Suggestions for Observations of the Tides to be made 

 by the North Pole Expedition, by the Rev. Samuel 

 Haughton, M.D., F.R.S. 



I, — Summary of Arctic Tidal Observations already mai e. 



The tidal wave enters the Ai-ctic Polar Basin by three distinct 

 channels : — 



1. By Behring's Strait. 



2. By Davis' Strait. 



3. By the Greenland Sea and Barentz Sea. 



As to the first tvs^o of these tidal waves, I can offer some useful 

 observations, but I know little of the third wave, beyond the fact, 

 recorded by Captain Markham, that the tide wave No. 2, entering 

 Smith Sound and Kennedy Channel, meets at Cape Frazer (Grinnell 

 Land), Lat. 80° N. with a tidal wave coming from the north, 

 which I believe to be the wave No. 3, which has travelled round 

 the north coast of Greenland, thus proving it to be an island. 



1. Behring Strait Tidal Wave. 



Observations on this tidal wave have been made at — 



1. Port Clarence - - Captain Moore. 



2. Point Barrow - - Captain Rochfort Maguire. 



3. Walker Bay - - Captain Collinson. 



4. Cambridge Bay - Captain Collinson. 



All these observations lead to the result that this tidal wave is 

 a simple lunar semi-diurnal tide, without any complication of 

 solar or of diurnal tide, which seem, from some unknown cause, 

 unable to enter the Arctic Basin through Behring's Strait, although 

 the diurnal tide is well developed in many parts of the North 

 Pacific Ocean. This tide has been traced eastwards as far as 

 Victoria Strait, where it meets the Davis' Strait tide No. 2, enter- 

 ing Victoria Strait, from the north, through Bellot Strait and 

 Franklin Strait. 



[The Franklin expedition perished at the meeting of these two 

 tides, which forms a line of still water and immoveable pack ice. 

 In fact the " Erebus " and " Terror," having become beset in 

 September 1846, were abandoned in April 1848, having moved 

 only 15 miles during the 18 months.] 



It is extremely probable that the Behring Strait tidal wave 

 enters Banks' or Maclure Strait and passes as far eastward as the 

 Bay of Mercy, where Maclure's Expedition was abandoned, in 

 1853, after two years ineffectual attempts to enter Melville Sound 

 from the West. I am persuaded that this failm*e was due to the 

 meeting of the Behring Strait and Davis' Strait tidal waves at 

 the western outlet from Melville Sound. Unfortunately this im- 

 portant fact cannot be determined with certainty in consequence 

 of the apparent loss of the tidal observations made by Maclure in 

 the Bay of Mercy in 1851-52-53; and by Kellett in Bridport 

 Inlet in 1852-53. If these tidal observations could be discovered 

 they would throw much light on the theory of the tidal motion of 

 this part of the American Arctic Archipelago. 



