﻿1848. CAPE BATHURST. 269 



a heap by the Eskhnos, and the pole was part of 

 it, we hung up some articles of value to them by 

 way of payment, in the hope that it would cause 

 them to respect the signal-post. In the meantime 

 our crews Avere preparing breakfast, and we had 

 just finished this meal, when we saw some Eskimos 

 from the cape running towards us. They had 

 evidently been watching us, and came in the ex- 

 pectation of receiving some additional articles ; nor 

 were they disappointed. The soil here was thawed 

 to the depth of fourteen inches. The deposit was 

 made about five miles from the extreme point of 

 Cape Bathurst. 



Many black whales and two white ones were 

 seen this morning. The eider ducks had now 

 assembled in immense flocks, and with the brent 

 geese were migrating to the westward. Both these 

 water-fowl follow the coast-line in their migrations 

 on the Pacific as well as the Atlantic sides of the 

 Continent. The eiders are only accidental visitors 

 in the interior, and the brents are not seen inland 

 to the eastward of Peel's River ; but Mr. Murray 

 informs me that in their northerly flight they follow 

 the valley of the Yukon, thus cutting across the 

 projecting angle of Russian America. 



The surface of the country in the vicinity of 

 Cape Bathurst is level or gently undulated, and 

 the sea cliffs are in many places nearly precipitous, 



