of whom I am indebted for my earliest connexion with the voyages of
Northern Discovery.
'I'he northern and eastern shores of Port Clarence slope from the
mountains to the sea, and are occasionally terminated by cliffs composed
of Hne and talcy mica slate, intersected hy veins of calcareous spar of a
pearly lustre, mixed with gray quartz. The soil is covered with a thick
coating of moss, among which there is a very limited flora: the valleys
and hollows are filled with dwarf willow and birch. The country is
swampy and full of ruts; and vegetation on the whole, even on the
north side of the harbour, which had a southern aspect, w'as more backward
than in Kotzebue Sound ; still we found here three species o f
plants we had not seen before. Plants that w'ere going to seed when we
left that island were here only just in full flower, and berries that W'ere
there over ripe were here scarcely fit to be eaten. On the northern side
of Grantley Harbour, Mr. Collie found a bed of purple primulas, anemones,
and of dodecatheons, in full and fresh blossom, amidst a covering of
snow that had fallen the preceding night.
The southern side of Port Clarence is a low diluvial formation,
covered with grass, and intersected by narrow channels and lakes; it
projects from a range of cliffs which appear to have been once upon the
coast, and sweeping round, terminates in a low shingly point (Point
Spencer). In one place this point is so narrow and low, that in a heavy
gale of W'ind, the sea must almost inundate i t ; to the northward, however,
it becomes wider and higher, and, by the remains of some yourts
upon it, has at one time been the residence of Esquimaux. Like the
land just described, it is intersected with lakes, some of which rise and
fall with the tide, and is covered, though scantily, with a coarse grass,
elymus, among which we found a species of artemesia, probably new.
Near Point Spencer the beach has been forced up by some extraordinary
pressure into ridges, of which the outer one, ten or twelve feet above
the sea, is the highest. Upon and about these ridges there is a great
quantity of drift timber, but more on the inner side of the point than
on the outer. Some has been deposited upon the point before the
ridges of sand were formed, and is now mouldering away with the effect
of time, while other logs are less decayed, and that which is lodged on
the outer part is in good preservation, and serves the natives for bows ctlAP.
and fishing staves.
'IVe saw' several reindeer upon the hilly ground ; in the lakes, wild Sept.
ducks ; and upon the low point of the inner harbour, golden plover, and
sanderlings, and a gull very much resembling the larus sabini.
The survey of these capacious harbours occupied us until the 5th,
when we had completed nearly all that was necessary, and the weatlier set
in W'ith such severity that I was anxious to get back to Kotzebue Sound.
For the three preceding days the weather had been cold, with heavy
falls of snow ; and the seamen, the boats’ crews in particular, suffered
from their exposure to it, and from the iiarassing duty which was indispensable
from the expeditious execution of the survey. On this day,
the 5th, the thermometer stood at 254°, I'"® lakes on shore
W'ere frozen. We accordingly weighed, but not being able to get out,
passed a sharp frosty night in the entrance ; and next morning,
favoured with an easterly w'ind, weighed and steered for the strait.
As we receded from Point Spencer, the difficulty of distinguishing it
even at a short distance accounted for this excellent port having been
overlooked by Cook, who anchored within a very few miles of the entrance.
As we approached Beering’s Strait the w'ind increased, and on
rounding Cape Prince of Wales, reduced our sails to the close reef.
On leaving Port Clarence the wind had been from the eastw'ard, hut it
now drew to the northward, and obliged the ship to carry sail, in order
to weather the Diomede Islands. 'Whilst we were thus pressed, .lohn
Dray, one of the seamen, unfortunately fell overboard from the lookout
at the masthead, and sunk alongside a boat wliich was sent to him,
after having had his arms round two of the oars. This was the only
accident of the kind that had occurred since the ship had been in commission,
and it was particularly unfortunate that it should have fallen to
the lot of so good a man as Dray. Previous to his entry in the ship he
resided some time at theMarquesas Islands, and was sow'ell satisfied with
the behaviour ofthe natives ofthat place that he purposed living amongst
them ; but being on board a boat belonging to Baron Wraiigel's ship, at the
time w hen the islanders made a most unjustifiable attack upon her, he w as
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