198 REACHES MELVILLE ISLAND. \June, 



I must beg to refer to his written report. The duty 

 being complete on the llth of May, hatches secured, 

 and the ship nearly as when visited, he commenced his 

 return to Melville Island. 



He observes : " Both in entering and leaving the bay 

 I paid marked attention to the state of the ice in it, and 

 I am confident that there was no water made inside a 

 line from Point Providence (Banks' Land) to Point Back 

 during 1853, but that there was open water during that 

 season for two or three miles in width along the whole 

 line, and which finally met and arrested pieces from 

 the pack around the neighbourhood of Cape Hamilton. 

 Along the cliffs of Banks' Land also there was a belt 

 of new ice from two to four miles wide, terminating in 

 heavy pressure on Point Parker. The pack, from five 

 miles north of Cape Hamilton to within ten miles of 

 Melville Island, was somewhat heavier and older than 

 found in crossing further eastward." 



He reached Melville Island on the 26th of May, 

 shortly after midnight, where his orders, left by Lieu- 

 tenant Hamilton, awaited him. Very little game was 

 seen ; Captain Kellett remarks, " Too early to see much." 

 Three deer and four musk-oxen were seen near Cape 

 Hamilton, and three deer at Cape Providence. 



The remainder of his journey is comprised in that 

 of Lieutenant Mecham. He reached Beechey Island, 

 in company with Lieutenant Hamilton, on the 13th of 

 June. He notices that about the 31st of May the thaw 

 had commenced with drizzling rain, yet, notwithstanding 

 very low temperatures, sore feet, etc. etc., not a single 

 casualty was experienced by any of the travellers. 



