140 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
240 feet. As the coast on the opposite side of Davis 
Strait was approached the Discovery' s course was checked 
by ft line of closely-packed ice. The boldest course is 
usually the wisest, and on this occasion the ship's bows 
were put straight at the obstacle and she forced her way 
into it. For six days the explorers were working their 
way through the ice and drifting slowly to the south. At 
last the pack became looser, they got clear, and soon after- 
wards sighted Resolution Island on the north side of the 
entrance to Hudson Strait. They anchored on the west 
side of that island and Baffin landed. On the 18th they 
were off islands on the north side of the strait, where 
dogs and Eskimo tents were seen, so they anchored and 
Baffin again went on shore. In one of the tents he 
found a leather bag containing little images of men, and 
one with a woman and child at her back. He took them, 
and put some useful articles in the tent in exchange, 
the people having fled. The place was named Salvage 
Island. 
Proceeding westward along the north shore of the 
Strait, Baffin paid close attention to the tides and currents 
with a view to ascertain the direction of the passage, 
if it existed. Sighting Nottingham and Salisbury Islands 
the Discovery came to a small new island which, owing 
to the noise caused by the grinding of the ice, received 
the name of Mill Island. 
It was on the 22nd June that Baffin took his memor- 
able lunar observation for longitude. " While we were 
fast enclosed with ice, and the weather fair and clear, 
I saw both the sun and moon very clear. So I fitted my 
instruments to take both the almicanter and azimuth of 
the sun, and also of the moon." He then describes 
a complete lunar observation. Not having an instru- 
ment with which he could measure so large an angle, 
he resorted to the method of measuring the distance, 
which was 104 0 , by the difference of azimuth 1 . The 
almicanters are small circles parallel to the horizon, and 
therefore the observed altitudes. 
This method of finding the longitude was first sug- 
gested by John Werner of Nuremberg in 15 14, and again 
1 This distance would be greatly in error, unless the declinations of 
both heavenly bodies were the same. 
