Honourable Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society; and
rounding Point Wollaston at its eastern extremity, opened another
extensive sheet of water; and the remainder of the afternoon was
spent in endeavouring to ascertain, from the tops of the hills,
whether it was another bay, or merely a passage enclosed by a
chain of islands. Appearances rather favouring the latter opinion,
we determined on proceeding through it to the southward. During
the delay four more deer were killed, all young and lean. It
appeared that the coast is pretty well frequented by rein-deer
at this season; but it was rather singular, that hitherto we had
killed none (excepting the first) but young ones of last season,
which were all to lean too have been eaten by any but persons who
had no choice.
We paddled along the western shore with the intention of encamping,
but were prevented by the want of drift wood on the
beach. This induced us to make a traverse to an island, where
we put up at midnight, having found a small bay, whose shores
furnished us with a little fire-wood. A heavy gale came on from
the westward, attended with constant rain, and one of the squalls
overthrew our tents. The course and distance made this day were
north-east sixteen miles and a half. I may here mention, that
Arctic Sound appeared the most convenient, and perhaps the
best place for ships to anchor that we had seen along the coast; at
this season especially, when they might increase their stock of provision,
if provided with good marksmen. Deer are numerous in
its vicinity, musk-oxen also may be found up Hood’s River, and
the fine sandy bottom of the bays promises favourably for fishing
with the seine. The hills on the western side are even in their
outline and slope gradually to the water’s edge. The rocks give
place to an alluvial sandy soil, towards the bottom of the Sound;
but on Banks’ Peninsula rocky eminences again prevail, which are
rugged and uneven, but intersected by valleys, at this time green;
along their base is a fine sandy beach. From Point Wollaston to
our encampment the coast is skirted with trap cliffs, which have
often a columnar form, and are very difficult of access. These cliffs
lie in ranges parallel to the shore, and the deer that we killed were
feeding in small marshy plats of grass, that lie in the valleys between
them.
Being detained by the continuance of the gale, on the 2d of
August some men were sent out to hunt, and the officers visited
the tops of the highest hills, to ascertain the best channels to be
pursued. The wind' abating, at ten P.M., we embarked and paddled
round the southern end of the island, and continued our course
to the south-east. Much doubt at this time prevailed as to the
land on the right being the main shore, or merely a chain, of islands.
The latter opinion was strengthened by the broken appearance of
the land, and the extensive view we had up Brown’s Channel,
(named after my friend Mr. Robert Brown,) the mouth of which
we passed, and were in some apprehension of being led away from
the main shore; and, perhaps, after passing through a group of
islands, of coming to a traverse greater than we durst venture upon
in canoes: on the other hand, the continuous appearance of the land
on the north side of the channel, and its tending to the southward
excited the fear that we were entering a deep inlet.
In this state of doubt we landed often, and endeavoured, from
the summits of the highest hills adjoining the shore, to ascertain
the true nature of the coast, but in vain, and we continued paddling
through the channel all night against a fresh breeze, which, at
half-past four, increased to a violent gale, and compelled us to land.
The gale diminished a short time after noon on the 3d, and permitted
us to re-embark and continue our voyage until four P.M.,
when it returned with its former violence, and finally obliged us