including a view of previous Discoveries . 23$ 
were still tossing, and allowed only perilous passage. They 
considered themselves even fortunate in being inserted into a 
corner of one of these masses, and being for a week driven 
about along with it. August therefore was begun, before they 
reached that point on the eastern coast of Southampton Island, 
whence Baffin had turned back, and where their career of dis- 
covery was to begin. After great deliberation, they determined 
to attempt the much controverted Frozen Strait of Middleton ; 
and, in fact, though some days were spent in exploring a wide 
bay, to which they gave the name of the Duke of York, this 
strait was found to exist, and to bring them into Bepulse Bay. 
It too soon proved to be completely landlocked, and the whole 
coast to correspond with the description of Middleton. More 
than a month, however, had now been lost, in going over again 
his ground ; and it was now their task to explore the coast be- 
yond, leaving not an opening untried, by which it was possible 
that an entrance into the Polar Sea could exist. The coast, 
however, held now the unpromising direction of from west to 
east ; and it presented a complete chaos of straits, bays, islands, 
and passages, blocked up with ice of every form and dimension. 
After exploring therefore a number of inlets, to the principal of 
which was given the name of Captain Lyon, the thickening 
symptoms of polar winter obliged them to saw a passage into 
the heart of a field of ice attached to an island, called by them 
Winter Island, and to lay themselves up for the season. 
The tedious hours of this long winter were beguiled by dra- 
matic' entertainments, musical parties, and particularly by inter- 
course with a tribe of Esquimaux, who came to settle in their 
vicinity. From the conversation, and even the rude delineations 
of the latter, important notices were derived respecting the shores 
beyond. It was stated that the coast, which had hitherto run 
eastward, would now take a northerly direction; that it be- 
longed to a great peninsula, forming the north-east extremity of 
America, and on the western side of which was a vast extent of 
ocean. The peninsula was bounded on the north by a strait 
leading into that ocean ; and on the other side was a large tract 
of insular land, called Keiyuk Tarruoke ; north of which, again,, 
was another strait, similarly opening into the western sea. All 
this proved substantially correct. Having employed the best 
