Aug, 1857. MELVILLE BAY. 39 



mined to run back along tlie pack-edge to the 

 south-westward, in the hope that some favourable 

 change might have taken place further off shore. 

 The barometer was unusually low, yet no indi- 

 cation of any change of weather. A seaman's 

 chest was picked up ; it contained only a spoon, 

 a fork, and some tin canisters, and probably 

 drifted here from the southward, where the two 

 whale-ships were crushed in June, affording 

 another proof of the prevalence of southerly 

 winds. As we steamed on, the ice was found 

 to have opened considerably ; it fell calm, and 

 mist was observed rolling along the glacier from 

 the southward. By noon a S.E. wind reached 

 us ; all sail was set, the leads or lanes of water 

 became wider, and our hopes of speedily crossing 

 Melville Bay rose in proportion as our speed 

 increased. We are pursuing our course without 

 let or hindrance. 



1 1th. — The fog overtook us yesterday evening, 

 and at length, unable to see our way, we made 

 fast at eleven o'clock to the ice. The wind had 

 freshened, it was evidently blowing a gale out- 

 side the ice. During the night we drifted 

 rapidly together with the ice, and this morning, 

 on the clearing off of the fog, we steamed and 

 sailed on again, threading our way between the 

 floes, which are larger and much covered with 



