hunters brought her
only child, a female, for medical advice. As she entered the room it was
evident that the hand of death was upon it. In the absence of Dr.
Richardson, who happened to be out, all the remedies were applied that
were judged likely to be of service; and as soon as he returned, there
being yet a faint pulsation, other means were tried, but in vain. So
gentle was its last sigh, that the mother was not at first aware of its
death, and continued to press the child against her bosom. As soon,
however, as she perceived that life had fled, she cast herself on the
floor in agony, heightened by the consciousness of having delayed to
seek relief till too late, and by apprehension of the anger of her
husband, who was doatingly attached to the child. The Indians evinced
their participation in her affliction by silence, and a strong
expression of pity in their countenances. At the dawn of day the poor
creature, though almost exhausted by her ceaseless lamentation, carried
the body across the lake for interment.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, 20th.] The 20th being a very stormy day, we were
surprised at the arrival of two voyagers from Fort Good Hope, bearers of
letters from Mr. C. Dease, conveying the gratifying intelligence that
the Loucheux had seen the Esquimaux since the autumn, and that the
latter had found the presents which had been left at their huts, and
would be delighted to welcome the return of the white people to the
Esquimaux lands next spring.

[Sidenote: Thursday, 22d.] Our constant occupations had made the time
pass so swiftly, that the shortest day came almost unexpectedly upon us.
The sun rose this morning, (the 22d,) at 10h 24m, thirteen minutes
earlier than its appearance was expected from calculation, owing to the
great refraction. Mr. Kendall and I measured its meridional altitude
from the lake with two instruments, the one bringing its upper limb to
the top of the land four miles distant, the elevation of which had been
ascertained to be eight minutes, and the other to its base, the
depression of which was two minutes. The mean of both these
observations, corrected for refraction by the tables in the Nautical
Almanack, gave a result of 65 degrees 11 minutes 56 seconds N., which
latitude exactly corresponds with the best observations made in the
preceding autumn. At 8h 30m P.M. a halo was observed, whose radius
measured 28 degrees 40 minutes from the moon; and at an equal altitude
with the latter bod