OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
297 
another link has at least been added to the chain of evidence upon which 
geographers have long ventured to delineate the northern coast of America, 
by a dotted line from Icy Cape westward, to the rivers of Mackenzie and 
Hearne, and thence to the known part of the coast to the north of Hudson’s 
Bay, in the neighbourhood of Wager River ; while, at the same time, con- 
siderable progress has been made towards the actual accomplishment , of 
the desired passage, which has for nearly three centuries engaged the atterf- 
tion of the maritime nations of Europe. 
The success which attended our efforts during the season of 1819, after 
passing through Sir James Lancaster’s Sound, was such as to inspire even 
the least sanguine among us with a reasonable hope of the complete accom- 
plishment of our enterprise, before the close of the next season. In enter- 
taining such a hope, however, we had not rightly calculated on the severity 
of the climate with which we had to contend, and on the consequent short- 
ness of the season, (not exceeding seven weeks), in which it is possible 
to perform the navigation of tliat part of the Polar Sea. Although it 
must be admitted, that there is something peculiar about the south-west 
end of Melville Island, extremely unfavourable to navigation, yet it is also 
certain, that the obstructions we met with from ice, both as to its thickness 
and extent, were found generally to increase, as we proceeded westward, 
after passing through Barrow’s Strait. That we should find this to be 
the case, might perhaps have been reasonably anticipated, because the 
proximity to a permanently-open sea appears to be the circumstance which, 
of all others, tends the most to temper the severity of the Polar regions, in 
any giv^n parallel of latitude. On this account I should always expect to meet 
with the most serious impediments about mid- way, between the Atlantic and 
Pacific Oceans ; and having once passed that barrier, I should as confidently 
hope to find the difficulties lessen in proportion as we advanced towards the 
latter sea ; especially as it is well known, that the climate of any given 
parallel on that side of America is, no matter from what cause, very many de- 
grees more temperate than on the eastern coast. 
But, although it is evident, that climate does not wholly depend on 
latitude, but on other circumstances also, (principally, perhaps, those of 
locality above-mentioned,) yet it can scarcely be doubted that, on any 
meridian to the north of America, for instance, 114° west where we were 
stopped, the general climate would be found somewhat better, and the na- 
vigable season longer, in the latitude of 69° than in that of 75°, near which 
2Q 
1820. 
Sept. 
