ocured. Dr. Richardson followed them two days afterwards,
to collect specimens of the rocks in that part of the country. On the
same day the two Belangers arrived from Fort Providence, having been
only five days on the march from thence.

The highest temperature in April was +40 deg., the lowest -32 deg., the mean
+4 deg..6. The temperature of the rapid, examined on the 30th by Messrs.
Back and Hood, was 32 deg. at the surface, 33 deg. at the bottom.

On the 7th of May, Dr. Richardson returned. He informed me that the
rein-deer were again advancing to the northward, but that the leader had
been joined by several families of old people, and that the daily
consumption of provision at the Indian tents was consequently great.
This information excited apprehensions of being very scantily provided
when the period of our departure should arrive.

The weather in the beginning of May was fine and warm. On the 2nd some
patches of sandy ground near the house were cleared of snow. On the 7th
the sides of the hills began to appear bare, and on the 8th a large
house-fly was seen. This interesting event spread cheerfulness through
our residence and formed a topic of conversation for the rest of the
day.

On the 9th the approach of spring was still more agreeably confirmed by
the appearance of a merganser and two gulls, and some loons, or arctic
divers, at the rapid. This day, to reduce the labour of dragging meat to
the house, the women and children and all the men, except four, were
sent to live at the Indian tents.

The blue-berries, crow-berries, eye-berries, and cran-berries, which had
been covered, and protected by the snow during the winter, might at this
time be gathered in abundance, and proved indeed a valuable resource.
The ground continued frozen, but the heat of the sun had a visible
effect on vegetation; the sap thawed in the pine-trees, and Dr.
Richardson informed me that the mosses were beginning to shoot, and the
calyptrae of some of the jungermanniae already visible.

On the 11th Mr. Wentzel returned from the Indian lodges, having made the
necessary arrangements with Akaitcho for the drying of meat for summer
use, the bringing fresh meat to the fort and the procuring a sufficient
quantity of the resin of the spruce fir, or as it is termed by the
voyagers _gum_, for repairing the canoes previous to starting, and
during the voyage. By my desire, he had promised payment to the Indian
women who should bring in any o