TIDES AND CURRENTS, 671 



The observations of Dr. Bessels with regard to the climate of the 

 winter quarters of the '* Polaris " in 81° 38' N., on the east side of 

 Hall Basin or Kennedy Channel, that it is much milder than it is 

 several degrees to the south, and that a current of a knot an hour 

 flows down Robeson Channel from the north, and carries the ice 

 out into Baffin's Bay, also agree with the view that the ice to the 

 north of Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla, and Siberia is drifted to the 

 west and north-west by the winds, and divides to the north of 

 Greenland into two streams, one current flowing down along East 

 Greenland, and the other flowing through Robeson Channel to the 

 south-west. 



These observations must also be taken in connexion with 

 Admiral Belcher's observations at the north end of Wellington 

 Channel, that the tides from the north meet the tides from the 

 south in that channel. 



Sir Edward Belcher says, in ** The Last of the Arctic Voyages," 

 page 219, vol. ii. : — "I had well proved, by experiments conducted 

 *' at Beechey Island, Cape Bowden, and the late winter quarters 

 ** (at the north end of the Wellington Channel), that the flood- 

 " course did not run from Lancaster Sound through Wellington 

 " and the Queen's Channel; but that the northern flood from the 

 " Arctic Ocean met that from Lancaster Sound, as nearly as I 

 " could determine, at Cape Bowden, and much in the same manner 

 " as the Channel and North Sea tides meet about Dover." 



"Hence it was clear to my mind that without a great effort of 

 nature to clear away the ice northerly as well as southerly of that 

 parallel, antagonistic forces must continue to compress any loose 

 floes together, and perfect a solid barrier in that the narrowest 

 portion of the Wellington Channel." 



He also says, on p. 222 : — " We know of no southern drift in 

 " Wellington Channel; we have never experienced northern 

 " gales ; we do possess facts to prove the reverse ; portions of 

 " the ' Breadalbane ' reached our winter quarters, and that with- 

 " out a gale ;" on the 4th of September 1 853. " The ' Breadal- 

 " bane' was wrecked 55 miles to the south on the 21 st of 

 " August." 



That there is a " permanent easterly current on the south of 

 " Melville Island, and in Barrow Strait," towards Lancaster 

 Sound, is clear from the evidence of Captain Kellett from obser- 

 vations between Sept. 10 and Nov. 12, 1873. 



14. Remarks on Tides and Currents. 



If, as seems not unlikely, the tide from the north of Greenland 

 passing through Lady Franklin Channel to the south-west meets 

 the Baffin's Bay tide near the north end of Wellington Channel, 

 then there may be no one point where the three tides actually 

 meet, but Melville Island will probably be washed by all three 

 tides, and it seems not improbable to expect that the pole of 

 greatest cold will be not far from Melville Island. 



But it seems more probable, and this should be made clear from 

 the character of the tides near Wellington Chajinel, that the tides 



