126 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



the opposite shores, thus making Frobisher " Strait" an inlet or 

 bay. Koojesse and Ugarng had also visited the land referred to, and 

 each of them declared that there was no other water communica- 

 tion to what we call Fox's Channel except through the Hudson's 

 Straits. This I was very desirous of knowing more about ; and 

 at my request Koojesse finished drawing his chart of the coasts, 

 bays, and islands from Northumberland Inlet to Eesolution Isl- 

 and, and both sides of the so-called Frobisher Strait to its head. 

 The original of this chart is now in my possession, and it has al- 

 ways astonished me for its remarkable skill and general accuracy 

 of detail. A facsimile of most of it is here shown, reduced to T Vth 

 of its original size. 



The charts that I possessed of this locality were such as our 

 geographers at that time believed to be correct, and I pointed 

 out to Koojesse the places about which I desired information. I 

 showed him the route I proposed taking when I got up to about 

 longitude 72°, in what I had supposed to be Frobisher Strait, 

 but he and the others stopped me by saying "Argil argiT (No! 

 no !) They then took hold of my hand, moving it around till it 

 connected with "Meta Incognita;" then following southeasterly 

 the north coast of this land till arriving at the channel leading 

 into Hudson's Strait, about longitude 66° W., and, turning round, 

 went thence up Hudson's Strait continuously on to "King's 

 Cape." Of course the names which we place upon our charts are 

 unknown to the Esquimaux, and, consequently, I have endeav- 

 ored in this work, where possible, to give both together. 



The knowledge that the Esquimaux possess of the geography 

 of their country is truly wonderful. There is not a part of the 

 coast but what they can well delineate, when once it has been 

 visited by them, or information concerning it obtained from oth- 

 ers. Their memory is remarkably good, and their intellectual 

 powers, in all relating to their native land, its inhabitants, its 

 coasts, and interior parts, is of a surprisingly high order. In 

 what they related to me concerning Frobisher Strait there could 

 be no doubt, and at once I felt convinced that no passage existed 

 in that direction. However, this I determined to personally ex- 

 amine at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile I tried all in my 

 power to persuade Koojesse to go with me, without delay, to King 

 William's Land, but in vain. Earlier in the season he would have 

 gone; now it was too late. I had, therefore, no alternative but 

 to wait until the following spring. 



