OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



359 



the beach and, as we afterwards found, in various other parts of the island, 1822 - 

 which shewed that they had made some provision for the winter though, yrrv> 

 with their enormous consumption of food, it proved a very inadequate 

 one. 



The breeze continuing fresh from the westward, with clear weather, the Wed. 25. 

 thermometer fell to 12° on the morning of the 25th. Being desirous of ascer- 

 taining, as soon as possible, in what situation it would be expedient to place 

 the ships for the winter, several boats were despatched to sound along the 

 shore ; when I found that the only spot likely to afford shelter, or even any 

 near approach to the land, was within a point called Oong-aldoydt, at the en- 

 trance of a fine bay about two miles to the westward of our present anchor- 

 age. The young ice now covered the whole surface of the sea like floating 

 honey, the breeze not allowing it to become solid ; and, towards night, the 

 wind shifting to the eastward, soon raised the temperature too high for any 

 fresh formation of that kind. I determined, therefore, without loss of time, 

 to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by this change, to run to the 

 westward in a boat as far as the fixed ice would permit ; and, if soon 

 stopped by that obstacle, to cross upon it to the main-land, and endeavour to 

 clear up the mystery respecting Khemig, which had cost us so many spe- 

 culations and conjectures. 



Leaving the Fury at seven A.M. on the 26th, and being favoured by aTbur.26, 

 fresh easterly breeze, we soon cleared the south-west point of Igloolik ; and 

 having passed the little island of Ooglidghioo, immediately perceived to the 

 W.N.W. of us a group of islands, so exactly answering the description of 

 Coxe's Group, both in character and situation, as to leave no doubt of our 

 being exactly in Captain Lyon's former track. Being still favoured by the 

 wind, and by the total absence of fixed ice, we reached the islands at eleven 

 A.M., and after sailing a mile or two among them, came at once in sight of 

 the two bluffs forming the passage pointed out by Toolemak and then sup- 

 posed to be called Khemig. The land to the north called by the Esquimaux 

 Khiadlaghioo we now found to be, as we had before conjectured, the southern 

 shore of Richards' Bay ; and its extreme point to the eastward I subse- 

 quently named, by Lieutenant Nias's request, Cape Matthew Smith, after 

 Captain Matthew Smith, of the Royal Navy. The land on our left, or 

 to the southward, proved an island, five miles and a quarter in length, of 

 the same bold and rugged character as the rest of this numerous group, 

 and by far the largest of them all. To prevent the necessity of reverting 



