490 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



to follow the continent on the western side of Melville Peninsula, it appears to 

 be of very little importance whether a future attempt be made from CapeKater, 

 which lies near the bottom of Prince Regent's Inlet, or from Cape Englefield 

 at the western entrance of the Strait of the Fury and Hecla. Indeed the 

 chance of success is rather in favour of the former of these two stations, 

 both on account of the shorter distance to Point Turnagain of Captain 

 Franklin, which from thence does not exceed four hundred and fifty miles, 

 as well as from the probability to which I have before alluded, of the 

 ice being almost constantly pressed by the westerly current against the 

 western mouth of the Strait. The view which we obtained from the southern 

 part of Prince Regent's Inlet in 1819 was not, indeed, very encouraging as 

 to the state of the ice at that particular time ; but our business at that time 

 lying in a different direction, we remained only a few hours on the spot, 

 and could not therefore judge what favourable changes might have been 

 produced by the various alterations in wind and tide. The ice was, however, 

 certainly detached from the shores, and in motion ; in which case a hope 

 may always be cherished of occasional openings in our favour. 



In estimating the probability of success in this attempt, it is proper for 

 me here to remark that the difficulty of giving any very decided opinion 

 upon it arises, not simply from the general uncertainty attending a naviga- 

 tion of so precarious a nature as that to which we have lately been accus- 

 tomed, as because there is nothing in our late experience which can pro- 

 perly be considered analogous to it. To enter a body of heavy ice, of great 

 and uncertain extent, without any known land stretching in the desired 

 direction, is an enterprise differing in character from almost any hitherto 

 attempted with success. In 1819, indeed, the Hecla and Griper crossed the 

 barrier of ice occupying the centre of Baffin's Bay for a distance of about 

 ninety miles, and succeeded in reaching the open water off Sir James 

 Lancaster's Sound ; and since that time numbers of whalers have done the 

 same : but this distance is small in comparison with that which ships would 

 have to traverse, from the bottom of Prince Regent's Inlet to any part of 

 the navigable channel discovered by Captain Franklin, and which it would 

 be their first object to reach. It is however by no means improbable, that some 

 intervening land may be discovered in this interval to assist a ship's progress 

 to the south-westward ; and that, by patience and perseverance, she might 

 succeed in gaining the shores of the continent, where it may be expected 

 that only the ordinary difficulties of this navigation would once more present 



