TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Lk3 
wind to enable us to get on. I observed this afternoon 
a notable instance of the restless, or ambitious disposi- 
tion of the human mind, for I remarked, that for some 
time past, mostly every person declared that it would 
be the consummation of their wishes, if we could 
only reach the longitude of 110° W. this season ; but 
no sooner. was this completed, than it was begun to 
be computed, what time it would take us to reach the 
longitude of 150° W., or the second place specified 
by the late Order in Council respecting the north. 
west passage ; and some were even so sanguine as to 
consider it very probable, that we should get that far 
before the winter set in. It is not my intention to 
make any animadversions on the subject, nor did I 
indeed mention the above circumstance with any 
other view, than merely, as I have said, to show that, 
when man is possessed of any object that he may have 
been in pursuit of, so far from being satisfied there- 
with, he immediately sees another object, the pos- 
session of which would, in his opinion, add more to his 
happiness than that which he has obtained. In the 
instance in question, however, I think our ambition 
a very laudable one; and however improbable its 
accomplishment may appear, we certainly ought to 
live in hopes. 
Sunday, 5th.—I omitted to mention in my 
diary of yesterday’s occurrences, that we passed, 
early in the morning, a part of the coast where 
there was an opening in the land which some were 
disposed to consider as an inlet, or division be- 
tween the part of the land we are abreast of at 
present, and that on which we landed on the 2d 
instant ; or, in other words, that they are two dis- 
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