PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
261 
plays about it, and gives the land a very different appearance at one CHAP, 
moment from that which it assumes at another. 
As soon as we were clear of the shoal, we continued our course for July, 
. 1820 
Cape Krusenstern, near which place we the next day buried a letter for 
Captain Franklin, and erected a post to direct him to the spot. The cape 
is a low tongue of land, intersected by lakes, lying at the foot of a high 
cluster of hills not in any way remarkable. The land slopes down from 
them to several rocky cliffs, which, until the low point is seen at the foot 
of them, appear to be the entrance to the sound, but they are nearly a 
mile inland from it. The coast here takes an abrupt turn to the north- 
ward, and the current sets strong against the bend ; which is probably 
the reason of there being deep water close to the beach, as also the 
occasion of a shoal in a north-westerly direction from the point, which 
appears to have been thrown up by the eddy water. 
The boat landed about two miles to the northward of this point, 
upon a shingly beach sufficiently steep to afford very good landing when 
the water is smooth ; behind it there was a plain about a mile wide, 
extending from the hills to the sea, composed of elastic bog earth, 
intersected by small streams, on the edges of which the buttercup, 
poppy, blue-bell, pedicularis, vaccinium, saxifrages, and some cruciform 
plants* throve very well; in other parts, however, the vegetation was 
stinted, and consisted only of lichens and mosses. There were here 
some low mud cliffs frozen so hard that it required considerable labour 
to dig fifteen inches to secure the end of the post that was erected. 
Mr. Elson, in command of the barge, was now furnished with a copy 
of the signals drawn up by Captain Franklin and myself, and directed 
to proceed close along the shore to the northward, vigilantly looking 
out for boats, and erecting posts and landmarks in the most con- 
spicuous places for Captain F ranklin’s guidance, and to trace the out- 
line of the beach. He was also desired to explore the coast narrowly, 
and to fill in such parts of it as could not be executed in the ship, and 
instructed where to rendezvous in case of separation. 
We then steered along the coast, which took a north-westerly 
* The botany of this part of the coast is published in the Flora Americana of Dr. Hooker. 
