SIB LEOPOLD MKDLISTOCK'S REMARKS 159 



and the clothing found on it, proved that one of the crow of the 

 Erebus and Terror had certainly passed Cape Herschel, which had 

 "been previously reached from the westward by Dease and Simpson. 

 Advancing along the west to the north, hummocks of unusually 

 heavy ice were met with. On the coast from Point Victory north- 

 ward the sea is not so shallow, and the ice comes close in ; to sea- 

 ward all was heavy, close pack, consisting of all descriptions of ice, 

 but for the most part old and heavy. Crossing over land to Port 

 Parry, Sir Leopold reached his depot thereon June 4th, and Capo 

 Victoria, on Boothia Felix, on the 8th, and reached the Fox on 

 June 19th. With respect to a navigable North- AYVst Passage, and 

 to the probability of our having been able last season to make any 

 considerable advance to the southward, had the harrier of ice across 

 the western outlet of Bellot Strait permitted us to reach the open 

 water beyond, Sir Leopold thus expresses himself:—" 1 think, 

 judging from what I have since seen of the ice in Franklin Strait, 

 that the chances were greatly in favour of our reaching Cain 

 Herschel on the south side of King William Land, by passing, as 

 I intended to do, eastward of that island. From Bellot Strait 

 to Cape Victoria we found a mixture of old and new ice, showing 

 the exact proportion of pack and of clear water at the setting in of 

 winter. Once to the southward of the Tasmania Group, I think our 

 chief difficulty would have been overcome, and south of Cape 

 Victoria I doubt whether any further obstruction would have boon 

 experienced, as but little, if any ice remained. The natives told us 

 the ice went away and left a clear sea every year." " No one who 

 sees that portion of Victoria Strait which lies between King William 

 Land and Victoria Land as we saw it, could doubt of there being 

 but one way of getting a ship through it, that way being the 

 extremely hazardous one of drifting through in the pack. The 

 wide channel" (M'Clintock Channel) "between Prince of Wales 

 and Victoria admits a vast and continuous stream of very heavy 

 ocean-formed ice from the north-west, which presses upon the 

 western face of King William Island, and chokes up Victoria Strait 

 in the manner I have just described. 1 do not think the North- 

 West Passage could ever be sailed through by passing west ward, 

 that is, to windward of King William Island." "Had Si. John 

 Franklin known that a channel existed eastward of King William 

 Land (80 named by Sir John Boss), 1 do not think he wonld have 

 risked the besetmentof hia ships in such very heavy ioe to the west- 

 ward of it; but had he attempted the North-Wesl Passage by the 

 eastern route, he would probably have carried his ships safely 

 thro,. -h to Behring Straits." " Perhaps some' future voyager, profil 



