July, 1858. THE WEST-LAND. 143 



in towards the West-land, and fancy we can 

 trace with the crow's-nest telescope a practicable 

 route through the intervening ice-mazes to a 

 faint streak of water along the shore. This sort 

 of navigation is not only anxious, but weary- 

 ing. To me it seems as if several months instead 

 of only eight days had elapsed since we left Cape 

 York. We are constantly wondering what our 

 whaling friends are about, and where they are ? 



I'ith. — The faint- streak of water seen on the 

 night of the 10th proved to be an extensive 

 sheet to leeward of Cobourg Island. We reached 

 it next morning. Jones' Sound appeared open, 

 and a slight swell reached us from it, but all 

 along the shore there was close pack. Although 

 but little water was visible to the southward, we 

 persevered in that direction, and, as the ice was 

 rapidly moving offshore under the combined in- 

 fluence of wind and tide, we were only occasion- 

 ally detained. 



Two hundred and forty-two years ago — to a 

 day, I believe — William Baffin sailed without 

 hindrance along this coast and discovered Lan- 

 caster Sound. What a very different season he 

 must have experienced ! 



Passing near Cape Horsburgh we approached 

 De Ros Islet at midnight. The air being very 

 calm, and still, the shouting of some natives was 



