308 
CHANGES OF CLIMATE. 
nect themselves with this discovery,—the melted snow 
upon the rocks, the crowds of marine birds, the limited 
but still advancing vegetable life, the rise of the ther¬ 
mometer in the water,—not to be struck with their 
bearing on the question of a milder climate near the 
Pole. To refer them all to the modification of tempera¬ 
ture induced by the proximity of open water is only to 
change the form of the question; for it leaves the inquiry 
unsatisfied—What is the cause of the open water? 
This, however, is not the place to enter upon such 
a discussion. There is no doubt on my mind, that 
at a time within historical and even recent limits, 
the climate of this region was milder than it is now. 
I might base this opinion on the fact, abundantly de¬ 
veloped by our expedition, of a secular elevation of the 
coast-line. But, independently of the ancient beaches 
and terraces and other geological marks which show 
that the shore has risen, the stone huts of the natives 
are found scattered along the line of the bay in spots 
now so fenced in by ice as to preclude all possibility 
of the hunt, and of course of habitation by men who 
rely on it for subsistence/ 615 
Tradition points to these as once favorite hunting- 
grounds near open water. At Rensselaer Harbor, 
called by the natives Aunatolc, or the Thawing-Place, 
we met with huts in quite tolerable preservation, with 
the stone pedestals still standing which used to sustain 
the carcases of the captured seals and walrus. Sunny 
Gorge, and a large indentation in Dallas Bay which 
bears the Esquimaux name of the Inhabited Place, 
