fO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. QZ] 
the tin-cases and canteens, and indeed all the rest 
that was abandoned.* We began our journey at 
half-past two o’clock, and about three reached the 
shore of the gulf, or lake before mentioned ; our 
route was from this time until five o’clock along 
the foot of the mountains which bound the north- 
western side of it at this place. During this part 
of our march we saw several ptarmigans, two or 
three of which we shot, and on a pool of open 
water, close to the beach, we saw a couple of 
geese of the same kind as those seen on the 
north side of the island. A raven was also observed 
in the course of the morning, and some bank swal- 
lows. The rocks along the foot of which we came 
this morning were composed of sandstone, but 
different in character from that which we met with 
in the ravines we have been passing for some 
days past, for it existed in large blocks. At five 
o’clock we came to a low point, from which we 
had a good view of the extent and direction of the 
gulf, or lake, as it stretched inland. Of its extent, 
indeed, we could form no certain judgment, as we 
could not see the termination of it; but with re- 
spect to its direction we found that it ran to the 
northward and eastward, or rather between north- 
east and east. After ascertaining that to go round 
the top or north-east end of it, would take us very 
much out of our way, it was determined to ven- 
ture directly across it from this point; but as we 
had already been nearly three hours on the march, 
* We deposited a cylinder here which contained a piece of 
parchment, on which was written the same information as on 
those that we left at the different places already mentioned. 
