voyage, that an open sea would be found to the westward of the barrier of ice which occupies the middle of Baffin's Bay. Without that confidence, it would have been little better than madness to have attempted a passage through so compact a body of ice, when no indication of a clear sea appeared beyond it. The Hecla's cables were bent, and the Griper's signal made to do the same. As we approached the land, the wind drew directly out of the sound, which is commonly found to be the case in inlets of, this nature, in which the wind generally blows directly up or down. A flock of white ducks, believed to be male eider-ducks, were seen in the afternoon, flying to the eastward. Sat- 31. - The wind increased to a fresh breeze on the morning of the 31st, whicli pi-evented our making much way to the westward. We stood in towards Cape Byam Martin, and sounded in eighty fathoms on a rocky bottom, at the distance OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. M of two miles in an east direction from it. We soon after discovered the flag- staff which had been erected on Possession Mount on the former expedition ; an object which, though insignificant in itself, called up every person imme- diately on deck to look at and to greet it as an old acquaintance. The Griper being considerably astern, I thought it a good opportunity to go on shore, in order to make some observations, while she was coming up. Captain Sabine and myself, therefore, left the ship, and landed in the same spot, near the mouth of the stream in Possession Bay, where observations had been made the preceding year. We found so much surf on the beach as to make it necessary to haul the boat up, to prevent her being stove. A number of loose pieces of ice had been thrown up above the ordinary high- water mark ; some of these were so covered by the sand which the sea had washed over them, that we were at a loss to know what they were, till a quantity of it had been removed. From the situation and appearance of these masses, it occurred to some of us that similar masses, found under ground in those spots called Kaltusw, in the islands near the coast of Siberia, might thus have been originally deposited. The land immediately at the back of Possession Bay rises in a gentle slope from the sea, presenting an open and extensive space of low ground, flanked by hills to the north and south. In this valley, and even on the hills, to the height of six or seven hundred feet above the sea, there was scarcely any snow, but the mountains at the back were completely covered with it. Tlie bed of the stream which winds along the valley is in many places several hundred yards wide, and in some parts from thirty to forty feet deep; but the quantity of water which it contained at this season was extremely small in proportion to the width between the banks, not exceeding forty feet on an average, and from one to three feet only in depth near the mouth of the stream. This feature is common in every part of the Polar regions in which we have landed ; the beds, or ravines, being probably formed by the annual dissolution of the snow during a long series of years. Some pieces of birch-bark having been picked up in the bed of this stream, in 1818, which gave reason to suppose that wood might be found growing in the interior, I directed Mr. Fisher to walk up it, accompanied by a small party, and to occupy an hour or two, while the Griper was coming up, and Captain Sabine and myself were employed upon the beach, in examining the nature and pro- ductions of the country. Mr. Fisher reported, on his return, that he had folio^wed the stream betsyieea E 26 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. three and four miles, where it turned to the south-west, without discovering v^^-v-'L' any indications of a wooded country ; but a sufficient explanation respecting the birch-bark was, perhaps, furnished by his finding, at the distance of a quarter of a mile from the sea, a piece of whalebone two feet ten inches in length, and two inches in breadth, having a number of circular holes very neatly and regularly perforated along one of its edges, and which had un- doubtedly formed part of an Esquimaux sledge. This circumstance affording a proof of the Esquimaux having visited this part of the coast at no very distant period, it was concluded that the piece of bark, above alluded to, had been brought hither by these people. From the appearance of the whalebone, it might have been lying there for four or five years. That none of the Esqui- maux tribe had visited this part of the coast since we landed there in 1818, was evident from the flag-staff then erected still remaining untouched. Mr. Fisher found every part of the valley quite free from snow as high as he ascended it ; and the following fact seems to render it probable that no great quantity either of snow or sleet had fallen here since our lasl visit. . Mr. Fisher had not proceeded far, till, to his great surprise, he encountered the tracks of human feet upon the banks of the stream, which appeared so fresh, that he at first imagined them to have been recently made by some natives, but which, on examination, were distinctly ascertained to be the marks of our own shoes made eleven months before. The only animals we met with were a fox, a raven, CCorvus Corax,) some ring-plovers, (Charadrius Hiaticula,) snow-buntings, and a Avild bee, (Apis Alpina.J Several tracks of bears and of a cloven-footed animal, probably the rein-deer, were also observed upon the moist ground. Three black whales were seen in the bay, and the crown-bones of several others were lying near the beach. Considerable tufts of moss and of grass occur in this valley, principally in those parts which are calculated to retain the water produced by the melting of the snow. Indeed, moisture alone seems ne- cessary to the growth of a variety of plants which are found in this dreary climate, and of which a detailed account will be given in the Appendix. Mr. Fisher, who had an opportunity of examining some of the fixed rocks, considered them to consist principally of basalt. A great quantity of lime- stone was found in the valley, together with pieces of granite, quartz, feldspar, trap, and sandstone. The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73° 31' 16", and the longitude by the chronometers, 77° 22' 21", the latter differing only 1' 30" to OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Sfif the eastward of that obtained on the same spot, by No. 509 of Earnshaw, 1819 the preceding year. The dip of the needle was 86° 03' 42", and the variation J^!^ 108° 46' 35", westerly, agreeing nearly with that observed by Lieutenant Hoppner, in 1818. At half-past ten A.M., when we landed, the tide was falling by the shore, and continued to do so till about half an hour before noon ; the surf on the beach, however, did not allow me to determine the time Avith very great precision. By the mean of our observations made now, and in the foregoing year, the time of high water on full and change days, would appear to be about a quarter past eleven. At two P.M., the water had risen two feet and a half, and the whole rise of tide, as nearly as we could judge from the marks on the beach, may be from six to eight feet. The stream certainly came from the northward and westward along the shore of the bay, during the time that the tide was rising ; and Lieut. Beechey observed, that, in running along shore, in a south-easterly direction, the ship seemed to go much faster by the land than she sailed through the water. It is more than probable, therefore, that the flood comes from the north- westward on this particular part of the coast. Near the spot on which we made the observations, a bottle was buried containing an account of our visit, and a pile of stones and earth raised over it. In approaching Possession Bay, the colour of the water was observed to change to a light green, at the distance of two or two and a half miles from the shore, but there was no other appearance of shoal water, and we could find no bottom with sixty and seventy fathoms of line, well within it ; we had four- teen fathoms, on a sandy bottom, at a cable's length from the beach. Having finished our observations, we returned on board, and made all sail for the Sound ; but the wind blowing still from the westward, the progress of the ships was but slow in that direction. The sea was perfectly free from ice, except a single berg, and one or two narrow though heavy streams, which offered, however, little or no obstruction to the navigation. Annexed is an abstract of the Meteorological Journal for the month of July. ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla, at Sea, .- during the Month oi July, 1819. Temperature in shade of Mr Sea Water at the surface. Barometer. Prevailing Winds. Prevailing Weal' Day 1 iMaxi- Mini- Mean. Tempe- rature. Specific Gravity. Tempera- ture >rhen weighed. Masi- Mini- Mean. o 39 + o 34 + 36.33 33.2 1.0260 O 53 inclies. 29.83 inches. 29.78 inches. 29.800 W.S.W. Moderate breezes and fine. 2 37.5 35.5 36.25 33.3 1. 0.-60 53 29.78 29.70 29.753 S.W. Ditto 3 4 5 35 33 33 30 30.5 29 33.33 31.58 30.83 31.5 30 30.8 1.02C0 1.0261 1.0260 53 51 54 29.61 29.42 29.48. 29.10 29.35 29.35 29.302 29.387 29.403 ; S.E. Calm West Moderate and cloudy. Sn' .' and rain at times. Occasional light airs from th northward. Fogffy weather. Light breezes and hazy. 6 38 31 34.42 33.1 1.0253 57 29.54 29.42 29.505 S.W. Liglit breezes and fine. 7 46 34 39.83 35.8 1.0257 57 29.59 29.51 29.550 5 A.M. S.S.E. t P.M. Calm Light airs and fine. Fine weather. 8 40 34 37.75 37.2 1.0260 57 29.68 29.60 29.029 N orth Light airs and cloudy. 9 34 30 32.25 32.7 1.0254 54 29.74 29.69 29.721 N.N.E. Light airs and cloudy, with snow. 10 32 28 30.00 31.5 1.0252 .53.5 29.80 29.75 29.787 N.N.W. Light breezes and foggy 11 32 26 29.50 30.8 1.0256 54 29.77 29.73 29.761 N.W. Ditto. 12 33.5 28 30.50 32.1 1.0252 54 29.66 29.63 29.037 N.N.W. Moderate breezes and foggy. 13 32 31 31.67 33.2 1.0256 55 29.90 29.72 29.829 ' ( A.M. N.N.W. ] [ P.M. Westerly, j Light breezes and foggy. 1 ^* 36.5 28.5 32.83 34.2 1.0256 55 29.90 29.84 29.878 S.S.E. Ditto 15 31 28 29.83 32.5 1.0250 5S.5 29.91 29.81 29.875 N.b.W. Light breezes and hazy. 16 30 27 33.00 34.2 1.0255 59 29.90 29.76 29.852 S.S.E. Light breezes and cloudy. 17 34 31 33.50 32.8 1.0217 5S 29.84 29.71 29.783 West Light breezes and foggy, ^\ ith rain. 18 33 30.5 32.00 32.1 1.0247 56 29.90 29.79 29.827 5 A.M. S.W. \ I P.M.N.N.E. 5 Light breezes and foggy, with snow. 19 34 29 31.00 33 1.0247 56 29.93 29.90 29.912 North Light breezes and foggy, with small snow. 20 30 27 28.50 32.2 1.0250 56 29.84 29.70 29.791 N.N.W. Light breezes and foggy. 21 42 27 37.67 33.8 1.0243 58 29.03 29.56 29.5S8 5 From north round > <byeasttoS.E.bE.5 Light airs; occasional calms. 22 45 34 39.75 33 1.0183 58 29.62 29.58 29.605 East Light airs and fine clear weather. 23 36 29 31.50 31.4 1.0252 55 29.70 29.62 29.665 N.W. b. W. Light breezes and foggy. 24 37 31 33.75 31.4 29.83 29.60 29.7.-,9 N.N.W. Light airs and foggy. 25 40 32 35.42 31.3 29.89 29.84 29.870 Westerly. Light breezes and fine clear weather 20 35 28 32.33 31.9 1.0185 59 29.85 29.82 29.838 ■ s-t Light breezes and foggy weather. 27 35 33 33.75 32.0 29.00 29.74 29.842 S.E. b.E. Moderate breezes and hazy weather. 23 29 30 33 37 38 33 33 33 33.00 34.25 36.25 31.7 33.1 34.8 1.0240 1.0242 1.0255 59 59 53 29.71 , 29.52 29.54 29.53 29.49 2^.51 29.615 29.507 29.525 S.E.b.S. East N.N.W. Fresh breezes and hazy, with continued heavy lain. Fresh breezes and foggy, with rain at times. Fresh breezes and fine. 31 43 35 37.08 32.6 1.0250 65 29.51 29.50 29.505 N.W.b.W. Ditto. 46 26 33.51 32.68 1 29.93 29.10 29.687 1 >M™ M™" -^-r^ j4 itwnunient was erecteei I**:Niaj-The. ^liclaiess of the ofy the point at ■ wajj^ty^ CJSccdicu Liddon's *y Cjroppn^ -J Taile lull-& Winter Haib°^ 29 CHAPTER II. ENTRANCE INTO SIR JAMES LANCASTER'S SOUND OF BAFFIN— UNINTER- RUPTED PASSAGE TO THE WESTWARD — DISCOVERY AND EXAMINATION OF PRINCE REGENTS INLET — PROGRESS TO THE SOUTHWARD STOPPED BY ICE — RETURN TO THE NORTHWARD — PASS BARROW's STRAIT, AND ENTER THE POLAR SEA. We were now about to enter and to explore that great sound or inlet which has obtained a degree of celebrity beyond what it might otherwise have been considered to possess, from the very opposite opinions which have been held with regard to it. To us it was peculiarly interesting, as being the point to which our instructions more particularly directed our attention ; and, I may add, what I believe we all felt, it was that point of the voyage which was to determine the success or failure of the expedition, according as one or other of the opposite opinions alluded to should be corroborated. It will readily be conceived, then, how great our anxiety was for a change of the westerly wind and swell, which, on the 1st of August, set down Sir James Lancaster's Sound, and prevented our making much progress. We experienced also another source of anxiety. The relative sailing qualities of the two ships were found to have altered so much, that we were obliged to keep the Hecla under easy sail the whole day, to allow the Griper to keep up with us, although the latter had hitherto kept way with her consort, when sailing by the wind. The ships stretched to the northward across the entrance of the sound, meeting oc- casionally with some loose and heavy streams of ice, and were at noon in lati- tude, by observation, 73° 55' 18", and in longitude, by the chronometers, 77° 40'. Several whales were seen in the course of the day, and Mr. Allison remarked, that this was the only part of Baffin's Bay in which he had ever seen young whales ; for it is a matter of surprise to the whalers in general, that they I8I9. Auffust. Sun. ]. 30 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. seldom or never meet with young ones on this fishery, as they are accustomed Ji^I!^* to do in the seas of Spitzbergen. The Griper continued to detain us so much that I determined on making the best of our way to the westward, that no more time than was necessary might be occupied in the examination of the bottom of Sir James Lancaster's Sound, provided it should be found to be an inlet surrounded by land. I was the more inclined to do this, from the circumstance of the sea being so clear of ice, as to offer no impediment to the navigation, which rendered it next to impossible that the two ships should not meet each other again ; and it seemed to me to be of considerable importance to obtain as early informa- tion as possible whether a passage did or did not exist there, as, in the latter event, we should have to proceed still further to the northward in search of one through some of the other sounds of Baffin; besides, the farther north we had to go, the shorter would the navigable season be to allow us to explore these sounds. On these considerations I ordered the Hecla to be hove to in the evening, and sent Lieutenant Liddon an instruction, with some signals, which might facilitate our meeting in case of fog : and I appointed as a place of rendezvous the meridian of 85° west, and as near the middle of the Sound as circumstances would permit. As soon, therefore, as the boat returned from the Griper, we carried a press of sail, and, in the course of the evening, saw the northern shore of the Sound looming through the clouds which hung over it. Mon. 2. It fell calm on the morning of the 2d, and at nine A.M., we sounded with the deep-sea clamms, and found one thousand and fifty fathoms by the line, on a bottom of mud and small stones ; but I believe the depth of water did not exceed eight or nine hundred fathoms, the ship's drift being considerable on account of the swell. It should be remarked, also, that where the sound- ings exceed five or six hundred fathoms, even in very calm weather, the actual depth must, in the usual way of obtaining it, be a matter of some uncertainty, for the weight of the line causes it to run out with a velocity not perceptibly diminished, long after the lead or the clamms have struck the ground. The clamms being now down, we were about to try the set of the current, by mooring a boat to the line, when the breeze again sprung up from the westward and prevented it. At noon we were in latitude by observation, 74° 30' 03'., and in longitude 78° 01'., Cape Osborn bearing N. 79° W. distant forty-one miles. The weather being clear in the evening, we had the first distinct view of i^-'ez//f' ■yi!y/./'/(,y"r . I'. S6' M .'^ ^l/UZ /^' i7i€ /ii^tiCll'iil cf- <y^ty/llJ ■^ilL'HCi//l£/ll . F. W:£eechry del. i/t^yi&i ^4i(^/ia;7i&/?^^-f. /c°/f. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 31 both sides of the Sound, and the difference in the character of the two shores 1819. was very apparent, that on the south consisting of high and peaked moun- ^^^^' tains, completely snow-clad, except on the lower parts, while the northern coast, has generally a smoother outline, and had comparatively with the other, little snow upon it ; the difference in this last respect, appearing to depend principally on the difference in their absolute height. The sea was open before us, free from ice or land ; and the Hecla pitched so much from the westerly swell in the course of the day, as to throw the water once or twice into the stern windows, a circumstance which, together with other appearances, we were willing to attribute to an open sea in the desired direction. More than forty black whales were seen during the day. We had alternately fresh breezes from the westward, and calms on the morn- Tues. 3. ing of the 3d, when we had only gained eight or nine miles upon the Griper, which we observed coming up the Sound before an easterly wind, with all her studding sails set, while we had a fresh breeze from the westward. In the fore-noon we were between Capes Warrender and Osborn, and had a good view of Sir George Hope's Monument, which proved to be a dark- looking and conspicuous hill on the main land, and not an island, as it appeared to be when at a distance, on our former voyage. A solitary iceberg being near us. Captain Sabine, Lieutenant Beechey, and Mr. Hooper, were sent upon it to observe the variation of the needle and the longitude, and to take angles for the survey, a base being measured by Massey's log between the ship and the berg. We here obtained soundino-s in three hundred and seventy-three fathoms, the bottom consisting of mud and small stones, of which a small quantity was brought up in the clamms. By a boat moored to this instrument, a tide or current was found to set north 65° E., at the rate of seven-eighths of a mile per hour; the variation observed upon the iceberg was 106° 58' 05" westerly. At noon, we were in latitude 74° 25' 31", long. 80° 04' 30". Being favoured at length by the easterly breeze which was bringing up the Griper, and for which we had long been looking with much impatience, a crowd of sail was set to carry us with all rapidity to the westward. It is more easy to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was now visible in every countenance, while, as the breeze increased to a fresh gale, we ran quickly up the sound. The mast-heads were crowded by the officers and men during the whole afternoon ; and an unconcerned observer, if any could have been unconcerned on such an occasion, would have been amused bv the 32 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY eagerness with which the various reports from the crow's nest were received, all, however, hitherto favourable to our most sanguine hopes. Between four and six P. M., we passed several riplings on the Avater, as if occasioned by a weather tide, but no bottom could be found with the hand- leads. Being now abreast of Cape Castlereagh, more distant land was seen to open out to the westward of it, and between the cape and this land was per- ceived an inlet, to which I have given the name of the Navy Board's Inlet. We saw points of land apparently all round this inlet, but being at a very great distance from it we were unable to determine whether it was continuous or not. But as the land on the western side appeared so much lower and smoother than that on the opposite side near Cape Castlereagh, and came down, so near the horizon, about the centre of the inlet, the general impression was, that it is not continuous in that part. As our business lay to the westward, however, and not to the south, the whole of this extensive inlet was, in a few hours, lost in distance. In the mean time the land had opened out, on the opposite shore, to the northward and westward of Cape Warrender, consisting of high mountains, and in some parts of table land. Several head-lands were here distinctly made out, of which the northernmost and most conspicuous, was named after Captain Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall, of the Royal Navy. The extensive bay into which Cape Pateshall extends, and which, at the distance we passed it, appeared to be broken, or detached in many parts, was named Croker's Bay in honour of Mr. Croker, Secretary of the Admi- ralty ; I have called this large opening a bay, though the quickness with which we sailed past it did not allow us to determine the absolute continuity of land round the bottom of it ; it is, therefore, by no means improbable, that a passage may here be one day found from Sir James Lancaster's Sound into the Northern Sea. The Cape, which lies on the Avfestern side of Croker's Bay, was named after Sir Everard Home. Our course was nearly due west, and the wind still continuing to freshen, took us in a few hours nearly out of sight of the Griper. The only ice which we met with consisted of a few large bergs very much washed by the sea ; and, the weather being remarkably clear, so as to enable us to run with perfect safety, we were, by midnight, in a great measure relieved from our anxiety respecting the supposed continuity of land at the bottom of this magnificent inlet, having reached the longitude of 83° 12', where the two shores are still above thirteen leagues apart, without the slightest appear- ■ ir r4 ,T^,^>>',fl y f 1 §iimilmm- i^w f.j^mj, y^c/yu' //l^ai^te'Tn^?, /^a^lcn^ ^-^. (C? // a7iyg?i^^.a/i^ cfide ./^^^ cr^tf <?/c:^^^ J/a7^ ^S^ncad^^ oCtiTzJ, .^ ^ Coj^utit,/ ^ 6. 'ii^fi^nJ^'> iwiwf"^m iv -r'^ „/->-•"; 'r,„/Mr~mf L, Z^;^ ^/up>v of ^a-i^t<?tiv ^/rtu/: ^~ ^'e^iytcn^ ^crm.. '»€**»»&%».. t^cTitimia^Zc-'n cf tAe a./-ei'i W.BeecAty dt!. I. Clcv"k sculp. Z..'naon.TuMished 3j I . ifurraj , imi . OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. * 33 ance of any land to the westward of us for four or five points of the compass. ^^^^• , . August. The colour of the water having become rather lighter, we hove-to at this time for the Griper, and obtained soundings in one hundred and fifty fathoms on a muddy bottom. The wind increased so much as to make it necessary to close-reef the sails, and to get the top-gallant yards down, and there was a breaking sea from the eastward. A great number of whales were seen in the course of this day's run. Having made the ship snug, so as to be in readiness to round to, should Wed. 4. the land be seen a-head, and the Griper having come up within a few miles of us, we again bore up at one A.M. At half-past three, Lieutenant Beechey, who had relieved me on deck, discovered from the crow's-nest, a reef of rocks, in-shore of us to the northward, on which the sea was breaking. These breakers appeared to lie directly off a cape, which we named after Rear-Admiral Joseph Bullen, and which lies immediately to the eastward of an inlet, that I named Brooking Cuming Inlet. As the sea had now become high, and the water appeared discoloured at some distance without the breakers, the Hecla was immediately rounded to, for the purpose of sounding ; we could find no bottom with fifty fathoms of line, but the Griper coming up shortly after, obtained soundings in seventy-five fathoms, on a bottom of sand and mud. We here met with innumerable loose masses of ice, upon which the sea was constantly breaking, in a manner so much resembling the breakers on shoals, as to make it a matter of some little uncertainty at the time, whether those of which I have spoken above, might not also have been caused by ice. It is possible, therefore, that shoal water may not be found to exist in this place ; but I thought it right to mark the spot on the chart to warn future navigators when approaching this part of the coast. That there is something out of the common way in this neighbour- hood, appears, however, more than probable, from the soundings obtained by the Griper, which are much less than we found them in any other part of the Sound at the same distance from land. At seven A.M., there being less sea, and no appearance of broken or dis- coloured water, we again bore away to the westward, the Griper having joined us about the meridian of 85°, which had been appointed as our place of rendezvous. Since the preceding evening, a thick haze had been hanging over the horizon to the southward, which prevented our seeing the land in that direction, to the westward of 87°, while the whole of the northern shore, though, as it afterwards proved, at a greater distance from us, was distinctly F 34 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. visible. At noon, being in latitude 74° 15' 53" N., longitude, by chrono- \.-"v-H^ meters, 86° 30' 30", we were near two inlets, of which the easternmost was named Burnet Inlet, and the other Stratton Inlet. The land between these two had very much the appearance of an island. We rounded to, for the purpose of sounding, as well as to wait for our consort, and found no bottom with one hundred and seventy fathoms of line, the water being of a dirty light-green colour. The cliffs on this part of the coast present a sin- Wed. 4. gular appearance, being stratified horizontally, and having a number of regular projecting masses of rock, broad at the bottom, and coming to a point at the top, resembling so many buttresses, raised by art at equal in- tervals. This very remarkable constructure, which continues with little varia- tion along the whole of this northern shore, will be best understood by the accompanying views by Lieutenant Beechey, which, from the accuracy with ' which the coast is delineated, will, I doubt not, be considered equally valuable by the geologist and the seaman. After lying-to for an hour, we again bore up to the westward, and soon after discovered a caf>e, afterwards named by Captain Sabine, Cape Felleoot, which appeared to form the termination of this coast; and as the haze, which still prevailed to the south, prevented our seeing any land in that quarter, and the sea was literally as free from ice as any part of the Atlantic, we began to flatter ourselves that we had fairly entered the Polar sea, and some of the most sanguine among us had even calculated the bearing and distance of Icy Cape, as a matter of no very difficult or improbable accom- plishment. This pleasing prospect was rendered the more flattering by the sea having, as we thought, regained the usual oceanic colour, and by a long swell which was rolling in from the southward and eastward. At six P.M., however, land was reported to be seen a-head. The vexation and anxiety produced on every countenance by such a report, was but too visible, until, on a nearer approach, it was found to be only an island, of no very large extent, and that, on each side of it, the horizon still appeared clear for several points of the compass. More land was also discovered beyond Cape Fellfoot, immediately to the westward of which lies a deep and broad bay, which I named after my friend, Mr. Maxwell, to whose kindness and unre- mitting attention, I am more indebted than it might be proper here to express. At eight P.M., we came to some ice of no great breadth or thickness, ex- tending several miles in a direction nearly parallel to our course ; and as we could see clear water over it to the southward, I was for some time in the \; ^ ,v Gn^iii^a/Uvt c^^Ae C'tuf^i^ {^aA^.m/6 c^^O- ^^ Me G.h>^crz'i</ 6^/ Cu/^e r^^.^^-/" Xondon. TaiUshed fy Z.MuTi^ciy, I<P2I . OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 35 hope, that it would prove a detached stream, from which no obstruction to 1819. our progress westerly was to be apprehended. At twenty minutes past ten, however, the weather having become hazy, and the wind light, we perceived that the ice, along which we had been sailing for the last two hours, Avas joined, at the distance of half a mile to the westward of us, to a compact and impenetrable body of floes, which lay across the whole breadth of the strait, formed by the island, and the western point of Maxwell Bay. We hauled our wind, to the northward, just in time to avoid being embayed in the ice, on the outer edge of which a considerable surf, the effect of the late gale, was then rolling. A second island was dis- covered to the southward of the former, to both of which I gave the name of Prince Leopold's Isles, in honour of his Royal Highness Prince Leopold OF Saxe Coburg. Immediately to the eastward of these islands, there was a strong water sky, indicating a considerable extent of open sea, but a bright ice blink to the westward afforded little hope, for the present, of finding a passage in the desired direction. We saw to-day, for the first time, a number of white whales ; fDelphinus Albicans ;J guillemots, fulmar petrels, and kittiwakes, were also numerous near the ice. The easterly wind died aAvay on the morning of the 5th, and was sue- Thurs. 5. ceeded by light and variable airs, with thick, snoAvy weather. At noon we were in lat. 74° 19' 38", long. 89° 18' 40", the soundings being one hundred and thirty-five fathoms, on a muddy bottom. At half-past ten we tried whether there were any current, and if so, in what direction it might be setting, by mooring a boat to the bottom, with the deep-sea clamms ; but none could be detected. An hour before, the same experiment had been tried on board the Griper, when Lieutenant Liddon found the current to be setting east, at the rate of nine miles per day. While the calm and thick weather lasted, a number of the officers and men amused themselves in the boats, in endeavouring to kill some of the white whales which were swimming about the ships in great numbers ; but the animals were so wary, that they would scarcely suffer the boats to approach them within thirty or forty yards without diving. Mr. Fisher described them to be generally from eighteen to twenty feet in length ; and he stated, that he had several times heard them emit a shrill, ringing sound, not unlike that of musical glasses when badly played. This sound, he further observed, was most distinctly heard, when they happened to swim directly beneath the boat, even when they were several feet under wafer, and ceased altoo-ether 36 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. on their coming to the surface. We saw also, for the farst time, one or two Ji^' .shoals of narwhals, (Monodon MortocerosJ called by the sailors, sea-unicorns. A steady breeze springing up from the W.N.W. in the afternoon, the ships stood to the northward, till we had distinctly made out, that no passage to the westward could at present be found between the ice and the land. The weather having become clear about this time, we perceived that there was a large open space to the southward, where no land was visible; and for this opening, over which there was a dark water-sky, our course was now directed. It fell calm again, however, in a few hours, so that at noon, Frid. 6. on the 6th, we were still abreast of Prince Leopold's Islands, which were so surrounded by ice, that we could not approach them nearer than four or five miles. . The appearance of these islands is not less remarkable than that of the northern shore of the strait, being also stratified horizontally, but having none of those buttress-like projections before described. The different strata form so many shelves, as it were, on which the snow lodges ; so that, imme- diately after a fall of snow, the islands appear to be striped with white and brown alternately. The northernmost island, when seen from the E.N.E., appears like a level piece of table-land, being quite perpendicular at each extreme. The Griper having unfortunately sprung both her topmasts, Lieut. Liddon took advantage of the calm weather to shift them. The Hecla's boats were at the same time employed in bringing on board ice, to be used as water ; a measure to which it is occasionally necessary to resort in these regions, when no pools or ponds are to be found upon the floes. In this case, berg- ice, when at hand, is generally preferred ; but that of floes, which is in fact the ice of sea-water, is also abundantly used for this purpose : the only pre- caution which it is necessary to observe, being that of allowing the salt water to drain off before it is dissolved for use. One of our boats was upset by^ the fall of a mass of ice which the men were breaking, but fortunately no injury was sustained. A breeze sprung up from the N.N.W. in the evening, and the Griper being ready to make sail, we stood to the southward. The land, which now became visible to the south-east, discovered to us, that we were entering a large inlet, not less than ten leagues wide at its mouth, and in the centre of which no land could be distinguished. The western shore of the inlet, which extended as far as we could see to the S.S.W., was so encumbered with ice, that there was no possibility of sailing near it. I, therefore, ran ,y/^_i ,-y,'^//Ai-'/n/,?a^'^if yf^/^r^ V^tvv^r/'r^ ,_y^/<7m/.j. ■y/ie^ \iy(/uff/M(-j'' (jc ^/i'//<-^ '^^yy/r'^t/j -Jj^^^iy.' , '",4v/?/-'^y .. '- '}2' /I . ' ^/ra' r// ' '/'v'^ ^y^'r^/r//^''/ C^^fi<^' -^^-mt'//^ ',^yi/-et / /'taU^ cfcY^/// . London, TtLblCshed fy I.M'u.r-ra^, 1S21. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 37 alonff the edge of the ice, between which and the eastern shore, there was 1819. • Auffust a broad and open channel, with the intention of seeking, in a lower latitude, ^^.^r^' a clearer passage to the westward than that which we had just been obliged to abandon lying between Prince Leopold's Isles, and Maxwell's Bay. The headland, which forms the western point of the entrance into this inlet, was honoured by the name of Cape Clarence, after His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence ; and another, to the south-eastward of this, was named after Sir Robert Seppings, one of the Surveyors of His Majesty's navy. Since the time we first entered Sir James Lancaster's Sound, the sluggish- ness of the compasses, as well as the amount of their irregularity produced by the attraction of the ship's iron, had been found very rapidly, though uniformly, to increase, as we proceeded to the westward ; so much, indeed, that, for the last two days, we had been under the necessity of giving up altogether the usual observations for determining the variation of the needle on board the ships. This irregularity became more and more obvious as we now advanced to the southward. The rough magnetic bearing of the sun at noon, or at midnight, or when on the prime vertical, as compared with its true azimuth, was sufficient to render this increasing inefficiency of the compass quite apparent. For example, at noon this day, while we were observing the meridian altitude, the bearing of the sun was two points on the Hecla's larboard bow, and consequently her true course was about S.S.W. The binnacle and azimuth compasses at the same time agreed in shewing N.N. W. I W., making the variation to be allowed on that course, eleven points and-a-half westerly, corresponding nearly with an azimuth taken on the following morning, which gave 137° 12'. It was evident, therefore, that a very material change had taken place in the dip, or the variation, or in both these phenomena, since we had last an opportunity of obtaining observations upon them ; which rendered it not improbable that we were now making a very near approach to the magnetic pole. This supposition was further strengthened on the morning of the 7th ; when, having de- Sat. 7. creased our latitude to about 73°, we found that no alteration whatever in the absolute course on which the Hecla was steering, produced a change of more than three or four points in the direction indicated by the compass, which continued uniformly from N.N.E. to N.N.W., according as the ship's head was placed on one side or the other of the magnetic meridian. We now, therefore, witnessed, for the first time, the curious phenomenon of the directive power of the needle becoming so weak as to be completely over- 38 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERV 1819. eome by the attraction of the ship; so that the needle might now be properly Ji^!i^" said to point to the north pole of the ship. It was only, however, in those compasses in which the lightness of the cards, and great delicacy in the suspension, had been particularly attended to, that even this degree of uniformity prevailed ; for, in the heavier cards, the friction upon the points of suspension was much too great to be overcome even by the ship's at- traction, and they consequently remained indifferently in any position in which they happened to be placed. For the purposes of navigation, therefore, the compasses were from this time no longer consulted ; and in a few days afterwards, the binnacles were removed as useless lumber, from the deck to the carpenter s store-room, where they remained during the rest of the season, the azimuth compass alone being kept on deck, for the purpose of watching any changes which might take place in the directive power of the needle: and the true courses and direction of the wind were in future noted in the log- book, as obtained to the nearest quarter point, when the sun was visible, by the azimuth of that object and the apparent time. Being desirous of obtaining all the magnetic observations we were able, on a spot which appeared to be replete with interest in this department of science, and the outer margin of the ice consisting entirely of small loose pieces, which were not sufficiently steady for using the dipping-needle, we hauled up for the nearest part of the eastern shore, for the purpose of landing there with the instruments. We got in with it about noon, having very regularly decreased our soundings from forty to fifteen and a half fathoms ; in which depth, having tacked, at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore, two boats were despatched from each ship, under the command of Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, who, together with Captain Sabine, were directed to make the ne- cessary observations, and to collect whatever specimens of natural history the place might afford. They landed on a beach of sand and stones, having passed, at the distance of one mile from it, several large masses of ice aground in six to eight fathoms' water, which shoaled from thence gradually in to the shore. The officers describe this spot as more barren and dreary than any on which they had yet landed in the arctic regions ; there being scarcely any appearance of vegetation, except here and there a small tuft of stunted grass, and one or two species of saxifrage and poppy, although the ground was so swampy in many places that they could scarcely walk about. This part of the coast is rather low, the highest hill near the landing-place being found, by geometrical mea- surement, to be only three hundred and eighty-eight feet above the level of the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 39 sea ; and there was at this time very little snow remaining upon it. The fixed 1819. rocks near the surface consist chiefly of lime-stone ; but quartz, granite and v^v^' hornblende occurred in detached lumps, most of which were incrusted with a thin coat of lime. The bed of a small stream, which ran between two rocks of lime-stone, was composed entirely of clay-slate. The temperature of this stream of water was 42|°, that of the air, in the shade, being 51 1°, and of the earth, two or three inches below the surface, 34|°. At a short distance from the sea, Lieutenant Hoppner discovered a large mass of iron-stone, which was found to attract the magnet very powerfully. There were no traces of inha- bitants to be seen on this part of the coast. Part of the vertebrae of a whale was found at some distance from the beach ; but this had probably been carried there by bears, the tracks of Avliom were visible on the moist soil. The only birds seen were a few ptarmigans fTetrao LagopusJ and snow buntings. The latitude of the place of observation was 72° 45' 15", and its longitude, by the chronometers, SO^^l^S". The dipof the needle was 88° 26' 42", and the vari- ation 118° 23' 37" westerly. The directive powerof the horizontal needle, undis- turbed as it was by the attraction ofthe ship, was, even here, found to be so weak, in Captain Kater's azimuth-compasses, which were the most sensible, that they required constant tapping with the hand to make them traverse at all. At half- past one, when the boats landed, Lieut. Beechey found the tide ebbing, and it appeared, by the marks on the beach, to have fallen about eighteen inches. At fifty minutes past four, when they left the shore, it had fallen six feet and a half more, by which we considered the time of high water on that day to be about half-past twelve, and about twenty minutes past eleven on the full and change days of the moon. The whole rise of tide, being nearly the highest ofthe springs, appears to have been ten feet, and the ebb was found to set strong to the southward in-shore. A boat being moored to the bottom, at three miles' distance from the land, at five P.]\^. not the smallest current was perceptible. From these and several subsequent observations, there is good reason to suppose that the flood-tide comes from the south in this inlet. Be- fore the boats left the shore, a staff was erected on a hill near the landing- place, having a board nailed to it, on which the names of the ships and the date were painted ; and at three yards, in the direction of the magnetic north from the staffs, which may be distinguished with a glass at three miles' distance from the land, a bottle was buried, with a paper, containing an account of the time, and the object of our visit to this spot. As soon as the boats returned on board, we bore up to the southward, run- 40 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. ning close along the edge of the ice, which led us nearer and nearer to the v>v%^ eastern shore, so that by midnight the channel in which we were sailing was narrowed to about five miles. The colour of the water had changed to a very- light green at that distance from the shore ; but we could find no bottom with fifty fathoms of line, and had thirty-five fathoms while rounding a point of ice at three miles' distance from the beach. The weather was beautifully serene and clear, and the sun, for the second time to us this season, just dipped below the northern horizon, and then re-appeared in a few minutes. Sun. 8. A dark sky to the south-west had given us hopes of finding a westerly passage to the south of the ice along which we were now sailing ; more espe- cially as the inlet began to widen considerably as Ave advanced in that di- rection : but at three A.M., on the morning of the 8th, we perceived that the ice ran close in with a point of land bearing S. b. E. from us, and which ap- peared to form the southern extremity of the eastern shore. To this extreme point I gave the name of Cape Kater, in compliment to Captain Henry Kater, one of the Commissioners of the Board of Longitude, to whom science is greatly indebted for his improvements of the pendulum, and the mariner's compass. With the increasing width of the inlet, we had flattered ourselves with in- creasing hopes ; but we soon experienced the mortification of disappointment. The prospect from the crow's nest began to assume a very unpromising ap- pearance, the whole of the western horizon, from north round to S. b. E., being completely covered with ice, consisting of heavy and extensive floes, beyond which no indication of water was visible ; instead of which there was a bright and dazzling ice-blink extending from shore to shore. The western coast of the inlet, however, trended much more to the westward than before, and no land Avas visible to the south-west, though the horizon was so clear in that quarter, that, if any had existed of moderate height, it might have been easily seen at this time, at the distance of ten or twelve leagues. From these circumstances, the impression received at the time was, that the land, both on the eastern and western side of this inlet, would be one day found to consist of islands. As a fresh northerly breeze was drifting the ice rapidly towards Cape Kater, and there appeared to be no passage open between it and that cape, I did not consider it prudent, under present circumstances, to run the ships down to the point, or to attempt to force a passage through the ice, and therefore hauled to the wind with the intention of examining a bay which was abreast of us, and to Avhich I gave the name of Fitzgerald Bay, out of respect for Captain Robert Lewis Fitzgerald, of the royal navy. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 41 A boat from each ship was prepared to conduct this examination, and we 1819. stood in to drop them in-shore, but found, as we approached, that the bay was ;^)!^' so filled with ice, as to render it impracticable for any boat to land. I there- fore determined, as the season was fast advancing to a close, to lose no time in returning to the northward, in the hope of finding the channel between Prince Leopold's Isles and Maxwell Bay more clear of ice than when we left it, in which case there could be little doubt of our effecting a passage to the westward; whereas, in our present situation, there appeared no prospect of our doing so without risking the loss of more time than I deemed it prudent to spare. I have before observed that the east and west lands which form this grand inlet are probably islands: and, on an inspection of the charts, I think it will also appear highly probable that a communication will one day be found to exist between this inlet and Hudson's Bay, either through the broad and unex- plored channel, called Sir Thomas Rowe's Welcome, or through Repulse Bay, which has not yet been satisfactorily examined. It is also probable, that a channel will be found to exist between the western land and the northern coast of America; in which case the flood-tide which came from the southward may have proceeded round the southern point of the west land out of the Polar sea, part of it setting up the inlet, and part down the Welcome, according to the unanimous testimony of all the old navigators, who have advanced up the latter channel considerably to the northward. The distance which we sailed to the southward in this inlet was about one hundred and twenty miles, Cape Kater being, by our observations, in lat. 71° 53' 30", long. 90° 03' 45"; and I saw no reason to doubt the practi- cability of ships penetrating much farther to the south, by watching the occasional openings in the ice, if the determining the geography of this part of the arctic regions be considered worth the time which must necessarily be occupied in effecting it. The ice which we met with in the southern part of this inlet was much less broken into pieces than that to the northward ; and the floes, some of which not less than nine or ten feet thick, were covered with innumerable little round " hummocks," as they are called by the Greenland seamen, Avhich are perhaps first formed by the drift of the snow in particular situations, and which by alternate thawing and freezing, become as solid and transparent as any other part of the ice. This peculiarity I never remember to have remarked on the floes in Baffin's Bay, on which a carriage might travel without much inconvenience, except 4S VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY H19- that which arises from the numerous pools of water found upon them in s.0-r^' the latter part of the summer. From latitude 73° to the farthest progress made to the southward, we found the soundings remarkably regular in approaching the eastern shore. The colour of the water was always observed to change to a beautiful light green before we could obtain soundings with a line of forty fathoms, which occur generally at the distance of four or five miles from the land; after which the depth decreases so gradually that the lead appears to be a safe guide. The bottom is principally mud, into which the lead sinks deep; but there is also some hard ground, and a few pieces of limestone were occasionally brought up by the lead. The directive power of the magnet seemed to be weaker here than ever; for the north pole of the needle in Captain Kater's steering compass, in which the friction is almost entirely removed by a thread suspension, was observed to point steadily towards the ship's- head, in whatsoever direction the latter was placed. It is probable, therefore, that the magnetic dip would have been found somewhat greater here than at our place of observation on the 7th ; and it was a matter of regret to me that the primary object of the expedition would not allow of another day's detention for the purpose of repeating the magnetic observations on this spot. Mon. 9. As we returned to the northward with a light, but favourable breeze, we found that the ice had approached the eastern shore of the inlet, leaving a much narrower channel than that by which we had entered ; and in some places it stretched completely across to the land on this side, while the opposite coast was still as inaccessible as before. On the evening of the 9th, a circular prismatic halo Avas seen round the sun, with a bright parhelion on each side at the same altitude with the sun. The radius of the circle was 23° 06'. Several black whales, and multitudes of white ones, were seen in the course of the day, also several narwhals and seals, and one bear. There was an iceberg in sight. Tues. 10. On the 10th, the weather was very thick with snow, which was afterwards succeeded by rain and fog. The compasses being useless, and the sun obscured, we had no means of knowing the direction in which we were going, except that we knew the wind had been to the southward before the fog came on, and had found by experience that it always blew directly up or down the inlet, which enabled us to form a tolerably correct judgment of our course. We continued to stand off-and-on near the ice, till the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 43 evening, when, the fog having cleared away, we bore up to the northward, '^^^■ keeping as near the western shore as the ice would permit ; but at eleven '.^^■^ P.M., we were stopped in our progress by the ice extending to the land on the eastern side of the inlet, which obliged us to haul our wind. This part of the coast is much higher than that farther to the southward, and the soundings near it are also considerably deeper. On the 11th, the weather was so thick with fog and rain, that it was Wed. 11. impossible to ascertain in what direction we were going, which obliged me to make the ships fast to a floe till the weather should clear up. There being abundance of the purest water in pools upon the floe, our supply of this necessary article was completed on board each ship, and in the mean time. Captain Sabine took the opportunity of repeating his observations upon the dip of the magnetic needle, the result of which, being 88° 25' 17 ", served to confirm those made on shore on the 7th. The repetition of such observations, which require considerable care and delicacy, is always satis- factory ; but was particularly so on this occasion from the circumstance already mentioned of having found at some distance from the place of observation on the 7th, a mass of magnetic iron stone, from which, or from other similar substances, it was possible that the needle might have sufiered some disturbance. Captain Sabine also made some observations here on the intensity of the magnetic force, which will be found in the Appendix. In the evening, the boats succeeded in harpooning a narwhal, to the great delight of our Greenland sailors, who take so much pleasure in the sport to which they have been accustomed, that they could with difficulty be restrained at times from striking a whale, though such a frolic would almost inevitably have been attended with the loss of one or more of our lines. A few kittiwakes and arctic gulls were flying about the ice. A breeze sprung up from the northward on the morning of the 12th, but Tburs.l2. the weather was so foggy for some hours that we did not know in what direction it was blowing. As soon as the fog cleared away, so as to enable us to see a mile or two around us, we found that the floe to which we had anchored was drifting fast down upon another body of ice to leeward, threatening to enclose the ships between them. We, therefore, cast off", and made sail, in order to beat to the northward, which we found great difficulty in doing, owing to the quantity of loose ice with which this part of the inlet was now covered. A remarkably thick fog obscured the eastern land from our view this evening at the distance of five or six miles, while the western G2 44 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. coast was distinctly visible at four times that distance. We remarked, in •^^XJ standing off and on, near the main body of the ice, that the clear atmosphere commenced at a short distance from its margin ; so that we were enabled to obtain a few lunar observations near the edge of the ice, while, at the distance ' of a mile to the eastward of it, the sun was altogether obscured by fog. This being the anniversary of the birth-day of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, it naturally suggested to us the propriety of honouring the large inlet, which we had been exploring, and in which we still were sailing, with the name of Prince Regent's Inlet. Frid. 13. The weather was beautifully calm and clear on the 13th, when, being near an opening in the eastern shore, I took the opportunity of examining it in a boat. It proved to be a bay, a mile wide at its entrance, and three miles deep in E.b.S. direction, having a small but snug cove on the north side, formed by an island, between which and the main land is a bar of rocks, which completely shelters the cove from sea or drift ice. We found the water so deep, that in rowing close along the shore we could seldom get bottom with seven fathoms of line ; and, as time could not be spared to obtain the exact depth, the soundings in the annexed Plan are necessarily very imperfect. The cliffs on the south side of this bay, to which I gave the name of Port Bowen, after Captain James Bowen, one of the Commis- sioners of His Majesty's navy, resemble, in many places, ruined towers and battlements ; and fragments of the rocks were constantly falling from above. At the head of the bay is an extensive piece of low, flat ground, intersected by numerous rivulets, which, uniting at a short distance from the beach, formed a deep and rapid stream, near the mouth of which we landed. This spot was, I think, the most barren I ever saw, the ground being almost entirely covered with small pieces of slaty limestone, among which no vegetation appeared for more than a mile, to which distance Mr. Ross and myself walked inland, following the banks of the stream. Among the fragments, we picked up one piece of limestone, on which was the impression of a fossil-shell. We saw here a great number of young black guillemots, (Colymbus Grylle,) and a flock of ducks, which we supposed to be of the eider species. The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73° 12' 11", and the longitude, by chronometers, 89° 02' 08". The variation of the needle, observed in the morning, at three or four miles' distance from the land, was 114° 16' 43" westerly. From twenty minutes past eleven till a quarter after OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. M twelve, the tide rose by the shore six inches, and the high-water mark was 1819. between two and three feet above this : but we were not long enough on "^^^ii^' shore to form a correct judgment of the time at which high water takes place. About three-quarters of a mile to the southward of Port Bowen is another small bay, which we had not time to examine. Soon after I returned on board, a light breeze from the southward enabled us to steer towards Prince Leopold's Islands, which, however, we found to be more encumbered with ice than before, as we could not approach them so near as at first by three or four miles. The narwhals were here very numerous ; these animals appear fond of remaining with their backs exposed above the surface of the water, in the same manner as the whale, but for a much longer time, and we frequently also observed their horns erect, and quite stationary for several minutes together. Three or four miles to the northward of Port Bowen we discovered another opening, having every appearance of a harbour, with an island near the entrance ; I named it after Captain Samuel Jackson, of the Royal Navy. The whole of the 14th was occupied in an unsuccessful attempt to find an Sat. 14. opening in the ice to the westward, which remained perfectly close and compact, with a bright ice-blink over it. Our latitude at noon was 73° 35' 30 ", longitude 89° 01' 20", being in two hundred and ten fathoms of water, on a muddy bottom. Some water, brought up in Doctor Marcet's bottle from one hundred and eighty-five fathoms, was at the temperature of 34°, that of the surface being the same, and of the air 39°. The ice continued in the same unfavourable state on the 15th ; and being Sun. 15. desirous of turning to some account this vexatious but unavoidable detention, I left the ship in the afternoon, accompanied by Captain Sabine and Mr. Hooper, in order to make some observations on shore, and directed Lieute- nant Liddon to send a boat from the Griper for the same purpose. We landed in one of the numerous valleys, or ravines, which occur on this part of the coast, and which, at a few miles' distance, very much resemble bays, being bounded by high hills, which have the appearance of bluff headlands. We found the water very deep close to the beach, which is composed of rounded limestones, and on which there was no surf ; we then ascended, with some difficulty, the hill on the south side of the ravine, which is very steep, and covered with innumerable detached blocks of limestone, some of which are constantly rolling down from above, and which afford a very insecure footing. From the top of this hill, which is about six or seven hundred feet .46 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. above the level of the sea, and which commands an extensive view to the wes.t- Ji^^," ward, the prospect was by no means favourable to the immediate accomplish- ment of our object. No water could be seen over the ice to the north-west, and a bright and dazzling blink covered the whole space comprised between the islands and the north shore. It was a satisfaction, however, to find that no land appeared which was likely to impede our progress ; and we had been too much accustomed to the obstruction occasioned by ice, and too well aware of the suddenness with which that obstruction is often removed, to be at all discouraged by present appearances. On the top of this hill we deposited a bottle, containing a short notice of our visit, and raised over it a small mound of stones; of these we found no want, for the surface was covered with small pieces of schistose limestone, and nothing like soil or vegetation could be seen. We found a great quan- tity of madreporite among the lime, and at the foot of the hill I met with one large piece, of the basaltiform kind. Several pieces of flint were also picked up on the beach. The insignificance of the stream which here emptied itself into the sea, formed, as usual, a striking contrast with the size of the bed through which it flowed, the latter being several hundred feet deep, and two or three hundred yards wide. The latitude of this place is 73° 33'' 15" N., and the longitude by our chro- nometers, 88° 18' 17"; the dip of the magnetic needle was 87"^ 35'.95, and its variation 115° 37' 12" westerly. The tide was found to rise three feet from ten minutes past three till seven P.M. ; during the whole of which time the stream, within one or two miles of the shore, was carrying the loose pieces of ice to the southward, at the rate of about a mile and-a-half an hour. By observing the ships, however, at five miles' distance in the offing, I had reason to believe that they were set in the contrary direction, and that the current observed by us in-shore, was only an eddy, and not the true direction of the flood-tide. The time of high water here, on full and change days of the moon, will probably be about eleven o'clock. A very large black whale was seen near the beach, and a great number of seals, though seldom more than two of the latter together. We saw one, of the kind called by the sailors, " saddle- back," (Phoca GrcBiilandica.) Mon. 16. The wind was light on the 16th, with cloudy weather, and occasional fogs, and we scarcely altered our position, being hemmed in by ice or land in almost every direction. At five P.M., it being quite calm, we had a good opportunity of trying the set of the tide, which, by the preceding day's OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. -ff observations, we knew to be rising at this time by the shore. A small boat 1819. was moored to the bottom, which consisted of soft mud, in one hundred and ^J^X!^ ninety-one fathoms, by a deep-sea lead weighing one hundred and fifty pounds, and a current was found to be setting to the N.N.W., at the rate of a quarter of a mile an hour. This served to confirm the remark I had made the preceding day respecting the drift of the ships in the ofiing ; and, unless there be what seamen call a " tide and half tide," would appear to establish the fact of the flood-tide coming from the southward in this part of Prince Regent's Inlet. On the 17th, we had a fresh breeze, from the S.S.W., with so thick a fog, Tues. 17. that in spite of the most unremitting attention to the sails and the steerage, the ships were constantly receiving heavy shocks from the loose masses of ice with which the sea was covered, and which, in the present state of the weather, could not be distinguished at a sufficient distance to avoid them. On the weather clearing up in the afternoon, we saw, for the first time, a remarkable blufi^ headland, which forms the north-eastern point of the en- trance into Prince Regent's Inlet, and to which I gave the name of Cape York, after His Royal Highness the Duke of York. A little to the east- ward of Cape Fellfoot, we observed six remarkable stripes of snow, near the top of the cliff', being very conspicuous at a great distance, when viewed from the southward. These stripes, which are foniied by the drift of snow between the buttress-like projections before described, and which remained equally conspicuous on our return the following year, have probably at all times much the same appearance, at least about this season of the year, and may, on this account, perhaps, be deemed worthy of notice, as a landmark. At half-past ten A.M., on the 18th, it being quite calm, the small boat was Wed. 18. moored to the bottom, in two hundred and ten fathoms, by which means the current was ascertained to be setting W.S.W., at the rate of a mile and-a-half an hour ; and, from our preceding observations on the time of the tides on shore in this neighbourhood, it can scarcely be doubted that this was the ebb-tide. Mr. Crawford, the Greenland mate of the Hecla, being in quest of a narwhal in one of the boats, could not resist the temptation of striking a fine black whale, which rose close to him, and which soon ran out two lines of one hundred and forty fathoms each, when, after towing the boat some distance, the harpoon fortunately drew, and thus saved our lines. 48 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. There being still no prospect of getting a single mile to the westward in ^^^^ the neighbourhood of Prince Leopold's Islands, and a breeze having freshened up from the eastward in the afternoon, I determined to stand over once more towards the northern shore, in order to try what could there be done towards effecting our passage ; and at nine P.M., after beating for several hours among floes and streams of ice, we got into clear water near that coast, where we found some swell from the eastward. There was just light enough at midnight to enable us to read and write in the cabin. Thur. 19. The wind and sea increased on the 19th, with a heavy fall of snow, which, together with the uselessness of the compasses, and the narrow space in which we were working between the ice and the land, combined to make our situation for several hours a very unpleasant one. At two P.M., the weather being still so thick, that we could at times scarcely see the ship's length a-head, we suddenly found ourselves close under the land, and had not much room to spare in wearing round. We stood ofF-and-on during the rest of the day, measuring our distance by Massey's patent log, an invaluable machine on this and many other occasions ; and in the course of the afternoon, found ourselves opposite to an inlet, which I named after my relation. Sir Benjamin Hobhouse. The snow was succeeded by rain at night ; after which the wind fell, and the weather became clear, so that, on Frid. 20. the moming of the 20th, when we found ourselves off Stratton Inlet, we were enabled to bear up along shore to the westward. The points of ice led us occasionally within two miles of the land, which allowed us to look into several small bays or inlets, with which this coast appears in- dented, but which it would require more time than we could afford, thoroughly to survey or examine. The remarkable structure of this land, which I have before attempted to describe, is peculiarly striking about Cape Fellfoot, where the horizontal strata very much resemble two parallel tiers of batteries, placed at regular intervals from the top to the bottom of the cliff, affording a grand and imposing appearance. There is a low point running off some distance from Cape Fellfoot. which is not visible till approached within five or six miles. We passed along this point at the distance of four miles, finding no bottom with from fifty to sixty-five fathoms of line. Maxwell Bay isa very noble one, having several islands in it, and a number of openings on its northern shore, which we could not turn aside to explore. It was, however, quite free from ice, and might easily have been examined, had it Sat. 21. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 40 been our object to do so, and time would have permitted. A remarkable headland, on the western side, I named after Sir William Herschel. August. At six P.M., when we had passed to the westward of Maxwell Bay, the wind failed us, and the opportunity was immediately taken to try the current by mooring the small boat to the bottom in one hundred and fifty fathoms. The tide was found to set W. 5 N., at the rate of a quarter of a mile per hour ; and at nine o'clock, when we tried it again in a similar manner, there was still a slight stream perceptible, setting in the same direction. The mud and small black stones, brought up from the bottom, consisted entirely of limestone, effervescing strongly with an acid. On the 2Ist we had nothing to impede our progress but the want of wind, the great opening, through which we had hitherto proceeded from Baffin's Bay being now so perfectly clear of ice, that it was almost impossible to believe it to be the same part of the sea, which, but a day or two before, had been completely covered with floes to the utmost extent of our view. In the forenoon, beino- off a headland, which was named after Captain Thomas Hurd, Hydrographer to the Admiralty, we picked up a small piece of wood, which appeared to have been the end of a boat's yard, and which caused sundry amusing speculations among our gentlemen ; some of whom had just come to the very natural conclusion, that a ship had been here before us, and that, therefore, we were aot entitled to the honour of the first discovery of that part of the sea on which we were now sailing ; when a stop was suddenly put to this and other ingenious inductions by the information of one of the seamen, that he had dropped it out of his boat a fortnight before. I could not get him to recollect exactly the day on which it had been so dropped, but what he stated was suf- ficient to convince me, that we were not at that time more than ten or twelve leagues from our present situation ; perhaps not half so much ; and that, therefore, here was no current setting constantly in any one direction. A bay, to the northward and westward of Cape Hurd, was called Rigby Bay. At nine P.M., the wind being light from the northward, with hazy weather, and some clouds, the electrometer chain was hoisted up to the masthead ; but no sensible effect was produced, either upon the pith-balls or the gold-leaf. A thick fog came on at night, which, together with the lightness of the wind, and the caution necessary in navigating an unknown sea under such circumstances, rendered our progress to the westward ex- tremely slow, though we had fortunately no ice to obstruct us. The Sun. 2-2. 50 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY jgjg narwhals were blowing about us in all directions, and two walruses with a August, young one were seen upon a piece of ice. The fog clearing up on the following day, we found ourselves abreast a bay, to which the name of RadstockBay was subsequently given by Lieut. Liddon's desire, in compliment to the Earl of Radstock. This bay is formed by a point of land, on the eastern side, which I named Cape Eardley Wilmot ; and on the western, by a bluff headland, which was called after Captain Tristram Robert Ricketts, of the Royal Navy. In the centre of Radstock bay, lies an insular-looking piece of land, which received the name of Caswall's Tower. We now also caught a glimpse of more land to the southward ; but, owing to a thick haze which hung over the horizon in that quarter, the continuity of land on a great part of that coast, to the westward of Cape Clarence, remained, for the present, undetermined. Immediately to the westward of us, we discovered more land, occupying several points of the horizon, Avhich renewed in us considerable appre- hension, lest we should still find no passage open into the Polar sea. As we advanced slowly to the westward, the land on which Cape Ricketts stands, ap- peared to be nearly insular ; and, immediately to the westward of it, we disco- vered a considerable opening, which we called Gascoyne's Inlet, after General Gascoyne, and which I should have been glad to examine in a boat, had time permitted. In the afternoon, the weather became very clear and fine, the wind being light from the westward. As this latter circumstance rendered our progress very slow, the opportunity was taken to despatch the boats on shore, for the purpose of making observations ; and at the same time, a boat from each ship, under the respective command of Lieutenants Beechey and Hoppner, was sent to examine a bay, at no great distance to the northward and westward of us. The first party landed at the foot of a bluff headland, which forais the eastern point of this bay, and which I named after my friend Mr. Richard Riley, of the Admiralty. They had scarcely landed ten minutes, when a fresh breeze unexpectedly sprung up from the eastward, and their signal of recall was immediately made. They were only, therefore, enabled to obtain a part of the intended observations, by which the latitude was found to be 74° 39' 51", the longitude 91° 47" 36".8, and the variation of the magnetic needle 128° 58' 07" westerly. The cliffs on this part of the coast were observed to consist almost entirely of secondary limestone, in which fossils were abun- dantly found. There was little or no vegetation in those parts which ouir gentlemen had an opportunity of examining during their short excursion ; but OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE'. M as a quantity of the dung of rein-deer was brought on board, the interior of 181^. the country cannot be altogether unproductive. One or two specimens of the ^^^li^ silvery gull, fLarus Argentatus,) and of the Lams Glaucus, with the young of the latter alive, were obtained by Captain Sabine ; and five black whales were seen near the beach. Lieutenant Beechey found that the land, which at this time formed the western extreme, and which lies on the side of the bay, opposite to Cape Riley, was an island; to which I, therefore, gave the name of Beechey Island, out of respect to Sir William Beechey. Immediately off Cape Riley, runs a low jjoint, which had some appearance of shoal-water near it, there being a strong ripple on the surface ; but Lieutenant Hoppner re- ported, that he could find no bottom with thirty-nine fathoms, at the distance of two hundred yards from it. As soon as the boats returned, all sail was made to the westward, where the prospect began to wear a more and more interesting appearance. We soon perceived, as we proceeded, that the land, along which we were sailing, and which, with the exception of some small inlets, had appeared to be hitherto continuous from Baffin's Bay, began now to trend much to the northward, beyond Beechey Island, leaving a large open space be- tween that coast and the distant land to the westward, which now appeared like an island, of which the extremes to the north and south Were distinctly visible. The latter was a remarkable headland,having at its extremity two small table hills, somewhat resembling boats turned bottom upwards, and was named Cape Hotham, after Rear- Admiral the Honourable Sir Henry Hotham, one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. At sunset we had a clear and extensive view to the northward, between Cape Hotham and the eastern land. On the latter several headlands were discovered and named ; between the northernmost of these, called Cape Bowden, and the island to the west- ward, there was a channel of more than eight leagues in width, in which neither land nor ice could be seen from the mast-head. To this noble channel I gave the name of Wellington, after his Grace the Master-General of the Ordnance. The arrival off this grand opening was an event for which we had long been looking with much anxiety and impatience ; for, the con- tinuity of land to the northward had always been a source of uneasiness to us, principally from the possibility that it might take a turn to the southward and unite with the coast of America. The appearance of this broad opening, free from ice, and of the land on each side of it, more especially 52 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. that on the west, leaving scarcely a doubt on our minds of the latter being an Ji^Iilj island, relieved us from all anxiety on that score ; and every one felt that we were now finally disentangled from the land which forms the western side of Baffin's Bay ; and that, in fact, we had actually entered the Polar sea. Fully im- pressed with this idea, I ventured to distinguish themagnificentopeningthrough which our passage had been effected from Baffin's bay to Wellington channel, by the name of Barrow's Strait, after my friend, Mr. Barrow, Secretary of the Admiralty ; both as a private testimony of my esteem for that gentleman, and as a public acknowledgment due to him for his zeal and exertions in the promotion of Northern Discovery. To the land on which Cape Hotham is situated, and whicl^ is the easternmost of the group of islands,) as we found them to be by subsequent discovery,) in the Polar sea, I gave the name of CoRNWALLis Island, after Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis, my first naval friend and patron ; and an inlet, seven miles to the northward of Cape Hotham, was called Barlow Inlet, as a testimony of my respect for Sir Robert Barlow, one of the Commissioners of His Majesty's navy. Though two-thirds of the month of August had now elapsed, I had every reason to be satisfied with the progress which we had hitherto made. I cal- culated upon the sea being still navigable for six weeks to come, and pro- bably more if the state of the ice would permit us to edge away to the south- ward in our progress westerly: our prospects, indeed, were truly exhila- rating ; the ships had suffered no injury ; we had plenty of provisions ; crews in high health and spirits ; a sea, if not open, at least navigable ; and a zealous and unanimous determination in both officers and men to ac- complish, by all possible means, the grand object on which we had the hap- piness to be employed. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 53 CHAPTER III. FAVOURABLE APPEARANCES OF AN OPEN WESTERLY PASSAGE — LAND TO THE NORTHWARD, A SERIES OF ISLANDS — GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THEM — MEET WITH SOME OBSTRUCTION FROM LOW ISLANDS SURROUNDED WITH ICE — REMAINS OP ESQUIMAUX HUTS, AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF BYAM MARTIN ISLAND TEDIOUS NAVIGATION FROM FOGS AND ICE — DIFFICULTY OF STEERING A PROPER COURSE ARRIVAL AND LANDING ON MELVILLE ISLAND — PROCEED TO THE WESTWARD, AND REACH THE MERIDIAN OF 110° W. LONG., THE FIRST STAGE IN THE SCALE OF REWARDS GRANTED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT. 1819. A CALM which prevailed during the night kept us nearly stationary off August. Beechey Island till three A.M. on the 23d, when a fresh breeze sprung up Mon. 23. from the northward, and all sail was made for Cape Hotham, to the south- ward of which it was now my intention to seek a direct passage towards Behring's Strait. Wellington channel, to the northward of us, was as open and navigable, to the utmost extent of our view, as any part of the Atlantic, but as it lay at right angles to our course, and there was still an opening at least ten leagues wide to the southward of Cornwallis Island, I could fortu- nately have no hesitation in deciding which of the two it was our business to pursue. If, however, the sea to the westward, which was our direct course, had been obstructed by ice, and the wind had been favourable, such was the tempt- ing appearance of Wellington channel, in which there was no visible impedi- ment, that I should probably have been induced to run through it, as a degree more or less to the northward made little or no difference in the distance we had to run to Icy Cape. The open channel to the westward did not, how- 54f VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. ever, reduce me to this dilemma. It is impossible to conceive any thing J^^^' more animating than the quick and unobstructed run with which we were favoured, from Beechey Island across to Cape Hotham. Most m«n have, probably, at one time or another, experienced that elevation of spirits which is usually produced by rapid motion of any kind; and it will readily be con- ceived how much this feeling was heightened in us, in the few instances in which it occurred, by the slow and tedious manner in which the greater part of our navigation had been perfonned in these seas. Our disappointment may therefore be imagined, when, in the midst of these favourable appear- ances, and of the hope with which they had induced us to flatter our- selves, it was suddenly and unexpectedly reported from the crow's- nest, that a body of ice lay directly across the passage between Cornwallis Island and the land to the southward. As we approached this obstruction, which commenced about Cape Hotham, we found that there was, for the present, no opening in it through which a passage could be attempted. After lying to for an hour, however, Lieutenant Beechey discovered from the crow's-nest, that one narrow neck appeared to consist of loose pieces of heavy ice detached from the main floes which composed the barrier, and that, beyond this, there was a considerable extent of open water. The Hecla was immediately pushed into this part of the ice, and, after a quarter of an hour's " boring," during which the breeze had, as usual, nearly deserted us, suc- ceeded in forcing her way through the neck. The Griper followed in the opening which the Hecla had made, and we continued our course to the westward, having once more a navigable sea before us. We now remarked, that a very decided change had taken place in the character of the land to the northward of us since leaving Beechey Island ; the coast near the latter being bold and precipitous next the sea, with very deep water close to it, while the shores of Cornwallis Island rise with a gradual ascent from a beach which appeared to be composed of sand. During the forenoon we passed several riplings on the surface of the water, which were probably occasioned by the set of the tides round each end of Corn- wallis Island, as we found a depth of ninety-five fathoms. An opening was seen in the southern land, which I distinguished by the name of Cunning- ham Inlet, after Captain Charles Cunningham of the Royal Navy, resident Commissioner at Deptford and Woolwich, to whose kindness and attention . we were much indebted during the equipment of the ships for this service. A bluff' and remarkable cape, which forms the eastern point of Cunningham OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 55 Inlet obtained, by Lieutenant Hoppner's desire, the name of Cape Gifford, 1819. out of respect to his friend, Mr. Gifford, a gentleman well known and highly ^^^^' respected, as he deserves to be, in the literary world. To the eastward of Cape Gifford, a thick haze covered the horizon, and it prevented us from seeing more land in that direction ; so that its continuity from hence to Cape Clarence still remained undetermined, while, to the westward, it seemed to be terminated rather abruptly by a headland, which I distinguished by the name of Cape Bunny. At noon, we had reached the longitude of 94° 43' 15", the latitude, by observation, being 74° 20' 52", when we found that the land which then formed the western extreme on this side was a second island, which, after Rear-Admiral Edavard Griffith, I called Griffith Island. Imme- diately opposite to this, upon Cornwallis Island, is a conspicuous headland, which, at some distance, has the appearance of being detached, but which, on a nearer approach, was found to be joined by a piece of low land. To this I gave the name of Cape Martyr, after a much esteemed friend. At two P.M., having reached the longitude of 95° 07', we came to some heavy and extensive floes of ice, which obliged us to tack, there being no passage between them. We beat to the northward during the whole of the after- noon, with a fresh breeze from that quarter, in the hope of finding a narrow channel under the lee of Griffith Island. In this expectation we were, however, disappointed, for, at eight P.M., we were near enough to perceive not only that the ice was quite close to the shore, but that it appeared not to have been detached from it at all during this season. We, therefore, bore up, and ran again to the southward, where the sea by this time had become rather more clear along the lee margin of a large field of ice extending far to the westward. The ice in this neighbourhood was covered with innumerable " hummocks," such as I have before endea- voured to describe as occurring in the southern part of Prince Regent's Inlet, and the floes were from seven to ten feet in thickness. It may bete be remarked, as a fact not altogether unworthy of notice, that, from the time of our entering Sir James Lancaster's Sound, till we had passed the meridian of 92°, near which the northern shore of Barrow's Strait ceases to be continuous, the wind, as is commonly the case in inlets of this kind, had invariably blown in a direction nearly due east or due west, being that of the shores of the strait. When, therefore, we experienced to-day, for the first time, a fresh breeze blowing steadily from the northward, or 5S VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. directly off the land, we were willing, though perhaps without much reason, v,*^^ to construe this circumstance into an additional indication of the shores near which we were now sailing being altogether composed of islands, down the channels between which the wind blew, and that therefore no obstruction from continued land was any longer to be apprehended. After various unsuccessful attempts to get through the ice which now lay in our way, we were at length so fortunate as to accomplish this object by " boring" through several heavy " streams," which occasioned the ships to receive many severe shocks ; and, at half an hour before midnight, we were enabled to pursue our course, through "sailing ice,'' to the westward. Tues. 24. A fog came on, on the morning of the 24th, which once more reduced us to the necessity of depending on the steadiness of the wind for a knowledge of the direction in which we were steering, or of having recourse to the unpleasant alternative of heaving to, till the weather should become clear. The former Avas, of course, preferred, and we pushed on with all the canvass which the Griper's bad sailing would allow us to carry, using the very necessary precaution of keeping the hand-leads constantly going. We passed one field of ice, of immense length, the distance which we ran along it, without meeting a single break in it, being, according to the report of the officers, from eight to ten miles, and its general thickness about eight feet. In this manner we had sailed between fifteen and twenty miles in a tolerably clear sea, when, on the fog clearing away, at seven A.M., we found, by the bearings of the sun, that the wind had not deceived us, and that we had made nearly all westing during the night's run. We also saw land to the northward of us, at the distance of nine or ten miles, appearing like an island, which it afterwards proved to be, and which I named after Viscount Lowther, one of the lords of His Majesty's treasury. Shortly after, we also saw land to the south, so that we could not but consider ourselves fortunate in having steered so directly in the proper course for sailing in this channel during the continuance of the foggy weather. The land to the southward was high and bold, being terminated to the eastward by a bluff headland, which I named after Mr. Walker, of the Hydrographical Office, at the Admiralty. Immediately at the back of Cape Walker, or to the southward of it, the loom of land was distinctly visible, but, from the state of Ihe weather, we could not ascertain its extent. We here obtained soundings in sixty-three fathoms, on g, bottom of sand and small stones, with some pieces of coral. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. -.S^ The wind, drawing more to the westward soon after the clearing up of 1819. the fog, obliged us to beat to windward during the rest of the day between ^^^li^' the two lands, that to the southward being loaded with ice, while the shores of Lowther Island were perfectly clear and accessible. As we stood in towards the south-west point of the island, in the afternoon, we found the water deepen from sixty-five to seventy-six fathoms, the latter soundings being at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore : and, in standing off again to the south-westward, came rather unexpectedly to a low sandy-looking island, having a great deal of heavy ice aground near it; to this I gave the name of Young's Island, after Dr. Thomas Young, Secretary to the Board of Longitude. We tacked in thirty-four fathoms at three miles' distance from this island; and, from the quantity of heavy ice near it, which is a never-failing beacon in these seas, it seems more than probable that it is surrounded by shoal water. It now became evident that all the land around us consisted of islands, and the comparative shoaliness of the water made great caution necessary in pro- ceeding, surrounded as we were by both land and ice in almost every direction. In the course of the evening, more land came in sight to the northward ; but the distance was at this time too great to enable us to distinguish its situation and extent. Early on the following morning, Lieutenant Beechey discovered, from the Wed. 25. crow's nest, a second low island, resembling Young's Island in size and appearance, and lying between three and four leagues to the northward of it. I gave it the name of Davy Island, after Sir Humphry Davy, now President of the Royal Society. The nearest land which we had seen to the northward, on the preceding evening, proved to be another island, four or five miles long from east to west, which I distinguished by the name of Garrett Island, out of respect to my much-esteemed friend Captain Henry Garrett, of the royal navy, to whose kind offices and friendly attention during the time of our equipment, I must ever feel highly indebted. The land to the northward of Garrett Island was found to be another island of considerable extent, having, towards its eastern end, a remark- able peaked hillock, very conspicuous when seen from the southward. I named this Bathurst Island, in honour of the Earl of Bathurst, one of His Majesty's principal secretaries of state, and a bay near its south-eastern point, was called Bedford Bay. The islands which we had discovered during this day's navigation, among 58 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. which I have not ventured to include the land to the southward of Lowther ^^^li^' Island, of which we obtained a very imperfect view, are generally of a moderate height, not exceeding perhaps four or five hundred feet above the level of the sea. With the exception of some parts of Bathurst Island, which have a more rugged aspect and which rise to a greater elevation than this, we found them entirely clear of snow, and when the sun was shining upon them^ they exhibited a brown appearance. In standing in towards Garrett Island, the water was found to deepen from forty to sixty-five, seventy, and eighty fathoms ; the latter soundings occurring at two miles distance from the south-eastern point of the island, where we suddenly met with a strong rippling on the surface of the water : as no irregularity could be found in the bottom, this rippling was perhaps occasioned by the meeting of the tides in this place. Thur. 26. We had seen no whales nor narwhals since leaving Cape Riley on the morning of the 23d ; and it was now remarked, not without some degree of un- pleasant feeling, that not a single bird, nor any other living creature, had for the whole of this day made its appearance. It was, however encouraging to find, while advancing to the westward, as fast as an unfavourable Avind would permit, that, although the sea beyond us was for the most part covered with a compact and undivided body of ice, yet that a channel of sufficient breadth was still left open for us between it and the shore, under the lee of Bathurst Island. The ice here consisted almost entirely of fields, the limits of which were not visible from the mast head, and which were covered with the same kind of hummocks as before described. The westernmost land now in sight was a cape, which I named after Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. This cape appeared, during the day, to be situated on a small island detached from Bathurst Island ; but^ on approaching it towards evening, we found them to be connected by a low sandy beach or isthmus, over which some high and distant hills were seen to the north-westward. An opening in the land near this beach, and which had very much the appearance of a river, with some rocky islets at its mouth, w£is named Allison Inlet, after the Greenland master of the Hecla. The water became very light coloured as we stood in towards this part of the coast, and we tacked in twenty-six fathoms, at six or seven miles' distance from it, continuing to beat to the westward. We gained so little ground during the night, and in the early part of tlie following morning, notwithstanding the smoothness of the water, and a fine f J,?/u' .y/r/T?,?///, /;-,/> w/.<^- V/. Yt/. '■ / Wf^^.^^^^"^^^^^^^ C^cL^'^'i^/{^ C^i^.^'er. /ea-yt^ ^A^^3^° /6 dP. " _^iiea^ (7?'i- ^/ja/:d^c/j't' ^ /u/^n^z^ . ^e&cJi^ dtl. Z. Cla7'k scu^. Zcndc?i,Tii6lisked fy LMuTi-ajy, 2tf22. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 59 working breeze, that I am confident there must have been a tide setting against us off Cape Cockburn ; but, as it was of material importance to get round this headland, before a change of wind should set the ice in upon the shore, I did not deem it proper to heave-to, for the purpose of trying the direction in which it was running. After three A.M., the ships began to make much better way, so that I considered it likely that the tide had slackened between three and four o'clock ; and if so, the time of slack water at this place would be, on full and change days, a few minutes after eleven : and as this time, with the proper correction applied, seems to correspond pretty accurately with that of high water at the other places, to the eastward and westward, where we had an opportunity of observing it, we could scarcely doubt that it was the flood-tide which had now been setting against us from the westward. From these circumstances, I have ventured to mark the time of high water, and the direction of the flood-tide, upon the chart, both being confessedly subject to correction by future navigators. Several seals were here seen upon the ice, and a single bird with a long bill, resembling a curlew. While beating round Cape Cockburn, our soundings were from thirty-three to twenty-one fathoms, on a bottom of small broken shells and coral ; and some star-fish (Asterias) came up on the lead. After rounding this headland, the wind favoured us by coming to the S.S.W. ; and as we stood on to the west- ward, the water deepened very gradually till noon, when being in latitude, by observation, 75° 01' 51", and longitude, by chronometers, 101° 39' 09", we sounded in sixty-eight fathoms, on a bottom of mud of a peculiar flesh- colour. The high land, which had been seen on the preceding evening, over the low beach to the eastward of Cape Cockburn, now appeared also to form a part of Bathurst Island, which we afterwards found to be the case, (on our return in 1820,) the intermediate parts of the land being too low to be clearly distinguished at our present distance. The land to the westward of Cape Cockburn sweeps round into a large bay, which I named after Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Moore. The weather was at this time remarkably serene and clear, and, although we saw a line of ice to the southward of us, lying in a direction nearly east and west, or parallel to the course on which we were steering, and some more land appeared to the westward, yet the space of open water was still so broad, and the prospect from the mast-head, upon the whole, so flattering, that I thought the chances of our separation had now become greater 60 VOYAGE FOE THE DISCOVERY 1819. than before; and I therefore considered it right to furnish Lieutenant Liddon K^.-^J with fresh instructions, and to appoint some new place of rendezvous, in case of unavoidable separation from the Hecla. A boat Avas, therefore, dropped on board the Griper for that purpose, without her heaving-to ; and the same opportunity was taken to obtain a comparison between our chronometers. About seven P.M., we were sufficiently near to the western land, to ascertain that it was part of another island, which I named after Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, Comptroller of His Majesty's navy; and by eight o'clock we perceived that the body of ice to the southward, along which we had been sailing, took a turn to the north, and stretched quite in to the shore, near a low point, off which a great quantity of heavy ice was aground. At ten o'clock, after having had a clear view of the ice and of the land about sunset; and finding that there was at present no passage to the westward, we hauled off to the south-east, in the hope of finding some opening in the ice to the southward, by which we might get round in the desired di- rection. We were encouraged in this hope by a dark " water-sky" to the southward ; but, after running along the ice till half-past eleven, without perceiving any opening, we again bore-up to return towards the island. There was in this neighbourhood, a great deal of that particular kind of ice, called by the sailors " dirty ice," on the surface of which were strewed sand, stones, and in some instances, moss ; ice of this kind must, of course, at one time or other, have been in close contact with the land. On one of these pieces, towards which the Hecla was standing, a little sea was observed break- ing ; and, on a nearer approach, it so exactly resembled a rock above water, that I thought it prudent to heave all the sails aback, till a boat had been sent to examine it. We saw several fulmar petrels, and one or two seals, in the course of this day's run. Sat. 28. As we approached the south point of the island, to which I gave the name of Cape Gillman, out of respect to the memory of the late Sir John Gillman, we found the ice in the same position as before ; and I therefore hauled to the north-east, with the intention of attempting a passage round the north side of the island. In standing in, towards Cape Gillman, our soundings gradually decreased from eighty to twenty-three fathoms, the latter depth occurring at the distance of two to four miles from the shore. At ten A.M., the wind being very light from the S.S.E., I despatched Captain Sabine and Mr. Ross, accompanied by Messrs. Edwards and Fisher, to the eastern point of the island, which we were about to round in the ships, in order to OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 61 make the necessary observations, and to examine the natural productions 1819. of the shore. Our latitude at noon was 75° 03' 12", long. 103° 44' 37", and J^' the depth of water forty fathoms. A thick fog came on in the afternoon, soon after the boat had landed, which made me apprehensive that she would not easily find her way back to the ship. We continued to stand ofF-and-on by the lead, which seems a very safe guide on this coast, firing guns frequently till five P.M., when we were not sorry to hear our signals answered by musquets from the boat. The gentlemen reported, on their return, that they had landed on a sandy beach, near the east point of the island, which they found to be more productive, and altogether more interesting than any other part of the shores of the Polar regions which we had yet visited. The remains of Esquimaux habitations were found in four different places. Six of these, which Captain Sabine had an opportunity of examining, and which are situated on a level sandy bank, at the side of a small ravine near the sea, are described by him as consisting of stones rudely placed in a circular, or rather an elliptical, form. They were from seven to ten feet in diameter ; the broad, flat sides of the stones standing vertically, and the whole structure, if such it may be called, being exactly similar to that of the summer huts of the Esquimaux, which we had seen at Hare Island, the preceding year. Attached to each of them was a smaller circle, generally four or five feet in diameter, which had probably been the fire-place. The small circles were placed indifferently, as to their direction from the huts to which they belonged ; and from the moss and sand which covered some of the lower stones, particularly those which composed the flooring of the huts, the whole en- campment appeared to have been deserted for several years. Very recent traces of the rein-deer and musk-ox were seen in many places ; and a head of the latter, with several rein-deers' horns, was brought on board. A few patches of snow remained in sheltered situations; the ravines, however, which were numerous, bore the signs of recent and considerable floods, and their bottoms were swampy, and covered with very luxuriant moss, and other vegetation, the character of which differed very little from that of the land at the bottom of Possession Bay. The basis of the island is sandstone, of which by far the greater part of the mineralogical specimens brought on board consisted ; besides these, some rich granite and red feldspar were met with, together with some other substances which are described by Mr. Konig in the Appendix. A number of shells, of the Venus tribe, were found imbedded in the bottom of the ravines. A thermometer, of which the bulb was buried 62 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. two or three inches in the sand, considerably above high-water mark, indi- '^^^^' cated the temperature of 35|° ; that of the air, the sun being obscured by clouds at the time, being 33|°, The latitude of the place of observation was 75° 09' 23", and the longitude, by chronometers, 103° 44' 37". The dip of the magnetic needle was 88° 25'.5S, and the variation was now found to have changed from 128° 58' West, in the longitude of 91° 48', where our last observations on shore had been made, to 165° 50' 09" East, at our present station ; so that we had, in sailing over the space included be- tween those two meridians, crossed immediately to the northward of the mag- netic pole, and had undoubtedly passed over one of those spots upon the globe, where the needle would have been found to vary 180°, or in other words, where its north pole would have pointed due south. This spot would, in all probability, at this time be somewhere not far from the meridian of 100° west of Greenwich. It would undoubtedly have been extremely interesting to obtain such an observation, and in any other than the very precarious navigation in which we were now engaged, I should have felt it my duty to devote a certain time to this particular purpose ; but, under present circumstances, it was impossible for me to regret the cause which alone had prevented it, especially as the importance to science of this obsei-vation was not sufficient to compensate the delay which the search after such a spot would necessarily have occasioned, and which could hardly be justified at a moment when we were making, and for two or three days continued to make, a rapid and unobstructed progress towards the accomplishment of our principal object. Captain Sabine remarked, in obtaining the observations for the variation, that the compasses, which were those of Captain Rater's construction, required somewhat more tapping with the hand, to make them traverse, than they did at the place of observation in Prince Regent's Inlet, on the 7th of August, where the magnetic deep was ' very nearly the same ; but that, when they had settled, they indicated the meridian with more precision. For instance, on the 7th of August, the compass, when levelled on its stand, would traverse of itself; but if the bear- ing of any object were observed with it, and the compass frequently removed and replaced, the bearings so obtained would differ from each other, notwith- standing much tapping, to the amount of 3° or 4° ; whereas on the present occasion, more sluggishness was observable, yet, at the same time, a closer agreement in the successive results. The tide was rising by the shore, from noon till half past four P.M., at OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 63 which time the boats left the beach ; and, by the high-watermark, it was isig. considered probable that it had yet to rise full an hour longer. The time of ^^^oJi^' high water, therefore, may be taken at half past five, which will make that of the full and change days about twelve o'clock. Mr. Ross found, on rowing round the point near which he landed, that the stream was setting strong against him from the northward. We had tried the current in the offing at noon, by mooring the small boat to the bottom, when it was found to be run- ning in a south direction, at the rate of half a mile per hour. At four P.M., near the same station, it was setting S.S.W., five eighths of a mile an hour, so that it would appear tolerably certain that the flood-tide here comes from the northward. The wind became very light from the eastward, and the weather continued Sun. '29. so foggy that nothing could be done during the night but to stand ofl-and-on, by the soundings, between the ice and the land ; as we had no other means of knowing the direction in which we were sailing, than by the decrease in the depth of water on one tack, and by making the ice on the other. The fog froze hard upon the rigging, which always makes the working of the ship a very laborious task, the size of the running rigging being sometimes thus increased to three times its proper diameter. At four A.M. on the 29th, the current was tried by mooring a boat to the bottom, but none could be detected. About this time the fog partially cleared away for a little while, when we ob- served that the ice was more open off Cape Gillman, than when we had before attempted to pass in that direction. At five o'clock, therefore, we made sail for the point, with a light easterly breeze ; but at seven, when we had pro- ceeded only two or three miles, the fog came on again as thick as before : for- tunately, however, we had previously been enabled to take notice of several pieces of ice, by steering for each of which in succession, we came to the edge of a floe, along which our course was to be pursued to the westward. As long as we had this guidance, we advanced with great confidence ; but as soon as we came to the end of the floe, which then turned off to the southward, the circumstances under which we were sailing were, perhaps, such as have never occurred since the early days of navigation. To the northward was the land ; the ice, as we supposed, to the southward ; the compasses useless ; and the sun completely obscured by a fog, so thick that the Griper could only now and then be seen at a cable's length astern. We had literally, therefore, no mode of regulating our course but by once more trusting to the steadiness of the wind ; and it was not a little amusing, as well as novel, to see the quarter-master ^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. conning the ship by looking at the dog-vane. Under all these circumstances, J^^' it was necessary to run under easy sail, the breeze having gradually freshened up from the eastward. Our soundings were at this time extremely regular, being from forty-one to forty-five fathoms, on a bottom of soft mud. At ten o'clock the weather became clear enough to allow us to see our way through a narrow part in a patch of ice which lay ahead, and beyond which there was some appearance of a " water-sky." There is, however, nothing more deceit- ful than this appearance during a fog, which, by the same optical illusion whereby all other objects become magnified, causes every small " hole," of clear water to appear like a considerable extent of open and navigable sea. We continued running till eleven P.M., when the fog came on again, making the night so dark that it was no longer possible to proceed in any tolerable security; I therefore directed the ships to be made fast to a floe, having sailed by our account, twelve miles, the depth of water being forty-four fathoms. Mon. 30. The fog continued till five A.M. on the 30th, when it cleared sufficiently to give us a sight of the land, and of the heavy ice aground ofi^ Cape Gillman, the latter being five or six miles to the northward of us, in which situation we had deepened our soundings to fifty fathoms during the night's drift. The state of the ice, and of the weather, not permitting us to move, Captain Sabine, being desirous of making some use of this unavoidable detention, and considering it at all times important to confirm magnetic observations obtained on shore in these high latitudes, by others taken upon the ice, employed himself in repeat- ing his series of observations on the dip of the needle, which he found to be 88° 29'. 12, differing only three minutes and a half from that obtained on shore on the 28th, a few leagues to the northward and eastward of our present sta- tion. The floe to which the ships were now secured was not more than six or seven feet in thickness, and was covered with innumerable pools of water, most of which had communication with the sea, as we could with difficulty obtain any that was sufficiently fresh for drinking. In many parts, indeed, there were large holes through which the sea was visible, and the under surface was much decayed and honey-combed, being nearly in that state which the Greenland sailors call " rotten." Some of the officers amused themselves in skating on the pools, all of which' were hard frozen on the surface ; and the men in sliding^ foot-ball, and other games. By putting some drag-nets and oyster-dredges overboard, and suffering them to drag along the ground as the ship drifted with the ice, we obtained a few specimens of marine insects. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 65 In the evening a quantity of loose ice drifted down near the ships ; and, to 1819. avoid being beset, we made sail towards the island, our soundings being Jivil' from thirty-five to seventeen fathoms : we were soon under the necessity of again anchoring to a floe, till the weather should clear, being in twenty-one fathoms, at the distance of three miles from the land. The weather cleared a little at intervals, but not enough to enable us to pro- Tues. o. ceed till nine A.M. on the 31st, when we cast off from the ice, with a very light air from the northward. We occasionally caught a glimpse of the land through the heavy fog-banks, with which the horizon was covered, which was sufficient to give us an idea of the true direction in which we ought to steer. Soon after noon we were once more enveloped in fog, which however, was not so thick as to prevent our having recourse to a new expedient for steering the ships, which circumstances at the time naturally suggested to our minds. Before the fog re-commenced, and while we were sailing on the course which by the bearings of the land we knew to be the right one, the Griper was exactly astern of the Hecla, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile. The wea- ther being fortunately not so thick as to prevent our still seeing her at that distance, the quarter-master was directed to stand aft, near the taffi-ail, and to keep her constantly astern of us, by which means we contrived to steer a tolerably straight course to the westward. The Griper, on the other hand, naturally kept the Hecla right a-head ; and thus, however ridiculous it may appear, it is, nevertheless, true, that we steered one ship entirely by the other for a distance of ten miles out of sixteen and a half, which we sailed between one and eleven P.M. It then became rather dark, and the water having shoaled from fifty to twenty-three fathoms somewhat more suddenly than usual, I did not consider it prudent to run any farther till it should become light and clear enough to see around us, as it was probable that we were approaching land of which we had no knowledge. We therefore hauled our wind to the S.S.E., on the larboard tack, and at midnight had deepened the water to fifty- two fathoms, being among rather close " sailing ice*." The wind died away on the morning of the 1st of September, and the fog Sept. was succeeded by snow and sleet, which still rendered the atmosphere ex- ^^^- '• tremely thick. At a quarter before four A.M., I was informed by the officer of the watch that a breeze had sprung up, and that there was very little ice * The monthly Meteorological Abstracts will be inserted at the end of each month, as being more convenient for reference than if placed in a continued series iu the Appendix. K ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla, at Sea, d uring the Month o( August, 1819. Day Temperature of Air in shade. Sea Water at the surface. j Barometer. 1 1 Prevailing Winds. Prevailiiig Weather. Maxi- Mitii- Mean. Tempe- Specific Gravity Tempera weighed. Maxi- mum. Mini- Mean. 1 o 36 + o 33.5 + O 34.50 + o 32.6 1.0215 55.5 inches. 29.60 inche3. inches. 29.51 29.540 West Fresh breezes and hazy. 2 41 33 37.00 34.2 1.0255 52 29.73 29.59 29.660 fN.E.bE.roundby \ I South to West ( 5 A.M. S.WbW. ) I P.M. East. 5 From fresh breezes to calms. Fine weather. 3 38 33 35.58 33.2 1.0217 55 29.70 29.50 29.632 Moderate breezes and hazy. 4 37.5 33.5 35.29 32.8 1.0218 55 29.51 29.45 29.481 East Strong breezes and hazy. 5 35 33.5 34.25 31.7 29.51 29.48 29.496 N.W. Light airs and cloudy, with snow. 6 35 33 33.83 31.8 1.0232 59 29.50 29.51 29.530 North Light breezes and cloudy. 7 30 31 33.83 31.6 1.0248 58 29.60 29.53 29.5G2 North Moderate breezes and cloudy. 8 35 30 32.62 31.5 1.0236 38 29.65 29.59 29.622 N.W. Light breezes and cloudy. 9 39.5 30.5 33.92 30.9 1.0255 50 29.07 29.62 29.650 N.W.bW.toS.S.W. Ditto. 10 36 31 33.00 31.2 1.0246 56 29.55 29.52 29.540 S.bW. i Moderate breezesand hazy, with rain and snow. 11 35 33 33.42 31.0 1.0214 56 29.60 29.49 29.567 S.bW. : Moderate and foggy, with continued rain. 12 35 30 32.58 31.4 1.02J0 55 29.85 29.80 29.820 N.bE. Moderate and foggy, with rain at intervals. 13 40 30 3G.88 32.2 1.0237 51 29.80 29.72 29.810 S.W. Light airs and fine clear weather. 14 42 34 30.75 32.7 1.0239 55 29.76 29.ei 29.717 N.N.W. to S.S.W. Ditto ditto. 15 39 32 35.21 33.1 1.0236 55 29.63 29.61 29.620 S. Westerly. Ditto ditto. 16 36 33 34.00 32.8 1.0242 55 29.68 29.61 29.642 5 S.S.E. round by > I S. to W.N.W. 5 Light airs and hazy ; calm at times. 17 35 32 33.42 32.6 1.0242 55 29.66 29.63 29.652 S.W. Light airs and foggy weather. 18 36 32.5 33.67 32.5 1.0236 55 29.64 29.60 29.625 5 A.M. S.W.bW. ? t P.M. N.E.bE. 1 Light breezes and cloudy. 19 33 32 32.83 32.8 1.0233 57 ;29.55 29.53 29542 E.bN. Sttongbreezei & hazy, with rain, hail, & sleet. 20 36 33 34.86 32.6 1.0233 57 29.63 29.57 29.610 E.bN. Light breezes and hazy weather. 21 36 33 34.79 32.5 1.018S 58 29.66 29.62 29.650 Round the compass. Ditto 22 38 33 35.62 33.2 1.0235 54 29.76 29.67 29.729 Ditto. Light variable airs— A.M. hazy, P.M. clear. 23 36 32 33.75 31.5 1.0247 54 29.76 29.66 29.712 North Moderate breezes and cloudy. 24 30 28 29.50 30.1 1.0246 54 29.66 29.61 29.634 N.N.W. Fresh breezes and cloudy. 25 26 27 28 32 35 34 34 30 30 30.5 30 30.54 31.92 32.58 32.00 30.2 30.4 30.9 31.8 29.87 30.06 29.96 29.70 29.64 29.95 29.80 29.60 29.757 30.012 29.900 29.657 N.W. N.W.b.W. S.S.W. S.S.E. to N.E. Ditto. Ditto. Light breezes and fine clear weather. Light breezes and foggy. Light airs and foggy. Fresh breezes and foggy. Light airs, with sleet and snow. 29 30 31 32 34 34 31 30 31 31.75 32.08 32.21 31.7 31.1 31.4 29.57 29.36 29.59 29.40 29.31 29.39 29.482 29.332 29.510 S.E. N.E. 5 N.W. round by ) I North to East J 42 28 33,67 31.93 30.06 29.31 29.635 VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. Gf near the ships. Anxious to take advantage of these favourable circumstances, I directed all sail to be made to the westward : there was no difficulty in com- plying with the first part of this order, but to ascertain which way the wind was blowing, and to which quarter of the horizon the ship's head was to be directed, was a matter of no such easy accomplishment ; nor could we devise any means of determining this question till five o'clock, when we obtained a sight of the sun through the fog, and were thus enabled to shape our course, the wind being moderate from the northward. In standing to the southward, we had gradually deepened the water to one hundred and five fathoms, and our soundings now as gradually decreased as we stood to the westward ; giving us reason to believe, as on the preceding night, and from the experience we had acquired of the navigation among these islands, that we were approaching land in that direction. In this sup- position we were not deceived, for, at half-past eight, the fog having sud- denly cleared up, we found ourselves within four or five miles of a low point of land which was named after Mr. Griffiths, and which, being at the distance of six or seven leagues from Byam Martin Island, we considered to be part of another of the same group. We sailed along the shore at the distance of two to four miles in a S.W.b.W. direction, and having dropped a boat to obtain observations upon the ice, without heaving-to for that purpose, we found ourselves to be, at noon, in latitude 74° 59' 35", and longitude, by chronometers, 106° 07 36". This land very much resembled, in height and general character, the other islands which we had lately passed, being in most parts of a brownish colour, among which we also imagined a little green to be here and there discernible. We had some small rain in the afternoon, which was succeeded by snow towards midnight. At one A.M. on the 2d, a star was seen, being the first that had been ihurs. 2. visible to us for more than two months. The fog came on again this morning, which, together with the lightness of the wind preventing the ships getting sufficient way to keep them under command, occasioned them some of the heaviest blows which they had yet received during the voyage, although the ice was generally so loose and broken as to have allowed an easy passage with a moderate and leading wind. As none of the pieces near us were large enough for securing the ships in the usual manner, we could only heave-to, to windward of one of the heaviest masses, and allow the ship to drive Avith it till some favourable change should take place. After lying for an hour in this inactive and helpless situation, we again made sail, the weather being 68 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY rather more clear, which discovered to us that the main body of the ice wass about three miles distant from the land, the intermediate space being very thickly covered with loose pieces through which our passage was to be sought. As we stood in for the land in the forenoon, we decreased our soundings uniformly from twenty-seven to eleven fathoms at one and a half or two miles from the beach, and a boat, which I sent to sound in-shore, found the water to shoal very regularly to six fathoms at about half a mile. At this distance from the beach, there were many large masses of ice aground ; and it was here that the method so often resorted to in the subsequent part of the voyage, of placing the ships between these masses and the land, in case of the ice closing suddenly upon us, first suggested itself to our minds. As we were making no way to the westward, I directed two boats to be pre- pared from each ship for the purpose of making the usual observations on shore, as well as to endeavour to kill deer; and, at one P.M., I left the ship, accompanied by a large party of officers and men, and was soon after joined by the Griper's boats. We landed on a very flat sandy beach, which did not allow the boats to come nearer than their own length, and we were imme- diately struck with the general resemblance in the character of this island to that of Byam Martin Island, which we had lately visited. The basis of this land is sandstone, but we met with limestone also, occurring in loose pieces on the surface, and several lumps of coal were brought in by the parties Avho had traversed the island in diiferent directions. Our sportsmen were by no means successful, having seen only two deer, which were too wild to allow them to get near them. The dung of these animals, however, as well as that of the musk-ox was very abundant, especially in those places where the moss was most luxuriant ; every here and there we came to a spot of this kind, consisting of one or two acres of ground covered with a rich vegetation, and which was evidently the feeding-place of those animals, there being quantities of their hair and wool lying scattered about. Several heads of the musk- ox were picked up, and one of the Hecla's seamen brought to the boat a narwhal's horn which he found on a hill more than a mile from the sea, and which must have been carried thither by Esquimaux or by bears : three or four brace of ptarmigan fTetrao Lagopus,J were killed, and these were the only supply of this kind which we obtained. Serjeant Martin of the artillery, and Captain Sabine's servant, brought down to the beach several pieces of a large fir-tree, which they found nearly buried in the sand, at the distance of three or four hundred yards from the present high-water OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 69 mark, and not less than thirty feet above the level of the sea. We found no I8i9. indication of this part of the island having been inhabited, unless the ^"^^ narwhal's horn, above alluded to, be considered as such. The latitude of the place of observation here, which was within a hundred yards of the beach, was 74° 58', the longitude, by chronometers, 107° 03' 31".7, and the variation of the magnetic needle 151° 30' 03" eas- terly. At forty minutes past one P.M., when the boats landed, the tide had fallen a foot by the shore. It continued to fall till seven P.M., and then rose again, the whole fall of tide not exceeding five or five and a half feet. At the time we landed. Lieutenant Beechey tried for a current in the offing, but could find none ; at half-past seven, the tide was setting E.N.E., at the rate of a mile and a half an hour ; and, at a quarter before ten, after 1 returned on board, it was still setting slowly to the eastward. By the above observations, the time of high water, at the full and change of the moon, seems to be about three quarters after one o'clock. The direction of the flood-tide does not appear so clear. If it come from the westward, there must be a tide and half tide ; but it seems more than probable, on an in- spection of the chart, that here, as on the eastern sideof Byam Martin Island, it will be found to come from the northward between the islands. At the top of a hill, immediately above the place of observation, and about a mile from the sea, a bottle was buried, containing the usual information. A mound of sand and stones was raised over it, and a boarding-pike fixed in the middle. We returned on board at half past eight, and found that Lieutenant Beechey had, in the mean time, taken a number of useful soundings, and made other hydrographical remarks for carrying on the survey of the coast. The wind continued light and variable till half-past eight A.M. on the 3d, Fiwl. 3. when a breeze from the northward once more enabled us to make some progress. I was the more anxious to do so, from having perceived that the main ice had, for the last twenty-four hours, been gradually, though slowly, closing on the shore, thereby contracting the scarcely navigable channel in which we were sailing. The land which formed our western extreme was a low point, five miles to the westward of our place of observation the preceding day, and the ice had already approached this point so much, that there was considerable doubt whether any passage could be found between them. As wc neared the point, we shoaled the water rather quickly, though regularly, from thirty to seven fathoms ; but, by keeping a little farther out, which fortunately the ice just at that time allowed us to do, we avoided getting into shoaler 70 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY water, and immediately after rounding the point, we increased our soundings to sixteen and seventeen fathoms. We had scarcely cleared the point, how- ever, when the wind failed us, and the boats were immediately sent a-head to tow, but a breeze springing up shortly after from the westward, obliged us to have recourse to another method of gaining ground which we had not hitherto practised : this was by using small anchors and whale-lines as warps, by which means Ave made great progress, till, at forty minutes after noon, we were favoured by a fresh breeze, which soon took us into an open space of clear water to the northward and westward. While we were thus em- ployed on board, Mr. Ross, after whom I named this point, had been des- patched in a boat to sound in-shore near it, where there were a great many large masses of ice aground, in order that we might be prepared to place the ships in the most advantageous position, should the ice unexpectedly close upon the shore, Mr. Ross reported, that he had found good depth of water in-shore, the ice being aground in five to seven fathoms, after which the water shoaled gradually towards the land. A little to the westward of Point Ross, there was a barrier of this kind of ice, composed of heavy masses firmly fixed to the ground at nearly regular intervals for about a mile, in a direction parallel to the beach. At right angles to this, a second tier projected, of the same kind of ice, extending to the shore, so that the two together formed a most complete harbour, within which, I believe, a ship might have been placed in case of necessity, without much danger from the pressure of the external floes of ice. It was natural for us to keep in view the possibility of our being obliged to pass the ensuing winter in such a harbour ; and, it must be confessed, that the apparent practicability of finding such tolerable security for the ships as this artificial harbour affbrded, should we fail in discovering a more safe and regular anchorage, added not a little to the confidence with which our operations were carried on during the remainder of the present season. The land immediately to the north-westward of Point Ross forms a considerable bay, named after Mr. Skene, off which there was a large space of clear water, where we had to beat to the northward during the afternoon, as the ice lay in that direction. In standing off-and-on, we shoaled the water in one place very suddenly from nineteen to eleven fathoms, at the distance of one mile from the beach. Having tacked, I sent Mr. Bushnan to sound in-shore, where a shoal was discovered three quarters of a mile from the land, having three and four fathoms upon it, and OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 71 within it from eight to thirteen fathoms. The sun-set of this evening was extremely beautiful, the weather being clear and frosty, and the sky without a cloud. The moon rising soon after, afforded a spectacle no less pleasing, and far more sublime. Her horizontal diameter appeared to be very much elongated when just above the horizon, owing to the unequal refraction of the upper and lower limbs ; but it measured 33' 20", being only 6" more than the true, which difference may have arisen from an error in the observation. The vertical diameter measured 30' 40' . Having weathered all the ice round which we had to sail, in order to pro- Sat. 4. ceed to the westward, we were under the necessity of lying-to, off Skene Bay, for some hours, the weather having become very squally and unsettled, with occasional fog, and the night not being sufficiently light to ascertain whether there was a passage between the ice and a point of land which forms the western extreme of the bay. On its eastern side an inlet, two miles wide . at the entrance, was discovered, and named after Mr. Beverly, and at the bottom of this we did not see the land all round. At half-past two A.M., we made sail to the westward, the Griper having been directed by signal to extend her distance ; a precaution which was always adopted in cases where shoal-water was to be apprehended, in order to avoid the risk of both ships grounding at the same time. As we approached the point, the sound- ings decreased gradually from thirty to seven fathoms, in which depth I tacked, and despatched Mr. Palmer in a boat to sound round the point, to which I gave the name of Cape Palmer, after the gentleman intrusted with this service. Having been informed by signal from the boat, that no less than six fathoms' water had been found, we again tacked, and soon after rounded the point in that depth, at the distance of three quarters of a mile from a low sandy beach. We then ran several miles along the shore without much obstruction, till the wind, backing to the north-west, obliged us to make several tacks between the ice and the land, the navigable channel being at this time between three and four miles wide. At noon we observed, in latitude 74° 54' 49 ", the longitude, by chronometers, being 108° 31' 44", at which time we were off a low, sandy island, which was named after Mr. Dealy, and which lies near the entrance into a large inlet, to which the name of Bridport Inlet was given, from regard to the memory of the late Lord Bridport. This inlet runs a considerable distance to the northward, and seemed to afford good shelter for ships ; but, as we had no opportunity of examining it in our boats, I am unable to state any further particulars respecting it. The land to the "^2 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY ^819. westward of it, of which the most conspicuous part is a remarkable bluff head- v^^^. land, is much higher than that about Skene Bay; and we ceased to obtain any soundings with the hand-leads after we had passed the entrance of Bridport Inlet. At a quarter-past nine P.M., we had the satisfaction of crossing the meridian of 110° west from Greenwich, in the latitude of 74° 44' 20"; by which His Majesty's ships, under my orders, became entitled to the sum of five thousand pounds, being the reward offered by the King's order in coun- cil, grounded on a late Act of Parliament, to such of His Majesty's subjects as might succeed in penetrating thus far to the westward within the Arctic Circle. In order to commemorate the success which had hitherto attended our exertions, the bluff headland, which we had just passed, was subsequently called by the men Bounty Cape ; by which name I have, therefore, distin- guished it on the chart. As we stood to the westward, we found the extreme of the land in that direction to be a low point, which was named after Samuel Hearne, the well-known American traveller, and to the north-eastward of which is a bay of considerable extent, which was perfectly free from ice. We con- tinued our course towards Cape Hearne till midnight, when, the weather being too dark to run any longer with safety, the ships were hove-to with their heads to the eastward. One black whale was seen^ in the course of this day's navigation, off Bridport Inlet ; and some flocks of snow-buntings were flying about the ship at night. Sun. 5. At a quarter before three A.M., on the 5th, we tacked, and stood to the westward, with the hope of getting past Cape Hearne, the wind being moderate from the northward, and the weather thick with snow; and, shortly after, we shoaled the water quickly from twenty-five to thirteen, and then to nine, fathoms. We tacked in the latter depth, believing that we were approaching a shoal, especially as we were near some heavy ice, which, having a tide-mark upon it, appeared to be aground. We afterwards found, however, that we had at this time been actually within three or four hundred yards of Cape Hearne, which is so surrounded by heavy ice at a sufficient distance from the shore, that it would perhaps be difficult to run a ship aground upon it. The error into which we were here led, as to our distance from the beach, arose from the extreme difficulty of distinguishing, even in broad day-light, between the ice and the land, when the latter is low and shelving, and completely covered with snow ; by the uniform whiteness of which, they are so completely blended, as to deceive the best eye. Indeed, OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. ■ 73 I know no circumstance in the navigation of these seas which renders more 1819 necessary a vigilant look-out, and a careful attention to the hand-leads than -..J^ the deception to which I here allude. Having stood again to the westward, to take a nearer view of the ice, we perceived that it lay quite close in with Cape Hearne, notwithstanding the fresh northerly wind which, for the last thirty-six hours, had been blowing from the shore, and which had drifted the ice some distance to the south- ward, in every other part of the coast along which we had lately been sailing. This circumstance struck us very forcibly at the time, as an extraordinary one ; and it was a general remark among us, that the ice must either be aground in shoal-water, or that it butted against something to the southward, which prevented its moving in that direction. Appearances being thus dis- couraging, nothing remained to be done but to stand off-and-on near the point, and carefully to watch for any opening that might occur. After divine service had been performed, I assembled the officers, seamen, and marines of the Hecia, and announced to them officially, that their exertions had so far been crowned with success, as to entitle them to the first prize in the scale of rewards, granted by His Majesty's order in council above- mentioned. I took this opportunity of impressing upon the minds of the men the necessity of the most strenuous exertions during the short remainder of the present season ; assuring them that, if we could penetrate a few de- grees farther to the westward, before the ships were laid up for the winter, I had little doubt of our accomplishing the object of our enterprise before the close of the next season. I also addressed a letter to Lieutenant Liddon, to the same effect, and directed a small addition to be made to the usual allowance of meat, and some beer to be served, as a Sunday's dinner, on this occasion. The wind increasing to a fresh gale from the northward in the afternoon, and the ice still continuing to oppose an impenetrable barrier to our further progress, I determined to beat up to the northern shore of the bay, and, if a tolerable roadstead could be found, to drop our anchors till some change should take place. This was accordingly done at three P.M., in seven fathoms' water, the bottom being excellent holding-ground, composed of mud and sand, from which the lead could with difficulty be extricated. When we veered to half a cable, we had ten fathoms' water under the Hecla's stern, our distance from the northern shore being about a mile and a half This roadstead, which I called the Bav of the Hecla and Griper, affords very I, 74 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. secure shelter with the wind from E.N.E., round by north, to S.W., and we J,rS^ found it more free from ice than any other part of the southern coast of the island. I had great reason to be satisfied with our having anchored the ships, as the wind shortly after blew a hard gale from the northward. In the evening I sent Captain Sabine and Messrs. Edwards and Nias on shore to examine the country, and to collect specimens of its natural productions ; they returned at ten P.M., having landed on a low point a little to the westward of the ships, which they found to be a very barren and unproductive spot ; several flocks of ducks were seen, and some glaucous gulls and tern ; the dung and foot- tracks of the deer and musk-ox were also observed in many places ; and some addition was made by our gentlemen to our collection of marine insects. The rocks are composed entirely of sandstone, but a few small pieces of granite, flint, and coal, were also among the specimens brought on board. This island, on which our boats had now landed for the second time, and Avhich is much the largest of the group we had lately discovered, I honoured with the name of Melville Island, after Viscount Melville, the First Lord of the Admiralty. The bay of the Hecla and Griper was the first spot where we had dropped anchor since leaving the coast of Norfolk ; a circumstance which was rendered the more striking to us at the moment, as it appeared to mark, in a very de- cided manner, the completion of one stage of our voyage. The ensigns and pendants were hoisted as soon as we had anchored, and it created in us no ordinary feelings of pleasure to see the British flag waving, for the first time, in these regions, which had hitherto been considered beyond the limits of the habitable part of the world. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 75 CHAPTER IV. FURTHER EXAMINATION OF MELVILLE ISLAND CONTINUATION OF OUR PRO- GRESS TO THE WESTWARD LONG DETENTION BY THE ICE — PARTY SENT ON SHORE TO HUNT DEER AND MUSK-OXEN RETURN IN THREE DAYS, AFTER LOSING THEIR WAY — ANXIETY ON THEIR ACCOUNT — PROCEED TO THE WESTWARD, TILL FINALLY STOPPED BY THE ICE — IN RETURNING TO THE EASTWARD THE GRIPER FORCED ON THE BEACH BY THE ICE — SEARCH FOR, AND DISCOVERY OF, A WINTER HARBOUR ON MELVILLE ISLAND — OPERA- TIONS FOR SECURING THE SHIPS IN THEIR WINTER QUARTERS. As the wind still continued to blow strong from the northward on the morn- ing of the 6th, without any appearance of opening a passage for us past Cape Hearne, I took the opportunity of sending all our boats from both ships at eight A.M., to bring on board a quantity of moss-peat which our gentlemen reported having found near a small lake at no great distance from the sea, and which I directed to be substituted for part of our usual allowance of coals. Captain Sabine also went on shore to make the requisite observations, and several of the officers of both ships to sport, and to collect specimens of natural history. The boats rowed round the point on which they had landed the preceding evening, and which Captain Sabine now selected as the most convenient place of observation ; and discovered just beyond it to the north- ward, a small harbour, having a bar at its entrance, upon which Mr. Fife, the Greenland master of the Griper, after whom the harbour was named, found ten feet water at nearly low tide. The latitude of the point is 74° 46' 56", and its longitude, by our chrono- meters, 110° 33' 59". The dip of the magnetic needle was found to be 88° 29'.91, and the variation 126° 17' 18" Easterly. It was low water by the Mon. 76 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. shore at half-past nine, and it had risen between two and three feet when ,..,!^ the boats came away at half-past twelve. During this time the ships were tending to a tide coming strong from the eastward ; from which direction it is therefore probable, that the flood-tide runs on this part of the coast, though we had no satisfactory opportunity of trying its true set in the offing. Near the point where the observations were made, a bottle was buried, containing a paper as usual, and a pile of stones raised over it. The weather was this day unusually cold to the feelings, to a greater degree even than might have been expected from the indication of the thermometer, which, for the first time, had been as low as 25°. The wind beginning to moderate soon after noon, and there being at length some appearance of motion in the ice near Cape Hearne, the boats were im- mediately recalled from the shore, and returned at two P.M., bringing some peat, which was found to burn tolerably, but a smaller quantity than I had hoped to procure, owing to a misunderstanding as to the distance at which it was to be found from the sea. At half-past tAvo, as soon as the ship's company had dined, we began to heave at the cable, but so excellent is the holding-ground, that it required all the purchase as well as strength we could apply, to start the anchor by half-past four. We then made sail for Cape Hearne, which we rounded at six o'clock, having no soundings with from seventeen to twenty fathoms of line, at the distance of a mile and a quarter from the point. The extreme of the land which now appeared to the west- ward bore about S.W.b.W., and there was a sufficient space of clear water along the shore to allow us to steer for it. It was impossible, however, not to remark to how short a distance from the shore, not exceeding three or four miles, the ice had been drifted by the late strong gales. We had observed, however, that in rounding Cape Hearne this evening, the wind had drawn gradually to the eastward as we proceeded, taking nearly the direction of the shore, and we were willing to hope that it had been blowing from the same quarter, while we were lying at anchor in the bay ; in which case it was not necessary to suppose any such serious obstruction to the southward as that to which we had at first been inclined to attribute these unfavourable appearances. I was beginning once more to indulge in those flattering hopes, of which often-repeated disappointments cannot altogether deprive us, when I per- ceived, from the crow's nest, a compact body of ice, extending completely in to the shore near the point which formed the western extreme. We ran J OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 77 1819. sufficiently close, to be assured that no passage to the westward could at ^^ ^ present be effected, the floes being literally upon the beach, and not a drop ^^r»j of clear water being visible beyond them. I then ordered the ships to be made fast to a floe, being in eighty fathoms' water, at the distance of four or five miles from the beach. The season had now so far advanced, as to make it absolutely necessary to secure the ships every night from ten till two o'clock, the weather being too dark during that interval to allow of our keeping under-way in such a navigation as this, deprived as we were of the use of the compasses. But, however anxious the hours of darkness must necessarily be under such circumstances, the experience of the former voyage had given us every reason to believe, that the month of September would prove the most valuable period of the year for prosecuting our discoveries in these regions, on account of the sea being more clear from ice at this time than at any other. Feeling, therefore, as I did, a strong conviction, that the ultimate accomplishment of our object must depend, in a great measure, on the further progress we should make this season, I determined to extend our operations to the latest possible period. The wind having been fresh from the north-east during the night, we were Tues. 7. this morning enclosed for a time by a quantity of loose ice drifting down upon us. No change could be perceived in the state of the ice to the westward till one P.M., when it appeared to be moving a little off the point. We therefore warped the ships out, and made sail with a light but favourable breeze. At eight P.M., however, having arrived at the point, and finding no passage open, we made the ships fast in a large bay in a floe, in sixty-five fathoms, at the distance of a mile and a half from the shore. I sent Lieutenant Beechey on shore to look round from the hills for open water to the westward, as well as to sound round some heavy masses of ice which were aground in-shore, and within which it would perhaps become expedient to secure the ships in case of necessity. He reported on his return, at ten P.M., that no clear water whatever could be seen along the land, the ice being compact, and close in to the shore, as far as a bold headland which now formed the western extreme of the island, and which was from four to five leagues distant from us. The ice aground in-shore was very close to the beach, which was steep-to, as our soundings in the offing indicated. Lieutenant Beechey found, however, a depth of from twelve to four fathoms Avithin many of the masses ; but as there was little or no room to swing within them, I preferred keeping the ships in their present 78 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY situation, while the ice remained quiet. I was the more induced to do so from the boldness of the beach, and the depth of the bay formed by the floe to which we were now secured, which circumstances seemed to render it more than probable, that the latter would take the ground long before the ships could come in contact with it. We saw to-day, for the first time, a herd of eight or nine animals, feeding near the beach, which, from their dark colour, we supposed to be musk-oxen; and the officers of the Griper killed two white hares (Lepus Variabilis). The " young" or "bay" ice formed during the night in all the sheltered places about the floe, and particularly in the bight in which we were lying, to the thickness of three-quarters of an inch ; and the pools upon the floe were now almost entirely solid, affording the officers and men, during the time of our unavoidable detention, the usual healthy amusements of skating and sliding. AVed. 8. On the morning of the 8th, there being no prospect of any immediate alteration in the ice, I directed the boats to be sent on shore from both ships, to endeavour to procure some game, as well as to examine the pro- ductions of this part of the island. On going to the mast-head, shortly after the boats had been despatched, I found that the bight of ice in which the ships were lying was not one floe, but formed by the close junction of two, so that our situation was by no means so secure as I had sup- posed ; for this bight was so far from being a protection to us, in case of the ice driving on shore, that it would probably be the means of " nipping" us between the floes which formed it. I therefore determined on imme- diately removing the ships in-shore, and went in a boat to look out for a place for that purpose, there being no alternative between this and our returning some distance to the eastward, into the larger space of clear water which we had there left behind us. I found that a heavy piece of ice aground in twelve fathoms, at the distance of three hundred yards from the beach, would suit our purpose for the Hecla, and another, in ten fathoms, still nearer in-shore, was selected for the Griper. These masses were from twenty to thirty feet above the sea, and each about the length of the respective ships. The beach in this neighbourhood was so lined with ice of this kind, that it would not have been easy for a ship to have gone on shore in any part, there being generally from four to seven fathoms on the outside of it, while the inner part of each mass was literally upon the beach at low water. Some of the detached masses, at a little distance from the shore, must have accumulated very considera- OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 79 bly since they grounded, or else must have been forced up into their pre- ]819. sent situations by an enormous pressure from without ; as some of those J^P^ now aground in four or five fathoms would have drawn at least ten, if set afloat again*. At four P.M., the weather being quite calm, the ships were towed in- shore by the boats, and made fast in the places selected for them. Our parties from the shore returned with a white hare, several fine ptarmigans, a few snow-buntings, some skulls of the musk-ox, and several rcin-deers' horns ; but they were not fortunate enough to meet with either of the two latter animals. The island is here, as in the other parts on which we had landed, principally composed of sandstone, of which some spherical nodules, one of them a^ large as a nine-pounder shot, were brought on board. Several lumps of coal, which was here more abundant than we had yet found it, were also picked up, and were found to burn with a clear lively flame, like cannel coal, but without splitting and crackling in the same manner. Impatient and anxious as we were to make the most of the short remainder Thurs. 9. of the present season, our mortification will easily be imagined at perceiving, on the morning of the 9th, not only that the ice was as close as ever to the westward, but that the floes in our innnediate neighbourhood were sensibly approaching the shore. As there was no chance, therefore, of our being en- abled to move, I sent a party on shore at day-light to collect what coal they could find, and in the course of the day nearly two-thirds of a bushel, being about equal to the Hecla's daily expenditure, was brought on board. Our sportsmen, who were out for several hours, could only procure us a hare, and a few ducks. The wind was light from the southward and westward, with foggy weather, which was afterwards succeeded by snow, and the ice continued gradually to close on the shore till at length a floe came in contact with our berg, but with so little violence as to produce no sensible effect upon it. The loose and heavy pieces of ice found their way in, and surrounded the Hecla on all sides, but produced no pressure from which any danger was to be apprehended. Con- * For want of some more appropriate name by which these masses of ice might be dis- tinguished, we were always in the habit of caUing them bergs, which indeed they exactly resemble, though comparatively of small dimensions, and evidently formed in a very different manner from those enormous ice-islands, which are met with in Baffin's Bay, but of which we saw none to the westward of Barrow's Strait. 80 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY sidering our present detention so near the shore a good opportunity for observ- ing the time and rise of the tides, I caused a pole to be fixed on the beach for this purpose, by which it was found to be high water at half-past four in the morning; and the tide ebbed till half-past ten. From this time till three quar- ters after four P.M., when it was again high water, the tide had risen two feet eight inches; so that, small as this tide is, it seems to be very regular. The direction of the stream of flood was, as usual, not so easy to determine, but I shall give the facts as they occurred. At the time of low water by the shore, and for an hour and a quarter before it took place, the current was setting to the eastward, at the rate of three quarters of a mile per hour. It continued to run thus for the greater part of the day, but at times it was observed to set in the opposite direction, and now and then no current whatever was percep- tible. From eight till eleven P.M., it was running strong to the westward, after which it stopped, and then began to set the ice the contrary way. I have been thus minute in mentioning the above particulars, not with a hope of throwing any light upon the interesting question of the direction of the tides in tl|is part of the Polar Sea, but to shew how impossible it is, with the land close to us on one side, and on the other innumerable masses of ice in almost constant motion, to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion on this subject. Frid. 10. It was nearly calm on the 10th, with thick snowy weather, which prevented our seeing to any great distance round us. At five A.M., a floe coming from the westward, ran against the berg, within which the Hecla was still secured, turning it round as on a pivot. This occurrence is not an uncommon one in Davis' Strait, with bergs of very large size, when the centre part of them only happens to be upon the ground. We were by this time so surrounded by ice that no clear water was to be seen, except the small pool in which we lay ; and all that could be done, under such circumstances, was to watch the motion of the ice, and to be ready to shift the ship quickly round the berg, according as the floes, by setting one way or the other, might endanger her being "nipped." In the afternoon the ice slackened a little near us, when an attempt was made to get the Hecla into a more secure birth in-shore ; but, after heaving a heavy strain occasionally for several hours, we could only succeed before dark in getting her into a small nook near the beach, in which, if no very violent pressure occurred, she might be tolerably secure during the night. A party re- turned in the evening from a shooting-excursion to the western cape, bringing with them only three hares, and reporting that the sea was entirely covered with ice as far as they could see to the westward from the hills. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 81 Mr. Fisher made an experiment on the specific gravity of a piece of ice, taken from the mass to which the ship was secured. Being formed into a cube, whose sides measured one foot three inches and a half, and set to float in the sea, two inches and three quarters of it remained above the surface, the tem- perature of the water at the time being 31°. On the 11th there was no alteration in the ice near the ships, and Mr. Bush- Sat. 11. nan, whom 1 despatched at day -light to the western cape, reported, on his return, that appearances were equally unpromising in that quarter. Mr. Dealy was fortunate enough to kill the first musk-ox that our sportsmen had yet been able to get near ; but, as it was at the distance of eight or ten miles from the ships, our present situation, with regard to the ice, would not allow of my sending a party of men to bring it on board. A piece of the meat which Mr. Dealy brought with him was considered to taste tolerably well, but its smell was by no means tempting. The dip of the magnetic needle, observed here by Captain Sabine to-day, was 88° 36'. 95. The wind increased to a fresh gale from the northward during the night, and Sun. 12. on the morning of the 12th flew round to the N.N.W. in a very violent gust. Soon after the ice began to drift past us to the eastward, at the rate of a mile an hour, and carried away Avith it the berg to which the Hecla had been at- tached on the 9th and 10th ; so that we considered ourselves fortunate in having moved to our present birth, which was comparatively a safe one. The Griper remained also tolerably secure, and well sheltered from the drifting ice, which in the course of the forenoon, had acquired a velocity of more than a mile and a half per hour. In the afternoon the ice began by degrees to drift from the shore to the westward of us, but the wind blowing hard from the wrong quarter, it was impossible to think of moving the ships. A constant and vigilant look-out was also necessary, lest the berg to which our hawsers were secured should be forced off the ground, in which case we must inevitably have been driven back many miles to the eastward, and the labour of the last ten days would have been lost in a few hours. The night was cold and inclement, with a heavy fall of snow, which being blown among the hills, caused great drifts in the ravines, by which this part of the island is intersected. I must now mention an occurrence which had caused considerable appre- hension in our minds for the two last days, and the result of which had nearly proved of very serious importance to the future welfare of the expedition. Early on the morning of the 11th 1 received a note from Lieutenant Liddon, acquainting me thi*t, at day-light the preceding day, Mr. Fife, with a party of M 82 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY six men, had been despatched from the Griper, with the hope of surprising some rein-deer and musk-oxen, whose tracks had been seen in a ravine to the westward of the ships. As they had not yet returned, in compliance with the instructions given to Mr. Fife, and had only been supplied with a small quan- tity of provisions, it was natural to apprehend that they had lost their way in pursuit of game, more especially as the night had been too inclement for them to have voluntarily exposed themselves to it. I therefore recommended to Lieutenant Liddon to send a party in search of his people, and Messrs. Reid, Beverly, and Wakeham, who immediately volunteered their services on the occasion, were accordingly despatched for this purpose. Soon after their de- parture, however, it began to snow, which rendered the atmosphere so ex- tremely thick, especially on the hills along which they had to travel, that this party also lost their way in spite of every precaution, but fortunately got sight of our rockets after dark, by which they were directed to the ships, and returned at ten o'clock, almost exhausted with cold and fatigue, without any intelligence of the absentees. > At day-light on the following morning I sent Lieutenant Hoppner, with the Hecla's fore-royal-mast rigged as a flag-staff, which he erected on a conspicuous hill four or five miles inland, hoisting upon it a large ensign, which might be seen at a considerable distance in every direction. This expedient occurred to us as a more certain mode of directing our absentees towards the ships than that of sending out a number of parties, which I could not, in common pru- dence, as well as humanity, permit to go to any great distance from the ships ; but the snow fell so thick, and the drift was so great, during the whole of the 12th, that no advantage could at that time be expected from it, and another night came without the absent paity appearing. Mon. 13. - Our apprehensions on their account had by this time increased to a most painful degree, and I therefore ordered four parties, under the command of careful officers, to be prepared to set out in search of them the following morning. These parties carried with them a number of pikes, having small flags attached to them, which they were directed to plant at regular inter- vals, and which were intended to answer the double purpose of guiding themselves on their return, and of directing the absent party, should they meet with them, to the ships. For the latter purpose a bottle was fixed to each pike, containing the necessary directions for their guidance, and acquainting them that provisions would be found at the large flag-stafF on the hill. Our searching parties left the ships soon after day-light, the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 83 wind still blowing hard from the westward, with incessant snow, and the thermometer at 28°. This weather continued without intermission during the day, and our apprehensions for the safety of our people were excited to a most alarming degree, when the sun began to descend behind the western hills, for the third time since they had left the ship ; I will not, therefore, attempt to describe the joyful feelings we suddenly experienced, on the Griper's hoisting the signal appointed, to inform us that her men, or a part of them, were seen on their return. Soon after we observed seven persons coming along the beach from the eastward, who proved to be Mr. Nias and his party, with four out of the seven men belonging to the Griper. From the latter, consisting of the corporal of marines and three sea- men, we learned that they had lost their way within a few hours after leaving the ship, and had wandered about without any thing to guide them till about ten o'clock on the following day, when they descried the large flag-staff, at a great distance. At this time the whole party were together ; but now, unfortunately, separated, in consequence of a difference of opinion respecting the flagstaff, which Mr. Fife mistook for a smaller one that had been erected some days before at a considerable distance to the east- ward of our present situation ; and, with that impression, walked away in a contrary direction, accompanied by two of his men. The other four who had now returned, (of whom two were already much debilitated,) determined to make for the flag-staff. When they had walked some distance and were enabled to ascertain what it was, one of them endeavoured to overtake Mr. Fife, but was too much fatigued, and returned to his comrades. They halted during a part of the night, made a sort of hut of stones and turf to shelter them from the weather, and kindled a little fire with gunpowder and moss to warm their feet ; they had never been in actual want of food, having lived upon raw grouse, of which they were enabled to obtain a quantity sufficient for their subsistence. In the morning they once more set forward towards the flag- staff, which they reached within three or four hours after Lieutenant Beechey had left some provisions on the spot : having eaten some bread, and drank a little rum and water, a mixture which they described as appearing to them per- fectly tasteless and clammy, they renewed their journey towards the ships, and had not proceeded far when, notwithstanding the snow which was con- stantly falling, they met with footsteps which directed them to Mr. Nias and his party, by whom they were conducted to the ships. The account they gave us of Mr. Fife and his two companions, led us to 84 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. believe that we should find them, if still living, at a considerable distance to v.^^^ the westward, and some parties were just about to set out in that direction, when the trouble and anxiety which this mistake would have occasioned us were prevented by the arrival of another of the searching parties, with the in- formation that Mr. Fife and the two men were on their way to the ships, being about five miles to the eastward. Some fresh hands were immediately sent to bring them in, and they arrived on board at ten P.M., after an absence of ninety-one hours, and having been exposed, during three nights, to the incle- mency of the first wintry weather we had experienced. Almost the whole of this party were much exhausted by cold and fatigue, and several of them were severely frost-bitten in their toes and fingers ; but, by the skill and unremitted attention of our medical gentlemen, they were in a few days enabled to return to their duty. Before midnight we had still greater reason than ever to be thankful for the opportune recovery of our people ; for the wind increased to a hard gale about half-past eleven, at which time the thermometer had fallen to 15° ; making altogether so inclement a night, as it would have been impossible fiDr them, in their already debilitated state, to have survived. In humble gra- titude to God for this signal act of mercy, we distinguished the headland to the westward of the ships, by the name of Cape Providence. Tues. 14. Soon after midnight, the land-ice which was interposed between the Hecla and the beach, and to which the ship was partly secured, broke adrift, and floated off" the ground ; fortunately, however, we were prepared to cut the shore hawsers, by which means we avoided the danger of being carried off the shore, being well secured to the little berg a-head of us, which appeared to be firmly aground in ten fathoms' water. The stream cable was afterwards taken to the beach, and I determined, should the berg go adrift, to cut away our hawsers from it ; and, having checked the ship by the stream-cable till she swung into five fathoms, at the distance of forty or fifty yards from the shore, to let go a bower anchor, till the wind should moderate. I com- municated my intention to Lieutenant Liddon during the day, and directed him, in case of necessity, rather to run the Griper on the soft beach near us, than to risk being driven back to the eastward. Fortunately, however, it was not necessary to resort to this measure, as the ice held fast on the ground, notwithstanding the violence of the wind, and some sea which got up from the westward, as the space of open water between the land and the ice increased in that direction. At three A.M. this morning, the thermometer OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 85 had been as low as 9°, and rose gradually to 17°, at midnight. The sudden 1^819 and unexpected decrease in the general temperature of the atmosphere about this period was a very striking one ; and from this time, as will appear by the Meteorological Register, the commencement of winter may fairly be dated. Our flag-staves we brought on board early in the morning of the 15th, Wed. 15. and at ten A.M., the wind being somewhat more moderate, the stream-cable was cast off from the shore, in readiness for making sail ; but the wind freshened up once more to a strong gale, which rendered it necessary still to hold on by our hawsers. In the evening the stream-cable was taken on shore again, and we landed to make observations for the variation of the needle, which was found to be 1 17° 52' 22" easterly. It was observed, for the first time, that a strong current was setting to the Thur. 16. westward during the whole of the last night, directly against a fresh gale from that quarter. At nine A.M., the wind being much more moderate, as well as more off the land, and the weather fine and clear, we cast off, and made all sail to the westward, running along the land at the distance of two or three miles from it. At a quarter before noon, we were abreast of Cape Providence, beyond which, at the distance of three or four leagues, another headland, still more high and bold in its appearance, was dis- covered, and named after Mr. Hay, Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty. At the place which we left in the morning, the ice had been driven from the shore to the distance of six or seven miles ; but we found, as we proceeded, that the channel became gradually more and more contracted, till at length the ice was observed to extend, in a solid and impenetrable body, completely in to the very shore, a little to the eastward of Cape Hay. Our latitude, by account at noon, was 74° 23' 25", longitude 112° 29' 30". The wind again freshened to a strong gale in the afternoon, reducing us to our close-reefed topsails, which were as much as the ship would bear, the squalls blowing out of the ravines with extreme violence. It became necessary, therefore, to look out for a secure situation for the ships during the ensuing night, which threatened to be a tempestuous one; but no such situation pre- sented itself in this neighbourhood ; the whole of the coast to the westward of Cape Providence being so steep, that the heaviest ice can find no ground to rest upon. I was therefore reduced to the disagreeable necessity of run- ning back to the lower shore three miles and a half to the eastward of Cape Providence, where alone the ships could, under present circumstances, be 86 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. placed in tolerable security during six or seven hours of darkness. We found <iy~^ here twenty-three fathoms at three hundred yards from the shore, and had fifteen under our stern, at the distance of one hundred and fifty yards. As it was nearly dark before the Griper arrived, when it is difficult to secure a ship to the ice. Lieutenant Liddon found it necessary to run into four fathoms, at one hundred yards from the beech, and there to drop his bower anchor. At half-past ten P.M., a large mass of ice, which had been aground near us, was set afloat by the swell and drifted off shore. A strong westerly current, which was still running to windward, set this ice across our stern, and occasioned the ship to strike violently several times upon a " tongue" pro- jecting from it under water : the shocks exactly resembled those of a ship striking the ground, and the rudder was forcibly lifted two or three times, but fortunately without receiving any damage. I afterwards learned from Lieutenant Liddon, that a great quantity of the land-ice had been drifting off in large pieces during the night near the spot where the Griper had anchored, keeping her crew employed for several hours in veering and heaving in cable, in order to avoid it. Frid.17. At nine A.M. on the 17th, the wind being more moderate and the weather fine, we cast off and ran along the land ; but had not proceeded far when it was perceived that the ice, in very heavy and compact floes of more than usual dimensions, still extended close into the shore near Cape Hay. We observed, at noon, in latitude 74° 22' 15", our longitude, by account, being 112° 51'; and, in the afternoon, stood close in to the high land, which here gives the island a new character, and tacked in forty-three fathoms, at the distance of five hundred yards from the shore. Further out we obtained no soundings ; indeed I deemed it so essential to make the most of the day -light in examining the state of the ice to the westward, that I did not choose to heave-to for that purpose ; but the appearance of the land, and the soundings found in-shore, indicate a considerable depth of water on this part of the coast. The current which, for the last two days, had been setting to the westward, and which could not possibly have escaped our observation, had it existed previous to the late westerly and north-westerly gales, was here found to be running even stronger than we had before remarked it. This was made parti- cularly obvious when, having reached the farthest point westward, to which we could prudently venture to carry the ships, we were obliged to heave-to, in order to watch for any opening that might favour our views. The ships OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 87 were at this time drifting to leeward through the water at the rate of 1819. about a mile and a quarter an hour ; in spite of which they went so fast v3^^ to the westward by the land, that Lieutenant Beechey and myself esti- mated the current to be running at least two. miles per hour in that di- rection. I must here remark that, besides the current to which I have now alluded, and by which the floes and other heam/ masses of ice ap- peared to be affected, there was as usual in this navigation, a superficial current also, setting the smaller pieces past the others at a much quicker rate. In the course of this narrative, I shall have frequent occasion to remark, how, immediately after the springing up of a breeze, such a current ge- nerally commences running upon the surface in the Polar seas. Of the causes which now produced this strong westerly current, at a time when the contrary might rather have been anticipated, it is of course not easy, with our present limited experience of this part of the Polar Sea, to offer any very probable conjecture ; but the impression upon our minds at the time was, that it was perhaps caused by the re-action of the water, which had been forced to the eastward in the early part of the late gales, against the ice with which the sea was almost entirely covered in that direction. Be this as it may, however, we did not fail to draw from it one conclusion, Avhich was favourable to the object we had in view ; namely, that the drift of so large a body of ice for days together in a westerly direction, indicated a considerable space of open sea somewhere in that quarter. I was, on every account, therefore, desirous to take ad-- vantage of a current which was setting us so fast in the desired direction, and, with that view, had come to the determination to anchor the ships to an immense field of ice^ over Avhich we could not see from the mast- head, and of which the thickness was greater than any I had ever be- fore seen ; by which means we were in hopes of making some progress, notwithstanding the unfavourable appearances before us. Ere this could be effected, however, it was perceived that the main body of the ice was not only setting to the westward, but was also rapidly approaching the shore ; so that it was impossible to adopt the proposed measure, with- out incurring the serious risk of being enclosed between them. Finding that no further progress could possibly be made at present, and the wind again freshening up from the westward, with heavy squalls of snow, I was once more under the necessity of returning to the eastward till some land-ice could be met with, to which the ships might be secured for the night. They were 88 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. accordingly made fast in a proper birth of this kind, not far from that which v^?,J we had occupied the preceding night, in fifteen fathoms' water, and at a hun- dred and fifty yards from the beach. I entertained a hope that our people, and especially the Griper's crew, who . were still much reduced by the effects of their late sufferings and fatigues, would have been allowed a good night's rest, of which they stood much in need, in order to prepare them for fresh exertions in the morning ; but, at eight P.M., while it was fortunately yet light enough to see about us, it was perceived that a large floe to the south-east had very much neared the shore since we an- chored, rendering it necessary immediately to leave our present situation, where there was not a single mass of grounded ice on the outside to afford the smallest shelter to the ships. I determined, therefore, to stand back to the eastward, and as the night was, for the first time this fortnight past, very fine and moderate, to keep the ships under way, and to regulate our course, in the best manner Ave could, by the stars. We had at this time a fine work- ing breeze off the land, but it gradually died away towards midnight, after which the " young" ice began to form so rapidly on the surface of the sea, that we could scarcely get the ships to move through the water ; and at six A.M. Sat. 18. on the 18th, when we were wiihin a quarter of a mile of the shore, their way was altogether stopped. The current was still running so fast to the westward, that we were now swept back along the land at the rate of a mile and a quarter per hour. An attempt was, therefore, made to run a line to the shore, but the " young" ice had become so " tough," that the boats could not succeed in getting through it, while at the same time it was much too weak to / allow of their being hauled over it, not exceeding an inch in thickness. As the main body of the ice to the southward of us Avas now perceived to be in motion towards the shore, it became essential to the safety of the ships that they should be got in to the beach in order to secure them, if possible, within the land ice ; and, as the current was now rather carrying us into deeper water, I directed the ships to be anchored, as the only means of retaining them in their present situation till the lines could be run out to the shore. As soon as Ave had anchored, a second attempt was made to effect this, but with as little success as before, and Ave Avere very glad to get the boats on board again, the young ice having nearly carried them aAvay from us to the Avestward. As the day advanced, however, this ice became gradually thinner and less conti- nuous ; so that, after much unavailing labour, Ave at length succeeded in geiting a hawser to the beach, by watching the little openings, and taking the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 89 opportunity of pushing the boats through them. All the hands which now 18 19 remained on board the Hecla were occupied in weighing the anchor, a service v^r^ which we could not possibly have mustered strength enough to perform, but for the cheerfulness and zeal Avith which the officers volunteered on this, as on various other occasions, to man the capstan. Having at length, with much difficulty, effected this, we were beginning to haul the ship in towards the beach, when the wind shifted to the south-west, which is rather upon this shore. It was uncertain what change this might produce in the motion of the floes, which seemed to be enclosing us rapidly on every side, and as the bay-ice had now nearly disappeared, it was considered advisable to make sail upon the ships, so as to be ready to take advantage of any alteration that might occur. I sent to Lieutenant Ijiddon to desire, that, in case of the ice closing upon us, and of his being unable to find a proper security for the Griper within the grounded ice, he would at once run her bow upon the softest part of the beach, so that the floes might, perhaps, force her up without much damage ; whereas it would be attended with almost certain destruction to the ships, should they be caught between the floes and the heavy masses of ice with which this beach was, for the most part, lined. By the time that we had made sail, the ice had completely surrounded us touching the land to the eastward as well as to the westward, and leaving us only a small pool of open water, in which we were at liberty to beat about. To the eastward, however, we could perceive from the crow's nest, that there was still a considerable channel of clear water, and our only chance of getting- into it was by narrowly watching for any opening that might occur in the ice which now opposed a formidable barrier to our escape in that direction. At half-past one P.M., it was observed that a floe, which formed the principal ob- struction to our progress eastward, and which the current was rapidly carrying along the shore, had at length come violently in contact with a small point of land near us, and was now receding from it by its own re-action. We stood towards this opening, in order to observe it more distinctly, and I hailed the Griper to desire Lieutenant Liddon to be in readiness to make sail, should it appear sufficiently broad for our purpose. On approaching this spot, we found the passage about three hundred yards wide between the land and the ice • and as there was no time either for deliberation or for sounding the channel, all the studding-sails were instantly set in both ships, and we pushed through the opening at the distance of a hundred yards from the beach, having no less than ten fathoms' water. 90 VOYAGE FOR, THE DISCOVERY 1819. It was impossible not to consider ourselves fortunate in having escaped the ^,^4^ danger which had lately threatened the ships ; but another difficulty now pre- sented itself which we had not anticipated. This was occasioned by finding nearly the whole surface of that part of the sea, which at a distance had ap- peared to us open, covered with a coating of young ice of sufficient thickness to offer a considerable impediment to the ships, when sailing with a strong and favourable breeze. To give some idea of the degree of obstruction occa- sioned by this ice, whose thickness did not generally exceed half an inch, it may be sufficient to state, that with such a quantity of sail as would certainly have propelled the Hecla six miles and a half an hour, if unimpeded in this way, she did not average more than four miles. This remark must be under- stood to apply to ice of this kind, when of a single thickness, and in the state in which it is naturally formed upon the surface. But, whenever, by any pressure on either side, the sheet is broken, and the edges of one part forced under those of another, causing them to overlay each other, the whole thickness of the ice is of course augmented, and the impediment to a ship becomes greater in proportion to the frequency with which this occurs. Where this has taken place, the ice, being too thick to allow the water to be seen through it, is distinguished by the whiteness of its appearance ; the white ice, therefore, is to be avoided in sailing, as much as possible. It was my intention, as usual with us of late, to sail along the shore till we came to any land-ice calculated to afford shelter to the ships during the night. As we ran along, however, it was soon perceived that the main body of the ice was very rapidly approaching the shore, at the same time that the westerly current was still carrying in that direction ; the ships were imme- diately hauled in-shore, to find the best security against it which circum- stances would admit, but the bay-ice had in this place become so thickened by the continued pressure of the floes upon it from without, that the ships were shortly arrested in their progress, being about one mile distant from the land. Every expedient to break the ice, usual in such cases, was resorted to, without our being able to move the ships a single foot a-head. The floe continued rapidly closing on the shore, forcing the ships in before it, and bring- ing with it so much of the bay-ice, that it was needless any longer to employ the people in attempting to break it: to anchor seemed now the only mode Ave had left to avoid being driven on shore, or, what was much more to be apprehended, being forced by the floes against the heavy ice on the beach. We waited, therefore, till at seven P.M. we had shoaled OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 91 the water gradually from twenty-nine to nine fathoms, and then dropped the bower-anchor. When the ship swung in-shore by the continued pressure of the ice, we had still seven fathoms under the stern, our distance from the beach being about forty yards. We now seemed to have got rather within the drift of the main body of ice, which passed us to the westward at the rate of two miles an hour ; but, at length, the point of a large field, which had hitherto not approached the shore nearer than two or three hundred yards, was observed to be rapidly nearing us. Immediately to the westward of the spot where the Hecla's anchor had been dropped, some very heavy ice, which, for distinction's sake, we called a berg, projected from the beach to the distance of a hundred and fifty yards. The ships had fortunately been forced by the ice, one on each side of this projecting point ; for at eight P.M. the field came in contact with it with a tremendous crash, piling up the enormous fragments of ice in the most awful and terrific manner ; this seemed to break, in some degree the force with which the ice had been driving ; a force which may almost be considered incalculable, as we could not see over the field in motion from our mast-head. We were at this time within a hundred yards of the point, and had, therefore, great reason to be thankful for having escaped being carried into a situation in which no human power or skill could have saved the ships from instant de- struction. As the pressure of the bay-ice around the ship continued to increase, she was carried gradually in towards the shore, and as nothing was now to be expected but her being driven on the beach, I ordered the rudder to be lifted, the sails to be furled, and the top-gallant yards to be ready for striking. At half-past eight P.M., the Hecla had tailed into three fathoms and a half, about fifteen yards from the beach. The quantity of bay-ice which was squeezed up between the ship and the shore had by this time be- come so great, that it would easily bear the boats and the men, the former of which were hauled over the ice to enable us to hoist them up. It seemed also to serve the useful purpose of a fender to keep the ship off the ground, which she did not appear to touch in any part. In the meantime, the Griper had been carried into a situation nearly similar to ours, on the opposite side of the berg, by which she was partly hidden from our view. We observed her heel over very much at times, but knowing that a very trifling pressure was with her sufficient to produce this effect, little apprehension was entertained on that account, I subsequently . 92 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. learned from Lieutenant Liddon, that when the field of ice closed upon us, \^-Y->L' a point of it had caught the Griper's chain-cable, by which the anchor was immediately started, and the vessel carried towards the shore. The cable was dragged out so swiftly, that it could not be slipped, and, in a few minutes, the space between the two hawse-holes was completely cut through. The cable parted soon after, and the other anchor being let go, brought the ship up in time to prevent her going on shore. The Griper also lost one of her boats on this occasion, but was fortunate in sustaining no ma- terial injury. At nine P.M., the ice moved a few hundred yards off the land, and the opportunity was taken to heave the Hecla into a little nook, formed by the grounded ice, where we lay without disturbance during the night. The officers and men were much fatigued by this day's exertions, and I directed the main brace to be spliced, and an extra-allowance of preserved meat to be served. Sun. 19. At day-light, on the 19th, the field-ice had drifted about a mile from the land, the intermediate space being almost entirely occupied by innumerable loose fragments cemented together by bay-ice, so as to form one connected and impenetrable body. The weather was nearly calm with continued snow, and the ice remained tolerably quiet during the day. Moil. 20. Early on the morning of the 20th, the breeze freshened up from the N.N.E., and soon after four A.M., the ice began to open out from the shore. It did not, however, take a direction immediately off the land, though the wind was nearly so, for there was still a current Avhich carried the floes to the westward; and some of the projecting points came very near the land. Some of these missed the Hecla by about a hundred yards ; but at half-past eight, one of them was observed to be moving directly into the bight where the Griper was lying. In a few minutes after this, we perceived her to heel so much, that no doubt could be entertained of her having been forced on shore by the ice. Having sent Mr. Palmer round by land to inquire what was her situation, I was informed that she was aground on the beach, having only seven feet water on the inside, and the ice still continuing to press upon her from without. I therefore consulted my officers as to the measures it would, under these circumstances, be most prudent to adopt, and des- patched Lieutenant Beechey round to the Griper, to explain my intentions to Lieutenant Liddon. I proposed, if the Griper required lightening con- siderably before she could be hove off, an operation which, in her present ~^4 ^ OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 93 situation, it would require some time to perform, to get the Hecla, as quickly as possible, into the tirst place of security we could find, and then to march all hands round to the Griper, for the purpose of getting her afloat. Shortly after our leaving England, Lieutenant Liddon had been unfor- tunately attacked with a severe rheumatic complaint, Avhich confined him to his cabin during our passage across the Atlantic, but of which he so far re- covered, soon after our making the ice in June, as to be able constantly to attend to his duty on deck during the rest of the summer. The harassing cir- cumstances, however, which had attended our exertions for the last fortnight, and the sensible change which had lately taken place in the temperature of the atmosphere, had combined to produce a serious alteration for the worse ; so that at the time of the Griper's being driven on shore, he was again reduced to a very debilitated state. On this account I proposed to him to allow himself to be removed on board the Hecla, until the Griper should be got afloat again. To this proposal, however, he would by no means listen, assuring me, that he should be the last man, instead of the first, to leave the Griper ; and he remained seated against the lee side of the deck during the greater part of the day, giving the necessary orders. The wind continuing strong from the northward, the ice left the shore very rapidly in the afternoon, so that, by one P.M., there was once more a little clear water about the ships. Before Lieutenant Beechey left the Griper, they had been enabled to get the hand-lead down on the sea-side of the vessel, where they found between fifteen and sixteen feet water ; and, as the tide was now rising, we began to entertain great hopes of her coming off the shore without difficulty or damage. Soon after noon we perceived that she had righted considerably, and at two P.M., we were informed by tele- graph that she was afloat. A party of our hands was sent on board to assist in making her snug, that she might be ready for moving whenever the ice would permit. The wind blew hard from the northward during the night, with a good deal of snow ; and the thermometer was at 10|° at midnight. The Aurora Borealis was seen faintly in the S.S.W. quarter of the heavens. The advanced period of the season, the unpromising appearance of the ice to the westward, and the risk to the ships with which the navigation had been attended for some days past, naturally led me to the conclusion that, under these circumstances, the time had arrived, when it became ab- solutely necessary to look out for winter-quarters. Among the circumstances M VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. which now rendered this navigation more than usually perilous, and the <,,J^ hope of success proportionally less, there was none which gave more rea- sonable ground for apprehension than the incredible rapidity with which the young ice formed upon the surface of the sea, during the greater part of the twenty-four hours. It had become evident, indeed, that it could only be attributed to the strong winds which had lately prevailed, that the sea was not at this time permanently frozen over ; for, whenever the wind blew less than a gale, that formation took place immediately, and went on with such astonishing rapidity, that had the weather continued calm for more than four- and-twenty hours together, it seemed to me extremely probable, that we must have passed the winter in our present exposed and insecure situation. From this and various other considerations, which the account of our late proceedings will naturally suggest, I considered it a duty incumbent upon me to call for the opinions of the senior* officers of the expedition, as to the expediency of immediately seeking a harbour, in which the ships might securely lie during the ensuing winter. The opinions of the officers en- tirely concurring with my own, as to the propriety of immediately resorting to this measure, I determined, whenever the ice and the weather would allow, to run back to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, in which neighbourhood alone we had any reason to believe that a suitable harbour might be found. Tues.21. It blew a hard gale from the northward during the night, by which means the floes were kept at a distance from the land, and by the bay-ice prevented from forming under the lee of it. The sea to the eastward was not, however, sufficiently clear, nor the wind moderate enough during the 21st, to allow us to move the ships. The land was now almost entirely covered with snow, and, as we afterwards found, remained so during the winter. A few coveys of the ptarmigan were seen near the beach during the time that we remained at this station. Wed. 22. At half-past two, on the morning of the 22d, the night-signal was made to weigh, and we began to heave, at our cables ; but such was the difficulty of raising our anchor, and of hauling in our hawsers, owing to the stiffiiess of the ropes from frost, and thie quantity of ice which had accumulated about them, that it was five o'clock before the ships were under way. Our rudder also was so choked by the ice which had formed about it, that it could not hv moved till a boat had been hauled under the stern, and the ice beaten and cut a,way from it. We ran along to the eastward without any obstruc- tion, in a channel about five miles wide, till we were within four or OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 95 five miles of Cape Hearne, where the bay-ice, in unbroken sheets of about one-third of an inch iu thickness, began to offer considerable impediment to our progress. We were abreast of the point at noon, and here our prospect was rather discouraging ; the anchorage in the bay was quite free from any obstruction, but a space of three or four miles to the north-eastward of Cape Hearne, was completely covered with bay-ice, which made it more than pro- bable that we should altogether be excluded from the roadstead. We entered this ice under a press of sail, the wind blowing strong from the northward, and found it to consist principally of that kind which, from its appearance, is technically called " pancake-icfe," and which, though it considerably re- tarded our progress in beating to windward, did not offer so serious an im- pediment as we had expected. At half-past two P.M., in swinging the main-topsail-yard in stays, it was unfortunately carried away in the slings, but this accident was quickly repaired by the zealous exertions of the officers and men. As I saw that the Griper, which had dropped several miles astern in the course of the day, could not possibly reach the anchorage before dark, and being apprehensive that by a too anxious endeavour to effect that object, she might become frozen up at sea during the night, I made Lieutenant Liddon's signal to secure his ship to the grounded ice off Cape Hearne, which he accordingly did. Soon after the sun had set, I had reason to entertain the same apprehension for the Hecla ; for the young ice began, as usual, to form upon the surface of the water, and in an hour's time offered so considerable a resistance to the ship's motion, though under a press of canvass, and with a fresh breeze, as to make it doubtful for some time whether we should reach the anchorage. We at length, however, struck soundings with twenty-nine fathoms of line, and at eight P.M. anchored in nine fathoms, on a muddy bottom, a little to the eastward of our situation on the 5th. The wind continued northerly, with a heavy fall of snow during the night. Thur.23. At half-past six A.M. on the 23d, there being fortunately so little bay-ice that a boat could easily pull through it, I left the ship, accompanied by Mr. Nias, to examine Fife's harbour, which had been reported to me as affording good shelter, but having a bar across its entrance, I directed Lieutenant Beechey at the same time to get the Hecla under way, and to anchor wherever I should lay down a buoy for that purpose. My mortification may well be imagined at finding, on my arrival off Fife's harbour, that it was covered with one solid sheet of ice from six to twelve inches in thickness. 96 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY which had been entirely formed since our last visit to this place. I landed on the west side of the harbour, and being soon after joined by a boat from the Griper, which vessel was beating up from Cape Hearne, I was informed by Mr. Slcene, that a second bay or harbour had been seen by the officers on the former occasion, a short distance to the Avestward of this. We lost no time, therefore, in rowing there, having first laid down a buoy, near which the Hecla was to anchor, and made the necessary signal to Lieutenant Beechey. In going to the westward, we passed a shoal and open bay, immediately adjacent to the harbour which we were now about to examine, and soon after came to a reef of rocks, in some parts nearly dry, extending about three- quarters of a mile to the southward of a low point on the south-eastern side of the harbour. On rounding the reef, on which a quantity of heavy ice was lying aground, we found that a continuous floe, four or five inches in thickness, was formed over the whole harbour, which in every other respect, appeared to be fit for our purpose ; and that it would be necessary to cut a canal of two miles in length through the ice, in order to get the ships into a secure situation for the winter. We sounded the channel into the harbour for about three-quarters of a mile, by making holes in the ice and dropping the lead through, and found the depth from five to six fathoms. Having ascertained thus far, it remained for me to sound the bar of Fife's harbour, and then to choose between the two places. I returned on board, therefore, for the boats' crews to dine, and then proceeded in execution of this object. The entrance into Fife's harbour is extremely narrow, which enabled us the sooner to determine the utter impracticability of getting the ships into it, as we found the depth on the bar to be barely twelve feet at high water and a spring tide. I returned on board, therefore, and deter- mined on taking the ships round the reef to the entrance of the westernmost harbour, on the following morning. A good deal of snow fell this evening, and the young ice formed on the surface after sun-set. Frid.24. The ships weighed at six A.M. on the 24th, the wind being still at north, and the weather moderate and fine. As soon as the Hecla was under sail, I went a-head in a boat to sound, and to select an anchorage for the ships. In running to the westward towards the point of the reef, we had no less than three fathoms and three quarters ; and, by keeping farther off shore, we might have had much deeper water, but the wind being scant, it was neces- sary to keep well to the northward. Near the south-western point of this OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 97 harbour there is a remarkable block of sandstone, somewhat resembling the roof of a house, on which the ships' names were subsequently engraved by Mr. Fisher. This stone is very conspicuous in coming from the eastward, and when kept open to the southward of the grounded ice at the end of the reef, forms a good leading mark for the channel into the harbour. Off the end of the reef the water deepened to six fathoms, and the Hecla's anchor was dropped in eight fathoms, half a mile within the reef, and close to the edge of the ice through which the canal was to be cut. The Griper arrived soon after, and by half-past eight A.M. both ships were secured in the proper position for commencing the intended operations. As soon as our people had breakfasted I proceeded, with a small party of men, to sound, and to mark with boarding-pikes upon the ice, the most direct channel we could find to the anchorage ; having left directions for every other officer and man in both ships to be employed in cutting the canal. This opera- tion was performed by first marking out two parallel lines, distant from each other a little more than the breadth of the larger ship. Along each of these lines a cut was then made with an ice-saw, and others again at right angles to them, at intervals of from ten to twenty feet ; thus dividing the ice into a number of rectangular pieces, which it was again necessary to subdivide dia- gonally, in order to give room for their being floated out of the canal. On returning from the upper part of the harbour, where I had marked out what appeared to be the best situation for our winter-quarters, I found that consi- derable progress had been made in cutting the canal, and in floating the pieces out of it. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the seamen, who are always fond of doing things in their own way, took advantage of a fresh northerly breeze, by setting some boats' sails upon the pieces of ice, a con- trivance which saved both time and labour. This part of the operation, however, was by far the most troublesome, principally on account of the quantity of young ice which formed in the canal, and especially about the entrance, where, before sun-set, it had become so thick that a passage could no longer be found for the detached pieces, without considerable trouble in breaking it. At half past seven P.M. we weighed our anchors, and began to warp up the canal, but the northerly wind blew so fresh, and the people were so much fatigued, having been almost constantly at work for nineteen hours, that it was midnight before we reached the termination of our first day's labour. While we were thus employed, about nine o'clock a vivid flash of light was observed, exactly like lightning. There was at the same time, and during the o 98 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY greater part of the night, a permanent brightness in the northern quarter of the heavens, which was probably occasioned by the Aurora Borealis. I di- rected half a pound of fresh meat per man to be issued, as an extra allowance ; and this was continued daily till the completion of our present undertaking. Sat. 25. All hands were again set to work on the morning of the 25th, when it was proposed to sink the pieces of ice, as they were cut, under the floe, instead of floating them out, the latter mode having now become impracticable on ac- count of the lower part of the canal, through which the ships had passed, being hard frozen during the night. To eflfect this, it was necessary for a certain number of men to stand upon one end of the piece of ice which it was intended to sink, while other parties, hauling at the same time upon ropes attached to the opposite end, dragged the block under that part of the floe on which the people stood. The officers of both ships took the lead in this employ, several of them standing up to their knees in water frequently during the day, with the thermometer generally at 12°, and never higher than 16°. At six P.M. we began to move the ships. The Griper was made fast astern of the Hecla, and the two ships' companies being divided on each bank of the canal, with ropes from the Hecla's gangways, soon drew the ships along to the end of our second day's work. Sun. 26. I should, on every account, have been glad to make this a day of rest to the officers and men ; but the rapidity with which the ice increased in thickness, in proportion as the general temperature of the atmosphere diminished, would have rendered a day's delay of serious importance. I ordered the work, there- fore, to be continued at the usual time in the morning ; and such was the spirited and cheerful manner in which this order was complied with, as well as the skill which had now been acquired in the art of sawing and sinking the ice, that, although the thermometer was at 6° in the morning, and rose no higher than 9° during the day, we had completed the canal at noon, having effected more in four hours than on either of the two preceding days. The whole length of this canal was four thousand and eighty-two yards, or nearly two miles and one-third, and the average thickness of the ice was seven inches. At half-past one P.M. we began to track the ships along in the same manner as before, and at a quarter past three we reached our winter-quarters, and hailed the event with three loud and hearty cheers from both ships' companies. The ships were in five fathoms' water, a cable's length from the beach on the north western side of the harbour, to which I gave the name of Winter Hae- BouR ; and I called the group of islands which we had discovered in the OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 99 Polar Sea New Georgia ; but having afterwards recollected that this name is 1819. already occupied in another part of the world, I deemed it expedient to change ^^ it to that of the North Georgian Islands, in honour of our gracious So- vereign, George the Third, whose whole reign had been so eminently dis- tinguished by the extension and improvement of geographical and nautical knowledge, and for the prosecution of new and important discoveries in both. ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty's Ship Hecla, during the Month of September, 1819. Temperature of Air in siiade. III Barometer, Prevailing Winds. Prevailing Weather. Day Maxi- Mini- mam. Mean. Maxi- Mini. Mean. + + + + inclies. inches. inches. 1 o 36 31.5 33.00 31.8 29.99 29.63 29.77 5 N.W. Light breezes and hazy, with small snow. 2 36 31 32.79 31.4 30.31 30.05 30.212 S.W.bW. Light airs and cloudy. 3 37 31 34.17 32.5 30.42 30.31 30.377 N.W. Light airs and fine. 4 35 28 31.83 31.9 30.37 30.31 30.340 N.W.bN. Moderate breezes and cloudy. 5 32 28.5 30.58 31.8 30.31 30.21 30.245 N.N.E. Fresh breezes and cloudy, with snow. 6 30 25 27.96 30.2 30.18 30.14 30.155 North. Fresh breezes and cloudy. 7 30 25 28.42 29.8 30.12 30.10 30.110 N.N.E. Moderate breezes and cloudy. 8 31 28 30.00 30.0 30.09 30.07 30.085 C A.M. N.E. I I P.M. S.W. 5 Light breezes and hazy. 9 32 29 30.67 30.5 30.11 30.04 30.072 S.W. Light breezes and cloudy. 10 32 30 31.00 30.9 30.10 30.01 30.075 Round the Compass. Light airs and hazy, with snow. 11 30 26 27.75 30.2 29.95 29.86 29.892 N.E. Light breezes and cloudy, with snow. 12 30 28.5 29.50 30.2 29.80 29.73 29.769 S.W. Fresh breezes and hazy, with snow. 13 29 15.5 26.08 29.2 29.62 29.41 29.537 W.S.W. Freshbreezes and cloudy, with small snow. 14 17 9 13.79 28.3 29.77 29.57 29.710 WN. Strong gales and squally. 15 21.5 16 18.92 28.8 29.80 29.72 29.762 N.W.bW. Fresh breezes and clear. 16 24 17 21.25 29.5 29.70 29.57 29.644 W.N.W. Strong breezes,— squalls at times 17 22 16.5 19.75 29.2 30.07 29.72 29.890 W.N.W. Fresh breezes and squally. 18 29 20 23.67 29.0 30.00 29.90 29.950 N.N.W.toS.W.b.W. Light variable breezes and cloudy. 19 25 19 29.83 29.0 29.75 29.47 29.617 S.W. Light breezes and cloudy, with spow. 20 21 10.5 17.25 29.46 29.36 29.412 N.N.E. Strong breezes and hazy. 21 19.5 10 15.83 29.60 29.43 29.510 North. Strong gales and cloudy. . ,, ; 22 23 17 19.67 29.62 29.54 29.580 N.bW. Strong breezes and squally. i , J? 23 23 20 •22.08 29.S0 29.66 29.742 North. Fresh breezes and cloudy, with snow. 24 24 9 20.25 30.04 29.80 29.935. N.N.AV. Moderate and cloudy, snow at times. 25 17 7 13.58 30.14 30.04 30.100 North. Moderate breezes and cloudy. 26 8 -1 5.00 30.19 30.17 30.175 N.N.W. Moderate breezes and fine. 27 21 + 5 15.00 30.14 30.04 30.092 c A.M. N.N.W. ? } P.M.N.N.E. ] Moderate breezes and hazy. 28 23 10 17.33 29.98 29.88 29.925 N.N.E. Fresh breezes and hazy. 29 14 8 11.25 29.82 29.76 29.787 North. Fresh breezes and cloudy. 30 7 4 5.92 29.3 29.87 29.70 29.788 North. Strong breezes, with snow at times. ^-37 -1 + 22.54 30.42 29.36 29.905 VOYAGE OF DISCOVEEY: 101 CHAPTER V. PRECAUTIONS FOR SECURING THE SHIPS AND STORES FOR PROMOTING GOOD ORDER, CLEANLINESS, HEALTH, AND GOOD-HUMOUR, AMONG THE ships' COMPANIES ESTABLISHMENT OF A THEATRE, AND OF THE NORTH GEORGIA GAZETTE ERECTION OF AN OBSERVATORY ON SHORE COMMENCE OUR WINTEr's AMUSEMENTS — STATE OF THE TEMPERATURE AND VARIOUS METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA — MISCELLANEOUS OCCUR- RENCES TO THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1819. XTAVING now reached the station, where, in all probability, we were 1819. destined to remain for at least eight or nine months, during three of which ^^^^1^" we were not to see the face of the sun, my attention was immediately, and imperiously, called to various important duties ; many of them of a singular nature, such as had, for the first time, devolved on any officer in His Majesty's navy, and might indeed be considered of rare occurrence in the whole history of navigation. The security of the ships, and the preservation of the various stores, were objects of immediate concern. A regular system to be adopted for the maintenance of good order and cleanliness, as most conducive to the health of the crews during the long, dark, and dreary winter, equally demanded my attention. Not a moment was lost, therefore, in the commencement of our operations. The whole of the masts were dismantled except the lower ones, and the Hecla's main-top-mast, the latter being kept fidded for the purpose of occa- sionally hoisting up the electrometer-chain, to try the effect of atmospherical electricity. The lower yards were lashed fore and aft amidships, at a suffi- cient height to support the planks of the housing intended to be erected over the ships, the lower ends of which rested on the gunwale ; and the whole of this frame-work was afterwards roofed over with a cloth, composed of 103 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. wadding-tilt, with which waggons are usually covered ; and thus was formed >,^,^-^' a comfortable shelter from the snow and wind. The boats, spars, running rigging, and sails, were removed on shore, in order to give as much room as possible on our upper deck, to enable the people to take exercise on board, whenever the weather should be too inclement for walking on shore. It was absolutely necessary, also, for the preservation of our sails and ropes all of which were hard-frozen, that they should be kept in that state till the return of spring; for, as it was now impossible to get them dried, owing to the constantly low temperature of the atmosphere, they would, probably, have soon rotted had they been kept in any part of the ships, where the warmth would occasion them to thaw ; they were, therefore, placed with the boats on shore, and a covering of canvass fixed over them. This covering, however, as we afterwards found, might better have been dispensed with ; for as we had not the means of constructing a roof sufficiently tight to keep out the fine snow which fell during the winter, it only served, by the eddy wind which it created, to make the drift about it greater; and, I have now no doubt that, with stores in the state in which I have described our sails to be, it would be better simply to lay them on some spars to keep them off the ground, allowing the snow to cover them as it fell. For want of experience in these matters, we also took a great deal of unnecessary trouble in carrying the anchors over the ice to the beach, with an idea of securing the ships to the shore at the breaking up of the ice in the spring ; a precau- tion for which there was not the smallest occasion, and by which the cables suflfered unnecessary exposure during the winter. As soon as the ships were secured and housed over, my undivided attention was in the next place directed to the comfort of the officers and men, and to the preservation of that extraordinary degree of health which we had hitherto enjoyed in both ships. A few brief remarks on this subject by Mr. Edwards, (to whose skill and advice, as well as humane and unremitting attention to the few sick, on all occasions, I am much indebted,) I need make no apology for offering, in his own words : — " On our arrival in our winter quar- ters, after a season sufficiently harassing both to officers, and men, it was pleasing to reflect on the excellent health they had experienced throughout. On our passage across the Atlantic, indeed, a few ephemeral complaints, arising from wet and cold, appeared among the men, but these were so slight as to be scarcely worthy of notice ; and, since our arrival within the Polar circle, a period of between two and three months, not a single medical OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 103 case had been entered on the sick list. To this favourable account, 18 19- one exception, however, must be made in the case of Lieutenant Liddon, who had suffered severely from an attack of rheumatism shortly after our leaving England, from which he had not yet recovered. With regard to accidents, we had been no less fortunate ; a few injuries from frost, and one from a burn by gunpowder, which had not yet recovered, but which proved only of temporary inconvenience, constituting all the cases of this nature which had hitherto occurred. Not the slightest disposition to scurvy, the disease most to be apprehended under our present circumstances, had yet been evinced in either ship. In fact, the whole of the officers and men, with the few exceptions above mentioned, might be said to exhibit the finest aspect of health ; and it was no less gratifying to observe, that their spirits were in perfect unison with their corporeal powers ; so that it was impossible not to consider them as effective as at the commencement of the voyage. Under these co-existing circumstances, combined with the powerful preventives with which we were furnished, it was not unreasonable to indulge in a confident hope of finding ourselves at the beginning of the next season with our numbers undiminished, and our energies unim- paired." In order to prolong this healthy state of the crews, and to promote the comfort of all, such arrangements were made for the warmth and dryness of the births and bed-places, as circumstances appeared to require ; and in this respect some difficulties were to be overcome, which could not, perhaps, have been anticipated. Soon after our arrival in Winter Harbour, when the temperature of the atmosphere had fallen considerably below zero of Fahrenheit, we found that the steam from the coppers, as well as the breath and other vapour generated in the inhabited parts of the ship, began to condense into drops upon the beams and the sides, to such a degree as to keep them constantly wet. In order to remove this serious evil, it was necessary to adopt such means for producing a sufficient warmth, combined with due ventilation, as might carry off the vapour, and thus prevent its settling on any part of the ship. For this purpose a large stone oven, cased with cast iron, in which all our bread was baked during the winter was placed on the main-hatchway, and the stove-pipe led fore and aft on one side of the lower deck, the smoke being thus carried up the fore-hatchway. On the opposite side of the deck, an apparatus had been at- tached to the galley-range, for conveying a current of heated air between 104 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. decks. This apparatus simply consisted of an iron box or air-vessel about v^^-^' fifteen inches square, through which passed three pipes, of two inches diameter, communicating from below with the external air, and uniting above in a metal box fixed to the side of the galley-range ; to this box a copper stove pipe was attached, and conveyed to the middle part of the lower deck. When a fire was made under the air-vessel, the air became heated in its passage through the three pipes, from which it was conveyed through the stove-pipe to the men's births. While this apparatus was in good orderjc* a moderate fire produced a current of air of the temperature of 87°, at the distance of seventeen feet from the fire-place ; and, with a pipe of wood, or any other imperfect conductor of heat, which would not allow of its escaping by the way, it might undoubtedly be carried to a much greater distance. By these means we were enabled to get rid of the moisture about the births where the people messed ; but when the weather became more severely cold, it still accumulated in the bed-places occasionally to a serious and very alarm- ing degree. Among the means employed to prevent the injurious effects arising from this annoyance, one of the most efficacious perhaps was a screen made of fear-nought fixed to the beams round the galley, and dropping within eighteen inches of the deck, which served to intercept the steam from the coppers, and prevent it as before from curling along the beams, and con- densing upon them into drops. This screen was especially useful at the time of drawing off" the beer, which we had lately been in the habit of brewing from essence of malt and hops, and which continued to be served for several weeks as a substitute for part of the usual allowance of spirits. We found the steam arising from this process so annoying during the cold weather, that, valuable as the beer must be considered as an antiscorbutic beverage, it was deemed advisable to discontinue our brewery on that account. While on this subject, I may also add that, when the weather became severely cold, we could not get the beer to ferment, so as to make it palatable. For the preservation of health, and as a necessary measure of economy, a few alterations were made in the quantity and quality of the provisions issued. I directed the allowance of bread to be permanently reduced to two-thirds, a precaution which, perhaps, it would have been as well to have adopted from the commencement of the voyage. A pound of Donkin's pre- served meat, together with one pint of vegetable or concentrated soup per man, was substituted for one pound of salt beef weekly; a proportion of beer and wine was served in lieu of spirits ; and a small quantity of sour OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 105 krout and pickles, with as much vinegar as could be used, was issued at 1819. regular intervals. The daily proportion of lime-juice and sugar was mixed \J,°^ together, and, with a proper quantity of water, Avas drank by each man in presence of an officer appointed to attend to this duty. This latter pre- caution may appear to have been unnecessary, to those who are not aware how much sailors resemble children in all those points in which their own health and comfort are concerned. Whenever any game was procured, it was directed to be invariably served in lieu of, and not in addition to, the established allowance of other meat, except in a few extraordinary cases, when such an indulgence was allowed; and in no one instance, either in quantity or quality, was the slightest preference given to the officers. In the article of fuel, which is of such vital importance in so severe a climate, a system of the most rigid economy was adopted ; such a quantity of coal only being expended as was barely sufficient for the preservation of health on board the ships. A search was made for turf or moss immediately after our arrival, and a small quantity of the latter was made use of as fuel ; but, without a previous drying, which, from the advanced period of the season, we had no means of giving it, it was found to be too wet to produce any ^saving of coals. We also looked out most anxiously for a vein of coal on shore, but only a few lumps were picked up during our stay in Winter Harbour. Great attention was paid to the clothing of the men, who were put into a certain number of divisions, according to the usual custom of the navy, each division being under the command of an officer, who was responsible for the personal cleanliness of the men intrusted to his charge, as well as for their keeping their clothes at all times mended and in good condition. The men were regularly mustered for inspection morning and evening, at which times I always visited every part of the between-decks, accompanied by Lieut. Beechey and Mr. Edwards ; and one day in the week was appointed for the examination of the men's shins and gums by the medical gentlemen, in order that any slight appearance of the scurvy might at once be detected, and checked by timely and adequate means. It was my intention to have caused the bedding of the ships' coh^panies to be brought on deck, for the purpose of airing, at least once a week durino- the winter ; but here, also, a difficulty occurred, which, without previous ex- perience, could not perhaps have been easily anticipated. Whenever a 106 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. blanket was brought on deck, and suffered to remain there for a short time, ^° ^^' it of course acquired the temperature of the atmosphere. When this hap- pened to be rather low, under zero of Fahrenheit for instance, the im- mediate consequence, on taking the blanket again into the inhabited parts of the ship was, that the vapour settled and condensed upon it, rendering it almost instantly so wet, as to be unfit to sleep on, and requiring, therefore, after all, that it should be dried by artificial heat before it could be returned into the bed-place. W^e were, therefore, under the necessity of hanging the bedding upon lines between decks, as the only mode of airing it; and what was likely to prove still more prejudicial, we were obliged to have recourse to the same unhealthy measure in drying the washed clothes. Under circumstances of leisure and inactivity, such as we were now placed in, and with every prospect of its continuance for a very large portion of a year, I was desirous of finding some amusement for the men during this long and tedious interval. I proposed, therefore, to the officers to get up a Play occasionally on board the Hecla, as the readiest means of preserving among our crews that cheerfulness and good-humour which had hitherto subsisted. In this proposal I was readily seconded by the officers of both ships ; and Lieutenant Beechey having been duly elected as stage- manager, our first performance was fixed for the 5th of November, to the great delight of the ship's companies. In these amusements I gladly under- took a part myself, considering that an example of cheerfulness, by giving a direct countenance to every thing that could contribute to it, was not the least essential part of my duty, under the peculiar circumstances in which we were placed. In order still further to promote good-humour among ourselves, as well as to furnish aniusing occupation, during the hours of constant darkness, we set on foot a weekly newspaper, which was to be called the North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle, and of which Captain Sabine undertook to be the editor, under the promise that it was to be supported by original contributions from the officers of the two ships : aad, though some objection may, perhaps, be raised against a paper of this kind being generally resorted to in ships of war, I was too well acquainted with the discretion, as well as the excellent dispositions of my officers, to apprehend any unpleasant consequences from a measure of this kind ; instead of which I can safely say, that the weekly con- tributions had the happy effect of employing the leisure hours of those who OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 107 furnished them, and of diverting the mind from the gloomy prospect which 1819. would sometimes obtrude itself on the stoutest heart. October. Immediately on our arrival in harbour, Captain Sabine had employed himself in selecting a place for the observatory, which was erected in a con- venient spot, about seven hundred yards to the westward of the ships. It was also considered advisable immediately to set about building a house near the beach, for the reception of the clocks and instruments. For this purpose we made use of a quantity of fir-plank, which was intended for the construction of spare boats, and which was so cut as not to injure it for that purpose. The ground was so hard frozen that it required great labour to dig holes for the upright posts which formed the support of the sides. The walls of this house being double, with moss placed between the two, a high temperature could, even in the severest weather which we might be doomed to experience, be kept up in it without difficulty by a single stove. Among the many fortunate circumstances which had attended us during this first season of our navigation, there was none more striking than the opportune time at which the ships were securely placed in harbour ; for on the very night of our arrival, the 26th of September, the thermometer fell to — 1° ; and, on the following day, the sea was observed from the hills to be quite frozen over, as far as the eye could reach ; nor was any open water seen after this period. During the first three weeks in October, how- ever, we remarked that the young ice, near the mouth of the harbour, was occasionally squeezed up very much by the larger floes, so that the latter must still have had some space left, in which to acquire motion : but after that time the sea was entirely covered with one uniform surface of solid and motionless ice. After our arrival in port, we saw several rein-deer, and a few coveys of grouse ; but the country is so destitute of every thing like cover of any kind, that our sportsmen were not successful in their hunting excursions, and we procured only three rein-deer, previously to the migration of these and the other animals from the island, which took place before the close of the month of October, leaving only the wolves and foxes to bear us company during the winter. The full-grown deer, which we killed in the autumn, gave us from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and seventy pounds of meat each, and a fawn weighed eighty-four pounds. On the 1st of October, Captain Sabine's servant having been at some dis- tance from the ships, to examine a fox-trap, was pursued by a large white 108 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY bear, which followed his footsteps the whole way to the ships, where he was wounded by several balls, but made his escape after all. This bear, which was the only one we saw during our stay in Winter Harbour, was observed to be more purely white than any we had before seen, the colour of these animals being generally that of a dirtyish yellow, when contrasted with the whiteness of the ice and snow. On the night of the 4th, we had a strong gale from the southward, which gave us a satisfactory proof of the security of the harbour we had chosen, for the main ice was found in the morning to have pressed in very forcibly upon that which Avas newly formed near the entrance, while within the two points of the harbour, it remained perfectly solid and undisturbed. Some deer being seen near the ships on the 10th, a party was despatched after them, some of whom having wounded a stag, and being led on by the ardour of pursuit, forgot my order that every person should be on-board before sun-set, and did not return till late, after we had suffered much ap- prehension on their account. I, therefore, directed that the expense of all rockets and other signals made in such cases, should, in future, be charged against the wages of the offending party. John Pearson, a marine belonging to the Griper, who was the last that returned on board, had his hands severely frost-bitten, having imprudently gone away without mittens, and with a musket in his hand. A party of our people most providentially found him, although the night was very dark, just as he had fallen down a steep bank of snow, and was beginning to feel that degree of torpor and drowsi- ness which, if indulged, inevitably proves fatal. W^hen he was brought on board, his fingers were quite stiff, and bent into the shape of that part of the musket which he had been carrying : and the frost had so far destroyed the animation in his fingers on one hand, that it was necessary to amputate three of them a short time after, notwithstanding all the care and attention paid to him by the medical gentlemen. The effect which exposure to severe frost has, in benumbing the mental as well as the corporeal faculties, was very striking in this man, as well as in two of the young gentlemen who returned after dark, and of whom we were anxious to make inquiries respecting Pearson. When I sent for them into my cabin, they looked wild, spoke thick and indistinctly, and it was impossible to draw from them a rational answer to any of our questions. After being on board for a short time, the mental faculties appeared gradually to return with the returning circulation, and it was not till then that a looker-on could easily persuade himself that OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 109 they had not been drinking too freely. To those who have been much ac- 1819. customed to cold countries this will be no new remark ; but I cannot help k.^-t^' thinking (and it is with this view that I speak of it) that many a man may have been punished for intoxication, who was only suffering from the benumbing effects of frost ; for I have more than once seen our people in a state so exactly resembling that of the most stupid intoxication, that I should cer- tainly have charged them with that offence, had I not been quite sure that no possible means were afforded them on Melville Island, to procure any thing stronger than snow-water. In order to guard in some measure against the danger of persons losing their way, which was more and more to be apprehended as the days became shorter, and the ground more covered with snow, which gives such a dreary sameness to the country, we erected on all the hills within two or three miles of the harbour, finger-posts pointing towards the ships. I have before remarked that all the water which we made use of while within the polar circle, was procured from snow, either naturally or artificially dis- solved. Soon after the ships were laid up for the winter, it was necessary to have recourse entirely to the latter process, which added materially to the expenditure of fuel during the winter months. The snow for this purpose was dug out of the drifts, which had formed upon the ice round the ships, and dissolved in the coppers. We found it necessary always to strain the water thus procured, on account of the sand which the heavy snow-drifts brought from the island, after which it was quite pure and wholesome. On the evening of the 13th, the Aurora Borealis was seen very faintly, Wed. 13. consisting of a stationary white light in the south-west quarter, and near the horizon. On the 15th, we saw the last covey of ptarmigan which were met with Frid. 15. this season. On the same day our people fell in with a herd of fifteen deer to the southward ; they were all lying down at first, except one large one, probably a stag, which afterwards seemed to guard the rest in their flight, going frequently round them, and sometimes striking them with his horns to make them go on, which otherwise they did not seem much inclined to do. On the 16th, it blew a strong gale from the northward, accompanied by Sat. 16, such a constant snow-drift, that although the weather was quite clear over- head, the boat-house, at the distance of three or four hundred yards, could scarcely be seen from the ships. On such occasions, no person was per- mitted on any account to leave the ships. Indeed, when this snow-drift 110 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY occurred, as it frequently did during the winter, with a hard gale, and the thermometer very low, I believe that no human being could have remained alive after an hour's exposure to it. In order, therefore, to secure a com- munication between the ships, a distance not exceeding half a cable's length, as well as from the ships to the house on shore, a line Avas kept extended, as a guide from one to the other. About the middle of October the snow began to fall in smaller flakes than during the summer; and soon after this, whenever it fell, it consisted entirely of very minute spicules, assuming various forms of crystallization. The meridian altitude of the sun was observed this day by an artificial horizon, which I notice from the circum- stance of its being the last time we had an opportunity of observing it for about four months. 17 & 18. On the 17th and 18th, our hunting parties reported that the deer were more numerous than they had been before, which made us conclude, that they were assembling their forces for an immediate departure over the ice to the continent of America, as we only saw one or two on the island after this time. They had been met with, since taking up our quarters, in herds of from eight to twenty, and from forty to fifty were seen in the course of one day. A thermometer placed in the sun at noon, on the 18th, rose only Tues. 19. to — 9°, the temperature in the shade being — 16°. It had for some time past been a matter of serious consideration with me^ whether it would be necessary to cut the ice round the ships, which had by this time become so firmly attached to the bends, that they were completely imbedded in it. There happened to be only two or three persons in the expedition, who had ever been frozen up during a whole winter in any of the cold countries, and I consulted these as to the expediency of doing so. This precaution, it would seem, is considered to be necessary, from the possibility of a ship being hung by the ice attached to her bends, and thus prevented from rising and falling with the tide ; in consequence of which, a plank might easily be torn out near the water-line, by the weight of the ship hanging entirely on that particular part. I was re- lieved from any apprehension on this score, however, by knowing how small the rise and fall of the tides were in this place ; and also by having observed that a spring-tide caused the whole mass of ice in the harbour to detach itself from the beach, along the whole line of which it split, and was ' lifted ; so that both ships and ice arose and fell in a body with the tide. The only question, therefore, that remained, was, whether the lateral expansion OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Ill of the ice might not create such a pressure upon the water-line of the 1819. ships as to do them some damage. This apprehension was rather increased v.^^^' by Lieutenant Liddon's having reported to me, that his officers had, a night or two before, heard a loud crack about the Griper's bends, which gave them the idea of something straining or giving way. This noise, however, wliich occurred very frequently afterwards, as the cold became more intense, proved to be nothing more than that which is not unusually heard in houses in cold countries, being occasioned by the freezing and expansion of the juices contained in wood not thoroughly seasoned. To put the matter out of all doubt, however, I deemed it prudent to order the ice to be cut round both ships, an operation which occupied the" two crews almost the whole of two days, the ice being now twenty-three inches in thickness ; and I determined to continue this operation daily, as long as the weather would permit. The 20th of October was one of the finest days which, as experience has Wed. 20. since taught us, ever occur in this climate, the weather being clear, with little or no wind; and, though the thermometer remained steadily between — 15° and — 16° during the day, it was rather pleasant to our feelings than otherwise. Our sportsmen were out from both ships the whole day, and returned, for the first time, without having seen any living animal, though they had walked over a very considerable extent of ground ; so that the hope we had indulged of obtaining, occasionally, a fresh meal, was now nearly at an end for the rest of the winter. It was observed from the hills, that the ice in the offing had been thrown into higher hummocks than before ; and in the morning we saw a number of little vertical streams of vapour rising from the sea, near the mouth of the harbour, which was probably that pheno- menon vulgarly called the " barber," in North America, and which is oc- casioned, I believe, by the vapour arising from the water being condensed into a visible form by the coldness of the atmosphere. It is probable, therefore, from the two circumstances now mentioned, that a motion had taken place among the floes in the offing, producing first the pressure by which the hummocks were thrown up, and then a partial separation, leaving for a time a small space of unfrozen surface. Between six and eight P.M., we observed the Aurora Borealis, forming a broad arch of irregular white light, extending from N.N.W. to S.S.E., the centre of the arch being 10° to the eastward of the zenith. It was most bright near the southern horizon ; and frequent, but not vivid, coruscations 112 VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY were seen shooting from its upper side, towards the zenith. The magnetic needle was not sensibly affected by this phenomenon. Thur. 21. Between two and three P.M. on the 21st, the weather being still remark- ably clear and fine, and the sun near the horizon, a parhelion strongly pris- matic was seen on each side of it, at the distance of 23°, resembling the legs of a rainbow resting upon the land. Tues. 26. On the 26th, the sun afforded us sufficient light for writing and reading in my cabin, the stern-windows exactly facing the south, from half-past nine till half-past two ; for the rest of the four-and-twenty hours Ave lived, of course, by candle-light. Nothing could exceed the beauty of the sky to the south-east and south-west at sun-rise and sun-set about this period : near the horizon there was generally a rich bluish purple, and a bright arch of deep red above, the one mingling imperceptibly Avith the other. The weather about this time was remarkably mild, the mercury in the thermometer having stood at or above zero for more than forty-eight hours. By a register of the temperature of the atmosphere, which was kept by Captain Sabine at the ob- servatory, it Avas found that the thermometer, invariably, stood at least from 2° to 5°, and even on one or two occasions as much as 7° higher on the outside of the ships, than it did on shore, owing probably to a warm atmosphere, created round the former by the constant fires kept up on board. Frid. 29. On the 29th the Aveatherwas calm and clear, and Ave remarked, for the first time, that the smoke from the funnels scarcely rose at all, but skimmed nearly horizontally along the housing, the thermometer having got down to — 24°*, and the mercury in the barometer standing at 29.70 inches. It now became rather a painful experiment to touch any metallic substance in the open air with the naked hand ; the feeling produced by it exactly resembling that oc- casioned by the opposite extreme of intense heat, and taking off the skin from the part affected. W^e found it necessary, therefore, to use great caution in handling our sextants and other instruments, particularly the eye-pieces of the telescopes, which, if suffered to touch the face, occasioned an intense burning pain ; but this was easily remedied by covering them over with soft leather. Another effect, with regard to the use of instruments, began to ap- pear about this time. Whenever any instrument, which had been some time * By a Meteorological Journal in my possession, kept at York Fort, Hudson's Bay, in the year 1795, it appears that this phenomenon did not occur till the thermometer indi- cated a temperature of ab o ut 36°. The height of the barometer is not mentioned. OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 113 exposed to the atmosphere, so as to be cooled down to the same temperature, 1819. was suddenly brought below into the cabins, the vapour was instantly con- ^^!iS!/'" densed all around it, so as to give the instrument the appearance of smoking, and the glasses were covered almost instantaneously with a thin coating of ice, the removal of which required great caution to prevent the risli of injuring them until it had gradually thawed, as they acquired the temperature of the cabin. When a candle was placed in a certain direction from the instrument, with respect to the observer, a number of very minute spicules of snow were also seen sparkling around the instrument, at the distance of two or three inches from it, occasioned, as we supposed, by the cold atmosphere produced by the low temperature of the instrument almost instantaneously congealing into that form the vapour which floated in its immediate neighbourhood. The month of November commenced with mild weather, which continued Novemb. for the first ten days. It is generally supposed, by those who have not expe- rienced the effects produced upon the feelings by the various alterations in the temperature of the atmosphere, when the thermometer is low, that a change of 10° or 15° makes no sensible difference in the sensation of cold ; but this is by no means the case, for it was a remark continually made among us, that our bodies appeared to adapt themselves so readily to the climate, that the scale of our feelings, if I may so express it, was soon reduced to a lower stan- dard Aan ordmary ; so that, after living for some days in a temperature of -15° or -20°, it felt quite mild and comfortable when the thermometer rose to zero, and vice versa. The 4th of November being the last day that the sun would, independently Thurs. 4. of the effects of refraction, be seen above our horizon till the eighth of Fe- bruary, an interval of ninety-six days, it was a matter of considerable regret to us that the weather about this time was not sufficiently clear to allow us to see and make observations on the disappearance of that lunnnary, in order that something might be attempted towards determining the amount of the atmospherical refraction at a low temperature. But though we were not permitted to take a last farewell, for at least three months, of that cheering orb, " of this great world, both eye and soul," we nevertheless felt that this day constituted an important and memorable epoch in our voyage. We had, some time before, set about the preparations for our winters amusements ;' and the theatre being ready, we opened on the 5th of November, with the Frid. 5. representation of Miss in her Teens, which afforded to the men such a fund of amusement as fully to justify the expectations we had formed of the utility of Q ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on joard His Majesty's Ship Hecla, at Sea, during the Month of October, 1819. Day Temperature of Air in shade. Barometer. Prerailing Winds. Prevailing Weather. Maxi- Mini- Mean. Maxi- Mini- Mean. 1 + 9 + °6 o + 6,83 + 29?12 inclies. 29.89 inclies. ' inches. 29.82 29.860 N.N.W. to S. Light airs and fine. 2 17.5 9.5 12.83 28.87 29.76 29.73 , 29.740 S.S.E. Light breezes and fine. 3 10 6 8.75 29.12 29.77 29.68 29.750 s.w. Light breezes with small snow. 4 16 5 9.83 28.62 29.59 29.17 29.390 S. Westerly Fresh breezes and hazy with snow. 5 13 - 7 3.00 28.00 29.71 29.10 29,440 N.W.bN. Strong breezes and cloudy. 6 8 - 8 — 1.80 28.00 29.81 29.50 29.730 Westerly. Strong breezes and hazy with show. 7 15 0 + 6.10 28.00 29.26 29.20 29.225 S.W. Strong breezes and hazy. 8 1 - 8.5 + 3.75 28.40 30.00 29.46 29.805 N.N.W. Fresh breezes and cloudy. 9 0 — 5 — 1.83 28.00 30.00 29.93 29.952 West Moderate and cloudy. 10 5 - 3 + 1.83 28.00 29.83 29.68 29.752 S.S.W. Moderate and fine. 11 10 + 2 + 4.54 28.00 29.69 29.60 29.630 West. Moderate and hazy. 12 + 7 — 8 — 4.17 28.00 29.63 29.44 29.535 N.N.W. Fresh breezes and fine. 13 + 10 + 3 + 7.60 28.00 29.57 29.43 29.490 5 HalfE.S.E. ) t Half West. J Fresh breezes and hazy. 14 + 5 — 6 — 2.50 28.00 30.00 29.44 29.710 W.N.W. Moderate and cloudy. 15 + 13 0 + 6.17 28.00 29.62 29.30 29.425 f Half East. 7 1 Half North, j Strong breezes and cloudy, with snow. 16 — 1 —12.5 — 5.20 27.50 29.91 29.49 29.742 N.b.W. Fresh breezes and hazy. 17 —10.5 —16 — 12.88 28.00 30.20 29.93 30.095 North Moderate and fine clear weather. 18 — 2 —14 — 6.08 28.00 30.22 30.18 30.190 N.N.W. Light breezes and fine. 19 — 7 —14 — 11.25 27.62 30.20 29.98 30.120 West Moderate and cloudy. 20 -13.5 —17.5 — 15.12 27.62 30.00 29.93 29.955 N.N.W. Light breezes and fine. 21 — 7 —14 — 10.58 28.00 30.21 30,00 30.100 Ditto. Ditto ditto. 22 — S —14 — 6.92 28.00 30.32 30.27 30.300 North Light breezes and cloudy. 23 + 6 — 9 + 0.12 28.00 30.13 30.03 30.070 North Fresh breezes and hazy, with drift snow. 24 + 1 - 6 — 2.83 28.25 30.06 30.01 30.045 North Fresh breezes and hazy. 25 + 5 + 2 + 3.71 28.00 30.16 30.05 30.112 N.bW. Moderate and cloudy. 26 + — 8 — 1.08 28.40 30.11 30.06 30.090 Ditto Light breezes and cloudy. 27 — 4 —15 - 10.25 28.12 30.02 29.87 29.955 North Light breezes and fine clear weather. 28 —17 —23 — 19.75 23.00 29.79 29.72 29.771 N.N.W. Moderate and fine. 20 —20 —28 — 24.25 28.00 29.73 29.69 29.710 N.bW. Light breezes and fine. 30 —25 -27.5 — 26.15 ] 28.00 29.73 29.70 29.717 Ditto Ditto ditto. 31 — 4 —28 - 12.17 28.00 29.91 29.70 29.847 N.N.W. Light airs and cloudy. + 17.5 —28 — 3.46 28.114 30.32 29.10 29.81 VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 115 theatrical entertainments under our present circumstances, and to determine 1819. me to follow them up at stated periods. I found indeed, that even the occu- yj^y^^ ' pation of fitting up the theatre, and taking it to pieces again, which employed a number of the men for a day or two before and after each performance, was a matter of no little importance, when the immediate duties of the ship ap- peared by no means sufficient for that purpose ; for I dreaded the want of employment as one of the worst evils that was likely to befal us. On the 6th we tried the temperature of the sea at the bottom, the depth Sat. 6. being five fathoms, and found it to be 30°, whilst that of the surface was 28°, and of the air— 16°. On tlie 9th, the temperature of the bottom was as high Tues. 9. as 31°, the surface being still at 28°. The specific gravity of the surface water was 1.0264, at the temperature of 52°, and that of the water brought from the bottom 1.0265, at 50°. On the same evening, the weather being fine and clear, the Aurora Borealis was seen for nearly two hours, forming a long, low, irregular arch of light, extending from north to south in the western quarter of the heavens, its altitude in the centre being 3° or 4°. The electrometer- chain was hoisted up to the mast-head, and its lower end brought down to the ice, so as to keep it perfectly clear of all the masts and rigging, which method was used throughout the winter; but no sensible effect was produced on the gold-leaf. It was tried a second time, after the sky became full of white fleecy clouds, but with as little success. On the forenoon of the 11th, the thermometer having again fallen to — 26|°, Thur.ll. the smoke, as it escaped from the funnels, scarcely rose at all above the housing, Mr. Ross, having gone to the mast-head at noon, reported that he saw the sun. There was no time for measuring the altitude, but Lieutenant Beechey, who went up to observe it, considered that about twenty-four mi- nutes of its disk appeared above the horizon, according to which the amount of refraction would appear to be 2° 09' 05". The temperature of the atmosphere at this time was — 27°, and the mercury in the barometer stood at 30.07 inches. The thermometer having fallen to — 31° on the following day, we expected to Frid. U. have seen the sun again, and looked out from the mast-head for that purpose, but it did not re-appear. At six P.M. the Aurora Borealis was seen in a broken irregular arch, about 6° high in the centre, extending from N.W. b. N. to S. b. W., from whence a few coruscations Avere now and then faintly emitted towards the zenith. From eight P.M. till midnight on the 13th, it was again Sat. 13. seen in a similar manner from S.W. to S.E., the brightest part being in the centre, or due south. On the 15th, Lieutenant Beechey informed me that ii^ VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. he had seen, in the N.N.W. and S.E. quarters, some light transparent clouds, v.,,-v^^ ■ from which columns of light were thrown upwards, resembling the Aurora Borealis ; those to the S.E., being opposed to a very light sky, had a light-brown Tues. 16. appearance. This phenomenon was again observed on the 16th, consisting of a bright stationary light from S.S.W. to S. b. E., and reaching from the horizon to the height of about 6° above it. About the time of the sun's leaving us, the wolves began to approach the ships more boldly, howling most piteously on the beach near us, sometimes for hours together, and, on one or two occasions, coming alongside the ships, when every thing was quiet at night ; but we seldom saw more than one or two together, and, therefore, could form no idea of their number. These animals were always very shy of coming near our people, and, though evidently suffering much from hunger, never attempted to attack any of them. The white foxes used also to visit the ships at night, and one of these {Cards Lagopus) was caught in a trap, set under the Griper's bows. The uneasiness displayed by this beautiful little animal during the time of his confinement, whenever he heard the howling of a wolf near the ships, impressed us with an opinion, that the latter is in the habit of hunting the fox as his prey. Wed. 17. The rapidity with which the ice formed round the ships had now become so great, as to employ our people for several hours each day in cutting it ; and for the last three days our utmost labour, during the time of twilight, could scarcely keep it clear. As it was evident, therefore, that, as the frost in- creased, we could not possibly effect this, and as the men almost always got their feet wet in sawing the ice, from which the most injurious effects upon their health were likely to result, I gave orders to leave off cutting it any more during the severity of the winter. The average formation of ice round the ships, during the time we continued to remove it, was usually from three to five inches in twenty-four hours ; and once it froze eight inches in twenty-six hours, the mean temperature of the atmosphere being— 12°. At noon to-day we saw, for the first time at this hour, a star of the first magnitude (Capella), and at half an hour past noon, those of the second magnitude in Ursa Major were visible ; which circumstance will, perhaps, give the best idea of the weakness of the sun's light at this period. At three P.M. a remarkable variety of the Aurora Borealis was seen by several of the officers. Having about this time been confined for a few days to my cabin by indisposition, I am indebted to Lieu- tenant Beechey for the following description of it : — " Clouds of a light- brown colour were seen, diverging from a point near . the horizon bearing J OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 117 S.W. b. S., and shooting pencils of rays upwards at an angle of about 45° 1819. with the horizon. These rays, however, were not stationary as to their posi- "^^"^ tion, but were occasionally extended and contracted. From behind these, as it appeared to us, flashes of white light were repeatedly seen, which some- times streamed across to the opposite horizon, some passing through the zenith, others at a considerable distance on each side of it. This phenomenon continued to display itself brilliantly for half an hour, and then became gra- dually fainter till it disappeared, about four o'clock. The sun, at the time of the first appearance of this meteor, was on nearly the same bearing, and about 5° below the horizon." The temperature of the atmosphere having, about this time, become con- Thur. 18. siderably lower than before, the cracking of the timbers was very frequent and loud for a time ; but generally ceased altogether in an hour or two after this fall had taken place in the thermometer, and did not occur again at the same temperature during the winter. The wind blowing fresh from the northward, with a heavy snow-drift, made the ship very cold below ; so that the breath and other vapour accumulated during the night in the bed-places and upon the beams, and then immediately froze ; hence it often occupied all hands for two or three hours during the day to scrape the ice away, in order to prevent the bedding from becoming wet by the increase of temperature occasioned by the fires. It was therefore found necessary to keep some of the fires in between decks at night, when the thermometer was below — 15° or —20° in the open air, especially when the wind was high. To assist in keeping the lower decks warm, as well as to retard, in some slight degree, the formation of ice immediately in contact with the ships' bends, we banked the snow up against their sides, as high as the main-chains ; and canvass screens were nailed round all the hatchways on the lower deck. The stars of the second magnitude in Ursa Major were just perceptible to the naked eye a little after noon this day, and the Aurora Borealis appeared faintly in the south-west at night. About this time our medical gentlemen began to remark the extreme difficulty with which sores of every kind healed ; a circumstance that rendered it the more necessary to be cautious in exposing the men to frost-bites, lest the long inactivity and want of exercise during the cure of sores in other respects trifling, should produce serious effects upon the general health of the patients. From midnight on the 20th, till two o'clock on the following morning, the Sun. 2i. thermometer rose from —46° to -401°, and at half-past three a gale came lis VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 1819. on from the northward, which continued to blow, and the thermometer gra- v^i^^^' dually to rise, till the latter had reached —21° at midnight. This was one of a great many instances which occurred during the winter, of an increase of wind, from whatever quarter, being accompanied by a simultaneous rise in the thermometer. The gale continued strong for the greater part of the two following days, with a tremendous snow-drift, which kept us all on board till the afternoon of the 23d. In the mean time another play had been prepared, and our second performance, to which the crews had been anxiously looking forward, took place on the evening of the 24th. The temperature of the ship's holds, at this time, was generally from 27° to 34°, the aftermost being always the warmest, and a considerable quantity of the beer was found frozen in the casks. The thermometer seldom Sun. 26 rose higher than 40° on the lower deck, throughout the day. On the 26th in the morning, some vivid coruscations of the Aurora Borealis were observed from S. to N.W., commencing at 4° or 5° of altitude, and streaming towards the zenith. Early in the afternoon of the 20th, Captain Sabine observed a small meteor fall to the ground in the W. by N., not apparently more than a mile distant. It fell slowly, with a faint white light, which increased considerably as it approached the earth. When first seen, its height was about 8° or 10°, and the descent appeared perpendicular, or nearly so. The atmosphere at this time was remarkably clear. Soon after the moon rose this afternoon, it was curiously deformed by refraction, the lower edges of its disk appearing in- dented with deep notches, and at other times seeming to be cut off square at the bottom. A single ray, or rather a column of light, of the same diameter as the moon, was also observed to descend from it to the top of the hill, 29 & 30. like a pillar supporting it. On this and the two following nights, we were occupied from five to seven hours in taking lunar distances in the open air, the thermometer being from —34° to —36°. This we did without any ma- terial inconvenience, as long as the weather continued calm or nearly so ; but with a moderate breeze it soon became too painful to handle the screws of the sextant. The difficulty of making observations in this climate is not, however, confined to the sensation of cold produced by handling the instru- ments, or by standing still for several hours together at so Ioav a temperature ; but it is also necessary to hold the breath very carefully during the time of making the observation ; for if the least vapour be suffered to touch the in- strument, it is immediately converted into a coat of ice, which dims I OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 119 the glasses, and renders the instrument unserviceable till the ice has 18lf). been thawed, and the instrument thoroughly cleaned. Our sextants were -.^^J^' somewhat injured, in the cold weather, by the cracking of the silver on the horizon and index glasses, arising as we supposed, from the unequal con- traction of the two substances. The mercury of the artificial horizons froze into a solid mass as we were observing the moon's altitude in it, although the themiometer on shore indicated only — 36°. This was probably owing to the mercury having become adulterated by admixture with the lead of the troughs, which disposed it to congeal at a higher temperature than the freezing point of pure mercury. At half-past six P.M., on the 1st of December, part of a circular halo, Decemb. whose radius was 22° 52', was observed round the moon, which was near the full. Part of a well-defined horizontal circle of white light, passing through the moon, extended also for several degrees on each side of her, and in the points where this circle intersected the halo, were two prismatic spots of light, or paraselenae. In that part of the halo which was immediately over the moon, was another spot much brighter ; and opposite to it, in the lower part of the circle, another similar but much more faint. About the same time, on the following evening, two concentric circles were observed round Tlmr. 2. the moon, the radius of the smaller being 38°, and of the larger 46°. Upon the inner circle were four paraselenae, strongly prismatic, situated with re- spect to the moon as on the preceding day ; and there was also a faint ho- rizontal circle of white light, passing through the moon as before. The weather was fine in both these instances, but there was still a sort of haziness in the atmosphere which prevented the heavenly bodies being very distinctly seen. On the 10th, at two P.M., Captain Sabine observed a small meteor fall in Frid. 10. the direction of N.N.W. from the ships, similar in character and appearance to that seen on the 28th of November, except that the light was not so vivid, and it was extinguished, instead of burning more fiercely, before it reached the earth. About this time we were a good deal annoyed for some days together by the thermometer continuing higher than usual, the wind being from the E.S.E., which caused a considerable degree of dampness between decks, in consequence of the ice thawing in every crevice where it could not readily be removed in any other way. This an