338 CAPTAIN YOUNG'S JOUENEY. Chap. XVII. 



of heavy ice-masses, formed perhaps years ago 

 in far distant and wider seas. 



Young attempted to cross the channel which 

 he discovered between Prince of Wales' Island 

 and Victoria Land ; but from the rugged nature 

 of the ice, found it quite impracticable with 

 the means and time remaining at his disposal. 

 Young expresses his firm conviction that this 

 channel is so constantly choked up with un- 

 usually heavy ice as to be quite unnavigable ; it 

 is, in fact, a continuous ice-stream from the N.W. 

 His opinion coincides with my own, and with 

 those of Captains Omraanney and Osborn, when 

 those officers explored the north-western shores 

 of Prince of Wales' Land in 1851. 



Fearing that his provisions might run short, 

 he sent back one sledge with four men, and con- 

 tinued his march with only one man and the 

 dogs for forty days ! They were obliged to 

 build a snow-hut each night to sleep in, as the 

 tent was sent back with the men ; but latterly, 

 when the weather became more mild, they pre- 

 ferred sleeping on the sledge, as the construct- 

 ing of a snow-hut usually occupied them for 

 two hours. Young completed the exploration 

 of this coast beyond the point marked upon 

 the charts as Osborn's farthest, up nearly to 

 lat. 73° N., but no cairn was found. Young, 



