Early on the morning of the 22d a number of canoes repeated their visit to us, the Esquimaux having hauled them upon a piece of ice to lodge for the night.  In the forenoon an oomiak also came from the shore, and as no intercourse with them was permitted till after divine service, they became very impatient to barter their commodities, and walked on the ice alongside the ships, with a number of trifling things in their hands, vociferating “pilletay” to such a degree that we could hardly hear ourselves speak.  Some more oil was obtained in exchange for pieces of iron hoop, and, at a quarter before noon, the wind coming more to the southward, and the ice being somewhat less close than before, we cast off and made sail up the strait.

The wind and ice combined to favour us more and more as we proceeded, the former both in strength and direction, and the latter by opening into loose streams, so that, for the first time since we entered Hudson’s Strait, we were now enabled to set all the studding-sails, with some prospect of deriving advantage from them.  The Hudson’s Bay ships remained at anchor some time after we made sail, and in the course of the evening we finally lost sight of them.  From this circumstance, as well as from the unimpeded progress we had just begun to make to the westward, it was now only that we considered our voyage as having fairly commenced.

We continued, on the first of August, to beat to the westward, between Nottingham Island and the North Shore, the distance between which is about four leagues, and the latter fringed with numerous islands.  In the course of the morning, several canoes and one oomiak came off from the mainland, containing about twenty persons, more than half of whom were women and children.  They brought a little oil, some skin dresses, and tusks of the walrus, which they were willing to exchange for any trifle we chose to give them.  They had also a number of toys of various kinds, such as canoes with their paddles, spears, and bows and arrows, all on a very large scale.  Many of the jackets of these people, and particularly those of the females, were lined with the skins of birds, having the feathers inside; and they had also in the boat several other skins in a prepared state, taken from the throat of the colymbus glacialis, which splendid bird, though we had twice found its skin in possession of the Esquimaux, we had yet not met with ourselves.

The expedition being now about to enter upon ground not hitherto explored, it became necessary for me to decide upon the route it would be most advantageous to pursue for the accomplishment of the principal objects pointed out in my instructions.

CHAPTER II.

Review of the Geographical Information obtained by the Researches of former Navigators on the Coast of the American Continent, in the Neighbourhood of Wager River.—­Discover and enter the Duke of York’s Bay, supposing it to be a Passage into the Sea called the Welcome.—­Leave the Duke of York’s Bay, and proceed to the Northwestward.—­Passage of the Frozen Strait and Arrival in Repulse Bay.—­Continuity of Land there.—­Observations on Shore.—­Remarks concerning the Geography, Tides, and Natural History of this Part of the Continental Coast.