192 Thirty Years 



islands to seaward are high and numerous, and fill the 

 horizon in many points of the compass ; the only open 

 space, seen from an eminence near the encampment, 

 being from N.bE. to N.E.bN. Towards the east the 

 land was like a chain of islands, the ice surrounded 

 the islands apparently in a compact body, leaving a 

 channel between its edge and the main of about three 

 miles. The water in this channel was of a clear green 

 color, and decidedly salt. Mr. Hearne could have 

 only tasted it at the mouth of the river, when he pro- 

 nounced it to be merely brackish. A rise and fall of 

 fuur inches in the water was observed. The shore is 

 strewed with a considerable quantity of drift timber, 

 which is principally of the wood of the j )0 2 )U ^ us bal- 

 samiferaj but none of it of great size. We also pick- 

 ed up some decayed wood far out of the reach of the 

 water. A few stunted willows were growing near the 

 encampment. Some ducks, gulls, and partridges were, 

 seen fco-day. As I had to make up despatches for 

 England to be sent by Mr. Went/.el, the nets were 

 Bet in the interim, and we were rejoiced to find that 



they produced a sufficiency of fish to Bupply the party. 

 The fish caught were, the Copper-Mine River salmon, 

 white fish, and two species of pleuronectes. We fell 

 :. considerable change of temperature on reaching the 

 sea-coast, produced by the winds changing from the. 

 southward to the N \V. Our Canadian voyagers com- 



