tp. E. DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 223 



" We entered Nachvak inlet on the 1st of August, and were informed 

 " by Mr. Skynner, who hatl been in charge of the observatory station 

 '' there since the previous year, that the fixed ice of the inlet had only 

 " disappeared on the 12th of July." (D. D., p. 1.) 



" In the months of June and July wide lanes of open water were 

 ^' formed between the held ice and the land. As far as could be observed, 

 " this ice was clear, or free from dust and rock-debris, as if it had been 

 " formed away from the land. The clear ice continued until the end of 

 *' June, when foreign matter began to appear upon the slowly moving 

 " floes." (D. D., p. 7.) 



" The annual precipitation at the present time is not great, otherwise 

 '' small glaciers would probably form among these mountains, which lie 

 " between latitudes 58° and G0°, and which overlook a sea bearing field- 

 *' ice for half the year, and from which bergs are never absent. Patches 

 " of snow, however, remain throughout the summer in shaded parts of 

 ** the slopes and on the highest summits, which range from 4,000 to 6,000 

 " feet above the ocean." (D. D,, p. 8.) 



In a paper on the Labrador peninsula, contributed by Dr. Robert 

 Bell to the Scottish Geographical Magazine for July, 1895, we read : 



" The Labrador peninsula, as a whole, may be said to be more or 

 " less clothed with forests, with the exception of a small area in the north- 

 " western extremity, and another along the northern part of the Atlantic 

 " coast, which may be called ' bai-ren grounds,' like those north of the 

 *' forests on the west side of Hudson's bay." In the map by Dr. Bell, 

 appended to the report in 1888 of the select committee of the Senate of 

 Canada, the whole coast from the Straits of Belle-isle north is coloured 

 yellow, to show that it is part of the " barren grounds." Such evidence 

 as I have cited cannot be waived aside by mere confident assertions in a 

 discussion. The ice is on the coast, and the trees are not, and it is now 

 in order for those who praise the climate and fertility of Labrador to 

 quote some authority to support their statements. 



Let it be supposed that one of my readers wishes to go to Labrador — 

 to the supposed landfiill of Cabot there in 1497 — to go now, in this year 

 of commemoration. He would proceed first to St. John's, Newfoundland, 

 and there he would find that the Newfoundland Coastal Steamship Com- 

 jDany would despatch the first steamer of the season on the first Tuesday 

 in July (the 6th) and would be informed that she would go to Battle 

 harbour (latitude 52° 17') and as much further up the coast as the ice 

 will permit, and that while she may reach Hopedale, it is not probable 

 she will be able to go so far. He will learn also, in St. John's, that 

 the regular steamer on the northern route will proceed to the Strait of 

 Belle-isle, on her first trip " on Labrador mail service," on July 13th, 

 1897. We are called upon to believe that the little " Matthew " dropped 

 upon this coast and navigated up and down, and the crew landed, and 

 hunted, and salted game, and saw nothing unusual. 



While the above lines were being written, the October, 1897, number of 

 '• The Toilers of the Deep" arrived, containing a narrative of the first trip 

 this 3'ear of the mission steamer " Julia Sheridan " to Labrador. She 

 was trying, from June 23rd to 26th. to get into Battle harbour — battling 

 with the ice, and as she was specially built for such work, she drove in 

 among the ice with sails set and every pound of steam on. A steam 

 launch close behind had its bows stove in. But when the "Julia Sheri- 

 dan " got into the harbour she could not reach the landing stage for ice. 



