»789.
June, aerofs the bay^which is here no 'more than two miles and a half broad,
latitude; the variation of the compafs„bsing. ahput t\yeaty-!%; or twentv-
feven degrees to the Eaft. , ‘
In the afternoon I affembled the Indians, in, order to inform them tha^t
I fhould take my departure on the following d.ay;;,but:that people ppuld
remain on the fpot till their countrymen, whom they hac} mentioned
fhould arrive; and, that, if they brought a fufficient quantity^ {kins to
make it anfwer, the Frenchmen would .return for, more -goods, with a
view to winter here, and build a fort,* which w'opld be continued as. long
as they fhould be found to deferve it. They affured me, that it wquld be
a great encouragement to themto’ have a ,fettlem.<pit pf^oufs-in their
country;, and that they {hould exert thgtp;fejve§.. Jto. .tbq utrnpftt©.,^iil
beav^^hs thqy would then be certain'of getting gn adequate,vjalue,for
them. Hitherto, they laid, the Chepewyans alway^pillaged them; ,Ofj
at moft, gave little or nothing for the >fjiuits of .their labour, which had
greatly difeouraged them; and that, in confequencejof jthjs^tfeatment,
they had no .^motive to purfue the . beaver, but ta^phtai% a fuffipiqqt
quantity of food and raiment,
I now wrote to Meffrs. Macleod and Mackenzie,, and addreffed,my
papers to the former,, at Athabafca.
Thurfday 25. We left this place at three this morning, our canoe being deeply laden,
as we had embarked fome packages that, had come in the. canoes of
M. Le Roux. We were faluted on our departure with fome vollies of
fmall arms-, which we returned, and fleered South by Weft ftraight
* Fort, is the name given to any eftablilhment in this country. S
aerofs
bdi, from the atdouiits o f the natives,; it is fifteen leagues in depth,
With a ifiuch gi%ate.r breadth in -feveral parts, and full o f iflands. I
foundfed in the courfe of the traverfe and found fix fathoms with a
fandy bottom. Here, the land has a very different appearance from
that on Which We have beefl^ fince we entered the lake. Till we
arrived hefe there was one continued^viefW-of high hills and iflands
:bf> Tolid5 ifock, whofe; furface was occafionally enlivened with moft,
Ihrubs, and a few fcattered trees, of • a very Hinted growth from an in-
fufficiency of foil to nouriflx them. But, notwithftanding their barren
appearance, almoft every part of them produces berries o f various kinds,
fuch as cranberries, juniper-berries, rafpberries, partridge berries,
goofeberries, and the pathagomenan, which is fomething like a rafp-
bierry ;■ it grows on a fmall ftalk about a foot and a half high, in wet,
Snoffy fpots< Thefe fruits are in great abundance, though they are not
to be found in the fame places, but in fituations and afpefts fuited to
their peculiar natures.
The land which borders the lake in this part is loofe and landy, but
is well covered'With wood, compoled of trees of a larger growth: it
gradually riles from the (bore, and at fome diftance forms a ridge of
high land running along the coaft, thick with wood and a rocky fummit
riling above it.
We fteered South-South-Eaft nine miles, when we were very
much interrupted by. drifting ice, and with fome difficulty reached
an ifland, where' we landed at feven. I immediately proceeded to
D 2 the