The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-23
WHOLE NO. 34s.

From limestone ridge, about a league in
land, we obtained view Of some very remote
blue land IN the northeast quarter, in all proba
Dity one OF the southern promontories Of Boothia.
Two considerable islands lay far in the ofing,
10 f. N. r.
Our view Of the low main shore was confined
TO hve miles IN an eastery direction. after which
| II appeared 10 turn OH greatly 10 the right We
could, therefore, scarcely doubt our having ar
rived at that large gulf uniformly described by
the Esquimaux as containing many islands, and
with numerous indentations stretching down
southwark till il approaches within forty miles of
Repulse and Wager Bays. The exploration Of
such gulf, which was the main object of the
Terrors ill-starred voyage, would necessarily
demand the whole time and energies OF another
expedition, having starting or retreatng point
much nearer TO the scene of operations than
Great Bear Lake; and il was quite evident 10
US that any further foolhardy perseverance could
only lead TO the loss of the great object already
| attained, together with that Of the whole party.
| We must here be allowed to express our admi-
ratiou Of Sir John Ross's extraordinary escape
from this neighborhood, after the protracted en-
durance Of our ships, unparalleled in arctic story.
The mouth OF the stream, which bounded the
last career of our admirable little boats, and re-
ceiyed their name, lies in lat. GO deg. 20 min.
~ sec. NJ, long. 81 deg min. W.; variation
| of the compass, 16 deg. 20mn w. The strong
wind that had forbidden our advance, gave wings
TO our retreat.
The same night, the Goth Of August, we land
ed once more al Cape Britannia and next morn
ing we crossed the inland direct to Point Pc
chell, with heavy sea. On the 22d we ex-
plored long narrow bay on the west side of
Point Oge which extends to the 6Sth parallel
| Of latitude. The north wind blew roughly, with
| sharp frost, and next day we got no further than
Richardson. Thence we crossed on the
| Gath to what had from the continent appeared
like two islands but which we rightly coniec
tured to form part of the southern shore Of Boo
thia, or to speak with greater precision OF that
| land on which stands Cape Felix of Capt. James
Ross. This shore we had the satisfaction OF
tracing for about sixty miles till it turned up TO
the North, in lat 69 deg. al min. 16 sec. N. Ion.
SO deg 90 min. w. Only fifty seven miles from
Ross's Pillar, the dip of the needle was 80 deg.
2S min. as sec. NJ, the magnetic pole bearing N.
| N. e. distance ninety miles. The variation, as
shown by the azimuth compass and the hori-
| zonta bar needle, was 45 deg. east. The OBJ
jects seen on this coast are easily enumerated
a low undressing limestone tract, Astounding
| nevertheless in reindeer, musk oxen, and old
native encampments. To the westward a good
deal Of ice appeared, and vast numbers OF snow
| geese passed high overhead in long triangular
| flights, bound for milder skies.
| Whilst engaged in taking observations, our
men constructed another durable memorial OF
our discoveries, which was saluted in the usual
manner Then, recrossing the straight on the
18th, we resumed for some time our outward
route, only keeping more along the seward
verge of the islands, so as to shape straighter
course.
| The weather, from being threatening and I'M
settled soon became unequivocally severe. On
| the 29th of August, snow-storm began, that
lasted for seven days, during four days OF which
| we were fixed to single spot by the violence OF
the NJ w. gales; while the frost was so keen
that the pools among the rocks on which we lay
became solid enough to bear up man. more
moderate interval succeeded this fierce out
break. Quitting the continent again, at the
large river already mentioned, we struck ~
| W., for an extensive island, twenty-five miles
of, which we coasted N. w. for twenty miles /;
and, shortly before sunset, on the 9th OF Septem-
Der, stood out thence due N. for the nearest
anisiaantf Victoria Lard WHICH R 19vsa equally
brilliant than the phosphorc cleaning of the
| waves when darkness set in. The boats seemed
| to cleave food of molten silver and the spray
dashed from their bows before the fresh breeze,
fell back like showers of diamonds into the deep.
II was a cold night, and when we at last made
the land, cliffs, faced with eternal ice, obliged
| us to run on for couple Of leagues before we
could take the shore with safety. The coast of
of $50 miles, is incomparaby the boldest we
have met with in these seas Often, near the
shore. no bottom could be found with thirty five
fathoms of line; and the cerulean blue color OF
the water every where indicated profound
depth There are several noble bays, the largest
of which, N. w. of Cape Alexander, IS twenty
miles wide, and equally deep backed by snow
clad mountains. II attains to SO deg 40 mln
NJ, the highest latitude Of this voyage. AT
length we reached the extreme point seen by
Mr.. Simpson from Cape Franklin in 1888, where
the coast Of this large country begins again TO
trend northward Of west, Cape Barrow lying by
computation S S. w., distant fifty miles On
the 10th September, we crossed this magnihcent
strait, with a strong z. S E.. or side wind, and
a rough sea- in which our gallant boats, old and
worn out as they were, acquitted themselves be-
yond our most sanguine hopes. Our return
from Cape Barrow was miserably retarded by
furious ~ w. winds, and severe stress OF
weather Winter permanently set IN on the
18th Septcmber; and the next day, to the undls-
gused ioy of the whole party, we re-entered the
Coppernine River, after by far the longest yoy-
age ever performed in boats on the Polar Sea,
Leaving one of our little craft, together with the
remains of the pomican (Which through age
and long exposure was become quite mouidy')
and various other articles, prize to the first
Esouimaux who may visit the Bloody Fail we
assembled the river with our double crew IN iour
DAYS. abandoned our tents, and every thing but
absolute necessares, crossed the barren grounds,
I'M to the knees in snow, having unlnckily iei,
our snow-shoes on the coast, and safely reached
Fort Confidence at dusk on the 24th. Inc nsh,
cries had failed sooner than ever, and we hau
GOOD reason TO congratulate ourselves on not
being doomed to pass third winter within the
Arctic Circle.
After settling with the Indians, literally re
wardine the most deserving, and supplying a.
with ammunition gratuitously, we took our de
parture on the evening Of the 26th, in two IN