OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



309 



cooking them. A pair of ravens, one or two silvery gulls, and a few snow- 1822 

 ° ' Augus 



buntings, were all we saw besides. 



Heavy snow continued to fall during the night, rendering the atmosphere Frid. 

 too thick to allow us to see our way till half-past nine A.M. on the 16th, 

 when we struck the tent, and set out upon the ice, which we now found 

 better for travelling than before, consisting of a level floe, intersected only 

 by numberless pools not more than knee-deep, and with their bottom gene- 

 rally strong enough to allow us to wade through them. Proceeding along 

 the southern side of the land on which the remarkable hill before-mentioned 

 is situated, and which I now named Mount Sabine, out of respect to Mr. 

 Joseph Sabine, we halted at noon a mile and a half due south of it, and 

 observed the lat. 69° 37' 40" ; and then continuing our journey landed at 

 two P.M. to dine and rest. Serjeant Wise here shot a hare of a. remark- 

 ably dark colour on the upper part of the body, and particularly about 

 the ears, but quite white underneath. Two or three ring-plovers were also 

 seen. 



We moved again at half-past four ; and at a mile and a half in a W.b.N.JN. 

 direction, arrived at the extreme point of the island, and crossed the 

 ice about a hundred yards to the next. Traversing this also, we then 

 walked a mile and a half with the assistance of the plank, which it fre- 

 quently required extreme caution not to break, over loose and even drifting 

 ice to the next, on which we halted for the night at eight P.M., after a 

 day's journey of no great length, but attended with much wet and fatigue. 

 The snow, which fell at intervals during the day, was succeeded in the 

 evening by rain and fog, which continued very thick till six A.M. on the 

 17th, when we resumed our journey across the island; and after deeper Sat. 17 

 wading than usual in reaching the .ice, at length set forward upon it, and 

 at nine o'clock landed on a small island in a S.W.b.W. direction. The sun 

 now making its appearance, and the whole of our clothes and baggage being 

 wet, I determined to remain here a few hours to dry them, which we were 

 soon enabled to do, the Avind shifting to the N.W., and quickly dissipating 

 the fog and clouds. The warmth of the sun seemed not more agreeable and 

 invigorating to us than to the other inhabitants of the island. These con- 

 sisted only of numerous large mosquitoes, which, though in a torpid state 

 before, now commenced their attacks, and continued to annoy us during the 

 rest of our stay. Their sting however certainly produced in this climate 

 much less inflammation than is usual in a warmer one, though I do not know 



