At four o'clockp.m.we had advanced five miles, when to our joy we found a lane of open water, which permitted us to cross to the other side of the bay, where we encamped in latitude 68° 51½' N., and longitude 116° 03' W., having sailed in the course of the day eighteen miles and a half. The bay was named Stapylton in honour of Major-General the Honourable G.A.C. Stapylton, Chairman of the Victualling Board; and on ascending a rising ground we perceived that it communicates with a long, narrow lake. A few miles from the coast the land rises from three to five hundred feet above the sea, and presents many precipitous limestone cliffs, and chains of small lakes. The country is very barren, the only plant we gathered being the yellow poppy, (papaver nudicaule.) By our reckoning we were now nearly in the longitude of the mouth of the Coppermine River, but about seventy miles to the northward of it, we, therefore, entertained an opinion that we were coasting a narrow peninsula, and that we should soon have the pleasure of perceiving the coast take a southerly direction. It was, consequently, with some hopes of beholding the sea on the opposite side of the peninsula that I walked seven or eight miles to the eastward in the night, butI was disappointed. In my way I had occasion to wade through a small lake, when two birds, about the size of thenorthern diver, and apparently of that genus, swam, with bold and angry gestures, to within a few yards of me, evidently very impatient of any intruder on their domain. Their necks were of a beautiful pale yellow colour, their bodies black with white specks. I considered them to belong to a species not yet described, and regretted that, having left my gun at the tent, it was not in my power to procure one of them for a specimen.
Friday, 4th.Embarking at threea.m.on the 4th, we found little difficulty in reaching the eastern cape of Stapylton Bay, the wind having formed a narrow channel between the ice and the shore in the night. The temperature was low, and in the morning some new ice was formed which we easily broke. We noticed several eider ducks breaking a way through the thin ice for their young ones with their wings, and in this operation they made greater progress than we did in the boats.
On reaching the cape[11]which was named after Vice-Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope, G.C.B., we descried another point about four or five leagues distant, bearing east-north-east, the intervening bay being filled with closely packed ice. We were now within twelve miles of Cape Young, after a laborious navigation of four times that distance, and the prospect of another bay, equally unpromising, was very vexatious; but our apprehensions were increased by the view of a continuous line of land, extending from north-north-west until it was hid behind the nearer cape, which bore east-north-east, for we feared that it might prove to be a continuation of the main shore. Our crews, though concerned at the delay that so much ice was likely to occasion, set about overcoming the obstacle with a hearty good will, and after an intricate and troublesome navigation of ten or twelve miles amongst the ice, we found the bottom of the bay more open, and were enabled to cross over to the eastern side where we encamped. This bay received the name of the eminent astronomer James South, Esq.
Mr. Kendall having gone to ascertain from the higher ground the trending of the coast, returned in about two hours with the cheering intelligence that the land to the northward was unconnected with the main shore, and that he had seen the latter inclining to the south-east, with a much more open sea than we had lately been accustomed to. As soon as supper was over, I also set out to enjoy the gratifying prospect, and from the extremity of the cape on which we were encamped, and which was named in honour of the Right Honourable Lord Bexley, I beheld the northern land running from north-north-west till it was lost in the horizon on a north 73° east bearing. It seemed to be pretty high but not mountainous; and although broken towards the east, the principal portion of it appeared to be continuous. This island, by far the largest one that was seen, either in the present voyage or on Captain Franklin's former Expedition, was named after that most distinguished philosopher Dr. Hyde Wollaston. The main shore had a direction nearly parallel to Wollaston Land, its most distant point in sight, which I estimated to be fifteen miles off, bearing S. 61° E. On the strait, separating the two shores, I bestowed the names of our excellent little boats, the Dolphin and Union. It varies in width from twelve to twenty miles, and to the eastward seemed to contain merely detached streams of ice, not likely to obstruct the progress of a vessel; but to the westward lay the closely packed ice, filling South's Bay, and extending to seaward. The ice did not, however, entirely close the strait, for I could discern lanes of open water towards Wollaston Land. The packed ice which we had seen lining the coast between Point Clifton and Cape Bexley, may be perhaps considered as an illustration of the remark made by Captain Parry, that the western sides of seas and inlets in those latitudes are more encumbered with ice than the opposite sides; and it is very probable that a ship might have found a passage by keeping along Wollaston Land, an opinion which the appearance of the ice as seen from Cape Bexley, tended to confirm. The latitude of our encampment was 68° 58' N., and its longitude 115° 47' W.; it was within ten miles of our encampment of the preceding night, although we had travelled twenty-five miles in the course of the day.
Saturday, 5th.The party embarked on the 5th, at the usual hour in the morning, with their spirits pleasantly excited by the intelligence of the favourable trending of the coast, communicated by Mr. Kendall, and after doubling Cape Bexley, proceeded under sail, before a west-north-west wind, with a rapidity to which they had lately been unaccustomed. The point of land which Cape Bexley terminates, consists entirely of horizontal beds of limestone, and is nowhere more than three hundred feet above the sea. On the west side, the water is two or three fathoms deep, close to the shore, and the land attains its greatest elevation by a steep rise from the beach. On the east side there are some precipitous cliffs, butthe coast in general is skirted by shelving rocks. No soil was seen on the Cape, nor any appearance of vegetation, the ground being every where covered, to the depth of a foot, by fragments of limestone, which are detached by the frost from the solid strata lying beneath. We were much puzzled at first with the appearance of several parallel trenches, a foot deep, running for a great distance amongst the fragments, but on examination they were ascertained to originate in fissures of the subjacent strata. Much quartz being intermixed with the limestone of Cape Bexley, the fragments which covered the ground had, by the action of the weather, lost most of the softer calcareous matter, and were converted into a kind of rasp, very annoying to pedestrians, being capable of destroying a pair of stout English shoes in a walk of a few hours.
At eleven o'clock we came to a pack of ice abutting against the shore, but while we halted to cook breakfast, the wind opened a way for us. In the course of the morning we passed many heavy streams of ice, separated by lanes of open water, which would have afforded an easy passage for a ship. Having obtained a meridian observation for latitude, we re-embarked, and pulled for five miles through an open channel, to Point Cockburn, on the opposite side of a bay, which appeared to be four or five miles deep, and to be quite filled with drift-ice. Many deer were seen grazing near this point, but we did not stop to send a hunter in pursuit of them. We afterwards crossed several other indentations of the coast, skirted by reefs of limestone and low islets, and encamped on Chantry Island, lying close to the main shore, in latitude 68° 45' N., longitude 114° 23' W., having sailed thirty-nine miles in the course of the day. Two islands, lying opposite to our encampment, received the appellations of Manners Sutton and Sir Robert Liston's Islands. The degree of motion in the ice, which was drifting between these islands and the shore, indicated a stronger current of both flood and ebb than we had hitherto seen.
Sunday, 6th.On the 6th, we commenced the day's voyage at three in the morning, but were compelled to put ashore soon afterwards by a stream of ice barring our way. At six o'clock, however, the flowing tide opened it sufficiently to enable us to push the boats along with poles, our progress being occasionally facilitated by the rocky reefs, which kept the heavier masses from pressing down upon us. Much of the ice lay aground, in nine fathoms, but none of it rose more than five or six feet above the surface of the water. We estimated the velocity of the flood tide, off some of the rocky points, atthree miles an hour, and at such places we had much trouble in endeavouring to keep the boats clear of the drifting ice. The circular motion which the pieces occasionally acquired was particularly difficult to guard against, and had we not depended on the tongues of ice, which, lying deep under water, prevented the upper parts of the floes to which they belonged from coming in contact, we should scarcely have ventured amongst them. We did not, however, entirely escape, for the Dolphin was caught between a floe and a piece that lay aground, and fairly raised out of the water by the pressure, which broke one of her timbers and several of her planks. We put ashore on a small island to repair the damage, and during our stay Mr. Kendall had a meridian observation in latitude 68° 36½' N. Another island, lying about two miles from the main land, was distinguished by the name of Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., Vice-President of the Linnean Society. The sea water there was beautifully clear.
At half-past one, the Dolphin being again rendered sea-worthy, we prosecuted our voyage until fivep.m., when the flood-tide set with such velocity round a rocky point, and brought so much ice with it, that we considered it prudent to put ashore. The violent eddies in the currents there, and the sudden approach and collision of the large masses of ice, reminded us forcibly of the poet's description of Scylla and Charybdis. The length of the day's voyage was twenty-one miles, and our encampment was situated in latitude 68° 32' N., longitude 113° 53' W. The temperature at ninep.m.was 60°.
Mr. Kendall and I took a walk of some miles along the shore, and were happy to observe the coast inclining to the southward, although no doubt now existed as to our accomplishing the voyage sufficiently early to allow us to cross the barren grounds, to the eastward of Great Bear Lake, before the cold weather set in. The flowering season for most of the plants on the coast was already past, but our route for the remainder of the distance to Bear Lake, inclining much to the southward, would naturally have the effect of prolonging to us the duration of the summer. A conspicuous hill, discovered in our walk, received the name of Mount Barrow, in honour of John Barrow, Esq., Secretary to the Admiralty; and two islands in the offing were named after Commanders Bayfield and Douglas, of the Royal Navy, to both of whom the officers of the Expedition were indebted for much assistance and personal kindness, in their progress through Canada. The interior of the country was flat, but the limestone formed cliffs on the shore two hundred feet high. From the form of the islands, Iwas led to believe that they consisted of trap rocks. Wollaston Land, as seen from this encampment, appeared to recede gradually from the main, and it sunk under the horizon, on a north-east bearing. By estimation, the most easterly part of it which we saw, is in latitude 68° 45' N., and longitude 113° 53' W. The navigation of the Dolphin and Union Straits would be dangerous to ships, from the many sunken rocks which we observed near the southern shore.
Monday, 7th.Embarking at twoa.m.on the 7th, we crossed a deeply indented bay, which was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Pasley, of the Royal Engineers, to whose invention we owe the portable boat, named the Walnut-shell, which we carried out with us. On the east side of Pasley Cove there are some bold limestone cliffs, that form the extremity of a promontory, to which we gave the name of Cape Krusenstern, in honour of the distinguished Russian hydrographer. It lies in latitude 68° 23' N., longitude 113° 45' W., and is the most eastern part of the main land which we coasted. From a cliff, two hundred feet high, two miles to the southward of Cape Krusenstern, we had a distinct view of the high land about Inman's Harbour, on the western side of Cape Barrow, which was the most easterly land seen on this voyage, and lies in longitude 111° 20' W. The space between Capes Barrow and Krusenstern is crowded with islands.
By entering George the Fourth's Coronation Gulf at Cape Krusenstern, we connected the discoveries of this voyage with those made by Captain Franklin on his former expedition, and had the honour of completing a portion of the north-west passage, for which the reward of five thousand pounds was established by his Majesty's Order in Council, but as it was not contemplated, in framing the Order, that the discovery should be made from west to east, and in vessels so small as the Dolphin and Union, we could not lay claim to the pecuniary reward.
While the party were at breakfast I visited Mount Barrow, which is a steep hill about three hundred feet high, surrounded by a moat fifty or sixty feet wide and twenty deep, and having a flat summit bounded by precipices of limestone. Three banks, like causeways, afforded the means of crossing the moat, and the hill altogether formed a remarkably complete natural fortification. The Esquimaux had marked most of the prominent points in this quarter, by erecting piles of stones similar to the cairns built for land-marks by the shepherds in Scotland. These erections were occasionally noticed, after doubling Cape Parry, but they were more numerous here. The ice whichwe saw this day was in form of loose streams, and offered no material impediment. Several wreaths of snow lay at the base of the cliffs that had a northern exposure, being the remains of that which had accumulated in the winter.
The latitude 68° 13' N. was observed at noon on a low point which projected from some higher lands. From this point, which was named after Edward H. Locker, Esq., Secretary to the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, we had a view of Cape Hearne, the form of which I thought I recognised from my recollections of it on the former voyage. We reached Cape Hearne in the evening, having in the afternoon skirted a low and indented coast; a bay immediately to the north of it was named after Captain Basil Hall, of the Royal Navy. Cape Hearne itself is a low point, not visible from the mouth of the Coppermine; but the high land behind it, when seen from a distance, appears like a steep promontory, and is that designated as Cape Hearne in Captain Franklin's chart of his former voyage. The latitude of this cape is 68° 11' N., and its longitude 114° 54' W. The length of the day's voyage was forty miles. Many deer were seen here, and Ooligbuck killed a very fine one in the evening. After encamping I went a few miles into the interior, and found that the country was composed of limestone, which rose by a succession of terraces to the height of about three hundred feet above the sea. The heat of the day was considerable, the thermometer, when exposed to the rays of the sun, indicating 86°, without the bulb being blackened, or any other means used to retain the heat.
Tuesday, 8th.Embarking early on the eighth, and passing through several loose streams of ice, some pieces of which were twenty-four feet thick, we landed at nine o'clock on a bold cape to prepare breakfast. It is formed of columnar greenstone, reposing on slaty limestone, and rising precipitously from the sea to the height of three hundred and fifty feet. I named this well marked point Cape Kendall, after my highly esteemed friend and companion, and had the pleasure of pointing out to him, from its summit, the gap in the hills at Bloody Fall, through which the Coppermine River flows. Mr. Kendall having taken the necessary bearings and sketches for the completion of his chart, we descended the hill to announce to the men, that a short traverse would bring us to the mouth of the Coppermine River. As we were aware of the disappointment which often springs from the premature excitement of hope, we had not previously acquainted them with our near approach to the termination of our voyage; fearing that an unfavourable trending ofcoast, or an intervening body of ice, might protract it some days longer than we expected. The gratifying intelligence that we now conveyed to them, was, therefore, totally unexpected, and the pleasure they experienced found vent in heartfelt expressions of gratitude to the Divine Being, for his protection on the voyage. At noon the latitude of Cape Kendall was ascertained to be 67° 58' N., and its longitude by reckoning was 115° 18' W.
Re-embarking, we steered for the mouth of the Coppermine River with the sails set to a fine breeze, plying the oars at the same time, and on rounding Cape Kendall, we opened a magnificent inlet, or bay, rendered very picturesque by the manner in which its lofty cliffs came successively in sight as we crossed its mouth. We distinguished it by the name of our mutual friend and companion Captain Back. One of Couper's Islands, on which we landed, consists of greenstone, rising from the water like steps of a stair; and from its summit we perceived that a low piece of land, which, on the former voyage, had been mistaken for an island, was, in fact, the extremity of Point Mackenzie, and that Richardson River was merely a ravine, now dry.[12]Having reached the mouth of the Coppermine River, we encamped within a hundred yards of the position of the tents on Captain Franklin's former Expedition. Some half-burnt wood, the remains of the fires then made, were still lying on the spot; and I also recognised the Esquimaux stage, which we visited on that occasion, but there were no skins nor utensils on it now.
The completion of our sea voyage so early in the season was a subject of mutual congratulation to us all; and to Mr. Kendall and myself it was highly gratifying to behold our men still fresh and vigorous, and ready to commence the laborious march across the barren grounds, with the same spirit that they had shown in overcoming the obstacles which presented themselves to their progress by sea. We all felt that the comfort and ease with which the voyage had been performed, were greatly owing to the judicious and plentiful provision of stores and food which Captain Franklin had made for us; and gratitude for his care mingling with the pleasure excited by our success, and directing our thoughts more strongly to his party, the most ardent wishes were expressed that they might prove equally fortunate. The correctness of Mr. Kendall's reckoning was another source of pleasure. Having been deprivedof the aid of chronometers, by the breaking of the two intended for the eastern detachment of the Expedition, during the intense winter cold, our only resource for correcting the dead reckoning was lunar observations, made as frequently as opportunities offered; yet when we approached the Coppermine River, Mr. Kendall's reckoning differed from the position of that place, ascertained on Captain Franklin's former Expedition, only twenty seconds of time, or about two miles and a half of distance, which is a very trifling difference when the length of the voyage and the other circumstances are taken into consideration. The distance between Point Separation and the mouth of the Coppermine River, by the route we pursued, is nine hundred and two geographical miles.
In our progress along the coast no opportunity was omitted of noting the times of high-water, and a tide-table drawn up by Mr. Kendall, is given in pages 236, 237. We nowhere observed the rise of the tide to exceed twenty-two inches, and in some places it was not more than eight or nine; but the velocity of the flood and ebb was greater than could have been expected from so small a rise. Off the Alluvial Islands, lying between the outlets of the Mackenzie River and Esquimaux Lake, it was in the strength of the flood about a mile an hour; at Cape Bathurst it exceeded a mile and a half; and in the Dolphin and Union Straits it was fully three miles. The stream of the flood set every where from the eastward.
The variation of the magnetic needle, which was forty-six degrees easterly at Point Separation, attained to 50° at Refuge Cove, 53° at Point Maitland, and 56° at Cape Parry; after which it gradually decreased as we went to the south-east; and at the mouth of the Coppermine, it was 48°.
We saw no ice that would have much impeded a ship, except between Sir George Clerk's Island and Cape Bexley, where it was heavy and closely packed. The appearance, however, of lanes of open water towards Wollaston Land, opposite to Cape Bexley, induced us to think that there might be a good passage for a ship on the outside of the ice, which lined the south shore, and which seems to have been packed into the indentations of the coast by the strong north-west winds that had prevailed for some days. A ship would find shelter amongst the islands of George the Fourth's Coronation Gulf, in Back's Inlet, in Darnley Bay, and amongst Booth's Islands, lying off Cape Parry; but the bottom, at the latter place, is rocky, and there are many sunken rocks along the whole of that coast. To the westward of Cape Parry, we saw no ship harbours, and the many sand-banks skirting the outletsof Esquimaux Lake would render it dangerous for a ship to approach the shore in that quarter. There is such an abundance of drift-timber on almost every part of the coast, that a sufficient supply of fuel for a ship might easily be collected, and wherever we landed on the main shore we found streams or small lakes of fresh water. Should the course of events ever introduce a steam-vessel into those seas, it may be important to know that in coasting the shores between Cape Bathurst and the Mackenzie, fire-wood sufficient for her daily consumption may be gathered, and that near the Babbage River, to the westward of the Mackenzie, a tertiary pitch-coal exists of excellent quality, which Captain Franklin describes as forming extensive beds.
The height to which the drift-timber is thrown up on the shores at the western entrance of the Dolphin and Union Straits is, I think, an indication of an occasional great rise in the sea, which, as the tides are in comparison so insignificant, I can ascribe only to the north-west winds driving the waters of an open sea towards the funnel-shaped entrance of the straits. If this view is correct, Wollaston Land probably extends far to the north, and closely adjoins to Banks' Land, or is connected with it. Captain Parry found the strait between Melville Island and Banks' Land obstructed by ice, and this will naturally be generally the case, both there and in the Dolphin and Union Straits, if they form the principal openings through a range of extensive islands, which run north and south, and bound a large tract of sea, comparatively free from land. The heat of the summer in that quarter seems to be always or almost always sufficient to admit of the ice breaking up, but not powerful enough to dissolve it entirely. Hence the loose ice driven about by the winds, and carried to the lee-side of the wider expanses of sea, is firmly packed in the narrow straits and winding passages amongst the islands, from whence it can be dislodged only by a concurrence of very favourable circumstances, and where the waste by the solar rays is replaced by every breeze blowing from the open sea. The north-west winds being the strongest and most prevalent in the latter part of the summer, it is at the western end of a strait that the ice is most frequently and closely packed. Captain Parry remarks that "there was something peculiar about the south-west extremity of Melville Island, which made the icy sea there extremely unfavourable to navigation, and which seemed to bid defiance to all efforts to proceed farther to the westward in that parallel of latitude." The Dolphin and Union Straits hold out greater prospects of success for a similar attempt, not only from their more southern position, but from the strong current of flood and ebb which flows through them and keeps the ice in motion.
We noticed on the coast about one hundred and seventyphænogamous, or flowering plants, being one-fifth of the number of species which exist fifteen degrees of latitude farther to the southward. The grasses, bents, and rushes, constitute only one-fifth of the number of species on the coast, but the two former tribes actually cover more ground than all the rest of the vegetation. The cruciferous, or cress-like tribes afford one-seventh of the species, and the compound flowers are nearly as numerous. Theshrubby plantsthat reach the sea-coast are the common juniper, two species of willow, the dwarf Birch (betula glandulosa), the common alder, the hippophae, a gooseberry, the red bearberry (arbutus uva ursi), the Labrador tea plant, (ledum palustre,) the Lapland rose (rhododendron lapponicum,) the bog whortleberry (vaccinium uliginosum,) and the crow-berry (empetrum nigrum.) The kidney-leaved oxyria grows in great luxuriance there, and occasionally furnished us with an agreeable addition to our meals, as it resembles the garden sorrel in flavour, but is more juicy and tender. It is eaten by the natives, and must, as well as many of the cress-like plants, prove an excellent corrective of the gross, oily, rancid, and frequently putrid meat, on which they subsist. The small bulbs of the Alpine bistort (polygonum viviparum,) and the long, succulent, and sweet roots of many of theastragaleæ, which grow on the sandy shores, are eatable; but we did not learn that the Esquimaux were acquainted with their use. A few clumps of white spruce-fir, with some straggling black spruces and canoe birches, grow at the distance of twenty or thirty miles from the sea, in sheltered situations, on the banks of rivers.
ABSTRACT of the Meteorological Register, kept by the Eastern Detachment, in their Voyage between the Mouths of the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers.
Meteorological Register, &c.—Concluded.
FOOTNOTES:[9]The appearance of whales on the north coast, nearly midway between the nearest passages into Behring's and Barrow's Straits, and upwards of a thousand miles distant from either, affords subject for interesting speculation. It is known that they must come frequently to the surface to breathe, and the following questions naturally arise:—Are there at all seasons large spaces of open water in the Arctic Seas? or do these animals travel from the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans immediately on the breaking up of the ice off Cape Bathurst, and so early in the season as the middle of July; while the sea, to the eastward and westward, is still covered with ice? if the latter is the fact, it is a very curious part of the natural history of these animals. The Esquimaux informed us, that they are rarely seen when the ice lies close, and in accordance with this remark Captain Franklin saw few to the westward, and we also lost them as we approached the Coppermine River, and met with more ice.[10]Since the above passage was written, the world has had to mourn the loss of this distinguished statesman and philosopher.[11]Its latitude was ascertained by meridional observations to be 68° 58' N.[12]Captain Franklin has since transferred the name of Richardson to the Bay between Point Mackenzie and the mouth of the Coppermine River.
[9]The appearance of whales on the north coast, nearly midway between the nearest passages into Behring's and Barrow's Straits, and upwards of a thousand miles distant from either, affords subject for interesting speculation. It is known that they must come frequently to the surface to breathe, and the following questions naturally arise:—Are there at all seasons large spaces of open water in the Arctic Seas? or do these animals travel from the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans immediately on the breaking up of the ice off Cape Bathurst, and so early in the season as the middle of July; while the sea, to the eastward and westward, is still covered with ice? if the latter is the fact, it is a very curious part of the natural history of these animals. The Esquimaux informed us, that they are rarely seen when the ice lies close, and in accordance with this remark Captain Franklin saw few to the westward, and we also lost them as we approached the Coppermine River, and met with more ice.
[9]The appearance of whales on the north coast, nearly midway between the nearest passages into Behring's and Barrow's Straits, and upwards of a thousand miles distant from either, affords subject for interesting speculation. It is known that they must come frequently to the surface to breathe, and the following questions naturally arise:—Are there at all seasons large spaces of open water in the Arctic Seas? or do these animals travel from the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans immediately on the breaking up of the ice off Cape Bathurst, and so early in the season as the middle of July; while the sea, to the eastward and westward, is still covered with ice? if the latter is the fact, it is a very curious part of the natural history of these animals. The Esquimaux informed us, that they are rarely seen when the ice lies close, and in accordance with this remark Captain Franklin saw few to the westward, and we also lost them as we approached the Coppermine River, and met with more ice.
[10]Since the above passage was written, the world has had to mourn the loss of this distinguished statesman and philosopher.
[10]Since the above passage was written, the world has had to mourn the loss of this distinguished statesman and philosopher.
[11]Its latitude was ascertained by meridional observations to be 68° 58' N.
[11]Its latitude was ascertained by meridional observations to be 68° 58' N.
[12]Captain Franklin has since transferred the name of Richardson to the Bay between Point Mackenzie and the mouth of the Coppermine River.
[12]Captain Franklin has since transferred the name of Richardson to the Bay between Point Mackenzie and the mouth of the Coppermine River.
Ascend the Coppermine River—Abandon the Boats and Stores—Commence the Land Journey—Cross the Copper Mountains and Height of Land—Meet Indians who bring Provisions—Arrive at Great Bear Lake—Detained by want of a Boat—Send out Hunters—Arrival of Beaulieu—Collect the Party, and proceed to Fort Franklin—Conclusion.
Wednesday, 9th.Atfour o'clock in the morning of the 9th of August, we left our encampment at the mouth of the Coppermine River, and proceeded in the boats to Bloody Fall, a distance of about eleven miles. The river was very low, and, in many places, there was scarcely water enough for our boats, which did not draw more than fourteen inches. On the preceding evening an Esquimaux dog had come to our encampment: his meagre aspect showed that he had fared badly, and hunger had rendered him so tame that he readily ate from our hands. After following us a considerable way up the river he left us; and we found, on our arrival at Bloody Fall, that a party of Esquimaux had just quitted that place; probably having discovered us from a distance.
The Coppermine River, for forty miles above Bloody Fall, flows over an uneven stony bed, betwixt precipitous rocky walls, and is full of rapids. It is totally impracticable to ascend it in boats having a greater draught of water than a few inches; and even a small canoe must be frequently carried over land for considerable distances, to avoid the numerous obstacles which occur. It was necessary, therefore, that we should leave at this place the Dolphin and Union, and every thing that was not absolutely necessary for our journey. We determined, however, on taking with us Colonel Pasley's canvass boat, the Walnut-shell, in the hope of its occasionally relieving the men of their burdens for a short time, should any part ofthe river admit of its use. The afternoon was employed in arranging the loads for crossing the barren grounds. Twenty pounds of pemmican were allotted to each man, and the packages of maccaroni, arrow-root, portable-soup, chocolate, sugar, and tea, were equally distributed; together with the nautical almanack, astronomical tables, charts, two fishing nets, the collection of plants, specimens of rocks, and the portable boat, kettles, and hatchets; all of which, with the blankets, spare shoes, guns, and ammunition, made a load of about seventy-two pounds a man. Mr. Kendall undertook to carry the sextant and azimuth-compass; and I took the artificial horizon and a package of paper for drying plants, besides which we each carried a blanket, gun, and ammunition. As I feared that some of the party would over-rate their strength, and, through a desire of saving some favourite article, load themselves too heavily at the outset, which could not fail to prove very injurious to the regularity and speed of our march, I informed them, that, as soon as we were at a convenient distance from our present encampment, I should halt and examine all their bundles.
The boats were drawn up on shore, out of the reach of any flood, and the remainder of the articles, that we had brought to give the Esquimaux, were put into boxes and placed in the tents, that they might be readily found by the first party of that nation that passed this way. They consisted of fish-hooks, lines, hatchets, knives, files, fire-steels, kettles, combs, awls, needles, thread, blue and red cloth, gartering, and beads, sufficient to serve a considerable number of Esquimaux for several years. The tents were securely pitched, and the Union Jack hoisted, partly for the purpose of attracting the attention of the natives, and partly to show them the mode of using the tents, which may prove to be very useful in their summer journeys. That no accident might occur from the natives finding any of our powder, all that we did not require to take with us was thrown into the river.
Thursday, 10th.At six o'clock on the morning of the 10th, after the men had been down to the beach to take a last look of our little boats, we began our march to Bear Lake, intending to keep on the banks of the Coppermine as far as its bend at the Copper Mountains, and to strike from thence straight across the hills for the mouth of Dease's River, which falls into the north-east arm of Bear Lake. We set off at a pretty quick pace, and the first hill, after leaving our encampment, being steep, tried the wind of most of the party, so that the few who had loaded themselves with superfluous articles,were glad to throw them away during a short halt on its summit, and when I examined their packages, at the next resting-place, I found little to reject. A path beaten by the rein-deer and the Esquimaux conducted us down the southern face of this range of hill to the plain beneath, when we halted to prepare breakfast, and to make some further arrangements, as several of the party, being unaccustomed to carry loads, advanced slowly. After breakfast the portable boat was put together, and the baggage being placed in it, we endeavoured to tow it up the river, but found this to be impracticable, owing to the badness of the towing-path, the numerous high cliffs which bound the stream, and the form of the boat, which permitted the water in strong rapids to flow over its bows. This boat was admirably adapted for the purpose for which it was constructed by Colonel Pasley, that of crossing a river or lake, as we had ascertained by previous trials; but we knew that no river, except such as we could ford, could occur on our route to Bear Lake; and I, therefore, determined on leaving it, together with half a bag of arrow-root, and five muskets, by which the loads were reduced about fifteen pounds a man. The march was then resumed with alacrity, and, notwithstanding that the day was hot and sultry, we proceeded with greater speed and satisfaction. Mr. Kendall walked at the head of the line at a steady pace, halting for five minutes every half hour to rest the party, and prevent straggling. At five we encamped, having marched about six miles in a direct line. The route throughout the journey was regulated, from time to time, by our taking the bearing of a distant hill, or other conspicuous object, by the compass, and walking directly for it; and the distance was estimated by noting the time and guessing the rate of our march. Of this, which was in general a little more than two miles an hour, previous practice had enabled us to judge so correctly, that the estimate seldom erred more than a mile a day. The error, whatever it was, was always corrected at noon, when the latitude was observed, and the course and distance were then calculated anew.
During the day several small herds of rein-deer were seen, but I would not permit any one to leave the line of march to go in pursuit of them; after encamping, however, M'Leay killed a fine buck. A solitary stunted spruce-fir grew near our encampment, and the most northerly clump on the river was seen about two miles to the southward. When supper was over and a watch set, we stretched ourselves on the ground, and soon sunk into sound sleep. The temperature at sunset was 62°.
Friday, 11th.Setting out on the 11th, at six in the morning, we halted to breakfast at nine, and Mr. Kendall took an observation at noon, in latitude 67° 33' N. We encamped at half past fivep.m.amongst some small pines. The day was fine, and a fresh easterly wind rendered it agreeable for walking; but the men were much annoyed by their burdens, and appeared jaded when we halted for the night. Their loads could not have exceeded fifty-two pounds each, but the frequent ascent and descent in crossing the small hills that lay in our way, and the occasional sponginess of the ground, and insecurity of footing, rendered marching much more laborious than it would have been on a hard English highway. The direct distance travelled this day was about twelve miles. We saw many gray Arctic marmots (Arctomys Parryi,) sporting near their burrows, and a little terrier dog, which had been our fellow voyager from England, showed much dexterity in cutting off their retreat, and succeeded in catching several of them. The dog's long confinement in the boat rendered the exercise he now took very fatiguing, and when we halted for the night he was the most tired of the party. Many young rein-deer were also seen, and after we encamped Ooligbuck killed one. The temperature in the evening was 50°, but the night was cold.
Saturday, 12th.Our march on the 12th was rendered pleasant by a cool northerly breeze, and the men being now familiar with their loads, which had also suffered some diminution by the preceding evening's repast, we made a more rapid progress. The length of the march was seventeen miles, being, exclusive of the half hourly halts and the time occupied by breakfast, at the rate of two miles and a half an hour. In the course of the day we crossed several ridges of the Copper Mountains to avoid a bend of the river. The Whisky-John (corvus Canadensis) visited our encampment in the evening for the first time since we left the Mackenzie.
Sunday, 13th.On the 13th, commencing the day's march at fivea.m., we walked along the banks of the river until nine, when we halted to prepare breakfast, at the place where Captain Franklin encamped on the 11th of July 1821. After breakfast we forded the small stream, on the banks of which several pieces of native copper and some copper ore were found on the former Expedition. A quantity of ice formed by snow, consolidated by the oozing of the stream, still remained in the bed of this rivulet.
At noon the latitude was observed in 67° 13' N., and as we were now on the spot where the Coppermine makes the nearest approach to the north-east arm of Bear Lake, we decided on striking directly from this place to the mouth of Dease's River, and the course and distance were accordingly calculated. Our route lay over rocks of old red sandstone, clay-slate, and greenstone disposed in ridges, which had a direction from E.S.E. to W.N.W. The sides of many of the ridges were precipitous, and their uneven and stony summits were two hundred or two hundred and fifty feet high. The valleys were generally swampy and abounded in small lakes. A few scattered and thin clumps of pines existed in the more sheltered spots, but the country was, in general, naked. Several burrows of wolves were seen in the mountains. We crossed two small streams in the course of the day, flowing towards the Coppermine, and encamped at fourp.m.on the banks of a small lake. Sand-flies, the first we had seen this season, were numerous and troublesome in the evening, the temperature then being 53°.
Monday, 14th.Setting out at fivea.m.on the 14th, we halted to breakfast at nine, after a pretty brisk walk through a country entirely destitute of wood. Some partridges, which were so tame as to be easily killed with stones, furnished us with an agreeable variety of diet. A meridional observation was obtained in latitude 67° 10' N. In endeavouring to get round the south end of a small chain of lakes, which lay in our route, we were stopped by a narrow stream about six feet deep, flowing from them towards the Coppermine River; but, on sounding the lake a little way from the head of the stream, we found that it was fordable without difficulty. We marched to a late hour in search of fuel to cook some deer's meat, which M'Leay had procured in the course of the day, and were fortunate in at length finding a wooded valley on the banks of a small stream, that fell into the chain of lakes which we had crossed. It is probably this river, and chain of lakes, that the Indians ascend from the Coppermine River in canoes to the height of land which they cross on their route to Bear Lake.[13]The ridges of hill over which we marched on this day consisted of spotted sandstone and porphyry. The temperature in the evening was 47°, and the night was frosty. Two white wolves took a survey of our bivouack, but did not venture within gun-shot.
Tuesday, 15th.Starting on the 15th at five o'clock, we marched until eight, when we halted to breakfast. The air felt very cold, although the thermometer wasnot below 39°. In the early part of the day we crossed some ridges of sandstone, and towards noon we travelled over granite, similar to that which abounds in the neighbourhood of Fort Enterprize. Much wood was seen in a valley far to the westward, but the hills over which our course lay were quite naked. The bog whortleberry (vaccinium uliginosum,) however, grew abundantly on these hills, and as its fruit was now in the highest perfection, the men at every resting-place threw themselves down, and indulged freely, without sustaining any injury.
In the afternoon our route was over nearly horizontal strata of spotted sandstone and conglomerate. About three o'clock we had gained the summit of the height of land separating the Coppermine River from Great Bear Lake, and obtained from it an extensive view of a lower and well wooded country; but all the grounds in our immediate neighbourhood consisted of barren sandstone strata. After looking in vain for a comfortable sleeping-place, as the night threatened to be stormy, and a moist and cold fog was setting in, we were obliged to content ourselves with building a rude shelter with blocks of sandstone; and to use for firing a black lichen (cornicularia divergens,) which, fortunately, grew plentifully in the crevices of the rock. The distance walked this day was about fourteen miles. We had no meridional observations, because the sky was obscured.
We had supped, and most of the men had retired to rest, when Mr. Kendall, in sweeping the horizon with his telescope, saw three Indians coming down a hill, and directing their steps towards us. More moss was immediately thrown on the fire, and the St. George's ensign hoisted on the end of a musquet, to point out to the comers who we were; but as they hid the youngest of their number in a ravine, at the foot of the hill, and the two seniors seemed to approach slowly and with suspicion, Mr. Kendall and I went unarmed to meet them. They came up, one with his bow and arrows in his hand, and the other with his gun cocked; but as soon as they recognised our dress, which was the same that I had worn in our voyage round Bear Lake, the preceding autumn, when I had seen most of the Hare Indian tribe, they shouted in an ecstasy of joy, shook hands most cordially with us, and called loudly for the young lad to come up. The meeting was no less gratifying to us: these people had brought furs and provisions to Fort Franklin in the winter, and they now seemed to be friends come to rejoice with us on the termination of our voyage. We learned from them, partly by signs, and partly from the littlewe understood of their language, that by the advice of It-chinnah, the Hare Indian Chief, they had been hunting for some time in this neighbourhood, in the hopes of falling in with us on our way from the sea; that they would give us all the provision they had collected, accompany us to Bear Lake, and warn all the Indians in the neighbourhood of our arrival. They appeared much surprised, when, placing the compass on the ground, we showed them the exact bearing of the mouth of Dease's River; and they were not able to comprehend how we knew the way in a quarter through which we had never travelled. They said, however, that they would conduct us in the morning to the Indian portage road, where we would have better walking than by keeping the direct route across the hills. We had reserved but little that we could present to these kind people, though every one contrived to muster some small article for them, which they gratefully received. They were dressed, after the manner of their tribe, with fillets of deer-skin round their heads and wrists, and carried in their hands a pair of deer's horns and a few willow twigs, which are all serviceable in enabling them to approach the rein-deer, in the way described by Mr. Wentzel in the Narrative of Captain Franklin's former voyage.
Ooligbuck, who had gone out to hunt, returned in the night. He met an Indian who had just killed a deer with an arrow, and had tried to persuade him to come to us; but neither of them understood the other's language, and the Indian, probably terrified by the sight of an Esquimaux armed with a gun, presented him with a piece of the deer's meat, and then made off in an opposite direction. Many of the Hare Indians abstain from visiting the forts for several years, and it is possible that this one had not heard of us, or at least had not received a distinct account of our intention of returning his way, and of our having an Esquimaux with us. Our Indian friends told us that they did not know that any of their countrymen were hunting in the direction which Ooligbuck pointed out.
Wednesday, 16th.On the 16th a thick fog prevented us from quitting our bivouack until seven o'clock, when the Indians led us down the hill about a mile to the portage road, and we resumed the precise line of march that we had followed from the Coppermine River, (S. 63° W.) Such of our Highlandmen as had been in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and, consequently knew from experience the difficulty of travelling through a country without guides, could not help expressing their surprise at the justness of the course we had followed. We had not concealed from them, that fromwant of observations, or from the difficulty of estimating the distance walked, we might err a mile or two in our reckoning, so that they were prepared, on our reaching Bear Lake, to turn a little to the right or left in search of the river; but they had scarcely hoped to have reached that point without having to perform a single mile of unnecessary walking.
The portage-road conducted us in a short time to the principal branch of Dease's River, on the banks of which, at the distance of six miles from our encampment, we halted to breakfast. The stream there receives another branch, but it is fordable without difficulty, being nowhere much above knee-deep. A little way further to the westward, however, it is less rapid, and forms frequent lake-like expansions. Our march from last night's encampment was over sandstone rocks, and down a pretty rapid ascent. The ground was barren in the extreme, except at our breakfasting place, where there was a convenient clump of wood and a profusion of whortleberries. Having finished this meal, we resumed the march, with the intention of halting a few miles further on, that our Indian friends might rejoin us with their provision, which lay in store to the southward of our route. We therefore encamped at half past two o'clock in a pleasant pine clump, and immediately set fire to a tree to apprize the Indians of our situation. They arrived at sunset, heavily laden with tongues, fat, and half-dried meat; and M'Leay also killed two deer after we encamped, so that we revelled in abundance. The length of the day's journey was fourteen miles, and the estimated distance of the mouth of Dease's River twenty miles.
Thursday, 17th.The provisions obtained from the Indians being distributed amongst the men, we commenced the march at five o'clock in the morning, and walked, until the usual breakfasting hour, over a piece of fine level ground. A range of sandstone hills rose on our left, and the river ran nearly parallel to our course on the right, but we walked at the distance of one or two miles from it, to avoid its windings and the swampy grounds on its borders. Pine-trees grow only in small detached clumps on its south bank; but the uneven valley, which we saw spreading for ten or twelve miles to the northward, was well wooded. The Needagazza Hills, which lie on the north shore of the Bear Lake, closed the view to the westward. Several columns of smoke were seen to the westward, and one to the southward; the latter, the Indians informed us, was made by It-chinnah. We breakfasted on the banks of a small stream, where the whortleberry bushes were loaded with fruit of a finer flavour than any we had previouslymet with. At noon we crossed a hill, on the summit of which Mr. Kendall had an observation, that placed it in 66° 58' of north latitude. Our route afterwards led us across several deep ravines close to the river, which there runs by the base of some lofty cliffs, of light red sandstone, and we pushed on in great spirits, and at a rapid pace, with the intention of reaching Bear Lake that evening; but the Indians complaining that they were unable to keep up with us, we halted at threep.m.Several trees were then set on fire to apprize It-chinnah and his party of our approach; and, after supper, I went to the summit of a hill, and readily recognised the islands in Dease's Bay of Bear Lake, from their peculiar form and disposition.
Friday, 18th.Setting out at threea.m.on the 18th, the Indians conducted us over a rising ground, covered with white spruces, to a bay of the Great Bear Lake, about a mile from Dease's River. After breakfast, our stock of provisions being examined, it was found that we had two days' allowance remaining. A party was next sent to Dease's River to make a raft for setting the two nets, and they were also directed to look for traces of Beaulieu and his party. He had been ordered by Captain Franklin to leave the fort on the 6th of August, and to make the best of his way to the rendezvous, where he was to remain to the 20th of September. The length of his voyage, allowing for two or three days detention by adverse winds, was not expected to exceed seven or eight days, nor to be protracted, under any circumstances, beyond ten or twelve. We had, therefore, reason to suppose that he might have reached Dease's River by this time. He was fully aware of the inconvenience that we might experience, should we reach the appointed spot and find no provisions there; and to stimulate him to make as much haste as possible, I had promised him a fowling-piece, on condition that we found him waiting for us on our arrival. Huts were made to sleep in, and several trees set on fire to point out our position to the Indians in the neighbourhood.
Saturday, 19th.The mossy ground near our encampment caught fire in the night, and the flames spread so rapidly that we were obliged on the morning of the 19th, to move to the banks of the river, where we made new huts. Owing to the loss of a hatchet in driving the stakes, only one net had been set the preceding evening, and in it we took eight carp. The raft being made of green wood was not sufficiently buoyant, and a new one was, therefore, constructed this day of dried timber. The carp afforded a breakfast for the party, and supper consumed all our deer's meat, togetherwith a portion of the remainder of the pemmican. The young Indian went off in the afternoon in quest of It-chinnah's party. A strong easterly wind blowing all this day, was adverse to Beaulieu's advance.
Sunday, 20th.On Sunday, the 20th, prayers were read, and thanks returned to the Almighty for his gracious protection and the success which had attended our voyage. The nets yielding seventeen pike, carp, and white fish, provided an ample breakfast for the party, and before supper time the young Indian returned with two of his countrymen, bringing meat sufficient for three days consumption. Part of it was the flesh of the musk-ox, which was fat and juicy, but had a high musky flavour. We had seen none of these animals on our march from the Coppermine River, although we frequently noticed their foot marks. Frequent squalls during the day brought much rain, but the huts which we had made of pine branches kept us dry. We could not but consider ourselves fortunate in having had no rain in the journey overland, when there was not sufficient wood to afford us the shelter we now experienced.
Monday, 21st.On the 21st the nets yielded sixteen fish, which were enough for breakfast. Mr. Kendall crossed the river on a raft, and went to the top of a hill to the westward to look for Beaulieu; and, by way of keeping the men employed, I sent M'Leay and some of our best hunters in quest of deer, and set the carpenter and the remainder of the party to make oars. Our Indian friends left us to warn some more of their countrymen, of our situation, and five others arrived in the evening, bringing meat and large basketfuls of whortleberries. M'Leay and the other hunters returned without having seen any deer.
To secure a stock of provision for our journey to the fort, in the event of any accident preventing the arrival of the boat, I resolved to send half the party on a distant excursion, and on the 22nd,Tuesday, 22nd.Gillet, M'Leay, M'Duffie, M'Lellan, and Ooligbuck, were despatched to hunt in the neighbourhood of Limestone Point, on the north shore of the lake, with orders not to extend their excursions beyond Haldanes River, which falls into the lake about sixty miles to the westward of Dease River. If they went on to Haldanes River, they were to set up a mark on Limestone Point, that I might know whether they had passed or not. They took with them a small supply of provision, and an Indian guide. In the evening two Indians came with more meat. They were desirous of being paid with ammunition, which they much needed, but we had none to give them, and they cheerfully took our notes of hand for payment, on their arrival at the fort in the winter.
Wednesday, 23rd.The 23d day of August having passed away like the four preceding ones, in anxious expectation of Beaulieu's arrival, I began to apprehend that some serious accident had happened to his boat, and to fear that we should be obliged to walk round the Lake to the Fort. The distance exceeding three hundred miles, we could not expect to accomplish it in less than three weeks, and not without much fatigue and suffering, for the men's stock of shoes was nearly exhausted, their clothing ill adapted for the frosty nights that occur in September, and deer do not frequent, at this season, much of the country through which our route lay. I naturally looked forward to such a march with uneasiness, yet, as the season was drawing to a close, I determined not to delay setting out beyond the 28th, when I intended to engage some Indians as guides, and to take with us as much dried meat as we could carry. The wind blew from the south-west this day, and we were much tormented by sand-flies.
Thursday, 24th.On the evening of the 24th, as we were about to retire to bed, having given up all hopes of Beaulieu's arrival that day, we heard people talking in the direction of the mouth of the river, and soon afterwards saw a boat and several canoes. A musket being fired to show them our position, they steered for the encampment, and landed opposite to the huts. They proved to be Beaulieu's party, consisting of four Canadians, four Chipewyan hunters, and ten Dog-Ribs, which, with their wives and children, amounted to about thirty in all. We learnt from Beaulieu, that he had been sent off from the Fort by Mr. Dease, on the 6th, with strict injunctions to proceed to the rendezvous with his utmost speed; but he pleaded the badness of the weather and the adverse winds as the cause of his delay. He had not seen the five men I sent off on the 22d, though he had noticed a fire in a bay near Limestone Point, which I had no doubt was made by them; I therefore embarked directly to rejoin them at that place, accompanied by Mr. Kendall and the remainder of our party, two of the Canadians, and an Indian named the Babillard; directing Beaulieu to stay at the huts until he heard from us again. We rowed all night, and soon after day-break reached the spot where the fire had been made, but found no marks to indicate which way our men had gone: neither was there any mark at Limestone Point; I therefore caused a large fire to be made at the latter place, and remained there the whole day.
Saturday, 26th.Our people not appearing on the 26th, I returned in the boat to Dease River, leaving Mr. Kendall and the Babillard at Limestone Point. Beaulieu had seen nothing of the absentees, and it was therefore evident that they had gone on to Haldane River, whither I resolved to proceed in search of them; but that they might not suffer from want of food, if by any chance we missed them, I directed Beaulieu's party to remain where they were, until I sent them permission to depart by two Canadians, whom I took with me on purpose in a small canoe. Mr. Dease had directed Beaulieu to go to M'Tavish Bay to hunt deer, and dry meat for the fort, as soon as we arrived; and as the boat was well adapted for carrying dried provision, I now exchanged it with his north canoe.
Sunday, 27th.We rejoined Mr. Kendall at Limestone Point at day-break on the morning of the 27th, and afterwards paddled along the coast until twop.m., when a strong head-wind obliged us to put ashore. As soon as we landed, I set out with the Babillard for Haldane River, carrying a small quantity of pemmican, lest the people should be in want of food; and after a walk, or rather a run, of five miles, I had the happiness of finding them all well, and with plenty of provisions, as they had killed six deer. Their Indian guide had taken them a little inland, by which they had missed Limestone Point; but they were very sorry it had so happened, when they learned the anxiety they had occasioned to Mr. Kendall and myself, by their not erecting the mark there as they had been directed to do. The wind moderating after sunset, Mr. Kendall joined us with the two canoes, so that the party was again happily reunited.Monday, 28th.On Monday the 28th, I sent back the small canoe with the Babillard and two Canadians, to join Beaulieu, and proceed with the rest of the party in the larger canoe to Fort Franklin, where we arrived on Friday, the 1st of September, and received a warm welcome from Mr. Dease, after an absence of seventy-one days, during which period we had travelled by land and water one thousand seven hundred and nine geographical, or nineteen hundred and eighty statute miles.
Having now brought the Narrative of the proceedings of the Eastern Detachment to a conclusion, the pleasing duty remains of expressing my gratitude to the party for their cheerful and obedient conduct. Not a murmur of discontent was heard throughout the voyage, but every individual engaged with alacrity in the laborious tasks he was called upon to perform. Where all behaved with the greatest zeal, it would be invidious to particularize any; and I am happy in having it in my power to add, that since our return to England, Gillet, Fuller and Tysoe, who were in His Majesty's service previous to their being employed on the Expedition, have been rewarded by promotion. Our good-natured and faithful Esquimaux friend Ooligbuck, carried with him to his native lands the warmest wishes and esteem of the whole party. His attachment to us was never doubtful, even when we were surrounded by a tribe of his own nation.
The general abilities and professional skill of my companion, Lieutenant Kendall, are duly appreciated in higher quarters, and can derive little lustre from any eulogium from me; but I cannot deny myself the gratification of recording my deep sense of the good fortune and happiness I experienced in being associated with a gentleman of such pleasing manners, and one upon whose friendly support and sound judgment I could with confidence rely, on occasions of difficulty and doubt inseparable from such a voyage.
End of Dr. Richardson's Narrative of the Proceedings of the Eastern Detachment.
TABLE of the distances travelled by both Branches of the Expedition, and of the extent of their Discoveries in 1827.
TABLE of Times of High Water, reduced to Full and Change, by E.N. Kendall, Lieutenant, R.N.