In the Arctic Regions. 461 
ly closed. We encamped on the western side of a 
river about two hundred yards broad, which, at the 
request of Lieutenant: Back, was named after Mr. 
Backhouse, one of the under Secretaries of State for 
Foreign Affairs. It appeared that the water that 
flowed from this channel had caused the opening by 
which we had traveled from our last resting-place ; 
for beyond it, the ice was closely packed. 
Th” Some heavy rain fell in the night, and the 
morning of the 27th was foggy ; but the sun, about 
noon, having dispersed the fog, we discovered an open 
channel, about half a mile from the shore. 
Beturdey, The morning of the 29th opened with heavy 
rain and fog; the precursors of a strong gale from 
E.N.E., which brought back the ice we had already 
passed, and closely packed it along the beach, but we 
could not perceive that the wind had the slighest 
effect on the main body at a distance from the shore. 
This was a very cold, comfortless day, the temperature 
between 38° and 42°, On the following morning a 
brilliant sun contributed with the gale to the disper- 
sion of the mist which had, for some days past, over- 
hung the Rocky Mountains, and we had the gratifica- 
tion of seeing, for the first time, the whole length of 
the British Chain of Mountains, which are more 
peaked and irregular in their outline, and more 
picturesque than those of the Buckland Range. In 
