OF THE POLAR SEA. 2D5 



was occasioned by our having been compelled, 

 through haste, to dry it by fire instead of the sun. 

 It was not, however, the quality of our provision 

 that gave us uneasiness, but its diminution, and 

 the utter incapacity to obtain any addition. Seals 

 were the only animals that met our view at this 

 place, and these we could never approach. 



Dr. Richardson discovered near the beach a 

 small vein of galena, traversing gneiss rocks, 

 and the people collected a quantity of it in the 

 hope of adding to our stock of balls ; but their en- 

 deavours to smelt it, were, as may be supposed, 

 ineffectual. The drift timber on this part of the 

 coast consists of pine and taccamahac, Cpopuhis 

 halsamlfera) most probably from Mackenzie's, or 

 some other river to the westward of the Copper- 

 Mine. It all appears to have Iain long in the 

 water, the bark being completely worn offj and 

 the ends of the pieces rubbed perfectly smooth. 

 There was a sharp frost last night, which formed 

 a pretty thick crust oi ice in a kettle of water that 

 stood in the tents ; and for several nights past 

 thin films of ice have been formed on the salt 

 water amongst the cakes of stream ice*. Not- 

 withstanding this state of temperature, we were 

 tormented by swarms of musquitoes ; we had 



* Thl3 i= tcrijiccl hmj-kc bv tlie Gi-eenland-nien. 



