1858.] RETURN TO FOSSIL STATION. 275 



posite side of this strait was clearly an island, to which 

 I gave the name of North Kent, and to the south-eastern 

 conspicuous cape, Prince Edward's Cape ; the remaining 

 remarkable extremes I leave for Her Majesty's pleasure. 

 May 21. After building a large stone cairn, having 

 placed others on four different hills, and deposited the 

 customary records, we struck our tent at nine P.M. (temp. 

 20), and, retracing our steps, reached our rendezvous 

 about three A.M. ; made coffee to recruit the men, and 

 then moved westerly to obtain a more sheltered posi- 

 tion for repose. During our absence, a bear had been 

 noticed sauntering about the bay, but, even with one 

 man in charge, did not approach the tent. We were 

 much deceived in the distance, and when we pitched, 

 'Dauntless' was at least two miles behind. At noon I 

 was the only unfortunate gazing at the sun. I found 

 here a splinter, or cortical layer, of a pine-tree, not aged. 

 Waiting until ten P.M. for ' Dauntless,' we moved for- 

 ward, reaching our old encampment at Fossil Station 

 about 1.30, where we pitched : the weather now be- 

 came cold, attended with sleet and bad-omened snow. 

 About three the ' Dauntless' rejoined, and, the weather 

 having improved, we ascended the commanding height 

 near Cape Derby, in the hope of being able to make out 

 (being fifteen miles nearer) our new islands to the north- 

 west. The temperature was 14, but bitter cold from the 

 south-east, and the driving snow, just before we gained 

 the summit, destroyed every prospect. This mountain, 

 unlike any we have seen, is composed near its summit of 

 grauwacke slate, of which, as it furnished noble building 

 slabs, we constructed our cairns. On our return to the 



