Dr. Kichardson discovered near the beach a small vein of galena,
traversing gneiss rocks, and the people collected a quantity of it in
the hope of adding to our stock of balls; but their endeavours to
smelt it, were, as may be supposed, ineffectual. The drift timber
on this part of the coast consists of pine and taccamahac, (populus
bahamifera), most probably from Mackenzie’s, or some other river
to the westward of the Copper Mine. It all appears to have
lain long in the water, the bark being completely worn off, and
the ends of the pieces rubbed perfectly smooth. There had been a
sharp frost in the night, which formed a pretty thick crust of ice
in a kettle of water that stood in the tents : and for several nights
thin films of ice had appeared on the salt water amongst the
cakes of stream ice*. Notwithstanding this state of temperature,
we were tormented by swarms of musquitoes; we had
persuaded ourselves that these pests could not sustain the cold
in the vicinity of the sea, but it appears they haunt every part
of this country in defiance of climate. Mr. Back made an excursion
to a hill at seven or eight miles’ distance, and from its summit
he perceived the ice close to the shore as far as his view extended.
On the morning of the 29th the party attended divine service.
About noon the ice appearing less compact, we embarked to change
our situation, having consumed all the fuel within our reach. The
wind came off the land just as the canoes had started, and we
determined on attempting to force a passage along the shore; in
which we happily succeeded, after seven hours’ labour and much
hazard to our frail vessels. The ice lay so close that the crews
disembarked on it, and effected a passage by bearing against the
pieces with their poles; but in conducting the canoes through the
narrow channels thus formed, the greatest care was requisite, to
prevent the sharp projecting points from breaking the bark. They
* This is termed bay ice by the Greenland-men.
fortunately received no material injury, though they were split in
two places.
At the distance of three miles, we came to the entrance of a deep
bay, whose bottom was filled by a body of ice so compact as to
preclude the idea of a passage through it ; whilst at the same time>
the traverse across its mouth was attended with much danger, from
the approach of a large field of ice, which was driving down before
the wind. The dread of further detention, however, prevented us
from hesitating; and we had the satisfaction of landing in an hour
and a half on the opposite shore, where we halted to repair the
canoes and to dine. I have named this bay after my friend
Mr. Daniel Moore of Lincoln’s Inn ; to whose zeal for science, the
Expedition was indebted for the use of a most valuable chronometer.
Its shores are picturesque; sloping hills receding from the beach,
and clothed with verdure, bound its bottom and western side ; and
lofty clifts of slate clay, with their intervening grassy valleys, skirt its
eastern border. Embarking at midnight, we pursued our voyage
without interruption, passing between the Stockport and Marcet
Islands and the main, until six A.M. on July 30th; when, having
rounded Point Kater, we entered Arctic Sound, and were again
involved in a stream of ice, but after considerable delay extricated
ourselves, and proceeded towards the bottom of the inlet in search
of the mouth of a river, which we supposed it to receive, from the
change in the colour of the water.
About ten A.M. we landed, to breakfast on a small deer which
St. Germain had killed; and sent men in pursuit of some others in
sight, but with which they did not come up. Be-embarking, we
passed the river without perceiving it, and entered a deep arm of the
sound; which I have named Baillie’s Cove, in honour of a relative
of the lamented Mr. Hood. As it was too late to return, we
encamped, and by walking across the country discovered the river,
whose mouth being barred by low sandy islands and banks, was not
3 B 2