146 PRESENT STATE OF THE SEARCH. 



" Investigator," reached the three Islands of Baffin 

 in lat. 74° N., on the 26th of July, 1848, but was 

 not able to cross the "middle ice" till the 20th 

 of August, on which day he attained open water in 

 lat. 751° N., and long. 68° W. He then steered for 

 Pond's Bay, and examined the coast carefully from 

 thence to Possession Bay, in which he landed on the 

 26th. There he found a memorandum left by Sir 

 Edward Parry in 1819, but no trace of Sir John 

 Franklin. On the 1st of September, the ships 

 arrived off Cape York, where a conspicuous land- 

 mark was erected. Sir James next examined 

 Maxwell Bay, and some smaller indentations of 

 the north coast of Barrow's Strait, but was pre- 

 vented by a firm barrier of ice from approaching 

 Cape Riley at the entrance of Wellington Channel. 

 Neither could he get near Cape Rennell, because 

 of compact, heavy ice extending from Welling- 

 ton Channel to Leopold Island. Not being able 

 to penetrate to the west, the ships were run into 

 Port Leopold on the 11th, and on the follow- 

 ing morning the main pack of ice closed in with 

 the land and shut them in for the season. On the 

 12th of October the ships were hove into their 

 winter quarters. During the winter many white 

 foxes were taken in traps ; and copper collars, on 

 which were inscribed notices of the situation of 

 the vessels, and of the depots of provision, having 



