into the water with bold and precipitous bluffs.

"As we looked over the vast expanse of water spread out beneath
us, and strained our eyes along the silent shores over which hung
so much doubt and uncertainty, and which were so full of interest
to us, I could hardly repress the almost irresistible desire to
continue our exploration; but the lengthening snow on the mountains
was a plain indication of the advancing season, and our frail linen
boat appeared so insecure that I was unwilling to trust our lives
to the uncertainties of the lake. I therefore unwillingly resolved
to terminate our survey here, and remain satisfied for the present
with what we had been able to add to the unknown geography of
the region. We felt pleasure also in remembering that we were the
first who, in the traditionary annals of the country, had visited
the islands, and broken, with the cheerful sound of human voices,
the long solitude of the place.

"I accidentally left on the summit the brass cover to the object
end of my spyglass and as it will probably remain there undisturbed
by Indians, it will furnish matter of speculation to some future
traveller. In our excursions about the island, we did not meet with
any kind of animal: a magpie, and another larger bird, probably
attracted by the smoke of our fire, paid us a visit from the shore,
and were the only living things seen during our stay. The rock
constituting the cliffs along the shore where we were encamped, is
a talcous rock, or steatite, with brown spar.

"At sunset, the temperature was 70 degrees. We had arrived just in
time to obtain a meridian altitude of the sun, and other observations
were obtained this evening, which placed our camp in latitude 41