CAPTAIN m'CLURE'S DESPATCHES. 39 



most opportune, as our reindeer "svere expended last week. Two Esqui- 

 maux huts upon a small islet in the centre of the bay, and the site of 

 an encampment on a peaked hill on the western shore of the mainland, 

 are the only indications we have met with of that extraordinary and 

 hardy people having at some period long past inhabited this coast. We 

 have now discovered traces of them upon all sides of this island ; but 

 where are they gone ? for certainly there is not one upon it at present, 

 or why should they have quitted an island so abounding throughout 

 the entire year with game, except, as the Esquimaux interpreter 

 observes, there may be a great paucity of seals, without which luscious 

 food they cannot exist ; and this may be the reason, as we have seen 

 very few. 



During the month of July the little thaw, which a temperature falling 

 to 31° every night and rising only to 39° and 42° in the day could 

 effect, has not been much ; but the water draining from the land, rotted 

 the ice round the entire bay, and detached it from 1 00 to 300 yards 

 from the shore, so that it has power to move, and only requires open 

 water in the offing to allov/ of its going out, which joyful event we 

 entertained hopes of realizing, as upon the 1 0th of August some lanes 

 of water were observed to seaward, and along the cliffs of Banks's 

 Land there was a clear space of six miles in width, extending along 

 them as far as the eye could reach from the north-west hills, at an 

 elevation of 1,000 feet; and on the 12th the x^ind, which had been for 

 some time from the northward, veered to the south, which had the 

 effect of separating the sea ice from that of the bay entirely across the 

 entrance ; but, shortly shifting to the north, it closed again, and never 

 after moved. On the 20th the temperature fell to 27", when the entire 

 bay was completely frozen over, and on the 27th to 19°, so that the 

 whole aspect was cheerless in the extreme, the young ice being two- 

 and-a-half inches thick, so that the whole bay might be safely peram- 

 bulated ; indeed, the summer was fairly gone, for the uplands were all 

 snow-covered, the wild fowl all departed, and the flowers, which gave 

 cheerful variety to this bleak land, were all withered. The very season 

 might be considered as one long sunless day, as since the latter part of 

 May that luminary had been scarcely visible, or his influence felt, upon 

 those icy masses which block Barrow's Strait entirely across ; nor do I 

 imagine that the Polar Sea had broken up that season, as not a drop of 

 water had been seen in that direction. During July, and the early 

 part of August, the crew were daily employed gathering sorrel, of which 

 there was a great quantity upon the hills in this vicinity, and, eaten as 

 a salad, with vinegar, or boiled, when it resembled spinach, it was found 

 a most admirable an ti- scorbutic, and a great benefit to all, being exceed-, 

 ingly relished ; but that hardy and miserable herbage could not with- 

 stand this rigorous summer bevond the 15th of the month. For 



CD %/ 



several days the ice had been perfectly stationary and no water visible 

 in any direction, that along the cliffs of Banks's Land being frozen, so 

 that I felt assured that the winter had fairly set in, and all hopes of any 

 release this year were totally annihilated, the young ice being five 

 inches thick. Having previously determined what course I should 

 adopt under circumstances thus unfavourable, upon the 8th of Sep- 

 tember I amiounced my intentions to the crew of sending half of 

 them to England next April, with all the officers not in charge of 



