tchewan department. We obtained a
canoe and two more volunteers. On the 1st of June the Saskatchewan,
swelled by the melting of the snow near the Rocky Mountains, rose twelve
feet and the current of the little rivers bounding Pine Island ran back
into the lake, which it filled with mud.

On the 5th the North-West Company's people arrived and Mr. Connolly
furnished us with a canoe and five Canadians. They were engaged to attend
us till Mr. Franklin should think fit to discharge them and bound under
the usual penalties in case of disobedience or other improper conduct.
These poor people entertained such dread of a ship of war that they
stipulated not to be embarked in Lieutenant Parry's vessels if we should
find them on the coast, a condition with which they would gladly have
dispensed had that desirable event taken place. As we required a Canadian
foreman and steersman for the other canoe we were compelled to wait for
the appearance of the Isle a la Crosse canoes under Mr. Clark.

On the 8th Mr. Williams embarked for York Fort. He gave us a circular
letter addressed to the chiefs of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts
directing them to afford us all possible assistance on our route, and he
promised to exert every endeavour to forward the Esquimaux interpreter,
upon whom the success of our journey so much depended. He was accompanied
by eight boats. With him we sent our collections of plants, minerals,
charts, and drawings to be transmitted to England by the Hudson's Bay
ships. After this period our detention, though short, cost us more
vexation than the whole time we had passed at Cumberland House because
every hour of the short summer was invaluable to us. On the 11th Mr.
Clark arrived and completed our crews. He brought letters from Mr.
Franklin dated March 28th at Fort Chipewyan where he was engaged
procuring hunters and interpreters. A heavy storm of wind and rain from
the north-east again delayed us till the morning of the 13th. The account
we had received at York Factory of the numerous stores at Cumberland
House proved to be very erroneous. The most material stores we received
did not amount in addition to our own to more than two barrels of powder,
a keg of spirits, and two pieces of tobacco, with pemmican for sixteen
days.

The crew of Dr. Richardson's canoe consisted of three Englishmen and
three Canadians and the other carried five Canadians; both were deeply
laden and the waves ran high on the lake. No person