8dd 



Hudson's strait and bay. 



Cape Chudlci 



Mica and 

 graphite. 



Quality of 

 inica. 



Coarse horn- 

 blende rock. 



to an estimated elevation of 2000 foet. The mountains everywhere in 

 this vicinity give evidence of long-continued atmospheric decay. The 

 annual precipitation at the present time is not great, otherwise small 

 glaciers would probably form amont;; these mountnins, which lie between 

 latitudes 58° and 60°, and which overlook a sea, bearing field ice for half 

 the year, and from which bergs are never absent. Patches of snow, 

 however, remain throughout the summer in shaded parts of the slopes 

 and on the highest summits, which range from 4,000 to 6,000 feet above 

 the ocean. 



gj, Our stay at Port Burwell, Cape Chndleigh, on the inward voyage, 

 was for only one night, and while we were in this port, on our return, 

 the weather was so boisterous as to prevent me from going to any con- 

 siderable distance from the ship. Some additional fiacts of interest 

 wcie, however, noted in regard to the glacial phenomena of the neigh- 

 borhood. 



It was stated in ra}- report of last 3'ear that when we were at Ashe's 

 Inlet, near North Bluff, the Eskimo gave us specimens of mica and 

 graphite from the north shore of the Sti ait. During the winter and 

 spring they brought to Mr. Ashe, the gentleman in charge of the obser- 

 vatory station at this place, numerous pieces of these minerals. From 

 what they told Mr. Ashe, he concluded that both kinds were found at 

 different localities all the way from Kimnirook, (see Eeport for 1884), 

 westward to the place which the natives call Akuliak, at or near which 

 Captain Spicer's trading station is situated. The mica appeared to be 

 quite common. The specimens carried to Mr. Ashe, had apparently 

 all been gathered on the sui'face ; and, as the natives stated that it had 

 been taken away in commei-cial quantities by the vessels visiting 

 Capt. Spicer's station, the inference is that it must be abundant some- 

 where not far off. The largest specimens which I saw were about a foot 

 in diameter. All were of a light-brown colour, ind transparent when 

 in moderately thin plates. Some pieces which I tested stood the fire 

 well. From the accounts of the Eskimo last year, we inferred that they 

 had found red hematite, inland from Kimnirook, but Mr. Ashe did not 

 receive any specimens of it. In addition to pieces of quai-tz and iron 

 pyrites they brought him a crystal of black sphene, an inch in diameter, 

 from the north side of the straits opposite the station. The finding of 

 a loose piece of crystalline limestone, like a common variety in the 

 Laurentian rocks further south, was mentioned last year. The occur- 

 rence of sphene and graphite constitute, perhaps, additional evidence 

 of the existence of such limestone in situ on the north side of Hud- 

 son's Strait. While exploring Big (or Turenne) Island, Mr. Ashe 

 had found in its southwestern part a great mass, in situ, of a very coarse, 

 greenish-grey hornblende rock, composed of large, radiating crystals. 



