SUMMER CRUISE 55 



appearance of vertical fluting, while the weathered tops have a 

 castellated finish like that of some gigantic fortress. The cliffs 

 fall away abruptly into a long low point of shingle which partly 

 closes the mouth of the spacious and safe harhour of Port 

 Leopold. 



As we steamed into the harbour what appeared to be an over- 

 turned boat with a wooden ' lean-to ' built against it was 

 seen at the end of the low point, with a small Danish flag flying. 

 The whistle was blown, but no sign of life appeared about the 

 place, and thinking that the Magnetic Pole expedition might 

 perhaps have met with some disaster and that the survivors 

 might be in want, a boat was lowered and the doctor was sent 

 ashore with stimulants and warm blankets. Happily his ser- 

 vices were not required; the supposed boat proved to be the 

 boiler of a steam launch, left here by one of the Franklin search 

 parties. Against it were piled a number of cases of provisions 

 left a few days previously by the whaler Windward for the 

 Gjoa, and marked by a small flag flying above them. 



The light-coloured limestone forms the bottom of the harbour, 

 and gives the water a dangerous looking, light tinge, which is 

 quite misleading, as the depth is sufficient for the largest ships. 

 The east and west sides of the harbour are bounded by high 

 cliffs, while at the northern end the land is low, and it is not far 

 across it to the bay on the northern coast lying directly west of 

 Cape Clarence. 



North Somerset has physical characteristics closely resem- 

 bling those of North Devon ; the limestone cliffs of the northern 

 shore, however, appear to be somewhat lower and more broken 

 than those of the northern island, while the amount of snow 

 and ice of the land is considerably less. The high perpendicular 

 cliffs of the east side appear to continue far to the southward 

 down Prince Regent inlet. 



