JcTNE, 1859. RETURNING HOMEWARD. 307 



sucli fearful mortality would have overtaken 

 them so early in their march as within 80 

 miles by sledge-route from the abandoned ships 

 • — such being their distance from Cape Crozier ; 

 nor is it probable that we could have passed 

 the wreck had she existed there, as there are 

 no ofF-lying islands to prevent a ship drifting 

 in upon the beach ; whilst to the southward 

 they are very numerous ; so much so that a 

 drifting ship could hardly run the gauntlet 

 between them so as to reach the shore. 



The coast from Point Victory northward is 

 considerably higher than that upon which we 

 have been so many days ; the sea also is not so 

 shallow, and the ice comes close in ; to seaward 

 all was heavy close pack, consisting of all de- 

 scriptions of ice, but for the most part old and 

 heavy. 



From Walls' Bay I crossed overland to the 

 eastern shore, and reached my depot near the 

 entrance of Port Parry on the 5th June, after 

 an absence of thirty-four days. Hence I pur- 

 posed travelling alongshore to Cape Sabine, in 

 order to avoid the rough ice which we encoun- 

 tered when crossing direct from Cape Yictoria 

 in j^pril, and also hoping to obtain a few more 

 observations for the magnetic inclination. 



The weather became foggy as we approached 



X 2 



