The young commander started on his first journey with a sledge and six dogs on March 11th, 1830. Several short journeys followed. At last he crossed the Isthmus of Boothia, 15 miles wide, with a large lake in the middle, and reached the western sea. On May 17th he commenced the great journey with Abernethy, first crossing the isthmus and turning northwards. He had 31 days’ provisions and eight dogs. He discovered a bay or channel with a large island in it, which was named Matty Island. Crossing the channel, Ross and Abernethy left everything they could spare, and pushed onwards to the northern point, named Cape Felix, which was 200 miles from the ship. The newly-discovered coast was named King William Land, and Ross appears to have thought that it was part of the mainland of North America. The coast then trended to the south, to a point which Ross named Point Victory (69° 37′ 49″ N). Here a cairn six feet high was built, and a canister deposited in it with an account of their proceedings. The furthest point visible to the S.W. received the name of Cape Franklin. On May 30th, 1830, the return journey was commenced, and they reached their depôt the next day, ultimately arriving at the ship in safety. The dogs, which had been overworked, had been useless after the eighth day. James Ross had been very diligent in taking magnetic observations, and had deduced from them the position of the magnetic pole. After the second winter he commenced his journey to the exact spot with Blanky and Abernethy, and accompanied by Captain Ross as far as the western sea. On the 31st May, 1831, the party arrived at their destination. They discovered some abandoned snow huts which they found very useful. The land was low near the coast, rising into ridges of 50 or 60 feet about a mile inland. The dip of the needle was 89° 59′ and there was total inaction of the horizontal needle. The British flag was fixed at the magnetic pole in 70° 5′ 17″ N. and 76° 16′ 4″ W. Leaving Blanky with the party, James Ross and Abernethy went on, and at their furthest point found the coast line still running north. Here they built a cairn of stones. In returning to the ship they were detained by a gale, and did not reach it until the 13th of June, an absence of 17 days. A large supply of fish had been secured during the summer.