132 A HARE SHOT. [March, 



near Hamilton Island late in August. But to my mind 

 the cause is very clear as clear as the North Sea and 

 British Channel flood-tides meeting at high water near 

 Dover. North of our present position, the flood-tide sets 

 in from the Polar Sea and brings its warmer oceanic 

 water ; southerly, the flood has to pass up Lancaster 

 Sound, then to be deflected up this channel, and makes 

 high water somewhere between this and Beechey Island; 

 hence the inaction in this particular neighbourhood when 

 the sea may be open both above and beloiv, and even if 

 open off-shore, may never release this ship from her pre- 

 sent prison. But until every matter requisite for her 

 extraction is fairly prepared, and nothing left but taking 

 advantage of the first lead, I do not quit my post here. 



March 22. -Today my Coxswain, George Stares, one 

 of Sir John Richardson's crew in Canada, asked permis- 

 sion to take the gun to try for some game for me, and 

 before noon returned with a fine young hare of last sea- 

 son, a male, weighing ten pounds, but when his skin and 

 entrails, etc., were taken away, not above four pounds of 

 meat remained ; his food had been lichens, grass, etc. 

 The arrival was somewhat opportune, as the very men- 

 tion of food had become almost unpleasant; but the hare, 

 if not overcooked, I could attempt, and with some degree 

 of gout. The evil of all the preserved meats supplied 

 for this service is, their being overdone and unpalatable 

 to a tender stomach. 



March 26. Yesterday the ice gauged five feet eight 

 inches, which exhibits but very slight increase during 

 the last thirty days. Indeed it is my intention at the 

 expiration of the next term (on the 4th of April) to lift 



