TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 285 
remarkable from its being of a reddish colour. 
When we were abreast of these islands, it blew 
very fresh off the land, from which I am inclined 
to think that another inlet runs in here, similar to 
that where we found ee Esquimaux the other 
day. 
Tuesday, 12th. — We have made very little 
progress during these two days, owing to there 
being very little wind ; we have also been impeded 
a good deal by the young ice which forms during 
the night. ‘The land here is of the same high and 
rocky character as that to the northward. We 
passed a rock yesterday which was very remark- 
able, for the front of it that faced the sea was at 
least four hundred feet high, and quite perpendi- 
cular, and on the face of it there were several 
white streaks running up and down, which looked | 
at the distance at which we were, to be columns of 
the rock. Along this part of the coast there are 
several small islands, particularly at the entrance 
of the inlets, or harbours, which abound here in 
such numbers. 
Wednesday, 13th. —The Aurora Borealis was 
seen last night, streaming very beautifully from 
west to south-east; in the latter direction its 
motions were very rapid, and its colours were also 
very brilliant: the prevailing colour was a light yel- 
low ; but the outer edge of those coruscations which 
streamed towards the zenith appeared at different 
times of a light purple hue. We came this morn- 
ing to a barrier of ice, extending from the land to 
the northward and eastward as far as we could see. 
Our only alternative was, therefore, to return to 
