1875 LAND PROVISIONS. 135 



the south-east side of the larger floes, but they were 

 always completely isolated from each other by several 

 miles of heavy ice. 



Although a few large floes could be distinguished 

 in the offing, the pack within five miles of the land 

 consisted usually of floes less than a mile in diameter 

 intermixed with a very large proportion of rubble ice. 



The newly formed ice was strong enough to bear us 

 on the 4th. At midnight, on that date, the sun sank 

 below the north horizon. 



Although all regular navigation was now apparently 

 at an end, I was naturally most anxious to move the 

 ship from her exposed position before the setting in of 

 winter ; but the quickly advancing season warned me 

 that no movement should be made without a reason- 

 able probability of attaining a sheltered situation. 

 Accordingly, Commander Markham and Lieut. Aldrich 

 started on the 5th to look at a bay about eight miles 

 distant to the westward. On their return they re- 

 ported that it was a well sheltered harbour, thickly 

 coated with newly-formed ice, but that the continuous 

 wall formed by the grounded floebergs across its en- 

 trance would effectually prevent our entering. 



After this report I decided to commence landing- 

 such provisions and stores as were hampering the 

 decks of the ship and which would not be required 

 during the winter should we fortunately be able to 

 move into safer quarters. 



Five eider ducks were shot on the 5th, and a flock 

 of ptarmigan seen in a valley three miles to the south- 

 east of our position near Cape Eawson. This headland 

 was named after Lieutenant Eawson, who belonged to 



