80 CHAPTER V. ON AIDS TO THE FURTHERANCE OF RESEARCH. The general scheme for the ordering of an expedition by Baffin Bay—assumed to be composed of one or two principal, and two or three secondary, or scout, ships, or four altogether—has been pretty fully sketched in a previous chapter. It now remains to suggest some practical mea sures, more in detail, for the furtherance of research beyond the points which might be reached by the several scout ships themselves; for we have assumed that, whilst the principal or largest ship should take up a secure and generally accessible position, such as that of Port Leopold, so as to be available as a general place of refuge for any shipwrecked, or otherwise endangered crews, the scout ships should be sent forward to and beyond Cape Walker, to Melville Island, and up Wellington Channel; but only so far, should the navigation permit, as the crews might be supposed to be able, if necessitated, to return over the ice to Port Leopold, or to the more remote station at, or near to, Melville Island. From the several points which might thus be attained, travelling parties could then be sent out, with all the advantages, in ultimate researches, of their advanced position; and so as to afford the reasonable probability of researches being extended, should the sea so extend, for perhaps fully one-half