276 
VOYAGE TO THE 
CH A P. hitherto been favoured. We accordingly returned towards Icy Cape, in 
order to join the barge which was surveying in that direction. 
We passed along the land in about eight fathoms water until 
near Icy Cape, when we came rather suddenly into three fathoms 
and three quarters, but immediately deepened the soundings again to 
seven: the next cast, however, was four fathoms; and not knowing 
how soon we might have less, the ship was immediately brought to an 
anchor. Upon examination with the boats, several successive banks 
were found at about three quarters of a mile apart, lying parallel 
with the coast line. Upon the outer ones, there were only three and 
a half or four fathoms, and upon the inner bank, which had hitherto 
escaped notice from being under the sun, so little water that the sea 
broke constantly over it. Between the shoals there were nine and ten 
fathoms, with very irregular casts. These shoals lie immediately oif 
Icy Cape where the land takes an abrupt turn to the eastward, and are 
probably the effect of a large river, which here empties itself into the 
sea ; though they may be occasioned by heavy ice grounding off the 
point, and being fixed to the bottom, as we found our anchor had so 
firm a hold, that in attempting to weigh it the chain cable broke, 
after enduring a very heavy strain. 
This cape, the farthest point reached by Captain Cook, was at the 
time of its discovery very much encumbered with ice, whence it re- 
ceived its name ; none, however, was now visible. The cape is very low, 
and has a large lake at the back of it, which receives the water of a con- 
siderable river, and communicates with the sea through a narrow chan- 
nel much encumbered with shoals. There are several winter habita- 
tions of the Esquimaux upon the cape, which were afterwards visited 
by Lieutenant Belcher. The main land on both sides of Icy Cape, 
from Wainwright Inlet on one side to Cape Beaufort on the other, is 
flat, and covered with swampy moss. It presents a line of low mud 
cliffs, between which and a shingly beach that every where forms the 
coast-line there is a succession of narrow lakes capable of being navi- 
gated by baidars or small boats. Off here we saw a great many black 
whales — more than I remember ever to have seen, even in Baffin’s 
Bay. 
