OF THE POLAR SEA.

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of stone; and several articles, very elegantlyformed of bone, were evidently intended for somegame, but Augustus was unacquainted with theiruse. We took from this deposit four seal-skins torepair our shoes, and left in exchange a copper-kettle, some awls and beads.

We paddled all day along the coast to the east-ward, on the inside of a crowded range of islands,and saw very little ice; the “ blink” of it, how-ever, was visible to the northward, and onesmall iceberg was seen at a distance. A tidewas distinguishable among the islands by thefoam floating on the water, but we could notascertain its direction. In the afternoon St.Germain killed on an island a fat deer, whichwas a great acquisition to us ; it was the first wehad seen for some months in good condition.

Having encamped on the main shore, after arun of thirty-seven miles, we set up a pole toascertain the rise and fall of the water, whichwas repeated at every halting-place, and Hepburnwas ordered to attend to the result. We foundthe coast well covered with vegetation, of mode-rate height, even in its outline, and easy of ap-proach. The islands are rocky and barren, pre-senting high cliffs of a columnar structure. Ihave named the westernmost group of those wepassed “ Berens’ Isles,” in honour of the Gover-