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darkness set in. The boats seemed to
cleave a flood of molten silver; and the
spray, dashed from their bows before the
fresh breeze, fell back like showers of
diamonds into the deep. 1t was a cold
night and when we at last made the land,
cliffs, faced with eternal ice, obliged us
to run on for couple of leagues before
we could take the shore with safety. The
coast of Victoria Land, which we eXplor-
ed for upwards of $50 miles, is incom-
parably the boldest we have met with in
these seas. Often, near the shore. no
bottom could be found with thirty-fve
tathoms of line; and the cerulean blue
color of the water everywhere indicated
profound depth. There are several no.
bic bays, the largest of which, N. w. of
Cape Alexander, is twenty miles wide,
and equally deep, backed by snow-clad
mountains. 1t attains to 60 deg. 40 min.
N, the highest latitude of this voyage.
AT length we reached the extreme point
seen by Mr.. Simpson from Cape Franklin
in 1898, where the coast of this large
country begins again to trend northward
of west, Cape Barrow lying by computa-
ton S. S. w., distant fifty miles. On
the 10th September, we crossed this mag
nifcent strait, with strong E. S. E., or
side wind, and rough sea, in which our
gallant boats, old and worn out as they
were, acquitted themselves beyond our
most sanguine hopes. Our return from
Cape Barrow was miserably retarded by
furious n. w. winds, and severe stress
of weather. Winter permanently set in
on the 18th September; and next day,
to the undisgused JOY of the whole party,
we re-entered the Coppermine River,
after by far the longest voyage ever per-
formed in boats on the Polar Sea. Leav-
ing one of our little craft. together with
the remains of the pemican (Which through
age and long exposure was become quite
mouldy,) and various other articles, as
prize to the first Esquimaux who may
visit the Bloody Fall, we ascended the
river with our double crew in four DAYS.
abandoned our tents, and every thing but
absolute necessaries, crossed the barren
grounds, up to the knees in snow, having
unluckily left our snow-shoes on the coast,
and safely reached Fort Confidence at
dusk on the 24th. The fisheries had
failed sooner than ever and we had good
reason to congratulate ourselves on not
being doomed to pass a third winter
within the Arctic Circle.


After settling with the Indians, liberal
ly rewarding the most deserving, and sup
plying all with ammunition gratuitiously,
we took our departure on the evening of
the Goth, in two inland batteauX; one
belonged to the expedition, the other came
from Fort Simpson, sixteen days before
our arrival.


Our passage of Great Bear Lake was
most bolsterOus and inclement. In eros
sing the body of the Lake, and other
considerable traverses, our boats, with
every thing in them, and even the very
clothes on our backs became converted
into shapeless masses and concretions of
ice. 1t was high time for us to escape
from Great Bear Lake, for the temper
aturc, which was at 4 deg. below zero,
when we landed at the head of the river.
on the evening of the 4th of October fell
10 deg. lower in the course of the night,