TIDES AND CURRENTS. Qo7 



<leclination 141° 18' W.), Admiral Belcher says: — "In this 

 *' region, where the tides or currents are scarcely obstructed by 

 " islands, and run with some velocity, ripping up the floe like 

 " paper, much open water must of necessity prevail, and possibly 

 " still more so to the northward." 



Again, (IF. p. 132) : — *' North of our present position (Northum- 

 *^ berland Sound) the flood tide sets in from the Polar Sea, and 

 ■** brings its ivarmer oceanic water ; southerly the flood has to 

 " pass up Lancaster Sound, there to be deflected up this channel, 

 " and makes high water somewhere between this and Beechey 

 *' Island." 



Vol. I. p. 244. Strong breezes from the westward and from the 

 Dorth-west are found to have a surprising influence on the tides, 

 and show that there must be vacant space somewhere ; '^ nothing 

 *•' but open water to the northward or westward can effect such 

 ■** motions." It was found by Commander Richards that "the 

 " main-tide channel at the north end of Wellington Channel, 

 " between Pioneer Island and Village Point, was open for half 

 ** a mile ; and here the gales ranged from north to north-north- 

 « west." 



Early in May a large sheet of water was found at Village 

 Point about one mile in length, and extending nearly across the 

 Strait. 



Heights of Tides at various Points in Arctic Regions, 



In Behring Straits, at Kotzebue Sound, the flood tide from the 

 Pacific rose 2 feet, and at Point Barrow at flood tide the rise was 

 7 inches. 



In the Prince of Wales Straits M'Clure found that the flood 

 tide came from the south with only 3 feet rise and fall on spring 

 tides. 



At the Bay of Mercy, Banks Island, as at places generally in 

 Barrow Strait, the flood came from the east with a rise of about 

 2 feet. 



In Jones' Strait the flood tide also flows from the east. 



The observations of Sir Edward Belcher at Northumberland 

 Sound show either that the tides from Lancaster Sound and from 

 Jones' Strait meet in Wellington Channel ; or if the distance 

 by Jones' Strait is too great to admit of this explanation, then, 

 taking them in connexion with the observations of Dr. Bessels in 

 Kennedy Channel, they seem to show that the tides from the open 

 Atlantic Ocean to the north-east of Greenland, entering through 

 Robeson Channel, and possibly through Lady Franklin Straits 

 and other openings more to the north, meet the tides from Baflin's 

 Bay about Cape Eraser and also in Wellington Channel. 



Difficulties in Measuring the Height of Tides. 



Notwithstanding the very great care taken by Admiral Belcher, 

 to register the tides as accurately as possible (as shown in Vol. I. 

 36122. T T 



