44 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. II. 



At a little before four o'clock a.m. the land was seen at the 

 bottom of the inlet by the officers of the watch ; but before 

 I got upon deck, a space of about seven degrees of the 

 compass was obscured by the fog. The land which I then 

 saw was a high ridge of mountains, extending directly 

 across the bottom of the inlet. Although a passage in this 

 direction appeared hopeless, I was determined completely to 

 explore it, as the wind was favourable, and therefore con- 

 tinued all sail. I sounded, and found six hundred and 

 seventy-four fathoms. There was, however, no current. 

 Although all hopes were given up, even by the most san- 

 guine, that a passage existed, and the weather continued 

 thick, I determined to stand higher up, and put into any 

 harbour I might discover, for the purpose of making 

 magnetical observations. . . . About one, the Alexan- 

 der being nearly out of sight to the eastward, we hove-to 

 for half an hour to let her come up a little ; and at half- 

 past one, she being within six or seven miles of us, we 

 again made sail. I intended to have sounded during this 

 interval, but I found the south-east swell had so much in- 

 creased, and the drift was so great, that it was impractic- 

 able."— pp. 172-174. 



In Lieutenant Parry's private journal it is said, 

 " The swell comes from the north-west, compass, 

 (that is, south-south-west true,) and continues just 

 as it does in the ocean. It is impossible to remark 

 this circumstance without feeling a hope that it 

 may be caused by this inlet being a passage into a 

 sea to the westward of it." A happy and rational 

 hope that, within twelve months, Parry had the 

 good fortune to realise. But to continue further 

 extracts from Ross on this part of the voyage: — 



