In going to the westward we passed a shoal and open bay, immediately adjacent to the harbour which we were now about to examine, and soon after came to a reef of rocks, in some parts nearly dry, extending, about three quarters of a mile to the southward of a low point on the southeastern side of the harbour.  On rounding the reef, on which a quantity of heavy ice was lying aground, we found that a continuous floe, four or five inches in thickness, was formed over the whole harbour, which in every other respect appeared to be fit for our purpose; and that it would be necessary to cut a canal of two miles in length through the ice, in order to get the ships into a secure situation for the winter.  We sounded the channel into the harbour about three quarters of a mile, by making holes in the ice and dropping the lead through, and found the depth from five to six fathoms.

The ships weighed at six A.M. on the 24th. the wind being still at north, and the weather moderate and fine.  As soon as the Hecla was under sail, I went ahead in a boat to sound, and to select an anchorage for the ships.  Near the southwestern point of this harbour there is a remarkable block of sandstone, somewhat resembling the roof of a house, on which the ships names were subsequently engraved by Mr. Fisher.  This stone is very conspicuous in coming from the eastward, and, when kept open to the southward of the grounded ice at the end of the reef, forms a good landing mark for the channel into the harbour.  Off the end of the reef the water deepened to six fathoms, and the Hecla’s anchor was dropped in eight fathoms, half a mile within the reef, and close to the edge of the ice through which the canal was to be cut.  The Griper arrived soon after, and by half past eight A.M. both ships were secured in the proper position for commencing the intended operations.

As soon as our people had breakfasted, I proceeded with a small party of men to sound 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 ten to twenty feet; thus dividing the ice into a number of square pieces, which it was again necessary to subdivide diagonally, in order to give room for their being floated out of the canal.  On returning from the upper part of the harbour, where I had marked out what appeared to be the best situation for our winter-quarters, I found that considerable progress had been made in cutting the canal and in floating the pieces out of it.  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