OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



477 



with clear weather than is generally the case ; while on the other hand a 

 o-reat deal of close thick weather occurred with breezes from the northern 

 quarter. The present northerly wind had scarcely sprung up an hour before 

 a thick fog came on, frequently obscuring the land from us as we ran along, 

 at the distance of half a mile to a mile and a half. Thus circumstanced, the 

 Fury was once in the course of the day placed in a very awkward situation, 

 the water quickly shoaling to six fathoms, and the ice preventing for a time 

 the possibility of hauling out. Having at length gained an offing of a couple 

 of miles, we were obliged to make the ships fast to a floe-piece, the ice 

 entirely closing around us. 



Continuing to drift to the southward, we observed on the 23d, in latitude Sat. 23. 

 67° 40' IS" Cape Brown bearing S.E.b.S., live or six miles distant. On the fol- 

 lowing day at noon we had passed Cape Penrhyn, our drift having been twenty- Sun. 24. 

 one miles in twenty-four hours, though closely beset, and without a single pool 

 of water in sight the whole time. The current was observed to be parti- 

 cularly strong when immediately off Cape Penrhyn, taking the ships round 

 that headland at the rate of two or three knots for one hour. In the night 

 of the 24th, we drifted out to the distance of nine or ten miles from the 

 land ; and on the 25th at noon had reached the latitude of 67° 17 2S," being Mon. 25. 

 rather to the southward of the Barrow River. It was probably the influence 

 of this stream that caused the ships thus to set off from the land, this being 

 the only instance in which they did so. The ice was also rather more slack 

 here, of which circumstance we took advantage to warp the ships a mile 

 nearer in shore ; it was, however, still of the same heavy kind as before. 

 Scarcely a single bird had been seen since leaving Igloolik, and the walruses 

 were extremely rare on this coast, to the southward of Amitioke. 



The ice remained close the whole of the 26th ; but we continued as usual Tues, 26. 

 to drift generally to the southward, and the next morning being off Owlittee- Wed. 27- 

 week, were enabled to cast off and make sail, the ice being rather more 

 open than before. Being favoured by a commanding northerly breeze we ran 

 a considerable distance to the southward, having however only just room to 

 sail between the points of the closely packed ice and a flat dangerous shore. 

 A few small low islands were here discovered and added to the chart. In 

 the evening we were once more arrested in our progress and obliged to make 

 fast, being two or three miles short of Point Elizabeth, and within three 

 quarters of a mile of the shore. On the making of the flood-tide at night, the 

 ships were hurried past the point in seven fathoms, and not having been able 



