52 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. July 



House stood. No part of that structure remained 

 intact, but pieces of wood, cases, empty tins,* bits of 

 clothing, worn-out sea-boots, seal-skins, and a hetero- 

 geneous collection of odds and ends, marked the site. 

 The cairn mentioned by Dr. Bessels and Mr. Bryant as 

 the depository of instruments and boxes of books was 

 readily discovered, but contained nothing. Numerous 

 small caches containing seal and walrus-meat were 

 scattered over the small peninsula and near the 

 site of the house. Apart from each other, and with- 

 out any protection, we found four or five boxes, each 

 covered with heavy stones to prevent the wind moving 

 them, and having the lids secured on by a rope. 

 Besides one thermometer, unfortunately not a self- 

 registering one, they contained scraps of skin-clothing, 

 old mitts, carpenters' tools, files, needles, and many 

 small articles of the greatest use to the Eskimo, but 

 apparently they had not been disturbed since the 

 abandonment of the place. A few books were found, 

 which were afterwards forwarded to the United States, 

 but no pendulum, transit-instrument, or chronometer. 

 Three skin-boats left on the shore, weighted down 

 with stones, were in fair order. The smallest one was 

 taken for conveyance to Cape Sabine. 



On our return we landed at Littleton Island, and 

 on the S.W. brow erected a cairn, and deposited a 

 notice containing a short account of the movements and 

 prospects of the Expedition up to that time. There 

 was not a particle of ice in sight from a high station 

 on Littleton Island ; but bur sportsmen who roamed over 

 the higher grounds on the main land reported that 

 they had distinguished an ice -blink to the northward ; 



