OF THE POLAR SEA. 211 



It made a feeble attempt to defend itself, and was 

 easily despatched. The flesh was brought to the 

 tent, but our fastidious voyagers supposing, from 

 its leanness, the animal had been sickly, de- 

 clined eating it ; the officers, however, being less 

 scrupulous, boiled the paws, and found them 

 excellent. 



We embarked at ten A.M., and proceeding 

 down the river, took on board another deer that 

 had been killed by Credit last evening. We 

 then ran along the eastern shore of Arctic Sound, 

 distinguished by the name of Banks' Peninsula, 

 in honour of the late Right Honourable Sir 

 Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society ; 

 and rounding Point Wollaston at its eastern ex- 

 tremity, opened another extensive sheet of water ; 

 and the remainder of the afternoon was spent in 

 endeavouring to ascertain, from the tops of the 

 hills, whether it was another bay, or merely a 

 passage enclosed by a chain of islands. Ap- 

 pearances rather favouring the latter opinion, we 

 determined on proceeding through it to the south- 

 ward. During the delay four more deer were 

 killed, all young and lean. It appears that the 

 coast is pretty w^ell frequented by rein-deer at 

 this season ; but it is rather singular, that hitherto 

 we had killed none (excepting the first) but 

 young ones of last season, which were all too 



