8 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 



PORT BURWELL TO CUMBERLAND GULF. 



On the following day the voyage was continued northward 

 from Port Burwell. A fog came on shortly after we left, and 

 continued for three days, during which land was only sighted 

 twice. When the fog partly lifted, on the evening of the 4th, 

 we found ourselves close to the shore of Cumberland gulf, and 

 about twenty miles east of Blacklead island. The ship anchored 

 in one of the many bays of the high rugged islands that fringe 

 the coast. 



A landing was made near the anchorage, and a few hours 

 spent in climbing over the steep, high hills of gneiss and 

 granite, which rise from 500 to 1,000 feet above the sea, while 

 the summits of the hills on the mainland behind often attain 

 an elevation of 2,000 feet. Almost continuous inland naviga- 

 tion is afforded by the channels, behind the islands, lying along 

 the entire southern coast of the gulf. The hills are very rugged, 

 and show signs of glaciation, though much less marked than 

 those on the hills of the Labrador coast. The higher valleys are 

 filled with snow, but there are no real glaciers. 



The weather cleared about noon next day, and towards 

 evening the mission and whaling stations at Blacklead island 

 were reached. A series of photographs of the place and of its 

 natives was taken while Major Moodie was explaining the 

 intentions of the Government to the missionaries and to the 

 agent of the whaling establishment. 



The settlement consists of a dozen small, one-storied, wooden 

 buildings, comprising the house and storehouses of the whaling 

 station, the church, hospital, dwelling house and outbuildings 

 of the missionaries. All are located at the southeast end of 

 the island, a few feet above tide water. The surface is 

 rock, or very moist boulder clay, without dramage, and the 

 refuse from the native encampment makes the surroundings 

 very filthy. The water supply is obtained from small ponds, 



