OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



105 



past eight A.M., after a quick run through " sailing ice," landed to breakfast 1821. 

 on the south-east point of this shore, which afterwards received the name of 

 Cape Martineau, out of regard for a highly esteemed friend and relative. 

 There being a number of small islands and shoals about this point, we found 

 much difficulty in picking our way through the ice lying aground upon them, 

 which, however, we at length effected; and after passing the S.W. point, 

 which I named after Mr. M'Laren, got into clear water to the westward, 

 crossing an open bay with a shoal near the middle of the entrance. Proceed- 

 ing from hence with a strong breeze and a considerable sea ahead, but the 

 flood-tide still running slowly with us to the N.W., we rowed several miles 

 close along the shore, and entered at dusk a little cove, where the tents 

 were pitched and the boats moored for the night. 



The night being cold, clear, and nearly calm, a quantity of "bay-ice," 

 half an inch in thickness, had on the morning of the 19th formed in the cove, Wed. 19. 

 and for some distance outside of it, which again cut the boats' planks very 

 much, besides occasioning great loss of time in getting through it. This 

 symptom of approaching winter, which had now for the first time occurred 

 to us, rendered it expedient in future to select the most open beaches 

 for our resting-places at night. As soon as we had extricated ourselves 

 from this impediment, we rowed along without further hinderance, as no 

 young ice had formed in the deeper water of the offing. After tracing every 

 bend of the shore which here occurred, and especially that of a bay named, 

 by Mr. Sherer's request, Moyle Bay, we landed at the point called by 

 Captain Lyon, Point Farhill, at a quarter past seven ; and ascending the 

 hill to take angles obtained a view of Gore Bay, easily recognising every 

 other feature of the lands discovered by Captain Lyon. A mile or two of 

 coast was now all that remained to be examined, in order to determine the 

 connexion of Gore Bay with the rest of the land recently explored. Pro- 

 ceeding therefore as soon as our observations were finished, we soon after 

 entered the bay, and in the course of an hour had satisfied ourselves on this 

 point. The weather being very fine, however, 1 determined to row to the 

 head of the bay, for the purpose of obtaining observations ; and we reached 

 it exactly at noon in time for the meridian altitude. 



The place at which we landed proved to be a low and narrow isthmus, 

 having on the other side a creek about a mile long and half a mile in 

 breadth. The north shore of this creek, which is the northernmost land 



p 



