Starting this morning with a fresh breeze in our favour we soon reached
that part of Barry's Island where the canoes were detained on the 2nd and
3rd of this month and, contrary to what we then experienced, the deer
were now plentiful. The hunters killed two and relieved us from all
apprehension of immediate want of food. From their assembling at this
time in such numbers on the islands nearest to the coast we conjectured
that they were about to retire to the main shore. Those we saw were
generally females with their young and all of them very lean.
The wind continued in the same direction until we had rounded Point
Wollaston and then changed to a quarter which enabled us to steer for
Hood's River, which we ascended as high as the first rapid and encamped.
Here terminated our voyage on the Arctic Sea during which we had gone
over six hundred and fifty geographical miles. Our Canadian voyagers
could not restrain their joy at having turned their backs on the sea, and
passed the evening in talking over their past adventures with much humour
and no little exaggeration. The consideration that the most painful, and
certainly the most hazardous, part of the journey was yet to come did not
depress their spirits at all. It is due to their character to mention
that they displayed much courage in encountering the dangers of the sea,
magnified to them by their novelty.
The shores between Cape Barrow and Cape Flinders, including the extensive
branches of Arctic and Melville Sounds and Bathurst's Inlet, may be
comprehended in one great gulf which I have distinguished by the
appellation of George IV's Coronation Gulf in honour of His Most Gracious
Majesty, the latter name being added to mark the time of its discovery.
The archipelago of islands which fringe the coast from Copper-Mine River
to Point Turnagain I have named in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke
of York.
It may be deserving of notice that the extremes in temperature of the
seawater during our voyage were 53 and 35 degrees, but its general
temperature was between 43 and 48 degrees. Throughout our return from
Point Turnagain we observed that the sea had risen several feet above
marks left at our former encampments. This may perhaps be attributed to
the north-west gales.
August 26.
Previous to our departure this morning an assortment of iron materials,
beads, looking-glasses, and other articles were put up in a conspicuous
situation for the Esquimaux and the English Union was planted on the
loftiest sandhill where it might be seen by any ships passing in the
offing. Here also was deposited in a tin box a letter containing an
outline of our proceedings, the latitude and longitude of the principal
places, and the course we intended to pursue towards Slave Lake.
