ay. Soon after
rounding Point Warren, we crossed the mouth of a large river, the water
being muddy and fresh for a breadth of three miles, and the sounding
lead was let down to the depth of five fathoms, without striking the
bottom. This river is, perhaps, a branch of the Mackenzie, and falls
into a bay, on which I have bestowed the name of my esteemed friend
Copland Hutchinson, Esq. Surgeon Extraordinary to His Royal Highness
the Duke of Clarence. On its east side there is an island, which was
named after Captain Charles Phillips, R.N. to whom the nautical world is
indebted for the double-capstan, and many other important inventions.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, rainy weather setting in, we made for
a small island, and mooring the boats as near the beach as we could,
covered them up, and landed to prepare supper. The length of the day's
voyage was twenty-eight miles and a half. Mr. Kendall named the island
in honour of Mr. Atkinson, of Berry-House; it is situated in latitude 69
degrees 55 minutes N., longitude 130 degrees 43 minutes W., and is
separated from a flat, and occasionally inundated shore, by a narrow
creek. It is bounded towards the sea by a bulwark of sand-hills, drifted
by the wind to the height of 30 feet. Under their shelter 17
winter-houses have been erected by the natives besides a large building
which from its structure, seemed to be intended for a place of assembly
for the tribe. Ooligbuck thought it was a general eating-room, but he
was not certain, as his tribe erect no such buildings.

I annex a section and ground plan of one of the largest of the
dwelling-houses. The centre (A) is a square of ten feet, having a level
flooring, with a post at each corner (D,D) to support the
ridge-poles,[8] on which the roof rests. The recesses (B) are intended
for sleeping-places. Their floors have a gentle inclination inwards, and
are raised a foot above the central flooring. Their back walls are a
foot high, and incline outwards like the back of a chair. The
ridge-poles are six feet above the floor, the roof being flat in the
centre, and sloping over the recesses. The inside of the building is
lined with split-wood, and the outside is strongly but roughly built of
logs, the whole being covered with earth. An inclined platform (C) forms
the ascent to the door, which is in the middle of one of the recesses,
and is four feet high; and the threshold, being on a level with the
central flooring, is raised thre