106 cruise OF THE NEPTUNE 
During the winter two boats were built, in which the party 
started to retreat on Upernivik, but were fortunately rescued 
by a relief steamer in the vicinity of Cape York. 
The British Government, in 1875, fitted out an expedition 
with Captain George Nares in command of the Alert, and Cap- 
tain Stephenson, second in command, on the Discovery, while 
the complete crews numbered one hundred and thirty officers 
and men, with three native dog-drivers. The instructions, which 
were to proceed up Smith sound, indicated that the primary 
object of the expedition was to attain the highest northern lati- 
tude, and, if possible, the North Pole, including explorations to 
the adjacent coasts from winter quarters. The ships left Eng- 
land on the 29th of May, and Cape York was reached on the 
25th of 'July, after very little trouble with the ice. Here the 
first of a series of caches of provisions was established, to pro- 
vide for the safety of the crews in case they were obliged to 
abandon the ships and retreat southward over the ice. These 
caches were not used, and being left for future explorations 
were the means of preserving life in the survivors of Greely's 
party some years later. 
From Cape York the passage northward was a constant 
struggle with immense floes of heavy ice, so that it was the 
25th of August before the Discovery anchored for the winter in 
Discovery harbour. The Alert pushed on, and reached floe- 
berg beach, in latitude 82 25' n., and longitude 61 30' W., 
where further progress was barred by the heavy ancient ice of 
the Polar sea, to which Nares has given the name paleocrystic, 
to distinguish it from the ice of more southern waters, which is 
formed annuallv. Here the Alert was moored for the Winter, 
exposed to the crushing action and movement of these solid floes, 
in a latitude far north of that before attained by any ship. 
Depots of provisions were established during the autumn by 
sledging parties for use in the following spring. On the 3rd of 
April seven sleds, manned by fifty-three men and officers, left 
