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 1146 
 
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 filSING OF THE LAND AROUND HUDSON BAY. 
 
 :-.-:t,u---^: 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT BELL. 
 
 
 FROM THE SMITHSONIAN REPORT FOR 1897, PAGES 359-367. 
 
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 '.^;.-..*# •..«3., 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 1898. 
 
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 ItlSING OF THE LAND AIIOUND HUDSON BAV. 
 
 BY 
 
 KOBKRT BKLL. 
 
 
 VlUm THK S.MITilSONlAX RKPOKT FOR 1897, I'AGIvS 359-1 
 
 367. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRIXTIXG OFFICE. 
 189 8. 
 
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KISIN(J OF TMK LAM) AKOIINI) IIiriKSOX IlAV 
 
 \>y KoTiKiM Bell. 
 
 Of tliv dioliiijicdl Sii.-.'ri/ iif I'dintiltl. 
 
 Ill tlio I'roviiicps of Ontario iiud Qiiebe(! it lias l>een found t'loni 
 actual levolin;>s hy (lilbcrl, Sikmicit, and Upliani tliat tlio o'd shore 
 lines arc not ]»oriV'ct]y hori/.oiital, but tliat they slope ui)ward in a 
 iiortlicastcrly direction at rates varying in dlH'erent rejiions from a ihw 
 inches to a foot and even 2 feet per mile. If tiiis upward slojjc were 
 continued in tlie sanu' direction to tlie northeastern extremity of Lab- 
 rador, 1,3(10 miles from Lake Huron, tlie inc-reasein the elevation might 
 there amount to 1, (»'•(> or L',(KM» feet. It is scarcely probable tliat the 
 dilferential elevation is constant and regular for such a great distance. 
 Still, it is a fact that well-preserved shore lii.es are to be seen at great 
 heights in the northern i)arts of Labrador. In my (leological Survey 
 L'eport, for ISSl I have nu'iitioiied ancient beaclu's at Naclivak, 140 
 miles south of Hudson Strait, wiiich have an estimated altitude of 
 1,0(10 feet above the sea. 
 
 The two sides of Iludsou' liay present very different physical char- 
 acters. The eastern is fornuul mostly uf crystalline rocks, and, as a 
 rule, is more or less elevated, with a broken surface sloping some- 
 what lapidly westward or toward the bay; while the western side 
 is mostly very low and much of it is underlaid by nearly horizontal 
 Silurian and Devonian strata. These low shoies are accompanied by 
 shallow water extending far to seaward. The head of -James Hay, 
 which forms the southern prolongation of Hudson Bay, is extremely 
 shallow, but the vaiious rivers which flow into it have cut channels 
 through the soft shallows, and by means of these the land may be 
 appniached with seagoing vessels. The whole of Hudson Hay may 
 be said to be shallow in proportion to its great area, as the soundings 
 show that it does iu)t average more than 70 fathoms in depth. 
 
 The shores of the bay everywhere atford abundant evidence that 
 there has been a comparatively rapid rise in the land and that the ele- 
 vation is still going on. 1 have mentioned numerous proofs of this in 
 my various ollicial reports on the geology of these regions from IST.'i 
 
 ' l>iii(l liefoiT tilt' fioolojiicsn Society of Amciicii, I'liihulelpliin. Docomlici' 27, IS'J."). 
 Abstract as priiiteil iu Auieritau Journal of Science, Ibuitli series, Vol. I, March, 189G. 
 
 35y 
 

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 HISIN(i OF TIIK LAND AKOUND lilDSOX I'.AV. 
 
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 to issii, mid 1 sliall MOW recall ,i I'cw ol' (liusc and yi\o trcsli oin'S in 
 addition, soiiio of wliicli caiiH' to my Unowli dj;i' on a Jonrncy to tlio i)ay 
 diiriiifj tli(>, i)ast snninicr. Il i>< well Unown to those w lio have i)aid 
 any attention to the siihjeet iliat^ since t lie estahlisIiMient of tlu^ posts of 
 the Hudson l«ay ('onipany in the mouths of tiie iiv<'is iiiound the hay, 
 t\V(» hundri'd years aj;(», thfre h,".s been an ever inereasinf'' ditlicull;' in 
 reaehinfj these estaldishments IVoin tlu'- sea. 
 
 On the eastern side the most strikin;'' evidence of the rising of the 
 land IS allorded hy the niinierons well presersed and conspicuous ter- 
 raees cut in the till and other deposits. Near tlii' sea these may lie 
 seen at various heijjhts, up to about .■'><>(» feet, but above this elevation 
 the seal city of soft material out of which tenaees mij;ht be excavated 
 renders this kind of evidence less iipi»areiit than it inij;ht otherwise be 
 at iiijfher levels. 
 
 (Ml this side of the bay ouo <d' the best evidences that the elevation 
 of the land is still jioiiii;- on is funiislied by the loiijjf lines of diiflwood 
 which OIK! sees in many places far above the reach ( 'the highest tides. 
 
 Tiie old beaches, on which this wood is jilainly seen, occur at various 
 levels up to about .'!(» feet above hiuh tide, but the remains of rotten 
 wood may be detected in some localities up to nearly ."ill leel. above 
 which it has disap]»eared from the ancient shores by loiij; e\])()sure to 
 the weather. This driftwood consists piincipally of spruce, but a little 
 white eedai' and other kinds, wliich have been bronnht down by the 
 rivers, ar. also mixed with it. Tlie bark having been worn oil' by the 
 action of the waves while the trunks were still fresh has temled to their 
 ])reservation. Owinj;' laincipally to the salt wafer and the cold climate, 
 wood endures for an incredibly loiii; time in exposed situations in this 
 rej;ion wherexcr it has an opportunity (d" dryiii;;' (|iiickly after rain. 
 Some of the wood which may still be seen U]»on the hij^her levels may 
 be upward of si.v hundred years old. 
 
 It hi'~' !;ceii su.uyested that all this driftwoix' aloiu' hundreds ot' miles 
 of coast nniy have been thrown up by some extraordinarily lii<;h tide. 
 r>ut there are many reasons why this is <|uite unlikely, ll stems 
 imi)ossible that any nu)derii tid(! c<iuld rise to such a jjreat lieiyht and 
 deposit so much wood at dilVerent levels all at once and in such even 
 lines, followiiij;' all tiie sinuosities of more than one of the laised 
 beaches. 'J'lie siiiijiositious extraordinary tide would necessaiily be 
 of brief duiation, and would be accompanied by a tremendous jj;ale 
 blowin,i; up(Mi the coast. This would have the etlect of throwing' the 
 wood in ('onfused heaps and only into situations favorable for catching 
 it, such as angles of the shore. But instead of this we find it at dill'er- 
 ent levels laid longitudinally all along, as if accuninlated by slow 
 degrees with moderate winds from every (piarter. The fact that the 
 wood is freshest along the lower lines and becomes i)rogressively more 
 decayed as we ascend, and that tinally only traces remain on the 
 liigher levels, shows that it must have been stranded from time to time 
 
UrsiNO OF TllK lANU AliOl'M) liri)S(JN I'.AY. 
 
 ;;(;i 
 
 as t lie !iiii(l wiis risinn' iihdvc (lie scii. iiixl we mo lurccd lo iidopt this 
 obvious view of tlic ciisc. 
 
 Ill siipitort nl' till" iiai'oxysiiiul lidr tiicoi y. it is irlnlcd tlml once diir- 
 iii}; :i iinrtlifiii }iid(^ tlic tide was (nrccd as lii;:li as tin- iVoat {•ate in tlio 
 l»;dis;idcd iiKdosarc at IJiipcit lloast'. iicjir tlic head of dana's liay, ai'd 
 it is lidded tiial liiis would he ('i|iii\ iilcnt to a lioiiiiit of almut .">() feet. 
 NN'iicii at It'iipci't Iloiist' last sniiiincr, I could hear no aiitlieiitic; account 
 ot'siKdi an cxtraoKlinary rise in tlic water, and. besides, tlie j^ate referred 
 to did not appear to be more tliaii l."i feet alxive tlie sea lev«'I. Hut 
 even if siirii a ^I'eal rise in the water had oin e oecuircd at this ])lace, 
 it winild jJidNc iinihiiij;' in rcj;ard to tiie niised beiiches on tlie h)nj>' 
 straiylit shore out (Ml tlie open sea. Hudson l'«ay is about 1,(1(10 miles 
 lonji' and its outline is funnel shaped, with .lames I5ay represent iiij; the 
 contrnctcd extreniily. Kiipert House is situated near the end of this 
 narrow conlinuation, so that Ju>t here we should e\itect very hififh 
 water with aspriiiff tide and northern <iales drivin.u' the sea in from the 
 broad expanse outside and iieapin.i;' it up at the extremity of the con- 
 stantly narrowing;' termination. 
 
 Tlie <ir;i\cl terraces seen at v.irioiis elevations around the coves and 
 upon the thousands of small islands aloiij;' the east coast of .lames I'.ay 
 are reniaikably sharp and well preserved and almost as fresh looUiiij;' 
 as if the\ had Iteeii formed but yesterday, 'i'liey are jicnerally bare of 
 trees or Inishes and the yet smooth surface pebides ire only partially 
 coveretl l)y li(diens. Similar terraces maybe seen farther iioitii on this 
 coast and in Hudson Strait, wherever material exists out ofwhicli they 
 may be formed. On Marlde Island the raise;! beaches are \ cry ])lainly 
 visible on account of the whiteness of theiv smooth qinirtzite shin<;ie. 
 
 On tlie west side of Hudson Ihiy the IiihI is j;cncially too low to 
 admit of tiie rehitivcdy lii;;lier sea lextds of former liniea havinj;' been 
 recorded in the sliajie of terraces near tiie present shore line, but if we 
 f;i> back into the woods wf shall lind unii.istakable evidence of the 
 existence ot' smdi hiiiher levels at coni|taratively recent periods. These 
 consist ol l(Mi^', low ridji'cs of drifted materials, such as we see in a 
 fresher state at tlie present lii<ihtide mark. They are made ii|» of 
 driftwood and other Aej;etable did)ris in a (!<mipletely decayed condi- 
 tMMi, covered by moss and Inniiiji' trees and shrubs iiTowiii<;- iiixui tliem. 
 In some places we may still trace the forms of the larger trunks which 
 had been cast ashore by the waves at lii;;h tide. I>etweeii these iidj;es 
 and the present shore there is a tlii(d{ j;rowtli of the coniferous forest 
 and the firoiind is carpeted with moss, over wlii(di the tide has never 
 passed. Ivxamjiles of these low ridfjes may be seen near the head of 
 tide water at the mouth of Nelson Kiver, at Attawapishkat l{iver, and 
 in places between the latter and Albany Ifiver. 
 
 To the west and southwest of James Hay the till, covoriuff the nearly 
 Hat Silurian and Devonian nx'ks, is <>-eneiaIly oversjiread by stratified 
 clays. .Marine shells arc found in these up to an elevation of KM) to 
 
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 HISINCJ OK Tin; l,\M) AROUND IIIDSON ISAV. 
 
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 ."»((() t'ci't, l)iit (til the castt'i'ii sidr of the hiiy no fossils liavi' yet liccii 
 (let('('t«'«l iit such lii;;li Icvt'ls, owiiiy pcrliiips to the Hiiiircity tht'ic of 
 marine deposits and to the fact thai luit litth' search has yet been made 
 for them. In tlie sandy deposits aiiionn' the hills ahoiit L'O miles south 
 of Cape W'o'stenholine I saw alamdain'c of Sa.iicdrd nijiosu and Trlliiid 
 (irinihnidird, \vi!h sniallei' iiumltcis (d' a few other siiecies, at heif^hts 
 varying; from the sea level up to aiM)Mt -()() feet; and last summer I 
 found l)i'ackish water varieties of a numl»er of the commoner species of 
 oiir northern marine sliells up to T(» feel above the sea in the clay banks 
 aloufj the lower jxtrtion of the Noddawai b'iver. 
 
 Around the head of dames l!ay and up its western side the encroach- 
 ment of the (»utei' lines of tlie foiest upon the wide alluvial Hats which 
 extend all alonj^' these shores aiid are constantly ludadcninj;' lowaid 
 the sea is ^'ood evidence that a rising' of the land is now li'oiiiy on. The 
 existiii};' condition in this pait of the bay is well described by Mr, A. P. 
 Low in speaUinj; (d' A^^oomski Island. On jtafi'e -I. .1. (leol. Survey 
 lJe])()rt for l.SST, he says: 
 
 "The island (dosely rescnddes the adjoininf? mainland in jihysical 
 character, beinj;' veiy low and swampy. The slioic line above lii>ih- 
 water mark is nuide up of muddy Hats covered in part with j^rasscsand 
 sedges, followed farther inland by thick jirowtlis of small wilhtws. these 
 in turn j;ivinji' jdact^ to small Idack spruce ami tanniiaidc as slightly 
 higher ;;round is reached. The line of these trees is often over - miles 
 inland from liijj;h-water mark, itself a loiij; distance from the sea at low 
 water." 
 
 No livinj;' mo'.lusks are to be fourid in .lanns I'.ay. except ]»erhaps in 
 the northern i)art. owiuj;' prol)ably to the muddy ami brackish nature 
 of the water, but abundance of the (U'ad sludls of a considerable num- 
 ber of kinds are washed out of the clays lbrnnn}>' the present shores. 
 Some of these belonj;' to moderately deei)\vater species and are well 
 preserved, retaininji' tiie epidermis. This, of course, sliows a recent 
 elevation of tlie sea bottom. 
 
 Kichinond (Julf, on the eastern side, is separated from the main bay 
 by a hij;h bar of stratified rocks, which strike with its length and dip 
 westward or toward the open .sea. This bar is cut through by several 
 ^aps, all veseinblin;;' <tne another, exiicpt in their heij^hts above the sea, 
 and all bearin<f evidenc(^ of their havinjr been Mellworn channels of 
 eomnmnication at more or less remote times accordinj;' to the j;;reater 
 or less elevation of their beds above the sea. Only one narrow passajie 
 now remains open or low enough to admit the water, but two others 
 a^'e as yet only slightly raised above the tides. 
 
 Some of the aboiiyi- I geogi-aphical names around the head of James 
 Bay are significant of considerable (dianges in the topography since 
 these shores became inhabited by the natives who still occu])y them. 
 The large peninsula between Hannah and Hu])ert bays is called 
 Ministik-oo-watum, which means wooded islaml with a cove or hole in 
 it, uiinistik being the Cree for a wooded island and watum for a cove(w 
 
' yc't itt't'ii 
 y flii'iv of 
 l)eeii iii:i(|(> 
 liles sou til 
 11(1 TrUiuii 
 it lu'ij,'lits 
 suiiiiiKn' I 
 
 S|M'(!i('S of 
 
 'liiy hanks 
 
 eiicroiutli- 
 atH wliicli 
 IK toward 
 ;'oii. Tlio 
 Mr. A. P. 
 »I. Siirvoy 
 
 I>liysica! 
 ovc lii^li- 
 assos and 
 )\vs. tlicso 
 IS slii^litly 
 I'r L' jiiilcs 
 ^ca at low 
 
 icrliaps ill 
 ■;Ii nature 
 iI)lo mini- 
 it sliores. 
 ^ arc well 
 a rocciit 
 
 main bay 
 li and dip 
 ly several 
 (3 the sea, 
 annels of 
 e greater 
 r passage 
 vo otliers 
 
 of James 
 iliy since 
 l)y them. 
 is called 
 r hoh' in 
 a cove<w 
 
 i{i8iN(i or Tin-: r.AN'D akoind iirnsoN ma v. 
 
 303 
 
 
 hole. The heads of the channels, which now run in li(>hiiid the present 
 peiiiiisnla from the opjiosit*' sides, are sei)arated by a strip of low 
 ground, some 10 miles long, coveied by l)nsiies. Midway across this 
 strip tli(^ elevation is estimated to be about l.i feet aliove high tide. 
 The most luominent point on tlie coast betweiMi .Moose l*'actory and 
 l''ort Albany is now called "Cockispeniiy " by the whites, but thi) Creo 
 name is Ka-ka ki-si|ipin a wayo Minis, or Island • ' ere the Crow-duck 
 (('ormorant) lays eggs. Since this island l»i'c;i iini'cted with the 
 
 niainlaiid, bushes iiave taken the place of the g • .sand sedges wliic.li 
 lirst grew upon the low giouiid between them, and the former are con- 
 stantly ac(piiriiig a stronger growth. Many years ago the winter trail 
 of the coast i)assed nv< r the neck of this peniusnia, but now it has 
 become necessary to go outside of it, because the biislies have grown so 
 large that they catch tlu^ snow whicii, in such situations, remains t(»o 
 .soft for dog teams and snow slioers. 
 
 The salt marshes along the west coast of .James Uay and also in the 
 viciiuty of Vi»rU I-'actory, which used to attract vast numbers of wild 
 gee.se and ducks, have been gradually drying u]i, much t(t the incon- 
 venience of the Hudson May CompanyV people, who dei)ended largely 
 111)011 them for food. 
 
 The character of the lower portions of such rivers as the Moose, 
 Albany, and .\ttawai»ishkat shows a recession of the .sea. Tlii.s is 
 particularb' observable in the lower .'!0 miles of tiie .Moose, where very 
 long and narrow or ril)boii-like islands run parallel to one another for 
 many miles. The process of their formation appears to have been a 
 constant drawing out of their lower extremities as the ,sea receded 
 from them. Just as the lowest islands of rhe i)resent day are growing. 
 
 ()u the east main coast, where the land is comparatively high, the 
 grade of the rivers is rapid as they aiiproach the bay, and in some of 
 them, as the Nastapoka and the Langlands, there are perpendicular 
 falls of about 1(H> feet almost directly into the sea. This condition 
 indicates recent elevation. 
 
 One of the best evidences of the modern rising of the land is to bo 
 found in the beach dweiiiigs of the Eskimo, which may be seen at all 
 elevations up to about 70 feet. In summer these people generally camp 
 on the shore, and their favorite locations are at the mouths of sncdl 
 streams into which the sea trout run at high tide. Here they construct 
 weirs of stones, whicli impound the fish when the tide retires. On Outer 
 Digges Island, F have tbiiiid tiie.se fish traps and the rings of stones 
 and other struc...i'es marking their old camping places up to a height 
 estimated at 70 feet. 
 
 Among the historic al evidences bearing upon this (luestion since the 
 advent of the white man uiay be mentioned the fact that in 1(110 Henry 
 Hudson, the navigator, wintered in a bay full of islands on the east 
 coast south of latitude 53°. None of the bays in this region would now 
 be possible for this purjiose, showing that a considerable change in the 
 level of the sea has taken place in less than three hundred years. 
 
f 
 
 3(\\ 
 
 KISINO OK Till': ].AN1) ARorXD HUDSON liAY. 
 
 
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 In KiTl Cliiulcs liaylcy, tlicii lol'iil j;ovrninr for t\w lludsoii Hay 
 C()iiii»iiiiy. siiili'd tlii'(»ii<;li in a sloop Itctwet'ii Agoomski Island and tlni 
 nniin west slioro ol' .lames I'.ay. It would now he imixissihle to ]y,\sH 
 here in a s('a,i;()iiijj: vessel of any kind. In ISSfi I found it dillieult to 
 j>et tliroujili in haiU canoes, drawinj;' only a few inches of water. The 
 shoalinji' is not due to a siltiu};' u]», since the almost dry hottojii consists 
 of a level sui tin e of »ill with howlders scattered thickly over it. 
 
 I'lom 1(!7."> to His,") the Hudson Ihiy Company's estahlishinent in the. 
 mouth of Moose Kiver was upon Hayes Island, whicli. it is to be pro- 
 snm<'d, was selected for convenience of landin;^' goods iVoiii their vessels 
 a. id sliip])in,!;' out their returns. 'Phis island is n(»w nnajiproachable 
 excejit l»y canoes and snnill boats, for more than two hundred ye.'irs 
 the factory' lias stoi.d upon Moose Island, the next below Hayes Islijul, 
 The annual shii» from luiji'land anchors in the channel cut thronj^h the 
 sands otf the mouth of .Moose Ifiver. On account of the risk of I'onyh 
 water it is necessary to discharge the carjjo by schooners. Withir the 
 memory of liviny nu'ii thes»^ schooners could ascend to a wharf built 
 opposite the larjie storehouse of tiie factory. I>nt for many years the 
 same schooners have been nimble to asceiul all the way, ami the carg'o 
 reipiires to be transferred into scows, which complete the trip to the 
 wharf: and the distance to which the schooners can ascend is constantly 
 diminishiii};'. In the bejiinn;n,y of the pre.sent century Prim-ess Island, 
 a luirrow, bushy strip imnu'diatdy in front of the factory, was separated 
 by a channel with a ,i;()od dci»th of water at the lowest tides. Last 
 autumn I saw it ipiite dry on several occasions durin<i' ebb tide. It is 
 well known to everyone who iiaslived at this ]K)st in llie present jieiun'- 
 ation that every now ami then a new ••lump" will ap|)ear in the bed of 
 the river and become i»ermanent, urowiuji' hi.i;lier and liigher, event- 
 ually escaping' subirn'r^^ence at nu)st tides and at len,iith becomin,n' 
 covered with jjiass and then with bushes. Sonu; islands which were 
 covered only with bushes I'orty or lifty years aj^o now support a fjfrowth 
 of youn^- trees. The small oiu' on the west side of Middlcboro, below 
 IMoose Island, is an example of this, and the appearance .»f the trees 
 upon it is within the memory of Mr. IWoughton, the f'entleman now in 
 charji'e of Moose I'actory. Middleton Isliind. between the mouths of 
 liui)ertand Noddawai rivers, lies close to the east shore of I{ui)ert I>ay. 
 Up to a few years afio canoes and boats could pass at hijuh tide through 
 the long, narrow, grassy channel behind this island, but last autumn I 
 found it impossible to do so with my canoes, and we were obliged, at 
 great inconvenience, to g(» round outside. 
 
 Two hundred years ago the ships of the Hudson I»ay Company ai>i>ear 
 to have had no diHiculty in entering the mouths of various rivers on 
 the lOastmain Coast, which can not now be used iis harbors. Jn old 
 times the principal ])ost of the company on that coast was in the mouth 
 of Kastnuiin liiver, which bad no doubt been chosen because it alil'orded 
 
 a 
 
 Ki 
 
 ha 
 
 (In 
 
 toi 
 
 sta 
 
 th 
 
 In 
 
 be 
 
 bi'i 
 
 CO 
 
 ' Factory, a resi'.ieiiei' of a factor or agent. 
 
\. 
 
 Hudson Hay 
 liiiKl and tli(^ 
 .il)Ie to pass 
 it dillicult to 
 water. The 
 toni consists 
 er il. 
 
 linitMit in tilt; 
 
 is to be pro- 
 
 tlioir vessels 
 
 pproiicliiiblc 
 
 11(1 red ye.'U's 
 
 ayes Islijid. 
 
 tliroiiji;]! the 
 
 is); of roiiyli 
 
 Witiiir the 
 
 wiiaif built 
 
 ly years the 
 
 lid tiie eai',i;<) 
 
 e trip to the 
 
 iseoustiintly 
 
 icess Island, 
 
 as sepiiriited 
 
 tides. Last 
 
 ) tide. It is 
 
 sent jiener- 
 
 tlie bed of 
 
 her, eveiit- 
 
 be('oiiiin,i;' 
 
 w liieh were 
 
 t a jjrowth 
 
 )oro, below I 
 
 I' the trees 
 
 nan now in 
 
 Mioutiis of 
 
 ui)ert l>ay. 
 
 lethrougli i 
 
 autdinii I 
 
 obliged, at 
 
 any ajipear 
 livers on 
 
 I's. J'l old 
 the mouth 
 it all'orded 
 
 IJISIXti Ol' T1[I'. T-AXl) aKOI'M) Hl'DSON HAY. 
 
 3fi: 
 
 a good harbor. It is only a few years since the nioiitii of Little Whale 
 Kiver, several hundred miles farther north, had to be abandoned as a 
 harbor on account of the increasing shallowness of tiie water. 
 
 At York Factory there is a ■■.;hip hole" in the channel of Hayes 
 Iviver, directly in front of the storehouse. The seagoing vessels of light 
 draft employed in the Hudson liay Coiiiiiany's trade have been accus- 
 tomed to anchor in this hole, and Ibrnu'rly they remained atloat at all 
 stages ot the tide, but of late years vessels drawing even less than 
 those of former times have begun to "take the grouiitl" at low water. 
 In objection to the beliet that the land ks lising it may be said this may 
 be <lue to a silting uj) of the liole. but on exiiiuining the material 
 brought up on the llukes nf the anchors 1 found it to consist of light- 
 colored stilVbowldei' clay or till. 
 
 In 17.Sl», alter the I'^rencli Admiral Lciieyrouse had destiDyed l''ort 
 I'rince ot' Wales at the mouth of Churchill K'iver, he landed with (can- 
 non on the southeast side of Nelson Ui\ er, and, hauling them across the 
 point between it and Hayes liiver, <ai)tured Voik I'act<My. Two ships 
 belonging to the Hudson I>ay < 'ompanv which were then lying in Hayes 
 liiver, laden with valuable cargoes, eseajied under cover of the dark- 
 ness of the following night and got safely to lOnglaud. At the jjiescnt 
 time it is only possible for a seagoing vessel to get out from tiiis ri\er 
 at the t'.']) of high watei with favorable wind and careful piloting in 
 daylight. 'l"o say nothing of the dilliciilty caused by the darkness, it 
 is unlikely that all the other conditions now necessary to enable a ves- 
 sel to leave the river ('onsjiired to aid the escajie of these siiips. It is 
 much more reasonable to believe that the water was deeper then than 
 it is now. The landing of Lepeyrouse with his guns on the shore of 
 Nelson liiver abreast of York Factory was a feat the like of which 
 could not be accomplished at the present day, owing to the extreme 
 shallowiio~5s of the water. 
 
 The present Fort (Jhiirchill. or '• New Fort," as it is still called, was 
 built in 1782 on the west side of the river, about \\ miles above I'oit 
 Prince of Wahis, as soon as the French had retired after destroying the 
 latter establislnnent. The residents now sutl'er much inconvenience on 
 account of the contiuued shoaling of the water, and they have been 
 obliged to lengthen out their •• launch '" (U' long landing trestle from 
 time t»» time in order to lie able to reach the outer end of it with their 
 coast boats. 
 
 Off the western side of the lagoon, within the mouth of (Minrehill 
 Jiiver. is Sloops Cove, a small elliptical jioud connecting with the lagooii 
 by a very narrow entrance, through which the water barely passes at 
 high tide. On the arkose rocks beside this little cove many inscrip- 
 tions have been cut and some ring bolts have been fastened for moor- 
 ing vess(^la, all of which indicate that the cove was used for wintering 
 ships in old times. Indeed, it is known that the Fumave and the />/.v- 
 eonrii, two small ships commanded by Captain ]Middlet(jn, passed the 
 

 
 hi 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^■1 
 
 
 I- 
 
 <)Im) 
 
 KISINC Ol' Tin: I.AN'M AIJOUNI) IH'HSON IIAV. 
 
 winter ol' 1711-lL' in tliis cdvc. I Imvc exiiniiiiiMl tlic place on varhtus 
 occasions an<1 liave copied most oC tlie slcctclics anil inscriptions on llie 
 rocivs. antl it al\va\s appeared to nie tlial tlie conditions wliicJ! we 
 observe indicale a rise in tlie land since tlie last ship wintered there. 
 At the i)resent time the tide does not rise lii^h enoiijih to allow of th(^ 
 jiassafic into it of crafts larjicr tlian ordinary rowlioats. No ,sea.ii'oinjj; 
 vessel could now enter if. which would indicate an elevation nearly 
 e(pial to tlu' di'aft of the ships formerly fre(|Uentiiiji' it. It would he a 
 boon to the aj;ents ef the Hudson liay < 'ompany at Churchill if they 
 
 could now winter their small scl nei' in this cove instead of beinj^ 
 
 obliged to send her every autumn to winter at York I'^ictoiy. T!i<( 
 cai)tain who commands her happens to be tiie person now in chi'rineof 
 the comi)any's jtost at ("hnichill, and both he and his crew are obliged 
 to walk back l.'iO miles tln'oi'.iih tlie mud from York Fi-ctory after h-av 
 inji' their vessel there in tlie autumn, and to walk the same distance 
 again to bring her back in the spring. Mr. .1. I'., 'ryriell visited Sloops 
 Cove in the autumn of IS!»,'). and in a papi-r published in the lleological 
 Magazine for August. 18!IJ. says he thinks the land is here in u state of 
 etpiilibrium. Two insciiptions which he saw on the locks. namely, 
 "May I'o and May I'T, 17.").'5." were about 7 feet aliove the present high 
 tide, and he thinks these were cut by men standing on the ice. TNis, 
 however, does not jtrove much, for the men were (piite as likely to have 
 sat as stood while engraving these insrriiitions. As the tide still enteis 
 the (!ove and keeps it full of water the average relati\-e level of its ice 
 to the rocks siirrimnding it may not have dilfercd much from what it is 
 now. When I visited Fort Prince of Wales in l.s7',) oak jilaiiks brought 
 from I'.ngland while the fort was still occupied, as well as timbeis of 
 native wood, all charred by liCpeyrouse's tire, were found stranded far 
 out of reach of the ju'esent tides and still in perfect preservation. On 
 the ot'(;asion ri'ferred to 1 met at the •• New Fort" ciiildren of some of 
 the peoiile who were living at the •■Old Fort" when it was captured 
 by the French, and from them some information could be obtained as 
 to the coiuV'tions at that time. NVe have, besides, the description and 
 illustrations in the book by Samuel Ilearne, who was tlu'ii in charge of 
 the iilace. Any light which these accounts may throw on the state of 
 matters then as (u)inpared with the present time iioinls in the direction 
 of some elevation having taken jdace. 
 
 Among the photographs which 1 took aroiimi I'oit IMince of \Yales 
 in 1879 is one W'hi(;li shows strips of dry land grasses alternating with 
 little jiarallel ridges of gravel thrown u]) by the waves atid now abovt' 
 the highest tide mark, but below the level t»f the sjiot which was 
 pointed out to me as the landing place of Lepeyrouse. The ground on 
 which the fort stands was an island during high tide at the time the 
 jilace was occupied, and a bridge was thrown a<'ross the narrowest part 
 of the little separating channel to connect the island with the mainland. 
 This channel is now entirely dry. 
 
RISlNfl OF THE LAND AROl'ND HUDSON HAY. 
 
 3(^7 
 
 I' DM various 
 itioiis (III tlio 
 IS wliich wo I 
 itiMcd tlierc. 
 allow ol' the 
 No st'a,>;oiii<,' 
 ;ition iK'ail.v 
 t would 1)»' a 
 cliill if thf.v 
 Ciid ni bi'iii<i 
 iictoiV. Tli'i 
 ill chi'Viie of 
 • an- oblim'd 
 •y alter It-av 
 line distaiifo 
 isited Sloops 
 
 10 Gniloj-ical 
 ' ill it state ol' 
 (•Us. iiuiiu'ly, 
 inesciit liijrl' 
 
 le ice. ''.'''is, j 
 liUcly to Irave 
 lo still ciiti'is 
 vci of its ice ' 
 oiii wliat it is 
 auks brou.ijlit 
 
 IS tillll)«MS of 
 
 stranded far 
 rvatioii. On 
 ■en of some of 
 ^vas ( aptured 
 e obtained as 
 
 criplion and 
 ill cliaijic of 
 
 11 the stale of 
 tiie direction 
 
 lice of WaU'S 
 eniatinji' witli 
 (1 now above 
 ft which was 
 he >;rouiid on 
 : the time the 
 irrowest i>art 
 the mainland. 
 
 If aiiylhiii^- further were want inn' to show liiat an elevation of tlie 
 land is iKiw f;-oiiig (Ui in this rej;ion we have some dire( t jiersoiial evi- 
 dence in the lifetime of the witness iiimself in sujiiioit of the faet.s 
 already cited. Ab(Mit twenty years a,i;o a very aj^'ed Indian, who was 
 said to have ''seen more than a hundred winters." and who was cjuietly 
 passiiiffthe last years of his extraordinarily lonji;' life at Norway House, 
 told me in i»reseiice of the lactor. Mr. IJoderick IJoss, and the other 
 yeiitlemeii of that establishment that he had, when a boy. witnessed 
 the laiidinj,'()f Lepeyronse and the destruction of l-'ort Prince of Wales. 
 He f^ave }^ia|iliic details of every ciieumstaiice. which ajjrecd perfectly 
 with Lepeyrouse's own account, and lie answered all my (jiiestions on 
 other points entirely satisfactorily and without a moment's hesitation. 
 Anion;;' other things, he mentioned that the spot wlieie the I'reiicli- 
 men's boats landed was (piite close to that portion of the western wall 
 which they iiiideiiiiined and blew up with guiii»owder. lie said that 
 when all was ready they laid a "rope" ( train i of ^unjiowdi'r across the 
 beach and, settiii}; lire to the end of it, ran olV to a safe distance to 
 witness the elVeet. It is now a cotisidi-rable distance from this spot to 
 the nearest jxtiut of water at liiyli tide. 
 
 The i)r(H»fs of the lisiii;; of the land around Hudson IJay in jiost- 
 };laeial times would be admitted by any ^^eologist, and the (luestion of 
 the continuance of the movement at the present tinu^ is, 1 think, 
 answered in the allirmative by the actual general shoaling' of the 
 water which is lioin^ on. and the encroachment of the land on all sides, 
 some proofs of wliich have been given in the foref^oiiiff paj^es. All the 
 facts which have been iiieiitioned (and many more nii^lit be added) 
 point in the same direction, while tliere ajipears to be no evidence of 
 a contrary chars>cter. The ollieers of the Hudson Hay Company are an 
 intelligent set of iiien, and their uni\ei'sal opinion, based upon life- 
 times of observation, is that the land all around tlie bay is rising. The 
 following is part of a letter recently received from Mr. -losepli For- 
 tescue, lately a chief factor in the Hudson I>ay Company, in answer to 
 my re(|uest for his opinion on this subject: 
 
 " IJegardiiig the rising of the shores of Hudson Uay I have no doubt 
 whatever. When 1 was at York Factory 1 heard several Indians say 
 that the sea or tidc^ had retired li miles from places they remembered 
 when they were young, and my own observati(His during twenty years 
 there would lead me to entertain the same opinion. When I revisited 
 IMoose I'actorv. after nearly forty years' absence. I found a great cliangi^ 
 ill the appearance of the coast and ri\('r. Cliannels which were iiavi 
 gable at all tinn-s of the tide formerly could now only be used at high 
 watei'.'"