JOURNEY TO THE SHORES
OF
THE POLAR SEA.
CHAPTER I.
Departure from England—Transactions at Stromness—Enter Davis’ Straits—Perilous Situation
on the Shore of Resolution Island—Land on the Coast of Labrador—Esquimaux of Savage
Islands—York Factory—Preparations for the Journey into the Interior.
1819. May. W-N Sunday, the 23d of May, the whole of our party
embarked at Gravesend on board the ship Prince of Wales, belonging
to the Hudson’s Bay Company, just as she was in the act of getting
under weigh, with her consorts the Eddystone and Wear. The wind
being unfavourable, on the ebb tide being finished, the vessels
were again anchored; but they weighed in the night, and beat down
as far as the Warp, where they were detained two days by a strong
easterly wind.
Having learned from some of the passengers, who were the trading
Officers of the Company, that the arrival of the ships at either
of the establishments in Hudson’s Bay, gives full occupation to all the
boatmen in their service, who are required to convey the necessary
stores to the different posts in the interior; that it was very probable
a sufficient number of men might not be procured from this
indispensable duty; and, considering that any delay at York Factory
would materially retard our future operations, I wrote to the Under