32 PASSAGE THROUGH BAFFIN'S BAY. Chap. II. 



able to reacli the Loom Cliffs at Cape Shackle- 

 ton, 50 miles north of Upernivik, in consequence 

 of the ice being pressed in against the land. I 

 fear these same winds have closed together the 

 ice which occupies the middle of Davis' Strait 

 (hence called the middle ice), so that we shall 

 not be able to penetrate it. However, we are 

 standing out to make the attempt. 



To the uninitiated it may be as well to ob- 

 serve that each winter the sea called Baffin's 

 Bay freezes over ; in spring this vast body of 

 ice breaks up, and drifting southward in a 

 mass — called the main-pack, or the middle ice — • 

 obstructs the passage across, from east to west. 



The " North Passage " is made by sailing 

 round the north end of this pack ; the " Middle 

 Passage," by pushing through it ; and the 

 " Southern Passage," by passing round its 

 southern extreme ; but seasons do occur when 

 none of these routes are practicable. 



It is very remarkable that southward of Disco 

 northerly winds have prevailed. They greatly 

 impeded our progress up Davis' Strait, but we 

 cheered ourselves with the hope that they would 

 effectually clear a path for us across the northern 

 part of Baffin's Bay. 



Sth. — Last night we reached the edge of the 

 middle ice, about 70 miles to the west of Uper- 



