52 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
that on the west, leaving scarcely a doubt on our minds of the latter being an 
island, relieved us from all anxiety on that score ; and every one felt that we 
were now finally disentangled from the land which forms the western side of 
Baffin’s Bay ; and that, in fact, we had actually entered the Polar sea. Fully im- 
pressed with this idea, I ventured to distinguish the magnificent opening through 
which our passage had been effected from Baffin’s bay to Wellington channel, 
by the name of Barrow’s Strait, after my friend, Mr. Barrow, Secretary of the 
Admiralty ; both as a private testimony of my esteem for that gentleman, and 
as a public acknowledgment due to him for his zeal and exertions in the 
promotion of Northern Discovery. To the land on which Cape Hotham is 
situated, and which is the easternmost of the group of islands,) as we found 
them to be by subsequent discovery,) in the Polar sea, I gave the name of 
Cornwallis Island, after Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis, 
my first naval friend and patron ; and an inlet, seven miles to the northward 
of Cape Hotham, was called Barlow Inlet, as a testimony of my respect for 
Sir Robert Barlow, one of the Commissioners of His Majesty’s navy. 
Though two-thirds of the month of August had now elapsed, I had every 
reason to be satisfied with the progress which we had hitherto made. I cal- 
culated upon the sea being still navigable for six weeks to come, and pro- 
bably more if the state of the ice would permit us to edge away to the south- 
ward in our progress westerly: our prospects, indeed, were truly exhila- 
rating ; the ships had suffered no injury; we had plenty of provisions; 
crews in high health and spirits ; a sea, if not open, at least navigable ; and 
a zealous and unanimous determination in both officers and men to ac- 
complish, by all possible means, the grand object on which we had the hap- 
piness to be employed. 
