50 NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



tage of the fine weather to obtain some looms from the Rookery for 

 the use of the Arctic ships, and in three hours we obtained a sufficient 

 quantity to give each of our own vessels a day's fresh meat, reserving 

 enough to supply the North Sfa?''s crew with provisions for ten days, 

 independent of the sheep we brought from Ireland, 



On the 16th of July we entered Melville Bay, and found it packed 

 with ice, in some places very heavy, from recent pressure, and the land 

 floe unfortunately broken away, thus depriving us of the advantage of 

 its edge for docking the vessels, in case of a threatened nip. 



On the 1 1 th of July, owing to damage sustained in the ice, it became 

 necessary to shift the screw, and this was done while beset among heavy 

 floes, almost out of sight of land. From the mast-head no land could 

 be seen at mid-day, or, indeed, any water but the pool in which the 

 ships were afloat, but at midnight w^e proceeded along a narrow lane 

 which opened away to the northward. 



Thick fogs and southerly winds, which closed the ice up, prevented 

 our getting through Melville Bay till the Coth of July, when we 

 stretched away from Cape York for Cape Warrender. Fog prevented 

 our taking observations while crossing over, and experiencing a strong 

 southerly set we found, on the weather clearing, that the ship wa^ 

 within two miles of Cape Liverpool, though we had steered for Cape 

 Warrender with due allow^ance for currents. 



Reaching over to the north shore (which we then kept close on 

 board), we steered up Lancaster Sound, passing large floes which were 

 driving to the westward. 



On the morning of the 29th of July we found a barrier of ice stretch- 

 ing from shore to shore, and which evidently had never broken away 

 this season. We followed its edge for several miles, in the hope of find- 

 ing a lane through, but were eventually obliged to bear up for Dundas 

 Harbour (in Croker Bay), there to await a change. 



In coasting towards this anchorage we were surprised at beholding 

 several tents pitched on a point six miles to the westward of Cape 

 Warrender, but shortly found them to be the habitations of a party of 

 Esquimaux, who had come over from Pond Bay. Among these people 

 I found manv preserved meat and potato tins, the former bearing Mr. 

 Goldner's name, candle-boxes, some spars, and other Government stores, 

 which led me to fear that they had visited the depot at Wollastou 



Island. 



In Dundas Harbour we lay for eight days, anxiously awaiting the 

 breaking up of the ice; and on the 6th of August, hoping that I might 

 be able to examine, and if necessary remove, the stores from Wollaston 

 Island, we got under way and stretched across in that direction ; but 

 heavy hummocky ice prevented our even sighting it, and we were 

 forced to bear uj) again for the north shore. By this time a light 

 north-westerly wind had eased ofl" the ice, and I determined to push 

 on as far as practicable under steam. The wind holding for forty-eight 

 hours, we were fortunate enough to reach Bcechey Island on the 8th ot 

 Au<nist. In many cases the ice opened just as we reached a block, 

 whfch would otherwise have stopped our progress ; and we were told 

 by the officers of the North Star that no water was to be seen from 

 Cape Riley the day before we arrived. Thus their lordshijjs will per- 

 ceive that no time was lost in reaching our destination. 



