e<-<
t e< '
bee
Wee
eee
Mi
h<v<
3*3*3G
'J^*^ M « M ^< .'
LMarine Qfoiogicaf Laboratory Library
itioods jfote, Massachusetts
CVOYAQES ♦ OF • EXPLORATION
Collected
<1\(ewco/ab (Thompson LMontjomerv
(1907-1966)
Vhiladefyhia architect nephctf of
Qhomas Oiarrison Montgomery (1S73-1912),
<MBL investigator, and Vriscilla <3raislin
{Montgomery (1874-1956\ MBL librarian.
Gift of their sons jfugh Montgomery, MfD.
and (fyumond f<3. Montgomery —1987.
>£^%*£^t- ^T4
s&z^^jty o^^a^^^^^^*/
^&^
LoNftoN :
Printed by A. Spottiswoode,
New. Street- Square.
TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE EARL OF RIPON
My Lord,
Your Lordship was Secretary of State
for the Colonies when the Expedition
of which the following is the Narrative
was organised : and to jour good Offices,
and liberal Subscription in its favour, the
success of the project was at that time
mainly due. I have ventured, in conse-
quence, to dedicate to you the Volume:
and am most happy in being thus enabled
to express some part of the sincere respect
with which I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient
and very humble Servant,
George Back.
CONTENTS.
Preliminary Chapter - - Page 1
CHAPTER I.
Departure from England. — Arrival at Montreal. — Pre-
parations for the Expedition. — Fire at the Hotel. — De-
parture from La Chine. — The St. Lawrence. — The
Ottawa. — Lake Huron. — The Sault de Ste. Marie. —
Arrival at Fort William. — Distribution of the Loadings.
— The Mountain Fall. — Lac de la Pluie. — Arrival at
Fort Alexander. — Magnetic Observations. — Arrival of
Governor Simpson, and Arrangements made by him. —
Arrival at Norway House. — Difficulty of procuring Men
for the Service. — Departure from Norway House 27
CHAP. II.
Commencement of the Expedition. — Interview with Mr.
Charles. — Wind-bound by a Land Gale. — A Receipt for
the Cure of " Blue Devils." — Description of a Voyageur's
Tent. — A Land Storm. — The Grand Rapid. — Advance
of Cultivation. — Arrival at Cumberland House. — De-
parture of the Bateaux under Mr. King. — Embark in a
Canoe. — Working of the Boats in the Rapids. — Isle a la
Crosse. — Buffalo Lake. — A Squall. — A Skunk. — Portage
la Loche. — Effect of the Scenery. — Interview with Mr.
Stuart and Mr. A. McLeod. — The latter volunteers to
accompany the Expedition. — Arrive at Fort Chipewyan.
— Information as to the supposed Route by the Fond du
Lac. — Journey resumed. — Salt River. — Sketch of a
Party of Indians. — Description of the Salt Springs. —
VI CONTENTS.
Indian Encampment. — Information of the Natives as to
the Rivers Thlew-ee-choh and Teh-Ion. — Arrival at Fort
Resolution - - - Page 57
CHAP. III.
Inquiries and Embarrassments about the Route. — Prepar-
ations for Departure Embark in search of the Thlew-
ee-choh. — Indian Encampment and Indian Politeness. —
Point of Honour among Indian Hunters. — Description of
the Country through which the Route lay. — A small Ice-
berg seen. — A Bear Hunt. — Indian Inconsistency. —
Description of the Coast Line. — Point Keith and Chris-
tie's Bay. — Eastern Extremity of Great Slave Lake. —
Discovery of the River supposed to lead towards the
Thlew-ee-choh. — Preparations to ascend it - 83
CHAP. IV.
Difficult and toilsome Ascent of Hoar Frost River. — Striking
Scenery along its Course Illness of the Interpreter. —
Encampment upon Cook's Lake. — Ascent of another small
River full of Rapids. — Desertion of Two Indians. — Per-
plexity of the Guide as to the proper Course, and Attempt
to desert. — Succession of Streams and Lakes. — Indian
Account of the The-lew or Teh-Ion. — Clinton-Colden,
Aylmer, and Sussex Lakes. — Discovery of the Thlew-
ee-choh - - - - 113
CHAP. V.
Digression concerning Hearne's Route - - 144
CHAP. VI.
Continue our Progress Rocks on the Thlew-ee-choh. —
Island of singular Appearance. — Musk-Ox Lake. — Con-
jectures on the Course of the Thlew-ee-choh. — Icy
CONTENTS. VII
River. — Appearance of two Indians. — Maufelly per-
mitted to visit his Wife. — Consummate Skill of De Char-
loit — Dwarf Pines. — Story of the Rat and the Beaver.
— Unfitness of the Trees for Planks. — Artillery Lake. —
Force of the Rapids. — Accident in our Passage. — Leave
the Ah-hel-dessy. — A Bear killed. — Ridiculous Story.
— March resumed. — Desolate Scenery. — A Deer shot.
— Tormented by Sand-flies. — Anecdote of Sir John
Franklin. — Meeting with Mr. McLeod, by an unexpected
Route - Page 156
CHAP. VII.
" Le grand jeune Homme." — Trade with the Indians. —
Sunday. — Mr. King arrives, with two Bateaux. — Per-
formed a Surgical Operation. — Discomforts of an Indian
Canoe. — Conduct of the Party. — Erection of new Dwell-
ing. _ Arrival of Indians. — Their Policy. — Aged In-
dian Woman. — Starving Visitors. — Case of Revenge for
Inhospitality. — The Thlew-ee-choh described. — Observ-
atory.— Strange Appearance of the Aurora. — Pouring
in of the Indians. — Superstitious Fancies. — Shortness of
Food. — Domiciled in the new Building, named Fort Re-
liance. — Supplies again fail. — Akaitcho. — Discharge of
De Charloit and Two Iroquois; also, of La Charit£. —
Gloom of the Indians. — Story of a young Hunter. —
Breach of Indian Law. — Death of the old Woman. —
Christmas-day.— -Short Allowance. —Experiments. —Ex-
cessive Cold. — Arrival of Mr. McLeod. — Barbarous
Atrocity. — Revolting Story of an Indian - - 183
CHAP. VIII.
Exemplary Conduct of Akaitcho. — Mr. McLeod and his
Family leave us. — Arrival of Maufelly. — Supply of Deer-
flesh. — Misunderstanding between Akaitcho and the In-
terpreter. — Preparation for building Two Boats. — Mr.
McLeod'sill Success. — Strange Conduct of Two Indians.—
viii CONTENTS.
Supply of Food. — Distressing Condition of Mr. McLeod.
— Return of Mr. King's Party. — News from York Fac-
tory. Uncertain Fate of Augustus. — Presence of Two
Ravens. — Ravens shot by an Iroquois. — News from
England. — Discharge of Three Men. — Alteration of
Plans. — Appearance of Birds. — Adventures by Mr.
King. — Arrival of Mr. McLeod. — Anxiety about Wil-
liamson. — Sultry Weather. — Melancholy Fate of Au-
gustus - Page 231
CHAP. IX.
Reflections. — Halt for the Night. — March resumed. —
Obstacles encountered. — The Boats finished. — Eastern
Shore of Artillery Lake. — Pursue the Track of Mr.
McLeod". — Two Deer shot. — Stunted Pines. — Encamp-
ment.— Difficulty in tracing our Route. — News from Mr.
McLeod. — A Snow Storm. — Fires lighted on the Hills.
Accident to Peter Taylor. — Deviate from our Course.
Accident to James Spence. — Boisterous Weather. —
Plunder of a Cache. — Find the runaway Guides. — The
Ice unsafe. — Enter upon Lake Aylmer, — A dense Fog.
Sand-hill Bay. — Judicial Investigation. — Animals. —
Musk-ox Rapid. — Join Mr. McLeod. — Survey of the
River. — Indians return with the Pemmican. — Stock of
Provisions An Indian Belle. — A Reindeer Hunt 256
CHAP. X.
Instructions to Mr. McLeod upon our Separation. — Meet
with Akaitcho. — His Lodge. — Imminent Danger to the
Boat. — Akaitcho's friendly Caution. — Embarkation. —
Heavy Storms. — Our Crew. — Geological Features of the
Country. — Obstructions from the Ice. — Perils from a
Series of Rapids. — Plunder of a Bag of Pemmican. —
Obstacles on our Passage. — Boisterous Weather. — Deer
hunting. — Observations. — Deviation of the River. —
CONTEXTS. JX
Desolate Scenery. — Detained by the Ice Cascades.
— Land-marks. — Contraction of the River. — Baillie's
River. — Flocks of Geese. — Tact requisite in Command.
— Precipitous Rocks. — A Fox. — Esquimaux Marks. —
Bullen River. — A Storm. — Lake Pelly. — Conjectures
of an Indian. — Encampment. — View of the Country. — ■
Further Obstructions. — Observations. — Lake Garry
Page 309
CHAP. XI.
Gigantic Boulders. — Danger from the Rapids. — Course of
the River. — Lake Macdougall. — Hazardous Passage. —
Sinclair's Falls. — Northerly Bend of the River. — Mount
Meadowbank. — Altitude of the Rocks. — The Trap Form-
ation. — McKay's Peak. — Lake Franklin. — Extrica-
tion from Peril. — Sluggishness of the Compass. — Esqui-
maux. — Portrait of a Female. — Victoria Headland. —
Mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh. — Cockburn Bay. — Point
Backhouse. — Irby and Mangles' Bay. — Point Beaufort.
Our Progress arrested. — Montreal Island. — A Musk Ox
killed. — Birds on the Island. — Elliot Bay. — McKay, etc.
sent along the Coast. — Esquimaux Encampment. — Cape
Hay. — Point Ogle. — Progress obstructed by the Ice. —
A Piece of Drift-wood found. — Ross Island. — Dis-
coveries by Mr. King. — Magnetic Observations. — Point
Richardson. — Point Hardy. — Conjectures as to a N. W.
Passage and Channel to Regent's Inlet - - 353
CHAP. XII.
Exhilarating Influence of a Hunting Excursion. — Removal
of the Esquimaux. — Leave them a Bag of Pemmican. —
Accident to the Boat. — Inundation of the Country.
Discovery of Esquimaux. — Wise Man of the Tribe.
— Critical Position in the Rapids. — A Storm. — Ad-
venture of a Lemming. — Encamp at Musk-ox Rapid. —
Meeting with Mr. M<Leod. — Fate of Williamson. — The
a
X CONTENTS.
Yellow Knives. — Encamp on Artillery Lake. — Reach
the Ah-hel-dessy. — Depart for Montreal. — The Sau-
teaux Indians. — Success of a Missionary at Sault Ste.
Marie. — Return to England. — Conclusion - Page 4-28
APPENDIX.
No. I. — Zoological Remarks, by Dr. John Richardson 475
II. — List of Plants collected by Mr. Richard King,
during the Progress of the Expedition - 523
III. — Articulata. Catalogue of Arachnida and Insects
collected by Mr. King - - 532
IV. — Geological Notice of the New Country passed over
in Captain Back's Expedition, by Dr. W. K.
Fitton - - 543
V. — Meteorological Table, arranged from the Registers
kept at Fort Reliance, by Captain Back and
Mr. King - - - 563
VI. — Table of the Temperature of Animals, Birds, Fish,
Trees, and Earth, at different Times and Places*
arranged by Mr. King - - 590
VII. — On the Aurora Borealis - 595
VIII Magnetical Observations - - 625
IX. — Table of Latitudes, Longitudes, and Variations 634
X. — Letter from W. Smith, Esq., Secretary to the
Hudson's Bay Company, to Angus Bethune, Esq.,
Chief Factor at Sault St. Mary's - - 635
List of Subscribers to the Arctic Land Expedition
in search of Captain Ross - 638
Directions for placing the Plates.
Page
Salt Plains - - - - - SO
North Shore of Great Slave Lake - - 98
Beverley's Falls, Mouth of Hoar Frost River - 112
Portage in Hoar Frost River - - - 116
Sussex Lake, Source of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth - 142
Crossing Lake Aylmer - 292
Interview with the Esquimaux of the Thlew-ee-choh-
dezeth ... - 378
Esquimaux of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth - - 384
Victoria Headland, Mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth 890
Montreal Island, View to seaward - - 398
Thunder Storm near Point Ogle - 408
Western View from near Mount Barrow - - 422
Anderson's Falls - 4-50
Fish - - - - -518
Map of the Route, &c. at the end,
NARRATIVE
OF A
JOURNEY
TO THE
SHORES OF THE ARCTIC SEA
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
Early in the year 1832 the protracted absence
of Captain (now Sir John) Ross, who had sailed
in 1829 to the Polar regions, and had not after-
wards been heard of, became the subject of
general and anxious conversation. A report
even reached Italy, where I happened to be,
that he and his adventurous companions had
perished ; but, having ascertained that there
was no other ground for this rumour than the
uncertainty of their fate, I shortly afterwards
hastened to England, with the intention of offer-
ing to Government my services to conduct an
expedition in search of them.
On my arrival, in June 1832, I was informed
B
2 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
that my friend and former companion, Doctor
Richardson, had already made an application to
the same effect ; but that his offer, for various
reasons, not having been accepted, he had,
in consequence, as I was given to under-
stand, relinquished the idea. I was further in-
formed, however, by Mr. Beverly, who had been
the companion of Sir E. Parry in his perilous
journey over the ice from Spitzbergen towards
the Pole, that Mr. Ross (brother of Sir John, and
father of Captain James Ross) was anxious to find
an officer properly qualified to undertake the
conduct of a party through America, on the
plan proposed by Doctor Richardson ; which,
not having been adopted by the Government,
had been presented for consideration to other
quarters.
I proceeded, therefore, without loss of time
to Mr. Ross, who read to me a petition which
he was about to send to the King, praying his
Majesty's gracious sanction to the immediate
despatch of an expedition for rescuing, or at least
ascertaining the fate of, his son and brother ; and
my name being forthwith inserted as the proposed
leader of the expedition, this petition was for-
warded through Lord Goderich, then Secretary
for the Colonies. The interval before an answer
could be returned was employed in collecting
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 3
information, and organising the necessary co-
operation. In this I was warmly seconded and
efficiently aided by many gentlemen whose
opinions and assistance were most valuable, and
more especially by Nicholas Garry, Esq., the
Deputy Governor of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany, Captains Beaufort and Maconochie, Doc-
tor Richardson, and George Baillie, Esq. I
addressed, moreover, on the 21st of August, a
letter to the Geographical Society, explaining my
views, and requesting that they might be recom-
mended to the favourable consideration of Mr.
Hay, Under Secretary for the Colonies, and a
member of that Societv.
It is gratifying to add, that the support of
Mr. Hay was zealously afforded ; and, shortly
afterwards, the following letter was sent to Mr.
Ross : —
" Downing Street,
30th August, 1832.
" Sir,
" I am directed by Viscount Goderich to ac-
quaint you, that, his Majesty having been pleased
to refer your petition to his Lordship's consi-
deration, Lord Goderich has felt himself justified
in recommending to the Lords Commissioners
of the Treasury to grant the sum of 2000/. in
aid of the expenses of the expedition, provided
b CZ
4 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
that it is commanded by Captain Back ; it being
understood that the Hudson's Bay Company will
furnish the supplies and canoes free of charge,
and that the remainder of the expense, which is
estimated at 3000/., will be contributed by Cap-
tain Ross's friends. On receiving an answer
from the Treasury, the result will be duly com-
municated to you.
" I am, Sir,
" Your most obedient servant,
" Geo. Boss, Esq." " Howick,
This was announced to me as follows : —
« No. 267. Strand,
7th Sept. 1832.
" Sir,
" I have the pleasure to inclose you the copy
of a letter which I have received from Lord
Howick, by the directions of Lord Goderich,
in reply to my application to his Majesty, on
the subject of an expedition to the shores of the
Polar Sea, with the view to ascertain, if possible,
the fate of my brother, Captain Ross, and of my
son, Captain James Clarke Ross.
" I have only to add my earnest request, that
you will, in compliance with what appears also
to be the wish of Government, undertake the
command and direction of this humane and dif-
ficult enterprise, — certainly a most arduous task,
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 5
but one, for the effectual accomplishment of
which none is more eminently qualified.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your very obedient servant,
" CapL Geo. Back" " Geo. Ross.
My answer was, of course, a ready acceptance
of the proposed trust. The interest and sym-
pathy of the public began now to manifest them-
selves more strongly. On November 1. 1832, a
meeting was accordingly held at the rooms of
the Horticultural Society (kindly lent for the
occasion), in order to bring the humane object of
the expedition formally before it ; and in Vice
Admiral the Right Hon. Sir George Cockburn,
who presided, the cause found so powerful an ad-
vocate, that a subscription of 300/. was made on
the spot. A standing Committee was also now
formed for the management of the expedition,
consisting of the following persons : —
Sir G. Cockburn, G. C. B., Chairman.
John Barrow, Esq., F. R. S.
Robt. Hay, Esq. F. R. S.
Vice Admiral Sir W. Hotham, K. C. B.
Vice Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, Bart.
Rear Admiral W. H. Gage.
Felix Booth, Esq.
The Hon. Capt. H. Duncan, R. N.
b 3
6 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
Capt. Bowles, R. N.
Capt. Beaufort, R. N. F. R. S.
J. H. Pelly, Esq. Governor H. B. Company.
Nich. Garry, Esq. Dep. Gov. do.
W. P. Craufurd, Esq.
Capt. Beechey, R. N. F. R. S.
Dr. Richardson, F. R. S.
Capt. Hoppner, R. N.
Capt. Macon ochie, R. N.
C. Beverly, Esq. F. R. S.
Robert M'Culloch, Esq.
J. Spence, Esq.
George Ross, Esq., Honorary Secretary.
Of these, Mr. Booth, Captain Duncan, and
Captain Bowles were appointed Trustees. The
services and influence of Sir George Cockburn,
which had been so beneficially employed in aid
of the expedition, were soon lost to the Com-
mittee, in consequence of his appointment to
the command on the West India station.
But his place was condescendingly supplied by
his Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, who
was pleased to become Vice Patron and Chair-
man. Mr. George Ross also having resigned
his situation as honorary secretary, and turned
his attention to the object of getting up an
expedition by sea for the same benevolent pur-
pose, his place was taken by Robert M'Culloch,
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. J
Esq., a cousin of Captain Ross, and thus not
less interested in the success of the scheme than
Mr. Ross himself.
It was gratifying to observe, in the rapid ac-
cumulation of our funds, the liveliness of the
public sympathy in this disinterested project.
No obstacle, therefore, was to be anticipated from
want of means, and the preparations went on
with increased confidence. In furtherance of
the communications which were made by Dr.
Richardson, the Governor and Directors of the
Hudson's Bay Company had already despatched
directions to their agents in America, apprising
them that such an expedition might be expected
in the following spring, and directing the neces-
sary preparations to be made for it ; and now,
besides generously placing at our disposal 120
bags of pemmican, two boats and two canoes,
these gentlemen suggested, with equal liberality
and considerateness, the expediency of taking it
under the especial protection of the Company, by
issuing a commission under their seal to me as its
Commander. Gladly, as may be supposed, did I
avail myself of so important an offer, well know-
ing, from past experience, that the co-operation
of all parties throughout their extensive territory
would by this means be effectually secured.
The expedition was to consist of two officers
and eighteen men ; part of whom, including two
b 4
8 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
good boat carpenters, were to be engaged in this
country, — and part in Canada, — men who should
be inured to fatigue, and well accustomed to the
duties they would have to perform. From
Montreal it was proposed that the ordinary
route of the fur traders should be followed by
the Ottawa, French River, the Great Lakes,
Lake Winnipeg, &c. to Great Slave Lake ; from
whence Indians were to be employed as guides
and hunters to accompany the party to the
banks of the Thlew-ee-choh-desseth, or Great
Fish River, which, according to the testimony of
the Indians, lay to the eastward of the Lake, and
might be approached by an intervening chain of
smaller lakes and portages. The winter resi-
dence, for which, from a reference to Hearne's
Journey, it seemed so well adapted, was to be
there established ; and in the mean while a de-
tachment of eight men, well armed, was to pro-
ceed in advance with me, without loss of time, to
explore the river in a light canoe. As it neces-
sarily flowed through the barren lands which are
of nearly equal elevation with the country north
of Fort Enterprise, it was to be expected that its
course, like the descent of the Coppermine river,
would be interrupted by rapids or cascades ;
and these the canoe excursion would enable me
to survey, so that, on my return to the winter
establishment, we might construct boats com-
bining the qualities requisite for both the river
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 9
and sea navigation. As far, also, as the season
would permit, my visit to the sea might give
me an opportunity of communicating with the
Esquimaux, and obtaining, if not intelligence
of Captain Ross, at least much information for
the direction of my course the following sum-
mer. Having passed the first winter, it was pro-
posed that we should start for the sea the moment
the ice broke up ; and, if an opinion should
prove correct, which I had been led to entertain
from an inspection of the maps traced by the
Indians, that the mouth of the river lay between
the 68th and 69th parallels of latitude, and the
90th and 100th meridians of longitude, we should
then be less than three hundred miles from the
wreck of the Fury in Regent Inlet. It had formed
part of Captain Ross's plan to visit the wreck
of the Fury in the first instance, that he might
supply himself with coals and such provisions
and stores as were available ; and to return and
winter beside it, if in the course of the summer
he should be unable to penetrate to the westward.
It was therefore in Regent Inlet that the search
for him was most likely to be successful. If,
contrary to our hope, no traces of Captain Ross
should be discovered on arriving at the wreck
of the Fury, and the season should be far ad-
vanced, it would be necessary for us to retrace
our way to winter quarters ; and, in so doing,
we should embrace every opportunity of erecting
10 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
land-marks and signal posts, to arrest the atten-
tion of the wanderers to the notes deposited
beneath, detailing the position of our abode, and
the means adopted for their relief.
On the disruption of the ice in the following
spring, the expedition would again be on the
shores of the Polar Sea, and its researches
would be resumed in a different direction
from that previously taken. Every Esquimaux
hut would then be minutely inspected, in the
hope of finding some token of the fate of our
countrymen ; and the gratification which the
promoters of the expedition would experience,
should even a single British seaman be rescued
from his melancholy fate by their means, every
one felt would amply repay our utmost exertions.
While, even if no such happy fortune should
attend our researches, the geographical know-
ledge that must be obtained, and the scientific
information resulting from a course leading nearly
over one of the Magnetic Poles, would, it was
hoped, tend to console them.
Such was the outline of the plan to be fol-
lowed, as regarded the humane and principal
object of our search ; and in the event of that
being rendered nugatory by the almost un-
looked for return of Captain Ross and his
gallant companions, or by any obstacle pre-
venting the progress of the expedition in the
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER, 11
exact direction of its course to the wreck of
the Fury, it was still thought, in our uncertainty
of the precise place where the Thlew-ee-choh-
desseth might fall into the sea, that the coast line
between Point Turnagain and the known land
to the eastward might be satisfactorily ascer-
tained, and thus another step made towards the
determination of that interesting problem — the
northern limits of America.
For all these purposes, I was provided
with a variety of astronomical instruments,
including a dipping needle by Dollond, and a
diurnal variation instrument by Jones ; which
latter was also to be used to obtain the
effect produced on the needle by the aurora
borealis. I had also one of Professor Han-
steen's instruments, besides three chronometers
lent by the Admiralty. Guns and other neces-
sary materials were furnished by the Committee ;
who, that nothing might be omitted which
could at all contribute to our comfort, ordered
also a plentiful provision of cocoa and macaroni,
than which few things are better suited to such
undertakings, and of which such was our eco-
nomical expenditure, that some portion even
returned with us to Montreal.
His most gracious Majesty, the patron of the
expedition, having commanded my attendance
at Brighton, I had the honour to explain the
12 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
plans and prospects of the service, with the
means adopted to guard against privation, and
to secure the party from those disasters to
which they might otherwise be subject; and I
had the high gratification of receiving the royal
approbation of these plans, and a gracious ex-
pression of sincere desire for the safety of my
party.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent
and Princess Victoria also received a deputa-
tion, consisting of Vice Admiral Sir George
Cockburn, Captains Beechey and Maconochie,
with myself, for the purpose of pointing out on
the chart the line of the proposed route, sub-
mitting, at the same time, a sketch of the intended
proceedings ; — on which occasion their Royal
Highnesses evinced a truly benevolent interest
in the expedition.* Nor was the Duke of Sussex
less solicitous to forward the undertaking, as I
had the honour to receive a letter from his Royal
* Besides being liberal subscribers to the expedition, their
Royal Highnesses sent me, some days afterwards, a pocket
compass and a case of mathematical instruments, as a con-
tribution to its scientific equipment ; and I shall not attempt
to describe the enthusiasm which these tokens of the interest
taken by them in our benevolent mission afterwards created,
not only in British North America, but also in the United
States. It will be seen in a future part of my Narrative,
that this compass, from its extreme delicacy, became after-
wards of essential service.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 13
Highness, recommending me to the attentions
of Doctor Hossack, a scientific gentleman at
New York.
Finally, it was deemed expedient, on many
accounts, but more especially to give me ad-
ditional authority over the men whom I might
engage for the service, that my mission should
be taken under the direction of his Majesty's
Government ; and accordingly I received from
the Secretary of State for the Colonies the follow-
ing instructions : —
" Colonial Office, Downing Street,
4th February, 1833.
" Sir,
" The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
having been pleased to lend your services to this
office, that you may conduct an expedition now
preparing to proceed to the Polar Sea in search
of Captain Ross, you are hereby required and
directed to undertake this service, placing your-
self for the purpose at the disposition of the
Governor and Committee of the Hudson's Bay
Company, who have undertaken to furnish you
with the requisite resources and supplies.
" You are to leave Liverpool early in the
present month, and proceed with your party by
way of New York to Montreal, and thence along
the usual route pursued by the north-west
14 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
traders to Great Slave Lake, which it is hoped
you will reach by the 20th of July. You are
then to strike off to the north-eastward, or in
such other direction as you may ascertain to
be most expedient, in order to gain the Thlew-
ee-choh-desseth, or Great Fish River, which is be-
lieved either to issue from Slave Lake, or to rise in
its vicinity, and thence to flow with a navigable
course to the northward, till it reaches the sea.
On arriving on the banks of this river, you
are to select a convenient situation for a winter
residence, and immediately appoint a portion of
your force to erect a house thereon ; but, if
possible, you are to proceed yourself, with an
adequate party, and explore the river to the
coast the same season, erecting a conspicuous
land-mark at its mouth, and leaving notice of
your intention to return the ensuing spring, in
case Captain Ross should be making progress
along this part of the shore.
" You are to take care, however, to return
before the commencement of the winter, to
avoid any undue exposure of your men. Dur-
ing the winter you are to construct two boats,
capable, in your opinion, of navigating the
Polar Sea; and as early as possible in the en-
suing spring you are to descend again to its
shores.
" Your proceedings afterwards must be much
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 15
guided by your own judgment. The first ob-
ject will be to reach Cape Garry, where his
Majesty's late ship Fury was wrecked; on the
remaining stores of which it is known that
Captain Ross in some measure relied : but in
making for this, whether by the east or west,
you must be governed by the position of the
mouth of the river, and other local circum-
stances, as you progressively ascertain them.
" While passing along the coast, you are to
keep a vigilant look-out upon the shore for any
signal or indication of the party of which you
are in search (particularly at the entrance of
the Hecla and Fury Strait, should you take the
eastern passage) ; and in the event of your
meeting them, previous to your arrival at Cape
Garry, you are to offer to return immediately,
and bring them with you to the Hudson's Bay
settlements. Or should you find any indication
of their having been on any part of the coast
before your arrival, you are to search minutely
for some memorial which may lead to the dis-
covery of their intentions ; and to proceed, in
the event of success, in whatever practicable
direction may seem best calculated to lead you
to them.
11 Devoting the summer, then, to the interest-
ing search in contemplation, it is unnecessary to
recommend to you to make it as effectual as
16 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
possible, consistently with a due regard for
the health and preservation of your party. But,
whatever may be its prospects or success, you
are on no account to prolong it beyond such a
period of the year (varying from the 12th to
the 20th of August, according to the distance
which you may have attained) as will insure
your return to your winter quarters before the
severe weather sets in. On your acting in this
particular with due caution may depend the
eventual success of the whole expedition. On
your return to your temporary establishment,
you are carefully to examine the state of your
supplies ; if possible, also, communicating with
Great Slave Lake, to ascertain whether additional
stores are there collected for you. And if you
find that you can, with reasonable prudence,
devote a second summer to the service on which
you are engaged, you are hereby required and
directed to do so ; but if not, you are to return
to England in the following spring.
" Subordinate to your object of finding Captain
Ross, or any survivors or survivor of his party,
you are to direct your attention to mapping what
yet remains unknown of the coasts which you
will visit, and making such other scientific ob-
servations as your leisure will admit ; for which
purposes the requisite instruments will be supplied
to you. But you are not for such objects to deviate
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 17
from your principal pursuit, until you shall have
either succeeded in its accomplishment, or satis-
factorily ascertained that its success is impossible.
" You are, during your absence, to embrace
any opportunities that may offer of corresponding
with this Office, and report your arrival here on
your return.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your obedient servant,
" Goderich."
" Captain George Back, R. N.
21. Regent Street"
Strengthened by this authority, as well as by
the commission from the Hudson's Bay Company,
which ordered every assistance to be rendered me
by the different officers in their territories, there
now wanted only an efficient medical man to take
care of the health of the party. This was found
in Mr. Richard King, who, having in the first
instance volunteered his services, was subse-
quently engaged, at a salary, as surgeon and
naturalist to the expedition. Three men only
(two of whom were carpenters and shipwrights)
were taken from England : the remainder, as will
hereafter be seen, were selected either from
Montreal or from the Company's posts in the
interior.
To present at one view the objects, purpose,
c
18 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
and direction of the service, the execution of
which is narrated in the following pages, it will
be proper to mention here, that exactly one year
after our departure from Canada, by a despatch
which had been forwarded with the most praise-
worthy diligence by the Hudson's Bay Company *,
I received the happy intelligence of Captain
Ross's providential return, communicated in
the following letter from Sir Charles Ogle, Ba-
ronet : —
" Arctic Land Expedition.
" 21. Regent Street,
22d Oct. 1833.
" Sir,
" I have much pleasure in acquainting you, on
the part of the Committee for managing your
expedition, that Captain Ross and the survivors
of his party returned to England a few days
ago, in a whaler, which picked them up in
Barrow Straits ; and that thus one object of
your expedition is happily attained.
" In concert, therefore, with his Majesty's
Government (though the signature of the Se-
cretary of State for the Colonies cannot be
* The extraordinary expedition with which this despatch
was transmitted is worthy of being recorded ; and I have,
therefore, in the Appendix, given a few particulars which
will be interesting to the reader.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 1Q
immediately procured, in consequence of his
absence from town), you are hereby directed to
turn your whole attention to your second object,
viz. completing the coast line of the north-
eastern extremity of America. You will observe,
from the enclosed abstract of Captain Ross's pro-
ceedings, that this, also, is become an object of
comparatively easy acquisition. By proceeding
first to Point Turnagain, and thence eastward to
an obelisk in about C9° 37' N. and 98° 40'W.,
which marks the termination of Captain Ross's
progress, — or, vice versa, by proceeding first to
this obelisk, and thence westward, — it is believed
that you may accomplish all that is now wanting
in one season. But even should this prove im-
possible, and you find that a second season on
the coast is desirable, I believe that I may confi-
dently assure you that the means will be ob-
tained for that purpose.
" Your choice of routes will of course depend
on the point where the Thlew-ee-choh joins the
sea ; on which head, therefore, the Committee
has few or no observations to offer. If, as
Governor Simpson imagines, it falls into Ba-
thurst's Inlet, and is identical with Back's River
there, you will of course proceed thence to the
eastward; or if any branch of it, or any other
river you may meet with, turn decidedly to the
westward or eastward, the Committee would
c c2
20 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
rather recommend your endeavouring in this
case to start from one or other extremity. But
beyond this it can offer no hints.
" I cannot conclude, however, without ear-
nestly recommending to you, in its name and that
of all the subscribers to and promoters of your
expedition, to be careful not to expose yourself
and men to unnecessary hazard. The satisfaction
which we all experience in receiving Captain
Ross again is very great ; but it will be much
impaired by any casualties in your expedition.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your obedient humble servant,
" Charles Ogle, Chairman.
" p. S. — As we are not yet quite certain of
obtaining funds for a third year (although rea-
sonably confident that his Majesty's Govern-
ment will, if necessary, supply them), you will be
entirely guided, with regard to it, by further in-
structions which will be forwarded to you in the
course of next season, and which you will receive
on your return to your winter quarters.
" C. O."
«
The instructions alluded to were never sent,
and, had they been so, would have been unavail-
able. For, first, the difficulties already encoun-
tered had by that time proved, that any further
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. Q\
attempt by the Thlew-ee-choh would be as
rash as its result would be fruitless ; secondly,
the hope of crossing the country direct to
Bathurst's Inlet, or in any other direction lead-
ing towards Point Turnagain, had long been
relinquished, in consequence of the unanimous
testimony of the Indians, as to the insurmount-
able obstacles that would oppose the transport
of canoes, and even the requisite provision for so
long and arduous a journey. The whole of the
streams west of the Thlew-ee-choh, within the
knowledge of the Indians, are its tributaries, and
are too shallow and rapid, and too much inter-
rupted with rocks and other dangerous obstruc-
tions, to be navigable in any thing larger than a
small canoe. There remained, therefore, but one
way of penetrating to the sea, viz. by travers-
ing the intervening mountains ; and this, with
such boats or canoes as would carry even the
very limited number of men that composed my
party, was totally impracticable. Had I not
been fully convinced of this, I should, in the
hope of accomplishing one of the great objects
* of my mission, have undoubtedly ventured to
remain out another season, even though such an
act had not received the sanction of the Com-
mittee.
The other points of my instructions were
followed up to the best of my ability, as, it is
c 3
22 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
humbly hoped, will be demonstrated in the nar-
rative which follows.
I cannot, however, close this preliminary state-
ment, without conveying the public expression
of my thanks to Mr. Richard King, for his uni-
form attention to the health of the party, and
the readiness with which he assisted me in all
cases where his services were required. To him
the merit is due of whatever collections have
been made in natural history, as well as of the
preparation of a table of the temperatures of
animals, &c. &c.
To the invaluable services of Mr. R. M'Leod,
the narrative itself bears ample testimony ; yet
I must be permitted to indulge my own feel-
ings, by offering to him here the tribute of my
gratitude and esteem, for the zeal, courage,
constancy, and ability which he displayed in
emergencies and trials of no ordinary kind.
The men, also, and particularly those who ac-
companied me to the sea, were admirably quali-
fied for the service they undertook, and are
entitled to my warmest commendations for their
general conduct. Nor can I withhold especial
notice of the three artillery-men who accom-
panied me from Montreal; their behaviour
furnishing an instructive and useful example to
the others, and fully according with the high
and generous feeling which induced them first
to engage in the expedition.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 23
Numerous, indeed, are the obligations which I
am under to a multitude of excellent persons, both
in England and America, who either gave or
offered assistance at different stages of the enter-
prise. A particular and circumstantial acknowr-
ledgment of all these is impossible ; but my
English friends, I am sure, will forgive me
for making one exception. After the fire at
Montreal, by which our hotel was consumed, a
rumour having got abroad that all the instru-
ments, &c. belonging to the expedition were de-
stroyed, I received, not long afterwards, the
following communication : —
"Albany, April 29.1833.
" My dear Sir,
" We have just heard of the destruction of the
British American Hotel, and it is reported you
have suffered loss. Under these circumstances,
permit one of your American friends to offer to
do any thing for you in his power, by way of
replacing any articles at his own expense.
" Any thing I can do for you it will give me
pleasure to do, on hearing from you.
" With sincere regard,
" Yours very truly,
" (In haste,)
" S. De Witt Bloodgood.
" Capt. Back:9
c 4
24 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
Any comment on a letter so honourable to
the liberal and public-spirited writer would be
superfluous. Such a generous act will be duly
estimated by every English reader.
To my friend Dr. Richardson I owe a large
debt of gratitude for many most useful sug-
gestions, and for his friendly aid in general.
The public also is his debtor, not only for the
valuable matter contained in the fourth Chapter,
but also for the exposition of the Natural His-
tory which is found in the Appendix.
Nor are my obligations less to Professor Chris-
tie, of Woolwich, for his valuable assistance in
selecting some of the instruments, and for his
examination and analysis of the results of the
observations made with them. I am also indebted
to Professor Hooker, J. G. Children, Esq., and
Dr. Fitton, for their kind assistance in different
departments of science.
Of the great and unappreciable service afforded
by the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Di-
rectors of the Hudson's Bay Company, I have
already spoken ; but I should be indeed ungrate-
ful, if I were not to add that their benevolent
intentions were zealously fulfilled, and their ju-
dicious arrangements carried into complete effect
by Mr. Simpson, the resident Governor, and the
various officers in the service of the Company.
Those who reflect how much, if not how en-
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 25
tirely, the success of an expedition like that
which I had the honour to command must neces-
sarily have depended on the aid and co-operation
of these gentlemen, will feel how incumbent it
is on me to acknowledge, as I now do, with sin-
cere and fervent gratitude, the prompt attention,
the ready assistance, and the provident care for
our wants, manifested by all and each of them
in their respective departments. Thus, for the
complete and effective arrangements at Montreal
I am indebted to Mr. James Keith, the agent
of the Company at La Chine. At Norway
House, chief factors Christie, Cameron, Rowand,
and Lewis rendered me important service in the
procuring of a crew, and suggested whatever
useful information their experience and know-
ledge of the country enabled them to supply.
By Mr. Christie, indeed, the whole of the winter
stock was forwarded to the establishment at Fort
Reliance. Neither can I pass over in silence the
efficient and valuable services of chief factors
Charles, Smith, Stuart, and M'Kenzie, Sen.; of Mr.
D. Ross at the depot of Norway House; Messrs.
D. M'Intosh, Miles, Hargraves, and M 'Murray,
chief traders ; and of Messrs. Hutchinson, Bris-
lois, and Clouston, clerks. The frank and hos-
pitable kindness which was shown by all to
myself personally will never be forgotten by me,
and is entitled to this public acknowledgment.
26 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
The courtesy of His Excellency Lord Ayl-
mer, and the gratifying attentions of the worthy
citizens of Montreal and New York, are of
course to be attributed rather to their benevo-
lent sympathy with the main purpose of the
expedition, than to any regard for the individual
who had been selected to conduct it. So re-
garded, their conduct is more honourable to
them, and is at the same time not the less valued
and held in remembrance by me. To express
my thanks might savour of presumption; but I
take the liberty of recording my feelings, in order
that the tribute may be rendered by the British
Public.
27
CHAPTER I.
Departure from England. — Arrival at Montreal. —
Preparations for the Expedition. — Fire at the Hotel.
— Departure from La Chine. — The St. Lawrence. —
The Ottawa. — Lake Huron. — The Saidt de Ste. Marie.
— Arrival at Fort William. — Distribution of the
Loadings. — The Mountain Fall. — Lac de la Pluie.
— Arrival at Fort Alexander. — Magnetic Observations.
— Arrival of Governor Simpson, and Arrangements
made by him. — Arrival at Norway House. — Diffictdty
of procuring Men for the Service. — Departure from
Norway House.
On Sunday, the 17th of February, 1833, ac-
companied by Mr. Richard King and three men,
two of whom had gained experience under Sir
J. Franklin, I embarked in the packet ship
Hibernia, Captain Maxwell, from Liverpool;
and, after a somewhat boisterous passage of
thirty-five days, during part of which the ship
was entangled amongst ice on St. George's Bank,
arrived at New York. We were received with
every attention that politeness and hospitality
could dictate. The usual forms at the Custom-
house were dispensed with in our favour ; and
all classes seemed anxious to facilitate an under-
taking, in the success of which the warmest
28 ARRIVAL AT MONTREAL.
interest was manifested. The proprietors of the
Ohio, steam-boat, offered that fine vessel for our
conveyance to Albany; and, as we started from
the wharf, upwards of a thousand well-dressed
persons, with our friend Mr. Buchanan, the.
British consul, at their head, gave us three
hearty cheers.
From Albany we travelled in coaches or
waggons, according to the quality of the roads ;
and reached Montreal on the 9th of April, a
day earlier than I had promised six months
before. Mr. Keith, the principal officer of the
Hudson's Bay Company at La Chine, lost no
time in acquainting me that preparations for the
expedition were in a forward state, and would
be ready by the appointed time. He entertained,
however, some doubt whether he could himself
obtain the required number of able voyageurs;
and thought that they might be selected, with
greater advantage to the service, from among
the old "winterers" resorting to a depot of the
Company in the interior, which I should neces-
sarily have to pass. He also informed me that
despatches, sent from England, had been for-
warded to the resident governor, Mr. Simpson ;
who, being thus apprised of our movements,
would be enabled to co-operate accordingly.
No sooner was it known in Montreal that
our little party was in one of the hotels,
PREPARATIONS.
than the commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Mac-
dougall, of the 79th regiment, and the officers
of the garrison, as well as the principal inha-
bitants of the town, waited upon us, and vied
with each other in administering to our comforts,
and rendering as agreeable as possible the short
time which remained to us for the enjoyment
of civilised society.
I availed myself of this interval to ascer-
tain the rates of the chronometers with the
nicest precision, and to make a set of observ-
ations for the dip and magnetic intensity, with
Dollond's and Hansteen's needles ; which oper-
ations, with the numerous arrangements neces-
sary for completing our outfit, fully occupied
Mr. King and myself until our departure.
Neither was I without a foretaste of the
anxiety inseparable from the service on which I
had embarked. A refractory spirit had of late
been manifested by two of my three men, who
even threatened to proceed no farther ; for
no better reason than a sudden and wayward
apprehension of a journey, which the strong
expression of public sympathy had taught them
to regard as beset with more than ordinary
perils. However, by convincing them of the
disgrace which would attend a desertion, and
then despatching them at once, through the
means of Mr. Keith, to a distant post of the
30 FIRE AT THE HOTEL.
Company, I was enabled to retain their services,
which I was not without hope would, in the
sequel, turn to good account. Still this incident
taught me the little dependence that could be
placed on men who shrank from dangers in pros-
pect, and were ready to abandon an expedition in
which, but two months before, they had engaged
with the utmost alacrity and zeal : and as Cap-
tain Anderson, of the 6th battalion of Royal
Artillery, had intimated the eager desire of
several of his best men to accompany me, I
wrote to Lord Aylmer, the Governor-general, and
His Excellency was pleased to sanction the dis-
charge of four for that purpose. Colonel Godby
was equally kind in affording me assistance ; and,
strengthened by those volunteers, I felt that I
had now a check on any that might hereafter
prove refractory, as well as the comfortable
assurance of having those with me on whom I
could rely in the utmost need.
On the evening of the 24th of April a fire broke
out in our hotel, just as we were about to quit it.
The performance of the Bohemian brothers had
brought together a numerous assemblage, prin-
cipally of ladies ; and such was the fury of the
flames, that for many the upper windows afforded
the only means of escape. Luckily, my bag-
gage was, for the greater part, removed ; and
thus, though most of the property in the house
LA CHINE. 31
was consumed, I had chiefly to regret the
loss of my only available barometer. The two
which I had brought from England had been
damaged in the voyage, and could not be re-
paired at Montreal ; and the one thus unfor-
tunately lost had been most kindly obtained
and presented by Mr. Walker, to whom we were
under many other obligations.
As I was compelled to hire a certain num-
ber of voyageurs for the expedition, and they
are generally an extremely superstitious race,
there was reason to apprehend that I might find
a difficulty in doing so, if, as was not unlikely,
they chose to construe as an evil omen this
untoward accident, marking the moment of our
departure. I must own, therefore, that it was
with some pleasure that, on arriving at La Chine
the following morning (April 25th), accompanied
by my friend Colonel Macdougall, I found them
far too assiduous in their libations to Bacchus, to
be subject to any less potent influences.
Notwithstanding the alarm and confusion of
the preceding night, a number of the officers of
the garrison, and many of the respectable in-
habitants, collected spontaneously together, to
offer us a last tribute of kindness. We em-
barked amidst the most enthusiastic cheers, and
firing of musketry. The two canoes shot rapidly
through the smooth waters of the canal, and
32 ST. LAWRENCE. — OTTAWA.
were followed by the dense crowd on the banks.
A few minutes brought us to the St. Lawrence,
and, as we turned the stems of our little vessels
up that noble stream, one long loud huzza bade
us farewell !
Both our maUre-candt*, and the other, which
was of smaller dimensions, were rather lum-
bered than loaded. Every package had been
reduced or augmented to a "piece" of 90 lbs.
weight ; and, as there were only about fifty of
these altogether, we were what is termed " half-
loaded," and in a condition, therefore, to make
reasonable speed, with any thing like an efficient
crew. In our case, however, there was an un-
avoidable mixture of old hands and "mangeurs
de lard" or green-horns; and there was scarcely
one who had failed to take advantage of the last
opportunity of getting drunk. At the head of
them was Paul, an old Iroquois guide, who was,
however, otherwise invaluable, as, I really be-
lieve, he knew the situation of every dangerous
rock in the whole line of rapids between Mon-
treal and Hudson's Bay.
Turning off to the right, we entered the
Ottawa, which (like the Moselle after its conflu-
ence with the Rhine), for some distance below
the junction rolls on its brown waters unmixed
* A large canoe used between Montreal and Fort Wil-
liam, on the hanks of Lake Superior.
THE OTTAWA. 33
with the clear stream of the St. Lawrence. On
coming abreast of a village, near which stood a
large cross, a few paces from the church, the
more devout of the voyageurs went on shore,
and, standing in a musing posture, implored the
protection of the patron saint in the perilous
enterprise on which they were embarked ; while
their companions, little affected by their piety,
roared out to them to " s'embarquer" and
paddled away to the merry tune of a lively
canoe song. We soon reached the rapid of St.
Anne ; and, having ascended it with a trifling
injury to one of the canoes, we encamped on an
island in the pretty Lake of the Two Mountains.
As our route was precisely the same with that
followed by the Company's people every season,
which has been described by Sir A. M'Kenzie,
as well as by more modern travellers #, a minute
detail of our progress seems unnecessary ; and it
will be sufficient merely to indicate a few of the
principal places in the line of country from La
Chine to the south-west end of Great Slave Lake,
from which point the discovery properly begins.
By the kindness of Colonel Duvernet, the canoes
were permitted to go through the government
canal, which cuts off the dangerous rapid of the
long Sault. They were afterwards towed by
* Herman, Ross, Cox, Sir J. Franklin, Major Long, &c.
D
34 THE OTTAWA.
the steam-boat which plies between that place
and By town, a village beautifully situated on
the heights between the Rideau and the Chau-
diere Falls ; in which latter, only the evening
before several raftsmen had been unfortunately
engulfed. Lieutenant Kains, who commanded the
steam-boat, could not be prevailed on to accept
any remuneration for the important service thus
rendered to us.
During the night, two of our young hands
deserted; a casualty, however, which did not
give me any uneasiness, and relieved me from
any further apprehension on their account. In-
deed, the probability of such an event is usually
taken into account by those who are accustomed
to this mode of travelling, and a few extra men
are generally engaged as a reserve.
April 28. — Having arrived at a portage — by
which term, it is almost unnecessary to say, is
understood a place where, by reason of some
obstruction to the navigation, it is necessary to
carry the baggage and canoes — we were kindly
invited to breakfast at the house of an Indian fur
trader of the name of Day. This old gentle-
man declared, that his feelings were so warmly
excited by the praiseworthy object of the expe-
dition, that he could hardly refrain, even at his
advanced age, from offering his services. At one
of the Company's posts, called Fort des Chats,
LAKE HURON. 35
I found my three men who had been sent from
Montreal ; and, having embarked them, with
seventeen " pieces " out of nineteen which had
been forwarded by the steam-boat, we proceeded
along rapids, which more or less detained us
until we got to Fort Coulonge. The houses
above this were far apart, and the population
comparatively thin ; but, on my return in 1835,
I was agreeably surprised to see many com-
fortable dwellings erected in the interval, sur-
rounded by smiling corn fields, and animated
by groups of both sexes, who looked from the
windows or stood on the banks to see us pass.
Leaving the Ottawa, we diverged to the left,
up a deep and black stream, so overhung by
sombre rocks and withered trees, and so bleak
and lifeless, that it seemed the very home of
melancholy and despair, and forced upon my
recollection an admirable painting represent-
ing Sadak in search of the waters of oblivion.
It took us to Lake Nipising, whence we de-
scended by the Riviere des Fra^ais into Lake
Huron ; our progress through which was so im-
peded by fogs and head winds, that it was not
until May 11th that we reached the Sault de Ste.
Marie, at the head of the lake, and the extreme
point to which civilisation has yet extended.
Some surprise was testified at our early arrival
by my old acquaintance Mr. Bethune, who in-
d 2
86 THE SAULT DE STE. MARIE.
formed me that the vast quantity of floating ice
on Lake Superior had prevented his forwarding
the despatches mentioned by Mr. Keith before
the 1st of the month; so that, in reality, they
were only eleven days in advance of me, though
sent from England in December. My only re-
gret at this circumstance was, the very limited
time which would be thus afforded Mr. Simpson
for aiding the expedition in the efficient man-
ner to which, I was well assured, his zeal would
prompt him. As yet, I had not one third of the
necessary number of volunteers to go through
the service ; and there were many other im-
portant arrangements that could be satisfactorily
made by the resident governor alone.
Owing to the scarcity of provisions in the
interior, it became advisable to take a supply for
five weeks ; and a third canoe was purchased to
assist in carrying it. Before leaving the Sault,
I waited on the officers of the American garrison,
accompanied by the gentlemen of the Company ;
and it is almost superfluous to say, that we expe-
rienced a reception in perfect keeping with the
strong feeling of interest which had been mani-
fested for us throughout the state of New York.
But the commanding officer, Captain Baxly, not
satisfied with the ordinary courtesies of polite
attention, sent us a more substantial proof of his
kindness, in the shape of prepared venison,
ARRIVAL AT FORT WILLIAM. 3J
tongues, sweet corn, and many other dainties ;
which, though most welcome on their own ac-
count, were, in my estimation, still more valuable
for the feeling which had prompted the present.
Nothing beyond the ordinary causes of de-
tention occurred while crossing the northern
extremity of Lake Superior. At a post called
the Pic, we were liberally supplied with fresh
butter and fish by my old friend Mr. M 'Murray,
who would willingly have had us remain the
night with him. The inviting appearance of
the weather induced us to decline his hospitality ;
and it was not a little mortifying, therefore, to
find ourselves soon enveloped in a dense fog,
which baffled the skill of the guide, and com-
pelled us to land.
On the 20th of May we arrived at Fort William,
much to the astonishment of Mr. D. M'Intosh,
the gentleman in charge, who assured us that the
light canoes of the preceding season had been
fully twelve days later. It was here that the
large canoes were to be exchanged for smaller,
better calculated to overcome the numerous
impediments which obstruct the navigation of
the inland rivers ; and I had every reason to be
satisfied with the two beautiful ones which had
been constructed for the purpose, by the direction
of Governor Simpson, and under the superin-
tendence of Mr. M'Intosh.
d 3
38 DISTRIBUTION OF THE LOADINGS.
An entire day was now devoted to the exa-
mining and repacking of our various stores and
instruments. Our " North Canoe," brought from
Montreal, was also repaired ; for, lumbered as we
were with provisions, it was found impracticable
to ascend the shallow waters of the Kamines-
tiquoia without taking her, in addition to the
two new ones ; and I did this the less reluc-
tantly, as no extra expense was thus incurred, and
there were hands enough to manage the three.
The Canadian voyageur is, in all respects,
a peculiar character ; and on no point is he
more sensitive, or, rather, to use an expressive
term, more touchy, than in the just distribution
of "pieces" among the several canoes form-
ing a party. It must be admitted, at the same
time, that he has very substantial reasons for
being particular in this matter, for he well knows
that, supposing the canoes to be in other re-
spects equally matched, a very small inequality
of weight will make a considerable difference in
their relative speed, and will occasion, moreover,
a longer detention at the portages. The usual
mode is for the guide to separate the pieces,
and then to distribute or portion them out by
lots, holding in his hand little sticks of different
lengths, which the leading men draw. From
the decision so made there is no appeal, and
the parties go away laughing or grumbling
THE MOUNTAIN FALL. 39
at their different fortunes. These important
preliminaries, therefore, being settled to the
tolerable satisfaction of those concerned, we took
leave of our friendly host, and encamped at the
imposing fall of Kakabikka, by the voyageurs
commonly called the Mountain Fall. This
has been well and graphically described by
Major Long* and Sir J. Franklin t ; in mag-
nitude it is inferior only to the Niagara or the
Falls of Wilberforce, whilst it far surpasses both
in picturesque effect.
On the 26th, the despatch canoe (a sort of
mail) overtook us at the Savannah portage ;
and I gladly seized the opportunity it afforded me
of sending a letter to Mr. Simpson, with a requi-
sition for men and stores, and a request that
he would do me the favour to make certain in-
quiries as to the most practicable route to the
Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth. %
While descending the narrow and encumbered
stream of the Savannah, William Malley, one
of my volunteer artillerymen, slipped off a float-
ing tree, as he was attempting to open a pas-
sage for the canoes, and narrowly escaped being
* " Narrative of an Expedition to St. Peter's River,
Lake Winnepeg," &c.
f " Second Journey to the Polar Sea."
X Dezeth, desseh, tessy, &c. being only the same word for
river, will in future be omitted in the Narrative.
D 4
40 LAC DE LA PLUIE.
drowned ; but he bore the accident with so much
indifference and good humour as to call forth
the admiration of Paul, who at once predicted
that he would make a good voyageur.
On the 31st, we crossed Lac de la Pluie,
which well sustained its name and character, by
receiving us with a pelting rain which drenched
us to the skin. There was neither meat nor
fish at the Company's establishment, and, owing
to the failure of the crops, scarcely any rice,
(wild rice, Folk amine, Zizania aquatica,) which
is generally abundant at this solitary station,
growing in the swampy ground round the lake.
We encamped on a small island in the Lake
of the Woods, which was literally covered with
a dwarf species of prickly pear ( Cactus opuntia),
much to the annoyance of the men, whose feet
were soon stuck full of its irritating prickles.
On the 6th of June we arrived at Fort Alex-
ander, situated at the southern extremity of
Lake Winnepeg. Here I had hoped to find the
governor, and was not a little disappointed when
informed by Mr. Clouston, the gentleman in
charge, that it might be several days before he
arrived ; though, as the despatch canoe had left
the day before, there was every reason to suppose
that he was by that time in possession of my
letter, and, therefore, would naturally infer that I
could not be far off. Important as every hour
MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 41
was to the accomplishment of my plans, it was of
still greater moment to me to see Mr. Simpson
personally ; and, aware of the probability of our
passing each other unobserved, if I attempted to
hasten towards him in a canoe, I preferred the
alternative of remaining quietly at the establish-
ment, and so securing an interview which I so
ardently desired.
To beguile the time, the stores were ex-
amined, and the few which the rain had damaged
were exposed to the sun, dried, and carefully
repacked. I also made a set of observations for
the dip. The result was 79° 12' #, making a
difference of 25 minutes from those taken on a
former occasion. The vibrations and dip were
ascertained alternately, according to the face of
the instrument; and all were satisfactory enough,
except needle No. 2. reversed, with the face of
the instrument east, when a considerable alter-
ation appeared both in the number of the vibra-
tions and the point at which the needle finally
rested. A second trial showed a similar discre-
pancy. The reason of this peculiarity I could
not divine until about an hour afterwards, when
some gentlemen arrived from the westward, and
acquainted us that they had just encountered a se-
vere thunder shower, though the sky over the fort
* The results are those given by the instrument, without
any correction for temperature.
42 ONE OF THE PARTY SOLICITS HIS DISCHARGE.
underwent no visible change, and wore the same
sultry aspect as it had done most of the forenoon.
Amongst the people who had accompanied us
from Montreal, was a tall fine-looking fellow of
the name of Larke, who had volunteered, and,
indeed, had taken a great deal of trouble to get
entered, for the expedition. He had passed a part
of his life in the woods, was particularly well qua-
lified for such an undertaking, and had attracted
universal admiration by his apparent determina-
tion to brave all difficulties. This man now, how-
ever, came to me, and in a humble tone solicited
his discharge, as, to use his own phrase, "he
was sure we should be all starved to death;" and
so firmly was this unmanly resolution fixed in his
mind, that he declared nothing should force him
to go on. It is unnecessary to say that such
pusillanimous weakness was utterly irreconcilable
with an enterprise like that in which we were
engaged, which demanded an entire sacrifice of
home comforts, and an enthusiastic and unre-
flecting ardour in the prosecution of its objects.
I was not sorry, therefore, that the disease had
shown itself so early ; for, had it broken out here-
after, at a more critical period of the adventure,
the infection might have spread in a manner too
formidable for remedy. He had his wish, and
with it a recommendation, at the same time, to
the Company to oblige him to serve, in some
ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR SIMPSON. 43
distant part, the full term of his three years'
engagement.
Mr. H. Berens, who was on his way to Canada
from the Red River Colony, brought me the pleas-
ing intelligence that Mr. Simpson would very
shortly follow ; and as the latter gentleman was
about to return to England, without proceeding
to the depot at Norway House, it was fortunate
that I had determined on remaining, though it
was certain that nothing which prudence and ex-
perience could suggest would have been omitted
to promote my views. I learned from Mr. Berens
that the colony at Red River was in a prosperous
state ; and that notwithstanding the failure of
the crops last season, meat was from three
halfpence to two-pence a pound, and eggs three-
pence a dozen.
June 10th. — Governor Simpson arrived, and
communicated to me the measures he had
adopted, as well as the result of a council held
by some of the principal officers of the Company,
respecting the affairs of the expedition.
Every aid, it seemed, was to be rendered to our
operations ; the stores were to be thrown open
for our use ; and the services and experience
of several well-informed individuals were to be
made available for preventing those accidents to
which our remote situation, or other local cir-
cumstances, might particularly expose us. Part
44? ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR.
of the stores ordered last year were at Cum-
berland House, and the remainder would be
there before we reached that station. Of
pemmican Mr. Simpson anticipated a less plen-
tiful supply, on account of the migration of
the buffalo from the plains in the neighbour-
hood of Carlton and Edmonton, the two prin-
cipal posts for collecting that useful, and, to
us, indispensable provision. Yet, as orders had
been transmitted along the whole line of route
up to Great Slave Lake to hoard provision for
the expedition, there was every reason to be-
lieve that we should not be exposed to inconve-
nience.
Two additional men were engaged by the
Governor ; and for the rest he recommended me
to go as speedily as possible to Norway House ;
where, by intercepting the different brigades of
boats on their way to Hudson's Bay, I might
have an opportunity of selecting a choice crew
of old hands.
Two letters, which about this time I received
from Mr. Simpson, are so creditable to him,
both as regards his capacity as Governor and
his feelings as a man, that, though written
with no such view, I cannot deny myself the
gratification of making them public. If they
excite in others only a small part of the ad-
miration with which I regarded them, Mr. Simp-
LETTER TO CAPTAIN BACK. 45
son will have no reason to complain. My own
feelings towards him may be understood, when
it is seen that he thus literally identified himself
with the expedition, and, what was scarcely
of less value, impressed those around him with
the same sentiments.
66 To Captain Back, R.N., Commander of the
Arctic Land Expedition.
" Red River Settlement,
7th June, 1832. •—
" My dear Sir,
" I am in possession of two very valuable
communications from you, which came to hand
yesterday ; one dated London, December 14th,
1832 — the other at Gros Cap, Lake Superior,
May 12th, 1833.
" It is with unfeigned regret I have to state
that imperious circumstances oblige me to fore-
go the pleasure of a personal interview with you,
on your route to the scene of your operations ;
but the state of my health is so deranged as to
render it absolutely necessary for me to proceed
direct from hence to Canada, and thence to
England, for the benefit of medical advice.
Indeed, so completely invalided am I at present,
that in this communication I am obliged to have
recourse to dictation, being unequal to the
fatigue of writing.
46 governor Simpson's letter
" Permit me, however, my dear Sir, to assure
you that I have perused these favours, together
with the printed plan of the expedition under
your command, with impressions of the most
lively interest. Indeed, such are the humane and
philanthropic views of the enterprise altogether,
that they cannot fail to excite and command the
sympathies of all with whom you may come
in contact.
" For myself, allow me to say, that in my in-
dividual as well as official capacity, I am exceed-
ingly anxious to further your benevolent views ;
and I cannot but rejoice that the conduct of the
enterprise is intrusted to one whose experience,
character, and abilities have been already so
well appreciated by the British public in re-
ference to former expeditions.
" What may be the fate of those who are the
objects of your humane exertions it is, in the pre-
sent state of things, impossible to say. Should the
worst forebodings be realised, still the expense
and fatigue of the expedition will be compensated
abundantly in the valuable acquisitions which
discovery and science will acquire, collaterally,
in its prosecution ; while the public in general,
and your party in particular, will have the proud
satisfaction of having done all within the reach
of human exertion for the relief of fellow
TO CAPTAIN BACK. 47
creatures supposed to be in circumstances at
which our nature shudders.
" I fully concur in Mr. Keith's suggestions,
respecting the necessity of getting experienced
men who are inured to the fatigues of the coun-
try. There will probably be some difficulty in
procuring volunteers ; but I am happy to confide
this part of the arrangement to Messrs. Chief-
factors Cameron and Christie, gentlemen, who,
from their experience in the country, and well
known benevolence of character, are eminently
calculated to assist in furthering the well-being
and comfort of the party. Mr. Charles will
meet you at Jack River, and is directed to give
you the full benefit of his experience and local
knowledge of the country about Slave Lake and
its vicinity.
" By the enclosed you will perceive that the
Council have nominated four officers in the Com-
pany's service, all men of courage and ability ;
any one of whom will be fully adequate to the
duties which may devolve upon him under your
command. Hope of speedy promotion in the
service is the reward held out to such person of
that number as may embrace the opportunity of
aiding and furthering your views and objects.
In fine, I wish it to be perfectly understood
that all our resources are available to you ; that
our craft will be at your service, and our stores
48 LETTER FROM GOVERNOR SIMPSON.
at your command; and that this letter is to
be considered as sufficient authority for you to
call those resources into action as occasion may
require.
" Believe me, my dear Sir,
" Yours most faithfully,
" Geo. Simpson."
" To Alexander JR. M'Leod or Simon M' Gil-
livray, Esquires ; and to Mr. John M'Leod,
or Mr. Murdoch M'Pherson.
" Red River Settlement,
5th June, 1833.
" Gentlemen,
" An expedition has been planned by the
Governor and Committee and the Arctic So-
ciety, in which his Majesty's Government and
the British public take the deepest interest,
having for its object the discovery of Captain
Ross and his crew, and the relieving them from
their supposed perilous situation, if still in exist-
ence ; together with the survey of those un-
known regions on the northern coast of America
lying between Point Turnagain and the Straits
of the Fury and Hecla.
" The command of this expedition has been
given to Captain Back, R.N. ; and the Governor
and Committe have directed that every support,
assistance, and facility be afforded that gen-
LETTER FROM GOVERNOR SIMPSON. 49
tleman towards carrying the important objects
alluded to into effect, which we are most anxious
should be met with the best feeling, in spirit and
to the letter.
" Captain Back will require the assistance of
one of the Honorable Company's officers on this
mission ; and we see none so likely to render him
the assistance required as one of yourselves.
We therefore call upon one of you, in the order
in which your names stand at the head of this
letter, to join Captain Back without delay, and
to act under the command of that gentleman in
the service in question ; and as an encourage-
ment to enter on this dangerous service, we
hereby assure to you Alexander Roderick
M'Leod, Esquire, or to you Simon M'Gillivray,
Esquire, our warmest support towards early pro-
motion to a chief factorship, in the event of
either embarking on this enterprise, and render-
ing to Captain Back such valuable services as we
consider you qualified to afford ; and to Mr.
John M'Leod, or Mr. Murdoch M'Pherson,
we hereby promise our warmest support towards
early promotion to a chief tradership, in the
event of either embarking on this enterprise, and
rendering in like manner to Captain Back such
valuable services as we consider you capable of
affording, besides an increase of salary of 100/.
E
50 DEPARTURE FROM FORT ALEXANDER.
per annum for the time you may be employed
on this expedition.
" I am, Gentlemen,
" Your most obedient Servant,
" Geo. Simpson."
Flattering, as these arrangements were, and
in the hurry of our affairs decidedly the best
that could have been made, I felt nevertheless
that the time necessary to collect my party and
stores, and convey them into the interior against
the obstacles and difficulties of an unknown route,
would seriously obstruct, if it did not entirely
prevent, my getting to the Polar Sea this autumn.
Not that this would materially affect our ulterior
object, as I believe the most sanguine never
contemplated the idea of our being in a condition
to afford succour to Captain Ross and his much-
enduring party before the summer of 1834. Yet
for many reasons it was desirable that the situation
and nearest route to the river Thlew-ee-choh,
and thence to the sea, should be discovered,
if practicable, by the time the laden bateaux
should get to Slave Lake ; more especially as
it would tend to encourage the men, who, gene-
rally speaking, are always more or less nervous
on new ground.
After the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Simpson,
I prepared to leave Fort Alexander — to the
MUSQUITOES. 51
great delight of the voyageurs, who had been
so tormented by the mosquitoes that they
longed to get to the cool breezes of Lake Win-
nipeg, and indulge in the luxury of an undis-
turbed nap. My companion Mr. King, among
others, was severely punished, to his no little
disappointment, — as, being indifferent to the
attacks of English insects of every description,
he had fondly imagined he should be invulner-
able to those of America. But a dipping in the
Styx itself would not have saved him from the
darts of the indefatigable searchers after blood
to which he was now exposed ; and he rose in
the morning with features so changed that it was
difficult to recognise the friend of the preceding
night.
At 4 a. m. of the 1 1 th of June, we left the esta-
blishment; but the wind blew so hard, that we
had not proceeded more than three miles before
the height of the waves, which broke freely over
both sides of the canoes, obliged us to encamp.
But few birds of any kind were seen ; and though
I remembered that on a former occasion the wild
pigeons were very numerous, yet none were now
found near the fort, though the cleared land
around the Red River colony, not more than a
day's march off, was said to swarm with them.
On the 12th and following day we made con-
siderable progress. The weather afterwards
e g
52 NATURAL HISTORY.
became unsettled and stormy. Geese, ducks,
plover, gulls, and tern, were seen sparingly
scattered along the east shore of the lake, which,
unlike the mountains to the north, which are
limestone *, is composed of smooth and rounded
granitic rocks of little altitude, intervening
between low banks, with sand, and skirted by a
swampy country behind. From the different
ridges of sand in the bays between the rocks,
and the increase of vegetation on them, I con-
cluded that the shore was gradually gaining on
the water ; and this opinion seems confirmed
by the fact that the Company has been obliged
to change the situation of Old Norway House,
on the opposite side, owing to the rapidly
progressive advance of the water there. In
fact, it has so undermined and washed away
the banks, as to have arrived within a few feet
of a building, the distance of which from the
edge of the lake in 1819 was upwards of three
hundred yards. Few pelicans were noticed ;
and as these birds are faithful attendants at
good fishing places, for which the lake is re-
markable, the Canadians augured an indifferent
season.
On the 17th of June, having hoisted the Com-
pany's flag, we arrived at the depot called
* Richardson, Appendix to Franklin.
ARRIVAL AT NORWAY HOUSE. ,53
Norway House, situated on Jack River. Our
reception was most cordial. Messrs. Christie,
Rowand, Lewis, and Donald Ross, for most of
whom I had letters from my excellent friend
Mr. Garry, lost not a moment in tendering all
the assistance in their power. But notwith-
standing the good feeling on their part, some
trouble was experienced from the exorbitant
terms proposed by the men who seemed dis-
posed to volunteer. The bulk of the people
from the more remote stations had already passed
the depot ; and those who remained, either re-
luctant to expose themselves to the hazard of
what was justly considered an enterprise of dan-
ger, or influenced by the strong desire of gain,
demanded the same privileges and emoluments
which had been granted to the men emploved
on the two Government expeditions under
Sir J. Franklin, Unreasonable as this seemed
to us, we had no choice but to yield in part to
their demands ; and even then, it was not until
I had taken infinite pains, by pointing out on
the map the whole line of my operations, by
lessening the danger and magnifying our re-
sources, and, finally, by arousing the slumber-
ing spirit of the Highlander, that James M 'Kay,
to whom I first addressed myself, — a powerful
fellow, and one of the best steersmen in the
e 3
54< DIFFICULTY OF PROCURING
country, — at length consented to be my follower.
The example once set was soon imitated, and
others, more or less qualified, completed my list
to within two of the complement. Two days
sufficed to equip them ; and as a large supply of
stores, together with sixty bags of pemmican
and two new boats, or batteaux, were already at
Cumberland House, I despatched Mr. King,
with written instructions and fifteen men, to
precede me to that post. I remained behind to
secure, if possible, another steersman, and a mid-
dleman for a canoe, with which it was my inten-
tion to push on, by the Athabasca, to Great Slave
Lake ; whence I hoped a route might be found to
the Thlew-ee-choh, and where at all events an
eligible place might be selected for our winter
residence. About the same time Mr. Christie
and several other gentlemen took their departure
for York factory, with a promise to provide me,
if possible, with an Esquimaux interpreter, either
in the person of my old friend Augustus, who
was expected from the Labrador coast, or in
that of a lad of the name of Dunning, then at
Churchill, and represented by Governor Simpson
as equal to the task.
Messrs. Cameron, Lewis, Ross, and myself,
were now the only persons left at the depot ; and
I may conscientiously say that I almost counted
the hours, in my anxiety for the arrival of the
MEN FOR THE SERVICE. 55
parties, from either of which it was supposed I
might get the men required. They came at
last ; and two Canadians, former acquaintances
of mine, presented themselves, almost breathless
with haste, as candidates for the service. Their
merits being known to me, I made no scruple
about receiving them, and directed their agree-
ments to be made out. In the meantime, how-
ever, returning to the camp, they were met by
their wives, who were no sooner made acquainted
with the transaction than thev resorted to dif-
ferent, though as it seems equally efficacious,
methods of diverting them from their purpose.
The one, a good strapping dame, cuffed her
husband's ears with such dexterity and good
will, that he was fain to cry peccavi, and seek
shelter in a friendly tent ; the other, an in-
teresting girl of seventeen, burst into tears, and
with piteous sobs clung to the husband of her
love, as if she would hold him prisoner in her
arms. I had therefore to look elsewhere; and it
was not until the 26th, that George Sinclair
(born in the country, and an admirable steers-
man) engaged on similar terms with M'Kay.
There now wanted but one ; and this deficiency
was with great kindness supplied by Mr. Came-
ron's allowing me to take an Iroquois belonging
to the Company, on condition that if he went
e 4
56
DEPARTURE FROM NORWAY HOUSE.
beyond Slave Lake, he should be entitled to the
same advantages as the others.*
All was now complete ; and, after writing
despatches for His Majesty's Government and
the Arctic Committee, letters, &c, I took leave
of my worthy host Mr. Ross, and at 2 a. m.,
June 28th, left Norway House.
*The men engaged for the expedition were the following: —
James M'Kay
George Sinclair
Thomas Matthews
William Matthews
John Ross
William Malley
Hugh Canon
David Williamson
William Rowland
Thomas Anderson
Malcolm Smith.
Donald MDonald.
Morrison Morrison.
James Spence
Peter Taylor -
Charles Boulanger.
Pierre Kanaquasse.
Thomas Hassel
V Steersmen.
Carpenters.
Artillerymen.
Fishermen.
J- Engaged afterwards.
Interpreter.
Also the following, who were subsequently discharged :
Pierre Ateasta.
Two more Iroquois.
Olivier Seguin. Francois Hoole.
Antoine De Charloit.
La Charite.
57
CHAP. II.
Commencement of the Expedition. — Interview with Mr.
Charles. — Wind-bound by a Land Gale. — A Receipt for
the Cure of "Blue Devils"'- — Description of a Voyageur's
Tent. — A Land Storm. — The Grand Rapid. — Ad-
vance of Cultivation. — Arrival at Cumberland House.
— Departure of the Bateaux under Mr. King. — Em-
bark in a Canoe. — Working of the Boats in the Rapids.
— Isle a la Crosse — Buffalo Lake. — A Squall. — A
Skunk. — Portage la Loche. — Effect of the Scenery. —
Interview with Mr, Stuart and Mr. A. M'Leod. —
The latter volunteers to accompany the Expedition. —
Arrive at Fort Chippewy an.— I? formation as to the
supposed Route by the Fond du Lac. — Journey re-
sumed. — Salt River. — Sketch of a Party of Indians.
— Description of the Salt Springs. — Indian Encamp-
ment, — Information of the Natives as to the Rivers
Thlew-ee-choh and Teh-Ion. — Arrival at Fort Resolu-
tion,
June 28th. — This was a happy day for me ;
and as the canoe pushed off from the bank, my
heart swelled with hope and joy. Now, for the
first time, I saw myself in a condition to verify
the kind anticipations of my friends. The pre-
liminary difficulties had been overcome : I was
fairly on the way to the accomplishment of the
benevolent errand on which I had been com-
missioned ; and the contemplation of an object
58 COMMENCEMENT OF THE EXPEDITION.
so worthy of all exertion, in which I thought my-
self at length free to indulge, raised my spirits
to a more than ordinary pitch of excitement.
We paddled along, with little respite, until
5 p. m., when a small speck was seen under
the steep sandy cliffs round Mossy Point, on the
northern boundary of Lake Winnipeg. It was
coming towards us, and was at first taken for an
Indian canoe ; but as we approached, I had the
satisfaction to find that it was the Company's
light canoe from the Athabasca, with Messrs.
Smith and Charles, two gentlemen whom I had
long wished to see. From the latter I now
learnt that he had made every endeavour to
obtain, by inquiries from the Indians, a toler-
ably correct notion of the situation of the river
Thlew-ee-choh ; the result of which was an
opinion that it ran somewhere to the north-east
of Great Slave Lake, in a position not far from
that which had been speculatively assigned to it
by my friend Dr. Richardson and myself. Mr.
Charles had further been informed by an Indian
chief, called the " Grand Jeune Homme," whose
hunting grounds were in the neighbourhood of
Great Slave Lake, that the Thlew-ee-choh was so
full of rapids as to make it doubtful if boats, or
indeed large canoes, could descend it ; but that,
by pursuing a different course to a large river,
called Teh-Ion, such difficulties would be avoid-
INTERVIEW WITH MR. CHARLES. 59
ed ; whilst the distance between the mouths of
the two rivers was so trifling, that the smoke of
a fire made at one was distinctly visible at the
other. The chief had drawn a rough outline of
the track, some part of which I recognised as
being on the borders of Slave Lake ; but the
directions assigned to the rivers could not be
explained by either of the gentlemen, nor was I
able to bring myself to any satisfactory con-
clusion about them. The waters, however, were
described as abounding in fish, and the country
in animals ; and, what was not less gratifying,
the chief and some others were willing and
desirous to accompany me.
Mr. Charles was the officer in charge of the
Athabasca district ; and having resided at Chip-
pewyan Fort, he was well qualified to judge of
the accuracy of an opinion expressed by Mr. A.
Stewart, a gentleman whom I had seen at Mon-
treal, that a practicable route might be found from
the bottom or eastern extremity of that lake. He
disclaimed, however, any knowledge of such a
route, though he thought it desirable that I
should ascertain the fact. He, as well as Mr.
McKenzie, at Isle a la Crosse, had provision for
us, if required ; and after some further arrange-
ments respecting boats at the north end of Por-
tage la Loche, and the procuring of dogs along
the route, in all of which he cheerfully met my
60 MOSSY TO NEW LIMESTONE POINT.
wishes, we separated, both for the sea, though
in directions very different. The evening was
calm and clear, and, if the strength of the men
had been equal to my impatience, we should
have passed the night on the water ; but they
had been nearly eighteen hours labouring at the
paddles, and I could not refuse them a little
rest : at 8h 40m p.m., therefore, we encamped
on the beach, and were instantly beset by swarms
of mosquitoes.
The appearance of the cliffs or steep banks, from
Mossy to New Limestone Point, is somewhat re-
markable : they are composed of clay, with a su-
perstratum of vegetable substances about six feet
thick; the layers of which appear to be horizon-
tally foliated, like the leaves of an outspread book.
In colour they vary from a blackish brown to a
light ochre, and they rest entirely on a substratum
of calcareous sand, with small fragments of water-
worn limestone, on which the lake is constantly
encroaching, as may be distinctly seen by the
numberless broken stems of trees, whose roots
are yet green in the soil.
We started at three o'clock on the following
morning, and were soon relieved from the fatigue
of the paddle by a favourable light breeze. To go
on shore and trim a mast was the work of ten
minutes ; but as, according to the old adage, "it
never rains but it pours," so our light breeze was
WIND-BOUND BY A LAND GALE. 6l
soon converted into a gale. In an hour or two
we were compelled to run the canoe into shoal
water, to save her from being swamped in deep ;
and each man, getting out, waded with the bag-
gage to a place of shelter, where the canoe also
was secured.
Nothing is more annoying to a sailor than to
be wind-bound on fresh water. " On the wide
ocean ranging," he is more resigned to the
imperious will of the elements ; but, to be
stopped for an indefinite time, within sight of
birds and animals gamboling in the gale, is a
species of annoyance which quite overcomes his
philosophy : at least, it was so with me ; so, to
dispel the moody fit which was gathering, I drew
on a pair of Esquimaux boots made of seal-skin,
and, taking my gun, made the tour of a thickly
wooded swamp, which was so interlaced with
undergrowth, willows, and fallen trees, that, when
once in, I found it no easy matter to get out
again. In the exertion necessary for extricating
myself my restlessness found a vent, and the
exercise soon restored my mind to its usual tone,
and prepared it for other occupations. I returned
to the tent thoroughly tired; and, here reclining
in the full ease of a voyageur, I amused myself with
observing the odd assemblage of things around
me. At myfeet was a rolled bundle in an oil-cloth,
containing some three blankets, called a bed ; —
62 a voyageur's tent.
near it a piece of dried buffalo, fancifully orna-
mented with long black hairs, which no art, alas !
can prevent from insinuating themselves between
the teeth, as you laboriously masticate the tough,
hard flesh ; — then a tolerably clean napkin spread,
by way of table-cloth, on a red piece of canvass,
and supporting a tea-pot, some biscuit, and a
salt-cellar ; — near this a tin plate, close by
a square kind of box or safe, of the same mate-
rial, rich with a pale greasy ham, the produce of
the colony at Red River ; — and, last, the far-
renowned pemmican, unquestionably the best
food of the country for expeditions such as ours.
Behind me were two boxes, containing astrono-
mical instruments, and a sextant lying on the
ground \ — whilst the different corners of the tent
were occupied by washing apparatus, a gun,
Indian shot pouch, bags, basins, and an unhappy-
looking japanned pot, whose melancholy bumps
and hollows seemed to reproach me for many a
bruise endured upon the rocks and portages
betwixt Montreal and Lake Winnipeg. Nor
was my crew less motley than the furniture of my
tent. It consisted of an Englishman, — a man
from Stornaway, — two Canadians, — two Metifs
(or half-breeds), — and three Iroquois Indians.
Babel could not have produced a worse confu-
sion of unharmonious sounds than was the con-
versation they kept up.
LAND STORM GRAND RAPID. f)3
Towards evening the wind abated, and I made
sure of resuming the march in the night ; but
the clouds soon grew heavier, and sent forth, at
intervals, hollow-sounding gusts of wind, the
harbingers of a strong gale, which the morning
of the 30th ushered in. The lake resembled
one rolling sheet of foam, which contrasted
strongly with the dark slaty sky to windward :
the mosquitoes had vanished ; six or eight gulls,
unable any longer to sustain their flight in search
of food, had huddled together on the lee side of
a projecting sand-bank; and two crows, wearied
with exertion, sat perched on the waving branches
of a tall pine, unscared by the approach of in-
truding feet. It was altogether an impressive
scene of picturesque and melancholy wildness.
I assembled the men in the tent, and read
divine service. In the evening a fire-fly was seen.
July 1st An opportune change in the wea-
ther allowed us to get away ; and, having passed
the limestone rocks bordering that part of the
lake, we shortly arrived at the Grand Rapid, the
interesting particulars of which are too well and
too minutelv described in Sir John Franklin's
a/
Narratives, to require or even justify a repetition
here.
Some " freemen " #, Indians, and other idlers,
* Persons who, having been in the Company's employ,
have obtained their discharge, and are living on their own
exertions.
64 ADVANCE OF CULTIVATION.
had, according to their usual custom, congregated
at either end of the rapid, with the view of inter-
cepting the voyagers, as they passed to and from
the interior, in order to barter their maple sugar,
or, in consideration of a recompence, to assist the
exhausted crews in carrying their heavy burdens
across the portage. Many were sick, and all
bitterly complained of the late scarcity of ani-
mals.
Having poled up several rapids, we got to
Cedar Lake, the well-known " Lac Bourbon,"
where Indian barbarity, in its most hideous form,
annihilated for ever the pious labours of the early
missionaries.
In the River Saskashawan, I was not more
pleased than surprised to behold, on the right
bank, a large farm house, with barns and fenced
inclosures, amid which were grazing eight or
ten fine cows, and three or four horses. It be-
longed to a freeman, of the name of Turner,
whom I regretted not having an opportunity of
seeing.
At length, on the 5th of July, we entered the
Little River, and got to Pine Island Lake.
The crew had dressed themselves out in all their
finery, — silver bands, tassels, and feathers in their
hats, — intending to approach the station with
some effect; but, unhappily for the poor fellows,
the rain fell in torrents, their feathers drooped,
ARRIVAL AT CUMBERLAND HOUSE. 65
and such was the accumulation of mud, that it
was necessary to wade a full mile before we
could land at Cumberland House. Owing to
the same cause, a creek leading from the Saska-
shawan had been rendered impassable ; and dry
land extended so far from the house into the
lake, that the fishery, as I afterwards found, was
diminished almost to nothing. During the whole
of my stay there, though no pains were spared,
not a solitary fish was taken. I was received
by Mr. Isbester, a clerk of the Company, my
companion, Mr. King, who had arrived with-
out accident, and another person, who had been
accommodated with a passage in the boat.
The boats, stores, and pemmican were in good
order and quite ready ; and, having made some
arrangements with Mr. Isbester for our mutual
convenience, and a few changes as regarded the
different crews, I had the satisfaction of getting
my two bateaux away, under the orders of
Mr. King, on the 6th of July. Each was laden
with a cargo of 61 pieces of 90 lbs. each, making,
for both, 10,980 lbs., exclusive of men, bedding,
clothes, masts, sails, oars, and other spars. Yet,
with such steersmen as M'Kay and Sinclair, I
had not the slightest apprehension for their
safety, and looked with confidence to their ar-
riving at winter quarters before the setting in of
the ice.
6(5 . EMBARK IN A CANOE.
It occupied the day to make some alterations
in the canoe, and I availed myself of the interval
to obtain observations on the dip, force, and lati-
tude ; the latter of which agreed, within three
seconds, with Sir J. Franklin's. I also wrote to
the Company for a further supply of stores to be
forwarded with the outfit of the following season.
The hope of getting sights for time induced
me to remain a little longer than I had in-
tended ; but, as there was every appearance that
the weather would continue overcast, I embarked
about noon of the 7th of July, in the canoe, with
eight hands ; and, being comparatively light, we
made tolerable progress.
On the following day we overtook Mr. King
in the Sturgeon River, or, as it is more ex-
pressively named in the country, the Riviere
Maligne. It may with perfect propriety be
described as one uninterrupted rapid ; and was
at that period so low, that the boats had to
treble their distance in going backwards and for-
wards for the cargo. A glance at their manner
of working was enough to satisfy me of their
capability, and confirmed me in the expectation
that they would arrive early at Great Slave Lake.
Still the contrast between us was great ; and my
skilful guide, De Charloit (a half-breed), did
not fail to make the superiority of the canoe
appear to the best advantage. The cumbrous
WORKING OF THE BOATS IN THE RAPIDS. 6j
bateaux were dragged laboriously, a few paces
at a time, by the united exertions of those on
board and those on shore. Sometimes, unable
to resist the impetuous force of the current, they
were swept back ; at others, suspended on the
arched back of a descending wave, they struggled
and laboured until they were again in the shelter
of a friendly eddy. But the canoe, frail as she
was, and too weak for the encounter of such rude
shocks, was nevertheless threaded through the
boiling rapids and sunken rocks with fearful
elegance. The cool dexterity with which she
was managed was truly admirable ; not a " set " *
was missed ; and, as she glanced past the boats,
she must have seemed to the envying crews as if
endowed with preternatural powers. We were
soon out of sight, and, by wading and poleing
over shoals and rapids, at length reached the head
of that dangerous and annoying river. The canoe
was then examined ; and, besides several minor
fractures, she was found to have been grooved by
the sharp and cutting rocks from one extreme
to the other. For many days there was heavy
rain, with thunder and lightning. The woods
were burning in all directions ; set on fire, ac-
cording to the account of some Cree Indians,
* A " set" is the firm fixing of the pole against the bottom
of the river, and a false " set" has often occasioned the loss
of a canoe.
F 2
68 ISLE A LA CROSSE.
by their own hands, to scare the animals into
the water, where they are more easily captured.
July 17th. — We got to Isle a la Crosse, where
I made the necessary arrangements for the boats
receiving twenty bags of pemmican, some dogs,
and whatever might be further requisite for ex-
pediting their progress. Here, also, two new
canoes were at my disposal, having been pur-
posely made to prevent any disappointment in
conveying the stores to the north of Portage la
Loche, in case, as sometimes happens, there
should be only sufficient boats to carry the
trading supplies of the Company to their dif-
ferent posts. However, as my arrangements
with Mr. Charles had obviated every difficulty
in that respect, I had only to admire, and to
express my thanks for, such considerate fore-
sight ; and, having made the accustomed ob-
servations for the dip, force, &c, I left the
fort, and pursued my way.
Keeping to the left of Clear Lake, we entered
Buffalo Lake, which, among a less rude and savage
people, would certainly have formed the theme of
many a legendary tale of " hair-breadth 'scapes,"
from the mischief-loving genius that haunts its
shores. Few persons have ever completed the
long traverse of this deceitful lake, without being
favoured with a breeze that endangered their
lives. I had been caught before ; yet, from the
A SQUALL. 69
unruffled smoothness of its wide surface, I began
to fancy that we were now to be exempted from
the usual compliment. The men sung and pad-
dled with energy, the fitful cry of a slightly
wounded bittern, which lay at the bottom of the
canoe, serving for an accompaniment ; and we had
gained the centre of the traverse, when suddenly
a gentle air was felt coming from the well-known
quarter of the Buffalo Mountain. The suspicious
guide would now no longer permit even the cus-
tomarv rest of a few minutes to recover strength,
but urged the crew to exertion ; and they, ever
and anon looking towards the blue summits of
the mountain with something of a superstitious
glance, made our light bark skim over the water
like a thing impelled by wings. A dark cloud
rose from behind the mountain, and began to
expand towards the zenith ; little gusts of wind
followed ; and in less than half an hour we were
in the midst of a thunder-storm, that raised a sea
from which there was no escape but by hoisting
a shred of a sail, and running through breakers
to the nearest lee land.
The place was a swamp, concealed by long
grass ; and, just as a spot had been found to pitch
the tent, a man, in going to it, accidentally dis-
turbed a skunk. The animal resented the intru-
sion in the usual way. In a moment there was a
general complaint against the rank offence ; every
f 3
70 PORTAGE LA LOCHE.
one turned himself to windward, and the poor
fellow who had unconsciously brought the evil
upon us was half stifled with the noisome
odour, and threw his capot into the lake, with
deep imprecations on the unsavoury and ill-
mannered brute.
It was the 21st of July when we reached
Portage la Loche, the high ridge of land which
divides the waters running into Hudson's Bay
from those which direct their course to the Arc-
tic Sea. For about six or seven miles on this
portage, the voyageurs are exposed to temporary
but acute suffering, from the total absence of good
water to quench the thirst, aggravated, in our case,
by carrying loads of 200 lbs. in an atmosphere of
68° of Fahrenheit. They are, at the same time,
incessantly tormented by myriads of insatiable
mosquitoes and horse-flies, significantly called
" bull dogs," which, delighted with the rare
treat of a human subject, banquet on their
victims till, not unfrequently, the face streams
with blood. Happy, therefore, is the moment
when the bright surface of the Little Lake
is descried, which cools and refreshes their
wearied frames. In addition to these evils,
which are common to all, two of my party were
sadly foot-fallen, and almost groaned under their
burdens, — a sight too painful to be witnessed
without compassion. However, in services such as
EFFECT OF THE SCENERY. 71
that on which we were engaged, it often becomes
even a duty to stifle our sensations ; or, rather,
though we may and must feel, there are times
when we must be careful not to express the
feeling.
After labouring, with frequent halts, through
the thick woods, we came suddenly upon the
spot from which the picturesque and beautiful
view from Portage la Loche bursts upon the
sight. A thousand feet below, the sylvan land-
scape lay spread before us, to the extent of
thirty-six miles, in all the wild luxuriance of its
summer clothing. Even the most jaded of the
party, as he broke from the gloom of the wood on
this enchanting scene, seemed to forget his weari-
ness, and halted involuntarily with his burden, to
gaze for a moment, with a sort of wondering ad-
miration, on a spectacle so novel and magnifi-
cent. My own sensations, however, had not the
keenness of those of a stranger to the sight ; and
it was not without a sort of melancholy, such as
results from satiety, that I contrasted my present
feelings with the rapture which I had formerly
experienced. It was, to me, Portage la Loche,
and nothing more, — the same beautiful and
romantic solitude through which I had passed
and repassed on two former expeditions. There
was nothing new to excite surprise, or quicken
delight ; not a spot or latent beauty, not even
f 4
7^ EFFECT OF THE SCENERY.
a gleam of light glancing across the valley,
which had not been well noted before, and di-
ligently treasured in the memory. I looked
upon it as I should look upon an exquisite but
familiar picture — with pleasure, but without
emotion.
There is something appalling in the vastness
of a solitude like this. I had parted from my
companions, and was apparently the only living
being in the wilderness around me. Almost
unconsciously I reloaded my gun ; and then,
stepping cautiously along the narrow ridge of
the descent, glided silently into the valley, as
if afraid to disturb the genius of the place. It
was a positive comfort to hear, now and then, the
hollow tread of the men as they passed rapidly
through the thicket which screened them from
sight ; and when the white tent was pitched, and
the curling smoke rose through the dense green
of the forest, it seemed as if the spell of the de-
sert was broken, and the whole landscape was
suddenly animated into life and cheerfulness.
July 23d. — The last loads were brought
down to the water's edge, and, as soon as they
were safely deposited, the men, exhausted with
fatigue, threw themselves on the ground, and
remained almost motionless for upwards of an
hour. After this the canoe was gummed, and
we embarked near some bateaux belonging to
INTERVIEW WITH MESSRS. STUART AND M'LEOD. ?3
the Company, which, Mr. Charles had informed
me, might, if we pleased, be appropriated to our
use.
On arriving at the Pine Portage, I was agree-
ably surprised by meeting Mr. J. Stuart, and
Mr. A. R. M'Leod, who had got thus far
on their way from M'Kenzie's River, with a
large cargo of furs. I had looked forward with
no little anxiety to the chance of seeing the latter
gentleman, not only as he was the first person
named in Governor Simpson's circular to accom-
pany me, but as being an old acquaintance, and
one whom I knew to be particularly well qualified
for the performance of those duties which the
nature of the service would require. Indeed, his
refusal to accompany me would have placed me
in a very awkward predicament ; for I had reck-
oned on his assistance in many matters which
could not, without great inconvenience, have de-
volved on myself. It was therefore of importance
to secure him ; and my friend Mr. Stuart, to
whose kindness and love of enterprise I was
no stranger, undertook at once to break the
subject to him. But there was no necessity for
mediation ; for, although Mr. M'Leod had long
been indisposed, and was then on his way to
Canada, with a view to the re-establishment of
his health, no sooner did he see the circular
from Mr. Simpson, and learn the humane
74 MR. M'LEOD ACCOMPANIES THE EXPEDITION.
object of my mission, than he removed every
apprehension from my mind, by declaring his
sympathy for our long absent countrymen, his
satisfaction at seeing me, and his gallant de-
termination to sacrifice his own plans to the
pleasure of becoming my companion. I wrote,
therefore, immediately to the Company, and, with
his able assistance, made a requisition, in full, for
the necessary supplies, to support the expedition
during the year 1834. Mr. Stuart, I believe, was
scarcely less delighted at his friend's decision than
myself, and, besides many useful suggestions, of
which I was glad to take advantage, generously
offered every aid, public and private, within his
power.
July 25th. — There was so much difficulty in
stowing the additional baggage, that my guide
declared the canoe would not hold us : and when
it is considered that he had to make places for six
more persons, viz. Mr. M'Leod, his wife, three
children, and a servant, whom I hired at the
same rate as the others ; in other words, that
fourteen were to be crammed into a space in-
tended for eight or nine, it is not surprising
that he should indulge in a growl. He foresaw
that, with such extra weight, his " cher canot"
would very possibly get broken ; and his ap-
prehensions were soon verified by our striking
against a sunken rock.
ARRIVE AT FORT CHIPPEWYAN. J5
After some detentions of an ordinary kind,
we got to Fort Chippewyan on the 29th of July.
We arrived so early, that we were not in the least
expected; and the canoe was not seen until within
a short distance of the land, — a circumstance
by no means pleasing to the guide, who, besides
his own decorations of many coloured feathers,
&c, had taken more than ordinary pains to dis-
play to the best advantage the crimson beauties
of a large silk flag. The sleeping inmates were,
however, at length roused ; and we were
welcomed by Mr. Ross, who had been left by
Mr. Charles in charge of the establishment.
It was to be regretted that the whole of the
Indians usually resorting to this station were, at
the time of our visit, too much dispersed to allow
of any one in particular being sent for ; so that
we were obliged to rest satisfied with the meagre
narrative of an infirm old Indian, who, in his
youthful days, had passed by the Fond du Lac
to the rivers I was in search of; and his account
was too vague and uncertain to warrant any hopes
of success in that direction. Mr. M'Leod,
indeed, who had been at the Fond du Lac,
confirmed the statement I had first heard, that
there was a river there which was known to
take its rise far to the north : but yet, when the
old man concluded his description of the coun-
try by remarking, that " he was old and of
76 JOURNEY RESUMED.
no importance in his tribe ; and he did not
like to say too much," — a tone which, how-
ever praiseworthy for its modesty, was very
different from the bold expression with which
an Indian, conscious that he is right, usually
concludes his answers to similar inquiries, as,
" It must be so, for my eyes have seen it," — I
say, when I heard this, I abandoned at once all
idea of going by the Fond du Lac.
Besides the provisions required from this post,
there were many other indispensable articles
that could not be provided elsewhere ; but under
the superintendence of Mr. M'Leod, the greater
part, together with the necessary implements
for building a new establishment, were ready
in a couple of days. In that interval, I ob-
tained observations for the dip, force, &c. ; and
with an increased cargo of several bags of grease,
iron-work, guns, and bales of leather, which
were put into a second canoe, which I thought
might be convenient in the event of finding any
shoal rivers to the north, we quitted the fort
late in the evening of the 1st of August ;
further instructions being left for the guidance
of Mr. King, on his arrival with the bateaux.
The lake was unusually low this season, and,
in consequence, we had more than ordinary
trouble in crossing the flats to Stony River,
where we encamped. The following night was
SALT RIVER. 77
remarkably calm, and we heard the sound of
the Falls at a distance of twenty miles. Great
matted rafts of drift wood were floating down
the Slave River ; and on reaching the Rapids
and Falls, the water line on the rocks showed a
depression of six feet lower than I had ever seen
it. Numerous sand and mud banks, of consider-
able elevation, had been thrown up, and were
already green with incipient vegetation. On
the granitic rocks of the Mountain and Pelican
Falls (which were bare and clean when Sir J.
Franklin passed) was a deposition of at least
fourteen inches of mud, a proof how great a
quantity is annually carried down by the spring
floods into Slave Lake.
August 4. — The thermometer this morning
was only 36° ; and a cold N.W. gale blew, which,
being directly against us, counteracted the cur-
rent, and almost prevented the canoes making
head- way ; we were, consequently, five hours in
accomplishing the twelve miles, which brought
us to the Salt River. Here there had been a
recent encampment of Indians. From the marks
about the place, it was supposed that they had
ascended the river to the plains, which are gene-
rally well stocked with buffalo and other animals ;
and, as it was material to have an interview, the
lading was taken out of my canoe ; and with
Mr. M'Leod for a companion, I went, quite
78 SKETCH OF A PARTY OF INDIANS.
light, in search of them. We had hardly rounded
the second point, when the sight of a " cache*,"
suspended from the apex of a deserted lodge,
convinced us that we should soon come up with
the stragglers ; and, accordingly, about a quarter
of a mile farther, two young Indians thrust their
dark bodies through the branches of the trees,
and called to us to stop. They formed part of the
tribe of Slave Lake Indians, who were expected
to be in this direction, and their friends were
not far from them. They merely told us what
we well knew, " that there was little water in
the river, and they doubted if we could get
up." Shortly afterwards, we met a whole fleet
of canoes, whose approach was notified by loud
and discordant sounds — a horrible concert of
voices of all ages, utterly indescribable. Their
chief was an intelligent looking old man, called
by the traders, " le camarade de Mandeville ;"
and from his extensive knowledge of the coun-
try to the northward and eastward of Great Slave
Lake, there was every reason to expect consi-
derable information, if it could only be wormed
out of him. To achieve this, Mr. M'Leod re-
turned with the Indians to our encampment ;
there with all befitting ceremony to open the
preliminaries by the customary pipe : for a social
* Secreted heap, or store of any thing.
SKETCH OF A PARTY OF INDIANS. 79
puff is to an Indian, what a bottle of wine is to
an Englishman : " aperit praecordia," it unlocks
the heart, and dissipates reserve.
The tout ensemble of these " people," as they,
with some vanity, style themselves, was wild and
grotesque in the extreme. One canoe in parti-
cular fixed my attention ; it was small even for
a canoe ; and how eight men, women, and chil-
dren contrived to stow away their legs, in a
space not more than large enough for three Eu-
ropeans, would have been a puzzling problem to
one unacquainted with the suppleness of an In-
dian's unbandaged limbs. There, however, they
were, in a temperature of 66°, packed heads
and tails like Yarmouth herrings — half naked —
their hair in elf-locks, long and matted — filthy
beyond description — and all squalling together.
To complete the picture, their dogs, scarce one
degree below them, formed a sort of body guard,
on each side of the river ; and as the canoe
glided away with the current, all the animals
together, human and canine, set up a shrill and
horrible yell.
By sunset I got well up the stream ; but not
having been there for thirteen years, and my crew
being no better acquainted with the locality than
myself, we took a wrong channel, and encamped.
The following morning the route was regained ;
and on arriving at the proper spot, we filled our
80 DESCRIPTION OF THE SALT SPRINGS.
five large bags with pure and white salt, in the
short space of half an hour. There were no
mounds like those seen in 1820; but just at
the foot of the hill which bounds the prairie in
that quarter, there were three springs, varying
in diameter from four to twelve feet, and pro-
ducing hillocks of salt, from fourteen to thirty
inches in height. The streams were dry, but
the surface of the clayey soil was covered, to
the extent of a few hundred yards towards the
plain, with a white crust of saline particles.
The plain itself had been trodden into paths, by
the footsteps of buffalo and other herbivorous
animals.
We returned the same way to the encamp-
ment at the mouth of the river, and found the
Indians seated in clusters round Mr. M'Leod, still
busy in listening to and answering his interroga-
tories. The information thus collected was made
intelligible to me by means of an outline of
the north-eastern country, drawn by the Cama-
rade. In this sketch, the Thlew-ee-choh and
the Teh-Ion were represented as maintaining a
nearly parallel direction E.N. E. to the sea;
though, where that sea was, whether in some of
the deep inlets of Hudson's Bay, or, as I fer-
vently hoped, more directly north, towards
Point Turnagain, it was altogether beyond his
knowledge to declare.
INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE NATIVES. 81
The relative bearings of several lakes, which
many of their number had frequently visited,
and of which, in fact, they knew every winding,
were equally involved in doubt and obscurity.
In one point alone were they positive and una-
nimous ; and that was, the superiority and many
advantages of the Teh-Ion over the Thlew-ee-
choh. The former was described as being a
broad and noble stream, decorated on either
bank with tall pine and birch, and flowing in
uninterrupted tranquillity to its journey's end.
The latter was graphically pourtrayed, as ori-
ginating in rapids — narrow, shoal, and dan-
gerous— destitute of wood, even for fuel — full of
dangerous cascades and falls — and after a course
more tortuous than that of any river known to
the oldest and most experienced of their tribe,
tumbling over its northern barrier in a foaming
cataract into the sea.
They also affirmed — agreeing in this respect
with the information which had previously been
given me at Lake Winnipeg, that the distance be-
tween the mouths of the rivers was inconsiderable ;
and concluded by saying, that if the Great Chief
was determined on going to the Thlew-ee-choh,
it would be without an escort of Indians, who,
inured as they were to privation, would not
expose themselves to the suffering which, in a
district so sterile, was inevitable. To say the
G
82 ARRIVAL AT FORT RESOLUTION.
truth, they were tired of the repetitions and
details of my questions ; and no wonder ; for
before I began, they had sat up with Mr.
M'Leod the whole night, telling their prolix
stories with much cheerfulness. I could not
help smiling at the Camarade, who, puzzled
and distressed at the many positions in which I
requested he would place himself, so as to give
me an idea of the bearings of what he was
describing, at last rather peevishly exclaimed,
" that we did not place the world as it was ;
whereas he kept steadily to the rising and
setting sun."
In our progress down Slave River, we halted
for a short time at a cache of Mr. Stuart's,
having his permission to take from it a stock of
birch bark, sufficient for building a new canoe.
On the Sth of August we reached Great Slave
Lake, and were received at Fort Resolution by
Mr. McDonnell, the gentleman in charge.
S3
CHAP. III.
Inquiries and Embarrassments about the Route. — Pre-
jparations for Departure. — Embark in search of the
Thlew-ee-choh. — Indian Encampment and Indian
Politeness. — Point of Honour among Indian Hunters.
— Description of the Country through which the Route
lay. — A small Ice-berg seen. — A Bear Hunt. — In-
dian Inconsistency. — Description of the Coast Line. —
Point Keith and Christie's Bay. — Eastern Extremity of
Great Slave Lake. — Discovery of the River supposed
to lead towards the Thlew-ee-choh. — Preparations to
ascend it.
Soon after my arrival, I was informed by Mr.
M'Donnell that the chief, called "Le grand
Jeune Homme," who had been mentioned to
me by Mr. Charles, was somewhere near the
Buffalo Creek, a day or two from the house,
employed in making canoes, in the full con-
viction that he was selected to accompany the
expedition, and feeding his imagination with
the thoughts of a boundless remuneration.
Thinking it right to eradicate immediately so
preposterous a notion, I despatched a couple
g 2
84* INQUIRIES AND EMBARRASSMENTS
of lads in a canoe, to acquaint him of our
arrival, and to require his attendance. In the
mean time, there being many Indians at the
Fort, and among them a half-breed, of the name
of La Prise, whom I had seen on a previous
occasion, and who had now become a kind of
leader of a small party accustomed to hunt to
the eastward, I thought it a good opportunity
of gaining some information as to the bending
of the Great Slave Lake, and the nature of the
country at its eastern extremity. La Prise,
who had been subjected to similar catechising
by my friend Sir John Franklin, in 1820, at
once understood me, and pointed to the com-
pass, as an instrument with which he was ac-
quainted. Having been placed right over it, he
pointed his hand in the direction of the places
required, while I carefully noted their magnetic
bearings ; and it is but justice to state, that the
whole of his description was subsequently found
to be remarkably correct. He made the lake
run nearly north, and estimated the distance at
about five days' march, for a light canoe, well
manned. A young hunter, however, who had
just come from that part, with a message from
one of his companions, offering to take me by a
new cut to the Teh-Ion, differed from La Prise,
and with a bit of charcoal drew a sketch, of
which the following is an accurate copy.
ABOUT THE ROUTE.
85
\\lh> Sun rises in
August.
Slave Lake.
It was gratifying to observe that, according to
this description, there was a water communica-
tion the whole way, with the exception of three
portages, probably near the height of land.
With this local knowledge of, I may say, every
inch of ground in those directions, it was not a
little singular that he, as well as all the rest of
his tribe, was utterly ignorant of the situation of
the Thlew-ee-choh. Not so, however, of its evil
qualities ; and, like the Camarade, they agreed,
g 3
86 INQUIRIES AND EMBARRASSMENTS
one and all, in magnifying its dangers, and
deprecating any rash attempt to launch a boat
on its unnavigable waters. " And why," said
they, " should the chief wish to go there, when
the Teh-Ion is not only nearer, but offers him so
many more advantages ? where he will find,
musk ox, moose, and rein-deer, wood, fish, and
animals wherewith to pass a comfortable winter.
It is true," continued they, "that our fathers
did go down the Thlew-ee-choh, when they
made war on the Esquimaux, a long time ago ;
but how few returned ? and who is there now
to tell of what they did, and what befell them ?
No one ; — they are in the land of spirits, and
our old men only remember their names."
Nor was this the only discouragement of my
projected route by the Thlew-ee-choh, for at
the same time a circumstance came to light, as
unexpected as it was unwelcome. A Cana-
dian, named Sanpere, had formerly, at Sir John
Franklin's request, been sent by the gentleman
at that time in charge of Fort Resolution, to
ascertain the existence of the Thlew-ee-choh.
The man accordingly set out, in company with
the natives, and on his return gave a detailed
account of his journey. But his guides, to some
of whom I was speaking, now affirmed that on
reaching the end of the lake next to Great Slave
Lake, he became alarmed; and in spite of all
ABOUT THE ROUTE. 87
their efforts and remonstrances, refused to go
farther, and returned back without having seen
or even approached the river. They related
minutely all particulars, and ended by remark-
ing, that I was no stranger to Indians, and that
when I passed the spot I should find that they
had spoken the truth.
The account given by Sanpere had been gene-
rally credited ; and I confess I was of the number
of those who had relied on his veracity. This,
however, being now rendered doubtful, if not
absolutely destroyed, I was left in a state of very
uncomfortable uncertainty. Besides, though the
sketch of the young hunter represented the
Teh-Ion as running to the westward of north,
and the position of the sun was in favour of
its maintaining that course, still I could not
reconcile to myself the notion of high woods,
frequented by moose, on the banks of a river
flowing through the barren grounds, except on
the supposition that it trended far away to the
south-east, in a line for Hudson's Bay. Ulti-
mately, therefore, after much embarrassment and
perplexity, I decided on following up the original
plan, as laid down in the paper read before the
Royal Geographical Society ; comforting my-
self with the reflection, that the observations
of Black Meat, an old Indian warrior, whom I
had known in 1820, were as likely to be correct
g 4
88 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.
in this instance, as they had proved to be in other
particulars on the two former expeditions.
My resolution being taken, I divided my crew
into two parties. Five were to be left as an
escort for Mr. M'Leod, and four were to accom-
pany me in my search for the Thlew-ee-choh.
It happened, fortunately, that there was at the
Fort a half-sized canoe, which was both lighter
to carry, and in other respects more convenient
than the larger one, for getting up the shoal
streams which we expected to find to the east-
ward. This was immediately, therefore, put in
repair; while Mr. M'Leod, who had the ser-
vice as much at heart as myself, gave me the
benefit of his assistance in arranging our future
operations.
He undertook to wait and appease the Grand
Jeune Homme, under the disappointment which
it was thought he would feel at being rejected :
for, knowing from past experience the constant
trouble and anxiety that a leader, spoiled and
indulged as he had been, would probably have
given us, I deemed it more prudent, as it was
certainly more economical, to dismiss him alto-
gether, with a douceur for lost time, than to
rest my hopes, and possibly the safety of my whole
party, on the exertions of the most fickle and
wavering of his tribe. Such a step, moreover,
was necessary, by way of example, to moderate
PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 89
the extravagant notions entertained by the In-
dians of our liberality ; for, too dull to compre-
hend the disinterested principle on which the
present expedition was undertaken, and viewing
it in the same light as the preceding ones, they
expected the same measure of bounty; and sunk
into a moody silence, when told that I had only
brought goods enough to satisfy the demands of
my hunters ; and that against them, as well as
the others, a strict account would be kept.
The interpreter I had brought with me was a
pure Indian, — a Chipewyan, who, under the
auspices of the Company, had received the
rudiments of an education at the Red River
Colony. But being unaccustomed to speak his
native tongue, he was not altogether adapted
for the first introduction of a party amongst
Indians, many of whom but rarely visited the
trading establishments : — and, as much depended
on the information to be communicated, and per-
haps not less on the impression made on the
people by the manner of address, I requested Mr.
M'Donnell to lend me his interpreter, Louison,
who had travelled with me before, and who, from
his intimate acquaintance with the surrounding
tribes, was peculiarly well qualified for our pur-
pose. The inconvenience to him was consider-
able, yet, like the other gentlemen of the country,
he cheerfully acceded to my request, and a tern-
90 EMBARK IN SEARCH OF THE THLEW-EE-CHOH.
porary exchange was effected, as agreeable, as
I afterwards learnt, to Louison, as it was to
myself. We were here also provided with extra
clothing and shoes, in the event of being caught
by the frost ; and the remainder of the time, I
occupied in making observations on the dip,
force, &c, by which it appeared that an increased
difference of three degrees easterly had taken
place since 1825, in the variation.
While we were discussing our usual dinner
of hard dried meat and pemmican, one of the
hunters burst into the room, with the glad
tidings of his having killed a moose deer, of
which he had brought a small part with him.
At the same moment, the servant entered with a
bladder of fat in his hand, a sight which, from
the great scarcity of that luxury, so surprised
Mr. M'Donnell, that he exclaimed, " Good God !
from what part of the country did that come ? "
Nor will this appear strange, when it is known,
that he had not tasted any fresh meat since
April -, nor had I seen any since leaving Fort
William.
Having written some letters of business, and
left further instructions for Mr. King, I embark-
ed the next morning, August 11th, at 6 a.m.,
in my old canoe, now manned by one English-
man, (William Malley, R. A., my servant,) one
Canadian, two half-breeds, and two Indians.
INDIAN ENCAMPMENT. 91
The weather was squally and threatening, and a
heavy swell, which sometimes rose into crested
waves, warned us to avoid the open lake, and
seek the protection of the windward islands.
The canoe shipped much water, but the men
kept on their work, and, after crossing an exposed
bay, we soon reached the muddy entrance of
the Little Channel. This took us to the Slave
River, which we traversed, and discovered, on
the eastern bank, a large party of Indians, who
proved to be the same we had seen at Salt
River. They were assembled in little groups,
thinking that, according to the general custom
of the traders, we should land ; but perceiving
that it was not our intention to do so, they called
out, " What ! does the great chief go past, with-
out even offering us a pipe of tobacco ? " How-
ever, on we passed, and entered a very narrow
channel, where I began the survey, and shortly
after another, called Cha-bilka, which is said to
come from some lakes not far distant. Near to
this was an Indian encampment, the occupants
of which were busily and noisily employed in
drying the meat of three recently killed moose.
The successful hunters, apparently not a little
vain of their prowess, were either lying at full
length on the grass, whiffing the cherished pipe,
or lounging on their elbows, to watch the frizzling
of a rich marrow bone, the customary perquisite
92 INDIAN POLITENESS.
of their labours. Women were lighting or tend-
ing the fires, over which were suspended rows
of thinly sliced meat, — some screaming to thiev-
ish dogs making free with the hunt, and others
with still louder screams endeavouring to drown
the shrill cries of their children, who, swaddled,
and unable to stir, were half suffocated with the
smoke ; while, to complete the scene, eight or
ten boys at play were twining their copper-
coloured bodies over and under some white bark
canoes, like so many land dolphins. Poor crea-
tures, their happiness was at its full: at that
moment they were without care, enjoying them-
selves according to their nature and capacity.
Is human happiness ever much more than this?
A clump of trees had prevented me from
observing another group, consisting of La Prise
and his followers. He had undertaken to paddle
my half-sized canoe to the other end of the lake ;
but finding, as he said, that two persons were
required to keep her free from water, he had
wisely put on shore to repair her. After that
operation, twelve of them, with several dogs,
squeezed themselves into her, and yet managed
so well, that we had hard work to keep way with
them. On parting from the Indians, we were
supplied with fresh meat. One of them, to show
his respect, put on a surtout that he had pur-
chased at the Fort. The coat was unbuttoned ;
CROSS THE GRANDE RIVJERE A JEAN. 93
and, as he was unprovided with inexpressibles,
the effect was extremely comical. It is curi-
ous, by the way, to observe that the notion
of testifying respect by appearing in full dress,
if in this case the term can be properly applied,
is not confined to drawing-rooms and courts.
Hemmed in by willows on either side, we
occasionally got a glimpse of the lake through
various little creeks and openings, and shortly
crossed the Grande Riviere a Jean, to enter the
Petite Riviere a Jean, where the stream was in our
favour. Its course was uncommonly tortuous, the
banks being bordered by low land, covered with
pine, poplar, and willow. The sharp sight of
the Indians had detected a moose some distance
ahead of us, and La Prise, being expert at ap-
proaching those quick eared animals, went in
pursuit. Meanwhile we dropped silently down
the stream along the opposite side, until a place
was found dry enough for encamping. The
night was clear and bright ; and the men were
earnestly watching the boiling of a kettle of
meat, when they were startled by a long shrill
whoop, which Louison the interpreter imme-
diately answered, announcing, at the same time,
that it was the small canoe, and that La Prise
had killed his game. The splash of paddles was
now heard in the distance ; and in a few minutes
the canoe, with its many inmates, glided against
94< POINT OF HONOUR AMONG INDIAN HUNTERS.
the long grass, on the bank of the encampment,
under the broad shade of which nothing was
visible but the dark heads of the Indians, as
they appeared and vanished, with the motion of
their canoe. When Louison inquired if he had
been successful, La Prise, with the character-
istic of a true Chipewyan, answered in the
negative, Oolah. Oolah ! re-echoed the inter-
preter, in a disappointed tone, oolah! " Mon-
sieur, il a manque ; who ever heard of the whoop
without its accompanying prey ?" Scarcely were
the words out, when La Prise was at his side ;
and as he handed him the gun, gave from
the other hand the fine tongue and nose of a
moose. " There," said he ; " I shot it through
the heart, through an opening between the
trees not wider than my hand : but it was with
your gun and ammunition, which, according
to our customs, you know, makes it your pro-
perty. I thought the Chief would like to have
the tongue and the nose*, and the rest lies at
the bottom of the canoe for your disposal." This
restraint on their appetite was the more remark-
able, as they had scarcely eaten any thing for
several days past; and the few scraps with
which their friends had supplied them could
not have sufficed for a single meal. But they
never infringe this law among themselves ; and
* Considered the choice parts.
ENCAMP FOR THE NIGHT. Q5
nothing but imminent starvation would excuse
the Indian who should transgress it. Neverthe-
less, such conscientious dealing merited a re-
ward from me, which was easily bestowed by
allowing La Prise and his party to retain the
larger proportion of the animal.
August 12th. — We continued our course
down the Little River ; but the cold north-west
wind, which bent the pines with its violence, too
plainly indicated what was passing on the lake,
which, accordingly, on our arriving at it, pre-
sented so stormy an appearance, as to forbid our
venturing farther, and compelled us reluctantly
to encamp. The night was very boisterous, and
the morning of the 13th wore a threatening
aspect; but suddenly it fell calm, the wind
changed to south, and by 6 a. m. we were en-
abled to put out into the wide expanse of the
lake. Keeping along the low swampy shore,
thickly matted with drift wood, we made for
a jutting elevation, called Rocky Point, and
then striking off in a northerly direction, pad-
dled with spirit for a cluster of distant islands,
which, owing to the refraction of the atmo-
sphere, appeared as if poised in the sky. This
is the traverse so much dreaded by the Indians,
who, having no stouter craft than their small
canoes, are in great danger of perishing, if un-
happily caught by a gale. A light breeze sprung
96 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY
up to assist us, and, with the aid of the paddles,
the islands were gained by 11 a. m. They were
too numerous to be counted ; but most of them
were marked by small clumps of dwarf pine,
and the one on which we landed produced whor-
tleberries and cranberries. The rocks were
all granitic, being either grey with plates of
mica, or red felspar with quartz. From this
position I could see the Rein-deer Islands
and M'Kenzie's cape to the westward, a re-
markably high round rock with innumerable
islands to the northward, a clear horizon and
spots of land to the eastward, and the main
shore to the southward. Sending La Prise for-
ward, that I might more easily get my bearings
by having him as a mark, I followed myself
shortly afterwards, but in no very amiable mood,
having just discovered that either the bow or
steersman had left our only frying pan at the
last encampment, for the benefit of whoever
might find it. This was a matter of no small
consequence to me, who, however ready to rough
it on pemmican, had been enjoying prospectively,
for some days past, the rich rein- deer steaks
which the " barren grounds " were sure to
afford ; nor did the assurance of the interpreter,
who maintained that the "grillades" were just
as good done in a kettle, afford me much con-
solation.
THROUGH WHICH THE ROUTE LAY. 97
Following the small canoe through a labyrinth
of islands, more or less wooded, some steep,
round, and bare, others broken or shelving, co-
vered with low pine and birch, we made a short
turn to N. N. E., and opened into a fine long
reach, bounded on each side by rocks, varying
in height from two hundred to a thousand feet ;
which resembled in some parts those to the
westward, about the Gros Cap, and in others
still more closely the red granite of Chipewyan.
The necessity of despatch forbade my landing,
to ascertain the difference in these respects. The
character of the scenery, so different from that
which we had quitted in the morning, together
with the northerly trending of the land, was the
more gratifying, as it coincided with the Indian
accounts, and led me to expect a long extent of
navigation. The drift wood, found in such piles
from the Slave River to the M'Kenzie, and
far alone; the east and west shores of the lake,
had now disappeared, and the water, no longer
turbid and yellow, was of a pellucid green. Its
temperature was 52°, while that of the sur-
rounding air was 58°, having increased 12°
since the morning. The extensive islands as-
sumed a more mountainous character as we ad-
vanced ; and it was observable that the western
ones were more thickly wooded than those to
the eastward. Through occasional vistas, the
H
98 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY
distant blue land was seen faintly in the clear
horizon to the right. At 8 p. m., the people
being completely tired, I encamped for the
night.
August 14th. — The thermometer had sunk
to 30° ; and when at 4 a. m, we resumed our
course, the water was found to be slightly en-
crusted with ice, which, together with the cold
wind, so cracked and injured the bark of the
canoe, as to make it necessary to repair her.
The country to the left became gradually
less rugged, subsiding into round-backed hills,
whose sloping sides were covered with wood ;
the uniformity being agreeably broken by two
light columns of smoke issuing at separate points,
most likely from the fires of some straggling hunt-
ers. But the scenery to the right increased in
grandeur and boldness ; and. never, either in Alp
or Apennine, had I seen a picture of such rug-
ged wildness. Rising to a perpendicular height of
upwards of twelve hundred feet, the rocks were
rent, as if by some violent convulsion, into deep
chasms and ragged fissures, inaccessible to the
nimblest animal. A few withered pines, grey
with age, jutted their shrivelled arms from the
extreme ridge of the abyss : on one of which a
majestic fishing eagle was seated, and there,
unscared by our cries, reigned in solitary
state, the monarch of the rocky wilderness.
*>
THROUGH WHICH THE ROUTE LAY. 99
Salvator alone could have done justice to the
scene.
As we proceeded, the view was obstructed
in part by two conical hills, apparently uncon-
nected with the shore on either side, and ex-
ceedingly picturesque in their outline. They
were not far from a point of the eastern main ;
whence, taking a long sweep to the right,
and then stretching south and west in a broad
belt of fifteen or twenty miles, it ultimately joins
Rocky Point, at a distance of about fifty miles,
measured in a direct line. To the whole of the
islands included in this range I gave the name
of Simpson's Group, in token of my esteem
for the Governor. The channel between the
western islands and the main is, in some parts,
not more than a quarter of a mile broad ; and
this contraction is rendered the more apparent by
the ripple of a rather strong southerly current,
not observable elsewhere. It is favourable for
fish, and subsequently a station was formed
here. On opening round the northern end of
the channel, a magnificent expanse of water was
seen east and west, with clear horizons, dotted
however with three islands, from the light mural
cliffs of which the rays of the setting sun were
softly reflected. The peninsula, dividing the
waters of the south and north side of the east-
ern main, has been called Point Keith, in com-
h 2
100 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY
pliment to Mr. J. Keith, the Company's agent
at Montreal, whose name has already been men-
tioned in terms of merited commendation.
We next crossed a wide traverse towards some
table hills, forming part of what the Indians
called Rein-deer Island, the walled sides of which
rose far above the sloping and wooded country at
their base ; and here we landed, to examine more
closely its diversified formation. Either from
the grinding pressure of the immense masses of
ice that are forced on this exposed coast, or
from the continued action of breaking waves,
the whole line of shore, for two or three miles, is
composed of a kind of pudding stone ; contain-
ing large and small stones, all more or less glo-
bular, cemented by a yellowish clay, which has
become as hard as rock. It varies in elevation
from six to forty feet, and appears to run
into the adjacent rocks, which attain an altitude
of from fourteen hundred to two thousand feet,
with an irregularity which contrasts strongly
with the flowing outline of the western main,
now discernible to the distance of twelve or fif-
teen miles. Re-embarking, we made for the
point of an island, resorted to by the Indians for
a particular stone, used for the making of pipes,
and generally of a greenish-grey colour. On this
occasion it was visited for the purpose of allow-
ing one of them to inspect a small deposit of
THROUGH WHICH THE ROUTE LAY. 101
tobacco, which in some season of affluence he
had concealed among the rocks. His little
treasure was in safety ; and, trusting to my sup-
plying his wants, he allowed it to remain for
a future emergency.
The south-west face of the rock was smooth
and almost perpendicular ; and as we bore up to
the north-east, it became still more so, extend-
ing to the extreme limit of sight, in one unin-
terrupted mural precipice, along the base of
which was a succession of trap hills, with similar
faces, and rounded summits. I could not but re-
mark the resemblance of these last to the form-
ations around Point Lake, and on the coast to
the eastward of the Copper-mine. Being unable
to land on this side, we made for the north main
shore, on the declivities of which some patches
of last winter's snow were yet visible. Here we
disembarked ; and, the tent having been pitched,
La Prise set a net, which the following morning
produced a few white fish, a trout, and, what
surprised the Indians, an inconnu. *
August 15. — A smart head wind with a
pitching sea did not allow us to do much with
the paddles ; and though we sought the lee of
any thing that offered shelter, we were soon
obliged to lie by. Presently intelligence was
* Salmo Mackenzii. See Richardson's Appendix to
Franklin.
ii 3
102 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.
brought me that La Prise and an Indian in my
canoe were quarrelling in a manner that fore-
boded a disagreeable termination. My appear-
ance rather separated than reconciled them ;
since La Prise, in going apart, muttered out,
"You may thank the Chief; but it is not finish-
ed : we shall meet on the barren lands." The
weather becoming more favourable, the journey
was continued, and we got to a narrow passage
called Tal-thel-leh, or the part that does not
freeze, — a fact verified during two successive
winters, but for which we could assign no cause.
The right shore was particularly bold and impos-
ing : it was a continuation of the trap formation
from Pipe-stone Point, with this difference only,
that here it had the glittering light brown ap-
pearance of mica slate, and was piled, terrace
upon terrace, to a height of eight hundred feet.
The dip of the range was N.E. by E., with the
face of the cliffs northerly. To the left, and not
more than a mile from the trap, the rocks were
principally gneiss, with here and there a jutting
mound of red granite or porphyry. A southerly
current was perceptible in the narrow ; though
the Indian positively affirmed, that it was the
reverse in winter, as the ice was invariably
packed towards the north, and not towards the
south of the strait. A few larch and pine were
thinly scattered ; and the general appearance
presented was that of rounded hills, intersected
A SMALL ICE-BERG SEEN. 103
on the one side by valleys, and on the other
cut off in part by the mural precipices of
the island already mentioned, which here rose
into seven consecutive ranges, producing a sin-
gular and striking effect. Another island be-
tween this and the main, consisting of a single
rock, the southern face of which was broken
into columnar cliffs with large rhomboidal frac-
tures, seemed to be basaltic.
The wind had fallen ; but a heavy swell was
running from the clear horizon before us, and
dashed against the rocks with a violence suffi-
cient to swamp a fleet of canoes. The smaller
of the two canoes took in much water at every
pitch ; and as she leaked besides, the Indians
prudently made for a small bay, where they
landed, with no other damage than that of
getting wet. They immediately called out to
me not to persevere, as the shore was inapproach-
able for many miles, and added, that several of
their friends had perished in the same place,
from disregarding this counsel. And, indeed,
we found as we proceeded a high surf lashing
the beach ; and had a gale come on, which, how-
ever was not indicated by the clouds, we might
have had reason to repent our obstinacy. A
large piece of ice was seen floating in the dis-
tance, in the pride of a miniature berg ; a sight
which so surprised the Canadian, who had been
h 4
104 A BEAR HUNT.
long to the southward, near the Columbia, that
he exclaimed, " Cela va bien, nous ne sommes
pas mal avances au nord," and the poor fellow
actually thought we could not be far from the sea.
While rounding a projecting bluff or headland,
near which I was told there was a river, our
attention was attracted to the crest of a steep
rock, where the keen eye of the Indian de-
tected a poor bear, quietly regaling himself
with a feast of berries. "Sass! sass!"* whis-
pered he, and in a moment all were down to
a level with the canoe, and remained motion-
less, except the bowman, who persisted in mak-
ing signs perfectly unintelligible ; until at last
he said, in an under tone, " Dites-lui d'oter son
bonnet rouge," meaning my servant, an honest
Lancashire lad, who, not understanding a word
of French, had never ceased to look at the bear,
without once thinking of his flaming red cap.
" What ! " exclaimed he, as he took it off, " will
it frighten him ?" The interpreter and Indian
waded on shore, and crawling silently through
the bushes, were soon lost to our sight. In a
few minutes a couple of shots, followed by a
whoop, proclaimed the fate of bruin ; and we
landed at a convenient spot to fetch the meat.
While the men were absent on this errand, I
strolled about and saw some gooseberries and
currants on the bushes, still unripe ; there were
* Sass, bear.
LUDICROUS APPEARANCE OF THE BOWMAN. 105
also a few roses yet in bud, the colour of which
was a deeper red than that of the roses which
grow more south. A brood of young ducks was
likewise observed.
The party at length returned : the animal
being small was slung on the bowman's back ;
and as he had placed a stick in its mouth to
keep the jaws apart, and then tucked the head
under his arm, his appearance, as he brushed
through the wood, was ludicrous enough.
The evening being far advanced, we took
advantage of a snug bay that completely shel-
tered the canoe from danger, and very soon after
La Prise also arrived. He stated that after my
departure he had discovered that the frost of
the preceding night had split the canoe in
several places, which at once accounted for its
leaking ; and that having repaired it, he pre-
ferred the risk of coming on to the chance of
being left behind. The truth was, that having
no provision of their own, his party regularly
was supplied from our stock, and could ill brook,
therefore, even a short separation. The aurora
was brilliant, and in rapid motion until midnight,
when the wind increased so much, that we could
not move from the bay. The hunters were des-
patched in every likely direction to find deer ;
and, though unsuccessful, were much pleased at
the many recent tracks they had seen.
106 INDIAN INCONSISTENCY.
By a set of observations made here, the
latitude was found to be 68° 4£' 35" N., the lon-
gitude bv chronometers was 111° 19' 52"*7 W.,
and the variation by Kater's compass 45° 31/ E.
Thermometer at 3 p.m. 54°.
August 17. — The nets having been set over
night produced eight white fish and a trout,
which were equally divided ; and at 4 a.m. we
got away, and paddled against a cold north-east
breeze. The main on one side, and a range of
islands on the other, screened us, however, from
its effects, so that by breakfast time we had
accomplished a satisfactory distance, having
passed on our way another small berg, and some
patches of snow, which still lingered in the
fissures and deep gullies of the hills. It is
always difficult to get at the real meaning of an
Indian, even on subjects with which he has been
to a certain extent acquainted all his life, and on
which one might reasonably expect something
like a straightforward answer. Not only the
others, but even the lad who had drawn the sketch,
now began to hint that the Teh-Ion was far away
to the south and east, and that the portages
between the intervening lakes were long and bad
for the transport of baggage, if not altogether
impracticable. The Indians, it was observed,
were never encumbered with any thing heavier
than their guns, and perhaps a small canoe,
1
DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST LINE. 107
which was often left, in case the carrier were
unable or unwilling to take it on. From the
direction, too, in which they pointed to it, I was
the more confirmed in my former opinion, not
only that it lay considerably to the eastward, but
also that it inclined towards Hudson's Bay.
On the other hand, one of the party confessed
that he had been on the Thlew-ee-choh when
he was a boy; and though, as he had gone
by land, he had no exact knowledge of the
route by water, still he knew that there was a
river about a day's march off,leading to some lakes
which would eventually conduct us to it. His
only apprehension was, whether the canoe could
be conveyed in any manner over the mountains
and falls, in our way to the Barren Lands,
where we should find the lakes to which he had
alluded. "We Indians," said he, "should not
think of attempting it, but the white men are
strong." On such a subject it was scarcely
prudent to hazard an assertion: but as much
depends on first impressions, I did not hesitate
to assure him, that I had the power to sur-
mount all such obstacles as he had described,
and only required an active hunter like himself
to accompany me, for which, I added, he
should be well remunerated ; though, to say the
truth, the general appearance off the country,
and the increasing altitude of the mountains,
108 DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST LINE.
rendered it evident that no common exertion
would be required to get to either of the large
rivers, and in the decision to which I now
finally came, I considered myself as having
merely chosen the lesser evil of the two.
Still, coasting along the northern shore, and a
continuous link of islands to the right, we came
to a place distinguished, by the Chipewyan
and Yellow Knife Indians, by the emphatic
appellation of " The Mountain.'* Here it is
their custom to leave their canoes when they
go to hunt the rein-deer on the Barren Lands ;
and few have much acquaintance with the coun-
try beyond it. Three or four of La Prise's
crew, influenced by their old habits, could not
bring themselves to pass the rock at which they
had always landed ; and separated from us here,
under the plea of going to join their fami-
lies. The Mountain rises gradually from the
water's edge into round backed ridges of
gneiss, with intervening valleys rather scantily
wooded ; and its various summits, consisting of
a succession of mounds or elevations of smooth
and naked granite, in the form of obtuse cones,
rarely attain a greater height than from ten to
fourteen hundred feet. The Mountain River
is seen near its base, and precipitates itself, in a
picturesque fall, over a ledge of craggy rocks,
into the lake. Opposite this is the termination
POINT KEITH. 109
of the islands beginning at Tal-thel-leh ; and a
line drawn from thence due south cuts a huge
bluff, forming the western angle of Gah-houn-
tchella, or Rabbit Point. This indented isth-
mus juts out in aW.N.W. direction from the
eastern main, and, overlapping the immense
island of Peth-the-nueh, or Owl Island, so as
to make the land seem continuous, gives the ap-
pearance of a deep bay, of which, together with
the island, it seems to be the boundary. In
truth, however, the effect so produced is an
optical illusion, occasioned by the distance and
refraction of the objects ; for although the blue
outline appears perfectly unbroken, yet Gah-
houn-tchella was subsequently discovered to be
the northern opening to a narrow strait leading
into a magnificent inner bay, at the south
part of which we afterwards established a
fishery. Still farther south than the fishery
is another narrow passage, hemmed in on the
west by the mural precipices of Peth-the-
nueh, and on the east by lofty granitic moun-
tains. This forms the outlet to a part of the
lake which is bounded by the horizon, the
whole space being one sheet of water as far
as Point Keith. The southern shore I have
ventured to lay down, according to the dotted
lines in the chart, after a patient investigation
of various Indian accounts, all of which make
110 Christie's bay.
its distance from Peth-the-nueh rather more
than I have fixed upon. Peth-the-nueh, or
Owl Island, is an accumulation of trap moun-
tains, having their least altitude at Pipe-stone
Point, opposite Rein-deer Island, and their
greatest, at the narrow passage south of Gah-
houn-tchella. Its whole length east and west is
fifty-four geographical miles, and the breadth
of the lake a little beyond Mountain River, in
a line due south, may be fairly estimated at not
less than thirty-nine miles. It lies between the
two main shores, somewhat nearer to the north :
the rivers to the southward and eastward are of
some magnitude, and are continually resorted to
by the Chipewyans ; yet, though acquainted
with every rapid and turn in them, they were
unable to point out or even afford a guess at
their sources. The one, however, with the
islands at its entrance, which is laid down as
running into Christie's Bay, — so called after
Mr. Chief Factor Christie, of the Company's
service, whose prompt and courteous services
I have pleasure in again alluding to, — is often
visited by them in the spring, for the purpose of
shooting swans, with which at that season it
abounds.
Continuing our course along the hard and
rocky line of the northern shore, we passed a
picturesque torrent; which, from a thread of
EASTERN EXTREMITY OF GREAT SLAVE LAKE. Ill
shining silver in the distance, came gamboling
down the steep declivities, and then mingled
gently with the broad waters of the lake. Near
it was the Rocky Point River, just beyond
which we encamped, at the close of a beautiful
day, in which the thermometer had stood at 52°.
August 18th. — We started at 4 a.m. under
the impression that a couple of hours would
certainly bring us to the river spoken of by the
Indians; but at the spot where we hoped to find
a river there was merely another torrent. " That
is not it," said Maufelly, the Indian before
spoken of, who was to be our guide ; so on we
went, paddling along the lake, now contracted
to a width of five or six miles, and apparently
terminating near a blue point in the south-east,
which, however, turned out to be the bend
leading into a deep bay, forming the eastern
portion of Great Slave Lake. As it seemed that
a long circuit might be avoided, by making a
portage in a favourable part, almost in a direct
line before us, I was about to give directions ac-
cordingly, when launching past some rocks, which
had shut out the land in their direction, we
opened suddenly on a small bay, at the bottom of
which was seen a splendid fall, upwards of sixty
feet high, rushing in two white and misty vo-
lumes into the dark gulf below. It was the
object of our search — the river which we
112 LA PRISE LEFT IN CHARGE OF THE BAGGAGE.
were to ascend ; so, without noticing the very
significant gestures of my crew, indicating the
impossibility of ascending it, I immediately
landed, and set them about drying and tho-
roughly repairing the small canoe. An addi-
tional blanket or two, with some other requisites,
having been set apart, all the other baggage,
together with the large canoe, was placed under
the charge of La Prise, who undertook to wait
for and deliver them to Mr. M'Leod.
The observations to-day gave the latitude
62° 50' 15" N., longitude 109° 47' 54' W., and
variation 36° 52 ' E.
1
«»
>
h
3
ftl
ft
2
N
ft!
t3
$
^
8
$
113
CHAP. IV,
Difficult and toilsome Ascent of Hoar Frost River. —
Strikiiig Scenery along its Course. — Illness of the
Interpreter. — Encampment upon Cook's Lake. — As-
cent of another small River full of Rapids. — Deser-
tion of two Indians. — Perplexity of the Guide as to
the proper Course, and Attempt to desert. — Succession
of Streams and Lakes. — Indian Account of the 17ie-lew
or Teh-Ion. — Clinton-Colden, Aylme?; and Sussex
Lakes. — Discovery of the Thlew-ee-choh.
A new scene now opened upon us. Instead of
the gentle paddling across the level lake, by
which we had been enabled to penetrate thus
far, we had to toil up the steep and rocky bed
of an unknown stream, on our way to the high
lands, from which the waters take an opposite
course. The labours which had been hitherto
so cheerfully undergone were little more than
those to which voyageurs are accustomed ;
but in what was to come, it was evident that
extraordinary efforts and patient perseverance
would be required, to overcome the difficulties
of our route. We now learned from the Indians
that the fall, to which, after my enterprising
friend Beverley, the companion of Sir E. Parry
114 TOILSOME ASCENT
in his attempt to reach the Pole, I have given
the name of Beverley's Fall, was the com-
mencement of a series of appalling cascades and
rapids, which, according to their account, were
the distinguishing characteristics of Hoar Frost
River ; and, indeed, some fifteen or twenty
small canoes, concealed in the bushes, belonging,
as was conjectured, to my old friend Akaitcho
and his party, who were hunting on the barren
Lands, showed pretty clearly the obstacles we
might expect to encounter. Maufelly, however,
maintained that it was the only practicable route,
and added, that by following its channel we
should shorten the distance, and not improbably
fall in with an old man who could give all the
information I required about the Thlew-ee-
choh.
The greater part of our lading, consisting of
three bags of pemmican, with a little ammunition
tobacco, &c, had been carried up the ascent
the evening before ; and on the morning of the
lyth of August, after emptying a net which had
been set, of a few blue and white fish, the re-
mainder was taken. The principal difficulty con-
sisted in bearing the canoe over a slippery and
uneven acclivity, thickly beset with trees and
underwood. The first ridge, where we rested,
was formed of sand and debris from the sur-
rounding rocks, mostly red felspar and quartz.
OF HOAR FROST RIVER. H5
Having crossed a swamp, and again ascended,
we got to a point above a second fall, where a
little smooth pool, on which the canoe was
launched, afforded a short respite to the wearied
men. Here I dismissed La Prise, who, with his
two little boys, had assisted in conveying the
things so far. He was intrusted with a letter
for Mr. McLeod, in which I directed him to
begin building an establishment, as soon as he
should reach the east end of the lake, which, as
I calculated, could not be more than a day's
march from the river ; informing him at the
same time that I might be expected some time
in September.
A few hundred yards' paddling along the pool
brought us in sight of fresh clouds of spray,
rising from a third and a fourth fall, too danger-
ous to approach ; and though the woods were
extremely thick, and consisted, for the greater
part, of stunted swamp fir, which gave us in-
finite trouble to force through, still there was no
alternative, and clambering over the fallen trees,
through rivulets and across swamps, as well as
our burthens would permit, we at length emerged
into an open space. It was barren and desolate;
crag was piled upon crag, to a height of two
thousand feet from the base ; and the course of
the contracted river, now far beneath, was
marked by an uninterrupted line of foam. After
i 2
1
116 STRIKING SCENERY.
frequent halts to recover breath, the summit of
the difficult pass was attained ; the blue lake
which we had left, lay as if spread at our feet ;
and such was the beauty of the varied outline,
that we were captivated into a momentary for-
getfulness of our fatigue. But severe toil will tell
on the frame, however resolute the will; and the
interpreter, who had for several days shown symp-
toms of indisposition, became now so exhausted
as to be barely able to proceed. The Indians aideid
him by lightening his burthen, being themselves in
high spirits, from having seen some fresh tracks of
deer, which, according to their notions, indicated
an early hunting season, as it proved that those
ever shifting animals had begun to migrate from
the north. The descent towards the river was
at first gradual, for the path lay over the even
though rounded surface of the rocks. But moss-
covered swamps soon followed, and then a pre-
cipice so abrupt and deep, that, with no other
incumbrance than my cloak and gun, it re-
quired all my vigilance and exertion to save
myself from falling with the loose masses which
slid away from my feet.
The people with the canoe stood resolutely to
their work, and after a slip or fall, recovered
themselves with such adroitness, that, after an
interval of protracted anxiety, I enjoyed the satis-
faction of beholding her placed safe and sound in
Gtrt^a£&JLtfj&i*ust29*-J833.
JZncrmy&d, 2ry JS-F&ztl&v .
<&
V^k^^^^/
1
-"
&&&&?
Published ~by John Murray. London. 1836 .
SAND-FLIES AND MOSQUITOS. 117
the stream below. The course of the river could
be traced N.N. E. about three miles, in which,
though there was evidently a strong current,
nothing appeared to break the glassiness of the
surface. It was bounded on each side by steep
shelving rocks, cheerful with vegetation, and
thinly clad with birch, firs, and willows. The
sun was too low, and the crew too wearied to
move on ; and having paddled to the other side,
for the convenience of a level spot on which to
pitch the tent, we gladly halted for the night.
The laborious duty which had been thus satis-
factorily performed, was rendered doubly severe
by the combined attack of myriads of sand-flies
and mosquitos, which made our faces stream with
blood. There is certainly no form of wretched-
ness, among those to which the chequered life
of a voyageur is exposed, at once so great and
so humiliating, as the torture inflicted by these
puny blood-suckers. To avoid them is im-
possible : and as for defending himself, though
for a time he may go on crushing by thousands,
he cannot long maintain the unequal conflict ; so
that at last, subdued by pain and fatigue, he throws
himself in despair with his face to the earth, and,
half suffocated in his blanket, groans away a
few hours of sleepless rest.
August 20. — The thermometer had fallen to
36*, and at four a. m., as soon as the sunken
1 3
118 ILLNESS OF THE INTERPRETER.
rocks, and other impediments to our progress,
could be distinguished, we got away, and went
on cheerily enough, until interrupted by a
rapid, which was succeeded by so many more,
that for the best part of the morning we did
little else than lighten the canoe and drag it up
with a line : at length a fall of twenty feet
obliged us to carry both canoe and baggage.
This passed, other rapids presented themselves ;
until finally the canoe got so seriously damaged
by the shocks, as to make us hasten on shore to
avoid sinking. The unhappy interpreter had
been unable to take any share in the work, and
was evidently suffering severe pain, which he
begged of me to assuage. I had only a box of
common pills, and some brandy, neither of which
could be prudently applied to a case which
seemed to require the skill and attention of a
professional man. The poor fellow, however,
persisted in his belief that I could relieve him,
not doubting that any thing under the name of
medicine would answer the purpose. I yielded,
therefore, to his importunity, and indulged him,
first with the contents of the box, which made
him worse ; and next with the contents of the
bottle, which made him better.
Scarcely was the canoe repaired, and our la-
bour recommenced, when we were involved in
fresh troubles, by a most intricate channel of
WILD SCENERY. 119
deep water, thickly studded with sharp angular
rocks, sometimes so close together as barely to
allow of a passage. The stream having at this
part a considerable fall, rushed between or bub-
bled over them, with a force that almost swept
the hauling men off their legs ; and no sooner
had they with great resolution surmounted this
difficulty, than a fresh demand was made on their
energy by the appearance of three distinct falls,
rising like huge steps to the height of forty-five
feet. Again, therefore, the whole materiel was
to be carried, much to the annoyance of the
crew, to whom, on such occasions, the sickness
of any of their companions is a matter of serious
importance. One or two more rapids, and a
narrow fall of twenty feet, terminated the ascent
of this turbulent and unfriendly river. No-
thing, however, can be more romantically beau-
tiful than the wild scenery of its course. High
rocks beetling over the rapids like towers, or
rent into the most diversified forms, gay with
various coloured mosses, or shaded by over-
hanging trees — now a tranquil pool, lying like
a sheet of silver — now the dash and foam of a
cataract, — these are a part only of its picturesque
and striking features.
The canoe having been completely repaired,
we entered on a different scene. An amphi-
i 4
120 ENCAMPMENT UPON
theatre of gently rising hills, interspersed with
rounded and barren rocks, and a few clumps of
gloomy-looking pines, rendered more conspicuous
by the yellow sand on which they grew, em-
braced a calm sheet of water, which, taking a
northerly direction, kept gradually widening to
a distance of three or four miles. Some old ice
still adhered to its banks, and the snow shoes
and bundles affixed to the poles of a recently
deserted encampment^ showed that it was a
resort of the Indians.
It was too late to gain the pines, for the sun
had set ; so we encamped on an island where
we had observed that there were shrubs enough
to cook the evening meal ; and had no sooner
landed than we were assailed by swarms of sand-
flies and mosquitos, which for a time irritated
us almost to madness. I do not know that
there is any thing very original in the idea, but
as I contemplated the repose and stillness of the
evening landscape, mellowed by the soft tints
of the western sky, and contrasted it with the
noise, the impetuosity, the intense animation
and bustle of the morning, it seemed to me a
type of that best period of the life of man, when
to the turbulence and energy of youth succeeds
the calm sobriety of ripened age. It brought
to my mind far distant friends, — one especially
long known and well esteemed; in rem em-
cook's lake. 121
brance of whom I gave to the sheet of water be-
fore me the name of Cook's Lake.
As the night drew on, something was perceived
indistinctly on the lake ; it was neither a loon, nor a
deer, but its cautious motions excited that sort of
suspicion which made our invalid look about him.
He and the three Indians with me determined
that it must be either a Chipewyan thief, or the
scout of a party of slave Indians, who were at war
with the Yellow Knives. As it turned out, how-
ever, neither of these conjectures was correct,
for the object of apprehension proved to be one
of those who had left us at the mountain, and who,
having lost the only two charges of powder in his
possession, had been driven to the necessity of
performing this long journey, to obtain the means
of sustaining his family until they could get to
their friends. " Had there been only my wife
with me," he said, in a faint voice, " I would not
have troubled the chief, for we could have lived
upon berries ; but when I looked on my child, and
heard its cries, my heart failed me, and I sought
for relief." There needed no other appeal; and
having received a liberal supply of provision
and ammunition, the poor fellow went away the
happiest of his tribe.
August 21. — Thin ice had been formed during
the night ; though when we started, at 4 a.m.,
the thermometer stood at 38°. A few miles
122 ASCENT OF ANOTHER SMALL RTVER.
northerly brought us to a river, barred by fifteen
rapids, varying in height from three to ten feet.
In any other situation, such a succession of inter-
ruptions would have seriously annoyed me ; but I
now regarded them with complacency, as the
ladder by which I was to mount to the dividing
ridge of land, — the attainment of that goal
being all which at that late season I could hope
to accomplish.
I had in De Charloit, the bowman, one of the
most expert men in the country, and in no place
had his astonishing strength and activity been
called more into play than on this occasion. In
the midst of dangers the most imminent from
rapids or falls, he was cool, fearless, and col-
lected ; and often, when the pole or paddle was
no longer available, he would spring into the
curling water, and, with a foot firmly planted,
maintain his position, where others would have
been swept away in an instant. But in spite of all
his care and exertion, our frail vessel was sorely buf-
feted, and the bark hung in shreds along its sides,
ripped and broken in every quarter. We were,
therefore, not a little glad, when, after a difficult
portage, we found another free and open water.
While the necessary patching and gumming
of the canoe was going on, to render her tight,
I climbed to the top of a short range of rocks
about two hundred feet high, and dipping to the
DESERTION OF TWO INDIANS. 123
eastward. From this elevation Maufelly pointed
to a lake, on which he said we were to go a long
way ; adding, however, that, from the fact of his
having been so snow-blind when he last passed
as to be led with a string, he did not exactly
remember the channel. He requested, therefore,
permission to land at certain elevated places — one
of which he recognised, and pointed out as the
spot where he had formerly killed a deer. Still this
did not enlighten him as to the precise part we
should make for : and whether the two Indian
boys in the canoe differed with or distrusted
him, or whether it was the mere caprice and
unsteadiness of their nature, we knew not ; but
certain it was, that, on landing at a point of the
shore, they began to prepare for a march, with
the intention, as they said, of visiting their re-
lations, who they thought might be somewhere
to the north-west. As there wras no indication
of Indians within range of the telescope, we
tried to dissuade them from their purpose, for
their services, just then, were doubly requisite
in order to carry the baggage over the portages ;
and this the rogues well knew, but with invinci-
ble stubbornness they rejected every offer that
was made. Finding they were determined, I
supplied them with a little ammunition, warn-
ing them at the same time to keep away from
my fort, unless they brought with them a heavy
load of good meat.
124 PERPLEXITY OF THE GUIDE.
We then paddled among islands extending to
a great distance, with an uninterrupted horizon
to the westward. It was evident that Maufelly
was puzzled; for though he knew the general
direction, he was so little acquainted with the
form of the lake, that we constantly found our-
selves either in a bay, or pulling round an island.
Not liking to be baffled in this way, I landed, and
sent De Charloit and the Indian to reconnoitre ;
and the result was, that they descried a lake in
the line of our intended course. The mosquitos
here tormented us dreadfully ; and the steersman,
for whom they had a particular affection, was so
swollen that he could scarcely see.
At daybreak of the following day (the 22d of
August) we went to an adjoining bay, whence
the canoe and baggage were carried to two small
lakes. Another portage took us to an extensive
sheet of water, which, however, proved to be
only a branch of the lake we had left. In
this, as in the other part, were many islands,
composed of low rocks with shelving sides,
covered more or less with reindeer-moss and
large stones. Streaks of old ice were still ad-
hering to the shore ; and on some of the hills, al-
ready of a brown tint, were patches of last year's
snow. A few hours brought us to the end of
the lake (which has been called after the Rev.
Dr. Walmsley of Han well) ; and scouts were
RETURN OF ONE OF THE DESERTERS. 125
despatched in different quarters to find out the
most favourable route to the large lake of which
we were in search.
A set of observations gave the latitude 63°
23' 46" N., longitude 108° 8' 16" W., and vari-
ation 36° 0' E. — a position a little to the north
of the Cheesadawd Lake of Hearne ; though,
from the concurrent testimony of the Indians, it
would seem that the only one bearing the name
is situated between the Athabasca and Great
Slave Lakes.
Towards evening the men returned ; and about
the same time, one of the Indian lads, who for
some trifling cause had separated from his com-
panion, and was now willing to join us again.
The former had succeeded in finding a chain of
small lakes, inclining to the eastward, and had
the good fortune to shoot a young deer : the
latter was unceremoniously dismissed with di-
rections to inform his tribe, that those who were
desirous of profiting by the expedition must pur-
sue a steady and honest course of conduct, and,
according to their own phraseology, abstain from
" speaking with two tongues ;" for by that means
alone could . they entitle themselves to any
benefit. He was refused even a particle of pro-
vision,— a rigour which I felt assured would be
made known, and produce a wholesome effect
upon the whole tribe ; for, though fickle and un-
126 SUCCESSION OF STREAMS AND LAKES.
grateful, they are yet right-minded enough to
know, and candid enough to acknowledge, their
errors. In the present instance, the lad smiled
as he went away, and observed, that " it was just,
for he did not deserve better treatment."
August 23. — The operation of carrying be-
gan with the first dawn of day ; and, though
tormented by the mosquitos from the time that
the sun began to have any power, and drenched
with hail and rain as soon as it declined, yet we
managed to get over fifteen portages before
night compelled us to encamp.
August 24. — The thermometer fell to 32°,
and a cold sheet of vapour rose from innumerable
watercourses, which dispersing as the sun ap-
peared above the grey cloud that walled the
horizon in the east, allowed us to resume our
tedious occupation. A succession of lakes and
portages took us to a small stream, which I was
glad to observe ran easterly ; and at its termin-
ation, in an open space of water, I saw some
sand hills about north-west, which led me to con-
clude that we could not be far off the height of
land. The bark of the canoe, however, had been
split by the frost, and a short delay was necessary
to repair it. This completed, we began to make
a traverse to gain some hills, whose eastern sides,
as Maufelly asserted, were washed by the large
lake ; but a question now arose, as to the pro-
THE INTERPRETER ATTEMPTS TO DESERT. 127
bability of a passage along the base of the sand
hills to the westward ; since, according to my
sight, a wide opening seemed to stretch from
thence far to the right, which, I cannot help
still thinking, was connected with the other large
sheet of water. Be this as it may, the Indian
put his veto on the proposition ; and accordingly
the blue hills were reached, a long portage
made, and I had the satisfaction at last of look-
ing on a wide clear expanse of water to the
southward, bounded only by the horizon. — The
latitude was 63° 23' 57" N.
We now crossed to a jutting bluff point, ap-
parently a continuation of the opposite shore,
but which was stated to be the northern sweep
of a bay, the receptacle of a rapid river, which
Maufelly said we must ascend. It lay precisely
in a straight line with a very distant column of
smoke, to which our Indian wished to go, under
the plausible pretence of procuring information ;
declaring, at the same time, his entire ignorance
of any water communication beyond the one we
were in. This conduct I thought it right to
resent, and with a seasonable severity of manner
gave him to understand that artifice and du-
plicity were not likely to succeed with me at
any time, much less at the present moment,
when, from his own admission, he had been at
another lake, and stood convicted therefore of
128 CHASE OF A REINDEER
falsehood. I told him, that what he really
wanted was to desert ; that if so, his lands were
before him ; but that by so doing he would
forfeit all claim to whatever benefits I might
otherwise have conferred upon him. The ef-
fect was instantaneous ; he confessed that he
had done wrong, and promised fidelity for the
future, begging that I would not be displeased,
if, from want of memory on his part, we some-
times missed our way ; for that it was a long
time since he was a boy, and from that early
period he had never been beyond the land be-
fore us. The banks of the stream consisted
mostly of sand, heaped here and there into
mounds, the comfortable retreat of many siffleu,
or ground squirrels, some of whose company
were basking in the sun, or sitting up in cu-
rious gaze at each other : on seeing us, they dis-
appeared.
Four rapids, having an aggregate fall of from
sixteen to twenty feet, were the only obstacles
to the navigation of the river, and by five o'clock
we had got up them all, and opened on a mag-
nificent lake. Close by, a reindeer appeared,
running at full speed, chased by a long white
wolf, which, though it seemed to have little
chance in swiftness, was nevertheless resolute in
the pursuit. The deer gradually made for a
pass below the rapid, at the other side of which
BY A WOLF. 129
another wolf was now first perceived, crouching
down, with his eyes fixed on the chase, and
evidently ready to spring upon the poor animal,
if it unhappily took the water.
I have a strong antipathy to wolves, however
speciously attired ; and though these fair-robed
gentlemen were but following a natural instinct
of appetite, I thought fit to interfere with voice
and gesture. The panting deer bounded past
me, as if conscious of safety and protection,
while the wolf stood motionless for a moment,
and then, scenting an enemy, slunk slowly away,
under the shelter of some fragments of rocks.
The country near the margin, and, indeed, for
several miles from the lake, was very low and
level, being only occasionally elevated into
moderately-sized hills. By one of these, to the
eastward, lay the route to the The-lew.* As
we were certain to return by this place, I took
advantage of a detached heap of stones, in the
shape of an island, to make a cache of a bag
of pemmican ; soon after which we encamped,
where there was some good moss for cooking —
a consideration of no trifling importance on the
barren lands.
The white partridges kept up a burring call
until near midnight ; and when this had ceased,
* Sometimes called Teh-Ion.
K
130 INDIAN ACCOUNT OF
my rest was repeatedly interrupted by the start-
ling and fiendish screams of a score of the largest
sized loons ; so that I was not sorry when the
morning of the 25th of August afforded light
enough for escaping from their harsh and grating
notes.
As we proceeded, the land on each side swelled
insensibly into a different character, attaining
an elevation of one hundred and seventy or
one hundred and ninety feet, with rounded
summits, partially covered with rich lichens,
and strewed with huge boulders, closely resem-
bling those round Point Lake. The valleys af-
forded a luxurious pasturage, and were tenanted
by a few scattered deer.
A weak current was found to oppose us ; and
having passed through a narrow, which produced
a ripple having something of the character of
a rapid, we managed to get embayed. Maufelly
was fairly lost ; and after trying ineffectually half
a dozen openings, I returned to the current, which
became imperceptible as the land fell off; but,
taking the general direction of the last river and
this stream as a guide, I directed the course to a
distant northerly hill, which, luckily enough, hap-
pened to be the western point of another narrow,
well known to the Yellow Knives as a favourite
deer-pass, and which was, in fact, the only
passage for the water. A " band*" of deer was
* Any number above six.
THE THE-LEW, OR TEH-LON. 131
swimming across at the moment. The face of
the country was extremely barren and for-
bidding. When afterwards we encamped, not
a shrub could be found ; and the moss being
wet, it required some ingenuity to make a
fire : ultimately, however, it was effected, by
building two parallel walls, within which the
moss was placed, and fanned into flame by
the draft rushing between. This simple no-
tion was the means of saving us much trouble
afterwards. The pass led us to an immense
lake, from which land could be faintly dis-
tinguished to the north, while east and west
it was indented with deep inlets and bays. One
of these, to the right, presenting a clear horizon,
led, as Maufelly believed, to the The-lew.
Subsequently, several Indians, who had been
there, informed me that, by making a portage
from the eastern extremity of a deep bay, they
got to a small lake, and from thence by another
portage to a larger one ; that this discharged it-
self by a river into the north-east end of a very
long but narrow lake, the southern termination of
which was about half way between that point
and Slave Lake. To the east, they said it was
connected, by a short line of rapids, with a lake
of singular shape, which, by means of a river
seventeen miles long, communicated with the
The-lew, at a mean distance from our position
k 2
132 INDIAN ACCOUNT OF
of about eighty miles. As to the course of
the principal river itself, little seemed to be
accurately known ; for the Indians never pene-
trated far, perhaps not more than twenty miles,
beyond the part which has been just described.
There it was said to maintain a uniform di-
rection towards the north-east.
Proceeding by the western shore of the lake
which we had entered, we cut across from point
to point, coasting by islands so extensive, that
we not unfrequently mistook them for the main.
The water was of a dark indigo colour, but very
clear; and the occasional and almost noiseless
rising of a fish at a water-fly was the only sound
which broke the stillness and serenity around.
Whether it were owing to continued calms, or to
the limited time during which this lake is liberated
from its icy fetters, I am not prepared to say ;
but certain it is, that I no where observed those
successive banks, or layers of sand, along the
beach, so common in the lakes to the southward,
— the joint effect of the action of the waves and of
the rise and fall of the water. Neither were there
any of those horizontal lines on the base of the
rocks, which force themselves on the notice of
the traveller in other parts of this country, and
which indicate, with the nicest precision, the
fluctuations of the level at different seasons.
Being somewhat bewildered among the nu-
THE THE-LEW, OR TEH-LON. 133
merous bays and islands, our Indian, from time
to time, ascended the elevated ground, with a
view of guessing at the best route ; and on this
occasion he considered that, to avoid making
detours, equally unprofitable and vexatious, we
ought to keep more to the northward. He be-
gan now also to remark that many winters had
glidedaway since he had visited the Thlew-ee-
choh, as a boy, with his old father ; but that he
remembered his saying that there were nu-
merous sand-hills in its vicinity; and he felt
some confidence now, that we should, sooner or
later, find it. What most comforted him, how-
ever, was a newly entertained idea that we
should not (as he had hitherto dreaded) be
caught by the setting in of winter, before the
object was accomplished.
For a considerable time past, a dazzling white-
ness, which did not seem like the ordinary effect
of the sunlight, had been visible on the western
horizon ; and, as we nearedit, I had the mortifi-
cation to behold a well-defined stream of ice,
decayed, indeed, but compact enough to have
brought up the largest ship in his Majesty's navy.
There needed no stronger proof to convince me of
the tardy disruption of this wintry barrier, and,
by consequence, of the faint chance that existed
of my being able to prosecute the journey by open
water during the early part of summer. The
K o
134 TORMENTED BY SAND-FLIES AND MOSQU1TOS.
intimation, however, was not without its use ; it
prepared me to expect other obstacles, and oc-
casioned the methodising of various plans, by
which the execution of that part of the service
was at last successfully completed.
Having paddled along the edge of the stream
of ice, we made for a remarkable mountainous bluff
to the north-east, between which and some other
high land was a passage leading north. But the
sun had set; and, after a hard day's work, my
weary crew were happy to encamp, notwithstand-
ing the vigorous and unintermitting assaults
of our faithful tormentors, the sand-flies and
mosquitos. Certainly they were pests, and sharply
did they convey to us the moral lesson of man's
helplessness ; since, with all our boasted strength
and skill, we were unable to repel these feeble
atoms of the creation.
August 26th. — The temperature had fallen
to 31°, and coated the lake, for a few hundred
yards from the shore, with a thin sheet of ice;
while the calm surface of the open water was
literally black with dead flies. Slight as the
impediment was, it required the utmost caution
on the part of the bowman to open a lane, by
breaking the ice on each side, so as to allow the
canoe to pass without touching; for the bark be-
ing rendered brittle by the overnight's frost, the
least concussion would have produced serious con-
THE SAND-HILL. 135
sequences — to prevent which, pieces of leather,
&c., were placed over the sides as fenders. The
mountainous appearance of the country to the
northward by no means answered to the character
of the part of which we were in search, and
greatly diminished the hopes that Maufelly had
nourished of finding a portage to the Thlew-ee-
choh in that direction. We therefore veered to
the westward ; and, after paddling from fifteen to
twenty miles, without descrying the faintest symp-
tom of a sand-hill, we ascended a lofty hill, and,
after considerable embarrassment, during which I
was careful to encourage him, the Indian pointed
to the south-east. Arriving at another point, he
again directed us west, through a kind of strait,
where there was an island, consisting of one conical
mount, about two hundred feet high. Some sand
was visible round and near its apex, and it was
distinguished, as I afterwards learnt, by the name
of the Sand- Hill.
From its summit we were surprised to behold
another immense lake, extending with a clear
horizon to the south-west, and abounding in large
islands, and in bays from ten to fifteen miles
deep. How far it might be across, could not
be conjectured, the apparent boundary on the
other side being but dimly marked by narrow
dark lines, which the Indian assured me were
only islands. Resuming our journey, we passed
k 4
136 PROGRESS OF OUR JOURNEY.
through the upper end of the strait, in which
the current set to the southward ; and, having
gone half round the compass, and passed an
extensive opening to the right, we directed our
course to the westward.
The wavering uncertainty of Maufelly in-
duced me to abstain from any remarks on the
time lost in rounding bays to look for some near
cut, which he had never seen, but which he
persisted in thinking must exist. Any opposition,
I well knew, would only produce a sulky obsti-
nacy, and put an end to all effective cooperation.
I therefore left him to follow his own plans,
confiding in that instinct which will guide an
Indian through the mazes of the darkest and
most tangled forest. The view to the south-
ward and westward might well be called that of
an inland sea ; for, with the exception of a dark
spot here and there, the range was bounded by
an horizon of sky and water, now gilded with
the brilliant rays of a setting sun.
Holding more to the north, we threaded some
bleak and picturesque islands, apparently of
gneiss; for all were round and naked rocks, with
little or no vegetation, and rose abruptly from
the water's edge to a height varying from eighty
to a hundred and twenty feet. Near the spot
where we encamped was one considerably higher,
with liuse boulders on its obtuse and irregular
THE TENT PITCHED. 137
outline, which bore an exact resemblance to the
scenery about Fort Enterprise.
The shelving and moss-covered mainland,
with isolated rocks in situ, formed a pleasing con-
trast to the bold fronting of the neighbouring
islands. The beach where the tent was pitched
was of a shingly gravel, composed of minute
and rounded fragments of mica slate, quartz with
scales of glittering mica, and red and grey fel-
spar. A few geese, one gull, and many loons were
seen ; and mosquitos, like the fourth plague #,
swarmed innumerable, and banished comfort.
When the cool air of night had benumbed them,
and afforded me a respite for contemplation, I
could not help feeling deeply impressed with
the intense stillness of the scene : no living
thing was seen or heard ; the air was calm, the
lake unruffled : it seemed as if nature had fallen
into a trance, for all was silent and motionless as
death.
Our little canoe was afloat at four a. m. of the
27th of August; and the men, excited by the keen
air of the morning to vigorous action, impelled
her through the calm water with unusual swift-
ness. Several deep bays were traversed and
points rounded, until at last we had the satis-
faction of seeing some sand-hills, which, as we
drew near, Maufelly thought he recognised.
* Swarms of flies. — Exodus.
138 CLINTON-COLDEN LAKE.
Twice he went to adjacent heights to discover
some object, which might remove his doubts ;
and the second time he returned with a light
step, and a countenance betokening satisfaction
and triumph. With renewed confidence he
pointed to a bay from whence we might go to
the Thlew-ee-choh, and, on our landing, turned
to the interpreter, and showing him the well-
beaten tracks of the deer, exclaimed, with a
smile, that his old father loved to dwell on the
feats he had performed there; " and though,"
added he, " I was but a child when I accom-
panied him, these places look familiar to me."
The two large lakes by which we had come
were only separated by the strait of the Sand-
Hill ; and, considering the first as extending
from that strait, not to the river, but merely to
the first narrow to the south, it will embrace a
direct distance of twenty-nine miles, and an es-
timated breadth, east and west, of nearly thirty.
This I have named Clinton-Colden Lake, as
a mark of respect to the memory of those dis-
tinguished individuals.
The second, or northern one, is, according to
the concurrent testimony of the Indians, about
sixty miles in extent towards the north-west, with
a breadth not exceeding thirty, nor less than
twenty miles. The eastern shores are broken
into bays, deep and indefinable ; the rest was
LAKE AYLMER. 139
bounded by the horizon. This splendid sheet of
water received the appellation of Lake Aylmer,
in honour of the Governor-General of Canada, to
whose kindness and consideration I felt myself
particularly indebted.
While employed in putting the canoe in a suit-
able place, between two small hillocks, to dry,
a deer was seen coming at full speed towards
us. The Indian and De Charloit started at the
same moment to cut it off. The trial was well
contested ; but the latter was more active than
his opponent; and, concealing himself behind a
stone, watched his opportunity, and killed it at
the first shot. After making a hasty repast, I
sent the three men with Maufelly to look for
the river, or the lake whence it was supposed
to take its rise. They werejprovisioned for three
days; and, in the event of any doubt arising on
the part of the Indian, the bow and steersmen
were to proceed in a due northern, and the
Indian and interpreter in a north-western, direc-
tion, which, I concluded, would take them within
sight of their object.
The observations made here gave the lati-
tude 64° 94' 13" N. ; longitude, 108° 28' 53" W. ;
variation, 36° 36' E. * As .the sun declined,
some dark clouds rose from the westward, and
* For dip, see Appendix.
140 A STORM.
spread rapidly over the sky, threatening to break
up the long calm which we had enjoyed across
the two lakes. Before I could reach the tent,
indeed, the storm burst with such violence, as
almost to carry it away ; and but for the support
which, on my arrival, I lent to the poles, it would
assuredly have gone. The canoe was whirled
over and over, and was at last arrested by a
rock. Malley's cooking apparatus was thrown
right and left ; while my sextant and instruments,
scattered about the tent, reminded me most
forcibly of poor Hearne's misfortune on a similar
occasion. Happily, I saved them by throwing
my cloak over them, and then again propped up
the tent, until the squall was over.
August 28th. — I went along a range of sand-
hills with my glass, but could see nothing of the
men. The country was formed of gently un-
dulating hills, whose surfaces were covered with
large fragments of rocks, and a coarse gravelly
soil, which afforded nutriment to some miserable
dwarf birch. The tea plant, crow, and cran-
berry shrubs also grew there, but were entirely
unproductive. In the swamps, occupying every
valley, the plant of the whortleberry was occa-
sionally found, but* as in the former case, without
fruit.
A chain of sand-hills, embracing two thirds
of a small lake with a pretty rocky island in its
SAND-HILLS. 141
centre, stretched from the eastward, and, gra-
dually rising to different heights, suddenly ter-
minated in abrupt cliffs ; whence renewing the
line again at the base, it extended to within
a couple of miles of our encampment. Thence,
separated only by a narrow stream which flowed
from the lake, the land ascended by a shelving
hill to a continuation of the chain ; a tongue of
white sand spotted with Arbutus (sac a commis* ),
which jutted out to the southward, completed,
with the hill on which we had taken our posi-
tion, the girdle of a bay, the waters of which
emptied themselves by a narrow channel to the
north-west. To the north, as well as west, were
other hills, detached from the chain, of a rocky
mossy character about the declivities, but end-
ing in rounded cones of sand, from one hundred
and fifty to five or six hundred feet high. Many
ravines and dry watercourses intersected the
hills ; and in one I saw a musk ox, which con-
trived to get away from me. The deer must
have been, at some time, exceedingly numerous ;
for the face of the ground for several miles was
beaten down bv them.
August 29th. — Becoming anxious about the
men, I took my gun, and, following a N. N.W.
direction, went out to look for them. Having
passed a small sheet of water, between the
* So called by the traders.
142 DISCOVERY OF
rivulet, or channel, previously mentioned, and
Lake Aylmer, I ascended a hill, from the top
of which I discerned, to my great delight, a
rapid, evidently connected with the stream which
flowed through the narrow channel from the lake.
With a quickened step I proceeded to trace its
course, and, in doing so, was further gratified at
being obliged to wade through the sedgy waters of
springs. Crossing two rivulets, whose lively ripples
ran due north into the rapid, the thought occur-
red to me, that these feeders might be tributaries
to the Thlew-ee-choh ; and, yielding to that pleas-
ins: emotion, which discoverers, in the first bound
of their transport, may be pardoned for indulg-
ing, I threw myself down on the bank, and drank
a hearty draught of the limpid water. From a
height a mile forward, the line of stream could be
distinctly traced into an open space, which, as it
contracted, inclined to the north ; and this, with
the appearance of two plovers, exactly resembling
the noisy plover ( Charadrius vociferus) about
Fort Enterprise, convinced me that I stood
on part of the continuous height of land which
extends hither from the borders of the Copper
Mine River. The men not making their appear-
ance, I raised a dense smoke, by firing the moss,
to apprise them of my situation ; and returned
to the tent, passing, on my way, a white wolf,
which was sneaking towards a deer. A smoke
-
-
i
S
f
£>
V.
IS
2
THE THLEW-EE-CHOH. I43
seen to rise from behind the sand-hills anounced,
shortly afterwards, the approach of the men ; and
at a late hour, the Indian first, and afterwards the
others, came in. De Charloit groaned under the
weight of a musk-ox's head and horns, while his
companions were more usefully laden with the
spoils of some good fat deer.
They had fallen on the river the second day,
and described it as being large enough for boats.
Returning along its banks by a wide lake, and
two tributary streams as large as itself, they
ascertained that it was really the same stream,
the source of which I had thus accidentally dis-
covered in the Sand-hill Lake close to us; which
was now distinguished by the name of Sussex
Lake, after His Royal Highness the Vice- Patron
of the expedition. I had reserved a little grog
for this occasion, and need hardly say with what
cheerfulness it was shared among the crew,
whose welcome tidings had verified the notion
of Dr. Richardson and myself, and thus placed
beyond doubt the existence of the Thlew-ee-
choh.
144
CHAP. V.
Digression concerning Hearne's Route.
1 he route of the celebrated Hearne intersected
the country which has been just described; and
there is no person interested in geographical re-
search who will not thank me for interrupting
for a moment the course of my narrative, in
order to introduce the following observations on
that traveller's geographical discoveries, for which
1 am indebted to Dr. Richardson.
" The adventurous journey of Hearne excited
very great public interest at the time it was
made, and will always form an epoch in the an-
nals of northern discovery ; for it gave the first
authentic information of a sea bounding Ame-
rica to the northward, and also overthrew the
numerous vague reports that existed of straits
connecting the Atlantic and Pacific in parallels
south of that to which he attained. Indeed, the
high latitude assigned to the mouth of the
Copper Mine River was so adverse to the opi-
nions previously entertained by the advocates
for the prosecution of a north-west passage, that
Dalrymple was induced closely to examine
the courses and distances recorded in Hearne's
hearne's route. 145
Journal, whereby he discovered so great a dis-
crepancy between the outward and homeward
journeys as caused him to reject the higher lati-
tudes altogether, or greatly to reduce them ; and,
in doing so, he was undoubtedly right, though
Hearne complains bitterly in his preface of the
injustice done to him. The fact is, that, when
we consider the hardships which Hearne had
to endure, the difficult circumstances in which
he was frequently placed, the utter insufficiency
of his old and cumbrous Elton's quadrant as
an instrument for ascertaining the latitude, par-
ticularly in the winter, with a low meridian
sun, and a refraction of the atmosphere greatly
beyond what it was supposed to be by the best
observers of the period, and the want of any
means of estimating the longitude, except by
dead reckoning ; this reckoning requiring an
exact appreciation of distances, as well as cor-
rect courses, circumstances evidently unattain-
able by one accompanying an Indian horde in
a devious march through a wooded and moun-
tainous country ; we shall not be inclined to
view with severity the errors committed, but
rather to think that the traveller's credit would
have been strengthened and not impaired by his
acknowledging the uncertainty of the position of
the places most distant from Churchill. Unfor-
tunately, however, Hearne himself thought dif-
L
146 DIGRESSION CONCERNING
ferently ; and in his published narrative, which
did not appear until twenty years after the com-
pletion of his journey, he attempts to establish
the correctness of his latitudes by various un-
founded assertions; one of which it will be suffi-
cient to notice here. He states that on the 21st
of July, ' though the sun's declination was then
but 21°, yet it was certainly some heig/it above the
horizon at midnight, at the mouth of the Copper-
mine River.' Now it so happens, that Sir John
Franklin encamped at that very place on the
19th of the same month, when the sun set at
' thirty minutes after eleven apparent time.9
Dairy mple had also remarked, that Hearne sub-
sequent to his celebrated journey committed a
great error in estimating the distance to Cum-
berland House, and therefore questioned his
general correctness ; and this conclusion is par-
ried only by Hearne's giving up his longitudes
as not being corrected by observation, but con-
tinuing to support the truth of his latitudes.
We shall, however, show, that his error in these
was still greater than in his longitudes ; his ob-
servations, if any were actually made, having
miserably deceived him. But we should greatly
mistake, if the detection of various instances
of disingenuousness led us to consider him as
entirely unworthy of credit, and to deny the
reality of his journey. We had an opportunity,
on Sir John Franklin's first expedition, of convers-
hearne's route. 147
ing with several old men who had belonged to the
party of Copper Indians, that met Hearne atCon-
gecathewachaga. The leading facts of his jour-
ney are still current subjects of tradition among
that tribe, as well as with the Northern Indians ;
and from all that we have been able to collect in
the fur countries, as well as from an attentive
examination of his narrative, we are led to
conclude that he visited the various places
marked in his map, in the order in which they
stand ; that all the rivers and lakes which he
names actually exist ; and that he has correctly
described the general physical features of the
country he traversed. His description of the
lower part of the Coppermine River, in particu-
lar, is evidently that of one who had been on the
spot. Hearne's original journal was very meagre,
but, in common with all the residents in the fur
countries, he seems to have had an excellent
memory, and to have trusted much to it. By its
aid, accordingly, and with the co-operation of
Dr. Douglass, who edited his work, he has given
an exceedingly interesting account of his travels
and sufferings, together with very correct and im-
portant details of the habits of the various ani-
mals he was acquainted with. His printed
work does not, however, quote his courses and
distances so fully as his original journal (a copy
of which we saw at Hudson's Bay) ; the ani-
L 2
148 DIGRESSION CONCERNING
madversions of Dalrymple having apparently
caused him to leave several important gaps in
the enumeration of his daily journies both out-
ward and homeward.
" It is a matter of some consequence in the
geographical delineation of the country, to ob-
tain the true route followed by Hearne ; and
notwithstanding the difficulties in the way of do-
ing so, originating in the above-mentioned causes,
Sir John Franklin's first journey supplies us with
data for the correction of part of his course, and
Captain Back's researches enable us to bring
another portion nearer to the truth. From the
former we obtain the correct position of the
mouth of the Coppermine River, of Congeca-
thewachaga, of Point Lake, and of the mouth of
Slave River, by which we can readily ascertain
all the western part of Hearne's route, the prin-
cipal errors of which are shown by the follow-
ing table : -
Hearne
Franklin
Coppermine River.
Lat. Long.
71° 55' 120° 30'
67° 48' 115° 37'
Congecathewachaga.
Lat. Long.
68° 46' 118° 15'
66° 14' 111° 26'
4° 07'
4° 53'
2° 32'
6° 49'
Hearne
Franklin
Point
Lat.
65° 45'
65° 00'
Lake.
Long.
119° 00'
112° 16'
Slave Biver.
Lat. Long.
60° 48' 123° 55f
61° 30' 113° 24'
0° 45'
6° 44'
0° 42'
10° 31
hearne's route. 149
" It will be at once perceived, that while
Hearne's latitude is too great at his most
northern point, by upwards of four degrees, it
is too little by three quarters of a degree at
Slave River ; and there is also a great error in
the course, for the mouth of the Slave River is
actually two degrees to the eastward of that of
the Coppermine, and not to the westward, as
laid down in Hearne's map. This appears to
have originated principally in his not having
attended to the variation of the magnetic needle;
though at the date of his journey it must have
exceeded two points easterly on the Copper-
mine ; and to give the correct course and dis-
tance between the latter place and Congeca-
thewachaga, that amount of variation is required
to be applied to Hearne's courses, while his dis-
tances are diminished to one half. A large re-
duction of the length of his marches, though not
always quite to this extent, must be made dur-
ing his whole journey. When travelling with
the Indians, their wives and children, during
the winter, and when it was necessary to hunt
for subsistence, he averages the daily distances
made good at ten, and even fourteen, or twenty
miles. Now in our journies with the Indians,
under similar circumstances, we found that they
seldom moved the camp above six miles in one
day, more frequently travelling only four, and
l 3
150 DIGRESSION CONCERNING
scarcely ever exceeding eight, excluding the
windings of the route. The power of estimating
the distance walked over can be acquired only by
practice, in conjunction with the daily correction
of errors by celestial observations, — allowance
being, of course, made for the easy or difficult
nature of the country ; but Hearne, as we have
seen, was deprived of every means of correction ;
and having once started with an inaccurate no-
tion of the length of a mile, he carried the error
with him to the end of his journey. In correct-
ing his map, therefore, it is necessary to diminish
the size of the lakes in an equal, if not in a
greater degree than the distances. Upon these
principles we have ventured to fix the following
points of Hearne's route, taking, for conveni-
ence, his homeward one.
" He appears to have fallen on the Copper-
mine River first at the Sandstone rapids of
Franklin, and to have traced it to Bloody Fall ;
but, as contrary to his usual practice, he under-
rates the distance from thence to the coast, we
are led to conclude that he did not actually go
down to the sea, but was content to view it from
the top of the hill which overhangs the falls ; and,
indeed, it is not very probable that he could have
induced the Indians, over whom he had little in-
fluence, to accompany him on his survey, after
they had completed the massacre which was the
HEARNE S ROUTE. 151
object of their long and laborious journey ; nor,
had he gone actually to the mouth of the river,
would he have mentioned marks of a tide four-
teen feet high.
" Buffalo or Musk-ox Lake, which he passed in
going and returning, ought to be known by the
latter name exclusively, as it is not frequented
by the buffalo or bison. Cogead Lake is the
Cont-woy-to, or Rum Lake, of Franklin ; and
its waters, agreeably to Indian information ob-
tained by Captain Back, flow by Congecathe-
wachaga into the Thlew-ee-choh ; in which case,
the Anatessy, or Cree River, as it is named by
Franklin, is from its size to be considered as the
main branch of the Thlew-ee-choh. The true
distance from Congecathewachaga to Point Lake
is 78 miles, though by Hearne's map it is 150.
At one time, we were inclined to doubt the
identity of Franklin's Point Lake with the one so
named by Hearne, but we now consider them
to be the same ; and, indeed, the small scrubby
woods, which Hearne mentions as existing on its
banks, were seen by us, this being an advantage
possessed, perhaps, by no other lake so far to the
eastward, and in so high a latitude. Thaye-
chuck-gyed, or large Whitestone Lake lies a
short way to the northward of Point Lake, and
its waters most probably fall into that arm of
Point Lake which Franklin's party crossed on
l 4
152 DIGRESSION CONCERNING
the 23d of September, 1821. No-name Lake is
evidently Providence Lake of Franklin. Hearne
crossed Slave Lake by the usual Indian route,
through the Reindeer Islands to Stony Point,
and the Riviere a Jean, a branch of Slave River;
but his map is inaccurate here, and does not
agree with his text. The next place, whose
position it is very desirable to ascertain, is
Thelew-ey-aze-yeth, or Little Fish Hill ; and we
may be assisted in doing this by our knowledge
of three fixed points, viz. the mouth of Slave
River, the edge of the woods to the north-
ward, and Churchill Fort. The northern ter-
mination of the woods inclines from the east
side of Great Bear Lake considerably to the
southward, as it runs to the eastward, pass-
ing Fort Enterprise in 64£°, Artillery Lake in
63|°, and continuing nearly in the same direc-
tion until it approaches Hudson's Bay. Hearne
makes it 63° 45' in the longitude he assigns to
Thelew-ey-aze-yeth, but we shall not probably
be far from the truth, if we consider it as in
63^°. Now if we reduce the distance of one
hundred and fifty miles, at which he places
Thelew-ey-aze-yeth south of the barren grounds,
to between eighty and ninety miles, and allow
27° of variation on his route, we obtain 61° 55'
for the latitude of that place, which is forty miles
north of the position he assigns to it on his
hearne's route. 153
map.# By a proportionate reduction of the dis-
tance between Slave River and Thelew-ey-aze-
yeth, and from the latter to Churchill, we fix
the required longitude at 106°. The position of
Thelew-ey-aze-yeth is important as forming the
junction of three branches of Hearne's route; and
if we have correctly established it, that traveller
must have passed over or near Artillery Lake in
his journey north wards, which is probably his Pee-
shew, or Cat Lake. The Thlew-ee-choh, which
he crossed about midway between that lake and
Congecathewachaga, is evidently not the branch
of that river which originates in Sussex Lake,
but a stream which flows in from the north-
ward, most likely into the Anatessy branch.
"The course of Thelew-ey-aze, or Little Fish
River, is a matter of considerable interest, but
we can derive no positive information respect-
ing its debouchure from Hearne's map. If he cal-
culated his distances on the same scale in his first
journey as he did afterwards, which is likely,
even though he had the assistance of a better
instrument on that occasion, the chain of lakes
which he lays down as far to the northward as
Chesterfield's Inlet, will reach but little beyond
Knap's Bay, and the nature of the country can
* As this reduction applies only to one of the branches of
Hearne's route, it would be safer for the present to let this
place keep the latitude he gives to it, viz. 61° 15' N.
154 DIGRESSION CONCERNING
be considered as known only up to that parallel.
He indicates a Little Fish River as existing at
no great distance from Hudson's Bay, and says
that it is three quarters of a mile wide, which
as he estimates distances may be about five
hundred and seventy yards ; but it can scarcely
be the river of the same name that originates so
far to the westward. If the latter issues in Ches-
terfield inlet, it may hereafter afford a very desir-
able route to Great Slave Lake. Its origin is at
no great distance from the Lake of the Hills, as
the traders travel to it from the establishment at
the Fond du Lac in four days. It is known
to them by the names of Riviere Noire and
Thlewndiaza.
" In conclusion we would remark, that the
names given by Hearne to the various lakes
which he saw are derived sometimes from the
Cree language, at other times from the northern
Indian ; and that his mode of writing the latter
is different from that which we found to be best
adapted to the pronunciation of the Copper
Indians. He spells the term for lake whole,
while it is written to in Captain Franklin's nar-
rative; and the epithet translated 'great' is spelt
chuck, whereas to us it sounded more like cho
or choh. There are likewise some evident mis-
takes in the names, and English is occasionally
employed in the text, while the map gives only
hearne's route. 155
Indian, or vice versa. An instance of error
originating in this practice occurs in Hearne's
book, which shows that the author was not
always at the editor's elbow. In page 102.
Peeshew Lake is supposed to be the same with
Partridge Lake. Now Peeshew is the Cree
name for a lynx or cat, and the lake in question is
accordingly marked on the map as Cat Lake,
being, as we suppose, the same with Captain
Back's Artillery Lake. Thoy-noy-kyed Lake,
which Hearne draws correctly enough in his
original map, as discharging its waters into Slave
Lake, is the Lakes Aylmer and Clinton-Colden
of Captain Back. Tha-na-koie, as the latter
writes it, means " Sand-hill Mount," and is the
name given to the narrows between these two
lakes. Hearne places this spot a degree and
a half too far north, and seven degrees and a
half too far west."
156
CHAP. VI.
Continue our Progress. — Rocks on the Thlew-ee-choh. —
Island of singular Appearance. — Musk-Ox Lake. — -
Conjectures on the Course of the Thlew-ee-choh. — Icy
River. — Appearance of two Indians. — Maufelly per-
mitted to visit his Wife. — Consummate skill of De
Charloit. — Dwarf Pines. — Stoiy of the Rat and. the
Beaver. — Unfitness of the Trees for Planks. — Artil-
lery Lake. — Force of the Rapids. — Accident in our
Passage. — Leave the Ah-hel-dessy. — A Bear killed.
— Ridiculous Story. — March resumed. — Desolate
Scenery. — A Deer shot. — Tormented by Sandflies, —
Anecdote of Sir John Franklin. -^Meeting with Mr.
McLeod, by an unexpected Route.
August 30. — Squalls and heavy rain prevailed
most part of the night ; and the morning was so
extremely foggy and raw, that nothing could be
done towards repairing the canoe, which, to my
regret, was found to be much more damaged than
I had supposed. Three or four hundred deer
came within half shot, but soon disappeared on
discovering their mistake. Almost immediately
afterwards a flock of geese flew close past, on
their way to the south ; which circumstance
Maufelly considered to be an indication of the
breaking up of the season.
ROCKS ON THE THLEW-EE-CHOH. 15J
At noon the weather cleared, the canoe was
put in order, and having made a cache of
the spare baggage, we began to move to the
river. The portage from Lake Aylmer is short
of a mile, and in that space intervenes the small
sheet of water already referred to. The actual
height of the dividing land is consequently not
more than two feet. We pursued exactly my route
of the previous day, and soon came to another
lake, at the north-eastern extremity of which
the sand-hills dipped into the water. A crooked
rapid, beset with large stones, impeded us so
much, that it was 9 p. m. before we encamped.
Many deer and grayling were seen. The coun-
try became more broken into hills, some of
which exposed inconsiderable masses of rocks,
while the debris thickly strewn over every
part of the vallies formed the bed of numer-
ous ^ponds and water-courses, now dry. A
portion of rock having a more compact form,
broke ground near the river, and though not ex-
tending more than thirty yards to the eastward,
terminated in cliffs of twelve feet high. These
were the first rocks on the Thlew-ee-choh, and
were principally gneiss.
The thermometer was 33° when we set out
at 4 a. m. of the 31st of August, and followed a
small lake until it ended in a rapid ; so choked
by immense boulders that small as the canoe
158 ISLAND OF SINGULAR APPEARANCE.
was, a passage could not be effected without
lifting her between the shelving pieces ; though,
if a man slipped, there was quite water enough
in many places to carry him under. The rough
handling, added to the cold nights, had rendered
the canoe so crazy, that the mere action of
paddling now damaged her, and a third of one
day was lost in making her tight.
The stream again widened into what might
be called a lake, and received the waters of Icy
River from the westward, as well as those of
another river from the eastward. The banks of
the first were still cased in ponderous ice far
up the valley, and the confluence was marked by
a sort of curved surface, in the form of a low
arch, from side to side, under which the water
rushed in a yeasty current with a deep and
rumbling noise. Some islands were passed, and
one of the least had a singularly white appear-
ance, which was caused, as I afterwards found,
by large, round, light-coloured stones, which
formed its cone-shaped sides. Situated as it
was, nearly in the centre of a wide current,
and in deep water, it was not easy to conceive
to what this peculiar structure owed its origin ;
for the stones were piled up twenty feet, were
not encrusted with lichens, but, on the contrary,
except in three or four spots, were perfectly
clean, and had evidently obtained their present
MUSK-OX LAKE. 15Q
form from long exposure to attrition. I fancied,
at this time, that it might have been produced
by the combined pressure of the ice and cur-
rent ; but the following spring showed that the
former was level entirely round, and the latter
less powerful than might have been expected.
I was induced to notice more particularly the
formation of this conical island, because the
Indians concurred in describing the phenomenon
of a smoking rock or mountain in a granitic
district, nearly destitute of wood.
For myself, I must say, that I observed no
volcanic appearances along the whole line of our
track, and it is not impossible that the Indians
were mistaken as to this matter ; for having my-
self had occasion to visit a place where one of
my crew had fancied he saw a thick column of
smoke issuing from a rock near the Ah-hel-dessy,
I found that the smoke was nothing more than
the spray rising from Parry's Falls.
A narrow brought us to Musk-ox Lake, about
six miles long, surrounded by tolerably steep
hills, abounding, as Maufelly said, at certain sea-
sons, with those animals ; and now having ar-
rived at the commencement of a series of rapids,
which the canoe was too weak to run, and
too ricketty to be carried over, I had no choice
but to stop, and rest satisfied with what had
been achieved ; which, if not equal to my hopes,
was still sufficient to cheer my companions, and
160 COURSE OF THE RAPIDS.
lure them on to the relief, as we then supposed,
of our long-suffering countrymen.
The rapids ran in a meandering course for an
estimated distance of four miles, and then ex-
panded into a wider part, the last bearing of
which was north-east, where it was lost in a
transverse range of mountains. According to
the Indians, there was a large river not far off,
that issued from the Cont-woy-to, or Rum Lake
of Hearne, and fell into the Thlew-ee-choh. The
distance of the lake was considered to be five
days' march for a good hunter; and as they walk
with little rest, I think this estimate not unlikely
to be correct ; though it is difficult to imagine
an outlet at each extreme, running in opposite
directions. The Indians, however, were unani-
mous on this head, and would not admit of there
being a swampy marsh or narrow neck of land
dividing the two waters ; indeed, they one and all
laughed at the idea, and said that I had crossed
the western river myself, meaning Bellenger's
Rapid, where my friend Franklin had so narrow
an escape. But without dwelling longer on the
subject, as to which I had always my doubts, I
was now easy as regarded the magnitude of the
Thlew-ee-choh, but very far from being so with
respect to its course. The river, it was evident,
would go on increasing by successive contribu-
tions from every valley throughout its descent,
and would probably become a noble and ex-
COURSE OF THE THLEW-EE-CHOH. 161
pansive stream ; but, slavishly subject to the
trending and declination of the land, it might
possibly lead to some part unfavourable to our
object; and whatever its direction, the appear-
ance of the blue Mountains in the distance
afforded abundant reason for supposing that we
should have no lack of rapids and falls.
The observations gave the latitude 64° 40' 51"
N.; longitude 108° 08' 10" W. ; variation 44°
24' E. It appeared, therefore, that we were
only 109 miles south of the lower extremity of
Bathurst's Inlet ; and as the two Indians, who
had been any distance down the Thlew-ee-choh,
agreed in stating that it took a turn to the left,
and then went due north, there was a remote
chance of its being identical with Back's River
there, though its present N.E. trending was not
favourable to that hypothesis.
The Yellow Knives, who travel across the
country in the spring to spear the deer as they
pass the rapid, were not accustomed to go be-
yond two days' march farther, through fear, as
they said, of falling in with Esquimaux : little
reliance, therefore, could be placed on their in-
formation respecting a river known to them
only by report. Neither they, nor the Chipewy-
ans, evinced the least desire to extend their
knowledge by offering to accompany us. We
embarked towards evening, on our return; and
M
162 APPEARANCE OF TWO INDIANS.
on passing Icy River, I observed that it had
two channels, occasioned by an island at its
mouth : the ice had undergone no perceptible
alteration. Having made the portages of the
upper rapids with some inconvenience, owing
to the fragments of rocks, and innumerable large
stones, which slipped from under our feet, we
reached the cache at Sand-hill Bay. It had
not been touched by the wolves ; and, with the
exception of a solitary raven, busily occupied in
devouring a piece of refuse deer's flesh, not a
living; creature was to be seen.
The canoe being repaired, we coasted along
the eastern shore of Lake Aylmer, occasionally
passing sand-banks of unequal height, and dip-
ping to the south, whereas those on the Thlew-
ee-choh dipped to the north.
As we neared the narrows of Clinton-Colden
Lake, on the 4th of September, a smoke was ob-
served far south ; and, towards the evening, two
Indians made their appearance on the bank of
a hill, and, in obedience to our signs, came to
the canoe. They informed us that, in a dispute
between a Chipewyan and their countrymen,
the Yellow Knives, the former had been killed ;
but, as he was an orphan, no one would revenge
his death. The Indians generally, they said,
had been distressed for provision, though, from
the distant smokes they had seen in the day, it
MAUFELLY STRIVES TO GET AWAY. 163
might be inferred that they had been successful
in their hunts, and would soon have the means
of bringing us a liberal supply. Maufelly now
told me that, as he understood his old father
was with some Indians to the westward, and,
from his infirmities, was unable himself to hunt,
he was anxious to go and support him ; adding,
that the poor old man had no other dependence,
and might be left to starve by the young men,
who always followed the deer, regardless of
the laggers behind. Knowing that so unna-
tural an act was altogether improbable, and
feeling the necessity of retaining him as a guide
to the east end of Great Slave Lake, I refused
my permission, unless he were content to sa-
crifice what his labours had already earned — a
condition which, I well knew, would not be pa-
latable to him : and the difficulty was finally got
over by his persuading one of the other Indians to
become his companion, so as to enable him to
return to his father at the earliest moment that
I might find it practicable to release him and
trust to his substitute. Accordingly, we made
room for our new-comer, and, having picked up
the bag of pemmican left in cache, encamped, at
sunset, near the first rapid in the little river.
Two Indians soon arrived from Akaitcho,
whose party had that afternoon found a seasonable
relief to the long privation, which their squalid
m 2
164 MAUFELLY VISITS HIS WIFE.
arid emaciated appearance too painfully indicated.
I knew them both : one, indeed, had been with
me to the Copper-mine River, on Sir J. Frank-
lin's first expedition. With the usual apathy of
their nature, they evinced no marks of satisfac-
tion or surprise at seeing me ; but received
their tobacco, and smoked it as coolly as if it had
been given by some gentleman of the country
in the regular routine of a trading expedition.
Their silence and seriousness soon, however, un-
derwent an extraordinary change, when they
heard some half dozen expressions which I had
been accustomed to use on the former occasion.
They laughed immoderately ; kept repeating the
words ; talked quickly among themselves, and
seemed greatly delighted. They were supplied
with presents for my old friends Akaitcho and
his brother Humpy; and as they were going,
the interpreter came with a request on behalf of
Maufelly, who was afraid, he said, to ask me in
person lest I should be displeased, that I would
give him leave only to go and see his wife, who
had favoured him with a child in his absence,
undertaking faithfully to return before we should
be ready in the morning. To this there could
be no objection ; and I shall not easily forget
the poor fellow's transports as he leapt into the
canoe with his countrymen, and began to sing
and shout in imitation of the Canadians.
CONSUMMATE SKILL OF DE CHARLOIT. 165
September 5th. — Maufelly was as good as
his word; for by 4 a.m. he arrived, accompanied
by another of my Fort Enterprise acquaintances,
who, actuated by curiosity, or the prospect of a
smoke, was thus early in his attention. I had
this day another opportunity of admiring the
consummate skill of De Charloit, who ran our
ricketty and shattered canoe down four suc-
cessive rapids, which, under less able manage-
ment, would have whirled it, and every body in
it, to certain destruction. Nothing could exceed
the self-possession and nicety of judgment with
which he guided the frail thing along the narrow
line between the high waves of the torrent, and
the returning eddy : a foot in either direction
would have been fatal ; but, with the most
perfect ease, and, I may add, elegant and
graceful action, his keen eyes fixed upon the
run*, he kept her true to her course through
all its rapid windings. The rapids brought us
to the same lake which had been found with so
much trouble, and crossed on the 25th of August.
Our Indian preferred the western shore, which
differed in nothing from its opposite, except that
the rocks were higher, though, like the others,
quite barren. A group of islands appeared in a
S. S. W. direction ; and, as we proceeded, the hills
* Lead of the water.
M 3
1(36 FIRST DWARF PINES.
became more sloping and less craggy, with a
light covering of moss upon them. Still farther
south, in latitude 63° 15' 00" N., we saw the
first dwarf pines, from fourteen inches to two
feet high, which my bowman humourously
called des petits vieux. In many of these the
head of the stem was dead, and blanched with
ao-e ; while a progeny of branches shot out
from the foot, with just so much of green on their
stunted limbs as sufficed to show that they were
alive. Nevertheless, such as they were, they
were welcome to us, who had not seen any since
the 20th of August; and, as all enjoyment is
comparative, we looked forward with delight to
the comfort of a good fire. Men's notions of
happiness vary with their circumstances and
condition ; and in the seemingly trifling change
from one kind of food to another, the voyageur
has as keen a sense of pleasure, and is, per-
haps, as grateful to the bountiful Giver, as
more favoured mortals amid their boasted refine-
ments.
The eastern shore, though dimmed by a blue
mist or haze, was occasionally visible, and the
country began to assume a more wooded and
inhabitable look. When we got to a long and
rounded mound, about half a mile from the
western side, I observed that both the Indians
assumed a look of superstitious awe, and main-
STORY OF THE RAT AND BEAVER. 167
tained a determined silence. I inquired the
reason of this reverential demeanour ; when
Maufelly, after some hesitation, with a face of
great seriousness, informed us, that the small
island we were passing was called the Rat's
Lodge, from an enormous musk rat which once
inhabited it. " But what you see there," said
he, pointing to a rock on the opposite shore,
with a conical summit, " that is the Beaver's
Lodge ; and lucky shall we be if we are not
visited with a gale of wind, or something worse.
The chief would perhaps laugh at the story
which our old men tell, and we believe, about
that spot." He then proceeded to narrate, with
great earnestness and solemnity of manner, a
traditionary tale, which, as illustrative of Indian
notions, may not be uninteresting to the reader.
It was in substance as follows : " In that lodge
there dwelt, in ancient times, a beaver as large as a
buffalo ; and, as it committed great depredations,
sometimes alone, and sometimes with the aid of
its neighbour the rat, whom it had enticed into
a league, the bordering tribes, who suffered from
these marauding expeditions, resolved upon its
destruction. Accordingly, having consulted to-
gether on the best mode of executing their
design, and arranged a combined attack ; not
however, unknown to the wary beaver, which, it
seems, had a spy in the enemy's quarters. They
m 4
168 STORY OF
set out one morning before the sun rose, and,
under cover of a dense vapour which hung upon
the lake, approached, with noiseless paddle, the
shore of the solitary lodge. Not a whisper was
heard, as each Indian cautiously took his station,
and stood with bow or spear in act to strike.
One, the ' Eagle of his tribe,' advanced before
the rest, and with light steps drew near a
cavern in the rock ; where, placing his head to
the ground, he listened anxiously for some
moments, scarcely seeming to breathe ; then,
with a slight motion of his hand, he gave the
welcome sign that the enemy was within.
" A shower of arrows was poured into the
chasm ; and the long shrill whoop that accom-
panied the volley had just died away in its caverns,
when a heavy splash was heard, which, for a time,
suspended further operations. The attacking
party gazed on one another in mute and vacant
surprise ; for they had not suspected the subter-
ranean passage, and felt that they were baffled.
The chief, after creeping into the cavern to
explore, directed them to embark ; and, having
formed a crescent with their canoes at intervals
of a hundred yards from each other, they paddled
towards the Rat's Lodge, under the idea that
the enemy might have retreated thither : if not,
it was agreed, that the rat, though, upon the
THE RAT AND BEAVER. 1 09
whole, comparatively harmless, should pay the
penalty of his untoward alliance, and suffer a
vicarious punishment, for the sins of his friend
and the gratification of the disappointed pursuers.
The rat, however, fortunately for himself, had
that instinctive foresight of approaching ruin
which proverbially belongs to his race ; and,
however ready to assist his neighbour when
matters went well with him, and something was
to be gained by the cooperation, he watched with
a prudent jealousy the conduct and fortunes of
one so obnoxious to hatred, and was ready, on
the first appearance of danger, to stand aloof and
disclaim him. Accordingly, when the beaver
presented himself at the lodge of his friend, to
crave a temporary asylum from his pursuers, the
rat, with many protestations of esteem and
regret, civilly declined to admit him, and recom-
mended him to make the most of his time by
swimming to some rocks to the south, where he
would be safe from his enemies.
"The beaver, though stunned for a time by this
unexpected repulse, soon recovered his wonted
spirit, and, feeling his situation to be hopeless,
threw himself on the rat, and began a desperate
struggle. How the contest might have ended,
it was difficult to conjecture ; but the whoop of
the Indians arrested the combatants ; and, darting
170 STORY OF THE RAT AND BEAVER.
a look of vengeance at the rat, the beaver
plunged once more into the water. The chase
was long, and many were the hair-breadth
escapes of the resolute beaver : but the ar-
dour of the hunters was not to be quenched ;
and tracked to the end of the lake, and thence
down the cataracts and rapids which mark its
course to the next, the exhausted animal yielded
its life, just as its feet touched the distant rocks
of the Tal-thel-leh.
" But its spirit," said Maufelly in a low and
subdued tone, " still lingers about its old haunt,
the waters of which obey its will ; and ill fares
the Indian who attempts to pass it in his canoe,
without muttering a prayer for safety : many
have perished ; some bold men have escaped ;
but none have been found so rash as to venture
a second time within its power."
Whatever may be thought of this strange
story, Maufelly related it with so serious an air,
as to leave no doubt of his own entire and un-
qualified faith ; and the minute circumstantiality
of the detail showed with what a religious care
he had treasured every particular.
The woods afforded us a cheerful fire at our
encampment. The night was calm, and beauti-
fully lit up by the flitting coruscations of a bright
aurora ; nevertheless, impending storms were
UNFITNESS OF THE TREES FOR PLANKS. 171
threatened by the cackling of hundreds of geese,
which, at an immense height, were winging
their flight to the southward. Ranged accord-
ing to their families, the Grey, or Bustard,
the White, and the Laughing Geese, came
past in quick succession, vying in swiftness, as
if anxious to escape from the wintry horrors of
the north. Nothing could be more conclusive
of the breaking up of the season ; and we had
reason to be grateful for being so near home.
September 6th. — The lake gradually con-
tracted; and I was sorry to remark that the trees
were generally small, and unfit for sawing into
planks for the construction of my boats. A bay,
edged by sand-banks, seemed at first sight to offer
a better kind ; but this also, on inspection, was
found knotty, full of branches, and consequently
unsuitable to the purpose. It was this spot that
the Indians had recommended, as possessing all
the requisites for building and supporting a new
establishment ; and a stronger example of their
incapacity for judging, and of the necessity
of receiving their suggestions with caution,
could scarcely be brought forward. The aspect
was unsheltered and forbidding ; the waters were
without fish; and there was hardly wood enough
in the immediate vicinity to raise a temporary
hut, far less to supply it with fuel.
Accustomed to their exaggerations, I was not
172 FORCE OF THE RAPIDS.
myself much disappointed ; but it bore hard
upon the men, whose utmost exertions would
thus be required in making the necessary prepar-
ations, at a time when they should rather have
been husbanding their strength for the ensuing
summer. We soon got to the southern extremity
of the lake, which is about forty miles long, and
twelve broad at the widest part; and, out of
respect to the distinguished corps to which some
of my crew belonged, and from a grateful remem-
brance of the deep interest manifested by its
officers * for the success of the expedition, and
of their friendly courtesies to myself, I called it
Artillery Lake.
The river, by which it discharges itself into
Great Slave Lake, began its descent by an ugly
rapid, too hazardous to run, and yet scarcely so
dangerous as to induce us to make a portage of.
We compromised, therefore, by lowering half the
way, and carrying the rest. A second rapid was
run ; but we had not calculated on the amazing
force of so confined a torrent; and, just as we
gained the eddy, the old canoe got a twist which
nearly broke it in two. Another clump of pines
induced me to land; and, while the men examined
the quality of the timber, I obtained a set of
t Col. Godby, Capt. Anderson, Lieuts. Tylden, Crau-
furd, &c.
ACCIDENT IN OUR PASSAGE. I73
sights, which gave the latitude 62° 53' 26" N. ;
longitude, 108° 28' 24" W. ; and variation, 38°
The wood was no way better than that seen
in the early part of the morning ; and we pushed
from the bank, with the intention of going care-
fully down the stream ; though a look of inde-
cision, if not of positive apprehension, betokened
some inward working in the steersman's mind,
for which I was utterly unable to account, until
informed, that for days past Maufelly had been
talking about the dangers he did know, and the
dangers he did not know, in the Ah-hel-dessy.
The Indians, he said, never attempted it in any
manner, either up or down; and, as he was not in
a hurry to die, though he was willing to walk on
the rocks, he would not, on any account, run it
in the canoe. I shamed him out of this unmanly
resolution ; and when he and his companion had
indulged in a laugh among themselves, we slipt
down another rapid. However, on trying the
fourth, the steersman became so unnerved, as to
lose all self-command ; and, by not cooperating
with De Charloit, fixed us against a sharp rock,
that cut the canoe. Happily, it twirled round,
and floated till we reached the shore. The man's
confidence was gone ; and, rather than incur any
more such risks in the foaming rapids before us,
I abandoned an attempt which the Indian per-
174 LEAVE THE AH-HEL-DESSY.
sisted in declaring was impossible ; and the trusty
and battered canoe being left, with a few other
things in cache, each man was laden with a
weight of one hundred and twenty pounds, and
began to pick his way up the steep and irregular
sides of the hills. On gaining the summit,
Maufelly pointed out to me the spot where
Sanpere turned back when he was sent to look
for the Thlew-ee-choh ; so that he had never left
the woods, and, consequently, had not been more
than half the distance. *
At first, we walked with tolerable speed over
the broken rocks, and through the intersecting
gullies ; but the kind of ladder exercise which this
imposed taxed the muscles so severely, that the
strongest was fain to slacken his pace, as the
same interruptions and impediments multiplied
upon us. We had every disadvantage in follow-
ing the stream ; and, as I could now trace it in a
westerly direction as far as a range of mountains
that cut it at right angles, and along the base of
whicli it would necessarily flow, there could be no
reason to impose upon my crew the fatigue of
going there, when, by following a straight line
to the east end of Slave Lake, the distance and
labour might be so materially lessened.
I took leave, therefore, of the Ah-hel-dessy,
* See page 87.
A BEAR KILLED. I75
and had abundant cause to rejoice at havinc
done so ; for the whole distance to the mountains
appeared to be an unbroken succession of rapids,
which must have stopped us; for, whether pass-
able or not in a boat, they were evidently imprac-
ticable for a canoe. The mosquitos, and their
confederates the sand-flies, had of late nearly
disappeared, or, if a few still buzzed about, they
were too torpid to give much annoyance, while
the memory of their past injuries, with the pre-
sent sense of security, had given occasion to
many a jest: but our merriment was now inter-
rupted by the unrelenting attacks of increased
swarms of the latter, whose more southerly abode
had preserved them in the enjoyment of robust
and vigorous health. The persecution of these
venomous insects, and the badness of the route,
occasioned frequent halts ; in one of which a
solitary bear caught the ever-watchful sight of
the Indian ; and, instantly seizing a gun, he went
with De Charloit in pursuit.
The rock and valley favoured their approach ;
and, though Bruin was on the look out, and,
raising himself on his hind legs, stretched out
his neck, with a sort of waltzing motion, sniffing
the wind suspiciously, all his care was ineffec-
tual— in ten minutes he was lying dead, at
the foot of the precipice over which he rolled
as he fell. Maufelly immediately ran to some
176 RIDICULOUS STORY.
willows ; and, having cut a branch and trimmed
it into a skewer, he fixed it into the bear's mouth,
in such a manner as to keep the jaws fully ex-
tended ; which, he assured me, with much gravity,
would prevent its biting, as many of its kind had
been known to do, and as his own father had
found to his cost. To that hour, he said, he
bore the marks of one, which he thought had
been dead, and was deliberately preparing to cut
up ; when, to his great horror, it seized him by
the leg. Aware of their obstinacy of belief on
all matters connected with hunting, or relating
to the animals with which they were familiar, I
made no vain attempts to convince them of their
errors, however ridiculous, but listened patiently,
and without comment, to their stories ; but my
steersman was so much diverted at the gaping
countenance of Bruin, that he gave loose to his
mirth ; which so annoyed the Indian, that, with
a glance of ineffable contempt, not unmixed
with anger, he muttered in his guttural language,
" The white man did not laugh in the rapid."
He then sat down and smoked his pipe, while
his companion expertly stripped off the skin, and
placed the meat in cache, to be sent for at a
future opportunity. I could not avoid remark-
ing the minute curiosity with which the operator
inspected the entrails, the haste with which he
threw over his shoulders a portion that he had
RESUME OUR MARCH. VfJ
lopped off, carefully refraining to look in that
direction, and the smile which played over his
features at beholding the stomach filled with
berries. " C'est leur facon," said the interpreter
to my inquiry, who, notwithstanding the philo-
sophic tenor of his answer, was evidently as
interested in the scrutiny as the Indian himself.
By the same " fa9on, " I learned that the rein-
deer had no gall-bladder in the region of the
liver, nor any where else, that they could dis-
cover ; a fact of which I have no hesitation in
confessing my previous ignorance, but which
was subsequently verified by the anatomical
examination of Mr. King.
The march was resumed, sometimes in valleys
heaped with confused masses of debris from the
surrounding granite, at others along narrow
shelves of perpendicular rocks, not unlike some
of the passes of the Alps, and threatening the
same disastrous consequences from a false step.
Our route seemed even perilous ; and thinking
the Indian had purposely led us into it by way
of revenge for the late laugh, I hastened forward
to remonstrate; but he kept his lead, and when I
reached the summit of the mountain, the sun was
setting, and it was time to encamp. "Let not the
sun go down on thy wrath," admonished me to
be silent; and when Maufelly pointed to Artillery
N
178 DESOLATE SCENERY.
Lake on the far horizon, and to another at the
extreme south, I rejoiced that, whatever the mo-
tive might have been, he had chosen that steep
and weary track. It was a sight altogether novel
to me ; I had seen nothing in the Old World at
all resembling it. There was not the stern beauty
of Alpine scenery, and still less the fair variety
of hill and dale, forest and glade, which makes the
charm of a European landscape. There was
nothing to catch or detain the lingering eye,
which wandered on, without a check, over endless
lines of round backed rocks, whose sides were
rent into indescribably eccentric forms. It was
like a stormy ocean suddenly petrified. Except
a few tawny and pale green lichens, there was
nothing to relieve the horror of the scene ; for
the fire had scathed it, and the grey and black
stems of the mountain pine, which lay prostrate
in mournful confusion, seemed like the blackened
corpses of departed vegetation. It was a picture
of "hideous ruin and combustion."
Our encampment was broken up, and we were
on our way very early on the morning of the 7th
of September, but every one was too busily en-
gaged in picking his way to speak ; not a word
was audible until about eight o 'clock, when a
fine buck deer, betrayed by its branching antlers,
was espied feeding behind a point thirty paces
from us. It was brought down ; and the haunch,
TORMENTED BY SAND-FLIES. 17Q
covered with a rich layer of fat two inches
thick, afforded a luxurious breakfast. Having
put the remainder en cache, we proceeded on
our way, and when we had gained the top
of a hill Slave Lake was seen right before
us, hemmed in by mountains of considerable
magnitude and height. A craggy range to the
right determined the course of the Ah-hel-
dessy ; and many a steep rock and deep
valley between the lake and us, announced the
fatigue which was to be endured before we
arrived at our destination. But how can I
possibly give an idea of the torment we endured
from the sand flies ? As we dived into the con-
fined and suffocating chasms, or waded through
the close swamps, they rose in clouds, actually,
darkening the air : to see or to speak was
equally difficult, for they rushed at every un-
defended part, and fixed their poisonous fangs
in an instant. Our faces streamed with blood,
as if leeches had been applied ; and there was a
burning and irritating pain, followed by imme-
diate inflammation, and producing giddiness,
which almost drove us mad. Whenever we
halted, which the nature of tire country com-
pelled us to do often, the men, even Indians,
threw themselves on their faces, and moaned
with pain and agony. My arms being less en-
cumbered, I defended myself in some degree by
n 2
ISO ANECDOTE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
waving a branch in each hand ; but even with
this, and the aid of a veil and stout leather
gloves, I did not escape without severe punish-
ment. For the time, I thought the tiny plagues
worse even than mosquitos.
While speaking on this subject I am reminded
of a remark of Maufelly, which as indicative of
the keen observation of the tribe, and illustrating
the humanity of the excellent individual to whom
it alludes, I may be pardoned for introducing
here. — It was the custom of Sir John Franklin
never to kill a fly ; and, though teased by them
beyond expression, especially when engaged in
taking observations, he would quietly desist from
his work, and patiently blow the half-gorged
intruders from his hands — " the world was
wide enough for both." This was jocosely re-
marked upon at the time by Akaitcho and the
four or five Indians who accompanied him ; but
the impression, it seems, had sunk deep, for on
Maufelly's seeing me fill my tent with smoke,
and then throw open the front and beat the sides
all round with leafy branches, to drive out the
stupefied pests before I went to rest, he could
not refrain from expressing his surprise that I
should be so unlike the old chief, who would
not destroy so much as a single mosquito.
As we got to the confluence of the Ah-hel-
dessy with Great Slave Lake, I was glad to per-
MEETING WITH MR. MCLEOD. 181
ceive that the trees, though knotty, were of
greater girth, and that some small birch were
also thinly scattered about. As yet, however,
I had not seen any that would have answered
for planking, and began to fear that we should
have to send about one hundred and fifty miles
for that indispensable material.
We had now reached the eastern extremity
of the lake, where, in my letter of the 19th of
August, I had directed Mr. McLeod to build an
establishment. Proceeding onward over the mossy
and even surface of the sand-banks, we were ac-
cordingly gladdened by the sound of the wood-
man's stroke ; and, guided by the branchless trunks,
which lay stretched along the earth, we soon
came to a bay, where, in agreeable relief against
the dark green foliage, stood the newly-erected
framework of a house. Mr. McLeod was walk-
ing under the shade of the trees with La Prise,
and did not hear us until we were within a few
yards of him. We were ranged in single file, the
men having, of their own accord, fallen into
that order ; and, with our swollen faces, dressed
and laden as we were, some carrying guns, others
tent poles, &c, we must have presented a
strangely wild appearance, not unlike a group
of robbers on the stage.
This, however, did not prevent my friend
from testifying his satisfaction at our return.
n 3
182 TAKE AN UNEXPECTED ROUTE.
He had expected that our route would have been
by a small river, about a mile to the eastward,
invariably used by the Chipewyans or Yellow-
knives, whenever they proceed in that direction ;
and, as it may be supposed, quite unknown to
me until that moment. On subsequent in-
spection, however, it was found to be too
shallow for canoes, being merely the outlet to
some small lakes, and the waters of a picturesque
fall, from four to eight miles distant. There
were many small Indian canoes stowed under
the branches of the willows ; and as it was
the lowest and most favourable route to the
Barren lands, it was preferred, it seems, to those
by which I had passed.
1S3
CHAP. VII.
" Le grand jeune Homme" — Trade with the Indians
Sunday. — Mr. King arrives, with two Bateaux. —
Performed a Surgical Operation. — Discomforts of an
Indian Canoe. — Conduct of the Party. — Erection of
new Dwelling. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Policy.
— Aged Indian Woman. — Starving Visitors. — Case of
Revenge for Inhospitality. — The Thleiv-ee-choh described.
— Observatory. — Strange Appearance of the Aurora.
— Pouring in of the Indians. — Superstitious Fancies.
— Shortness of Food. — Domiciled in the new Building,
named Fort Reliance. — Supplies again fail. — Akaitcho.
— Discharge of De Charloit and two Iroquois ; also,
of Da Charity. — Gloom of the Indians. — Story of
a young Hunter. — Breach of Indian Law. — Death
of the old Woman. — Christmas-day. — Short Allow-
ance. — Experiments. — Excessive Cold. — Arrival of
Mr. McLeod. — Barbarous Atrocity. — - Revolting
Story of an Indian.
I learnt from Mr. McLeod, that he had waited
the arrival of the Indian chief, " Le grand jeune
homme," at Fort Resolution ; that at first the
chief had affected to be mightily disappointed on
being told that I did not require his services ;
but had gradually moderated his ill humour on
hearing of our limited stock of goods, and the
strict regulations that were to be enforced ;
and finally, having been requited for his loss of
n 4
184 TRADE WITH THE INDIANS.
time with the value of fortv beaver skins, he
became perfectly satisfied, and was so left.
Assisted by the Indians, and having picked
up La Prise with my canoe, &c, at Hoar-
frost River, Mr. McLeod had arrived on the
22d of August ; and, with only four men, had
contrived to erect the log framework already
mentioned. The work had been seriously inter-
rupted by the sand-flies ; nor could the men
stand to it at all without the protection of clouds
of smoke, from small fires of green wood which
were kept burning around them.
The hopes of a new establishment on the
borders of a lake rest chiefly on the produce of
a fishery ; and the daily supply of white fish, as
well as trout, yielded by the nets, seemed to
verify the accounts we had received, and held
out an encouraging prospect for the future.
Some meat, also, had been seasonably brought
in by the Indians, in paying for which, Mr.
McLeod, foreseeing a great expenditure of am-
munition, had, with a proper regard to economy,
reduced the usual trading prices. The innovation
was by no means popular, but, as there were
upwards of one hundred and fifty miles between
us and the next house, it was their interest to
acquiesce ; for, the market being near their hunt-
ing grounds, if they got smaller profits, they had
quicker returns.
SUNDAY. 185
The following clay being Sunday, divine service
was read, and our imperfect thanks were humbly
offered to Almighty God for the mercies which
had been already vouchsafed to us ; and, though
in this imperious climate, with every thing to do,
time was certainly precious, yet, feeling that the
first opening of the sacred volume in this distant
wilderness ought not to be profaned by any
mixture of common labour, I made it a day of
real quiet and repose.
After the men had recovered from their bites,
rather than their fatigue, they were sent for the
meat which we had concealed on our track ; and,
returning by a different route, they had the good
fortune to find a clump of trees sufficiently free
from knots to admit of their being converted into
the proper length of planking for boats. This
discovery was most important, as if was afterwards
found to be the only clump at all suited to the
purpose; and, had it not been thus luckily
stumbled on, the trouble, expense, and fatigue
of sending at least a hundred miles over the ice
for wood, might have cramped, if not altogether
paralysed, our efforts in the ensuing summer.
On the 16th of September, I had the gratifi-
cation to welcome to the fort my companion Mr.
King. He arrived with the two laden bateaux ;
and, notwithstanding his inexperience in the
country, he brought his heavy cargo in a very
186 ANNOYANCES SUFFERED BY MR. KING.
good state of preservation. He had suffered, as
was to be expected, the usual impositions which
the old voyageurs consider themselves entitled
to practise on the uninitiated, and had, conse-
quently, been exposed to frequent personal incon-
veniences. Between Cumberland House and
Isle a la Crosse, he met some Cree Indians,
" who passed," said Mr. King, " in their canoes,
in seeming high spirits ; but in a short time the
old man of the family returned, with a request
that I would extract a tooth, claiming me, at the
same time, as a brother ' medicine man.' The
difference in his first and second appearance
was truly ludicrous, — then active and cheerful,
now, diseased and dejected : he acted his part
admirably, and, at his earnest entreaty, I gave
him a few harmless mixtures, which might assist
him in maintaining his professional respect-
ability." The negligence of the men had caused
his passing the pitch springs in the Elk River
without taking in a supply ; and, on reaching
Chipewyan, he had to send back for some.
Fortunately, during the delay so occasioned,
Mr. Charles, the chief factor of the district,
arrived, and relieved him from another embarrass-
ing situation with regard to provisions. He had
my directions to supply his party with enough
for thirty days' consumption, but was informed
by the clerk in charge that he could not have
SURGICAL OPERATION ON A WOMAN. 187
half the quantity, as some must be reserved for
the Slave Lake and Peace River brigades. His
instructions were positive, to keep our sixty bags
entire, except in case of actual starvation ; and he
had begun therefore to provide nets, to avoid
the necessity of trenching on them, when the op-
portune appearance of the chief factor removed
his disquietude, by clearing the store for him.
Mr. King at the same time bore grateful testi-
mony to the general courtesy and kindness
manifested by this gentleman. Certainly, to one
who is wandering for the first time in a strange
land, the meeting with a generous and warm-
hearted countryman is inexpressibly delightful.
It cheers and refreshes the traveller, carrying
back his thoughts to that dear land which claims
them both for its children. That Mr. King,
under the circumstances in which he found
himself, should feel even more than ordinary
gratitude was but natural.
While at Chipewyan, Mr. King had performed
a successful operation on a woman's upper lip,
which was in a shocking state from cancer,
brought on, as he thought, from the inveterate
habit of smoking, so common among the half-
breeds. He had met with two or three cases
of it before ; one, at Fort William, was incurable,
and very loathsome. His presence was hailed
with delight at every post beyond Jack River,
188 DISCOMFORTS OF AN INDIAN CANOE.
either by the natives, or those who resided at
them ; and it surprised me to learn how much
disease has spread through this part of the
country.
Having procured the tar, Mr. King embarked
in a half-sized canoe with four men, and followed
the bateaux, which had been sent ahead, with-
out other guide than James Spence, one of
my men in the last expedition, who had ex-
changed with a Canadian, to join me, — an excel-
lent lad, but with not a very accurate memory, so
that the canoe was nearly drawn into the fright-
ful rapids and falls of the "Cassette," to run which
is never even attempted. He had passed the pro-
per turning to make the portage, and the Iroquois
in the bow declared he could neither advance
nor retreat. Luckily they were near the land,
which they reached ; and, by converting their
ceintures, or sashes, into a towing line, they
hauled up against the strong current, and ulti-
mately got into the right track. On descending
the Slave River, Mr. King met some Indians,
and engaged one to take him in his small canoe
to Fort Resolution, under the impression of
gaining time ; and this species of travelling he
described as not being over comfortable. " I was
forty hours in the Indian canoe," said he, " and
it was decidedly the most irksome time I ever
spent. I was not able to move hand or foot ;
and this occasioned such a state of drowsiness,
CONDUCT OF THE PARTY. 189
as made sleep almost irresistible, though the con-
sequence might have been the upsetting of the
canoe." Some strong tea, however, dispelled it ;
and, on reaching the Fort, he found that the
boats had been four days before him. #
The people, according to Mr. King's account,
had conducted themselves as well as those of
their station generally do, under similar circum-
stances, with the exception of two ; and they
were the less excusable, from the consideration
shown them, and the generous treatment they
had experienced from the Arctic Committee
in England. I therefore took this occasion to
assemble the whole of my party, and to inflict
a public and severe reprimand upon the offend-
ers. The binding nature of their agreements
was recapitulated, and a brief explanation
oiven of the system that would be observed
throughout the service. I endeavoured to
convince them that it was their true interest
to conduct themselves like good and honest
men; and I reminded them that they were
embarked in an enterprise which, whether suc-
cessful or not, would always receive the meed of
public approbation. After this admonition I intro-
duced Mr. McLeod as an officer of the expe-
* I had been kindly provided with various seeds, by Mr.
Lindley, the learned Secretary of the Horticultural Society,
some of which were left at each post.
190 CONSTRUCTION OF NEW DWELLING.
dition, and the person to whose superintendence
and management our future establishment would
be committed ; and I informed them that from
him they would receive their orders.
The site of our intended dwelling was a level
bank of gravel and sand, covered with reindeer
moss, shrubs, and trees, and looking more like a
park than part of an American forest. It formed
the northern extremity of a bay, from twelve to
fifteen miles long, and of a breadth varying from
three to five miles, named after my friend Mr.
McLeod. The Ah-hel-dessy fell into it from
the westward, and the small river previously
mentioned from the eastward. Granitic hills, or
mountains, as the Indians term them, of grey
and flesh-coloured felspar, quartz, and in some
places large plates of mica, surrounded the bay,
and attained an altitude of from five to fifteen hun-
dred feet ; which, however, instead of sheltering
us, rather acted as a conductor for the wind
between E. S. E. and W. S. W. which occasion-
ally blew with great violence. The long sand-
banks, which ran out between the two rivers,
and the snug nooks along the shores, seemed to
offer a safe retreat for the white fish during their
spawning season, which was now at hand ; and
more nets were set, to take advantage of so au-
spicious a promise.
The men were divided into parties, and ap-
ARRIVAL OF INDIANS. igi
pointed to regular tasks : some to the felling of
trees, and squaring them into beams or rafters ;
others, to the sawing of slabs and planks :
here was a group awkwardly chipping the shape-
less granite into something like form ; and there
a party in a boat in search of mud and grass for
mortar. It was an animated scene ; and, set off
as it was by the white tents and smoky leather
lodges, contrasting with the mountains and green
woods, it was picturesque as well as interesting.
In a few days, the framework of the house
and observatory were up ; but, in consequence of
the smallness of the trees, and the distance from
which they were carried, our progress in filling
up the walls was necessarily slow. In the mean-
time, there was an evident falling off in the
numbers of the white fish, which had given place
to trout. On examination, it was found that
these latter had eaten the spawn of the others.
We were scarcely settled in our new station,
when a small party of Indians came with a
little meat ; and, having obtained in exchange
what they wanted, went away again, leaving,
however, behind them an infirm old man. Two
more elderly Chipewyans shortly afterwards
joined him, one of whom carried on his back his
son, who was weak from want of food. In short,
the sick and miserable soon began to flock in
from all quarters, in the hope of procuring that
192 ARRIVAL OF INDIANS.
succour from us which we could not afford but
through the means of their own countrymen.
Indifferent to the sufferings of those around them,
the hale hunters move with the activity almost of
the animal they pursue; trusting to the humanity
of the white man to sustain the infirm or sinking
members of their family. In a long settled post,
the resources of which are constant, this may be
tolerated, so long as it does not amount to
imposition ; but in our situation, cramped as we
were already beginning to be in our means, it
was easy to foresee that the injudicious en-
couragement of such a practice would involve us
in inextricable difficulties. With this conviction,
I resolved not to yield to it ; and, though the
applicants never left us altogether unsolaced or
empty-handed, they were not permitted to remain
on the ground. Wherever a station is established,
not only the diseased, who come from necessity,
but swarms of other visitors, immediately repair
to it, — women and children, old and idle, seek-
ing what they can get, or actuated by curiosity,
or, as they say, " coming to see their relations,"
by that term meaning the half-breed women who
are the partners of the voyageurs. Fortunately
we had none of these relations, and were there-
fore free from the unwelcome civilities of their
kinsmen of the forest. To be sure, when an
excuse is wanted for a visit, they are not par-
AGED INDIAN WOMAN. 193
ticular as to the degree of affinity ; for an Indian,
who addressed me as " brother in law," being
asked why he gave me so affectionate an appel-
lation, answered with great naivete, " What!
does not the chief recollect that I spoke to him
at Chipewyan ?"
On the 29th of September, a fire being
seen on the opposite side of the bay, a canoe was
despatched to see who had made it ; and soon
returned, not with a good load of meat, as we had
hoped, but with a poor old woman, bent double
by age and infirmities, and rendered absolutely
frightful by famine and disease. The ills that
" flesh is heir to" had been prodigally heaped on
her, and a more hideous figure Dante himself
has not conceived.
Clad in deer skins, her eyes all but closed, her
hair matted and filthy, her skin shrivelled, and
feebly supporting, with the aid of a stick held
by both hands, a trunk which was literally hori-
zontal, she presented, if such an expression may
be pardoned, the shocking and unnatural appear-
ance of a human brute. It was a humiliating
spectacle, and one which I would not willingly
see again. Poor wretch! Her tale was soon
told : old and decrepit, she had come to be
considered as a burden even by her own sex.
Past services and toils were forgotten, and,
in their figurative style, they coldly told her,
o
194 STARVING VISITERS.
that " though she appeared to live, she was
already dead," and must be abandoned to her
fate. " There is a new fort," said they ; " go
there ; the whites are great medicine men, and
may have power to save you." This was a
month before ; since which time she had crawled
and hobbled along the rocks, the scanty supply
of berries which she found upon them just en-
abling her to live. Another day or two must
have ended her sufferings.
The nights now began to get frosty, and
diminished the chance of taking fish in any
number, so that in a length of four hundred
fathoms of net, only twenty-seven, and those of
an indifferent sort, were caught. As these did
not suffice for the rations of the day, we were
reluctantly driven to our sea stock of pemmican.
October. — Starving Indians continued to
arrive from every point of the compass, de-
claring that the animals had left the Barren
Lands where they had hitherto been accustomed
to feed at this season; and that the calamity was
not confined to the Yellow Knives, but that the
Chipewyans also were as forlorn and destitute
as themselves. There is no reasoning with a
hungry belly, that I am acquainted with. The
only way is to satisfy its demands as soon as
possible; and, indeed, when this is obstinately re-
fused, the Indian considers, and perhaps rightly,
CASE OF REVENGE FOR INHOSPITALITY. \Q5
that he is only obeying the natural impulse of
self-preservation, in laying forcible hands on
whatever falls within his reach.
At one of the Company's posts in the north-
ern department, where the animals, as in our
case, were so scarce that the natives could
not procure subsistence, they threw themselves
on the generosity of the gentleman in charge,
and requested a small proportion of the meat
out of his well-stocked store, to enable them
to recruit their strength for fresh efforts in
the chase. They were denied ; and returned
dejected to their wintry abode. Now and
then a moose deer was killed, but long was
the fasting between ; and in those intervals of
griping pain, the inhospitality of the white man
was dwelt upon with savage indignation, which
at last vented itself in projects of revenge. An
opportunity presented itself in the arrival at
their lodges of the interpreter, who had been
despatched from the factory to see what they
were doing. This man had not been popular
with them before, and the part he had taken in
the late transaction had aggravated the feeling
against him. Of this he was himself aware ; and
being a half-breed, was not without the cautious
suspicion which is characteristic of the aboriginal.
Still the wonted familiarity, and the friendly pipe
that greeted his entrance into the principal
o 3
196 CASE OF REVENGE FOR INHOSPITALITY.
lodge, diminished his fears ; and a little dried
meat, given with apparent cheerfulness for the
use of the fort, finally removed all apprehension.
Two Canadians, who had accompanied him, left
early on their return ; and, in an hour after, he
followed their steps. The Indians watched him
until he was hid by the woods ; then grasped
their guns, and by a short cut gained a spot
favourable for their purpose, before any of the
three had arrived. Cowering in ambush within
ten paces of the track, they waited for their
approach, and at a given signal fired, and brought
down two of the unsuspecting travellers. The
third fled, and was pursued with savage yells by
the infuriated Indians. Fear added wings to the
Canadian ; and having outstripped the foremost,
he hid himself breathless and exhausted among
some rocks. The Indians rushed past without per-
ceiving him, and having reached the house, broke
furiously into the apartment of the gentleman,
who had not yet risen, and after reproaching him
with the horrors he had caused, instantly de-
prived him of life.
Their vengeance being thus horribly satiated,
they returned to the woods without committing
the slightest act of spoliation. The Canadian
and another man, whom, strange to say, they
did not molest, hastened to the neighbouring
posts, with an account of this shocking catas-
trophe. Fresh parties were established at the same
THE THLEW-EE-CHOH DESCRIBED. 197
station, and the perpetrators of the murder were
finally hunted down by the people of their own
tribe, — a melancholy but salutary lesson not
only to the red man but to the white.
It was now the middle of October, and up to
this time a few snow birds and four white
partridges were all that had been seen. The
deer too, as well as the fish, seemed to have
taken their departure. The Indians, satis-
fied with the pittance doled out to them, and
having been supplied with hooks and bits of
nets, quitted us one after another, leaving only
some of the elder ones, from two of whom I
learnt, that they had been further down the
Thlew-ee-choh than any others of their tribe.
They described it favourably, and asserted that
it was entirely free from falls, though sufficiently
interrupted by rapids. The value of this assertion
will hereafter be seen. Their idea of its course
was, that it ran due north, or, if any thing, rather
to the eastward, though, from some blue moun-
tains often mentioned in the discourse as the limit
of their knowledge, it was represented as taking
a course to the left. Their statements, more-
over, corroborated the previous opinions given
of the The-lew, which was said to flow through
a low marshy tract, connected with an estuary,
opening to the sea by a narrow channel, the
shores of which were lined by Esquimaux. On
o a
198 BUILD AN OBSERVATORY.
these people, they said they had formerly made
war, as well as on the Esquimaux at the mouth
of the Thlew-ee-choh.
The work of building went on briskly, though
our substitute for mortar, clay and sand, froze as
fast as it was laid on. The observatory was soon
completed ; it was a square building twelve feet
inside, having a porch at the west with double
doors, the outer one of which opened south.
The roof was angular, and covered with rough
slabs of wood having the flat side down, and the
hollows on the outside were rilled up with a
mixture of clay, sand, and dry grass. It had four
windows of moose-skin parchment, with a small
pane of glass in each, facing respectively north,
south, east, and west. The space within was care-
fully cleared of all stones, and a thoroughly dried
trunk of a tree seven feet long, and two feet
and a half in diameter, was let down into a hole
three feet deep in the centre, and then rammed
tight by successive layers of clay and sand.
This part was cased in a square framework of
three feet, grooved and mortised ; and the interior
spaces were gradually rilled up with the same
composition as was used to plaster the walls.
When the plaster was quite dry, a square thick
board was mortised on the post, and the whole
fabric was as firm as a rock. The floor was
planked, and when the doors were closed, the
BUILD AN OBSERVATORY. 199
difference of temperature between the out and
inside was 14°. There was not a nail or the
smallest particle of iron in the building ; and to
guard against the accidental approach of any
person with a gun, an axe, or the like, I had
it enclosed with a ring fence of seventy feet
diameter. It was situated on a gentle rise, two
hundred yards from the lake, and about one
hundred from the east end of the house. A
strong staff, fifteen feet high, was fixed on the
northern extremity of the ridge pole, on the
spindle of which was a vane ; and besides white
poles, placed in the direction of the true and
magnetic meridian, I had a horizontal cross at the
north side of the observatory, within the fence, to
enable us to take the bearings of phenomena with
greater accuracy than can be attained by the mere
guess of the eye. The angular heights of the sur-
rounding mountains were also ascertained.
Observations were immediately made for the
magnetic force and dip, with Hansteen's and Dol-
lond's needles, and a lozenge-shaped one after the
suggestion of Captain Beechey ; but this, for the
sake of clearness, will, together with our observa-
tions of other phenomena, be thrown into a tabu-
lar form in the appendix. Three thermometers
(spirit) were placed inside the observatory — four
outside, on the north, and one exposed to the sun
on the south side. They had been previously
o 4
SOO STRANGE APPEARANCE
compared, and for some time their relative means
were taken ; but afterwards that plan was relin-
quished, and the nearest mean thermometers were
adopted as standards for the whole. The daily-
variation instrument, made by Jones, on a plan
of Professor Christie's, to be explained hereafter,
was also adjusted in the magnetic meridian, and
its readings registered ten times a day, between
eight in the morning and midnight. The tem-
peratures were noted fifteen times in the twenty-
four hours.
A short time after the needle was placed,
there was a strange appearance connected with
the aurora, and which, though it will probably be
again mentioned when I come to treat of that
subject expressly, I may perhaps be excused, on
account of its singularity, for noticing in this
place also. At 5b 30m p. m., while occupied
in taking the transit of a star, I perceived the
coruscations streaming from behind a detached
and oblong dark cloud in a vertical position at
E. b. S. * They issued along an undulating
arch 38° high, and spread themselves laterally in
beams north and south. Another arch, brighter
and narrower than the former, suddenly emerged
from W. b. N., and passed between a nearly
horizontal black cloud and the stars, which were
* Magnetic bearing.
OF THE AURORA. 201
then not visible through the Aurora. I immedi-
ately looked at the needle, and found it slightly-
agitated, but not vibrating : on returning, I was
surprised to see the dark horizontal, cloud to
the westward not in the same shape as before.
It had now taken a balloon form, and was
evidently fast spreading towards the zenith. On
looking to the eastward, I perceived that a dark
cloud there also was rapidly altering its appear-
ance. So unusual a sight induced me to call my
companions, Messrs. King and McLeod, and we
saw the dark broad mass from the westward
gradually expand itself, so as to meet the other,
which was likewise rising, at or near the zenith.
The effect of the junction was a dark gray arch,
extending from E. b. S. to W. b. N. across the
zenith, and completely obscuring the stars,
though at each side of the arch they were par-
ticularly clear and twinkling. In the meantime,
the Aurora assumed every variety of form ; such
as undulating and fringed arches, 30° to 50°
high and more or less broad, with flashes and
beams at right angles to them. The cloudy
arch, too, was illuminated at and around its
N. W. edges near the horizon, while rays and
curved beams played round its eastern extre-
mity. In a few seconds, the part of this nearest
the horizon assumed a zig-zag form, like forked
lightning ; and immediately the western extre-
202 STRANGE APPEARANCE OF THE AURORA.
mity sympathised, undergoing momentary trans-
itions which defy description. Such convul-
sions at the extremes soon affected the centre
of the arch, which becoming gradually fainter
and fainter, at last vanished entirely, leaving the
stars to shine forth in all their brilliance. The
detached masses yet remained, though under
various forms, and the Aurora nimbly played
round and through them, especially the eastern
one, until not the slightest vestige of them
remained.
On this occasion the Aurora was high, and
consequently did not act powerfully on the
needle, which was an extremely delicate one ;
but I had opportunities afterwards of seeing this
drawn eight degrees on one side, by the same
agency ; a remark which I only make for the
information of those, who may not be disposed
to inspect the tables.
The little river to the east, and the borders
of the lake, were frozen over by the latter end
of the month ; but the weather was very mild,
and a fresh gale generally broke up the ice
again in a few hours. To this unusual mildness
of the season may be ascribed the unparalleled
sufferings of the Indians, who, emaciated and
worn out by fatigue, continued to pour in upon
us from the barren lands, where, contrary to
their habits, the deer still remained; keeping
SUPERSTITIOUS FANCIES. 203
at too great a distance to be followed. One
poor fellow had not tasted meat for ten days,
and, but for the hope of seeing us, must have
sunk by the way. Pinched as we were ourselves,
little could be bestowed on the wretched sufferers.
Amongst other fancies, the Indians began to
imagine that the instruments in the observatory,
concealed from every one but Mr. King and
myself, were the mysterious cause of all their
misfortunes : nor were they singular in this opi-
nion ; for on one occasion when taking the dip,
&c. two of the voyageurs listened, and hearing
only a word at intervals, such as Now ! Stop !
always succeeded by a perfect silence, they
looked at each other, and with significant shrugs,
turning hastily away from the railing, reported
to their companions that they verily believed I
was " raising the devil."
Endeavouring to laugh away the whimsical
notion of the Yellow-knives, I told them that
they had mistaken the thing, for that the mys-
terious instruments attracted, not dispersed, the
animals ; as they would find when they went to
hunt. The assertion, uttered in jest, seemed to
be verified in earnest, for an old bear was shot
the same day, and, though lean and tough, was
greedily devoured. Although, among so many,
it was but a taste for each, it excited a slight
animation \ soon, however, they relapsed into
204< SHORTNESS OF FOOD.
their former melancholy; and a painful sight
it was to behold them, singly or in groups,
standing by the men at their meals, and eagerly
watching each envied mouthful, but disdaining
to utter a word of complaint. The wretched
old woman, whom I have spoken of before, was
too much worn out by her infirmities to be sen-
sible of our kindness and protection ; and, though
assured that she would be taken care of, she
never failed to attend our scanty repast, and,
with monotonous and feeble wailings, assailed
my servant for the scrapings of the kettles.
Different places had been tried for fish, but
after the first haul, the nets were invariably
found empty. To remedy, if possible, so de-
plorable a circumstance, the men were divided
into parties, and, with the exception of one
retained to finish the house, were sent to a
specified part of the lake for the sole purpose
of procuring subsistence. Some succeeded, but
others returned after a short absence, with the
loss of two nets, and a most discouraging account
of their labours. I had therefore no resource
but to reduce the daily rations, and stop the
usual allowance to the dogs, many of which be-
came in consequence so reduced as to be barely
able to crawl, and to this day I have not ceased
to wonder how they were kept alive.
In the midst of these disasters, our hopes were
DOMICILED IN THE NEW BUILDING. 205
somewhat brightened by the accidental but well-
timed arrival of two young hunters, who, having
separated from Akaitcho to look for deer, had
fallen on a large herd, some of which they had
killed, but, in returning to inform the chief of
their good fortune, had got bewildered in fogs,
and finding themselves, when the weather
cleared, within a day's march of our situation,
could not resist the temptation to get a little
tobacco in exchange, to us most welcome, for
some fresh meat. In a few hours, all who were
capable of exertion set off for the land of pro-
mise ; and, for a time, the immediate prospect of
want was removed.
On the 5th of November, we had the pleasure
of changing our cold tents for the comparative
comfort of the house, which, like most of those
in this country, was constructed of a framework,
filled up with logs let into grooves, and closely
plastered with a cement composed of common
clay and sand. The roof was formed of a num-
ber of single slabs, extending slantingly from the
ridge pole to the eaves ; and the whole was
rendered tolerably tight by a mixture of dry
grass, clay, and sand, which was beat down
between the slabs, and subsequently coated over
with a thin layer of mud. The house was fifty
feet long and thirty broad ; having four separate
rooms, with a spacious hall in the centre for the
206 FORT RELIANCE.
reception and accommodation of the Indians.
Each of the rooms had a fireplace and a rude
chimney, which, save that it suffered a fair pro-
portion of the smoke to descend into the room,
answered tolerably well. A diminutive apology
for a room, neither wind nor water tight, was
attached to the hall, and dignified with the name
of a kitchen. The men's houses, forming the
western side of what was intended to be a square,
but which, like many other squares, was never
finished, completed our building. As every post
in the country is distinguished by a name, I gave
to ours that of Fort Reliance, in token of our
trust in that merciful Providence, whose pro-
tection we humbly hoped would be extended
to us in the many difficulties and dangers to
which these services are exposed. The exact
site is in latitude 62° 46' 29" N., longitude,
109° 0' S8-977 W. ; the variation, 35° 19' east,
and dip, 84° 44'. About a mile from the house
was a tree which had been struck by lightning,
and splintered twenty feet down the trunk, the
pieces being thrown thirty or forty paces away.
I do not recollect to have seen a similar in-
stance.
A continuation of mild weather, and the
manner in which the deer were harassed, caused
them to return to a distance on the barren lands,
where they could not be followed at this season ;
SUPPLIES AGAIN FAIL. QOJ
and towards the end of the month our supplies
again failed ; distress was prevalent, and the din
and screeching of women and children too plainly
indicated the acuteness of their suffering. The
opportune appearance of my old acquaintance,
Akaitcho, with a little meat, enabled us to
relieve and quiet the confusion, and some of
them went away with the chief, who promised
that we should not want as long as he had any
thing to send to the fort. He did not directly
inquire about Sir John Franklin, or Doctor
Richardson ; but his satisfaction was very visible,
when I gave him some little presents in their
names, and pointed to the silver medal presented
to him at Fort Enterprise, which he was then
wearing as a proof that he had not forgotten
them. An additional trifle or two made him
quite happy, and he left us to all appearance the
determined friend of the expedition.
Among those who accompanied him was an
old man, who gave us information of a lake
about thirty miles to the S. E., where on pressing
occasions he resorted to fish ; and, willing to
catch at the smallest chance of saving the pem-
mican, I prevailed on him to act as guide to a
small party selected to make the trial ; the result
of which, if favourable, was to be communicated
without delay. Accordingly on the third day
La Charite, one of the party, reached the house
208 DISCHARGE OF FOUR OF OUR PARTY.
late at night, after a painful walk without snow
shoes through deep snow in the woods, bringing
four fish, and the welcome tidings, that by spread-
ing over a greater surface there was a likelihood
of taking more. Every man that could be spared
was thereupon sent away with him ; we who
remained being thrown upon our pemmican, a
third of which was already expended.
December 7. — Being anxious to dimmish as
far as possible the number of our party, I now
discharged De Charloit and two Iroquois, con-
formably to their agreements, and La Charite,
at his own solicitation ; but not until he had pro-
vided a substitute, who turned out to be in every
respect superior to him as a voyageur. They
were supplied with the necessary means to carry
them to the next establishment 5 and I charged
De Charloit with my despatches for Mr. Hay,
Under-secretary of State for the Colonies, and for
the Admiralty — together with extra requisitions
for the use of the expedition during the follow-
ing year, to be sent from York Factory. Only
four Indians arrived within this week, and they
came for food. They were greatly dejected,
and added to the general gloom by encouraging
the apprehension of those calamities which,
judging from so unpromising a beginning, might
be expected to befal them during the winter.
Had it been a solitary instance of misfortune,
APPALLING VISITATIONS. 209
their superstition, I fear, would have fixed the
blame on the expedition ; but it appeared that
the two preceding years had been pregnant with
more than ordinary evils to the different tribes
inhabiting the country about Slave Lake and
the McKenzie River. To the westward, indeed,
and more directly in the neighbourhood of the
Riviere au Liard, forty of the choicest hunters
among the Chipewyans had been destroyed by
actual famine ; many others had not yet been
heard of; and the scattered survivors, from the
rigours of the climate, and the difficulty of pro-
curing a single animal, had experienced the se-
verest hardships which even their hardy natures
were capable of sustaining. Sometimes unusual
and appalling visitations carried them off, as in
the case of two women and their children, who
with their laden dogs were travelling near the
mountains, towards their tents ; when suddenly,
one of them called out in alarm, and before they
had time to fly, they were caught in a whirlwind,
and in an instant swept into eternity. One boy
only out of the number was found, and he died
in excruciating pain the same night.
December 16. — The interpreter came from
one of the fishing stations with an account of
the loss of some nets, and the inadequacy of
their means of support. They seldom took more
than thirteen small fish in a day, and the Indians,
p
210 SUFFERINGS OF THE INDIANS.
now reduced to a state of great weakness, crowded
round them for a portion of what they could ill
afford. It was the same with us ; for those who
happened to be within a moderate distance fell
back on the Fort, as the only chance of pro-
longing their existence ; and we freely im-
parted the utmost we could spare. In vain
did we endeavour to revive their drooping
spirits, and excite them to action ; the scourge
was too heavy, and their exertions were entirely
paralysed. No sooner had one party closed the
door, than another, still more languid and dis-
tressed, feebly opened it, and confirmed by their
half-famished looks and sunken eyes their heart-
rending tale of suffering. They spoke little,
but crowded in silence round the fire, as if eager
to enjoy the only comfort remaining to them.
A handful of mouldy pounded meat, which had
been originally reserved for our dogs, was the
most liberal allowance we could make to each ;
and this meal, unpalatable and unwholesome as
it was, together with the customary presentation
of the friendly pipe, was sufficient to efface for
a moment the recollection of their sorrows, and
even to light up their faces with a smile of hope.
"We know," they said, "that you are as much
distressed as ourselves, and you are very good."
Afflictino; as it was to behold such scenes of
suffering, it was at the same time gratifying to
observe the resignation with which they were
SUPERSTITIONS. 211
met. There were no impious upbraidings of
Providence, nor any of those revolting acts, too
frequent within late years, which have cast a darker
shade over the character of the savage Indian.
While the party thus scantily relieved were ex-
pressing their gratitude, one of their companions
arrived, and after a short pause announced that
a child was dying for want of food, close at hand.
The father instantly jumped up ; and having been
supplied with some pemmican, for we had no
other meat, hurried away, and happily arrived
in time to save its life.
Like all other barbarous nations, these people
are naturally prone to superstition ; and many of
their legends, whatever may be thought of them
in these enlightened days, are quite as reasonable
as the traditionary tales which in other states
of society dimly reveal the past, and serve to
amuse the present age. They have their good
and evil spirits, haunting the waters, the woods,
and the mountains; their giants, and confabulat-
ing animals, " animali parlanti ;" their " Pucks,"
and a host of other mischief-loving gentry. I
allude to these superstitions here, by way of
preface to a story related by one of our unhappy
guests, respecting the conduct of a Chipewyan,
whom he and many others held responsible for
the absence of the deer.
" We might have known, " said a young but
p 2
212 STORY OF A YOUNG HUNTER.
emaciated hunter, as he ejected large volumes of
smoke from his nostrils, — " we might have known
that this winter would be marked by something
uncommon. The Chipewyans have always been
unfriendly to, if not secret enemies of, the Yellow-
knives, and would feast and rejoice at our mis-
fortunes. Why did he come among us ? Was
he not cautioned by our old men to desist from
his rash purpose, and listen to the words of
wisdom founded on experience ? But no ; he
had often, he said, been told, that if a solitary
deer were beaten, the whole herd would at once
abandon that part of the country where the deed
was done : as if thousands of animals feeding at
places far distant from each other could possibly
know what he might do at any particular spot to
one of their kind. He did not believe it ; some
people had bad tongues, and at the first op-
portunity he would put the matter to proof.
Accordingly, in the spring of the year, when a
little crust was formed on the snow by the effect
of the heat of the day followed by the cold of
the night, he sallied out on his long snow shoes
of six feet ; and skimming lightly over the bright
surface, soon discovered eight or ten deer feed-
ing on a frozen swamp.
"Making a circuit behind them, he approached
with the greatest caution; yet even his almost
noiseless tread scared these timid and watchful
STORY OF A YOUNG HUNTER. 213
creatures. As he had expected, they ran upon
the lake, using every exertion to escape ; but
their hoofs, though remarkably broad, were
unequal to their support, and at each plunge
they sank to their haunches in the snow, and
became an easy prey to the hunter ; who, borne
up by his long snow shoes, got close to and killed
them all except one. This he beat in the most
wanton and merciless manner, and then drove it,
stupefied and spent with fatigue, to his lodge,
where, amidst the laughter of himself and his
kindred, its miseries were at last ended. 'Now,'
said he, * I shall know if there be any truth
in your sayings ; and, whether there be or not,
I am a Chipewyan, and shall return to my
lands, which are far away, and better than
your swampy and barren country.' Did we
speak the truth ? the deer know it, and will not
come." — He ceased speaking, and a deep gut-
tural " whew, whew ! " shewed the interest with
which the recital had been heard.
Another day a middle-aged woman, with a
girl about six years old, came to us in great con-
sternation, seeking protection against a hunter,
over whose gun she had unluckily stept during
the night. On discovering what she had done,
which, in the opinion of an Indian, would
destroy the qualities of the gun and prevent its
killing, she was so alarmed for the consequences
p 3
214 SINGULAR BREACH OF INDIAN LAW.
of her crime, that, though attached to the man,
she preferred flight to the chance of what his
fury might inflict on her. However, after allow-
ing a reasonable time for the evaporation of his
passion, she returned ; and as he had, fortunately
for her, shot an animal with the same gun since
the disaster, she was let off with a sound thrash-
ing, and an admonition to be more careful for
the future. This, according to Indian law, was
most lenient, as the unhappy female guilty of
such delinquency seldom or ever escapes with a
slighter punishment than a slit nose, or a bit cut
off the ears. In the evening of the day on
which this last incident occurred, a man, his
wife, and three children, sought our hospitality,
in a condition which made me grieve afresh that
we had so little to bestow. They were the most
wretched party of all — mere shadows. The man
was reduced to a skeleton ; and the scanty and
tattered covering which served him for a gar-
ment, having become hard and frozen, had, by
constant friction against his bare legs, produced
a dreadful state of excoriation. Nor were the
others much better off. Our situation indeed
now assumed a serious aspect, and it was im-
possible to divest one's self of anxious foreboding
for the future. In the midst of this gloom
occurred the death of the wretched old woman
before mentioned. In spite of all the care
DEATH OF THE OLD WOMAN. 215
which we could bestow, she had continued to
sink under accumulated infirmities and disease ;
the circulation became languid, and her ex-
tremities were severely frost-bitten. Too feeble
to raise herself up, she crawled whiningly along
on her hands and knees, with a stick to make
known her presence, wherever her inclination
led her \ but chiefly to Mr. King's room, where,
once a day, she received the benefit of his
humane attention. The most indifferent ob-
server must have been occasionally shocked at
the loathsome objects which have met his eye on
some parts of the Continent, and particularly at
Lisbon ; but no form or variety of human
wretchedness or degradation that I have ever
witnessed could be compared with that which
was exhibited in the person of this poor old
creature. The effect of her appearance, — the
involuntary shuddering which it caused, may
perhaps be conceived, but cannot well be
described. What a contrast between her and
the young girl standing erect and full of juicy
life by her side ! What a rebuke to the pride
of lordly man ! She was found in her hut,
stretched dead by the fire, near which were
several pieces of spare wood. Among the In-
dians the event occasioned not the slightest feel-
ing ; and, as she had no relations, it is doubtful
whether she would even have been buried, had
p 4
216 ANXIETY FOR AKAITCHO AND HIS PARTY.
we not taken that office on ourselves ; an office
which, though difficult at this time, on account
of the frozen state of the ground, was necessary,
to preserve her remains from the starving and
voracious dogs.
The anxiety I began to feel, respecting the
actual condition of the main body of the Indians
with Akaitcho, whom we supposed to be in
quest of deer to the westward, was so great,
that Mr. McLeod, with much kindness and
spirit, volunteered to go in search of them, and
by his presence encourage and incite them to
exertion. He left us on the 18th of December,
accompanied by the interpreter and an Indian
lad, who the previous morning had received a
cudgelling for thieving. The very next day,
one of our men, who had been with Akaitcho,
arrived with a small quantity of half-dried meat,
which he had dragged eight days' inarch.
From him we learned that the deer were rather
numerous than otherwise, but that they con-
tinued to linger on the verge of the barren lands,
to the surprise of the Indians, who declared this
to be the first time they had deviated from their
habit of seeking the shelter of the woods at
this inclement period of the year. They were
very poor, he said, but plenty were shot; and
would have been sent to the Fort, if the dis-
tance had been less : as it was, the persons em-
THE FISHERY UNPRODUCTIVE. 217
ployed to bring it would necessarily eat all or
the greater part of their loads on the way, and
therefore the meat was put en cache for our
future use. All this was very well, but did not
minister to our present need ; and as for caches,
in a neighbourhood of wolvereens, I knew that
little dependence could be placed on their secu-
rity, however carefully made.
Still, the knowledge that the animals were
within reach, and had not entirely left us, was
enlivening ; and though not sanguine, yet I saw
no reason to despair of finally making up our
original stock of coast provision. In the mean-
time, and before this dream could be realised,
we were mortified and embarrassed by the
return of the whole of the people stationed at
one of the fisheries, which was described as being-
totally unequal to their support, having yielded
only three or four fish a day for the last fort-
night. Casualties such as these, coming in quick
succession, were not a little harassing : my plans
and prospects underwent continual change from
circumstances which no foresight could antici-
pate ; and when I thought myself most safe, I
was, perhaps, in the greatest danger. However,
it was of no use to sit still and mope. Action,
if it had no other effect, would at least keep up
the spirits of the men, and divert their thoughts
from the privation which they were suffering.
218 WRETCHED OBJECTS.
Accordingly they were again divided, one party
being directed to take their nets and proceed to
the only remaining fishery, and the other to
make the best of their way to the Indians.
Our hall was in a manner filled with invalids
and other stupidly dejected beings, who, seated
round the fire, occupied themselves in roast-
ing and devouring small bits of their reindeer
garments, which, even when entire, afforded
them a very insufficient protection against a
temperature of 1062° below the freezing point.
The father torpid and despairing — the mo-
ther, with a hollow and sepulchral wail, vainly
endeavouring to soothe the infant, which with
unceasing moan clung to her shrivelled and
exhausted breast — the passive child gazing
vacantly around ; such was one of the many
groups that surrounded us. But not a mur-
mur escaped from the men. When the weather
was a little milder, we took them into the store,
and showing them our remaining provision, re-
presented the necessity of their making an effort
to reach Akaitcho, where their own relations
would supply them plentifully : for, trifling as
was the pittance dealt out to them by us, yet
it contributed to the diminution of our stock, and
it was evident that by strict economy alone we
could get through the season at all. With the
apathy so strikingly characteristic of the inert
and callous savage, to whom life itself is a thing
CHRISTMAS-DAY. 219
scarce worth preserving, some declared they
could not, and others that they would not go.
This obstinacy compelled me to reduce their
allowance, a measure of necessary rigour, which
ultimately drove the stronger away, and left us
more means to nourish and support the weaker.
Mr. King was unremitting in his care of those
who required medical aid ; and often did I share
my own plate with the children, whose helpless
state and piteous cries were peculiarly distress-
ing. Compassion for the full-grown may or may
not be felt; but that heart must be cased in
steel which is insensible to the cry of a child
for food. I have no reserve in declaring the
pleasure which it gave me to watch the emotions
of those unfortunate little ones, as each received
its spoonful of pemmican from my hand.
Christmas-day was the appointed time for open-
ing a soldered tin case, the gift of a lady at New
York ; but our companion Mr. McLeod being
absent, we thought it fair to postpone the grati-
fication of our curiosity till he could participate
in it; and Mr. King and I made a cheerful
dinner of pemmican. Happiness on such occa-
sions depends entirely on the mood and temper
of the individuals ; and we cheated ourselves
into as much mirth at the fancied sayings and
doings of our friends at home, as if we had par-
taken of the roast beef and plum pudding which
220 SHORT ALLOWANCE.
doubtless " smoked upon the board" on that
glorious day of prescriptive feasting.
January, 1834. — Some Indians brought a small
supply of meat, half dried and very bad; and
by a letter from Mr. McLeod, I learned that the
animals had taken a western direction, which,
with the coldness of the weather, precluded the
possibility of the Indians following them. Mr.
McLeod himself, being a first-rate rifle shot, had
by his personal exertions already assisted one
party, and was going to visit another.
On the 13th, the women and children were
sent to the fishery, and our own allowance was
reduced a quarter of a pound each. Another
supply of lean and half putrid meat was sent by
Akaitcho, which was augmented a few days
afterwards by eighty pounds from Mr. McLeod.
He had been to the fishery, " which," he added,
" I was sorry to find unproductive, besides being
burthened with a number of starving natives,
who proved expensive and annoying, but are
now all away. The dogs can hardly stand on
their legs. For the two last weeks I have had
much trouble, owing to the importunities of the
Indians by whom I am surrounded. Some are
strangers, but others you have seen. Many are
extremely low, but I hope not beyond re-
covery. From what I have seen of the coun-
try, animals are scarce." At the same time we
EXPERIMENTS. !221
had accounts of several deaths from famine, with
a repetition of the former tales of suffering,
which there were but faint expectations of bet-
tering until the weather should be milder.
A few days exhausted our small stock of
meat, and I reluctantly opened another bag of
pemmican, our store of which was now reduced
to less than one half of the quantity originally
put aside for the sea service. Mr. King and I
contented ourselves with half a pound each a
day ; but the labouring men whom we retained
with us could not do with less than a pound
and three quarters. Even this was but scanty
rations ; nevertheless, the fine fellows (principally
artillery men), far from being moody or sullen,
were always cheerful and in good spirits. It
had been my endeavour to foster this feeling
of contentment by general kindness, by a regular
observance of the Sabbath (the service being
read in English and French), and by the insti-
tution of evening schools for their improve-
ment.
We had seen the thermometer at 70° below
zero, at which time the Aurora was bright. We now
made a few experiments on the effect and intensity
of the cold, the results of which were as follow :
With the thermometer at 62 minus, a square six-
ounce bottle of sulphuric ether with a ground
stopper, was taken out of the medicine chest,
222 EXPERIMENTS.
exactly in the same state as it had been packed
at Apothecaries' Hall, viz. with the stopper down,
and exposed immediately below the registering
thermometer on the snow. In fifteen minutes, the
interior upper surface of the sides of the bottle was
coated with ice, and a thick efflorescent sediment
covered the bottom, while the ether generally
appeared viscous and opaque. After having
remained an hour, during which the temperature
rose to 60° minus, it had scarcely changed, or, per-
haps, as Mr. King agreed with me in thinking,
it was more opaque. The bottle was then care-
fully brought into the house, and placed on a
table, within four feet and a half of the fire ; and
though so near, and with a temperature of 32°
plus, it did not recover its former clearness or
purity under forty- two minutes.
A bottle of nitric ether, similar in dimensions
to the sulphuric, was not changed in the same
time ; but after two hours' exposure it also became
viscid, the temperature in the meantime having
varied from 60 to 56 minus. A fluid drachm
and a half of sulphuric ether was put into an
ounce and a half bottle with a glass stopper ;
and when it had become viscous the stopper was
withdrawn, and a lighted paper applied to the
mouth, when it ignited with an explosion and
an escape of gas. On repeating the experiment,
the ignition did not take place until the light
EXPERIMENTS. 223
was brought into contact with the liquid ; but it
was accompanied by a similar explosion.
A small bottle of pyroligneous acid froze in
less than 30 minutes, at a temperature of 57°
minus ; as did also the same quantity of 1 part
of rectified spirit and 2 of water, 1 part of the
same and 1 of water. Leeward Island rum
became thick in a few minutes, but did not
freeze.
A mixture of 2 parts pure spirit and 1 water
froze into ice in three hours, with a temperature
from 65° and 61° minus. Another mixture of
4 parts spirit and 1 water became viscid in the
same time.
A bottle of nitric ether having been out all
night was thick, and the bubbles of air rose slowly
and with difficulty; the mean temperature at
6 a.m., January 17th, being 70° minus!
A surface of 4 inches of mercury, exposed in
a common saucer, became solid in two hours,
with a temperature of 57° minus.
On the 4th of February, the temperature was
60° minus, and, there being at the same time a
fresh breeze, was nearly insupportable. Such, in-
deed, was the abstraction of heat, that, with eight
large logs of dry wood in the fireplace of a small
room, I could not get the thermometer higher
than 12° plus. Ink and paint froze. I made
an attempt to finish a sketch, by placing the
224 EXCESSIVE COLD.
table as near the fire as I could bear the heat ;
but a scratchy mark, and small shining particles
at the point of the sable, convinced me that
it was useless. The sextant cases, and boxes of
seasoned wood, principally fir, all split. Nor
was the sensation particularly agreeable to our
persons ; the skin of the hands especially became
dry, cracked, and opened into unsightly and
smarting gashes, which we were obliged to anoint
with grease. One one occasion, after washing
my face within three feet of the fire, my hair
was actually clotted with ice, before I had time
to dry it. From these facts some idea may,
perhaps, be formed of the excessive cold. It
seemed to have driven all living things from us :
we had been accustomed to see a few white
partridges about ; but even these, hardy as they
are, had disappeared. Once, indeed, a solitary
raven, whose croak made me run out to look at
him, swept round the house, but immediately
winged his flight to the westward. Nothing but
the passing wind broke the awful solitude of this
barren and desolate spot.
February 9th. — A little variation was given
to our society by the gratifying arrival of Mr.
McLeod, who had preceded a party of men laden
with meat. The weather had made a visible
alteration in his countenance, which was severely
frost-bitten in seven places ; nor was it to be
APPALLING SUFFERINGS OF THE INDIANS. 2C25
wondered at on such a wide unsheltered lake as
he had been travelling over, especially when
the Indians themselves were unable to bear up
against it, but were all, to the number of four-
teen, similarly lacerated. The latter complained
bitterly, and compared the sensation of handling
their guns to that of touching red-hot iron ; and
so painful was it, that they wrapped thongs of
leather round the triggers, to keep their fingers
from contact with the steel.
The deer were represented to be plentiful
enough, but so restless and difficult to approach
that few were shot ; added to which they were
edging westerly, and when left were at a distance
of fourteen days' journey from the house. Suf-
fering, the Indian's inheritance, attended the na-
tives wherever they went. The forest was no longer
a shelter, nor the land a support ; " famine, with
her gaunt and bony arm," pursued them at
every turn, withered their energies, and strewed
them lifeless on the cold bosom of the snow.
Nine had fallen victims already ; and others
were only snatched from a like fate by the op-
portune intervention of Mr. M'Leod, in compel-
ling a Chipewyan to return after his wife and child,
whom the unnatural monster had abandoned.
In another instance, where two of the same
tribe had deserted an infirm and starving relative,
BARBAROUS ATROCITIES.
his efforts were unavailing, for he was found
dead in the woods.
For the neglect or abandonment bv the more
active hunters of the sick and feeble of their
tribe, some allowance may be made, on account
of the peculiarity of their circumstances. To
follow and keep up with the migratory animals
which constitute their food, is essential to the
preservation, not only of the hunters themselves,
but of the whole encampment. An infirm or
diseased savage is not merely useless ; he is a
positive clog and encumbrance on the motions of
the rest. No wonder, then, if occasionally, in
the impatience or necessity of the chace, he is
left behind to the mercy of chance. But there
are instances, it is painful to say, of barbarous
outrages for which no such palliation can be
found. In my progress through the country, I
heard several stories of transactions among the
Indians almost too revolting to be mentioned.
Others equally shocking were related to Mr.
King ; and one in particular, as narrated by Mr.
Charles, the factor mentioned above, was so
horrible, that, although the recital, it is to be
feared, will excite loathing and disgust, yet
I think it right to give it, as illustrative of the
occasional atrocities of savage life.
A Cree Indian of the name of Pepper,
who had long resided around Chipewyan as a
REVOLTING STORY OF AN INDIAN. 227
hunter, came to the Fort in November, 1832,
after a temporary absence ; and, having smoked
his pipe, gave a plausible account of severe ca-
lamities, which had befallen him in the preceding
winter. After describing the horrors of starva-
tion in the desolate forest, and his ineffectual
efforts to ward it off, he said that, worn out, at
length, by hunger and cold, his wife, the mother
of his children, sunk into a lethargy and died ;
his daughter soon followed ; and two sons, just
springing into manhood, who promised to be
the support of his old age, — alas ! they also
perished ; lastly, their younger children, though
tended by him with unwearied solicitude, and
fed for a time on the parings of their leather
garments, sunk under their sufferings, and slept
with their brethren. " What could I do ? "
exclaimed the man, with a frenzied look that
almost startled the hearers, — " could I look up to
the Great Spirit ? — could I remain to behold
my strength laid prostrate ? No ! no ! One child
was yet spared.- — I fled for succour. But, oh!
the woods were silent, — how silent! — I am
here."
The boy alluded to was about eleven years of
age, and at the close, as during the recital, kept
his eyes vacantly fixed on the blazing fire near
which he was seated, seeming unconscious that
the narration was ended, and still listening, as if
q 2
228 REVOLTING STORY
waiting for some dreadful story not yet told.
His father spoke, and he started ; then, having
given him a live ember to light his half-emptied
pipe, he relapsed into his steadfast gaze of
vacancy.
Not a word, not a gesture, had escaped the
attentive ears and sparkling eyes of some men
of his tribe who arrived just as he began to speak.
Never was man more patiently listened to ; his
grief, or the long pauses which counterfeited it,
were not once interrupted, except by his own
wailings : but when he had concluded, a kind of
hollow muttering arosefrom thegrouped Indians ;
and the spokesman of their number began a
speech, at first in a subdued tone, and then,
gradually elevating his voice with the energy of
one strongly excited, he finished by denouncing
him as a murderer and a cannibal. The accused
hesitated a few seconds, mechanically whiffing
at his exhausted pipe, — and then, with the most
stoical indifference, calmly denied the charge.
But, from that instant, his spirits fell; and
the anxious and painful expression of his
countenance, whenever his son was absent for a
moment, betrayed the consciousness of guilt.
He could no longer look his fellow man in the
face.
Those who had roused this inward storm kept
aloof, as from a poisonous reptile ; and, having
OF AN INDIAN. 229
obtained the trifling articles which they wanted
from the store, returned to their hunting.
The wretched man lingered about the Fort for
some time, and at length, accompanied by his
boy, sulkily left it.
— — " Back to the thicket slunk
The guilty serpent."
But by a strange infatuation (such are the mys-
terious ways of Providence), instead of seeking
some lonely place where he might have hid his
guilt, and lived unmolested, he went to the
lodges of the very persons whom he had most
cause to avoid, — the men who had branded him
as a murderer and cannibal.
He sought their hospitality, and was admitted ;
but an instinctive loathing, not unmixed with
apprehension, induced them to request his de-
parture. After a slight hesitation, he not only
refused, but, assuming a tone of defiance, uttered
such threats that the endurance of the Indians
was exhausted, and they shot him on the spot.
More than one gun having been fired, the boy
was also wounded in the arm ; and, thinking to
mitigate their rage, he fled behind a tree, and
offered to confess all he knew, if they would only
spare his life. His wish was granted, and then was
told the most sickening tale of deliberate canni-
balism ever heard. The monster had, in truth,
Q 3
230 REVOLTING STORY OF AN INDIAN.
murdered his wife and children, and fed upon
their reeking carcasses ! That the one boy was
spared was owing, not to pity or affection, but
to the accident of their having arrived at the
Fort when they did. Another twenty-four hours
would have sealed his doom also.
231
CHAP. VIII.
Exemplary Conduct of Aleaitcho. — Mr. McLeod and his
Family leave us. — Arrival of Maufelly. — Supply of
Deer-flesh. — Misunderstanding between Aleaitcho and
the Interpreter. — Preparation for building Two Boats.
— Mr. McJLeod!s ill Success. — Strange Conduct of Two
Indians. — Supply of Food. — Distressing Condition of
Mr. McLeod. — Return of Mr. King's Party. — News
from York Factory. — Uncertain Fate of Augustus. —
Presence of Two Ravens. — Ravens shot by an Iroquois.
— News from England. — Discharge of Three Men.
— Alteration of Plans. — Appearance of Birds. —
Adventures by Mr. King. — Arrival of Mr. McLeod.
— Anxiety about Williamson. — Sultry Weather. —
Melancholy Fate of Augustus.
During this appalling period of suffering and
calamity, Akaitcho proved himself the firm friend
of the expedition. The dawn of each morning
saw him prepared for the hunt ; and, aware of the
heavy pressure of that distress which, though he
could not altogether avert, it might be in his
power to mitigate, he boldly encountered every
difficulty, and made others act by the force of
his example.
Complaints were incessantly preferred to him
by all classes, young and old ; and many would
q 4
232 EXEMPLARY CONDUCT OF AKAITCHO.
have yielded to their gloomy superstition, had
they not been sustained by his language and for-
titude. " It is true," he is reported to have said
in answer to one of them, " that both the Yellow
Knives and Chipewyans, whom I look upon as
one nation, have felt the fatal severities of this
unusual winter. Alas! how many sleep with
our fathers ! But the Great Chief trusts to us ;
and it is better that ten Indians should perish,
than that one white man should suffer through
our negligence and breach of faith."
Mr. McLeod's observations at the fishery where
he had been were too unfavourable to give me
any confident hope of receiving support from
that quarter ; and, under these circumstances, it
was consolatory to me that he approved my
decision to make a further reduction in our
establishment. I say consolatory, because that
decision fell particularly heavy on his own family,
whom he now offered to remove to a place about
half way between us and the Indians, who, he
said, would provide him with meat, as the lake
would with fish, and in this way the separation
might be made still further subservient to our
benefit. Before we parted, however, his daughter,
a pretty little girl about six years old, took care
to remind me, that I had promised, on her father's
return, to open the " boite a fer blanc." Ac-
cordingly, the treasure was explored ; and she
DEPARTURE OF MR. McLEOD AND HIS FAMILY. 233
was not the only one who rejoiced in the sight of
a large plum-pudding, to the merits of which
practical testimony was borne by the children
and ourselves at dinner. Nor did we forget to
drink the health of our fair countrywoman Mrs.
Maxwell*, who had so kindly afforded us this
luxurious meal.
Mr. McLeod, during his absence, had not been
exempted from his share of privation, having
been for days together without food ; yet, nothing
daunted by hardships, which he treated as the
ordinary incidents of the service, he and his
family, with two men, left us on their cold and
comfortless journey, on the 14th of February,
about noon. Nothing but a conviction of the
importance of this measure, as regarded our
future plans, should have induced me to consent
to this exposure of children to the severities of
so cold a month ; but, as every precaution was
adopted to prevent ill consequences, I entertained
the hope of their getting safely to their des-
tination.
The unexpected disasters with which the un-
happy beings to the westward had been visited
made me more than commonly anxious for my
former companion, Maufelly, who, with a small
The wife of Capt. Maxwell, with whom we crossed the
Atlantic.
234 ARRIVAL OF MAUFELLY.
party, had gone to the south-east, and had been
absent now some months. No intelligence of any
kind had been received ; and, as they had promised
to be at the Fort in January, if alive, we naturally
began to have gloomy bodings of what might
have happened. Happily, however, we were now
relieved from our suspense by the appearance of
Maufelly himself, who, with a very melancholy
visage, recounted the narrow escape they had
had. There was not a track of an animal, he said,
to be seen, except at a remote part, bordering
on the southern waters of the The-lew, to which
his party could not go. They had therefore
wandered about until weakness and want had
almost killed them, when the sight of some
straggling deer stimulated them to exertions
which were crowned by success. From his
sorrowful looks, we concluded that he had hardly
yet recovered from his debility ; but, on closer
inspection, it was clear that the rogue was in
good case ; and, when the necessary time for
Indian etiquette had expired, he quietly com-
municated the joyful information that he had
five deer killed for us, within a couple of days'
walk.
This was, indeed, a windfall, and we ventured
to think that better times were coming. Three
men were instantly despatched for as much as
they could carry of the precious deposit ; and as
SUPPLY OF DEER-FLESH. 235
they left only my servant at the Fort, Mr, King
drove the dog sledge for wood, and I made
myself as useful as I could. The three men had
neither snow shoes nor sleighs ; and, when they
got to the deep snow filling up the narrow valleys
and ravines in the mountains, they were obliged
to scramble across by creeping on their hands
and knees. In this unsatisfactory and fatiguing
manner, they neared the lodge of the Indians ;
who, as they slipped and sunk into the snow, at
every effort to advance, set up loud and merry
laughs, but did not fail, nevertheless, to make
them welcome to a kettle of prepared meat when
they did at last succeed in getting within their
humble dwelling. For their return they were
provided with snow shoes ; and, having brought
part of the meat, we enjoyed with a relish which
may be imagined the first steak of fresh meat
which we had tasted for three months.
On the 23d of February, a party of our own
people also arrived, after fourteen days' travelling,
with a small quantity of half-dried meat ; in their
journey for which, they had been three entire
days without food. They reported the failure of
Mr. McLeod's endeavours to procure fish at his
new station ; but added, that two of the best
men were going from place to place, until they
should be more successful.
The worst information, however, regarded a
236 QUARREL OF AKAITCHO AND INTERPRETER.
misunderstanding between Akaitcho and our
interpreter, in consequence of which the former,
it was said, had declared his intention to
cease acting for us, and to dispose of his " hunt"
elsewhere. In our present exigency such a
resolution would have been a blow aimed at the
very lives of those engaged in the expedition ;
at best, it was sure to deprive us of the assist-
ance which I had calculated on receiving in the
spring, for conveying our provision and heavy
baggage to the Thlew-ee-choh ; so that, in any
view, it would paralyse our efforts and frustrate
the interesting object of the undertaking.
Great, however, as was my anxiety, I derived
consolation from the hope that Mr. M^eod's
influence might procure some material modifi-
cation of the purpose of the unstable chief, if
it failed to restore him altogether to his former
friendly disposition.
The uncertainty of the means of subsistence,
and the almost daily distresses and disappoint-
ments by which we were harassed, had interfered
with many, and altogether marred some, of my
plans ; among others, the important task of pre-
paring the materials for the construction of two
light boats to take us along the coast had been
hitherto suspended. The time, however, had
now arrived when further delay was impossible.
Accordingly, the two carpenters, with Sinclair (a
ILL SUCCESS OF MR. McLEOD. 237
steersman), were sent to the clump of pines
found by De Charloit in September last, and
directed to saw sufficient planking for the pur-
pose.
The weather having now changed somewhat
for the better, a little provision was occasionally
brought from one of the hunters ; and I looked
daily for a large supply from Mr. McLeod. But,
as if it were destined that matters should not go
smoothly, intelligence was conveyed that far
from being able to assist us, he could get neither
fish nor flesh ; and had, as a last resource, been
obliged to transfer the men to the other fishery
under the charge of McKay, for the preservation
of their lives. In performing this journey, the
poor fellows were again three days without food.
Two young Indians also came to the Fort about
this time, as it appeared to us, solely for ammu-
nition. They saw that our store was empty, and
must have understood our distress ; but to our
repeated questions as to their success, they uni-
formly answered with apparent indifference, "Et-
then oolah," — there are no deer. Having been
provided with what they required, they were
dismissed, and requested to be alert in hunt-
ing ; but still they answered, " Etthen oolah —
tahoutai * ; " and with the most stoical com-
posure lounged about the house, or lolled before
* " There are no deer."
238 STRANGE CONDUCT OF TWO INDIANS.
the fire for full two days, receiving merely
such scraps of food as we could spare them. It
so happened that at the end of that time, Mau-
felly arrived with a load of meat, which the
others no sooner saw, than they drew out fifteen
tongues from a bag hitherto concealed, and
placed them on the table without any remark,
though we passed and repassed several times.
The conclusion was, that they had as many deer
in cache, and only wanted somebody to fetch
them. When taxed with the folly of their
conduct in so serious a case as ours, they an-
swered carelessly that it was their custom, and
still cried " Etthen oolah — etthen tahoutai."
Hoping that there was now a probability of our
obtaining regular supplies from the two parties,
I was less fearful of increasing my party, and
directed four men to come immediately from
the fishery, and assist in sledging the meat to
the house. The deer were accordingly brought ;
yet before this welcome labour was completed,
I had the mortification of receiving from the
Indians on whom I had mainly depended, the
unwelcome tidings that the animals had again
dispersed they knew not whither, but that they
would give us notice as soon as they had any
thing to send.
March 13th. — The men, who had been
latterly subsisting on a single fish a day, arrived
according to their instructions ; and that there
SUPPLY OF FOOD. Qgg
might be no leisure for brooding over their
privations, I sent Mr. King with the whole of
them, including those at the house, to drag the
iron work, together with such planking as the
carpenters might have ready, to a bay on the
western borders of Artillery Lake, where I in-
tended the boats to be built.
This was occupation for four or five days, and
in the meantime I fervently hoped that some fa-
vourable change might take place. Nor in this
instance was I deceived ; for no sooner had we
enjoyed the calm consolation of divine service
on the following Sunday, than the yelping of a
dog too weak to do any thing else notified the
approach of strange feet, and I was met at the
hall door by the old Camarade de Mandeville.
Accustomed to see the Indians empty-handed,
it never occurred to me to inquire if he had
brought any thing; and after the usual bon
jour, which these people have learned from the
Canadians, I proceeded to explain the reason
why he found me alone. " You have no provi-
sion then," said he ; " tiens ! the dogs are eating
it ; " and opening the door, to my great surprise
and no less joy, he pointed to an Indian youth,
who was leaning on his gun, and looking at two
sledges of dried meat which the Camarade and
he had dragged from their lodges, five days'
journey distant.
240 NEWS FROM YORK FACTORY.
The following day I received a further supply
from Mr. McLeod, though with the painful intel-
ligence that he with his family wTere surrounded
by difficulties, privations, and deaths. Six more
natives of either sex had sunk under the horrors
of starvation, the nets had failed, and Akaitcho,
on whom he relied (for the old chief had for-
gotten his hasty expressions and was still
faithful), was twelve days' march away. Distant,
however, as he was, Akaitcho had managed to
despatch some of the strongest young hunters
with a supply of meat, and it was a part of this
which was now forwarded to me. Mr. McLeod's
situation was one of great embarrassment. I pre-
vailed on him therefore to sacrifice the comfort
of being with his family, and to send them to
Fort Resolution, to break up the fishery for the
present, and stimulate the Indians to further
exertion by keeping constantly near them.
March 18th. — Mr. King and his party returned
from Artillery Lake, where the requisite articles
had been deposited, and the carpenters had
begun the boats. On the 26th a person arrived
late in the evening with the packet from York
Factory, which we had been expecting daily for
the last six weeks. The happiness which this
announcement instantly created can be appre-
ciated by those only who, like us, have been
outside the pale of civilisation, and felt the
UNCERTAIN FATE OF AUGUSTUS. 241
blessing of communication with their friends
but once through a long twelvemonth. Yet
so true is it that
" Man never is but always to be blest,"
that before we had time to congratulate each
other, our joy was almost turned into sorrow.
The bearer, on delivering the packet, added,
that he believed he had brought only half; that
the remainder had been sent from Fort Reso-
lution upwards of a month ago, under the charge
of two men, a Canadian and an Iroquois; that
these had been accompanied by my old com-
panion Augustus, the Esquimaux interpreter,
who no sooner heard that I was in the country
than he expressed his determination to join me,
and had actually walked from Hudson's Bay
with that affectionate intention; that the three
men, having no language in common, were
unable to convey their sentiments to each other ;
and that having lost their way, two of them, after
an absence of eighteen days, found their way
back to the fort ; but without Augustus, who
they declared persisted, in spite of their en-
treaties, in his forlorn search. On opening my
letters I found this account but too true, and
moreover that the brave little fellow had with
him, when they parted, only ten pounds of
pemmican, and neither gun nor bow and arrows.
R
^42 UNCERTAIN FATE OF AUGUSTUS.
Three days after the arrival of this sad news
the other part of the packet was brought by one
of my former men, who had been guided by an
Indian ; and I then learned from Mr. McDonell,
the gentleman in charge of Fort Resolution, that
on the arrival of the Canadian and Iroquois
without Augustus, he had the same day de-
spatched two more Iroquois with plenty of pro-
vision, and instructions to follow the same track,
search for Augustus, and, if found, conduct him
to us. But, strange to say, after a similar lapse
of time, viz. eighteen days, these two men also
made their appearance at the Fort; and Mr.
McDonell had the mortification to hear that;
they, like the first, had got bewildered, and
having exhausted their provisions were com-
pelled to explore their way back. An Indian,
who happened to be with him at the time, was
engaged as a guide to the present bearer ; and
he added, " I hope the packet will reach you
safe at last, As no one has come hither from
you, I apprehend that poor Augustus has been
starved to death." There was, indeed, every
reason to fear the worst ; but the account of his
companions, that they had heard the report of
two or three guns in the direction of the place
where they had left him, afforded me a feeble
hope that he might have fallen in with some
party, and be yet alive. As far as was in my
power I circulated the fact among the Indians,
PRESENCE OF TWO RAVENS. 2 ±3
though they were unfortunately far away, and
held out an unlimited reward to any who should
find and save him. The ready zeal with which
Augustus had volunteered to partake the hard
fortunes of the service, his attachment and
generous devotion to myself, and the proba-
bility that his recompence had been a shocking
and untimely death, impressed me with a melan-
choly that for some time fixed deeply in my mind.
By letters from York Factory, we were in-
formed that the Company's two ships were forced
to winter in the bay ; — one at Churchill, and
the other at Charlton Island, — owing, as was
said, to the vast quantity of drift ice which
blocked up Hudson's Straits, and cut off all
communication with the Atlantic. But I was
requested to be under no uneasiness as regarded
the expedition, since the letters for England
were to be sent by Canada, and all my demands
would be punctually attended to.
April 20th. — For the last fifteen days our
habitation had been rendered more cheerful by
the presence of two ravens, which having, by
my express directions, been left unmolested,
had become so tame as scarcely to move ten
paces when any one passed them ; they were
the only living things that held communion with
us, and it was a pleasure to see them gambol in
their glossy plumage on the white snow.
r 2
24 1< RAVENS SHOT BY AN IROQUOIS.
A party of men had arrived over night, and
amongst them an Iroquois, who, perceiving the
birds together, and being ignorant of my wishes,
could not resist the temptation of a double shot,
and so killed them both. In any other situation
such an event, would, perhaps have seemed too
trifling to be noticed ; but in our case, the ravens
were the only link between us and the dreary soli-
tude without, and their loss therefore was painfully
felt. Moreover, there seemed a sort of treachery
in the act, for the poor birds had been taught to
look upon us as friends : their petty thefts were
licensed ; and their sharp croaking was welcome,
as breaking the monotony of silence. When they
were gone, I felt more lonely, and the moaning
wind seemed as if complaining of the barbarity.
April 25th. — This was the anniversary of
our departure from La Chine. We were talking
for about the hundredth time of those kind
persons who had come so far to see us away,
and had begun to speculate on their different
occupations at that very hour, when we were
interrupted by a sharp and loud knock at the
door. The permission to come in was unne-
cessary, for the person followed the announce-
ment before the words could be uttered, and
with the same despatch thrust into my hands a
packet, which a glance sufficed to tell me was
from England. " He is returned, sir !" said the
NEWS FROM ENGLAND. 245
messenger, as we looked at him with surprise.
" What ! Augustus ? — thank God ! " I replied
quickly. " Captain Ross, Sir — Captain Ross is
returned." " Eh ! are you quite sure ? is there
no error ? where is the account from ? " The
man paused, looked at me, and pointing with
his finger said, " You have it in your hand,
sir." It was so ; but the packet had been for-
gotten in the excitement and hurry of my feel-
ings. Two open extracts from the Times and
Morning Herald confirmed the tidings ; and
my official letter, with others from the long-lost
adventurers themselves — from Captain Ma-
conochie, Mr. Garry, Governor Simpson, and
many other friends, English and American, re-
moved all possible doubt, and evinced at the
same time the powerful interest which the event
had awakened in the public, by a great propor-
tion of whom the party had long since been
numbered among the dead. To me the in-
telligence was peculiarly gratifying, not only as
verifying my previously expressed opinions, but
as demonstrating the wisdom as well as the hu-
manity of the course pursued by the promoters
of our expedition, who had thereby rescued the
British nation from an imputation of indiffer-
ence which it was far indeed from meriting.
In the fulness of our hearts, we assembled to-
gether, and humbly offered up our thanks to
r 3
246 DISCHARGE OF THREE MEN,
that merciful Providence, which in the beautiful
language of Scripture hath said, " Mine own
will I bring again, as I did sometime from the
deeps of the sea." The thought of so wonderful
a preservation overpowered for a time the
common occurrences of life. We had but just
sat down to breakfast ; but our appetite was
gone, and the day was passed in a feverish state
of excitement. Seldom, indeed, did my friend
Mr. King or I indulge in a libation, but on this
joyful occasion economy was forgotten ; a treat
was given to the men, and for ourselves the
social sympathies were quickened by a generous
bowl of punch.
May 5. — David Williamson of the Royal
Artillery and two other men were discharged
from the service ; the former on account of con-
tinued ill health, and the latter at their own
solicitation. By them were forwarded letters
for England. We had now a smart thaw;
and patches of green, as well as projecting
parts of rocks, were daily becoming visible.
Shortly afterwards a letter arrived from Mr.
MeLeod containing information, which I had
some time anticipated, of the total failure of
Akaitcho and his party to collect provision — as
well as a hint that the chief had been tampered
* Psal. 66.
ALTERATION OF PLANS. 247
with, and allowed a part of his hunt to go in
another direction. The fact that a portion of the
meat had been so diverted was substantiated,
and laid to the charge of a free-man ; but the
quantity taken by him was too inconsiderable to
be of any consequence, and afforded merely a
pretext for Akaitcho, to cover some little in-
fidelities of which, I fear, he had been guilty.
A month before, such intelligence would have
caused the bitterest sorrow ; but now, when I
knew of Captain Ross's safety, it was compar-
atively of little moment ; and I determined at
once on going with one boat instead of two
along the coast, selecting the best men for my
crew. This, in fact, was the only means left by
which I could execute my instructions, and dis-
charge the duty that I owed to the public ; for
though the enthusiasm that had before animated
us was now of course much abated, it still set
with a strong, because concentrated, stream,
towards the region of discovery. The provision
that we had still in reserve was, or could be
made, equal to the expenditure of three months
for ten persons. The smallness of the party
would be more than compensated by the cha-
racters of the individuals who composed it —
every man in himself a host — experienced
voyageurs, good hunters, equal to the most try-
ing situations. There was, therefore, no rational
it 4
248 APPEARANCE OF BIRDS.
ground for apprehension that we should be unable
to surmount the obstacles of the voyage, though
cooped within the narrow space of a solitary
boat on the inhospitable waters of the Arctic
sea. The people were regularly employed in
dragging the pemmican and baggage to Artillery
Lake, where the carpenters had already finished
one and half completed the other boat ; for
though the original plan was relinquished, the
second boat, it was thought, would be highly
serviceable in enabling Mr. McLeod to fulfil the
instructions which it -was my intention to leave
for his guidance during our absence, And I now
wrote to him, to engage as many young Indians
as would undertake to carry a bag (or 90 lbs.) of
pemmican each to the Thlew-ee-choh, in direct
distance one hundred and fifteen miles.
On the 13th of May, a single goose, the har-
binger of summer, flew past the house; and
during the day it was followed by five more, all
of which took a northerly direction. This was
six days later than they had been seen in 1826
at Fort Franklin, though a higher northern lati-
tude. A fly and a flock of small birds appeared
in the evening ; and during the three succeed-
ing days we had gulls, orioles, grossbeaks, yellow
legs, robins, and butterflies.
A small swamp behind the house was the
resort of two or three kinds of ducks, some of
ADVENTURE BY MR. KING. 249
which were occasionally got by Mr. King, who
was a daily visitor amongst them. On one occa-
sion, just as he had hit his bird, his attention
was attracted by some more in an adjacent pool ;
so, without staying to pick up his game, he crept
towards the others, and as he thought disabled
a fine drake. Eager to bag it, he waded into
the water, when he was startled by a sharp
whizzing noise over his head. This, he soon
perceived, was caused by a large white-headed
eagle, which was descending with the rapidity
of lightning towards the precise spot where lay
the duck he had before hit. Impelled by the
desire at once to secure the bird for dinner, and
if possible to get a shot at the eagle also, he
instantly left the wounded drake, and, sans
culottes, flew with all speed over patches of
hard snow, dashing through the swamp, and
arriving just in time to see the powerful ma-
rauder quietly sweep off, exactly out of the reach
of shot, with the duck firmly grasped in its talons.
Having watched it out of sight, he then re-
traced his steps ; and leaving his gun in a dry
place, betook himself to the aquatic chase of the
drake, which, far from being fluttered or alarmed,
remained motionless, as if waiting to be taken
up. Still, as he neared, it glided easily away
through innumerable little nooks and wind-
ings, with all the confidence of a branch pilot.
250 ARRIVAL OF MR. McLEOD.
Several times he extended his arm to catch it;
and having at last, with great patience, man-
aged to coop it in a corner, from which there
appeared to be no escape, he was triumphantly
bending down to take it (gently, however, as
he wished to preserve it for a specimen), when,
to his utter astonishment, after two or three
flounders, it looked round, cried " quack," and
then flew off so strongly that he was convinced
he had never hit it at all. The object of the drake
had clearly been to draw Mr. King away from
its companion, of whose fate it was unconscious ;
indeed, so attached are these birds at certain
seasons, that it is no uncommon circumstance,
when one has been shot, for the other, especially
the male, to linger about its struggling partner,
exhibiting the greatest distress, until either killed
or frightened away. Sometimes in such cases they
will dive to avoid the shot, but refuse to fly ; as
in an instance where one remained to be fired
at no less than five times.
On the 18th May, the catkins of the willows
were half an inch long, and the snow was fast
disappearing from the ground. On the 25th we
also welcomed the arrival of our companion Mr.
McLeod, whose indefatigable endeavours to re-
alize the expectations held out by the Indians
of procuring deer, as the warm weather increased,
had been grievously disappointed. He had found
ANXIETY ABOUT WILLIAMSON. c>5\
his hunters indeed as wretchedly off as could be
imagined ; so that the winter terminated as it had
commenced. Bad as this was, the serious ap-
prehension which he raised in my mind about
the fate of David Williamson, the artillery-man,
who had been so lately discharged, was infinitely
worse. It appeared that he had left the fishery
with his companions, and two Indians as guides ;
but, being a slow walker and much encum-
bered with useless baggage of his own, he had
one day set out first, the route being quite
straight ; while the others, knowing that they
could easily overtake him, had loitered in their
encampment, perhaps an hour after his departure.
Aware of his eccentricity, they were not alarmed
at not seeing him for the better part of the day ;
but as the evening drew in, their fears were ex-
cited, and one of the Indians retraced his way,
in order to be quite sure that he was not behind
among the islands. His search was fruitless, and
he very properly returned with the information
to the fishery. Mr. McLeod lost not a moment
in selecting another Indian to accompany the
same person, directing them to use the utmcst
vigilance, and holding out the promise of a con-
siderable reward to whoever should find him.
With such an inducement, it was not likely they
would leave any part unexamined ; and, accord-
ingly, after an absence of three or four days,
252 SULTRY WEATHER.
they returned to the fishery with the assurance
that he had not stopped between their last en-
campment and the islands, from which the tra-
verse is made to the south shore ; on the
contrary, they concluded that he had crossed
over, and made the best of his way to Fort
Resolution. For my own part I much doubted
this ; but, at all events, it was consolatory to
know that he had a compass, and was not des-
titute of provision.
Towards the end of the month, the weather
became sultry, the temperature in the sun being
106° ; an extraordinary contrast to that of the
17th January, when it was 70° below zero. The
snow was all gone, except that which had been
drifted to a great depth in the narrow valleys,
and under steep precipices ; and the Al-hel-
dessy, to the westward, had burst its icy fetters,
and opened a clear channel to the portage oppo-
site the house: loons, gulls, and ducks took
possession of the water, and seemed to contend
which should make the most noise ; some small
birds also, very prettily marked, hovered about a
short time, and then both they and the ducks sud-
denly deserted us. Akaitcho and thirty of his
tribe arrived, empty-handed, and were followed
by a couple of young Chipewyans, who brought
a little dry meat from the Yellow Knife River,
where one of their party had died from want.
MELANCHOLY FATE OF AUGUSTUS. 253
On the 3d June, the whole of the men came
in from the fishery, and brought with them the
melancholy tidings, that the Indians had been
at Fort Resolution without hearing anything
about poor Williamson, who, it was now conjec-
tured, must have got bewildered among the
islands away from the track, or met with some
accident so as to incapacitate him from making
a fire, and thereby indicating his situation. The
remains of Augustus also had been discovered
not far from the Riviere a Jean. It appeared
that the gallant little fellow was retracing his
steps to the establishment, when, either exhausted
by suffering and privation, or caught in the midst
of an open traverse in one of those terrible snow
storms which may be almost said to blow through
the frame, he had sunk to rise no more. Such
was the miserable end of poor Augustus ! — a
faithful, disinterested, kind-hearted creature,
who had won the regard not of myself only, but
I may add of Sir John Franklin and Dr. Rich-
ardson also, by qualities, which, wherever found,
in the lowest as in the highest forms of social
life, are the ornament and charm of humanity.
These were not very cheering auspices for the
eve of our departure ; but past griefs must yield
to present necessities, and the sharpness of the
feeling gradually wore off under the pressure of
mental and bodily occupation. By the 5th June, I
254 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.
hadgotMr.McLeod, the Indians, and all the men
but three, from the Fort. It was arranged that
the former, with a chosen party, should precede
us to hunt, and should make caches of meat along
the line of route, so as to save the pemmican ;
while the other Indians, with part of the men,
should assist in dragging the baggage. One
Indian was left with us as a guide ; but his friends
were scarcely out of sight, when he began de-
liberately to pack up, with the intention of fol-
lowing them. This caprice (for he had remained
voluntarily) was owing, it seemed, to distrust of
the constancy of his }7oung wife, who was some-
where to the north ; and it was only by threaten-
ing to discharge him altogether from the service,
that I could prevail on him to stay. We had in
vain tried every allurement to induce some
Indian family to remain and take care of the
establishment during the absence of Mr. McLeod:
no temptation was strong enough to entice the
poorest among them to accept of so dangerous
a trust ; all agreeing that it would be impossible
to procure a livelihood there at this season of the
year. No more convincing proof can be given of
the wretched poverty of the country ; for the
people will suffer any privation short of death
to obtain their favourite tobacco, ammunition,
and clothing ; and as it is acknowledged that
an Indian can live where a wolf would starve,
LEAVE FORT RELIANCE. O55
the neighbourhood of our residence must be
a miserable spot indeed. I was consequently
obliged to trust to chance for the safety of
the papers containing the observations, journal,
drawings, and survey. A platform was erected
in the hall, on which the remainder of our stores
were deposited, and carefully secured against
wet, and marauding wolvereens. Some things
were lowered into a cellar, the opening of which
was closed and nailed down. The stronger
boxes were piled into a heap, and covered with a
tarpaulin ; and a very small quantity of brandy,
which we were unable to take, though not un-
willing, had economy permitted, to drink, was
buried "full fathom five"— then, and not till
then, being considered safe from biped or quad-
ruped, Indian or bear.
It now only remained to block up the win-
dows and doors ; which done, the four persons
remaining with me, including the guide, were
laden with burdens of ninety pounds each, and
two dogs, equipped with saddle bags, carrying
meat for the journey; and thus appointed, I
left Fort Reliance, accompanied by Mr. King,
a little past noon of the 7th June.
<256
CHAP. IX.
Reflections. — Halt for the Night. — March resumed. —
Obstacles encountered. — The Boats finished. — Eastern
Shore of Artillery Lake. — Pursue the Track of
Mr. McLeod. — Two Deer shot. — Stunted Pines. —
Encampment. — Difficulty in tracing our Route. —
News from Mr. McLeod. — A Snow Storm. — Fires
lighted on the Hills. — Accident to Peter Taylor. —
Deviate from our Course. — Accident to James Spence.
— Boisterous Weather. — Plunder of a Cache. — Find
the runaway Guides. — The Ice unsafe. — Enter upon
Lake Aylmer. — A dense Fog. — Sand-hill Bay. —
Judicial Investigation. — Animals. — Musk-ox Rapid.
Join Mr. McLeod. — Survey of the River. — Indians
return with the Pemmican. — Stock of Provisions. —
An Indian Belle. — A Reindeer Hunt.
There is something exciting in the first start
even upon an ordinary journey. The bustle of
preparation — the act of departing, which seems
like a decided step taken — the prospect of
change, and consequent stretching out of the
imagination — have at all times the effect of stir-
ring the blood, and giving a quicker motion to
the spirits. It may be conceived then with
what sensations I set forth on my journey into
the Arctic wilderness. I had escaped from the
wretchedness of a dreary and disastrous win-
REFLECTIONS. 257
ter — from scenes and tales of suffering and
death — from wearisome inaction and monotony
— from disappointment and heart-sickening
care. Before me were novelty and enterprise ;
hope, curiosity, and the love of adventure
were my companions ; and even the prospect of
difficulties and dangers to be encountered, with
the responsibility inseparable from command,
instead of damping rather heightened the en-
joyment of the moment. In turning my back
on the Fort, I felt my breast lightened, and my
spirit, as it were, set free again ; and with a
quick step, Mr. King and I (for my companion
seemed to share in the feeling) went on our
way rejoicing.
Taking a northerly direction through the
woods, we soon got into a succession of swamps ;
then ascended steep rocks ; and subsequently
gained a sight of the Ah-hel-dessy, which
seemed in that part to be navigable, though,
from the noise, it was certain that a heavy fall
was not far distant. We passed many sand-hills,
variegated by the arbutus plant, called, as I
have elsewhere said, by the traders " sac a
commis," cranberry and crowberry. These hills
were generally hemmed in by broken cliffs of
red feldspar and barren granitic rocks, with here
and there thick masses of snow filling up their
chasms, or sloping from the lower parts of ver-
s
258 HALT FOR THE NIGHT.
tical precipices. A few old tracks of deer were
seen near them.
The oppressive sultriness of the weather
having affected my servant so much that he
was unable to proceed, we halted ; and as
we had no tent, we took up a position for the
night on a smooth carpet of reindeer moss,
under the thick and spreading branches of a
tall pine. A few willows growing round the
margin of the small lakes we had passed were
not so forward as those at the house, though
the latter, probably nipped by the north-east
winds which had latterly prevailed, had made
little progress in the shooting of the catkins ;
indeed, one flower only had blown, and the
green buds of the dwarf birch were but just
perceptible. Whether this was owing to the
accidental lateness of the season, or to poverty
of soil, I cannot take upon me to determine ;
but it may not be out of place to mention, that
some cress sown in a box, in the best earth that
could be found, never came to perfection, at
least in three weeks' trial, though it was care-
fully kept in a warm room at night, and exposed
to the sun during the day. The only green
observed along our route was in the arbutus
and the younger firs ; all besides wore the
sombre brown of an advanced autumn. A
smart fall of rain in the night reminded us that
RESUME OUR MARCH. £59
we were out of our rooms ; and this, or, it may
be, the excitement of getting away, banished
sleep from my eyes. Nevertheless, I endea-
voured to cheat myself, by fancying drowsiness;
and had just arrived at the falling-off point, — a
kind of misty half-consciousness, — when a white
partridge came burring within five paces of us,
and rang such an alarum that no fewer than
three heads were simultaneously popped up,
to discover the cause of this unwelcome dis-
turbance.
Our march was resumed at S o'clock of the
following morning, by descending one side and
scrambling up the other of a very deep ravine,
thickly interlaced with underwood, through
which we had much trouble to get our dogs ;
but a greater misfortune was the weakness
of my servant Malley, which by 6 o'clock had
increased so much as to oblige him to stop
altogether. Believing that his indisposition was
attributable to confinement and sedentary oc-
cupations at the Fort during the winter, and
that a few days would restore him, I requested
Mr. King and one of the men to stay with
him, using their discretion in coming forward ;
while I, with the Indian and the remaining
man, pushed on as quickly as possible to Ar-
tillery Lake.
Our way lay through swamps, covered with
s 2
260 OBSTACLES ON OUR WAY.
what the Indians call women's heads, which
are round hummocks of moss-covered earth,
the bases of which are reduced by the action
of the surrounding water to about one third of
the diameter of their surface, yet strong enough,
owing to the fibrous roots which they contain,
to keep upright ; being, in short, something
like a large mushroom. In crossing the sloppy
swamp, the traveller is tempted, by their dry
appearance, to step upon them ; but, unless
he tread exactly on the centre, which is a
matter of nice judgment and calculation, they
invariably fall over, and down he tumbles, or
gets an awkward twist ; in either case plunging
up to the knees, or deeper, into the swamp.
My Indian was caught twice, and called out
"Sass" (Bear), the well-known expression of
his tribe when not inclined to be over gentle.
Acclivitous rocks intervened between the
swamps ; and in going over their summits, the
Ah-hel-dessy was frequently seen working its
rapid course along the base of the mountain
range, which sometimes assumed the wildest
character. The space from the spot where I had
left the small canoe last year to the first rapid out
of Artillery Lake was quite open, and immense
quantities of ice were floating down the stream.
The temperature was full ten degrees colder
than at the house ; large masses of ice and
THE BOATS FINISHED. 26l
snow encumbered the banks or borders of the
rocks ; and the ice on the lake had not decayed
nearly so much as was observed at the same
season of the year in 1821 at Point Lake, more
than two degrees to the north.
Tracks of deer were visible at different points ;
and leading from these tracks the Indians had
placed rows of moss on the ice, to keep the
timid animals in a particular direction. In
the evening we reached the bay, and found
that the carpenters had just completed the
boats, which, considering the knotty and in-
different material of which they were construct-
ed, did much credit to the builders. They were
precisely such as I required ; being sharp at both
ends, with good beam, and plenty of floor for
stowage : my only apprehension was that they
were weak. The one selected for the voyage
was thirty feet over all, and twenty-four feet
keel : extra oars, masts, tiller, &c. were pre-
pared, and the bottom of the boat was paid over
with a coating of tar. I ought to mention, also,
that in conformity with my directions, the lower
part was carvel, and the upper part clinker-
built ; for as the carpenters were neither of
them strong enough to be included, however
desirable it might have been, in the number of
my picked crew for the expedition to the sea,
I thought that, in case x)f accident, the former
s S
262 OUR PROGRESS RETARDED.
construction would be repaired more easily, and
with less loss of time, than the latter. It had,
besides, this advantage, that there were no over-
lapping edges, which might catch against the
stones in the rapids.
My first care was to despatch three smart men
to assist in bringing up Malley ; and at 4 p. m.
the following day, the whole party arrived with
Mr. King, who reported that his patient would
be unable to perform any duty for several days ;
a circumstance untoward enough, when every
man was required to drag forward his allot-
ted proportion of baggage. Mr. McLeod had
left only two days before ; and, on examining
what pieces he had taken, I was rather cha-
grined to find that what remained was more
than could be conveniently carried by us at one
trip ; and as the arrangements had been de-
finitive, there was no alternative but to make
two, which was, in other words, trebling the
distance. The evening was passed in getting
everything ready for our departure, and to each
of the eight men who were to compose the
boat's crew were given a new gun, powder-
horn, &c.
My old guide Maufelly, with another Indian,
had been selected to show us the nearest cuts,
and now promised to hunt a little a-head of us.
Accordingly, at 3. 30' a.m. of the 10th of June,
DISPOSITION OF THE BOATS. %63
the larger boat was dragged about three quar-
ters of a mile through a half-dry swamp, and
over some rocks to Artillery Lake, where she
was placed firmly on runners plated with iron,
and drawn over the ice by two men and six
fine dogs. The smaller boat was launched into
a pool, where she would be quite safe until
required in the autumn. By 8 a.m. each
man had his runner laden with something less
than a hundred pounds weight; when leaving
Mr. King to superintend the transport of what
yet remained, I took the party forward, intend-
ing to send them back so soon as we had attained
the appointed distance ; which, for the accom-
plishment of my object, would not be less than
from six to nine miles. The scene was new
to every one but myself, and I took care to
encourage the mirth which the grotesque and
awkward attitudes of slipping people continu-
ally excited. The runners appeared to slide
easily, and for half an hour a brisk pace was
kept up. By degrees, however, it slackened,
on account of the badness of the ice, which
was literally a bed of angular spikes, of many
shapes and sizes, but all so sharp as to make
mere walking a most painful and laborious
operation. From the same cause the runners
were also peeled, or otherwise much injured ;
and it was easy to foresee their speedy destruc-
s 4
264 EASTERN SHORE
tion, unless timely measures were adopted to
prevent it. Iron seemed to be the only effectual
defence, but we had none left, except one large
saw, which it was thought might answer, if the
carpenters could manage to cut it into the proper
breadths and lengths.
Our prospect of reaching the portage of the
Thlew-ee-choh on the ice depended entirely on
the soundness of our tackle, and this early assault
on the wood showed me the necessity of devising
some method of protecting it, either with the
saw, or, failing that, with reindeer horn, bones,
or binders of birch. We halted, consequently,
at the end of six miles ; and the people, after a
couple of hours' rest, returned to Mr. King, who
was desired to set the carpenters immediately to
work about the saw, and to join me as soon as
convenient with the rest of our provision. This,
indeed, made the bulk of our baggage ; for in
services like this only a very limited wardrobe
can be allowed ; and having set the example of
taking only one change of linen, flannels, and
a few pair of moccassins for my own use, the
others were, of course, obliged to submit to a
correspondent limitation.
The eastern shore of Artillery Lake, which
we now followed, was less rocky than its opposite,
being composed principally of smooth rounded
hills, covered with verdure and large stones, many
OF ARTILLERY LAKE. £65
of which were ranged on the summits, presenting
a bold contrast to the yellow sky behind. During
the night the thermometer fell to 28° ; and in
the morning (June 11th) I took a stroll with
my gun, with the double object of procuring, if
possible, a change of food, and observing what
effect the early sun would have upon the ice.
In the first, I failed ; but as to the second, I suc-
ceeded in convincing myself that it would be
injurious to the men, and very soon knock up
the dogs, to persist in travelling through the
heat of the day ; and that it would be better,
therefore, to reverse the order of marching and
rest, and to take advantage of the fresh air of
the night. In the afternoon Mr. King and his
party arrived, having succeeded in converting
the pit saw to the purpose required. All were
immediately at work in shoeing their respective
runners ; after which, having rested until 9 p.m.,
we started again.
To husband the pemmican, which, from the
want of other provision, was already in consump-
tion, I was desirous of following, as nearly
as possible, the track of Mr. McLeod, who
had been instructed to put conspicuous marks
wherever he had made a cache for us. But,
as this would necessarily lead us round all the
bays of the main shore, and greatly increase the
distance and fatigue of the journey, I deter-
266 PURSUE THE TRACK OF MR. McLEOD.
mined on undertaking it myself, with one man
selected for the purpose, leaving directions with
Mr. King to proceed with the boat, &c. in a
straight line from point to point, until he should
see signals to guide him to the caches, or to en-
camp. The air was keen, even to freezing ; the
ice hard, and galling to the feet. Indeed, the
sensation was like that of treading on sharp
palisades : but the runners now slipt smoothly
over it, and opposed considerably less resistance
to the men, who began to talk of carrying
heavier loads, so as to avoid the fatigue of
returning for the baggage left behind at every
encampment. The land had a uniform and
uninteresting outline, with here and there a
dark clump of pines, though these began now to
be less frequent. After four hours' brisk walk-
ing in the night, — but not in the dark, for it
was quite light all the time, — we stopped at the
mouth of a small river, the banks of which it was
thought might produce a little wood; and on
inspecting some recent marks, the place was
found to have been an encampment of Mr.
McLeod. The sun rose at 2. 15' a.m. due
north by compass. The boat arrived safely,
but somehow or other the men had contrived
to break the runner ; so having harnessed the
dogs to single sledges, they were despatched to
the carpenters with orders to take the present
EVENTS WHICH BEFALL US. 267
and only opportunity of supplying themselves
with what wood might be required for the
reparation of the sledges, &c. By 10 a.m. all
the things were brought.
During our march five deer and some geese
had been seen, but no other animal, except two
mice, which were making a rather hazardous
traverse across the ice ; one little adventurer of
the same family was found dead (apparently
drowned), at the distance of a full mile from
the nearest land. I had been trying for a trout
in the river, and happening to espy in the sand
an old copper kettle, much bruised, I had the
curiosity to take it up ; and hearing something
rattle within, I had it forced open, when it was
found to contain thirty-four balls, a file broken
into three pieces, an awl, a fire-steel, and a
crooked knife. This, to an Indian valuable
property, had apparently been thrown away,
according to the custom unfortunately prevail-
ing with that people, either as an expiatory
sacrifice for some calamity, or as a token of
extreme affliction for the loss of a wife or child.
At 9 p. m., the boat's runners having been
repaired, and the dogs' feet cased with leather
shoes, we recommenced the route; and soon after-
wards being attracted by some stones piled upon
an island, from which bits of moss laid in a line
led to the shore, I expected to have discovered a
268 TWO DEER SHOT.
cache ; but my attendant (a half-breed) and I
sought in vain for the wished-for treasure : we
saw, indeed, an Indian encampment, where a deer
had been killed, and the traces of a sledge near
the shore, and hence surmised that our store
had been pilfered. Before morning, however,
we were compensated for the disappointment
by the acquisition of two deer, shot by Sinclair
and Taylor.
June 13th. — The few trees now met with
were stunted pines, from three to six feet high,
spreading much at the base or near the root,
and generally dead at the top. They were seen
only on sand-hills, near small rivulets, or (very
rarely) on some moist declivity. The double
trips fatigued the people so much, that I ac-
quiesced in their request to be permitted to
take additional burdens, and travel more slowly,
on condition, however, that they were to make
good a greater distance each journey ; and at
the usual hour this plan was put into execution,
and appeared likely to answer. Some marks
led us to a cache ; and again, at midnight, we
found a second, the meat of which I caused
to be placed on the ice, so that the main party
mio;ht not be drawn aside from their course.
The eastern land now became broken into
bays so irregular in their form as to lead us
more than once astray, and occasion some diffi-
ENCAMPMENT. 269
culty in finding the right track ; indeed, the
continued absence of Maufelly and his com-
panion was what I had not calculated upon,
though I still hoped they would be found at
an appointed place, near the entrance of the
next river.
We encamped this day (June 14.) at the
point of a large opening leading to the east-
ward, and the greater proportion of the men
came up in tolerably good condition, consider-
ing the badness of the ice, the spikes of which
were just soft enough to allow the runners to
cut through, instead of sliding over it, increasing
thereby the labour of getting along. It was past
noon when the carpenters, who were always
the last, arrived ; one of them was so affected
by the glare of the ice as to be almost unable to
see, and would fain have excused himself on
that account from taking any share in the work.
He had, however, brought the evil on himself by
not keeping pace with his comrades in the night
march, which he could well have done, as he had
a much lighter load to drag, and his strength was
unimpaired ; so, notwithstanding his complaints,
he was obliged to take hold of a cord made fast
to his brother's sledge, and to drag his burden
as usual. Indeed, squeamishness is little heeded
in such travelling as this, and shirking is quite
out of the question. I could not dispense with
270 UNCERTAINTY OF OUR ROUTE.
the duty of a single individual, as an exact
distribution had been made of the baggage,
from which any deviation might have seriously
affected our future operations : each day's dis-
tance, moreover, was marked out, and it was
only by a rigid observance of these arrange-
ments that I could expect to reach the Thlew-
ee-choh on the ice. In short, in my case, as I
have elsewhere said, pity for temporary ailments
might be felt, but was not to be expressed ; the
restraint, however painful, being absolutely in-
dispensable.
In the course of the night the weather
became overcast and threatening; and being
perplexed as to the most direct route, from the
seeming continuity of the land to the eastward,
as well as the deep bays and strange sand-hills
in the same quarter, I made for two dark points
that stood out boldly from the opposite western
shore, in the conviction that the track would
either be found there, or that I should recognise
some objects which might lead me to it. The sky
was extremely lowering, with a cold northerly
wind; and a small sleet falling, made the ice
so slippery that the dogs were much fagged.
The points, when reached, proved not to be
islands, as I had conjectured, but the extreme
promontory of an extensive bay. I therefore
ascended the highest hill near me, and per-
FALL INTO THE RIGHT COURSE. 271
ceived that we were actually on the western
main shore; though, so great is the difference
between a summer and winter prospect, and so
deceptive an appearance does the snow give to
heights, that I could not, by any strain of
memory, recollect the outline of a single part,
the whole being, in fact, entirely changed.
Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to hit
upon the right course ; and, after some hard
walking, were stopped by a ridge or barrier
of ice and a lane of water, which compelled
us to make a long detour before the line of
route could be recovered. In doing this, we
got sight of two sand-hills, which I remembered;
and about 4 a. m., June 15th, we encamped
under the shelter of a high rocky hill, about a
quarter of a mile from the river, at which we
expected to find the Indians. Had they been
with us, much of the late tedious and unsatis-
factory march would have been avoided, greatly
to the benefit of the feet of all the party ; for this
continual walking on spikes was certainly doing
severe penance, and most sensibly did we feel that
two thirds or more of the original distance was
yet to be performed.
Snow showers ushered in the morning ; and,
when these cleared off, it was seen that we were
on the borders of a swamp, caused by the melting
of the snow from the upper lands, which, from
272 NO SIGN OF VEGETATION.
the ground underneath being frozen, collected
into pools, that slowly discharged themselves into
the lake. There was not the least sign of vege-
tation, for the sun as yet exerted little influence
over the cold and barren soil. Divine service
having been performed to the men assembled in
the tent, the journey was resumed by the line of
the river. A partial channel in its centre in-
duced me and my attendants to keep to the right
bank, which, though it receded to the eastward,
offered nevertheless, somewhat higher up, a
shorter cut to the other side, the river at the
place where we were being of considerable
width. The channel, however, led us much
farther round than had been anticipated, and
finally ended near a small rapid, which my
party forded ; but as a serious loss of time
would have attended the attempt to follow us,
I hastened back, and directed the boat and
sledges to return to the mouth of the river, and
go along its western bank. In the meantime
my party kept to the right, and, on their way,
saw occasional traces of Indians, at places where
they had been fishing. The ice was more or less
decayed, and shelved from the banks, where it was
four feet thick, becoming much honey-combed
towards the middle, where it dipped into the
open water of the narrow channel formed by the
current. Walking, therefore, was painful and
NEWS FROM MR, McLEOD. 9T/S
dangerous ; for so slippery was the surface, that
the nicest caution was required to keep our foot-
ing, and a single false step would have sent us
sliding into the stream. As some defence to the
soles of the feet, I placed pieces of undressed
buffalo skin with the hair on between two pair
of moccassins and thick blanket socks, and
obtained by this means sensible relief; though,
even then, Peter Pindar's pilgrims, and the
happy thought of " boiling the peas," presented
themselves more vividly to my imagination, than
they had ever done before.
About 1 a.m. of the 16th, on turning a point,
we discerned in front of us the usual mark of
piled stones, and soon increased our store with
two deer, a quantity just enough for as many days'
consumption. I learned from a note, that Mr.
JVFLeod's party were living upon the chance of
the day, feasting or fasting, as it might happen,
with seldom enough and never too much ; but
that this was the fifth cache he had made, so that
we had passed two unnoticed. Nor, under the
circumstances which have been mentioned, could
this be wondered at, though, as may easily be
believed, a keen look-out had been kept. Deer,
it was added, were scarce ; but the Indians held
out hopes of overtaking large herds in the course
of a few days, and for that purpose intended to
make a straight route to the next lake, keeping
T
QJ4< OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED.
along its western shore, in which line I should
find whatever they were fortunate enough to kill.
The many interruptions of the ice, over
which the boat had to be dragged, caused fre-
quent delays, and it was late before she came
up. Here, therefore, we encamped ; and after
a short repose, proceeded to caulk the boat in
several parts, to prepare her for the water, which
was now sufficiently unobstructed to admit of
her being towed along shore.
The morning was gloomy in the extreme, and
snow fell so thick as to cover the hills again with
their wintry garment. By 5 p.m. the boat was
ready, launched, and every thing stowed in her,
the bow and steersman alone remaining on board,
while the others hauled her along with a tracking
line. The water was a great deal lower than in
the autumn, so that, on arriving at the first rapid,
some trouble and waste of time were experienced
in ascending its contracted and furious torrent.
Once the boat grounded, the line broke, and
only by jumping out was the bowman enabled
to save her from being driven on the rocks ; and
such was the immense force of the water, that
it was not until she was lightened of her cargo
that the men succeeded in hauling her up. In
doing this, they were obliged to pass along the
margin of the ice nearest the stream ; and, though
five others had done so in safety, yet the sixth
A SNOW STORM. 9TJ5
(Carron) broke through, and sunk over head :
his next companion fortunately looked behind
him at the moment, and on his re-appearance
instantly seized him by the arm, and saved him
from being swept away by the current. The
weather, always cold and gloomy, soon became
squally, which, at about 9 p.m., settled into a
storm of sleet and wet snow, coming from ahead,
which, driving upon our faces, so injured our eyes
that we were frequently compelled to turn round
to shelter and recruit them. A second rapid
was gained, and, the channel about it being
interrupted by ice, the former plan of dragging
the boat on runners was again resorted to. In
less than an hour, a third rapid made it necessary
again to launch her, which having surmounted,
we got fairly on the lake, not far from the island
where, last season, I had made my cache of
pemmican. It was here that I depended on
finding our two Indians ; and, as they might be
either asleep or hunting, I encamped, to give
them an opportunity of seeing the white tent,
which, on the barren lands, was a conspicuous
object.
The thermometer stood at 33°, with snow, and
a raw cold wind that pierced through us in
spite of cloaks or blankets. It was two o'clock
in the morning ; and, as I had not yet dined,
t 2
27^ INEFFECTUAL ATTEMPT TO LIGHT A FIRE.
certain internal gnawings began to intimate the
propriety of supplying the organs of digestion
with some occupation which might keep them
from quarrelling among themselves. Oh ! thought
I, for a cheerful fire, and a warm comfortable
meal ! Accordingly, having managed to col-
lect a beggarly account of wet branches, we
applied ourselves, with laudable zeal, to ignite
and blow them into a flame. The moss and
shrubs were saturated, and would not burn ;
but it was fondly imagined that, by dint of per-
severance and relieving each other quickly, the
dwarf birch might be importuned into a blaze.
We puffed, and it smoked — again, and it
lighted — still more, and it went out: the puff-
ing was renewed — it looked cheerful, and
wanted only a little more coaxing. " The least
thing in the world," said one, blowing gently,
though at the distance of a yard. " Mind
what you 're about," cried another, — " there ! it
will go out, — it's all over." " Oh ! get out of the
way, let me come," bawled a third ; and thrust-
ing himself forward, applied himself to the work
with such vigour and force of lungs, that the
few embers yet living flew scattered about like
the sparks of an exploded cracker. " We can-
not make a fire," said my servant to me, who
had been latterly a passive though not an un-
interested spectator of the proceeding ; " but I
DIFFICULTY IN TRACING OUR ROUTE. ^77
have brought you some pemmican and a little
cold water, Sir."
As the Indians did not make their appear-
ance by the following noon, the men were sent
to light large fires with the moss, which by that
time was dry on the neighbouring hills; a well-
understood signal, which, if they were within
sight, would immediately bring them in. I was
the more anxious about this, as, without their
assistance, on a lake of such magnitude as the
one before us, and so full of intricacies as
to have more than once, on the expedition of
last year, bewildered Maufelly himself, we
could not hope to find the way correctly, at
least without vexatious delays and many useless
perambulations. In summer there would have
been perhaps little difficulty ; but it was now
like a strange country, for so complete is their
transformation that the natives themselves, ac-
customed as they are to the character of the
country, sometimes go astray. To have followed
the main western shore would have greatly in-
creased the distance, and, indeed, would not
have answered, since the Thlew-ee-choh lay to
the eastward of north, and at a part where the
traverse is so wide that a free horizon intervenes
between the opposite shores. Under these cir-
cumstances I determined, if the Indians should
not come, to make as straight a course as was
t 3
278 FOLLOW THE RIGHT COURSE.
consistent with the bends and windings of the land.
To give them a further chance, for it never
entered into my imagination that they had de-
serted us, I remained all night; and this the more
readily, as the weather was so cold as to make it
desirable to court the pale sunshine of the day.
At length, wearied with waiting, we com-
menced the journey at 10 a. m. of the 18th June,
in the accustomed line of march, except that
I now preceded as guide, having deputed others
to look out for the caches. The thermometer
at 36 °, with a strong N. W. gale blowing,
made it necessary to defend the eyes from the
sharp drift that beat upon them; and going
entirely from memory (for, depending on the
Indians, I had not thought it worth while to
bring my last year's survey), I can ascribe it
only to good fortune that I hit upon the right
course, in a part so narrow that the current,
which was perceptible, had already forced an
open passage. On the borders of this narrow
grew a few straggling willows, and I had nearly
run against one before I perceived a note for
me stuck into a notch of a projecting branch.
It was to apprise us that two caches had been
made in a bay just passed; and, although I
thought it likely they would be picked up by
those behind, yet, to avoid disappointment, I
sent Peter Taylor, one of my party, with the
ACCIDENT TO PETER TAYLOR. 279
note to Mr. King. He, wishing to shorten his
distance, ventured on some dark ice (at this
season generally rotten), which gave way ; and,
but that he was a very active fellow, and kept
hold of his gun, which stretched across the hole,
and so prevented his going under, he would
certainly have perished. Mr. King found one
of the caches, and despatched a couple of light
hands after the other.
It was easier to launch the boat, and pull her
as far as the narrow went (about a quarter of a
mile), than to drag her along the shelving slips
of ice on the banks : this done, she was again
placed on the runners, ready for the following
day; after which we encamped. A flock of
geese, some gulls, and two loons were playing
about in the open water, but cautiously re-
mained far out of shot. A partridge that I shot
was quite white, though those about Slave Lake,
near the Fort, were partly brown before we left.
The night was bleak and cold, with the same
N.W. gale, accompanied by showers of sleet
and snow ; and so thick and forbidding was the
morning of the 19th, that we did not attempt
to move before noon, when, encouraged by a
gleam of stray sunshine, we determined on
setting forward. Accordingly, Mr. King went
to direct the men, who were a little apart from
us, to get ready \ and, to his surprise, found
t 4
280 DEVIATE FROM THE RIGHT COURSE.
them all snug under their blankets, quite un-
conscious of the march of time. We were soon
off; but met with great inconvenience, as well
as hazard, in consequence of the snow having
fallen in such quantities as to render the good
and bad ice undistinguishable, and reduce it to
a lottery whether we fell through or not. Luck-
ily, nothing more important befel us than an
occasional dip up to the knees ; and, as a set-off,
marks, stretching far out on the ice, led us to
two fine buck deer, which had been shot by
Mr. McLeod himself.
I was not at all certain of the route at this
point, remembering that last year we had gone
astray hereabout ; and after a tedious march of
doubt and perplexity, I ascended a hill, and
discovered that we were too far to the eastward.
The course was therefore changed six points,
though upon no better ground than personal
recollection, which, for the reason before stated,
viz. the altered appearance of the country, was
but vague and indistinct. The spot where we
were seemed to be about equally distant from
the numerous indentations of the land, in any
one of which the course might lie, and the great
similarity in the outline of which made it dif-
ficult to select one in preference to another;
indeed, our oldest voyageurs confessed them-
selves unable to determine which was most
ACCIDENT TO JAMES SPENCE. 281
likely to be right. In this uncertainty I made for
a bluff bearing N. W. ; and, rinding no pas-
sage at its base, I ascended another high hill,
whence I saw a black line of open water, which
appeared to come from the direction of the
narrows leading into Clinton-Colden Lake. This
supposition was soon after agreeably confirmed
by the discovery, near the spot which I have
before described as the Deer Pass, of a rich
cache, containing more than three whole ani-
mals, with a note written by Thomas Hassel, a
pure Indian, who had been educated at Red
River, and engaged by me as an interpreter.
The water and wind together had so wasted
the ice near the bank here, that not unfrequently
we had to lift the boat and sledges over dry
stones and rivulets to get to the next sheet; and
the sheets themselves were so rotten, that on one
occasion James Spence fell through, and got a
complete ducking before he could be pulled
out. But the worst was, that this rough high-
way strained the runners ; several of which
were already in so indifferent a plight, that we
should have thrown them away, if we could in
any way have supplied their place. However,
the people worked cheerfully, and at 8h. 40m.
p. m. we encamped, and immediately set about
repairing the runners.
As we were now about to traverse Clinton
282 BOISTEROUS WEATHER.
Colden Lake, it was material not only to our
comfort, but to our successful progress, that we
should have fine weather ; and many a look was
cast to windward to read our fortune in the face
of nature. But the N.W. gale continued un-
abated ; and the morning of the 20th was squally,
dark, and cold, with heavy showers, which con-
tributed more than any thing to the decaying of
the ice, and making it unfit for travelling on.
There was no change at noon; but as every
hour was of consequence, an effort was made to
head the gale, which was with difficulty ac-
complished, the boat being driven greatly to
leeward, even with the assistance of extra men
bearing up against her. The ice was exceed-
ingly rotten, and twice all but sunk with us (for
in this state it does not break short), a danger
which we endeavoured to avoid by running
quickly and with a light step over it. The
sledges, though heavier, were in less danger,
because covering a larger space.
I took a direction more westerly than that
of Maufelly last year, hoping by so doing to
shorten the way ; in fact, it was matter of mere
chance whether, even if I tried, I should suc-
ceed in tracing his route through a labyrinth of
islands ; so that I rather trusted to the compass
and my general recollection for groping out the
way. In the meantime, the weather got worse,
BOISTEROUS WEATHER. 283
and the assistance of every man was required
for the boat, Mr. King taking charge of some
of the sledges. Nor was it without the most
laborious, or, as they called it, killing exer-
tions, that she was at length hauled to a shelter
under the lee of a rock, which, though it seemed
at the distance like the boundary of a bay, was
found to open upon a large expanse of lake.
As it was now about full moon, we looked for a
favourable change of the weather, not without
some anxiety ; for I was apprehensive that, with
the constant drenchings and fatigue together,
two or three of the weaker hands might be laid
up. But the night was more boisterous than
ever, and never was seen a more gloomy sky
than that which ushered in Midsummer's-day.
It was of a leaden grey colour, with horizontal
streaks of dirty brick-red clouds — except to the
north, where, in strong contrast with the cold
whiteness on which it rested, were accumulated,
in one black mass, all the horrors of an hyper-
borean winter. Hail, snow, and rain pelted us,
one after the other, for some time without respite,
and then only yielded to squalls that overturned
the tent. I watched till noon for some pro-
pitious omen, but watched in vain ; so, having
encouraged the men to stick to their work, we
again tried what could be done, though with
little expectation of making more than a few
284 A CACHE PLUNDERED.
miles. At this part the lake was so wide, that
between the openings of the land there was
everywhere a clear horizon. With alternate
spells and haltings to rest, we gradually advanced
on the traverse ; and were really making reason-
able progress, when pelting showers of sleet and
drift dimmed and confused the sight, so as to
render it an extremely perplexing task to keep
even near the course. Towards evening it
cleared to windward, and showed us an island,
which, though partly covered with snow, I
thought I remembered. Accordingly, we went
there, and were gratified by observing some
marks which removed any doubt about the route.
The boat arrived late, and the men complained
of being tired. " However," said the poor
fellows, " we should not mind that, if the sun
would only shine for us to dry our clothes."
Fatigued as they were, the marks were followed ;
but, in this instance, the cache had been plun-
dered — by whom was never discovered.
A break now and then in the sky gave some
token of a change, and by midnight the wind
had much abated ; but it was only to rage and
howl with more violence as the sun rose, bring-
ing along with it snow and sleet so thick as to
darken the atmosphere, and limit our view to a
few paces before us. In short, it was more like a
dreary day of December than of midsummer.
SUNDAY. 285
It was impossible to move ; and being Sunday
(22d June), divine service was read in the tent,
where, to the credit of the men it should be
mentioned, notwithstanding the wet and dis-
comfort to which they were exposed, they all
came shaved and clean.
At length the gale wore itself out, and long
lulls, with now and then a feeble moan, showed
that its strength was nearly spent. Nevertheless,
the morning of the 23rd of June was unpromis-
ing and dull : but as the distant land was visible,
I lost not a moment in starting. It was from
this island that, in our autumnal excursion, we
had been compelled to make two or three tours
of islands and bays before our guide had been
able to discover the hidden passage of the Sand
Hill, connecting this lake with the next. The
farthest land was seen about N. W. by N. at an
immense distance; and though the line was to
all appearance perfectly continuous, yet from
an impression that on the former occasion we
had kept to the left, I now made for the S. W. ;
and, having traversed a wide opening, suddenly
came upon fresh marks that pointed to the horns
of rein deer fixed on the top of a heap of stones.
Mr. McLeod, it seemed, had left only on the 18th,
having been detained by collecting the meat,
which, notwithstanding his care, had suffered
no inconsiderable mutilation from the wolves.
286 ANOTHER CACHE.
The cache was most welcome, as, but for this
seasonable supply, we must have opened the
pemmican that night. It consisted of deer and
musk oxen, both very poor, and the latter
strongly impregnated with the odour to which it
owes its name. This was so disagreeable to
some of the party, that they declared they would
rather starve three days than swallow a mouth-
ful ; which coming to my knowledge, though
not spoken within my hearing, I thought it
right to counteract the feeling, and accord-
ingly ordered the daily rations to be served from
it for our own mess as well as theirs, and took
occasion to impress on their minds the injurious
consequences of voluntary abstinence, and the
necessity of accommodating their tastes to such
food as the country might supply.
The similarity of the extensive openings right
andleft'made me again hesitate where to direct my
steps ; but, aware of the deception arising from
overlapping points, I ultimately persevered in my
first idea, though against the opinion of my party,
who thought we were going into a bay ; nor, in-
deed, was I by any means certain, until some rotten
ice, and a lane of open water following, indicated
the narrow of which we were in search. All doubt
on this score was soon removed by a long line of
marks leading to another cache, which, with the
former one, made a total of eleven animals to-
FINE WEATHER. 287
dav. The weather was now clear and warm,
the thermometer being 66° in the sun, and 54°
in the shade ; so that not only were the dogs
panting from heat, but as the snow was made
slushy, and the surface of the ice softened, there
was great difficulty in dragging the boat along
at all. However, by 9 p«m. the whole party came
up, and we encamped.
The tent was not well up before the report of
a gun on the opposite shore attracted our atten-
tion to two Indians, who, on a nearer approach,
proved to be the runaway guides. They were
the bearers of a note from Mr. McLeod, who
very properly insisted on their returning to me
immediately. Their story to him was, that being
ordered by me to hunt a little in advance, and
finding no traces of deer, they could not resist
the temptation of accompanying some of their
friends whom accident threw in their way ; and
as for my requiring a guide, they never so much
as thought it possible, because I had always my
" little sun," meaning the compass, which I had
only to ask, to be informed of the direction of
any part of the country.
June 24th. — A warm day was so great a novelty,
and so much needed, that I rested, for the pur-
pose of enabling the men to dry their clothes
and blankets, and getting observations myself
for time and latitude. To collect a few willows
288 THE ICE UNSAFE.
that were growing on the opposite side it was
necessary to cross the d6troit ; and the strength
of the ice being unequal, owing to the under
current, several of the party broke through, and,
amongst others, Mr. King, who fortunately reco-
vered himself, however, before his chronometer
touched the water. Towards evening distant thun-
der was heard ; and though the breeze had blown
from the S. E., an appearance of steely dark
clouds to the N. W. intimated that rain might
be expected from that quarter. Accordingly,
just as we started at 8h. 15m. p. m. there was a
brisk shower, but without thunder or lightning.
The decayed and unsafe state of the ice ren-
dered it advisable to launch the boat, and trans-
port the baggage to the next solid piece, which
was a little beyond the conical mound called
the Sand Hill. Opposite to this sand-hill above
fifteen Indians and their families were encamped :
they formed a part of those whom we had sup-
plied with ammunition and other articles, to help
them to make the best of the summer ; but so
proverbially improvident are these miserable
people, that nearly the whole which they had
received was already lost or expended ; a few
had two or three charges of powder and ball,
but by far the greater part had to depend on
their bows and arrows or the uncertain chance
of fishing. We were informed by them, that
ANNOYANCE FROM THE GUIDES. 289
many of the Yellow Knives andChipewyans, who
were carrying our pemmican to the Thlew-ee-
choh, had either eaten or made away with a
considerable portion of it ; not by reason of
any deficiency of provision, since they had abun-
dance, but from sheer indolence or wanton-
ness. Our guides also again annoyed us by
their mulish conduct ; for though directed to
hold themselves in readiness to accompany us,
when the moment of departure came one was
absent hunting, and the other was quietly loung-
ing on the bank, wrapped in his blanket, and
smoking his pipe with all imaginable unconcern.
I ordered him, with some signs of impatience and
displeasure, to equip himself, and come with me
without delay, which order was silently obeyed
after we had been kept waiting a full hour.
As for the other absentee, I threw the respon-
sibility of his conduct on his old father, making
him answerable for the appearance of his son,
within the next forty-eight hours, with the bag
of pemmican which had been entrusted to his
care. Nor did I entertain the least doubt that
the requisition would be punctually complied
with, as he well knew that in default he would
thenceforth be scouted from our establishment.
Indeed experience had taught me the advantage
of assuming and maintaining an air of superiority
over the Indians. There is no need of unkind-
u
290 ANOTHER CACHE.
ness or seventy ; all that is required is a steady
firmness, and never overlooking an attempt at
deception, however plausible. No people scru-
tinise more narrowly the behaviour of those
with whom they have to deal; and if they once
perceive that they cannot lie or equivocate with-
out detection, they will cease to make the attempt,
though, from a natural propensity to falsehood
and the habitual character of their speech, they
will do so to a stranger most gratuitously.
Our guide led us in a tortuous direction,
among the black and rotten ice, and frequently
halted to try its strength by pressing on it with
his feet, or striking it with the handle of an axe ;
but such over caution — proper enough, if we had
had time — ill accorded with my anxiety to get
quickly forward : and on such occasions after-
wards, Peter Taylor (a half-breed) boldly led
the way across any suspected place. Still, con-
stant impediments presented themselves in some
shape or other, from open water, ice, or snow ;
but all were happily surmounted : and when we
had made a short portage across a point of land,
we came to another cache containing five musk
oxen and a deer. The latter only was taken,
the remainder being left to be converted into
dried meat, for the supply of Mr. MTeod's party
on their return.
We now entered upon Lake Aylmer, and
made for a detached and rounded mass of rock
ENTER UPON LAKE AYLMER. 29 1
forming an island in the distance. Here we
would gladly have stopped, had there been
moss enough to make a fire ; but this not
being the case, the route was continued, at a
rate that made me wonder what had called
forth this sudden and extraordinary spirit of
emulation. I was obliged to put my best leg
forward to keep up at all ; and, when we halted
for encamping, I wiped my brow, and asked
where the deer were which we had been chasing,
or why they had started off at full speed, as if
the " manito," or evil genius, had been behind
them? After a pause, and looking at each
other, the Indian said he thought Taylor was
trying how fast he could walk, and Taylor
said he was sure the Indian wished to pass
him, which he was determined he should not
do ; so that it seemed I had been assisting at
a foot match ; and the people behind were four
hours in coming up to us. Passing showers
had fallen during the march ; but when the
wind died away into a calm, the rain fell in
torrents, and the under-stratum of soil being
frozen every hollow was transformed into a
pool of water, the accumulation of which over-
flowing in a thousand little rills gradually un-
dermined the tent, which, unfortunately, had
been pitched on a declivity, and finally insinu-
ating themselves between the blankets, awoke
u 2
292 A DENSE FOG.
me in the middle of a first nap. The sun had
not risen, or at least was not visible, and I
much question if the most rigid Mussulman
would have enjoyed so early an ablution. Never-
theless my companion, Mr, King, seemed to
heed neither rain nor flood ; for having espied
a herd of deer on an adjacent hill, he com-
posedly put on a blue cloak and set off after
them ; and though he got no deer, he brought
back some fine plover.
The 25th was dark and gloomy, but our stray
Indian failed not to come in with the pemmican.
A fog, that had been more or less prevalent for
the last fourteen hours, became rather thicker
as night drew on ; but having now my guides,
and judging that the men would suffer less in
travelling than from lying inactive in their wet
clothes, I started at 10 p. m. The Indians,
always timorous, kept close along the land, and
fixed us constantly amongst the bad and unsafe
ice, which now resembled spikes from two to
three inches long. Shoes were soon perforated, as
well as the pieces of rein-deer skin with the hair
on which had been fastened round them as a
slight protection to the feet. The party with
the boat very wisely kept farther out, and had
consequently better ice, the surface of which
was like a bed of madrepores, except that the
upper edges were considerably sharper.
I\
^:
^
•s
■^
s.
OUR CHEERLESS SITUATION. 293
About midnight the guides hesitated to pro-
ceed, on account of the dense fog : they
thought they had already erred, and affected
to be fearful of misleading me ; but to this
pretence I quickly put an end by directing the
route with the compass. It must be confessed
that the travelling was by no means agreeable ;
for to say nothing of the darkness, the fog
almost wet us through, creating a chill which
exercise was unable to overcome.
A wild rocky point which we made I recog-
nised as one of my last year's encamping places,
and was not a little glad to find that we were
within one march of Sand Hill Bay, where our
labours on this lake would terminate. About a
mile further we stopped, and the boat arrived at
7 a.m. of the 26th.
Throughout the whole of this day not a
gleam of sunshine came to cheer our spirits or
dry our wet clothes ; on the contrary, we had a
weary continuation of gloomy weather, and rain
in torrents. The night was yet more for-
bidding, and when the usual time of departure
came we could not distinguish objects a hun-
dred yards off. Under such circumstances to
continue the route was impossible. All were
drenched to the skin, and no fire could be
made ; but the men, with great resignation,
making the best of their damp lodgings, looked
u 3
294 REACH SAND-HILL BAY.
about for the most sheltered place to lie down :
some wrung their blankets, while others, as a
last resource, put on their whole wardrobe, in
the hope of a little warmth. These precautions,
however, were ineffectual ; for in the morning
the greater part found themselves in pools of
water, which their own weight had brought
down on them from the higher surface. I
happened to see one of them awake, and could
not help laughing at the sudden jerk with
which he withdrew his right hand out of the
puddle in which he had unconsciously placed it.
The morning of the 27th was still foggy ;
but a prospect of clearing to the N. W. en-
couraged us to start, and about noon it became
fine. A fresh cache afforded a seasonable recruit
to our provisions, which would not have held
out beyond this day. It was a joyful sight to
see Sand-hill Bay, and to know that we were
now within a few miles of that water which
was to carry us to the Polar Sea. As we n eared
the portage of the Thlew-ee-choh a white tent
was distinguished, with a crowd of people
around it ; and this, of course, proved to be
Mr. McLeod and his party, who scarcely ex-
pected us so early. The badness of the weather
and the distance from which his men had to
fetch the meat had caused two days of detention,
for which I was not sorry, as it gave me the
JUDICIAL INVESTIGATION. 295
opportunity of investigating the truth of the
report about the pemmican.
There had been much exaggeration, but the
charge was not altogether without foundation,
as one man confessed that he had given his wife
a sound drubbing for having taken some ; with
this exception, however, neither Mr. McLeod
nor the interpreter would believe that the bags
had been touched, an opinion which could not
then be put to the test of an examination, as the
Indians were dispersed. Among the number
of the accused was a Chipewyan called Jack,
who, on being interrogated, merely pointed to
his bag, and asked if it was in any way altered,
or looked as if it had been opened. " And for
what reason," said he, "should I do so? Have
I not as much and more than I can eat ? And if
it were not so, have I been so long with the
chief as to take his property without leave ?
No, I am not a thief; I know white men
better." This was spoken without any appear-
ance of ill-feeling ; but when he learned that a
Yellow Knife had accused him, his countenance
settled into a sullen frown, that bespoke deter-
mined revenge. Merely saying that he " would
see him," he remained silent, and in the even-
ing went away with Mr. McLeod, who was to
push on for Musk-Ox Rapid, and send his men
back to our aid if he thought we should require
u 4
296 DOUBTS BY THE CARPENTERS
them. It was late before the boat came; and
the men and dogs being fagged, for it was hard
work, we encamped. A number of mice (lem-
mings) were seen, and some killed. There
was this difference in them, that one kind had
long skinny ears of a lobe shape, whereas the
others had an orifice only. They were dis-
similar also in colour, and in their tails ; but
both fought with a half-bred terrier, and fre-
quently bit it.
The morning of the 28th being fine, I obtained
sights which corroborated those taken the pre-
vious year on the same spot. Having ordered
every thing to be taken out of the boat prepara-
tory to dragging her across the portage, about a
quarter of a mile in breadth, to the Thlew-ee-
choh, my astonishment may be conceived when
information was brought me that the carpenters
would not answer for the consequences of such a
step, as the wood of which she was built was too
soft to allow of her being dragged over that or
any other portage. This was the first time that
any such notion about the quality of the wood
had been intimated ; for otherwise, though it
might have cost us incredible trouble, a different
and tougher kind should have been procured
from Fort Resolution, or even farther, had I
been only apprised in due season at the house ;
nor could I now understand the matter at all,
OF THE SECURITY OF THE BOATS. 297
as the same man had built my last boat on the
former expedition under Sir John Franklin ; and
certainly a more efficient one was never turned
out of hand, as was demonstrated by the fact of
her reaching England, and having, as I believe,
a^ain gone out with Captain Ross. It was a
contretemps for which I certainly was not pre-
pared ; and my only chance of surmounting the
difficulty was the possibility that the crew might
be able to carry her, though to effect this (never
previously contemplated) it was necessary to cut
away the wash-boards, which had been purposely
riveted to the gunwales, to enable them to support
the pressure. The moment of lifting the boat
up was one of intense anxiety; and it is im-
possible to describe the burst of my feelings,
when I saw the men walk away with her. The
task, however, though successfully accomplished,
was a severe one, and taxed their strength to
the utmost. Twice one of the best men of the
party declared he knew not if he should stand
or fall when, from the inequality of the ground,
the weight pressed particularly on him ; and all
were greatly fatigued. The reflection that the
same operation would be impossible when the
wood had become saturated and heavy with
water, was not calculated to excite sanguine
emotions : however, I trusted to circumstances,
my own resources, and the spirit and stamina of
298 LAUNCH OF THE BOAT.
the crew, determining not to anticipate evil, or
yield to fears that might never be realised.
At 1 p.m., the boat was launched upon the
Thlew-ee-choh ; but as the river was open only in
and about the shallow rapids of the upper parts
(for the lake at its source, as well as a smaller one
about two miles farther down, were yet firm with
solid ice), it was unavailable for any purpose of
transport ; even when quite light, it was not with-
out trouble and a good deal of waiting that the
boat was floated5 or lifted over the shoal parts of
the first three rapids. These passed, the men
who had charge of her returned for their baggage
to the other end of the portage ; but this method,
in our case unavoidable, occasioned so many
delays that it was very late before the task was
completed, though the direct distance accom-
plished did not exceed four miles.
June 29. — The baggage was again carried to
the border of a small lake, where, after the boat
had been made use of to set us on the ice, the
sledges and runners were again tackled, and we
proceeded as before until we reached the ex-
tremity, having picked up on the way a cache
of two deer. At the next portage we landed :
the baggage was carried over, and the boat
taken down the rapids, three of which followed
in quick succession. The thermometer rose to
64° ; and a warm southerly wind soon brought
ANIMALS MET WITH. QCjQ
heavy rain which overflowed the low swampy
ground that declined to the river, swelled the
brooks and rivulets to a depth that made it
hazardous to wade across them, and in other
ways considerably harassed the portage work.
Having traversed another small lake with the
sledges, we encamped at the head of a long
rapid and portage, to save the pemmican from
getting damaged by the rain, which fell without
intermission or check throughout the whole clay.
A few partridges, some deer, and numbers of
lemmings were seen ; and I remarked that the
latter burrowed under the roots of the dwarf
birch, and sometimes of the willow, in preference
to the large stones on the plain, possibly to
obtain more cover from the piercing eyes of
their great enemies, the white and brown owls.
The willows were without catkins, or any budding
at the extremities of the branches.
June 30. — The labour was resumed at an
early hour, though the sky was still enveloped
in mist or fog ; but the immense boulders, half
blocking up the narrow parts of the rapid, pre-
sented impediments which greatly increased the
difficulty and the tediousness of our progress.
Taking with me a couple of hands, I preceded
the party ; and having got on the ice by means
of the boat, we soon came to a cache of three
deer which were placed on the track. Passing
300 DIFFICULT PASSAGE.
Icy River on the left, more marks were seen and
other meat found ; and while we were occupied
about it, the interpreter, accompanied by seve-
ral Indians, came from the hills, having left
Mr. McLeod to follow their companions who
were before. Leaving a note containing direc-
tions for the proper disposal of the meat, we
went on, and in about two hours overtook the
other men who were brought to a stand by the
weakness of a bar of rotten ice that bent most
ominously in whatever direction it was tried.
However, we had come too far to recede, and
one part was at length discovered that with
careful placing of the feet on the whiter, and
therefore stronger, protuberances, was cohesive
enough to bear the weight of a single person, —
who, having first passed himself with the end of
a line fastened to his sledge, got upon the firmer
ice, and then with a sudden jerk twitched his
load across after him. On gaining the narrows
that lead into Musk-Ox Lake, our progress was
cut short by open water ahead, as well as along
each bank. It was too deep to ford ; so having
jumped together upon a piece of ice about twelve
feet long and eight or ten broad, and then de-
tached it by cutting a line with the axes, we
made a sort of natural raft, which we ferried
over, with the same axes and the tent poles for
paddles. A great deal of snow yet encumbered
REACH MUSK-OX RAPID. 801
the eastern side of the hills, and two snow birds
were seen which had not changed their wintry
plumage ; yet the mosquitos, at a temperature of
40°, were quite lively enough to execute with
their usual skill the neat operation of cupping.
About the time that the boat arrived, we were
joined by our friend McLeod. He remained with
us through the night ; and gave an account of
his hunting excursions, in which the superiority
of his rifle-shooting had, it seems, perfectly
astonished the Indians : as well it might, for at
that work he would have rivalled a Kentuckian.
July i. As we had now overtaken the Indians,
it was useless to hurry on, and I gladly permitted
the men to rest till noon. The boat then took
us to the ice on Musk Ox Lake, and at 4 p. m.
we reached Musk Ox Rapid, the point from which
I had returned the previous year. Several Indians
who were encamped here paddled to us in their
small canoes, and assailed our ears with the
familiar but annoying cry of " Etthen-oolah,
Etthen-ta-houty,"— no deer, the deer are gone
away ; and begged I would give them a little
tobacco, for they were " hungry for a smoke."
It appeared that the scarcity of animals had
driven Akaitcho a short distance to the north,
where he was forced to live upon the flesh of
the musk ox, the flavour of which is not a
302 UNITE WITH MR. McLEOD's PARTY.
delicacy even to a Yellow Knife Indian, who
certainly is not fastidious in his taste.
Soon after we encamped, Mr. McLeod's party
also came up, thus uniting our force ; and, as
there was still daylight, a part of the baggage
was carried forward, and the boat safely moored
in the eddy below the upper rapid.
July 2nd. — Some Indians with pemmican
were yet missing; having, as it was supposed,
loitered behind to hunt : the rest were directed
to go with the interpreter, and deposit their
respective charges at the north end of the port-
age, there to be released from their servitude —
an intimation which was received with wonderful
satisfaction, as they were yet puzzled to compre-
hend why we should take such pains to plunge
into the dangers which they considered as as-
suredly awaiting us. The desire to rescue our
fellow-creatures from calamity or death, and still
more the thirst of enterprise and the zeal of
discovery, were notions far beyond the conception
of these rude children of nature, whose only
desires are for food and raiment, and whose pity
is a merely animal sympathy, which ceases with
the presence of the object that excites it. It
seems a harsh assertion, yet I have met with
very few indications of what may be called pure
benevolence among these people. Akaitcho
himself may, perhaps, be an exception : but in
RESUME THE SURVEY OF THE RIVER. 303
general, the motive, secret or avowed, of every
action of a northern Indian is, in my judgment,
selfishness alone.
The length of the portage being four miles,
the people were occupied all clay in carrying the
baggage, which gave me an opportunity of veri-
fying my former observations, as well as of obtain-
ing the dip.* The survey, which, it may be
remembered, terminated here the preceding
autumn, was now continued ; and, taking Mr.
McLeod for a companion, I followed the course
of the river for a few miles onward. After a
bend to the westward, it pursued a serpentine
and rapid course to the northward. About two
miles down, it was joined by a large stream from
the westward, which I am inclined to consider
as the main branch of the Thlew-ee-choh, but
which the Indians distinguished by the appel-
lation of the Contwoy-to River, calling the
one we came by, Thlew-ee-choh. Be this as
it may, there seems no doubt that this western
branch does take its rise in Contwoy-to, or
the Rum Lake of Hearne ; which lake was
fully identified by the Indians present as that
whose western extremity Sir J. Franklin's party
crossed in the first overland expedition at
Belanger's Rapid. They spoke of two outlets ;
* Appendix.
304- SURVEY OF THE RIVER.
and some who had been there described the lake
as one extensive and uninterrupted sheet of
water : they also agreed in stating that it was at
a considerable distance, and I subsequently heard
that two smaller lakes intervened between that
and the Thlew-ee-choh.
A line of rapids which the boat ran led us to
an opening or small lake four miles broad,
bounded on the north by a ridge of blue moun-
tains, named after my lamented friend Captain
Peter Heywood, R.N., which cut the lake at
a right angle. The centre, and, indeed, the
greater part was covered with ice; but a channel
of open water on the eastern shore gave me hopes
that we should not long have occasion for the
sledges.
July 3d. — Two Indians were despatched this
morning in search of those who were yet absent
with the pemmican, whom having found a few
miles off, they conducted them to the encamp-
ment with their burdens. This precious article,
which, from the commencement of the winter to
the present moment, had been a continual subject
of anxietv to me, was now counted and examined,
and most happy was I to learn that, to all appear-
ance, it had been brought without injury or
spoliation, except in the solitary instance already
stated. The husband of the offender had himself
given the information, and lie now expressed a
OUR STOCK OF PROVISIONS. 305
wish that the act of a bad woman might not be
the means of his losing the promised reward for
carrying it ; " for," added he, " I beat her well ;
and if you do not believe me, ask those who
stood by. Oh ! she has a bad head — Sass! That
very evening she went away from my lodge ;
nobody knew where. Two nights I remained
silent ; but as she did not come on the third,
fearing she miffht be lost, some of us went in
search of her, and, after a long and fatiguing
walk for miles in every direction, and looking in
every nook and cranny that we could see — would
you think it? we found her hid among the large
rocks close to the lodge. Oh ! she has a bad
head! but I drubbed her well — Sass ! " The
poor fellow evidently regarded this summary
chastisement as an expiatory offering to appease
our resentment.
We had altogether twenty-seven bags of
pemmican, weighing about eighty pounds each ;
two boxes of maccaroni, some flour, a case 01
cocoa, and a two-gallon keg of rum : an adequate
supply, if all good, for the three months of our
operations. It does not become me to enlarge
upon the difficulty and danger of transporting a
weight, all things included, of near five thousand
pounds over ice and rock, by a circuitous route
of full two hundred miles ; but, when the pain
endured in walking on some parts, where the ice
x
306 AN INDIAN BELLE.
formed innumerable spikes that pierced like nee-
dles; the risk encountered in others, where, black
and decayed, it threatened at every step to engulph
us ; the anxiety about provision, and the absence
of a guide for a considerable part of the way :
when these and other difficulties are taken into
consideration, it will, perhaps, be conceded that
the obstacles must be great which cannot be
surmounted by steady perseverance. The Indians
who, for hire, afforded us material help, were not
more astonished at their own voluntary subjection
to our service, than at the sight of a boat, manned
with Europeans and stored with provision of the
southern country, floating on the clear waters of
the barren lands.
The weather was thick and foggy ; and the
picturesque lodges of the natives, constructed in
the rudest manner, often of two or three skins
thrown over a few short poles or sticks carried
for the purpose, extended in the indistinct mist
upwards of a quarter of a mile. Groups of
dark figures huddled together under these im-
perfect coverings — others crowded in front of
Mr. JVTLeod's tent, or standing round the poor
embers of a fire at which our kettles were doing
slow duty, presented, altogether, a striking and
interesting spectacle. In the midst of one of
these groups was my old acquaintance and
Indian belle, who will be remembered by the
A REINDEER HUNT. 30?
readers of Sir J. Franklin's narrative under
the name of Green Stockings. Though sur-
rounded by a family, with one urchin in her
cloak clinging to her back, and sundry other
maternal accompaniments, I immediately recog-
nised her, and called her by her name ; at which
she laughed, and said " she was an old woman
now," — begging, at the same time, that she
might be relieved by the "medicine man, for she
was very much out of health." However, not-
withstanding all this, she was still the beauty of
her tribe ; and, with that consciousness which
belongs to all belles, savage or polite, seemed
by no means displeased when I sketched her
portrait.
The scarcity of animals in the neighbourhood
created no little doubt in the minds of the
hunters as to the best route to be taken on their
return with Mr. McLeod to the Fort ; and they
had half decided on going a day's journey
to the north to kill musk oxen, when the fog
clearing away discovered the branching antlers
of twenty reindeer spread over the summits of
the adjacent hills. To see and pursue was the
work of a moment, and in a few minutes not an
active hunter remained in the encampment. It
was a beautiful and interesting sight ; for the
sun shone out, and lighting up some parts cast
others into deeper shade ; the white ice reflected
x 2
308 A REINDEER HUNT.
millions of dazzling rays ; the rapid leapt and
chafed in little ripples, which melted away into
the unruffled surface of the slumbering lake ;
abrupt and craggy rocks frowned on the right ;
and, on the left, the brown landscape receded
until it was lost in the distant blue mountains.
The foreground was filled up with the ochre-
coloured lodges of the Indians, contrasting with
our own pale tents ; and to the whole scene
animation was given bv the graceful motions of
the unstartled deer, and the treacherous crawling
of the wary hunters.
309
CHAP. X.
Instructions to Mr. McLeod upon our Separation. — Meet
with Akaitcho. — His Lodge. — Imminent Danger to
the Boat. — Akaitcho' s friendly Caution. — Embark-
ation. — Heavy Storms. — Our Crew. — Geological
Features of the Country. — Obstructions from the Ice.
— Perils from a Series of Rapids. — Plunder of a Bag
of Pemmican. — Obstacles on our Passage. — Bois-
terous Weather. — Deer-hunting. — Observations. —
Deviation of the River. — Desolate Scenery. — De-
tained by the Ice. — Cascades. — Land-marks. —
Contraction of the River. — Baillie's River. — Flocks
of Geese. — Tact requisite in Command. — Precipitous
Rocks. — A Fox. — Esquimaux Marks. — Bullen River.
— A Storm. — Lake Petty. — Conjectures of an Indian.
— Encampment. — View of the Country. — Further
Obstructions. — Observations. — Lake Garry.
It was now unnecessary for Mr. McLeod to pro-
ceed farther ; and it was satisfactory to me, at
parting with him, that I could make over a
tolerable stock of dried meat for his party, which
would consist of ten persons and fourteen dogs,
otherwise entirely dependent on the success of
the hunters who were to guide them.
At 10 a.m., July 4th, the boat was sent off
x 3
310 SEPARATION FROM MR. MLEOD
c
with the sledges and half the cargo to the ice on
the lake ; and I availed myself of this last occa-
sion to repeat the substance of our former
conversations respecting the duties that would
be required of him during my absence ; the
most important of which were, his going to
Fort Resolution for the stores, to be sent
there by the Company, and the building of a
house for a permanent fishing station at some
place to be selected by himself. I also deli-
vered into his hands an official letter, requiring
him to be again on the banks of the Thlew-ee-
choh, by the middle of September, so as to be in
readiness to afford any assistance to my party
that unforeseen misfortunes might render neces-
sary. Finally, I returned him sincere thanks
for the zealous attention with which he had ful-
filled my wishes, as well as for his general kind-
ness to every individual of the expedition. By
this time the boat had returned, and with a
hearty farewell, I embarked for the ice.
The boat was soon put on the runners, and,
together with the baggage, conveyed to the
other side of the lake ; when, the water being
open, she was again launched, to avoid acci-
dents only half the cargo being placed in her.
The river, flowing from the lake, cuts through a
chain of craggy rocks and mountains, thickly
strewed with boulders and debris, but with
MEET WITH AKAITCHO. 31 J.
sufficient pasturage in the valleys and down
the declivities to attract musk oxen and deer,
which are said to resort to them in spring and
autumn in vast numbers. An increasing cur-
rent brought us to a strong rapid and fall,
with an island in the centre ; and just above it,
on a moss-covered rock, we perceived Akaitcho's
son and another Indian, waving and shouting
to warn us of the danger, which, however, we
had already perceived. The luggage brought
on this trip being now landed, the boat was
sent back for the remainder.
Akaitcho had chosen this bleak tract for his
hunting ground, and had pitched his lodge on
the very peak of the highest hill, a few miles off;
which being too distant for me to visit, I sent
him some tobacco and other presents, with a re-
quest that he would detain his young men at his
lodge, as we were too busy to talk. Scarcely, how-
ever, had I returned from taking some bearings,
when I saw the old man and several others close
alongside. The interpreter declared he could
not prevail on him to remain, for that as soon as
he heard that I was there, he left his lodge, say-
ing, " I have known the chief a long time, and
I am afraid I shall never see him again — I will
go." The boat had now arrived ; and the rest of
the men being busied in making the portage,
she was pushed off with four good hands, quite
x 4
312 IMMINENT DANGER TO THE BOAT.
light, to run the fall. Unfortunately the steers-
man kept her rather too much to the left ; in con-
sequence of which, after descending the first
fall, she was drawn upon a shelving rock, form-
ing part of the ledge of the second : this brought
her up with a crash which threatened imme-
diate destruction, and called forth a shriek
from the prostrate crew. The immense force of
the water drove her farther on, so that she hung
only by the stern. The steersman jumped on the
rock ; but though he maintained his footing, he
could not lift her off: he jumped on board
again, whilst I called out and made signs for the
men to go forward into the bow, and be ready to
pull the larboard oars. Amidst the confusion this
direction was not attended to, and, in an instant,
her stem was swept round by the large fall. I
held my breath, expecting to see her dashed to
shivers against a protruding rock, upon which a
wave five feet high was breaking directly before
her; but, happily, the steering oar had been only
half laid in ; and, taking the rock, it twirled
her broadside to the rapid, which then carried
her down without further injury. The water
being pumped out, it was found that she did not
leak ; and this being so, I was, upon the whole,
not sorry for the adventure, as it not only gave
the men a memorable proof of the strength of
these clear- water rivers, but afforded me an occa-
AKAlTCHo's FRIENDLY CAUTION. 313
sion for cautioning them against running any
rapid for the future, without first studying the
lead of the current.
The river appearing to be free from ice, as far
as could be discerned from the heights, I thought
it unnecessary to take all the spare people on
with me, and therefore left the interpreter with
others to remain at Akaitcho's lodges until the
carpenters, who were wanted to inspect the boat,
should return with further instructions for their
guidance. Seeing that I was about to depart,
Akaitcho looked very melancholy, and cautioned
me against the dangers of a river which he
plainly told me none of the present race of
Indians had the least knowledge of: especially
did he warn me against Esquimaux treachery,
which, he said, was always perpetrated under the
disguise of friendship ; and " when you least
expect it," added he, " they will attack you.
I am afraid I shall never see you again," he
continued; " but should you escape from the
great water, take care you are not caught by the
winter, and thrown into a situation like that in
which you were on your return from the Copper-
mine, for you are alone, and the Indians cannot
help you." Having endeavoured to quiet his
apprehensions by acquainting him with my in-
tended precautions, and my determination to
keep to the river in the event of any accident to
314 EMBARKATION.
the boat, which could only happen by the special
permission of the Great Spirit, in whose keeping
we were as safe as if we had a score of boats,
I recommended him to collect plenty of provi-
sions for me by the autumn, and in two moons
and a half to look beyond the mountains for the
smoke of my fires on our return. Then, shaking
him by the hand, I stepped into the boat : it
was half loaded ; and pulling down stream
we entered a small lake, whose western shore
led to a narrow channel formed by an island
with a rapid on either side. The one which we
ran was rather shoal, but the boat did not
ground ; and having rounded the north end of
the island, we encamped at a clump of willows
on the eastern shore, which offered every con-
venience for drying and caulking her. In the
space of an hour, the whole of the cargo was
brought without dogs or sledges ; and the boat
being turned up to dry, we were rejoiced to see
that the bottom was uninjured, having been
merely scraped in one place. The thermometer
to-day was 56° with a light breeze from E. by S.
It is remarkable that for near a month past
there had not been two consecutive days of fine
weather ; and now as we hoped the charm was
broken, the clouds began to gather with the
declining sun, and by midnight assumed an
aspect so decidedly stormy as not to be mistaken.
HEAVY STORMS. 315
It really looked as if that watery saint, old
Swithin, had taken it into his head to leave his
favourite abode in England, just to travel north
a little, and was then on his passage hereabout.
However this may be, the rain poured, and the
wind blew, first in hollow gusts, then in loud
squalls, and last of all in a downright heavy
gale sufficient to have laid low the pride of the
tallest and stoutest pine in the forest : as it was,
its fury was thrown away, the only trophy of its
prowess being the upsetting of our tent, though
secured with a rampart of heavy stones, and the
carrying off of one of my moccassins. Not the less,
however, did it continue to rage, and throughout
the whole of July 5th the boat was untouched ;
nor was there the least abatement on the follow-
ing day, which, being Sunday, was devoted to
the exercise of our religious duties, during the
whole performance of which I observed with
great pleasure that the men paid the most de-
corous attention. This state of weather could
not last much longer without deluging the
country; and on the 7th the storm gradually
moderated, got drizzly, and finally spit only at
intervals, still loth, as it seemed, to leave off. At
last the sun peeped faintly through the grey
clouds, and at his setting lit up a hope of better
times. The boat was finished, and the carpenters,
with an Iroquois, who had been purposely kept
316
OUR CREW.
to accompany them, were dismissed, and desired
to return with the other men with all possible
diligence to Mr. McLeod.
July 8th. — There was still rain, but a break
in the clouds indicated something of a change ;
and I had the boat launched and laden with her
cargo, which, together with ten persons, she
stowed well enough for a smooth river, but not
for a lake or sea-way. The weight was calcu-
lated at 3360lbs., exclusive of the boat's cover-
ing or awning, masts, yards, sails, spare oars,
poles, planking, and the crew. The latter, as
now finally reduced, consisted of —
James M'Kay,
George Sinclair,
Charles M'Kenzie,
Peter Taylor,
James Spence,
John Ross,
William Malley,
Hugh Carron,
Highlander
Half-breed
Highlander
Half breed
Orkney
Highlander
Lancashire
Irish
Artillery-
men.
Steersman.
Do. & Bowman.
Bowman.
-Middlemen.
Besides Mr. Richard King, the Surgeon, and
myself.
At 10 a. m. we pushed from the shore, and
found the rain had caused a rise of full eight
inches in the river, which varied in breadth from
two hundred yards to a quarter of a mile, as long
as it kept between the rocky ridge of the moun-
tains, a distance of about six miles. In this
part, I remarked the same characteristic features
GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY. 317
of gneiss and porphyritic rocks, with large frag-
ments and boulders on them, as Dr. Richardson*
describes as presenting themselves in the neigh-
bourhood of Fort Enterprise and Point Lake.
Many of these rocks were broken into cliffs and
precipices, which faced to the east. Numerous
regular gullies, or what might once have served
for tributary channels, cut the river with con-
siderable uniformity east and west. The beds of
most of them were half filled with earth, stones,
and moss, together with some few willows, whose
small and tardy leaves were just beginning to
look green. A wide and deep channel that was
passed terminated in a rapid, which having first
carefully examined, was run with a full cargo,
and brought us to a small lake perfectly free
from ice. This lake is remarkable, as forming
the northern boundary of the Heywood chain
of mountains, which here slope off into incon-
siderable and regular hills, so thickly strewed
with grey rocks and stones as to have the ap-
pearance of an immense quarry with loose
rubbish about it. The river now became con-
tracted, and formed an easy rapid, upon the
northern bank of which I made our first cache
of pemmican, nearly opposite to a little sand-hill.
The stream soon became wider, and opened into
a lake so completely blocked up with ice as to
arrest our progress, and at 6 p.m. we encamped.
* Appx., Franklin.
318 OUR PROGRESS STOPPED BY THE ICE.
McKay and Sinclair were immediately de-
spatched, one on either side of the lake, to find
out the most likely part for getting through.
But while they were absent, a light breeze from
the N.W. sprung up, and opened a channel along
the western shore, barred only by two pieces of
ice, which were jammed against the point nearest
us. Through these a passage was cut ; and on
the return of the men, who, I was sorry to hear,
had seen another lake covered with ice, the boat
was hauled carefully on, and for three or four
hundred yards we were enabled to use the oars;
a shift of wind then closed the heavier masses
ahead; but, by cutting and poling, we ultimately
succeeded in reaching open water, and at lh30ra
a.m. again pitched the tent. As the boat leaked
a little, she was left in the water ; and, to pre-
vent her getting damaged from the floating ice,
the men slept in her.
In the morning of the 9th there was more
rain, so that we did not get away before
10h a.m. ; when it fortunately happened that
a narrow opening was formed inshore, and
allowed of our crossing to the eastern, which
was the weather side, where there was a lane
of water as far as the low points allowed us
to see. A little more than an hour's pulling,
however, took us to the end of it ; and we
found that a reef of large stones, cased in ice,
DANGER FROM THE RAPIDS. 319
divided it from another lane. This ice being
in shallow water, was porous and rotten, so that
it yielded to the united effect of the axe and the
weight of the men ; and, at the expiration of an
hour and a half, the boat was got through,
though not without some awkward scrapings.
An easy rapid, and the shelving shore of a
sand-hill, rather encouraged the hope that the
river would turn out favourably; but that il-
lusion was soon dispelled by a very long rapid
immediately succeeding, where the boat was
only saved by all hands jumping into the break-
ers, and keeping her stern up the stream until
she was cleared from a rock that had brought
her up. We had hardly time to get into our
places again, when we were carried with con-
siderable velocity past a river which joined from
the westward ; a rapid then followed ; after
which another tributary was observed coming
from the same quarter.
The hills in that direction did not exceed
three hundred feet in height, and often not
fifty ; but they had the same sterile appearance,
and were spotted with the same dark fragments
of rocks or stones as those already passed. On
the eastern side sandy banks were frequently*
met with, which gradually rose into acclivities,
or gently sloping mounds, with small streamlets
winding round their bases, affording pasturage
320 A SERIES OF RAPIDS.
to musk oxen and deer. The latter scampered
away as we approached, but the former stood
stupidly gazing at us : luckily for them, we
were not in want of their carcasses.
An island, near the centre of the river, with
thin columns of mist rising suspiciously at quick
intervals on each side, made it necessary to land.
Having ascertained that there was, as had been
expected, a fall, we carried the baggage below
it, and the boat was then brought down in a
manner which convinced me that McKay and
Sinclair thoroughly understood their business;
for, by dexterous management in the rush of
the fall, they avoided the principal danger, and
the boat swept into the eddy with the ease and
buoyancy of a water-fowl. The stream was
very irregular in its dimensions, for it was now
a quarter of a mile broad, and continued so for
nearly three miles, when it contracted into two
hundred yards, and, running in a serpentine
direction, formed a series of no less than five
rapids, augmented by two streams from the
westward. A still sheet of water, bounded to
the right by mounds and hills of white sand,
with patches of rich herbage, where numerous
deer were feeding, brought us to a long and
appalling rapid, full of rocks and large bould-
ers ; the sides hemmed in by a wall of ice, and
the current flying with the velocity and force of
IMMINENT DANGER. 321
a torrent. The boat was lightened of her cargo,
and I stood on a high rock, with an anxious
heart, to see her run it. I had every hope
which confidence in the judgment and dexterity
of my principal men could inspire ; but it was
impossible not to feel that one crash would be
fatal to the expedition. Away they went, with
the speed of an arrow, and in a moment the
foam and rocks hid them from my view. I
heard what sounded in my ear like a wild
shriek, and saw Mr. King, who was a hundred
yards before me, make a sign with his gun,
and then run forward. I followed, with an
agitation which may be conceived ; and, to my
unexpressible joy, found that the shriek was
the triumphant whoop of the crew, who had
landed safely in a small bay below. I could not
but reward them with a glass of grog a-piece,
and they immediately applied themselves to
the fatiguing work of the portage, with as
much unconcern as if they had only crossed a
mill-pond. It grew late before this last task
was accomplished, and then Malley was miss-
ing. Some of the men were despatched in
search of him ; and at length he returned,
heartily tired with rambling among swamps and
rocks, having lost himself in consequence of
deviating from the course of the river. Such
incidents (among voyageurs) generally afford
Y
3QC2 PLUNDER OF A BAG OF PEMMICAN.
a name to the spot where they happen ; so, to
conform to the usage, I called this Malley's
Rapid.
On opening another bag of pemmican to-
night, the upper part was found to be mouldy,
as if it had been wet : on removing it, a stone
was found, and a further examination led to the
discovery of layers of mixed sand, stones, and
green meat — the work of some rascally Indian,
who, having pilfered the contents, had adopted
this ingenious device to conceal his peculation.
And well indeed it must have been managed,
since it had escaped the experienced eye of
Mr. McLeod, who considered the whole to be
in good order. As it was now uncertain whether
we might not be carrying a heap of stones instead
of provision, every bag underwent a severe
probing, and, much to our satisfaction, the re-
mainder proved sound and well-tasted.
For five days the sun had been visible only
thrice, and this night and the morning of the
10th were so rainy, that, with an intricate piece
of water before us, we did not venture to stir,
until a short respite tempted us to try what
could be done. The rapid was wedged in between
two hills that forbade all landing in case of an
accident : so to guard against consequences, as
far as possible, I had the guns, ammunition, and
instruments carried, and thought it advisable to
OBSTRUCTIONS ON OUR PASSAGE. 323
direct the same precaution to be observed at
every rapid throughout the river navigation.
We had but just started when the rain poured
down as usual, bringing with it a cold northerly
wind, and a fog which, shutting out from view
the rocks under water, added to the difficulty,
already sufficiently great, of worming out a
passage in a strong current, broken by shoals
and sharp stones so as not to allow of a mo-
ment's indecision. Another rapid and a portage
took us to what would have been still water,
had not the wind crested it with white waves
considerable enough to prove the buoyancy and
dry qualities of the boat, which, considering how
deeply she was laden, took in very little water.
The only peculiarity in the scenery was the
striking: contrast of the white sand-banks with the
irregular rocky hills in the distance, which were
of a gloomy greyish hue, scarcely enlivened by
the dull green of the vegetation with which they
were thinly covered Occasionally we passed
some low islands, and many deer were feeding
in the prairies on either side. From a narrow
we emerged into a wide space, which various
cliffy banks to the left induced me to think
would take a bend to the westward ; but, on
getting there, an opposite current was found,
which was subsequently discovered to be owing
to the junction of another large river. The fog
y 2
3C24< BOISTEROUS WEATHER.
then became so dense, that the nearest land was
concealed from our view ; and perceiving that
we were drawn towards a rapid, we pulled hastily
for the shore, and encamped. The magnitude
of objects, as is well known, is increased in such
an atmosphere ; and some ice that still adhered
to either side wore so formidable an aspect that,
together with the roar of the rapid, it made
us really glad to be safe on shore.
The 11th commenced with heavy rain and a
gale from the N.W., which did not lull throughout
the day ; we were consequently prevented from
moving, as the boat could not be taken down the
rapids on account of the spray hiding the rocks,
as well as the impossibility of keeping her under
control. Instead of decreasing with the decline
of the sun, the gale freshened, and became far
more boisterous. Neither did the morning of the
12th bring any change for the better : the squalls
were more violent ; and even with the shelter of
a high bank, the tent was with difficulty saved
from being swept down. In the former expe-
ditions farther west, we had never experienced
an extraordinary quantity of rain ; indeed the con-
trary might rather have been remarked ; and if it
sometimes blew more fresh than usual, the gale
seldom lasted more than twelve or twenty-four
hours at most, and was generally followed by
fine warm weather. But here was a combination
DEER-HUNTING. 325
of foul and boisterous weather, a very chaos
of wind and storm, against which it was vain
to struggle.
July 13th was still hazy with showers, but my
patience was exhausted ; and at 5 a. m. we started,
and found ourselves in what might be called a
continuous rapid, which after a few miles was
joined by a stream from the left, divided at its
confluence by an island near the centre. Near
this was a lake, ruffled by a head wind, against
which we had some difficulty in making way.
Two or three hundred deer, and apart from them
herds of musk oxen, were either grazing or sleep-
ing on its western banks, which looked green
and swampy, and were all more or less cloven by
inconsiderable ravines, with a clayey surface.
These soon disappeared in the rising ground,
which, broken by isolated rocks naked and black,
had its boundary in a semicircular range of irre-
gularly shaped hills.
For the first time in nine days the sun shone
out in the morning, and I eagerly took occasion
of the welcome visit to get sights ; whilst in
the meantime our hunters, unable to resist the
tempting neighbourhood of so many animals, and
fidgetty to try their new guns, were allowed to
go in pursuit, with the express stipulation, how-
ever, that they were not to fire at the does or
the last year's fawns. In less than an hour they
y 3
326 OBSERVATIONS.
returned with four bucks, which were just be-
ginning to get into condition. The change of
food was palatable enough to all parties ; but as
we had abundance of provision, and the boat was
already too much lumbered, I discouraged all
such pursuits for the present.
The result of the observations gave the lati-
tude 65° 38' 21/N., and longitude 106° 35' <Z3/;
W. This, as to the former, agreed very well
with the dead reckoning, but gave the latter
more to the eastward. Having examined a line
of deep rapids that had a clear lead, we did not
hesitate to run them with full cargo, and in so
doing passed some singularly serrated and rugged
hills, which, stretching from the limit of view
in round and naked masses, dipped into the
water with a curiously diversified stratification at
an angle of 170°. A white wolf, some geese,
and partridges with young ones, were observed
here. A small tributary came in from the left,
and thence the river spread itself into several
branches, which not a little puzzled me; though,
as we were then situated, the right channel for
our purpose was obviously that which trended to
the westward of north. Accordingly we pulled
towards that branch, and shortly opened a view
to the S. E., so extensive that the extreme dis-
tance was definable only by a faint blue line.
I was a little alarmed at such a syphon-
DEVIATION OF THE RIVER. 3QTj
like turn; yet I endeavoured to persuade my-
self that the river would not ultimately deviate
so very far from its original course, and went
on. to the western inlet. However, as we ad-
vanced the opening assumed a more circular
appearance, and the altitudes of the boundary
hills became more and more equal and unbroken,
until at last, when we got fairly to the entrance,
it was evidently only a bay. But though it
could not be concealed that a range of low
mountains, stretching in a direction N. W. and
S. E., seemed to oppose an insurmountable
barrier to the onward course of the river in
the direction of my hopes, yet, as there was
one part unexamined, where a strong ripple
with white waves had been seen, I was unwilling
to abandon all hope until it had been ascer-
tained what that ripple was. Accordingly a party
crossed overland, and soon saw that the foam
was caused by a heavy rapid which fell into the
river at that part. My disappointment and un-
easiness may be conceived. All my plans and
calculations rested on the assumption of the
northerly course of the river; but this deter-
mined bend to the S. E. and the formidable
barrier ahead seemed to indicate a very different
course, and a termination not, as had been anti-
cipated, in the Polar Sea, but in Chesterfield Inlet.
However, be the issue what it might, Hudson's
y 4
328 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.
Bay or the Polar Sea — I had no alternative but
to make for the S. E. We were at this time
little more than a degree to the southward of
the confluence of Back's River with Bathurst's
Inlet ; but all hope that this river would prove
identical with the Thlew-ee-choh, or that the
latter would trend to the westward, was utterly
extinguished. Our proximity to the coast, how-
ever, explained the cold and dreary weather
which had lately incommoded us.
A fresh and fair wind now relieved the men
from the labour of the oars, and we ran under the
foresail (a lug) until 8 p.m.; when, being stopped
by a ridge of ice reaching from shore to shore,
directly athwart our course, we hauled into a
deep bay, and secured the boat in snug shelter
under the lee of the weather land. The temper-
ature had scarcely varied from 42°, and there
was a chilliness in the wind which blew from the
coast that made cloaks and blankets very accept-
able. Towards the close of the day's journey
the country assumed a more mountainous and
imposing appearance, but continued rugged and
desolate. Many parts bore a close resemblance
to the lava round Vesuvius, the intermediate
spaces being filled up with green patches of
meadow, which literally swarmed with deer,
not fewer than twelve or fifteen hundred having
been seen within the last twelve hours.
14th of July. — During the night, the wind
DETAINED BY THE ICE. 329
veered a couple of points to the northward, and
increased to a gale, which made it impossible
to move with our cargo. But, wishing to as-
certain if there was any prospect of a lead
through the ice inshore, the boat was sent quite
light, with directions to the steersman to land,
and examine the whole length along the western
edge ; and, at the same time, to see if the nature
of the ground would allow of our making a
portage. At 8 a.m. he returned, with a report
that the ice was closely packed, with so heavy a
surf running that any attempt to approach it
might stave the boat ; while the land side, he
said, was equally impracticable, owing tp the
unevenness of the rocks. There was, therefore,
nothing left, but to remain patiently until a
change of wind or its violence should demolish
the ice and make a passage for us. This accord-
ingly was gradually effected, and about sunset
we had the satisfaction to perceive a clear space,
so far as could be judged up to the blue land
in the distance. We now, therefore, only waited
for an abatement of the gale to take advantage
of this good fortune.
The night was squally ; but the wind having
somewhat moderated, we got away at 5 o'clock
on the following morning, July 15th, the ther-
mometer then standing at 38°. The stream
stiil carried us to the south-east, and though the
different bays and openings to the westward were
330 A SERIES OF CASCADES.
anxiously examined, in the hope that a passage
might be found through one of them, the land
was found continuous, and still bore to the east-
ward. By 10 a.m. the mountains had dwindled
to hills, which soon gave place to sand-banks,
especially to the right ; an ominous indication of
the future course of the stream. The lake,
which I have named after my friend Captain
Beechey, visibly decreased in breadth ; and at
length discharged itself by what, from the loud
roar that was heard long before we got to it, was
conjectured to be a fall, but which was found
to be in fact an awful series of cascades, nearly
two miles in length, and making, in the whole,
a descent of about sixty feet. The right bank
was the most favourable for a portage, which
we commenced without loss of time, while the
two steersmen were despatched to examine the
falls. Their report was, " that it was possible
the boat might be got down, but they did not
see how she ever could be got up again -9" a con-
sideration of no great moment yet, when we were
not out of walking distance from the house, what-
ever it might become afterwards. Accordingly,
having completed the portage, and made another
cache of pemmican and fat, to which was added
a spare oar, the trial was made with the boat.
She was first lifted over some obstacles, and then
lowered cautiously down the different descents ;
OBSERVATIONS. 331
and so alternately lifted, launched, and lowered,
until she was safely brought to the eddy below,
which being also rough, she was finally hauled
on the gravel. The observations to-day gave the
latitude 65° 14' W N., longitude 106° 0' 53"
W., and variation 39° 12' E. ; so that it appeared
we had got considerably to the southward and
eastward of our position two days before. The
country was still composed of the same variety
of rocky hills and swampy prairies, though the
latter were far more extensive, and, near the
cascades, might be called plains, all thickly in-
habited by deer.
July 16th. — We embarked before 4 a.m., and
a strong current carried us to a broad part of the
river, which, I was rejoiced to see, took a sudden
turn to the northward ; but at a detached conical
hill, somewhat farther on, it again bent suddenly
to the southward, and, as there was no passage
perceptible at its farther extremity, the crew
jocosely said we should be sucked under ground.
However, an extremely sharp angle led us be-
tween cliffs in a contracted channel into a rapid,
at the foot of which it was necessary to land to
avoid another, the waves of which were too high
to allow of its being run with the cargo. When
lightened, the boat ran it uninjured. A loud
roar of rushing water, heard for the distance of
about a mile, had prepared us for a long line of
332 RAPIDS AND CASCADES,
rapids, which now appeared breaking their furious
way through mounds and ranges of precipitous
sand-hills of the most fantastic outline. Some of
them resembled parts of old ruins or turrets, and
would have offered pleasing subjects for sketch-
ing. The course of the river became afterwards
more tortuous, and its clear blue tint yielded to
an olive green, more or less dark according to
the character of the muddy tributaries which
poured in their contents from both sides. As
we drew away from the influence of the cold
winds coming from Bathurst's Inlet, a propor-
tionate and most agreeable change took place in
the weather ; and at 2 p.m. of this day the ther-
mometer stood at 68° in the shade, and 84°
in the sun. We glided quickly along with the
strong current, passing by peaked sand-hills,
which rose like artificial structures amidst low
shelving prairies, covered with deer to the amount
of many thousands. After crossing a small lake,
where the current could just be distinguished in
the centre, the stream again contracted to about
three hundred yards, and precipitated itself over
a bed of rocks, forming rapids and cascades,
which compelled us to carry the principal bag-
gage ; a precaution, indeed, never omitted when
there was the least appearance of danger. Three
detached and lofty hills of gneiss, with obtuse
conical tops quite bare, here formed conspicuous
LAND-MARKS. 333
objects. From the level character of the land
to the eastward, they could be seen at a great
distance, and might thus serve as marks for any
wanderers whom chance or design should bring
to this far country.
Indeed, that they had already been made use
of for this purpose seemed to be indicated by
numbers of piled stones, precisely similar in
figure to those which I remembered to have
seen along the banks of the Copper Mine River,
as well as by some trenched divisions of ground,
containing the moss-covered stones of circular
encampments, evidently the work of the Esqui-
maux, on whose frontiers we had arrived. I
confess that these unequivocal traces of the
" shivering tenants" of the arctic zone did not
a little surprise me ; since on former occasions
we had not found them at a distance from the
coast. Was it possible, I asked myself, that we
were nearer the sea than I had imagined ? It was
not likely that they had come from Bathurst's
Inlet, though not more than one hundred and
seventeen miles off, for that lay to the north-west,
and they would fall on the river much nearer,
namely, at the western extremity of Lake
Beechey. On the other hand, if they came
from the eastward, were they from Chesterfield
Inlet, the western or nearest termination of
which, according to Arrowsmith's map, was not
less than one hundred and fifty-eight miles ?
834) CONTRACTION OF THE RIVER.
By a minute inspection of the marks, I was at
length 'satisfied that they all pointed N. E. and
S. W. with as much precision as if they had
been so placed by compass, and hence concluded
that it was in the former bearing that we
might expect to find the Esquimaux; though,
whether far or near, we had as yet no means
of determining.
The river, from an imposing width, now gra-
dually contracted to about fifty yards, and this
narrow space had projecting rocks which com-
pressed the passage still more. In the language
of voyageurs, this form is denominated a spout ;
and the only danger attending the going
through it is the risk of being thrown into the
eddy at an unfavourable moment; in which
case, some serious accident is sure to occur.
We ran this one, and were lifted considerably
higher than the side water, as we shot down
with fearful velocitv. Familiar as I was with
such scenes, I could not but feel thankful that
we escaped safe, and determined for the future
to lower down all others. The stream after
these agitations settled into a calm though not
very gentle current, which swept us opposite a
magnificent river, as broad as the Thames at
Westminster, joining the Thlew-ee-choh from
the eastward. Some Esquimaux marks on the
banks seemed to point this out as their line of
route ; and I was far from being convinced that
baillie's river. SS5
it was not the The-lew, however much that opi-
nion might be at variance with the accounts we
had received from the Indians.* Whatever it
was, it received the name of Baillie's River,
after my worthy friend, George Baillie, Esquire,
Asrent General for Crown Colonies. Not a
great way from this we encamped ; and some
explanations having been made to the crew, as
to the caution which the smallness of our number
rendered necessary, a regular watch was estab-
lished, in which Mr. King undertook to look
out from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., the usual hour of
starting.
The following morning, instead of gaining to
the westward, which various gleams of open
water in that direction had again led us to hope,
the river turned short round to the eastward; but
after three or four miles, again resumed its old
course. Sand-banks and islands were constantly
met with; and from our ignorance of the channels
between them, we were repeatedly aground. In
these cases, the people had to wade until the boat
again floated freely, with the chance of being
thrown into the same situation ten minutes after-
wards. Since the junction of Baillie's River,
the stream had sensibly widened ; and had it
not been for the strong current, might have been
* From a minute inquiry made afterwards, I have every
reason to believe that the The-lew falls into Chesterfield
Inlet.
336 FLOCKS OF GEESE.
taken for a lake. It was bordered on either
side by a low sandy district, studded with a few
inconsiderable rocky hills, mostly detached, and
a mile or two from each other. Even these soon
disappeared, giving place to an alluvial deposit,
so flat as scarcely to rise beyond the general
horizontal line, and to raise our hopes of being
near the sea; a notion rendered more probable
by the great resemblance of the country to the
western mouth of the McKenzie. Once, indeed,
some of the party imagined that they saw tents ;
but these, as we advanced, proved to be nothing
but a solitary and luxuriant border of fine wil-
lows, the secure retreat of hundreds of geese,
which having lately cast their large quill feathers,
were unable to fly; though, aided by instinct and
good legs for running, they frequently eluded
our most active hunters. If in the water — which,
however, they took all pains to avoid — they had
recourse to diving; and on rising to breathe,
merely exposed their heads and a small part of
the back, so that often they were not seen, and
still oftener missed when fired at. On land,
they either had a fair run for it, or plunged into
any cover that happened to be near; through
which, however thick, they waddled sufficiently
quick to double on their pursuers, and lead them
into many ludicrous situations which called forth
the merriment of the rest.
OBSERVATIONS. 337
The low land was now diversified by occa-
sional mounds; and presented an opening to
the left caused by a river which was called after
Captain Superintendent Sir Samuel Warren, of
Woolwich Dock Yard. The banks here were
higher, sometimes rising into cliffs, but of the
same dry and sandy character, barren and cheer-
less. Again, trending more to the eastward,
we passed Jervoise River, another large tribu-
tary from the right; and then came to a low
sandy opening, which seemed to be completely
shut in, until at the northern limit a rapid
channel led us among some rocks that appeared
to extend from an adjacent height towards a range
of hills to the north-west. The sun being too
low to allow of our running the rapids before
us, we encamped. There were some musk oxen
here ; but neither they nor even the deer or
geese were startled, unless they saw some one
actually going towards them. The observations
to-day gave the latitude 65° 9' W N., longitude
103° 33' 8" W., and the variation 30° 6' E. ; thus
showing that we had made nearly all easting.
The threatening appearance of the curling waves,
and the roar and gloom of a defile along which
our course now lay, rendered it necessary to
examine what there might be to contend with
among the frowning rocks, which, overlapping
as they receded, seemed to the eye as if they
z
338 TACT REQUISITE IN COMMAND.
blocked up the passage. Some time was un-
avoidably spent in doing this ; and the report
was an expression of the same sort of doubt as
on a former occasion. This, however, I looked
for as of course ; for it could not be expected
that the steersmen, however excellent in their
capacity, should be equally anxious to proceed
as myself: their predictions of the difficulties
we should encounter on our return were, on the
contrary, frequent, though I parried them by
referring to my experience in these latitudes,
and to the entire alteration produced by the dif-
ferent periods of the season in the character of
the rivers ; with which reasonings they were
generally satisfied. It may perhaps appear to
some persons that to persuade those whom I
might have commanded was a gratuitous and
unnecessary trouble; but it should be borne in
mind that, in services not purely military, the
party is not, and cannot be, brought under strict
habits of discipline. The success of such an
expedition depends materially on the temper
and disposition of the leading men, who must
sometimes be reasoned with, and at others kept
in check, as circumstances may direct. It is
necessary that they should feel a confidence in
and attachment to their leader, not paying a
mere sulky obedience to his orders ; and what
they do will thus be done heartily and with good
will, not as the cold fulfilment of a contract.
PRECIPITOUS ROCKS. . 339
Early in the following morning we pushed
out into the beginning of the rapids, when the
boat was twirled about in whirlpools against
the oars; and but for the amazing strength of
McKay, who steered, it must inevitably have
been crushed against the faces of the protruding
rocks. As we entered the defile, the rocks on
the right presented a high and perpendicular
front, so slaty and regular that it needed no
force of imagination to suppose them severed at
one great blow from the opposite range ; which,
craggy, broken, and overhanging, towered in
stratified and many-coloured masses far above
the chafing torrent. There was a deep and
settled gloom in the abyss — the effect of which
was heightened by the hollow roar of the rapid,
still in deep shade, and by the screaming of
three large hawks, which frightened from their
aerie were hovering high above the middle of
the pass, and gazing fixedly upon the first in-
truders on their solitude ; so that I felt relieved
as it were from a load when we once more burst
forth into the bright sunshine of day. The boat
was then allowed to drive with the current, the
velocity of which was not less than six miles
an hour, among whirlpools and eddies, which
strangely buffeted her about. The men, glad to
rest from their oars, were either carelessly look-
ing at the objects which they passed, or whiffing
z 2
340 ADVENTURE OF A FOX.
the ever welcome pipe, when something was
seen swimming a little ahead, which was taken
for a young fawn. As we nearly touched it in
passing, the bowman, almost without looking,
stretched out his hand to grasp it ; but drew it
in again as quick as lightning, and springing up
for the boat-hook, called out, " D — n it, it has
bit me ! it's a fox." I would not allow it to be
fired at ; and Reynard gained the bank, and skip-
ped about as if enjoying the trick he had played.
Still widening, the river rolled on without
obstruction, being here large enough to remind
me of the McKenzie. Heavy and long borders
of thick ice, with a great deal of snow, were on
the sides of the sloping banks, full ten feet
above the present level. As we advanced still
most provokingly to the eastward, a large river,
nearly as broad as that which we were descend-
ing, came through a low country to the right,
and after many windings effected a junction
round a little sandy bluff. It was named after
Rear-Admiral McKinley, who has uniformly
evinced a great interest in the recent voyages
of discovery. The land then became more un-
even, and soon changed into hills, partly com-
posed of bare rocks, with loose masses on them.
On one, indeed, something higher than the rest,
we thought for a long time there was a man ;
but afterwards the general opinion determined
ESQUIMAUX MARKS. 841
it to be a heap of stones, possibly placed there
by the Esquimaux. And this was the more
probable, as on arriving opposite to another
wide tributary, called, after his Majesty's Consul
at New York, Buchanan's River, a great number
of marks were seen distributed at particular
points, and on commanding eminences along
the banks, apparently for the purpose of either
frightening the deer, which were plentiful as
usual, into a particular course, or as places of
ambush when in quest of them. The latter I
think the more likely ; because at certain distances
along: the line of marks there were semicircular
skreens built of stones, having the high part, of
from two to three feet, towards the open country,
and the sloped or exposed side facing the river,
under the banks of which the hunters would be
effectually hid in passing to their lurking sta-
tions ; while even if the deer were not only in
front of the marks, but also between them and
the water's edge, they might still be useful as a
cover, and a communication might be kept up
by crawling from one to another.
The breadth of the river now varied from a
quarter to a mile and half; and, what exceedingly
delighted me, it made a bend to the north. The
country became decidedly hilly, with an odd
mixture of ravines, conical sand-hills with black
mossy tops, and isolated rocks, which rose like
z 3
342 BULLEN RIVER.
sombre fortresses over the green and yellow soil
to the westward. It looked as if constant
floods had washed away the lighter earth, and
left those solid masses as monuments of their
ravages. We made for a distant blue peak, and
passed a cluster of islands ; one of which was
remarkable for being overgrown with willows,
while its neighbours were as sterile as the de-
sert. Keeping close to the western shore, we
rounded a jutting point, and opened upon a
deep bay which received the waters of a broad
river. This river has been named after my
much respected friend Captain Superintendent
Sir Charles Bullen, of Pembroke Dock Yard,
under whose command I had once the happi-
ness to serve. It is difficult to conjecture where
it may take its rise ; but from the powerful effect
upon the current at two miles below its mouth,
there can be no doubt that an immense body
of water flows through its channel. A little
beyond, a wide westerly bay almost tempted us to
search for an outlet, the current having now got
so slack as to be imperceptible ; and numerous
islands and openings at different bearings occa-
sioned some embarrassment as to the course,
until, after pulling inshore a little, the loom of a
large sheet of ice arrested our attempt in that
quarter; and having again regained the current,
we yielded ourselves to its guidance, and were
again led to the eastward.
A STORM. 343
The weather had been variable, and the ther-
mometer as high as 68°, in the afternoon ; but
the sky suddenly became overcast, and heavy
black clouds rolled from the N. W., which,
bursting with violent squalls, poured down rat-
tling showers of sleet. The storm, however,
passed away, and the evening was fine enough
to draw out some swarms of mosquitoes, that
failed not to " take the goods the gods pro-
vided," when we encamped, as we were obliged
to do, on the edge of a swamp. From the more
hilly character and general trending of the shore,
I entertained a hope that we should soon be led
to the north ; and most devoutly did I wish to
arrive at the gneiss formation, being certain that
to reach the sea in the desired direction, the
river must cut its way through rocks of some
kind, as I had previously observed in the Copper-
mine and McKenzie. In my desire to gain some
further knowledge of the course, I ascended a
distant hill, from the summit of which, with the
help of my glass, I could discern several exten-
sive sheets of water in almost opposite bearings,
one of them being due south ; but owing to the
intervention of rocks, and uneven ground for
about two miles in the line of my view, it was
impossible to determine whether they were sepa-
rate or formed one continuous water. The doubt,
however, was cleared up at an early hour on the
z 4
344 LAKE PELLY.
succeeding morning (July 19th) ; for the cur-
rent, to which we yielded ourselves, in a short
time lost itself in a large lake, full of deep
bays ; one, indeed, with a clear and uninter-
rupted horizon, but glimmering with firm ice.
Having taken a more northerly course than
before, and passed two openings of about fifteen
and twenty miles in extent, we landed on an
island for the purpose of making a third cache
of pemmican. From this point I got cross
bearings, and a view of another opening almost
entirely covered with unbroken ice : a piece of
an old kieyak *, blanched with age, and other
remnants of Esquimaux workmanship, showed
that the place was frequented by them at some
part of the year. The opening itself was distin-
guished by the name of Lake Pelly, after the
liberal and spirited Governor of the Hudson's
Bay Company.
Leaving the island, a slight current piloted us
to a rapid, near which the latitude was obtained,
and informed us that indefatigable as our exer-
tions had been we had gained but little north-
ing, and had abundance of hard work in pros-
pect before we should be permitted to taste salt
water. As for the men, the majority inclined
to a tale told them by an Indian, whom I had
not seen, — that before arriving at the sea, they
* Esquimaux canoe.
CONJECTURES OF AN INDIAN. 345
would find an immense lake, with such deep
bays that no Indian had ever been round them ;
these he said, lay to the easward, but they must
be careful to keep on its western side, and by
so doing would arrive at a steep and heavy fall
between high rocks ; this the boat would not be
able to pass, but from thence they might easily
walk to the " bad water ;" near which, he
assured them, they would also certainly find the
Esquimaux. It was true that we had consider-
ably strayed from the direction thus indicated,
and had come more than double the distance at
which the Indian placed the sea ; but still, here
was a large lake with bays answering to the
description, or it might be that we should come
to another still larger ; after which, it was their
opinion, the remainder would be verified.
The strong current from the rapid gave us
some expectation that the tediousness and un-
certainty of winding and groping our way in
the lake was at an end ; but, to our chagrin and
annoyance, we soon again found ourselves in a
wide indefinable space, studded with islands of
sand-hills, with, occasionally, a clear horizon to-
wards the S. and N. W. The difficulty of finding
the river increased as we advanced amid this
labyrinth, between the openings of which dis-
tant land could sometimes be faintly discovered.
The unwelcome glare of ice was also seen. From
346 ENCAMP ON AN ISLAND.
time to time we found a current ; still we were
baffled, and had often to turn on our track, only
perhaps to make another deviation. At length
we observed a number of grayling playing in a
narrow, and rising at the flies which fell acci-
dentally into the water; and aware that these
fish usually frequent the outlets and channels of
connecting water, we profited by the hint, and
so far had reason to be satisfied with our judg-
ment. But towards evening our hopes were again
blighted by the startling sight of extensive and
unbroken fields of ice, stretching to the extremest
point of vision. Seeing, therefore, no chance
of further progress at present, I encamped on a
spot which, judging from the circles of stones
found regularly placed, had doubtless at some
time been used by the Esquimaux for the same
purpose.
We were on an island ; and the ridges and
cones of sand were not only of great height, but
singularly crowned with immense boulders, grey
with lichen, which assuredly would have been
considered as having been placed by design, had
not the impossibility of moving such enormous
masses proved incontestibly that it was Nature's
work. It was with indescribable sorrow that I
beheld from one of these boulders a firm field of
old ice, which had not yet been disturbed from
its winter station. The nearest land was a bold
VIEW OF THE COUNTRY. 347
rocky bluff about ten miles to the northward, but
receding thence to an indistinct outline ; the
southward view offered nothing more encourag-
ing, for the shore in that direction was low and
distant ; while to the eastward, which was mani-
festly our course, a black line, supposed to be
water, just bordered the horizon. The whole of
this expanse was sealed with ice ; and with the
exception of a lane of open water from our en-
campment to a sand-hill in the south-west, and
some small holes too remote from each other to
serve any purpose, there was not a place that
could with any certainty be fixed on as afford-
ing a passage. Nevertheless the attempt was
made the next morning a little past 3 a. m. ; and
though without the slightest idea of getting
beyond the sand-hill, I directed the steersman
to pull for it : in doing which we soon lost all
traces of the current. The lane grew narrower as
we proceeded, until there was barely room for the
boat to pass with the poles. The ice here, far from
being decayed, was two feet thick, green, and
compact, and gave ominous token of what was in
reserve for us farther north.
Having; arrived at our Ultima Thule, we
ascended the highest hill near; but only to
see one wide and dazzling field of ice extending
far away in every direction, and presenting a
uniform bed of sharp and ragged points, that
would have ground the keel to powder had we
348 OBSTRUCTIONS ENCOUNTERED
tried to launch across it. As for carrying, the
wood was much too sodden and heavy to allow
the thought to be entertained. The steers-
men, whose long acquaintance with inland ice
had made them skilful in discovering the best
way of overcoming such difficulties, were de-
spatched to different stations, that by crossing
the view they might have the better chance
of acquiring the necessary information ; they
returned, however, with nothing but regrets at
their want of success, and did not hesitate to
express an opinion that a passage could not
be reckoned upon until the natural disruption
of the main body. Nor was this the result of
any lukewarmness ; for, on the contrary, they
were zealous and hearty in the cause in which
they had embarked, and the expression of the
opinion was evidently painful to them. Of this
a proof was immediately given by their cheer-
fulness in preparing for a start when I was heard
to say that we would try what old voyageurs
could do. I had in fact discovered by means
of the telescope a slip of what I took to be
water away to the N. E., in which direction, from
the invariable pointing of all the Esquimaux
marks we had yet seen, I felt confident that not
only the river but the sea would be found.
Patches also were visible in the ice between the
water and the opposite land ; and it was clear
IN OUR PASSAGE. 349
that if we could only get along the low southern
shore, which, though apparently unpromising,
yet from its shallowness and greater radiation of
heat favoured the chance of a narrow lane, we
might by making a few portages be fortunate
enough to succeed in reaching the open water ;
and at all events, whether we reached it or not,
the people would be occupied, and prevented
from brooding over their difficulties, and alarm-
ing themselves with the anticipation of imaginary
evils.
For several hours we continued to creep slowly
to the south, sometimes wedged in the ice, at
others cutting through it with axes, and breaking
huge masses away, — now bringing the weight
of the boat and cargo to act, then lifting her
with fenders on each side cautiously through the
openings ; and thus was the way groped nearly
all day, till, as the sun got low, a shallow part
defied every attempt to pass it. In vain did
the people wade and carry the pieces to lighten
the boat ; still she would not float over the large
stones that paved the bottom. The ice, there-
fore, was the only chance ; and after making a
portage for some distance over an extremely
rotten part, she was absolutely lifted over the re-
maining obstructions, and again loaded ; after
which our progress was more satisfactory, and
350 OBSERVATIONS.
by using the same means, though at greater
intervals, we at length (at 9 p.m.) reached the
open water with a strong current. But though
the picturesque sand-hills seemed close to us,
and the crew, half benumbed as they were from
being so long in the water, exerted themselves
to the utmost, and had moreover the aid of the
current, still, with all this, we did not reach
land until past 10 p. m. Our observations placed
us in latitude 65° 48' 4" N., longitude 99° 40'
46" W., with variation 29° 38' E. ; and in sixteen
hours we had only come fourteen miles.
July 21st. — I examined the lake from the
summit of the hill above our encampment, and
found that the current which had befriended us
over night became powerless about two hundred
yards farther on ; at which point the main body
of the ice commenced again, and stretched to an
undefinable distance, interrupted occasionally
by jutting points, over which in some places it
was again visible. A small southerly channel,
however, led to some islands, and for these we
steered, but soon became hampered with sur-
rounding ice. The same mode of proceeding was
therefore adopted as on the preceding day; and
in four hours we were lucky enough to have ad-
vanced eight miles, though not in the direct line
of our course. Some open water was then seen
LAKE GARRY. 351
to the north ; and though doubtful if the river
would be in that quarter or more to the eastward,
I stood over for it, as the inclination of a line of
sand-hills rather favoured the former opinion.
With a little difficulty we succeeded in reaching
a lane, which ultimately led us to the main
land, against whose rocky sides the ice again
abutted. A portage was immediately made, and
the boat lifted over into the water. In ten
minutes we were again stopped by ice, so thick
that all our endeavours to cut a passage with
the axes, and break it as had been hitherto
done, were utterly in vain. Another place,
which seemed to offer fewer obstacles, was tried
with the same result ; we therefore, landed and
made a second portage across the rocks, which
brought us to a sheet of water terminating in a
rapid ; and this, though seldom a pleasing object
to those who have to go down it, was now joy-
fully hailed by us as the end of a lake which had
occasioned us so much trouble and delay. In
summer, however, or, more properly speaking,
autumn, this lake must be a splendid sheet of
water; wherefore, regarding it apart from the
vexations which it had caused me, I bestowed
upon it the name of Lake Garry, after Nicholas
Garry, Esq., of the Hudson's Bay Company, to
whose disinterested zeal in the cause of polar
352 NICHOLAS GARRY, ESQ.
discovery, and undeviating kindness to all con-
nected with it, such honourable testimony has
been borne by Sir Edward Parry and Sir John
Franklin that to dwell on them here is super-
fluous.
353
CHAP. XL
Gigantic Boulders. — Danger from the Rapids, — Course
of the River. — Lake Macdougall. — Hazardous Pas-
sage. — Sinclair's Falls. — Northerly Bend of the
River. — Mount Meadowba?ik. — Altitude of the Rocks.
— The Trap Formation. — Mc Kay's Peak. — Lake
Frankli?i. — Extrication from Peril. — Sluggishness of
the Compass. — Esquimaux — Portrait of a Female,
— Victoria Headland. — Mouth of the Thlew-ee-
Choh. — Cockburn Bay. — Point Backhouse. — Irby
and Mangles' Bay. — Point Beaufort. — Our Progress
arrested. — Montreal Island. — A Mask Ox killed. —
Birds on the Island. — Elliot Bay. — McKay, etc. sent
along the Coast. — Esquimaux Encampments. — Cape
Hay. — Point Ogle. — Progress obstructed by the Ice.
— A Piece of Drft-wood found. — Ross Island. —
Discoveries by Mr. Kmg. — Magnetic Observations. —
Point Richardson. — Point Hardy. — Conjectures as
to a N. W. Passage and Channel to Regenfs Inlet.
Congratulating one another on our release,
we went on with renewed spirits. Much ice was
carried down the rapid, which, instead of going
into the wide space in front, was impelled sud-
denly to the eastward, and thence again hur-
ried by a strong northerly current into a branch
of another lake, the bays of which were not
less than from twelve to fifteen miles deep.
Long ranges of conical and cliff-broken sand-
A A
354* GIGANTIC BOULDERS.
hills extended irregularly nearly round the com-
pass, but mostly to the northward and westward,
towards which direction the stream ran with im-
mense force. There were no rocks visible nearer
than Lake Garry ; but gigantic boulders were
strewed in every direction, and in two instances
were seen on the summits of conical and isolated
sand-hills much resembling those previously
mentioned. One of these was very conspicuous,
as well from its height as from its situation in
the centre of the river, thus forming an excellent
mark for the rapid from any direction. The ther-
mometer had been as high as 102° in the sun, and
was 56° in the shade, with a S. E. wind, so as to
create considerable refraction during the greater
part of the day. The evening, however, was cool ;
and at a little past 8 p.m. we encamped.
The following day we got away at the usual
hour, w7ith the advantage of a swift current,
which now swept to the northward, and in about
an hour brought us to a strong rapid, the descent
of which looked exceedingly like going down hill.
After the usual examination, the steersmen were
desirous of lightening the boat before running
it, but the water was too shoal for landing, and
we were obliged to pole up a small rapid to
an island ; whence it was at length decided, as
no eligible landing-place could be found above
or below it, to risk the descent with the whole
cargo. It was a case of necessity ; so off we
IMMINENT DANGER. 355
pushed, and in a few minutes were plunged into
the midst of curling waves and large rocks ; but
the coolness of the crew, and the great dexterity
of the bow and steersmen, avoided each danger as
it arose. At length, however, one towering
wave threw us on a rock, and something crashed ;
luckily we did not hang, for nothing could have
resisted the force of the torrent, and the slightest
check at such a time would have been inevitable
destruction to the whole party. After being
whirled to and fro by the velocity of counter
currents, we escaped from this without other
damage than a broken keel plate — an acci-
dent which left that part from thenceforth un-
defended — but rapid still followed rapid in
disagreeably quick succession, and I was not
a little rejoiced when we were again fairly in
smooth water; for the lakes we had passed,
with their unknown but assuredly distant bound-
aries, and the numerous deep bays and other
impediments to a land journey, such as I had
acute reasons for remembering, made the safety
of the boat a paramount consideration. Not
that all ordinary accidents which could befall
men in our situation had not been already con-
templated, and as far as my ability extended
provided for ; but these hourly demands on the
nerves brought possible contingencies more home,
and made them sink deeper into the mind. In
a a 2
356 COURSE OF THE RIVER.
short, I could not divest myself of those cares
and anxieties which every conscientious officer
must feel for those, be they few or many, who
look up to him for safety and direction.
Much to our satisfaction the river kept to the
northward, and gave us the hope of making a
little latitude, now become extremely desirable ;
when suddenly, notwithstanding the long view
ahead, towards which the current seemed to be
setting, it turned off at a right angle, and
opened into a spacious lake, the extremity of
which could not be discerned. With singular
eccentricity, however, it soon again trended
northward through a wide space with many deep
bays, some of which were totally covered with
ice. The islands were also numerous ; and
having passed between two where there was a
rapid, we came to so great an extent of water
and ice, land being not visible to the north,
that the steersman exclaimed, " All the lakes
we had yet seen are nothing to this one !"
In its large expanse the current was soon lost,
and proportionate embarrassment was occasioned
us in deciding on the most probable direc-
tion for striking on the river. Several likely
openings near sand-hills were explored ineffectu-
ally between north and east ; for I was unwilling
to think it would be found elsewhere. We
rested on the oars, but the boat remained mo-
LAKE MACDOUGALL. 3oJ
tionless, and gave no clue to the current ; nor
was it until I imagined that I caught the faint
sound of a fall, that we reluctantly pulled along
a border of firm ice which took us away due
south, a direction the very opposite of that to
which my wishes tended, and looking directly
towards Chesterfield Inlet, — the proximity of
which, I will not deny, began to give me serious
uneasiness. Still keeping south, we threaded a
zigzag passage through a barrier of ice, and
were then led by the increasing noise to the end
of the lake, which received the name of " Lake
Macdougall," after my friend the Lieutenant-
Colonel of the gallant 79th Highlanders.
Bending short round to the left, and in a
comparatively contracted channel, the whole
force of the water glided smoothly but irresist-
ibly towards two stupendous gneiss rocks, from
five to eight hundred feet high, rising like islands
on either side. Our first care was to secure the
boat in a small curve to the left, near which the
river disappeared in its descent, sending up
showers of spray. We found it was not one
fall, as the hollow roar had led us to believe, but
a succession of falls and cascades, and whatever
else is horrible in such " confusion worse con-
founded.,, It expanded to about the breadth of
four hundred yards, having near the centre an in-
sulated rock about three hundred feet high, having
aa 3
358 HAZARDOUS PASSAGE
the same barren and naked appearance as those
on each side. From the projection of the main
western shore, which concealed the opening,
issued another serpentine rapid and fall ; while
to the right there was a strife of surge and rock,
the roar of which was heard far and wide. The
space occupying the centre from the first descent
to the island was full of sunken rocks of unequal
heights, over which the rapid foamed, and boiled,
and rushed with impetuous and deadly fury.
At that part it was raised into an arch ; while the
sides were yawning and cavernous, swallowing
huge masses of ice, and then again tossing the
splintered fragments high into the air. A more
terrific sight could not well be conceived, and
the impression which it produced was apparent
on the countenances of the men. The portage
was over scattered debris of the rocks (of which
two more with perpendicular and rounded sides
formed a kind of wall to the left), and afforded a
rugged and difficult way to a single rock at the
foot of the rapid, about a mile distant. The boat
was emptied of her cargo, but was still too
heavy to be carried more than a few yards ; and,
whatever the consequence, there was thus no
alternative but to try the falls.
Every precaution that experience could devise
was adopted ; double lines to the bow and stern
were held on shore by the most careful of the
THROUGH THE FALL. 359
men, and McKayand Sinclair took their stations
at each end of the boat with poles, to keep her
from dashing against the rocks. It was no
common attempt, and excited in me the most
lively concern for their safety. Repeatedly did
the strength of the current hurl the boat within
an inch of destruction, and as often did these
able and intrepid men ward off the threatened
danger. Still, amongst the many descents, she
did not escape without some severe shocks, in
one of which the remaining keel plate was en-
tirely stripped away ; but cool, collected, prompt
to understand and obey the mutual signs which
each made to the other with the hand — for their
voices were inaudible — the gallant fellows finally
succeeded in guiding her down in safety to the
last fall. There she was taken out of the water,
and, with the assistance of Mr. King and myself,
was, though with difficulty, carried below it.
On our return to the baggage, I gave the men a
good glass of grog, with praises which they had
well earned ; and all being weary with exertion,
we encamped for the night.
At 3h 30ra a.m. of the 23d, the people began
carrying the pemmican and boxes across, a task
which the loose and slippery stones made by no
means easy ; and aware that it would take them
till noon to complete the work, I gladly availed
myself of the opportunity to obtain observations ;
A A 4
360 observations.
the result of which was, latitude 65° 54/ 18" N.,
longitude 98° 10' 7" W., variation 29° 16' E. ;
thus showing a diminution of the latter as we
made northing : and indeed, the powerful action
of some influence was apparent in the increasing
sluggishness of the compass, which of late re-
quired to be frequently tapped at the sides to
make it move. But the most interesting observ-
ations were those for dip and intensity, particu-
larly with Hansteen's needle. The former was
taken with a vertical compass by Dollond, which
wasvery dull and heavy, making few vibra-
tions; and when within 10° or 15° from its last
vibration, swagging, and ultimately stopping sud-
denly. For the latter a horizontal one was used,
which moved remarkably slow, and seemed to
hang at the extremity of every oscillation ; but
still vibrated longer and more steadily than
might have been expected after the working of
the other.
I had now also leisure to ascend the highest of
the rocks, which had a smooth table summit of
quartz, red felspar, and horneblende, the red
predominating at that part, though partially co-
vered with a grey and minute yellow lichen. The
Esquimaux had here erected a small obelisk of
slabs, placed perpendicularly on each other; and
within a few paces of it were two more marks,
one consisting of three longitudinal fragments
PROSPECT FROM <c ROCK RAPID." 36l
1
resting against and supporting each other, so as
to form a triangular pyramid ; the other also of
three pioces, but so placed as to form three sides
of a parallelogram. The use of the last one I
could not divine, since it was too large for a fire-
place, of which, indeed, there was no trace, and
not secure enough for a cache. Among the
loose debris, a cache might have been made safe
even from the plundering wolvereens ; but in a
situation so exposed there could be no security.
I could only conjecture that it might, perhaps,
serve as a place of watch and concealment on
hunting or other excursions which might bring
the adventurer within reach of an enemy's arrow.
These piles, like those farther south, pointed
north-ecit, and not due south to Chesterfield
Inlet; which at this point was not more than
ninety- four miles from us, and towards which,
until the turn at the Rock Rapid (our present
encampment), the Thlew-ee-choh seemed to be
directly tending.
The prospect before us, viewed with a telescope
from the commanding eminence of the rock,
extended to an immense distance ; but in no
manner aided to clear up the doubt of what
would be the ultimate course of the river. For
at the utmost limit to the south-east, mingling
with the white haze of the atmosphere, water
was distinctly seen ; which, by following the
362 THE RAPID CHOKED UP WITH ICE.
windings of the valleys, could be traced to
about four miles of where we stood, this short
intermediate space being occupied by a line of
shallow rapids. To the north-east, indeed, in-
terrupted glimpses were caught of a serpentine
stream leading to some sand-hills; but, made
cautious by disappointment, we put little faith
in such appearances.
Whilst making these observations, I had not
once turned round ; but now doing so with the
intention of proceeding on the voyage, I per-
ceived, to my amazement, that there was no
spray rising from the rapid, and that its deafen-
ing roar had subsided into a grinding and hollow
noise, which betokened the destruction of what-
ever it was which caused it. A phenomenon so
utterly at variance with what had existed an hour
before made me hasten down, more, however, to
look after the boat, than for the satisfaction of
any curiosity, as upon consideration I could not
but infer that it was the ice driven by the wind
and current together from Lake Macdougall, that
was choking up the rapid. And so it proved ; it
was the disruption of the main body of the ice, or,
as it is called, the last break up of the season,
when fine weather may be expected. With this
new obstacle there was no immediate contend-
ing ; for in such a torrent the boat would have
been crushed to atoms. At length, however,
MORE RAPIDS. S63
the stream, which rushed with amazing velocity,
by 5 p.m. so far cleared itself as to allow of our
loading the boat; not, however, without risk
from the floating pieces which yet remained beat-
ing about in the eddy, and which it required the
entire attention of two men to keep off. Scarcely
had we pushed from the shore, when we were in
the midst of rapids. Two were run ; but the
third was too dangerous to allow the attempt 5
consequently again we had to carry all the cargo
across a portage of half a mile, while the boat
so lightened was brought safely down the rapid.
The opposite shore was then discovered to be
an island, round the western extremity of which
another branch of the river cut a broad channel,
and joined the one we had selected by a fall often
feet. A quarter of a mile below the junction, this
extraordinary stream was checked by a shelving
ledge of low rocks that turned it to the north, in
the direction of the sand-hills which we had seen
in the early part of the day.
An overcast and stormy night, with much rain,
brought in a morning which forbade the attempt
to start, as it was impracticable, with such a
gale, to keep the lead in the rapid before us ; so
that there was no choice but to wait until it should
calm. In the meantime, McKay was sent to exa-
mine the river farther down, and returned about
noon with an account of several rapids and a
364< Sinclair's falls.
large fall not far from us, and of having seen
some marks on his way. In the afternoon, the
journey was resumed ; and having followed the
turn to the north, and got down the rapids, we
made a portage at Sinclair's Falls ; so named
after one of the steersmen, who has been already
frequently mentioned, and who was so complete
a boatman as to be equal to the duty of the
bow also, which station indeed he had all along
filled.
The river was now near a mile broad, full of
small rocky islands, with falls between each, not
unlike the Pelican Fall in the Slave River. The
boat was lowered down ; and following the
bend, which was bordered by the sand-hills, we
came to an opening disclosing some distant
mountains, towards which it was thought our
course would lie. Conjecture, however, was
useless : even here, we were twice thrown out by
the overlapping of low points and by counter
currents ; but at last we found a wide channel
running to the S. E. At its entrance the fourth
cache of pemmican was made ; and as it was too
late to see the stones in the water, we encamped.
July 25th. — The weather was raw and cold,
though the wind was southerly, and the ther-
mometer 48°. The banks on either side were
low, but curiously paved with round stones,
probably forced in by ledges of grounded ice.
DANGEROUS RAPIDS. 365
The next reach turned to the northward, and be-
came so wide that it might well have been called
a lake. Such expansions always occasioned us
some perplexity, from the uncertainty and diffi-
culty there was in tracing the run of the current.
In this instance, however, it was less inconstant
than usual, and for a few miles continued nearly
in the same course ; when, after gradually con-
tracting, it was broken by a mile of heavy and
dangerous rapids. The boat was lightened, and
every care taken to avoid accidents ; but so over-
whelming was the rush and whirl of the water,
that she, and consequently those in her, were
twice in the most imminent danger of perishing
by being plunged into one of the gulfs formed
in the rocks and hollows of the rapid. It was
in one of those singular and dangerous spots,
which partake of the triple character of a fall,
rapid, and eddy in the short space of a few yards,
that the crew owed their safety solely to an
unintentional disobedience of the steersman's
directions. The power of the water so far ex-
ceeded whatever had been witnessed in any of
the other rivers of the country, that the same
precautions successfully used elsewhere were
weak and unavailing here. The steersman was
endeavouring to clear a fall and some sunken
rocks on the left, but the man to whom he spoke
misunderstood him, and did exactly the reverse \
366 IMMINENT PERIL.
and now, seeing the danger, the steersman swept
round the boat's stern : instantly it was caught
by an eddy to the right, which snapping an oar,
twirled her irresistibly broad side on ; so that for
a moment it seemed uncertain whether the boat
and all in her were to be hurled into the hollow
of the fall, or dashed stern foremost on the sunken
rocks. Something perhaps wiser than chance
ordained it otherwise ; for how it happened no
account can be given, but so it was that her
head swung inshore towards the beach, and
thereby gave Sinclair and others an opportunity
of springing into the water, and thus, by their
united strength, rescuing her from her perilous
situation. Now had the man to whom the first
order was given understood and acted upon it,
no human power could have saved the crew from
being buried in the frightful abyss. Nor yet
could any blame be justly attached to the steers-
man : he had never been so situated before ;
and even in this imminent peril his coolness
and self-possession never forsook him. At the
awful moment of suspense, when one of the crew
with less nerve than his companions began to
cry aloud to Heaven for aid, McKay, in a still
louder voice, exclaimed, " Is this a time for pray-
ing? Pull your starboard oar." "Heaven helps
those who help themselves" seems to have been
the creed of the stout-hearted highlander.
DANGEROUS RAPIDS. 367
On the eastern side we noticed some marks, as
well as the remains of an Esquimaux encampment;
but nothing which denoted when they had been
there. Having made another cache of pemmi-
can, at the foot of Escape Rapid, in order to
lighten the boat as much as possible, we pur-
sued our course ; but had not got more than two
miles farther, when a thick fog and pelting rain
obscured the view, and obliged us to land for
shelter. As soon as it cleared, which was not
before the evening, we renewed the attempt ; and
were urged by a strong current considerably to
the eastward, the river now taking that direction
through a range of cliffy sand-hills, in which,
on some occasions of more than common ob-
struction, its eddies had scooped out extensive
basins. The current, always swift, now rushed
on still faster, and soon became a line of heavy
rapids, which more than once made me tremble
for our poor boat ; for in many parts, not being
able to land, we were compelled to pull hard to
keep her under command, and thus flew past
rocks and other dangers with a velocity that
seemed to forebode some desperate termination:
happily, however, we escaped ; though only to
begin another series. Along the banks of these
last lay several dead deer, which had doubtless
been drowned in attempting to swim to the op-
posite side. At 8 p.m. we arrived near a de-
tached mountainous rock dipping to the western
368 SHOOT A MUSK-OX.
shore of the river, in which quarter the descent,
now manifest, as well as the hollow roar, plainly
indicated something which at that late hour it
was prudent to avoid; and, to say the truth,
however habit may in most things produce a sort
of callous indifference to danger, I had abundant
proof this day that the rule does not always hold
good, for the very dlite of my men were begin-
ning to evince a cautiousness which was quite
new to them ; and the order for encamping was
executed with a very significant alacrity.
Within a few hundred yards of us, nine white
wolves were prowling round a herd of musk
oxen, one of which was shot ; but, being a bull,
was too strongly scented to be eaten. As there
was no possibility of making a portage, should
it be necessary, on the side where we had en-
camped, at daylight of the following lorning
we pulled up stream to cross over, and see if
it was more favourable on the other side. The
descent broke over a fall five feet deep, opposite
to a gloomy chasm in the rock ; but as it did not
reach quite to the eastern side, the boat was
enabled to pass it, and then ran the Wolf Rapid.
Some of the animals whose name it bore seemed
to be keeping a brisk look-out for what might
happen.
Several other rapids (for there was no end of
them) worked their way between high rocks,
which now, for the first time since the river had
NORTHERLY BEND OF THE RIVER. 369
turned so much to the eastward, lay on that side ;
a circumstance that I thought augured well for
a northerly bend at no great distance. But what
most gratified me was the disappearance of the
sand-hills, which I beheld as so many enemies to
our cause, that were gradually leading us away
to the wrong side of our object. My joy, there-
fore, may be imagined at seeing, as we advanced,
that my hopes were, after all, likely to be realized ;
for the late suspicious trending to the eastward,
almost in a parallel of latitude, had again created
doubts in my mind, and set me speculating whe-
ther the river might not yet terminate in Wager
Bay.
Another cache was made, with the addition
of a little ammunition and tobacco. Some more
rapids led farther to the north ; and the stream,
as may be supposed, after the addition of so many
tributaries, maintained an imposing breadth,
being, in some parts, upwards of a mile. Both
sides were hemmed in by mountains, covered as
usual with boulders and large fragments of loose
splintery rock, the dark and purplish hue of
which relieved the green shelving slopes dotted
with herds of musk oxen.
A glimpse of the sun at noon gave the latitude
66° 6' 2V N. ; nearly abreast of a picturesque
and commanding mountain, with steep sloping
sides to the south-west, where cattle were feeding,
B B
370 MOUNT MEADOWBANK.
but to the northward broken into fearful preci-
pices and overhanging cliffs, inaccessible to the
foot of man. It was by far the most conspicuous
eminence we had seen \ and, from some fancied
likeness, the people said, " Here's Hoy Head, —
give way, boys, we are not far from the sea."
The remark took me in imagination to Auld
Reekie ; and I called the hill Mount Meadow-
bank, in honour of the learned Lord of that
name.
After a course of six miles to the south-east,
the river again veered northerly, rushing with
fearful impetuosity among rocks and large stones,
which raised such whirlpools in the rapids as
would have put the strength of a canoe in
jeopardy. The boat's breadth of beam and steady
trim kept her up in such trials ; but, though
we escaped the rapid, we had a narrow chance
of being dashed on the beach by the eddy.
The low projecting point of rock, against which
we had been thus almost thrown and then
whirled away from by the receding current, was
remarkable for a row of piled stones or slabs,
placed a few feet apart, which, as we shot the
rapid, were at first mistaken for figures gazing
at us. On the neighbouring hills and mountains
were many more of a similar construction, which,
we could easily understand, might serve for
marks to guide the natives through the country ;
ALTITUDE OF THE ROCKS. S7I
but for what purpose this <c picquet" mounted
guard at the foot of the rapid, was not quite so
clear to our comprehensions.
To the westward the rocks attained consider-
able altitude, and, comparatively speaking, had
become even mountainous. They were desolate,
rugged, and barren ; but to the eastward there
was more vegetation, on a shelving and regular
country. More rapids were passed ; and, at
8 p. m., we encamped under the lee of a high
rock, partially clad with shrubs and moss, in
which the musk oxen and deer had tramped deep
tracks. It was opposite to a solitary bank of
sand, that formed the western entrance to a small
river apparently a favourite resort of geese,
which, having frequented it in numberless flocks
during the moulting season, had left thousands
of the finest quills strewed on the sand. Carts
mifrht have been laden with them.
The morning of the 27th was cloudy and
cold ; the thermometer being 40° with a south-
west wind. We were on the water by 4
a.m., and were gratified to find that the river
maintained the same direction, with a breadth
varying from three quarters of a mile to a mile,
and with a border of granitic mountains on each
side. A rapid that was passed caused it to
deviate a little to the westward ; and, on the
risrht bank of a second one, more intricate than
B B 2
372 THE TRAP FORMATION.
the first, we observed the marks and traces of
three circular encampments, the inner portions
of which were divided into sections, as if for the
convenience of different occupants. Near this,
the rocks became steeper, if possible more barren,
and distinguished from those farther south by
their precipitous sides and cliffs facing to the
west and north-west.
In the afternoon, the stream took a wide
sweep ; and at a bay to the westward, half
screened by huge rocks, it received another large
tributary, which I named after Lieutenant-
General Sir Thomas Montresor. It was here
that the trap formation first exhibited itself, rising
ridge over ridge, like a range of long flat steps,
with bare and rounded sides, sometimes termi-
nating precipitously. Many dipped into the
water in a line with a few sandy islands, which
sprung, like sugar loaves, from the bosom of the
stream, and the yellow surfaces of which had an
appearance of forced and unnatural gaiety,
amidst the gloom of that dark and desolate
scenery.
The swollen river now rolled on in sullen
and deathlike silence, long undisturbed by any
thing louder than an occasional bubbling caused
by the unevenness of the bottom. But the
shores got nearer and nearer, and, for a space, it
was quite uncertain in what quarter we should go.
mckay's peak. 373
There was a rocky hill, so remarkably formed
as to have attracted the attention o£ all of us for
some time. The base, which was equal in height
to the surrounding mountains, was one enormous
mass of round grey rock, surmounted by a large
cone of the same substance, which so exactly
resembled in outline the crater of a volcano,
and was withal so black, that it required no
straining of the imagination to conceive it one.
At a distance it was taken for an island ; but as
we advanced, we found it to be a part of the
eastern shore, and were soon made aware that
the contracted outlet of the river lay at its foot.
On our landing, the steersman volunteered to
ascend it, to get, as he termed it, " a good look
at the river;" and in consequence we christened
it McKay's Peak. From its giddy height the
rapid looked as even and smooth as oil ; and in
that supposition, having taken the precaution to
lighten the boat forward, we pushed off, and the
next minute were in it. I think I shall never for-
get the moment of the first descent down what
cannot be more fitly described than as a steep
hill. There was not, it is true, a single break in
the smoothness of the surface; but with such
wild swiftness were we borne along, that it
required our extremest efforts, the very tug of
life, to keep the boat clear of the gigantic waves
below : and we succeeded at last only to be
b b 3
374 A SPACIOUS LAKE.
tossed about in the Charybdis of its almost
irresistible whirlpools.
Having got out of this trouble, nothing loth,
we breathed more freely again in the wide stream,
which now carried us gently forward. Craggy
rocks, as before, bordered each side, the western
being the more open of the two, with undulating
prairies. At the end of six miles, a sandy bluff
from the left seemed to bar the river ; but, on
drawing closer, it proved, as expected, the begin-
ning of another rapid; which, however, was
more civil than the last, and allowed us to pass
with a few good-humoured buffe tings to make
us free of its waters.
When we had fairly entered the mountainous
country, and the river had taken a decided turn
to the northward, I certainly did not contemplate
any other interruption than rapids or falls ; my
astonishment will therefore be understood, when,
from the foot of the rapids, we emerged into
the expanse of a spacious lake, bounded only
by the horizon, and stretching away in a direction
about N.N.W. For a while the current was
felt, and guided us on ; but soon the old difficulty
was experienced, and we had again to grope our
way towards the river as we might. A cold
head-wind with rain did not aid this operation ;
and as the evening was already far advanced, we
encamped, — after which divine service was read
OPEN INTO A BAY. 375
in the tent. I had already been to the summit
of a tolerably high hill, but could not descry
any land : there was, however, much ice in a
N.N.W. bearing; and the space between the
western shore and us, which might be from five
to six miles, was quickly filling up by the
drifting masses from the main body. It was,
therefore, an important consideration to push
on as fast as possible, and secure the passage
that was still left ; but whether in effecting this
the right or the left side should be preferred, was
a question that I had some difficulty in solving.
The general direction of the last two days would
have inclined me to lean to the western shore ;
but depending on the marks, which were now
seen on every height, I chose the other ; and
starting at 4 a. m., July 28., with a chilly north-
west wind, and the thermometer at 38°, we made
for an island right ahead, and bearing N.N.E.
A short breaking sea and the ice together
considerably impeded our progress; but on reach-
ing the island, we opened upon a bay, into which
I pulled, with the double purpose of finding the
river if it were there, or of creeping under a wea-
ther shore if it were not ; and after a course of
about three miles to an island, which formed a
strait with the mainland, we had the satisfaction to
find that the current was running with us to the
eastward. Leaving the lake, therefore, which, as
b b 4
376 EXTRICATION
a slight token of my sincere regard, I called
after my friend Captain Sir John Franklin, whose
name will always be associated with this portion
of America, we* followed the stream, which, as
usual, soon broke into a rapid : this was safely
passed ; but the next, close to it, demanded
more caution ; for, from its breadth, which was
not less than three quarters of a mile, and the
white spray which was rising at the vanishing
line, it was clearly not to be ventured on with-
out a preliminary examination. And fortunate
it was that the precaution was taken ; for there
was a rapidly inclined descent of twenty feet,
divided at the upper end by two islands, and
at the lower end by one, thickly spread with
perpendicular slabs set up as marks, three or four
feet high, and many even more. The entire space
of the rapid was shoal, and encumbered with
stones, which threw up a continuous sheet of
foam ; but an inner channel along the western
bank admitted of the boat's being lowered down
quite light with ropes and poles as far as the
lower island. Here, however, there was an
awkward fall, which it was impossible to lower
down, — neither was the ground practicable for
a launch. The only method, therefore, which
remained for extricating her from her present
situation, however dangerous the attempt, was
to plunge into the breakers outside the island.
FROM A PERILOUS POSITION. 377
Prudence, and a proper regard for the safety of
my companions, made me hesitate at this trying
juncture; but at length, placing a just reliance
on Providence, and encouraged by the manifest-
ation of that ardour which rendered the men
superior to danger, I ordered the movement to
be made, directing those who were to execute
it to keep near the outer bank of the island, and
if possible to land and lower down. In a few
seconds they were out of sight ; and anxiously,
with Mr. King, I took my station on a hill that
commanded the foot of the rapid, as well as the
point round which they were to come. Treble
the time elapsed that was requisite to bring them
within sight, and still they did not appear. I
scoured the river with the telescope, yet saw
nothing but water and rock. In vain we strained
our sight, in vain listened for a voice ; nothing
was heard or seen but the torrent, which raged
and rolled on heedless of our anxiety. At this
painful crisis, when apprehension was beginning
to prevail over hope, the boat suddenly appeared,
seeming to cut her way through the solid land of
the lower part of the island, where, as we after-
wards learned, there was a very narrow and shoal
channel, entirely concealed from us, through which
the men had cautiously lifted her. The trouble
attending this proceeding had caused the delay
which had alarmed us; nor was it until noon
378 SLUGGISHNESS OF THE COMPASS NEEDLES.
that the arrangements were again completed for
resuming the journey.
' I may take occasion to remark here, that ever
since leaving Rock Rapid, the compass needles
had been getting daily more sluggish ; and at
this place, where there were many rocks in
situ, or lying in fragments on the mossy soil,
though I could not find that these directly
affected them, they would hardly traverse at all
when at rest ; and mine frequently remained
wherever it was placed, without evincing the
slightest tendency to recover its polarity. How-
ever, the constant jerking motion of pulling did
so far move them about as to enable me to get
the courses with some approach to exactness,
though certainly not so as to be depended upon
without the assistance of the chronometers.
A fine open reach ahead at first held out
the prospect of repaying us for lost time ; but,
at the end of three miles, the river became
again pent in by almost meeting rocks of con-
siderable altitude, the summits of which were
crowned with the usual upright marks, still
more numerous even than before. The disap-
pearance of the surface line of water, and
successive jets of mist thrown up against the
grey rocks, gave unequivocal tokens of a fall ;
and, while examining the rapid that led to it,
we perceived that, besides the marks on the
;
n
JS-
ESQUIMAUX. 379
eastern hill, there were many active and bust-
ling figures, either pressing in a close group or
running about from place to place, in manifest
confusion. These were the Esquimaux, of whom
we had so long and ardently wished to get
a sight. Some called out to us, and others
made signs, warning us, as we thought, to avoid
the fall, and cross over to their side of the
water : but when our intention of doing so
was apparent, the men ran towards us, brand-
ishing their spears, uttering loud yells, and,
with wild gesticulations, motioning to us not to
land. For all this I was quite prepared, know-
ing the alarm which they must naturally feel
at beholding strangers issuing from a quarter
whence hitherto the scourge of merciless war-
fare only had visited their tribes. As the boat
grounded they formed into a semicircle, about
twenty-five paces distant ; and with the same
yelling of some unintelligible word, and the
alternate elevation and depression of both ex-
tended arms, apparently continued in the high-
est state of excitement : until, landing alone,
and without visible weapon, I walked delibe-
rately up to them, and, imitating their own
action of throwing up my hands, called out
Tima, — peace. In an instant their spears
were flung upon the ground; and, putting their
hands on their breasts, they also called out
380 ESQUIMAUX.
Tima, with much more doubtless greatly to
the purpose, but to me of course utterly unin-
telligible. However, I interpreted it into friend-
ship ; and, on that supposition, I endeavoured
to make them comprehend that we were not In-
dians, but Kabloonds — Europeans — come to
benefit not to injure them ; and as they did not,
like their neighbours to the north, go through
the ceremony of rubbing noses by way of sa-
lutation, I adopted the John Bull fashion of
shaking each of them heartily by the hand.
Then patting their breasts, according to their
own manner, I conveyed to them, as well as I
could, that the white men and the Esquimaux
were very good friends,
All this seemed to give great satisfaction,
which was certainly not diminished by a pre-
sent to each of two new shining buttons.
These, some fish-hooks, and other trifles of
a like kind, were the only articles which I had
brought for this purpose, being strongly op-
posed to the customary donation of knives,
hatchets, and other sharp instruments, which
may be so easily turned to use against the party
presenting them. They expressed much asto-
nishment at seeing me constantly refer to a small
vocabulary with which Mr. Lewis, of the Com-
pany's service, had been kind enough to provide
me; and were waggish enough to laugh at
my patchwork discourse of mispronounced and
VISIT TO THEIR TENTS. 381
misapplied words, and scarcely more intelligible
signs. Whilst we were thus engaged, some old
men, half blind, came tottering up with their
spears, accompanied by two equally old women,
carrying short and rudely fashioned iron knives,
which, like the sword of the redoubted Hudi-
bras, would do to toast or strike withal ; but,
perceiving the uplifted hands of their friends,
the men threw their spears on the ground.
Conceiving that I had now in some degree
gained their confidence, though not so entirely
but that each held the knife or stiletto-shaped
horn grasped in his hand by way of precaution,
I suppose, against treachery, I directed McKay
and Sinclair to go and examine the fall, with a
view to run it, if possible, and so avoid the
making a portage, fearing lest the sight of our
baggage might tempt the natives to steal, and
so provoke a rupture. They understood at
once what we were about ; so, to draw off their
attention, I went with them to their tents,
which were three in number, one single and
two joined together, constructed in the usual
manner with poles and skins. On our arrival,
I was struck with the sight of a sort of circum-
vallation of piled stones, precisely similar to
those which we had passed, and arranged, as
I conjectured, to serve for shields against the
missiles of their enemies ; as, besides the bow,
382 ESQUIMAUX.
arrow, and spear, these people make a most
effective use of the sling. Many clogs, of an
inferior size, were basking in the sunshine, and
thousands of fish lay all around split, and ex-
posed to dry on the rocks, the roes appearing
to be particularly prized. These, which were
white fish and small trout, had been caught in
the eddy below the fall, and kept alive in pools
constructed for the purpose. The women and
children, about a dozen in number, came out of
the tents to see me ; and the men pointed out
their own helpmates and offspring with apparent
fondness. Beads were soon distributed to both
the women and children, and in return they gave
me some trifles of their own rude manufacture.
By this time the steersman reported the imprac-
ticability of getting down the fall, owing to a dan-
gerous rock near the centre ; and was instructed,
in consequence, to have the baggage carried over
the portage, in such a manner that one person
should always be with the depot, while Mr.
King, who had general directions never to lose
sight of the boat, would superintend the whole.
While the crew were thus occupied, I took
upon me the part of amusing the Esquimaux,
by sketching their likenesses and writing down
their names. This gratified them exceedingly ;
but their merriment knew no bounds when I
attempted, what was really no easy task, to
ESQUIMAUX. 383
pronounce what I had written. There might
have been about thirty-five altogether ; and, as
far as I could make out, they had never seen
" Kabloonds" before. They had a cast of
countenance superior to that of such of their
nation as I had hitherto seen, indicating less
of low cunning than is generally stamped on
their features ; though, in most other respects,
sufficiently resembling them. The men were
of the average stature, well knit, and athletic.
They were not tattooed, neither did their vanity
incommode them with the lip and nose orna-
ments of those farther west ; but, had they
been disciples of the ancient fathers, who con-
sidered "the practice of shaving as a lie against
our own faces," they could not have nurtured a
more luxuriant growth of beard, or cultivated
more flowing mustachoes. In the former they
yielded the palm only to that of Master George
Killingworth, "which was not only thick, broad,
and yellow-coloured, but in length five feet and
two inches of assize."*
The women were much tattooed about the
face and the middle and fourth fingers. The
only lady whose portrait was sketched was so
flattered at being selected for the distinction,
that in her fear lest I should not sufficiently see
* Barrow's Chron. Hist, of Voyages, c. Hakluyt.
384< PORTRAIT OF AN ESQUIMAUX WOMAN.
every grace of her good-tempered countenance,
she intently watched my eye ; and, according to
her notion of the part I was pencilling, protruded
it, or turned it so as to leave me no excuse for not
delineating it in the full proportion of its beauty.
Thus, seeing me look at her head, she immedi-
ately bent it down ; stared portentously when I
sketched her eyes ; puffed out her cheeks when
their turn arrived ; and, finally, perceiving that
I was touching in the mouth, opened it to the
full extent of her jaws, and thrust out the whole
length of her tongue. She had six tattooed
lines drawn obliquely from the nostrils across
each cheek ; eighteen from her mouth across her
chin and the lower part of the face ; ten small
ones, branching like a larch tree from the corner
of each eye ; and eight from the forehead to the
centre of the nose between the eyebrows. But
what was most remarkable in her appearance
was the oblique position of the eyes ; the inner
portion of which was considerably depressed,
whilst the other was proportionately elevated.
The nostrils were a good deal expanded, and the
mouth large. Her hair was jet black, and simply
parted in front into two large curls, or rather
festoons, which were secured in their places by
a fillet of white deer skin twined round the head,
whilst the remainder hung loose behind the ears,
or flowed not ungracefully over her neck and
K
X
Ife^
■
\ v-
ESQUIMAUX. 385
shoulders. She was the most conspicuous,
though they were all of the same family : they
were singularly clean in their persons and gar-
ments; and, notwithstanding the linear embel-
lishments of their faces, in whose mysterious
figures a mathematician might perhaps have
found something to solve or perplex, they pos-
sessed a sprightliness which gave them favour in
the eyes of my crew, who declared M they were
a set of bonnie-looking creatures."
There was no other peculiarity to distinguish
the tribe from those pourtrayed by Parry and
Franklin ; except in one wild-looking man, who
having on a pair of musk-ox skin breeches, with
all the honours of the shaggy mane outside,
reminded me strongly of the fabled satyrs of
the olden time. But he was a character even
among Esquimaux.
They had only five keiyaks or canoes ; and the
few implements they possessed were merely such
as were indispensable for the procuring of food ;
viz. knives, spears, and arrows. The blades of
the first and the heads of the last were sometimes
horn, but oftener rough iron, and had probably
been obtained by barter from their eastern neigh-
bours ; a conjecture to which I am inclined to
attach the more weight from the fact that the
models of some of their little presents resembled
c c
386 ESQUIMAUX INFORMATION AS TO THE COAST.
the Indian daggers disposed of at the Company's
posts throughout the country.
They knew nothing of any ship having been
in Regent's Inlet ; but after I had sketched the
river near them, one of the most intelligent
took the pencil, and at my request drew the
coast line from its mouth, which, he said, we
would reach on the following day; and after
prolonging it thence a little to the northward,
made an extraordinary bend to the southward.
On my asking if it were indeed so far south,
he took me to the highest rock, from which a
range of distant mountains was visible to the
east ; and first extending his arm towards the
sea, nearly north, he drew his body backward in
a curved attitude, projecting his hand so as to inti-
mate the trending of the land in that direction.
Continuing then to make a curve with his hand
from west to east, he turned slowly round, repeating
very quick, " Tarreoke, tarreoke,"— the sea, the
sea ; and having got to a bearing about E.S. £.,
he suddenly stopped, accompanying the action
with the observation of "Tarreoke naga," &c. ;
importing that in that direction there was no
sea, but plenty of musk oxen. He was also ac-
quainted with Akkoolee, which my readers will
perhaps recollect as having been named to Sir
E. Parry by the Esquimaux in Hecla and Fury
Strait, and intimated by a repetition of the same
DIFFICULTY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THEM. 387
movement that his tribe took that course to go
thither. From this action, perfectly in keeping
with the outline he had drawn, it was natural to
infer the jutting out of some promontory, from
which the shore took a complete turn south of
our position ; an intimation which, far from ex-
citing surprise, only strengthened the opinion
which, in common with many others conversant
with the subject, I had always entertained of a
continuous coast line, probably indented with
bays, between Point Turnagain and some part of
Regent's Inlet. Had it been the will of Provi-
dence that poor Augustus should have been
with me, this and numberless other uncertainties
would have been definitively set at rest; but
where there is no common language for the inter-
change of ideas, all conclusions must at best be
uncertain ; and few men have so much mastery
over themselves as not to lean almost unconsci-
ously towards a preconceived opinion. Inde-
pendently of the difficulty of catching the mean-
ing of their quickly uttered sentences, of which
the sounds escaped the memory, I was further
unfortunate in the dissimilarity of my vocabulary
(taken from Sir E. Parry's works) to their dialect ;
though this, perhaps, was not greater than might
be found in the same distance any where else, as
for example between London and some parts of
Lancashire, the respective aboriginals of which
c c 2
388 FRIENDLINESS OF THE ESQUIMAUX.
would be not a little puzzled to find out each
other's meaning.
However, as regarded the Esquimaux, there
could be no mistaking the word " tarreoke," —
the expressive action, — or the delineation, which
latter I have preserved.
Information was now brought me that the
crew were quite unequal to the task of convey-
ing the boat over the portage, even by launch-
ing, our last resource. So, like a prudent general,
I at once changed my tactics ; and, taking ad-
vantage of the good-humour of our new acquaint-
ances, requested them to give us a helping hand.
The request was cheerfully complied with, and,
with their assistance, we succeeded in carry-
ing the boat below the fall ; so that, in reality,
I was indebted to them for getting to the sea at
all. Altogether, indeed, whether owing to their
natural inoffensiveness or to the fewness of their
numbers, they were good-natured and friendly.
They seemed, moreover, to have some notion of
the rights of property ; for one of them having
picked up a small piece of pemmican, repeatedly
asked my permission before he would eat it.
It was late when we got away, and then the
breadth and deep bays of the river so puzzled us
that we went astray. Having at last, with much
trouble, regained the current, we were carried to
some mountains on the western shore, where
FIRST VIEW OF THE COAST. 389
we encamped, and appointed a watch for the
night.
By 4 a.m., July 29th, we were afloat ; but the
weather was cloudy and cold, with a northerly
breeze, and the thermometer at 41J°. At sun-
rise a fog began to spread, and soon became
so dense that we found ourselves in the midst
of several rapids before we were in the least
aware of their presence ; and subsequently the
breeze freshened, and the fog increased so much,
that, unable to see distinctly, we were obliged
to lie by until it should clear. In the meantime
the sun occasionally broke through the clouds,
and enabled me to obtain observations, the
results of which were, latitude 670 7' 31" N.,
longitude 94° 39' 45" W. ; and the variation by
the sun's bearing with Rater's compass, the one
commonly used, 8° 30' W. *
The afternoon permitted us to proceed ; and
it was while threading our way between some
sand-banks, with a strong current, that we first
caught sight of a majestic headland in the extreme
distance to the north, which had a coast-like
appearance. This important promontory was
subsequently honoured by receiving the name of
Her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria. The
sand-banks also now became broken into cliffs,
* See Appendix.
c c 3
390 MOUTH OF THE THLEW-EE-CHOH.
which, dwindling away on the eastern side to a
vanishing point, subsided on the western into
low flats, the level of which was just broken by
half a dozen sandy knolls sparingly tipped with
a few blades of dry grass. The banks on this side
were cut by several channels leading to the left,
but shallow, and not navigable. The country on
both sides was swampy, and gradually sloped
upwards to the distant mountains.
This then may be considered as the mouth of
theThlew-ee-choh, which, after a violent and tor-
tuous course of five hundred and thirty geogra-
phical miles, running through an iron-ribbed coun-
try without a single tree on the whole line of its
banks, expanding into fine large lakes with clear
horizons, most embarrassing to the navigator, and
broken into falls, cascades, and rapids, to the
number of no less than eighty-three in the whole,
pours its waters into the Polar Sea in latitude
67° 11' 00" N., and longitude 94° SO' 0" W. ;
that is to say, about thirty-seven miles more south
than the mouth of the Copper Mine River, and
nineteen miles more south than that of Back's
River at the lower extremity of Bathurst's Inlet.
The rush of the current, opposed by a fresh
breeze, and possibly by the tide, raised such
high and breaking waves as we put out with an
intention of gaining the headland, that the laden
boat was unable to resist them, and shipped a
ICE TO THE WESTWARD. 391
great deal of water. It became therefore not
only prudent but necessary to pull into a bay,
which in the map is distinguished as Cockburn's
Bay, being so named in compliment to the first
Chairman of the Arctic Committee, Vice- Ad-
miral Sir George Cockburn, to whose valuable
exertions in organising the expedition I have
already borne testimony. From the summit of
an adjacent rock we could discern large quanti-
ties of ice to the westward, apparently close to
the shore, which in that direction extended from
twelve to fifteen miles ; but the view being in-
terrupted by the jutting out of the headland,
its farther direction could not be ascertained. It
must have been high water when we landed, which
was at 7 p» m. of the day after the last quarter of
the moon ; for at about an hour past midnight,
the boat, which had been left afloat in a snugly
sheltered place, was found high and dry on the
beach. A fresh breeze with squalls having con-
tinued through the night, it was not practicable
to move until 10 a. m. ; and this detention gave
me an opportunity of getting sights which placed
us in latitude 670 20' 31" N., and longitude
94° 28' 14" W. : on this occasion the compass
was placed upon the sandy beach, about a quarter
of a mile from the nearest rocks, and agreed
with two others held in the hand.
The appearance of so much ice to the west-
c c 4
392 POINT BACKHOUSE.
ward determined me to keep along the high
shore where we were ; and having rounded
Victoria Headland, we passed a picturesque
waterfall tumbling from the rocks above, and
came to a high craggy point, which I named
after my friend John Backhouse, Esquire, the
able and excellent Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs. Near this was a tolerably large
island, and some others were seen more to the
westward.
The weather was fine and calm, the tide
ebbing; and some seals that quietly gazed at
our invasion of their domain afforded amuse-
ment to the men, as they sunk and rose again
without causing even a ripple that could be dis-
cerned. The shores were now becoming farther
apart ; and as I wished, if possible, to coast on
the other side, in order that advantage might be
taken of any favourable openings for the passage
to Point Turnagain, which, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, we had plenty of time to reach, I
landed at a mountain, and traced a line of ice
from a bay on the western shore to a point di-
rectly opposite, which has been called after
Rear-Admiral Gage. The haze of the atmo-
sphere, however, prevented the distance from
being clearly defined ; but it was at all events
cheering to behold clear water as far as the
eye could penetrate ; and though it was of
IRBY AND MANGLES' BAY. 393
course not desirable to get hampered with the
western ice, yet I determined to keep it in sight
until we should be able to effect a crossing to the
main shore beyond it. Some small islands were
seen to our left, after which we opened a spacious
bay five or six miles deep, and very broad (called
after Captains Irby and Mangles, the Eastern tra-
vellers), which it took us between three and four
hours to traverse. At this time there was every
reason to anticipate a prosperous issue of our
voyage westward within ten days, even though
less distances should be made than during the
last ten hours ; but as we n eared a projecting
barren rock, about eight hundred feet high, form-
ing the northern point of the bay (and which has
been designated Point Beaufort, after the present
distinguished hydrographer of the navy), drift
ice came round it so suspiciously quick, that we
found it prudent to land for the purpose of se-
curing the boat from damage by hauling her on
the shelving part, where alone it was possible.
Eagerly did I clamber up the slippery sides, in
the hope of beholding from the height a free
and open sea ; but the first glance as I topped
the crest was sufficient to chill that hope, and a
careful inspection with the telescope produced
the unwelcome conviction that our future progress
must be worked out by slow and laborious efforts.
From the horizon to within two miles of where
394> REFLECTIONS.
I stood glared one solid body of drift ice, con-
necting both shores.
The shore to the westward was, for a like
reason, unapproachable ; and though a strong
southerly gale might disperse the entire mass,
yet there was no predicting when that would
happen, whilst it was certain that a very few
days of delay would inevitably be fatal to our
object. It was, indeed, a mortifying consider-
ation, that after surmounting so many toils and
perils on that long and difficult river, we might
be thus checked at the very place where, from
past experience of the sea to the westward, I
least expected such a disaster ; and I could
scarcely help entertaining some apprehension,
that we might be at the southern extremity of
a deep inlet, from which a change of wind alone
could release us.
Doubly, therefore, was I grateful that the
primary object of the service had been provi-
dentially anticipated. Had it been otherwise,
the delay thus occasioned would have been
still more mortifying.
July 31st. — A fresh breeze from the south-
ward sprung up about midnight ; yet a thin
crust of ice was formed on the pools of water
about the rocks. At daylight, the main body
of the ice was found to be closely packed
against the western shore, which extended
OUR PROGRESS ARRESTED. 395
fifteen or twenty miles abreast of us, and thence
bent into a deep bay, trending afterwards to the
northward until it bore N. by W. and blended
with the icy horizon. The wind had so far acted
as to drive the whole mass near a quarter of a
mile away from the eastern shore, leaving thereby
a clear passage for a length of fourteen miles in
a N.E. direction. Beyond this we could not
define any land, except a blue bluff, whose base
was white with refracted ice, and which bore still
farther to the right. It was evident, therefore,
that we were at the narrowest part of the open-
ing, where it would be most convenient to cross ;
if, indeed, this were not the only place in which
we could safely do so, in an undecked boat, al-
ready damaged from the shocks she had received
in the falls and rapids ; and, however anxious, as
it may well be supposed I was, to achieve as
much as possible, I could not but be sensible
that to have pursued the lane to the eastward,
and, according to the Esquimaux's outline,
rounded the bluff to the southward, would only
have been to depart more widely from our course,
and to retrograde instead of advancing. Nor
was this all : to have taken that course, amidst
the obstacles which surrounded us, might per-
haps have involved us in perilous if not in inex-
tricable difficulties ; for the westerly gales, which
on these shores not unfrequently commence
396 OBSERVATIONS.
early in the season, might pack the drift ice
to the eastward, so as to render our return in
the boat utterly impossible. We had therefore
nothing for it but to yield to necessity, and wait
submissively until nature should remove the
barrier which she had placed.
About 3 p. m. it was low water, that is, an ebb
of about eight inches was observable on the shin-
gle, and the taste of the water at that time was
brackish and bad. We had reason to know
this from the carelessness of my servant, who
having been accustomed to fill his kettles for
cooking at the river and lakes, thoughtlessly did
the same thing here, and consequently spoiled
the tea. To beguile the tediousness of the de-
tention, I made a regular set of observations,
which were very interesting, more especially as
regarded Hansteen's needle. It was exceed-
ingly difficult to adjust, but remained perfectly
in after the set was finished. Its vibrations were
even and regular, but very slow ; the interval
between each having increased to three minutes
and Jive seconds. On the contrary, Dollond's
dipping needle, No. 2., moved more freely than
I remembered to have seen it. The latitude
was 67° 41' 24" N., longitude 95° 9! 16" W.,
variation 6° 0' W. \ thermometer 72° in the
tent.
August 1st. — The only perceptible difference
LAND IN A BAY. 397
in the ice this morning was, that it had closed a
little to the east : no opening was seen by which
a passage could be made to the other side, until
about 10 a.m., when I fancied that with the
telescope I could make out a small lane bearing
N. W. The boat was immediately launched ;
and with sails and oars together we effected our
purpose in three hours and a half, having passed
on our way an island, to which has been given
the name of my companion Mr. King. We
landed in a small bay, as we supposed on the
main, not far from some old Esquimaux en-
campments, indicated by four wells or shafts for
the preservation of their meat. A party was
immediately despatched to examine the state of
the ice in a bay to the westward, while I walked
along the rocks to another point with the same
view; but the result of our examinations only
confirmed our worst fears, the ice being closely
packed as far as the eye could reach. However,
this also was drift ice, so that all hope was not
shut out, as a westerly wind might and probably
would clear a channel inshore ; but as there
was no immediate prospect of this, the breeze
being from the N. E., we unloaded, and hauled
the boat upon the beach to save her from being
crushed by the pressure of the ice. The dis-
tance travelled this day was about twelve miles
from shore to shore, and this may be considered
398 OBSERVATIONS.
as the narrowest part of the mouth of the estuary.
The coast here was much lower and shelving
than the precipitous and bold one we had left;
but we observed the same naked and round-
backed rocks as at Point Beaufort; differing,
however, in colour, the latter being composed
almost entirely of a light flesh-tinted felspar and
splintery quartz, whilst these consisted wholly of
a dark grey felspar with minute granular quartz,
and perhaps hornblende. Among the debris on
the beach, it was not a little surprising to find
fragments of limestone, though no rocks of that
formation had yet been passed.
The following day brought no change for the
better ; for the north-east wind had packed the
ice still closer to the shore. As it was therefore
impossible to move, I took the opportunity of
making some further observations on the dip and
magnetic intensity, which latter showed a less
interval ; an anomaly ascribable perhaps to the
difference of situation, as in this instance the
stand was placed on a sandy beach, removed
sixty or seventy yards from the nearest rocks,
whereas on the former it stood on the very base
of the rock where we were encamped. It is
necessary to remark, however, that the smallest
piece of iron deranged the needles, especially
Hansteen's ; and I have reason to believe that
even my brace-buckles caused a material differ-
^
K
MONTREAL ISLAND. 399
ence. Towards night some men, who had been
despatched to the westward, reported that we
were not on the main shore, but on a large island
adjoining to it ; a discovery which they had ac-
cidentally made by following two deer until they
swam across the narrow channel of separation.
Upon this I called the place Montreal Island,
in commemoration of the attention we had re-
ceived from the public-spirited and hospitable
inhabitants of that city; and as well from the ex-
istence of an inner passage, as from my own ob-
servation of the ice, I began again to entertain a
hope that a south-west gale would clear a way
for us, though in the direction towards which we
were bound there was at present one compact
mass before us to the horizon. A tide-pole which
we set up showed a rise of twelve inches ; the
highest being at llh 40m a.m., and the lowest
at T 20rap.M. There may, however, in this be
an error of a few minutes, and it is not impro-
bable that the irregularity may have been aug-
mented by the vast floating bodies of ice and
other accidental causes.
August 3d. — Parties were sent out in dif-
ferent directions to see if there was any possibi-
lity of creeping alongshore among the grounded
pieces, but they were all so close that the at-
tempt would have been useless. Indeed, under
the most favourable circumstances we could only
400 ICE BROKEN UP.
have reached a stony point half a mile distant,
against which the ice was thrown up in heaps.
The main body was still unbroken, and appa-
rently unaltered, except to the eastward, where
an E.S. E. wind had opened a partial lane, of
which the termination, however, could be easily
traced. Our evening was spent in the perform-
ance of divine service.
The night set in with a gale from S.S.E., ac-
companied by heavy rain, two powerful auxilia-
ries in our cause ; and most agreeable was it to
find in the morning that they had done good
service, having crushed and heaped a great deal
oficeonthe beach. With the continuance of
the gale the sea rose, and obliged us to move
the boat and baggage farther inland ; but this
was done cheerfully, for there was comfort in
watching the havoc made by the rolling surf.
Already it had reduced a barrier of three hun-
dred feet, which effectually blocked up the
communication, to a breadth of not more than
twenty feet ; and this also was destroyed a
little after high water at lh p.m.* My anxiety
forbade me to rest, and I went to the most
northerly part of the island, about three miles
off, where, taking a station on a rock about
two hundred and fifty feet high, near some
marks of the Esquimaux, I perceived a consider-
* New moon.
A MUSK-OX KILLED. 401
able alteration in the position of the ice within
the last twenty-four hours. It still adhered to
both shores, from N.W. by W. to N. E. § E.,
the former ridges unfortunately being nearly
abreast of our encampment. These were the
extremes ; but the main and central portion had
opened in the shape of the letter V, to the width
of from ten to twelve miles to the northward and
westward; thus encouraging the expectation
that it would yet be forced out as soon as the
effect was felt to seaward.
To divert the attention of the men, who, hav-
ing nothing to do, remembered that they would
have to ascend the numerous falls and rapids
they had come down, and began to magnify
the difficulty, and even to talk of the im-
practicability of the task, I sent them all after
a musk-ox, which I had by chance discovered
feeding under the lee of some high rocks, and
which was eventually killed. It was a young
cow ; and, being devoid of the disagreeable
flavour of the older animals, afforded us two
luxurious meals. Mr. King shot a red-breasted
phalarope, only two of which kind had before
been found in a swamp near the Rock Rapid.
The island, indeed, was literally covered with
plover, black-breasted and brown phalaropes,
and a sort of large brown duck with plumage not
unlike that of the hen pheasant. These last were
D D
402 BIRDS ON THE ISLAND.
divers, and were at that time busied in tending
their young broods, which they defended with
great courage against the attacks of a half-terrier
dog that swam after them for some time, but was
at last fairly beaten off. The birds here men-
tioned, with black and white snow-birds, boat-
swains, gulls, tern, brown cranes, and loons or
northern divers, were the only birds which we
saw. The temperature of a duck just killed
was 108°, and that of the ground, which was
gravelly and frozen at twenty two inches below
the surface, 37°.
August 5th. — The weather was gloomy, with
continued rain ; and the gale kept up a heavy
surf, which threw several pieces of sea-weed on
the beach. I returned to my station on the hill,
and was something cheered by seeing a larger
space of open water than before, though the
same white line of ice extended across the ho-
rizon from shore to shore at a part where the
distance was estimated at five-and-twenty or
thirty miles. But the beneficial effect of the
wind was more clearly shown in the channel
between Montreal Island and the main, which
was now perfectly free ; and I waited only for
the first moderating of the weather to take advan-
tage of it, as every mile, under circumstances
like ours, was an acquisition of no trifling im-
portance. The moss and a sort of fern that we
PROGRESS WESTWARD OF THE ISLAND. 403
used for firing had become so saturated with the
rain that they would not ignite, and we had
consequently to forego our greatest comfort, the
luxury of a warm cup of tea. Pemmican and
water, however, served our turn tolerably well,
though the least indisposed to that useful com-
pound had long been satiated, and were now
content with half the usual allowance. At 10
p.m. there was less wind, and the swell had
rather abated ; and although from the aspect of
the clouds there was reason to expect a renewal
of the gale rather than a calm, it was an occasion
not to be lost, and the boat was launched. We
pulled round the south-west part of the island,
the northern being encumbered with rocks and
shoals, which in the event of a sudden squall
would have proved troublesome, and even dan-
gerous. The tide was flowing, and therefore
against us ; and a dense wet fog coming on soon
afterwards from the southward, enveloped us at
once in cold and darkness. Having passed an
extensive opening, which was taken for a bay,
and received the name of the Honourable Captain
Elliot of the Admiralty, sail was made on the
boat ; and by midnight we were opposite our old
encampment. At that time not a particle of
ice was visible ahead, and the men, encouraged
by so unexpected a sight, put out their utmost
strength at the oars to gain a blue streak of land
d d 2
404 MCKAY, ETC. DESPATCHED
far away to the north ; but one and all must
have been under some optical illusion, for in a
quarter of an hour (such is the uncertainty of
all human calculations) we were entangled in
drift ice, which but too evidently was the ad-
vanced guard of the main body. Several at-
tempts were made to land, but were rendered
abortive by the shoalness of the water ; and it
was not until 2h 30ra a. m. that, after working
with much trouble and no little risk to the boat
between the thick drifting ice, we at length suc-
ceeded. The boat was then unloaded, and
hauled up above high-water mark.
The weather was at this time calm, but gloomy
and unsettled; and heavy rain soon followed.
Having refreshed the men with a glass of grog,
I appointed McKay, Sinclair, and Taylor, who
were the best walkers, to proceed on foot along
the coast as far as they could, leaving it to their
discretion whether to absent themselves for a
longer time than twenty-four hours, according to
the probability that might exist of our getting
forward. Besides noticing the state of the ice,
they were desired to examine carefully the nature
and trending of the western land, on their report
of which depended the execution of a plan
which had been for some time in contemplation,
as a last resource in the event of our progress
being shortly arrested.
ALONG THE COAST ON FOOT. 405
As the day advanced, the rain fell in torrents,
and of course prevented the fern from burning ;
but a more grievous spectacle was the dull white
ice drifting again to the southward in melancholy
succession towards the channel through which
we had passed ; and, by the occasional gleams of
light which broke through the rain-charged at-
mosphere, we had the mortification to behold the
narrow line of water on which our hopes de-
pended gradually transformed into a compact
and solid field of ice. The eastern shore was
but once distinguishable ; and scarcely more so
a point much nearer to us, which has been called
after the Honourable Captain Duncan, with
whom my former friend and companion, the
lamented Mr. Hood, had served in his Majesty's
ship LifFey. Late at night the exploring party
returned, fagged and depressed. They described
the land as being low, and so swampy that at
each step they sank to the calf of the leg, and were
only prevented from going deeper by the frozen
earth and ice, which at that depth sustained
them. The day had been unfavourable for a
distant view ; but from a low point fifteen miles
off, the coast was observed to trend westerly
towards some high blue lands like mountains,
where there was an appearance of open water ;
but whether of the sea, or of an inland lake, the
atmosphere was too hazy to enable them to
d d 3
406 FURTHER PROGRESS.
determine. At the point they had counted from
thirty to forty old Esquimaux encampments, and
many others were seen a little farther off; from
whence it may be inferred that the natives re-
sort to this place in the winter for the purpose
of catching seals. One glimpse only had been
caught of the eastern coast, and that showed
it set fast with ice, which was said to be jam-
med also against the western beach the whole
way of their march. Three deer had been
shot, but could not be cooked for want of dry
fuel.
August 7th. — After a heavy fall of rain, the
sun broke out, and a fresh S. S. E. wind drove
the dark masses of cloud back to their dreary
quarters in the north. In a little while, also,
it effected a separation of the pieces, and a con-
sequent general movement in the ice, which now
opening a little, gave me reason to hope that we
might be able to break ground, and get away at
high water. But in consequence of the pressure
from without, the ice near the beach had been
forced half out of the water; and it cost us incre-
dible trouble to move some of the many cumbrous
pieces thus partially afloat even a few inches, so
as to make a passage for the boat. This task was
not achieved before 2 p.m., when the wind being
fair, the sails were immediately hoisted, and on
she went at the rate of about five knots an hour.
OBSERVATION OF THE COAST. 40?
A conspicuous promontory to the eastward, blue
from distance, which had been before seen from
Point Beaufort, was now named after Captain
Bowles, R. N. ; and such was the change that had
been wrought, in the short interval of a few
hours, that the whole intermediate space was free
from impediment, had it suited our purpose to
traverse it. Indeed, the celerity with which the
ice had disappeared from the part where we
were now sailing was so astonishing, that the
men, wrho were novices to polar phenomena,
looked doubtingly, and repeatedly asked each
other if this or that particular place were not the
same which but a short time before they had
seen blocked up and impassable.
From a small rocky island which was passed
on the left, we made for a low sandy point,
named after Sir J. B. Pechell, Bart., and re-
marked that, scanty as was the vegetation in
the parts which we had quitted, it was here
sensibly growing less and less, consisting now
only of scattered tufts, gradually subsiding into
sterility. So flat was the western shore that a
solitary hillock five or eight feet high was a con-
spicuous land-mark ; while the eastern coast, on
the contrary, was bold and mountainous, as if
defying the rage of hail-storms from the pole.
The chain, however, was not of great extent ;
for at the end of sixteen miles it terminated in a
d d 4
408 CAPE HAY.
bluff, laid down as Hutton Browne Bluff, and
a huge projecting cape, distinguished by the
name of Cape Hay, after the late Under-Secre-
tary for the Colonies, a zealous promoter of
the expedition, and of geographical researches
generally. This was the northern extreme of
the eastern coast, which in so far coincided
exactly with the outline given by the Esqui-
maux ; but here we lost all trace of land in
that direction, though from our subsequent po-
sition it must have been discovered, had it not
from thence rounded suddenly off, as I believe
it does, to the southward and eastward. Near
8 p. m., after a delightful sail, we overtook our
enemy the drift ice ; and getting hampered
amongst it, in the attempt to find a passage
round a low island a mile or two ahead, the
northern extremity of which shut out the view of
any other land in that direction, we were com-
pelled to make for the shore, which, after consi-
derable trouble and some risk of being " nipped,"
we succeeded in reaching. On landing, I di-
rected my steps to a hillock of sand ten feet high,
about two and a half miles from the beach, and
in going was forcibly struck with the desert-like
character of the place. It was one irregular plain
of sand and stones; and had it not been for a rill
of water, the meandering of which relieved the
monotony of the sterile scene, one might have
X
s
POINT OGLE. 409
fancied one's self in one of the parched plains of
the East, rather than on the shores of the Arctic
Sea. From this hillock, I discerned a deep bay,
bearing south-west, of which the sandy point of
our encampment (called after Vice- Admiral Sir
Charles Ogle) formed the eastern extremity ;
while the opposite side terminated in another
point bearing W. N. W. The land which encircled
the bay was blue and high, and apparently much
encumbered with ice, which stretched from side
to side, and again northerly as far as the horizon.
Still, however, there was a ray of hope, for nar-
row streaks of open water chequered the surface,
like evening shadows on a bright lake.
Rain fell incessantly in the night, and the
morning disclosed a dense wet fog, together with
the unwelcome sight of closely packed ice against
the shore. A little after noon there was a storm,
with thunder and lightning ; the first I remember
to have seen so far north. The steersmen were
twice sent to examine the state of the ice as far
as Point Ogle (which was now found to be an
island or part of the main, according as it was
high or low water, being connected at the ebb
by a narrow ridge of sand and stones) ; for the
wind, having towards evening veered to the north-
ward, threatened to carry the outside drift ice
into both openings, and thereby effectually pre-
vent our moving an inch. To obviate this, it was
my intention to have poled through the inshore
410 OUR PROGRESS OBSTRUCTED
ice as far as the narrowest part of the small
isthmus that joined the island to the main, and
then to have made a portage of boat and cargo to
the west side, where, at present, there was a lane
of open water, connected with that leading to the
distant western land ; but the immense size of
the pieces, and the firmness with which they
were wedged together, rendered the scheme to-
tally impracticable. Though the thermometer
was at 42°, yet, being wet, we were chilly and
uncomfortable, and our cheerless condition was
greatly aggravated by the want of fire. A watch
was set in the night, to enable us to take advan-
tage of any movement of the ice which might aid
our progress. The steersmen relieved each other
also, in going to and from the island for the same
purpose ; but all was in vain : it still remained
packed, some even floating southward into the
harbour ; and, to add to our wretchedness, the
rain scarcely ceased for a moment, and the wea-
ther continued raw and cold. This, together
with the want of warm food, excited my appre-
hensions for the health of the crew, and the
rather, as one (McKenzie) had been for some
days swollen and bloated so as to be incapacitated
from performing his regular duty, and, what was
at this time of most consequence, from going into
the water at all ; happily, however, no other had
as yet complained.
I again crossed over to the hillock through
BY MASSES OF ICE. 411
a kind of quicksand, and saw the land as before,
except that a high point was now visible to the
south-west, which seemed to mark it as an island.
To the north and west, nothing but ice presented
itself to the view; but due east, I could distin-
guish open water and a small island. South-
ward, the drift ice appeared in every quarter; and
the wind, which had got a few points to the west-
ward, had already driven it close into the shore.
To employ the people, they were sent in search
of fern or moss for fuel ; but though they went
different ways to the distance of ten miles, their
labour was fruitless, for they returned at night
without a single particle.
At £ p.m. it began to rain violently, and con-
tinued to do so without the slightest cessation
until noon the following day (August 10th),
when it was succeeded by a fog. Meantime a
great part of the ice had disappeared, and the
boat was soon laden and pulled to the island; but
there being no channel, by which we could pro-
ceed westerly, owing to the heavy masses wedged
against the shore, we made a portage, and launched
the boat across. The sand-banks were found to
run out several hundred yards, and the ice to
seaward, being packed apparently by a westerly
current, had forced the lighter pieces on shore;
which, together with the shoals, embarrassed us
beyond measure: however, by pushing some
41£ SEARCH FOR FUEL.
few masses aside, and making a zigzag course,
we managed to advance a mile ; when, being
again stopped, another effort was made, by
causing the people to wade and lift the boat over
the shoals, which was successful enough, until,
the water being little more than ancle-deep,
necessity compelled us to encamp. Other nar-
row lanes were sounded for a channel, but with
no serviceable result; and the temperature of the
water being only 37°, with a north-west breeze
blowing, and ice to the very beach, it cannot be
a matter of astonishment, and much less of blame,
that even the best men, benumbed in their limbs,
and dispirited by the dreary and unpromising
prospect before them, broke out for a moment
into low murmurings that theirs was a hard and
painful duty. The boat was scarcely hauled up,
when the fog grew so thick that nothing could
be seen beyond a hundred yards : three of the
people, however, went to look for .fuel, and the
remainder assembled in the tent to hear divine
service.
The place where we encamped, and, indeed,
every foot of this sandy soil was covered with
small shells resembling cockles and bivalves.
Innumerable rills of fresh water ran in opposite
directions from the central ridge. About 8 p. m.
the rain began to fall again, though without at
all clearing the fog, and the wind from north-
A PIECE OF DRIFT-WOOD FOUND. 418
west increased to a strong breeze. A shout of
" What have you got there ? " announced the
return of the men : the jocular answer of " A
piece of the North Pole" immediately brought
Mr. King and myself from out the tent; and we
found that they had really picked up a piece of
drift-wood nine feet long and nine inches in diame-
ter, together with a few sticks of smaller drift-
wood and a part of a kieyack. When the large
trunk was sawed, I was rather surprised to see it
very little sodden with water; a proof that it could
not have been exposed for any considerable time
to its action. From the peculiar character of the
wood, which was pine, of that kind which is re-
markable for its freedom from knots, I had no
doubt that it had originally grown somewhere
in the upper part of the country, about the
McKenzie ; and of this I was the morecompetei
to judge from my recollection of the drift-wood
west of that large river, which it exactly resem-
bled. Though we had strong reasons to be
grateful for this unlooked-for treasure, as afford-
ing us the means of enjoying a hot meal — the first
for several days, — yet there were other consider-
ations which gave it in my eyes a far greater im-
portance. In it I saw what I thought an incon-
trovertible proof of the set of a current from the
westward along the coast to our left, and that
consequently we had arrived at the main line of
414 ROSS ISLAND.
the land ; for it is a fact well known to the offi-
cers of both Sir John Franklin's expeditions, that
the absence of drift-wood was always regarded
as an infallible sign that we had gone astray from
the main, either among islands or in some such
opening as Bathurst's Inlet, where, by reason
of the set of the current, not a piece of any
size was found.
August 11th. — A fresh breeze from the
south-west had encouraged us to hope that the
ice would be blown off-shore at high water ; and
bitter, therefore, was our disappointment at find-
ing that, if it moved at all, it was only to become
more wedged, and piled up piece upon piece.
The weather, however, cleared a little, and, for
a few minutes, the sun broke forth for the first
time during five days. We could now make
out two islands to the north, the left extremity
of which was named after my intrepid friend
Captain James Ross ; and between it and a bluff
bearing N. N. W., no land, nor any thing but ice,
could be seen. To the westward along the shore
where we were encamped, all was shoal, and
paved with ice. Two islands, however, jutted
out towards the southern bluff of the land, which
there formed a point, and was apparently one of
the arms embracing a bay. Progress, by any
contrivance, was altogether impossible ; and this,
I must own, began to shake the opinion I had all
DISCOVERIES BY MR. KING. 415
along cherished, that a strong south- west gale
would clear away the ice, and give us a chance
of making at least a few degrees of longitude.
Some more drift-wood was found by Mr. King,
who likewise saw a musk-ox, and the greater
part of the vertebras and ribs of a whale lying on
the beach. A single joint of one of the vertebrae
was also picked up at our encampment. It
was high water at 3h 15m p. m. ; D first quarter,
change.
The following morning the ice was so wedged,
that for miles it was thrown up into perpendicu-
lar pieces, like a vast area of large upright slabs,
or a magnificent Stonehenge. At the same
time, the pressure from seaward forced acres of
it on shore, along the whole line of coast, so
as to preclude all possibility of our stirring in any
direction; and this being so, I despatched a
party, furnished with a telescope and compass, to
get the bearings to the westward, and occupied
myself during their absence in obtaining observ-
ations for the dip and intensity. In placing the
instruments into the meridian, I was struck with
the disagreement of the different needles in de-
noting the magnetic north. The one then used
(Dollond's) was a light bar needle, and indicated
several degrees to the eastward of those which
had cards or any other weight attached to them.
At first I felt inclined to doubt its accuracy ;
416 DISAGREEMENT OF MAGNETIC NEEDLES.
but, considering its lightness and the few times
that it had been used as compared with the others,
as well as the fineness of the point of the
pivot, and observing, moreover, its constancy in
returning to zero under various trials, I at last
concluded that it must be right, and adjusted
the instrument accordingly. With the face of
the needle to the face of the instrument, it swung
more freely east and west than when turned
north and south ; for in the latter position it was
sometimes sluggish, and jerked as if acted on by
two powers, whereas in the former the motion
was smooth and easy. When it was reversed
the discrepancy was still more apparent, and in
one instance it did not make nearly the same
number of vibrations. For this strange devia-
tion I can assign no accidental cause : on this
occasion, in particular, there was not a particle of
iron or any metallic substance within three hun-
dred yards of the tent; for, having remarked on
other trials the danger of having so much as a
pocket knife near while the observations were
in progress, I now, to be still more certain,
even removed my chronometers, and took off my
brace-buckles. Having got the vertical intensity,
and then the dip, which agreed better than
might have been expected, I tried Hansteen's
No. 3. needle for the horizontal force ; but I
cannot easily describe the tediousness of arrang-
MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 417
ing it in its meridian, which differed much indeed
from the other. When it had at last settled, I
drew it on one side 20° ; but the intervals often
vibrations were irregular, varying from 3' 50" to
3' 4f5" ; and though it stopped at its zero in five
minutes afterwards, I found the marked end had
moved easterly 6°, and so approached nearer
to Dollond's. Having waited some time longer,
during which it kept stationary, I made a fresh
set from that zero ; but the result was not more
satisfactory than the preceding ; and, finally, in-
stead of settling at its last, it returned to its first
zero. Had it not been for the variation in this
point, i. e. the arc between the two zeros, I
should have attributed, and probably with truth,
the apparent difference in the interval of vibra-
tions to the want of a fixed index or reading
glass for enabling me to determine the precise
moment of the turn of the needle : for so torpid
was it, that it seemed actually to stop dead at
the extremity of each arc, so as to render it a
matter of great nicety for the observer, even when
assisted by a good lens, to say when that instant
was. In order to decide between the two, a
set was next made with the lozenge needle,
which showed an entire difference from Han-
steen's of 22° in marking the north ; coinciding,
however, in this respect exactly with Dollond's.
The delicate pocket compass, graciously pre-
K E
418 EFFECT UPON THE COMPASSES.
sented to me by Her Royal Highness the Prin-
cess Victoria, was in this difficulty extremely
useful. The intervals of the lozenge needle
were, as usual, considerably shorter than those of
No. 3., namely, I' 28* \ and, what was of greater
consequence in the present interesting case, they
were quite regular in two several trials, and in
both the needle returned to its zero without
the slightest deviation. One remark I feel it
my duty, as an observer, to make, though it
may possibly be unfounded. On two occasions,
that is, at Rock Rapid and here, No. 3. seemed
to be affected, — in the one case by the ac-
cidental scraping out of a kettle while it was
swinging, at a distance of one hundred and fifty
yards; and in the second case by the simple
scraping out of a keg. Whether the vibration
produced thereby in the atmosphere was the oc-
casion of this, I shall not take upon me to deter-
mine ; but on all occasions I found it necessary,
in order to prevent a swagging motion in the
needle opposed to the rotatory one, to hold my
hand before my mouth, so that my breath might
not fall on the instrument.
No change occurred in the ice throughout
the day, nor was there any alteration calculated
to diminish the annoyance of being thus vex-
atiously detained at a time when every minute
had a compound value ; and to our personal
REMOTEST DISCOVERIES. 419
discomforts was added the want of fire, and
almost of fresh water, though the precaution of
filling our kegs from the scanty oozing of the
shallow rills but just discernible in the sand had
not been forgotten. As it was the first quarter
of the moon, and just about the change, many
an anxious glance was cast at the sky to wind-
ward, in hopes of discovering some token of more
genial weather ; and at length a gleam of sun-
shine broke through the murky clouds, and
partly dried our wet and chilly clothes. In our
situation even this was counted a blessing, and
diffused a cheerfulness which, notwithstanding
past disappointments, renewed the hope of better
times. Soon, however, the dark clouds began
again to gather, and, as the sun dipped below the
northern ice, all was cold and humid as before.
The exploring party returned at 11 p.m., and
reported that, with hard labour, they had been
able to follow the land for fifteen miles, and had
gained a green hill about seventy or eighty feet
high, which, being the most remarkable feature
in that flat desert of sand, was named Mount
Barrow, after Sir John Barrow, Bart., whose
name is inseparably connected with modern dis-
covery in the polar regions. From the summit
of this height an immense opening was seen,
fifteen miles wide, whose extreme bearings were
S. W. fifteen, and N.N.W. thirty miles. It was
E E 2
420 POINT RICHARDSON.
bordered on the west by low alluvial land, which
stretched out from the foot of a blue range of
mountains coming from the south and termi-
nating at the extreme distance in a bluff.
Parallel to these on the right, and forming the
east side, was the extensive tract of high land, of
which the north-western angle was opposite the
encampment : but the elevation of this latter range
gradually decreased as it bent to the north ; and,
except in those parts where there were isolated
rocks with large stones on them, the space be-
yond was so low, that with a telescope a white
fog could be plainly descried hanging over a
glittering line of ice at the farthest limit of vision
to the north. That western extreme I named
after my esteemed friend and former companion
Dr. Richardson, R. N., many of whose opinions
respecting the Thlew-ee-choh and its conflu-
ence with the sea have proved to be singularly
correct. The southern point, near Mount Bar-
row, was honoured with the name of Admiral
Sir Thomas Hardy. A little drift-wood was
picked up, but no other kind of fuel could
be found, though two deer were seen trotting
over the ground, possibly in search of food.
August 13th. — The morning set in with rain,
for which custom had now taught us to look as a
thing of course ; but a faint hope was excited by
the view of a narrow lane of water, which had
A MAIN SEA, OR DEEP OPENING, CONJECTURED. 421
opened — how or from what cause we knew not —
outside, between the grounded ice and the main
body; and preparations were already making for
a start at high water, when the wind suddenly
chopped round from S. E. to N. W., and fixed
us once more to the spot. We crept sullenly
under our sorry places of shelter, and, without
uttering more than a monosyllabic answer to as
short a question, prepared to pass, as we best
could, the tedium of another restless night.
At 5h 30m p. m., when the tide was at full, the
ice was wedged as before to the shore, and not
ten yards of open water could be seen in any di-
rection ; thermometer 42°. About 9 p. m. there
was a short lull, the ominous stillness of which
was soon disturbed by an E. S. E. wind, that
shortly increased to a smart gale; and it is
worthy of remark, that the ice, which had re-
mained unmoved by the wind from S., S. W.,
W., and N. E., now, as if acted on by magic,
began to drift W. N. W. with great rapidity. I
was convinced, therefore, that there must be, in
that particular bearing, either a main sea or a
very deep opening, to allow the escape of so
great a portion of the immense extent of ice
before us; for, had the dispersion continued at its
then rate, a very few hours would have sufficed
to clear the channel entirely. Late though it was
in the season, this sudden revolution animated
e e 3
422 DISMAL PROSPECT.
our drooping spirits, and three or four anxious
hours were passed in anticipating the possibility
of yet floating freely on the western main. But
again the inconstancy of the breeze betrayed us,
and, as the rising tide moved the grounded masses
off the sands, a thick fog came on, which ob-
scured earth and sky ; and the wind shifted round
to N. W., which was dead on shore. The night
was cold, for the thermometer sunk below the
freezing point, and ice of half an inch thickness
was formed on the pools near the beach.
A wet fog ushered in the morning of the 14th
August, and left every object dark and indefin-
able at eighty or ninety paces distant. The breeze
increased, and was fast packing the seaward
body of ice, which now came with considerable
velocity towards the shore, and threatened to
lengthen our tedious and most annoying deten-
tion. To avoid this, — as to remain where wre
were could lead to no beneficial result, — I gave
orders for the boat to be taken quite light be-
tween the few open spots of water inshore, and
where impediments should occur to be lifted
over, so as to return to the island, where
she could be launched across, and so carried
into the free space to the eastward of Point
Ogle. This decisive step I was the more in-
duced to take trom having observed of late in-
creasing symptoms of uneasiness in my leading
£
-.
n
%--r
5
It — «
IT*-
2a
RETURN TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE ISLAND. 423
men with respect to their return ; whilst, in addi-
tion to the other invalid, the health of Sinclair
was also beginning to yield either to the con-
tinual exposure to cold and wet, or to this com-
bined with the want of hot and wholesome food.
The alacrity displayed by the men, on receiving
my directions, unequivocally manifested their
feelings at removing from so dismal a scene ; and
the exertions put forth in no common difficulties
proved that it was not less hearty than general.
The boat, being dragged across, was brought to
the place of our former station of the 9th ; after
which the crew went back four miles for the
baggage. The whole was safely conveyed over
by 8 p. m., when the water kegs were burnt to
make us a kettle of hot cocoa.
A fresh gale from N. W. continued, with little
or no alteration, during the great part of the
night; but in the morning (August 15 th) the wea-
ther became calm, and the ice again set in to the
southward. I went to the hillock once more, and
saw one closely packed mass of drift ice extend-
ing from the beach to the horizon, beyond which
there was a bright yellowish white blink. This
was in the direction of the N. N.W. bluff, which
I have named after my friend Captain Macono-
chie, R. N., of whose zeal and intelligence in the
cause of geographical science I have elsewhere
made mention. To the north were the same two
E E 4}
424 CONJECTURES AS TO A N.W. PASSAGE
islands that had been previously seen, the eastern
extremity of which was called Point Booth, from
Mr. (now Sir Felix) Booth, whose munificent
patronage of arctic discovery is too well known
to need any tribute from me : they seemed to
be of considerable extent. To the N. E. there
were water and ice, and beyond it a dark grey,
or what is denominated a water sky ; while from
the east to Cape Hay there was an open sea, with
a single island, bearing E. by S. and laid down
as Ripon Island, out of respect to the Earl of
Ripon, under whose auspices and directions it
was my good fortune to act. The only barrier
between us and the open water was a stream of
ice, about five hundred yards wide, which, for
the present, was wedged against the shore, and
prevented our moving.
From these appearances, the fact of the
flood tide coming, so far as I could judge, from
the westward, the drift-wood, and the whale,
there seems good reason for supposing a passage
to exist between Point Maconochie and Point
James Ross. Whether the north-eastern clear
space is connected with and a part of the
Western Gulf of Captain Sir John Ross, I can-
not undertake to determine ; but I think I am
warranted in an opinion that the Esquimaux
outline, the sudden termination of Cape Hay,
and the clear sea in that particular direction, are
AND CHANNEL TO REGENT S INLET. 425
strong inferences in favour of the existence of a
southern channel to Regent's Inlet. On this sub-
ject it may perhaps seem idle now to speculate;
but, had I not known of Captain Ross's return,
and it had thus been our duty to follow the
eastern rather than the western passage, there
seemed no obstacle to prevent our doing so.
We must have been carried nearer to the Vic-
tory, and thus, with the permission of Pro-
vidence, we should have been enabled, had it
been so required, to execute some part of the
humane project in which the expedition ori-
ginated.
I shall not attempt to describe what were
my feelings at finding my endeavours baffled
in every quarter but the one with which (how-
ever interesting as regarded the trending of the
land) I had no concern. When the mind has
been made up to encounter disasters and re-
verses, and has fixed a point as the zero of its
scale, however for a time it may be depressed
by doubts and difficulties, it will mount up
again with the first gleam of hope for the
future ; but, in this instance, there was no ex-
pedient by which we could overcome the ob-
stacles before us: every resource was exhausted,
and it was vain to expect that any efforts, how-
ever strenuous, could avail against the close-
wedged ice, and the constant fogs which en-
426 ABANDON JOURNEY TO POINT TURN AGAIN.
veloped every thing in impenetrable obscurity.
No one of course can regret so much as I do
that the important and interesting object of
ascertaining the existence of a passage along
the coast to Point Turnagain was not accom-
plished ; but if there be any who think that
little was achieved, in comparison with what was
undertaken (though such a notion can hardly
with justice be entertained), let them reflect
that even in the ordinary pursuits of men, with
all the appliances of civilized life to boot, the
execution is rarely equal to the conception ;
and then also consider how much greater the
impediments must be in a climate where the
elements war against all intruders, and confound
the calculations and set at nought the talents
even of such men as Parry and Franklin.
I had for some time cherished the notion of di-
viding the party, leaving four to protect the boat
and property, whilst the remainder, with Mr. King,
would have accompanied me on a land journey
towards Point Turnagain ; but this scheme was
completely frustrated by the impracticability of
carrying any weight on a soil in which at every
step we sunk half-leg deep ; destitute of shrubs or
moss for fuel, and almost without water ; over
which we must have travelled for days to have
made even a few miles of longitude ; and where,
finally, if sickness had overtaken any one, his
DETERMINE TO RETURN. 427
fate would have been inevitable. Thus circum-
stanced, therefore, and reflecting on the long
and dangerous stream, combining all the bad
features of the worst rivers in the country, that
we had to retrace, the hazards of the falls and
rapids, and the slender hope which remained of
our attaining even a single mile farther, I felt
that I had no choice, and, assembling the
men, I informed them that the period fixed
by his Majesty's Government for my return
had arrived ; and that it now only remained to
unfurl the British flag, and salute it with three
cheers in honour of His Most Gracious Majesty,
whilst his royal name should be given to this
portion of America, by the appellation of Wil-
liam the Fourth's Land. The intimation was
received with extreme satisfaction; and the loyal
service performed with the cheering accom-
paniment of a small allowance from our limited
remaining stock of spirits.
The latitude of this place was 68° 13' 51" N.,
longitude, 94° 58' V W., and variation, as well
as the sluggishness of the instrument would
allow me to determine, 1° 46' W. From this
it appears that we were only four miles south
of Point Turnagain, which consequently bore
nearly due west from us.
428
CHAP. XII.
^Exhilarating Influence of a Hunting Excursion. — Be-
moval of the Esquimaux. — ■ Leave them a Bag of
Pemmican. — Accident to the Boat. — Inundation of
the Country. — Discovery of Esquimaux. — Wise Man
of the Tribe. — Critical Position in the Rapids. — A
Storm. — Adventure of a Lemming. — Encamp at
Musk-ox Bapid. — Meeting with Mr. McLeod. — Fate
of Williamson. — The Yellow Knives. — Encamp on
Artillery Lake. — Beach the Ah-hel-dessy. — Depart
for Montreal. — The Sauteaux Indians. — Success of
a Missionary at Sault Ste. Marie. — Beturn to England.
— Conclusion.
During the night the ice had parted sufficiently
to allow of our reaching open water, and with a
fair wind we went about twenty miles south,
where, for the second time in nine days, we par-
took of a warm meal. Three stars were seen.
Rain fell in abundance the whole of the night
and following day ; and as it was accompanied
by a strong breeze, we were unable to move
until 9 p. m. ; when, tempted by a lull, we set
DEPRESSED SPIRITS OF THE CREW. 429
out on the traverse to the eastern shore. We
were soon, however, enveloped in a thick fog,
which shortly turned to a heavy rain, and
drenched us to the skin. The people exerted
themselves to the utmost, and yet we did not
reach Point Beaufort until past two in the
morning.
August 17th. — A N.W. gale set in with such
fury, that we were obliged to move the boat
from where she had been hauled up to a more
safe and sheltered place to leeward, and there also
we took refuge ourselves from the heavy squalls
and the snow that now poured down in large
flakes. In the evening, divine service was read.
The succeeding day brought us no better
weather ; and the surf and waves were much
higher. I had long observed a depression of
spirits in my steersmen, which I had attributed
to the novelty of their situation, but I could
not account for the gloom which now spread
itself as if by infection over the rest ; except,
indeed, the artillerymen, whose steady conduct
was such as to deserve the highest commendation.
The thing itself was of little moment now; but as
melancholy faces and melancholy weather are not
agreeable companions, and thinking that some of
the party would be benefited by a freer circulation
of blood, I sent them to hunt, with the promise
430 BENEFICIAL TENDENCY OF RECREATION.
of a glass of grog to any who should bring home
something for supper. This infused some activity
into them; and after an absence of a few hours,
they returned cheerful and ruddy with exercise,
bringing with them three fine hares and a brace
of ducks, different from any that had hitherto
been seen. In colour, these last resembled the
bustard of the country, with black neck and
bill, the latter short and more curved than in
the other kinds ; sepia brown plumage about
the back and wings, with a mixture of black-
grey, the breast a dull white, and the legs black.
They had not the least fishy flavour, and, plain
boiled, made us an excellent meal.
The N.W. gale gradually abated in the night,
and on the 19th we proceeded towards the river,
aided by a breeze from the east; and as it in-
creased, I beheld with a satisfaction almost pain-
ful the admirable qualities of the boat, which,
had there been a clear passage, would have taken
us in the same gallant style to Point Turnagain.
The wind freshened into a gale, and made us
seek shelter and safety under the lee of Victoria
Headland. Here the rain fell in torrents ; and
notwithstanding the additional covering of the
mainsail over the tent, it was impossible to keep
it out. The storm, in fact, partook more of the
character of a hurricane than a common gale,
REMOVAL OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 431
and it was with difficulty we could keep the tent
up at all.
August 21. — The wind gave place to a dark
wet fog, so thick that we were barely able to
start by creeping along the land towards the
mouth of the river ; and after getting frequently
on shore upon the shoals at its mouth, we entered
it in the afternoon amidst heavy rain, which,
however, some of the people scarcely noticed in
their delight at having fairly left the ice : one,
indeed, as soon as the sea was shut out from view,
tossed up his cap for joy. The western range
of mountains, extending to Point Richardson,
was honoured by the name of her Most Gracious
Majesty; others which were visible in the
evening, after Francis Chan trey, Esq. ; and the
eastern range was distinguished after her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent. The night was
again rainy, and after a long detention we
reached the lower fall, where in our descent we
had found the Esquimaux. They had disap-
peared, which I much regretted, not only be-
cause my pockets were laden with presents for
them, but because I wanted to make some more
sketches, and to show them the survey of the
coast as far as we had been, and obtain, if pos-
sible, some further information. The water in
the river had fallen three feet, and thereby
afforded a facility for launching the boat over a
432 AGAIN DISCOVER THE ESQUIMAUX.
point where the baggage was also carried.
Having proceeded four miles farther to a line of
heavy rapids, an Esquimaux was seen on the
hills ; and shortly after the two tents which we
had before visited were discovered, pitched on
the eastern bank of a strong rapid, the eddies of
which probably furnished an ample supply offish.
It was impossible for us to cross without endan-
gering the boat, and we commenced making
two long portages, while the natives watched us
with much composure from the opposite heights,
where they were all seated in a line. As we
could not attract them to us by any signs, a
number of iron hoops were placed on a pile of
stones, with various-coloured ribbonds attached
to them ; besides twenty-three awls, fifteen fish-
hooks, three dozen brass rings, and two pounds
of beads. All this was done under their eyes ;
they could scarcely fail therefore to understand
its friendly import, and that our intention was to
benefit them. My only fear was lest such, to
them, inestimable wealth should stir up quarrels
among them, from any real or fancied inequality
in the distribution.
We encamped near the next rapid. It blew
too hard on the following morning to allow us
to move, and we saw the Esquimaux watching
us from behind the rocks. About noon, two of
them brought their kieyaks to the water's edge
LEAVE A BAG OF PEMMICAN FOR PRESENT. 433
opposite to us, with the intention, as we sup-
posed, of crossing over ; but having waited until
the wind fell without any further attempt on
their part to move, I left a bag of pemmican on
another heap of stones as a further substantial
proof of our kind intentions, and finally pushed
off, taking the western rapid, which communi-
cated with Lake Franklin. Its shallowness gave
us much trouble, but with the aid of the line the
boat was at length hauled up. The sails were
immediately set; and though there was a con-
siderable sea in the more exposed part of the
lake, we scarcely took in a drop of water. The
weather became somewhat finer as we advanced
through the country, but not altogether free
from rain. As we passed a rapid, a white wolf
was seen swimming across with something in its
mouth, which was supposed to be food for its
young.
August 25th. — The rain poured down in
such torrents, that the little dog woke me by
scrambling under my cloak to escape from the
water, which was running in a stream through
the tent. The wind being with the current, our
oars were of little service, and were relinquished
for the line. This of course obliged us to round
all the windings and small bays along the banks,
and consequently lengthened the distance ; but
on the succeeding day, a fine leading wind took
F F
434 ACCIDENT TO THE BOAT,
took us to the foot of some rapids, and subse-
quently to Mount Meadowbank, on whose
shelving side many musk-oxen and deer were
feeding. In the afternoon we picked up our
cache of ammunition, and by avoiding a wide
opening shortened the distance to the next
rapids. The tracking along the banks of this
part, which was steep and covered with large
boulders, mixed with smaller round stones, was
exceedingly fatiguing from the uncertainty of
the footing, the shingly surface generally sliding
away under the pressure of each step, so that the
people were constantly falling and hurting them-
selves. The lowness of the water too caused
the navigation of many parts to be exceedingly
intricate, and some which, in descending, the
boat had passed over were now quite dry;
nevertheless, we made such good progress that
at night we encamped below the Wolf Rapid.
The next day was too foggy to allow us to start
until 10 a. m., when we ascended the rapids ;
in one of which the boat struck so severely
against a sunken rock, that she was stove under
her larboard bow: however, by caulking with
oakum and grease we contrived to reach our
cache of two bags of pemmican, which had been
uncovered, as was supposed, by the wolvereens.
By this exposure to the rain a great proportion
was too much damaged for consumption, and
PURSUE OUR ROUTE. 43.5
was carefully covered up again for the benefit of
the first marauder, biped or quadruped, that
might have the luck to fall upon it. At this
spot the boat was cobbled up ; and, again pur-
suing the route, we reached Escape Rapid,
where we found a piece of the oar which had
been broken in the descent, and was now lying
by a drowned deer in one of the eddies. The
falls were too heavy to haul up, and it was late
before we had carried every thing to the south
end. A fair wind, however, was not to be lost ;
and, after taking up another cache in excellent
order, we proceeded as far as Sinclair's Falls,
near which some ice yet lingered on the banks,
and the grass and moss were still of a brownish
hue. The season, indeed, had been generally
untoward ; for there was not a single berry, and,
what was more surprising, scarcely a mosquito
or a sand-fly — a proof that the summer must have
been an extraordinary one, and altogether differ-
ent from such as had been formerly experi-
enced. Three or four musk-bulls were seen
grazing singly and apart, under the lee of rocks
or sand-hills : they were not much scared at our
approach ; but, as they were not eatable, we did
not molest them. Towards evening, two white
wolves trotted past, evidently on the scent of a
poor wounded deer that had taken refuge on an
island about a mile from them. Having made
f f 2
436 INUNDATION OF THE COUNTRY.
a portage we reached the Rock Rapid, of which
we had intended to try the eastern side; but per-
ceiving that it was certainly the less eligible of
the two, we followed the old passage, and by 2
p.m. were safely in Lake Macdougall. From the
summit of a rock, I saw, with surprise, that the
whole country was inundated ; that which in
July had been dry and green being now con-
verted into a wide swamp.
It was not without difficulty and anxiety that
we ascended the long and dangerous line of
rapids leading to Lake Garry, whose smooth and
glassy surface presented a striking contrast to its
wintry covering of five weeks ago. A sand-hill
that had served the same purpose before was
again selected for our encampment, and a more
certain evidence of the torrents of rain that must
have fallen could not have been afforded, than
by the spectacle of whole fields of unbroken
moss, which had been swept away in a body from
the face of the summit (a height of sixty feet),
and was strewed like a carpet along the beach.
August 31st. — Having made the traverse to
that part where the ice had first detained us, we
were rather astonished at seeing a number of
marks on a point which none of us recollected to
have observed when passing it before : accord-
ingly, they were examined : and, from their ap-
parent freshness, and the newly gathered moss
DISCOVERY OF ESQUIMAUX. 437
about, it was evident that they could not have
been up many days. There were also numerous
tracks of men and dogs on the sand. The
weather was rather hazy ; so that, at the moment,
objects could not be clearly made out ; but, as
we were pulling alongshore, JVFKenzie thought
he espied a deer on the stony summit of a
sloping hill, which terminated in a point where
many more marks had been erected similar
to those lately left. It was, however, soon dis-
covered to be an Esquimaux ; and, presently,
two more of his companions rose up from behind
some rocks, where they had lain concealed until,
as they thought, we were far enough from them
to allow them to venture out. Convinced, from
their manner, that they would have fled, we did
not think it worth while to return to them, but
pursued our course ; and, when we least expected
it, just after lifting the boat over a shoal, came
suddenly upon twelve tents, surrounded by a
swarm of men, women, and children ; the latter
of whom began to howl and cry, and fled hastily
behind the rocks for protection. The former
displayed almost as much uneasiness ; and, each
being armed with his spear and sling, hallooed
and made intelligible signs, by the impatient
waving of one hand, that we should not approach
them. Nevertheless, we advanced, making the
usual demonstration of friendship by raising up
f f 3
438 THE WISE MAN OF THE TRIBE.
both arms ; but, when we were abreast of them,
they retreated with precipitation to the tents
and rocks ; and, having no interpreter to dispel
their fears, and unwilling to add to their con-
sternation by landing, we pulled slowly on. As
soon as they perceived this, and were satisfied
that we had no intention to hurt them, an elderly
man ran after us along the rocks, keeping, how-
ever, at a respectful distance ; and with loud vo-
ciferations, and the same action with the hand
as before, still bade us go away. He had not
proceeded above a couple of hundred yards,
when some of his friends prepared to follow him.
This he forbade by the same wave of the hand
that was used to us ; and then we perceived, infi-
nitely to our amusement, that this was the con-
juror, or wise man of the tribe, and that he was
at that moment imitating the growling and mo-
tion of a bear, bending himself and walking on
his hands and knees, thinking, no doubt, to
charm us away. It is difficult to form a correct
opinion of the numbers of the party; though
about sixty or seventy would probably be near
the truth. We saw only four kieyaks ; and I
think it probable that they were inhabitants of
Wager Bay, or Chesterfield Inlet.
September 1st. — Having hauled up the rapid
which connects Lake Pelly with Lake Garry, we
picKed up our cache at the island ; and subse-
CRITICAL POSITION IN THE RAPIDS. 439
quently passed another, half covered with old
drift willows and quills. A herd of musk-oxen
and a few straggling deer were quietly feeding
on the sand-hills ; and many of the white, brown,
and laughing geese were flying about, and
seemed to be collecting for their southerly mi-
gration.
On the 4th, a hard gale from the N. W. indi-
cated the commencement of the fall weather;
and, while we were travelling, many hundreds
of geese flew high past us to the south. It was
necessary to haul the boat all day ; and we as-
cended between sixteen and twenty rapids, which,
owing to the shallowness of the water, were very
troublesome. Sand-banks and islands appeared
in every direction, and so changed was the
face of the river that it was not easy to recog-
nise it. In the centre of the Hawk Rapid the
line broke, and threw us into a very critical
situation ; one, indeed, which, with a less ac-
tive crew, might have been followed by serious
consequences. However, by clinging to the
rocks until the damage was repaired, the boat
was held fast, and prevented from descending
again. As we advanced, the shoals and bars
greatly impeded our progress ; so that, in an or-
dinary season, the navigation would have been
impracticable even for a boat entirely light.
September 6th. — The morning set in with
f f 4
440 A STORM.
the promise of a fine day, and a. favourable
wind heightened the expectation that a consider-
able distance would be made ; but so little are
atmospheric appearances to be depended upon
in this tract, that after two hours' sailing the
whole sky became darkened, — -a mist rose, — and
the rain poured, not in drops, but in lines, as if
it fell from so many spouts ; the water, there-
fore, was soon above the stern sheets, and we
landed to find shelter, . and secure our remain-
ing provision. The gale soon increased to a
storm that brought with it heavy squalls and
thunder, and extinguished the fire nearly as fast
as it was lighted. However, by perseverance,
weather cloths, and sundry other expedients, we
got it at last fairly kindled — to our great content-
ment, for we had shot a fat deer, and were not
a little eager to change our accustomed dish of
old mouldy pemmican for so savoury a repast,
though eaten without salt, or any of those appli-
ances which luxury has invented for relieving
the insipidity and adding to the relish of plain
boiled meat. The storm continued from N. E.
all night ; and though the main-sail had been
thrown over the tent, it was quite ineffectual
to keep out the rain, which ran in streams
through both. At midnight there was a partial
lull, after which it freshened again, and soon
blew more furiously than ever, accompanied
ADVENTURE OF A LEMMING. 441
with snow, which on the following morning (the
7th) had covered the surface of the hills and
ground around us, and given a wintry aspect to
the scene. About 10 p. m. the water had risen
four feet, when, for the third time, the boat was
hauled higher on the bank. So completely cold
and drenched was every thing outside, that a
poor little lemming, unable to contend with the
floods which had driven it successively from all
its retreats, crept silently under the tent, and
snuggled away in precarious security within a
few paces of a sleeping terrier. Unconscious of
its danger, it licked its fur coat, and darted its
bright eyes from object to object, as if pleased
and surprised with its new quarters ; but soon
the pricked ears of the awakened dog announced
its fate, and in another instant the poor little
stranger was quivering in his jaws.
September 8th. — The morning was gloomy ;
but as the wind had fallen, we gladly availed
ourselves of the opportunity to get away, though
the current was strong, and the weather so thick
that it was sometimes difficult to find the right
channel. About 9 the sun broke out, and al-
lowed us to dry our wet clothes. Passing
Baillie's River, we ascended the long rapid
where the first Esquimaux marks were seen, and
found the country on either side quite converted
into a swamp. Towards evening a N.W. gale
442 ENCAMP AT MUSK-OX RAPID.
came on, with sleet and snow, and the next
morning all the creeks were solidly frozen. The
cold was indeed excessive ; and what with snow,
squalls, and mist, we did not make much pro-
gress. The water had risen considerably, and
the mud and sand cliffs were worn into innumer-
able ravines from the constant drainage of the
upper lands. It occupied the better part of a
day to get past the cascades, and a most laborious
and hazardous service it was ; such as assuredly
would not have been attempted by any but
persons situated as we were. The boat barely
withstood the shocks she received, and was
obliged to be repaired and caulked to keep her
afloat. On Lake Beechy we had abundance of
snow, and wind enough to detain us. At some
distance from it we saw three hawks attack a
wounded goose and a gull, which they seemed
pretty certain of killing.
On September 15th we took up our first cache,
which had been eaten into by the lemmings, and
was partly damaged ; and late in the evening we
encamped at the upper end of Musk Ox Rapid,
but saw no fresh traces of Indians. Only six-
teen days earlier in the previous season the
surrounding hills were covered with deer care-
lessly feeding in all directions, and every thing
had the tint of summer on it : now, not a
solitary deer was seen j the tea plant had evi-
MEETING WITH MR. McLEOD. 443
dently been frozen, the dwarf birch was almost
leafless, the willow was bright yellow, and the
whole country was clothed in a livery of sober
brown. Five musk-oxen were the only living
creatures about; all others having deserted a
place which the year before was teeming with
life.
A northerly breeze brought on a fog, in the
midst of which we crossed Musk Ox Lake, but
were unable to see our way afterwards until
11 a.m., when we found ourselves abreast of
Icy River, always covered with ice. Subse-
quently we got to the first portage on the Thlew-
ee-choh, and on the following day (September
17th) met our friend Mr. McLeod, who with
four men and two Indians had already been
several days at Sand Hill Bay. The pleasure of
this meeting I shall not attempt to describe. He
had been long expecting us, and had passed, it
seems, many anxious hours in watching the
distant objects in the direction of our route.
After our departure in July he had effected his
return to the house with the loss of two dogs
only, and had gone from thence to Fort Resolu-
tion, to take possession of the forty bags of pem-
mican, as well as the outfit from York Factory,
which had been forwarded by the Company. As
he retraced his way, he had established two
444 FATE OF WILLIAMSON.
fisheries* ; and having deposited the goods
safe in store at the Fort, and left a trustworthy
man in care of them, he proceeded without loss
of time to fulfil my last instructions by coming
to the Thlew-ee-choh. It was gratifying to hear
that the men under his charge had conducted
themselves with propriety ; but the faint hope I
had entertained of poor Williamson's being alive
was extinguished by the intelligence that his
body had been found and interred by Mr.
McLeod. The unhappy man was discovered
lying on the ground, with a few sticks near him,
not far from his fire. He had died, as it seemed,
from famine, aided, perhaps, by the despond-
encv so observable in his conduct for some
months previous to his discharge. The cause of
this dejection we were unable to discover ; but
so melancholy was he, that in the autumn
before the house was built, and when we were
all encamped around it, instead of associating
with his comrades, he built himself a hut with
pine branches, in which he ate his solitary meal ;
and frequently in the stillness of the night, when
most others were at rest, this extraordinary man
would be found sitting before his dwelling, with
his eyes intently fixed on the dying embers of
* One fishery was opposite Reindeer Island, and the other
near Point Keith, 115 miles from Fort Reliance.
FATE OF WILLIAMSON. 445
his fire. He did little duty of any kind, and
was treated with uniform kindness by the whole
of the people, who called him Poor David,
seeming to regard him as one in deep distress of
mind, whom they were bound to pity. As often
happens to those who go astray, he was but a
short distance from the fishery he had left, and
to which, as was conjectured from his having
followed a track made by some of our men but
two days before the ice broke up, he was en-
deavouring to return.
The weather since our departure had been
worse than the Indians ever remembered ; and
they had endured in consequence more than
usual misery and suffering in the privation of
food. Mr. JVFLeod declared that I would not
recognise them, unless they had wonderfully
recovered since they had fallen in with the deer.
The whole of the country north and east of
Great Slave Lake had been deluged with rain,
and blighted by frost and snow. The same thing
seems to have happened last winter, which was
unusually mild to the southward, and even in
the McKenzie, as compared with what we
found it; whence it may perhaps be inferred
that the bays and inlets of the sea coast were
superabundantly charged with ice, the influence
of which on the atmosphere would, of course,
vary with the locality.
446 INTENSE COLD.
For two days the weather was so stormy, with
sleet, snow, and sharp frost, that we could not
move. The small lakes became solid enough to
bear, and the men were occupied in fetching
some meat that the Indians had killed.
Sept. 20th was a bitter frosty morning, with
snow ; but the wind had abated, and we set
forward, leaving Mr. McLeod to follow at his
leisure, in order that he might hunt the shores
of the lake, which he thought could be done
advantageously. Having crossed Lake Aylmer
without the occurrence of any thing remarkable,
wTe got into Clinton-Colden Lake, and found the
hills covered to the depth of two inches with
snow ; while the cold was so sharp that the
water froze on the oars and the sides of the
boat, and even stopped one of the chronometers,
(No. 3093, French), which had hitherto been
most regular and steady in its rate. Towards
evening we got to the first rapid in the little
river, and were visited by some Yellow Knives,
whom we expected to find thereabout. They
congratulated us on our safe return, which,
considering the dreadfully bad season, had been
scarcely expected. The elderly man who was
ill last spring at the Fort, and whose exces-
sive stubbornness had drawn upon him the
name of Old Obstinate, was lying very ill
in his lodge, his troubles being further embit-
THE YELLOW-KNIVES. 447
tered by the recent loss of one of his sons.
The unfortunate custom of destroying all their
clothes and property, at whatever cost of time
and labour obtained, had been most rigidly
observed by the whole family; so that they
had no other covering at this bleak season (the
thermometer being 24°), than a loose and un-
fashioned reindeer skin, thrown carelessly and
almost uselessly over the shoulders.
Mr. King, with much good feeling, went across
the country during the night, accompanied by the
interpreter, to see the old man, and administer
to his relief. Some of the children also, who
were slightly affected with singular complaints,
were attended to. Having run the rapid, we
called at the tents for several parcels of meat
which were ready prepared for us ; and I took
that opportunity of asking " Old Obstinate,"
who, with the exception of another aged man,
was the only person conversant with the coun-
try northward, whether, to his knowledge, there
was any chance of getting either to Cont-woy-to
Lake or Bathurst's Inlet, from any part of the
Thlew-ee-choh ; but he declared himself unable
to answer my question farther than this, that
there existed small lakes and innumerable
streams that ran towards the Thlew-ee-choh,
all of which, however, were rapid, and too
shoal for anything larger than one of their
448 ENCAMP ON ARTILLERY LAKE.
hunting canoes. After running another rapid,
we collected more meat at a second encamp-
ment, to which the occupants of the former
also, including the old man, had followed us ;
and as they all crowded into the tent, I showed
them the survey of the river, and particularly
pointed out those parts where the greatest number
of animals had been seen, recommending them,
in the event of any future failure, to go so far,
which I assured them they might do with safety.
They answered, " it was good ;" but appeared
too indifferent to allow me to suppose that they
had any idea, at that time at least, of taking ad-
vantage of it. They looked, however, with eager
curiosity at the length and windings of the
river, its numerous falls and extensive lakes ;
and their attention was riveted to the slightest
word relating to the Esquimaux. A few pre-
sents from these last to me were scrutinized
with the minutest attention, and they listened
in profound silence to my account of their
peaceful conduct.
At night we encamped at the first pines on
the western shore of Artillery Lake. While we
were with the Indians in the morning, our dog
had hunted and sadly pulled about a poor
lemming, half torpid with cold. The first gripe
had blinded it, and the little creature was now
running about on the ice along the border of the
REACH THE AH-HEL-DESSY. 449
river ; while the dog, as if conscious that it could
not escape, kept mouthing and playing with it.
The sick old Indian was seated by the fire, joining
in the half-smothered laugh which the sport cre-
ated. Hereupon I rose from my seat, and calling
the dog away, caught the mouse, warmed it by
the fire, and when it had somewhat recovered its
strength, laid it gently down at the entrance of a
burrow in the sand-bank, into which it soon dis-
appeared. I then threw in a piece of fat after it
for food. As I anticipated, the Indians were
not inattentive to what was passing ; and when
I pointed to the infirm old man near them, and
said that the helpless should be protected, they
understood the meaning of what had been done,
and with expressions of satisfaction promised to
remember it.
The weather still continued squally, with
snow ; but the breeze being fair, the foresail was
hoisted, and about noon of the 24th we got to
the Ah-hel-dessy, where we were greeted by the
sight of berries. Some Indians encamped in a bay
made signs for us to go to them, which being
disregarded, they ran after us to say they had
plenty of meat : however they wrere directed to
bring it to the Fort. The descent of this small
but abominable river was a succession of run-
ning rapids, making portages, and lowering down
cascades ; and much time was occupied in pre-
G G
450 OUR PROGRESS ARRESTED BY THE FALLS.
vious examination, without which precaution
we dared not stir a yard ; still the rapids in-
creased in number and difficulty, until at last
a deep and perpendicular fall, (which I have
named after Capt. Anderson, R. A.), rushing
between mountainous rocks into a vast chasm,
stopped all further progress. The steersmen,
unwilling to be arrested even by such obstacles,
went some distance farther, but soon returned
with an account of more falls and cascades. To
convey the boat over so rugged and mountain-
ous a country, most of the declivities of which
were coated with thin ice, and the whole hidden
by snow, so as to render mere walking difficult
enough, was obviously impossible ; and though
it was annoying to be forced to leave her, yet, as
there was no alternative, she was safely hauled
up among some willows and secured, until she
could be brought away on sledges in the fol-
lowing spring. A cache was also made of the
sails, meat, &c, a great part of which, as was
afterwards found, was destroyed by the wolve-
reens, which, apparently out of mischief, cut
the towing line into short lengths of from one
to two feet, tore the sails and covering into
rags, and so gnawed a bag that the two hun-
dred balls it contained were strewed about, and
most of them lost. There is, in fact, no guard-
ing against these animals; their strength, as
VISIT to parry's falls. 451
compared with their size, is enormous, as may
be understood from the fact that most of the
stones used in forming this cache were, singly,
as much as two able men could lift.
Each of the crew being laden with a piece
weighing seventy-five pounds, we began our
march to the Fort across the mountains, now
entirely covered with snow four inches deep.
The small lakes and swamps were also frozen
hard enough to bear a passage across. We had
not proceeded more than six or seven miles, when
observing the spray rising from another fall, we
were induced to visit it, and were well consoled
for having left the boat where she was. From
the only point at which the greater part of it was
visible, we could distinguish the river coming
sharp round a rock, and falling into an upper
basin almost concealed by intervening rocks ;
whence it broke in one vast sheet into a chasm
between four and five hundred feet deep,
yet in appearance so narrow that we fan-
cied wre could almost step across it. Out of
this the spray rose in misty columns several
hundred feet above our heads; but as it was
impossible to see the main fall from the side on
which we were, in the following spring I paid a
second visit to it, approaching from the western
bank. The road to it, which I then traversed in
snow shoes, was fatiguing in the extreme, and
g g 2
452 VISIT to parry's falls.
scarcely less dangerous ; for, to say nothing of
the steep ascents, fissures in the rocks, and deep
snow in the valleys, we had sometimes to creep
along the narrow shelves of precipices slippery
with the frozen mist that fell on them. But it
was a sight which well repaid any risk. My
first impression was of a strong resemblance to
an iceberg in Smeerenberg Harbour, Spitzbergen.
The whole face of the rocks forming the chasm
was entirely coated with blue, green, and white
ice, in thousands of pendent icicles : and there
were, moreover, caverns, fissures, and over-
hanging ledges in all imaginable varieties of
form, so curious and beautiful as to surpass
any thing of which I had ever heard or read.
The immediate approaches were extremely ha-
zardous, nor could we obtain a perfect view of
the lower fall, in consequence of the projection
of the western cliffs. At the lowest position
which we were able to attain, we were still more
than a hundred feet above the level of the bed
of the river beneath ; and this, instead of being
narrow enough to step across, as it had seemed
from the opposite heights, was found to be at
least two hundred feet wide.
The colour of the water varied from a very
light to a very dark green ; and the spray, which
spread a dimness above, was thrown up in clouds
of light grey. Niagara, Wilberforce's Falls in
ARRIVAL AT FORT RELIANCE. 453
Hood's River, the falls of Kakabikka near Lake
Superior, the Swiss or Italian falls, — although
they may each " charm the eye with dread," are
not to be compared to this for splendour of effect.
It was the most imposing spectacle I had ever
witnessed ; and, as its berg-like appearance
brought to mind associations of another scene,
I bestowed upon it the name of our celebrated
navigator, Sir Edward Parry, and called it
Parry's Falls.
September 27th. — The journey was resumed
at an early hour. On passing my resting place
of the preceding spring, I was surprised to see
the havoc caused by the summer storms, which
had up torn by the roots and laid prostrate the
tallest pines of the forest; and the devastation
was even greater as we neared the lake. Late
in the forenoon we arrived at Fort Reliance,
after an absence of nearly four months ; tired
indeed, but well in health, and truly grateful
for the manifold mercies we had experienced in
the course of our long and perilous journey.
The house was standing, but that was all ; for it
inclined fearfully to the west, and the mud used
for plastering had been washed away by the
rain. The observatory was in little better state ;
and my canoe had been splintered by lightning.
Nothing, in short, could present a more cheerless
appearance for a dwelling : but the goods, and
g g 3
454 INQUIRIES AND DISAPPOINTMENT.
some meat brought by the Indians, were dry in
the store ; and, after three hours' rest, the men
were set to work about the necessary reparations.
The old Indian who had been, when a young
man, at Hood's River, happened to be at the
Fort : but he could not afford me the slightest
information about the country near Bathurst's
Inlet, nor did he know of any other way of
getting there with small canoes. " But," said
he, " why does the chief ask me, when he is the
only one who has been there ?"
This was a grievous disappointment ; for, could
I have obtained the least information to be de-
pended upon, I had a strong wish to try if some
communication might not be found between
Lake Beechey and Back's River, by crossing the
mountains in a line towards the latter, and taking
with me materials to build canoes there. But, to
accomplish this, without any previous knowledge
of the route, would have occupied one or proba-
bly even two seasons more, and would have
required an entirely fresh set of men, and much
additional expense. When we had reached
Bathurst's Inlet, there would have been the
chance of finding it full of ice; and, even on
the supposition of its being perfectly free, we
could not, in any manner, reckon on more than
three weeks for performing the distance between
this place and Ross Pillar or Point Richardson,
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE WINTER. 455
To go by the Thlew-ee-choh again was out of
the question ; since, independently of its dan-
gers, it led to the wrong end for a favourable
passage along the coast, the eastern portion
being probably always more or less hampered
with ice brought by the current from the west-
ward. Upon these considerations, and influ-
enced, moreover, by a feeling that I was not
authorized to swell the expense of a service
the original object of which had been happily
anticipated by Providence, I relinquished, though
with sincere reluctance, the further prosecution
of its secondary purpose as altogether hopeless
from this particular quarter.
It remained, therefore, only to make arrange-
ments for passing the winter as comfortably as our
means would permit ; and, as there was not the
remotest probability that there would be suffi-
cient food at the house for the consumption of
the whole party, all except six went with Mr.
McLeod to the fisheries, conveying, at the same
time, to the Company's establishment at Fort
Resolution, the various bales of goods and other
articles which we did not now require. A
great proportion of the pemmican also was de-
posited in store there, for the use of the expedi-
tion in its passage through the country.
The Indians brought us provision from time
to time ; and our friend Akaitcho, with his fol-
G G 4
456 AKAITCHO.
lowers, though not very successful, was not
wanting in his contributions. The name of this
chief is so associated with Sir John Franklin's
first expedition, that it may not be uninteresting
to say a few words about him here. He is no
longer the same active and important person that
he was in those days ; for, besides the infirmities
that have crept upon him, he has grown peevish
and fickle. His once absolute authority is con-
sequently reduced to a shadow ; and, with the
exception of his sons and his own family, he can
scarcely boast of a single subject or adherent in
his summer excursions to hunt. During winter,
however, the clan still keep together as formerly.
The Yellow Knives have drawn vengeance
on themselves by their wanton and oppressive
conduct towards their neighbours, the Slave In-
dians ; an inoffensive race, whom they plundered
of their peltries and women on the most trifling
occasions of dispute, and too often out of mere
insolence, and the assertion of that superiority
with which the fears of the Slaves invested
them. At last, after submitting to every scourge
that the ingenuity of barbarism could inflict —
after beholding their wives and daughters torn
from their lodges, and their young men branded
with the badge of slavery, they wrere suddenly
animated with a spirit of revenge ; and, in one
season, partly by treachery and partly by valour,
DECLINE OF THE YELLOW KNIVES. 457
annihilated the boasted ascendency of their ty-
rants, From this contest dates the downfall of the
Yellow Knives : their well-known chiefs, and the
flower of their youth — all who had strength or
ability were massacred ; and the wretched rem-
nant were driven from the rich hunting grounds
about theYellowKnife River to the comparatively
barren hills bordering on Great Slave Lake. This
revolution in their fortunes, followed as it was
by suspicion, fear, and discontent, has sensibly
affected the race itself, and entailed a degeneracy
from which they will probably never recover.
There cannot now be more than seventy families
remaining; and these comprise few able men,
the greater proportion being aged, infirm, and
decrepit, who are regarded as burthens upon
the more active and working portion of the com-
munity. To complete their calamities, they have
been visited by a contagious disease, which is
fatally prevalent: slowly, but surely, this is con-
signing them to death, and, without such as-
sistance as it. is feared cannot be rendered, must
eventually sweep them away from among the
tribes of the north.
Their speculations regarding the creation, &c.
are dwelt on at length in Franklin's Journey
to the Polar Sea ; but most of them are either
forgotten, or strangely distorted by the present
generation, who content themselves with a sim-
458 THE CHIPEWYANS.
pie belief in the existence of One Great Spirit,
who rewards the good and punishes the evil-
doer. I was once speaking to the Camarade
de Mandeville, a Chipewyan chief, on this
subject, and was endeavouring to impress on
his mind a few moral precepts for his future
guidance, to which he listened with the most
profound gravity and attention. When I had
concluded, he raised his head a little, and, with
eyes fixed on the floor, said, in a low and solemn
tone, " The chief's words have sunk deep into
my heart ; and I shall often think of them when
I am alone. It is true that I am ignorant ; but
I never lie down at night in my lodge without
whispering to the Great Spirit a prayer for for-
giveness, if I have done anything wrong that
day."
The Chipewyans, although they sometimes
associate with the Yellow Knives, never do so
without caution and watchfulness. Indeed, with
the exception of seven or eight, who were in
constant broils, they kept aloof, and came to
the Fort at a time when they knew the others
were absent. These people are by no means
wanting in shrewdness, when occasion offers
for the display of it. Mr. McLeod was re-
proving one of them for the bickerings he
had had with the other tribe ; and, after expos-
tulating with him on the danger of so bad an
THE CHIPEWYANS. 459
example, informed him that they were all
brothers, created by the same Power, which
made no distinction between man and man, but
regarded every one according to the quality of
his actions ; that they should be kind, therefore,
and charitable towards each other, for that such
conduct was pleasing to the Great Spirit. "Ah !"
said the Indian, with a heavy sigh, "that is
good -, and if the chief wishes to teach us in that
way, which is very good, let him show that he
fears the Great Spirit, and give me a gun to
hunt with ; for my family are starving."
While Akaitcho and his followers were at the
house, I repeated to them what I had previously
told the others respecting the river, and the
distance they might venture down it without
falling in with the Esquimaux, whose vocifer-
ations and threatening manners were explained
as being harmless, and their character described
as peaceable and unoffending after a first inter-
view. But Akaitcho observed that they were
difficult people to talk with, and he did not
think that any of his tribe would go near them,
though for his own part he was sorry he had not
accompanied me.
A few presents were given to them, and they
went away to the westward well contented.
The Chipewyans also directed their steps towards
the Athabasca, and left us in our cold and
460 AMUSEMENTS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.
solitary dwelling to bear the brunt of another
winter.
The instruments were placed in the observ-
atory, the registers recommenced, and we found
full employment in constructing the chart,
writing our journals, making drawings, &c. &c.
An hour every other night was devoted to the
instruction of the men ; and divine service was
read every Sunday, which was always held
sacred as a day of rest.
The tedium of the long evenings was most
agreeably lightened by the early arrival of
our packet from England, containing not only
letters, but valuable periodicals, and a file of
the " New York Albion," kindly sent by Go-
vernor Simpson. I had made some provision
for a treat to the men on New Year's Day ; and
accordingly they all came with Mr. McLeod
from the fisheries, and our evening commenced
with some sleight-of-hand tricks with cards, &c.
The men who performed these were dressed
up for the purpose ; and having huge beards and
mustachoes of buffalo skin, as well as a pioneer's
cap of the same stuff, looked so droll, and in
their anxiety not to go wrong in their parts, in
which they were not quite perfect, maintained
so serious a countenance, that their very appear-
ance produced peals of laughter. His Majesty's
health was then drank with three cheers ; and
VISIT FROM THE WOLVES. 4.61
the people were set down to a feast, consisting
of a preparation of meat and fat fried in batter
(i.e. flour and water), with cakes sweetened with
treacle ; after which they sang and danced, and,
to use their own expression, " had grog to their
hearts' content." In fact, they were all tho-
roughly happy, and I was scarcely less happy in
seeing them so. In a few days they returned to
their several stations, and left us to our former
solitude.
Our next visitors were of a more lean and
hungry kind, being a troop of eighteen white
wolves, which obliged us to secure the dogs
by keeping them within the house during the
night. They would come when every thing
was quiet, prowling about the door; and fre-
quently as we went to observe the needle at
midnight, they were within sixty paces of us on
the border of the lake, or sneaking about the
woods, but always retreated to a short distance
when they saw any one move. Two were
caught in traps, and one was shot by a spring
gun, but they were immediately devoured by
the others, the onlv remains found in the morn-
ing being the heads and legs. One of their
decoys was as follows : two or three would lie
down on the ice a few hundred yards in front of
the house, in order to entice the dogs, which
sometimes ventured a little way towards them \
462 PURSUIT OF THE WOLVES.
and on one occasion when two of them were thus
lying in wait, my little terrier, which had been
bitten in the neck only two nights before, ran
with other five dogs to within about fifty paces
of them, when the larger of the two instantly
singled it out, and after twice missing, finally
seized it by the neck, and carried it deliberately
away. By mere accident I happened to be
looking through a pane of glass in that direction
just as the poor little thing was in its jaws. An
alarm was instantly given to the people, who
hounded on the dogs, and a general chase was
given. The wolves contented themselves with
trotting until we were gaining on them, when
the one which had the little dog put it down,
and seizing it afresh by the back, increased its
speed, and took to the woods. Here, after a
long run, the interpreter and Taylor came up
as it was taking its first bite, quite heedless of
the dogs, which had not the courage to attack
it. The interpreter's gun missed fire ; but the
wolf wras frightened and ran away, leaving its
victim still alive, though it died soon after from
its wounds. During the winter wre caught live
more, among which was the delinquent, and the
rest finding nothing to live upon went away.
The weather was severe at first, but after Ja-
nuary it became unusually mild ; and as it was
necessary for me to return by way of Canada,
SET OUT ON MY RETURN. 463
the dogs and sledges were got ready early in
March. I then directed Mr. King to proceed
at the proper season with the Europeans to
York Factory, when they would embark in the
Company's ship for England ; and taking leave
of my companion, on the 21st of March I went
towards the fisheries, where, having bade farewell
to my esteemed friend Mr. McLeod, I set out,
and shortly reached Fort Resolution. Here
having been kindly supplied with every thing
necessary to forward me, on the 10th of April
I arrived at Fort Chipewyan, where I was also
hospitably entertained by Mr. E. Smith, a chief
factor in the Company's service.
I was informed that the winter had been un-
usually mild round Chipewyan, as well as in the
neighbourhood of Peace River, and that very
little snow had fallen at either place. The ac-
counts of the atmospheric register kept on the
banks of the McKenzie River gave a similar
result; while at Fort Reliance the cold, though
considerably less severe than that of the preceding
season, had still been so keen that the daily walk
for exercise on the wood track behind the Fort
could not be taken without the risk of being
frost-bitten. Many of the people, indeed, suf-
fered severely in this way while going to and
from our fishery, when, as we afterwards learned
the weather a little to the westward was mild,
and at times almost warm ; so that it is evident
464 ADVANCE OF THE SPRING.
the degree of cold atone place, furnishes no infer-
ence which can be relied upon as to the temper-
ature of another place even moderately distant.
About the beginning of May, the whole of
the lake began to look black and decayed : pools
of water were soon formed, and then a channel,
which gradually extended itself among the
islands and along the shoal parts near the
shore. By the 15th swans, geese, and different
kinds of ducks appeared in large flocks, and
were welcomed scarcely more as harbingers of
spring than for the amusement of shooting them,
and the grateful change which they afforded to
the table. Martins and other small birds soon
followed. Vegetation also now made rapid pro-
gress ; anemones came into flower, the catkins
of the willows underwent hourly change, and
the small leaf of the birch expanded itself almost
perceptibly. Many women of the Fort were at
this time also industriously employed in col-
lecting the sap of these useful trees, for the
purpose of making a sirup used as a substitute
for sugar, of which they are extravagantly fond.
Crops of potatoes and barley are sometimes
grown at Chipewyan ; but these in the past
season had failed, owing, as I imagine, to the
proximity of the places of culture to the lake, and
their consequent exposure to the chilling winds
so prevalent here about the autumn and spring.
Another trial, however, was now made, and
ARRIVAL OF BOATS FROM PEACE RIVER. 465
seed again sown, in the hope of a more fortunate
result.
On the 23d of May, some boats laden with
furs, &c. arrived from the post on Peace River,
whence they also brought a cow and calf,
and thereby supplied us with luxuries till then
untasted at Chipewyan. A few days after, two
gentlemen made their appearance from the
Company's farthest establishments to the south-
west of the Rocky Mountains, a long and tedious
journey, which they had performed partly on
horseback and partly in canoes. They were
sensibly affected by the change of temperature,
and remarked that the difference even within a
few days was like the transition from summer to
winter.
Chilly N.E. winds had prevailed for nearly a
fortnight, and when these blew fresh the ice
from that quarter drifted down in large quan-
tities, and blocked up the channel, which at
other times, under favourable circumstances, was
clear enough to afford a passage out of the lake.
On such occasions I was naturally anxious to get
away, although unwilling to do so in the absence
of my interpreter Thomas Hassel. He had re-
mained at Fort Resolution at his own request, as
substitute for the interpreter of that post, removed
in consequence of illness to Fort Reliance for
the benefit of the attention of Mr. King, under
H H
466 DEPART FOR MONTREAL.
whose treatment, I may add, he speedily reco-
vered. The morning of the 28th of May, how-
ever, was so tine, and the channel so free from
obstruction, that I immediately prepared for my
departure, having arranged that Hassel should
follow in one of the Company's boats, and take
the place of the person who was appointed to
accompany me. Accordingly, provided with
every thing that was necessary for the journey,
I took leave of my kind friend Mr. Smith, of
whom it is but justice to say that he had ne-
glected nothing which might contribute in any
degree to my comfort while under his hospitable
roof.
After several detentions, principally from gales
of wind, I got to Norway House, in Jack River,
on the 24th of June, and found many persons
there suffering from influenza. Mr. Simpson had
been obliged to go to Canada ; but had directed
every thing necessary to be in readiness, that my
progress might not be delayed. Having, there-
fore, examined the accounts and charges for the
o-oods received by the expedition from the Com-
pany, and left some brief directions for Mr. King,
I set out very shortly for Montreal, with a crew
of Iroquois and Canadians substituted for my
own men, who, at their own request, were now
discharged from the service. I next crossed
Lake Winnipeg, and arrived at Fort Alexander,
THE SAUTEAUX INDIANS. 467
where we provided ourselves with a stronger
canoe, better adapted for ascending the river.
As we approached Rainy Lake, numerous
deserted huts of the Sauteaux Indians were seen
on each side of the river, generally near rapids,
where they spear the sturgeon as it struggles to
ascend the current. The arrival of these fish is
their season of feasting ; for the large animals
being nearly extinct, they often experience great
difficulty in procuring food enough for subsist-
ence ; and, indeed, were it not for the wild rice,
which happily grows spontaneously round the
lake, and which they have prudence enough to
gather up for winter consumption, their condition
wrould be most deplorable. In proof of the
wretchedness to which they are reduced, it is
only necessary to look at the many young trees
which have been stripped of their bark to afford
them sustenance. Still these people are, or
rather, when we saw them, were more than
commonly robust, and had an air and car-
riage greatly superior to the more peaceable
tribes of the north. The almost constant state of
warfare existing between them and the Sieux
Indians makes them daring, and gives them a
peculiar strut, assumed, probably, for the pur-
pose of intimidating their adversaries. On one
occasion, as we were crossing a portage close to
the American lines, some of these Indians came
h h 2
468 PILFERING HABITS OF THE INDIANS.
to us with a few fish, ostensibly for the purpose
of exchanging them for tobacco with the voy-
ageurSy but in reality to pilfer anything they
could conveniently carry away. However, they
were narrowly watched ; and nothing was missed
until at the moment of starting, when one of our
Iroquois, leaping on shore, went directly up to
an elderly Sauteaux, who was quietly seated on
a rock, pushed him aside, and discovered his hat,
which the old fellow had dexterously contrived
to secrete under his dress. This detection so an-
noyed him, that when the canoe was pushed off
from the land he began pelting us with stones,
but desisted on my holding up my hand in token
of disapprobation.
The river Kaministiquoyawas found so shallow
that three or four of the crew were obliged to walk
along the banks ; and in attempting to make a
short cut through the woods they got bewildered.
After endeavouring for a short time in vain to
recover the track by which they had entered,
one of the number climbed a pine-tree, in the
hope of descrying the river; but unfortunately, in
grasping one of the topmost branches, he uncon-
sciously disturbed a wasp's nest, suspended just
above his head ; and so instantaneous and fierce
was the attack upon his face and eyes, that the
poor fellow tumbled, rather than came down, co-
vered with stings, and vociferating loudly for as-
EXEMPLARY SUCCESS OF A MISSIONARY. 469
sistance. The report of a gun fired about the same
time, enabled the stragglers to rejoin the canoe.
At Sault Ste. Marie, which I reached about the
end of July, I met with a most hospitable, and,
indeed, flattering reception. Major Codd, the
commandant of the American garrison, paid me
the extraordinary compliment of receiving me with
a salute of eleven guns. In the evening of the
same day, I had also the gratification of passing
a few hours at the mission-house of the Rev. W.
McMurray, whose pious endeavours to reclaim
the poor Indians in that district are deserving
of the highest praise. In the short space of two
years, this exemplary man has received into his
fold no fewer than two hundred converts ; and has
established a school, attended, not unfrequently,
by fifty scholars. By the liberality of the go-
vernment, a school-house was then in the course
of erection for the use of the mission ; and the
appointment of a schoolmaster was in contem-
plation. Houses were also building for the ac-
commodation of at least twenty Indian families,
who were to be instructed in agriculture, for
which they were said to have manifested a
decided inclination. Nor has Mr. McMurray
confined his exertions to his own immediate
neighbourhood, some of the more zealous
members of his congregation having been de-
spatched along the northern shores of Lake
h h 3
470 MISSIONARY AT SAULT STE. MARIE.
Superior to visit their brethren about Michipi-
coton, who were anxiously seeking for instruction.
A translation into Chippewa of the catechism
and part of the common prayer of the church,
executed by Mr. McMurray, and printed by
direction of the committee at Toronto, has been
supplied for the use of the scholars and the
mission generally; but the finances of the society
are unequal to the excellent work they have in
hand even at Sault Ste. Marie alone. "Incal-
culable good," says the worthy missionary,
" might be done in these northern regions, were
the attention of the Christian world once engaged
in behalf of the benighted inhabitants. There is
work, I might safely say, for a hundred mission-
aries." Could not some means be adopted for
aiding, by subscription or otherwise, the benevo-
lent views of this zealous friend of the human
race ? I have spent many years of my life among
Indians, and may be excused for feeling a more
than common interest for their welfare. Nor,
in dismissing this subject, can I forbear from
quoting a part of the fourth annual report of the
society, &c. at Toronto, for the year ending
October, 1834 : — " It is by no means a circum-
stance of the least interest connected with the
mission at the Sault Ste. Marie that it promises,
at some future period, to be the centre from
which the light of Divine truth will radiate to all
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 471
the heathen tribes of that remote region ; to a
portion of whom native speakers, proceeding
from the mission at the Sault, have already
carried such a knowledge of Christianity — by
no means inconsiderable — as they have them-
selves acquired under its instruction."
Returning exactly by the same route, in pre-
ference to the more circuitous one by the
American steam boat, I arrived on the 6th of
August at La Chine, having since I quitted it
travelled over a distance of seven thousand five
hundred miles, including twelve hundred of
discovery.
Both at Montreal, and in my passage through
the United States, I experienced every where the
same kind attentions. My baggage was not in-
spected by the officers of the customs ; and
every thing was done or offered which could
minister to my convenience.
At New York I embarked, on the 17th of
August, on board the packet ship North America,
and arrived at Liverpool on the 8th of September,
after an absence of two years and nearly seven
months. Mr. King, with eight of the men, reached
England in the Hudson's Bay Company's ship in
October. Much fatigue had been undergone in
transporting the stores of the expedition over the
ice to Fort Resolution ; and it was as gratifying
to me to learn, as it was creditable to him to
H H t
472 CONCLUSION.
have to report, that the long and tedious journey
from Slave Lake to York Factory had been un-
attended by a single calamity.
On my arrival in London, I had the honour
of laying my chart and drawings before the Right
Hon. Lord Glenelg, Principal Secretary of State
for the Colonies, — under the orders of which
department, as already stated, I had proceeded,
— and also before Lord Auckland and the Board
of Admiralty. I was soon after honoured with an
audience by His Majesty ; who was condescend-
ing enough to manifest a gracious interest in
the discoveries which it had been my good
fortune to make, and to express his approbation
of my humble efforts, first in the cause of hu-
manity, and next in that of geographical and
scientific research.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX.
The names of the distinguished persons affixed to the
following papers on natural history are of themselves
sufficient to command attention to their productions ; but
I feel called on again to state that the merit of making
the collection of which they give an account is entirely
due to Mr. King, who, I am convinced, had our means
and opportunities of conveyance been more favourable,
would have still added to the number of specimens
brought home. We were without the kind of shot
calculated for killing small birds, inconvenienced by
want of room in our single boat, and assailed by almost
constant rain, while the barren grounds afforded little
beyond moss for fuel. In such circumstances, much
credit is due to him for the zeal and perseverance which
he evinced, amid difficulties of so varied a nature. — G. B.
No. I.
ZOOLOGICAL REMARKS,
By John Richardson, M.D. F.R.S. &c.
Few people in this country have a correct notion of the
magnitude of that part of America which lies to the north
of the great Canada lakes ; and it may not therefore
be out of place to inform the reader, that the area of the
476 APPENDIX.
territory in question is about equal to the portion of the
old continent which would be cut off to the northward
by an imaginary line running from the Bay of Biscay,
through the Gulf of Lyons, the Adriatic and Black
Seas, to the Caspian and Lake Aral, and from thence
north-eastwardly to the sea of Ochotsk, thus compris-
ing twenty-seven degrees of latitude, and in the sixtieth
parallel upwards of one hundred degrees of longitude :
or, Captain Back's journey from New York to the Gulf
of Boothia may be likened to that of a traveller who
should embark in a canoe at Naples, and proceed up or
down various rivers, and across portages, until he reach
Arkhangel and the entrance of the White Sea. In a
country embracing so many parallels of latitude, and
presenting a surface so greatly varied by hill and dale,
woods and prairies, we may naturally expect a consider-
able variety in its ferine inhabitants; and those which
exist in America are highly interesting to the zoologist,
as being less perfectly known than their European re-
presentatives,— while, at the same time, their range
having been as yet scarcely restricted, or their habits
influenced, by man, they offer instructive studies to the
naturalist. It is in North America alone that oppor-
tunities occur for observing the curious operations of
the beaver, which are guided by an instinct almost
surpassing human reason : there too we may watch the
regular migrations of the bison and reindeer to their
wonted feeding-places or remote retreats where they
bring forth their young ; and note the periodical flights of
birds proceeding in immense flocks from warmer and more
populous climes to the secluded shores of the Arctic Sea.
The ichthyologist too, who shall devote his time to the
investigation of the fresh waters of that country, and of
its several bounding seas, will reap a rich harvest; and
APPENDIX. 477
the entomologist who may travel thither, will be de-
lighted with the unexpected burst of insect life which
enlivens the air and fills the waters as soon as winter
has passed away.
The distribution of animals has a close connection
with climate ; and though this is not the place to enter
into a lengthened discussion on that important subject,
yet a few remarks may be appropriately made on the
difference between the climate of Europe, and especially
of its sea-coasts, and that of the interior of North
America. In the former, the winter is tempered by the
warm breezes which sweep over an open sea ; and, except
in very high latitudes, the ground is seldom covered
with snow for a great length of time, or vegetation com-
pletely arrested by frosts of long duration. Most of
the grass seeds (not objects of culture) that have been
matured in the summer fall to the ground in the autumn,
and, if the season be moist, have already germinated
before the conclusion of winter. The perfection of what
has been termed by way of distinction a maritime climate
may be observed on the west of Ireland, or, still more
evidently, in the islets or " holmes " of the Shetland and
Orkneys, which, lying between the sixtieth and sixty-
first parallels, are green during the whole winter, afford-
ing pasture to numerous flocks of sheep : but this mild
winter is coupled with a less genial summer. The
growth of the cerealia and of the most useful vegetables
depends chiefly on the intensity and duration of the
summer heats, and is comparatively little influenced by
the severity of the winter cold, or the lowness of the
mean temperature of the year. Thus, in France,
though the isothermal lines, or lines of equal annual
heat, bend to the southward as they recede from the coast,
the bounding lines of culture of the olive, maize, and vine,
478 APPENDIX.
have a contrary direction — that is, incline to the north-
eastward,— which is attributed to the low summer tem-
perature along the coast.
In North America, the decrement of the mean
annual temperature incident to the increase of latitude
is much greater than in Europe ; and there is also,
especially in the interior, a much wider difference
between the summer heat and winter cold, — the
increase of vernal heat being sudden and great. On
the north shore of Lake Huron, which is nearly in the
same parallel with the bottom of the Gulf of Venice,
the snow covers the ground for nearly half the year ;
though the mean heat of the three summer months,
amounting to 70° of Fahrenheit's scale, equals that ex-
perienced at Bourdeaux. Cumberland House, having
the same latitude with the city of York in England,
stands on the isothermal line of 32°, which in Europe
rises to the North Cape in latitude 71°; but its summer
heat exceeds that of Brussels or Paris. Humboldt in-
forms us that, in countries whose mean temperature is
below 63°, spring, or the renewal of vegetation, takes
place in that month which has a mean heat of 33° or
34°, and deciduous trees push out their leaves when
the mean reaches to 52° ; thus, the sum of the tempe-
ratures of the months which attain the latter heat fur-
nishes a measure of the strength and continuance of
vegetation. Lake Huron, in latitude 44°, enjoys five of
these months ; Cumberland House, three ; and Bear
Lake and Fort Enterprise, both in latitude 64J°, only
two : all these places have an interior or continental
climate. At Winter Island, on the eastern coast, in
latitude 64^°, and at Igloolik, in latitude 66%°, no month
in the year attains a mean heat of 52°; and at Churchill,
in latitude 59°, the summer heat does not exceed that
of Bear Lake, being 10° less than that which is ex-
APPENDIX. 479
perienced in the same parallel in the interior of the
continent.
The phenomenon of the isothermal lines sinking on
the western coast of Hudson's Bay, instead of rising
as they do on the eastern coast of Europe, has been
variously accounted for. Dr. Brewster assumes two
northern poles of cold, and places one of them on the
meridian of 92°, which is the longitude of Churchill ;
but we think that the peculiarities of the climate of this
part of the country may be greatly owing to the con-
figuration of the land. The coast to the northward is
deeply indented by gulfs and sounds, and fringed by
numerous islands, among which the drift ice is detained
until late in the season. This melting depresses the
summer heat ; while the ice-covered sea has little or no
effect in tempering the cold during the winter. The
subsoil north of latitude 56° is perpetually frozen, the
thaw on the coast not penetrating above three feet, and
at Bear Lake, in latitude 64°, not more than twenty
inches. The frozen substratum does not of itself
destroy vegetation ; for forests flourish on the surface at
a distance from the coast, and the brief though warm
summer gives birth to a handsome flora, matures several
pleasant fruits, and produces many carices and grasses.
The direction of the northern termination of the
woods shows the gradual ascent of the isothceral lines
(or lines of equal summer heat) as they recede from
Hudson's Bay. On the coast near Churchill the
woods cease about the 60th parallel ; but at the distance
of fifty or sixty miles from the sea their boundary
rises rapidly to the northward, and then takes a nearly
straight W.N.W. course until it reaches Great Bear
Lake, in latitude 65°. The most northerly tree is the
white spruce ; but the canoe birch, which is deciduous,
480 APPENDIX.
terminates only thirty or forty miles to the southward of
it ; and we thus possess the means of ascertaining how
far to the north a summer temperature of 52° extends.
But, in fixing this limit, some allowance must be made
for altitude, and the nature of the soil. Thus, on the
low alluvial delta of the Mackenzie, the spruce fir
reaches the latitude of 68° ; and the banks of that river
generally are better wooded than the more elevated rocky
tracts which lie to the eastward.
The permanence of the frosts when once they set in
is a feature of the climate of the fur countries which
requires to be noticed here, as it influences the dis-
tribution of graminivorous and herbivorous animals *
by modifying their supply of food. The carices
and grasses have scarcely matured their seeds before
they are frozen up for the season while their leaves
are still full of sap ; thus they continue to afford good
pasturage until the spring, and they drop their seeds
only when the melting snow has prepared the ground
for their reception. The sparrows and buntings profit
by this vernal harvest. In like manner the Vaccineae,
Arbuti, and several other berry-bearing shrubs, retain
their fruits until the same period, when they yield food
to the bears, just awoke from their winter sleep, and
to large flocks of geese winging their way to their
breeding places.
The northern boundary of the woods is the limit of
the range of the black bear, the American fox, the pine-
martin, the fisher, the lynx, the beaver, several mar-
mots, the American hare, the moose deer, the Canada
partridge, the woodpeckers, &c. The " barren
* Beasts and birds of prey depending on these tribes for subsist-
ence are also thus influenced in their distribution by the powers
of vegetation.
APPENDIX. 481
grounds " to the northward of the woods have also
their appropriate inhabitants, such as the brown bear,
the arctic fox, Parry's marmot, the polar hare, and the
musk ox. The small variety of the reindeer winters
within the verge of the wooded country, but travels to
the northward in the summer, and drops its young on
the sea-coast. The wolf and the wolverene inhabit
woods and barren grounds indifferently, and the polar
bear seldom travels inland. The " prairies, " or wood-
less plains, which skirt the Rocky Mountains from the
55th parallel down to the Mississippi, and enjoy milder
winters than the more easterly districts, have another set
of inhabitants, of which the bison is the most important.
This animal feeds in countless herds on the grass of the
prairies, and furnishes food to a much greater Indian
population than the wooded districts can support. The
bison exists also in the woods up to the 62d parallel,
though in much smaller numbers, but it does not travel to
the eastward of the 105th meridian ; and a few stragglers
only have found their way across the mountains to the
fertile and comparatively temperate country which skirts
the Pacific. The prairie wolf, the kit-fox, and various
marmots are peculiar to the plains ; and the ferocious
and powerful grisly bear, though most abundant on the
alpine declivities, also ranges for some distance over the
flat country to the eastward.
The north-west coast which we have just alluded to
has a climate more like that of the east coast of Europe
in its temperature than any other part of North Ame-
rica : but it is very moist, owing to the vicinity of the
Rocky Mountains. The summits of this range are in-
habited by a wool-bearing goat named Cajwa Americana,
and the declivities by the Ovis montana, or mountain
sheep. The country nearer the Pacific coast is fre-
I I
482 APPENDIX.
quented b}' a fox more closely resembling the European
one than the Canis fulvus of the eastern territory does.
The moose-deer, reindeer, wapiti, with several others of
the genus, known to the traders under the name of mule-
deer, jumping deer or cabree, fallow-deer or chevreuil,
and the prong-horned antelope, also inhabit New Cale-
donia and the banks of the Columbia.
The following is a list of the specimens procured by
the expedition, with a reference to the pages of the
Fauna-Boreali Americana, where they are scientifically
described : —
Vespertilio subulatus, F.B.A. 1. page 3.
Mustela (Putorius) erminea - 46.
vison - - 48.
Lutra Canadensis - -57.
Lupus occidentalis, griseus - 66.
Canis familiaris, Canadensis - 80.
Castor Americanus - - 105.
Fiber zibethicus - - 1 1 5.
Arvicola Pennsylvanicus - 124.
Georychus trimucronatus - 130.
Mus leucopus - 142.
Spermophilus Parryi - 158.
Aquila (Haliaeetus) leucocephala,
F.B.A. 2. - - - 15.
Falco lanarius.
Islandicus - - 27.
sparverius - - - 31.
columbarius - - 35.
Buteo borealis - - 50.
(Circus) cyaneus - 55.
Strix otus - - - 72.
brachyota - 75.
cinerea - - - 77.
APPENDIX.
483
Strix Virginiana, F. B. A. 2.
nyctea
funerea
Tyrannula pusilla
Merula migratoria
Wilsonii
Erythaca (Sialia) arctica
Sylvicola (Vermivora) peregrina
Setophaga ruticilla
Anthus aquaticus
Vireo olivaceus
Bombycilla garrula
Alauda cornuta
Plectrophanes nivalis
Emberiza Canadensis
Fringilla leucophrys
Pennsylvanica
Pyrrhula (Cory thus) enucleator
Loxia leucoptera
Linaria minor
Coccothraustes (Guiraca) Ludo
viciana
Agelaius phceniceus
xanthocephalus
Quiscalus versicolor
Scolecophagus ferrugineus
Garrulus Canadensis
Picus pubescens
varius
tridactylus
arcticus
Colaptes auratus -
Hirundo lunifrons
I I 2
p. 81.
- 88.
• 92.
. 144.
- 176.
- 182.
- 209.
221.
- 223.
- 231.
- 233.
- 237.
- 245.
- 246.
- 252.
- 255.
- 256.
262.
- 263.
- 267.
271.
- 280.
- 281.
- 285.
- 286.
- 296.
- 307.
- 309.
- 311.
- 313.
- 314.
- 331.
Lake Winipeg.
Lake Winipeg.
Fort Reliance.
River Winipeg.
Fort Reliance.
Fort Reliance.
Fort Reliance.
River Winipeg.
Fort Reliance.
Lake Winipeg.
Lake Winipeg.
Lake Winipeg.
Fort Reliance.
Fort Reliance.
484 APPENDIX.
Caprimulgus (Cbordeiles) Virgi-
nianus, F. B. A. 2. - p. 337. Lake Winipeg.
Alcedo alcyon - - - 339.
Tetrao Canadensis - - 346.
Tetrao (Lagopus) saliceti - 351.
rupestrus, Sabine 356.
(Centrocercus) phasianellus 361.
Columba (Ectopisles) migratoria 363. Lake Winipeg.
Charadrius vociferus
- 368.
pluvialis
- 369.
melodus
River Winipeg
Strepsilas interpres
- 371.
Grus Americana
- 372.
Canadensis
- 373.
Recurvirostra Americana
- 375.
Tringa Douglassii
- 379.
alpina
- 384.
Totanus flavipes
- 390.
Rallus Carolinus
- 403.
Phalaropus Wilson ii
- 405.
fulicarius
- 407.
Fulica Americana
- 404.
Podiceps cornutus
- 411.
Larus argentatbides
- 417.
Lestris pomarina
- 429.
Anas clypeata
- 439.
acuta -
- 441.
boschas
- 442.
crecca
- 443.
Mareca Americana
- 445.
Oidemia perspicillata
- 448.
Fuligula marila
- 453.
rufitorques
- 454.
rubida
- 455.
APPENDIX. 485
Clangula albeola, F. B. A. 2. p. 458.
vulgaris - - 456.
Anser albifrons - 466.
hyperboreus - - 467.
Canadensis - - 468.
Colymbus septentrionalis - 476.
Lucioperea Americana, F. B. A. 3. 10.
Salmo namaycush
- 179.
Gadus (Lota) maculosus
- 248.
Coregonus albus
- 311.
tullibee
- 309.
Hiodon chrysopsis
- 311.
These specimens were all carefully prepared by Mr.
Richard King, surgeon to the expedition, who deserves
the thanks of zoologists for devoting so much time and
labour to the promotion of the science. As it would
exceed the limits of an Appendix to give a full account,
or even a cursory notice, of each species, we shall
merely say a few words respecting those which are
objects of chase to the Indian hunter, either for food or
for the sake of their fur, adding a few brief remarks on
the specimens of the other species when they serve for
the elucidation of doubtful points of their history.
Say's Bat. Vesper tilio subulatus. (Say.) F. B.A.I.
p. 3.
The specimen resembles the one described in the
Fauna-Boreali Americana so much, that we cannot but
consider it as the same species, though it has a shorter
tail ; and the comparative dimensions of some of the
other members also differ a little, as the following Table
shows : —
I I 3
486
APPENDIX.
King's Sp.
Richard-
son's.
Say's.
Inch. lin.
Inch. lin.
Inch. lin.
Total length -
3 8§
3 4
2 1*
Length of head and body -
2 4|
1 10
—
head -
0 8
0 9
_—
tail -
1 4i
1 6
1 2\
Height of ear -
0 7
0 8
__
Breadth of ditto -
0 H
0 4
__
Height of tragus -
0 4
0 4|
— —
Spread of wings -
8 6
10 0
_
Length of thumb -
0 3}
0 2i
—
The discrepancies in the dimensions may be partly
reconciled by supposing the body of the specimen taken
on Captain Back's expedition to have been rather over-
stuffed ; while the one got by Sir J. Franklin's party may
have been allowed to shrink too much. Mr. Say's ex-
ample must have been a young individual, if the identity
of the species be granted. Say's bat, which is closely
allied to the V. pipistrellus and emarginatus of Europe,
has an extensive range, having been found on the
Arkansas, at Great Slave Lake, and in the interme-
diate district.
American Black Bear. Ursus Americanus. (Pallas.)
F. B. A. l. p. 14.
This bear, which is the only one of the genus that
produces a valuable fur, may be readily known by a
pale yellowish-brown patch on each side of its long and
slightly arched nose. It feeds chiefly on fruit and other
vegetable matters ; and is by no means a ferocious
animal, seldom injuring man except in self-defence, and
shunning the combat whenever a way of retreat is open
APPENDIX. 487
to it. It climbs trees or scales precipices with great
facility ; and, being very wary, is not easily killed in
the summer. But extreme caution sometimes proves
the cause of its destruction ; for on hearing a noise
or apprehending danger, it stands upon its hind legs
every now and then to look over the bushes, and, by
thus showing its position, enables the skilful hunter to
make his approach. The bear is, however, much more
frequently taken in its winter retreat; and being al-
ways fat when hybernating, with the fur in prime
order, it is a valuable prize to the Indian, who, from
long practice, acquires an extraordinary skill in discover-
ing its den, by indications that would attract no notice
from the eye of an inexperienced person. But though
the native hunter never neglects an opportunity of kill-
ing a bear, he deems it an honour to be related to an
animal possessing so much strength and sagacity ; and
before he proceeds to skin and cut up the carcass, he
shows it the utmost respect, and begs a thousand par-
dons for the liberty he is about to take with his erand-
mother. The fat of the bear resembles hog's lard, and
is generally considered as a delicacy by the Indians ; but
its strong flavour is disagreeable to Europeans.
Barren-ground Bear. Ursus ArctosP F. B. A. 1.
p. 21.
This bear, which closely resembles the brown bear
of Europe, and is probably the same species, frequents
the barren lands lying to the north of the wooded
country ; and in the summer time haunts the shores of
the Arctic sea. It feeds upon roots and berries, and
also upon such animals as it can surprise, or that it
finds dead — being much more carnivorous than the
I I 4
488 APPENDIX.
preceding species. One that was killed by Sir John
Franklin's party in Bathurst's Inlet had a seal, a mar-
mot, and many roots in its stomach. This bear attains
a greater size than the black bear, and is dreaded by
the Indians on account of its strength and courage. It is
said that it will attack man when impelled by hunger,
but all that we saw fled from us as fast as they could.
Grisly Bear. Ursus ferox. (Lewis and Clark.)
F. B. A. ] . p. 24.
This is a still more carnivorous animal than either of
the preceding species, though not so completely so as
the Polar bear. It is the most powerful of the genus,
being able to master the American bison, which forms
its habitual prey. The Indian hunter will rarely venture
to attack the grisly bear, unless he is very advantage-
ously posted ; for it does not hesitate to assail a man
who, intruding incautiously upon its haunts, comes upon
it unexpectedly; and has been known to carry off a
voyager from among his companions as they were
seated at supper: yet it will usually make off when it scents
the hunter from a distance, unless it be stimulated by
hunger or incited by the presence of its mate or young to
commence the attack. The physiognomy of the grisly
bear is very like that of the brown bear ( Ursus Arctos),
but it may be readily known by the developement and
curvature of its claws, which are blackish in the young
animal, but change to a dirty white as it increases in age.
Polar Bear. Ursus maritimus, (Linn.) F. B.A.I.
p. 30.
The Polar bear passes the greater part of its life at sea
among ice, in the pursuit of the different species of seal.
APPENDIX. 489
It is one of the quadrupeds which ascends into the
highest latitudes, being an inhabitant of Spitzbergen,
Nova Zembla, Greenland, and Parry's Islands. The
o-ravid females hybernate under the snow ; but the males
and other females travel over the ice in winter in quest
of open water. This fact was established beyond a
doubt in 1826-7, when the Dundee whaler wintered in
Baffin's Bay. This ship was beset in latitude 74° in Sep-
tember, and got clear in latitude 62 J° in April: the
pack of ice in which she was enclosed having drifted
through Baffin's Bay, and obliquely across Davis' Strait,
in the course of eight months. In the beginning of
February, when the ship was in latitude 68° 45' N., a
whale being harpooned at the distance of sixty miles
from the land, many bears, foxes, and sharks came to
feed on the crang, very much to the delight of the crew,
who were rejoiced to add to their scanty allowance of
provisions the flesh of such bears and sharks as they
succeeded in killing. *
The Wolverene. Gulo luscus. (Sabine.) F. B. A.
1. p. 41.
The quickehatch, or wolverene, is another inhabitant
of the high latitudes — its remains having been found in
Parry's Islands, near the 75th parallel. It is a strong
cunning animal, of which many marvellous stories have
been told ; and is greatly disliked by the martin-trappers,
on account of the injury it does by carrying off their baits,
and thus rendering fruitless the labour of many days.
* Voyage to Davis' Strait, by David Duncan. London, 1827.
490 APPENDIX.
The Ermine. Mustela [Putorius) erminea. (Linn.
Gmel.) F. B. A. 1. p. 47.
This active little animal feeds on the white-footed
mouse and other small gnawers, hunting, like the rest of
the family, in the night, when it frequently enters the
dwelling of man in pursuit of prey. The noise that
it makes in galloping over the boarded floor, gives the
impression of its being a much larger beast. Few of the
ermine-skins of commerce come from Hudson's Bay.
The Mink. Mustela {Putorius) vison. (Linn. Gmel.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 48.
The vison or mink preys upon small fish, freshwater
muscles, &c, and swims and dives well. La Hontan
calls it an "amphibious weazel;" and it is known to the
Canadian fur-hunters by the name of " foutereau." Its
fur, though darker, is shorter, and consequently of less
value, than that of the pine-martin. It is a smaller
animal than the latter, with a proportionably shorter and
broader head, and a molar tooth fewer on each side.
Easily tamed, it shows much attachment to those who
pet it.
The Pine-martin. Mustela mattes. (Linn.) F. B.
A. 1. p. 51.
Inhabits the wooded districts, and preys upon hares,
mice, and birds. When surprised upon a tree, its ges-
tures, the attitudes it assumes, and the puffing noise it
makes, are very like those of a cat under similar circum-
stances. Martin fur is very fine, and brings a high
APPENDIX. 491
price, being sold largely in England under the name of
" sable ;" the real Russian sable rarely or never finding
its way into our fur-shops.
The Pekan, or Fisher. Mustela Canadensis. (Linn.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 52.
Notwithstanding the name of fisher, this animal does
not seek its prey in the water ; but entirely resembles
the pine-martin in its habits. Its greater size, the colour
and coarseness of its fur, distinguish it from the latter.
The skins of the pekan are called " woodshocks" at the
Hudson's Bay Company's sales.
The Skunk. Mephitis Americana. (Sabine.) F. B.
A. 1. p. 55.
A full, bushy tail, long black hair, and a broad white
stripe along each side, give the skunk a pleasing appear-
ance ; but the odour of the fluid it discharges when in
danger is so disgusting that few people can summon
resolution to approach it. The early French settlers in
Canada evinced their abhorrence of this otherwise
harmless animal, by terming it "V enfant dn diable."
Clothes tainted by the fluid it secretes are but imper-
fectly purified after they have been buried in the earth
for many days. The skunk is said to hybernate under
the snow. It runs slowly ; and, but for its peculiar
means of defence, would be easily destroyed by its nume-
rous enemies. Dogs hunt it eagerly; but when they are
just on the point of seizing it, a single discharge of its
nauseous liquor puts them to flight.
49^ APPENDIX.
The Canada Otter. Lutra Canadensis. (Sabine.)
F. B. A. l.p. 57.
The habits of the otter are the same in the New World
as in the Old; but there being a difference in the pro-
portional length of their tails, and in some other respects,
they are considered as distinct species. The fur of the
Canada otter, which is much more valuable than that of
its European representative, resembles that of the beaver,
and is applied to the same purposes. A single skin is
worth from one to two guineas. The otter is found up
to the 66th or 67th parallel of latitude.
The Wolf. Lupus occidentalis. (Rich.) F. B. A. 1.
p. 60.
Wolves inhabit the whole country north of Canada,
being, as is natural, most numerous in the districts
which nourish the largest herds of the ruminating
animals on which they prey. The countenance and
general appearance of the American wolf differs greatly
from those of its European representative, and its fur is
very dissimilar ; but it is a difficult question to determine
whether it be a distinct species, or merely a variety pro-
duced by climate and other local causes. The Indian
dog differs also in the thickness of its furry coat, as well
as in its aspect, from the shepherd's dog, which is the
analogous European race. Indeed, the wolves and the
domestic dogs of the fur countries are so like each other,
that it is not easy to distinguish them at a small distance ;
the want of strength and courage of the former being
the principal difference. The offspring of the wolf and
Indian dog are prolific, and are prized by the voyagers
APPENDIX. 493
as beasts of draught, being stronger than the ordinary
dog.
The common colour of the American wolf is grey
{Lupus griseus), changing to white in the higher latitudes,
durino- the winter ; but black individuals (Lupus ater),
dusky ones (Lupus mcbilus), and pied ones (Lupus sticte),
are also met with occasionally. A small wolf, which
differs somewhat in its habits from the common one,
frequents the plains of the Saskatchewan and Missouri
in great numbers; and has been described as a dis-
tinct species, under the name of the Prairie wolf (Lupus
latrans).
The American Fox. Vulpes fulvus. F. B. A. 1.
p. 98.
This fox differs remarkably from its European repre-
sentative in its fur forming a very valuable article of
trade, particularly the black variety ; a single skin being
worth from twenty to thirty guineas in some years. The
" cross " and " silver " foxes are also much prized,
though they differ from the common red or tawny variety
in the colour more than in the quality of their fur. This
species inhabits the wooded districts only, and hunts
much on the borders of lakes for the mice, lemmings,
and small birds, on which it preys.
The Kit-fox. Vulpes cinereo-argentatus. F. B. A. 1.
p. 98.
The diminutive kit-fox, similar in its habits and
appearance to the corsac of Asia, inhabits the prairie
lands of the Saskatchewan, Missouri, and Columbia.
This is the smallest of the North-American foxes. Its
fur is of little value.
494 APPENDIX.
The Arctic Fox. Vulpes lagopus. (Desmarest.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 83.
This playful and handsome animal inhabits the barren
grounds north of the woods, being most plentiful on the
islands and shores of the Arctic sea, where it brings
forth its young. It wanders far in the winter in search of
food; and in particular seasons travels into the wooded
districts. It also goes out on the ice to a considerable
distance from the land, and, according to Fabricius,
shows much cunning and dexterity in catching some
kinds of fish. The fur changes from grey to white in the
winter; but, though very close and long, it is greatly
inferior in quality to that of the Vulpes fulvus. Many
pleasing anecdotes of this simple animal are told by
Captain Lyons and other Arctic voyagers.
Coloured individuals, named " blue " or " sooty "
foxes, are frequently seen even in the middle of winter.
Canada Lynx. Felis Canadensis. (Geoffroy.) F. B. A.
1. p. 101.
This animal, which is clothed with a very fine thick
fur, inhabits the wooded districts, where it preys chiefly
on the American hare. It is commonly termed " the
cat " by the traders, and is named Peeshoo by the Crees.
Temminck considers it as specifically the same with the
lynx of the North of Europe, which he calls Felis borealis.
American Beaver. Castor Americanus. (F. Cuvier.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 105.
The beaver's skin is the staple commodity of the fur
countries, and forms the standard of value in trafficking
APPENDIX. 495
with the natives. The consequence is, that no animal
is mpre persecuted ; and as the admirable works it exe-
cutes betray its abode, it is not surprising that it should
be greatly reduced in numbers. The flesh is much
prized by the natives as an article of diet, — a roasted
beaver being the prime dish on their feast days. As
the food of the beaver consists in a great measure of the
bark of deciduous trees, particularly of the poplar,
birch, and willow, its range must be restrained within
the limits of the woods; but runs to a high latitude
on the banks of the Mackenzie. The beaver may
be considered as the civil engineer among quadru-
peds ; and the skill with which it selects the proper
situation for its dam, so that it may be constructed
with the least labour and the greatest effect for flood-
ing a large extent of ground, and keeping up a proper
supply of water during the winter, is very surprising,
especially when we consider that the dam is often
at a considerable distance from the beaver-house. It
also shows great providence in excavating a number
of vaults on the margin of the pond, for places
of retreat in the event of the dwelling-house being
assailed. Its habits, however, having been thoroughly
studied by the Indian hunter, its skill is no match for
his perseverance; and but for the care taken by the
Hudson's Bay Company to preserve the various dis-
tricts for four or five years in succession, the animal
would soon become very scarce. Fifty thousand beaver
skins are annually imported into London from North
America.
The Musquash. Fiber zibethicus. (Cuvier.) F. B. A.
1. p. 115.
The musk-rat, musquash, watsuss, or wachusk, — for
496 APPENDIX.
it has all these names, — resembles the beaver in some
respects, particularly in the fur ; but it has a long tail,
which, instead of being depressed or spread out hori-
zontally, is compressed and tapering. The musquash
is very prolific, producing three litters in a season, and
breeding at a very early age. Every swamp or pond
with grassy borders is inhabited by it, up to the shores
of the Arctic sea ; and notwithstanding the vast num-
bers that are annually destroyed by numerous enemies,
there is no danger of its being extirpated. The import
of musquash skins into Great Britain in one year amounts
to nearly half a million. The fur is employed in the ma-
nufacture of hats, and though inferior in quality to the
beaver fur, is very generally substituted for it by the hat-
makers.
American Field-mouse. Mus lencopus, (Rafinesque.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 142.
This mouse, which is the representative of the Mas
sylvaticus of Europe, is very abundant in the fur countries,
taking the place of the domestic mouse, and speedily
establishing itself in every new fur post that is erected.
It multiplies rapidly, as there is no domestic rat to keep
down its numbers; though that office is occasionally per-
formed by the ermine, as we have already mentioned.
The American Hare. Lepus Americanus. (Erxleben.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 217.
This animal, which is named " wawpoos " by the Cree
Indians, and " the rabbit " by the resident traders at
Hudson's Bay, is very plentiful throughout the wooded
country. The bark of the willow constituting its chief
APPENDIX. 497
winter food, it resides mostly at that season on the bor-
ders of lakes and in swamps, where that shrub and the
dwarf birch grow. Being particularly abundant on the
alluvial banks of the Mackenzie up to the 68th parallel,
this hare furnishes the chief winter support of the Hare
Indians, whose country does not nourish many of the
larger quadrupeds. It is taken generally by snares set
in the paths it makes through the snow. Its habits are
more like those of the rabbit than like the hare of
Europe, but it does not burrow, though it occasionally
seeks for shelter in a hollow tree. The fur, which is
brownish above in summer, changes to snow-white in
winter.
The Polar hare. [Lepus glacialis Leach.) F. B. A. 1.
p. 221.
This hare may be considered as the American repre-
sentative of the Lepus variabilis of the Alpine and
northern districts of Europe, but being on the whole a
stouter animal, and exhibiting some peculiar characters,
Dr. Leach was induced to describe it as a distinct
species. It inhabits the barren grounds and the islands
of the Arctic sea up to the 75th parallel ; feeding on
the small shrubs which grow in the higher latitudes,
such as the arctic willow, alpine arbutus, whortle-
berry, and Labrador tea plant; delighting in stony
places where it can find shelter ; and in winter burrow-
ing in the snow. In summer the upper fur is hoary,
and in winter pure white, except the tips of the ears,
which are black at all seasons.
Another varying hare frequents the prairies up to the
55th parallel ; and is said to be common in the moun-
tainous districts of the United States. This has been
named Lepus Virginianus by Dr. Haslan.
K K
498 APPENDIX.
The Moose Deer. (Cervus alces Linn.) F. B. A. 1.
p. 232.
The moose deer feeds principally upon the smaller
twigs of the willow ; and is found from Hudson's Bay
to the Pacific, in every part of the fur countries
where that shrub grows sufficiently tall, following the
Mackenzie river to the shores of the Arctic sea ; but
never entering the barren grounds. From the extreme
wariness of the moose, the acuteness of its senses of
hearing and smelling, and its speed of foot, the art of
killing it is considered as the chef-d'oeuvre of an Indian
hunter, except in spring, when a crust has been formed
on the snow, and then it may be run down without much
skill. It is the largest of the American deer, and fur-
nishes the best and most juicy meat, with the exception
of the rein-deer, the flesh of which, when in season, is
more delicate. A full-grown fat moose deer weighs
1000 or 1200 pounds. The skin, when dressed, forms
the best leather for mocassins.
The Rein-deer. (Cervus tarandus Linn.) F. B.A.I.
p. 238.
The rein-deer, or caribou, as it is termed by the
Canadian voyagers, is of two kinds: a larger race or
variety, which exists in the wooded parts of the country,
principally on the coast and near or upon the moun-
tains; and a smaller kind, which frequents the barren
grounds, retiring within the verge of the woods in the
depth of the winter, but travelling to the shores and
islands of the Arctic sea in the summer. The latter
eats grass ; but its principal food, for a considerable por-
tion of the year, consists of the various lichens which grow
APPENDIX. 499
in such abundance on the barren lands. The rein-deer
furnishes food and clothing to the Dog-rib and Copper
Indians, the Chepewyans, the Swamp or Coast Crees, and
to the Esquimaux ; but none of the American tribes have
domesticated it like the Laplanders. Every part of the
animal is eaten, even to the contents of its stomach ;
and the half-dried tongue, when roasted, is perhaps
the greatest delicacy that the fur countries afford.
Rein-deer meat, when in the best condition, is not only
superior to that of the moose deer and bison, but, in my
opinion, it surpasses the best mutton or English-fed
venison. When lean, however, which is the case for a
considerable part of the year, it is neither nutritious nor
palatable, the flesh of a poor musk-ox being, of all the
ruminating quadrupeds of the country, alone, of inferior
quality. The female rein-deer has horns as well as the
male, though they are smaller and much less palmated,
and are also shed at a different time. The skins of six or
seven young rein-deer, killed in the autumn, form, when
properly prepared and sewed together, a robe or blanket
which is constantly used by the northern Indians in
winter ; being both light and warm, exceedingly well
adapted to the climate, and affording a sufficient cover-
ing for a man in the coldest night.
The Wapiti. {Cervus strongyloceros Schreber.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 250.
This animal, the wawaskeesh of the Crees, which in-
habits the plains of the Saskatchewan, the neighbouring
country, the banks of the Columbia, and New Cale-
donia, is the American representative of the red deer,
and though of considerably greater size, it was long
considered to be the same species. There are, at pre-
K K <2
500 APPENDTX.
sent, some very fine wapiti in the Zoological Gardens.
The flesh of this deer is considered as much inferior
to that of the bison or moose deer ; its hide makes
excellent dressed leather.
There are several other species of deer, and an
antelope, on the prairie lands of the Saskatchewan and
Columbia rivers ; but the three that we have specified
are the only ones that interest the Indian tribes with
whom Captain Back had to do. The North American
deer are still very imperfectly known to naturalists, and
the specific identities of the moose deer and the elk,
and of the rein-deer of the new and old continents,
have been by no means satisfactorily established. It is
probable that further investigation will prove the
barren-ground rein-deer to be a distinct species from
that which inhabits the woody country.
Rocky Mountain Goat. (Capra Americana.) F.B. A. 1.
p. 268.
This very interesting animal inhabits the higher parts
of the mountains from California up to the 65th parallel.
It is most remarkable for bearing a very fine wool, well
adapted for the manufacture of shawls. The specimens
that have been brought home have interested the wool-
staplers very much ; but it will be difficult to procure a
sufficient quantity for the purposes of commerce.
Rocky Mountain Sheep. (Ovis montana Desm.)
F.B. A. 1. p. 271.
This animal exceeds in size every variety of the do-
mestic sheep, and equals any of them in the quality of its
mutton. It is not clothed with wool, but with a close,
APPENpiX. 501
soft, brittle hair, like the reindeer. The ram carries very
large horns.
Musk-ox. ( Ovibos moschatus Blainville.) F. B. A. 1.
p. 275.
This animal inhabits the barren lands, and the most
northern of Parry's Islands, but retires to the verge of
the woods in the depth of winter. It feeds, like the
rein-deer, chiefly on lichens ; and the meat of a well-fed
cow is agreeably tasted and juicy ; but that of a lean cow
and of the bull is strongly impregnated with a disagree-
able musky flavour, so as to be palatable only to a very
hungry man. The musk-ox does not now exist in
Greenland; and though extinct also in Siberia, bones
either of the American species, or of one very similar to
it, have been found there.
American Bison. (Bos Americanus Gmelin.)
F. B. A. 1. p. 279.
This ox has lately become well known in England
under the name of bonassus ; and specimens exist in the
Zoological Gardens, and in several parks. Its range in
the fur countries is restricted between the 1 0 th meridian
and the rocky mountains, and it does not go beyond the
62d parallel of latitude ; but it is on the prairie lands
only that the numberless herds noticed by authors are
to be seen. The pemmican, which is so useful, and in
fact almost essential, to the traveller through the fur
countries, is made principally of the meat of the bison.
The fleshy parts of the hind quarters are cut into very
thin slices, dried in the sun, and pounded. Two parts
of the pounded meat are then mixed with one of melted
K K 3
502 APPENDIX.
fat, and packed into a bag formed of the hide of the
animal. A bag weighing 90lbs. is called a " tazireau''
by the Canadian voyagers, and, in fact, only one bag of
pemmican is generally made from each bison cow that is
killed. Two pounds of this kind of food are sufficient
for the daily support of a labouring man ; though, when
the voyagers first commence upon pemmican for the
season, they will each consume three pounds or more.
In the spring they generally boil the young shoots of the
Epilobium angustifolium along with it; and the Orkney-
men in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company
add flour or oatmeal, thus rendering it much more
palatable. The best pemmican is made of finely pounded
meat, mixed with marrow, and further improved by the
addition of dried berries or currants. If kept from the
air, it may be preserved sound for several years ; and
being very portable, it might be used with great advan-
tage in provisioning troops that have to make forced
marches. It may be eaten raw, or mixed with a little
water, and boiled ; and, although not much relished by
those who taste it for the first time, the voyageur, with
the single addition of the luxury of tea, requires nothing
else for breakfast, and dinner, or supper ; the two last
meals being generally conjoined on a voyage in the fur
countries.
The Bald Eagle. (Aquila lencocephala.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 15.
The bald or white-headed eagle resides all the year in
every part of the United States ; but visits the fur coun-
tries only in the summer, arriving there in the van of
the migratory birds. The comparative lengths of the
quill feathers vary in different individuals. Mr. Au-
APPENDIX. 503
dubon states, that the second quill is longest : in a
specimen obtained on Sir John Franklin's expedition,
it was the fourth quill ; and in the one now brought
home by Mr. King, it is the third that has that dis-
tinction.
Pigeon Hawk. (Falco columbarias.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 35.
In some specimens the second, in others the third,
quill exceeds the others in length : in Mr. King's,
these feathers are equal to each other ; and the other
primaries stand, as to length, in the following order :
4th, 1st, 5th, 6th.
Long-eared owl. (Strix otas.) F. B. A. 2. p. 72.
The specimen, though in complete plumage, is very
small, measuring only 14|. inches from the point of the
beak to the tip of the tail. The latter member is as
long as that of an ordinary individual, whose total length
is 17 inches.
Little Tyrant Fly-catcher. {Tyrannula pusilla.)
F. B. A. 2. p. 144.
A bird of this species, obtained on Sir John Franklins
second expedition, at Carlton House, is figured in the
Fauna Boreali-Americana (t. 46. f. 1.); and Mr.Swainson,
who had obtained a specimen also from Mexico, points
out in that work its differences from the Mascicapa querula
of Wilson, or M.acadica of Gmelin and Bonaparte, which
it very nearly resembles, the plumage of both being pre-
cisely similar. T. pusilla has a shorter bill, and shorter
K K 4
504 APPENDIX.
wings than querula, and there is a difference in the com-
parative length of their quill feathers. In the latter,
the first quill is equal to the fifth (or to the fourth,
according to Audubon), and the second and third are
longest; in pusilla the first is rather shorter than
the sixth, and the fourth is visibly longer than the
second, though the third, or longest, very little exceeds
either of them. The specimen brought home by Mr.
King differs from the one referred to above, solely in
being about a quarter of an inch longer from the point
of the bill to the end of the tail ; but the proportions of
the other parts are the same.
The Arctic Blue-bird. [Sialia arctica.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 209. t. 39.
A single bird of this species was killed by Mr.Dease at
Great Bear Lake, on Sir John Franklin's second expe-
dition. Since then, the same gentleman has sent me
four specimens from New Caledonia, where it is pretty
common, and is known to the natives by the name of
" Thlee-ooday." Mr. King's specimen proves that it
goes as far east, on the shores of Great Slave Lake,
as the 105th meridian. All the individuals that I have
seen agree exactly in the colours of their plumage, as
well as in other respects, with the one figured in the
Fauna Boreali- Americana. In one specimen only, the
first quill feather almost equals the second, but in none
does it exceed it, as is the case with Sialia Wilsonii.
Tenessee Worm-eater. (Vermivora peregrina.)
F. B. A. 2. p. 221. t. 42. f. 2.
Mr. Audubon says that this species is very rare in the
APPENDIX. 505
United States ; but it would appear to be more com-
mon in the fur countries, having been found by Sir John
Franklin's party, as well as by Captain Back's, in both
instances in the 53d parallel of latitude.
Yellow-tailed Gnat-catcher. (Setophaga ruticilla.)
F. B.A. 2. p. 223.
This singularly-coloured and lively little bird is very
common in the Brazils, and in the islands of the Carib-
bean Sea. It arrives within the limits of the United
States early in March; and in May reaches the Sas-
katchewan, where it may be seen sporting about among
the lower branches of the large willows that grow in that
swampy district.
Reddish-brown Titlark. (Anthus aquaticus.)
F.B.A.2. p. 231. t. 44.
Mr. Audubon informs us, that this titlark is met with
in every part of the United States ; but does not breed
there. It was seen on Sir John Franklin's second expe-
dition on the Saskatchewan, and Mr. King obtained
two specimens at Fort Reliance on the 3d of June.
It probably breeds in the latter quarter, or still farther
north.
Tree Buntling. {Emberiza canadensis.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 252.
Three specimens of this buntling were obtained by
Mr. King at Fort Reliance, which is farther north than
it was previously known to range ; but it most probablv
goes to the limit of the woods. Its winter quarters
506 APPENDIX.
are, according to Mr. Audubon, in the United States,
north of the Ohio.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. (Coccothraustes Ludoviciana.)
F. B. A. 2. p. 271.
Mr. King obtained a specimen of this charming bird
on Lake Winipeg, and has made a note of its irides
being red. Audubon and Wilson state them to be
hazel.
The Spotted Grouse. [Tetrao canadensis.) F.B. A. 2.
p. 347. t. 62.
This bird ranges from the northern districts of the
United States to the extremities of the woods on the
banks of the Mackenzie (lat. 68°) ; and from the facility
with which it can be killed at certain seasons when game
is scarce, is of great service to the Indian hunter. It
inhabits thick forests, and particularly swampy places
where the black spruce grows, and on this account is
called by the Canadian voyagers perdrix de savanne.
The leaves of the spruce form its food, which gives its
dark-coloured flesh a strong resinous taste. Franklin's
grouse, an inhabitant of the acclivities of the Rocky
Mountains, and the country to the westward of that
ridge, differs from the spotted grouse in the twelve
upper tail coverts being broadly tipped with white, and,
according to Mr. Douglas, their eggs are also dissimilar.
The Willow Grouse. (Lagopus saliceti.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 351.
This ptarmigan is of still more importance to the
APPENDIX. 507
Indian population of the fur countries than the pre-
ceding arouse, on account of its vast numbers sufficing
for the support of many of the tribes for a considerable
part of the year. It inhabits the barren grounds and
the summits of the rocky hills in the woody country,
durins the summer season, seeking shelter in the woods
in winter ; and it is in the latter part of the year that it
is most plentifully taken. Ten thousand have been
caught by nets or snares in one winter at a single fur
post.
The Rock Ptarmigan. (Lagopus rupestris.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 354.. t. 64.
This species is more peculiarly an inhabitant of the
barren lands than the last, never coming into the woods
except in the winter, and even then only for a short
way. It is very abundant in some districts. Another
species, named by Dr. Leach lagopus mutus, visits, ac-
cording to Captain James Ross, the peninsula of Boothia,
alono- with this and the willow grouse, but the rock
ptarmigan is the most abundant in the islands of the
Arctic sea. There is a smaller ptarmigan than any of
these, peculiar to the Rocky Mountains, which may be
known by the whole of its tail feathers being white,
whence it has received the specific appellation of lagopus
leucurus.
Sharp-tailed Grouse. {Centrocercus phasianellus.)
F. B. A. 2. p. 361.
This bird is abundant in the fur countries up to the
61st parallel, both in the prairies and among the woods.
Its flesh, though superior to that of any of the preceding
ptarmigan or grouse, is not so tender or white as that of
508 APPENDIX.
the ruffed grouse, which is also plentiful as high as the
56th parallel. Other birds of this genus inhabit the
plains of the Columbia, but those we have mentioned
are the most serviceable to the Indian tribes that inhabit
the districts through which Captain Back passed.
Passenger Pigeon. (Columba migratoria.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 363.
This pigeon, which breeds in almost incredible num-
bers in some parts of the United States, visits the fur
countries up to the 62nd parallel of latitude, but not
in such quantities anywhere to the northward of Lake
Winipeg, as to contribute much to the support of the
natives : at the south end of that lake, indeed, for a
month or two in summer, when the floods have over-
flowed the low lands, and no four-footed game is to be
procured, a few families of Indians subsist upon this
bird. It visits the north after the termination of the
breeding season in the United States. Captain James
Ross saw a single pigeon of this species as high as
latitude 73J° in Baffin's Bay : it flew on board the
Victory during a storm, and must have strayed from a
great distance. The wind, as we find by a reference to
Sir John Ross's narrative, blew from the north-east at
the beginning of the gale, shifting afterwards to the
eastward. As the Victory was to the northward of the
island of Disco at the time, if the bird came in either of
these directions, it must have taken flight from the
northern part of Greenland, but it is not likely to have
found food on that barren Coast.
The Piping Plover. (Charadrius melodus Bonap.)
A specimen of this pretty plover was obtained by Mr.
King on Lake Winipeg, and that piece of water is
APPENDIX. 509
probably its northern limit, as it was not observed on
the former expeditions through the higher latitudes.
It is consequently a more southern bird than the
Charadrius semipalmatus> which was seen in abundance
by Sir John Franklin's party during the whole route,
and by Captain James Ross in the peninsula of
Boothia, where it passes the summer in the marshes.
The piping plover was described at first by Wilson
as a variety of the common ringed plover, but in
afterwards figuring the semipalmated plover under
the same name, he intimated his suspicion of its
being a distinct species. Subsequent authors have
pointed out its peculiar characters, and the two species,
together with a third named Charadrius Wilsonii, and
very nearly resembling them, are well described and
figured in Mr. Audubon's splendid work. The piping
plover breeds as far to the southward as the Keys of
Florida, and though it exhibits every where nearly the
same plumage, we shall here subjoin a description of
Mr. King's specimen, as it is the only one that has
been brought from the fur countries.
Colour. — Bill, black towards the point, orange at its tip.
Upper plumage, light brownish-grey ; that is, of a pale tint, inter-
mediate between the yellowish-grey and light broccoli-brown of
Werner. Forehead, cheeks, throat, the whole under-plumage and
sides of the rump, white; the white being continued round the
neck, so as to form a narrow ring behind the nape. A narrow
black band extends between the anterior angles of the orbits, behind
the white of the forehead ; and there is a black patch on each
shoulder, with a narrow connecting line crossing the breast ; but
in this specimen, the black does not cross the neck above, as it
occasionally does, on the tips of a single row of feathers, having pro-
bably been worn off. The quills, greater coverts, and middle tail fea-
thers, are blackish-brown ; but the middle of the shafts and part
of the inner webs of the former are white ; that colour spreading
on the fourth and succeeding primaries to their outer webs ; the
510 APPENDIX.
tips of the wing coverts also exhibit various degrees of white.
Tertiaries mostly like the back; but their tips are darker, and
their extreme edges soiled white. Outer tail feathers entirely
white ; the next pair white at both extremities, the others show-
ing successively less white, and the central ones, as has been men-
tioned, entirely brown.
Form. — Outer web of the feet notched, including only the first
joint of the outer toe ; and merely two thirds of the corresponding
phalanx of the middle toe. Inner web scarcely perceptible.
Inch. lin. Inch. lin.
Length of tail - -23
folded wing ■ 4 8|
tarsus - - 0 10|
Length from tip of bill i
to end of tail -
Length of middle toe and ~| ' „ ,
nail - - j° 8*
Length of bill above - 0 6
bill to rictus 0 1\
The Mallard. {Arias boschas Auct.) F. B. A. 2. p. 442.
This duck is stated by Mr. Audubon to be rare on the
Atlantic coast of the United States, but to be more
numerous in the interior, and to breed as far south as
Kentucky and Indiana. It is very generally diffused
through the fur countries up to the northern extremity
of the woods, and is the weightiest and best duck that
resorts thither. Of the true ducks (the anatince of
Swainson), the shoveller passes through the fur coun-
tries in about equal numbers with the mallard, but
breeds farther north, on the barren grounds. The
gadwall and widgeon breed in all parts of the woody
country, though in smaller numbers than the preced-
ing ones ; while the green-winged teal, on the other
hand, is much more numerous, and breeds on the
banks of every river and lake, both in the woody
and barren districts. The blue-winged teal is also
numerous, to the southward of the Athabasca country;
and the summer-duck is rare on the Saskatchewan,
and does not tmvel farther north. These ducks
arrive from the south as soon as the snow melts, and
APPENDIX. 511
before the ice of the small lakes is broken up. The
fidigulince, or sea ducks, are also very numerous in the
fur countries, either on their passage farther north, or
as halting to breed there. The eider and king ducks
are plentiful on the coast and islands of the Arctic sea;
and also on the coast of Hudson's Bay to the north of
Churchill ; but are never seen in the fresh waters of
the interior. In their migrations, it would appear
that they keep near the open sea, passing along the
eastern coast of Labrador. The American scoter
(oidemia Americana) is also an inhabitant of the sea-
coast only, breeding near Churchill. The surf and
velvet ducks travel through the interior to the arctic
coasts and islands, where they breed : they are very
abundant, but not much valued as articles of food,
except when better provisions are scarce. The noisy
long-tailed duck assembles in still larger flocks than
these, and breeds in the same places. It is this bird
which the Canadian voyagers celebrate in their songs,
under the name of " caccawee." The canvas-back,
pochard, scaup, and ring-necked ducks, breed every
where to the northward of the 50th parallel of
latitude up to the extremity of the continent; but do
not appear often on the sea-coast. They associate
much with the anatince, seeking their food in the
same lakes and ponds, but taking it more generally
from the bottom in deeper places, and consequently
diving more. The Rocky-mountain garrot, golden
eye, and spirit ducks, are still better divers than the
preceding, and the two last are very numerous. Their
flesh is tough. The harlequin duck is rare, and the
very curious ruddy duck, though plentiful on the plains
of the Saskatchewan, does not go much farther north-
wards. This bird has a tail very similar in structure to
512 APPENDIX.
that of a cormorant, which it carries erect in swimming,
so that at a little distance the body seems to have a head
stuck up at each end. The ruddy duck is said to
arrive in the fur countries always in the night time, and
to be rarely seen on the wing : indeed, its short pinions
do not appear to be well adapted for sustained flight.
The mergansers are not rare in the northern parts of
America; but they are of comparatively little import-
ance, in an economical point of view.
Trumpeter Swan. (O/gnus buccinator.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 464.
This swan, the first of the water-fowl that revisits
the fur countries in the spring, is hailed with delight by
the Indians as the harbinger of plenty, for the geese and
ducks shortly follow, and abundance reigns in the
encampments of the natives for a few weeks. The
trumpeter swan, even on its first arrival, is generally seen
in pairs, seldom in flocks, and it frequents eddies under
water-falls, and other pieces of open water, until the
general breaking up of the ice on the rivers and lakes.
Being difficult of approach, it is most frequently killed
at a long shot by a single ball. As the down of the
swan is of considerable value, the bird is skinned by
the hunter, but the carcase even after undergoing that
operation is very good to eat, being nearly equal to that
of a goose. The breeding places of the trumpeter swan
are beyond the 60th parallel, but it is not so northern a
bird as the following species.
Bewick's Swan. (Cygnus Bewickii.) F. B. A. 2. p. 465.
This is a smaller bird than the trumpeter, and is
common to Europe and America. It is plentiful on the
APPENDIX. 513
coast of Hudson's Bay, and breeds on the peninsulas of
Melville and Boothia, and in the islands of the Arctic
Sea. It arrives among the latest of the water-fowl in
the fur countries in spring, and stays long in the autumn.
The last swans of the season passed over Fort Franklin,
lat. 64*J°N., on the 5th of October.
Canada Goose. (Anser Canadensis.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 468.
The Canada goose, named "outarde" by the early
French travellers in the fur countries, and also by the
Canadian voyageurs of the present day, breeds sparingly
in the interior of the United States as low as the Ohio,
and in the state of Maine near the Atlantic coast. It
winters, Mr. Audubon tells us, in vast flocks in the
savannas of Florida and the Arkansas, and commences
its northward migration from the middle and western
districts with the first melting of the snows, that is,
between the 20th of March and the end of April.
Major Long informs us that the great migration of
sreese commences at Engineer Cantonment on the
Missouri (lat. 41J°.) on the 22nd of February, and
terminates in the latter end of March. The Canada
goose breeds in every part of the fur countries, but has
not been seen on the shores of the Arctic Sea. It arrives
in flocks when the snow melts, and soon afterwards
spreads over the country in pairs. The following table
of the ordinary dates of its arrival at particular places
gives a correct idea of the commencement of spring in
the different parallels.
L L
514 APPENDIX.
Penetanguishene, Lake Huron, Lat. 44f° N.
March 24.
April 2.
Cumberland House, Saskat - — 54° N.
April 8.
to 12.
Fort Chepewyan - - — 58£° N.
— 20.
— 25.
— Resolution, Slave Lake - — 6li° N.
May 1.
— 6.
— Enterprise - - — 64|0 N.
— 12.
— 20.
— Franklin, Great Bear Lake — 64i° N.
— 7.
— 20.
In the month of July the old birds moult, and may
be seen in every river, followed by their young brood,
not fully feathered and incapable of flying. When
pursued they dive repeatedly, but are soon fatigued,
and make for the shore ; though, unless they reach a
swamp where they can hide themselves among the long
grass, they fall an easy prey to the hunter, who knocks
them on the head with a stick. A canoe is soon loaded
at this sport ; and I have, on several occasions, procured
a supper in this way for a large party in a few minutes.
As soon as the ground begins to harden with the
autumnal frosts, and one or two falls of snow have taken
place, the Canada goose again assembles in large flocks,
and wings its way to the southward. In their flights
the geese generally take advantage of a favourable gale;
and when their cry is heard in the night high in the
air, as they hasten before the wind to warmer latitudes,
cold weather is sure to follow. There are certain spots
or passes which the geese always visit on their migra-
tions ; but they do not frequent the same places in
equal numbers in the spring and fall. In the former
season they make considerable halts on lakes of the
interior, which they pass over on their return, showing
a preference in the autumn to the swampy shores of
Hudson's Bay, where they linger after the inland waters
are covered with ice.
The first appearance of the Canada goose in the spring
at a fur post infuses life into the whole establishment.
Every gun is put in order ; and as soon as the wedge-
APPENDIX. 515
formed flock is seen from afar, man, woman, and child
rush out, shouting " wook, wook, wook," at the
pitch of their voices. The silly birds respond to the
call ; and, wheeling round the place, generally lose one
or two of their number. More are culled from each
flock by the skilful Indian hunter, who, concealed from
their view among the long grass or thick brush-wood,
is able to call the geese to him from a great distance.
The first birds he procures are set up on the beach as
stales to entice others to alight ; and the ordinary rate
of his success may be judged by the price which a
goose bears ; namely, a single charge of ammunition,
the chance of killing several at a shot more than
compensating for failures. The geese fly high when
over the land, but descend on approaching the water,
and cross the larger lakes mostly at particular places.
It is singular to see how flock after flock passes
between the same islands, or through the same gap in
the woods, each following as nearly as possible the
track of its predecessor. At some of the posts great
quantities of geese are salted for winter use ; but this
method of preserving them is a very bad one, a salted
goose being both dry and tough.
Laughing Goose. (Atiser albifrcms.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 466.
This is a smaller goose than the preceding; and, in
the comparative length of the neck and form of the bill,
it more nearly resembles our domestic goose, or its wild
original. The laughing goose travels in great flocks
through the fur countries, eight or ten days later than
the first appearance of the Canada goose, and breeds
on the coasts and islands of the Arctic Sea, north of the
L L 2
516 APPENDIX.
67th parallel of latitude. Its call is much like the pro-
longed laugh of a man. Captain James Ross did not
see this goose on the peninsula of Boothia, and it does
not appear to be common on the coast of Hudson's Bay.
The autumn migration southwards of the laughing
goose commences early in September ; and its re-
turn at that season to the fur districts is often the first
indication of winter having begun within the arctic
circle. It passes on towards the United States, in
advance of the Canada goose ; and Mr. Audubon says
that it arrives before the latter in Kentucky, where
many of the species winter ; but many also, he is con-
vinced, go entirely to the southward of the United
States' boundary. The same gentleman informs us
that this species leaves its winter quarters a fortnight
sooner than the Canada goose, which is different from
the order of their appearance on the banks of the
Saskatchewan. Its flesh is superior to that of the
Canada goose.
Snow Goose. (Anser hyperboreus.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 467.
This beautiful goose has exactly the gait and form of
the preceding; and is very little larger, when full
grown. The two species, according to Audubon, quit
their winter quarters, in the United States, at the same
time ; but the snow goose generally makes its first
appearance in the fur countries a few days later than
the laughing goose, though the main flocks of both pass
at the same time. The snow goose breeds in vast
numbers on the borders of the small lakes near the
coasts of the Arctic Sea, on the islands of the same, and
also on Melville Peninsula. In its journey northwards,
APPENDIX. 517
it reaches the 54th parallel on the 15th of April; the
57th, on the 25th of the same month ; the 64th parallel,
on the 20th of May ; and its breeding stations, in the
69th, by the beginning of June, when the snow is only
melted from some elevated spots. The snow goose
when fat is a very excellent bird, vieing with the laugh-
ing goose in its qualities as an article of diet.
Hutchins' Goose. (Anser Hutchinsii.) F. B. A. 2.
p. 470.
This bird, in the colours of its plumage, strongly
resembles the Canada goose, and is often considered as
merely a small variety of that species. In its form,
however, it is more like the barnacle or brent, with
which it will be evidently associated in an ornitholo-
gical system. Mr. Audubon, who has given the only
figure that has been published of this species, thinks
that it is known in the state of Maine under the name
of winter or flight goose. It migrates along the coast
of Hudson's Bay, and breeds in the peninsulas of
Melville and Boothi-a, laying three or four eggs of a
pure white colour; and Captain James Ross informs
us that its flesh has a most exquisite flavour. It
arrived at Boothia about the middle of June.
Beent Goose. (Anser bernicla.) F. B. A. 2. p. 4(39.
This neat small goose is very numerous on the coast
of Hudson's Bay, in its passage to and from the north.
Captain James Ross states that it did not remain near
Felix Harbour (Boothia) to breed, but went still
farther north ; and that it is found during the summer
L L 3
518 APPENDIX.
months in the highest northern latitudes that have been
visited. It was found breeding on Parry's Islands, in
latitudes 74°— 75°.
FISH.
Every part of the fur countries, with the exception of
the prairie lands of the Red, Saskatchewan, and Co-
lumbia rivers, is intersected in every direction by lakes and
their connecting streams, all of them abounding in fish.
In those districts in particular where the primitive strata
prevail, the rivers are merely chains of many-armed
lakes, linked together by narrow rapids or cascades.
As it is in these parts of the country, at least as far
north as the woods extend, where the furs are chiefly
obtained, most of the forts or trading posts are esta-
blished within their limits ; but if it were not for the
abundance of fish, it wrould be very difficult to obtain
due supplies of provision, since the larger quadrupeds
are not so plentiful in the woods as to furnish a certain
subsistence to a numerous party for the whole year.
Meat posts, as they are termed, can be formed only
in the prairies, where the bison and deer abound, or at
certain localities near the northern range of the woods,
where the reindeer pass in large herds in spring and
autumn. In some quarters, as we have mentioned,
large quantities of geese can be procured for a few
weeks, and in others vast numbers of grouse are snared;
but, in general, no post can be considered as safe for a
winter residence unless there be a good fishing station
in its vicinity.
Ample details of the various methods of fishing in
use in the fur countries have been given by Hearne
and succeeding travellers ; and also in the third volume
i
*
9
I!
A.
to
-
^
^
si
3
4
^
i
A
w
I
\ '"CM"'
'
2
■
■y
<\
- J
■
3
^
s
«l
.-ji
•
h
fr
-
h
%
I
\
F
APPENDIX. 519
of the Fauna Boreali- Americana; so that we need not
enlarge on that subject, but merely mention that at all
fishing places, the principal supply for winter use is ob-
tained in the autumn, immediately before or soon after
the lakes freeze over. As the fish are taken from the net,
a rod is passed through their gills, by which they are
suspended to lofty stages, where they are out of the reach
of dogs and beasts of prey. Those that are hung up
before the frost has set permanently in acquire a putrid
taint, but are thought to be rather improved in qua-
lity ; the others that are caught later are preserved
sound by the frost all the winter.
The Attihawmeg. (Coregonus albas.) F. B. A. 3.
p. 195. t. 89. f. 2. A. & B. ; and t. 94. a. b. c.
This celebrated fish is found in every piece of fresh
water between Lake Erie and the Arctic Sea ; and it
may be said that it is through the abundant supply of
food which its fisheries yield, that the fur trade is
carried on. The attihawmeg, or poisson blanc of the
voyageurs, grows to the greatest size in the larger and
deeper lakes, attaining lOlbs. weight and upwards in
Huron, Superior, or Great Bear Lakes ; but those
generally taken throughout the fur countries average
about three or four pounds. When in season, it is a
rich, agreeable, and very wholesome fish, that never palls
the appetite ; and is preferable, even when lean, for a
daily article of diet, to any other fish of the country.
Though of the salmon family, the European fish that
resembles it most, when cooked, is, perhaps, a fat
Loch Fyne herring, fresh from the water. The most
usual method of cooking it in the fur countries is by
boiling, so as to form an excellent white soup ; but it is
L L 4
520 APPENDIX,
extremely good when fried, and especially if enveloped
in batter.
The other fish that are caught in the several dis-
tricts of the fur countries, in sufficient numbers to be of
importance in an economical point of view, are, trouts of
various kinds, of which the principal is the salmo namay-
cush ; pike (esox lucius) ; several sucking carp (cata-
stomi) ; and the methy {lota maculosa). All the trouts are
excellent, particularly the large one we have just named.
They answer, however, better as occasional articles of
diet than for daily use ; and it is only in some months
of the year, and particularly on the approach of spring,
that they are caught plentifully. The pike is of more
importance to the inhabitants of the fur countries, from
the readiness with which it takes a bait at all seasons of
the year, than from its excellence as an article of diet,
for, in that respect, it is inferior to all the trout tribe.
It is remarkable that the pike does not exist in the
waters to the westward of the Rocky Mountains, though
the species which is found in the country to the eastward
of that ridge is the same that inhabits the rivers and
lakes of Europe, and North Asia, and even the Caspian
Sea.
The sucking carp are not much prized for food ; but
they are very numerous, and are all well adapted
for making soup. We have selected three different
species for representation, partly because they have
never been figured before, and partly because the spe-
cies being numerous and difficult to distinguish by mere
description, the figures cannot fail to be useful to
naturalists.
The methy (lota maculosa), though not so numerous
as the coregoni, trouts, or sucking carps, is yet uni-
versally diffused through the fur countries ; but its flesh
APPENDIX. 521
is so disagreeable that it is never eaten except in times
of scarcity. Its roe, however, which is composed of
very small ova, makes good bread when beaten up
with a little flour; and even when cooked alone, it
forms cakes that are very palatable as tea bread, though
rather difficult of digestion.
There are other fish not so generally distributed, but
which are of importance in particular districts. Thus,
the fishery at Cumberland House, on the Saskatchewan,
yields, in addition to those we have mentioned, the
American sandre {lucioperca Americana) ; the mathemeg
(jnmelodus borealis); the tullibee, a species of core-
gonus ; the naccaysh (hiodon chrysqpsis, F. B. A. p. 232.
311. pi. 94. f. 3. A. B. C.) ; and the sturgeon (acipenser
Rupertianns) .
None of the fish named in the last paragraph go so
far north as Great Slave Lake ; but we find there the
salmo Macke?izii, which ascends from the Arctic Sea, and
does not exist in the more southern waters. This fish,
though agreeing with the trouts in the structure of the
jaws, differs from all the subgenera established by Cuvier
in the Regne Animal, in having the teeth disposed in
velvet-like bands, which are narrow on the tips of the
jaws, and broader on the vomer and palate bones.
From the crowded minute teeth, the name of Stenodus
may be given to the subgenus, of which the inconnu or
salmo Mackenzii is the only ascertained species. Back's
grayling [thymallus signifer), and the round-fish (core-
gonns quadr Hater all s), abound in the clear rivers which
fall into the north and east side of Slave Lake, and in
the waters in higher latitudes. They exist, but not
numerously, in Great Bear Lake also ; but the most
abundant fish in that vast piece of water is the Bear
Lake herring-salmon (corregonas lucidus). The in-
5C2°2 APPENDIX.
connu does not ascend Bear Lake River, giving the
preference to muddy streams.
Salmon of various species spawn in the rivers that
fall into the Arctic Sea, and were taken in great quan-
tities by Sir John Ross in the Gulf of Boothia. It is
therefore probable that some kinds enter the Thlew-ee-
choh, though no specimens were brought home.
Notice of the Plates of Fish.
The lattice-scaled sucking carp {Catastomus reticu-
lata, F.B.A. 3. p. 303.), is common to the southward
of Lake Winipeg, and in the Albany River district.
The red sucking carp {Catastomus Forsterianus, F.B.A.
3. p. 116.).
The picconou [Catastomus Sueur ii, F.B.A. 3. p. 118.)
APPENDIX. o<23
No. II.
LIST OF PLANTS
COLLECTED BY MR. RICHARD KING, DURING THE
PROGRESS OF THE EXPEDITION.
Named by W. J. Hooker, LL.D. F.R.S. &c. &c,
Professor of Botany, Glasgow.
Ranunculace^e.
Anemone patens - - Fort Reliance,
nemorosa {unusu-
ally hairy) - Lake of the Woods,
multifida (Poirei) Lake Winipeg.
Pennsylvanica(£.) Ditto, and Slave Lake.
Hepatica triloba 5 (Hook) River Winipeg.
Ranunculus aquatilis - Saskatchewan River,
cymbalaria - Lake Winipeg.
affinis - Slave Lake.
Pennsylvanicus Athabasca,
auricomus - Thlew-ee-choh and Atha-
basca,
sceleratus - Rainy Lake. Slave Lake.
Caltha palustris - - Lake Winipeg.
Aquilegia Canadensis - Ditto.
(3 hybrida (Hook) Slave Lake.
Actaea rubra - - Lake Winipeg.
Papaverace^e.
Papaver medicaule * Thlew-ee-choh.
524
APPENDIX.
FuMARIACE^.
Corydalis aurea
glauca
Crucifer-SE.
Cardamine hirsuta
Nasturtium palustre
Arabis petraea
Turritis stricta
Draba laevipes
hirta
Sisymbrium sophioides
Eutrema Edwardsii
Violare^:.
Viola bland a
pubescens
Canadensis
Muhlenbergiana
Droserace^.
Parnassia palustris
Polygaleje.
Polygala Seneka
Caryophylle^e.
Silene acaulis
Lychnis apetala
Spergula nodosa
Larbrgea uliginosa
River Winipeg.
Ditto.
River Winipeg, and Cum-
berland House.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
River Winipeg.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Lake Winipeg.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Fort William.
Dog River.
Ditto. River Winipeg.
Slave Lake.
Saskatchewan to Slave
Lake.
- River Winipeg.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Gulf of Boothia.
Saskatchewan.
Missinippi River.
APPENDIX.
525
Stellaria borealis (Bigelow)
stricta (Rick.)
laeta
Arenaria lateriflora
peploides
Cerastium viscosum
alpinum
arvense
Geraniace^:.
Geranium Carolinianum
Leguminos^:.
Phaca astragalina
Oxytropis uralensis /3
Astragalus hypoglottis
Vicia Americana
Lathyrus ochroleucus
Rosaceje.
Dryas integrifolia
Sieversia triflora
Fragaria Virginian a
Potentilla arguta
anserina
hirsuta.
Vahliana
nivea
tridentata
Am elan drier sanguinea
ONAGRARIiE.
Epilobium angustifolium
River Winipeg.
- Thlew-ee-choh.
- Lake Superior.
- Gulf of Boothia.
- River Winipeg.
- Thlew-ee-choh.
- River Winipeg,
- Saskatchewan.
Thlew-ee-choh. Slave
Lake.
Ditto.
River Winipeg.
Lake Winipeg. Saskat-
chewan.
Ditto. Slave Lake.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Slave River.
Ditto.
Saskatchewan River.
Slave River.
Saskatchewan River.
Thlew-ee-choh River.
Ditto.
Missinippi River.
Slave River.
- Saskatchewan River.
526
APPENDIX.
Epilobium latifolium
origanifolium
alpinum ? near
the preceding -
GEnothera biennis ?
Thlew-ee-choh River.
Saskatchewan.
York Factory.
Athabasca.
SAXIFRAGES.
Heuchera Richardsonii
Saxifraga oppositifoiia
cernua -
nivalis
Virginiensis
vernalis
hirculus
tricuspidata
Umbellifer^s.
Zizia cordata
Araliace^:.
Panax quinquefolium
Corner.
Cornus Canadensis
Caprifoliace^.
Sambucus racemosa
Viburnum acerifolium
Lonicera parviflora
ciliata
caerulea
Linnsea borealis
Saskatchewan.
Gulf of Boothia.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Ditto.
River Winipeg.
Ditto.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Slave and Winipeg Lakes.
Thlew-ee-choh.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Saskatchewan.
- Winipeg and Slave Lakes.
Lake Winipeg.
Slave River, and Atha-
basca.
Lake Winipeg.
Fort William.
Ditto.
Missinippi River.
APPENDIX.
527
RuBIACEiE.
Galium boreale
Claytoni
Composite.
Leontodon palustre
Bidens cernna
Achillea millefolium
Pyrethrum inodorum (3
Artemisia frigida
biennis
boreal is
Arnica montana
Senecio aureus
palustris
jS congesta
Erigeron pulchellus
purpureus
Solidago virgaurea
Aster paniculatus?
Antennaria plantaginea
- Saskatchewan and Missi-
nippi.
- Saskatchewan.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Saskatchewan.
Ditto, and Missinippi.
Gulf of Boothia.
Athabasca.
Ditto.
Thlew-ee-choh, and Gulf
of Boothia.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Saskatchewan. Athabasca.
Missinippi.
Gulf of Boothia.
Lake Winipeg.
Saskatchewan.
Ditto.
York Factory.
Fort William. Slave Lake.
CaMPANULACEjE.
Campanula linifolia
Ericine^:.
Ledum palustre
Arbutus alpina
uva ursi
Andromeda tetragon a
polifolia
calyculata
- Saskatchewan.
- Thlew-ee-choh.
- Ditto.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Thlew-ee-choh.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Lake Superior.
528
APPENDIX.
Rhododendron Lapponicum Thlew-ee-choh.
Azalea procumbens - Ditto.
Vaccines.
Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum River Winipeg.
uliginosum - Thlew-ee-choh.
vitis idaea - Saskatchewan.
Gaultheria procumbens - Lake Superior.
Pyrolace^e.
Chimaphila umbellata - Canada.
Pyrola rotundifolia - Athabasca.
var. y - Saskatchewan.
8 - Thlew-ee-choh.
GENTIANEiE.
Gentiana amarella - York Factory.
Apocyne^:.
Apocynum rosmarinifolium Saskatchewan.
BORAGINE^.
Bastchia canescens - Lake Winipeg.
Collomia linearis - Saskatchewan.
Lithospermum paniculatum Lake Winipec.
Hydrophylle^e.
Eutoca Franklinii - Saskatchewan.
SCROPHULARINE^E.
Pedicularis hirsuta - Thlew-ee-choh.
Veronica peregrins - Saskatchewan.
Collinsia parviflora - Lake Winipeg.
APPENDIX.
529
Rhinanthace^e.
Euphrasia officinalis
Melampyrum lineare
Castelleja septentrionalis
Primulace^.
Menyanthes trifoliata
Primula pusilla
Trientalis Americana
Lysimachia thyrsiflora
Plumbagineje.
Statice Armeria
Saskatchewan.
Ditto.
Winipeg and Slave Lakes.
Lake Winipeg.
Lake Superior.
Saskatchewan.
Ditto.
Thlew-ee-choh, and Gulf
of Boothia.
PoLYGONEiE.
Polygonum aviculare - Athabasca.
hydropiper - Saskatchewan.
h. var. eglandulosum Ditto,
Persicaria - Athabasca.
Oxyria reniformis - Thlew-ee-choh.
Chenopode^:.
Blitum capitatum
Chenopodium glaucum
album
Atriplex littoral is
Lophanthus anisatus
- Lake Winipeg, and Atha-
basca.
- Athabasca.
- Saskatchewan.
- Athabasca.
- Saskatchewan.
Labiatje.
Stachys palustris - Saskatchewan.
Dracocephalum parviflorum Lake Winipeg.
M M
530
APPENDIX.
Thymele^:.
Comandra umbellata
Empetre^:.
Empetrum nigrum
Hydrolace^:.
Diapensia Lapponica - Thlew-ee-choh.
- Saskatchewan.
- Thlew-ee-choh.
AMENTACEiE.
Salix arctica
cordifolia ?
reticulata
herbacea
Betula glandulosa
Alnus glutinosa
Populus trepida
Urticeje.
Urtica gracilis
Conifers.
Juniperus prostrata
Irideje.
Sisyrinchium anceps
Orchide^e.
Habenaria rotundifolia
bracteata
Neottia cernua
Cypripedium parviflorum
Calypso borealis
Thlew-ee-choh.
Boothia.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Gulf of Boothia.
Thlew-ee-choh.
Ditto.
Saskatchewan.
Ditto.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Lake Winipeg.
Saskatchewan.
Lake Winipeg.
Athabasca.
Lake Winipeg.
Fort William.
Gulf of
APPENDIX.
.531
MELANTHACE.E.
Tofieldia palustris
ASPHODELE^E.
Allium schaenoprasum
Smilace^e.
Smilacina stellata
Canadensis
- Lake Winipeg.
- Saskatchewan.
- Lake Winipeg.
- Ditto.
LlLIACEiE.
Liiium philadelphicum - Saskatchewan. Portage la
Loche.
Erythronium lanceolatum - Lake Superior.
GltAMINEiE.
Alopecurus aristulatus
Cyperace-e.
Carex ?
Filices.
Nephrodium fragrans
Equisetum sylvaticum
Marchantia polymorpha
Hydrium auriscalpum
- Saskatchewan.
- Lake Winipeg.
Saskatchewan.
- Lake Superior.
- York Factory.
- York Factory.
- Lake Superior.
M M 2
5SCZ APPENDIX.
No. III.
ARTICULATA.
Catalogue of Arachnida and Lisects, collected by Mr.
King) Surgeon and Naturalist to the Expedition. By
J. G. Children, F.R.SS. London and Edinburgh.
F.L.S. &c.
The climate and the peculiar circumstances of the
expedition necessarily limit the insects collected during
Captain Back's journey, to a very small number. The
most abundant belong to Latreille's third Order of the
class, Parasita (Anoplura, Leach), many of the
individuals of which, being the companions and conse-
quence of poverty and filth, are regarded in general
rather as objects of disgust than of attraction. From
this cause, and perhaps, too, from their minuteness,
these insects have hitherto excited less attention amongst
naturalists than their singular, and I may say beautiful,
forms and structure deserve ; although Redi, so long
ago as 1688, wrote on the subject, and published no
less than forty figures, such as they are, (including five
Acari,) of Pediculi and Pulices, infesting mammalia and
birds.* Since his time, they have been more or less
observed by Linnaeus, GeofTroy, Degeer, Scopoli,
Schranke, Latreille, and others, and more especially by
Leach and Nitzsch ; to the last of whom we are chiefly
indebted for a general and pretty complete systematic
* Esperienze intorno alia Generazione degl' Insetti.
APPENDIX. 533
arrangement of these tiny creatures * ; but it is to be
regretted that, with respect to species, he has merely
given a list of names, and most frequently even without
reference to any description or figure of any other
author. The posthumous work of Lyonet, published
by De Haanf, contains descriptions, accompanied by
pretty good, uncoloured figures of a few of these para-
sites; and Panzer J has given some tolerable coloured
ones of some others; but these collectively amount to a
very small proportion of the existing species ; and, as to
the figures to be found in the works of the older authors,
they are in general almost useless. Very lately a
valuable paper on three species of Philopteri, found on
the albatross (Diomedca exulans, Linn.), has been pub-
lished by M. Leon Dufour, in the Annales de la Societe
Entomologique de France. §
In the other Orders, the catalogue of arctic Insects,
collected in the late expedition, is very small, contain-
ing, of perfect insects, only one species respectively of
the Coleopterous, Orthopterous, and Hymenopterous
Orders ; together with one larva of some individual
belonging to the Coleoptera : to these are to be
added five species of the Class Arachnida, and one
Intestinal Worm. But, if the present contribution
to this branch of natural history be inconsiderable,
we must remember under what circumstances it was
formed ; and that it is not the extent of the gift, but
# Die Familien und Gattungen der Thierinsekten : — Ma-
gazin der Entomologie (von Germar und Zincken), vol. iii.
p. 261.
f Recherches sur l'Anatomie, et les Metamorphoses de
differentes Especes d'Insectes. Paris, 1832.
J Deutschlands Insekten.
§ Vol. iv. p. 669. pi. 21. fig. 1—4.
M M 3
534* APPENDIX.
the liberal spirit of the giver, that deserves our grati-
tude ; the widow's mite was pronounced to be more
than all the rest.
Class ARACHNIDA.
Obs. The spiders were examined immediately after
they had been removed from the spirit in which they
were preserved.
1. Dysdera erethryna? Walck.
Hahn, Arachniden, vol. i. p. 7* pi. 1. f. 3.
The characters of this spider so nearly agree with
Hahn's figure and description of Z). erethryna, that I
have little hesitation in referring it to that species, not-
withstanding the great distance, in point of locality,
between the two individuals. Hahn's spider is found
in Spain, France, and Germany.
2. Theridion Backii (n. s.), Nob.
Villosum ; thorace subcirculari, rufo : pedibus rufis,
fusco annulatis, setisque undique obsitis; pari primo,
secundo, et quarto longioribus, subsequalibus ; tertio
cseteris breviori : abdomine globoso, saturate fusco.
This species has considerable resemblance to the
female of Hahn's T. quadri-giittatam (pi. 21. f. 64.),
but is larger, and in other respects decidedly distinct,
I have named it in honour of Captain Back.
2. Tetragnatha extensa (var.), Walck.
SchcefF. Icon. Insect, pi. 113. f. 9.
APPENDIX. 535
4. TH03USUS borealis (n. s.), Nob.
Fuscus : mandibulis validis, glabris : thorace subcylin-
drico, convexo, glabro : pedibus ferrugineis, subelon-
gatis, subvillosis, spinisque raris munitis; pari primo,
secundo, et quarto subaequalibus, tertio caeteris breviori :
cute abdominis ovati transverse rugosa, granulosa, pilis-
que raris, albido-flavis tecta; his ad anum ventremque
frequentioribus.
5. Thomisus corona (n. s.), Nob.
Glaber : thorace subcirculari, subfusco, fascia media
albida ad frontem latiori, coronaeque effigiem simulante :
mandibulis albidis : pedum pari primo et secundo vali-
dis, plus duplo caeteris majoribus ; tertio breviori :
femoribus subpubescentibus : tarsis subtus setosis, setis
discretis, biseriatim positis : abdomine globoso, albido.
This species agrees very nearly with Hahn's Th. diade-
ma, except in the form of the abdomen, which in the latter
is angular, having posteriorly on each side a projecting
lobe ; whilst in Th. corona it is globular. Since Hahn
expressly states that the male, although much smaller,
exactly resembles the female, both in form and colour,
the difference between his specimen and ours cannot be
sexual. Moreover, Hahn takes no notice of the singu-
lar, white, coronet-shaped mark in the front of the head,
in the upper projecting part of which the brilliant eyes
of the animal shew like the jewels of a diadem. The
four lateral eyes, as in Hahn's species, are supported on
little projecting knobs.
M M 4
536 APPENDIX.
Class INSECTA.
Order Parasita, Latr. (Anoplur^e, Leach.)
Genus Philopterus, Nitzsch. {Pediculus. Linn.
Fabric. Richius, Degeer. Nirmns, Hermann, Olfers,
Leach.)
Subgenus Docophorus, Nitzsch.
1. D. communis, Nitzsch. Pedic. emberizae, Fabr.
Degeer, vol. vii. pi. 4. f. 9. ; Panzer, Deutsch.
Insek. 51. 23.
Found on the Snow-bird, Chatterer, and Grosbeak.
Long- tw Po11-
2. D. platyrhynchus Nitz. ? Pedic. haematopus, Sco-
j)oli ?
Found on a Hawk, but the species not mentioned.
Long. Tf o poh\
I believe this species to be identical with Nitsch's
Platyrhynchus^ the P. hcematopus of Scopoli (Ent. Car-
niol. p. 382.), as it agrees in alt respects with the latter
author's description of that insect, except in wanting the
dorsal line on each side of the abdomen. Our specimen
very closely resembles that of the Nivmus nisi, in the
collection in the British Museum. Nitzsch's insect is
stated to have been found on the Falco palumbarius.
3. D. auritus, Nob. Pedic. auriti, Scop. Var. ?
Dilute fulvus : capite triangulari, glabro, nitido, apice
subobtuso: temporibus rotundatis : abdomine ovato.
APPENDIX. 537
subpiloso, linea dorsali incurvata, nigra: pedibus anti-
cis antennis vix longioribus. Long. T^o poll.
Found on the Picus auratus.
This species so much resembles that described by
Schrank (Faun. Boic), and referred by him to P. auri-
tus of Scopoli, who found it on the Picus major, and
P. martus, that I have thought it right to adopt his
name, but without asserting their identity.
4. D. ocellatus, Nitzsch. De Haan. Pedic. ocellatus,
Scop,
Lyonet, pi. 5. f. 3. *
Found on the Corvus corax. Long. TJ(j poll.
The British specimens in the Museum collection
agree perfectly with the arctic species.
According to Scopoli and Nitzsch, it is also found on
the Corvus cor' nae.
Subgenus Nirmus, Nitzsch,
5. N. affinis (n. s.), Nob.
Albidus : capite triangulari, subfusco, glabro, nitidoj
apice rotundato : abdomine ovato, piloso, fasciis fuscis
medio interruptis : antennis, thorace, pedibusque sub-
fuscis. Long. ^ poll.
Found on the Tetrao saliceti, and Ptarmigan.
This species differs from Lyonet's figure and de-
scription of the Pou de coque de bruyere" (which his
editor, De Haan, refers to the Nirmus cameratus of
Nitzsch,) principally in the form of the transverse dorsal
* Recherches, &c, ouvrage posthume, publie par De
Haan. Paris, 1832.
538 APPENDIX.
bands, which in our insect extend on each side, from
near the middle of the back to the sides, but in
Lyonet's present a bifurcate figure, the branches of the
fork terminating long before they reach the margin;
the latter is bounded by a darker line from the thorax
to the anus.
6. N. testudinarius (n. s.), Nob.
Fuscus : capite triangulari, glabro, nitido, apice tem-
poribusque rotundatis : abdomine elliptico, subpiloso,
pilis ad anum confertioribus : segmentorum dorsalium
suturis, lineaque medio longitudinali albidis : pedibus
subfuscis. Long, ^o P°U»
Found on the Curlew.
7. N. biseriatus (n. s.), Nob.
Capite glabro, fulvo, triangulari, apice obtuso, tempo-
ribus rotundatis ; thorace pedibusque concoloribus, illo
linea media, albida : abdomine ovato, subpiloso, albido,
maculis lateralibus fulvis, biseriatim positis, exteriori-
bus majoribus. Long. -^^ poll.
Also found on the Curlew, and, as far as I can find,
hitherto undescribed.
Subgenus Lipeurus, Nitzsch.
(Ornithobins, Leach.)
8. L.jejunus, Nitzch.
Pedic. anseris, Linn. Fabr.
Redi, Exper. tab. 10. fig. dextra.
Found on the Grey Goose. Long, -££g poll.
This species differs from the parasite of the Domestic
Goose in the British Museum collection ; but appears to
be identical with another species in the same collection,
to which neither name nor habitat is affixed.
APPENDIX. 539
Subgenus Goniodes, Nitzsch.
9. G. chelicornis, Nitzsch,
Lyon. pi. 4. f. 7.
Found on the Tetrao saliceti. Long. xV> lat. abdom.
£5_
poll.
Genus Liotheum, Nitzsch.
(Pedicidus, Linn. Fabr. Ricmus, Degeer, Latrielle.
NirmiiS) Hermann, Olfers, Leach.)
Subgenus Colpocephalum, Nitzsch.
10. C. subaequale, Nitzsch.
Lyon. pi. 4. fig. 5.
Found on the Corvus corax. Long. 2|^ poll.
Subgenus Physostomum, Nitzsch.
11. P. sulphureum, Nitzsch? Pediculus dolicocephalus,
Scopoli ?
Albus : toto corpore glabro : capite oblongo, apice
rotundato : abdomine elliptico, subtus marginato ; ma-
culis frontalibus, vittaque dorsali sanguineis. Long. TV(T
poll.
Found on the Snow-bird.
12. P. marginatum (n.s.), Nob.
Albidus: capite oblongo, fusco maculato, apice ob-
tuso: thorace abdomineque marginatis, lineaque fusca
circumdatis : pedibus albidis. Long. T!o4o poll.
Except in size and colour, this species very much
resembles Degeer 's Ricin du Pin c on.
540 APPENDIX.
Order COLEOPTERA.
Bostrichus typographic, Fabr.
Var. b. " corpore toto pallide testaceo." Gyllen.
Insect. Sueci., torn. i. pars 3, p. 351.
From dried Pine.
2. Larva — incertae sedis ; — an Dmcmm cujusdam ?
I am induced to think it probable that this may be the
larva of a Dircaea (Xylita, Paykull), from its almost per-
fect accordance with Mr. W. S. Macleay's description of
the thysanuriform larva of the Xylita buprestoides, (Horse
Entomological, note, p. 464.) As Mr. Macleay's work is,
unfortunately, very rare, it may be useful to transcribe
his description : — " Larva, whitish, elongate, scaly,
" with few hairs, except about the last segment of the
" abdomen ; body thickest at the middle and tail, upper
" side rather convex, under concave ; head semi-
" globular, with vestige of eyes ; antennas Particulate,
" short, with the first joints greatest; mandibles short,
" strong, and sharp ; maxillary palpi acute at point,
" and labial excessively minute; second segment of the
" body large, subthoraciform, and composed apparently
" of two segments ; anterior feet large, compressed,
" hooked, extending nearly to the top of the head ;
" the two posterior pairs of the same shape, but so
" short as scarcely to reach beyond the coxa of the
" first pair, besides being in some measure hid in the
" concavity of the body ; the third segment of the body
" is shortest, and the others lengthen gradually to the
" 12th, which is convex, and marked with strongly
" impressed points ; but the singular part of the body is
" the tail, or 13th segment, at the base of which is the
" anal aperture : this segment is slightly convex above,
APPENDIX. 541
" and flattish below, but armed at the extremity with
" two sharp horny appendages, curved upwards." —
Macleay's larva was found, together with the perfect
insect, in the solid wood of an old oak in Hampshire,
by Mr. Samouelle.
The above description applies to our larva, except
that its colour is light yellowish brown, and the feet
equal ; and, in addition to the horny appendages at the
extremity, the two caudal processes and the posterior
margin of the last or anal segment, are armed with
similar sharp horny spines.
Length 0.45 in.
Found in dried Pine.
Order ORTHOPTERA.
Acridium sulphureum, Pal. de Beauv.
Palis, de Beauv. Ins., rec. en Afr. et Am. p. 145.
Orthopt. pi. 4. f. 2.
Palisot du Beauvais' insect is from Virginia.
Order HYMENOPTERA.
Formica herculeana, Linn.
Var. thorace nigro, Shuck. M. S.
Linn. Faun. Suec. p. 426. No. 1720.
My friend Mr. Shuckard, who is intimately ac-
quainted with this Order, and examined this species at
my request, observes : — " The identity of Captain
" Back's species with the F. herculeana of Linnaeus, is
" interesting, from its being the first proof I am ac-
" quainted with, of the same species of hymenopterous
" insect inhabiting both the European and American
" continents. These ants are, indeed, smaller than the
" European species ; but climate is well known to affect
" developments."
542 APPENDIX.
RADIATA.
Class Intestina (E?itozoa, Rudolph! ).
Ascaris ?
I cannot satisfactorily refer this to any described
species. It seems not very unlike Rudolphi's A. ere-
nata. No account is given of its habitat.
APPENDIX. 543
No. IV.
GEOLOGICAL NOTICE
ON THE NEW COUNTRY PASSED OVER BY CAPTAIN BACK
DURING HIS LATE EXPEDITION.
By William Henry Fitton, M.D. F.R.S. G.S. &c.
The country near the entrance of Slave River into
Great Slave Lake, where the route of Captain Back
struck off, has been described by Dr. Richardson, in
his valuable geological appendices to the first and se-
cond journeys of Captain Sir John Franklin. The
following observations have been drawn up, principally,
from the notes taken by Captain Back himself in the
course of his arduous journey, from that point to the
sea, aided by an examination of the specimens which
he brought to England. In arranging them in the
order of the route, I have adhered, as far as possible,
to the original words : —
" On quitting Fort Resolution (a station of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, near the mouth of the Slave River),
we went through some of the winding channels formed by
the numerous islands in the Delta of Slave River ; and,
having passed Stony Island, which, — as Dr. Richardson
remarks in the appendix to Franklin's first journey, —
is a naked mass of red granite, fifty or sixty feet high,
precipitous on the north side, and lying near the junction
of the flat limestone strata with the primitive rocks. —
We then kept along the low and swampy shore, thickly
544 APPENDIX.
matted with drift-wood, and made for a jutting elevation,
called Rocky Point, where the lake trends to the east-
ward, and struck off in a northerly direction towards a
distant cluster of islands on the south of Simpson's
Group, which are mostly granitic, and composed of
reddish felspar, quartz, and mica. The more northern
of these islands attain a greater elevation, from 200 to
1000 feet, resembling the bluff and broken features of
those to the westward, near the "Gros-cap" of Mackenzie,
but still more like the red granite hills of FortChipewyan
and upper part of the Slave River. They are very
unlike the low swampy limestone tracts which we had
left; and almost totally destitute of the drift-timber piled
in such immense quantities about Fort Resolution and
the more western shores of the lake.
" The clear green north-eastern waters here contrast
strongly with the turbid yellow streams of the Great
Slave Lake, hurrying rapidly towards the Mackenzie
Conical isolated hills are in various places separated by
narrow passages from the larger islands, whose pic-
turesque outlines, rent into vast chasms and fissures, and
rising to upwards of 1200 feet, are very imposing.
" Near to the most northern of this chain of islands,
Point Keith projects from the eastern main ; and the
channel, between that point and the northern shore of
the lake, is interrupted by an island called jEM-thenu-
eh *, or Reindeer Island, remarkable for its table-land ;
with perpendicular cliffs resting on sloping and irre-
* This little island is not named in the annexed map. It
is immediately on the south of the date " August 14th," and
south-west of the prolonged extremity of Peth-the-nu-eh.
It is to be observed, that there is a small group in the lake
also called " Reindeer Islands," north of the entrance of
Slave River, and about north-west of Rocky Point.
APPENDIX. 545
gular declivities, which gradually descend to the water's
edge." Captain Back remarks, that a point which forms
the western extremity of a small bay, in this part of
the lake, consists of a mass of boulders, cemented into
a kind of puddingstone by yellowish and indurated
clay, to a height of from six to forty feet : the subja-
cent rocks, as they receded from the lake, acquiring
an altitude between 1 400 and 2000 feet.
The point which we next rounded was steep and
perpendicular; and from it the natives obtain a varie-
gated marl, of a greenish grey colour, of which they
make their calumets and pipes. A similar substance,
of a reddish tint, and also one of a pure white, both
admitting of a high polish, are found beyond the
western limits of the lake.
Proceeding to the north and east, along that portion
of the lake which separates the long island of Peth-
the-nu-eh from the northern main, the island itself has an
imposing appearance; its rocks, of the trap formation, ex-
hibiting long lines of mural precipices, resting one upon
another, and capped by even and round eminences thinly
clad with meagre pines. " It was impossible to look at
them without being forcibly reminded of the same ap-
pearances, but without trees, seen on a former occasion
between the Coppermine River and Point Barrow,
where the rocks are described by Dr Richardson* as con-
sisting of clinkstone, porphyry, and earthy greenstone,
which extended to the mouth of WenzePs River." And,
from this resemblance, Captain Back conjectures that
the trap formation may probably run in a line almost
due south to Great Slave Lake, where it is lost in the
granitic district occupying an extensive range to and
beyond Chipewyan.
* Franklin's First Voyage, Appendix, p. 530.
N N
546
APPENDIX.
But, though the trap formation seems to predominate
in Peth-the-nu-eh, the specimens from that side of
the island which forms the shore of Christie's Bay are
composed of magnesian limestone, like that of Dease's
River, and many other places mentioned by Dr. Rich-
ardson. *
The main shore of the lake on the north and west of
Peth-the-nu-eh is also mountainous and rocky, consist-
ing chiefly of gneiss and porphyry. At a contracted part
of the channel, called by the natives Tal-thel-leh, it is
said never to freeze ; and this Captain Back's experience
proved to be the case during two winters. On the east
of this place, an island was seen, displaying a barren and
rounded outline to the north, but on the south distinctly
columnar. No specimens were obtained from it; but a
drawing of Captain Back's leaves no doubt as to its
structure, the columns being well defined and regular.
Columns in a small Island, east of Tal-thel-leh.
The altitude of the north shore of the lake varies but
little thence to the point called by the natives " The
Mountain" ; — so named, however, not from any remark-
able prominence, but to distinguish the spot where the
* Appendix to Franklin's Second Voyage, p.xiv.
APPENDIX. 547
natives leave their canoes when striking into the interior.
From the " mountain," the opposite peninsula of Gah-
hooa-tchel-la, (or Rabbit Point,) has a bold and pic-
turesque appearance, being more than 2000 feet high,
almost perpendicular, and evidently a continuation of
the (trap) formation of Peth-the-nu-eh, from which
it is separated on the south and west by an opening
leading to Christie's Bay. The shores of the eastern part
of the lake, as they approach each other, still retain their
distinctive characters : that on the north being round-
backed and grey, with a few trees ; but that to the south
precipitous, cliffy, and almost barren. The rocks, en-
closing the east end of the lake, around the bay on the
north of which Fort Reliance was placed, are very like
those already passed, but more acclivitous.
The specimens from Fort Reliance (which are
marked " undulating rocks of considerable altitude ")
consist of granite, having somewhat the aspect of sienite,
but composed of reddish felspar, brown mica in small
proportion, and grey quartz. On the beach was found
a mass of conglomerate of flint pebbles, cemented by
sand and slightly effervescent matter. The pebbles,
loose on the shore hereabouts, consist of chalcedony,
quartz, flinty slate, a conglomerate of red jasper peb-
bles in a siliceous dark grey cement, with fragments of
jasper of various hues, inclining to brown.
The sandy space, where the house, or "Fort," was
erected, was about three miles broad, and hemmed in,
on the east and west, by two rivers, which ran respectively
along the bases of parallel ranges of granitic hills. The
sand was comparatively level ; and in the space of half a
mile were two more platforms, with embankments rising
gradually towards the rocky valleys which led to the
barren lands. It seemed as if the water of the Great
N N 2
548 APPENDIX.
Slave Lake had once been so high as to have had the
upper of the embankments for its boundary, and had
since subsided.
Immediately on the north of the "Fort," including the
space between Hoarfrost River and the Ah-hel-desseh (the
stream leading from Slave Lake to Artillery Lake), the
country is mountainous, and consists for the greater part
of granite, in which red felspar and large plates of mica
are conspicuous. The ascent here towards the barren
lands may be taken at 1400 feet. On the north, along
Artillery Lake, the country assumes a more open aspect,
with sloping moss-covered hills, on which are rarely
scattered clumps of wood; but in latitude 63° 15' N.
the pine disappears altogether, and there it is that the
" barren lands" fairly commence.
The country from Artillery Lake to Clinton Colden
Lake, and thence to Lake Aylmer, is characterised by
the small altitude of the hills, which are more or less
covered with large boulders of granite, and decline to
the water's edge.
In these lakes islands are numerous ; many of them
consisting of great unbroken masses of granite, on the
summits of which are huge stones and splintered frag-
ments of rock. Similar boulders had been observed
near Fort Enterprise during the first journey of Sir
John Franklin, where, in fact, the height of land seems
to be a continuation of this tract, and to be of the same
character. Sand was seen at first along the beach, but
soon rising into banks and mounds : and, finally, at the
northern extremity of Lake Aylmer, forming hills of
some magnitude, which decline to the north-west, and
indicate the height of land that feeds Sussex Lake, —
the source of the Thlew-ee^cho-dezeth.
Sussex Lake is small, and encompassed by low shelv-
APPENDIX. 549
ing declivities. To the west of it is a low ridge of sand-
hills, which terminate abruptly, and form a passage for
the escape of the waters towards the north. Within a
mile of the lake is a slight descent that way, forming a
shallow rapid only a mile distant from Lake Aylmer, —
the surface of which lake may be considered as three
feet below the highest part of the dividing land. The
river then winds its way through sand-hills, declining
to the north-west; and, about four miles down the
stream, passes the first rocks of gneiss in situ : — they
have an even and tabular surface ; and are broken into
perpendicular cliffs, about five feet high, which fall to
the east.
About five and twenty miles on the north-east of
Lake Aylmer, the river cuts its way transversely, but
without changing its direction, through a range of
mountains running east and west, and then becomes
very much interrupted by rapids. Sand-banks begin to
appear again, and hills with " long sloping declivities,
" partially covered with the usual blocks of granite" ;
— till within sixty miles of Bathurst's Inlet, latitude
65° 40', longitude 106° 35', where a barrier of moun-
tains, probably continuous with the ranges to the east of
that inlet, turns the river away to the east at an acute
angle, for about thirty miles." Lake Beechey occupies
the bend produced by this obstruction. The rocks
around it were very rugged and desolate * ; but, as the
expedition was at this time passing rapidly down the
stream, no specimens were obtained. Some cascades, a
mile and a half long and sixty feet in descent, terminated
the lake ; and then the river followed the windings of a
* In many places, Captain Back observes, the rugged-
ness of their aspect reminded him of that of the bva
round Vesuvius.
N N 3
5,50 APPENDIX.
group of sand-hills, many of which were conical and
partly covered with grass.
Three isolated mountains of gneiss were seen about
forty miles from the east end of Lake Beechey; and
a few miles lower down, on the opposite side to these
mountains, is the ingress of Baillie's River. The
country now became low, flat, and very sandy, with
an occasional smooth hill rent into watercourses ; and
not more than half a mile from each other, were the
obtuse and rounded tops of a few dark rocks, that peeped
above and chequered the surface of the yellow sand. It
then changed to a mass of rocks, (Hawk Rapid,) between
which the current ran with extreme violence, but with-
out much change of general direction. The specimens
from this place consist of reddish granitic compound
approaching to gneiss.
Beyond these rapids, several rivers joined from both
sides, and the main stream expanded into an extensive
sheet of water (Lake Pelly), with clear horizons at dif-
ferent points of the compass. There were here many
islands; and the ridges and cones of sand of which
they were composed were not only of considerable
height, but most singularly and remarkably crowned
with immense granite boulders, grey with lichen.
A succession of dangerous falls and rapids follows this
series of lakes, the course of which is very tortuous; but
the main direction, from the beginning of Lake Pelly to
Lake Macdougal, is nearly from west to east. At Rock
Rapid, in latitude 65° 54-' 18", longitude 98° 10' 7", the
river bursts with fury between four mountains of reddish
granite, and turns short to the north.
The stream now became from half a mile to a mile
in width, with fearful rapids and whirlpools ; and the
adjoining country was far more rugged and mountainous
APPENDIX. 551
thanbefore. The rocks were evidently granitic; but
no specimens were collected, as the party were carried
down the stream in their boat.
Having passed through another small lake, or expan-
sion of the river, much impeded by ice, the stream turned
again to the east, and led to a steep fall, where Esqui-
maux were found who had never seen Europeans.
From about the point called Wolf- Fall, the course
of the river is nearly from south-west to north-east; and,
after an abrupt and remarkable elbow on the north of
Mount Meadowbank, it runs in the bottom of a trough,
or deep valley, to its junction with the sea.
The object of the expedition having rendered it neces-
sary that the party should proceed in their boat on
arriving at the sea, very few specimens or notes descrip-
tive of the rocks were obtained in the remotest part of the
route. The only specimens are from a " bluff" (Point
Backhouse) on the north-west of Victoria Headland,
which consists of reddish granite; and from another bluff
beneath Point Beaufort, composed of a similar rock of a
grey colour ; — both on the eastern coast of the inlet,
which forms the estuary of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth.
The new ground therefore explored by Captain Back,
from Slave River to the sea in the parallel of 67° 10',
with only two or three exceptions, is composed, so far
as appears from his notes and specimens, of primitive
rocks ; a result which might have been expected from
the description of the country previously known, which
indicates a distinct line of boundary, in the north-east of
America, between the calcareous and primitive tracts;
the latter including the space traversed during Captain
Back's late expedition. The exceptions are: — 1. A
N N 4
55% APPENDIX.
portion of the north-east of Great Slave Lake, — includ-
ing the long island of Peth-the-nu-eh, and one, at least,
of the smaller islands adjacent to it, which Captain
Back describes as composed of trap rocks, but which
include also strata of limestone. 2. — Perhaps, the
rugged ground about Lake Beechey ? which, from the
description, appears to differ much in aspect from the
primitive country. 3. — Limestone is mentioned in the
narrative, as having been found in small fragments, on
the shore of Montreal island, in the estuary of the
Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth. *
On a general view of the map of Captain Back's late
expedition, it may be remarked that the river is obvi-
ously divided into three portions (and the eastern part of
Slave Lake itself may perhaps be considered as resem-
bling them), all nearly parallel, and lying in a direction
from about south-west to north-east, allowance being
made for the convergence of the meridians in those high
latitudes. These portions are : 1 . — The Thlew-ee-choh-
dezeth, from its source in Sussex Lake, to the head or
north-western extremity of Lake Beechey. 2. — From
the curve a little eastward of Baillie's River, to the north-
western extremity of Lake Pelly. 3. — From Wolf
Fall, — and, more distinctly, from the rapids north of
Mount Meadowbank, to the sea. 4. — Slave Lake itself,
from the entrance of Slave River to Fort Reliance, —
and the river which connects it with Artillery Lake.
The first of these divisions being about eighty-five En-
glish miles in length; the second, nearly an hundred
* Instead of this unwieldy name for the newly discovered
stream, that of "Back's River" has been suggested; the
most appropriate denomination, in such a case, being that of
the discoverer.
APPENDIX. 553
miles ; the third, reckoning from Wolf Rapid, about an
hundred and twenty miles, — or, from the north of
Mount Meadowbank, more than ninety miles in length ;
while the less uniform line from Slave Lake, at the
entrance of Slave River, to the head of Artillery Lake,
is more than two hundred and fifty miles.
Again, the watercourse which unites the several por-
tions above mentioned has likewise, in two cases, some
approach to parallelism ; the chain of lakes, from Lake
Aylmer eastward, having a direction to the south of
east, through a distance of nearly an hundred miles ;
and that from Lake Beechey to the east of Baillie's
River, nearly the same general direction, for about
eighty miles. The waters which connect Lake Pelly
with the sinuosities about Wolf Rapid, comprehend a
series of lakes of very irregular form, and the stream
which unites them is tortuous, but has, nevertheless, a
general direction nearly from west to east.
It is almost premature to speculate on evidence so
scanty as that which has just been stated; but it is pro-
bable both that the parallel portions of the river, and
the less regular transverse lines which connect them,
are the results of geological structure. The parallel
lines along which the river makes its way towards the
north-east, from the ground dividing the water-shed at
Sussex Lake, — and the general course of Great Slave
Lake thence towards the south-west, may, possibly,
be longitudinal valleys between parallel ridges of small
elevation, directed from south-west to north-east.*
* This, Dr. Richardson states, is the average direction
(or, ' strike ') of the primitive and transition strata, through
about twelve degrees of longitude, over which his own
journeys extended. It is also the direction of the strata in
554 APPENDIX.
While the rocky and elevated ground about Lake
Beechey, which turns the river from its previous direc-
tion, may be a continuation of the mountainous tract
about Back's River, and on the east of Bathurst Inlet,
the general course of which seems to be from the south
of east towards the north of west. This also is the
direction of the range of hills, laid down during the first
of Franklin's journeys, near the Coppermine River,
about latitude 66° 32', longitude 115° to 116° W. *
The irregular ground between those hills and Heywood
range of Captain Back (latitude 64° 50', longitude
108°), includes the group of lakes about Point Lake;
between which and Contwoy-to, or Rum Lake, is the
division of the water-shed, which has the same general
direction with the ridge or height of land that divides
Sussex Lake from Lake Aylmer, and, possibly, may
be a continuation of it.
As the existence of lines of division, like those just
mentioned, is one of the most prominent general cir-
cumstances hitherto ascertained respecting the geology
of this part of America, I have great pleasure in sub-
joining the following observations from a letter of Dr.
Richardson, by whom in person many of the points in
question have been examined. They will be perfectly
intelligible if the reader will place before him Arrow-
many of the ranges in the British Islands, and on the Con-
tinent of Europe.
* In the last of the maps annexed to Franklin's first
journey, the direction ascribed to this range, Dr. Richard-
son informs me, is erroneous. It is there described as con-
sisting of " hills running in mountain ranges to the South
" (instead of North) West ; clay slate, with peaks of from
" 1,200 to 1,500 feet high."
APPENDIX. 555
smith's, or any other good general map of North
America.
" The course of the Rocky Mountains chain," Dr.
Richardson states*, "from the Sierra of Mexico, in
1 latitude 30°, to its termination on the coast of the
' Arctic Sea, in latitude 69°, is about N. by W., with
8 very little deviation any where. The chain rises
c abruptly from a flat or very slightly inclined country,
( in which the great prairies of the Arkansas, Mis-
6 souri, and Saskatchewan are included. To the
' eastward of these prairie lands (at least N. of Lake
{ Superior), there is an extensive limestone deposit ;
i and between this and the primitive zone of hills or
'rocks still farther east" — (to which may now be
added the greater part, if not the whole, of the tract
explored by Captain Back), " a series of rivers and
" lakes, occupying the line of junction, and extending
" from the Lake of the Woods to the Arctic Sea."
" It is to be noticed, however, that although the lakes
" on this line almost always have primitive rocks on the
" east side, and limestone on the west, the connecting
" rivers generally run wholly in one formation or in the
" other. Thus, the River Winipeg flows through pri-
" mitive rocks ; the edge of the limestone being a short
way to the westward. We can trace the formation
up the east side of Lake Winipeg to Norway Point,
w and from thence straight to Beaver Lake ; the Sas-
" katchewan to the westward flowing over limestone,
" which is close to the primitive strata in Beaver Lake,
" The Missinippi or Churchill River f traverses pri-
" mitive rocks."
* MS. letter, March 28. 1836.
f Dr. Richardson remarks, that " The character of this
a
556 APPENDIX.
" We lose the primitive rocks at Isle la Crosse,
u where there is limestone; and at Portage la Roche we
" cross a high sandstone ridge, covered with much sand. *
" The Clear-water River, at the foot of this ridge, flows
" over limestone, which is also seen in the Athabasca
" River, but under much bituminous shale. On the
st north side of Athabasca Lake (or Lake of the Hills),
" the rocks are primitive, and the Slave River flows
" sometimes through limestone, at other times over
" granite, and sometimes between the two. Its mouths
" open into Slave Lake between the limestone and
" granite.
" river is precisely similar to that of the Thelw-ee-cho-dezeth :
" a series of lake-like and many- armed dilatations, connected
" by narrow rocky rapids, sometimes one, sometimes many,
" separated by high rocky islands. There are some curious
" islands in the Missinippi, consisting of large granite
" boulders, or rounded masses, piled one above the other to
" a great height ; and on their upper points, where they are
" out of the reach of the waves, they are hoary with lichens.
" The water immediately surrounding these islands is many
" fathoms deep ; and on looking at them, I was inclined to
" think that the soft parts of a granite rock had weathered
fi away, and left these rounded and harder masses so piled
« up."
* The frequent occurrence and thickness of the deposits of
sand in this part of North America, appear, both from Dr.
Richardson's description of the country seen during the pre-
ceding expedition east of the Mackenzie, and from Captain
Back's notes of his journey, to be remarkable. It well deserves
inquiry, whether these accumulations are the deposite of the
(comparatively) recent seas, during their occupation of that
continent, or belong to the secondary or tertiary groups of
strata.
APPENDIX. 557
" By carrying the eye over the map from point to
" point above mentioned, it will be seen that the western
" boundary of the eastern primitive rocks as it runs north-
" ward, inclines towards the Rocky Mountains. There
" are- no prairie lands north of Peace River, and no flat
" country skirting the Rocky Mountains beyond Great
" Slave Lake. I have seen the Rocky Mountains only
" on the McKenzie, and there from a distance ; but the
" great valleys seemed, as I viewed them in passing
" down the river, to cut the general direction of the
" chain at right angles. A Canadian, who had crossed
" the mountains in the quarter I speak of, said that he
" travelled over thirteen separate ridges. He did not,
" therefore, go directly across the general line of the
" chain : — or, the valleys, that I saw, do not penetrate
" deep.
" I cannot," Dr. Richardson adds, " give any personal
" information respecting the country to the eastward of
" what I have hitherto been speaking of. The high pri-
" mitive hills on the Coppermine River (p. 5C25. of
" Geognostic Observations, first journey,) lie in ranges
" nearly parallel to the river, having a north-west direc-
" tion (and not a south-west, as erroneously marked in
" the map). These primitive rocks extend to the Cont-
" wov-to, or Rum, Lake, and, I doubt not, also to
" Back's new River. There are limestone deposits
" between the eastern primitive rocks and Hudson's
" Bay, and also northward, on the Arctic Sea, where
" Captain Ross was.
" All the primitive rocks in that part of the country
" which I have called the " eastern primitive district "
" are low, and do not form mountain ranges, except
" on that part of the Coppermine River already al-
« luded to."
558 APPENDIX.
The specimens and information obtained by Captain
Back, in that part of his route which preceded his own
discoveries, accord with the previous descriptions of
Dr. Richardson ; and as the places referred to can be
but seldom visited, I shall subjoin a general list of
the specimens. Among the most remarkable are several
fragments of a white or cream-coloured limestone from
the north-western extremity of Lake Winipeg, very
much resembling a series presented to the Geological
Society some years ago (in 1823) by Dr. Bigsby, from
the north-western shore of Lake Huron, — a spot more
than 600 geographical miles from Lake Winipeg. ^
#
* From Dr. Bigsby's account of the country around Lake
Huron, and thence to the south-east, it would appear that
the line of division between the primary and secondary
rocks, is continued from the neighbourhood of Lake Wini-
peg, nearly in the same direction with that above specified,
for several hundred miles : —
" The northern shore of Lake Huron, with its nearest
" isles, consists principally of the older rocks ; the secondary
" occupy the rest of the lake. The primitive rocks are
" part of a vast chain, of which the southern portion, ex-
" tending, probably uninterruptedly, from the north and east
" of Lake Winipeg, passes thence along to the northern
" shores of Lakes Superior, Huron, and Simcoe ; and after
" forming the granitic barrier of the Thousand Isles, and
i( the outlet of Lake Ontario, spreads itself largely through
" the State of New York, and then joins the Alleghanies
" and their southern continuations.
" The secondary rocks of Lake Huron are a portion of an
" immense basin, which, extending probably without inter-
" ruption, from the southern shore of Lake Winipeg, spreads
" itself over the greater part of Lakes Superior, Huron, and
" Simcoe — the whole of Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario;
" much of the western part of the State of New York, — the
APPENDIX. 559
Having requested my friend Mr. Stokes, by whom
some of Dr. Bigsby's specimens were described, to ex-
amine this part of Captain Back's collection, I have
been favoured by him with the following observations ;
and I hope that Mr. Stokes himself will soon lay before
the Geological Society a paper, accompanied by figures,
illustrating the structure of these very interesting fossil
remains.
" Among the limestone fossils brought by Captain
" Back from Lake Winipeg, are some like those which
" were obtained by Dr. Richardson from the same
" locality in the year 1820, but which were not in a
" state sufficiently perfect to enable us to understand
" their structure and relations. A memorandum having
" been given by Dr. Richardson to Captain Back, of
" the spot from whence the fossils were obtained,
" the latter has succeeded in procuring several speci-
" mens, which, although broken, are sufficiently well
" preserved to illustrate the nature of these remains.
" They are orthocerata of a peculiar kind, and resemble
" in their most important points those found at Thes-
" salon Island in Lake Huron, and described by Dr.
" Bigsby in the Geological Transactions (Second Series,
" vol. i. pp. 192. and 195. to 198.). They are, how-
" ever, probably not of the same species ; but the
" point of resemblance is the structure of the siphon,
" which has a tube within it, as described and repre-
" whole of the States of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan,
" and the rest of the Valley of the Mississippi." — (Geol.
Trans. 2d Series, vol. i. pp. 188— 191.) See also "Notes
" concerning the Geology of North America, from Papers
" presented to the Society by the late Earl Selkirk." (Geol.
Trans. 1st Series, vol. v. p. 598, &c.)
560 APPENDIX.
« sented in Plates XXV. figs. 1, 2, 3. and XXVI.
" fis*. 7. of the volume above referred to. This tube is
" continued through the whole length of the siphon,
" and from its present irregular shape appears to have
" been composed of a coriaceous substance, capable of
" dilatation and contraction. The space within the si-
" phon, between its interior walls and the outside of
" the included tube, has a number of plates radiating
" from the latter, throughout its entire length, and
" apparently connecting it with the inner walls of the
" siphon ; but these plates are too much covered by
" sparry crystallisation to enable us clearly to make out
" their character. This tube may have been the organ
" into which water could be received, when the animal
a required an increase of its specific gravity in order to
" descend ; a purpose which is supposed to be served
" by the siphon of the nautilus and other chambered
" shells.
" There is also one specimen, which, though not in
" good preservation, is doubtless a Catenipora or chain
" coral, a genus characteristic of the older transition
" limestones, in which beds also, orthocerata are
" common."
General List of Specimens, brought to England by
Captain Back.*
From the Athabasca (or Elk) River; (probably from
one of the Portages). — Porphyritic, grey, compact felspar,
enclosing grains of quartz, and of crystalline felspar.
* These specimens have heen compared with those in Dr. Richardson's
collection, now in the museum of the Geological Society, of which a list
is given in the Geological Appendix to Franklin's Second Journey. The
numbers of the corresponding specimens in that list are indicated below.
APPENDIX. 561
Cream-coloured limestone, effervescing slowly, containing
impressions of shells, and occasional nests of crystallised
magnesian carbonate of lime, and in some places stained
with bitumen * : found in horizontal strata on the bank of the
river. This rock much resembles some of the specimens
from the "Ramparts" on the Mackenzie River — Dr.
Richardson's list, Nos. 148 — 156. p. xxxiv. xxxv. ; and
from Lake Winnipeg, No. 1014. p. liv.
Great Slave Lake. — Hard slaty limestone, efferves-
cing very slowly. " From an island of large extent in hori-
zontal strata." Compare with Richardson's, Nos. 60. 132.
p. xxxi. ; 205. p. xliv. ; 246. 293. p. vi.
From Christie's Bay (Peth-the-nu-eh). — Slaty (mag-
nesian) limestone, with a vein of sparry magnesian carbonate
of lime. Compare with Dr. Richardson's, No. 228. p. v.
from the mouth of Dease's River, head of Great Bear Lake ;
and 208. p. xiv. from Cape Parry.
From a small bay in Gah-hooa-tchella. — A speci-
men, which formed part of a boulder, found loose on the
beach by Mr. King the surgeon of the expedition, consists
of limestone, effervescing copiously, and exhibiting on the
decomposed surface concretional grains like some varieties
of oolite ; and containing also portions of a fossil, the external
structure of which resembles the genus Stromatopora of
Goldfuss.
Among the specimens which have an organised structure,
probably from the shores of this lake, is one with a tuber-
culated surface, composed of calcareous matter, which Mr.
Lonsdale considers as belonging to the genus Stromatopora
of Goldfuss, and probably to his species pohjmorpha (Plate
LXIV. fig. 8. d.)
* This occurrence of bituminous matter in limestone, nearly border-
ino- on a large tract of crystalline and igneous rocks, may deserve atten-
tion with reference to the hypothesis of Dohmization ,• which regards
the introduction, or development, of magnesia as subsequent to the de-
position of the calcareous matter, and as connected with the proximity
of masses containing that earth, and heated to a very high temperature.
O O
56°2 APPENDIX.
From Fort Reliance, at the Eastern Extremity of Great
Slave Lake. — Granite of several varieties. Some specimens
having the aspect of sienite ; others containing flesh-red
felspar, in large crystals, — described as "forming undulating
rocks of considerable altitude." Some specimens from this
quarter approach to gneiss; having a foliated structure,
with mica in very large proportion.
From the beach, at the entrance of the Lake, is a siliceous
conglomerate ; consisting of worn pebbles of flint, cemented
by a paste composed of sand and calcareous (effervescent)
matter.
The following were found in the form of loose worn
pebbles, on the shore of the lake, near Fort Reliance : —
Bluish grey strip chalcedony; quartz crystals; quartz of
various shades of grey and brown ; flinty slate ; brown jasper ;
with fragments of a conglomerate, consisting of portions of
reddish jasper, in a dark grey paste.
From Hawk Rapids. — (Lat. 66° 33°, Long. 102° 40') —
Reddish granite ; some specimens indicating a slaty struc-
ture. Grey quartz, apparently a portion of a vein.
From Rock Rapid. — (Lat. 65° 50', Long. 98° 20') —
Granite of different shades of reddish and grey.
From Point Backhouse, in the estuary of Back's River.
— Reddish granite of moderately fine grain.
And lastly,— From a " Bluff, North of Point Beau-
fort." — Bluish grey granite of fine grain.
APPENDIX. 5f)3
No. V.
METEREOLOGICAL TABLE,
ARRANGED FROM THE REGISTERS KEPT AT FORT RE-
LIANCE BY CAPTAIN BACK AND MR. KING.
The following table exhibits the temperature of the
air and principal atmospherical phenomena observed at
Fort Reliance, from the commencement of November,
1833, to the end of May, 1834 ; and from the 22d of
October, 1834, to the 18th of March, 1835.
The temperatures were registered fifteen times in the
twenty-four hours, between six o'clock in the morning
and midnight. The daily means were obtained from
the fifteen observations. The four thermometers which
were used were coloured spirit ones, made by Newman,
and were hung up on the north side of the observatory
where they were registered ; but finding that they varied
from each other as the temperature decreased, and that
one gave nearly the mean of the whole, it was after-
wards used as the standard thermometer, and from it
the observations were made.
The remarks made on preceding voyages regarding
the generally calm state of the atmosphere during in-
tense cold are in a great measure corroborated by the
following table, though iu some few instances it will
be seen that a very low degree of the thermomelei was
accompanied by a breeze preceding or immediately fol-
lowing a calm.
00 c2
56h
APPENDIX.
^
o
--
ft;
is
to
GO
CO
CO
r<s
e
>o
1
OS
-a
*->
rt
O fa C/2 <u
• ^H
£ «
2
, 0) V ^
£t
CO ^"^ t» <-> .„
to > vi ?\
ss x -5 >, ^ >% • fa
3 «
O si aS^e-^t^*
2 S
r*- T1 •— a> S «J 2 4»
M— ( fa r^ «rM ^ .— CC *—
£tf
.2 £ .5 cc ^ H
S 1 (2 S » S | o
evailing
other
>-, CO •
o >
r£3 >» >» e rt e 3
■H 3 M 2 SljS"*"5
"°3o§:o
P o^a^o^o ^ o j-
r- ^
o^ffioo
o55ooc^>
CS •
•
— GJ
h xa
— — -^ — — — ^
«s bo
sec fl rt a
3 8
<X> • —
• rH • r— 1 • r-^ • FM ^) • ^^
S3 b«
— fa
c3 ci c3 rt "— *■ rf
<3 V
um
fe PH fe feUrli
-h CD CD CM CO
© CO iO Nih irjOl
w
5s
• ••••_
• • • . • • • •
o
^■t CO •* •*
"*'*f-.rHCDl>CM*0
g
bfi
C
W
>
•
•
fa
s
.2
u
o
fa
• -"1
525 A
B •
cc ^ pd w
• • •
W pq c/5 . ^
~
.
o o o o ©
iO ©©©©©©©
Si ^
en
OW5000
• • • ■ •
x >o iO o o »o o ^
• •••••••
« O*
*
O
© © Ci co r-
r^©CMCMcoiOr-iai
"a, a)
CM CM Ol r-t
r— ( r— I r— 1 CM r-H
Atmos
;s in th
+ ++ + +
+ +.+ ++++ +
© © © © ©
©©©©©© lOO
O Cj V5
pfi 5 fa
trj © io »o ©
• • • • •
HHhCCh
© O © © \0 © CM ©
©aiOicbcb^cbrl-
«« ^ o
CM CO CO CO CM
CM CM CM -H CM CM ^
iture o
red 15
H
+ + + + +
+++++++ |
i
co — t vo oo ©
©COr-HC>r— If— (COCO
S- It
.
O CO CO Cp r-t
cm ^ r~ © © cp r- cp
3..1
c
«5
cb vh co cb c>i
cm -* co cb cb © c>i c>i
0)
kp-l
r-l CM CO Ol CM
p-H CM CM r-H CM CM r^
H *
r^<
+ 4- ++ +
+ + + + + + + |
' *
;
s
Cm
O
f-H CM 00 T$< VQ
©r-coci©>-HCMco
1— 1 r— « p— 1 l— 1
>
o
Q
fc
APPENDIX.
565
•
*-<
OS
£
O
•
O
Bay frozen over.
Gloomy. Snow. Squally.
Overcast Misty.
Cloudy. Clear.
Variable. Foggy.
Gloomy. Misty. Snow. ])
Clear.
Cloudy. Clear. Lumin-
$3
0
• »-(
s
3
0
&,
CO
0
on the lake.
Clear.
Clear. Overcast Lunar
halo.
Clear. Overcast.
Gloomy.
Partially clear. <£
Variable.
Gloomy. Snow. Hazy.
Overcast Light snow.
Hazy. Gloomy. Snow.
i
3
• • • •
a a a s
^ '3 JS '3
•
a
U3
CM
2 O] <£ ■* ^7 <-; "-?
^ X CO *0 CM CO «5
CO
^ CM
CO »0 CM CO CO ph CM
cm co <r! co >o cm co
•
• S £
2 ^ *
. ^ c/2 . !> . W
•
B
^ ^ § «2 ,£ ^
o
9
*b
l
c 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 0 9 9 9 >p 10
CM !— 1 F— t
1 1 +++I 1
© ©
U> 0
<* CM
1 +
0 © 0 0 © © ©
© © p © © © ©
cb cb cb vb cb cb cb
CM r-H
+ + | | + + +
CM
co
•
r-
-1-
o
o
+
0 0 0 0 c 0 0
ip ip © © »p © ©
cb © r- cm © cb cb
+ + + + + + |
© ©
Ci ©
6 GO
1— ) 1— 1
+ +
O IO © © © © ©
© l^ O © © »p ©
i> © f- cb *b cb "*
ih CO CM CM CM
+++++++
«o>
•
CM
+
GO
a
m
4-
t^ co co *- <— 1 co — 1
CO CM CO CO CO CD Tf
• ••••••
CO © 1— 1 >o 1^ <— 1 CO
1— 1 l-H 1— 1 — ^ CM
++++++ 1
^ CO
p cp
co cb
+ +
CO CO CO O 10 CO CO
■* © >— 1 CM 1— 1 ■**■ ©
• •••■••
r-i CM •* © vo CO CO
»— ( CM 1— 1 CM •— '
+ + + | + + +
CM
CO
•
+
GO
—
— -
^
>o CO t- CO o> © — 1
r— 1 f-H 1— 1 r— ( 1— 1. O) Ol
CM CO
CM CM
-* «0 CO 1- CO CTi ©
CM CM CM CM CM CM CO
o o 3
566
APPENDIX.
8
GO
CO
GO
^
Sj
V
«.
B
p
s
S3
0
•n
sL b^ V> *=> &m > « 4> -=
a
a
Weather,
Remarks.
^ fe £ . CO . . S -g
§|§ <g«> g£ «°i sh
iling
ther
g o o «c o *t 5 5 o 3 5 fe 9 3 3 «s 2?
5 C
>
u
ooobo^ojSoSS^oS^^00
Pm
»jOO>OOOUOOQCOQ
b JJ
-«j -*3 fr- +» +3
2-S
a P c3 a a
c3 c3 ^-h ^ c3
■
< >
fe UhO Pmfe
t/i
13
c
o
CNOO^^-hCOO^CD-h 1005
bC
c
3
£
o>
cu
o
o
2^; cow ^uo^u^
p
wco^ .^«5 #2 .. ,«3
^^^^Wt»WWW^>«}!n^
9\
ocooooo^ooooooo
0»
4^
<o
oooooo»or^iooooo»o
• •••••••••••••
Jg c*
01
o
r-nC7il>--(^GOO0r-COC73CiG<lO;J'^
& a>
i— 1 i— (r-Hi-Hi— (i— « i—l i— i
Atmos
2s in tr
h5
+ ++ + + [ | | + + + + + +
oooooooooooooo
0> C to
to
oooo99*pooo»poipo
ature of th
red 15; Til
Horn
01
r;
oaich^chcbo^f^i^iocbcood^
fcC
0^1 i—t i— 1 »— 1 ■— t l-H i-H H H rl^lOlH
s
+ + + +++ | +++ + + + +
COO — i— tG5COC73TjHCOt^-— i!MO-*
o> ■£
•
^^r^ipcpiOiipo^CNipOcpCicp
cu.2
g bJO
i
rV^o^cbco^cb^cNcoocbr-
i-Hi-^ r-H»-H »-H i— 1 r-H r-H CM i— 1
S
+ 4- + + + -f | [ +H- + + + +
0)
s
o
'-hCMCO^iOCTI^XCTjO — CNC0-*
0)
et
|-H r-^ l— 1 l-H r— <
u
u
Q
n
APPENDIX.
56?
,-- ■ T - - ■
1 ~-
3
1* .3 • Ph
6
o s
1 §
•
CTi<^ 43 43
—
§ .3
loudy
ear.
inow.
listy.
i; « t» 7 si
3 S 03 D £»prt
cm
03
GO £
• O
£ « to
•
03
CU
o s<«*
CO -h o rt -* c
Eh
o T3 o
Q
<u . «j i> «e
Si a> 43
o
CO
• 9
•
ariabl
lear.
pally
verca
ariabl
nar h
03 >-» 88 43
03 g 3 03 £ 03 O
•T- 1
s
^ >i 2
03 o3 3
<U 4) o
> ^ to O >
oo33oo
O fe Q
C 3 6
• • • •
— — -
kS C cj G
a c c
C 03 c3
QJ »i-h Qj . —
. f-4 apH "2
.— u o>
« C3- 03
c3 ctf co
c3 4S — .
O WO W
Cm W W
W^^>
l^ 3 I- *
CO 10 CO 00 CO GO
^- °° ~.
W © 3
CM l> w
cocoS r^
CO CO &5 CO hh cm
t- iO CM
•
B
■
J 43
13
03
•
o °
«5
^5« %
w • S1^
^GG^W W
^.
• • 4
w & W
«JZ
.« . . .
w . . .**
•
43
4«i
C3 , » 05
o^; w
wjz^^w
.W^W,a
K— • • • •
WW g
^ W MtK^
^^c^^; w w
^^^
o © o o o
©©©©©©
© © »o>
© »o ©
©
9 9 9 9 >p
uo © © ip >p ©
© 9 CM
»p CM ip
©
■o ob -& & .£-
*b CM © CO CM ©
CO CM ©
•* 4h r*-
©
— 1 CM r-H
CO CM © — i CM
f-H i— 1 l-H
^ iO ^
1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1
© © © o ©
©©©©©©
© o ©
© © ©
©
«p © © © o
© © © ip © ©
9 ip 9
9 ip c>i
f
»b ^ »b © i^-
^-i © CO © CO ©
cb »o cb
© © cb
L0
i— i CM
i— i CM
1—1 i— 1 i— i
•HiH CO
+ +++ |
+++ 1 1 1
+ + 1
1 1 1
+
00 CO t- CO ©
r— 1 © CO tJ< 10! CM
CD CM —"
CO CO ©
— *
t- cp 1- © CM
© © © ^H CM CM
.-H T$< tJ<
»p r-H CM
r-
cm cb © cm ■*
CO CO CO CM CO ©
co © >o
»^i >"o cb
•
l-H
l-H — * l-H
i—i CM
i-H
CO CO ■*
! + l + l
1 1 + 1 1 1
+ +I
1 1 1
J
0
03
V5CONX05
© i— i CM C^ **> UJ
CDNX
^ <^s ,
s^* *^ ^^
— H i— H i-H r— I r-H
CM CM CM CM CM CM
CM CM CM
CM CO CO
s
o o 4
56S
APPENDIX.
<4>
•■O
SO
e
Ho
co
00
£>
m
">o
3
So
So
H3
J-
tO
a>
-4
—
J-
—
«1
V
i
o
>
rt
he
h
c
01
~
3
c
>
a*
u
(A
fee
c
c3
>
o>
•-
*« ^r
a 2
to ~
O +*
£ s
« •-
^ 01
(» E in
J3 •« H
t<_, - o
O u> £
o — '
3^
fEb
- Oi
o u
H
Si
01
u
u
o
c
o
—
o
o>
-
to
o>
o
to
o>
c3
o>
t=7
CO
CD
3
-
H
Rj
rj
a>
a>
o
O
•
•
o
>^ o
r!
^ s
<Z2
co c/5
CD
3 *5
CO
R5
I
R3
-
-t->
to
CO
R5
"13
o o
.2 +* >»
a*
CO
Rj
o
■—
a
>
o
cs
03
-
4)
5
co >> S
-u o
CD CO ^-.
. co co .2 .
* £ £ Sj^
2 4) >->
C CO <u
i— ( *j
£ SU .2 *
R3 -^5<
_J; O 5 3
oSSS
R5
eg
r» RS R5
> O ^
—
Cctfcjflcaddcacjd
CC — — H CC ■— < 93 »*N Rj Cw — < — h
fee be cs c be
•b -a Ji "5 -2
pqeqotnpq
10 CM
G<»
(:<,'0^4^:l^^c^l^,^
CM CO CO
c3
4^^
ii
"BpQ
. • ci & rJ
o o o o
o o o »o
^H C>1 cb CO
o o o o o o
o o o o o *o
• •••••
o j> i-H r- cn io
lOiocoCM'— icoco-^t^co
C iO o © o o
© CN >p p © ©
i> cb di c^ cn cb
^ io io to vo CO
I I I I I I I I I I I Mill
©©0©©©©©0©©
©©©©^©iplp©©©
iO C>1 CO CN CN 1^ c>i »o »o cq CM
tJi tJi i— i i— i CM CN i-H CN CO
© © © io ©
© © © GO iO
• • • • •
— i © t— ^ CM
^ iO ^ "^ iO
I I
I I
CMI^C0CO©CM©COCMOt)C0
co^^©^cpcp©^-cp^
c»cbcoi^^cbcbcbrlHdir^
T^T^r-Hi-H CMCMCOCOCMCO
CO lO CO CO CO
© j^- »p © CO
OO ^ CM ^- ©
tJh io io ^ CO
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
3
m^SO'J'ICCCI-X^O'h CMC0Tf4l0CO
APPENDIX.
569
a
o
cu
N
o
a
Cu
re
£
o
CU
c
—
o
o
u
<i
cu
CO
CO
C
O
• »"*
—
re
CO
C
cu
CU
o
£
CO
re
i
cu
>-»
c
re
C
re
r-;
—
o
£
—
CU
•
cu
c
o
•
o
00
£
o
o
-
£
re
re
•—
O
cu
44
O
1
>
cu
4=
O
CU
4=
c
cu
4-
P
re
s-
CU
£
0)
+->
re
rose in a sooty
:>lumn. ])
Misty.
Lunar halo,
•
<-0
o
dy. Misty. Clear,
r. Overcast. Snow.®
oomy. Misty.
Squally.
—
CO
re
o
-
cu
•
u
re
cu
5
•
•
c
cu
a
J-
u
p
o
c
c
o
0)
J-i
cu
>•
e
'H
a>
"5
c
CO
CD
43
CU
re
-
o
o
CO
o
u
re
— •—
•
3
^—1
• £ •
j_ — i
O
o
c
CO
re
Cu
—
re
1— 1
o
£
cu
CO
cu
£
H
re
CU
-t->
re
<4-l
o
—
re re
CJ cu
3 re re
o cu cu
B
re
P re
O cu
— ^ —
cu O CU
re
re
cu
CU tc
■— ' f— H
u
w rj
o o rj
w Q
U C w
o
w
U --5
•
•
■u
-
-
*- ■—
■*•>
■+J -f-i
u — —
c
c c
rt rt S
c
a
rt
cc5
3 e3
• FH
• ^H »H
CU CD "-*
• ^i
• t-N
cu
cu
•rs CU
c3
ci c3
^^ ^— H Cv
cd
C3
cS -5
Pm
hfeUOfc
fe
EM
F" ^
c3
feD
»o
CM -
CM
r^ ^
X CD
00
t>
r^-<
CO ^ ^
o- • « •
iO CM Ci
CO
^CD
•
•
5t
•
cc
CZ3
•
•
42
•
a
13
a • .2
•
-5 a
• .
** • a
K?^13
• •
a s
15 13
•
S
*e3
•
—
•
It
• •
U
cojz;
U^>
GO^i
^!BUU
CC DQ
o
O O O «5 O
OOOO^OOOOO
_
o
•
9 9
ONC
ip cp cp ip CM cp cp
O O
^1
o
»0> ^H
6 Ci do
oo »b CO CM Ci CO CO
^ 6
Ci
r-
-* iO
10) TjH ^H
CM CM
i-i CM tJh
^O
^ to co
CO
I
I I
1 1 1
1 1
1 +1
1
1
i i
1
o
c o o o o
c o
o o o
o
o
o in
J>
o
•
9 9
9 9 9
vrj uo
O O O ip O O CM
cp
»o
cb ib
cm cb »b
i—i tJ<
co r- cb
00
CM
<* CD
cb
T*
CO CO CM CO CM
^h
CM
CO
CO CM r-H
CM
1
1 1
l I I
1 1
l + l
1
1
1 1
1
Ci
1— I
co r- co co no
CM CO CO CD CO CD CM
Ci co
CO
cp ^
T* co X
tJ< r— 1
iQ O O ^
"* J> t»
cp
<*
Ci CO Ci CM CM
CiCM^Hcbcb^cbibo
CO
*0
CO rjH CM tJi CO
■— 1 r-4
-H i— 1 CO t^I
co
CO CN
CO
1
1 1
1 1 1
1 1
1 + 1
1
1
1 1
1
a
r-
X Ci O "-H CM
co^i-ocor^cociOf-i
cu
1— 1
— i »— »
CM CM CM
CM CM CM CM CM CM CM
CO CO
sl
5?0
APPENDIX.
5"
<si
«
ft;
Ho
HO
CO
00
e
S3
53
S
&.
8
■5
»ho.
p
©
S3
HO>
T3
B
a
- x
a _^
•
eath
mar
CO
£ CO
o
W co c
T&>
*f «
~ — »
>
o
u
o
c
CO
x
ca
—
>
c
o
o
a
CD
^3
1)
3)
0>
CO —
«.2
3 a
"2 g
CD
3
o
CD
co
o
M
CD
►
CD
CO
ea
CD —
> s3
C ~
I
c
o
£
S <D
5 .2
. -B a £ >
a
r/>
<a
■—
C
—
CD
V<
CO
•
C
i~
od
C8
CD
4->
^»: .a
CO
C
be
*5 h-S &: J5 ^G +s
C C ai bOfcCC
•^ ■■■* Q} «^h .— •■_!
Q TO ^^ « !h ri
c c
eg ct
COQOm
CM
CO
r^ Oi ^
8
-
CS [VJ
B
,CJ
w
>* WK rift rift ri^tifrS
#\
o
i-
•"*<
01
Ol
J3
a
a>
j-
—
a
♦J
£
-4—
• pm
<
01
a>
B
so
J3
^^
u
-*-
H
3
O
0
io
w
u
^H
•_
-.
-o
OI
ed
u
i-
<D
to
• 1— »
5
bC
ai
H
V3
cu
CO
cu
fcJD
oooooooooooooo
^OOppipipipOipOOOO
d^Oixiocjicxi^dbi^diplix^.cb
I I
ooooooooo^ooooo
• ••••••••••• • #
cor^oociOGOco-H^i— .Go^c^t—
COCM^GOCM C<Jr-.CM r-, _
I I I I I I ++I I ++ 1 I
c
a*
tic^^cbocNioqi>i^cbi^i^ciob
OOOOtJ ^ com CM CM CMCM
I I I I I M l + l I 1 + I I
3
•_
o
Q
CM CO ^ tO 'sC i^ X Oi O ^ CM CO ^
APPENDIX.
571
a
c
3
O
c
en
O
13
, with
Clear.
HH.
GG
M
>-* .
•
•
*
O
Overcast.
Gloomy.
Misty,
r halo.
Parhelia-
then clea
•
+->
•
t. Snow
. Squall
s of drift
M
0)
O
.
&>
OS
*\ •
M
cfl t^T1
BQ
iriabl
halo.
»_, »_ 0 t- >_ 3
<u <u 2 o> a» HH
c« « S 3
<U 0) 0 u
gj 1— 1
5 rt S &
M
>
«B
>
0 0 O 0 O
0 00
O
COO
O
•
•
+5
c
a
C
C
• ^H
• i-«
c3
c3
ei
a
Ph
Ph
Ph
fe
10
1— 1 i-H
t-
<*
^GO^
1— i
10
1—t
CO CO ^
OO^qo
CO
CO
•
S
13
•
^w
•
>-
73 ^ •
•
•
S
,w. s:
Calm.
•
Calm.
Calm.
*6£
•
525
0 w
J*
.2 ^H
•
£
13
. ^
Su
O
•
C/2
W.N,
S.E.
Calm
N.E.
N.E.
•
c/5
08
• »■* •
•
£™1
00000
000
Q
000
0
0
O
0 0 «5 0 10
O •£ *0
O
9 9 9
uj
0
*0>
OO ^ OO -H M
^ 6 cb
"*
c^ ^ -&
CO
CO
GO
1— 1 rfi tJi
T$< "*
I-H
GO
1
1 + 1 II
1 1 1
+
+ 1 1
l
1
O
O O IO O O
000
O
OOO
0
0
O
>p 9 01 lo 9
irj 0 »f5
9
IO IO IO
U5
GO
cb
CO '— ' CO 4-i C>
6 CO CO
»b
GO Ci O
CO
10
i-h 1- ■< 1— 1
GO p-h
Go
CO 1— 1 1— 1
1
+ + +I 1
1 1 +
+
+ + +
+
1
t-
OO <— 1 CO rj< 10
10 GO vo
CO
OCOh
-*
r-
01
Ot^oo^oo
r- 0 1-1
CO
CO 1-1 CO
CO
GO
•
• • • • •
• « •
•
• • •
•
•
CO
CO *C CO GO CO
CO CO t$<
0
lO ^ GO
0
"$•
i-H
GO GO
GO GO
1— 1
rH
1— 1
1
1 +1 1 1
1 1 +
+
+ + +
+
1
lO
co t*- co d 0
-himco
<*
10 co r*-
CO
e
-^
^H r— 1 1— ( f— 1 CO
GO CO CI
CO
CO Ol GO
01
S
5?2
APPENDIX.
T3
•
.°9
a *
d
•
4a9
C
'3
CO O
'C ^
CrH
u5
a* 5
-2 ^
• i-a
P-t
H t
>
S •
%-4
e3
•i-i
• PH j^
^-N c«
4> • --^
O S
^2
co
a
la
t-j o
CO
•
e
as
if) u
- a
C3 O
>
(h
Ph
CU
>
03
CU
3
H
6
1&
o
? 03 >1 C3
5o355c3o
• i— l QJ
!> 'o CO
03 -" es
-Si-0
Co
58 T
° "5
•
5-
•
• _ • • • •
•
s
I- —
-a • **
Jh .a
0$
C b£ C3 rt c c3
rt
0)
•g -c^^'s -2
• -Ml
HO
^ ^
5
^ pquoh o
fe
ho
rti
n8-
CD
^
1-- CO
CO
00
— 1
CO
o
1
^
r-
0^
•
CMl^^voCDCDCOCM
• •
co r-
«N
bo
•
5%
•
•
,«
go
^
».
•
•
•
•
s
• ^" 5 # • •
CO
•
"S,
W
•
z
^™i • ^^ f»^ ^^ ^^ «
u
Q
go
•
•
JS
IS
^
u ^ o o ^ ^
• • ^^ * • • — r^
•?
S
13
si
s;^ .^^^-il
•
Q
U
o
CO
WW
•*»»
£>
o
o
O
oooooooo
o o
©
E/5
•
o
f3
GO
o
CD
wjOOOOOtpfS
9 9
cb ib
& o
o
i-H
r— i
CM iH t^ tJH t^h Oq r-(
3
1
o-5
h3
1
"f
1
1 II 1 1 l+l
1 l
<5 wj
cu
4)3
o
O
O
oooooooo
o o
^
O C to
en
•
W3
•
o
•
oooooooo
• •••••••
O i^
• •
^o
0) -H
fa
^
CM
CD
CD
i^i0-*0— 'CMCDtJh
^ 1^
u
Tjo
CM
GO
^h
CM CM i—i ^h
ho
53
+
i
T
+
1 ++.I II + +
+ +
OS
3 T3
*0
l-
r— 1
CO
CTiCJiOCMl^CMCOVO
CO o
a. ^
c
C3
CM
•
GO
6
CD^COr-iCpcTiOCTi
coo^cMcbdicbo
cp ip
ph CM
r— 1
CM
i— i O i— i CO CM
H
^
+
+
+
l + l 1 1 I+ +
1 +
it!
O
CM
^ic'sCbaiC50H
CM CO
eg
t«
f— ( f— H
1— 1 —H
§
Q
APPENDIX,
573
©
e
X
to
-
II
>
o
3
£
^
o
^£
—
S-H
£ • °
eS >^0 C
^^
5^ s ^
0 i^1
b3
CO g s-" 0
fe °
1 pi 4
U w
> O
a>
o
ce
£
a>
-
o
Is
(3
cS
a
•—
a»
>
G
is
CO
J-i
ce
oj rt »
o <i> ai
-
cS
CO
cm
S
o
»o
c
©
Q
a
q i; y U tc i)
ce
S-i
>
o
•I— *
J-
OS
53
• «*-i
Eh
.J *
E, >
xC
3 3 pj eS
O O 0) 0>
o o u u u
cm
o o
o o
• •
I 1
O
o
CM
O
GO
CO
C3 fl fl
r— < Ci d d
U fe tn fe
d C S c5 S C
O Cn Pn o u< ^
CO CM 1— 1 ^t^
CO T?H
CM
t^u>^^r^
IS
rt
o
• ^ d • •
c o
10 o
• •
CM ^
1
I
O
o
© o
© ©
©
©
©
©
Oi ■* •* © ^
CO 1— 1 CM CO CO
© © ©
© © ©
• • •
r- rn r-
© © ©
© cb x
CM 1— 1
© ©
© ©
• •
X t?<
f- 1 CM
I I I I I I I I I I Mill
vrj©©©©©©©©©1^
CN O Wi ^ ^ o o >p cp o o
XCOCOCMCiCiiOCOCOOX
CM 1— <
© © ©
o«jo
• • •
t- co 10
© ©
cb x
Q<J I— I l-H ViN 1— 1 r-i i— 1
I J I I I I ++ I + + + + I+ + +I
iocox^©©^cp^xco f ho
co^cbt~~©CMxr-©^'— 1 ^« •-• *o
1— 1 CM 1— • i— 1
© CO
CM CM
co »o>
+ I I II I I I I l + l I I++I I
in cor-xcs©'— 'CMco-^^cr)
2 5 ^ S ^ . C^ CM CM CM CM CM CM
t- X © © »-<
CM CM CM X X
C£>
©
CM
CM
©
CO
l-H
cb
574
APPENDIX.
ft;
<2>
HO
CO
00
53
S
e
HO
53
Is
-©
<=? Jtf
U
>-.
M
T3
CO
C
>
^Vi
M
S
CS
£ 2
bJQ t
1
l
i
j
i
>
Clear.
Clear. (Bri
)vercast.
Clear.
Heavy dri
4-1
ea
0
S-i
>
drift,
vercast. Hea
O
5
Snow.
Heavy dri
s pairing;,
'haw in the sn
'revailin
>
« 3 ^ a 3 rt
a> 0 0 -^ 0 0 <u
Misty,
oomy.
Heavy
ear. O
drift.
cS
0)
halo,
vercast.
iM
F"H ^^ ^H
■ * i- 1 ! p H
^^
) 1
|pM^
^^
o u U
0 0 u
O
O
3
O
O
- --t
• • ■
• • •
•
•
•
•
o -s
S- S- (h
-»-<_■(-!
-»->
-M
<m
^
»- -2
d d d
C C S3
fl
c
c
.6lD
3 "35
<w a> <u
• »-* • ^M • — <
• ^^
• P-H
• MM
</5
ct d ^
c3
03
c3
"S
555
b^h
fe
fa
Ph
PQ
5
^4
CM CO
CO
co
CO
0
^ 10 cm
co r-^
di
•
<o
l>
^o
be
•
•
'3
>
u
ft
C
•
13
0
•
1—1
^5
•
3
O
H^ 2
•
£
o3
o3
Si
S
.-j .0 -—
Jz r: 13
•
— — •
•
—
13
O
«
•
o3
>
•
13
0
o3
>
•
. w
g
a
CO • •
^w^
W
^
13
^
13
0
o
000
000
0
0
0
0
0
Si
4-3
W3
9 9 9
9 f5 9
9
9
0
9
0
j CN
0)
>
4h cb ^
CM CM ^h
CO
CO
•
CO
CM
& 0)
>
0
CM <— 1
1— I
i-H
!-H
Atmos
s in th
Hi
1 1 +
1 + 1
I
1
1
+
1
000
000
0
0
O
0
O
O C en
4->
0)
W3 10 O
CM CM .^h
10 0 0
• • •
1— 1 CO r— 1
0
CO
10
•
O
6>
0
•
9
CO
ature of
red 15 1
Ho
tJO
CM 10
1— ( «— t f-H
!-H
1— 1
CM
CM
CM
s
+ + +
+ + +
+
■f
+
+
+
— 1 |> CO
CO CO ^
10
^
O
CO
CO
- 0)
#
CO CO CO
O 1-1 CM
0
CO
CM
0
i-H
^ ~ii
r*.
• • •
• • •
•
•
«
•
cu.2
03
a <& co
O —1 CM
CO
r*
r-
0
I-H
0 50
0
1— 1 co
1— 1
CM
l-H
3 g>
s
I+ +
+ + +
+
+
+
+
+
0
—1 CM CO
^ UJ CO
r-
X
C7i
O
I-H
a.
1— i
-H
<
Q
APPENDIX.
575
£
o
. ^
to 3
O r*
o
a
en
0)
S3
H
03
(-1
03
0>
|3
O
03
I
>-
>
e
o
as
03
>-.
SH
.a 3
(J
x
O
d
CO
U
CO
03
03
cr
X
C
03
J-
09
u
«-
03
0>
>— 1
. ^
s-
03
^ I ^>
03 CD
*" ^
V)
a
o
>
c
o
t^
to
03 o3 co o3
<u o»
u
CO
co
-_ 4- S-c Sh — -t-
oS a rt oS bJO S
cu -^ a; cu t1 *a
1— < 03 ~- ' ^— 1 *■< 03
i-h >0 I- CO
^
CM CO 10
10 CM
4- — « -
oS s- as -=!
CM
* — - — -
cS aS
u^ CO
-i 00 ,_£ r- ^ °, <^
w
CO
w
CO • w
C3
s
'13
•as . ,_J b>- k-J ^
£ u co £ ;£ £ o
^ ^ s a
w
CO
;*
;z
£"£
. • rr) -n • ^ a.
• • • 03 . • ^1 03 03 • •
o 0000000
10 0»f500000
4h CMCM^hcOCM^^
CM CM CM CM
OOOOOOOOOOQ
99999^999^9
o»oi^»oi^co^CirlHior-
CM 1— 1 CM 1— 1 CO <-h
+ + 1 + l 1 1 1 1 11 1 ++ 1 1 1 1 1
O OOOOOOQ
ip 9 9 «5 o o ip 9
■* ^CM^HCMCMdicb
r—i 1— < CM CO 1—1
8 0000000-^00
0^00^099^9
C0O<b^t^CMI^CMv0)CMC0
f-H CM CO CM *0 CM <— 1 f— ' -— ' •— •
+ +++++++ +++++++++++
CO
90
CO
9
CO
+
CM
CO
CO
t^ t- CM O CO CO CO
CO iO t^ ^J- CO 00 CM
• ••«••«
CM
CMcocoxcocovoococor-
rTf99^99f9^
^cacbocbcbcMcbi^cb^
1— 1 CM CM -^ f—i
+ +++ I ++!++++++++
CO
CM
CO
+
CM
CO t}< no CO t>- X CO
O^CMCO^iOCCI^COCTiO
CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CO
C
aS
576
APPENDIX.
•
Prevailing Weather, and
other Remarks.
Clear blue sky.
Clear blue sky.
Clear. Overcast.
Clear. Smart thaw.
Clear. Overcast.
Clear.
Blue sky. Clear.
Overcast. Clear. Wil-
0
n
r-"
r-
'3a
O
bud. ©
Clear and squally.
Blue sky. Clear.
Clear.
Clear. Misty.
Overcast. Clear. A
goose flew past tHe
Fort.
«to
e
CO
GO
Prevailing Winds.
A urora
visible.
•
c
a
■
6
<-,
0
cq^co^LQuoiocq
cm cm t£
CO CM -* CO — i
* • •
t- <0 h
CO
B
<>*
c
0
0
u
Q
W. W.S.W. Calm.
Calm. N.E.
Calm. N.E.
E.N.E.
E. N.E.
East.
Calm. E.N.E.
E. N.E.
East.
Calm. East.
East. N.E.
E.S.E.
E. S.E. S.W.
•**
So
Temperature of the Atmosphere,
registered 15 Times in the 24
Hours.
n
0)
O
00000000
90909990
r^o^oocb»ococo
| ++++++
00000
10 0 0 0 0
• • • • •
1— 1 GO t£i CO -*
rH CM CO
+ + + + +
fcJO
OOOOOOOO
9999109^9
i— ( CM -^ •* CO CO -* CO
+ + + + + + + +
OOOOO
9 i_o 9 9 9
cj r- go ^ cb
f-i CM CO tJ< vo
+ +■+ + +
^
•
c
C7> CO CD CT> ■— 1 CM CM OS
VO r-i ip »p CO "* <X 9
^cx^*bcbcocMco
rl CO CO CO CO CO CM
++++++++
>h 00 ^h r- 10
CO to CM O GO
• • • • •
rj< 0 0 r- vo
t— 1 r— 1 cM co ■**<
+ + + + +
1
0
Q
r-H^co^uocor-x
O O 1— 1 CM CO
t— ( r— 1 1— ( r— 1
APPENDIX.
577
ulls,
flies
-3 «
0
03
CO
seen.
O *a
03
CO
r+
>-»
a
OJ
a
73 ■*-»
Jh co £ >-»,C3
cr1
a ° • si •
03 •*-< >^ »*~» S-1
co "O
qj . o3
S «j JJ
03 03 O . c -w
cj 0 fl >-» B *g
C_) S* co 0
^a
U J D JLT C 03 •
r^ ^.a --; a cu >.
to co a O QJ CO
blue
11 bii
•
M S5
CO w
> r-H
b 03 3 >^
GO
—
CO
Clear
sma
— '
u
BO
Clear,
orio
Clear.
a * 2 * * 1
O « S 03 03 O
O cj £. 0) o> ^o
o5o5So
coo^^cjoicj^ao)
oooouoo </f 3
co
^ ^
CO CO ^ ^ CO OT
10
CO
CO ^ ^ o^ ^ ^ o co ^
CO
a
a
•
•
•
a
3
CB
>
O
l?
CO
CM
+
E. E.b.N.
N.E. Calm.
W.S.W. Calm.
West. N.E.
E. Calm.
S.E. N.E.
East.
East.
E.b.N. Calm.
N.E. S.E.
E. N.W. E.
Variable. Calm
Calm. E.N.E,
East.
E. E.S.E.
S.E. Calm.
O
O
•
CM
+
0000000
iO iO O O C >p f!)
Ci 00 -rH •*& O-l Ci ^
CM 1— ( CM CO CO GO
000000000
00*0000000
• ••••••••
NXOOQOCOHtn^r-
CMCMCOGO^-^COCO^
+ + + ++ + + + +
CM
00
<*
CM
+
00
CO
•
+
CO
9
CO
GO
+
O
O
+
O
O
a
CO
+
OOOOOOO
O O O »P O O O
Ci 6 ^ Ci cb cb ^
tJh CO GO CO ^ >0 *0
+ + -+- + + + +
000000000
10000*00000
iriOr-~cbo0^diCMCM
OO^^^COCD^iOb-
+++++++++
00
05
05
GO
+
•
GO
+
a ■— < r— -* ^ co Ci
r- -^ rV cm 0 Ci co
CO CM CM CO CO ^< ^
+++++++
cooo^r^ocooocoio
101— iiococpcoa>opop
>^H»0'^r~oo^-icM'*Ci
COCO^t^iOCOtJh^VO
+++++++++
<*
1-4
co t> 00 0 0 — 1 cm
^ ^ ,_, „ CM CM CM
M-^iOCOr-XCiOrH
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCOCO
a
a;
p p
578
APPENDIX.
8
«5
_0
e
••as
•*
GO
00
•S
O
©
•b
*©
Prevailing Weather, and
other Remarks.
•
DO
a
to
>
CO
u
Aurora
visible.
•
u
o
u
o
fa,
O
O
Q
Temperature of the Atmosphere,
registered 15 Times in the 24
Hours.
OJ
o
Hi
+3
0)
bO
8
•
u
V
•
u
o
JO
o
*->
o
o
o
P
^H01G0'*W5C£)l^C0a5O--(CNC0-^ir5CD
APPENDIX.
579
>-. • . <u
r* £ >H ,£3
ai » 2
H >H J3
«
-
a
^6
6^
£§
*- 1 x
^ 3
03
cr1
>-»
•-
>
co 0) o» ,s £
« S § §
3^o
-
I— I
O
o3 03
PhPh
°3 *7
CO GO
T$< GO
GO q^ *0 CD ,_; CO J> CO
w
S.E.
E.
Calm.
Calm.
East.
E. S.
E.N.E.
3 ^ .o ^ <« *^
O OS . • . o3 <
o o o
10 iO lO
o o o o o o o
»p 9 © o o o 9
O
o
1> ^ r-H
r— )
I— » i— 1 r— t CM CO GO
+ 1 +
+++++++
+
o o o
to o o
o o o o o o o
*o o o o o »o o
o
IO
<* vo CM
i-H CM
Oi CO Oi CO «f< io tJ«
CM CM CM CM GO CO CO
VO
CM
+ + +
+++++++
+
CO >— i CO
OlOiO
Ci t- *■*- io to ^ a>
■* -* t^ Oi O 1^ CO
O
<-( Oi CO
r— 1
<— • CO CO CM "—i CO CM
CM r-i CM CM GO CO GO
o
CM
1 + +
+++++++
+
Jt^COCJiOi-HOlGO'*
•O CO t-~ CO O O ■-■
CM CM CM CM CM GO GO
02
S3
cS
s
pp 2
.580
APPENDIX.
8
ft?
<*
GO
00
e
©
"8
»©
Prevailing Weather, and
other Remarks.
Clear. Gloomy. {§$)
Gloomy, with squalls.
Snow-drift.
Overcast. Snow. Clear.
Clear blue sky.
Gloomy.
Clear. Overcast.
Overcast. Clear.
Gloomy, with snow. D
Overcast. Snow.
Clear. Misty.
Blue sky.
Clear. Bay entirely
frozen over to the
outer point.
Prevailing Winds.
Aurora
visible.
Bright.
Clear.
Faint.
Bright.
Faint.
Clear.
Clear.
Force.
CO
GO °°
CM t^ ^ CO GO r-H
QCCM^^CM^^CM^^
s
u
O)
Si
S.E. Calm. S.W.
West.
W. N. Calm.
E.N.E. Calm. S.W.
S.W. N.W. N.
East.
N. Calm. S.W.
W.b.N. N.
N.E. Calm. N.W.
N.B.W. Calm. N.b.E.
N.E. Calm.
Calm. E. Calm.
Temperature of the Atmosphere,
registered 15 Times in the 24
Hours.
4£
O
1-3
o ©
o o
• •
CM CM
+ +
OOOOOOiOOOO
vooiooo^or-»-ooo
• •••••••••
GOO^CM— itJiph CD05^
i— 1 I— 1 H CMi-HrH r— 1 CM
+ + + + + ++ | | |
05
0)
o o
^0 o
• •
rH r-
G0 CM
oooooovoooo
0»pOOO»pCMOu>0
Goocb^^HOob^^-tdb
CMGOCMrHCOGOi— ii— 1
+ + + + + + + | |
e
a
3
4- 29-58
+ 25-77
CpCNOMOqopr-lGp^^l
diOi^Hobcb^^cMOcb
i— 1 i— 1 CM CMCMrH r— ( ,— 1
++++++++ 1 1
u
a
>
o
Cm
O
Q
,-h Ol
GOTffiocDr-xaiOr-HCM
1— 1 I-* T*
APPENDIX.
581
a»
>»
*»
©
S=?
00
<u ^a
• 11
*-i o
s
£
CJ w
.S5 *
—
co
erj
o
a
l: £ **
lear blue sky
lear. Cloud
loomy. Mis
p4 ©
o
o
C
-
0)
>
G
-5
Cleai
. Sno
•
vercas
^ >,
?5 K->
<—
>->
ariab
loom
-
verca
loom
lear.
OS
o
p-
pH
S3
5
o
o
oggy
ariab
verca
lear.
of si
OCJOOCJCOcj
r
faCOOfe>00
£
•
a
-4J ?H «pH
+3
•
—
• •
eS.
a rt s
b£
i-**
a rt
a?
• »•■• QJ »»M
• ^H
• —
• p- nj
Ij-H tH
£h
a
'"S p— .
O
feCJP2
pq
ta
Pm CJ
CM
^ iO CM
if) CM co ^
*o
!0
CO
^ r~-
*Oi CO VO
CM CO iO
t? CO CO CO CM CM
CO
u^ ° ^ w oi
INN
•
•
CO
W co co
a co
•
•
%w
•
5
a
S
Calm
Calm
Calm
* •
H
£
•
CO
e3
c3
N.E.
S.W
Calm
c3 T- <
aim.
aim.
•
w.
aim.
•
•
c3
.N.E.
W.
.N.E.
aim.
W.
aim.
ast.
H^co
CJCJH WcocjcoHH
CO
WUtBUtf
COOOOOCC»OCOCOOO©»-0 0
>-0 C C O O O C C O) C C C l^ irj i^ it: i^ o
cfcchcfiocficocfichcocoo^^^coi^cocfi
r— I I— < CM CM I— I CM l— I r-H © p— ( CO
I i + + + + + + + h- 4- ++ + + + ' i
CM
6
COOOOOOOOOiOOCCiOiooO
ipcpcp^cp^ocp»pcpcpc>icpvppr--r^-cpio
i>c>ico^cbc^cbcb^^^T^co^^coxr-
r-lCNCN^'HCM^^CM'H^CNl-lrHrH — >
+ + ++ + -!- +++++++++
r-
+
Cp^CMCpcCCMO}CM^^^^l>CO^CMC0X
o4ni^c>>c^cb^Cixdixccb^c^cib>iiio
-h p— i CM CM r— t CM i— i -— i i— i i—i i— i p— ( CM
I +++++++++++++++ I
io
o
CM
+
co^iocor-coaiO^-iCMco^iocor-cocTiO
i— i i— i i— i i— i — i -—i r-i CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CO
as
c
pp 3
582
APPENDIX.
8
Ho
to
GO
GO
It
8
to
it.
to
**» fa <=* ^ c ^
ns
■— ■ * fa £ est
d
w 1— 1 aj O
ca
&u 3 s
ithei
larks
* ^ ^ S2 ^ 0 ,• t^ © <* >i 22
bo u
» M ■ ri • CO r" -h r*"» • ■*->
Prevailir
othe
=3 A
• ! •
. tJ -4J -*J
? 3
^^^3^^^^;^^^ ^ ^ +s
3 '35
c3 ctf fcJO bJD fl oj C c3 bJD fl rt G S
<U <U T1 'P "r2 GJ "3 0 '^ ,M CD •— «*h
<'>
6
0
_ ^ cr> i-h Co co
aq
0
to
* *> GOCi-H ^CM^^r-,^^
03
>
0)
J-l
Ph
c
**
0
i.
p
k ^^ "^ »i* ^** » »** »^» v | t . ^ ■ w »W
000000000000000
CO
000^0^000000*0 00 »0
1)
i
0
ObOC0HCC^XOONO(M0)iQ
OO^^t^ioCN-^cOCM^hio^^iO
0 •*>
r3
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
S.s
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
2 a £
+3
oooooooooooooo»o>
0
• •••••••••■•••*
fcJO
1— 1 CO O-l CO Ol rH GO CM G<J H M r-i IQ
it ure 0
red 15
1 1 1 1 II 1 II + 1 1 1 II
CNiOO^CCDN»O^N^ONiO-H
55 *i
.
cc^cpc>icpc^c^t^ip<^cpoio>c>icj>
o,.a
C
C3
c»r^ococc&i^<b6}i>o<b<bcico
C cJO
9
rHT^ICO-^HCOrHGOCN HCMHOl VtJ
gS
£
MIIIH:II + I'.IH:J
ember.
c*5
O
rnGqcO^iOCOr-GOCiOr-iCMGO^iO
0
S3
Q
Q
APPENDIX.
583
•
P-.
C
CI
<D
•
v« >; c im
it. Clear.
Hard squall;
>
od
o>
K
•
a
1— 1
o
• *
o
o
•
a
6
r*
■>->
M
0
T3
lue sky.
Clear. (Su
—
o
1
• I— 1
<
I— 1
o
I— 1
■4-i
CO
•
• fH
c
M
0
W
5
o
a
-4-»
—
y. Misty.
Overcast.
;t. Snow. Clea
Overcast.
. Misty. Clea
y. Misty.
:y. Cloudy.
rercas
isty.
-2 £»
si
■a fee
U
c
-
02
2
3
is
-3 £sbg ^i-^i£ .
j • ■ — ■
O"!
o
r-H O
^H
O^
CO
PB|
O fe
tt
«53ohG3fflD
•
•
—
J3
. . ... . . . . .
— — — — — -»- ->- — — ■
fl
fl
r5
cs a
be
cj^CciSCflCS
■•H
• r^
• ^h
0) .**
• —
(^J (^ • ^< <1^ • ^N •— •»-* .— .—
ce
s
ctf
— Sh
s-.
^^ ^— < c3 ^—^ c^ d C^ C^ Cw
ft
Ph
W
UC9
m
OOpHOfefefefepH
t^
t-
CO
CM^
c>
CO
r-H r-
^toioco^voioco
•
s
•
•
13
a
a
•
U
13
is
W. Calm. S.
S.W.
•
•
• •
+s S WW W
•
m
•
•
S.W. Ca
Calm. S.
•
H
—
13
Calm.
N.E. Ea
E.N.E.
East. Ca
E.b.N.
Calm. N
Calm. N
East.
Calm. N
o o
O
o
o o
o
ooooooooo
^
9 9
9
o
to o
o
009909900
CM
*b cb
cb
cb
cm cm
^
cbcbocbcbcb^CMtb
i—i
■* CO
I I
CO
1
1
to to
1 1
to
1
io-*"*coco-<^iO'<^'<t'
I I l I l I I 11
1
o o
o
o
o o
8
ooooooooo
CO
9 9
c
tp
tp tp
»p 9 9 9 9 tp tp tp 9
9
CO CM
CM
cb
cm cb
cb
Ocbcb^^^cbcbcM
»b
CM CM
1 1
CM
1
CO
1
<* CO
1 1
<*
1
iOCMC0OlCMCMTf<C0Tf«
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
CM
CO i—i
co
a
CO to
o
CM^^»o^co^<r^ co
CO
CO 03
cp
o>
ip CM
CO
to 1"-- 1— ( to 1— 1 1— • O "~ ' to
<*
ib cb
r^
£-
cb 6
6
tb^H^-cct^^ocbcb
CM
CO CM
CM
CO
^ •*
to
tOCOCOCMCMCOtocO^H
CO
1 I
I
1
i 1
1
1 1 l 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
C5
CO t-
CO
a>
O >-H
CM
CO^iOCOI>COCTiO^
a
l— < rH
i-H
p— •
CM CM
CM
CMCMCMCMCMOICMCOCO
p p 4
584
APPENDIX.
ier, and
ks.
r.
t.
:ast.
y. D
. Halo.
d
a
•i—i
ift.
Halo,
id hazy,
en tup.)
gloomy,
Gloomy.
ft
Cloudy.
. Snow.
•
?
01
£p
• p.
>
o>
3
J
B
■J
3
rt t/> y *j >~>
o u s » n
£ O ^ W
^ ^° ■ •
. « ■ . g g g
* 2 2 « ° fe S
>
• « = £§
S to • ^>» to
_2 ° 'w p— 'C °
O «3 S ^ a £
. * • ^»
S- — i-l CO
.-" C 5 c^ ^
-£ • ^ ^ • •
'r* Si 2 s a) >-<
COtcWO
JO
SSSoooo
o
C ^* l-H \J
- 4)
C "S
.... .
- - ^ 4- 4—
• • •
^J -»J -»J
&H
ci d d c fl
U D 3; .i— i .p—i
c c a
<T£
— i — < - — i d d
^OOfc Pn
Pn
rt TL TZ
rH rH rH
<<c
cu
GO
GO
*0
CO
in
c
u
s-
0
GO CO CO CD GO 10 CO
•
o
l-H
f-H I> 00 CO
^ iO GO iC 1>
oo
• **
1—1
fcJO
•
e
J-J
13
s
'a
>
. U
8
o
• -1
15 IS d «5 W
S-
Q
3^^ °BH
• •
C5
rj ...
. ^ "S 15 15
8
3 3 •
_ i .— .-h ^j -^ H H
H ^ jj a ^ ,3 ^
as
1 — — - Z M
to
• « a « o eg c3
^
o C C O O iO o
o
o o o o
i^iOOOO
I1
Si oi
4£
(A
0)
O CD O cp CD CN ip
■* c>i j^~ r^~ cb ih -^h
o
GO
999 o
cc cb CJO &
W OHO C O
• • • • •
CO — ' CO VTi ^h
O
-* Ol GO CM p-H i—i CM
l-H
GO GO
CO GO GO i—i
©
O t3
i_q
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
1 1 1 1 1
S a
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
III 1
1 1 II 1
<3 «j
^j
o c o o o c o
o
o o o o
10) o o io o
o p v5
DQ
o *o o *o iO o o
c
*-0 O C lo
N 9 9 N >p
V
e* U- 1^
o
i m n »h 6; 6 n
•
GO CO GO GO
ph -^h ^ cb cb
^o
fee
GO 1-^ l—i 1— ( •— < l-H
r—\
i-H
>
0) i— i
8
I 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
I 1 1 1
+ 1 1 1 1
&
CS hi
1 1 * 1
J^ Ci J> i— i CO i— i t^-
W3
io io go a
O GO <* Oi iO
^
(-«
O O iO Ci GO Ci GO
• ••••••
•
l-~ i— i GO X
• • • •
QC CO Oi 00 tJ<
• • • • •
i— * • i—i
«
CO GO i—l r-H GO GO l—l
C7i
^H00 GO
O GO O ^ CO
P fcJO
H
GO i— i GO GO i— < r-i GO
1 I 1 1 1 1 1
1
GO pi
III 1
i—i GO i—i
1 1 1 1 1
£
Clj
2
o
>>
— • GO GO «?< *0 CO 1>
CO
O O — i GO
go tJ< to co r--
I—I i—l l-H
1— H 1— 1 l-H 1— 1 1— ^
•-a
n
__-^
APPENDIX.
585
M
■ V .-
^*^
i
-
fe?
CO
0)
u
OS
-5
CO
i— i
•
9
•
0)
co
^ to
03 S-i
—
•
CO
cu
o
<—
o
•
u
<&
• -H
os
0
• pH
J3
• IH
u
p
•
co
03
• •
ED
• -*
•
3
• IH
—
rr!
O
CU
CO
c
cu
*H
>
o
5
>
O
cu
O
cr"
2
d
)H
>
o
>~> CU
«
tS,
o
•IH . .
>»
—
cu
>
to Jfr
ts* >?
o ^
* CO
Ld
1 S 3 § ~
o
o
3
-4-J
3
• fH
c3
a>
-a 8 S 3
33^
3
MH O
—
0
cu
l-H
03
•
•
Sh
•
•
•
• ^ • • •
!h —. i- ^ i.
03
a
c
a
^ bJD cj fl c3
<D
CD
CD
•i-H
• FN
0) T1 0) •-- CD
^■^
e3
cd
~h ^ ^h nj — ,
u
u
U
fe
PhUWOChO
*o
CM
"*
CO
•
CM
CO
<7i
x^ t^ co vo r~- go
•
s
o3
D
w
s
•
s
•
a5
•
W
13 S
O 13
•
•
•
• •
15 15
•
•
B
13
•
•
•
■
•
•
•
^ ^ W cc w
03 . • Co •
03
w
CJOc/i
O
W
W
^WH^H^
o
o
0«50
o
o
o
o
o o o o o
00
o
o
O^iO
o
o
o
«f5 o o o o o
CO
l>
l-H
— i CO
O
05
o
o
1^
CO ^ CM O i-H
_
CM
CN
l-H
1— H
CM
CM
CM CO CO rji lO
CM
1
1
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
INN
1
o
o
VO o
O
O
o
o
O iO o o o o
^
o
•
•
r- o
• •
O
•
o
•
l-H
•
o
•
o i> »o o o o
CO
t-
CO
i— 1 l£)
CO
i-H
CM
U5
l-H
CM
CM
O CO CM O CO
CM CM CM CO CO
•-H
l-H
1
1
1 1
1
l
1
1
1
1 1 1 1 1
1
10
o
i— r^
^
CO
CO
J>
O O r- co co co
CM
•
go
•
• •
CM
•
GO
•
•
•
l-H
•
CM CM CO CM O
CO
W3
CO
^ iO
f-
-^
*o
i>
»o
CO CO ^ io <*
CO
i— i
1
1— 1
I
1 1
1
1
1
l-H
1
CM CM CM CM CO ^
MINI
l-H
l
00
Oi
O -H
CM
CO
<#
iO
«OM»010h
a
03
l-H
(—1
CM CM CI
CM
CM
CM
CM CM CM CM CO CO
CD
^
586
APPENDIX.
-
u
%• 03
. CJ
21
p
•
C5
«S
C«
cr1
S3
. ts ^
b ^
•
ca
■a cs
*»<«■&
a -—
ID
>^.22
C3 C2
'o S
i— i
to ^3
s <z>
13 -3
• — *-
CS o
>
u
Ph
flj ^4-1
> <u
b
>
R
B
i
3 gj i-H 3
<U rt) >-c
«J -^ "g 'S « o-T T33
M §« § £ £ § §<2
wo 3
pq O
CO
Q
ooooo
*
•
"♦o
C8 -•
fl
s*
.
H -S
-« •
•
<s
o 3
.« -+J 4J
p
-t-J
-*J
fc.
5 .52
=3 CJ S3
• —
PS
• i-H
<3 P
s
<e
oS
^5
o
CO CO Oi
CO ^
00
t-
GO lO CO CO -^
GO
q
Ph
I-H
a
•
•
•
i i
p
•
"cS
aS 13
a
u o
5s
Ph
s
o
W 8 03
W
"2 i: W 3 13
8
3
CU
s
• •
j a
•
m
•
•
re as k^
—
13
5j
o o o
o o
o
o
o o o o o
1
ca
(U
*
o
9 9 V0
go o^ cq
o o
di 6
o
CO
o
cb
C lo >0 o iQ
• • • • •
XnhioO
cu aj
S 3
■4— ' —
lO lO GO
1 1 1
I i
1
1
GO -^ CO
l + l II
Ho
< «
QJ
.
o o o
o o
o
o
o o o o o
m a »
1/!
o
• • •
o io
• •
W3
•
•
0«50«50
• * • • •
"*>
,3
CON GO
^h r-
Oi
GO
a -— i co r- co
GO CM CN
t— i r— i
r-\
r— i
1s>
<*>
a» — ■
h
3 *e
8
1 1 1
l l
+
+
1 +++ |
N GO 1^
CM O
CO
co
go o o co a>
<z>
•
3
cS
f 9 qq
CO N
t-
r-
CO ^ CO ^ G<l
^
CJ-.JS
3 bO
cb cb cb
f- cb
•
CO
vb i> rl< cfq d>
0)
tJi GO GO
l I I
i— i GO
1 1
+
+
r— 1 l-H
l + l 1 1
•
a
3
o
C9
r-i CN GO
^ VO
CO
t>
OOOjOhCN
i— ( r— 1 i-H
0)
p
APPENDIX.
587
©6 I
H
^ CO
xn C/
CO . >->
CD ^
• CO
5 £ «
ffl « cj 3 cc
o
. >-
.»H co
♦I J-c
£ 2 *
>H fl QJ
CO
S .22
C
Ml W •
O) CO
> a
O <u
CO
CO *fl
•fl — '
P O
-
o>
ft, •_ -
. >"» CO
i- T3 g
rt o «
CU r- *-"
"fl . <U
CO
fl oj+- fl o> +* «5.22 ^ o HH o> J5 •-■«
WO PQ O
o 5 « S
S3 C cj 2 « C cj fl 03 fl S3 S3
"3 *fl Gi *fl GJ '^ 02 'fl G) '-j -fl 'r;
CO 03 -^ OS — ■< 03 ^^C3 *— < 03 .03 ,03
Cn PhUPhQ^ OPh OPh Ph Ph
^3 £ *S
too to fl
°3
*o
»0> <* GO °^ CO °9
U5 C£>
CM 10 C£> CD
*o
lo
co
CO 10 00
6
^ a
ia^^^
03
> s s
K. __• 03 C3
c»
fl «J
*>: 03
CC S
<u 43
^ 03
03
0)
3
03
-
03
03
ago
^ ^ 'C
• • •
03 03 rf
o o
O «5
6 GO
GO -*
11
o o
9 9
GO 00
o o
• •
1— < 10
O
9
c
c
o
o
CO
CO
iO o
GO 9
O0 CO
o 10
»o iO)
^ »o
o
o
00
o
•55
00
o
o
o c
o o
>o CO CO
CO CO GO
I I I I I I I I I llll
©coco 00 o»o
90909 99 9b
coOr^cb^- cocJo r-di
GOOOGOGOGO G0CO G0G0
I I I II II II
iO
GO
•
GO
O
9
coo
9 9 9
^- C>1 10
CO
ip
10
CO
co
O CO
CO
10
00
CO
l-H
0 1*
1— 1
10
1— 1
t-
00 CO O
GO
CO CO
CO C CO GO
TfH
GO
CO
O 00
CO
G0
co
co
co
CO
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1> ^
O CO
CO 10 0
CO
^H
»o
CO
»o
CO
10
10
^H
CO
GO
-*
t* GO
CO
CO
CO ^
GO
*
CO
1-s
"— '
GO
1—1
GO
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
GO t?
>o co r- 00 co
o ~
GO GO
GO GO
GO GO
GO
iO
GO
CO 1> 00
GO GO GO
CO
c
03
0J
588
APPENDIX.
8
8
J"
SO
JO
So
e
GO
GO
»8
8
3
*«o
.8
1
eather, and
marks.
y-
rcast. (Ri-
CO
—
•fH
G
•fH
o
CS9
03
•
-, • .« f— J
• fh >-. >^ $-> c3
F-H
F— (
ca
53
CO
•
•
CT1
GO
•
—
ft.
qually.
isty. Drift,
dy.
y-
ing W
er Re
eu O
3
03
—
cu
>
o
O
B
m
■4-5 .
4d
•T3 CO G 53 ^
fS ° W
~ fG
•j-j *j
3 >,
W . F— c a jj
f* >^fQ ^<£
CA
> CC « F-H
03 a >■. -O
a o
o»
u
ce 53
o> o
fH
>
S ^ i, fj u '"d 'S
_g 3 rt 3 g 53 Q
»" O CD O) O O "
5» '
<" 2 ^ > F,
E & » > S
"*H ,*/ q O CD
Ph
U O
O O O w o
o
o
O Q co O
J- d*
fH
FH f* H>J H>J
23
C3
C3 c3 fl 53
3 .2
CD
f2f2 si rt
<. p-
3
UOfePn
•
u
La
^ CD
t^ VO tH vo 1>
GO
•
o
9r-^vo
GO
a
O
Ph
CM
!— 1
GO CM
k
Prevailing ,
c
o
• »-«
O
•
•
r«H f-m C3
•
52!
•
a «
££
4qwu
•
^« .5
fcco
^ .^ .
13
•
co£W .
Q
CD CD
O
. <D
• •
• 3 • ?
^
SB
fi d c (j •
w
13 IS
c3 n3 cS cc| •
•
•
13 13 kJ . ^
OO
o>o>^
55
w
o o
o o o o o
o
o
o o o o
- —
*j
to o
o vo o o o
o
o
o o o o
cu .?.
• •
• • • • •
•
•
• • • •
-C w
0)
o
^ 10
GO GO "^ GO O
a
CD
C7i C7i ^O O
S-»
GO GO
G<i "$h -^ CM
i— 1 GO -*
Atmo;
2S in tli
HH
1 !
Mill
i
+
1 1 1 1
B
© 2
o o o o o
o
o
o o o ©
ZZt
4J
CO
vo O
O O iO o o
o
o
iO iO o o
cu
• •
• • • • a
•
•
• • • •
*» jS 3
JC
l> ■*
C7> GO CD tJh *o
CM
GO
C75 CO VO GO
<" &
fcJO
i— H i— H r— (
I— H
i— i
i—i
s
1 +
II 1 + 1
+
+
+ 1+1
3 a*
*j J;
GO lO
O CD iO GO GO
GO
Oi
VO ^ GO GO
•
^ GO
^ CD J> ^ ^
O
05
r-H ^H GO C75
CO 75
c
• •
• • • • •
•
•
• • • •
C3
O CD
CM Oi CD i— i CO
GO
GO
p-h r- CD go
l-H
r— i CM CM i— i
-h CM
r*n:
1 1
1 1 1 + 1
+
+
+ 111
-d
CfcJ
o
c8
t-i CM
CO rj« VO CD t"- •
X
Oi
O i— i CM CO
«
i— 1 —H r— ( r— (
M
n
APPENDIX.
589
•a
® * 3
'6
>>
sLg >>rf
00
T3
d
. —
r blue sk
-cast. CI
r blue sk
r blue si
•
^3
-4->
«5
-9
fl tn flS Cj
v s£ <u <u
CO
J-i
o
oooo
•
_ — -- _
fl
a 23 a a
'3
• ^- Q) *2 »^*
C3 *— ' Q e3
Pn
PhOPuCi*
•
iO GO f3 <M
CO
<*
W
£ w
W
w r^
fc
•
~ . • n
w
OHWO
o
o o o o
co
9
9 9 9 9
CO
cb
6 cb ■* cb
cb
00
>3< CM CO CM
CO
1
MM
1
O
O O O O
U5
o
ip ip © ©
*P
&
cb ■* >b GO
*b
CM
I— ( 1— ( T— 1
1
MM
l
i—i
^ CO lO C£)
a>
rh
CO CO <M r-H
r-
00
00 r^H ^ cb
^
CM
CM (M CN i-h
T—{
1
1 M 1
1
CO
&
^
vo co r- co
1— 1
l— 1 l— 1 l— 1 l— 1
o
o
K5
<D
•+J
eS
U
<D
P«
s
CD
H
u
a
C
o
* —
03
>
CD
DO
O
o
590
APPENDIX.
>
O
CO
w
cj>
ft
«<
co
w
H
W
PS
w
fa
i-
a
H
W
9 &
W £
W «
Pi
H
fa H
•-•
#\ (4
CO — i
9 ^
PS «
PQ H3
OB
S ^
►J
fa
o
w
H
•<
PS
w
w
H
fa
K
H
5
H
O
•JU3UI9I3
• Suipunojjns
+
CM
I-H
i CM
' r— i
+ ro+2
+ «5
+ l^ +
r-H
4- rH
T" CO
1
CO
1 CM
e J0
« -jaafanQ
"|0<
-HK^
M JO
+
CM
CO
_L GO
i^CM
+ 2+8
+ 8
+ § +
O
rH
i CO
i CO
+
8
±C5
l-H
r— (
r— i
i-H
iH
i— i
'
CD
M
-4-2
0$
rt
w
H-l
'1
n
CD
ta
a
3
3
a
fj
3
a
*
>
w
•
X
■
CD
•
•
CD
01
CO
3
3
CD
■j|
"IS
ti
•
03
a> a>
CD
O 3
U
t
5 1 *
O
O
CO
•
a
•
CD
S S>t3
•
CD
•
a
•
Ther
whei
place
Si
-t-»
P
CD
3
*
»
*:
o
73
CD
3
CD
A
^5
-T3
o
o
<
o
•
CD
•
-*-s
-M
CD
o
a
£
d
•
m
•
•
•
• .-*
T— (
CD
CD
CD
CD
CD
•
'"O
CJO
bO
CJO
be
be
*->
•
73
73
• -1
73
• 1-1
73
• — <
73
• 1-1
*^*
• ^
c3
OQ
Ph
Ph
!h
S-i
—
3
CO
Pi
-U
H
p-l
-
•
CO
^H
C4_
eS
a
e3
c3
rt
CD
CD
o
Pi
P.
Ph
PL,
Pi
o
CD
Pi
.rj
73
1
T3
73
73
•
-4-i
CD
Pi
-(->
-t-a
o
B
o
O
o
S
• —
■
i
5h
o
o
O
O
o
r£3
73
03
*
o
H
$
*
£
$1
L*
CD
CO
•
CM
•
CM
•
•
73
C
CM
•
3
•
•
m
m
m
w
CO
3
•
O
•
I*
•
•
Sh
•
3
•
^
M
^
CD
03
^2
_
■»
^
CD
i— <
CO
O
G
O
o
g
•
P
o
o
•
•
O
O
•
•
•
•
•
S
•
<
•
•
•
•
H
fc
i—1
a
i— i
i-H
GO
o
r-H
CM
c3
«5
^.
CO
t-
CO
O
a
^
»o
t^
Q
CM
CM
G<»
CM
CM
Sh
•
>^
g
O
CO
CO
GO
CD
O
*
»
a
CD
>
X
2
3
3
r— i
o
O
1— 1
APPENDIX.
591
1 01
1 CO
15
4-
2 +
s
+
tJ< 1 Ci _|_ Ci _1_ "— '
GO ' CO ' CO ~rj<
+
01
+
1^
10
4_ ^ 1 GO
+ °
• i-H
l-H
+ 2
He*
+
i-H
GO
4-
01 1 CO 1 i-H i GO
GO "^ CO * GO 1 GO
+
GO
GO
rf
l-H
CO
_l vo 4. ■*
*
^
a
a
a
a a • a
a
a
a a
^
a
•
•
§
3
a
^
=>
•
in
3
cu
a a a a
a
a
a
•
Sh
1
Ph
•
-a
• l-H
43
U
a
Ph
<D
• l-H
•
oS
fcJO
in
o3
Ah
•
U
Eh
•
S
o3
• >-h
•
a
■ —
—
0
Sh
• H
pH
1 1 Hi ■— '
• O « 3 £
a -° 1 'S * d
a 0 £> cu *? a
fO C O cu hi '^
•
s
a
a
• l-H
<*
«+H
O
.a
0
Sh
• -H
PP
•
2
• ►«■*
•
a
■ —
GO
O
pH
• PH
Ph
•
s
S ^
01 pp
O Xi
O g
•a -a
PP CO
ID
-^
• ph
-a
0 0 w
S-> *h Sh Sh
PP Ph PP p_
«
0
•
•
oi
GO
a O => CO
w
a
oi
CO
oi
a
w
a
CO
O
•
03
*a
bfi
• -h
PP
•
a>
1— 1
a a a a
a
ta
a a
^
^
^
•
•
Hi
I-H
a
• •
k-H >-l
• •
< a <J
O 01
i-H i-H
a
a
a a
a
i-H
l-H
i-H
01
01
l-H
I-H
a CM * »
l-H
=
GO
l-H
a a
H
a
a
• pH
u
Ph
<3
a a a %
a
a
a a
592
APPENDIX.
s
•<s>
8
8
r
,
H«
~tt
•;u3ui8ia.
• Suipunojans
+
CM
+
2
+
*0
4
SS
+
§
+
GO "">
CO
+
+
i— i
CO
i^ CM
a i°
M
o m
H«
H«
H1^
f_ -pafqns
jo
+
W5
+
CM
10
+
GO
CO
+
GO
GO
+
CO
+
° -+■
CO
+
GO
+
CO
CO
i CM
i— i
cu
m4
i
+5
o3
•9
-
s
*
a
a>
a
5
ft
ft
>
j3
53
•
0)
X
"o3
m
CO
a
CO
•
u
0) o>
o -a
S^- So
•a a <
n §
£
s S^
•
•
£_c 1
U
-M
ft
*
ft
-
%
*■
-M
CO
efl ■§ -2
C
<U
a>
M^
O
o
4d
•
g
• — <
•
a
o3
* —
•
•
s
o3
=3
•
a
03
• --
•
•
M
•
a
o3
•
a
o3
-3
•
•
M
u
TJ
•
o
•
a
o
M
• M
T3
• M
a
■53
•
—
M
a
• M
•
m|«
-
43
3
co
=
• FN
CM
Cm
O
2
>%
■O
• —
GO
CM
Cm
O
PQ
^2
CM
Cm
O
■ —
Si
>>
•
Cm
o
» —
r-j
o
•-
• —
,0
M
■—
O
M
* —
^5
-
M^
3
M
,4
Cm
o
M
• M
M
M
^5
S-i
M
3
C
pt<
PQ
go
fn
s
CC
fn
pq
CO
W
-d
•
a
GO
•
&
cm
•
ft
•
<*
m
ft
GO
•
•
•
•
M
a
rt
a
o3
a
CO
5
a
•
s
S
&
ft
5
•
•
•
X
3
o
<
•
M
w
CM
i-H
CM
fr
^
s
a
iO
a
-
CO
a
£•
r-
Q
l-H
i— i
I-H
i-H
•
•
<*
^
4A
B
00
o3
O
2
CO
I— (
S
3
e
ft
e
APPENDIX. 593
1 O xCM _j_ l> _l_ © _i_0_|_0 _iCOi_GO 4.GO iO_l.O _lO 1 "*
HN _
X
n
i-h* 9
0)
> d
co
a>
CO
co co
<U CD
rd * d- :- * g . * Ph
2 oS fe o
o . ©
i-H G<l I— 1 1— « 1Q
a
a) • • •
-d 2 ^ -d d <~ ,d 3
<J co <m O co cj O CO
<d
be
—
d
Ph
v<
^3
co
*d +* ^
o p
£
•
•
•
M
M
•
*n
-O
"O
-d
-d
CD
a>
-d
d
rj
d
d
d
m
>
>
d
d
co
d
CO
•
d
QQ
d
CO
d
co
0)
-d
-d
d
en
'-*-
Cm
O-.
'—
«4H
Cm
*d
d
d
-—
O
.d
O
*d
* — <
O
O
1^
O
d
Si
0)
*d
(H
O
4_
HM
''(3
-t->
■+J
■*»
>
-t->
!h
M
C3
(h
%*
u
0
M
Sh
—
d
a
ctf
es
d
d
M
O
O
ctf
W
W
CO
w
W
W
CQ
£
^
W
CM
*
<n
CO
•
W
OS
*
525
W
3
a
=i
a
a
5
a
a
a
•
•
•
•
<5
•
a
•
•
•
Ph
•
a
•
Ph
•
d
0
0
•
a
•
Ph
.
a
•
Ph
e
s
•
a
•
i-H
O
i-H
i-H
^
to
fc
id
CD
i-H
00
1— 1
O
OS
CO
a
a
-*
a
a
a
5
a
t-
CO
d
q
bo
d
*
e
*
*
«
a
*
*
Q Q
594
APPENDIX.
O
t)
r
8
S
"SS
S3
|«
•juauiaia
. Stnpunoj-ms
s ' J0
_|_rH 1 Oi
• r^ 1 GO
o -pafqns
H jb
4-^
> GO
1 ■* 1 GO
>— i
•
-»j
.
cc
+3
83
O
.a
o
a «
ej
a
w
GO
03
#
^— t
X
03
£
PQ Ph
Fh —
istanc
nWa
Age.
o3
03 "S
O
^ e
Q o
o
*
**>/
-^ ' 0- — ■
Therm.
where
placed.
-♦-a
o
— t3 e
rt S §
jog
S12 60 . <£
„o
o c c *» 03
6»H
I— 1
j- i N eS -*3
•
a
(=!
2*
3
c3
OS
•
cc
qLi
* ^
o
o B
^3
Ji s
*3
o3
S h3
T3
C
**H
£
•
C
o3
Cfi
3
C0
0)
O
•
• •
3
•
• •
o
8
Ck
PL) P<
i— i
GO VQ
>»
es
t-
r-H S
0
t— i
. -4J
ja
"* 2
C3
o
00 £P
te ^
a
H 3
-
APPENDIX. 59«5
No. VII.
ON THE AURORA BOREALIS.
The observations on this phenomenon were made,
without interruption, during six months in the years
1833-34, and five months in the years 1834-35 ; but, as
their entire insertion would occupy too much space
here, I have selected chiefly the instances possessing the
greatest interest from the effect produced by them on
the needle, and from the brilliancy and eccentric motions
of the coruscations. That the needle was constantly
affected by the appearance of the aurora, seems evident
from the facts thus stated ; and, on one occasion, indeed,
this effect exceeded eight degrees. I abstain, how-
ever, from drawing any inferences on this subject ; and
merely note down carefully, and with as much precision
as possible, the whole of the phenomena.
Brilliant and active coruscations of the aurora bore-
alis, when seen through a hazy atmosphere, and ex-
hibiting the prismatic colours, almost invariably affected
the needle. On the contrary, a very bright aurora,
though attended by motion, and even tinged with a
dullish red or yellow, in a clear blue sky, seldom pro-
duced any sensible change, beyond, at the most, a tremu-
lous motion.
A dense haze or fog, in conjunction with an active
aurora, seemed uniformly favourable to the disturbance
of the needle ; and a low temperature was favourable to
brilliant and active coruscations. On no occasion,
Q Q c2
5$6 APPENDIX.
D
during two winters, was any sound heard to accompany
the motions.
The aurora was frequently seen at twilight ; and as
often to the eastward as to the westward. Clouds,
also, were often perceived in the day-time, in form and
disposition very much resembling the aurora.
The observations are set down just as they were
taken. I read off the arc of the needle, and Mr. King
remained on the outside of the observatory, to inform
me of the changes in the coruscations. The height of
the arches was estimated by the eye ; and their bearing
by reference to the houses and other marks which had
been previously determined. The bearings are reckoned
from the magnetic meridian.
Rough Notes on the Aurora.
"S
October 27th, 1833. — The needle evinced no par-
ticular agitation throughout the day, except the same
tremulous motion it displayed occasionally night and day.
At midnight the weather changed from an overcast to a
blue and cloudy sky. The moon was clear, and the
coruscations streamed in beams in the direction of the
dipping needle, and formed an undulating fringed arch/
from a horse-shoe shaped mass, at N. N.W., 10° high
to 70° northerly. This was met by two bright beams,
which issued from E. N. E., 15° high. On entering the
observatory I found the needle vibrating, and on the
approach of the fringed arch towards the zenith, it im-
mediately attained to 1° 0' W., and before Mr. King
had informed me that beams were darting from the
eastward, it bad already begun to recede, and fixed at
1° 0' E. ; afterwards, on the apparent motion of the
APPENDIX.
597
aurora ceasing, and the coruscations becoming faint, it
settled at 0° 30' E.
October 28th. — At 8h a.m. the needle was at 1° 20'
E. At 9h I found it at 2° 20' E. : saw it move to 2° 50' E.,
and being something surprised, I went out to endeavour
to trace some cause for such a deviation. There was
not, however, the least vestige of a cloud, the sky being
of an indigo colour at the zenith, and becoming fainter
in tone till it mingled in a pale yellow near the horizon.
The sun was very bright, about 10° high, and bore
E. J S. (m.) * The thermometer on the north side
of the observatory was — 4j°, that on the south, exposed
to the sun's rays, was + 4j° : the weather calm.
At 10h a. m. the needle was agitated at 1° 30' E. ; at
llh I found it also at 1° 30' E., but in motion, which
took it to 2° 0' E., then to 0° 20' E., to 0° 20 W.,
where it remained ten seconds, and repassed to 0° 40' E.,
to 0° 0, 0° 10 E., to 0° 30' E., 0° 20' E., to 1° 0' E.,
1° 40' E., and 0° 25' E. : when, seeming to be stationary,
I went out, and placing myself in the shade of a fir tree
of thirty feet high, looked directly to the zenith and to
the westward (the sun being too bright to look to the
eastward), when there appeared a very faint and filmy
arch of pale white, that issued from a mass of white
cloud precisely similar in shape to the horse-shoe mass
of aurora of last night in the same place ; and on watch-
* All the bearings are magnetic.
QQ 3
598 APPENDIX.
ing more attentively, 1 could see a very pale yellow
arch rising from the same mass, and extending southerly
to S.E. by S., at an angle of 30°. Afterwards, several
detached radial clouds became visible, and more than
once I thought they differed much in brightness in the
same point.
On first seeing the needle move, it occurred to me
that, though distant from it fifteen inches, the steel in
the works of the two chronometers might possibly be
the cause; but on my remaining motionless for ten
minutes, it went through the vibrations mentioned
above.
At noon it was still considerably agitated, but steadily,
not jerking, and with the most gentle motion it went
from 1° 0' E., to 0° 20' W., and settled at 0° 0'. There
were now many more clouds of the same pale white
filmy form ; the whole of them coming from the same
mass at W. N. W., while the wind, it may be remarked,
was E. b. S.
Not being satisfied respecting the chronometers, I
left them, together with my braces (which had a small
polished buckle on each), in my tent, and at lh p. m.
found the needle tolerably steady at 0° 10' E. ; but
while I was looking, it moved to 0° 30' E., to 0° 10' E.,
to 0° 0', and I left it at 0° 30' E.
The weather was fine, the sun less bright than in the
earlier part of the day, and the white clouds had become
of a more yellowish tint, and diffused in three arches
not unlike a common form of exhausted aurora, or that
appearance it assumes sometimes after very rapid motion.
At 2h p.m., having the chronometers on as usual, I
found the needle steady at 0° 18' E. The sun was less
clear, and the thermometer descending. Clouds white,
generally diffused.
APPENDIX.
599
^^'^ -
At 8h p.m. it altered from 0° 5' E. to 0° 10' E., and
was tremulous.
At 4h it was steady at 0° 10' E. Thermometer in the
air 0°, and in the observatory + 15^°; weather fine with
light clouds, much the same as those already described.
At 6h a beam rose from the W.N.W., and shot up
towards the zenith, when the needle moved from 0° 2'
W. to 0° 30' W.
December 6th. — The weather had been overcast all
day, with snow, and a strong breeze from S. W. Ther-
mometer from + 13^° to +9°, when at 7h p.m it became
calm, and the thermometer immediately fell to —1°.
At midnight there was a light air from E., a clear
sky, and the aurora was generally diffused. The
thermometer had fallen to —11°, and on examination
the needle was vibrating from 0° 25' W. A mass of
aurora appeared at E., and it moved to 0° 40' E., 0° 20'
E., 0° 42' E., and became stationary at 35' and 40' E.
Some beams darted up from W., and the needle re-
turned to 0° 5' E. The aurora was then generally
diffused, and rather faint, when the marked end re-
mained at 0° 0'.
Q Q 4
600 APPENDIX.
A beam at N. E. caused it to move 0° 10' E., where it
stood a few seconds, but on some more beams uniting,
so as to form a mass at N. E., the needle directly moved
to 0° 20' E. Again, the mass was diffused in a filmy
form from E. to W.b. S. and the marked end retro-
graded to 0° 0'. Another change to a concentrated
mass at E.N. E. took it from 35' to 48' E. The aurora
again became spread, and the needle was stationary
at 0° 0'.
December 12th. — At 10h p. m. the weather was
gloomy, overcast, and calm, but from the unusual
brightness at a time of new moon, and the distinctness
with which objects appeared, there was every reason to
suppose the aurora was then very brilliant above the
clouds. On entering the observatory I saw the needle
vibrating rapidly to the westward, and having taken the
time, 16h 37m 0s, chronometer number 1., I watched
it move from 0° 10' E. to 3° 20' W., to 10' E. to
2° 50' W., to 0° 40' W., to 3° 55' W., to 0° 8' E., to
2° 30' W., to 20' E., to 2° 30' W., to 0° 08' E., to
2° 30' W., to 0° 40' W., to 2° 50' W., to 1° 20' W., to
2° 20' W., to 1° 10 W., to 2° 42' W., to 1° 55' W.,
to 2° 58' W., to 1° 58' W., to 3° 10' W., to 2° 5' W.,
to 3 00' W., to 2° 50' W., to 3° 20' W., to 2° 8' W.,
to 2° 30' W., to 1° 35' W., where it remained station-
ary five seconds, and vibrated quickly to 1° 28' W., to
2° 10' W., to 1° 45' W., to 1° 58', to 1° 05' W., to
1° 10' W., to 0° 40' W., to 0° 55' W., to 0° 18' E., to
0° 20' E., where it again became stationary only seven
seconds, then moved slowly to 00° 00', still slower to
0° 20' W., to 00° 00', to 0° 15' W., to 0° 10' E., to
00° 00', to 0° 12' E., to 0° 12' W., to 0° 5' W., and
quicker to 0° 48' W., to 1° 12" W., to 1° 05" W., at
which point it was steady three seconds, when it moved
APPENDIX. 601
to0° 58' W., to 1° 28' W., to 1° 08' W., to 1° 28' W.,
to 1° 08' W., to 1° 28' W., to 1° 08' W., to 1° 15' W.,
to 0° 58' W., to 1° 08' W., to 0° 58' W., to 1° 00',
where it remained stationary at 16h 52m 00s, making an
interval of fifteen minutes. I remained there a quarter
of an hour longer, and it vibrated with diminished force
between 1° 00' W., and 0° 30' W.
January 7th, 1834. — For nearly a month the needle
had not been perceived to be affected by the aurora?
which it may be proper to observe was always very
faint, apparently high, and generally confined to one
point of the heavens.
Its motion was rarely detected, though, from some
discrepancies in the diurnal course of the needle, such
an occurrence may be inferred. At 10h p.m. this night,
the sky was nearly entirely obscured, except at the
northern and western horizons above the hills. At the
former were some bright rays, and at the latter a
brilliant streaming mass of a reddish coloured aurora,
which, as I went to the observatory, flitted across the
zenith to the eastward.
The needle was moving quickly, and having marked
it at 5° 30' E., I ran for Mr. King to watch the motion
of the aurora; and noting the time by chronometer
( 1 7h 30m 00s), I saw the needle move from 5° 30' E.
to 2° 00' E., to 0° 40' E., to 1° 20' E., to 0° 10' W., to
0° 10' E., to 1° 40' E., a large mass darted up from
S.W., and faded into the tone or colour of the sky at
the zenith : 2° 35' E. to 1° 10" E., a beam from east to
west, passing northerly at an angle of 80° : 1° 50' to
1° 40' E., a high horizontal narrow mass at an angle of
1 5° E. : 1° 55' E., 2°.! 5' E., 1° 25' E., 2° 20' E., 1° 00' E.,
2° 25' E., 1° 35' E., a beam shot up from north, and,
dividing itself into three branches, extended to the S.W.
602 APPENDIX.
horizon at an angle of 25° : 3° 00' E. to 1° 35' E., to
0° 50' E., to 1° 35' E., to 1° 10' E., to 2° 30' E., a
large mass from west to south: 2° 00' E., 2° 10' E.,
1° 55' E., concentrated mass due south, in magnetical
meridian: needle nearly steady at 1° 40' E., 2° 00', steady
five seconds : 1° 50' E. to 2° 05' E., a beam from N. E.
to N., 0° 30' E. : needle moved slowly to 1° 05' E.,
0° 0.5' K, a beam N.E. : to 1° 10' E., to 0° 30' W., to
0° 40' E., to 0° 22' W., to 1° 40' E., and stopt sud-
denly at 0° 5' E., to 1° 50' E., beam from east to west :
2° 0' K, to 00° 00', to 0° 05' E., to 0° 22' W., corona
at zenith: 1° 20' W., to 0° 40' W., to 0° 05' W.,
to 1° 35' W., to 1° 10' W., to 2° 40' W., small con-
centrated mass over the observatory: 1° 50' W., to
2° 50' W., to 2° 0' W., narrow arch from N. E. to
zenith : 2° 50' W., slowly to 1° 50' W., much slower to
2° 50' W., 1° 30' W., to 2° 00' W., a bright beam
expanded into a narrow horizontal mass, 10° high,
from east to west: 1° 40' W. to 2° 05' W., beams
from S.E. to N.NE. : 1° 25' W. to 1° 45' W., some
round patches from E. to N.W. : needle steady a few
seconds, then moved to 1° 20' W., to 1° 45' W.,
1° 36' W., steady again, then to 2° 12' W., to 1° 50' W.,
to 2° 05' W., slowly to 1° 54', to 1° 10' W., to 2° 05'
W,, to 1° 30' W., to 1° 40' W., where it remained
steady fifteen seconds, and changed to 1° 38' W., to
1° 40' W., to 1° 35' W., to 1° 45' W., stationary at
1° 20' W., and finally settled very slowly at 1° 00' W.
The time was then 17'1 54m 15s, making an elapsed time
of 24m 15s.
On returning to the house, I remarked the total dis-
appearance of the aurora, with the exception of a filmy
light at E. b. N., and W. With it had vanished the
dense covering of the sky, which was now of a dark
APPENDIX.
603
blue colour, and studded with twinkling stars. The
thermometer in the air was — 22 J°, and in the observ-
atory — 16°, and there was a light breeze from W.N.W.
At 1 lh there was no aurora.
January 14th. — At 9h a.m. mean of thermometers
— 59° ; the sky clear in the zenith, but misty about the
horizon. Needle 0° 58' E., slightly vibrating. As the
sun rose above the adjacent mountain, it began to move
between 1° 40' and 50' E. At 10h p.m. thermometer
— 55°, sky deep blue, weather calm. The aurora was
generally diffused from rays at N.W.b.N., and E.b.S.
to an attenuated arch across the zenith, emanating from
N. E. b. E., and extending to W. But from the same
point, and as far as due east, rose a clear serpentine beam
which took a southerly direction at an angle of 25°,
and terminated in an obtuse point at W.S.W., 3° high.
Some wreaths, and four very singularly shaped beams,
were for a time apparently stationary at E. N. E. and E.,
the latter were almost at right angles to the arch, as
"/;"*v^*^.
(J04 APPENDIX.
The needle was perfectly steady at 0° 12' E., but on
returning to the house, I could not avoid remarking a
dull reddish beam that darted up from E. b. N., and to
which the others near it seemed attracted. It increased
in brightness at its nearest point to the horizon, which
was about 8° high. The western part of the arch
previously mentioned became faint, and though dis-
tinctly perceptible, yet it was evident by its streaming
towards the red beam that it was concentrating at the
east. I immediately returned to the needle, and found
it had changed from 0° 12' E. to 0° 24/ E., where it
remained, as did the aurora also in the same place.
January 15th. — At lh p.m., on looking at the needle
it appeared to be stationary at 0° 8' W., but on con-
tinuing to look, without altering my position, I could
detect it moving with the utmost steadiness, and so
gently as would have escaped common observation : it
was a full minute in retrograding to 0° 00', and it again
advanced to 0° 5' W. The weather was almost calm,
or there might be said to be the lightest air from
E. N. E. ; the sky was blue, perfectly clear, and the
sun so bright, as to make 16° difference between the
thermometer exposed to its rays and that in the shade,
which was —46°. As I wished to convince myself if
my own person had not caused the motion, though I
could not see how it should, since the motion was hori-
zontal, and my position was in almost a direct line with
the axis of the needle, I applied my finger to the
glass immediately before and on a level with the needle,
and the instantaneous effect was that of a violent per-
pendicular, or what I have hitherto called a tremulous,
action, which dipped half the depth of the needle below
the graduated arc of the instrument. This did not
affect the reading, which was still the same, viz. 0° 5' W.
APPENDIX. ()Q5
It may be observed, that the late intense cold had
chapped my hands to a painful degree, and I had
greased them a few hours previous to observing the
needle.
February 9th. — At 10h 20m p.m. the sky was
almost entirely covered with coruscations ; but the most
conspicuous was a broad serpentine and bright arch
extending from E.b.N. to W. b. S., and along which
there appeared at times to be two currents in active
motion from opposite points.
I found the needle vibrating steadily as follows : —
0° 20' E., motion of aurora from W. to E. : 0° 05' E.,
motion W. : 0° 20' W., undulating motion W. : 0° 05'
W., 00° 00', motion W. to E. across the zenith :
0° 20' E., a bright arch at E., 10° broad: 0° 10' E.,
slight motion over the zenith, then the motion was from
W. to the zenith, 00° 00' : serpentine motion across
zenith from W. to E., 0° 40' E., 0° 30' E. : motion
over zenith, 0° 10' E. : motion from W. to E., not beyond
zenith, 00° 00'. The broad arch now moved southerly,
at an angle of 80°, and at the same time there was a
bright mass at S. E., 0° 20 E. : flashes flitting suddenly
between S.E. and E., 0° 10' E., 1° 20' E.
Motion over zenith from W. to E., 0° 20' E. to
1° 00' E, generally diffused and very active: an un-
dulating mass at N.E., 2° 30' to 0° 20' E. : bright
mass at S.E., 0° 40' E. to 0° 20 E. : generally diffused
but still bright at S.E., 0° 10' W. : beams at W.,
0° 25' W. : beams at N. E., 00° 00' : serpentine waving
across zenith from W. to E., in an arch, 00° 00' to
0° 25' E. : 00° 00', mass westward.
Mass at W., extending easterly, with a rapid motion
from W. to E., 1° 00' E., to 0° 30' E., 1° 10' E., to
0° 35' E. : a bright mass at E., 1° 20 E. : motion AV,
60fi
APPENDIX.
to E., 1° 00' to 00° 30' E.: 1° 3(Y E. to 0° 35' E., a
waving band, motion over zenith : little motion, 0° 20'
E. : patches generally diffused, 00° 00'.
Corona at zenith, which changed into six figures,
each similar to the letter S, presenting the appearance
of so many snakes twisting with amazing swiftness,
00° 00' to 0° 15' W. : no motion, 0° 05' E. : patches
W. to E., southerly, 0° 35' E., 0° 30' E. : no motion,
0° 20' E., stationary. Elapsed time, 32m. At the
termination, the aurora was generally diffused N. and
S. ; streaky, motionless, and dull. Thermometer
— 37i° ; calm ; sky, blue.
February 1 0th. — At 10h p.m. there was an ex-
tremely brilliant arch of a serpentine form extending
from W.b. S. to E.b. N., but there was no motion,
and the needle was unaffected beyond 10', viz. from
0° 40' to 0° 30' E. At llh 10m, however, the aurora
assumed an amazing variety of forms, though the most
imposing was a fringed and zig-zag'd undulating arch,
composed of numberless bright rays in the direction of
the dipping needle, but flitting with incredible swiftness
in a lateral direction from W. to E.
From 0° 40' E. to 0° 0.5' W., motion W. to E. :
1° 0' E., 0° 20' E., 00° 00', no visible motion: 0° 20' E.,
motion E. to W. : 0° 30' E. to 0° 05' W., rays ap-
pearing and disappearing, motion W. to E. : 0° 25'
W., 0° 15 E., motion E. to W. : 0° 20' E. to 0° 18'
W., no motion : 0° 05' W., waving arch S.W. to E. :
0° 45' W., 0° 55f W.5 0° 40', bright arch S.E., gene-
rally diffused: needle remained stationary 5s : 0° 10'
E., 00° 00', little movement of needle, faint corona at
zenith : 0° 08' W., 0° 30' W., 0° 25' W., slowly to
0° 40' W., 0° 45' W., arch W. to E., at an angle of
30° northerly : 0° 45' W., almost stationary, a beam
APPENDIX. 607
S. : 0° 45' W., 0° 52' W., stationary : 0° 50' W.5 0° 58'
W., arch W. to E.b.N. : 0° 00' W., steady. Elapsed
time, 22m. Thermometer, air —24-°, in observatory
— 13° ; weather, calm ; sky, blue.
On going out from the needle, I observed the southern
portion of the heavens to be more or less occupied by
beams, and rays at right angles to them, or in the mag-
netic position of due north and south. But northwards,
at an angle of 10° N.E., was a bright waving double
band, which also formed a part of the same original
arch that extended from E. N. E. to W. b. S.
The increasing brilliancy of the double band induced
me to revisit the needle, supposing that I should find it
somewhere near 00° 00' or zero ; but, so far from this, it
had not moved, and remained still steady at 0° 55r W. :
from it might be inferred a negative or repulsive action, in
opposition to our former opinions, mentioned in Franklin's
last narrative, of an attractive or positive action to the
nearest situated aurora. The brightness of the band
remained the same on my return to the house.
March 8th. — For many days past the needle had
evinced a restlessness and vibrating action correspond-
ing to its motion when affected by the aurora ; but as in
some cases it had changed its position, though with less
acceleration, after the sun had risen, and become station-
ary after it had set, I have been at a loss to account for
its unusual activity, the whole of these twenty-four hours
in particular, except by supposing the invisible presence
of the aurora in full day.
The sky was blue and clear, with a few clouds of fleecy
whiteness, and at each time of observing, I found it
impossible to detect the faintest moving substance in
the heavens : still, however, the needle kept constantly
making unequal arcs, and I watched it in the hope of
608 APPENDIX.
seeing it assume some fixed point, until I was fairly
tired out. At 7h p. m., it being " twilight grey," but
with a purplish blue tint over head, a very faint reddish
aurora could be with difficulty distinguished. This be-
came more clear as the night darkened, and at 9h 54m
00s r. m., some clouds at S.W. and E. were illuminated
exactly similar to the effect produced by the moon when
rising. The needle was agitated, and moved only 15'
backward and forward, insomuch that I told Mr. King,
who was waiting outside the observatory, that there was
no occasion for him to stay ; but when I was about to
return to the house, I perceived some very thin filmy
rays flit with great swiftness from S.S.W., at an angle of
18°, to E. b. S. : here they became united with the il-
lumined part, which they seemed to set into immediate
and violent motion ; at the same instant the S. S.W.
quarter was left in darkness, while the eastern glowed
in one brilliant mass of whirling aurora. Having called
to Mr. King, I ran to the needle, which was moving very
quickly to the eastward. It went from 0° 10' E. at
once to 2° 0' E., to 2° 15' E., to 3° 10' E., arch E. to
S. W. across the zenith : 2° 40' to 2° 05' E., beam S.W. :
2° 50', luminous in the south: 3° 10' E., arch E. to
S.W., motion S.W. to E. : 3° 00' to 3° 18', arch E. to
S.W. over zenith: 1° 55' E., arch in motion S.W. to
E. over zenith, 1° 30' E. : arch S.W. to N. E. across
zenith, 3° 25' E.: 2° 20' E., 3° 15' E., arch S.W to E.
over zenith, and another S.W. to S.E., at an angle of
80° : 3° 30' E. to 2° 10' E., 4° 00' E., 2° 15' E., arch
over zenith: 1° 55f E., motion S.W. to E. : 1° 20' E.,
2° 10' E., 1° 40' E., 2° 40' E., 1° 40' E., 4° 10', motion
W. to N.E. : 3° 30' E. to 3° 50' E., 2° 30' E., motion
due E. along the same arch: 0° 55' E., 1° 30' E.,
0° 35' E., 1° 50' E., 0° 30' E„ 1° 25' E., 0° 10' W.,
APPENDIX. 60(J
1° 15' E., 0° 05' E., 1° 28' E., a very irregular arch
S.W. to E., at an angle of 45° : 0° 20' E., 0° 40' W.,
oo° oo', i° 40' w., i° 40' w., i° oo' w., i° 50' w.,
1° 10' W., luminous appearances generally diffused in
patches : 0° 30' W., bright at W.S.W. : 1° 00' E., a
concentrated mass at the zenith, motion southerly to the
horizon : 0° 50' E., 00° 00', the mass travelling south :
0° 20' E., 0° 10' W., 0° 20' E., 0° 10' W., 0° 25' E.,
0° 08' W., 0° 20' E., 0° 28' W., faint, no motion :
0° 10' W., 0° 40' W., 0° 20' W., 0° 50' E., 1° 00' E.,
mass W.S.W. : 0° 50' E., when it was stationary five
seconds, and then moved slowly to 0° 40' E., 0° 50' E.,
stationary five seconds, 0° 30' E.? 0° 45' E., 0° 30' E.,
0° 50' E., luminous appearance S. S. E. : 0° 28' E.,
0° 12' W., luminous appearance from S. S.E. to E.S.E.,
at an angle of 15°: 0° 05' E., 0° 35' E., 0° 15' E.,
0° 40' E., 0° 50' E., 0° 40' E., 0° 55' E., 0° 40' E.,
1° 00' E., light appearances from W. to N. : overcast ;
0° 30' E., 0° 40' E., 0° 20' E., 0° 30' E., 0° 05' E.,
0° 25' E., 0° 20' E. Here I finished, and, on going out,
found the sky overcast, though some few stars were just
visible. The aurora was then so faint, that the feeble
light from a lantern with one pane of glass prevented
my seeing it ; but, as the needle was still in motion, I
naturally conceived there must be some cause for it, and
having concealed the light by placing the lantern
under my cloak, I could then barely make out a very
filmy arch at S.W., which, however, soon vanished.
The temperature outside was — 14°, inside — 4° ; calm
and overcast.
Time at beginning 16h 09 m 00s
ending 16 33 40
Interval 00 24 40
April 4th. — For the last three weeks the appearance
R R
(310 APPENDIX.
of the aurora has been faint, and with comparatively
little motion. The needle in consequence has been less
affected in the extent of the sum of its arcs, though, as
may be seen by a reference to the register, it has seldom
been completely stationary. Sometimes I have re-
marked a quick vibratory motion of unequal arcs during
the day, the extremes of which will be found to be
always noted in their proper columns; at others, a much
weaker action has been exerted, when the needle has
remained a few seconds at its extreme eastern or western
limit, then receded perhaps 10', advanced 5', and again
deflected beyond its zero : and, finally, there were times
when its motion was so slow, even, and regular, that a
hasty observer would undoubtedly consider it to have
been steady; though, by keeping the eye to the telescope,
it would be seen to alter its position 5' or 8', but, as I
have just remarked, with such an extremely gentle action,
that it might have easily escaped detection.
At 10h p.m. this day, I was struck by an unusual
brightness of the snow when I went out of the house,
and on turning round perceived that it was the effect
of a brilliant arch extending from the N. E. to the op-
posite horizon. The sky was of a pale blue, the stars
visible, but a thin veil of mist dimmed their brightness.
At 16h 24m 00s by chronometer the needle showed the
following differences : — From 1° 40' E. to 1° 30' E., arch
E. to S. W., across the zenith : 1° 38' E., 1° 45' E., con-
centrated mass at the zenith, and patches E. to S.W. :
1° 20' E., 1°45'E., bright at E.S.E. : 1° 55' E.,
1° 51' E.. arch E. to zenith: 1° 30', arch E. to W. at
an angle of 10° (southerly) : 1° 30' E., 1° 45' E., corona
at the zenith : 1° 40' E., convolving circular mass at E.,
1° 30' E., mass travelling S.W. : 1° 40' E,, steady for a
few seconds, bands generally diffused: 1°50' E., bright to
APPENDIX. 611
the eastward : 2° 00' E., 2° 05' E., slight motion S. W.
to E. : 2° 25' E., serpentine motion over the zenith :
brighter to the westward, 1° 30' E., 1° 40' E. : a waving
arch over the zenith E. to W., travelling S.W. at an
altitude of 45°, 2° 5' E. : motion S.W., a circular band,
1° 55' E. : N.W. bright, 1° 30' E., 1° 45' E. : an arch
from N.W. to S.W. at an angle of 40°, 1° 25' E.,
1° 40' E.: motion westward, 1° 20' E. : 1° 12' E., 1° 50'
E., an arch from N. E. to the zenith, 2° 15' E., 2° 0'
E., 2° 20' E. : mass westerly, 2° 0' E. : the needle now
became very tremulous, 1° 45' E., 1° 15 E. : mass faint
to the W., 1° 35' E., 1° 20' E., 1° 38' E., 1° 28' E.,
1° 42' E., 1° 25' E., 1° 35' E. : mass brightening to the
westward, 1° 10' E., 1° 20' E., 1° 02' E.: mass W.S.W.
to N., at an angle of 30°, 1° 12' E., 1° 08' E., 1° 45' E.,
1° 20' E., 1° 35' E., 1° 10' E., 1° 28' E., 0° 58' K,
1° 15' E., 0° 48' E., 0° 55' E., 0° 20' E. : a small patch
at S. E., 0° 15' E,, 0° 05' E., 0° 15' E., 0° 05' E.,
0° 20' E., 0° 04' W. : 0° 40' W., the sky was overcast ;
the little of the aurora that was discernible was very
faint and without motion: 0° 12' W., 0° 48' W., bands
at S. E. : 0° 10' W., generally diffused: 0° 05' W.,
0° 25' W., 0° 08' W., patches S.W and S.E. : 0° 50'
E., 0° 28' E., this last vibration was very slow, arch
passing from E.S.E. to W.S.W. across the zenith : 0° 10'
E., where it became steady, and the aurora faded away.
Time at beginning 16h 52m 20s
ending 16 24 00
Interval 28 20
Temperature of the air, + 5J°; of observatory, +17.
Sky, pale blue, misty ; weather, calm. I may mention
that the needle invariably moved easterly or westerly
some seconds before Mr. King could perceive any
change in the aurora ; and which frequently occasioned
me to call out, "I'm sure there must be something
rr2
()12 APPENDIX.
moving," " Look S.W." &c, and as frequently have I
had an answer, " There is nothing but a faint beam
S. W., E.," &c. ; which, in point of fact, was probably the
very cause of the excitement of the needle. I should
not have stated this daily occurrence,, except for the
purpose of showing the nice delicacy of the instrument,
and the difficulty the outside observer will always have
in detecting the first motion of the aurora.
November 7th. — The needle had been vibrating all
day until 7h p.m., when it became steady at 9h 45m : how-
ever, the whole sky was more or less covered with aurora,
in the form of beams, spiral and fringed bands, rays, and
brilliant masses, which latter flitted to the opposite ex-
tremes of W. S.W. and E. b. N. alternately, and not un-
frequently made tangential movements from near the
zenith to N. and S. ; a few streaky but extremely atten-
uated narrow clouds were in a position across the zenith,
and a black mass was slowly rising from the westward.
On visiting the needle, I found it in rapid motion from
2° 00' W. to 3° 40' W., to 4° 10' W., to 4° OCT W.,
a beam shot up from S.W. : 2° 30' W., flitting motion
E. and W. : a mass rose from the western horizon to 70°
altitude, 1° 50' W. : a bright mass westward, 2° 40'
W., which afterwards formed a fringed band from N. to
W. : arch from S. to zenith, 1° 50' W. : to 2° 30' W.,
beams from a luminous mass W. to zenith: 1° 40' W., a
bright beam S. : faint motion N. to W. : 2° 40' W.,
1° 3& W., 2° 40' W., aurora faint, slight motion S.W. :
1° 50' W. : mass W., 2° 30' W., 1° 50' W., 2° 10' W.,
1° 35' W., beam north: 2° 00' W., 1° 32' W., no
aurora westerly: 1° 30' W., 2° 10' W., a beam N. :
1° 40' W., 2° 00' W., 2° 40' W., a band E. to N. :
2° 00' W., to 2° 50' W., 3° 05' W., 2° 40' W., 3° 05'
W., an irregular fringed band from 10° to 20° altitude,
APPENDIX. 613
with a movement from E. to W. : 3° 05' W., faint :
2° 40' W., 3° 20' W., pencilled rays at E.b.N., motion
E. and W. alternately : 3° 00' W., 2° 50' W., 2° 20'
W., 2° 45' W., bright at N. : 2° 30' W., 2° 55' W.,
2° 35' W., 3° 00' W., 2° 50' W., to 3° 00' W., a bright
band from E. to N. stationary, become faint : 2° 35' W.,
motion E. to N. : 2° 40' W., 2° 30' W., needle steady :
a faint band E. N.E. to E., moving slowly between
2° 30' W., and 3° 00' W. : a small band at E., at an
angle of 15°, 2° 40' W.5 2° 22' W., 2° 30' W. : a cloud
from W. gradually obscured the band, 2° 00' W.,
1° 50' W., 2° 05' W., 1° 48' W., 2° 00' W., 1° 45'
W., 1° 52' W., 1° 40' W., needle tremulous : 1° 30' W.,
E.b.N. to N.E., at an angle of 15° only : a patch N. E.
on blue sky, 1° 25' W., 1° 10' W., stationary at 1° 05'
W., band disappeared. The stars were bright in the
clear spaces, but not visible in the aurora.
Time at beginning 15h 57m 05s
ending 16 19 00
Interval 21 55
Thermometer, observatory, +26°, air, +27°. Wind
S.W. 5. At 16h 40m 00s the sky was overcast, no stars,
but eight luminous spots were seen at N., at an angle of
15°, and a luminous horizon at W.S.W.
November 21st. — The needle had been steady the
greater part of the day, and at 10h p.m. it was 0° 12' E.
At midnight the coruscations presented a beautiful ap-
pearance of concentric pencilled wreaths, convolving
near the zenith ; while fringed and undulating bands,
composed of innumerable small rays, flitted from W.b.N.
to E. At the last point they would sometimes con-
centrate into one brilliant radiating mass, and in an
instant shoot out into multiform and eccentric shapes
towards the zenith, while vivid rays of a perceptible
It R S
614
APPENDIX.
deep red and yellow colour danced in spiral lines to the
opposite horizon. On going to the observatory, the
needle was in active motion ; I found it at 0° 30' W.,
the principal mass of aurora being also in that quarter ;
the motion of some rays at the time being from W. to
E. It successively changed from 0° 30' W., to 0° 50'
W., to 0° 1 5' W. : a bright irregular arch from W. to
zenith, 0° 50' W: many rays and flashes at E., 1° 0'
W. to 0° 30' W., to 1° 10' W. : a bright mass at W., but
without motion, 1° 40' W. to 1° 45' W. : mass in motion
from W. to zenith, 1° 0' W., to 1° 30' W. : a faint ir-
regularly fringed arch, extending from E. across the
zenith to S.W., 0° 40' W. to 1° 25' W., to 0° 52' W. :
a faint mass without motion from W. to S.W., 0° 45'
W., 1° 05' W. : concentric arches from W. to zenith,
0° 35' W., 0° 50' W., to 0° 30' W. : a faint irregular
mass from W. to S. W., 0° 30' W., to 0° 55' W.,
0° 40' W., 0° 55' W., to 0° 40' W., 0° 55' W., and
rested at 0° 40' W.
Time at beginning 18h 07m 00s
■ ending 18 14 30
Interval 7 30
APPENDIX. 615
Thermometer, observatory, +22°, air, +25°; wind,
S.W. 6; weather clear, moon visible.
December 3d. — The needle had been steady all day,
and at 7h p.m. it it was 0° 08' E. At 10h p.m. there
was a bright display of the aurora in the form of un-
dulating bands, composed principally of connected rays,
and many beams as well as flashes were plentifully dis-
persed. The needle moved from 20' W., to 1° 00'
W., rays over the zenith : to 0° 20' W., motion W. to
E. : 0° 15' E., to 0° 05' E., to 0° 30' E., to 0° 00',
mass W. to E. : an arch over zenith, 0° 22' E. : a ser-
pentine arch over zenith, 0° 28' E., 0° 00' : a bright
band over zenith, 0° 15' E. to 0° 12' W. : some bright
beams from W., 0° 20' W. : mass W. to E., 0° 00
to 0° 25' W. : needle steady at 0° 20' W. : bright at
extremes of band W. and E., 0° 55' W. : bright at W.,
1° 20' W.: rays flitting from W. to N., 1° 30' W. :
bright mass from W. to N., 1° 25' W. to 0° 56' W. :
beams in active motion all round, and bright at W.
1° 15' W., serpentine arch over zenith : mass from N.
towards zenith at an angle of 60°, 0° 30' W. to 1° 00'
W. : motion W. to E., and E. to W., 0° 20' W. to
0° 45' W. : motion W. to E., 0° 55' W. : bright mass at
E., 0° 25' W. to 0° 50' W. : motion W. to E., 0° 38'
W., to 1° 00' W., to 0° 35' W., to 0° 55' W. : bright
rays N.W., 1° 20' W. : arch W. to S., 0° 55' W. to
1° 10' W., to 0° 45' W. : arch W. to S.E. over zenith,
0° 42' W. : bright mass at E., 0° 40' W., 0° 32' W.,
to 0° 45' W. : generally diffused, steady at 2° 40' W.
Time at beginning 16 09m 00s
en
ding 16 21 30
In terval 12 30
Thermometer, observatory, — 27°5 air, —38°. Weather,
calm and fine.
RR 4
616 APPENDIX.
December 18th. — At 10h p.;m., on going to the
needle, which, from its having been steady at zero at 4h
p.m., and at 0° 10' W. at 7h p.m., I expected to find
at zero again, I was surprised to observe, on the con-
trary, that it was at 1° 50' W., from which it moved to
1° 25' W., and then continued to vibrate gently between
that and 1° 35' W. The sky was perfectly clear, with
the exception of a horizontal light cloud due N., but
which had not the appearance of those dark grey or
light filmy clouds, that seemed on certain occasions
to influence the needle. The moon was bright, and as I
had, according to custom , looked carefully for aurora
without detecting any, before entering the observ-
atory, I was the more puzzled to account for such an
eccentric movement in the needle, without any apparent
disturbing cause. At the moment it occurred to me,
that the clear shining of the moon, which was at N. E.,
and the fineness of the night altogether might prevent
me from distinguishing any rays or beams that might
nevertheless be flitting about. I therefore looked again
from different points around the observatory, but without
perceiving the least vestige of aurora, and consequently
thought it might be attributable to the continuance of
the westerly wind ; for during its prevalence, for three
days past, the needle had shown a disposition to keep
to that quarter : but on getting in the dark shade of the
house on my return, I immediately saw two reddish rays
and a long slender beam at S.W. projecting towards the
zenith, neither of which was visible in the moonlight or
out of the shade. This appeared to answer for the deflec-
tion, of the needle, and to give some clue to its frequent
disturbance during the day, as has been already noticed.
December 21st. — The needle had been moving al-
most all day, the weather extremely cold to the sensa-
tion owing to a fresh breeze from S.W., attended by a
APPENDIX. 617
gloomy and misty atmosphere. There was more or
less aurora at 7h p.m., and 10h, but at midnight it exhi-
bited one of the most brilliant appearances I ever re-
member to have witnessed, displaying at the same time
a remarkably deep /a^T-coloured tinge, that became gra-
duated into orange and faint yellow, which seemed to
vanish into pale white.
To give any thing like a correct idea of phenomena
perpetually altering their form, and presenting several
striking appearances at the same instant of time, must
be difficult, though perhaps it may be requisite to state
that there were two connecting points at E. and W.b.S.,
from and to which the great current flowed in various
shaped arches, fringed and irregular, or composed
of rays, or beams, or streaming in a quick and regular
flow, or moving in spirals, or, lastly, thrown into col-
lateral parts, which of a sudden would dart at a tangent
towards the northern or southern horizon, become dis-
persed into separate, and to the eye unconnected parts,
and then with the speed of thought concentrate once
more at W. and E.
The needle I found moving with a velocity which must
have taken it against the sides of the instrument, had
not a counter-influence in the rapid and eccentric tracks
of the aurora prevented it. It went from 0° 30/ E. to
1° 00' E., to 0° 40' E., 1° 00' W., 0° 00' to 0° 40' W. ;
bright at W. 0° 5' W. ; motion at W., 0° 20' E. ;
moving N. from W., 0° 00' ; motion across the zenith
from W. to E., 0° 30' W., 0° 00' ; bright bands from
W. to E., 0° 40' E., 0° 15' W.; motion westerly,
0° 20' E., 0° 30' W., 0° 3(y E. 0° 10' W. : motion W.
to E., 0° 20' E., 0° 5' E., dead stojj, 0° 55' E., 0° 10' E.,
0° 30' E., 0° 8' W.: motion N.W.N, to E. 0° 38' E.,
0° 5' W., 0° 30' E., 0° 0', 0° 35' E., a waving arch
over zenith. Spiral beams from E.'to W., and laterally
618 APPENDIX.
to the northern and southern horizons, 0° 10' E. to
0° 20' W., 0° 32' W., 0° 05' W., 0° 20' W., 0° 32'
W., 0° 20' W., 0° 40' W., 1° 00' W.: motion W. :
0° 55' W., 0° 10' W., 0° 40' W., 0° 20' W. : bright
at W. and N., 0° 15' W. : motion W. to E., 1° 00' W.,
0° 35' W., 1° 00' W. : motion W., 0° 15' W. : motion
E. to W. 0° 55' W. : a flitting motion over the zenith
to E., 0° 20' W., 0° 50' W. : motion N., 0° 20' W.,
0° 48' W.5 0° 20' W., 0° 55' W. : rays W., 0° 4tf W ,
0° 55' W. : motion W. to E., 0° 18' W., 0° 20' W.,
0° 10' W. : motion W. to N., 0° 30' W.: no motion
perceptible, 0° 05' E., 0° 05' W., 0° 05 E., 0° 10' W. :
bright at W., 0° 02 E., 0° 32' W. : motion at W., 0° 10'
W., 0° 25' W., 0° 10' W., 0° 15' W., 0° 10' W.
Time at beginning 18h 10m 00s
ending 18 26 00
Interval 16 00
Thermometer, observatory — ^36°, air, — 46°, calm and
clear; moon bright, and a dark blue sky. Aurora
apparently low.
December 22d. — The day had been cold and misty,
and the needle was more or less agitated, having been
steady but twice. At 10h p. m. the aurora was bright
even through the mist, and was generally diffused N.,
S., E., and W., though bands of quickly moving rays
were travelling westerly at the time I was entering the
observatory. The needle was vibrating from 3° 30' W.
to 4° 40' W. : aurora became concentrated, with a
southerly motion, 3° 55f W., 4° 00' W. : an irregular
mass in motion from S. to W., and a thick mist came
on, 3° 10' W. : mass seen through the mist at E., 3° 30'
W. : a faint band with rays from S.E. to W., at an
angle of 60°, passing southerly, 3° 00' W. : a band N.W.
to E., 2° 40' E. : motion S. to W., 2° 50' W., 2° 20' W.,
APPENDIX.
619
1° 55f W.: faint S.W. to W., 1° 55' W., 1° 20' W.,
1° 30' W-, 1° 10' W., 0° 05' W. : a band N.W. to
N.E., 0° 15' W. : faint appearance at S., 0° 00', 0° 20'
W., 0° 20' W. The aurora was again brightening
when, from my fingers being nearly frozen, I was obliged
to leave off.
Time at beginning 16h 15m 30s
ending
16 24 00
8 30
Interval
Thermometer, observatory, — 44°, air, — 52°. Calm
and misty.
December 23d. — There had been aurora all the
evening, and at 10h p.m. the needle was in slight motion
at 0° 40' W. At midnight the aurora was generally
diffused ; the principal stream being at E., and extend-
ing almost across the zenith to W.b.S. It flowed in
three distinct bands, which separated or forked into
three others, whose faint extremities expanded 20°, and
were there joined by an irregular band of rays that com-
pleted the semicircle. The needle moved from 1° 40'
620
APPENDIX.
W. to 2° 20' W.: bright at S.W., 1° 55'W., 2° 15'W.,
1° 58' W. : motion W.N.W. to S.E., 2° 12' W., W.'
1° 55' W., 2° 10' W. : faint mass at S.W., 1° 57' W.'
2° 05' W., 1° 50' W.: spiral band N.E. to E., 2° 00'
W., 1° 55' W., 1° 58' W., IMS' W., 1°55'W.,
1° 48' W., 1° 55' W. : motion N. to E., 1° 48' W.,
1° 55' W., 1° 48' W.
Time at beginning 17h 59m 00s
ending 18 03 30
Interval 4 30
Temperature, observatory, — 49°, air, —58°. Calm,
blue sky, and misty.
December 25th. — At 9h a.m. the needle was vibrat-
ing in the same manner as when the aurora was
present ; and the sky was clear, except an arch of very
streaky and filmy clouds which extended from W.
across the zenith to E. The resemblance to the corus-
cations was perfect, but I could not detect any motion ;
yet the needle indicated such ; for it varied in the read-
ings between 0° 30' E. and 0° 55' E. At noon a
light mass of cloud remained at E.b.S. ; the sun was
APPENDIX. 621
bright, about 3° SO7 high, and a light breeze prevailed
from E. S. E. ; still the needle was moving between
1° 1C/ E. and 1° 30' E. Thermometer, observatory,
— 33J°, air, — 37°, sun, — 36.
January 15th. — There was a calm nearly all day,
the weather sometimes clear, sometimes overcast, and
the needle had been found always vibrating slowly and
unequally. At 10h p.m. the moon bore E., and was
dimly seen through the grey haze that overcast the sky :
I found the needle moving at 1° 00' E., and immedi-
ately ran out, but could not detect any aurora, except
by a softened flaky appearance for a moment at S.E.,
at an angle of about 45° ; on my return, the needle was
still vibrating at 1° 20' E., from which it went at once to
7° 50' E., the farthest I ever saw ; it then returned to
6° 40' E., to 6° 00' E., to 6° 20' E., to 4° 50' E., to
5° 00' E., to 1° 30' E., to 2° 25' E., to 1° 05' E., to
2° 00' E., to 1° 25' E., to 2° 55' E., to 2° 12' E., to
3° 00' E., to 2° 10' E., to 2° 00' E., to 1° 40' E., to
2° 12' E., to 0° 50' E., to 0° 30' W., to 0° 02' W., to
0° 20' W., to 0° 30' E., 0° 20' E., 1° 00' E., 0° 30' E.,
1° 20' E., 1° 05' E., 1° 15' E., 0° 50' E., 1° 02' E.,
0° 35' E., 0° 00', 0° 40', W., 1° 00' W., 0° 40' W.,
0° 30' W.
Time at beginning 16*» 09m 00s
ending 16 20 00
Interval 1 1 00
Thermometer, observatory, — ] 7°, air, —20°. Wind
N.E. Weather, overcast and hazy. The aurora was
bright before it was overcast.
February 1st. — The weather had been particularly
fine and clear all dav, though the needle had been either
slowly moving, or tremulous, or swagging, which I term
agitated. The sun was bright, and had the power to
622 APPENDIX.
make a difference of 36° between the thermometer at
the north and south sides of the observatory. At 7h
p.m. there was a faint diffusion of aurora, apparently
high, the needle was tremulous — 0° 02' W., but at 10h
p.m. the thermometer had sunk to — 50f°, and the aurora
presented the most brilliant appearance I ever saw at so
low a temperature : the main stream rose in a narrow
but vivid column at E.b.N., and after making a zig-zag
bend to E., pursued a direction to W. in an undulating
arch 70° N. ; but from the westward there were no less
than seven distinct parts of arcs, issuing from another
condensed column, of a dull red and orange mixed with
yellow. These arcs had an altitude from 20° to 50°,
stretching towards the S.E., where I observed several
bright rays : all of those E. and W. were more or less
tinged with the colour I have mentioned, but beyond, or
what I should denominate higher, were many white
filmy rays or bands. On examination I found the
needle strangely acted on, which was shown by the
quickness and sudden checks or dead stops it exhibited,
according to the current and counter-current of the pre-
valent band or stream. One fact I was glad to ascertain,
viz. that the marked end of the needle was at 1° 20' W.,
when the most powerfully concentrated aurora was at
E.b.N. and E.b.S., both rising into arcs, the former
(northerly) to W. at an angle of 60°, the latter
(southerly) faintly to S.W. Finding that the needle
only vibrated at different arcs between 0° 50' and 1° 20'
W., I went out to watch the motion of the aurora, when
it underwent transitions of form, from streaming arches
to spirals, zig-zag'd, convoluted, and indescribable bands
of rays, and beams altogether so eccentric and beautiful,
as to exceed the visions of the most exuberant imagin-
ation. Coronas were frequent, and as every part was in
rapid motion, it will be readily conceived to be no easy
APPENDIX. 623
task to decide on the correct one ; and all that was
evident to me, may be simply called two currents in
direct opposition, sometimes along double bands or
arches, and as often existing in a single arch, though in
the latter case I remarked that the paramount motion, if
from the westward, for instance, did not cease until it had
passed the zenith of its arc, and was encountered and
borne away by a superior eastern current. In the midst
of these conflicting phenomena I ran to the needle, and
found it almost steady as regarded the minute, which
was 0° 45' W., but so tremulous (see-sawing perpen-
dicularly) that it dipped (by estimation) full 10' of
the graduated arc of the instrument. On going out
again the appearances had changed, but were still
brilliant, and more spread between E.b.N. and S.E.
The two currents, however, were still obvious, and
though the aurora was what I should say comparatively
high to what it had been on other occasions, yet it not
only excluded the stars, which it may be remarked
were previously particularly bright, but when visible it
made them appear to be at an immense distance. On
the other hand, their twinkling suffered only partially
from the interposition of the pale and flaky aurora
which was evidently much higher than the principal
streams ; and it may not be out of place to mention,
that had I been unacquainted with the locality, I should
have positively averred that I heard a whizzing noise
during the rapidity of the motion, but which noise I
knew was the faint murmur of Anderson's Fall in
the river to the N.W. On returning to the needle
it had moved to 0° 50' W., but was very tremulous,
which may lead to a supposition that the same effect
may be produced by a similar (though invisible) cause
during the day; I mean, counter-currents of aurora.
624 APPENDIX.
February 8th. — At 9^ a.m. the needle was at 0° 37'
E., agitated. The weather was clear with a cloudless
sky and bright sun, when at noon I found the needle
in rapid motion from 2° 10' E. to 2° 50' E., 2° 20' E.,
2° 50 E., 2° 20' E., 2° 40' E., 2° 10' E , 2° 00' E.,
2° 10' E., 2° 00' E., very slow to 2° 20' E., 2° 08' E„
2° 25' E., 2° 15' E., 2° 20' E., where it remained steady
five seconds, then moved again to 2° 25' E., 2° 20' E.,
2° 30' E., and slowly to 2° 28' E., quicker to 2° 35' E.,
2° 25' E., 2° 32' E., 2° 22' E., 2° 34' E., 2° 25' E.,
2° 42' E., 2° 26' E., 2° 38' E., 2° 20' E., 2° 32' E.,
2° 24' E., 2° 33" E., 2° 20' E., 2° 24' E., 2° 14' E.,
2° 20' E., 2° 05' E., 2° 12' E., 2° 04' E., 2° 16' E.,
2° 18' E., 2° 15 E., 2° 14' E., 2° 20' E., 2° 15' E.,
2° 20' E., 2° 18' E., 2° 22' E., where it kept still
moving, but very slowly.
Time at beginning 6h 10m 40s
ending 6 21 10
Interval 10 30
Temperature, observatory, — 9J°, air, -—1 1°, sun,
4- 23° ; nothing perceptible in the sky.
APPENDIX. 625
No. VIII.
MAGNETICAL OBSERVATIONS.
During the progress of the expedition every oppor-
tunity was embraced of making the magnetical observ-
ations requisite for the determination of the dip and of
the variation of the needle, and of the terrestrial mag-
netic intensity. At Fort Reliance, such observations
were repeated on several occasions ; and a series of ob-
servations was also instituted for determining the diurnal
variation of the needle, and for ascertaining how far
extraordinary changes in its direction might be attri-
butable to the influence of the Aurora Borealis.
These observations have been placed in the hands of
Professor Christie, who proposes discussing most of
them in a paper shortly to be laid before the Royal
Society. It will, therefore, be unnecessary here to
enter into their details. As, however, some of the im-
mediate results may be interesting, they are given in
the following tables.
The Dip and Variation of the Magnetic Needle.
The dip was determined by means of a small but
accurate dipping instrument, by Dollond, having a
S S
626 APPENDIX.
needle three inches in length, resting upon hollow
curved agates.
For the purpose of placing the instrument into the
magnetic meridian, there was an apparatus, consisting of
a cross piece, with a point and ball in the form of the
axis of the needle ; and on the point was placed a small
horizontal needle; and the instrument moved bodily
round (the index for the horizontal circle being placed
at zero), until the small needle was parallel 10 the
divided or vertical circle. The instrument was then
levelled in the usual manner ; but in case any accident
should have happened to the level, this operation could
be effected by the cross piece, before described, for
placing the instrument into the meridian; for, as it
acted upon the principle of the pendulum, the point
at the bottom of the ball would show, by the division on
the circle at 90°, the perpendicularity of the instrument,
or the correct horizontal motion.
The dip was found at Fort Reliance in the usual
manner, with needle No. 1., by taking the means of
several readings, with the face of the needle to the face
of the instrument, and with the face of the needle re-
versed, both with the face of the instrument east and
with its face west; similar observations being made
with the poles of the needle inverted : but in making
observations for the dip with the needle No. 2., its
poles were in no instance inverted.
If, then, we consider that the dip obtained with the
needle No. 1. is the correct dip at Fort Reliance, it is
evident that the dip deduced from the observations
there with the needle No. 2. will require a small cor-
rection, in consequence of its centre of gravity not coin-
ciding accurately with its axis ; and the result obtained
with this needle in all other cases will likewise require
APPENDIX.
62?
a correction, though not a constant one. Professor
Christie, however, who proposes reducing these observ-
ations, and likewise those which were made for deter-
mining the magnetic intensity, informs me, that for the
observations from Fort Reliance to the sea, the amount
of this correction will be small, seldom exceeding ten
minutes.
The dip of the needle at the several stations given
in Table I., is deduced by taking the mean of their
readings.
TABLE I.
Containing the observed Dip and Variation of the Magnetic Needle.
Place of
Observation.
Latitude,
North.
Longitude,
West.
Date of
Observ-
ation.
Dip.
0 /
Needle
employed.
Date of
Observation.
Variation.
o / "
0 ' a
1833.
No.
0 1 a
New York - -
40 42 07 74 01 15
April 1
73
14
2
*1825
* 1 30 48 W.
Montreal -
45 29 34i 73 42 27
April 19
77
49
2
Fort Alexander 50 36 49 96 21 25
June 10
79
20
2
.
*15 15 41 E.
Cumberld House|53 57 33
102 21 46
July 6
80
49
2
-
*19 14 21 E.
He a la Crosse 155 25 25
107 54 36
July 17
80
35
2
-
*23 19 20E.
Fort Chipewyan (58 42 32
111 19 00 July 31
81
52
2
*25 29 37 E.
Fort Resolution
61 10 26
113 45 00 Aug. 9
83
7
2
1833
37 20 E.
f
Oct. 9
Oct. 10
1834.
84
84
44
20
2
1
Fort Reliance -
62 46 29)109 00 39<(
May 21
84
33
2
May 22
83
42
1
35 19 E.
Mean
84
39
2
[mean.]
i^
Mean
84
1
1
1834
Musk Ox Rapid ;64 40 51
108 8 10 July 2
86
13
2
July 2
44 24 E.
Rock Rapid - \65 54 18
98 10 7 July 23
87
54
2
-
29 16 E.
Point Beaufort 67 41 24
95 2 16 July 31
88
13
2
July 31
6 00 W.
Montreal Island 67 47 27
95 18 15
Aug. 2
87
45
2
Au<?. 2. A.M.
2 43 E.
Aug. 2. P.M.
6 42 W.
Point Ogle - -
68 13 57
94 58 1
Aug. 12
89
26
2
Aug. 15. A. M.
— Noon
— P.M.
1 52 E.
3 30 W.
1 46 E.
* Variations in 1 825 by Sir J. Franklin ! —
At Fort Resolution the variation in 1825 was
Ditto, in 1820 . -
S S 2
29° 15' 09"
25^ 40' 47"
628 APPENDIX.
The variation was determined by means of a Kater's
compass made by Jones ; and, when used, great care was
taken to remove it from the proximity of any iron or
other metallic substance which might be supposed to
derange it.
Owing, I consider, to the great diminution of the
directive force acting on the horizontal needle, the
variation could not be determined with any degree of
certainty after we arrived at the mouth of the Thlew-
ee-choh ; but whether the differences in the variation
which I obtained at different times of the day were due
to sluggishness in the needle, or to an actual change in
the direction of the force acting upon the needle, to the
amount observed, I will not venture to say, though there
cannot be much doubt that the latter cause had some
influence.
The Diurnal Variation.
The diurnal changes in the direction of the needle
were determined with an instrument constructed by
Jones expressly for this expedition.
The instrument consisted of a rectangular brass box,
ten inches long, and two and a quarter wide ; with pieces
of plate glass at each end, and on the top ; and was per-
fectly air-tight. It had two levels, and stood on three
foot-screws, by means of which it was levelled. The
needle was 8| inches long; and could vibrate in an
arc of ten degrees on each side of the magnetic me-
ridian. It could be used either vibrating on a centre,
or by suspension, or both ; as a pillar, with the ne-
cessary apparatus for preventing torsion, screwed on
the top of the instrument. There was a small telescope,
quite independent of the instrument, for reading off the
APPENDIX, 629
variation ; and which had a motion concentric with the
graduated arcs, rendering it unnecessary to approach
the instrument too closely, and thus obviating many
inconveniences.
The instrument was placed on the solid stand in the
observatory described before. The observations of the
direction of the needle were made for seven succes-
sive days, in October 1833, from the 22d to the 28th of
the month, at every hour from 8 a.m. until midnight;
and similar observations were made in April 1834, from
the 23d of the month to the 29th, both days inclusive;
and again in October 1834, from the 22d to the 28th
inclusive.
The mean results of these observations are given in
Tables II., III., and IV.
From November 1833 to April 1834, both months in-
clusive, and again, from November 1834 to March 1835,
the direction of the needle was observed and registered
each day, at the hours of 8 and 9 in the morning, noon,
1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, afternoon.
The means of all the observations for each month (with-
out attributing any of the deviations to, or making any
correction for the appearance of, the Aurora Borealis)
are contained in Table V.; and Table VI. shows the num-
ber of times, during each month, that the needle was in
motion, whether tremulous or vibrating, at the several
hours of registering its direction ; together with the
number of times that the aurora was visible.
ss S
630
APPENDIX.
No. II. Showing the Mean (daily) Variation and Temperature observed at Fort Reli-
Seven
Month.
Year.
8h A.M.
October 22. to 28.
1 833.
47 08 e.
Tem.
9h A.M.
Tem. 10h a.m.
Tem.
llh A.M.
Tem.
+ c " +
5( ix. 25 64 27 51 e. 25 71
4 00 e. 126 14
Month.
October 22. to 28.
Year.
5h P.M.
Tem.
6h P.M.
Tem.
7h P.M.
Tem.
8^ P.M.
Tem.
1833.
t II
1 08 e.
+
25 88
/ II
1 34 w.
+
25 74
/ //
5 25 e.
+
25 64
0 00
+
25 561
Note. — At 9h a.m. the needle was generally agitated. At 10h it vibrated once. At llh
steady. At 5h once tremulous. At 6h twice tremulous. At 7h thrice tremulous. At
At midnight twice tremulous.
No. III. Showing the Mean Variation and Temperature, observed at Fort Reliance,
Month.
April 23. to 29.
Year.
8h A.M.
1834.
i a
27 43 e.
Tem.
9h A.M.
+
/ //
16 2l24 25 e.
Tem.
10h A.M.
Tem.
+
llh A.M.
' //
17 216 17e. 18 00 11 34 e.
Tem.
+
18 8
Month.
April 23. to 29.
Year. 5h p.m.
1834.
/ //
5 17 w.
Tem. 6h p.m.
' //
22 5
5 26 w. 22 40
Tem.
+
7h p.m. i Tem. 8h p.m
' //
+
/ ii
Tem.
3 26w.22 00 1 25w.22 00
Note. — At 8 h a.m. the needle was once moving. At 9h twice agitated. At 10h twice
At 3h steady. At 4h once agitated. At 5h once tremulous. At 6h twice agitated,
once vibrating. Midnight, moving twice. (Aurora visible only three times.)
No. IV. Showing the Mean Variation and Temperature, observed at Fort Reliance,
Month.
Year.
8*» A.M.
Tem.
9h A.M.
Tem.
10h a.m. j Tem.
llh a.m.
Tem.
+
14 50
October 22. to 28.
1834.
28 51 e.
+
12 93
19 51 e.
+
12 57
■ " \ +
11 OOe.113 86
1 II
5 51 e.
Month.
Year.
5'» p.m. Tem.
6h P.M.
Tem.
7h p.m. Tem. 8h p.m.
Tem.
October 22. to 28.
\ ' " + \ ' "
1834. 9 OOw. 16 93 9 17 w.
+ 1 ' "
16 851 8 51 w.
+ ' "
16 93 11 08 w.
+
17 03
•
Note. — At 10h A.m.
the needle was once in motion. At 11 h once. At noon twice. At
tremulous. At 9q twice in motion. At 10h
APPENDIX.
631
ance, for every Hour from 8 a.m. till Midnight, as indicated in the Table (for
Days).
Noon. I Tem. lh p.m.
Tem. 2h p.m.
I a
+
2 25e.|26 35
/ //
1 31w.
26 28
/ "
Tern.
+
3h p.m. Tem.
4 P.M.
_, Position of
Tem. j Needle.
/ //
+
i n
7 00 e. 126 40 0 00 26 361 4 34 e. 126 46| Suspended.
9h P.M.
/ //
4 43 e.
Tem.
10h P.M.
+
25 07
/ //
8 08 w.
Tem. I llh p.m. Tem.
12h p.m.
' n
+ +
25 03 7 43 w. 24 86]' 3 51 e.
Tem.
+
24 86
three times. At noon twice. At lh p.m. thrice. At 2h thrice.
8n twice tremulous. At 9h thrice. At 10* p.m. twice tremulous.
At 3h twice. At 4h
At llh twice affected.
for every Hour from 8 a.m. till Midnight, as indicated in the Table (for 7 Days).
Noon.
/ a
1 43 e.
Tem. lh p.m.
19 6 3 00 e.
Tem.
+
19 2
2h p.m.
Tem.
3h P.M.
Tem.
4h P.M.
/ //
Tem.
Position of
Needle.
t a + ' * + +
1 34w.20 00 4 26 w. 21 8 7 08w.!22 0 Suspended.
9h P.M.
/ //
Tem.
10h p.m. Tem.
llh PM.
Tem. 12H p.m. Tem.
/ ii
0 43w.|21 4| 0 00
/ u
' a
+ I +
20 5J 0 17w.|20 6 3 34w.l9 5
moving. At llh steady. At noon steady. At lhp.M. steady. At 2'1 once moving.
At 7h p.m. steady. At 8h once tremulous. At 9h steady. At 10h steady. Atll"
for every Hour from 8 a.m. till Midnight, as indicated in the Table (for 7 Days).
Noon.
Tem.
lh P.M.
Tem.
2h P.M.
Tem.
3h p.m.
Tem.
4h P.M.
Tem.
Position of
Needle.
/ ii
4 34 E.
+
15 10
2 25 e.
+
16 00
1 31 w.
+
16 43
/ ii
8 43 w.
+
17 11
' It
12 17 w.
+
17 03
Suspended.
9h P.M.
Tem.
10h P.M.
Tem.
llh p.m. Tem. 12h p.m.
Tem.
8 25 w.
T
16 86
/ It
5 00 e.
+
16 78
' " i +
5 15w. 16 60
7 34 w.
+
16 78
lh p.m. twice. At 2h once. At 3h twice. At 4h once tremulous,
once. At llh twice. At midnight once.
At 7h p.m. once
s s 4
632
APPENDIX.
No. V. Containing the Mean Variation and Temperature observed at
Month.
Year. 8h a.m. Tem.
9h A.M.
Tem.
Noon. Tem
I
Nov.
Dec.
January
Feb.
March
April
Nov.
Dec.
January
Feb.
March*
/ //
1833 40 24 e.
1833 52 44 e.
1834 39 36 e. 24 50
i ii
+
18 7 31 44 e. 18 7
+
6 4
29 23 e.
+
5 09
1834 46 55 e.
1834 32 30 e.
183446 37 e.
1834^8 12 e.
1834 24 52 e.
1835 22 27 e.
1835,32 23 e.
1835 24 26 e.
9 4
28 23 e. 23 90
32 32 e.
1 20 40 34 e,
+
10 50 36 24 e,
14 29 40 26 e.
29 90 33 44 e,
17 9 23 23 E.
23 2 25 47 e,
18 1
29 46 e.
9 0
1 00
+
11 06
+
14 41
29 9
18 3
23 7
17 7
' " +
2 32 e. 1 9 27
+
3 05 e. 5 08
6 46 e. 23
6 10 e.
8 29 e.
4 31 e.
11 25 e.
11 10 E.
3 00 e.
8 0
+
1 50
+
13 40
+
14 70
28 4
17 9
6 45 e. 21 9
1 53 e.
lh p.m. Tem.
' " +
4 24 w. 1 9 ]
+
2 33 e. | 6 00
2 17 E. 22 00
2 08 e. 17 30
+
6 17 e. 2 3C
+
0 53w.jl4 30
6 25 E.T5 38
0 25w.29 4
0 52 w.
3 42 e. 20 7
17 4
14 4 0 33 w.
13 2
| £h P.M.
Tem.
1 ' "
+
0 16 e.
19 37
+
1 04 e.
6 2
0 34 E.
22 1
2 53 e.
5 00
+
5 27 e.
3 00
+
0 20 e.
15 30
+
3 24 e.
15 55
0 15 w.
29 2
2 27 w.
17 2
0 53 e.
19 0
1 50 w.
12 5
* Only 18 Days in March.
No. VI. Showing the Number of Times the Needle was in Motion at the
registering Hours.
CO
CO
t»
CO
CO
CO
CO
O Oi
01
0>
o>
O
o
0>
o>
Ol
O)
0J
a
£
s
£
H
S
s
g
£
£
o —
H
P
H
H
H
H
h
H
jE
• H
£ fl
Month.
Year.
^ %*
^<M
■«H
5 CH
rs5*
* o
» •—
— <w
<£ ti_,
Stfc,
j.x
— o>
* o
s. o
c o
« O
«s o
SB o
« o
cC o
6.' O
c o> ~
°"^
< «!
< •
o .
0, .
a, .
e. .
6. ■
6, .
<- C C
_ o
_ o
o o
_ o
_ o
o
_ O
O
— o
.e d
£ss
3 "5
3o£<
*>£
££
fifc
oi£i
£>£
** fc
f-Z
y»
2*
<>
Nov.
1833
13
10
18
16
9
6
19
12
18
16
137
14
Dec.
1833
15
18
7
6
14
6
12
17
15
17
121
15
Jan.
1834
8
10
7
12
5
2
6
9
3
16
78
28
Feb.
1834
6
8
16
16
10
3
3
3
8
8
81
14
March
1834
10
15
13
17
15
8
13
11
13
15
122
19
April
1834
7
15
13
13
12
7
7
3
2
9
88
22
Nov.
1834
4
8
10
11
5
3
7
4
8
16
76
15
Dec.
1834
7
17
12
8
6
4
3
4
5
14
80
28
Jan.
1835
4
9
14
12
1
0
1
3
4
19
67
19
Feb.
1835
3
15
12
14
5
2
7
5
6
13
82
21
March
1835
1
9
3
4
1
1
3
2
4
6
34
10
Whole Nun
iber of
Vibra-
he re-
tion at t
i
1
spective 1
[ours
78
134
125'
129
83
42 |
81
73
86 1
149
APPENDIX.
633
Fort Reliance, from 8 a.m. to Midnight, as indicated in the Table.
3l»P.M.
Tem.
4h P.M.
Tem.
7h p.m.
Tem.
+
18 7
10h P.M.
Tem.
12h P.M.
Tem.
Position of
Needle.
/ //
0 32 w.
+
19 15
0
n
06 w.
+
19 3
i >i
6 06 e.
/ II
1 50 E.
+
18 6
/
4
//
38w.
+
18 00
Suspended.
0 38 w.
+
6 8
2
13 E.
-u
5 09
5 29 e.
+
5 00
0 07 e.
+
4 00
1
05w.
+
4 08
—
0 25 e.
22 00
1
19 E.
22 2
7 19 e.
21 9
1 09 e.
22 2
0
21 E.
22 50
—
0 55 e.
6 7
4
06 e.
5 20
7 35 e.
5 60
10 45 e.
5 90
6
12w.
6 30
^^^m
1 15 E.
+
4 30
0
31 E.
+
5 00
1 02 e.
+
4 90
6 21 e.
+
4 10
3
33w.
+
2 90
_
2 15 w.
+
16 50
3
20w.
+
16 70
1 08 w.
+
17 00
1 08 e.
+
15 50
1
45 w.
14 04
4 02 e.
+
15 48
5
13 E.
+
15 07
7 09 e.
+
14 85
7 13 e.
+
14 48
6
22 e.
+
14 25
—
1 58 e.!29 00
0
36 w.
29 00
0 05 E.
29 00
1 19w.
29 2
13
3lw.
29 4
—
2 48 w.
17 0
5
01 w.
17 1
2 llw.
17 3
2 07 w.
17 4
1
29w.
17 5
—
0 58 w.
18 6
4
57 w.
17 8 3 lOw.
18 3
11 49w.
19 6
4
40w.
20 3
—
2 23 w.
11 1
4
20 w.
10 40
1 10 w.
11 2
8 lOw.
12 7
5
53w.
14 5
. M
Altogether 3190 Observations.
634
APPENDIX.
No. IX.
A TABLE OF LATITUDES, LONGITUDES, AND
VARIATIONS.
The Longitudes deduced are from the Mean of Three Chronometers.
Date.
Latitude,
Longitude, by
Chronometer,
Variation.
Place of
North.
West.
Observation.
1833.
o
/ //
o
f H
O 1
Aug. 16
62
45 35
111
19 52
45 31 E.
Near the moun-
tain, north shore,
Great Slave Lake.
19
62
50 15
109
47 54
36 52 E.
Mouth of Hoar
Frost River.
22
63
23 46
108
08 16
36 00 E.
Lake Walmsley.
24
63
23 57
-
-
-
North end of Ar-
tillery Lake.
27
64
24 13
108
28 53
36 56 E.
Sand Hill Bay.
Sept. 1
64
40 51
108
08 10
44 24 E.
Musk Ox Rapid.
6
62
53 26
108
28 24
-
South end of Ar-
tillery Lake.
62
46 29
109
00 38-9
35 19 E.
Means of several sets
1834.
at Fort Reliance.
July 13
65
28 21
106
54 01
-
Near Lake Beechy.
15
65
14 44
106
00 53
39 12 E.
North end of cas-
cades.
17
65
09 12
103
33 08
30 06 E.
On island.
19
65
53 10
-
-
-
Lake Pelly.
20
65
48 04
99
40 46
29 38 E.
Lake Garry.
23
65
54 18
98
10 07
29 16 E.
Rock Rapid.
26
66
06 24
r
By sun's bear-
Mount Meadow-
bank.
| Near the mouth
29
61
07 31
94
39 45-
ing at noon
8 30 W.
V of Thlew-ee-
J choh.
30
61
20 31
94
28 14
.. —
Sir G. Cockburn's
Bay.
31
61
41 24
95
02 16
6 00 W.
Point Beaufort.
Aug. 2
61
47 27
95
18 15-T
2 43 E. a.m.
6 42 W. p.m.
J- Montreal Island.
15
68
13 57
■ 94
58 01 |
1 52 E. a.m.
1 46 W. p.m.
| Point Ogle.
APPENDIX. 6SJ
No. X.
Hudson's Bay House,
London, 22d Oct. 1833.
Angus Bethune, Esq,
Chief Factor, fyc. fyc.
Sault St. Mary's.
Sir,
I am directed by the Governor and Committee to
acquaint you, that the packet by which this is sent will
be forwarded to your address in duplicate ; one copy, via
Montreal, to be transmitted from post to post by the
Grand River, and the other by the American mail, to
the care of the commanding officer of the garrison at
St. Mary's. It contains letters for Captain Back, ap-
prising him of the arrival of Capt. Ross in England;
and it is of great importance that he should receive
this information before his departure from his winter
quarters.
I am therefore to request, that the copy which first
reaches you be sent on to the next post by a couple of
the most active men you can find, without the delay of
one day at St. Mary's; and that it be forwarded in like
manner, accompanied by this letter, with the utmost
expedition, from post to post, via Mishipicoton, the Pic,
Fort William, Lake La Pluie, via Riviere aux Roseau to
Red River, thence to Fort Pelly, Carlton, Isle a la
Crosse, Athabasca, and Great Slave Lake, until it
reaches its destination ; where, if due expedition be
observed, it ought to arrive early in April.
636 APPENDIX.
The Governor and Committee further direct, that the
officers at the different posts do not, on any pretence
whatever, detain the packet ; and desire that the date of
the arrival at and departure from each post, signed by
the officer in charge, be endorsed on the back hereof;
and also, that the messengers from each post be in-
structed to proceed to the next, without attending to
any directions they may receive to the contrary, from
persons they may meet en route.
And when the second copy of this packet gets to hand
at the Sault, let it be forwarded in like manner.
I am, Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servant,
W. SMITH,
Secretary.
Received at the Pic on the 7th of February, 1834, at 8 o'clock p.m.
Thomas M. Murray, C. T. H. B. Com.
Left the Pic on the 8th of February, at 6 o'clock a.m.
Thomas M. Murray.
Received at Long Lake on the 13th of February, 1834, at 11 o'clock
v. M.
Peter M'JTenzie, Clerk H. B. Co.
Left Long Lake on the 14th of February at 5 o'clock a.m.
Peter M'Kenzie.
Received at Lake Nipigon on the 16th of February, 1834, at 10
o'clock p. M.
John Stvanslon, Clerk, H. H. B. Co.
Left Lake Nipigon on the 17th of February, at 5 o'clock a.m.
John Swanston, Clerk H. H. B. Co.
Received at Fort William the 21st of February, 1834, at 11 o'clock
a.m., and left Fort William at 3 o'clock p.m. same date.
Donald M'Intosh, C T.
APPENDIX.
637
Received at Bois Blanc on the 25th of February, 1834, at 1 o'clock
p.m., and left Bois Blanc at 4 p.m., same day.
John M'Intosh, Clerk H. B. Co.
Received at Lac la Pluie on the 2d of March, 1834, at 6 a.m., and will
leave this at 7 a.m. the same date.
William Sinclair, Clerk.
Received at Carlton on the 2d of April, 1834, 11 o'clock a. m., and
will leave this at 1 o'clock noon, the same date.
J. P. Pruden, C. T.
Received at Fort Chipweyan 21st April, 1834, and will start at 3
o'clock on the 22d, a.m.
J. Charles, C. F.
Received.
Place.
Forwarded.
Name of Officer in Charge.
20th of Jan. at noon -
Sault, St. Mary's
21st of Jan.
H. Betbune.
29th of Jan. afternoon
Mishipicolm
30th of Jan. -
George Keith.
7th of Feb. at 8 p.m.
Pic
Fort William
8th of Feb. 6 A.M. -
Thomas M. Muray.
2d of March, at 6 a.m.
Lake la Pluie
2d of March, 7 a.m.
William Sinclair.
1 2th of March, at 2 p.m. -
Red River
13th of March, 6 a.m.
Alexander Christe.
25th of March, at 6 p.m.
Fort Pelly
26th of March, 6 a.m.
William Todd.
2d of April, at 11 a.m.
Carlton
2d of April, 1 at noon
J. P. Pruden.
Isle a la Crosse -
6th of April, 5 p.m.
R. M'Kenzie.
21st of April, at 4 p.m.
Athabasca
22d of April, 3 a.m.
John Charles.
29th of April, at 7 p.m.
Great Slave Lake
30th of April, 4 a.m.
J. M'Donell, Clerk.
638
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS
TO THE
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION,
Under the Command of Captain George Back, R. N., in
search of Captain Ross, R. N., and his People.
Grant from His Majesty's Government in aid
of the Expedition -
The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and
Corporation of the City of London
The Elder Brethren of the Corporation of the
Trinity House -
The Committee of the Subscribers to Lloyd's
The Honourable the East India Company
The Council of the Royal Geographical So-
ciety - - - -
The Council of the Royal Society
The Mayor and Corporation of Portsmouth -
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent -
His Grace the Duke of Northumberland
His Grace the Duke of Somerset
The Earl of Ripon -
Admiral Lord de Saumarez
The Earl of Hardwicke -
Lord Ashley -
The Earl of Caledon -
Earl Bathurst -•
The Lord Bishop of Durham
Lord Selsey -
Lord Bexley -
Lord Viscount Galway - -
Lady Galway - -
Lord Viscount Clive - * -
The Earl of Dartmouth -
The Marquis of Northampton
Lord Somerville - -
£
s.
d.
2000
0
0
105
0
0
100
0
0
105
0
0
100
0
0
50
0
0
113
12
0
10
10
0
20
0
0
100
0
0
50
0
0
50
0
0
20
0
0
25
0
0
5
0
0
25
0
0
10
0
0
20
0
0
10
0
0
10
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
20
0
0
20
0
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 639
The Lord Bishop of Cloyne
The Lord Bishop of Llandaff
Antrobus, Sir Edmund -
Attwood, Wolverly -
Aga, Selim - -
Athenaeum, Editor of the -
Ainsley, S. R., Esq. -
Austin, Capt. H., R. N. - -
Arrowsmith, J., Esq. -
Acland, Sir T. Dyke, Bart. - -
Angerstein, John, Esq. -
Adair, John, Esq. -
A. B., per Editor of the Sun
Arbuthnot, George, Esq. -
A Lady -
A Wellwisher - ...
A Lady, per Willis and Co. -
A Lady, per ditto - ^
A, L . - - - -
A Messenger in a Life Office
Anonymous (a Lady)
Allison, W., Esq. (of Tugwell)
Alsager, Mrs. (collected by her) ; paid by Capt.
Alsager, M. P.
Anonymous (through Horticultural Society) -
Booth, Sir Felix, Bart. -
Baillie, George, Esq. - - -
Baillie, Thomas, Esq. -
Back, Charles, Esq. -
Bowles, Capt. Wm., R. N.
Beaufoy, Henry, Esq. -
Beverley, Mrs. -
Beverley, C. J., Esq. - -
Baillie, Wm. H., Esq. - -
Brady, Lieut., R. N.
Brockedon, W., Esq. - -
Barrell, Capt., R. N.
Bedford, G., Esq. - -
Beechey, Capt., R. N.
Broke, Sir P., Bart. -
Beaufort, Capt., R. N. - *
Brazier, Capt., R. N.
£
s.
d.
3
0
0
5
0
0
25
0
0
10
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
10
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
20
0
0
25
0
0
25
0
0
10
0
0
o
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
2
2
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
5
0
0
11
0
0
0
10
0
00
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
52
10
0
3
0
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
0
5
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
—
5
0
0
1
1
0
640
SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Baron, N. J., Esq. - -
Bosanquet, The Hon. Mr. Justice
Brown, Thos. P., Esq. -
Bunnatt, Capt., R. N.
Barwis, W. H. B., Esq. -
Briggs, Samuel, Esq. -
Beverley, E. Parry, Esq. -
Bourchier, Charles, Esq. - -
Bromley, Lady Louisa - -
Bromley, the Reverend W. D. - .
Barrow, John, Esq. - -
Brine, Captain G., R. N. - - -
Boskett, John, Esq. -
Botfield, Thomas, Esq.
Backhouse, John, Esq. -
Bourchier, Captain Thomas
Birch, J., Esq. -
Beatty, Sir William -
Byron, Captain C. B., R. N.
Brine, Captain A., R. N. - -
Brine, The Reverend A. James
Blackeston, Captain T.
Barlow, Peter, Esq. - - -
Buller, John, Esq. - -
Biggs, Robert, Esq. -
Baynes, Lady - - -
Burgess, Miss Caroline -
Brenton, Captain E. P., R. N. (sundry Collections)
Baring, Thomas, Esq. - -
Buck, John, Esq. -
Browneker, John, Esq. -
Blackburn, Charles, Esq. -
Baber, T. H., Esq. -
Brown, Lieutenant James, R. N.
Bruce, Mr. W., Surgeon, R. N.
Butcher, Lieutenant Jonathan, R. N.
Buckler, Mr. W. -
Brooke, Sir Arthur de C.
Bremen, In honour of - -
Box and Son, Messrs. - -
Bourne, The Reverend R. B.
Blair, Mr. Lambert - -
Blair, James, Esq.
Blair, Mr. - - -
Bird, Lieutenant E. G. -
£
s.
d.
5
0
0
10
10
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
5
5
0
5
0
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
5
0
0
0
12
6
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
0
5
0
1
1
0
0
5
0
0
1
0
5
0
0
1
I
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
15
0
0
25
0
0
10
0
0
2
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION,
641
Bourne, William, Esq.
Belcher, Captain Edward, R. N.
Browne, Mr. (Chester Terrace)
Beverley, Mr. -
Cockburn, Admiral Sir George
Capel, Admiral Sir T. B.
Collard, F. W., Esq.
Cook, Mr.
Courier, Proprietors of the
Cook, Captain H., R. N.
Cains, or Cranes, Mr. Richard
Cumber, Mr. James, senior
Carr, Miss -
Cox, W. R., Esq.
Conran, J., Esq.
Crauford, W. P., Esq.
Cornan, Captain George
Clark, Captain, R. A.
Crosby, Mr. John, junior
Campbell, F. W., Esq.
Cannon, Lieutenant J., R. N.
Clifford, Sir Augustus
Cock, Simon, Esq.
Clowes, Mr.
Colquit, Captain, R. N.
Craggs, William, Esq.
Curzon, The Honourable Admiral Henry
Carr, H. B., Esq.
Colby, Colonel
Clay, William, Esq., M. P.
Carruthers, David, Esq.
CM.
C. T. B.
Chantry, F., Esq. -
Cotton, William, Esq.
Crighton, Mr. William
Clark, Daniel, Esq. -
C. W., The Reverend (Banwell)
Campion, Jeremiah, Esq.
Colquhoun, Captain, R. N.
Comeribrd, James, Esq.
Caley, Sir G.
Coulman, Mrs. (per William Spence, Esq.)
T T
£
s.
d.
1
0
0
1
1
0
10
0
0
12
6
0
20
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
5
5
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
5
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
10
0
0
5
5
0
0
5
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
4
3
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
642 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Coulman, Robert John, Esq. (per W. Spence, Esq.)
Coulman, Mrs. Robert John (ditto)
Dalrymple, Sir A. J., Baronet
Davis, M., Esq.
Douglas, Admiral J. E.
Davenport, Davies, Esq.
Duncan, The Honourable Captain Henry, R.N.
Drummond, Lieutenant, R. E.
Dawes, Peter, Commander, R. N«
Dundas, David, Esq.
Dixon, Charles, Esq.
Duffy, Colonel
D. H.
Douglas, Admiral James
Denham, Lieutenant, R. N. -
Dufour, James or Joseph, Esq.
Duff, Captain A., R. N.
Devaux, Charles, Esq.
Devis, The Reverend Mr.
Dowell, Mr. George, R. N. - - ■
Dean, H., Esq. -
Droop, J. A., Esq. - ...
Dalby, Captain -
Doran, Captain -
Dixons and Sons (remitted by)
Dixon, W., Esq. (Blackheath)
Drysdale, W. C, Esq.
Dundas, The Honourable Captain Henry
D. -
Enderby, C. H., Esq.
Effendi, Omar -
Everard, Mr. W. - - -
Edgworth, Miss A. -
Edmonds, John, Esq.
E. M.
Edgar, Thomas, Esq.
Edwards, Admiral S.
Edwards, Captain Richard
Edwards, Lieutenant S.
Enterprise (a Brother Sailor)
Ewart, Taylor, and Co., Messrs.
Edgworth, C. S., Esq.
E. S.
£
s.
d.
I 1
0
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
10
0
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
5
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
6
1
1
0
10
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
30
9
0
1
0
0
10
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
3
3
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 643
Elphenston, J. F., Esq.
Eccles, Mr. - - -
Exeter (Remainder of Subscription)
Elliott, Captain Thomas (Whitehaven)
Edgell, Captain, R. N.
Eley, Mrs. - -
Fletcher, Son, and Teurnal, Messrs.
Fletcher, Joseph, Esq. -
Frazer, Colonel Sir A.
Fane, Captain F. W., R. N.
Finnies, The Honourable W. Twisleton
Franklin, Captain Sir John, R. N.
Farraday, Michael, Esq. -
Forbes, J. H., Esq. -
Forbes, Captain Henry -
Fleming, Captain R. H., R. N.
Fuller, William, Esq.
Fowler, Captain, R. M.
F.J.
Five kind-hearted Children
Fisher, Captain Peter
Forbes, John, Esq. - "
Fisher, Captain, R. N. (Subscription from Yar-
mouth)
Grimble, William, Esq.
Gutzner, Lieutenant, R. A.
Grant, Alexander, Esq.
Gosse or Gape, Henry, Esq.
Garry, Nicholas, Esq.
Gray, Miss E. J.
Gray, Miss M. E.
Gandy, Edward, Esq.
Greer or Green, Lieutenant, R. N.
Gallop, G. J., Esq.
Gatskell, John, Esq.
Gray, F. A., Esq.
Gwilt, J., Esq.
Gillot, Mr. - " ■
Graham, Charles, Esq.
Greyhurst, Miss
Grindall, Captain H. E. P., R. N.
Gilbert, Mrs. M.
Gardner, Lieutenant James
T T 2
£
s.
d.
5
0
0
0
1
0
6
1
0
1
0
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
50
0
0
50
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
5
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
10
10
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
3
3
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
5
5
0
644
SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Gardner, Lieutenant James (Sundries by)
G. H.F.
Gordon, A. Durnford, Esq.
Gerningham, J., Esq.
Gladdish, William, Esq.
Gooby, The Reverend James
Gillespies and Co., Messrs.
Gurney, Hudson, Esq.
Greenwood, John, Esq.
Hotham, Admiral Sir William
Hotham, Admiral Sir Henry
Hay, R. W., Esq. -
Hooper, W. H., Esq.
Hibbert, Captain W.
Halford, The Reverend J.
Hoppner, Captain, R. N.
Humphrys, Robert, Esq.
Humphrys, Harry, Esq.
Hannay, James, Esq.
Hodson, Lieutenant-General John
Hardwick, John, Esq.
Holford, Robert, Esq.
Humphry, E. and S.
Hargood, Admiral Sir William
Humbert, T. J., Esq. -
Hockings, Captain Robert, R. N.
Hepburn, General Francis
H.
Henniker, The Honourable Captain and Mrs.
Hyett, W. H., Esq.
Hallewell, E. G., Esq.
Hammond, Sir G. E.
Hope, Captain H., R. N.
H. L. H.
Hollier, Richard, Esq.
Hugonon, Mrs. General
Hooker, Professor Dr. W. J.
Honeycroft, or Thornycroft, The Reverend C.
Hartford, Charles R., Esq.
Hobson, Joshua, Esq.
Hamilton, Miss M. A.
Hall, Colonel W.
Hare, Mr. Marcus, R. N.
Hare, Miss and Miss M. A.
£
s.
d.
3
7
6
5
0
0
20
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
10
10
0
21
0
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
20
0
0
20
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
20
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
I
1
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 640
Hillier, Commander W. C.
Hodgson, M. W. T., R. N.
Halket, John, Esq. -
Hall, The Reverend J. - -
Hall, The Rev. J. F. (Balance of Subscription)
Hamilton, Captain (of Craiglaws)
Hazard, John, and Co., Messrs.
Jackson, Captain -
Jerdin, W., Esq. -
Jones, R. S., Esq. -
Jameson, Joseph, Esq. -
Jackson, W. H., Esq. -
Jones, Lieutenant W. J., R. N.
Jones, Charles, Esq. -
J. L.
Inglis, Sir R. H., Baronet - -
Jervois, Captain -
Janson, Messrs. A., and Co. -
Jackson, Miss -
Jekyll, Captain John, R. N.
Journeymen Printers at Mills and Co.'s
Jackson, H. H., Esq.
J. B.
Keats, Admiral Sir Richard
K. T., or T. K.
KolounofF, M., fait a Paris par
Le Comte de Demidoff 200 f. (by Win. Spence, Esq.)
Madame Baudin 20 (ditto)
Monsieur Thernessen 26 (ditto)
Le Normand & Co. 5 Ex. 25 80 pour
Kerr, Neven, Esq. - -
Kater, Captain Henry, R. N.
Kingdom, John, Esq. -
Knight, W. P., Esq.
King, Admiral Sir Richard
Kidd, R. C, Esq. -
Kinloch, James, Esq. -
Luckcombe, M., Esq. -
Lindsay, The Honourable Hugh
Lane, The Reverend Charles
Light, Thomas, Esq. -
Lax, James, Esq. (Bristol)
T T 3
£
s.
d.
0
8
6
0
7
0
5
0
0
5
5
0
0
3
0
5
0
0
10
10
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
7
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
20
0
0
0
10
0
9
14
7
10
10
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
1
0
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
10
10
0
646 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Lee, Dr., F. R. S.
Lloyd, W. H., Esq.
Laforey, Admiral Sir Francis
Leake, William, Esq.
Larcom, Lieutenant, R. E.
Lambert, Charles, Esq.
Lambert, Collman, or C. Lambert
Long, The Reverend W.
Lambert, Admiral -
Lambert, Mrs.
Lambert, Mr. George
Longman and Co., Messrs.
Lay, Mrs. - -
Lemme, or Lucerne, T. L.
Lay, Miss and Miss J. -
Lihou, Captain, R. N.
Lean, Mr. John Samuel
Langdon, Captain J. -
Ladies (collected by)
Ditto (ditto)
Leake, William Martin, Esq.
Marsden, William, Esq.
Montefiore, Moses, Esq.
M'Culloch, Robert, Esq.
Mitchell, Henry, Esq.
Mangles, Captain J., R. N.
Magrath, E., Esq. -
Meek, John, Esq. -
Morris, C, junior, Esq.
Morris, Mrs. Charles
Morris, Miss -
Maconochie, Captain, R. N.
Michael, Lieutenant-Colonel E., R. A.
Maw, Lieutenant H. L., R. N.
Maraillier, Jacob, Esq.
Mangles, John, Esq.
Murphy, Lieutenant, R. E.
Mangles, Robert, Esq.
Martin, Josiah, Esq.
Martin, Captain W. F., R. N.
Manley, Admiral
Martin, Admiral Sir Thomas Byam
Murcheson, R. J., Esq.
M'Kinlay, Admiral
£
s.
d.
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
20
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
5
5
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
2
2
0
4
4
0
4
10
0
5
0
0
10
0
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
20
0
0
10
10
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
2
2
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 647
M'Kenzie, John, Esq.
Moore, John, Esq.
Mackenzie, The Right Honourable Holt
Martin, Sir Henry
Mudge, Captain, R. E.
Murdoch, Thomas
Martin, Captain T., R. N.
Martin, The Reverend William
Marshall, L. J., Esq.
Messiter, Mr.
Munstings, or Murrislings, Mrs.
M. E., or P. M. E.
Moresby, Mr.
Mitchell, Mr. W.
Michael, Miss Mary
Murray, John, Esq.
M'Donald, James, Esq.
M. E. (Shilling Subscriptions)
Maitland, Miss ...
Marsden, Mrs. (by Wm. Spence, Esq.)
Marsden, Mr. (ditto)
Marsden, Mr., junior (ditto)
Nicholson, Mr. Robert, Manchester
Nautical Magazine, Proprietors of the
Nicholson, Mr. -
Napier, Richard, Esq.
Napier, Mrs. -
Nettleship, Samuel, Esq.
Nettleship, Thomas, Esq.
Nicholson, G. T., Esq.
Newenham, Lieutenant J. P.
Nottige, W., Esq.
Newton, William, Esq.
Name unknown
Nicholson, Sir F.
Ogle, Admiral Sir Charles, Bart.
Otway, Admiral Sir R. W.
Owen, Admiral Sir E.
Outram, Dr., R. N.
Otty, The Reverend G. F.
Otto, Colonel
Ommanney, Sir Francis
Oliverson, Thomas, Esq.
T T 4
£
s.
d.
1
0
0
5
0
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
8
0
0
0
2
6
0
1
0
0
5
0
5
0
0
3
0
0
5
5
0
6
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
10
6
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
20
0
0
5
0
0
20
0
0
1
0
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
I
0.
0
1
0
0
8
6
0
5
0
0
648 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Oxford (collected by Ladies)
Old Windsor (ditto)
Paget, Admiral the Honourable Sir Charles
Parkinson and Fordham, Messrs.
Phillips, James, Esq.
Phillips, Henry, Esq.
Phillips, Thomas, Esq.
Palmer, Henry, Esq.
Pasley, Colonel C. W.
Putman, James, Esq.
Prowse, Captain W. J., R. N.
Prescott, Captain, R. N.
Pechell, Captain, R. N.
Pepys, Sir W. Waller
P. O.
Penrhyn, Edward, Esq.
Parry, Captain Sir Edward, R. N.
Purdy, Charles, Esq.
Perie, John, Esq.
Powell, J. C, Esq.
Pelham, or Pillman, Lieutenant W., R. N.
Prosser, E., Esq.
Pascoe, The Reverend Thomas
Packwood, Captain Joseph, R. N.
Prowse, Colonel G. B.
Pym, F., Esq. (by William Spence, Esq.)
Quickall, or Quicknall, E., Esq.
Quarantine Department, Milford
Ross, George, Esq.
Ross, George Clarke, Esq.
R. P.
Richardson, Dr. John
Ripley, Captain P. or J.
Robe, Captain, R. E.
Ramsden, Mr. Richard
Rumsey, Lacy, Esq.
Rubbergall, Mr. Thomas
Robinson, Henry, Esq.
Robinson, Edward, Esq.
Ross, Miss (per Admiral Lambert)
Raynardson, Miss J. -
Robarts, Messrs., and Co.
£
s.
d.
4
13
6
2
0
0
2
0
0
10
10
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
5
5
0
5
0
0
10
0
0
3
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
5
5
0
1
8
0
1
0
0
5
5
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
0
5
0
7
6
0
100
0
0
100
0
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
1
0
0
o
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.
649
£ s. d.
R.H. - - " ' ' \ ° °
Roy, The Reverend Doctor - - s 3 0
Roy, Richard, Esq. - *
R. G. P. (by William Spence, Esq.)
R. M. P. (ditto)
R. N. P. (ditto)
R. H. (ditto)
R. D. n in o
Reynolds, G. S., Esq.
Rolles, Admiral Robert
Rennell, T. T., Esq.
Ross, Sir. H. Dalrymple, Bart.
Robinson, Walter F., Esq.
Shaw, Sir James, Bart. - - ". ^ 0 0
Sturgeon, C, Esq. - son
Solley, R. H., Esq. - - o q 0
Spence, William, Esq. - - o 9 Q
Spence, Mrs. William - - 110
Spence, Master -
2 0 0
10 10 0
0 10 0
0 10 0
0 10 0
2 2 0
5 0 0
2 0 0
10 0 0
1 1 0
Smith, Captain J. B., R. N.
Sotheby, Captain, R. N.
Simmons, R., Esq. - 10 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
10 0
2 0 0
1 1 0
Stirling, William, Esq.
Stirling, Walter, Esq.
Solly, Mr.
Sharpe, Doctor or Daniel
Smith, Mrs.
Strachan, William, Esq.
Smyth, Captain - 5 5 0
2 2 0
1 0 0
5 0 0
1 1 0
1 1 0
Sutherland, Doctor
Scott, Admiral Sir George
Stuckey, P. or V., Esq.
Sotheby, William, Esq.
Stevens, George, Esq.
Scott, James, Esq. - o o n
Smith, Mr. - - " f 1 0
Smith, Mr. J. - " i i n
Smith, Mr. W. - - " "tin
Stone, Mr. William - - * J i 2
Spene, William, Esq. - - 5 « "
Scott, Mrs. Elizabeth (Canterbury) - - 5 " "
Shiffner, Captain - - " " , V n
Selwyn, The Reverend William - "
Smith, or South, Sir James - l
050
SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Sewell, Sir John -
Sykes, Captain A. N.
Stopford, Captain E., R. N.
Spence, Captain, R. N.
Stanley, The Reverend Edward
Stanley, Lieutenant Owen, R. N.
Saumarez, General Sir Thomas
Stapleton, Colonel John - -
Scott, Miss (of Thorp)
Shepherd, Captain William -
Smith, Samuel, Esq. -
Sundries, per Messrs. Stuckey and Co.
Snook, Mrs. -
Seddon, or Liddon, Lieutenant J. R., R. N.
Shepherd, George, Esq. -
Sattersthwait, J. C. (of the Lancaster Bank)
Swaffield, Joseph, Esq. -
Scott, Mr. - -
Sykes, Mrs. J. -
Seymour, Captain Sir George
Stapleton, Miss A. -
Sabine, Captain - -
Sundry small Subscriptions paid in by Captain
M. C.
Saffron Walden (collected by Ladies)
Sundry Subscriptions paid into the house of
Messrs. Spooner, Attwood, and Co., and no
names given -
Sundry Subscriptions paid into the house of
Messrs. Drummonds, by Mr. Ross, without
names
Trotter, Sir Coutts, Bart.
Thorburn, , Esq.
T. T.
Turner, Thomas, Esq.
Trevelyan, W. J., Esq.
Thornton, Captain S.
Tregear, V., Esq. R. N.
Townley, The Reverend Gale
That, or Thai, John, Esq. (St. Petersburgh)
Todd, Colonel James, E. I. C.
Taylor, Andrew, Esq.
Tudor, H. Dalison, Esq.
Thompson, Alderman, M. P.
£
s.
d.
3
3
0
5
0
0
I
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
10
6
1
1
0
2
8
0
2
2
0
0
5
0
0
10
0
n
9
0
5
0
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
0
12
0
3
0
0
23
10
6
53
1
0
25
0
0
1
1
0
10
0
0
5
0
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
3
3
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 651
T.M.-
Thompson, James, Esq. -
Thompson, C. J., Esq. -
Tucker, Lieutenant -
Tobin, Captain George - -
Thompson, Thomas, Esq. - - -
Twopenny, E., Esq. -
Tomlinson, Thomas, Esq. (by W. Spence Esq.)
Vincent, G. G., Esq. -
Vane, Colonel and Mrs. -
Vincent, G. G., Esq. (second subscription)
Warburton, Thomas, Esq.
Wyattville, Sir Jeffery -
Warburton, Doctor -
Willich, C. W., Esq.
Walford, Thomas, Esq. - -
Walford, A., Esq. -
Walford, Mrs. A.
Westby, Edmund, Esq. -
Wainwright, Lieutenant, R. N.
Willoughby, Captain Sir N. J.
Westrop, Lieutenant Berkeley, R. N.
Williams, The Reverend Doctor (Winchester) -
Washington, Lieutenant, R. N.
Walker, Lieutenant J. B., R. N.
Wormald, John, Esq. -
Wood, James, Esq. -
Wardlaw, Andrew C, Esq.
Williamson, Captain, R. N.
Wyatt, Henry - -
Willoughby, Sir Nesbet
Watts, Lieutenant R., R. N.
Williams, Doctor (by William Spence, Esq.) -
Williams, Mrs. (by Admiral Lambert)
Willis, Mr. Francis -
Wilson, L. P., Esq. -
Wheatley, Commander, R. N.
Worthington, Miss -
Winners at Cards -
Walker, Thomas, Esq. -
Warren, Mr. J. S.
Wrottesley, John, Esq. -
Wake, Miss C. -
£
s.
d.
1
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
3
3
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
0
10
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
3
3
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
5
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
0
0
0
10
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
£
s.
d.
5
5
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
652 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
W. A. - -
Williams, Mrs. (per R. W. Hay, Esq.)
Williams, Sir Thomas, G. C. B. -
W.W.-
Young, Murdo, Esq. -
Yarrall, William, Esq. - -
Young, William, Esq. -
Bath. Transmitted by James Hannay, Esq.
Richard Saummarez, Esq. -.
The Reverend W. Fremenhere
Joseph Wilkinson, Esq. - -
William Sutcliffe, Esq.
Less expense of Advertisements
Devonport. Transmitted by Walter Reid and Henry
Gandy, Esqrs.
Admiral Sir Manley Dixon
Captain Curry, of H. M. S. San Josef
T. Woodman, Esq., R. N.
Commander Hamilton, H. M. S. Comus
Commander Haydon
Lieutenant Haydon
Doctor Dunning -
Captain Wise, R. N.
Henry Gandy, Esq.
Walter Reid, Esq. -
Captain Manley H. Dixon, R. N.
Doctor Shepperd, Stonehouse
Anthony Brady, Esq., Plymouth
Several small Sums
Captain John Pearce, R. N.
Captain George Tincombe, R. N.
Mr. Couch, Dock Yard
Dum fries. Transmitted by John Commelin, Esq.
Alexander M'Culloch, Esq. - - - 10 10 0
Thomas Affleck - - - 0 2 6
Andrew Hunter - - - - 0 2 6
5 0
0
• 1 0
0
£4 0
0
and Henry
• 5 0
0
■ 1 0
0
■ 0 10
0
■ 0 10
0
■ 0 10
0
■ 0 10
0
■ 1 0
0
1 0
0
1 0
0
1 0
0
0 10
6
0 10
0
1 0
0
0 19
6
0 10
0
0 10
0
0 2
6
£16 2
6
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 653
£
s.
d.
H. R. Douglas
-
0
2
6
Andrew Mackinnell
.
0
2
6
James Robertson
-
0
2
6
A. Hannay -
i
m Fori
0
2
6
111
5
0
Edinburgh. Transmitted by Sir William
>es m
id (
?o.
George Forbes, Esq.
-
2
2
0
Adam Hay, Esq.
-
2
2
0
John Blair, Esq. -
-
1
1
0
John Mackay, Esq.
-
1
1
0
Miss C. T. -
-
1
1
0
A Lady -
-
0
5
0
Doctor Maclogan
-
1
1
0
James Mackenzie, Esq., W. S .
-
1
0
0
Miss Mackenzie - -
_
1
0
0
S. and C. Wood -
_
10
0
0
Lieutenant Campbell, R. N.
-
1
0
0
Lieutenant Hunn, R. N.
_
1
0
0
J. Stenhouse (per the Commercial Bank)
_
1
1
0
Edward Piper, Esq.
-
2
2
0
A Family in Caithness, per British
Linen
Company -
-
7
7
0
Alexander Cowan, Esq.
_
1
0
0
Eagle Henderson, Esq.
-
1
1
0
Trinity House, Leith
.
10
10
0
Captain Aitcheson, R. N.
-
3
0
0
A. Kirkcaldy (per Thomas Milles)
-
25
17
6
Anonymous (per Penny Post)
«
1
0
0
William Boyd, Esq.
H
1
1
0
Alexander Pearson, Esq.
-
2
2
0
Professor Forbes
-
1
0
0
Thomas Corrie, Esq.
*
3
3
0
Interest at 2 per cent.
£
0
2
0
82
19
6
Transmitted by Robert Allan and
Son - - £ 103 11 9
Subscriptions at Stranraer included
in the above and printed in this
List - - - 53 15 0
£49 16
N. B. — No list of subscriptions received. £ 30 9s.
subscribed at Dundee, probably included in this
,£49 16s. 9d.; but neither any list from thence.
654 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Cheltenham.
£ s. d.
Transmitted by Messrs. Pitt and Co. 42 2 0
N. B. — No list of subscriptions received.
Exeter. Transmitted by the Reverend William Scoresby.
John Neave, Esq. - - 2 2 0
Joseph Were, Esq. - - 1 1 0
S. Parr, Esq. - - - -110
John Milford, Esq. - - - 1 0 0
Samuel Barnes, Esq. - - 1 1 0
William Nation, Esq. - - 1 1 0
J. B. Cresswell, Esq. - - - 1 0 0
The Reverend William Scoresby - 1 0 0
A Well-wisher - - - - 1 0 0
Less expenses
Hull. Transmitted by William Spence, Esq.
Messrs. Joseph Sykes and Son
Thomas Jackson, Esq. (Ferriby)
John Smith, Esq. (Kirkella)
John Terry, Esq.
Edward Spence, Esq.
Thomas Rodmill, Esq.
Messrs. Buckington, WTilson, and Co.
Messrs. Holderness and Chilton
Simon Horner, Esq.
William Laverack, Esq.
Thomas Thomson (Humber Dock)
John Todd, Esq. (Wright Street)
John Craven, Esq.
William Walker (Warehouseman)
Mrs. Daniel Sykes
T. W. Palmer, Esq.
Dr. Chambers -
G. B. Lambert, Esq.
John Bennett, Esq.
J. T. Foord, Esq. -
Joseph Sanderson, Esq.
William Brownlow, Esq.
John Aitkin, Esq. -
£ 10
6
0
■ 0
6
0
£ 10
0
0
, Esq.
• 5
0
0
■ 5
0
0
■ 5
0
0
■ 5
0
0
■ 5
0
0
■ 2
0
0
■ 2
0
0
• 2
2
0
■ 2
0
0
. 1
0
0
1
0
0
■ 1
0
0
■ 1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
■ 1
0
0
• 0
10
0
• 0
10
0
■ 0
10
0
■ 0
10
0
• 0
10
0
■ 1
0
0
- 0
10
0
£44
2
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. 655
Glasgow. Transmitted by James Leechman^ Esq.
£ s. d.
Honourable James Ewing, Lord Provost and
M. P. for the City
James Martin, Esq. -
Hugh Cogan, Esq.
John Sommerville, Esq.
William Maclean, Esq.
James Hutchison, Esq.
Archibald Maclellan, Esq.
Very Reverend Principal Macfarlan
Sir D. K. Sandford
Henry Monteith of Carstairs, Esq.
James Smith of Jordanhill, Esq.
William Macdowall of Garthland, Esq.
Robert Napier, Esq., Civil Engineer
William Dunn, Esq. of Duntocher
Colin Campbell, Esq. (Possil)
James Nimmo, Esq.
John Wood, Esq. (Port Glasgow)
James Leechman, Esq.
William Leechman, Esq.
Thomas Edington, Esq.
Charles Hutcheson, Esq.
William Bennet, Esq. (Free Press Office)
William Meikleham, junior, Esq.
Archibald G. Lang, Esq.
Thomas Atkinson, Esq.
Matthew Brown, junior, Esq.
Professor Ramsay
David Chapman, Esq.
James Thompson, Esq.
Henry Miller, Esq.
Robert Bartholemew, Esq.
John Bartholemew, Esq.
Thomas Bartholemew, Esq.
Archibald G. Kielston, Esq.
Andrew Liddell, Esq.
Robert Douglas Alston, Esq.
Archibald Smith, Esq.
James Buchanan, Esq. (Queen Street)
James Finlay, Esq.
Robert Woodrow, Esq.
M. M. Patteson, Esq.
Alexander Fletcher, Esq.
10
10
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
10
0
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
3
3
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
656
SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
George Ross Wilsone, Esq.
John Crum, Esq. -
Walter Crum, Esq.
John Bryce, Esq.
George Buchanan, Esq., D. H.
Andrew Jamieson, Esq.
J. Gumprecht, Esq.
John Anderson, Esq.
Charles Stirling, Esq.
William Leckie Ewing, Esq.
David Ferguson, Esq.
The Reverend John Forbes
John Alston, Esq.
Walter Buchanan, Esq.
William Smith, Esq.
James Campbell, Esq. — J. C, Son, and Co.
James Brown, Esq.
W. G. Anderson, Esq.
George Hunter, Esq.
John Loudoun, Esq.
Robert Kinnier, Esq.
William Hamilton, Esq.
Archibald Bogle, Esq.
John Downie, Esq.
James Donaldson, Esq.
James Dennistoun, Esq.
Messrs. R. Dalgliesh, Falconer, and Co.
James Lumsden, Esq.
George Parker, Esq.
Richard Kidston, Esq.
Alexander Garden, Esq.
J. G. Watson, Esq.
Thomas Buchanan, Esq.
James Buchanan, Esq.
Allan Buchanan, Esq.
Robert Blackie, Esq.
J. A. Anderson, Esq.
Robert Stewart, Esq.
James Ellis, Esq.
William Hall, Esq. (Kilmarnook)
John Whitehead, Esq.
Mungo Campbell, Esq.
Peter Stewart, Esq.
Professor Mylne
William Wilson, Esq. (Ingram Street)
£
s.
d.
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
I
0
1
0
1 0
1 0
1 0
1 0
2
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
0
I
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.
657
£ s. d.
T. S. Thomson, Esq.
Doctor M. S. Buchanan
James Richardson, junior, Esq.
William Bennet, Esq. (Virginia Street)
George Warden, Esq.
William Mathieson, Esq.
Michael Rowand, Esq.
Thomas Dunlop Douglas, Esq.
George Scheviz, Esq.
John Smith, youngest, Esq.
Henry Paul, Esq.
Robert Hastie Lesmahagow
William Jamieson, Esq.
Mungo Campbell, junior, Esq.
John Jamieson, junior, Esq.
Matthew Alexander, Esq.
Alexander Graham, Esq.
William Middleton, Esq.
Alexander Wilson, Esq.
Professor Scoullar
Lord John Campbell
Doctor James Jaffray
Reverend P. Macmaster Gervan
Adam Wilson, Esq.
William Murray, Esq.
Andrew Johnston, Esq.
Alexander Morrison, Esq.
Doctor Phillip Whiteside, Ayr
Second Subscription.
Colin Dunlop, Esq.
Charles McIntosh, Esq.
George McIntosh, Esq.
Third Subscription.
Doctor A. J. Hannay
J. Hannay, Esq.
£, 203 16
Expenses of meeting, advertisements, &c. 11 11
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
2
2
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
2
2
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
0
0
-
1
0
-
2
2
0
-
2
0
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
-
1
0
£
193
8
0
5
o
0
-
2
2
0
-
1
1
0
1
I
0
0
0
0
0
6
£ 192 4 6
U U
658 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
Greenock. Transmitted by George Oughterson, Esq.
James Oughterson, Esq.
Quinton and James Leitch, Esqrs.
Robert Steel, Esq. -
William Macfie, Esq.
James Stuart, Esq. -
Robert Angus ...
Messrs. John Scott and Sons
Andrew Ramsay, Esq.
Messrs. Hunter, Oughterson, and Co.
Messrs. James Hunter and Co.
Robert Ewing, Esq. -
James Ritchie, Esq.
Adam M'Leish, Esq.
James Hunter, Esq.
James Watt, Esq. - -
Messrs. Robert and George Blair
William Simons, Esq.
John Gray, Esq. -
Maitland Young, Esq.
Thomas Farrie, Esq.
Houston Stewart, Esq.
George Noble, Esq. -
Ninian Hill, Esq. -
James Miller, Esq. -
Messrs. Alan Ker and Co.
Robert WTallace, Esq., M. P. for Greenock
The Reverend Thomas Brown (Innerkip)
Robert Jamieson, Esq. of Glasgow
Messrs. Bownlie, Buchanan, and Co.
Walter Bain, junior, Esq.
Mrs. Crooks (Leven)
Alexander Croal, Esq.
Thomas Nichol, Esq. -
David Heron, Esq. -
Roger Ayton, Esq.
John Campbell, Esq. (Kilblain)
£
s.
d.
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
2
2
0
5
5
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
3
3
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
1
1
0
5
5
0
5
5
0
3
3
0
3
3
0
0
10
6
0
10
6
0
10
6
1
1
0
1
1
0
j£130 14. 6
Additional - 4 12 6
a£l35 7 0
N. B. — £4 12s. 6d. received above the amount of
this List, but there is no means of accounting for it.
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.
659
Liverpool. Transmitted by Lord Viscount Sandon,
through Admiral Sir William Hotham, K.C.B.
£ s. d.
The Mayor - - ' " * n 0
Lord Viscount Sandon - - 10 0
James Aspinall. Esq. - -
Robertson Gladstone, Esq. - inn
Sir Thomas Branker - " inn
T. B. Horsfall, Esq. - - inn
H. R. Sandbach, Esq. - - 10 0
John Moss, Esq. - 10 0
Henry Moss, Esq. - inn
William Latham, Esq. - - " "
Arnold Harrison, Esq. - c\ c\
Thomas Tobin, Esq. - - o u
Charles Laurence, Esq. - "
Francis Shand, Esq. - "
Henry Stevenson, Esq. - - inn
William Jurrie, Esq. - " "
John Ewart, Esq. - inn
1 0 0
William Hadfield, Esq.
R. McAndrew, Esq.
William K. Ewart, Esq.
Harmood Banner, Esq.
Elias Arnaud, Esq.
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
0
J. Sandars, Esq. -
T» Tl _ -{JO
- 5 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 1 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 0 10 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
R. B.
A Friend, per J. C. Nicholson, Esq.
Mrs Jones -
C. S. Parker, Esq.
Richard Rathbone, Esq.
Thomas Booth, Esq.
Alexander McGregor, Esq.
M. D. Loundes, Esq.
Thomas Wilson, Esq.
John Woolwright, Esq.
D. C. Buchanan, Esq. - - " n in n
H. Garston, Esq. - - " " " "
R. A. Fletcher, Esq.
R. Aleson, Esq.
Richard Dobson, Esq.
H. Hargreaves, Esq.
S. Carson, Esq.
Thomas Langton, Esq.
G. McMinn, Esq.
U U c2
0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
660 SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
T. Fletcher, Esq.
John Machell, Esq.
Henry Ashton, Esq.
Edward Guffen, Esq.
Henry Wilson, Esq.
Mrs. James Dawson -
Robert Horsfall, Esq.
William Myers, Esq. -
William Comer, Esq.
John Taylor, Esq. -
Robert Preston, Esq.
William Waler, Esq.
Hardinan Earle, Esq.
William Joseph Myers, Esq.
Francis Haywood, Esq.
James Cocksholt, Esq.
R. B. B. Hollinshead, Esq.
Henry Harrison, Esq.
George Holt, Esq. -
Daniel Waterhouse, Esq.
Thomas Harrison, Esq.
James McGregor, Esq.
Arnold Littledale, Esq.
Stewart Gladstone, Esq.
Joseph Hornby, Esq.
Isaac Cooke, Esq. ...
Henry Robson, Esq.
Thomas Brocklebank, Esq.
J. B. Yates, Esq. -
William Potter, Esq.
John Hall, Esq. -
Joseph Langton, Esq.
James Gilnllim, Esq. -
James Hayworth, Esq.
Ormerod Hayworth, Esq.
William Rotheram, Esq.
George Grant, Esq.
William Brown, Esq.
Laurence Heyworth, Esq.
G. Brown Everton, Esq.
Samuel Bright, Esq.
John Cropper Everton, Esq.
W. Jemmett Brown, Esq.
W. F. Porter, Esq.
Duncan Gibb, Esq. - - 10 0
£
S.
d.
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
10
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
l
0
0
i
A
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION,
661
£ s. d.
Richard Harrison, Esq. - - Inn
William Nicol, Esq. - - { 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
. - 10 0
1 0 0
- 1 0 0
- 1 0 0
William Laird, Esq.
Thomas Leathom, Esq.
Nicholas Roskell, Esq.
William Dixon, Esq.
Thomas Bolton, Esq.
John Redgway, Esq.
William Jones, Esq.
William McCracken, Esq.
Henry Holmes, Esq.
John Holmes, Esq.
Samuel Hope, Esq.
Moses Edwards, Esq.
William Smith, Esq.
Ill 7 0
Less expenses - 113 0
£\m 14 0
(Signed) James Aspinall, Treasurer
Masham. By William Spence, Esq.
William Danby, Esq.
Timothy Hutton, Esq.
Samuel Wrather, Esq.
Captain Wrather
Miss Wrather
Miss E. Spence
2 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0
2 0 0
1 0 0
e£8 0 0
Newbury. Transmitted by F. Page and J. E. Winter-
bottom, Esqrs.
Charles Eyre, Esq. (Weford House)
C.J.
S. H.
John Pearse, Esq. (Chilton Lodge)
Frederick Page, Esq. (Goldwell)
J. E. Winterbottom, Esq. (Woodhay)
Collected - - "
P. Duncan, Esq. (New College, Oxford)
John Duncan, Esq. (Bath)
Charles Slocock, Esq. (Donington)
Henry Tull, junior, Esq. (Crookham)
1
0
0
0
2
6
0
2
6
1
1
0
3
0
0
3
0
0
0
15
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
66% SUBSCRIBERS TO THE
s€ s. d.
Richard Tull, Esq. (Ditto) - -10 0
Lieutenant Le Mesurier, R. N. - 0 10 0
Alfred Slocock, Esq. (Newbury) - - 1 0 0
Chatteris, Esq. (Newtown) - -10 0
J. B. - - - 0 10 0
Collected - - - 0 15 0
Miss Brinton - - - - 1 0 0
R. Compton, Esq. - - - 1 0 0
Collected by Ladies - - - 1 16 0
John Frederick Winterbottom, Esq. - - 1 0 0
Richard Townsend Winterbottom, Esq. - 10 0
Mrs. Winterbottom - - - 1 0 0
Miss Winterbottom - - - 1 1 0
Mrs. Page - - - - 2 0 0
*£27 13 0
Portsmouth. Transmitted by James Pinhorn, Esq., Se-
cretary to the late Admiral Sir Thomas Foley, G. C. B.
Colonel Sir Richard Williams, K. C. B. - 2 0 0
Major-General Sir Henry Worseley, K. C. B.,
rl. E. I. C. S.
S. Goodrich, Esq. -
Captain William Turner, R. N.
Captain Askew, R. N.
Rear- Admiral Sir T. L. Maitland
Edward Casher, Esq.
H. Deacon, Esq.
Lieutenant Godench, R. N.
Lord Colchester
Captain Robert Tait, H. M. S. Spartiate
The Countess of Northesk
- 5
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
- 5
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
- 0
12
0
- 5
0
0
- 1
0
0
- 1
0
0
a£24
12
0
Plymouth. Transmitted by James White, Esq.
In Single Shilling Subscriptions - - 14 14 0
In Shillings and Sixpences, in a Box placed at
Commercial Rooms, Plymouth, and afterwards
at Devonport - - - -0156
Miss Darracott - - - -0100
Captain Frazer, Revenue Service - - 0 5 0
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.
663
Lieutenant Sanhey, R. N.
Mr. May, Savings' Bank
Miss Ann Arthur
Less postage
£
s.
d.
- 0
2
6
- 0
2
6
- 0
2
6
£ 16
12
0
0
2
0
£16
10
0
Stranraer.
Transmitted through Messrs. Robert Allen
and Son, Hankers, Edinburgh.
Sir James Hay, of Park Place, Baronet
Andrew McDowall of Logan, Esq.
John Cathcart of Genoch, Esq.
Forbes H. Blair of Dunskey, Esq.
Edward Stewart, M. P.
The Reverend P. Ferguson (Inch)
Lieutenant-Colonel R. McDowall (Stranraer)
Doctor Ritchie (Challoch)
Captain Hutchison, R. N.
The Reverend David Wilson (Stranraer)
The Reverend William Kergoe (Newluse)
The Reverend William Rose (Kirkcolm)
Mr. Charles Morland (Stranraer)
Mr. Alexander McNeel (Ditto)
Mr. John Douglas (Ditto)
Mr. Robert Wilson (Ditto)
Mr. Alexander McDowall (Ditto)
Mr. William McKinnel (Ditto)
Mr. John Paterson (Ditto)
Mr. John Agnew (Ditto)
Mr. Simon Gartley (Ditto)
Mr. William Main (Ditto)
Mr. Andrew Irvine (Ditto)
10
10
0
10
10
0
5
£
0
5
5
0
2
2
0
3
3
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
10
0
■ 0
10
0
■ 0
5
0
£53
15
0
THE END.
London:
Printed by A. Spottiswoode,
New- Street • Square.
<:,>
'SSA>i>\
?■ y' W rLr\.w^W^.Wi
t
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11