every bend of the shore which here occurred, we landed at the point called by Captain Lyon POINT FARHILL, and, ascending the hill to take angles, obtained a view of Gore Bay, easily recognising every other feature of the lands discovered by Captain Lyon. A mile or two of coast was now all that remained to be examined, in order to determine the connexion of Gore Bay with the rest of the land recently explored. Proceeding, therefore, as soon as our observations were finished, we soon after entered the bay, and in the course of an hour had satisfied ourselves on this point.

The ice remained closely packed on the 21st, as far as we could see along shore, so that we were still detained in the same place. Some snow which fell in the course of the preceding night, lightly powdering the land, had entirely disappeared be. fore evening, except in places having a northern aspect, where it now permanently remained for the winter.

On the morning of the 22d the ice was not only as close as ever, but had forced its way much higher up towards Gore Bay. A party was therefore sent out to endeavour to procure game farther inland; and another employed in gathering groundwillow, which was here abundant and in good condition for fuel. Two bears, a female and her cub, being propably attracted by the smell of our cooking, came towards the tents upon the ice, but, upon hearing our voices, set off in the opposite direction. A good deal of snow fell in partial showers in the course of the day; it was nearly of that fine kind which usually falls during the winter of these

regions, but we had flake snow and even light rain some days after this. The snow, however, now remained undissolved upon the land in all situations. Our hunting party returned late in the evening without success, having merely seen a number of reindeer, which the want of cover prevented their approaching. Seven days out of the nine for which we were victualled having now elapsed, a party was selected for walking over to the ships on the following day, should the ice still continue in its present state.

The ice continuing in the same state, we com. menced our work at break of day on the 24th, and in three journeys had carried all the lighter part of our baggage over land by eleven o'clock. All hands then returned for the two boats, across the gunwales of which the masts and oars were lashed for lifting them, the ground not allowing us to drag them except for a short space here and there. By half past one the first boat had been carried over, and, by the unwearied exertions of the offi. cers and men, we had the satisfaction of launching the second before four o'clock, the distance being a mile and a half, and chiefly over rocky and une. ven ground. As soon as we had dined, the boats were reloaded; and at five o'clock we left the shore.

A quantity of ice was still aground upon the shoals and islets off Cape Martineau, through which, however, we fortunately found a passage before dark, when, having cleared every obstacle, we sailed in an open sea and with a fresh breeze to the northward. Keeping close along the shore to avoid missing the ships in the dark, our first musket was immediately answered by a blue-light; and,

being guided by the lights now shown by the ships, we arrived at nine P.M., where we found that our late detention had excited some alarm for our safety.

On the 1st of October some small rain fell, which, immediately freezing, made the decks and ropes as smooth and slippery as if coated with glass; the thermometer had for several days past permanently fallen below the freezing point, and sometimes as low as 20° at night; which change, together with the altered appearance of the land, and the rapid formation of young ice near the shores, gave pretty evident notice of the approach of winter. The commencement of this dreary season in these regions may, indeed, be fairly dated from the time when the earth no longer receives and radiates heat enough to melt the snow which falls upon it. When the land is once covered with this substance, so little calculated to favour the absorption of heat, the frigorific process seems to be carried on with increased vigour, defining very clearly the change from summer to winter, with little or no immediate interval to which the name of autumn can be distinctly assigned.

We passed Cape Edwards on the 6th; but on the 8th the formation of young ice upon the surface of the water began most decidedly to put a stop to the navigation of these seas, and warned us that the season of active operations was nearly at an end.

When to the ordinary difficulties which the nav. igation of the Polar Seas presents were superadded the disadvantages of a temperature at or near zero, its necessary concomitant the young ice, and twelve

hours of darkness daily, it was impossible any longer to entertain a doubt of the expediency of imdiately placing the ships in the best security that could be found for them during the winter, rather than run the risk of being permanently detached from the land by an endeavour to regain the continent. We were in hopes of receiving effectual shelter from the numerous grounded masses, but could only find berths within one of them in five to six fathoms water. We now, for the first time, walked on board the ships; and, before night, had them moved into their places, by sawing a canal for two or three hundred yards through the ice. The average thickness of the new floe was already three inches and a quarter; but being in some places much less, several officers and men fell in, and, from the difficulty of getting a firm place to rest on, narrowly escaped a more serious inconvenience than a thorough wetting. The whole sheet of ice, even in those parts which easily bore a man's weight, had a waving motion under the feet, like that of leather or any other tough flexible substance set afloat, a property which is, I believe, peculiar to salt-water ice.

In reviewing the events of this our first season of navigation, and considering what progress we had made towards the accomplishment of our main object, it was impossible, however trifling that progress might appear upon the chart, not to experience considerable satisfaction. Small as our actual advance had been towards Behring's Strait, the extent of coast newly discovered and minutely explored in pursuit of our object, in the course of the last eight weeks, amounted to more than two

hundred leagues, nearly half of which belonged to the Continent of North America. This service, notwithstanding our constant exposure to the risks which intricate, shoal, and unknown channels, a sea loaded with ice, and a rapid tide concurred in presenting, had providentially been effected with. out injury to the ships, or suffering to the officers and men; and we had now once more met with tolerable security for the season. Above all, however, I derived the most sincere satisfaction from a conviction of having left no part of the coast from Repulse Bay eastward in a state of doubt as to its connexion with the continent. And as the

mainland now in sight from the hills extended no farther to the eastward than about a N.N.E. bearing, we ventured to indulge a sanguine hope of our being very near the northeastern boundary of America, and that the early part of the next sea. son would find us employing our best efforts in pushing along its northern shores.

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 Observatory 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.

OUR operations at sea being now at an end for the season, my chief attention was directed to the