May, KSGs.j VisU to AmJiefst Island. 349 



still buliovcd that lie might iind yet living, he next examined the 

 southern shores of the Strait, and endeavored to cross to the northern 

 coast, hoping also to make some geographical determinations there. 

 The exceeding roughness of the ice permitted him to advance on 

 foot only, with one companion and one dog. From the main island 

 of a group in the mouth of the Strait he took additional observations, 

 bearings, and sextant angles, to fix the position of the new island to 

 the northwest of Cape Englefield On the south side of the islet on 

 which he stood, the rock appeared to have been polished to the height 

 of 50 feet above the sea by the moving ice-masses. The whole strait 

 was filled with rugged ice, pack and old floe, some of the old floe 

 pieces a mile square; one small unbroken floe was plainly of the 

 formation of the year previous. Old floes abounded, full of hills, val- 

 leys, and lakes, nearly all denuded of snow, and covered by huge 

 bergy pieces thrown up by pressure in the open season. The Innuits 

 said that occasionally there is a year in which the straits are entirely 

 clear of ice. " Parry and Lyon would have hailed such a season." 



On the 30th, with the same companion, Frank Lailor, Hall visited 

 some islets off Cape Englefield, searching again thoroughly for monu- 

 ments or other signs of human beings. His next exploration was along 

 the southern coast as far as East Cape, and from that point to Parry's 

 Amherst Island, 0)i which, however, he found nothing really indicat- 

 ing that any one had been there of late years. Three flat slate stones 

 were seen placed on each other, with their moss side down 



For a return to the Oo-glit Islands, a choice was to be made 

 between continuing down the strait and their outward route by Quill- 

 iam Creek, the latter ■ of which routes was taken to avoid delay, 

 which the roughness of tlie ice might cause. A prompt return was 



