LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
677 
ment on the highest hill, so that there was one on the northern¬ 
most point, and another on the southernmost, with several 
others, that Commander Ross had erected as marks to take the 
angles. That officer had just completed the survey of the bay, 
when the ice broke up. 
It was generally supposed, when the ice began to make a 
move in the bay, that it would have been better if the boats 
had stopped up the bay, but, fortunately, it proved that the ice 
made off in that quarter, before it did along the sea-shore, from 
which circumstance, they had the good fortune, at low water, 
to haul their boats, one after the other, down to the place from 
which they had brought them. 
It was on the 14th of August, that the wind came round to 
the westward, which liberated them in a very short time, and with 
a very little trouble, they succeeded in reaching Monument Beach, 
when Abernethy was sent up with a telescope, on the highest 
mountain, to observe the situation of the ice. He was absent 
about two hours, when he returned with the joyful intelli¬ 
gence, that it was clear water right across the inlet. This in¬ 
formation reached them about four o’clock in the afternoon, 
when they immediately went to supper, after which Commander 
Ross and Abernethy returned to the top of the mountain. They 
were absent about six hours, not reaching the boats again until 
midnight; but their information was of so encouraging a nature, 
in regard to the clearness of the water, that the boats were 
immediately launched, and they took their departure with a 
light air from the west. The distance from Monument Beach 
to the opposite shore, is about 45 miles, but, before half the dis¬ 
tance was accomplished, the wind veered round to the south¬ 
ward, on which the crew, in Capt. Ross’ boat, laid their oars 
in, and hoisted a bag and an empty canister to their mast head, 
as a signal for extra allowance, which was immediately granted. 
Without any occurrence worthy of being recorded, they reached 
the other side of Admiralty Inlet, where they pitched their tents, 
having traversed a distance of about 74 miles. 
Early on the following morning, they got under way and 
proceeded about 40 miles, when they got the boats in amongst 
