18 CAPTAIN M'cLDRE's DESPATCHES. 



The weather towards sunset becoming thick with snow, we ran into six 

 fathoms, and secured to a piece of gromided ice under tlie western 

 land, with the intention of remaining during the night, as thev were 

 then long and dark ; therefore, navigating among close ice is quite 

 impracticable. The wind, which had been fresh from the S.W. during 

 the day, about 7 p.m. fell light, when the ice in the N.E., no longer 

 restrained, spread itself abroad with such rapidity that at a little after 

 eight it was observed approaching, its white line, clearly defined, nui- 

 ning like an unbroken wave along the dark smooth water. To turn 

 the hands up, make sail, and cast off the warps, was but the work of 

 a few minutes ; yet, with such violence was it impelled, that we had 

 scarcely time to tow clear of the piece we had been fast to before it 

 encircled the vessel, sweeping her away to the S.W. into five fathoms. 

 I expected to have been driven on the beach : fortunately, from some 

 unseen cause, its course was changed to the S.E., which took us into 

 20 fathoms, thus fluctuating between hopes and fears until 11.45 p.m., 

 when its progress was mysteriously arrested, and, gradually opening 

 out, allowed of our running into clear water. As the navigable season 

 was now drawing to a close, which the fall in the temperature, as well 

 as the formation of pancake ice upon the surface of the water whenever 

 the wind became light, unmistakeably pointed out, it became a sub- 

 ject of anxious consideration what course to adopt in regard to the 

 safety of the vessel ; whether, by running to the southward, in which 

 direction the water was still open, to endeavour to obtain a harbour in one 

 of the bays indenting the south-eastern side of Baring's Land, the 

 nearest, probably, being 60 miles distant, and then only the chance of 

 finding a safe anchorage, which, if our search proved a failure, would 

 place the vessel in a worse situation than at present, exposing her to a 

 wide sea range, subject to heavy pressure from the enormous massive 

 floes with which the Polar Sea is encumbered, but from which we are 

 here })rotected by the Princess Royal Islands ; or to continue our advance 

 to the north-east as long as the season permitted, and then submit 

 to the only alternative, that of hazarding a winter in the pack. I 

 decided upon the latter, for these reasons, — that to relinquish the 

 ground obtained through so much difficulty, labour, and anxiety, for 

 only the remote chance of finding safe winter quarters, would be inju- 

 dicious, thoroughly impressed as I am with the absolute importance 

 of retaining every mile to insure any favourable results while navigat- 

 ing these seas, tiie loss of which might frustrate the operations of a 

 whole season. Above all, being in the vicinity of Banks's Land, and 

 in the direction in which Sir J. Franklin would, in all probability, have 

 endeavoured to penetrate, could he have reached Cape Walker, 1 there- 

 fore considered that our position was most eligible for carrying into 

 full efi'ect the instructions of my Lords Commissioners of the 

 Admiralty, when the season becomes favourable for dispatching; parties 

 upon this important and interesting search. These, Sir, were the 

 considerations which influenced me in this " choice of difficulties," 

 and they will, I trust, ap])ear of sufficient validity to meet with the 

 concurrence of their Lordships, hazardous as was the exj)erinient. 

 At G a.m. of the 17th, the wind, which had been light from the 

 N.W., gradually died away, when we were almost immediately beset. 

 There were several heavy Hoes in the vicinity ; one, full six miles in length, 

 passed at the rate of two knots, crushing everything impeding its })ro- 



