separating from Captain Franklin, on the 4th of July, they pursued the
easternmost channel of the Mackenzie, until the 7th of that month,
when finding that it distributed itself by various outlets, of which
the more easterly were not navigable, for their boats, they chose a
middle one, and that night got into brackish water, with an open view
of the sea, in lat. 69 deg. 29 min. N., long. 133 deg. 24 min. W.

On the 11th, in lat. 69 deg. 42 min. N., long. 132 deg. 10 min. W.,
the water was perfectly salt, the sea partially covered with drift
ice, and no land visible to seaward. They experienced considerable
difficulty in crossing the estuaries of several rivers, which were
deemed to be outlets of the shallow channels of the Mackenzie, that
had been left to the eastward. They suffered, besides, some detention
from ice and bad weather; and it was not until the 18th of July that,
in lat. 70 deg. 37 min., long. 126 deg. 52 min. N., they got entirely
clear of the widely spreading mouths of the Mackenzie, and of a large
lake of brackish water, which seems to receive one of the branches of
that river. The navigation across these wide estuaries was very
embarrassing.

This danger was gladly exchanged for a coasting voyage in the open
sea. They rounded Cape Parry, in lat. 70 deg. 8 min. N., long. 123
deg. W.; Cape Krusenstern in lat. 60 deg. 46 min. N., long. 114 deg.
45 min. W.; and entered George the IVth Coronation Gulf, by the
Dolphin and Union Straits (so named after the boats), which brought
them within sight of Cape Barrow, and two degrees of longitude to the
eastward of the coppermine river. Their sea voyage terminated as
beforementioned, on the 8th of August, by their actually entering that
river.