1854.] POSITION OF ' INVESTIGATOR.' 139 



" We have had during the summer June, July, and 

 August very mild weather ; an unusual quantity of rain, 

 but little wind. 



" It rained in June on 5 days, 9 hours hard, 24 rain, 6 drizzle. 

 July, 11 33 57 

 August, 6 6 49 



" August having arrived, with little appearance of a 

 break-up, I sent Mr. Nares (Mate), with a boat and 

 crew, to report on the practicability of getting along the 

 land in water. He returned in three days, not being 

 able to cross Beverley Inlet or to get along its shores. 

 Were the land continuous between this and Beechey, the 

 voyage, late in the summer, might, I consider, be easily 

 and rapidly made. Mr. Nares could see no indication 

 of a break-up to seaward. I now began to despair of 

 breaking out at all ; the disposal of a part of the crew, to 

 save provision and to give room, became an object of se- 

 rions consideration. I had a large sledge for carrying a 

 boat made ; but as it was impossible a party could have 

 got down to Beechey in time for any ship leaving for 

 England, and that the depot there would be less able to 

 support the party than this ship at Dealy, I abandoned 

 the project, but determined, as soon as all hope was at an 

 end, to send a party of twenty-five officers and men, un- 

 der either M'Clintock or Meecham, to ' Investigator ' to 

 winter, with orders to visit, by Prince Wales' Strait, the 

 Princess Royal Island and Nelson's Head (south end of 

 Baring Island), to deposit at these places records, and to 

 endeavour to find out from the natives whether ' Enter- 

 prise' had been seen by them. We may get along the 

 American coast, and get into the strait discovered by Sir 



