Skip to main content

Full text of "Report of the Hudson's Bay Expedition, under the command of Lieut. A.R. Gordon, R.N., 1884"

See other formats


^^ 

—  LD 

CES^S 

=cn 

2= 

=  00 

C^^^ 

LO 

^  = 

=o 

C^^ 

— o 

•*" 

— o 

l/>== 

rr^^Bi 

^^" 

> 

— ^  .^— 

2—^ 

—  CD 

z>= 

=^l 

1 

"7* 

i 


Canaat..  Dept.  of  Marine  and 
Fisheries 

Report  of  "one  Huason's  Bay 
Expedition 


^•au^'.^w: 


■\^.. 


'-  i\K:-'  r 


REPORT 


OP    THE 


HUDSON'S  BAY 


UNDER  THE  COMMAND  OP 


LIEUT.  A.  R.  GORDON,  R.N  , 

1884. 


RKFORT 


OF    THE 


HUDSON'S    BAY    EXPEDITION, 

OMDHB   THB    COMMAND    OF 

LIEUT.  A.  R.  GORDON,  R.N., 

1884. 


Meteorological  Office,  Toronto. 

The  Honorable  A.  W.  McLelan, 

Minister  Marine  and  Fisheries, 
Ottawa. 

Sir, — I  have  honour  to  submit,  herewith,  my  report  on  the  conduct  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Expedition  of  this  year,  under  my  command. 

I  desire  to  acknowledge  the  cordial  assistance  and  co-operation  which  I  received 
from  Dr.  Bell,  who  was  appointed  as  medical  officer  and  geologist  to  the  expedition ; 
and  also  from  Mr.  W.  W.  Fox,  who  accompanied  the  expedition  as  a  volunteer.  Both 
Mr.  Fox  and  Dr.  Bell  took  large  numbers  of  photographs  of  the  various  posts  and 
the  scenery  of  the  coast.  Mr.  Fox  also  made  free-hand  sketches  ot  the  coast  profile, 
at  many  points,  for  me. 

Dr.  Bell's  report  forms  Appendix  A  to  this  Report. 

Appendix  B  is  a  series  ot  tables  showing  temperature,  &c.,  at  Fort  Chimo,  in 
Ungava  Bay,  taken  by  Mr.  Lucien  M.  Turner,  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service, 
which  he  has  favor^  us  with,  by  kind  permission  of  Greneral  Hazon,  the  chief  signal 
officer  of  the  United  States  army. 

Of  the  officers  and  men  forming  the  staff  of  the  expedition,  it  gives  me  much 
pleasure  to  report  that  they,  each  and  all,  performed  the  several  duties  assigned  to 
them  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner. 

The  Report  submitted  herewith  is  divided  into  the  following  sections: — 

1st.  Narrative. 

2nd.  Navigation — including  Ice,  Currents  and  Meteorological  Observations. 

3rd.  Resources  of  the  Region. 

4th.  Trade. 

6th.  Natural  History,  Inhabitants  and  Fauna. 

6th.  Proposed  Work  for  next  Year; 

Appendix  A.— Report  of  R.  Bell,  Esq.,  M.D.,  F.G.S. 

Appendix  B. — Observation,  at  Ungava  Bay,  by  L.  M.  Tamer,  Esq*,  United 
States  Signal  Service. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ANDREW  R.  GORDON,  Lieut.,  R.N., 

Commanding  JS,  B.  Expedition. 


f 


The  Honorable  A.  W.  McLelan, 

Minister  Marine  and  Fibheries, 
Ottawa. 

Sir, — I  have  the  honour  to  report,  relative  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Expedition,  that, 
in  accordance  with  your  letter  of  instructions,  dated  5th  July,  1  proceeded  to 
Halifax,  N.S.,  and  took  charge  of  the  preparations  for  the  expedition. 

On  the  14th  of  the  same  month  I  received  the  following  note  from  Messrs.  S. 
Cunard  and  Co.  : — 

"  Halifax,  N.S.,  14th  July,  1884. 
'  Lieut.  A.  R.  Gordon,  R.N., 
"  Halifax,  N.S. 

"  Dear  Sir, — In  accordance  with  instructions  received  fi-om  Messrs.  Job  Bros.,  we 
"  this  day  hand  over  to  you  the  S.S.  '  Neptune,' 

"  Yours  truly,  . 

"  S.  CUNAED  &  CO.,  Agents."  ^^ 

The  "  Neptune  "  having  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Department,  the 
greatest  dispatch  was  used  in  coaling  and  putting  on  board  the  supplies  for  the  ex- 
pedition, and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  ■22nd  July,  the  coals,  lumber 
and  other  supplies  being  on  board,  the  members  of  the  expedition  embarked,  and  one 
hour  later  we  left  our  moorings  at  the  Marine  Wharf  for  Hudson's  Bay. 

The  staff  of  the  expedition  was  composed  as  follows : — 

Eobert  Bell,  M.D.,  fi'.G.S. ,  of  Ottawa,  geologist  and  medical  oflficer. 

Messrs.  E.  F.  Stupart,  of  Toronto ;  C.  E.  Tuttle,  of  Winnipeg ;  W.  A.  Ashe,  of  i 

Quebec;  C.  V.  Deboucherville  and  A.  N.  Laperriere,  of  Ottawa;  William  Skynner, 
of  Springfield,  Ont. ;  H.  M.  Burwell,  of  London,  Ont. ;  and  H.  T.  Bennett,  observers. 

Mr.  W.  W.  Pox,  of  Toronto,  photographer, 

Messrs.  Teadon,  McNeill  and  Quigley,  carpenters. 

Messrs.  E.  Curiie,  J.  B.  Campbell,  H.  M.  Eainsiord,  W.  H.  Jordan,   M.  W.  Keat-  1 

ing,  Fied.  Drysdaie,  Jno.  W.  Chaplin,  John  W.  McDaniel,  W.  F.  Esdaile,  Andrew  ( 

Inglis,  Adam  Maher  and  Eobert  Youill,  stationmen. 

The  oflScere  and  men,  who  remained  out  all  winter,  had  each  of  them  been  ex- 
amined by  medical  men,  and  pronounced  physically  well-fitted  to  withstand  the 
rigors  of  an  Artie  climate. 

The  expedition  touched  at  Blanc  Sablon  on  the  26th  of  July,  and  on  the  evening 
of  Tuesday  the  29th  anchored  in  Ford's  Harbour,  at  the  east  end  of  Paul's  Island.  At 
this  place  I  went  on  shox-e  and  arranged  with  Mr.  Ford  to  pilot  us  into  Nain.  He 
boarded  the  "  Neptune  "  at  daylight  the  following  morning,  and  by  nine  o'clock  we 
had  anchored  off  the  Nain  Mission  House. 

I  visited  this  place  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  furs  for  the  men  who  were  to  re-  ( 

main  at  the  stations  during  the  winter,  and  of  being  able  to  engage  Eskimo  inter- 
preters. I  secured  a  few  articles  of  fur  clothing,  but  there  were  no  interpreters  to 
be  had.  The  Chief  Superintendent  of  the  Mission  told  me,  however,  that,  in  all 
probability,  I  would  be  able  to  procure  some  fur  clothing,  and  interpreters  as  Wei  - 
at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Co.'s  Post  at  Nachvak,  still  further  to  the  north,  on  the  Lab- 
rador coast. 

We  remained  at  Nain  during  the  day  and  were  kindly  treated  by  the  mission 
aries  who,  besides  imparting  religious  instruction  to  the  natives,  carry  on  an  extensive 
trade  with  them.  They  have  six  stations  in  all  on  this  coast,  of  which  Nain  is  the 
capital.  The  others  are  Hopedale,  Zoar,  Hebron,  Okkak  and  Eamah.  During  the 
day  I  took  observations  to  ascertain  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  and  vibrations 
for  horizontal  force,  but  was  unable  to  obtain  sights  for  the  error  of  the  chronometer 
or  variation,  owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 

During  the  voyage  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  this  place  we  met  with  a 
great  number  of  icebergs,  both  in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  and  off  the  Labrador 
coast,  north  of  it. 


The  expedition  left  Nain  about  4:30  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Slst  July,  and 
reached  Nachvak  Bay  about  noon  on  the  Ist  of  August,  and  cast  anchor  before  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Co. 's  post  at  Nachvak,  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Here  I 
met  Mr  George  Ford,  the  agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  a  brother  of  our 
Nain  pilot.  From  him  and  from  the  natives  in  the  vicinity  I  purchased  some  skin 
clothing,  and  through  his  kind  assistance  was  enabled  to  procure  the  services  of  Mr. 
James  Lane,  an  Eskimo  half-breed  of  Nachvak  Bay  as  interpreter, 

I  learned  from  Mr.  Ford  that  ice  takes  over  the  harbour  of  Nachvak,  latitude 
59°  10'  N.,  longitude  63°  30'  W.,  about  the  middle  of  November  in  each  year  and  that 
for  the  last  seven  years  it  has  broken  up  within  a  day  of  the  26th  of  June  in  each 
year. 

On  the  2nd  of  August,  at  daylight,  we  left  the  post  at  Nachvak,  and  after  taking 
Mr.  Lane  on  board  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bay,  proceeded  to  sea  for  Cape  Chid  ley.  On 
the  morning  of  the  3rd— Sunday — the  fog  was  so  dense  that  we  were  compoUed  to 
stand  off  to  sea,  and  lie  to.     Noon  position,  lat.  60°  5  V  N.,  long.  64^  14'  W.,  D.  E. 

The  fog  continuing,  we  were  obliged  to  lay  to  all  day  Sunday,  all  night  Sunday 
night,  all  day  Monday,  and  all  night  Monday  night,  off  the  entrance  to  Hudson 
Strait.     Noon  position  Monday,  4th  August,  D.R.  fat-  61°  12'  N„  long.  64°  13'  W. 

At  daylight  on  Tuesday,  5th  August,  the  weather  was  clearing,  and  by  sunrise  it 
was  bright  and  fair.  At  noon  we  were  approaching  Cape  Chidley,  having  been 
caiTied  some  forty  miles^  to  the  south  whilst  laying-to  in  the  fog.  We  steamed 
through  Grey  Strait,  between  the  Cape  and  the  Button  Islands,  keeping  a  close  look 
out  for  a  harbour.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  anchored  in  a  fine  harbour 
on  the  north-western  shore  of  the  Cape,  at  the  entrance  to  Ungava  Bay. 

On  the  shore  of  this  harbour  I  selected  the  site  for  Observing  Station  No.  1, 
and  named  the  place  Port  Burwell,  after  the  observer  appointed  to  that  station.  Two 
families  of  Eskimos  were  discovered  about  six  miles  distant  from  Port  Burwell. 

The  work  of  landing  lumber  and  supplies  was  begun  at  once,  and  by  4  o'clock 
on  the  afternoon  of  Friday  the  8th,  the  buildings  were  up  and  all  was  in  readinej^s  for 
departure.  I  placed  Mr.  H.  M.  Burwell,  of  London,  Ontario,  in  charge  of  this  station, 
with  Messrs.  Currie  and  Campbell  as  stationmen,  and  besides  giving  him  full  direc- 
tions verbally,  left  with  him,  as  also  with  each  of  the  other  observers,  a  copy  of  the 
following  general  instructions : — 

INSTRUCTIONS  TO  OFFICERS  IN  CHARGE  OF    STATIONS    IN  HUBSON's  BAY  AND  STRAITS. 

As  the  primary  object  of  the  whole  expedition  is  to  ascertain  f  ji-  what  period  of 
the  year  the  Straits  are  navigable,  all  attention  is  to  be  paid  to  the  formation,  break- 
ing up  and  movements  of  the  ice. 

Each  station  is  supplied  with  a  sun  dial  and  time  piece,  and  Ihe  clof^k  is  to  be 
tested  each  day  when  there  is  sunshine  about  noon.  A  table  of  corrections  is  sap- 
plied  for  the  reduction  of  apparent  time  to  local  mean  time,  to  this  ihe  difference  of 
time  will  be  applied  to  t5th  meridian,  all  entries  being  made  in  the  time  of  this  me- 
ridian, and  observations  will  be  taken  regularly  at  the  following  times  throughout 
the  year,  viz.,  3  h.  08  m.,  7  h.  08  m.,  11  h.  08  m.,  a.m.  and  p  m. 

Each  morning  the  sums  and  means  of  the  observations  taken  on  the  previous 
day  will  be  taken  out  and  checked  over,  they  will  then  be  entered  in  the  abstract 
books  supplied  for  the  purpose. 

After  each  observation  during  day  light  the  observer  on  duty  will  take  the  teles- 
cope and  carefully  examine  the  Straits,  writing  down  at  ihe  time  all  that  he  sees, 
stating  direction  aud  (when  possible)  velocity  of  tide,  movement  of  ice,  if  any,  also 
describe  the  condition  of  the  ice,  whether  much  broken  up,  solid  field,  &c.,  &c. 

Tidal  Observations. — Bach  day  the  time  and  height  of  high  and  low  water  is  to 
be  carefully  observed,  and  during  the  open  season  the  character  of  the  tide  will  be 
carefully  noted  for  two  days  before  and  three  days  after  the  full  and  change  of  the 
moon.  For  this  purpose  a  post  marked  off  in  feet  and  fractions  of  a  foot  is  to  be 
placed  in  the  water,  at  low  water  in  some  bheltered   spot,  if  any  such   be  available, 


and  the  height  of  the  water  noted  every  half  hour  during  the  rise  and  fall  of  one 
tide  on  each  of  these  days — the  height  to  be  noted  most  carefully  every  five  minutes 
during  the  hour  of  high  water  and  the  same  at  low  water— the  five  minute  observa- 
tions will  also  be  taken  for  one  hour  during  the  most  rapid  portion  of  the  rise. 
Special  observations  of  barometric  pressure  are  to  be  taken  in  connection  with  these 
tidal  observations. 

To  check  the  zero  mark  for  the  tidal  observatioQ  post,  select  a  spot  on  shore 
from  which  the  horizon  line  will  be  projected  on  the  tidal  post,  and  record  the  read- 
ing of  this  line  when  seen  pi'ojocted  on  the  post  by  the  observer,  whose  eye  is  to  be 
placed  at  a  measured  height  above  the  datura  point  selected  on  shore. 

All  remarks  in  regard  to  the  movements  of  birds,  fish,  &c.,  and  also  as  to  the 
growth  of  grasses,  will  be  carefully  entered. 

As  it  is  impossible  to  give  to  the  officers  in  charge  of  stations  detailed  ipstruo- 
tions  which  would  be  of  service  in  every  contingency  which  might  arise,  the  officers 
are  required  to  observe  and  enforce  the  following  rules: — 

(a.)  Every  possible  precaution  is  to  be  taken  against  fire,  and  as  it  is  anticipated 
that  the  temperature  can  be  maintained  considerably  above  the  freezing  point  inside 
the  houses,  two  buckets  full  of  water  are  always  to  be  kept  ready  for  instant  use. 

(b.)  As  the  successful  carrying  out  of  the  observations  will,  in  a  great  measure, 
depend  on  the  health  of  the  party,  the  need  of  exercise  is  strongly  insisted  on  during 
the  winter  months,  and  also  that  each  member  of  the  party  shall  partake  freely  of 
the  lime  juice  supplied. 

(c.)  Bach  party  is  supplied  with  a  boat,  but  unless  some  emergency  required  it, 
it  must  be  a  rule  that  neither  afloat  nor  ashore  must  any  of  the  party  leave  the  station 
for  a  greater  distance  than  they  can  be  sure  of  being  able  to  return  the  same  day. 

(d.)  As  soon  as  possible  after  the  houses  are  completed  and  the  stores  all  in 
place,  the  party  will  set  to  work  collecting  sods,  grass  or  any  other  non-conducting 
material,  and  before  the  winter  sets  in  the  whole  house  is  to  be  covered  with  this, 
boards  overlaid  and  snow  packed  over  all ;  the  assistance  of  the  Esquimaux  should,  if 
possible,  be  obtained,  and  the  whole  house  arched  over  with  snow, 

ANDREW  R.  GORDON",  Lieut.  R.N„ 

Commanding  Expedition. 
Ottavta,  5th  July,  1884. 

The  expedition  left  Port  Burwell  at  5  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  8th,  and 
shaped  course  for  the  Lower  Savage  Islands,  where  it  was  intended  that  Station  No. 
2  should  be  placed.  On  the  following  morning  there  was  a  dense  fog  until  8  o'clock, 
when  it  lifted,  and  at  9  o'clock  we  sighted  Resolution  Island.  "We  passed  a  number 
of  icebergs  in  the  forenoon,  and  passed  between  Resolution  Island  and  the  Lower 
Savage  Islands  to  East  Bluff,  then  going  about  and  steering  along  the  south  coast  of 
the  Lower  Savages. 

We  spent  the  day  in  looking  for  an  anchorage  at  the  Lower  Savages,  and  on  a 
portion  of  the  north  main  coast,  a  boat  was  sent  ashore  twice  to  examine  what  ap- 
peared to  be  possible  harbours;  but,  on  both  occasions,  the  report  was  unfavourable; 
there  was  a  stiff  breeze  blowing  all  day.  At  nightfall  we  pushed  out  into  the  Strait 
and  laid  to  until  morning,  when  it  was  intended  to  renew  the  search.  At  daylight 
on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  we  steamed  shorewards  and  examined  part  of  the  coast 
north  of  the  Lower  Savages,  but  a  heavy  snow  storm  setting  in,  with  a  fresh  gale 
from  the  south-east,  and  a  falling  barometer,  I  decided  to  abandon  Resolution  Island 
Station  for  the  time  being,  and  push  on  towards  North  Bluff.  The  latter  place  was 
reached  about  4  p.m.,  on  Monday,  the  11th,  after  working  our  way  through  some 
open  stretches  of  ice.  Here  we  found  a  good  anchorage  on  Big  Island  (called  by 
3chwatka,  Turenne  Island),  which  forms  the  southern  side  of  North  Bay. 

A  suitable  place  was  selected  for  the  station  buildings,  and  the  place  was  called 
Ashe's  Inlet,  after  Mr.  W.  A.  Ashe,  the  observer  assigned  to  that  station. 

We  fcund  here  a  number  of  Eskimos,  who  seemed  to  be  much  pleased  at  seeing 
white  peoj)le  oomi  og  into  their  country. 


We  were  delayed  a  good  deal  at  Ashe's  Inlet  by  bad  weather  and  by  the  field  ice 
coining  into  the  harbour  and  interfering  with  the  work  of  landing  lumber  and  sup- 
plies, but  at  noon  on  the  16th  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  start.  I  left  with  Mr. 
Ashe,  for  the  time  being,  Mr.  Skynner  and  his  two  naen,  Messrs.  Eainsford  and 
Jordan,  whom  I  was  unable  to  place  on  Eesolution  Island,  and  at  2:30  the  "  Nep- 
tune "  was  directed  towards  the  south  shore  of  the  strait,  and  at  8  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th  we  sighted  the  north-west  shore  of  Prince  of  Wales  Sound. 

On  approaching  the  land,  we  forced  our  way  through  about  twelve  miles  of  field- 
ice,  more  or  less  compact.  Towards  the  shore  the  ice  was  more  open,  and  much  of 
it  was  aground  in  three  and  four  fathoms  of  water.  We  anchored  about  2  p.m.  in  a 
well-sheltered  bay,  about  three  miles  along  the  north-west  coast  of  the  sound,  from 
the  south  main  shore  ot  the  strait.  A  few  minutes  later  a  number  of  Eskimos  were 
seen  on  shore.  They  were  very  much  delighted  when  they  learned  that  we  were 
going  to  establiph  a  station  among  them.  I  named  this  place  Stupart's  Bay,  after 
Mr.  K.  F.  Slupart,  the  observer  assigned  to  that  station. 

On  account  of  the  magnetic  observations  to  bo  taken,  two  extra  buildings  were 
required  at  this  station,  but  notwithstanding  the  extra  work  to  be  done,  everything 
was  in  readiness  for  our  departure  on  the  evening  of  the  22nd. 

Accordingly  we  left  Stupart's  Bay  on  that  evening,  and  had  to  work  our  way 
through  about  eighteen  miles  of  more  or  less  compact  field  ice.  We  laid-to  in  the 
ice  all  night.  On  reaching  the  open  water  we  shaped  our  course  so  as  to  clear  the 
eastern  point  of  Charles  Island,  after  clearing  which  we  steamed  towards  Nottingham 
Island,  and  succeeded  in  making  a  good  harbor  on  the  south-east  shore  of  that  island 
about  3  o'clock  on  the  24th. 

On  approaching  Nottingham  Island  we  found  very  heavy  ice,  extending  for 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  eastward  from  that  island  and  Salisbury,  filling  the 
channel  between  these  islands  and  extending  southward  towards  Cape  Wolstenholme 
as  far  as  we  could  see. 

On  approaching  the  harbour  we  had  the  misfortune  to  break  one  hlade  off  the 
propeller.  Fortunately  a  spare  fan  had  been  brought  in  the  ship,  and  beyond  the 
work  entailed  by  unshipping  the  broken  one,  fitting  the  shaft  in  the  new  one  and 
getting  it  into  position,  which  occupied  the  engineers  about  three  days,  we  suffered 
no  damage  in  consequence. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  at  Nottingham  we  sighted  four  vessels  in  the  channel  be- 
tween us  and  the  south  main  shore.  They  were  about  twelve  miles  distant,  and  fast 
in  the  field  ice.  Later  we  passed  near  enough  to  one  to  observe  that  she  was  bark 
rigged,  and  probably  the  outgoing  Hudson  Bay  Company's  vessel,  and  to  another,  an 
American  whaling  schooner,  to  exchange  salutes  with  her  by  dipping  ensigns. 

We  met  with  r  <>  natives  at  Nottingham  Island.  The  work  of  erecting  station 
buildings  and  landiog  the  supplies  occupied  u^  until  the  morning  of  the  29th,  when,  at 
9  o'clock  a.m.,  having  taken  leave  of  Mr.  C.  V.  DeBoucherville,  the  observer  appointed 
to  thct  station,  and  his  men,  Messrs.  Esdaile  and  Inglis,  we  left  the  harbour,  which  I 
had  called  Port  DeBoucherville,  and  steamed  out  among  the  ice  towards  Mansfield 
Islanu . 

We  found  the  ice  exceedingly  heavy  and  closely  packed,  so  much  so  that  after 
ramming  our  way  some  five  miles  out,  and  while  yet  within  sight  of  the  harbour,  we 
were  compelled  to  lay  to  until  the  change  of  tide  should  loosen  it.  After  thi*ee  hours* 
waiting,  we  again  went  ahead  with  the  engines,  the  ice  having  run  abroad  a  little; 
but  when  darkness  closed  upon  ug,  we  were  still  in  the  ice  and  were  compelled  to  lay 
to  until  the  morning. 

Soon  after  daylight  on  Saturday  morning,  the  30th,  we  got  out  of  the  ice  into 
the  open  water  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  by  7  o'clock  sighted  the  low,  barren  shores 
of  Mansfield  Island.  A-Ccording  to  the  original  plan,  a  station  was  to  have  been 
placed  on  this  island,  but  after  coasting  its  eastern  shores  without  finding  an  anchor- 
age, I  decided,  about  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  to  abandon  it  altogether,  and  push 
on  across  the  bay,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  place  a  station  on  Cape  Digges  on 
the  return  voyage. 
2 


Meanwhile,  however,  I  proposed  to  examine  the  shojes  of  Southampton  Island, 
which  lies  to  the  north-west  of  Mansfield,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  if  that  would 
be  a  more  suitable  place  for  a  station.  I  did  this  on  Sunday,  skirting  the  south-east 
shore  from  Cape  Southampton,  some  fifty  miles,  without  finding  an  anchorage. 

We  then  directed  our  course  towards  the  north-west  of  the  bay,  in  order  to  visit 
Marble  Island,  and  to  see  if  the  northern  part  of  the  bay  was  free  of  ice.  At  noon 
on  the  first  day  of  September  we  were  off  the  mouth  of  Chesterfield  Inlet,  no  ice 
having  been  sighted. 

We  then  bore  up  for  Marble  Island,  where  we  arrived  early  in  the  morning  of 
2nd  September,  and  anchored  in  the  Whalers'  Harbour  at  the  south-west  of  the  island, 
and  remained  until  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

During  the  day  I  took  observations  to  ascertain  the  latitude  and  longitude, 
the  variation  of  the  compass  and  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle,  and  in  the  afternoon 
made  a  hurried  survey  of  the  harbour. 

We  were  somewhat  disappointed  at  not  finding  native  or  other  inhabitants  on 
the  island,  and  surprised  at  seeing  so  many  evidences  of  the  dead,  there  being  no  less 
than  nineteen  graves  on  Dead  Man's  Island,  which  forms  the  southern  side  of  the 
harbour,  and  a  monument  commemorating  the  death  of  six  more  who  had  been 
drowned  in  a  whale  boat,  in  the  "  Welcome." 

While  at  Marble  Island  I  found  a  letter  that  had  been  left  in  a  bottle  by  Capt. 
Fisher,  of  the  whaling  bark  "  George  and  Mary,"  that  had  wintered  in  the  harbour. 
The  letter  was  probably  intended  for  one  of  the  out  going  whaling  vessels.     I  made 
u  copy  of  the  letter,  which  is  as  follows: — 

"  Aug.  7,  1884.— On  board  the  bark  "  George  and  Mary,"  Marble  Island.  All 
well.  Three  whales.  The  north  part  of  the  bay  has  been  filled  with  ice  since  the 
lO'h  of  July.  Could  not  get  up  the  Welcome,  nor  to  the  east  shore.  Had  a  very 
cold  winter  and  spring.  On  the  23rd  of  May  the  thermometer  was  4**  below  zero. 
Got  out  the  7th  of  June.  Laid  in  the  outer  harbour  all  winter.  No  natives  came  to 
the  ship  while  we  lay  at  Marble  Island.  Had  plenty  of  scurvy,  but  came  out  of  it 
all  right.  Shall  stay  in  the  Welcome  until  the  last  of  August,  then  start  for  home  if 
nothing  happens. 

"(Signed),  E.  B.  FISHER, 

of  the  '  George  and  Mary.*  " 

From  Marble  Island  we  directed  our  course  towards  Churchill,  meeting  with 
heavy  weather  on  the  voyage,  and  arriving  off  the  mouth  of  the  (/hurchill  Eiver  on 
the  evening  of  the  3rd.  Owing  to  heavy  north-west  winds,  fog,  and  to  our  not  being 
acquainted  with  the  approach  to  Churchill  Harbour,  we  were  compelled  to  lay-to  off 
Cape  Churchill  until  the  forenoon  of  the  6th,  when,  the  weather  clearing,  we  steamed 
into  the  harbour  and  anchored. 

At  this  place  I  received  and  accepted  the  resignation,  owing  to  ili-health,  of  Mr. 
C.  K.  Tuttle,  who  had  been  appointed  observer  at  Churchill,  and  arranged  with  Mr. 
Spencer,  the  agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  stationed  there,  to  take  the  re- 
quired meteorological  observations,  engaging,  on  behalf  of  the  Government,  to  pay 
him  a  salary  of  Sl20  per  year. 

Wo  remained  at  Churchill,  taking  ballast,  &c.,  until  [the  9th,  when,  about  T 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  started  for  York  Factory. 

I  must  acknowledge  the  extreme  kindness  and  generous  attention  extended  to 
the  expedition  by  the  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  at  Churchill.  They  did 
all  in  their  power  to  make  our  visit  pleasant,  and  to  supply  me  with  for  clothing,  &c. 

We  arrived  in  sight  of  the  beacon  at  York  Factory  on  the  morning  of  the  11th, 
and  anchored  in  the  roadstead,  some  eighteen  miles  distant  from  the  Factory,  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  and  signalled  for  a  York  boat,  which  was  pushed  off  at  once, 
but  which,  owing  to  contrary  tide  and  wind,  did  not  reach  us  until  5o'clock  in  the 
evening. 

Mr.  Cowie,  chief  accountant  of  the  post,  accompanied  the  boat  out,  and  he  kindly 
undertook  to  take  us  in  and  bring  us  out  again  the  next  day.     We  arrived  at  the 


4 


Factory  about  3  o'clock    on    the    morning    of  the    12th,  and  left  again  at  3  in  the 
afternoon. 

Mr.  Wood,  storekeeper  at  York,  has  been  observer  ia  connection  with  tha 
meteorological  office  for  some  years.  I  compared  his  instruments  and  adjusted  them, 
and  found  his  meteorological  work  all  well  done,  and  the  observer  much  interested  ia 
the  work. 

I  obtained  some  additional  clothing  from  Mr.  Fortescue,  the  chief  factor  at  that 
post,  and,  as  at  Churchill,  was  most  hospitably  received  by  all  the  officers  of  the 
company. 

We  reached  the  "Neptune  "  in  the  York  boat  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening  of 
the  12th,  and  weighed  anchor  at  7,  and  shaped  our  course  for  Cape  Digges. 

We  found  a  good  harbour  on  the  south-western  extremity  of  the  larger  Diggea 
Islanj,  and  anchored  on  the  morning  of  the  16th.  Here  I  decided  to  place  a  station, 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Laperriere,  and  called  the  place  Laperriere  Harbor.  I  regarded  the 
place  as  most  suitable  for  a  companion  station  to  that  of  Port  DeBouchervillo.  The 
distance  between  the  two  is  about  forty-five  miles,  and,  as  the  vast  stretches  of  ice 
that  wo  met  with  between  Nottingham  and  Diggea  on  both  the  outward  and  home- 
ward voyages,  made  that  channel  a  point  of  the  greatest  importance,  I  consider  it 
as  desirable  that  the  two  stations  should  be  establised  there. 

On  the  morning  of  2()th  September,  the  buildings  having  been  completed  and 
supplies  landed,  I  prepared  for  departure.  Mr.  Laperriere  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  station,  with  Messrs.  Quigly  and  Maher  as  stationmen.  I  substituted  Mr.  Quigly, 
one  of  the  carpenters,  for  Mr.  Youill,  whose  condition  of  health  rendered  him  unfit  to 
be  left  there. 

On  the  homeward  voyage  the  expedition  touched  at  Port  DeBoucherville,  Ashe's 
Inlet  and  Stupart's  Bay,  leaving  such  furs  and  other  clothing  as  I  had  obtained  for 
the  comfort  of  the  men.  At  Ashe's  Inlet  I  took  on  board  Messrs.  Skynner,  Kainsford 
and  Jordan,  and  left  with  Mr.  Ashe,  Messrs.  Keating  and  Drysdale,  the  men  originally 
intended  for  that  station. 

Prom  Stupart's  Bay  we  made  for  Resolution  Island,  hoping  to  be  able  to  place  a 
station  on  the  shores  of  th^t  island.  Arriving  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  of  September,  we  coasted  along  in  search  of  a  harbour.  At  9 
o'clock  a  boat  was  sent  in  to  examine  a  bay  that  promised  well.  The  vessel  followed 
some  distance  astern,  going  dead  slow,  with  a  look-out  man  on  the  jib-boom.  Leads 
were  going  from  both  the  boat  and  the  ship.  Presently  the  boat  reported  only  four 
fathoms;  a  little  distance  astern  we  had  ven  fathoms  from  the  ship.  In  canting  the 
ship,  there  being  a  strong  northerly  breeze,  and  the  tide  setting  to  the  southward, 
the  vessel  struck  a  sunken  rock  and  remained  there,  grinding  a  little  at  each  sea,  for 
about  nine  minutes.  She  was,  however,  worked  off  without  sustaining  much  serious 
damage.  A  piece  of  wood  came  to  the  surface,  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  scarf  pieces 
butting  on  the  stem  plates. 

We  steamed  further  down  the  coast  to  the  south-east,  when  about  noon  another  bay 
was  discovered.  The  mate  was  again  sent  in,  in  charge  of  the  boat,  to  make  soundings. 
At  length  he  returned  and  reported  a  good  harbour.  AVe  steamed  slowly  in,  following 
as  nearly  as  possible,  the  boat  track,  the  engines  alternately  going  dead  slow  and 
stopping.  The  lead  was  going  constantly,  and  there  was  a  lookout  in  the  fore-top 
and  one  on  the  jib-boom.  At  1  o'clock  while  the  leadsman  was  reporting  "twelve 
fathoms  and  no  bottom  abreast  of  the  main  rigging,  the  ship  suddenly  struck  forward 
and  the  men  on  the  look-out  shouted  "  go  astern."  The  ship  struck  very  heavily  and 
rolled  two  or  three  times.  As  she  rebounded  her  engines  were  reversed  and  she  was 
put  out  to  sea  at  once. 

We  coasted  along  to  Cape  Best,  but  as  there  were  no  signs  of  a  harbour,  and  as 
the  wind  was  threatening  a  gale,  and  a  heavy  cross  sea  running,  and  as  the  ship  had 
struck  twice  and  received  considerable  damage,  Captain  Sopp  advised  that  the  station 
on  Resolution  Island  be  abandoned,  and  I  felt,  under  all  the  circumstances,  bound  to 
abandon  it.  We  had  examined  over  sixty  miles  of  the  coast,  and  altogether  we  had 
expended  nearly  three  days  steaming  in  search  of  a  harbour.    I  therefore  req^uested 


8 


the  Captain  to  shape  our  course  for  Port  Burwell,  and  in  that  excellent  harbour, 
-we  anchored  at  8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  September. 

At  this  place  we  took  ballast  and  filled  up  the  bunkers  with  coal  from  the  hold. 

On  our  return  here,  as  at  the  other  stations,  we  found  all  in  good  health  and 
spirits,  liking  the  work,  and  well  satisfied  with  all  that  had  been  provided  for  them. 
The  provisions,  especially  the  evaporated  fruits  and  vegetables  wei'o  spoken  of  as 
being  of  an  excellent  quality. 

We  continued  the  homeward  voyage  from  Port  Burwell  at  3  p.m.,  on  29th  Sep- 
tember, carrying  the  ebb  tide  with  us  through  Grey  Strait  for  Nachvak  Bay. 

At  noon  of  the  30th  we  anchored  in  a  cove  on  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  to 
"the  bay,  and  having  selected  a  site  for  the  house,  proceeded  at  once  with  its  erection 
and  with  the  work  of  landing  the  stores. 

On  Saturday  evening,  the  Ith  October,  the  work  was  completed,  but  as  it  had 
been  a  week  of  unusually  hard  work  for  all  hands,  I  lay  in  harbour  till  daylight  on 
Monday  morning,  the  6th,  when  we  proceeded  to  sea  for  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland, 
where  we  arrived  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  11th,  and  having  delivered  the 
ship  up  to  the  owners,  Messrs.  Job  Bros.  &  Co.,  I  took  passage  for  the  entire 
party  in  steamship  "City  of  Mexico,"  sailing  that^day  for  Halifax. 

Navigation. 

The  ice  has  been  supposed,  hitherto,  to  bo  the  most  formidable  barrier  to  the 
navigation  of  the  straits,  but  its  terror  disappears,  to  a  great  extent,  under  investiga- 
tion. The  ice  met  with  on  the  cruise  of  the  "  Neptune  "  may  be  divided  into  throe 
classes — having  distinctly  separate  origins.  They  are  :  icebergs  from  the  glaciers  of 
Pox  Channel ;  heavy  arctic  field  ice  from  the  channel  itself,  and  what  may  be  called 
ordinary  field  ice,  being  that  which  had  been  formed  on  the  shores  of  the  bay  and 
straits. 

We  met  no  icebergs  in  Hudson's  Bay,  nor  did  I  hear  of  any  being  seen  there.  In 
the  straits  a  good  many  were  seen,  principally  along  the  north  shore,  where  many  of 
them  were  stranded  in  the  coves,  and  some  were  met  with  in  mid-channel.  Of  those 
seen  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  straits,  some  had  undoubtedly  come  in  from  Davis' 
Straits,  passing  between  Eesolution  [sland  and  East  Bluff;  bat  all  of  those  met  to  the 
westward  had  come  from  Fox  Channel,  as  observations  made  by  Mr.  Ashe,  at  Korth 
IBluff,  show,  that  an  iceberg  coming  in  sight  from  the  westward  will  pass  out  of  view 
to  tho  eastward  in  from  three  to  four  tides,  showing  an  easterly  tet  of  upwards  of  ten 
miles  a  day.  The  icebergs  seen  in  Hudson's  Straits,  in  August  and  September, would 
form  no  greater  barriers  to  navigation  than  do  those  met  with  off  the  Straits  of  Belle 
Isle,  nor  were  they  more  numerous  in  Hudson's  Straits  than  they  frequently  are  off 
Belle  Isle. 

The  ordinary  field  ice  was  met  with  off  North  Bluff  and  the  Upper  Savages, 
on  the  11th  of  August.  This  ice,  though  it  would  have  compelled  an  ordinary  iron 
steamer  to  go  dead  slow,  gave  no  trouble  to  the  "  Neptune,"  the  mate  on  watch  run- 
ning the  ship  at  full  speed  through  between  the  pans,  rarely  touching  one  of  them. 
Just  before  entering  Ashe's  Inlet  we  had  to  break  through  a  heavy  string,  which  was, 
however,  done  without  in  the  slightest  degree  injuring  the  ship.  In  the  harbour 
(Ashe  Inlet)  the  ice  came  in,  with  the  flood  tide,  and  set  so  fast  that  the  Eskimo 
were  able  to  walk  off  to  the  ship,  a  distance  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  On  the 
south  shore  our  experience  was  much  the  same,  but  no  ice  was  met  with  through 
which  the  ship  could  not  have  forced  her  way  without  damage.  In  the  centre  of  the 
straita,  to  the  east  of  North  Bluff,  no  field  ice  was  seen  at  all,  and  after  leaving  Stu- 
part's  Bay,  on  the  outward  voyage,  although  the  vessel  lay-to  for  tho  night  in  the  ice, 
it  was  only  to  wait  for  daylight,  and  not  because  the  ice  was  too  heavy.  This  pack 
extended  about  eighteen  miles  out  into  the  straits,  and  after  getting  over  this  dis- 
tance we  came  into  clear  water.  From  this  point  to  Charles  Island,  and  thence  to 
the  end  of  Salisbury  Island,  long  strings  of  ice  were  frequently  seen,  but  as  their 
direction  was  invariably  parallel  to  our  course,  or  nearly  so,  we  coasted  round  them. 
On  the  homeward  voyage  none  of  this  field  ice  was  seen.    The  Eskimo,  both  at  Ashe 


Inlet  and  Stupart's  Bay,  informed  me  that  there  was  an  unusually  great  quantity  of 
ice  in  the  straits  this  year,  and  that  they  had  never  seen  the  ice  hang  to  the  shores  so 
late  in  the  season. 

The  Heavy  Arctic  Ice. —  After  passing  the  east  end  of  Salisbury  Island  the  ice 
got  heavier  and  closer,  and  when  off  Nottingham  Island  the  pack  was  so  run  together 
that  I  determined  to  give  up  the  attempt  to  force  the  ship  through  it,  and  working 
out  again,  headed  more  to  the  southward.  In  making  in  for  the  laild  here  we  broke 
the  propeller,  but  succeeded  in  taking  the  ship  into  harbour  with  the  stumps. 

Viewed  from  the  top  of  a  hill  on  Nottingham  Island  the  sea  in  every  direction 
"was  one  vast  ice  field,  and  to  the  southward,  between  South-east  Point  and  Cape 
Digges,  we  saw  four  vessels  fast.  This  ice  was  altogether  of  a  different  type  to  what 
we  hud  hitherto  met  with.  Some  of  it  was  over  40  feet  thick  of  solid  blue  ice,  not  field 
ice,  which  had  been  thickened  by  piling  of  pan  on  pan,  but  a  solid  sheet  of  ice  which 
Lad  evidently  been  frozen  just  as  we  saw  it.  Much  of  it  was  20  feet  thick,  and  for  the 
general  average  of  all  the  field  we  passed  through  coming  into  harbour,  I  estimate 
that  the  thickness  would  have  been  upwards  of  15  feet.  The  question  as  to  the  origin 
of  this  ice  and  whether  it  will  be  frequently  met  with  in  the  west  end  of  the  Straits  is 
an  important  one ;  for  in  such  ice,  when  closely  packed,  a  vessel  oven  of  the  build  and 
power  of  the  "  Neptune,"  was  perfectly  helpless.  I  do  not  consider  that  it  is  possible 
for  ico  to  form  in  Fox  channel  to  a  greater  thickness  than  10  feet  in  a  single  year, 
and  I  feel  convinced  that  much  of  the  ico  which  we  encountered  was  the  accumulation 
of  several  years. 

The  depth  to  which  w.ater  will  freeze  has,  so  far  as  I  know,  never  yet  been  deter- 
mined, but  it  is  certain  that  ice  being  a  very  poor  conductor  of  heat,  when  once  a 
certain  thickness  of  ice  has  been  formed,  the  rate  of  thickening  will  be  very  slow.  In 
regard  to  this  point,  measurements  of  the  formation  of  ice  will  be  made  at  some  of  the 
observing  stations  in  Hudson's  Straits  this  year,  which  will  assist  in  finally  determin- 
ing this  question. 

If,  as  seems  probable  from  the  reports  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  ships,  this  year  and 
last  year  have  been  ex3eptionally  heavy  ice  years,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that 
only  occasionally  does  this  heavy  Fox  Channel  ice  appear  in  Hudson's  Straits. 
Another  piece  of  confirmatory  evidence  ag  to  the  exceptional  nature  of  the  ico  met 
with  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Bay  this  year  is  the  statement  in  Capt.  Fisher's 
letter,  found  at  Marble  Island  and  quoted  in  the  narrative  portion  of  my  report,  that 
he  had  been  unable  to  reach,  up  to  the  date  of  his  letter,  the  east  shore,  or  to  go  up 
the  Welcome  on  account  of  the  ice. 

The  harbour  ice  forms  at  Churchill  on  the  average  about  the  middle  of  November 
and  breaks  up  about  the  middle  of  June.  As  this  is  the  only  known  harbour  on  the 
west  coast  of  the  bay,  these  times  may  bo  taken  as  marking  the  extreme  limits  of  the 
season  during  which  it  would  be  possible  for  a  ship  to  enter  and  leave  the  harbour. 

It  is  only  fair  to  state,  that  had  I  been  making  the  passage  from  Cape  Chudleigh, 
direct  to  Churchill  instead  of  coasting  and  working  across  the  straits,  1  do  not  con- 
sider that  I  should  have  been  delayed  by  ice,  more  than  forty-eight  hours :  but  no 
ordinary  iron  steamship,  built  as  the  modern  freight  carrier  is,  could  have  got  through 
the  heavier  ice  that  we  met  without  incurring  serious  risk,  if  not  actual  disaster. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  have  received  a  copy  of  the  Report  of  Lieut. 
Kay,  United  States  Sietnal  Service,  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer,  on  the  conduct  of  the 
observations  at  Point  Barrow  in  the  Arctic.  He  gives  as  the  greatest  thickness  of  ice 
formed  in  one  season  6  feet  2  inches.  At  Point  Barrow  the  formation  of  ice  on 
the  shore  is  certainly  influenced  by  the  passage  of  a  current  of  warm  water  passing 
through  Behring  Straits  and  setting  north-east. 

Fox  Channel  has  no  such  advantage,  and  I  still  think  it  possible  that  a  sheet  of 
ice  10  feet  in  thickness  might  be  formed  there  in  one  season. 

The  Compass. — In  working  through  the  straits,  especially  at  the  western  end, 
I  found  the  ordinary  compass  so  sluggish  as  to  be  almost  useless.  The  Sir  Wm<. 
Thomson  card,  however,  worked  admirably  when  properly  compensated. 


10 


The  reason  of  the  difficulty  with  the  compass  is,  that  from  the  proximity  to  the 
magnetic  pole  the  horizontal  directive  force  of  the  earth's  magnetism,  which  alone 
directly  affects  the  compass  needle,  is  very  small  compared  with  the  whole  magnetic 
force;  consequently,  the  effect  of  induced  magnetism  in  the  iron  of  the  ship  on  the 
compass  becomes  very  large  in  comparison  with  the  direct  action  above  mentioned; 
the  result  being,  that  in  an  imperfectly  compensated  compass  the  error  due  to  local 
attraction  is  very  greatly  increased. 

The  means  of  correcting  this  error  in  the  Sir  Wm.  Thomson  binnacle  are  perfect 
and  easily  mastered,  and  the  system  is  such  that  the  compass  can,  after  the  first 
Toyage  or  two,  be  perfectly  compeneated  by  using  certain  proportions  of  soft  iron 
fcars  and  magnets,  as  correctors,  the  proportion  having  to  be  determined  by  actual 
observation  and  experiment  on  the  voyage. 

All  steamships  making  the  voyage  through  the  straits  should  have  one  of  those 
compasses  as  a  standard,  and  the  captains  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the 
methods  of  correcting  them,  and  as  often  as  opportunity  offers  take  azimuth  observa- 
tions, both  stellar  and  solar. 

Currents. 

Off  the  entrance  of  Hudson's  Strait  I  found  the  current  setting  to  the  southward, 
During  the  two  days  whilst  lying  off  in  fog,  the  wind  was  very  light,  and  the  drift 
of  the  ship  must  have  been  almost  entirely  due  to  the  current.  In  the  forty-eight 
hours  lying-to,  the  ship  was  set  forty  miles  to  the  south  of  her  position  by  dead  reck- 
oning. This  is  a  somewhat  greater  amount  of  southerly  set  than  the  Admiralty 
directions  indicate,  and  ships  approaching  the  entrance  of  the  straits  would,  in  thick 
"weather,  have  to  do  so  with  great  caution. 

At  Port  Burwell,  near  Cape  Chudleigh,  the  tide  rises  and  falls,  at  springs,  about 

19   feet,  and  the   current  in  Grey    Strait,   between    the   Button    Islands    and  the 

cape,  flows  at  the  rate   of  about  four  knots  an  hour ;  and  when  a  strong  breeza  is 

blowing  against  the  tide,  a  very  naisty  and  confused  and  breaking  sea  gets  up,  which 

£shing  schooners  might  find  dangerous. 

At  Ashe's  Inlet,  near  North  Bluff,  the  tide  rises  and  falls  32  feet  at  springs. 
There  is  a  tide-race  off  the  Bluff,  and  within  three  miles  of  the  shore  the  velocity  of 
the  tide  currents  is  very  great,  sometime?  reaching  six  knots. 

At  Stupart's  Bay,  near  Prince  of  Wales  Foreland,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  is 
28  feet.  The  tides  of  this  coast  do  not  show  as  high  velocities  as  on  the  north  side, 
probably  owing  to  the  water  being  shoaler. 

At  the  western  end  of  the  straits  the  tides  also  run  with  great  velocity.  The  rise 
and  fall  at  Nottingham  Island,  at  spring  tides,  is  14  feet,  and  Cape  Digges  about 
10  feet. 

At  the  entrance  of  Port  Churchill  there  is  a  tide-race,  the  velocity  of  which,  at. 
half-tide,  I  estimate  at  seven  knots. 

MeieorologicaL 

The  meteorological  work,  which  is  to  be  done  at  the  stations,  is  as  follows  : — 
Observations  will  be  taken  six  times  a  day,  of  height  of  barometer,  temperature 
of  the  air,  temperature  of  wet  bulb  thermometer,  velocity  and  direction  of  the  wind, 
reading  of  hair  hygrometer,  cloudiness,  with  record  of  amount  and  kind  of  cloud, 
and  direction  of  its  movement,  and  rain  and  snow  fall.  Water  temperatures  will  also 
he  taken.  The  times  of  observation  are  at  equal  intervals  of  four  hours,  and  so 
selected  that  three  of  them  are  synchronous  with  the  regular  telegraphic  series 
taken  by  the  observers  of  the  Meteorological  Service. 

Complete  observations  were  taken  on  board  during  the  voyage  and,  for  the 
purpose  of  illustrating  the  weather  which  was  met  with  in  Hudson's  Straits,  I  shall 
compare  it  with  that  experienced  at  Belle  Isle,  a  station  of  the  Meteorological  Ser- 
vice, and  in  the  regular  trade  route  between  Quebec  and  Europe. 


11 


For  the  first  period  from  Ist  to  Slst  August. — The  "Xoptanc"  was,  on  1st  August, 
at  Nachvak  Bay,  within  100  miles  of  the  east  end  of  the  Straits  an'1,  on  30th  August, 
had  just  left  Nottingham  Island  on  the  west  end,  so  that  the  month  of  August  was 
spent  in  the  straits  region. 

The  following  table  is  compiled  from  the  Meteorological  Eecords : — 

Belle  hie  Hudson's 

Straits.  Straits. 

Number  of  days  on  which  fog  is  recorded li  9 

Approximate  number  of  hours  of  fog 220  102 

Days  on  which  snow  fell 0  4 

Days  on  which  rain  fell 10  8 

Days  on  which  wind  exceeded  25  miles  per  hour,  but 

did  not  reach  40 , 6  5 

Days  on  which  wind  exceeded  40  miles 2  1 

The  month  of  August  thus  shows  favourably  for  Hudson's  Straits,  the  fog 
there  being  reported  on  six  days  only,  as  against  thirteen  days  in  Belle  Isle  ;  and 
the  total  number  of  hours  ol  fog  being  respectively  102  in  Hudson's  Straits,  and 
Belle  Isle,  220;  and  if  the  duration  of  the  snow  storms  in  Hudson's  Straits,  nineteen 
hours,  be  added  to  the  number  of  hours  of  fog,  it  still  shows  favourably.  The  num- 
ber of  gales  also  is  six  at  Belle  Isle  for  five  in  the  straits;  and  of  heavy  gales,  two 
at  Belle  Isle,  and  only  one  in  the  straits. 

The  following  comparison  for  September  is  between  Station  No.  1,  at  Cape 
Chudleigh  and  Belle  Isle  : — 

Belle  Isle    Hudson's 
Straits.        Straits. 

IS^umber  of  days  on  which  fog  is  recorded 7  4 

Approximate  number  of  hours  of  fosr 82  34 

Days  on  which  snow  fell 3  8 

Days  on  which  rain  fell 15  6 

Days  on  which  velocity  of  wind  was  between  25  and 

40  miles  per  hour 4  5 

Days  on  which  velocity  of  wind  was  40  miles  or  over 

per  hour 11  3 

Days  on  which  any  snow  fell  are  put  down  as  snow  days,  though  rain  as  well  as 
snow  may  have  fallen  on  those  days. 

In  the  character  of  the  weather,  therefore,  for  the  two  months  (August  and 
September)  so  far  as  it  affects  navigation,  Hudson's  Straits  compare  favourably  with 
the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  there  being  eleven  heavy  gales  at  Belle  Isle  against  three 
in  Hudson's  Straits,  and  more  than  double  the  amount  of  fog. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  month  at  Cape  Chudleigh  for  August  was  39°  ;  for 
Belle  Isle,  49°  67  ;  and  for  September,  Cape  Chudleigh,  32°-76  ;   Belle  Isle,  43°-l. 

Eeports  formerly  received  from  the  Labrador  Mission  Stations  give  higher  mean 
temperature  for  those  months,  but  those  stations  may  be  considered  as  almost  in- 
land stations  in  the  character  of  their  weather,  and  would  thus  show  both  higher 
temperature  in  summer  and  lower  in  winter  than  an  insular  station  like  Belle  Isle. 

I  have  received,  through  the  courteNy  of  the  Chief  Signal  Ofiicor  of  the  United 
States  Signal   Service,  copies  of  the   obseivations  taken   at  Fort  Chimo,  in  Ungava 
^^Jj  t)y  Mr.  Lncien  Turner,  who  has  spent  two  years  there,  and  the  winter  tempera- 
tures given  in  these  will  not,  I  think,  greatly  differ  from  those  in  the  Straits. 
These  tables  form  Appendix  B  to  this  report. 

The  following  table  gives  the  weather  experienced  in  Hudson's  Bay,  from  the 
Ist  to  Itith  September  : — 

Cape  Digges  and  Marble  Island, 

Mean  temperature. 

September    1. — Pair  weather,  light  N.B.  winds 43° 

"             2. — Fire  and  cloudy  p.m.  with  strong  N.E.  wind     42° 
"  3. — Rainy  weather,  moderate  gale  from  S.E 40° 


12 

y  —  -  ■^■' 

Off  Churchill. 

September    4. — Eainy  weather,  strong  gale]froni  N.W 40** 

'<  5. — Cloudy  weather,  strong  gale  from  N.W    40** 

"  6.— Cloudy,  light  rain,  light  N.W.  wind,  thick 

weather 39  5° 

At  Churchill. 

September  [^. — Fine  weather,  light  S  W.  wind 42° 

«  8.— Fine  weather,  light  N.W.  and  S.W.  wind 44° 

"  9. — Fair  cloudy  weather,  moderate  N.B.  wind...     41° 

York. 

September  10. — Cloudy  weather,  light  rain,  mod.  S.B.  wind..     40** 

"  11. — Fair  weather,  moderate  N.E.  wind 41° 

"  12.— Fair  weather,  light  S.  wind 46° 

York  to  Digges. 

September  13. — Fair  weather,  light  N.E.  wind 42** 

"  14.— Fog  in  a.m.,  fine  p  m.,  light  N.E.  wind 35° 

"  15. — Foggy  weather,  etroner  N.W.  wind 34° 

"  16.— Fair  weather,  light  N.B.  wind 3i° 

The  above  shows  one  gale  lasting* nearly  three  days,  viz.,  the  3rd,  4th  and  5tii, 
and  two  days  on  which  fog  occurred.  On  the  14th  the  fog  lasted  from  9  a  m.  to 
nearly  3  p.m.,  closing  down  again  early  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  and  continaing 
thick  fog  till  about  3  p.m. 

Sea  Temperatures. 

The  temperature  of  the  surface  water  off  Belle  Isle  on  25th  July  was  41-6  which 
gradually  decreased  as  we  proceeded  northward  to  34-7  on  4th  August,  off  the 
entrance  to  Hudhon's  Straits. 

On  the  homeward  voyage  these  temperatures  were,  off  Hudson's  Straits  32*5 
on  29 ih  September,  and  abreast  of  Belle  Isle,  but  some  distance  to  the  eastward,  36°  on 
9th  October. 

In  Hudson's  Straits,  the  mean  surface  temperature,  as  obtained  ff^m  observa- 
tions taken  when  the  ship  was  at  sea,  was,  on  the  west-bound  voyage,  found  to  be 
32.9,  the  highest  mean  of  a  day's  observations  was  33  3,  and  the  lowest  32'6. 
On  the  homeward  voyage  the  lowest  daily  mean  was  31'8  and  the  highest  33°.  The 
highest  temperatures  were  in  each  case  observed  at  the  eastern  end  ot  the  straits  and 
the  lowest  off  Nottingham  Island. 

In  the  bay  the  surface  temperatures  varied  much  with  the  geographical 
positions,  being  39-4  off  Marble  Isltnd,  4  °  off  Cape  Churchill,  39-7  about  100 
miles  north-east  of  York  Factory,  observed  whilst  steaming  across  to  Cape  Digges, 
and  36°  off  the  south  end  of  Mansfield  Island. 

Hudson's  Bay  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  a  vast  basin  of  comparatively  warm 
water,  the  effect  of  which  must  bo  to  considerably  ameliorate  the  winter  climate  to 
the  south  and  oast  of  it. 

The  resident  factor  at  Churchill  informs  me  that  the  bay  never  freezes  over  so 
far  out  from  t-bore,  but  that  clear  water  can  be  seen ;  and  as  the  temperature  of  the 
water  must  be  abavo  29*8  Faht.  (the  freezing  point  of  salt  water)  when  at  the  same 
time  the  temperature  on  shore  is  below  zero,  we  have  a  set  of  conditions  which  will 
cause  a  regular  area  of  low  barometric  pressure  to  remain  over  the  bay  during  the 
winter,  with  prevailing  west  and  north-west  winds  and  very  coM  weather  oa  the  west 
and  north  west  of  the  bay,  as  shown  by  observations  at  York  Factory;  whilst  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  bay  winds  from  south-west,  south  and  south-east  would  prevaiL 


13 


la  concluding  this  the  motoorological  portion  of  the  report,  I  would  point  oat  that 
BO  far  as  meteorological  conditions  are  concerned,  the  bay  has  been  proved  navig- 
able early  in  June.  The  barque  **  George  and  Mary  "  sawed  out  on  the  7th  June  of 
this  year,  and  was  cruising  under  sail  from  that  date  onwards  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  bay. 

Surveying  \  Work, 

At  Station  No.  1,  Port  Burwell,  near  Cape  Chudleigh,  the  harbour  and  part  of  the 
adjacent  coast  was  surveyed  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Ashe,  D.L.S.,  whowas  one  of  the  observers 
appointed  to  the  expediiion,  and  I  have  prepared  sailing  directions  for  entering  the 
port.  Mr.  Ashe  also  surveyed  the  harbour  at  Station  No.  3  (Ashe  Inlet).  At  all  the 
other  stations  in  the  straits  I  have  myself,  besides  making  determinations  of  position, 
variation  and  dip,  made  surveys  of  the  harbors,  and  written  out  the  necessary  sailing 
directions  for  entering  the  ports.  I  also  made  a  hurried  survey  of  the  harbour  at 
Marble  Island,  and  have  obtained  a  copy  of  a  plan  of  Churchill  Harbour  from  one  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  officers.  Copies  of  all  these  I  will  furniBh  you  with 
hereafter,  when  I  have  had  time  to  complete  the  final  reductions  and  recopy  the  plans. 

Resources  of  the  Begion  of  EwisorCs  Bay  and  Strait. 

As  to  the  resources  of  these  waters,  I  have  the  honor  to  report: 

1.  That  the  economic  fish  and  mammals  of  those  waters  are  the  whale,  porpoise^ 
walrus,  narwhal,  seal,  salmon,  trout,  cod,  and  a  variety  of  small  fish. 

2.  That  the  only  fishing  industries  developed  so  far  are,  the  whale  fishery  by  the 
Americans,  and  the  porpoise,  walrus,  salmon  and  trout  fiwheries  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company. 

3.  That  the  chief  whaling  ground  is^lhe  Rowe's  Welcome,  a  vast  basin  in  the 
north-western  portion  of  Hudson's  Bay.     Here  the  American  whalers,  chiefly  fromt 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  have  been  conducting  a  very  profitable  fishery  foir 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  are  t^till  in  active  operations. 

The  report  of  the  United  States  Commissioners  of  Fish  and  Fisheries  for  1875-€ 
states,  that  during  the  eleven  years  preceding  1874,  about  fifty  voyages  were  known 
to  have  been  made  by  whaling  vet^sels  from  New  England  to  Hudson's  Bay,  and  their 
returns  amounted  to  at  least  $1,371,000,  an  average  of  $27,420  per  voyage,  which,  as 
most  of  the  vessels  engaged  in  the  trade  are  comparatively  small  sailing  vessels, 
shows  a  large  margin  for  profit  to  those  engaged  in  the  business.  And  if  we  allow  aa 
average  of  three  vessels  per  annum  since  the  date  of  the  roturcs  up  to  the  present 
year,  we  have  $822,600. as  the  value  of  the  oil  and  bone  taken  by  our  neighbours  from 
the  waters  of  Hudson's  Bay  since  the  date  of  the  report  above  quoted,  making  a  grand 
total  of  $2,19;^,600. 

The  wintering  quarters  of  these  whalers  is  at  Marble  Island,  on  the  north-western 
coast  of  Hudson's  Bay  The  whaling  ships,  generally,  leave  Massachusetts  or  Con- 
necticut in  July,  and  reach  the  island  some  time  in  September,  where  they  winter  in 
a  well  sheltered  harbour,  and  saw  out  of  the  ice  in  June  of  the  following  spring; 
They  then  pross  northward  as  fast  as  the  movin<.r  ice  will  permit,  until  the  whaling 
ground  is  reached,  where  they  fish  until  the  Ist  September,  and  then  sail  for  home, 
with  their  ships  well  loaded  with  blubber  and  bone.  One  or  two  whaling  vessels, 
and  occasioniilly  more,  winter  at  Marble  Island  each  year. 

Although  this  industry  is,  as  yet,  comparatively  small,  I  am  persuaded  that,  from 
the  large  profits  realized  by  those  ent^aged  in  it,  from  the  ample  opportunities  for 
its  extension,  and  the  increased  attention  which  is  now  being  given  to  the  resources 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  region,  a  much  lat-tror  number  of  vessels  will,  nndoubtodly,  be 
drawn  into  it  at  an  early  day.  I  am  satisfied  that  there  are  largo  numbers  of  whales 
in  these  waters,  from  the  fact  that  wo  met  with  thom  continually  during  the  cruise 
of  the  "  Neptune,"  and  because,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  those  engaged  in  the  catch 
have  never  yet  been  compelled  to  r«'turn  without  a  fair  cargo.  The  bark  "  George 
and  Mary,"   Capt.   Fisher,   of  Connecticut,  wintered  at  the  Island  last  season,  sawed. 


14 


out  of  the  ico  on  tlie  7th  of  last  June,  and  succoedod  in  taking  throe  whales  in  the 
open  waters  of  Huison's  Bay  before  reaching  the  "  Welcomj."  Considering  that 
£ve  or  six  of  these  mammals  would  complete  her  cargo,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  this 
fishery  is  by  no  means  failing  off. 

4.  Of  the  fisheries  carried  on  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  that  of  the  porpoise 
is  the  most  extensive.  The  blubber  of  these  mammals  weighs  from  250  to  400 
pounds,  and  is  very  rich  in  the  finest  of  oil. 

Last  year  the  company  secured  nearly  200  in  one  tide  at  Churchill,  and  a  much 
larger  number  at  Ungava  Bay.  They  have  established  extensive  refineries  at  several 
<rf their  northern  stations,  and  instead  of  exporting  the  blubber  in  bulk,  as  formerly, 
3-efine  it,  shipping  the  pure  oil  in  casks.  The  porpoises  are  not  shot  or  har- 
pooned, as  is  the  case  with  the  walrus  and  whale,  but  ai-e  grounded  on  the  flats  in; 
•coves,  where  the  tide  rises  10  or  15  feet  or  more,  and  where,  by  means  of  trap  nets, 
Ihcy  are  held  in  check  until  the  water  recedes,  leaving  them  high  and  dry  on  the 
l)0ulder8  and  sand.  The  process  is  very  simple  and  inexpensive.  The  company  also 
carry  on  a  walrus  bunt,  sending  two  sloops  annually  from  Churchill  to  two  very 
productive  walrus  grounds,  north  of  Marble  Island,  where  they  have  never  failed  to 
secure  as  much  blubber,  ivory  and  hides  as  their  little  vessels  will  carry  in  a  few 
"weeks.  They  took  between  twenty  and  thirty  of  those  animals  the  present  season. 
On  this  trip  they  also  meet  the  northern  Eskimo,  and  carry  on  a  very  valuable  trade 
with  them,  exchanging  powder,  shot,  &c.,  for  ivory,  oil,  musk  ox  robes,  and  other 
fars. 

One  of  the  members  of  the  expedition  was  furnished  with  an  estimate  of  the 
Talue  of  the  oil  secui-ed  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  region  last  year  by  the  company  and 
^h«  American  whalers,  which,  although  I  had  no  means  of  verifying  it,  is  probably 
within  the  mark.  It  places  the  value  of  the  export  at  $150,000.  I  am  eatinfied  that 
the  walrus  and  porpoise  fisheries  may  be  developed  to  almost  any  extent ;  and  as  in- 
"Creased  attention  is  sure  nov^^  to  be  given  to  this  industry,  we  may  rely  upon  ita 
almost  immediate  extension.  We  met  with  walrus  in  great  numbers  at  the  wet-tern 
end  of  the  strait.  In  one  afternoon,  while  steaming  from  the  Digges  Islands  to 
l!>rottingham  Island,  we  found  between  fifty  and  a  hundred  of  them  on  the  ice. 

5.  The  company  is  also  engaged  at  several  points,  particularly  at  Ungava,  in 
the  salmon  and  trout  fisheries.  These  excellent  fith  abound  in  vast  quantities  in 
nearly  all  the  streams,  and  are  generally  most  plentiful  at  certain  seasons  just  above 
smd  near  the  head  of  tide,  where  the  salt  and  fresh  waters  mingle.  Fiom  what  I 
•could  Jearn  of  this  industry,  I  conclude  that  it  is  but  the  beginning  of  what  will,  in 
the  near  future,  become  an  extensive  and  profitable  business. 

At  the  present  time  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  a  steamer,  called  the 
'""Diara,"  which  goes  from  London  to  Ungava  Bay  direct.  She  is  fitted  out  with  re- 
irigernting  apparatus,  by  means  of  which  they  are  enabled  to  send  home  the  salmon 
^eeh  to  the  London  market,  where  it  realizes  high  prices,  and  has,  I  understand, 
proved  a  pre  fitable  business  for  the  company.  Cargo  this  year  is  reported  to  have 
realized  $18.(i00.  This  is  the  sole  business  that  this  little  steamer  is  engaged  in,  as 
another  eteampr,  called  the  "  Labrador,"  carries  all  the  freight  required  for  Fort 
Chimoand  the  Ungava  district. 

6.  Cod-fihh.  Up  to  the  present  time  cod  have  never  been  found  in  the  waters  of 
Hudson's  Bay  or  the  western  portion  of  the  strait,  but  they  are  very  plentiful  in  the 
fcays  round  Cape  Chudleigh,  on  both  the  east  and  west  side.  Newfoundland  schoo- 
ners, even  now,  work  as  far  north  as  Nachvak  Bay,  and  seem,  year  by  year,  to  have 
been  going  further  north. 

The  quality  of  cod  found  off  Cape  Chudleigh,  though  good,  was  not  of  the  same 
liigh  quality  as  that  got  on  the  banks. 

7.  In  conclu-*ion,  I  have  the  honour  to  urge  that  in  any  negotiations  with  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  relative  to  a  treaty  of  reciprocal  trade,  due  allow- 
;£mce  phould  be  made  for  the  great  value  of  the  fisheries  of  Hudson's  Bay. 

It  American  whalers  are  to  be  permitted   to  continue  to  fish  in  thofe  waterp^ 
arrangements  should  be  made  by  which  Canada  would  receive  a  substantial   equiva- 
Jent  for  the  privilege. 


15 


I  would  further  suggest  that  unless  a  very  large  consideration  is  granted  in  re- 
turn for  the  privilege,  the  Canadian  Government  should  reserve  the  right  to  make 
and  enforce  such  regulations  as  will  prevent  the  extermination  of  these  valuable 
mammals  from  our  northern  waters.  In  support  of  this  suggestion,  I  would  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  some  years  ago  whale  fishing  was  a  thriving  industry 
in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  some  ten  schooners  being  at  one  time  engaged  in  it,  but 
that  shortly  after  the  Americans  were  granted  the  right  to  fish  in  these  waters,  they 
had,  by  use  of  explosive  bombs  and  other  methods  of  capturing  these  animals, 
completely  driven  them  out  of  the  gulf,  and  the  Canadian  whaling  business  was 
destroyed. 

Trade. 

The  trading  station  for  the  south  side  of  Hudson's  Straits  is  Fort  Chimo,  at  the 
south  end  of  Ungava  Bay,  and  the  Eskimo  and  Indians  visit  the  fort  regularly,  to 
exchange  their  furs  for  powder,  shot,  &c. 

At  Nachvak  Bay  also,  the  company  maintain  a  post,  where  a  number  of  the 
most  valuable  furs,  the  black  fox,  &o.,  have  been  obtained  from  the  natives. 

The  Nachvak  station  is  one  of  the  company's  chain  of  posts  on  the  Labrador 
coast,  subsidiary  to  Eigoulette.  These  posts  obtain  their  supplies  by  the  steamer 
"Labrador,"  and  I  have  been  informed  that  the  Newfoundland  authorities  claim  and 
collect  Customs  duties  on  the  whole  ship's  invoice  at  Eigoulette,  thus  collocting 
there  duties  on  goods  which  are  destined  for  consumption  in  Canada,  inasmuch  as 
all  the  goods  for  Fort  Chimo  are  included.  Canada  is  thus  the  loser,  whilst  the  com- 
pany derives  no  benefit,  except  what  may  arise  from  the  difference  of  the  tariffs  of 
the  two  countries. 

The  exports  from  these  and  the  Mission  stations  are  principally,  seal  skins  and 
oil,  salted  salmon  and  trout,  codfish,  ivory,  bear,  deer  and  fox  skins.  From  Ungava, 
besides  fur,  porpoise  oil  is  exported,  and  frozen  salmon,  as  stated  previously. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  trading,  have  to  pay  duties,  and  a  considerable 
sum  accrues  to  the  Canadian  Government  in  Customs  dues  on  the  importations  to 
Churchill,  York  and  Moose.  Every  American  whaler,  however,  which  enters  the 
bay,  is  an  unlicensed  trader,  carrying  in  American  goods  and  trading  with  the 
natives  in  the  northwest  of  the  bay,  where  they  compete  with  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  who  have  to  pay  duty  on  their  importations. 

.  A  regular  trading  post  has  also  been  established  by  a  Capt.  Spicer,  an  American 
citizen,  on  the  north  shore  of  the  straits,  a  little  to  the  west  of  North  Bluff,  which  I 
intended  visiting,  but  was  unable  to  do  so. 

I  was,  however,  informed  by  the  natives,  that  each  year  a  ship  went  to  the 
station,  that  an  agent  lived  there  through  the  winter,  and  that  about  fifty  families 
traded  with  him.  The  Eskimo  at  North  Bluff  had  an  old  whale  boat  of  American 
build,  but  in  good  repair,  and  they  informed  me  that  they  occasionally  killed  whales 
for  Capt.  Spicer,  and  that  whenever  they  secured  a  whale  that  they  were  given 
spirits.     The  evil  effects  of  such  payment  are  too  well  known  to  need  comment. 

In  reference  to  the  value  of  the  trade,  I  have  heard  it  estimated,  by  men  whom  I 
considered  competent  judges,  that  a  good  Eskimo  family  would  be  worth  8500  a  year 
to  a  trader.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  rate  some  of  their  best  Indian  hunters  as 
worth  $1,000  a  year  to  the  company,  and,  allowing  that  the  straits  region  is  a  some- 
what poorer  region  than  the  northwest  of  the  bay,  a  family  ought  still  to  bo  worth 
nearly  $100  to  a  trader.  This  estimate  gives  the  value  of  Capt.  Spicer's  station  at 
$20,000  a  year,  an  estimate  which  I  believe  to  be  rather  below  than  above  the  truth. 
All  goods,  destined  for  trade  with  the  natives,  on  board  of  the  American  whalers, 
should  be  chargeable  with  duty,  or  a  license  fee  charged  them,  before  they  are  per- 
mitted to  enter  Hudson's  Straits,  which  would  be  sufficient  to  cover  the  duty,  so  that 
they  may  be  placed  on  the  game  footing  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company ;  for  the  value 
of  the  trade  in  musk  ox  robes,  cariboo  robes,  seal  skins  and  ivory,  forms  no  unim- 
portant part  of  the  profit  of  the  whaling  voyage. 


16 


The  use  of  ardent  spirits^as  an  article  of  trade,  or  indeed  its  importation,  should 
be  absolutely  prohibited. 

There  is  room  for  the  profitable  establishment  of  trading  posts  on  the  south 
shore  of  the  bay,  as  the  natives  there  have  to  go  upwards  of  300  miles,  toFort  Chimo, 
for  powder,  shot,  &c. 

I  was  also  informed  by  the  natives  at  North  Bluff,  that  about  the  Middle  Savage 
Islands  we  would  find  natives  who  had  never  traded  with  white  men,  and  who  had 
large  quantities  of  ivory. 

That  a  profitable  business  can  bo  carried  on  in  pursuit  of  whale  and  porpoise 
fishery  and  walrus  hunting,  together  with  the  trade  with  the  Eskimo,  seems 
beyond  doubt,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  none  of  the  profits  derived  from  it  are  at 
present  received  by  Canadians. 

NATURAL   HISTORY. 

The  Inhabitants. 

With  the  exception  of  people  who  may  bo  in  charge  of  Capt.  Spicers'  station,  the 
only  inhabitants  of  the  straits  and  northern  part  of  the  bay  are  the  Eskimo. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Straits  they  are  quite  familiar  with  the  ways  of  white 
men,  and  seem  to  bo  much  pleased  at  the  prospects  of  increased  intercourse  with 
them.  Some  one  or  two  of  them  speak  English,  whilst  some  others  understand 
easily  what  is  said  to  them,  but  refuse  to  speak  it.  They  are  particularly  fond  of 
any  article  of  clothing,  either  cotton  or  woolen,  and  the  head  man  at  North  Bluff  was 
arrayed  in  all  the  glory  of  a  stand-up  linen  collar. 

These  natives  are  docile,  amiable  and  willing  to  work.  When  landing  the  stores 
and  coal  at  North  Bluff  they  worked  all  day  along  with  our  men,  carrying  heavy 
weights  up  over  the  rocks,  and  working  as  cheerily  and  heartily  as  could  be  desired, 
taking  their  pay  in  biscuit,  of  which  they  are  inordinately  fond. 

The  number  met  with  at  the  station  h&ro  was  abojit  thirty,  but  during  my 
absence  a  largo  number  of  them^visited  the  station,  maintaining  the  most  friendly 
relations  with  our  party. 

They  have  no  farinaceous  food  of  any  kind,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  mothers 
suckle  the  children  till  they  are  from  three  to  four  years  of  age.  The  fjftnilies  are 
small,  there  rarely  being  more  than  two  or  three  children,  and  although  early 
marriages  are  the  rule  among  them,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  their  numbers  have 
sensibly  diminished,  inasmuch  as  we  found  signs  of  their  presence  everywhere;  yet, 
except  at  Port  Burwell,  Ashe  Inlet  and  Stnpart's  Bay,  none  were  met  with.  About 
six  miles  south  of  Port  Burwell  there  is  the  remains  of  what  must  once  have  been  a 
large  Eskimo  settlement,  their  subterranean  dwellings  being  still  in  a  fair  state  of 
preservation.  At  the  present  time,  so  far  as  I  can  loam,  there  are  only  some  five  or 
six  Eskimo  families  between  Cape  Chudleigh  and  Nachvak. 

Along  the  Labrador  coast  the  Eskimo  gather  in  small  settlements  round  the 
Moravian  Mission  stations.  At  these  places  their  numbers  vary  considerably.  Nain 
is  reputed  to  be  the  largest  settlement  and  its  Eskimo  population  amounts  to  about 
200  souls. 

These  are  all  educated.  They  can  read  and  write  in  their  own  language  and  the 
mieaionaries  informed  me  that  they  were  regular  attendants  at  church  and  are  very 
fond  of  music.  No  alcoholic  or  other  liquors  are  given  to  the  natives  by  these 
missionary  traders;  but  they  occasionally  procure  smallfquantities  from  Newfound- 
land fishermen.  It  is,  however,  a  rare  occurence,  and  there  is  no  record  of  any  dis- 
turbance or  trouble  ever  having  been  caused. 

These  missions  are  self  supporting,  the  missionaries  supplying  the  Eskimo  on 
loan  with  the  very  best  tra})3,  fishi-g  lines  etc.,  and  puchasing  from  them  all  their 
produce,  whether  it  be  seals,  cod,  salmon,  furs  or  anything  else.  They  are  supplied 
by  a  sailing  vessel  called  the  "Harmony,"  which  saiU  from  London  each  year,  visits 
all  their  Mission  stations  and  then  returns,  taking  with  her  the  great  portion  of  the 
season's  catch.  The  Newfoundland  mail  steamer  makes  several  trips  to  Nain  daring 
the  summer  of  each  year,  but  does  not  go  any  further  north. 


IT 


I  have  mentioned  these  missionary  traders  and  their  work,  because  I  am  of 
opinion  that  the  system,  when  honourably  carried  out,  as  it  has  been  and  is  on  the 
Labrador  Coast,  is  the  one  which  best  meets  the  wants  of  the  natives  and  tends  to  the 
improvement  of  their  condition. 

In  speaking  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  straits,  I  mentioned  more  particularly  those 
living  on  the  northern  side,  but  those  met  with  at  Stupart's  Bay  were  equally  tract- 
able and  ready  to  assist  in  the  work.  They  wore,  however,  from  less  frequently  meet- 
ing with  white  people  more  simple,  but  decidely  more  demonstrative;  their  delight 
on  being  informed  that  we  were  going  to  build  a  station  and  leave  a  party  among 
them  was  exhibited  by  their  forming  a  circle  round  the  interpreter  and  dancing  and 
shouting  like  a  lot  of  school  children. 

One  word  must  be  said  in  regard  to  their  honesty.  Although  scraps  of  iron  and 
wood  possess  a  value  to  them  which  we  can  hardly  appreciate,  they  would  take 
nothing  without  first  asking  permission;  not  even  a  chip  or  a  broken  nail  wcis  taken 
without  their  first  coming  to  the  officer  who  was  on  duty  at  the  building  for  permis- 
sion to  take  it. 

As  to  the  pernicious  efiects  of  their  contact  with  American  whalers,  I  beg  to 
quote  from  the  report  of  Lieut.  Eay,  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service,  who  was 
in  charge  of  the  Observatory  at  Point  Barrow,  premising  that  I  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  New  England  whalers  carry  on  very  much  the  same  sort  of  trade 
that  their  brethren  of  the  Pacific  seem  to  have  done.    Lieut.  Kay  says: — 

"  The  safety  of  the  station  would  be  very  much  increased  if  the  law  reljiting  to 
the  sale  of  contraband  goods  by  the  whale  men  and  traders  on  this  coast  could  be 
enforced."  h«  *  *  *  *  "I  believe  the  offenders  in  the 

fleet  this  year  are  confined  to  two  or  three  ships.  I  met  nearly  all  the  captaiiis  when 
they  first  came  up,  and  they  promised  a  strict  compliance  with  the  law,  but  in  gpite 
of  all  that,  the  natives  here  have  been  drunk  three  difierent  times  during  the  last 
month." 

Fauna. 

The  terrestrial  mammalia  of  Hudson's  Straits  and  northern  part  of  the  bay  are: 

The  polar  bear,  the  fox  (three  varieties),  the  hare,  the  reindeer. 

The  skin  of  the  polar  bear  is  valuable,  being  held  at  $12  by  the  agents  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  These  animals,  though  reported  by  the  Eskimo  to  bo  very- 
savage,  will  not,  1  think,  as  a  rule,  attack  a  man  unless  first  wounded  or  emboldened 
by  hunger,  when  I  can  well  understand  that  they  would  be  dangerous  to  encoui^ter. 
They  prey  chiefly  on  the  seal.  The  Eskimo  on  the  south  side  of  the  straits,  at  Stu- 
part's Bay,  informed  me  that  at  certain  times  of  the  year  there  were  large  numbers 
of  them  in  that  vicinity.  The  meat  of  these  bears  is  not  unpalatable,  but  the  liver  is 
said  to  be  poisonous. 

The  Fox. — Judging  from  the  number  of  white  fox  skins  which  the  natives  had, 
these  animals  must  be  very  numerous.  These  skins,  however,  have  no  high  com- 
mercial value,  and  are,  indeed,  almost  valueless,  unless  captured  at  a  certain  season 
of  the  year. 

The  blue  fox  is  a  sort  of  a  steel  grey  colour.  Their  skins  are  more  valuable 
than  those  of  the  white  fox,  but  they  are  much  less  numerous. 

The  red  fox  is  valuable  as  indicating  the  probability  of  the  presence  of  the  black 
fox,  whoso  fur  is  so  very  valuable.  The  red  fox  was  seen  on  the  south  side  of  the 
strait,  and  black  foxes  are  annually  shot  or  trapped  in  the  country  south  of  Cap© 
Chudleigh. 

The  reindeer  are  the  food  and  clothing  of  the  Eskimo,  and  their  horns  are  used 
for  making  the  spring  bows  of  their  fish  spears  and  for  many  other  purposes.  We 
procured  some  of  the  venison  from  the  Eskimo  at  North  Bluff,  which  was  pronouaced 
by  every  one  to  be  excellent. 

The  hare  is  a  common  animal  over  the  whole  coast  of  the  straits,  being  especi- 
ally numerous  about  North  Bluff. 

Game  Birds. — Many  kinds  were  seen.  Geese,  swans,  duck  and  ptarmigan  werO' 
plentiful,  80  that  the  officers  and  men  at  the  station  can  easily  procure  a  palatabl© 
change  of  diet. 


18 


The  Work  of  the  Expedition  in  the  Coming    Year. 

Much  will  undoubtedly  be  learned  from  the  observations  taken  during  this 
winter  as  to  the  formation  and  breaking  up  of  the  ice  and  generally  in  regard  to  its 
movement,  and  also  of  the  phenomena  afifecting  navigation,  but  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  state  definitively  from  one  year's  observations  what  was  the  average 
period  of  navigability  of  the  straits.  I  consider,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  desirable 
to  continue  certain  of  the  stations  for  a  second  year,  and  might  perhaps  be  desirable 
to  keep  on  three  of  them  for  a  third  year. 

For  the  year  1885  86, 1  have  the  honour  to  recommend  that  the  following  stations, 
Port  Burwell,  near  Cape  Chudleigh,  Ashe  Inlet,  near  North  Bluff,  Stuparls'  Bay, 
near  Prince  of  Wales  Foreland,  Nottingham  Island  and  Digges  Island,  be  continued. 

The  station  at  Nachvak  Bay  could  easily  be  disposed  of,  as  the  Newfoundland 
fishermen  already  visit  the  place  for  the  cod^  fishing,  and  if  it  were  advertised  in  the 
St.  Johns,  Nfld.,  papers,  I  do  not  doubt  that  the  Department  would  get  offers  for  the 
purchase  of  the  house. 

The  expedition  for  next  year  should  be  ready  to  start  from  Halifax  about  the 
16th  of  May — not  later  than  this  date — and  arriving  off  Hudson's  Straits  about  the 
1st  of  June,  if  possible  visit  and  relieve  the  stations.  Should  the  ice  prevent  our 
getting  on  shore,  the  ship  should  push  on  so  as  to  investigate  once  for  all  the  con- 
dition of  the  ice  in  the  straits  and  bay  in  the  early  part  of  the  season.  If  successful  in 
gettiog  through  the  straits,  the  voyage  should  be  continued  to  Fort  Churchill,  the 
endeavour  being  made  to  arrive  there  about  the  opening  of  navigation,  the  15th  of 
June. 

After  leaving  Churchill  the  eastern  shores  of  the  bay  should  be  visited,  and  a 
running  survey  made  of  such  portions  of  the  coast  as  practicable.  Beacons  should 
be  erected  on  the  north  end  of  Mansfield  Island  and  the  south  end  of  Southampton 
Island,  Both  these  islands  are  low-lying,  with  shoal  water  running  for  some  dis- 
tance out;  they  are  of  a  dark  grey  limestone  formation  and  most  difficult  to  make 
out  at  night,  the  mariner's  only  safety  being  in  the  constant  use  of  the  lead. 
Especially  are  they  dangerous  on  account  of  the  tides,  which  run  along  the  east  coast 
of  Mansfield  Island  at  the  rate  of  about  four  knots  per  hour. 

This  work  could,  I  think,  be  accomplished  and  the  ship  be  back  in  the  straits  by 
the  ir)th  August.  The  remainder  of  the  time  should  be  devoted  to  making  a  running 
survey  of  such  part  of  the  coast  of  the  straits  as  may  be  possible*  Capt.  Spicers* 
station  should  be  called  at,  and  if  time  permitted,  the  Hudson's  Bay  post  at  Ungava 
should  also  be  visited,  the  expedition  returning  to  Canada  in  October. 

If,  however,  the  Government  regard  it  as  more  important  to  investigate  the 
fisheries  of  the  bay  and  straits,  the  ship  should  push  up  north  for  Marble  Island  as 
soon  as  possible,  thence  to  "  The  Eowe's  Welcome."  After  spending  a  short  time  in 
"  The  Welcome,"  the  porpoieo  fishery  at  Churchill  should  be  examined. 

After  leaving  Churchill,  under  any  circumstances,  the  east  shore  should  be 
visited,  audits  mineral  and  other  resources  examined  and  reported  on. 

The  vessel  should  also  be  fitted  with  a  deep-sea  dredging  apparatus,  wire  dredge 
rope  and  deep-sea  sounding  apparatus. 

In  the  event  of  your  deciding  on  sending  out  the  expedition  in  May,  it  would  be 
advisable  to  send  to  Ashe  Inlet  a  schooner  load  of  coal.  If  this  vessel  were  to  start 
so  as  to  be  in  Ashe  Inlet  about  20th  August,  she  would  have  but  little  difficulty  from 
the  ice.  The  harbour  is  an  easy  one  to  make,  with  no  outlying  shoals  or  rocks ; 
inside  it  is  well  sheltered  and  good  holding  ground. 

I  have  endeavoured  in  the  foregoing  pages  to  give  all  the  information  in  my 
power  in  regard,  not  only  to  the  navigation,  but  to  the  resources  of  the  region  of 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Straits,  and  I  trust  that  my  efforts  will  meet  with  your  approval. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

ANDEEW  R  GORDON, 
Commanding  Hudson^s  Bay  Expedition* 


19 


APPENDIX     A. 


Geoloqical  and  Natural  History  Survey, 

Museum  and  Office,  Sussex  St., 

Ottawa,  19 Ih  January,  1885, 

The  Honorable  A.  W.  McLelan, 

Minister  of  Marine  and  Fisheries, 
Ottawa. 

Sib, — In  compliance  with  instructions  received  from  the  Hon.  Sir  David 
Macpberson,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  as 
received  by  me  on  the  14th  inst.,  the  accompanying  copy  of  the  report,  by  Dr.  Bell, 
of  observations  made  on  the  shores  of  Labrador,  Hudson  Strait  and  Bay  during  the 
voyage  of  the  steamship  "Neptune,"  from  the  22nd  July  to  the  11th  of  November, 
1884. 

The  botanical  and  marine  zoological  collections  made  during  the  voyage  have 
been  examined.  The  plants  have  been  named  by  Professor  Macoun,  the  crusta- 
ceans by  Professor  S.  J.  Smith,  of  Yale  College,  and  the  molluscs  and  echinoderms 
by  Mr.  J.  F.  Whiteaves.  The  plants  are  represented  by  118  genera  and  227  species. 
The  Crustacea  by  13  genera  and  16  species.  The  molluscs  by  19  genera  and  25 
species,  and  the  echinoderms  by  5  genera  and  6  species.  The  brachiopods,  cirripeds 
or  barnacles  and  the  annelids  each  by  1  species. 

Of  the  plants  Professor  Macoua  states  as  follows  : — 

"  The  collection  is  a  very  interesting  one  and  shows  conclusively  the  Arctic 
character  oT  the  climate  of  the  Straits  and  that  part  of  Labrador  north  of  Nachvat. 
North  of  Nain,  all  the  plants  obtained  are  exclusively  Arctic,  not  one  of  them,  except 
the  Arctic  Easpberry  (rubus  ckamcemorus)  and  a  couple  of  species  of  Vacinium  ranging 
as  far  south  as  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  greater  number,  however,  are  widely 
distributed  on  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  are  the  characteristic  plants  of  both. 
Arctic  Europe  and  America." 

Mr.  Whiteaves  states  that  the  marine  invertebrata  are  well  known  Arctic 
species,  most  of  which  are  common  to  the  St.  Lawrence  Gulf,  their  range  there 
being  from  about  ten  fathoms  to  fifty,  where  they  form  a  large  part  of  the  food  of 
the  codfish — especial  thanks  are  due  to  Professor  Smith,  of  Yale,  for  the  list  of  the 
Crustacea. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ALFRED  E.  C.  SELWYN. 


Ottawa,  24th  November,  1884. 
A.  E.  C.  Selwyn,  Esq.,  LL.  D.,  F.  E.  S. 

Sir,— Herewith  I  beg  to  submit  my  report  as  geologist  and  naturalist  on  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Expedition,  sent  out  by  the  Government  of  Canada  during  the  present 
season. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)        EOBEET  BELL. 


20 


Observations   on   the   Geology,   Mineeialogt,   ZooLoar,   and   IJotant   op   the 
Labrador  Coast,  Hudson's  Strait  and  Bay. 

By  Egbert  Bell,  M.D,,  LL.D.,  B.A.Sc,  P.E.S.,  Canada,  Assistant  Director 

OP  the  Geologic iiL  Survey. 

Medical  Officer  to  the  Expedition. 


The  question  of  sending  a  party  by  sea  into  Hudson's  Bay,  for  scientific  pur- 
poses, at  the  expense  of  the  Government,  has  been  before  the  public  of  Canada  for 
some  years.  "Without  entering  into  the  subject  of  the  various  useful  purposes  which 
it  was  believed  such  a  party  might  accomplish,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  main  object 
of  the  expedition,  sent  out  by  steamship  the  present  season,  was  to  establish  six 
observatory  stations  on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Strait.  The  parties  to  be  left  in 
«harge  of  these  stations  were  to  remain  one  year  and  to  keep  regular  meteorological 
xecords,  and  to  note  all  seasonal  events,  especially  with  regard  to  the  conuition  of  the 
Strait  itself  in  winter,  the  tidal  phenomena,  &c.,  all  with  a  view  to  throw  additional 
light  on  questions  regarding  the  navigation  of  these  waters.  If  time  permitted, 
after  having  built  the  stations,  the  vessel  was  to  visit  certain  parts  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
Without  interfering  with  the  above  mentioned  objects,  the  expedition  would  afford 
an  opportunity  for  obtaining  much  desirable  information  in  regard  to  the  geology 
and  mineralogy  and  the  zoology  and  botany  of  the  places  which  might  be  visited. 
The  writer,  who  had  been  on  Hudson's  Bay  in  previous  years,  and  who  had  already 
passed  through  the  Strait  (see  Eeport  of  the  Geological  Survey  for  1880),  was  selected 
for  this  duty,  and  also  to  act  as  medical  officer  to  the  expedition.  1  also  acted  as 
taxidermist  and  photographer  for  geological  purposes,  and  provided  myself  with 
the  instruments  necessary  for  various  methods  of  surveying,  in  case  opportunities 
for  using  them  should  occur. 

The  expedition  was  essentially  a  meteorological  one,  and  Lieut.  A.  E.  Gordon, 
II.N.,  of  this  branch  of  the  public  service,  was  selected  for  the  command ;  and  the 
general  management  fell  within  the  province  of  the  Department  of  Marine.  Not- 
withstanding that  1  had  neither  men  nor  boat  at  my  command,  I  managed,  while 
the  stations  were  being  built,  or  while  the  ship  was  taking  in  ballast,  to  get  ashore 
Tvith  the  boats  that  were  passing  backward  and  forward  between  the  vessel  and  the 
land,  and  in  some  cases  I  had  the  use  of  a  boat  and  the  assistance  of  officers  and  mer, 
both  of  the  expedition  and  of  the  ship's  company. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Deputy  Minister  of  Marine,  in  reply  to  one 
from  Dr.  Selwyn,  will  best  explain  my  position  with  regard  to  the  facilities  to  be 
expected  : 

"  Department  of  Marine  and  Fisheries, 

"  Ottawa,  201h  June,  1884. 

**  Sir, — I  have  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  18th  instant,  making 
certain  enquiries  in  regard  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Expedition  and  the  employment  of 
Dr.  Bell,  and  in  reply  1  am  to  inform  you  that  the  vessel  will  sail  from  Halifax  about 
the  21st  of  next  month.  Nothing  beyond  board  and  berth  accommodation  can  be 
given  Dr.  Bell,  the  vessel  being  chartered  to  the  Department,  and  no  special  accom- 
modation being  guaranteed,  but  space  will  doubtless  be  provided  sufficient  for  the 
storage  of  any  specimens,  &c.,  which  Dr.  Bell  may  collect  or  the  stores  provided  for 
the  preservation  of  the  same.  With  reference  to  your  enquiry  as  to  what  assistance, 
as  regards  men  and  boats,  can  be  provided  for  Dn  Bell's  work,  I  have  to  inform  you 
that  Dr.  Bell  will  have  the  opportunity  of  landing  at  every  place  at  which  the  vessel 


21 


may  call,  and  every  facility  will  be  given  him  which  the  oflSicer  in  charge  may  con- 
sider he  is  able  to  aflPord  without  prejudicing  the  primary  objects  of  the  Expedition, 
but  no  special  boat  or  crew  can  be  furnished  for  Dr.  Bell's  uee.  I  am  also  to  inform 
you  that  it  is  the  intention  that  the  vessel  shall  return  this  fall,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  state  positively  that  she  will.  I  am  also  to  state  that^no  charge  will  be  made  for 
Dr  Bell's  maintenance  while  on  board  the  vessel. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  * 

*'  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  W.  SMITH, 
"  Deputy  Minister  of  Marine,  (&c." 

A.  E.  C.  Selwtn,  Esq.,  LL.D.,  F.E.S., 

Director  Geological  and  Natural  History  Survey. 

The  route  followed  by  the  expedition,  in  going  out  and  returning  home,  together 
with  a  full  narrative  of  occurrences,  will  no  doubt  be  given  in  the  report  of  Lieut. 
Gordon  to  the  Minister  of  Marine ;  but  in  order  to  make  the  present  report  intelligi- 
ble by  itself,  it  will  te  necessary  for  me  here  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  round 
voyage. 

The  vessel  which  had  been  chartered  by  the  Government  for  this  service  was 
the  steamship  "Neptune,"  belonging  to  the  Messrs.  Job  Brothers,  of  St.  John's,  a 
wooden  vessel  of  684  tons  burden,  which  had  been  built  and  fitted  for  the  seal  fishery. 
She  was  navigated  by  Captain  William  Sopp,  as  sailing  master,  and  a  competent  staff 
of  officers  and  men.  We  sailed  from  Halifax  on  the  22nd  of  July,  our  course  lying 
between  Cape  North  and  Cape  Eay,  and  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Straits  of  Belle  Isle.  We  anchored  for  an  hour  at  Blanc  Sablon,  on  the  north  shore, 
but  did  not  land.  On  the  way  up  the  Labrador  coast,  we  called  at  Ford's  Harbor, 
Nain  and  Nachvak,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  an  Eskimo  interpreter,  which  we 
succeeded  in  doing  at  the  last  named  place. 

The  first  station  was  built  on  the  north-west  point  of  the  promontory  between 
Ungava  Bay  and  the  Atlantic,  or  near  Cape  Chudleigh.  The  second  station  was  to 
have  been  placed  on  the  southern  or  western  part  of  Eesolution  Island,  but  we  did 
not  succeed  in  finding  a  harbor  on  these  shores,  and  could  not  land  on  account  of  the 
stormy  weather;  but  we  got  a  near  view  of  the  west  coast  of  the  island,  and  also  of 
some  of  the  Lower  Savage  Islands.  We  therefore  proceeded  to  the  locality  which 
had  been  determined  on  for  the  third  station,  and  found  a  suitable  place  on  the  south 
side  of  Big  Island,  which  is  just  west  of  the  Upper  Savage  Islands,  at  an  inlet  about 
two  miles  east  of  North  Bluff.  We  next  crossed  the  Strait  to  Cape  Prince  of  Wales, 
south  south-west  of  North  Bluff,  and  erected  a  station  on  the  shore  of  the  bay,  inside 
of  the  cape,  or  on  its  eastern  side.  From  this  place  we  next  made  the  south  point  of 
Nottingham  Island,  and  established  a  fourth  observatory.  Again  crossing  the  Strait  in 
a  southerly  direction,  we  passed  close  to  Digges  Island,  and  coasted  down  the  eastern 
side  of  Mansfield  Island,  looking  for  a  suitable  place  for  another  station,  but  without 
success.  The  south-east  shore  of  Southampton  Island  was  also  coasted  for  some  dis- 
tance, after  which  we  traversed  the  northern  part  of  Hudson's  Bay  to  the  extrance  of 
Chesterfield  Inlet,  We  did  not  land  in  this  neighborhood,  however,  but  turned  south 
and  called  at  Marble  Island,  where  we  anchored  and  spent  one  day  ashore.  From  this 
island  we  made  Cape  Churchill,  and  then  entered  the  harbor  of  the  same  name,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Churchill  Eiver.  A  short  visit  was  paid  to  York  Factory,  from  which 
we  recrossed  Hudson's  Bay  to  Digges  Island,  where  a  fifth  station  was  built.  On 
our  homeward  voyage  through  Hudson's  Strait,  we  visited  all  the  other  stations  in 
the  reverse  order  in  which  they  had  been  established.  Another  attempt  was  made  to 
stop  at  Eesolution  Island,  in  order  to  build  a  station,  but  again  without  success.  It 
was  then  decided  to  place  the  party  intended  for  Eesolution  Island  at  Nachvak  Inlet, 
-and  we  called  there  for  this  purpose  and  to  leave  our  Eskimo  interpreter,  on  our  way 
to  St.  John's,  which  we  reached  on  the  11th  of  October,  and  immediately  handed  the 
3 


22 


ehip  over  to  her  owners,  four  days  before  the  date  fixed  for  the  expiration  of  the 
charter.  On  the  morning  of  our  arrival  at  St.  Johns,  we  happened  to  catch  a  steamer 
for  Halifax,  and  so  were  enabled  to  continue  our  homeward  journey  without  an  hour's 
delay. 

Before  proceeding  to  give  details  of  my  special  work,  I  may  say  that  at  every 
place  we  visited  I  obtained  as  full  notes  as  my  opportunities  would  permit  in 
regard  to  the  geology  and  mineralogy  of  the  surrounding  country.  1  also  endeavored  to 
obtain  fiora  the  natives  information  as  to  the  occurrence  of  useful  minerals,  which, 
although  not  very  definite,  may  in  some  cases  lead  to  valuable  discoveries.  The 
Eskimo  are  intelligent  and  good  observers,  especially  of  such  matters  as  affect  their 
own  mode  of  living  and  although  rocks  and  minerals  would  not  be  expected  to  • 
interest  them  much,  still  I. found  that  in  some  instances  they  had  taken  notice  of  them. 
In  order  to  facilitate  enquiries  I  had  provided  myself  with  a  collection  of  all  the  ores, 
minerals  and  rocks  which  might  be  expected  to  occur  in  the  regions  we  were  to  visit, 
and  on  allowing  the  natives  to  inspect  them,  they  would  point  out  those  which  they 
thought  similar  to  certain  kinds  which  they  had  noticed  in  their  own  districts.  An 
interesting  feature  in  the  geological  phenomena  of  these  northern  regions,  is  that 
a  study  of  them  will  assist  us  in  the  elucidation  of  the  surperficial  geology  of  the 
more  southern  portions  of  the  Dominion,  which  forms  so  important  a  branch  of  the 
■work  of  the  Geological  Survey. 

In  regard  to  zoology,  efforts  were  constantly  made  to  collect  specimens  in  every 
class  of  animals  and  to  obtain  new  information  on  all  points  with  reference  to  them. 
Upwards  of  fifty  specimens  of  mammals  and  birds  were  obtained,  of  which  a  portion 
were  from  Dr.  Matthews,  of  York  Factory.  Some  of  these  are  rare  and  will  prove  to  be 
very  useful  and  interesting  additions  to  our  museum.  Many  notes  were  made  on  the 
habits  and  distribution  of  the  mammals  and  birds.  Attention  was  paid  to  the  fishes  and 
their  food  and  to  the  subject  of  possible  fisheries  in  these  regions.  A  variety  of  moUusks 
and  other  invertebrates  was  secured  by  dredging.  As  we  were  living  mostly  on  ship- 
board and  in  so  cool  a  climate,  but  little  could  be  done  for  the  science  of  entomology. 
A  email  collection  of  butterflies  and  moths  from  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Strait  have 
been  sent  to  Mr.  H.  H.  Lyman,  a  well  known  entomologist  in  Montreal,  who  has 
agreed  to  identify  them.  One  of  the  missionaries  on  the  Labrador  coast  has  kindly 
promised  to  collect  the  Lepidoptera  of  that  region  and  send  them  to  me  next  year. 

With  regard  to  botany,  as  complete  a  collection  of  plants  as  possible  was  made  at 
every  place  we  touched  at.  These  are  in  the  hands  of  Professor  Macoun  and  a  cata- 
logue of  them  will  be  found  in  ihe  Geological  Survey  Report.  Some  new  facts  of 
interest  in  regard  to  the  ranges  of  forest-trees  in  the  Labrador  peninsula  and  the 
country  west  of  Hudson's  Bay  were  ascertained  from  persons  acquainted  with  these 
regions. 

In  addition  to  the  technical  assistance  already  acknowledged  above,I  take  this  oppor- 
tunity of  mentioning  that  Professor  C.  Hart  Merriam  has  kindly  aided  me  in  making 
out  from  my  descriptions,  the  local  names,  &c  ,  with  which  he  is  familiar,  the  ac- 
companying list  of  the  seals  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  Strait.  I  may  mention  that 
Professor  Merriam,  who  is  justly  regai-ded  as  a  high  authority  on  the  Pinnapedia,  has 
liimself  gone  to  the  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  seal  fishery,  and  travelled  in  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  for  the  express  purpose  of  studying  these  animals.  It  would 
appear  from  my  observations  that  we  have  in  both  Hudson's  Bay  and  Strait  all  the 
kinds  of  seals  found  at  any  season  either  in  the  Gulf  or  on  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land and  Labrador;  and  from  all  that  we  could  learn,  both  seals  and  walruses  are 
abundant  in  the  Strait  and  the  northern  parts  of  the  Bay.  But  in  order  to  obtain 
them  in  large  numbers  for  commercial  purposes,  their  various  resorts  and  the  course 
of  their  migrations  at  different  seasons  of  the  year  would  require  to  be  studied.  The 
gentlemen  in  charge  of  the  observatory  stations  were  instructed  to  attend  to  such 
matters  ,  and  their  notes  will  probably  throw  some  light  on  the  subject  in  the  par- 
ticular localities  at  which  they  are  stationed.  In  the  list  of  fishes,  I  have  included 
species  which  I  had  in  previous  years  ascertained  to  exist  in  Hudson's  Bay  or  the 
waters  immediately  connected  with  it.    Mr,  Lucien  M.  Turner,  who  has  spent  two 


23 


years  in  the  Ungava  district  in  the  interest  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  has 
kindly  determined  some  of  the  fishes  which  I  collected,  and  added  the  names  of 
others  which  he  found  in  the  district  named. 

I  secured  about  sixty- five  photographs  of  a  uniform  size  of  8  by  5  inches.  These 
are  illustrative  of  subjects  of  interest  in  connection  with  the  expedition,  of  the 
nature  of  the  country  and  more  especially  of  points  bearing  on  its  geology. 

I  shall  confine  myself  in  the  following  pages  to  the  subjects  above  referred  to, 
as  all  others  connected  with  the  work  of  the  expedition  will  probably  be  fully  re- 
ported on  by  Lieut.  Gordon.  In  regard  to  the  arrangement  to  be  adopted  in  this 
report,  it  has  been  considered  best  to  state  the  facts  and  observations  in  the  order  in 
which  they  were  noted,  and  in  connection  with  them  to  give  other  information, 
bearing  on  the  subjects  referred  to,  which  may  have  been  gathered  in  previous  years. 
As  already  mentioned,  we  anchored  for  an  hour  at  Blanc  Sablon  on  the  morning  of 
the  26th  of  July.  Here  the  horizontal  strata  of  the  Quebec  group  form  a  conspicuous 
feature  in  the  landscape.  They  are  described  at  pages  287  and  288  of  the  Geology  of 
Canada  as  consisting  of  23 1  feet  of  red  and  grey  sandstones  and  fine  conglomerates 
forming  the  lower  part  of  the  section,  with  143  feet  of  grey,  redish  and  greenish 
limestones  resting  upon  them.  In  Foi'teau  Bay,  a  short  distance  east  of  Blanc 
Sablon,  a  considerable  collection  of  fossils  was  made  in  these  limestones  by  the  late 
Mr.  James  Eichardson,  which  proves  them  to  belong  to  the  Quebec  group,  and  to  be 
equivalent  to  the  Eed  Sand-rock  of  Vermont.  The  Laurentian  gneiss  may  be  seen 
cropping  out  from  beneath  these  sandstones  at  and  near  the  sea  shore,  while  the 
bills  of  the  same  formation  rise  above  the  level  of  the  summit  of  the  horizontal 
strata  all  along  in  the  interior. 

At  the  entrance  to  Chateau  Bay  on  the  Labrador   side  of  the  Straits  of  Belle 
Isle,  opposite  to  the  northern  extremity  of  Newfoundland,  are  two  islands,  called 
Castle  and  Henley's  Islands,  which  are  capped  by  flat  basaltic  summits,  the  former 
being  200  feet  above  the  sea.     They  form  a  striking  contrast  to  the  prevailing  char- 
acter of  the  shore  rocks,  which  everywhere  else  in  the  neighborhood  appear  to  be  of 
Laurentian  gneiss.      Later  in   the  season  I  was   informed  that  some  men  had  been 
mining  mica  on  the  shore  of  this  bay,  and  in  the  autumn  had  brought  about  one  ton 
of  the  mineral  to  St.  Johns,  on  the  way  to  Boston  or  New  York,  but  that  the  plates 
did  not  exceed  three  by  six  inches  in  size,  and  that  they  were  of  a  rather  dark  color. 
After  passing  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  the  Labrador  coast  continues  high  and 
rugged,  and  although  there  are  some  interruptions  to  the  general  rule,  the  elevation 
of  the  land  near  the  coast  may  be  said  to  increase  gradually  in  going  northward, 
until  within   seventy    statute  miles  of   Cape  Chudleigh.  where  it  has  attained  a 
beight  of  about  6,000  feet  above  the  sea.    Beyond  this,  it  again  diminishes  to  this 
cape,  whore  it  is  1 ,500  feet.     Prom  what  I  have  seen  of  the  Labrador,  and  from  what  I 
bave   been   able  to  learn   through   published  accounts,  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
officers  and  the  natives,  and  also  judging  from  the  indications  afforded  by  the  courses 
of  the  rivers  and  streams,  the  highest  land  of  the  peninsula  lies  near  the  coast  all 
•  along,  constituting,  in  fact,  a  regular  range  of  mountains,  parallel  to  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board.   In  a  general  way,  this  range  becomes  progressively  narrower  from  Hamilton 
Inlet  to  Cape  Chudleigh. 

The  distance  from  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle  to  Cape  Chudleigh,  along  the  Labrador 
cjoast,  is  '760  English  statute  miles.  This  is  divided  into  three  principal  courses,  as 
follows  :  From  Belle  Isle  to  Porcupine  Bay,  due  north  (true),  120  miles  ;  from 
Porcupine  Bay  to  Nain,  north-west  (true),  290  miles  ;  from  Nain  to  Cape  Chudleigh, 
north  north-west  (true),  350  miles.  The  coast-line  is  everywhere  indented  by  inlets 
or  fjords,  and  fringed  with  islands  of  all  sizes,  from  mere  rocks  up  to  some  measuring 
twenty -five  miles  in  length.  Most  of  the  fjords  are  narrow  and  about  twenty-five  miles 
long;  several  are  thirty-five  miles,  and  Hamilton  Inlet  runs  in  from  the  open  sea  a 
distance  of  160  miles.  The  general  bearing  of  the  fjords  is  at  right  angles  to  the 
coast  line  in  the  neighborhood.  In  a  great  many  cases  the  islands  are  separated 
from  one  another,  or  from  points  on  the  mainland,  by  very  narrow  straits,  with  deep 
water,  which  bave  received  the  name  of  "  tickles."  With  regard  to  the  condition 
3i 


24 


below  the  level  of  the  sea,  it  is  stated  in  the  Neiofoundland  Pilot,  published  by  the 
Admiralty,  that  the  shores  from  Davis'  Inlet  to  Nachvak  are  comparatively  free 
from  reefs  and  sunken  rocks,  but  that  from  Nachvak  to  Cape  Chudleigh  they  are 
fringed  with  islets  and  rocks,  to  an  average  distance  of  five  miles  out.  The  coast  of 
Eesolution  Island  seems  to  be  similarly  studded  with  these  impediments  to  naviga- 
tion, and  these  circumstances  appear  to  be  connected  with  certain  geological  condi- 
tiions,  which  will  be  referred  to  further  on. 

In  approaching  Ford's  Harbor,  which  is  on  the  eastern  point  of  Paul's  Island,  the 
islands  near  which  we  passed  consisted  of  bare  rock,  and  although  usually  high  and 
steep,  they  had  rounded  or  glaciated  outlines.  Numerous  perched  boulders  lay  about, 
either  singly  or  in  groups  or  rows,  on  the  naked  surface  of  the  rock,  wherever  they 
could  find  a  resting  place.  A  short  distance  off  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  we  passed 
an  island  which,  on  the  top  and  one  side  was  literally  piled  with  round(Ki  boulders' 
On  this  island  I  noticed  a  dyke  of  trap  about  100  feet  thick,  cutting  the 
gneiss  in  a  west-north-westerly  direction.  On  going  ashore  at  Ford's  Harbor,  I 
tound  the  gneiss  to  consist  of  common  reddish  and  greyish  varieties,  some  parts  of  it 
massive  and  others  more  finely  and  distinctly  laminated.  The  average  strike  was 
south-east  (true).  The  glacial  stria?  were  quite  distinct  in  many  parts,  but  were 
best  preserved  near  the  shore.  They  run  in  two  principal  directions,  S.  45°  E.,  and 
S.  80°  E.  (mag.)  Perched  boulders  wei-e  observed  on  all  the  surrounding  hilla. 
In  going  from  Ford's  Harbor  to  Nain  we  followed  the  channel  on  the  north  side  of 
Paul's  Island.     The  rock  appeared   to  be  dark,  massive  and  crystalline. 

Our  stay  at  Nain  was  so  short  that  I  had  only  time  lo  examine  the  high 
ridge  or  mountain  to  the  north  and  north-west  of  the  Mission  Station.  The  first 
shoulder  of  this  ridge,  we  were  informed,  has  a  height  of  8*75  feet  above 
the  sea,  but  the  summit,  a  short  distance  further  inland,  must  be  at 
least  200  feet  higher.  The  rock  here  consists  of  a  rather  light  groy  gneiss, 
which  strikes  S.  45"  E.  (mag.)  The  glacial  striae,  which  were  seen  with  greater  or 
less  distinctness,  all  the  way  to  the  summit,  run  S.  65°  E.  (mag.)  or  about  parallel  to 
the  valley  which  extends  inland  from  the  head  of  the  fjord  up  which  we  had  sailed  to 
Nain,  and  with  the  same  general  bearing.  "Well  rounded  boulders  were  scattered 
over  the  flanks  and  summit  of  this  high  ridge;  and  they  were  quite  prominent  on 
the  high  bare  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  inlet,  all  the  way  from  Ford's  Harbor,  The 
appearance  of  the  top  of  this  mountain,  with  the  boulders  resting  on  the  bare,  sloping 
rock,  is  shown  in  one  of  the  photographs  taken  at  this  spot.  Mountains  of  equal  and 
greater  height  were  seen  in  all  dii'ections  from  this  summit,  except  towards  the  east- 
ward, where  they  die  down  to  the  sea  level  in  the  distance.  On  the  next  hill  to  th«' 
north-west,  the  weathered  surface  of  the  rock  showed  a  rusty  belt  of  a  brownish 
color,  and  of  considerable  extent,  which  was  supposed  to  be  due  to  iron  pyrites.  I 
was  informed  by  the  Moravian  missionaries  at  Nain  that  the  labradorite  of  this  part 
of  the  coast  is  to  be  found  at  different  places  on  Paul's  Island,  and  at  a  fresh-water 
lake  called  Nunaingok,  which  lies  at  no  great  distance  inland  from  the  head  of  a  bay* 
to  the  north-westward  of  Nain.  They  said  it  was  also  reported  to  occur  on  a  bay  a 
short  distance  to  the  southward.  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of  vi&iting  any  of  these 
localities,  but  from  specimens  which  I  have  seen,  I  have  little  doubt  the  mineral 
occurs  as  veinstones,  in  which  there  are  also  crystals  of  pyroxene,  iron  pyrites  and 
magnetic  iron.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that  I  have  seen  a  large 
specimen  of  coarsely  cyrstalline  labradorite  rock  from  Hamilton  Inlet,  in  which  some 
of  the  faces  showed  a  blue  iridescence.  The  rose-red  variety  of  anorthosite,  called 
latrobite  by  Gmelin,  is  stated  to  come  from  an  island  called  Amitok,  on  the  old  charts 
of  the  Labrador  coast,  about  forty-five  miles  northward  from  Nachvak.  When  at 
Nain  I  obtained  specimens  of  amazon-stone,  which  the  Eskimo  told  me  came  from 
Port  Manvers,  and  of  paulite,  a  variety  of  pyroxene  or  hypersthene,  which  has  also 
been  called  '*  Labrador  hornblende  "  and  "metalloidal  diallage."  It  was  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Paul's  Island.  Mr.  John  Ford  informed  me  that  yellow  mica,  in  flakes- 
about  the  size  of  one's  hand,  was  found  on  this  island,  about  two  miles  north-westward 
of  Ford's  Harbor.    In  regard  to  the  rocks  and  minerals  of  the  Labrador  coast,  the  fol- 


25 


lowing  notes  may  be  here  given  :  I  have  received  specimens  of  copper  pyrites  in  a 
dark  slate,  which  were  labelled  as  having  come  from  Indian  Island,  on  the  n»rth  side 
of  the  entrance  of  Hamilton  Inlet,  and  1  have  been  otherwise  informed  that  slates  or 
fichists  occur  in  that  neighborhood.  A  man  from  Nova  Scotia  stated  to  me  that  he 
had  been  engaged,  with  others,  two  years  ago  in  mining  copper  and  lead  ores 
on  Deadman's  Island,  which  is  situated  a  few  miles  north  of  Hamilton  Inlet. 
They  occurred  in  a  vein  between  a  rock  like  granite  and  a  sort  of  sandstone  or 
quartzite.  Mr.  King,  the  second  mate  of  the  "  Neptune, "  said  that  copper  ore  was  also 
found  at  Iron-bound  Island  or  '*  Makoubik  "  (probably  Makkovik  of  the  chart),  not 
far  from  Cape  Harrison.  One  of  the  gentlemen  we  met  at  Nain  informed  me  that 
he  had  heard  of  copper  ore  being  found  somewhere  to  the  southward  of  that  place, 
but  was  not  aware  of  the  locality.  These  circumstances  point  to  the  possible  occur- 
rence of  deposits  of  copper  in  quantities  of  economic  value  on  this  coast.  It  is  well 
known  that  productive  mines  of  copper  were  in  operation  for  a  number  of  yeai'S  on 
the  adjacent  coast  of  Newfoundland. 

At  Nain  I  noticed  some  freshly  split  slabs  of  a  grey  felsitic  slate,  which  where 
being  used  as  flag  stones,  and,  on  inquiring,  was  informed  that  they  had  been 
brought  from  Ramah,  in  the  bay  next  south  of  Nachvak,  where  there  was  said  to  be 
plenty  of  this  rock  in  gitu.  The  name  of  the  bay  is  Nullataktok,  or  Slate  Bay.  Our 
Eskinio  interpreter.  Lane,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  this  bay, Jafter wards  informed 
mo  that  slaty  rocks  were  abundant  there. 

AYhile  at  Ford's  Harbor  and  Nain  I  collected  as  many  plants  as  the  limited  time 
would  permit,  and  Professor  Macoun's  list  of  them  will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 
The  Eev.  Dr.  S.  Weiz,  who  had  loug  resided  at  Nain,  had  made  a  collection  of  the 
plants  of  the  vicinitj-,  which  he  had  submitted  to  some  of  the  leading  botanists  of 
Europe,  who  had  attached  the  proper  name  to  each  specimen.  Ho  kindly  allowed 
me  to  make  a  list  of  these  and  it  is  also  given  in  the  appendix,  in  one  of  the  columns 
of  the  general  list. 

Although  timber  disappeared  from  the  outer  coast  before  reaching  Nain,  yet 
groves  of  trees  may  be  seen  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  more  favorable  slopes  at  the  heads 
oftbe  inlets,  and  wowereinformedthataftergoingten  to  twenty  miles  inland  from  Main, 
or  from  the  coast  for  a  considerable  distance  north  of  it,  the  whole  country  may  bo 
said  to  be  wooded,  as  far  as  the  condition  of  the  surface  will  permit  of  the  growth  of 
trees,  and  that  in  favorable  situations  the  epruce  and  tamarac  attain  a  sufficient  size  to 
bo  sawn  into  lumber.  At  Nain,  the  trees  consist  of  spruce,  tamarac,  and  small 
willows,  but  at  no  great  distance  inland,  balsam  fir,  poplar,  white  birch  and  rowan 
begin  to  make  their  appearances. 

In  the  gardens  at  Nain  I  observed  the  following  vegetables:  potatoes  (a  variety 
with  low,  flat,  spreading  tops),  turnips,  carrots,  beets,  cabbage,  Scotch  kail,  a  very 
rank  variety  of  spinach,  lettuce,  peas,  beans  and  onions.  There  was  also  a  great 
variety  of  flowers.  The  peas  and  beans  were  arranged  so  that  they  could  be  protected 
by  glass  if  requisite,  and  the  potatoeo  were  planted  in  narrow  beds,  arched  over  with 
bent  rods  eo  that  loug  sheets  of  coarse  canvas  could  be  thrown  over  them  on  frosty 
nights. 

Leaving  Nain,  our  next  stopping  place  was  the  Inlet  of  Nachvak,  about  140 
miles  south  of  Cape  Ghudleigh.  This  inlet  or  fjord,  with  an  average  breadth  of 
from  a  mile  to  two  miles,  runs  in  from  the  open  sea  a  distance  of  about  f^rty  statute 
miles.  The  water  in  it  is  very  deep,  and  the  mountains  on  either  side  im- 
mediately overlooking  it  rise  to  heights  of  from  1,500  to  3,400  feet,  but  a  few 
miles  inland,  especially  on  the  south  side,  they  appear  to  attain  an  altitude  of 
5,000  to  6,000  feet,  which  would  correspond  with  the  height  of  The  Four 
Peaks,  near  the  outer  coast-line,  about  midway  between  Nachvak  and  Cape  Chud- 
leigh.  The  mountains  around  Nachvak  are  steep,  rough  sided,  peaked  and  serrated, 
and  have  no  appearance  of  having  been  glaciated,  excepting  close  to  the  sealevol. 
The  rocks  are  softened,  eroded  and  deeply  decayed.  On  precipices  and  steep  slopes 
the  stratification  is  well  brought  out  by  the  weathering,  so  that  the  dips  may  be 
distinctly  seen.    The  mountains  on  the  north  side  proved  to  be  mostly  Laurentian 


26 


gneiss,  notwithstanding  their  extraordinary  appearance,  eo  different  from  the  smooth^ 
solid  and  more  or  loss  rounded  outlines  of  the  hills  composed  of  these  rocks  in  most 
other  parts  of  the  Dominion.  On  the  present  occasion  we  stopped  only  at  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post,  at  a  narrow  part  of  the  fjord,  about  twenty  miles  in. 
from  the  open  sea,  and  I  had  a  few  hours  to  examine  the  rocks,  collect  plants  and 
take  photographs  in  the  neighbourhood.  But  in  returning,  in  the  month  of  October, 
we  stayed  for  several  days  at  a  bight  on  the  north  side,  a  few  miles  from  the  enti'ance, 
where  we  built  a  station,  and  named  the  place  Skynner's  Cove.  This  enabled  me  to 
extend  my  explorations  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  I  shall  now  state  the  results  of 
my  observations  on  both  occasions. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  inlet  at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post,  an  escarpment 
rises  to  a  height  of  3,400  feet,  as  ascertained  by  Commander  J.  G.  Bolton,  E.  N.,  but 
I  had  not  time  to  visit  it  to  determine  the  nature  of  the  rock.  A  brook,  which  gathers 
its  waters  from  higher  ground  further  back,  but  which  is  not  visible  from  the  ]iost, 
precipitates  itself  from  the  top  of  this  great  precipice  in  an  almost  perpendicular  fall. 
The  rock  on  the  north  side  at  this  place  consists  of  reddish  gneiss,  somewhat  contorted 
and  occasionally  interstratified  with  dark  micaceous  layers.  Two  or  three  miles  cast 
of  the  post  a  good  sized  brook  falls,  in  several  almost  perpendicular  leaps,  a  height 
of  300  or  400  feet  over  these  rocks.  The  strike  of  the  gaeiss  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  falls  is  S.  35°  W.  (true.) 

At  a  point  on  the  north  side,  estimated  to  be  about  nine  miles  from  the  open  sea 
and  eleven  from  the  post,  opposite  to  a  bay  on  the  south  side,  a  mountain  rises  steeply 
to  a  height  of  1,500  or  2,000  feet.  It  is  composed  of  gneiss  standing  vertically  and 
striking  N.  25°  "W.  (true),  cut  diagonally  by  a  great  many  dykes  of  dark  trap 
all  underlying  westward  at  an  average  angle  of  about  30°  from  the  perpendicular. 
Some  of  them  run  together  and  others  appear  to  die  out  in  both  directions  on  the  cliff 
section.  Some  dykes  of  close-grained,  almost  black  diorite,  also  cut  the  gneiss  in  the 
Ticinity  of  Skynner's  Cove.  Fi*om  the  point  above  named  to  Skynner's  Cove  the  rock 
along  the  north  side  appears  to  be  all  gneiss  with  a  variable  strike  in  different  parts. 
Around  this  cove  there  is  a  variety  of  micaceous,  and  horn blendic  schists  passing  into 
thinly  bedded  gneiss.  The  average  strike  is  about  S.W".  (true).  I  was  informed 
by  our  interpreter,  whose  home  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  inlet,  that  the  Eskimo 
obtained  a  kind  of  soapstone  for  making  their  pots  in  the  vicinity  ol  Skynner's  Cove 
before  they  were  able  to  procure  others  of  metal.  Along  the  northern  part  of  the 
entrance  to  the  inlet  or  about  North- Head  of  the  chart,  the  rock  is  a  coarse,  dull  red 
syentic  gneiss.  At  one  place  it  encloses  a  mass,  like  a  bed,  of  nearly  white  quartzite 
marbled  with  small  elongated  gray  patches,  but  it  appears  to  be  cut  off  as  it  runs  up 
the  slope,  although  another  exposure  of  white  rock  was  seen  some  distance  oft'  in  a 
north-easterly  direction.  Here  the  glacial  stri»  were  seen  on  projecting  points  near 
the  water,  running  with  the  axis  of  the  inlet  or  about  east.  At  Mount  Eazorback, 
which  forms  the  outer  point  on  the  north  side  of  the  Nachvak  Inlet  the  stratification 
is  well  seen,  the  dip  being  to  the  southward.  The  angle  of  dip  on  the  outer  or  eastern 
part  of  the  mountain  is  almost  60°,  but  this  diminishes  to  45°  and  fiaally  to  less  than 
10",  in  going  to  the  south-westward.  Several  large  but  somewhat  irregular  dykes  of 
black-looking  rock  cut  the  strata  of  the  mountain  side  at  right  angles  to  the  dip  in  its 
varying  inclinations. 

On  the  opposite  or  south  side  of  the  entrance  of  the  Nachvak  Inlet,  the  dip  of 
the  bedding  is  S.  S.  W.  (true),  and  the  inclination,  generally  from  35*^  to  40°,  but 
at  one  part  it  is  60°.  Dykes  were  seen  all  along,  cutting  the  face  of  the  mountain 
range  and  running  in  a  south-easterly  direction. 

On  the  west  shore  of  the  first  cove,  from  the  entrance,  on  the  south  side  of 
Nachvak  Inlet,  the  rocks  consist  of  a  coarse-grained  slaty  tufa  or  breccia,  thickly 
studded  with  grains  of  quartz-opal.  To  the  north,  this  passes  into  a  sort  of  coarse 
cleavable  grey  syenite,  which  could  be  traced  for  two  miles  westward  along  the 
shore;  while  to  the  south  of  it  is  a  coarse  grey  mica  schist,  running  N.  25°  W.  (mag.) 
vertical.  In  this  rock,  and  near  the  slaty  breccia,  a  vein  of  quartz  was  found,  from 
a  foot  to  two  feet  in  thickness,  and  holding  patches  of  brown-weathering  calcspar. 


27 


The  rocks  in  the  mountain,  overlooking  the  south  side  of  the  inlet,  opposite  Sky  nner's 
Cove,  have  a  slaty  appearance,  with  some  great  bands  of  a  light  color  and  more  solid 
aspect,  the  outcrop  running  nearly  horizontally  for  some  distance.  I  was  unable  to  visit 
these  bands,  but  our  interpreter  brought  me  a  specimen,  which  he  said  he  had  broken- 
off  one  of  them,  and  which  proved  to  be  a  tine-grained  light  grey,  silicious  schist, 
which  makes  excellent  honee.  These  and  the  other  rocks  on  ihe  south  side  of  the 
inlet  in  this  neighborhood,  which  have  jUst  been  described,  as  well  as  a  part  of  those 
on  ihe  north  side,  may  belong  to  the  Huroniau  series.  Slaty  rocks  have  been  men- 
tioned as  occurring  at  Ramah,  in  the  inlet,  about  twenty  miles  south  of  Nachvak. 
From  the  specimens  which  I  have  seen,  these  are  probably  of  the  same  age,  and  they" 
may  be  connected  as  one  area  with  the  supposed  Huronian  strata  of  Nachvak. 

We  were  informed,  both  by  Mr.  George  Ford,  the  agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  at  Nachvak,  and  our  Eskimo  interpreter,  that  at  a  short  distance  beyond 
the  more  distant  mountains,  seen  to  the  west  of  the  company's  post,  the  country  lalla 
rapidly  on  the  inland  side,  and  soon  becomes  comparatively  level.  This  descriptiori 
agrees  with  other  accounts  of  the  interior  of  the  Labrador  in  the  Ungava  district.  A  wide 
level  tract  embracing  the  country  drained  by  the  George,  the  Whale  and  the  Koksok, 
South,  Big  or  Ungava  Elvers,  is  said  to  extend  southward  a  long  distance  from  Ungava 
Bay.  The  surface  is  reported  to  be  covered  with  a  wet,  peaty  moss,  growing  upon 
barren  pand,  with  the  solid  rock  everywhere  at  a  short  depth  beneath.  The  rivers  and 
brooks  are  fringed  with  spruce  and  tamarac  trees,  but  very  little  timber  is  to  bo 
met  with  between  them.  TJie  mouth  of  the  Ungava  Eiver  is  155  miles 
south-west  of  Cape  Chudloigh.  In  going  by  sea,  from  one  to  the  other,  Com- 
mander Bolton  says,  in  the  Newfoundland  Pilot:  "The  high  land  of  the  Labrador 
shore  could  be  seen  towering  above  the  scarcely  discernable  shore  of  Ungava  Bay, 
for  the  first  sixty  or  seventy  miles."  The  Ungava  River  is  navigable  for  sja-going: 
vessels  to  a  point  three  or  four  miles  above  the  Hudson's  B  ly  Company's  post.  Fort 
Chimo,  and  boats  may  ascend  it  for  seventy  or  eighty  mile-.  The  river  is  from  one- 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  aquarter  iu  width.  Its  upward  course  is  S.  by  E. 
(true),  and  it  passes  through  a  barren  undulating  country.  Spring  tides  at  Fort 
Chimo  rise  38^  feet,  and  the  rapid  currents  produce  dangerous  whirlpools. 
Salmon  frequent  the  rivers  of  Ungava  Bay  in  great  numbers,  and  for  soma 
years  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  annually  sent  a  cargo  of  them,  in  a 
frozen  state,  by  a  small  steamship,  to  the  London  market,  in  addition  to  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  the  salted  fish.  Besides  salmon,  the  trade  of  this  port  consists 
of  furs,  peal  and  white  porpoise  oil,  and  deer  skins,  and  is  carried  on  with  the  Eskimo 
of  the  coasts,  Cree  Indians  from  the  south-western  interior,  and  Nascopie  Indians 
from  the  south  eastward. 

Spruce  timber  begins  to  be  met  with,  according  to  all  accounts,  about  thirty 
miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post  at  Nachvak.  The 
tamarac  follows  a  short  distance  further  south.  To  the  westward  of  Nachvak,  the 
noi'thern  limit  of  the  spruce,  according  to  Capt.  William  Kennedy,  reaches  the 
shore  of  Ungava  Bay,  north  of  the  George  River.  On  the  western  side  of  this  bay 
the  Eskimo  informed  me  it  begins  to  be  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bay  of  Hope's 
Advance,  or  five  days'  journey  south-eastward  of  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  on  the  south 
side  of  Hudson's  Strait,  and  that  in  this  neighbourhood  it  was  found  further  north  in 
the  interior  than  near  the  coast.  In  addition  to  spr-ice  and  tamarac,  balsam-fir,, 
canoe-birch,  aspen  and  balsam  poplar  are  reported,  on  good  authority,  to  exist  in  the 
interior  of  northern  Labrador,  but  at  some  distance  further  from  the  coasts  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Strait  than  the  first  mentioned. 

On  the  East-main  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay  the  northern  limit  of  the  spruce  was^ 
found  to  be  a  few  miles  north  of  Richmond  Gulf,  but  it  was  reported  to  extend  much 
further  north  at  a  distance  inland  from  this  coast.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Bay  it 
was  seen  in  considerable  quantities  all  along  the  coast,  from  Cape  Churchill  to  But- 
ton's Bay,  and  Mr.  George  McTavish,  who  has  made  several  coasting  voyages  to  the 
north,  and  who,  at  my  request,  has  kindly  made  observations  and  collected  informa- 
tion from  the  natives  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  timber,  informs  me  that  it 


28 


leaves  the  shore  about  twenty  miles  beyond  Seal  Eiver,  He  was  told  by  the  Eskimo 
of  these  parts,  who  travel  a  good  deal  in  the  interior,  that  spruce  timber  begins  to 
be  met  with  at  two  days  (say  fifty-five  miles)  west  of  the  mouth  of  Big  River,  and 
that  it  is  considerably  further  inland,  opposite  to  Eskimo  Point,  which  is  about  in 
latitude  61*  40'.  From  this  neighbourhood  it  runs  west  north-westward  and  crosses 
the  Coppermine  Eiver  about  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  thence  reaches  nearly 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  Eiver. 

On  leaving  Nachvak,  we  sailed  up  the  coast,  passed  round  Cape  Chudleigb, 
through  Gray's  Strait,  which  is  between  it  and  the  Button  Islands,  and  entered 
TJngava  Bay.  According  to  the  chart  and  the  Newfoundland  Pilot,  the  cape  rises  to  a 
height  of  1,506  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  highest  point  of  the  Button  Islands 
has  an  equal  elevation.  The  outlines  of  these  islands  and  of  the  southern  shore  of 
Oray's  Strait,  although  bold  and  steep,  are  I'oundcd,  as  if  they  had  been  glaci- 
ated. At  the  west  end  of  the  south-eastern  island  of  the  Button  group  a  great  rock 
has  been  excavated  into  the  form  of  a  half  arch,  which  rises  out  of  the  water  and 
rests,  at  its  summit,  against  the  cliff  which  forms  the  extremity  of  the  island.  The 
rocks  of  the  islands  and  the  south  side  of  the  strait  appear  to  be  all  gneiss. 

On  the  Ungava  Bay  side  of  Cape  Chudleigh  we  entered  an  inlet  about  ten  miles 
flOUihward  of  the  extremity  of  the  land,  and  discovered  a  harbour  on  its  north  side, 
■which  we  named  Port  Burwell,  after  Mr.  H.  W.  Barwell,  the  gentleman  who  was 
left  in  charge  of  the  station  (No.  1)  which  we  built  here.  The  hills,  for  a  few  miles 
around  Port  Barwell,  are  only  moderately  high  and  are  not  generally  steep.  Their 
outlines  are  rounded  and  their  rocky  surfaces  have  scattered  upon  them  numerous 
boulders  as  well  as  finer  rocky  dibris.  The  rock  everywhere  consists  of  ordinary 
vai'ities  of  gneiss,  the  commonest  of  which  are  massive  reddish  and  dark  hornblendic 
and  micaceous.  The  strike  at  the  Port  varies  from  N.  20°  E.  to  N.  40°  E,  (mag.) 
The  glacial  striic  at  the  observatory  station  run  S.  35°  E.  (mag.),  but  among  the  hills 
in  the  neighbourhood  they  were  observed  to  follow  the  trends  of  the  valleys  with  a 
general  south-eastward  course  by  the  compass.  A  short  distance  south  of  the  station, 
a  vein,  varying  from  8  to  13  inches  in  width,  occurs  in  the  gneiss.  Its  direction 
corresponds  nearly  with  the  strike,  which  is  here  N.  20°  E.,  running  with  the 
stratification  for  a  short  distance,  breaking  across  to  other  beds,  following  them  for  a 
short  distance  and  then  jogging  off  to  others.  It  consists  of  light  grey  dolomite  and 
white  quartz,  holding  a  little  iron  pyrites  and  some  crystals  of  quartz,  rendered 
ruby-colored  by  a  layer  of  oxide  of  iron  under  the  faces. 

From  Port  Burwell  I  explored  the  inlet  to  the  south-eastward,  and  found  it  to 
be  a  strait  dividing  into  two  branches  at  five  miles  from  the  Port,  the  northern  of 
■which  was  ascertained  to  run  through  to  the  Atlantic.  The  Eskimo  whom  we  met 
in  this  strait  informed  us  (through  our  interpeter)  that  the  southern  branch  also 
continued  through  to  the  ocean.  They  also  told  us  that  there  was  no  other  channel 
to  the  south  of  this  between  Ungava  Bay  and  the  sea  to  the  east.  We  named  this 
newly  found  channel  McLelan's  Strait,  in  honor  of  the  Minister  of  Marine  and  Fish- 
■«ries,  and  the  north-west  point  of  the  main  land,  Cape  William  Smith,  in  honor  of 
the  Deputy  Minister.  At  six  miles  from  Port  Burwell  the  northern  branch  of  Mc- 
Lelan's Strait  has  contracted  to  half  a  mile  in  width,  and  has  become  flanked  by 
high  and  steep  hills,  rising  from  either  side.  The  tides,  which  at  springs  have  here  a 
rise  and  fall  of  upwards  of  twenty  feet,  run  with  great  velocity  through  thii  narrow 
part.  The  locality  is  called  Nunaingok  by  the  Eskimo,  which  means  the  Hidden 
Place,  and  the  same  name  is  applied  to  one  or  two  other  localities  on  the  Labrador 
coa*t.  In  proceeding  from  Port  Burwell  to  Nunaingok,  our  course  was  S.  5°  E.  (n:ag.) 
or  8.  55°  E.  (true),  and  the  country  on  either  side  of  McLelan's  Sirait  bhowed  less  and 
less  evidence  of  glaciation.  Even  close  to  the  shore,  in  approaching  the  higher  hills 
which  begin  at  JSunaingok,  the  gneiss  is  deeply  decayed,  the  softening  process  having 
extended  particularly  along  the  joints  which  run  both  vei'tically  and  horizontally, 
leaving  only  hard  kernels  with  a  more  or  less  rounded  outline,  between  them. 
Nunaingok  is  situated  on  an  alluvial  flat,  extending  between  the  two  branches  of  the 
strait.    The  hill  which  rises  steeply  on  the  south  side  of  it  is  about  700  feet  high ;  but 


29 


further  in,  between  the  branches  and  on  either  side  of  them,  the  mountains  are  from 
1,500  to  2,500  feet  high,  and  have  rugged  tops  and  sides.  Rounded  boulders  were 
found  scattered  all  over  the  side  and  top  of  the  hill  just  referred  to;  but  although  it 
had  probably  been  somewhat  glaciated,  it  had  not  been  planed  down  to  hard  surfaces, 
but  had  an  irregular  outline,  and  the  rocks  were  much  disintegrated.  Among  the 
transported  boulders  and  pebbles  scattered  over  its  surface,  some  of  brecciated  drab 
limestone  with  clear  quartz  grains,  pinkish  rod  sandstone,  red  jasper  and  magnetic 
iron,  were  noticed.  Fragments  of  grey,  drab  and  yellowish  limestone,  with  obscure 
fossils,  were  common  around  the  base  of  the  hill.  The  glacial  striiii  were  well  seen  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  hill  referred  to,  where,  iu  one  case,  they  were  observed  to 
groove  longitudinally  a  vertical  wall,  and  even  the  under  side  of  an  overhanging  shelf 
of  rock.  The  general  direction  was  S.  25*  E.,  or  with  the  course  of  the  south  branch 
of  the  strait. 

The  fixed  rocks  around  Nunaiugok,  as  far  as  I  had  the  opportunity  to  examine 
them,  were  all  gneiss,  the  average  strike  of  which  was  N.  W.  (true.)  On  one  of  the 
mountains  on  the  north  side  of  the  northern  channel  a  wide  belt  of  brown,  iron- 
stained  rock  runs  diagonally  through  the  ridge,  the  color  being  probably  due  to  the 
decomposition  of  iron  pyrites,  but  I  had  not  time  to  visit  the  place. 

At  Nunaingok,  on  top  of  a  bank  of  sandy  earth,  are  the  remains  of  an  old  Eskimo 
village.  The  roofs  of  most  of  the  underground  houses  had  fallen  in,  leaving  only  large 
circular  pits.  Some  of  these  had  become  partially  filled  up,  showing  great  antiquity. 
A  few  of  the  newest  of  them  had  been  inhabited  within  a  year.  Some  Eskimo  camped 
in  the  vicinity  informed  us,  through  our  interpreter,  that  this  had  once  been  a  com- 
paratively populous  village,  and  a  resort  of  their  people  as  far  back  as  their  traditions 
extend.  It  is  their  custom  to  live  in  the  underground  houses  from  the  commence- 
ment of  winter,  some  time  in  November,  till  January-,  after  which  they  leave  them 
and  spend  the  rest  of  the  winter  in  igloes  or  snow  houses.  The  water  in  the  north 
branch  of  McLelan's  Strait,  they  informed  us,  is  open  all  winter  at  this  point,  and  is^ 
much  frequented  bv  seals,  which  afford  them  a  reliable  supply  of  food.  These  ani- 
mals they  kill  either  from  their  kyaks  or  by  spearing  them  from  hiding  places  which 
they  have  built  of  stones  on  every  ledge  and  point  of  rock  past  which  the  seals  are 
accustomed  to  swim.  Great  numbers  of  bones  of  seals,  walruses,  reindeer,  foxes, 
hares,  birds,  &c,,  lie  scattered  about  on  the  surface  and  mixed  with  the  earth  around 
the  old  dwellings.  The  remains  of  stone  pots  and  implements  near  others  of  European 
manufacture  showed  a  transition  from  the  barbarous  to  a  civilized  condition.  I  was 
told  by  one  of  the  Labrador  missionaries,  who  had  had  a  long  experience  of  these 
people,  that  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  civilization  rendered  the  Eskimo  less 
vigorous  and  healthy,  and,  as  a  consequence,  their  numbers  are  diminishing. 

The  "  Xeptune  "  was  anchored  in  15  fathoms  at  low  tide  in  Port  Burwell.  The 
bottom  was  a  sandy  mud,  and  was  found,  by  dredging,  to  abound  with  shellfish,  echi- 
noderms  and  crustaceans.  During  our  stay,  fi'om  tfie  5th  to  the  8th  of  August,  the 
water  teemed  with  fine  cod,  which  were  taken  in  great  numbers  by  jigging.  Many 
of  them  were  tolerably  large,  and  they  were  of  excellent  quality,  contrasting,  in  this 
respect,  with  the  cod  we  had  got  at  Nachvak,  Ford's  Harbor  and  a  fishing  station 
on  some  islets  we  had  passed  to  the  south-east  of  it.  Most  of  our  crew  had  had  more 
or  less  experience  of  the  Labrador  fisheries  in  previous  years,  and  the  superior  quality 
of  the  Port  Burwell  cod  was  a  subject  of  general  remark  among  them.  On  our 
return  to  Port  Burwell  wo  found  the  fish  still  abundant  on  the  27th  and  28Lh  of  Sep- 
tember, and  the  party  in  charge  of  the  station  informed  us  that  they  could  catch 
them  any  time  they  chose  in  the  interval.  At  Xachvak  the  fishermen  began  to  take 
cod  on  the  I7th  of  July,  and  they  were  catching  them  in  great  numbers  at  the  end 
of  the  month.  During  our  Btay  in  Skynnor's  Cove,  in  the  inlet,  from  the  30th  of  Sep- 
tember till  the  Gth  of  October,  we  caught  as  many  as  desired,  by  jigging  from  the 
ship's  deck.  From  all  that  I  could  learn  by  enquiries  along  the  Labrador  coast  and 
from  our  crew,  it  would  appear  that  although  the  dates  vary  in  difierent  years  and  at 
different  places,  the  average  time  for  the  cod  to  strike  the  shores  is  the  middle  of 
July,  and  that  the  particular  time  at  any  locality  depends   more  on  the  presence  or 


30 


absence  of  ice  than  on  its  latitude.  If  this  condition  happened  to  be  the  same  all 
along,  the  fish  would  appear  at  the  same  time  at  every  part  of  the  coast.  This  would 
be  the  natural  inference,  since  there  appears  to  be  no  other  difference  in  the  conditions 
which  would  affect  the  cod  along  the  whole  coast.  Bait  is  used  as  far  north  as  Capo 
Harrison,  but  beyond  that  the  fish  are  so  numerous  and  voracious  that  the  naked 
jigger  alone  is  required.  The  fish  are  dried  on  Hakes  as  far  as  Indian  Harbor,  but  on 
the  more  northern  parts  of  the  coast  they  are  spread  upon  the  shingle  or  the  smooth, 
rounded  rocks. 

Station  No.  2  was  intended  to  be  placed  on  Resolution  Island,  or  one  of  the 
Lower  Savage  Islands  to  the  north-westward  of  it;  but  after  spending  part  of  two 
days  in  endeavoring  to  fin  I  an  anchorage  or  a  harbar  on  these  islands,  the  attempt 
was  abandoned  until  we  should  be  returning  after  establishing  the  remaining  stations. 
A  near  view  of  Resoluiion  Island  was  not  obtained  on  this  occasion,  but  the  southern 
shores  of  the  Lower  Savages  were  seen  closely  enough  to  determine  the  rocks 
to  be  massive  gneiss,  of  which  the  prevailing  color  was  rod.  The  iron  bound  shores 
of  these  islands  rose  abruptly  several  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 

On  leaving  the  Lower  Savages  we  proceeded  up  the  Strait  to  the  vicinity  of 
North  Bluff,  but  at  a  long  distance  from  shore,  until  we  came  directly  opposite  to  it. 
We  anchored  in  a  bay  two  miles  east  of  the  Bluff,  which  we  called  Ashe's  Inlet,  after 
Mr.  W.  A.  Ashe,  D.T.S.,  who  was  to  have  charge  of  the  observatory  station  (No.  3) 
which  we  proceeded  to  erect  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay. 

The  rock^  on  the  we^t  side  of  Ashe's  Inlet  consist  of  dark  gi*ey  gneiss,  composed 
principally  of  quartz  and  felspar  in  even  beds.  The  general  strike,  which  is  pretty 
uniform,  is  east  ard  west  (true),  and  the  dip,  north  at  an  angle  of  40°.  On  the 
higher  levels  the  surface  of  the  rock  is  decayed  into  half  isolated  boulder-like  masses. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  station,  on  the  east  side,  a  common  variety  of  gray  micaceous 
gneiss  is  met  vsitb,  striking  with  regularity  to  the  N.W.  (true).  A  mile  to  the  north- 
ward, however,  on  this  side  of  the  inlet,  it  has  become  east  and  west  (true),  cor- 
responding with  the  trike  on  the  west  side.  The  country  was  examined  for  several 
miles  inland,  or  what  I  judged  to  be  about  the  centre  of  the  (Big)  island,  and  found 
to  consist  entirely  of  common  varieties  of  gneiss,  with  a  prevailing  westerly  strike. 
It  contains  many  veins  of  "hungry"  or  barren  milk  quartz.  Some  of  them  hold 
felspar  and  black  mica,  giving  them  a  somewhat  granitic  character.  In  one 
of  them  the  felspar,  which  was  white,  was  observed  to  be  striated.  The  hills  have 
a  rounded  sweeping  outline,  and  their  summits  are  a  considerable  distance  apart. 
The  wide  even  spaces  between  them  hold  shallow  lakes,  surrounded  with  green 
meadow-like  flats  and  mossy  slopes.  Numerous  rivulets  and  l)rooks  run  down  the- 
hills  and  discharge  the  w.Uers  of  one  lake  into  another.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
landscape  reminds  one  of  some  parts  of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  A  shallow 
looking  lake,  with  many  low  stony  points,  begins  about  three  miles  northward  of 
our  anchorage,  and  has  a  length  of  about  thi-ee  miles.  It  discfiarges  south  and 
westward  into  Ache's  Inlet  by  a  wide,  rapid  and  shallow  stream,  which  we  called 
Edith  Eiver.  The  Eskimo  informed  us  that  at  certain  seasons  large  trout  were 
abundant  in  this  lake  and  river. 

Around  Ashe's  Inlet  the  glacial  striie  run  about  S.  65°  E.  (true).  On  the  tops  of 
the  hills  the  rocks  are  much  weathered  and  only  faint  traces  of  the  s,irm  remain.  In 
these sil nations  ridges  of  gneiss  boulders,  with  an  easterly  direction,  were  occasionally 
met  with.  One  of  them,  on  a  hill  a  short  distance  north  of  the  obeezvatory  station,  has- 
evidently  accumulated  in  the  lee  of  a  knob  of  rock  which  stands  at  its  western  extremity. 
Among  the  prevailing  gneiss  boulders  scattered  on  the  hills  and  plains  were  found 
several  of  grey  dolomite  like  that  of  the  Manitouink  group  of  rocks  (Cambrian.  See 
Geological  Sui  vej-  Report  for  1877,  p.  11  C.)  and  of  the  soft  buff  grey  dolomite  like  that 
of  the  Churchill  River.  (S^e  Geological  Survey  Report  for  1879,  p,  18  C).  I  also  found  a 
large  decomposed  boulder  which  had  been  made  up  of  coarse  radiating  crystals  of 
greenish  grey  horbnlendo.  A  bed  of  the  same  rock  was  afterwards  found  interstrati- 
fied  with  the  gneiss  atCxpe  Prince  of  Wales,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Strait,  opposite 
10  Ashe's  Inlet.     A  small  piece  of  greyish  crystalline  limestone  was  picked  up  near 


31 


Ashe's  Inlet,  which  bears  a  very  close  resemblance  to  a  variety  common  in  the  Lau* 
rentian  bands  of  the  Ottawa  valley. 

Some  heavy  field-ice  had  di-ifted  into  Ashe's  Inlet  before  our  arrival  there.  The 
Eskimo  informed  us  that  this  was  the  first  time  in  their  knowledge  that  such  a  thing 
had  occurred,  and  this  circumstance  aflfbrded  us  another  proof  of  the  unusual  abund- 
ance of  this  kind  of  ice  the  present  summer.  Several  of  the  pieces  or  "  pans  "  were 
upwards  of  20  feet  thick,  aud  as  the  tide  has  here  a  rise  and  fall  of  more  than  30  feet, 
some  of  them  were  left  dry  at  low  water  and  were  found  to  consist  of  solid  blue  ice. 
The  outlines  of  these  pans,  as  seen  floating  in  the  sea,  more  frequently  approach  a 
quadrilateral  form  than  any  other.  This  kind  of  ice  was  afterwards  seen  in  great 
quantities  around  Salisbury  and  Nottingham  Islands,  in  the  mouth  of  Fox's  Channel, 
down  which  there  appears  to  bo  no  doubt,  all  the  heavy  ice  of  Hudson's  Strait, 
comes.  On  reaching  the  Strait  it  projects  towards  the  south  shore  and 
breaks  off  in  fields  of  greater  or  less  extent  which  float  up  and  down  with  the  tide^ 
always  working  to  tho  eastward,  and  part  of  it  finally  escapes  into  Davis'  Strait. 
Hudson's  Strait,  however,  being  about  500  miles  long,  the  tendency  of  tho  wind  and 
tide  is  to  drive  much  of  it  ashore,  or  to  imprison  it  in  bays  and  inlets.  Once  it  has 
reached  such  situations,  the  lee  afforded  by  the  high  lands  often  prevents  it  from 
being  drifted  out  to  deep  water  again.  In  this  way,  during  the  present  season,  a 
large  quantity  of  it  became  fixed  in  Ungava  Bay  and  detained  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  steamer  *'  Labrador"  for  twenty-one  days,  being  the  first  time,  I  understand, 
that  any  detention  of  the  kind  has  taken  place  Mr.  L.  M.  Turner,  of  the  Smiths- 
onian Institution,  who  was  at  Fort  Chimo  at  the  time,  informed  us  that  the  thickness 
of  some  of  these  blocks  of  ice  was  measured,  and  in  one  case  found  to  be  as 
much  as  42  feet.  Mr.  Burwell,  at  Station  No.  1,  on  the  west  side  of  Cape 
Chudleigh,  reported  that,  during  August  and  September,  ho  observed  theno  heavy 
pans  floating  south-westward  into  Ungava  Bay,  but  never  returning  past  his  station^ 
At  Ashe's  Inlet  the  observer  reported  that  the  ice  always  floated  back,  or  westward, 
a  short  distance,  with  each  tide,  but  finally  disappeared  to  the  eastward.  Some  of 
this  heavy  ice  was  stranded  about  Cape  Prince  of  Wales  in  the  latter  part  of  August 
and  the  first  half  of  September,  but  it  had  all  gone  when  we  re-visited  the  station 
here  on  the  23rd  of  September.  At  Nottingham  Island  we  observed  some  of  tho 
heaviest  "  pans  "  stranded  in  6  fathoms  of  water,  and  they  would,  consequently,  he 
about  40  feet  thick. 

I  tested  the  ice  of  the  stranded  pans  in  some  places,  and  always  found  it  fresh. 
This  would  be  the  case,  notwithstanding  that  tho  ice  formed  in  sea  water,  for  most  of 
the  salt  would  be  thrown  out  in  the  freezing,  and  what  might  remain  would  draiu 
away  near  the  surface  on  exposure  to  the  mild  air  of  summer.  Owing  to  the  some- 
what poor  heat-conducting  power  of  ice,  it  is  not  possible  that  so  great  a  thickness 
as  40  feet  could  form  in  one  winter  in  Fox's  Channel.  It  is  probable  that  a  good 
many  years-would  be  required.  In  regard  to  the  quantity  of  ice  which  has  been  ob- 
served in  Hudson's  Strait,  a  study  of  tho  experience  of  the  vessels  which  have  navi- 
gatod  these  waters,  as  well  as  of  that  of  tho  ships  of  the  Moravian  Brethren  coming; 
to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  would  seem  to  show  that  there  is  a  succession  of  good  and 
bad  years,  with  a  minimum,  and  a  maximum  at  perliaps  seven  or  eight  years  apart, 
or  in  cycles  of  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  years;  also,  that  there  may  be  a  raaximuni 
intensity  in  these  cycles  themselves,  so  that  perhaps  every  third  one  will  be  more 
favourable  in  tho  rainiraam  of  ice  and  more  severe  in  the  maximum  than  the  two 
intervening  ones. 

The  fact  that  most  of  the  ice-pans  of  Hudson's  Strait,  when  not  covered  with  fresh 
snow,  are  colored  with  dust  and  earth,  points  to  their  formation  rear  shore,  and  also 
to  their  i  emaining  there  during  one  summer  at  least,  when  the  ground  is  bare  of 
snow  and  the  surface  not  frozen.  The  dust  appeared  to  be  in  too  great  quantity  to 
be  of  cosmic  origin.  These  pans  sometimes  carry  gravel  on  their  backs,  a  circumstance 
which  was  noted  in  my  report  for  1880,  p  20  C.  When  at  Ashe's  Inlet,  a  fact  was 
observed  which  may  explain  the  last  mentioned  phenomenon.  Some  tolerably  thick 
ice  still  remained  attached  to  the  shore  at  high  tide  mark.  During  the  melting  of 
the  snow  on  the  hills  above  it,  torrents  had  carried  a  quantity  of  stones  and  earth 


32 


•out  of  an  adjacent  bank  and  deposited  them  upon  the  surface  of  the  ice.  The  connec- 
tion between  this  ice  and  the  shore  being  sufficiently  weakened,  the  next  spring-tide 
would  carry  it  out  to  sea,  as  previous  tides  had  already  carried  parts  of  the  adjoining 
>ice,  similarly  laden. 

The  icebergs  of  Hudson's  Strait  are  of  comparatively  small  size  and  are  or  have 
been  mostly  flat-topped.  The  original  appearance  of  some  of  them  has  been  altered 
by  foundering  and  canting,  which  have  occasionally  been  repeated  several  times, 
the  various  positions  which  the  berg  has  occupied  being  indicated  by  water-lines 
now  standing  at  different  angles  to  the  surface.  These  small  icebergs  are  most 
iaumerous  along  the  northern  side  of  the  Strait,  and  they  have  never  been  observed 
westof  Fox's  Channel,  out  of  which  they  proceed.  They  are  supposed  to  originate 
from  glaciers  on  the  shores  of  this  channel,  but  it  is  possible  that  they  may  come 
through  the  passages  which  arc  believed  to  run  into  it  from  Baffin's  Bay  and 
Lancaster  Sound,  or  through  Fury  and  Hecla  Straits,  in  all  of  which  the  current  is 
known  to  set  southward. 

The  soil  or  drift  material  of  Hudson's  Strait  is  probably  permanently  frozen  at  a 
certain  depth  below  the  surface,  although  our  interpreter  told  me  it  was  not  so  at 
Nachvak,  nor  does  it  appear  to  be  the  case  at  Nunaingok,  in  McLelan's  Strait.  On 
Nottingham  and  Digges  Islands,  when  the  gneiss  has  been  glaciated  and  its  hard 
surface  exposed  to  the  cold,  it  appears  to  have  become  so  deeply  chilled  that  its  tem- 
perature does  not  rise  above  the  freezing  point  in  summer,  except  in  the  direct  sun- 
shine. Whenever  water  in  small  quantities  had  flowed  over  these  I'ocks  at  night  or 
in  the  shade  during  the  day  it  had  become  frozen. 

While  the  "  Neptutao"  was  lying  at  Ashe's  Inlet  a  party  of  Eskimo  from  the  east- 
ward came  on  board.  They  brought  with  them  plates  of  good,  light  coloured  mica  and 
pieces  of  pure  foliated  graphite,  also  a  small  piece  of  iron  pyrites,  and  one  of  amorphous 
.graphite.  In  reply  to  questions,  they  stated  that  they  came  from  a  place  called 
Kimnirook,  about  two  days'  journey  by  kyak.  to  the  eastward,  and  that  they  had 
gathered  these  specimens  in  that  vicinity.  They  further  stated  that  there  was  plenty, 
both  of  the  mica  and  the  foliated  graphite.  Having  assembled  these  visitors,  and 
also  the  Eskimo  of  North  Bay,  who  were  already  at  the  Inlet,  a  party  of  thirty-eight 
in  all,  I  exhibited  to  them  my  collection  of  minerals,  and  passing  them  round,  one  at  a 
time,  enquired  succsssively  if  any  of  them  had  ever  seen  a  mineral  like  that.  In  return 
for  any  information  which  they  mightgive,  I  offered  them  tobacco,  ammunition,  kettles, 
Ac,  all  of  which  they  coveted  very  much  and  might  easily  have  invented  stories  as  to 
the  occurence  of  minerals  in  these  regions  in  order  to  gain  the  articles  offered.  But 
the  only  kinds  they  recognized,  besides  those  of  which  they  had  brought  the  speci- 
mens above  mentioned,  were  a  bright  red  hsiimatite  occurring  inland  from  Kimnirook , 
and  a  rather  hard  and  inferior  variety  of  soapstone,  which  they  used  for  making 
pots  before  they  obtained  metal  ones  from  the  white  men,  at  the  western  end  of  Big 
Island  (in  which  this  inlet  and  North  Bluff  are  situated).  They  said  they  had 
observed  plenty  of  hard  white  stones,  like  the  quartz  exhibited,  in  various  localities,  but 
no  soft  white  ones  such  as  the  marble,  gypsum,  barytes,  &e.,  the  hardness  of  which 
they  tested  with  their  knives. 

During  our  stay  at  Ashe's  Inlet,  the  Eskimo  killed  two  reindeer  in  the  vicinity, 
and,  judgiug  from  the  numerous  tracks,  of  these  animals  they  would  appear  to  bo 
common ;  but  the  natives  informed  us  that  they  were  much  more  abundant  on  the 
mainland  to  the  north,  whei'e  they  are  in  the  habit  of  hunting  them  most  of  the 
summer,  coming  again  to  the  sea  shore  to  live  on  seals  and  walruses  during  the  winter. 
Three  young  harp  seals  were  killed  in  the  inlet  during  our  visit,  and  as  we  steamed  out 
of  it  we  saw  two  walruses.  One  of  our  party  obtained  the  tusk  of  a  narwhal  from  the 
Eskimo  who  visited  this  inlet.  Arctic  hares  were  numerous  on  a  small  island,  to  which 
the  foxes  could  not  gain  access.  Gulls,  gannets,  guillemots,  eider  ducks  and  ptarmigan 
were  the  commonest  birds.  The  young  of  the  last  named  were  about  three  parts 
grown  on  the  15th  of  August,  and  could  fly  with  the  adult  birds.  The  Eskimo 
informed  us  that  largo  trout  were  abundant,  at  certain  seasons,  in  what  we  named 
Edith  Lake  and  River,  a  few  miles  north  of  the  observatory  station. 


33 


Driftwood,  all  spriico,  of  which  a  considerable  quantity  had  been  seen  at  Port 
Burwell  and  in  McLelan  Strait,  was  entirely  absent  at  Ashe's  Inlet,  and  Nottingham 
Island,  and  was  scarce  at  Digges  Island  and  Cape  Prince  of  Wales. 

We  left  Ashe's  Inlet  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  August,  and  arrived  at  Cape 
Prince  of  Wales,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Strait,  on  the  morning  of  the  ITth,  the 
distance  being  about  60  geographical  miles,  and  the  course  about  S.  S.  W.  (true). 
Prince  of  Wales  Sound  lies  to  the  south-eastward  of  the  cape,  and  appeared  to  be 
about  15  miles  broad.  We  selected  a  place  on  the  inner  side  of  the  cape  for 
building  the  observatory  station,  and  named  it  Stupart's  Bay,  after  Mr.  E.  F.  Stupart 
of  Toronto,  who  was  to  have  charge  of  it.  The  highest  hill  on  the  west  side  of  the 
bay  was  ascertained  to  have  a  height,  according  to  the  barometer,  of  340  feet,  and 
the  highest  to  the  south  of  it  to  have  a  height  of  180  feet.  The  rocks  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  bay  were  found  to  consist  entirely  of  Laurentian  gneiss.  In  the  hills  on  the 
west  side  of  Slupart's  Bay,  the  strike  is  from  S.  to  S.  40°  E.  (mag.),  or  nearly  east 
and  west  (true).  The  gueies  in  the  hills,  both  to  the  south  and  west,  is  cut  by  nume- 
rous veins  and  bunches  of  milk-white  quartz,  which  in  various  parts  are  so  conspic- 
uous on  the  bare  surface  as  to  be  seen  from  considerable  distances.  In  one  place  on 
the  eastward  slope  of  the  hill  to  the  west  a  group  of  parallel  veins  of  this  mineral, 
varying  from  a  ioot  to  two  feet  in  width,  is  traceable  for  some  distance.  Their  course 
is  slightly  sinuous,  but  the  average  run  is  N.  55°  W.  (mag.).  Eed  felspar  occurs  in 
some  of  these,  and  occasionally  a  little  black  mica.  The  to|>of  this  hill  is  rounded 
and  striated.  The  glacial  grooves  are  quite  distinct.  On  the  highest  point  their 
direction  is  S.  GO"  E.  (mag.).  A  little  below  the  summit,  on  the  south  side,  they  run 
S.  50°  E.,  while  at  the  observatory  station,  near  the  sea  shore,  their  course  is  S.  40® 
E.  (mag.). 

Viewed  from  the  top  of  the  hill  just  referred  to,  the  slopes  and  valleys  to  the  north- 
eastward are  full  of  ponds  resting  in  basins  of  solid  rock.  Boulders  are  perched  on 
the  summits  and  slopes  of  all  the  hills  around.  Beaches  of  shingle,  as  fresh  looking 
as  those  on  the  present  sea  shore,  except  that  the  stones  are  covered  with  lichens, 
may  bo  seen  at  all  levels,  up  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  hiHs  in  this  vicinity.  The  long 
sloping  hillside  to  the  south  of  the  observatory  station  is  covered  with  fields  of 
shingle  and  small  round  boulders,  all  blackened  by  the  lichens.  At  the  northern  base 
of  the  ridge,  to  the  north-west  of  the  station,  is  a  large  dry  basin-like  depression,  with  a 
notch  on  the  outer  side,  through  which  it  has  formerly  communicated  with  the  sea. 
From  the  notch,  the  shingle  and  mud  are  spread  over  the  floor  of  the  basin  in  a  fan- 
like fashion,  as  if  the  tides  had  rushed  violently  in  through  this  opening.  The 
materials  of  the  raised  beaches  above  referred  to  consist  principally  of  gneiss  with, 
milk  quartz  from  the  veins  of  the  neighbourhood,  together  with  a  few  fragments  of 
yellowish  grey  dolomite,  with  obscure  fossils,  a  hard  and  nearly  black  variety  of 
silicious  clay-slate,  with  an  occasional  boulder  of  dark,  hard  crystalline  diorito. 

Prince  of  Wales  Sound  has  a  breadth  of,  apparently,  about  fifteen  miles,  in  a 
due  S.  E.  bearing  from  Stupart's  Station,  on  the  inner  side  of  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,, 
and  of  probably  eight  or  ten  miles  in  a  southerlj'  direction.  A  long  arm,  the  north 
shore  of  which  I  reached  at  two  and  a-half  miles  due  S.  W.  from  the  station,  runs 
due  west  from  the  western  side  of  the  sound.  This  appeared  to  be  the  favourite  resort 
of  the  Eskimo,  and  I  propose  to  name  it,  for  convenience,  Eskimo  Inlet.  A  small 
rapid  river  was  crossed  between  the  station  and  the  inlet.  The  Eskimo  informed  me 
that  another  river  enters  the  head  of  this  inlet,  and  that  it  passes  through  two  good 
sized  lakes  not  far  from  the  sea.  Some  large  trout,  which  they  had  brought  to  the 
ship,  were  stated  to  have  been  caught  in  this  river.  Salmon  were  said  to  be  found 
in  another  river  entering  the  sound  at  a  point  about  south  of  Stupart's  Bay. 

The  hills  of  gneiss  between  Stupart's  Station  and  Eskimo  Inlet  are  pretty  thor- 
oughly glaciated.  The  ridges  and  hummocks,  as  a  rule,  present  smooth  gradual 
slopes  to  the  west  and  abrupt  craggy  faces  to  the  east,  showing  that  the  movement 
of  the  ancient  ice  was  from  the  west.  The  strire  are  well  seen  in  many  places  on  the 
hills,  the  average  direction  being  S.  40°  E.,  (mag.)  or  about  due  east,  astronomically. 
On  the  shore  of  the  inlet  they  run  a  little  north  of  true  oast  or  parallel  with  the  course 


34 


of  the  inlot  itself.    Here  I  found  a  good  many  boulders  of  grey  and  yellowish  lime- 
stone on  the  beach. 

The  gneiss  along  the  northern  shore  of  Eskimo  Inlet  is  of  the  ordinary  variety, 
and  has  an  average  strike  of  N.  20°  W.  (mag.)  One  of  the  veins  of  white  quartz  in 
this  locality  contains  purplish  red  calcspar,  in  rather  coarse  crystals  of  a  uniform  size, 
both  the  color  and  texture  closely  resembling  some  varieties  of  the  banded  crystalline 
limestones  of  the  Laurentian  series  in  the  County  of  Lanark.  Dark  crystals  of 
epidote  occur  along  with  it.  Light  green  amorphous  epldote  and  a  bright  red 
felspar  are  associated  in  some  of  the  quartz  veins  of  the  vicinity.  One  of  the  Eskimo 
liad  a  small  lamp  made  of  a  soft,  grey  variety  of  schistose  mica  rock,  which  he  said 
occurred  on  an  island  in  Prince  of  Wales  Sound. 

From  a  hill  near  Eskimo  Inlet  a  view  was  obtained  far  inland  to  the  west.     The 
•surface  of  the  country  in  that  direction  appears  in  long  sweeping  outlines,  termina- 
ting in  mountain  ranges  in  some  of  the  higher  parts,  and  resembles  the  landscapes 
m  various  parts  of  Newfoundland. 

The  Eskimo  report  reindeer  to  be  plentiful  around  Prince  of  Wales'  Sound  at 
certain  seasons,  being  most  abundant,  I  understood,  in  the  winter.  During  the  in- 
terval between  our  two  visits  to  the  sound,  the  natives  killed  several,  and  a  member 
of  the  observatory  party  shot  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Stupart's  Bay.  These  people 
also  told  us  that  the  polar  bear  was  common  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Strait,  to 
the  west,  and  that  Ane-ugi,  or  Snow  Island,  about  eight  miles  above  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  was  a  favourite  place  for  them  to  land.  The  walrus  is  found  at  this  cape  at 
most  seasons  of  the  year.  We  saw  several  in  going  out  and  in  with  the  "  Neptune," 
and  our  interpreter  killed  one  while  we  were  lying  in  Stupart's  Bay. 

The  Greenland,  or  harp  seal,  (Phoca  grcenlandica,  Fabricius)  was  the  sjiecies  on 
which  the  Eskimo  were  living  during  our  visit  to  Prince  of  Wales'  Sound,  but  they 
had  in  -their  possession  the  skins  of  a  good  many  harbor  and  square-flipper  seals. 
(^Phoca  vituUna)  (Linn.)  and  Erignatlms  bnrbatus  Fabricius).  Some  of  the  last 
mentioned  were  very  large,  stretching  from  the  apex  of  a  wigwam  to  the  ground, 
and  measuring  11  or  12  feet  in  length. 

In  reply  to  questions  put  to  the  Eskimo  here,  through  our  interpreter,  they 
informed  us  that  not  only  the  Strait  itself,  but  even  Prince  of  Wales'  Sound,  did  not 
freeze  over  in  the  winter,  but  that  ice  drifted  up  and  down  with  the  tides.  They 
stated  that  ice  formed  in  the  coves  and  around  the  shoals  and  islands  off  the  cape. 
The  chief  reason  why  they  live  in  this  vicinity  is  that  Cape  Prince  of  Wales  being 
"  a  good  place  for  ice  "  they  are  more  certain  of  a  steady  supply  of  seals  and  walruses 
than  elsewhere. 

As  to  the  supposed  passage  or  channel  between  Bay  of  Hope's  Advance  and 
Mosquito  Bay,  they  did  not  appear  to  have  any  personal  knowledge.  Our  inter- 
preter did  not  think  it  existed,  but  as  he  came  from  the  eastern  Labrador,  ho  had  no 
definite  idea  on  the  subject.  Being  an  egotistical  individual,  and  wishing  his  own 
opinion  to  prevail,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  get  a  fair  expression  of  the  views  of 
these  people  on  this  important  matter. 

We  left  Stupart's  Bay  at  Capo  Prince  of  Wales,  on  the  evening  of  the  22nd  of 
August,  and  arrived  at  the  southern  part  cf  Nottingham  Island  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th.  In  passing  the  south  side  of  Salisbury  Island,  the  hills  of  the  western  part 
were  observed  to  have  more  even  outlines  than  those  of  the  eastern,  as  if  the  glacial 
force  had  come  from  the  westward.  We  anchored  in  5  fathoms  of  water,  in  an  inlet  a 
few  miles  east  of  the  most  southez'n  part  of  Nottingham  Island,  and  found  a  suitable 
place  for  the  station  close  to  our  anchorage,  and  on  the  north  side  of  the  inlet,  which 
we  named  Port  DeBoucherville,  after  Mr.  C.  DeBoucherville,  of  Ottawa,  who  was  to 
have  charge  of  this  observatory. 

Around  Port  DeBoucherville,  and  for  some  distance  to  the  westward,  the  country 
consists  of  island-like  hummocks  of  rock,  more  or  less  separated  from  one  another 
and  surrounded  by  clayey  mud.  The  lower  parts  of  these  muddy  intervals  are  partly 
overflowed  by  the  tide,  rendering  the  water  turbid  in  all  the  bays  and  inlets  of  this 
part  of  the  island.  The  clay  is  mingled  with  boulders  and  gravel,  and  it  extends 
♦ielow  the  bottom  of  the  sea  on  the  one  hand,  and  up  the  valleys  to  a  height  of  50  to 


35 


100  feet.  In  preparing  to  leave  the  port,  it  was  found  difficult  to  start  our  anchor 
out  of  the  mud,  some  of  which  came  up  on  one  of  the  flukes,  and  proved  to  be  an 
exceedingly  tough  bluish-grey  clay,  containing  grains  of  coarse  sand  disseminated 
through  it. 

I  explored  the  country  to  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  in  various  directions 
from  our  anchorage,  and  found  the  rocks  to  consist  of  common  varieties  of  gneiss, 
the  only  exeptions  noticed  being  patches  of  a  fine-grained  I'ed  syenite  on  both  side* 
of  the  inlet.  The  average  direction  of  the  strike  is  south-west  (true)  but  there  are 
ainmerous  local  variations  which,  however,  seldom  carry  its  course  outside  of  the 
flouth-west  quarter  of  the  circle.  The  joints  in  the  gneiss  run  about  east,  or  nearly 
parallel  with  the  glacial  strisB,  and  this  is  also  the  direction  of  a  number  ot  long  cuts 
And  straight  valleys  or  gorges  in  the  gneiss,  which  have,  therefore,  an  oblique  angle 
io  the  strike.  The  bottoms  of  these  depressions  are  filled  with  boulder  clay,  which, 
•on  the  surface,  has  a  structural  arrangement  parallel  with  the  walls,  apparently  due 
to  a  process  of  expansion  and  contraction  and  of  heaving,  on  account  of  the  intense 
frost  of  this  region.  In  narrow  cuts  or  gorges  the  heaving  of  the  clay  was  greatest 
along  the  sides,  which  had  the  effect  of  sorting  out  and  throwing  the  boulders  to 
the  centre,  where  they  formed  rows  as  regular  as  if  they  had  been  placed  artificially. 

The  direction  of  the  joints  in  these  rocks  may  also  be  that  of  dykes  and 
veins,  which,  owing  to  decay  and  subsequent  glacial  action,  would  now  be  concealed 
in  the  bottoms  of  the  depressions  above  referred  to.  At  a  projecting  point  on  the 
side  of  one  of  them,  however,  and  running  parallel  to  its  walls,  I  found  some  strag- 
gling veins  of  hard  grey  dolomite,  weathering  brown  and  holding  scales  of  mica. 

The  rocks  of  the  lower  levels  are  well  glaciated,  and  from  upwards  of  twenty 
trials  in  various  situations  around  Port  DeBoucherville,  the  average  course  of  the 
strise  across  the  south  end  of  Nottingham  Island  was  ascertained  to  be  S.  30^  B. 
(mag.),  or  only  a  few  degrees  southward  of  true  east.  That  the  direction  of  the 
glacial  movement  was  towards  the  east  is  obvious  from  the  contour  of  the  roches 
moutonnS,  the  mode  of  the  fluting  of  perpendicular  walls  and  of  channels  cut  in  the 
rocks,  as  well  as  by  the  direction  of  the  curves  of  the  semi-circular  lines  across  the 
larger  grooves  themselves.  A  valley,  with  a  south-eastward  bearing,  enters  the  head 
of  Port  DeBoucherville,  and  along  it  the  grooves  partake  of  ihe  same  direction, 
showing  that  while  the  low  southern  portion  of  the  island  was  swept  by  a  great 
glacier  from  the  west,  another  was  traversing  it  from  the  north-west.  Nearly 
half  of  the  boulders,  stones  and  gravel  of  the  drift  are  grey  limestone,  like  that  of  the 
Manitounik  (Cambrian)  group,  indicating  the  proximity  of  these  rocks  to  the  west- 
ward. The  grey  quartzite  of  this  series  is  also  well  represented.  One  piece  of  this 
rock  contained  the  characteristic  spherical  spots  of  a  softer  nature  and  lighter 
colour,  which  usually  weather  out  into  hollows  on  exposure.  There  are  also  frag- 
ments of  black  slate  and  red  jasper,  both  of  which  have  been  found  in  the  Manitounik 
group.  Two  pieces  of  fine-grained  white  quartzite  were  noticed,  which  may  have 
come  either  from  rocks  belonging  to  this  group  or  to  the  Huronian  series.  A  frag- 
ment of  red  sandstone  conglomerate  was  also  observed,  of  the  same  kind  as  that 
which  underlies  unconformably  the  Manitounik  rocks,  and  is  so  largely  developed  at 
Little  Whale  Eiver  and  Richmond  Gulf.  (See  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey  for 
1877,  pp.  13  and  14  C.)  No  shells  were  found  iu  the  boulder-clay,  but  a  few  com- 
mon species  were  abundant  in  a  bank  of  stratified  sand,  having  a  height  of  about 
8  feet  above  high- water  mark  at  the  head  of  a  bay. 

During  the  interval  between  our  two  visits  to  Nottingham  Island,  the  obser- 
vatory party  saw  a  few  reindeer,  but  the  numerous  tracks  and  droppings  of  these 
animals  show  that  they  exist  here  in  considerable  numbers.  Several  of  their  shed 
antlers  were  found,  and  all  of  them  had  the  upper  tines  curiously  hooked  and  curved 
inwards — a  peculiarity  which  would  be  incompatible  with  forest  life.  We  saw  a  few 
walruses  when  first  approaching  the  island,  and  while  the  station  was  building,  but 
they  were  quite  numerous  upon  the  ice  which  we  passed  through  to  the  south  of  it 
on  our  return  on  the  20th  of  September.  These  animals  accompany  the  ice  during  the 
summer,  and  its  unusual  prevalence  in  this  quarter  the  present  season  was  shown  by 
the  blighted  condition  of  even  the  Arctic  vegetation  of  the  island.  Arctic  hares  and 
foxes  were  seen,  and  both  appeared  to  be  abundant. 


3^ 


Among  the  more  noticeable  birds  which  breed  on  IToltingham  Island,  are  the 
Arctic  loon  {colymhus  arcticus,  Linn),  and  the  whistling  swan  (cygnus  americanus, 
Sharpless),  We  killed  four  old  swans,  all  moulting,  and  two  young  ones,  nearly  full 
grown,  on  the  27th  of  August,  and  the  male,  female  and  young  of  the  Arctic  loon.  :^ 

At  Port  DeBouchorville  I  found  distinct  remains  of  a  very  ancient  Eskimo  camp 
in  the  form  of  heaps  and  circles  of  stones,  like  those  of  the  modern  Eskimo,  on  a 
raised  beach  at  the  head  of  what  had  been  a  cove.  From  what  I  have  seen  of  the 
situations,  which  the  Eskimo,  in  various  places  in  Hudson's  Bay  and  Strait ,  choose 
for  their  camps,  there  appeared  to  be  little  doubt  that  they  had  lived  here  when  the 
eea-level  was  20  to  30  foet  higher  than  it  is  at  present.  On  the  rocks  facing  the- 
open  Strait,  just  south  of  the  inlet,  the  more  recent  works  of  these  people  are  well 
preserved,  although  they  are  probably  upwards  of  100  years  old.  Besides  numerous 
rings  of  tent-stones  and  some  shapeless  heaps,  there  are  here  several  rectangular 
walls  a  few  feet  high,  and  caches  of  a  bee-hive  form,  each  about  6  feet  in  height  and 
7  feet  in  diameter.  Two  of  the  latter  are  nearly  complete,  and  are  adapted  either  for 
storing  raept  or  as  hiding  places  or  "  stands  "  from  which  to  kill  game.  A  good 
photograjDh  of  one  of  them  was  obtained. 

When  wo  left  Nottingham  Island,  it  was  proposed  to  place  the  next  station  on 
the  south  point  of  Mansfield  Island,  but  the  locality  having  been  found  unsuitable, 
the  station  was  built  on  Digges  Island,  off  Cape  Wolstenholm,  on  our  return  voy- 
age. As  the  geographical  position  of  this  station  comes  next  in  order,  I  shall  now 
state  the  observations  which  were  made  during  our  visit  to  the  locality.  Heretofore 
the  name  Digges  or  Cape  Digges  has  been  applied  on  the  sketch  charts  to  several 
islands,  represented  as  lying  off  Cape  Wolstenholme.  Our  explorations  went,  however 
to  show  that  there  is  only  one  island  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  in  length.  The  bare  hill& 
of  which  it  is  composed  are  divided  into  several  detached  groups  by  straight,  transverse 
valleys,  cutting  well  down  towards  the  sea-level,  thus  giving  the  appearance  of 
separate  islands,  when  viewed  from  a  distance.  The  greatest  length  of  the  island  lies 
about  east  and  west  (true).  As  this  is  also  the  commonest  direction  of  the  strike  of  the 
gneiss,  most  of  whichis  is  red,  and  also  of  the  glacial  strife,  the  island  has  become 
divided  by  longitudinal  valleys,  some  of  which,  too,  were  traced  in  nearly  straight 
courses  for  several  miles. 

We  found  a  good  harbour  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  about  a  mile  from  its 
western  extremity,  well  sheltered  from  all  quarters  except  the  south-west,  with 
good  holding-ground  and  a  convenient  depth  of  water.  The  station  was  built 
on  its  south-oast  side,  and  placed  in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  N.  Laporriere  of  Ottawa,  after 
whom  the  harbour  was  called  Port  Laporriere.  Only  a  narrow  neck  of  land  separates 
the  head  of  the  harbour  from  Hudson's  Strait  to  the  norih.  Between  this  and  the 
western  extremity  of  the  island  the  hills  have  a  rounded  outline,  and  raised  beaches, 
composed  mostly  of  coarse  shingle,  form  a  prominent  feature  on  their  slopes,  all  the 
way  from  high  tide  mark  to  their  summits,  the  highest  of  which  is  between  300  and 
400  feet. 

On  the  north  side  of  Port  Laperriere  a  light-colored  quartzoso  band  of  gneiss 
contains  numerous  claret-colored  garnets.  Here  the  strike  is  N.  35°  W.  (mag.),  but 
to  the  eastward  of  the  harbour  it  isN.45^  W.  (mag.),  the  bedding  running  in  straight 
lines  over  a  considerable  area.  At  four  miles  east  of  the  harbour,  and  towards  the 
north  side  of  the  island,  the  gneiss  strikes  N.  50°  W.  (mag.).  A  well  marked  valley,, 
with  a  chain  of  lakes  along  its  bottom,  comes  to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  about 
two  miles  east  of  Port  Laperriere.  It  runs  about  east  by  north  (true),  and  was 
explored  for  five  or  six  miles  without  coming  to  the  end  of  it.  The  general  strike  of 
the  gneiss  was  parallel  with  the  valley  all  along. 

The  red  gneiss,  which  rises  from  the  shore  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley,  run- 
ning eastward  from  the  head  of  the  harbour,  is  cut  by  two  parallel  fissures,  only  3 
or  4  feet  apart,  with  well  defined,  slikensided  walls,  the  intervening  mass  simulat- 
ing a  vein  ;  but  it  is  composed  of  red  gneiss,  all  divided  into  small,  sharp,  angular 
f)ieces  by  a  multitude  of  joints  intersecting  each  other  in  all  directions,  and  often 
ined  with  green  epidote,  which  in  this  region  very  frequently  accompanies  veins  and 


31 


dislocations.  These  fissures  run  in  a  noi'th  easterly  direction,  bnt  curve  ahont  a  good 
deal.  They  are  accompanied  by  a  small  quantity  of  a  handsome  variety  of  rod 
pegmatite,  the  quartz  of  which  is  blue,  and  the  mass  is  occasionally  streaked  with 
bright  green  epidote. 

Around  the  western  part  of  Digges  Island  the  course  of  the  glacial  striae  is  from 
S.  70°  E  to  S.  75^  E.  (mag.)  ;  but  in  the  interior  it  averages  S.  55°  B.  (mag.),  or  with 
the  general  direction  of  the  valleys. 

We  saw  no  Eskimo  about  Digges  Island,  but  they  appear  to  have  visited  Port 
Lapoiriere  in  recent  years,  as  the  remains  of  their  camps  were  found  in  two  or  three 
places  close  to  high  tide  mark.  Some  ancient  camping  places  were  also  observed 
around  this  harbour,  which,  from  their  elevation  above  the  present  beach,  the  decayed 
nature  of  the  lai  ger  bones  lying  about  and  the  manner  in  which  the  circles  of  stones 
were  embedded  in  the  moss  and  overgi'own  with  lichens,  were  supposed  to  be  from 
100  to  300  years  old.  Still  more  ancient  works  of  the  Eskimo  were  discovered  in  the 
valley  which  comes  down  to  the  head  of  the  harbour.  These  consist  of  a  row  of  stones 
lying  in  the  vegetable  matter  at  the  surface,  touching  each  other  and  running  at  right 
angles  to  the  brook,  at  a  contracted  part  of  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  which  would  be 
suitable  for  the  Eskimo  method  of  trout-fishing  if  the  sea  were  75  or  80  feet  higher 
than  it  is  at  present.  If  the  sea  has  receded  as  rapidly  as  7  feet  a  century, 
these  works  would  be  upwards  of  1,000  years  old,  and  if  the  rate  has  been  less  they 
must  be  even  more  ancient. 

The  same  day  that  we  arrived  at  Port  Laperriere  (16th  September)  a 
she  polar  bear  and  her  two  cubs  were  killed  in  the  interior  of  the  island,  about  two 
miles  from  the  ship.  The  cubs  were  somewhat  larger  than  sheep,  and  were 
probably  between  seven  and  eight  months  old.  Our  party  having  approached 
them  cautiously,  one  of  them  was  observed  sucking  its  mother.  I  examined 
the  stomachs  of  all  three,  and  found  them  to  contain  nothing  but  partially 
chewed  grass.  About  four  quarts  of  this  were  found  in  the  stomach  of  the  old  bear 
and  two  and  a-half  and  one  and  a-half  respectively  in  the  cubs'  stomachs.  I  had  been 
informed  by  some  Eskimo  and  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  people  that  the  polar  bears 
sometimes  eat  grass,  and  I  had  occasionally  seen  along  with  their  tracks,  dung  which 
could  scarcely  have  been  dropped  by  any  other  animal,  and  which  was  made  up  of 
the  remains  of  comminuted  grass  and  other  vegetable  matter.  The  three  bears 
referred  to  were  killed  on  a  grassy  spot  where  they  had  spent  some  time,  apparently 
for  the  purpose  of  eating  grass,  and  this  was  propably  their  only  object  in  wandering 
away  from  the  sea.  The  presence  of  the  newly  swallowed  grass  in  such  quantity  in 
the  slomachs  of  all  three  convinced  me  that  these  creatui-es  live,  to  some  extent,  on 
vegetable  food.  On  the  30th  of  August,  while  sailing  down  the  east  side  of  Mans- 
field Island,  we  saw  a  large  polar  bear  and  cub  running  along  the  rocks  about  a  mile 
back  from  the  shore.  Walruses  were  numerous  around  Digges  Island  during  our 
stay  there.  They  were  always  in  the  water  and  were  generally  seen  in  groups  of 
from  three  to  seven  or  eight. 

We  arrived  at  the  eastern  part  of  Mansfield  Island,  about  mid -way  down,  on  the 
morning  of  the  30th  of  August.  Its  even  outline  presented  a  remarkable  contrast  to 
the  shores  of  Hudson's  Strait.  It  resembled  a  gigantic  ridge  of  gravel ;  but  stratified 
rocks,  in  low  horizontal  ledges,  appeared  here  and  there,  through  the  debris,  at  dif- 
ferent levels.  At  one  place,  four  or  five  miles  inland,  the  island  rises  to  an  elevation 
of  about  300  feet  above  the  sea,  and  this  was  the  highest  point  observed  upon  it. 
Small  streams  appear  to  run  out  upon  the  eastern  shore,  as  narrow  canons  are  cut  in 
the  rock  in  a  few  places.  The  monotony  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  island  is  broken 
at  one  localitv  by  the  rocks  projecting  through  the  debris  in  a  form  resembling  an 
old  castle,  with  three  towers  on  the  left,  and  a  wall  broken  through  by  embrasures 
on  the  right.  A  short  distance  to  the  south  of  this  there  is  a  clitf,  with  a  distinct 
pillar  on  the  left.  These  points  are  considered  worth  noting,  as  they  have  a  bearing 
on  questions  as  to  the  glacial  phenomena  of  these  regions.  For  many  miles,  the 
whole  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  island  presents  a  succession  of  steps  or  small  teri  aces, 
mostly  too  low  to  be  distinctly  counted,  but  there  might  be  a  hundred  of  them 
4 


38 


between  the  sea  level  and  the  highest  parts  of  the  island  visible.  These  appeared  to 
be  partly  ancient  beaches,  and  partly  the  outercropping  edges  of  nearly  horizontal 
strata.  I  landed  at  a  point  about  the  middle  of  the  eastern  shore  of  the  island,  and 
found  the  shore  very  flat,  with  shallow  water  for  a  considerable  distance  out.  The 
rock  proved  to  be  a  fossiliferous  grey  limestone,  in  rather  thin  horizontal  beds.  The 
fossils  were  obscure  and  scarce  at  the  place  referred  to.  Those  collected,  Mr. 
Whiteaves  thinks,  are  Silurian.  The  rocks  themselves  resemble  the  Lower  Silurian  ' 
limestones  of  the  Red  and  Nelson  Rivers.  I  landed  again  near  the  south  end  of 
the  island,  and  found  the  water  very  shallow  in  approaching  the  shore.  No  rock  was 
detected  in  situ  at  this  place  ;  but  a  great  extent  of  gravel  and  coarser  shingle,  derived 
from  limestone  like  that  foucd  in  situ  further  north  was  thrown  into  a  succession  of 
long,  low  ridges  and  terraces,  all  curving  with  the  contour  of  the  land.  Behind  most 
of  the  ridges  I  met  with  long  ponds  of  clear,  fresh  water.  A  number  of  caches  and 
"  stands,"  built  by  the  Eskimo,  were  seen  along  the  shore  of  Mansfield  Island,  but 
none  of  these  people  were  observed. 

From  the  southern  extremity  of  Mansfield  Island  we  steamed  to  Cape  South- 
ampton, and  thence  coasted  norih  eastwai'd,  in  the  hope  of  finding  a  suitable  site  for 
building  an  observatory  station,  but  without  success  ;  and  after  making  between 
twenty  and  thirty  miles  in  that  du-eotion,  we  returned  to  the  cape  and  passed  round  it 
to  the  westward,  shaping  our  course  thence  for  the  opposite  side  of  Hudson's  Bay.  The 
general  charter  of  this  island,  and  the  pai't  of  its  shore  which  we  examined,  are  quite 
like  the  eastern  side  of  Mansfield  Island.  It  has  rather  more  vegetation  upon  it  than 
the  last  named  island,  and  much  of  the  surface  has  a  brown  colour  inconsequence. 
Shallow  water,  having  a  light  green  colour,  extends  some  distance  out  all  along.  The 
island  slopes  gi-adually  up  from  the  beach  and  is  thrown  into  a  great  many  small  ter- 
races. The  highest  point  seen  did  not  exceed  200  feet  above  the  sea.  I  noted  that  the 
limestone  is  evidently  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  Mansfield  Island.  Low  cliffs  in 
the  upper  levels  break  through  the  decayed  mass  and  the  dibris,  and  horizontal  ledges 
also  make  their  appearance  through  the  loose  materials  near  the  sea  beach. 

We  did  not  observe  any  natives  on  the  part  of  the  island  which  we  saw,  but  at  four 
miles  north-east  of  Cape  Southampton  there  were  three  fresh  houses  of  the  Eskimo, 
covered  completely  with  sods  and  moss,  and  having  the  dooi'S  built  I'ound  with 
stones.  About  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  north-eastward  of  these  were  five  old 
Eskimo  houses,  built  of  stones  and  sods,  with  some  sticks  and  bones  lying  on  their 
tops. 

Our  first  landing  place  on  the  western  side  of  Hudson's  Bay  was  Marble  Island, 
but  we  had  a  distinct  view  of  the  land  between  it  and  Chesterfield  Inlet.  Judging 
from  specimens  which  I  have  received  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  George  Mc- 
Tavish,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  a  portion  of  this  coast  is  occupied  by  rocks, 
which  may  be  referred  to  the  Huronian  series,  among  them  being  diorites,  horn- 
blende-schists and  glossy  mica-schists  characterized  by  numerous  cubes  of  iron 
pyrites.  On  the  coaf  t  opposite  to  Marble  Island,  the  last  named  rock  appears  to 
contain  the  veins  of  granular  iron  pyrites,  an  assay  of  a  specimen  from  one  of  which, 
from  Inari,  was  made  by  Mr.  Hoffmann  in  ISTO.  (See  p.  23  H.,  Report  Geological 
Survey,  IS^S-YO.)  Those  glossy  mica-schists  were  found  on  Deadman's  Island,  near 
the  west  end  of  Marble  Island.  Prom  all  that  I  have  been  able  to  learn  on  the  sub- 
ject, a  set  of  rocks,  very  like  those  of  the  Township  of  Ascot,  in  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  and  holding  similar  pyrites  veins,  which  are  of  great  economic  value,  will 
be  found  in  this  part  of  the  western  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay. 

The  harbour  on  Marble  Island,  which  is  resorted  to  by  the  American  whalers,  and 
in  which  we  also  anchored,  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  about  two  and 
a-half  miles  from  the  western  extremity.  The  outer  harbour  is  formed  by  Deadman's 
Island,  about  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  lying  across  the  front  of  a  small  bay.  The  inner 
harbour  is  a  basin,  which  connects  with  this  thiough  a  narrow  gap  in  the  rock  with 
only  about  one  fathom  of  water  at  low  tide. 

Deadman's  Island  consists  of  white  and  light  grey  quartzites  and  glossy  micarschist, 
striking  N.  '75°  W.  (mag).    The  glacial  strise  on  this  island  are  well  marked  and  run 


39 


S.  10°  E.  (mag).  In  the  course  of  the  day  which  we  spent  at  Marble  Island,  I  rowed 
round  its  western  end  and  thence  eastward  along  its  northern  shore  for  some  miles. 
I  also  explored  the  interior  and  took  some  photographs  between  this  side  of  the  island 
and  the  harbour.  The  whole  of  the  western  part  of  the  island  consists  of  white  and 
light  coloured  quartzite,  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  white  and  veined  marble, 
from  which  circumstance  it  has  no  doubt  received  its  name.  Viewed  from  sea,  the 
shores  have  a  very  white  appearance,  the  rocks  being  free  from  lichens,  &c.,  and  the 
hills  in  the  interior,  which  are  rounded,  are  also  pare  white,  and  contrast  strongly 
with  the  dark  brown  of  the  peaty  flats  and  hollows.  Even  the  boulders  and  coarse 
shingle  forming  the  raised  beaches  remain  quite  white,  and  these  beaches  appear  as 
conspicuous  horizontal  lines  against  the  dark  vegetable  matter.  The  beds  of 
quartzite  are  usually  very  massive.  Their  surfaces  are  often  ripple-marked,  the 
ridges  and  hollows  varying  much  in  size,  being  sometimes  as  fine  and  regular  as  the 
fluting  on  a  washboard,  and  at  others  two  or  three  inches  apart.  On  the  south  side 
of  the  island,  near  the  west  point,  the  quartzite  is  of  a  beautiful  lilac  tint,  some  of 
the  beds  being  more  deeply  coloured  than  others.  The  strike  is  here  N  80°  W. 
(mag.),  the  dip  being  to  the  northward,  at  an  angle  of  80°.  The  surface  of  the  rock 
at  this  place  is  marked  by  large  green  stains  of  carbonate  of  copper,  some  of  them  being 
3  or  4  feet  in  diameter.  They  appear  to  be  due  to  the  decomposition  of  small  quan- 
tities of  copper  pyrites  in  the  quaiizite. 

At  the  north-west  point  of  the  island  the  dip  is  N.  75**  W.  (mag.),  angle  45° 
and  the  striae  here  run  S.  20^  E.  (mag.).  This  is  also  the  prevailing  dip  in  the 
interior  of  this  part  of  the  island.  On  the  north  shore  of  the  island,  oppo&ite 
to  the  harbour  on  the  south  side,  the  dip  is  N.  60°  W.  (mag,),  angle  40°.  Not  only 
does  the  strike  vary  considerably  on  the  large  scale,  but  the  lines  of  stratificatiou  wt-re 
in  places  observed  to  undulate  a  good  deal  on  a  small  scale,  while  the  general  course 
of  the  beds  was  pretty  straight,  the  minor  variations  appearing  as  mere  corrugations 
of  the  darker  lines  of  stratification  on  smooth  sections. 

Although  quartzite  was  the  only  rock  found  in  situ  on  the  main  island,  so  far  as  I 
had  time  to  explore  it,  the  debris  of  the  glossy  mica-schist  with  cubes  of  iron  pyrites, 
was  so  abundant  along  the  north  side  that  I  have  no  doubt  it  exists  "in  place  "  clo-o  by. 
A.  fragment  of  the  peculiar  brown-weathering  dolomite  with  white  quartz  strings 
common  in  the  Huronian  series,  was  also  found  on  this  part  of  the  island. 

We  left  Marble  Island  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  that  we  arrived  there 
(2nd  September),  and  entered  the  harbour  of  Churchill  on  the  6th.  The  geology  of 
this  locality  is  described  in  my  report  for  1879,  pages  19  to  21.  After  leaving 
Churchill  we  paid  a  visit  of  twenty -four  hours  to  York  Factory,  from  which  we 
sailed  for  Digges,  where  we  built  station  No.  5,  as  already  stated,  and  after  visiting 
all  the  other  stations  and  building  the  one  at  Nachvak,  which  has  been  described 
in  a  previous  part  of  this  report,  we  continued  our  homeward  voyage  to  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland,  which  we  reached  on  the  11th  of  October,  and  left  the  same  evening 
for  Halifax,  where  we  arrived  on  the  14th  and  at  Ottawa  on  the  16th  of  the  same 
month. 

GENERAL   REMARKS   ON    GLACIATION. 

It  will  be  seen  by  an  inspection  of  the  chart,  that  Fox's  Channel,  in  respect  to 
width,  general  direction,  &c.,  is  a  continuation  of  Hudson's  Strait,  and  that  the  outlet 
of  Hudson's  Bay  joins  this  great  channel  at  right  angles.  It  is  much  deeper  than 
Hudson's  Bay,  the  comparative  shallowness  and  the  uniformity  of  the  bottom  of 
which  are  remarkable  features.  If  the  sea  in  these  latitudes  were  only  about  100 
fathoms  lower  than  it  is  at  the  present  time,  James'  and  Hudson's  Bays  would  become 
dry  land,  while  the  Strait  would  remain  as  a  long  bay,  but  with  a  slightly  dimin- 
ished breadth.  The  bottom  of  the  Bay  would  have  become  a  plain,  more  level 
in  proportion  to  its  extent  than  any  other  on  the  continent.  The  numerous  rivers 
which  now  flow  into  it  would  traverse  this  plain,  converging  towards  the  north- 
east and  falling  into  the  Strait  near  Cape  Wolstenholme,  after  having,  perhaps,  formed 
one  immense  river,  flowing  northward  down  the  centre  of  the  Bay,  or  probably 
nearer  the  East-main  side. 


40 


During  the  "  great  ice  age  "  the  basin  of  Hudson's  Bay  may  have  lormed  a 
sort  of  glacial  reservoir,  receiving  streams  of  ice  from  the  east,  north  and  north  west 
and  giving  forth  the  accumulated  result  as  broad  glaciers,  mainly  towards  the  south 
ard  south-west.  It  has  been  shown,  in  a  preceeding  part  of  this  i*eport,  that  the  direc- 
tion of  the  glaciation,  on  both  sides  of  Hudson's  Strait,  was  eastward.  That  an 
extensive  glacier  passed  down  the  Strait  may  be  inferred  from  the  smoothed  and 
striated  character  of  the  rocks  of  the  lower  levels,  the  outline  of  the  glaciated  surfaces 
pointing  to  an  eastward  movement,  the  composition  of  the  drift,  and  also  from  the 
fact  that  the  long  depression  of  Fox's  Channel  and  the  Strait  runs  from  the  north- 
westward towards  the  south-east,  and  that  this  great  channel  or  submei'ged  valley 
deepens  as  it  goes,  tei  minating  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Glaciers  are  said  to  exist  on  the 
shores  of  Fox's  Channel  and  they  may  send  down  the  flat-topped  icebergs  which  float 
eastward  through  the  lower  part  of  Hudson's  Strait  into  the  Atlantic.  During  the  drift 
period,  the  glacier  of  the  bed  of  Hudpon's  Strait  was  probably  joined  by  a  conti'ibution 
from  Loe  ice  which  appears  to  have  occupied  the  site  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  by  another 
also  from  the  southward,  coming  down  the  valley  of  the  Koksok  River,  audits 
continuation  in  the  bottom  of  Ungava  Bay.  The  united  glacier  still  moved  eastward 
round  Cape  Chudleigh  into  the  Atlantic. 

Throughout  the  drift  period,  the  top  of  the  coast  range  of  the  Labrador,  stood 
above  the  ice  and  was  not  glaciated,  especially  the  high  northern  part.  Further 
south  on  this  coast,  the  range  is  lower  and  there  may  also  have  been  more  ice  in  this 
direction.  Here  the  valleys  and  the  hills,  up  to  the  height  of  1,000  feet,  at  any  rate, 
have  been  planed  by  glacial  action,  the  course  followed  by  the  ice  on  the  eastern 
slope  having  been  down  the  valleys  and  fjords  directly  into  the  sea.  In  the  southern 
part  of  the  Labrador  peninsula,  the  general  course  of  the  ancient  glaciation  appears 
to  have  been  southward,  varying  to  the  eastward  or  westward  with  the  courses  of 
the  rivers  and  valleys,  and  coming  to  the  north  shoi'e  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrance,  in 
a  general  way,  at  right  angles  to  the  coast  line.  On  the  island  of  Newfoundland,  the 
glaciation  appears  to  have  been  from  the  centre  towards  the  sea  on  all  sides. 

EOBBRT  BELL. 


41 


O 
QQ 


^^ 

2  fee 
o 

P^  00 

QO 

-*-J  — I 

(A 


O    O) 


a 

03 


««1 


•S    QO 


;^ 


•«     CD 


Co 


o3 

^S 

03    P 

£^ 

I    ^ 

xP 


QO 

O 
QO 

a:) 

'TIS 

C3 


^ 


I 


03 


a 

o 

m 

o 


■paiMJO  sann  ! 


woo  Tt<  ip  03  N  00 -^  CO  «S  00  M  in  »o  ■* -<  o  o> 

t— Oi  c^ot-Tl<t-«ococbiha3oooc  i>-^c<it*i 

Cfl  01  00  C<»  —  00  C<>  M  W  fO  lO  t- 5ti  CD  rH  Tj<  o  I— 

?OC«  Ot~00O05— "C^JOOOSr-^CICO  ONOOt- 

oot-  o  00  «o  «o  Tf  CO  lo  w  t- 1- 1- «D  t- o  00 -r 


•AVOUg} 


ajoia  JO  89110157, 
\o  pniji  jo'  SjfB(7 

■*  00 
1— 1 

05-<*"— 'Tj<aof-iiooo50<Mt- 

tO'JtC^O-'l'OlOt- 

•SBJOJny 

■<ll»0000Si-IOf-l00O'<i1-*00 

lOTtt»00»^rH(M-<*< 
CO  C<I  CO                       "H 

•Ajp 


OOO         0©0»0»Oi-llOOOC^CO-<+lO         OOOOrHlOCDOJ 


»o  o 

;j  o 


oooop'-HoeO'^e^iot^o 

0©0050500t-OOOJ050J© 


OOOlOCOCOt-t- 
O000it-t?-<»«0 


puij^  SntiiBAajj 


•Aioag  pOB 
aiBg  JO  'jnnorav 


^©       lO  OO  Tjt  CO --I  «o  ©  ■*  e>»  t- ■*  •-' 
<Jl  !>•         ■*  i-H  n-(  ^- ©  t- pH  O  00  M  Tf  CO 

'.Meo'^-i(<4j(«' 


00Ot"Tt<CiJ«0©00 
t-t-.-(00O-<^T|(N 

.^  '  C4  >b  1^  n 


ooco-<i<»-©©Mt-e«ioaiOo 

■—li— IC^I— <i—(i-He<»r- 1 


00C^>ftt0C0-H©O 
»— I  •— <  i-H  i-H  C^  »— t  •—) 


•sX-BQ  ifpn^io 


CO  05 


COi35t-«OrtT*lOOOMlO>-l-* 
—1         ---^C<).-<i-i,-iC<IC»C« 


— "   Cfl   Cfl    r-c    — . 


•Sifua  JIBJ 


■*  ■*         ■*  05  00  >-H  lO  ^  ©  OO  CO  CO  «0  i-H         ©  <M  •*  O  Tf  >0  CO  00 


•sjCbq  J«310 


COCO         Tjt  ©  CO  CO  >0  >0  CO  t- N  CO  CO  CD         -^  00  00  e<I  CO  -^  CO  ■-( 


dniaj,  'jsaAi.oq 


©'H-«)ICO'HO>01t-©'-H©C5 


©lO.— ico©iOt-eo 


II         (III 


dmajj  isaqSiH. 


»f5  ■* 
CO  c^ 


ia-Hcooot-©ioce©eo--f-( 
f-ir-iTti'^coi.—  oocDce-^cO'-i 


i-ooo<Me'i-<*co© 

■-lC0C»«Ot-t-0000 


•draax  nBapj 


•JBg  jsaiWtoT 


•JBg  |saq3!H 


05  t~ 


lO  Tj(  la  CO  >^  M  i-l  •*  CO  CO  CO  t-    CO  ©  00  ©  o>  ®  Cq  00 


C<>00COCOCOCO©lr---O>Cq00 

I— it-1      >— ieo'V<OTjt-»i<cs'— (I— I 


eit-00OJCOC»-«i<O5 

N  "-I         1— I  CO  Tji  iO  Tj< 


_  CO  ■*  00  ^-  --I 

©c^      r-iAt-^Hi-<©'^co^t-kn»' 

lOCO         t-CSli— lt-00COCO'>*'©iMCOC0 

oot-"      t-ooaoooaoooaoo>d>oi0>o> 


©— it-©©eijC0(M 

■>9<OOOOiO-<l<rHOOCO 

■>*oootpe^<MTi<c^ 

0000010)010^0)01 


_  COCOCO-^Cfl 

r-lOl  CO©OllOC0C0t-(n--l00©CO 

-7^  ©  Tf  <rq  ep  CO  Dj  ©  oi  ©  r^  CO  in  lo 

©©  o  ©  o  ©  ©  ©  <ji  ©  o  o  o  o 

coco  COCOCOCOCOCOIMCOCOCOfOCO 


cocooit-oicoinoo 
osiacDcoe^i— iiM© 
inininipTj<c«»Tjii-H 

©©©©©o©© 
cocococococococo 


•jtjg  oBan  I 


Tjt  1-1  CO  N  ©  t^  C5  00  in  CO  in  00  in  00 

©00  01-— coxoooOl^^©■-l^-l^^TH 

<»cv5  ^Tfcp-'j'inTjiinoocot-t-ci 

OlOl  OIOIOIOIOICICIOIOIOIOIOI 


in©eoeiiT*<cDr-(r-i 
t-cocqt— co©coco 

t-00O)©0OI^00t^ 

oioioi©oioi05ai 
cjcsicococ^iiMMefl 


N   «H  ti  CO     .     - 

00  (u  a>  00  .  p»^ 

'^  a  a  '^  !3  * 

O  0)  S  aj   OS  O<o3   "^ 


a 


K    0)  00    .       ►-: 


3 


CO 

QO 
00 


0) 


O 

>A 
o 


o  .S 
-^   > 


02 
CO 


o 

52; 


03 


OS 


8 

o 

s 


o 

0) 


o 

CD 
ID 

TJl 


8 


c3 

•r-l    00 

K!  00 


3^ 


>-.2 


o 
o 


F3 

c3 

PS 


be 

i-H 

T/1 


fl  00 

C3  rH 

P<  6 

aizi 

'^^^ 

rrt    o3 

^  b 

a!  B 

o 
f-t 

03 

w 


i^i^viii''! 


mm-- 


i^i^^^ 


w 


PLEASE  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
CARDS  OR  SLIPS  FROM  THIS  POCKET 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY 


Canada.      Dept.   of  Marine  and 
Fisheries 


F 

5645 

H8C3