528 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. XIV. 



very day five years before." They had thus deter- 

 mined the northern limits of America to the west- 

 ward as far as Back's Estuary; it still remained a 

 question whether some part of Boothia might not be 

 united to the continent on the eastern side of the 

 estuary. Doubling, therefore, its eastern promon- 

 tory, they passed a point of the continent which 

 they named Cape Britannia, and another called 

 Cape Selkirk ; and proceeding towards some islands 

 in the Gulf of Akkolee, so far as to satisfy them- 

 selves that they were to the eastward of any part 

 of Boothia, they began to consider that the time of 

 the year made their return expedient. Whereupon 

 they commenced preparing their boats at this their 

 farthest advance, and took the same route back, 

 with this difference, that, in passing Simpson's new 

 strait, they now coasted it on the northern side, 

 and designated the western entrance cape, on that 

 side, by the name of Herschel, where they erected a 

 cairn, with the date, 26th of August, 1839. The 

 strait was there ten miles in width, and much more 

 at the entrance near to Back's Estuary; at one 

 place about the middle it was only three miles, and 

 its depth from thirteen to sixteen fathoms. 



Mr. Simpson gives some observations on the dip 

 of the magnetic needle. He says, when the Mag- 

 netic Pole bore from them N. 7° E. 105 miles, the 

 dip was 89° 29' 33" ; when N.N.E. 90 miles, it was 

 89° 28' 45"; and when off Cape Britannia, it had 

 decreased to 89° 16' 40", "as might have been ex- 



