LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
145 
point, blowing from the north and north west at one hour, and 
then veering to the east the next. It was however observed 
that the fall of snow was the heaviest, whilst the wind blew 
from the north, and the flakes fell so thickly as to conceal the 
sight of the land from the ship. 
Capt. Ross had the misfortune on this day to lose one of his 
Esquimaux dogs, which was attributed to its long confinement 
on board the ship, and the short allowance of food to which 
it was obliged to be restricted. 
On the 27th it came on to blow very hard from the north, but 
the situation in which the ship had been placed, protected it in 
a great measure from the violence of the gale, although some 
apprehension was entertained, that if the wind came from the 
southward, it would be found necessary to change the situation 
of the ship, which if the ice continued to accumulate as it had 
done during the two preceding days, would be found a task of 
almost insuperable difficulty; with this impression on the mind 
of Capt. Ross, he despatched Commander Ross for the purpose 
of discovering a more convenient place in which the ship could 
be moored, but although the place was found, it appeared almost 
impossible to navigate the ship to it, as it was discovered that to 
the windward of the islands, the ice was closely packed, and 
presented an almost impassable barrier to the point to which it 
was their intention to steer. Towards evening the officers went 
on shore, and found that the ice had opened in a very extraordi¬ 
nary degree, but still not sufficiently as to admit a passage for 
the ship. 
It now became the general opinion that they would be soon 
obliged to take up their winter quarters. The frost had set in 
with some violence, and were they to attempt to retrace their 
course, they would have to contend not only against the ice of 
former years, but also with the young ice that had been made 
during the present season. 
It was on the 28th September, 1824, that Capt. Parry went 
into Port Bowen with the Hecla and Fury, and never effected 
his passage out until the 26th July, 1825. In all the other ex¬ 
peditions also, the latter end of September, or the beginning of 
7 
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