• ENTERPRISE,' L853. 155 



called from a small piece of much decayed wood being found on 

 it) was reached. This point is 30 miles from Cape Crozier on King 

 William Land, near which Sir L. M'Clintock found the boat. So 

 had we gone up the eastern instead of the western side of the 

 strait we should have discovered the relics. On the 8th of May 

 a cairn was reached, in which was contained a notice from Dr. 

 Rae, dated August 13th, 1851. Thus we learnt that our field of 

 search had been previously examined. On the 10th an island was 

 reached from which no land was visible, except in the direction we 

 had come from, and the appearance of the pack forbid all hope of 

 penetration even with a light load. During this portion of the 

 journey sludge ice and sometimes pools of water were found in the 

 neighbourhood of large hummocks, which at first I thought might 

 be caused by the increased weight of drifted snow causing the 

 hummock to break through the ice, but now I am of opinion that 

 it is occasioned by the set of the tide round these hummocks, 

 which are aground ; the furthest point attained being in lat. 70° 35', 

 long. 101°. In returning to the ship several cracks in the ice 

 were seen, which were not there when we passed up. The ship 

 was reached on May 21s I", after an absence of forty -nine days, 

 and the accomplishment of 753 miles, which does not include the 

 previous journeys laying out the depots. In July the ice along the 

 shore began to melt, and large quantities of salmon were caught 

 by the seine. The result of our observations on the tides is as 

 follows. It is high-water on F. and C. days at 11.30, and the 

 rise and fall varied from 2 feet 4 inches to 7 inches. The set of 

 the tide was so irregular, and so dependent on the wind, that I 

 cannot say whether the flood comes from the east or the west. 

 On the 25th the ice began to move, but did not open sufficiently 

 to allow the ship to leave the bay until the 10th August; the 

 wind being light, we were driven by the current to the eastward, 

 and sighted Cape Colborne ' the next day. Cape Alexander was 

 doubled at 1 a.m. on the 13th. At Douglas Island tlio ice was 

 found closely packed. On the 20th the ship was carried away in 

 the pack to the eastward at the rato of 1 mile pur hour. Capo 

 Krusentern was passed on the 23rd. 



In the afternoon of the 27th, the wind drew round to the south- 

 west, and we made all sail out of the straits, but, the weather 

 being thick, ran close past Clerks Island without Beeing it. 

 The wind drawing to the west, we wore oompelled to stand over 

 to Baring Land, and the next morning found ourselves off Darnlej 



1 The easternmost position reached was in long. 105 , making 63 j oflongitucl 

 bailed over after entering the Arctic circle. 



