358 VOYAGE TO THE 



wide, extending from the hills to the sea, composed 

 of elastic bog earth, intersected by small streams, on 

 mo. the edges of which the buttercup, poppy, blue-bell, 

 pedicularis, vaccinium, saxifrages, and some cruci- 

 form plants* throve very well ; in other parts, how- 

 ever, the vegetation was stinted, and consisted only 

 of lichens and mosses. There were here some low 

 mud cliffs frozen so hard that it required consider- 

 able labour to dig fifteen inches to secure the end of 

 the post that was erected. 



Mr. Elson, in command of the barge, was now 

 furnished with a copy of the signals drawn up by 

 Captain Franklin and myself, and directed to pro- 

 ceed close along the shore to the northward, vigi- 

 lantly looking out for boats, and erecting posts and 

 landmarks in the most conspicuous places for Cap- 

 tain Franklin's guidance, and to trace the outline of 

 the beach. He was also desired to explore the coast 

 narrowly, and to fill in such parts of it as could not 

 be executed in the ship, and instructed where to 

 rendezvous in case of separation. 



We then steered along the coast, which took a 

 north-westerly direction, and at midnight passed a 

 range of hills terminating about four miles from the 

 sea, which must be the Cape Mulgrave of Captain 

 Cook, who navigated this part of the coast at too 

 great a distance to see the land in front of the hills, 

 which is extremely low, and after passing the Mul- 

 grave Range, forms an extensive plain intersected 

 by lakes near the beach ; these lakes are situated so 

 close together that by transporting a small boat from 

 one to the other, a very good inland navigation, if 



* The botany of this part of the coast is published in the Flora 

 Americana of Dr. Hooker. 



