1875 LIFE-BOAT COVE. 51 



Cove, and as far as we could see inland, granitoid and 

 gneissoid rocks prevail. 



The total absence of drift-ice between Cape York 

 and Smith Sound, and the fact that a strong northerly 

 wind was bringing no ice down, led me to conclude 

 that the main pack to the northward had not yet 

 broken up, and that we had arrived at Hartstene Bay 

 at the most opportune time, when the ice at the head 

 of Baffin's Bay had drifted south and before the 

 northern ice, which breaks up later in the season, had 

 drifted through Smith Sound. A few days subsequently 

 the sea between Littleton Island and Cape Sabine, 

 which now permitted free progress, was so ice-encum- 

 bered as to prevent any vessel crossing the channel. 



As a northerly wind prevented our advance except 

 at a large expenditure of coal, I took the opportunity 

 to visit Life-Boat Cove, where a part of the crew of 

 the U.S.S. ' Polaris ' wintered in 1872-73. I was in 

 hopes of finding the pendulum and other instruments 

 which were necessarily abandoned on the retreat of 

 the party, in small boats, to the south. 



Leaving the ships at anchor, and accompanied by 

 Commander Markham, we started in a whale-boat, 

 Owing to the strong breeze and the ebb-tide running 

 to the southward we had considerable trouble in 

 rounding Sunrise Point, but after passing Littleton 

 Island the wind fell, and the fog ascending, gradually 

 gave place to a fine bright afternoon. There is so 

 little depth of water in Life-Boat Cove, that the 

 4 Polaris ' must have grounded close to the entrance 

 of the bay. The land being quite free from snow, we 

 had no difficulty in finding the locality where Polaris 



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