instances, to have a clear knowledge of the hydrography and geography of the continent, bays, straits, and rivers which they had once traversed.

On the 5th of April, Commander Ross, with Mr. Blanky, the chief mate, and two Esquimaux guides, set out to explore a strait which was reported as lying to the westward, and which it was hoped might lead to the western sea. After a tedious and arduous journey, they arrived, on the third day, at a bay facing to the westward and discovered, further inland, an extensive lake, called by the natives Nie-tyle-le, whence a broad river flowed into the bay. Their guides informed them, however, there was no prospect of a water comunication south of their present position. Capt. Ross then traced the coast fifty or sixty miles further south.

Several journeys were also made by Commander Ross, both inland and along the bays and inlets. On the 1st of May, from the top of a high hill, he observed a large inlet, which seemed to lead to the western sea. In order to satisfy himself on this point, he set out again on the 17th of May, with provisions for three weeks, eight dogs, and three companions. Having crossed the great middle lake of the isthmus, he reached his former station, and thence traced an inlet which was found to be the mouth of a river named by them Garry. From the high hill, they observed a chain of lakes leading almost to Thom's Bay, the Victory's station in Felix Harbor. Proceeding northwest along the coast, they crossed the frozen surface of the strait which has since been named after Sir James Ross, and came to a large island which was called Matty; keeping along its northern shore, and passing over a narrow strait, which they named after Wellington, they found themselves on what was considered to be the mainland, but which the more recent discoveries of Simpson have shown to be an island, and which now bears the name of King William's Land. Still journeying onward, with difficulties continually increasing, from heavy toil and severe privation, the dogs became exhausted with fatigue, and a burden rather than an aid to the travelers.

One of their greatest embarrassments was, how to distinguish between land and sea. "When all is ice, and all one dazzling mass of white - when the surface of the sea itself is tossed up and fixed into rocks, while the land is, on the contrary, very often flat, it is not always so easy a problem as it might seem on a superficial view, to determine a fact which appears in words to be extremely simple." Although their provisions began to fall short, and the party were nearly worn out, Commander Ross was most desirous of making as much western discovery as possible; therefore, depositing every thing that could be dispensed with, he pushed on, on the 28th, with only four days' provisions, and reached Cape Felix, the most northern point of this island, on the following day. The coast here took a southwest direction, and there was an unbounded expanse of ocean in view. The next morning, after having traveled twenty miles farther, they reached a point, which Ross called Point Victory, situated in lat. 64° 46′ 19′′, long. 98° 32′ 49′′, while to the most distant one in view, estimated to be in long. 99° 17′ 58", he gave the name of Cape Franklin. However loath to turn

back, yet prudence compelled them to do so, for as they had only ten days' short allowance of food, and more than 200 miles to traverse, there could not be a moment's hesitation in adopting this step. A high cairn of stones was erected before leaving, in which was deposited a narrative of their proceedings.

The party endured much fatigue and suffering on their return journey; of the eight dogs only two survived, and the travelers in a most exhausted state arrived in the neighborhood of the large lakes on the 8th of June, where they fortunately fell in with a tribe of natives, who received them hospitably, and supplied them plentifully with fish, so that after a day's rest they resumed their journey, and reached the ship on the 13th. Captain Ross in the meanwhile had made a partial survey of the Isthmus, and discovered another large lake, which he named after Lady Melville.

After eleven months' imprisonment their little ship

LIBRA

OF THE

UNIVE

once more floated buoyant on the waves, having been released from her icy barrier on the 17th of September, but for the next few days made but little progress, being beaten about among the icebergs, and driven hither and thither by the currents.

A change in the weather, however, took place, and on the 23d they were once more frozen in, the sea in a week after exhibiting one clear and unbroken surface. All October was passed in cutting through the ice into a more secure locality, and another dreary winter having set in, it became necessary to reduce the allowance of provisions. This winter was one of unparalleled severity, the thermometer falling 92° below freezing point. During the ensuing spring a variety of exploratory journeys were carried on, and in one of these Commander Ross succeeded in planting the British flag on the North Magnetic Pole. The position which had been usually assigned to this interesting spot by the learned of Europe, was lat. 70° N., and long. 98° 30' W.; but Ross, by careful observations, determined it to lie in lat. 70° 5' 17" N., and long. 96° 46′ 45′′ W., to the southward of Cape Nikolai, on the western shore of Boothia. But it has since been found that the center of magnetic intensity is a movable point revolving within the frigid zone.

"The place of the observatory," Ross remarks, "was as near to the magnetic pole as the limited means which I possessed enabled me to determine. The amount of the dip, as indicated by my dipping-needle, was 89° 59', being thus within one minute of the vertical; while the proximity at least of this pole, if not its actual existence where we stood, was further confirmed by the action, or rather by the total inaction, of the several horizontal needles then in my possession."

Parry's observations placed it eleven minutes distant only from the site determined by Ross.

"As soon," continues Ross, "as I had satisfied my own mind on the subject, I made known to the party this gratifying result of all our joint labors; and it was then that, amidst mutual congratulations, we fixed the