66 
REVIEWS. 
which are very peculiar in their character, have been investigated with 
much labour and pains by Captain Bochfort Maguire, of H. M. S. 
“ Plover,” who studied them at Point Barrow; and by Captain Collinson, 
of H. M. S. “ Enterprise,” who made the tides a special object of in¬ 
vestigation both in Walker Pay, Prince Albert’s Land, in 1851-52, 
and in Cambridge Bay, Yictoria Land, in 1852-53. We have reason to 
believe that the tidal observations made under the direction of both 
these gentlemen are at present undergoing a careful discussion, and that 
the results, which are likely to prove of much interest, will in due time 
be brought under the notice of the Eoyal Society. 
Let us return for a moment to the second branch of the Great Atlan¬ 
tic Tidal Wave, which we left flowing northwards into Baffin’s Bay, to 
the west of Greenland, The flood tide of this wave, having filled Baffin’s 
Bay, flows northward through Smith’s Sound, and westward through 
Jones’ Sound and Lancaster Sound, through which latter it causes high 
water in succession in Prince Eegent’s Inlet, Wellington Channel, 
Austin and Byam Martin Channel; and finally meets the Pacific and 
Polar Tides at the entrance of Banks’ and Prince of Wales Straits. A 1 
glance at the accompanying map will explain more rapidly than words 
our view of the limit or head of the Baffin’s Bay Atlantic Tide. It 
meets the Pacific Tide at Bellot’s Straits, and the Pacific Polar Tide 
in Prince of Wales and Banks’ Straits ; and it meets the true Polar Tide 
in the centre of Byam Martin Strait, and in the open space (generally 
blocked with ice floes) between the Queen’s and Wellington Channel; 
again, in Cardigan Strait and Belcher Channel, and far to the. north of 
the Map in Smith’s Sound, somewhat to the north of Dr. Kane’s winter 
quarters. The arrows on the map represent the direction of the Tidal 
Streams during flood tide; and they should be reversed during ebb 
tide. 
According to the foregoing view of the Polar Tides, the limit of the 
Atlantic Tide represents still water at all times of tides, the currents 
flowing to and ebbing from the “ head line” of Tide in opposite direc¬ 
tion, in the manner so well known in the Irish Sea and English Chan¬ 
nel, and North Sea—forming permanent slack water near the Isle of 
Man, and from Dover to Beachy Head. In a sea impeded by broken ice 
floes, the effect of such a meeting of tidal streams, and consequent slack- 
water, will be to produce an almost permanent and immoveable thickened 
floe. 
Let us inquire how far the facts are in accordance with the foregoing 
theory:— 
1. Prince of Wales Strait —On the 26th October, 1850, as is well 
known, Captain M‘Clure discovered the North-West Passage, leading 
from this Strait into Melville Sound and Barrow’s Strait, by means of 
a sledge party pushed on from his ship to Mount Observation (Lat. 
73° 31' 39" N., Long. 114° 14'W.); but all his efforts to force the 
“Investigator” through the few miles that separated her from Barrow’s 
Strait proved unsuccessful. 
“ On the 16th September, she still made slow progress towards Barrow’s Strait, and 
on the 17th September, 1850, reached their most advanced position in lat. 73° 10' N., 
