108 Our North Land. 



Gordon had decided to abandon Mansfield Island altogether. In 

 the first place, because no suitable place for erecting an observing 

 station could be found ; and secondly, because, so far as we could see 

 on the spot, no great object could be served by the maintenance of 

 a station there, even were it possible to establish one. He gave 

 orders, and the Neptune was directed towards the most southern of 

 the Southampton Islands, which we sighted about ten o'clock on 

 Sunday morning, August 3 1st. In leaving Mansfield by the south- 

 west, the Neptune encountered considerable ice, but it was not very 

 heavy, and was penetrated without difficulty. 



Most of Sunday was spent in an unsuccessful effort to find a 

 suitable harbour or anchorage on Southampton, so that an observing 

 station could be erected there, but the attempt was given up on 

 Sunday evening. The day was exceedingly fine, and, as on the 

 previous Saturday, in coasting Mansfield, every opportunity was 

 afforded for approaching close to the shore and making a thorough 

 examination of the coast, and yet a landing could not be made. It 

 was thought that a station on this island would be useful in watch- 

 ing the channel between it and Nottingham, and also in making 

 general observations as to the character and movements of the ice in 

 the north-western portion of Hudson's Bay, and it is to be regretted 

 that the attempt to find a suitable place on the island was unfruit- 

 ful. The Neptune approached the shore near Cape Southampton, 

 and coasted along to the south-east of the island, in a north-east 

 direction, some twenty miles beyond Carey's Swan's Nest. About 

 two o'clock in the afternoon it became apparent that the search for 

 a harbour would end as it did, and that we were burning coals to 

 no good purpose, and Lieutenant Gordon ordered the ship about. 

 Her course was directed towards Marble Island; but at noon on 

 Monday, thanks to the sun which was shining brightly, our latitude 

 and longitude showed the Neptune to be in the entrance to Chester- 

 field Inlet, a great distance to the north of Marble Island. The 

 mistake had been made by a miscalculation in taking the departure 

 from Southampton, and by the variation of the compass, which 

 Lieutenant Gordon had not been able to ascertain by magnetic ob- 

 servations since leaving Nottingham. 



