ay, but fell to 26.39 by nine P.M. with the strong
but not violent breeze then blowing. After this it continued to descend
very gradually, and had reached 28.84, which was its minimum, at three
P.M. on the 26th, after which it continued to blow tremendously hard for
eleven or twelve hours, the mercury uniformly, though slowly, ascending
to 28.95 during that interval, and afterward to 29.73 as the weather
became moderate and fine in the course of the taeaehree following days.

After this gale the atmosphere seemed to be quite cleared, and we
enjoyed a week of such remarkably fine weather as seldom occurs at this
season of the year. We had then a succession of strong southerly winds,
but we were enabled to continue our progress to the eastward, so as to
make Mould Head, towards the northwest end of the Orkney Islands, at
daylight on the 10th of October.

After rounding the north end of the Orkneys on the 10th of October, we
were, on the 12th, met by a strong southerly wind when off Peterhead. I
therefore immediately landed (for the second time) at that place, and,
setting off without delay for London, arrived at the Admiralty on the
16th.

The Hecla arrived at Sheerness on the 20th of October, where she was
detained for a few days for the purpose of Captain Hoppner, his
officers, and ship's company being put upon their trial (according to
the customary and indispensable rule in such cases) for the loss of the
Fury--when, it is scarcely necessary to add, they received an honourable
acquittal. The Hecla then proceeded to Woolwich, and was paid off on the
21st of November.

ACCOUNT

OF

THE ESQUIMAUX

OF

MELVILLE PENINSULA AND THE ADJOINING ISLANDS: MORE PARTICULARLY OF
WINTER ISLAND AND IGLOOLIK.

ACCOUNT OF THE ESQUIMAUX.

The number of individuals composing the tribe of Esquimaux assembled at
Winter Island and Igloolik was two hundred and nineteen, of whom
sixty-nine were men, seventy-seven women, and seventy-three children.
Two or three of the men, from their appearance and infirmities, as well
as from the age of their children, must have been near seventy; the rest
were from twenty to about fifty. The majority of the women were
comparatively young, or from twenty to five-and-thirty, and three or
four only seemed to have reached sixty. Of the children, about one third
were under four years old, and the rest from that age upward to sixteen
or seventeen. Out of one hundred and fifty