Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the Years 1825, 1826, and 1827
whether we were upon the main shore, or upon an island. The astronomical observations obtained at the encampment place it in latitude 69° 3' 45" N., longitude 135° 44' 57" W. A tide-pole was put up immediately on our landing, and we perceived the water to rise about three inches in the course of the forenoon, and to fall the same quantity in the evening. The temperature of the air did not exceed forty-eight degrees all this day: when in the river, it used to vary from 55° to 70°. Mr. Kendall came back in the evening, bringing the agreeable intelligence that he had assisted in killing a female moose and her calf, and that Augustus had shot a rein-deer. Some men were sent to carry the meat to the borders of a river which Mr. Kendall had discovered, while the boat went round to its entrance about one mile from the encampment. They returned at sunset. Many geese and ducks were seen by our hunters. Throughout the whole of Mr. Kendall's walk, of twelve or fourteen miles, he saw only the same kind of flat land, covered with the dwarf willow and the moose-berry plant, as was discovered from the tent, except one small lake, and the river that has been mentioned, issuing from it.
Tuesday, 16th.The atmosphere was so thick on the morning of the 16th as to confine our view to a few yards; we therefore remained at the encampment till the sun had sufficient power to remove the fog: temperature of the air 39°. Embarking at eleven a.m., we continued our course along the shore of Ellice Island, until we found its coast trending southward of east. There we landed, and were rejoiced at the sea-like appearance to the northward. This point is in latitude 69° 14' N., longitude 135° 57' W., and forms the north-eastern entrance to the main channel of the Mackenzie River, which, from Slave Lake to this point, is one thousand and forty-five miles according to our survey. An island was now discovered to the N.E., looking blue from its distance, towards which the boat was immediately directed. The water, which for the last eight miles had been very shallow, became gradually deeper, and of a more green colour, though still fresh, even when we had entirely lost sight of the eastern land. In the middle of the traverse, we were caught by a strong contrary wind, against which our crews cheerfully contended for five hours, though drenched by the spray, and even by the waves, which came into the boat. Unwilling to return without attaining the object of our search, when the strength of the rowers was nearly exhausted, as a last resource, the sails were set double-reefed, and our excellent boat mounted over the waves in the most buoyant manner. An opportune alteration of the wind enabled us, in the course of another hour, to fetch into smoother water, under the shelter of the island. We then pulled across a line of strong ripple which marked the termination of the fresh water, that on the seaward side being brackish; and in the further progress of three miles to the island, we had the indescribable pleasure of finding the water decidedly salt.
The sun was setting as the boat touched the beach, and we hastened to the most elevated part of the island, about two hundred and fifty feet high, to look around; and never was a prospect more gratifying than that which lay open to us. The Rocky Mountains were seen from S.W. to W.½N.; and from the latter point, round by the north, the sea appeared in all its majesty, entirely free from ice, and without any visible obstruction to its navigation. Many seals, and black and white whales were sporting on its waves; and the whole scene was calculated to excite in our minds the most flattering expectations as to our own success, and that of our friends in the Hecla and the Fury. There were two groups of islands at no great distance; to the one bearing south-east I had the pleasure of affixing the name of my excellent friend and companion Mr. Kendall, and to that bearing north-east the name of Pelly was given, as a tribute justly due to the Governor of the Hudson Bay Company, for his earnest endeavours to promote the progress and welfare of the Expedition. A similar feeling towards my much esteemed friend Mr. Garry, the Deputy Governor of the Company, prompted me to appropriate his name to the island on which we stood—a poor, indeed, but heartfelt expression of gratitude, for all his active kindness and indefatigable attention to the comfort of myself and my companions.
During our absence the men had pitched the tent on the beach, and I caused the silk union-flag to be hoisted, which my deeply-lamented wife had made and presented to me, as a parting gift, under the express injunction that it was not to be unfurled before the Expedition reached the sea. I will not attempt to describe my emotions as it expanded to the breeze—however natural, and, for the moment, irresistible, I felt that it was my duty to suppress them, and that I had no right, by an indulgence of my own sorrows, to cloud the animated countenances of my companions. Joining, therefore, with the best grace that I could command, in the general excitement, I endeavoured to return with corresponding cheerfulness, their warm congratulations on having thus planted the British flag on this remote island of the Polar Sea.
Some spirits, which had been saved for the occasion, were issued to the men; and with three fervent cheers they drank to the health of our beloved monarch, and to the continued success of our enterprize. Mr. Kendall and I had also reserved a little of our brandy, in order to celebrate this interesting event; but Baptiste, in his delight of beholding the sea, had set before us some salt water, which having been mixed with the brandy before the mistake was discovered, we were reluctantly obliged to forego the intended draught, and to use it in the more classical form of a libation poured on the ground.
Baptiste, on discovering that he had actually reached the ocean, stuck his feathers in his hat, and exultingly exclaimed, "Now that I am one of the Gens de la mer, you shall see how active I will be, and how I will crow over the Gens du nord," the name by which the Athabasca voyagers are designated. No fresh water was found on Garry Island until Augustus discovered a small lake, the streams that poured down from the cliffs being as salt as the sea. The temperature of the sea water was 51°; the fresh water we had left at five miles from the island 55°; and that of the air 52°.
Garry Island is about five miles long, by two broad, and seems to be a mass of frozen mud, which, in the parts exposed to the air and sun, has a black earthy appearance. It is terminated to the north-west by a steep cliff, through which protrude, in a highly inclined position, several layers of wood-coal, similar to that found in the Mackenzie. There was likewise observed a bituminous liquid trickling down in many parts, but particularly near the south-west point of the cliff where the bank had been broken away, and a hollow cavity was formed. The ravines and gullies were still filled with ice, though none was seen on the level ground. There were no stones above the sea level; those on the beach consisted of granite, greenstone, quartz, and lydian-stone, of a small size and completely rounded. The vegetable productions were grasses, a few mosses, and some shrubs, the latter in flower. Four foxes were the only land animals we saw; and a small hawk, some gulls, dotterels, and phaleropes, composed the list of birds. A large medusa was found on the beach.
Wednesday, 17th.The sky was cloudless on the morning of the 17th, which enabled us to ascertain the position of our encampment to be in latitude 69° 29' N., longitude 135° 41' W., and the variation of the magnetic needle to be 51° 42' E. We likewise found that it was high water that day at one p.m. with a rise and fall of eight inches, but the direction of the flood could not be ascertained. I wrote for Captain Parry an account of our progress, with such information as he might require, in case he wished to communicate either with the Company's Post at Fort Good Hope, or our party, and deposited my letter, with many others that I had in charge for himself and the officers of the ships, under a pole erected for the purpose, on which we left a blue and red flag flying, to attract his attention. Another statement of our proceedings was encased in a waterproof box, and committed to the sea, a mile to the northward of the island. The wind blew strong off the land at the time, and there was a gale from the north-west the next day, so that there is every chance of the letter having made good way to the eastward.
Having completed the observations, we embarked at two p.m., and pulled along the western shore of the island three miles to the sandy spit at its south-west end, on which there was a vast quantity of drift-wood piled by the action of the waves. From this point we launched forth to cross towards the Mackenzie under double-reefed sails, as the wind was blowing strong, and the waves high in the offing; but finding the boat very stiff and buoyant, the sail was increased, and reaching the eastern point of Ellice Island by seven p.m. we encamped at the foot of the outermost of the three hummocks mentioned on the 15th of August. As we passed along the shore of the island, we disturbed some moose and rein-deer, and several geese, cranes, and swans, that were quietly feeding near the water. At this period of the year, therefore, there would be no lack of food, in this country, for the skilful hunter.