June, 1859. RETURNING HOMEWARD. 261 



miles by sledge-route from the abandoned ships — such being 

 the distance of the latter from Cape Crozier ; nor is it pro- 

 bable that we could have passed the wreck had she existed 

 there, as there are no off-lying islands to the northward of 

 Cape Crozier, to prevent a ship drifting in upon the beach ; 

 whilst to the southward they are very numerous, so much so 

 that a drifting ship could hardly run the gauntlet between 

 them so as to reach the shore. 



The coast from Point Victory northward is considerably 

 higher than that upon which we have been so many days ; 

 the sea also is not so shallow, and the ice comes close in ; to 

 seaward all was heavy close pack, consisting of all descrip- 

 tions of ice, but for the most part old and heavy. 



From Walls' Bay I crossed overland to the eastern shore, 

 and reached my depot near the entrance of Port Parry on 

 the 5th June, after an absence of thirty-four days. Hence I 

 purposed travelling along shore to Cape Sabine, in order to 

 avoid the rough ice which we encountered when crossing 

 direct from Cape Victoria in April, and also hoping to 

 obtain a few more observations for the magnetic inclination. 



The weather became foggy as we approached Prince 

 George's Bay, therefore we were obliged to go well into it 

 before attempting to cross. We gained the land — upon the 

 opposite side, as I supposed — and which would lead us 

 direct to Cape Sabine ; but when the weather cleared up, 

 we saw a long low island to seaward of us, which puzzled 

 me much. Eventually I found we had discovered a strait 

 leading from Prince George's Bay into Wellington Strait, 

 about 8 miles south of Cape Sabine. 



This discovery cost us a day's delay, and was therefore 

 unwelcome, as we were then in daily expectation and dread 

 of the thaw, which renders all travelling so very difficult ; 

 and we were still 230 long miles from our ship. In this 

 strait we found a deserted snow village of seventeen huts ; 



