378 ANNUAL OP SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



ice from making any further progress. The ship drifted a little to the 

 southward, and was frozen up for the winter. In July of the follow- 

 ing year an attempt was made to push northward towards Melville 

 Island, but the ice in lat. 75 35' was impenetrable. An attempt was 

 then made to round the southern shore of Baring Island, and with 

 great peril to the vessel Capt. M'Clure succeeded in reaching lat. 

 74 6'. Here, however, the ship became frozen in, and has remained 

 ever since. At this point Capt. M'Cure was preparing at all risks to 

 desert the ship, when an officer arrived from the Resolute, with a 

 surgeon, whom Capt. Kellett had sent to report on the health of the 

 crew. In the summer of 1851, Capt. M'Clure made further explora- 

 tions, and a year ago last spring went across with sledges to the region 

 already explored by the parties from this side, but unfortunately 

 without meeting anything but their farthest deposited memoranda. 

 His winter quarters have been in a bay to which he gives the name 

 of the Bay of Mercy, Baring's Island, at the east end of the cliifs of 

 Banks Land. Banks Land was laid down on the maps, by Sir Ed- 

 ward Parry, who saw it from a distance, in 1820. From this point 

 Com. M'Clure crossed with his crew, but of course without his ship, to 

 Melville Island, last April. 



This drifting round from Behring's Straits to Banks Land, and so 

 home across land by way of Davis's Straits, is what has been called 

 " The Discovery of the North- West Passage ; " and so will probably 

 end this " strange, eventful history." 



With respect to the navigation of the North- West Passage, which 

 is a subject of great geographical interest, Capt. M'Clure observes : 

 " A ship stands no chance of getting to the westward by entering the 

 Polar Sea, the water along shore being very narrow and wind con- 

 trary, and the pack impenetrable ; but through the Prince of Wales 

 Strait, and by keeping along the American coast, I conceive it practi- 

 cable. Drift-wood is in great abundance upon the east coast of the 

 Prince of Wales Strait, and on the American shore, also much game. 

 The hills in this vicinity abound in rein-deer and hares, which remain 

 the entire winter : we have procured upwards of 4,000 Ibs." From the 

 observations which were made, it appears that the set of the currents 

 is decidedly to the eastwsrd. "At one time ," says Capt. M'Clure, " we 

 found the set as much as two knots in a perfect calm, and that the 

 flood-tide sets from the westward we have ascertained beyond a doubt, 

 as the opportunities afforded during our detention along the western 

 shore gave ample proof." This is one of the important facts of Capt. 

 M'Clure's enterprise, and establishes the propriety of making any 

 future attempt at a passage which might be required from the side of 

 Behring's Strait. 



We now turn to Sir. E. Belcher's despatches ; which, if not so in- 

 teresting in a geographical point of view as those of Capt. M'Clure, 

 yet contain many important features. At the head of these may be 

 placed, first, the existence of a polar sea, which Sir Edward feels 

 convinced is now placed beyond a doubt ; and secondly, the dis- 

 covery of what we would gladly hope may be further traces of 

 Franklin. 



