J876 CAPE COLUMBIA. 17 



"Cape Columbia," and which proved to be the most 

 northern point attained. 



' Travelling across hard sastrugi, which ran more in 

 line with the land, and patches of level snow, as hard 

 and nearly as slippery as ice. Over this we flew along, 

 and our spirits rose as rapidly as ever they did on a 

 good lead opening up north for the ship, on her way 

 up Smith Sound. 



' As we drew near Cape Columbia we opened out 

 a conical hill, having the appearance of an island, 

 distant about thirty miles, and immediately afterwards 

 a succession of capes or bluffs. The former was in 

 transit with Cape Columbia K 16° E. by compass, the 

 extreme of the latter N. 15° E., and about twenty 

 miles off; so that the coast-line runs as nearly due west 

 as possible. The hummocks continue to the N.W., 

 and get farther from the land. 



' Off Cape Columbia, at a distance of about 100 

 yards from the shore, the ice is of the older type, but 

 has been merely pressed up against the fringe of loose 

 stone and rubble which surrounds the cape, without 

 being broken into hummocks, but leaving large cracks 

 and fractures. Inside the fringe above mentioned, is a 

 sheet of hard and perfectly smooth ice, but extending 

 only for a very short distance. We reached the cape 

 at 3 p.m., and camped on the old floe, just outside of the 

 cracks. 



' From observation to-day I place the cape in lati- 

 tude 83-7 N., longitude 70-10 W. 



' At about two and-a-half miles to the eastward of 

 Cape Columbia, and about 200 feet above the ice level, 

 the snow appears to have fallen or slipped, leaving a 



VOL. II. c 



