TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. of 
defined ; it may, therefore, in speaking of it, be better 
perhaps to refer to some parallel of latitude. 
Friday, 30th. — The sea still continues open, and 
there is every prospect of its being so to the west- 
ward,: for the sky in that direction promises well, 
and we have, as I mentioned yesterday, a consi- 
derable swell. The weather being fine and clear 
this forenoon, we had very excellent sights for the 
chronometers, from which, and our latitude at noon, 
we found that we were no great distance from the 
entrance of Lancaster’s Sound; it was indeed com- 
puted at the time, that if the breeze continued as we 
then had it, that the west land would be seen in the 
course of the afternoon, and to our great joy these 
expectations were fulfilled about five o’clock, for at 
that time land was descried from the mast-head, 
which we knew from our latitude to be the mountains 
on the south side of the inlet just mentioned. The 
welcome news was immediately telegraphed to the 
Griper, then both ships set all sail they could pos- 
sibly carry, having, as it were, received fresh vigour 
from the prospect now before them. 
As we drew in with the land every eye appeared 
to be directed towards that spacious inlet so often 
the theme of conversation for these eleven months 
past. 
So much indeed has been said about it, that were 
we quite ignorant of the place, we must have felt 
some pleasure in seeing it; but to us it was peculiarly 
interesting, for most of us had seen it before, or, 
more properly speaking, we were witnesses of the 
promising appearances it afforded of being the place, 
that not only we, but many other navigators, for up- 
wards of two centuries, had sought. 
