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VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1820 . the earth. In consequence of this circumstance, we were now enabled, for 
the first time, to bring our boats down to the beach, so as to allow them 
to float about high water, in order to prevent their being split by the sun, 
while in every other part of the harbour, except thus near the shore, we had 
not the means of doing so till some days afterwards. Among the means, 
also, which nature employs in these regions to dissolve, during the short 
summer, the ice which has been formed upon the sea by the cold of winter, 
there appears to be none more efficacious than the numerous streams of water 
produced by the melting of the snow upon the land, and which, for a period 
of at least six or seven weeks, even in the climate of Melville Island, are 
constantly discharging themselves into the ocean. On this account, it would 
appear probable, that high land is more favourable to the dissolution and 
dispersion of the ice near its shores than that which is lower, because it 
supplies a never-ceasing flow of water during the whole of the thawing 
season. For instance, on the 1st of September, 1818, we found the stream 
in Possession Bay discharging a torrent of water into the sea, and there was 
still snow enough remaining on the land to keep up an abundant stream, till 
it should be arrested by the frost of winter ; whereas, on these islands, which 
are very low, comparatively with the land about Possession Bay, or in Sir 
James Lancaster’s Sound, we found, at the same season, in 1819, and much 
before the thawing had finished, that they were completely free from snow, 
the ravines entirely dry, and the whole face of the islands parched and 
cracked with drought, as if there had been no moisture upon the surface of 
the ground for some time. 
On unhanging the rudders, and hauling them up on the ice for examination, 
we found them a good deal shaken and grazed by the blows they had 
received during the time the ships were beset at the entrance of Davis’ 
Strait. We found, also, that the rudder-cases in both ships had been fitted 
too small, occasioning considerable difficulty in getting the rudders down 
when working, a circumstance by no means disadvantageous, (perhaps, indeed, 
rather the contrary,) on ordinary service at sea, but which should be carefully 
avoided in ships intended for the navigation among ice, as it is frequently 
necessary to unship the rudder at a short notice, in order to preserve it from 
injury, as our future experience was soon to teach us. This fault was, 
however, soon remedied, and the rudders again hung, in readiness for sea. 
About this time, a few flocks of looms occasionally made their appearance, 
invariably flying quite round the harbour, exactly over the narrow and only 
