OF THE POLAR SEA. 931 



were scarcely pitched before we were assailed by 

 a heavy squall and rain, which was succeeded by 

 a violent gale from west-north-west ; which thrice 

 overset the tents in the course of the night. The 

 w^ind blew with equal violence on the following 

 day, and the sea rolled furiously upon the beach. 

 The Canadians had now an opportunity of wit- 

 nessing the effect of a storm upon the sea ; and 

 the sight increased their desire of quitting it. 



Our hunters were sent out, and saw many 

 deer, but the flatness of the country defeated 

 their attempts to approach them ; they brought, 

 however, a few unfledged geese. As there was 

 no appearance of increasing our stock of provi- 

 sion, the allowance was limited to a handful of 

 pemmican, and a small portion of portable soup 

 to each man per day. The thermometer this 

 afternoon stood to 4 P. The following observa- 

 tions were obtained: latitude 68° 18' 50'' N., 

 longitude 110° 5' 15'' W. ; but 109° 25' 00" W. 

 was used in the construction of the chart, as the 

 chronometers were found, on our return to Hood's 

 River, to have altered their rates ; variation 44° 

 15' 46" E., and dip of the needle 89° 31' 12". 



On August 18th the stormy weather and sea 

 continuing, there was no prospect of our being 

 able to embark. Dr. Richardson, Mr. Back, and 

 I, therefore, set out on foot to discover whether the 



