d scarcely
carry our double-reefed topsails, while, as we afterward learned
from the fishing-ships, which were in sight at daylight, there was
scarcely a breath of wind at a few leagues' distance from the
land. We coasted this low shore, as we had done in the preceding
voyage, at the distance of two or three miles, having from
twenty-three to twenty-nine fathoms water. We here met with
another of our fishing-ships, which proved to be the Lee, of Hull,
Mr. Williamson, master; from whom we learned, among other events
of a public nature which were altogether new to us, the public
calamity which England had sustained in the death of our late
venerable and beloved sovereign, and also the death of his Royal
Highness the Duke of Kent. Mr. Williamson, among others, had
succeeded in getting across the ice to this coast as high as the
latitude of 73 deg., and had come down to this part in pursuit of the
fish. One or two of the ships had endeavoured to return home by
running down this coast, but had found the ice so close about the
latitude of 69 1/2 deg. as to induce most of the others to sail back to
the northward, in order to get back in the same way that they
came. Mr. Williamson also reported his having, a day or two
before, met with some Esquimaux in the inlet named the River Clyde
in 1818, which was just to the southward of us. Considering it a
matter of some interest to communicate with these people, who had,
probably, not been before visited by Europeans, and that it might,
at the same time, be useful to examine the inlet, I bore up, as
soon as I had sent our despatches and letters on board the Lee,
and stood in towards the rocky islet, called Agnes's Monument,
passing between it and the low point which forms the entrance to
the inlet on the northern side.

At six in the evening of the 6th, being near the outermost of the
islands with which we afterward found this inlet to be studded, we
observed four canoes paddling towards the ships; they approached
with great confidence, and came alongside without the least
appearance of fear or suspicion. While paddling towards us, and,
indeed, before we could plainly perceive their canoes, they
continued to vociferate loudly; but nothing like a song, nor even
any articulate sound, which can be expressed by words, could be
distinguished. Their 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 wit