APPENDIX. 
707 
that the north land was connected to the south, by two ridges of high 
land, 15 miles in breadth; but taking- into account a chain of fresh 
water lakes, which occupied the vallies between, the dry land, which 
actually separates the two oceans, is only five miles. This extraordi¬ 
nary isthmus was subsequently visited by myself, when Commander 
Ross proceeded minutely to survey the sea coast to the southward of 
the isthmus leading to the westward, which he succeeded in tracing 
to the 99th degree, or to 150 miles of Cape Turnagain, of Franklin, to 
which point the land, after leading him into the 70th degree of north 
latitude, trended directly ; during the same journey he also surveyed 
80 miles of the adjacent coast, or that to the north of the isthmus 
which, by also taking a westerly direction, formed the termination of 
the western sea into a gulph. The rest of this season was employed 
in tracing the sea coast south of the isthmus, leading to the eastward, 
which was done so as to leave no doubt that it joined, as the natives 
had previously informed us, to Ackullee,and the land forming Repulse 
Bay. It was also determined that there was no passage to the west¬ 
ward for 80 miles to the northward of our position. 
This summer, like that of 1818, was beautifully fine, but extremely 
unfavourable for navigation, and our object being now to try a more 
northern latitude, we waited with anxiety for the disruption of the 
ice, but in vain, and our utmost endeavours did not succeed in retracing 
our steps more than four miles, and it was not until the middle of No¬ 
vember, that we succeeded in cutting the vessel into a place of secu¬ 
rity, which we named “ Sheriffs Harbour.” I may here mention, 
that we named the newly-discovered continent, to the southward, 
“ Boothia,” as also the isthmus, the peninsula to the north, and the 
eastern sea, after my worthy friend Felix Booth, esquire, the truly 
patriotic citizen of London, who, in the most disinterested manner, 
enabled me to equip this expedition in a superior style. 
The last winter was in temperature nearly equal to the means of 
what had been experienced on the four preceding voyages ; but the 
winters of 1880 and 1831 set in with a degree of violence hitherto be¬ 
yond record, the thermometer sank to 9-2° below the freezing point, 
and the average of the year was 10° below the preceding; but not¬ 
withstanding the severity of the summer, we travelled across the 
country to the West Sea, by a chain of lakes, 30 miles north of the 
isthmus, when Commander Ross succeeded in surveying 50 miles more 
of the coast leading to the N.W., and, by tracing the shore to the 
