'ENTERPRISE; 1851. 14 1 



and by keeping along the American coast, I conceive it prac- 

 ticable. 



Voyage of the ' Enterprise.' — After rounding Point Barrow in the 

 pack, the Enterprise got into the land-water on July 31st, 1851, the 

 edge of the pack was found to be in 7^ fathoms of water ; the tem- 

 perature of the sea rose immediately from 32° to 37°, and reached 

 as high as 46° during the day. Working to the eastward between 

 the pack and the shore, which was sometimes as little as 3 and 

 occasionally as much as 8 or 9 miles wide, as the Eiver Colville 

 was approached the colour of the water changed, and the main 

 body of the ice was as far as 10 and 12 miles from the land. 

 After passing the mouth of the Colville the land-water became 

 strewed with large floe-pieces, rendering it difficult to beat to 

 windward, and at length on August 5th we were compelled to make 

 fast to a floe. 



On reaching Lion Reef drift-wood was seen on the beach in 

 great abundance, the current was here found to run w. by n. (true) 

 05 per hour. 



Barter Island was passed on the 7th. The main body of the 

 ice was found to be pretty close to Point Manning. 



On August 8th the current ran to the n.n.e. 0*5 per hour; great 

 difficulty was experienced in steering the ship even with the boats 

 ahead. The ice was much farther from the shore, and on the after- 

 noon of the 9th we were in 17 fathoms water, and passed through 

 a stream of drift-wood trending n.n.w. and s.s.E. The current at 

 the surface ran e. by s. (true) 0*5, and at 10 fathoms n.n.e. 0*2 per 

 hour. The temperature of the sea rose to 49°. On the 10th, at a 

 distance of 28 miles frum the land, a depth of 28 fathoms was 

 obtained, and the current was found to set w.s.w. 0*7 per hour. 



On the 13th of August Ilerschel Island was seen. Standing off 

 shore on the 16th no bottom was obtained with 140 fathoms of line. 

 On the 18th several streams of drift-wood were passed through, 

 and one tree, 68 feet long, picked up. The edge of the ice trended 

 n.n.e. and s.s.w. The current was fcmnd as follows : — 



At 2.30 a.m., e. by n. (true) 1*0 knot per hour. 

 At noon, n. by e. ,, 05 ,, ,, 

 At 5 P.M., 8: by w. „ 0-7 ,, „ 



On the 20ih the Polly Isles were seen, and two islands to the 

 e.n.e., in lat. 69° 37', and long. 134° 32', and in lat. 69° 39', and 

 long. 134° 10'. 



