68 
EE VIEWS. 
in constant motion north and south by the rapid flood and ebb of the 
Pacific Tide. 
2. Banks' Strait .—On the 23rd September, 1851, the “ Investigator,” 
having made her fearful passage between the “ Land of the White Bear” 
and Banks’ Land, was forced to take shelter in the Bay of Mercy, about 
forty miles to the westward of the head of the tide in Banks’ Strait. 
As there is considerable difference of opinion as to the necessity of 
their entering the Bay of Mercy at all, instead of pushing to the eastward, 
and trusting to the tidal and other currents to force the ship in the ice¬ 
floe through Banks’, Strait-into Melville, Sound, we shall giv.e both 
McClure’s and Armstrong’s account of the transaction. 
! a The 23rd of September, 1851,—the last day of the gallant ship’s achievements,— 
came in most promisingly. Water was seen ahead long before day-dawn, sail was set, 
and she battled on all day to the eastward, making a little southing, as the land trended 
that way. Hitherto Captain M‘Clure had avoided pushing on after dark, since the 
nights had now become so long; but for many-cogent reasons he was induced on this 
occasion to depart from this rule; and, as the result proved, it was unfortunate in one 
respect that he did so, for about half-past seven o’clock in the evening the ship ran ashore 
on a steep bank. The crew strained every nerve to get the vessel offand after clearing 
the foretold and store-robms, and laying out a stream-anchor and'cable, she floated off 
during the night. 
“ On the next day they found themselves in a large bay, affording gOod winter quar¬ 
ters, and perceived that it was impossible to round its north- eastern horn, so as to enter 
the pack and drift with it through Bai'row’s Strait during the coming winter. Under 
these circumstances, and considering what they had gone through in reaching the secure 
spot into which they had steered during darkness, Captain M‘Clure made up his mind to 
winter where"he was ; and, in token of his gratitude to a kind Providence, the bay was 
appropriately called the Bay of Mercy. It was no empty expression; for every heart in 
that ship was filled with emotion, and many prayed that in after years, should they be 
spared to reach their homes, the recollection of the bounty and goodness of Him who 
had upheld them through such anxieties and dangers might never be effaced from their 
memories.”— Osborn , p. 221. 
“The 23rd of September was a luckless day for the c Investigator.’ The men had 
continued uninterruptedly at work during the night, and at 1 a.m. the ship drifted a lit¬ 
tle, when another anchor was let go in fifteen fathoms. The gale continued from the 
westward veering at times to W.N.W., but moderated with the advance of daylight. 
This period of the morning, so ardently wished for, at length came, and fully revealed to 
us our position; from which it appeared that by keeping close to the land, we had been 
running into a deep bay ; that the bank on the extremity of which we had grounded 
formed a sort of crescent or horn, at its north-western entrance extending about a quarter 
of a mile from the beach, and a good bulwark against the encroachment of ice on a ship 
placed in the water inside and beyond it. The coast line along which we ran trended 
to the south, and then, sweeping round to theN.E., formed this extensive bay, which was 
then quite clear of ice, some twelve or thirteen miles in depth, its north-eastern boundary 
running directly across our course: its entrance (Point Back) being exactly opposite 
to our position, and distant about seven miles. The land appeared of a hilly, lofty cha¬ 
racter, between which and our position the appearance of shoals were reported from the 
mast-head ; but we did not verify the fact by closer inspection. Mr. Court was then 
dispatched to sound the bay inside, south-east of the shoal, to ascertain its eligibility for 
anchorage ; the ship following the course of the boat until 9 a.m., when we furled sails, 
and anchored in four fathoms, about 600 yards from the shore, and about three miles 
inside the bank on which we had grounded. It was, therefore, determined that this po¬ 
sition should constitute our winter quarters, despite any change that might take place to 
