iver.--Discover and enter the Duke of
York's Bay, supposing it to be a Passage into the Sea called the
Welcome.--Leave the Duke of York's Bay, and proceed to the
Northwestward.--Passage of the Frozen Strait and Arrival in
Repulse Bay.--Continuity of Land there.--Observations on
Shore.--Remarks concerning the Geography, Tides, and Natural
History of this Part of the Continental Coast.

After the most anxious consideration, I came to the resolution of
attempting the direct passage of the Frozen Strait; though, I
confess, not without some apprehension of the risk I was
incurring, and of the serious loss of time which, in case of
failure either from the non-existence of the strait or from the
insuperable obstacles which its name implies, would thus be
inevitably occasioned to the expedition.

The accounts given by Captain Middleton of the latitude of the
western entrance of the Frozen Strait are so confused, and even
contradictory, that the present appearance of the land perplexed
me extremely in deciding whether or not we had arrived at the
opposite end of the opening to which he had given that name. That
immediately before us to the westward, though it agreed in
latitude within five or six miles with the southernmost parallel
he has assigned to it, appeared much too narrow to answer his
description of the passage we were in search of. Upon the whole,
however, I thought it most probable that this was the strait in
question; and as, at all events, the opening between Southampton
Island and the land to the northward of it, in whatever latitude
it might be found, and whether wide or narrow, was the passage
through which it was our present object to penetrate into Repulse
Bay, I decided on using our utmost exertions to push through the
narrow strait now before us.

On the morning of the 13th we observed something very like smoke
rising from about Cape Welsford, which, being confined to one
spot, was thought likely to be occasioned by the fires of natives.
Nothing could exceed the fineness of the weather about this time;
the climate was, indeed, altogether so different from that to
which we had before been accustomed in the icy seas, as to be a
matter of constant remark. The days were temperate and clear, and
the nights not cold, though a very thin plate of ice was usually
formed upon the surface of the sea in sheltered places, and in the
pools of water upon the floes. After sunset we descried land,
appearing very dista