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(p. 386) "On August 18th the stormy sea continuing, there was
no prospect of our being able to embark. dr. Richardson, Mr. Beck, and I, therefore,
set out on foot to discover whether the land within a day's march, inclined more to
the east. We went from ten to twelve miles along the coast, which continued flat, and
kept the same direction as the escarpment.
The most distant land we saw had the same bearing north-north-east, and appeared like two islands, which we estimated to be six or seven miles miles off; the shore on their inside seemingly trended more to the east; so that it is probable Point Turnagain, for so this sppot was named, forms the pitch of a low flat cape. Though it will appear from the chart, that the position of Point Turnagain is only six degrees and a half to the east of the mouth of the Copper-Mine River; we sailed, in tracing the deeply-indented coast, five hundred and fifty-five geographic miles, which is little less than the direct distance between the Copper-Mine River and Repulse Bay; supposing the latter to be in the longitude assigned to it by Middleton. When the many perplexing incidents which occurred during the survey of the coast are considered in connexion with the shortness of the period, during which operations of the kind can be carried oc, and the distance we had to travel before we could gain a place of shelter for the winter, I trust it will be judged that we prosecuted the enterprise as far as was prudent, and abandoned it only under a well-founded conviction that a further advance would endanger the lives of the whole party, and prevent the knowledge of what had been done from reaching England." |
