Chapter III: Part 3

August _2d_.—Beating to windward with a strong breeze, in the afternoon we hove-to off _Icy Cove_, about a mile to the westward of two remarkable hills, called the _Virgin’s Paps_, which last lay nine leagues to the westward of _Saddle Back_. On firing a gun and hoisting our colours, we were immediately visited by another party of _Esquimaux_: there was no difference whatever in their appearance from those we had seen before. One of our officers purchased a canoe of a native, for which he paid a kettle, a lance, a saw, and a spoon. Our curiosity was considerably excited, to observe in what manner this man would contrive to reach the shore; and we really entertained serious apprehensions for his safety, when we perceived him stretch himself out upon his belly on another canoe, at the back of the man who used the paddle. He was in this dangerous position conveyed to land, not daring to lift his head, through fear of destroying the equilibrium of the canoe; which did not swim two inches above the surface of the sea.

After night-fall, we were compelled to tack ship about, to avoid a
large patch of floating ice.

August _3d_.—We continued plying to windward all this day; and in the evening we had reached _Upper Savage Island_. It lays about twenty-three leagues to the west of _Saddle Back_, in an opening which has never been explored. Thermometer 32° in the sun.

August _4th_.—Towards the evening of this day we had a fair wind, the ship butting her way through immense quantities of ice. Passed by a bluff cape, called _Point Look-out_. This cape is eight leagues to the west of _Upper Savage Island_. We saw a number of _Esquimaux_ following us among the windings of the loose ice. These poor creatures laboured hard to overtake us, hallooing and shouting “_Chymo!_” but we were now exceedingly anxious to get forward, and therefore could not wait for them; at which their disappointment must have been great.

August _5th_.—This morning forcing our way with difficulty through the ocean of ice that surrounded us; at length, being enveloped in a thick fog, and the wind dying away, we lashed our ship to a large piece of ice; and firing three guns as a signal for our convoy to do the same, we were astonished at the effect produced by the cannon, The explosion issued like thunder over the ice; then appeared to roll rumbling back towards the ship; bellowing forth again in tremendous peals. The echo died away in distant reverberation.

Shortly afterwards, we imagined that we could distinguish the sound of voices through the fog: we immediately beat the drum, to point out our situation; and, in a few minutes, we plainly heard the shouting of the _Esquimaux_: they soon came alongside the ship, with the usual expressions of delight. It is really surprising that this people should venture so far from the land, in such frail barks, through a mass of ice which is enough to daunt an _European_, even in a stout-built ship.

The fog clearing away, we cast the ship loose, and endeavoured to force our way forward among the ice; until, from its increasing consolidation, we were again obliged to lash to a large piece of it. This operation is called _grappling_; and it is performed by running the vessel alongside of the piece of ice to which it is intended to make her fast: two men then leap on the ice: the one runs, with a sort of pickaxe, to dig a hole in it, using the precaution to stand with his back to the ship; and the other man follows the first, with a serpent-like iron on his back, having a strong rope affixed to one end of it: this serpent (or ice-anchor, as it is termed) is hooked into the hole on the ice, and the rope is fastened on board the ship. Other ice-anchors and ropes are then hooked to different parts of the piece of ice; and the number of ropes is varied according to the state of the weather. In a gale of wind, we had generally five anchors a-head; and with a moderate breeze, not more than two. The whole manœuvre of grappling is generally accomplished in five minutes; and although the ship be lashed to windward of a clump of ice, yet the action of the wind on a vessel’s masts, yards, &c. turns the ice round, and she will consequently soon be under the lee of it, with water as smooth as a mill-pond.

We were employed this evening in filling our casks from a pool of snow-water on the ice; and our people were highly diverted with running upon it, leaping, playing at foot-ball, and shooting at seals. At length, four of the seamen were so imprudent as to venture on a sort of peninsula which projected from the main body of the ice; when the isthmus instantly gave way, leaving them adrift on a small piece that was barely sufficient to sustain their weight. It was long after night-fall, and with the utmost exertion and difficulty, that we succeeded in getting them safe on board again, by the help of a boat.

August _6th_.—In the middle of the night, the prospect from the ship was one of the most awful and sublime that I ever remember having witnessed, during a life spent entirely upon the ocean: and I regret that no language of mine can give an adequate idea of the grandeur of the scene. As far as the eye could reach, a vast alabaster pavement overspread the surface of the sea, whose dark blue waters could only be seen at intervals, where parts of the pavement appeared to have been convulsively torn up, and heaped upon each other in ruined fragments. The snow-white surface of this immense plain formed a most striking contrast to the deep black clouds of a stormy night; through which, uninterrupted flashes of forky lightning succeeded each other with great rapidity, as if intending, by their fiery glare, to shew to us the horrors of our situation, and then to magnify them by leaving us in utter darkness. Add to this, the reiterated peals of thunder that burst forth, in a thousand roaring echoes, over the surrounding ice; also the heavy plashing of the rain, which poured down in torrents; the distant growling of affrighted bears, the screams of sea-birds, and the loud whistling of the wind;—the whole forming a midnight prospect which I would have gone any distance to see; but having once beheld, never wish to witness again.

In the morning, we were surprised by the appearance of two _Esquimaux_, who had contrived to reach the ship, although we were at least seven leagues from the land, and the ice closely hemming us round on all sides: the Indians had effected their passage by dragging their canoes over the different fields of ice which obstructed their progress. At 4 A.M. we got under sail; as there appeared a possibility of our pushing through, the ice having loosened a little; however, we looked in vain for an opening. The ship running fast, with a fair breeze, struck violently upon a large field, and the shock fairly lifted up her bows. We continued butting through until 8 A.M. when we grappled to a large field of ice, as an impenetrable mass now presented itself on all sides of us: the wind shifted into the N. W. and blew a heavy gale, accompanied by drifts of snow and sleet. We lay in this position all night, closely hemmed in, with five ice-anchors a-head. An inspection being made by the carpenter, he found that the heavy shocks which the ship had received this day had started the ceiling about her bows, and also twelve or fourteen of the trunnels.

August _7th_.—During the whole of this day, we continued closely wedged in by the ice. It blew a hard gale from the west, attended by a heavy fall of snow and sleet. The loose ice was incessantly varying its position: at one time, we were so closely hemmed in as to be hardly able to discern any water; then, suddenly, the ice would again open to a considerable distance. This is easily accounted for; as the light pieces of ice drift much faster before the wind than the heavier masses, which are deeper in the water: it will naturally occur, therefore, that the three ships would alter their position, according to the size of the clump to which they were fastened. The _Eddystone_ was three miles to the east of us last night; and at sunset this evening, she was as far to the west; yet that ship was still grappled to the same piece of ice as before; and, from the coagulated mass which surrounded us, one would have been led to conclude that the relative distance from each other could not have been so easily altered: but it varies according to the depth and solidity of the ice to which the ships are affixed.

August _8th_.—In the forenoon, the snow ceased to fall, and we had a finer day. Latitude, by an observation at noon, 62°. 54′. N. The ice loosened considerably in the course of the day, but not sufficiently for us to get under sail. At night-fall, we lost sight of the _Eddystone_, to the west.

August _9th_.—The day had just began to dawn, when an animal was observed swimming near the ship: we at first conjectured it to be a seal, and accordingly sent a quarter-master over the ice, to knock it on the head, if it attempted to get upon it; but the man was fain to make a rapid retreat, when he discovered the form of a prodigious bear emerging from the water. This enormous creature came close to the ship’s head; and had I been armed with a pistol only, it would have been easy to have dispatched him; but during the time we were all bustling for a musquet, the bear marched up the field of ice. Mr. _Wells_, a young midshipman, and myself, instantly pursued him, by different routes; but the grey of the twilight was favourable to him; and his hide being but a shade or two deeper than the ice itself, he escaped unseen. We afterwards traced his footsteps to the edge of the ice, opposite the spot where he landed, and he must therefore have replunged into the sea from that place. I mention this circumstance to shew in what manner these animals contrive to procure subsistence: they swim, during the night, in the quiet manner now described; and drawing close to a piece of ice, they immediately smell if there be any seals upon the top of it; in which case they ascend gently on the opposite side, and suddenly springing upon the sleeping seal, they instantly tear it in pieces.—As this proved to be a fine day, we drew our seamen out upon the ice, and exercised them by firing at a target. Towards evening the ice began to loosen considerably.

August _10th_.—A fine day; but the ice still close. Wind remains at N. W. During the last twenty-four hours, the _Eddystone_ again appeared in sight; and towards evening, she again neared us considerably. We believed this to be owing to her having got into a southerly current. Our latitude this day was 62°. 50′. N.; and at night-fall the thermometer stood at 28°.

August _11th_.—At 4 A.M. ungrappled, and got under sail, with a fair wind, running a zig-zag course amongst the ice; the ship, at intervals, striking excessively hard. Towards evening, we again grappled to a piece of ice; and, upon inspection, we found several more trunnels started, and the ship much shaken, by her repeated blows. The Admiralty must certainly have been deceived by the _Hudson’s-Bay_ Company, respecting a Voyage to _Hudson’s Bay_; or they certainly would never have sent a ship of war to perform it, without previously strengthening her for the occasion. It is exceedingly dangerous for any ship to attempt a passage through the sea of ice in _Hudson’s Straits_, unless her bows be doubled with oak-plank and heavy blocks of wood, bolted to each side of her cutwater; as the floating masses of ice may be considered so many _rocks of crystal_.

This day, in a vacancy between the ice, we saw the first regular whale. On his second rising to blow, I discharged a load of small shot into his back; at which, however, he did not even seem to feel the least annoyance, though we saw him no more.

August _12th_.—At day-light, ungrappled, with a light wind at south; but, to our great mortification, we were again obliged to anchor, at noon, to a field of ice about half a mile long; and both the other ships made fast to the same piece, so that we could walk across the ice to visit each other. Our people were immediately set to work; and in three hours’ time, we had filled fifty-six casks with snow-water, from a large pond on the ice. We had _Charles’ Island_ in sight, bearing W. N. W. about nine leagues distant. This small island is on the southern shore of the Straits, in the narrowest part; the channel there not being above twenty miles broad. _Charles’ Island_ lies about twenty-one leagues to the west of _Lady Lake’s Inlet_; and hence the ships leave the northern shore, and steer for the south end of _Salisbury Island_, lying off Cape Diggs, at the western extremity of _Hudson’s Straits_.

The ice continuing very close all around us, we were compelled to remain in this situation, without ungrappling, for five days; in which nothing occurred worthy of notice.

August _17th_.—In the morning, we were opposite a deep inlet, called _Prince of Wales’s Sound_, on the southern shore of the Straits, which has never been explored. All this coast, as well as the northern shore, is fringed with islands; the principal of which are called _King George_, _Prince of Wales_, _Maiden’s Paps_, and _Mannil’s Islands_; and they doubtless afford shelter to many fine harbours.

August _18th_.—We did not grapple during the night, but hove to, for about two hours, whilst it continued dark; and at day-light we again bore up, and continued running through loose ice. Towards noon it fell nearly calm: we observed seven large seals, basking on a piece of ice; but as soon as we approached them in a boat, they rolled into the water, and disappeared. We were visited by two _Esquimaux_ in the afternoon: they had nothing remarkable about them, except that their mustachios were rather more bushy than those we had seen before. In the evening it fell quite calm, and we grappled.

August _19th_.—During the night, the other ships had fallen considerably to the eastward; but the wind coming round to the south-west, we ungrappled, and waited for their coming up. _Queen Anne’s Foreland_, a high cape on the north shore, bore E. N. E. nine leagues; and although at so great distance, we were visited by three canoes of _Esquimaux_, bringing their usual commodities for traffic. Our latitude this day was observed to be 63°. 38′. N.; longitude, 72°. 45′. W. We grappled again in the evening, and lay so until—

August _21st_.—At 2 A.M. was presented one of those awful appearances which are so common in these hyperborean regions. The water, for some distance around the ship, had, for a time, been partially cleared of the ice; when, on a sudden, a noise was heard like very distant thunder, and the crackling of falling beams in some immense conflagration. The loose ice, which had appeared so distant before, now approached on all sides with an unusual rapidity; the pieces driving one over another in their course, and seeming to menace the destruction of our ship. In ten minutes we were completely hemmed in, on all sides; and a person might travel for miles over a space which had just before been an expanse of water. The ice must have been forced together by some extraordinary meeting of the currents, as there was but a slight breeze at the moment.

At noon, the wind became fair: we ungrappled, and steered through loose weighty ice until 8 P.M. when a thick fog came on, and we again grappled for the night. About 10 P.M. the deep darkness of the sky was suddenly changed to a bright twilight; and having continued so for about five minutes, it again relapsed into its former gloom. This singular appearance was occasioned by a streamer of the _aurora borealis_ bursting through the thick fog which surrounded us.—Thermometer 29°.

During our stay in _Hudson’s Bay_, and upon our voyage home from thence, our nights were constantly illuminated by the most vivid and brilliant coruscations of the _aurora borealis_. Its appearance was very different from that which I have seen in more southern latitudes; resembling continual jets of meteoric fire from the northern part of the horizon, which, after darting upwards in long streamers towards the zenith, suddenly collapsed, and receded; falling back, in zig-zag, serpentine lines, with diminished splendour; and ultimately dying away, and vanishing from the sight; being succeeded by other jets, as beautiful as the first. The _Cree Indians_ inhabiting _Hudson’s Bay_, and indeed the _European_ traders there, maintain, that, in the serene stillness of their severe winters, a soft rushing noise constantly accompanies these coruscations, like that which is occasioned by the quick waving of a _fan_, or of a _winnow_. The same remarkable circumstance is mentioned by _Hearne_, who bears positive testimony to the fact. “I can positively affirm,” says he[21], “that in still nights I have frequently heard the _northern lights_ make a rustling and crackling noise, like the waving of a large flag in a fresh gale of wind. This is not peculiar to the place of which I am now writing (_the Athapusco Lake_), as I have heard the same noise very plain at _Churchill River_: and, in all probability, it is only for want of attention that it has not been heard in every part of the northern hemisphere, where these lights have been known to shine with any considerable degree of lustre.”

August _22d_.—Early in the morning we again ungrappled. The reader of this Journal may easily conceive that, by this time, our impatience was at its height, as we had now been nearly a month incessantly occupied in endeavouring to push our ship through the never-ending drifts of ice in _Hudson’s Straits_. I shall not, therefore, attempt to describe the joy of every person on board, when at 8 A.M. we emerged into an open sea, and, the wind blowing tolerably fresh, at ten we passed by _Charles’ Island_. At noon, we had lost sight of both land and ice; and we now sailed forwards at a great rate, with both our ships in company. Towards night-fall, we passed by a low level island, called _Salisbury Island_, which lies at the entrance of _Hudson’s Bay_.

August _23d_.—In the morning, passed to the southward of _Nottingham_, a long rocky island, lying north of _Cape Diggs_. I know not if _Salisbury_ and _Nottingham Islands_ are inhabited by the _Esquimaux_; but it is natural to suppose that this people visit them occasionally, during their periodical voyages. At 8 A.M. we were off _Cape Walsingham_, which is only remarkable for its being the north-west promontory of _Labrador_, and having a string of small islands running from it towards the sea.

In the afternoon, the _Eddystone_ parted company; as that ship was bound for _Moose Factory_, at the southernmost extremity of the bay; whilst we intended to proceed with the _Prince of Wales_ to _York Factory_, on the western side. And now, having brought the ship safely through these formidable Straits, and conducted her into the immense gulf of _Hudson’s Bay_, we will leave her for a while to pursue her voyage, and take an excursion round the _Bay_, in order to give some short description of its factories, inhabitants, &c.

Amongst the many adventurous naval enterprises which reflect such lustre upon the last years of Queen _Elizabeth_, and the beginning of the reign of _James_ the _First_, none, perhaps, can surpass, in intrepidity and perseverance, the voyages of _Henry Hudson_; undertaken for the express purpose of effecting a north-west passage to the _Pacific Ocean_. All that I have been able to collect respecting this brave but unfortunate man is, that he sailed in the year 1610, and discovered the Straits which now bear his name. He boldly pushed his way through them; and finding that, after a length of six hundred miles, he emerged into an open sea, his heart beat high with exultation on having, as he doubtless imagined, succeeded in discovering that famous passage for which so many had sought in vain[22]. Sailing forward, therefore, four hundred miles towards the west, his disappointment was great, at finding himself suddenly stopped, in the midst of his career, by an unknown coast, extending (as has since been ascertained) from 51° to 63° N. latitude. However, the spirit of _Hudson_ was not easily checked; and, astonishing as it may appear, he determined on remaining the whole winter on this dreary coast, so that he might be able to prosecute his voyage early in the ensuing spring. After suffering innumerable hardships, this daring adventurer sailed, early in the next year, towards the north, in search of the much-wished-for outlet to the _Pacific_; but his crew, not feeling the same enthusiasm which animated their leader, and greatly fearing lest his ardent thirst for discovery might expose them to the horrors of another winter, or, what was still worse, to the chance of perishing amidst the terrific mountains of ice with which they saw themselves to be surrounded, they accordingly proceeded from murmurs to open mutiny; and having turned the heroic _Hudson_ adrift in a small boat, together with the few who adhered to his fortune, they basely left their leader to perish, and sailed away for _England_, where they arrived in safety. As for the unhappy Captain, I grieve to add, that he was never afterwards heard of: neither have we the poor consolation of knowing that his murderers met with the punishment due to their inhuman crime. There can be no doubt that _Hudson’s Bay_ would have remained much longer unexplored, had it not so happened that the winter preceding the year in which the discovery was made must have been remarkably mild; consequently, _Hudson_ could not have met with many obstacles in passing through the Straits;—no seaman would have endeavoured to penetrate farther, if he had found them so completely blocked up with ice as to impede a ship’s progress, even with the advantage of a favourable wind attending her;—and that this was the case with us, will appear evident, from a perusal of the preceding part of this Journal.

The _Hudson’s-Bay_ Company’s charter is said to confirm to that body the whole and sole right of trading with the _Indians_, within the limits of _Hudson’s Straits_; and they have no less than six factories established at the mouths of as many different rivers, which empty themselves into the Bay. The northernmost of these factories is called _Churchill_: it stands on the west side of the Bay, in latitude 58°. 50′. N.; longitude, 93°. 4′. W. The port is tolerably good, and ships of any size may anchor in it. At the entrance is a danger, called _Cape Mary’s Rock_; but it is easily to be avoided. On entering _Churchill River_, ships pass between two points of land. One of them forms a sort of peninsula; and it has a large strong fort of stone upon it, the erection of which is said to have cost the _Hudson’s-Bay_ Company 30,000_l._: it was formerly mounted with twenty 32-pound guns. The opposite Cape (_Mary_) has also a small battery, which formerly had six guns on it; yet, with the most culpable pusillanimity, did the traveller _Hearne_ (who acted as chief at that time) yield this strong position to the _French_ Admiral _La Perouse_, without so much as attempting a defence; who, in the year 1782, spiked the cannon, and destroyed the factory. Since that time, the fortifications of _Churchill_ have been suffered to remain in their present dilapidated state; and, as a trifling security against any sudden invasion in future, the new factory was erected at a short distance higher up the river. It is matter of surprise, that the Company do not repair the large stone fort, which is made uncommonly strong, both by nature and by art. As it stands upon the extremity of a peninsula, a body of men passing the isthmus to attack it by land, would be completely exposed to the enfilading fire of the fort. It would be difficult also for an enemy to force the gates, because there is a small half-moon battery built on that side, expressly for their defence. Besides, there are dwelling-houses in the interior of the fort, sufficiently large for the reception of the whole factory.

The shore about _Churchill River_ is high and rocky, producing only a very few insignificant trees and shrubs. Farther north, towards the country of the _Esquimaux_, this small vestige of vegetation dwindles away even to a simple bush or two, and these are only to be found at a considerable distance from each other.

Proceeding southward, towards a more genial country, we arrive at _York Factory_, standing upon low swampy ground, completely covered with wood: its latitude is 57°. 2′. N.; longitude 92°. 40′. W. This place was also visited by the _French_ in 1782, who burnt the factory, and destroyed a small battery at the entrance of _Hayes’ River_. But _Perouse_ was grievously disappointed in the chief object of his voyage: and as it is so intimately connected with the subject on which I am writing, perhaps it will not be thought improper to describe the disappointment which the _French_ suffered in the expedition; particularly as the fitting-out of the squadron must have cost the _French_ nation much money; and their burning a few miserable mart-houses in _Hudson’s Bay_ could only injure individuals, and most probably was not felt at all by the public.

_Perouse_ entered _Hudson’s Bay_ in 1782, having under his command a line-of-battle ship and two large frigates. With this force he of course insured the capture of the annual ships, together with their rich cargo of furs, oil, &c.; and as the escape of the three ships does high honour to the skill and intrepidity of their commanders, it is well worthy of notice. The ship which was bound to _Churchill_, was commanded by Captain _Christopher_; and the _French_ admiral fell in with her at sea, just previous to her arrival at that place. A frigate was immediately dispatched in pursuit; but the night drawing on apace, Captain _Christopher_ resolved on a bold manœuvre, which he accordingly carried into execution with great success. Perceiving that the _Frenchman_ was ignorant of the coast, and, by his following the _English_ ship, that he was determined to govern his own vessel by her motions,—whereby he hoped to avoid all danger, and in the end secure his prize,—Captain _Christopher_ sent his men aloft, and furled his sails, pretending to come to an anchor. The enemy immediately conjectured that it would be dangerous for him to proceed farther; therefore he directly brought his frigate to anchor in reality. Captain _Christopher_ rejoiced that his deception had so far succeeded to his wishes; and he made sail to sea with the greatest dispatch. Night coming on, and the _Frenchman_ being a long time in getting up his anchor, the _Englishman_ was soon out of sight, and escaped in safety to the northward. Fired with this disappointment, _Perouse_ burnt the factory; and proceeded to _York_, to secure the other ship, then lying at that place, under the command of Captain _Fowler_. As there was not depth of water sufficient for his ships to enter _York_, he anchored in _Nelson River_, and made every disposition for an attack upon the ship and factory by the dawn of the next day; but, to his utter mortification, he found in the morning that the bird had taken wing;—for Captain _Fowler_ had perceived three large ships at anchor in _Nelson River_ the evening before, and, wisely conjecturing that they could have no good intentions towards him, put to sea during the night. _Perouse_ dispatched a fast-sailing frigate in search of him, which soon had sight of the runaway; but Captain _Fowler_ finding the _Frenchman_ to have much superiority in point of speed, tacked about, and stood in for the land to the south of _York_, hoping thereby to entice the _Frenchman_ into shallow water: the enemy, however, discovering his design, and fearing lest, in further pursuit, he might incur the risk of shipwreck, put off to sea; and Captain _Fowler_ pursued his voyage to _England_ in safety. The season was too far advanced to attempt any other exploit; and having therefore burnt the factory at _York_, _Perouse_ returned to _Europe_; highly chagrined, no doubt, at being thus foiled by a pair of _English_ sailors, and at having failed of success in the principal aim of his expedition. As there are many shoals and dangerous rocks in _James’ Bay_[23], he did not think fit to send a ship to destroy the southern settlements: and to the credit of this unfortunate navigator, I must state, that he publickly averred, if he had been aware of the factories being the property of individuals, he would assuredly have quitted them without molestation. It is remarkable that the Bay ship (as she is called) got safe to _Moose Factory_, and returned to _England_, without being at all aware how very narrowly she must have escaped falling into the hands of the enemy.

The next factory to the south of _York_ is called _Severn_; but the shore at this place runs off much too shoal to allow a ship to approach the coast; therefore a schooner of about eighty tons is employed to take the furs to _York_, and to bring back the necessary supplies. This is also the case with _Albany_, the next factory towards the south; except that the latter place sends its furs, &c. to _Moose_, instead of _York Factory_.

At the very bottom or southernmost part of _Hudson’s Bay_, which is styled _James’s Bay_, we arrive at _Moose Factory_; standing, like all the rest, on a river, bearing the same name. This place has a good anchorage, and the climate is milder than in any of the other factories. It is annually visited by a ship from _England_; as at _Moose_ the furs are collected together from the lesser mart-houses of _Albany_, _East Main_, and _Richmond_, for the purpose of being shipped off to _Europe_. We must now proceed round the bottom of the Bay;—and the next settlement is at _East Main River_, nearly opposite to the western shore of _Labrador_. The factory was established at this place for the purpose of trading with the natives of that vast peninsula; but their internal mart-houses verge generally towards the south, and the marten skins from this factory are said to be the finest in quality of any which are received from _Hudson’s Bay_. The inhabitants around this settlement are a roving race of people, styled, by the _Europeans_, _Mountain Indians_, to distinguish them from the _Esquimaux_, who inhabit the sea-coast to the northward.

At some distance to the north of _East Main_ is a bight, called _Richmond Bay_: here is a house belonging to the Company, but not a permanent establishment; as the people who arrive from _East-Main Factory_ in the spring, return again to that place in the fall of the year, to remain for the winter. The annual voyages to _Richmond_ are undertaken for the purpose of procuring oil, as there is a good white-whale fishery in this Bay. The white whale[24] is not much larger than a first-rate porpoise; neither does it yield any whalebone fit for use: but the oil is nearly equal in value to that of the seal; and it was sold in _England_, in the year 1813, at fifty-six pounds a ton. The fish itself is perfectly white.

There is also a small whale fishery at _Churchill Factory_, but it is not very productive: perhaps it would be more advantageous for the Company if they were to convert the remains of it into a new fishing establishment in some more efficient situation.

I have now reached that part of my Journal which I before alluded to, as being the most proper place to introduce the account of the disastrous termination of two attempts made by the _Hudson’s-Bay Company_ to settle a permanent white-whale fishery at _Richmond Bay_.

When first the _Europeans_ went to settle at _Richmond_, the _Esquimaux_, who reside about this part, kept them in a continual state of alarm all the winter, by lurking about the woods, in their sledges drawn by dogs. At length an English boy was missing from the settlement; and, after some difficulty, two _Esquimaux_ were seized, and confined in separate apartments. In order to recover the absent youth, the settlers made use of a stratagem. A musket was discharged in a remote apartment; and the settlers entering the room in which one of the _Esquimaux_ was confined, they informed him, by signs, that his comrade had been put to death, for decoying away the boy; and they gave him to understand, at the same time, that he must prepare to undergo the same fate, unless he would faithfully pledge himself to restore the absentee. The _Esquimaux_ naturally promised every thing; and on being set at liberty, he made the best of his way into the woods, and, of course, was never afterwards heard of. They kept the other native for some time a prisoner: at length, he tried to effect his escape, by boldly seizing the sentinel’s firelock at night, but the piece accidentally going off, he was so terrified at the report, that they easily replaced him in confinement: yet either the loss of liberty, a supposition that his countryman had been murdered, or that he was himself reserved for some cruel death, deprived the poor wretch of reason. As he became exceedingly troublesome, the settlers held a conference as to the most eligible mode of getting rid of him; and it being deemed _good policy_ to deter the natives from similar offences, by making an example, they accordingly shot the poor maniac in cold blood, without having given themselves the trouble to ascertain whether he were really guilty or innocent.

Possessing only the plain leading facts of this affair[25], it is not easy to determine how far existing circumstances might have justified such an act of severity towards an ignorant being, who was also, perhaps, totally innocent. The reasons ought certainly to have been weighty which induced them to put the poor man to death; and I hope they will be able hereafter to reconcile the deed to God and to their own consciences.

After this time, _Richmond_ was abandoned as a permanent establishment; and they fell into the present method of visiting this place only during the fishing season, and returning to pass the winter at _East-Main Factory_. Captain _Turner_, however, represented to the _Hudson’s-Bay Company_, that, in his opinion, want of perseverance was alone necessary to render _Richmond_ a safe and permanent settlement; and that, by having people on the spot, ready to begin fishing early in the spring of the year, much greater profit would necessarily accrue to the Company. Accordingly, he received directions to take thither seven people, who were to remain at _Richmond_ during the whole winter. In the spring of the succeeding year, the northern or _Hunting Indians_, who had visited _Richmond_ in pursuit of game, came, as usual, to barter their furs at _East-Main Factory_; at the same time bringing the dreadful intelligence that the seven unfortunate _Europeans_ had been murdered by the _Esquimaux_. The bodies of some of the settlers were afterwards found; although it be by no means certain that they were killed by the _Esquimaux_: such, however, is a fair presumption, as this people had before displayed a hostile disposition in the case of the boy; and the place was rifled of all the metal, of which the _Esquimaux_ are known to be remarkably fond: add to this, that the northern _Indians_ had long been accustomed to trade yearly at _East Main_, and no instance had ever been known of their behaving with treachery towards the _Europeans_.

On the other hand, we must allow, that the _Hunting Indians_ and the _Esquimaux_ live in a state of constant enmity, and, consequently, that their evil reports of each other should be cautiously received. It is also certain, that the northern _Indians_ are as partial to spirituous liquors as the _Esquimaux_ are to metals. Three bloody shirts, belonging to the murdered settlers, were found in the tent of a northern _Indian_, which he alleged to have taken from the bodies of the slain, after the _Esquimaux_ had quitted them. Upon the whole, it remains uncertain whether the settlers at _Richmond_ perished by the hands of the _Esquimaux_, or by those of the northern _Indians_: for my own part, I should be inclined to the former opinion. This catastrophe has effectually put a stop to any further attempts towards establishing a permanent settlement at _Richmond Bay_.

The following anecdote of Mr. _Darby_, the father of the celebrated Mrs. _Mary Robinson_, will shew that the _Esquimaux_ are of a treacherous disposition, and extremely averse from any settlements being made on their coasts.

Mr. _Darby_ had long fostered in his mind a scheme of establishing a whale fishery upon the coast of _Labrador_, and of civilizing the _Esquimaux Indians_, in order to employ them in the extensive undertaking. Hazardous and wild as this plan appeared to his wife and to his friends, Mr. _Darby_ persevered in his resolution to prosecute it; and actually obtained the approbation and encouragement of some of the leading men at that time in power, who promoted his designs. To facilitate the execution of his plan, he deemed it necessary to reside at least two years in _America_. His wife felt an invincible antipathy for the sea, and, of course, heard his determination with horror. The pleadings of affection, of reason, and of prudence, were alike ineffectual, and he sailed for _America_.

The issue of this rash enterprise proved quite as unfortunate as it was predicted. Mr. _Darby_ had embarked in it his whole fortune; and it failed. The noble patrons of his plan deceived him in their assurances of marine protection, and the island of promise became a scene of desolation. “_The Indians rose in a body, burnt his settlement, murdered many of his people, and turned the product of their toil adrift on the merciless ocean._”—This great misfortune was followed by other commercial losses; and the family of this too enterprising man were, in consequence, reduced from a state of affluence and luxury to a very different condition[26].

Having now described the whole of the Factories established upon the sea-coast of _Hudson’s Bay_, it will be necessary to say something of the interior: this is so far from being unknown, that a man may with safety travel from _Hudson’s Bay_ to _Quebec_, in _Canada_, by land. The _Hudson’s-Bay Company_ have many small factories, or rather mart-houses, dispersed in all directions, for upwards of one thousand miles in the interior; to which the _Indians_ bring furs, feathers, quills, &c. in exchange for cloths, blankets, ammunition, fowling-pieces, trinkets, &c. The furs thus collected are sent down the rivers, in large boats, to the factories on the sea-coast, whence they are shipped off for Europe, as before described. There is great jealousy existing between the _Hudson’s-Bay_ traders and the _Canadian Company_, styled the _North-West Adventurers_, respecting the traffic in _peltry_ with the _Indians_. As the mart-houses of the two parties meet inland, each uses all the means in its power to induce the natives to barter furs with themselves, in preference to their opponents: nay, to such a pitch have they carried their mutual animosity, that it is not long since a man in the Company’s employ actually killed a _Canadian_ trader, in a dispute relative to the purchase of some furs from the _Indians_; for which offence the culprit was tried at _Montreal_: and as it appeared that the _Canadian_ had given him sufficient provocation, the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter.

The _Indians_ have not failed to observe this competition, so
impolitic on both parts, and they profit by it accordingly.

Each factory and mart-house has its _Chief_, appointed by the Company; and there is also a northern and southern Superintendant, who is directed to visit all the places of note within his district, at least once in the year. The northern department comprises _Churchill_, _York_, and _Severn_ factories, on the coast; and the southern embraces _Albany_, _Moose_, _East Main_, and _Richmond_. To determine the interior limits of each, an imaginary line of demarcation is drawn east and west from _Hudson’s Bay_ to the _Stony Mountains_.

With respect to the inhabitants of this vast desert I shall say but little, as Sir _Alexander M^cKenzie_ has given a very full description of the various tribes by which it is peopled[27]. The most populous of all, perhaps, are the _Cree Indians_: they appear to me to be the same race described by the before-mentioned author, under the name of _Knisteneaux_. They occupy the country from _Churchill_ nearly as far south as _Moose_, and are found scattered almost as far to the west as the _Stony Mountains_; but their numbers have been much diminished of late, owing to the small-pox. When this dreadful malady first reached this country, as the _Indians_ were not aware of any remedy by which they could counteract its violence, they were accustomed to leave the person afflicted in the midst of a wood, with a sufficient stock of food for two or three days’ subsistence; and when this scanty provision was expended, the unhappy victim must have necessarily perished with hunger. The banks of the rivers, for a time, exhibited a most loathsome spectacle, of bodies which had thus fallen a sacrifice to this disorder.

Besides the _Cree_ or _Knisteneaux Indians_, there are innumerable tribes spread over the interior of this vast country; the principal of which are, the _Copper_, _Dog-ribbed_, and _Hare-foot Indians_, towards the north; the _Swees_, _Bongees_, _Slave_, and _Stone Indians_, towards the west; likewise a variety of tribes inhabiting the southern country around _Moose_, such as the _Mistassins_, and others. The different tribes have frequently wars with each other; and they appear to agree unanimously in one respect only, that is to say, in universal and eternal hatred of the _Esquimaux_. However, it fortunately happens, from the contrariety of their modes of life, that their parties seldom come into contact with each other, and consequently the battles between them are very rare.

It remains now to speak of one of the most enterprising speculations, perhaps, ever undertaken by a single person; namely, the attempt lately made by Lord _Selkirk_ to establish a colony upon the banks of the _Red River_, in a situation nearly equidistant from _York Factory_ and _Lake Superior_, and in the latitude of 50° N.[28]

His Lordship holds this land by a grant of 12,000 square acres from the _Hudson’s-Bay Company_. The first settlers left _Sligo_ in the year 1811; and arriving in _Hudson’s Bay_, they past the winter of that year at _York Factory_. In the spring of 1812, they proceeded to their destination, under the command of a Captain _M^cDonald_, formerly belonging to a veteran corps in _Canada_: but this gentleman seems deficient in the essential art of conciliating those who are placed under his government: however, the situation of the colony is undoubtedly good, and the soil so fertile as to produce every thing almost spontaneously. The winters, indeed, are more severe than in places upon the same parallel of latitude in Europe, but much milder than at _Moose_, or any of the factories in _Hudson’s Bay_; and yet even at _Moose_ they produce barley, if it be a fine year; and _Orkney_ oats every year, by sowing them a short distance from the sea-beach. Still, it is extremely doubtful if ever his Lordship’s descendants will derive much benefit from their father’s mighty speculations; unless, indeed, he could prevail upon his tenants to grant him a sort of tithe from their produce, in lieu of rent. With this corn he could supply the _Hudson’s-Bay_ settlements, which would save the Company a considerable expense, and they might repay his Lordship in the current coin of the realm.

The _Prince of Wales_ took out many women and settlers for the colony, as also a Mr. _White_, to act as surgeon. Lord _Selkirk_ has agreed with this gentleman, to give him a yearly stipend of 100_l._ together with a grant of five hundred acres of land, and a labourer four days in the week for its cultivation.

It is difficult to imagine what were his Lordship’s intentions with respect to the colony at _Red River_. Allowing the luxuriance of the soil to answer his fullest expectations, by what possible means could the produce be conveyed to an adequate market, so as to repay the expenses of its carriage? The communication between the colony and _York Factory_ is kept up by boats, through the great _Lake Winnepeg_; a little to the southward of which runs the _Asnaboyne_ or _Red River_: yet the channels of the different rivers are so full of falls, rapids, portages and carrying-places, that the labour of conveying the boats is immense, and consequently quite unfit for the purposes of commerce, except it be in furs, and in such light merchandize.

It was for some time believed that a large opening to the northward of _Richmond_, and near to _Cape Smith_, was an inlet to some large inland sea; but, in the year 1786, Mr. _Davison_, an officer in one of the Company’s ships, was sent in a schooner to explore the same. The following extract contains the description of his progress, as expressed by himself. “On entering the bight, and perceiving no land a-head, we sat down to a bottle of wine, and drank success to the new discovery: however, we were soon chagrined by the appearance of some low islands stretching across the opening; and shortly afterwards, coming to an anchor under one of them, we climbed to the top of it, and, to our great mortification, we perceived that the supposed sea was nothing more than a deep gulf, terminated at the bottom by thick clusters of islands, among which the sea ran winding in romantic mazes. Here we found the _Esquimaux_, who bartered away their dresses, &c. with great avidity, for any sort of metal.”—Notwithstanding this clear statement, there are experienced men who still suppose that an inland sea does exist; and for these reasons:—1st. There is a continual current setting to the east from _Cape Henrietta Maria_, towards the supposed opening; 2dly, The bay ship, in her voyage to _Moose_, has frequently observed a large glut of loose ice off _Cape Henrietta Maria_, which, before her return, has entirely disappeared; and whither could it have drifted with a strong easterly current, unless some opening had admitted its escape from the bay?—These are the reasons for and against the existence of the supposed sea; but it is to be regretted, that the Company do not make a decisive attempt to ascertain the fact.

It will now be necessary to return to the proceedings of the ship.

August _24th_.—Course run S. W. by W. ¼W. 34 miles. In the morning, past to the northward of _Mansfield_, a very long, low, level island, lying about seventeen leagues to the westward of _Cape Diggs_. Its extent from north to south is said to be full sixty miles. As it abounds with marshes and ponds of fresh water, it may be considered as the grand nursery of those innumerable flocks of wild geese and ducks which afterwards line the shores of _Hudson’s Bay_: however, it is but seldom visited; and the ships generally avoid going too near to it, in consequence of some shoals that lay around the shore. Towards evening, we steered away W. S. W. by compass.

August _25th_.—Course run S. S. W. ¾ W. 101 miles. As there is generally a glut of ice floating about the centre of _Hudson’s Bay_, a ship, on leaving _Mansfield Island_, and having a northerly wind, ought to steer for _Cape Churchill_, until they reach within sixty leagues of the land, when they may alter the course, and steer for _York_ direct. It is necessary to make this angle, to avoid the body of ice in question. Another thing worthy of remark is, that if a ship steer in for _Cape Churchill_ until she have forty fathoms water, she may be certain of being in latitude of the Cape: and when she reaches within five or six leagues of the land, she will have eighteen fathoms water. But a navigator must be cautious to make allowance for the southerly current, which sets continually along the western coast of _Hudson’s Bay_.

August _26th_.—Course run S. W. ¼ S. 56 miles. The wind this day to the S. S. W. Our latitude at noon was 60°. 11′. N. ship still standing to the westward. It has been already noticed, that the officers of the _Hudson’s-Bay_ ships have a motive in concealing from the public the knowledge which they actually possess relative to the navigation of the Northern Seas; and I pledged myself to explain that motive at a proper opportunity. I cannot undertake this unpleasant task at a more apposite time than the present, when it may serve to enliven the dulness of a few nautical remarks, which I think it necessary to insert into this part of my Journal.

In the first place, it is proper to state, that this illiberal concealment has its origin in the Company themselves, who (as I am told by their own officers) have issued the strictest and most peremptory commands to the people in their employment, “that they take especial care to conceal all papers, and every other document, which may tend to throw light upon the Company’s fur-trade.”—It is probable that the Company had no other motive in issuing these directions, than to keep themselves and their gains shrowded in a profound silence; as it appears that, above all other things, they wish their trading concerns not to become a topic of general conversation in the mother-country. Actuated by such principles, the officers of the _Hudson’s-Bay_ ships conceive it to be their duty to conceal likewise all those remarks which their experience has taught them to make upon the navigation of the _Northern Seas_: consequently, nothing can be more incorrect than the Chart supplied by the _Admiralty_ for the guidance of a man-of-war in _Hudson’s Straits_: it absolutely bears no resemblance to the channel of which it is intended to be an exact delineation. During the time we continued in _Hudson’s Straits_, the _Rosamond_ was entirely piloted by a chart belonging to the chief mate of the _Prince of Wales_, and one of his own making; yet he was so jealous of his performance, that he was highly offended at our Master’s having endeavoured to take a copy of it; and from thenceforward kept his charts carefully locked up. When I questioned him, with some freedom, on this mysterious conduct, the selfish motive stood at once confessed: he feared lest, from others attaining the same knowledge as himself, they might be induced to enter into the service of the Company, and thereby possibly supplant him in his situation. And such I found to be the motives which induced the majority of these experienced seamen to keep their truly valuable information concealed within their own bosoms. After the foregoing statement, it will be unnecessary to explain my reasons for inserting the very few nautical observations which I was enabled to collect.

August _27th_.—Course run, W. S. W. ¼ W. 87 miles.

We continued running all this day across the bay, with a fine
leading wind. Our latitude at noon was 59°. 40′. N.

August _28th_.—Course run W. S. W. 74 miles.

At noon this day we sounded, and found that we were in eighty fathoms water. About sun-set we observed a large body of ice to windward; our latitude at this time 58°. 56′. N.; and longitude, by chronometer, 89°. 50′. W. It is about this spot that the _Hudson’s-Bay_ ships generally calculate on seeing ice, allowing they meet with it at all.

August _29th_.—Course run S. by W. ¼ W. 68 miles.

At 1 A.M. we sounded in sixty-seven fathoms water. At four in the morning, the wind suddenly increased to a violent gale, which died away again at sunset. Our latitude at noon was 58°. 6′. N.; longitude, 90° W. Towards night-fall we sounded in forty-two fathoms, with a muddy bottom; and at the same time we caught an owl and a hawk, which we considered as sure signs of the vicinity of land.

August _30th_.—As we were now running in to make the land, I shall insert a Table of the Soundings, taken from the depth of water, which we ascertained last night at sun-set.

Table _of_ Soundings _ascertained on the 30th of_ August, _while
standing in for the Land to the Southward of_ York Factory.