Bay, limestone and sandstone are the
prevailing rocks. The waters of the lake are very clear, and of unknown
depth; forty-fathoms of line were let down near the shore, in Mac Tavish
Bay, without reaching the bottom. There is a considerable quantity of
good wood, principally white spruce, in the vicinity of the lake; but
there is reason to believe that, before many years elapse, it will
become scarce, for it is very slow of growth, and the natives every year
set fire to it in various quarters, and thus destroy it for many miles.
The finest timber was observed on the west side of Great Bear Lake
Mountain. There are good fisheries in Dease Bay, and in various other
quarters of the lake; but the fish taken in Mac Vicar Bay are remarkably
fine and abundant at all seasons of the year. The principal advantage of
the site chosen for Fort Franklin, is its vicinity to the Bear Lake
River, and the great quantity of fish that can be procured at certain
seasons, although they are small and of inferior quality."

On the 5th of this month, the men being called in from the fishery in
Mac Vicar Bay, the whole party was once more assembled at the house,
anxiously looking forward to the arrival of spring. We hailed the
appearance of swans, on the following day, as a sure sign of its
approach. A goose was seen on the 7th, two ducks on the 8th, and on the
9th several gulls were observed in the open water near the Bear Lake
River. The snow, at this time, was rapidly diminishing from the surface
of the lake, and there were many spots of ground visible. We, therefore,
commenced the preparations for the summer's voyage. The seamen were
employed in repairing the coverings and sails of the boats, as well as
in refitting their rigging, and occupation was allotted to every person
in the establishment. These operations requiring the constant
superintendence of the officers, the observations of the magnetic-needle
were discontinued. After the middle of the month, we were visited by
occasional showers of rain, which removed the snow, and produced a
perceptible decay of the ice.

On the 23d, the ice broke away from the shore of the small lake, and
also of Bear Lake, in front of the house. Swans and geese were now daily
passing to the northward; many shots were fired at them, both by the
Indians and our own party, but only a few were killed. The geese were
principally of the kind known to naturalists by the name of Canada
geese, and denominated bustar