SUMMER CRUISE 67 



weather thimighout the morning had been bad, a strong north- 

 west breeze bringing down frequent heavy blinding showers of 

 snow. These showers became almost continuous, and towards 

 noon only momentary glimpses of the land were to be obtained 

 at long intervals. The tides here are very swift, and when the 

 sky cleared a strong ice-glint was to be seen ahead. It was 

 considered dangerous to attempt to enter the ice in such 

 weather, with the unknown Mill islands directly in the course ; 

 we therefore turned back to pass south of Nottingham island. 

 This decision proved wise, for next day the whole mouth of Fox 

 channel was found completely filled with heavy ice drifted 

 south from the northern parts of that channel. The condition 

 of the Neptune's stem did not warrant any contact with the ice 

 that could possibly be avoided. 



The northern side of Salisbury island rises directly from the 

 water in granite cliffs to elevations varying from 500 to 1,000 

 feet. The surface of the island appears to be very rugged and 

 barren. As a rule the shores are without harbours along this 

 side, but at both ends there are deep bays protected by rocky 

 islands, where safe harbours would be found if the water did 

 not prove too deep. In all of the many soundings taken along 

 the island, no bottom was obtained at two hundred and twenty 

 fathoms ; this is consequently the deepest water in Hudson bay 

 and strait. Two large icebergs were grounded off the eastern 

 end of the island, while a third very large one had penetrated 

 to the head of the bay at the northeastern end and was aground 

 close under the rocks. As these bergs must have come from 

 Davis strait, there being no glaciers on the lands fronting on 

 Hudson bay, they show a strong current from the eastward 

 along the northern side of the strait. 



On the 13th, having rounded Salisbury and Nottingham dur- 

 ing the night, ice was met with at nine in the morning, twenty- 

 five miles to the westward of the last mentioned island. The 



