the evident advantage to be derived
from coasting the southern part of that portion of land called in the
chart "North Somerset," as far as it might lead to the westward; which,
from our former knowledge, we had reason to suppose it would do as far
at least as the longitude of 95 deg., in the parallel of about 72-3/4 deg.
After sailing about eight miles, we were stopped by a body of close ice
lying between us and a space of open water beyond. We were shortly after
enveloped in one of the thick fogs which had, for several weeks past,
been observed almost daily hanging over some part of the sea in the
offing, though we had scarcely experienced any in Port Bowen until the
water became open at the mouth of the harbour.

On the clearing up of the fog on the 21st, we could perceive no opening
of the ice leading towards the western land, nor any appearance of the
smallest channel to the southward along the eastern shore. I was
determined, therefore, to try at once a little farther to the
northward, the present state of the ice appearing completely to accord
with that observed in 1819, its breadth increasing as we advanced from
Prince Leopold's Islands to the southward.

Light winds detained us very much, but, being at length favoured by a
breeze, we carried all sail to the northwest, the ice very gradually
leading us towards the Leopold Isles. Having arrived off the
northernmost on the morning of the 22nd, it was vexatious, however
curious, to observe the exact coincidence of the present position of the
ice with that which it occupied a little later in the year 1819. The
whole body of it seemed to cling to the western shore, as if held there
by some strong attraction, forbidding, for the present, any access to
it. After running all night, with light and variable winds, through
loose and scattered ice, we suddenly found ourselves, on the clearing up
of a thick fog through which we had been sailing on the morning of the
24th, within one third of a mile of Cape Seppings, the land just
appearing above the fog in time to save us from danger, the soundings
being thirty-eight fathoms, on a rocky bottom. The Fury being apprized
by guns of our situation, both ships were hauled off the land, and the
fog soon after dispersing, we had the satisfaction to perceive that the
late gale had blown the ice off the land, leaving us a fine navigable
channel from one to two miles wide, as far as we could see from the
masthead along the shore. We w