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X fy; as - a U .J ~ o > » 9i o X T ^m ■ $> V-.,.:i;„., .. ,. i 4 TirTMTi4tii iiLiiiT litiiiriit iititf irtiiii iliii II Ki.iirtiiiLittiir ihititztiixalj 1 i-itji ij-iiti Hi iIxA^J.i-lt.LiJ.ii-itJLj_jjXi.n.Iii I I i 1 1 I i 1 1 lu iLti ixixiif ? ' ?.it 1 1 1 1 ihi ui li I ' t rhlLni'-^*- ii 4ji 1 I * Winnipt(j. JW Tyrtll P.LS. F,e. tt-iixjaxiiai I ii I ui" I ' if-tmJ-i-i*-' *■''"-'*' rtft::iii iiiniiiiliiti r4t rttiiitui IiiriitiUTi 60 m JV3 ^. /: ITM t tl 1 I I ll t r I 1 tU> - ' i IJ I .'li 1 I tl I I I I't l4 Lillll I I if 1 1 1 1 I [ Hi 11 t I 1 1, BAViS STRAIT ^ {"■/SiuMJfi Sly ^Tt, Showing the track of the % S.S.S.AUSRT Hudson's bay expe^iqn 18 8 6. ISrJohn't A:fx«ndfr& Cabt(,l;th Tsrontt 1 I St. I f I HU I REPORT OF THE HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION OF 1886 UNDINE THE COMMAND OP LIEUT. A. \l GORDON, K.N. HI The Hor t " Sib, Ezpcditi The N4 In 1 meeting ship, and On 5 I you the 1 I "To Lie "Sii [ formed u j guided b; general ^ under no I oircamst to you pi own disc at your c 16 I i; Pt E P O Pt T 01" THE HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION OF ISSC). UNDKR THE COMMAND OF Lieut. A. R. Gordon, R.N. I Toronto, 18£h March, 1887. The Hon. Geo. B. Foster, ■A Minister of M arine and Fisheries, I Ottawa. I Sib, — I have the honour to submit herewith the report of the Hudeon's Bay Expedition of ltt^;6. The report is divided under the heads of: — Narrative, Ice ObHervations, Notes by Observers, Eesources of the Hudson's Bay Region, Meteorological Observations, Report by Mr. F. F. Payne on the Flora and Fauna of Stupart's B^y, Report by Dr. R. BeH on Economic Minerals, &c.. Concluding i-emarks on the Navigation of the Straits. NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE OF THE DOMINION STEAMER " ALERT," 1886. In accordance with your instrnctionp, I left Toronto on Ist June, and after meeting you in Ottawa, proceeded to Halifax to sai)erintend the fitting out of the fihip, and the purchase of ill the necessarj' stores, jiroviHions, ko. On 24th .Tune, all stores being on board, and the crow shipped, I received from you the following letter of instructions : — " Ottawa, 22nd June, 1886. " To Lieut. A. R. Gordon, R.N., " Halifax, N.S. " Sib, — With reference to the voyage of the ' Alert ' and the work to be per- formed under your charge for the present season, it is desirable that you should be guided by the following instructions, which are intended rather as an index of the general wishes of the Department, than as an absolute direction from which you are nnder no circumstances to deviate. Changes that may be rendered necessary, by oircamstances now unforeseen, and other work than that indicated whioh may appear to you proper to be done during the course of your voyage, are to be within your own discretion, always bearing in mind the purpose of the expedition, and the time at your disposal. 1271D8 I " It 18 desirable that you should proceed to the mouth of Hudson's Straits with as little dolaj' as ])Ot.sible, hO as i^i avail yourself of the very first feasible opportunity to m:\ko the jkii'Sd^o through. If you are prevented from at once entering tLv, Straits, you will occupy your time in tukirg accurate observations of, the extent and condi- tion of iho ice, the prevailing wind.-', uud tho currents at its mouth. "At the curliest possible period consistent with tho safely of the expedition yea will push through thf Straits, in order to deraonstrato the earliest date of opening navig!i;ion and tht- time required to pass through tho ice, noting carefully all the incidonlH of the passage. " Unless nece^'sity exists for visiting any of tho stations, of waich you will be advised by tho hystern of signals agreed upon, you will not lose any- time in visiting them during your outward voyage. " After having made your way through the Straits and taken all necessary observaiion?. it will be advisable for you to push forward to tho western coast of the bay, ar.d employ the time at your disposal with carefully examining Churchill Har- bour and the Nelnon Eiver, flowing into tho ba", taking all necessary soundings and observing the lead of this river up to Seal If'iand, with a view to ascertaining the suitability of these harbours, lor the reception and security of vessels and tho purposes of tiado. "In oddition to this, any information, hydrographical, geological or with rofor- enf'o to tho tishcrios of tbat ngion, which you can gather, bhould be as carefully and (.;onip!otely coHccied an opportunity permits. "It would be well to delay your homeward voyage through tho Straits to as late a period as is consistent with safety and the labour involved in gathering the men and plant of tho observing stations, in order to gain whatever data you can as to tho condition of tho Straits at the latest period of navif^ation. "The ob.-crvtrs, the houses and all portable and valuable articles at tho stations you will take on board tho ' Alert' on your return voyage, and bring them with you to Halifax, " You will bear in mind that it is the wish of the Department to demonstrate as far as possible the navigability of tho Straits, for purposes of commerce, in point of time and facility, and anything that will conduce to thai end the Djpartment relies upon you to do to the limit of tho means placed at your disposal. " I am. Sir, " Your most obedient servant, " GEOKGE B. FOSTER." On receipt of this letter, I immediately prepared for sea, and sailed from Hali- fax, leaving tho Departmental whai-f at 3 p.m. on the 24th of Jane. There were borne ou tho ship's book at this dato :— 1 captain, a mates, 1 meteorological assistant, 1 boatswain, 20 able-bodied seamen, 1 lamp trimmer, 5 stewards and cooks, 2 engineers, 2 oilers, t) stokers. Capt Markham, R.N., also accompanied tho expedition aa tho representative of the Wmnipeg and Hudson's Bay Railway Company, making 43 persons in all ou board at the date of sailing. f Straits with opportunity ? th^, 3traitH, It and condi- pedition yea of opening ifully all the yoa will be 0 in visiting 11 necessary coast of the urchill Har- undings and irtainiog the the purposes with rofer- arefully and Straits to as ithering the 1 you can as the Btations sm with yoa nonstrate as , in point of Lment relies 3TER." fi-om Hali- ■ientative of as in all ou We commenced this voyage with every hope of making an early and successful passago of Hudson's Straits, as the news from Newfoundland was that the iuo had left the Labrador coast, and that the season, so far as the movements of the ico were concerned, wiis an unusually early one. Our subsequent experience showed that certainly, all along the Labrador coast, and to a less extent in Hudson's Straiis, the season was earlier than last year. We were hardly clear of Halifax harbour, when a dense fog settlec* down, which necespitatotl keeping the engines at half speed, the ship making about 4J knots per hour ; with oeoasioual slight lifts, in which any objoct, such as a ship, conl i have been seen at a distance of half a mile to a mile. This fog continued till 5 p.m. of the 26th. On the 27th we bad strong head winds and a heavy sea, against which the ship only made about 2 k'ots per hour. On the 28th we bad light fair wind, and smooth water, which gave us an oppor- tunity to test the speed of the ship under steam. Working with the expansion gear OD, cutting oJ steam at ^ stroke on the high pressure cylinder, and burning 4 )0 lbs. of Welsh coal per hour, the ship nade 7 knots p jr hour; which, considerini; her then deeply loaded condition, was a most satis a'tory result. The qualitv of the coal was excellent, the ahhes were all burned over, and in the six hour^' steaming trial, when nearly 2,f)00 lbs. of coal were consumed, the final ash residuum wa-< only iiboat 2-0 lbs. This fuel gave, according to this test, aconsumption approximity of 4^ tons per 100 miles of distance, so that even if I allowed 5 tons, I felt satisfied that L wan Carrying coal sufficient for a distance of nearly 8,500 miles in clear wate:-, and as I estimated my total distance for the voyage at about 6,40) miles, the reserve for delays by ico was ample. On the -i^th, at 8.30 a.m., we arrived off B'anc Sablon, and, stopping for a short time, sent away a boat with letters for homo. These wore given in charge of a boat's crew, employed by Captain Blandfojil, of Blanc Sablon, who had kindly offered to see to the forwarding of any mail matter which we might at any time leave there. At 9.30 a.m. our boat having rotnrned lOadol with a vei-y aocepiable supply of tine fresh codfish, we proceeded on our course, keeping close in und<3r the north f-hore. The day was misty, with occasional showers of lain, but the wind being light and the 8ea smooth, the speed of 7 knots was kept up all day. At 4 pm. within our limited horizon, 20 icebergs wore counted, most of them aground near the north shore of the Straits. On the 30th of June, while steaming up the Librador coast, large numbers of small icebergs, called growlers, were passed, but very few large ones. These growlers are the fragments of large bergs which often break up when they go ai; round about thia part of the coast. All this day we had a fresh breeze from the N.P]., with cold wei.ther. The wind was bitingly keen, and it was very noticeable that there was no ■swell, the sea being as smooth as possible though the wind was strong enough to have raised a Aiirly heavy sea — about 10 p ra. the sea bugan to got up, and the appearance of the faky to the eastward, when the weather cleared up in the evening, convinced , me that we had beer ^-issing to leeward of a considerable body of field ice, which must have extended over tiO miles of latitude, and have been of considerable breadth to have prevented the sea from getting up. On Ist July, passed the Bull Doy^ Island about 3 a.m., had a fine fair bree/.3 all day, the ship running eiyht knots under steam and sail. A number of icebergs were passed to-day, some were very large, one particularly so, towering up to a hei.L^^t of 160 or 170 feet above the eca. July 2nd. At 7 a.m. the wind shifted to north, accompanied bv thick woather and sviow showers. Loose field ice was now seen ahead ; but, in the then cond tion of the weather, I thought it best to lie off the edge of the ice till it should clear uj. At 7 p.m., tacked ship and again stood to the north ; by midnight the wind had abated, and the ship was making good way on her course, having passed the ice which was sighted in the morning. Quite a number of bergs were passod to day. At 10 p.m. ibere were nine very large ones, all close together, near the bhip. 1 July dvil. At noon arrived off' Capo Miii^for.i, and met the fi jIJ ico. It was Ior)Ho and rouon, tho whip making nix knots without much yawing; steaming along tho coast throut^h this ioone ico alt duy ; woathor fine and clear. Sunday, 4lh. About 3 a.m. arrived so to. the fna hung over it so close down to tho water that ' was imponMtJic U) idoiilily any part of it. 8th. The woulhor to-day continuei thick up till noon, when it cleared up, and showed us thai tho ship had been carried south, abiut 30 miles. The soundings taken whilst steaming off tho land show a depth of less than 101) fathoms up to 10 miles ofT shore, a rosul'.. somowbat unexpected, as the const hero is high and precipitous, at some places rising atwuptly from the water's edge to heights of 1,'J(0 or 1,500 foet. At 1 p.m. cast off fVom tho pin to which we were fast, and steaming out to the eastward got into clear water and headed to the north vvard following the edge of the ice. fUh At 5 30 a m got round the northern odgo of tho ice and entered Hud.ion's Straits at 6 a.m. The fog again shut down densely thick ; this continued with an occasional lightening up till noon, when the weather cleared for a short lime, but only to shut down again. All this day wo have been passing heavy loose ice, steam- ing either half speed or dead slow. 10th. Another foggy morning, bat clearing up for good at 7 a.m. At 9.30 a.ra. met a stream of loose ico extending north and south as far as coal I bo seen; at 10.30 a.m. got into perfoftly clear water and shaped course for North Bluff. All this day heavy ice was visible lying to tho south of our track, tho late northerly winds having apparently packed tho ice down on the south side of the Strait. A shift of wind to the southward would speedily have brought it back and checked our progress. We 6UW to-day the first " right whale " of the season. llth. Arrived at Ashe Inlet at 4.55 a.m., and found Mr. Tyre! 1, P.L.S., tho obisorvor in charge, and his assistants, Messrs. Mills and Creelman, in excellent health ; they had been iileulifiilly supoliod wUh fresh meat by tho natives all through tho winior. and had a largo quantity of fuel still unused. [ took Mr. Tyrell on board as surveying asf-istant, leaving Messrs. Mills and Creelman to carry on the observations, and proceeded to sea again at 6 a ra. Mr. Tyrell informed mo that the SS, " Arctic," Capt. G;iy, owned by the Messrs Stephen, of Dundee, had arrived at his station on the 5lh of June, being then throe weeks out from St. John's, i^fld. bility t was lo'no ^ along tho ly between je, throuijh roluctiiQtIy nnr tbei«hip Bf the laad, StraitR. r tho land ; i^ run tight number of uch greater J " rafting " n whenever of wind or ID progress of the ica ])art of the oints on ita N.W. for 16 oe piec'3. turning to There was, i %\^ lUV H'MJ iji mg UU>.TfV/VU v^upv tV/UULxa UL1\& iuvi X^Virjv/u KJU 'jah The -•tMI •^'w^ ^t.,^- ^ I Ul^ I ID i,\J 1*1U t-'fj Jjriug UTOl lOaTs. The H> bei to aio th( lot di] h«( hei W< an tbf tli( eni ani •s abl isfl aid S.1 wli den 8o« am Hw ion pu m a; 'wai lioi : T H« em Chi »igl is I vei nen track nas nisaated tbfg noon position. -^" 500 yards U of from rthor, and > tide runs " the land to tWi)Iv« in W.h.S., np to tho arJ, li mo- soft mud, will bi'ins* shoal tho 'er cnn bo d there is 3d. ajy (locks mill coMt. nd nature )ort fit for c Fuctory. ind Hubno- ig cloudy ■) the 8hip soundinfjs lo to keep very fair ce, and as lad nf tho with the n p.m. with no broezo I dill not foro made le of their idition, r,8 •e left tho with your md purty, iry of the z at a dig- I ^j %/«*••* bo formed diicsfrom y, yet but I it, with ide at the »e Admir- SarrM Crech Cooks Creek ni\.y c I Woo€lcock mid Goose (>1v Black Bear Greet noOC Creek) ' ' ,tj, » a „tSMmmm1 IfcaiL Quartern Camp/ *'*,'* "*> —"^ Vote i- Sotinding depths are nt .Koreme/u^ C?litA, Ot/a»n<0»l zs Creeks n f t k 0 V M f " ». '» " K r « m <»•'»* « - * * '% ^ HmH a IT B I* tt n a » n to W » I* « * T fi i a 2 e 3 a t ^ o iv w^^ r £-i«? 1 tdinc/ deptlis are noted in feel at LW %yE^T. A.R.€*in enlarge 1 at small cost. Stone is lying at the water's edge ready to be laid into docks and piers, and nature seems to have loft little to be done in order to make this a capacious port fit for doing a business of groat magnitude. On the 4th of August at •.' ?.m. weighed and stood out of harbour for York Factory. On first leaving the harb )ur soundings were made at five minute intervals, and subse- quently throughout the entire trip every half hour. Tho aftornoon boing cloudy with a freshening easterly breeze and a falling barometer, I had to keep the ship further off the coast than I should otherwise have done ; and though the soundings are thus, perhaps, of lo«is value than they would have been had we been able to keep the coast in sight the whole way, they are siill of value as showing the very fair degree of ac(iurary of this part of the chart. August 5tb. This morning during thick fog came up with a lot of ice, and as the weather continued thick wo had to lie off all day. August 6th. The vveather w.ns bright and clear ; steamed in for the lead of the Nelson River at daylight, and at S am. anchored in 5 fathoms of water with the Point Marsh lieacon boarirg S b.W. about 10 miles. Lowered tho steam cutter and left the ship for York Factory at 1..30 p.m. with whale b'>at in tow of steam cutter. Hefore getting into the Hayes River the breezo had freshened oonsidorably and the cutter shipped so much water that I ditl not consider her safe (or UjO as a sounding boat in an open roadstead. I therefore made arrangements with the agent of iho Iluds-on Bay Company for the hire of one of their large schooner rigged boats. Captain Maikliam. li.N^, who had up to this time accompanied the expedition, as representative of the >yinnipog and iliid>on Bay Railroad Company,^ere left the ship, goirg to Winnipog via the Hayes River canoe route, In accordance with your instructions, I fnrni^hcil Captain Markham with provisions for himself and party, and procured for him the uso of a canoe. I was now engaged in making a reconnaissance survey of the estuary of the Nelson River. I fixed my headquarters camp at the mouth of Koot Cre<.k at a dis- tanc of nearly 17 miles from Iho ship. Some idea of the diffi ulUes encountered in performing this work may be formed from the following : The ^hip was lying 0 miles bom the nearest land, li miles from headquarters camp and 28 miles from the proposed terminus of the railway, yet but little more than a railo from iho point shoal, with only 6 feet of water on it, with a tide of nearly '^ knots. The following is the report on the survey made at the BO called Port Nelson: — Port NeLson is now misnamed, the name being applied at present on the Admir- alty chatts to the bay lying between Capo Tatnam and the Nelson Shoals. Tho «6 10 uamo was originally given by Sir Tliomiis Button to tho rivor itself, the bay into which tho riverrt flow he called BiiUotrH B.iy. Sir Thomas Button wintero.l hisKhipa in tho Nelson Rivor near tho month of a small creek; his winter quarters must have boon abovo FiamhoroiiiJih Head, as ho describes tho rivor at that placa as being less than one mile wide. Port Nelson was so named after tlio master of ono of his ships who torly gale which .she rode out at her anchors, Capt. Barrie, my tirst otficor, wh > was in command at the time, reports, that had it not been for the whip being lined with tanks and lubes for running oil he would have been compelled to slip and go to sea. The tido carried the oil to windward and kept the sea fioin bioakiug ever tho ship, thout;h she was straining heavily at her chains and rolling the boats to tho water all through the night. I can (jnly now repeat my prnvinnsiy expressed opinion, that the Nelson River is no port, nor would the expenditure of any amount of money make it a desirable place for (shipping. August ]4ih. lliiving now completed the eurviy so far as it was in my power to do so, 1 leit York f a<'.toiy. I do^iro to acknow'oilgo the courtesy and ass-islance which T received from tho oSiocrs of iho Hudsor's Bay Company, both at Churchill and York. At York Mr. Mathc-on ehurtored to mo one o! his largo schooncr-rigg-id boats, and also furnished me with an intorprotor and two ludiafi pilo.s, who had a thorough knowledge of tha channel of the river, and thus saved me mu> h time. August i5th. Steaming round the coast to C.-mrchill. woat^.T fi-io aid clear. August l()cli. Anchored in Churchill at 8 p m. I had determined to remain here alow days to hhift coal, take in biUast, &;o., «fe'3., and also to obtain sights for time, which, with these t.ikon here in July, gave mo the rates of my chronometers. VVhon wo anchored here this morning, the tido was runnini; out ntiong, and tho chain fouled the anchor stock, the result being that the ship dragged Uho sat on the mud till 5 p.m., when, as she floated, I weighed anchor and btearaing out auciiored again. We remained here till Friday, tho 20th, at 3 a.m., on waic'i day we left fo'' Marble I,-land, steaming up the western shore of Hudson's Bay, sounding regularly and j)iottirig such portions ot tho coast line as wo approached near enough lor that purjio-H. i-jskirao Point was [las-icd a-< closol}' as was deemed consistent with sifety on the morning of the 2lst, and tlion as tho weather was thickening up and some- what threatening in appearanco, hoiided off for Marble Island. All this night and the following morning had a groat deal of trouble mth the compasses — the steer- ing comjiass, a U.S. Navy spirit compass of the host manufacture, and comparsr tivoly now, was to sluggish as to be u-oloss, and tho Sir Wm. Thompson standard ■was at limes much disturbed, at one lime swinging to S.S.VV., and staying thoro fjr a time, our course then being north (magnetic.) On the morning of tho 2Jnd the same thing occurred. Tho disturbance on the night of the 21st was co-incident with the sudden outburst of a very brilliant aurora, that on the morning of tho .2r;d, happoned after sunrise, so that no aurora coo id have boon seen even had one existed. As the sun wns shining at tho tirao of tho second dihturbance, I at once removed all the correcting magnets of the Sir Wm. w a 12 Thompson compass, and readjusted it, after which it for a time worked fairly well^ though on theocctanion of our leaving Marble Island trouble again arose. 22nd, \rrivod and anchored in outer harbour at 10 a m. Oo the Doadman's Island 1 1 i a letter f.om Capt. A. P. iJeiiton, of the baric " Wave," which read as follows : — "Marble Island, 1st August, 1886. " Wintered in the outer harbour in company with the ' George and Mary,' Had a mild winter, but cold and backward spring, the thermometer not reaching 80° till 19th May. Commenced cutting trenches I8ih March, but did not get out till 16th day of June. The ' G. and M.' got out I2th June. " Cruised all over Hudson's Bay the rest of June and July. Saw only one cow and culf, got her, 145 brls. Spoke 'George and Mary ' 16ih July, cluau, bound to Bepulee Bay ; she saw one whaie but did not get him. *'* Welcorao' full of ice; did not see a whale there. On 16th July the ico «^stended from Whale Point across to Cape Harding. The whale I saw was on 2Dd day of Jnlv; saw nothing in June. '•In February scurvy began to come on the crew. First natives came to the Khip 2lBt April ; bought one deer, afterwards bought five more deer. In middle of May things looked blue. The 28th of May we were sawing ice in nine fathoms of water, and the ice was on iho bottom. We used between the two barks nearly forty bomb lances to blow the bottom of the ice out. The pack was fast to the floe, 1^ miles, ever sirco January; could not do anything with it. The Ist of June the pack broke ofl" from the end ot Deadman's inland and afterwards we got along quite well, sawing. The ice in the harbour was 7^ feet thick. Nearly one-half of the crew of both vessels were down with scurvy and the remainder more or less afHicted with it; but we got along quite well iifter we got out. All are in good health now. " I leave here to-morrow for a bhort cruise and home. " ANTHONY BENTON, " Master of the Bark " Wave," New Bedford, Mass" This letter shows that two whaling vessels wintered in Hudson's Bay for the purpose of prosecuting the whale tishery, and as only one had wintered there in each of the two preceding winters it would appear, that the New England whalers have not in any way lost confidence in Hud^O[^'8 Bay as a whaling ground. Curiously enoucrh the letter omilH all mention of the death of one of the sailors whose newly made grave and neat wooden cross is now one of the first objects to meet the eye when landing on the island. This harbor is very email, and gives no shelter from E. or S. E., but is the best ballasting station that 1 have found anywhere in either the Bay or Strait. Some idea of it may be gained from a knowledge of the fact that, working with three boats, we took in i.early eighty tons of ballast between 5 a.m. and 3 p m. of the •23td August. As soon as this ballast was on booid I put to sea, the weather having a very threatening appearance and the wind freshening from the S. B. with a steadily falling barometer and a heavy swell bea*; ing into the harbour which as before staled is completely exposed to winds from this quarter. Observations made here this year confirm those made in 1884, both as to lati- tv and longitude, and alter the position of the island by nearly the length of itself. On leaving Marble Island, I intendei to go north to Roes Welcome, and to have v: i Chostetfie! ilet, but when clear of the land I found a heavy nea, and the coui;, .^se8 were working very badly, swinging through arcs of bO° or 90°, that they were for the time unelees, and I had to keep out in the open and wait for clear weather. The weather continued thick and dirty all day of the 24th, and as the time for taking up the more important work in Hudson's Straits was fast approaching, we bore up for Cape Southampton, though, as events shaped themeelves, wo were fated not to see it for several days. 1 13 ling, we re fated 1 August 25th. This morning was clear and fine, and observations for position were obtained, but eliortly after noon donso foij; set in, turning to niin, and by mid- night or early morning of the 26th it was blowing a gale, with the ship lying to, under lower topsails and F. T. staysml ; at 4 p.m., blowing very hard, took in the topsails and F. T. staysail and eet the maii) i-poncor, bringing the ship closo up to the wind under easy steam. This gale contieiued till 8 a.m. of the 27th, at which time the ungiuos were started fall speed and the oocrso shaped for C^po Southampton as nearly as the carrying of fore and aft canvas would permit. 28th. This morning was beaatifuliy fine, and at 11.30 a.m. anchored under the Cape and got sights for latitude and longitude. Whilst at anchor Loro cur'-ont obser- vations were taken, and the maximum velocity found to be 1 J knots per hour ; direction of the flood, west (true). We loft Capo Southampton in the uffernoon and made a running survoy of the coast, fiom the Cape to Cary's Swans No.st. I found tho Capo considerably out oi position, and extensive shoals running out from both it and the Nest. 29th August. The weather was Jigain thi^k to day, and by 5 p.m. a dense cloud of fog and fmoko had envelo'^ed the ship. This came down at firrft in showers, lust- ing fifteen or twenty minutes, and gave rise to very peculiar liiminou>< (ffects; in the intervals between the showers the d:i) light wa»i yoUow and the water appeared of a pale giecnish hue; at G p.m. it was so dark thai lamps had to bj lighted. The night which followed was one of intense d-.rkiie^.-j, such as 1 have never before witnessed, the hand held six inches from the face could not bo seen, and men walked up against each other on the deck. The smell of e^raoko w.is as strong as if th« fire had been closo to ui?, and at Stupart's Bay, nearly-30'J miles distant. Mr. Payne informs ma that the rain water collected on this occasion was much discoloured, and when filtered through blotting paper left a very considerable dopodit of datk coloarud sediment. With us at the ship the wind was blowing fnsh all night, and wo lay to on the starboard tack, allowing her to drift to the northward, but keeping the lead going the whole time. On the morning of the yfllh some heavy showers of rain helped toclo:u' the atmo-phere, and shortly after daylight Nottingham Island was sighted. T'im enabled mo to determine our position ap))roximately and 1 at once headed the Miip across the Straits for DiggeSjIsland. Tlu5 weather continued thick and dirty all duy, but at 6.40 p.m. we arrived safely in Port Laperriere, the barometer still falling rapidly and the wind increasing in forco. On tho Blst August and the Ist and 2nd September, the gale continued. On the 3lst and let it blow so hard that the boa's could not work getting off stores, and cm the 2nd the boats could only work billu.st on the wostern side of the harbour. All hands were now employed in shifting oals from hold.s to bankers, and in getting off J[)allast and generally preparing the ohip for tho rough weather of tho autumn. On the 3rd I sent away a party under Messrs. Tyrell and Skymcr over to the mainland to finish some coast outlining there and to try and got some fresh venison from the Eskimo who are generally to be found there. The party returned on the 4th, having satisfactorily completed the work, though they had been unable to obtain any fresh meat. September 5th and 6th. Anothir heavy gale with a eea heaving into the har- bour that makes the ship roll heavily. The house had now been taken down and brought on board, together with all stores and provisions which were unused, and as the weather continued very ansettled I hoisted the steam launch in on dt.ck and secured it there. Mr. Woodworth addressed me a letter stating that he had found his supply of provisions ample and of good quality. Inasmuch as during the winter of lb85-84>, reports were circulated that the stations were insufficiently provisioned and coaled. I give below tho list of fuel and provisions which we took on board for Mr. ^*' — ' worth's station, of the other stations, some of them returned more and some less. NVood- a littla 14 List of articles recoived on board from Station No. 6. Mr. vVood worth :— 21 flacks coal, 180 lbs. each. 3 barrels purk. 4 J-barrclH do 2 barrels beef. ^ barrel sugar. ^ do oatmeal. 6 sacks flom*. 1 do beans. 3 bags bread (No. 1 Pilot). 1 box f^oap. 1 do evaporated vogotables. 2 boxef; canned mutton. 1^ do do beef. ^ tub butter. 6 eases kero.»ono. 1 keg vinegjir. 15 lbs. ovuporafcd onions. 10 do do corn. ^ qntl. codfifh. I bag rice. 37 lbs. evaporated cabbage, do trround coflFee. box fluid beef, lbs. tea boxes lime Juice« cauH peaches, lbs. evaporated turnips, do do apples, box canned pears, tins mustard, lbs. currants, box cocoa. 46 1 3.5 3 8 3.5 98 1 3 40 1 ^ box do pears. 1 do evaporated potatoes. 3 barrels No. 1 Pilot bread. f barrel beans. ^ do flour. ^ do syrup. The above list shows what was returned unused, and is the best possible answer to the etatementfl which were made, that the stations were insufficiently supplied. September 7ih. At 5 p.m. left Port Laperriere for Nottingham Island, steaming dead slow. At 11 p.m. weather rather foggy ; met u lot of loose ice, otf the edge of 'which we lay till daylight. September 8th. At daylight sighted Nottingham Island, and at 8 a . arrived in Port de Bouchcrville and anchored. All hands wore immediately put to work getting off the stores and taking down the house, the whole work being completed and the ship at sea again at 6 p m. the same evening. We found Mr. McKenzie and his two assistants, Messrs. Gooley an^ Fleming, in excellent health ; they had an ample supply of provisions to have lasted through another winter, aod for fuel had thirly-five sacks of coal, besides some two cords of wood. Mr. McKenzio, in bis letter, says in regard to the temperature maintained in his station-house : — " A temperature of between 50* and 60° could be kept up when th« temperature outside was 45'^ below zero (our coldest), with quite a light fire." At the time of our arrival Mr. McKerzie and his assistants wei'o engaged in collecting and d(ying turf for fuel in anticipation of spending a second winter there. This turf dried, and burned with a little seal oil or fat of any kind, makes an excel- lent fire. ^ Mr. McKenzie and h*s party had been very successful hunters, and during their entire stay on the island they had larely been out of fresh meat—deer, ptarmigan, dncks and geese, having been shot in considerable numbers. About Nottingham Island there was a good deal of loose ice, which, though nothing to seriously affect navigation, was heavy old ice, and was undoubtedly the advance guard of the pack of old ice coming down from the north, but appearing «omewhat earlier than in 1885. September 9th. After leaving Nottingham Island the wiad again began to freshen from the eastward, with a rapidly falling barometer; it blew fresh all day of the 9th, and before midnight it was blowing a whole gale. This continued all day of the 10th and up to the evening of the 11th, the weather being thick with occa- Bional snow showers. At 10 p.m. of the 11th the wind died down very suddenly, and at 9 a.m. of Sunday, the 12th, we arrived in Ashe Inlet. At this place I had a large beacon erected on the top of a high bluflf close to the shore. This we named Tyrrell's Bluff and Beacon. It is an excellent mark, as both from east and west the hill top shows against the sky line, and the beacon stands out in bold relief. I 16 September 13th. All hands employed in getting off the atoros, unused provis- ion b, &o. 14th, 15th. Dense fog in the Straits, and as our next port was Stupart'n Biy, on the south »ido, it was useless to go out till there was a reasonable certainty of having clear weather to make the land over there. Sopterabor Ifith. This morning the weather boing clear loft Anho Inlot at fi a.m. and steamed acro'^s the Straits, arrivod and anchorotl in StuparL's Bay at i p.m. Wo found Mr. Payne and his two ast-istants, Mepsrs. Paul sind Boutellicr, in excellent hoahh. Thoy had experienced no serious difficulty in dealing with the Eskimo, .ind had t^carcely touchoJ their salt provisions, so ])loniituI had seals and game ot various kinds been with them. Shortly before tho arrival of the " Alert " Mr. Payne had hirat-elf shot some feventy geese in one day. Bebides carrying on iho regular series (>f meteorological and tiJal observations, as well as those required to bo made in regard to the movements of the sea. Mr. Payne hns made very careful observations of tho flora and fauna. Ho has complete collections of plants with dates of budding, leafing, flowering, seodini,', and withering, he has also carefully preserved specimens of marine fauna in alcohol. Mr. Payne reported that salmon and trout had been very plentiful and he sent on board for our use a b.nrrcl of salted salmon, which, with the geese ho had shot, made a very pleasant and wholesome change of diet for us. llth, 18th, lith. The wind blowing a fresh gale throughout, causing such a heavy suit that it was impossible to got off any of the stores. September 20th, Ssnt Mr. Tyrioll down in one of tho whalo boats to make a track survey of tho lower part of the Sound. September 2lbt. Mr. Payno having reported to me that he had seen at a spot Fomo ten miles distant four small cast iron cannon and a large mooring anchor, I sent Capt. Barrio down with a boat's crew to examine and if possible to bring away the guns. Capt. Barrie reported that there was a large stone beacon on one of tho hills close by, and that tho guns and anchor were up above high water mark and had no appearance of having boen cast up by a wreck. There were no signs of any building and the small gun, which Capt. Barrie brought back must have been of great age as tho year marks are completely eaten away by rust and the iron deeply pitted and this although the guns wore lying well up clear of any possible contact with the sea water. Mr. Tyirell reported that some of the small islands in this Bay were full of magnetite ; at one place on a high bluff in rear of where the guns wore found, the compass was utterly useless. Towards the evening of this day (21st) the weather again became thick and rain commenced with increasing winds. September 22nd. I had intended going to sea this morning at daylight, but before then it was blowing a strong gale, accompanied by snow at intervals, and continued to do so up to 10 p.m. of the 24th. During our stay hero I had secured fairly good observations for position. These place the observing station, which is 300 feet north (mag.) from the weed-covered landing place at high water, about the centre of the sandy beach, in Latitude, approximate, 61° 34' 48" N. Longitude do 71° 31' 30" W. On tho morning of the 25th, left Stupart's Bay for Port Burwell, and made a running survey of the coast from Neptune Head to Long Island. This gives approximately lae true position, in latitude and longitude, of the coast line, but "owing to the distance which the ship was from tho shore it was impossible to work in any details. The coast line east of Prince of Wales Sound is laid down on the Admiralty Charts much further north than it really is. After leaving Long Island I steered for a point some little distance to the north of the position of Green Island, as laid down by Captain Parry. On the following morning at daylight I was abreast of the position, and but little to the north of it* 16 The morning was clear and bright, and no sign of land was to bo seon from tho mast- head. , , ^, . , I got good Mights for position at 0 a.m. and noon, and conHoqiiontly cannot have been much out of tho position laid down. 1 am thoieforo forcod to eoncludo that Groon Island, as laid down by Parry, has no oxiHtonco, ocpociiilly as ho marks it (high). Moreover, I did not kco it on tho pns.-*:i.'0 in, though iho fliip passed within ton miles of it. on a fine cloar morning. I huvo thoroforo tiikon it off tho chart. Sunday, 26th. Arrived and anchored in Port Burwoll, at 4 p.m. Wo horo found Mr. ShawMitrering from a ►ovcro attack of bcurvy. llo was very low, fainting at once if ho sat up for raoro than three or four miiiuicd, and this fuiniing occun od with such frequency that I greatly feared for nis life. Sron afttr he camo on board a marked improvement was vi.Mblo in his condition, and by tho time .- ■ urrivod in Ilulifix h») had nearly recovered. It is ncodlcKH to way that for Komo time prior to ihn arrival of th ) fhip Mr. Shaw had boon completely incapacitalod for duty, but I am happy to ho iiblo to state that the observations were very 8iti>-fuctoriiy taken by his a-histantH, Telespboro and Jean Mercier. September 27lh. Employed in takirg down tho house and receiving on board all tho unexpended Hlore.s and provit-ions Tho MecHtf*. Mtjrcier had kiilcd and dried some cojlisb, which though small wore very fine and wore well " made." Ttiiy roporlc 1 that tho co iti^h had ntruck in in confidorablo numbers, and ihat if they had boon able to afford tho tirao they ooald have cajiturcd many more. Mr. ShiiW reported to mo an incident of Tskimo administration of jusLico, which wai'. to put it mildly, somewhat (-ummiiry in its procedure. Thoro lived belwcen tho Cape and Aulalhivick, a good Eskimo hunter, whose native name is not given, but who was christened by our station men " Old Wicked." He was a passionate man and was continually threatening to do some bodily harm to tho other more pcaueably inclined natives. Finding himself su guceessful with tho iiatives, he, after persuading one or two others to accompany him, came to tho station and dcrp.andtd food and tho big station boat, but was somewhat surorised to be Heiz'id by tho neck and kicked out of tho house. He then altered his tactics and became very subservient to our people, but his arrogance and potty annoyances to the other natives became at length unbearable. It appears that these unfortunates held a meeting and decided that " Old Wicked " was a public nuisance which must be abated, and they therefore decreed thai he should be shot, and shot he wa^ accordingly one afternoon when be was busily engaged in repairing the ravages which a storm had mu'io in his *' igloo " or snow house. Tho executioner shot him in tho back, kill iiiT him instantly. The murderer or oxecotioner (one hardly knows to which title ho is tho more justly entitled) then takes both of" Old Wicked's" wives and all hU children arid iigroes to keep tbom. Tho last act in this drama is when the now muehly married executioner reports the wholo cato to the Hudson's Bay officer at Nachvak, merely mentioning that he will keep the women and childrea so that they bhall be no burden on the company. September 28th. Blowing a fresh easterly gale. All stores and lumber are now on board and we only wait for the weather to clear up before going to sea. September 29th. Loft Port Burwell at 9.30 a.m. and passing through Gray Strait made running survey of the Button's Islands and the Cape Chndleigh coast, takint; goundings regularly every half hour, and although on the passage to Naoh- vak Bay we were at one time more than 30 miles off the coast, at no time did the water deepen to as much as 100 fathoms. This showed that the bank which we discovered here on 8th July extends off Eclipse Harbour to nearly 30 miles offshore- A bank situated as this one is, on tho south side of a deep water channel, is of the greatest value to ships making the Strstits in thick weather. The bank can be made and then steering north, true, a sufficient distance to clear the Button's Islands steam in fearlessly about tho parallel ^f61°N. Th^ of Cape Chidley beyond fog set the wen abroad Th ship wt tho fog ship, ai Oi Chidlei the lOi Oi coast, 1 Inlet V one c( workei sheets leni,'th tho 81 ani g T so met run tc are fit chang speed IT Cons'dcring tho importnnco of this diecoveiy, I shoald have likod to havo boon able to ouihue tho bank, but fears for Mr. Sbuw'H hoalth oompollod mo to push for home, \vhore ho would have the advantage of proper medical advico and attendance. Sep'craber 30th. Arrived in Nachvak arid wont up the lulot to tho Hudson's Bay Company's post. I arranged with Mr. Ford, tho agont of the company, for the sale of the station house left hure ; having coin pletod those arrangements, we loft the poet shortly after noon and anchored in Skynnor's Cove for tho night. I did not at tirst shape course directly down the coast, but stoored east until we reached a depth of 100 fathoms, at which lime we were more than 70 miles off the land. The remainder of the voyage was unevontful, we had a fine run down tho Labrador coast and got into the Straits of Hollo isle early in the morning of ftth Oct. When off Fortoau Point on this afternoon, the wind, which was blowing from S.W., had now increased to a gale, againnt which we made little or no headway. I therefore ran into Fortoau Bay for t-helter, aochoring there about 6 p.m. The gale continued all the next day, but at 5 p.m. it shifted to N.VV., when 1 at once put to sea, and passing Bay of Islands about noon on the 7th, reached Meat Cove and made our number on the 8th, then passing down the west side of Cape Broton Island and through the Gut of Canso, arrived in Balifax and made fast to tho Departmental Wharf at 4 p.m. of Sunday, tho lOth OctKbor. All hands were at once discharged, and only such men re-engaged, at port wages, as were necessary for the performance of the work in hand. ICE OBSERVATIONS. ICE MET WITH ON TUB VOYAOB OF TUK " ALERT," 1886. The first field ice made this yoar was on the 2nd of July, about 60 miles south of Cape Mugford. It was heavy, but mac-h Hcatterod, and from this point to Cape Chidley the ice lined the coast, being tight for about 15 miles off shore, and boyond that, slack, for about 10 miles more, ^ftor getting round the Buttons, dense fog set in, and the ship was beset, finally drifting about 30 miles to the south before the weather cleared on the 8th; the ship was only boset at times, the ice running abroad frequently, so that progress could have boon mado had tho weather been clear. This ice was heavy, old ice, much broken up, tho largest piece to which the ship was made fast was about 300 yards by 200 yards ; at the time this was measured tho fog was so dense that the men engaged in the work were out of sight from the ship, and we had to keep the whistle blowing to guide them back. On tho 9th, we found that the pack of ice which extended to the east of Cape Chidley shore about 18 miles, ran 14 miles north uf the Buttons, and all this day and the lOih heavy ice lay to the south of tho thip. On July llth found that the ice trended to the north, following the lay of the caast, leaving only a narrow load of open water along under the shore from Ashe Inlet wostwiu-d. From -this station to the western end of the Straits, the ico was one continuous pacic, with little water holes here and thero showing up as we worked through. At the western end of the Straits the loo was heavier and in larger sheets than that off Asho Inlet, some of the floe pieces were upwards of a mile in length and formed of hummooky o'd ice, now worn a dirty brown colour. Many of the smaller pans assume a crater-like shape, a pool of water forming in the centre, and gradually rotting through in this way. To those who have never experienced it, the uncertainty of ice navigation is something almost incredible. At one time the ship may be fast, and the ice all tight ran together ; so that, ovun from the mast-head, no water at all can be seen, and yoa are firmly convinced that the ship will stay where she is till the ioe melts : some change of tide or wind occurs ; and in less than half an hour, the ship is steaming fall speed, only hitting once in a while as she twists about in the spreading pack, and 16a-2 18 per contra Horaotimes, ^vhon/all things look well, tho pack cIobos, and there is nothing to be done but wait patiently till it Hhall, m nuddonly, open again. From the llth to the 19th July tho ice covered tho Straits from " Rmma Inland " to Cape DiggoH, and through this 200 milcH wo worked, every time tho ice opened gaining eomothing, if only hn'' a milo. Much of this ice wuh heavy old ice, and of Buch a nature that no ordinary .itenmor which could bo UHod an a freight carrier, oven if Btrengthenod and sheathed for ico, could, in ray opinion, have pasncd through at this time without injury. On leaving harbour of Digges Inland on the morning of the 25th tho nhip was again beset and only got clear on tho following morning. After this date wo mot no ice which would in any way have interfered with navigation. Captain Guy, of the stean^cr " Arctic," ono of tho most powerful of tho Dundee whaling fleet, has kindly furniched mo with notes, from his experience in Hudson's Straits this year, and tho follosving iri taken from his communication : — "Tho 'Arctic' left St. John's, N(ld., on IClh May, and proceeded northwards, making the ice at tho fouth side of Cumberland Gulf on 25th Muy, intending to go into the gulf; tho ship was, howover, besot about ten miles from Monumental Island, wind being from tho eastward, and drove from there round iho south side of Resolution Island into Hudson's Straits, still fast in tho ice, and only got free at the Lower Savage Islands on 2nd June." Capt. Guy found the S.W. ico extending to tho east of Kosolution Island and Cape Chidley, about 40 to 50 miles tight, with from 10 to 20 miles of slack beyond that. From tho Lower Savage Islands to Aehc Inlet, Capt. Guy says, they had no trouble, but tVd voyage occupied from 2nd to 5th June, and the distance is only 160 miles ; we must admit that tho progress of tho " Arctic " was not very rapid. After leaving Ashe Inlet, Capt Guy states that he found the ico much heavier, being now from 15 to 20 feet thick ; proceeding north-westward, ho got up into Pox Channel as far as Capo Queen ; here, howover, ho found an impassable barrier of ice, and tried to cro(>s tho channel to tho wchlward ; this was also impossible, and so the '• Arctic " headed south, watching for a black place to enter tho barrier of ice. From tho 2(Jth June to tho 25th July, the " Arctic " was steaming between Cape Quocn and Charles Island, trying to get into Ludson's Straits, and only reached the western end of tho Straits on 26th July, or five days after the " Alert " had got through and into harbour at Port Laperriero. Capt. Guy ascribes the fixed condition of the ico to tho fact that there was no Eoutherly wind during tho whole time ho was trying to get through, but our records at Port Laporridro show that winds between S.E. and S.W. prevailed on twenty-one days out of the thirty-five ; the winds were, however, light, and the breadth of tbe pack so considerable, that winds, unless long continued, would have but little effect, besides which, Capt. Guy was trying to work through too far to tho north. Capt. Guy, on his voyage home in October, tried to pass up through F'>iier Strait, but found it full of heavy old ice, into which ho would not put his ship, but, though he was halfway through the Strait, turned and, pas&ing south of both Southampton and Mansfield Island, met loose ice again ofV Capo Digges, after which, with the exception of the East Greenland pack, which was sighted off Cape Farewell, no more ice was Been on tho voyage. STATION No. 1. POET BURWELL. ICE OBSERVATIONS. October, 1885. No field ice reported here in this montb* 21st, 23rd, 30tb. No r( No r( 20th. First field ice seen. November, 1885. 26th. oxtording extended. 27th. 2Dd. ice as far 4tb. < 7th. : 1st. ] last monti 3rd. I 5th. oat of the 20lh. 25th. N.W.; in 26th. 27th. 28th. 30th. 1st. I 16th. 23rd. 24th. 25th. a large sh 26th. 29th. broken op 30th. S.W. near 31st. 2nd. 3rd. 6t' . 6th. I 7th. I 15a 19 2l8t, 22nd. Light field ico an far out as can bo seen from Bouoon Hill. 23rd, 24th, 2!)th. Ice oxtondn as far as can bo rtojn, 30tb. Solid deld of ice oxtonds to the horizon. December, 18S3. No report made on the ioe io this month. Januaru, 1886. No report on ioe. February, 1886. 26th. From the Beacon Hill waw open water about two miles from the shore, extending from N. to S.W. ; atmospboro hazy ; could not bee how far the open water extended. ^Tth. Harbour ice 3 feet 7A inches thick. March, 1886. 2Dd. Clear water extends from S. to S W. ; in a northwest direction loose field ioe as far as can bo Heon with the telescope. 4tb. Olear wutor to S.W. ; field ice from N. W. to N. as far as can be seen. 7th. No opek! crater visible. April, 1886. 1st. Harbour ice now 3 foot 9 inches thick; has increased only 1^ inches in the last month. 3rd. Open water for abr ut 3 miles from shore ; field ice beyond. 5lh. An iceberg visibli :ibout 5 miles off, beating W, S.W. (true) ; it is moving out of the Straits. 20lh. A little open water to the S.W. some distance off shore. 25th. A sheet of clear water near the shore ; ice beyond extends from S.W. to N.W.; in the N.W. a little open water shows. 26th. A little field ice visible about west; elBewhere clear waJer to the horizon. 27lh. Open water near shore ; field ico beyond. 28th. Loose field ice in S.W. and west ; ico is closely packed north of this bearing. 30th. Ice tightly packed, bat much broken. Matf, 1886. Ist. Ice in the harbour is 3 feet 10^ inches thick. 16th. Open water nhows toS.W., and a little also shows here and there,from W.toN. 23rd. A large sheet of water shows to the south. 24th. Open water close to shore; weather hazy; could not see out far. 25th. Open water to the S.W. as far as the horizon ; air very clear ; can also see a large sheet of open water from S.W. to N.W. ; ice beyond. 26th. Open water close to the shore ; ice from S.W. to N.W. 29th. Open water same direction as yesterday ice beyond seems much broken up. 80th. Ice tightly packed as far out as we can see ; a small lake of open water ia S.W. near the shore. 31st. Small lakes of open water show through the pack in every direction. June, 1886. 2nd. Lanes ofopen water in S.W. close to the shore; field ice beyond seems loose, 3rd. Ioe same as yesterday. 6t^ . Large sheet of open water in S.W. 6th. Ioe tightly packed. *Iih. Ice tightly packed bat mach broken ; small atreak» of open water. 15a— 2^ 20 8th. Streaks of open water to the south, and in the S.W. field ice is closely packed as far as bo seen. 9th. Field ice to S.W. 10th. Open water extends out for two miles. llth. Same as yesterday. 13th. C)|.on water in every direction ; a little loose ice showing in the oflflag. 14th. Foggy; no ice visible. Kith. Opou wutor in every direction ; a little loose ice in the offing. 20Lh. Ice tight along the she-" and extends to the horizon. Water sky to theN.W. 21f-t. Heavv close ioe in everj direction. 22nd, 23rd," 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th. Same as 2l8t. 28th, 29th. Foggy, open water shows near the shore. 30th. Ice very much broken up, with open water showing in considerable quan- tities. My, 1886. let. Ice continues about the same. 2nd. Ice loose close to the shore, but seems tighter further out. 3rd. Ice loose to southward, bat now closely packed in N.W. Lakes of open water show everywhere. 4th. Ice same as yesterday. 5th. Foggy. 6th. Fog hanging oflF outside. tth. Snowing nearly all day, 8th, 9th, 10th, lltii. Open water close to shore. Field ice beyond, most closely packed from W. to N. but lanes of open water show in places. 12th, 13th. Open water in S.W., but from west northwards closely packed field ice. Eighteen icebergs are in sight to day. 14th. Harbour ico is breaking up today, outside the ice is looser. 15th, 16th, 17lh. Open water near shore; field 'ca in the offing. 18Lb. A little open water shows to souih ; oise where field ice, which looks very solid though having some water holes in it. 19tb. The harbour ico havng gone, the harbour is now full of heavy field ico. 20th. A little ice near shore, but preity clear as far as we can see through the haze. 21st, Clear water in the south, but from S.W. to north heavy field ice; harbour is still full of ice. 22nd. No ice visible. 23rd. Some field ice some distance off to N.W. 24tb, 25th. Open water in south ; tiold ice from west to north. 26th, 27th, 28th, 29ih. A good deal of ico shows in diflferont directions, bat it is loose, and the area of clear water showing is very considerable, 30th, 31st. No ico in sight. Heavy sea outtiide. August, 1886. 1st. No ice in sight. 2nd. Some scattered field ice shows tc the northward* 3rd. No ice in sight. 4th. A little 'GO shows to the westward. 5th, tith, 7th, 8th. A little ice shows to N. W.: clear water in every other direction. 9th. Foggy. 10th. Fog continues, but loose field icr; is near the shore. llth. Small scattered ice extends from S. W. to N. W. 21 12th. Clear water to the sooth ; from S. W. to N. loose field ice, bat opon water shows beyond the ice in many placos. 13th, 14tb. Field ice from S. W. to N. W , a long distance off shore ; clear water in all other directions. 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, llJth. No ice in sight. 20th. A little ice close to the shore, and soma cume into the harbour to-day. 21st. No ice in sight, nor was any seen after this date, up to the time the station was relieved. STATION No. 3. ASHE INLET. ICE RECORD. September, 1885. 20th. No field ice in sight. Ice on ponds one inch thick. Eleven icebergs in eight. No field ice seen during the month, but numerous icebergs passing westward. October, 1885. 2tiLh. First field ice observed from Lookout Hill, lying on the horizon to the westward. Ice forming in the harbour and on the rockn along the shoio. 27th. No ice visible, but a white line shows along the wontorn horizon. 2«th, 29th, 30th, 3lBt. No field ice visible, but a number of icebergs seem to have taken the ground on the shoals. November, 1885. Ist. No ice in sight except the bergs. 3rd. The Inlet is nearly covered with newly formed ice about three-quartors of an inch thick. th. Ice two inches thick in the harbour. 8th. Field ice is visible to the southward, but clear water between the shore and puck, at least twelve miles. 9 th. Foggy. 13th. No trace of field ice. 15th. Large field of.^oung ice extending from north to west, and 5 to 10 miles off there. 16th, 17th, 18th, 10th, 20th. Straits nearly covered with young ice. 2lHt. Most of the ice has been driven off the shore by the wind. 22u«l. Young ice still about. Harbour frozen over. 23rd. Harbour ice broke up and passed out of the Inlet. 29th. Straits frozen as far as visible, some Ihree miles. Dense fog beyond, probably over open water. 30th. Snowing and drifting, cannot see out into the Straits. December, 1885. Ice is five or six inches thick on the Inlet ; snow obscures the view of the Ist. Straits. , , ,.,. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th. Snowing and drifting ; Straits completely hidden. 6th. Straits frozen solid for eight or ten miles ; beyond that lOose ice shows. 7th, 8th. Straits obscured by snow drifting. 9th. Ice covering straits as far as visible. 10th, nth, 12th, 13th. Straits frozen over as far as visible from look out. 14tb. Examined the straits from summit of " Tyrell's bluff." 450 feet aboTO M.S.L. Ice covers the Straits in every direction, but is somewhat broken. 22 22nd. Ice visible in every direction, but much broken. 23rd. Snowing ; Straits obscured. 24th to 31st. StraitH generally obscured, but wheu opportunity offered and observation made, no change was apparent. January, 1886. "•st to 20th. No change observed in the condition of the ice. 2 1st. Ice much broken and running. 22nd, 23rd, 24th. Straits obscured. 25th. Eskimo state, that the White Straits, to the north of this island are frozen over solid, and the ice is stationary. 26th, 27tb, 28th, 29l,h, 30th, Slst. No change observable in the conrlition of he Ice in the Straits. February, 1886. no change in the ice so far as can be seen. iHt, 2nd, 3rd. Weather thick, 4th. Ice much broken. 5th, 6th. Ice much broken and masses of vapour rise from the water. 7th to 15lh. No change in the Ice. 16th. Ice is still much broken, bu^. now very compact. 17th to 28th. Straits much obscured ; no change in the ice reported. Mcjch, 1886. 1st. Open water as far as visible to south-east; to the south and west the ice is only two or throe miles from shore. 6lh. Ico \i o . shore, slacking off again at night. 18th. Mietv, ./ «f Straits obscured. 19tb, 20th. :\f -M.- the eafetward, bat to south and west the pack is from five to ten miles off shore. 2 Ist, 22nd. Still opou water to the eastward. 2Hrd. Very little ice visible. 24th. No change in the appearance of the ice in the Straits. In the harbour the ice has melted away a great il il, and is quite through in some places* 25th. A little scattered ice in the east. Ice in harbour rapidly breaking up. 26th. Dense fog. 27th, 2dth, 29th. No ice to the eastward. The body of the pack lies about eight miles oft shoro. to the S.W., gradually receding. 30th. Har.. ur ice generally breaking up. July, 1886. Ist. Foggy. 2nd. Ice Irom eight to ten miles off nhore the harbour ice is broken up. to the S.W. About three-fourthe of 24 Ice cloBing in on the shore. The whole body of the ice is tight in 3rcl. Harbour ice completely broken up. 4th. Harbour filled with heavy pack ice. on the shore. ftth, 6th. DenFe fog. 8th. Open water aud slack ice to the east. To the west the ice is close in. 9th. Plenty of open water, with scaltered ice ooly showing. 10th. Scattered ice about. 11th. " Alert " arrived at 4.50 a.m., sailed again at 6 a.m. The ice apparently abont eight miles off shore. 12th. Plenty of water along the shore. The body of the ice a little closer than yesteiday. 13th. Foggy to the westward. No ice showing to the eastward. 14th. Foggy. 16th. Still foggy, but the ice has come in on the shore again. 16th. A little scattered ice along the shore, is all that is in sight. 39th. Some loose ice coming into the harbour, none visible outside. 20th. Ice shows to the west in the iorenoon ; a heavy swell set in from thft sonth in the afternoon ; fog shut down thick. 2l8t. Ice again closing in rapidly on the shore. No water to bo seen in any direction. 22nd. Ice still tight. 23rd. Ice slack outside. 24th. Fog very dense. 26th. Ice close as far as the Straits are visible. 26th, 27th, 28th. Dense fog. 29th. Ice looser and moving, bat no water showing. cOth, 31st. Ice loose again. August, 1880. 1st, 2nd. Ice tight, till 11 p.m of the 2nd, when water begins to make along the shore. 4th. Ice loose and running. 5th. Plenty of open water shows. 6th. Loose ice outside. 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th. Dense fog over the Straits. 13th. A very little loose ice shows. 14th. A heavy swell heaving into the harbour. 16th. No field ice in sight ; eight icebergs can be seen from the look-out. 17th, 18th. Foggy. No field ice seen after this date. STUPART'S BAT. ICE RECORD. From 22nd August to 28th September there was no ice seen. September 28th. Ice is forming at mouths of small streams, and after breaking up carries with it far to sea quantities of seaweed, shells and gravels which adhere to it. October. 17th. No change has taken place since 28th September. Largo mass os of hard packed drifted snow on the shores are continually being carried off by rece ding tides. 18th to 23rd. Ice continues to break off the shores and drift away, carrying sea- weed and small stones 23rd* A small iceberg was seen to-day. 25 ; m 26th. During last night a thin tilra of ico formed on the Bay. A ridgo of snow and ice ':! feet high has formed along the shore, over which the increasing tiiles rise. A long line of field ice can be seen lying between north and south near tlio horizon. 27th. Field ico seen yesterday appears to be approaching in spite of a contrary wind. Ice again formed over the Eay, and is breakirg up and piling, forming quite thick ridges. 29th. All ice in the bay has broken into small pieces, which at lo'v lido rest upon the bouldors, to which much of it adherea, the tide rising over it. Field ico appears stationary. 30th. The wind blowing .shly from the north-wett during the night; all the ice that was in this and neighbouring bays, has drifted to sea. thft any the fing bere lard ides. sea> Novevxber, 1886. Ist. The field ice now extends all along the horlaon, and appears to be about 10 miles from shore to the north eastward. 3rd. To-day a ])oition of the field ico moved directly sou-hward, and is gradually closing in. The Bay i^ open. 4th. As fast as'ice forms in the bays it drifts to eca, and now covers the water between the lard and the field ice which is quickly approaching. 6th. The field ico, though loose, if now close upcn the lar,d, ar.d has filled most of the larper hays, driving and piling the thin native ice in front of it. 7th. At the time of high tide largo masses of ice over which the water rii^es occasionally come to the hurfacc carrying immense stones with them. These pieces of ice with their freight of stones often rest upon the ice slill adhering to the boltom as the tide falls. Field ice is more open. _ . r ,u 10th. The prevailing south-westerly wind has driven the ice out ot all bays ex- cepting the smaller onos, and large patches of open water can be seen throughout the field ico. 11th. Fog and mist covered tiic Straits to-day. 12th. All the ice in the bay facing the station drifted to sea and now large stretchos of water can bo seen in every direction. 13th. At 8 a.m. there was a great deal of open water to bo seen ; towards after- noon, however, an unbroken raa-s of field ice coald be teen quickly appoaching from** the northward. „ , , . ^, i. .^ ^u n 14th. The Strait is now packed with heavy field ice throughout, the smaller bavs only being open. , . r ^ u 15th 16th Field icfi is more open and long narrow leads ot water can be seen. 18th.' As far as can bo seen the ico is very loose. A large berg can be seen to the E.S.B. . . 1 i J • c 19lh. All the ice has drifted out of the bays excepting isolated pieces, many ot which measure 16' foot in thickness. ' . « « j 20th. During tho night all open water between the ice floes was frozen and now only ice can be soon. . „ ^ u 2l8t, 22nd. li;c in tho buys is firmer. Long lanes of open water can be seen throughout the pack. ui^-r — 23rd. To the northeast tho field ico appears to be tighly packed, whi.st from that puint alon