OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
57 
The wind, drawing more to the westward soon after the clearing up of 1819. 
the fog, obliged us to beat to windward during the rest of the day between 
the two lands, that to the southward being loaded with ice, while the 
shores of Lowther Island were perfectly clear and accessible. As we 
stood in towards the south-west point of the island, in the afternoon, we 
found the water deepen from sixty-five to seventy-six fathoms, the latter 
soundings being at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore : 
and, in standing off again to the south-westward, came rather unexpectedly to 
a low sandy-looking island, having a great deal of heavy ice aground near 
it; to this I gave the name of Young’s Island, after Dr. Thomas Young, 
Secretary to the Board of Longitude. We tacked in thirty-four fathoms 
at three miles’ distance from this island ; and, from the quantity of heavy 
ice near it, which is a never-failing beacon in these seas, it seems more than 
probable that it is surrounded by shoal water. 
It now became evident that all the land around us consisted of islands, and 
the comparative shoaliness of the water made great caution necessary in pro- 
ceeding, surrounded as we were by both land and ice in almost every direction. 
In the course of the evening, more land came in sight to the northward ; 
but the distance was at this time too great to enable us to distinguish its 
situation and extent. 
Early on the following morning, Lieutenant Beechey discovered, from the Wed. 25. 
crow’s nest, a second low island, resembling Young’s Island in size and 
appearance, and lying between three and four leagues to the northward 
of it. I gave it the name of Davy Island, after Sir Humphry Davy, now 
President of the Royal Society. The nearest land which we had seen to 
the northward, on the preceding evening, proved to be another island, 
four or five miles long from east to west, which I distinguished by the name 
of Garrett Island, out of respect to my much-esteemed friend Captain 
Henry Garrett, of the royal navy, to whose kind offices and friendly 
attention during the time of our equipment, I must ever feel highly 
indebted. The land to the northward of Garrett Island was found to be 
another island of considerable extent, having, towards its eastern end, a remark- 
able peaked hillock, very conspicuous when seen from the southward. 
I named this Bathurst Island, in honour of the Earl op Bathurst, one of 
His Majesty’s principal secretaries of state, and a bay near its south-eastern 
point, was called Bedford Bay. 
The islands which we had discovered during this day’s navigation, among 
i 
