l899-'oo TRANSACTIONS 1 3 



Channel, Victoria vStraits, Prince of Wales Strait. The North- 

 westerly extension of Melville Sound is McClnre vStrait, connect- 

 ing the Sound with Beaufort Sea and connected with the Paleo- 

 crystic Sea of the north by Kellett Strait, Crozier Channel and 

 Fitz William Strait. The Beaufort Sea is connected with Boothia 

 Peninsula along the continental north line of coast by Dolphin and 

 Union Strait, leading into Duke of York's Archipelago and Cor- 

 onation Gulf ; b}^ Dease Strait from Coronation Gulf to Victoria 

 Gulf ; by Simpson Strait leading to Rae Gulf and the juncture 

 of Boothia Peninsula with the rest of the continent. 



The general appearance is that of a fish's back bone, com- 

 prising I^ancaster, and Barrow Straits, Melville Sound and Mc- 

 Clure's Straits with lateral straits on either side. It is like Bank 

 Street with Sparks, Queen, Albert and Slater and other cross 

 streets. It suggests a greater Venice with ice or water streets in 

 every direction but principally north and south. It is a miniature 

 British Empire with the straits for streets just as the British Em- 

 pire has the seas for streets. 



On the far northeastern side of this might}' archipelago and on 

 the western side of Smith, Kennedy and Robeson Channels are 

 Grant I^and (bordering on I^incoln Sea), Grinnell I^and immedia- 

 tel)' south of Grant, Arthur Land, vSchley Land, EHesmere Land 

 and N. Lincoln. 



Crossing Jones Channel we see North Devon, Victoria Archi- 

 pelago, Cornwallis Island, North Cornwall, Bathurst Land, Mel- 

 ville Island and Prince Patrick Land lying north of the great 

 central west and east street of the h3^perborean Venice ; on the 

 south side beginning at the west there are first, the great island 

 of Banks Land ; then the still greater island named at the north 

 Prince Albert Land, on the west Wollaston Land and at the south 

 Victoria Land ; then across McClintock Channel , Prince of Wales 

 Land ; North Somerset, Prince Regent Island, Cockburn Island, 

 Possession Land and Baffin Land with its appurtenant divisions, 

 Fox Land, Meta Incognita and Cumberland, and its islands, Salis- 

 bury, Charles, Mill and Nottingham. 



We have completed the round and have only to mention ( i ) 

 Melville Peninsula to which Capt. W. E. Parry refers as ' 'the huge 

 peninsula situated like a bastion at the north east angle of Amer- 



