bume, to see Mr. Robertson respecting his quota of men. We
learned from him that, notwithstanding his endeavours to persuade
them, his most experienced voyagers still declined engaging without
very exorbitant wages. After some hesitation, however, six men
engaged with us, who were represented to be active and steady ; and
X also got Mr. Robertson’s permission for St. Germain, an interpreter
belonging to this Company, to accompany us from Slave Lake if he
should choose. The bow-men and steers-men were to receive one
thousand six hundred livres Halifax per annum, and the middle men,
one thousand two hundred, exclusive of their necessary equipments;
and they stipulated that their wages should be continued until their
arrival in Montreal, or their rejoining the service of their present
employers.
I delivered to Mr. Robertson an official request, that the;stores
we had left at York Factory and the Rock Depdt, with some other
supplies, might be forwarded to Slave Lake by the first brigade of
canoes which should come in. He also took charge of my letters
addressed to the Admiralty. Five men were afterwards engaged
from the North-West Company for the same wages, and under the
same stipulations as the others, besides an interpreter for the Copper
Indians ; but this man required three thousand livres Halifax currency,
which we were obliged to give him, as his services were
indispensable.
The extreme scarcity of provision at the posts rendered it necessary
to despatch all our men to the Mammawee Lake, where they
might procure their own subsistance by fishing. The women and
children resident at the fort were also sent away for the same purpose
; and no other families were permitted to remain at the houses
after the departure of the canoes, than those belonging to the men
who were required to carry on the daily duty.
The large party of officers and men which had assembled here
from the different posts in the department, was again quickly dispersed.
The first brigade of canoes, laden with furs, was despatched
to the depót on May 30th, and the others followed in two or three
days afterwards. Mr. Stuart, the senior partner of the North-West
Company, quitted us for the same destination, on June 4th ; Mr.
Robertson, for his depót, on the next day; and on the 9th we parted
with our friend Mr. Keith, to whose unremitting kindness we felt
much indebted. I intrusted to his care a box containing some drawings
by Mr. Back, the map of our route from Cumberland House, and
the of skin a black beaver, (presented to the Expedition by Mr. Smith,)
with my official letters, addressed to the Under Secretary of State.
I wrote by each of these gentlemen to inform Dr. Richardson and
Mr. Hood of the scarcity of stores at these posts, and to request
them to procure all they possibly could on their route. Mr. Smith
was left in charge of this post during the summer; this gentleman
soon evinced his desire to further our progress, by directing a new
canoe to be built for our use, which was commenced immediately.
June 21.—This day an opportunity offered of1 sending letters to
the Great Slave Lake; and I profited by it, to request Mr. Wentzel
would accompany the Expedition agreeably to the desire of the
Copper Indians, communicating to him that I had received permission
for him to do so from the partners of the North-West Company.
Should he be disposed to comply with my invitation, I desired
that he would go over to Fort Providence, and remain near the Indians
whom he had engaged for our service. I feared lest they
should become impatient at our unexpected delay, and, with the
usual fickleness of the Indian character, remove from the establishment
before we could arrive It had been my intention to go to
them myself, could the articles, with which they expected to be
presented on my arrival, have been provided at these establishments;
but as they could not be procured, I was compelled to defer my visit
until our canoes should arrive. Mr. Smith supposed that my ap