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observation we had frequent opportunities of repeating, immediately after the springing up of a breeze, in the Polar seas. But on the 20th, the advanced period of the season, the unpromising appearance of the ice to the westward, and the risk to the ships with which the navigation had been attended for some days past, naturally led me to the conclusion that, under these circumstances, the time had arrived, when it became absolutely necessary to look out for winter-quarters * * * *. The opinions of the officers entirely concurring with my own,’ as to the propriety of immediately resorting to this measure, I determined, whenever the sea and the weather would allow, to run back to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, in which neighbourhood alone we had any reason to believe that a suitable harbour might be found.”

On the 22nd, at 8 p.m., the Hecla brought up a little to the eastward of her former anchorage; but the Griper, having dropped several miles astern in the course of the day, was obliged to be secured to the grounded ice off Cape Hearne, to prevent her being frozen up at a greater distance from the land. Next day Lieutenant Parry examined Fife’s harbour, and proceeded from thence to another, a short distance to the westward, which he selected for his winter-quarters, determining to cut a canal through the ice, in order to get the ships into a secure situation. By half-past 8 a.m. on the 24th, both of them were anchored in the proper position for commencing, this laborious task, the performance of which he thus describes.

“As soon as our people had breakfasted, I proceeded, with a small party of men, to sound^[1], and to mark with boarding-pikes upon the ice, the most direct channel we could find to the anchorage; having Left directions for every other officer and man in both ships to be employed in cutting the canal. This operation was performed by first marking out two parallel lines, distant from each other a little more than the breadth of the larger ship. Along each of these lines a cut was then made with an ice-saw, and others again at right angles to them, at intervals of from 10 to 20 feet apart; thus dividing the ice into a number of rectangular pieces, which it was necessary to subdivide diagonally, in order to give room for their being floated out of the canal. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the seamen, who are always fond of doing things in their own way, took advantage of a fresh northerly breeze, by setting, some boats’ sails upon the pieces of ice, a contrivance which saved some time and labour. This part of the operation, however, was by far the most troublesome, princi-

1. By making holes in the ice and dropping the leads through.