emptying itself over a dry flat of the shore.  For the tide was then out, and seemed, by the edges of the ice, to flow about twelve or fourteen feet, which will only reach a little within the river’s mouth.  That being the case, the water in the river had not the least brackish taste.  But I am sure of its being the sea, or some part thereof, by the quantity of whale-bone and seal-skins the Esquimaux had at their tents; as also the number of seals which I saw upon the ice.  The sea, at the river’s mouth, was full of islands and shoals, as far as I could see, by the assistance of a pocket-telescope; and the ice was not yet broken up, only thawed away about three quarters of a mile from the snore, and a little way round the islands and shoals.

“By the time I had completed this survey, it was about one in the morning of the 18th; but in these high latitudes, and this time of the year, the sun is always a good height above the horizon.  It then came on a thick drizzling rain, with a thick fog; and, as finding the river and sea, in every respect, not likely to be of any utility, I did not think it worth while to wait for fair weather, to determine the latitude exactly by an observation.  But, by the extraordinary care I took in observing the courses and distances, walked from Conge catha wha Chaga, where I had two good observations, the latitude may be depended on, within twenty miles at farthest.”

From the map which Mr Hearne constructed of the country through which he passed, in this singular journey, it appears that the mouth of the Copper-mine River lies in the latitude 72 deg., and above 25 deg. west longitude from the fort, from whence he took his departure.[43]

[Footnote 43:  Mr Hearne’s journey, back from the Copper-mine River, to Fort Prince of Wales, lasted till June 30, 1772.  From his first setting out till his return, he had employed near a year and seven months.  The unparalleled hardships he suffered, and the essential service he performed, met with a suitable reward from his masters, and he was made governor of Fort Prince of Wales, where he was taken prisoner by the French in 1782; but soon afterwards returned to his station.”—­D.

This opportunity is taken to mention, that Mr Arrowsmith lays down Copper-mine River in longitude 113 deg., and not in 120 deg., according to Mr Hearne.  In the opinion of Mr H. this river flows into an inland sea.  Be this as it may, the result of his discoveries is unfavourable to the supposition of there being a north-west passage, Mr Hearne’s journal was not published till 1795, considerably after the date of Dr Douglas’s writing.  Some alterations have consequently been made on the text and notes of that gentleman.—­E.]

The consequences resulting from this extensive discovery, are obvious.  We now see that the continent of North America stretches from Hudson’s Bay so far to the north-west, that Mr Hearne had travelled near thirteen hundred miles before he arrived at the sea.  His most western distance from the coast of Hudson’s Bay was near six hundred miles; and that his Indian guides were well apprised of a vast tract of continent stretching farther on in that direction, is certain from many circumstances mentioned in his journal.