In the Arctic Regions. 443 
campment ; the rolled pebbles on the beach were 
sandstone of red and light-brown colors, greenstone, 
and slaty limestone. We gathered a fine specimen 
of tertiary pitch-coal. 
Augustus returned in the evening with a young 
Esquimeux and his wife, the only residents at the - 
house he had visited. They had now quite recovered 
the panic into which they had been thrown on our 
first appearance, which was heightened by their being 
unable to escape from us owing to the want of a canoe. 
We made them happy by purchasing the fish they 
brought, and giving them a few presents ; they con- 
tinued to skip and laugh as long as they staid. The 
man informed us that judging from the rapid decay 
of the ice in the few preceding days, we might soon 
expect it to break from the land, so as to allow of 
our reaching Herschel Island, which was in view ; but 
he represented the coast to the westward of the island 
as being low, and so generally beset with ice, that he 
was of opinion we should have great difficulty in get- 
ting along. This couple had been left here to collect 
fish for the use of their companions, who were to re- 
join them for the purpose of killing whales, as soon 
as the ice should break up; and they told us the 
black whales would soon come after its rupture took 
place. {t would be interesting to ascertain where 
the whales retire in the winter, as they require to in- 
