PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 379 



the point, and being fixed to the bottom, as we 

 found our anchor had so firm a hold, that in at- 

 tempting to weigh it the chain cable broke, after S\' 

 enduring a very heavy strain. 



This cape, the farthest point reached by Captain 

 Cook, was at the time of its discovery very much 

 encumbered with ice, whence it received its name ; 

 none, however, was now visible. The cape is very 

 low, and has a large lake at the back of it, which 

 receives the water of a considerable river, and com- 

 municates with the sea through a narrow channel much 

 encumbered with shoals. There are several winter 

 habitations of the Esquimaux upon the cape, which 

 were afterwards visited by Lieutenant Belcher. The 

 main land on both sides of Icy Cape, from Wain- 

 wright Inlet on one side to Cape Beaufort on the 

 other, is flat, and covered with swampy moss. It 

 presents a line of low mud cliffs, between which 

 and a shingly beach that every where forms the 

 coast-line there is a succession of narrow lakes capa- 

 ble of being navigated by baidars or small boats. 

 Off here we saw a great many black whales — 

 more than I remember ever to have seen, even in 

 Baffin's Bay. 



After the boats had examined the shoals outside 

 the ship, we attempted to weigh the anchor ; but 

 in so doing we broke first the messenger, and after- 

 wards the chain, by which the anchor was lost, as I 

 before mentioned, and the buoy rope having been 

 carried away in letting it go, it was never recovered. 



We passed over two shoals in three and four 

 fathoms, deepening the water to ten and eleven fa- 

 thoms between them, and then held our ground for 

 the night. A thick fog came on towards morning, 



