PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 351 



ed by this memoir, to survey and examine as much chap. 

 of the coast as possible before Captain Franklin ar- v —- v** 

 rived, no time was lost in preparing the ship for sea, 18 u 2 6. 

 which it required only a little time to effect. 



On the 28th Mr. Elson returned from the exami- 

 nation -of the opening we discovered on the north 

 side of Kotzebue Sound, and reported the water at 

 the entrance to be so shallow that the barge could 

 not enter. The inlet was of considerable width, and 

 extended thirty or forty miles in a broad sheet of 

 water, which at some distance up was fresh. This 

 was ascertained by landing in the sound to the east- 

 ward of the opening, at which place it was found 

 that the inlet approached the sea within a mile and 

 a half. The time to which it was necessary to limit 

 Mr. Elson prevented his doing more than ascertain- 

 ing that this opening was navigable only by small 

 boats ; and by the water being quite fresh, that it 

 could not lead to any sea beyond. 



The Esquimaux in the inlet were more numerous 

 than we supposed, but were very orderly and well 

 behaved. When the barge anchored off a low sandy 

 point, on which they had erected their summer habi- 

 tations and fishing stakes, she was surrounded by 

 fourteen baidars, containing 150 men ; which, consi- 

 dering the crew of the barge only amounted to eight 

 men and two officers,was a superiority of strength that 

 might well have entitled them to take liberties, had 

 they been so disposed, armed as they usually are with 

 bows and arrows, spears, and a large knife strapped 

 to their thigh : but so far from this being the case, 

 they readily consented to an arrangement, that only 

 one baidar at a time should come alongside to dis- 

 pose of her goods, and then make way for another : 



