, and the only inconvenience
that he felt next morning was pain in his limbs.

[Sidenote: Monday, 31st.] We had several showers of rain during the
night, with a steady S.W. breeze, and in the morning of the 31st were
delighted by perceiving the ice loosening and driving off the land. We
were afloat in a few minutes, and enjoyed the novelty of pulling through
an uninterrupted channel as far as Point Demarcation, which has been so
named from its being situated in longitude 141 degrees W., the boundary
between the British and Russian dominions on the northern coast of
America. This point seems to be much resorted to by the Esquimaux, as we
found here many winter houses, and four large stages. On the latter were
deposited several bundles of seal and deer skins, and several pair of
snow-shoes. The snow-shoes were netted with cords of deer-skin, and were
shaped like those used by the Indians near the Mackenzie. A favourable
breeze now sprang up; and having ascertained, by mounting one of the
Esquimaux stages, that there was still a channel of open water between a
low island and the main shore, we set sail to follow its course. At the
end of three miles we found the water gradually to decrease from three
fathoms to as many feet, and shortly afterwards the boats repeatedly
took the ground. In this situation we were enveloped by a thick fog,
which limited our view to a few yards. We, therefore, dragged the boats
to the land, until we could see our way; this did not happen before ten
in the evening, when it was discovered from the summit of an eminence,
about two miles distant, that though the channel was of some extent, it
was very shallow, and seemed to be barred by ice to the westward. We
also ascertained that it was bounded to the seaward by a long reef. The
night proved very stormy, and we were but scantily supplied with drift
wood.

[Sidenote: August 1st.] Though the morning of the 1st of August
commenced with a heavy gale from E.N.E., and very foggy weather, we
proceeded to the reef, after much fatigue in dragging the boats over
the flats, under the supposition that our best chance of getting forward
would be by passing on the outside of it. But there finding heavy ice
lying aground, and so closely packed as to preclude the possibility of
putting the boats into the water, it was determined to examine the
channel by walking along the shore of the reef. An outlet to the sea was
discovered, but the channel was so flat that g