Aua. 1859. HOBSON'S JOURNEY. 341 



many very heavy masses of ice, evidently of 

 foreign formation, have been here arrested in 

 their drift : so large are they that, in the gloomy 

 weather we experienced, they were often taken 

 for islands." 



Again, at Cape Felix, he observes, — " The 

 pressure of the ice is severe, but the ice itself is 

 not remarkably heavy in character ; the shoalness 

 of the coast keeps the line of pressure at a con- 

 siderable distance from the beach : to the north- 

 ward of the island the ice, as far as I could see, 

 was very rough, and crushed up into large 

 masses." Here we notice the gradual change 

 in the character of the ice as Hobson left the 

 Boothian shore and advanced towards Victoria 

 Strait. The " very heavy masses of ice, evi- 

 dently of foreign formation," had drifted in 

 from the N. W. through M'Clure Strait ; Victoria 

 Strait was full of it ; and Hobson's description of 

 the ice he passed over clearly illustrates how 

 Franklin, leaving clear water behind him, 

 pressed his ships into the pack when he at- 

 tempted to force through Victoria Strait. How 

 very different the result might and probably 

 would have been had he known of the existence 

 of a ship-channel, sheltered by King William 

 Island from this trem^endous " polar pack " ! 



Hobson left King William Island on the last 



