Borealis, and other meteorological phenomena,
together with the mineralogical and botanical notices, being less
interesting to the general reader, are omitted in this edition.

[1] Voyage to Hudson's Bay in the Dobbs and California.

The men continued to work diligently at the house, and by the 30th of
September had nearly completed it for our reception, when a heavy fall
of rain washed the greater part of the mud off the roof. This rain was
remarked by the Indians as unusual, after what they had deemed so
decided a commencement of winter in the early part of the month. The
mean temperature for the month was 33-3/4 deg., but the thermometer had sunk
as low as 16 deg., and on one occasion rose to 53 deg..

Besides the party constantly employed at the house, two men were
appointed to fish, and others were occasionally sent for meat, as the
hunters procured it. This latter employment, although extremely
laborious, was always relished by the Canadians, as they never failed to
use a prescriptive right of helping themselves to the fattest and most
delicate parts of the deer. Towards the end of the month, the rein-deer
began to quit the barren grounds, and came into the vicinity of the
house, on their way to the woods; and the success of the hunters being
consequently great, the necessity of sending for the meat considerably
retarded the building of the house. In the mean time we resided in our
canvas tents, which proved very cold habitations, although we maintained
a fire in front of them, and also endeavoured to protect ourselves from
the piercing winds by a barricade of pine branches.

On the 6th of October, the house being completed, we struck our tents,
and removed into it. It was merely a log-building, fifty feet long, and
twenty-four wide, divided into a hall, three bed rooms and a kitchen.
The walls and roof were plastered with clay, the floors laid with planks
rudely squared with the hatchet, and the windows closed with parchment
of deer-skin. The clay, which from the coldness of the weather, required
to be tempered before the fire with hot water, froze as it was daubed
on, and afterwards cracked in such a manner as to admit the wind from
every quarter; yet, compared with the tents, our new habitation appeared
comfortable; and having filled our capacious clay-built chimney with
fagots, we spent a cheerful evening before the invigorating blaze. The
change was peculiarly beneficial to Dr. Richardson, who, having, i