(58 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



and his party accordingly set out for the hill at six A.M. During their 

 ' absence I employed myself in obtaining the usual observations and in notic- 

 ing the height, direction, and time of the tides. By observing the motion 

 of the fragments of ice I found that, although there was on this shore a 

 considerable rise of the water, there was little or no perceptible current 

 on cither tide, except within a mile or two of the high southern land where 

 it ran very strong, the flood to the westward, and the ebb in the opposite 

 direction. This belt of tide, as it were, ran between a considerable opening 

 to the south-east, and that through which we had come from the ships, and 

 it was only in this space that any ice was at present to be seen. These circum- 

 stances tended to strengthen the opinion I had at first formed, that the main 

 outlet into the sea from whence this ice came would be found by following 

 the ebb-tide, which unquestionably ran to the eastward. I was still in hopes, 

 however, that notwithstanding the absence of ice, and of any perceptible 

 stream of tide, in the more northerly channel which Captain Lyon was ex- 

 amining, some more direct, though perhaps narrower, communication might 

 be found, that would save us much time and trouble. The appearance of the 

 land, which seemed to consist of a large assemblage of islands, greatly favoured 

 this hope ; nor was it discouraged by the accounts received in the evening on 

 the return of our party from the hills. Mr. Ross reported that having reached 

 a commanding hill, he found himself overlooking a sea of considerable extent 

 to the eastward, and washing the foot of the hill on which he stood. This sea 

 appeared to have some islands scattered about it, and was much encumbered 

 with ice. To the south-eastward there seemed to be several openings between 

 islands, of which the land we stood then upon appeared to form one, the sea 

 sweeping round to the northward and westward, as if to join the strait dis- 

 covered by Captain Lyon, Mr. Ross described the country over which he 

 passed as much intersected by lakes, some of them not less than two or three 

 miles in length, and having in their neighbourhood abundance of grass, moss, 

 : and other fine feeding for the deer. The report of Mr. Ross accompanied by 

 an eye-sketch made upon the spot left no doubt of the existence of an outlet 

 to the eastward, and enabled me to decide without hesitation upon attempting 

 • the passage of the narrows with the ships, leaving our subsequent route to be 

 determined on according to the report of Captain Lyon. 



The rocks upon this coast, as well as those in the interior, are composed of 

 gneiss, traversed occasionally by veins of quartz and feldspar, and having 

 intermixed with it much of a green substance which we took to be epidote, 



