38 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1821 - and eastward, so that, in the course of the evening, we lost sight of her 

 ^r*J altogether. This latter circumstance was, however, owing in great measure 

 to the extraordinary refraction upon the horizon, making terrestrial objects 

 at the distance of six or seven miles appear flattened down or depressed, as 

 well as otherwise much deformed. 



At six P.M., having beat up within five or six miles of the entrance of 

 the strait, and being anxious to sound the channel, which appeared narrow 

 but without any ice in it to offer us obstruction, I left the ship in the 

 gig, accompanied by Mr. Ross, for this purpose. The current appeared 

 to be setting to windward, or to the westward, but the fresh breeze was 

 unfavourable for ascertaining its exact direction or velocity. Besides the 

 high island before mentioned, are two smaller ones to the southward of 

 it, which contract the channel still more between it and the south shore. 

 These islands I named after Lieutenant Nias. The heavy ice which had 

 before been observed from the masthead, now formed a very conspicuous 

 object, the rest having drifted out of the strait ; we therefore rowed directly 

 towards this, as it seemed to form the northern boundary of the navigable 

 part of the channel. Reaching it at thirty minutes after nine, we found it 

 aground as we had conjectured, two of the black rocks on which it rested 

 being now just above water, and a tide of a knot and a half setting past 

 them to the eastward. These dangerous rocks lie nearly midway between 

 the smallest island and Cape Welsford, being rather to the westward of the 

 narrowest part. Within fifty yards of the dry part of them was a depth of 

 ten to twelve fathoms, and from five to seven at half that distance. As it 

 was not possible to complete the examination of the channel in time to beat 

 the ship through till the morning, I made the appointed signal for the Fury to 

 stand off and on during the few hours of dusk, and determined on taking up 

 our quarters on shore at Cape Welsford, in order to re-commence our exa- 

 mination as early as possible in the morning. In standing across to the Cape, 

 Ave could find no bottom with thirty-five fathoms of line, and, indeed, in the 

 whole of this part the water was subsequently found to be very deep. 



The part of Southampton Island on which we landed is about a thousand 

 feet high, and composed of gneiss. Every here and there, along the shore, 

 between the projecting points of rocks, is a small cove or bay, having a 

 beach composed of small pieces of limestone, which make the water almost 

 as white as milk. Landing in one of these coves, we carried the boat 

 above high-water mark ; and, making a tent of her sail, lay very comfortably 



