The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-27 00:00:00

banks, by precipices of bay salt from 100 to 200 feet
high, super-imposing limestone of the same kind as that
which forms the bed of the river.
At the extreme west point .of our journey we found a
party of ten Esquimaux with their families, who informed
us that the stream maintained the same course and size
as far as they had seen it, which was somewhat more
than three days' march, or about 60 miles; how much
farther they knew not, as they had never been to its
source. Two of the party returned with us to the boats,
where they received some presents, which I had some
difficulty in persuading them to accept, as they said they
had nothing to give in return. On the evening of the
18th we ran down stream, and landed our guide among
his friends, who seemed very glad to see him return
safe. They were now much less timid than when we
first met them; and we pitched our tent close to theirs,
without causing any apparent alarm, although it was
afterwards observed that two men kept watch during the
night.
Early on the 19th we took a friendly leave of these
simple and inoffensive people; and pulled down to the
mouth of the river, where I stayed until noon, when the
latitude 67 deg. 55 min. 20 sec. N. was observed. The
cloudy state of the weather during the two preceding
days had prevented any observations being made. New
moon occurring to-day it was high water at a few
minutes before one P.m., the rise being ten inches.
In the afternoon, when on our way to Cape Kendall,
we experienced a severe thunder-storm from the N.N.W.,
which obliged us to land for shelter,
Our advance along the coast was so slow that we did
not arrive at the place where the boats were left last
autumn until the 24th. We found that they had been
much broken up by the Esquimaux to obtain the iron-
work. The tents, oilcloths, and part of the sails still
remained uninjured, and were of much value to us, as
we were ill-provided with the two first of these articles;
the " cache' of pemican and ammunition was also un- -
touched, having apparently escaped notioe from being
e
covered with snow. The latitude 63 deg. 10 min. 44 sec.
N.,
Ee were observed here.
on and
the variation
the ice for a short distance from the shore, we con-
tinued t a
W.N.W.s6deg. Bbr aria.
having cleared away
e
our course towards Cape Hearne, which we
reached before noon, and found its extreme point to be
in lat. 68 deg. 11 min. 17 sec. N. Basil Hall Bay being
filled from aide to side with unbroken ice, we encamped
here. Next forenoon a light S.S.E. breeze opened a
crack in the ice wide enough for the boat to cross to an
island in the middle of the bay, on the north side of
which we found some open water which enabled us to
get two miles beyond it.
At three P,31. on the 30th we arrived at Cape Kru-
sensterj ; and when opposite its high cliffs, a strong
breeze sprung up from N.N.E., which drove the ice so
forcibly against the rocks, that we were obliged to un-
load and haul the boat up on a drift of snow to save it
from being squeezed.
Here, for the first time this season, we found the ice
broken up in the offing—caused, evidently, by the strong
currents of the ebb and flood tides; whereas, on looking
in the direction from which we had come, all, except
immediately along shore, was smooth, white, unbroken,
and apparently as firm as in winter.
We were now at the most convenient, though not the
nearest point for making the traverse to Wollaston Land,
passing close to Douglas Island; and there was no ne-
cessity for our proceeding further along shore, even had
we been able to elo so, which at present was impossible,
the high rocks presenting an insurmountable barrier on
the one hand, and the ice, by its roughness, equally im-
passable on the other. We pitched our tents oa the top
of the cliffs, in the ascent of which the before-mentioned
snow bank served as a ladder, and waited for the first
favourable change in the ice.
A few days afterwards, Albert (the Esquimaux inter-
preter) and one of the men, when some distance inland,
looking for deer, overtook five Esquimaux travelling to
the interior, with loads of salmon which they had
speared in a rivulet that falls into Pasley Cove. From
these the interpreter learnt that the sea ice had com-
menced breaking up only one day before our arrival;
and that they had been in company with the natives of
Wollaston Land during the winter, none of whom had
ever seen European large ships or boats.
During our long and tedious detention here several
gales of wind occurred, principally from the northward;
but the space of open water was so small that they pro-
duced little effect upon the ice. Our situation was most
tantalizing to all the party; occasionally, at turn of tide,
a pool of water, a mile or more in extent, would appear
near to us, and everything would be prepared for embar-
kation at a minute's notice, in expectation of the opening
increasing and permitting us to cross to Douglas Island,
but our hopes were always disappointed.
A number of observations were obtained, which placed
our encampment in latitude 63 deg. 24 min. 35 sec. N.;
the longitude being very nearly the same as that as-
signed to it by Sir John Richardson and Mr. Kendall.
The mean variation of the compass, from eight sets of
azimuths, on different days and at different hours, was
59 deg. 8 min. 8 sec. E, the extremes being 57 deg. 42
min. and 61 deg. 25 min.
The ice continued driving to and fro with the tides,
without separating sufficiently to allow of the practica-
bility of passing among it until the 19th of August,
when there was more open water to seaward than we
had yet observed, caused by a moderate southerly
breeze,that had been blowing for the last two days.
After waiting some hours for a favourable opportunity
of forcing our way through a close-packed stream of ice
that was grinding along the rocks as it drove to the
northward, we at last pushed off, and, after more than
once narrowly escaping being squeezed, we reached com-
paratively open water, where we had room to use our
oars. We had pulled more than seven miles, and were
still three from Douglas Island, when we came to a
stream of ice, so close packed and rough, that we could
neither pass over or through it. A thick fog had come
on, and the ebb tide was carrying us fast to the south-
east. Under these circumstances I thought it advisable
to return towards the main shore ; on which we landed,
early on the morning of the 20th, a short distance to the
south of the place from whence we had started.
A north-west breeze came on some hours after land-
ing, and cleared away the ice a few yards' distance from
the beach, of which we took advantage to shift our
quarters, which, being under some crumbling cliffs, were
neither safe nor convenient. We poled along shore for
three miles or more toward Point Lockyer (the only
direction in which we could go), and then took shelter
in a small bay; into which we had scarcely entered when
the wind changed to E.N.E., and in a very short time
left not a spot of, open water, visible either near shore,
or at a distance. The wind continued to blow from E.
and N.E. for the two following days; during which,
when the tide was in, we advanced a for, miles to the
south, principally by launching the boat over the ice.
On the evening of the 22d I ascended a hill near the
shore, from which a fine view was obtained. As far as
I could see with the telescope in the direction of Wol-
laston Land nothing but the White ice, forced up into
heaps, was visible, whilst to the east and south-east
there was a large space of open water, between which
and the shore a stream of ice, some miles in breadth,
was driving towards Cape Hearne and its vicinity.
As the fine weather had now evidently broken up,
and as there was every appearance of an early winter,
I thought it would be ut. elves waste of time to wait any
longer in hopes of being able to cross.to Wollaston Land.
1, therefore, gave orders for our return towards the
Coppermine, at which I did not expect to arrive in less
than a week, as the ice wore as unfavourable an aspect
as it did last year.
At an early hour on the 23d the men commenced
carrying the baggage to Point Lockyer—still more than
a league distant, and afterwards hauled the boat to the
same place. Doing this gave all the party ten hours'
hard work, but our fatigues were soon forgotten on
finding some open water on the south side of the point,
in which we were speedily afloat, and sailing before the
fast decreasing breeze. It fell calm in half an hour, but
we d plie
• our oars to such good purpose, that we pitched
our tents late at night on Cape Hearne.
Here I had expected to find the ice close packed on
the shore, and quite impassable, but I was agreeably
surprised
to discover as we advanced, that there was a
lane of open water between the beach and the " pack,"
wide enough for us to pass through. The only way that
I eau account for this is, by supposing that the gale of
wind that bad been blowing from N.E. and E.N.E., had
shifted to the N. and N.W. as it approached the land,
and carried the ice along with it.
By working 17 hours next day, wo came to the mouth
of the river, and on the following morning ascended to
the Bloody Fall; hero fish were still very numerous, and
while some of the party were cooking others set a
couple of nets to obtain a supply for some days.
I may here mention that when on the coast we ob-
tained as many salmon and herring-salmon as we could
consume, when there was a piece of open water to be
found large enough for setting a net.
Deese and Simpson's party, after hauling their boats
over the rocks opposite the lower and strongest part
of the fall, had them towed up the remainder by
water, and as our boat was much weakened by the
rough usage it had unavoidably been exp)sed to,
for the purpose of saving time, and the tear and
wear that would be caused by having it dragged
over the portage, I was desirous of doing the same—
I was the more led to do this, as the men were of
opinion that it might be effected with safety. All that
appeared in any way difficult was easily done, and there
was only one short place to ascend, which was so smooth
that a loaded boat might have passed it; here, however,
from some unaccountable cause, the steersman was
seized with a sudden panic, and called to those towing to
slack the line; this was no sooner done sufficiently to
allow him to get firm footing, than he leapt on shore
followed by the bowsman, and allowed the boat to sheer
out into the current, where the line broke, and the boat
soon afterwards oversetting, was carried into one of the
eddies some distance down the stream, to which Albert
and I ran and stationed ourselves at two points of rock,
near which the wreck would pass. It drove up to where
Albert was, and he hooked it by the k( el with an oar,
until I came to his aid, when I fixed a pole in a broken
plank, and called my companion to assist me in holding
on; he either did not hear me correctly, or thinking he
would be of more use on the bottom of the boat, sprung
to it, and before I had time to call him off, or even to
think of his danger, they were carried by a turn of the
current into a small bay, where I believed both were
safe; not so, however, for the next minute they were
swept out again, and the last I saw of our excellent in-
terpreter who his making tl leap towards the rooks; be