286 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE. 



I was attached to the second expedition as a geologist, and 

 performed some exploring duties on the southern coast of the 

 strait in the late summer, having been on board the ship during 

 her first passage through the strait. This experience in the 

 navigation of these waters was further increased by a passage 

 westward through the strait during the following summer in 

 the Hudson's Bay Company's steamer Erik, and still further 

 by the four trips of the past voyage. 



Hudson strait has a length of nearly five hundred miles from 

 Cape Chidley, on the south side of its eastern end, to Cape Wol- 

 stenholme on the same side of its western end. The general 

 trend of the strait is a little north of west, so that the western 

 cape is about a degree and a half to the northward of the eastern 

 one, and is in 62 30' N". latitude. At its eastern entrance the 

 strait has a practical channel nearly thirty-five miles wide 

 between the outermost Button island off Cape Chidley, and the 

 shores of Resolution island on the north side. Gray strait is a 

 narrower channel between the Button islands and the southern 

 mainland. Immediately to the westward of Cape 'Chidley the 

 southern shore falls away to the southward to form the great 

 bay of Ungava, which is one hundred and forty miles wide, and 

 somewhat more than that distance in length. The large island 

 of Akpatok lies in this bay, but as its north end is to the south- 

 ward of a line drawn across the mouth of the bay, it does not 

 seriously interfere with navigation in the strait. 



From Cape Hopes Advance, the western point of Ungava 

 bay, the southern shore of the strait has a northwest direction 

 to Cape Weggs,' situated one hundred and fifty miles beyond. 

 The northern shore opposite has the same general trend, and 

 the strait for this distance averages sixty miles across. Big 

 island, situated on the north side in the western half of this 

 portion, extends southward, so as to reduce the width to thirty 

 miles. 



