280 SIR J. C. ROSS'S EXPEDITION. 



very difficult circumstances, to seek for Sir Jonn Frank- 

 lin's company, or for traces of them, and to set up a 

 conspicuous mark, with a paper containing similar in- 

 formation to that in the casks. From Cape York the 

 expedition stood over toward North-East Cape, till they 

 came to the edge of a pack about fourteen miles broad, 

 lying in the way to Leopold Island, and too dense for 

 them to penetrate. They wished to get with all possi- 

 ble speed to Port Leopold, to fulfil the promise made in 

 their notices, and were glad to observe that the pack 

 which now arrested them was still in motion, and might 

 be expected soon to go to pieces under some favorable 

 change. But, that no available time might be spent in 

 inaction, they stood away, in the mean time, to the 

 north shore of Barrow's Strait, to examine its numer- 

 ous inlets, and to seek for a retreat harbor. They 

 thoroughly explored Maxwell Bay, and several smaller 

 indentations ; and they got so near the entrance of Wel- 

 lington Channel as to see that it was firmly and impen- 

 etrably barred from side to side by ice, which had not 

 been broken up that season. Even Barrow's Strait was 

 embarrassed by a greater quantity of ice than had ever 

 before been seen in it at the same period of the year. 



They now stood to the south-west to seek for a har- 

 bor near Cape Rennell ; but they found a heavy body 

 of ice extending from the west of Cornwallis's Island, in 

 a compact mass, to Leopold Island. They coasted along 

 this pack during stormy and foggy weather, and had 

 difficulty during the nights in keeping the ships from 

 being beset. With the thermometer every night at 15, 

 young ice formed so rapidly, and became so thick, as to 

 defeat all their efforts to pass through some of even the 

 looser streams. Yet, after several days of anxious and 

 arduous toil, though the pack still lingered about Leo- 

 pold Island and North-East Cape, they succeeded in 



