194 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1820 . a tin cylinder, containing an account of the party who had left it, and one 
or two silver and copper English coins. This monument may be seen at 
several miles’ distance from the sea or land side ; and, as great pains were 
taken by Mr. Fisher in constructing it, it may probably last for a long period 
of years. 
Having now satisfactorily determined the extent of Melville Island to the 
northward upon this meridian, which corresponds v^ery nearly with that of 
Winter Harbour, and finished all the requisite observations, I proposed pursu- 
ing our journey towards the Blue Hills, which were still in sight at the distance 
of several leagues to the westward ; and having advanced to the south-west as 
long as circumstances should appear to make it interesting or practicable, to 
return by a circuitous route to the ships. We travelled in a W. | S. direction, 
in order to keep on a ridge along the coast, which afforded the only tolerable 
walking, the snow being very deep on the lower parts of the land. We had 
to-day frequent occasion again to notice a strong smell produced by the 
wheels of the cart going over the blocks of sand-stone, similar to that of fetid 
lime-stone when recently fractured. We halted at half past seven A.M. on a 
fine sandy ground, which gave us the softest, as well as the driest, bed which 
we had yet experienced on our journey, and which was situated close to a little 
hillock of earth and moss, so full of the burrows of hares as to resemble a 
warren. We tried to smoke them out by burning port-fire, but none ap- 
peared ; and it is remarkable that, though we constantly met with the dung 
of these animals, especially in this place, where it occurred very abundantly, 
we never saw one of them during the journey. As soon as we had halted, 
we found that Mr, Reid’s knapsack had dropped off the cart ; he had, there- 
fore, to go back to look for it, and did not return till eleven o’clock, being so 
much affected by snow-blindness as to be scarcely able to see his way to the 
tents. This circumstance was sufficient to shew the advantage, and even the 
necessity, of travelling entirely by night under these circumstances, the 
intense glare of light from the snow during the day inevitably producing 
this painful irritation in the eyes. Our present station, which was about half- 
a-mile distant from the sea, commanding an open view of Sabine Island and 
Cape Fisher, and the weather being very clear for observations, a short base 
was obtained for the survey, between this and Point Nias. The only birds 
we saw here were a pair of ptarmigans, which were killed by Mr. Fisher. 
There was some moss, and a few short tufts of grass ; and we found, for the 
first time this season, the Saxifraga Oppositifolia coming out in flower, a 
