230 
VOYAGE FOE THE DISCOVERY 
1820. after our leaving harbour; and, as it was evident that such detention must, 
August, .j, cou ^ nue(; ^ absolutely preclude the possibility of accomplishing the main 
object of the Expedition, I addressed a letter to Lieutenant Liddon, de- 
siring to be made acquainted with all the circumstances of the Griper’s 
incapacity, that immediate steps might be taken, either for improving 
her trim by any means in our power, or, in the event of failing to do so, 
for removing her crew and provisions to the Hecla, and prosecuting the 
voyage in that ship singly. 
During the whole forenoon of the 2d, we observed a well-defined line of 
ripple, at the distance of two or three miles from the land, and a few hun- 
dred yards from the edge of the ice, running parallel to the shore. We 
tried the current about noon, by the small boat moored to the bottom, on 
each side of this ripple ; and found that outside, or to the southward of it, 
it was running to the eastward at the rate of one mile per hour, while within 
it, no current was perceptible. Our latitude, at noon, by an indifferent 
observation, was 74° 36' 33", and the longitude by account 110° 59', being in 
forty-nine fathoms’ water, on a bottom of blue clay. 
Soon after noon, a breeze sprung up from the S.S.W., which being rather 
upon the shore, made it likely that the ice would soon begin to close it ; We, 
therefore, began to look out for a situation where the ships might be se- 
cured in-shore, behind some of the heavy grounded ice, which had so often 
before afforded us shelter under similar circumstances. At one o’clock, we 
perceived that a heavy floe had already closed completely in with the land, 
at a point a little to the westward of us, preventing all hope of further 
progress for the present in that direction. A boat was, therefore, sent to 
examine the ice in-shore, and a favourable place having been found for 
our purpose, the ships were hauled in, and secured there, the Griper’s 
bow resting on the beach, in order to allow the Hecla to lie in security 
without her. This place was so completely sheltered from the access of the 
main body of the ice, that I began to think seriously of taking advantage of 
this situation to remove the Griper’s crew on board the Hecla, and had con- 
sulted the officers upon the subject. The circumstances, however, which 
subsequently occurred, rendering such a measure inexpedient, because no 
longer necessary to the accomplishment of the object in view, by which 
alone it could be justified, I was. induced to give it up, adopting the best 
means in our power to remedy the evil in question. 
The beach near which we were lying is so bold, that, in standing off- 
