On the 17th of September, “There were several heavy floes in the vicinity; one, full six miles in length, passed at the rate of two knots, crushing everything that impeded its progress, and grazed our starboard bow. Fortunately, there was but young ice upon the opposite side, which yielded to the pressure; had it otherwise occurred, the vessel must inevitably have been cut asunder. In the afternoon, we secured to a moderately sized piece, drawing eight fathoms, which appeared to offer a fair refuge, and from which we never afterwards parted.” The smallest pools now became covered with ice; the last Arctic bird to take flight was the eider-duck, which turned south by the 23d. By the 27th of September the thermometer stood at zero, and every preparation was being made to house the ship for the winter. The ice was in constant and violent motion. “The crushing, creaking, and straining,” writes Captain M’Clure, “is beyond description; the officer of the watch, when speaking to me, is obliged to put his mouth close to my ear, on account of the deafening noise.” [Sidenote: _DISCOVERY OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE_] Clinging with the “tenacity of a bosom-friend” to the ice-floe to which they were secured, “it conveyed us,” continues M’Clure, “to our farthest northeast position, latitude 73° 7´ north, longitude 117° 10´ west, back round the Princess Royal Islands, passed the largest within five hundred yards to latitude 72° 42´ north, longitude 118° 42´ west, returning along the coast of Prince Albert’s Land, and finally freezing in at latitude 72° 50´ north, longitude 117° 55´ west, upon the 30th of September, during which circumnavigation we received many severe nips, and were frequently driven close to the shore, from which our deep friend kept us off. To avoid separation, we had secured with two stream-cables, one chain, two six, and two five hawsers. As our exposed position rendered every precaution necessary, we got upon deck twelve months’ provisions, with tents, warm clothing, etc., and issued to each person a pair of carpet-boots and a blanket-bag, so that in the event of any emergency rendering it imperative to quit the vessel, we might not be destitute. On the 8th of October, our perplexities terminated with a nip that lifted the vessel a foot, and heeled her 4° to port, in consequence of a large tongue getting beneath her, in which position we quietly remained.” Here the _Investigator_ passed the winter of 1850-1851, during which season a journey was made over the ice to the shores of Barrow Strait, which they found connected with the strait in which they wintered, thus establishing the fact of a northwest passage.