26 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
three and four miles, where it turned to the south-west, without discovering 
any indications of a wooded country ; but a sufficient explanation respecting 
the birch-bark was, perhaps, furnished by his finding, at the distance of a 
quarter of a mile from the sea, a piece of whalebone two feet ten inches in 
length, and two inches in breadth, having a number of circular holes very 
neatly and regularly perforated along one of its edges, and which had un- 
doubtedly formed part of an Esquimaux sledge. This circumstance affording 
a proof of the Esquimaux having visited this part of the coast at no very distant 
period, it was concluded that the piece of bark, above alluded to, had been 
brought hither by these people. From the appearance of the whalebone, it 
might have been lying there for four or five years. That none of the Esqui- 
maux tribe had visited this part of the coast since we landed there in 
1818, was evident from the flag-staff then erected still remaining untouched. 
Mr. Fisher found every part of the valley quite free from snow as high 
as he ascended it ; and the following fact seems to render it probable that no 
great quantity either of snow or sleet had fallen here since our last visit. 
Mr. Fisher had not proceeded far, till, to his great surprise, he encountered 
the tracks of human feet upon the banks of the stream, which appeared so 
fresh, that he at first imagined them to have been recently made by some 
natives, but which, on examination, were distinctly ascertained to be the 
marks of our own shoes made eleven months before. 
The only animals we met with were a fox, a raven, (Corms Corax,) some 
ring-plovers, (Charadriiis Hiaticula), snow-buntings, and a wild bee, (Apis 
Alpina.) Several tracks of bears and of a cloven-footed animal, probably 
the rein-deer, were also observed upon the moist ground. Three black whales 
were seen in the bay, and the crown-bones of several others were lying 
near the beach. Considerable tufts of moss and of grass occur in this 
talley, principally in those parts which are calculated to retain the water 
produced by the melting of the snow. Indeed, moisture alone seems ne- 
cessary to the growth of a variety of plants which are found in this dreary 
climate, and of which a detailed account will be given in the Appendix. 
Mr. Fisher, who had an opportunity of examining some of the fixed rocks, 
considered them to consist principally of basalt. A great quantity of lime- 
stone was found in the valley, together with pieces of granite, quartz, feldspar, 
trap, and sandstone. 
The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73° 31' 16'', and the 
longitude by the chronometers, 77° 22' 21", the latter differing only 1'30'' to 
