CAPTAIN M'CLURE's DESPATCHES. 23 



before near our dirt-heap, nor were there any traces of him about the 

 ship. I therefore determined to send a party to the S.W., the only 

 direction we had no travellers, to satisfy myself upon the subject. 

 Accordingly, at 6 p.m. on the 22nd, Lieutenant Cressvvell and his party, 

 completed with two fresh hands, were agahi dispatched with provisions 

 until June 10. 



Upon the 24th the above mystery was satisfactorily solved. Some 

 men, in pursuit of a bear about half a mile from the ship, picked up a 

 preserved meat-tin, with articles in it identical with those found in the 

 stomach of the bear killed on the 2lst; the foot-prints of the animal 

 were likewise abundant on the snow. This evidence was })erfectly 

 conclusive as to the locality where bruin had obtained his dainties. 

 This being the anniversary of the birthday of Her Most Gracious 

 Majesty, a Royal salute was fired, and the colours displayed, in 

 celebration of the event. 



29th. — Lieutenant Haswell and party returned, all in the most 

 perfect health, having traced the coast towards WoUaston Land, to lat. 

 70° 38' N., long., 115° W., from which point, the day being remark- 

 ably clear, he observed the outline of land to the distance of full 40 

 miles trending to the S.W., but having advanced 25 days, he considered 

 it prudent to proceed no further. Two large inlets and a deep bay 

 were examined, besides an archipelago of small islands along the northern- 

 most shore of the southernmost inlet, which is high, bold, and stratified, 

 each inlet trending to the E.N.E. from 80 to 90 miles. The whole 

 coast was strewn with driftwood, and many vestiges of Esquimaux 

 encampments were met with, but of a very old date. Upon returning 

 he was most surprised to find a party, consisting of 18 natives, 

 encamped upon the ice, a few miles from the N.W. point of the 

 northernmost inlet, in quest of seals. They were very friendly and 

 well-disposed, but, not understanding each other, no information 

 could be obtained. They exchanged a few presents, and upon that 

 day week he arrived on board, having remained out his 42 days, 

 thereby fulfilling his instructions to the letter. Li consequence of the 

 above, I immediately decided upon proceeding to these people, for the 

 purpose of obtaining information that might determine the question 

 relating to the Prince Albert's, Wollaston, and Victoria Lands, as to 

 their forming part of the American continent, or whether each was an 

 island ; therefore, taking Mr. Miertsching (our invaluable interpreter), 

 and 12 days' provisions, at 6 p.m. we started, and early on June 3rd 

 fell in with them, about 10 miles to the northward of the point where 

 they were first met with. They conversed freely with the interpreter, 

 giving every information we required relative to the trending of the 

 coast as far as they knew, which was some distance along Victoria 

 Land ; this they did by tracing upon a large sheet of paper, which I 

 brought for that purpose, continuing a sketch which Mr. Miertsching 

 had made from the ship to their tents, which they immediately compre- 

 hended, and, as they were very particular in placing the islands of 

 Sutton and Liston, with three smaller ones not mentioned in the 

 chart, off Wollaston Laud, i am fully persuaded of its correctness, and 

 only regretted that they could not go further (a tracing of which accom- 

 panies this narrative). They describe a large land opposite Wollaston, 

 called ** Nunavaksaraluk ;" this, of course, is America, to which they 

 had never been, as they only trade with the Esquimaux to the S.E., 



