at; and passing through a part of Lake Huron,
arrived at Penetanguishene. At this place, we were hospitably
entertained by Lieutenant, now Captain Douglass, during eight days that
we waited for the arrival of our Canadian voyagers from Montreal.

We left Penetanguishene on St. George's day (23d April) in the two large
canoes, which had been deposited at that place in the preceding autumn,
our party, by the accession of the voyagers, now amounted to
thirty-three; and after a few days detention by ice, and bad weather, we
reached Sault de St. Marie on the 1st of May, being ten days or a
fortnight earlier than the oldest resident remembered a canoe from
Canada to have arrived. From the Sault de St. Marie, we coasted the
northern shore of Lake Superior to Fort William, formerly the great
depot of the N.W. Company, where we arrived on the 10th of May. We now
exchanged our two _canots de maitre_ for four small north canoes, in one
of which, more lightly laden, Dr. Richardson and I embarked, with the
view of proceeding as rapidly as possible to arrange supplies of
provision at the different posts, while Lieutenant Back was left to
bring up the three remaining and more deeply laden canoes.

We proceeded by the route delineated in the maps through Rainy Lake, the
Lake of the Woods, Lake Winipeg, and the Saskatchawan River to
Cumberland House, where we arrived on the 15th of June, and learned that
our boats had left that place on the 2d of the same month. We found also
with deep regret, that Thomas Mathews, the principal carpenter who had
accompanied the boats from England, had had the misfortune to break his
leg the evening before their departure. But, fortunately, an officer of
the Hudson's Bay Company then present, had sufficient skill to set it,
and Dr. Richardson now pronounced that in two months he would be able to
come on in one of the Company's canoes, and join us at Bear Lake, which
he was very desirous of doing. I therefore made arrangements to this
effect, and also concerning supplies for Mr. Drummond the Assistant
Naturalist, who was to be employed, during our stay in the north, in
making collections in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains.

Having remained one night at Cumberland House, we resumed our voyage,
and passing through Pine Island Lake, Beaver Lake, crossing the Frog
Portage, and ascending the English River, with its dilatations, named
Bear Island, Sandfly, Serpent, Primeau, and Isle a la Crosse Lakes, we