332 COMMUNICATIONS WITH NATIVES. [1850. 



August 9. Passed the Colville, about forty miles from its entrance, 

 in three fathoms and a half. 



August 11. Deposited a notice upon Jones's Island, which was 

 thickly strewed with drift wood ; in the forenoon two baidars, contain- 

 ing twenty-four natives, came alongside. The chief possessed a gun, 

 with " Barnet, 1840," on the lock, obtained from the Russians. Bar- 

 tered tobacco for salmon and ducks. In the afternoon communicated 

 with another party, who were exceedingly intelligent and clean. Sent 

 despatches for the Admiralty, mil Colville, and from what the interpre- 

 ter states, believe that they will arrive. 



August 12. Several baidars canie alongside, received fish and clucks 

 for presents of beads and tobacco; these are adroit pilferers. Ban 

 upon a shoal eight miles north of Yarborough Inlet, having, during the 

 last two days, narrowly escaped several of these dangerous banks, 

 which are very little above the water, and hidden from view by the ice. 

 Hove off with stream anchor, but unfortunately upset a whale-boat, 

 and lost eleven casks of beef, having to carry sail to prevent being 

 again set on shore. 



August 15. Found it impracticable to get two miles in any direc- 

 tion, the ice having closed from the northward, resting on the shoals 

 in that direction, and to the southward on the low banks which we 

 grounded upon yesterday. Anchored to await some favourable change. 



August 16. Ice to northward of shoals having slightly eased, leaving 

 about a hundred and fifty yards of open water ; weighed, and warped 

 through two cables' length of ice to get into it, which occupied six 

 hours of hard labour, so heavy was the pack. 



Aityust 17. Noon. The weather, which had been foggy, cleared, 

 with a breeze from the north-east, made sail through heavy sailing ice, 

 occasionally striking violently. Navigation along this coast very dan- 

 gerous, the sand-banks being low and numerous. Lat. 70 30' N., 

 long. 148 4' W. 



August 21. Made the Felly Islands, off the Mackenzie; since the 

 17th have encountered very heavy ice; ran ninety miles into a bight, 

 which brought us to the solid pack : fortunately we were enabled to 

 run out of it before it closed. 



August 24. Observed some huts a little to the westward of Point 

 Wan-en ; sent despatches for the Admiralty, with the hopes of their 

 being forwarded by the Hudson's Bay Company. This tribe however 

 have no traffic with them, but barter with others further west that 

 trade with the Colville, giving as their reasons, that the Hudson's Bay 



