112 ELISHA KENT KANE. 



acquisitions, it is illustrative of the author's cha- 

 racter, inasmuch as its style and manner are singu- 

 larly in accordance with what the peculiarities of a 

 government document ought to be : it is unsurpassed 

 for conciseness, clearness, and comprehensiveness. 

 After briefly narrating his departure from the port 

 of New York, Dr. Kane proceeds : 



" On reaching Melville Bay I found the shore-ices so decayed 

 that I did not deem it advisable to attempt the usual passage 

 along the fast floes of the land, but stood directly to the north- 

 ward and westward, as indicated by my log, until I met the 

 Middle Pack. Here we headed nearly direct for Cape York, 

 and succeeded in crossing the bay without injury in ten days 

 after first encountering the ice. On the 7th of August we 

 reached the headland of Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, and passed 

 the highest point attained by our predecessor, Captain Ingle- 

 field, E..N. So far our observations accorded completely with 

 the experience of this gallant officer in the summer of 1852. 

 A fresh breeze, with a swell setting in from the southward and 

 westward ; marks upon the rocks indicating regular tides ; no 

 ice visible from aloft, and all the signs of continuous open 

 water. As we advanced, however, a belt of heavy stream-ice 

 was seen, an evident precursor of drift ; and a little afterward 

 it became evident that the channel to the northward was ob- 

 structed by drifting pack. We were still too far to the south to 

 carry out the views I had formed of our purposed search, and it 

 became my duty, therefore, to attempt the penetration of this 

 ice. Before doing this, I selected an appropriate inlet for a 

 provision-depot, and buried there a supply of beef, pork, and 

 bread ; at the same place we deposited our Francis's life-boat, 

 covering it carefully with wet sand, and overlaying the frozen 



