In the Arctic Regions, 465 
finding heavy ice lying aground, and so closely packed 
as to preclude the possibility of putting the boats into 
the water, it was determined to examine the channel 
by walking along the shore of the reef. An outlet to 
the sea was discovered, but the channel was so flat 
that gulls were, in most parts, wading across it; and 
there was, therefore, no other course than to await 
the separation of the ice from the reef. On the dis- 
persion of the fog in the afternoon, we perceived that 
some of the masses of ice were from twenty to thirty 
feet high ; and we derived little comfort from behold- 
ing, from the top of one of them, an unbroken surface 
of ice to seaward. 
Wednesday, The gale blew without the least abatement 
throughout the night, and until noon of the 2nd, when 
it terminated in a violent gust, which overthrew the 
tents. The field of ice was broken in the offing, and 
the pieces put in motion ; and in the evening there ap- 
peared a large space of open water, but we could not 
take advantage of these favorable circumstances, in 
consequence of the ice still closely besetting the reef. 
Lieutenant Back occupied himself in sketching the 
different views from the reef ; from one of which the 
annexed engraving has been selected, as conveying an 
accurate delineation of our position on Icy Reef. We 
remarked large heaps of gravel, fifteen feet above the 
surface of the reef, on the largest iceberg, which must 
20* 
