1S6 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



N.bE. to N.E.bN. Towards the east the land 

 was Hke a chain of islands, the ice surrounded 

 the islands apparendy in a compact body, leaving 

 a channel between its edge and the main of about 

 three miles. The water in this channel was of 

 a clear green colour, and decidedly salt. Mr. 

 Hearne could have only tasted it at the mouth of 

 the river, when he pronounced it to be merely 

 brackish. A rise and fall of four inches in the 

 water was observed. The shore is strewed with 

 a considerable quantity of drift timber, which is 

 principaUy of the wood of the populus balsamifera, 

 but none of it of great size. We also picked up 

 some decayed wood far out of the reach of the 

 water. A few stunted willows were growing near 

 the encampment. Some ducks, gulls, and par- 

 tridges were seen to day. As I had to make up 

 despatches for England to be sent by Mr. Went- 

 zel, the nets were set in the interim, and we were 

 rejoiced to find that they produced a sufficiency 

 of fish to supply the party. The fish caught were, 

 the Copper-Mine River salmon, white fish, and 

 two species of pleuronectes. We felt a consi- 

 derable change of temperature on reaching the 

 sea-coast, produced by the winds changing from 

 the southward to the N.W. Our Canadian voy- 

 agers complained much of the cold, but they were 

 amused with their first view of the sea, and par- 



