and Hay, as obtained this evening when the two headlands were
opening, differed only one minute from that entered in the
surveying-book, and found in the same manner the preceding year.

At one P.M. on the 5th, the weather continuing quite calm, and
being desirous of examining the ice in-shore, that we might be
ready for the floes closing upon us, I left the ship, accompanied
by Captain Sabine and Mr. Edwards, and landed near one of the
numerous deep and broad ravines with which the whole of this part
of the island is indented. We were ascending the hill, which was
found by trigonometrical measurement to be eight hundred and
forty-seven feet above the level of the sea, and on which we found
no mineral production but sandstone and clay iron-stone, when a
breeze sprung up from the eastward, bringing up the Griper, which
had been left several miles astern. We only stopped, therefore, to
obtain observations for the longitude and the variation of the
magnetic needle; the former of which was 112° 53' 32", and the
latter 110° 56' 11" easterly, and then immediately returned on
board and made all sail to the westward. After running for two
hours without obstruction, we were once more mortified in
perceiving that the ice, in very extensive and unusually heavy
floes, closed in with the land a little to the westward of Cape
Hay, and our channel of clear water between the ice and the land
gradually diminished in breadth, till at length it became
necessary to take in the studding sails, and to haul to the wind
to look about us. I immediately left the ship, and went in a boat
to examine the grounded ice off a small point of land, such as
always occurs on this coast at the outlet of each ravine. I found
that this point offered the only possible shelter which could be
obtained in case of the ice coming in; and I therefore determined