52 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1801. (|,^j j^,g natives had occu|)ic(l this station during a part of the same season; 



August. . ' . . 



and judging from the number of circU's collected in this place, and still more 

 from our subsequent knowledge of these people, it is probable that not less 

 than one hundred and twenty persons had taken up their residence here 

 at the same time. 



The land on the northern and western sides of Repulse Bay does not 

 exceed six or seven hundred feet in height, while that on the south rises, 

 perhaps, full a thousand feet above the level of the sea. The shore on 

 Avhich we landed is composed of gneiss rock, traversed by broad veins of red 

 feldspar running in almost every direction. Qiuirtz and mica also occurred 

 in separate masses, as well as white limestone lying in loose fragments 

 on the surface. Before we landed in the morning the snow which fell 

 the preceding day had quite disappeared from the north shore, and by 

 noon the land all round the bay had resumed its dark appearance. We 

 saw several rein-deer and hares, some ducks, dovekics, knots, {tringa 

 cinerea,) sno\v buntings, and a white owl. An ermine, (crminca mustcla,) 

 a few ptarmigans, and a hare, Avere killed. IMice, (mifs /tiidsonius,) were 

 very abundant, particularly among the stones of the Esquimaux tents. I 

 do not know whether the seals' flesh remaining on some of the bones was 

 any attraction to diem, but it is certain that two of them being put to- 

 gether into a cage, the larger killed the odier and eat a part of it. Several 

 black whales were seen in the bay in the course of the day. There was here 

 no want of vegetation, which indeed was in many parts extremely luxu- 

 riant ; and specimens of every plant were carefully preserve(l by our nume- 

 rous collectors. 



The latitude observed on shore was 66° 30' 58", being the first observation 

 we had yet obtained so near the Arctic Circle, but far to the southward of 

 that given by Captain iNiiddleton *. The longitude, by chronometers, was 

 86° 30' 20" ; the dip of the magnetic needle, 88° 07' 28" ; and the variation 

 48° 32' 57" westerly ; being only a degree and a half less than that observed 

 by INIiddleton in 1742. In observations formerly made upon the variation of 



* Tlie difference amounts to about twenty miles. It is but justice, however, to the me- 

 niorv of Captain Muldloton to add, that several miles of this error mav have been occasioned 

 by the imperfection of nautical instruments in his day, combined with the unavoidable inac- 

 curacy of observations made by the horizon of the sea, when encumbered with much ice. 

 On this latter account, as well as from the extraordinary terrestrial refraction, no observation 

 can be here depended upon, unless made ^^itli an artificial liorizon. 



