1876 TEMPERATURE OF THE SEA. 181 



it 31° and 30° farther north. Half way across Baffin's 

 Bay, when abreast of Jones Sound, we met with a si renin 

 of water fifty miles broad at a temperature of 34°, 

 which is evidently the extension northwards of the 

 warm Atlantic water. 



I fully expected to find a strong current running 

 to the southward out of Lancaster Sound towards 

 Ponds Bay, but nothing of the kind was met with. 



I accordingly decided to cross towards the Green- 

 land shore in order to ensure rounding the north end of 

 the west-ice which, with the recent southerly gales, I 

 expected would be driven well to the northward. 



Strong southerly winds continuing we were carried 

 towards Melville Bay, meeting with very few icebergs 

 and no drift ice. The temperature of the water rose 

 to 35°, but fell again as we neared the Greenland 

 shore. At noon of the 19th we were seventy miles 

 west of the Devil's Thumb. A light northerly wind 

 then enabled us to make a direct course towards 

 Upernivik. 



On the 20th and 21st southerly winds again obliged 

 me to put the ships under sail, our small supply of coal 

 rendering it prudent only to steam during a perfect 

 calm, and then for one ship to tow the other. 



On the 22nd we met with the eastern edge of the 

 western pack, in latitude 71 o, 50N., longitude 60 o, 18 W. 

 A temperature sounding obtained in its vicinity showed 

 that the temperature decreased gradually down to 

 29°'0 at a depth of twenty fathoms, it then gradually 

 increased to 30 o, at the depth of a hundred fathoms. 



As we neared the north entrance to the Waigat 

 Straits the temperature of the sea increased to 36°, 



