M’Clintock and De Bray, a young French naval officer lent to the expedition, proceeded with the depôt sledge along the north coast to Cape Fisher, the extreme point seen by Parry. Here De Bray and the depôt sledge returned, while M’Clintock turned south to make sure of connecting his work with that of Mecham. He travelled along the west coast of Melville Island and considered that it presented the most beautiful Arctic scenery he had ever seen. A great unknown land had long been in sight to the westward to which he gave the name of Prince Patrick Island. It was on May 14th, 1853, that M’Clintock landed on his new discovery at Point Wilkie, named after his old sledge captain, and geologically a place of great importance, as exhibiting a patch of has formation with fossils. The north end of Prince Patrick Island was reached on the 11th June, and M’Clintock went on to some islands which he named the Polynia Isles. In the offing there was a line of very heavy pack ice, with hummocks 35 ft. high. The most northern point reached was 77° 43′, and here, sending back the sledge to the depôt, the explorer proceeded down the western coast with a satellite sledge over flat sand-banks, with a continuous line of stupendous hummocks in the offing. They rejoined the parent sledge on the 25th June. M’Clintock’s next discovery was named Emerald Isle, most of the usual Arctic plants and abundant moss being found on it. The return journey entailed terrible work owing to the water on the floes. M’Clintock had been away 105 days and the sledge had gone over 1030 geographical miles in 99 marches, at a rate of 10½ miles a day. The examination of bays and inlets with the satellite sledge amounted to 62½ miles, making the whole distance 1210 geographical or 1408 statute miles. The lowest temperature was -24° Fahr.; the number of positions fixed was 22. This journey was by far the greatest Arctic effort with sledges that has ever been made by men alone. Mecham did splendid work to the eastward. Nares[132] commanded the depôt sledge, and Mecham’s sledge captain was James Tullett, a capital sailor, who was in the _Assistance_. Travelling over the south-west part of Melville Island Mecham crossed a strait, and discovered an island which received the name of Eglinton, where Nares left the depôt and returned. Another journey across a strait brought Mecham to the south-west point of Prince Patrick Island. He then explored its southern and western coasts until he reached a point within 16 miles of M’Clintock’s furthest, coming from the north. Mecham’s principal discovery was the remains of trees. At Cape Manning, on the south coast, there were a considerable number of stems of trees with the bark on, 90 feet above the sea. Returning, Mecham crossed the land during the three last days of May and found, in a ravine, a tree protruding 8 feet, and several others with a circumference of 4 feet.