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Tous les autres exempiaires originaux sont filmis en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'iilustration et en terminant par la derniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon ie cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN ". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmAs A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est fiim6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche h droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I* If. It ' ^ ! I*" THE EXPEDITION OF THE "ALERT" TO HUD- SON'S STRAIT AND BAY IN 1885. A PAPER REiiD BEFORK THE ALBANY INSTITUTE APRIL 6, 1886, BY JAMES IVlAcNAUQHTON, M. A., M. Am. Soc. C. E., etc. JUM MMaiiMMiiiMiliii ^tt^i^iiiiigtmmi^mmmaimmmmmmmmmmmmutmm 'i'M"'"«IV'lff. ' ■f^^m •^mm ,1 (-' THE EXPEDITION OF THE "ALERT'' TO HUDSON'S STRAIT AND BAY IN 1885. \ I By Jambs MacNauohton, A. M., M. Am. Soc. C. E., etc. [Read before the Albany Institute, April 6, 1886.] In order that the objects, the scope, and the causes which led to the expedition of the " Alert " to Hudson's Bay, may be fully understood, a brief consideration of a few historical facts appears to be essential. Hudson's Bay was discovered by Henry Hudson in IGIO. He sailed through the Strait which bears his name in June, or July, of that year, in search of a north-west passage to the Pacific Ocean. Arrived in the Bay, he found himself in a cul-de-sac, and could go no further westward with his ship. He resolved to renuiin there dur- ing the winter and to resume exidorations the following spring. His provisions ran short, however, and ho was compelled to return to England. It is said that he incautiously declared to his men that, in their destitute condition, he would be obliged to leave some of the crew behind. The latter, with an independence :\nd alacrity which no doubt astonished the bluff old navigator, hustled him, his son, arul several of their number who remained loyal to their brave captain, into an open boat and abandoned them to their fate, which to this day is unknown. The remainder of the crew, totally ignorant of the science of navigation, managed to sail the ship as far as Cape Wolsten- holme, or somcAvhere in that neighborhood. Here they went ashore for water and game, but were tendered a warm reception by a band of Eskimos, who butchered nearly half of the crew. The survivors escaped to the ship, and managed to blunder along till they reached England. As we who live on the shores of Hudson's River are naturally inter- ested in every thing pertaining to the fate of Henry Hudson, I nuiy say that it is not of necessity to be inferred that he and his men, who wei*e abandoned in the Bay, starved to death. It is quite reasonable to suppose that they reached the shore of the Bay in safety and made friends with some of the native tribes. The region abounded in game, and we may be sure that the tact, ability, and courage of the leader proved equal to the task of preventing a massacre of the little party by the natives. 184 Expedition of the Alert to Very likoly the crufty old sailor mana^od to porsnndo the Indians or KHkimoH, with wliotii his lot was cast, that ho was a great ''modicino- man." With his kiiowlodgo of astronomy and the natural sciences, it would have been easy for him to impose upon these credulous and con- fiding iwoi)le, who would, on account of his acquirements and seem- ingly supernatural poAvers, have looked upon him as a being of divine and sacred origin. Quite likely he settled down to a life of ease and luxury, — from an Eskimo point of view, — married a select assort- ment of chiefs' daughters, and became the father of numerous chubby, long-haired children. Possibly, he becamo a great hunter and a renowned chief. Certain it is that, if his life was spared, his fearless and active master-mind must have made him a prominent man among those savage peoples. Whether his fate was like the one I have outlined or not, I was accustomed to amuse myself last summer by speculating on the possi- bility, when I met any of the natives on the shores of the Bay, of their being descendants of Hudson ; whether I should not address them as Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, the Misses Hudson, etc. It was awe inspiring to one brought up to regard with respect the blue blood of bi-centen- nial Albany, to think that these not altogetlier attractive-looking people were the descendants of the man who discovered the river which nuide Albany possible, and who was famous before the first Knicker- bocker of this city baked his marbles or fried his indigestible oley- koeks. It was something of a shock, however, to see the possible Mr. and Mrs. Hudson devouring, with [^veat relish, a hearty meal of raw bear's meat, more indigestib e, one would think, than either the mar- bles or the oley-koeks; or to see the potential Hudson children with their mouths full of feathers, which indicated that their animal economy was in process of absorbing the flesh of the birds which those feathers had formerly adorned. Little more was heard of Hudson's Bay, after Hudson's last voyage, until 1GG2, when Desgroseillers is said to have sailed into it. Couture and Duquet took jjossession the following year in the name of the King of France; in 1GG8, Kawlisson, a Frenchman, and Gillam, an Englishman, from New England, built a trading fort, and, lastly, in 1G70, came the first establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company. From that date until the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, the Bay becamo the theater of sanguinary conflicts; many a hero there won fame for deeds renowned in story; the navies of England and France made it the field of many a fight, and the forts on its shores were time and again taken and retaken; so that Iberville, writing to the King, said, Hiulxnn*8 Strait and Bay. 185 ; ** Sire, jesuiit hiH (1p rnnqnerir la Itaie." The law of tlic Hurvival of tho fittest was illuntratod there as elsewhere in nature. The jijreat Enjiflish eonipany founded hy Prince Rupert, tlu' Duke of Alheinarle, the Karl of C'raven, and others, emerged from these ctonlliets, trium- phant and vi(!toriouH. From KiTO to 1870, the JIudson's Hay Company, orij^imdly iiu'or- porated under a ^jfrant from Charles II., held almost sovereij^n powers in the rejjion of Hudson's Hay, and for nmny years, of the re;?ion lyinj? hetween the Hay aiul the Paeitie Ocean. Imnu>nse fort lines had heen made for its stoeklxdders in that time. This corporation has had the most remarkidjle history of any on record. Like other corjxirat ions, it has had no soul. Possessing in its own territory the i)ower of life and death over its suhjects. it has ruled with a rod of iron. It was ever ready, with the inhorn pufjnacity ()f an Knj,'lish company, to take up arms aj^ainst all intruders. The poor traders, whom it could drive out hy hrute force, were juu'eremoniously kicked ahout, nuiltreated and rohhed hy the Indian allies of the company and, nndouhtedly, at the company's instillation, (lomi)etitors, who were too ])owerful to he huUied, were ahsorhed into this giant concern. The ])olicy of the com|)any wais always to keep the i)uhlic in the dark as to this regicm. It spread the most ahsurd rei)orts as to the awful dangers of naviga- tion in that region; of fearful sutferings from cold, from temjiests. froju wild heasts, of the savage cruelty and diabolical i>ropensities ()f the wilder natives. It rej>resented Hudson's Strait to he the gateway to an inland sea of wretchedness, misery, desolation and poverty, and that all who were Ixdd enough to attempt an entraiu'c should leaver h<)pe hehiiul. Yet all this time the company Avas paying large divi- dends on co|)ioU8ly watered stock. This grcjit company o])posed any attempt to improve the condition of the miserable natives, the Indians and Kskiuu)s. Would-be mis- sioiuiries were tired out of the country with such vim that they did not care to return. " A Christianized Indian is a hizy Indian, and we will not have them. Teach them to ]»ray, to sing hymns, to go to church and you ruin them for hunters and trappers." This was tlie theory of the Hudson's Bay Com})any." The great aim and sole purpose of the Hudson's Hay Company have been to make money for its stockholders. Its affairs have been nuin- aged by men t)f shrewd business tact and acumen. Nevi'r was a com- pany more faithfully served by its ottieers and employes. Every officer, 24 i 180 Krpvilifion of the Ahrt to ovury factor, ovcry clerk, in cither an actual, or a |»ros|tcctivo, stock- holder. Tlic hanWiiprt endured, the riskfl to life and health encoun- tered, the pluck and devotion displayed hy the young nu'ii euiployed by this coin])any. make a record the most renuirkalde in the history of cor))orations. Tho induceiuentri were great ami promotion for merit was assured. In pleasing cold rast to the greedy, grasping, and oft times unprin- cipled a<'tions of this great com|nniy, stands the fact that they have always kcj)t, strictly, agreements nuuie with their nu-n and have never, I believe, broken a i)ledge nuule to the tuitives. Furthermore, they have never i»ermitted intoxicating li(|Uors to be given in trade to the natives. Their rule over these i)oor pe(»ple, although stern and Jincom- pr, the Canadian (J«)vernnu'nt ac(|uire«l by purchase most of the territory and jurisdiction (»f the Hudson's Hay Company, the latter reserving only a certain am()unt of land. So that now this lIutw(H>n the htttu. jiort and Liverpool. The distance from Port Simpson, in HritiHli C'olninliia, t() Ft. Churchill hy the proposed railroad is l.+SO statute miles, and the distance hy water from Vi. Churchill to Liverpool Ih !!j,!l()() nautical miles. In other words, w ith a haul of only 1,450 miles hy rail, freight from the Pacilic can he delivered hy this"oute nearer to Liverj)ool than is cither Montreal or New York. Let me say, in pass- ing, that there is little donht as to the j)racticahility of huildin^ and operating? the jjroposed railway. If we take Yokohama, a centralpoint in Jajjan, and Liverpool, the great commercial center of Eurojie, it will he an easy mutter to find the shortest distance hetween the two on some of the existing routes, and this proposed one. Line No. 1, via Ckntiial and Union Pacific IIailwavs. statute miles. Yolvohanui to San Francisco 5 , 140 Sun Francisco to New York 3,390 New Y'ork to Liverpool 3 , 49(5 Total railway and navigation 12 ,020 Link No. 2, via Canadian Pacific IJailway. statute inilt'8. Yokohumu to Ptn-t Moody .• 5,030 Port Moody to Montreul 2 , 885 Montreul to Liverpool 3 ,450 Total ruilway und nuvigation 11 ,305 Line No. 3, via Hudson's Bay Uoutk. Stntut*' utiles. Yokohamu to Port Simpson, H. C 4,444 Port Simpson to Churchill . 1 ,450 Churchill to Liverpool. 3,404 Totul railwuy und navigation 9,298 Diflference in fuvor of No. 2 over No. 1 001 statute miles. Ditferenee in favor of No. 3 over No. 1 2, 728 statute miles. Difference in fuvor of No. 3 over No. 2 2,007 stutute miles. 188 ExpfdilioH of the Alert to (/«iini>ari' part iculmly the Having in railway (li»tnnce by llu' lIutlHon's Hay line. 'V\w waviiij^ m (Miniparcd with Union and Contra! Pacific llailwuvH \a 1,!)4() inilcH ; m compared with the Canadian Pacific llail- way. in l,4H5 niilcs. There is ntill another advantajje wliich the Hudson's Hay route poH- Henrtca (»ver the other two. The highcHt jxHut of the railway, on that liiu', woiUd he only aho\it 2,3.50 feet nb<»ve Hea level, nearly 1,(MM) feot lower than the highest point on the Canadian Pacific Hallway, and 5,800 feet — more than a mile — lower than the highest point on the Union Pacific Hallway. AHHuniing, as 1 have said, that this line is a practicable one, it would prove of iiu'alculable benefit to Manitoba and the north-western ])rov- inces of Canada. These districts arc now almost shut out from the nuirkets of the world on account of the long railway haul, which is now an essential function in the nuirketing of their products. Their wheat, their (tattle, their huuber, must now be traiis})orted over the Caiuulian Pacific Huilway, which has no competitor in that region. So bitter and intense is the feeling in nuiny |)lace8 in these districts, on account of the seclusion, that threats are frecpiently nnule by i>rominent men, of organizing a nu)vemeiit of secession from the Canadian (MMifedcra- tion and of joining the United States. In fact the confederation has been of very little lu'nefit to any of the provinces except Ontario and Quebec. Manitoba, the north- western territories and the maritinu' provinces have derived very little advantage from the union, and the Goveriuneut has been obliged, in various ways, to yield to the demands of these provinces in order to keep the jieace. The expeditions of 1884 and 1885, which the Canadian (Jovcrnuu'nt sent out to Hudson's Hay, were organized principjdly at the urgent entreaty, I might say almost imperative denuimls, of the north-western provinces. A select committee of the House of Ctminu)ns was appointed at the session of Parliament, in 1884, to inciuire into the navigation of Hud- son's Bay. They had full power to send for persons aiul papers, aiul they nuule an exhaiistive study of the problem. They were so con- vinced of the importance and practicability of the i)roject, that they submitted a report to the House, in April of that year, in which they recommended that a surveying and exploring expedition be sent to Hudson's Strait and Hay; that stations be established at important places in the Strait Avhere meteorological and nuignetic observations should be made, various physical phenomena studied, such as the cur- rents, temperature of waters, the tides, the movements and nature of ^T»w»a««n= f^T—v'anmm^^ lliuhnn*!* Strait niid Hay. 110 tho ico iniiHHcH, )iy«lr<>}olh>(^tioi)ri of iniiicralM and rocks hi> inaile, in order to throw light upon the geoh»gy of the country; and that notes t>e taken of the vahie and importance of the varioiiH tirihericH and uf the fur trade. In l»ricf. the oljjcct of thcHc e\|)editionfl waH primarily to aHcertaiii the practicaliility, or otherwiric, of the IIudHon'H May route, and to learn, in addition, as much as poHrtil)l(> aliout the rcHourcen and pro- ducts of that vast territory, which had l(»ng heen a tvrra inroi/uifa to the general pu))li(;. It was decided that the oliHerving statioiiH should bo continued for three years at least. In the summer of 1HS4 an expedition was, therefore, sent to Hud- son's Strait and May and seven observing stations wer«' established. After the houses at the various p(»sts had been liuilt, and the men had been assigned to their positions, the ship which had taken them out returnod to Halifax, with the remainder of the expedition, in October of that year. The expedition of IKS."), «»f which I was a member, started in the latter part of May, the plan being that the vessel which carried the party slutuld l)e off the entrance to llu(is(»irs Strait soon after June 1, HO as to beal)le to take advantage of the earliest op])ortunity of running into Hudson's May whenever the ice should open up sutHciently to j)ermit of our entrance. I hope I have not wearied yon by too much preliminary matter, but it seemed to me essential, in order that yon might grasj) the import- ance of the mission on which our expedition ha you. You will thus see that this expedition was n<»t a uto|)ian one to hunt for the North l*ole — as some people seem to imagine — and was not an arctic expediticm per se, although at times our experiences par- took of an arctic tlavor. The various members of the exi)edition were ordered to report to Lieut. A. R. (rordon. R. N., at Halifax, on May 2'y, 1HH.5. The expedition was under the immediate command of Fiieut. (ror- don, who is now the A-^sistant Director of the Meteorological Mureau of Canada. Most of the cabin jMisscngers on the ship were otticers of the same branch. In addition to these were Dr. Robert Bell, V. R. S., Assistant Director of the (rcological Survey of Canada, and myself, who was I 'so an apitointee of that department. Our party in the ward- room of the ship was composed of ten individuals. We had, in addi- 190 Expedition of the Alert to tion, forty-two men, comprising tlio petty officers, crew jind station men. Tlie ship in wl>H!h we passed tive long months was II. IJ. M. s. 8. " Alert/' which Ixad heen given to the United States hy the Brit- ish (lovernnient, to aid in the relief expedition which rescued Fiieut. (Jreely and his mifortunate party. After its return from (hat ex])e(li- tion, tlu^ American Government gave it hack to the Hritish. with grateful expressions of thanks for the international courtesy. The "Alert" is also famous for having i)enetrated the furthest northward of any vessel in history, when she was under the conunand of Sir (ieorge Nares, in 18T0, on the arctic expedition of \\\\\v\\ he was comnninder. Our table-ware in the ward-rocmi was a substantial reminder of the good feeling and comity existing between (ireat Britain and the United States. The china dis])layed the naval ci'own of tlu' British Km})ire, while the silver and ghiss bore the monctgrani of tiu' United States navy. They seemed to be mute memorials of a family (piarrel which was a thing of the past and of bitterness f<»rgotten, pledges that the two great English-speaking nations of the world were willing to work shoulder to shoulder in the cause of civilization, of science, of i)ro- gress and of humanity. At 11 A. M. on Wednesday, ^fay 27. the hawsers were cast off and the "Alert" left the wharf at Halifax on her northern cruise. The day was bright and i)leasant. Tiie entire ward-room (contin- gent i)assed most of the afteriu)on on or near the ship's bridge, with the laudable purpose of getting a(C(iuainted with one another. C!a])tain (rordon ai)d Dr. \^Q\\ I had met before; of the others, Mr. Beaton was the only rei)resentative of the press on board, Mr. liarry was the first otiicer, while Messrs. Payn. Woodworth, Tyrrel, Afackenzie and Shaw were officers of the Meteorologi(?al Department. These five latter gentlemen Avere sent out to relieve others of the sanu> service who, as already ex])lained, had been left at various })oints in Hudson's Strait a year previous, and who will remain for a year in that region. Each one is to have charge of a station with only two men — generally laboring men — as companions. They arc separated many miles, and in that long time will see no human beings save Eskimos. Their duties are to make the regular meteorological and other o1)servations. The printed instructions given them by Captain (Jordon, soon after they came on board, read as follows : Lr Hudson's Strait and Ihuf. 191 IXHTKUC'TIOXS TO OkFICEUS IX ('lIAI{(}K OF StATIOXS IX lIUDSOX's Bay axi) Straits. " As tlie priniiiry ()l)ji'et of the wliole oxpoditioii is to ascertain for what period of the year the Straits are navit, if any such be available, and the height of the water u(»ted every half hour during the rise and fall of one tide on each of these days — the height to be noted most carefully every five minutes during the hour of high water, and the same at low water — the five minute observations will also l)e taken for one hour during the most ra|)id |)ortion of the rise. Special observations of baro- metric pressure are to l)e taken in connection with these tidal obser- vations. "To cheek the zero mark for the tidal oliservation jtost, select a spot on shore from which the horizon line will be projected on the tidal })ost, and record the reading of this line when seen ])rojected on the post by till' observer, whose eye is to be placed at a nii'asiired height above the datum point selected on shore. "All remarks in regard to the movenu'iitsoF l)inls, lisli, etc., and also as to the growth of grasses, will be carefully entered. "As it is impossible to give to the otficers in charge of stations detailed instructions which would be of service in every contingency which might arise, the otticers are re(|uired to observe and enforce the following rules: " (a.) J]very ^lossible precaution is to be taken against fire, and as it is anticipated that the ti'iiiperature can lie maintained considerably 193 Expedition of the Alert to above the freezing point inside the houses, two buckets full of water are always to be kept ready for instant use. *'(*,) As the successful carrying out of the observations Avill, in a great measure, depend on the health of the party, the need of exer- cise is strongly insisted on during the Avinter months, and also that each member of the party shall partake freely of the lime juice sup- plied. " {c.) Each party is supplied Avith a boat, but unless some emergency required it, it must be a rule that neither afloat nor ashore must any of the party leave the station for a greater distance than they can be sure of being able to return the same day. "(arrier, during tluit time, to any ship desiring to run into Hudson's liay, even if tlie ice in the Strait itself liad been loose enough to work through. Most of this ice, \\\\\v\\ closed the d(M»r to Hudson's liay, was of the heavy arctic variety and had conie many miles from the northward. Some of it was over fortv feet in thickness of solid blue ice, not tield 1.0 which luul been thickened by the piling of pan upon pan, but a solid sheet of ice which had frozen just as we saw it. How long this ice had been in [)rocess of formation it is difficult to judge. The depth to which water will freeze has. so far as I know, never been determined, but it is certain that ice, being a very poor conductor of heat, when once a certain thickness of it has formed, the rate of thick- ening will be very slow. fiieut, IJny, of the United States Signal Service, gives as a result of bis observations at Point Harrow, in the Arctic, tliat the greatest thickness of ice formed in o>U' season was six feet two iiu-hes. Early on the morning of dune KI we made the land. Cape Best on Resolution Island, distant about ten nules off the starboard bow. but the ice having run together the engines were stopped. We were in the midst of heavy field ice tightly januned. With the exception of Resolution Island, which is a bleak, barren and desolate luoking island with rocky aiul bold sliorcs, nothing was to bo seen except ice all around us. As the event proved we were destined to remain in this icy trap for three l(»ng, monotonous weeks, drifting about helplessly with the ice |)ack. without volition on our part; " 111 flirillinfj: regions of thick-rihlttMl ice To 1m' iiiii)risoii('(l in the viewless winds. And liiown witli restless vitilence iiliout Tlie iteiident world." During the three long weeks in which we were beset in the ice, time hung heavily on our hands, although we all had some daily duties to perform. Occasionally we would gel a shot at a murre or a gull, or if the ice opened \\\^ a little, a shot at a seal. After living for some time on salt nieat,a delicacy like curried gull, or seal pie.or iiroiled seal flipper was highly appreciated. For amusenu'nt and exercise we were obliged to content ourselves with pitching rope (pioits on deck, walking over the ice, or when a particularly large ice pan was near the ship, iiy a game of "rounders." Those who, like myself, belonged to the great order of land lubbers would make vain attempts to imitate the sailors 25 194 Expedition 0/ the Alert to in climbing about the rigging and to impress tlie crew witli tlie idea thut Avo were old hands at it. But in s])itc of the occasional tedium of our monotonous life there was much to interest one who had never been in arctic regions before. At times one would be impressed with the supernatund tinge which the surroundings would give. Every thing seemed odd and the world ujjside down nnd chaos come again, where nothing was to b ' seen but ice — ice every where except where tlie black rocks of Resolution Island broke the surface. On the evening of June 31, the longest day of the year, I remained a long time on deck. It was bright, clear and cold, the thermonu'ter at eight ]'. m. registering thirty-one degrees. In that region the variation of the magnetic needle is very great, being greatly west of true north. Sunset occurred about ten P. M, on that evening. It was difficult almost to convince myself, knowing the time of night, that I was not dreaming. And, striiugest of all, the sun was setting about north by compass. It was a weird, eerie, im}U'essive scene. It almost seemed that the sun had strayed so far from its course that it would waiuler off into some iniinitude of si)ace and never return. Soon after it disa])})eared behind the ice, as if (ioiujuenul by obstiiuite frigidity, the still arctic twilight shed its pale light about. (Jlouds, like a funeral pall, hung over the grave of the extinct sun. Solemn, mysterious, gigantic icebergs moved slowly along, carried onward by hidden cuiTents which Avere powerless on the surface. This ghostly procession ])assed in review while our little ship lay nu»tioidess in icy fetters. Hesolution Ishmd, black, forbidding, btoked liki^ the evil genius of this strange scene. Later on the moon rose and filtered pale, flickering rays through the clou> ^ Porvprsp, all iiionHtrouH, all ])r(Mligioii8 things, Aboiniiuiblc, InntU'rable, and worwe Than fablew yet have feigned, or fear c«mceived, (lorgons, and IlydraH and Chimeras dire." In the sliari) eoiitost with tlio iec, wliich avhs without doubt unusu- ally heavy liist neasoUj our ship wan very biuUy dinujiged. Her iron stem-plate was wrenched completely olf, the chafing jdates on her bows were partially pulled out and the timbers underneath somewhat dam- aged. Under these conditions, and us there was little i)rosj»ect of getting into Hudson's Strait for some time, Cajjtain (iordon wisely de- cided to put about and to run down to St. Johns, Newfoundland, and rejjair the ship. This was accordingly done, and we did not return to the entrance to Hiulson's Strait until August 3. On the nuirniug of this day, we were off C'ai)e Chudleigh. after having steamed through heavy ice all the night before. On this morning we were still in the ice, although there was open water near the land. Before reaching it, however, the tide changed, and the tidal current of six knots per hour ran the ice together against the ship, and carried ice, ship, and every thing floating out to sea. In the afternoon, a heavy fog shut down, and at ten I*. M. the engines Avere stopj>ed and we lay to for the night. On the following (hiy, at about three i*. M., after another struggle with the ice and tidal currents, we rounded Ca})e Chudleigh and dropped anchor in the harbor of Port Burwell, where one of the stations was established the ])revious year. We were obliged to walk asluu-e, about an eighth of a mile, over the ice, as the latter had run closely together soon after we had dropped anclu)r. Mr. Burwell, the officer in charge of the station, and his two jueu were found to be quite well, '^i'hey reported that they had had no sickness during the year, and that they had not suffered undidy from the cold, although the thennonu'ter had indicated during the winter a temperature at times 40° below zero. On some winter days the wiml blew with fearful violence. One day the anemometer registered a speed of eighty-four miles i)er hour, when the instrument was blown down. Subserpiently, the wind appeared to increase in velocity. It slightly raise(' the frame house several times. The inmates feared it would be blown over altogether and they put out the fire in the stove for fear of disaster. One of the sta- tion-men and an Eskimo started out of doors for some i)urpose, when the wind suddenly caught them, threw them off their feet, and hurled si mo Eapcdifioii of (he Alert to them into n snow-drift twenty feet distant. were obliged to (rniwl on tlieir liands and knees In order to return, tliey The station-houKes, of which tlie one at Port Hurwell is a type, arc frame dwelliii<;s, strongly built, having two thicknesses of boarding and the interstices tilled with felt and moss. The inner ])art of the roof is lined with felt, and the same material is placed uiuler the lloor, while heavy can- vas is used in. lieu of (iarpets. Outside the house stone Avails are built, and the space between the walls and the house tilled in so as to prevent, as far as possible, the Avind from getting nnderneath the house and so overturning it. The ), )use is divided into three rooms, one the general sitting-room, kitchen and eating-room, one bedroom for the officer in charge and one for his two men. A large cooking stove, in which hard coal is burned, heats the building. Even with the lowtem])eratures of winter, the men had little difficulty in keeping the temperature in-doors up to 05" and 70° Fahr. At these staticms a plentiful supply of provisions, sutticient to last two years, had been left. It consisted of salt beef, salt pork, canned meats, evaporated fruits and vegctal)ies, l)iscuits, Hour, oatmeal, tea, coffee, sugar, condiments, etc., and [jlcnty of lime Juice; a considerable supply of tobacco was furnished, also a good and well-selected supply of medicines, which included two bottles of brandy, which Avas all the li(pu>r permitted to be taken ashore. At all of the stations, Avhere the instructions as regards care (►f health, including those relating to diet, exercise and cheerful occupa- tions, Avero followed, the health of the men Avas excellent. One man died of scurvy, but the result Avas clearly his own fault, lie refused to drink linio juice, Avould not vary his diet nor take sutticient exer- cise and, consequently, died of a disease Avhich is cimsidered pre- ventable. On Wednesday, August 5, we left Port Burwell, en rovte for Ashe's Inlet, on the north side of Hudson's Strait. We did not get entirely clear from the ice until August 11. About five a. .u., on the follow- ing day, we arrived opposite Ashe's Inlet, and found the ice tightly jammed along the shore, making a belt about ten miles wide. Wo attempted to steam through it and all Avent Avell until about noon, when one blade of the })ro])eller avjis broken off and we lay to in order to fit on another. Fortunately, we had two spare fans for this pur- pose. The following day opened dull, foggy, and disagreeable. About two p. M. the fog lifted and the ice began to I'uu abroad. We found that HviJmn's Strait and Baij. 197 the shij) liml Iktii ciirrii'd about thirty inilos to the wostwair' of Aslio's luU't, jiiul we were obliged to retrace our course. About five \\ m., of this day, the ice having closed in again, some Eskimos were seen walking over the frozen surface to the shi^). The party consisted of four men and one woman, the latter (tarrying a bahy in the hood of her dress. 'I'liey were all hoisted on board by ntpes, the j)Oor creatures seeming to have perfect conlidencc in our good intentions. They had small bundles of skins and curiosities for trade and, soon after they came on board, bartering began. They had rather a i)itiful su[)i)ly of seal skins, walrus ivory and a few seal skin boots. The ju-iccs for these articles were a plug of black stra[) tobacco, or some powder, or some percussion caps. The Eskimo woman, in sjiite of the burden on her back, seemed fpiite able to keep up with the men in coming over the ice. Jler-infant, apparently about a year and a half old, was entirely nude, and was thrust into the seal-skin hood on its mother's back. 'I'he i)oor little wretch was blubl)ering away with cold and fright. Its head only could be seen i>ee])ing over the mother's shoulder. It was a most grotesipio little face. It imlicated a jtaternity not Eskimo, its hair l)cing of a light color. One could imagine that that ])ortion of its organism derived from its white father was crying out against such licroic treat- ment as it was then undergoing, Avhile that portion derived from its mother was trying to conquer such effeminacy. The struggle (tf races was going on in the little body, and ex])ressing itself in the disturbed and wailing face. While its ])lumi» little body was covered, by nature, Avith a good layer of bhdjbcr to kec]) out the cold, its face was covered Avith another kind of blubber as a protest against the frigidity of the air. The mother and the men seemed happy, cheerful and, like children, were fully ijnj)ressed with the novelty of every thing on boai-d the ship. At night they were all sent up to the forecastle to slec]). 'i'he baby was a great source of amusement to the sailors. One of them wrapped the little thing up in a Avarm flannel shirt 1)efore it went to sleep for the night. One's heart goes out in pity to these poor people, whose lives are passed in such inhosj)itable regions in a constant struggle against all the adverse forces of nature. Yet they seem happy and contented. Fortunately, their heroic method of bringing up the ciiildren weeds out, in early infancy, all the weakly ones. As they have no farinaceous food, the mothers nurse their children until the latter are live, and sometimes six, years old. The men, Avomen 108 Expedition of the Alert to imd childivii air all iiionliiiatoly fond of tohaeoo, and it is no unusual tliinj? to soe a child, after partaking <)f nourishment at its tuother's breast, reach up and take the pipe from lu'r mouth, and 8nu)ke it witli all the Mpi)arent satisfaction of u true devotee of the soothing weed. After speiuling several days in trying to get through tin? ice into Ashe's Inlet we abandoned the attempt, and steanu-d across the Strait to Stupart's May, where we came to anchor on the morning of August 'Z'Z. The Bay is a very ]iicturesque one, with bold, mountniiums shores, aiul several islands scattered about. A number of Eskimo tents were to be seen along the beach, while the station-house, sheds and nuig- netic observatory were at the head of the Hay. Soon after coming to anchpr, an Eskinu) came out in his kayak and uuulo signs that he wished to see the Captain, and handed him a pack- age from Mr. Stupart, the officer who had been left in charge. This contained a letter giving the astounding intelligence, that Mr. Stupart and his three n»en had abandoned their station several days before our arrival, and had set out on a perilous journey of over 300 miles, in an open boat, for Ft. Chimo, at the foot of llngava Hay. 'J'he letter stated that the winter had been a very severe one, and that nutny of the natives had starved. Thirteen of them died of starvation almost at the door of the .suition building. Mr. Stupart had given them moi'e j)rovisions than he could afford, and a like fate seemed to be in store for his little jjarty. Our ship should have arrived a month earlier tlian it did under ordinary circumstances. Mr. Stui)art feared that she had gone to the bottom. Ho, there- fore, decided that his oidy course was to attempt to reach Fort Chimo, one of the Hudson Hay Company's trading posts, whence he could go on one of their vessels either to England or to Newfoundland. I am happy to be able to state that Air. Stupart and his i)arty reached their respective homes in safety. Soon after coming to anchor in Stupart's Bay a most singular look- ing object was seen api)roaching the ship. It proved to be an oomiak, or women's boat — a large oi)en boat made of seal-skin — and Avas filled with women and children. I counted thirty-eight people in this frail craft. Each individual was in a state of tremendous and audible excite- ment, yelling, gesticulating, and pushing for a good point of view, while two divided their attention between paddling and adding to the general pandemonium. It looked like Bedlam let loose, or a floating lunatic as3'lum which had lost its keeper. As they neared the ship, their excitement increased and we could Hudson's Sirait and Bay. 190 distinguisli their yoUs '* Cliimo! chinu)! tolHiccmnickl iiiiitchimiick! " wliieli nu'jiiit '* Wolt'oinol givo us tolmcoo! give us nuitehesi " thus show- ing tlmt their weleoiue was iu)t altogether disinterested. When they eanu> alongsiiU' the slii|), I threw a few |>lugs of toliaeco into the yelling crowd. In their frantic; struggles to get the tohai co. they lu'arly ui)set the old tub of a boat. At this p(tiut, the first otticer of the ship, fearing that this wild crowd would invade our lloating luMue, jumped upon liu' liiilwarks, with a huge stick of wood in his hand. With a nuniher of forciide and violent Anglo-Saxon expressions, which a sail(»r always knows how to use, accompanied by menacnng gestures with the l)illet of wood, he l)ersuaded these lovely wonu-n to move away from the ship. It is the only instance I have seen, Avhere a sailor was ungaliant to the fair sex. We saw at various times, during our cruise, considerable numbers of the Kskinu)8. They interested nu' greatly, as being types of the human race still pursuing a barbarous and nomadic life, and totally unim- proved by civilization or Christianity. The Kskiujos are the most northerly of the American native tribes, residing chiefly above latitude <)0° N. 'I'he nanjc " Kskimo " was applied to them by the AlgoiKpiins, a family of North American Indians, and means literally, "eaters of raw meat." The term is well applied, for I have never known them to cook their meat, excc|>t for the very old people who had lost their teeth. They appear to show great kindness and deference to the aged and are, in this respect, a pleasing contrast to our wild Indian tribes. Most etluudogists class the Eskimos with the Mongolians. Their physical characteristics give strong sujti)ort to this tbe(»ry. Their in- genuity, their intelligence, far superior to that of most wild tribes, their skill and cunning with their hantls, all furnish reasonable groumls for this theory. I have here a little carving made from a. walrus tusk by one of these savages, his (mly im|)lements being a file and an old luiil. It rejU'e- sents an Kskimo in a kayak, or skin boat for hunting, with paddle, hari)oon, gaff, etc., complete. It is a perfect miniature of what it rep- resents. The pro[)(»rtions are exact, there is not a line out of drawing, and it shows a great degree of intelligence and of the art instinct, re- markable in a savage who has lived in such an unfavorable environment. It would indicate to me, rpiite as much as ])hysical appearance, that the origin of this jieople was Mongolian. We have all seen the ivory carvings of the (Hiinese. and I leave you to judge if you cannot trace a resemblance betwecMi the work of 200 Expvdition of tha Alert to this riult' iMirhariim and tliat of their more cultured and enlijjhtencd relatives of the Orient. I have also a model of their kayak, made of seal-skin, the same ma- terial \vhi(rh they use in their larj^e hoats. Except for its size, it in exactly what they would use in ^oin;? out huntinj^ for seals or walrus. You will observe that there is not a j)articlo of nu'tal in it. Its com- ponents are seal-skin, wood and sinews prol)al)ly of the caril)oo. The Eskimos are very reticent about their relijj;ious beliefs. 'I'hey seem to believe in a future existence, after death. Formerly, in bury- ing the dead, if the deceased had been a hunter, their custom was to bury with the body, a jifun, knife and other im|)lcments (»f the chase, for use in the happy hunting fjrounds. Now they do not do so. ■ When asked why, they said, it is \w lon nliip lit <»:;{(> A. M. ill tlu^ Htniiii Imiiicli to niiiki' ii truck niirvi'v of tlu'Ho isliuulrt. Dr. lU-ll wtiH in coiiiiimiKl. In addition were MoHsrH. Iiii|i(!r- riiiro — tlio ortlcur in elmr^^t'iit Dij^'^^'H — Tyrrell, inyni'lf, tluu'ii^'iiu'or of tln' laiiiifh mid one of the Huiloi'H. It wiiM )i cold, l)liistcrin<^ diiy. The h(mi whs ninnin;^ 'iiK^i. >*'• ninc^li HO that when we j^ot into tlii' tide rips, we shipped lurffe (piantitiert of water. Mefore we hud heen out an hour, one of our party, not myself I am happy to say, hecaiiie very scii-sick and *' .subsefpiont proceeding's interested him no more." After we had heen out ahoiit three hours, and the work was heeom- iiif; monotonous, the sailor in the liow of the launch called out that there were a (rouple of polar bears in the water between us and tho shore. Let me say here that these animals live in the water more than they do on shore, and have been seen a liundred miles from land* swimming about in apjiarent unconcern. On account of their amphib- ious habits they have received the name, Urttus Miti'Hiiniis. On this day I had the only rille on board the launch and merely ti, few cartridf^es, as I had not expected to see any above. I tired two luon* shots and wt.utuled both animals. 'I'hey then starte(| tocliiub up the cape, but, finding; it too steep, fell back and tunu>d down into the ravine or ^'ully, where we c(»uld not see thetn. The launch was run ashore and the sailor, a bold, cnura^'cous man. froui Newfoundland, known as '* ('<»n " (iritTcii, and myself j^ot out. (irilTcu's only weapons were a boat-hook and an a\e. Wc climbed up the rocks, so as to <(et a ;j;ood point of attack above the bears. For some time we could not see them, but heard them ain and raj,'e. I must coufi'ss that I rescnd)lcd at that moment Hob Acres, in •*'l'he I{ivals," and could feel t he c(»ura;;e ;(radually oo/injy; out from my tin^'cr ends. Hut it was worse to (>() miles in length, witb an average width of 100 miles. Tbc narrowest part is about the center, and at the outlet into the Athmtic, where the breadth is only ahout 45 miles. The de})tli of water in the Strait, so far as ♦ Popular Science Monthly, June, 1885. I Hudson's Strait and Baj/. 205 it has been soinuled, varies from 100 to MO fathoms. In the Bay there is an ahnost uniform depth of 70 fathoms. * •' It will be seen by an insi)ection of the ehart, that Fox's Ciiannel, in respect to width, jreneral direction, etc., is a continuation of Hud- son's Strait, and that tlie (Uitlet of Hudson's liay joins this <]freat channel at right angles. It is much deei)er than Hudson's Hay, the comparative shallowness and the uniformity of the bottom of wiiich are remarkable features. If the sea in these latitudes were only about one hundred fathoms lower than it is at the present time, James' and Hudson's Bays would become dry land, while the Strait would remain as a long bay, but with a slightly diminished breadth. The bottom of the Hay would have become a i)lain, more level in proportion to its ex- tent than any other on the continent. The numerous rivers which now How into it would traverse this plain, converging toward tiio north-east and falling into the Strait near Ca|)e AVolsteuliolme, after having, perhaps, formed one immense river, flowing iu)rthward down the center of the Hay, or prol)ably nearer the east-main side. During the " great ice age " the basin of Huar skins, musk-ox robes, carcajou pelts, reindeer skins, w^olf-skins, hides of the square-flipper and hood seals, and other articles of barter are obtained annually from the Eskimos and Indians, for ^)rices varying from a 13 gun, or a little ammunition, to a flew plugs of black strap tobacco, worth al)out three cents a plug. Having glanced hastily at some of the resources of that region, wo come now to the question of the practicability of the Hudson's liay route. This is a question which I cannot with propriety discuss here, as the complete reports of the ofticers of our expedition have not yet been given to the public. I will make only a few remai'ks and give some facts which liave already l>een published. The only troublesome () irt of this route for navigation is in Huds(m's Strait and the entrance to it from the Atlantic. There is little doubt that from three to four numths can be relied upon for navigation each year for properly-constructed steamers: For the rest of the year, as a rule, the door to Hudson's Hay is locked with a key of ice. Whether that length of time is sufficient for purposes of commerce or not, 1 do not pretend to say. Some good judges say it is. From the time of Hudson's first trip into the Hay u|) to 1882, seven hundred and thirty round voyages had been made. The Hudson's Hay Company formerly insured their shii)s at as Ioav a rate as would have obtained if they had cleared for Quebec or Montreal. Now, I am informed, they do not insure them at all, as their losses have been few and far between. No vessel, I believe, has ever been lost in Hud, son's Strait. Hear in mind that all these voyages were made in sailing ^"^r-i 208 Expedition of the Alert to Hudson's Strait and Bay. vessels. The "Alert" was the seeond and last steamer to plow the waters of Hudson's Hay. To what extent artificial aids might im})rove that navigation is now a problem. Undoubtedly correct ciiarts of that region, light-houses, buoys, telegra[)h stations, to sigiuil ships where o]»en water might l)e found, etc., would imi)rove it very greatly. To illustrate how carefully we should form an opinion in the matter, I Avould state that in 1710, Captain Vautrou wrote, that of all known countries, the navigation of the Gulf of Ht. Lawrence was the most difficult and the most treaclicnms. Of three expeditions fitted out by England to seize upon New France, and sailing through the (Julf of 8t. Lawrence, only two were able to cast anchor in the harbor of Quebec. Only one voyage each year was nuule. and it was alleged that the St. Lawrence River Avas frozen solid in winter. What a contrast between the navigation then and now. Much of the change has been Avrought through artificial aids to mivigation, including, of course, im- proved motive power. Yet, in the very year that ('aptain Yautrou condemned the (ifulf of St. Lawrence as the navigator's bSff noire, the Hudson's Bay (Jompany's sailm"" vessels were threading their devious wa^ in and out of llud- son's Bay. What seems chimerical and \itopian to-day, is a common occurrence to-morrow. The nuiii wlio proposes any new and strange project, if successful, is regarded by the world as a genius, otherwise, a fool. The wise men of England were demonstrating the utter impossi- bility of running a train of cars by steam power, on the very day that George Stephenson hauled a very substantial and material train on his tramway by means of his little locomotive. Wise men proved conclusively that a ship could not be propelled by steam across the Atlantic, while the first ocean steamer was ploughing her way across. It seems to me that we should form an opinion with great care and deliberaticm as to the practicability of this Hudson's Bay route. It is still an open cjuestion. Many able and impartial men aiivocate it; many others oppose it as being utterly im))racticable. Others, again, render thei: verdict in the convenient and old-fashioned Scotch style, "Not proven." ' f f ■Li»Tiaii