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" . -'.■.-. m ■■■..- • ■, ■ ':^!' ■ tw* "K oB^ofc^ "l "l" Jiiif tib-e -''\'r:!j,:'!^>^y,^ii,» ":.::!.'■■-: <^.,,i.tk<^,- '}fi^ ,\- mfi' 1.1. , Boston m:\i. • iViniei) for V,', WT llea>l ^■- .'.':..■ ill' .;,•■■■ '!*■' ' .■■'.■•'. ■'■:■:, "f v (■ ■^ • '''."ji''-,:'- ,''■-'■■■,■ . . » ' !: I .. .^. ;■■■•. ■..--.■ •* , ■';.,Hl: \ry:^^S: 'I *H^ ir ?> ■ t^'- » ;• :.'- -5, .')> 53-. %'■ ■^?i :vi' ';•: ■•■,i» 'S;% ^5 ;.V ^: -A K . i .n :^ "^vlS ■*! f '*"5! V !-^ -«.-•.> t'? */i ■>, *,. west: ICELAND. NOR A PAnncu BABIT/ AJUiC ' WITH REM. 1>] M PARRY^ THE POLAR REGIONS WESTERN CONTINENT EXPLORED; GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT * ICELAND, GREENLAND, THE ISLANDS OF THE FROZEN SEA, ■ ABD THB NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT, IHOLU<>IHa A PABTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF . THE COUNTRIES, THE SEAS, IN. HABITANTS, AND ANIMALS OF THOSE PARTS OF THE WORLD; AliSO, A MINUTE ACCOUNT OP THB WHALE FISUEEIES, AND THE DANGERS ATTENDING THEM ; WITH RSHARKABLB ADVENTURES OF SOME OF THE WHALE FIBBERS, DBSC&IFTIONS OF MOUNT HECLA^ AND jTHE OTHER VOLCANOES .:,0F ICELAND ;?*,■.;> ADVENT ORES, DISCOVERIES, DANQERS AND TRIALS OF ,PAHI|Yi FRANKLIN, LYON, AND OTHER NA^tlQATORS, ^«'.i^>^'. IN THOSE REGIONS. ■ ^V:-vv.V-r,. ^:.U..::\ ^^—. BY W. J. SNEL.LING, AVTHOA OP <TALKBOF THK If O ■ T B W I > T.' n ILLUSTRATED BT A MAP AND ENGRAVINGS. BOSTONi PRINTED FOR W. W. REED. 1831. .■yp^ \. s \ >^.lj^ msi. t (.v., \' ■Cvfi' r^'^ir^. ■^J m: ■■^. ^ '«;, .;#■ PREFACE. LoNO prefaces are seldom read, and therefore the author, or rather compiler, of the following pages will confine his re- marks to an explanation of the plan and scope of his work. The data firom which our knowledge of the northern regions is derived are already before the world. Crantz has made us acquainted with Greenland, Parry with the northeastern coast of this continent, and Franklin with the interior. Yet the re- suits of their labws are preserved in a form which preclvrues the majority of readers firom profiting by their observations. The voyages of Captain Parry, for example, as they have heretofore been published, fill several large volumes, and the same may be said of the travels of Captain Franklin and his coadjutors. The object of this work, therefore, is, as its title implies, to^ I give the reader a condensed account of what is known of the northern regions of the new world, firom the latest and best au- thorities. To this end the compiler has availed himself of the writings of Henderson, Crantz, Parry, Franklin, Richardson, Kotzebue, and others, and, in many instancec :iss used their very words. He does not pretend to say all that, may be said, nor to record every adventure of the enterprising travellers ; but he trusts that he has omitted nothing essential to a knowledge of the regions he describes, as far as they are known. Whatev- er has appeared to him worthy of commemoration, he has set down; but unimportant details have been omitted. ■ v v' ' Whether the task prescribed in these premises has been well or ill performed, it is certain that no work on this plan, or ui^ dertaken with the same object, has yet appeared. Such as the book is, it is now presented to those by whom it must be judged. 1 <:• m I ; ;l ''*0^l •<"> -i?! m ;«>S ^ CONTENTS. m ■f-'T ICELAND. CHAPTER I. Of the Geographical Situation of Iceland. — Its Discoveiy and Colonization. — ' Patriarchal Government of the early Settlers. — The Icelandic Republic- Its Government. — Code of Ulfliot. — Code of Bergthor. — ^The Jonsbok.— Conversion of the Icelanders. — Subjugation of Iceland to Norway. — Legal Punishments.— Present Government of Iceland. — Attempted Revolution in 1805. Pagel CHAPTER II. Qwlopc Character of Iceland. — ^Volcanoes -md Ice Mountains. — ^Mount Heda. — Eruption of Skaptar Yokul. — Its Consequences.— Skaptar Yokul. 9 CHAPTER III. Situation of the Geysers. — Description of the Great Greyser. — Its Eruptbn.— The Strockr.— The Old Strockr.— The little Geyser.— Hot springs at va- rious Flaces.—Mountains.— Onefa Yokul. — Crater of Krabla. - ijtfk CHAPTER IV. '^ ThecaveofSurtshellir. — ^Towns and Settlements. Reykiavik Yidey DrtK^ idical Circle at Thingvalla. — Holum. — Akur Egri. — Population of Im~ land. — Religion and Form of Church Government. — Clergy. — ^Education. t—School at Bessastad. — Icelandic Literature. — Runic Poetry .—Death,S«ig ^Regner Lodbrok. ...... j)| QIAPTER V. F«no9td App^rance of the Icelanders. — Character, Language, ai^ Literatoit. •••Dress of the Males. — Dressof the Females. - . - 34 ' CHAPTER VI. GoU in Iceland. — Polar Ice. — Winter. — Summer. — ^The Fishery. — Svaamt, T)ocupation of the Icelanders. — Occupation of the Women. — Treatment of Strangers. — Pastoral Life. — Houses of the Icelanders. — A Winter Eve- ning in Iceland. — Horses.- Reindeer. — ^Ybit to the Tradinf; HooHd.— Exports and Imports. - - . - - '41 ir ^■ CHAPTER VII. Miseellaneous Particulars. — Of the Mineral Kingdom in Iceland.— Yegeto- blet.— Drift Wood. — Sketch of Spitsbergen. . • • - 60 Tl CONTENTS. GREENLAND. m CHAPTER I. Qcnenl Gteographic Featuiea of the Coast of Gieenland. — Of tbe Western Coast.— Of the Eastern Coast.— Fiedeiicshaab.— The Ice Blink.— Gothaab Diako Bay.— Lievely. - - - - - - 57 CHAPTER II. Of the Polar Ice.— Changes in its Position. — Its piesent Position.— Technical Names of the different Kinds of Ice.— Dangers firom Icebergs.— Manner of taking the Whala. .... • - 65 CHAPTER ni. Early History of the Whale Fishery. — Of the Manner in which a Whab Ship is manned. — ^The Crow's Nest — Whale Boata — Implements used in the Whale Fishery.— Whale Killing.— Danger of Striking. - 77 CHAPTER IV. Farther .\ccount of Whale Killing. — Length of Time required to kill a Whab. — Character of the Whalemen. — ^Anecdotes of the Greenland Fishery. 89 CHAPTER V. Account of the Discovery of Greenland. — ^Early History. — America disocifTered by Icelanders.— ^reenlandic Colony in America. — ^First Appearance of tha Eaquunanx. — Black Death and Loss of Greenland. — ^Attempts at Redis- oorery and Recolonizatioa — Greenland recoloiuzed by Hans Egede. 89 CHAPTER TL Climate of Greenland.— Seasons and Weather.— Iiength of Days and I<nghta.<— Flora of Greenland. — Greenlandic Ghoaens.— General Remarks.— Yi^aga of Caiiki Rom. • \ ' ■ 96 CHAPTER Vn. Oft tiM Uskees^ or Abori^nal Inhabitants of Greenland.— Thdr phyacal Charaeterisdos.— Dress.— Their Relatione with other Tribes.— ProgMH in Religion and Civilization.— Intercourse with Europeans.— Knowledge in TnuiB.—Form of Society. • 104 CHAPTER Vm. OeeopatfoM of the Uskeea.— Uses of the Whale.— Manner of spending tt;ip-Winter<— 'Manner, of spending the Summer.— 'Manner of catching SwJs.— Enjoymcnte of the Utkeet.— -Iienguage. • '111 ■X'- -» CONTENTS. VU CAPTAIN PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. Object of Pan3f'8 First Voyage.— Equipment of the Expedition.— Fasaage up Davis's Stiaits. — E^banaasment in the Ice. • • • 119 ^ CHAPTER n. Farther Detention in the Ice. — Whales. — Arrival at Lancaster's Soond.— Land about Possession Bay. — ^New Lands discovered. — The Vessels an again stopped by the Ice. ..... 139 CHAPTER III. Cape Seppings discovered. — Near Approach to the Magnetic Pole. — Unfa- vorable Pontion of the Ice. — Appearance of Prince Regent's Inlet — Port Bowen. ...-..--136 CHAPTER IV. Appearance of the Land about Jackson's Bay. — Favorable Prospect to the Westward-^Gascoyne's Inlet discovered. — Farther Discoveries. — Bar- row's Strait ...--. -144 * it Id CHAPTER V. Farther Progress of the Expedition. — ^New Discoveries. — Bathurst's Island.^ Novel Expedient io Navigation. . - . . 148 CHAPTER VI. SoBM Deaci^tion of the Shores of Melville Island. — ^The Ships' Companies win the Pienuum for penetrating to Longitude 110° West from Green- inch.— Bay of the Hecla and Griper. — Farther Proceedings. — Loss and Sufferings of a Hunting Party. .... 155 CHAPTER VIL The ShipB return to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, and taflPbp a Po- sition for the Winter.— Proceedings at Winter Harbor— Internal Ar- rangements of the Ships. •• - - - 161 tafl^i •^ CHAPTER Vin. Mode <rf serving out Provisions and Fuel.— Theatre.— Weekly Newspaper.— Elnugration of the Reindeer. — A White Bear. — Intense Cold. 168 CHAPTER IX. Opeaing of the Theatre. — ^Wolves and White Foxes. — Measures to obviate the Effects of the Cold.— Mode of Passing the Time. 17.5 VIU CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. Scenery of Winter Harbour. — Optical Deception. — Emplojonents of Of&- cera and Men. — Theatrical Entertainments. — Night and Day. 180 CHAPTER XI. Christmas. — Scurvy breaks out on board the Hecla. — Extreme Cold.— The Sun seen. — Conflagration on Shore. — Extraordinary Accumulation of Vapor. — Sudden Change of Weather. ... 187 CHAPTER XII. Return of the Migratory Animals to Melville Island. — Snow Blindness. — The Hecla freed from the Ice. — Gardening. — Journey to explore Mel- ville Island. ...... -193 CHAPTER XIII, Progress of the Season. — State of the Ice. — Damage received by the Rud- ders of the Ships. ...... 199 CHAPTER XIV. A Boat passes between the Ships and the Shore. — Maximum Heat at Mel- ville Island. — The Vessel^ are made ready for Departure. — They we'gh Anchor. — Departure from Winter Harbour. — Are stopped by th« Ice. — Descriptionof a Fart of the Shore. - - - 205 CHAPTER XV. Dangerous Position of the Hecla.- -Submarine Ice. — Curious Wall. — Dan- ger of the Griper. — A Whale seen. — Discovery of Banks's Land. — De- tention by the Ice. — A Musk-Ox killed. — The Ice closes on the Shore. - - 21^ CHAPTER XVI. Average Thickness of the Ice. — Observations on the State of the Ice.— Farther Detention. — Appearances of this Part of Melville Island.— Grea.t Peril of the Griper. — The Griper ordered to retrograde. 219 i [ecTa CHAPTER XVII. The Hecla moves again. — Position of the Ships.— They move to tbe Eastward. — Abandonment of the Westward Course.— Musk Ozeot— Retrograde Passage. 924 CHAPTER XVIl. The Ships explore the West Shore of Baflin's Bay. — Meet Vessels from Eng- land.— -Eiquuuaux at the river Clyde. — Their Behaviour. - 230 CHAPTER XVUI. Intercourse with the Esquimaux.— Manner of Embarking and Disembarking in Canoes. — Esquimaux Tents. — Mode of Barter.— Stature and Appearance flf the Esquimaux ...... 230 CONTENTS. IX a CHAPTER XIX. Dtess of the Esquimaux. — Description of their Tents. — Description of their Canoes. — Implements used in the Fishery. — Their Sledges. — Esquimaux Dogs. — Their Voracity. — Household Economy. - - 24-1 CHAPTER XX. Farther Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — ^Their Number. — Health. — Demeanour. — Return of the Expedition to England. • 250 '■Mm CAPTAIN PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. The Hecla and Fury fitted out. — They reach Davis's Strait— Difficulties in the Ice. — ^The Ships are visited by Esquimaux.r-Their Behaviour. 254 CHAPTER II. Offensive Conduct of the Esquimaux. — Description of* the Savage Islands. —Ships make the Coast of Labrador —More Esquimaux. - 260 '■"'' CHAPTER III. The Ships make the Northern Land, Southampton Island, Frozen Strait.— The Ice begins to make. — The Ship gets into Winter Gluarters. — Shrimps. --^Fozes.— A Theatre is opened. — The Northern Lights. • • ^Si CHAPTER IV. Repulse Bay. — Frozen Strait. — Captain Lyon makes a Journey. — Appearanoa of the Coast. — Interview with a Party of Esquimaux. - • 269 \ -' CHAPTER V. loe begins to make. — The Ships get into Winter Quarters.— Shrimps. — Foxes. —A Theatre opened. — Northern Lights.— -Esquimaux. - - 278 CHAPTER VI. jg Tlio Esquimaux visit the Ships. — Wolves. — More Particulars relating to the Esquimaux.— Manner of constructing Snow Huts. - - 285 CHAPTER VIL Biquimaux.— Musical Concert.— An Esquimau whipped for Theft.— Star«- tion.— Captain Parry accompanies a Scaling Party. . . 294 CHAPTER VIII. Danger of the Seal Hunters.— A Seal Hole.— Manner of Watching Seal Holei.—Manner of Catching Seals and Walrusses. — Another Instance of Theft.— Ferocity of the Wolf.— Esquimaux Dwellings.- Seals killed.— Seal Butchery — Seals. • - • - • -300 ■J's' <it CONTENTS. Ml CHAPI^R IX. Health of the Esquimaux. — ^Their envious Disposition. — Captain Lyon's Journey. — Removal of Esquimaux, &c. — Captain Parry lodges with the Savages. ....... 307 W CHAPTER X. Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Dissection of the Seal. — Prepara- tions fur Departure. — Behaviour of a sick Savage. - - 313 CHAPTER XI. Captain Lyon's Journey. — Departure of the Esquimaux. — Progress of tha Season. — The Ships put to Sea. — Description of Winter Island. — Ca- taract on Barrow's River. — Walrusses killed. — The Ships reach Igloo- lik.— Igloolik and other Islands.— Strait of the Fury and Hecla. 319 CHAPTER XIL Physical Character of the Esquimaux.— Costume. — Female Avocations.— Sledges, Dogs, Weapons, &c. — Manner of killing Deer and Musk Oxen. 32» CHAPTER XIII. Travelling. — Marriages. — Treatment of Children.— Theology. — Honcsty.*- Beggary. — Ingratitude. — Hospitality. — Lying and Slander. — Courage.— The Ships return to England. - - - • - 335 CAPTAIN PARRY'S THIRD VOYAGE. The Ships leave England, and arrive at Disko Island. — The Ice crossed.— Arrival at Lancaster's Sound. — Port Bo wen. — Aurora Borealis. — Ani- mals. — Farther Proceedings. — The Fury wrecked. — Return to Eng- land. H - 3M CAPTAIN FRANKLIN'S TRAVELS. CHAITER 1. Object of Captain Franklin's Journey. — His Instructions. — Captain Franklia arrives ot Hudson's Bay. — York Factory. — Swampy Crees. — Departure from York Factory. — Tracking. — Indian Anecdote. — Steel River. — Route oftheparty up Hill River. — Arrival at Lake Winnipeg. - 350 CONTENTS. '.'U'^ CHAPTER II. :,-_■■[■ :i. ' i, The Saskntchawayn.— Arrival at Cumberland House.— Sufferings of the In- dians. — First of January.— Bois Brule s.— Departure of Captain Franklin.— Cumberland House.— Vegetable Kingdom.— Animals.— The Nahecowak. . ... . - - - 358 CHAPTER III. Snow Shoes.- Dog Sledges.— Travelling Dress.- Mai a Raquette.— Pcmican. —Sagacity of Wolves.- Arrival at Carlton House.- Assinneboins.— Their War Parties. — Dressing Skins.— A Pound for catching Bufialoes. 367 CHAPTER rV. Running the Buffalo.— Still Hunting.— Carlton House.— GoUres.-A Dead Body. — Isle a la Crosse. — Buffalo Lake. — Pierre au Calumet. — Arrival at Fort Chippewyan.— Return of Spring. - - • - 377 CHAPTER V. ■ ■.*■'■: ,'■';■:■■.},''■{ News ftom Great Slave Lake. — Voyageurs engaged. — Fort Chippewyan — Lake of the Hills.— Cliippewyan Trilic. — Their Dress. — Character. — Vanity. — Opinions. — Customs. — Abandonment of their Sick. — A Birch Canoe. ,..••, y,"*- .-,. ,..ii\^,.. ,•' .■■,-.;*.;■■; ■'"..■-... -■'.385' CHAPTER VI. An Accident. — Arrival of Dr Richardson. — Arrangements for Departure.-^ Departure. — Portages. — A Buffalo killed. — The Party arrive at Great Slave Lake. — At Fort Providence. — Conference with Akaitcho. 393 CHAPTER VII. Akaitcho. — Preparations for the Journey. — Fort Providence.— Journey tip ' Yellow Knife River. — Want of Food.- -Yellow Knife River. — Mutiny of the Voyagcurs.~The party reach their Winter Quarters.— Conduct of Akaitcho.— Departure of Mcs!<rs Back and Hood. - - 4QI CHAPTER VIH. Trip to the Coppermine. — Poit Enterprise. — Reindeer.- Departure^f Messrs Back and Wcntzel. — Conduct of the Indians. — Frozen FisliM.— News from Slave Lake.—Green Stockings.~Temperature.--Diet.— Arrival from Slave Lake.— Esquimaux Interpreters. • ... •409. CHAPTER IX.' Message from the Hook.—Conduct of the Interpreters.— Akaitcho.™Aprikr- Suffering of the Indians.— Sliding down Hill.— Advance of the Season.— A Supply of Food.—May Weather,— Arrival of Water-Fowl.— Akaitcho arrives.— His Conduct. .... . 41Q CHAPTER X. Captain Franklin's Reply to Akaitcho.— The Copper Indians.— Kcskarrab.— Marriages.— Warfc-Numbcrs.— The Dog-Ribs.— Their Character.— Res* idenco and Numbers. — The Hare Indians. — The duarrellers.— Othw Tribes.— Behaviour of Akaitoho.— The first Party leaves Fort Enterprise. 4i» .■ , '.-■'■■vi'.VVl'; V -«■ -,A -1" Xll CONTENTS. 1 (!:',:;■■■■ ■ ' Mi'S, ,v CHAPTER XI. ; :. Captain Franklin leaves Fort Enterprise.— SufTerings of the Men.— The Coppermine. — Musk Oxen killed. — Tlie Hook.-— Portage to Great Bear Lake. — Rapids. — The Copper Mountains. — The Interpreters con- verse with the Esquimaux.— Flight of the Esquimaux.— rThe Esqui- maux seen again. — An old Savage. • - ... 431 CHAPTER XII. Terregannuck and his People. — More Esquimaux. — The Copper Indians turn back. — The Party proceed along the Coast, and finally turn back. —-Hood's River. — Journey across the Barren Grounds.— Sufferings of the Party. — Tripe de Roche. — The River Anatessy. - 438 •/•■■'■■■■'.■•■■•' CHAPTER XIII. t •'."■.■':■•'■ A Miisk-Ox killed. — The Party come to a Lake and cross a River.— Dan- ger of Belangei. — They reach Point Lake.— The Canoe left. — They arrive at the Coppermine.— Adventure of Dr Richardson. — Efforts to cross. — Fate of Credit and Vaillant.— Dr Richardson stops. — Dreadful Sufferings of the Party. . - - . . 44G CHAPTER XIV. .Perrauit turns back. — Fontano is lost. — Captain Franklin reaches Fort \Enterprise.^ — Misery of the Party. — Dr Richardson and Hepburn reach ^v VFort Enterprise. — The Crimes of Michel.— Murder of Mr Hood.— -Mi- . .chel is put to DoB^th. — Subsequent Progress of Dr Richardson and ;. ..Hepburn. - • - - - - -• r 454 •:./;;■■"■;•"'.'•':■.'■ chapter XV. Death of Peltier and Samandrc. — Extreme Weakness of the Survivors.' — Their Intellects become weak. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Proceed- ings. — More Indians arrive. — Captain Franklin reaches the Camp of Akiiitciio. — Mr Back's Adventures. — Death of Beauparlant. — End of tlie Jouriioy. - - - - • - - 468 • ' CHAPTER XVII. Second Journey oif Captain Franklin.— Attack by the Esquimaux. — De- scription of the Esquiinaux.— Their Woinen. — FaHher Progress. — The Expedition returhs.r-Capt. Beechy .--Doc tor Richardson's Voyage.— -The Esquimaux.^TheirjHuts.-rObservations on the Magnetic Pole. 470 >■/•■' ■■ J''V", . K^iT:z'|J BtJ'#:8- ':V^^-6'1t:'^;^^^ ArriTal of Lieut. Kotzebue at Gape Prince of Wales.— Discovery of a fourth Island in the Gwozdeff Group-^-^PwellihgR of the N itiyes.--- Conduct of the Savages. — Appearance of the Land.---The NatiyeB.-- Ico-BergB ou Land.— Researches in Itotzel>ue's Sound.— Ad.vaiDt&gei of this Discovery. .." . ,- '•■-., ,•;;.ii;■J);;.;^v!■.^;4^^^>;•.•'.4iflV., ■ .;■..•■'.■.;.. I..,,' ..^.''Xi^" .^ •• •• .;"l ■ 'X^W ,H,\:',"S^v'-;,i:^l ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. ilecla and Griper in Winter Quarters, p. 161. Siu^riiWr Apjieui-dilcti ; J)t" tJ^ MoQfl^ 1 , „\i.'_;' ■■ . ; \.',." v'll ■ ■ 1'^. '■■<; -vA-'h;'^ .' <. if ■'■■■!■ kj-r"' >"';'«M'"ii^' .•»•••• -..y, :■'../.•, V-,;, A' .- :,., "^^!;j:"i\;,vi ■■■...■'■ .:'■/•:, . ^■'■m m •Ivv'^A-.'**-*'^;, : :\ r%-^' m'^. .it^V;" ■STi* ;1!-^. M IIJ.USTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. Shooting Harpoon into a Wiiale; .V.:,r '{v I.I; ',. •lit:'' ||t';J',i jinrpooniiig a Seivj. p."*^- ■■■■/ ■ -t'-' '''■:■> .' . tv ■'•• ••■'..t^-y POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER I. Oirthe Geographical Situation of Iceland. — J[t|}Discovery and Colonization.— Patriarchal Government of the early Set^fts. — The Icelandic Republic. — \ its Government. — Code of Ulfliot. — Cod^f Bergthor. — The Jonsbok. — Conversion of the Icelanders. — Subjugation of Iceland to Norway. — Legal Punishments. — Present Government of Iceland. — Attempted Revolution '' •■ in 1805'.:- ■' '••"■''■"'•', '%' • ' •.."":.'•.'} .- In compiling a work on the Northern Regions of America, we hope it will not be tkliight amiss if we begin with Iceland ; though that island has been long considered a part of the old world, and was, perhaps, the Ultima Thvle of the A||yeients. Trying as it does, much nearer to Greenlandi'liSian to any part of Europe, it is without doubt a natiiral appendage of America. It is also attached'^to the American Continent by Malte Brun, the highest geographical authority of the present day. It is situated on the verge of the polar eirble» between 63" 24' and 66" 30' of north latitude; and between 13" 15' and 24° 40' of longitude, west £rom Greenwich. Its length is three hundred, and its I v:;v M 2 POLAR REGIONS. breadth one hundred and fifty miles, nearly ; and it has a superficial area of 40,500 square miles. The earliest record of the discovery of Iceland which may be considered authentic, is contained in an ancient work in the Runic tongue, called The Landnamabok, or Book of Occupation. According to this authority, Naddodd, a famous Norwegian pirate, was driven to the shores of loeland b^ a storm, about the year 860. He found no inhab- itants, nor did he attempt a settlement. It is indeed stated in the Landnamabok that the island was pre- viously settled by Christians from the British Isles ; but as they left no traces of their establishments, and as the assertion is not supported by reference, or other authority, it is fair to conclude, that if the British Christians did indeed come thither, they were only occasional visitors. Four years after, Iceland was again discovered by Gardar Svafarson, a Swede ; who circumnavigated it, and spent the' winter on its shores. The account he gave of it on his return, induced Floki, another Norwegian pirate, to attempt a settlement. He sailed from the Faro Islands, and supplied the want of the compass by dismissing ravens from his ship, and directed his course by their flight. He settled at Vatnsfiord, but devoting too much of his time to the fisheries, his crops failed, and the cattle he had brought with him died in consequence. He passed the winter on the island, gave it the name of Ice- land, or the country of Ice, and then abandoned it forev^r^' The companions of Floki gave very favorable :»' POLAR REGIONS. 3 accounts of the natural advantages of the island. They depicted it as a terrestrial paradise, and to express his satisfaction more forcibly, one ot them averred that * butter dropped from evfery plant* it produced. In 870, Ingolf and Hiorleif, two Norwegians, wintered on the island, and on their return to Nor- way took measures to plant a colony, which they effected in 874. On their near approach to the shore, Ingolf threw the timber he had brought to construct a dwelling into the sea, and made a vow that he would build his house wherever it floated on shore. It came to land near Reykiavik, the present capital of Iceland. To escape the usurping tyranny of Harold Har- fager, the then king of Norway, many of the petty princes of that part of Scandinavia fled to Iceland In a short time the entire coast was occupied by their dependants and followers, and Harold, to pre- vent the depopulation of his realms, was obliged to impose a heavy fine on such as should leave Nor- way for Iceland. In 928 the Icelanders erected a regular republic. They divided their island into four quarters, or di- visions, over each of which a chief magistrate, elect- ed by the free suffrages of the people, presided Each quarter was subdivided into three prefectures, or sheriffdoms, governed, severally, by an officer whose duty it was to preserve order, to call assem- blies to try causes, to preside in such assemblies, and to see the punishments they awarded carried into effect. The prefectures were again divided It' Ijh" ,^:| l:,.^ ;;il| II; 4 POLAR REGIONS. into districts called HreppSj consisting of such fam- ilies as resided in the same neighbourhood, and much resembling the hundreds of the Anglo Saxons. Over eacn of these a Hreppstiorif or headborough, was appointed, who was bound by his office to take care of the poor of his own district, to prevent their number from increasing, .ind to preside over inferior courts, each of which was to consist of four land- holders. Such affairs as could not be settled in these courts were to be carried before the sheriflPs court, to which the Hreppstiori were amenable. In extraordinary cases, there was an appeal to a court formed of deputies from the four quarters, but this court only assembled in cases of extreme emer- gency. Lastly, there was a final court of appeal, called The Althing, or General Assembly of the Nation, held annually, and which sat sixteen days. In this assembly the laws of the nation were enacted, and here all differences were finally adjusted. The presiding officer was termed the Publisher of the Law, and his judgment, when confirmed by the peo- ple, was decisive. He was elected by the people, and commonly held his office for life. He had the custody of the standard copy of the laws. He had power to reverse the sentences of inferior magis- trates, and of punishing them, on sufficient proof of malversation in office. So much importance did the Icelanders attach to this officer, that they com- puted time from the date of his administration. In 927, Ulfliot, a learned Icelander, offered a code which he had prepared, to the acceptance of l!ll U POLAR REGIONS. the Genernl Assembly. It was adopted, and be- came the statute law of the island. At the same time, Thingvalla, having been confiscated to the use of the nation, became the permanent seat of the Althing. This code was an abstract of the laws then in force in Norway. In 1118 it was superseded by an improved code by Bergthor, then Publisher of the Law, and this code, in 1280, gave place to another, called Jonsbok, which obtains, in most in- stances, to this day. Thus did a number of free persons, many of whom had been princes, establish a government as liberal in its principles as any that ever existed. They enacted laws that have been pronounced by competent judges admirably calculated to protect individual rights and privileges, and every way adapt- ed to their peculiar circumstances. This state of things continued four hundred years, and was at last subverted by intestine broils and%loody quar- rels, fomented and encouraged by the kings of Nor- way. One attempt was made to introduce Christianity into Iceland, a little more than a century after its colonization. In 981, a Norwegian pirate brought over a bishop, and acted as interpreter to his mis- sionary labors. They did not fully succeed, more especially as the pious pirate had, in the excess of his zeal, slain two of the heathen bards for satirizing the rites of his new faith ; but they persuaded the Icelanders to refuse to pay the customary tax to support the worship of Thor and Odin. A few re- 1* ''I I'll IP' 6 POLAR REGIONS. .i,"i •.^p •ii'' I, It- I'' , . ceived baptism, and a church was built, though not without much opposition. Other missionaries were sent by Olave, king of Norway, but they only served as marks for the satire of the Runic poets. Such as they did con- vert were fined, and at last were banished from Ice- land. Persecution had its usual effect. The Christians gained ground, and in the year 1000 they obtained, after a hard struggle, that their worship should be tolerated. In the course of time, the whole of the population embraced Christianity. In 1551, the doctrines of Luther were fully introduced among them, and are still the ground of their faith, though a small number of the Icelandic clergy are Socinians. Haco succeeded in subjugating the island. In 1261 the greater part of the people became tributa- ry to him, and the rest submitted four years after. Even in their submission the Icelanders preserved the spirit of a free people, for the changes intro- duced by Norway were slight, and no foreign mili- tary force ever set foot on the island. They stipu- lated that they should retain their ancient rights and laws ; that King Haco should be bound to con- tinue the importation of the necessary articles of foreign produce, and that they should be governed by an Earl expressly appointed for that purpose. If the King of Norway should fail to fulfil these con- ditions, they were free to withdraw their allegiance. In 1800 the venerable Althing was abrogated, and a supreme court substituted in its room at Reyki- avik, consisting of a Chief Justice, two Assessors, and m POLAR REGIONS. % a Secretary. This court meets once a month, and decides on criminal and other cases ; but the Icelanders have the privilege of appealing from its decisions to the high court in Denmark. In ancient times, scarcely any other than pecuniary punish- ments obtained. Criminals were fined in a certain number of marks, eacH^f which amounted to rather more than an ounce of fine silver, and was equal to fortyeight ells of woollen cloth ; but as this mode of punishment was found ineffectual to the preven- tion of crime, the laws became gradually more severe, and at last capital punishments were intro- duced. Hanging was the mode inflicted for mur- ders, drowning for child murder, and burning for witchcraft. At present, fines, imprisonment, and whipping are the only punishments inflicted in Ice- land. Such as are capitally convicted, it is neces- sary to send over to Copenhagen to be beheaded ; it being a curious fact that, for some time past, no person could be found on the island who would execute the sentence of the law. At present, Iceland is governed by a Shiftamtman, who is appointed by his Danish majesty, and is bound to fill this oflSce for the space of five years. He is generally one of the younger branches of a noble family, has a salary of about .£500 per annum, and is entitled to preferment on his return to Den- mark. He is likewise special governor of the southern quarter of the island in which he resides ; and has two Amtmen, or deputy governors, one for the western, and another for the northern and east- ern quarters. These quarters are divided into .1^ .■I ■■/'■'■' ■■•/ ■'•• >':^, ' II ,k I i I 8 POLAR REGIONS. syssels or sheriffdoms, the boundaries of which are much the same as those fixed in the ancient consti- tution; and they are governed by a SysSelman, whose office also resembles that of the ancient sher- iffs — except that he has a lease of the King's taxes, and accounts to the royal treasurer for the ambunt. The syssels are again divilkd into a number of brepps, each of which is placed under the inspec- tion of a hreppstion or constable, answering to the bailiff of former times^ ■' ' There is besides/ auabthfer public officer called the Landfoged, or steward, who is treasurer or re- ceiver-general for the island, and at the same time, tax-gatherer of Grullbringe Syssel and police master of Reykiavik. In 1805, an Icelander, by name Jorgenson, at- tempted to revolutionize the island. He made the Danish governor prisoner, seized the reins of gov- erivmeiit into his own hands, and declared the natidn independent. Not being supported by the British government as he expected, things soon reverted to their former state. .,»■'.«/> -» : POLAR REGIONS. 9 r ; , CHAPTER U. Geologic Character of Ice'and.— Volcanoes and Ice Mountains.— Mount Hccla.— Eruption of Skaptar Yokul.— Its Consequences.— Skaptar Yokul. Iceland is a chain of immense rocks, in the struc- ture of which trap and basalt predominate. Their summits are crowned with snow, though everlasting fire burns in their subterranean caverns. Judging from its analogy with islands of known volcanic origin, and from the appearance of new islands near its shores within a century, there is little doubt, that it was thrown up by fires burning, perhaps, below the bottom of the oc^an. Tracts of lava traverse the island in every direc- tion. The general appearance of the country is the most rugged and dreary imaginable. On every side are the yawning craters of active or extinguish- ed volcanoes, the sources of the surrounding deso- lation. As if nature delighted to bring the most heterogeneous parts of matter in contact, the burn- ing lava often gushes out of a solid mass of ice, and carries with it In its devastating course, a torrent of hot, muddy water. We have neither time nor room to describe the tracts which are, or have been, inundated aid cov- ered with lava. Suffice it to say that the vents through which it has flowed are twentynine in number, and of these nine are still active ; namely, Krabla, Leirhnukr, Biarnarflag, Hitahol, Hecla, Kotlugia, Solheima, Oraefa, and Skaptar Yokul. These are the principal, but there are besides a ilili 10 POLAR REGIONS. ill i!i> M countless number of smaller cones and craters, from which streams of liquid flame are, or have been, poured on the surrounding regions. Celebrated as this island has been for its volca- noes and hot springs, it is scarcely less remarkable on account of the enormous ice-mountains which occupy a vast portion of its surface. To these mountains the natives give the name of Yokuls, which signify large masses of ice. Though covered with coats of ice of immense thickness, when the internal parts of the mountains become ignited, the mass of ice, or indurated snow, is cracked and rent by the explosion which ensues ; a great quantity of it is melted by the flames, or the exundations of hot water ; and whole fields of ice are sometimes deposited on the neighbouring plains. Some of these Yokuls are remarkable for their vacillation ; not remaining in a settled position, but moving forwards and receding again at certain in- definite periods. Mount Hecla, the most celebrated of the volca- noes of Iceland, is neither the highest of its moun- tains, nor of the most striking aspect. The Trehern- ing or Three Horned Mountain, has a far nobler and more picturesque appearance. Many of the mountains are higher. It is situated about thirty miles back from the coast, and is estimated at somewhat near 4000 feet in height. Its summit is divided into three peaks, the middle of which is the highest. The craters form vast hollows on the sides of these peaks, and, according to the last ac- counts, are partially filled with snow. The moun- :-»' ml POLAR REGIONS. tain itself consists for the most part of sand and slags; the lava being confined to the lower regions, and forming an immensely rugged and vitrified wall around its base. From this circumstance it has been concluded that the lava has not proceeded from the crater at the summit of Hecla, but from apertures at no gresUL-slevation on its sides. Sir George M'Kenzie, Dr Holland^ and Mr Bright are the last travellers who have ascended Mount Hecla. On the 3d of August, 1810, they gained its summit, at which time they observed the vapor of water ascending from several parts of the middle peak, and the heat in the mountain was so intense, that on removing a few of the slags from the surface, they found those below too hot to be handled ; and on placing a thermometer among them, it rose to 144°. This famous volcano without doubt emitted lava previous to the settlement of the island. Since that date, twentythree of its eruptions a^fi|t:bn record. They have occurred at intervals of piiny years, and more than sixty have elapsed since the last. The most dreadful volcanic eruption on the re- cords of Iceland was not from Hecla, but from Skap- tar Yokul. It took place in 1783. To avoid repe- tition we shall give an account of it, as an example of the calamities which have occurred in the island from the same cause, premising that no other ever produced more lamentable consequences. Till the month of May the season was unu- sually fine for the climate, and vegetation was un- <-A ':'f ? iSfe; -I il L'li'" ■/' III Ml 12 POLAR REGIONS. commonly forward. Toward the end of the month a Hght blue smoke, or fog, was seen floating along the surface of the earth, but none of the inhabitants were alarmed till the first of .June, when several shocks of earthquake gave warning of what was to follow. They continued to increase in violence till the eighth. At nine in the ev^'^ning a black cloud of smoke arose in the north, and extended itself over the whole district of Sida. On its near approach, Sida V7as involved in darkness, and when the cloud hovered directly over it, a shower of sand and ashes was discharged, which covered the ground an inch deep. Earthquakes, with incessant peals of thun- der, and frightful subterraneous noises, continued through the whole day. On the tenth, several fire spouts were seen in the north, while the thunder and the commotions of the earth increased in vio- lence. The Skaptar was formerly a large river, and took itfljj^ in Skaptar Yokul. On this day it totally diSPf eared, and was so dried up, that men crossed j|s bed on foot and dry shod, where the passage had been difficult in boats. The cause of this phe- nomenon made itself fully apparent two days after. A terrific stream of molten lava came pouring into the channel of the Skaptar. The cliffs between which this river run might average five hundred feet in height, yet the lava not only filled up the chasm, but overflowed a considerable tract on both sides. It is now only in a few places that the tops of the highest hills that enclosed the Skaptar can be seen above the lava that buried them. ! ..' i liiM ' , , ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. Shootiii^ Polar lieui'. i ^ Black Bear. L>- • n * iji! giih; infc ■■i J' i ':.. ■ ,1 i^iii III! jlii' irl ! I!: ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. Sliootinir Wnlrusscs. Indians on the Northwest Coast. No] of this shovvei , , stances sun, an I bloody the fou able, t Skapta constai ning, \v afTright the da}i Rum fire pr everyth gorge t mounta ^1 the low ^ ' ed it, a: *1* that the the lake over th( tinned time a coverec Tilll countr)- place, I ever th( and hill ternal n ^%. ^^ POLAR REGIONS. 13 No language can adequately express the horrors of this first . eruption. A black cloud incessantly- showered down sand, ashes, sulphur, and other sub- stances. The foetid smoke veiled the face of the sun, and when it did appear, its color was a sombre, bloody red. Constant earthquakes that threatened the foundations of the island, fire spouts innumer- able, the lurid stream that filled the bed of the Skaptar, indescribable sounds in air and earth, with constant thunder, and one incessant sheet of light- ning, were the objects presented to the senses of the affrighted Icelanders, and made them believe that the day of judgment had arrived. Running with inconceivable fury, the stream of fire proceeded, bearing houses, enclosures, and everything else before it. When it reached the' gorge through which the Skaptar took leave of the mountains, it might have been expected to overrun the lower districts ; but providentially, a lake receiv- ed it, and swallow^id up a vast quantity of lava, so that the fire strqpn was much diminished. When the lake was filled up, the torrent extended itself over the lower grounds. This scene of havoc con- tinued till the 15th of the month, and during this time a large tract of the best land on the island was covered and utterly ruined. Till the 18th, the fire spread slowly over the country, lifting the lava of older date out of ite place, and thereby creating rugged hills. Where^ ever the burning liquid found its way under rock§ and hills, they were, by the expansion of their in- ternal moisture, thrown into the air with prodigious 2 14 POLAR REGIONS, I'' n i I iiii! lUi! i M force. The terrors which must have attended the upUfting of such masses, many of them an hundred and eighty feet in height, and their fall, may be imagined, but cannot be described. On the 18th, a dreadful eruption of lava broke from the craters of Skaptar Yokul. Where the Skaptar River had not been quite filled up, the lava rose to a height much exceeding the highest hills that enclosed the stream. It brought on its surface red-hot rocks that it had torn from their beds. A thick suffocating steam arose from two rivers which the lava had intercepted, and kept constantly boiling, and the hot water, which in con- sequence overflowed the low banks, did no small damage. The next day the fire extended much farther, dividing into two branches, one running south and the other east, burning the country, and carrying away houses, churches, and all the fruits of the in- dustry of the inhabitants. Thus it continued to advance, slowly, but surely, desolating and destro}'- ing all before it. From the 22d of June to the 13th of July, fresh streams of lava broke out. In one place it rose, from the constant eruptions, into a lofty hill, an4 became hard and solid, preventing the new streams which poured from the mountains from finding :\ free passage, and dividing them into many branches. In one place it ran in the bed of the Skaptar over the lofty fall of Stapafos, exhibiting a literal cataract of flame, and finally obliterated all traces of the fall, by filling the gulf beneath. On the 3( up in the sa it was equal end of the r ' tar had bee [nutiae of tl ' did not reac cause the n distance fou [it. The la [longer perio 1784. Intl [rivers were swept away large tracts ( aware that a * tity of ashes so great that was obscure at tin s CO Luminous n: land, and ot d(Mis earthqi We said eruption, bu to its direc |l form of sen from the fir and sixty pe following ; The same ^ace and tl .:« POLAR REGIONS. 15 On the 3d of August the river Hverfisfliot dried up in the same manner that the Skaptar, to which it was equal in size, had done. It was before the end of the month filled and obliterated as the Skap- tar had been. It is needless to describe the mi- nutiae of this desolation farther. The lava stream did not reach the sea, like those from Hecla, be- ; cause the mountain from which it flowed was at a distance four times greater than that of Hecla from it. The lava continued to burst forth, though at longer periods and in smaller streams, till February, 1784. In the course of this flood of fire many large rivers were effaced from the map, many farms were swept away, much property was destroyed, and large tracts of land were laid waste, but we are not aware that any human lives were lost. The quan- tity of asiies, sulphur, &c., ejected into th^ air, was so great that nearly the whole European atmosphere was obscured. In the Faro Islands, the earth was at tim s covered with sand, ashes, and pumice. Luminous meteors were observed in England, Hol- land, and other parts of the continent, and tremen- dous earthquakes shook the northern hemisphere. We said that no human lives were lost by this eruption, but this must be understood as applying to its direct effects. Inveterate diseases, in the form of scurvy, broke out, even in parts remote from the fire. In six parishes only, one hundred and sixty persons were carried off" before the June following; but some of these perished by famine. The same symptoms were observed in the human ^ace and the brute creation. The limbs, throat, m. ■'i,'^' '4 1 111 ,ii<S : ill ^m I m\ 7 111! :i'!|i f:|^^ 16 POLAR REGIONS. and head, were dreadfully swollen, and the joints contracted, as well as the ribs. The sinews of the sufferers were drawn up, they were oppressed with pains in the breasts and loins, their teeth became loose, their gums mortified and came away, and in many cases the tongue perished in the same man- ner, while the patient was yet alive. Not to en- large on this painful topic, we may suppose that the want of food and the 0orisumption of that which was unwholesome, the. poisoned waters and the foetid air they breathed during the eruption, were sufficient to produce these epidemic results, with- out the aid of contagion. / . r ' >i;r iv V The total number that perished from these causes was nine thousand.;,-:/, v^;;:, •>.-■■■.-. ;^^;.:: .•■■,;r^v . The loss of cattle atnd sheep was very severely felt by the Icelanders, and many species of birds were frightened from the island and never returned. The fishery was interrupted an entire year. The only benefit to balance all these calamities was that the fertiUty of such lands in the vicinity of the conflagration as had not been overflowed, was in- creased. Skaptar Yokul, which gave vent to the fiery plague, is an ice mountain, and, it is supposed, has a subter- raneous communication with Oraefa, Sida, and other volcanoes, though at the distance of many miles. It is situated near the boundary of the district called West Skaftafell Syssel, near the sources of several rivers. It consists of about twenty red, conical hills, which have been the furnaces from which so much molten matter has boiled over. The Icelandic rec- ','if4i,' • 1 POLAR REGIONS. 17 ords make no mention of any former eruption of this volcano, but the situation of the ancient lava in its neighbourhood proves that it was active at some time, probably before the discovery of Iceland. The eruptions of those volcanoes supposed to be con- nected with it, have, perhaps, had the same origin. Henderson thinks that all the Yokuls are but differ- ent vents of ore, and of the same internal fire, which sometimes breaks out in one place, and sometimes in another. An account of the several eruptions that have ravaged this island, from time to time, would be but a repetition of the same phoenomena, the same hav- oc, and the same misery, in greater or less degree?. The public is already acquamted with the most re- markable. We judge it proper, therefore, to let this description of Skaptar Yokul stand for the whole, and pass on to another chapter. Situation of the Geysers. — Description of; the Grcdt Gbyscr.T-Its Eruption.—r i. The Strocitr.— The 0|d Strockr;-rThe Little Geyscr.^Hpt Spriijgi !|t various Place8.-^Mountains.r^Ora)fa Yokui.TrCrater of. Ki^^^ , \ '"'...■,','",' '■■ .'^''.'s': /■' ." y '''.■'-■ ■. '■ "' "■'■■" Of all the new and Strang^ forms and operations of matter in Iceland, none are more remarkable than its hot springs, callecl in the leelandic tongue Gey- sers. There are many of these in different parts of the island, at considerable distances from each other. 2* ■ v^ - • ■■ .Ai„ >.\'. ' ■;'..fi»(j .■"•■s' '-^1. •\ ■ ■.:,>■>"■. 18 POLAR REGIONS. lit ' ■■ 4 ;,i;.'.. / ■:i.C .■I mM' m I W- .f m I'' t ■ ii'illi Those termed emphatically The Geysers, arc the in ost deserving of notices; ; They are situated in the district of Arriess Syssell, northeast from Thingvalla. Several miles from the Great Geyser the traveller may descry the spot, by the eternal cloud that hovers over it. The spring are situated at the foot of a low hill, in countless mul- tiplicity. The Great Geyser gushes from a large cir- cular mound formed by its own deposits. A great evaporation constantly goes on from this basin, which is always more than half filled with hot, crystalline Water, in a state of ebullition caused by the escape of the steam from a cylindrical pipe or funnel in the centre. This pipe is seventyeight feet deep per- pendicular, and from eight to ten feet in diameter. Near the top it widens and opens into the basin, the interior surface of which is covered with a whi- tish, siliceous incrustation, rendered perfectly smooth by the ceaseless action of the boiling water. The diameter of the basin is fiftysix feet in one direc- tion, and fortysix in another. When full, the water is four feet deep to the mouth of the pipe. The edges of the basin form the highest part of the mound, and are extremely broken and irregular, owing to the accretion of deposited substances. Thejje^ are two small channels, equally polished with the rest of the basin, through which the water escapes when it is filled to the margin. The declivity of the mound is abrupt, especially on the northwest side,, but soon begins to slope more gradually; and the deposits of th5 fountain are spread all aro ind, at different distances, the least of which is an hundred 't Ifeet. 1 Ismail cl: icence, i |sembJinj ire of S( emovec ellow. soil of f and gras [tion. T i^when tra ed by s y. Ea( ial earth hough tl argin. egins to inotion I concussi( ent stej rom the ^ttend its illy incor et high rge stor d erup igher th ts the ore thar lot only ( \t the hig if the CO V t", ■f^ *;..■' IS • POLAR REGIONS. 19 yssell, >m the )ot, by ipi'in^ ss mul- ge cir- L great , which stalUne escape 1 in the ip per- imeter, basin, a whi- smooth The direc- water The of the , owing ThejseT ith the jscapes y of the st sid.^, Dnd the )>ind, at mndred Ifeet. The whole of this surface, excepting the two Ismail channels, exhibits a beautiful siliceous efflores- Icence, rising in small granular clusters, much re- IsembHng the heads of cauliflowers. While wet they ire of so delicate a texture that they can hardly be removed in a perfect state. They are brown or rellow. Leaving the mound, the water flows through soil of turf, and in passing converts the peat, moss, land grass into stone, the finest specimens of petrifac- tion. This is the appearance of the Great Geyser ^hen tranquil. Its explosions are commonly announ- ced by sounds resembling the low report oi artille- ry. Each of the reports is accompanied by a par- tial earthquake. A few small jets are thrown up, pough the water in the basin does not overflow the largin. The water boils violently and the basin )egins to fill. The sounds of subterraneous com- lotion become louder and more frequent, and the concussions of the earth more violent. At last, the pent steam explodes, and the water is thrown up •jrom the pipe with great force, and clouds of vapor pttend its flight upward. The first jets are gener- ally inconsiderable, not more than fifteen or twenty »et high ; but the highest often exceed eighty. If irge stones are thrown into the basin previous to le eruption, they are ejected and thrown much ^igher than the water. On the propulsion of the }ts the water nighest the orifice of the pipe is lifted lore than a foot ; and when the spout falls, the basin jot only overflows at the usual channels, but also It the highest parts of the brim. The great body If the column, at least ten feet in diameter, rises 20 POLAR REGIONS. lii !: r Ml perpendicularly, and then divides into beautiful cur- vated ramifications, some of which are projected laterally, to the great danger of the spectator, who may be scalded by the falling jet before he is aware. At the cessation of the eruption the water sinks within the funnel, but immediately rises again, and fills the basin to its usual depth. Before the explosion, the water is usually at the t-emperature of 193" of Fahrenheit, and immediately after at i83°. This difference is caused by the cooling of the water during its projection into the air. The explosions of the Great Geyser take place at intervals of about six hours, which time is proba- bly requisite to generate steam enough to produce such tremendous bursts. The highest jet at any one eruption is commonly about eighty feet, though the water has several times been seen projected more than two hundred, and once three hundred and sixty feet. ^ * The Strockr, or New Geyser, is situated an hun- dred and forty yards from the Great Geyser, and in many respects, though different, is as remarkable as the principal fountain. Its orifice is nine feet in diameter. Its jets are higher than those of the Great Geyser, more violent, generate more vapor, i and are accompanied by a tremendous roaring noise. When they have subsided, the steam is let off with a deafening roar, and rushes to a height little infe- rior to that of the water. The largest stones that men can lift, if thrown in, are instantly ejected to an incredible height ; frequently beyond the sphere of '.'• '¥^\. ";Si vision, rush of frising a [the Str i^ainbo^^ I the earl The. land is nc {One sid 'wall a f( ilevel wi There Imagnitui juake in ithe Stro scribed, lame. iful cur- rojected or, who s aware, er sinks ain, and ly at the [lediately I by the into the POLAR REGIONS. 21 J'-<S1 'M ore vapor, ing noise, m t off with ittle infe- tones that cted to an vision. Sometimes in falling they are met by a new rush of steam, and thus kept in the air, alternately rising and falling for the space of five minutes. When the Strockr is in action, the spray forms beautiful rainbows, and becomes quite cool before it reaches the earth. The crater of this fountain is fortyfour feet deep, and is not perpendicular like that of the Great Geyser. One side of the orifice is defended by an incrusted wall a foot and a half high, and the other is on a level with the surface of the ground. There was formerly another fountain of equal agnitude with the Great Geyser, but after an earth- uake in 1789 it became tranquil. It was called he Strockr ; and as the spring we have just de- cribed, broke out in the same year, it received its ame. ■' •',:, ';. ■ In the year 1784, immediately after a dreadful arthquake, no less than thirtyfive similar springs ushed forth with amazing violence, but the fury of ost of them abated soon after. The description already given is perhaps suffi- iert to convey a proper idea of the Geysers ; but a ew nore observations will not, we hope, be deemed imp( rtinent. Sometimes the Great Geyser and the tr< jkr erupt at the same time, and the smaller iprings keep them company. The Strockr may be ade to explode at any time, by throwing in large tones ; but it does not play at the usual time when ts periodical evacuations are thus interrupted. The Little Geyser plays at intervals of two hours, ut its jets are not often more than eighteen or .*■ 22 POLAR REGIONS. »<■ ' i'i 'I 'I lii twenty feet high. The crater of this aqueous vol- cano opens into a beautiful circular basin, twelve feet in diameter, incrusted like that of the Great Geyser. The pipe is scarcely a yard wide, but it is thirtyeight feet deep. There is another vent a short distance from the Little Geyser, which roars and becomes quiet with it. Many of the springs are covered with incrusted domes below, which is a boiling abyss. The Little Strockr emits its contents every quarter of an hour, in a fantastic manner. There are also several springs of boiling mud ; and not far from the Great Geyser is a reservoir of boil- ing water of vast dimensions, and fifty feet deep. The Hot Springs of Laugarvalla are not considered remarkable. Those of Reykialaug are th-ee in number, and are sometimes used as baths. The fountains of Reykiahverf are seconci in magnitude only to the Geysers, and jet only in stormy weather. At StafFhollt there are six boiling springs, which pro- ject their water but a foot high. There is one at Lysuhol, and others at Reykiaholar and other places ; but none to compare with the Geysers. At Huer- avellir there are remarkable ones ; but the greatest curiosity at this place is a steam spring, which dis-| charges its vapor with a noise louder than the great- est cataract. Stones thrown in are instantly cast; forth again to a considerable height. ! The mountains of Iceland all are, or have been volcanoes. They are of two kinds; the Yokuls or Ice Mountains, and those which consist of common' materials. A description of one of each may serve for the whole. ,»; ^^here a hich tl jy inten )r four p ;rater. In the Jxplosio [t deluge ^avel, a le last ( TheS ieirhnuL lodntain faies in ^nough Leavi [eeds tov ^mong 1 vast poarse ro is vapoi Posses a II POLAR REGIONS. 23 )us vol- , twelve - e Great but it is vent a ;h roars springs hich is a ^,| contents ^ iner. nud ; and r of boil- deep. jnsidered . th^ee in :hs. The nagnitude weather. vhich pro- is one at er places ; At Huer- ! greatest , vhich dis- the great- y antly cast lave been Yokuls ot;^ jf common' may serv: Oroefa Yokul is supposed to be the highest moun- I tain in Iceland. Its height is six thousand two hun- dred and forty feet. The low mountains which form its lower divisions extend to the coast, andaie 1 covered in the summer with a coat of green. The lupper regions are composed of the purest snow and ice. The River Breidamark Yokul flows along its •ase. What are called Yokul bursts are of fre- [uent occurrence. The ice on the sides of the Pgullies falls in with tremendous noise and jarring, ^here are many chasms or fissures, where the ice of hich the mountain is composed has been cracked »y internal commotion. The summit rises into three r four precipitous peaks, which inclose an immense iprater. - In the year 1362 this Yokul burst with an awful ixplosion, and devastated the coast in the vicinity. I^t deluged the country at its base with lava, clay, -gravel, and hot water. It was again active during ithe last century. The Sulphur Mountain lies between Krabla and icirhnukr, and joins the ridge by which the two iOdntains are connected. Here the sulphur ex- lales in such profusion that the natives collect taough to form a very considerable branch of traffic. Leaving the Sulphur Mountain, the traveller pro- [eeds toward mount Kravla, over hot quagmires and long boiling springs, the jetting of which throws vast quantities of mud, accompanied with a |oarse roar, with the escape of clouds of sulphur- is vapor. Passing over a desolate lava tract, he 'osses a deep gully, worn by a mountain stream. w It j:,!^ 24 POLAR REGIONS. and begins the ascent. Arrived at the summit, he looks down seven hundred feet into the extinct cra- ter of the volcano. The earth has fallen in and fill- ed it, but at the bottom a black pool of boiling mud throws up its turbid contents every five minutes, to the height of thirty feet. The column raised is equal to that of the Great Geyser in its most violent commotion. .-■'■ "*iS;:,- CHAPTER IV. The Cave of Surtslu-Ilir. — Towns and Scttleracnts. Ilrykiavik Vitlcy. — Dm- iJical Circle at Thingvalla. — Holum. — Akur Egri. — Population of Icclaiiil, — Religion anil Form of Churcli Government. — Clergy. — Education.— School at Bcssastad. — Icelandic Literature. — Ruric Poetry. — Death Song of Rcgni'T Lodbrok. At- Surtshellir is a long cavern, forty feet high, fifty broad, and five thousand and thirtyfour in length. The entrance is through several chasms formed by the falling in of the roof. It was sup- posed in days of yore to be the residence of the king of the regions of fire. This cave has been formed by volcanic agency. Stalactites indicating this origin, hang from the rool, and the sides of the cave are composed of horizon- tal vitrified layers composed of melted rock. Seve- ral passages branch from the main cavern, whicli| were once the asylums of pirates and banditti, ofi whom mention is made in the annals (Irf the island! One of these passages has a stone wall three feet higfh across it, with a door in the middle, and is Ji strewe ' robber ( long. ed by 1 froofi ai ^ water, [in evei jsame m floor, a ^the couj another iposed o Some Iceland ^hy it I chapter i'here a :ient nu ^roperlj; ^^'|the capi Little few hoL ^'esidenc Jourt of ^ id the §ance. rable in ilad em ire two tther by ic ceme ■ *rVr.7' POLAR REGIONS. 25 , strewed with the bones of animals killed by the 1 robbers for fo^. This cave is three hundred feet long. The floor of the great cave is obstruct- led by fragments of lava which have fallen from the iroof, and in some places is covered with pools of [water, lying on a bottom of everlasting ice. One of the minor caves is coated with pure ice [in every form of crystallization. Pillars of the {same material, four feet in diameter, rise from the ffloor, and seem to support the roof. Altogether Ithe coup (Pail is the most beautiful imaginable. In [another apartment there is a large pyramid, com- )osed of broken pieces of lava. Some description of the towns and villages of Iceland is doubtless necessary. We see no reason r^hy it should not follow here, in the midst of a chapter which can come under no general head, i'here are not caverns or towns in Iceland in suffi- :ient number to fill a chapter, and neither can be )roperly omitted. We will begin with Reykiavik, the capital of the island. Little more than sixty years ago there were but [ew houses in Reykiavik ; but having become the residence of the governor, the seat of the supreme jourt of judicature, the principal commercial station, id the episcopal see, it has risen to some impor- tance. It is situated on the south side of a consid- erable inlet of the Fare Fiord, between two grass ?lad eminences, on low, marshy ground. There ire two streets, one occupied by merchants, and the jther by persons not engaged in trade. The pub- pc cemetery is in the middle of the latter. The 26 POLAR REGIONS. |, !„,.■ r- ! church is a heavy stone building, covered with red tiles, and stands between the town and the lake. The house of correction is also of stone, and has the most respectable appearance, at a distance, of all the buildings in the place. The dwelling houses, with two or three excep- tions, are of wood, and a small garden and one or more store-houses are attached to each. The frames are constructed in Norway, and brought hither. At the west end of the merchants* street stand the public stocks, or rather pillory ; for the culprit stands on a block, with his arras secured in two iron rings. An observatory stands on a height, west of the town. For twenty miles round Reyki- avik, the country is flat and barren. Reykiavik comes under the censure of the rever- end traveller Henderson. He describes it thus: * It is totally destitute of the means of intellectual gratification. The foreign residents idle away the day with their tobacco pipes, and spend the evening playing at cards and drinking punch. They have two or three balls in the course of the winter, and the principal inhabitants sometimes enact plays. An instance has been known of an individual who performed a part in a play late on Saturday night appearing in the pulpit on Sunday morning, in the character of a public teacher of religion ! * &c. &c. In the bay, at a short distance from the town are several small islands, the resort of eider duck and other aquatic fowls. Videy is the principal of these, and from the richness of its pastures is thought to be the most desirable spot in that part of Iceland. • It rests an exti * that it Similar I are to 1 seen th > stones. |mit like [of the \ [in ancie khatStc [Britain Ub. is on Holu *Holarb3 II church [press ai [the schi (bound ^ of the Akur on the Iwest si( for twen The [thing. tinguisli tains, h POLAR REGIONS. 27 with red he lake, and has tance, of 5 excep- and one . :h. The brought ts* street ; for the ' ecured in a height, id Reyki- the rever- it thus: itellectual away the le evening 'hey have inter, and act plays, idual who rday night ng, in the ' &c. &c. town are duck and al of these, thought to )f Iceland. f It rests on pillars of basalt, which, with the crater of an extinct volcano near the houses, leave no doubt \ that it was thrown up by a submarine eruption. Similar appearances, as well as some hot springs, [are to be seen near Reykiavik. At Thingvalla, the former seat of the National As- 1 sembly, there is no town, yet the spot is remarkable Ion several accounts. The Blot Steinn, or stone [where human victims were sacrificed is still to be I seen there, in the centre of a circle of other large I stones. It is of an oblong shape, with a sharp sum- [mit like the steep roof of a house, on which the backs of the victims were broken. Similar circles abound [in ancient Scandinavia, and it is extremely probable [that Stonebenge and other druidical circles in Great Britain were erected for the Hke purpose. Thingval- |la is on the border of a lake called Thingvalla Vatn. Holum is beautifully situated at the foot of Mount ^'Holarbyrde. It is a pretty village, and has the finest church in the island. It formerly boasted a printing V press and a school ; but the press was removed, and [the school merged in that of Bessastad. Mountains [bound the prospect on every side. Thre*; editions I of the Icelandic Bible were printed in Holum. Akur Eyri i- one of the principal trading stations on the north cast of Iceland. It is sit%ted on the west side of Egafiord Bay, andconsists of eighteen > or twenty dwellings and store-houses. ^ The other villages are not remarkable for any- I thing. They have few houses, and are no way dis- tinguishable but by their vicinity to churches, moun- tains, hot springs, or other land marks. Indeed the ■I 'ii m 28 POLAR REGIONS. ::i|inj:!l •I I 111 \m Mf population of Iceland is very sparingly distribu- ted. It is supposed to have been much greater in former times than at present. Successive epi- demics have swept the inhabitants away. The small pox cut off sixteen thousand in 1708. The last census, of 1801, gave a result of fortyseven thousand two hundred and seven, since which there has been an increase of three or four thousand. The form of worship in the churches of Iceland is Lutheran, and if the churches are less elegant than those of other countries, it is not owing to a lack of will to build better, but to the poverty of the inhab- itants. Beside the Episcopal See at Reykiavik, there is an archdeacon, who supplies the place of the bi- shop in case of sickness or absence, and there are eighteen deans, who superintend the clergy within their respective districts. The number of parishes in Iceland is one hundred and eightyfour ; but as someof them include a large territorial space, it has been found expedient to build two or three churches* in them. There are three hundred and five churches in all. Some of the priests have assistants. They are all natives of the island, and are maintained by the cultivation of glebes attached to the churches, and by certain tythes levied on the peaffllntry. The provision is extremely scan- ty ; the best living on the island does not produce two hundred six dollars. Most of them have a sti- pend of from twenty to thirty, and in some instan- ces it does not exceed five. Nevertheless, the Icelandic clergy are in general attentive to the discharge of their duties and to the | ;i^ducati( df educ fcis *reg If the si his pi re also The € lasses. ^ith imp the ne teast do 1 Ifcripturei reach t Mtead, i Irence t( The ha Cious; t Jir priei (il> the cle cation wi liie esprit [As ther id, the Jat mej not WI )nal hon Hldren higher 5ry cle twice |ns he c 'hese POLAR REGIONS. 29 distribu- i greater sive epi- ^'he small The last thousand has been f Iceland gant than a lack of tie inhab- vik, there »f the bi- there are yy within ; hundred de a large edient to rhere are >me of the ires of the I of glebes hes levied tiely scan- : produce lave a sti- le instan- in general and to the |ducation of the young, according to their own ideas f education. Every priest keeps what he calls is * register of souls,* which contains a statement if the situation, character, &c., of every individual his parish. The books belonging to each family •e also entered therein. The ecclesiastics are naturally divided into two asses. Those of the old school receive the bible ith implicit deference, as the word of God ; those the new, are few in number, and discard, or at least do not insist on the divine inspiration of the ibriptures, or inculcate doctrinal points. They freach the excellence of pure lives and morals Ustead, and often illustrate their maxims by re- rence to profane writers. The habits of the inhabitants are essentially re- *ous; they attend public worship regularly, and ir priests have much influence with them. As the clergy themselves, they have little communi- cation with each other, and consequently little of esprit du corps. As there are none or few parish schools in Ice- d, the mental cultivation of youth depends in a at measure on the parents. In general these not wanting in their duty, for their sense of na- nal honor and of self-respect is very high. The Idren are taught their letters by their mother, and higher branches of education by their father: ry clergyman is bound to visit the several fami- twice or three times a year, and on such ocea- ns he catechizes old and young. "* hese are the only opportunities of learning that 30 .POLAR REGIONS. Ill the bulk of the Icelandic population enjoy ; never- theless, emulation of their forefathers, the desire and necessity of knowledge, and their excellent domes- tic habits stimulate them to exertion ; and in many cases, the amount of science and literature acquired is truly astonishing. It is not uncommon to hear ragged peasants discussing topics, which, in other countries, are only propounded from the chairs of learned professors. There is a school at Bessastad, at which twenty- five students are admitted. They are taught arith- metic, history, geography, and theology, as well as the Latin, Greek, Danish and Icelandic tongues, and the elements of Hebrew. The library consists of a thousand volumes, of which the greater part are theological. None are admitted at this seminary but such as come recommended by the clergymen of their respective parishes, which recommendation must be approved by the bishop, to whose super- intendence the institution is committed. The school is supported by the rents of landed estates set apart for the purpose. The period allotted for instruction begins about the first of October and lasts till the end of May, when the students undergo an examination. The time they are permitted to remain is not determi- nate, but depends on the industry and ability of the individual. If any one is so dull as not to pass after seven examinations, he is dismissed as incapable of tuition. Those who pass an honorable examination obtain a dimissus, and after some farther study may become candidates for public offices. Some of the W^ POLAR REGIONS. 31 young men, who have wealthy connexions, are sent to the university at Copenhagen ; but very few of the Icelandic clergy have any other education than that obtained at Bessastad ; which is the only con- siderable school on the island. Of so much importance is proper instruction con- sidered, that parents are punished for neglecting it. Henderson speaks of the inhabitants oT Lagavfliot as exceptions in the character of the population, being addicted to sloth, swearing, and slander. On one oc- casion they were summoned before the Sysselman's court, to answer for their conduct. It appeared that the children had composed nidingavisar, or satiric songs (to which the Icelanders have ever been addicted) on the parish priest and others, even on their own parents. They were sentenced to be beaten with rods, and to do public penance in church, as an awful warning to the congregation. For neg- lecting or failing to teach their children better, the parents w^ere fined sixtyeight rix dollars, forty- eight for the use of the poor, and the rest ro defray the cost of the suit. The art of writing in Roman letters (for the use of Runic characters was known, long before), was introduced into Iceland in 1057. The historical composition of Icelandic writers are very nume- rous, and are known by the name of Sagas. Most ' of them are worthy of full credit. Their minute- ness and simplicity are strong evidence of their truth, and their authenticity is established beyond a doubt by volumes of extrinsic testimony. Some of these writers studied in Europe, but Ari Frode and : 32 POLAR REGIONS. I in ; » ?■ ! :l!llil Snorro Sturluson never left their native island. The golden age of Icelandic literature was from the beginning of the twelfth to the middle of the four- teenth century. The ancient Scandinavians were, and the ice- landers are, possessed of a peculiar and origi- nal national poetry ; deeply tinged with the bold- ness and enthusiasm that distinguished the race of Odin. The gift of poetry was supposed to be inherited from Odin himself. The skalds, from whom it emanated, were bards by profession, and rehearsed their effusions for the amusement and in- struction of assembled companies. Their subjects were the history and the warlike deeds of tlic-*' progenitors, and the praises and exploits of ih' gods of their ferocious mythology. About the beginning of the ninth century the Runic bards abandoned the simple and natural style of antiquity. They reduced their compositions to metrical rules, and introduced several new species of versification. Nor was the new manner more different from the old than the matter. While the earlier poems embraced abstract ideas, ethics and the pleasures of pastoral life, the latter was exclu- sively martial. From the death of Regnsr Lodbrok, who died in the latter part of the eighth century, in the space of three centuries, we find the names of two hundred poets, whose existence is established by indubitable proof. Fragments of eighty of these, most of them natives of Iceland, are preserved, which show us how great a loss w? have had in the rest. Since the reformation, the Icelandic poets t'l »i: POLAR REGIONS. 33 have in a great measure confined themselves to re- ligious subjects and to translation. In the death song of Regner Lodbrok, we have a striking instance of the spirit which marked the poetry of his time. Regner was a king of Denmark, who was made prisoner by Duke Ella, in a predato- ry descent on the coast of Northumberland. As a punishment for the havoc he had made, he was shut up with serpents ; and while he was dying of their venom, he sung his death song. To save farther remarks on this topic, we conclude this chapter with a few verses translated from it. CHORUS. We hewed with our swords. LODBROK. c. High I bore my la^ue, and Avide I carried my ensanguined blade before I numbered twenty years. Eight earls graced my triumph at the Dwina^s mouth — there we the falcon enter- tained with pleateous meals. The crimson sweat of death poured on the sullen sea. Warriors lost their lives. CHORUS. We hewed with our swords. LODBROK. On Ulla's plain loud roared the spear, ere to our force king jEistein bowed. Gleaming in gold we traversed the field of I slaughter. The tapering lance, indignant, bored the shield, I at the helmM conflict. Rills of winy hue, warm from the I wounded neck, flowed down the hero's shoulder. CHORUS. We hewed with our swords. ' LODBROK. ' ^ I bought a noble mother for my children — one that might im- Ipart adventurous hearts to our posterity. Now to my heir Idevolves the crown. Grim seem the terrors of the adder. Ser- i* i m i ISii.! -} '!! ii 'i :'i' 34 POLAR REGIONS. pents rest within my heart's recesses — ^yet 't is the cordial of my soul that Vithris' lance shall soon stick fast in Ella. My sons will swell with vengeance at their parent's doom — ^those generous youths will, suro, forego the sweets of peace. CHORUS. We hewed with our swords. ZiODBROK. Full fifty times my lance, dire devastation's harbinger, an- nounced the distant enterprise. Methinks no king has truer cause to glory. It was the pastime of my boyish days, to tinge my spear with blood. The immortals will permit my presence in their company. No sigh shall ever disgrace my exit. | CHORUS. ■ , ' ' PM We hewed with our swords. LODBROK. See ! the celestial virgins, sent from that hall where Odin's martial train reside, invite me home. There, happy on my high raised throne, I'll quaff the barley's mellowed juices. The moments of my life are fled. The smiles of death compose my placid visage. k ,:i 1 1 CHAPTER V. Personal Appearance of ihe Icelanders. — Character, Language, and Literature — Dress of the Males. — Dress of the Females. The Icelanders of the present day are tall, of a frank open countenance, a florid complexion, and yellow flaxen iiair. The women are shorter in proportion, and more inclined to corpulency than the men ; but many of them would look handsome in a modem European dress. In youth, both sexes are generally of a very weakly habit of body, which is the necessary consequence of their want of pro- per exercise, and the poorness of their living ; yet it is surprising what great hardships they are capa- ";5 *!■"' ■ POLAR REGIONS. 35 [id Literature, "jj ble of enduring in after life. It is seldom that any of them attain to a very advanced age ; however, the females commonly live longer than the men. Owing to the nature of their food, their want of personal cleanliness, and their being often obliged to sit long in wet woollen clothes, they are greatly exposed to cutaneous diseases. They are also frequently at- tacked with obstinate coughs and pulmonary com- plaints, by which perhaps more are carried off an- nually than by any other disease. Their predominant character is that of unsuspect- ing frankness, pious contentment, and a steady liveliness of temperament, combined with a strength of intellect and acuteness of mind seldom to be met with in other parts of the world. They have also been noted for the almost unconquerable attach- ment which they feel to their native island. With all their privations, and exposed as they are to numerous dangers from the operation of physical causes, they live under the practical influence of one of their common proverbs : Island er hinn ! besta fend sem solinn skinnar uppa, * Iceland is the jbest land on which the sun shines.' In the persons, habits, and customs of the pre- Isent inhabitants of Iceland, we are furnished with a [faithful picture of those exhibited by their Scandi- [navian ancestors. They adhere most rigidly to jwhatever has once been adopted as a national cus- jtom, and the few innovations that have been intro- Iduccd by foreigners are scarcely visible beyond the •immediate vicinity of their factories. Their lan- guage, dress, and mode of life, have been invariably 36 POLAR REGIONS. .\ '1 the same during a period of nine centuries ; whilst those of other nations have been subjected to nu- merous vicissitudes, according to the diversity of external circumstances, and the caprices of certaih individuals, whose influence has been sufficiently powerful to impart a new tone to the society in which they moved. Habituated from their earliest years to hear of the character of their ancestors, and the asylum which their native island afforded to the sciences, when the rest of Europe was im- mersed in ignorance and barbarism, the Icelanders naturally possess a high degree of national feeling, and there is a certain dignity and boldness of car- riage observable in numbers of the peasants, which at once indicate a strong sense of propriety -and independence. The Icelandic is justly regarded as the standard of the grand northern dialect of the Gothic language. While the Swedish and Danish, and even the Nor- wegian, which is a kind of middle dialect, have been more or less subject to the influence of the Teutonic or German branch, that originally spoken in Scandinavia, has been preserved in all its purity in Iceland. In the middle ages, it was known by the name of Donsk Tunga, or, the Danish Tongue ; the Icelanders at first called it Norraena, because they had brought it along with them from Norway, which name pretty much resembles that of Norns, or Norse, by which the corrupt dialect, spoken till within these few years in some parts of Orkney, has been designated: and it was not till after it had ceased to be spoken on the continent, that it whilst to nu- sity of :ertaui ciently iety in 3arliest ;estors, fforded vas im- - landers feeling, of car- ;, which ety "and ;tandard inguage. le Nor- , have of the spoken purity aown by ongue ; because Norway, Norns, oken till ! Orkney, after it t, that it POLAR REGIONS. $$ assumed the name of Icelandic. The remoteness of this island, and the little intercourse which its inhabitants have maintained with the rest of the world, have effectually secured the purity and ori- giuaUty of this ancient language ; and it is a curious fact, that while our ablest antiquaries are often puz- zled, in endeavouring to dec'?;," certain words and phrases in writings which date their origin only a few centuries back ; there is not a peasant, nor indeed, scarcely a servant girl in Iceland who is not capable of reading with ease the most ancient documents extant on the island. The early and successful application of the Ice- I landers to the study of the sciences, forms a per- |fect» anomaly in the history of literature. At a Iperiod when the darkest gloom was spread over [the European horizon, the inhabitants of this com- )aratively barren island, near the north pole, were cultivating the arts of poetry and history ; and lay- ing up stores of knowledge, which were not merely to supply I terity with data, respecting the domes- tic and po. .1 affairs of their native country, but ^ere also destined to furnish very ample and satis- factory information on a great multiplicity of im- )ortant points connected with the history of other nations. To this a wonderful combination of cir- cumstances proved favorable. The Norwegians irho first went over to Iceland, were sprung from Some of the most distinguished families in the land |f their nativity. They had been accustomed from Fieir infancy to listen to traditionary tales of the leeds of other years; they had frequented the - .4- 38 POLAR REGIONS. 1 IT m public assemblies, where they saw the value and importance of knowledge; and in the course of their numerous practical expeditions and invasions, they had obtained an intimate acquaintance with the situation, politics, history, &c., of the different countries of Europe. Being in the habit of cloth- ing all events of importance in poetic language, an accurate knowledge of these events was secured to posterity, while the share that some of themselves, or their immediate ancestors had had in any of them, naturally excited a desire to recite them in the family circle ; and the undisturbed enjoyment of tranquillity, during a long winter of eight months continuance, afforded them the best opportunities of bending their attention to the study of the differ- ent branches of literature. On inquiring into the state of mental cultivation in Iceland, it is not so much the literary fame of a few select individuals, who have enjoyed superior advantages, which strikes our attention, as the uni- versal diffusion of the general principles of know- ledge among its inhabitants. Though there is only j one school in Iceland, and that is exclusively designed for the education of such as are after] to fill offices in church or state; yet it is ex- ceedingly rare to meet with a boy or girl, who| has attained the age of nine or ten years, that cannot ■ read and write with ease. Domestic education isi most rigidly attended to; and it is no uncommon i thing to hear youths repeat passages from the! Greek and Latin authors, who have never been far- ther than a few miles from the place they were j w- POLAR REGIONS. 39 born. Nor is there scarcely a hut, where there is not some individual capable of conversing on to- pics which would be reckoned altogether above the understandings of people in the same rank of so- ciety in other countries of Europe. On many oc- casions, indeed, the common Icelanders discover an acquaintance with the history and literature of other nations, which is perfectly astonishing. In their general habits and dispositions, the Ice- landers are a very moral and religious people. They are carefully instructed in the principles of Christianity at an early period of life, and regularly attend to the public and private exercises of devo- tion. Instances of immorality are in a great meas- ure confined to such as frequent the fishing places, where they are often idle for days together. The male Icelanders wear shirts of wadmel, (coarse woollen cloth) and blue waistcoats ; jackets and trowsers of the same material, edged with red. [At home they wear a cloth cap, but when they go i abroad they put on broad-brimmed hats, as also [cloaks to defend them from the cold and rain. A reverend traveller speaks of the costume of the [females as having reminded him of the necessity of {* robes of righteousness and garments of salvation : ' [and as it is very becoming, we shall attempt a de- [scription of it. Next the body is a garment of wadmel, fastened at [the neck with a brass or silver button. Beside two [or three blue skirts of the same stuff, they have a )lue apron, bordered with black velvet and fringed It the top with brass or silver ornaments. The •;-;;•; i :'^^ •i 40 POLAR REGIONS. jacket or bodice is of red or black wadmel, the back seams of which are covered with stripes of velvet, and in front are two broad borders of the same, elegantly ornamented with silver clasps by which it is fastened, and with a profusion of em- broidery. A girdle, garnished with polished pebbles, or silver, secures the apparel. Round the neck is worn a ruff' of black velvet two inches broad, and embroidered with silver thread. Above the bodice is another jacket, of black wadmel, with tight sleeves, garnished at the wrists with silver buttons. Over all, is a black cloak bor- dered with velvet. Blue or red worsted stockings, and painted sheepskin shoes complete the costume. Those in good circumstances wear silver medals, suspended from the neck by chains of the same metal, with legends of religious import. But a curious and fantastic head-gear disfigures the whole fabric. It is made of white linen, stiffened with pins, and rising from the head to the height of twenty inches. The bridal dress is still richer* i II ''SS^ POLAR REGIONS. 41 i CHAPTER VI. Cold in Iceland.— Polar Ice.— Winter.— Summer.— The Fishery,- Summer Occupation of the Icelanders. — Occupation of the Women. — Treatment of Strangers.- Pastoral Life. — Houses of the Icelanders. — A Winter Eve- ning in Iceland.— Horses.— Reindeer.— Visit to the Tradinj: Houses. — Exports and Imports. The cold is not more intense in Iceland than in the most favored part of Denmark, and the thermom- eter seldom or never sinks to zero. What affects the temperature most is the arrival of floating ice from Greenland. It arrives in immense masses, often so large as to run aground in eighty fathoms, choking the friths and bays and extending so far that its ex- tremities cannot be discerned from the mountain tops. In 1766 the whole strait between Iceland and Greenland was closed by it, but it seldom sur- rounds the whole island. When it remains for a long time on the coast, the winter snows are longer in melting, the frost remains in the ground, vegetation is checked, and the summer is so short that the people have great difficulty to get in their hay. Polar bears are also brought on the ice. When it is known that one of these has arrived, the inhabitants of the district turn out en masse in pursuit. He who kills the bear not only gets a good price for the skin, but re- ceives a considerable reward from the king of Denmark. The Aurora Borealis is seen in all its beauty during the winter, almost every clear night. Some- times a steady stream of light shoots across the 4* *4 42 POLAR REGIONS. 'i III horizon, but more commonly the corruscations ex- hibit a tremulous motion, leaping and dancing about with amazing velocity. They are mostly of a faint yellow, but are sometimes mixed with red and green. The distance between the houses, the rents and chasms in the lava then hidden by snow, and the half frozen rivers, with many other obstacles, pre- vent the Icelander from travelling farther in winter than his own parish church ; and he is often com- pelled, however reluctant, to abandon this tour for weeks together. Strictly speaking, there are but two seasons in Iceland ; summer and winter ; the former of which must be diligently spent in preparation for the lat- ter. From the third of February to the twelfth of May is what they call the fishing season. At this period they flock to the southern and west- ern shores, clad in dresses made of skins. Du- ring this time their food is butter and fish, which they only eat early in the morning and late in the evening, the rest of the hours being spent at sea. The boats are manned with from six to nine hands each, and row a great way out. When they return to land the fish are divided into separate shares, two of which the owner of the boat claims for the use of it and of his hooks and lines. The fishermen retire to rest, and the fish are cared for by the women. The fish are mosdy cod. When the snow leaves the ground, the men col- lect turf for fuel, and to cover the roofs of the houses, fOUkM, REGIONS. 43 &,c. When the young cattle have been driven to the mountains, the care of the sheep and cows, and the labors of the dairy devolve on the females, who about the middle of the summer repair to the waste lands to collect edible lichen. This time they spend in tents as before mentioned, and in the mean while the men fish in the fresh waters, or visit the fac- I tories. The most important part of J'^.elandic rural ^abor is haymaking. About the middle of July the grass l^ is mowed and gathered in a convenient place to idry, and then conveyed to the yard, v.'here it is made into stacks. In poor families the fem : is I as well as the men handle the scythe. Hay harvest over, the sheep and catth iiV^i brought m, and the occupations of the seascn conclude. |The horses are left to shift for themselves all win- ter, and the men attend to the cows and sheep, '^inter sets in, and the males forge the necessary implements of iron, copper, &c., for they a#r all smiths, and some of them are wonderfully expert. uey also prepare leather for shoes, make ropes, jind full the woollen stuffs. Beside their culinary avocations, the females jmploy themselves in spinrir f* vilh the spindle and istaff, knitting, and making and mending clothes. It would appear that the Icelanders are kind, and lospitable to strangers, as they are in the habit of )idding them * come in peace,* and invoking bless- [ng on their heads, as well as of mounting them on leir shoulders to carry them ashore when they land. [n every house there is a room set apart for the ac- "¥ vff i 44 POLAR REGIONS. I* 1 piV'' commodation of strangers, which is always the best in the house. On entering a house, the salutation of the visitor is ' May God be in this place ; * and the reply is, * The Lord bless you,' even when the visit is at an unseasonable hour, and very inconveni- ent. On entering, etiquette requires to salute the family in regular order, from first to last, beginning wiih the. highest in rank; but departing, the order is reversed. Nothing can be more truly polite and sincerely affectionate than their reception of unwonted guests. Their humors are studied, their wants watched, and every effort is made to comply with the one, and to relieve the other. ' While the natives are gathering the lichen of Ice- land, or pasturing their sheep and cattle, in the waste lands, in the summer, they dwell in t^nts, much like those of the Bedouin Arabs. They are erected in the following manner : two poles, five or six feet long, areMtack fast in the ground, seven or eight feet apart They are joined at the top by a third pole, over which the tent, made of coarse woollen, is spread, and braced tight with cords fastened to the eaves and tied at the other end to crooked wooden pins which are driven into the ground. The flaps are provided with small holes round the border, and aW secured in the same manner, excepting at one end where a small portijon is left loose to serve asa| door. The natives pass several weeks on the moun- tains every summer, in these tents, and are quitej partial to this primitive way of living. * In general the permanent houses of the islandersl M POLAR REGIONS. 45 are built alike, in the fashion of the original settlers from N?rway. The walls are about four feet high, and six feet thick, and are composed of alternate lay- ers of earth and stone, inclining a little inward : they are met by a sloping roof of turf, supported by a H few beams, which are crossed by twigs and branch- [es of birch. Good grass grows on the roof, which is [always mowed at the time of haymaking. In front of the house there are three doors. The middle one opens into a long, dark passage, into which are [entrances from either side from different apartments, [such as the stranger's room, the weaving room, the [kitchen, and the sleeping room, which last serves for [a sitting and working apartment, as well as a dormi- Itory. The light is admitted through small apertures pn the roof, covered with thin sheepskin, though in some instances glass is substituted. Such houses as lave windows in the walls resemble the exterior of a )astion. The smoke escapes through a hole in the roof from the kitchen only ; for no fire is made in any other ipartment, even during the coldest winter weather. The beds are arranged on both sides of the room* >n open bedsteads raised three feet from the ground, 'hey are filled with sea-weed, feathers, or down* ^cording to the circumstances of the occupant, le or two folds of coarse woollen cloth and a iarti-colored quilt are thrown over the bed. Though Ihese beds are narrow the Icelanders contrive to lleep double, by lying in the manner vulgarly called jeads and points. Sometimes the walls are pan- ielled with boards, but more commonly they are [are, and collect so much dust that nothing can be -.* 46 POLAR REGIONS. • i-i;^.: ;1| !,i: ' :iil kept clean. It is seldom that there is any floor, and the health of the inmates is often greatly prejudiced by the dampness of the earth. Travellers complain much of the filth and stench of the Icelandic houses, but h is questionable if they are worse in this respect than the dwellings of the Scotch Highlanders or the peasantry of Ireland. The other front doors open into store rooms, smithies, and other oflices, and there are commonly several outhouses for sheep and cattle. The whole together, with the haystacks which are always hard by, present an appearance by no means unpleasant. A winter evening spent in one of the houses we have been describing would be highly interesting. Between three and four o'clock a lamp is lighted in the sleeping-room, and all the family, work in hand, take their stations on their respective beds. The master and mistress with their children place them- .selves at the inner end of the room, and the outer end is occupied by the servants. One person takes a seat near the lamp and begins to read some ancient saga, or other history, while the rest are working. The reader is often interrupt- ed by the members of the family, who make re- marks and propose questions, in order to exercise the memory and judgment. Some have the sagas by heart, and recite instead of reading them. There are some itinerants of this description who gain a y| livelihood in winter by going from house to house till their stock of literature is exhausted. This cus- tom has existed among the Scandinavians from time immemorial Att] often c psalm, devotio of the h I a psalm I in the s \ outofdi ing; the with *C Thee ty-five ( costs fiv to fourt€ will carr a day. Their sai when th( instinct ( without There they in n zed coui any thin| Reind apland climate a thatnum olestec ut of fa s they i POLAR REGIONS. 47 At the conclusion of the evening labors, which often continue till near midnight, the family join in a psalm, and then a chapter in the bible or some other devotional book is read. A prayer from the head of the house follows, and the exercise concludes with a psalm. Their morning devotions are conducted iji the same manner. When one awakes, he goes out of doors and utters a prayer to the Supreme Be- ing ; then re-entering, he salutes every one he meets with * God grant you a good day.' The common horses of Iceland are sold for twen- ty-five or thirty shillings,, and a good saddle-horse I costs five pounds sterling. They are from thirteen to fourteen hands high, strong, hardy, and lively, and will carry a weight of twenty stone twentyfive miles a day. They are broken to a short, easy amble. Their sagacity is surprising. In the darkest nights, i when the rider is lost, they find the way by unerring ■ instinct over the most broken and dangerous ground, without accident. There are abundance of sheep in Iceland, but as khey in no wise differ from the sheep of other civili- ized countries we trust to be excused from saying [any thing about them. Reindeer were introduced into the island from -apland by the Danish government in 1770. The ;limate agrees with them, and they have so multiplied [that numerous herds range the island, and are seldom lolested by the inhabitants. Sledges are entirely [out of fashion, or they might easily be made useful,, is they are docile and readily submit to wear har- less. \n: mk 'k 48 POIiAR REGIONS. vt''> -m^ i 1 I ' I. . ,1 Toward the middle of June the Icelander pre- pares to visit the factory, or mercantile establish- ment, at which he has been accustomed to trade. These factories are established by the Danish mer- chants along the coast ; but many of the inhabitants prefer a journey to Reykiavik, where there is a com- petition, and a choice, the latter being a thing of no little importance in their eyes. The price of each ar- ticle is commonly fixed by the merchants beforehand. It is the duty of the Landfoged and the Syssel- man to examine all weights and measures before the trade commences ; and when these are found de- fective, the proprietor is liable to a fine. When about to set forth, the Icelanders lay large square pieces of turf on their horses' backs, over which they strap a wooden saddle. They then load the animal with the articles of their traffic, and se- cure the whole with leathern thongs. When they reach Reykiavik they pitch their tents on the grass, near the town. The masters then leave their goods in charge of their servants, and ride into the town to make their bargaijis. This only applies to such as live nt a distance, and are independent of the mer- chants ; for the names of a large majority are on the wrong side of the shop books all their lives. In- deed it is the policy of the dealers to have many outstanding debts, in order to secure the future trade of the individuals indebted. They are threatened with prosecution in case of trading with any other, and are thus kept in a kind of servitude all their lives. The exports are fish, salted mutton, oil, tallow, POLAR REGIONS. 49 ler pre- itablish- trade, sh mer- Labitants s a com- ng of no each ar- orehand. Syssel- ^fore the und de- wool, woollen stuffs, skins, feathers, and sulphur. The imports are ; rye, barley, oatmeal, pease, bread, potatoes, rum, brandy, wine, coffee, tea, sugar, to- bacco, salt, wood, cottons, silk handkerchiefs, and so forth. The use of some of these luxuries has of late years increased beyond the means of the inhab- itants. ^ ' The wants of Iceland have been supplied at dif- ferent times through various channels. At the breaking out of the war of 1807, between Great Britain and Denmark, the Icelanders were apprehen- ■ sive of actual starvation, from the want of absolutely necessary articles, especially hooks and lines, with- > out which they could not live. To the immortal Ihonor of Sir Joseph Banks, who interposed in their Ibehalf, the British government decreed that the or- (dinary usages of war should not be extended to this ^unoffending people, and that their supplies should fnot be cut off. Since the abolition of the Althing, the annual fair of |Reykiavik furnishes the natives with their only op- )ortuuity, whether of meeting, or of transacting pub- lic business. The change has displeased most of jthe Icelanders, and in some degree lessened their )ride and national feeling. In the people of Iceland we see a proof, if a Iproof were needful, that the happiness of a people ^n no wise depends on the nature of the country they inhabit. Few persons would choose Iceland |tor a resident -^ : there is nothing inviting in their )arren rocks and yawning craters ; yet would they lot exchange their desolate abode for any in the 5 50 POLAR REGIONS. % '*■ world. We have reason to be proud of Iceland, as belonging to the new hemisphere. The virtue of its inhabitants, their moral and industrious habits, and their love of country, have stood tltc test of time longer than thos«i of any r?. e ^vhatevB.-. From all that appears, these arc: likely to endure as long as their islaud. CHAPTER VII. ' ^\'A m ' ! MiBCcllaneoua Particulara. — Of the Mineral Kingdom in Iceland. — ^Vegeta- ble*. — Drift Wood. — Sketch of Spitzbergen. It is but of late that the geographical situation of Iceland has been accurately determined, or that anything respecting it has been accurately known. It was not till the year 1778 that Messrs Borda, Pingre, and De La Crenne determined several positions astronomically, and ascertained the exact dimensions of the island, which have been given in another chapter. It will, perhaps, be proper to say something of I the mineral kingdom in Iceland, so far as it is! known. In many places, the basalt, of which the ^ mountains are in part composed, takes the form of immense masses of pillars, like the well-known Giant's Causeway in Iceland. Mount Akrefell con- tains beds of amygdaloyd, trap-tuff and greenstone ; the lower surface of which has manifestly been subjected to the action of intense heat, probably at ; ,.v POLAR REGIONS. 51 the bottom of the primitive ocean. Of the ordinary lava there are several different formations. One of these has flowed, and in some places still flows, in blazing torrents, from active craters : another kind, of a spongy and cavernous nature, appears to have boiled up in the very places where it is found. In the numerous caverns formed by this last, the most beautiful stalactites are found. The great cave at Surtshellir, already described, is the largest of these. Its description may serve for them all. This island may without impropriety be called the safety valve of the earth : none of its phenomena better prove how vast the mass of volcanic matter must be, than the sudden appearance of a new island, which rose up to the southwest of Reikianess, in 63° 20' latitude, a little before the eruption of 1783. It threw out flames and pumice-stone ; yet when search was made for it two years after, it had entirely disappeared. It appears probable, therefore, that it was merely a crust of lava and pumice, rais- ed to the surface of the sea by a submarine erup- tion. Had not Iceland kept its place so long, we should be disposed to apply the same remark to it. A very singular mineral production of Iceland is a kind of fossil wood, called in Icelandic, Surtur- brandy the name of the black god, or Pluto of ancient Scandinavia. It is black, heavy, and slightly car- bonized, burnin>j with flame. There is another kind of mineral wood, heavier than coal, which burns with- out flame, and contains chalcedony in its trans- verse fissures. The central mountains of Iceland, which are by t? 52 POLAR REGIONS. W M ^il'iif''i!i some supposed to be primitive, contain copper and iron, which are not wrought for want of fuel ; also marble, lime, plaster, porcelain clay, and several kinds of bole, beside onyx, agate, jasper, and other stones. Sulphur is found in abundance all over the island, both in a pure and impure state. The most considerable mines are at Krisevig and Husavig : at the latter place there is a manufactory for refining it. The sulphur hills in the vicinity of mount Krabla have already been noticed. Iceland produces no salt; but the surrounding sea is as deeply impregnated as the Mediterranean. The salt obtained from it, imparts a bluish color to fish. The air is not without its prodigies. Through an atmosphere filled with icy particles the sun and moon often appear double, or distorted into extra- ordinary and fantastic forms. The aurora borealis reflects a thousand shades and colors, and phan- tom shores and imaginary seas are everywhere perceived through the magic medium of the mirage. Wheat was formerly cultivated in quantity suffi- cient for the wants of a much larger population, and' the government takes great pains to revive it. But when the polar ice arrives, the hope of a crop of wheat must be abandoned for two or three years at least. Within the space of one century the annals of the island record fortythree bad seasons, amon;^ which were fourteen years of actual famine. In 1784 and 1785, when an intense severity of winter succeeded to volcanic eruptions, one fifth of the I; :! POLAR REGIONS. 53 innals of '^ entire population perished, together with 190,000 sheep, 28,000 horses, and upwards of 11,000 hom- ed cattle. Among the vegetables of Iceland is the Elymus arenarius — in Icelandic, meliir, a species of wild wheat, which may be made into good flour. Be- side the lichens, there are many antiscorbutic roots. ' There are even several marine plants used as food, I among which are the Mga sacchariferat and the iFecus fjliaceous. Like Norway, Iceland produces [great quantities of wild berries of excellent flavor. Of late years gardening is practised throughout :the country. Cauliflowers do not succeed, nor [has the cultivation of the potato made suflicient [progress for the advantage of the island. Though Iceland now aflbrds no better trees than |birch and brushwood, the inhabitants of the sea- icoast do not feel the want of fuel. The immense [quantity of pines, firs, and other trees, which are |thrown upon the northern coast is truly astonishing, md may be considered a natural phenomenon. Thus what the soil denies is brought by the oct an. 'he wood drifts upon Cape North and Cape Lan- janess, in such abundance that the neighbouring in- labitants neglect the greater part of it. The pieces ^hich are carried along these two points, by the ^aves, towards the other coasts, supply a sufficient quantity for all the purposes of boat-building. The sea and rivers offer advantages to the Ice- landers which they neglect. The salmon, trout, )arbel, and many other fishes which abound there- are generally permitted to live and die undis- 6* A^^ f?' 54 POLAR REGIONS. WJ f''!/ turbed. Eels are found in great plenty, but the Icelanders do not eat them, fancying that they are the offspring of the great sea snake, which, accord- ing to the northern mythology, encompasses the globe like a girdle. Herrings swarm round the shore, but it is only of late that nets have been used by the Icelanders. They pay more attention to the whale, the sea-calf, the sea-dog, and the cod-fish. North of Iceland, are coasts still imperfectly known, which belong either to Greenland or to a Polar Archipelago. They have been visited only by whalers. Concussions felt at sea seem to indi- cate the existence of volcanoes in this quarter. The island of John de Mayen, which has often been visited, is a mass of black rocks, but without any volcanic traces. . ' • The group of three large islands, and a great number of lesser ones, which have received the name of Spitzbergen, appear to be the termina- tion of this icy chain, and seem, in the present state of our geographical knowledge, to belong to Greenland, and consequently to North America. The great island of Spitzbergen, properly so called, is separated by narrow channels from the southeast and northeast islands. The eastern part of the peninsula of Spitzbergen proper has received the name of New Friesland. Toward the northwest point, are the ruins of a Dutch whaling estabUsh- ment, called Smeeringberg. The mountains of Spitzbergen are covered with perpetual snow and ice, and reflect a light equal to that of the full moon. They are composed of red granite, the blocks ( From tl listance land, wh lirthof ;empora ive mon oward tccumuh trozen e essels is cochh 'he bays lies of Vk hales a id there if mollug alrus, ai tattles wi bear abic lin-deer. luropean utch cai irgen, w presen ue of t jmormous which ice. I: lemies. The vaj POLAR REGIONS. 55 lerfectly or to a ted only to indi- quarter. :en been lout any a great ived the termina- present elong to America, o called, loutheast of the ived the ' orthwest jstablish- itains of mow and the full nite, the ii'M blocks of which shine in the midst of masses of ice. rom their great elevation they are seen at a great istance. Solemn silence reigns in this desolate and, which has probably been uninhabited since the irth of Time. Even here the torpor of Nature is but emporary and periodical. One uninterrupted day, of ve months duration, occupies the place of summer, oward the noon of this protracted day, the long ccumulated heat penetrates a little way into the ozen earth. Though the pitch on the sides of essels is melted, only a few plants expand ; such cochleariae, ranunculuses, sedums, and poppies, he bays are full of gigantic fuci and algae, one spe- ies of which is more than two hundred feet long, hales and phocae disport in these marine forests, d there seek for their accustomed nourishment if moUusca and little fishes. Here £ire seen the alrus, and the narwhale ; and here the sword-fish feattles with the whale. Here also the colossal polar bear abides, amidst flocks of foxes and herds of in-deer. All these animals present temptations to uropean enterprize. Within fortysix years the utch caught 32,900 whales on the coast of Spitz- rgen, which were worth fourteen millions sterling.* present, however, the animals are fewer, and the ue of the fishery is much diminishes. All these fnormous creatures are less useful than the herring, which the polar circle appears to be the birth- ce. Here it is secure from the assaults of its emies. The vast abundance of floating wood that drifts * Anderson's History of Commerce. fe. "\- 6$ POLAR REGIONS. upon all these northern shores, has given cause for much speculation. It appears to be the produce of the northern coasts of both continents, and of the regions bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. The latter is brought hither by the Gulf Stream. Yet if a part of this floating timber comes from forests now in existence, another part is supposed to have its origin in some of the great revolutions of the globe. In Siberia great masses of wood are found deposited at a height to which the present ocean could never have reached. Gmelin imagined that he saw in this a proof of the diminution of the sea ; and many other hypotheses have been stated by differ- ent philosophers. We pretend not to give an opin- ion on the subject, farther than that many of the ap- pearances of the northern regions could not have been produced by the present state of things. i: 'k ilvr;' .'m'i- \.:, ause for produce , and of -m 0. The I Yet if ' 1 forests to have IS of the Te found lit ocean sd that he sea ', and by differ- an opin- )f the ap- not have ags. « GREENLAND. CHAPTER I. fjCSoneral Geographic Features of the Coast of Greenland. — Of the 'Westem Coast.— Of the Eastern Coast.— Frcdoricshaab. — The Ice Blink.— Gothaab Disko Bay. — Lievcly. HE most southern point of Greenland is Cape arewell, situated in latitude 59° north. From this int of departure many navigators have coasted its rtheastern shore as far as within ten degrees of e pole, and its northwestern bolder to the seventy- ;leighth degree. No vessel has ever gained its north- 1^^ extremity, nor is it certain that any communica- n exists between Baffin's Bay and the sea on the rthern shore of the new continent. There are refore no means to ascertain whether Greenland joined with America, or is an island, or a part a polar continent. In the northwestern part of ffin's Bay the late navigators have discovered that ong currents run eastward from the different in- s, and this with other circumstances seems a son to believe that the land is not continuous m Greenland to America. he shore of Greenland on the westem side, as far Disko, is high, rugged, and barren, rising from the u 68 POriAR RRGIONS. !,.i' m water's <'i1jl!;o inlo tiTmeiuloiis precipices aiul lofty inauntuins, which may Ix; seen IVom (he sea mow. than an hundred tniles. All the hills are crowned with everlasting? ict^ and snow, w!»ieh increase in quantity Ironi year to year, and are continindly fdl- injj; the vallies. Those /ocks on which the snow can- not lie are f^rey, stn^iked with colored veins, with hero and tliere a little earth which alFords nourishment to a hardy species of heath. In some of the vallies there are small brooks and ponds, lrinfi;ed with a growth of stinted brushwood. North of Disko little is known of the coast, exceptinfj; that it is mountain- ous, and bordered with numerous clusters of small islands. The eastern coast of Greenland beyond Herjolf's Ness is absolutely unexplor'jd. A perpetual bar- rier of ice precludes the attempt. It is from hence that those fields of ice which so often shut up the ports and bays of Iceland break away. The general features of this shore are like those of the western side. Herjolf's Ness is a bold rocky promontory, and the precise position of any point beyond it is doubtful. It is no great risk to assume as a fact, tliut Greenlaud, on the eastern side from Herjolf's Ness to the pole, is decidedly unexplored, and the re- ports of experienced seamen are positive in express- ing the impossibility of coming within many d( grecs of the supposed line of coast, from the coi tinual presence of ice ; and that the ice whi( h \> carried to the southward from the Oreenland fishj ing grounds is always limited to a certain irieridinii, westward of which it has never bpcn kn( wn to POFiAR RKfilONH. m break up. Eastward of this parallel they have it times penetrated beyond th(! ei^htylourth degree. South and westward of Jferjoirs Ness, is Skaga- tiord, a sound the t(?rmiiiation of which was n(!V(!r ascertained ; but from its ap[)arent direction, it is thought to have a communication with Makkely On- it, in South East Bay at Disko. Between Herjolfs Ness and Staten Hook there were many more inlets inhabited in former times. Whether these inlets may not have a leading into the preceding communication, must not be looked upon as at variance with probability. No one now will doubt that Frobishcr's Straits penetrate the whole of southern Greenland, or rather open into some vast internal sea, whence the ice is annually carried westward, so as to ob- struct the entrance to these parts from the side of riudson*s Bay. Staten Hook and Cape Farewell have been both determined to be islands, between which there lies an immense bay, crowded with islands. The bot- tom of this, never having been yet explored, may be supposed to have many inlets, branching into Frobisher*s Straits. Let us turn our attention to Baal's iliver, which is rather a gulf, penetrating Greenland to the north- east. The extremity of this water has not been as yet laid down. It is supposed to extend to Disko, j by some inlet leading into Southeast Bay. In its [length it is impossible to deny but it may have com- Imunication with SKagaliord and the inland waters in Frobisher's Straits. ■ W'' I I '} ; H f 1 i M 60 POLAR REGIONS. J- M Pli'l Mi-l Whether South Bay is connected with Baal's River is not easy to assert, as there is no datum for such assertion. Makkely Onit in Southeast Bay has been always considered as running into a water, which, if free from ice, would permit a passage into the northern Atlantic. North of Makkely Onit are numerous passages opening into internal seas in the northern parts of Greenland, some of which have been penetrated by the boats of whale fishers, the men of which, on their return, invariably reported that they had observed fair, open seas before them, after they had gone a very little way. In Jacob's Bay there is one very remarkable pas- sage of similar description ; and also one, if not more, in Northeast Bay ; and proceeding farther north, the numerous sounds up to the Woman's Islands, and forward to the Devil's Thumb, an isolated natural column, in 74° 53' north latitude, various openings present themselves, which, no doubt, lead to so many ways of traversing this Arctic Archipelago. A few circumstances more will materially assisi in this inquiry. The whale fishers are unani- mously of opinion that Greenland consists entirely of islands ; ' for,' say they, * whenever chance or incli- nation led us, on almost any part of the coast, m saw nothing to prevent us from sailing as far inward as we liked.' The habits of the whale, who h\ always observed running for some of these pas- sages, and some, when stricken, dragging tiiei POLAR REGIONS. boats SO far that the people witnessed open clear water to a boundless extent, are in a great degree confirmatory evidence of the fact. But one cir- cumstance, not the least curious ir natural history, is, that a whale, struck by a man at Greenland, i. e. at Spitzbergen, escaped, and was in a short time after killed, and taken by a relative of the same man, who was then at Davis' Straits. This curi- ous fact was determined by the harpoon, bearing the mark of the former, being found in the body of the animal when taken. The Northeast coast of Greenland, therefore, being unexplored, and the probable intersection of its southeastern, southern, western, and north- western parts by navigable waters being adduced, besides the other circumstances in aid, it ma}"^, we presume, be inferred, that the state of Greenland is not continental, but insular. But whether the research will be ever established by further proofs of more decisive character, or whether any cir- [cumstances will warrant the hazard, must be left [for time to determine. Nature, in denying this dreary continent or ar- [chipelago trees for fuel or the purposes of domestic larchitecture, made ample provision, in the drift jwood which floats to every part of its shores. Of salt water there is an abundance ; but the country seems to be ill supplied with fresh. The few )rooks that are known to exist are formed by the lelting of the snows. The Danish establishments in Greenland consist )f several factories, scattered along the coast, and 6 i\ t^l- I' p' j 1 POLAR REGIONS. didded into two departments, over each of which an ir^jpector presides. Coasting to the Northwest from Cape Farewell, the first is Julianshaab, and then Fredericshaab, upon a projecting point of land. It was founded in 1742. There is a good harbor about a mile from the sea, and an island where the aborigines resort to hunt seals and rein-deer — Fredericshaab is an eligible place for trade. Nine leagues from this colony is the well known Ice Blink. It is a vast elevated sheet of ice, reflect- 1. ing a brightness over the sky resembling the North- ' ern Lights. The mouth of the adjoining bay b blocked by ice driven out by the elRux of the tide, and so wonderfully heaped by the waves that the spaces between the islands are completely vaulted j over, and present the sublime spectacle of an enor- mous bridge of ice, ^ngbteen miles long, and nearlv live broad. Boats may enter the harbor under tlie arches, which are from sixty to an hundred and eighty feet higli. The mouth of the bay is closed, | but there is a slieet of open water within. Proceeding onward, we come to Gothaab, in lati- tude 64" 14'. It stands in Baal's River, the inlet be- fore mentioned. There is a church at this colony which was founded in 1721 by the famous mission- ary Egede. Some thousands of the natives fornnr- ly dwelt in this vicinity ; but in 1733 the ravages i the small ])ox thinned their numbers, and their pop- ulation has been on the decline ever since. Passing the colonies of Sukkcrtoppen and Hoi- steinburg, we come to Disko Islam], It is table land! 'he interior parts more elevated than the sides. -#* POLAR REGIONS. 63 From the great distance at which it first becomes visible above the horizon, this island must be more than a mile in perpendicular height. The face of the rock is worn into channels, for the discharge of the dissolviid snow, w^hich, as they grow narrower in their descent, give the spaces between, the appear- ance of stupendous pyramids, a resemblance which is heightened by the stratification exhibiting horizon- tai and parallel fissures, similar to regular building. The rock is basaltic, but not of that regular form which occurs in the Giant's Causeway. Its height is 60 feet. There are parts however where the stratification is much more regular. - r . > • These remarks chiefly regard the south side, about Fortune Bay, which seems to be that part of this island which has' been least afflicted by that awful I convulsion which at some remote period denudated and destroyed this portion of the globe. Probably I the ruin that came upon these countries, moved, in [its terrible progress, from the northwestward; and, having forced a passage through the Waygat Strait, [swept round through the southeast bay, and so spared IDisko. In support of such conjecture, it ma}' be idvanced, that Hare Island, lying nearly north of >isko, at the entrance to Waygat Sound, is low and lat, as it were the base of a mountain whose sum- lit had been torn away. The contiguous point of >isko shelves into the sea, as if having suffered from khe same cause ; whilst that side of Disko that over- looks the Waygat consists of lofty peaks, behind diich there lie deep valleys, where the torrent ri- )ted, having failed to carry away the more elevated '! 'f- il i? L !. ,^|J 2i "I fi M':i 64 i^^ POLAR REGIONS. ^. parts. Moreover, that part of Disko called Flat Foot Shore, which lies over against Makkely Onit, has evidently suffered during the same devastation. Neither would . those portions of the island called New and Old Lievely have survived the wreck, were it not for the strong resistance made by that part which is known by the name of the Black Land. The rock of Lievely, now so dangerous to navigators, which is bare at iow water spring tides, and which is nothing but the remains of some part of the moun- tain, is a further proof of the justice of the above position. The existence of Disko Bay, Fortune Bay, Love Bay, and the other recesses in the bosom of this remarkable rock, owe their existence to the violence of the flood, which, boiling at the resistance oppo- sed to it on the north side, rushed 'over the higher lands to the southward, and there pouring onward, in its rage hollowed out these several bays, and meeting with the other contending currents coming through the Waygat, and down the Straits, completed the work of destruction, and effected the formation of Southeast Bay. Disko Bay is an hundred and twenty leagues in circuit, and has the most productive fishery of any in Greenland. There are several settlements on and about the island, the principal of which is Lively. Th.' harbor of Lively is excellent for small vessels, having a good depth of water, and being quite land- ^ locked ; but it appears rather narrow for ships of three or four hundred tons. The settlement is prin- cipally situated on the south shore of the harbor, where there are several tolerably built wooden #4 / i* POLAR REGIONS. 65 houses, among which that of the inspector is a good looking and convenient one. There are but six or seven Danes, besides the officers, belonging to the establishment, most of the Esquimaux going, in the summer, into the interior, to kill rein-deer, from which occupation they do not usually return till September or October, when their services begin to be needful in the whale fishery, which is carried on here only in the winter months. A small schooner, which is kept in the harbor, is sent every summer to bring the oil from the northern settlements, in readiness for the arrival of the vessels which come annually for the purpose of taking that article to Copenhagen ; and at the same time carries out supplies of provisions and other stores. ^ Beside all these, there are other colonies, to the number, perhaps, of twenty, which to describe would be but repetition. :5«8. CHAPTER n. [Of the Polar Tec— Changes in its Position.— Its present Position.— Technical Names of the diffenint Kinds of Ic«. — Dangers from Icebsfgs. — Manner of taking the Whale, [In no part of this work can the polar ice, the great sole obstacle to the navigation of the arctic regions, 36 discussed with more propriety than here. It ills, it appears, together with the land, a circle of kbove two thousand geographic miles in diameter, >nd bars all access to the tract immediately sur- 6*» t ' h I' -^ 66 POLAR REGIONS. is' j :K;*,I3 iyf>: i'.<#l '% m rounding the pole. Though subject to partial vari- ations, its outline is generally, at any season, similar to what it was the year before, and often strikingly uniform. A great change in its position, as far as it regards Greenland, took place in the beginning of the fif- teenth century, whereby the intercourse between Iceland and the colonies then established in Green- land was interrupted, and the colonies probably perished ; for nothing has been seen or heard of them since. Until that time, the coast had always been accessible, but the polar ice, as it is supposed, suddenly extended its limits to Cape Fi.rewell, and rendered the shore inaccessible. Another and a lesser change took place in 1816. A portion of about two thousand square leagues of ice drifted out of the Greenland sea, from between the paral- lels of 74° and 80°. :i. , With each recurring spring the ice presents near- ly the following outline : it covers the eastern coast of Greenland, extends by Labrador to Newfound- land, fills the bays of Hudson and BaflUn, and ex- hibits a broken but continuous edge from Labrador to ISova. Zembla. During the winter, it usually adheres to the northwest coast of America, fills Bhering's Straits, and, it is supposed, adheres to the j shore from Icy Cape to the eastern extremity of the American Polar Sea. It would seem that a perpet- ual barrier of ice, sometimes fixed and sometimes i loose, crosses the middle of Baffin's Bay. Perhaps it may not be amiss to give here the I denominations by which the different kinds of ice POLAR REGIONS. 67 are known to arctic navigators. Those stupendous masses, which from their height, bulk, and irregular and picturesque outlines, strike the beholder with admiration as well as terror, are called icebergs. Those prodigious sheets whose want of altitude is made up by their extent, are called field ice. A field whose extent can be seen from the mast head, is denominated a floCy but this term is seldom ap- plied to pieces less than a mile in diameter. Drift ice consists of pieces less than floes, of all shapes and magnitudes. Bay ice is that which is newly formed on the sea ; and sludge is small particles of ice, or snow, from which floes and fields are formed. A hummock is. a protuberance on a floe, or field, commonly formed by the pressure of one piece up- on another ; and a calf is a depression from the same cause. Calves are sometimes so deep and broad that a ship may sail over them without touching. A tongue is a point projecting, under water, from some mass of ice, horizontally. When there is so much drift ice that its extent is not discernible, it is termed a pack^ and is said to lie open when the pieces do not touch ; and if the reverse, it is called close. Young ice is that which is forming, or has been newly formed. Though formed of salt water, the sea ice is not commonly in itself salt. It is yet a question whether ice can form in any part of the ocean, excepting under the lee of the land. The swell and motion of the waves is certain- ly unfavorable to its generation ; nevertheless, it is certain that bay ice does form at sea to an extent sufficient to arrest the progress of ships. Perhaps IHH ;i s' U! 68 POLAR REGIONS. IM wkKi :i,/: the most rational conchision is, that a part is form- ed in the bays within the arctic circle, and a part in the open ocean. When two fields of ice meet in rapid motion, the concussion is terrible. The weaker field is crush- ed with an awful noise ; sometimes the destruction is mutual ; pieces of huge dimensions are piled up to the height ^of twenty or thirty feet, while a pro- portionate quantity is forced under. The strongest ship is but an insignificant impediment between two moving fields. Numbers of whaling vessels have been thus destroyed ; some have been thrown upon the ice, others have been torn open or broken to pieces, and some have been completely overthrown and buried beneath the fragments. As many as twentythree Dutch ships have been thus lost in one year. Icebergs have been seen of almost incredible dimensions. Captain Ross saw one twelve hundred feet long, and three hundred and twenty feet high above the water. Another was estimated to weigh 1,292,397,673 tons. Icebergs commonly float on a base much more extended than their upper surface. Hence the proportion appearing above water is seldom less in elevation than one seventh of the whole thickness ; and when the elevation is conical, it is often equal to one fourth of the whole depth of the berg. Icebergs are seldom dangerous, as they can be easily distinguished in the night, though fatal acci- dents have occurred from running updn them. They are sometimes valuable friends to the whale fishers. m POLAR REGIONS. 69 They do not move so fast to leeward in gales as the drift ice, and vessels are frequently moored to them, while the loose floes and fields are passing, and thus lose less ground. In strong adverse winds, they hinder ships from making lee-way. All ice becomes frair' 3 ward the close of the whale fishery, and gro sc in its texture. Bergs in this state being stru* > ;iii axe for the purpose of fixmg an anchor, havt , ^en known to split asun- der, and precipitate the seamen into the chasm ; while occasionally the masses have fallen in contrary directions, burying men and boats in one common ruin. But to rehearse all the possible, probable, or certain dangers of arctic navigation, would require a much larger volume than this. The formidable barrier already described, when it occurs, is regularly encountered by the whale ships, in the month of April, but is usually removed by natural means as the season advances. In May the ice becomes porous and decays, the drift ice is liberated, and before the end of the month the Wn. Js and waves break up the whole mass. Ships do not, however, wait for this event, but penetrate the ice under sail, and by cutting and sawing a passage. Whales are seen in the open sea, or in the holes between the masses of ice. White whales are sel- dom seen but in op< \ water. Of the whole tribe of this species, the balaena mysticetus, or common black whale, is the most inveterately pursued by man. An account of the manner of taking whales, naturally follows here. Every ship engaged in this branch of commerce. •■(: r; ! i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3} 1.0 1.1 I4i y^ 1 2.5 ■50 ^^^" Mi^H 116 1^ 2.2 ^ 1^ 112.0 WUt- I !.25 1.4 ||.6 . « 6" ► V] 7 ■'^^V ^.^* ■^ 7 /^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN Smilt WEBSTER, N.Y. 14510 (716)S72-4S03 4 4^ c> s ^ (n 6^ 70 POLAR REGIONS. from British ports, is furnished with six boats, besides the ship's, or jolly, boat.' One of them is called the gig-boat, or No. 1 : the remaining five are distin- guished only by their number. The gig is provided with six oars, bes.ides the steersman's ; the rest have only five oars each, with the same exception : in all, the harpooner uses the bow or foremost oar. Each boat is provided with three lines, of J 20 fathoms each, made of the very soundest hemp, as on the faith- fulness of the line the success of capture depends. These lines are coiled with great care and nicety, in a square frame in the middle of the boat, and the harpooner has his weapon ready in a dry place, to set it on a seat prepared for that purpose on the right bow of the boat. The boat-steerer, who must be trained to his station, as, in emergency, his cour- age and caution may not only secure success, but sa\<^ the lives of the men, is provided with a long oar, with which he dexterously directs the motion of the boat. Each boat is provided with a tin trum- pet, to announce the station or movement in case of being enveloped in a fog, and also with a piece of bunting attached to a short pole by way of signal flag- Thus equipped, the boats are suspended by a sim- ple machinery of blocks and ropes by the ship's sides ready to be lowered in an instant. To the main- mast,' is attached, at a great elevation, usually about 100 feet above the deck, a structure resembling a wa- ter-cask, called a crow's nest, or hurricane-house, in which the master or confidential officer is stationed with a telescope on the look-out ; and to such as have U i% POLAR REGIONS. 71 not witnessed the fatigues of that station, a recital of its dangerous hardships would appear incredible. In the sudden transitions from intense cold to the most annoying heat, whilst the head is involved in the blaze of an eternally unclouded sun, that blisters the face and blinds the strongest vision, that situation must be inflexibly maintained, and such perseve- rance often costs the individual the Iops of health and life. If the ship's station be on what is considered good fishing ground, which is commonly known from the water being of a deep olive colour, a boat or two being kept continually on the watch, the moment a whale is descried, the pursuit is commenced without loss of a second of time ; and as the ordinary speed of the whale-boats is six miles an hour, a very short space of time is sufficient to bring them to the spot. The whale, on first rising, seeing no enemy near, and not apprehending danger, is apt to repose a considerable time at the*surface, apparently * stretch- ed out o'er many a rood,' and the boats are mean- time advancing to the place. * Give way,' is then the word with which the rowers urge their speed, and the harpooner, with desperate and determined energy, buries his weapon in the animal's body. This is usually followed by a moment's awful pause ; the whale, upon feeling the smart of the barb, trem- bles for an instant in his posture, darts precipitate- ly forward, or sinks by an unaccountable effort with the suddenness of so much lead. If the harpoon remain fast, the line continuing to run with immeas- urable velocity, the flag of the boat is displayed in ^■* 'i^ % 'HI Ll f •. 1 ■MP.: 72 POLAR REGIONS. token of success, when all in the boats within sight of the transaction, and those on board the ship, join in a wild irregular cry of * A fall, a fall,* and a flag is immediately run up to the mizen-mast head, to proclaim the vessel's good fortune. In the mean while the other boats are despatched to aid ill the capture ; and no sooner does the animal rise again, than the next harpooner secures him by a second wound, and so as many follow as can, until by multiplied efforts to escape, compelled to rise for breath, and then almost instantly visited with the instruments of death, exhaustion follows, and he becomes a bestunned object for the hunter's de- liberate aim, when, from the numberless plunges of the lance, the vital current becomes spent, and the animal dies. Such an event is not always unattend- ed with danger to the fishers. Often in the first instance of being stricken, if recollection of similar injury aid its anger, the re- taliation of the animal is tfestructive, for, rushing backwards, in which direction the assailants usually advance, a single ov of the tail is sufficient for their destruction. 'I a- sudden violence with which the animal descends, frequently produces a similar effect if the l;vie happen to meet obstruction in its course ; and in the dying scene, pierced with many wounds, the animal exhibits a terrific object by the mightiness of his efforts, though quite unconscious of the grand effects produced by such exertions. Spouting a column of apparent flame, which, de- scending, covers the sea with a crimsoned surface of acres in extent, at the same time lashing the polaS regions. 73 water all around into foam by the strokes of the fins and tail, now and then endeavouring to re- plunge in hopes of escaping, in which effort half of the body, towards the tail, is seen above water. The danger so obvious is carefully avoided by the boat's crew, at that crisis cautioned to remain at a secure distance, when the lines fastened to the har- poons are slowly drawn in, till the animal reappears and breathes his last. The whale, after death, always turns on his back. The fins are then lashed together, perforations are made in the tail, and a rope is passed through, and thence round the rump ; when all the boats, pass- ing lines from one to the other, proceed to tow the carcass towards the ship, which is usually so man- aged as to meet them, in order to lessen the fatigue. When brought alongside, the body is properly se- cured for the operation of flinching. This con- sists in digging off the blubber, or cellular substance, from the muscular parts, in large slips, sometimes of half a ton weight, but all of a regular form, which are lifted on deck by the help of the windlass, and the labor of many hands, who toil incessantly until the spoliation is completed. The whalebone, as it is called, is carefully dug out, as well as the massy tongue ; the former for its pecuhar importance, and the latter as being almost entirely composed of blub- ber. The bones of the lower jaw are also removed, being a private perquisite of the Captain ; and so would be the frontal or crown bone too, were it not for the extreme diflUculty of separating it from the* body. Then finally the remotest joint that can be 7 i ■**. *^ ^1 74 POLAR REGIONS. .- i y. ■ marked in the lumbar vertebrae or rump, is severed, and the crang, the residue of the animal, as it is call- ed, with its abdominal contents, is suflfered to sink^ which it instantly does, to the bottom. When the flinched pieces are hoisted on deck, they are cut into squares, and tossed into the body of the vessel, where they remain for a convenient opportunity of reducing them to hand-breadth slips, which is done by chopping them, upon portions of the tail, with heavy knives; and this procedure, which is called * making off*,' is final for the trans- mission of blubber to the English ports from the fishing grounds. The reduced pieces are for that purpose placed in large casks, and closely bunged up, to prevent the action of the air from producing the process of putrefaction. During the foregoing operations, the utmost pre- cautions are observed that no portion of muscular flesh be mixed with the cellular parts, as the violent explosion of the cask would be the consequence, when coming into southern climates. Similar con- cern is also evinced that the sawdust should not have admission into the casks containing the blub- ber, from an experience that the casks in such case are more certainly burst by the evolution of gasses in an earlier stage of putrefaction, than even by the presence of the former. To prevent the first from happening, the muscular parts, and skin, are care- fully cut away in the ' making off",' and the saw-dust is employed so cautiously and in such small quan- tities, that no abuse of that dangerous material can be apprehended. The chief reason why saw-dust ^*y-. POLAR REGIONS. 75 is used, is for the purpose of drying up the oily effusions that incommode the men in the use of the respective implements necessary to effect the operations of flinching and making off. The use of fir-timber dust on such occasions cleanses the hands and instruments, with a ready and efficient result; and the ship boys are stationed so as to supply the demands of the officers in this respect. The integuments of the whale are, like the ani- mal himself, widely different from those of every other creature. The epidermis is like thin parch- ment, flexible when on the body, easily detach- ed, wrinkled according to the age of the animal^ and corresponding with the organization of the mus- cles beneath ; but, when dry, it is horny and brittle,, and in consistence similar to the finer lamina of th& whalebone. The true skin is about an inch thick in its full character, and is formed of a material analogous to the whalebone, but breaks, when dry^ in perpendicular fissures : it is usually a deep brown- ish black, and, when soft, strongly resembles gum elastic. In composition it seems to differ very lit- tle from the substance that constitutes the matricu- lar bed of the whalebone ; the white color of the latter forming the only distinction, except that its fracture is shelving. The cellular tissue, or blub- ber, is, in its average thickness, twelve inches ; in the very young whale, being gelatinous — in the more advanced and vigorous, of a florid red, when it is considered most valuable ; and in the aged animal, yellow and tough, from the induration of in- creased and condensed fibre : for which reason, the 3! •ftt» 76 POLAR REGIONS. older whales are not so much an object, whore choice presents, as those of less advanced growth. The older ones are also more dangerous and dif- ficult to take, both from the rigidity of their frame, and their experience of injury. It is not unusual, when they happen to be disturbed in the pursuits that draw them from their retreats, that, if a partner be wounded, the affectionate companion comes to give relief, not knowing the cause of the pain, or of the sudden flight. In the search, the watchful fisher strikes the new prey, when the tortured an- imals, seeking each other in their anguish, and desperate with their wounds, often run foul of the boats, and involve their pursuers in the ruin that overwhelms themselves. In some instances, as here- tofore observed, they, by running among packed ice, or rubbing the line against the edge of a flaw, (a portion of field ice,) frequently chafe it so as to make it snap, and so escape for the moment; but they are seldom eventually safe. On such occasions, they cease not to run for an unknown length, until fatigue or death makes them insensible of pain. To some such occurrence is to be attributed the cir- cumstance of a whale being captured with a har- poon imbedded in its body, after traversing the un- known seas between Spitsbergen and Davis' Straits. «■ i,i POLAR REGIONS. 77 Ij m^' w ^:ii CHAPTER ffl. Early History of the Whale Fighcry.— Of the Manner in which a Whale Ship is manned.— The Crow's Nest. — Whale Boats.— Implements used in the Whale Fishery. — Whale Killing. — Danger of Striking. It is on record that whale fishing was fottowed | as a regular occupation as early as in the reign of Alfred the Great ; but wherever it might have been conducted in the time of the Saxon monarch, it is certain that the Icelanders were the first people that plied the harpoon in the seas of Greenland. They united their means with those of the Biscayan whalers, and in the latter part of the sixteenth cen- tury the two nations employed fifty or sixty vessels annually, in this branch of commerce. England sent no ship to fish in these unknown waters till the year sixteen hundred and eleven. The Dutch fol- lowed four years after. All the early adventjiirers manned their ships with Biscay ans, as the oniv ):er- sons qualified in hardihood, courage, and experi- ence, to conduct the business. There were two principals in each ship, one of whom had the charge of the ship on her passage to and from Greenland, and the other, who was always a Biscayan, had the unlimited control of the fishery. In the course of time, other people equalled the Biscayans in skill, and they lost their exclusive employment. The office of chief harpooner, which requires great courage and consummate experience, is con- fided, in the Greenland whale ships, to a person *-r w ■.j^. ■;'; 78 POLAR REGIONS. m '1 ■■ '% i;' f *% called the specksioneer. It is the specksioneer's duty to superintend the extraction and boiUng of the fat. The crew of a Greenland whaler usually consists of forty or fifty persons, comprising masters, harpoon- ers,boatsteerers, Hne managers, carpenters, coopers, foremast men, and apprentices. Each individual, from the master to the boys, receives a gratuity for every fish stricken, or for every ton of oil made, as a stimulus to exertion. Masters and harpooners receive a small sum before sailing, in place of monthly wages ; and if they procure no cargo, they must expect nothing beside for their voyage. In the event of a successful voyage, they have consid- erable advantages. The master receives three guin- eas for each size fish, and as much for striking a size whale, or for discovering a dead one, beside from ten to twenty shillings per ton on the oil made, and commonly a twentieth, or at least a thirtieth of the value of the whole cargo into the bargain. While he remains on shore, he has five pounds a month for his attendance on the ship. Each har- pooner has six shillings a ton on oil, and half a guinea for every size fish he strikes during the voyage. In addition to this, the chief mate, who is usually also a harpooner, has two guineas a month while at sea, and a guinea for each size fish. The specksioneer has half a guinea a fish, and sometimes a trifle on every ton of oil. The boat steerers, fore- mast men, &c., all receive some small premium on every ton of oil made. The croto^s nest is an apparatus placed at the top- gallant-mast head, as a watch tower for the use of the #* POLAR REGIONS. 79 man on the look out. In difficult situations in the ice, his presence may be required in the crow's nest for hours together, even wnen the temperature is twenty degrees below the freezing point, or more. For the preservation of his health, as well as for the sake of comfort, a piece of canvass is stretched round the base of the top-gallant-mast rigging, or a kind of canvass cask is put up to pro- tect him from the wind. The entrance, in the latter case, is through a trap in the bottom. The crow's nest is furnished with a seat, a telescope, a speaking trumpet, and a rifle gun. The latter is to kill narwhales, which cannot easily be shot from the deck on account of the resistance of the water horizontally. Firing almost perpendicularly down- ward from the mast head, is oftener successful. The dangers to whale ships are manifold, and beside the risk of being wrecked, they are some- times beset by the ice, and compelled to winter in it. Such events do not occur so frequently in mod- ern times as formerly, though the fishery is carried on in higher latitudes. This is to be attributed to the extraordinary exertions of the whalemen. They seek the most protected situations, keep a cohstant watch, and remove their ships on the first approach of danger. If so beset as to be unable to move, they saw channels through the solid ice, into which they push their vessels, and commonly preserve them. A well constructed whaleboat floats lightly on the water, is capable of being rowed with great speed, and of being speedily turned — carries six or seven men, seven or eight hundred weight of lines. # 9 •> 1'; ■ 1 i i i 1 ■ . ) . M , , ! i 'I i! n t ■ ! 1 i !i ■ 80 POLAR REGIONS. r ii: with various other materials, and yet retains the properties of safety, buoyancy and celerity, either in smooth water or in a considerable sea. A * six oar- ed boat* is about twentyseven feet long, and near six feet broad. These boats are built of fir boards upon an oaken frame, and in such a manner as to be easily repaired when damaged. The bow and stern are both sharp, and the keel is depressed in the middle for greater convenience in turning. As harpoons may be seen in every ship-chand- ler's shop, there is no need of describing them here. Another weapon used to despatch the whale is the lance, which is an iron spear, six feet long, with a wooden stock or handle of the length of four feet. These two weapons, with the necessary appenda- ges of boats and lines, are sufficient for the capture of the greatest whale that ever swam. There is, be- side, a kind of harpoon which is shot from a gun, but being difficult to adjust, it is seldom used. Every boat is fitted with two harpoons, six or eight lances, a flag for signals, and an axe to cut the Une in case of accident. The boat is steered with a long oar, for reasons too obvious to require expla- nation. The harpooner rows the bow oar. It is his duty, as his title implies, to strike and despatch the whale, and to guide the lines. He has command of the boat. The boat steerer is next in command, and intimates the motions of the whale to the harpooner. A whale swimming near the surface of the sea leaves behind him an eddy resembling the wake of a ship, by which his course may be traced, as well ^: POLAR REGIONS. 81 as by the flocks of birds that follow, and hover over him. When a whale lies still upon the water, unconscious of the presence cf its enemies, the harpooner com- mands to row the boat directly upon it, and the in- stant before the boat touches, buries his harpoon in its back. But if, while the boat is at a small dis- tance, the animal indicates an intention to dive, by raising its head and then plunging it under water, raising its back till it appears like the segment of a sphere, the harpoon is thrown from the hand, at the distance of perhaps ten yards. Then is the moment of danger : the wounded whale, in its sur- prise and agony, makes a convulsive effort. The boat is liable to receive terrible blows from its head or fins, but more especially from its tremendous tail, which sometimes involves boats and men in common destruction. The head of the whale is avoided as impenetrable, but any part between the head and tail will admit the whole length of the harpoon. The first effort of a * fast fish,* or one that has been struck, is to escape from the boat by sinking under water. After this, it dives directly downward, or appears again near the surface at a little dis- tance, and swims with great celerity towards any neighbouring ice that may afford it an imaginary shelter. Sometimes it shows its bulk above water, and gives evidence of its pain by convulsive throes, beating the water with its enormous tail and fins. The downward course of a whale is, however, the most common. I % hi' :■ 'ill I 1, 82 POLAR REGIONS. #: A whale struck near the edge of a large sheet of ice, and passing under it, will sometimes run all the lines out of a boat in ten minutes. When this happens, and there is no other boat nigh to assist, the whale, harpoon, and lines are sometimes all lost together. In such cases, to retard the whale as much as possible, it is usual for the harpooner to cast one or more turns of the line round a kind of post called a bollard, which is fixed at the bow of the boat for that purpose. The friction of the line would set fire to the bollard, if the harpooner was not careful to keep it constantly wet. In the capture of one whale, a groove is sometimes cut in it an inch deep. CHAPTER IV. Farther Account of Whale Killing.— Length of Time required to kill a Whale, — Character of the Whalemen. — Anecdotes of the Greenland Fishery. The utmost care and attention are necessary while the line is running out. Fatal consequences follow the most trifling neglect. When the line becomes for an instant entangled, the boat is drawn under water, and if no other boat or piece of ice be at hand, the crew have to swim for their lives. To provide against such accidents, as well as to have additional lines in readiness, it is usual for two boats to go in company. After a whale has been struck, the average ve- ;';m. Jt'"^' -iv'iC POLAR REGIONS. 83 locity of his descent for the first three hundred fathoms is ten miles an hour, and his stay under water is about thirty minutes. The faster he de- scends, and the longer he remains under water, the greater is his exhaustion, and the consequent facility of his capture. As soon as he reappears, the assisting boats approach, and plunge as many harpoons into him as possible. The noise made by his tail in his dying struggle may frequently be heard several miles. Whales are sometimes captured, with a single harpoon, in the space of fifteen minutes. Some- times they resist fifty or sixty hours, and at times they will break three or four lines at once, or tear themselves clear of the harpoons by the violence of their struggles. Generally the capture of a whale depends on the activity of the harpooner, the state of the wind and weather, or the peculiar conduct of the animal itself. Under the most favorable cir- cumstances, when the whalemen are very active, the ice very open, or the sea clear of ice, and the weather fine, the length of time does not exceed an hour. The general average, in every variety of circumstances, may be stated at two hours. There is no difference in the mode of killing large and small whales. The capture of a small whale is easiest ; but it sometimes happens that a young fish gives more trouble than a full grown one. It is not uncommon for a small whale to run down- ward till it is completely exhausted, and being una- ble to return to the surface, to suffocate in the wa- ter. It is necessary that a whale thus droumed t I ! i 1 'I , 1 1 1 S4 POLAR REGIONS. should be drawn up by the line, which is a tedious and laborious operation. To guard against this, its • descent is resisted by a tight steady strain on the line, and also by pulling, the instant it stops, in order to increase the pain, and thereby induce the animal to return to the surface, where it can be slain and secured without farther ado. Instances have occurred where whales have been taken without being struck at all, simply by en- tangling themselves in the lines that had been used to destroy others, and struggling till they were drowned or died of exhaustion. It would be unjust to conclude this subject with- out mentioning the singular courage and intrepidity evinced by the men employed in the capture of the whale. Trained to the occupation from boyhood, and induced by rewards of much importance in their stations, such qualifications are highly recommen- datory in their application for employment ; and in their voyage, should ' good luck ' attend their exer- tions, and an implicit devotedness to the interests of the owner be evinced, their advancement and emolument are certain. Some instances of their risks and adventures will convey a better idea of these matters than anything we can write on the subject. On the eighth of July 1813, the ship Esk lay by the edge of a large sheet of ice, in which there were several thin parts, and some holes. Here a whale being heard blowing, a harpoon, with a line fastened to it, was conveyed across the ice, from a boat on guard, and the harpooner succeeded in strik- ing t and t lines, blowi time ] was aj under from t thick, ing. ] advanc against field, w cumbra the har was obs ready tc this cir< might b POLAR REGIONS. 85 ing the whale, at the distance of three hundred and fifty yards from the verge. It dragged out ten lines, (2400 yards) and wa.^^'supposed to be seen blowing in different holes in the ice. After some time it made its appearance on the exterior, and was again struck, at the moment it was about to go under the«second time. About an hundred yards from the edge, it broke the ice where it was a foot thick, with its head, and respired through the open- ing. It then pushed forward, breaking the ice as it advanced, in spite of the lances constantly directed against it. At last it reached a kind of basin in the field, where it floated on the surface without any in- cumbrance from ice. Its back being fairly exposed, the harpoon struck from the boat on the outside, was observed to be so slightly entangled, that it was ready to drop out. Some of the officers lamented this circumstance, and wished that the harpoon might be better fast; at the same time observing that if it should slip out, either the fish would be lost, or they would be under the necessity of flinch- ing it where it lay, and of dragging the blubber over the ice to the ship ; a kind and degree of labor every one was anxious to avoid. No sooner was the wish expressed, and its importance explained, than a young and daring sailor stepped forward, and offered to strike the harpoon deeper. Not at all intimidated by the surprise manifested on every countenance at such a bold proposal, he leaped on the back of the living whale, and cut the harpoon out with his pocket knife. Stimulated by his gal- lant example, one of his companions proceeded to 8 I .r^' i%^ ■ V'i' ? M 86 POLAR REGIONS. his assistance. While one of them hauled upon the 4r line and held it in his hands, the other set his shoul- ^ der against the end of the harpoon, and though it was without a stock, contrived to strike it again into the fish more effectually than at first ! The whale was in motion before they had finished. After they got off its back, it advanced a considerably distance, breaking the ice all the way, and survived this novel treatment ten or fifteen minutes. This daring deed was of essential service. The whale fortunately sunk spontaneously after it expired; on which it was hauled out under the ice by the line and secured without farther trouble. It proved a mighty whale ; a very considerable prize. In 1822, two boats belonging to the ship Baffin went in pursuit of a whale. John Carr was har- pooner and commander of one of them. The whale they pursued led them into a vast shoal of his own species ; they were so numerous that their blowing was incessant, and they believed that they did not see fewer than an hundred. Fearful of alarming them without striking any, they remained for a while motionless. At last, one rose near Carr's boat, and he approached, and fatally for him- self, harpooned it. When he struck, the fish was approaching the boat ; and, passing very rapidly, jerked the line out of its place over' the stern, and threw it upon the gunwale. Its pressure in this unfavorable position so careened the boat, that the side was pulled under water, and it began to fill. In this emergency, Carr, who was a brave, active man, seized the line, and endeavoured to relieve the ,;/i\ '■i^, POLAR REGIONS. 87 boat by restoring it to its place ; but, by some cir- cumstance which was never accounted for, a turn of the line flew over his arm, dragged him over- board in an instant, and drew him under the water, never more to rise. So sudden was the accident, that only one man, who was watching him, saw what had happened ; so that when the boat righted, which it immediately did, though half full of water, the whole crew on looking round inquired what had become of Carr. It is impossible to imagine a death more awfully sudden and unexpected. The invisible bullet could not have effected more instan- taneous destruction. The velocity of the whale at its first descent is from thirteen to fifteen feet per second. Now as this unfortunate man was adjust- ing the line at the water's very edge, where it must have been perfectly tight, owing to its obstruction in running out of the boat, the interval between the fastening the line about him and his disappearance could not have exceeded the third part of a second of time, for in one second only he must have been dragged ten or twelve feet deep. Indeed he had not time for the least exclamation ; and the person who saw his removal, observed that it was so ex- ceeding quick, that though his eye was upon him at the moment, he could scarcely distinguish his figure as he disappeared. As soon as the crew recovered from their con- sternation, they applied themselves to the needful attention which the lines required. A second har- poon was struck from the accompanying boat on the raising of the whale to the surface, and some lances lil: ^ V* :!-.;i!l 88 POLAR REGIONS. :lh4 i hi ■■ ill i-l i '' ■ 'f . were applied, but this melancholy occurrence had cast such a damp on all present, that they became timid and inactive in their subsequent duties. The whale when nearly exhausted was allowed to re- main some minutes unmolested, till having recover- ed some degree of energy, it made a violent effort and tore itself away from both harpoons. The exertions of the crews thus proved fruitless, and were attended with serious loss. In 1802, the Raith of Leith, while prosecuting the whale fishery on the coast of Labrador, discov- ered a large whale at a short distance. Four boats were despatched in pursuit, and two of them suc- ceeded so well in approaching it that two harpoons were struck at the same moment. The whale descended a few fathoms in the direction of anoth- er of the boats, which was advancing, rose beneath it, struck it with its head, and threw the boat, men and apparatus, fifteen feet into the air. The boat was inverted by the blow, and fell into the water keel uppermost. All the crew were picked up by the fourth boat, which was close at hand, excepting one man, who, being entangled in the boat, fell un- der it, and was consequently drowned. The whale was afterward killed. Account c by Iccl Esquii coveiy To Ic ery of driven its shoi Iceland onize < noble, killed a to fly ft asylum. landman then pr tered o spent tl ed to I( ing des bers of ensuing sailed ir ed the ther lost years, n and Noi west CO P. POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER V. 89 Account of the Discovery of Greenland. — ^Early History. — America diKovered by Icelanders. — Grecnlandic Colony in America. — First Appearance of the Esquimaux. — Black Death and Loss of Greenland. — Attempts at Redis- covery and Recolonization. — Greenland recolonized by Hans Egede. To Icelanders belongs the honor of the discov- ery of Greenland. A certain Gunbioem, feeing driven westward in a storm, was the first that saw its shores. This was soon after the colonization of Iceland. No attempt was, however, made to col- onize Greenland at that time. But an Icelandic noble, by name Eric Raude or the Red, having killed another of his own rmk, found it expedient to fly from the avengers of blood to some remote asylum. Accordingly, in 982, he repaired to Green- land^and first came in sight of land at HerjolPsNess ; then proceeding southwest along the coast he win- tered on what he called a pleasant island. Having spent three years in exploring the coast, he return- ed to Iceland, where he promulgated such a glow- ing description of the new land that great num- bers of his countrymen followed him thither the ensuing spring. No less than twentyfive ships sailed in his company, of which only fourteen reach- ed the place of their destination, the rest being ei- ther lost or driven back to Iceland. In the course of years, new swarms of colonists arrived from Iceland and Norway, and settled so thick on the east and west coast, that their number was computed to be 8* ■!! ;r.t ! :it:i! 90 POLAR REGIONS. M ■\ \4 NT .1 m Pi . Iff ''v^*' equal to the third part of the population of a Da- nish episcopal diocese. Much discrepancy exists in the accounts of these settlements by the early historians of Iceland ; but all agree that there were several establishments be- tween HerjolPs Ness and Staten Hunk on the east- ern shore. As many as nineteen are enumerated and described. Their account too of the climate and (ff the animal and vegetable kingdoms are total- ly at variance with the experience of the present day. The early history of the colonies is little more than a bulletin of broils and murders, many of them caused by the zeal of the first Christian con- verts, and by the fanaticism of the Pagans. The Greenlanders became tributary to Denmark in A. D. 1023, which was soon after they embraced Christianity. They erected themselves into a bish- opric, and there is a long list of their bishops on record. There is no evidence that such a thing as a military force ever existed among them, but there is sufficient proof that they had ships, and were well skilled in navigation ; and it is incontestible that America was first discovered by them. To this effect we have the concurring testimony of Arngrim Jonas and Torfaeus, corroborated by that of Adam Bremensis, who wrote about the time of the discov- ery. We opine that this curious piece of history should not be passed over in silence. According to these authorities, Biom, the son of Herjolf, on his way to Greenland from Norway, was driven by a storm to the southwest, where he discovered a flat, well-wooded country, and next to W^Fr ~ POLAR REGIONS. 91 of an island. After this, he steered directly to Green- land. When his discovery became known, Leif, the son of Eric Raude, emulous of his father's fame as a nav- igator and discoverer, fitted out a ship and sailed in company with Biorn. The first land they saw was stoney and barren, and they called it Flatland. Then they came to another shore, which they de- nominated Markland or Level land. Two days af- ter, they came in sight of another coast, and sailed up a river the banks of which were covered with bushes bearing berries, and arrived at a small lake, of all of which a minute description is given. Here they spent the winter, and found that on the shortest day the sun rose at eight o'clock, which determines the latitude of their wintering ground to have been in 49° north, probably on the island of Newfound- land, or in the river St Lawrence. They found grapes here, from which circum- stance they called the country Wineland. In the spring, they returned to Greenland. The next year, Thorwald, Liefs brother, return- ed. He fell in with a party of natives, who from the description of them must have been Esqui- maux. In contempt of their small stature and mis- erable appearance, the Greenlanders killed them all, excepting one man, who made a timely escape. They bestowed upon these savages the contempt- uous appellation of Skroelings, or dwarfs. They were in their turn attacked by the despised Skroelings, and Thorwald their leader paid for his cruelty with his life. His people returned home *: * ;l yU ! t! * «• 92 POLAR REGIONS. ■,i; ! the next spring. A colony was settled in Wine- land, and a trade was carried on between it and Greenland for more then a century. Civil dissen- sions finally destroyed it, and the colonists perished. He who doubts these statements, or wishes to learn the history in detail, may refer to the authors al- ready given as authority. ' The first Skroelings or Esquimaux seen by the Scandenavian colonists were those slaughtered by Thorwald, and his crew in Wineland. Suddenly in the fourteenth century, they made their appearance in West Greenland, where they killed eighteen of the settlers, and then fled. This happened, accord- ing^ to Torfaeus, in 1349. Since that time the Northern annals are silent respecting these savages, and all accounts of the history of Greenland draw to a close soon after. About the year 1350, a horrible pestilence, called the Black Death, made terrible ravages among the colonists. It is said to have been so virulent as not only to destroy animal life, but to annihilate the whole vegetable kingdom of Greenland, leaving the land blasted and desolate. It began in the north of Europe, and thence extended to Iceland and Greenland. The wretched remnant of the colonists drew together on the eastern shore. By degrees their trade was neglected. In the fifteenth century all access to the coast was cut off by the before mentioned change in the position of the ice, and no more was ever known of them. There are some vague accounts of their having been seen at times from vessels that had succeeded in getting nigh the coast;' or oth none t] Intl er disc known by tho Straits, mouth < Button, west pa tic geog In 16 to look savages the rest The fat pined fo to sea in en back were ret of the s them wa Denmar pearl fis rigorous sunk unc fled, but from lan( In 16C but the n they hac '■^1 POLAR REGIONS. 93 coast ; but it amounts to certainty, that by some means or other they perished, root and branch, and left none the sUghtest vestige of their existence behind. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Martin Frobish- er discovered Greenland, and penetrated the strait known by his name. His attempts were succeeded by those of John Davis, who discovered Davis' Straits, and actually landed in GreeiJand, at the mouth of Baal's River, and traded with the natives. Button, Hudson and Baffin, in seeking for a north- west passage, added much to the knowledge of arc- tic geography. In 1605 Christian II. of Denmark, sent three ships to look for lost Greenland. They landed, took six savages prisoners, of whom they killed one, to awe the rest into submission, and returned to Denmark. The fate of the prisoners was melancholy. They pined for their native land, and at last escaping, put to sea in their canoes to return thither. Being driv- en back by a storm to the coast of Denmark, they were retaken, and three of them died of grief. Two of the survivors again attempted flight, but one of them was recovered. Two of them were kept in Denmark ten 'or eleven years, and employed in the pearl fishery at Coldingen. Here they were so rigorously tasked, even in winter, that one of them sunk under the load of life. The other once more fled, but was retaken more than an hundred miles from land, and died broken-hearted. In 1606 three more vessels sailed to Greenland; but the natives were so exasperated at the treatment they had received, that they would allow the crew .1' t I, 94 POLAR REGIONS. I« U . :i no intercourse with the shore. Two more ships were despatched, which failed to reach the land on account of the ice, and Christian gave up the pro- ject of settling Greenland, in despair. In 1636, a company of Copenhagen merchants fitted out two ships for Greenland. The crew land- ed on a beach of glittering yellow sand, with which they loaded their ships, imagining they had found a second Ophir. On their return to Copenhagen, it was examined, and proved to be wholly worthless, and the chancellor ordered it to be thrown into the sea. They had, however, what was of more value, in the horns of the narwhale, which they sold as the horns of the land unicorn, at six thousand rix dollars apiece. During seven successive reigns, the Danes were assiduous to find and repossess the lost land of their ancestors. The accomplishment of this purpose was reserved for the pious zeal of Hans Egede, who ad- dressed a memorial to Frederic IV., praying to be employed in the conversion of the Greenland sava- ges. He was stimulated to this exertion by a be- lief that the descendants of the lost colonists, whom he supposed to be yet in existence, had sunk into Pa- ganism for want of teachers. His petition was not granted,'but postponed from year to year; but still he persevered, and resigned his pastoral office in Nor- way, and his means of subsistence, that he might be in readiness, whenever it should please the Lord to call him. Men very justly regarded him as an en- thusiast, who had deserted his proper calling, in which he might have been really useful, and wan- n i- )t le r- in ' POLAR REGIONS. J|^ dered about like a kni'^ht errant, confiding in vision- ary revelations. However, by his indefatigable per- severance, after having sustained many repulses, he prevailed on some private persons to fit out an expedition with the double motive of fishing for whales and converting the Esquimaux. The king approved the project, and gave Mr Egede an annual salary of sixty pounds, and he sailed in May 1721. On the third of July, he landed at Baal's River, and from this day the recolonization of Greenland may be dated. He found the Greenlanders distrustful of their new guests, and very unwilling that any permanent settlement should be formed. After a while he so far overcame the obstinacy of some of them, that they consented to receive baptism. We have neither room nor inclination to pursue the history of a few small and miserable settlements farther. Of good fishermen and Greenlanders, Mr Egede made a good many bad Christians, and the Danish authorities keep them nominally such to this day. in 1- ,r i 1 , *-: I J tl( 96 POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER VI. :M.:.k ' i\ I •, ! Climate of Greenland. — Seasons and Weather. — Length of Days and Nights. — Flora of Greenland, — Grcenlandic Gardens. — General Remarks. — Voyago of Captain Ross. It will be readily believed, that in a country like Greenland, where the snow and ice are eternal, the cold must be severe. Yet it may be borne while the sun shines one or two hours daily. No general observations on the climate or weather of a land which comprises so many degrees of latitude will be strictly appHcable to all its parts, and we shall therefore take Disko as our example, leaving the reader to draw his own inferences respecting the other districts of Greenland. - . - . In the beginning of January, the ice and hoar frost at Disko extend down the chimneys to the stoves, and are not thawed by any fire that may be made during the day. All parts of the houses are cover- ed with a thick coat of congelation. The breath of the sleeper freezes, and glues the bed-clothes to the bed. Meat must be hewed to pieces with an axe ; and when put into boiling water, the outside is cooked before the inside is thawed. Ink, beer, and strong waters freeze, and burst the bottles. Spirits of wine, of the highest proof, acquire the consistency of frozen oil. However, this intense cold seldom lasts more than four or five days, without being in- terrupted by a thaw. The strongest frost sets in about New Year's 5iv ^*- m- POLAR REGIONS. 97 day, and is in February and March so intens'e as to cleave large stones ; and vapor rises from the sea as from an oven. This is called the frost smoke. Those who venture out into it are aware of a dark- ness, but not of the piercing cold which is felt in a dry atmosphere, though their hair and clothes are stiffened with rime. The frost smoke is apt to raise blisters on the hair and skin, and when the air is sufficiently cold, congeals into minute pellicles, which are driven before the wind, and cause such a degree of cold on shore that it is impossible to stir out of doors without freezing. At such times the straits and bays are ice-locked, and the natives are in danger of starvation. The summer begins in May and ends in Septem- ber, and in the interval between them the Green- landers live in tents. The earth, however, is not thawed before June, and even then to no great depth. Snow continues to fall during this month and recommences in August, though it does not lie till October. In the long summer days, in bays and vallies, where the sun's rays are concentrated, it is sometimes needful to pull off the warmer arti- cles of dress. In the open sea the heat is sufficient to melt the pitch on the sides of vessels. Yet the evening breeze is so chilled by its passage over fields of ice, that a double covering is a barely suf- ficient protection from the cold. From April to Au- gust fogs prevail on the sea shore, and are frequently so dense, that the vision only reaches a few yards. I'he fine weather is most durable in autumn : even '' ! Jtt^^' 98 POLAR REGIONS. ■h» then it never lasts long, and there is a constant al- teration, of heat in the day and cold in the night. The air of Greenland is pure, light, and favora- ble to the health of those who take proper care of it. The most common diseases of the country are scurvy, fistula, and oppression on the breast and eyelids, caused partly by oily diet, and in part by the cold and the glare of the snow. Lasting rains are not frequent, especially at Disko, where the summer is usually dry. Hail is still more rare. The winds are variable, but in summer they usually blow from the shore, and are not so cold but they may be endured. Yet when storms do arise, which is most common in autumn, the houses crack and tremble, tents, and boats are blown into the air, and the sea waterJs showered over the land in a drizzling rain. Whirlwinds sometimes occur in summer, which raise the waters to a great height, and boats are often lost in the eddies. The greater number and the most violent of these hurri- canes blow from the south. If the moon be encir- cled by a halo, or if the evening sky be marked with various colors, it is considered a prognostic of an approaching storm. Above the sixtysixth degree of north latitude, for some time before and after midsummer, the sun never sets. At Godhaab, in latitude 64", it goes down about twenty minutes past ten, and rises again ten minutes before two, being below the horizon but two hours and forty minutes. In June and July it is so light during the night that the smallest print may be read with facility. In the same months the moun- ■j^ POLAR REGIONS. 99 '^ tain tops are constantly gilded by the sunbeams. During the period in which the sun does not set, he ceases to dazzle a few hours after noon, and presents the appearance of a full moon, on which the eye may gaze with impunity. The winter nights are of a proportionate length. In Disko Bay, the sun does not rise from the thir- tieth of January. The inhabitants then only enjoy a clear twilight, produced by the reflection of the sun's rays from the dense atmosphere, and from the adjacent mountains. Thus it is never so utterly dark in Greenland as in more southern countries. The light of the moon and stars is so strongly re- flected from the snow and ice, that ordinary writing may be read at all times of the night ; and when there is no moon, its absence is more than compen- sated by the brilliant coruscations of the Aurora Borealis. Parhelia and luminous haloes round the sun and moon are more frequently seen in Green- land than in warmer countries. Optical deceptions are of common occurrence, and have given subject to many a tale of wondc. The Greenlandic Flora shows no fairer colors than might be expected in such a land. The vallies produce nothing but mosses and a miserable species of grass. A few herbs, bilberry bushes, and other shrubs vegetate on the desert isles, and on cliffs which have just soil enough to suffer them to take root. They seem to be the last sad memorials of a vegetation which is about to be succeeded by other sterility. The most common is Cochlearia, or scur- vy grass, which is found in abundance wherever *^ 'it t .1 : -'H^- *iS*A^. * 100 POLAR REGIONS. ,„t8i Wt i-i «i ! i f:i blubber or any other manure has prepared a soil. A soup is made of it, which is the best medicine for the scurvy and many other diseases. The other plants are . Azalea, a creeper with beautiful red flowers. Empetrum nigrum^ the crow, or crakeberry, with juicy blackberries and flesh-colored flowers. jlndromeday wdth violet, bell-shaped flowers. Riibtis chamamoruSf or cloud berry, which never comes to maturity. Rumex digynm, mountain sorrel, found on ruined buildings. Angelica archangelica, eaten by the inhabitants. Polygonum viviparum, Alpine snakeweed. The root is eaten. Ledum palustrcj wild rosemary. Thymos acinose Basil thyme. Rhodiola rosea, which i^ eaten. Beside these there are mosses and lichens, some of which may be used for food. The juniper is abundant : there are also willows and birches of an abortive growth, which creep along the ground. - According to the Greenlanders, the southern part of the country produces wild service trees, and aspen poplars in abundance. Some attempts have been made to cultivate oats and barley, but they never came to perfection, though they shot up as high a leaf here as in other countries. The gardens cannot be very productive, as no seed can be sowed till the middle of June, and the frost recommences in September. Everything must POLAR REGIONS. 101 then be taken from the ground and laid by, ex- cept chives, which will endure the winter. Salad and cabbage will not bear transplanting, and remain very small. Radishes thrive as well here as in any other country. Turnips are seldom bigger than an egg. These are all that can be reared in gardens ; nor will they'even produce these, unless care be had to screen them from the north wind and the spray of the sea. This then is the land that the early northern navi- gators described as a terrestrial paradise, and to which they gave the name of Greenland from its vegetation. Either the soil and climate must have undergone a total change, or they were but indiffer- ent judges of arable lands. Barren and inhospita- ble as it is, the love of country abides even here. No people are more devotedly attached to their na- tive land than the poor Uskees. Of this we have seen a notable instance in the conduct of those who were carried captives to Denmark. Greenland is not without wherewith to interest the lovers of the marvellous and the romantic. Not to say any thing farther of ice and icebergs, of ships and shipwrecks, of whales and whale killers, it is written that in these waters many kinds of mollusca and barnacles exchange their calcareous covering for one of feathers, and, forsaking their permanent submarine abodes, fly in the air in the more digni- fied capacities of aquatic fowls. It would perhaps be matter of supererogation to say that the welking horns and continental bulk of the kraken c^re no- where to be seen so often as in the Greenland 9* fir ' ■*s?- ■ 102 POLAR REGIONS. ■i: ^i ! ■! -*♦ t seas — or of words which freeze in the air of mid- winter, and make themselves heard unbidden at the first thaw. Here, in the coral groves, the mermai- den coquets with the merman, or clears her green tresses on the rocks of the shore with her comb. Nay, she has so much of the female in her, that she sometimes bites at a baited hook, and becomes the prey of the fishermen, who tries her oil out, without reg^'-J. to her sex. It is supposed that they have well endowed monasteries at the bottom of the sea ; for some of the masculine gender are found to wear cowls, and such are always the fattest. It is notorious, too, that one of the Sea Serpents has within a few years left the arctic waters, on a visit to Marblehead. These creatures are believed to be pugnacious in their propensities, to wear whiskers, and to glare from fiery red eyes, as big as pewter plates. Let all unbelievers consult Pontoppidan, who will give them a full account of these, and more marvels. That part of Greenland which apparently extends westward from the northwestern extremity of Baf- fin's Bay will be best described by some account of the late voyages of discovery in that quarter, to which, indeed, we are indebted for the sum of our knowledge. The first of these voyages was that of Captain Ross, of the British navy. This officer sailed from England with two ships, in 1818, to seek a passage to the Pacific Ocean round the northern coast of America. The results of his voyage were ; first, the discovery that Baffin's Bay really existed, a matter heldd the d( shore ter's S vations of the would that th( the B and in! Attl he fouE landers nor oth( yet livh seen wl of theii charact all oth( more at chapter vations of more Havir ern geo i POLAR REGIONS. 103 held doubtful since the time of Baffin ; second, by the determination of many points on the eastern shore of that bay ; third, the discovery of Lancas- ter's Sound ; and lastly, a series of interesting obser- vations on the dip of the magnetic needle. A list of the names of the points at which he touched, would be in no wise interesting. Suffice it to say that the general appearance of the country north of the Danish settlements was mountainous, barren, and inhospitable. At the place called by him the Arctic Highlands, he found a tribe, differing chiefly from the Green- landers and other Esquimaux, in having no canoes, nor other means of floating except on pieces of ice, yet living by fishing and sealing. They had never seen white men before, nor had they any knowledge of their existence. In language, dress, manners, character, and personal appearance, they were like all other Esquimaux. As we propose to speak more at large on the subject of this race in another chapter, we forbear to give the fruits of the obser- vations of Captain Ross, though they are well worthy of more attention. Having added much to our knowledge of north- ern geography. Captain Ross returned to England. .*" 9> t . • ^. 104 POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER VII. Of the Uskeos, or Aboriginal Inhabitants of Greenland.— Their physical D«<^»„ 'T'l*^:- D..!-*: __'il- _ii m •« Tfc . Characteristics. — Dress. — Their Relations with other Tribes. — Progress in Religion and Civilization. — Intercourse with Europeans. — Knowledge in Trade. — Form of Society. In person, the Uskees are diminutive, but stoutly made. They are seldom above four feet four inch- es, except in the settled parts of Greenland, where the national figure is changed by intermarriage with the Danes. The native Uskees do not cordially associate with this mixed race, which they consider as degenerate. In complexion, they are generally of an olive brown. Their forehead and the sides of the head, above the temples, are greatly depressed ; the crown is elevated considerably, and the back of the head is depressed, as we)! as the forehead. The smaller end of a hen's egg presents a familiar resemblance to their cranium. The eye is usual- ly small, but piercing, not brilliant ; and the calm, mild manner with which they contemplate a stran- ger, gives a good idea of the power of the eye. Their vision is astonishingly strong, by means of which they can distinguish objects at an incredible distance. The snow glare affects their eyes very much, which are often observed to be inflamed. Against this inconvenience, they have many inge- nious contrivances, in the manner of eye-shades, which are usually a piece of wood made to fix across the eyes, having two fine slits, and a pin- hole in the centre of each to correspond to the POLAR JIEGIONS. 105 # centre of vision. Their cheek bones are high, which, with their rounded flabby cheeks, renders ihe nose by no means a prominent feature. Their lips and mouth are generally large ; the former very much protruded. The lower part of their face altogether forms a striking contrast to their narrow forehead, and is a chief distinguishing fea- ture of this people. The women differ Uttle from the men, except that they are not so tall. Their hands are remarkably fine, small, and neat. The same remark appliies to their feet. The dress of both sexes is nearly alike; the women being distinguished only by their jacket ter- minating in a triangular piece, before and behind, reaching to the knees. Nothing about the person of the Uskees is more remarkable than their hair. It hangs from their heads, long, black, coarse and lank, exactly like the hairy parts of whalebone. The women tie it in a bunch upon the top of the head, which takes away much of the unsightliness of such an object. In the course of their wanderings, coming in contact with other tribes, who, from causes not necessary to form a part of this inquiry, had already spread over other parts of the American continent, and being of peaceful and very unwarlike habits, they were unfit to associate with their new neigh- bours. The consequence was, that the red Indians, as they are termed, who lived entirely by the chase, usually attributed to their timid neighbours every unfavorable change of weather that interfered with their hunting. Hence arose wars, which to the m i: t ' '! «£:: I ;■ ' h.,^ R: ■■'.•(■ 106 POLAR REGIONS. I --'i; I % *• present day are continued with undiminished asper- ity. The appearance too of the Uskee, clad in his skins, his head wrapped in a hood, and his whole figure lowly, and little expressive of warlike charac- ter, was remarkably contrasted with the tall, grace- ful figure of the red man, accustomed to warfare, and impatient of intrusion. The Uskees, in self-defence, must have learned also how to fight, and doubtless retaliated with de- vastating effect, having always a sure retr iit in their boats. This disposition the earlier settlors from Norway discovered to their cost, when they pro- voked them to vengeance in Greenland, and were in consequence extirpated. The Danes, in re-establishing their claims to the possession of Greenland, have done very little to- wards ameliorating the condition of the natives. The natural disposition, however, of the Uskees, gypsy-like, makes them appear to conform to the manners and religion of their masters; yet little less doubt of their insincerity exists. It must be ac- knowledged that the conduct of many of the Danes sent thither, as it is said, for their crimes, is not well calculated to reconcile them to European senti- ments. They are, if spoiled by such corrupt exam- ple, looked upon as untractable; and a sensible writer, descanting on their unwillingness to become converted, represents them as listening very atten- tively to christian exhortation ; and when asked if they understood all that had been said to them, their answer was childishly affirmative, when it was evident they did not comprehend or retain a tittle of the su suppre for St( speaki marke( person good The ried wi tion is govern] of the fair, bi their cc In th first sh) That re \y treati ledge o extendi cessary life, mal when aj coramer cy in th quiries c diffident beyond tended that few the foots trowsers POLAR REGIONS. 107 41 the subject. They are such adepts in disguising or suppressing their passions, that one might take them for Stoics. They never interrupt any person while speaking ; and their reply is sensible and brief, and marked with the most respectful deference to the person they address, provided he commands their good opinion. The Danish convicts and settlers have intermar- ried with the Uskee women, and a mixed genera- tion is now remarkably predominant where the government has been fixed. Some of the children of the Europeans by the Uskee women are quite fair, but all have that remarkable attachment to their country which the genuine natives evince. In their intercourse with strangers, they are at first shy and cautious, but firm in their manners^ That reserve soon disappears when they are kind- ly treated, and they freely communicate their know- ledge of any thing asked them. Their experience extending but litde beyond the arts befitting the ne- cessary occupations of their own peculiar mode of life, makes their information of inconsiderable value when applied to the greater concerns of European commerce. They appear sensible of their deficien- cy in this respect, and when they reply to the in- quiries of the whale hunters, it is always frankly, but diffidently. Any effort to extend their experience beyond the contracted circle of their wants, is at- tended with such a train of imaginary difficulties, that few, if any of them have ever ventured out of the footsteps of their forefathers. The Uskee jacket, trowsers, boots, darts and canoe (for they use this 4<^ %: ^•^^. 108 POLAR REGIONS. n %.. I ;, 'ii name for a boat indiscriminately with kalak) are identically the same as they were observed more than eight hundred years ago. There is not, probably, a nation upon earth more remarkable for urbanity, than the inhabitants of Greenland. Few common minds, on witnessing the splendor of a London assembly, its luxuries, elegance and grandeur, and, were it possible, turning the eye the next instant on the little patriarchal circle in an Uskee hut, would relish the comparison ; yet to any one accustomed to reflect, and to appreciate the happiness of mankind comparatively, on the scale of necessary wants and wishes, the lot of the apparently wretched Greenlander is far from being ,^ miserable. In truth, had European luxury and its allurements been withheld, he would have still re- mained in aboriginal simplicity and happiness ; and, if any thought now arises to disturb his constitu- tional tranquillity of mind, it proceeds from a re- flection that he wants something from the great oomiak ; (it is by this term the Uskee expresses a ship ;) and he will readily barter the last article of dress, necessary to the comfort of his person, in order to obtain a bit of lead. Or some powder for his gun, or a rag of handkerchief for his cuna. The articles generally trafficked with them are such as the sailors find no longer useful to their own accommodation, or some coarse article of dress, of no value when compared with what they get in exchange. In later years, the arts of the European have taught them a little more cunning, and some are as expert now at making a bargain as any of th dealings, i be not ch€ savage wt plary integ through wJ Jnaterial a] humane co tect them i thereforei c muist exis^ a sense of i press an al and this mu their indusb protection a missionaries! obviously ther point, pie over his his views. The origi the Uskee.' as distinctly they are sue institutions c of dissolutio property. triarchal fori perty and fl despotism of POLAR REGIONS. 109 ^ any of their visiters. Strictly honest in all their dealings, they are exceedingly watchful that they be not cheated ; and he must indeed be worse than savage who would wrong people of such exem- plary integrity as theirs. The hardships and perils through which they must toil in order to procure material articles for barter, should also induce a humane consideration of their condition, and pro- tect them from injustice. Some serious grounds, therefore, of dislike towards the Danish sovereignty miist exists before these people, strongly guided by a sense of right and wrong, could be brought to ex- press an abhorrence of their master's principles ; and this must be either by the Danes exacting fi*om their industry a demand in the shape of tax for the protection afforded them, or for the support of the missionaries, or else by trucking with fhem on terms obviously disadvantageous to the natives. On ei- ther point, the L -kee feels his superiority in princi- ple over his master, and is not to be reconciled to his views. The origi iLil form of society still exists among the Uskees in all its simplicity. Though a nation as distinctly defined as any other in the world, yet they are such only in identity of character. Their institutions are truly patriarchal, without the danger of dissolution from the extravagant acquisition of property. While in the early government oi' pa- triarchal form, the gradual accession of landed pro- perty and flocks of cattle and servants, led to the despotism of some wealthier lord ; and many, shar- 10 I .fj^.^--" * . '' ^ ^ 110 POLAR REGIONS. ing such abundance in common, desired a chief who should maintain equal justice, — these petty gov- ernments became gradually absorbed into larger ones, and empires have been formed, and revolu- tions have given rise to ruinous and wasting wars. In the absence of such mutations, the simple Uskee, content in his kaiak, plies his paddle in unmolested waters, kills his seals and wild birds, or transfixes his nimble game, and in the bosom of his small rejoicing family enjoys his good fortune, and trains his son to imitate the prowress and skill of his sire. JLiving f|i a manner that requires little from the nejighbouring soil, he farms not, he tills not, nor concerns himself in the slightest degree about the right of property in the territory in which he resides : he is conse- quently free from the broils which such species of property is likely to create. Give him his fishing waters, and leave him undisturbed, 'he takes no thought for the morrow ! * - '^% Th3 father of a family is to all intents, absolute chief; but still his authority is exercised with the mildest sway. To chide for tf^ fault is considered the severest punishment. Blows are never resort- ed to. It is considered a savage and barbarous act to strike an Uskee, and is looked on with abhor- rence. The women are treated kindly, but are re- garded as servants, doing all the labors of the house, except such parts as the men think their superior understanding only can be equal to. Do- mestic harmony is seldom known to be disturbed, unless when, in the absence of the men, some dowager )(.'. POLAR REGIONS. Ill *. mother exercises her peevishness upon her daugh- ter-in-law, especially if the latter have not the good fortune to have been the mother of a son ; for on the birth of male children they think the existence of their nation rests. i CHAPTER Vra. Occupations of the Uskccs. — Use made of the Whale. — Manner of spending the Winter. — Manner of spending the Summer. — Manner of catching Seals. — Enjoyments of the Uskees. — Language. It would be strange indeed, if the Uskees were not a contented people, so few are their wants. The men are the carpenters, the women are the tailors, shoemakers, house-masons, and cooks, the last more particularly, as the men, on returning with game, are no sooner disengaged from their kaiaks than all concern on their part ceases. This arises very probably from the excessive fatigue to which they are exposed, rather than to any indifference towards their women. The women's labor then commen- ces. They have to haul the seals ashore, and con- vey to the tent or hut the different animals taken. Their first concern is to draw a little blood from the seal, (which, after being killed, is stanched for that purpose) and present it to the men^ by way of cordial after their fatigue. Then, having pro- vided the men with dry clothes, they proceed to « \ ! ,1 ! 112 POLAR REGIONS. '. i! ) ■\ : -fl flay and cut up the spoil. Seal's flesh forms their chief support ; and they employ various modes of preserving it for future use. The most common is to cut it into thin slips, and so dry it over a line in the interior of their hut. The blubber is most care- fully preserved, as being convertible to almost every domestic comfort, more precious by far to them, than wine is to others. Oil is the luxury of their meals, their bread being nothing more than the dried muscular part of the seals or of birds. Such a representation of life would form little in- ducement to an European to exchange his comforts for it. The picture is to refined appetites truly dis- gusting ; and the horrible smell of their huts, per- sons, and almost every article belonging to them is intolerable to the coarsest. Even the sailor, accustomed to the atmosphere of a whale-ship, has been frequently known to nauseate the inside of a Greenlander's hut. These poor creatures smile at such squeamishness, and kindly excuse the want of politeness in the stranger, as he could not possibly know any thing better. The whale, wounded, and carrying in his huge body the instrument of destruction, very often in his anguish runs himself ashore, or into some creek among the rocks, and there lingering diesc Such a chance is an unexpected blessing, if discov- ered ; and any person who has ever winded a dead whale must know that an occurrence of that kind is not likely to remain long a secret. Every hut is then emptied to take advantage of the fortunate t I i'.:r rp POLAR REGIONS. 113 p. occasion. If any one is within reach of the good tidings, he is immediately invited, and it is easy to imagine what a scene ensues. Men, women, and children, with every edged instrument at command, are in full employment. But in such eagerness, wounds are often inflicted by accident, and such are never resented. The blubber is carefully stor- ed, that it may subside into oil ; the muscular parts are removed for future provision, and nothing can be of coarser texture, yet still they relish it, and are thankful for the blessing. The tendons are also carefully preserved, to be appropriated as cordage, thread, lines, and for various other purposes ; and in the whalebone they have sufficient fol* their own private necessities, and for the demands of the Danes. In winter time they retire further from the sea than they have been in the summer months, and in their huts or winter houses generally spend the interval between the latter end of October and the middle of March in preparing their fishing tackle, while the women are busily engaged in re- pairing the kaiak, or sewing dresses for the men. On such occasions the children have an opportu- nity of learning the arts peculiar to their sex, and scarcely any other time is given for their educa- tion. As soon as the returning sun announces the ap- proach of summer, all is bustle and activity. The materials for the summer huts are got in readiness, and the whole household, consisting sometimes of 10* M €^ 1 ! V: . '!« }■ M 114 POLAR REGIONS. five or six families, moves downwards to the fishing place, which is generally a low island with a sloping beach looking towards the south, for the ease and convenience of launching the boats or drawing the seals ashore. They are not confined to any par- ticular spot for the summer. Unless abundancq of seals be seen, they generally shift to some other station, which in the course of former seasons they have observed as more fit, or as they may have in- formation from others of their countrymen. The Greenlander is very vain of his accomplish- ments ; and viewing them, as he does, as the per- fection of human art, he pities the ignorance of any one who is unable to manage a kaiak, or use the hand-board in discharging the spear or lighter dart. It is dangerous for an European to venture into one of these canoes, as he is almost certain of being instantly upset ; in which case the buoyancy of the little bark would certainly keep him immers- ed, and drown him. The seal, mischievous in the extreme towards every creature weaker than himself, entertains a sovereign dread of the Uskees, and flies from every quarter where he discovers a kaiak ; but his precau- tion seldom avails. The instant a seal is seen by a Greenlander, he whispers * Pussee ! ' (seal) along the surface of the water to the nearest of his com- panions, who telegraphs the signal until all the boats are engaged in the chase, and it is seldom possi- ble for thei'' prey to escape. The seal is impetu- ous in disposition, and, having once observed his ■ i P 1^\ POLAR REGIONS. 115 pursuers, he dives repeatedly, and in different di- rections, to confound them ; but becomes at length so shori-breathed by his hurry, that he cannot re- main long out of sight; and as the Uskees are around at various points watching the favorable moment, one of them paddles silently in his rear, using the paddle vs^ith one hand, whi'e with the other he is getting his tackk in oraer; and having advanced near enough, for le is sure to measure the distance with accuracy, he flings the dart, and never fails to strike. The se;il, terrified and wound- ed, dives in the greatest terror ; but a float being attached to the dart by a leathern line, he is soon forced up again, and despatched. They are then careful to stanch the wounds, to save as much as possible, and to distend the body, by blowing into the cellular part, as butchers sometimes are used to do, in order to make the body of the ani- mal buoyant ; otherwise it would go to the bottom as soon as dead. Seal hunting, being their most profitable as v/eU as most da igerous pursuit, is looked upon as the perfection of manly achievement. It is the sum of praise ': > which every man aspires ; and it is chiefly thr^jgh the fame of having killed such a number of seals that any can aim at preeminence. The unmarried women listen with eagerness when such great exploits are recounted ; and a descrip- tion of a seal hunt given, with proper emphasis and gesture, by the fortunate hunter, is sure to obtain general approbation. The applause which they ! i 116 POLAR REGIONS. V ,' bestow is not however clamorous, but tinctured with that decency and reserve for which they are remarkable. It is on such occasions that love- matches are usually set on foot ; and the successful candidate for the lady's hand must rely on the credit he has obtained by the number of seals he has taken. There is very great danger to the Greenlander in the seal hunt. Should the seal be little exhaust- ed in the chase, he often turns on his adversary, seizes on his kaiak, and with his sharp teeth pierces the flimsy cover, when no alternative remains to the poor Uskee but death, as his kaiak will sink, and take him down. This must be certain ; as the others can offer no assistance, except to allow him to hold by the end of another boat, to the great risk of him who navigates it. Except in the case of father and son, such accommodation is very rare, as every man on such emergency naturally thinks of the value of his life to his own family. Much danger is also to be apprehended if the line get foul of the paddle, or arm, or even neck of the hunter, when the seal dives so suddenly on being wounded. It is then that the Uskee displays his skill and expertness. If upset, he raises himself again in his kaiak, by a dexterous management of his paddle. When assembled at a merry-making or at a mar- riage-feast, they are cheerful and joyous in the highest degree ; but none of that boisterous rejoic- ing, which is considered the test of enjoyment in ^ .---t POLAR REGIONS. 117 Other places, is here known. The dance is practis- ed in lively and tolerably well executed movements ; and some of the Danes having introduced the fiddle among them, they contrive to make out a pleasing entertainment. Tho men talk over their exploits in seal hunting, and the boys are always attentive and silent hearers. Sometimes the song is raised, when one who leads the chorus repeats a line, and this is immediately succeeded by all the rest joining in a short accompaniment of no particular meaning. They are extremely hospitable, particularly to any of their own nation who happen to pass near their abode, in removing from one place to another in quest of seals. A brotherly invitation is instant- ly given, and the utmost attention is paid to the stranger, who freely imparts his experience of the season, and receives in return such information as he requires. It is this interchange of good offices which makes them set so high a value on each other. The language of the Greenlanders or Uskees is very general. Like the Norwegians, they pro- nounce the letter R in their throat, so that it is not easy to distinguish many of their tones. They pio- nounce their words with great fluency ; and their accents seem to be numerous, by the peculiar stress with which they deliver certain sounds. There are many consonants which they never use at the , beginning of words, as they prefer commencing generally with a vowel. Even such words of other languages as they are desired to repeat, they dress # v. 118 POLAR REGIONS. \ 'i '.■•■ in their own sounds ; and if it begin with any of the proscribed letters, such is usually omitted, as was observed in the term Skraelling, which they converted into Karalit. They have no wHting; though some of the children of the Danish convicts have been taught to write. The Uskees think it so much time thrown away from the more important concern of learning the management of the kaiak and dart. They usually reckon on their fingers, and seldom go beyond ten in counting ; though others say they have been known to reckon as high as twenty. Their conveniences of Hfe being so few, makes further numbering unnecessary. -rjk' k. CAPTAIN PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. CHAPTER I. Object of Parry's First Voyage. — Eqviipment of the Expedition.- Davis' Straits. — Embarrassment in the Ice. up As that part of Greenland or America, lying imme- diately west and northwest of Baffin's Bay, is only known by the late discoveries of Captain Parry, a continuous account of his voyages will, probably, be the best method of describing it that we can adopt. Lieutenant Parry* was appointed to the com- mand of his Majesty's ship Hecla, a bomb of 375 tons, on the 16th of January, 1819; and the Gri- per, gun brig, 180 tons, commissioned by Lieut. Matthew Liddon, was at the same time directed to put herself under his orders. The object of the expedition was to attempt the discovery of a North- West Passage into the Pacific. On board Capt. Parry's ship was an astronomer, Capt. Edw. Sa- * Then a Lieutenant ; for convenience we shall call him Captain. 120 POLAR REGIONS. bine, R. A. and a competent number of officers, a Greenland master, and a Greenland mate.' Every individual engaged in the expedition was to receive double the ordinary pay of his Majesty's navy. The vessels were rigged after the manner of a barque, as being the most convenient among the ice, and requiring the smallest number of men to work them. They were furnished with provisions and stores for two years ; in addition to which, there was a large supply of fresh meats and soups pre- served in tin cases, essence of malt and hops, es- sence of spruce, and other extra stores, adapted to cold climates and a long voyage. The ships were ballasted entirely with coals; an abundance of warm clothing was allowed, a wolf-skin blanket be- ing supplied to each officer and man, besides a housing-cloth, similar to that with which wagons are usually covered, to make a sort of tent on board. Various kinds of presents were furnished to secure the friendship of the natives, and a num- ber of valuable astronomical and philosophical in- struments were put on board each ship. Capt. Parry had served in the former expedition under Capt. Ross, and was advantageously known to the Board of Admiralty for his skill in his pro- fession and his peculiar qualifications for such ser- vice. He was to pass, if possible, through Lancas- ter's Sound to Behring's Strait. In case of success, he was to proceed to Kamtschatka, and thence to forward an official account of his voyage to Eng- land, through Siberia. Thence the Hecla and Gri- per were to return to England round Cape Horn. POLAR REGIONS. 121 Other specific instructions were given, but much was left to his discretion. He was expected to co- operate with Captain FrankUn, who was at the same time sent to the mouth of Coppermine River, in effecting the purpose of his voyage. Captain Parry sailed from England in the begin- ning of May, and on the fifteenth of June he came in sight of Cape Farewell. He proceeded up the Strait of Davis, and for three days found the ice close packed. Passing through ice fields and among icebergs, he approached the western shore. On the twentyfifth, the ice closed round the ships and arrested their progress. As far as the eye might reach from the mast-head, nothing could be seen to the westward but one unbroken mass of ice. It is usual for whales to descend head foremost, displaying their enormous tails in the air ; but here the ice was too close to permit the first one seen on the voyage to perform this feat, and he went down tail first, to the great amusement of the Green- land sailors. * As long as the wind continued to blow strong towards the ice, so as to keep it close, the ships lay securely sheltered froi the sea ; but at nine in the evening, when it veered a little to the westward, the ice became more slack, and they began to feel the effects of the swell which was thus admitted from without : each roll of the sea forced the heavy masses of ice against the rudder and counter with such violence as would have greatly endangered a ship built in the ordinary way : strengthened as these were, however, they escaped without damage. 11 k %m 122 POLAR REGIONS. ( , J'l fl, Frequent endeavours were made to heave the heads of the ships round, in order that they might receive the heaviest pressure on their bows, but every attempt proved unsuccessful, and they re- mained in the same unpleasant situation during the whole of the 2Sth. While in this state, a large white bear came near the Griper, and was killed by her people, but he sunk between the pieces of ice. This animal had, probably, been attracted by the smell of some red herrings which the men were frying at the time. It is a common practice with the Greenland sailors to take advantage of the strong sense of smelling which these creatures possess, by enticing them near the ships in this manner. The swell had somewhat subsided on the 29th, but the ships remained firmly fixed in the ice as be- fore. In the course of the day they saw land bear- ing N. 69° W. about thirteen leagues distant, ap- pearing from the mast-head like a group of islands, and situated near to the entrance of Cumberland Strait ; the soundings were one hundred and thirty- five fathoms ; the temperature of the sea at that depth 30° ; that of the surface being the same ; and of the air 34°. On the 30th, the ice began to slack- en a little more about the ships; and, after two hours* hea.lng with a hawser brought on each bow to the capstan and windlass, they succeeded in moving the Hecla about her own length to the east- ward, where alone any clear sea was visible. The ice continuing to open still more in the course of the day, they were at length enabled to get both away, ward, heavy with ti times heidit POLAR REGIONS. 123 ships into open water, after eight hours' incessant labor. Their first attempt to approach the western coast having thus failed, Capt. Parry consulted the Greenland Masters, as to what were the most like- ly means to be adopted for effecting this object. Mr Allison thought it would be advisable to run a degree or two back again to the southward ; while Mr Fife was of opinion, that it might be attempted, with a better chance of success, about the latitude of Mount Raleigh, which forms one side of the nar- rowest part of Davis* Strait. Capt. Parry determin- ed on the latter. They kept close to the edge of the pack on the 1st and 2nd of July, without finding any opening in it. On the third they crossed the Arctic circle. Towards midnight, the wind having shifted to the southwest, and moderated, another extensive chain of very large icebergs appeared to the north- ward: as they approached them, the wind died away, and the ships' heads were kept to the north- ward, only by the steerage way given to them by a heavy southerly swell, which, dashing the loose ice with tremendous force against the bergs, some- times raised a white spray over the latter to the height of more than a hundred feet, and being accompanied with a loud noise, exactly resembling the roar of distant thunder, presented a scene at once sublime and terrific. They could find no bottom near these icebergs with one hundred and ten fathoms of line. At four, A. M. on the 4th, they came to a quanti- 1 ■"•ife.. 124 POLAR REGIONS. n f -4 -T-'l Ivj. ft^ ty of loose ice, which lay straggling among the bergs ; and as there was a light breeze from the southward, and they were anxious to avoid, if pos- sible, the necessity of going to the eastv/ard, they pushed the Hecla into the ice, in the hope of being able to make way through it. They had scarcely done so, however, before it fell calm ; when the ship became perfectly unmanageable, and was for some time at the mercy of the swell, which drifted her fast towards the bergs. All the boats were imniediately sent a-head to tow ; and the Griper's signal was made, not to enter the ice. After two hours hard pulling, they succeeded in getting the Hecla back again into clear water, and to a suffi- cient distance from the icebergs, which it is very dangerous to approach when there is a swell. At noon they were in lat. 66° 50' 47", long. 57° 07' 56 ", being near the middle of the narrowest part of Davis' Strait, which is here not more than fifty leagues across. On the 5th, it was necessary to pass through some heavy streams of ice, in order to avoid the loss of time by going round to the eastward. On this, as on many other occasions, the advantage possessed by a ship of considerable weight in the water, in separating the heavy masses of ice, was very apparent. In some of the streams, through which the Hecla passed, a vessel of a hundred tons less burthen must have been immoveably beset. The Griper was on this, and many other occasions, only enabled to follow the Hecla by taking advan- tage of the openings made by the latter. towing ? POLAR REGIONS. 125 A herd of walrusses being seen lying on a piece of ice, a boat succeeded in killing one of them. These animals usually lie huddled together, like pigs, one over the other, and are so stupidly tame, as to allow a boat to approach them, within a few yards, without moving. When, at length, they are disturbed, they dash into the water in great con- fusion. It may be worth remarking, as a proof how tenacious the walrus sometimes is of life, that the animal killed struggled violently for ten minutes after it was struck, and towed the boat twenty or thirty yards, after which the iron of the harpoon broke ; and yet it was found, on examination, that the iron barb had penetrated both auricles of the heart. A quantity of the blubber was put into casks, as a winter's supply of lamp-oil. ^v The ice was so compact that it was impossible to penetrate to the westward, and nothing remained to be done, but to make the best way they could, by beating to the northward along the edge of the pack, until on the 10th a thick fog came on, which made great caution necessary in sailing, there being a great many icebergs near. There is, however, even in the thickest fog, a strong reflection of light from these immense bodies of ice, which, with an attentive look-out, is generally visible at a sufficient distance to enable the navigator, if in smooth water, to avoid coming in contact with them. A largo bear being seen on a piece of ice, near which they were passing, a boat was despatched in pursuit, and the people succeeded in killing and towing it on board. As these animals sink imme- 1 1* 'I i A* n jiS""' 126 POLAR REGIONS. diately on being mortally wounded, some dexterity is requisite to secure them, by first throwing a rope oyer the neck, at which many of the Greenland seamen are remarkably expert. It is customary for the boats of the whalers to have two or three lines coiled in them, which not only gives them great stability, but, with good management, makes it difficult for a bear, when swimming, to put his paw upon the gunwale, which they generally en- deavor to do. A boarding-pike is the most useful weapon for this purpose. The lance used by the , whalers will not easily penetrate the skin, and a * musket ball, except when very close, is scarcely ';^ more efficacious. The facility with which a vessel may sail through Davis' Strait seems to depend much upon the sea- son at which the attempt is made. For the first fortnight in June, it is seldom practicable to get be- yond latitude 70°. Towards the end of the month ships may usually penetrate to the seventyfourth degree. From that time to the end of August the obstruction decreases daily, and it is probable that a vessel entering the strait on the first of July may reach a high latitude without any detention. After being again beset, and finding a variety of difficulties from the tenacity of the ice, on the 21st C apt. Parry reached latitude 73°. Unwilling to increase the distance from Lancaster's Sound by proceeding farther north, he determined to enter the ice here. Accordingly he ran in among the lloes, heaving the ships through with hawsers, and taking every advantage of the wind, which was light. On ii^'jl; POLAR REGIONS. 127 the evening of the 22d the ships were totally beset, and no open water could be seen from the mast head. On the 23d a thick fog came on, and they made fast to an iceberg. The weather being clear in the morning of the 25th, and a few narrow lanes of water appearing to the westward, the Griper was made fast astern of the Hecla; and her crew being sent to assist in manning the Hecla's capstan, they proceeded to warp the ships through the ice. This method, which is often adopted by whalers, has the ob- vious advantage of applying the whole united force in separating the masses of ice which lie in the way :)t' the first ship, allowing the second, or even the i.iid, to follow close rsiern, with very little ob- struction. In this manner they advanced about four miles to the westward, by eight, P. M., after eleven hours of very laborious exertion ; and having then come to the end of the clear water, and the weather being again foggy, the ships were secured in a deep * bight,' or bay in a floe, called by the sailors * natural dock.' Early on the morning of the 26th, there was clear water as far as they could see to the westward, which, on account of the fog, did not exceed the distance of three hundred yards. They made sail, ho\'. over, and having groped their way for about half a mile, found the ice once more close in every di- rection, except that in which they had been sailing, obliging them to make the ship fast to a floe. A boat was sent to endeavour to find a lane of clear water leading to the westward. She returned on m ■ !;■■ ■ nH ;# I, ; I ■ih: ■A '■ ^- 128 POLAR REGIONS. 'I ' ■ ;•' , I *fe board in an hour, without success, having with diffi- culty found her way to the ship, by the muskets, and other signals. At half-past three, P. M., the weather cleared up, and a few narrow lanes of water being seen to the westward, every exertion was immediately made to get into them. On beginning to heave, however, they found that the * hole' of water in which the Hecla lay, was now so completely enclosed by ice, that no passage out of it could be found. They tried every corner, but to no purpose ; all the pow- er they could apply being insufficient to move the heavy masses of ice which had fixed themselves firmly between them and the lanes of water with- out. In the mean time. Lieutenant Liddon had succeeded in advancing about three hundred yards, and had placed the Griper's bow between two heavy floes, which it was necessary to separate be- fore any further progress could be made. Both ships continued to heave at their hawsers occasion- ally, as the ice appeared to slacken a little, by which means they were now and then drawn ahead a few inches at a time, but did not advance more than half a dozen yards in the course of the night. By nearing several bergs to the northward, the ice appeared to be drifting in that direction, the wind being moderate from the southward. w POLAR REGIONS. 129 CHAPTER II. Farther Detention in the Ice. — Whales. — Arrival at Lancaster's Sound.— Land about Possession Bay, — New Lands discovered. — The Vessels are again stopped by the Ice. About three, A. M., Tuesday, 27th, by a sudden motion of the ice, they succeeded in getting the Hecla out of her confined situation, and ran her up astern of the Griper. The clear water had made so much to the westward, that a narrow neck of ice was all that was now interposed between the ships and a large open space in that quarter. Both ships' companies were, therefore, ordered upon the ice to saw off the neck, when the floes sudden!}^ opened, sufficiently to allow the Griper to push through, under all sail. No time was lost in the at- tempt to get the Hecla through after her ; but, by one of those accidents to which this navigation is liable, and which renders it so precarious and un- certain, a piece of loose ice, which lay between the two ships, was drawn after the Griper by the eddy produced by her motion, and completely blocked the narrow passage through which the Hecla was about to follow. Before they could remove this obstruction by hauling it back out of the channel, the floes were again pressed together, wedging it firm- ly and immoveably betwixt them ; the saws were immediately set to work, and used with great effect, but it was not till eleven o'clock that they succeed- •M 130 POLAR REGIONS. J f ' ed, after seven hours' labor, in getting the Hecla into the lanes of clear water which opened more and more to the westward. The latitude by ac- count at noon, was 73° 05' 56", the longitude 60" 22'27". : On the 29th they had so much clear water, that the ships had a very perceptible pitching motion, which, from the closeness of the ice, does not very often occur in the polar regions, and which is therefore hailed with pleasure, as an indication of an open sea. At five, P. M. the swell increased con- siderably, arid as the wind freshened up from the northeast, the ice gradually disappeared; so that by six o'clock they were sailing in an open sea, perfectly free from obstruction of any kind. They now seemed all at once to have got into the head-quarters of the whales. They were so numerous that no less than eightytwo are mention- ed in this day's log. Mr Allison, the Greenland master, considered them generally as large ones, and remarked, that a fleet of whalers might easily have obtained a cargo here in a few days. It is a common idea among Greenland fishermen, that the presence of ice is necessary to ensure the finding of whales ; but there was no ice in sight this day, when they were most numerous. In the afternoon the wind broke the Hecla off from the N. N. W. which obliged her to cast off the Griper, and she car- ried all sail ahead to make the land. It was seen at half past five, P. M., being the high land about Posses- sion Bay, and at the same time several streams of loose but heavy ice came in sight, which a fresh iiilil POLAR. REGIONS. 131 n breeze waydrifting fast to the southeastward. Lan- caster's Sound was now open to the westward, and the experience of a former voyage had given Capt. Parry reason to believe that the two best months in the year for the navigation of these * "s were yet to come. This consideratior, togeix er with the magnificent view of the lofty Byam Martin Moun- tains, which forcibly recalled to his mind the events of the preceding year, animated him with expecta- tion and hope. If any proof were wanting of the value of local knowledge in the navigation of the Polar Seas, it would be amply furnished by the fact of his having now reached the entrance of Sir James Lancaster's Sound just one month earlier than he had done in 1818, although he had then sailed above a fortnight sooner, with the same gen- eral object in view, namely, to penetrate to the western coast of Baffin's Bay, where alone the Northwest Passaf'*^ was to be sought for. On the 31st, anchored in Possession Bay, and discovered a ..ixg-staff which had been erected on the former expedition. The land immediately at the back of Possession Bay rises in a p:entle slope from the sea, presenting an open and extensive space of low ground, flanked by hills to the north and south. In this valley, and even on the hills, to the height of six or seven hun- dred feet above the sea, there was scarcely any snow, but the mountains at the back were complete- ly covered with it. The bed of the stream, which winds along the valley, is in many places several hundred yards wide, and in some parts from thirty m.. !1 ' it. 132 POLAR REGIONS. i 'u to forty feet deep ; but the quantity of water which it contained at this season was extremely small in proportion to the width between the banks, not ex- ceeding forty feet on an average, and from one to three feet only in depth near the mouth of the stream. This feature is common to every part of the polar regions ; the beds, or ravines, being prob- ably formed by the ar^nual dissolution of the snow during a long series of years. Traces of Esquimaux were found on the river, as well as the foot-prints left by the former expedition. The only animals met with were a fox, a raven, some ring-plovers, snow-buntings, and a wild bee. Several tracks of bears and of a cloven-footed ani- mal, probably the reindeer, were also observed upon the moist ground. Three black whales were seen in the bay, and the crown-bones of several others were lying near the beach. Considerable tufts of moss and of grass occur in this valley, prin- cipally in those parts which are calculated to retain the water produced by the melting of the snow. Indeed, moisture alone seems necessary to the growth of a variety of plants which are found in this dreary climate. Mr Fisher, who had an op- portunity of examining some of the fixed rocks, pronounced them to consist principally of basalt. The tide here rose about eight feet, and the flood seemed to come from the northwest. On the first of August, it having been found that the Griper could not keep up with the Hecla, Cap- tain Parry determined to leave her. He appointed the middle of Lancaster's Sound as a place of ren- POLAR REGIONS. 133 the dezvous, and then crowded all sail on the Hecla. In the evening he came in sight of the northern shore of the sound, and the next day had a clear view of both sides of it. On the southern side were high, peaked mountains, covered with snow, excepting at the base, but on the northern, the land was not so rugged, or so high, and there was much less snow. The sea was open before them. Running up the sound as far as Cape Castle- reagh, more distant land was seen to the westward ; and between this land and Cape Castlereagh was an inlet, to which Capt. Parry gave the name of Navy Board Inlet. Points of land were seen all round this inlet, and the belief is, that it is not con- tinuous. In the meanwhile the land opened on the northern shore, consisting of high mountains, and in some parts of table land. Several head- lands were distinctly visible, and names were given to them. One inlet, through which Capt. Parry was of opinion that a passage might be found into the Polar Sea, received the appellation of Croker's Bay. Having run due west nearly out of sight of the Griper, the Hecla hove to for her to come, up, in longitude 83" 12' west from Greenwich where the two shores of the sound were yet twentynine miles apart, and without the slightest appearance of land to the westward. The only ice met consisted of a few large bergs, very much worn by the washing of the sea. Whales were seen, and the wind so increased that the top gallant yards were taken in. On the fourth, the Griper being within a few 12 M 134 POLAR REGIONS. 1 1;-'' ■ t .ij ^t'M M %£ H-! m^', miles of the Hecla, Lieut. Beechy discovered, from the crow's nest, breakers to the northward. The Hecla was instantly rounded to, for the purpose of sounding ; but no bottom was found with fifty fathoms of line. The Griper coming up shortly after, found bottom with fortyfive fathoms. The vessels then bore away to the westward. The cliffs on this part of the coast had a singular ap- pearance, being horizontally stratified, and having a number of regular projecting masses of rock, broad at the bottom, and pointed at the top, re- sembling buttresses raised by art at equal in- tervals. The sea was here as clear of ice as in any part of the Atlantic, and they began to flatter them- selves that they had indeed entered the Polar Sea, and the most sanguine began to calculate the dis- tance to Icy Cape, while their conjectures were in some degree confirmed by the oceanic color of the water, and a long swell rolling in from the south and east. Their vexation was, therefore, extreme, when toward evening land was seen ahead. It proved, however, to be a small island. More land was discovered to the westward, and at eight, P. M. they came to a stream of ice extending several miles in a direction parallel to their course. As clear water could be seen over it to the south, they hoped it would prove no obstruction. In this they were disappointed ; after sailing for two hours along the edge of the ice, they perceived that it proceeded from a compact and impenetrable body of floes which cut ofl" their passage. A considera- corni A north factic was ward, In a perh Lieut POLAR REGIONS. 135 ble surf was rolling on the edge of the pack, and the ships with some difficulty escaped being em- bayed. A second island was discovered south of the former, and Capt. Parry gave the name of Prince Leopold's Isles to the two. The weather was calm and foggy, and while it remained so, a number of the officers and men amused them- selves in the boats, in endeavouring to kill some of the white whales which were swimming about the ships in great numbers ; but the animals were so wary, that they would scarcely suffer the boats to approach them within thirty or forty yards,' with- out diving. Mr Fisher described them to be gen- erally from eighteen to twenty feet in length ; and he stated, that he had several times heard them emit a shrill, ringing sound, not unlike that of musical glasses when badly played. This sound, he further observed, was most distinctly heard, when they happened to swim directly beneath the boat, even when they were several feet under water, and ceased altogether on their coming to the sur- face. They saw also, for the first time, one or two shoals of narwhales, called by the sailors, sea-uni- corns. A breeze springing up, the ships stood to the northward, and it was ascertained, to the dissatis- faction of all on board, that the sound or strait was closed, excepting in one place to the south- ward, and to this opening they directed their course. In a few hours it became calm again ; and the Gri- per having unfortunately sprung both her topmasts, Lieut. Liddon took advantage of the calm weather ii ., f ii % 136 POLAR RJOIONS. ^.'■■m it ', :! ]■•; M to shift them. The Hecla's boats were at the same time employed in bringing on board ice, to be used as water; a measure to which it is occasionally necessary to resort in these regions, when no pools or ponds are to be found upon the floes. In this case, berg-ice, when at hand, is generally preferred ; but that of floes, which is in fact the ice of sea- water, is also abundantly used for this purpose : the only precaution which is necessary to observe, being that of allowing the salt-water to drain off" before it is dissolved for use. One of the boats was upset, by the fall of a mass of ice which the men were breaking ; but fortunatjely no injury was sus- tained. CHAPTER III. Cape Seppings discovered. — Near Approach to the Magnetic Polo. — Unfa- vorable Position of the Ice. — Appearance of Prince Regent's Inlet. — Port Bowen. A BREEZE sprung up from the N.N.W. in the eve- ning, and the Griper being ready to make sail, they stood to the southward. The land, which now be- came visible to the southeast, discovered that they were entering a large inlet, not less than ten leagues wide at its mouth, and in the centre of which no land could be distinguished. The western shore of the inlet, which extended as far as they could see to the S.S.W., was so encumbered with ice, that there was no possibility of sailing near it. They, POLAR REGIONS. 137 therefore, ran along the edge of the ice, between which and the eastern shore there was a broad and open channel, with the intention of seeking, in a lower latitude, a clearer passage to the westward than that which they had just been obliged to aban- don. The head land which forms the western point of the entrance into this inlet, they called Cape Clarence, and another to the southeast of it, was named Cape Seppings. Since the time they first entered Lancasv3i**s Sound, the sluggishness of the compasses, as well as the amount of their irregularity produced by the attraction of the ship's iron, had been found very rapidly, though uniformly, to increase, as th.;y j ro- ceeded to the westward ; so much, indeed, tnat, for the last two days, they had been under the neces- sity of giving up altogether the usual observations for determining the variation of the needle on board the ships. This irregularity became more and more obvious, as they now advanced to the southward, which rendered it not improbable that they were now making a very near approach to the magnetic pole. For the purposes of navVntion, therefore, the compasses were from this time 'lo longer con- sulted J and in a few days afterwards, the binnacles were removed, as useless luEs'jer, from the deck to the carpenter's store-rrson, where they remained during the rest of the season. Being desirous of obtaining all the magnetic ob- servations they were able, on a spot which appear- ed to be replete with interest in this department of science, and the outer margin of the ice consisting 12* m '' If 1 • ■! * 'il 4 I r 138 POLAR REGIONS. entirely of small loose pieces, which were not suf- ficiently steady for using the dipping-needle, they hauled up for the nearest part of the eastern shore, for the purpose of landing there with the instru- > ments. They got in with it about noon, having very regularly decreased the soundings from forty to fifteen and a half fathoms ; in which depth, hav- ing tacked, at the distance of two miles and a half from the shore, two boats were despatched from each ship, under the command of Lieuts. Beechy and Hoppner, who, together with Captain Sabine, were directed to make the necessary observations, and to collect whatever specimens of natural histo- ry the place might afford. They landed on a beach of sand and stones, having passed, at the distance of one mile from it, several large masses of ice aground in six to eight fathoms water, which shoal- ed from thence gradually in to the shore. The officers describe this spot as more barren and dreary than any on which they had yet landed in the arc- tic regions ; there being scarcely any appearance Of vegetation, except here and there a small tuft of stunted grass, and one or two species of saxifrage and poppy, although the ground was so swampy in many places that they could scarcely walk about. At a short distance from the sea. Lieutenant Hopp- ner discovered a large mass of iron-stone, which was found to. attract the magnet very powerfully. There were no traces of inhabitants to be seen on this part of the coast. Part of the vertebrae of a whale was found at some distance from the beach ; but this had probably been carried there by bears, V:\l %<€ POLAR REGIONS. 139 the tracks of which were visible on the moist soil. The only birds seen were a few ptarmigans and snow buntings. As soon as the boats returned, the ships hove to the southward, along the edge of the ice which led them nearer the eastern shore, so that by midnight the channel in which they were sailing was nar- rowed to about five miles. They could find no soundings ; the weather was beautifully serene, and the sun, for the second time that season, just dip- ped below the northern horizon, and re-appeared a few minutes after. A dark sky to the southwest had given them hopes of finding a westerly passage to the south of the ice along which they were now sailing ; more especially as the inlet began to widen considerably as they advanced in that direction : but at three, A. M., on the morning of the 8th, they perceived that the ice ran close in with a point of land bearing S. by. E. from us, and which appeared to form the southern extremity of the eastern shore. To this extreme point Capt. Parry gave the name of Cape Kater. With the increasing width of the inlet, they had flattered themselves with increasing hopes ; but they soon experienced the mortification of dis- appointment. The prospect from the crow's nest began to assume a very unpromising appearance, the whole of the western horizon, from north round to S. by. E., being completely covered with ice, con- sisting of heavy and extensive floes, beyond which no indication of water was visible ; instead of which there was a bright and dazzling ice-blink extending m «( 140 POLAR REGIONS. from shore to shore. The western coast of the inlet, however, trended much more to the west- ward than before, and no land was visible to the southwest, though the horizon was so clear in that quarter, that, if any had existed of moderate height, it might have been easily seen at this time, at the distance of ten or twelve leagues. From these circumstances, the impression received at the time was, that the land, both on the eastern and west- ern side of this inlet, would be one day found to consist of islands. As a fresh northerly breeze was drifting the ice rapidly towards Cape Kater, and there appeared to be no passage open between it and that cape, Capt. Parry did not consider it prudent, under such circumstances, to run the ships down to the point, or to attempt to force a passage through the ice, and therefore hauled to the wind, with the intention of examining a bay which was abreast of them, and to which the name of Fitzger- ald Bay was given. A boat from each ship was prepared to conduct ^ this examination, and they stood in to drop them in-shore, but found, as they approached, that the bay was so filled with ice, as to render it impracti- cable for any boat to land. Capt. Parry therefore determined, as the season was fast advancing to a close, to lose no time in returning to the north- ward, in the hope of finding the channel between Prince Leopold's Isles and Maxwell Bay more clear of ice than when they left it, in which case there could be little doubt of eflecting a passage to the westward ; whereas, in their present situation, wn POLAR REGIONS. 141 there appeared no prospect of doing so without risking the loss of more time than he deemed it prudent to spare. -. The distance which they sailed to the southward in this inlet was about one hundred and twenty miles, Cape Kater being, by the observations, in lat. 71" 53' 30", long. 90° 03' 45". As they returned to the northward with a light but favorable breeze, they found that the ice had approached the eastern shore of the inlet, leaving a much narrower channel than that by which they had entered ; and in some places it stretched completely across to the land on this side> while the opposite coast was still as inac- cessible as before. On the tenth, the weather was thick, with snow, which was succeeded by rain and fog. The compass being useless and the sun invisible, they stood oif- and-on, near the ice till evening, when the weather becoming clear, they steered northward, keeping as near the western shore as the ice would permit. At eleven, P. M. they were stopped by the ice, which extended to the land on the eastern side of the inlet. This part of the coast is much higher than that farther to the southward. A fog arising, the ships were moored to a floe, but when the atmosphere cleared, they found themselves drifting with the floe upon another body of ice to leeward. They therefore cast off*, and beat to the northward, which was attended with great difficulty on account of the drift ice, with which the whole inlet was now covered. Thus were several days passed in contending with '4k j^'^ ^v» 1 I j : j ."i 142 POLAR REGIONS. •ii ' %'A yl fogs, head winds, and all the difficulties of arctic navigation. Neither officers nor crews lost health ¥ or spirit . If they repined at finding themselves in such a jit lation, it was not on account of the danger j,' orlal r, but because the accomplishment of their J hopes was delayed. j The twelfth being the birthday of the Prince I Regent of England, very naturally suggested the \ name of the inlet in which they were sailing, and by I J which it is distinguished on the maps. Capt. Parry ^ thinks that a passage may at some future time be found through it to Hudson's Bay, or the sea on the I northern shore of America. I The weather was beautifully calm and clear on ,: the 1 3th, when, being near an opening in the east- I . ern shore, Capt. Parry took the opportunity of ex- I amining it in a boat. It proved to be a bay, a mile wide at its entrance, and thrc? miles deep in an E. by S. direction, having a smali but snug cove on the north side, formed by an island, between which and the main land is a bar of rocks, 'which com- pletely shelters the co e from sea or drift ice. The water was so deep, that in rowing close along the { shore they could seldom get bottom with seven ' fathoms of line. The cliffs on the south side of this bay, to which the name of Port Bowen was given, resemble, in many places, ruined towers and battlements ; and fragments of the rocks were con- stantly falling from above. At the head of the bay is an extensive piece of low, fljit ground, interseci- ed by numerous rivulets, which, uniting at a short distance from the beach, formed a deep and rapid \,^Miki POLAR REGIONS. 143 stream, near the mouth of which he landed. This spot was extremely barren, the ground being almost entirely covered with small pieces of slaty Umestone, among which no vegetation appeared for more than a mile, to which distance Mr Ross and Capt. Parry walked inland, following the banks of the stream. Among the fragments, they picked up one piece of limestone, on which was the impression of a fossil- shell, and saw a great number of young black guillemots, and a flock of ducks, which they sup- posed to be of the eider species. The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream was 73" 12' 11, and the longitude, by chronometers, 89" 02' 08". From twenty minutes past eleven till a quarter after twelve, the tide rose by the shore six inches, and the high-water mark was between two and three feet above this ; but they were not long enough on shore to form a correct judgment of the time at which high water takes place. About three-quarters of a mile to the southward of Port Bowen is another small bay, which they had not time to examine. # 1^ ;•. A'!' >»'■ \ % 144 POLAR REGIONS. #. iifj( I I CHAPTER IV. Appearance of the Land about Jackson's Bay. — Favorable Prospect to ths Westward. — Gascoync's Inkt discoverea, — Fartiu r Discoveries. — Bar- row's Strait. When they had returned on board, a light south- ern breeze enabled them to steer towards Pritice Leopold's Isles, which they found more encumber- ed with ice than before. The nar whales were here very numerous ; these animals appear fond of re- B/aming with their backs exposed above the surface of the water, in the same manner as the whale, but for a much longer time ; and they frequently also observed their horns erect, and quite stationary for several minutes together. Three or four miles to the northward of Port Bowen, they discovered another opening, having every appearance of an harbour, with an island near the entrance. It was named Jackson's Bay. The whole of the 14th was consumed in a vain attempt to find an opening in the ice, which remained perfectly close and com- pact, and as it continued in the same state on the 16th, Capt. Parry went on shore to make observa- tions. He landed in one of the numerous valleys, or ravines, which occur on this part of the coast, and which, at a few miles* distance, very much re- semble bays, being bounded by high hills, which have the appearance of bluff head-lands. He found the water very deep close to the beach, which is composed of rounded limestones, and on which ■>«*- POLAR REGIONS. 145 there was no surf; he then ascended, with some difficuhy, the bill on the south side of the ravine, which is very steep, and covered with innumerable detached blocks of limestone, some of which are constantly rolling down from above, and which afford a very insecure footing. From the top of this hill, which is about six or seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, and which commands an extensive view to the westward, the prospect was by no means favorable to the immediate accomplish- ment of the enterprize. No water could be seen over the ice to the northwest, and a bright and dazzling blink covered the whole space comprised between the islands and the northern shore. It was a satisfaction, however, to find that no land appeared which was likely to impede his progress ; and he had been too much accustomed to the obstruction occasioned by ice, and too well aware of the sud- denness with which that obstruction is often re- moved, to be at all discouraged by present appear- ances. On the top of this hill he deposited a bottle, con- taining a short notice of his visit, and raised over it a small mound of stones ; of these he found no want, for the surface was covered with small pieces of schistose limestone, but nothing like soil or vege- tation could be seen. He found a great quantity of madreporite among the lime, and at the foot of the hill met with one large piece, of the basaltiform kind. Several pieces of flint were also picked up on the beach. The insignificance of the stream which here emptied itself into the sea, formed, as 13 # 146 POLAR REGIONS. t usual, a striking contrast with the size of the bed through which it flowed, the latter being several hundred feet deep, and two or three hundred yards wide. The wind was light the next day, and being hemmed in by ice or land on all sides, the ships scarcely changed their position. An experiment was made relative to the tide, which proved to flow from the southward, thus demonstrating that a pas- sage exists through Prince Regent's Inlet. There being no prospect of penetrating west- ward in the neighborhood of Prince Leopold's Isles, Capt. Parry determined to stand toward the northern shore again ; and after beating for some hours among the drift ice, the ships got into clear water near the coast. There was just light enough at midnight to see to read and write in the cabins. On the 19th a snow-storm came on, and lasted two days, during which the ships were beating about, sometimes in great danger. This did not, however, hinder the indefatigable Parry from giving his at- tention to the survey of the coast, and several bays, capes, and inlets found place on the map in con- sequence. Passing along the shore, the ships left the ice behind, and on the 21st, there was nothing to impede their passage westward but want of wind. The narwhales were blowing around them in every direction, and three walrusses were seen upon a piece of ice. Advancing slowly to the westward, a considerable opening was discovered, which was named Gas- coyne's Inlet. The cliffs on this part of the coast m jim POLAR REGIONS. 147 were observed to be of secondary limestone. There was little or no vegetation at the only place where they h^d an opportunity to land ; but as they ob- served traces of reindeer, the interior of the coun- try cannot be altogether unproductive. The wind freshening, all sail was made to the westward, where the prospect began to wear a more and more interesting appearance. It was soon perceived, as they proceeded, that the land, along which they were sailing, and which, with the exception of some small inlets, had appeared to be hitherto continuous from Baffin's Bay, began now to trend much to the northward, leaving a large open space between that coast and a distant land to the westward, which appeared like an island, of which the extremes to the north and south were distinctly visible. The latter was a remarkable headland, having at its extremity two small table- hills, somewhat resembling boats turned bottoni upwards, and was named Cape Hotham. At sun- set they had a clear and extensive view io the northward, between Cape Hotham and the eastern land. On the latter several headlands were dis- covered and named ; between the northernmost of those called Cape Bowden, and the island to the westward, there was a channel of more than, eight leagues in width, in which neither land nor ice could be seen from the mast-head. To this noble channel Capt. Parry gave the name of Wellington. The arrival off this grand opening was an event for which they had long been looking with much anx- iety and impatience ; for the continuity of land to il 148 POLAR REGIONS. M ,f:\- , the northward had always been a source of uneasi- ness to them, principally from the possibillity that it might take a turn to the southward and unite with the coast of America. The appearance of this broad opening, free from ice, and of the land on each side of it, more especially that on the west, leaving scarcely a doubt of the latter being an island, relieved them from all anxiety on that score ; and every one thought that they were now finally disentangled from the land which forms the west- ern side of Baffin's Bay ; and that, in fact, they had actually entered the Polar Sea. Fylly impressed with this idea, Capt. Parry gave to this magnificent opening the name of Barrow's Strait. . CHAPTER V. Further Progress of the Expedition. — New Discoveries. — Bathurst's Island. — Novel Expedient in Navigation. Two thirds of the month of August had now elapsed, and they expected that the sea would re- main navigable six weeks more. The ships had suf- fered no injury, they had plenty of provisions, the crews were in high health and spirits, and the sea before them, if not open, was at least navigable. Officers and men united in a zealous determination to accomplish, by all possible exertions, the great object on which they were employed. On the 23d, a fresh breeze sprung up, and every POLAR REGIONS. 149 appearance indicated an unobstructed passage west- ward. Wellington Channel, to the northward, was as open as might be, but as it lay at right angles with their course, and there was still a large open- ing south of Cornwallis' Island, Capt. Parry judged it most advisable to try the latter The wind was fair and the navigators experienced that exhiliration which is produced by rapid motion of any kind, heightened by contrast with the slow and tedious progress they had hitherto made. Their disap- pointment was the greater, when in the midst of these favourable appearances, it was suddenly re- ported from Ihe crow's nest, that a body of ice barred the passage between Cornwallis* Island and the land to the southward. As they approached this obstacle, after lying to for an hour, Lieut, Beechy discovered that one narrow part of the barrier appeared to consist of loose pieces of heavy ice detache'd from the main body, and that beyond this there was a considerable extent of open water. The Hecla was immediately pushed into this part of the ice, and after a quarter of an hour's ' boring,* during which the breeze had, as usual, nearly de- serted her, succeeded in forcing her way through the neck. The Griper followed in the opening which the Hecla had made, and they continued their course to the westward, having once more a navigable sea before them. They now remarked, that a very decided change had taken place in the character of the land to the northward since leaving Beechey Island ; the coast near the latter being bold and precipitous next the 13* n^ -«"■ „J.:. ^l:- I, ui yi'i 150 POLAR REGIONS. sea, with very deep water close to it, while the shores of Comwallis' Island rise with a gradual as- cent from a beach which appeared to be com- posed of sand. Another opening in the southern shore was called Cunningham Inlet, and a very large one on the northern shore, Martin's Inlet. At two, P. M. having reached longitude 95° 67, they came to heavy and extensive floes, which obliged the ships to tack, as there was no passage between them. The rest of the afternoon was passed in beating to the northward in search of a passage, but none was found. On the contrary, the ice was in contact with the shore, from which it appeared not to have been detached this season. After several unsuccessful attempts to force a pas- sage, they at last succeeded, by boring through several heavy streams. The ships received many severe shocks in this operation, but luckily sustain- ed no essential damage, and at midnigHt were en- abled to pursue their course to the westward. Several low, sandy islands were observed, to which, as usual, names were given. The principal was called Bathurst Island. No whales or narwhales had been seen for several days, and it was remarked with some degree of uneasiness, that no living crea- ture had this day been seen. They were, however, encouraged to find that while the sea beyond them was covered for the most part with heavy ice, yet that a channel of sufficient breadth was open be- tween it and the lee shore of Bathurst Island. This ice lay in very large fields, covered with hum- mocks. m •^ Li nJIi POLAR REGIONS. 151 The ships made very little way this night, but in the morning early they advanced with more speed, and more land was seen to the westward. The space to the westward was so broad, and the pros- pect from the mast-head so flattering, that Capt. Parry thought proper to appoint a place where the Griper should find the Hecla, in case of separation by the difference of sailing. But about seven, P. M. the precaution was found to have been need- less, for the ice stretched across the strai', and barr- ed the passage. This ice was covered with stones, sand, and in some places with moss. ^ Finding no passage on the south side of the island, Capt. Parry resolved to seek one along the northern shore. As the vessels were rounding the eastern point, Capt. Sabine and other officers were despatched to make the requisite observations, and to examine the natural productions of the shore. A thick fog came on soon after the boat had land- ed, and the ships stood off and on, firing signal guns, which were at length answered by musquets from the boat, which came on board in safety. The gentlemen reported, on their return, that they had landed on a sandy beach, near the east point of the island, which they found to be more produc- tive, and altogether more interesting than any other part of the shores of the polar regions which they had yet visited. The remains of Esquimaux habi- tations were found in four different places. Six of these, which Captain Sabine had an opportunity of examining, and which are situated on a level sandy bank, at the side of a small ravine near the sea, are 152 POLAR REGIONS. 'M'A i ^1^ '!■! des(;ribed by him as consisting of stones rudely placed in a circular, or rather an elliptical form. They were from seven to ten feet in diameter, the broad, flat sides of the stones standing vertically, and the whole structure, if such it may be called, being exactly similar to that of the summer huts of the Esquimaux, which had been seen the preceding year. Attached to each was a smaller circle, about four or five feet in diameter. The small circles were placed indifferently, as to their di- rection from the huts to which they belonged ; and from the moss and sand which covered some of the lower stones, particularly those which con- poscd the flooring of the huts, the whole encamj - ment appeared to have been deserted for several years. Very recent traces of the rein-deer and musk-ox were seen in many places ; and a head of the latter, with several rein-deers' horns, was brought on board. A few patches of snow remain- ed in sheltered situations ; the ravines, however, which were numerous, bore the signs of recent and considerable floods, and their bottoms were swampy, covered with very luxuriant moss, and other vegetation, the character of which differed very Httle from that of the land at the bottom of Posses- sion Bay. The latitude of the place of observation was 75° 09' 23", and the longitude, by chronometers, 103° 44' 37'. The dip of the magnetic needle wa.s 88° 35' 58'', and the variaticu was now found to have changed from 128° 58' west, in the longitude of ri° 48', where their last observation on shore had POLAR REGIONS. 153 as rs, v;is been made, to 165° 50' 09' east, at our present sta- tion ; so that they had, in sailing over the space in- cluded between those two meridians, crossed im- mediately to the northward of the magnetic pole, and had undoubtedly passed over one of those spots upon the globe, where the needle would have been found to vary 180°, or, in other words, were its north pole would have pointed due south. This spot would, in all probability, at this time, be somewhere not far from the meridian of 100° west of Greenwich. Such an observation would have been highly in- teresting, but considering the precarious nature of this navigation, Capt. Parry did not feel himself justified in making the stay it would have required. The fogs now froze hard upon the rigging, which made it very laborious to work the ship, as each rope was thus increased to twice or three times its proper diameter. On the evciiing of the 29th a very thick fog came on, and they sailed under such cir- cumstances as have seldom occurred in navigation. Having observed that in this strait the wind always blew some hours steadily fiom one quarter, the quarter-masters steered by the vane at ihe mast- head, instead of the compass, which was here ut- terly useless. At night it was impossible to sail in any degree of security, and the ships were made last to a floe till morning. The floe was not more tlmn six or seven feet thick, and wan covered with numerous pools of water, nil hard fro/on. The f»f- ficers amused themselves in skating upon (he poob, ami the men in sliding, football, nml olhor games, h 154 POLAR REGIONS. Thus the ships remained till the morning of the thirtyfirst, when a new expedient for sailing was adopted. Before the fog commenced, and while they were sailing on the course which by the bearings of the land they knew to be the right one, the Griper was exactly astern of the Hecla, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile. The weather being for- tunately not so thick as to prevent still seeing her at that distance, the quarter-master was directed to stand aft, near the taffrail, and to keep her con- stantly astern, by which means they contrived to steer a tolerably straight course to the westward. The Griper, on the other hand, naturally kept the Hecla right a-head ; and thus, however ridiculous it may appear, it is, nevertheless, true, that they steered one ship entirely by the other for a distance of ten miles out of sixteen and a half, which they sailed between one and eleven, P. M. It then being rather dark, and the water having become shallow, it was not considered prudent to proceed farther in that direction. ; -m ■h •* •'■. m POLAR REGIONS. 155 CHAPTER VI. Some Description of the Shores of Melville Island. — The Ships' Companies win the Premium for penetrating to Longitude 110° West from Green- wich. — Bay of the Hecia and Griper. — Farther Proceedings. — Loss and Sufferings of a Hunting Party. The morning of the first of September brought a breeze, and with it a snow-storm, so that they were unable to shape their course till the afternoon, when the weather cleared, and a small, low island was discovered. At one, on the 2d, a star was seen, the first that had been visible for more than two months. The fog came on again, and there was not wind enough to enable them to keep the ships under command, which caused them to receive very hard blows, though the ice was loose enough to hove allowed a tolerably easy passage, with a mock -.rte wind. As none of the pieces were large enou:;h to make the ships fast to, after the usual manner, they could only heave to, to windward of the larger musses, and drift with them. In the afternoon they stood in for the land, and at one, P. M. Capt. Parry \vent on shore, and was joined by the Griper's boats. They landed on a very ^,at, sandy beach, which did not allow the boats to come nearer than ijicir own length. The basis of this land is sandstone ; but they met with limestone also, occurring in loose pieces on the surface, and several lumps of coal were brought in by the parties who had traversed i i I « : ri 156 POLAR REGIONS. the island in different directions. The sportsmen were by no reans successful, having seen only two deer, which were too wild to allow them to get near them. The dung of these animals, how- ever, as well as that of the musk-ox, was very abundant, especially in those places where the moss was most luxuriant ; every here and there they came to a spot of this kind, consisting of one or two acres of ground, covered with a rich vege- tation, and which was evidently the feeding-place of those animals, there being quantities of their hair and wool lying scattered about. S.^veral heads of the musk-ox were picked up, and one of the Hecla's seamen brought to the boat a narwhale's horn, which he found on a hill more than a mile from the sea, and which must have been carried thither by Esquimaux or by bears. Three or four brace of ptarmigan were killed, and these were the only supply of this kind which they obtained. Ser- jeant Martin of the artillery, and Captain Sabine's servant, brought down to the beach several pieces of a large fir tree, which they found nearly buried in the sand, at the distance of three or four hundred yards from tiic present high-water mark, and not less than thirty feet above the level of the sea. They found no indication of this part of the island having been inhabited, unless the narwhale's horn, above mentioned, be considered as such. The latitude of the place of observation here, which was within a hundred yards of the beach, was 74° 58', the longitude, by chronometers, 107° 03' 31 ".7, and the variation of the magnetic needle % POLAR REGIONS. 157 151° 30' 03" easterly. At the top of a hill, immedi- ately above the place of observation, and about a mile from the" sea, a bottle was buried, containing the usual information. A mound of sand and stones was raised over it, with a boarding-pike fixed in the middle. On the morning of the third, a northern breeze again enabled them to make some progress. The farthest land to the westward was a point which they found much difficulty in passing, for the ice had closed in upon the land. They made tolerable progress this day, and on the 4th, at nine, P. M. crossed the meridian of 110" west from Green- wich, in latitude 74° 44' 20", by which the ships' com- panies became entitled to a reward of five thou- sand pounds, offered by the King's order in council, * to such British subjects as might penetrate so far west within the Arctic Circle.' On the 5th, they found the passage blocked up again, and stood off and on, waiting for an opening lo occnr ; but no change taking place, and a heavy gale coming on, the ships anchored in a tolerable roadstead, a mile and a half from the northern shore. In the evening, Capt. Sabine and some of the oth- er officers went on shore. They landed on a low point a little to the westward of the ships, which they found to be a very barren and unproductive spot ; several flocks of ducks were seen, and some glaucous gulls and tern ; the dung and foot-tracks of the deer and musk-ox were also observed in many places ; and some addition was made by the gentlemen to their collection of marine insects. 14 V .it' ** li '* ''t m . 4^4 ;,' V'ir. I f. I? I' 158 POLAR REGIONS. The rocks are composed entirely of sandstone ; but a few small pieces of granite, flint, and coal, were also among the specimens brought on board. This island was named Melville Island, and the roadstead where the ships lay was called. The Bay of the Hecla and Griper. The Bay of the Hecla and Griper was the first place where they had dropped anchor since leaving England, a circumstance which seemed to mark the completion of one stage of the voyage. The flags were hoisted as soon as the ships anchored, in honor of the epoch ; the first time that the eye of civilized man had looked on that barren and in- hospitable rej^ion. In the afternoon of the Cth, the ice was observed to be in motion, and the ships got under way, and penetrated through it, and sailed a short distance. They were again beginning to indulge in flattering hopes, when a compact body of ice was observed from the crow's nest, extending quite across their intended passage. They ran sufficiently close to be assured that the floes joined the shore, and that no opening existed, nor was any clear water to be seen beyond them from the mast-head. The ships were therefore secured to a floe ; for the season was now so f:n advanced as to make it necessary to secure them every nigln from ten till two o'clock, the weather being too dark to allow them to keep under way. It being found that the situation in which the ships lay was such ns to expose them to be nipped between the floes, in case of a change in the posi- ij> % m m£:' ■^. POLAR REGIONS. 159 tion of the ice, Capt. Parry determined to remove them nearer to the land. Two large masses lay aground, and the vessels were secured between them and the shore. These masses were from twenty to thirty feet high from the water, and about the length of the ships, each. They appeared to have been forced upon the beach by an enormous pressure from without. The parties from the shore returned with a white hare, several fine ptarmigans, a few snow-buntings, some skulls of the musk-ox, and several reindeers' horns ; but they were not fortunate enough to meet with either of the two latter animals. The island is here, as in the other parts on which they had landed, principally com- posed of sand-stone, of which some spherical no- dules, one of them as large as a nine-pound shot, were brought on board. Several lum.ps of coal, which was here more abundant than they had yet found it, were also picked up, and were found to burn with a clear lively flame, like cannel coal, but without splitting and crackling in the same manner. On the 9th, their mortification was great to per- ceive that not only the ice was as close as ever to the westward, but the floes in their immediate neighbourhood were approaching the shore. On the 10th, it snowed. At five, A. M. a floe ran against the berg within which the Hecla was se- cured, and turned it round, as on a pivot. They were by this time so surrounded with ice that no clear water was to be seen, and all that could be done was to attend carefully to the safety of the ships. A party returned in the evening from a shooting N ■ iiiiii 160 POLAR REGIONS. 1^ ■i,' Hi' r excursion, and reported that the sea was covered with ice as far as they could see from the hill-tops. On the eleventh, there was no alteration in ap- pearances, and a party sent to observe the ice return- ed with the news that all was equally unpromising farther on. One of the officers killed the first musk- ox that they had yet been able to approach. They now began to be alarmed for the fate of a shooting party that had left the Griper two days before, and parties went in search of them. In the evening of the 12th they arrived. They had lost -their way a few hours after leaving the ship, and had wandered about they knew not whither, till they saw a flag-staff that had been set up for their guidance. At night they had halted, made a litde fire to keep their feet from freezing, and put up a email hut of stones to shelter them from the weather. They had not been in actual want of food, having lived upon ra,v grouse, of which they had enough to subsist upon. The whole party were much ex- hausted with cold and fatigue, and several of them had their fingers and toes severely frost-bitten. Before midnight, after their return, the thermometer fell to 15", and a hard gale gave them reason to be thankful that their absence had not been longer protracted. 41^' il POLAR REGIONS. 161 CHAPTER VII. The Ships return to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, and take up a Po- sition for the Winter. — Proceedings at Winter Harbor. — Internal Ar- rangements of the Ships. " The packed ice remaining immoveable, and the * young' ice rapidly forming, farther progress was considered impracticable that season. Capt. Parry thought it best to run back to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper and to pass the winter there. The other officers concurring with him in opinion, the signal to weigh anchor was given on the 22d, and the crews began to heave at the cables; but so stiff had they become with frost, and so much ice had accumulated upon them, that it was five, P. M. before the anchors were brought on board. Their retrograde movement was so much impeded by the ice that had formed behind them, that they did not reach the anchorage till the evening of the next day. A proper place being found, the ships dropped anchor on the edge of the bay ice in the evening of the 24th, in order to commence operations. A line for a canal was marked upon the ice by a row of boarding-pikes, and every officer and man was em- ployed in the work, which went on as follows. Two parallel lines were marked out, a little more than the breadth of the ships apart. Along aach of these lines a cut was then made with an icC'Saw, 14* 162 POLAR REGIONS. li . ...( , and others again at right angles to them, at inter- vals of from ten to twenty feet ; thus dividing the ice into a number of rectangular pieces, which it was again necessary to subdivide diagonally, in or- der to give room for their being floated out of the canal. Capt. Parry returning from the upper part of the harbour, where he had marked out what ap- peared to be the best situation for winter-quarters, found that considerable progress had been made in cutting the canal, and in floating the pieces out of it. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the seamen, who are always fond of doing things in their own way, took advantage of a fresh northerly breeze, by getting some boats' sails upon the pieces of ice, a contrivance which saved both time and labor. This part of the operation, however, was by far the most troublesome, principally on account of the quantity of young ice which formed in the canal, and especially about the entrance, where, be- fore sun-set, it had become so thick that a passage could no longer be found for the detached pieces, without considerable trouble in breaking it. At half past seven, P. M. they weighed their anchors, and began to warp up the canal ; but the northerly wind blew so fresh, and the people were so much fatigued, having been almost constantly at work for nineteen hours, that it was midnight before they reached the termination of their first day's labor. While they were thus employed, about nine o'clock a vivid flash of light was observed, exactly like lightning. There was at the same time, and during the greater part of the night, a permanent bright- '4W-- POLAR REGIONS. 163 the be- sage eces, At hors, lerly much i for they abor. lock hke uring Tight- ness in the northern quarter of the heavens, which was probably occasioned by the Aurora Borealis. All hands were again set to work on the morn- ing of the 25th, when it was proposed to sink the pieces of ice, as they were cut, under the floe, in- stead of floating them o' e latter mode having now become impractica account of the lower part of the canal, throug ' ihe ships had pass- ed being hard frozen durmj^ the night. To effect this, it was necessary for a certain number of men to stand upon one end of the piece of ice which it was intended to sink, while other parties, hauling at the same time upon ropes attached to the oppo- site end, dragged the block under that part of the floe on which the people stood. The officers of both ships took the lead in this employ, several of them standing up to their knees in water frequent- ly during the day, with the thermometer generally at 12°, and never higher than 16°. At six, P. M. they began to move the ships. The Griper was made fast astern of the Hecla, and the two ships* companies being divided on each bank of the canal, with ropes from the Hecla's gangways, soon drew the ships along to the end of their second day's work. The next day was Sunday, but it being a matter of absolute necessity t< get the ships into security with despatch, the work was continued. At noon, the whole canal was completed ; a length of fo"r thousand and eightytwo yards, through ice seven inches thick. By half past one the ships were warped to their winter positions ; an event which ".» :# ^>. ^^ .<V: ;i 0^ % IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■^1^ 12-5 150 "^™ MIIH us 2.2 -1^ UUl. IL25 il.4 m 1.6 '% Hiotographic _Sciences Corporation \ ^ ^ •'^ \ ;\ 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTIR.N.Y. MStO (716) S72-4S03 ^ <\ 164 POLAR REGIONS. '■'» i!! r i ii m was hailed with three hearty cheers from the crews. They were in five fathoms water, a cable's length from the beach of the northwestern side of the harbor. The wintering ground received the name of Winter Harbor ; and the group of which the island formed a part was denominated North Georgian Islands, in honor of the reigning sovereign of Great Britain. Having thus reached the place where they were probably to pass nine months, three of them in th absence of the sun, Capt. Parry found himself call- ed upon to act in circumstances in which no British naval officer had ever before been placed. The security of the ships and the preservation of the stores were the most immediate duties, and he lost no time in going about it. A regular system for the maintenance of good order, cleanliness, and consequently, health, were equal claims on his at- tention. Amusement was to be found for the men, as well as employment to relieve the tedium of so cheerless a sojourn, and scientific observations were to be made. In no point was the gallant officer and hardy navigator found wanting, and he was ably seconded by the officers under his command. A brief account of their proceedings will not only be amusing, but convey the best knowledge of that dreary region. Immediately on their arrival in harbor. Captain Sabine uad employed himself in selecting a place for an observatory, which was erected in a con- venient spot, about seven hundred yards to the westward of the ships. It was also considered POLAR REGIONS. 165 advisable immediately to set about building a house near the beach, for the reception of the clocks and instruments. For this purpose, they made use of a quantity of fir-plank, which was intended for the construction of spare boats, and which was so cut as not to injure it for that purpose. The ground was so hard frozen that it required great labor to dig holes for the upright posts which formed the support of the sides. The walls of this house being double, with moss placed between the two, a high temperature could, even in the severest weather which they might be doomed to experi- ence, be kept up in it without difficulty by a single stove. Not a moment was lost, in the commencement of operations. The whole of the masts were dis- mantled, except the lower ones and the Hecla*s main-top-mast; the lower yards were lashed fore and aft amidships, to support the planks of the hous- ing intended to be erected over the ships ; and the whole of this frame-work was afterwards roofed over with a cloth. The boats, spars, running rig- ging, and sails were removed on shore ; and as soon as the ships were secured and housed over, Capt. Parry's whole attention was directed to the health and comfort of the officers and men. The surgeon reported that not the slightest disposition to scurvy had shown itself in either ship. In order to prolong this healthy state of the crews, and to promote the comfort of all, such ar- rangements were made for the yarmth and dryness of the births and bed-places, as circumstances ap- }'■ 166 POLAR REGIONS. 4'^ 'HI w mi 'Mi i m. i i r peared to require ; and in this respect some difficul- ties were to h& overcome, which could not, per- haps, have been anticipated. Soon after their ar- rival in Winter Harbor, when the temperature of the atmosphere had fallen considerably below zero of Fahrenheit, it was found that the steam from the coppers, as well ns the breath and other vapor generated in the inhabitated parts of the ship, be- gan to condense into drops upon the beams and the sides to such a degree as to keep them constant- ly wet. In order to remove this serious evil, it was necessary to adopt such means for producing a sufficient warmth, combined with due ventilation, as might carry off the vapor, and thus prevent its settling on any part of the ship. For this purpose a large stone oven, cased with cast-iron, in which all their bread was baked during the winter, was placed on the main-hatchway, and the stove-pipe led fore and aft on one side of the lower deck, the smoke being thus carried up the fore hatchway. On the opposite side of the deck, an apparatus had been attached to the galley-ra- v^je " conveying a current of heated air between Ut- This appa- ratus simply consisted of an iron box, or air-vessel, about fifteen inches square, through which passed three pipes, of two inches diameter, communicating from below with the external air, and uniting above in a metal box, fixed to the side of the galley-range ; to this box a copper stove-pipe was attached, and conveyed to the middle part of the lower deck. When a fire was made under the air-vessel, the air became heated in its passage through the three pipes, from which it was conveyed through the POLAR REGIONS. 167 Stove-pipe to the men's births. While this appara- tus was in good order, a moderate fire produced a current of air of the temperature of 87°, at the dis- tance of seventeen feet from the fire-place ; and, with a pipe of wood, or any other imperfect con- ductor of heat, which would not allow of its es- caping by the way, it might undoubtedly be carried to a much greater distance. By these means they were enabled to get rid of the moisture about the births where the people messed; but when the weather became more severely cold, it still accu- mulated in the bed-places occasionally to a serious and very alarming degree. Among the means em- ployed to prevent the injurious effects arising from this annoyance, one of the most efficacious perhaps was a screen made of fear-nought, fixed to the beams round the galley, and dropping within eigh- teen inches of the deck, which served to intercept the steam from the coppers, and prevent it from curhng along the beams, as before, and condensing upon them into drops. This screen was especially useful at the time of drawing off the beer, which they had lately been in the habit of brewing from essence of malt and hops, and which continued to be served for several weeks as a substitute for part of the usual allowance of spirits. They found the steam arising from this process so annoying during the cold weather, that, valuable as the beer must be considered as an antiscorbutic beverage, it was deemed advisable to discontinue their brewery on that account. When the weather became severely cold, they could not get the beer to ferment, so as to make it palatable. % I I ,,;■. : P ! "'^!^' i II 168 POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER Vm. Modeof serving out Provisions and Fuel. — Theatre.— Weekly Newspaper.— Emigration of the Reindeer. — A White Bear. — Intense Cold. For the preservation of health, and as a necessary measure of economy, a few alterations were made in the quantity and quality of the provisions issu- ed. The allowance of bread was permanently re- duced to two-thirds, a precaution which, perhaps, it would have been as well to have adopted from the commencement of the voyage. A pound of pre- served meat, together with one pint of vegetable or concentrated soup per man, was substituted for one pound of salt beef weekly ; a proportion of beer and wine was served in lieu of spirits ; and a small quantity of sourkrout and pickles, with as much vinegar as could be used, was issued at regular inter- vals. The daily proportion of lime-juice and sugar was mixed together, and, with a proper quantity of water, was drank by each man, in presence of an officer appointed to attend to this duty. The latter precaution may appear to have bef n unnecessary, to those who are not aware how much sailors re- semble children in all those points in which their own health and comfort are concerned. Whenever any game was procured, it was directed to be in- variably served in lieu of, and not in addition to, the established allowance of other meat, except in a few extraordinary cases, when such an indulgence was allowed; and in no one instance, either in POLAR REGIONS. 169 quantity or quality, was the slightest preference given to the officers. In the article of fuel, which is of such vital im- portance in so severe a climate, a system of the most rigid economy was adopted ; such a quantity of coal only being expended, as was barely sufficient for the preservation of health on board the ships. A search was made for turf or moss, immediately after their arrival, and a small quantity of the latter was made use of as fuel ; but, without a previous drying, which, from the advanced period of the season, they had no means of giving it, it was found to be too wet to produce any saving of coals. They also looked out most anxiously for a vein of coal on shore, but only a few lumps were picked up during their stay in Winter Harbour. Great attention was paid to the clothing of the men, and one day in the week was appointed for the examination of the men's shins and gums by the medical gentlemen, in order that any slight appear- ance of the scurvy might at once be detected, and checked by timely and adequate means. Whenever a blanket was brought on deck, and suffered to remain there for a short time, it of course acquired the temperature of the atmosphere. When this happened to be rather low, under zero of Fah- renheit for instance, the immediate consequence, on taking the blanket again into the inhabited parts of the ship, was, that the vapor settled and con- densed upon it, rendering it almost instantly so wet as to be unfit to sleep on, and requiring, therefore* after all, that it should be dried by artificial heat IS %. fi fi -i" X ■«i 170 POLAR REGIONS. W%\ r ! hi, I I , before it could be returned into the bed-place. They were, therefore, under the necessity of hang- ing the bedding upon lines between decks, as the only mode of airing it ; and what was likely to prove still more prejudicial, they were obliged to have recourse to the same unhealthy measure in drying the washed clothes. Under circumstances of leisure and inactivity, such as they were now placed in, and with every prospect of its continuance for a very large portion of the year, Capt. Parry was desirous of finding some amusement for the men during this long and tedious interval. He proposed, therefore, to the officers, to get up a play occasionally on board the Hecla, as the readiest means of preserving among the crews that cheerfulness and good humor which had hitherto subsisted. In this proposal he was readily seconded by the officers of both ships ; and Lieutenant Beechey having been duly elected stage-manager, their first performance was fixed for Ihe 5th of November, to the great delight of the ships' companies. In these amusements Capt. Parry gladly took a part himself, considering that an ex- ample of cheerfulness, by giving a direct counte- nance to everything that could contribute to it, was not the least essential part of his duty, undei the peculiar circumstances in which they were placed. In order still further to promote good humor, as well as to furnish amusing occupation, during the hours of constant darkness, they set on foot a week- ly newspaper, which was to be called the JV(yrth POLAR REGIONS. 171 Georgia Gazette and Winter ChronicUy and of which Captain Sabine undertook to foe the editor, under the promise that it was to be supported by original contributions from the officers of the two ships: and, though some objection may, perhaps, be raised against a paper of this kind being generally resorted to in ships of war, Capt. Parry was too well ac- quainted with the discretion, as well as the excel- lent dispositions of his officers, to apprehend any unpleasant consequences from a measure of this kind : instead of which, the weekly contributions had the happy effect of employing the leisure hours of those who furnished them, and of diverting the mind from the gloomy prospect which would some- times obtrude itself on the stoutest heart. Among the fortunate circumstances of this sea- son's navigation, none was more striking than the opportune time the ships got into harbour ; for on the very night of their arrival the temperature iell to one degree, and on the next morning the sea was seen from the hill tops to be frozen over as far as the eye could reach, nor was any open water seen afterwards. During the first weeks of October the young ice was sometimes much squeezed by the larger floes, a proof that they had yet some room to move in ; but after that time, the sea was covered with solid and motionless ice. A few reindeer and eoveys of grouse were seen, but the land was so bare that the sportsmen found no cover that might aid in approaching them, and they only killed three deer in all their excursions. The reindeer emigrated before the close of October, 1 II 172 POLAR REGIONS. leaving only bears, foxes, and wolves behmd them. On the first of this month, a bear chased one of the men quite to the ships, where he was wounded with several balls, but nevertheless escaped. Another time a marine belonging to the Griper stayed so long on shore in pursuit of reindeer, that he would have perished of cold, if he had not been found and brought on board. His fingers were frozen quite stiff, so that notwithstanding the care and attention of the surgeon, it was found necessary to amputate three of them. It would seem, that the cold of this climate gives those who suffer its rigor every appearance of the last stage of intoxica- tion, an effect we have never observed in a low temperature elsewhere. All the water used on board the ships was pro- cured by dissolving the snow, which was dug out of large drifts, and was quite pure and whole- some. In strong winds, the snow was so whirled about, that nothing could be seen more than a quar- ter of a mile. On such occasions, no person wtis permitted to leave the ships, for no human being could have borne such exposure an hour. In order to procure a communication between the ships a distance of a cable's length, and with the house on shore, a line was kept extended from one to the other. To prevent absent parties from losing them- selves, guide-boards were erected on all the hills for three miles round. After the middle of October, whenever the snow fell, it consisted of very minute particles, in every form of crystallization. The meridian altitude of the sun was observed for the last time on the 16th of October. I /r?5 POLAR REGIONS. 173 AbovPthe 17th, the reindeer were seen in great numbers ; but on the 20th, the sportsmen saw no living thing. On the 26th, the light was sufficient to allow of reading and writing in the cabins, from half past nine till half past two. The rest of the hours were spent by lamp light. Nothing could exceed the beauty of the sky to the southeast and southwest at sunrise and sunset about this period : near the horizon there was generally a rich bluish purple, and a bright arch of deep red above, the one mingling imperceptibly with the other. The weather about this time was remarkably mild, the mercuiy in the thermometer having stood at or above zero for more than fortyeight hours. By a register of the temperature of the atmosphere, which was kept by Captain Sabine at the observa- tory, it was found that the thermometer invariably stood at least from 2" to 5°, and even on one or two occasions as much as 7° higher on the outside of the ships than it did on shore, owing probably to a warm atmosphere created round the former, by the constant fires kept up on board. It now became rather a painful experiment to touch any metallic substance in the open air with the naked hand ; the feeling produced by it exactly resembling that occasioned by the opposite ex- treme of intense heat, and taking off the skin from the part affected. They found it necessary, there- fore, to use great caution in handling the sextants and other instruments, particularly the eye-pieces of telescopes, which, if suffered to touch the face, occasioned an intense burning pain ; but this was 15* • if ■ -kr- I'l h, lillilillii-! m m m 174 POLAR REGIONS. r wii easily remedied, by covering them over with soft leather. Another effect, with regard to the use of instruments, began to appear about this time. Whenever any instrument, which had been some time exposed to the atmosphere, so as to be cooled down to the same temperature, was suddenly brought below into the cabins, the vapor was in- stantly condensed all around it, so as to give the instrument the appearance of smoking ; and the glasses were covered almost instantaneously with a thin coating of ice, the removal of which required great caution to prevent the risk of injuring them, until it had gradually thawed, as they acquired the temperature of the cabin. When & candle was placed in a certain direction from the instiument with respect to the observer, a number of very minute spicule of snow were alsp„,^een sparkling around the instrument, at the distance of two or three inches from it, occasioned by the cold atmos- phere produced by the low temperature of the in- strument almost instantaneously congealing into that form the vapor which floated in its immediate neighbourhood. ..di -..</ vMi POLAR REGIONS. 175 ».,> CHAPTER IX. Opening of the Theatre.—WolTes and White Foxes.— Measures to obviate the Effects of the Cold.— Mode of Passing the Time. November set in with mild weather. The fourth was the last day that the sun, independently of re- fraction, would be seen above the horizon for nine- tysix days, but the weather was too thick to allow of making any observations. On the fifth their the- atre opened with the representation of Miss in her Teens, which afforded the men a great fund of amusement. Even fitting up the theatre and taking it to pieces again, v,'^ a matter of no small impor- tance, as it kept the men employed a day or two before and after each performance, which was a considerable object gained. On the 11th, the thermometer fell to — 26 J for the second time. The wolves began to approach the shi})s boldly, howling most piteously on the beach near, sometimes for hours together, and, on one or two occasions, coming alongside the ships, when everything was quiet at night ; but they sel- dom saw more than one or two together, and, therefore, could form no. idea of their number. These animals were always very shy of coming near the people, and, though evidently suffering much from hunger, never attempted to attack any of them. The white foxes used also to visit the ships at night, and one of these was caught in a trap set under the Griper's bows. The uneasiness dis- H' #' ^ i » i i *■ -> ■; ■■■« 1 i , 1 f ■ 176 POLAR REGIONS. Urn i>i::lli| I 11! '1 played by this beautiful little animal dunng the time of his confinement, whenever he heard the howling of a wolf near the ships, gave rise to an opinion, that the latter is in the habit of hunting the fox as his prey. • The rapidity with which the ice now formed round the ships, was so great,J as to employ the people several hours every day in cutting it, and their utmost labor could hardly keep them clear. Capt. Parry, therefore, gave orders to leave off cut- ting it during the severity of the winter. The ave- rage formation, while they continued to cut it, was from three to five inches a day, and the mean tem- perature was — 12°. The cold increasing aboft the middle of the month, the cracking of the timbers was very frequent and loud for a time ; but generally ceased altogeth- er in an hour or two after this fall had taken place in the thermometer, and did not occur again at the same temperature during the winter. The wind blowing fresh from the northward, with a heavy snow-drift, made the ship very cold below ; so that the breath and other vapor accumulated during the night in the bed-places and upon the beams, and then immediately froze ; hence it often occupied all hands for two or three hours during the day to scrape the ice away, in order to prevent the bedding from becoming wet by the increase of temperature occasioned by the fires. It was therefore found necessary to keep some of the fires in between decks at night, when the thermometer was below — 16' or — 20" in the open air, especially when the 1-^ >: POLAR REGIONS. U7 wind was high. To assist in keeping the lower decks warm, as well as to retard, in some slight degree, the formation of ice immediately in contact with the ships' bends, they banked the snow up against their sides, as high as the main-chains ; and canvass screens were nailed round all the hatch- ways on the lower deck. The stars of the second magnitude in Ursa Major were perceptible to the naked eye a little after noon on the 11th, and the Aurora Borealis appear- ed faintly in the southwest at night. The cold continued to increase. About the middle of December, a serious loss took place in the bursting of the bottles of lemon juice, the whole contents often freezing into a solid mass, except a small portion of highly concentrated acid in the centre, which in most instances leaked out, so that the ice remaining was little better than water. ' The loss of this valuable antiscorbutic increased to an alarming degree : in some boxes which wtre in- spected, two thirds of the contents were found to be destroyed, and the remainder rendered inefficient. The vinegar also froze in the same manner, and lost much of its acidity when thawed. A few gallons of very highly concentrated vinegar, congealed in- to a consistence like honey. Though it might be supposed that the time would have dragged heavily in such a situation and in such a climate, the case was in fact very different. So fully occupied wus the time of both officers and men, that its quick flight was matter of general re- mark. The manner in which the days and hours 4 178 POLAR REGIONS. |"rt i iiir''" ■l.'iM !!|i I ! were employed during a total darkness of three months, may not perhaps be wholly uninteresting. The officers and quarter-masters were divided into four watches, which were regularly kept, as at sea, while the remainder of the ship's company were allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. The hands were turned up at a quarter before six, and both decks were well rubbed with stones and warm sand before eight o'clock, at which time, as usual at sea, both officers and men went to break- fast. Three quarters of an hour being allowed after breakfast for the men to prepare themselves for muster, they then beat to divisions punctually at a quarter past nine, when every person on board attended on the quarter-deck, and a strict inspection of the men took place, as to their personal cleanli- ness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient wamth, of their clothing. The reports of the of- ficers having been made to Capt. Parry, the people were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, to run round the upper deck, while he went down to examine the state of that below. The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the chief source of anxiety, and to have occupied by far the greatest share of attention at this period. Whenever any dampness appeared, or, what more frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place during the preceding night, the necessa- ry means were immediately adopted for removing it ; in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood with cloths, and then directing the warm air-pipe towards the place ; and in the latter, by scraping off >r POLAR REGIONS. 179 the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck by any accidental increase of temperature. In this respect, the bed-places were particularly trouble- some ; the inner partition, or that next the ship's side, being almost inyariably covered with more or less dampness or ice, according to the temperature of the deck during the preceding night. This in- convenience might to a great degree have been avoided, by a sufficient quantity of fuel to keep up two good fires on the lower deck, throughout the twentyfour hours ; but the stock of coals would by no means permit this, bearing in mind the possibil- ity of spending a second winter within the Arctic circle ; and this comfort could only, therefore, be allowed on a few occasions, during the most severe part of the winter. In the course of Capt. Parry's examination of the lower deck, he had always an opportunity of seeing those few men who were on the sick list, and of receiving from Mr Edwards a report of their respective cases ; as also of consulting that gentleman as to the means of improving the warmth, ventilation, and general comfort of the inhabited parts of the ship. Having performed this duty, he returned to the upper deck, where he personally inspected the men ; after which they were sent out to walk on shore, when the weather would permit, till noon, when they returned on board to their dinner. When the day was too inclement for them to take this exercise, they were ordered to run round and round the deck, keeping step to the tune of an organ, or, not unfrequently, to a song of *v ■nl' %' '■•) '' sUilll. 1' 180 POLAR REGIONS. their own singing. Among the men were a few who did not at first quite like this systematic mode of taking exercise ; but when they found that no plea, except that of illness, was admitted as an excuse, they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, but made it the occasion of much humor and frolic among themselves. > v - '» - •'v*'. ; CHAPTER X. ^ r^ Scenery of Winter Harbour. — Optical Deception. — Employments of Offi- cers and Men. — ^Theatrical Entertainments. — Night and Day. The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of occupying one or two hours in the middle of the day in rambling on shore, even in the darkest period, except when a fresh wind and a heavy snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may well be imagined that at this period, there was but little to be met with in their walks on shore, which could either amuse or interest. The necessity of not exceeding the limited distance of one or two miles, lest a snow- drift, which often rises very suddenly, should pre- vent return, added considerably to the dull and tedious monotony which, day after day, presented it- self. To the southward was the sea, covered with one unbroken surface of ice, uniform hi its dazzling whiteness, except that, in some parts, a few hum- mocks were seen thrown up somewhat above the general level. Nor did the land offer much great- er variety, being almost entirely covered with snow, ifii ■ •-■■4 POLAR REGIONS. 181 , few deof plea, :cuse, plied, • and s of Offi- ay. , were hours 3, even h wind lin the ed that et with amuse ing the i snow- Id pre- uU and ;nted it- ed with lazzling w hum- ove the great- fa snow, except here and there a brown patch of bare ground in some exposed situations, where the wind had not allowed the snow to remain. When viewed from the summit of the neighbouring hills, on one of those calm and clear days, which not unfrequent- ly occurred during the winter, the scene was such as to induce contemplations which had, perhaps, more of melancholy than of any other feeling. Not an object was to be seen on which the eye could long rest* with pleasure, unless when directed to the spot where the ships lay, and where the little colony was planted. The smoke which there is- sued from the several fires, affording a certain indi- cation of the presence of man, gave a partial cheer- fulness to this part of the prospect ; and the sound of voices, which, during the cold weather, could be heard at a much greater distance than usual, served now and then to break the silence which reigned around ; a silence far different from that peaceable composure which characterises the landscape of a cultivated country : it was the denth-like stillness of the most dreary desolation, and the total absence of animated existence. Such, indeed, was the want of objects to afford relief to the eye or amuse* ment to the mind, that a stone of more than usual size appearing above the snow, in the direction in which they might be going, immediately became a mark, on which their eyes were unconsciously fixed, and towards which they mechanically ad- vanced. Dreary as such a s'cene must necessarily be, it could not, however, be said to be wholly wanting 16 % %' 182 POLAR REGIONS. :\\"M a in interest, especially when associated in the mind with the peculiarity of their situation, tiie object which had brought them hither, and the hopes which the least sanguine among them sometimes enter- tained, of spending a part of the next winter in the more genial climate of the South-Sea Islands. Per- haps, too, though none then ventured to confess it, their thoughts would sometimes involuntarily wander homewards, and institute a comparison between the rugged face of nature in this desolate region, and the livelier aspect of the happy land which they had left behind. They had frequent occasion, in their walks on shore, to mark the deception which takes place in estimating the distance and magnitude of objects, when viewed over an unvaried surface of snow. It was not uncommon for them to direct their steps towards what they took to be a large mass of stone, at the distance of half a mile, but which they were able to take up in their hands after one minute's walk. This was more particularly the case, when ascending the brow of a hill ; nor did they find that the deception became less, on account of the frequency with which they experienced its effects. In the afternoon, the men were usually occupied in drawing and knotting yarns, and in making points and gaskets ; a never-failing resource, where mere occupation is required, and which it was necessary to perform entirely on the lower deck, the yarns becoming so hard and brittle, when exposed on deck to the temperature of the atmosphere, as to v»^ ''.M- POLAR REGIONS. 183 nind jject rhich nter- a the Per- ss it, ander tween egion, 1 they Iks on iace in bjects, snow, r steps lass of which ;er one y the ftor did iccount ced its ic upied points e mere cessary yarns ed on as to e, be too stiff for working, and very easily broken. We may in this place remark that the lower rigging became extremely slack during the severity of the winter, and gradually tightened again as the spring returned ; effects the very reverse of tliose which had been anticipated, and which can only be ac- counted for by the extreme dryness of the atmos- phere in the middle of winter, and the subsequent increase of moisture. At half past five in the evening, the decks were cleared up, and at six they again beat to divisions, when the same examination of the men and of their births and bed-places took place as in the morning ; the people then went to their supper, and the of- ficers to tea. After this time the men were permit- ted to amuse themselves as they pleased, and games of various kinds, as well as dancing and singing occasionally, went on upon the lower deck till nine o'clock, when they went to bed, and their lights were extinguished. In order to guard against ac- cidents by fire, where so many fires and lights were necessarily in use, the quarter-masters visited the lower deck every half hour during the night, and made their report to the officers of the watches that all was, in this respect, safe below ; and to se- cure a ready supply of water in case of fire, a hole was cut twice a day in the ice, close alongside each ship. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the evening occupations of the officers were of a more rational kind than those which engaged the atten- tion of the men. Of these, reading and writing were the principal employments, to which were il 184 POLAR REGIONS. Mil III !(!,::' I'll'' i i; i! " !! I ■rii*'" occasionally added a game of chess, or a tune on the flute or violin, till half-past ten, about which time they all retired to rest. Such were the employments which usually occu- pied theny for six days in the week, with such ex- ceptions only as circumstances at the time suggest- ed. On Sundays, divine service was invariably per- formed, and a sermon was read on board both ships ; the prayer appointed to be daily used at sea, being altered, so as to adapt it to the service in which they were engaged, the success which had hitherto attended their efforts, and the peculiar circumstan- ces under which they were placed. The attention paid by the men to the observance of their religious duties, was such as to reflect upon them the highest credit, and tended in no small degree to the preser- vation of that regularity and good conduct, for which, with very few exceptions, they were invari- ably distinguished. Theatrical entertainments took place regularly once a fortnight, and continued to prove a source of infinite amusement to the men. The stock of plays was so scanty, consisting only of one or two volumes, which happened accidentally to be on board, that it was with diflSculty they could find the means of varying the performances suflUciently. The writers, therefore, set to work, and produced, as a Christmas piece, a musical entertainment, ex- pressly adapted to the audience, and having such a reference to the service on which they were en- gaged, and the success they had so far experienced, as at once to afford a high degree of present recrea- POLAR REGIONS. 185 tion, and to stimulate, if possible, the sanguine hopes which were entertained by all on board, of the com- plete accompHshment of the enterprise. They were at one time apprehensive, that the severity of the weather would have prevented the continuance of this amusement, but the perseverance of the of- ficers overcame every difficulty ; and, perhaps, for the first time since theatrical entertainments were devised, more than' one or two plays were per- formed, with the thermometer below zero on the stage, on board the Hecla. The JYorth Georgia Gazette^ which we have al- ready mentioned, was a source of great amusement, not only to the contributors, but to those who, from diffidence of their own talents, or other reasons, could not be prevailed on to add their mite to the little stock of literary composition, which was week- ly demanded; for those who declined to write were not unwilling to read, and more ready to criticise than those who wielded the pen; but it was that good-humored sort of criticism that could not give offence. The subjects handled in this paper were, of course, various, but generally appli- cable to their own situation. Of its merits or de- fects it will not be necessary to say anything here. The officers, who were chiefly concerned in carrying it on, agreed to print it for the entertainment of their friends; the publisher being at liberty, after supplying each with a certain number of copies, to dispose of the rest. The return of each successive day had been always very decidedly marked by a considerable 16* 186 POLAR REGIONS. twilight for some time about noon ; that on the short- est day being sufficient to enable them to walk out very comfortably for nearly two hours. There was, usually, in clear weather, a beautiful arch of bright red light, overspreading the southern horizon for an hour or two before and after noon ; the light in- j creasing, of course, in strength, as the sun ap- I proached the meridian. Short as the day now was, f- if indeed any part of the twenty four hours could properly be called by that name, the reflection of light from the snow, aided occasionally by a bright moon, was at all times sufficient to prevent expe- riencing, even under the most unfavorable cir- ^, cumstances, anything like the gloomy night which "p occurs in more temperate climates. Especial care was taken, during the time the sun was below the horizon, to preserve the strictest regularity in the time of meals, and in the various occupations which engaged the men's attention during the day; and this, together with the gradual and imperceptible manner in which the days had shortened, prevented this kind of life, so novel in reality, from appearing very inconvenient, or indeed like anything out of the common way. They were not sorry, however, to have arrived without any serious suffering, at the shortest day ; and they watched with no ordinary degree of pleasure, the slow approach of the re- turning sun. IM fi'-lilll ^ rOLAR RniONS. 187 CHAPTER XI. »g very of the ver, to at the dinary the re- Christmas. — Scurvy breaks out on board the Hecla. — Extreme Cold. — The Sun seen. — Conflagration on Shore. — Extraordinary Accumulation of Vapor. — Sudden Change of Weather. On Christmas-day the weather was raw and cold, with a considerable snow-drift, though the wind was only moderate from the N. W. ; but the snow which falls during the severe winter of this climate is com- posed of spiculae so extremely minute, that it re- quires very little wind to raise and carry it along. To mark the day in the best manner which circum- stances would permit, divine service was performed on board the ships; and Capt. Parry directed a small increase in the men's usual proportion of fresh meat as a Christmas-dinner, as well as an ad- ditional allowance of grog, to drink the health of their friends in England. The officers also met at a social and friendly dinner, and the day pa«!sed with much of the same kind of festivity by which it is usually distinguished at home ; and, to the credit of the men be it spoken, without any of that dis- order by which it is too often observed by seamen. A piece of English roast-beef, which formed part of the officers' dinner, had been on board since the preceding May, and preserved without salt during that period, merely by the antiseptic properties of a cold atmosphere. »* A great many frost-bites occurred about this timlif [Dec. 30], principally in the men's feet, even when ■i > ■ i 188 POLAR REGIONS. !lif!|' they had been walking quickly on shore for exer- cise. On examining their boots, Mr Edwards re- marked, that the stiffness of the thick leather, of which they were made, was such as to cramp the feet, and prevent the circulation from going on freely, and that this alone was suflficient to account for their feet having been frost-bitten. Being very desirous of avoiding these accidents, which, from the increased sluggishness with which the sores healed, were more and more likely to affect the general health of the patients by long confinement, Capt. Parry directed a pair of canvass boots, lined with blanketing, or some other woollen stuff, to be made for each man, using raw hide as soles ; this completely answered the desired purpose, as scarce- ly any frost-bites in the feet afterwards occurred, except under circumstances of very severe exposure. The preceding accounts of the manner in which the time was employed, and of the occupations of the ships' companies, are taken, at length, from the journal of Capt. Parry, and given almost in his own words. We deem it unnecessary to make any addition. If what has been related does not confer honor on officers and men, and prove them emi- nently qualified for the service they had under- taken, we have formed a very erroneous judgment. On the first of January scurvy made its appear- ance among them. Mr Scallon, gunner of the Hecla, had complained for some days, and the symptoms were now decidedly scorbutic. It was found to be owing to the dampness of his bedding, and proper measures were taken to prevent an in- crease of the malady. By raising mustard and the !!l!i POLAR REGIONS. 189 cress in small boxes near the cabin stove, they were able to give Mr Scallon and one or two more patients nearly an ounce of salad per day. The vegetables thus raised were necessarily colorless from the privation of light ; but they had the same taste as if raised in ordinary circumstances. So effectual were they in the case of Mr Scallon, that he recovered in less than a fortnight. On the morning of the 7th of January the ther- mon:-eter fell to — 40°, and at noon the mercury sunk to — 49°. Nevertheless, the weather being quite calm, the people walked on shore for an hour with- out suffering any inconvenience, the sensation of cold depending more on the wind than the tempe- rature. Our own observations go to confirm those of Capt. Parry in this particular. We have seen persons, properly clothed, go abroad while the thermometer was at upwards of 30° below zero, without feeling pain, or any disagreable sensation. A wind, though the temperature may be fifty de- grees higher, is ten-fold more inconvenient and dan-i;erous. We have experienced in our own per- son, as well as observed in others, that the animal heat is always sufficient to resist any natural degree of cold, while the weather is calm. t: Toward the end of the month they began to look out for the sun from the mast head. On the morn- ing of the third of February, the weather being clear, a cross, consisting of the usual vertical and horizontal rays, was seen about the moon. At twenty minutes before noon, the sun was seen from the Hecla's maintop, at the height of fiftyone feet ^ ^' .i^:«.. I > ■^ ki 'r 190 POLAR REGIONS. *'Vi above the sea, being the first time it had been seen for eightyfour days, twelve days less than its actual stay below the horizon. There was now, from eight o'clock till four, sufficient light for any kind of work, and on the seventh they began to collect bal- last for the Hecla, to make up for the expenditure of stores. v The coldest part of the year was now approach- ing ; yet the sun had sufficient power to affect the thermometer, which rose from — 40" to — 35° when exposed to its rays. The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air during the continuance of this intense cold was truly surprising. Conver- sation carried on a mile off could be distinctly heard. The smoke from the ships, too, owing to the difficulty it has to rise in a low temperature, was carried horizontally to a great distance. On the 15th, the mercury sunk to 55° below zero, which was the most intense degree of cold observed dur- ing the winter. Mercury was malleable in this state of the atmosphere. At half past ten, A. M. on the twentyfourth, the house on shore was discovered to be on fire. The (lames were extinguished by the men in a few minutes, but at the expense of having their cheeks and noses frost-bitten, so that sixteen were added to the sick list. One of them, from holding a com- pass he had saved in his bare hands, froze them so badly that it was necessary to amputate four fingers from one, and three from the other. Nor did the weather permit them to dig out the things which had been buried in the ruins of the house POLAR REGIONS. 191 I seen actual from :ind of ct bal- iditure iroach- BCt the ° when sounds nuance lonver- stinctly g to the re, was On the , which ed dur- lis state irth, the The a few cheeks idded to a com- le them ite four r. Nor B things e house till the first of March. On this day it had so far moderated as to allow them to enjoy a walk on the hills, and on the 6th the thermometer rose to zero, a higher temperature than any that had been regis- tered since the 17th of December. On the seventh a quantity of snow, placed in a very favorable situation, thawed, and the people took advantage of the change to rebuild the house on shore. The severe weather had kept all the vapor, which had accumulated and frozen to the ship's sides, below deck in a solid state, till now. But the mild- ness of the weather having caused a thaw below, it became necessary to scrape off the coating of ice. In one day, incredible though it may seem, no less than a hundred buckets full were removed, each containing from five to six gallons ; the accu- mulation of less than four weeks ! It may be ob- served that this vapor was produced, principally by the men's breaths, and by the steam of their food during meals, that from the coppers being effectu- ally carried on deck by the apparatus provided for that purpose. From this time the temperature gradually rose. The last use of the theatre was made by performing The Mayor of Garratt, and a part of the ship's roofings was removed to admit the light. On the 20th, two gulls were seen, and on the twentythird, by digging a hole in the centre of the harbour, it was found that the ice had acquired a thickness of six feet and an half during the winter. It was hard and brittle till within a foot of the lower surface, where it was soft and spongy. The length of the V df' ^ '<K 'H>- ■ '■^ |. 192 POLAR REGIONS. m ft hU •:• 'i ' ii' I 4- days had so much increased by the twentysixth, that a very sensible twilight was visible in the north, and the weather was now warm enough to allow wet silk to dry on deck. For the last three or four days of April, the snow on the black cloth of the housing had begun to thaw a little during a few hours in the middle of the day, and on the 30th so rapid a change took place in the temperature of the atmosphere, that the thermometer stood at the freezing, or, as it may more properly be termed in this climate, the thawing point, being the first time that such an event had occurred for nearly eight months, or since the 9th of the preceding September. This temperature was so much like that of summer, that Capt. Parry was under the necessity of using his authority to prevent the men from making such an alteration in their clothing as might have been at- tended with very dangerous consequences. The thermometer had ranged from — 32° to + 32" in the course of twenty days. There was, at this period, more snow upon the ground than at any other time of the year, the average depth on the lower part of the land being four or five inches, but much less upon the hills; while in the ravines a very large quantity had been collected. The snow at this time became so soft, from the influence of the sun upon it, as to make walking very laborious and un- pleasant. This rapid change in the weather revived their hopes of a speedy departure from Melville Island, and they all had sanguine expectations of leaving their winter-quarters before July. POLAR REGIONS. 193 sixth, lorth, allow snow un to Idle of 3 took e, that ', as it ite, the ach an iths, or . This tier, that iising his such an |been at- ;s. The |2° in the s period, fher time ■r part of [uch less ;ry large at this »f the sun s and un- ved their lie Island, )f leaving CHAPTER XII. Return of the Migratory Animals to Melville Island. — Snow filindnesa. — The Hecia freed from the Ice. — Gardening. — Journey to explore Mel- ville Island. On the 1st of May, however, it blew a gale from the northward, and the sun was seen at midnight for the first time that season. The storm con- tinued all the next day, and the snow fell so deep as to bury the house on shore completely. On the 6th, the people began the operation of cutting the ships out of the harbor. In order to prevent the men from suffering from wet and cold feet, a pair of boots and stockings were given to each, being part of a complete suit which had been supplied, to be issued to the ships* companies gratis, should oc- casion require. And as the expedition had been victualled for two years only, one of which had now expired, Capt. Parry thought it proper to re- duce the daily rations to two thirds of the estab- lished proportion, to which reduction both officers and men cheerfully submitted. On the 12th, one of the men reported that he had seen a ptarmigan, which was hailed as a sure omen of returning summer. The next day one was killed ; and, in a day or two more, the tracks of reindeer and musk-oxen were discovered; indi- cating that these animals had commenced their journey to the north. The time of their return to 1 A: * «S 1 ■ '■■ ( * tt- 194 . nOLAR REGIONS. Melville Island was thus ascertained, and it was suggested that the time of their migration had oc- curred with the first fine weather after the com- mencement of constant day-light. As it was im- portant that all the game they might procure should be served out in lieu of the ordinary stores, it was ordered that all game killed should be public property, and as such should be issued like any other provision. Some of the men were now afi^icted with a dis- ease common in all the northern desert parts of America. This is a painful inflammation of the eyes, supposed to be occasioned by the reflection of intense light from the snow, aided by the heat of the sun. The sensation resembles that of sand in the eyes, and we have seen it in some instances result in a total and permanent loss of sight. As a preven- tive of this complaint, a piece of black crape, to be worn as a veil, was given to each man, and was found to be very serviceable. This fashion is in vogue all over the northwest. On the 17th, the operation of cutting the ice round the Hecla was completed, in the following manner: the ice alongside the ships was found to be six feet thick, and they began by digging a large hole under the stern in order to enter the saw. This occupied two days, as few could work at it at once ; but in the mean time all the snow and rubbish was cleared away from the ship's side, leaving only the solid ice to work upon. A trench, two feet wide, was cut the whole length of the starboard side, from the stem to the rudder, keeping within an inch 4 -'^ POLAR REGIONS. 195 it was id oc- com- ras im- should ores, it 5 public ,ke any h a dis- parts of of the 2ction of at of the vd in the I result in t preven- pe, to be and was ion is in the ice following found to ng a large aw. This it at once ; ibbish was g only the feet wide, )oard side, hin an inch or two of the bends, and taking care here and there to leave a dike, to prevent the water which might ooze into one part from filUng up the others in which the men were working. In this manner was the trench cut with axes, to the depth of about four feet and a half, leaving only eighteen inches for the saws to cut, except in those places where the dikes remained. The saw, being then entered in the hole under the stern, was worked in the usual manner, being suspended by a triangle made of three spars ; one cut being made on the outer part of the trench, and a second within an inch or two of the bends, in order to avoid injuring the planks. A small portion of ice being broken off now and then by bars, handspikes, and ice-chisels, floated to the surface, and was hooked out by piecemeal. This operation was a cold and tedious one, and required nine days to complete it. When the workmen had this morning completed the trench within ten or twelve feet of the stern, the ship sud- denly disengaged herself from the ice, to which she had before been firmly adhering on the larboard side, ar^d rose in the water about ten inches abaft, and nearly eighteen inches forward, with a con- siderable surge. This disengagement, to which the sailors naturally applied the term * launching,* confirmed the supposition, that the ship was held so fast by the ice, as to make it dangerous to alter materially the stowage of the holds, but in a man- ner the very reverse of what had been appre- hended. This circumstance, however, on consid- eration, it was not dilficult to explain. In the 'M-i 196 POLAR REGIONS. I'iii! ill mm n r, " ^^- lillPil course of the winter, the strong eddy winds about the ships had formed round them a drift of snow, seven or eight feet deep in some parts, and, per- haps, weighing a hundred tons ; by which the ice, and the ships with it, were carried down much be- low the natural level at which they would other- wise have floated. In the mean time the ships had become considerably lighter, from the expenditure of several months' provisions ; so that, on both these accounts, they had naturally a tendency to rise in the water as soon as they were set at lib- erty. The ships being once more afloat, a strict sur- vey was held on all the provisions and stores, and the lading was properly adjusted. In the mean time a party were engaged in breaking stones for bal- last, and the other necessary works went on with great activity. It was found requisite to caulk the upper works of both ships, the frost having opened the seams very much. At the same time, Capt. Parry laid out a small garden, and planted it with antiscorbutic plants ; but the attempt failed utterly, so that their farming was necessarily confined to the cabin, where mustard and cress could be rais- ed without difficulty. Peas, however, grew on the shore, big enough to have been eaten as greens, if they had been sowed in abundance. On the twentyfirst, some of the officers took a walk inland, and were able to fill a pint bottle with water from a pool of melted snow, which was the first they had seen ; a proof of the extreme severi- ty of the climate. They also discovered roots of ':■* ! -^ POLAR REGIONS. 197 about snow, 1, per- tie ice, ch be- other- ips had nditure m both sncy to ; at Ub- ict sur- , and the ean tune for bal- : on with aulk the r opened le, Capt. d it with d utterly, nfined to i be rais- sw on the greens, if srs took a )ottle with was the me severi- d roots of wild sorrel growing in plenty ; but it had not yet begun to vegetate. On the 24th, the clouds seemed to bode rain, and in the evening several showers fell, making numerous little pools upon the ice, which now remained un- frozen twelve or fourteen hours every day, as did also the sea water round the ships. Gulls too were seen. Thinking, ver^'^ justly, that an examination of the interior of the island would be conducive to the improvement of the geography and natural his- tory of these regions, and the health of the seamen allowing a number to be spared from each ship, Capt. Parry determined on an excursion. A cart was constructed to convey the tents and baggage, which answered the purpose very well ; and on the first of June the Captain set off with a party of twelve volunteers, and a supply of provisions for three weeks. They were furnished with two tents and a small quantity of fuel for the purpose of cookery, and each carried a blanket and a few spare articles of clothing. The course of the party was directly north. They found those parts where the snow had disap- peared more productive than the vicinity of Winter Harbour ; the dwarf willow, sorrel and poppy being more abundant, and the moss more luxuriant. Af- ter proceeding some miles inland, they came to an extensive plain, covered with snow, and terminated by a chain of lofty hills. This plain they judged to be three or four hundred feet above the level of the sea. They travelled slowly northward for six 17* . ..... 198 POLAR REGIONS. ! 'I i;i!;!| i!i!l:|-' I'llJiillli I ^1) days, before they reached the north shore of the island. They found the earth covered with snow quite across, excepting in a few exposed spots, and the only animals they sa>v were reindeer. From the northern coast a high island was seen, which was named after Captain Sabine. Having thus ascertained the extent of Melville Island, the party directed their course westward. As they proceeded alongshore in this direction, they found the soil richer, and vegetation more abundant. Many species of birds were seen, and musk-oxen were observed, as well as reindeer. The tracks of mice, hares, wolves, and foxes were abundant, and the sites of six Esquimaux tents were also discov- ered. They consisted of rude circles of stones, of all sizes and shapes, raised two feet from the ground : they were paved with large slabs of :.and- stone, which is very abundant on Melville Island. They appeared not to have been occupied for several years, for a thick coat of moss had grown upon the stones. In each of the huts was a sepa- rate compartment, forming a recess projecting out- ward ; and at a few feet from one of them was a smaller circle of stones, which had probably been a fire-place ; for the marks of fire were distinctly visible. The huts that Capt. Parry had previously seen, in this and the former voyage, had each one of these small circles attached. Thus it would seem that no part of the northern regions is too cold and inhospitable to preclude the visits of the Esquimaux, though it may be doubted whether they ever abide permanently on Melville Island or the surrounding lands. the POLAR REGIONS. 199 Df the snow ts, and seen, Having id, the s they found indant. k-oxen acks of int, and discov- )nes, of om the )f :,and- Island. ied for grown a sepa- ng out- n was a y been istinctly eviously ich one would is too s of the whether iland or On the 14th, the party reached Winter Harbour. The resuhs of the expedition were, that the extent and geographical features of this island were ascer- tained, as well as its capacity to sustain animal and vegetable life. Several bays and capes were also discovered, to which names were given, as usual. CHAPTER XIII. Progress of the Season. — State of tlie Ice. — Damage received by the Rud- ders of the Siiips. The equipment of the ships had gone on satisfac- torily during Capt. Pai-ry's absence — both vessels being nearly ready for sea. The survey of the provisions and stores was completed, and the whole were found in as good order as when they left England, with the exception only gf a small quan- tity of bread and sugar, which was not, however, so far damaged as to be unfit to be eaten. This high state of preservation must undoubtedly be attri- buted to the ajitiscptic qualities of a cold climate, which is unfavorable to the process of putrefac- tion, and to the generation of vermin, — and to the care which had been taken to supply the ships with articles of the best quality, packed in the best pos- sible manner. As to vermin, neither mouse, rat, or maggot, was seen on board during the voyage. A perceptible change had now taken place in the ice. The upper surface was covered with in- V ■ Ir'^ 200 POLAR REGIONS. m '. ! Ut '• I -^ :( .■;! ". I- i..| 1 mi »: numerable pools of brackish water, so that the lib- eration of the sea might be daily expected. Being desirous of obtaining as much game as possible during the remainder of the time that must be passed in Winter Harbour, Capt. Parry sent out hunting parties to remain ten or twelve miles inland, with orders to send whatever game they might pro- cure to the ships, and also to observe the ice from the hill tops, and report any change that might take place. Sorrel being now far enough advanced to be eaten, two afternoons in each week were ordered to be set apart for the purpose of collect- ing it, and each man was required to bring in one ounce, to be served out in lieu of lemon juice, pickles, &c. From this time the growth of the sorrel was so rapid that a man could easily pick nearly a pound of this valuable antiscorbutic, of which all were very fond. The leaves were eaten in various ways, such as pickles, salad — in puddings, or boiled in the manner of greens ; in all of which modes it was always used, when it could be pro- cured. On the eighteenth, the first reindeer killed this season was brought in, and a second followed on the 19th. They were very lean, not more than sixty pounds of flesh being found on either of them. By the 20th the land in the neighbourhood of the ships was covered with the purple flowers of the saxijraga oppositifolia. The ravines, with which the surface of the whole island is intersected, were now discharging torrents of melted snow into the sea ; but still the ice held on. ^^ POLAR REGIONS. 201 The suddenness of the changes of the climate was strikingly exemplified by this circumstance ; for not more than a fortnight before they had been un- der the necessity of thawing the snow when they wanted water to drink. Aquatic fowls made their appearance, and more reindeer were killed. The horns of the males were in the velvet, that is, covered with a soft, downy skin. The horns themselves were soft, and near the tips flexible and easily broken. Foxes also were seen, and the bones of whales were found on shore at a considerable distance from the sea, whith- er they had probably been carried by the Esqui- maux. The dissolution of the ice continued daily, and on the 22d, it was observed to be in motion in the offing, setting to the eastward at the rate of a mile an hour. On the 27th, one of the men, by name Scott, who had long been afflicted with scurvy, died. A post mortem examination proved his disease to have been such as would have baffled the utmost skill and attention, in any climate, or under any circum- stances. For the last two or three days, the spring- tides, which had been unusually high, overflowed the ice near the beach, so as to make it difficult to land near high water. In the general appearance of the ice in the harbour, there was no perceptible alteration from day to day, though the thawing pro- cess was going on with great rapidity. The officer in command of the hunting party to the southwest, received strict injunctions to watch the ice con- stantly, and to make an immediate report of any f! 202 POLAR REGIONS. !<;, u Ml '■ ■■] i!, "a ■riM ii ■M !' appearance of open water in any direction. For the last four or five days in June, they had experi- enced more southerly wind than usual, the weather being generally cloudy, with much small rain, and now and then a little snow ; the general temperature A of the atmosphere, however, was pleasant and com- fortable to the feelings, as well as favorable to the dissolution of the ice, for which they were so anx- iously looking. One of Mr Nias's party arrived from the eastward on the morning of the 1st of July, with a good sup- ply of hares, ducks, and ptarmigans. He had seen above fifty deer in three days, but they were too wild to allow the party to get near them, in a coun- try without the smallest cover of any kind. A herd of fourteen deer being sej?n near the ships, a party was despatched in pursuit of them, with the customary want of success, it being almost impossible to approach them in so open and ex- posed a country, so that these excursions generally ended in a chase between the men and the deer ; some good dogs would, perhaps, have been service- able on these occasions. • -v' • Having taken on board the bower anchors and cables from the beach, on account of the difficulty they should have found in removing them after the ice began to break up, each ship placed two stream anchors on shore with hawsers from the bow and quarter, to hold them in case of any sudden motion of the ice, the pools upon which now increased very perceptibly both in depth and extent from day to day. In looking into these pools, it always ap- iii POLAR REGIONS. 203 peared, during the day, as if drops of rain were falling into them ; this was caused by the continual extrication of air from the ice which was thawing below, and by the rising of the bubbles to the sur- face. At six, P. M. the atmosphere being clear and serene, the thermometer rose to 53° in the shade, but immediately on a moderate breeze springing up from the northward it fell to 45°. On the 5th and 6th, however, it stood for three hours from 50* to 52", with a fresh breeze from the northward, accompanied by cloudy weather ; and on the after- noons of the two following days, the wind being still northerly, the atmosphere continued for some time at the temperature of 55°. The dissolution of the ice of the harbour went on so rapidly in the early part of July, that they were greatly surprised, on the 6th, in finding, that in several of the pools of water, on its upper sur- face, holes were washed qu^e through to the sea beneath. On examining several of these, it was found that the average thickness of the ice, in the upper part of the harbour, where the ships were lying, did not exceed two feet, which was much less than they had any idea of. Towards the mouth of the harbour, however, where the water was deeper, no such holes made their appearance for some days after this. It must here be remarked, that in all cases they found the ice to be first thawed and broken up in the shoalest water, in consequence, perhaps, of the greater facility with which the ground, at a small depth below the surface of the sea, absorbed and radiated the heat of the sun's Am- 204 POLAR REGIONS. 1/ ■' ! : ..;l: II |:< I rays; and, as it is in such situations that water generally freezes first, this circumstance seems a remarkable instance of the provision of nature for maintaining .such a balance in the quantity of ice annually formed and dissolved, as shall prevent any undue or extraordinary accumulation of it in any part of the polar regions of the earth. In con- sequence of this circumstance, they were now en- abled, for the first time, to bring the boats down to the beach, so as to allow them to float at high water, in order to prevent their being split by the sun, while in every other part of the harbour, ex- cept thus near the shore, they had not the means of doing so till some days afterwards. On unhanging the rudders, and hauling them up on the ice for examination, they were found a good deal shaken and grazed by the blows they had re- ceived during the time the ships were beset at the entrance of Davis' Strait. It was found, also, that the rudder-casos in both ships had been fitted too small, occasioning considerable difficulty in getting the rudders down when working — a circumstance by no means disadvantageous, (perhaps, indeed, rather the contrary.) on ordinary service at sea, but which should be carefully avoided in ships in- tended for the navigation among ice, as it is fre- quently necessary to unship the rudder at a short notice, in order to preserve it from injury, as future experience was soon to teach them. This fault was, however, soon remedied, and the rudders again hung, in readiness for sea. About this time, a few flocks of loons occasionally made their ap- m * POLAR REGIONS. 205 water 3ms a ire for of ice nt any in any i con- 3W en- own to It high by the lur, ex- means hem up a good had re- t at the so, that tted too getting mstance indeed, at sea, jhips in- t is fre- a short IS future his fault rudders lis time, heir ap- pearance, invariably flying quite round the harbour, exactly over the narrow and only strip of water next the beach, as if looking out for food. CHAPTER XIV. A Boat passes between the Ships and the Shore. — Maximum Heat at Mel- ville Island. — ^The Vessels are made ready for Departure. — Thej weigh Anchor. — Departure from Winter Harbour. — Are stopped by the Ice. — Description of a Part of the Shore. On the 14th of the month, a boat passed, for the first time, between the ships and the shore, in consequence of the junction of a number of the pools and holes in the ice ; and on the following day the same kind of communication was practicable between the ships. It became necessary, therefore, to provide against the possibility of the ships being forced on shore by the total disruption of the ice between them and the beach, and the pressure of that with- out, by letting go a bower-anchor underfoot, which was accordingly done as soon as there was a hole in the ice under the bows of each, sufficiently large to allow the anchors to pass through. They had now been quite ready for sea for some days ; and a regular and anxious look-out was kept from the crow's nest for any alteration in the state of the ice, which might favor a departure from Winter Harbour, in which it now became more than probable that they were destined to be detained thus inactive for a part of each month in the whole year, as 18 206 POLAR REGIONS. j k, 111!!: ;^ li!. .„Ji'l!te,.„ they had reached it in the latter part of September, and were likely to be prevented from leaving it till after the commencement of August. From six, A.M. till six, P.M. on the 17th, the thermometer stood generally from 55° to 60°; the latter temperature being the highest which appears in the Hecla's Meteorological Journal during this summer. It will readily be conceived how pleasant such a temperature must have been to their feelings after the severe winter which immediately preceded it. The month of July is, indeed, the only one which can be called at all comfortable in the cli- mate of Melville Island. On the eighteenth, Capt. Parry rowed round the harbour in a boat, and took the soundings wherever the ice would permit. The channel was daily be- coming wider, especially after a breeze from any quarter, causing a ripple on the sea, by which the edge of the ice was rapidly washed away. On the 20th, a strong breeze from the N. N. E. together with a fog and rain, all favorable to the dispersion of the ice, removed that part of it immediately round the Hecla from which she had been artifi- cially detached so long before, so that the ship was once more riding at anchor. The Griper had pre- viously been set free in the same manner. Yet the ice still occupied the whole centre of the har- bour, and it was only where the ships were lying that it had separated at so great a distance from the shore ; occasioned, probably, by the radiation of heat from the vessel and from the varicub arti- cles which had been deposited upon the ice around them. POLAR REGIONS. 207 smber, 5 it till :h, the 3°; the ppears ng this ileasant feelings •eceded nly one the cli- )und the /herever laily be- rom any hich the On the ;ogether ispersion mediately en artifi' ship was had pre- fer. Yet the har- rere lying nee from radiation ioub arti- e avounO Thus they continued for some days longer. The ice in the harbour became detached from the shore at every point, but a quantity forced up upon a reef to the south, by the pressure of the external ice, proved that it had some room in which to acquire motion. On the 24th, Capt. Parry ordered the sails to be bent, in readiness to start at a moment's warning ; rather with a view to encourage the men, than with any prospect of departure ; for it could not be concealed that in eight or nine weeks more, the navigable season would arrive at its conclu- sion. On the morning of the 26th, there being a space of clear water for three quarters of a mile to the southward, they took advantage of a northern breeze to run as far as the opening would permit, and then dropped anchor at the edge of the ice, intending to advance step by step as it separated. The ice across the entrance of the harbour in this spot, as well as that in the offing, appeared from the crow's nest quite continuous and unbroken, with the same appearance of solidity aa at midwinter. On the 30th, the whole body of the ice was in motion toward the southeast, breaking away, for the first time, from the points at the entrance of the harbour. This rendering it probable that the ships would soon te released, Capt. Parry furnished Lieut. Liddon with instructions for his guidance during the coming season of operations, and ap- pointed places of rendezvous in case of separa- tion. On the first of August, the harbour was clear of ?i ■1 ;ii 208 POLAR REGIONS. ice, and there appeared to be water in the direc- tion of their intended course. At one, P. M. every- thing having been brought on board, they weighed anchor and ran out of Winter Harbour, in which they had passed ten entire months of the year, and a part of the two remaining ones, September and August. In running along at the distance of half a milo from the land, they were pleased lo see that the coast to the westward was more clear of ice than it had been when they arrived the preceding year, a month later ; the main ice being blown away by the late winds to the distance of four or five miles from the shore. The navigable channel between the ice and the land was from one to two and a half miles wide, and seemed from the mast head to continue as far as the eye could reach to the west- ward. After a few tacks, they had the mortification to perceive that the Griper sailed inuch worse than before, though great pains had been taken during her re-equipment to improve her qualities. By midnight the Hecla had gained eight miles to wind- ward of her, and was obliged to heave to, to avoid parting company. A southerly wind springing up the next day, made it probable that the ice would close in upon the ships, and they therefore began to look out for a situation where they might be secured in-shore, betiind some of the heavy grounded ice. At one o'clock they perceived that a heavy floe had al- ready closed completely in with the land at a point POLAR REGIONS. 209 direc- every- eighed which ar, and er and a miio hat the ce than g yea^' way by vc miles jetween o and a head to lie west- ation to rse than during les. By to wind- to avoid lext day, B in upon k out foT in-shore, At one had al- at a point a little to the westward of them. A proper place having been found for their purpose, the ships were hauled in and secured, the Griper's bow rest- ing on the beach, in order to allow the Hecla to lie in security without her. This place was so com- pletely sheltered from the accession of the main ice, that Capt. Parry began to think of taking the Gri- per's crew on board the Hecla, and pursuing the voyage in that ship alone. Shortly after anchoring, the Griper's people heard the growling of a bear among the ice near them, but the animal did not appear. This was the only instance of meeting with a bear during their stay at Melville Island, excepting the one that followed a man to the ships, immediately after their arrival, as before mentioned. No alteration in the position of the ice took place on the 3d, but at one, A. M. on the 4th, the loose ice drifted in upon them, the wind having veered to the north. Soon after, a floe, of not less than five miles in length, and a mile and a half across, was found to be approachi. »g the shore, at a quick rate. The ships were immediately hauled as near the shore as possible, ai preparation made for un- shipping the rudders, ii necessary. The floe was brought up, however, by the masses of ice aground outside, with which it successively came in contact, and the ships remained in perfect security; the floe, as usual after the first violence is over, moved off again to a little distance from the shore. The meridian altitude of the sun gave the latitude of 18* f!- s.-n*- 210 POLAR REGIONS. ' .■■I lili ,:, :'ll this station 74° 36' 06", and the longitude, by the chronometers, was IIT 16' 39'. At noon, the heavy floe at the point near the ships began to quit the land, and at half-past one, P. M,, there being a narrow passage between them, the breadth of which the breeze was constantly in- creasing, they cast off and stretched to the west- ward. The channel, which opened as they pro- ceeded, varied in its general breadth from one to two miles ; in some places it was not more than half a mile. The soundings were very regular, and sufficiently deep close to the shore ; in one place they found twentythree fathoms at one hundred yards from the beach, in another, fourteen, at sixty or seventy yards. At seven, P. M., they passed the place were they had been detained so long the preceding September, and where a party had been lest. The wind was variable, but they made con- siderable progress along the land to the southwest. At elevcii, P. M., they had got just far enough to see that there was a free and open channel beyond the westernmost visible point of Melville Island, when the wind fell, andjprevented them from taking advantage of it. They had this evening occasion to observe once more that darkness in the horizon to the southward, which had been noticed from this station in 1819, and more frequently since that time, during their detention in Winter Harbour, as bearing a great re- semblance to the loom of land in that quarter. They were the more inclined to the belief that there was land at no very great distance to the southward. POLAR REGIONS. 211 y the r the t one, them, ly in- west- y pro- one to 5 than \r, and place undred it sixty sed the mg the id been e con- hwest. ough to beyond Island, taking ve once thward, n 1819, ng their ;reat re- . They ere was thward. from the conviction that there must be something which prevented the ice being drifted off the shore of Melville Island, more than five or six miles, with any direction or force of wind. At one, P. M., the weather continuing quite calm, and being desirous of examining the ice in-shore, that they might be ready for the floes closing upon them, Capt. Parry left the ship, accompanied by Captain Sabine and Mr. Edwards, and landed near one of the numerous deep and broad ravines, with which the whole of this part of the island is in- dented. All the ice which was here fixed to the ground was literally upon the beach, with very deep water close alongside of it, and none of the masses projected to a sufficient distance from the shore to afford the smallest shelter to the ships in case of accidents. They saw several white hares here, and on this and many subsequent occa- sions found them frequent the sides of the high banks which face the south, and where there is usually a plentifrl vegetation for them to feed upon. They were ascending the hill, which was found by trigonometrical niCasurement to be eight hundred and fortyseven feet above the level of the sea, and on which they found no mineral production but sand-stone and clay iron-stone, when a breeze sprung up from the eastward, bringing up the Griper, which had been left several miles astern. They only stopped, therefore, to obtain observations for the longitude and the A'ariation of the mag- netic needle ; the former of which was 112° 58' 32", and the latter 110° 56' 11" easterly, and then imme- ii '■ n I .>■. ^ W ''i 'ii'it'fi'iiii illi; ;i!' 212 POLAR REGIONS. diately returned on board, and made all sail to the westward. After running for two hours without ob- struction, they were once more mortified in per- ceiving that the ice, in very extensive and unusually heavy floes, closed in with the land a little to the westward, and the channel of clear water between the ice and the land gradually diminished in breadth till at length it became necessary to take in the studding sails, and to haul to the wind, to look about. Capt. Parry immediately went in a boat to examine the grounded ice off a small point of land, such as always occurs in this region at the outlet of a ravine. He found that this point afforded the only possible shelter in case the ice should close, and therefore took the Hecla in, and secured her without loss of time. It was well he did so, for the ice was fast closing upon the shore. The Griper was at this time four miles astern, and Lieut. Lid- don was directed by signal to secure her in the best manner he could. CHAPTER XV. Dangerous Position of the Hecla. — Submarine Ice. — Curious Wall. — Dan- ger of the Griper. — A Whale seen. — Discovery of Banks's Land. — De- tention by the Ice. — A Musk-Oz killed. — The Ice closes on the Shore. At the time of making the Hecla fast, a current was setting to the westward, at the rate of a mile and a half an hour, with a strong eddy running into the bight where the ships lay ; at ten, P. M. it took T POLAR REGIONS 213 to the 3ut ob- in per- usually ; to the letween breadth in the to look , boat to of land, e outlet •ded the d close, ired her 3, for the 3 Griper ;ut. Lid- ;r in the Wall.— Dan- 8 Land. — De- on the Shore. a current of a mile ining into VI. it took a sudden turn, all the loose ice near, running past the ship out of the bight, and the floes outside be- ginning to set to the eastward, and towards the land withal. They, therefore, hauled the ship still more into the bight formed by the point, getting her into four fathoms abaft and six forward, and abreast a part of the beach where there was not quite so much heavy ice within to endanger the ship being crushed. This was done from a belief that, if the floes came in, the ship must inevitably be ' nipped,' and in this case it was better to be lying in six fathoms than nine ; besides, the masses of ice now inside, not being so large as the rest, might possibly be forced up on the shore before the ship, instead of offering so great a resistance as to expose her to all the force of the squeeze. On the whole of this steep coast, wherever they approached the shore, they found a thick stratum of blue and solid ice, firmly embedded in the beach, at the depth of from six to ten feet under the surface of the water. This ice has probably been the lower part of heavy masses forced aground by the pressure of the floes from without, and still adhering to the viscous mud of which the beach is composed, after the upper part has, in course of time, dissolved. Captain Sabine suggested, that the underground ice found in cold countries, might thus have been deposited. The land gains upon the sea, as it is called, in pro- cess of time, as it has certainly done here, from the situation in which they found drift-wood and the skeletons of whales ; the ice which fixes itself upon the beach is annually covered in part by alluvial f! 214 POLAR REGIONS. '•'. i 'hi :Wr 111' : 1 deposit, and thus may a connected stratum of it be buried for ages, several feet below the surface of the earth. From the tops of the hills in this part of Melville Island a continuous line of this sub- marine ice could be distinctly traced for miles along the coast. ' In running along the shore this evening, they noticed near the sea what at a distance had every appearance of a high wall artificially built, and which was the resort of numerous birds. Captain Sabine, being desirous to examine it, as well as to procure some specimens of the birds, set ou'., as soon as t',e ship anchored, for that purpose. The wall proved to be composed of sand-stone in hori- zontal strata from twenty to thirty feet in height, which had been left standing, so as to exhibit its present artificial appearance, by the decomposition of the rock and earth about it. Large flocks of glaucous gulls had chosen this as a secure retreat from the foxes, and every other enemy but man ; and when the people first went into the ravine in which it stands, they were so fierce in defence of their young, that it was scarcely safe to approach them till a few shots had been fired. Besides a number of gulls, Captain Sabine and his party brought with them ten hares, which, to- gether with what had been obtained as they came along the land, furnished a fresh meal for the whole crew. Captain Sabine also brought word ti^om Lieutenant Liddon that the Griper was in a situa- tion exactly similar to that of the Hecla, where * nipping ' appeared unavoidable, if the floes should I' iiiin • I' POLAR REGIONS. 215 it be ace of IS part 5 sub- 3 along ;, they L every It, and Captain ell as to ou'., as >. The in hori- i height, :hibit its iposition locks of |e retreat lut man ; ■avine in jfence of ipproach come in. The ice, however, remained quiet about the Hecla during the day, even though a strong breeze freshened up from the E.S.E., with con- tinued snow ; a circumstance which, while it added to their present security, did not give very flattering hopes that there could be any room for the ice to drift to the westward. In the course of the evening Capt. Parry heard again from the Griper ; Lieu- tenant Liddon informing him that the floes had once come in towards her, so as to lift her two feet out of the water, and then retired without doing any damage. At eleven, P. M. a narrow lane of water opened near the Griper., extending about three miles to the Southwest ; near the Hecla it had also slackened a little, about midnight, but it would have been diffi- cult to have found a * hole ' of water in which a boat could have floated, more than three hundred yards beyond the ship. On the morning of the 7th, a black whale came up, close to the Hecla, being the first seen since the 22d of August the preceding year, and it therefore received the distinctive appellation of the whale. Since leaving Winter Ha )our they had here and there seen a solitary seal. laeut. Beechey was sent to the top of a hill to the westward, to as- certain the state of the ice, and returned at two, P. M. with a large fawn, and the intelligence that he had, at a great distance to the south, perhaps forty or fifty miles off*, distinguished three capes very plainly. The sea he reported to be covered ri ■{ t i ■f m .1, y^^'-i 1.1 mill 216 POLAR REGIONS. with floes as far as the eye could reach, and the space between them to be so closely filled with broken ice that scarcely a hole of water could be seen. In the afternoon, a man from each mess was sent on shore to pick sorrel, which was here remarka- bly fine and large, as well as more acid than any they had lately found. The shelter from the northerly winds, afforded by the high land on this part of the coast, together with its southern aspect, renders the vegetation here, immediately next the sea, much more luxuriant than in most parts of Mel- ville Island which they had visited ; and a consider- able addition was made to their collection of plants. In the afternoon the ice closed the place which had hitherto been open about the Hecla. Several heavy pieces of floes floated past, not less than fifteen feet thick, but they were fortunately stopped by a point of land. At eleven, P. M., however, a mass of this kind, about an acre in extent, drove in, and gave the ship a considerable * nip* between itself and the grounded ice, and then passed off" to the westward. They were not again disturbed till five, A. M., on the 8th, when another piece of a floe came in, and gave the ship another rub, and then went past, after which the ice continued loose for several hours. Captain Parry now clomb up the hill, and saw the land that Lieut. Beechey had discovered. He called it Banks Land, and it is the farthest west of all the discoveries in the Polar Sea. From the top of the hill not a hole could be seen in the ice in any direction ; and they were compelled POLAR REGIONS. 217 d the I with lid be as sent marka- in any m the on this aspect, ext the of Mel- jnsider- f plants, lich had al heavy een feet r a point IS of this gave the and the estward. L.M., on e in, and mt past, several hill, and icovered. hest west i be seen :ompelled to wait for a change with what patience they might. Several hares were killed, and on the morning of the 9th, a musk-ox came down to graze on the beach, near the ships. A party was despatched in pursuit, and having hemmed him in under the hill, which was too steep for him to ascend, suc- ceeded in killing him. When first brought on board, the inside of this animal, which was a male, smelled very strongly of musk, of which the whole of the meat also tasted, more or less, and especially the heart. It furnished four hundred and twenty- one pounds of beef, ^vj||||^h was served to the crews as usual, in lieu of their salt provisions, and was very much relished, notwithstanding the peculiarity of its flavor.* The meat was remarkably fat, and, as it hung up in quarters, looked as fine as any beef in an English market. A small seal, killed by the Griper's people, was also eaten by them ; and it was generally allowed to be very tender and pala- table, though not very sightly in its appearance, being of a dis&greeable red color. In the morning watch, a breeze sprung up from the westward, which they were always ready to welcome, having found that it invariably served to open the ice, while an easterly wind as constantly made it closer. This was, however, of short dura- tion, being succeeded soon after noon by a light air from the southeast, which brought all the loose * Some pieces of this meat, which were carried to England, were found to have acquired a much more disagreeable flavor tlian when first killed, though they had not undergone putrefaction in the slight- est degree. " 19 ^^s^ „,i -^■»4. i iPi 218 POLAR REGIONS. s >. <l I' i 't-i ice in upon them. At half-past three, P.M., a large piece of a very heavy floe came close, and would have given them a ' nip ' against the shore, had they not avoided it by heaving the ship a few yards ahead in good time. It was then brought up by the point of land, and remained quiet, half a cable's length astern, there not being room for it to drift farther to the westward between the point and an enormous floe which blocked up the passage to the southward and westward. At ten, P.M., the whole body of ice, which was then a quarter of a mile ofi^J(|^as found to be drifting in upon the land, and the ship was warped back a little way to the westward, towards that part of the shore, which was most favorable for allowing her to be forced up on the beach. At eleven o'clock, the piece of a floe, which came near in the after- noon, and which had since drifted back a few hun- dred yards to the eastward, received the pressure of the whole body of ice, as it came in. It split across in various directions, with a considerable crash, and presently after they saw a part, several hundred tons in weight, raised slowly and majesti- cally, as if by the application of a screw, and de- posited on another part of the floe from which it had broken, presenting the surface that had split, which was of a fine blue color, and very solid and transparent. The violence with which the ice was coming in being thus broken, it remained quiet during the night, which v/as calm, with a heavy fall of snow. POLAR REGIONS. M., a , and shore, a few 5htup half a )r it to nt and ;age to ch was drifting back a t of the ing her o'clock, 3 after- !W hun- iressure It split derable several majesti- and de- A?hich it ad split, •y solid the ice ed quiet a heavy 219 CHAPTER XVI. Average Thickness of the Ice. — Observations on the State of the Ice. — Farther Detention. — Appearances of this Part of Melville Island. — Great Peril of the Griper. — The Griper ordered to retrograde. The mass of ice which had been lifted up the preceding day being drifted close to them on the morning of the 10th, Lieutenant Beechey was sent to measure its thickness, which proved to be forty- two feet ; and, as it was a piece of a regular floe, this measurement may serve to give some idea of the general thickness of the ice in this neighbour- hood. It now became evident, from the combined ex- perience of this and the preceding year, that there was something peculiar about the southwest ex- tremity of Melville Island, which made the icy sea there extremely unfavorable to navigation, and which seemed likely to bid defiance to all their efforts to proceed much farther to the westward in this parallel of latitude. They had arrived off it on the 17th of September, 1819, after long and heavy gales from the northwestward, by which alone the ice is ever opened on this coast, and found it, in unusually heavy and extensive fields, completely closing in with the land, a mile or two to the east- ward of where they were now lying. They again arrived here in the early part of August, and though the rest of the navigation had been remarkably f * Mmm ; ~'U& W'- I , ;t I' I i>fllUlll'<lll I ^V*;! ^-t*V I -^ r' ...i <• ■ I;, I; 't 1 ill ' l!| 1 i •1,! f i ' '■'■ 11 JH! .1^ 220 POLAR REGIONS. clear for fifty miles between this and Winter Har- bour, seeming to afford a presumptive proof that the season was rather a favorable one than otherwise, the same obstruction presented itself as before ; nor did there appear, from late experience, a rea- sonable ground of hope, that any fortuitous circum* stance, such as an alteration in winds or currents, was likely to remove the formidable impediments which they had now to encounter. The increased dimensions of the ice hereabouts would not alone have created an insurmountable difficulty in the navigation, but that it was very naturally accom- panied by a degree of closeness which seldom or never admitted an open space of clear water of sufficient size for a ship, or even a boat, to sail in. They had been lying near their present station with an easterly wind blowing fresh for thirtysix hours together; and although this was considerably off the land, beyond the western point of the island now in sight, the ice had not, during the whole of that time, moved a single yard from the shore ; af- fording a ^;roof that there was no space in which the ice was at liberty to move to the westward, and offering a single and a striking exception to their former experience. ' Under these circumstances, Capt. Parry began to consider whether it would not be advisable, whenever the ice would allow them to move, to sacrifice a few miles of the westing they had alrea- dy made, and to run along the margin of the floes, in order to endeavour to find an opening leading to the southward, by taking advantage of which they I Mil POLAR REGIONS. 221 Har- lat the rwise , lefore ; a rea- ircum* irrenls, liments :reased t alone in the accom- Llom or vater of sail in. if)n with X hours ably off c island hole of ore ; af- which ard, and to their ,C1 began Ivisable, Tiove, to ad alrea- he floes, cading to hich they might be enabled to prosecute the voyage to the westward in a lower latitude. He was the more inclined to make this attempt, from its having long become evident that the navigation of this part of the Polar Sea is only to be performed by watching the occasional openings between the ice and the shore ; and that, therefore, a continuity of land is essential, if not absolutely necessary, for this pur- pose. Such a continuity of land, which was here about to fail, must necessarily be furnished by the northern coast of America, in whatsoever latitude it may be found; and, as a large portion of this short season ]ia> !^''*eady been occupied in fruitless at- tempts t. ■'.■ etrate farther to the westward in their present parallel, under circumh-'inces of more than ordinary risk to the ships, he determined, whenever the ice should open sufficiently, to put into execution the plan he had proposed. The westerly wind cleared them by slow degrees of the loose masses of ice about the ship, and in the afternoon the main body went off about three hundred yards, drifting also a little to the eastward. It may always be expected, in icy seas, that a breeze of wind, however light, will set the ice in motion, if there be any room for it to move ; in such cases, the smaller pieces of course begin to drift the first, and the heavier ones soon follow, though at a slower rate : almost every separate piece is seen to move with a different velocity, propor- tioned to its depth under water. In the evening the ice began to drift to the east- ward, and Capt. Parry communicated to Lieut. 19* . % .\ 222 POLAR REGIONS. u ^ w ■ .* .' ''"^ ■i '' ' 1 . " li ' f) .11 Liddon his intention to push on to the westward the instant the sea should become clear enough to allow the ships to make any progress ; and, fail- ing in this, to attempt a passage considerably to the southward of their present parallel. At seven, P. M., the Hecla's rudder was shipped, and the top-gallant yards were crossed, in readiness for moving. But neither this evening nor the next day did the ice suffer them to proceed. The lati- tude at this station was 74° 25' 35" ; the longitude, by chronometers, 113° 43' 01", and the variation of the needle 106° 06' 38", easterly ; each of these being the mean of several observations, taken on different days. There was nothing in the appearance or productions of this part of the island different from those which had been found elsewhere, except that the ravines were more strikingly grand and pic- turesque, in consequence of the greater height of the land upon this part of the coast. This, as has been before ren;^arked, was found, in one instance, to exceed eight hundred feet above tlie level of the sea ; and the hills, immediately at the back of this, at the distance of nine or ten miles, appeared to be at least one or two hundred feet higher; so that the extreme height of Melville Island, as far as they had an opportunity of seeing it, may, perhaps, be fairly estimated at about one thousand feet. The rocks consisted entirely of sand-stone in horizontal strata, and the soil of s-and, intermixed occasionally with decayed plants, forming here and there a sort of vegetable mould, on which the other plants and a few tufts of very luxuriant moss were growing. POLAR REGIONS. 223 ward lOUgh ., fail- to the ipped, diness e next e lati- ide, by I of the ing the ifferent nee or nt from 3pt that nd pic- light of I, as has [istance, \ of the of this, d to be that the :hey had •e fairly lie rocks i\ strata, \lly with sort of Its and a Igro wing. They remarked, that almost all the plants had a part of their flowers cropped by the hares and other animals, which are fond of feeding in the sheltered and warm situations afforded by the banks next the sea. On ihe 12th, the ice, setting westward, closed upon the land where the Griper was lying; by which she was forced against the submarine ice, and her stern was lifted two feet out of the water. The pressure made her timbers crack loudly : at first she heeled toward the land, but at last fell over towards the deep water. Under these cir- cumstances, Lieut. Liddon landed all the journals and other documents of importance, and made every arrangement in his power to save the provisions and stores in case of shipwreck, which he had great reason to anticipate. In the mean while the ice re- mained so close about the Hecla, that any motion toward the shore must have placed her in a situ- ation similar to that of the Griper. At last the ice slackened round the Griper, and she righted, without having received any worse injury than sphtting her rudder ; but she still remained in the same place, subject to the same danger from which she had jr..>t been relieved. The ice was still close and un- broken, and pressed so close upon the shore that nothing could have passed between. It mo/ed a few yards from the Hecla, but in the evening of the 13th closed on her again, and pressed her firmly against the shore, but not so as to strain her materi- ally. Soon after midnight the pressure increased so as to make the Hecla heel eighteen inches to- ■ i' X: t '^r iifiiii :>" 'u ■: 224 POLAR REGIONS. ward the shore, but without appearing to strain her in the least. In case of anything worse, the boats were got out upon the beach, but in a few hours the pressure relaxed entirely, and the ice remained # quiet. Every moment's delay confirmed Capt. Parry in the opinion that it was expedient to attempt to penetrate to the southward, as soon as the ice would allow the ships to move at all, rather than persevere in pushing directly westward. He therefore ordered Lieut. Liddon to run back a certain distance east- ward as soon as he could, without waiting for the Hecla, should that ship still be detained, and to look out for any opening to the southward, which might seem favorable to the object in view, and then wait for the Hecla. fl CHAPTER XVII. The Hecla moves again. — Position of the Ships. — They move to the Eastward. — Abandonment of the Westwaid Course. — Musk Oxen. — Retrograde Passage! Ox the fifteenth, Lieut. Liddon was enabled to sail, in the execution of his orders. Capt. Parry, however, observing that the Griper made little or no way, hoisted the signal of recall, with the in- tention of making one more attempt to penetrate westward. The ice had so far separated as to allow him to sail a mile and a half along shore, when he was again stopped. He was fortunate in finding a tolerably secure situation for the Hecla POLAR REGIONS. 225 mher boats hours named arry in mpt to ; would rsevere ordered ze east- r for the and to d, which and then move to the [usk Oxen.— nabled to ,pt. Parry, e little or th the in- penetrate ted as to )ng shore, Drtunate in the Hecla within the grounded ice ; but the Griper was left by the wind in a place where, should the ice press upon her, there could be no hope of safety. For fear of the worst, Capt. Parry made preparations to send parties to assist the Griper's company, if wreck should become unavoidable ; but they were shortly after relieved from all anxiety on this account, by the recession of the ice from the shore, whereby the Griper was enabled to gain a station near the Hecla. 'J'he ice to the west and southwest, as seen from their present station, gave them no reason to expect a speedy opening ia the desired direction. It ap- peared as solid and compact as so much land ; to which the inequalities of the surface gave it no small resemblance. Capt. Parry, therefore, determined to defer the attempt to try a more southern latitude no longer. The point at which the ships were now lying, and which is the westernmost to "oh Arctic naviga- tion has ever been carried, is ii .itude 74° 26' 25", and longitude 113° 64' 43". Cape Dundas seen yet farther west is in longitude 113° 57' 35", by which the length of Melville Island appears to be about an hundred and thirtyfive miles, and its breadth, at the meridian of Winter Harbour, from forty to fifty miles. At nine, P. M. they were abreast of the place where they had landed on the 5th, and here per- ceived that the ice closed with the land a Uttle to the eastward. There was no safety for the ships, unless they could get past one of the small points It ■^ "Wi=»-J\^£..; i V *:;■;:•■ :i! 'l!':i' , i% I ■■ -n 226 POLAR REGIONS. at the embouchure of a ravine, against which a floe was setting the smaller pieces of ice, and had blocked up the passage before they arrived. After heaving two hours at the halsers, they succeeded in getting through, and moored the ships to some very heavy grounded ice near the beach. Hares were observed here, feeding on the sides of the cliffs, and a few ptarmigans were seen. The place where the Hecla was now secured, being the only one of the kind which could be found, v as a little harbour, formed, as usual, by the grounded ice, some of which was fixed to the bottom in ten or twelve fathoms. One side of the entrance to this harbour consisted of masses of floes, very regular in their shape, placed quite horizontally, and broken off* so exactly perpendicular, as to resemble a hand- some., well-built wharf. On the opposite side, how- ever, the masses to which they looked for security were themselves rather terrific objects, as they leaned over so much towards the ship, as to give the appearance of their being in the act of falling upon her deck ; and as a very trifling concussion often produces the fall of much heavier masses of ice, when in appearance very firmly fixed to the ground, Capt. Parry gave orders that no guns should be fired near the ship during her continuance in this situation. The Griper was of necessity made fast near the beach, in rather an exposed situation, and her rudder unshipped, in readiness for the ice coming in ; it remained quiet, however, though quite close, during the day, the weather being calm and fine. - POLAR REGIONS. 227 1 a ftoe [id liad After ceeded o some Hares i of the he place the only as a little ided ice, in ten or ceto this ry regular nd broken le a hand- side, how- »r security , as they as to give of falling oncussion masses of fxed to the runs should inuance in jssity made id situation, for the ice er, though being calm In the evening of the 18th, some heavy pieces of grounded ice to which the bow halser of the Hecla was fastened, fell off into the water, snapping the rope without injuring the ship. Nevertheless, as every alteration of this kind must materially change the centre of gravity of the whole mass, it was thought prudent to move the Hecla out of her har- bour to the place w here the Griper was lying, lest some of the bergs should fall upon her deck and crush or sink her. On the 20th and 21st, the young ice formed to such a degree as to cement together all the loose ice about the ships; nor did it thaw on either of those days, though the sun shone clearly upon it for several hours. The main body remained close and firm in every direction. The same state of things obtained on the 22d, and in the morning of the 23d, the young ice was an inch and a half thick. A breeze springing up from the westward put it in motion, so that by noon the ships were able to warp out and proceed eastward. In a short time, how ever, the ice closed so firmly around them that they became wholly unmanageable, and received many blows, more severe than any they had experienced before. After having drifted with the ice six miles, tliey were made fast to some grounded ice. The situation in which the ships were now placed, and the shortness of the remaining part of the navi- gable season, caused great anxiety. Judging from the experience of 1819, it was reasonable to con- clude that about the 7th of September, was the limit beyond which the ships could not keep the f'illll t i .'^ A W\ 228 POLAR REGIONS. sea with any degree of safety or prospect of suc- cess; but being strongly impressed with the idea that it was incumbent on him to make every possi- ble effort, Capt. Parry determined to extend this limit to the 14th of September, before which date the winter would have set in. The prospect was not very encouraging, even with this extension ; they had only advanced sixty miles this season, and the distance to Icy Cape was yet between eight and nine hundred miles, supposing them to find a clear passage. The provisions, too, were so far re- duced in quantity, that by no means could they be made to hold out longer than till April, 1822, and the deficiency of fuel was even more apparent. These and other minor considerations induced Capt. Parry to ask the advice and opinions of his officers relative to the expediency of returning to England. They all agreed that any attempt to penetrate far- ther westward in their present parallel would be fruidess, and attended with loss of time that might be more profitably employed elsewhere. They advised that the vessel should run back along the edge of the ice, in order to look for an opening that might lead toward the American continent, and af- ter a reasonable time spent in the search, to return to England. This advice agreeing with his own opinions, Capt. Parry resolved to comply with it. A party was despatched in chase of a herd of musk cattle, that were seen grazing upon the shore, and two were killed. The gait of these animals is an awkward canter, which often makes them appear as if about to fall ; yet the slowest of them can far ! POLAR REGIONS. 229 if suc- e idea possi- ad this ch date ect was ension ; 5on, and 3n eight to find a ,0 far re- they be 822, and apparent, ced Capt. is officers England, etrate far- would be that might e. outstrip a man. These were the last animals of the kind killed. The total quantity of game taken while about the shores of Melville Island was as follows : three musk-oxen, twentyfour reindeer, sixtyeight hares, fiftythree geese, fiftynine ducks, and an hundred and fortyfour ptarmigans ; affording three thousand seven hundred and sixtysix pounds of meat, in all. The place where these last animals were killed was the most luxuriant pasture-ground they had yet met with on Melville Islaiid. It consisted of about a dozen acres of short thick grass, intermixed with moss, which gave it almost the same li\ely appearance as that of an English meadow. It was c(Mered with the dung and foot-tracks of musk- oxen, of which twelve or fourteen skulls were picked up near it : and it was here that the herd before mentioned was feeding. When walking over this spot, on which there were many small ponds of Vt'ater, their surprise in some degree ceased at the immense distance which these animals must travel In the course of their annual visits to these dreary and desolate regions ; as such a pasture, affoixling undisturbed and luxuriant feeding during the sum- mer months, may, in spite of the general dreary ap- pearance of the island, hold out sufficient induce- ^ ment for their annual emigration. ^ -fe On the twcntyfourth the ships moved again, and found less ice as they advanced, 'so that when, on the morning of the 27th, they cleared the east ejad W of Melville Island, the navigable channel was not less than ten miles wide. A constant look-out was 20 1 4' & 230 POLAR REGIONS. kept from the crow's nest for an opening to the south, but none occurred. The weather was hazy, so much so that they were again obHged to steer the ships the one by the other. As they proceeded, several islands hitherto unknown, were discovered, but no opening was seen in the ice, and when they had, on the 30th, reached longitude 90°, they be- came satisfied that there was no possibility of ef- fecting their object, and Capt. Parry, therefore, con- ceived it to be his duty to return forthwith to Eng- land, in order that no time might be lost in follow- ing up his discoveries, if his governmer.*^ should deem fit to do so. CHAPTER XVII. t ' ■■•!: 1 1 ' 1) H The Ships explore the West Shore of BafTm's Bay. — Meet Vessels from Eng- land. — Esquimaux at the River ClyJe. — Their Behaviour. It would be tedious to follow the ships from day to day in their passage out of Barrow's Strait, or to give a detail of every field of ice and every fog they met. Nor can much be said of the different islands and points of land they passed. Nothing is known of them but their names and positions, and these may as well^be learned from the map as from our narrative. After clearing Lancaster's Sound, Capt. Parry was of opinion that considerable ser- ^vi<|^ might be rendered by a survey of the western i coast of Baffin's Bay, and therefore determined to keep as close along that shore as circumstances i* POLAR REGIONS. 231 o the hazy, steer leded, vered, a they jy be- of ef- e, con- oEng- follow- should Is from Eng- ir. rom day ait, or to very fog different othing is ions, and ) as from 3 Sound, :able ser- i western [•mined to imstances would permit. He was confirmed in this resolution by the hope of finding some outlet into the Polar Sea in a lower latitude than Lancaster's Sound, which would.be of great importance to the accom- pUshment of a northwest passage. Keeping along this coast, on the morning of the third they passed some enormous icebergs, one of which was two hundred feet high above the sea. Being off a low point of land, they observed a range of hills inland, a thousand feet high ; and the wind being light and variable, they landed on a bold sandy beach, two or three miles to the northward of a low point, at the entrance of an in- let, towards which they walked, and ascended a hill at the back of the point, in order to obtain a view of this opening. They now found that the perpendicular cliff formed the northeastern point of a remarkably steep and precipitous island, on each side of which there is a wide and bold entrance. Above the island, the alet branches off in at least two different directions, which their situation would not allow them to trace to any great distance, but they saw no termination to either of them. The mineral productions were found to consist principally of granite and gneiss : but there were also abundance of limestone and quartz, the latter beau- tifully white. The vegetation was tolerably lux- uriant in some places upon the low land which borders the sea, consisting principally of the dwarf- willow, sorrel, saxifrage, and poppy, with a few roots of scurvy-grass. There was still a great deal of snow remaining even on the lower parts of the 'I .^1 ■'fi ■I i ; 'j 1 ' ■1 'i i 1; fi'l \\ :'^ 232 POLAR REGIONS. land, on which were numerous ponds of water ; on one of these a pair of young red-throated divers, which could not rise, were killed ; and two Hocks of geese, one of them consisting of not less than sixty or seventy, were seen by Mr Hooper, who described them as being very tame, running along the beach before the people, without rising, for a considerable distance. Some glaucous gulls and plovers were killed, and they met with several tracks of bears, deer, wolves, foxes, and mice. The coxswain of the boat found upon the beach part of the bone of a whale, which had been cut at one end by a sharp instrument, like an axe, with a quantity of chips lying about it, affording undoubted proof of this part of the coast having been visited at no distant period by Esquimaux. It is no more than probable, indeed, that they may inhabit the shores of this inlet, which time would not now per- mit the voyagers to examine. More than sixty ice- bergs, of very large dimensions, were in sight from the top of the hill, together with a number of ex- tensive Hoes to the northeast and southeast, at the distance of four or five leagues from the land. The latitude of the place of observation on shore was 7r 15 34", its longitude 71° 17' 23".6, and the variation of the magnetic needle 91° 28' 32" westerly. While the officers were on shore, a piece of whale blubber, cut into a square form, was picked up on the water, which was soon after satisfactorily > accounted for. The wind cominsj from the north- west in the night, the ships kept on their course ; and about noon the next day the astonishment of fei ^- POLAR REGIONS. 233 r; on livers, flocks s than , who along , for a Is and jeveral . The part of at one with a loubted visited o more .bit the ow per- xty ice- ht from of ex- east, at land. '■ n\ shore and the estcrly. )iece of picked factorily He north- course ; iment of their companies was great at seeing three whale ships standing toward them. They afterward sailed away to the northward, and our friends lost sight of them. It was now evident that this coast, which, before the voyage of Capt. Ross had been believed inaccessible, had become a fishing station, like the opposite shore of Greenland. On the 5th, they met another fishing ship, from which they first learned, among other political events, the death of George the Third. The mas- ter of this vessel also informed them that he had met some Esquimaux, a day or two before, a little to the southward. Thinking it a matter of some interest to communicate with these people, Capt. Parry resolved to pay them a visit, and accordingly sailed toward the spot where they had been seen. On the 6th, they spoke with another whale ship ; and toward night, being near the island at the en- trance of the inlet called the river Clyde, they ob- served four canoes, paddling toward the ship. The Esquimaux approached, bawling and shouting, and came alongside without the least appearance of fear or suspicion. TheiiV canoes were taken on board by their own desire, plainly intimated by signs, and with their assistance, and they at once came up the side without hesitation. This party consisted of an old man, apparently much above sixty, and three younger, from nineteen to thirty years of age. As soon as they came on deck, their vociferation seemed to increase with their aston* ishmeni, and, it may be added, their pleasure ; for the reception they met seemed to create no less 20* f "■-^"k ■ i i ! m ^ "I i -4 234 POLAR REGIONS. joy than surprise. Whenever they received a pre- sent, or were shown anything which excited fresh admiration, they expressed their delight in loud and repeated ejaculations, which they sometimes con- tinued till they were quite hoarse and out of breath with the exertion. This noisy mode of expressing their satisfaction was accompanied by a jumping, which continued for a minute or more, according to the degree of the passion which excited, and the bodily powers of the person who exercised it — the old man being rather too infirm, but still doing his utmost to go through the performance. After some time passed on deck, during which a few skins and ivory knives were bought from them, they were taken down into the cabin. The young- er ones received the proposal to descend somewhat reluctantly, till they saw that their old companion was willing to show them the example, and they then followed without fear. Our navigators had soon occasion to remark that they were much bet- ter behaved people than the Esquimaux who had visited their ships in 1818, on the northeastern coast of Baffin's Bay. Although they were much at a loss for an interpreter, they had no great diffi- culty in making the old man understand, by show- ing him an engraved portrait of an Esquimaux, that Lieutenant Beechey was desirous of making a sim- ilar drawing of him. He was accordingly placed on a stool near the fire, and sat for more than an hour with very tolerable composure and steadiness, considering that a barter for their clothes, spears, and whalebone, was going on at the same time pur POLAR REGIONS. 235 u ■^ apre- L fresh id and s con- breath [•essing mping, ding to ind the it— the )ing his ivhich a n them, young- imewhat npanion nd they ors had iich bet- vho had leastern much at diffi- y show- lux, that g a sira- placed than an jadiness, spears, me time near him. He was, indeed, kept quiet by the pre- sents which were given him from time to time ; and when this failed, and he became impatient to move, Capt. Parry endeavoured to remind him that he wished him to keep his position, by placing his hands before him, holding up his head, and assum- ing a grave and demure look. They now found that the old gentleman was a mimic, as well as a very good-natured and obliging man ; for, whenev- er the Captain did this, he always imitated him in such a manner as to create considerable diversion among his own people, and then very quietly kept his seat. While he was fitting for his picture, the other three stood behind him, bartering their com- modities with great honesty, but in a manner which showed them to be no strangers to traffic. If, for instance, a knife was offered for any article, they would hesitate for a short time, till they saw that the whites were determined to give no higher price, and then at once consented to the exchange. In this case, as well as when anything was presented to them, they immediately licked it twice with their tongues, after which they seemed to consider the bargain satisfactorily concluded. The youngest of the party very modestly kept behind the others, and, before he was observed to have done so, missed several presents, which his less diffident, though not importunate, companions had received. As the night closed in, they became desirous to depart, and they left the ships before dark, highly delighted with their visit. As Capt. Parry had purchased one of their canoes, a boat was sent fi-' i' "3 Mp ■i *' 1 I* i ' If •■'!i ' • ' v. ,V„| .,1^ "SS 236 POLAR REGIONS. ll vJI to land Its late owner, as only one person can sit in each. In going on shore, the canoes could beat the boat very much in rowing, whenever the Esqui- maux chose to e:etr themselves, but they kept close to her the \\ lole way. During the time thgit they were on board, a great aptness for imitating certain English words was observed in them ; and, while going on shore, they took a particular liking to the expression of * Hurra ! give way ! ' which they heard Mr Palmer use to the boat's crew, and which they frequently imitated, to the great amusement of all parties. Being desirous of seeing more of these people, of whom the first interview had given him a favor- able impression, Capt. Parry determined to lay to during the night, and to take the ships higher up the inlet on the following day. CHAPTER XVm. Intercourse with the Esquimaux. — Mnnncr of Embarking and Disembarking in Canooii. — Esquimaux Tents. — Mode of Barter. — Stature and Appearance of the Esquimaux. The calm weather which prevailed during the night was succeeded by a breeze from the westward on the morning of the 7th, of which advantage was immediately taken to beat up the inlet, which proved a very extensive one. The sun did not break through the clouds till half after seven, when the expected eclipse was found to have commenced- r.ati and mal how occi sit in L beat jlsqui- kept e th»t itating ; and, ' liking 3h they I which isement people, a favor- ;o lay to rher up disembarking Appearance ring the kvestward tage was h proved ot brcjak when the nmenced: POLAR REGIONS. 237 and Capt. Pany determined to land, with Captain. Sabine, upon the nearest island, in order to observe the end of it, as well as to obtain the other usual observations, together with angles for the survey. At ten minutes past eight the sun again became ob- scured, and was not visible till twenty minutes past nine, when they had landed, and were prepared with their glasses, but were disappointed, in finding that the eclipse was over. Soon after they had landed, the old Esquimaux and one of his younger companions paddled over from the main land, and joined them upon the island. They brought wiih them, as before, some pieces of whalebone and seal skin dresses, which were soon disposed of, great care being taken by them not to produce more than one article at a time ; returning to their canoes, which were%it a little distance from the boat, after the purchase of each of their commodities, till their little stock was exhausted. Considering it desirable to keep up among them the ideas of fair and honest exchange, which they already seemed to possess in no ordi- nary degree, Capt. Parry did not permit them to receive anything as presents, till all their commodi- ties had been regularly bought. While they were waiting to obtain the sun's meridian altitude, the Esquimaux amused themselves in the most good- r.atured and cheerful manner wiib the boat's crew ; and Lieutenant IToppncr took this opportunity of making a drawing of the young man. It required, however, some show of authority, as well as some occasional rewards, to keep him quietly seated on A d ■4 in* y-^^i' t I; ,) ^:■ ■I !', I 238 POLAR REGIONS. * .. the rock for a time sufficient for this purpose ; the • " , inclination they have to jump about, when miich pleased, rendering it a penalty of no trifling nature for them to sit still for half an hour together. To i^^ ' ' show their disposition to do what little service was in their power, he afterwards eRiployed himself in sharpening the seamen's knives, which he did with great expertness on any fiat smooth stone, returning each as soon as finished to its proper owner, and then nsaking signs for another, which he sharpened and returned in the same way, without any attempt, and appari ntiy without the smallest desire, to de- tain it. The old man was extremely mquisitive, and directed his attention to those things which ap- peared useful, rather than to those which were merely amusing. An instance of this occurred on a tinranister of preserved meat being opened for the boats' crews' dinner. The old man was sitting on the rock, attentively watching the operation, which was performed with an axe struck by a mallet, when one of the men came up with a looking-glass. Capt. Parry held it up to each of the Esqui- maux, who had also seen one the preceding evening, and then gave it into each of their hands successively. The younger one was quite in rap- tures, and literally jumped for joy for nearly a quarter of an hour: but the old man, having had one smile at his own queer face, immediately re- sumed his former gravity, and, returning the glass, directed his whole attention to the opening of the canister ; and when this was effected, begged very * hard for the mallet which had performed so useful ii:i''C Bli»". POLAR REGIONS. 239 ■?e; the 1 much r nature sr. i-'-' ice was mself in did with eturning ner, and ^arpeied attempt, e, to de- iquisitive, vhich ap- ich were rred on a ed for the sitting on on, which llet, when dng-glass. le Esqui- preceding leir hands lite in rap- nearly a laving had diately re- the glass, ling of the egged very so useful an office, without expressing the least wish to par- take of the meat, even when he saw them eating it with good appetit^|i. Being prevailed on, however, ;o taste a little of it, with some biscuit, they did not seem at all to relish it, but ate a SHiall quantity, from an evident desire not to offend, and then deposited ihe rest safely in their canoes. They could not be persuaded to taste any rum, after once smelling it, even when much diluted with water. In getting out of their canoes as well as into them, great care is required to preserve the balance of these frail and unsteady coracles, and in this they generally assist each other. As Capt. Parry was leaving the isl^ ^^g|^ d they were about to follow, the men rested ofl^PProars to observe how they would manage this ; and it was gratifying to see that the young man launched the canoe of his aged c©m- pani»n, and having carefully steadied it alongside the rock, til! he had safely embarked, carried his own down, and contrived, though with some diffi- culty, to get into it without assistance. They seem to take especial care, in launching their canoes, not to rub them against the rocks, by placing one end gently in the water, and holding the other up high, till it can be deposited without risk of injury. As soon as the sailors commenced rowing, the Esqui- maux began to vociferate their newly-acquired ex- pression of * Hurra ! give way ! ' which they contin- ued at intervals, accompanied by the most good-hu- mored merriment, as the boat crossed over to the main land. There being now a little sea, occa- sioned by a weather tide, it was found that the boats ,*• • I 1 240 POLAR REGIONS. i, i ■ ■f could easily beat their canoes in rowing, notwith- standing their utmost endeavours to keep up. The two Esquimaux tents, whi|b Capt. Parry was now going to visit, were situateojust within a low point of land, forming the eastern side of the en- trance to a considerable branch of the inlet, extend- ing some distance to the northward. The situation is warm and pleasant, having a southwesterly as- pect, and being in every respect well adapted for the convenient residence of these poor people. He landed outside the point, and walked over to the tents, sending the boats, accompanied by the two canoes, round the point. As soon as he came in sight of the tents, every living MII^L tl^ere, men, women, children, and dogs, wSHiPmotion, the latter to the top of the hill out of our way, and the rest#o meet the party with loud and continued shouting; the word ^ pilletarf (give me) being the only articulate sound that could be distinguished amidst the general uproar. Besides the four men already seen, there were four women, one of whom, being about the same age as the old man, was pro- bably his wife ; the others were about thirty, twenty- two, and eighteen years of age. The first two of these, were supposed to be married to the two old- est of the young men, and had infimts slung in a kind of bag at their backs, much in the same way as gipsies are accustomed to carry their children. There were also seven children, from twelve to three years of age, besides the two infants in arms, or rather behind their mothers' backs. Capt. Parry began, as before, by buying whatev- she POLAR REGIONS. 241 3twith- • rry was n a low the en- extend- ituation erly as- pted for le. He • to the the two came in ire, men, tion, the , and the ontinued eing the inguished "our men of whom, was pro- , twenty- ■st two of two old- slung in a same way children, twelve to s in arms, g whatev- er they had to dispose of, giving in exchange knives, axes, brass kettles,^edles, and other useful arti- cles, and then adc^ such presents as might be fur- ther serviceable tolhem. From the first moment of his arrival until he left them, or rather until he had nothing left to give, the females were particularly importunate, and * pilletay* resounded from the whole troop, wherever the party went. They were extremely anxious to obtain buttons, apparently more on account of the ornament of the crown and andicMvhich they observed upon them, than from any y^e they set upon their use ; and several of these were cut off, to please their fancy. When Capt. PaDMHHMi|avoured to bargain for a sledge, tHlj^^^H^Riddressed gave him distinct- ly to understanoTy signs, that it was not their property, and pointed towards the woman »who owned it ; though his ignorance in this respect of- fered a good opportunity of defrauding him, had they been so inclined, by receiving an equivalent for that which did not belong to them. On the own- er's coming forward, the bargain was quickly con- cluded. The pikes which Capt. Parry gave in ex- change, underwent the usual ceremony of licking, and the sledge was carried to the boat with the most perfect understanding on both sides. ^ In another instance, an axe was offered by some of the Griper's gentlemen, as the price of a dog, to which the woman who owned the animal consented. To show that they placed full confidence in them, the axe was"given to her before the dog was caught, and she immediately went away with a kind of halter 21 I ■t. \r ■■!■ 242 POLAR REGIONS. m0"^ i -i^ I or harness of thongs, which they use for this pur- pose, and honestly brought oBli^f the finest among them, though nothing would hafkbeen easier than to have evaded the performance of het contract. The readiness, however, with which "thfey generally parted with their commodities, was by no means the effect of fear, nor did it always depend on the value of the articles offered in exchange ; for having, as he thought, concluded a bargain for a second canoe belonging to the old woman, Capt. l^arry^sired the men to hand it down to the boat: but^L^pn perceived that he had misunderstoo^. her, iot she clung fast to the canoe, and cri ed^ ost piteously till it was set down ; he the]^H^H^B||^er price than before, but she could i^^^BHRRIIi^ ^^ ^^^^ with it. The stature of these people, like that of Esqui- maux in general, is much below the usual standard. The height of the old man, who was rather bent by age, was four feet eleven inches, and that of the other men from five feet four and a half to five feet six inches. Their faces are round and plump in the younger individuals ; skin smooth ; complexion not very dark, except that of the old man ; teeth very white ; eyes small ; nose broad, but not very flat ;^hair black, straight and glossy ; and their hands and feet extremely diminutive. The old man had a grey beard in which the black hairs predominated, and wore the hair rather long upon his upper lip, which was also the case with the eldest of the three others. One of these, the white men thought, bore a striking resemblance to their poor friend John POLAR REGIONS. 243 ; pur- imong ir than ntract. nerally ms the e value i^ing, as 1 canoe dpsired TOT she iteously Br price to part f Esqui- tandard. hent by ,t of the five feet )lump in nplexion ; teeth not very eir hands man had 3minated, ipper lip, the three ,ght, bore tend John Sacheuse, well known as the Esquimaux who ac- companied the former Expedition, the want of whose services they particularly felt on this occa- sion, and whose premature death had been sincere- ly lamented by all who knew him, as an intellig nt and amiable man, and a valuable member of so- ciety. The grown-up females measured from four feet ten to four feet eleven inches. IThe features of the twoiM)ungest were regular ; their complexions clear, and^|r||o means dark ; their eyes small, black, and pieming ; teeth beautifully white and perfect ; and although the form of their faces is round and chub- b3r,«and their npsCs rather flat than otherwise, their countenances mig]|t, perhaps, be considered pleas- ing, even according to the ideas of beauty which habit has taught us to entertain. Their hair, which is jet black, hangs down long and loose about their shoulders, a part of it on each side being care- lessly plaited, and sometimes rolled up into an awk- ward lump, instead of being neatly tied on the top of the head, as the Esquimaux women in most oth- er parts are accustomed to wear it. The youngest female had much natural bashfulness and timidity, and was considered to be the only unmarried one, as she differed from the other three in not being tattooed upon the face. Two of them had their hands tattooed also, and the old woman had a few marks of the same kind about each wrist. None of the men or children were thus distinguished. • The children were generally good-looking, and „ the eldest boy, about twelve years of age, was a re- / 244 POLAR REGIONS. markably fine and even handsome lad. They were rather scared at first ; but kind treatment and a few trifling presents soon removed their fears, and made them almost as importunate as the rest. CHAPTER XIX. t>.> •)* Hill Dress of the Esquimaux. — Description of their Tents. — DeacriptioiWtaf their Canoes. — Implements used in tlic Fishery. — Their Slcdgcs.-TEi^Bniaux Dogs. — Their Voracity. — HouacholJ Economy. ^m The dress of the men consists of a sqll-skin jacket, with a hood, which is otfCasionally drawn over the head, of which it formsj^the only cove/ing. The breeches are also generally of seal-skin, and are made to reach below the knee, and their boots, which meet the breeches, are made of the same material. In this dress there was no difference from that of other Esquimaux, except that the jacket, instead of having a pointed flap before and behind, as usual, was quite straight behind, and had a sort of scollop before in the centre. In the dress of the women there was not so much regard to de- cency as in that of the men. The jacket is of seal- skin, with a short pointed flap before, and a long one behind, reaching almost to the ground. They had on a kind of drawers, similar to those described by Crantz as the summer dress of the Greenland women, and no breeches. The drawers cover the middle part of the body, from the hips to one-third down the thigh, the rest of which is entirely naked^ .^ 71 POLAR REGIONS. 245 were a few made 1 their maux jal-skin drawn )v^ing. and are • boots, e same erence hat the "ore and and had le dress i to de- of seal- l a long They escribed reenland over the )ne-third ly naked, nearly as far as the knee. The boots are like those of the men, and besides these they have a pair of very loose leggins, as they may be called, which hang down carelessly upon the top of the boots, suffering their thighs to be exposed in the manner before described, but which may be intended oc- casionally to fasten up, so as to complete the cover- ing of the whole body. The children are all re- markably well clothed ; their dress, both in male and female, being in every respect the same as that of the men, and composed entirely of seal-skin, very neatly sewed. The tents which are their summer habitations are principally supported by a long pole of whale- bone, fourteen feet high, standing perpendicu- larly, with four or five feet of it projecting above the skins which form the roof and sides. The length of the tent is seventeen, and its breadth from seven to nine feet, the narrowest part being next the door, and widening towards the inner part, where the bed, composed of a quantity of the small shrubby plant, the Andromeda Tetragonal occupies about one-third of the whole apartment. The pole of the tent is fixed where the bed commences, and the latter is kept separate by some pieces of bone laid across the tent from side to side. The dcor, which faces the southwest, is also formed of two pieces of bone, with the upper ends fastened to- gether, and the skins are made to overlap in that part of the tent, which is much lower than the inner end. The covering is fastened to the ground by curved pieces of bone, being generally parts of the 21* 41 246 POLAR REGIONS. » ^'lli;':! whale ; the tents were ten or fifteen yards apart, and about the same distance from the beach. The canoe which Capt. Parry purchased, and which was one of the best of the five that he saw, was sixteen feet eleven inches in length, and its ex^ treme breadth two feet one inch and a half; *wo feet of its fore-end were out of the water when float- ing. It differed from the canoe of Greenland, in being somewhat lower at each end, and also in having a higher rim or gun-wale, as it may be termed, round the circular hole where the man sits, which may make them somewhat safer at sea. Their construction is, in other respects, much the same, the timbers, or ribs, which are five or six inches apart, as well as the fore and aft connecting pieces, being of whalebone or drift-wood, and the skins with which they were covered, those of the seal and walrus. When the canoes are taken on shore, they are carefully placed on two upright piles or pillars of stones, four feet high from the ground, in order to allow the air to pass under to dry them, and prevent their rotting. The paddle is double and made of fir, the edges of the blade being cov- ered with hard bone, to secure them from wear- ing- The spears or darts, which they use in killing seals and other sea animals, consist, like the har- poons of our fishermen, of two parts, a staff, and the spear itself; the former is usually of wood, when so scarce and valuable a commodity can be obtained, from three and a half to five feet in length, and the lattf r of bone, about eighteen inches long, '•wifV s POLAR REGIONS. 247 t, and , and } saw, ts ex- ■; two 1 float- .nd, in ilso in lay be an sits, at sea. iich the or six necting and the > of the iken on jht piles [ground, •y them, double g cov- wear- killing Ithe har- jaif, and |f wood, can be length, les long» sometimes tipped with iron, but more commonly ground to a blunt point at one end, while the other fit! into a socket in the staff, to which it is firmly secured by thongs. The lines which they attach to their spears are very neatly cut out of seal-skins, and when in a state of preparation are left to stretch till dry, between the tents, and then made up into coils for use. They make use of a bladder fastened to the end of the line, in the same manner as the other Esquimaux. Beside the spears, Capt. Parry purchased an instrument having a rude hook of iron let into a piece of bone, and secured by thongs to a staff, the hook being sharply pointed, but not barbed. While Capt. Parry was on the island (to which he had applied the nam^ of Observation Island), it happened that a small bird flew near, when one of the Esquimaux made the sign of shoot- ing it with a bow and arrow, in a manner which could not be misanderstood. It is remarkable, therefore, that none of these weapons were found about their tents, except a little one of five or six inches long, the bow being made of whalebone, and the arrow of fir, with a feather at one end, and a blunt point of bone at the other, evidently appear- ing to be a child's toy, and intended, perhaps, to teach the use of it at an early age. The runners of the only sledge seen were com- posed of the right and left jaw-bones of a young whale, bcinK nine feet nino inches long, one foot •even inches apart, and seven inches Mgh from the ground. They arc connected by a number of par- allel pieces, made of the ribs iif thu whale, and ^i 1 fi I . :St I* * imlM tiX: I/:. I.. 1 !i 1. ii'i " mii ji. %. 248 POLAR REGIONS. secured transversely with seizings of whalebone, so as to form the bottom of the sledge, and the back is made of two deers* horns placed in an upright position. The lower part of the runners is shod with a harder kind of bone, to resist the friction against the ground. The whole vehicle is rudely executed, and, being nearly twice the weight of the sledges seen among the northern Esquimaux, is probably intended for carrying heavy burdens. The dogs were not less than fifty or sixty in number, and had nothing about them different from those on the eastern coast of Baffin's Bay, except they do not stand near so high as those of the latitude of 76°. They are very shy and wild, and the natives had great difRcillty in catching them while the whites were by, as well as holding them in when caught. Some of them have much more of the wolf in their appearance than others, having very long heads and sharp noses, i with a brushy tail, almost always carried between the legs ; while the bodies of others are less lank, their noses are less sharp, and they carry their tails handsomely curled over their backs: their color varied from quite dark to brindled. The ravenous manner in which they devour their food is almost incredible. Both the old and young ones, when a bird is given them, generally swallow feathers and all : and an old dog that Capt. Parry purchased, though regu- larly fed, while on board, by a person appointed f.^r that purpose, ate up, with great avidity, a large piece of canvass, a cotton handkerchief, which one of the men had just washed and laid down by his side, # POLAR REGIONS. 249 ne, so J back iprigbt J shod [riction rudely light of naux, is 5. The number, those on they do Ltitude of e natives ,vhile the ^ in when re of the ving very •ushy tail, while the jnoses are [andsomely ^ried from manner in incredible, ird is given ill : and an [ough regu- Lpointed f<^r large piece one of the ,y his side, and a part of a check shirt. The young dogs will at any time kill themselves by over-eating, if per- mitted. The children appeared to have some right of property in the smaller puppies, or else their pa- rents are very indulgent to them ; for several bar- gains of this kind were made with them, without any objection or interference on the part of the pa- rents, who were standing by at the time. Within a few stones, irregularly placed in a cor- ner of each tent, was a lamp of oil and moss, and over each of these was suspended a small stone vessel of an oblong shape, and broader at the top than at the bottom, containing a large mess of sea- horse flesh, with a great quantity of thick gravy. Some ribs of this meat were by no means bad look- ing, and but for the blood mixed with the gravy, and the dirt which accompanied the cooking, might, perhaps, be palatable enough. Capt. Parry bar- gained with a woman for one of the stone vessel:^, giving her a brass kettle in exchange. Before sho gave it into his possession, she emptied the meat into another vessel, and then, with the flap of licr jacket, wiped out the remains of the gravy . +hus combining with what our .notions of cleanliness in- chne us to consider a filthy act, an intention of de- cency, and a desire to oblige, which, however in- consistent, it was still pleasing to observe. Some of their vessels were made of whalebone, in a ijir- cular form, one piece being bent into the proper shape for the sides, and another flat piece of the same material sewn to it for a bottom, so closely as to make it perfectly water tight. Their knives are s% I l» ,i % . < I 'i:J n 250 POLAR region:;. made of the tusks of the walrus, cut or ground suf- ficiently thin for the purpose, and retaining the ori- ginal curve of the tusk, so as to resemble the little swords which children have as toys in England. As they do not appear to have any instrument like a saw, great time and labor must be required in making one of these knives, which seem to answer most of the purposes to which they have occasion to apply them. CHAPTER XX. Farther Tartlcutars rpspecting the Esquimaux. — Their Number. — Health. — Demeanour. — Return of the Expedition to England. Several proofs were observed that this people had had some previous communication, directly or indirectly, with the civilized world ; such as some light blue beads, strung by themselv<;s on thin leathern threads , and an instrument for chopping, very much resembling a cooper's adze, which had evidently been secured to a handle of bone for some time past, and of which the iron was part of an old file. The short time which cur friends were among them, as well as the want of an interpreter, prp- veiited their obtaining much of the information, which would have been interesting, respecting the language, manners, and number of this tribe of Es- quimaux. They call the bear, nennook; the deer, too/dook; and the hare, ookalik ; being nearly the POLAR REGIONS. 251 dsuf- le ori- 3 little gland, nt like jed in answer ccasion ,er. —Health, d. Ire among [eter, prp- Iformation, lecting the Iribe of Es- tbe deer, [nearly the same words as those used on the eastern coast of Baffin's Bay. As it was considered a matter of some interest to ascertain vrhether they were ac- quainted with the musk-ox, a drawing of that ani- mal was put before the men who were on board. The small size of it seemed, at first sight, to con- found them ; but, as soon as a real head and horns were produced, they immediately recognised them, and eagerly repeated the word oommgmack, which at once satisfied us, that they knew the musk-ox, and that this was the animal spoken of by the Es- quimaux of Greenland, under the same name, some- what differently pronounced. To judge by their appearance, and what is a better criterion, the number of their children, there could be little doubt that the means of subsistence which they possess are very abundant ; but of this there was more direct proof, in the quantity of sea- horses and seals found concealed under stones, along the shore of the north branch, as well as on Observation Island. Mr Fife reported that, in sounding the north branch, he met with their win- ter-huts, above two miles above the tents on the same shore, and that they were partly excavated from a bank facing the sea, and the rest built round with stones. ^ No appearance of disease was seen among the seventeen persons who inhabited the tents, except that the eyes of the old couple were rather blear- ed, and a very young infant looked pale and sickly. The old man had a large scar on one side of his head, which he explained very clearly to be a wound '«',• ^ % 252 POLAR REGIONS. • I r k t y mi he had received from a nennook (bear). Upon the whole, these people may be considered in possession of every necessary of life, as well as of most of the comforts and conveniences which can be enjoyed in so rude a state of society. In the situation and circumstances in which the Esquimaux of North Greenland are placed, there is much to excite com- passion for the low state to which human nature appears to be there reduced ; a state in few re- spects superior to that of the bear or the seal, which they kill for their subsistence. But, with these, it M'as impossible not to experience a feeling of a more pleasing kind : there was a respectful decency in their general behaviour, which at once struck the visitors as very different from that of the other un- tutored Esquimaux, and in their persons there was less of that intolerable filth by which these people are so generally distinguished. But the superiority for which they are the most remarkable is, the per- fect honesty which characterized all their dealings. During the two hours that the mei were on board, and for four or five hours that tney were subse- quently among them on shore, on both which oc- casions the temptation to steal was perhaps strong- er than we cai. kVeli imagine, and the opportunity of doing so bv no means w;,'; ting, not a single in- stance occurred, of their pilfering the most trifling article. It is pleasing to record a fact, no less singular in itself, than honorable to these simple people. .*. . Having made the necessary observations, the whiter went to the tents to take leave of their new «• POLAR REGIONS. 253 I the 3sion .fthe joyed n and North > com- nature 3W re- , which hese, it a more ency v^ uck the ther un- lere was people periority the per- (lealings. on board, [-e suhse- ^rhich oc- js strong- )portumty single in- ,st trifling t, no less :se simple vtions, the their new acquaintance. The old man seemed quite fatigued witli the day's exertions, but his eyes sparkled with delight, and it was thought with gratitude too, on being presented with another brass kettle, to add to the stores with which they had already enriched him. He seemed to understand them when they shook him by the hand ; the whole group watched them in silence, as they went into the boat, and, as soon as they had rowed a few hundred yards from the beach, quietly retired to their tents. After leaving the river Clyde, the ships proceeded along the shore till the 12th, when they came to the ice. The coast was generally found moun- tainous, and presented the same features as the lands already described. Finding the state of the ice such as to preclude the possibiUty of following the shore any farther, they ran back along its edge to the northward, in order to get round it, if pos- sible. We suppose that by this time the reader is tired of bergs, and fields, and floes; and shall not there- fore say anything more of their exit from Baffin's Bay or of their passage across tbe Atlantic. ^ Let it suffice that the ships parted company. The Hec- la arrived at the Orkney Islands on the 28th of October, and the Griper on the first of November, Thus did ♦^^hey return from a voyage of eighteen months duration, in good health and spirits, with the loss of only one man. . .,, , ,,. 22 ■^ ' ^^^Hj ■ ji •>•»"•» um U "T?;'' ■if ft % y ^ i ^' rj *' . .- -r: ./■*-■ .!•••' 'f'l u ,.,.;•: ■•• CAPTAIN PARRY'S • •» SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. . I'i ','i >"-*:':,( '<«■•. . CHAPTER I. The Hecia and. Fury fitted out. — They reach Davis' Strait. — Difliculties in the Ice. — The Ships are visited by Esquimaux. — Their Behaviour. The discoveries made by the expedition under Capt. Parry in 1819-20 being believed to afford a strong presumption of the existence of a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, the British government com- manded that another attempt should be made to discover it. The Hecla having been found well adapted to this kind of service, the Fury, a ship of precisely the same class, was selected to accompa- ny her. Capt. George F. Lyon was appointed to command the Hecla, and Capt. Parry, whose efforts had made him justly celebrated, was commissioned to command the expedition. Some alterations in the interior arrangements of the vessels, such as were suggested by the ex- perience of Capt. Parry, were made. Among these was an apparatus for melting snow, which was found POLAR REGIONS. 255 RY. -Difficulties Jehaviour. \ev Capt. a strong Passage tent corn- made to und well a ship of accompa- pointcd to ose efforts imissioned gements of )y the ex- roong these was found very useful, and was so little in the way that it could not even be seen. Cots and hammocks were sub- stituted for the former bed places, and some im- provements were made in the manner of victualling the ships. ,,,•■. v . ; ;, . In his official instructions, Capt. Parry was di- rected to proceed into Hudson's Strait till he should meet the ice, when the Nautilus Transport, which was placed at his disposal, was to be cleared of its provisions and stores. He was then to penetrate westward till he should reach some land which he fhould be convinced was a part of the American continent, at some point north of Wager River. If he reached the Pacific, he was to proceed to Kam- schatka; thence to Canton or the Sandwich Islands, and thence to England, by whatever route he might deem most convenient. Accordingly, in the beginning of April, 1821, the three vessels sailed from England. Nothing wor- thy of note occurred till they met with the ice in Davis' Strait, where the vessels were moored to an iceberg, and the Nautilus was unladen. This done, she parted company on the 1st of July, and sailed for England, while the Fury and Hecla stood to- ward the ice, which tiiey reached a little before noon, and ran along its edge, keeping as much to the westward as possible. On the third, the ice prevented their farther pro- gress in that direction, covering the whole sea as far as the eye might reach. In the afternoon, the ships entered it with the tide, which carried them at the rate of three miles an hour. It here con- -h. <# 256 POLAR REGIONS. . * B sisted of large, though loose pieces of broken iloes, with many high hummocks, and drawing a great deal of water. A fresh breeze springing up on the morning of the 5th, they succeeded in pushing the ships in shore, where they found a lane of tolerably open water ; but as the tide was against them, as soon as they came to the end of the lane they drifted to the eastward, and lost the litde distance they had gained. They were now within six miles of the south point oi Resolution Island, which is in latitude 61** 20' and longitude 64° 55'. In the night, a considerable swell caused the ships to strike violently and constantly against the ice. They rem.^ined thus beset several hours, drifting about at random. In the morning, they were five or six miles apart. This exposure to the swell of the main ocean is the principal danger on first en- tering the ice about the mouth of Hudson's Strait, which is completely open to the Atlantic. A small quantity of loo^e ice is sufficient to protect a ship from the sea, provided it be closely packed ; but when the pieces are so far separate as to admit the swell, the concussions are too violent for a ship to resist long. On chis account it is prudent not to en;;er the ice, unless there is a fair prospect of get- ting twenty or thirty miles w ithin the margin. The ships remained thus beset till the morning of the 16th, when the ice loosening, they commenced * boring,' and continued the operation the whole day, which enabled them to join three vessels, that had been in sight some days. They were bound POLAR REGIONS. 259 loes, great jfthe ihore, irater ; 3 they ;o the ;ained. 1 point 20' and le ships he ice. drifting lere five swell of first en- Strait, A small ct a ship :ed; but .dmit the a ship to it not to :t of get- ;in. morning namenced le whole ssels, that jre bound succeeded in purchasing all the oil brought by the first canoes ; and as the old fellow, who was com- manding officer of the oomiak, obstinately persisted in his refusal to sell his, Capt. Parry ordered him away, when he immediately rowed to thr^" T^ cla, and sold his oil for less than he might hav' lined at first. Four other oomiaks afterwards c oin the shore, from which the ships were distita j or six miles. Each of these contained from fourteen to twentysix persons, the majority being females and young children. Upon the whole, not less than ono hundred of the natives visited the ships in the course of the evening. These people possessed in an eminent degree the disposition to steal all they could lay their hands on, which has almost universally been imputed to every tribe of Esquimaux hitherto visited by Euro- peans. They more than once tried the art of picking pockets, and were as bold and unembar- rassed as ever, immediately after detection. It is impossible to describe ihe horribly disgusting man- ner in which they sat down, as soon as they felt hungry, to eat their raw blubber, and to suck the oil remaining on the skins they had just emptied, the very smell of wWch, as well as the appearance, was to the sailors almost insufferable. Th'^' disgust which the seamen could not help expressmg at this sight seemed to create in the Esquimaux the most mahcious amusement ; and when the whites turned away, literally unable to bear the sight without be- ing sick, they would, as a good joke among them- selves, run after them, holding out a piece of blubber :|:: :!•; 4.> ,11:,, ..■5', ,.'i^.. r<^%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^ .5^4r^ !^"1% 1.0 I.I 1.25 |28 |25 12.2 1^ US I ^ IIIM WUu IU& % v: ^^/ '/ /A PhotDgraphic Sdences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WMSTM.N.Y. 145S0 (716) •73-4S03 \ ;V 4 \\ V ;\ 260 POLAR REGIONS. I)' III ■^^ i'l liM-' ' ' ■ ; f ' U'l or raw seal's flesh, dripping with oil and filth, as if inviting them to partake of it. Both the men and women were guilty of still more disgusting indecen- cies, which seemed to afford them amazing diver- sion. A worse trait even than all this wa^ displayed by two women alongside the Hecla, who, in a man- ner too unequivocal to be misunderstood, offered to barter their children for some a icle of trifling value, beginning very deliberately to strip them of their clothes, which they did not choose to consider as included in the intended bargain. Upon the whole, it was impossible not to»receive a very unfavorable impression of the general beha- viour and moral character of the natives of this part of Hudson's Strait, who seem to have acquired, by an annual intercourse with ships for nearly a hundred years, many of the vices which unhappily atteid a first intercourse with the civilized world, without having imbibed any of the virtues or refine- ments which adorn and render it happy. CHAPTER n. • OffeiuWe Conduot of th« Eiquimauz.— Deioription of the Sarage lalandi. — Shipa make the Coaat of Labrador.— More Eai|uimaux. ,r Early on the morning of the 22d, the Esquimaux visited the ships again, and disturbed the chips' companies, who were engaged at divine worship. POLAR REGIONS. 257 to Hudson's Bay, with emigrants to Lord Selkirk's settlement on the Red River. Thus they proceeded slowly till the 21st, when the wind coming ahead, they made fast to a floe near an island. While in the act of mooring, they heard voices in shore, and presently saw some Esquimaux coming ofif to them. Seventeen of them came alongside the Fury. Having hauled their kayaks (canoes) upon the floe, they began to barter their commodities, consisting of seal and whale blubber, whale-bone, spears, lines, and the skins of the seal, bear, fox, deer, and dog. Capt. Parry's first endeavour was to procure as much oil as possible, of which, as he had been informed by the Hudson's Bay ships, several tons are thus almost annually obtained from these peo- ple. He soon found that they had been well ac- customed to bargain-making, for it was with some difficulty that he could prevail upon them to sell the oil for anything of reasonable value. They fre- quently gave the whites to understand ^ that they wanted saws and harpoons in exchange for it, and as these were articles which they could not'^pare, it was not without trouble that they obtained, in the course of the evening, two barrels of blubber, in exchange for several knives, large nails, and pieces of iron hoop, which was certainly a dear bargain on their side. If the savages saw more than one of these at a time, they would try hard to get the whole for the commodity they were ofiering ; though, when the English had for some time persisted in refusing, they would not only accept what was offered, but jun>p for joy at having obtained it. They always 22* • I SI . ■:i 258 POLAR REGIONS. ... 1 mm J Wmmw-M Em im licked the articles given them, and in one instance only was manifested any inclination to break the contract after this process had been gone through. * Shortly after these men had arrived, a large oomiakf or women's boat, made its appearance, containing six or seven females and four men, the oldest of the latter, as seemed usual among them, steering the boat with a rude oar of wood. The women could not be induced to land upon the floe, but held up skins and small narrow strips of well-tanned leather to exchange, loudly vociferating pilletay (give me) the whole time. There were in this boat several skins of oil and blubber, which Gapt Parry tried hard to purchase, but nothing could induce the old man to part with more than one skin of it ; for what reason the Captain could not tell, except that he hoped, by perseverance, to obtain a higher price. On Capt. Parry's desiring his men to hand out a second skin of oil, as an equivalent for which he put intp the old man's hand a second knife, he resisted most vehemently, pushing the men aside in the boat with a io .e the Captain had never seen the Esquimaux use on any other occasion. One of the younger men then came forward, and was lifting up the stretcher of their boat, to strike the people, who were good-humoredly laughing at the old man's violence, when Capt. Parry thought it high time to interpose, and raising a boat-hook over the head of the Esquimaux, as if about to strike them, soon brought them into a cooler mood ; after which, to prevent further altercation, he ordered his people out of the boat. They had, by this time, two m-^ la W'^iw.. POLAR REGIONS. 261 ance t the DUgh. lining 3St of sering romen e, but anned nlletay is boat Parry induce of it; except 1 higher hand which aife, he aside 1 never jcasion. rd, and strike 5hing at thought at-hook strike ij after ordered lis time, by their clamor. They behaved throughout in the same offensive manner. A little before noon, the wind coming southward, and the ice being some- what loosened, the ships cast off, and made sail up the Strait. As they proceeded, both wind and ice combined to favor their progress, the former in strength and direction, and the latter by opening in- to loose streams, so that, for the first time since en- tering the Strait, all the studding-sails were set, with i^ome prospect of deriving advantage from them. On the 24th, they reached the Savage Islands, and landed on one of them. They are many — all exhibiting the same appearance of utter sterility. That on which they landed was from six to eight hundred feet a^ove the level of the sea. Here they noticed the same appearances of an Esquimaux camp as had been seen at Melville Island, with a few pieces of fir, which proved that the savages in these parts were not in want of wood, since they could afford to leave it behind them. Hares and several species of birds were seen on this island. As soon as the exploring party returned on board, all sail was made to the westward, the sea being now nearly free from ice. The next day the hills on the coast of Labrador were seen. Thus they kept on till the 31st, discovering islands as they proceeded. On the afternoon of this day, an Es- quimaux oomiak was seen coming from the shore of Salisbury Island, under sail, accompanied by eight kayaks. In this boat were sixteen persons, of which two were men, and the rest women and children. I t-l I ■ 262 POLAR REGIONS. i;:ir'!'il In dress- and personal appearance these people did not differ from the Esquimaux last seen, but their behaviour was far less offensive. ^ On the first of August, the ships kept on west- ward between Nottingham Island and the north shore, which is fringed with small islands. This channel is about twelve miles wide. In the course of the morning, some Esquimaux came to the ships from the main land, bringing oil, skin dresses, and walrus tusks, which they exchanged for any trifle that was offered. They also offered toys for sale, such as models of canoes, weapons, &,c. Here, for the first time, the navigators saw the dresses of the savages lined with the skins of birds, having the feathers inside. Having run forty miles in the night without see- ing any ice, they came the next morning to a pack so close as to prevent their farther progress. The ships received very heavy blows, and with consid- erable difficulty got clear of it. They ran along the edge several miles to the northward, in search of an opening ; but finding none, they stood back to the southwest, to try what could be done in that quarter, t ( M . POLAR REGIONS. 263 •*» CHAPTER III. The Ships make the Northern Land, Southampton Island, Frozen Strait. — The Ice begins to make. — The Ship gets into Winter Cluarters. — Shrimps, Foxes. — A Theatre is opened. — The Northern TJghts. The expedition being now about to enter upon ground hitherto unexplored, it became necessary for Capt. Parry to decide on the route he should pursue with most advantage ; and after mature de- hberation, he came to the resolution to attempt a direct passage of the Frozen Strait, though he great- ly feared the loss of time that would be the conse- quence of a failure. After contending with the ice for several days, on the 11th the ship succeeded in getting to the northern land, and a party of the officers landed upon a small rock, or islet, a mile and a half from the shore. They found it to consist entirely of gneiss rock, with a little moss, and a very few other plants growing in the crevices. It would seem that no place, however barren, is exempt from the visits of the Esquimaux ; for their traces were found even here. The tide rose a foot in less than an hour. Soon after the party returned on board, a fresh gale from the north compelled them to make the ship fast to the largest floe near, in order not to lose much ground. The wind drifted them back nine or ten miles to the eastward during the night, but was nevertheless of great service to them, for it dispersed the ice so as to leave the ships room to m- I: ,i'|l- llr '!,' • ' ■> ■ ^' « film ;: ;i!' :»^.|,„ :l 264 POLAR REGIONS. work. Here it may be remarked that they always found ahead wind of considerable advantage, though it blew directly against them, as it brought away large bodies of ice from that quarter, consequently leaving an interval of open water. The gale moderated about noon, and they cast off from the floe, and made sail. They made con- siderable progress till evening, when the ice closed round them again. They could now see the north- ernmost point of Southampton Island. After sun- set the ice opened sufliciently to allow them to get a mile or two farther. Great numbers of narwhales played about the ships all night. The weather about this- time was very different from that to which our voyagers had been accus- tomed in the icy seas. The days were tempe- rate and clear, and the nights just cold enough to form a very thin plate of ice on the surface of the sea in sheltered places, and in the pools of water on the floes. After sunset on the 13th, they descried land to the westward, which they believed to be a part of the continent. Yet they continued closely beset, and on the 15th the Hecla drifted back with the ice, out of sight of her consort. This was partly owing to the extraordinary refraction upon the ho- rizon, which apparently diminished and distorted objects at no great distance, in a wonderful man- ner. In the evening, Capt. Parry left the Fury in a boat, in order to explore the channel, and landed on Southampton Island, where he slept all night. iil llllii; li ii :I ;- ■; ''*i: POLAR REGIONS. 265 vays DUgh iway ently • cast ! con- ;losed aorth- r sun- to get whales iflferent accus- tempe- pugh to of the f water land to part of beset, nth the is partly the ho- listorted \\i\ man- iry in a landed 11 night. The part of this great island where he took up his lodgings was a thousand feet high, and composed of gneiss. The boat's crew made a tent of a sail, and passed the night very comfortably .^ A gjreat many whales played about the beach all night. The lati- tude of this place was 65° 28' and the longitude 84« 40'. At dayUght, Capt. Parry ascended the hill above his sleeping place, from whence he perceived land stretching round to the west and northward, so as apparently to leave no opening in that quarter. This land appeared low, and of a yellowish color. To the westward was a large expanse of open water. Traces of Esquimaux were observed here also. Moss, sorrel,, ground willow, and some other plants grew in the hollows and fissures in the rocks, in abundance. Soon after Capt. Parry re- turned on board, the Hecia hove in sight ; upon which> the Fury set sail, and beat through the chan- nel. On the morning of the 17th, the weather bsfig too foggy to move, parties from both ships wept on shore to examine the country and to procure speci- mens of its natural productions. They landed on a ■ flat and very rough beach, principally composed of sharp masses of limestone, over which, at low water, it was difficult to drag the boats. Mixed with these were some pieces of gneiss and granite,, but the lime is by far the most abundant. This land, which rises gradually from the beach, but is in no part more than sixty or seventy feet above the level of the sea, was full of ponds of fresh water, and in 23 i li ^■'m , I ( A. 266 POLAR REGIONS. {If- 4 almost all the intermediate parts there was abun- dance of fine vegetation, consisting of grass, moss, and various other plants, of which specimens were brought on board. A splendid specimen of the colymhm arcticus, and also a red-throated diver (co- lymbus septenlrionalis), were obtained by the gentle- men of the Hecla. The former, though very wild, were numerous, as were also plovers of two kinds, the charadrius pluvialist and hiaticula. Nine or ten deer, of which several were fawns, with a large buck, as usual bringing up the rear of the herd, were met with by some of the people, but they would not suffer themselves to be approached within gun- shot. A great number of fine black whales were playing about near the beach, and, from the total absence of ice, would have afforded a rich and easy harvest to a fishing ship. Several seals were also seen, and they were in hopes of finding some sil- locks near the shore, but had no success with the seine, which was twice hauled upon the beach. They met with the remains of several Esquimaux habitations in different places along the shore, and in one spot a conspicuous mark had been left by these people, consisting of several stones placed one over the other. The beach being favorable for measuring a base, they ran off one above a mile in length, and obtained the necessary angles for the survey, together with the usual observations for fix- ing their geographical position. As soon as the weather cleared up, they returned on board, and sailed to the northeast, where alone they had any chance of finding an outlet. Having I!':; «f' ' ^.r'm POLAR REGIONS. 267 ascertained the continuity of land round this inlet, they gave it the name of Duke of York's Bay, It was now certain that the object of the expedition could not be effected in that direction ; and they therefore sailed back, through the narrow channel by which they had entered, with the intention of seeking an opening farther north, without delay. We should never have done, were we to tell of every obstacle that hindered or delayed the progress of the ships ; and will therefore in future say as little about such matters as possible. They pursued their intended course along the shore, when the wind and weather permitted: when unavoidably detained, they landed. At one point they found the remains of no less than sixty Esquimaux habi- tations, consisting of stones laid one over the other in v.ery regular circles, eight or nine feet in diameter, besides nearly a hundred other rude though certain- ly artificial structures, some of which had been fire- places, others store-houses, and the rest tolerably built walls, four or five feet high, placed two and two, and generally eight or nine feet apart, which these people use for their canoes, as well as to'^keep the dogs from gnawing them. A great many circles of stones were also seen more inland. iA^bout three miles to the N.N.W. of the landing-place, the peo- ple reported having seen fifteen others of the same kind, and what they took to be a burying-ground, consisting of nine or ten heaps of large stones, of three feet in diameter, and as many in height. Un- der these were found a variety of little implements, such as ariow or spear-heads tipped with stone or 268 TOLAR REGIONS. li I !t] iron, arrows, small models of canoes and paddles, some rough pieces of bone and wood, and one or two strips of asbestos, which, as Crantz informs us, is used by the natives of Greenland for the wick of their lamps, and for applying hot, in certain diseases, to the afflicted part. Under these articles were found smaller stones, placed as a pavement, six or seven feet m length, which, in the part not con- cealed by the larger stones, was covered with earth. The men had not the curiosity or inclination to dig any deeper ; but a human skull was found near the spot. They also reported that, several miles inland of this, they observed stones set up as marks, many of which were also met with in the neigh- bourhood of the point. Of these marks, which oc- cur so abundantly in every part of the American coast that th^y visited, they could not then conjec- ture the probable use, but afterwards learned that the Esquimaux set them up to guide them in trav- elling from place to place, when a covering of snow renders it difficult to distinguish one spot from an- other. They found among the stones some seals' bones, with the flesh still upon them, which seemed to indicate that the natives had occupied this sta- tion during a part of the same season ; and judging from the nuniber of circles collected in this place, and still more from subsequent knowledge of these people, it is probable that not less than one hundred and twenty persons had taken up their residence here at the same time. POLAR REGIONS. ^ 269 CHAPTER IV. RepulM Bay. — Frozen Strait. — Captain Lyon makes a Journey. — Appearance of the Coast — Interview with a Party of Esquimaux. The land on the northern and western sides of Repulse Bay does not exceed six or seven hundred feet in height, while that on the south rises, per- haps, full a thousand feet above the level of the sea. The shore on which they landed is composed of gneiss rock, traversed by broad veins of red feld- spar running in almost every direction. Quartz and mica also occurred in separate masses, as well as white limestone lying in loose fragments on the sur^- face. Before they landed in the morning, the snow which fell the preceding day had quite disap- peared from the north shore, and by noon the land all round the bay had resumed its dark appearance. They saw several reindeer and hares, some ducks, dovekies, knots, (tringa dnerea,) snow buntings, and a white owl. An ermine (erminea mustelay) a few ptarmigans and a hare, were killed. Mice iinus hudsonius) were very abundant, particularly among the stones of the Esquimaux tents. It cannot be said whether the seals' flesh remaining on some of the bones was any attraction to them, but it is cer- tain that two of them being put together into a cage, the larger killed the other and ate a part of it. Several black whales were seen in the bay in the course of the day. There was here no want of vegetation, which indeed was in man^ parts ex- 23* .1, ?■ ." >, ^ S70 % POLAR REGIONS. tremely luxuriant; and specimens of every plant were carefully preserved. The latitude of this place was 66° 30'; the lon- gitude 86° 30'. From all indications the water through which they had been sailing was the hith- erto imperfectly known Frozen Strait, and their perquisitions proved that the land round Repulse Bay is continuous. This being determined, Capt. Parry resolved to keep along the land to the north- ward, and examine every bend or inlet which might appear likely to afford a practicable passage to the westward. Sailing on the 23d along the northern shore of Frozen Strait, it was observed that the land ap- peared in one place to consist of islands only, be- hind which no land was visible. This part of the coast appeared to Capt. Parry so favorable to the accomplishment of his enterprise, that he resolved to examine it more closely. Having beat up to the mouth of an opening that seemed practicable, he found the greater part of the channel filled with a body of ice, rendering examination in ships or boats impossible. The only means, therefore, of exploring it were, to despatch a party by land. Capt. Lyon undertook this service, accompanied by five perons, furnished with a tent and four days* provision. The ships were anchored to await his return a mile from the shore. The flood tide came out of this inlet, a circumstance that materially strengthened their hopes of success. Capt. Lyon first landed on an island, and then crossed a strait to a steep point. Thence pro- plant le Ion- water le hith- d their lepulse , Capt. 3 north- h might i to the shore of and ap- only, be- lt of the ,e to the resolved !at up to icable, he ed with a ships or srefore, of by land, ompanied four days* await his tide came materially and then lence pro- POLAR REGIONS. 271 ceeding northward to a high hill, he found the strait continuous, and returned to the ships. On this short journey he passed the remains of a great many Esquimaux habitations. The result of Capt. Lyon*s excursion was to convince all concerned that a communication existed here between Frozen Strait and a sea to the northward and eastward of it, and Capt. Parry determined to explore it as far as possible. The rocks upon this coast, as well as those in the interior, are composed of gneiss, traversed oc- casionally by veins of quartz and feld-spar, and hav- ing intermixed with it much of a greea substance which appeared to be epidote, and which they had not met with so abundantly anywhere else. On the surface of the ground, but most especially near the beach, were many loose pieces of limestone of a white color and quite sharp-edged. On the banks of the lakes the vegetation was quite luxuriant, giv- ing them, when viewed from an eminence, and as- sisted by bright sunshine, a cheerful and pictur- esque appearance. There was no snow upon the land, except here and there a broad thick patch in the hollows, where it may probably remain year after year undissolved ; but with the exception of these patches, there was nothing in the appearance of the country to remind one of being near the polar circle. Piles of stones and the remains of Esqui- maux habitations were everywhere to be seen, and one of the officers met with their marks even on the highest hills ; but none appeared of recent date. The reindeer were here very numerous. Mr Ross - !.■ f ■ f 1/ . m 272 POLAR REGIONS. N, -H r- <■! M saw above fifty of them in the course of his walk, and several others were met with near the tents. A large one was shot by one of the men, who struck the animal, as he lay on the ground, a blow on the head with the butt-end of his piece, and leaving him for dead, ran towards the tents for a knife to bleed and skin him, when the deer very composedly got on his legs, swam across a lake, and finally escaped. A small fawn was the only one killed. Three black whales and a few seals were playing about near the beach. After drifting about some time in the ice, and more than once narrowly escaping shipwreck, mea- sures were taken to survey this part of the Frozen Strait ; but little knowledge was gained by all their efforts. On the 1st of September, the prospect of getting northward was by no means encour- aging; and they were, from time to time, beset with ice, and drifted back. On the 3d, they found that after a laborious investigation, which had oc- cupied a whole month, they had returned to nearly the same spot where they had been on the 6th of August, near Southampton Island. They were, at last, again enabled to return to the coast north of Southampton island, and finding it impracticable to continue the survey in the ships, Capt. Parry departed in a boat to learn as much as possible of the adjacent regions. An account of his progress would be a mere list of the names of bays, capes, and points of land ; but on this expedi- tion he met with a party of Esquimaux. The de- scription of these people will be best given in his own words. ' ..hi POLAR REGIONS. 273 t\ f walk, ; tents, struck on the ing him bleed idly got scaped. Three g about ice, and :k, mea- 1 Frozen all their prospect encour- e, beset ey found had oc- to nearly he 6th of irn to the finding it the ships, \ much as icount of names of is expedi- The de- in his own * Having passed several islands on our left, we kept close along the northern shore, which here began to trend considerably to the southward of west. In running along th? coast with a fresh and favorable breeze, we observed three persons stand- ing on a hill, and, as we continued our course, they followed us at full speed along the rocks. Having sailed into a small sheltered bay, I went up, accom- panied by Mr Bushnan, to meet them on the hills above us. In sailing along the shore we had heard them call out loudly to us, and observed them fre- quently lift something which they held in their hands ; but on coming up to them, they remained so perfectly mute and motionless, that, accustomed as we had been to the noisy importunities of their more sophisticated brethren, we could scarcely believe them to be Esquimaux. There was besides a degree of lankness in the faces of the two men, the very reverse of the plump, round, oily cheeks of thoao w© had before seen. Their countenances at the time impressed me wuh iiic luca ur luUiau rather than of Esquimaux features ; but this variety of physiognomy we afterwards found not to be un- common among these people. The men appeared about forty and twentytwo years of age, and were accompanied by a good-looking and good-humored boy of nine or ten. They each held in their hand a seal skin case or quiver, containing a bow and three or four arrows, with a set of whfch they wil- lingly parted, on being presented with a knife in ex- change. The first looks with which they received us betrayed a mixture of stupidity and appreheq* %, ;*'«'' V. ' ijk'.*'' I , mm 274 POLAR REGIONS. w ■'» ■« ' « sion, but both wore off in a few minutes, on our making them understand that we wished to go to their habitations. With this request they complied without hesitation, tripping along before us for above two miles over very rough ground, and crossing one or two considerable streams running from a lake into the sea. This they performed with so much quick- ness that we could with difficulty keep up with them, though they good-naturedly stopped now and then till we overtook them. We were met on our way by two women, from twenty to twentyfive years of age, having each a child at her back ; they too accompanied us to their tent, which was situated on a high part of the coast overlooking the sea. It consisted of a rude circular wall of loose stones, from six to eight feet in diameter, and three in height, in the centre of which stood an upright pole made of several pieces of fir-wood lashed together by thongs, and serving as a support to the deer- skins that formed the top covering. Soon after uui duiviti we weicjuiuea uy a good-looking modest girl of about eight, and a boy of five years old. Of these nine persons, which were all we now saw, only the elder man and two of the children be- longed to this tent, the habitations of the others being a little more inland. The faces of the women were round, plump, tattooed, and in short complete- ly Esquimaux. During the cursory examination of these peopWs dresses, which we had now an op- portunity of making, I observed nothing beyond the peculiarities which have been repeatedly de- scribed, except that the tails of the women's jackets % ■?■■ POLAR REGIONS. 275 on our go to ►mpUed ir above sing one ake into h quick- up with ed now 3 met on ventyfive ck; they } situated J sea. It e stones, three in right pole , together the deer- loon after ng modest sold. Of now saw, ildren be- the others he women ; complete- nination of low an op- ttg beyond jatedly de- en's jackets were of unusual length as well as breadth. The kayak or canoe belonging to this establishment was carefully laid on the rocks close to the seaside, with the paddle and the man's mittens in readiness be^ side it. The timbers were entirely of wood, and covered as usual with seal-skin. Its length was nineteen feet seven inches, and its extreme breadth two feet ; it was raised a Uttle at each end, and the rim or gunwale of the circular hole in the middle was high, and made of whalebone. A handsome seal-skin was smoothly laid within as a seat, and the whole was sewn and put together with • great neatness. The paddle was double, made of fir, and the ends of the blades tipped with bone, to prevent splitting. * The fire-place in the tent consisted of three rough stones carelessly placed on end against one side, and they had several pots of lapis ollarist for culinary purposes. These people seemed to us altogether more cleanly than any Esquimaux we had before seen, both in their persons and in the inte- rior of their tent, in neither of which could we dis- cover much of that rancid and pungent smell, which is in general so offensive to Europeans. One in- stance of their cleanliness which now occured, deserves perhaps to be noticed, both because this is justly considered rather a rare quality among Esqui- maux, as well as to show in what way tiiey do sometimes exercise it. When leaving the tent, to return to our boats, I desired one of the seamen to tie the articles we had purchased into a single bundle, for the convenience of carrying them : but i**-. 276 POLAR REGIONS. I'ni [f:^ iM the elder of the two male Esquimaux, who watched the man thus employed, would not permit it to be done without excluding a pot, which, as he ex- plained by wiping the lamp-black off with one of his fingers, would soil a clean seal-skin jacket that formed part of the bundle. 'Among the few domestic utensils we saw .in the tent was the woman's knife of the Greenlanders described by Crantz, and resembling, in its semi- circular shape, that used by shoe-makers in Eng- land. The most interesting article, however, was a kind of bowl exactly similar to that obtained by ** Captain Lyon from the natives of Hudson's Strait, being hollowed out of the root of musk-ox's horn. As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the boy who was our first companion, and had since been our constant attendant, pronounced the word oomingmuk, thus affording an additional confirmation to that obtained on the former voyage, of the musk-ox be- ing the animal described by the natives of the west coast of Greenland, as having occasionally, though rarely, been seen in that country. * As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more familiar with us, they repeatedly asked for sotoik (iron), in answer to which we gave them to under- stand that they must accompany us to our boats, if they wished to obtain any of this precious article. Accordingly, the whole group set off with us on our return, the males keeping up with us, and the women a short distance behind. The whole of the children carried bundles of the branches of ground willow, which we had just before seen them bring pm POLAR REGIONS. 277 atched to be he ex- one of iei that V in the ilanders ts semi- in Eng- ver, was uned by' I's Strait, x's horn, boy who been our mingmukt n to that isk-ox be- ' the west y, though little more for sovoik to under- iT boats, if )US article, vith us on US, and the hole of the of ground them bring in for their own use, and which they seemed to consider an article of barter that might be accepta- ble to us. As we returned, I noticed a quantity of the ledum palustre, and having plucked some of it, gave it to the boy to carry ; after which, though he very much disliked its smell, he gathered every root of it that we came to, and deposited it at our tents. This lad was uncommonly quick and clever in com- prehending our meaning, and seemed to possess a degree of good-humor and docility, which, on our short acquaintance, made him a great favorite among us. * We had hitherto been much pleased with our new acquaintance, who were certainly a good- humored, decent sort of people. We therefore loaded them with presents, and endeavoured to amuse them by showing them the manner of rowing our boats, which were hauled up on the beach. While the men and children were occupier^ in ob- serving this, the women were no less busily em- ployed, near the tents, in pilfering and conveying into their boots, some of our cups, spoons, and>oth- er small articles, such as they could conveniently secrete. This they accomplished with so much dexterity, that no suspicion would have been ex- cited of their dishonesty, had not Mr Sherer fortu- nately missed a cup which was required for supper. A general search being instituted in consequence, and the cargo of the women's boots brought back to our tents, I directed all our presents to be like- wise taken from the two offenders ; and, dismissing the whole party with great appearance of indigna- 24 ■^:^: \ 278 POLAR REGIONS. tion, thus put an end for the present to our commu- nication with these people.' After surveying a considerable extent of coast, the CE^tain returned to the ships, which he found completely beset. They were extricated, however, and continued to explore the northern shores of Frozen Strait, sometimes beset and sometimes in motion. The appearance of the land was as hither- to described ; the soil, the vegetable productions, and the animal kingdom were the same. There is so little variety in this part of the voyage, that it would be tiresome to repeat the details. CHAPTER V. Ice begins to make. — The Ships get into Winter Quarters. — Shrimps. — Foxes. — A Theatre opened. — Northern Lights. — Esquimaux. On the 1st of October, rain fell, which immedi- ately freezing, made the decks and ropes as smooth as glass. For several days the thermometer had been below the freezing point, and sometimes as low as — 20° at night, which change, together with the altered aspect of the land, and the rapid forma- tion of young ice near the shores, gave notice of the approach of winter. The commencement of this dreary season in these regions may, indeed, be dated from the time when the earth no longer re- ceives and radiates heat enough to melt the snow which falls upon it. coast, 3 found jwever, ores of imes in J hither- luctions, There is e, that it irimps.— Fox**- lUX. h immedi- , as smooth Dmeter had metimes as gether with apid forma- e notice of ncement of , indeed, he Lo longer re- elt the snow POLAR REGIONS. 279 On the 8th, the young ice on the surface began to give them warning that the navigation of those seas was nearly ended for the season. When the young ice has acquired the thickness of half an inch, and is of considerable extent, a ship must be stopped by it, unless favored by a strong and fair wind ; and even when making progress, is not under control of the helmsman, depending mostly on the thickness of the ice on one bow or the other. Boats cannot be employed in such situations with much effect. When to these difficulties were added the dis- advantage of a temperature near zero, and twelve hours of daily darkness, Capt. Parry became con- vinced that it was expedient to place the ships in the most secure situation that could be found, rather than run the risk of being permanently de- tatched from the land by attempting to gain the continent. Accordingly, a canal was sawed into a harbour on the south side of a small island, to which the name of Winter Island was given, and the ships were warped to their winter stations. Thus "ended their operations for the season, after having explored a portion of coast six hundred miles in extent, one half of which belonged to the continent of America. The arrangements for passing the winter com- fortably were pretty much the same as those which had been made at Melville Island, with some im- provements, suggested by former experience. The theatre was better fitted than before, and a school was estabUshed for the benefit of such of the crews as might wish to learn to read and write. The ■■# 280 POLAR REGIONS. lower deck of the Fury was fitted for a church, and the companies of both ships attended during the winter. The men were sent to walk on shore for exercise, whenever the weather was favorable ; and finger-posts were erected in various parts of the island, to prevent them from losing their way. Before the ice had entirely shut up the sea, great numbers of small shrimps (cancer nugax) were ob- served near the surface. When any meat was put overboard to thaw or soak, these insects fastened upon it with great avidity. A goose, left fortyeight hours in this situation, was dissected as neatly and thoroughly as the most experienced surgeon could have done it, nothing remaining but the bare bones. Our navigators took advantage of the hunger of these depredators to procure skeletons of small animals for anatomical specimens, by enclosing them in a net through which the shrimps could have access, but which prevented the loss of any of the bones when the cartilage was eaten. Many white foxes were caught, in traps some- thing like those called box-traps. It was remarked that when a southerly wind had blown the scent of the ships over the island, more were caught than at any other time. So numerous were they, that no less than fifteen were caught in a single trap in the space of four hours ; one was no sooner taken out than another entered. Indeed they were so stupid, that, in several instances, those that escaped from the traps re-entered, and were captured as they had been before. The harbour in which the ships were moored was POLAR REGIONS. 281 but an open roadstead, and they had some reason to fear that if the ice should get in motion during the winter, they might be forced on shore, or driven out to sea. On the 1 1th of November, it being the time of spring tides, a large crack was observed in the ice near the ships, which was found to extend a considerable distance outside them, rendering it probable that a complete separation might take place. Cables were run out, and every precaution was taken to prevent such an occurrence, and for- tunately nothing occurred to cause farther apprehen- sion. On the 11th of December, the weather being tolerably clear, stars of the third magnitude were visible to the naked eye at forty minutes past eight, and those of the second magnitude till a quarter past nine, which may give some idea of the degree of light at this period. The twilight was, of course, very long, and the redness of the sun's rays might be seen more than three hours after his setting. On the 13th, the thermometer fell to — 31°, being the lowest temperature yet experienced. ^Rising on the 17th to — 5°, the play of The Poor Gentle- man was performed. On Christmas eve the theatre was again put in requisition, and the next day was celebrated to the utmost extent their means would allow. Among the luxuries of the Christmas din- ner were a few joints of English roast beef, which had been preserved expressly for the occasion, the first and last ever eaten in Frozen Strait. During the whole of this month, the displays of the Aurora Borealis were more frequent and splen- 24* #-• 282 POLAR REGIONS. . 1. I :^ |r4ii i I !i:. did than they had before noticed, but we can- not by description convey any adequate idea of them. The health of the ships* companies was re- markably good, only one name being found on the sick Hst, and not the slightest symptom of scurvy had yet appeared. To increase the allowance of antiscorbutics, they adopted a regular system of raising mustard and cress, which the warmth of the ships enabled them to do on a larger scale than at Melville Island. A crop was produced once in ten days, and before the arrival of spring nearly an hundred pounds had been procured on board each vessel. When it is considered how complete a specific for the scurvy fresh vegetable substance is, this circumstance will not be thought unimportant. The same occupations, that had employed them at Melville Island served to beguile the time this winter. Nothing material occurred till the first of February, unless the circumstance of seeing a white bear may be accounted so. On the 1st of February, a number of Esquimaux were seen coming toward the ships over the ice, and the appearance of huts was discovered on the shore with a telescope. Captains Parry and Lyon, with three or four others, set out to meet the natives who were slowly advancing, to the number of twen- tyfive. As the officers advanced, they stood still, awaiting their approach. They had no arms, but carried only a few strips of whalebone, which they had brought for a peace-offering, and which the gen- tlemen immediately purchased for a few small nails and beads. There were several women and chil- ,' t : POLAR REGIONS. 283 I can- lea of ?as re- on the scurvy )wance system rinth of tie than once in jarly an rd each iplete a tance is, 3ortant. ed them ime this e first of r a white iquimaux the ice, 2d on the md Lyon, le natives r of twen- tood still, arms, but jrhich they h the gen- small nails and chil- dren with the party, and the behaviour of all was quite peaceable and orderly. They were all hand- somely dressed in deerskins, and some had double suits. However quiet these savages were, they did not exhibit the slightest signs of apprehension or dis- trust. As soon as some understanding was estab- lished, the officers expressed a wish to visit their huts, and the Esquimaux readily complying, they all set out together. The savages were greatly astonish- ed on the way to see a large dog, belonging to the whites, fetch and carry ; and the children could scarcely contain their joy when Capt. Lyon gave them a stick to throw, and the dog brought it back to them. An infirm old man, who supported him- self with a staff, which he much needed, was left behind by his companions, who took no notice of his infirmities, but left him to find his way as he might, without reluctanc . or scruple. When it is remembered that these habitations were fully within sight of the ships, and how many were continually on the look-out for anything that could afford variety or interest, their surprise may in some degree be imagined at finding an establish- ment of five huts, with canoes, sledges, dogs, and above sixty men, women, and children, as regularly and, to all appearance, as permanently fixed, as if they had occupied the same spot for the whole winter. If the first view of the exterior of this little village was such as to create astonishment, that feeling was in no small degree heightened, on ac- cepting the invitation soon given, to enter these ♦V i#»«**'" m \ m mi 4 m tm 284 POLAR REGIONS. n, ♦ ■■.^•^■ extraordinary houses, in the construction of which no material was used but snow and ice. After creeping through two low passages, having each its arched door-way, they came to a small circular apartment, of which the roof was a perfect arched dome. From this three door-ways, also arched and of larger dimensions than the outer ones, led into as many inhabited apartments, one on each side, and the other facing them as they entered. The interior of these presented a scene no less novel than interesting. The women were seated on the beds at the sides of the huts, each having her little fire-place or lamp, with all her domestic utensils about her ; the children crept behind their mothers, and the dogs, (except the female ones, which were indulged with a part of the beds,) slunk out in dismay. The construction of this inhabited part of the huts was similar to that of the outer apartment, being a dome formed by separate blocks of snow, laid with great regularity and no small art, each being cut into the sLape requisite to form a substantial arch, from seven to eight feet high in the centre, and having no support whatever but what this principle of building supplied. We shall not here further describe the peculiarities of these curious edifices, remarking only that a cheerful and sufficient light was admitted to them by a circular window of ice neatly fitted into the roof of each apartment. ' They found our new acquaintance as desirous of pleasing them, as they were ready to be pleased ; so that they were soon on good terms with them POLAR REGIONS. 285 all. While the visitors were engaged in examining every part of their huts, their whole behaviour was in the highest degree orderly, respectful and good- humored. They eagerly received the various ar- ticles that were given them, either in exchange for their own commodities, or as presents, but on no occasion importuned for anything, nor did the well- known sound of • pilletay ' once escape from them. There was also great reason to believe that these people possessed, in no ordinary degree, the quality of honesty. If the whites dropped a glove or a handkerchief without knowing it, they would im- mediately direct their attention to it by pointing ; and if the owner had left the hut before they dis- covered it, would run out after him to return it. CHAPTER VI. The Esquimaux vitiit tlio Sliips. — Wolvos. — Morn Particulara relating to the Esquimaux. — Manner of constru' ting Snow Huts. "^ 4 After remaining with the Esquimaux a couple of hours, and proposing to spend the following day amongst them, the officers set out on their return to the ships. Being desirous of trying their disposition to part with their children, Capt. Parry proposed to buy a fine lad, named T'oolooak^ for the very valuable consideration of a handsome butcher's knife. His father, apparently understanding the Captain's mean- ing, joyfully accepted the knife, and the boy ran into % 286 POLAR REGIONS. IS'ul:* jil^'i ♦ the hut to fetch his mittens, which seemed to be all that he cared for in leaving his home. He then set off with the Captain, in high spirits, and at first assist- 'ed in drawing the sledge they had purchased to carry their things ; but as he began, by their additional signs, more clearly to comprehend their true mean- ing, he gradually relaxed in his zeal to accompany the party ; and being afterwards overtaken by a number of his companions, he took an opportunity to slink off among some hummocks of ice, so that when they arrived on board, Toolooak was missing. On reaching the ships, these people expressed much less surprise and curiosity than might natural- ly have been expected on their first visit, which may, perhaps, in some measure, be attributed to their being in reality a less noisy kind of people than most of the Esquimaux to whom the whites had before been accustomed. Quiet and orderly, how- ever, as they were disposed to be, this first visit showed them to be as fond of merriment as their countrymen are usually considered ; for, on Capt, Lyon's ordering his fiddler up on the Hecla's deoit, they danced with the men for an hour, and then returned in high glee and good humor to their huts. During their absence in the morning, a flock of thirteen wolves, the first yet seen, crossed the ice in the bay from the direction of the huts, and passed near the ships. These animals had accom- panied or closely followed the Esquimaux on their journey to the island the preceding day ; and they proved the most troublesome part of their suite. «•■■ POLAR REGIONS. 287 They so much resemble the Esquimaux dogs, that, had it not been for some doubt among the officers who had seen them, whether they were so or no^ and the consequent fear of doing these poor people^ an irreparable injury, they might have killed most of them the same evening, for they came boldly to look for food within a few yards of the Fury, and remained there for some time. At an early hour on the 2d, Capt. Parry set out with a large party on an excursion to the huts. The natives received them with great cordiality, though with somewhat more noisy expressions of pleasure than before ; and they soon began a more minute examination of their habitations and furni- ture, in which they readily assisted, except that they always sat very closely on the deer-skins which composed their beds, under which were stowed such articles as they were least willing or able to dispose of. They sold, however, a great number of their things without reluctance ; and it was in- deed astonishing to see with what eagerness they would, for the mere sake of change and variety, barter some of their most indispensable articles for the veriest trifles. For instance, a single sewing needle, of which they possessed abundance not much inferior to those of the whites, procured from them a large well-sharpened panna, or man's knife, made of stout iron, for which, in point of ab- solute utility, a hundred needles would not have been a fair equivalent. Various other instances of the same kind occurred, by which, indeed, they were not ultimately losers, though they certainly would have been so, had the intercourse ended here. -Jfe u" w H If 1 1 ■f:i 1 1 Im i M mk 1 II Vl fS ';■■•- I'l P ; i f 288 POLAR REGIONS. The party dined in the huts, and the Esquimaux gladly partook of their biscuit and meat, and even of a little wine, which however they did not reUsh. The Captain returned on board about sunset, much gratified with the interesting day he had passed ; having laid the foundation of that perfect confidence and good understanding which, with little or no in- terruption, afterwards subsisted between the ships* companies and theii new acquaintance. On the morning of the 3d, a number of the Es- quimaux were seen going over the ice, seal hunting, and they returned with four seals. It was found that even at this rigorous season they were depend- ent on their daily exertions. On the 4th, some of them came to the ships, and were persuaded to build a snow hut, for the amusement and informa- tion of the officers. The way these edifices are constructed is as follows. The work is commenced by cutting from a drift of hard and compact snow a number of oblong slabs, six or seven inches thick and about two feet in length, and laying them edge- ways on a level spot, also covered with snow, in a circular form and of a diameter from eight to fifteen feet, proportioned to the number of occupants the hut is to contain. Upon this foundation is laid a second tier of the same kind, but with the pieces inclining a little inwards, and made to fit closely to the lower slabs and to each other, by running a knife adroitly along the under part and sides. The top of this tier is now prepared for the reception of a third, by squaring it off smoothly with a knife, all which is dexterously performed by one # .'fl POLAR REGIONS. 289 limaux d even relish. , much lassed ; fidence : no in- e ships* :he Es- lunting, s found depend- some of aded to informa- ices are imenced t snow a les thick m edge- low, in a to fifteen pants the 1 is laid he pieces closely to running a es. The reception y with a d by one man standing within the circle and receiving the blocks of snow from those employed in cutting them without. When the wall has attained a height of four or five feet, it leans so much inward as to appear as if about to tumble every moment, but the workmen still fearlessly lay their blocks of snow upon it, until it is too high any longer to furnish the materials to the builder in this man- ner. Of this he gives notice by cutting a hole close to the ground in that part where the door is in- tended to be, which is near the south side, and through this the snow is now passed. Thus they continue till they have brought the sides nearly to meet in a perfect and well-constructed dome, some- times nine or ten feet high in the centre ; and this they take considerable care in finishing, by fitting the last block or key-stone very nicely in the centre, dropping it into its place from the outside, though it is still done by the man within. The people out- side are in the meantime occupied in throwing up snow with the pooallerayy or snow-shovel, and in stuffing in little wedges of snow where holes have been accidentally left. The builder next proceeds to let himself out by enlarging the proposed door-way into the form of a Gothic arch three feet high, and two feet and a half wide at the bottom, communicating with which they construct two passages, each from ten to twelve feet long and from four to five feet in height, the lowest being that next the hut. The roofs of these passages are sometimes arched, but more generally made flat by slabs laid on horizontally. In first 85 1^ hi I' .11 290 POLAR REGIONS. ,il: ' digging the snow for building the hut, they take it principally from the part where the passages are to be made, which purposely brings the floor of the latter considerably lower than that of the hut, but in no part do they dig till the bare ground appears. The work just described completes the walls of a hut, if a single apartment only be required ; but if, on account of relationship, or from any other cause, several families are to reside under one roof, the passages are made common to all, and the first apartment (in that case made smaller) forms a kind of anti-chamber, from which you go through an arched door-way, five feet high, into the inhabited apartments. When there are three of these, which is generally the case, the whole building, with its adjacent passages, forms a tolerably regular cross. For the admission of light into the huts, a round hole is cut on one side of the roof of each apart- ment, and a circular plate of ice, three or four inches thick and two feet in diameter, let into it. The light is soft and pleasant, like that transmitted through ground glass, and is quite sufficient for every purpose. When after some time these edifi- ces become surrounded by drift, it is only by the windows, as I have before remarked, that they could be recognised as human habitations. It may perhaps then be imagined how singular is their ex- ternal appearance at night, when they discover themselves only by a circular disk of light trans- mitted through the windows from the lamps within. The next thing to be done is to raise a bank of snow two and a half feet high, all round the interior POLAR REGIONS, 291 of each apartment, except on the side next the door. This bank, which is neatly squared off, forms their beds and fire-place, the former occupy- ing the sides and the latter the end opposite the door. The passage left open up to the fire-place is between three and four feet wide. The beds are arranged by first covering the snow with a quantity of small stones, over which are laid their paddles, tent-poles, and some blades of whalebone : above these they place a number of little pieces of net-work, made of thin slips of whalebone, and last- ly a quantity of twigs of birch and of the andromeda tetragona. Their deer-skins, which are very nu- merous, can now be spread without risk of their touching the snow ; and such a bed is capable of affording not merely a comfort, but luxurious re- pose, in spite of the rigor of the cUmate. The skins thus used as blankets are made of a large size, and bordered, like some of the jackets, with a fringe of long narrow slips of leather, in which state a blanket is called keipik. The fire belonging to each family consists of a single lamp, or shallow vessel of lapis ollaHSy its form being the lesser segment of a circle. The wick, composed of* dry moss rubbed between the hands till it is quite inflammable, is disposed along the edge of the lamp on the straight side, and a great- er or smaller quantity lighted according to the heat required or the fuel that can be afforded. When the whole length of this, which is sometimes above eighteen inches, is kindled, it affords a most bril- liant and beautiful light without any perceptible 292 POLAR REGIONS. .11, , '; Hi| ' I TS li ' ' ■•»,.■' smoke or any oflFensive smell. The lamp is made to supply itself with oil, by suspending a long thin slice of whale, seal, or walrus blubber near the flame, the warmth of which causes the oil to drip into the vessel until the whole is extracted. Im- mediately over the lamp is fixed a rude and rickety frame-work of wood, from which their pots are sus- pended, and serving also to sustain a large hoop of bone, having a net stretched tight within it. This contrivance, called Innetat, is intended for the re- ception of any wet things, and is usually loaded with boots, shoes, and mittens. The fire-place just described as situated at the upper end of the apartment, has always two lamps facing different ways, one for each family occupying the corresponding bed-place. There is iicquently also a smaller and less-pretendin? establishment on the same model — lamp, pot, net and all — in one of the corners next the door; for one apartment sometimes contains three families, which are always closely related, and no married woman, or even a widow without children, is without her separate fire-place. With all the lamps lighted and the hut full of peo- ple and dogs, a thermometer placed on the net over the fire indicated a temperature of 38° ; when re- moved two or three feet from this situation, it fell to 31°, and placed close to the wall stood at 23°, the temperature of the open air at the time being 25° below zero. A greater degree of warmth than this produces extreme inconvenience, by the drop- ping from the roofs. This they endeavour to obviate. POLAR REGIONS. 293 by applying a little piece of snow to the place from which a drop proceeds, and this adhering, is for a sliort time an effectual remedy; but for several weeks in the spring, when the weather is too warm for these edifices, and still too cold for tents, they suffer much on this account. From the celerity with which the Esquimaux per- formed these operations, the surprise of the officers, at the sudden appearance of the snow village ceased, as they now saw that two or three hours were more than sufficient to complete the whole establishment, as they had at first found it. The operatives were taken on board and derived great amusement from an organ, and from anything in the shape of music, singing, or dancing, — of all which they are remarkably fond. Nor can we here omit a striking instance of the honesty of these people, which occurred this day. Some of the gentlemen of the Hecla had purchased |wo of their dogs, which had the preceding evening made their escape and returned to the huts. After the depar- ture of the Esquimaux this day, they were surprised to find that they had left two dogs carefully ti^d up on board the Fury, which on inquiry proved to be the animals in question, and which had been thus faithfully restored to their rightful owners. * .'■'<■■: r /• 'ifjy ■■j,sr-. ..I'ti 25* 'liii '> > I ', # 294 POLAR REGIONS. l-'V '■ i pn *> a (..It. .1: ' ■ i '■! rl ♦ 4 i,: 1 : 1 1 ii! ' ' iik. CHAPTER VII. Esquimauz.— Musical Concert. — An Esquimaux whipped for Thefl. — Starva- tion. — Captain Parry accompanies a Sealing Party. On the 5th, a number of the natives came on board according to promise to rebuild the hut in a more substantial manner, and to put a plate of ice into the roof as a window, which thev did with great quickness as well as care, several of the wo- men cheerfully assisting in the labor. The men seemed to take no small pride in showing in how expeditious and workman-like a manner they could perform this; and the hut with its outer passage was soon completed. Froi^? this time they were in the constant habit of comiiig freely to the ships; and such as it was not always convenient to admit, usually found very profitable employment in ex- amining the heaps of ashes, sand, and other rubbish on the outside, where their trouble was well repaid by picking up small scraps of tin or iron. All that they found in this manner they were allowed to consider their lawful property ; but the officers were very particular in preventing their handling anything on board without permission. The wolves had now begun to do some damage ; for not even the sails that were fastened round the house and observatory could escape their ravenous fangs, and they had thus in the course of a single night much injured two studding-sails. Traps were set for them on the ice ; and also large shark-hooks -««i. .«»?.■ POLAR REGIONS. 295 heft.— Starva- secured with chains and baited with meat ; but the former they entered and destroyed, and the latter were always found broken or bent, without securing the depredators. These animals were indeed so hungry and fearless as to take away some of the Esquimaux dogs in a snow-house near the Hecla's stern, though the men were at the time within a few yards of them. From the circumstance of Captains Lyon and Parry having accidentally gone into different huts on their first visits to the village, (for with this name we believe we must venture to dignify the united abodes of more than sixty human beings,) particular individuals among the Esquimaux had already in a manner attached themselves to each of them. On the 7th, Capt. Parry paid another visit to the huts, where he found scarcely anybody but women and children, all of the men, with the exception of the two oldest, having gone on a sealing excur- sion to the northeastern side of the island. One of the women named Higliuk, a sister of the lad Toolooak, who favored him with a song, had a re- markably soft voice, an excellent ear, and a great fondness for singing ; for there was scarcely any stopping her when she had once begun. The Captains had, on their first visit to the ships, re- marked this trait in Iligliuk's disposition, when she was Hstening for the first time to the sound of the organ, of which she seemed never to have enough ; and almost every day she now began to display some symptom of that superiority of understanding for which she was remarkably distinguished. A n. 296 POLAR REGIONS. t I 4 '■i :\n few of the women learned several of the visiters' names, and we believe all thought them Angekoks or sorcerers of a very superior class, when they re- peated to them all round, by the assistance of books, the names of all their husbands, obtained on board the preceding day. On the way back to the ships, they saw a party of them, with their dogs, returning over the hill from the northeastward ; and afterwards met another of eight or ten who had walked round by the southeast pointon the ice, all alike unsuccessful, after being out in the wind for six hours with the thermometer from 18 to 22 degrees below zero. Thus hardly did these people obtain their daily subsistence at this severe season of the year ! On the 8th, the ships were visited by a musical party of females, who had been specially invited for the purpose. The officers assembled in the Fury's cabin to hear them, and the notes of their songs were taken down. They were in their turn entertained with a concert of flutes and violins, with which they were delighted to extasy. It would appear that these people have generally a great musical susceptibility, which is not the case with the hunting savages of the new continent. Finding that these poor creatures were really in want of food. Captain Parry suppHed them with a few pounds of bread dust, which, however hungry themselves, they did not eat, but took home to their children. As yet none of the Esquimaux had learned to beg, with the exception of one old man. He had ■■^-*S*' ■■■■> POLAR REGIONS. 297 become extremely troublesome ; and one day steal- ing a nail, Captain Parry took advantage of the cir- cumstance, which he magnified into a grave offence, to get rid of him. Calling all the other Esquimaux on board together, and having in their presence expressed the utmost indignation, he turned the offender out of the ship in disgrace. Among those present were the son and daughter of the culprit, who did not in the slightest degree appear to con- sider themselves implicated in their father's offence, or concerned in his shame. The Esquimaux hunted diligently for seals, but having no success, they were reduced to great ex- tremities. It must be remembered that any fsulure in sealing involves them in a double calamity, for it not only deprives them of food, but of fuel for their lamps. When this is the case, not to mention the absence of warmth and light from their huts, they are also destitute oi" the means of melting snow for drink, and can only quench their thirst by eating the snow, which we know by experience to be a wretched resource. In consequence of this priva- tion the quantity of water drank by those "^ who visited the ships was astonishing ; the coppers could scarcely supply the demand. One of them drank a gallon in less than two hours. Captain Parry hu- manely provided them with food, but this did not hinder them from devouring the raw, frozen car- cass of a wolf, which had been shot from the Hecla, In all this suffering it was pleasing to observe that none of them would touch a morsel till they had first fed their hungry little ones* ,1* i I I 'f #' 'I I 4 "'r if , 1- !■ I I W if 'i ■1 ., ; ■1 fj! ,1 ,;, r! tail; k 298 POLAR REGIONS. On the 1 1th the thermometer stood at from — 26° to — 30". Notwithstanding the rigor of the weather, some of the Esquimaux came on board ; indeed no degree of cold seemed sufficient to confine these people at home. - . . : r In the morning of the 12th, two of the savages came on board the Hecla. The stage and scenery had just been set up, and they were directed to invite their fellows to come and see it. Coming three or four hours before * John Bull ' was to com- mence, they began to grow impatient, especially after dark, when the candles were brought, and the men returned to their huts. They remained long enough, however, to have a peep at Mrs Brulgrud- dery, whose dress they very eagerly examined, when they were told that it was a kabloona noollee-o, or white woman. On the next day, our savage friends were so for- tunate as to kill three seals, an event that created an exceeding great joy in the village. There was a general outcry ; the women hurried to the doors of the huts, and the children rushed to the beach to assist the men to drag their prizes along. One of these urchins, to complete the triumph, threw himself upon a seal, and clinging fast to it, was thus dragged to the huts. Each woman brought her cooking- pot to the wigwam where the animal was dissected in order to get a portion of the meat and blubber. This evening a wolf, being the third taken, was entrapped. Early on the morning of the 16th, Capt. Parry joined a party of Esquimaux, who were going in POLAR REGIONS. 299 m— 26- ireather, Jeed no ;e these savages scenery >cted to Coming J to com- ispecially , and the ined long Brulgrud- jxamined, noolke-Oi re so for- tt created 'here was the doors he beach )ng. One iph, threw ;, was thus ■ought her inimal was 5 meat and the third ;apt. Parry e going in quest of seals. Having attained a suitable distance from the shore, they separated into two or three different parties stationed at the distance of half a mile from each other, along the edge of the floe, be- yond which, to the eastward, there was clear water as far as could be seen for the frost smoke. The party Capt. Parry joined were seated on a high hummock of ice, looking out for seals, with their spears in their hands. Suddenly, one of them, named Okotook, sprung up, and started along the edge of the ice, without giving the least intima- tion of his intentions. His companions, however, seemed so well aware of them, that they immedi- ately followed him, and the Captain did the same ; the whole party walking very fast, and the native looking attentively seaward for seals. After being thus engaged for more than an hour. Captain Parry judged, from the motions of a party at a distance, that they had a seal in view. As he approached them, Okotook began to be apprehensive that the Captain, who did not understand the matter, might spoil the sport. To prevent this, he did the most civil thing he could imagine, which was to send his companions one by one to the spot, while he re- mained himself with the Captain, and took care to keep him at a distance whence he could see the proceedings without alarming the animal they pur- sued. The other Esquimaux, forming one party, disposed themselves in single file so as to present as small a front as possible in the direction in which they were going, and in this manner they crept cautiously toward the margin of the floe. On a % hit . ^■■^ 1.;.: ■f ■■:/!!; ll! 300 POLAR REGIONS. sudden they all stooped quite low, to hide them- selves, and so continued a quarter of an hour, dur- ing which they arranged their Unes and spears, and then when the seal was intercepted from their view, gained a few paces upon him in the same cautious manner as before. When they had been thus oc- cupied a full hour, the seal, which had been lying upon the ice, plunged into the water, and they gave up the chase. All this time Okotook could scarce- ly restrain his impatience, which could only be di- minished by permitting him to look through a spy- glass. When he saw for what it was intended, he had no words to express his surprise and satisfac- tion. in w-in CHAPTER VUI. Danger of the Seal Hunters. — A Seal Hole. — Manner of "Watehing Seal Holes. — Manner of Catehing Seals and Walrusseg. — Another Instance of Theft. — Ferocity of the Wolf. — Esquimaux Dwellings. — Seals killed. — Seal Butchery.— Seals. As soon as the party had given up the seal they had been watching, they turned their steps home- ward, whither, it being in the direction of the ships, Captain Parry was not sorry to accompany them. They were at this time three or four miles from the vessels, and full a mile and a half from the shore. In the open water beyond the floe the tide was running at the rate of two milc.i an hour, and a sheet as substantial as that on which they stood had POLAR REGIONS. 301 them- ir, dur- irs, and lir view, cautious thus oc- ;en lying tiey gave a scarce- ily be di- gh a spy- ended, he i satisfac- "WatcWng Seal other InsUnco of -Seals killed.— e seal they jteps home- jf the ships, ipany them, les from the A the shore, tie tide was hour, and a jy stood had been carried away by the stream. Capt. Parry was not without some apprehension that they might be detatched from the shore, and carried to sea, an accident which has often happened to Esquimaux, and has probably often befallen them when none survived to tell the tale. As they returned toward the shore, they came to a small rising on the level surface of the ice, not larger than a mole hill, at which one of the Esqui- maux instantly stopped. His companions called Capt. Parry away, explaining that what he saw was the work of a seal, and that it was probable the an- imal would finish the hole and come upon the ice, in which case the man who had stopped would try to kill it. The Captain watched him for half an hour, and observed him frequently putting his ear to the ice, as if in the act of listening for the seal, but without otherwise changing his posture. He was not successful. li, however, an Esquimaux has strong reason to believe that a seal is at work beneath, he attaches himself to the spot, and seldom leaves it till ho. has killed the animal. For this purpose, he builds a wall of snow about four feet in height, to shelter him from the wind, and, seating himself under the lee of it, deposits his spear, lines, and other imple- meiits upon several little forked sticks inserted into the snow, in order to prevent the smallest noise be- ing made in moving them when wanted. But the most curious precaution to the same effect consists in tying his own knees together with a thong, so securely as to prevent any rustling of his clothes, 26 O; * 4 II I 1 ! 1 1 1,1 'h 1 1 1 \* Lull 1 • 1 POLAR REGIONS. ^ ■ w™ the animal. In this which might otherwise eJ^™ .^^^ fo, hours situation, a »«-.«'» ^ng to any noise made by together, ^ttentwely hsten "„ ,^„„^, ^n m- ,he seal, and sometimes «^'"- ^ i/^^er to ascer- stnimenthereafter bede^^*V„,t below. When tain whether the ammal •« suu a ^^ he supposes the hole to ^^ \^ ,i„e has been cautiously lifts »"sf ;'"^*;, ,„on as the blowing of previously attached, ana ^ .^^ consequent- Jhe seal is distmctly ^ea d> an" ^.^^ ,^^ fo„e of ,y very thin, he dnves U 'nt^J ^^ the b'oth arms, ''>»i*!»^:to enable him to repeat the remaining crust of ice. t° ^^.^.^^ j^ ,he only wounds and get h.m ou • ,he smallest, .s seal killed in th'^ """"f^; ™ ^j i^y hand, or by held while ««''SS>'"S.;^^",;'S the point stuck putting .be line round » spea ^^^ ^.^^ .^ ^^^^^, into the ice. Vov '"^""'^ a^d for a walrus, round round the man's leg ^^""^j,*" ^.^e time firmly set his body, his feet bemg at tte^a ^^^^^ against a hummock of .cem K^ ^^^^ heavy plople can from haba h<>ld g^^^^_^ ^ ^rain. Boys o fourteen „f ,, „.;„e*. to the ships during dwme sen. cew ^^ ^^^^ and they were g;--;; ""^ tn.h day. They ac- refrain from vsitrng every «« , . i„deed. U ?"i£lftr:!:!cC*gr:.er Uty than they evinced on aU occasions. POLAR REGIONS. 303 On the 20th, an Esquimaux woman stole one of the cooper's tools, which was the second instance of theft observed among these people. It may be doubted if the whites were not as much to blame as the Indians, for leaving temptations in their way, which it was scarcely possible they should with- stand ; nevertheless. Captain Parry thought it ex- pedient to go through the same ceremony as on the former occasion, and dismissed the women with every manifestation of indignrtion. The ships' companies had more than one oppor- tunity to observe the extreme ferocity of the wolves. One of them being caught in a trap, a party of the officers went to secure him, and fired two balls into the trap at once, to despatch him. Finding that after this he continued to bite at a sword that was thrust into the trap, a third shot was. fired at him. The trap was then opened sufficiently to tie his hind legs together, after which he was pulled out. As soon as he was olear of the enclosure, he sprung furious- ly at the tl '•oat of one of the officers, and would have done i im a serious mischief, had he not, in his turn, so zed the animal firmly by the tieck, squeezing L .n with both hands with all his force. This made the wolf relinquish his first attempt, and the officer only suffered by one bite in his arm and another in his knee. The wolf then ran and es- caped, though two of his legs were tied together. The following day he was found dead, three quar- ters of a mile from the ships. At another time, an officer observin«i^ an Esqui- maux dog attacked by several wolves, went to the f U iiit ■- ,' ■ X I « p%w llilfe-l n i m ■ i i/ l-,,s 304 POLAR REGIONS. spot with his gun, but arrived too late. The wolves had made so quick a division of their prey, that though he arrived in a few minutes, only one of the hind legs remained, each wolf having ran off with his share. Captain Lyon remarked that an eclipse of the sun, which took place on the 20th, created great consternation among the Esquimaux. Two of them w§re found on the ice, lying on their faces ; but their solution of the phenomenon could not be ascer- tained. On the 23d, Captain Parry again visited the Es- quimaux huts. They had changed their appearance since his first visit : the roofs were blackened with the smoke of the lamps ; and the warmth had m most parts given them a glazed and honey-combed surface ; indeed, the whole of the walls had be- come much thinner by thawing, so that the light was more plainly visible through them. The snow also, on which the lamps stood, was considerably worn away, so as to destroy, in a great measure, the regularity of the original plan of construction. To these changes might be added that of a vast quan- tity of blood and oil, which now defaced the purity of the snowy floor, and emitted effluvia not very agreeable to European nostrils; so that, upon the whole, it may be imagined that the first impressions of the comfort and cleanliness of these habitations were more favorable than their present state was calculated to excite. To the original apartments they had now also added various smaller places for stores, communi- cating with the huts from within, and looking some- POLAR REGIONS. 305 thing like our ovens, though without any door to them. In some of these they deposited their up- per jackets, which they usually take off in coming into their huts, as we do a great coat ; while in smaller ones, like httle shelves in a recess, they kept various articles of their Kabloona riches. These and similar alterations and additions they were constantly making throughout the winter; for their inexhaustible materials being always at hand, it required but little time and labor to adopt any arrangement that might suit their convenience. After distributing a number of presents in the first four huts, Capt. Parry found, on entering the last, that an Esquimaux had been successful in bring- ing in a seal, over which two elderly women were standing, armed with large knives, their hands and faces besmeared with blood, and delight and exul- tation depicted on their countenaaces. They had just performed the first operation of dividing the animal into two parts, and thus laying open the in- testines. These being taken out, and all the blood carefully baled up and put into the ootkooseekf or cooking-pot, over the fire, they separated the'^head and flippers from the carcass, and then divided th3 ribs. All the loose scraps were put into the pot for immediate use, except such as the two butchers now and then crammed into their mouths, or dis- tributed to the numerous and eager bystanders for still more immediate consumption. Of these mor- sels the children came in for no small share, every litde urchin that could find its way to the slaughter- house, running eageily in, and, between the legs of 23^ Ji 'if I 1 .1 H im m V \i:W ;:'; 306 POLAR REGIONS. the men and wom^n, presenting its mouth for a large lump of raw flesh, just as an English child of the same age might do for a piece of sugar-candy. Every noiv and then also a dog would make his way towards the reeking carcass, and when in the act of seizing upon some delicate part, was sent off yelping by a heavy blow with the handles of the knives. When all the flesh is disposed of, for a portion of which each of the women from the other huts usually brings her ootkooseek, the blubber still remains attached to the skin, from which it is sepa- rated the last; and the business being now com- pleted, the two parts of the hide are rolled up and laid by, together with the store of flesh and blub- ber. During the dissection of their seals, they have a curious custom of sticking a thin filament of skin, or of some part of the intestines, upon the fore- heads of the boys, who are themselves extremely fond of it, it being intended, as was afterwards ascertained, to make them fortunate seal-catchers. The seals which they take during the winter are of two kinds, the neitieky or small seal (phoca his- pida), and the oguke^ or large seal (phoca barbata). These and the ei-u-ek, or walrus, constitute their means of subsistence at this season ; but, on this particular part of the coast, the latter are not very abundant, and they chiefly catch the neitiek. The animal Capt. Parry had now seen dissected was of that kind, and with young at the time. A small one taken out of it liad a beautiful skin, which, both in softness and color, very much resembled raw silk ; but no inducement could make the owner part with it, he having destined it for that night's supper. POLAR REGIONS. 307 ; tJv t-ii ■■ .,#..,... CHAPTER IX. ' • Health of the Esquimaux. — Their envious Disposition. — Qaptain Lyon's Journey. — Removal of Esquimaux, &c. — Captain Parry lodges with the Savages. Almost the whole of the Esquimaux were now affected with violent colds and coughs, occasioned by a considerable thawing that had lately taken place in their huts, so as to wet their clothes and bedding ; but they had as yet experienced no great in- crease of temperature. From the nature of their habitations, however, their comfort was greater, and their chance of health better, when the cold was more severe. On this account they began to make fresh alterations in these curious dwelling- places, either by building the former apartments two or three feet higher, or adding others, that they might be less crowded. In building a higher hut they constructed it over, and, as it were, concentric with the old one, which was then remo\ed from with- in. It is curious to consider that, in all ""these alterations, the object kept in view was coolness^ and this in houses formed of snow ! This month (February) closed with the ther- mometer at — 32°, and though the sun had attained a meridian altitude of nearly sixteen degrees, and remained above the horizon ten hours every day, no sensible effect was as yet produced on the tem- perature. The uniform white surface of the snow, on which the sun's rays have at this season to act, f 308 POLAR REGIONS. '4r] II. K' • W^ M I In ;i or rather leaving them nothing to act upon, is much against their first efforts to produce a thaw. Captain Parry had communicated to an Esqui- maux named Ayoket, his intention to send a party to the northward in the spring ; and Captain Lyon had displayed to him all the charms of a brightly polished brass kettle, of greater magnitude than had perhaps ever entered into an Esquimaux im- agination, as an inducement among various others for him to accompany the Kabloonas in their ex- cursion. The prospect of such riches was a tempta- tion almost irresistible; but enterprise is not the char- acteristic of an Esquimaux, and Ayoket, the Captain soon began to perceive, had no fancy for the pro- posed trip, which all his friends persisted in saying could never be accomplished. This was evidently to be attributed, in no small degree, to jealousy of any one individual among them being thus selected ; and the brass kettle was speedily the means of in- creasing the distance to ' Iligliuk's country ' from sixteen to twentyfour days' journey. It had long, indeed, been observed that this feeling of jealousy was easily excited among these people ; but, what is extraordinary, it never displayed itself (as is most usual) among themselves, but was entirely vented upon the whites, who were, though innocently, the authors of it. As an instance of this, a man of the name of Karretok refused to take from Capt. Parry a strong and useful pair of scissors, as a present, because, as he did not hesitate to say, the Captain had given Okotook a pike, which was mme valua- ble. To show him that this temper was not likely ill l'-i'«: ' POLAR REGIONS. 309 to produce anything to his advantage, Capt. Parry took back the scissors, and, having sent him away, went to dinner. Going accidentally on deck an hour afterwards, he found Karretok still on board, who, having had time to reflect on his folly, now came with a smihng face, and begged hard for the scissors, which, of course, he did not get. Many similar instances occurred. To this discouragement on the part of his friends, was added on that of Ayoket the same wavering and inconstant disposition which m'i t other sav- ages possess, rendering it impossible to place any dependence on his promises and intentions for two hours together. Indeed the more the scheme was pressed upon his attention, and the more he saw of the actual preparations for -he journey, the less doubtful his intentions became ; and arrangements were therefore made for completing the party with- out him. For the reasons now given, it M'as equal- ly impossible ever to direct the attention of the Es- quimaux, with any hope of success, to a scheme of their conveying letters to the Hudson's Bay settle- ments. ^ -y ■ On the 15th, at seven V. M., Capt. Lyon and his party left the ship ; the thermometer being as high as zero, and a breeze blowing, accompanied by a considerable drift of snow. From the very hour of his departure the thermometer fell rapidly, and the wind increased ; till at midnight the mercury was at — 32°, and a hard gale blew from the northwest. It proved one of the most inclement possible nights for persons to be exposed in, and serious appre- 1 1 ii mm ::f ■ t '^■| ^ II «i ': i tt i 310 POLAR REGIONS. hensions were entertained for the safety of the travellers. The wind and drift increased the next day, and the thermometer rose no higher than — 26". Nevertheless, Capt. Lyon and his party returned safely on board. They had suffered dreadfully ; the faces of several were severely frost-bitten, and they had had great difficulty in finding their way to the ships. Those only who have been in similar dis- tress can imagine their joy on gaining a ; shelter The continuance of this weather brought the Es- quimaux to f" tual starvation, and they came to the vessels and begged for food with more than usual earnestness. We hardly need say that their call was heard. On the 2d of April, a thin sheet of bay ice, several miles square, had formed on the sea, where, for two or three days past there had been open water. This was occasioned by the absence of wind, and by the occurrence of neap tides, rather than from severe cold, the thermometer seldom falling below — 6° or — 7°. The wind setting in, the main body of ice began to move toward the shore, and forced the new floe before it, squeezing it into innumer- able hummocks, which, being presently cemented together, gave an example of the manner in which floes full of hummocks are produced. Early in the morning the Esquimaux were ob- served to be in motion about the huts, and several sledges, drawn by dogs, went off to the westward. On going to the village, it was found that one-half of the people had quitted their late habitations, taking with them every article of their property, and had POLAR REGIONS. 311 gone over the ice, in quest of more abundant food. The wretched appearance which the interior of the huts now presented baffles all description. In each of the larger ones some of the apartments were either wholly or in part deserted, the very snow which composed the beds and fire-places having been turned up, that no article might be left behind. Even the bare walls, whose original color was scarcely perceptible for lamp-black, blood, and other filth, were not left perfect, large holes having been made in the sides and roofs, for the conve- nience of handing out the goods and chattels. The sight of a deserted habitation is at all times calcu- lated to excite in the mind a sensation of dreariness and desolation, especially when we have lately seen it filled with cheerful inhabitants ; but the feeling is even heightened rather than diminished when a small portion of these inhabitants remain behind, to endure the wretchedness which such a scene ex- hibits. This was now the case at the village, where, though the remaining tenants of each hut had com- bined to occupy one of the apartments, a great part of the bed-places were still bare, and the \^ind and drift blowing in through the holes which they had not yet taken the trouble to stop up. An old man, Hikkeiera, and his wife occupied a hut by them- selves, without any lamp, or a single ounce of meat belonging to them ; while three small skins, on which the former was lying, were all that they pos- sessed in the way of blankets. Upon the whole, a more miserable spectacle was never seen ; and it seemed a charity to hope that a violent and constant -■* 312 POLAR REGIONS. mv 4 t . r':t cough, with which the old man was afflicted, would speedily combine with his age and infirmities to re- lease him from his present sufferings. Yet in the midst of all this he was even cheerful, nor was there a gloomy countenance to be seen at the village. Al- most all the men were out ; and some of them had been led so far to sea upon the floating and detached masses of ice in pursuit of walrusses, that Capt. Lyon, who observed their situation from the ships, had it in contemplation, in the course of the eve- ning, to launch one of the small boats to go to their assistance. They seemed, however, to entertain no apprehension themselves, from a confidence, perhaps, that the southeast wind might be depended upon for keeping the ice close home upon the shore. It is certain, notwithstanding, that no degree of pre- caution, nor any knowledge of the winds and tides, can render this otherwise than a most perilous mode of obtaining subsistence ; and it was impossi- ble, therefore, not to admire the fearlessness as well as dexterity with which the Esquimaux invari- ably pursued it. , ^, ) After giving the women some small presents, Capt. Parry told them that he intended lodging in the huts that night. It is a remarkable trait in the character of these people, that they thank a stran- ger heartily for this, as well as for eating any of their food, but when they receive the like hospital- ity they %how not the smallest thankfulness. At a wish expressed by Capt. Parry, all the females^ not excepting the oldest, assembled to entertain him with a concert. Neither their want of food and t POLAR REGIONS. 313 , would es to re- st in the IS there a Lge. Al- hem had detached lat Capt. ;he ships, the eve- o to their entertain anfidence, depended the shore, ree of pre - and tides, it perilous IS impossi- essness as aux invari- 11 presents, lodging in trait in the nk a stran- :ing any of e hospital- ,ess. At a [emales; not Itertain him ,f food and fuel, nor the uncertainty of obtaining any that night, could deprive these poor creatures of that cheer- fulness which seems their most prominent charac- teristic. CHAPTER X. Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Dissection of tlie Seal. — Prepara- tions fur Departure. — Behaviour of a sick Savage. The night proved thick, with snow, and as dan- gerous and disagreeable for persons adrift -on float- ing ice as can well be imagined. If the women, however, spoke of their husbands, it was not with concern, but simply to hope they might be success- ful. The singing party had just broken up, when it was announced by the children that the men had killed something upon the ice. The only two men left at home instantly put on their outer jackets, harnessed their dogs, and set oft* to assist in bring- ing home the game, while the women remained behind in anxious suspense. At last, one of the men returned with the news that two walrusses had been taken, and brought with him as large a por- tion of the flesh as he could drag over the snow. The females became frantic ; a general shout of joy was heard all over the. village ; they ran to each others* huts to communicate the intelligence, and hugged one another in an extasy of delight. When the first burst of joy had subsided, they repaired, 27 r'i;:^f\ li'iii it J 314 POLAR REGIONS. one by one, to the apartment where the first fruits of the hunt had been conveyed. Here they ob- tained enough blubber to light all their lamps, and a little meat for their children and themselves. Fresh loads arrived, mostly brought by dogs, anjj the rest by the men, who each dragged home his separate portion. Every lamp was soon swimming with oil ; the huts exhibited a blaze of light ; and never was there a scene of more joyous festivity than while the op- eration of cutting up the walrusses continued. One of the women gave up her bed to Capt. Parry, and contented herself with dozing away the night . in an upright posture. He woke often in the night, and always found some of the Esquimaux eating. Some of them were thus incessantly employed more than three hours. Indeed, the quantity of food they contrive to devour almost exceeds belief. Long before morning the men again departed to renew their labors, not having slept more than two or three hours, thus proving that the Esqui- maux do not, like the red Indians, give themselves up to sloth in seasons of plenty, but are willing to take advantage of every favorable opportunity. It is certain that were these people less gluttonous (for they do not waste much) they would seldom know the want of food, even at the most inclement seasons. On a second visit to some of the huts Capt. Parry had an opportunity of seeirig a seal dissected, which was a very filthy operation. An old woman was the mistress of the ceremony, and was presently up to the elbows in blood and oil. f,l,r< ,, V]:l POLAR REGIONS. 815 Before a knife is put into the animal, as it lies on its back, they pour a little water into its mouth, and touch each flipper and the middle of the belly with a little lainp-black and oil, taken from the under 4)art of the lamp. What benefit was expected from this preparatory ceremony is not known, but it was done with a degree of superstitious care and seri- ousness, that bespoke its indispensable importance. As soon as this dirty operation was at an end, during ^ which the numerous bystanders amused themselves in chewing the intestines of the seal, the strangers T*8tired to their own huts, each bearing a small por- i of the flesh and blubber, while the hosts en- , vt d a hearty meal of boiled meat and hot gravy soup. A small boy ate ut least three pounds of solid meat in the first three hours after the Captain's arrival at the huts, b«^sides a tolerable proportion of soup, all which his mother gave him whenever he asked it, without the smallest remark of any kind. The conversation happened to fall upon the red Indians, a people none of these Esquimaux had ever seen, but with whose ferocity and hostility to their own nation they were well acquainted by re- port. Wheft the Captain related to them the mas- sacre of the Esquimaux recorded by Hearne, and gave them to understand that the Indians spared neither age nor sex, it seemed to chill them with horror. By the eleventh, the ships' companies began to make some show of equipping the ships for sea, though there was, as yet, but little prospect of a -ir ,. -^ '.i' 'I fell h •'<■ i W 1 I i^ \% 1^ h, 'ill I ■^'^''- ''■; ^1.1 J'll lillt|i ^:.;l I!'!'' Will i ' ■ I . 316 POLAR REGIONS. speedy departure. The boats were repaired, the snow was cleared away from about the ships, and other preparations were made. They also began to turn up a small piece of ground for a garden, hoping to produce something in the way of vegeta- ble diet before removal, especially as they were supplied with glazed frames for hot beds. There was not, however, a bare spot to be seen, and it was necessary to clear away two or three feet of snow, in order to find a space fit for the purpose ; and the earth was then so full of stones and frozen ground that it required great labor to prepare mould enough even for the frames. They were nevertheless completed, and sown with mustard, cress and pease. Yet it soon became evident that the climate was too rigorous to be contended with. A register thermometer left tw^ntyfour hours under the frames ranged from 25° to 100°, they being closely covered with mats after sunset. The only water that could be procured for the seeds was by melting snow, and the snow-drifts frequently so covered the frames that the labor of half a day was often requisite, after the snow had fallen, to remove it so as to admit the Hght. It was suggested that, strongly as the ice was now cemented about the ships, they might, by put- ting a trench round their bows to the depth of three or four feet, and taking care not to admit the water, have an opportunity to examine the planks and caulk the seams where they most required it. The plan was adopted, and was found to answer the purpose for which it was intended, completely. m POLAR REGIONS. 317 On the morning of the 16th, Capt. Lyon again set out on a journey of discovery, by land. They found the passage between the island and the con- tinent from one to two miles broad, and that the nature of the ice would not admit of cutting off any of the distance to be travelled between the island and the northeastern point of land. The snow on shore was now diminishing from day to day, yet so slowly that it was necessary to make a mark on some stone, to be assured that it was receding. Ravens made their appearance and the clouds seemed to indicate that the moisture of the atmosphere was returning. Our friend Okotook being attacked by an inflam- mation of the lungs, was taken on board the Hecla, and put under the surgeon's hands. His confidence in the skill of this gentleman was soon shaken by the pain caused by the a^ plication of a blister. It was amusing to see him take physic for the first time in his life. He knew its taste was not pleas- ant, but this \v as not all he dreaded, for before he put the cup to his lips with one hand, he held his wife fast with the other, and she held by him, as if they both expected some explosion, as its im- mediate effoct ; nor did he relinquish his grasp till the taste left his palate. The quantity of water he dra^k was beyond conception ; the cabin fire scarce- ly melting snow enough for him. His wife s^jowed much affection and solicitude respecting the effects of his dose, not being able to comprehend that one pain was to be removed by inflicting another. Capt. Lyon being desirous of having some Uttle 27* M i S- 31C POLAR REGIONS. .{i '=;!■! I jT" clothes made as models of the Esquimaux costume, and thinking Iligliuk's (the wife of Okqtook; presen leisure afforded her a good opportunity of making them, obtained her promise that she would do so. Okotook being now very much better, and she hav- ing herself resumed her usual gaiety in consequence, the Captain pressed her to commence her work, and placed the skins before her, when she said that she could not do them here, as she had no needles. These being supplied her, she now complained of having no tooktoo e-wallooy (reindeer sinew,) their usual thread. This difficulty, unfortunately for Iligliuk's credit, was as easily overcome as the other ; and when scissors, pattern-clothes, and all the other requisites were laid before her, she was at length driven to the excuse, that Okotook's ill- ness would not permit her to do it. Seeing the Captain half laughing at the absurdity of these ex- cuses, and half angry at the selfish indolence which prompted them, she at last flatly asserted, that Okotook desired her not to work, which, though he knew it to be a falsehood, the latter did not deny. The officers then supposed that some su- perstition might be at the bottom of this ; but having, a Httle while after, by way of experiment, thrown Iligliuk some loose beads upon the table, she eager- ly employed herself for half an hour in stringing them, that not one might be lost; which proved, that where her own gratification or interest was concerned, Okotook's illness was not suffered to ioterfere. This anecdote shows, in a strong light, that deep-rooted selfishness, common to this peo- •^m;* POLAR REGIONS. 319 costume, ) presen f making Id do so. she hav- iequence, ler work, said that ) needles, plained of ew,) their lately for ne as the 3S, and all r, she was otook's ill- seeing the ■ these ex- mce which srted, that ch, though 3r did not ; some su- but having, nt, thrown she eager- n stringing ch proved, iterest was suffered to strong light, to this peo- ple. The fact was, that she did not feel inclined so far to exert herself as to comply with Capt. Lyon's request ; and the slight degree of gratitude and proper feeling, which was requisite to overcome that disinclination, was altogether wanting. Two Esquimaux women, coming on '> >u^d, were invited into the cabin. It was observed that it re- quired unusual solicitation to make them go near Okotook, or even to the side of the cabin where he was. They however talked freely with him from the other side, while he lay concealed behind a screen. After they were gone, it was found that this unfortunate though well-intended visit had oc- casioned great distress to the patient, who talked incessantly stbout having been seen by one of them, which, it seems, ought not to have happened. We know not what misfortune he apprehended in con- sequence, but he spoke of it with agony, and was evidently agitated by some powerful though absurd superstition resp< ng the circumstance ; but the next day he entire icovered his gaiety. CHAPTER XI. W- Captain Lyon's Journey. — Departure of the Esquimaux. — Progress of the Season. — Thj Ships put to Sea. — Description of Winter Island. — Ca- taract on Barrow's River. — Walrusses killed. — The Ships reach Igloo- lic. — Igloolic and other Islands. — Strait of the Fury and Hecla. The caulking of the bows being now completed, the ships were released from the ice by sawi.ng mm mmm i^: tW'?. '^Wv I lii.! U li^ ■1 J' 11 :(/■! pniii '^* '% Vti.l ■i: 'II 320 POLAR REGIONS. round them ; .an operation which made them rise in the water six inches and a half, in consequence of the buoyancy occasioned by the winter's expendi- ture. An increased extent of open water appearing in the offing, Capt. Lyon again departed, accompanied by nine persons, with a tent, fuel, and provisions for twenty days. Each individual was furnished with a light sledge, to draw his provision and baggage, which might weigh about an hundred pounds. Their instructions were, after gaining the continent to proceed along the coast and examine it, and to make observations respecting the tides and the natural prod"ctions of the country. He set out on the 8th of May, and rested on the 9th at a low, rocky point, which he called Point Belford. Proceeding northward, he had given the following names successively to different parts of the coast, vi^. Blake's Bay, Adderly's Bluff, Palmer Bay, Point Elizabeth, and Cape William ; when, finding his provision and fuel half expended, he judged it prudent to return. On the 23d, the Esquimaux, who had long, as they said, been about to depart, set off in earnest, with all their goods and chattels, including a parting gift from Capt. Parry. He had scarcely made these presents, when he had reason to fear that the sud- den influx of wealth would produce fatal effects, especially upon the women, whose joy threw them into immoderate fits of laughter, which were fol- lowed by floods of tears. The men also were thankful, though less noisy in their acknowledg- ments. When all was ready, they started. Flocks POLAR REGIONS. 321 jm rise m quence of , expendi- pearing in companied ^visions for lished with id baggage, ids. Their ontinent to 3 it, and to ,es and the ested on the called Point lad given the rent parts of Muff, Paimer liam ; when, jxpended, he long, as they earnest, with a parting gift made these that the sud- fatal effects, ay threw them rhich were fol- len also were r acknowledg- arted. Flocks of birds now began to give token of returning summer, and, on the 25th, some Esquimaux, who came from an encampment to the westward, re- ported having seen a great many reindeer. Yet at the close of May it was matter of general regret that there was little prospect of the departure of the ice, and that few indications of a thaw had been observed. The navigators could not fail to re- member that at Melville Island, though so much farther north, the season had, on the same day two years before, advanced full as far as now at Winter Island. The parts of the land which were most bare were the smooth, round tops of the hills, on some of which were little pools of water. There were also, on the low lands, a few dark, uncovered patches, looking, in the snow, like islets in the sea. Vegetation seemed striving to commence, and a few tufts of saxifrage oppositifolia, when closely examined, discovered some signs of Ufe. Such was the state of things on shore : upon the ice ap- pearances were as unpromising. Except in the immediate vicinity of the ships, where from incessant trampling, and the deposit of various stores upon the ice, some heat had been absorbed artificially, there was no perceptible sign of dissolution on the upper surface, where six or seven inches of snow yet remained on every part. In these circumstances, Capt. Parry resolved to try what could be done to release the ships by cutting and sawing. Arrange- ments were, therefore, made for getting everything on board, and for commencing this laborious work. The operation began on the 3d of June, and was m 322 POT.AR REGIONS. i' ' si' ■/'. !■ »^ i m '! r. ■r'fi'U ' : completed in sixteen days, by severe and perseve- ring labor. In the mean while, Nature seemed un- willing to lend our mariners any aid : the dissolu- tion of the ice was so slow as scarcely to be per- ceptible. However, it was so weakened by the cut made, that the first pressure from without ef- fected a rupture, so that a favorable breeze only was needed to enable the ships to put to sea. On the 2d of July, the wind, for the first time became fair, and the ships sailed. Winter Island is ten miles and a half in length, from N. W. by N. to S. E. by S., and its average breadth from eight to ten miles. It is what sea- men call rather low land ; the height of the S. E. point, which was named Cape Fisher, out of re- spect to the chaplain and astronomer, being seven- tysix feet, and none of the hills above three times that height. The outline of the land is smooth, and in the summer, when free from snow, presents a brown appearance. Several miles of the north- west end of the island are so low and level, that, when the snow lay thick upon it, our travellers could only distinguish it from the sea by the absence of hummocks of ice. The basis of the island is gneiss rock, much of which is of a grey color, but in many places also the feldspar is so predominant as to give a bright and red appearance to the rocks, especially about Cape Fisher, where also some broad veins of quai'tz are seen intersecting the gneiss ; and both this and the feldspar are very commonly accompanied by a green substance, which appeared to be pistacite, and JA POLAR REGIONS. 323 which usually occurs as a thin lamina adhering strongly to the others. In many specimens these three are united, the feldspar and quartz displaying tolera^ !y perfect crystals. In some of the gneiss! small red garnets are abundant, as also in mica- slate. In lumps of granite, which are found de- tached upon the surface, the mica sometimes oc- curs in white plates, and in other specimens is of a dirty brown color. There are several varieties of mica-slate, and some of these ha"ve a brilliant me- tallic appearance, like silver ; those which are most so, crumble very easily to pieces. The most com- mon stone next to those already mentioned is lime, which is principally schistose, and of a white color. Many pieces of this substance, on being broken, present impressions of fossil-shells, and some have also brown waved lines running quite through them. Nodules of flint occur in some masses of lime, but they are not common. Iron pyrites is found in large lumps of black stone, tinged externally with the oxyde of iron : it is here and there met with in small perfect cubes. Sailing northward along the coast, the ship^ were soon stopped by the ice. While they remained stationary, a party of natives were discovered on shore, who proved to be their neighbours of Winter Island. They were cordially greeted by the oflicers and seamen as old acquaintances, and loaded with presents. On leaving the ships, one of them sent Capt. Parry a piece of seal skin as a present, with- out the least prospect or expectation of a return. We mention this trifling incident, merely because it »^. 824 POLAR REGIONS. ii was the first and only undeniable proof of gratitude observed among these people. Slowly and painfully our navigators pursued their *course northward, always with difficulty and often with great danger. On the 12th of the month, they discovered the mouth of a considerable river, and Capt. Parry went on shore to examine it. The water was fresh, and the stream varied in breadth from four hundred yards to the third of a mile. After ascending a mile and a half, the Captain heard ' the roar of a waterfall. At the mouth, the banks of the river were about two hundred feet high, but here they rose much higher, and the water ran on a more elevated level. As Capt. Parry proceeded inland, he found the stream rushing with great fury over two small cataracts. Then turning a right angle of the river, he perceived a greater spray, occasioned by a very magnificent fall. Where the stream begins its descent it is contracted to the breadth of one hun- dred and fifty feet, the channel being worn in a solid bed of gneiss rock. After falling about fifteen feet, at an angle of thirty degrees, the river is again narrowed to forty yards, and, as if collecting its strength for a great effort, is precipitated ninety feet, in one unbroken mass. A cloud of spray rises from the cataract, surmounted by an uncommonly vivid rainbow. The basin which receives the fall is cir- cular and about four hundred yards in diameter, rather wider than the river immediately below. Above the cataract, the stream winds in the most romantic manner imaginable among the hills, with a smooth and unruffled surface. To this beautiful ■fjfl POLAR REGIONS. 325 gratitude lued their and often onth, they river, and it. The n breadth )f a mile. >tain heard e banks of 1, but here on a more 1 inland, he r over two igle of the sioned by a 1 begins its if one hun- worn in a bout fifteen ver is again )llecting its ninety feet, y rises from monly vivid e fall is cir- n diameter, tely below, in the most le hills, w^ith his beautiful water-course Capt. Parry gave the name of Barrow's River. Its entrance is in latitude 67° 18' 05", and longitude 81° 25' 20". The next day large herds of walrusses were seen upon the drift ice, and the boats were sent to kill some for the sake of the oil. The sportsmen found them lying huddled together, piled upon one another. They waited quietly to be shot, md were not greatly alarmed even after one or two volleys. They suffered the people to debark on the i^e near them, but on their near approach displayed a some- what pugnacious purpose. After they got into the water three were struck with harpoons and kill- ed. When first wounded, they were quite furi- ous : one of them resolutely attacked Capt. Lyon's boat, and injured it with his tusks. Those which remained uninjured surrounded the wounded ani- mals, and struck them with their tusks ; whether *o assist their escape, or with a hostile intention, can- not be ascer ined. Two of the animals killed were females, and one weighed over fifteen hundred pounds, which was not considered an uncommon bulk. The strength of the walrus i^ ^'ery great. One of them being touched with an oax, seized it with his flippers, and snapped it with the utmost ease. Many of these animals hdj young ones, which, when assailed, they cnrjied ofl^, either be- tween their flippers or on their backs. They were most easily killed with musket-balls, even after being struck with the harpoon, as their skins are so tough as to resist a whaling lance. On the 15th, the ships reached Igloolik, for 28 326 POLAR REGIONS. i;. ! 'I t: f r caw Bf! ! '.'it; n if' :| I!, the situation of which we refer our readers to the map. Here they found a new band of Esquimaux, who proved to be the acquaintances and rela- tives of those of Winter Island. These people dwelt not in snow huts, but in tents, made of the skins of the walrus and seal, the former shaved thin enough to allow the transmission of light. They were clumsily made, and supported by a kind of tent-pole, constructed by tying bones or deer's horns together. The edges of the tents were kept down by placing stones upon them. To keep the whole fabric erect, a thong was extended from the top to a large stone at the distance of a few yards. These abiding places had little appearance of af- fording comfort or convenience. From these people Capt. Parry learned that he had unquestionably been coasting the continent. He then determined to attempt to penetrate a large inlet, stretching westward from Iglooiik, which, at the time of his arrival, was closed by a fixed bar- rier of ice, and which he named The Strait of the Fury and Hecla. We shall not follow the naviga- tors in their arduous but unsuccessful efforts to penetrate westward at this point, as we have al- ready allotted more space to their adventures than consists with our intended limits. Suffice it to say, that after persevering in the attempt till the 30th of September, they found themselves as far from the attainment of their object as at first. The cold weather then setting in, they were compelled to lay the ships up at Iglooiik. One important point was settled, however, be- I,* i' V '14 s to the quimaux, and rela- e people de of the ;r shaved of light, by a kind or deer's were kept keep the , from the few yards, ince of af- arned that } continent. •ate a large , which, at I fixed bar- rait of the the naviga- l efforts to ve have al- ntures than ce it to say, ill the 30th as far from The cold jelled to lay owever, bc- POLAR REGIONS. 327 yond the possibility of doubt. Finding bis re- searches ineffectual by water, Capt. Parry under- took to explore the Strait of the Fury and Hecla by land. He found it continuous, and pursued his journey far enough to see the open sea beyond, thus proving the existence of a passage at this point, though it was then, and probably ever will be, closed by an insurmountable barrier of ice. Beside this result of his endeavours, the position of Cockburn Island, and indeed of all the lands adjacent to Igloolik, was ascertained, and correctly laid down on the map. Beside the Esquimaux found at Igloolik, our friends had the society of the savages of Winter Island, who rejoined them shortly after their arrival. We are sorry that we cannot relate the adventures and observations of this winter, as they are ex- tremely entertaining ; but as they are not important in their nature, we trust to be excused for omitting them. Igloolik is a low island, ten miles long and six broad, and exhibits the same appearance of sterility as the adjacent continent, excepting in places which have been inhabited by the natives. There, the ac- cumulation of animal substances has produced a luxuriant vegetation. In some parts there are spots several hundred yards in extent, covered with bright green moss. The whole land seems to be composed of innumerable fragments of thin schistose lime- stone, some of which contain the impressions of fos- sil reiiiains, while others present the cellular structure usually found in madreporite. The interior is al- ^|l'' , .-i. , V Mm 328 POLAR REGIONS. ?: ' . 1 ■ [■-'I ■S! 1,1: :■ V. 'll i f 1 s ., '•»"' '11^- ■<■ most an entire swamp ; but there are rising grounds, which, with the remains of Esquimaux habitations upon them, are excellent landmarks. E^st of Igloolik is a group of small islands called by Captain Parry Calthorpe Islands. Like almost all the land in this vicinity, they are low, but their geology differs from that of Igloolik, and in every respect resembles that of Winter Island, being com- posed of gneiss. Two of this group, however, are high and rugged. From the top of one of these there is a good view of the adjacent shores. The entrance of the Strait of the Fury and Hecla is about three miles wide, and is formed by two pro- jecting headlands, between which the tide rushes with great velocity. The south shore is high, but of gradual ascent, perfectly smooth, and composed of beautifully variegated sand-stone. Beyond the entrance the land is bold and mountainous. Capt. Parry, who it will be remembered explored the southern shore of the strait, states the hills to con- sist of grey gneiss and red granite, rising, in some instances, a thousand feet above the level of the sea. In some places he saw slate, and in others sand-stone. He has left no positive data, by which we may determine the length of this strait ; but as he was rather more than a day in accomplishing the distance on foot, by a circuitous route, we may conclude that it does not exceed fifteen cr twenty miles. From the point where his journey termi- nated he saw a continuous sea to the westward, open and unobstructed save by ice and by one small island. POLAR REGIONS. 329 grounds, kbitations ds called te almost but their in every ;mg com- ^ever, are of these s. ind Hecla f two pro- de rushes high, but composed 3yond the iis. Capt. ilored the [Is to con- 5, in some vel of the in others 1, by which ait ; but as ;omplishing ite, we may 1 cr twenty rney termi- westward, md by one There are several islands in the Strait of the Fury and Hecla. On one of these (Liddon Island) abundance of beautifully veined clay iron-stone was found. The other minerals were asbestos, crystals of carbonate of lime, and a great variety of sand- stone, of which the island is formed. Amherst Island is flat, and the northern part is formed of black slate, with strong indications of coal. This part of the island is utterly bare of vegetation. In a low cliff of black and rugged slate there is a beautiful and romantic grotto. The water, oozing through the sides and roof, has formed the most bril- liant stalactites, which form a splendid contrast with the shady part of the ebon grotto behind. The other part of the island is of clay and limestone, on which there is a very scanty covering of shrivelled grass and moss. The incidents of the winter spent at Igloolik re- late almost exclusively to the intercourse of the navigators with the Esquimaux. We propose to give the principal results of their observations, in a separate chapter. , ' >, CHAPTER XII. ■■■■'«. Physical Chnracter of the Esquimaux. — Costumo. — Female Avocations. — Sledges, Dogti, Weapons, &.c. — Manner of killing Deer and Musk Oxen. The Esquimaux seen during this voyage com- prise nearly the whole aboriginal population of the northeast coast of America, from Wager River to 28* POLAR REGIONS. Igloolik. They are a small race, much beneath the physical standard of Europeans. The tallest man seeT> b} our friends was five feet nine inches and three quarters in height, and the tallest woman was five feet six inches, but the average height was be- low five feet. They are deficient in muscular pow- er, as was proved by trials of strength with the seamen of the expedition. Even in the young and strong men the muscles are not prominent, but are smoothly covered, like the limbs of women. There is, besides, a contradiction between the different parts of the most robust of them ; which is, that however well defined the chest may be, the neck is small, weak, and sometimes shrivelled. They are active wrestlers among themselves, yet they can neither run nor jump, and in walking they turn their toes inward, like some other sa\ age tribes. Very few of the men are inclined to corpulence, though dis- tended abdomen is universal in the tribe. The women are, sometimes, obese, but this is probably owing to their sed^.ntary habits. The feet of both sexes are small and well formed. The necks and shoulders of the young women are generally well proportioned, though large. They cannot be said to walk, but rather to waddle, owing to the enormous size of their boots, which are the receptacles of their children and of all moveables, and preclude the possibility of ever learning to run or jump. This remark, indeed, applies to both sexes. Both sexes dress nearly alike, in the manner al- ready described, and probably no other would be W\ POLAR REGIONS. 331 eneath the allest man inches and /oman was tit was be- cular pow- ti with the young and jnt, but are ;n. There [ferent parts lat however ;ck is small, f are active can neither n their toes Very few though dis- tribe. The 1 is probably feet of both 3ung women large. They addle, owing irhich are the U moveables, arning to run )lies to both le manner al- her would be as well adapted to their mode of life. We must remark, however, that in summer they commonly wear coats, boots and breeches of duck skins, with the feathers inward. Ornaments, as for instance, strings of foxes' teeth or plaits of hair, are worn exclusively by the men. The breeches of the men are often made of pieces of different colors ; those of the fair sex are invariably plain. Children, till they are two or three years old, wear no clothing whatever, but lie naked in the hoods of their mo- thers. At last they are stuffed into a dress of fawn's skin, with the jacket and breeches of one piece, the back part of which is left open, but a string or two makes all tight again. The boots of the soft sex are the most prepos- terous part of their equipment, being of such im- mense size as to resemble leathern sacks. They give a deformed as well as ludicrous appearance to the whole figure. The bulky part is at the knee, while the upper end terminates in a pointed flap, which covers the front of the leg, and is fastened with a button to the waistband of the inexpressibles. While speaking of the costume of the Esquimaux, we must not omit their manner of dressing the hair. The men cut it square across the forehead, and leave the side-locks to grow. Those who suffer it to grow all over the head, tie the tresses up in a bunch, which give? them a very singular appear- ance ; but most of the young men clip the crown quite close. The women divide their very long, black locks neatly on the top, and arrange them in two mighty pigtails, which hang down on either m "mm ■1 ■ il| p4 1^' f '■ if '!,; I i'l , 332 POLAR REGIONS. side, each having a piece of bone for a stiffener. Round this, the hair is bound by a sort of ribbon of skin with the hair on, so as to fonii a prf^tty spiral pattern, terminating in a rosette. In this, «s in rnaTiy other particulars, they differ from vhe women of Hudson's Strait. The women, beside making all the clothing of the tribe, prepare the materials, as the men coL\sider their duty discharged when they have I. !]ed the animals whose skins aie to be dressed. Delicacy will not permit us to describe the abominably filthy T!i:;nner in which this operation is performed. It is also the part of the wife to repair her husband's garments, and to dry them when wet. Indeed these occupations fall to the women in almost all barba- rous communities. Cookery also is performed by the women. Washing is out of the question, as the Esquimaux think it entirely superfluous. One of the most primitive of their contrivances is their method of striking fire. It is done by striking together two pieces of iron pyrites : the sparks are received in a bag of dry moss. Another way is, by the friction of two pieces of wood ; but this is seldom practised. We have already spoken of the canoes of the Esquimaux. The article of next importance is the sledge. He who has a canoe and a sledge is con- sidered a man of property. To describe this arti- cle is impossible, as there are no two alike, and they differ both in form and material. The best are made of the jaw-bones of the whale, sawed into slips two inches thick and from six inches to a foot POLAR REGIONS. 333 tiffener, ibbon of ty spiral m many Dinen of -..■■■■v:i.? [ISC of t^® coL\sider I'led the Delicacy ibly filthy icd. It is husband's leed these all barba- formed by ion, as the )ntrivances by striking sparks are way is, by s is seldom oes of the tance is the dge is con- )e this arti- alike, and The best , sawed into les to a foot deep. These are the runners ; the side pieces are connected by meaas of bones, pieces of wood, or deer's horns, fastened across, at intervals of about two inches, and yield to any considerable strain. The general breadth cf the upper part of a sledge is about twenty inches ; but the runners lean in- ward, and therefore it is greater at the bottom. The length of bone sledges is from four feet to fourteen. The skin of the walrus, when hard frozen, is often used for runners, being as thick as a board, and ten times stronger. Sometimes the dogs are harnessed to a rough piece of walrus hide, or a cake of ice, hollowed like a bowl, which serves very well for a time. The dogs by which the sledges are drawn are much like the English shepherd's dogs, but more muscular and broad chested, owing to their habits of hard labor. The ears are sharp and erect, and the whole aspect is savage. The hair is very long, and in winter a warm coat of fur is found under it. These animals are not only useful for draught, but assist the Esquimaux to overcome his most foi-mi- dable enemy, the polar bear. An Esquimaux, with three or four dogs, will not hesitate to attack a bear. The dogs overtake and keep the animal in check till their master comes up. When the hunter arrives, he spears the bear from a distance, if he can find a piece of ice to which he may fasten the line. If no such conveni- ence is at hand, he darts the unencumbered spear behind the bear's shoulder, and then trusts to the spirit of his dogs and his own activity. Springing •'!• * 334 POLAR REGIONS. !(.;'- :.|¥^^'^ I'i i: •.i|i:iiiil ' f,'ii! ■vit'iiiii^:; from side to side, he avoids the wounded animal. If the lance drops from the wound, it is again thrown; but if it sticks fast, the dogs attack the bear's legs, while the man rushes on and despatches him with his knife. They have four kinds of spears, one of which is large and strong, with an ivory point, to despatch large animals. A lighter kind, used to take seals, has a loose head, which is tied to a bladder with a line. When this is struck into a seal, it is instantly liberated from the handle, and the inflated bladder serves to show the course of the animal, as well as to impede his progress. Another similar spear has no appendages. The fourth and last is used to strike birds, young animals, or fishes. It has a double fork at the extremity, and there are three other barbed ones at about half its length, diverging from the shaft in different directions, so that if the end fork should miss, some of the centre ones may take effect. Another curious contrivance *o catch seals is a slender -od of ivory, a foot long, and as thick as a fine knitting-needle. Its purpose is to warn the hunt- er, who watches a seal hole, of the approach of his prey, so that he may strike without seeing or being seen. At the lower extremity is a small knob, like the head of a pin ; at the upper, is a string by which it is attached to the ice. The animal, in rising, does not perceive so small an object, but pushes it upward with his nose, when the hunter perceiving it in motion, strikes down, and secures his prize. The same want of wood which causes sledges to '} ? POLAR REGIONS. 335 be constructed of bone compels the Esquimaux to make their weapons of the same material. The horn of the musk-ox, thinned horns of deer, and other bony substances are converted into bows, of an infinite variety of patterns. Three or four bones or pieces of wood are frequently put together in one bow, the strength of which lies in a collection of plaited sinews, which run along the back of the implement. Being quite tight, and very elastic, they cause the weapon, when unstrung, to bend the wrong way ; when bent, their united strength is astonishing. The general length of these bows is about three feet and a half. The arrows are short, and commonly of bone, with a stone head. The Esquimaux show no small ingenuity in their manner of killing deer. When the animal is fee ding on level ground, the hunter makes no attempt to approach ; but if rocks be near, he conceals himself behind them, and skilfully imitates the cry of his prey. Sometimes, for more complete deception, he draws his deer-skin coat and hood over his head, in order to resemble the creature he is approaching. He seldom shoots till the deer is within ten or twelve paces, and thus, with the aid of extreme patience, he renders his paltry weapons as effective as the fire- arms of white men. The musk-ox is killed in near- ly the same manner, and the Esquimaux arrows tn?A« 9:reat havoc among the feathered race. Be- side the modes of procuring subsistence we have described, there are many others which we have not room to notice. Um. t :' ij,mi- "VPC ;«.-f. 'v-f / ■ I ■ T; ' ■'!! ill nil 'lilli' . ^ii! I i..''KI': > ...J: ♦ I i.iS .IT I 336 POLAR REGIONS. CHAPTER Xffl. Travelling. — Marriages. — Treatment of Children.— Theology.— Honesty.— Beggary. — Ingratitude.— Hospitality.— Lying and Slander.— Courage.— The Ships return to England. The Esquimaux have the same rambling propen- sity which distinguishes the more southern Indians, with this difference, that they prefer the most deso- late and inhospitable countries to those which are covered with vegetation. There are no established settlements along a great extent of coast at which they may be said to have a fixed habitation ; but there are three or four general mustering places, at which they assemble at certain periods. Igloolik is one of these. In travelling, they depend entirely on land- marks ; and though they know the cardinal points, and are acquainted with certain particular stars, they care little for the presence of the sun, or whether the weather be clear or otherwise. The setting in of winter is their principal time of journeying, as their sledges then move easily on the snow. It is very common with the Esquimaux to betroth their children from infancy; and in consequence of this compact, the parties live together as man and wife as soon as they are inclined. Sometimes they select wives for themselves, and in such cases \ki\» regard is paid to personal beauty. Young men prefer young women ; but the elderly content them- selves \Vith widows, as more experienced, and bet- ter able to provide for mutual comfort. There is !'!ili ill POLAR REGIONS. 337 y. — Honesty.— Bi.— Courage— ig propen- rn Indians, most deso- which are established St at which 1 ; but there £s, at which lik is one of ely on land- dinal points, ar stars, they ij or whether le setting in urneying, as snow. ux to betroth Qsequence of [• as man and metimes they ch cases Ms> Young men content them- ced, and bet- art. There is no marriage ceremony, and the connexion is dissolv- ed at pleasure. Bigamyjs common, but no instance was observed where a man had more than one wife. Divorced women are common, but they soon marry again. Widows who have friends, and enjoy health, fare as well as married women ; but the want of either seals their fate, and they are left to starve, with their children. Cousins marry, but a man never weds two sisters. Their most extraordinary connexion is by adoption, for there are few families which have not one or more adopted children, their own being at the same time adopted by others. This connex- ion binds the parties as firmly as the ties of blood ; and an adopted son, if senior to one by nature, in- herits the family riches : this exchange of children frequently takes place between those related by consanguinity. No people are fonder of their children than the Esquimaux. The mothers carry .them naked on their backs, until they are good walkers, and employ their whole time in nursing and feeding them. The fathers are constantly making toys, and giving them all the assistance in their power. They have their own way in everything, and are never scolded or corrected. Yet this kindness is not reciprocaied by the children, when their parents become unable to support themselves. The Esquimaux, like other savages, are supersti- tious. They have priests who pretend to hold in- tercourse with the invisible world, and thus acquire a certain influence over their countrymen. Capt. Lyon was present at a pretended interview be- 29 * "^ • - " •■■M M li . j t* I 1 I # :|i!i|;;i 1^ " & ■ \ '4''"'! 1 1 ■' 4 * 1 ■i -»i.'" ':t,;: ft"?; « 1 , ■: ;ii|||li;' ; ( ■1 :| ^^! 338 POLAR REGIONS. tween one of these jugglers and his patron spirit, which took place in the dark, and which proved that the priest was merely a ventriloquist. It would seem that the Esquimaux believe in a countless multitude of spirits, some male, and some female. Packimna, one of the latter, lives in a western land, and is the protectress of deer. There is also a large bear, who lives on the ice at sea, where he often meets the priests and converses with them. Anoth- er, called Nooliayoo, is the mother, protectress, and monopolist of marine animals, which she sometimes confines below, and so causes a scarcity in the upper world. When this is the case, the priest pretends to pay her a visit, in order to obtain their release. There are few tribes more honest than the Es- quimaux. They never touch each others' property without permission ; and on board the ships their scruples were the same. Some few thefts, indeed, took place ; but if it be considered how great a temptation so many articles, all of the utmost im- portance to them, presented, such instances will not weigh very heavily against their general char- acter. Only three of their whole number were considered professed thieves, and they performed their work so clumsily as to be instantly detected. In contrast with these, a great many examples of singular honesty might be adduced, where things were dropped and supposed to be lost, and yet were returned by these poor savages, though they might have retained them without incurring sus- picion. We wish we could speak as favorably of them in '\ t POLAR REGIONS. 339 itron spirit, ich proved It would a countless Dme female, estern land, also a large sre he often jm. Anoth- tectress, and e sometimes in the upper est pretends ;ir release, than the Es- lers' property le ships their hefts, indeed, how great a le utmost im- instances will • general char- number were hey performed antly detected. ly examples of i, where things i lost, and yet es, though they incurring sus- rably of them in other respects. They are envious to a degree scarcely credible. The possession of an article by any individual is sure to draw on him the ill will of him who covets it. This vice naturally led to beg- ging, as our voyagers had constant occasion to re- mark. Their demands were always introduced by a reference to favors conferred on some other ; and it may not be improper to remark that the ladies are the most addicted to this practice. Gratitude, we might say, were it not for one in- stance already mentioned, is absolutely unknown among them, by action, word, or look. No service rendered, no kindness shown, no gifts bestowed, can awaken a thankful feeling, and those who re- lieve their distresses are ridiculed as soon as the present want is supplied. Their parents receive no attention in their old age ; and the very food they eat is bestowed, not from good feeling, but because their hospitality is free to all. Indeed, selfishness seems to be their predominant principle. The hus- band cares not for the wife in the hour of sickness or danger, and the wife is equally regardless of the hus- band. The infirm and helpless receive no attention, but are abandoned by the strong and active, as use- less burthens. Parents care so little for their chil- dren as to refuse them the rights of sepulture, and see the dogs feed on their carcasses with the utmost unconcern. Wo to the invalid who has no near relation: he or she is walled up in a snow hut, and left to perish whhout the smallest compunction. Children are buried with their dead mothers ; and none of these things excite the slightest feeling of remorse. ^ i^-■i,■': f. ■&"' 340 POLAR REGIONS. ir« .'f' ■ 1 ■ IBli'lliSi ; I ■ ■ . I ■■■,v j 1 ■ > :-;.! '' '"I'll 4^' Their hospitality cannot extend farther than it does. Strangers are received in the kindest man- ner, every want is removed, every accommodation is supplied, and they are thanked for their acceptance. Our voyagers found the women especially solicitous for their comfort, and were fully convinced, by the manners of their host,:i, that they were welcome. They invariably met with the same treatment, and their property was scrupulously respected ; and all this proceeded from motives of pure hospitality, for the same persons wearied them by importunate beggary on all other occasions. As a proof of this, if, on the next day, they asked for the smallest ar- ticle, even a bit of moss, immediate payment was demanded. There is another dark shade in the character of these people : their envious disposition continually leads them into falsehood. Their lies, however, are confined to vilification of each other and false accusations of theft or other misconduct. It is but rarely that they speak well of one another, and as rarely that they persist in an untruth. In this par- ticular also the ladies are the 'most culpable, as well as in quarrelling and beggary. The men who dare to engage the terrific polar bear in single combat, and who trust themselves at sea in stormy weather on small cakes of drift ice, cannot be called cowardly. There is an expression of confidence, courage, and independence peculiar to the Esquimaux, which is highly striking. The firm step, .^rect person, and fearless eye, all denol* a person accustomed to depend on his own resour- • POLAR REGIONS. 341 ces, and certain of their efficacy. Their habit of venturing to sea on pieces of loose ice, which by a change of wind or sudden rupture, might carry ihe-m to sea, confirms them in their insensibiUty to danger ; and this very indifference has been the death of many a man, who has left his hut in search of subsistence, to return no more. Their courage is, however, in no shape alUed to ferocity. They have not much of the milk of human kindness, but their equanimity is admirable. In pain, cold, star- va ion, disappointment, or when roughly treated, th iir good-humor is not disturbed. Few are ever suiky ; or if they are, it is for a short time only. If they are angry at neglect or punishment, in afew minutes their gaiety returns, and they r:;e as well disposed towards the person who affronted them as before. Quarrels seldom occur among them, and rarely, if ever, proceed to blows ; indeed the litde instances of spite before mentioned are almost the only disagreements they have. The passion of re- venge is unheard of among them, and our voyagers heard of no instance of murder or warfare^ or of any dislike to particular persons being transmitted from father to son. When they were informed of the bloodthirsty disposition of the more southern Indians, and when instances of their ferocity were related to them, they expressed the utmost horror. * •M * We. must here conclide our account of the Es- (luimaux, and of the voyage by which this know- ledge of them wufs obtained. On Ihi l»th of August the ships run out of their 29* ii f m-M mMJJ 342 POLAR REGIONS. harbour, where they had been detained three hun- dred and nineteen days. They were so embarrass- ed by the ice, that Uttle use could be made of their sails ; nevertheless, by the 30th of the month they passed Winter Island, having been carried three de- grees by the drift in which they were beset. On the 9th of October, they made the Orkney Islands, and on the 1 0th reached Lerwick in Shetland, where they were received with many congratulations on their safe return. ' ' iv /I ♦ '. ■'. ■-:^- ■*#* ;♦-, ^, .::■■■ r •lA'S'v 1 M •'i' 4 *■ CAPTAIN PARRY'S THIRD VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. vi-r The Ships leave England, and arrive at Disko Island. — The Ice crossed. — Arrival at Lancaster's Sound. — Port Bowen. — Aurora Borealis. — Ani- mals. — Farther Proceedings. — The Fury wrecked. — Return to Eng- land, Though neither of the two first voyages of Capt. Parry had been successful, the British government resolved to fit out a third expedition. Accordingly the Hecla and Fury were made ready for sea, the latter under the command of Capt. I? ppner, and sailed from England on the 16th of Mn,v eighteen hundred twentyfour. They were to attempt the northwest passage at Prince Re;,'nt's Inlet. They crossed the Atlantic without any material adventure, and made the bay of Lievely in Disko Island on the 5th of July. As this place has been described in that part of our work which relates to Greenland, it is unnecessary to say anything of it here. Sailing up Baffin's Bay, on the 17th the sliips came to the ice, and from this time the obstructions from its quantity, magnitude and closeness, were such as to keep the crews constantly employed in * ih^- ' f ll^ Hi H ^'■m !'¥'■ 1: ;« 344 POLAR REGIONS. heaving, waiping or sawing through it, yet with so httle success, that at the close of the month they had only penetrated seventy miles to the westward. Here they encountered a hard gale, and sustained several shocks that would have crushed any ship of ordinary strength. Not to dwell upon their labors and dangers during the eight weeks occupied in crossing this formidable barrier, they reached Lan- caster's Sound on the 10th of September. The entrance of the sound was, as usual, free from ice, excepting here and there a berg llo.vting about in solitary grandeur. The winds not being favorable, the ships made small progress, and on the 13th the crews had the mortification to perceive the sea ahead covered with ice, in attempting to penetrate which they were soon immoveably beset. Nevertheless, the exer- tions of Capt. Parry and his coadjutors were unre- mitting. We have in our account of former voyage? detailed the usual modes of proceeding in such cases. The officers landed at one place, a little east of Admiralty Inlet. Here they found the beach covered with fragments of bituminous shale, slate and iron-stone, interspersed with limestone gravel. Travelling inland, the surface was of secondary limestone, and there were many indications of coal. The vegetation was, as usual in those regions, very scanty. With great exertion and extreme difficulty the expedition reached Port Bowen in Prince Regent's Inlet, on the 27th, where, by the middle of October, •? *' POLAR REGIONS. 345 et with so th they had westward, sustained any ship of their labors )ccupied in iched Lan- Tiber. The ee from ice, ,ng about in ships made rews had the ead covered ch they were ss, the exer- •s were unre- rmer voyages ding in such , a little east ind the beach .s shale, slate lestone gravel, of secondary nations of coal, e regions, very e difhculty the ^rince Regent's die of October, Capt. Parry deemed it advisable to lay up the ships for the winter. The lands on each side of this spot run nearly east and wesi, and rise from six to nine hundred feet above the level of the sea, with deep and broad ravines intersecting the country in every direction. Several journeys inland proved the country to be exceedingly broken and rugged ; so much so that the researches of the explorers were of necessity confined to a very limited ex- tent. The surface was so completely buried in snow, that little knowledge of its nature or geology was gained. Traces of Esquimaux were found in every direction, but those by whom they had been left were nowhere seen. Some brilliant displays of the Aurora Borealis were observed this winter, one of which we shall describe. About midnight on the 27th of January, it broke out in a single compact mass of yellow light, appearing but a short distance above the land. This light, notwithstanding its general continuity, sometimes appeared to be composed of numerous groups of rays, compressed laterally, as it ^'ere, into one, its Hmits to right and left being well de- fined and nearly vertical. Though always very brilliant, it constantly varied in intensity ; and this appeared to be produced by one volume of light overlaying another, as we see the darkness of smoke increase when cloud rolls over cloud. While some of the officers were admiring the exceeding beauty of the phenomenon, they were suddenly as- tonished at seeing a brilliant ray shoot down from the general mass between them and the land^ thence distant three thousand yards. -i^ 346 POLAR REGIONS. m ':;f '''i ',!£■'. ^. ■ ^^'isi'it i ^V' f ! , i ' ' :.'f.- I I, ill The principal animals seen at Port Bowen were bears, of which twelve were killed during the win- ter. Two foxes were killed, and four more were taken in traps. These last lived for some time on board the Fury. They were pure white till May, when they shed their coats, and assumed a dirty chocolate color with brown spots. Hares and mice were seen, but no deer or wolves. These animals appeared but rarely, and the same may be said of the feathered creation. In July, a canal was sawed in the ice, and the ships were towed to sea. Captain Parry hoped to sail over 'o the weslern shore of the inlet, but he had only made eight miles in the intended direction, when he was stopped by the ice. As no opening appeared in that quarter, he determined to try to cross more to the northward. The most he gained was some knowledge of the character of the shores. A reference to the map will show the principal positions ascertained by astronomical observation. It was observed that in certain parts of Prince Regent's Inlet the water was of a milky hue. The land in the vicinity oi Hasting's Elwin Bay, ex- plained this appearance. Its formation was of lime, ^vith a narrow earthy stratum of gypsum, some of it of a very pure \v^hite. A part of the rock contained a quantity of it in the state of silenite in transparent laminai of a large size. On the 30th of July, the ships being beset close to the land, a hard ;;ale brought the ice close upon them. The Hecla received no damage but the breaking of two or three hawsers ; but the Fury was forced on POLAR REGIONS. 347 wen were T the win- lore were le time on e till May, ied a dirty ;s and mice jse animals be said of ce, and the ry hoped to ^nlet, but he ed direction, , no opening led to try to )st he gained )f the shores, the principal ibservation. ts of Prince y hue. The in Bay, ex- was of lime, m, some of it ick contained 111 transparent Ibeset close to l)se upon them, lie breaking of Vas forced on shore. She was heaved off again, with little injury, but this was ^but the commencement of her misfor- tunes. On the 1st of July, she was again nipped, and so severely strained as to leak a great deal. As the tide fell, her stern, which w^as aground, was lifted several feet, and the Hecla also remained aground. No place was found where the Fury might be hove down to repair the damage, as the shore was everywhere lined with masses of ground- ed ice. The ships were again made to float, but it v/as found, notwithstanding incessant labor on board the Fury, that four pumps constantly going could hardly keep the water under. In these circumstances the only harbour thai could be found was formed by three grounded masses of ice, with- in which the water was from three to four fathoms deep at low tide. On the night of the 2d, the ice came in with great violence, and again forced the Fury on shore. The strength and number of the Hecla's hawsers only saved her from sharing the same fate. Seven of these, of six inches diameter, and two'^streara cables were barely sufficient to bear the strain. In the mean while the crew of tlie Fury were com- pletely exhausted by labor, and their hands had be- come so sore by the constant fiiction of the ropes that they could no longer handle them without mit- tens. In this situation it was determined to land the stores and provisions of the vessel, in order that she might undergo a complete repair. Accordingly anchors were carried to the beach, by which the grounded icebergs that formed the ■r. m i 348 POLAR REGIONS. '*ti:i harbour wece secured in their position, thus en- closing a space just sufficient to admit both ships. In this position a great part of the Fury's stores were landed. The injury was found to be more severe than had at first been supposed ; indeed, it appeared that the compactness of her fabric had ulone saved her from sinking. Nevertheless, no exertion was spared to render her sea-worthy again, though the daily pressure of the ice was another, and a very great disadvantage. While the opera- tions of h(3aving down and repairing were going on, the bergs by which the harbour was formed suffered constant diminution by the washing of the sea, and frequently changed their position, owing to the pressure of the external ice. In spite of every effort, it was found impossible to save the Fury, and the Hecla was greatly endan- gered in the attempt. She was compelled to leave the land and drift about among the ice, to avoid being forced on shore. On returning, Capt. Parry found that the Fury had been driven farther on the beach than before, and nine feet of water were in her hold. Her keel and bottom were more injured than ever. The first glance satisfied Capt. Parry that the vessel could never return to England. By and with the advice of a council of his officers, therefore, he decided to k'uve her to her fate, and as his j)rovisions would barely suffice for another twelvemonth, to return home. In pursuance of this resolution the Hecla reached Sheerness on the 21st of October. On the eastern shore of Prince Regent's Inlet is POLAR REGIONS. 349 thus en- oth ships. y's stores be more indeed, it fabric had theless, no rthy again, IS another, the opera- e going on, ed suffered he sea, and ,ing to the impossible jatly endan- ^led to leave :e, to avoid |Capt. Parry ^rther on the [ater were in .iore injured Capt. Parry |ngland. By his officers, |her fate, and for another Juance of this Iness on the rent's Inlet is Cape Kater, the most southern point "Attained by the ships in this expedition. It is in latitude 71° 53' 30", and longitude 90" 03' 45". If we add to this that the shores of this strait are everywhere bold and lofty, and that the ice in it seems to be perpetuated from year to year, we believe that'we have t Dmmunicated to our readers all the informa- tion gained by this voyage. It appears, from the discoveries of Capt. Parry, almost beyond the possibility of a doubt, that there are at least three passages, by water, round the northern shore of America ; viz. through Barrow's Strait, through Prince Regent's Inlet, and at the Strait of the Fury and Hecla. Whether they are at any time passable, future attempts only can de- termine. It seems to us, however, that, even though a passage should be effected, these channels can never be rendered available for the purposes of commerce or navigation. •^f :#*^ •«,* > J. -Ml W^>. ^. ■^.^.i. i. i ^ mm lifl'i 'M CAPTAIN FRANKLINS TRAVELS. m ' si ' I h . I . JtSl^llli III II III III I CHAPTER I. ■ :i i , „ His Instructions.-Captam Franklin Object of Captain FranUlin-sJoumy.-Han_^^^^^^^ ^T:;^'^^ 'arrives at Hudson's ^^>^^-^„ l.^jian Anocdote.-Stcel Rivcr.-Routc from York F-J2g^!!lLal at Lake Winnipeg, ofthe party up HiUK''«- ^ ^r.t Viavine resolved to send T„. English governmen han„ ^^ ^^^ ^^^, a„ expediuon '» "^Xcapt. Parry, and to continent, to co-operate ™"» J' Captain John farther *e P-g-- f ^^^ ° ^1;^ was selected Franklin, of the R°y^ J j„j,„ Richardson and a» its commander. Do ^^^^^^ j^^^, ^,,, Midshipmen George B ^^ .^ ^^^^ enterpnze. ordered to jom Capt. r ^,^g .^^^^„„, These officers were '» P "^^f ^"..i, »d thence to the Copper Mme R -r ot H ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ to its deboochure mto thej ^^ ^^^ ^^^,^„ ,,ere to advance, .'^''"S .^^^ ^j ^ point, it was L! POLAR REGIONS. 351 • of every prominent point on the coast, to observe tiie variation of the magnetic needle, and, in short, to observe and record everything that might occur, vv'hich should be interesting to science. That his viev^^s might find as Uttle obstnu 'ion as possible, instructions were sent to the ae is of the Hudson's Bay Company, to furnish him n) nlies and aid his plans. In pursuance of irders Capt. Franklin sailed from England on the lUth of June, 1819, and reached York Factory at Hudson's Bay on the 30th of August. Here Capt. Franklin was assured by Mr Williams, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, of all the assistaiice in his power. The opinion of this gen- tleman and his subordinates vvas, that the expedi- tion shou'd proceed by the W£^ of Cumberland House, and through the chain of trading-posts to Great Slave Lake ; and a large boat was selected by them for the journey. A crew was also pro- vided for this vessel. York Factory, the principal depot of the Hud- son's Bay Company, is, or at that time was, a>group of two-story buildings, surrounded by a stockade on the west bank of Hayes' River, about five miles above its mouth, on the marshy peninsula which separates Nelson and Hayes' Rivers. They were disposed in an octagonal forxii, with an open space in the centre. The officers of the company dwelt in one part of this square, and in the other parts were workshops, stores to contain merchandize, furs, &c. The surrounding country is flat and swampy, and '! m } I i^v <*d:- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 Hr"^ 11^ ■^ 1^ 12.2 MS 120 I.I m m *- i. MUu L25 iil 1.4 III 1.6 ^? ^.J^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTER.N.Y. 14580 (716) •72-4S03 n.% s ^ ¥ <> 352 POLAR REGIONS. i.4 '|i'v;i. covered with willows, poplars, larch, spruce, and birch trees. The soil is alluvial clay. Though the bank of the river is here about twenty feet high, it is frequently overflowed by the spring floods, and large portions are annually carried away b} the disruption of the ice, which, grounding in the stream, have formed several muddy islands. These ob- structions render the navigation of the river some- what diflfiicult, but vessels of two hundred tons bur- then may be brought through the proper channels as high as the factory. Capt. Franklin found a few of that band of Kinis- tenaux called Swampy Crees encamped at York Factory. Their tents were rudely constructed by tying twenty or thirty poles together at the top, and spreading them out at the base so as to form a cone; these were covered with dressed moose- skins. The fire is placed in the centre, and a hole is left for the escape of the smoke. The inmates had a squalid look, and were suffering under the combined aflflictions of hooping-cough and measles ; but even these miseries did not keep them from an excessive indulgence in spirits, which they unhappi- ly can procure from the traders with too much facili- ty ; and they nightly serenaded the oflScers with their monotonous drunken songs. Their sickness at this time was particularly felt by the traders, this being the season of the year when the exertion of every hunt- er is required to procure their winter's stock of geese, which resort in immense flocks to the exten- sive flats in this neighbourhood. These birds, dur- ing the summer retire far to the north, and breed in L- POLAR REGIONS. 353 security; but when the approaching winter com- pels them to seek a more southern climate, they generally alight on the marshes of this bay, and fat- ten there for three weeks or a month, before they take their final departure from the country. They also make a short halt at the same spots in their progress northward in the spring. Their arrival is welcomed with joy, and the goose hunt is one of the most plentiful seasons of the year. The ducks frequent the swamps all summer. While the party remained at York Factory, the weather was unfavorable for celestial observations ; but by the aid of partial glimpses of sunshine it was found that this place is in latitude 57° 00' 03" N., and longitude 92° 26' W. The variation of the com- pass was 6° 00' 22" E. and the Hip of the needle 79° 29' 07". All arrangements being completed, on the 9th of September the expedition started. The wind fail- ing when they had attained six miles above the Factory, they were compelled to tracky or tow the boat up stream, which was a laborious and diffic^^lt operation. The men were obliged to walk along the steep declivity of a high bank, rendered soft and slippery by rain, and were moreover impeded by fallen trees, which had slipped from the wood above, and hung on the face of the bank in all directions. At sunset, having made a progress of six miles, the party stopped and encamped. Here the river is about half a mile wide, and from three to nine feet deep. Its banks and islands are allu- 30* W'M J?l u-'H h ■< I ■ ■>. ill* I ill I -I'll ■'■i*-' I' I": 354 POLAR REGIONS. vial, and well covered with pines, poplar, larches, and willows. A large fire was quickly kindled, supper was speedily prepared, and as readily despatched. Then, covering themselves with buffalo robes, the party betook themselves to rest, and enjoyed a night of sound repose. Thus commenced their travels in the Indian country. i The next day was spent in tracking, with even more difficulty than before. Sometimes the men were obliged to pass under cliffs so steep that they could scarcely obtain a footing, and not seldom over spots so miry as to be almost impassable. In the course of the day, they passed the scene of a very melancholy accident. Some years before, two fam- ilies of Indians M^re induced by the flatness of a small beach between the cUff and the river to en- camp on it. They retired, to rest, not aware that the precipice, detached from the bank, and urged by an accumulation of water in the crevice behind, tottered to its base. It fell in the night, and the whole party was buriec' hi ruins. The next day brought < . Franklin to the end of Hayes' River, which is formed by the confluence of Shamattawa and Steel Rivers. Steel River, through which tht course of the party lay, is three hundred yards wide at its mouth, and its banks are more favorable for boating than Hayes' River. It presents much beautiful scenery, and winds through a narrow, well wooded valley. On the 14th, the party arrived at the junction of Fox and Hill Rivers, which unite to form the Steel, ^zM'-' POLAR REGIONS. 355 ar, larches, ;upper was led. Then, , the party I a night of r travels in T, with even es the men ep that they seldom over tble. In the jne of a very 3re, two fara- flatness of a i river to en- »t aware that k, and urged evice behind, ight, and the in to the end le confluence Steel River, lay, is three its banks are 3s' River. It ,vinds through le junction of arm the Steel, as Hayes' River is formed by the Steel and Sham- attawa. Soon after entering Hill River, our trav- ellers were overtaken by three boats belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. The water was now so low, and the rapids so frequent, that their pro- gress was greatly retarded ; indeed they only made six miles this day. ■> ' The banks of Hill River are higher, and have a more broken outline than those of either Hayes' or Steel Rivers. In some places the cliffs, of alluvial clay, rise eighty or ninety feet above the stream, and are surrounded by hills about two hundred feet high. Not to enlarge on rapids, and portages, and other difficulties of navigation, the party arrived at Morgan's Rocks, on the upper part of Hill River, on the 19th. Here the banks of the stream, con- sisting of low, flat rocks with intermediate swamps, permitted them to obtain a prospect of the interior, the surface of which is broken by a multitude of conical hills : the highest of these has given its name to the river, and has an elevation of six hun- dred feet. From its summit thirtysix small lakes are visible. Still ascending, the party came, on the 23d, to Swampy Lake, the head of Hill River. Thence they emerged into, and ascended Jack River, which is but eight miles long. Then, after crossing two portages, they entered Knee Lake, so called from its shape. Its shores are low and well wooded, and the surrounding country is also flat. This sheet of water is thickly studded with islands, one ■ii 'I K 'm¥:i i'.'f ill I i^. -i 356 POLAR REGIONS. of which is entirely composed of magnetic iron ore, and affects, the needle at a considerable distance. On landing, the compass no longer points to the pole. On the 27th, the party left Knee Lake to ascend Trout River, and in the course of the day passed three portages and several rapids. At one of these portages there is a beautiful cascade sixteen feet high, called Trout Fall. The second portage is over hard and sharp stones, famous among the voyagers for destroying moccasins, and is thence called Knife Portage. Leaving Trout River they crossed Holey Lake, which is a beautiful piece of water, embeUished with islets, and abounding in trout, which here often exceed forty pounds in weight. Leaving Holey Lake, the boats entered the Weepinapannis, a narrow, grassy stream, and the next morning reached Swampy Portage. The Weepinapannis is composed of several branches, which separate and unite again and again, intersecting the country through which it Hows in every direction. Captain Franklin pursued the principal channel, and afte- crossing a small sheet of water named Windy Lake, entered a smooth, deep stream, known by the absurd appellation of Rabbit Ground. The marshy banks of this stream are skirted by low rocks. As the boats proceeded the country became Hatter. Crossing another small lake, our travellers arrived at a romantic defile, whose rocky walls, rising perpendicularly to the height of eighty feet, hem in the stream for three quarters of a mile, in many places so closely that I -'■■* m POLAR REGIONS. 357 c iron ore, J distance, ints to the J to ascend day passed ,ne of these iixteen feet I portage is among the d is thence t River they iful piece of abounding in \f pounds in :s entered the earn, and the \ of several lin and again, ich it flows in pursued the a small sheet ed a smooth, appellation of of this stream lats proceeded another small )mantic defile, cularly to the earn for three io closely that there is not room for the oars. A grand and pic- turesque rapid terminates the passage, and a brown fishing eagle which has nested on the cliff seems to preside over the scene. This chasm is called The Hill Gates. On the 1st of October, they reached the White Fall Portage, v/hich is occasioned by three distinct ridges of rock crossing the bed of the stream, and is thirteen hundred yards long. The scenery is rude and striking. Rocks piled on rocks hang over the torrents which sweep their bases, while the bright and varied tints of the mosses and lichens which cover the front of the surrounding cliffs, con- trasting with the gloomy green of the pines which crown their summits, add beauty to the grandeur of the scene. . . Leaving the White Fall, our friends arrived at the Painted Stone, a rock remarkable for its position among marshy streams which rise on each side of it. This spot may be considered as one of the smaller sources of Hayes' River. On the other side of the Painted Stone rises the Echemamis, "which flows to the westward into Nelson River. Having launched the boats over the rock, the party com- menced the descent of the Echemamis. On the morning of the 5th, they entered Sea River, one of the many branches of Nelson River. This they ascended for two hours, crossed a port- age and entered Little Jack River, which is a chan- nel between upper and lower Play Green Lakes. Then passing through upper Play Green Lake they encamped at Norway Point on the 6th. VjIm-.uh ■s- I f. ♦*;' '% .: J.; mM''^'- i'..i I I' 'fi •ISlil: ■■.?!] 358 POLAR REGIONS. The waters of Lake Winnipeg are opaque ; and Nelson River and Play Green Lake being its dis- charges, are muddy also, and therefore the rocks concealed in them are doubly dangerous. The crew of one of the Hudson's Bay Company's boats, found this to their cost, as it struck on a reef, and received considerable damage. Norway Point is the extremity of a peninsula which separates Play Green Lake from Lake Win- nipeg. Norway House, at this place, is a post of the Hudson's Bay Company. Having traced the route of our party as far as Lake Winnipeg, we shall post- pone their subsequent adventures to the next chap- ter. w IH' I ii I ■;|l,.| I ii:^ ■Pill CHAPTER IL . The Saskatchawayn. — Arrival at Cuml)crlan(l House. — Sufferings ofthc In- dians. — First ol' January. — Bois Brulcs. — Departure of Captain Franklin. — Cunib<>rlan(l House. — Vegetable Kingdom. — Animals. — The Nahceuwak. That the reader may the more easily trace Cap- tain Franklin and his fellow travellers, we shall give the latitude and longitude of the most remark- able places on their route. Norway Point is in latitude 53° 41' 38", and longitude 98° 1' 24". Leaving Norway House on the 7tb of October, the party sailed along the northern shore of Lake Winnipeg to Limestone Bay. This part of the coast is bordered by high clay bluffs as far as Lime- stone Bay, a distance of thirtyeight miles. POLAR REGIONS. 359 laque; and ng its dis- the rocks rous. The any's boats, on a reef, a peninsula Lake Win- a post of the ed the route ire shall post- e next chap- Suffcringsofthc In- Captain Franklin.— —The Naheeowak. ly trace Cap- ers, we shall most remark - y Point is in 1' 24". I of October, lore of Lake J part of the IS far as Lime- liles. On the afternoon of the 9th, they entered the great river Saskatchawayn. In the first two miles there are several rapids. Here the stream varies in breadth from five hundred yards to half a mile, and flows through a stony channel. Then, at the Grand Rapid, the river makes a sudden bend, and rushing through a narrow passage w^orn in the solid limestone, presents an unbroken sheet of foam. The route from Canada to Lake Athabasca, here unites with that from York Factory. . " By noon on the 12th, the boats had passed the rapid, and they moved up the Saskatchawayn. As they proceeded the river became wider. Its banks are high, composed of white clay and lime- stone, and their tops are surmounted by firs, pop- lars, birches and willows. The current is rapid, like that of the Missouri, and the channel is in many places intricate and dangerous, owing to ridges of rock which jut into the stream. Still ad- vancing, the boats entered Cedar Lake, where a violent gale compelled them to put ashore at a small island and detained them a whole day* On the 16th, they ascended the Saskatchawayn eigh- teen miles, and found the banks low, fringed with willows, and lined with drift wood. The next six days were passed in exertions which brought them to Cumberland House, on Pine Island Lake, a tra- ding post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The margin of the lake was incrusted with ice, so thick, that to effect a landing they were obliged to break it with poles, which satisfied Captain Franklin that it would be advisable to halt for tlie winter. ■- 1 ■•« k u 1 ^1 360 POLAR REGIONS. Accordingly, houses were built for the men, and measures were adopted to procure provisions for the winter. A building for the officers was com- pleted on the twentysecond of November,* at which date the Saskatchawayn, and all the other rivers in the vicinity, were frozen over. About this • time some Indians came to the post to beg provisions, having been prevented from hunting by sickness. We mention this circumstance to exemphfy the miseries of savage life, than which none has greater vicissitudes. Few recitals could be more affecting than the detail of the sufferings of Indians during unfavorable seasons, or in sickness. We have seen some individuals who have been compelled by starvation to feed on the bodies of their own relatives. When we consider that cannibalism is regarded with the utmost horror by the aborigines — indeed, as a sentence of perpetual disgrace on him who resorts to it, we may conceive that a shocking degree of suffering only, can occasion its occur- rence. The travellers', as well as the agents of the Hud- son's Bay Company, were supplied with food in the manner common to all trading posts. Hunters were sent out to kill moose, and nets were set in different parts of the lake for fish. The produce of the chase and fishery was brought to Cumber- land House on dog sledges. The fishing was not very productive, though sturgeon, tittameg and trout were commonly found upon the officers' table. On the 1st of January, the new year was ush- ered in by repeated discharges of musketry, a cer- -jiS :*, POLAR REGIONS. 361 e men, and ovisions for 3 was com- er,* 'at which her rivers in ut this- time r provisions, by sickness, semplify the e has greater nore affecting ndians during i. We have en compelled of their own cannibalism is e aborigines— isgrace on him lat a shocking ion its occur- ts of the Hud- with food in osts. Hunters ts were set in The produce ht to Cumber- fishing was not ;ameg and trout cers' table, year was ush- lusketry, a cer- emony which has long been observed by the Cana- dian yoyageurs. The party dined on a beaver ; no very delicate morsel, as we can testify. In the evening ttie voyageurs exhibited some grace and much agility in a dance ; and the officers had occa- sion to observe the passionate fondness of the half- bred women for this amusement. These women are the offspring of marriages between the traders and voyageurs and Indian women, or to speak more correctly, in most instances, of concubinage. Lit- tle care is bestowed on them by their fathers, and their morals are consequently on a par with those of their respective maternal tribes. They com- monly marry (according to the custom of the In- dian country) at an early age, and are to be found in every trading-house in the north and northwest. In the north it is not uncommon for one woman to be maintained by two voyageurs, and to consider herself the wife of both. Moreover, the Canadians frequently sell their wives, either for a season or altogether, and the price seldom exceeds that of a team of dogs. While young, these women are- well shaped and handsome ; but their features and per- sons soon become masculine, as do those of the squaws. * The male children of this abominable inter- course commonly follow the occupations of their fathers ; that is, they are employed as interpreters or voyageurs by the traders. When they are not thus engaged they roam over the country like the Indians, subsisting by the chase. Excepting that, they speak French, that their complexion is lighter 31 i I m in^ifm .!• ■ h< IfM • ??(:' 362 POLAR REGIONS. and that their costume partakes of the fashions of Europe, they differ little from the savages. Physi- cally they are a fine race, well formed and athletic, to a man. This class of men and women are very numerous, and are called metifs, bois brules, or h^lf-breeds. Conversations with the traders at Cumberland House persuaded Captain Franklin of the necessity of proceeding to Lake Athabasca during the win- ter. The following were his reasons. The resi- dents of Lake Athabasca were better acquainted with the nature of the country north of Great Slave Lake than those of Cumberland House, and there only could guides, hunters, and interpreters be procured. Accordingly, he set off for Carlton House on the eighteenth of January, leaving Dr Richard- son behind. We will not follow the adventurous Captain till we have given our readers some infor- mation touching Cumberland House and the In- dians who inhabit thereabout. Cumberland House is in latitude 53° 56' 40 and longitude 102° 16' 41". Its distance from York Fac- tory is about seven hundred miles. At the time of which we are writing, a house belonging to the Northwest Fur Company stood beside it ; but since the two rival companies have united, we believe that it exists no longer. The post was established by Hearne, a year or two after his return from the Copper-mine River, and has ever since been con- sidered by the Hudson's Bay Company as a post of considerable importance. Previous to that time the natives carried their furs down to the shores of ff' POLAR REGIONS. 363 fashions of res. Physi- md athletic, len are very is brules, or Cumberland the necessity ring the win- s. The resi- ir acquainted ,f Great Slave ise, and there iterpreters be Carlton House ^g Dr Richard- ,e adventurous jrs some infor- ,e and the In- 53° 56' 40 and from York Eac- At the time of ilonging to the Ide if, but since ited, we believe was establ'«>i-d return from the since been con- mpany as a post vious to that time to the shores of Hudson's Bay, or disposed of them nearer home to the French Canadian traders, who visited this part of the country as early as the year 1697. The Cumberland House district, extending about one hundred and fifty miles from east to west along the banks of the Saskatchawan, and about as far from north to south, comprehends, on a rough cal- culation, upwards of twenty thousand square miles, and is frequented by about one hundred and twenty Indian hunters. Of these, a few have several wives, but the majority only one ; and, as some are un- married, we shall not err greatly in considering the number of married women as only slightly exceed- ing that of the hunters. The women marry very young, have a custom of suckling their children for several years, and are besides exposed constantly to fatigue, and often to famine ; hence they are not prolific, bearing upon an average not more than four children, of whom two may attain the age of puberty. Upon these data, the amount of each fam- ily may be stated at five, and the whole Indian pop- ulation in the district at five hundred. The country around Cumberland House is flat and swampy, and is much intersected by small lakes. Limestone is found everywhere, under a thin stra- tum of soil, and it not unfrequently shows itself above the surface. It lies in strata generally hori- zontal, but in one spot near the fort dipping to the northward at an angle of 40°. Some portions of this rock contain very perfect shells. The vegetable productions of the country about Cumberland House are, first, \ *, <? ■ -; r- f*' * 364 POLAR REGIONS. i :1*'~ The populus trcpicla, or aspen, which thrives best in moist places, and is more abundant on the Saskatchawayn than any other tree. When newly cut, it is good fire-wood. The populus balsamifem, or taccamahac, called by the Kinisteneaux the ugly poplar, in allusion to its rough bark, naked stem, and distorted branches. It is an inferior fire-wood. The Indians use a de- coction of its resinous buds for snow bhndness, but its application to the inflamed eye causes acute pain. ''■>:''-' '^ j-' ■■■:•■ ■'^■'■r v ^>-'^^.<- •■ Of evergreens white spruce is the most common. The red and black spruce, the balsam of Gilead fir, and the Banksian pine also occur frequently. The larch is stinted and unhealthy. The common canoe birch is rare, but attains a considerable size. The alder abounds on the small lakes, and the Indians use a decoction of its inner bark as an emetic. The sugar maple, elm and ash grow on the Sas- katchawayn ; but, we believe, no farther north. The choke cherry and a kind of wild j)lum com- plete the list of trees. The strawberry is found in abundance, as well as the raspberry. The red whortleberry is found everywhere, but is most abundant in rocky places. The common cranberry is found in all the swamps ; and beside these, there are berries of several other species. • ^ -i ^tf-v,.. ,.<... ^ ,>.r • ■..,: The animals of this district are, the bison, the moose, the reindeer, the American elk, the apeesec- mongsoos, or jumping deer, the kinwaithoos, or long- tailed deer, and the American antelope or cabri. aF ' POLAR REGIONS. 366^ All these are hunted for food. They all abound m the prairies above the forks'of the Saskatchawayn, but none of them, excepting the moose and rein- deer, are found about Cumberland House. '! Of the fur-clad animals, there are red, black, blue, silver, "and cross foxes, several varieties of the wolf, the black, red, and grizzly bears, and the wolver- ene. This last does much mischief, eating the martens which are caught in traps, and is therefore detested by the hunters. The other animals are the American lynx, the marten, the pekan, or fisher, the mii\k, the otter, the beaver, and the musk-rat. The land around Cumberland House is low, but the soil, from having a considerable intermixture of lime-stone, is good, and capable of producing abun- dance of corn, and vegetables of every description. Many kinds of pot-jierbs have already been brought to some perfection, and the potatoes equal those of any country. The spontaneous productions of nature svould afford ample nourishment for all the European animals. Horses feed extreme- ly well even during the winter, and so would oxen, if provided with hay, which might be easily done. The wild buffalo scrapes away the snow with its feet, to get at the herbage beneath ; and the horse, which was introduced by the Spanish invaders of Mexico, and may be said to have become natural- ized, does the same ; but it is worthy of remark, that the ox, more lately brought from Europe, has not yet acquired an art so necessary for procuring its food. Pigs also improve, but require to be kept warm in the winter. The neighbourhood of the 31* ■I ■ h In Sy M. 3 ■ " 366 POLAR REGIONS. lS|» f: . houses has been much cleared of wood, from the great demand for fuel ; there is, therefore, little to admire in the surrounding scenery, especially in its winter garb ; few animated objects occur to enliven the scene; an occasional fox, marten, rabbit, or wolf, and a few birds, constitute the only variety. The birds which remain are ravens, magpies, par- tridges, cross-bills, and wood-peckers. In this uni- versal stillness, the residents at a post feel little disposed to wander abroad, except when called forth by their occupations. ^ The Crees {GdlictB, oris) Kinistenaux, or as they call themselves, JYaheeowawkj are the nation to which the Cumberland House Indians belong. If affinity of language establishes connexion, we have in our possession a vocabulary of their tongue which incontestibly proves them to belong to the Algon- quin, or Chippeway stock, branches of which for- merly peopled New England. Their character has been so much modified by intercourse with the English fur traders, that it cannot be said what it was originally. We may say that they are a vain, fickle, improvident, mendacious, indolent people, and moreover great boasters. Indeed this char- acter will apply to all the wild tribes with which we have any acquaintance, and they are not few. Yet must we not judge them strictly: the moral character of a hunter is influenced by the nature of the land he inhabits, by the abundance or scarcity of food, and by the facility of access to ardent spirit^ ; all of which causes operate unfavorably on the Naheeowawk. We must also bear in mind that POLAR REGIONS. 367 , from the re, little to nally in its to enliven rabbit, or jly variety, igpies, par- In this uni- t feel little rhen called K, or as they a nation to belong. It on, we have ongue which the Algon- f which for- laracter has se with the said what it r are a vain, ent people, this char- vs'ith which are not few. jr: the moral the nature of or scarcity fss to ardent nfavorably on in mind that they are a race without any divine rule, real or supposed; without government, and without any restraint excepting that of public opinion. To try their character or conduct, therefore, by our own standard, would be less than justice. On the other hand, they are scrupulously honest, very hospitable, tolerably kind to their women, capable of friendship, inclined to peace, and suscep- tible of the kinder affections. Much of the faulty part of their character origi- nates in their mode of life. Accustomed to depend, in a great measure, upon chance for the means of subsistence, they are consequently indolent. The most offensive trait, boasting, has probably been put on as a kind of natural armor, to operate on the fears of their enemies. There is little wherein the manners and customs of the Naheeowawk differ from those of other tribes of the same stock ; and as we Jiave matters of more interest to communicate, we shall not dwell upon them farther. CHAPTER UI. . Snow Slioss. — Dog Sledges. — Travelling Dress. — Mai a Raqucttc. — Pcmlean. — Sagacity of Wolves. — Arrival at Carlfon House. — Assinncboijis. — Their War Parties. — Dressing Skins. — A Pound for catching Bufliiloci). Captain Franklin, as we have said before, startcc! from Cumberland House on the 18th of January. As we shall often have occasion to speak of the IW'fJ -Ml,,,,, 368 POLAR REGIONS. ii.Iiifi; . :::r.. V:!- implements of travelling in winter in an Indian country, it may not be amiss to describe them here. A snow-shoe is made of two light bars of wood, fastened together at their extremities, and pro- jected into curves by transverse bars. The side bars have been so shaped by a frame, and dried before a fire, that the front part of the shoe turns up, like the prow of a boat, and the part behind terminates in an acute angle ; the spaces between the bars are filled up with a fine netting of leathern thongs, except that part behind the main bar, which is occupied by the feet ; the netting is there close and strong, and the foot is attached to the main bar by straps passing round the heel, but only fixing the toes, so that the heel rises after each step, and the tail of the shoe is dragged on the snow. Between the main bar and another in front of it, a small space is left, permitting the toes to descend a little in the act of raising the heel to make the step for- ward, which prevents their extremities from chafing. The length of a snow-shoe is from four to six feet, and the breadth one foot and a half, or one foot and three quarters, being adapted to the size of the wearer. The motion of v^^alking in them is per- fectly natural, for one shoe is level with the snow, when the edge of the other is passing over it. It is not easy to use them among bushes, without fre- quent overthrows, nor to rise afterwards without help. Each shoe weighs about two pounds, when unclogged with snow. The northern Indian's snow- shoes, differ a'little from those of the southern In- dians, having a greater curvature on the outside of ^, W." n. an Indian e them here, ars of wood, js, and pro- 3. The side te, and dried le shoe turns 2 part behind aces between ng of leathern ain bar, which is there close the main bar only fixing the . step, and the ow. Between of it, a sn\i\ll descend a little ;.e the step for- es from chafing, bur to six feet, alf, or one foot ) the size of the in them is per- with the snow, ising over it. It les, without fie- jrwards without v'o pounds, when n Indian's snow- Ihe southern In- m the outside of POLAR REGIONS. 369 each shoe ; one advantage of which is, that when the foot rises the overbalanced side descends and throws off the snow. All the superiority of Euro- pean art has been unable to improve the native contrivance of this useful machine. Sledges are made of two or three flat bod!td^ curving upwards in front, and fastened together by transverse pieces of wood above. They are so thin that, if heavily laden, they bend with the ine- qualities of the surface over which they pass. The ordinary dog-slcdges are eight or ten feet long and very narrow, but the lading is secured to a lacing round the edges. The cariole used by the traders is merely a covering of leather for the lower part of the body, affixed to the common sledge, which is painted and ornamented according to the taste of the proprietor. Besides snow-shoes, each individu- al carries his blanket, hatchet, steel, flint, and tinder4 and generally fire-arms. •>;!!••, , ^,+5 • . .. . . ;: The general dress of tho winter traveller is a capot, having a hood to put up under the fur eap in windy weather, or in the woods, to keep the snow from his neck ; leathern trowsers and Indian leggins, which are closed at the ankles, round the upper part of his moccasins, or Indian shoes, to pre- vent the snow from getting into them. Over these he wears a blanket, or leathern coat, which is se- cured by a belt round his waist, to which his fire- bag, knife, and hatchet are suspended. Sledges are usually drawn by three dogs, and at the commencement of a journey, carry three hun- dred pounds, which load, however, undergoes u I 'a f I Siffi if?, si ,.;'.i't ill'';t!.^. !: '■ ' F* J m m :\ ii^i.r ma. ' ^ f i *;if-j ■liilll ill' ml ii 370 POLAR REGIONS. daily diminution from the consumption of provisions! The sledge, with its tackle, weighs about thirty pounds, and thus laden, the rate of travelling is about three miles an hour. \ -^ • At night. Captain Franklin 'encamped* after the maftner of the north ; that is, his people cleared a , small spot of its snow, built a huge fire, before which, after supping, the party slept. In such en- campments it is necessary to hang sledges on trees, out of the reach of the dogs, lest tjiey should eat the tackle. ^ The course of the party lay up the Saskatcha- wayn, and they made but slow progress through the deep snow. The task of beating the track for the dogs was so fatiguing, that the men took it by turns, at intervals of an hour and a half. By the evening of the 20th, Capt. Franklin had experience of one not the least of the hardships of winter trav. elling, viz. what is called the mal a raquette^ or snow-shoe pain. This is caused by the irritation of the tendons of the upper part of the foot, caused by the weight of the snow-shoe. This is an evil which few of the uninitiated escape, and which excites no commiseration in the experienced voy- ageurs, who think of it as sailors do of sea sickness. Nevertheless, the pain is almost enough to bring down the fortitude of the bravest. The usual food of the voyageurs, on such jour- neys, is pemican, which is made in the following manner. Meat is cut into thin slices, and dried. It is then broken into small fragments, and pulver- ised, or nearly so, with a pestle. It is then mixed *K, f. — 1 - ^'§ POLAR REGIONS. 371 ■ provision* ibout thirty travelling is \a . 3d' after the )le cleared a . fire, before In such en- ges on trees, y should eat • e Saskatcha- ;ress through the track for len took it by half. By the id experience )f winter trav. a raquettCf or le irritation of i foot, caused 'his is an evil le, and which perienced voy- f sea sickness, tough to bring on such jour- 1 the following ;es, and dried. Its, and pulver- is then mixed Si equal-parts with tallow or marrow fat, crammed into a parchment bag, and pounded hard. It is a cphvenient and nutritious food, and when well pre- pared will keep upwards of two years. On the 25th, the party passed the remains of two elks, lying at the bases of perpendicular cliffs ovfer which they had probably been driven by wolves. These voracious animals, who are inferi- or in speed to the moose or red-deer, are said fre- quently to have recourse tS this expedient in places where extonsive plains are bounded by precipitous cliffs. While the deer are quietly grazing, the wolves assemble in great numbers, and, forming a crescent, creep slowly towards the herd so as not to alarm them much at first, but when they perceive that they have fairly hemmed in the unsuspecting creatures, and cut off their retreat across the plain, they move more quickly and with hideous yells ter- rify their prey, and urge them to flight by the on' >• open way, which is that towards the precipice ; ap- pearing to know that when the herd is once at full speed, it is easily driven over the cliff, the rearmost urging on those that are before. The wolves then descend at their leisure, and feast on the mangled carcasses. In the evening of the 26th, the travellers put up at Upper Nippeween, a deserted trading house, where they washed and shaved, for the first time since leaving Cumberland House. They passed an uncomfortable and sleepless night, and agreed thenceforth to encamp in the open air, as prefer- able to the shelter of a deserted house without ::V rt 372 V POt^AK REGIONS. doors or windows. In the course of the next day they parsed the confluence of the south branch of the Saskatchawayn, which rises in the Rocky Moun- tain*, near the sources of the Missouri. They then passed the ruins of a house which the traders had been compelled to abandon on account of the in- tractable conduct and pilfering habits of the Assin- neboins. They moreover learned from the voy- ageurs that all the residents of a house near the spot had been cut off by the same Indians a few years before. At night, the wolves serenaded them, as usual, and Mr Back was more seriously dis- turbed. His buffalo robe took fire, and the shoes on his feet w^ere so much contracted by the heat, and gave him so much pain, that he was obliged to jump up and run into the snow for, relief. On the 30th, they reached the beginning of the Barren Grounds, above which both banks of the river are bare. Vast prairies extend behind the southern bank, affording excellent pasturage for the Buffalo, a herd of which were seen. By this time their provisions were expended, and they were, therefore, very happy to reach Carlton House the next day at noon, where they were kindly received and hospitably entertained by Mr Prudens, the tra- der. Here Captain Franklin had an opportunity to see some Assinneboins, or in their own tongue, Hohays. Their countenances are affable and plea- sing, their eyes large and expressive, nose aquiline, teeth white and regular, the forehead bold, the cheek-bones rather high. Their figure is usually POLAR REGIOaiS. ' 373 ; next day branch of ,cky Moun- They then traders had t of the in- f the Assin- ,m the voy- ise near the dians a few naded them, eriously dis- id the shoes by the heat, as obUged to lef. ginning of the banks of the 1 behhid the turage for the By this time a they were, an House the iidly received dens, the tra- ,pportunity to own tongue, able and plea- nose aquiline, ead bold, the ;ure is usually good, above the middle size, with slender, but well- proportioned limbs. Their color ih a light copper, and they have a profusion of very black hair, which hangs over the ears, and shades the face. Their dress, which is extremely neat and convenient, consists of a shirt and leggins of leather ; over these a buffalo robe is thrown gracefully. These dresses are in general cleaned with ^chile mudy a sort of marl, though some use red earthy a kind of bog-iron- ore ; but this color neither looks so light, nor forms so agreeable a contrast as the white with the black hair of the robe. Their quiver hangs be- hind them, and in the hand is carried the bow, with an arrow, always ready for attack or defence, and sometimes they have a gun : they also carry a bag, containing materials for making a fire, some tobac- co, the calumet or pipe, and whatever valuables they possess. This bag is neatly ornamented with porcupine quills. Thus equipped, the Stone Indian bears himself with an air of perfect independence. The Stone Indians steal whatever they can, par- ticularly horses : these animals they maintain are common property, sent by the Almighty for the general use of man, and therefore may be taken wherever met with ; still they admit the right of the owners to watch them, and to prevent theft if pos- sible. This avowed disposition on their part calls forth the strictest vigilance at the different posts ; notwithstanding which the most daring attacks are often made with success, sometimes on parties of three or four, but oftener on individuals. About two years ago, a band of them had the audacity to 32 " . (' , % 374 POLAR REGIONS. mm ifi !|. .:i, ,1,^1 l!l;>,%'f '■7Mlfe '. I v:ill.1 attempt to take away some horses which were graz- ing before the gate of the Northwest Company's fort ; and, after braving the fire from the few peo- ple then at the establishment through the whole day, and returning their shots occasionally, they ac- tually succeeded in their enterprise. One man was killed on each side. They usually strip defence- less persons whom they meet, of all their garments, but particularly of those which have buttons, and leave them to travel home in that state, however severe the weather. If resistance be expected, they not unfrequently murder before they attempt to rob. The traders, when they travel, invariably keep some men on guard to prevent surprise, whilst the others sleep ; and often practise the stratagem of lighting a fire at sunset, which they leave burning, and move on after dark to a more distant encampment — ^yet these precautions do not always baffle the depredators. Such is the description of men whom the traders of this river have constantly to guard against. These parties go to war almost every summer, and sometimes muster three or four hundred horse- men on each side. Their leaders, in approaching the foe, exercise all the caution of the most skilful generals ; and whenever either party considers that it has gained the best ground, or finds it can sur- prise the other, the attack is made. They advance at once to close quarters, and the slaughter is con- sequently great, though the battle may be short. The prisoners of either sex are seldom spared, but slain on the spot with wanton cruelty. The dead ^ M: : POLAR REGIONS. 375 were graz- Company's le few peo- the whole lly, they ac- me man was :ip defence- ;ir garments, auttons, and .te, however le expected, they attempt el, invariably irprise, whilst } stratagem of gave burning, t encampment ays baffle the of men whom intly to guard very summer, lundred horse- in approaching [le most skilful considers that ndsitcan sur- They advance lughteris con- may be short, om spared, but ty. The dead are scalped, and he is considered the bravest per- son who bears the greatest number of scalps from the field. These are afterwards attached to his war dress, and worn as proofs of his prowess. The victorious party, during a certain time, blacken their faces and every "part of their dress, in token of grief for their slain ; and in that state they often come to the establishment, if near, to signify their success by dancing and singing, bearing all the hor- rid insignia of war, to display their individual feats. There were also a band of Naheeovvawk en- camped at Carlton House, and Captain Franklin had occasion to observe, what we have often re- maj|£ed, that the greater proportion of the labor of savage life falls on the women. He saw them employed in dressing skins, and conveying wood, water, and provision. As they have often to fetch the meat from some distance, they are assisted in this duty by their dogs, which are not harnessed in sledges, but carry their burthens in a manner pecu- liarly adapted to this level country. Two long poles are fastened by a collar to the dog's~neck ; their ends trail on the ground, and are kept at a proper distance by a hoop, which is lashed be- tween them, immediately behind the dog's tail ; the hoop is covered with net-work, upon which the load is placed. There was also another object of interest close by; a pound for catching buffaloes. It was a fenced circular space, of about a hundred yards in diameter ; the entrance was banked up with snow, ^^. ^^^::im 376 POLAR REGIONS. ij ' . 'f ';■ to a sufficient height to prevent the retreat of the animals that once have entered. For about a mile on each side of the road leading to the pound, stakes were driven into the ground, at nearly equal distances, of about twenty yards ; these were in- tended to represent men, and to deter the animals from attempting to break out on either side. With- in fifty or sixty yards from the pound, branches of trees were placed between these stakes to screen the Indians, who lie down behind them to await the approach of the bufl'alo. The principal dexterity in this species of chase is sliown by the horsemen, who have to manceuvre round the .herd in the plains, so as to urge th^ to enter the roadway, wMch is about a quarter of a mile broad. When this has been accomplished, they raise loud shouts, and, pressing close upon the animals, so terrify them that they rush heedlessly forward towards the snare. When they have ad- vanced as far as the men who are lying in ambush, these also rise, and increase their consternation by violent shouting, and firing guns. The aff^-ighted beasts having no alternative, run directly to the pound, where they are quickly despatched, either with arrows ojf guns. ■ ■-•■ There was a tree in the centre of the pound, on which the Indians had hung strips of buffalo flesh, and pieces of cloth, as tributary or grateful offerings to the Great Master of Life ; and we are informed that they occasionally place a man in the tree, to sing to the presiding spirit, as the buffaloes are ad- M PH; POLAR REGIOiNS. 377 treat of the about a mile the pound, nearly equal ise were in- the animals side. With- , branches of es to screen n to await the ies of chase is to manoeuvre urge th^ to a q\iarter of a accomplished, close upon the ash heedlessly they have ad- ing in ambush, )nsternation by The aflfrighted directly to the patched, either f the pound, on of buffalo flesh, rrateful offerings e are informed 1 in the tree, to )uffaloes are ad- vancing, who must keep his station until the whola that have entered are killed. This t^pecies of hunt- ing is very similar to that of taking elephants, on the island of Ceylon, but upon a smaller scale. , CFI AFTER IV. Running the BulTalo. — Still Hunting. — Carlton lIo\i!!G. — Guitro: Doily. — Is!u u la CroHso. — Buiral i Luke. — Pierre an Culumct.- Fort Chipp'wyan. — Roturn of Spring. — \ Dead -,Arri\nl at Beside the pound there are other ways of taking the Buffalo, all practised by such Indians as live in thl^ prairies and ride on horseback. Of these, hunting on horseback requires most courage and dexterity. An expert hunter, when well mounted, dashes at the herd, and chooses an individual, which he endeavours to separate from the rest. If he suc- ceeds, he contrives to keep them apart, by the pro- per management of his horse, though going at full speed. Whenever he can get sufficiently near for a ball to penetrate the beast's hide, he fires, and seldom fails of bringing the animal down ; though of course he cannot rest the piece against the shoulder, nor take a deliberate aim. On this service, the hunter is often exposed to considerable danger, from the fall of his horse in the numerous holes which the badgers make in these plains, and also from the rage of the buffalo, which, when closely pressed, often turns suddenly, and, rushing furiously on the horse, frequently succeeds in wound- 32* , ^' i i ii V I I)', ■ I' » 378 POLAR REGIONS. ing it, or dismounting the rider. Whenever the animal shows this disposition, which the experi- enced hunter will readily perceive, he immediately pulls up his horse, and goes off in another direction. When the buffaloes are on their guard, horses cannot be used in approaching them ; but the hun- ter dismounts at some distance, and crawls in the snow towards the herd, pushing his gun before him. If the buffaloes happen to look towards him, he stops, and keeps quite motionless, until their eyes are turned in another direction ; by this cau- tious proceeding a s' ilful person will go so near as to be able to kill two or three out of the herd. It will easily be imagined this service cannot be very agreeable, when the thermometer stands at 3^ or 40° below zero, as sometimes happens in this coun- try. The buffalo or bison is a huge and shapeless animal, quite devoid of grace or beauty ; particular- ly awkward in running, but by no means slow; when put to his speed, he pluni,^es through the deep snow very expeditiously : the hair is dark brown, very shaggy, curling about the head, neck, and hump, and almost covering the eye, particularly in the bull, which is larger and more unsightly than the cow. The most esteemed part of the animal is the hump, called by the Canadians bossc, by the Hudson's Bay people the wig ; it is merely a strong muscle, on which nature at certain seasons forms a considerable quantity of fat. It is attached to the long spinous processes of the first dorsal vertebra;, and seems to be destined to support the enormous I'liiii/iiiii, itSl: 'it^,'\ ■WJ " POLAR REGIONS. 379. lenever the the cxperi- immediately 3r direction, jard, horses but the hun- n-awls in the gun before towards himj 5, until their by this cau- go so near as the herd. It innot be very nds at 3#or 5 in this coun- nd shapeless ; particular- means slow; DUgh the deep dark brown, id, neck, and particularly in unsightly than ' the animal is bossc, by the lerely a strong easons forms a ttached to the ovsal vertebrae, the enormous head of the animal. The meat which covers the spinal processes themselves, after the wig is re- moved, is next in esteem for its flavor and juici- ness, and is more exclusively termed the hump by the hunters. Carlton House is in 52" 50' 47" N. latitude, and 106° 12' 42" W.. longitude. It is pleasantly situated about a quarter of a mile from the river, on flat ground under the shelter of the high banks which bound the plains. The soil is good, and, with little trouble, produces ample returns of wheat, barley, oats and potatoes. With the bank behind the house com- mences the prairie which extends to Mexico and the Rocky Mountains. Carlton House is a provi> sion" post, for the supply of other places, and few furs are collected there. There are more such es- tablishments farther up the river, at one of which (Edmonton) almost all the residents are afflicted with bronchocele, or goitres. This disorder attacks all who drink the water of the river, though farther down it is known only by name. A great pro- portion of the children born of women with goitres are idiots. It may not be improper to state here that the same disease prevails at Detroit in Michi- gan, where it is mostly confined to females. Isle a la Crosse was the next stage of the journey to Athabasca ; and having recovered from the pains and fatigues of the march, the party started from Carlton House on the 8th of February. For the first two days their route lay across an unvaried level, destitute of wood. On the second afternoon, they crossed three small lakes, two of fresh water, I • :'< U^ , ^: 380 POLAR REGIONS. and one of salt. By this last was an elevation, covered with poplars, willows and pines, at the foot of which they encamped. Here they saw a large herd of elks. -^ , The next day there was an agreeable variety of hill and dale, with enough wood for ornament. The valleys were intersected by small lakes and ponds, whose white covering happily contrasted with the dark green of the pines which surrounded them. Towards night, they crossed Lake Iroquois, and en- camped on its beautiful shore. The next day they struck into a beaten path, which brought them to the remains of an Indian hut. Close to this ruin was a great pile of wood, which the voyageurs supposed to cover a deposit of pro- visions. They removed the upper pieces, and to their surprise found the body of a squaw, apparent- ly recently placed there. Her garments, the ma- terials for striking fire, a fishing-line, a hatchet, and a bark dish were laid beside her. The wood was carefully replaced. The next evening the party reached Stink '■■ik Lake, in latitude 53" 2-5', and longitude 107" 18'. It is of an oval form, and its shores are low and swam- py ; to which it owes its name, and not to any bad quality of its waters. The day after, the route lay over ranges of hills so thickly covered with firs, birches, and poplars, that it was with great diflicully the sledges passed ])etween them. On the 15th, they reached Pelican Lake, wiiich is eight miles long and six broad. Thence the view to the right is bounded by a range of lofty hills. The 17th IfTf POLAR REGIONS, 381 ,n elevation, s, at the foot saw a large 3le variety of ^ament. The es and ponds, sted with the ounded them, quois, and en- i beaten path, an Indian hut. if wood, which ieposit of pio- pieces, and to luaw, apparent- ments, the ma- , a hatchet, and The wood was .'.i'lU ;ached Stink udel07M8'. It e low and swam- 1 not to any bad er, the route lay Dvered with fus, th great diflicully 1. On the lOth, ch is eight miles view to the right hills. The 17th brought them to a trading-house on Green Lake. Green Lake is eighteen miles long, and does not exceed a mile and a half in breadth in any part. The waters are deep, and abound in trout and titta- meg. Here the Captain remained two days, and then pushed on, and after crossing several more lakes and rivers, arrived on the 24th, at the trading-house on Isle a la Crosse Lake, which derives its name from an island, on which the Indians formerly used to play a game of ball called La Crosse. It is cel- ebrated in the north for the abundance and quality of its fishes. It lies in latitude 55° 25', and longi- tude 107° 51'. On the 5th of March, the travellers resumed their journey, and in two days reached a trading-house on Buffalo Lake. On the 11th, they came to ano- ther establishment on Lake Mcthye, where they Were, as usual, well received. ,r This is a beautiful sheet of water, ten miles long and six broad, and derives its name from a species of fish caught in it, but not esteemed ; for the resi- dents never eat any part of it but the liver: the dogs reject even that. Capt. Franklin ascertained that the position of the houses was in latitude 5&* 24,' and longitude 109° 23'. The places next in order on the route of our travellers were, the Methye Portage, Pine Port- age, and Cascade Portage, the latter of which is the last on the way to Athabasca. Here they found five lodges of Chippewyans, very poor and miserable. They had lately lost several of their < 1 :•. 'i5 ! 1 :-i «f i''i, I* 392 POLAR REGIONS. relatives, and according to the custom of almost all Indian tribes had given away all their property, and destroyed their clothes and tents, in token of grief. This accounted for their forlorn appearance. On the 17th, the party came to the junction of the Pembina with the Athabasca river. The west- ern shore near the Forks is destitute of trees, and is composed of lofty perpendicular cliffs. A few pines are the only trees on the eastern shore. On the 18th, they reached a trading-house at Pierre au Calumet, where tliey remained till the 22d. This place receives its name from the stone there procured, of which the Indians make their pipes. It is in latitude 57" 21', Mr Stuart, the person in charge of the trading-house^ kept a register of the weather, from which it appeared that the lowest temperature observed that winter at Pierre au Calu- met was — -43" ond he informed Capt. Franklin that he had never known it lower than — 45" at Lake Athabasca, or Great Slave Lake. On the 23d, the party overtook an old Canadian who was conveying meat from some Indian lodges to Fort Chippewyan. He had on his sledge a bur- then of two hundred and fifty pounds, which was drawn by two miserable dogs. The travellers were much amused by an altercation which took place between him and their own voyageurs, about the merits of their respective dogs. The old mau of- fered to bet the whole of his wages that his two dogs, poor and lean as they were, would drag their load to Athabasca in less time than any three of theirs. In explanation, he said that he depended )•>' 'it 'V 'M If^ POLAR REGIONS. 383 on his skill in driving, and gave them to understand that the voyageurs of Athabasca consider them- selves greatly superior to any others. Having now the guidance of the old Canadian, Capt. Franklin sent two of his party forward, with letters for Athabasca. On the 25th, at ten, A. M. he entered the river Embarras, the channel by which canoes usually enter the Lake. It is a nar- row, serpentine stream, running between alluvial banks, which afford nourishment to pines, poplars and willows. He had not advanced far, when he overtook the two men despatched in advance ; — stormy weather had compelled them to encamp, as the snow drifted too much to permit them to at- tempt to cross the Lake. Capt. Franklin was obHged to follow their example, and was detained the rest of the day. The weather moderated in the night, and the next morning the party arrived at Mamma-wee Lake. At four, P. M. they reached Fort Chippewyan, on Athabasca Lake. Thus terminated a winter journey of eight hundred and fiftyseven miles, attended by many disagreeable circumstances, not the least of which was the mal a raquette. The next evil was, being obliged to witness the wanton and unnecessa- ry cruelty of the Canadians to their dogs, which were beaten unmercifully. There were other in- conveniences, which were, however, speedily for- gotten, when they had found a hearty welcome at Fort Chippewyan. ../ Here Capt. Franklin's first obj^t was to obtain information respecting his future route ; and Beau- 'Si''- ! kI- 384 POLAR REGIONS. lieu, a man who had been brought up among the Copper and Dog Rib Indians, was found capable to furnish it. An old Chippewyan, named Black Meat, also contributed his stock of knowledge, which was afterwards found to be tolerably correct. He de- scribed two rivers, which run east of the Copper Mine, and fall into the northern ocean, viz. the An- ates^:y, which issues from the Contwayto, or Rum Lake, and the Thlouceatessy, or Fish River, which rises near the eastern boundary of Great Slave Lake. He represented them both as shallow — too much so for navigation in canoes. Capt. Franklin then wrote to the traders of Great Slave Lake to communicate the object of his journey, and to re- quest information and assistance ; and farther, de- sired them to communicate his intentions to th* Copper Indians, and to engage some of them as guides and hunters. There was little appearance of returning spring till the 8th of April, when some wild fowl were seen flying northward. In the middle of the month, the snow began to waste, and by degrees it disap- peared from the hills and the surface of the Lake. On the 21st, geese were killed, and four days after, flies were seen sporting in the sunshine. On the 26th, the ice in the Athabasca river broke up, but there was no appearance of decay in that of the Lake. ^ By the 10th of May, the trees began to put forth their leaves, and early flowers appeared. The mus- quitoes began tcfpe troublesome, yet the ice still held fast. On the 17th and 18th, there were show- 1 POLAR REGIONS. 385 among the I capable to Black Meat, ., which was ■ct. Hede- the Copper viz. the An- lyto, or Rum River, which Great Slave shallow— too 3 apt. Franldin Slave Lake to ^ey, and to re- nd farther, de- entions to the ne of them as eturning spring vild fowl were e of the month, egrees it disap- e^of the Lake, four days after, .shine. On the r broke up, but in that of the gan to put forth ired. Themus- yet the ice still lere were show- ers of rain with thunder and hghtning. On the 24th, the ice broke up and utterly disappeared, and traders from the different posts in the department arrived at Fort Chippewyan with their cargoes of furs. .•.,• ,.-■.• 'r . ■■■ ■ -. , • . •■■ ;ifi'"i V . CHAPTER V. ; News from Great Slave Lake. — Voyageura engaged. — Fort Chipppwyan. — Lake of the Hill.s. — Cluppcwvan Tritie. — Their Dross. — Chanictcr. — Vanity. — Opinions. — CustoiuB. — Abandonment of their Sick. — A Birch Canoe. t . On the 3d of June, Capt. Franklin received from Great Slave Lake the welcome tidings that the principal Chief of the Copper Indians had heard the news of his arrival in the country with joy, and had promised that he would accompany the expe- dition, with a party of his people. This promise he had given at the instance of Mr Wentzel, a trader, who he wished might accompany him. Th^e In- dians were to wait at Fort Providence, on the northern shore of Slave Lake, for Capt. Franklin's arrival. The Captain, therefore, had no doubt of being able to obtain provisions on his journey ; and this agreeable intelligence had such an effect on the Canadian voyageurs, that several of them now seem- ed disposed to offer their services. On the 5th of June, six Canadians were engaged to accompany the expedition. The bowman and steerman (the two most important hands) were to 33 t W'f\ 386 POLAR REGIONS. ¥y^::Wkm receive wages at the rate of sixteen hundred livres Halifax per annum, and the rest twelve hundred. It was moreover stipulated that their pay should continue until their arrival at Montreal, or till they resumed the service of their present employers. Fort Chippewyan, the principal post of the Hud- son's Bay Company in this department, is conveni- ently situated to command Slave and Peace Rivers, whence the traders' canoes assemble in spring and autumn. On the first occasion they bring the furs collected during the winter, and on the latter they receive the merchandise destined for the Indians. Fort Chippewyan is an ancient establishment and stands on a rocky point of the northern shore, and has a tower which may be seen at a great distance. This addition was made for the purpo<^<i of watch- ing the Indians, who, several year., ago, w'ere in- stigated by one of their pretended prophets to de- stroy the traders, but by great vigilance on the part of the whites, their design was frustrated. That part of this extensive lake which is near the fort is, not improperly, called The Lake of the Hills. The northern shore and the islands are high and rocky. The southern shore is quite level, consisting of alluvial land which is liable to be flooded, lying between the different mouths of Elk River. The rocks of the northern shore are of sienite, covered with a thin soil, sufficient to sup- port a variety of firs and poplars, as well as shrubs, lichens, and mosses. Some of the hills are five or six hundred feet high, within a mile of the fort, and from their summits is a very fine view of the lake I Ifl Wi\. POLAR REGIONS. 387 andred livres Ive hundred, r pay should d, or till they mployers. t of the Hud- t, is conveni- Peace Rivers, in spring and bring the furs he latter they r the Indians, .bhshment and ;rn shore, and oreat distance. )0^.c of watch- ago, were in- rophets to de- ice on the part ated. which is near he Lake of the he islands are e is quite level, is liable to be mouths of Elk n shore are of ufficient to sup- i well as shrubs, ; hills are five or of the fort, and view of the lake and the surrounding country. The land above the confluence of the Elk and main rivers, is of about the same height, and stretches southerly behind Pierre au Calumet. Opposite that establishment, on the western side of the river, is the Black Moun- tain, whence the Crees obtain their provisions and bark for their canoes. On the southern shore there is another range of hills, which runs toward Peace River. The residents of Fort Chippewyan depend al- most entirely for subsistence on the fishes which the lake affords, and which are caught in sufficient abundance during the winter; but when the ice breaks up, they remove into the smaller lakes and the rivers on the southern shore. They are attih- awmegh, trout, carp, pike, and methye. The hunt- ers also supply buffalo and moose meat, which is mostly converted into pemican, for the use of the voyageurs when travelling. This season there was an unusual scarcity. • :, At the opening of the waters in spring, the In- dians resort to the trading-houses to settle their ac- counts and procure necessaries, which assemblage was formerly attended by much riot and confusion, occasioned by the free use of ardent spirits. We are happy to state that these are no longer used by the Hudson's Bay Company as an article of trade. The Indians belong to the great Chippewyan or northern family ; dialects of their language being spoken on the Peace and Mackenzie's Rivers, and also by the tribes of New Caledonia, as ascertained by Sir Alexander Mackenzie. They call them- m i i'l- n 1 I ■; • ii m f % Ifll ' ' i iJi 388 ~r>^,: POLAR REGIONS. .4* selves Dinneh men, or Indians, but each horde has some distinctive epithet beside ; for instance, those who trade at Fort Chippewyan are called Indians of the Rising Sun, their original territory being between Athabasca and Great Slave Lakes and Churchill River. This country is frequented by reindeer, which furnish the Indians with subsistence and clothing. There are about an hundred and sixty hunters who carry their furs to Grenv Slave Lake, forty to Hay River, and two hun.bed and forty to Fort Chippewyan. " '^ '{•-s^ife ^ <^-^- They are a people by no means prepossessing in their appearance. They have broad faces, project- ing cheek-bones, and wide nostrils ; but they also generally have fine teeth and eyes. Their dress consists of a leathern huntiLg-shirt and leggins, over which a blanket is thrown, and a fur cap, or band, on the head. Their manner is reserved, and their habits are selfish and beggarly ; ihey are unceasingly importunate for everything they see. They give and receive with equal ill grace, snatch- ing a thing in the one instance, and throwing it at you in the other. Neither do they practise that hospitality which strikes a stranger so favorably among other Indians. A traveller may leave their lodges hungry, unless he has suflficient assurance to help himself from the kettle uninvited ; in which case the owner only notices the rudeness by a frown, as he considers it beneath his dignity to make disturbance about a piece of meat. It should be stated, as some relief to the dark shades of their character, that instances of theft are POLAR REGIONS. 389 h horde has stance, those lUed Indians rritory being J Lakes and ■equented by th subsistence hundred and ) Gre'iv Slave hun.lf'ed P.nd ■epossessing in faces, project- but they also . Their dress ■t and leggins, 1 a fur cap, or s reserved, and arly; they are thing they see. grace, snatch- i throwing it at jy practise that ;er so favorably may leave their ent assurance to vited; in which rudeness by a h his dignity to meat. •lief to the dark ances of theft are very rare among them. They are affectionate to their children, and profess some regard for their relatives, who are numerous, as they trace consan- guinity very far. They decline to pitch their tents where their re- lations have died, for fear of being reminded of their loss and of the happy hours they have spent there ; but the change of situation does not always obliterate sorrowful impressions. They will sit without their tents in groups, and give vent to their grief in loud lamentations. In cases of sickness, they resort to the medicinal powers of singing and drumming, and to conjurations. The conjurors are very assiduous and suffer great personal fatigue on such occasions. The chiefs have no power whatever, and receive no respect or obedience excepting from the youths of their own families. This is owing to the fact that their tribe is at peace with all the world, and because the young men can get what they want without their assistance. The Northern Indians evince no little vanity, by assuming to themselves the comprehensive title of *The People,' whilst they designate all other na- tions by the name of their particular country. If men were seen at a distance, and a Chippewyan was asked who those persons were, he would answer. The People, if he recognised them to belong to his tribe, and never Chippcwyans ; but he would give them their respective names, if they were Euro- peans, Canadians, or Cree Indians. As they sup- pose that their ancestors came originally from the 33* 390 POLAR REGIONS. 1 fi ;' ; 'J' I'l III i east, those who happen to be born in the eastern part of their territory are considered of the purest blood. All the savages of this quarter, excepting the Dog Ribs, impute to themselves an eastern ongm. The Chippewyans are considered to be less ex- pert hunters than the Crees, which probably arises from their residing much on the barren lands, where the reindeer are so numerous that little skill is re- quisite. A good hunter, however, is highly esteemed among them. The facility of procuring goods, since the commercial opposition commenced, has given great encouragement to their native indolence of disposition, as is manifested by the difference in the amount of their collections of furs and provi- sion between the late and former years. From six to eight hundred packs of furs used formerly to be sent from this department ; now the return seldom exceeds half that amount. The decrease in the provision has been already mentioned. The Northern Indians suppose that they origin- ally sprang from a dog ; and about five years ago, a superstitious fanatic so strongly pressed upon their minds the impropriety of employing this ani- mal, to which they were related, for purposes of la- bor, that they universally resolved against using dogs any more, and, strange as it may seem, destroyed all they had. They have now to drag everything themselves, on sledges. This laborious task falls most heavily on the women; nothing can more shock the feelings of a person accustomed to civi- lized life, than to witness the state of their degrada- T7f' POLAR REGIONS. 391 I the eastern )f the purest er, excepting s an eastern o be less ex- robably arises n lands, where tie skill is re- ighly esteemed [ig goods, since ed, has given J indolence of J difference in furs and provi- ars. From six formerly to be k return seldom tecrease in the led. hat they origin- five years ago, y pressed upon ploying this ani- )r purposes of la- gainst using dogs seem, destroyed drag everything jorious task falls othing can more customed to civi- of their degrada- tion. When a party is on a march, the women have to drag the tent, the meat, and whatever the hunter possesses, whilst he only carries his gun and medi- cine bag. In the evening they form the encamp- ment, cut wood, fetch water, and prepare t'le sup- per ; and then, perhaps, are not permitted to par- take of the fare until thf^ men have finished. A successful hunter sometimes has two or three wives ; whoever happens to be the favorite as- sumes authority over the others, and has the man- agement of the tent. These men usually treat their wives unkindly, and even with harshness ; except, indeed, when they are about to increase the family, and then they show them much indulgence. Hearne charges the Chippewyans, with the dread- ful practice of abandoning, in extremity, their aged and sick people. One instance only came under the observation of Captain Franklin, ^\ ich was attended by pal- liating circumstances. An old woman and a boy ten years old arrived at Fort Chippewyan, who had been left in their camp by their people when much reduced by sicki ess. Two or three days after their departure the woman gained a little strength, and was able, with the assistance of the boy, to paddle a canoe to the post, where they were sup- ported till enabled to go in search of some other relation who, they expected, would treat them more kindly. It afterwards appeared that the wo- man bore a very bad character, having been guilty of infanticide, and that her companions thought her offences merited the desertion. '>X ^^ fi h: I ' il. I- ,1' ^ 392 POLAR REGIONS. This tribe entertain the most inveterate hatred toward the Esquimaux, though since their present intimate connexion with the traders, they have dis- cor^tinued their war excursions against them. The weather was extremely variable in the month of June, and the musquitoes swarmed about the house, inflicting so much pain on its inmates that they were compelled to keep their rooms con- stantly filled with smoke, as the only means of driv- ing them away. On the 2d of July, the canoe in- tended for the use of the expedition was finished ; and as it was like those used by Indians and In- dian traders all over the north and northwest, a de- scription may not be deemed out of place here. Its extreme length was thirtytwo feet six inches, including the bow and stern pieces, its greatest breadth was four feet ten inches ; but it was only two feet nine inches forward, where the bowman sat, and two feet four inches behind, where the steersinan was placed ; and its depth was one foot eleven and a quarter inches. There were seventy- three hoops of thin cedar, and a layer of slender laths of the same wood within the frame. These feeble vessels of bark will carry twentyfive pieces of goods, each' weighing ninety pounds, exclusive of the necessary provisions and baggage for the crew of five or six men, amounting in the whole to about three thousand three hundred pounds' weight. This great lading they annually carry between the depots and the posts, in the interior ; and it rarely happens that any accidents occur, if they be man- aged by experienced bowmen and steersmen, on wr srate hatred leir present ley have dis- them. able in the armed about I its inmates r rooms con- [leans of driv- the canoe in- was finished ; dians and In- rthwest, a de- )f place here, et six inches, s, its greatest mt it was only e the bowman nd, where the 1 was one foot were seventy- yer of slender frame. These entyfive pieces inds, exclusive aggage for the n the whole to jounds' weight. y between the and it rarely f they be man- steersmen, on POLAR REGIONS. 393 whose skill the safety of the canoe entirely depends in the rapids and difficult places. When a total portage is made, these two men carry the canoe, and they often run with it, though its weight is es- timated at about three hundred pounds, exclusive of the poles and oars, which are occasionally left in where the distance is short. CHAPTER VI. An Accident. — Arrival of Dr Richanlson. — Arrangements for Dei)arture.— Departure. — Portnges. — A BufTiilo kilU-il. — The Party arrive at Great Slave Lake. — At Fort Providence. — Conference witii Akaitcho. On the 7th of July, some men and their families who had been sent off to search for Indians with whom they intended to pass the summer, returned to the fort, in consequence of a serious accident having befallen their canoe in the Red Deer River j when they were in the act of hauling up a- strong rapid, the line broke, the canoe was overturned, and two of the party narrowly escaped drowning ; for- tunately the women and chiUren happened to be on shore, or, in all probability, they would have per- ished in the confusion oi the scene. Nearly all their stores, their guns, a id fishing-nets, were lost, and they could not procu -e any other food for the last four days than some unripe berries. On the 13th, the party at Fort Chippewyan had the pleasure to welcome tlieir long separated friends, Ulv mM "!!,]( 394 POLAR REGIONS. V Dr Richardson and Mr Back, who it will be remem- bered, had been left at Cumberland House. They arrived in perfect health, having made a very ex- peditious journey in two canoes, notwithstanding a detention of three days, in consequence of the melancholy death of one of their bowmen, by the upsetting of one of their canoes in a rapid. These gentlemen had brought all the stores they could pro- cure at Cumberland and Isle a la Crosse, though these were very scanty. The prospect of com- mencing so long a journey, almost destitute of pro- visions and stores, was distressing to the oflicers, and discouraging to the men ; but it was evident that any delay would be very imprudent, as Fort Chippewyan could not furnish subsistence for so large a party. They therefore hastened the ar- rangements for a speedy departure. A final ar- rangement was made respecting the voyageurs who were to accompany the party, in which there was no difficulty, as ten Canadians, brought by Dr Rich- ardson from Cumberland were desirous to proceed. When the number was completed, Capt. Franklin had sixteen Canadians, and a worthy English sea- man, .lohn Hepburn by name, beside two interpret- ers whom he was to receive at Great Slave Lake. An equipment of necessary articles was given to each man engaged, and the remaining goods were made up In bales. • ' • On the 18th, the party started from Fort Chip- pewyan, and at two, P. M., entered Stony River, one of the discharges of Lake Athabasca into Slave River. This narrow stream is confined between wrr- POLAR REGIONS. 395 il be remem- )use. They 5 a very ex- ithstanding a ence of the men, by the apid. These ey could pi'o- •osse, though pect of com- stitute of pro- ) the oflicers, it was evident xlent, as Fort istence for so itened the ar- A final ar- voyageurs who lich there was ht by Dr Rich- )us to proceed. Capt. Franklin y English sea- i two interpret- at Slave Lake. s was given to ing goods were rom Fort Chip- (1 Stony River, )asca iato Slave mfmed between low, swampy banks, covered with willows, dwarf birch and alder. At five they passed its conflu- ence with Peace River. The Slave, formed by the union of these two, is about three quarters of a mile wide. They descended this great stream with much rapidity, and, after passing through sev- eral narrow channels, crossed a spot where the waters had a violent whirhng motion with no other inconvenience than an inability to steer the canoes, which were whirled about in every direction by the eddies, till the current swept them beyond the sphere of their influence. They encamped at seven on the bank. At ten the next morning they reached the mouth of Dog River, where they halted to fish, but in vain. The day after, in passing a rapid, two of the canoes came in such violent contact that one of them had her bow broken off". This injury being repaired in two hours, they next passed a portage of four hun- dred yards, and afterwards two more. At the latter ot these, as the men were carrying the canoes over, thej let one of them fall, and it was broken th two. Two hours passed in sewing the shattered pieces together, and covering the seams with pitch, ren- dered it as efiicient as ever. Such are these frail vehicles , very easily broken, and almost as easily repaired. After this, they passed four more portages, including the last on the way to Great Slave Lake. At the foot of this they encamped. It is called The Portage of the Drowned, from an accident which had taken place some years before, and which we shall relate here. Two canoes arrived at the up- W 'I % I' ! i: Ma I; . jii ■i' h> I.. I u r..iJ -'W v^ : f ''fii ^ *^' 396 POLAR REGIONS. j^ per end of the portage, in one of which there was an experienced guide. This man, judging from the height of the river, deemed it practicable to shoot the rapid, and determined upon trying it. He accordingly placed himself in the bow of his caatn., having previously agreed, that if the passage was found easy, he should, on reaching the bottom of the rapid, fire a musket, as a signal for the other canoe to follow. The rapid proved dangerous, and called forth all the skill of the ^uide, and the utmost exertion of his crew, and they narrowly escaped destruction. Just as they were landing, an unfor- tunate fellow, seizing the loaded fowling-piece, fired at a duck which rose at the instant. The guide, anticipating the consequences, ran with the utmost haste to the other end of the portage, but he was too late ; the other canoe had pushed off, and he arrived only to witness the fate of his comrades. They got alarmed in the middle of the rapid, the canoe was upset, and every man perished. The portages and rapids passed this day are oc- casioned by an assemblage of islands and rocky ledges which obstruct the river, and divide it into many narrow channels, two of which are rendered still more difficult by an accumulation of drift tim- ber. The rocks which form the bed of the stream and the numerous islands are granite. The dis- tance made this day was thirteen miles. . . The next day passed without adventure, unless seeing several salt springs be such ; but in the morn- ing of the 22d, as the canoes turned a point, a buf- falo plunged into the river before them. A fire '■ <i ,!V ■pn POLAR REGIONS. 397 ich there was judging from practicable to trying it. He J of his caiiuo, 3 passage was the bottom of for the other iangerous, and and the utmost rowly escaped ding, an unfor- iing-piece, fired It. The guide, with the utmost tge, but he was hed off, and he f his comrades, if the rapid, the irished. this day are oc- ands and rocky id divide it into ch are rendered tion of drift tim- ed of the stream anite. The dis- niles. adventure, unless ; but in the morn- ed a point, a buf- re them. A fire was opened upon him from four muskets, and he fell, but not before he had received fourteen balls in his body. The canoes were speedily supplied with meat ; and after this good fortune the voyageurs paddled merrily onward, keeping time to their gay- est songs. This supply enabled them to proceed without delay to Slave Lake. On the 24th, they passed the mouth -of a broad channel leading to the north-east, termed La Grande Riviere de Jean, one of the two laroe branches by which the i-iver pours its waters in<-o Slave Lake. The Hooded delta at the mouth of the river is intersected by several smaller channels, through one of which the expedition passed, and by eight, A. M. reached an establishment of the Northwest Company on Moose-Deer Lsland, in Slave Lake. Here Capt. Franklin engaged Pierre St Germain, who spoke the language of the Copper Indians, as an interpreter, and also obtained a considerable supply of provision. ■ - ' Moose-Deer I; land is about a mile in diameter, and rises towards the centre about three Imndrcd feet above the la!' . Its soil is in general sandy, in some parts swampy. 'J'he varieties of the northern hcrrics grow abundantly on it. The Northwest Company's Fort is in latitude 61" 11' 8" N. ; longi- tude 113° .51' 37" W., being two hundred and sixty statute miles distant from Fort Chippewyan, by the river course. The variation of the compass is 2/5" 40' 47" P]. The houses of the two Companies are small, and have a bleak northern aspect. There are vast accumulations of drift wood on the shores 34 If; ■■ mm I: 398 POLAR REGIONS. H 'I ■! I i :^'''i !„. Ii of the lake, brouglit down by the river, which afford plenty of fuel. The inhtibitants live principally on the fish, which the lake at certain seasons furnishes in great abundance ; of these, the white fish, trout, and poisson inconnu are considered the best. They also procure moose, buffalo, and reindeer meat occasionally from their hunters ; but these animals are generajly found at the distance of several days' walk from the forts. The Indians who trade here are Chippewyans. Beavers, martens, foxes, and musk-rats, are caught in numbers, in the vicinity of this great body of water. The musquitoes here were still a serious annoyance, but less numerous than befoi'c. They were in some degree replaced by a small sand-Hy, whose bite is succeeded by a copious flow of blood, and considerable swelling, but is attended with incomparably less irritation than the puncture of the musquito. On the 27th, the party set forward again, and proceeded along the south shore of the lake to Stony Island, where they breakfasted. This isle is merely a rock of gneiss, which rises forty or fifty feet from the water. As the day was fine, they then ventured to paddle across, in a northern di- rection to the Rein-Deer Islands, distant thirteen miles, and reached them in safety. These islands consist ol granite, and are from one to two hundred feet high. They arc for the most part naked, but on the larger ones there is a little soil, and a few groves of pines. The party encamped on one of them. The next day they ran for some hours be- fore a strong breeze and a heavy swell, till they were obliged to seek shelter on an island. %' ?^ POLAR REGIONS. 399 which afford )nncipaUy on jons furnishes ,ite fish, trout, i best. They •eu\deer meat these animals f several days' rho trade here ns, foxes, and the vicinity of usquitocs here less numerous iegree replaced ;ucceeded by a erable sweUing, ^ less irritation vard again, and of the lake to sled. This isle .;es forty or fifty was fine, they 1 a northern di- distant thirteen These islands 3 to two hundred part naked, but 3 soil, and a few mped on one of some hours be- ^ swell, till they island. In the afternoon, the wind and swell subsided, and they pursued their course to the Big Island of Mackenzie, and the ne?it morning reached Fort Providence. Here they found Mr Wentzel, the interpreter Adam, and an Indian guide, waiting their arrival. Immediately on landing, tjie Indians were apprised of their coming, by a fire on the top of a neighbouring hill. Mr Wentzel gave Capt. Franklin all the in- formation he had received from the Indians. The duties allotted to this gentleman were, the manage' ment of the Indians, the superintendence of the voyageurs, and the obtaining and general distri- bution of provisions and stores. As he had been accustomed to execute similar services for twenty years, he was well qualified to perform these duties. In order to receive Akaitcho and his followers, the officers arrayed themselves in their uniforms, well knowing that with these people much depends on appearances. On landing, the chief walked up to Mr Wentzel m a grave and dignified manner, looking ne'ther to the right nor to the lef! til) he reached the hall, where he was introduced to the officers. He said he was rejoiced to see such great chiefs on his lands ; his tribe was poor, but he loved white men, and hoped their arrival would greatly benefit his people. The only material point in his harangue was, that he was ready to fulfil his en- gagements, and accompany the expedition. In reply to this speech, Capt. Franklin explained the objects of his mission, in the manner best calcu- lated to insure his cooperation. He said that the ;{' ' 'J f-M-h F-v ^^(' ■ ■ ii f '"• ; ■!• 400 POLAR REGIONS. greatest chief in the world, who was the sovereign of all the traders, having learned that his red chil- dren were in want of many articles, in consequence of the difficulty and delay of transportation, had sent him in search of a passage by sea, by which large quantities of goods might be brought. He said he was desirous of the aid of the Indians, as guides and hunters ; and finally, he was enjoined by the great chief to recommend that all hostilities should cease throughout the country, particularly between the Indians and the Esquimaux, whom he considered as his children, in common with the other natives. By way of enforcing this last point, the captain assured him that if any quarrel arose between his people and the Esquimaux, the conse- quence would be the forfeiture of all advantages to be derived from the expedition. The chief, whose name was Akaitcho, or Big Foot, replied by a renewal of his assurances that he would attend the party to the end of their jour- ney, and would do his utmost to provide the means of subsistence. He admitted that his tribe had made war on the Esquimaux, but said that they were now desirous of peace, and added, that as the Esquimaux were very treacherous, he recom- mended much caution in d' aling with them. ■W-' ■PfTp POLAR REGIONS. 401 he sovereign his red chil- consequence ortation, had ;ea, by which jiought. He le Indians, as s enjoined by all hostilities r, particularly aiix, whom he mon with the this last point, qu'irrcl arose ux, the conse- advantages to aitcho, or Big ssurances that of their jour- de the means his tribe had said that they dded, that as Dus, he recom- h them. VI i CHAPTER VII. Akaitchi. — Prcimnitions for t!ii> Jonrnrv. — Fort Providon-o. — Jouvnry »ip Yellow Kiiile River. — Waul, of Foml. — Yellow Knife Hiver. — Mutiny of the V()ya;4eiirs. — Tiu- Party r.Mcli t'li'ir Winter duarter^. — Comluct of Akaitcho. — Departure of Messrs I'aek and Hood. Whex Akaitcho and his people had communi- cated all the information they possessed. Captain Franklin presented them with medals, informing them that these were tokens of friendship and pledges of sincerity. This donation being made in the presence of all the hunters, was highly satis- factory to them, but they avoided all demonstra- tions of joy, considering them derogatory to their dignity. During the whole of the interview, the chief evinced much penetration, and impressed the officers with a very favorable opinion of his intel- lectual powers. A quantity of goods was pre- sented to him, and he retiied with his people to make the necessaiy preparations to commence the journey on the morrow. On the 1st of August, the Indians started, intend- ing to wait for the party at the mouth of Yellow- Knife River. The whites remained, to pack their stores in bales of eighty pounds each. These con- sisted of gunpowder, lead, guns, pistols, knives, tools of various kinds, articles of merchandize for the Indians and Esquinmux, nets and fishing-lines, and provisions for ten days consumption. When all was ready, the party consisted of twentyeight persons, including the wives of three of the voya- 34* 402 POLAR REGIONS. Ch i ' [-'§{ 'n geurs, who were brought for the purpose of making clotlies and inocasins at the winter estabHshment. Fort Providence is in hititude 62° 17' and lon- gitude 114" 9'. It is distant from Moose-Deer Is- land sixtysix geographic miles. This is the last establishment of the traders in this direction, but the Northwest Company have two to the northward of it on the Mackenzie River. It has been erected for the convenience of the Copper and Dog- Rib Indians, who generally bring such a quantity of reindeer meat, that the residents are enabled, out of their superabundance, to send annually some provisions to the fort at Moose-Deer Island. They also occasionally procure moose and buffalo meat, but these animals ai'e not numerous on this side of the lake. Few furs are collected. Les poissons inconims, trout, pike, carp, and white-fish, are very plentiful, and on these the residents principally subsist. Their great supply of fish is procured in the latter part of September and the beginning of October, but there are a few taken daily in the nets during the winter. The surrounding country con- sists almost entirely of coarse-grained granite, fre- quently enclosing large masses of reddish feldspar. These rocks form hills about a mile behind the house, which attain an elevation of three hundred or four hundred feet ; their surface is generally naked, but in the valleys between them grow a few spruce, aspen, and birch trees, together with a variety of shrubs and berry-bearing plants. In the afternoon of the 2d, the party started in high spirits, heartily glad that their course was ♦ • •"PTT POLAR REGIONS. 403 se of making ablishment. 17' and lon- lOse-Deer Is- is is the last direction, but the northward been erected and Dog-Rib a quantity of are enabled, annually some Island. They I buffalo meat, on this side of Les poissons i-fish, are very nts principally is procured in e beginning of laily in the nets ag country con- id granite, fre- eddish feldspar. Tiile behind the iree hundred or generally naked, w a few spruce, th a variety of party started in leir course was to be through a line of country hitherto unexplored. They proceeded northward along the lake, and en- camped eight miles from Fort Providence. The eastern shores of the Great Slave Lake are very imperfectly known ; none of the traders have vis- ited them, and the Indians give such loose and un- satisfactory accounts, that no estimation can be formed of its extent in that direction. These men say there is a communication from its eastern ex- tremity by a chain of lakes, with a shallow river, which discharges its waters into the sea. This stream they call the Thlouee-tessy, and report it to be navigable for Indian canoes only. The forms of the south and western shores are better known from the survey of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and in consequence of the canoes having to pass and re- pass along these borders annually between ]\Ioose- Deer Island and Ms^jpkenzie's River. Capt. Frank- lin's observations made the breadth of the lake, be- tween Stony Island and the north main shore, sixty miles less than it is laid down in Arrowsmith's map ; and there is also a considerable diflerenca in tlic longitude of the eastern side of the bay, which he entered. This lake, owing to its great depth, is seldom completely frozen over before the last week in No- vember, and the ice, which is generally seven feet thick, breaks up about the middle of June, three weeks later than that of the Slave River. The only known outlet to this vast body of water, which receives so many streams on its north and south shores, is the Mackenzie River. K- , \i 1' ' h 1, 1 •i ; Mi V f". |.,,;n. :f 404 POLAR REGIONS. The next morning they proceeded to the mouth of Yellow Knife River, where they found Akaitcho and his hunters encamped. In company with (hem they paddled up the river, which is an hundred and fifty yards wide, and in an hour came to a cas- cade, which compelled them to make a portage. Akaitcho caused himself to be paddled by his sla/e, a yoimg man of the i)og Rib tribe, whom he had taken by foi'ce from his friends. When he thought himself out of the reach of observation, however, he laitl much of his state aside, and assisted in the labor ; and on better acquaintance, he did not hesi- tate to be seen paddling, or even carrying his canoe at the portages. Several of the canoes were pad- dled by s([uaws, who were very noisy, and fre- quently quarrelled; and the weakest was generally clamorous in her lamentations, which were not less when her husband settled thegdifference by a few blows of his paddle. On the 4th, they crossed a small lake, and then passed two portages. After this they came to three strong rapids, and immediately after to a part of the river wliere the rapids were so frecjuent, that, to avoid them, they carried the canoes into a chain of small lakes, which they entered by a portage of nine hundi "I yards. By the 5th of August, all their provision was exhausted excepting some portable soup, and the huntei's were sent forward in quest of reindeer. Akaitcho himself was always furnished with a por- tion of the meals of the olHcers, as a token of re- gard which the traders had taught the chiefs to expect. M •m-T' POLAR REGIONS. 405 o the mouth ind Akailcho ,ny with them an hundred ame to a cas- ;e a portage. A by his slave, ^vhom he had en he thought ion, however, issisted in the e did not hesi- rying his canoe oes were pad- loisy, and IVe- t was generally li were not less rence by a few lake, and then they came to y after to a part fre(iuent, that, oes into a chain Ijy a portage of r provision was e soup, and the est of reindeer, bed with a por- a token of re- ht the chie fs to The nets were set every night, but with little or no success ; and the officers were obliged to issue portable soup and arrowroot, food too unsubstan- tial to support the voyageurs under their exhaust- ing daily labor ; and they could not furnish even enough of this to satisfy their desires. At last, on the 9th, the party reached Lower Carp Lake, where Akaitcho said many fishes might be caught ; and Captain Franklin resolved to halt for two or three days, to fish, as well as to recruit the men, several of whom were lame. The chief himself went forward to look after the hunters, and prom- ised to make a fire, as a signal, if they had killed any reindeer. All the Indians left them at the same time to hunt. On the 10th and llth, the nets caught enough to give the men two hearty meals ; and having recov- ered from their fatigife, they proceeded to Upper Carp Lake, in longitude 113° 46'. The country^ through which they had been travelling consists, mostly of granite, in some spots intermixed with mica slate, often passing into clay slate. Scarcely had the party quitted their encampment, when an Indian met them with the agreeable intelligence that the hunters had made several fires as signals of success in the chase. This inspired the voya- geurs with fresh energy, and they quickly paddled through Rein-Deer Lake, on the north side of which they found the hunter's canoes. The Yellow Knife had now dwindled into a brook, and they could not trace it beyond the next lake. Its source is in latitude 64° 1', and longitude 113" 36'. Its length ja I : ^ 406 POLAR BEGIONS. ^4 1 4h an hundred and fiftysix statute miles. Though this river is sufficiently deep and broad for canoes, it is too much interrupted by falls and rapids ever to become a channel for the conveyance of merchan- dize. • Akaitcho, who was here with his family, pointed out the distant smoke of the hunters* fires. From the top of a neighbouring hill the prospect was agreeably diversified with hill and valley, and by the appearance of twelve lakes in different direc- tions. On the borders of these lakes a few pine groves occur ; but in general, the country is desti- tute of vegetation, excepting a few shrubs and lichens. The hills are of gneiss, but their acclivi- ties are covered with a coarse gravelly soil. On the 1 3th, the voyageurs, who had for some days been murmuring at their meagre diet, broke out into open mutiny ; and soAe of them declared that they would not proceed, unless more food was given them. This conduct was the more blameable, as they were rapidly approaching the fires of the hunters. They merely, however, followed the com- mon practice of their class, who always try how far they can impose on a new master, and are intracta- ble ever after if he yields to them. On this occa- sion, Capt. Franklin threatened them with the se- verest punishment, and they again went for\yard. Just as the party encamped, four of the hunters met them with a load of meat, which completely revived the spirits of the Canadians ; and they never again reflected on the officers for bringing them into an inhospitable country, where the means of subsist- ence could not be procured. # ""wrTi; POLAR REGIONS. 407 Though this canoes, it is pids ever to of merchan- mily, pointed fires. From prospect was alley, and by ifferent direc- es a few pine luntry is desti- w shrubs and t their acclivi- ly soil. , had for some rre diet, broke them declared more food was nore blameable, he fires of the lowed the com- i/ays try how far ind are intracta- On this occa- em with the se- went forward, the hunters met mpletely revived ;hey never again ng them into an eans of subsist- The hunters killed a great many reindeer, and the party no longer suffered from want of food. They crossed many more lakes and portages, and on the 19th reached the lake where Akaitcho pro- posed that they should pass the winter. The prospect was not the most agreeable, as the borders of the lake seemed scantily furnished with wood, and that of a kind too small for the purposes of building. The next morning, they paddled to the western extremity, where, on the bank of a small stream, they found that the situation chosen possessed all the advantages they could desire. The trees were numerous and of larger size, some of them two feet in diameter. They determined to erect their dwellings on the summit of the bank, which commands a fine prospect of the surround- ing country. The view in front is bounded at the distance of three miles by round-backed hills : to the eastward and westward lie Winter and Round Rock Lakes, which are connected by Winter River, whose banks are well clad with pines, and orna- mented with a profusion of mosses, shrubs, and lichens. The united length of the portages they had crossed, since leaving Fort Providence, is twen- tyone statute miles and a half; and as the men had to traverse each portage four times, with a load of one hundred and eighty pounds, and return three times light, they walked, in the whole, upwards of one hundred and fifty miles. The total length of the voyage from Chippewyan is five hundred and fiftythree miles. The next morning the voyageurs were divided 408 POLAR REGIONS. ^ftl' into two parties, the one to cut wood for building, and the other to bring in the deer killed by the hunters. To commence their stock of provisions, the carcasses of seven reindeer were brought to the spot that very evening. The next day Akaitcho (who had been absent on a visit to some of his tribe) arrived with his party, having only obtained iifteen deer. They had heard of die death of the chief's brother-in-law and had spent their time in bewailing the loss, instead of hunting. The decease of this man had also caused another part of the tribe, on whom Capt. Franklin depended for supplies, to remove to Great Bear Lake, out of the line of his proposed route. These circumstances were mortifying ; and to in- crease the evil, Akaitcho now refused to accompa ny them any farther that season, though he was wil- ling to proceed in the spring. All argument was lost upon him, and he even threatened to leave them and return to Fort Providence. It was therefore resolved to despatch a party to the Coppermine, to examine the route ; and with this intention the chief expressed himself well pleased. On the 28th, Akaitcho came into Capt. Franklin's tent, to make inquiries respecting an eclipse which he had been told was to take place. He was much astonished that the whites should know the exact time at which this event would happen, and re- marked that it was a proof of their superiority over the Indians. The Captain took advantage of this occasion to read him a moral lecture, respecting the propriety of fulfilling his engagements ; and Akait- f m u Tf ; POLAR REGIONS. 409 for building, lulled by the of provisions, re brought to d been absent rived with his deer. They brother-in-law .iling the loss, f this man had on whom Capt. cmove to Great proposed route, ng; and to in- ecl to accompa ugh he was wil- l argument was d to leave them was therefore Coppermine, to cntion the chief m Capt. Franklin's eclipse which He was much hnow the exact lappen, and re- superiority over idvantage of this re, respecting the ents ; aiul Akait- cho promised to do his best for the expedition in return for the interesting communication just made. On the 29th. Messrs Back and Hood started for the Coppermine. As we shall go over the same ground with the whole party, we shall not follow them on this occasion. CHAPTER VIII. Tkip I" *' ' Coppcnnine. — Fort Enterprise. — RcinJecr. — Departure of Ml uv Vi./-.; and Wcntzel. — Conduct of the Indians. — Frozen Fishes. — Ncw« .'•"-.. Slave Ijukc. — Green Stockinp.s. -Temperature. — Diet. — Ar- rival from Slave Lalie. — Esquimaux Interpreters. On the morning of the 9th of September, Captain Franklin and Dr Richardson set off, on foot, for the Coppermine River, under the guidance of an old Copper Indian named Keskarrah. They reached the end of their journey on the fourth day, striking the river at an expansion called Point Lake, the latitude of which is 65" 9', and the longitude 112* 57'. They then walked to the main channel of the river, which they found deep, and between high, rocky banks, with clusters of spruce-trees on their borders. The hills in this neighbourhood are higher than those about the winter-quarters, but stand in the same detached manner, without any connecting ranges ; and the bottom of every valley is occupied either by a small lake or a marsh. On the banks of such of these lakes as communicate with the Coppermine there are a few groves of spruce-trees. 35 i--f 410 POLAR REGIONS. m 1 After making these observations, the gentlemen re- turned to the spot from whence they came, and found, on their arrival, that Messrs Hood and Back had also arrived. :-■-'■ ' -"' ...'•;> The winter house was completed by the 6th of October, and received the name of Fort Enterprise. It was merely a log building, divided into a hall, three bed-rooms, and a kitchen. The walls and roof were plastered with mud. and the floors were of planks rudely hewed with the axe. The same implement served (with the assistance of the crook- ed knife,) to construct tables, chairs, and bed- steads. The crooked knife serves the Indian and Canadian for plane, chisel, and auger. Snow-shoes and canoe timbers are made with it, as well as bowls and spoons ; and with it the deals of dog sledges are reduced to thoir requisite thinness and polish. •: Two men were now appointed to fish, and others were sent for meat as the hunters procured it. This latter employment, though laborious, is liked by the Canadians, as they claim a right to help them- selves to the best parts. The reindeor were now in the vicinity of the house, and the success of the hunters was consequently great. Capt. Franklin estimated the numbers he saw, during a short walk, at two thousand. They feed on the lichens, and go in herds of different sizes, from ten to an hundred in each. On the 18th, Messrs Back and Wentzel set out for Fort Providence, to make the necessary arrange- ments for transporting the stores expected from "^ POLAR REGIONS. 411 gentlemen re- jy came, and ood and Back by the 6th of )rt Enterprise, ed into a hall, The walls and the floors were xe. The same ;e of the crook- airs, and bed- the Indian and r. Snow-shoes [1 it, as well as ^e deals of dog ite thinness and fish, and others ers procured it. iborious, is liked ght to help them- ndtor were now le success of the Capt. Franklin ring a short walk, le lichens, and go in to an hundred Wentzel set out lecessary arrange- s expected from Cumberland, and to endeavour to procure additional supplies from Slave Lake. Ammunition was essen- tial to existence, and tobacco was requisite as well for the comfort of the Canadians, as to preserve the friendship of the Indians. ■.,,,. ,} On the 26th, Akaitcho and his Indians took up their quarters at the house, the hunting having ter- minated in the neighbourhood, on account of the emigration of the reindeer. The arrival of this party was a serious inconvenience, as the want of ammunition prevented Capt. Franklin from equip- ping them for hunting, and was obliged to make large Issues of provisions to them. Althp;\gh they are accustomed to subsist themselves for a consid- erable part of the year by fishing, or snaring the deer, without having recourse to fire-arms, yet, on the present occasion, they felt little inclined to do so, and gave scope to their natural iove of ease, as long as the store-house seemed to be well stocked. Nevertheless, as th^^ were conscious of impairing future resources, they did not fail, occasionally, t^i remind the Captain that it was not their fault, lo express an ardent desire to go hunting, and to re- quest a supply of ammunition, although they knew that it was not in his power to give it. ^, ^ The fishing, having failed as the weather became more severe, was given up on the 5th of November. It had procured about one thousand two hundred white Jishf from two to three pounds each. There are two other species of Coregoni in Winter Lake, Bacle's grmjling and the roimd fish ; and a few h'outf pikcy methyc, and red carp, were also occasionally ''i.-' 41i POLAR REGIONS. i'||;?;ji Nv ^ ,' «i - 1 f ii 1 ' I'.i ' i .::; '"•' III III , ' ,■1 |||lL: ■ : J ' |^^_ jL,m1 « obtained from the nets. It may be worthy of no- tice here, that the fish froze as they were taken out of the nets, in a short time became a solid mass of ice, and by a blow or two of the hatchet were easi- ly split open, when the intestines might be removed in one lump. If in this completely frozen state they were thawed before the fire, they recovered their -animation. This was particularly the case with the carp, and it was observed repeatedly, as Dr Rich- ardson occupied himself in examining the structure of the different species of fish, and was always, in the winter, under the necessity of thawing before he could cut them. We have seen a carp recover so far as to leap about -with much vigour, after it 'had been frozen for thtrtysix hours. On the 23d of November, a messenger arrived with letters from Fort Providence, some of which were dated in England the preceding April. The ■party were not so forttuiate with regard to their stores, some of which had been left on the road from York Factory, by the misconduct of the per- son to <wlkom they were intrusted. They were more fortunate in the arrival of two Esquimaux in- terpreters at Slave Lake. There was much trouble this winter in bringing forward the necessary stores, and a report, to the disadvantage of the officers, which was circulated among the Indians by one of the traders at Slave Lake, proved a serious detriment, as it shook the confidence of the savages in their ability to reward them. ' ■ ' Having received one hundred balls from Fort ■■■i ^I ' Mr POLAR REGIONS. 413 orthy of no- jre taken out solid mass of et were easi- t be removed ren state they icovered their case with the , as Dr Rich- ; the structure was always, in hawing before a carp recover vigour, after it isenger arrived some of which ,g April. The Regard to their [ft on the road ict of the per- . They were Esquimaux in- iter in bringing I a report, to the was circulated [raders at Slave ^j it shook the Lbility to reward balls from Fort Providence by the messenger, Capt. Franklin dis- tributed them among the Indians, informing the leader at the same liu.c, that the residence of so large a party as his at the house, amounting, with women and children, to forty persons, was p. Uising a serious reduction in the stock of provisions. He acknowledged the justice of the statement, and promised to remove as soon as his party had prepared snow-shoes and sledges for themselves. Under one pretext or other, however, their departure was delayed until the 1.0th of the month, when they left the house, having previously received one of the fishing-nets, and all the ammunition at the post. The leader left his aged mother with two female at- tendants, requesting that if she died during his ab- sence she might be buried at a distance from the fort, that he might not be reminded of his loss when he visited them. Keskarrah, the gu" , also vemained, with his wife and daughter, bei )o old and feeble to hunt. While speaking of this family we may remark that the daughter, called Green Stockings from her dress, is considered to be a beauty by her tribe. Mr Hood drew her portrait, though her mother was averse to her sitting for it. She was afraid, she said, that her daughter's likeness would induce the great chief of England to send for the original. The young lady, however, was not deterred by any such fear. Though under sixteen years of age, she had already been an object of contention between her countrymen, had belonged to two husbands, and 35* 414 POLAR REGIONS. i¥:'^ r . \ would probably have been the wife of many more, had not her mother required her services as a nurse. The weather in December was the coldest Capt. Franklin had experienced in America. At one time, the mercury sunk to 57° below zero, and never rose beyond 6° above it ; the mean for the month was — 29°. During this intense cold the air was generally calm, and the wood-cutters went about their ordinary occupations without any extraordina- ry precautions, and without feeling any bad effects. They wore shirts ofreindeer skin, leathern mittens, and fur caps ; but none of them used any defence for the face or needed any. It may be interesting to the reader to know how the travellers passed their time at this season. A considerable portion of it was occupied in writing their journals. Newspapers and letters from Eng- land were read and commented on, again and again. In the evenings ^Le officers joined the men in the hall and took part in their games. Charts were made, drawings taken, and in short so various were their resources that the time was never found to hang heavy. - Their diet was of reindeer flesh, varied twice a week by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but they had no vegetables whatever. On Sundays they had chocolate, but their greatest luxury was tea (without sugar,) of which they regularly partook twice a day. With reindeer fat and strips of cotton shirts they made candles, and John Hepburn ac- quired considerable skill in the manufacture of soap, from the wood ashes, salt and fat. :,, .. ,,,. ^^7]i POLAR REGIONS. 415 of many more, vices as a nurse, tie coldest Capt. lerica. At one r zero, and never ,n for the month ;old the air was Iters went about any extraordina- ; any bad eflfects. leathern mittens, used any defence der to know how t this season. A ccupied in writing letters from Eng- n, again and again. d the men in the les. Charts were , ►rt so various were as never found to sh, varied twice a a little flour, but On Sundays they St luxury was tea regularly partook md strips of cotton John Hepburn ac- le manufacture of and fat. On the 15th of January, seven of their men, who had been with Mr Back, returned, with a supply of rum, powder, tobacco, and clothing. They had been twentyone days on the road from Slave Lake, and their labor was evinced by their sledge col- lars having worn out the shoulders of their coats. Their loads weighed from sixty to ninety pounds each, exclusive of their bedding and provisions. Such are the ordinary winter employments of the Canadian voyageurs. The spirits,, which were proof, were frozen, but after standing some time by the fire, they acquired the consistency of honey. The temperature of the liquid, even in this state was so low as instantly to convert the moisture which con- densed on the surface of the dram glass into ice. Yet each of the voyageurs swallowed his dram with- out inconvenience, or complaining of the toothache. Captain Franklin was afterwards informed that his carriers had broached the cask on the way, and had spent two days in drinking ; which shows how little confidence can be placed in a voyageur, where food or spirits are in question. On the 27th, Mr Wentzel arrived with the two Esquimaux interpreters, whose names were Augus- tus and Junius. The former spoke English. On comparing the language of these men with a copy of St John's Gospel, printed for the Moravian mis- sionary settlements on the coast of Labrador, it ap- peared to be radically and essentially the same. These interpreters belonged to a tribe which re- sides a little northward of Churchill. They were thorough Esquimaux, having but a very indistinct idea of the Deity. ;l I- ^ 416 POLAR REGIONS. life--:! ■ I # CHAPTER IX. Message from the Hook. — Conduct of the Interpreters. — Akaitcho. — April. — Suffering of the Indians. — Sliding down Hill. — Advance of the Sea- son. — A Supply (pf Food. — May Weather. — Arrival of Water-Fowl Akaitcho arrives. — His Conduct. •^ * ,• '^ .■' • ' -"^ ., , In February the temperature was lower than in the preceding month, though not so low as in De- cember, the mean being — 25°. On the 5th of March, the rest of the people ar- rived from Slave Lake with the remainder of the expected stores. On the 23d - the winter's stock of provisions were expended, and the nets produced but two or three fishes per diem. On the following day, two Indians arrived with a message from the Hook, the chief next in authority to Akaitcho among the Copper Indians. His band was en- camped near Great Bear Lake, and he offered to provide a quantity of dried meat on the banks of the Coppermine early in the summer, provided Captain Franklin would furnish him with goods and ammu- nittan. The Captain had none to spare, but told the messengers that he would gladly receive leather or food from the Hook at their meeting, and would pay for them by notes on the Northwest Company's Post at Slave Lake. The Indians assured him that the Hook would look anxiously for his passing. It now appeared that St Germain, the inter- preter, had created a new difficulty. In his inter- course with the Indians he had imbibed fearful 1 I POLAR REGIONS. 41T .—Akaitcho.— April -Advance of the Sea- gal of Water-Fowl.— lower than in low as in De- the people ar- mainder of the /inter's stock of nets produced )n the following essage from the ty to Akaitcho band was en- id he offered to the banks of the rovided Captain )ods and ammu- spare, but told y receive leather iting, and would west Company's assured him that his passing. main, the inter- . In his inter- imbibed fearful ideas of the danger of the enterprise, which aug- mented as the time of departure drew nighv He and Adam, the other linguist, expressed their dislike to the journey in strong terms, to the voyageurs and Indians, who are accustomed to pay much deference to the opinions of an interpreter. For this conduct Capt. Franklin called St Germain to account, threatening to send him to England for trial, if the expedition should be stopped through his fault. After this menace, he was more circum" spect in his behaviour. On the 29th, Akaitcho arrived at the hotise, and was the next morning summoned to a conference which commenced by showing him the maps and charts, and explaining future intentions. He was greatly pleased with this mark of respect, and be- gan his speech by saying, *■ that, though a great num> ber of idle reports had been fiying about the barren grounds,' he was convinced that the officers had told him nothing but the truth. He promised that his people should accompany the expedition to the mouth of the Coppermine with as little delay as possible ; and if they did not meet with Esquimaux there, that they should proceed still farther along the coast. He was anxious, he said, to have a friendly interview with the Esquimaux, and he far-> ther requested that if any of the party should meet the Dog Ribs, they would endeavour to persuade them to live on friendly terms with his tribe. The commencement of April was fine, and for several days a considerable thaw took place in the heat of the sun, which, laying bare some of the lich- 'i 418 POLAR REGIONS. 1. i m ;(i . ¥ ^ ■ ■i'vl^i 1 flii:, :J, ^ V^ r : . i ^'1 i':;: ■ ,;;; ' '■f 1 '! '!• ii ' ': ■ 1 ens on the sides of the hills, produced a consequent movement of the reiijdeer to the northward, and in- duced the Indians to believe that the spring was al- ready commencing. Many of them, therefore, quit- ted the woods, and set their snares on the barren grounds near Fort Enterprise. Two or three days of cold weather, however, toward the middle of the month, damped their hopes, and they began to say that another moon must elapse before the arri- val of the wished-for season. In the mean time, their premature departure from the woods caused them to suffer from want of food, and the whites were in some degree involved in their distress. No supplies were received from the hunters, the nets produced but very few fish, and the pounded meat, which it was intended to keep for summer use, Was nearly expended. The Indian families about the house, consisting principally of women and children, suffered most. Capt. Franklin had often requested them to move to Akaitcho's lodge, where they were more certain of receiving supplies ; but as most of them were sick or infirm, they did not like to quit the house, where they daily received medicines from Dr Rich- ardson, to encounter the fatigue of following the movements of a hunting camp. They cleared away the snow on the site of the autumn encampments, to look for bones, deer's feet, bits of hide, and other offal. When the officers beheld them gnawing the pieces of hide, and pounding the bones for the purpose of extracting some nourishment from them by boiling, they regretted their inability to relieve ""rnf 1^ POLAR REGIONS. 419 I consequent vard, and in- pring was al- erefore, quit- 1 the barren or three days tie middle of ;hey began to fore the arri- le mean time, .voods caused ,nd the whites distress. No Iters, the nets pounded meat, , mmer use, was use, consisting suffered most. them to move •e more certain of them were quit the house, from Dr Kich- , following the y cleared away 1 encampments, ' hide, and other them gnawing le bones for the ment from them bility to relieve a them, but little thought that they should themselves be afterwards driven to the necessity of eagerly collecting these same bones a second time from the dunghill. ■ . > . ■ * i ,?; 'n . At this time, to divert the attention of the men from their wants, they were encouraged in the practice of sliding down the steep bank of the river upon sledges. These vehicles descended the snowy bank with much velocity, and ran a great distance upon the ice. The officers joined in the sport, . nd the numerous overturns they experienced formed no small share of the amusement of the party ; but on one occasion, when Capt. FrankUn had been thrown from his seat and almost buried in the snow, a fat Indian woman drove her sledge over him, and sprained his knee severely. -^ On the 21st, the ice in the river was measured and found to be five feet thick, and in setting the nets in Round Rock Lake, it was there ascertained to be six feet aiu. a half thick, the water being six fathoms deep. The stomachs of some fish were at this time opened by Dr Richardson, and fomid filled with insects, which appear to exist in rbpidance under the ice during the winter. On the 22d, a moose-deer was killed at the dis- tance of fortyfive miles ; St Germain went for it with a dog-sledge, and returned with unusual expe- dition on the morning of the third day. This sup- ply was soon exhausted, and the party passed the 27th without eating, with the prospect of fasting a day or two longer, when old Keskarrah entered with the unexpected intelligence of having killed a »«hr"" 420 POLAR REGIONS. ,-''^J-l \ deer. It was divided between the whites and the Indians, and during the night a seasonable supply arrived from Akaitcho. Augustus returned with the men who brought it, much pleased with the at- tention he had received from the Indians during a visit to Akaitcho. . , , The weather in the beginning of May was fine and warm. On the 2d, some patches of sandy ground near the house were cleared of snow. On the 7th, the sides of the hills began to appear bare ; and on the 8th, a large house-fly was seen. This interest- ing event spread cheerfulness through the resi- dence, and formed a topic of conversation for the rest of the day. On the 9th, the approach of spring was still more agreeably confirmed by the appearance of a mer- gansor and two gulls, and some loons, or arctic di- vers, at the rapid. This day, to lessen the labor of dragging meat to the house, the women and chil- dren and all the men, except four, were sent to live at the Indian tents. ^ The blue-berries, crow-berries, eye-berries, and cran-berries, which had been covered, and protected by the snow during the winter, might at this time be gathered in abundance, and proved indeed a valuable resource. The ground continued frozen, but the heat of the sun had a visible effect on veg- etation; the sap thawed in the pine-trees, the mosses were beginning to shoot, and the calyptrse of some of the jungermannise were already visible. A robin appeared on the 14th. This bird is hailed by the natives as the infallible precursor of warm if |. POLAR REGIONS. 421 ites and the nable supply -turned with with the at- lians during a y was fine and sandy ground On the 7th, bare ; and on This interest- ugh the resi- rsation for the r was still more Mice of amer- is, or arctic di- sen the labor of >men and chil- ^ere sent to live ye-berries, and d, and protected It at this time ■oved indeed a )ntinued frozen, B effect on veg- pine-trees, the id the calyptrffi already visible. his bird is hailed •ecursor of warm weather. Ducks and geese were also seen in numbers, and the reindeer advanced to the north- ward. The merganser, which preys upon smal fish, was the first of the duck tribe that appeared ; next came the teal, which lives upon small insects that abound in the waters at this season ; and lastly the goose, which feeds upon berries and herbage. Geese usually appear at Cumberland House, in latitude 54", about the 12th of April; at Fort Chip- pewyan, in latitude 59", on the 25th of April; at Slave Lake, in latitude 61°, on the 1st of May ; and at Fort Enterprise, in latitude 64" 28', on the 12th or 1 4th of the same month. On the 21st, Akaitcho arrived at Fort Enterprise and was saluted by a discharge of small-arms. He led the way, preceded by his standard-bearer, and advanced' with a slow and stately step to the door, where Mr Wentzel and Capt. Franklin received him. The faces of the party Avere daubed with vermilion, the old men having a spot on the right cheek, the young ones on the left. Akaitcho him- self was not painted. On entering he sat down on a chest ; the rest placed themselves in a circle on the floor. The pipe was passed once or twice round, and in the mean time a bowl of spirits and water, and a considerable present of cloth, blankets, capots, shirts, &c. was placed on the floor for the chiefs acceptance, and distribution amongst his people. Akaitcho then commenced his speech, but we regrei to say, that it was very discouraging, and indicated that he had parted with his good hu- mor, at least since his March visit. He first in- 36 '^^ 422 POLAR REGIONS. /If -;■'! M!^ Til, r r. quired, whether, in the event of a passage by sea being discovered, the party would come to his lands in any ship that might be sent. Being answer- ed that it was probable, but not quite certain, that some one among them might come, he ex- pressed a hope that some suitable present would be forwarded to himself and nation : ' for,' said he, * the great chief who commands where all the goods come from, must see from the drawings and de- scriptions of us and our country that we are a mis- erable people.' Capt. Franklin assured him that he should be remembered, provided he faithfully fulfilled his engagement. He next complained of the non-payment of the Captain's notes by Mr Weeks, the trader at Slave Lake, from which he apprehended that his own re- ward would be withheld. * If,' said he, * your notes to such a trilling amount are not accepted while you are within such a short distance, and can hold communication with the fort, it is not probable that the large reward, which has been promised to my- self and party, will be paid when you are far distant, on your way to your own country. It really ap- pears to me,' he continued, ' as if both the Com- panies consider your party as a third company, hos- tile to their interests, and that neither of them will pay the notes you give to the Indians.' Afterwards, in the course of a long conference, he enumerated many other grounds of dissatisfac- tion ; the principal of which were, want of attention to him, as chief, the weakness of the rum formerly j bent to him, the smallness of the present now of- H Wi POLAR REGIONS. 423 fered, and the want of the chiefs clothing, which he had been accustomed to receive at Fort Provi- dence every spring. He concluded by refusing to receive the goods now laid before him. We will now refer our readers to the next chap- ter for the result of these proceedings. long conference, nds of dissatisfac- !, want of attention the rum formerly e present now of- 1 CHAPTER X. Captain Franklin's Rcplj m Akaitcho. — The Copper Indians. — ^Keskarrah. — Marriages. — Wars. — Nurnbors. — The Dog-Rilis. — Their Character. — Res- idence and Numbers. — The Hare Indians. — The Q,uarrcllers. — Otlier Tribes. — Behaviour of Akaitcho. — The first Party leaves Fort Enterprise. In reply to the complaints of Akaitcho, Captain Franklin said that no dependence should be placed on vague reports. He had heard a great many to the disadvantage of Akaitcho, but, had given them no credit. Moreover, the rum which had been sent to him was such as was drank by the great men in England, milder in taste, but stronger iff reality than that which he had been accustomed to receive. The party had not been able to bring large quanti- ties of goods like the traders ; but in consideration of his not receiving the usual spring outfit, his debts to the company had been cancelled, and a present much larger than he had ever before received was to be got ready for him on his return. The Captain farther said, that he was much disappointed in not receiving the dried meat he had promised, and that, in fact, his complaints were so groundless, in com- r'?.. i I": 424 POLAR REGIONS. .1 , '"' ) '*{. ;„ ,1! parison with the injury resulting to the expedition from his oreach of promise, that he believed they were pr-iftried to cloak his own want of good faith. AkaKcho then shifted his ground, advising that the enterprise should be abandoned, on the score of danger, and at last showed some disposition toward a reconciliation. St Germain exerted himself much to effect a change in the savages, and in some de- gree succeeded. Before we proceed farther in our narrative, it may not be amiss to give some ac- count of these Copper Indians. They are called by the Chippevvyans Tanisawhot- dinneh, or Birch-rind people. They were original- ly, according to their own account, Chippevvyans, and lived on the south side of Slave Lake. Their language, traditions, and customs are essentially the same as those of the ClMppewyans, but in personal character they have grei^tly the advantage of that people, owing probably to local causes, or perhaps to their procuring their food more easily and in greater abund. nee. They hold women in the same low estimation as the Chippewyans do, looking upon them as a kind of property which the stronger may take from the weaker whenever there is just reason for quarrelling, if the parties are of their own nation, or whenever they meet, if the weaker party are Dog-Ribs or other strangers. They suffer, however, the kinder affections to show themselves occasionally : they in general live happy with their wives : the women are contented with their lot. Our travellers witnessed several instances of strong attachment. sansMprff; POLAR REGIONS. 425 le expedition believed they of good faith, advising that )n the score of osition toward 1 himself much d in some de- eed farther in I o-ive some ac- ,ns Tantsaichot- j were original- Chippevvyans, i Lake. Their are essentially 3wyans, but in J the advantage local causes, or od more easily hold women in lippewyans do, perty which the whenever there parties are of cy meet, if the Dther strangers, ections to show neral live happy contented with everal instances Of their rehgion, or ideas of a future state, we have no accounts, as they are averse to speak of their opinions, for fear of ridicule. Akaitcho always evaded questions on this subject, but evinced a strong desire to learn. This chief, and many of his tribe, possessed a strong cuiiosity. Capt. Franklin thought that a Christian mission might produce a happy effect in this quarter. The old guide Keskarrah alone used boldly to express his disbelief of the existence of a supreme being, and to give his reasons, the prin- cipal of which was, that though an old man he had never seen God himself. This aged sceptic was a little conceited, as appears from the following ex- ordium to one of his speeches : — ' It is very strange that I never meet with any one as wise as myself.' Few of this nation have more than one wife at a time, and none but the chiefs have more than two. The same man frequently marries sisters ; and cou- sins intermarry ; but no union takes place between uncle and niece. The last war excursion they made against the Esquimaux was about eighteen years ago, when they destroyed thirty persons at the mouth of what they term Stoney Point River, near the mouth of the Coppermine. Formerly, when they were destitute of fire-arms, they were oppressed by the Chippe- wyans ; but since they havt.. ''eceived weapons from * the traders, the Chippewyans do not care to venture'^'- on their lands, and all of that nation who live about Slave Lake hold the name of Akaitcho in great re- spect. ' • ' ■ 36* % y III: L'lh-m. , 1 i Wl I J: ■fff '?i ■ i> ( "fir S, :,V : :■'* I. S| 1 ■«,:"' ■^ 426 POLAR REGIONS. The iiumber of Copper Indians inay be one hun- dred and ninety, viz. eighty males, r.nd t!ie rest wo- men and young children. At the time of our story there were fortyfive hunters in ihe tribe. The ad- herents of Akaitcho are forty men and boys, the rest follow other chiefs. The Tidingcha-dinne/i, or Dog-Ribs, or. as l^iey are sometimes termed by tlie Crees, who former- ly warred against them. Slams, mhabit tht. ^^ountry to the westward of the Copfjer IniliaiiiS, as far as the Mackenzie's River. They are of a mild, hos- pit ••.ble, but rather indolent disposition ; spend much of their time in amusements, and are fond of sing- ing and dancing. In this res[)ect, and in another, they differ very widely from most of the other aborigines of North America. We allude to their kind treatment of the women. The men do the laborious work, while their wives employ themselves in ornamenting their dresses with quill-work, and in other occupations suited to their sex. Kind treatment of the fair sex being usually considered as an indication of considerable progress in civiliza- tion, it might be worth while to inquire how it hap- pens, that this tribe has stept so far beyond its neighbours. It has had, undoubtedly, the same common origin with the Chippewyans ; for their languages differ only in accent, and their mode of life is essentially the same. We have not sufficient data to prosecute the inquiry with any hope of suc- cess ; but we may recall to the reader's memory, that the Dog-Ribs say they came from the westward, whilst the Chippewyans say that they migrated from the eastward. POLAR REGIONS. 427 ' be one Kun- i the rest wo- i of >ur story be. The ad^ and boys, the )s, or, as I'iey , who former' )it tht: country iano, as far as )f a mild, hos- n ; spend much i fond of smg- and in another, t of the other allude to their le men do the ploy themselves quill -work, and eir sex. Kind rally considered gress in civiliza- lire how it hap- far beyond its edly, the same yans; for their d their mode of ive not sufficient my hope of suc- -ader's memory, ,m the westward, they migrated The chief tribe of the Dog-rib nation, termed Horn Mountain Indians, inhabit the country between Great Bear Lake and the west end of Great Slave Lake. They muster about two hundred men and boys capable of pursuing tiie chase. Small detach- ments of the nation frequent Marten Lake, and hunt during the summer in the neighbourhood of Fort Enterprise. Indeed this part of the country was formerly exclusively theirs, and most of the lakes and remarkable hills bear the names which they imposed upon them. As the Copper Indians gen- erally pillage them of their women and furs when they meet, they endeavour to avoid them, and visit their ancient quarters on the barren grounds only by stealth. Immediately to the northward of the Dog-Ribs, on the north side of Bear Lake River, are the Kawcho-dinneh, or Hare Indians, who also speak a dialect of the Chippcwyan language, have much the same manners with the Dog-Ribs, and are considered both by them and by the Copper Indians to be great conjurers. These people report, that in their hunting excursions to the northward of Great Bear Lake, they meet small parties of Es- quimaux. Immediately to the northward of the Hare In- dians, on both banks of Mackenzie's River, are the Tykothee-dinneh, Loucheux, Squint-Eyes, or Quar- rellers. They speak a language distinct from the Chippewyan. They war often with the Esquimaux at the mouth of Mackenzie's River, but have occa- sionally some peaceable intercourse with them, and 428 POLAR REGIONS. iiif'.'i^l " /#; :t »l ^^f:H It ' Jl ' ■ U it would appear that they find no difficulty in un- derstanding each other, there being considerable similarity in their languages. Their dress also re- sembles the Esquimaux, and differs from that of the other inhabitants of Mackenzie's River. The Tykothee-dinneh trade with Fort Good-Hope, sit- uated a considerable distance below the confluence of Bear Lake River with the Mackenzie's River, and within three days march of the Arctic Sea. It is the most northern establishment of the Northwest Company, and some small pieces of Russian cop- per coin once made their way thither across the continent from the westward. Blue or white beads are almost the only articles of European manufac- ture coveted by the Loucheux. They perforate the septum of the nose, and insert in the opening three small shells, which they procure at a high price from the Esquimaux. On the west bank of Mackenzie's River there are several tribes who speak dialects of the Chip- pewyan language, that have not hitlierto been men- tioned. The first met with, on tracing the river to the southward from Fort Good-Hope, are the ^m- baiotawlioot-dinnehi or Sheep Indians. They inhab- it the Rocky Mountains near the sources of the Dawhoot-dinneh River, which flows into Macken- zie's, and are but little known to the traders. Some of them have visited Fort Good-Hope. A report of their being cannibals may have originated in an imperfect knowledge of them. Some distance to the southward of this people are the Rocky Mountain Indians, a small tribe which POLAR REGIONS. 429 fficulty inun- ; considerable dress also re- ) from that of 3 River. The ood-Hope, sit- the confluence tenzie's River, Arctic Sea. It 1 the Northwest )f Russian cop- ther across trie J or white beads •ope an manufac- They perforate in the opening )cure at a high e's River there cts of the Chip- aerto been men- Lcing the river to )pe, are the Jlm- is. They inhab- sources of the NS into Macken- e traders. Some Hope. A report originated in an rd of this people small tribe which musters about forty men and boys capable of pur- suing the chase. They differ but little from the next we are about to mention, the Edchawtatohoot- dinneh, Strong-Bow, Beaver, or Thick- Wood In- dians, who frequent the Riviere aux Liards^ or south branch of Mackenzie's River. The Strong- Bows resemble the Dog-Ribs somewhat in their dis- position ; but when they meet, they assume a con- siderable degree of superiority over the latter, who meekly submit to the haughtiness of their neigh- bors. Until the year 1813, when a small party of them, from some unfortunate provocation, destroyed Fort Nelson, on the Riviere aux Liardsy and mur- dered its inmates, tlie Strong-Bows were considered to be a friendly and quiet tribe, and esteemed as excellent hunters. They take their names, in the first instance, from their dogs. A young man is the father of a certain dog ; but when he is married and has a son, he .sityles himself the father of the boy. The women have a habit of reproving the dogs very tenderly, when they observe them fight- ing. — ' Are you not ashamed,' say they, ' are you not ashamed to quarrel with your little brother*?* The dogs appear to understand the reproof, and j sneak oflT. The number of men and boys of the Strong-Bow nation who are capable of hunting may amount to seventy. There are some other tribes who also speak dia- lects of the Chippewyan, upon the upper branches of the Riviere aux Liards, such as the JYbhhannies and the Tsillawdawhoot-dinnehf or Brush-wood In- ;J.: '^^ V f^m If rPW 430 POLAR REGIONS. dians. They are but little known, but the latter are supposed occasionally to visit some of the es- tablishments on Peace River. '" Having now briefly communicated the principal facts relative to the Indians in this quarter, we re- turn to the proceedings of Captain Franklin and his party. . Akaitcho was still unwilling to proceed, and com- plained that the immediate supply of goods was in- adequate to fulfil his expectations, and after much importunity declared that he would not except what was offered. His people, however, declared their willingness to go on, and he was compelled to sub- mit. The first party started from Fort Enterprise on the 4th of June, under Doctor Richardson. It con- sisted of fifteen voyageurs, four Indians, and some squaws. They had with them three dog sledges, and each of the men carried i burthen of eighty pounds, exclusive of personal baggage. Akaitcho and his people departed on the same day, with in- structions to proceed to Point Lake, and collect provisions. ,. . f ' : k TTT? POLAR REGIONS. 431 but the latter )me of the es- d the principal quarter, we re- J'rankUn and his )ceed, and com- if goods was in- and after much not except what :, declared their ompelled to sub- ,rt Enterprise on lardson. It con- idians, and some ree dog sledges, mrthen of eighty Tgage. Akaitcho ame day, with in- ake, and collect CHAPTER XL Captain Franklin leaves Fort Enterprise. — Sufferings of tlie Men.— The Coppermine. — Musk Oxen killed.— The Hook.— Portage to Great Bear Lake. — Rapids.— The Copper Mountains. — The Interpreters con- verse with the Esquimaux. — Flight of the £Bquimaux.»-The Esqui- maux seen again.— An old Savage. On the 13th, the men returned to Fort Enterprise, having left Dr Richardson at Point Lake, where the ice had not yet begun to decay. On the morn- ing of the 14th, Capt. Franklin started with the ca- noes and the remainder of the stores. Being heavily laden, they only made five miles this day. Marten Lake, through which the route lay is ex- tensive, with large arms, which branch out in differ- ent directions. After passing this, the party came, on the 20th, to the ridge which separates the streams which flow into Winter Lake from those which run northward. Near the base of this ridge they crossed a small, rapid stream, in which there is a cascade fifty feet high. The next day they "reached Point Lake, where the ice was still six or seven feet thick. Here they remained till the 25th, to procure provisions for the journey. They then started, dragging the canoes and bag- gage over the ice, but, owing to the depth of the snow, made but small progress. The next day was extremely hot, and the men were soon jaded ; in- deed most of them were already lari\e. Their suf- ferings at this early stage of the journey induced Captain Franklin to leave one of the canoes be- I 432 POLAR REGIONS. • w 1. 1- ■ .1 '1. v: hind. Even with this relief their task was not easy. The surface of the ice, being honey-combed by recent rains, presented innumerable sharp points, which tore their mocasins, and lacerated their feet ; and the poor dogs marked their tracks with their blood. In the evening of the 28th, the party reached a rapid by which Point Lake communicates with Red Rock Lake, and were surprised at finding the Coppermine an inconsiderable stream. The next day they passed Red Rock Lake, and entered ano- ther called Rock Nest Lake, from a remarkable Rock on its shore. They crossed it on the ice, and on the 1st of July embarked on the Copper- mine River, which is here two hundred yards wide and ten feet deep, and flows rapidly over a rocky bottom. The scenery of its banks is fine ; they are well clad with wood, and the surfaces of the rocks are richly ornamented with lichens. The same kind of country prevails in the same parallel as far west as Mackenzie's River ; but the land eastward is entirely barren. They proceeded down the river, sometimes through strong rapids, shooting over great stones, where a single false stroke of a paddle would have been destructive. In some places the channel was blocked up by drift ice, and they were obliged to cut a passage for the canoes, or drag them over. As they proceeded, the river became wider, always running between hills of moderate elevation. On the 4th, the hunters killed eight musk oxen. Capti Franklin himself wounded one of these animals, %t -*■ POLAR REGIONS. 433 task was not honey-combed e sharp points, ited their feet ; acks with their larty reached a icates with Red at finding the am. The next id entered ano- [\ a remarkable it on the ice, 3n the Copper- Ired yards wide ,ly over a rocky is fine ; they are ces of the rocks gns. The same e parallel as far land eastward is river, sometimes ^er great stones, Idle would have the channel was were obliged to drag them over, ime wider, always elevation. On usk oxen. Capt. of these animals, lO e which instantly attacked him, but was frightened away by the arrival of some of the people. On the evening of the sixth, the party encamped at the base of a range of mountains from twelve to fifteen hundred feet high. Near this place the chief called the Hook was encamped, who, without so- licitation, gave up to Captain Franklin all the meat he had collected, expressing his regret that he had no more to bestow. In return for these provisions he accepted an order on the Northwest Company, to be paid at Fort Providence. On the same day, after passing the mountain range, the party arrived at the portage leading to Great Bear Lake, at the westernmost point on the Coppermine, where the river resumes a northern course and forces a passage through the moun- tains. From hence to Bear Lake the distance is about forty miles. ' - * ^■ Beyond this spot the river diminishes in breadth, and a succession of rapids is formed. It still runs between high ranges of mountains, though its actual boundaries are banks of mud mixed with clay, which are clothed with dwarf pines. The day after leaving the portage, the party came to a place where ths river is contracted between lofty banks to the width of an hundred and twenty yards. Just beyond this, it descends three quarters of a mile through a deep narrow and crooked chan- nel, cut through the foot of a hill five or six hun- dred feet high. It is confined between perpendic- ular cliffs like walls, and rushing furiously through the chasm, discharges itself at the northern extrem- 37 i±^. mm 434 POLAR REGIONS. ;; ity in a sheet of foam. After being lightened, the cances ran through this defile without injury. On the 11th, the party reached the Copper Mountains, from which the river derives its name. Pieces of native copper are found in all parts of this range, of which the aborigines were accus- tomed to make knives, hatchets, and other utensils, before the traders came among them. The origin- al repository of the metal has never been discov- ered. As they were now coming to the Esquimaux country, the guides recommended caution in light- ing fires, and that none should show themselves on the tops of hills. Throughout the 12th, they found the current very rapid, the stream being contracted between perpendicular walls of rock, to which large masses of ice still adhered, though the earth around was rich with vegetation. At night they encamped within twelve miles of a rapid, where the Indians said the Esr^uimaux were invariably found ; and to confirm the statement, traces of these peo- ple were seen near the spot. That there might be as little delay as possible in opening a commu- nication with the Esquimaux, Augustus and Ju- nius were sent forward, clad in their national cos- tume, and furnished with presents wherewith to conciliate their countrymen. The Indians in the mean while were not suffered to move out of sight, lest they should be seen, and c luse an alarm. The next day passed, and the in- terpreters had not returned, and Capt. Franklin determined to go on, but he found much difficulty :' .,,1 ^' POLAR REGIONS. 435 1^ ightened, the ; injury. the Copper ves its name. 1 all parts of i were accus- other utensils, . The origin- • been discov- he Esquimaux lution inUght- themselves on 2th, they found sing contracted lock, to which ough the earth At night they apid, where the variably found ; of these peo- lat there might ling a commu- justus and Ju- ir national cos- wherewith to ere not suffered Id be seen, and sed, and the in- Capt. Franklin much difficulty in persuading Akaitcho and his people to stay be- hind. They yielded, however, on condition that Mr Wentzel would remain with them. The river here flows between cliffs of loose sand mixed with gravel and red sand-stone rocks, and is everv^where shallow and rapid. Most of the of- ficers and half of the men marched ahead, to lighten the canoes, and to reconnoitre. In the evening they met Junius, who informed them that he had seen four Esquimaux tents, and that he had had some conversation with their inmates across the river. The news of the arrival of the party had frightened the Esquimaux, and they would not come across. As he and Augustus had expended all their provi- sion, he had come back for more, leaving his comrade to effect a more perfect communication. After resting, Junius set off again, and on the af- ternoon of the next day the Indians joined the par- ty, Mr Wentzel having been unable to keep them back. By threats and promises they were at last persuaded to keep out of sight till the Esquimaux should be prepared to receive them. The next day, the party proceeded, and passcJ the rapid below which the Esquimaux were en- camped, in which the canoes narrowly escaped be- ing wrecked. Here large, irregular sand-hills inclose both banks. The country around them consists of high, round hills. Just as Augustus was conveising with one of the lisquimuux, who had paddled half way across the rive, fo tin: purpose, some of Ihc m(^n on shore showed theinitelvt?3J on the hill tops. This unfurtu- # I k It mMi P: I 436 POLAR REGIONS. nate circumstance revived the fears of the Esqui- maux, and they instantly fled, leaving their dogs and other property. In this party there were four men, and as many women. Augustus and Junius were sent to look for them, but their search was fruitless. They put a few pieces of iron and trin- kets in their canoes, which were lying on the beach. Some men were also sent to secure the stages of fish, and protect them as much as pos- sible from the attacks of the dogs. Under the cov- ering of their tents Mere observed some stone ket- tles and hatchets, a few fish-spears made of copper, two small bits of iron, a quantity of skins, and some dried salmon, which was covered with maggots, and half putrid. The entrails of the fish were spread out to dry. A great many skins of small birds were hung up to a stage, and even two mice were preserved in the same way. Thus it would appear that the necessities of these poor people in- duce them to preserve every article that can be possibly used as food. Several human skulls which bore the marks of violence, and many bones, were strewed about the ground near the encampment, and as the .spot exactly answers the description given by Mr Hearne, of the place where the Chip- pewyans who accompanied him perpetrated the dreadful massacre on the Esquimaux, there is no doubt of this being the place. Its situation is in latitude 67° 42', and longitude 115" 49'. The rapid is a shelving cascade, three hundred yards in length, with a descent of fifteen feet. From a hill close i by there is a distinct view of the polar sea, which mm^i POLAR REGIONS. 437 is here full of islands, and at this time was choked with ice. , The officers were preparing to go down to the sea in one of the canoes, when Adam the interpret- er returned with the news that the Esquimaux were pursuing a party who had been sent to col- lect wood. Going to their rescue, they were met returning at a slow pace. They had come una- wares upon the Esquimaux party, which consisted of six men, with their women and children, who were travelling toward the rapid with a considerable number of dogs carrying their baggage. The wo- men hid themselves on the first alarm, but the men advanced, and stopping at some distance from the whites, began to dance in a circle, tossing up their hands in the air, and accompanying their motions with much shouting, to signify their desire of peace. The men saluted them by pulling off their hats, and making bows, but neither party was willing to ap- proach the other; and at length the Esquin > jx re- tired to the hill, from whence they had descended when first seen. The whites proceeded, in the hope of gaining an interview with them; but lest their appearance in a body should alarm them, advanced in a long line, at the head of which v/as Augustus. They were led to the baggage, which they had de- serted, by the howling of the dogs ; and on the summit of the hill found an old man, who was .00 infirm to effect his escape with the rest. He was much terrified when Augustus advanced, and pro- bably expected immediate death ; but that the fatal blow might not be unrevenged, he seized his spear, 37* ■ii i I I ( i 438 POLAR REGIONS. and made a thrust with it at his supposed enemy. Augustus, ho'vever, easily repressed the feeble ef- fort, and soon calmed his fears by presenting him with some pieces of iron, and assuring him of his friendly intentions. Dr Richardson and Captain Franklin then joined them, and after receiving their presents, the old man was quite composed, and be- came communicative. His dialect differed from that used by Augustus, but they understood each other tolerably well. ^ < CHAPTER XII. Terregannuck and his People."-More Esquimaux.— The Copper Iniliana turn back.— The Party proceed along tlie Coa-..., am', finally turn back. —-Hood's River ---Journey across the Barren Grounds. ---Sufferings of the Party.— Tripe de Koche. — The River Anatessy. It appeared that the party to which the old Esqui- mau belonged consisted of eight men and their families, who were returning fiom a hunting excur- sion with dried meat. The old gentleman said his name was Terregannuck, or the White Fox, and that his tribe called themselves Nag-ge-ook-tor-me- oot, or Deer Horn Esquiiiiaux. They frequent the mouth of the Coppermine for the purpose of salting salmon, and then retire to the westward, where they pass the winter in snow houses. In reply to inquiries made by the tiavellers, ho said that the reindeer abound on the coast in summer, and that musk oxen were to be found at a litdc POLAR REGIONS. 439 (osed enemy, he feeble ef- resenting him ig him of his and Captain receiving their )osed, and be- differed from derstood each "The Copper Indians aui' finally turn back. ounds.-Sufferings of ssy. the old Esqui- men and their hunting excur- itleman said his Vhite Fox, and ge-ook-tor-me- They frequent the purpose of the westward, low houses. In vellers, ho said last in summer, ■iund at a litUe distance up the rivers. He said there was plen- ty of drift-wood along the shore, but he had no knowledge of the coast eastward. When he had answ ered all questions, Terregan- nuck proposed going to his baggage, and it was then, first seen that he could not walk without sticks. On reaching his store, he distributed pieces of dried meat to his new acquaintances, who ate them, though much tainted, in token of peaceable inten- tions. Capt. Franklin then told him that he was accompanied by several Copper Indians, who were desirous to make peace with his people, and he replied that he would be rejoiced to see the hos- tility between the tribes terminated, and would gladly welcome the Indlduo. The countenance of Terregannuck was oval, with a sufficiently prominent nose, and had nothing very different from an European face, except in the smallness of his eyes, and, perhaps, in the nar- rowness of his forehead. His complexion was very fresh and red, and he had a longer beard than Capt. Franklin had seen on any of the aboriginal inhabitants of America. It was between two and three inches long, and perfectly white. His face was not tattooed. His dress consisted of a shirt or jacket with a hood, wide breeches, reaching only to the knee, and tight leggins sewed to the shoes, all of deerskin. The soles of the shoes were made of sealskin, and stuffed with feathers instead of socks. He was bent with age, but appeared to be about five feet ten inches high. His hands and ftot were small in proportion to his height. When- JjlY. ;i, iiiif 1~ ■ '• ■ I I ri ■ 440 POLAR REGIONS. ever Terregannuck received a present, he placed each article first on his right shoulder, then on his left ; and when he wished to express still higher satisfaction, he rubbed it over his head. He held hatchets, and other iron instruments, in the highest esteem. On seeing his countenance in a glass for the first time, he exclaimed, ' I shall never kill deer more,* and immediately put the mirror down. The tribe to which he belongs repair to the sea in spring, and kill seals : as the season advances they hunt deer and musk oxen at some distance from the coast. In all essentials they are like the Esquimaux described in other parts of this volume, excepting stature. They are much larger than those seen by Capt. Parry, and five feet ten inches is not an uncommon height among them. Akaitcho and his followers, on their way to rejoin Capt. Franklin, saw the Esquimaux, and endea* voured to open a communication with them, but without success. In the afternoon of the 17th, a party of nine Es- quimaux appeared, carrying their canoes and bag- gage ; but when they pc. eived the tents, they turned and fled. The appearance of so many dif- ferent bauds terrified the Copper Indians so much that they resolved l > return to their own hunting- grounds, and Capt. Franklin had difficulty even to persuade them to wait for Mr Wentzel at the Cop- per Mountains. St Germain and Adam, the two interpreters, also dosired to be discharged ; but as they were the only two good hunters in the party, the Captain would by no means consent. M- r\ POLAR REGIONS. 441 At the departure of the Indians, Capt. Frank- lin reminded them of the necessity of making a deposit of provisions at Fort Enterprise, and they promised to attend to it. It was afterwards found that their fears did not even permit them to wait for Mr Wentzel, as they had engaged to do. Captain Franklin and his party then descended to the sea, and began their journey eastward along the coast, having travelled three hundred and thir- tyfour miles this season, the distance from Fort Enterprise to the mouth of the Coppermine. The latter point is in latitude 67° 47' 50", and longitude 115" 3d' 49". It would be tedious to follow our friends along the shore of the Hyperborean Sea. At almost every point where they landed, they found traces of the Esquimaux, and deposits which they had left be- hind them. They saw many islands, bays, and capes, of which all that can be said is, that their positions are determined, and they are laid down on the map. They found drift-wood on the shore in abundance, and it may be remarked here that the Coppermine brings none down; neither does any other stream excepting Mackenzie's Riv- er, from which the existence of an easterly current may be inferred. In some places the coast pre- sented a beach of gravel, skirted by green plains, but as they proceeded eastward it became rocky and sterile. Sometimes the expedition was de- tained by drift ice and bad weather and at last, on the 19th of August, the stock of provisions being expended, and all hope of meeting the Esquimaux f .?;! f h !: !- I I 442 POLAR REGIONS. being at an end, Capt. Franklih resolved to return. Point Turnagain, the farthest point eastward to which the party penetrated, is six degrees and a half east of the mouth of the Coppermine, or, by following the windings of the coast, a distance of five hundred and fiftyfive geographic miles. Now commences the relation of the most affect- ing and tragical events recorded in the annals of travels. The original plan of Capt. Franklin had been to return by the mouth of the Coppermine River; but the length of the journey and the want of provisions induced him to change his determina- tion, and he resolved to proceed up Hood's River, a little west of Point Turnagain, as far as it might be found navigable, and then strike across the bar- ren grounds to Fort Enterprise. On the 22d of August, the party turned back, and in three days reached Hood's River, which they ascended to the first rapid, and encamped. Here ended their journey on the Arctic Sea. The next morning they proceeded up the river, which is full of shoals and from one hundred to an hundred and twenty yards wide. The distance made this day was only six miles, and on the next, after dragging the canoes up shoals and contending with rapids, the journey in a direct line was only seven miles. They then came to two beautiful falls, above which the river appeared so shallow, that it was deemed useless to proceed farther in canoes. The Captain therefore determined to construct two small canoes out of the materials of the larger ones, and the ope- ration was finished by the last day of the month. T^^i POLAR REGIONS. 443 red to return. eastward to legrees and a irmine, or, by a distance of miles. le most affect- the annals of . Franklin had ^e Coppermine y and the want his determina- Hood's River, far as it might across the bar- |ty turned back, iver, which they camped. Here Sea. The next rer, which is full an hundred and made this day t, after dragging ing with rapids, nly seven miles, tils, above which ,t it was deemed Is. The Captain wo small canoes les, and the ope- of the month. The leather which had been preserved for making moccasins was now divided among the men, and such articles of warm clothing as were most neces- sary were issued to each. This done, Capt. Frank- lin informed them of his determination to proceed di- rectly to Point Lake, thence distant an hundred and fifty miles in a straight line. The luggage consisted of nets, hatchets, astronomical instruments, clothing, blankets, three kettles, and the two canoes, which were each carried by one man. The burthen of each might amount to ninety pounds ; and thus la- den they set forward in the afternoon of the 31st, at the rate of about a mile an hour, including rests. In the evening, the hunters killed a musk cow, but the men were too heavily laden to carry more than a small portion of the flesh. They encamped, and about midnight their tent was blown down, and they were all completely drenched. On the morning of the 1st of September, there was a fall of snow, and the canoes became a cause of delay, from the difficulty of carrying them in a high wind, and they sustained much injury from the falls of those who had the charge of them. The face of the country was broken by small hills, and the ground was plentifully strewed with small stones, very painful to men carrying heavy burthens. This day a deer and a musk ox were killed ; and at night they kindled a fire of moss, to cook a part of the flesh, as there was no wood at hand. On the 3d, emerging from the valley of Hood's River, they entered a level but very barren country, varied only by ponds and marshes, and covered .^ 444 POLAR REGIONS. with small stones. This day they made ten miles and three quarters. On the 4th, the men, being weakened by hunger, began to find their burthens very oppressive, but did not complain. A heavy rain which changed to snow detained them during the 5th, and they remained in their beds all day ; but their blankets were insufficient to secure them from the severity of the frost. The next day there was no abatement of the storm; the tents were com- pletely frozen, and the snow had drifted round them three feet deep, and even inside there was a covering of several inches on their blankets. Hunger was, however, their greatest suffering. On the 7th, the weather cleared, but was very cold, and the wind was strong. The party pro- ceeded, though weak from fasting, and though their garments, bed-clothes, &c. were stiff with frost. The ground was covered a foot deep with snow, the margins of the lakes were incrusted with ice, and the swamps over which they had to pass were not entirely frozen, so that they frequently plunged knee deep in water. Those who carried the canoes were frequently blown down, and by this means the largest was so broken as to be wholly ruined. As the accident could not be repaired, they turned it to the best account, by making a fire of the broken materials, and cooked a little portable soup and ar- row-root, the only provision left. This was a scanty repast after three days fasting, but it enabled them to proceed at a quicker pace than before. In the afternoon, they came to a more hilly country, abound- ing in large stones, which were covered with lichens POLAR REGIONS. 445 i ft made ten miles the men, being i their burthens ,lain. A heavy ^ed them dunng 3eds all day ; but ecure them from t day there was tents were com- rifted round them re was a covering :9. Hunger was, red, but was very The party pro- k, and though their •e stiff with frost, deep with snow, encrusted with ice, had to pass were .frequently plunged carried the canoes , by this means the rhoUy ruined. As d, they turned it to fire of the broken Irtable soup and ar- I This was a scanty but it enabled them Ln before. In the by country, abound- covered with lichens of the genus gyrophora, called by the Canadians tripe de roche. A considerable quantity was gathered, which, with half a partridge each, furnished a slender supper ; after which our friends passed a comfort- less night in their damp clothes. The next morning they came to ^am flow- ing westward with a rapid current, ey had much difficulty in crossing, as their canoe wanted gumming, which they were unable to perform for want of wood. However, they crossed the stream by means of a range of rocks, though several slip- ped into the current, and were drenched complete- ly ; indeed they would have perished, but for the aid of the others. The march was continued till a late hour, in the hope of overtaking the hunters, who had gone before ; and their supper, and only meal for that day, consisted of a partridge each, and some tripe de roche. In the morning of the 9th, they overtook the hunters, who were resting on the borders of a lake which stretched to the westward as far as they could see, and discharged its waters by a rapid stream an hundred and fifty yards wide. Being entirely ignorant where they might be led by fol- lowing the shore of the lake, they resolved to cross the river, if possible, and some willows which grew at hand enabled them to gum their canoe. In the afternoon, St Germain and Adam ferried the party over, one at a time, causing each to lie flat in its bottom, — ^by no means a pleasant posture, on ac- count of its le^kiness. This done, the party walk- ed two miles farther, encamped, and supped on 38 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I |4S US us 11:25 i 1.4 yi 1 2.5 i2ii 12.2 1.6 Hrotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRIIT WEBSTIR.N.Y. 14S80 (716) S72-4503 ^^ ^/ A* t ^J^ M. ^9 ¥ m \ ^ O^ t 446 POLAR REGIONa Mi !! \ui-'^ ■■■■ .•:'vil^-,i^f two hares only, as there was no tripe de roche at this place. From the top of a hill, Capt. Frank- lin still saw the lake stretching westward, and sub- sequently learned that the river was the Anat'^ssy. CHAPTER XIII. :7««vt A Mu8k-Ox killed. — The Party come to a Lake and croBS a River.— Dan- ger of Belanger.— They reach Point Lake.— The Canoe left.— They arrive at the Coppermine. — Adventure of Dr Richardson. — Efforts to oroBf . — Fate of C. sdit and Vaillant. — Dr Richardson stops.— Dreadful Sufferinga of the Party. ' (^ The day after crossing the Anatessy, our friends were so fortunate as to kill a musk-ox. So great was their hunger that they did not wait to cook the flesh, but devoured the intestines raw on the spot, which were pronounced excellent by the most del- icate among them. This was the first sufficient meal they had eaten for six days. Here they were detained a whole day by a vio- lent gale. They started again on the 12tb, and in the morning of the 13th, had the mortification to find themselves on the borders of a large lake, which, as they could not cross, they coasted to the westward. The flesh of the musk-ox was now exhausted, and to add to their distress the tripe de roche had become extremely nauseous to the whole party, and had produced severe bowel com- plaints. This evening the officers were grieved to find that their improvident followers had thrown POLAR REGIONS. 447 tripe de roche ], Capt. Frank- :ward, and sub- I the Anat^ssy. nd cross a River.— Dan- rhe Canoe left.-They Richardson.— EfforU to ardson stops.— Dreadful tessy, our friends sk-ox. So great t wait to cook the raw on the spot, ; by the most del- he first sufficient ole day by a vio- t the 12th, and in 3 mortification to I of a large lake, ley coasted to the [lusk-ox was now distress the tripe y nauseous to the severe bowel com- 5rs were grieved to owers had thrown away the fishing-nets, their only resource in case they should kill no animals, to lighten their loads. In the morning of the 14th, they came to a river which discharged the waters of the lake, and here one of the hunters killed two deer, on which the party once more made a good meal. After this, they proceeded to cross the river just above a rapid. St Germain, Belanger, and Captain Franklin embarked first, but overset the canoe in the middle of the rapid. Fortunately, they kept hold of it till they got footing on a rock, where the water was no higher than their waists, where they emptied the canoe. Belanger then held it steady while the Cap- tain and St Germain embarked, but he could not get in himself, as the canoe would have been hur- ried down the rapid the moment he lifted his foot from the rock. Scarcely had the conveyance left him, when it struck another rock, and went down ; but as the place was shallow, the Captain and St Germain again emptied it and reached the shore. In the mean while, Belanger was suffering extreme- ly, immersed in water almost freezing, and the up- per part of his body covered with wet clothes, in a temperature little above zero, aggravated by a strong breeze. Several attempts were made to reach him with the canoe, but they all proved ineffectual. At last, when almost exhausted, the canoe reached him with the end of a cord, and he was dragged, entirely ^pnseless, through the rapid. The rest of the party were carried over on the 15th, and they proceeded along the lake, which was ascertained to be the Contwayto, or Rum Lake. ^* », ; tms '!; .'lil' 111 t : ii:.^r ^liiUpi l:J:;i: ml 1l48 POLAR REGIONS. Taking leave of this, they continued onward, sick and starving, till the twentysecond, when they •reached a branch of Point Lake. Our readers will perhaps >be desirous to know how they passed their nightfi without fire, in such weather. The first ope- ration after encamping was to thaw their frozen mocasins, it a sufficient fire could be made ; and dry ones were put on. They then laid down and con- versed till their blankets were thawed by the heat of their bodies, and they had gathered sufficient warmth to sleep. On many nights they had not the good fortune to sleep in dry clothes ; for when they could not make fire to .dry them, they durst not put them off, lest they should freeze so hard as to be unfit to wear in the morning, and therefore in- <convenient to carry. Following the shores of Point Lake on the 23d, Peltier and Yaillant, who had charge of the canoe, were left behind. When they came up they said that the canoe had been so damaged by another fall as to be incapable '?^ repair, and utterly useless. No persuasion could n- j them, or any of the voyageurs, to go back foi n, and the officers were too weak to undertake the task. To this obstinacy may be attributed the misfortunes which attended their subsequent piiogress. This night, a heavy rain fell, which obliterated the tracks of the hunters who had gone forward, and the men became quite furious at the idea of being abandoned |>y them. Some of the strongest threw down their bundles to follow, and would have left the weaker to shift for themselves, had they not been prevented by the POLAR REGIONS. 449 thitiits find entreaties of the officers. However, in the course of the day they came up with the hung- ers, who had killed five small deer, of which the Canadians with their usual improvidence consumed more than a third that evening. On the 26th, they came to the Coppermine, five miles above where it enters Point Lake. Its cur- rent here is swift, and there are two rapids, which in a canoe they could have traversed in safety and with ease. As they could find no food, and as there was no wood at hand big enough for a raft, they were obliged to repair to the Lake in search of trees. After travelling two days along the shore, the search was abandoned as useless, and they returned to the rapid to attempt to cross on a raft of willows. While they were considering this project, the carcass of a deer was found in a crevice of a rock, into which it had fallen in the spring. It was putrid, but little less acceptable on that account, and the greater part was devoured forthwith. In the morning of the 29th, the men began at an early hour to bind the willows in faggots >^for the construction of the raft, and it was finished by sev- en ; but as the willows were green, it proved to be very little buoyant, and was unable to support more than one man at a time. Even on this, however, it was hoped the whole party might be transported, by hauling it from one side to the other ; provided a line could be carried to the other bank. Several attempts were made by Belanger and Benoit, the strongest men of the party, to convey the raft across the stream, but they failed for want of oars. A 38* 111 iV ■'*1?j"*«^^ilil' .'ip-" 450 POLAR REGIONS. SH. pole constructed by tying the tent-poles together, was too short to reach the bottom at a short dis- tance from the shore ; and a paddle did not pos- sess sufficient power to move the raft in opposition to a strong breeze, which blew from the other side. All the men suffered extremely from the coldness of the water, in which they were necessarily im- mersed up to their waists, in their endeavours to aid Belanger and Benoit ; and, having witnessed re- peated failures, they began to consider the scheme as hopeless. At this time, Dr Richardson, prompted by a desire of relieving his suffering companion;), proposed to swim across the stream with a line, and to haul the raft over. He threw himself into the river with the line round his middle, but when he had got a short distance from the bank, his arms became benumbed with cold, and he lost the pow- er of moving them : still he persevered, and, turn- ing on his back, had nearly gained the opposite bank, when his legs also became powerless and he sunk. They instantly hauled upon the line, and he came again to the surface, and was gradually drawn ashore in an almost lifeless state. Being rolled up in blankets, he was placed before a good fire of willows, and fortunatel)' w^s just able to give some slight directions respecting the manner of treating him. He gained strength gradual- ly, and through the blessing of God was en- abled in the course of a few hours to converse, and by the evening was sufficiently recovered to re- move mto the tent. The skin of his whole left side was deprived of feeling, in consequence of expo- fe.:.;JSfc POLAR REGIONS. 451 -poles together, at a short dis- lle did not pos- aft in opposition n the other side. )m the coldness necessarily im- endeavours to aid fT witnessed re- sider the scheme ardson, prompted ring companions, earn with a line, jwhimself into the idle, but when he e bank, his arms d he lost the pow- evered, and, turn- ined the opposite powerless and he Dn the line, and he as gradually drawn . Being rolled up >re a good fire of just able to give ting the manner strength gradual- of God was en- rs to converse, and recovered to re- if his whole left side sequence of expo- sure to too great heat. He did not perfectly re- cover the sensation of that side until the follow- ing summer. When he stripped, the Canadians simultaneously exclaimed, * Ah ! que nous sommes maigres!' The next morning the men collected eight large faggots of willows, of which they constructed a larger and better raft than the first. Yet, as it did not answer their purpose, St Germain set about ma- king a canoe of the fragments of painted canvass in which they had wrapped their bedding on the first of October. In the afternoon, one of the men found the back-bone of a deer which had been killed and eaten by wolves, but the spinal marrow still re- mained. This, though putrid, was esteemed a val- uable prize, and the bones were rendered friable by burning, and eaten also. On the following morning, the ground was cov- ered with snow a foot and a half deep, and the weather was stormy. These circumstances ren- dered the men despondent, and they refused to gather tripe de roche, preferring to go -entirely without eating to making the least exertion. The storm continued till the afternoon of the 3d, by which time St Germain had finished his canoe. By this time the officers were extremely reduced ; Mr Hood was little better than a skeleton, Mr Back could not walk without a stick, and Dr Richr ardsoiv was lame, as well as weak. • On the morning of the 4th of November, St Germain embarked in his canoe, and succeeded in reaching the opposite side of the river with a line. The canoe 452 POLAR REGIONS. .*) was then drawn back, and another person was transported, and so on till the whole party were conveyed over, except the Esquimaux Junius, who had been lost several days, and it was never known what became of him. By the frequent traverses the canoe was materially injured, so that all the garments and bedding were soaked, and there was not a sufficiency of willows to dry them. That no time might be lost, Mr Back was instantly des- patched in search of the Indians, with St Germain, Solomon Belanger, and Beauparlant. More snow fell in the night, but the Captain and his party were parly on foot the next morning ; yet the tents and bedding were so frozen that it was late before they could get their bundles in readi- ness for departure. They then followed the tracks of Mr Back and his men, and walked six miles only, their weakness allowing them to go no farther. Two of the men. Credit and Vaillant, who had been una- ble to digest the tripe de roche, were so exhausted, that on reaching the encampment they were unable to stand. Before starting the next morning, the whole party ate the remains of their old shoes, and whatever fragments of leather they had, to enable them to face a piercing gale. Some of the party lagged in the rear, and toward noon Samandre came up with the front to say that Credit and Vaillant had dropped down ; and Doctor Richardson went back to them, but did not find Credit. Vaillant was un-* able to rise or speak ; and as the Doctor was unable to aid him, he returned to the party, who in the mean POLAR REOlONliJ/ 453 jr person was )le party were ax Junius, who its never known :juent traverses so that all the , and there was hem. That no \ instantly des- ith St Germain, Lt. the Captain and xt morning ; yet zen that it was undies in readi- lowed the tracks id six miles only, no farther. Two 10 had been una- ■re so exhausted, hey were unable , the whole party s, and whatever enable them to » party lagged in nandre came up and Vaillant had rdson went back Vaillant was un-* doctor was unable , who in the mean while had made a fire. J. B. Belanger then went to assist Vaillant, but could not rouse him : and the strongest of the voyageurs declared themselves unable to bring him to the fire. They urged Capt. Franklin to ^llow them to throw down their loads and hasten to Fort Enterprise, a measure which would have destroved them, for not one of them knew the way, and the officers would have been un- able to keep up with them. However, as it was abso- lutely necessary to do something to lighten them, Dr Richardson and Mr Hood, with John Hepburn, pro- posed to remain behind at the first convenient place, while the rest proceeded to the house, whence they thought immediate relief might be sent. This measure was immediately carried into effect ; but Credit and Vaillant were, unavoidably, left to their fate. The next day, the Captain and those who pro- ceeded with him made but four miles; and on encamping, Belanger and Michel declared them- selves quite exhausted, and desired to be permitted to return to Dr Richardson and Mr Hoo'd. The night was bitter cold, and, though they laid as close as possible, they could not keep themselves warm enough to sleep. Toward midnight a strong gale increased their sufferings. In the morning, Michel and Belanger received permission to go back to Doctor Richardson. The former was very particu- lar in his inquiries respecting the route the Captain meant to pursue. Scarcely was this arrangement made, when two more, Perrault and Fontano, were seized with diz- 454 POLAR REGIONS. ziness and other symptoms of extreme debility. They were in some degree revived by drinking a little tea, and eating a few morsels of burnt lea- ther, and expressed a willingness to go forward. The others, however, alarmed at what they had ' witnessed, and doubtful of their own strength, re- fused to move. But on the representation of the Captain, that it was their only chance for life, they at last proceeded, leaving Michel and Belanger at the encampment. k'h ' n * 'if ' |l,,,ilMli... ii- CHAPTER XIV. Parritult turns back. — Fontano ia loat.— Captain Franklin reaches Fort Enterprise.— Misery of the Party. — Dr Richardson and Hepburn reach Fort £nte4'pri«B.'-The Crimes of Michel.-^Murder of Mr Hood.— Mi- chel is pat to Death. — Subsequent Progress of Dr Richardson and tiepburn. Scarcely had the party gone two hundred yards, when . Perrault became dizzy again, and in ten minutes more declared himself unable to go any farther. As the encampment was not more than a quarter of a mile off, he turned to regain it, walking with much difficulty. The route then lay across a lake where the ice was perfectly smooth, and the men fell continually. Fontano was complete- ly exhausted by the fatigue of the traverse, and he turned to go, first to the encampment, and then to Dr Richardson, as Perrault had done, by which the number of the party was reduced to five, viz. POLAR REGIONS. 455 xtreme debility, ired by drinking fjls of burnt lea- to go forward. what they had ' wn strength, re- jsentation of the nee for life, they and Belanger at n Franklin reaches Fort rdson and Hepburn reach arder of Mr Hood.— Mi- I of Dr Richardson and o hundred yards, gain, and in ten inable to go any ,s not more than a regain it, walking J then lay across ctly smooth, and Qo was complete- the traverse, and npment, and then i done, by which uced to five, viz. Adam, Benoit, Peltier, Samandre, and Captain Franklin. Augustus had gone ahead. After they had made four miles and a half, they encamped near some willows, and supped on a few morsels of burnt leather. Augustus did not make his appear- ance, but this gave the Captain no uneasiness, as he supposed that if he missed the track, he would go to Dr Richardson. The next day they gained five miles, and en- camped on Winter River, and the arrival in a well- known neighbourhood raised the spirits of the men. The night was very stormy, and so was the morn- ing ; but they set out, being eager to reach Fort Enterprise that day. They saw a large herd of reindeer, but Adam, the only hunter, was too weak to pursue them. They did not reach the house that night, and when they did, the next morning, it was only to meet with grievous disappointment. The house was desolate, — there were no traces of the Indians, — and they had made no deposit of provisions, as they had promised. The party could not refrain from tears ; for not to speak of their own misery, the lives of their friends in the rear de- pended on sending immediate relief from this place. There was a note, however, from Mr Back, who had left the house two days before. By it the Captain learned that he had gone in search of the Indians, and that he proposed, if he did not find them, to try to reach Fort Providence. Here, then, the party were obliged to remain and wait for whatever might befall, for they were all too fee- ble to travel any farther. The deerskins they had 456 POLAR REGIONS. formerly thrown away, served them for food ; and they collected bones from the ashes, which, with tripe de roche, they must eat to preserve life. In the evening Augustus rejoined them. The next morning they were all much enfeebled, and Adam was unable to rise without assistance ; yet they were compelled to collect bones and tripe de roche. In the afternoon of the 14th, there was a storm, during which Belanger entered the house, so much exhausted that he could not speak, with a note from Mr Back, stating that he had not found the Indians, and desiring farther instructions. On the 18th, Belanger set out to return to Mr Back, with instructions to meet Captain Franklin at Reindeer Lake, whither he proposed to pro- ceed with the men. It appeared when about to start, that Adam was unable to move, and Peltier and Samandre agreed to remain with him. The Captain started on the 20th, with Benoit and Au- gustus, but breaking his snow shoes at the outset, he sent .them forward and returned himself to the house, where he found Samandre as helpless as Adam. Captain Franklin now undertook the office of cook and nurse to the two sick men, while Peltier brought wood, and pounded the bones he collected. Thus the time w^ore on for some days, and it is wonderful how life lasted so long. Their strength declined daily, and when seated it was not without a great effort that they could rise again. Still Pel- tier persevered in collecting wood, which Captain Franklin, and Samandre, who had somewhat recov- POLAR REGIONS. 457 for food; and s, which, with 5serve life. In u much enfeebled, hout assistance ; bones and tripe 14th, there was tered the house, lOt speak, with a ; had not found structions. to return to Mr Captain Franklin proposed to pro- d when about to piove, and Peltier with him. The Benoit and Au- [oes at the outset, jd himself to the [re as helpless as look the office of len, while Peltier jones he collected. [e days, and it iS I. Their strength lit was not without again. Still Pel- Id, which Captain Id somewhat recov- ered, brought to the house. So feeble were they that their utmost exertions only sufficed to replen- ish the fire four times a day. Once in a while they saw deer near the house, but were wholly un- able to go in pursuit of them. On the 29th, Dr Richardson and Hepburn en- tered the house, whose first words gave information that Mr Hood and Michel were dead, and that Per- rault and Fontano had not been seen by them. The liext day the new comers went in quest of deer, and fired several times at them, but without success, as they were too weak to hold their guns steady. It was not till the evening of this day that the Doctor related his adventures subsequent to parting company with Capt. Franklin. We give an abridged account of them, as follows. It will be remembered that Dr Richardson, Mr Hood, and Hepburn were left by the party on the 8th of October. On the morning of the 9th, Michel, called the Iroquois, came to the tent, say- ing that Belanger, in company with whom he had been left by Captain Franklin, had started to join the Doctor two hours earlier than himself, and he supposed, must have gone astray, as he had himself done. Subsequent observations rendered it proba- ble that this account was false, and that Belanger was killed by Michel. The next morning, the officers, Hepburn, and Mi- chel went to the grove of pine trees, where Michel had been left by Capt. Franklin. Here, Michel said he had left a gun which had been given him by Perrault, though it seems by Capt. Franklin's 39 •*s u 458 POLAR REGIONS. m fr' ' ' r . si I i Kl I' I!-.: t !, ' i Jr l»,;;r:'f. ' mir" journal that Perrault made him no such present. After making a fire, and drinking a decoction of the Labrador tea plant, the Doctor, Mr Hood, and Hep- burn returned to the tent ; but Michel preferred sleeping where he was, promising to join them in the morning. At his request, their hatchet was left with him. On the 11th, Michel did not join them, and Dr Richardson and Hepburn were obliged to carry their bedding, &c. to the pines themselves, Mr Hood following them. On arriving, they were alarmed to find Michel absent, nor did he appear till night, when he stated that he had been hunt- ing all day. He had met with no success, he said, but had found a wolf that had been killed by the stroke of a deer's horn, and had brought a part of it. His companions in misery believed this story at the time, but there are reasons to believe that the flesh he brought was that of Belanger or Perrault. It is not otherwise easy to account for his conceal- ing from the Doctor that Perrault had turned back, or for his voluntarily encumbering himself with a hatchet, unless he meant to cut up something which he already knew to be frozen. His retain- ing and even gaining strength while the others were daily becoming more feeble from starvation, is another strong circumstance against him. It is still a question whether he slew Belanger or Perrault, or whether he found their bodies in the snow. Captain Franklin, who, from knowing their situation, is best able to judge, is of opinion that he murdered them. Above all, his subsequent conduct proves him to have been capable to cc amit such a crime. m POLAR REGIONS, 459 such present, lecoction of the Hood, and Hep- [ichel preferred to join them m hatchet was left ti them, andDr 3bliged to carry themselves, Mr iving, they were r did he appear J had been hunt- success, he said, en killed by the •ought apart of it. ^ed this story at , believe that the anger or Perrault. It for his conceal- t had turned back, ig himself with a cut up something )zen. His retain- while the others le from starvation, rainsthim. It is still anger or Perrault, dies in the snow. wing their situation, )n that he murdered ent conduct proves nroit such a crime. Till the 18th, Michel behaved strangely, some- times going out to hunt, at others refusing to do so. His general demeanor was surly, and he often threatened to leave them. Mr Hood's strength was now completely prostrated by eating tripe de roche, and was scarcely able to sit up by the fire side. He complained that every breeze seemed to blow through his frame. » n On the 19th, Michel refused to hunt or assist in bringing wood, and Mr Hood remonstrated with him. Reproof only made him angry, and he used this remarkable expression. * It is no use huLting; there are no animals ; you had better kill and eat me.' At length, however, he went. On the morning of the 20th, Dr Richardson again urged Michel to go a hunting, but he showed great unwillingness, and lingered about the fire, pre- tending to clean his gun. The Doctor then went to gather tripe de roche, while Hepburn was em- ployed in felling a tree at a short distance. They were recalled to the fire by the report of a gun, and found Mr Hood dead. On examination, it ap- peared that a ball had entered the back part of his head, and that the muzzle of. the gun had been so nigh as to singe his cap. Michel said that Mr Hood had sent him to the tent on some trifling errand, and that while he was absent the gun had gone off, he knew not how. Hepburn afterwards told the Doctor that he had heard Mr Hood and Michel talking in an angry tone, and that on hearing the gun, he had turned and saw Michel behind his vic- tim. Thus died an oflScer whose talents were an n-.vii| It I % 460 POLAR REGIONS. m I honor to his country, and whose virtues endeared him to all who knew him. Although neither Hep- burn nor the Doctor dared to express any suspi- cion, Michel earnestly exculpated himself, and avoided leaving them together, evidently fearing to permit them to converse in private. He under- stood English imperfectly, and whenever Hepburn spoke, he demanded if he accused him of the murder. Having determined to go to Fort Enterprise, the little party started on the 23d. Hepburn and Michel carried guns, and the Doctor a small pistol. Michel was very unwilling to go to the fort, and tried to persuade his companions to go to the woods, or the Coppermine, where he said he would maintain them all winter by killing deer. In con- sequence of his behaviour, Dr Richardson desired him to go to the woods by himself, a proposal which increased his ill-humor. Michel was a half-breed. He now began to threaten his companions, and to express his hatred to the whites, some of whom, he said, had killed and eaten his uncle and two of his relations. In speaking to Dr Richardson, he assumed such a tone of superiority as . evinced that he considered him completely in his power. In fine, the Doctor was convinced by his demeanor that he would de- stroy them both on the first opportunity, and had only refrained from so doing hitherto, because he did not know the way to the fort. In the course of the day, he several times remarked that they were following the same course that Capt. Frank- lin had done, and that by keeping toward the set- ?■<»" pi; # irtues endeared 1 neither Rep- ress any suspi- i himself, and lently fearing to te. He under- ^never Hepburn ,m of the murder. Fort Enterprise, . Hepburn and or a small pistol, to the fort, and is to go to the he said he would ,g deer. In con- ichardson desired nself, a proposal e now began to express his hatred 3 said, had killed lis relations. In assumed such a lat he considered fine, the Doctor that he would de- ortunity, and had herto, because he ■t. In the course ^marked that they thatCapt. Frank- ,g toward the set- POLAR REGIONS. 461 ting sun, he could find the way himself. Hepburn and Dr Richardson were not in a condition to re- sist even an open attack, nor could they by any device escape from him. Their united strength was far inferior to his, and, beside his gun, he was armed with two pistols, an Indian bayonet, and a knife. In the afternoon, coming to a rock, on which there was some tripe de roche, he halted, and said he would gather it while they went on, and that he would soon overtake them. Hepburn and Dr Rich- ardson were now left together for the first time since Mr Hood's death. The result of this confer- ence was a conviction that there was no safety for them but in Michel's death, and Hepburn offered to be the instrument of it. Dr Richardson, however, resolved to take the responsibility on himself; and as soon as Michel came up, shot him through the head with a pistol. It then appeared that he had gathered no tripe de roche, and that he had only halted to put his gun in order, probably with the intention of killing them. Three more days of sickness and suffering brought the Doctor and Hepburn within sight of the Big Rock, a large stone opposite Fort Enter- prise. The sight gave them new vigor, and they pushed on with a resolution to get to the end of their journey that day. In the evening they saw several herds of deer, but Hepburn, who was p, good marksman, was unable to hold out his gun ; and though he got near them, His efforts proved fruitless. In passing through . a small grove of Ilif!! 39* «i 462 POLAR REGIONS. pines, they saw a flock of partridges, and after sev- eral shots Hepburn succeeded in killing one. They came in sight of the fort at dusk, and were rejoiced to see the smoke curling from the chim- ney ; for, from not having seen any footsteps in the vicinity, they had been agitated by melancholy fore- bodings. On entering the now desolate building, they had the satisfaction to embrace Capt. Frank- lin ; but no words can convey an adequate idea of the filth and wretchedness that met their eyes. Their own misery had stolen on them by degrees, and they were each accustomed to the emaciated visage of the other ; but the ghastly countenances, dilated eyeballs, and sepulchral voices of the Cap- tain and those with him, were more than they could at first bear. : ■'i^^ - CHAPTER XV. . Death of Peltier and Samandre. — Extreme Weakness of the SurviTors.— Their Intellects become weak. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Proceed- ings. — More Indians arrive. — Captain Franklin reaches the Camp of Akaiteho. — Mr Back's Adventures. — Death of Beauparlant. — End of the Journej. In the evening of the 31st, Peltier and Saman- dre complained of cold, sore throats, and cramps in the fingers. On the 1st of November, Peltier could not eat trijfle de roche, and Samandre but very little of it, owing to the soreness of their throats. In the afternoon, Peltier was so far exhausted that S. II POLAA REGIONS. 463 he sat up with difficulty. At last he slided from his stool upon his bed, as the others supposed, to sleep, and remained quiet upwards of two hours. A rattling was then heard in his throat, and on the Doctor's examining him, he was found to be speechless. Samandre sat up the greater part of the day, and even assisted to pound some bones ; but the sad condition of Peltier rendered him me- lancholy, and he began to complain of cold and stiff- ness in the joints. In the course of the night Peltier died, and Samandre also expired before morning, both literally starved to death. The united strength of the survivors was inadequate to remove the bodies from the house. Peltier had fixed on the 1st of November, as the time when he should cease to expect relief from the Indians, and had repeatedly said that if they did not arrive by that day, he should not survive. He was dear to his officers for his cheerfulness, his activity, and affectionate disposition, and up to the time of his decease he had nursed Adam with the most tender solicitude. Samandre too had been willing to share the labors of the party, but had been unable. The task of collecting food and fuel now de- volved on Dr Richardson and Hepburn, Adam be- ing worse than ever, and Captajn Franklin too fee- ble to render them any material assistance. As they were now unable to go in search of wood, they pulled down the logs of which the store-house was built. On the 3d, Hepburn was affected by swellings 1,'f m^ 464 POLAR REGIONS. •i:l^ ^1' = w Hi: in his limbs, and his strength as well as that of the Doctor was rapidly declining ; yet they continiied full of hope. Their utmost exertions could only renew the fire thrice, and on making it up the third time they went to bed. Their stock of bones was this day exhausted. On the 5th, the breezes were light, with dark cloudy, weather and some snow. The Doctor and Hepburn were getting much weaker, and the limbs of the latter were now greatly swelled. They came into the, house frequently in the course of the day, to rest themselves ; and, when once seated, were unable to rise without the help of one another, or of a stick. Adam was for the most part in the same low state as before, but sometimes he sur- prised the others by getting up and walking with an appearance of increased strength. His looks were now wild and ghastly, and his conversa- tion was often incoherent. The next day was fine, but very cold. The swellings in Adam*s limbs having subsided, he was free from pain, and arose this morning in much better spirits, and spoke of getting his gun res^dy for shooting partridges or any animals that might ap- pear near the house ; but his tone entirely changed before the day was half over: he became again dejected, and could scarcely be prevailed upon to eat. The Doctor and Hepburn were almost ex- hausted. The cutting of one log of wood occupied the latter half an hour ; and the other took as much time to drag it into the house, though the distance did not exceed thirty yards. Ir'i'il 1 POLAR REGIONS. 465 i his conversa- Owing to their loss of flesh, the hardness of the floor gave them great pain, especially in those parts on which the weight rested ; yet to turn over for relief, was an affair of toil and difficulty. The acute pains of hunger had now subsided. In the day time they conversed on light and trivial subjects, avoiding to speak of their situation, or even of the prospect of relief. In proportion as their strength decayed, their minds exhibited symptoms of weak- ness, evinced by a kind of unreasonable pettish- ness with each other. Each thought the other weaker in intellect than himself, and more in need of advice and assistance. So trifling a circum- stance as a change of place, recommended by one as being wfi,rmer and more comfortable, and refused by the other from a dread of motion, frequently called forth fretful expressions, which were no soon- er uttered than atoned for, to be repeated per- haps in the course of a few minutes. The sai.-e thing often occurred when they endeavoured to as- sist each other in carrying wood to the fire ; none of them were willing to receive assistance, although the task was disproportioned to their strength. On one of these occasions, Hepburn was so convinced of this waywardness, that he exclaimed, * Dear me, if we are spared to return to England, I wonder if we shall recover our understandings.' November 7. — Adam passed a restless night, being disquieted by gloomy apprehensions of ap- proaching death. He was so low in the morning as to be scarcely able to speak. Captain Franklin remained in bed by his side, to cheer him as much * m mmm 466 POLAR REGIONS. 1^ iliii^^i'^ as possible. The Doctor and Hepburn went to cut wood. They had hardly begun their labor, when they were amazed at hearing the report of a musket. They could scarcely believe that there was really any one near, until they heard a shout, and immediately espied three Indians close to the house. Adam and the Captain heard the latter noise, anj^ were fearful that a part of the house had fallen upon one of their companions, a disaster which had in fact been thought not unhkely. The alarm was only momentary ; Dr Richardson came in to communicate the joyful intelligence that relief had arrived. Poor Adam was in so low a state that he could scarcely comprehend the information. When the Indians entered, he attempted to rise, but sank down again. But for this seasonable in< terposition of Providence, his existence must have terminated in a few hours, and that of the rest prob- ably in not many days. The Indians had left Akaitcho's encampment on the 5th November, having been sent by Mr Back with all possible expedition, after he had arrived at their tents. They brought but a small supply of provision, that they might travel quickly. Though perfectly aware of the consequence, the sufferers ate immoderately. Dr Richardson cautioned them to refrain, but was himself unable to practise the caution he recommended. The result was that they suffered dreadfully from indigestion, in the night. One of the Indians was instantly despatched for a fresh supply of food, while the other two re- '^ POLAR REGIONS. 467 mained to take care of the sufferers. These kind creatures did all in their power to make them com- fortable, keeping up good fires and feeding them. They also persuaded them to shave, an operation they had not performed since leaving the sea coast. No supply arrived, and the Indians became de- spondent, thinking that some accident had befallen their companion. On the evening of the 13th, they departed without saying a word to any one, leaving the party a second time without food, and with appetites excited by recent indulgence. They were beginning to despair, when on the 15th, a party of Indians arrived with provisions. It was important to get among the reindeer be- fore the present supply should fail, and they left Fort Enterprise the next morning. They made but slow progress, but the Indians treated them with a humanity that would have done honor to the most civilized people. They gave them their snow-shoes, going without themselves, and walked beside them to assist them when they fell. They prepared the encampments, cooked, and fed them like children, till, on the 26th, they all arrived at the camp of Akaitcho, where they were received with the utmost kindness. Here Capt. Franklin learned that Mr Back had gone to Fort Providence with his men. We have not room to follow Capt. Franklin to England. Of Augustus the Esquimaux and Be- noit, who left him at Fort Enterprise, suffice it to say, that he found them alive and well in the camp ii 468 POLAR REGIONS. fc*-4] ■S-'IK !■' ■« of Akaitcho. The adventures of Mr Back and his men, however, who it will be remembered parted from the Captain on the 5th of October, claim some further notice. Their sufferings on the way to Fort Enterprise, which they reached on the 10th, were scarcely less than those of Capt. Franklin and his party. On reaching the house and finding it desolate, Mr Back determined to go in search of the In- dians, which resolution he carried into effect by leaving the house on the eleventh. A lake was in their road which was not frozen ; and while waiting for the ice to make, Mr Back despatched Belanger to Fort Enterprise, where he arrived, as has already been related. In his ab- sence, Mr Back proceeded along the lake toward a place where St Germain stated that plenty of fish might be caught. They had not gone far, when Beauparlant complained of increasing weakness ; but this was so common an occurrence, and all were so feeble, that no notice was taken of it. While they stopped to rest, he was told that a grove of pines near them would be the place of encamp- ment. He desired them to go thither, saying that he would follow at his leisure, and they gained the spot accordingly. Here a flock of crows guided them to some heads of deer, half buried in snow and ice, which the previous severity of the weather had compelled the wolves to abandon. At the sight of this supply, Mr Back and St Ger- main exclaimed, * O merciful God, we are saved!' Darkness stole over them, and Beauparlant did 4? m ^' POLAR REGIONS. 469 x Back and his jmbered parted October, claim ^ort Enterprise, , were scarcely a and his party, ing it desolate, arch of the In- d into eiFect by , was not frozen ; make, Mr Back erprise, where he ited. In his ab- the lake toward a hat plenty of fish ,t gone far, when easing weakness ; currence, and all lakenofit. While lid that a grove of place of encamp- lither, saying that and they gained flock of crows er, half buried in IS severity of the »lves to abandon, ack and St Ger- j, we are saved!' & Beauparlant did not arrive, though he answered to their calls. A fog rendered the atmosphere still thicker, so that they dared not go for him, lest they should not be able to find the way back. In the morning, St Germain went for him, and found him stretched on his back, frozen to death, his limbs swelled and ex- tended, and as hard as the ice around him. On the same day Belanger returned to Mr Back from Fort Enterprise. Mr Back would then have gone to Reindeer Lake, but the men refused to stir till they should in some degree have recovered their strength. Here then they remained, subsisting on the remains they had found till the 30th, when, hav- ing with great care collected two small packets of meat and sinews, they started on the direct road to Fort Providence. They had the farther good fortune to take the re- mains of a deer from some wolves that had just kill- ed it. After walking till the 3d, they came to the footsteps of Indians, when Mr Back and Belanger encamped, while St Germain went forward ; and, ar- riving at the camp of Akaitcho before night, sent a supply of food to them. On Mr Back's arrival at the tents, relief was sent to those at Fort Enter- prise, as before ;related. Little remains to say. Care, kind attention, and improved diet gradually restored the health and strength of Captain Franklin and his fellow-travel- lers. By the return of spring they had nearly re- gained their ordinary state of health. Hepburn alone suffered from a severe attack of rheumatism, wliicli confined him to his bed for several weeks. 40 ■4'' 470 POLAR REGIONS. 1 1 IP* On the 14th of July following, they arrived at York Factory, where they embarked for England. Ijkp m CHAPTER XVII. Second Journey of Captain Franklin. — Attack by the Esquimaux. — De- scription of the Esquimaux. — Their Women. — Farther Progress. — The Expedition returns. — Capt. Beechy. — Doctor Richardson's Voyage. — The Esquimaux. — Their Huts. — Observations on the Magnetic Pole. We shall give but a sketch of the second journey of Captain Franklin to the Polar Sea. It is not necessary to accompany him through the difficul- tibs of rapids, portages, &c. or over that part of the continent described in previous chapters. We shall commence at where the Great Bear Lake River flowing out of Great Bear Lake, joins Mackenzie's River. Up this stream the expedition proceeded to the Great Bear Lake, where they passed the winter of 1825-6. As soon as the season opened, the Expedition moved down the Mackenzie's River to the Ocean. Thence Dr Richardson sailed eastward along the coast, and Captain Franklin westward. The mouth of the Mackenzie's is in latitude 69° 25', and longi- tude 135" 41'. The river is too well known from the account of Mackenzie, to need any descrip- tion here. Captain Franklin had scarcely cleared the mouth of the river, when he perceived a crowd of Esqui- maux tents on an island, and proceeded toward m POLAR REOIONS. 471 d, the Expedition liver to the Ocean, eastward along the tward. The mouth 69° 25', and longi- well known from need any descrip- them. The water became shallow as the bottts neared the island, and they grounded a mile from the beach. In a very few minutes they were sur- rounded with canoes, so many, indeed, that they were unable to count them. Their occupants amounted to some hundreds of men. A barter was begun, and the savages at last becoming troublesome from their eagerness. Captain Franklin determined to leave them. It was too late ; the tide had ebbed i.oo far, and the boats were fast aground. In this situation it happened that a canoe was upset by the stroke of an oar, and the wet savage was taken into the Captain's boat, wherein he discovered many bales and other articles. He communicated his observations to his comrades, who then commenced a general pillage, which was resisted by the whites^ without, however, much violence on either side. At the request of Captain Franklin, these people retired, but it was only to concert a plan of attack. They returned, and laying hands on the boats, drag- ged them high and dry on the beach. Then, drawing their long knives, they renewed their depredations, handing the articles, as they took them, to the wo- men, who quickly conveyed them out of sight. They received blows, even with the buts of muskets with much indifference, and brandished their knives in a furious manner ; but in two instances only did they attempt to stab. The whites manifested much forbearance, during these proceedings, which lasted several hours ; but at last, as the tide was rising, Lieut. Back directed his men to level their muskets, and the savages fled. As the boats left the beach, - '*?■• -^ 472 POLAR REGIONS. ; m f,i . vl& 't,.4 ^i they prepared to follow; but on hearing Captain Franklin threaten to fire on them, they desisted. The boats grounded again, and Augustus, the in- terpieter, waded ashore, and rebuked them for their conduct; notwithstanding which, when the boat got again in motion, they followed, and were only pre- vented from attacking by fear of the fire-arms. As these people were like all the Esquimaux subse- quently seen, in dress, personal appearance, &c. a description of tliem will serve for the whole ; though it was remarked that the farther the whites advan- ced vvestwaixl, the nearer the features of the natives resembled those of Tartars. Every man had pieces of shells thrust through the septum of his nose ; and bone or holes were pierced on each side of the under lip, in which were placed circular pieces of ivory, with ^hrge blue bead in the centre, similar to those repre- sented in the drawings of the natives on the IV. W. coast of America, in Kotzebue's Voyage. These ornaments were so much valued, that they declined selUng them ; and when not rich enough to procure beads or ivory, stones and pieces of bone were sub- stituted. These perforations are made at the age of puberty ; and one of the party, who appeared to be about fourteen years old, was pointed out, with delight, by his parents, as having to undergo the operation in the following year. He was a good- looking boy, and Capt. F. could not fancy his coun- tenance would be much improved by the insertion of the bones or stones, which have the eflect of depressing the iinder lip, and keeping the mouth open,' , . ;ij. '"ff ;•«■ POLAR REGIONS. 473 With regard to the women, Captain Franklin ob- serves, * Their own black hair is very tastefully turned up from behind to the top of the head, aud tied by strings of white and blue beads, or cords of white deer-skin. It is divided in front, so as to form on each side a thick tail, to which are appended strings of beads that reach to the waist. The women were from four feet and a half to four and three-quarters high, and generally fat. Some of the younger fe- males, and the children, were pretty. The men, when sitting for their portraits, were more sedate, though not less pleased, than the females : some of them remarked that they were not handsome enough to be taken to our country.' Having passed the first range of the Rocky Moun- tains, between it and the second, a large river, at least two miles broad, was observed to empty itself into the Polar Sea, after coming, as the Es- quimaux informed them, from a distant part of the interior. Near to Herschel's Island, in latitude 69* 33' N., longitude 139° 3' W., was another river, which they called the Mountain Indian River. Here they fell in with a party of Esquimaux, who traded up that river and to the westward with their country- men, who obtain their goods from wiiite people, and which Capt. Franklin had no doubt, from the ap- pearance of the articles, were of Russian manufac- ture. There is another large river, to which they gave the name of Clarence : here they found among the drift timber on the beach a pine-tree, seven feet and a quarter in girth and thirty-six feet long, and 40* M '; J, M -} , ('!!■ 474 POLAR REGIONS. many others were seen of not much inferior size, which must have grown considerably to the south- wai"d. It was the 16th of August before the boats reach- ed the half-way point between the Mackenzie's River and Icy Cape, being often detained by ice and by contrary winds, &.c. Captain Franklin, therefore, determined to turn back. Captain Beechy, who, with the view of meeting Captain Franklin, had sail- ed to Bhering's Straits, pn'ceeded an hundred and twenty miles beyond Icy Cape, or within a hun- dred and sixty miles of the spot whence Captain Franklin turned back. On the 24th of August, he reached a low, sandy point, extending so far north that he w^is unable to proceed round it, and it was with much difficulty that he got back to his vessel. The distance of the coast, traced westward from the naouth of the Mackenzie, was three hundred and seventyfour miles, without one harbour in which a ship could find shelter. It is, in fact, one of the most dreary, miserable, and- uninteresting portions of sea-coast to be found in any part of the world. - ■* On the 21st of September, this western expedition reached Fort Franklin, where they had the happi- ness' of meeting all their friends, the eastern detach- ment under Dr Richardson having arrived on the 1st, after a most successful voyage, at which we must now take a passing glance. Dr Richardson was much more fortunate than the western party in the nature of the navigation he had to perform, and of the coast between the mouths POLAR REGIONS. 475 ch inferior size, ly to the south- the boats reach- ackenzie's River 3(1 by ice and by inldin, therefore, in Beechy, who, 'ranklin, had sail- 1 an hundred and >r within a hun- whence Captain Uh of August, he iding so far north lund it, and it was ack to his vessel, ed westward from hree hundred and harbour in which s, in fact, one of and uninteresting nd in any part of vestern expedition ley had the happi- he eastern detach- nor arrived on the age, at which we ore fortunate than f the navigation he Delween the mouths of the two rivers. It is a voyage of about five hun- dred miles, which he accomplished between the 4th of July and the 8th of August. The Esquimaux they met with on various parts of the coast, as well as on the islands formed by the reaches of the Mackenzie's River, were more numerous, more peaceable, and, apparently, more wealthy, than those to the westward ; but, like all savage nations, they neglected no opportunity of stealing, while carrying on barter, whatever they could lay hands on. Howev- er, with the exception of one party, who had about fifty kaiyacks, no violence was attempted. This exception was occasioned by the boats grounding, when an attack, similar to that on Capt. Franklin, was made, but immediately repelled by the show of fire- arms, the use of which the aggressors appeared perfectly to understand, — the result, no doubt, of experience acquired in contest with the neighbour- ing Indians. Their winter-huts are of a superior kind ; they are met with in whole villages, constructed of drift- wood trees, planted generally in the sand with the roots uppermost. * These villages,' says Dr Rich- ardson, ' when seen through a hazy atmosphere, frequently resembled a crowd of people, and some- times we fancied they were not unlike the spires of a town appearing above the horizon.' The size and quantity of this timber is quite surprising. One straight log of spruce fir is mentioned, thirty feet long, seven feet in circumference at the small end, and twelve a short distance above the root. * There is such an abundance of drift-timber,' says Dr #* m •;in 476 POLAR REGIONS. %4r i"ii I If' 1. .V s Richardson, *on almost every part of the coast, that a sufficient supply of fuel for a ship might easily be collected ; and,' he adds, * should the course of events ever introduce a steam-vessel into those seas, it may be important to know that, in coasting the shores between Cape Bathurst and the Mackenzie's, fire-wood sufficient for her daily con- sumption may be gathered.' Doctor Richardson then proceeded up the Cop- permine to the portage between that river and Great Bear Lake, by which he returned to the quar- ters of the preceding winter, and so ended the travels of the expedition, so far, at least, as we have an3Hhing to do with them. The lowest temperature witnessed by the expe- dition was on the 7th of February of the second winter passed at Bear Lake. The mercury de- scended to — 58, having stood at about — 57° for two days. ■^ A few remarks respecting the magnetic pole must close this chapter. Its position, as com- puted from Capt. Franklin's observations by Professor Barlow, is in 69° 16' north latitude, and 98° 8' west longitude, and by the obser- vations of Captain Parry in lat. 70° 43' north, long. 98° 54' west, its mean place being in lat. 70" 0' north, long. 98° 31' west, which is between Port Bowen and Fort Franklin ; the former being sit- uated in lat. 73° 14' north, long. 88° 54' west, and the latter in 65° 12' north, long. 123° 12' west. It appears, therefore, that during the same months, at the interval of only one year. Captains Parry and Si POLAR REGIONS. 477 ■t of the coast, r a ship might is, 'should the team-vessel into to know that, in Bathurst and the )!• her daily con- led up the Cop- i that river and irned to the quar- [id so ended the •, at least, as we sed by the expe- ry of the second rhe mercury de- it about —57° for tie magnetic pole Dosition, as com- observations by 6' north latitude, id by the obser- [at. 70° 43' north, e being in lat. 70" h is between Port former being sit- ;. 88° 54' west, and 123° 12' west. It he same months, at aptains Parry and Franklin were making hourly observations on two needles, the north ends of which pointed almost directly towards each other, though their actual distance did not exceed eight hundred and fiftyfive geographical miles ; and while the needle of Port Bowen was increasing its westerly direction, Capt. Franklin's was increasing its easterly, and the con- trary, — the variation being west at Port Bowen and east at Fort Franklin ; a beautiful and satisfactory proof of the solar influence on the daily variation. t •^ '■. t ■# 'Ski 'rij ■ C:l • •:n f:' ''! 1 ,1 ti, "f. " ( *|» ' s NOTICE OF KOTZEBUE'S VOYAGE. Arrival of Lieut. Kotzebue at Cape Prince of Wales. — Discovery of a fourtli Island in the Gwozcl^ff Group. — Dwellings of the Natives. — Conduct of the Savages. — Appearance of the Land.— I'he Natives. — Ice-Bergs on Land. — Researches in Kotzbeue's Sound. — Advantages c^th'.s Discovery. The voyage of Lieut. Ivotzebue of the Russian navy was undertaker with the purpose of effecting a passage round the northern coast of America by the way of Bhering's Strait. That, and the only part of it which comes within the scope of our un- dertaking, relates to the proceedings of Lieut. Kot- zebue subsequent to leaving Kamschatka. On the 30th of July, 1817, the RnHrk, Mr Kot- zebue*s vessel, came in sight of Cape Prince of Wales, the Asiatic coast being visible at the same time, as well as Gwozdeff's Islands. According to Cook, there are three islands in this group ; but Mr Kotzebue discovered a fourth, much larger than the rest, which he called RatmanoiTs Island. A low land extends from Cape Prince of Wales to the westward, on which groups of natives were seen. The coast appeared green, but no trees were observed. Many habitations were seen, in- dicating a numerous population. Taking an east-northeast direction, the Rurick came to a bay, which Mr Kotzebue determined to explore, and accordingly landed near some huts, into which he went. The inhabitants had fled. The interior of these dwellings was cleanly and u'rii -*■ POLAR REGIONS. 479 convenient. The whites first entered an apart- ment ten feet long, seven broad, and seven high. The walls were of mud, but were covered on the outside with wood. From this room they crept, through a pit, into another, and from thence to a spacious anti-room, the four walls of which were ten feet long and six feet high. The permanent construction of these buildings indicated a settled people, and the piles of blubber found in them showed that they drew their subsistence from the sea. « After looking about, Mr Kotzebue discovered that he was on an island, and that there was a deep bay to the eastward, into which the Rurick sailed a short distance. Here they saw two of the natives, who were afraid to hold communication with them. Their clothing was made of the intestines of whales ; their appearance was very filthy, and their counte- nances had an expression of ferocity. This bay received the name of Schischmareff. Before the Rurick left it, more of the savages approached her, with threats ; but were daunted at the sight of the sabres of the crew, having probably been made acquainted with the use of this weapon by the savages of the opposite coast of Asia. They were dressed in short garments of reindeer ^skin, and wore their hair short. They also had walrus bones under their lips, which gave their disagreeable countenances a disgusting appearance. Proceeding along the coast, it was observed that the shore vanished in the east, and high mountains were seen to the northward. Lieut. Kotzebue 1::l ^# U^t ffi if li : :| 'i 480 POLAR REGIONS. now flattered himself that he was at the entrance of the much desired northeast passage, and his ob- servations from a hill on shore confirmed him in the opinion. No land was to be seen to the eastward, and he supposed that the mountains to the north- ward either formed islands, or were a coast by themselves. From the eminence where he stood, there was an extensive view into the country, which stretched out into a large plain, here and there broken by ponds and marshes. As far as the eye could reach, the earth was green and there were flowers in blossom ; but on penetrating six inches, ice and frost were found everywhere. While sit- ting here, five canoes, with each from eight to ten Indians, landed near the whites. The savages left most of their arms in their canoes, but retained their knives, which, like the Esquimaux, they con- cealed in their sleeves. These people had probably never seen Euro- peans before ; yet they were acquainted with the use of tobacco, which they chewed and smoked. They were of a middle size, ugly and dirty, and healthy in appearance. Their motions were lively, and they seemed inclined to merriment. Their features had an expression of wantonness, but not of stupidity. In some particulars they resembled the Esquimaux ; for instance, in the size and ob- liquity of their eyes, and in the practice of wear- ing walrus bones stuck through the sides of their mouths. They understood trading very well, and were very happy when they imagined they had cheated their visitors. Their arms were spears, *'■ ■ ■> ' m\ jjg^ IIXUSTIIATIOXS FOR I'OT.AR REGIONS 1 at the entrance sage, and his ob- ifirmed him in the i to the eastward, ins to the north- were a coast by where he stood, he country, which , here and there A.S far as the eye n and there were ^rating six inches, inhere. While sit- 1 from eight to ten The savages left noes, but retained uimaux, they con- Cultiiig up H WliaJe. p. 73. Ml never seen Euro- quainted with the ;wed and smoked, gly and dirty, and lotions were lively, merriment. Their •antonness, but not irs they resembled n the size and ob- practice of wear- 1 the sides of their ing very well, and magined they had arms were spears, ' Harpooning a Whale, p. 81. .x Klf ^ t n ^^c|j| H I i< sHp PP ^^s Jati-- w;^| || jiii 5 ■'ajj.'-;, 'w # n& / V : II-LUSTJIATIONS FOR I'OLAU REGIONS. I, i >i ll i>i t ^1 :. . ,J \ ■i > >.'i ^. I- ; V ; A : , ^ f ■ !♦ I. ■ .'1 • ", jl }:§:.. ^ :.*"■ Tnivfllnrs Rosting at Night, il .J/D. Crossing a Lake. p. 4UI. POLAR REGIONS. 481 bows, arrows and knives. Their spears were of iron, like those sold by the Russians to the Ischuk- utskoi ; their beads also, which were like those worn by the savages of Asia, prove that they have some intercourse with that continent. Sailing up the opening, on the 3d of August, the Rurick came to an opening five miles broad, which appeared to run without impediment to the hori- zon, and Lieut. Kotzebue was still persuaded that he had entered the northeast passage. On the 7th, the Rurick came in sight of the bottom of the inlet Here the land rises a little from the water, and is covered with moss. Some of the party re- mained on shore hero a whole day, and made a very remarkable discovery. They had clomb much about without discover- ing that they were on real ice-bergs. Dr Esch- scholtz, who had ext 'ided his excursions, found part of the bank broken down, and saw, to his as- tonishment, that the hill consisted of pure ice. At this news, all went, with picks and shovels, to ex- amine the place, uid soon arrived where the bank rose almost perpendicularly from the sea to the height of an hundred feei, and then ran oiF much higher. They saw masses of pure* ice an hundred feet high, under a cover of moss and grass. In the ruptured part, a great number of mammoths* teeth and bones were exposed by the melting. The covering of these bergs, on which grass grows luxuriantly, is only half a foot thick, and consists of a mixture of clay, sand and earth. In the back 41 ^i1 'ii i'i 1* I J f i'!f!"-M III; '• . ^ m 482 POLAR REGIONS. lii ground of this bay, there is a range of high inoiin- tains. The latitude is 66° 15' north. Lieut. Kotzebue continued to explore this great )r.iet till the 14th of the month, in the hope of tind- ing a passage eastward, or at least a river ; but his labors were useless, as it finally became certain that no passage existed here. Mr Kotzebue gave the gulf his own name, and it is marked on the map as Kotzebue's Sound. During his perquisitions in this quarter, he saw many of the natives, who resembled those already described. One only of them could be persuaded to come on board the Rurick. He was a robust young man, who appeared to be a chief. His aston- ishment at what he saw in the vessel was great ; he looked about for a quarter of an hour without speaking, and then went away to communicate his observations to his people. " - > • ^ On one occasion, they were seen eating. A seal which had just been killed was cut open in the middle, and they put their heads into the belly to suck the blood, one after another. After they had <lrank sufficiently in this manner, a piece of flesh was cut off and eaten raw by each, and they fed with great appetite. It is impossible to say, from the data furnished by Lieut. Kotzebue, whether these people were Es- quimaux or not. He has not given us any remarks on their language, or the manner in which their weapons, canoes, &.c. are constructed. Of their canoes, he only says that they were made of leath- er. Their clothing, as he describes it, was unUke "T^ .2* t!»^- ^■7^-% POLAR REGIONS. 483 s of high moun- 1. :plore this great he hope of tind- a river ; but his became certain 1- Kotzebue gave irked on the map , quarter, he saw led those already aid be persuaded He was a robust chief. His aston- essel was great; f an hour without communicate his en eating. A seal cut open in the into the belly to After they had , a piece of flesh ach, and they fed le data furnished ;e people were Es- en us any remarks er in which their tructed. Of their ere made of leath- ibes it, was unlike the dresses seen by Capt. Franklin ; but in their manner of life and physical appearance, they in a great measure resemble the Esquimaux. On the 14th of August, the Rurick reached the promontory which forms the northern entrance of Kotzebue's Sound, to which the name of Cape Krusenstern was given. What the Lieutenant, on en- tering the gulf, took for islands in the north, proved to be very high lands : on a low point, which extends from it to the west, many huts were seen. The in- habitants wevc running about on the shore, and some of them endeavoured to come to the vessel in canoes, but in vain, as the wind was in her favor. From Cape Krusenstern the land forms a bend to the northeast, and then inclines to the northwest, where it ends in a very high promontory, supposed by Lieut. Kotzebue to be the Cape Mulgrave of Capt. Cook. It is in latitude 67" 45'. According to his instructions, Lieut. Kotzebue should have looked for a safe anchoring place in Norton Sound, and thence have [)roceeded the next year to examine the coast ; but as he had now discovered a convenient anchoring place, he deemed a voyage to Norton Sound quite unneces- sary. He therefore determined to return to the Asiatic coast. s. The discoveries of Mr Kotzebue on the North- west coast of America began and ended at the sound which bears his name. Inconsiderable a9 this may be, it is still an important acquisition to geography ; for, in truth, even Capt. Cook treated this coast rather negligently. This gulf may in time / 484 POLAR REGIONS. "(■■ V ■Mj- ill,. . .,:«.. is^ be of essential advantage to the fur trade, as the animals are there found in abundance. Besides, the navigatio n of Bhering's Strait has hitherto been dangerous, because the masters of ships, in case of wreck or other accidents, knew no port where they might run for shelter. This difficulty is now removed, and those who shall in future visit this part of the toast will find the essential benefit of the discovery. Though the crew of the Rurick often threw out their lines, they caught no fish, nor were any seen on all the American coast. Mr Kotzebue is, there- fore, of opinion that there are none, or that they do not resort thither in summer. Of sea animals there is abundance, on which the natives appear to sub- sist entirely. Dr Eschscholtz, who daily observed the water in the sound with an areometer, found it very fresh, which probably arises from the melting of ice, or perhaps there is a large river in the vicinitj^, which escaped observation. On the whole, it waf found that the water on the American coast contains much less salt than that on the Asiatic. The mean height of the thermometer out of Kot- zebue's Sound was +9°; within it, the average was +ir, all of which must be understood of the Amer- ican coast only. We have now accomplished what we proposed to do, as far as our abilities and limits permitted. Many things have been unavoidably omitted ; but we trust that we have given every material fact connected with our subject. APPENDIX. A full deacription of the forms, habits, Sic. of the animals found in the arctic regions would suffice to fill a quarto , at least. Therefore we premise, that our brief account- of the most remarkable will necessarily be imperfect. We refer those who wish to be better informed on this subject to Dr Richard- son's complete and elegant work, the Fauna Boreali Ameri- cana. .• '. s Ursus Maritimus. (Cuvier.) The Polar Bear. This animal is distinguished from the other species by its narrow head and muzzle, prolonged on a straight line with the flattened forehead ; its short ears ; long neck ; the greater length of its body in proportion to its height ; the soles of the hinder feet equalling one sixth of the length of its body ; and, lastly, the quality of its fur, which is very thick and long on the body, still more so on the limbs, and every where of a yellowish white color. The naked exticmity of the snout, the tongue, margins of the eyelids, and claws, arc black ; the lips purplish black, and the interior of the mouth pale violet. It resides most- ly on fields of ice, and is found on all the Asiatic coasts of the Frozen Ocean as well as in Spitzbergen, Nova Zcmbla, Green- land, Labrador, the shores of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, and sometimes along the northern shore of America. The female produces two young at a time. Its length, when full grown, is eight feet eight inches, and its weight is sixteen hua dred pounds. The polar bear is carnivorous. 41* 1^ "I 486 APPENDIX. 1 k ^4 m •\ ,'*'*'■' i|[||,f:' ■t^''P.^^^-. Ursus Horribilis. (Say.) The Grizzly^ or Grisly, Bear. Inhabits the western prairies and Rocky Mountains, as far north as latitude 61°, perhaps still farther. Its fur is long, and of a dark brown color, with paler tips, that on the flanks being lighter in summer, and there is often a mixture of grey hairs on the head. The muzzle is pale. It is distinguished from the black and brown bears, by shorter and more conical ears, placed further apart, and white, arched, and very long claws, compressed like the incisors of a squirrel, carrying their breadth on their upper surface nearly to the tips, and are sharp under- neath. They project far beyond the 'air of the foot, and cut like knives, when the animal strikes a blow with them. The forehead is broad, flattish, and continued nearly in a line with the nose ; but in tlie older animals there is a distinct pro''- ''.a. of the superciliary ridges of tbe frontal bone. The soies of its feet are longr- and its heels are broader than those of the brown bear of Europe. It tail is so short as to be hidden by the hair of the buttocks. The strength and ferocity of the grizzly bear are very great. When full grown it measures more tiian nine feet in length, and weighs upwards of eight hundred pounds. It is carnivorous, but when flesh is not to be had, does not rt\ject vegetable sub- stances. Pregnant foinaies and cubs hibernate, but the older males come abroad in the winter, in quest of food. Uhsus Arctic us Ameiiicaxus. Barren Ground Bear. This animal diflt-rs from the common black bear in its great- er size, profile, pjiysingnomv, longer soles, and tail ; and from the grizzly bear in color, and in the comparative smallness of its claws. It inhal)its the barren country north and east of Great Slave Lake, and extending to the Frozen Sea, whither it repairs in autumn, to iced on fish. The color of this bear is dusky brown, but the shoulders and flanks arc, lU least in the summer season, covered with long hair, often very pale towards the tips. It preys indiscriminate- ly on animal and vegetable substances. The forehead of th(^ barren ground bear is broad, slightly con- vex, and the arch of the orbit rises conspicuously at the root of tho nose, which is straight. The legs are long, and the claws APPENDIX. 487 f, or Grisly, Bear. f Mountains, as far Its fur is long, and on the flanks beirg ure of grey hairs on itinguished from the more conical ears, ind very long claws, irrying their breadth ind are sharp under- of tlie foot, and cut ow with them. The nearly in a line with a distinct proi'- ' -- ne. The soies of its jr than those of the rt as to be hidden by bear are very great, ine feet in length, and i. It is carnivorous, reject vegetable sub- 3ernate, but the older of food. 'cn Ground Bear, ack bear in its great- s, and tail ; and from iiparativc smaliness of ,rv north and east of rozen Sea, whither it but the shoulders and }on, covered with long preys indiscrimina»e- is broad, slightly con- icuously at the root of e long, and the claws more pointed than those of the grizzly bear. The length of an individual examined by Dr Richardson was five feet two inches. This animal does not possess the courage of the grizzly bear, and does not of\en attack the human race. Wolves. We deem it unnecessary to describe thi:) animal, as it is well known to all, at least the common kind. It is believed that the difference of color is merely accidental. The cania nubilis of Say, or dusky wolf, is a variety distinguished from the others by its shorter ears and more robust form. It is found at Great Slave Lake, and probably still farther north. Canis Borealis (Dcsmarest.) Esquimaux Dog. The Esquimaux dog nearly resembles the common grey wolf in forn., color, and size. It has short conical ears, but its nos^ is shorter than that of the wolf. The nose, cheeks, and belly are white. The back and the top of the head are almost black, but there is a narrow, white line along the spine. Its sides are thinly covered with long, black, and some white hairs, and there is a shorter, dense coat of yellowish grey wool, which is partly visible. The length of the animal is four feet three inches ; with the ta ', which is curled, five feet five inches. Cams I agopus. Hare Indian Dog. This animal has a r 'Id, demure countenance. It has a small head, slender muzzle, erect, thick ears, oblique eyes, slender legs, hairy feet, and a curled bushy tail. It has long hair, es- pecially about the shoulders, and' at the roots of the hair there is a thick wool. TIjc hair on the top of the head is long, and on the posterior part of the cheek it is not only long but direct- ed backwards, giving the animal, when the fur is in prime order, the appearance of hnving a ruff round its neck. Its face, muz- zle, belly, and legs are pure white, and thpre is a white centre! line passing over the crown of the head and occiput. The an- terior surface of the ear is white, the posterior yellowish grey. The end of the nose, the eye-iaphes, the roof of the mouth, and part of the guim are black. There is a dark patch over the fif^-'ir -I H i '' >. •I': ■i' (! 488 APPENDIX. eye. On the back and sides there are larger spots of dark grey, not definite in form, but running into each other. The tail is white beneath and at the tip. The feet are covered with hair which almost conceals the claws. The soles are bare. This animal is rather larger than the common red fox. It is playful and affectionate, but not docile. It is fond of being caressed, and rubs its back against the hand, like a cat. 'fi , ' '' ' Cahis Lagopus. (Linn.) Arctic Fox. In winter, the arctic fox is pure white, except at the tip of the tail, where there are a few dark hairs. Before the eyes, and on the lower jaw, the hair is short and sleek ; on the forehead and posterior part of the cheeks, it is longer, and on the neck and occiput it equals the cars in length, and is mixed with soil wool, of which there is also a great doal on the body. The long fur on the posterior part of the cheeks is directed back- ward, giving a cast to the physiognomy, and an apparent thit k- ness to the neck, which are common to all the animals of this genus in the northern parts of America. It has shorter and rounder ears than any variety of the red fox. In summer, the white hair falls off, and is replaced by a shorter coat more or less colored. Its length is two feet one inch without the tail, which measures a foot more. The weight is about eight pounds. Though the arctic fox suffers himself to be easily taken, he is by no means deficient in sagacity. When taken, he is easily tamed. Arctic foxes inhabit the most northern lands yet discovered ; their southern limit is in lutitiide about .OO". They breed on the sea-coast, chiefly within the arctic circle, in burrows, not solitary, but in little villages, twenty or thirty burrows adjoin- ing to each other. They feed on eggs, birds and carrion of any kind, but their principal food seems to be lemmings. Lemmings. There are several kinds of lemmings in the northern regions of America. Dr Richardstm classes them as a subdivision of the genus arvicola, characterized principally by the shortness of the ears and tail, and the larger and stronger claws, more fitted for digging. The Lapland lemming inhabits alpine swamps, in lat- »'^^'.' '¥ lM;i'^' I APPENDIX. 489 lands yet discovered ; 50°. They breed on circle, in burrows, not thirty burrows adjoin- s, birds and carrion of to bo lemmings. itude 56°. Back's lemming is found on the banks of the Cop- permine, where it burrows in the turf. Another species is called the arvicola helvoluSf and is armed with a thumb-nail. The Hudson's Bay lemming inhabits Labrador, the western coast of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, and the islands in the po- lar sea, where it burrows under stones in dry ridges. It is easily tamed. The Greenland lemming is found in Greenland and on the opposite coast of America. These animals are all very like the lemmings of the old continent, in size, habits and appearance. GuLo Luscus. (Sabine.) The Wolvenne, This animal is found along the coast of America, from Labra- dor and Davis' Straits to the shores of the Pacific. Its length is three feet four inches, including the tail, which measures ten in''''es. It has a broad, compact head, and in the shape of its jaws resembles a dog. Tnc back is arched, the tail bushy, the legs short, and its whole aspect indicates strength, but not ac- tivity. The fur is like that of the black bear, but neither so long nor so fine. Its color is a dark brown. The claws are strong and sharp. Its tracks are like those of a bear, but are distinguished by the steps not being so long. This animal is also called the carcajou. It is carnivorous, and feeds principally on the carcasses of animals that have been killed by Occident. It is very strong, and annoys the natives, by destroying thci> hoards of provision and demolishing their traps. It will follow the track of a marten trapper u long distance, merely to gei. the baits from his traps, which are usually the heads of partridges or small bits of meat. When they find any martens in them, they tear them to pieces, and hide them in the snow. The female wolverine brings forth from two to four young in a /ear. Cervus Tabandus Sylvestris. Woodlond Caribou. The country of this deer is a stripe of low, primitive rocks, about an hundred miles wide, extending, at the distance of eighty miles from the shores of Hudson's Bay, from Lake At- hapescow to Lake Superior. Contrary to the practice of the bar- ren ground caribou, this animaii travels southward in the spring. They pass the Nelson and Severri Rivers in May, in large herds, and return to the northward in September. W''i 490 APPENDIX. |«-i!W'l;':'j, 'Fil:.'H«l' Cervws Tarandus. (Linn.) T/tc Reindeer, or Caribou. , Iniiabits Spitzbergcn and the northern extremity of the old continent, and has long been well known ; but it remains to be ascertained if the Caribou of America is the same species, though in all known particulars there is a great resemblance. Tliey are found in Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland. They pass the summer on the sea shore or the barren grounds, and in winter retire to the woods. Cervus Tauandus, var. Arctica. Barren Ground Caribou. This variety is of small stature. The buck, when in good condition, weighs from ninety to an hundred and thirty pounds. The old males have large pahnated horns ; the young ones and the does have them less branched and more cylindrical and pointed. During the growth of the horns, they are covered with a soft hairy skin, which is like velvet to the touch, and in their early stage their interior is of a consistence suriiewhat like marrow. They become indurated as they increase in size, and their hairy covering shrivels and peels olF. In the month of July the barren-ground caribou sheds his winter covering. The closeness of its hair and the liglitness of its skin renders the latter peculiarly suitable for winter gar- ments. Those of this species which resort to the Arctic Sea in sum- mer retire in the winter to the woods between the 63d and 66th degree of latitude, where they feed on lichens and the long grass of swamps. In May, the females proceed toward tlie sea, and toward the end of June the males take the same direction. Soon after their arrival on the coast, the females produce their young, and they commence their retreat southward in Septem- ber, after the snow has fallen. Except in the rutting season, the males and females live separately ; the former retire deep- er into the woods in winter, while herds of gravid docs remciin on the skirts of the barren grounds^ and proceed to the sea very early in the spring. Capt. Parry saw deer on Melville Island as late as the 2.3d of September, and the females with their fawns made their first appearance on the 22d of April. Without the herds* of caribou, the Indians of the Mackenzie and Coppermine would be unable to remain in their country. APPENDIX 491 They form fish-hooks and fish-spcars of its horns, and before the introduction of iron, made ice-chisels and other instruments of them. The flesh serves for food, and the skin for clothing, tents, snares, nets, and in short for all the purposes of line and rope. Cervlts Alces. (Linnv) Orignalf or Moose. Inhabits the northern parts of America, and was formerly found in the state of Maine. Like the reindeer its horns are palmated. It is a solitary animal, has the sense of hearing in great perfection, and is extremely shy and wary as well as timid. In the rutting season, or when wounded and brought to bay, the males become ferocious, and attack every creature that comes in their way, even man himself. The moose is capable of enduring great fatigue, sometimes running four days before the hunter in deep snow, before it can be overtaken. It is easily domesticated. The moose attains the weight of eleven or twelve hundred pounds : its horns weigh upwards of fifty pounds, and its shoul- ders arc higher than those of the horse. The neck is short and strong, and the head is more than two feet in length, withal clumsily shaped, swelling on the nostrils and the upper part of the nose. The eye is small and sunken, the ears asinine, the neck and withers are surmounted by a heavy mane, and the throat is covered with long hair and encumbered by a pendulous ''gland. The body is short, round, and compact ; the tail is no more than four inches in length, and the legs are very long, but clean and firm. Its movements are heavy, and the shoulders being- higher than the croup, it does not gallop, but shufHes along, its joints cracking at every step. Increasing its speed, tlie hind legs straddle to avoid treading on its fore feet. In its progress, it holds its nose up so that the horns lie horizontally backward. The legs of the moose are so long and its neck so short, that it cannot graze like other deer, but browzes on h gh plants and the leaves of trees. In winter, they feed on willows, and the smaller branches of the birch ; and though they have no front teeth in the upper jaw, the branches severed by them have the appearance of having been cut by a gardener's shears. The flesh of the moose is esteemed a delicacy. , , 1 ' ' ' M % i*^ 492 qp/. APPENDIX. j! i '^a > ^ Wi'l . ;:!r 'Un \l' ;■ Arctomts (Sfermophiluh) Parryi. (Richardson.) Pamnjj't Marmot. Inhabits the barren grounds skirting the sea-coast from Churchill in Hudson's Bay, round by Melville Peninsula, and the whole northern shore of the continent to Bhering's Straits. Abounds near Fort Enterprise, and in all the northern parts of America. It is generally found in stony districts, but seems chiefly to delight in sandy hillocks a»iong rocks, where bur- rows are seen crowded together. One of the society sits erect on the summit o( the hillock, while the oihers are feed- ing, and gives the alarm on the approach of danger. When their retreat to their burrows is cut off, they will hide their heads in the first crevice, leaving their hinder parts exposed. Their cry in this case is something like the sound of a watch- man's rattle. Their food is entirely vegetable, and they lay up a stock of it, never going abroad in the winter. Parry's marmot has cheek pouches, very short ears, and is thickly spotted above with white on a grey or black ground. Its length is about a foot, and that of its tail is about three inches. There are two varieties of this animal. The Musk Ox. Culled Uming Mak, by the Esquimaux. The most barren and forbidding of the regions exposed to the influence of winter are the favorite resorts of the musk ori which there appears to derive as much enjoyment from exists ence as the animals found in milder climates and more fruitful^ lands. Destined to be constantly exposed to frost and storm nature haaiaken good care to secure it against the efllects o both ; first^ by covering its body with a coat of long dense hai and then, by shortening its limbs, avoiding the exposure whir would result from a greater elevation. The projection of tK eyes seems to be intended to carry the organ clear of the grea quantity of hair upon its head. Musk oxen are found in the greatest numbers within tlie Arctic circle : considerable herds are sometimes seen, near the coast of Hudson's Bay from Knapp's Bay to Wager River. They have, though rarely, been seen as low as latitude 60° N. Wheathey feed on open grounds, they prefer the most rocky and precipitous situations. Notwithstanding their bulk, and 'i''fi 'yBM ILHJ«TUATIUNS FDR VOl.Ml R1:(;K).NS Richardson.) Parrjj'* the sea-coast from ilville Peninsula, and ; to Bhering's Straits, all the northern parts r,y districts, but seems ng rocks, where bur- e of the society sits J the others are feed- ch of danger. When r, they will hide their hinder parts exposed, the sound of a watch- egetable, and they lay lie winter. very short ears, and is grey or black ground, its tail is about three I animal. fc, by the Esqutrnaiw;. the regions exposed to 5 resorts of the musk oxi enjoyment from exist-^ mates and more fruitful jsed to frost and storm it against the effects o , coat of long dense hai ling the exposure whic The projection of tK ! organ clear of the grei^ est numbers within the e sometimes seen, near ,p's Bay to Wager River, as low as latitude 60« N. ,y prefer the most rocky rtanding their bulk, and Moose, p. 4!>1. Reindeer, p. lUO. Spermaceti Whale. Wolf. ^ Vy r ■ * f ■•■ .% ■ 1 • % ^ %. •i £•'■• '% % • i 9 ^%- x& ^^- ? * 1 M 't I L .'' N^^ I hi<p ' \>J\ ♦ :^t:^ 1 ( I \.p -#F ' « \ 1 1 ^ •, ^ ■ ■ ■"■■':jr- t in ^, if' If h r • ' - ! M! ; 'I If , ! t^ f i, ¥ W 11 >ni. ILLUSTRATIONS FOH POLAR RECIOXS. mi if « ■ M 1?, <i> Grissly Bear, p. 48fi. '^■ \ iirisBly Bear waiting for a Man up a Tree. 4^ «■■ ..r^ "»'''■' ^'i-. # SCIONS. APPENDIX. 493 ^' • 0^ k :i:asss liip R Tree. apparent unwieldine«s, they run well, arid climb rocks with the ease and a^rility of goats. Their favorite food is grass ; but when it is not to be had, they feed on mosS) willows, and the tender shoots of pine. The appearance of the musk ox is singular and imposing^ owing to the shortness of the limbs, its broad, flattened, crooked horns, and the long hair which envelopes the whole of its trunk, and hangs down nearly to the ground. When full grown, it is ten hands and a half high, and weighs about seven hundred pounds. Its tail is no longer than that of a bear, and is entirely hid by the hair of its hinder parts. The hunch on the shoulders is small. The hair is in some parte very long, (especially on the belly, sides and hind-quarters; butthe longest, particularly on the bulls, is under the throat, extending from the chin to the lower part of the chest, between the fore-legs, tvhere it is as long as the mane of a horse. Musk oxen commonly go in herds of eighty or an hundred, of which a very small proportion arc bulls. It is uncommon to sec more tiian two or tlirec full-grown males even with the largest herds. The Indians suppose that the males destroy one another, in combating for the females ; an opinion which isr corroborated by their pugnacious disposition during the rut- ting season. The bul's are then so jealous of everything that approaches their mates, that they not only attack men and quadrupeds, but run after ravens or other large birds. When cut up, the flesh of the musk -^x has the appearance of beef for tlie market. The flesh of the young cows and calves is palatable, but that of the old bulls is intolerably musky. A knife used to cut up such meat is so strongly seemed, that much washing and scouring is necessary to remove tlie scent. The horns of this animal -ire converted into cups and spoons, by the Indians and Esquimaux ; and the skin makes good shoe soles. In August and September, the musk oxen extend their mi- grations to the North Georgian and other islands bordering the nortluM-n shores of tlie continent. Before the first of Oo- tober, they have all left the islands and moved south. 42 I .X ^ %■ 494 APPENDIX. :.^s The Narwal, JVanofta/e, or Sea Unicom. We have given as much room to the description of the whale as we can spare, in that part of our volume which treats of Greenland. We shall therefore proceed to describe the nar- wal, which is found only in the arctic seas. The vertebral column of the narwal is about twelve feet long. There are seven cervical, twelve dorsal, and thirtyfive lumbar and caudal vertebrae, — in all fiflyfour, of which twelve are in the tail. The spinal marrow runs through them all, from the head of the fortieth, but does not penetrate the forty- first. The spinous processes diminish in length from the fif- teenth lumbar vertebrae, until they are scarcely perceptible at the nineteenth. There are twelve slender ribs, six true and six false on each side. The sternum is heart shaped, with the broad part anteriorly. When full grown, the narwal is from thirteen to sixteen feet long, exclusive of the tusk ; and at the thickest part, which is two feet behind the fins, the circumference is about eight or nine feet. The perpendicular diameter, at the distance of twelve or fourteen inches from the tail, is about one foot ; the transverse about seven inches. The back is depressed, and flat, three or four feet posterior to the neck. The head forms about one seventh of the whole length of the animal, being small, blunt and round. The mouth is small, and incapable of much extension, with a wedge-shaped under lip. The largest diameter of the eyes is about an inch, and they Hrc placed on a line with the opening of the mouth, about thirteen inches from the snout. The opening of the ear is six inches behind the eye, and is of the diameter of a small knitting- needle. The skull is concave above, and sends forth a large, flat, wedge-shaped process in front, which affords sockets for the tusks. The spiracle or blow-hole is situated immediately over the eyes, and is a single semicircular opening, of about three and* a half inches in diameter, and one inch and a half long. It ex- pands immediately within the skin into a sac, or air-vessel, which extends laterally and forward into two cavities, one on each tide. At the posterior extremity of the sac, the blow-holes are seen divided into two distinct canals in the sknil, and are closed by a'vtflve, one lobe of which covers each canal. #^4 APPENDIX. 495 I Unicorn. cription of the whale ume which treats of to describe the nar- is about twelve feet dorsal, and thirtyfive four, of which twelve ns through them all, t penetrate the forty- in length from the fif- rcely perceptible at the ribs, six true and six lieart shaped, with the thirteen to sixteen feet thickest part, which is .nee is about eight or ter, at the distance of i9 about one foot •, the back is depressed, and eck. - of the whole length ol The mouth is small, a wedge-shaped under .8 is about an inch, and ling of the mouth, about opening ofthe ear is 8.x meter of a small kmtting- ,nd sends forth a large, hich affords sockets for ed immediately over Uie ing, of about three and; a and a half long. It ex- a sac, or air-vessel, which ,o cavities, one on eactt ,e sac, the blow-holcs are . the sknll, and are closed each canal. The fins are twelve or fourteen inches long, and six or eight broad, at one-fifth of the length of the animiil from the snout. They are not used iu swimming or turning, but merely to pre- serve the balance of the animal. The skin resembles that of the whale, excepting that it is thinner. The cuticle is about as thin as writing-paper ; the rete mucosum three-eighths or three- tenths of an inch thick ; the cutis thin, but strong and compact, on the outside. The most remarkable peculiarity of this animal is the long spiral tusk, which has obtained for it the name of unicorn. It grows from the left side of the head, and is sometimes nine or ten feet long. It projects from the inferior part of the upper jaw, and points forward and slightly downward, being parallel in fiirt-v'ion to the roof of the mouth. It is spirally striated from rig*0 . '1. and tapers to a round, blunt point. It is of a yel- lov .!■ ! :te, and ccnsists of a corr i^act kind of ivory, and is usually hollow from the base to with.:, a Ccw inches of the point. A tusk of the average length, five feet, is aboi't two inches and a half in diameter at the base, one inch and three-fourths in the iniddlo, and about three-eighths within an inch of the end. In such a tusk there are live or six turns of the spiral, which ex- tends to within six or seven inches of the point. In addition to this external tooth, p<^culiar to the male, there i.^ another on the right side of the head, about nine inches long, imbedded in the skull. Some instances have occurred of male narwals having been taken which had two external tusks. What purpose this weapon is intended to serve has never been ascertained. The narwal is a harmless animal, of an active disposition, le at the surface, these creatures, for the sake of respiring, uently lie motionless for several minutes, with their heads and baokiH^st above water. Occasionally small herds are seen together, well consisting of individjuls of the same sex. Tho,;|U||waI feeds on mollu.seous animals, such as the cuttle- fish. Sic. Its whole body is covered with a layer of blubber, im- mediately under the skin, which yields a considerable quantity of fine oil. The Esquimaux employ the whole animal in vari- ous uses. The flesh is eaten, the oil burned, the intestines wrought into lines and clothing, and the tusks are used for spears. V*" ■■I >p|:^ f:M^ " f * ^H^irr* ' 'U ■4 '",fm ' ;l S'*! 'M I ■ ,i- 496 APPENDIX. Seals. Phoc^. Seals, like otiier mamiCcrous animals, are provided with four limbs, though nothing but their extremities appear externally, being covered by the integument of the trunk, the fore-limbs to the wrist, the hinder to the heel. The digits of the forc-fect are successively shorter from the thumb, which is the longest. The posterior feet have the lateral digits either longer than the intermediate, or the whole nearly of an equal length. On the upper lip arc whiskers : the tongue is smooth and bifid at the tip. The stomach is simple, the ccEci'm short, the digestive tube long, and nearly equal in size. The heart is formed like that of terrestrial, warm-blooded animals. In their dental sys- tem there arc three divisions: 1st, those having six sn|)crior and four inferior incisors : 2d, with f(;ur su|>erior and four in- ferior : 3d, with four superior anJ two inferior. , Seals are found on the sea-coasts throughout the world, but princij)ally in the northern regions. They are viviparous, bringing ibrth and suckling their young on laiul ; they ure poly- gamous and gregarious, living in large liiniiliei together. They Hwim with admirable facility, remain for a considerable time under water, and derive their subsistence entirely from the sea. They sun tlicmselves on the sea beacii and on ice banks, scram- bling upon them by the aid of their flippers, or foro-leet. On land, their motions are awkward and heavy. They are vigilant, intelligent, and tenacious of life. PiiocA ViTULiNA. (L.) The 'Common Seul. This species is found most numei-out). in high northern lati- tudes. It has a round head, and an aspect not unlike that£f 'lie sumo varieties of the dog, whence the name of sen'^og. extremity of the mu/z/lc! is Hat and broad ; the postewr part of the head is large, and without bony projections ; the npper lip is peculiar, moveable, and extensible, garnished with strong, thick whiskers. It has no external ear, but instead of it, a small tu- bercle. The fore-limbs are short, and tlie feet have five digits, joined together by a membrane, having thick, long, black nails protruding from the extrcn)ities. "The general color is a yellowish grey, spotted with brown, APPENDIX. 497 > provided witli four appear externally, ik, the fore-limbs to Tits of the forc-fect Ahich is the longest, ihcr longer than the ual length. On the oth and bifid at the short, the digestive heart is formed like In their dental sys- having six superior niperior and four in- LM-ior. u^hout the world, but rhcy are viviparous, ,» land ; they are \w\y- lilioi togfther. They a considorablo time I entirely from the sea. 1 on ice banks, scrani- ,crs, or fore-feet. Ou They are vigilant, Common Seal. in high northern laU- ,cct not unlike ^^^^W iuno of sea-dog. 'rffc ; tho posterior part of jctiona ; the J^per lip is ished with strong, thick istead of it, a small tu- be feet have five digits, thick, long, black nails 7, spotted with brown, or blackish, in various degrees, according to the age of the ani- mal. In advanced age, the color is whiter. Tho hair is close, and does not point entirely backward. The hairs are, indi- vidually, stiff, flat, harsh, and pointed, yet slender. The powers of vision of the common seal are considerable, though it sees best in a moderate light. Its sense of smelling cannot be exercised to much advantage while the animal is un- der water. From the manner in which the whole external surface, excepting the end of the nose, is covered with hair, the sense of touch would appear to be slight, and the small size of the ears, as well as the manner in which they are com- monly immersed, leads to a belief that this organ also is not very acute. Notwithstanding these defects, the seal is capa- ble of some education, learns to distinguish his feeder, and to perform various actions when commanded. While engaged in feeding, the aspect of the seal is very different from what it is when the animal is quiescent. The upper lip is thickened and projected forward, the bristles or whiskers fiercely erected, and the nostrils dilated and closed with force. They feed and swallow under water with as much ease as in the air, but in a different manner. Under water they open their mouths but partially, and lower the under jaw, while they separate the lips at the extremity, apparently drawing in the prey by suction. In a state of capti'i' 7 the seal is not timid, avoiding neither men nor animals, unless closely approached. They are not inclined to bite or injure persons, as long as no attempt is made to touch them with the hand, or otherwise disturb them ; but if annoyed, they snap fiercely, and strike with their flippers. Their characteristic vig^ilance never appears to desert them for a moment, The common seal brings forth two young in autumn, and suckles them on shore till they arc six or seven weeks old, when they are gradually accustomed by their parents to fre- quent tho sen. At this period, they are of a whitish or light fawn color, covered with sot\ or woolly hair, and when in dis- tress have a sort of whining voice. Seals are mostly associa- ted in families, consisting of a lew males and a large number of females and young. They are fond of landing on the sea 42* 4')S APPENDIX. ■p ■ I'll t w '^ ■ -■» ■ ,- t i 4'- -^ ■ ■ beach, itdges of rocks, or ice-banks, for the purpose of basking in the sun ; and in fine weather prefer remaining on the ice to being in the water. The seal is extremely vigilant, and whenever a herd of them visit the shore, some are always on the watch, and one, when alone, is very frequently observed to raise its head to discover the approach of enemies. Should they be on a large field of ice, they are careful to secure a retreat, by keeping near the edge of it, or keeping a hole open in the ice before them. The old one^ are peculiarly distrustful ; the largest crowd of them instantly disperse at the approach of a boat. The fijod of the common seal is fish, crabs, and birds — which last it catches by rising under them and seizing their feet before they are aware. Feeding on much the same food as some whales, the latter are not found where seals are very abundant. That part of the arctic seas where seals most abound is in the vicinity of Jan Mayen's Island. PnocA Cristata. (L.) The Hooded Seal. This seal is most commonly found on the shores of Green- land, of Davis' Strait, and occasionally of Newfoundland. The species is very obviously distinguished by the singular ap- pendage it has on the head, formed by an extension of the skin of the front, which communicates with the nostrils, and can be inflated or elevated and dopreysed at the pleasure of the animal. The size of this hood, which extends from the end of the snout to five inches behind the eyes, is twelve inches, and its height uine. Through thv anterior part of this hood the nostrils open, each two inches in diameter ; and when the hood is not dis- tended, the cartilaginous partition of the nose may be felt from , the outside, rising about six inches at its greatest elevation. "Internally the hood is strongly muscular : externally it is cov- ered with short, bright, brown hairs. The use of this curious structure is unknown. Perhaps it may be intended to protect tlie eyes ; but other srals, that live in circumstances of equal exposure, have no such defence. The hooded sea! is seven feet long, from the centre of the chin to the root of the tail, which is six inches and a half long; '«{ APPENDIX. 499 urposc of basking ling on the ice to cr a herd of them h, and one, when head to discover ,n a large field of keeping near the t)eforc them. The rest crowd of them ,, and birds— which seizing their feet , the same food as lere seals are very 9 most abound is in fooded Seal. ,c shores of Green- LT of Newfoundland, d by the singular ap- extension of the skin nostrils, and can be [casure of the animal, the end of the snout .ches, and its height ^ood the nostrils open, the hood is not dis- pose may be felt from ta greatest elevation. ^ externally it is cov- inknown. Perhaps it It other seals, that live 1 no such defence. Jfrom the centre of the Inches and a half long, and three broad at its base. The body is cylindrical, gradual- ly decreasing to the tail, which is flat, and tapers to a point ; and the whole skin is covered with flat hairs about an inch in length. The color is grey and dark brown. The head, when the hood is not distended, appears small, compared with the body, and the eyes are large and of a dark greenish hue. The orifices of the ears are like those of other seals. The flippers are like those of the common seal, Lut appear small in proportion to the size of the animal. Each digit is furnished with a strong, compressed, channelled claw. The hinder paws are of the same length as the flippers, and lunated at their extremities, which are fifteen inches broad when ex- panded. They have five depressed claws. The teeth are thirty in number ; above, four incisors, two canine, and ten jaw teeth ; below, two incisors, two canine, and ten jaw teeth. Phoca Carbata. (Mull.) The Great Seal. This seal, which grows to the length of ten or twelve feet, is found in the Greenland seas, and on the northern extremes of this continent. It commonly rests on floating ice. Its skin is about half an inch thick, and is covered with black hair, which in summer is almost entirely shed, leaving the ani- mal bare. The whiskers are long, pellucid and white. The middle digits of the fore-r are longer than the others, which in relative length are lik, inger:] of the human hand. The great seal breeds i. tiie m^nth of March, having a sin- gle cub, usually upon the ice among the islands ; it approaches the land more closely at tht>r season than at any other. In habits and general appearaace it resembles the common seal. Phoca Gr^wlandica. (Mull.) I%e Harp Seal. The harp seal mea.-3ure3 from six to nine feet, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, which is from five to sbvea inches long. In circumference, at the thickest part of the body, it is from four to six feet. It has a round head and high fore- head, with a short nose and large black eyes. No seal varies its color .so much as this. The harp seal is common in the Greenland seas, where it frequents the deep bays, migrates twice a year, going in March, *i ■■■n'^- '«* ■*" W 500 APPENDIX. 4.:'ir!l f I; h » \ ,. j ^ I / I* I X "' f f 5 ^"T { fj?! N I f "'' 'if i ^'^'h and returning in May, and again in June to return in Septem- ber. The breeding season begins in July, and the female has one cub near the end of March, or in the beginning of April, which she suckles on fragments of ice remote from land. The harp seal is incautious, and has much of the frolicsome disposition of the common seal. This species lives in great herds, that swim apparently under the direction of a leader, who watches over the safety of the whole. They do not fre- quent the fixed ice, but the floes. This seal has a large quan- tity of blubber, which yield>; a larger quantity of oil than is ob- tained from any other seal. Phoca FffiTiDA. (Mull.) The Fetid Seal. The fetid seal, when full grown, is four feet and a half long. The hair does not lie smooth, but is rough and similar to that of a pig. The old animals are very fetid, and their nauseous odor taints their flesh and fat equally. The head is short and rounded, the snout forming a third of its length. The eyes are small, the iris brown. In other re- spects it is like the common seal. It frequents the ice near frozen land, and never leaves its haunts when old. It is solita- ry in its habits, pairs being seldom seen together. It is not a timid animal, and often tails a prey to the eagle, being taken while asleep on the surface. Its fetor does not hinder the Greenlanders and Esquimaux from eating it. Phoca Uusina. (L.) The Ursine Seal. This is a large animal, being, when full grown, eight feet long and five in circumference, and weighs about eight hundred pounds. The female is much smaller than the male. The anterior part of the body is thick, the posterior slender, and tapering to the tail. The ursine seal differs from most other seals in having the anterior limbs entirely at liberty, or not covered by the integu- ment of the body. The wrist, bones of the palm, and di- gits, are covered with a naked skin. The thumb is the longest of the digits, which decrease in length successively to the little or external one. All of them have a small nail. The poste- rior extremities are twentytwo inches long, and articulated like ♦ I to return in Septem- y, and the female hu8 lie beginning of April, mote from land. nuch of the frolicsome species lives in great direction of a leader, )le. They do not fre- seal has a large quan- antity ofoilthanis ob- 'he Fetid Seal. ,ur feet and a half long, ough and similar to that )tid, and their nauseous snout forming a third of is brown. In other re- frequents the ice near s when old. Itissolita- en together. It is not a J the eagle, being taken stor does not hinder the ting it. %e Ursine Seal. full grown, eight feet long rhs about eight hundred ler than the male. The e posterior slender, and )ther seals in having the ot covered by the integu- nes of the palm, and di- The thumb is the longest h successively to the little small nail. The poste- long, and articulated like ''■0 APPENDIX. 501 those of other seals, but, owing to their length, can be used to scratch the head. They have five toes, united by a Aveb, which, when spread, gives a breadth of twelve inches. This species is principally found on the islands between America and Kamschatka, where they lie on the sliores in vast herds, each male having from eight to thirty or more females. The Walrus, or Morse. These animals resemble seals in the form of their bodies and anterior extremities. They have a round head, small eyes, and no external ears. The orifices of the nostrils are far distant from the upper lips. The posterior feet are hori- zontally placed, and have five digits, of which the two exter- nal are tlie longest — all provided with small iucurvated nails, and connected by a membrane. The most striking pecu- liarity of the genus is the tusks, or prolonged canine teeth, which descend from the superior maxillary bone and project far below the lower jaw, serving the animal as offensive wea- pons, as well as in climbing on ice-banks, &.c. The walrus is found on the shores of the islands between America and Kamschatka, about Spitsbergen, and on the coasts of Hudson's Bay and Davis' Straits. It attains the size of an ox, being, when full grown, from twelve to fifteen feet in length and from eight to ten in girth. The skin of the walrus is about an inch thick. The hair is short, and of a yellowish brown color. On land the walrus is a slow, clumsy animal ; in the water its motions are quick and easy. It is a fearless, and, when not disturbed, an inoffensive animal. Tho ivory tusks are from ten to thirtysix inches long, and have been known to weigh ten pounds. The circumference of one twentyseven inches long, is about eight inches at the base.