iTnprobabilify of the Positive Evidence. 83 



Osborn's McClure Discoverj^ of the Northwest Passage, London, 1856* 

 McDougall's Eventful Voyage of H. M. S. Resolute, London, 1857. 

 Brown's Northwest Passage, 2d edition, London, 1869, which contains 

 a map by Arrowsmith, 1858. 



It thus appears that the " Plover " land is a myth, Mr Baker 

 agreeing with me on this point. 



The Keenan land lies, however, somewhat east of the myth- 

 ical land already disposed of, being indefinitely located between 

 Harrison and Camden bay, north of the 72d parallel. The 

 uncertainty of position of whalers is well known, as no care is 

 given to longitude or other astronomical observations. 



Since definite data are lacking, the subject can be approached 

 from another standpoint, that of the depths of the adjacent seas. 

 It will be recalled by those familiar with the Arctic ocea.n to tlie 

 north of Bering strait region that it is a very shalloAV sea. In 

 one direction only does it deepen, and, unfortunately for Keenan 

 island, it is in that particular quarter. 



In my opinion, the great improl)ability of land in the region 

 mentioned appears from an examination of the soundings of the 

 sea from the northwest to east of point Barrow, which are as 

 follo^t*s, the position being approximate : 172° W. longitude, 73° 

 5' N. latitude, 78 fathoms ; 159° W., 72° 6' N., 133 x (x indicates 

 no bottom) ; 155° W.. 72° N., 145 x ; 140° W., 70° 5' N., 190 x ; 

 139° W., 70° 3' N., 145 x; 126° W., 70° 5' N., 110, and 124° W., 

 74° b' N. (on the very coast of Banks land), 45 fathoms. 



The above observations show that the parts of the Arctic 

 ocean passed over and most nearly adjacent gradually and in- 

 terruptedly increase in depth from the west, from the south and 

 southeast toward the reported land, attaining in its neighborhood 

 the greatest known depth of water to the northward of Bering 

 strait. That this condition of depth is not strictly local but ex- 

 tends uninterruptedly northward is proved conclusively by the 

 very heavy ice met with by Collinson and McClure between 

 point Barrow and Banks land, which ran upward of 200 feet in 

 thickness. As this thick ice is unquestionably of land origin, 

 from an ice-capped country of considerable extent, there must 

 be deep water for its transition. It is possible, but not probable, 

 that the southern edge of this land lies so close to arctic America. 



*This omission is striking, inasmuch as Osbom inserted it in liis " Stray 

 Leaves from an Arctic Journal," 1852. 



12— Nat. Geog. Mag., vol. V, 1893. 



