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 -<s-<^'i Acl-^*'^^^*^' ^ 
 
 V ' 
 
 ON THE 
 
 COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HUDSON'S BAY, 
 
 WITH 
 
 REMARKS ON RECENT SURVEYS AND 
 INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 By BoBBRT Bbll, MD,, F.o.a, AssiBknt Director of the Geologioel 
 
 Survey of Canada. 
 
 Wrom ' Prooeeddnffs of the Bo^cU Q«ogra$kioal Society and Monfhiy 
 Beeord of Geography, \ October No., 1881. 
 
^^fr" 
 
 ON THE 
 
 COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HUDSON'S BAY, 
 
 WITH 
 
 REMARKS ON RECENT SURVEYS AND 
 INVESTiaATIONS. 
 
 By Robert Bell, m.d., p.g.s., Assistant Director of the Geological 
 
 Survey of Canada. 
 
 Map, p. 640. 
 
 I BEQ leave to offer to the Royal Geographical Society a few remarks on 
 the great Mediterranean sea of North America, in regard to which there 
 appears to be a general want of correct information. Before proceeding 
 to do 80, it may be proper for me to state that I have a considerable 
 personal knowledge of Hudson's Bay and the surrounding regions. As 
 an officer of the Geological Survey of Canada, I have spent six seasons 
 since 1869 in explorations around the bay itself or in its vicinity, while 
 the remaining summers of this interval have been devoted mostly to 
 surveying and exploring portions of the Hudson's Bay territory at 
 greater or less distances inland. In the course of my geological 
 investigations, I have made surveys of most of the principal rivers, 
 together with their larger branches, which flow from the west and south 
 into Hudson's Bay, including the Great and Little Churchill, the Nelson, 
 Hayes, Hill, Severn, Albany, Eenogami, Moose, Missinabe, Mattagami, 
 and Abittibi. On account of its great geological interest, I made a 
 topographical survey in 1877 of about 300 miles of the Eastmain Coast, 
 from Cape Jones northward. Some of the maps showing these surveys 
 ha,ve been already published with the annual reports of the Geological 
 Department, and those representing the remainder will soon be forth- 
 coming. "^ ! ^ ^ 
 
 During the past autumn, in coming to England in one of the ships 
 from the bay, I happened to enjoy unusually good opportunities 
 seeing both sides of Hudson's Strait, and of acquiring much valuable 
 information in reference to its navigation. 
 
 In the popular mind, Hudson's Bay is apt to be associated with the 
 polar regions, yet no part of it comes within the Arctic circle, and the 
 
'y.' 
 
 ON THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HUDSON'S B.W, 
 
 southern extremity is south of the latitude of London. Few people 
 have any adequate conception of the extent of this great American sea. 
 Including its southern prolongation, James' Bay, it measures about 1000 
 miles in length, and it is more than 600 miles in width at :'.ts northern 
 part. Its total area is approximately 500,000 square miles, or upwards 
 of half that of the Mediterranean Sea of the old world. It is enclosed 
 by the land on all sides except the north-east, where it communicates by 
 several channels with the outer ocean. The principal or best known of 
 these is Hudson's Strait, which is about 500 miles in length, and has an 
 average width of about 100 miles. 
 
 Hudson's Bay, which might have been more appropriately called 
 Hudson's Sea, is the central basin of the drainage of North America. 
 The limits of this basin extend to the centre of the Labrador peninsula, 
 or some 500 miles inland on the east side, and to the Eocky Mountains, 
 or a distance of 1300 miles on the west. The Winnipeg Basin constitutes 
 a sort of outlier of the region more immediately under notice, since the 
 waters drain into it from north, south, east, and west, and discharge 
 themselves by one great trunk, the Nelson river, into Hudson's Bay. 
 The southernmost part of this basin, namely, the source of the Red River, 
 extends down nearly to latitude 45°. The head waters of the southern 
 rivers of James' Bay are not far to the north of Lake Huron ; while one 
 of the branches of the Albany rises withir 25 miles of the north shore of 
 Lake Superior. Including the Winnipeg system, the basin of Hudson's 
 Bay has a width of about 2100 miles from east to west, and a length of 
 about 1600 miles from north to south, and its dimensions approach the 
 enormous area of 3,000,000 sqxiare miles. Over a great part of this 
 vast region there is a temperate climate, and although much of the sur- 
 face is comparatively barren, yet large tracts possess a very fertile soil. 
 The numerous large rivers and lakes embraced witbia these limits will 
 prove of great value in the settlement of the country. 
 
 Both the bay and strait are remarkably free from rocks and shoals, 
 which might interfere with their free navigation. The groups of islands 
 near the east side of the bay are surrounded by deep water, and a wide 
 channel leads up the centre of James' Bay. Fortunately the main body 
 of the bay, which is the portion likely to be hereafter frequented by 
 shipping, is entirely without shoals, reefs, or islands. The depth is very 
 uniform over most of the bay, and nowhere does it present any groat 
 irregularities. It averages about 70 fathoms throughout, deepening to 
 100 and upwards in approaching the outlet of Hudson's Strait ; while in 
 the strait itself the soundings along the centre vary from about 150 to 
 upwards of 300 fathoms. The bottom appears to consist almost every- 
 where of boulder clay and mud. Near the shores a stiff clay, affording 
 good holding ground for anchors, is almost invariably met with on both 
 sides. 
 
 James' Bay begins at Cape Jones on the east side and Qa-pe Henrietta 
 
 'v» 
 
WITH RKMARKS ON RECENT SURVEYS AND INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 ■.,' '«■ 
 
 Maria on the west, and runs south about 860 miles, with an average 
 breadth of about 150 miles. The east side of Hudson's Bay, including 
 its southern prolongation, is known as the Eastmain Coast. Between 
 Cape Jones and Capo Dufferin on the Portland Promontory, and again in 
 approaching Cape Wolstenholme, at the northern termination of this 
 coast, the land is high and bold, some parts attaining an elevation of 
 nearly 2000 feet above the sea. The country on the south-west side of 
 the main bay, as well as that lying to the west of James' Bay, is low and 
 generally level, with shallow water extending a long distance out from 
 hhore. Both sides of Hudson's Strait are high and rocky, but the northern 
 is less precipitous than the southern. 
 
 Of the numerous rivers which run into Hudson's Bay from all sides, 
 about thirty are of considerable magnitude. All those which enter on 
 the Eastmain Coast appear to flow with a uniform course directly west 
 or parallel to one another, and as the height of land m the centre of the 
 Labrador peninsula is furthest inland towards the south, the rivers 
 which fall into the southern part of this coast are the largest, and the 
 remainder become progressively smaller as we go north. Numerous 
 streams converge to the head of James' Bay from all points southward 
 of an east and west line parsing through its southern extremity. The 
 Moose, about a mile wide, is the principal of these. On the western side 
 the Albany and the Churchill are the longest, but the Nelson, with a 
 course of only about 400 miles, discharges' the greatest body of water 
 into the sea. Indeed, this great artery of the Winnipeg system may be 
 considered as one of the first class rivers of the world. Few of the 
 rivers of Hudson's Bay aiford uninterrupted navigation for large vessels 
 to any great distance from the coast. During the season of high water, 
 shallow-draft steamers might ascend the Moose river and two of its 
 branches for upwards of 100 miles. Hayes river And two of its 
 branches might apparently be navigated by such craft in the spring to 
 points about 140 miles inland, and the Albany for nearly 250 miles; 
 while larger steamers might ascend the Nelson for 70 or 80 miles from 
 the open sea. The Nelson is the only muddy-water river entering 
 Hudson's Bay. Most of the others have a slightly brownish tinge, but 
 their waters are perfectly wholesome and contain only very snail 
 quantities of foreign matter. The Churchill, which is the second largest 
 river of Hudson's Bay, is a beautiful clear-water stream, somewhat 
 <i larger than the Bhine. It is remarkable for having at its mouth a 
 splendid harbour with deep water and every natural convenience for the 
 purposes of modern commerce. 
 
 The only harbours on the west side of Hudson's Bay are those formed 
 by the mouths of rivers, but none of them, with the exception of 
 Churchill Harbour, can be entered by vessels drawing more than ten or 
 eleven feet, and only at high water even by these. The Churchill is 
 unlike all the other rivers in having a deep, rooky, and comparatively 
 
 B 2 
 
ON THE COMMERCIAL IMl'OKTANCE OK HUDSON'S HAV, 
 
 narrow mcmth, which can be entered with eaHe and safety by the largest 
 tihips at all stages of the tide. On the point at the west side of the 
 entrance of the harbour stands the old Fort Prince of Wales, which 
 is probably the largest ruin in North America. Although occupying a 
 commanding position and mounting about forty large gup", it was sur- 
 rendered, without firing a shot, to the French Admiral La F^rouse, who 
 destroyed it in 1782. 
 
 Along the west coast the rise and fall at spring tides amounts to 
 about 11 or 12 feet, on an average, and is pretty uniform, diminish- 
 ing somewhat towards the south. It is greatest at the mouth of the 
 Nelson river, where it amounts to about 15 feet. The tides are lower 
 all along the east side of the bay. In Hudson's Strait there is a very 
 good tide, amounting to 88J feet at Fort Cliimo, according to the reports 
 "^e have received of Acting Staff-Commander J. G. Boulton's reconnais- 
 sance during the past summer. 
 
 Geologically the basin of Hudson's Bay, excluding the western or 
 Winnipeg division, lies within the great Laurentian area of the Dominion. 
 Silurian rocks resting almost horizontally upon these, form an irregular 
 border along the south-western side of the bay, and in the valleys of 
 some of the rivers they extend inland from 100 to 200 miles. To the 
 south and west of James' Bay, the Silurian are overlaid by Devonian 
 rooks, which here occupy a considerable area. The long chains of 
 islands which fringe the east coast for nearly 300 miles to the northward 
 of Cape Jones, and also the mainland in the vicinity of Hichmond Gulf, 
 are composed of igneous and almost unaltered sedimentar}'- rocks, re- 
 sembling the Nipigon series of the Lake Superior region, which may be 
 of Cambrian age. On the western side of the bay, from Churchill north- 
 wards, quartzites and other rocks, which may also belong to the Cambrian 
 system, appear to be largely developed. Valuable minerals may be 
 looked for on this part of the coast. The extensive level region around 
 the south-western side of the bay is overspread with a great sheet of 
 boulder clay, which is generally covered by the modified drift. The 
 rocks of the outlying, or Winnipeg division of the basin, comprise an 
 extensive series, ranging from the Laurentian to the tertiary. 
 
 The resources of Hudson's Bay and the country immediately around 
 it are varied and numerous, although as yet few of them are at all 
 developed. The fur trade is the principal and best known business 
 which has hitherto been carried on in these regions, but a large amount 
 of oil, derived from the larger whales, the porpoises, walruses, white 
 bears, and the various species of seals which Irequent the northern parts 
 of the bay, has been carried to New England, and small quantities, prin- 
 cipally of porpoise and seal oil, have from time to time been brought to 
 London by the Hudson's Bay Company. The other exports from the 
 bay have been as yet but trifling. They embrace whalebone, feathers, 
 quills, casforum, lead ore, sawn lumber, ivory, tallow, isinglass, and skins 
 
 "=%s 
 
WITH RKMAUKS ON UEOENT SURVEVS AND INVESTIOATIONS. 
 
 ? V 
 
 of soalu and porpoises. The fishorios, properly speaking, of Ilndson's 
 Bay have not yot been investigated. Both the Indians and Eskimo 
 find a variety of fish for their own use, and fine salmon abound in the 
 rivers of Hudson's Strait ; and from one or two of thorn a considerable 
 number of barrels, in a salted condition, are exported every year. 
 Waterfowl are very numerous on both sides of the bay, and larger game 
 on the " barren grounds " in the northern parts, so that the natives, 
 with prudence, may always have a plentiful supply of food. 
 
 But perhaps the most important of the undeveloped resources of the 
 country around the bay are its soil, timber, and minerals. To the south 
 and west of James' Bay, in the latitude of JJevonuhire and Cornwall, 
 there is a large tract, in which much of the land is good and the climate 
 sufficiently favourable for the successful prosecution of stock and dairy 
 farming. A strip of country along the east side of James' Bay may 
 also prove available for these purposes. To the south-west of the wide 
 part of the bay the country is well wooded, and although little or no 
 rock comes to the surface over an immense area, btill neither the soil nor 
 the climate are suitable for carrying on agriculture as a principal occu- 
 pation until we have passed over more than half the distance to Lake 
 Winnipeg. This region, however, oflFers no engineering difficulties to 
 the construction of a railway from the sea-coast to the better country 
 beyond, and this, at present, is the most important point in reference to 
 it. Some of the timber found in the country which sends its waters 
 into James' Bay, may prove to be of value for export. Among the kinds 
 which it produces may be mentioned white, red, and pitch pine, black 
 and white spruce, balsam, larch, white cedar, and white birch. The 
 numerous rivers converging towards the head of James' Bay oflfer 
 facilities for "driving" timber to points at which it may be shipped by 
 sea-going vessels. 
 
 Minerals may, however, become in the future the greatest of the 
 resources of Hudson's Bay. Little direct search has as yet been made 
 for the valuable minerals of these regions. I have, however, found a 
 large deposit of rich ironstone on the Mattagami river, inexhaustible 
 supplies of good manganiferous iron ore on the islands near the East- 
 main coast, and promising quantities of galena around Richmond Gulf 
 and also near Little Whale Biver, where a small amount had previously 
 been known to exist. I have likewise noted traces of gold, silver, 
 molybdenum, and copper. Lignite is met with on the Missinabe, 
 gypsum on the Moo«e, and petroleum-bearing limestone on the Abittibi 
 river. Small quantities of anthracite, and various ornamental stones 
 and rare minerals, have been met with in the course of my explorations. 
 Soapstone is abundant not far from Mosquito Bay, on the east side, and 
 iron pyrites between Churchill and Marble Island, on the west. Good 
 building stones, clays, and limestones exist on both sides of the bay. 
 A cargo of mica is said to have been taken from Chesterfield Inlet to 
 
^ 
 
 ■ t 
 
 'V 
 
 • ON THK COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HUDSON'3 IJAY, 
 
 New York, and valuable clopositB of plumbago are reported to occur 
 on <he north side of Hudson's Strait. Some capitalists have applied to 
 the Canadian Government for mining rights in the latter region. 
 
 Situated in the heart of North America, and possessing a seaport in 
 the very centre of the continent, 1600 miles nearer than Quebec to the 
 fertile lands of the North-west Territories, Hudson's Bay now begins to 
 possess a now interest, not only to the Canadians, but also to the people 
 of Great Britain, from the fact that the future highway between the 
 great North-west of the Dominion and Europe may pass through it. 
 The po8' "Mlity of this route being adopted for trade is not a new idea, 
 as it has frequently been suggested by far-seeing men in past years, and 
 occasionally referred to in the newspapers. In 1848 the then Lieutenant 
 M. H. Synge, in hia work on Canada, wrote : '• A ship annually arrives 
 at Fort York, for the service of the Hudson's Bay Company ; who can 
 tell how many may eventually do so?" In 1869, and subsequently, I 
 frequently discussed the matter with the late Hon. John Young, Mr. 
 Keefer, Professor Armstrong, and others; and in 1876 Mr. Selwyn 
 brought the subject unofficially before members of the Canadian 
 Government, and recommended that surveys be made of Hudson's Bay 
 and Strait. The Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, Minister of the 
 Interior, and his deputy, Colonel J. S. Dennis, have all along taken a 
 deep interest in this question, and in 1878 the latter gentleman pub- 
 lished a work, accompanied by a valuable map, in relation to it. The 
 Report of the Minister of the Interior for 1878 contains an appendix by 
 myself on the practicability of building a railway from Lake Winnipeg 
 to Hudson's Bay. In the session of 1878-79, and again the following 
 year, the Hon. Thomas Ryan, a gentleman of great enterprise, has 
 brought the matter under the notice of the Dominion Senate. 
 
 In 1880 the Parliament of Canada granted charters to two companies 
 for constructing railways, and otherwise opening a route for commerce, 
 fi'oni the North- West Territories to Europe -rifi Hudson's Bay; and 
 during the past summer one of them, the Nelson Valley Company, 
 caused a survey to be made of part of the distance between Lake 
 Winnipeg and the harbour of Churchill. Their chief engineer has 
 reported the route to be an easy and inexpensive one for a railway. 
 This company has also the power of connecting with the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, but the main line will form a connecting link between 
 the great system of inland navigation, which centres in Lake Winnipeg, 
 and the sea. When constructed, the Nelson Valley railway may carry 
 to the seaboard not only the surplus grain and cattle of our own North- 
 west, but also those of Minnesota and Dakota. Sir J. H. Lefroy, 
 President of the Geographical Section of the British Association, in the 
 able address which he delivered at the Swansea meeting (1880), said: — 
 " Hudson's Bay itself cannot fail, at no distant day, to challenge more 
 attention. Dr. Bell reports that the land is rising at the rate of five to 
 
 
WITH nUMARKS ON RECRNT SURVKYS AND INVKSTIOATIOXS. 
 
 ten feet in a century, that is, possibly, an inch a year. Not, however, 
 on this account will the hydrographor notice it; but because the natural 
 seaports of that vast inferior, now thrown open to settlonient, Koewatin, 
 Manitoba, and other provinces unborn, must be sc.ight there. York 
 Factory, which is nearer Liverpool than New York, has been happily 
 called by Professor H. Y. Hind the Archangel of the West. The mouth 
 of the Churchill, however, although somewhat further north, offers far 
 superior natural advantages, and may more fitly challenge the title. It 
 will undoubtedly be the future shipping port for the agricultural pro- 
 ducts of the vast North-West Territory, and the route by which 
 emigrants will enter the country." Sir Henry Lefroy knows whereof 
 he writes, being personally well acquainted with Hudson's Bay and the 
 North- West Territories. 
 
 It has been shown that the Canadian North- West Territories, 
 embracing hundreds of millions of acres of fine land, are capable of 
 becoming the greatest wheatfiold in th». vorld. The centre of this 
 iminenue agricultural region probably lies to the north of the Saskat- 
 chewan. If we look at the map of the northern hemisphere, we shall 
 see at a glance that the shortest route between these territories and 
 England is through Hudson's Bay. Mr. Lindsay Eussell, the Surveyor- 
 General of Canada, has recently made a close calculation of relative 
 distances, and found that even the city of Winnipeg, which is near the 
 south-eastern extremity of these territdries, is at least 800 miles nearer 
 to Liverf ool by the Hudson's Bay route than by the St. Lawrence, while 
 the difference in favour of the former will be increased continually as we 
 advance northward into the interior. Now let Ui consider the relative 
 progress of two persons travelling to Liverpool from the centre of this 
 vast region, the one going by Winnipeg and the valley of the St. Law- 
 rence, and the other by the Nelson valley bvI the Churchill Harbour. 
 In about the same time which the former requires to reach the city of 
 Winnipeg, the latter arrives at the sea-coast at Churchill. From Winni- 
 peg our first traveller has still to go 1291 miles by the Lake Superior 
 route, or 1698 miles if he prefer the all-rail journey through American 
 territory, via Chicago, before he reaches Montreal, where he will be still 
 about as far from Liverpool as our other traveller when he has reached 
 Churchill. In other words, the route from the North- West Territories 
 to England, via Hudson's Bay, saves the whole distance between Winni- 
 peg and Montrsal. The distance to Liverpool by wa^' of New York is 
 still greater. The advantages of this short route ovor all others are so 
 numerous that only a few of them can be referred to in this short paper. 
 The great saving in distance represents an important economy in time 
 and money, or in freight and passenger rates. It the grain, cattle, and 
 other productions of the North- West Territories could reach a Euro- 
 pean market, only through Ontario and Quebec, or by way of New Yorki 
 a large proportion of their value would necessarily be consumed by the 
 
8 
 
 „. \ 
 
 ON THE COMMEUCIAL IMrOUTAN'CE OK HUDSON'S 15AV, 
 
 long land carriage; whereas if they can find an outlet at ("inirchill, 
 there will be an average saving of 1291 miles as compared with Mon- 
 treal, and c. apwards of 1700 miles as compared with New York, and 
 this without any increase in the length of the sea voyage. In eflTect, 
 this will place a great part of the farming lands of our North-West 
 Territories in as good a position in regard to a seaport as are those 
 of Ontario west of Toronto ; and consequently will greatly increase the 
 value of every description of farm produce and, therefore, of the farms 
 themselves. Some kinds, which could not be sent out of the country at 
 all by the longer land route, may be profitably exported by the shorter 
 one. For the transportation of both grain and i'resh meat, as Colonel 
 Dennis has pointed out, the northern route, besides the shortening of 
 the distance, would have gren Ivantages over all those to the south, 
 owing to its cooler and more .niform temperature. Heavy or bulky 
 goods of all kinds would, of course, be imported into the North-West by 
 the shortest land route. In regard to the export and import of liv3 
 stock, this independent route will possess a great importance to these 
 territories. Hitherto cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep have there enjoyed 
 an immunity from almost all forms of contagious diseases, and, owing to 
 the healthy nature of the climate for thepj animals, it is hoped this 
 state of things will continue. The domestic animals in the United 
 States and the older Canadian provinces being occasionally afflicted with 
 contagious diseases, it becomes necessary for European countries to 
 impose restrictions on their importation. In the event of an epidemic 
 of this nature existing in some part of these regions, but not in the 
 North-West Territories, there need be no objection to exporting live 
 stock from the latter by way of Hudson's Bay. 
 
 As a route for emigrants from Europe, that b^ iludson's Bay possess s 
 not only the advantage of the short land journey, but the still more 
 important one to us, of entirely avoiding the United States and the 
 populous parts of Canada, in both of which, it is v/ell known, a very 
 serious percentage of the immigrants destined for our North-West lands 
 are every year enticed away to settle in the great republic. An inlet by 
 Hudson's Bay is the only thoroughly independent channel which can 
 ever be established between the British Islands and our great and valu- 
 able territories in the interior of North America ; and it is veiy desirable, 
 on national grounds, that it sliould be opened up. Troops have hitherto 
 been sent to the Red River settlement on more than one occasion, by way 
 of Hudson's Bay, while the intervening country was, as it is yet, in a 
 state of nature. Were a short railway built through this tract, it would 
 at once become, for military purposes, an easy connecting link with the 
 mother country. 
 
 An impression has long prevailed that Hudson's Bay and Strait 
 could not be navigated for the ordinary purposes of commerce on account 
 of ice, but this idea is probably destined to prove chimerical. The occasion 
 
 i. 
 
WITH ItKMARKS ON RECENT SURVEYS AND INVESTIGATIONS. I) 
 
 for testing the point had not hitherto arisen, and the fact that these waters 
 have been suooessfully navigated by ordinary sailing vessels for 200 years, 
 in order to secure what little trade the country afforded, indicates what 
 may be expected from properly equipped stearashipH, so soon as the 
 larger businesH of the future may require their services in this direction. 
 The conditions of the sea-boi'ne conuneroo of the North- West, in relation 
 to Hudson's Bay, will probably turn out to be similar to those of the 
 rest of Canada with reforonoo to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In both 
 cases, everything must bo done during the summer. Yet Hudson's Bay 
 is, of course, open all tho year roTind. No one would be likely to suppose 
 that a sea of such extent, in the latitude of the BritisL Islands, would 
 ever freeze across. The Lower St. Lawrence is also partly open even in 
 the middle of winter. But the difficulty in both oases is the impossi- 
 bility of getting into harbours. A harbour such as that of Churchill on 
 Hudson's Bay would have the advantage over Quebec or Montreal of 
 communicating directly with the open sea, and hence in the autumn, 
 vessels would not bo liable to bo frozen in, as occasionally happens in 
 the St. Lawrence, as for example in the autumn just passed ; and also in 
 the autumn of 1870, when the outward-bound shipping got frozen in 
 below Quebec, occasioning a loss, it was said, of over a million of dollars. 
 Again, in the spring there would probably be less uncertainty about 
 entering from sea than in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where vexatious 
 delays are not uncommon after the 6pen season is supposed to have 
 arrived. 
 
 There has been some discussion as to the length of time during which 
 Hudson's Strait and Bay might be navigated each year, but there does 
 not seem to bo much evidence that the strait, any more than the bay, is 
 closed at any season. Its groat width, depth, and the strength of the 
 tides probably keep it open all winter. My own experience and that of 
 many others load me to believo that the climate generally of Hudson's 
 Bay is much better than some writers have represented it to be. From 
 all that I could learn or observe, it appears that the strait and bay may 
 be navigated and the land approached by steamers during an average of 
 four and a half months each year, or from the middle of June to the end 
 of October. The strait and bay could probably be navigated by steam- 
 vessels earlier than the middle of June, but nothing would be gained, 
 except perhaps by whalers, in going in before an open harbour can be 
 reached. Much has been recorded in favour of the above opinion from 
 the days of tho Danish Captain John Monck, who wintered at Churchill 
 in 1619-20, to the present time ; and other evidence, which is not to bo 
 found in the bocks, leads me to tho same conclusion. Churchill Harbour 
 does not freeze up until November, and tho sea is open close to it during 
 the whole winter. 
 
 I have a record of the principal phenomena of the Beasons at Martin' 
 Falls, on tho Albany, extending through a period of fifty years, and from 
 
 .'itt,^ 
 
to 
 
 ON THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF HUDSON'S BAY. 
 
 it I find that the river is open there on an average for six months of the 
 year. I have also a record of the dates of the opening and closing of Hayes 
 river at York Factory, extending over more than fifty years, from which 
 it appears to enjoy an average of fully six monthc of open water. The 
 Nelson river is open for a longer period. I think, with these facts before us, 
 we need not despair of successfully navigating Hudson's Bay, as far as the 
 length of the season is concerned. Even were the time of open navigation 
 shorter than it is known to be, the very great beaefita which the North- 
 West and Canada generally would derive from possessing an outlet in that 
 direction, are sufficient to make it well worth an effort to open it up. The 
 freedom of Hudson's Strait and Bay from rocks, shoals, and other impedi- 
 ments to navigation will exempt vessels in that quarter of the globe from 
 the heavy expenses for pilots, lighthouses, &c., which burden shipping, 
 by the St. Lawrence, and are even more onerous in some other parts 
 ol" the world. The delays from drifting ice in the strait which have 
 occasionally occurred to sailing vessels would not be experienced by 
 steamships. 
 
 We have seen that in proportion as we decrease the cost of transporta- 
 tion to a foreign market, we increase the home value of all kinds of farm 
 produce, and consequently of the farm itself. Now, considering the 
 vast extent of fine land to be affected by the opening of the route above 
 referred to, if the value of each aero of it were enhanced in this way 
 by only a few shillings, the aggregate increase would amount to more 
 than a hundred millions of dollars. Such a gain as this, together with 
 the various other great advantages which, as we have seen, may be 
 derived from the opening of this new ocean route, will, I think, suffi- 
 ciently illustrate the commercial importance of Hudson's Bay. 
 
 WSDOV: FBUrrED by WH. CliOWES IND SONS, LIMITED, STAMFORD STBBBT 
 
 AND OHABIHO CROSS. 
 
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 and part of 
 
 THE DOMINION OF CANADA 
 
 tx) accompany the paper by Robert Bell , M.D ., F. ft .S . 
 
 Assistant- Director of the Geological Surv^ of Cansuia. 
 
 Compiled from the la)iest Surveys 
 
 SCALE or ENGLISH STATUTE MILES 
 10 ID 20 30 40 
 
 yO 
 
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 lAKB O^TTA^ 
 
 RoctW 
 
 The. hei^hza are ejcpresseti in Het above the Sea. level , dots : £38 . 
 The soundmgs are ea^reitse^l in, fiutfuimi I of 6 /est j thus. 17S 
 
 Distances . 
 From, Fort. York {Siulsnn.Bt^ ) to Lvvr.rpooL , Z96S GeMfr.MiUs 
 Prom, Nmv York to Lixerpooh ,vin, Tory Island, . Z3H7 „ ., 
 
 R-om, Jfmr York to livtrpool, , ww Otpe dear , 30X9 „ „ 
 
 Abbreviations 
 
 B. Soy. H* ffeoW. v. Loyrer. 
 
 C Cape ff" Sariour. Pf Pouvt. 
 
 Cr Oeek Ho Houjte R. Rwer 
 
 f^ Fiord,. V. Ulartd.1 Str. .Stmit. 
 
 FV Fort L. /ate tlpr %J«r 
 
 85° 
 
 80° 
 
 duufS of the Royal, GrjographiraL Society , 1881 . 
 
 Edw* WdUr, luho .,Iled.lwn Square. 
 
itV --'•-■■....;■.