l«<-I>U-nibfr, I8«4.] CottStififf AloflQ tllC WclcOVIC. (11 



rocks. Tlie chief objects thus cared for, besides liis IxK.ks mid th<- 

 other personal effects of the party, were tlie cans of jxinmicaii ;iiid 

 of desiccated vegetables, sugar, coffee, tea, and tobacco, a small sup- 

 ply of spirits, powder, shot, and percussion caps. Several groups <.l' 

 deer were seen during the day, and Ebierbing killed five of their num- 

 ber, bringing to the encampment, with Rudolph's help, the skins «»f 

 three with part of the meat, and leaving the remainder in a cache 

 three miles off. The party had thus fresh meat almost immediately 

 on landing. 



On the 3d, Hall resumed his voyage to Repulse Bay by coasting 

 along to the northward. Having made about five miles, lie Inimd 

 himself completely headed by land which shot directly atlnvart his 

 course, though he had supposed he should find a channel. It was 

 simply a bay filled with numerous islands. The tide was ruiniing 

 furiously before he got out of it, and it was only by skillful manage- 

 ment that the Sylvia was free from the eddies, currents, and oveifalls 

 that abounded there, and was again in smooth water. 



In writing of this to Captain Chapel, he said : 



How shallow the Welcome! Over much of the distance made from tlic 

 place of my first encampment to second, in lat. 04° 50' 30"— 15 miles— our Sylviii, 

 drawing only 18 inches, often touched bottom a half mile to two miles fn»m tlic 

 coast. The land on the west side of the Welcome, at no point between the Iwi. 

 encampments named, can exceed 30 to 40 feet in height. I have no hesitalion in 

 saying that the American whalers who have so successfully been navigating in 

 Hudson's Bay, especially in that part of it called Sir Thomas Rowe's Wclcomr, 

 since you aiul your brother Christopher first opened up the whalo-fisliery in said 

 bay, in 18G0, must be as good navigators as the world knows of. This is said 

 with the full knowledge that little or no dependence can be placed on any com- 

 passes on board of your ships. Although my azimuth compasses are of the most 

 dehcate construction, they are virtually of no use except to show how i^-rffctly 

 fickle and unreliable compasses are in this portion of the Xorlh. 



