SIR JAMES C. ROSS. 147 



been secured round their necks, they were set at 

 liberty again. 



In May, 1849, Sir James Ross and Lieutenant 

 M'Clintoch thoroughly explored on foot the west 

 coast of North Somerset down to lat. 72° 38', N., 

 and long. 95f° W., where a very narrow isthmus 

 separates Brentford Bay of the Western Sea, from 

 Cresswell Bay of Prince Regent's Inlet. They 

 returned to the ship on the 23rd of June. 



In the mean time, Lieutenant Robinson examined 

 the western side of Regent's Inlet down to Fury 

 Beach, and several miles beyond it. Lieutenant 

 Brown had crossed the inlet to Port Bowen, and 

 Lieutenant Barnard had traversed Barrow's Strait 

 to the vicinity of Gape Hurd, but was unable to 

 reach Cape Riley on account of the hummocky 

 state of the ice. By these excursions, taken in 

 conjunction with Mr. Rae's expedition in the spring 

 of 1847, the whole of Prince Regent's Inlet and 

 the Gulf of Boothia was examined, with the ex- 

 ception of one hundred and sixty miles between 

 Fury Beach and Lord Mayor's Bay ; and as there 

 were no indications of the ships having touched on 

 any part of the coast so narrowly traced, it is 

 certain that they had not attempted to find a 

 passage in that direction. Sir James caused a 

 house to be built at Port Leopold, and covered 

 with housing cloths, in which he left provisions 



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