■ ---- .1-- : .-~ • £ ■ ■'■- 9E SC * THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY } 91 7.12 R98h ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY ■'■- .-.■••■ /e^ ,,. 7 iv '■ • '' I.ith . Toronto. 'J^-^e^ t^$7, T HUDSON'S BAY; OR, A MISSIONARY T O U II IN THE TERRITORY OF THE HON. HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY, BY TIIE REV. JOHN" RYERSON, CO-DELEGATE, AND DEPUTATION TO THE WESLEYAN MIS- SIONS in hih-son's bay: WITH BRIEF INTRODUCTORY MISSIONARY MEMORIALS, £JnU EllustuaUous. "THE DESERT SHALL REJOICE AND BLOSSOM. TORONTO: PUBLISHED BY G. R. SWDERSON, CONFERENCE OFFICE, 9. WELLI VH TON BUILDINGS, KINO STREET, FOR THE MISSIONARY •OC1ETT OF THE WESLEYAN METHODIST ( IILRCU. 1855. T. H. BENTLEY, PRINTER. 9/7. I JL Ilu CONTENTS. Introddctouy Missionary Memorials LETTER I. The Rev. John Rycrson leaves Kingston— The Railroad- De- troit— Steamer— Grounded Propeller— Americans— Reachi i Sault deBte Marie— Meets (he Missionary Party— Village— The Sault Canal— Attentions of Mr. Hargrave— The Isabella— Mission*— Shores of Lake Superior — Nanabashoo— Michipicotou— Atten- tions of Mr. Mck'enzie — Religious Services— Marriage Ceremony — Cabin Scene — Mines — Anchors In Thunder Bay. . . . I'age 1 LETTER II. Attentions of Mr. Boucher— Establishment of Fort William— Sabbath Services — Baptism— An Excursion— The River \)u Cur- rer— Its Falls— Roman Catholic Mission— Canoes not arrived — ich kindness- Second Sabbath at the Fort— Desire of the ln- ( lans for Instruction— Arrival of the Canoes— Arrangements of Sir G. Simpson lor the Missionary Tarty 13 LETTER 111. Preparations for the Interior— Exciting embarkation— First Dinner out— Numerous Rapids— The Katninistaquoiali River — Fertile Soil— Trees— The Mountain Fall-Sublime Scenery — Portages— Terrific Stoim— Discomfort-*-strong Rapids— Perilous position— Lac Du Chieu— Old Fortilication— Indian tragedy. t£ LETTER IV. Lac Du Chdn River— Rich Land— Well wooded — Small Lakes —Reaches the Savan Portage— Cold night — Going down stream — Met the Governor Of Hudson's Hay— Welcome intelligence — A jam In the River— Lac Du Mille— Barren country— Mr. Ryerson calls the guide— Canadian Boat Songs — Portages— Bay fruits and flowers— Crooked creeks— Bark cutting— Descending a Rapid — Doings in the rain— Splendid Fall— Crafts in the Rapids, ... 29 LETTER V. Camping on a rock— Meets with friendly Indians— Lac La Pluie— Saw maple growing— Fort Frances— Kind reception — Rev. A. Salt — Council with Indians— The beautiful Lac La Pluie River— Fine land- Journalizing at midnight— Lakeof the Woods — Hundreds of Islands— The canoe seeks shelter— Lake scenery — Salutation of an Indian— Call the men early— Indians at Rat Portage Station— Thundering waters — Passed an Indian encamp- ment— The weary resting 39 LETTER VI. Leaping Rapids before breakfast— Passed the White Dog Epis- copal Misaion— Tedious Journeying— Precipitous Rapid— opening Day— Roar of eaiaracts— Portages — Ant hills— Mr. R)ersou , s load— The Voyageurs — Succession of Lakes and Rapids— Thon- (-• 1 IV CONTENTS. der and lightning— Several camps of Indians— Locality for a Mis- sion—Hard rain— Bread Supper— Made seventeen portages— Ar- rives at Fort Alexander— Finely situated— Luxuriant vegetation— Place for a Mission Village— Glad of the arrival o' the Reverend Messrs. Hurlburt and Brooking--Camps of 1'ngan Indians— A Station of the Church Missionary Society— Kindness of the Rev. Mr. Cowley— Reaches Lower Fort Garry 50 LETTER VII. Red River Settlement— Attentions of Mr. Ballandyne and oth- ers—The Upper and Lower Forts— Men and Officers— Agreeable Introductions— Official Gentlemen— Roman Catiiedral and Mon- astry— Vi>it to Bishop Anderson— 1'rotestant Cathedral— Preaches in the Presbyterian Church— The Rev. Mr. Black— Earl of Selkirk —Population and Occupations— Soil and Agriculture— Religion —Roman Catholics and Protestants— Episcopalians— Presbyte- rians— Education— Common Schools— Government— Courts 61 LETTER VIII. Red River— Lake Winipeg— A thunder-storm— Journalising in Musquitoe company— A tornado— Philosophizing— Meets a fleet of Boats— Beren's Fort— Attentions of Mr. Cummens— Family religious service— Excellent land near— Desire for a Wesleyan Missionary — Visited some Indian families — Tempest— Miserable night— Old Jock— An interrogation— Another terrific storm. 75 LETTER IX. Mr. R-verson's tent in jeopardy— Saw twenty Batteaux going west— Arrives at Norway House— Mr. Barnston's attentions— The Fort — Garden— Rossville Wesleyan Mission — School Exam- ination— Public Services— Baptism— Visits to the Indian dwel- lings— Testimony to the lamented Evans— The Bamston Family Busy preparations — Up before Bruce — Running a Rapid — Night in a willow swamp 84 LETTER X. Watery couch— A half-portage— Haut-de-Terre— Brigade cros- sing a portage— Barrenness of the country— Running a tearful Rapid — Jackson's Bay Wesleyan Mission — Mr Barnston's present of a Boat— Oxford Lake— Reception at Oxford House by Mr. Wilson — A new Chief Cook— Many Rapids run— L'Esperance venturesome — Escape— Picturesque scenery 93 LETTER XI. Long dav's travel— Boats injured— Bank of clay— River Hayes — Boats left to drift— Kindly received at York Depot by Mr. Mc- Tavish— The Establishment— Nelson River— Archdeacon Hunter —Sabbath Services— The Ship in siu'ht— Dr. Rae— Sir John Frank- lin—Unloading and loading— Christian Indians refuse to work on Sunday— Present from Mr. McTavish— The Elk— The Moose— Baptism of Indians— Last Sabbath in the Territory 102 LETTER XII. The Hudson's Bay Company— Its charter— Unites with the North West Company— Territory— Departments— Districts— Forts APPENDIX. Depots — Men — Boats— Government — Officers — Trade — Oourte- sv to Air. Ryeraon— Extract of a Letter n> the Rev. Mr. Brookim: —The Company's support of Christian Mission! 115 LETTER XIII. red by the H - Bay Conupany^-linpoitance of Indian Improvement— Past success— Claims ot American In- dians— Present Protestant Missions— Inviting Missionary fields — The Wesleyan Missionary Society— Day and Sabbath Bch< indispensable— Industrial Institution rccoinmended-7-A Native Agency— Capabilities of the Ato rigines- .Eloquence— Noble Idea — Mr. Ryersoo's long-cherished wish accomplished 1^4 LETTER XIV. Hoes on board the " Prince of Wales"— Passengers to England — The Cargo— Entangled In the ice — Feasn— Digg's Islands— Nar- row Straits— Weather extremely cold — Cane Look Out— Large r ergs— A present— Imminent danger— Tremendous crash — Damage to the ship— Praise for deliverance— Many Icebergs in si^in — i errible gale— Reached the mouth of the Straits— Favour- able winds— Captain Heard— Agreeable passengers— Arrival — Thinks of Canada 130 LETTER XV. General remarks— Leaves England — Boston — Arrives at borne __ \ if Providence— Travelling In the Territory — Snow- sb ■■-- Sledges— Dogs— Hudson's Bay proper — Fertile Soil — Suit* able localities for Wesleyan Missii - Number of Indians— Wil- lingness to be taught— Most numerous Tribes — Bunting — Ta Cullie* — The Cret — Dr. Baa's best men— Cree women— Chris- tian Crccs Musk in the Boul— .Visit to a Christian camp. . . 139 LETTEB XVI. The Pagan Crees— Old habits abolished— Manitow— Success- ful Missions among the Creep — A new evi lence Of Christianity — Reported cannibalism in Rupert's Land — Not from choice — Tragical anecdote— The Territory open to the Wesleyan Mis- sionary Society — Appeal 147 APPENDIX. CHAPTER I. Conversation with a friend— Red River — Its source— Pi ver Assim i its junction with Red Biver— Indian Settlement — Belkirk Colony— French population— .European and Half-Rred poulation— The Farmer-— The Hunters -Produce—Prices— Mills — Climate — Winter — No rain — No thaws — Pcinican — Dried meat 157 CHAPTER IL Letter from the Rev. R. Rrockine— Mr. Ryerson's Visit to Hud- son's Bay Territory— Oxford Lake Mission— Parsonage House — VI APPENDIX . The niiirch— Improvements— Mr. B. works with his own hands — Winter's work — Good land at the Mission— Home of twenty families — Society formed — Congregation of one hundred — Hud- son's Bay Company— Cheapness of goods sold to tlie Indians — No intemperance — Articles needed lor the Mission — The prayers of others desired Hj2 CHAPTER III. Letter from Ma-te-ne-ke-se-kwa-we-he-ke-mow, a Cree Indian — Rapid progress of Christianity at Oxford Wesleyan Mission — Many baptized — Infant baptized John Ryerson — Idolatrous wor- ship given up — No School— Want of books— The writer, his con- version — Gratitude for Missionaries — Children at the Mission — Reading and Singing — Destitution of the children — Clothing needed — Glad to be taught — A lame Indian boy 167 CHAPTER IV. Dr. Rae's Letter to the Admiralty— Probable fate of Sir John Franklin's party— Meets with Esquimaux in I'elly Bay— King William's Land — Indians meet a party of White men in I860 — Great Fish River — Thirty-five dead bodies discovered — Fears en- tertained that they were compelled by hunger to eat human flesh — List of articles purchased from the Esquimaux 173 CHAPTER V. Public Misstatements — No Esquimaux ever resided at Ross- ville — Heard nothing from the Cree who accompanied Dr. Rae of Sir John Franklin being found dead — Dr. Rae says nothing about it in his Letter and Journal — What he does say — Curious state- ments — No God-send — Improbabilities — The Esquimaux never saw Sir John's ships — The Esquimaux not American Indians — Their territory — Habits — Employment — Female degradation. 178 CHAPTER VI. G. E. Johnson, Esq — Names and distances of Portages — Names and lengths of Lakes — Names and lengths of Rivers— Fort Wil- liam to Red River — Length of Lake Winipeg— Distance from Lake Winipeg to York Depot— Number of Portages 187 ILLUSTRATIONS. Pulling a Canoe up the Rapids 27 Portage du Chien 28 Wesley an Mission Premises, Rossville 88 Big Hill Rapids 96 Wesley an Mission Premises, Jackson's Bay. . . 98 York Factory 106 Horns of the Elk 114 Horns of the Moose 114 The Prince of Wales running against an Iceberg 136 Dog Cariole Travelling . . • 140 Indian Snow Shoe 141 INTRODUCTORY MISSIONARY ME M RIALS. We need not go to nature for "great and mar- vellous" phenomena, as if in that direction only they could be found. Modern Christianity has placed before the world objects more marvellous than any which nature presents; not by wealth und a sin- ister agency, nor by political policy, nor by the crosier, the sword, or the papal cross, certainly not by the miracles of imposture, but by a power too ethereal for sense, and too holy to have its source in mans depraved ami sanguinary selfishness. Our prefatory pages are much too limited for amplifica- tion; but we mean by the marvellous, the distin- guished and numerous Christian MISSIONARY ixsTi- which God has created, — phenomena this having a different aspect from nature's, ami a pro- ftrander meaning, — more beauteous than the most finished symmetry of art, more sublime than the lof- tiest achievement of human energy, more important than the secular acts of the studio, the forum, the lvceum, the senate, or the throne : phenomena link- ing itself on the one hand with the will of God and redeeming love, and on the other with the hap: condition, solvation, and eternal desti ny of Adam's race. And not in vain; for these Institutions — British, American, Continental, and Colonial, have made millions believers in Christianity, and millions more are on their way to the Cross. u It was," as iidp Heber observes, "no superfluous revelation to confirm which so many miracles were wrought, Vlll INTRODUCTOKY so many prophecies delivered, so pure and precious blood poured forth on the rocks of Calvary." These monuments have been reared at great cost. What an expenditure, even to millions of pounds, — what thought, consultation, anxiety, — what self-re- proaches for supineness, and purposes for full and uninterrupted consecration, — what assemblies, what advocacy, what appeals, what prayer, — what acts of dedication, what tearing away from kindred and country — embarkations — voyaging — trembling re- ceptions among pagans — fears — labours — sufferings — temptations — perils — afflictions — bereavements ! The price of conquest is life. Henry Martyn dies prematurely at Tocat, in Persia ; John Williams is murdered in Polynesia ; Threlfall by assassination falls in an African desert ; Richard Williams is fam- ished on the beach of Terre-del-Fuego. These Institutions have given existence to a new and precious literature. We concede to no other publications the interest and usefulness which such as are Missionary possess. A Missionary library is one of the golden things which Missionary Associ- ations have provided ; and it is not meagre ; and we are not ashamed of it either on plebian, or philo- sophic, or royal shelves. The author of " Hudson's Bay," to his praise, now contributes a Missionary volume for posterity. These Institutions confer benefits which reach and raise the most dark, and degraded, and despised of the human species of every clime, by Him who is for " salvation unto the end of the earth." It is not ad- mitted that man can receive any good which Chris- tian Missions do not bestow. Let Tonga witness. The benefits are personal, domestic, national ; and to Christians there is brought back a reward and stimulus. The planting of Christian villages in bar- barous regions, while it is an act of daring, con- fronting, as they do. remaining barbarism, is to beau* tify the earth ; for we cannot conceive of an earthly scene more lovely, more needed, than a Missionary establishment in some valley, or on some summit or shore where the " father of lies" has from time im- memorial had dominion. Here is the true picturesque for the man of taste and poetry. These labours of love are augmenting the renown of the Saviour, and giving majesty to the inimitable language of Missionary Associations, and pre-eminence to Pro- testantism. " Blessed be the Lord God !" The basis of these Institutions, — be they Episcopal, Presbyterial, Congregational, Baptist, or Wesleyan, is Revelation, the unspeakable merits of Christ, and the seven-fold energies of the Holy Ghost, — all indis- pensable. Concomitant with these immutable essentials there is needed an agency rich in spiritual attainments, sound sense, various gifts, physical ability, and in- domitable will, — and for some positions, increasing yearly — learning, breeding, erudite application, and most patient research, and faultless judgment, — and in all, self-sacrifice, endurance, heroism, integrity, faith, in conjunction with mental independence, and official submission, — every motive sustained and sanctified by the conviction, that the call to, and the duties of, " this ministry" are imperative. A Native Agency has already settled the question of its utility by its efficiency. Of fidelity, one of the most popular INTRODUCTORY Missionaries of the Church of England exclaimed, — " Earth and hell shall never keep me back' from my work." Female excellence is more and more demanded in the spheres where modern Missionaries move ; and all Churches have their Hannahs and Marys. Names already enshrined in Missionary biography, and others unknown to the public, but not to God, have often exhibited a supernatural intrepidity ; and cheered under sorrows when there was only the wife to soothe. We thank you, Christian heroines of the wilderness! Of Mrs. Judson it is said, she was the first female that ever left America as a Mis- sionary. But the Mothers of Israel are the most munificent benefactors to Missionary Societies, and to mankind ; and there is now hardly a vessel that goes far but takes gifted sons or daughters to the heathen. Of the mother of Svvartz it is recorded — and let the record be imperishable — " When dying, she called her husband and her pastor to her bed- side, and made known to them that she had devoted her son to God, and adjured them to train him up to His service alone." The means employed have been ample and select, but certain: the Scriptures, the pulpit, Christian fel- lowship, prayer ; the press, translations, tracts, and other publications; day and Sabbath-schools, indus- trial schools, and higher institutions. With some tribes there have been long and depressing wateh- ings for results, and years have fled before a Kaiarnac has stepped up to the table at which the Missionary read the story of the Mount of Olives ; but many have at length, like that Greenlander, approached saying in loud and affecting voice, "How was that? MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XI tell me once more, fur I would fain be saved too." With other tribes the first impression has been so unexpectedly sadden and extrusive that the servants of the Lord have been embarrassed by the jubilant shouts of converts. It is delightful that the honours of the immense Missionary work are not exclusively obtained by any one Church. The catalogue of. diverse translations of the Scriptures, printed by the colossal British and Foreign Bible Society, proclaims this grateful fact, that many minds, and many Churches have contri- buted to open the Inspired Volume to all nations. Kingdoms, States, Provinces, Territories, and Is- land^ liave conspired to invest with magnificence the Protestant Missionary undertaking: but none will say are invidious when we distinguish the radiant [loyal I -de across the Atlantic, which James Mont- gomery said was a "little paradise," and "worth the price it cost." " i tove ["bee,— when I heer thy voice Hi 1 a despairing iturid rejoice. An I. loud from shore 10 *hore proclaim, In every tongue, Messiah's name !" However much of joy and profit attends such a survey of the general Missionary work, we must pro- ceed to specify a well-known Institution — the Wes- lkyan Missionary Society of Great Britain, -whose operations are closely connected with the publication of this volume. For the reasons of its success we are not to go to philosophy, to morality, to sentimentalism, but to the bottom of the Wesleyan movement; and one word will supply every reason — Love. Wesley be- lieve 1 and avowed, in the face of the fair but fatal Xll INTRODUCTORY dogmatism of Dr. Taylor, of Norwich, the universality of man's corruption and condemnation, and insisted that Divine Love pitied the whole depraved race, and devised a universal Remedy ; that the same love made justification by faith, and sanctification from all sin here, and now blessings accessible to all. This was his adamantine standing-place, and his doctrine, and its felt power made him emphatic, whether at Oxford, in the "house," or in the amphi- theatre at Gwennap. This has been the standing- place of his successors, and it has been their concern to inherit his faith, his ardour, his emphasis. First, the love of God ; secondly, Christian love inspired by it. Here is the " magic" key to the entire '• mys- tery" of Wesleyan success and enterprise. We submit this as the sole test for critics and cen- sors, though a Sydney Smith, or a Southey be among them. As to its Doctrines, whether alluring or alarming, they would not have been promulgated had they been any other than the pronunciations of Divine Love : and when the "Wesleyan Missionary has gone forth with them, what but love could fol- low the tones of love? As to its Spirit, the love of Christ has first been in the heart, and everything else has followed. This has produced sanctity, — pietism, expansiveness, yearnings, promptings ; this has given clearness to the vision when men far from God had to be sought; swiftness to the feet when they had to be pursued ; tears over their woes when found ; extacy when reclaimed. This has made Wes- leyan Missionaries pioneers to the Churches. As to its means, they are expressly divine, and prudential ; and when we say prudential, we intend to be under- MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. Xlll stood as Baying divine in principle. How simple the item of preaching the Word, of reading it, of prayer to God, of the communion of saints! Where these ere, the (( Bread-fruit-tree" towers in perennial ver- dure and beauty, and satisfies not its dependants, as naturally it does in Southern climes, with only four delicate and wholesome crops a year, but all the year ; and while that national tree is food, clothing, and habitation to the listless people, this still better production of Divine beneficience, which flourishes in the North as in the South, is every thing to man. As to its Discipline, the world knows it is promotive of order, liberty, manliness, piety, safety, happiness, and usefulness. Its jurisprudence is paternal : indeed Wesley made it that providentially ; and the British Conference, i; through honour and dishonour," wise- ly I rom demolition its palladium of Connection- alism, and benignantly maintains its patriarchal character. There are, then, the doctrines of love, the spirit of love, the means of love, the government of love ; and everywhere the dauntless aggressions of love, for the rescue of man, and for the glory of Christ. From the establishment of Wesley an Methodism in England these have been its fundamentals ; and when its Missionary Society had to be organized, others were not required. These essentials were plastic enough for compression within the bounds of Britain ; they were expansive enough for the globe. The pre- siding Spirit was there as at every former advance of the Methodists, and nothing was necessary but to give the vitality of their faith and system a new di- rection. As in the case of language the grammar comes after terms and phrases, so in this case, Method- XIV INTRODUCTORY ism was always Missionary ; sent its first foreign Missionaries out in 1769; but did not form its Mis- sionary Society until 1816 : and before its formation the Wesleyans had more than one hundred Mission- aries in different parts of the world, and many Dis- trict Missionary Societies in England. This is not the order of worldly men. The Methodists did the work largely first, and then God moulded it. Dr. Coke had wept burning tears for India before the Conference, and was about to depart with seven men of his own spirit. The Rev. George Morley had recommended the formation of a Society for Leeds, and the Rev Jabez Bunting had brought his great mind to bear on the novel subject, and in October, 1813, a public meeting was held in Methodist Leeds, though the fearful doubted, and sceptics laughed at this innovation. Thomas Thompson, Esq., won the first honours of chairmanship under such circumstan- ces ; " and the interest created was deep and exten- sive." That celebrated Missionary advocate, Richard Watson, preached one of the sermons from the lofty invocation, "Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live ;" and it was then that he uttered the conviction of the Wes- leyanbody: " The valley is still full of dead. It is only in a few places on its verge that the prophets of the Lord are seen On the rest of the valley the gloom of despair settles, and sin and death hold un- disturbed dominion." This was the commencement of Missionary Meetings among the Methodists ; and they have ministered to the delight of tens of thou- sands — millions since ; have emancipated many minds from their littleness : furnished an amazing impulse MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XV to the Gospel chariot ; and given to the religion, gen- erosity, and efforts of* the Wesleyan community an unprecedented eminence and glory. It has been difficult to say whether the Heathen have been more benefitted by the 'disinterested servi- of British Methodists, than British Methodism has d ennobled by Christianized Heathenism. Happy procity — ample repayment! The re-invigoration of the Body has often been the effect of this reciprocity, and in conjunction with the bed means and usages the graces and gifts of many members have been discovered, and called into requisition for the service of the Church in remote countries. While the Christianity of the We.-leyans is known for its life and activity, it will be so; and the admirable Wesleyan Theological Institution shall continue to send forth to every land Christian and Wesleyan Labourers able to say, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, aud of love, and of a souud mind." We want space to ensure deserved conspicuousness to the names of Missionaries which the Wesleyan Society can claim. "What form of credulity and athe- ism lias abashed them? What iniquity, what scene of blood and of cannibalism deterred them ? What strong hold of pantheism, of polytheism, of polygamy, of incantation, imposture, and devilism have they not ailed? But they have given sanctity to the vile — made attractive the abhorrent — convinced and calm- (1 the ferocious ! We shall not go to Clarendon or Macaulay for the moral sublime while we have Wes- leyan annals. Hamilton, of Leeds, was right when XVI INTRODUCTORY he said, "Here is a form of character, — original, un- paralleled." We must remark briefly, that whether opposition to this Society has been stealthy or open, — whether it has come from a Korah, a Shemai, or a Philistine, it has been repelled. It has lengthened the list of the world's worthies. It has found authorship for many priceless Missionary publications. It has made practicable a Lay Agency, and taught the incredu- lous, that however much the ordained ministry is in the order of God, he calls and owns other faithful coadjutors. Many Churches have been provoked to imitation. This volume is too pleasing an evidence of the diffusiveness of "Wesleyan Missions for us to forget to remark, that this Society is possessed of inherent powers of propogation ; and its recent ecclesiastical proceedings in the Colonies, have reminded us for- cibly of the journeys of the Apostle of the Gentiles. The inspiring watchword is — " To the regions be- yond!" A missionary body is a true propogation society. Wesleyan Methodism in the British Colon- ies of America, Africa, and Asia is a transcript of Home Methodism in doctrines, means, and discipline; but forbearance on this prolific, happy topic is, for want of space, our duty. What transformations take place ! What consummations are the new Colonial Conferences ! The members many of them are far away ; but they are of the legitimate progeny, the same love in their hearts, and the same Scriptures their heritage. Hereditary Wesleyanism! First a sermon from some Missionary, and a few are convert- ed and united in class, and the few are a society, and MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XVH the society becomes a circuit, and the circuit a dis- trict, and the district districts, und the districts a Conference. There is an imperial tree whose rich and beneficent branches stretch, and bend, nnd strike, — and stretching- farther still, bend, and strike again, and in its welcome recesses whole families take shel- ter, and pluck its fruit. What shall we call thee, thou British Parent "Weslcyan Missionary Society? — A sacred Gospel Banyan ! This Society had, in 1854, 3G7 Central Stations in different parts of the world — not cramped positions, but many of them embracing much country, or tens of thousands of human beings, on perhaps, fifteen or twenty islands, with a paid agent on each, superin- tended by European or other Ministers ; 31 1G Chapels. or other places of worship ; 507 Missionaries; 706 other salaried Agents; 8779 gratuitous laborers; 115,000 persons in the Church ; and nearly 90,000 in schools — Sabbath, day, and superior. Its spacious and classic Mission House in London shows what the opulence of a Missionary community can do ; and its Missionary Museum is enriched with objects that en- chant the Missionary heart more than the ancient or modern splendors of the British Museum. Of the ex- ecutive of the Society what can be said when such are the results, but that the General Committee, and Secretaries, and Treasurers have been, and are men of sanctified motive, comprehensive observation, in- flexible fidelity, and commanding abilities? Com- parison is not made for sectarian purposes, but thank- fully, that the care and power of God may be known ; yet here is a Missionary status — geographical, numerical, financial, educational, and spiritual not XV111 INTRODUCTORY reached by any other Society of a voluntary Church. And still keeping the primitive calling of Methodism in view, the " spread of scriptural holiness," there is sung in many tongues with anticipation and confi- dence, as when the joys of its primeval converts re- warded expectation, and the Holy Spirit encouraged the Society's Managers to progress — "Thy people saved below, From every sinful stain, Shall multiply and grow, If thy command ordain ; And one into a thousand rise. And spread thy praise through earth and skies !" Much space would be necessary for the astonishing history of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the United States, originated by the Rev. John Wesley, A. M. With America upon his heart, he apostolically asked at the Conference of 1769, — who will go? and Boardman and Pilmoor rose, and each with Lutheran simplicity replied, u I will go." They came, they la- boured, they conquered ; and since their day, with Asburys, McKendries, and Heddings for Bishops, what pioneering, toils, sacrifices, vigilance, perils, valour, hardihood, revivals, enlargement, victories ! The candour of General Conference documents has ac- knowledged the aid of British Methodism, which had no distant country at first from which to draw talent, members, and tried rule and usage ; but from Britain subsidies like these have year after year with emigra- tion been generously granted by Providence. Despite persecution and obloquy, from the Lakes to the Gulph of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific— and farther still — the Methodism of the States has spread — not devastation, like the prairie gre-^-but the doctrines of "Christ crucified," and MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XIX " the beauties of holiness." The Membership of all its sections there, we believe, is about fifteen hundred thousand: its Hearers rive or six millions; its Minis- ters eight thousand : its Schools, Academics, Colleges, and Universities numerous ; its Book establishments massive and very popular ; its Churches and other properties more accumulated than those of any other Church : and its vast Missionary field is glorious for benevolence and triumph. Here is displayed by the faithfulness of the Omnipotent, and in brilliant cir- cumstances, a sublime answer to Deborah's sublime prayer : " Let them that love Him be as the sun, when he goeth forth in his might." Thirty years ago the Missionary Society of the Mkthodist Ciniu-ii in Canada was founded. In the memorable year of 1791 the New York Conference of the Methodist Church sent the first Methodist Mission- ary to Upper Canada, and very soon other ministers, — ami these, with able ministers from the British Con- ference, laboured and fainted not, though ruggedness, hardships, dangers, sufferings met them in their pro- gress, and ecclesiastical dislike misrepresented, and political zealots calumniated them. The Canada Conference has now within its jurisdiction more than 200 Circuits and Missions; more than 270 Evangelists; about 30,000 members; its funds liberally supported; its College, Industrial Institutions, and Schools very successful ; its Book Room, and periodicals widely patronised ; and its noble Missionary Society had, with an increase of £1800, an income last year of 67,500. The Wesleyans of Canada have always felt that their resolution to supply the new settlers with tho XX INTRODUCTORY Gospel, involved duty, piety, patriotism, and loyalty; the civil, educational, and commercial progress, and religious happiness, and greatness of Canada; and they are fully aware of the indissoluble connexion there is between their prolonged services, and the past and present marked prosperity of the country, — a prosperity resulting as well, in various degrees, from the services of other Protestant Churches. No work done by the Wesleyans has been more joyous, and sooner rewarded effort, than that among the Aborigines of the wilds. Providence has made it apparent that to the Wesleyans, chiefly, has been committed Indian elevation. As the early, judicious, and unwearied friend of the Red Tribes, we rejoice to mention with gratefulness the venerable Win. Case, yet living to publish the Lamb of God ; and we an- ticipate that, when dying, the words of the departing Missionary, Elliot, at the age of ninety, will be his : £i Let no dark cloud rest on the work of the Indians : let it live when I am dead." At a time when the Wesleyans of Canada were steadily discharging their prescribed duties as wit- nesses for their Lord, and rejoicing in their success- fulness, and in their connexional harmony, and in- creasing facilities, and were resolved on greater things, and a wider outlet for their benevolent feel- ings was a desideratum, the Parent Missionary Society of England, in the most honorable manner, gener- ously arranged that its Missions in Eastern Canada, and in Hudson's Bay Territory, should be incorpora- ted with the Wesleyan Methodism of Western Ca- nada ; and the English Conference of 1854 consum- mated the union of the West, the East, and the North MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XXI with paternal cordiality. That both Conferences readily and affectionately agreed on the preliminaries; that the respected ministerial and lay brethren in the Bast acted with unanimity : that the Eastern department is very valuable; that Hudson's Bay is a very important acquisition, is very gratifying to us to acknowledge ; but judging from the last Address of the Canadian to the English Conference, and the facts of the case, it is evident, as the Address states, that ,: the happy and important consummation in which we exult is mainly to be attributed" to the Rev. Enoch Wood, now for eight vears the valued President of the Canada Conference, and for four jean the General Superintendent of Wesleyan Mis- sions in Canada and Hudson's Bay. About the period when the negociations were began, there was a conviction on the mind of the Rev. John Ryerson, the Wesleyan Co-Delegate, that he had a duty to perform for the Wesleyan Missions and pa- gan tribes of the Hudson's Bay Territory, and such was its vivid and abiding character, that he willingly, and in the fear of God, offered himself for a tour of Missionary exploration, regardless of the obstacles and dangers which presented themselves. We thought then, as we do now, that the hand was held out which guided Wesley in his wondrous way. The Missionary Board of Management selected him as its Deputation to the Wesleyan Missions in that Terri- tory, and the Conference approved of the selection, reluctantly consenting to be deprived of his counsels for .1 protracted period. Last June, after a deeply interesting valedictory service had been held, he commenced his journey, accompanied by devoted brethren, the Rev. Messrs Thomas Hurlburt, Robert Brooking, and Allen Salt, an ordained Native Mis- sionary, and their families. As they left Canada with many prayers and warm regards, — so they were cheered on their tedious way with marks of respect, and received at their appointed posts of labour with much courtesy and hospitality by the official gentle- men at the forts of 'the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company. The Deputation relates in his letters, now published, his progress through the Territory, and its interesting condition, making it supererogatory for us to do it. He returned after an almost fatal voyage by way of England, where he was greeted by the Parent Mis- sionary Committee as a brother beloved, and a faithful messenger of the Wesleyan Church in Canada. Not until winter had commenced did he reach home, and in excellent health and spirits ; and there he had the inexpressible joy of making this record at the beginning of his fifteenth Letter: "I had travelled nearly ten thousand miles ; was exposed to all kinds of weather ; endured all kinds of fatigue ; was ex- posed to all kinds of danger, yet without receiving any personal injury, or being one day detained during the whole tour by sickness." At the first meeting of Missionary Board, held at the Conference Office in Toronto, after his return, while the preserving care of Almighty God was devoutly acknowledged, the meeting with a sincere welcome, unanimously pre- sented to the esteemed Deputation " its very cordial thanks for his able and successful management of the important Mission which, in the spirit of self-denial, he so cheerfully undertook." MISSIONARY MEMORIALS. XXI 11 This elegant and useful Volume is among the first- fruits of his important Mission, and is published very opportunely. It is written with perspicuity, ability, mid force ; the topics are very numerous, well select- ed, and the statements original and authentic ; its descriptions of novel scenery natural and correct ; the subjects of soil, productions, agriculture, extent of country, and of the establishments, travel, trade, government of the Hudson's Bay Company, well and instructively brought out. The arrangements of Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Territory, conduced much to Mr. Ryerson's comfort, and facilities for observation. There is much for the tourist, the mer- chant, and the christian. The chief value of the author's work is derived from the intelligence it com- municates of the number, habits, and wants of the population of the distant and unique region ; the state of mind, body, morals, and religion there it presents ; the readiness of the people to receive religious and secular instruction; the immensity of the mental and moral field for cultivation ; the condition of the Wes- leyan and other Missions ; and the numerous, invit- ing openings for the Gospel. For these reasons and for reasons of economy, this reliable volume will be a valuable directory for the Managers of the Weslcyan Missionary Society and others for many years. As the first volume published at the Book Room by the Wesleyan Missionary Society of Canada; and so beautiful in its typography and illustrations, it must gratify the Managers, — and further, that the author is an influential official member of the Canada Con- ference. Still more, this volume exceedingly gratifies XXIV INTRODUCTORY, ETC. us as it is a production of Wesleyan unity in Canada and Hudson's Bay ; and as such it is commended to the Ministry and Laity of the Wesleyan family in Canada, and to the patrons of Christian Missions in British North America, the United States, and Great Britain. Co-operation for Christ is the duty of all who glorify Christ. The Wesleyan Missionary Society is one in object, spirit, purpose with the illustrious Pro- testant Missionary Societies of the age ; and with that prince of writers, Dr. Harris, we say, "Nothing shall be too great for them to attempt ; and every conflict shall be a victory." The present demand of the waking world is for sanctified men, talent, aggressiveness, heroic zeal, faith, intercession, and systematic benevolence. What shall the result of Christian Missions be a century hence ? What when millennium wonders and delights come ? What when the many souls saved shall have been gathered from the east and west, and sat down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven? There is effort needed : there is a day of remunera- tion promised. " They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." J. Scott. C. W., May 1st, 1855. Letter I. Fort William. Rev. and Dear Sir, — Owing to the detention, by fog, of the river mail boat, we did not leave Kingston until eight o'clock on Friday evening, June 9th, and consequently did not reach Hamilton before a quarter to three the next day — Saturday. This was thirty-five minutes before the time for the cars leaving ; plenty of time to have "got our baggage on board, and to have gone with that train. But for the want of know- ing which way to proceed, and the total neglect of the managers of the railroad, to send any one to their own wharf (to which the steamer went in order that the passengers might reach the cars in time,) to direct the passengers, we failed in getting our trunks in the baggage-car before the train was off. I have travelled a good deal, but so ill and shamefully- managed an affair, I never before witnessed. The cars kept running backwards and forwards, not stopping three minutes in any one place, the porters and carters running and driving first one way then another, hallooing, one one thing, and another, another thing, until the independent gentlemen, as it would seem, having sufficiently sported themselves with our confusion and perplexity, started off. Mrs. Ryerson had got into the car, and was taken A REV. J. RYERSON's VISIT TO on, while I and the luggage were left behind. This caused me a detention of nine hours at Hamilton, and the night train meeting no train from Brantford at Paris, I was there detained five hours more, so that I did not reach Brantford until Sabbath morning at 9 o'clock. All this detention, causing, as it did, an additional expense of between four and five dollars, was anything but pleasant. I have heard a good deal about the completeness of the "Great Western Railroad," and the punctual regularity and correct- ness with which its matters were managed ; but everything I saw in going from Hamilton to Wind- sor made a very different impression on my mind. I saw baggage most shamefully handled. At the Paris station trunks were thrown out of the bag- gage-car on the platform, a distance of several feet, with such violence as to endanger the trunks beiDg crushed to pieces ; in one of my trunks articles of considerable value were destroyed. The man, while dashing the baggage out of the car in this manner, was at the same time swearing most profanely because some one did not come to help him ; but whether it was to help him to swear, or destroy the luggage, I did not ascertain. The night cars arrived at Hamilton an hour behind their time, and the Monday express train was equally late ; and being behind our time the train had to wait at Chatham some fifty minutes for the Western train ; so that we did not arrive at Windsor until nine o'clock, instead of fifteen minutes of seven. In Hudson's hay territory. Detroit I Stopped at the " National Hotel," a largo and well-kept house. At ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, on board the American Steamer , I started for Sault Ste. Marie. This was one of the most splendid vessels J oversaw, and the tables, attendance, &C. were in complete agreement with the beauty and elegance of the ship. There were between two and three hundred cabin passengers on board. In the middle of Lake St. Clair, where the channel for large vessels is not more than four or five rods wide, there had grounded a large propeller, which totally choked up the channel ; not being able to proceed, we came to anchor : there were collected a 1 -nut this unfortunate propeller ten or twelve steamers and sailing-vessels. Some of these vessels were assisting in towing the propeller ofT; others, like ourselves, were detained, not being able to pass, all the navigable waters in this part of the lake, for large vessels, being ynonopolizcd by this monster water-craft However, after a detention of five hours, the propeller was got off, and we were enabled to proceed on our voyage, which we did with great speed, as the weather was remarkably fine, and our ship was a very fast sailer. In the middle of Lake Huron, we came up with an old steamboat, without an engine, from Cleveland, loaded with coal ; this huge concern we took in tow, and had the honour of leading her all the way to the Sault ; but the pleasure that such a leading position might have caused, was very much lessened by this REV. J. RYERSOn's VISIT TO piece of gallantry, very much retarding our progress. These Americans know well how to kill " two birds with one stone ;" for while towing the coal ship along, the men were employed in supplying the steamer with coal for the voyage to the Sault and back again to Detroit. I never saw a finer article of the kind than this Ohio coal ; it is singular to me that more of it is not used in Canada. We ar- rived at the Sault on Wednesday the 15th, at 7 a. if. Shortly after, Mr. Brooking came over from the Canada side, and conducted me across the river to a very comfortable Hotel, kept by a Mr. Pien, where I met the whole party in good health and spirits, and ready to embark in the Company's schooner, lying at the upper end of the rapids. The village on the American side of the river is pleasantly situated ; and is a beautiful little town. It is a military port and naval depot, and has a strong post, in which there are stationed fifty or sixty soldiers. The Sault Canal, which is intended to connect the waters of the Lake Superior, and its tributary rivers, with the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean, is now being made. When finished, it will be a work of great magnificence and incon- ceivable utility, connecting, as it will, these immense Western waters, and opening the trade of these vast regions with the Atlantic, and the cities of the old world The canal is intended to be sufficiently large for vessels of the largest size to pass through ; it will be a mile and three hundred feet long, 120 feet wide on the top, and of a depth to allow of vessels draw- HUDSON S BAY TERRITORY. ing twelve feet of water to pass through. The lockage is only about twenty-two feet ; the fall of the river being only a few inches over twenty feet. The Company engaged with the American Govern- ment to build the canal for six hundred thousand acres of land, and it is said that by the transac- tion thy will make immense riches. John Har- grave, Esquire, is the gentleman in charge of the Hudson's Bay stores and affairs at the Sault. — From this gentleman we received very kind at- tention. Mr. H. did everything he could to pro- vide our company with necessaries, and conveniences to make our voyage and journey comfortable and pleasant. I shall always entertain a pleasurable and grateful recollection of the noble hospitality of Mr. H. and his excellent lady, with whom our party had the pleasure of taking dinner before embark- ing on board of the schooner. We went on board at four p. m., but did not sail until next morning at day-break. The "Isabella" is a fine vessel of eighty- six tons burthen. She is exceedingly strong and well made, built after the old English style of ships. The Captain, a plain, sensible man, well acquainted with his business — treated us with great kindness and respect, and did everything he could to promote the comfort of our company. ' Fourteen miles from Sault Ste. Marie, just before we enter Lake Superior, we pass an Indian Mission, belonging to the Mission- ary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. This Mission was commenced between two and three years ago, a number of REV. J. RYERSOx's VISIT TO Indians Lave been converted, and joined to the Church, a school has been established, and the Mission at the present is in a very prosperous state. There is a Church, parsonage, and a number of Indian houses in the village. The Missionary So- ciety has built a substantial wharf for the accommo- dation of vessels sailing on the lake, and the Lake Superior steamers stop here and take in wood, which is supplied by the Indians, and proves to them quite a source of revenue. Our captain told me that quite a number of* Indians from Moose Factory, at the South end of Hudson's Bay, had left their old residence and were settling in the neighbourhood of this mission, that they might enjoy, as in time past, the instruction of Methodist Missionaries, and receive the ordinances as administered by Wesleyan Clergymen. Fifteen miles north-west of the Methodist Mission Station, is a Baptist Mission among the Indians. The Missionary is a Mr. Campbell, who was educated for, and ordained a Minister in the Episcopal Church in Canada. Mr. C. was appointed by the Bishop of Toronto to be Missionary to the Indians and half-breeds on the Canada side of the Sault, the Protestant part of which consists of about 150 souls. But Mr. C. became acquainted with the Baptist Minister residing on the American side of the river, and by this Baptist man, was converted to the doctrine of Anti-pedobaptism, and joined the Baptist Church. Mr. C. is now a zealous Missionary HUDSON S BAT TERRITORY. under the direction of the Baptist Missionary Soci- ety in the United States. All day on Thursday we were sailing before a pleasant breeze at the rate of five or six knots an hour, but about eight in the evening the wind died away ; so that we made very little progress duriug the night. Friday morning it was almost a perfect calm ; not a breath of air to be felt, although there was so much of a swell as to produce a little rolling of the vessel — sufficient to cause illness with some of our party, especially Mrs. Salt, who was something more than comfortably sea-sick. This morning we caught a very fine salmontrout : it weighed twelve or fourteen pounds, and upon which we made an excellent breakfast ; made the more pleasant because of the novelty of taking it on the deck of our petit vaisseau. We are now quite near the shore of this iron-bound lake, as it is usually designated, and certainly it is very properly named. A more sterile, dreary-looking region I never saw ; one barren waste of rocks, rising one above the other, some of the peaks to very great height, and covered with very little vegetation. All along the shore of the lake there are bold prominences and high cliffs, for each of which our captain had a name. On one of these mountain-heights, the Indian tradition says, that Nanabashoo had his residence, whose wonder- ul doings in days of yore, we have frequently heard, Peter Jones and others relate. At half past one o'clock, p. m., we arrived at Michipicoton, one of the North-west Company's stations, situated at the mouth of the river of the same name, and distant from Sault Ste. Marie 120 miles. A large cove at the mouth of this river makes an excellent harbour ; the water in the cove is from two to six fathoms deep, and of a surface sufficiently large to give commodious anchorage to two hundred vessels of every size. The entrance to the harbour is very easy, and the anchorage ground of the best quality. On one side of the cove there is a kind of indenture of flat and arable land of several acres ; and it is said that the Roman Catholics intend building a village here, and establishing an Indian Mission. Our vessel being deeply laden, could not go up to the Station establishment, which lies some distance up the river ; we therefore came to an anchor in the lower part of the harbour, some three miles distant from the Station. At four o'clock, two boats came to take our com- pany and some portion of the cargo to the Depot on shore, where we arrived safely about six o'clock, and were very kindly received by Mr. McKenzie, the gentleman in charge of the Station. By this gentle- man we were treated with much attention and kind- ness during our stay at Michipicoton. At eleven o'clock on Sabbath, I preached to a small company, consisting of our party, the officers in charge of the station, the captain of our schooner, his wife, and several other persons belonging to the establishment. In the afternoon Mr. Salt preached to the Indians, HUDSON S BAY TEKRITORY. the congregation numbering about twenty. These simple children of the forest listened with great attention to the word, and seemed to be affected by it. In the evening, I married a Frenchman to an Indian woman, both of whom conducted themselves with serious propriety ; much more so than many persons whom I have married elsewhere. Monday, at nine o'clock, we left the Michipicoton Station, and returned to our vessel, but were not able to set sail and resume our voyage until near twelve o'clock. Our schooner got out of the cove without difficulty ; but there being scarcely any wind, we made but slow progress during most of the day. We sailed along near the shore, on the land or rocks adjacent to which hardly a green thing is to be seen. I was told that a few years ago most of every living thing of a vegetable kind, all over the country was destroyed by fire, since which it has presented little to the view except one interminable waste of sterile and barren rocks. "We had on board four men, miners from Corn- wall, England, on their way to Michipicoton Island, to be employed as laborers in a copper mine belong- ing to a company in Montreal. This Island lies north-we^t from Michipicoton Station about thirty miles. In order to land these men, we "hove-to," and not being able to discover the landing-place because of the thick fog, we were compelled to stay there until morning. During the time the wind died 10 REV. .T. RYV/RSOn'i REV. J. RYERSON S VISIT TO away, and by the force of the current, we came nigh being drifted on shore : but fortunately when near the shore, we found soundings ; and so we then "cast forth the anchor, and wished lor the day." But when the day came, no wind came ; however after waiting with some anxiety for several hours, a light breeze sprung up, which enabled our skilful captain to extricate us from our rather uncomfortable situation. On this island there are two mines, one of silver and one of copper ; I did not learn whether or not they both belonged to the same Company. Both of these mines are now being successfully worked. One of the miners informed me that the silver mine pro- duced last year seven or eight barrels of very rich ore, which was sent to England to be smelted. About eleven o'clock in the day the wind began to rise, and continued to rise until it blew nearly a gale, accompanied with rain, which made it much more disagreeable, as it drove all our company, and the captain's wife, who was on board, into the cabin — a room not more than twelve feet square. Tou may judge what kind of grotesque appearance we made ; sixteen of us, with some dozen trunks and carpet-bags, the women and children sick, Mr. H. lying on his back groaning, and with others, looking terrible things, and all in the space too small for a petite chambre. I enquired next morning of Mr. Salt, how he had got on the night before. lie said he was not sick, but he saw some things that liked to have made him sick. I told him I heard things I thought equally calculated to produce maladie. Fortunately for myself I was not sick, although a poor sailor, and much subject to sea-sickness. Brother Brooking was also quite well, but Mrs. B. and the little girl suffered greatly. Tuesday the 20th, the wind was very light all day, and part of the time what little wind there was, was against us, so we made very little progress during the day. In the course of the day we passed the head of "Isle Royal" a long island belonging to the United States. This Island is sixty miles long, and averages from six to eight miles in breadth. There are a num- ber of rich copper mines on it that are now being worked by American Companies. Indeed this whole country seems to be rich in minerals, and abounds with rich ores of silver, copper, and very likely gold also. At Sault Ste. Marie, I saw a piece of pure virgin copper, weighing 3,200 pounds, taken out of the Copper Harbour Mine — a mine belonging to an American Company, and situated three hundred miles north west of the Sault, on the South side of the Lake. There are two hundred miners constantly employed at this mine. The "Eagle Mines** are ten miles distant from the Copper, and are as extensive as the Copper, and there are also employed working them 200 men. At both of these mines immense quantities of copper are pro- cured in its pure state without the least admixture of alloy ; and I was told by persons well qualified to judi,e, that minerals and metals would be found as 12 rev. j. ryerson's tisit to rich and in as great abundance on the British as on the American side of these immense waters, if sought for, and worked with equal skill and diligence. Thursday evening at half-past eight o'clock we came to anchor in "Thunder Bay," three miles distant from Fort William ; but it being too late to land, we remained on board until next morning. Friday morning a boat was sent to take us and our luggage on shore, where we arrived about half- past seven o'clock, and were very respectfully received by Mr. Boucher, the gentleman in charge of the Station. The canoes which are to take us to Norway House have not yet arrived, and are not expected before the 30th inst, or the 1st of J uly, so that it is probable we shall be detained here a week or ten days. The " Isabella" returns to Sault Ste. Marie imme- diately, so I have not time to write any more, or correct, much less to re-write what I put down on paper during my six days' voyage on board of our little ship " Isabella." We were just a week from Sault Ste. Marie to Fort William. By Sir George Simpson, whom I expect to meet between this and the Winnepeg Lake, I will send you some additiona notices. I am, as ever, Eev. and Dear Sir, Yours most respectfully, J. Syerson. The Eev. Enoch Wood, President of the Conf., &c. &c. &c. Hudson's bay territory. 13 Letter II. Fort William, July 3rd, 1854 Key. and Dear Sir, — I closed my last letter by mentioning that we bad just arrived at this place, and were kindly received by Mr. Boucher, the Superintendent of the Station. Fort William is an old business depot, established, in the first place, and occupied many years by the "North West Company ;" but when that Company was merged in the Hudson's Bay Company, this station with all the other stations and property belonging to the former, were transferred to the lat- ter corporation. There was formerly a fort here, as its name signifies. The enclosure was four square, and made of high strong pickets. At each corner of the enclosure there was some sort of a tower. All that now remains of these fortifications and buildings, is an almost dilapidated block-house, and a large fire-proof store-house, built of stone, with a tin roof and iron window shutters. The walls of this singu- lar looking and most substantial building, are three and a half feet thick ; iudeed such is the massive- ness of the walls and compactness of the entire struc- ture, that it is said nothing ever freezes in it during the coldest winters, notwithstanding the intensity of the frosts in this northern latitude. The scenery around Fort William is rather pretty. 14 eev. j. eyerson's visit to In the immediate vicinity, the land consisting of an alluvial soil, is entirely flat,' covered with small hem- lock trees and willow bushes ; but in the distance rise stupendous and rugged mountains, and in the opposite direction, or to the left as you face the river, the noble expanse of the Lake Superior, with hundreds of rocky and mineral islands on its mighty bosom, and thousands of abrupt and towering hills on its shores, stretch out to the horizon. The Station, which is situated at the mouth of the Hamenistaquoia River, has a large farm connected with it, on which they raise barley, peas, potatoes, and garden vegetables of every kind. They also keep horses, horned cattle, sheep, and hogs. They usually have from fifteen to twenty-five cows. In their dairy, they make not only what cheese and butter the Fort William Station requires, but, more or less supply other stations with these articles. There is also an observatory here, — or as the Captain of the Isabella called it, "a look-out place,'* — from which you have an extensive view of the surround ing scenery and Lake Superior. There are a large number of canotes de maitre, or very large canoes, always kept at this Station ; indeed they are made here for the use of the Company's agents and other travellers. The canoes are kept in a large house built for this purpose. It requires four men to carry one of these large canoes, whereas two men are sufficient to carry the lighter canoes of the north. Hudson's bay territory. 15 They are paddled or rowed by ten, twelve or six- teen men. There are now building two very fine canoes of this large class, for the purpose of convey- ing Sir George Simpson and his party to the Sault Ste. Marie, on their return from Norway House and the Red River. Sabbath, the 25th, we had divine service in the dining-room, which was attended by Mr. Boucher and a number of the persons belonging to the estab- lishment. In the afternoon, Mr. Salt went over the river and held a meeting with a number of pagan Indians. There were encamped on that side of the river eight or ten families to whom Mr. S. gave a word of exhortation, and sung and prayed with them. Mr. S. says they seemed desirous to receive instruction, and listened with attention to his address. Mr. S. agreed to visit them again next Sabbath, should we remain so long in the place, and the Indians expres- sed a strong desire that he should do so, and pro- mised to let others know, and get together of their people as many as they could at the time. I baptized the infant daughter of Mr. McKenzie, the " chief trader" of Michipicoton station, his lady and children not having yet gone down, he having been but lately removed to that place. Mrs. McKen- zie requested me to re-baptize another of her child- ren, who had been baptised by a Roman Catholic priest — no other minister being accessible. But this I was compelled to decline doing, not believing 16 rev. J. rterson's visit to re-baptism lawful, although the baptism had been performed by a person not duly authorized, or even by a false teacher of religion. Monday morning, the 25th, in company with Messrs. Brooking and Salt, in a bark canoe, I went on a hunting and fishing excursion to the mouth of the 'Kiver DuCurrer'a place seven miles distant from Fort William. In the morning when we started, the wind was favourable, but we had hardly got out of the river on the lake, when the wind shifted round and came strongly against us, so that although we used our paddles and oars with all the skill and applica- tion we were capable of, yet we did not reach the place of our destination until after one o'clock which was two hours and a-half from the time we started. This was my first experiment in the business of hunting and fishing ; and but for my fish-line breaking, and my gun missing fire, when the one should have showed itself a true conservative and the other a real progressionist, I should have caught a fish and killed a patridge — but to my great disap- pointment, just as I brought a large speckled trout to the top of the water, my fish-line broke and away went the trout, line, hook, and all : and after dis- playing some skill in hunting, as I think, I came near a partridge, which was pointed out to me by Mr. Brooking, who, by-the-bye, made as great a fuss about it as an Indian would have made in meeting with a drove of buffaloes. Well, I presented Mr, Hudson's bay territory. 17 Salt's rifle in due order at the bird, which was not more than two rods from me, but the gun missed fire, and snapped the second time, when the bird walked off — not deigning to fly — with as much in- difference as though I and my gun too were unworthy of its notice. The River Du Currer is about as large as the River Humber, near Toronto. Some twenty rods from the mouth there is a fall in the water of about twenty feet. The fall is not perpendicular, but nearly so, presenting to the eye a large surface of white foam, which, at a distance, has the appearance of a bank of snow. At these falls, water-power to any amount could be obtained. The land for a large distance round is very rich, and no doubt could be most profitably cultivated. At 6 \ p. m., we left our fishing-ground to return home, where we arrived safely at 8 o'clock. This was my first and probably will be my last fishing and hunting-day. "Wednesday, the 28th, I availed myself of the kind offer of J. Willson, Esq., Custom-House officer, at Sault Ste. Marie, who was on an exploring tour along the North Shore of Lake Superior, in com- pany with Messrs. H., B. and S., to a seat in his boat, to visit the Roman Catholic Mission Establish- ment. This is beautifully located on the bank of the river, about a mile and a half above Fort- Wil- liam depot. I called on the Rev. Mr. Shuny, the super- intending priest of the Station, who received and 18 REV. J. RYERS0X S VISIT TO treated us with courteous respect. I had an half- hour's conversation with Mr. Shuny, and learned from him that it had been between three and four years since the commencement of the mission ; that he himself, assisted by one or two men, part of the time, had built the church and parsonage ; that there are now between twenty-five and thirty dwelling- houses in the village, occupied by the Indians, and that Indian families were constantly coming to the station for the purpose of building and settling in the village. The church is comfortable, and, for the place, is a fine building. It is built of logs and neatly clap-boarded, it is about 30 by 40 feet in size, (with the addition of a large vestry at the back end,) and will accommodate from 200 to 300 persons. The parsonage is a neat house, 30 by 36 feet on the ground, and one story high. It is built of logs, clap-boarded, and painted white. The building of these two substantial structures, with a number of out-houses, ^ called White Dog Mission. I had a letter to the Rev. W. McDonald, the minister in charge ; but be- ing in great haste to get on, and meeting with a boat belonging to the mission, I did not stop to deliver it, but gave it to one of the men in the boat. The mission village, if a village it can be called, ia beautifully situated on a rising spot of ground fa- cing a small bay that opens into the river. A small tract of land in the immediate neighborhood seems to be good, and would, doubtless, admit of pro- ductive cultivation. I noticed potatoes, oats, &c, growing finely. I learned from one of the men in the boat, that it was now three years since the mis- sion was commenced ; that as yet they have no church, but have religious service twice every Sab- bath in a place fitted up for that purpose ; they also have a day and sabbath school, and a considerable number of Indians are camped in the vicinity most of the time. I counted in the village only five houses, and six or seven Indian camps. This was the most tedious day of travelling we have had, since leaving Lac La Pluie. A head and high wind all the day. After dinner we made a portage, and passed a rapid — the most difficult and dangerous of all the many perilous rapids we have passed since I commenced the voyage. So deep and precipitous was the pitch, in the middle of the rapid, and so violent the force of the water that it seemed impossible for the bowsman to keep the canoe from driving against a rock that projected into the water at the lower end of the fall ; indeed, by the utmost exertion the canoe was saved from striking the rock, but by a hairs breadth ; but great effort and skilful management, by the blessing of a merciful Provi- dence, brought us safely through. At the lower end of the fall, the steersman missing a stroke of his paddle, the canoe was whirled round like a top, and for a few moments we seemed to be at the mercy of the violently agitated waves. The 23rd was one of the finest davs I ever saw; clear,' calm, and not very hot,— -a day the perfect contrast of the one preceding. Twenty minutes before three o'clock, I called the men, and we were in our canoe, paddling along through the silvery and unruffled waters, just as the day began to dawn. How gloriously splendid does the opening day and rising sun appear in these regions of isles, bill and dale, rock and water 1 As the sun arose, how enchanting to behold the blazing waters, the gilded hills, the crimsoned heavens, all radiant and reful- gent with sparkling brightness and splendour. — Before dinner we made five portages and passed as many rapids ; the falls of water in the rapids were from twelve to twenty feet ; some of the portages were short, and the sheets of water between were also very narrow : indeed in several instances, before the thundering of one cataract died away from the ear it was saluted with the hollow roarings of another. At one of the portages I saw two ant hills, four or five feet high, and not less than sixteen or eighteen feet in circumference :— at first I was at a loss to know what they were; they looked like immense heaps of brewers' grains. In looking at them it occurred to me what a lesson of industry and perse- verance men might learn from the works of this tiny insect — "Go to the ant, and for one poor grain, see how she toils and strives." At all of the portages to day I carried my carpetbags, blankets &c: one of the portages was a quarter of a mile long, and as the heat was most intense, when we got to the end of it, I was wet with pespiration and quite exhausted. Close at hand however there was a mammoth rock, affording a complete shelter from the scorching rays of the sun ; under the shadow of this rock I sat down with great delight — I thought of the gracious promises. " A man shall be a hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." At five minutes to three o'clock we stopped for dinner, which detain- ed us fifty minutes, this was a very short time com- pared to the usual time of detention for meals, which is seldom less than an hour or an hour and a half. These voyageurs will fuss and talk about boiling a piece of pork, or a bunch of pemmican, and eating it, as long as it would take any body else to prepare and partake of a sumptuous repast ofhalf a dozen courses. My cook, Francis, this evening asked me if I were not sick, he thought I must be so as I " eat so little." I told him I never had eaten so much in the same time in my life : he thought it " very strange." — Directly after dinner we came to the sixth portage that we passed to-day, where there is another magni- ficent fall in the river, or the chain of lakes. We then 54 rev. j. ryerson's visit to proceeded through and over one continual succession of lakes and rapids for twelve or fifteen miles, and finished the series by passing a rapid, the very ap- pearance of which was sufficient to make a person not armed with the strongest nerves shudder. We passed it however in safety, and a short distance below it put ashore and pitched our tents for the night. The weather during most of the night was extremely inclement : it thundered, lightened and rained most terrifically, and the wind blew a very gale. I never heard such peals of thunder; I never saw such lurid flashes of lightning ; for two hours and a half chip succeeded clap, and flash succeeded flash, until the whole heavens seemed to resound with terrific roarings and blaze with vivid light : the rain also fell in torrents; at times it came down as though it was poured out of buckets: for a time I thought the tent would inevitably come down and be carried away by the tempest, and that I might be prepared for such a catastrophe, I got up and dressed myself; but after a while the storm abated, my frail habita- tion was undemolished, and I remained sheltered beneath its canopy in safety. I did not however again retire to rest, but improved the short time that elapsed until the minute of departing should arrive, in writing. At 2\ o'clock I called the men, and by five minutes before three o'clock we were voyaging on the water. Before breakfast, which we stopped to take at r \\ o'clock, we made seven porta- ges and run five rapids. We stopped for breakfast at the head of the Lac De Bonnelle, or Lake of Sails. Hudson's bay territory. 55 This lake is twenty-five miles long, and averages from one to three miles in breadth. Between breakfast and dinner we made three portages, the last of -which called " Cap de Bonet" Portage, was a quarter of a mile long. We passed several camps of Indians: four of the men in two canoes came to us and assisted us in making a portage: we gave them some tobacco, with which they seemed well pleased. I am of the opinion that this would be a good locality to establish a mission and build a mission village; there is about here a great deal of excellent land, the climate is healthy, and it is in the midst of numerous bands of Indians, who are teachable and friendly disposed. In the afternoon we made seven more portages, and would have made the eighth, aud reached Fort Alexander the same evening, but for the heavy rain that com- menced falling in good earnest about 5£ o'clock, and poured down in torrents during the greater part of the night It had been thundering, and threatening rain the most of the day, but still we had only a few showers until after five o'clock. A harder rain I seldom ever witnessed and what made it the worse for 'us, it commenced just as we came to a portage, and in the midst of it we were compelled to make two por- tages. We consequently, by this exposure, together with many of our things got thoroughly wet. The rain came down in torrents, and the wind blew most tempestously ; but we were obliged in the midst of this warring of the elements, and the groud completely soaked with water to pitch my 56 REV. J. RYERSON S VISIT TO tent. I made my supper on bread for we could cook nothing for the want of a fire, which it was impossible to kindle. I lay down in my wet clothes, being quite overcome with fatigue. I slept several hours quite soundly, and in the morning felt no particular inconvenience from the exposures and fatigue of the previous day. — During the day we made seventeen portages, varying in length from six rods to three quarters of a mile, over these portages I carried my two carpet-bags, blankets, pillow &c. Tuesday the 25th, the morn- ing was cold and gloomy, the ground perfectly satu- rated with water, and our clothes any thing but in a comfortable plight. We started at a quarter to four o'clock, and after having made one portage and paddled our canoe for twelve miles against an obsti- nately strong and head wind. At nine o'clock, we arrived at Fort Alexander, well pleased and thankful that another stage of our long and wearysome journey was accomplished. Fort Alexander belongs to the Lac La Pluie District, and although Mr. Ballantine, in his book, says that it is not "famous for its appear- ance," yet in my judgment it is not surpassed, if equalled in beauty and pleasantness by any station' belonging to the Company, between St. Marie and Eed Kiver. It is situated on an elbow of land made by a bend in the river Winnipeg, three miles from the river's mouth. The bank of the river where the Fort stands is about twenty feet high. The scenery for many miles around'is strikingly beautiful. The climate for Hudson'sBay Territory is remarkably fine, and salubrious, the land amazingly rich and productive. The water in the hikes, Lie La Pluie, Lac Du Bois, Winnipeg &c, is not deep and because of their wide surface and great shallowness, du- riug the summer season, they become exceedingly warm, this has a wonderful effect on the temperature of the atmosphere in the adjacent neighbourhoods, and no doubt makes the great difference in the climate (or at least is one of the principle causes of it) in these parts to, the climate in the neighbourhood of Lake Superior. The water iu Lake Superior is of so great a depth that it never becomes warm, it is always as cold as ice water, hence the air is always cold, and the surrounding country barren and sterile ; but it is quite different in these parts, the hind is not only very rich, susceptable of the highest cultivation, but vegetation is rapid, luxuriant, and comes to maturity. They grow spring wheat here to perfection, and in few places do vegetables of most every kind thrive better,— there is now in full view, which with delight I look upon through the window while I write, a fine field of wheat. — These things fully satisfy me of the correctness of the opinion I have already expressed, that this is one of the most eligible places for establishing a mission and building a Mission Village to be found in the southern department of the Company's Terri- tory. In addition to what I have already said, I would remark that Fort Alexander is in the centre of a country over which there are scattered a great many Indians, who resort to the Fort every year in great numbers, besides a number of families who are continually about the place. All day we were wind-bound p.t the Fort. In the evening the two Canoes with Messrs. Hurlburt and Brooking arrived; I was glad to see them, but still felt disappointed that by adverse winds I should be so long detained as to allow them to overtake me. They had rivers and little lakes to navigate ; but we the open waters of a long lake, and the most tempestuous and dangerous sheets of water in the North West Territory. Wednesday the 26th, At two o'clock, a. m., just as I was dressing myself, I heard old Jock's voice, calling out, " up, up, up." 1 was glad to hear him, for although the night before I had charged him, that if the weather permitted; he must be ready for start- ing by two o'clock in the morning, yet I was appre- hensive that he might not get up and be prepared for leaving, at so early an hour. At half-pact two, we were rapidly moving down the beautiful River Winnipeg. It may be said that Fort Alexander is located three miles from the mouth of the river; but the river empties into a bay ; so that you do not see Lake Winnipeg fully until about twelve miles from the Fort ; but after travelling twelve miles we rounded a point, and Lake Winnipeg, calm and clear as crystal, glittering in the beams of the morn- ing sun, stretched out before us to the distant and scarcely perceptible horizon. Every pleasure has its alloy : the delightful calm on which we felici- tated ourselves, was soon ruffled by a breeze, which HUDSON'S BAY TERRITORY. 59 speedily increased to such a degree as to oblige us to put ashore ; but before we could do so, the Wind was blowing furiously, and it was with great diffi- culty we made the shore without being swallowed up in the waves. On nearing the shore, the men jumped out of the canoe, up to their waists in wa- ter ; two of them held the canoe, while the others carried the luggage to the beach ; and then the voyageurs took up the skip itselfj and carrying it on their shoulders, placed it safe on terra firma. Here we pitched our tents, and remained Wind bound until seven o'clock in the evening, when the wind having moderated, we left our encampment, and travelled until eight, and then again went ashore, and put up for the night* Next morning, the wind blew too hard to admit of our starting before nine o'clock ; but about this time it moderated and blew fair; so on starting we hoisted sail: the wind increased so that we proceeded on our voyage at a rapid pace, at fifteen minutes to three o'clock, we reached the mouth of Red River, and glad enough was I to see it. Just after enter- ing the river, we put ashore for dinner, close by Where there w6re five Or six camps of Pagan In- dians. Some dozen or fifteen of these Indians pressed round us, and continued to watch our every motion until we left : we gave them some tobacco and flour, with which they seemed well pleased. At fifteen minutes to four, we commenced the ascent of the river, and at eight o'clock, arrived at the Indian Mission settlement, situated twelve miles from its mouth. Here the Church Missionary Society has an excellent mission. I was received by the Rev. Mr. Cowley, the Missionary, and entertained during tlie night, with great kindness and attention. This Indian settlement is situated on both sides of the river, and is about five miles in length. The com- munity comprises four or five hundred souls. — There is a fine stone church) 40 by 75 feet on the ground, with a gallery ; a parsonage and school- house. There is a day and also a sabbath-school : the average attendance of children at the day=school is fifty ; at the sabbath is seventy-five. There is a fine farm connected with the Mission, on which they grow excellent wheat, peas, barley, potatoes, &c, &c, &c. V Letter Till. Norway House, August 10th, 1854. Rev. and Dear Sir,— At 4 1 on the evening of the 1st inst., we left Lower Fort Garry, and by nine o'clock made the mouth of the river, a distance from the Fort of twenty-two English miles. The measures of distances used in the Territory are English, not American or Canadian. The banks of the Red River continue to diminish in height as you descend the stream from the Upper Fort, until you come within seven or eight miles of the mouth, you find no banks at all ; indeed, the whole river below the neighbourhood of the Indian settlements is a very swampy, sedgy, flat looking affair, covered with bull- rushes, and swarming with flies, musquitoes and water fowl. On Wednesday the 2nd, by four o'clock we were on our way over the smooth waters of the Lake Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is much larger than either Lake Erie or Ontario, though the water 76 EEV. J. RYERSOx's VISIT TO is very shallow, it is three hundred miles long and about sixty miles wide, and eight hundred and fifty- three feet above the level of the sea. There appears to be but little land that would admit of cultivation, though I was told there were localities in the neigh- bourhood of the lake where are found large tracts of land of most excellent quality. Along the eastern shore the granite and trap rocks are every where exposed, the latter being the most extensive, and no where do these masses rise to the altitude of hills. On the north and west shores the bird's eye lime- stone is the prevailing rock, and forms low cliffs in a country otherwise every where flat. By 8£ we had made a distance of about fifteen miles, we put ashore for breakfast on the point that was but just visible to the eye when we started. We had fine sailing until near night, the wind was fair and as strong as the canoe would bare, and we did not sail during the day a less distance than sixty-five or seventy miles. Towards evening the wind very much in- creased : we reefed sail : soon it came to blow a very tempest and we took down the sail, and it was only by the greatest exertions that we succeeded in reaching the shore. Lake Winnipeg is very much subject to winds and storms, which many times rise so suddenly as to give the mariner no warning of their approach, until like a giant in his strength, they are upon him. Imagination cannot paint much less can language describe the sublimity and grandeur of a thunder storm, as seen in the forest on Hudson's bay territory. 77 the shore of the lake when the wild waters are raging ; the lurid glare of the vivid lightning seems brighter, and the claps and roarings of the thunder seem lower and deeper than any where else. 0! I never shall forget the terrific grandeur of that dread- ful thunder storm, the sheets of flame for minutes at a time, played round the frail tent as if eager to de- vour it, while the rolling thunder shook the very ground on which it rested ; the foaming billows in their snowy whiteness were laslied into fury and the torrents of rain came down as if poured out of ves- sels. It was with the greatest difficulty, requiring the utmost exertion to prevent the tempest from sweeping the tent away. At eleven o'clock, however* the storm abated and the latter part of the night was calm and pleasant. On Thursday morning by four o'clock we were on the water paddling away towards Norway House, but the wind was against us and with the sun con- tinued to rise until 9£ ; we were compelled to put ashore and seek protection from the raging of the waters on terra firma. The men soon pitched my tent and I sat down in my petit maison to pen these notes, all the time being annoyed and teased almost to madness by the pestiferous musquitoes. The wind having abated at five o'clock we put to sea again and continued our voyage until nine o'clock, when we stopped for the night on the point of a rocky prairie that runs out into the lake a long way. Fri- day the 4th by three o'clock, a. m., I was up and dressed and called the men, I had to call several 78 rev. j. ryerson's visit to times at the top of my voice be. "ore I could arouse them ; poor fellows they seemed unusually indispos- ed to rise and go to work. It was very late the night before when they laid down, and then the musquitoes would not let them sleep, these horrible pests of human beings drove the poor voyageurs from under their canoe, and they were compelled to flee to the lake shore and lay down on the naked rock to obtain a little relief from the persecutions of their blood-thirsty enemies. We started at 3| and were soon relieved from the fatigue of the paddle by a favourable light breeze, which continued to waft us pleasantly and speedily forward until five in the afternoon ; but then, as according to the old adage " it never rains but it pours," so our breeze was soon converted into a gale ; in an hour we were com- pelled to run our canoe into shoal water, to save her from being swamped in the deep water, and each man getting out waded with the baggage to a place of shelter where the canoe also was secured ; but we had scarcely got our tent pitched and the things put in order, when the tempest was upon us; and a tem- pest which in severity and duration exceeded the one the night but one before — it was a perfect tornado ; ! the loud claps and hollow rolling of the thunder, the vivid flashes and streaming light of the lightning, the descending torrents of the water floods — all, all, not only surpasses the power of description but ex- ceeds the fancy of the liveliest imagination. "VVe were wind bound all day yesterday, the wind was Hudson's bay territory. 79 very high and directly against us. At four o'clock, p. m, we attempted to make an evening voyage and if possible to reach Berren's Station, where we in- tended to spend the Sabbath ; but we had not pro- ceeded more than a mile when the violence of the wind compelled us to seek refuge from the waves in a little cove behind a point of rock that seemed to extend its sheltering flank into the sea as for the purpose of sheltering our frail bark from the raging of the waters. Nothing is more trying to one's constancy than to be wind bound on the shore of these lakes. " On the wide ocean raging,"you are more resigned, for you ex- pect it from the imperious element, but to be stopped for an indefinite time in the midst of flies and mus- quitoes, in the sight of birds.and animals, and within a few miles of the place of destination ; and all this when you have no time to lose, is a species of an- noyance which is apt to overcome one's philosophy* At 5 1, six large boats passed near the shore where we were lying, conveying Mr. Swanson the Chief Factor of the Lae La Pluie district and the winter supplies of merchandise and provisions for that de- partment of the Hudson Bay Company's most ex- tensive and lucrative business. The sight wa3 a very imposing one, six very large boats abreast under full sail and going at the rate of eight knots an hour. Sabbath the sixth the wind being fair, at three o'clock I called the voyageurs and in two hours we were at Berren's Fort, a station of the far trade, 80 KEY. J. RYERSOX S VISIT TO situated near the mouth of the Berren River. "We •were very kindly received by Mr. Cummens, the gentleman in charge of the Station, who did all he could to make me comfortable during my stay in the place. Mr. Cummens requested me to have religious service with them, andwith this request I gladly com- plied. The service was attended by the family and the servants at the Fort, in all about fifteen or twenty persons. 'During the day I went out to look at the premises, &c. The neighbourhood is very rocky, but still there are spots of rich land dispersed among the ledges of rocks which produce any kind of grain or vegetables grown in the country. The wheat, bar- ley, potatoes and the garden vegetables on the pre- mises look remarkably well. No where in the ter- ritory have I seen the fruit of the ground look bet- ter. There is a river called Pigeon River, that puts into the narrow bay on the opposite side from the Fort, along the banks of which, I was told by Mr. Cummens, there is a great deal of excellent land, a sufficient quantity to form a large settlement. This in my opinion would be a good position for a Mis- sion Station. Besides occasional visitors, there are fifty or sixty Indian families belonging to the place, and there is no Mission of any church on this side of the Winnipeg Lake, between Fort Alexander and Norway House. Mr. Cummens expressed a strong desire that our society would send a missionary to the neighbourhood, and said he would do any thing he could to promote the object ; he also remarked Hudson's bay territory. 81 that promises had been made at different times by both the Church and Wesleyan Societies to occupy the ground, but as yet nothing had been done, how- ever extensive and inviting the field una x uestionably was ; that the Indians in this region were favourably disposed towards the Christian religion, and were anx- ious that a Missionary should be sent to them, and a school established among them for the education of their children. In the afternoon I weut over to the opposite side of the bay to visit some Indian families who were camped there. There were five camps, which were occupied by twice or three times that number of families. My interpreter was not a very good one, and the interview with the Indians was not so satisfactory as I had been led to anticipate, from the conversation I had had with Mr. Cummens. But still the two Indians who acted as the spokes- men for the rest, were, as I afterwards learned, medicine men or conjurers, who derive a profit from their craft, and are therefore opposed to whatever may endanger it. Mr. Cummens said we must attach no importance to any thing they said, that they were great liars every one of them, and not the least reliance could be placed on any of their declarations. In the evening I again held services in Mr. Cummens' dining room ; several Indians were present who had come over from the camps I had visited in the afternoon. Monday morning at four o'clock, we started from the Fort, although the wind was high, and the ap- 82 REV, J. RYERS0N 8 TISIT TO pearance of the weather every way unfavourable ; we however kept our course for twelve or fifteen miles, when the increased inclemency of the weather forced us to the shore for safety ; the clouds grew heavier and sent forth at intervals hollow-sounding gusts of wind, the sure harbingers of a strong gale; soon the lake resembled one rolling sheet of white foam, which contrasted strangely with the calm pla- cidness of its surface the preceding day. By reason of the great tempest that was' upon us we were detain- ed in our place of refuge until after three o'clock, when the wind having died away, we were a^ab enabled to resume our " march over the ocean wave.' At 4£ the weather became perfectly calm. The face of the water was as smooth as a mirror, and the voyageurs being fresh and full of energy, we made excellent progress. At the time of halting in the evening, we were onapartof the coast where no resting place can be found. The night was remarkably clear and pleasant. The orb that rules the night was shin- ing in full splendour, and not a breath of wind ruffled the silvery surface of wide Winnipeg; so, quite contrary to their usual practice, the voyageurs con- curred in the council of Jock, the guide, to go on, and we continued our journey until one of the clock next morning, when having come to a miserable place, but the best we could find, we landed and pitched our tent; but the gloominess of the place, and the wetness of the sand and grass prevented me sleeping a wink. I kept my candle burning until morning light appeared, which by the bye was not very long, as day light appears in this latitude, at this season of the year, before three o'clock. Tuesday morning the 8th, notwithstanding the lateness of our working and going to rest the night before, at 4 £ a.m., with our paddles we were propel- ling our little ship over the smooth and placid waters towards Norway House, at the rate of five miles an hour. An hour and a half after starting we were favoured with a fair wind, and until four o'clock in the afternoon we diligently improved the delightful breeze which had so agreeably relieved the voyageurs from the toil of the paddle. Indeed old Jock always looked pleased when we had favor- able wind, and would be continually laughing or singing. I asked him one day what he found to talk and laugh so much about ? and he said every thing. Well then Jock thought he would turn interrogatist, and he enquired, what God made musquitoes for ? I can assure you it was a ques- tion more easily asked than answered. I could think of nothing else to say at the time, only that it was likely the Supreme Being permitted them to exist as instruments for the punishment of nicked voyageurs. How short-lived frequently are our prosperities. The wind that had been so fair and pleasant during the day, at 4£ began to blow hard, and in half an hour we were in the midst of a tremendous gale. We however succeeded in making the shore without sustaining much damage, other than getting pretty well wet with spray. We had time, after landing, 84 rev. j. ryeeson's visit to to get the canoe secured and our tents pitched be- fore the rain commenced, which was accompanied with one of those dreadful tornadoes, and terriffic thunderings and lightnings, so common in the neigh- bourhood of Lake Winnipeg at this season of the year. In my next letter I will trouble you with some account of Norway House and Rossville Mission. In the mean time, I remain as ever, Yours Avith much esteem, J. Ryersox. The Rev. Enoch Wood, &c. Letter ix. Norway House, Aug. 16th, 1854 Rev. and Dear Sir : — I remarked in my last letter, that on Tuesday evening of the 8th inst., we were driven ashore by a gale when distant from the strait or river, through which we pass out of Lake Winnipeg into Play- green Lake, about fifteen or twenty miles. We had time, after landing, to pitch the tent and arrange the canoe matters before it commenced raining ; but the wind blew most furiously, the thunder rolled with terrific grandeur, clap succeeding clap with increasing violence, while the vivid lightning stretch- ed across and blazed around the frowning and angry heavens with a vividness and beauty too, but for the terror of the scene, — too wonderful and sublime HUDSON S BAY TERRITORY. 85 to be described but never to be forgotten. I took every precaution and made every preparation in my power to meet and withstand the tempest. We drove the tent-pius down to their utmost depth. I brought my caset, canteen, travelling-basket, &c, into the tent, and placed them round on the bottom of the canvass. I then went down to the lake shore and got some dozen of large stones, each as heavy as I could carry, and placed them also around on the bottom of the tent ; but with all these prepara- tions, it required my constant personal exertion to prevent the thundering and lightning tornado from sweeping boxes, stones, tent, and all away. This hurricane lasted several hours ; but, about twelve at night, the gale having exhausted itself, the temp- est began to subside, and by morning the weather had sufficiently moderated to allow of our resuming our voyage. At 8£ o'clock we reached the strait, en- tering which, and turning round a point to the right, in a few moments we found ourselves at the com- mencement of Play-green Lake, where, on a nice sandy beach, we put ashore for breakfast. At the time we landed on the east side of the narrow strait, there were fifteen or twenty large batteaux that land- ed on the west side for the same purpose. This brigade of boats were from Sascatchawin and Rocky Mountain countries ; they had been down to York Depot with furs, &c, and were returning freighted with provisions and goods for the western trade. — In the place where they landed this morning they 86 REV. J. RYERSOx's VISIT TO lay wind-bound for twelve days, so that they had to send back to Norway House for an additional sup- ply of provisions previous to their leaving. This shows how fortunate we were in having made the whole voyage from Red River to Norway House in a little more than eight days, but we worked hard, not losing a moment, day or night, in which we could sail. We arrived at Norway House at 3^ p. m. This old and important establishment is situ- ated at the mouth of a small- sluggish stream, known by the name of Lach River, and about twenty-four miles from the Winnipeg Lake. William Barnston, Esq., the gentleman in charge of the fort, met me at the wharf, and kindly welcomed me to Norway House. Here I also again met with my old travel- ling companions, Mr. and Mrs. Brooking. I need not say that I was glad to see them. Norway House is one of the oldest and one of the most important establishments belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. The houses of the estab- lishment are ranged in the form of a square, all of them painted white or whitewashed. They are one story high, with the exception of a large house, build- ing and nearly finished, and which is to be the resi- dence of the chief factor and his family. The ground on which the fort stands is rocky, but there is a large and beautiful garden belonging to it which would be a credit to the best domicile in Canada. In this splendid garden were growing, in prime order, almost every useful vegetable, among which were Hudson's bay territory. 87 seen, in great abundance, potatoes, onions, squashes, beets, parsnips, celery, vegetable marrow, cucumbers, &c, leve,"I was up r.nd dressed, having arisen before three o'clock ; indeed I slept very little during the night, and was glad when the time came for me to leave my uncomfortable couch. "We travelled twelve miles, and at 8^ o'clock stopped for breakfast. Du- ring the day we run a rapid. This was the first rapid I had seen run by a boat, and it seemed to me more difficult and dangerous than running the rapid in the canoe. The principal fall in this rapid was several feet, and vvhen the boat passed over it, the jar was as though she had struck upon a rock. — After passing over a series of little lakes, amidst innumerable little islands of rocks, we entered the river Sion, a narrow, sluggish, crooked stream, hardly wide enough to admit the boats passing, the oars of which were continually getting entangled in grass and willows that grew on either side of the narrow space of open water. I have seen no coun- Hudson's bay territory. . 93 try, since leaving Canada, that seems so dreary and utterly worthless as the desolate and barren regions through which we have passed to-day. We found no place to stop for dinner, and we liked not to have found a place for lodgment during the night. Our poor weary voyageurs worked away until dark, hoping to reach some spot where a sufficient quan- tity of dry earth could be found upon which we might pitch our tents ; but they looked in vain, and we had at last to take up our quarters in a willow swamp, where, almost every step you took, you sunk into the mud and water. I am, Key. and Dear Sir, as ever, Most truly yours, J. Ryerson. The Rev. E. Wood, &c. Letter X. Oxford Place, Jackson Bay Mission, August 20th, 1854. Rev. and Dear Sir: — After having attempted to repose for a few hours on a bed of decayed vegetables, which were no sooner trampled upon than they became quite wet, I rose from my watery couch, and before 3^ on Friday morning the 18th, I was all ready for march- ing. I may here say that, throughout my long tour thus far, in no instance have I detained the 94 rev. j. ryerson's yisit to voyageurs, in a majority of cases, I have called the men ; in no instance have they waited one moment for me. All thi3 day we were voyaging against the stream of Black River, very properly named from the blackness of the water, and in many places so narrow that the men could not use their oars, and were compelled to take to their poles. At 11 we made a half portage occasioned by a dam that had been thrown across the river for the purpose of raising the water above it to a sufficient depth for navigation. A half portage is, when the lading is carried over and the boat is not, there being a suffi- cient depth of water for the boat when disburthened of her load. Here the luggage was all carried over and the boat through a kind of race. At 1\ we arrived at the portage "haute de terre," or Height of Land portage, so named because of its being a ridge of land that divides the waters flowing into the Hudson's Bay, through the Jack and Hill rivers. The portage was not a very long one, but it was the first full portage I had seen made with the boats. The freight is always carried over first, and each crew carry the lading of their own boats only ; but it requires all the crews of the brigade — that is thirty men — to cany or take over one boat ; the boats are run over on slides, rollers or poles. The freight bateau in the territory are large, and ap- parently awkward and unwieldly things ; they are long, broad, and shallow, capable of carrying fifty hundred weight, and nine or ten men, besides three or four passengers with provisions for themselves Hudson's bay territory. 95 and for the crew. The boats are built of light material, and it is said are very light for their size, and that they do not draw more than three feet of water when loaded, perhaps less. This morning*— Satur- day the 19th, before 4 o'clock, we were marching over the ocean wave to the Robinson portage, where we arrived at 7 \ o'clock. The Robinson portage is a mile long, and the road across it is a smooth highway, two rods in width. Immediately on landing, the passengers went over to the far end of the portage, where we breakfasted. We were not troubled with musquitoes, but the sand flies were exceedingly annoying. To convey a brigade of boats over a portage, especially a long one, is a tedious, tardy piece of work, as I have said, it requires all the men of the brigade to each boat and conse- quently only one boat can be taken over at a time. Twenty of the men are harnessed two and two, drawing with straps across their breasts, the others are on either side of the boat, lifting, shoving, &c, as the occasion may require. It was 2\ o'clock before all the boat3 were got over, so we dined before leaving the portage. After starting we rowed on without stopping until 8 o'clock, when we landed on a rocky point, and pitched our tents for the night ; within fifteen minutes after leaving the boats, our tents were pitched, and a half dozen fires were blazing, which appeared all the more brilliant and pleasing, because of the darkness and stillness of the surrounding regions. Since leaving the Robinson portage we were navi- 96 EEY. J. RYERSON S VISIT TO gating a narrow stream of water between hills and mountains of rocks, some of which were of immense altitude, and came so close together from opposite sides of the river, as hardly to admit of the boats passing between them. The sterile barrenness of this part of the country. exceeds description; it seems incapable of affording existence to any thing having animal life ; indeed it is perplexingly unknowable for what purpose such a waste, howling wilderness of rocks, swamps and bogs could have been created. Sabbath morning, the 20th, I was up and had done all the business of the toilet before 3 o'clock, and by 3^ o'clock Captain, or Commodore Bruce had his fleet under way. At 5 o'clock we came to the Big Hill rapids, the most dangerous and difficult of passing of any I ever saw.. The loading was all taken out of the boats and carried round the rapids, and theneachboat was rundown the rapids by Bruce the guide, who stands in the bow, the steersman and four men at the oars. I was desirous of remaining in the boat while it run the rapid, and obtained the reluctant permission of Bruce to do so. The scene was novel and grand, and withall, rather terrifying ; in a moment of time we were hurled through and over the water for the distance of nearly a quarter of a mile. I enjoyed the thing exceedingly, and was well pleased that I had ventured on making the practical experiment of running one of the most fearful and dangerous rapids in the territory. — After I had run the rapid, Mr. Brooking thought he must do so too, and he came down in the third o a r 1 3 X Hudson's bay territory. 97 boat safely, and because of the feat, my friend's countenance glowed with unusual lightsomeness, and he seemed taller and straighter than ever. Soon after leaving Big Hill Portage and rapids, we en- tered a little lake called "Lac De Yent" — or Lake of Wind — -so named because of the extreme tem- pestuousness of it. The boatmen say they never cross this lake without having to encounter high winds, and most times tempests. It blew nearly a gale when we passed, but the wirid being favourable we sailed at such a rate as I had never done before ; we went at the rate of twelve miles an hour; the boats flew over, and rushed through the water like things of life. This was the Sabbath, yet voyageurs, in their long voyages, are required to travel on the Sabbath as well as on the week days, but after breakfast, before starting, Bruce, the guide, called all his Ro- man Catholic nieu, who constituted almost all the crews, together, and they united in the prayers of the Roman church, in which they apparently en- gaged with sincerity and earnestness. Monday the 21st, at 4 o'clock, when we left our encampment the day was wet and gloomy, but as the sun arose the mist cleared away, and towards noon the weather became fine and pleasant. At 11 o'clock we arrived at the Oxford House, or Jackson Bay Mission ; the brigade, by the direction of Mr. Barnston, having gone eight or ten miles out of their way, in order to land us there. We found only one Indian family at the Mission ; all the other Indians and their families being absent, c2 98 REV* J. RYERSOK S VISIT TO hunting or fishing ; but we sent off two Indian boys in a canoe to an Island not far distant, where many of the Indians were encamped, and by 7^ o'clock, p. m., seven canoes, with as many families belonging to the Mission, arrived. There is a parsonage house and a church at this Mission, both unfinished ; so far as they have gone, the expense of their erection has been met by the Hudson's Bay Company, but it will require £70 or £100 to complete them : when finished, they will be very suitable buildings for the object for which they were erected. There are only a few houses here ; the most of the Indian families, when at the Mission, still lodg- ing in camps. This was also the case with several families at Eossville Mission. Mr. Brooking intends to do all he can to induce all the Indian families to build them houses to dwell in ; and there is no doubt, should he be spared, in a short time the num- ber of dwelling houses, and the amount of cultivated land will be greatly increased. The Mission is de- lightfully situated at the head of what is called, at least by the "Wesleyans, Jackson's Bay. This Bay and Mission were so named, I was told 7 after the Rev. Thomas Jackson, who was president of the English Conference the year the Mission was commenced. The Mission premises are on a peninsula which is formed by the lake, or Jackson's Bay on one side and the river Wire on the other ; the river runs down near the lake, and then makes a turn from it, forming a semicircle before emptying itself into the bay. There are about fourteen or fifteen acres of 3 H co F I CO CO l-H O !z5 M W g CO W CD =-1 I> o Pi CO o 2! CO a > " , : ; '" ,i; w laud on the peninsula, all of which is Mission property. The land is of a most excellent quality, producing abundantly most kinds of useful vegeta- bles. There are now growing more than an acre of excellent potatoes, several patches of turnips, and in the garden, beets, parsnips, carrots, onions, &c, in srreat abundance. At dinner we had a feast of fine potatoes and turnips, and when leaving, we took with us enough to last us all the way to York. Much fatigued, at 1 o'clock, a. m., I retired to rest, and at 6 o'clock the following morning we were all busily engaged in preparing for my departure. There is a large boat here worth £20, belong to the mission ; it was presented to the Society last year by Mr. Barnston, of Norway House, another evi- dence of the goodness of Mr. Barnston's character, and the sincere and firm friendship he feels toward the cause of Christian missions. Mr. Steinhaur being absent from the mission for two or three months, the boat was entirely neglected, and was half full of mud and water, so it was no trifling job to prepare it for use. We had every thing prepar- ed for our departure, when we saw a boat approach- ing the wharf ; this proved to be one of the four boats belonging to L'Esperance's brigade ; it v as L'Esperance's own boat that had been directed by Mr. Barnston to come round by the mission and take me down to York. Mr. Brooking, in order to secure stores, &c, concluded to accompany me to York, and Mrs. Brooking accompanied us as far as Oxford House, distant twenty miles from the mis- sion. We left the mission at 9 J o'clock, and arrived at Oxford House at 2 J o'clock. Oxford lake is one of the most beautiful sheets of water in the territory; it is thirty-five miles long, and averages, from eight to twelve miles in width ; it is covered over with beautiful islands, and abounds with fish of the rich- est quality, and finest flavour. Oxford House is situated at the north east end of the lake on the brow of a grassy hill that gradually rises from the margin of the water to a considerable height. The fort establishment consists of a small number of wooden houses, one story high, built in the form of a square, and surrounded with high stockades, pointed at the tops. Bather a high flag staff towers above the buildings, upon which a flag is always raised on the occasion of the arrival of boats at the fort. We were kindly received and courteously treated during the three hours we remained at the fort, by Mr. Wilson, the gentleman in charge. The premises of this establishment cover several acres of land, in a state of excellent cultivation, and upon which there are now growing in fine order, barley, peas, potatoes, &c. At 5 o'clock, p. m., we left the fort ; I was in L'Esperance's boat, Mr. Brooking and Steinhaur in two other boats. We travelled for twelve or fifteen miles, and at 7 o'clock went on shore, and pitched our tents for the night. At the approach of tea time we found ourselves rather in a " fix," there not being a cook belonging to L'Esperance's brigade ; but as necessity knows no law, Mr. Brooking undertook the business of chief cook, calling to his assistance Hudson's bay territory. 101 Mr. Steinhaur and two of the voyageurs. In three quarters of an hour it was announced that tea was ready, and, when we came round the board, there was spread out before us, on a clean white cloth, that rested on the floor of the tent, for a table, fried fish, roast ducks, boiled ham, boiled potatoes, bread and butter, and sweet cakes ; and the tea made so strong and sweet that even I could drink but little of it; and just as we were commenc- ing tea, one of the voyageurs brought two large fat rabbits, neatly dressed, and proposed to cook them for us also. Whether or not the chief cook would have proposed the rabbits for our tea dessert, I can not say, as I did not wait to know his intentions, but at once urged the necessity of being excused having any part in the work of demolishing two fat rabbits, in addition to all the fine and fat things be- fore us. Wednesday the 23rd. Last night we camped at the upper end of a series of rapids, which, this morn- ing, as soon as we started, we commenced running. There are ten or twelve rapids in this series, some of which are most difficult and dangerous. One of the rapids is almost always passed by making a por- tage, but in consequence of the very high water this season the guide ventured to run the rapid. — L'Esperance says that, although he had passed this rapid forty times, he had never attempted to run it but once before. In running this rapid the boats struck several times, and, from one of them, a piece of wood was torn from the keel, two or three inches 102 rev. J. ryerson's yisit to thick and six feet long. At 6 o'clock, a. m., we came to the Fall portage ; a short, but a most diffi- cult one ; the height and ruggedness of the rocks over which the boat and loading have to be carried, render the work of making the portage very slow and laborious. The scenery all along this Hill river is novel and fantastic, exceedingly so. The stream is turbulent and unfriendly in the extreme, but in romantic variety, and in some sort of beauty, nothing can exceed the scenery which surrounds it. High rocks beetling over the rapids like towers, or rent into the most diversified forms, gay with various coloured mosses, or shaded by over-hanging hills— now a tranquil pool lying like a sheet of silver-now the dash and foam of a cataract-these are parts only, of its picturesque and striking pictures. I am as ever, Rev. and Dear Sir, Very affectionately yours, J. Eyerson. The Eev. Enoch Wood, &c, &c, &c. Letter XI . York, Hudson's Bay, Aug. 31st, 1854. Eev. and Dear Sir : — On leaving the Fall portage we entered Knee Lake a sheet of water fifty-six miles long, and about ten miles wide. The wind being fair and high, we Hudson's bay territory. 103 sailed across this lake with great speed, reaching the lower, or north east, end of it at 5^ o'clock. Passing out of Knee Lake, we entered Jack River, rapidly down which v> e went for ten or twelve miles, through a series of as many rapids, when we came to Jack portage, where we stopped all night. We travelled to-day about seventy miles, run ten or twelve rapids, and made one very difficult portage. This night the aurora was most brilliant, and continued in rapid motion uutil after midnight. The farther north you go the more brilliant are the northern lights and the more rapid is their motion. The portage where we stopped last night is at the mouth of Jack River, where it empties into a small lake ten miles across, named Swamp Lake. On Thursday morning, at the lower end of this lake, on a small rocky island, we stopped for breakfast. Leaving Swamp Lake, we entered Hill River, which is little else than a continued series of fearful rapids and difficult portages. All day we were running rapids, and making portages. The boats ground on rocks frequently, and several times our boat struck so hard that it would seem to break her to pieces. All the boats were more or less injured. One boat stranded on the rocks, and had several of her knees broken, and a hole broken through the plank, ten inches wide, and three feet long ; the loading had to be taken out of her, which was done with difficulty, and she taken to the shore, hauled up, and repaired. At 7 o'clock, p. m., we stopped to camp, still in the midst of rapids or waterfalls. I would name the 104 rev. j. ryerson's visit to most of these waterfalls, for merely to call these cataracts rapids, conveys a very imperfect and even erroneous idea of them. In many places the water pitches down quite perpendicularly, several feet ; and the boats, in passing over these precipices, do not run, but leap. We are now come to that part of Hill River where the banks are of clay, and very high. A high clay bank of a river, or lake, is so novel a thing, in this part of the country, and so greatly contrasts with the no banks at all, or the marshy low sedgy banks, or the barren — broken, up and down, every shape, rocky ones, every where seen, on the lakes and rivers, that a high smooth bankof clayis most reviving and refreshing totheeye. We are now in full view of a mountain of considerable height, although the altitude of it I should think, is not quite so great as certain mountains in the McKenzie River country, about which I heard a Scotchman, from that part of the territory,telling the voyageurs, while last night seated round the fire, at the door of my tent. This Scotch- man, who was returning to Scotland, after having served out his time, said there were mountains in the part of the territory where he had been, so high that thev reached above the stars, that he himself had carried boats and packages over them — that in the winter the weather was so cold, it froze your breath as soon as it passed the lips, and that you could hear it'Mss as the frost took hold of it on its coming out of the mouth ! ! Friday the 25th. To-day, after passing two Hudson's bay territory. 105 rapids, and making two portages, we entered Steel River, about forty miles above where it puts into the River Hayes. The Steel River is a wide, deep, rapid stream of water ; the current in it runs about two miles an hour ; but there are no strong rapids and no portages ; indeed there are no more portages to make between this and York. We made more than thirty fromXorwayHouse to this place, and run rapids almost without number. The banks of the river are clay, and high ; in some places, very high ; fifty, eighty, and perhaps a hundred feet high ; in many places they are smooth and white, not a little re- sembling in appearance the chalky cliffs of Dover. We reached the mouth of Steel River, where it empties into Hayes River — sixty miles from York depot. At 7 o'clock we entered Hayes River. The Hayes River is a beautiful stream ; it averages a quarter of a mile in width, and its current runs at the rate of three knots an hour. On entering the river the boats were all fastened together, side by side, and then with one man to steer them, they were left to drift with the current, during the night. We then addressed ourselves to the business of pre- paring for bed, which, when done, we lay down to rest, or sleep, or pass away the still and silent hours of the night, as best we could. When day-light fully appeared on the following morning, we found ourselves within thirty miles of York, we having drift- ed thirty miles during the night. Within a few miles of York we put ashore for breakfast, which was prepared and disposed of very expeditiously, all 106 REV. J. RYERSONS VISIT TO feeling much anxiety to see York, and with some of us to see the end of our inland voyaging. "We arrived at York depot at 10£, and were kindly re- ceived by William McTavish, Esq., a chief factor, and the gentleman in charge of the station. Mr. McTavish conducted Messrs. Brooking, Steinhaur, and myself, to our quarters, and showed us the apart- ments we were to occupy during our stay at York. We were greatly surprised, and not a little troubled, in learning that the ship had not yet arrived ; although it was then the 26th, and the usual time of the vessel reaching York is the 10th, or at the latest, the 15th of the month. To me it was a circumstance calculated, at least, to try my faith. I could not think of remaining during the winter at York ; and to return into the interior to any place where I might advisedly remain during the winter season, would involve a journey of several hundred miles, and five or six weeks to perform it in, and this, too, in the inclement season of a Hudson's Bay autumn. , But still, with feelings of resignation and submission, I was enabled to commend myself and the whole matter to the direction of the gra- cious Being, who does all things T\ell. At 3^, p.m., on their way to England, the Rev. Archdea- con Hunter and lady, Adam Tom, Esq.. lady and family, the Rev. Mr. Mason, and Mr. Boss, arrived, so we were not likely to be lonely during our stay at York. The Fort at York, as all the fac lories or depots are called, is a large square, of about ten acres, inclosed within high stockades, and built on O > o O ►4 w Hudson's bay territory. 107 the banks of Hayes River, about five miles from its mouth, where it empties itself into Hudson's Bay. The houses are of wood, and certainly can make no pretensions to architectural beauty, but still their regularity, and clean white appearance have a very pleasing effect on the eye. The principal building- is the general store, where the goods to the amount of two years outfit for the whole northern depart- ment are stored. This general store is the centre building, and is built with an open space, or court, in the centre of it, after the manner of French hotels. On each side of the centre building is a long low white painted house, with window frames and edgings painted. In one of these, visiters and company residents are lodged in the summer season ; the other is the mess room or dining hall. Four large stores stand at right angles to these houses, and forming thus three sides of the front square! Behind the front building stands a row of small 'and low buildings, painted yellow, for the labourers and tradesmen ; and on the right hand is the dwelling- house of the chief factor, and adjoining it is the clerk's house, called " bachelors' hall;" and in front of the chief factor's house, Mr. McTavish is now build- ing a parsonage for the chaplain. On the left hand is the provision store and the Indian trading shop. A few other buildings, the oil store, the lumber- house ; among which is seen a tall singularly-looking building, the observatory, called the look-out place, from which the inhabitants have an extensive view of their wild domains ; and just near it stands the 108 REV. J. RYERSON S VISIT TO ice house. The ice-house is filled every spring with ice, which does not melt during the summer, although the weather for two months is intensely hot. In the ice-house a store of fresh meat is laid up suffi- cient to supply the people in the fort to the com- mencement of winter ; also, fish are there kept fresh for any length of time. As I have said, the ice in the ice-house never melts, so neither does the lower stratum of soil in the surrounding country, the upper soil only melting to the depth of two or two and a half feet ; the subsoil is perpetually frozen. The country around the fort is one immense swamp, as level as a floor, thickly covered with willow bushes and dotted, here and there, with bunches of pine trees. The only large timber in the vicinity grows on the banks of Hayes river, several miles above the fort, and consists chiefly of spruce fir. The spruce fir is the principal article used for fire-wood, and is brought on rafts, or in boats, from several miles up the river. Nelson River is a broad, rapid, beautiful stream, which discharges itself into the Hudson's Bay, near the mouth of Hayes River ; between the rivers is a belt of low swamp, known by the name of the " point of Marsh." Sabbath the 27th. There was Divine service held in the dining room at 10 £ o'clock. Archdeacon Hunter, from Cumberland Mission read the service, and Mr. Brooking preached. The congre- gation was large, consisting of the officers and ser- vants belonging to the fort, voyageurs, a few Indians, and several persons, who, like myself, had come to Hudson's bay territory. 109 York to take passage in the ship for England. In the afternoon, at 3 o'clock, Mr. Hunter read the service and preached in Cree. Mr. Hunter is a good Cree scholar ; he has translated the prayer book aud the Gospel of St. John into Cree, and the translations have been printed by the Church Missionary Society. Mr. Hunter has also made a good commencement in forming a grammar for the Cree language ; he has written out the verb in all its moods, tenses and persons, and is now on his way to England to get it published, with portions of the Scriptures, which he has translated, and which have not yet been printed. Monday the 28th.— This morning, at 9| o'clock, the announcement was made by the skipper, from the top of the observa tory, that the ship was in sight. The tidings pro- duced great excitement, and great joy, in which feeling, I can assure you, I participated. I went into my room, and on my knees gave thanks to the glorious Euler of events, who holds the winds in his fist, and the waters in the hollow of his hand, for thus giving this timely relief from painful anxiety. The packet boat and the skipper, with his fine little vessel, were immediately sent off to the ship, but she being distant twenty miles, and the wind high, they did not reach her until near night. At 12 o'clock at night the packet boat returned, bringing the mail and a few packages. At 1 o'clock, on Tuesday morning, the schooner returned from the ship, with a full cargo, when immediately all hands, who could find room to work, were employed in unload- D 110 KEY. J. RYERSONS VISIT TO ing and conveying the goods to the store-houses. It is surprising with what activity and order the men in the company's employ work. The schooner is one hundred tons burthen, and she was fully loaded, but the whole cargo was discharged, and in the store-houses before seven o'clock in the morning. On Wednesday, Captain Heard, with the cabin passengers, came on shore, among whom was a Mr. George, a catechist of the Church of England, who is on his way to Eed River, where he expects to receive ordination from Bishop Anderson for the missionary work some where in the Territory. Mr. George's station is not yet determined, but he says, although a young man, he has come out with the inten- tion of not returning, having consecrated his life to the missionary work, in the Hudson's Bay Territory: and he had not been at York a day before he com- menced learning' the Cree language. I am sure, my dear sir, you will unite with me in saying, that this is as it should be. On Thursday, the 30th, at 1 o'clock, a. m., Dr. Rae arrived on his return from his exploring expe- dition in the Arctic regions. You are aware that Dr. Rae, a year ago, was sent out by the Hudson's Bay Company, to complete the survey of the west shore of Boothia. Dr. Rae appears to me just the man for such an expedition. He is very muscular and active, full of animal spirits, and has a fine in- tellectual countenance ; he is considered by those who know him well, to be one of the best snow-shoe walkers in the territory, and is also a most excellent Hudson's bay territory. Ill marksman. Dr. Eae failed in completing the survey of the west shore of Boothia, but he has obtained a knowledge of the probable fate of Sir John Frank- lin's party, which cannot fail of being deeply inter- esting to thousands in Europe and America. As Dr. Rae will himself publish an account of the matter, it will not be necessary for me here to mention what I have heard stated in conversations which I have had the pleasure of holding with him on the subject. Dr. Rae is taking home with him a number of arti- cles purchased from the Esquimaux, said to have been obtained where the bodies of the persons who had died of starvation were found, among which are forks, spoons, plates, &c. Dr. Rae spent the last winter at Repulse Bay — lat. 66-32 — dwelling in a house of ice which he and his party built. Sabbath, September 3rd, as on the previous Lord's day, we had Divine service in the dining-hall ; Mr. Mason read the prayers and I preached : the con- gregation was not so large as the Sabbath before- some of the voyageurs having left during the week for the interior. In the afternoon, Mr. McTavish set the men of the fort unloading the schooner, which in the morning had come in from the ship with a full cargo ; but the Christian Indians who were at the fort refused to work, although strongly urged to do so, " it being the Sabbath day." This was a pleasing evidence that Christianity has not only taken strong hold of their hearts, but that they are also obtaining enlightened views of the moral obligations of the Gospel. 112 rev. j. ryerson's visit to On Friday, the 8th, the schooner came in from the ship with the last load of goods, and brought directions from Captain Heard to the officers to commence sending out the furs, &c, for the home- ward cargo, so we were encouraged to indulge the pleasing anticipation of, in a few days, being on the " wide ocean raging," with our faces towards the land of our fathers and of our home. During the day Mr. McTavish conducted me through the principal buildings of the establishment, showing me all the matters and things that it would likely be interesting for a stranger to see ; and at the same time he presented me with two pairs of unusually large horns — one of the red deer or elk, the other moose. A gentleman who spent a number of years in the North-west Territory, gives in substance the following description of the elk and moose. " The elk," he says, " is about the size of a horse, and their bodies are shaped like those of the jumping-deer, — i. e., the deer that are found in the northern parts of the United States and Canada. Their tails are remarkably short, being not more than three inches long. Their hair, which is three inches in length, is of a light grey colour, and is as coars§ as that of the horse. The horns of these animals grow to a very large size ; their extreme points are four or five feet apart, and they branch out before and behind like those of the common deer. Their bodies are well proportioned, and their appearance and movements are noble and majestic ; indeed on the whole, they may be considered the most majes- Hudson's bay territory. 113 tic animals that roam through the forests of North America. They shed their horns in the month of February or March ; and by August the new ones are nearly at their full growth. Notwithstanding the size and strength of these animals and the means of defence with which they are furnished — they are as timorous as a hare. Their skins art very useful, and will dress as well as that of a buck. They feed on grass and buds, and the twigs of trees. Their flesh is tender — of a very fine flavour." The moose is, in size, next to the buffalo, among the animals of the north west. The body, in shape, is something like that of an ox — raw boned, with high haunches ; but its neck and head resemble those of the horse. The ears are large, like those of an ass. The horns are flat and branch out only behind, and are shed every year. The feet resemble those of the deer, excepting as they are much lon- ger aud broader ; and when the animal puts them ou the ground the hoofs separate, two or three inches. The head is about two feet long. The upper is much longer than the under lip of this animal ; and the nostrils are so wide that a man might thrust his hand into them to a considerable distance. The colour of the moose is a light grey, mixed with a deep red, and the hair is so elastic that its shape can not be altered by beating. The flesh of this animal is exceedingly good food, it bein«" easy of digestion, and very nourishing, as well as very palatable. The nose, and upper lip which is large and loose from the gums, are esteemed a great 114 REV. J. RYERS0NS VISIT TO delicacy ; it is of a consistence between marrow and gristle, and when properly dressed, is certainly a rich and luxurious dish. The hide of the moose makes excellent leather, as it is thick and strong, and when dressed, it is remarkably soft and pliable. The pace of the moose is a walk or trot, and it is exceeded in swiftness by very few of its fellow ten- ants of the forest. It will with ease trot over a fallen tree five feet in diameter. This animal is commonly found in low ground, where it feeds on moss and the buds of trees. The moose generally remains alone, although sometimes five or six of them are found together. Their senses of hearing and smelling are amazingly acute, and therefore the least noise, made by a hunter, such as the rustling of dry leaves, or the breaking of a small branch, will be heard by this animal at a great distance, and will instautly alarm its fears. "When put to flight, the moose does not, like the deer and most animals, run a short distance and then stop until it perceives some new appearance of danger ; but very frequently he will not make the least halt until he has run ten or fifteen miles. No other animal that runs in the woods is so difficult to approach. The elk and moose horns, presented to me by my kind friend Mr. McTavish, I intend, through you, my dear sir, to present to the Missionary Board in Toronto ; and perhaps they may be seen, and may be objects of interest when you and I shall have passed away, and shall be known on earth no more. On Sabbath the 10th, at half-past ten o'clock, HORNS OF THE ELK. HORNS OP THE MOOSE HUDSON S BAY TERRITORY. 115 Mr. Hunter read prayers, and preached an excellent sermon, by which I was instructed and spiritually benefitted. Mr. Mason by the sacrament of Bap- tism, received into the Christian Church, seven adults, Indians, besides several children. It was pleasing to see these once heathen, and children of the forest, giving themselves to the Saviour, and "wit- nessing a good confession before many witnesses." On Sabbath the 17th at half-past ten o'clock I preached, Mr. Mason reading the service. At half- past three, P. M., Mr. Mason preached in Cree to between twenty and thirty Indians. I am, Rev. and Dear Sir, Most affectionately yours, J. Ryerson. The Rev. Enoch Wood, &c. &c. &c. Letter XII. York, Hudson's Bay, 10th Sept., 1854 Rev. and Dear Sir, — Before concluding the let- ters which I have taken the liberty to address to you respecting the matters and things as I saw them in Rupert's Land, during my tour, — I beg to make a few remarks respecting the Hon. Hudson's Bay Com- pany, and I will state what I have to say, in as few words as I can. It was in the year 1669 that the Hudson's Bay Company, under the direction of 116 rev. j. ryerson's visit to Prince Rupert was formed in London for the pur pose of prosecuting the fur trade in the regions sur- rounding the Hudson's Bay. • The charter which was obtained from Charles the II. gave to them and their successors, under the style and title of the Governor anfl Company of Ad- venturers trading in Hudson's Bay, the exclusive right of trading in all the country watered by rivers flowing into the Hudson's Bay. The charter also authorized them to build and fit out men of war, build fortifications, establish forts, and to. do anything necessary to protect them- selves, and to prevent any other company from car- rying on trade with the Indians in their territories. The charter at the same time required them to do all in their power to promote discovery, and the religious and moral interests of the natives. Armed with such ample powers the Company forthwith established a fort or trading place near the head of James' Bay, now called Moose Factory; very soon afterwards a number of other forts were built in dif- ferent parts of the territory; so that before long, the Company being wealtliy, extended their trade and spread over regions, far beyond their originally char- tered limits. The Hudson's Bay Company, however, found a strong and active rival in the North-West Company, which had been engaged in the fur trade in many parts of the country before them. Between the officers and servants of the two Companies there was a continual strife, and very frequently most serious feuds occurred, even to the Hudson's bay territory. 117 shedding of blood and taking life. But in the year 1821 the Companies united and were merged in one, under the name of the Hudson's Bay Company, since which time the united Company's business has been much more prosperous, and the govern- ment and management of their affairs much more wise and religious. The extent of territory over which the Hudson's Bay Company carry on their trade, and throughout which Depots and Forts are established, is very great. As the crow flies the distance between Fort Van Couver, on the Oregon, and Fort Confi- dence, on Bear Lake, exceeds 1350 geographical miles, and the space between the Company's posts on the Labrador coast, or their station at Sault Ste. Marie, and Fort Simpson on the Pacific, measures more than 2500 miles ; the territory is supposed to be somewhat more than 4,000,000 of square miles, or about one third greater than the whole extent of Europe. Throughout this vast extent of terrritory, a regular communication is kept up between the Governor and the numerous scattered Posts, and supplies are forwarded to all the districts annually with a regularity aod exactness truly wonderful. The country is divided into four large depart- ments, called the Northern, Southern, Montreal, and Columbia Departments. The Northern Depart- ment includes all the Company's establishments in the far north and frozen regions. The Southern department includes those stations to the south of York, the forts at the head of James Bay and along the shores of Lake Superior. The Montreal De- partment includes the country in the neighbourhood of Montreal, up the Ottawa River and along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Es- quimaux Bay, and the Columbia Department com- prehends an immense extent of country to the West of the Rocky Mountains, including the Oregon Ter- ritory, in which the Hudson's Bay Company still continues to trade. These departments are again divided into smaller portions called Districts, each of which is under the direction of a superintending officer ; and these again are subdivided into numer- ous minor establishments, forts, posts, and outposts . These forts or posts have a complement of men, varying from four to forty each, with an officer who has charare. There is connected with each district a depot to which all the supplies for the district are forwarded, and to which all the furs, &c, from the forts are sent to* be forwarded to England. York Fort is a depot of the Northern Department. — Moose Factory is the depot of the Southern Depart- ment. Lachine is the depot of the Montreal De- partment ; and Fort Van Couver is the depot of the Columbia Department. There are belonging to the Northern Department, thirty-five Forts or Stations; to the southern twenty- five, — to the Montreal, thirty-four, — and to the Columbia Department twenty-one, making in the whole Territory one hundred and sixteen depots, and trading stations, in each of which, as I have stated, there is a superintending officer and from Hudson's bay territory. 119 four to forty men, mechanics, labouiers, servants, Sec. Besides, the Company employ multitudes of men as voyageurs, manning and working the boats and canoes, in every part of the Territory, There are now at the York Depot not less than forty boats that have brought down loads of furs from the interior, and as soon as they can be loaded will return freighted with the winter supply of goods for the various inland stations. Besides these now waiting for their loading, I have met since I left Red River, between forty and fifty more boats which had been down, and were returning with their loads. — Each of these boats will carry from four to five tons, and is manned with from seven to twelve men. There are eighty or ninety beats with their crews of some seven or eight hundred voyageurs ; and this is but a mere fraction of the water craft and hands to man it, which the Company has employed. It is sup- posed by gentlemen connected with the Company that they have not less than forty thousand pounds invested in shipping and boats alone. The Company is governed by a Governor and Committee, residents in London, elected by the stock-holders, who meet once a year for the trans- action of general business, and to discuss and re- ceive reports, &c. The Committee in London appoints a resident Superintendent or Governor who presides at the Councils of Chief Factors and Chief Traders, by whom the business in America is con- ducted, and the instructions of the Home Commit- 120 rev. j. ryerson's visit to tee carried into effect. The officers of the company in the Territory consist of, first, as we have just stated, a Governor ; the present Governor is Sir George Simpson, who resides at Lachine, uear Mon- treal, but makes an annuai visit to the Territory. Next the Chief Factor, or share holder ; this is the highest rank under the Governor, to which any one in the service can rise: his salary at presentis about £500 a year. The next officer in the descending line is that of Chief Trader, or half share-holder ; next come the Clerks, then Apprentice Clerks, then thePostMaster, usually a promoted labourer, who for good beha- viour or faithful service has been partly put upon a footing with the gentlemen of the service. Then there is the interpreter, who for the most part is a more than ordinary intelligent labourer of pretty long standing in the service, who, having obtained some knowledge of the Indian tongue, is found to be very useful in trading with the natives. Every officer knows his place and his work : the laws regu- lating their duties are clearly defined, and well un- derstood, and are enforced with a strictness and rigour truly military and naval. Hence the har- monious working of the whole extensive and com- plicated machinery, and the wonderful finan- cial results of its operations. For instance, there were eight boats in the two brigades, with which I came to York, from Norway House ; these boats were loaded with furs from the Mackenzie River ; in each of these boats they were forty-two packs of furs, each of which, I was told, REV. J. RYERSON's VISIT TO 121 was of the average value of £75 — so that there were brought to this depot by eight boats only, furs that in the English Market will bring more than twenty-five thousand pounds. "We may infer from this what the annual aggregate product of the Company's trade must be through these im- mense territories. There was sold at the Company's premises in London in the year 1848, 21,348 beaver skins, 54 lbs of coat beaver and pieces ; 6,588 otter, 1102 fishers, 900 silver foxes ; 19,449 cross, white, red, &c. ; 31,115 lynxes ; 11,292 wolf; 908 wolvereen ; 150,785 martin ; 38,103 mink ; 195 sea otter, 150 fur seal ; 2997 bear ; 18,553 musk rats ; 1651 swan; 632 cat; 2,889 deer; 209Qraccoon, and sundry smaller lots. The sales in London alone amount to more than £200,000 per annum, and this forms but a small part of the yearly returns from the Company's Territories, large quantities being exported to the continent, to the United States, and to Canada ; and occasionally furs are exported by the Company to China. With regard to the bearing of the Hudson's Bay Company towards the religious matters of the "ter- ritory, I cannot speak very confidently, not having been long enough iu the country, nor had an op- portunity to form a perfect judgement. That many of their officers are gentlemen of elevated and noble minds, and are decidedly favorable to the chri-tian- izing of the natives, there can be no doubt. I never received more kind and respectful treatment from any class of men than I have from the Company's Officers in every place I visited throughout my en- tire tour. The following note extracted from a let- ter I received from the Eev. Mr. Brooking, will show his opinion on this subject : — " To the Eev, J. Eyerson : " Eev. and Dear Sir, — You requested me to im- part to you my views with regard to the bearing of the Hudson's Bay Company on the interests of Christian Missions among the aboriginal tribes of this country. I can only say that so far as my ob- servation goes, I think it to be decidedly friendly. I have spoken with most of the gentlemen in charge of the stations through which we have passed, on the subject, and in only one instance did I find anything like hostility or even indifference. In most cases the prevailing feeling was in favour of christianizing the natives. This was especially the case with J. Hargrave, Esq., at the Sault St. Marie, and George Barnston, Esq., at Norway House ; and W. Mac- tavish, Esq., at the York Depot. I was assured by the latter gentlemen in a conversation I had with him, that he was fully of opinion that the interests of Missions, and of the Hon. Company were identi- cal, and in promoting the cause of Missions, he was also promoting the interests of the Company. — " The fact that the sale of spirituous liquors is pro- hibited as far as possible, can only be properly esti- mated by those who have had the oversight of Indians when they had access to it." The Hon. Hudson's bay territory. 123 Hudson's Bay Company appropriate annually con- siderable sums for the diffusion of religion in the territory. Bishop Anderson at Red River receives £300. The Rev. Mr. Chapman, Chaplain at Fort Garry, £150, and the Bishop's School receives from the Company £100 per annum. The Rev. Mr. Cowley, Missionary among the Indians at ' Red River has allotted to him £50 ; the Missionary at Moose Factory has £50 ; the Rev. Mr. Mason, of York, has also £50. To the Methodist Missions, there is given to Lac La Pluie, £50 ; Norway House, £50 ; Oxford Place, £50 ; Edmonton, £20. Besides these, there are considerable sums given to the Roman Catholic Missionaries, the exact amount of which I do not know. The Rev. Mr. Black, Presbyterian Minister at Red River, also receives annually the sum of £50. All these grants make the sum of £820 sterling given for the support of Pro- testant Missions by the Company, besides the £100 per annum given to Bishop Anderson's School. To be sure these are small sums when viewed in connec- tion with the trade of the Company, the net gaiDs of which is supposed to be not less than fifty thousand pounds a-year, after paying the officers and every ex- pense ; yet small as they confessedly are, they still in- dicate a favourable disposition on the part of the Company towards the interests of the Christian Reli- gion in the territory. One thing I can say with satis- faction, that I shall always entertain a pleasing and grateful recollection of the kind and honourable 124 rev. j. ryerson's visit to treatment that I every where in the terrritory re- ceived from the Company's officers, and the facilities which they cheerfully afforded in promoting the objects of my mission." I am as ever, Rev. and dear Sir, Yours, most affectionately,. J. Ryerson. The Rev. E. Wood, &C, &c, Q t-t CD H > l-l o W to H to W a o CO c CO CO H Hudson's bay territory. 137 directly against us ; we are making, perhaps, no pro- gress, but are beating about to avoid the ice-bergs with which we are surrounded ; for two or three hours we have been near the monster ice-bers: we struck last night ; it almost makes one's blood freeze in the veins to look at its bold front of breast-work, seventy-five or a hundred feet above the water ; it appears to be nearly four-square. There are now in sight thirteen ice-bergs : they surround us on every side, like herculean beasts of prey, waiting to swal- low us up. I forgot to say in the proper place, that we struck the ice-berg in lat 62 32, and long. 71 west. Tuesday, Oct. 3d. For six or seven days we have been contending with a strong wind, that continues -to blow most spitefully against us. It is now the fourteenth day since we left the Five Fathom Hole at York, and we have vet more than a hundred miles to make, before reaching the mouth of the Straits ! We are also still surrounded with ice- bergs ; a few moments ago there were eighteen in sight. The wind being high and directly against us, our better way would be to lay-to, but for the ice- bergs ; but that we may keep out of their way, we are obliged to keep the ship constantly sailing. On the 4th we encountered one of the most terri- fic gales ever met with in these waters. Our sails were torn to pieces, the jolly-boat broken, and other- wise much injury done to the ship, and besides were driven forty-five miles back towards Hudson's Bay ; but by Friday the 6th, we had regained our lost ground, and had reached the Buttons Islands, at the 138 rev. j. ryerson's visit to mouth of the Straits, passing them at six o'clock in the evening. For five days after we got out of the Straits, we had a fair wind and fine sailing. During the time we made more than a thousand miles of our voyage. We then met with another gale, that last- ed for the most part of forty-eight hours, and did the ship much harm. During the rest of our voyage, the wind was mostly favourable. We arrived in London Oct. the 29th, 1854. Allow me to remark in conclusion, that Captain Heard is a most active and skilful commander ; and from no officer with whom I ever sailed did I ever receive so many acts of kindness, and experience so much attention. — The passengers" in the gentleman and ladies' cabins, amounting to sixteen in number, were also most kind and agreeable. We lived together like a family of brothers and sisters, all endeavoring to contribute to the welfare and happiness of each other. I expect to sail from Liverpool, for America, about the 25th proximo ; so I hope soon to have the pleasure of vitsing my native land and home, and of seeing you, my Dear Sir, and my friends in Canada. A3 ever, Rev. and Dear Sir, Most respectfully yours, J. Ryersox. The Rev. E. Wood, &c. Hudson's bay territory. 139 Letter XV. . Kingston, Feb. 8th, 1855. Rev. and Dear Sir, — Understanding- that it is your intention to publish the Letters respecting my late tour through the Hud- son's Buy Territory, (which I have taken the liberty of addressing to you,) in a more substantial form than in the columns of a newspaper, it has occurred to me that some general remarks in reference to several of the matters mentioned in the correspon- dence might not be out of place in an additional let- ter or two. In my last letter I stated that I arrived in Eng- land on the 24th of October, after a very tempes- tuous and perilous voyage of thirty-four days from York Place, in Hudson's Bay. I remained in Lon- don about six weeks, and then took passage for Boston, the 9th of December, in the British steam- ship America. "We arrived at Boston on the 25th, having made the passage from Liverpool in sixteen days. I was detained in Boston two days ; during which time I heard more profane swearing, and wit- nessed more drunkenness and disorder in the streets, than I heard or saw during the six weeks I was in London. By the lying and deception of railroad conductors and hotel-keepers, I was detained on the road between Boston and Brantford three days and two nights, so that I did not reach home until Fri- day evening, the 29th of December. On arriving 140 eev. J. ryerson's visit to at home I found my family and friends well, and I need not tell you that I was glad to meet and em- brace them after an absence of seven months; during which time I had travelled nearly ten thousand miles; was exposed to all kinds of weather ; endured all kinds of fatigue ; was exposed to all kinds of dan- gers, yet without receiving any personal injury, or being one day detained during the whole tour by sickness. To that gracious Providence which watches over the servants of God with more than parental kindness, numbering the hairs upon their heads, and guiding their every step, I desire to ren- der hearty praise and thanks for the many deliver- ances wrought out for me, and the secure protection that was continually afforded me. The mode of travelling in the Hudson's Bay Ter- ritory is novel, and for the most part dangerous. In the summer it is in boats or canoes ; in the winter season it is in sledges drawn by dogs, or on foot, with snow-shoes. I have some where given you an imperfect description of the boats and canoes used in the territory ; but as the summers are short, the time for voyaging is comparatively so also, and con- sequently, during the greater part of the year, all travelling in Rupert's Land is either on foot, with snow-shoes, or in sledges drawn by dogs. The In- dian snow-shoe is formed of two pieces of light wood, fastened together at both ends, and spread out near the middle, thus making a kind of long oval, the in- terior of which is filled up by a sort of net work, made of deer-skin threads ; they are from three to t) o O O t> o pj : j ►3 Ed > packet to the South, of writing to you. I shall ever esteem it a privilege to communicate with you from time to time as opportunities present, and I hope you will not fail to write us occasionally as your numerous engagements will allow. Mrs. Brook- ing and myself frequently dwell with gratification on the kindness and respect we received from you during our long and arduous journey to this coun- try. Everyday more strongly convinces me that your coming to Hudson's Bay was of the utmost impor- tance to the future well being of these Missions. I am thankful that we have now got our house very comfortably fixed for the winter, though not quite finished, we hope to have it completed EUDSON's BAY. APPENDIX. 163 in the inside by Christmas. The great clay chim- ney which stood in the centre of the house I removed altogether, and have got a small one erected in the roof for the two stove pipes. By this arrangement we have an excellent passage through the house, and a good cellar where the chimney stood. Oat of the large room on the right hand side, we have now a comfortable living-room, a small but convenient bed-room, and a small store closet. On the other side we have a good bed-room, and a small sitting-room, on which I am now at work, and hope to have it finished in about a week. All this I have done, besides making several articles of fur- niture, with my own hands, and busy enough I have been, I can assure you. It is true I had the servi- ces of a young man, a boat-builder, who came out in the ship, that assisted in rough-plaining some of the boards, but he has returned to Oxford House, his services being required there. In addition to this, we have erected a good fish-house ; so you see that we have not been idle. I have still a hard winter's work before me, as you must be aware, in getting out wood, and erecting the other necessary buildings for the successful carrying on of this Mis- sion. We have also got our Church in such a state as to answer our purpose during the present winter. I am glad that I have as yet no cause to alter my opinion in reference to the situation of the Mission. AVe have already upwards of twenty families who 164 REV. J. RYERSONS VISIT TO make this their home, and more are coming in the spring on their return from hunting. "We cannot of course, expect that all the Indians icill at once give up their icande?'ing habit, and settle down into civilized life ; this would be contrary to the nature of things. It must be a work of time ; and I am fully convinced that when the large mass of them see the superior advantages of such a course, that no insuperable difficulties will be met with in getting them together. I also think that no better place could be selected, as there is more good land extend- ing along for four or five miles on the shores of this beautiful bay, than can be found in one place, any- where else in this neighbourhood. "We have already formed a Society by receiving upwards of twenty on trial ; and the blessed Lord is evidently carrying on a gracious work. "When the Indians are all at home our usual congregation consists of upwards of a hundred persons, and at times considerably more ; not one who is not pre- vented by sickness, in the whole settlement, but what attend the means of grace ; and their appearance would do credit to those whose circumstances are more propitious than theirs. Just now our congre- gation consists of women and children, the men being absent on their winter hunt. They return again at Christmas, and remain a few days, when they go ofi" aud remain away until the ice breaks up in the spring. My opinion in reference to the Honourable Com- pany's treatment of the Indians has undergoue no Hudson's bay. — appendix. 165 change. I am quite convinced that, all things con- sidered, it is the best system that could well be de- vised. The Indians here are far better off than they are in Canada. The Company supplies them with articles of excellent quality, at prices far more reasonable than the same articles can be obtained for in Canada. Those who from old age and infir- mities are not able to procure their own living are greatly assisted, and in some cases wholly maintain- ed at the Company's establishments. Then as to intemperance, I have seen no persons, either white or red since I came to the country who have shown the least symptom of this detestable vice. I have every reason to believe, therefore, that the Company's treatment of the Indians is highly conducive to their welfare. I, of course, speak in reference to those who are more immediately under the Com- pany's controul. The striking contrast between those and the Lac La Pluie Indians, who have ac- cess to the American Fur Traders, will best illustrate this. For they, as you are aware, are a set of raga- muffins, if indeed such a ter n can be applied to those who, when we passed them, were nearly in a state of nudity. I must now proceed to mention a few of our wants. I was greatly perplexed for a bell to call our people together at the services, and puzzled my brains to find out a substitute ; we had not even a tin horn, which would have done pretty well. I at length bethought me of the large pit saw, which when hung up and beaten with a stick made a tolerable substitute ; but it cannot be heard very far. A bell, therefore, we must have as soon as possible. We also want a Sacramental Service, if one can be obtained. I believe Mrs. B. has written her friends both in Canada and England for some such things as worsted thread, needles, &c, in or- der that the females may be instructed in knitting and sewing &c; and also pieces of prints and calico, and such things as will make the litlle school girls dresses. Any of these things which our friends in Canada are disposed to contribute, should be sent off to England, so as to arrive there early in May, as the ship leaves London about the first of June. We also want above all things the prayers of the faithful : ours is an arduous and important undertak- ing, Our position is an isolated one. We have none here to sympathise with us, and have many difficulties and temptations peculiar to the position we occupy. Urge this upon the attention of our dear people at home, and then I am sure we shall not fail to have an interest in their prayers, and a share in their benevolence. I had almost forgotten to say that your name is likely to be perpetu- ated in these parts ; Mr. Sinclair, our Schoolmaster and Interpreter, has given to his youngest son, born since his arrival on this Mission, the name of John Rverson, as a token of respect. Yours, &c, R. Brooking. The Rev. John Ryerson, Co-Delegate, &c, Hudson's bay. — appendix. 167 chapter iii* LETTER FROM A CREE LABOURER. Oxford House, Dec. 9th, 1854. To the Rev. John Hyerson. Having been called upon by you to labour with the Missionary at this place, I cannot let this oppor- tunity pass without dropping you a few lines, because I know you are very anxious to hear from the Mission field \ and I believe many of your Christians in Canada will be interested to hear of the rapid progress of Christianity among the people of this place. Since our arrival at this place many of them have been baptized, and embraced the truth of Christianity ; but we still look forward, praying to our heavenly Father that more souls may be added to our numbers. But we are sorry to state, though not utterly cast down, that we still have heathenish ignorance around us to destroy, horrible darkness to dispel, hearts of stone to break, as you beheld on your way down to York Factory. But we are not discouraged ; we are looking for- ward to see the final triumph of the blessed Gos- pel in every part of this habitable place. We thank you with our hearts for your visit to Oxford Mission, and we earnestly pray you to remem- ber us now that you are in Canada among your friends. In memory of you, and your visit to this 168 rev. j. ryerson's visit to place, I have given your honoured name, " John Ryerson," to my infant, who was baptised by the Rev. R Brooking- two weeks ago. Although I have not been able to teach school for want of things I have asked you to send, I have not been idle. I have laboured hard with my hands in helping to make a fish house, and chimney, and other things ; and we have hard winter work before us. And we trust that our Christian fathers will send us books, and all other school articles to begin our school with these poor children, which they mostly need at pre- sent, and which are long expected by their Christian parents. I am happy to state to you that many of these people that were once worshippers of idols, are casting away their idols to the moles and to the bats, and are now sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in their right minds. It is a blessed thing, my Christian friend, to be the means, under God, of saving them from perdition ! We rejoice that the Lord is working in this place. His work is going on ; idolators giving up their idolatrous worship, and some of them becoming true " Christians indeed, in whom is no guile." , In addition to my letter to you, first, I would write respecting myself ; and secondly, respecting the children of this place. First, I am a native of this place, but when I was young my parents removed to Norway House before any Missionary came to Hudson's bay. — appendix. 169 that place ; but before long Missionary arrived amongst us, who took me and taught me, and used all his effort to make me happy, and to bring me up in the Christian knowledge ; where I was instructed to pray to the true God, and to read the most holy word of God ; and as I was enabled to read the word of God and begin to understand it a little, I found that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I was chief. I now and then saw more and more of the beauty and excellency of the blessed Gospel, which conveys eternal salvation to all man- kind. And as I was enabled, by the grace of God, to see the effects of the Gospel of Christ, I knew how to pray to the Great Spirit to pardon my sius, to make me happy, and to bless my soul. I believed, I prayed more and more, and God in his great mercy heard my prayer. Since I was converted I had an earnest desire that all around me should be made happy, converted to God, and have their eyes opened to behold the wonderful works of God. This is my prayer to God ; for I feel that I can never do too much for him who left the highest throne in glory for the cross of deepest woe, in order to give men a place in the mansions of his love. I .feel it is a high privilege to be a co-worker with the blessed God, in rescuing souls from a curse of eternal sinning, and suffering, and raising them to everlasting life, holiness, happiness, and glory! Oh that this cause would go on ! But we rejoice to know that the cause of God will go on. It has c2 170 rev. j. ryerson's visit to Omnipotence for its support. Jesus "shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parte of the earth for his possession." This is what we greatly needed ; and I believe it is the Lord who put it in the hearts of his servants to think of us, to sympathize with us, to feel for us, and to send us the gospel. We cannot express our gratitude to the God of mercies, who has inclined the hearts of the good people in Canada to send us Missionaries in this dark benighted land,though we are unable to re- compense them for their so many favours to us ; but we trust that they shall be " recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Secondly. As I have afore said to the Christian friends in Canada, respecting our intended school at Oxford Mission, I would like to say a little m-ore to you. Instead of giving you a happy account of our intended school at this place, I inform you of the Ead circumstances of it. Since our arrival at this place we did not keep any kind of school that would benefit the children of this place, because we have not a book to teach them out of. If we should' teach them, it would be only to teach them to repeat their lessons by heart, which is not the proper means to make them know something. Many times these poor children come in to my house, requesting me to teach them to read, and to sing the sacred hymns. They are very fond of reading the word of God. and singing the sacred music. This is what we want,, and we are willing also with all our utmost ability to Hudson's bay. — appendix. 171 impress on their minds those truths " which are able to make them wise unto salvation." In order, therefore, to fulfil their request when they come in to me, I make them read out of my own Testament, as many as are able to read a little, and the rest I make them* to sing the hymns in their own tongue. Having reported to you, therefore, the sad state of our intended school, I earnestly beg my Christian friends to send them books, and all other articles that will be useful for our school at this place. I do beg for them spelling and reading books, Testa- ments, Bibles, copy books, slates, and slate pencils, &c. &c. And I also beg for them some kind of musical instrument, that would amuse our children, or to start out our tunes with, (such as acordeon and tune fork.) And we also beg for them some kind of clothing ; for they are very naked. We would be heartily obliged to our Christian friends i f they send them some kind of printed calico, thread, thimbles and several articles for girls; and some kind of shirting, or any kind of wearing stuff for boys, that they may be clean when they go to school, but more especially when they go to the house of God on the Sabbath days. Since we know then that you are the leader of this work, we ask you to pray for us, and for these little ones in this place, that they may have the means of learning the truth of Gocl, for I verily believe that the children of this place will readily learn what is far better than to learn merely the use of their bows and arrows. I have often been deeply affected on Sabbath even- 172 rev. j. ryerson's visit to ings while standing in front of my house, and listen- ing to the voice of singing from many a little house or tent, which is the only interruption to the Sabbath's stillness which surrounds us. One cannot but rejoice to see young and old with their Indian printed books in their hands, as they hasten from different directions to the house of prayer at the sound' of the " Church-going" beaten saw. We ear- nestly beg our Christian Fathers in a Christian land, to send us a bell for our use, for we much need one for our chapel. I have described to you, my Christian friend, the willingness of these children to be taught what is good ; and also our willingness to teach them the blessed religion of Jesus Christ. And you will also see by this the willingness of the people to become Christians. In conclusion, therefore, of these few lines, I shall, at the very last, write to you about the " lame boy," of whom you said, that we shall remember him always for thy sake ;* though it is a very little that I can do for him myself, yet I can gladly mention to you that Mr. and Mrs. Brooking are using their utmost ability to do him good, which was your desire, though not made known to them by human command. The lame boy has been baptized, and * An Indian boy twelve or thirteen years o'd who appeared to be a cripple from swelling on his knees, whom I found in an In- dian camp at the Mission, with whom I simpatlized, and for whom I prayed. J- *• Hudson's bay. — appendix. 173 well clothed, and now goes to the house of God every Sabbath day. Here, I shall conclude my letter, wishing you to pray for us, that " the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified amongst us, even as it is with you." Thus prays Your favoured Friend, John Sinclair, (alias) Ma-to ne ke-se-kwa we ke mow. CHAPTER IV. SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S PARTY. " TO THE SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY. " Repulse Bay, July 29, 1854. "Sir, — I have the honour to mention, for the infor- mation of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that, during my journey over the ice and snows this spring, with the view of completing the survey of the west shore of Boothia, I met with Esquimaux in Pella Bay, from one of whom I learnt that a party of ' white men'(Kabloonans) had perished from want of food some distance to the westward, and not far beyond a large river containing many falls and rapids. Subsequently, further particulars were re- ceived and a number of articles purchased, which places the fate of a portion, if not all, the then sur- 174 rev. j. ryerson's visit to vivors of Sir John Franklin's long-lost party beyond a doubt — a fate as terrible a3 the imagination can conceive. " The substance of the information obtained at various times and from various sources was as fol- lows : — " In the spring, four winters past (spring, 1850,) a party of "white men," amounting to about forty, were seen travelling southward over the ice and dragging a boat with them, by some Esquimaux, who were killing seals near the north shore of King "William's Land, which is a large island. None of the paity could speak the Esquimaux language intelli- gibly, but by signs the natives were made to under stand that their ship, or ships, had been crushed by ice, and they were now going to where they expected to find deer to shoot. From the appearance of the men, all of whom, except one officer, looked thin, they were then supposed to be getting short of provisions, and they purchased a small seal from the natives. At a later date the same season, but previous to the break- ing up of the ice, the bodies of some 30 persons were discovered on the continent, and five on an island near it, about a long day's journey to the N. W. of a large stream, which can be no other than Back's Great Fish Eiver (named by the Esquimaux Oot- ko-hi-ca-lik), as its description and that of the low shore in the neighbourhood of Point Ogle and Mon- treal Island agree exactly with that of Sir Geo. Back. Some of the bodies had been buried (probably Hudson's bay. — appendix. 175 » those of the first victims of famine) ; some were in a tent or tents ; others were under the boat which had been turned over to form a shelter, and several lay scattered about in different directions. Of those foum! on the island one was supposed to have been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped over his shoulder and his double-barrelled gun lay underneath him. " From the multilated state of many of the corpses and the contents of the kettles, it is evident that our wretched countrymen had been driven to the last resource — cannibalism — as a means of pro- longing existence. " There appeared to have been abundant stock of ammunition, as the powder was emptied in a heap on the ground by the natives, out of the kegs or cans containing it, and a quantity of ball and shot was found below high water mark, having probably been left on the ice close to the beach. There must have been a number of watches, compasses, tele- scopes, guns, (several double-barrelled,) &c, all of which appeared to have been broken up, as I saw pieces of these different articles with the Esqui- maux, and, together with some silver spoons and forks, purchased as many as I could get. A list of the most important part of these I enclose, with a rough sketch of the crests and initials on the forks aud spoons. The articles themselves shall be handed over to the Secretary of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company on my arrival in London. 176 REV. J. RYERS0NS VISIT TO "None of the Esquimaux with whom I conversed had seen the ' whites,' nor had they ever been at the place where the bodies were found, but had their information from those who had been there, and who had seen the party when travelling. " I offer no apology for taking the liberty of addressing you, as I do so from a belief that their Lordships would be desirous of being put in posses- sion at as early a date as possible of any tidings, however meagre and unexpectedly obtained, regard- ing this painfully interesting subject. " I may add that by means of our guns and nets, we obtained an ample supply of provisions last autumn, and my small party passed the winter in snow-houses in comparative comfort, the skins of the deer shot affording abundant warm clothing and bedd.ng. My spring journey was a failure in con- sequence of an accumulation of obstacles, several of which my former experience in Arctic travelling had not taught me to expect. " I have, &c, " John Rae, C. F., " Commanding Hudson's Bay Company's Arctic Expedition." List of articles purchased from the Esquimaux, said to have been obtained at the place where the bodies of the persons reported to have died of fa- mine were found, viz : — " 1 silver table fork — crest, an animal's head with wings, extended above ; 3 silver table forks — Hudson's bay. — appendix. 177 crest, a bird with wings extended ; 1 silver table spoon — crest, with initials ' F. R. M. C (Captain Crozier, Terror) ; 1 silver table spoon and 1 fork — crest, bird with laurel branch in mouth, motto, 1 Spero meliora ; 1 silver table spoon, 1 tea spoon, and 1 dessert fork — crest, a fish's head looking upwards, with laurel branches on each side ; 1 sil- ver table fork— initials, ' H. D. S. G.' (Harry D. S. Goodsir, assistant-surgeon, Erebus) ; 1 silver table fork' — initials, 'A. M'D.' (Alexander M'Donald, as- sistant-surgeon, Terror) ; 1 silver table fork — initials, 1 G. A. M.' (Gillies A. Macbean, second-master, Ter- ror) ; 1 silver table fork — initials, ' J. T.' ; 1 silver dessert spoon — initials ' J. S. P.' (John S. Peddie, surgeon, Erebus) ; 1 round silver plate, engraved, ' Sir John Franklin, K. C. B.' ; a star or order, with motto, « Nee aspera terrent, G.R. III., MDCCCXV.' " Also a number of other articles with no marks by which they could be recognized, but which will be handed over with those above named to the Se- cretary of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company. " John Rae, C. F. " Repulse Bay, July, 1854." 178 rev. j. ryerson's visit to chapter v. MISSTATEMENTS CORRECTED. Kingston, March 22nd, 1855. Rev. and Dear Sir, — A day or two since my attention was directed to an article in the Christian Guardian, selected from the " Athenaeum," and headed "Probable Fate of Sir John Franklin," — so full of perfectly incorrect statements, that I think it may be proper to disa-« buse the minds of any who may chance 1o read it, and thereby be led astray. The writer of this article says that he states the facts from which " an addi- tional gleam of light has been cast over the proba- ble fate of the Franklin Expedition" — on the authority of an Esquimavx "who accompanied Dr. Rae's party, and who has been for many years a member of the Wesleyan congregation at Rossville, in H udson's Bay." Now, no Esquimaux ever re- sided at Rossville, nor do I believe there was ever one within hundreds of miles of that station ; the farthest south in the Hudson's Bay Territory, that I heard of the Esquimaux Indians having come, was Fort Churchill, — a station eight hundred miles north-east of Rossville. The voyageur from Ross- ville, .vho accompanied Dr. Rae's party, is a Crce Indian, and knows little or nothing more about the Esquimaux than I do : — he is brother-in-law to Mr. Steinhaur, the Indian Missionary who accompanied me on my return from the territory, — and I believe HUDSON S BAY. APPENDIX. 179 he has been for a few years a member of the Wes- leyan congregation at Rossville. I saw and conversed with him at York Factory, through Mr. Steinhaur as interpreter, but heard nothing from him of Sir John's being found dead, " with his blanket over him, and his gun by his side," — nor of " Sir John'3 watch, all in pieces, with his silver spoons, knives, and forks ;" nor did he tell me of the Indian's "good sledges, spears, canoes, &c, of oak wood," — all of which is pure fabrication, and the most of it the sheerest nonsense. Dr. Rae, in his letter and jour- nal published in the Times, (England,) sajsnot a word about Sir John's being "found dead, with his blanket over him, and .his gun by his side." All that Dr. Rae says, respecting his learning from cer- tain Esquimaux the fate of Sir John Franklin's party, is, that somewhere not far from Repulse Bay, lat. 66, 32 ; long., 87 degs., where he wintered, he had met with several of the Esquimaux, by whom he was told that four years before, a party of their people had seen some forty white men travelling to- wards the south, and drawing a boat after them ; that they were much emaciated, and apparently quite exhausted ; that not long after thirty corpses were found in one place, and five in another place, supposed to be the bodies of the men before seen. Dr. Rae publishes a list of the articles that he obtained from the Indians, and which they say . were found near the bodies of the persons above mentioned ; but in this list there is no mention of " Sir John's watch, all in pieces, with his silver 180 rev. j. ryerson's visit to spoons, knives, and forks." I regret that I have not at present Dr. Kae's letter by me, (having sent it to be published) as I would like to give a correct list of the articles obtained. I spent three weeks with Dr. Kae at York Factory, and was fellow pas- senger with him to England, during which time I had many conversations with him respecting his ex- ploring tour to Repulse Bay, and the coast of Boo- thia ; also, in regard to his interviews with the Es- quimaux, and what he had learned from them respect- ing the fate of Sir J. Franklin and his party. Dr. Rae repeatedly said that he could get no trace, whatever, of the fate of Sir John Franklin ; that he made parti- cular inquiries, describing Sir John's person as tall, aged, with a grey head, but that the Esquimaux had heard of no man answering this description ; they said there was only one officer with the party of white men that had been seen, and he was compar- atively a young man. Dr. Rae's conclusion, there- fore, was that Sir John had perished long before this party of his crews had reached the point where the Indians met them ; he said there was no prob- ability that Sir John could have long held out in the endurance of the fatigues and exposures of such journeying, being advanced in life, (about 70 years old,) and not very hardy, and but a poor traveller. In addition to this, as the crews &c, of Sir John's two ships amounted to more than eighty men, there were more than forty belonging to the expedition, besides the party the Indians saw, of whom as yet nothing has been heard. Hudson's bay. — appendix. 181 There is another curious statement in this se- lected article ; it says Dr. Rae and his party " were 100 miles beyond the region inhabited by the Es- quimaux." Now, Dr. Rae went no farther north than the neighborhood of Pella Bay, where through- out all the region round about there are found Es- quimaux. But the most curious of all is the " god-send" affair of this article ; — it says h the ship was a great god-send to these people, and they now all have good sledges, spears, canoes, &c, of oak wood." Is it not very mysterious that Dr. Rae, with his inter- preter at his side, should know nothing of these god- sent "sledges, spears, canoes, &c, of oak wood," among the Esquimaux with whom he had inter- course, and that one of his servants should know all about these articles ? Why one would suppose that charity itself, if nothing else, would have in- duced this man to let his master know something about these " canoes, s FROM DOG RIVER to Barriere Portage 37 " Jourdain 3 " Coldwater " 8 " Praiiie " (5 miles long.) • • • »4£ "Milieu " I 18S rev. j. ryerson's visit to To Savamie " (4* miles long) 1| miles. Small Lakes 1 " Savanne River 24 " Mille Lacs 32 " Purtage Pante 9 " Little DichargePortage 11 " French Portage (2| miles long) 5 " PortagedesMortes 18 " Portage deux Rivieres 3 " Sturgeon Lake (to Riviere Maligne) .. 25 " RIVIERE MALIGNE. To First Portage 1 " " Second " \ « " Third " 8 " " Portage De Pile 5 " " Lac la Croix 2 " Across Lac La Croix to River Namacan.10 " RIVER NAMACAN. To First Portage 2 " " Second " 5 " " Third " 8 " " Fourth « 2 " " Lake Namacan • • • * 7 " Lake Namacan 9 " Portage Neufs and Creek down to Lac La Pluie 7 " Lac La Pluie to River 38 " To Fort Frances 2 " Lac La Pluie to Lake of the Woods. . . .83 " Hudson's bay. — appendix. 189 Lake of the Woods to Eat Portage 68 miles. WINIPEG RIVER. Dalles 14 " Grand Decharge 20 Terre Jaunne Portage 3 Cbarette " ••*••* 100 yards. Terre Blanche " 1 mile. Cave " 100 yards. Portage De Tile 18 miles. Chute a Jacquet 26 Pointe du bois Portage 9 Pointe aux Chenes " 100 yards. Roches Brulles " 1 mile. Chute des Esclaves" 5 Barriere ' Grand Rapid 8 " White River-.. 8 « Six portages together in White River. • 5 Lac de Bonet » 8 Aeron " 13 Cap de bonnet Portage 1 Middle " 1 " Grand " 5 » Petites Roches " J " Terre Blanche " 4 " 1st Eau que meut 3 2nd " " 100 yards. 3rd « « 8 miles. Fort Alexander 7 190 rev. j. ryerson's visit, etc. LAKE WINIPEG. Pointe de grand marais 24 miles. Red River Beacon 25 " Red River to Lower Fort Garry. ... 23 " " Upper Fort Garry.... 24 " Lake Winipeg, long 300 " From Lake Winipeg to York Depot 500 " Number of Portages from Lake Win- ipeg to York Depot 37 'FINIS. V ■ ■<■■:■•*■ mzm^m t^0* ':■-:''-*■'•' '- A » »>^- ~ '■ - - *£ c -j? r W> 3§£ffli (KE '" a 0E33fc --*-•■>-•==-■-- 3§K=j rasls KM - ^fiy^ -•'■ • -- jjy w ""-'." -''■'.'- Hp i^ljjjgfc TSi,* Sc^ ;^?5v 3JS? ■!, aflS*- --=