OF THE POLAR SEA. 



205 



scarcely eatable, through our having been 

 compelled, from haste, to. dry it by fire in- 

 stead of the sun. It was not, however, the 

 quality of our provision that gave us unea- 

 siness, but its diminution, and the utter 

 incapacity to obtain any addition. Seals 

 were the only animals that met our view at 

 this place, and these we could never ap- 

 proach. 



Dr. Richardson discovered near the beach 

 a small vein of galena, traversing gneiss 

 rocks, and the people collected a quantity 

 of it, in the hope of adding to our stock of 

 balls ; but their endeavours to smelt it, 

 were, as may be supposed, ineffectual. The 

 drift timber on this part of the coast con- 

 sists of pine and taccamahac, (populus bal- 

 samifera), most probably from Mackenzie's, 

 or some other river to the westward of the 

 Copper Mine. It all appears to have lain 

 long in the water, the bark being completely 

 worn off, and the ends of the pieces rubbed 

 perfectly smooth. There had been a sharp 

 frost in the night, which formed a pretty 

 thick crust of ice in a kettle of water that 



