OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 325 



tion wliich might have afforded them subsistence, was now permanently '^-2- 

 covered with a coating of snow, from three to six inches in depth, and so v.*^-^ 

 liard as to allow us to walk on it without sinking. The view from the high 

 part of the island, which was a favourable situation for opening the western 

 entrance of the Strait, Avas extremely satisfactory as regarded land, but not a 

 single break could be seen in the ice, to the utmost limits of the horizon. 



At half-past nine on the morning of the 1st of September, one of our g^p"^ j 

 parties was descried at the appointed rendezvous on shore, which on our 

 sending a boat to bring them on board, proved to be Captain Lyon and 

 his people. From their early arrival we were in hopes that some decisive in- 

 formation had at length been obtained ; and our disappointment may there- 

 fore be imagined, in finding that, owing to insuperable obstacles on the road, 

 of which Captain Lyon's annexed account will give the best idea, he had 

 not been able to advance above five or six miles to the southward, and that 

 with excessive danger and fatigue, owing to the depth of the snow, and the 

 numerous lakes and precipices. 



" On striking inland we found the mountains deeply covered with snow, 

 yet made about three miles uninterrupted, but by the precipices. At this 

 distance we found the mountains to increase considerably in height, and 

 they were so completely intersected by deep lakes, as frequently to oblige 

 us to retrace our steps and toil up the same cliffs which we had but a short 

 time before descended with considerable difficulty and danger. The depth 

 of the recently fallen snow was from one to three feet, and where chasms 

 occurred amongst the crags it was of course in a greater bod}'. We here 

 found it requisite to feel our way with poles, for had any of our party 

 fallen into a cleft of the rocks it would have been out of our power to 

 extricate him. The general acclivity of the mountains was so great that it 

 became necessary to disperse in climbing or descending, least the loose 

 fragments of a rock, or a false step, should have precipitated those beneath 

 several hundred feet to the bottom. We were employed above eight hours 

 to-day at this laborious work, and found in the evening that we had not 

 made more than five miles direct from our first landing-place, for we could 

 plainly see the open water in which the ships were lying, and with naked 

 eye discern the grounded ice off Liddon Island. We pitched our (cuts 

 under a crag on the mountain top where we passed a very cold night. 



" We set out at six in the morning of the 31st, apparently with a better 



