SUMMER cruise 51 
the ice-cap of the interior. The cliffs of limestone have been 
deeply sculptured by all the streams of water, great and small, 
so that the coast resembles on a gigantic scale the banks of a 
stream flowing through a clay country. This portion of the 
coast extending to Beechey island at the southwest point of 
North Devon, is deeply indented with many long narrow bays 
similar to Cuming creek, in which we were anchored. While 
there, landings were made to collect plants and fossils, and an 
attempt was made to reach the tableland, but proved unsuccess- 
ful owing to the impossibility of scaling the perpendicular cliff 
near the summit. The land about the bay was particularly 
desolate and barren, the little vegetation found being along the 
courses of the small streams. no trace of land animals was 
seen. Walruses and seals were observed sporting in the waters 
of the bay, and a large colony of Burgomaster gulls pointed to 
the presence of fish. 
The anchor was lifted at eight o'clock on the evening of the 
14th, and two hours later we were steaming westward close 
under the cliffs in order to make a survey of the coast. This 
was completed to Beechey island by eleven o'clock next morn- 
ing, when the ship again came to anchor. 
The cliffs to the westward of Cuming creek gradually become 
lower, and the crystalline rocks below the limestones soon 
disappear beneath the sea. A few small glaciers discharge into 
the sea in the neighbourhood of that place, but as the coast is 
followed westward the ice-cap retreats inland, and is finally 
lost sight of, nothing being left to break the monotony of the 
dirty yellow colour of the limestone except a few patches of 
struggling vegetation that increase towards the westward where 
the climate is evidently milder. 
As many of the crew as could be spared were allowed to land 
at Beechey island to visit this historic spot, where the ill-fated 
and heroic Franklin and the crews of the Erebus and Terror 
