1852.] THE 'INTREPID' REJOINS. 73 



this, but ray despatches deposited there, were carried off 

 by Esquimaux, whom he met with at Dundas Harbour, 

 a little to the northward, in the summer of 1853. 



Captain Kellett evidently had not called here, or he 

 would have left some intelligence. Our progress, unaid- 

 ed by the ' Pioneer,' and contending with adverse wind 

 and tides, was very slow. The weather was beautifully 

 fine, and we anxiously looked out for the return of the 

 ' Pioneer,' whose absence was now very protracted. We 

 had too much spare time to admire the extraordinary 

 singularity of the entire land composing the northern side 

 of Lancaster Sound. One very impressive idea is almost 

 forced upon the senses, and that is, that one line has been 

 common to the entire summits, and at one period the sur- 

 face must have been continuous, exhibiting an immense 

 surface of table-land, and this, the original feature, was pro- 

 bably level with the ocean ; that, either at its up-heaving, 

 or on the subsidence of the waters, it left parallel terraces 

 for hundreds of miles, and the escape of the water chan- 

 nelled deep ravines, or scooped out deep bays, constituting 

 the present castellated eminences. Subsequently, I am 

 led to add Nor is it to the eye alone, as viewed from 

 the deck of the passing ship, that these ideas are solely 

 formed ; it will be noticed hereafter, that a similar course 

 of structure, similar rocks, fossils, etc., pervade this 

 strange region, even to the extreme exploration north 

 of this parallel. By dint of standing close iu-shore, and 

 watching every change of tide or wind, we had just gained 

 a position to enable us to "lie up" for Beechey Island, 

 and the breeze continued to favour us, when our curiosity 

 was excited by report from the crow's-nest of a stranger 



