Great Bear Lake, and fixing upon a spot, the nearest to the Copper-mine River, to which he might conduct his party the following year. The important operations necessary for the comfortable residence and subsistence of the expedition during the fast approaching winter, were superintended by Messrs. Back and Dease.
The descent from Fort Norman to the mouth of the Mackenzie, including a short stoppage at Fort Good Hope, the lowest of the Company’s posts, and which had been but recently established, for the convenience of the Loucheux tribe, occupied only six days. The river was found to discharge itself into the Arctic Ocean through many channels, formed by low islands, which at certain seasons are quite inundated. The north-eastern extremity of the main channel is in lat. 69° 1½' N., long. 135° 57' W.
From this point, at which the coast begins to trend to the southward of east, an island was discovered much farther out, and Captain Franklin immediately directed his course towards it, in search of salt water, none that he had yet tasted being at all brackish.
In the middle of the traverse,” says he, “we wore caught by a strong contrary wind, against which our crews cheerfully contended for five hours, though drenched by the spray, and even by the waves, which came into the boat. Unwilling to return without attaining the object of our search, when the strength of the rowers was nearly exhausted, as a last resource, the sails were set double-reefed, and our excellent boat mounted over the waves in the most buoyant manner. An opportune alteration of the wind enabled us, in the course of another hour, to fetch into smoother water, under the shelter of the island. We then pulled across a line of strong ripple which marked the termination of the fresh water, that on the seaward side being brackish; and in the further progress of three miles to the island, we had the indescribable pleasure of finding it decidedly salt.
“The sun was setting us the boat touched the beach, and we hastened to the most elevated part of the island, about 250 feet high, to look around. Never was a prospect more gratifying than that which lay open to us. The Rocky Mountains were seen from S.W. to W.½N.; and from the latter point, round by the north, the sea appeared in all its majesty, entirely free from ice, and without any visible obstruction to it; navigation. Many seals, and black and white whales, were sporting on its waves; and the whole scene was calculated to excite in our minds the
