An Anthropogeographical Study of the Origin of the Eskimo Culture. 119 
basalt. Corrınson found the same to be the case with the islands in 
Dease Strait, whereas the groups of islands which bar Dolphin and Union 
Strait are built up of limestone. Coronation Gulf, by reason of its posi- 
tion, has extremely weak tidal currents, which come partly from the west 
and partly from the east, and, as the narrow inlets, with the islands, 
further act as a sieve to the inflowing currents, the pack-ice cannot succeed 
in filling up the gulf. The ice, which in the winter forms bridges between 
the numerous islands of Coronation Gulf, is the smooth winter ice which 
lies unbroken from October to July, but which always breaks up in the 
summer. The conditions in the Gulf as seen by FRANKLIN in the summer 
of 1820 quite accord with the conditions seen by RicHarpson in 1826, 
DEASE and Simpson in 1836—37, RICHARDSON in 1848, RAE in 1849 and 
CoLLINSON in 1852—53. Its waters were at all times so free of ice, and 
so open, that it could be navigated in all directions along the coasts and 
between the islands, even if as is from time to time mentioned, the wind 
had driven small pieces of pack-ice together in certain places on the coasts. 
The fresh-water affluxes rer-’ved by Coronation Gulf can scarcely play any 
great rôle as regards the _,en water during the summer. The Coppermine 
River has too inferior a quantity of water for the purpose. On the other 
hand, this river is of importance on account of the drift-wood which it 
carries and distributes along the coasts of the mainland and the islands. 
FRANKLIN, to be sure, says, that it does not carry drift-wood, but this can 
only refer to heavy timber, which is carried to the Arctic Ocean only by 
the Mackenzie. It seems, in reality, as if several rivers contribute their 
share of drift-wood. Thus, Simpson found that even the small Ellice River, 
which empties itself into Dease Strait, tore away the low willows along its 
banks and carried them out to sea. All large pieces in Coronation Gulf 
can without doubt be attributed to the Mackenzie River. As the fuel of 
the expeditions consisted of drift-wood, its occurrence and size was noted 
with particular care, and from these notes its decrease towards the east as 
far as Cape Barrow can be followed up. Simpson broke into raptures when, 
on his way back from Dease Strait, having passed this promontory, he 
again found the beach strewn with drift-wood, with which he had had almost 
entirely to dispense in Bathurst Inlet and on the coast of Kent Peninsula. 
STEFANSSON was of opinion that the greatest quantity of drift-wood was 
found on the coasts which faced west, or which were most exposed to the 
prevalent north-westerly winds. Thus there was more drift-wood on the 
south side of Prince Albert Sound than on the north side. On the coast of 
the mainland drift-wood only began to become abundant at about 120° W. 
long., (or more exactly, to the west of Crocker River), after which it 
occurred as far as the west of the Mackenzie, when it began to decrease. 
STEFANSSON says of the drift-wood in the region of Coronation Gulf that 
it is sufficient to provide the Eskimo with wood for implements, but that 
it would disappear in the course of a short time if they should begin to 
use it for fuel. For the rest, according to the same author, there are at 
