C H A P .
X I .
Jiilv,
1826.
CHAPTER XI.
Q u i t K o tz e b u e S o u n d , a n d p ro c e e d to s u r v e y th e C o a s t to th e N o r thw a rd— In te rv iew s w ith
th e N a tiv e s— C a p e T h om s o n— P o in t H o p e— C u r r e n t— C a p e s S a b in e a n d B e a u fo r t__
B a r r i e r o f I c e— I c y C a p e— A d v a n c e d P o s itio n o f th e S h ip— D is c o v e r C a p e F r a n k lin ,
A \ a in w r ig h t I n le t , S h o a ls off I c y C a p e , & c .— B o a t s e n t o n a n E x p e d i t io n a lo n g th e
C o a s t— R e tu r n o f th e S h ip to K o tz e b u e S o u n d— In te r v i ew s w ith th e E s q u im a u x— B o a t
re jo in s th e S h ip— Im p o r ta n t R e s u lts o f h e r E x p e d itio n .
O n the 30th of July we weighed from Chamisso Island attended by
the barge, and steered out of the sound. The day was very fine; and,
as we sailed along the northern shore, the sun was reflected from several
parts of the cliff, which our telescopes discovered to be cased with a
frozen surface similar to that just described in Escholtz Eay. We kept
at six or seven miles distance from the land, and had a very even bottom,
until near Hotham Inlet, when the soundings quickly decreased,
and the ship struck upon a shoal before any alteration of the helm had
materially changed her position. The water was fortunately quite
smooth, and she grounded so easily that, but for the lead-lines, we should
not have known any thing had occurred. We found upon sounding,
that the ship had entered a bight in the shoal, and that there was a
small bank between her and the deep water, so that it became necessary
to carry out the stream anchor in the direction of her wake, by
means of which, and a little rise of the tide, she was soon got off.
This shoal, which extends eight miles off the land, is very dangerous,
as the soundings give very short warning of its proximity, and there
are no good landmarks for avoiding it. The distance from the shore,
could it be judged of under ordinary circumstances, would on some
occasions be a most treacherous guide, as the mirage in fine weather
plays about it, and gives the land a very different appearance at one C F to P .
moment from that which it assumes at another. ^ — ■
■My,
1826.
As soon as we were clear of the shoal, we continued our course for
Cape Krusenstern, near which place we the next day buried a letter for
Captain Franklin, and erected a post to direct him to the spot. The cape
is a low tongue of land, intersected by lakes, lying at the foot of a high
cluster of hills not in any way remarkable. The land slopes down from
them to several rocky cliffs, which, until the low point is seen at the foot
of them, appear to be the entrance to the sound, but they are nearly a
mile inland from it. The coast here takes an abrupt turn to the northward,
and the current sets strong against the bend; which is probably
the reason of there being deep water close to the beach, as also * e
occasion of a shoal in a north-westerly direction from the point, which
appears to have been thrown up by the eddy water.
The boat landed about two miles to the northward of this point,
upon a shingly beach sufficiently steep to afford very good landing when
the water is smooth; behind it there was a plain about a mile wide,
extending from the hills to the sea, composed of elastic bog earth,
intersected by small streams, on the edges of which the buttercup,
POPPY blue-bell, pedicularis, vaccinium, saxifrages, and some cruciiorm
p la ls * throve very well; in other parts, however, the vegetation was
stinted, and consisted only of lichens and mosses. There were heie
some low mud cliffs frozen so hard that it required considerable labour
to di"- fifteen inches to secure the end of the post that was erected.
Mr. Elson, in command of the barge, was now furnished with a copy
of the signals drawn up by Captain Franklin and myself, and directed
to proceed close along the shore to the northward, vigilantly looking
out for boats, and erecting posts and landmarks iii the most conspicuous
places for Captain Franklin’s guidance, and to trace the outline
of the beach. He was also desired to explore the coast naiiow y
and to fill in such parts of it as could not be executed in the ship, and
instructed where to rendezvous in case of separation.
AVe then steered along the coast, which took a north-westerly
. T h e b o ta n y o f thie p a r t o f th e c o a s t is p u b lis h e d in th e F lo r a A m e r ic a n a o f D r . H o o k e r .