126 ENTER POND'S BA Y. Chap. IX- 



refraction. Only a single iceberg in sight. The sea-water 

 is light green, as remarked by Parry in 1819. 



26//?. — A vessel was seen yesterday morning; the day 

 continuing calm, we steamed through some loose ice, and 

 joined her off Cape Walter Bathurst in the evening. It 

 proved to be the 'Diana'; she parted from us on the 16th 

 of June in Melville Bay, has everywhere been obstructed by 

 the pack, as we have been, and only reached Cape War- 

 render three days before us. From thence to Possession 

 Bay she met with no obstruction. The subsequent east 

 winds brought in all the ice which has so much retarded us. 



The ' Diana ' has already captured twelve whales. Taking 

 the hint from Capt. Gravill, we have made fast to a loose 

 floe, and are drifting very nearly a mile an hour to the 

 southward along the edge of very formidable land-ice, which 

 is seven or eight miles broad. All to seaward of us is 

 packed ice. The old whaling seamen of the ' Diana ' are 

 astounded at the unusual and unaccountable abundance of 

 ice which everywhere fills up Baffin's Bay. All the ' Diana's ' 

 steaming-coals, her spare spars, wood, and even a boat, 

 were burnt in the protracted struggle through the middle ice. 



27//L — After putting our letter-bag on board the 'Diana' 

 this morning Ave steamed on for Pond's Bay, and at noon 

 made fast near Button Point to the land ice, which still 

 extends across it. 



For four hours Petersen and I have been bargaining with 

 an old woman and a boy, not for the sake of their seal-skins, 

 but in order to keep them in good humour whilst we ex- 

 tracted information , from them. They said they knew 

 nothing of ships or white people ever having been within 

 this inlet, nor of any wrecked ships. They knew of the 

 depot of provisions left at Navy Board Inlet by the ' North 

 Star,' but had none of them. The woman has traced on 

 paper the shores of the inlet as far as her knowledge 



