cxxiv GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



winter about three miles to the northward of the entrance to Robe- 

 son Channel. This, although a disappointment at the time, was prob- 

 ably fortunate, as the winter's observation indicated that, had a 

 more northern latitude been attained, the Alert would have been so 

 embedded in the ice that no amount of labor would have extricated 

 her. Instead of an open Polar sea, the ice was jammed together in 

 masses of extraordinary thickness like icebergs, in some instances 

 being from 150 to 200 feet thick, doubtless the accumulations of 

 many winters. 



Upon its being evident that farther northern progress with the 

 Alert was not to be hoped for, the sledge work was commenced with 

 marked promptness and energy, exploring j^arties being sent from 

 the Alert to the north, northeast, and northwest, and from the Dis- 

 covery to the opposite Greenland shore. The sledge parties estab- 

 lished depots of provisions for the expeditions to be sent out the 

 next spring, but experienced much hardship and suffering. The 

 winter was unusually long, cold, and dark, the sun being absent for 

 142 days, and the temperature reaching 73.7 below zero, early in 

 March, on board the Alert, the Discovery at the same time registering 

 70.5 below zero. Magnetic, meteorological, and astronomical ob- 

 servations were regularly made during the winter, and many expe- 

 dients were successfully resorted to on board both ships to break the 

 dreary monotony, till, on March 1st, the sun again appeared, and prep- 

 aration for exploration by sledging parties was begun. By the be- 

 ginning of April every man, except those absolutely necessary for 

 the care of the ships, had departed, expeditions being sent in every 

 direction, those from the Discovery turning their attention principally 

 to the exploration of the western and northern coasts of Greenland. 



A party under command of Commander Markham proceeded north- 

 ward. Their progress was most difficult, owing to the roughness 

 of the ice, but they reached a latitude of 83 20' 26", finding under 

 the ice a depth of seventy fathoms of water. No land was visible 

 to the northward from this point. 



To the westward of the Alert the coast-line was examined for 220 

 miles by a party under command of Lieutenant Aldrich, the most 

 northern land found being m latitude 83 T N., longitude 70 30' W. 



On the Greenland shore, parties from the Discovery, under com- 

 mand of Lieutenants Beaumont and Rawson, explored the coast-line 

 to the northeast, the farthest land found in this direction being in 

 latitude 82 54' N., longitude 48 33' W., apparently almost identical 

 with the Cape Sherman of the American charts. This coast is much 

 cut up with fiords and inlets. Lady Franklin Sound and Peter- 

 mann Fiord were also examined, the former being found to termi- 

 nate sixty-five miles from the mouth, and the latter to be blocked 

 up with a low glacier. This examination completes the shores of 

 Smith Sound, except Hayes Sound. 



