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weG/ther. The next morning, being moderate, afforded us the only
opportunity we had hitherto had of depositing some information for
Captain Franklin’s party. The boat landed ne.ar the cape, and buried
one bottle for him and another for Lieutenant Belcher, whom we had
not seen since we parted at Chamisso Island. In the evening we
stretched toward Point Hope for the purpose of depositing a bottle
there also, as it was a point which could not escape C,aptain Franklin’s
observation in his route along shore; but the wind increasing from the
westward occasioned a heavy surf upon the beach, and obliged the ship
to keep in the offing.
Seeing that we could not remain sufficiently close in shore to
be of use to our friends during the westerly winds and thick weather,.
I determined upon the examination of the inlet discovered by Mr.
Elson to the eastward of Cape Prince of Wales, and made sail for
Kotzebue Sound, for the purpose of leaving there the necessary information
for Captain Franklin and Lieutenant Belcher, in the event of
either arriving during our absence.
We passed Cape Krusenstern about sunset on the 25th; and in
running along shore after dark our attention was directed to a large
fire, kindled as if for the purpose of attracting our notice. As this
was the signal agreed upon between Captain Franklin and myself, and
as we had not before seen a fire in the night on any part ofth e coast,
we immediately brought to, and, to our great satisfaction at the moment,
observed a boat pulling towards the ship. Our anxiety at her
approach may be imagined, when we thought we could discover with
our telescopes by the light of the aurora borealis, that she was propelled
by oars instead of by paddles. But just as our expectation was
at the highest, we were accosted by the Esquimaux in their usual manner,
and all our hopes vanished. I fired a gun, however, in case there might
be any pei’sons on shore who could not come off to u s ; but the signal
not being answered, we pursued our course for Chamisso.
For the first time since we entered Beering’s Strait the night was
clear, and the aurora borealis sweeping across the heavens reminded
us that it was exactly on that night twelvemonth that we saw this
beautiful phenomenon for the fii-st time in these seas. A short time
before it began, a brilliant meteor fell in the western quarter. The C H A P .
aurora is at all times an object of interest, and seldom appears without
some display worthy of admiration, though the expectation is seldom Aug^.
completely gratified. The uncertainty of its movements, and of the
moment it may break out into splendour, has, however, the effect of
keeping the attention continually on the alert: many of us in consequence
staid up to a late hour, but nothing was exhibited on this
occasion more than we had already repeatedly witnessed.
We were more fortunate the following night, when the aurora
approached nearer the southern horizon than it had done on any former
occasion that we had observed in this part of the globe. It commenced
much in the usual manner, by forming an arch from W. N. W . to
E. N. E., and then soared rapidly to the zenith, where the streams of
light rolled into each other, and exhibited brilliant colours of purple,
pink, and green. It then became diffused over the sky generally, leaving
about 8° of clear space between it and the northern and southern horizons.
From this tranquil state it again suddenly poured out coruscations
from all parts, which shot up to the zenith and formed a splendid
cone of rays, blending pink, purple, and green colours in all their
varieties. This singular and beautiful exhibition lasted only a few minutes,
and then the light became diffused over the sky in a bright haze.
We anchored at Chamisso on the 26th, and, after depositing the
necessary information on shore, weighed the next morning to proceed
to examine the inlet. We were scarcely a league from the land when
our attention was again arrested by a fire kindled upon the Peninsula,
and eight or ten persons standing upon the heights waving to the ship.
The disappointment of the preceding night ought certainly to have
put us upon our guard; but the desire of meeting our countrymen
induced us to transform every object capable of misconstruction into
something favourable to our wishes, and our expectations on this
occasion carried us so far that some imagined they could perceive the
party to be dressed in European clothes. A boat was immediately
despatched to the shore; but, as the reader has already begun to
suspect, it was a party of Esquimaux who wished to dispose of some
skins for tobacco.