OF THE POLAR SEA. 



387 



brought, however, a few unfledged geese. As there was no appear- 

 ance of increasing our stock of provision, the allowance was limited 

 to a handful of pemmican, and a small portion of portable soup to 

 each man per day. The thermometer this afternoon stood at 41°. 

 The following observations were obtained: latitude 68° 18' 50" N., 

 longitude 110° 5' 15" W. ; but 109° 25' 00" W. was used in the con- 

 struction of the chart, as the chronometers were found, on our return 

 to Hood's River, to have altered their rates ; variation 44° 15' 46" E., 

 and dip of the needle 89° 31' 12". 



On August 18th the stormy weather and sea continuing, there 

 was no prospect of our being able to embark. Dr. Richardson, 

 Mr. Back, and I, therefore, set out on foot to discover whether the 

 land within a day's march, inclined more to the east. We went 

 from ten to twelve miles along the coast, which continued flat, and 

 kept the same direction as the encampment. The most distant land 

 we saw had the same bearing north-north-east, and appeared like 

 two islands, which we estimated to be six or seven miles off; the 

 shore on their inside seemingly trended more to the east, so that it 

 is probable Point Turnagain, for so this spot was named, forms the 

 pitch of a low flat cape. 



Augustus killed a deer in the afternoon, but the men were not 

 able to find it. The hunters found the burrows of a number of 

 white foxes, and Hepburn killed one of these animals, which proved 

 excellent eating, esteemed by us as equal to the young geese, with 

 which it was boiled, and far superior to the lean deer we had upon 

 the coast. Large flocks of geese passed over the tents, flying to the 

 southward. The lowest temperature to- day was 38°. 



Though it will appear from the chart, that the position of Point 

 Turnagain is only six degrees and a half to the east of the mouth of 

 the Copper-Mine River ; we sailed, in tracing the deeply-indented 

 coast, five hundred and fifty-five geographic miles, which is little 



3 D 2 



1 



