SE SRT nn, Saerercerrereney ore

aa

JOURNAL

OF A : SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A i NORTH-WEST PASSAGE q

FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC:

PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 152]1—22—23, IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS

FURY AND HECLA,

UNDER THE ORDERS OF

CAPTAIN WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY, R.N., F.R.S..

AND COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION.

ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS PLATES.

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY.

LONDON :

JOHN MURRAY, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY, AND BOARD OF LONGITUDE.

MDCCCXXIV,

LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES Northumberland-court,

q { 4 :

24

wo sg eee ee

TO

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE

LORD VISCOUNT MELVILLE

’

2 FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER FOR EXECUTING THE OFFICE OF LORD

: HIGH ADMIRAL OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, Se, &c. Sc,

: : THIS VOLUME, : ia ‘

3 CONTAINING t i THE JOURNAL OF A SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE

4 FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, " UNDERTAKEN AND EXECUTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF HIS LORDSHIP,

IS INSCRIBED WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT AND GRATITUDE,

BY HIS OBLIGED AND FAITHFUL SERVANT,

WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY.

Lovpon, March, 1624,

SHR ERIN en ae ane arue maRae

rea SN cc Ses aI RA Sp

CONTENTS.

PAGE INTRODUCTION . . . : . . i Explanation of Technical Terms . ‘ ‘ xix Official Instructions xxi

CHAPTER I.

Passace across the Atlantic—Removal of Stores from the Nautilus Transport, at the margin of the Ice—Departure of the Nautilus for England —Enter the Ice in Hudson’s Strait— Perilous Situation of the Hecla, and loss of her Anchor— Meet with the Hudson’s-Bay ships—Passage up the Strait, and communication with the Natives inhabiting the Northern shores—Pass the Trinity Islands of Fox—Arrival off Southampton Island, where the researches of the Expedition commence . : .

CHAPTER II.

Review of the geographical Information obtained by the Researches of former Navigators on the coast of the American Continent, in the neighbourhood of Wager River—Discover and enter The Duke of York’s Bay, supposing it to be a Passage into the sea called The Welcome —tLeave The Duke of York’s Bay, and proceed to the North-Westward—Passage of The Frozen Strait and arrival in Repulse Bay—Continuity of Land there—Observations on Shore—Remarks concerning the Geography, Tides, and Natural History of this part of the Continental Coast . , . . .

CHAPTER III.

Return to the Eastward through the Frozen Strait—Discovery of Hurd Channel— Examined in a Boat—Loss of the Fury’s Anchor—Provisential Escape of the Fury from Shipwreck —Anchor in Duckett Cove—Further Examine:ict. of the Coast by Boats and Walking- Parties—Ships proceed through Hurd Channei--Are drifted by the Ice back to South- ampton Island—Unobstructed Run to the Entrance of a large Inlet leading to the North- Westward—Ships made fast by Hawsers to the Rocks—Further Examination of the Inlet commenced in the Boats . . . . . .

CHAPTER IV.

Hoppner’s Inlet entered and Surveyed by the Boats—Continuity of Land there determined— Proceed to examine another opening leading to the Westward—Favourable Appearance of a continued Passage in that Direction Meet with some Esquimaux—Arrival in Ross Bay, being the termination of Lyon Inlet—Discovery and Examination of various Creeks —Return to the Ships, after finding the Land entirely continuous —Some account of the Natural History of this part of the Coast ‘ .

26

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V. PAGE

Furthe: Examination in the Boats for the purpose of connecting the Shores of Lyon Iniet with

that of Gore Bay—Detained by the Icee—Reach Gore Bay—Continuity of the Land deter- mined—Fresh detention by the Ice—Boats carried over-land—Return to the Ships— Progress out of the Inlet prevented by the Ice—The Fury grounds upon a Rock—Anchor in Safety Cove—Heavy Easterly Gales—Proceed out of the Inlet-—Arrival in a Bay on the South side of Winter Island—Ships secured in Winter-Quarters

CHAPTER VI.

Precautions for the security of the Ships and their Stores—And for the Health and Comfort of

the Crews—Establishment of Theatrical Entertainments and Schools—Erection of an Ob- servatory and House on Shore—State of Health at this period—Partial Disruption of the Ice in the Bay—Anchors and Cables taken to the Shore—Gradual Increase of Cold, appearance of the Aurora Borealis on several occasions, and various other Meteorological Phenomena to the close of the Year 1821 ‘i 7

CHAPTER VII.

Many Foxes caught—Continued Open Water in the Offing—Partial disruption of the Ice in the

Bay—Meteorological Phenomena and Temperature of Animals—Arrival of a Tribe of Esquimaux—First Meeting and subsequent Intercourse with them—Esquimaux in want of Provisions—Supplied with Bread-dust—Some account of a Sealing Excursion with them —Fresh disruption of the Ice in the Bay—Closing of the Winter Theatre —Meteorological Phenomena till the end of February 1822

CHAPTER VIII.

Charts drawn by the Esquimaux—lIlIness among them—A Journey performed across Winter

Island—Sufferings of the Party by Frost—Further notice of the Esquimaux Charts—De- parture of some of these People, and a separate Village established on the Ice—Various Meteorological Phenomena—Okotook and his Wife brought on board—Anecdotes relating to them—Ships released from the Ice by sawing

CHAPTER IX.

Increased extent of open Water in the Offing—A Travelling Party despatched to the North-

ward—Unsuccessful attempt to raise Vegetables on Shore—Decease of James Pringle —A party of Esquimaux build Huts near the Ships—Return of the Travellers, and account of their Journey—First appearance of the Plants—Birds become numerous— Commence cutting a Canal through the Ice for liberating the Ships—II]ness and decease of John Reid and William Souter—Breaking-up of the Ice inthe Bay—Account of Winter Island—Abstract of Observations made there . . :

CHAPTER X.

Departure from Winter Island—Meet with some Esquimaux travelling to the Northward—

Obstructions and danger from the Ice and Tides—Discovery of the Barrow River, and its

119

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CONTENTS.

PAGI Fall—Favourable Passage to the Northward—Arrival off the Stract of the Fury and

Hecla—Progress opposed by a fixed barrier of Ice—Communicate with the Natives of Igloolik—Unsuccessful attempts to get between the Ice and the Land—Land upon the Calthorpe Islands—The Fury drifted by the Ice between two Islands—Account of a Jour- ney performed in Sledges up an Inlet to the Westward. . . » 240

CHAPTER XI.

Remarkable instance of local Attraction on the Magnetic Needles—Occasional separation of a portion of the fixed Ice—A Whale killed—Other Charts drawn by the Esquimaux— Account of a Journey to the Narrows of the Strait—Discovery of the Sea to the West- ward—Total disruption of the Ice at the Eastern entrance of the Strait—A second instance of local Attraction on the Compasses—Sail through the Narrows, and again stopped by fixed Ice—Account of several land Journeys and boat Excursions—Observa- tions on the Tides—Continued obstacles from fixed Ice. . . . 296

CHAPTER XII.

A Journey performed along the South Shore of Cockburn Island—Confirmation of an Outlet to the Polar Sea—Partial disruption of the old Ice, and formation of new—Return through the Narrows to the Eastward—Proceed to examine the Coast to the North-east- ward—Fury’s Anchor broken—Stand over to Igloolik to look for Winter-quarters— Excursion to the Head of Quilliam Creek—Ships forced to the Westward by gales of Wind—A Canal sawed through the Ice, and the Ships secured in their Winter Station— Continued visits to the Esquimaux, und arrival of some of the Winter-Island Tribe—Pro- posed plan of operations in the ensuing Spring . : , . 340

CHAPTER XIII.

Preparations for the Winter—Various Meteorological Phenomena to the close of the year 1822 —Sickness among the Esquimaux—A Hospital built near the Ships for their accommoda- tion—Meteorological Phenomena to the end of March—Abstract of the comparative mean Winter temperature at Melville Island, Winter Island, and Igloolik ‘ . 876

CHAPTER XIV.

Various Journeys to the Esquimaux Stations—IIlness and decease of Mr. Alexander Elder— Preparations for the Hecla’s return to England—Remarkable Halos, §:c.—Shooting Parties stationed at Arlagnuk—Journeys to Quilliam Creek—Arrival of Esquimaux from the Northward—Account of a Journey to the Westward for the purpose of reaching the Polar Sea—The Esquimaux report two Fishing Ships having been wrecked—A Journey per- formed to Cockburn Island—Discovery of Murray Maawell Inlet ‘ : © 425

CHAPTER XV.

Extraordinary disruption of Ice in Quilliam Creek—Some appearance of Scurvy among the Seamen and Marines—Account of a Journey with Sledges to Cockburn Island—Dis- covery of Gifford River—Commence cutting the Ice outside the Ships to release them from their Winter-Quarters—Considerations respecting the return of the Expedition to

5 a a

CONTENTS.

PAGE

England—Unfavourable state of the Ice at the Eastern entrance of the Strait—Proceed to the Southward—Ships beset and drifted up Lyon Inlet-—Decease of Mr. George Fife— Final release from the Ice, and arrival in England—Remarks upon the practicability of a

North-West Passage ‘ .

. : : . 459

Some further Account of the Esquimaux of Melville Peninsula and the adjoining Islands ;

more particularly Winter Island and Igloolik

Vocabulary of Esquimaux Words, §c. .

. . . F « 492

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER FOR INSERTING THE PLATES.

Situation of His Majesty's Ships Fury and Hecla

at Igloolik, 1822-23 ° : Frontispiece Canve of the Savage Islands, Hudson's Strait, to

face page . . . : . 14 Plan of Duke of York Bay ee, Nhe hee . 48 Planof HurdChannel .. . 74

Cutting into Winter Island, October, 1821 . 118 Interior of an Esquimaux Snow-hut, Winter Island, 1822 . . . ° R - 160 Groupe of Esquimaux, 1822. + « « 163 An Esquimaux watching a Seal © « «+ 11 Manner of holding the line when a Walrus is struck 172 Esquimaux listening at a Seal-hole, &c. - 178 An Esquimaux watching a Seal-hole . - 172 An Esquimaux creeping into the Passage of a Snow-hut . . : ‘ . . 187 Esquimaux Chart, No. T. : a -% . 197 Ditto ditto, No. II. , . 198 Arnaneelia, a native of Winter Island, 1922 . 207 Esquimaux Chart, No. II. Ses, os - 252 Fall of the Barrov x. 266 Summer Tents of the Bendimanx: Igloolik, 1992, 271 An Esquimaux of Igloolik, in a bird’s-skin jac- ket, &c. R ‘ . ° . 274 Sledges of the Bicuitaus ‘ - «290

Western outlet of the Strait of the Fury and Hecla 351 Esquimaux House built ofice . 358 Takkeelikkeeta, an Esquimaux of Igloolik, 1893 391 Groupe of Esquimaux atIgloolik . .° . 493 Groupe of Esquimaux at Igloolik, 1823. . 418

Nakahu and his Wife Oomna ee 436 Esquimaux building a Snow-hut . 3 . =. 499 Esquimaux killing Deer in a Lake » «+ 508

Esquimaux Children Dancing, Igloolik, 1823 530 Esquimaux Implements, Weapons, &c. (Fig. } to

12.) ‘ . . . ° . . 548 Ditto ditto (Fig. 13 to 27.) - 559

The Charts, $:c., at the end of the book to be piaced in the following order :

General Chart, shewing the track of the Fury and Hecla, &c. &c.

Chart of the Northern Shore of Hudson's Strait, &. &c.

Chait of the North-eastern Coast of America, &c. from Lat. 643° to 67° 40’.

Ditto from Latitude 67° 40’ to 700 135’.

Appearances of Lands, No. 1.

Ditto, ; . No. 2, Ditto, . . No. 3. Ditto, , . Noa, 4

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PAGE

Si OE Rc ae

INTRODUCTION.

i LEE discovenes made by the Expedition to the North-west in th. sumption in favour o!

y] oa ‘ ~ i, . . . wh. s iS19.% ORF SUCH wis Co atford i. strong pre ’ ees ener EE 8 eee ee a om oe or a passage From the Atlantic to the 2Maewlie in that direc My wh tary ft f Nt h ’ ) y wene of it i (i SO fT pit) e OUT Tn Vi ) MODS OF 1S i y 1 : OOD bw i] Viayesty nh the VO pM SNA LLG OF Lu¢ cr : en r ‘ }} 4 { , Pe | 1? Viely \s eee “ft anoth rf yt oO he mage to ¢ ct that object , t onis Commissioner * th, 8 deninales cas waa. i wilescaGanet wands OMLMUSsloOn ers of iM ayn ) verye Picusead Once

ts 4 pped i

o honour me with the command of an I xpedition, to be equi Jeptiord for that purpose. The fecla having been found well

i ’ pted to this service, a second ship of precisely the same class wi leeted. and T received my commission tor Bis Majesty’s ship the ‘ ' eS PO ; : } " v, of three nundred and seventy-seven tons burthen, on the 30th of Does 3:2(), ihe dHeela was re-commissioned by Cant: } ] " bY Pane Von, on 1 4th of January POtLOWw ire } ~ y hs i Pee eaten the forme I, eC tLON HAV) r vok }~ ! ' 1} t | ‘ pis : 4 t (Ck Chae S if . t a. Wore bohe t to ] } rOUAT SUCH ! 4 i be py mt Lidl shment yOu acai. ii me prererence WIS ( \ , \* 7 —

Phin ewven to such oF the forme TeW us were considered ht te this serviee; and a great number of other seamen also coming torward t 1} , nm ) : enter, Chv¢ “l i Were speedily Weil man oad tide Reverend (reorge 1}

Visher, who had accompanied the Lxpedition to

recommendation of the President and Couneil of tl

was now, iat the

| Society, appomiod Astrovomer } and if beimg in CVers respect

) Oy desirable that a Chaplain should form a part of our establishment, at

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INTRODUCTION.

"THE discoveries made by the Expedition to the North-west in the years 1819-20, being such as to afford a strong presumption in favour of the existence of a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific in that direc- tion, while they served also to point out the most probable means of its accomplishment, His Majesty, on the representation of Lord Viscount Melville, commanded another attempt to be made to effect that object ; and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased once more to honour me with the command of an Expedition, to be equipped at Deptford for that purpose. The Hecla having been found well adapted to this service, a second ship of precisely the same class was now selected, and I received my commission for His Majesty’s ship the Fury, of three hundred and seventy-seven tons burthen, on the 30th of December 1820. The Hecla was re-commissioned by Captain George Francis Lyon, on the 4th of January following.

The officers who accompanied the former Expeditions having volun- teered their services, their Lordships were pleased to re-appoint such as the present establishment would admit. The same preference was likewise given to such of the former crews as were considered fit for this service ; and a great number of other seamen also coming forward to enter, the ships were speedily well manned. The Reverend George Fisher, who had accompanied the Expedition to Spitzbergen in 1818, was now, at the recommendation of the President and Council of the

Royal Society, appointed Astronomer; and it being in every respect desirable that a Chaplain should form a part of our establishment,

i il INTRODUCTION.

Mr. Fisher also received an order to act in that capacity. A second Lieutenant, two able seamen, and a corporal of marines, were added to the former complement ; and the distribution of the whole on board

each ship will be seen in the annexed Table.

| ON BOARD THE FURY,

ON BOARD THE HECLA. eae

RANK. : Ofticers? Names. No. Officers’ Names. | No. a ee 1 OS ae a oe \ aati Commander - «+ «|| William Edward Parry . 1 | George Francis Lyon . Chaplain and Astronomer, || George Fisher . . }

. | . . . . . . || Joseph Nias . ; | ie Parkyns Hoppner ‘ | Andrew Reid Charles Palmer

Surgeon, . . John Edwards ; . - | 14] Alexander Fisher

Purser

William Harvey Hooper «| 2] John Jermain

James Skeoch + «| 14] Allan M‘Laren

Joseph Sherer . Charles Richards . .

Assistant Surgeon , John Henderson. ° Francis Rawdon M. Crozier

=~

Midshipmen

James Clark Ross . William Nelson Griffiths

Edward Bird

Assistant Surveyor .

Lieutenants . . ; (in Fury only) John Bushnan

Clerk R ; James Halse . ‘ 1 || William Mogg ma Oo 1 Gunner. . James Scallon =. =. =~ | = 1 |] Joseph Macklin 1 Boatswain , William Smith . . «| 1 |} Joseph Lilley ‘ 1 Carpenter . : George Fiddis . . «| 1 || Charles Purfer I Greenland Master John Allison . ‘ - «| 1 || George Fife . . 1 Greenland Mate : George Crawford . =. «| 1! Alexander Elder 1 Cook ° . | ° ° ’ ° . 1 ° . . . . | 1 Leading-Men ., | , 4 i Se RD .| 4 Quarter-Master , . 1 . : ’ . | 1 Gunner's-Mate | -{ 1 ° : : , {1 Lvatswain's-Mate 1 : ‘ P , ‘ {1 Carpenter's-Mate : : -} 1] on a Os {i Armourer's- Mate . 1 | . Set ; ’ |! Sailmaker . : ‘ ’ . 1 . : ‘ I Able Seamen . —r ‘ . 24 : ; ’ ‘ :

Maninas, Sergeant. . =. —. |} Sohn Spackman ss, » «| 1 | Charles Wise ee Corporal ww, rn ee ay ee a Privates. : © 6 ey i » of 5 : ber ce . ios

Astronomer's Servant

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INTRODUCTION. iti

The mode of doubling and fortifying the ships differed in no material circumstance from tk + before employed, which was found to have afforded the greatest degree of strength, consistently with the requisite attention to the stowage and sailing qualities, of which perhaps any ship is capable. In the exterior equipment of the hulls, the only alte- rations worthy of notice consisted in increasing the thickness of the doubling to six inches, to give the ships some additional stability ; and in making the rudder-cases much larger, in order to allow the rudders more room for shipping and unshipping, whereby that operation is much facilitated. The ships were barque-rigged as before; but in order tv increase our resources in stores of every kind, it was suggested by my friend, Captain George Cheyne, that it would be advantageous to adopt the plan of “ equalized” fore-masts and main-masts, which had of late been partially introduced into our naval service, at the recom- mendation of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, Comptroller of His Majesty’s Navy. An advantage somewhat less obvious than that just mentioned, was the appointment of two ships of exactly the same size in every respect. The idea usually entertained of the necessity of having one of the two vessels thus employed, a small one for the purpose of going into shoaler water, is in my opinion an erroneous one. The examination of shoal and uncertain passages is best conducted in boats, which may be equipped gnd despatched at five minutes’ warning, while a small vessel intended more expressly for this purpose will, after all, draw as much water as the larger one within two or three feet, which difference is in reality but a trifling one. Allowing, however, that some benefit may be derived in this way from the services of a smaller vessel, it is by no means to be put inte competition with the inevitable disadvantages

INTRODUCTION.

arising from her confined stowage, and her incapacity to receive the crew of the other vessel in case of serious and irreparable injury hap- pening to the latter. Any vessel unable to carry every item of her own resources, must at some period or other of the voyage become a burthen, and, in case of separation, helpless and inefficient; a contin- gency which there is no necessity for risking. If to what has just been stated be added the advantages, which every seaman will readily appreciate, of each ship being enabled to furnish her consort, on any occasion. of loss or damage, with stores of a size and nature exactly suited to her wants, no doubt can, I think, exist of the expediency of having the two ships precisely similar.

So rigidly was this principle adhered to in the equipment of the present Expedition, that, taking into consideration the improbability of both ships sustaining losses in the same articles, our supply of stores might almost be considered as doubled by this arrangement. Thus, for instance, the fore-masts and main-masts were not only “ equalized ” in each ship, but the dimensions of these, and of every thing belonging to them, were precisely alike in both, so that any article belonging to either of these four masts might be transferred from ship to ship, and at once applied to its proper use, without selection, trial, or alteration of any kind. In the course of the following Narrative, it will be seen what essential service was derived from this plan in the indispensable article of anchors, on which the safety of a ship so often and so entirely depends. I have been thus explicit in stating some of the advantages of this arrangement, from a conviction of the absolute necessity of resorting to it in the equipment of two ships that must necessarily be dependent solely on. their own resources, for a long and uncertain period of time.

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Pi oi BT a es OE 2 er BES

INTRODUCTION. v

Some material alterations were made in the interior arrangements, which experience suggested as necessary to the accommodation, health, and comfort of the officers and men. One of the principal of these consisted in applying a thick close lining of cork all round the ships’ sides, and on the under part of the upper decks, fore and aft. Shut- ters and plugs of the same material were also fitted to every window, sky-light, and illuminator, so as completely to surround the inhabited parts of the ships, during the winter months, with this substance. Care being thus taken to prevent the rapid escape of the warmth, recourse was also had to the most effectual means of producing and distributing it. With this view, an apparatus was fixed on the orlop deck of each ship, between the sail-room and the main hatchway, on a plan proposed and executed by Mr. Sylvester, for conveying a current of heated air into the several inhabited apartments. It is described by Mr. Sylvester to “ consist of a wrought-iron vessel, about twenty- two inches square, placed upon pillars resting on a cast-iron frame upon the beams of the orlop deck. This vessel, or cockle, was four feet high, close at the top, having an opening in front for the ash- pit and feeding-door, and another behind for the discharge of the smoke into a perpendicular iron tube. The fire-place is within this vessel, and the heat is given to its interior surface. On the outside is an iron covering containing.tubes, which approach, nearly at right angles, to the surface of the cockle; these are divided into two por- tions, one below to receive the cold air, which impinges upon the cockle; the other above, for the discharge of the warm air. These two cavities are separated from each other by a second casing about four feet square below, for the cold air, and terminating in two feet square at the upper-deck, where a part of the warm air is dis-

ena em

ati Rte aE TE Sage

vi INTRODUCTION.

charged; the rest is conveyed by flues on each side the ship to the cabins of the commander and other officers. The velocity of the warm air current through an aperture two feet square is about five or six feet per second.” This stove was intended by the inventor to con- sume only five pecks, or a bushel and a quarter of coals, by a constant fire throughout the twenty-four hours; but even this quantity was found more than sufficient, except during the most severe part of the second winter. The galley-fire was turned with its face aft, which served to impart much more warmth, as well as a more cheerful appearance, to the lower deck. This plan had not been before adopted because it was understood that the fire would not draw so well; but the reverse of this was, on trial, found to be the case.

I must not here omit to notice a simple, ingenious, and effectual contrivance, now first adopted, for meiting snow for our consumption as water, during the winter months, without any additional expense of fuel. The smoke issuing from the galley-fire, and indeed its heat generally, does little or no service beyond the ordinary purposes of cooking to which it is applied. It occurred to Messrs. Lambe and Nicholson to occupy a portion of the aperture through which the smoke ascends, by a metallic vessel or tank of considerable capacity, allowing the smoke to pass freely up on each side of it, and thus to communicate a constant heat to the vessel. In the top of the tank is a large circular hole for supplying it with snow from the upper deck, and in the lower part is inserted a cock for drawing off the water. This apparatus, which was so little in the way that it could not even be seen, produced without any increase of fuel, and with the tempera- ture of the external atmosphere nearly at zero, sixty-five gallons of pure water from morning till night; a quantity, of course, more than

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INTRODUCTION. vii

sufficient for our whole consumption, had there been any occasion to limit the expense of an article so conducive to health and comfort.

In the account of the preceding voyage, it has been stated that a serious annoyance arose, during the winter, from the accumulation of moisture and ice produced by the condensation of the breath and other vapours in the ships’ companies’ bed-places. It was determined, there- fore, on the present occasion, ‘to do away with these both for the officers and men, substituting for the former cots, and hammocks for the latter. This change proved extremely beneficial, by increasing the ventilation, and promoting the more uniform circulation of warm air, which had before been materially impeded by the number and close- ness of the bulkheads. |

In the victualling of the ships several alterations were likewise made, which the experience of the last voyage suggested. The principal object being to stow as much as possible, a considerably larger supply than before of the meat preserved in tin cases by Messrs. Gamble and Co., was now furnished, amounting to two pounds per week a man, together with a quart of vegetable or concentrated-meat soups, for a period of three years. For the same reason, the spirits were supplied at thirty-five per cent. above proof, to be reduced, when issued, by means of a hydrometer, to the strength of that usually fur- nished to the navy; by which expedient the stowage was economized in the proportion of an increase of forty gallons on every hundred. For one-half of the proposed supply of biscuit, kiln-dried flour of the best quality was substituted, to be baked into bread during the winters ; three hundred-weight of flour oceupying only the same space as one hundred-weight of biscuit. A considerable portion of the fore-hold was also partitioned off into two large binns or bread-rooms, for

viii INTRODUCTION.

the stowage of biscuit in bulk; which method would have been more extensively adopted, but from the fear of thus incurring loss by damage. The rest of the provisions were stowed in new water-tight casks.

The whole of the vinegar was concentrated to one-seventh of the ordinary bulk, as well for economy in stowage, as to avoid loss by freezing. In this last respect, we had also before experienced a serious loss in the. still more important article of lemon-juice, in consequence of the bottles bursting in the hold. To obviate this, it was now stowed in small five-gallon kegs charred within, not, quite filled, and sufficiently strong to resist the expansion of the acid in freezing. The whole of the juice was squeezed from fresh lemons for our use, and a small quantity of rum added to each keg to assist in keeping it fluid at a low temperature. In addition to lemon- juice and sugar, which form.a part of the ordinary diet in His Majesty’s Navy, a number of other valuable anti-scorbutics were liberally sup- plied, consisting of carrots preserved in tin cases by Messrs. Gamble and Co., crystallized lemon acid, cranberries, lemon marmelade, tama- rinds, pickled walnuts and cabbage, essence of malt and hops, essence j of spruce with molasses, dried herbs for tea, and a quantity of the seed of mustard and cress to be grown as circumstances required. A large supply of potatoes and beet-root was also furnished, which kept tolera- bly well for the first two or three months after leaving England. . As ; we had found, after living on salt provisions for some time, that beef became less palatable, and was also less digestible than pork, we now dispensed with carrying any salt beef, except a few casks corned ex-

eae Seat Sepa ie wie

pressly for our use as soon as the fresh meat should be expended. When these arrangements had been completed, for which I am very

INTRODUCTION. ix

materially indebted to the suggestions of my friend Mr. Hooper, purser of the Fury, the ships were effectually victualled and stored for a period of three years. During the progress of their equipment they were occasionally visited by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and the Comptroller of the Navy, and subsequently by Lord Viscount Melville, who was pleased to express his approbation of the various arrangements. As however the ships, when completely stowed, were found to be very deep in the water, it was deemed advisable, to prevent the possibility of risk, that the Expedition should be accompanied by a transport as far as the margin of the ice, in order to relieve them of a part of their lading in crossing the Atlantic; and the Nautilus, of four hundred and five tons, Lieutenant William Scrymgour agent, was appointed by the Navy-Board for this purpose. A portion of the weight was accordingly removed on board the Nautilus till the ships were considered to be in safe trim ; and some extra stores were also put into the transport, to enable us to complete the Expedition to the time of her leaving us. Of these perhaps, twenty live bullocks and a quan- tity of coals (making our whole supply in each ship one hundred and eighteen chaldrons) were not the least important.

A number of valuable chronometers and instruments, of which a list is here subjoined, were embarked on board each ship; and a variety of useful experiments, for which the requisite materials were provided, were suggested by the Council of the Royal Society, to be conducted by Mr. Fisher as circumstances might permit in the course of the

voyage :—

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INTRODUCTION.

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List of Instruments, &c., embarked‘ on board each Ship.

Pury.

Astronomical Clock, by Barrett, the PrEeery of Mr. Fisher . ‘ L Chronometers ‘ 13 Of which, three of those on ‘board the Fury: were the teofidity of Mr. Fisher,

one belonging to Captain Parry,.and four sent on trial by their respective

makers. (See Account of Chronometers in the Appendix.) Portable Observatory i . Transit Instrument : Forty-inch, triple-object ane selsariahic Telescope by Dollond ‘ Repeating-circle Circular Transit, the —" of Mr. Fishet Dipping-Needle, by Dollond _.. .

Do. do. “by Troughton

Do. do. by Jones Variation Transit ‘ ‘ i . Variation Needle ‘ : ‘s Instrument for determining the Magnetic Force, (Captain Kater’ ) Azimuth Compasses. : ; : do.

Do. do. ; ‘ . (Walker's) Magnets ‘ ‘ ’ ‘ . ‘ . ; Spirit-levels for Kater’ 8 compasses Dip-Sectors, (Dr. Wollaston’s) Macrometer : do. Altitude-Instruments (Captain Kater’ ) Quadrant with level Theodolite, large

Do. small Anglometers Circular Protractors Station-Pointer : . Beam-compasses : . : Le . ° . F Together with every other requisite riaterial for surv eying and drawing. Artificial Horizons, with mercury ‘Thermometers : ‘ : : Self-registering do. (Six’s) with iron cases. Pyrometer, by Carey Hygrometers, (De Luc’s)

Do. (Mr. Leslie’s)

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INTRODUCTION. xi Fary, Hecla, Photometers (Mr. helen D) 3 Hydrometers . 38 1 Hydrostatic Slee, one thie the prety of Mr. Fisher Q Water-bottles, (Dr. Marcet’s) 2 Q Two-feet telescopes 2 2 Electrometers, with coppenetialew 2 sets Air-Pump : 1

A case of chemical mutetiale for Mr. Fisher's s Bepevines nts

I cannot conclude this account of our preparations without expressing my sincere thanks to Sir Thomas Byam Martin, Comptroller of the Navy, Commissioner Cunningham, and Captain Hill, Comptroller of the Vic- tualling Depét at Deptford, for the readiness with which they acceded to and even anticipated my wishes in every thing relating to our com- plete equipment. To the Navy and Victualling-Boards generally I also feel most highly indebted for the very obliging manner in which they were pleased, on various occasions, to refer to me with a view at once most effectually to execute the commands of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and at the same time to consult, whenever it lay in their power, the wishes of the Officer commanding the Expedition. Nor can I omit to offer, on my own part, as well as that of the Officers under my command, our best acknowledgments, once more so justly-due, to the Officers of Deptford Dock-Yard for the kind assistance received from them in those numberless minor points belonging to their seve- ral departments, on which the comfort and accommodation of persons employed on this service so materially depend.

On the return of the Expedition to England the journals, charts, and drawings furnished by every individual in the course of the voyage were be

; xii INTRODUCTION.

put into my hands, with directions to publish, under the authority of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, an official narrative of our late proceedings. To prevent the delay before occasioned by waiting for the publication of the details relating to geography and natural history, I determined on reserving the whole of these for an Appendix, to form a separate volume. The following account is principally taken #| from my own journal; but I am indebted to the other officers, and 1 especially to Captain Lyon, for numerous interesting extracts which are distinguished by inverted commas.

The charts accompanying this Narrative were carefully constructed under my inspection on board the Fury by Mr. Bushnan, assistant- surveyor. The original charts, which are on a much larger scale, and | on which the angles used in their construction are laid down, have been | deposited in the Hydrographical Office at the Admiralty, together with | the surveying-books and other documents of that kind containing more in detail the materials used in the survey.

i The survey of the coast was entirely carried on as before by astro- nomical bearings, the geographical position of the various stations being fixed by the mean of the observations of several individuals. From the number and excellence of the chronometers embarked on board the Fury, and the variety of observations used in the occasional correction of their rates, it is hoped that the geography of that portion of the North- Eastern Coast of America, which has been discovered and surveyed by this Expedition, will be found to be fixed with considerable accu- racy. For a more detailed statement of the methods employed, in the i] performance of this essential part of my duty, as well as for some notices

respecting the geography of this hitherto unknown corner of the globe, I must refer to the account of the going of the chronometers,

INTRODUCTION. xiii

the tables of the several observations, and the memorandum relating to the charts in the Appendix. With the hope of making the charts in some degree interesting to the geologist, as well as to the sea- man and geographer, I have inserted in them a brief notice of the geological character of the lands we had an opportunity of examining ; and some pains have been taken to deduce and delineate, from the numerous Esquimaux sketches, such parts of the coast as those people are acquainted with, but to which our own efforts have not hitherto enabled us to obtain access. It having been suggested that the deline- ation of ice upon a chart gives it a confused appearance, while it con- veys the idea of a fixed rather than of a constantly moving body, it has now been altogether omitted, except in one or two instances, where the description given of its position in the Narrative may by this means be illustrated and explained.

The sketches of lands were principally made by Mr. Bushnan, such views being selected by myself as appeared most striking, or best cal- culated to elucidate the descriptions given of the coast. Some were, however, taken by Captain Lyon, to whom the Public is indebted for all the other drawings of every description. Of the merit of these interesting performances it would be presumptuous in me to offer an opinion ; but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of bearing testimony to the obliging readiness with which Captain Lyon has always attended to my suggestions on this subject, as well as to the eagerness and assi- duity with which he seized on every opportunity of exercising his pencil, which so monotonous and unpicturesque a voyage presented. The ‘drawings were soon after our arrival put into the hands of Mr. Edward Finden, with whose abilities as an artist the Public is already well acquainted ; it is hoped that the manner in which they

xiv INTRODUCTION.

have been engraved will sufficiently shew the care which has been taken in their execution. !

No opportunity has been omitted of procuring and preserving spe- cimens in the several departments of Natural History, of which a con- siderable collection has been made in each ship, and which will be described in their proper places in the Appendix. The necessary smallness of our establishment rendering it expedient to dispense with the appointment of a professional Naturalist, who has usually: formed a part of expeditions of this nature, the sole responsibility in this de- partment of science naturally devolved upon myself. As however I can lay no claim to any of the qualifications requisite in a naturalist, and yet have hopes that our collections will not be altogether wanting in interest, I consider it incumbent upon me, with a view to do justice to the individuals who have assisted me in this way, to give some account of the manner in which that part of my instructions has been executed.

The collections made on board each ship were purposely kept sepa- rate, with the intention of providing against accidents happening to either ; except on one or two occasions, where only a single specimen of any animal was obtained, in which case it was transferred to the Fury. The collection of the animal kingdom formed by Captain Lyon has afforded additional interest from the drawings that accompanied them, wherein the colours most liable to fade were faithfully delineated from specimens just killed. For the specimens obtained on board the Fury

I am necessarily indebted to the zeal and industry of the several’

Officers of that ship, who have at all times rendered me their best assistance in promoting this object. I must however particularly ex- press the acknowledgments which I consider due to Mr. Ross who, from the commencement of the ve yage, undertook in addition to his other

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INTRODUCTION. xV

duties, to superintend the preservation of stuffed specimens of birds and other animals ; a task requiring a degree of taste as well as of skill and attention, which perhaps persons accustomed to these matters can alone duly appreciate. The public collection of plants and minerals on board the Fury has been in great part made and entirely arranged by Mr. Halse, to whose industry and attention in these departments for several years past I am particularly desirous to do justice. So general however have the taste for collecting and the skill in pre- serving become, among the individuals employed on these Expeditions; that much additional interest has been derived from an examination of the distinct collections of plants and minerals made by several of the officers, and particularly from that of Mr. Edwards, whose notes on the Natural History of these regions have added much valuable infor- mation on this subject. Some skeletons of animals have been prepared for the Museum of the College of Surgeons by Mr. Skeoch, among which those of a wolf and an Esquimaux dog will perhaps not be considered the least interesting, as shewing the comparative anatomy of those two animals. Soon after the arrival of the ships in the river Thames, the public Collections of Subjects of Natural History were put into the hands of three gentlemen well qualified to describe them. I need only mention the names of Professor Jameson, Professor Hooker, and Dr. Richardson, to assure the public how much justice will be done to their description; but I cannot omit this opportunity of offer- ing my warmest thanks to these gentlemen for the kind and handsome manner in which they did me the favour to undertake this task.

A monthly Abstract of the Meteorological Register is inserted in its proper order in the course of the nartative, that method having been considered most convenient for reference, on a subject necessarily

xvi INTRODUCTION.

forming so large and constant a portion of the interest of a polar voyage. In the journal from which these abstracts were made, the temperature of the air and of the sea-water was noted every two hours, and the height of the mercury in the barometer every four hours, throughout the voyage ; and the abstracts were carefully and separately arranged by Lieutenant Nias and Mr. Ross*. The whole of the tem- peratures were registered by Fahrenheit’s thermometer, and the signs + and — signify above or below zero of that scale. When neither of these signs is attached, the temperature is to be understood as positive, or above zero, except in those columns of the abstracts where a continued series of low temperatures occurs. To avoid needless repetition also in the course of the Narrative, it may here be added that the whole of the bearings are the true ones, the Dips of the Magnetic Needle North, the Latitudes North, and the Longitudes West of the meridian of Greenwich, unless otherwise expressly noticed at the time.

The temperature of the sea below the surface was sometimes ob- tained by Six’s self-registering thermometer attached to the deep-sea lead ; but more commonly (in consequence of the frequent failure of that instrument when exposed to sudden changes) by bringing up some water in the bottle contrived by Dr. Marcet, and already de- scribed in the Introduction to the Narrative of the former Voyage. This simple and useful apparatus was now somewhat improved by a strong spring enclosed within the box, and obliging the bolt, in what- ever position it might be placed, to close the apertures as soon as the catch was released, instead of trusting to its own weight as before.

* I omitted to mention, in my account of the Voyage of 1819-20, that the Meteorolo- gical Register was then kept in a similar manner.

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INTRODUCTION. xvi

In describing the Esquimaux inhabiting the sequestered and hitherto unknown corner of the American Continent, which we have recently visited, I have aimed rather at faithfulness of delineation than at height of colouring, studiously avoiding the mention of any fact of whose accuracy the slightest doubt remained upon my mind. Of the latter class are numerous pieces of information obtained in a cursory way from the Esquimaux, which, however, our imperfect knowledge of their language cid not enable us thoroughly to understand, and which almost daily experience of our former misapprehensions subse- quently taught us to receive with greater caution and distrust. In attempting a description of the manners, disposition, and general cha- racter of these people, it has been my anxious desire “ nothing to extenuate, nor set down aught in malice,” but to present, as far as it goes, a faithful and impartial sketch; divested on the one hand of the too flattering impression at first received from the extreme quietness of their demeanour, and on the other, of the feelings of annoyance occasioned by our subsequent acquaintance with the less favourable features in their character. In the more important, though less diffi- cult task of relating the proceedings of the Expedition, with reference to its primary objects, my endeavours have been exclusively directed to the attainment of accuracy and plainness, omitting nothing, however, which appeared to me likely to afford interest or information, and avoiding every minute detail but what seemed absolutely necessary for explaining my views, or otherwise elucidating the subjects under con- sideration.

That our efforts have not hitherto been crowned with greater suc- cess, cannot fail to be a matter of extreme disappointment, as well as of sincere though unavailing regret ; but I feel it a duty to state, that c

INTRODUCTION.

XVill

had our progress been in any degree proportionate to the exertions of those under my command, there would ere this have been nothing left to regret, and but little to accomplish; and I am happy therefore thus publicly to express the high sense I entertain of the laudable 4 zeal and. strenuous exertions uniformly displayed by Captain Lyon, : the officers, seamen, and marines, of both the ships engaged in this

service. Of the exemplary conduct of the men it has been my good

fortune to command on this occasion, I cannot indeed speak too

highly; it has been a happiness to their officers and a credit to them-

selves. It was highly gratifying to observe the eager assiduity with

which, during two successive winters of long and tedious confinement,

they followed up the more sedentary occupations of learning to read i

and write, with which they were furnished ; and it is, I confess, with no ordinary feelings of pleasure that I record the fact, that on the return of the Expedition to England, there was not an individual belonging to it who could not read his Bible.

Of the value of Mr. Fisher’s labours in those departments of science to which his attention was particularly directed, I cannot pretend to | form a competent opinion, and his account of them now preparing in | the Appendix will, I doubt not, speak for itself; but I have the most sincere pleasure in offering my testimony to the unabated zeal and perseverance with which, under circumstances of no ordinary diffi- culty from climate, and in spite of frequent ill. health, he continued to pursue every object which could tend to the improvement of Astro-

nomy and Navigation, and to the interests of Science in general.

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EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS PECULIAR TO THE NAVIGATION AMONG ICE;

And occasionally made use of in the course of the following Narrative, where they are distinguished by inverted commas.

BAyY-1cE.—Ice newly-formed upon the surface of the sea.

BesetT.—The situation of the ship when closely surrounded by ice.

Bicut.—An indentation in a floe of ice, like a bay, by which name it is sometimes called.

Buink.—A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere, often assuming an arch-like form, which is generally perceptible over ice or land covered with snow. The blink of land, as well as that over large quantities of ice, is usually of a yellowish cast.

BorzE.—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.

CALF.—A mass of ice lying under a floe near its margin, and when disengaged from that position, rising with violence to the surface of the water, See TONGUE.

VLeAR WATER.—Any part of the sea unincumbered with ice.

Crow’s-NgEst.—A small 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.

Docx.—In a floe may be natural or artificial; the former being simply a small “bight, in which a ship is placed to secure her from the danger of external pressure, and the latter, a square space cut out with saws for a similar purpose.

Frerp.—A sheet of ice generally of great thickness, and of too great extent to be seen over from a ship’s mast-head.,

Funcntne.—The operation of stripping a sea-animal of its skin and blubber.

Firor.—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.

A Hoe or Poot of water.—A small space of ‘clear water,” when the rest of the sea is covered with ice,

LAND-ICE.—Ice attached to the land, either in floes or in heavy grounded masses lying near the shore,

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xx

EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

LeEAD.—A channel through the ic. A ship is said to “take the right lead” when she fol- lows a channel conducting her intoa more navigable sea, and vice versa.

MakinG-orFr blubber.— The operation of putting it into casks. NrpPrp.—The situation of a ship when forcibly pressed by ice.

PAcK.—A large body of ice consisting of separate masses lying close together, and whose extent cannot be seen. PANCAKE-ICE.—Newly formed ice, assuming the peculiar conformation of numberless

patches of “sludge,” and giving the surface of the sea the appearance of a hand- some pavement.

Parc of Ice.—The same asa pack, but of small dimensions.

SAILING-ICE.—Ice of which the masses are so much separated as to allow a ship to sail among them.

SALLYING a ship.—The operation of causing her to roll, by the men running in a body from side to side, so as to relieve her from the adhesion and friction of the young ice around her.

SLUDGE.—Ice of the consistence of thick honey, offering little impediment to a ship while in this state, but greatly favouring the formation of a ‘ bay-floe.”

STREAM.—A long and narrow, but generally continuous collection of loose ice.

TonGvE.—A mass of ice projecting under water, from an iceberg or floe, and generally dis- tinguishable at a considerable depth in smooth water. It differs from a “ calf” in being fixed to, or a part of, the larger body.

WATER-SKY.—A dark appearance in the sky, indicating ‘ clear water” in that direction, and forming a striking contrast with the “ blink” over land or ice.

YounG-ICE.—Nearly the same as “ bay-ice,” but generally applied to ice more recently formed than the latter.

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OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Treland, §-c. &c.

LORD Viscount Melville having communicated to the King the proceedings of the late Expedition into the Arctic Seas, and His Majesty having been graciously pleased to express his commands that a further Expedition should be fitted out, for the purpose of renewing the attempt to discover a passage by sea between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and of ascertaining the geography of the Northern boundaries of the American Continent, we have thought proper to appoint you to the command of the Expedition ; and you are hereby required and directed to put to sea in His Majesty’s ship Fury under your command, together with His Majesty’s ship Hela, whose commander has been placed under your orders, and taking also with you the Nautilus Transport, which we have directed the Navy Board to place at your disposal (for the purpose of carrying a proportion of your provisions and stores across the Atlantic and Davis’ Strait,) you are to proceed as quickly as may be consistent with every precaution to avoid any risk of your parting company from either the one ship or the other, towards, or into, Hudson’s Strait, until you shall meet with the

- ——

xxii OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

ice, when you are to take the first favourable opportunity of clearing the Nautilus Transport of the provisions and stores she is charged with for the Fury and Hecla; and having so done you are to send the said transport back to England, so as to prevent her incurring any risk of receiving injury amongst the ice, reporting by that opportunity your proceedings to our Secretary for our information.

After having so cleared and despatched the Transport you are, with the two ships of His Majesty under your orders, to penetrate to the westward through Hudson’s Strait, until you reach, either in Repulse Bay or on other part of the shores of Hudson’s Bay, to the north of Wager River, some part of the coast which you may feel convinced to be a portion of the Continent of America. You are then to keep along the bie of this coast to the northward, always examining every bend or inlet which may appear to you likely to afford a practicable passage to the westward, in which direction it is the principal object of your voyage to endea- vour to find your way from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean.

In the event of your having consumed the open weather in the exa- mination of the northern boundaries of Huds9n’s or Cumberland’s Straits, and of your having, at the close of the season, returned into Davis’ Strait or Baffin’s Bay; or if you should have made no consider- able progress to the westward or northward in any inlet you may have found, it will be for you to consider, under all the circumstances of the case, whether it may not be expedient that you should return to England to replenish, refit, and refresh, rather than winter on a part of the coast which you might reach again next season as early as would be: necessary for prosecuting your further inquiries. The judg- ment which you have shewn in the conduct of the late Expedition and the experience which you have acquired, induce us to trust this

aring with > said sk of

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h the ward or on fiver, on of ’ this rhich vard, :dea-

OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. xxii

point to your own discretion, on a view of all the differen’ circum stances which may exist at the time when your determinai.on is to We formed.

Should you be so successful as to find a practicable passage from the one sea to the other, you are to make the best of your way in accom- plishing that object without stopping to examine the north coast of America, or for any other object not of imperious importance; but when the ships are checked in their progress by ice, or other una- voidable circumstances, you will take every opportunity of examining the coasts you may be near, and making all useful observations relating thereto.

Should you happily reach the Pacific you are to proceed to Kams- chatka, (if you think you can do so without risk of being shut up by the ice on that coast,) for the purpose of delivering to the Russian Governor duplicates of 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 Kamschatka 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 refitted and refreshed, you are to lose no time in returning to England by such route as you may deem most convenient.

It may happen that your progress along the north coast of the American Continent may be so slow as to render it desirable that, if you should not be able to accomplish your passage into the Pacific earlier than the autumn of 1824, you should be assured of finding a

XXIV OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

depédt of provisions at that period in the most advanced situation to

which they can safely be conveyed. In the event then of our not receiving from you such intelligence as may render the measure unne-

cessary, we shall, about the close of the year 1823, direct the Com-

mander-in-Chief on the South American station to despatch a vessel with a supply of provisions and stores, so as to be at Behring’s Strait about August or September, 1824. The commander of this vessel will be directed to make the best of his way round Cape Prince of Wales, where he may expect, as we are informed, to find an inlet in latitude 68° 30, in which Captain Kotzebue is stated to have found

anchorage a few years since. He will be directed to lie in that ancho- .

rage, or in the nearest good anchorage he may find to that latitude ; and he will be ordered to erect, in the most prominent and visible Situation, a flagstaff for your direction. As it is possible that you may touch at the Sandwich Islands, this Officer will be directed to call at Owhyhee, in order that if you should have passed to the southward, he may not be put to the inconvenience of going on to Cape Prince of Wales.

Whenever 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 being impassable on account of ice, you are, if you should not return to England, to use your best endeavours 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 under your command, 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 when you find it expedient to resort to this measure, if you should meet with any inhabitants, either Esquimaux or Indians, near

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OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXV

the place where you winter, you are to endeavour, by every means in

your power, to cultivate a friendship with them, by making them pre- sents of such 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.

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 or Noxth-West Companies, an account of your situation and proceedings, with an urgent request that it may be forwarded to England with the utmost possible despatch.

We deem it right to caution you against suffering the two 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 Hecla, placing in him every proper confidence, and acquainting 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 efforts in the prosecution of such a service, and that, in the event of unavoidable separation, or of any accident to yourself, Captain Lyon may have the advantage of knowing, up to the latest practicable period, all your ideas and intentions relative to a satisfactory completion of the undertaking.

We also recommend that as frequent an exchange take place as con- veniently may be, of the observations made in the two ships; that any scientific discovery made by the one be as quickly as possible communi- cated for the advantage and guidance of the other, in making their d-

XXvi OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

future observations, and to increase the chance of the observations of both being preserved.

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 Fury the Rev. Mr. Fisher, who is represented to us as a gentleman well skilled in Astronomy, Mathematics, and various branches of knowledge, to assist you in making such observations as may tend to the improvement of Geography and Navigation, and the advancement of science in general.

Amongst other subjects of scientific inquiry, you will particularly direct your attention to the variation and inclination of the magnetic needle, and the intensity of the magnetic 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 electrometic and magnetic needles on the appearance of the Aurora Borealis. You will keep a correct register of the temperature of the air, and of the sea at the surface, and at different depths. You will cause frequent observa- tions 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 also to attend particu- larly 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

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OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. XXVil

instrument better calculated 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, and that the ascertaining the Northern boundary of the American Continent is the next, yet that the different observations you may be enabled to make, with regard to the magnetic influence, as well as such other observations as you may have opportunities of making in Natu- ral History, Geography, gc. in parts of the globe so little known, must prove most valuable and interesting to science; 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 of the highest importance. And you are to direct Mr. Fisher to be particu- larly careful to keep an accurate register of all the observations that shall be made, precisely in the same forms, and according to the same arrangement, that were followed by Captain Sabine on the late voyage ; —into whose charge are also to be given the several chronometers with which you have been supplied.

And although, as already specified, 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, head- lands, §'c. to be carefully taken, the better to illustrate the charts you may make, and the places you may discover, on which duty you will be more particularly assisted by Captain Lyon and Mr. Bushnan, Assistant Surveyor.

You are to make use of all the means in your power to collect and

de

XXViil OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

preserve such specimens of the Animal, Mineral, and Vegetable King- doms, as you can conveniently stow on board the ships; salting in casks the skins of the larger animals, as well as causing accurate draw- ings 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 Mr. Fisher, and the other Officers under your command.

In the event of any irreparable accident happening to either of the two ships, yo": are to cause the Officers and Crew of the disabled ship to be re- moved into the other, and with her singly to proceed in prosecution of the voyage, or return to England, according as circumstances 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 na- ture. Should unfortunately your own ship be the one disabled, you are in that case to take the command of the Hecla ; and in the event of any fatal accident happening to yourself, Captain Lyon is hereby authorized to take the command of the Expedition, either on board the Fury or Hecla, as he may prefer, placing the Officer who may then be next in seniority to him, in command of the second ship; also in the event of your inability, by sickness or otherwise, to continue to carry these In- structions into execution, you are to transfer them to Captain Lyon, or to the survivisig Officer then next in command to you, employed on the Expedition, who is hereby required to execute them in the best manner he can for the attainment of the several objects in view.

His Majesty’s Government having appointed Captain Franklin to the command of an Expedition to explore the northern coast of North

Sp ais CBA pea SO eh ee RN

ta

King- ng in draw- hem ; trust other

e two be re- of the par to S are luties ip to Ss na- u are f any rized ry or xt in nt of e In- n, or on best

n to

pu

OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS. . xxix

America, from the mouth of the Coppermine River of Hearne, east- ward, it would be desirable, if you should reach that: coast, that you should mark your progress by erecting a flagstaff in a few of the most convenient and distinguishable points which you may successively visit, and you are to bury at the foot of each staff a bottle, containing such information as may be useful to Captain Franklin, and such further particulars respecting your own proceedings as you may think proper to add; corresponding instructions having been given to Captain Frank- lin 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. And in the event of your getting to the westward of Hearne’s river, you should occasionally do the same with a view to multiply the chances of our hearing of your progress. In the event of your finding Captain Franklin and his party on any part of the coasts of America, (which being possible, you should look out for and attend to any signals that may be displayed on the shores,) you are, if he should wish it, to receive him and his party into His Majesty’s ships under your command, bearing them as supernumeraries for vic- tuals until your return, or you have other n.eans of forwarding them to England.

You are, whilst 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

xxx

OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

i they may have made, which are all to be sealed up ; and you will issue a

lit similar orders to Captain Lyon and. his Officers, ic.; the said logs, s

| journals, or other documents to be thereafter disposed of as we may 4 think proper. 4

P| Given under our hands this 27th of April, 1821. q

Tr (Signed) G. Cocxsurn, 4

a ) H. Horna, 4 G. CLERK. q | By Command of their Lordships, 4

| (Signed) J. W. Croker. 4 i| 4 a iY ’ ai | . nt} @ 3 i a q | i j | + | To q 1] | William Edward Parry, Esq., Com- q ia! mander of His Majesty's Vessel the 4

Fury, at Deptford.

SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.

aE AGRA PS

AN ee i

SECOND

VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

OF A

NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

CHAPTER I

®

PASSAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC——-REMOVAL OF STORES FROM THE NAUTILUS TRANSPORT, AT THE MARGIN OF THE ICE--DEPARTURE OF THE NAUTILUS FOR ENGLAND=—ENTER THE ICE IN HUDSON’S STRAIT——PERILOUS SITUATION OF THE HECLA, AND LOSS OF HER ANCHOR—MEET WITH THE HUDSON’S-BAY SHIPS™PASSAGE UP THE STRAIT, AND COM- MUNICATION WITH THE NATIVES INHABITING THE NORTHERN SHORES——PASS THE TRINITY ISLANDS OF FOX=—ARRIVAL OFF SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND, WHERE THE RE- SEARCHES OF THE EXPEDITION COMMENCE,

Tue Fury, Hecia, and Navtitus Transport, were completed for sea towards 1821. the latter part of the month of April, and, on the 29th, at 10 A.M., the wind es being from the eastward, with every appearance of its continuing, the Fury 8" 2° was taken in tow by the Eclipse steam-boat, which vessel had before taken

us down the river on asimilar occasion. Attwo P.M., the Fury was moored

to the buoy at Northfleet, and the Eclipse returned to Deptford for the other

ships. The Hecla reached the moorings on the following day, ar.J the Nau- Mon. 30. tilus on the 1st of May. The guns and ordnance-stores were here received Tues, y on board, after which the ships immediately proceeded to the Little Nore

where they anchored on the 3d. I received my final instructions from the

Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on the 4th, and set out for Sheerness

on the following day. On the 7th, the ships were visited by Rear-Admiral Mon. 7. Sir John Gore, from whom we had, on this, as on the former occasion, re-

ceived every attention and assistance, which the greatest personal kindness,

B

NOS Ye TAN Nat PO ane

ne

Tues. 8,

Wed. 16.

Frid. 18.

Sat. 19.

Tues, 22.

2 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DIS«'OVERY

and the most lively interest in our success, could suggest. On the same day, the ships’ companies received their arrears of river-pay, and three months’ wages in advance ; after which they provided themselves with a large stock of warm clothing, according to alist previously given out. The crews were, however, so well acquainted with the nature of the service on which they were about to be employed, that they took good care to provide an abundant supply of every thing of that kind.

Previously to leaving the Nore, I furnished Captain Lyon with a complete copy of my Instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, accompanied by an order containing some general regulations; and I also appointed certain places of rendezvous, to ensure the meeting of the three ships at the margin of the ice, in case of unavoidable separation in crossing the Atlantic.

On the 8th, at half-past three A.M., we weighed from the Little Nore, and, being favoured with a fresh breeze from the southward and westward, passed through Hoseley Bay at noon, when, the weather becoming thick, I was induced to run out at the back of the sands, lest we should not be able to distinguish the lights clearly at night. The wind soon after backing more to the westward, prevented our getting in with the land, for the pur- pose of sending away our pilots, till the 16th when, being off Buchaness, they were put into a sloop bound to Leith, and our despatches and let- ters forwarded by the same opportunity.

On the morning of the 18th, being off Copinsha, one of the Orkney Islands, and the wind continuing fresh from the northward, which prevented our getting round them in that direction, pilots were taken on board to run the ships through the Pentland Firth. In the course of. the afternoon, however, while standing through, the wind backed to the westward of north, with heavy squalls, which would not have allowed us to clear the land with the ebb-tide. I determined, therefore, on anchoring in Widewall harbour, which we did at four P.M., in six fathoms, and immediately set about completing our water. On the following day, I addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty, acquainting him with the proceedings of the Expedition up to this date.

The wind remaining nearly in the same quarter for several days after our arrival, it was not until the 22d that we were enabled to weigh and stand to the westward, through the Firth. As we proceeded, however, the wind gradually veered to the N.W., with a considerable head-swell, which

=

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Dene we eee eee To tae

a

CSL antares

$e

f si Saas nefits

ne day,

nonths’

e stock $ were, h they undant

mplete liralty,

I also > three rossing

e, and, passed. I was e able acking e pur- janess, id let-

rkney ented oO run noon, rd of

the ewall ly set ter to bf the

after h and , the hich

a i Sapa ek ede a hos SE edd Neel hen oe ee a EET ToC

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OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 3

prevented our clearing the land; we accordingly bore up and reached the

1821.

harbour of Long-Hope about midnight. We were here once more detained Peis

by strong and unfavourable winds, which continued with little intermission till the morning of the 30th, when a light air springing up from the east- ward, we weighed, at 8.20 A.M., and ran between the islands to the north- ward. At one, P.M., the pilots left us off Hoy Head, when all sail was made to the westward.

The latitude of the Martello Tower upon Hackness Point, at the entrance of Long-Hope harbour, is, by our observations, 58° 48' 51"; its longitude, by chronometers, 3° 00' 09" W.; and the variation of the magnetic needle, 26° 58’ 30", westerly. The holding-ground is here excellent: this indeed is one of the best harbours in the Orkneys, and perhaps in the world, being capable of containing a very large fleet of ships in perfect security. In Widewall harbour, which is small and affords less shelter, we found the ground more loose; it is probably in some parts rocky, as our anchors came up so covered with weeds, that we could with difficulty fish them. The latitude of the south point of the entrance, by a single observation, is 58° 48’ 25"; the longitude by chronometers, 2° 55’ 27"; and the variation, 27° 32' 08", westerly.

At ten P.M., we passed two miles to the southward of the remarkable islets called the Stack and Skerry, having steered N.W. by W., by compass, (or N. 88° W. true,) from Hoy Head, from which headland they are certainly distant fourteen or fifteen leagues, instead of ten, as laid down in most of the charts. Passing in sight of the islands of Bara and Rona, we continued our course, with a fresh and favourable breeze, to the westward.

On the 7th of June, being in lat. 57° 30’, long. 34° 29', we tried the current, by a boat moored in the usual manner with an iron pot, but none was perceptible. On this and the preceding day we saw, for the first time, large flocks of Shearwaters, (procellaria puffinus,) called by the Green- land sailors Cape hens, as being usually met with only in the neighbour- hood of Cape Farewell. The birds we met with about the Cape were, besides shearwaters which disappeared immediately after passing it, the fulmar petrels, (procellaria glacialis,) kittiwakes, (larus rissa,) looms, (uria brunichii,) dovekies, (colymbus grylle,) rotges, (alca alle,) a few terns, (sterna hirundo,) and a flock or two of ducks, of which the species was uncertain.

On the 8th at noon, being in lat. 57° 33’, long. 37° 48', the tempera- B 2

si hu

Frid. 8.

a I ee ele

1821, June. wi~!

Sat. 9.

Thur, 14.

Mon. 18,

4 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.

ture of the sea-water, at four hundred and sixty fathoms below the sur- face, was found, by Six’s thermometer, to be 40°.7, that of the surface being 454°, and of the air, 463°. A number of bottle-nose whales were about the ships.

On the 9th, we saw a bird much resembling a fulmar petrel in shape, but differing in plumage from any we had before remarked, its general colour being a dark-brown, with a white stripe extending completely across the wings, along the tips of the wing-covers, both above and below.

After entering Davis’ Straits, we had for several days variable and un- settled weather, the wind blowing principally from the southward, with a heavy swell from the same quarter. On the 14th, we met with the first ice- berg, being in lat. 60° 48’, long. 53°13’. On the following day, the tem- perature of the sea, at the depth of four hundred and sixty fathoms, was found, by Six’s thermometer, to be.40°, that of the surface being 40§°, and of the air 41$°. While in the entrance of Davis’ Strait, we met with two or three small pieces of drift-wood on different days; they appeared to be of fir, and to have been a considerable time in the water, though not at all worm: eaten.

Soon after daylight, on the 18th, we passed a quantity of loose ive, such as usually occurs at a little distance from the main body. We came to the edge of the ‘“ pack” in the course of the forenoon and, finding here a consider- able swell, tacked off and on till the water should become smoother, being at noon in lat. 60° 50' 12", long. 62°08’ 30". On the day before we made thie ice, we had observed a great number of looms as well as fulmar petrels about the ships. On reaching its margin, we found, besides these, large flocks of phalaropes, (phalaropus platyrinchus,) rotges, dovekies, and one or two of snow-buntings, (emberiza nivalis,) the latter attended by their enemy the hawk, (falco peregrinus). The temperature of the sea-water had de- creased pretty gradually from 40° on the morning of the 17th, to 34° on that of the 18th, previously to our making the ice ; after which it soon fell to 32° and 30°, being its usual stxndard in the neighbourhood of a body of ice, during the summer months.

Having now reached the situation in which I was directed, by my instruc- tions, to clear the Nautilus of our stores, I was desirous immediately to commence this work, in order to be ready for the opening of the ice in Hudson's Strait, which might be expected to occur in a few days. There being a number of bergs in sight, I determined to anchor the ships to

& 8 ae ie 3 a . ia

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ee aaa Slaten =

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ye, but colour ss the

1d un- with a ‘st ice- > tem- S, Was and of ‘three of fir, worm:

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Fury, at Sea, during the Month of June, 1821.

ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty’s Ship

Temperature of Air in shade.

Day}! Place. | Maxi- | Mini- pane | ses

i] | 453 +9 2ii|s 53 | 50 3||S || 53 | 49 alll 53} | 50 5 8 4 52 | 49 6|i|.22 || 50 | 4 7 23 51 | 48} 8 on 48 44 9 . 45 | 40 || || ag] a ull{s 42 | 38

8 NSREBBRBESSESN are wR SSS eeauanamamnm EE of the ice, off the entrance & 8s 86 & & 8 seeese28

eo Davis’ Strait. S 8

At the entrance to

to Hudson's Strait.

28

Close to the margi 8 S$

30

533} 30

Sea Water at

Maxi- mune

mum. | Mean,

inches | inches

30.20) 29.90 29.91) 29.78 29.837 29.75) 29.70 29.717

29.67, nis wale:

29.45 sii ainsi 29.93) 29.48 29.710

30.00} 29.68 29.818 29.68) 29.59:29.627 29.98 op raise 29.48 ge ie 29.72] 29.31/20.558 20.26] 28.96.29.035 29.66 28.98'29.320 29.81] 20.72:20.775 29.71] 29.64129.654 29.54] 29.13 20.302 29.74] 20.23/29.570 29.87] 20.78120. 832 30.03] 29.88 29.982 30.10] 30.03/30.053 30.21) 30.11/30.167 30.00] 29.11/29.143 29.67] 29.20,29.522 20.92) 20.50)29.670 30.16} 30.00.30. 105 30.12] 20.92/29.973 29.95] 20.89,29.908 30.15 id el 30.23] 30.17/30.192

30.03 2.0.26 |

40.45 || 39.36 $0.23 | 28.96 |29.729

surface. | Barometer. |

Prevailing Winds.

Directicn,

SE SSE EbS E4S EbN

North

AM. NbE PM. SE

South SSW

SW AM. SE PM. SSW SWbW

AM. SE PM. SSW

NWbW SSW SWbw

SEDE

AM. NNE PM. NW

West West West WSW SE WSW SW SSW SSE SSE WNW NNW

modt. modt, modt, modt. modt. modt, light modt, fresh modt. strong fresh light strong light light fresh fresh modt. light modt, modt. strong fresh strong light modt. fresh light

modt.

‘acti

| Prevailing

Weather,

fine hazy and rain ditto ditto ditto hazy foggy hazy and rain rain in squalls cloudy rain in squalls rain in squalls hazy and rain hazy and rain cloudy fine rain in squalls hazy, rain & snow fine fine cloudy

hazy

hazy, snow, rain and hail

fine fine and clear fine and clear foggy foggy and rain cloudy cloudy

I enemas men nt Lert i aI

1821, July, we

Sun. 1.

Mon, 2.

6 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

one of them for this purpose, whenever the wind and weather would permit. So unfavourable, however, did these prove, and so often were we interrupted by the closing of the ice upon the ships, that little progress could be made in our work for several days. The difficulty of accomplishing this was consider- ably increased by the attention necessary to keep the Nautilus from injury, which, however, the strenuous exertions of Lieutenant Scrymgour and his people happily effected, and the removal of the stores was completed by the evening of the 30th; when, having sent our despatches and letters on board the Nautilus, and made every other arrangement, I gave Lieutenant Scrym- gour his instructions to return to England; and at one A.M. on the Ist of July, he parted company, while the Fury and Hecla stood in towards the ice. A whaler, deeply laden, and apparently homeward bound, was at this time in sight to the eastward.

Towards noon we made the ice, being in lat. 62° 08' 37”, long. 62° 22' 49”, and ran along its edge, keeping as much to the westward as the trending of it would allow. We thus continued to run through “ sailing ice” all night, till, having by the chronometers nearly reached the longitude as- signed to Resolution Island, and the weather becoming thick, we hove to on the morning of the 2d, to await the fog’s clearing away, that we might see the land. Finding soon afterwards that the ships drifted considerably, the wind being fresh from the eastward, or directly towards the shore, we made fast to an iceberg for better security. On the wcather clearing up about noon, we found ourselves close to Resolution Island, which bore from S. 21° E. to S. 77° W. a very remarkable piece of land called by our fishermen, on account of its peculiar appearance, the “ Black Bluff,” being distant from us five or six miles. Our latitude by account, at this time, was 61° 59/49”, and long. 64° 47’ 50", the soundings being one hundred and sixty-four fathoms, on a rocky bottom. The greater part of this land was now clear of snow, which, however, still filled many of the valleys, and, together with the fog that hung over it, rendered the scene before us indescribably dreary and disagreeable. It requires a few days to be passed amidst scenes of this nature, to erase, in a certain degree, the impressions left by more animated landscapes ; and not till then, perhaps, does the eye become familiarized, and the mind reconciled, to prospects of utter barrenness and desolation such as these rugged shores present.

Some clear water appearing to the southward, we made sail along the

island in that direction, passing a great many ice-bergs, of which Captain °

yermit. rupted ade in nsider- injury, nd his by the . board Scrym- Ist of ‘ds the at this

22’ 49”, ending ‘e”’ all ide as- 10ve to might rably, re, we about 21°R. n, on OM US 9’ 49", y-four

clear r with dreary of this mated rized,

such

g the

ptain *

¥ oe =

ieee

Sa ose

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 7

Juyon counted fifty-four in sight at one time. Some of these were of large dimensions, their height above the sea being not less than two hundred fect. In passing one of them, which was aground, at three P.M., we ob- served the flood running past it to the W.S.W.,, at the rate of two or two and a half knots. At six o’clock the ice became so close that we could no longer make any progress, and the tide carrying us soon after towards a large berg aground in ninety fathoms, while the drift ice threatened to enclose us betwixt them, we ran under the lee of the berg and, by great exertion in the boats, succeeded in getting a line fasttoit. The eddies and whirlpools, however, caused by the tide running at the rate of four or five knots, rendered the ships perfectly unmanageable, and the ice closing round us before a hawser could be run out, the line was soon snapped, and the ships carried towards the land, the boats having with difficulty been got on board and hoisted up.

We lay closely beset, though drifting rapidly about with the tides, during the night; and, early on the morning of the 3d, the ice gradually slack- ing about us, we succeeded in getting into clear water, and continued our progress without obstruction, at the distance of ten or twelve miles from the land. Within this the ice was closely packed in one impenetrable body the whole way to the shore, and the same to the southward and eastward, leaving a navigable channel, four or five miles in breadth, leading towards the entrance of Hudson’s Strait.

These favourable appearances, however, continued only till seven P.M., when the ice opposed our further progress to the westward, covering the whole sea as far as the eye could reach in that direction; the ships were, there- fore, of necessity hove to, inorder to await some change in our favour. The tide appeared to have been setting to the eastward from noon till six P.M., about which time it turned in the opposite direction, and, soon after we had hove to, the ships were carried by it into the ice which formed their present impediment, at the rate of more than three miles an hour, and were quickly beset by other pieces of ice drifting in upon them from the eastward. The ice here consisted principally of large, though loose, masses of broken floes, none covering more than a quarter of an acre, and few so much, but having many high hummocks, and drawing a great deal of water. We counted also above thirty bergs in sight at one time, and observed that many of them were carried about by the tides with great rapidity.

At a quarter past midnight the westerly tide slackened ; and the ice, soon

1821, July. Law

Tues. 3.

1821. July. aw

Thurs. 5.

Frid. 6.

8 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

after, began to drift back in an E.N.E. direction at the same rate as before. We remained beset the whole of this day, driving very near some bergs which lay in our way, but unable to move the ships in any direction. We were, at noon, in lat. 61° 13' 05", longitude by chronometers 64° 05' 10". The wea- ther being foggy, no land was in sight. Besides the above observations, some were also obtained for the dip of the magnetic needle, which was 83° 58’ 51”, and for the irregularities occasioned by local attraction ; these are inserted in the Appendix. Abundance of fine fresh water was found upon the large pieces of floe-ice to which the ships were fast, and this opportunity was, as usual, taken to fill as much as we required, as well as to wash the ships’ com- panies clothes.

A fresh breeze from the W.S.W. springing up on the morning of the 5th, accompanied by clearer weather, we cast off to try what could be done, and succeeded in pushing the ships in-shore, where we found a “ lane” of tolerably open water, owing to the ebb-tide having sct the ice offin a body. As this tide was now a lee one, however, we could with difficulty keep the ships to windward under a press of sail; and, as soon as we had come to the end of the lane, were under the necessity of driving back to the eastward, the little distance we had gained. We had now only advanced within five or six miles of the south point of Resolution Island, which, by our observations, lies in lat. 61° 20’ 40", long. 64° 55'15”. The former of these, which is the result of several meridian altitudes, is eight miles to the southward of the position usually assigned to this headland in the charts. A league or two to the eastward of this, we observed two openings having the appear- ance of harbours, which I should have been glad to examine, but that I had found the flood-tide always set directly in towards the land for the first or second quarter, As this was now about to make, it became necessary to the safety of the ships to gain an offing, in order to interpose some ice be- tween thei. wc the shore. We accordingly stood off for a few miles, and then made fast to a floe-piece, just as the ice came crowding back from the eastward with the flood-tide. The stream of the ebb ran, in the offing, till seven o'clock this evening, and we could perceive that it remained slack for a very short time.

The wind shifted to the south-eastward in the course of the night, with a strong breeze and heavy rain; and, on the following morning, when the ebb-tide opened the ice a little, a considerable swell was admitted from the sea, causing the ships to strike violently and almost constantly on the

before. 3 which vere, at ie wea- 3, some 58’ 51”, rted in pieces usual, s’ com-

he 5th, ne, and lerably As this hips to end of d, the » Or six ations, which ard of gue or ppear- I had rst or ary to ce be- s, and bm the g, till ck for

ith a n the m the

the

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 9

masses of ice alongside of them. In this situation they continued for seve- ral hours so completely beset as to render it impossible to extricate them, and drifting about at random with the tides. The Hecla was, by a different set of the stream, separated five or six miles from the Fury, while both ships were equally hampered.

The effects to be apprehended from exposure to the swell of the main ocean constitute the peculiar danger of first entering the ice about the mouth of Hudson’s Strait, which is completely open to the influence of tie whole Atlantic. A very inconsiderable quantity of loose ice is sufficient to shelter a ship from the sea, provided it be closely packed; but when the masses are separated by wind or tide, so as to admit the swell, the concus- sions soon become too violent for a ship, strengthened in the ordinary way, to withstand for any length of time. On this account, it is prudent not to enter the ice without a fair prospect of getting seven or cight leagues within the margin. For the same reason, also, when likely to be besct near the sea, it is better to make a ship fast to small than to large pieces, in order to avoid the heavier concussions occasioned by the latter.

A thick fog prevailed during most of the day, with only occasional intervals of clear weather. Soon after noon, we suddenly found ourselves close to a large berg, of which there were many about us, and which are dangerous neighbours in so rapid a tide-way. The ice near us being fortu- nately slack at this time, a light air of wind, with the boats a-head, enabled us to get clear of it. Those bergs which were not aground we observed to drift to and fro with each tide, fully twice as fast and, consequently, twice as far as the masses of field-ice; which circumstance seems to shew that the stream must extend very far below the surface, many of these immense bodies being from fifty to ninety feet above the surface of the sea and reaching, probably, almost as many fathoms below it. The bergs which thus drive about are, however, less dangerous to approach than those aground, against which a ship is liable to be carried with the whole force of the tide.

The fog suddenly clearing away, at 6 P.M., we found ourselves close under Resolution Island, though we could obtain no soundings with one hundred and ten fathoms of line. In standing off we were soon again en- veloped in fog and, being once more beset as soon as the flood-tide made, were drifted about during the night, without knowing in what direction we went, The weather again clearing up for a short tine, on the evening of

1821. July. aw

the 7th, we found, to our great surprise, that the Hecla had drifted eleven Sat. 7,

Cc

Rea

i 10 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY a 1821. or twelve miles to the westward of us, though still beset in the ice. This HE July. circumstance appeared the more extraordinary, as the ships had been close

together only a few hours before, and shews in a very striking manner the irregularity of the tides in this neighbourhood. In the afternoon, an i | attempt was made to join the Hecla; but a gale coming on from the south- 4 ward and westward, with the same thick weather as before, we were soon | set fast again among heavy masses of floe-ice. The soundings were from one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty-five fathoms, upon a hard rocky bottom, at the distance of about three leagues from the land. Some water brought up, in the course of the day, from one hundred and ninety fathoms, was at the temperature of 32°, that of the surface being 31°, and of bi the air 33}°. ft Sun.8 Early on the morning of the 8th, an opportunity offered of getting into a Jane of clear water, which here, from the rapidity of the tides, often forms | and disappears again with astonishing quickness. On standing towards the Hecla, which was still beset, I was informed by telegraph that she had suffered no material injury, except in the loss of a bower anchor, which was broken off in the shank by a heavy blow from a mass of ice. In the course of i}! this day, however, she narrowly escaped a much more serious disaster, being carried by the ice within two hundred yards of the shore, and close to several rocks lying off it, and neariy swept into a dangerous inlet. In this situation, all that could be done was to endeavour to warp round the

a | large floe piece to which she was attached; but this attempt was completely 4 a | frustrated by the floe always turning as soon as any strain was thus put upon 5, it. In this perilous situation she remained for several hours, after which, a

by great exertions, she succeeded in getting out of the ice, and rejoined us

in the evening. The weather was beautifully clear during the whole of this

day, though the wind was from the southward, and sometimes a point or 4

ue two to the eastward of south. For the first time, also, since we came 7 off Hudson’s Strait, for we had scarcely yet entered it, a large space of 3 water remained open during the whole of the flood-tide, so that we were enabled to r:‘vance a league or two farther to the westward than before.

Mon. 9. Early on the morning of the 9th, however, the ice again closed in upon us, and we remained immoveably beset for a week, during which time, ;

to prevent separation, the ships were made fast to the same floe-piece, =

i and were found to drift from one to four or five miles to the southward ;

daily, and rather to the westward. It was, however, a matter of agreeable

This 1 close 1anner on, an south- > soon 2 from a hard Some ninety and of

‘into a forms ds the ie had ch was urse of being ose to rt. In nd the pletely t upon

hich, hed us of this int or

came ACe of were efore. upon time, piece, ward eable

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Il

surprise to us to find the masses of ice so quiet among themselves as to give us 1821,

no disturbance ; a circumstance that seemed to indicate a greater regularity in the set of the tides near the centre of Hudson’s Strait, carrying the whole of the ice along in one body, instead of producing the violent cross-sets which we had experienced in-shore. In the middle of the strait we could obtain no soundings with three hundred fathoms of line. The sea-water was frequently brought up in Dr. Marcet’s bottle from different depths below the surface, when its temperature was found to be as follows :

Depth Air Air

DAY. Time. Pati. — Water Shade. Bu ne July 9 8 A.M. 253 32 8 31 34 _ » 10 Noon. 243 34 325 37 60 » 12 Noon. 320 33 30.7 404 44 » 1s 4P.M. 310 33 31 42 82 » 4 8 P.M. 313 31 31 35 ~ Pe 8 A.M. 315 32.8 31 35 a » 19 11.30 A.M. 118 32 34 45 ~ » 2l 4 P.M. 106 314 34 44 _

July. ww

On the 13th, both ships’ companies were exercised in firing at a target Frid. 13.

on the ice, as well for the purpose of giying them occupation, as of finding out who were our best shots. On the same afternoon, we saw two ships beset to the northward, which we supposed to be those bound

to the Hudson’s Bay factories. They were joined the next day by a Sat. 14.

third ship, which afterwards proved to be, as we conjectured, the Lord Wellington, having on board settlers for the Red River. The ice being

somewhat more slack about the ships on the 15th, we cast off and made Sun. 15.

sail at nine P.M.; but after running with difficulty about a mile to the W.bN., we were obliged to make fast to a small berg near us. Here we remained till eleven P.M., the wind blowing a gale from the N.E., when the ice closing in suddenly and violently to leeward of the berg, forced the ships against it, and was near carrying away the Hecla’s bowsprit by the pressure. The Fury also received a heavy “ nip,” which, lifting her abaft, made her timbers crack a good deal about the quarters, but no material injury was sustained. To avoid, however, a repetition of this occurrence, we cast off, and allowed the ships to take their chance among the loose ice for the rest of the night, which was dusky about midnight.

The ice being rather less close on the morning of the 16th, we made sail

ce2

1821. July.

wre Mon. 16,

Tues. 17.

Wed. 18.

12 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

to the westward, at 7.45 A.M., and continued “boring” in that direction the whol: day, which enabled us to join the three strange ships. They proved to be, as we had supposed, the Prince of Wales, Eddystone, and Lord Wellington, bound to Hudson’s Bay. I sent a boat to the former, to request Mr. Davidson, the master, to come on board, which he immediately did. From him we learned that the Lord Wellington, having on board one hundred and sixty settlers for the Red River, principally foreigners, of both sexes and every age, had now been twenty days among the ice, and had been drifted about in various directions at no small risk to the ship. Mr. Davidson considered that he had.arrived here rather too early for advancing to the westward, and strongly insisted on the necessity of first getting to the northward, or in-shore, before we could hope to make any progress ;—a measure, the expediency of which is well known to all those accustomed to the navigation of icy seas. By the Prince of Wales we sent our last letters for our friends in England; and I took the same opportunity to acquaint the Secretary of the Admiralty with the proceedings of the Expedition up to this date.

On the 17th, the weather was beautifully fine and warm with very little wind. A thermometer exposed to the sun’s rays on board stood, at noon, as high as 81°; on a pole on the ice it was at 60°; and in the shade from 41° to 43°. The horizon was very much distorted by refraction in all direc- tions, causing the ice to assume a great variety of fantastic shapes, but generally appearing like a high wall, consisting of innumerable perpendicu- lar cohunns, and completely surrounding us. Our latitude observed at noon was 61° 09’ 17"; the longitude, by chronometers, being 67° 11' 10"; and we had soundings in three hundred and forty fathoms on a rocky bottom. Grass or Green Island time, bore from S. 27° W., to S. 46° W., its distance being from three to five leagues, but uncertain, on account of the extra- ordinary appearance given to it by refraction. The state of the ice being rather more favourable in the afternoon, we made sail to the northward in company with the Hudson’s Bay ships, and had, on the following day, made some progress towards a remarkable headland called the East Bluff. A few leagues to the westward of this is a smooth part of the land, rather higher than that in its neighbourhood and, for an extent of one or two miles, completely covered with snow. The snow remains upon it, as Mr. Davidson informed us, the whole summer, as they find the land presenting the same appearance on their return through the strait in the autumn,

-ction They » and er, to iately board ners, e ice, o the early essity make to all Vales same dings

little oon, from irec- , but dicu- d at 10"; tom. ance Xtra- eing ward day, Bluff. ather two Mr. ting umn,

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 13

This circumstance, which has obtained for it the name of “Terra Nivea” 3821. upon the charts, I do not know how to account for, as the height of the land ie above the level of the sea cannot certainly much exceed a thousand feet. At eight A.M., on the 20th, we cast off and made sail, the ice consisting Frid. 20. of heavy loose masses, generally open enough to allow a ship to sail be- tween them, if favoured by a commanding breeze. The tides here gave us no sort of disturbance, nor could we perceive exactly in what direction they set. The weather was extremely clear and the atmosphere warm and comfortable. A thermometer, freely suspended in the sun, at two P.M., stood at 74°; when placed upon some black-painted lead, on deck, at 116°; and in the shade, at 45°. Proceeding slowly to the westward, we had reached at noon on the 21st Sat. 21. | the lat. of 61° 50’ 13”, long., by chronometers 67° 07’ 35”. In this situation several islands were in sight to the northward and westward, and, among the rest, a remarkable one called Saddle-back on account of itsshape. The wind backing to the westward in the afternoon, we anchored the ships to the largest floe-piece we could find, there not being room to beat to windward. While thus employed we heard voices in-shore, which we soon knew to be those of some Esquimaux coming off to us. Shortly after, several canoes made their appearance ; and seventeen of these people came alongside the Fury. Having hauled their kayaks (canoes) upon the floe, they began to barter their commodities, consisting of seal and whale blubber, whale-bone, spears, lines, and the skins of the seal, bear, fox, deer, and dog. Our first endea- vour was to procure as much oil as possible, of which, as we had been in- formed by the Hudson’s Bay ships, several tons are thus almost annually obtained from these people. We soon found that they .had been well accustomed to bargain-making, for it was with some difficulty that we could prevail upon them to sell the oil for any thing of reasonable value. They frequently gave us to understand that they wanted saws and har- poons in exchange for it, and as these were articles which we could not spare, it was not without trouble that we obtained, in the course of the even- ing, two barrels of blubber in exchange for several knives, large nails, and pieces of iron hoop, which was certainly a dear bargain on our side, If they saw more than one of these at a time, they would try hard to get the whole for the commodity they were offering, though, when we had for some time persisted in refusing, they would not only accept what was offered, but jump for joy at having obtained it. They always licked the articles given them,

14 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

1821. and in one instance cnly did we notice any inclination to break the contract Be after this process had been gone through.

Shortly after these men had arrived, a large oomiak, or women’s boat, made its appearance, containing six or seven females and four men, the oldest of the latter, as seemed usual among them, steering the beat with a rude oar

hd of wood. The women could not be induced to land upon the floe, but held

Ha up skins and small narrow strips of well-tanned leather to exchange, loudly

Tae Ee vociferating pilletay (give me) the whole time. There were in this boat seve- a

| if ral skins of oil and blubber, which 1 tried hard to purchase, but nothing 4 i]

could induce the old man to part with more than one skin of it ; for what _ reason I could not tell, except that he hoped, by perseverance, to obtain a b |e higher price. On my desiring our men to hand out a second skin of oil, as i an equivalent for which I put into the old man’s hand a second knife, he re- | | i ' ' sisted most vehemently, pushing our men aside in the boat with a violence I : ole have never seen the Esquimaux use on any other occasion. One of the 4 | younger men then came forward and was lifting up the stretcher of their 4 | boat to strike our people, who were good-humouredly laughing at the old q

i man’s violence ; when I thought it high time to interpose, and, raising a boat- | ad hook over the head of the Esquimaux, as if about to r“rike them, soon brought y | Gh them into a cooler mood’; after which, to prevent further altercation, I or- | Hi! | dered our people out of the boat. We had, by this time, succeeded in pur- |

a chasing all the oil brought by the first canoes, and as the old fellow, who was ‘ ih commanding officer of the oomiak, obstinately persisted in his refusal to sell

| i his, I ordered him away, when he immediately rowed to the Hecla and, as a ah I was afterwards informed by Captain Lyon, sold his oil for less than he a

might have obtained at first. Four other oomiaks afterwards came from the 4 shore, from which we were distant five or six miles. Each of these contained aq mi from fourteen to twenty-six persons, the majority being females and young children. Upon the whole, not less than one hundred of the natives visited [ the ships in the course of the evening. a

These people possessed in an eminent degree the disposition to steal all a they could lay their hands on, which has almost universally been imputed to every tribe of Esquimaux hitherto visited by Europeans. They tried, more than once, the art of picking our pockets, and were as bold and unembar- rassed as ever, immediately after detection. It is impossible to deseribe the horribly disgusting manner in which they sat down, as soon as they felt hungry, to eat their raw blubber, and to suck the oil remaining on the skins

a

ee

ntract

, made lest of le oar t held loudly t seve- othing > what tain a oil, as he re- ence I . of the 4 ’ their 4 1e old . boat- rought

I or- n pur- 10 Was ‘io sell nd, as an he m the a ained q young isited

al all a puted a ‘more mbar- ye the E ry felt 4 skins a

OO i a

op a a ee ee

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 15

we had just emptied, the very smell of which, as well as the appearance, was to us almost insufferable. The disgust which our seamen could not help expressing at this sight seemed to create in the Esquimaux the most malicious amusement ; and when our people turned away literally unable to bear the sight without being sick. they would, as a good joke among themselves, run after them holding out a piece of blubber or raw seal’s flesh, dripping with oil and filth, as if inviting them to partake of it. Both the men and women were guilty of still more disgusting indecencies, which seemed to afford them amazing diversion. A worse trait even than all these was displayed by two women alongside the Hecla, who, in a manner too unequivocal to be misunderstood, offered to barter their children for some article of trifling value, beginning very deliberately to strip them of their clothes, which they did not choose to consider as included in the in- tended bargain.

Upon the whole, it was impossible for us not to receive a very unfavourable impression of the general behaviour, and moral character, of the natives of this part of Hudson’s Strait, who seem to have acquired, by an annual inter- course with our ships for nearly a hundred years, many of the vices which unhappily attend a first intercourse with the civilized world, without having imbibed any of the virtues or refinements which adorn and render it happy.

Early on the. morning of the 22d, a number of canoes repeated their visit Sund.22.

to us, the Esquimaux having hauled them upon a piece of ice to lodge for the night. In the forenoon, an oomiak also came from the shore, and as no in- tercourse with them was permitted till after divine service, they became very impatient to barter their commodities, and walked on the ice alongside the ship, with a number of trifling things in their hands, vociferating “ pilletay” to such a degree that we could hardly hear ourselves speak. Some more oil was obtained in exchange for pieces of iron hoop, and, at a quarter before noon, the wind coming more to the southward and the ice being somewhat less close than before, we cast off and made sail up the strait.

The wind and ice combined to favour us more and more as we proceeded, the former both in strength and direction, and the latter by opening into loose streams; so that, for the first time since we entered Hudson’s Strait, we were now enabled to set all the studding-sails, with some prospect of deriving advantage from them. The Hudson’s Bay ships remained at anchor some time after we made sail, and in the course of the evening we finally lost sight of them. From this circumstance, as well as from the

July. Pw

1821.

ee ee

Be

16 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

unimpeded progress we had just began to make to the westward, it was now only that we considered our voyage as having fairly commenced.

At five P.M., we were abreast of Saddleback, which we make in lat. 62° 11’, long. 67° 43’; but, having no observations when in its immediate neighbour- hood, it is thus laid down by our dead-reckoning only. The small cluster of islands to which this belongs is called in the charts the middle Savage Islands ; a name by which Mr. Davidson did not know them, nor can I find any authority for it, but which may serve to distinguish them as well as any other. Though there appeared to be several small openings as if between islands along this coast, yet we saw none of any magnitude like that marked “« Jackman’s Sound,” in Mr. Arrowsmith’s chart, which we must have plainly noticed had it existed as there laid down. The fact is, that the inlet, so called by Sir Martin Frobisher in the year 1576, has its only énown entrance on the south shore of the strait bearing the name of that navigator, its com- munication with Hudson’s Strait being a matter of very doubtful conjecture. I believe, indeed, we may safely consider the land, by whatever name it may be designated, as continuous the whole way from the East Bluff, as far west- ward as North Bay. When abreast of Saddleback, at the distance of five or six miles, we had from fifty to sixty fathoms’ water. At half-past four P.M., the tide mark upon the grounded ice-bergs was about ten feet, and the stream, being that of ebb, was setting strong to the eastward.

On the morning of the 24th, we found, on standing in-shore, that we were off the great opening called North Bay, the largest and highest of the Upper Savage Islands*, forming the western point of its entrance. The North Bluff, a remarkable promontory, being the eastern point of the large portion of nameless land lying immediately above the Savage Islands, appears very conspicuous when standing in from the S.S.E. From this headland the Hudson’s Bay ships not unfrequently take their departure, and strike off more to the westward towards the entrance of the bay ; though this depends, in some measure, on the situation of the ice, which is somewhat different at the same period of different seasons. It is, however, a general rule with them to keep close along the northern shores of the strait, till the openness

* Under these Islands (‘* the easternmost saving one”) Baffin anchored A. D. 1615, and named them the Savage Islands. He describes them as “ having a great sound or indraught between the north shore and them,” and lays down his anchorage in latitude 62° 30’, long., ‘* near 72°.” Our observations place it 2} miles to the northward, and 1° 52' to the eastward of that position.

hes ae ( A eS Bis SS ioe ‘G Fs

aS NOW

32° 11’, hbour- cluster Savage I find as any etween narked plainly ilet, so itrance is com- ecture. it may r west- five or P.M., d the

were Upper North ortion Ss very d the ke off bends, ent at with Inness

1615, nd or titude i, and

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 17

of the sea offers a prospect of making a fair run to the westward. Mr. Da- vidson informed me that, after leaving this shore, they seldom meet with any very serious obstruction, except from a body of ice which they usually have to penetrate near Charles's Island, and which, from the frequency of its oc- currence in that situation, has obtained the name of “ Charles’s Patch.” Long experience has brought those who frequent this navigation to the con- clusion that, in most seasons, no advantage is to be gained by attempting to enter Hudson’s Strait earlier than the first week in July, the annual disruption of the ice which occupies the upper and middle parts of the strait being sup- posed not to take place till about this time. In the course of our single year’s experience in these parts, we have seen nothing to recommend a practice dif- ferent from that at present pursued by the ships of the Hudson’s Bay Company. In the afternoon, having a contrary wind, against which little progress could be made, I landed, at half-past four, upon the easternmost of the Savage Islands, accompanied by several of the officers, and was shortly after joined by Captain Lyon. The lower parts of this island are ¢::mposed of gneiss and granite, and the upper part of mica slate in thin laine, and containing gar- nets insome specimens. At the foot of the cliffs. which rise from four to five hundred feet above the level of ihe sea, many hire separate masses of granite occurred, in which the red feldspar, white quartz, and plates of dark-co'!oured mica were large and distinct. Veins also of white quartz, eight or ten inches wide, and nearly in a vertical position, traverse the rocks in some parts of the island. After making the usual observations for the longitude and variation, we ascended to the highest part of the island, which is from six to eight hun- dred feet above the sea, in order to take an eye-sketch and angles of the surrounding lands. We here counted eleven islands, which may properly be considered as belonging to the group called the Upper Savage Islands, occupying nearly the whole space between that on which we stood, the largest and highest of the whole, #:id the western shore. The south point of this island is comparatively low, and appeared to have shoal water off it to the distance of half a mile. Captain Lyon here noticed the remains of some Esquimaux habitation:, consisting, as usual, of small rude circles of rough stones* ; and one iiiiman skull was also found there. We met witha

* These circles are, in the Narrative of the former Voyage, erroneously called ‘ huts,” as we then took :hem to be the remains of the winter habitations of the Esquimaux ; whereas, they are exclusively used for extending the skins composing their summer tents. D

SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

18

ier few picces of drifé fir-wood, some of which having been sawed and others \wor~ chipped, shewed that these people were not in want of wood, since they \ could thus afford to leave it behind them in no inconsiderable quantity. The

only animals seen were one hare, which was very dark on the back, a single grouse, a bird like a snipe, and some flocks of snow buntings ; but the dung

of hares was abundant. There was in some places a good deal of vegeta-

tion, and among the specimens collected, were several of those we had be-

fore met with in the polar regions, especially the sorrel, (rumex digynus ), scurvy-grass, poppy, (papaver nudicaule,) saxifrage, (saxifraga oppositifolia ), dwarf willow, and andromeda tetragona, the latter being in flower, and growing

in great abundance on the higher parts of the island. On the hills were

some large ponds of water, which poured their streams down the cliffs into

the sea, through arches formed under the snow with which the sides of the

Pee

Laide

: hills were still covered.

The latitude of our place of observation is 62° 31’ 30", its longitude, by 3 chronometers, 69° 57’ 17", and the variation of the magnetic needle 52° 37' 04" . westerly. When we landed, at forty minutes after four, P.M., the tide had 2 ebbed about two feet and a half; and at twenty minutes after seven when we : left the island, it had fallen thirteen feet more ; from which the whoie fall of this tide, though at the dead of the neaps, may be considered as above twenty- nine feet. We had hawed our boats up on a smooth inclined rock, but, on our return from the hills, had to lower them down ten or twelve feet perpen- q dicular. By these observations it was concluded that the time of high water at q full and change, was about thirty-five minutes past seven o'clock. The current, by a boat moored in the offing, was found to set 8.S.E. } E., three quarters of a mile per hour, and as it appears to have been running in the same direction | during the whole time that we were on shore, it may be presumed that the 3 “ ebb tide comes down the bay, or from the northward and westward, The time : Leh of high water, deduced from our observations, is about two hours earlier than ‘ i that usually marked in the charts. This discrepancy may partly arise from an ! actual difference to that amount, between the time of high wateron shore,

. and that of the change of tide in the offing, where itis most common, as well as most useful, for seamen in general to observe it. 8

From the top of the hill we could see land nearly all round the bay ; but ., in the middle it was so distant as by no means to give us an idea of its entire . continuity, Had it been our business to explore it, the further examination

7 ee

SSressa =

de ao ?

ao age gs

1 others ce they ty. The a single he dung vegeta- had be- igynis ), itifolia ), trowing ls were ffs into s of the

ude, by 37’ 04" ide had hen we fall of wenty- but, on yerpen- rater at urrent, rs ofa rection iat the he time r than rom an shore, ns well

y ; but entire nation

at

ae

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 19

would have been attended with no great difficulty, as it was entirely free from ha ice, as far as the eye could reach, except one or two bergs, and those of no wre very large dimensions. These bodies of ice became less and less numerous

as we advanced up the strait from Resolution Island, and none were seen after

we had proceeded a few leagues beyond our present station.

As soon as we returned on board, all sail was made to windward, the breeze being still from the westward and the sea almost free from ice. On the 25th we had fog occasionally which, however, cleared away in the after- Wed. 25. noon, and at eight P.M., in stretching to the southward, we saw the hills on the Labrador coast, from which our estimated distance was cight leagues. Having then tacked and stood to the northward fifteen miles and a half by the patent log, we considered ourselves cight or nine miles from the north shore ; so that the distance across the strait in this part, which is the nar- rowest, appears to be very correctly laid down at about sixteen leagues in Mr. Arrowsmith’s chart.

We continued to stand off and on, according to the tides, during the night, Thur. 26.

which was clear and fine ; and found in the morning that we had gained a great deal of ground to the westward, which we continued to do throughout the day, though the wind blew steadily against us. The latitude, by observa- tion at noon, was 62° 32' 27", the longitude, by chronometers, being 71° 36' 30". [In the afternoon we stood well in to the land, in order to obtain good angles for the survey. There are, on this part of the coast, several islands and small inlets, one of the latter appearing like a harbour, a little to the eastward of which we bad ninety-four fathoms at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore. A few miles to the westward of this inlet lies a high and craggy island, remarkable on account of its yellow sand-like colour, by which it may be distinguished from any of the rest of the numerous islands. We saw no ice this day, except a few streams here and there, but the smoothness of the water indicated our near approach to a larger body of it.

On the 27th, we continued to gain a great deal of ground, the ebb-tides Frid, 27. appearing to obstruct us very little. Indeed, from the very entrance of Hudson's Strait, but more especially to the westward of the Lower Savage Islands, it was a matter of constait surprise to find our dull-sailing ships make so much progress, when beating against a fresh wind from the west- ward; and I have no doubt of the accuracy of the remark made by our D2

EP ene oe

20 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

early navigators, that the flood-tides run stronger than the ebbs on this wr y coast *. i A light air at length springing up from the south-eastward enabled us to z

make way through the ice, which now once more occurred in great quantities

in every direction, but the pieces were so loose as easily to allow the passage

of aship with a free wind. This ice, much of which was covered with sand,

was so honey-combed and “rotten,” that it appeared in a fair way of being entirely dissolved in the course of a few weeks. The current was found to ia run §.E.b.E., three quarters of a mile per hour, at nine A.M., or about the ye middle of the ebb-tide. For the last week, we had scarcely seen a living animal; a glaucous gull, a boatswain, and a few looms, constituting the whole that are mentioned in our journals. At two P.M., a thermometer | in the sun stood at 87°, and in the shade at 50°. In the evening, the land abreast of us, in lat. 634°, long. 72°, became much lower than before, and without snow upon any part of it. The unevenness of its gene- ral outline gave to it, at times, the appearance of islands, of which there | are, in reality, a great number hereabouts, though I have little doubt of the

| continuity of the land at the back. We continued to run all night through

a z

Sat. 28. the same kind of ice as before, and, at forty minutes A.M. on the 28th,

were abreast of five remarkable hillocks or undulations of the land, of which

the appearance was sketched by Mr. Bushnan.. We sounded frequently at

| the depth of cighty to one hundred and fifty fathoms, the bottom being

| extremely irregular. It rained hard for several hours, after which the wea- |

ther cleared up, and the wind came from the northward. The ice being now tvo close to sail through with any but a leading wind, the ships were made fast to a floe-piece. For two days past, we had observed consider- a able ripplings on the water, as if occasioned by a strong tide, and the

, masses of ice were frequently set in motion on a sudden, without any apparent cause,

* This fact was noticed as early as the time of Luke Fox, who, in the journal of his i voyage of 1631, frequently and particularly alludes to it. His account is confirmed in a i highly valuable manuscript journal kept by a person of the name of Yourin, who served, it seems, as ‘‘ one of the officers on board the Charles, Captain Luke Fox,” on that voyage. This journal, which is no less remarkable for its perspicuity and accuracy than for the neatness with which it is penned, is in the possession of Lord Mountnorris. By his Lordship’s permission a copy of this journal was obtained by Captain Sabine, to whom I am indebted for it.

on this

dus to antities yassage h sand, f being und to out the . living ng the ometer ig, the r than s gcne- h there t of the hrough

28th, which ntly at

being » wea-

being Ss were isider- d the

arent

of his ed ina served, n that y than s. By whom

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 2)

On the 29th we were off a point of land, having several islands near it, and exactly answering the description of that called by Baffin, in the year 1615, Broken Point, “ it being, indeed, a point of brokenisles.” This head- land is memorable on account of a lunar observation made off it by this able and indefatigable navigator, giving the long. 74° 05’, which is not a degree to the westward of the truth. Here the land turns more to the northward, leav- ing a considerable opening in that direction.

A very light wind, from the wrong quarter, rendered all our exertions to get in shore fruitless, a close barrier still intervening between us and the open sea. During the first part of the forenoon, we observed the ships to be carried with the whole body of ice considerably towards the land, but at noon, having moored the small boat to the bottom in one hundred and thirty fathoms, the tide was found to run S.b.E., one mile per hour. Our latitude observed was 63° 51’ 44", longitude, by chronometers, 74° 02 10’. In the evening, our prospect of an immediate release appearing more and more hopeless, we were under the necessity of making fast, when we obtained azi- muths on the ice, which gave the variation 54° 5l' 58" westerly*. The ice was found to have too much motion in azimuth for obtaining the dip, which phenomenon now began to acquire great interest. At eight P.M., we once more made sail and, after four hours’ labour, the harassing nature of which cannot well be described or imagined, succeeded in getting into good sailing ice at midnight. The weather being now fine, and the wind becoming more eas- terly as well as freshening, we steered under all sail to the W. N. W.

On the morning of the 30th, however, a fog came on, so thick that, Mon, 30.

independently of the danger of continuing to run upon a coast, little if at all explored before, we also incurred the frequent risk of taking the wrong **Jeads” among the ice ; which becoming closer obliged us to heave to, soon after six o'clock, and make the ships fast to a floe-piece. At nine A.M, the fog clearing off sufficiently to allow us to see a mile or two around, we cast off with a fresh breeze from the §.E. b. S., and ran to the north-

* This result, however, which is deduced from several observations made by different observers, is probably about three degrees more than the truth, an error having been occasioned by the attraction of the ship, at the distance of 132 yards from the compasses. The observations are given in the Appendix, merely to shew the regularity with which an alteration took place in this error, occasioned by the motion of the floe to which the ship was attached, and the consequent change of the angle at which the ship’s attrac- tion acted on the needles,

22 SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

ward and westward, steering towards the land last seen, which again hove wr~ in sight at half-past ten A. M., consisting of several islands, though the thickness of the weather might have prevented our seeing any continuous line of coast at the back of them. Being at noon in lat. 64°07’, and longitude, ‘

by account, 75°11’, we hauled more to the westward, along the land, as ;

soon as the ice would allow. In passing the westernmost of the islands, :

all of which are quite low, we carried a depth of from forty-nine to thirty- ‘

a)

nine fathoms, at the distance of six or seven miles. In standing out to the southward, the water deepened, though very irregularly, to eighty-four fathoms, at the distance of four leagues from the land, where it was necessary for us to heave to, the fog coming on again thicker than before, and continu‘ug throughout the night. | A number of seals and one sea-horse were seen in the course of the day, as well as some fish jumping out of the water, {| which the look-out man in the crow’s-nest took to be salmon. iH Tues. 31. The weather gradually clearing, on the morning of the 31st, we again saw the land to the northward, which still appeared to consist principally of Ti : ° islands, along which our course was now directed. At noon, being in latitude, iH by account, 64° O1' 30", and long. 75° 48’ 50", we had a near and distinct view H | of several of these, at the back of which there still ran a continuous line of coast. The islands seemed to form several fine inlets, and the tide in the | offing was extremely strong, as appeared by the numerous ripplings on the |

surface of the water, and by our making very little progress for some hours with a favourable breeze. As the fog cleared away from the south-western horizon, we obtained the first glimpse of Salisbury Island in that quarter. In the afternoon, Captain Lyon discovered and made the signal for an Esquimaux oomiak coming off from the shore under sail, accompanied by eight canoes. ie We tacked to meet them, and lay to for halfan hour, for the purpose of adding

. to our stock of oil. In this boat were sixteen persons, of which number two only were men, an old and a young one, and the rest women and children, In the features, dress, and implements of these people, we saw nothing different from those of the Esquimaux last described ; but they were better Ph behaved than the others, with whom our ships have had more frequent in- i} tercourse, . b i} if August, We continued, on the Ist of August, to beat to the westward, between r ; wees, Nottingham Island and the North Shore, the distance between which is

4 about four leagues, and the latter fringed with numerous islands. In the = course of the morning, several canves and one oomiak came off from the a

iin hove igh the 1tinuous igitude, and, as islands, ) thirty- y out to ity-four cessary re, and se were Water,

lin saw ally of titude, ct view line of in the on the » hours estern er. In imaux anoes, dding rtwo Idren, thing etter nt in-

ween h is 1 the the

23

' o £8

Temperature of Air

rature of S Water.

Mean Tem

Near the entrance of Hudson’s Strait.

About the middle of Hudson’s Strait and near its northern shores.

Maxi. mume

inches,

30.11 29.80 29,69 29.56 29.72 29.58 29.60 29.91 29.91 39.00 29.96 29.95 30.21 30.21 39.08

inches,

20.83 29.70 29.62

29.36 29.39 29.30 29.36 29.69 29,85 29,92 29.78 29.70 30.00 30.10 29.94 29.86 20,91 29.97 29.93 29.86 20.73 29.62 29.56 20.72 29,82 20.87 29.90 20.70 29.66 20.39 20,31

a

| 50 | 20 | 25.36 | 91.82 | 90.21) 29.30 9.700 |

Barometer.

Mean,

inches,

29.980 29.717

ABSTRACT of the METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL kept on board His Majesty’s Ship Fury, at Sea, during the Month of July, 1821.

Prevailing Winds,

Direction.

20,670 || North

20.463 | 29.582 | 29.460 | 20.440 |

29.827 29,880 29,978 29.867 29.818 30.102 30.177 39.009 29,892

20.042 |

20.985 29,949 29.917 29.767 20.722 29.607 20.773 20,828 20,937 20,038 29.818 20.752 20.520 20,438

Velocity,

Prevailing Weather,

ate! hazy and snow at

North times North light hazy light hazy pit pl light hazy SWbW_ | modt. hazy ait WE, | light Ilthick fog and rain in ae, modt.|ithick fog and rain hy aon modt.|| fine and clear Southerly | light cloudy SWbS light fine and clear EbN light fine and clear our saat ;modt,| hazy and rain SbW light fine and clear Easterly | light || fine and clear NE fresh | cloudy and rain NEDN fresh || hazy and rain AM UNE light fine and clear West modt.'| fine and clear * Calm fine and clear S Easterly | light fine and clear Poy Nie Wa light |] fine and clear a WN fresh | cloudy NW mode. hazy and rain NWbW ait cloudy NWbW fresh cloudy NNW | modt.| fine ld Pay light } fine and clear hf peed light || hazy and rain NEDN light | fine and clear SE fresh | foggy Northerly | light thick fog

1821. August. ay

Thurs, 2.

24 SECOND VOYAGE FOR 'THE DISCOVERY

mainland, containing about twenty persons, more than half of whom were women and children. They brought a little oil, some skin dresses, and tusks of the walrus, which they were desirous of exchanging for any trifle we chose to give them. They had, also, a number of toys of various kinds, such as canoes with their paddles, spears, and bows and arrows, all on a very small scale. Many of the jackets of these people, and particularly those of the females, were lined with the skins of birds, having the feathers inside ; and they had, also, in the boat several other skins in a prepared state, taken from the throat of the colymbus glacialis, which splendid bird, though we had twice found its skin in possession of the Esquimaux, we had yet not met with ourselves.

Being desirous of ascertaining the time and direction of the tides, which run strong between Nottingham Island and the northern land, the current was tried several times to-day, about mid-channel, by a small boat moored to the bottom, and found to set as follows:

At 8 A.M., E.b.S., 1 mile per hour. — 9.40, E.b.S., ,6 mile. —11.15, Slack (low ?) water.

— Noon, W.N.W., 14 mile per hour.

The wind backing to the southward in the afternoon, we had a fine run along the land, and about ten P.M. had nearly lost sight of Nottingham Island, being abreast of three small black-looking islands, which answer to the Trinity Islands of Fox. Immediately to the westward of these, the land trends very much to the northward, leading towards the ‘“ Farthest” of that navigator; so that, our business lying to the westward, and being still favoured with a navigable sea and a fair breeze, we soon lost sight of that shore altogether. Some dusky clouds, which appeared upon the southern horizon this evening, were probably hanging over the Mill Islands.

After a run of forty miles, during the night, almost without seeing any ice, we came, on the morning of the 2d, to a body of it so closely ‘ packed,” that we could make no further progress, while the masses'on the outer edge were moving so rapidly in various directions, as to occasion us much trouble and many violent blows before we could get clear of them. The latitude observed at noon was 64° 59' 24”, and the longitude, by chrono- meters, 79° 40’. The soundings were one hundred and three fathoms, on a bottom of hard rock and shells; but the depth varied, very frequently and

s

eet

i mapeci tee ee

ym were es, and 1y trifle is kinds, na very those of inside ; d state, though had yet

ss which current moored

ine run ingham answer se, the rthest”’

being t sight n the lands. g any cked,” outer much

The rono- s, on ly and

aw

Py

ae

BEN eee ie

een see)

ae a

ES ae

oer

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, 25

suddenly, from forty-two to one hundred. The tide was tried twice in the course of the day; at 11.30 A.M., it set S.S.W., nearly a knot; and at 1.10 P.M., N. 50° W., a mile and a half an hour; but the direction of it was so irregular, that the ships were frequently hampered, and received several heavy blows from the ice in consequence. After standing several miles to the northward, along the edge of the ice, without meeting with an opening, it began to lead us so much to the castward that we tacked and stood back to the W.S.W., to try what could be done by patience and perseverance in that quarter.

The Expedition being now about to enter upon ground not hitherto ex- plored, it became necessary for me to decide upon the route it would be most advantageous to pursue, for the accomplishment of the principal ob- jects pointed out in my instructions. This route being, in a certain de- gree, left to my own discretion, I must here interrupt, for a moment, the narrative of our proceedings, as well to explain the grounds on which my determination rested, as to establish and elucidate the connexion between the researches of the present Expedition, and those of former navigators.

1821. August. way

ee

SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

CHAPTER II.

REVIEW OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION OBTAINED BY THE RESEARCHES OF H 4 FORMER NAVIGATORS ON THE COAST OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT, IN THE NEIGH- in| BOURHOOD OF WAGER RIVER-—-DISCOVER AND ENTER THE DUKE OF YORB’S BAY, SUPPOSING IT TO BE A PASSAGE INTO THE SEA CALLED THE WELCOME~"LEAVE THE DUKE OF YORK’'S BAY, AND PROCEED TO THE NORTH-WESTWARD—PASSAGE OF THE FROZEN STRAIT AND ARRIVAL IN REPULSE BAY—-CONTINUITY OF LAND THERE —OBSERVATIONS ON SHORE-—-REMARKS CONCERNING THE GEOGRAPHY, TIDES, AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THIS PART OF THE CONTINENTAL COAST.

1821. My instructions directed me to “ penetrate to the westward, through Ri, So Hudson’s Strait, until I reached, either in Repulse Bay, or on some other part : of the shores of Hudson’s Bay, to the north of Wager River, a part of the coast which I should feel convinced to be a portion of the continent of North America.” ‘‘ Then to keep along the line of this coast to the northward, always examining every bend, or inlet,” &c*, It became, therefore, my first : business to inquire to what point the examination of the eastern coast of 4 North America had already been carried, and its continuity satisfactorily 4 determined. ’ ‘The proceedings of the Expedition under the command of Captain Middleton, in his Majesty’s ship the Furnace in the year 1742, together with the inquiry instituted by the Admiralty on his return, in consequence of the representation of Mr. Dobbs, furnish the principal materials for judging of this question. The disputes between Mr. Dobbs and Captain Middleton, ea which, like most other contests of a similar nature, gave rise to much personal iid animosity and virulent invective, have at least served the useful purpose of i id pointing out, with all the minuteness which the most determined hostility could suggest, the particular parts of Captain Middleton’s conduct, which his

* Official Instructions,

apr as eter el ae a oa ca geome

CHES OF = NEIGH- KS: BAY, —LEAVE SSAGE OF 1D THERE DES, AND

through her part e coast

North thward, my first oast of actorily

aptain er with

of the ping of dleton, ersonal hose of ostility hich his

oS etre uns ager ete ary ea ee

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 27

accusers considered as lying open to censure or animadversion. It appears, 1821.

August,

from the documents laid before the public at the time by the respective GA

parties*, that Captain Middleton was chargeable with neglect, in having quitted certain parts of the coast traversed by him, and which seemed likely to afford some outlet to the westward, without determining the continuity of the land by actual examination. The first and principal of these was Wager Inlet, to which Captain Middleton gave the appellation of a river, as subsequent examination has, in fact, proved it to be, and Mr. Dobbs that of a strait, leading, as he believed, in the desired direction, towards the Pacific Ocean. Wherever the strict and entire examination of a coast has been neglected, so as still to leave a doubt respecting its conti- nuity, the mind naturally has recourse to all the indications that can be collected to supply the place of facts. In the present instance, the direction of the tides, the degree of saltness in the sea-water, the presence of whales, and other circumstances of minor importance, constituted the chief grounds upon which the disputants rested their respective arguments. The direction of the flood-tide has, indeed, constantly, and to a certain extent, justly been considered as affording an indication of some weight in forming a judgment on the spot, respecting the existence or non-existence of a westerly passage. To this the attention of Captain Middleton was strongly directed in his official instructions, which, in two different places, point out to him the propriety of “ meeting the flood-tide,” in order to accomplish the proposed object. And in his subsequent endeavour to vindicate his conduct *‘ from the aspersions of Arthur Dobbs, Esq.,” it is upon arguments deduced from this phenomenon that he has principally laboured to convince the public of the absurdity of expecting to find a passage to the westward, through Wager Inlet. In some parts of the channel which separates Southampton Island from the coast of America, and to which, though erroneously, the name of the Welcome has, of late years, been applied, it was understood that the flood-tide set from the northward ; and it became, therefore, a matter of real interest to ascertain, by ‘“ meeting” it, from what sea it flowed. Now, here it was that Captain Middleton and Mr, Dobbs were most at issue ; the former asserting that, in his discovery of the ‘Frozen Strait,” through which he actually saw the tide of flood coming into the Welcome, the question was solved in a manner

* A Vindication of the Conduct of Captain Middleton, &c., London, 1743. Dopas’s Abstract of Captain Middleton's Journal, &c., London, 1744.

E 2

28 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

highly conclusive to every unprejudiced mind; while the latter, fully im- pressed with a conviction that the story of the “Frozen Strait was all a chimera, as well as every thing that’ Captain Middleton had said “ con- cerning that part of the voyage,” confidently insisted on the probability of the tide finding its way in through Wager River, or, at least, through some arm of the sea communicating with that inlet from the westward. The fallacy of this latter opinion was amply proved by the researches of the next Expedition under Captains Moor and Smith, who, being sent out for the avowed purpose of contradicting or confirming the report of Middleton, traced Wager Inlet in their boats, till it was found to terminate in two incon- siderable and unnavigable rivers.

On leaving the Wager, Captain Middleton proceeded to the northward, keeping both the American coast and that of Southampton Island in sight, and noting their bearings and distance frequently and minutely in his log, as far as Cape Hope, in which space no doubt has ever been entertained, either by Mr. Dobbs or by any other person, of the complete continuity of the land on the American side. I felt perfectly satisfied, therefore, that Cape Hope formed a portion of the continent, and that the examination of the coast to the south- ward of it would be a needless and unprofitable occupation of our time.

To the northward of Cape Hope, the land is described by Captain Middle- ton as having been observed to turn short round to the westward; but the joy and encouragement afforded by this circumstance are said to have been soon clouded by finding they had reached a close bay, which prevented their further progress in that direction, and which, in consequence, obtained the appropriate name of Repulse Bay. It is worthy of particular remark, that even this part of the coast has not drawn from Captain Middleton’s accusers, who, as well as their commander, had the advantage of being eye-witnesses of the whole transaction, a single expression implying a doubt of the continuity of the land in Repulse Bay. But the imputation of negli- gence or fraud, to which, in particular instances, he appears to have laid himself open, has, by a construction not uncommon, been extended to his general conduct, throwing an unmerited degree of doubt and uncertainty on every part of his labours. On this account, as well as from its geographical position, which seemed so favourable for the termination of the American continent to the north-castward, has an importance been attached to Repulse Bay, even by those who are not the most sanguine on the subject of the

ote IC hema

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 29

Hy im- : North-West Passage, which subsequent investigation has proved it not to jg91. s all a deserve. August, * con- Having, on the considerations detailed above, decided on taking up the bability examination of the continental coast, from Cape Hope northwards, it became th some a question of scarcely less importance to determine, in the next place, by The : what route the Expedition would most quickly be enabled to reach that he next point, so as to occupy as much as possible of the present summer, upon for the : ground not hitherto explored; and, if practicable, to get fairly on our way Idleton, to the westward, along the northern coast of America, before the close of ) incon- the navigable season. Here it was necessary for me still more carefully to balance in my own mind the ocular evidence of Captain Middleton against thward, i the speculative reasoning of Mr. Dobbs, the former having asserted that he tht, and ; had actually seen a strait intervening between Southampton Island and the : as far as , shore to the northward of it, though apparently impracticable on account of by Mr. 4 ice; while the latter had written half a volume to prove the strait in question | | on the : a fabrication, invented by the Captain for the purpose of deceiving Govern- formed : ment, and of favouring the supposed views of the Hudson’s Bay Company, south- 4 his former employers. If Mr. Dobbs’s suspicions were well founded, it . ‘ would be necessary for us, by pursuing the known but circuitous route iddle- ‘ round the south end of Southampton Island, to sail a distance of one but the 2 hundred and seventy leagues from our present station, and above two hun- e been 4 dred, in case of failure at the Frozen Strait, in order to reach the point vented - where our operations were to commence; whereas, on the supposition of btained 3 the existence, and, of course, the practicability, of that passage, the distance emark, 4 would scarcely exceed fifty leagues; a difference of no small moment in the lleton’s : icy seas. After the most anxious consideration of all this contradictory being i evidence, I came to the resolution of attempting the direct passage of the h doubt i Frozen Strait; though, I confess, not without some apprehension of the risk " negli- ‘i I was incurring, and of the serious loss of time which, in case of failure -e laid f either from the non-existence of the strait or from the insuperable obstacles to his which its name implies, would thus be inevitably occasioned to the Ex- inty on pedition. aphical On standing back to the west south-west the ice was found as impenetrable herican as before, and the ships were therefore made fast in the best manner we epulse . could, to await some alieration in our favour. On the morning of the 3d, Frid. 3. of the = we had some heavy rain, although the wind was westerly; but, on its

veering to the northward, the weather cleared up, and continued beautifully

1821. August. wae

Sat. 4.

30

SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

fine for the rest of the day. With the hope of gaining s*e round we cast off, but found it impossible to make any progress throw;;: she ice, which, though its general body continued closely packed, was, in some par‘s, run- ning about in various and even opposite directions, at the rate of two or three miles an hour, so as frequently to come in forcible contact with the ships, without the possibility of our avoiding it by sailing out of its way. The rapidity and irregularity of the tides in this neighbourhood were parti- cularly remarked by our early navigators, and, indeed, gave the name to Mill Islands, ‘ by reason of grinding the ice.” There can be little doubt that this irregularity is principally occasioned by a meeting of the tides hereabouts, for there is tolerable evidence of the flood coming from the northwarc down the great opening leading to Fox’s Farthest, and which I have called Fox’s CuanneL*. This tide, meeting the rapid stream which sets from the eastward through Hudson’s Strait, must, of necessity, produce such a disturbance as has here been noticed. The current was tried at noon, this day, and found to set north by west, three quarters of a mile an hour, and at thirty minutes past nine, P.M., it was running to the south-east one mile per hour, but which of these was the flood tide we had no means of determining.

At ten A.M., on the 4th, we saw an appearance of land, much raised and distorted by refraction, though the weather was fine, and the atmosphere apparently clear, from N. 82° E. to S. 53° E., being part of the coast dis- covered by Baffin, in the year 1615, and more minutely traced by Fox, in 1631. At noon we observed in lat. 65° 00'17", the longitude, by chro- nometers, being 79° 56’ 55". At this time, the prospect to the westward appeared from the crow’s-nest as unpromising, on account of the closeness and extent of the ice, as I ever remember to have seen it. Shortly after- wards, however, the sea gradually, or rather suddenly, became navigable in that direction, the ice separating and, in fact, disappearing in so rapid and extraordinary a manner as to astonish even those among us who had been the longest accustomed to this navigation, and affording a striking example of those sudden changes which, in icy seas, almost teach us never to despair of making progress, even under circumstances apparently the

* Baffin particularly insists on this being the case, both near Trinity Islands, and off Southampton Island; and, I think, notwithstanding a contrary opinion held by Fox and Yourin, our observations on the tides in this neighbourhood, and subsequently at Winter Island, serve to confirm those of Baffin.

Spaells Reema: ec ISIE Laie eames

acta ese ER ease TGP ONE ees

ce

ind we which, 's, run- two or ith the its way. e parti- lame to e doubt ie tides rom the which I ‘ich sets ice such at noon, an hour, sast one neans of

sed and osphere ast dis- Fox, in y chro- estward oseness y after- avigable so rapid ho had striking As never ntly the

, and off Fox and t Winter

es RR DR ALT ne oa

ip cpaibna dats rata

Bears fea = We aaa ole ne a

anda Tea RNG eae

ae

pS Rane ne OR

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 31

most unfavourable. We did not fail to take advantage of this alteration,

and, standing under all sail to the westward, soon made Southampton =~

Island. At midnight we had deepened the water to one hundred and five fathoms.

After an unobstructed run of between thirty and forty miles, we were Sun. 5.

again stopped, and obliged to make fast, on the morning of the 5th, the ice becoming gradually closer, and occurring in heavy and extensive floes, After divine service had been performed, we again made sail, being in lat. 65° 22’ 50”, and longitude, by chronometers, 81° 24’. By dint of a good deal of “ boring,” and after receiving a number of very violent blows, we succeeded in forcing our way about ten miles nearer the land, which appearing not to be continuous in one part, I concluded we were near the eastern entrance of the Frozen Strait. But the haze or fog-bank which, in these regions, even on days apparently the clearest, often gives a distorted appearance to objects at the distance of four or five leagues, prevented our making it out distinctly. As it was now impracticable to make any further progress, we were under the necessity of submitting to that suspense which the increasing intcrest of our situation naturally excited.

Some of the floes in this neighbourhood measured at least half a mile each way, being the largest, except one or two, that we had yet met with. They were all covered with innumerable “ hummocks,” between which were pools of water, some fresh, and others communicating with the sea below. Though we subsequently witnessed the formation of one kind of “hummocky” floes, by means of the doubling occasioned by pressure, these were evidently produced in a different way. From their appearance it would seem that they are formed of numerous detached masses of ice, left floating on the sea at the setting in of the winter's frost; which, facilitating the production of a new sheet, are enclosed and, as it were, soldered to- gether by it; thus, increasing to several feet in thickness in the course of the winter, and receiving a covering of saow upon its upper surface, it becomes one firm and compact body. The height of the hummocks, which were here five or six feet above the general level of the floc, depends, of course, on the size of the masses remaining undissolved at the close of the summer; and, in most parts of Baffin’s Bay, where, I believe, little or none of the former year’s ice would be found at the setting in of the frost, the floes are level and regular, like those which we know to be produced

ae ae

32 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

Pld annually in almost all undisturbed situations. When the thawing commences, wi ~ the water lodges in the cavities formed on floes by the hummocks, making the numerous pools we see in the summer, gradually tinding its way com- jletely through the ice, and thus, at length, serving again to separate the original masses, or hummocks. This is one, among the many instances, in which Nature may be observed wonderfully to adapt her means of dissolving | the ice to those she employs in its production, thereby preventing any ag undue accumulation of it in the polar regions of the earth.

While on this subject, I may offer a few remarks respecting the stones, sand, shells, and weed, found upon the surface of all the ice in this neighbourhood. The quantity in which these substances here occurred was really surprising, and puzzled us extremely to account for the manner in which they found their way upon the floes. This circumstance has been generally explained by simply attributing it to the whole Hoe having been in immediate contact i with the land, enabling the streams to wash, or the winds to blow, these

substances into the situation in which they are found, in the same manner as they are deposited on bergs formed on the shore, But to those who have been eye-witnesses of the fact, to the extent in which it here occurred, this mode of explaining it, however plausible at first sight, is by no means satis- | factory ; for masses of rock, not less than a hundred pounds in weight, are | 4

sometimes observed in the middle of a floe, measuring half a mile, or more, each way, and of which the whole surface is more or less covered with smaller stones, sand, and shells. To suppose the wind strong enough to blow these substances such a distance would be absurd; nor is the supposi- tion of their having been washed there scarcely more probable, for as a floc of ice must float considerably above the surface of the sea, it is not casy to conceive how it can be overflowed, and much less how heavy st nes can be By carried half a mile along it. It has been suggested that the floe may be } held down by its firm cementation to the shore, while the water from the land above it rushes ina torrent along its upper surface. This, however, ) { is contrary to experience, which shews that, long before the streams on the land ave sufticient to effect this, the ice next the shore is completely thawed, . ink and detached from the beach, and therefore at liberty to float in the natural : | oh Way. ‘i The only explanation of this fact that I can suggest is, that as it is generally 4 found to be the case to the greatest extent upon the “ hummocky” floes, the substances muy have been deposited upon each mass of ice when separate,

mences, king the ay com- rate the nces, in issolving ing any

es, sand, purhood, rprising, ey found xpluined e contact w, these ¢ manner who have rred, this ans satis- ‘ight, are or more, red with ough to supposi- as a floc t easy to s can be may be from the however, s on the thawed, e natural

renerally loes, the

separate,

ie chalice 2

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 33

and eventuaily brought into the middle of a large floe by the process detailed above.

such deposit. In whatever manner it may be effected, it is certain that these substances act an essential part in the dissolution of the ice, as even the smallest stone or collection of sand, may always be observed to have formed a pool of water around it, in consequence of the radiation of heat from its surface. The stones now found upon the ice were granite, gneiss, feldspar, and lime, the latter being most abundant ; indeed, all the earthy matter found in the holes effervesced with sulphuric acid. There were also several kinds of shells, among which was the species of anomia first discovered in Barrow’s Strait, and found both in the shell and the fossil state in the course of the former voyage.

The variation of the magnetic needle was here 55° 05' 30" westerly. At seven P.M. the tide set E.b.S, at the rate of half a mile an hour, the ice being remarkably still, and the strength of the tides certainly much less than farther to the eastward ; a circumstance, which, added to our subsequent observations, confirmed the remark of Baflin, that there was “ less shew of tide” in this part. Having succeeded in forcing the ships two miles farther in-shore, we again made fast, having deepened the water to one hundred and fifty fathoms.

At noon on the 6th, we observed in lat. 65° 28' 15", being two miles Mon. 6.

and a quarter to the nortiward of that in which Bylot, with whom Baffin sailed as pilot, left off his search of a passage to the westward in 1615. The reasons which induced him to relinquish the enterprise at this place were, the increased quantity of ice, the water becoming less deep, and his seeing land bearing N.E.b.E. from him; circumstances which led him to conclude that he was at the mouth ofa large bay. The same land, which we had now in sight, proved to be one of several islands, and I gave it the name of Barrin Isianp, out of respect to the memory of that able and enterprising navigator, The south-easternmost land in sight was that about Cape Comfort, which Baffin considered in lat. 65°, long. 85° 20°, Our angles and observations place it in 64° 54’, and 82°57’. Between Baffin Island and the high land of Southampton Island, from which points the discoveries of the y

182] ge i . : August. This explanation, however, goes but a little way towards clearing w=w~ up the difficulty ; for, besides the necessity of supposing, in this case, that each mass of ice has in its turn been brought into close contact with the shore, we have never seen an instance, in any bay or harbour, where ice so

brought, even under the most favourable circumstances, has received any

ee oF

ee ee

lime: emt Ss dh mara,

Thurs, 9,

Frid, 10,

Sat, 11.

34 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

present Expedition commence, there was a considerable interval to the north- ward and westward, where no land had as yet appeared. We could not, there- fore, but entertain very sanguine hopes that this opening would be found to communicate with, and even to be a continuation of, the Frozen Strait, as Middleton himself had suggested. In the evening, the sky became overcast, the wind being southerly ; and between eleven P.M. and midnight, several vivid flashes of lightning were seen to the westward, and succeeded by hard rain for some hours.

Our progress was now so slow, owing to constant interruption by ice, that on the 9th, at noon, we had only reached the lat. of 65° 34° 28", and long. 82° 24 12", our soundings being one hundred and fifty fathoms muddy bottom. The northern land in sight, which now first seemed to consist of islands, appeared low in comparison with the coast of Southampton Island, the latter rising to a considerable height above the sea, and having two hills very conspicuous from tlie eastward, forming a sort of saddle, not unlike that of the Mormond Hills over Buchaness. In the afternoon we once more entered the ice, which favoured us by cpening more and more as we advanced; so that we succeeded in making several miles to the westward, and were enabled to keep the ships under way and in open water during the night, tacking off and en near a small rocky islet. Three miles to the south! east of this, we had one hundred and one fathoms, and could detect no cur- rent by a boat moored to the bottom.

The necessity of carrying casy sail on account of the islet, which, for two or three hours, it was too dark to distinguish, prevented our making any progress to the westward during the night. In passing to the southward and eastward of the rocky islet, we had thirty fathoms at the distance of a mile and a half, and the boats being sent to sound on its southern and western side, no bottom was found with thirty-five fathoms at about the same distance. Towards the evening of the 11th, we succeeded in getting in with the northern land, and at twenty minutes after nine P.M., being close toa small rock or islet, which lies about a mile and a half off the shore, 1 landed upon it, accompanied by a large party of officers, who volunteered to man the boat. We found it to be about one-tifth of a mile across, consistiug entireiy of gneiss-rock, rounded on the surface, and with a little moss and a very few other plants growing in crevices where water had lodged. We saw the tracks of deer upon some moist sand, and a rade circle of stones, being probably the remains of an Esquimaux summer habitation, From twenty minutes after

aa ila sa, ah a Besta

e north- t, there- ound to trait, as rvercast, , several by hard

ce, that 8", and s muddy » consist hampton 1 having dle, not won we more as estward, ring the e south '

no cur-

, for two ing any thward tance of ern and 1e same

in with lose toa t landed man the entireiy ery few he tracks robably es after

eee ine

Mabe ah ra Sed by.

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 39

nine till ten P.M., the tide rose one foot, the stream setting to the westward , 1821. in the offing, as, indeed, it had done about the same time for the two pre- ie sl ceding tides, so that little doubt could be entertained of the flood-tide coming from the eastward in this place. At eleven P.M., soon after we returned on

board, a fresh gale suddenly came on from the north-west, obliging us to

make the ships fast to the largest floe-piece that happened to be near us, as hd the best means of holding our ground.

On the morning of the 12th, the good effects of the north-westerly gale Sun. 12. were very apparent; for, although we had drifted two or three lcagues back to the eastward, the main bi ‘ly of the ice, consisting mostly of pieces smaller | than that to which we were attached, had gone much faster, leaving a large space of clear water for us to work in. It may here be observed that, in the course of our endeavours to get to the westward, as well in this voyage, as in that of 181-20, a westerly wind. though blowing directly against us, was always found ultimately to be the most favourable to our purpose, as it brings away large bodies of ice from that quarter, and consequently leaves a considerable interval of open water. The most precious opportunity to seize, therefore, in this navigation, is at the springing up of an easterly breeze after a gale from the epposite quarter, at which time, if a ship be fortunately unhampered, considerable progress may generally be made.

Not a moment of this favourable interval must be lost, as the ice invariably closes again in a few hours after the change of wind, which is besides usually attended by thick weather.

The gale having somewhat moderated at noon, we cast off and made sail ; and, after carrying a press of canvass during the day, had made considerable progress by the evening, when the ice becoming close obliged us to make fast; in doing which the Hecla narrowly escaped a heavy “nip,” by the sudden meeting of two floes. The weather was beautifully clear, giving us a fine view of the land, which now began to excite in us more and more in- terest, almost at every step of our progress. A headland, bearing from us S. 87° W., and named, by Mr. Hooper's desire, Care Wetsrorn, appeared very decidedly to form the northern termination of Southampton [sland, leaving an opening o* a league or two in width, but broken by two or three islands between it and some bigh land to the northward; a pro- montory on this shore, forming the northern point of the Strait, was named after Mr. Deas Tomson, one ‘of the commissioners of His Majesty's Navy,

This land, however, did not appear to join that which we had lately vs

abe

1821 August. wee

Mon, 13.

36 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

left to the north-east of us, there being between them a very wide open- ing in which nothing but a sea incumbered with ice was visible from the mast-head, The accounts given by Captain Middleton of the latitude of the western entrance of the Frozen Strait are so confused, and even contra- dictory *, that the present appearance of the land perplexed me extremely in deciding whether or not we had arrived at the opposite end of the opening to wliich he had given that name. That immediately before us to the west- ward, though it agreed in latitude within five or six miles with the southernmost parallel he has assigned to it, appeared much too narrow to answer his description of the passage we were in search of. Upon the whole, however, [ thought it most probable that this was the strait in question ; and as, at all events, the opening between Southampton Island and the land to the northward of it, in whatever latitude it might be found and whether wide ur harrow, was the passage through which it was our present object to pene- trate into Repulse Bay, I decided on using our utmost exertions to push through the narrow strait now before us.

The wind moderating in the evening, and the ice after sunset once more opening, enabled us to make another mile or two to the westward, after which we lay to for the night. A great number of narwhals were playing about the ship during the night, but they were, as usual, so wary that our boats could not approach them. We remarked that scarcely in any part of the polar regions previously visited, had we seen fewer birds than for some days past; a solitary glaucous gull, a hawk, and a boatswain being all that had been noticed. The moon, in rising this evening, was curiously distorted by refraction into the irregular shape of a shrivelled orange.

On the morning of the 13th the ships were pushed as far into the ice as the closeness of it would allow, which brought us within ten or twelve miles of the narrow part of the strait before us; and, as we could still see no land from the masthead when looking directly through it, we were naturally con- firmed in the supposition that this was the Frozen Strait, beyond which we

* As an instance of this, in the Furnace’s log of August the 8th, Captain Middleton gives the latitude of his ship by observation, 65° 88° to 65° 41’, when close off the western entrance of the Frozen Strait, which, from its south-easterly trending, is, also, the northernmost part of it. In his letter to Mr. Dobbs, however, he says it is in 66° 40’, and, just before, that it is near the sixty-seventh degree of latitude. Neither the one vor the other has proved correct ; but I have here quoted them, to explain the doubts which these contradictory statements led me to eptertain at this junctnre.

e open- om the tude of contra- mely in pening ie west- ith the rrow to whole, yn: and land to er wide O pene- to push

ce more which g about r boats

of the yr some all that istorted

ce asthe tiles of 10 land lly con- lich we

Hton gives entrance most part that it is correct 5

latements

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, 37

should have immediate access to the northern part of the Welcome. We observed something very like smoke ;ising from about Cape Welsford, wh._', being confined to one spot, was thought likely to be occasioned by the fires of natives. Nothing could exceed the fineness of the weather about this time ; the climate was. indeed, altogether so different from that to which we had before been accustomed in the icy seas, as to be a matter of constant remark, The days were temperate and clear, and the nights not cold, though a very thin plate of ice was usually formed upon the surface of the sea in sheltered places, and in the pools of water upon the floes. After sunset we descried land, appearing very distant, through the middle of the strait, which we considered to be that on the American side of the Welcome. At this time, also, we observed some ice in the centre of the strait, heavier than that which covered the rest of the sea, and apparently aground in shoal water, as afterwards proved to be the case.

On the morning of the 14th, the ice continued almost as close as before about the ships, but the wind being easterly and some clear water beginning to appear in the direction of the strait, we were encouraged to make an attempt io move. The signal was, therefore, made to warp with lines and hawsers, but we met with no success to repay our endeavours, the Hecla having rather ‘ost than gained ground in the course of the day, and the Fury, though favoured by slacker ice, not having advanced one mile after nine hours’ labour. We, therefore, made fast to a floe three quarters of a mile in length, and almost as much across, our soundings being one hundred and ninety-two fathoms, at the distance of seven miles froma high island which occupies a large portion of this passage on its northern side. A great variety of coral, shells, and murine insects were here brought up from the bottom, which wiil be described in another place.

The wind shifted to the westward and increased to a strong breeze in the night, in consequence of which we had, on the morning of the 15th, un- avoidably drifted back five or six miles to the eastward. This temporary loss of ground’ was, however, as ustial, more than compensated by a large space of clear water now seen in-shore, into which, after several hours’ exertion, we succeeded in getting the Fury, at three ?.M. We were here within a league of a remarkable headland on Southampton Island, which | named Care Bytor, as being probably the westernmost land seen by that navigator in 1615. in the meantime, the Heela, still continuing very closely beset, had, in spite of every exertion, drifted back with the ice several miles to the northward

1821. August. waa

Tues, 14,

Wed. 15

38 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

and eastward, so that, in the course of the evening, we lost sight of her altogether. This latter circumstance was, however, owing in great measure to the extraordinary refraction upon the horizon, making terrestrial objects at the distance of six or seven miles appear flattened down or depressed, as well as otherwise much deformed,

At six P.M., having beat up within five or six miles of the entrance of the strait, and being anxious to sound the channel, which appeared narrow but without any ice in it to offer us obstruction, I left the ship in the gig, accompanied by Mr. Ross, for this purpose. The current appeared to be setting to windward, or to the westward, but the fresh breeze was unfavourable for ascertaining its exact direction or velocity. Besides the high island before mentioned, are two smaller ones to the southward of it, which contract the channel still more between it and the south shore. These islands I named after Lizurenant Nias. he heavy ice which had before been observed from the masthead, now formed a very conspicuous ahject, the rest having drifted out of the strait; we therefore rowed directly i» vards this, as it seemed to form the northern boundary of the navigable part of the channel. Reaching it at thirty minutes after nine, we found it arround as we had conjectured, twe of the black rocks on which it rested being now just above water, and a tide of a knot and a half setting past them to the eastward. These dangerous rocks lie nearly midway between the smallest island and Cape Welsford, being rather to the westward of the narrowest part. Within fifty yards of the dry part of them was a depw of ten to twelve fathoms, and from five to seven at half that distance. As it was not possible to complete the examination of the channel in time to beat the ship through till the morning, I made the appointed signal for the Fury to stand off and on during the few hours of dusk, and determined on taking up our quarters on shore at Cape Welsford, in order to re-commence our exa- mination as early as possible in the morning. In standing across to the Cape, we could fixd no bottom with thirty-five fathoms of line, and, indeed, in the whole of this part the water was subsequently found to be very deep.

The part of Southampt:» Islead on which we landed is about a thousand feet high, and composed of gneiss. Every here and there, along the shore, between the projecting points of rocks, is a small cove or bay, having a beach composed of small pieces of limestone, which make the water almost as white as milk. Landing in one of tiose coves, we carried the boat above high-water mark; and, making a tent of her sail, lay very comfortably

t of her measure objects ssed, as

rance of narrow in the ppeared. 2Ze Was des the ward of 1 shore. ich had spicuous directly avigable found it rested § past between

of the eptu of

As it to beat fury to ing up ur exa-

Cape, | in the

lousand shore, ving a almost > boat brtably

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 39

during the night. When the boat first touched the beach, we observed an jg91, innumerable quantity of the little fish called sillocks, swimming about, se- August.

veral of which were killed by the boat-hooks or taken in the hand. A great number of white whales, seals, and narwhals, were also playing about near the beach during the night. The white whales were the most numerous; the noise these animals made resembled a hoarse low-toned barking more than any other to which I can compare it; and we remarked that their colour was whiter than any we had before seen.

The weather continued clear and fine, enabling us to obtain good observa- tions by the moon and stars. The latitude by two meridian altitudes was 65° 23' 13”; the longitude, by chronometers 84° 40' 07"; and the variation of the magnetic needle 50° 18’ 26" westerly. The aurora borealis was visible during the whole of the night, consisting of many luminous patches, or nebulw, having, when viewed together, a tendency to form an arch, and ex- tending from south by east to south-west and sometimes to west, its height in the centre being 15°. From this arch pencils of rays shot upwards towards the zenith. It differed from any other phenomenon of this kind, that I have seen, in being at times of a beautiful orange colour.

As soon as it was daylight, Mr. Ross and myself ascended the hill above Thur. 16.

our sleeping-place, from whence we could perceive land stretching round to the westward and northward, so as apparently to leave no opening in that quarter. We were much surprised at the low and yellowish appearance of this land, both of which circumstances we were at a loss to reconcile with Captain Middleton’s description of the bold shore of the American conti- nent, on the western side of the Welcome about this latitude. It was pleasing, however, to cbserve a large expanse of sea wholly unencumbered with ice, in the direction we were now about to pursue; and we, therefore, hastened to the beach to continue the survey of the strait, that no time might be lost in taking advantage of this favourable circumstance. We here noticed several Esquimaux circles of stones, but all very old ones, nor could we discover any recent traces of inhabitants, notwithstanding the smoke which we thought we had observed from the ships, at vo great distance from this spot. In the fissures and hollows between the rocks, the moss, sorrel, ground willow, and a few other plants were abundant, and specimens of every kind were brought on board. On our return to the beach we found the boat's crew amusing themselves in catching sillocks, of which they had discovered great numbers left by the tide in pools upon the rocks, and had

40

SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

already caught more}than a large bucket full. They proved most excellent eating and, although we were not badly off for fresh provision, were con- sidered by us a very agreeable variety. Every possible care was taken in observing the time and direction of the tides in this place, that phenomenon having now assumed a more than ordinary interest. It has already been remarked that, at half past nine the preceding evening, we had found a tide setting to the eastward past the Black Rocks, at the rate of a knot and a half. At ten P.M., when we landed, the tide was rapidly rising and con- tinued to do so till two in the morning, during the whole of which time a few pieces of ice were occasionally driving to the eastward through the chan- nel. From these observations it was not unreasonable to surmise that the flood-tide came from the westward, though subsequent experience, as will presently appear, proved this conjecture to be erroneous. If the intervals between the tides be regular, the time of high water on full and change days of the moon, at Cape Welsford, would appear to be a quarter past twelve. The perpendicular fall of the water at this morning’s tide, which was a spring- tide, the moon being two days old, was sixteen feet seven inches.

After completing our observations and examination of the channel, we reached the ship by eight A.M., the Fury having, with great attention, been kept close off the entrance of the strait during the night. The Hecla had at this time just hove in sight under a press of sail to the eastward, having at length, with much difficulty, succeeded in getting into clear water. While engaged in beating through the channel with a considerable tide against us, I despatched Mr. Crozier to bring on board sand for the decks, and provided him also with nets for catching sillocks, of which he procured enough to serve the messes of the officers and ships’ company for two dinners.

In beating through this channel, the breadth of which is a mile and three quarters from Cape Welsford to the Black Rocks, we discovered no danger on the south side, where we had ninety fathoms at two-thirds of a cable’s length from the shore, nor any on the northern side except the rocks them- selves, which are completely covered at high water. No soundings could be obtained with one hundred fathoms of line anywhere near the middle of the channel, though the water is remarkably light-coloured ata considerable dis- tance from the shore, owing probably to the’ same cause as that I before noticed, as occurring near the beach in all the little bays along this coast.

As soon as we were through the passage, 1 despatched Mr. Bushnan to the Hecla, in the small boat, with a plan of the channel, and some directions

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 41

xcellent to be attended to in coming through, for Captain Lyon’s guidance, and then 1821. pshoaeed stood on to the westward, in order to make out the land in that quarter, we taken in The appearance of this land continued to perplex us more and more as we memenon advanced, as, instead of any opening corresponding to Wager River, which dy been lies about this latitude, and the high shores by which it is bounded, we soon id a tide discovered before us a continuous line of low yellow-looking coast, extending ot and a all round so as to meet the high land of Southampton Island to the south, and con as well as that to the north, and leaving no perceptible outlet by which we 1 time a could find our way to the westward. In standing across we frequently he chan- observed a great rippling on the water, and a boat was sent to sound ; but we that the could find no bottom with forty to fifty fathoms of line, till within five or six » as will miles of the low shore, when we rathet suddenly obtained soundings in twenty intervals fathoms; on a gravelly bottom. We then kept away, ina line with this shore, nge days to the northward, and at length perceived something like a small opening in t twelve. the north-eastern corner of what otherwise appeared a large bay. The wind a spring- veering to the southward, however, with rain, and every appearance of a dirty night, and the Hecla not having yet got through the strait, in conse- inel, we quence of light and baffling winds, I considered it most prudent to run in on, been under the western shore, and to anchor for the night, which we accordingly a had at did at thirty minutes after seven P.M.,in thirteen fathoms, on a bottom of mud aving at and shells, at the distance of one mile from the beach. The navigation was While here perfectly unobstructed by ice, of which none was to be seen, except

ANS’ Us, here and there a straggling piece which appeared to have been lately de-

rovided tached from the shore. A great number of white whales were observed in the ough to course of the day, and the cackling of geese was heard on shore the whole night. The Hecla, having succeeded in getting through the strait, joined us d three an hour before midnight. danger On the morning of the 17th, the weather being too foggy to move, parties Frid. 17. cable’s from both ships went on shore to examine the country and to procure s them- specimens of its natural productions. We landed on a flat and very rough ould be beach, principally composed of sharp masses of limestone, over which, at low of the water, it was difficult to drag the boats. Mixed with these were some pieces ble dis- of gneiss and granite, but the lime is by far the most abundant. This land, before which rises gradually from the beach, but is in no part more then sixty or bast, seventy feet above the level of the sea, was full of ponds of fresh water, and i to the in almost all the intermediate parts there was abundance of fine vegetation, ections

consisting of grass, moss, and various other plants, of which specimens were G

Bai i

ee

Gein ee x ——— < A ea me agen meatal ic ——

« a = a el Be

42 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

1821. brought on board, A splendid specimen of the colymbus arcticus, and also a

er red-throated diver (‘colymbus septentrionalis,) were obtained by the gentlemen of the Hecla. The former though very wild were numerous, as were also plovers of two kinds, the charadrius pluvialis, and hiaticula. Nine or ten deer, of which several were fawns, with a large buck as usual bringing up the rear of the herd, were met with by some of our people, but they would not suffer themselves to be approached within gun-shot. A great number of fine black whales were playing about near the beach, and, from the total absence of ice, would have afforded a rich and easy harvest to a fishing ship. Several seals were also seen, and we were in hopes of finding some sillocks near the shore, but had no success with the seine, which was twice hauled upon the beach. We met with the remains of several Esquimaux habitations in different places along the shore, and in one spot a conspicuous mark had been left by these people, consisting of several stones placed one over the other. The beach being favourable for measuring a base, we ran off one above a mile in length, and obtained the necessary angles for the survey, together with the usual observations for fixing our geographical position. The latitude of our landing-place was 65° 27' 37", the longitude, by chronometers, 85° 15' 35", the dip of the magnetic needle 87° 27’ 52”, and the variation 47° 34 05" westerly. It was low water by the shore at forty-three minutes past eight in the morning, by which and the preceding night’s ob- servation, the time of high water on full and change days of the moon appears to be about twenty minutes past twelve. The perpendicular fall of tide this morning measured rather more than sixteen feet, so that the highest spring tides will probably amount to eightcen.

The weather having gradually cleared up as the sun got higher, we returned on board at half past nine and, getting immediately under way, stood under all sail to the N.N.E., where alone, as on the preceding even- ing, there appeared the smallest chance of finding any outlet. Our late excursion on shore had served, among other objects of interest, to furnish some clue to the mystery respecting the place into which we had found our way, and which had evidently never before been visited by Europeans. Our parties who went farthest inland reported that they could see no termination to this kind of shore to the westward, nor any appearance of high land beyond it. It was now evident, therefore, that this low shore was the same as that which Captain Middleton described as “ a low shingly beach, like Dun-

geness,” and along the western side of which he sailed up the Welcome,

d also a ntlemen are also on deer, the rear ot suffer e black sence of Several 1ear the ipon the ions in is mark one over we ran for the raphical tude, by and the y-three rht’s ob- e moon lar fall that the

her, we er way, g even- Dur late furnish und our s. Our ination beyond as that e Dun- elcome,

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 48

without suspecting its disjunction, in any part, from the high land of South- ampton Island at the back, which, indeed, he could not have discovered without travelling several leagues inland from that side, until he had reached the shore of the bay we had lately entered.

In approaching a low point, which forms one side of the apparent opening to the N.N.E., before alluded to, and which I subsequently named after Mr. Henperson, we gradually shoaled the water from eighteen fathoms, which we had soon after leaving our anchorage, to eight. After rounding the point, it seemed doubtful whether there was any passage to the north- ward, the interval between the two lands being now contracted to two miles, and becoming more and more narrow as we advanced. After passing the point, where, at two P.M., we found the flood-tide setting to the northward, at the rate « nile and a half an hour, we again deepened the water to ten and twelve fathoms; but, in continuing our course half an hour longer, again shoaled it gradually to five and four fathoms, and tacked in eighteen feet. The ship was unusually slack in stays, owing, perhaps, to her hanging in the long tangle-weed, of which great quan- tities were always floating about here. At this time the two lands seemed to approach within a mile of each other, with a number of little low stony islands occupying a great part of that space, and shelving points on each side, so that there seemed little chance of finding a passage for ships in that direction. Having sent a boat to sound, we tacked, and again ran in till we had shoaled the water to four fathoms, and then once more stood to: the southward. Finding, by the signals made from the boat, that nothing could be done till the channel, if there were any, had been regularly examined and buoyed off, I directed the ships to be anchored as soon as we had got into twelve fathoms; and at four P.M., left the Fury, accompanied by Mr. Henderson, and by Lieutenant Hoppner in a second boat from the Hecla, in order to conduct the intended examination. This did not, however, occupy so much time as we expected, for in less than two hours we had ascertained, beyond a doubt, that no practicable passage for ships existed in this direction. The tide was here so strong, that, with sails and oars, we could scarcely stem it; and as we approached the nar- rowest part, it was running more than six knots, obliging us to pull in-shore, into the eddy of the point, before we could make the smallest progress. We then: with difficulty rowed to an islet, about which fresh rocks and shoals were almost.every minute shewing themselves, as the tide fell; so that, at G2

1821. August. rw

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44 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

half-past six, wlien it was very little more than half evb by the shore, there were, in every direction, numberless shoals. and islets, past which the tide was rushing with all the violence and irregularity of a race, except ina small channel, which, in the only part where a ship could have floated, did not exceed three hundred yards in width. In such a channel, rendered, as it was, doubly dangerous, by the rapid tide which rushed through it, and which would render a ship perfectly unmanageable, it would have been highly imprudent to risk a passage ; and as, under these circumstances, it would have been a mere loss of time to continue the examination of this place, whatever curiosity we might feel to ascertain its communications, I determined to return on board, in order to take advantage of the remaining part of the ebb-tide, it being our next object to endeavour to find a passage into the Welcome, round the south side of the low land to the westward of us. I cannot, therefore, decidedly say, whether there exists a passage of any kind through to the northward in that place or not, but it is possible enough that there may be one, though very narrow and shoal.

The whole of the bottom here consists of a flat gneiss-rock, over-which, as well as on the shoals and islets, lie innumerable fragments of limestone, of a white colour. A mark, consisting of stones piled up, had been set on each side of the narrow channel, as if for the purpose of pointing out the. safest part for canoes, when the points are covered by high spring tides. By deep wading, for the nature of the bottom and the rapid fall of tide did not allow us to risk the grounding of the boats, we got to the islet, where we found two jaw-bones of a whale placed erect on a pile of stones, together with a quantity of whalebone; the whole structure being so con- trived, when viewed at a little distance, that it bore a striking resem- blance to the figure of a man holding the blades of bone in his -hands. Among the numerous marks of the kind which we afterwards met with in various parts of the sea-coast, it was not uncommon to observe some which evidently appeared to have reference to the same whimsical in-. tention, and which, till habit had rendered them familiar, we often: mis- took for men, Being in want of whalebone for making brooms, we took a few of the blades, leaving as an equivalent a boarding-pike stuck upright in the pile ; we then returned to the ships, which we reached at eight P.M. The wind having now become very light and variable, and the navigation of this place requiring the utmost command of the ships, I was reluctantly compelled to defer moving till the morning tide, It was low water at a

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quarter past nine this evening, after which time the tide began almost im- mediately to run to the northward. Several rein-deer were seen on the western or low shore in the course of the day.

The weather was cloudy and nearly calm during the night, and a thick fog came on the following morning. We weighed, however, at high water and beat to the southward with a light air from that quarter, regulating our course by the lead which is here a faithful guide. At nine A.M., the wind shifted to the N.W., and the fog was succeeded by rain for an hour or two, after which the weather became dry, clear, and pleasant. As soon as the favourable breeze sprung-up we stood under all sail for what at first appeared to be the south-eastern extreme of the low land, more of which, however, came in sight as we advanced and as the weather became clearer; till at length, at one P.M., it was but too evident that we were once more embayed, the low beach running quite round to Southampton Island, about nine or ten miles to the southward of us. I therefore ordered the ships to be anchored, being in thirteen fathoms, on a bottom of mud and shells, at the distance of two miles and a quarter from the high or eastern land, and about four from the other: and in order to leave no doubt of the continuity of land, as it appeared from the ships, I despatched a boat from each under the command of Lieutenant Reid, with directions to row close to the beach, completely round the bay, making such hydrographical and other remarks as circumstances would permit.

In the mean time Captain Lyon and myself went on shore to the east- ward, in order to obtain from the hills a view of the surrounding lands. It may here be observed that, on this eastern side of the bay, there is a strip of low and lightish-coloured land a mile or two in breadth, extending from the foot of the hills to the sea. On landing we found this low shore to consist of whitish limestone in schistose fragments, alternating with narrow strips of verdure, and some ponds of water; while the rocks at the back, which rise eight or nine hundred feet above the level of the sea, are composed of gneiss, with here and there a quantity of limestone in heaps, and in many places large masses of quartz, mica, and red feldspar, lying detached upon the surface. Near the top of the hill we also met with a considerable quantity of magnetic ironstone. We saw no living animal but ‘three small birds. Stones placed erect in different parts, and even at the very top of the hill, shewed that the Esquimaux had visited these shores, but.we observed no recent traces.of them, ‘

OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 45

1821. August. wana

Sat. 18.

1821. August. aw

46 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY

Lieutenant Reid returned on board at eleven P:M., having determined the continuity of land all round the bay, by rowing close in-shore the whole way. With a view to ascertain, if possible, the breadth of the low land, by which the geographical position of the eastern boundary of the Welcome in this latitude might have been laid down, Lieutenant Reid went on shore near the head of the bay; but it proved so level, extensive, and low, that he was unable to obtain any view to the westward. He considered the southern boundary of the bay to be ten miles from the station of the ships. The soundings are regular, and the anchorage good in every part: which our boats visited, making this, perhaps, one of the most secure and. extensive harbours in the known world. Scarcely a piece of ice was. seen in any, part of it, and the appearance of the beach, on which were no heavy grounded: masses, shewed that here, as in all other well-sheltered harbours.or inlets in the polar seas, little or none had ever found access,. except: that: which: is formed in it, and which the annual process of dissolution has usually destroyed before this period. In the examination of any inletin these regions there is, indeed, no indication more unpromising, and which, if: any. thing. short of absolute examination could be admitted, might be considered so conclusive against the existence of a passage, as the absence of “old.” ices or, at least, of those traces of it, which are evident upon every shore to which it has occasionally a ready access. Of this fact, the remaining part of the present season’s navigation will afford a striking: proof.

This magnificent bay, possessing so many advantages that would render it invaluable in a more temperate climate, the officers honoured with the name of the Dux ov York's Bay, in consequence of the Expedition having, first entered it on the birth-day of His Royal Highness.

It being now evident that the inlet into which, in the course of our en- deavours to penetrate to the westward, we had unavoidably been. led, would afford us no passage in that direction, I gave orders for weighing at the turn of tide; being determined at once to run back through the narrow channel) by which we had entered, and to push to: the northward without delay,