was consumed, I had chiefly to regret the loss of my only available barometer. The two which I had brought from England had been damaged in the voyage, and could not be repaired at Montreal; and the one thus unfortunately lost had been most kindly obtained and presented by Mr. Walker, to whom we were under many other obligations.

As I was compelled to hire a certain number of voyageurs for the expedition, and they are generally an extremely superstitious race, there was reason to apprehend that I might find a difficulty in doing so, if, as was not unlikely, they chose to construe as an evil omen this untoward accident, marking the moment of our departure. I must own, therefore, that it was with some pleasure that, on arriving at La Chine the following morning (April 25th), accompanied by my friend Colonel Macdougall, I found them far too assiduous in their libations to Bacchus, to be subject to any less potent influences.

Notwithstanding the alarm and confusion of the preceding night, a number of the officers of the garrison, and many of the respectable inhabitants, collected spontaneously together, to offer us a last tribute of kindness. We em. barked amidst the most enthusiastic cheers, and firing of musketry. The two canoes shot rapidly through the smooth waters of the canal, and

were followed by the dense crowd on the banks. A few minutes brought us to the St. Lawrence, and, as we turned the stems of our little vessels up that noble stream, one long loud huzza bade us farewell!

Both our maitre-canôt *, and the other, which was of smaller dimensions, were rather lumbered than loaded. Every package had been reduced or augmented to a "piece" of 90 lbs. weight; and, as there were only about fifty of these altogether, we were what is termed "halfloaded," and in a condition, therefore, to make reasonable speed, with any thing like an efficient crew. In our case, however, there was an unavoidable mixture of old hands and "mangeurs de lard," or green-horns; and there was scarcely one who had failed to take advantage of the last opportunity of getting drunk. At the head of them was Paul, an old Iroquois guide, who was, however, otherwise invaluable, as, I really believe, he knew the situation of every dangerous rock in the whole line of rapids between Montreal and Hudson's Bay.

Turning off to the right, we entered the Ottawa, which (like the Moselle after its confluence with the Rhine), for some distance below the junction rolls on its brown waters unmixed

* A large canoe used between Montreal and Fort William, on the banks of Lake Superior.

with the clear stream of the St. Lawrence. On coming abreast of a village, near which stood a large cross, a few paces from the church, the more devout of the voyageurs went on shore, and, standing in a musing posture, implored the protection of the patron saint in the perilous enterprise on which they were embarked; while their companions, little affected by their piety, roared out to them to "s'embarquer," and paddled away to the merry tune of a lively canoe song. We soon reached the rapid of St. Anne; and, having ascended it with a trifling injury to one of the canoes, we encamped on an island in the pretty Lake of the Two Mountains.

As our route was precisely the same with that followed by the Company's people every season, which has been described by Sir A. M'Kenzie, as well as by more modern travellers *, a minute detail of our progress seems unnecessary; and it will be sufficient merely to indicate a few of the principal places in the line of country from La Chine to the south-west end of Great Slave Lake, from which point the discovery properly begins. By the kindness of Colonel Duvernet, the canoes were permitted to go through the government canal, which cuts off the dangerous rapid of the long Sault. They were afterwards towed by

• Herman, Ross, Cox, Sir J. Franklin, Major Long, &c.

D

the steam-boat which plies between that place and Bytown, a village beautifully situated on the heights between the Rideau and the Chaudière Falls; in which latter, only the evening before several raftsmen had been unfortunately engulfed. Lieutenant Kains, who commanded the steam-boat, could not be prevailed on to accept any remuneration for the important service thus rendered to us.

During the night, two of our young hands deserted; a casualty, however, which did not give me any uneasiness, and relieved me from any further apprehension on their account. Indeed, the probability of such an event is usually taken into account by those who are accustomed to this mode of travelling, and a few extra men are generally engaged as a reserve.

April 28.- Having arrived at a portage - by which term, it is almost unnecessary to say, is understood a place where, by reason of some obstruction to the navigation, it is necessary to carry the baggage and canoes—we were kindly invited to breakfast at the house of an Indian fur trader of the name of Day. This old gentleman declared, that his feelings were so warmly excited by the praiseworthy object of the expedition, that he could hardly refrain, even at his advanced age, from offering his services. At one of the Company's posts, called Fort des Chats,

I found my three men who had been sent from Montreal; and, having embarked them, with seventeen "pieces" out of nineteen which had been forwarded by the steam-boat, we proceeded along rapids, which more or less detained us until we got to Fort Coulonge. The houses above this were far apart, and the population comparatively thin; but, on my return in 1835, I was agreeably surprised to see many comfortable dwellings erected in the interval, surrounded by smiling corn fields, and animated by groups of both sexes, who looked from the windows or stood on the banks to see us pass.

Leaving the Ottawa, we diverged to the left, up a deep and black stream, so overhung by sombre rocks and withered trees, and so bleak and lifeless, that it seemed the very home of melancholy and despair, and forced upon my recollection an admirable painting representing Sadak in search of the waters of oblivion. It took us to Lake Nipising, whence we descended by the Rivière des Français into Lake Huron; our progress through which was so impeded by fogs and head winds, that it was not until May 11th that we reached the Sault de Ste. Marie, at the head of the lake, and the extreme point to which civilisation has yet extended.

Some surprise was testified at our early arrival by my old acquaintance Mr. Bethune, who in