370 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



animals that met our view at this place, and these we could never 

 approach. 



Dr. Kichardson 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 consists of pine and tacca mahac, (bopulus palsa- 

 miferaj most probably from Mackenzie's, or some other river to the 

 eastward 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 was a sharp frost last night, 

 which formed a pretty thick crust of ice in a kettle of water that 

 stood in the tents ; and for several nights past thin films of ice have 

 been formed on the salt water amongst the cakes of stream ice*. 

 Notwithstanding this state of temperature, we were tormented by 

 swarms of musquitoes ; we had persuaded ourselves that these pests 

 could not sustain the cold in the vicinity of the sea, but it appears 

 they haunt every part of this country in defiance of climate. 

 Mr. Back made an excursion to a hill at seven or eight miles 

 distance, and from its summit he perceived the ice close to the 

 shore as far as his view extended. 



On the morning of the 29th the party attended divine service. 

 About noon the ice appearing less compact, we embarked to change 

 our situation, having consumed all the fuel within our reach. The 

 wind came off the land just as the canoes had started, and we deter- 

 mined on attempting to force a passage along the shore ; in which we 

 fortunately succeeded, after seven hours' labour and much hazard to 

 our frail vessels. The ice lay so close that the crews disembarked on 

 it, and effected a passage by bearing against the pieces with their 



* This is termed bay ice by the Greenland-men. 



