40 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1821 already caught more" than a large bucket full. They proved most excellent 

 August, eating and, although we were not badly off for fresh provision, were con- 

 sidered by us a very agreeable variety. Every possible care was taken in 

 observing the time and direction of the tides in this place, that phenomenon 

 having now assumed a more than ordinary interest. It has already been 

 remarked that, at half past nine the preceding evening, we had found a tide 

 setting to the eastward past the Black Rocks, at the rate of a knot and a 

 half. At ten P.M., when we landed, the tide was rapidly rising and con- 

 tinued to do so till two in the morning, during the whole of which time a 

 few pieces of ice were occasionally driving to the eastward through the chan- 

 nel. From these observations it was not unreasonable to surmise that the 

 flood-tide came from the westward, though subsequent experience, as will 

 presently appear, proved this conjecture to be erroneous. If the intervals 

 between the tides be regular, the time of high water on full and change days 

 of the moon, at Cape Welsford, would appear to be a quarter past twelve. 

 The perpendicular fall of the water at this morning's tide, which was a spring- 

 tide, the moon being two days old, was sixteen feet seven inches. 



After completing our observations and examination of the channel, we 

 reached the ship by eight A.M., the Fury having, with great attention, been 

 kept close off the entrance of the strait during the night. The Hecla had at 

 this time just hove in sight under a press of sail to the eastward, having at 

 length, with much difficulty, succeeded in getting into clear water. While 

 engaged in beating through the channel with a considerable tide against us, 

 I despatched Mr. Crozier to bring on board sand for the decks, and provided 

 him also with nets for catching sillocks, of which he procured enough to 

 serve the messes of the officers and ships' company for two dinners. 



In beating through this channel, the breadth of which is a mile and three 

 quarters from Cape Welsford to the Black Rocks, we discovered no danger 

 on the south side, where we had ninety fathoms at two-thirds of a cable's 

 length from the shore, nor any on the northern side except the rocks them- 

 selves, which are completely covered at high water. No soundings could be 

 obtained with one hundred fathoms of line anywhere near the middle of the 

 channel, though the water is remarkably light-coloured at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the shore, owing probably to the same cause as that I before 

 noticed, as occurring near the beach in all the little bays along this coast. 



As soon as we were through the passage, I despatched Mr. Bushnan to the 

 Hecla, in the small boat, with a plan of the channel, and some directions 



