PETOWAK GLACIER. 71 



sailors who played chamberlain on the occasion, and 

 who apj)eared to be not overly partial to this increase 

 of our family, remarked that, " If good for nothing 

 else, they are at least good Imnber for strengthening 

 the schooner's bows against the ice." 



The coast which we were passing greatly interested 

 me. The trap formation of Disco Island reappears 

 at Cape York, and the land presents a lofty, ragged 

 front, broken by deep gorges which have a very pic- 

 turesque appearance, and the effect was much height- 

 ened by numerous streams of ice which burst through 

 the openings. One of these figures on the chart as 

 Petowak Glacier. Measuring it as we passed with 

 log-line and chronometer, it proved to be four miles 

 across. The igneous rocks are interrupted at Cape 

 Athol, on the southern side of Wolstenholme Sound, 

 and the lines of calcareous sandstone and greenstone 

 which meet the eye there and at Saunders Island and 

 the coast above, toward Cape Parry, brought to my 

 recollection many a hard struggle of former years. 

 They were familiar landmarks. 



At eight o'clock in the evening we were abreast of 

 Booth Bay, the winter quarters in my boat journey 

 of 1854. I could distinguish through my glass the 

 rocks among which we had built our hut. They were 

 suggestive of many unpleasant memories. 



Soon afterward the sky became overcast, and a 

 heavy snow began to fall. The wind dying away to 

 a light breeze, we jogged on through the day, and, 

 passing Whale Sound, outside of Hakluyt Island, were, 

 at five o'clock in the evening, within thirty miles of 

 Smith's Sound. Here we came upon an ice-pack which 

 appeared to be very heavy and to stretch oft' to the 

 eouthwest ; but the air being too thick to warrant us 



