Owing to the condition of the crew of the "Alert," Captain Nares publicly announced, on the 16th of June, that on the return of the sledge parties, he would endeavour to rejoin the "Discovery," and would then send that vessel to England with all the invalids, and those unfit to remain out a second winter. The "Alert" would pass her second winter at Port Foulke, whence, in the ensuing spring, parties would be despatched for the purpose of exploring Hayes Sound, and the adjacent land. This work completed, that vessel also would return to England. The reason that Port Foulke was selected as our future winter quarters was the amount of animal life, principally reindeer, reported to abound in that neighbourhood, and we also anticipated little or no difficulty in breaking out in the following summer. This resolution was undoubtedly a wise one, for it was certain that in the then state of the ship's company of the "Alert," many lives would be sacrificed if all the men were required to spend another winter in the Arctic Regions. The idea of soon reaching England acted as a cure upon those who were in the worst stage of scurvy, and conduced more to their recovery than all the medicines and careful nursing that they received from our painstaking and attentive doctor. In the mean time great anxiety began to be felt regarding the safety of the western sledge party under Aldrich. From the wholesale manner in which the northern division had been afflicted, it was feared that they also would not pass scathless. Still we hoped they would not suffer to the same extent. Their route was along the coast line, and it was expected that they would have been able to supply themselves occasionally with fresh provisions, such as hares, geese, and perhaps musk-oxen. On the 18th of June, four days after the return of my party, May, with three men and the dog-sledge, dragged by our remaining six dogs, left the ship in order to obtain intelligence of Aldrich's party, and if necessary to take him relief and assistance. The succeeding days were anxious ones to all on board, and many were the trips taken to the summit of Look-out-hill, in the hope of seeing the returning sledgers. We could not disguise from ourselves the fact that unless they returned quickly they would be placed in a very critical position. In a few days they must be without provisions. This we knew. The temperature, too, had reached freezing point, and frequently stood two or three degrees above it, causing the surface snow to thaw, and therefore making the task of dragging a sledge one of severe and unpleasant toil. On the 21st the sun reached its highest northern declination, and every day would bring us nearer to another winter; therefore we knew that to effect our deliverance from the ice this year, it was necessary to get our sledging parties on board as soon as possible, in order to prepare the ship for sea, and to commence the operations requisite for cutting her out of winter quarters.