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HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S ARCTIC DISCOVERY EXPEDITION. The lively interest which the British public have for such a length of time manifested in the further discovery of the Arctic regions induced the Hudson's Bay Company to determine on equipping an expedition, solely at their own expense, and com posed of their own officers and servants, with the view of endea vouring to complete the survey of the northern shores of the American continent. The formation and equipment of the expedition were entrusted to Mr. Simpson, the resident Governor, in the spring of 1836. That gentleman, on his arrival from England at Norway house, Lake Winnipeg, in the month of June of the same year, beat up for volunteers for this arduous service. Two active and enter prising leaders, Meason, P. W. Dease and Thomas Simpson, and 12 men, were immediately selected, and forwarded, with the necessary supplies, to Fort Chipewayan, Athabasca Lake, where they passed the winter of 1836-7. Immediately after the open ing of the navigation on the lat of June, 1837, the party started from Fort Chipewayan in two small boats, which they had con structed in the course of the winter, descended the Slave River, passed the western end of Great Slave Lake, where they were detained several days by ice, and descended Mackenzie's River to Fort Norman, where they arrived on the 1st of July. From Fort Norman they despatched two of their party, with two other men, belonging to Fort Norman, to the eastern end of Great Bear's Lake, for the purpose of erecting a small establishment, at which they might take up their quarters for the following winter, and of laying up a stock of provisions p ry to an extension of their survey in the summer of 1838. These arrangements being made, Messrs. Dease and Simpson, with the remainder of their people, forming a party of twelve in all, continued their route down the Mackenzie, and reached Fort Good Hope, the most northern establishment belonging to the Company, on the 4th, where they found an assemblage of Hare and Loucheaux Indians, from whom they learned that the Esquimaux had killed three of their party a short time previous, which prevented the discoverers, taking an interpreter from that tribe. On the 9th of July they reached the ocean by the most westerly mouth of the Mackenzie, making its situation in lat. 86 deg. 49 min. 23 sec. N., long. 136 deg. 36 min. 45 sec. W. They had proceeded but a short distance seaward when a party of 19 Esquimaux went off to them from Tent Island, who showed a disposition to be troublesome, but returned to their encampment when they found the party prepared to de fend themselves if necessary. The progress of the party along the coast was very slow, owing to gent obstructions from ice, cold, dense fogs, and strong head-winds. On the after noon of the 11th they reached Point Bay, where they found another encampment of Egguimanx, and where they were detained by a compact body of ice, occupying Phillips’ Bay until the 14th. They continued their route till the 17th, when an unbroken pack of ice extending to seaward made them seek the shore in Camden Bay, near a large camp of Esqui maux, who received them kindly. In the afternoon there ap peared a narrow passage of water through the ice stretching out wards, and they immediately embarked, but had not proceeded above three miles from the land when the ice suddenly closed upon them, squeezing one of their boats, which, with their provisions and baggage, they had much difficulty in saving; and by means of portages from one piece of ice to another, the oars serving as bridges, they finally got on a large floe, where they posed an inclement and anxious night. On the 20th they Foggy Island Bay, when they were stopped by ice and a violent north-east wind until the 23d, having on the preceding day made an ineffectual attempt to weather Point Anxiety, in which they narrowly escaped with a thorough drenching.” The latitude ashore was 70 deg. 9 min. 48 sec. From this situation they had the satisfaction of disco vering 2 range of the Rocky Mountains to the Westward of the Romanzoff chain, and noteen by Sir John Franklin, but being within the limit of his survey, called it the Franklin Range, as a just tribute to his character and merits. That evening they reached Sir John Franklin’s Return Reef, where their survey commenced, that officer having got no further. Return Reef is one of a chain of reefs which ram for 20 miles parallel to the coast at the distance of abort half a league, affording sufficient water within for their small craft. The mainland is very low. From Point ‘Berens * to Cape Halkett it forms Harrison's Bay, $0 miles broad by about a third of that distance in depth. At the bottom of this bay, another picturesque branch of the Rocky Mountains Range rears its lofty peaks above these flat shores, which they named Pelly’s Mountains, in honour of the Governor of the Company. At their base flows Colvile’s River, two miles broad at its mouth, to the south-west of which stands Cape Halkett, where they were detained by a north-east gale the whole of the following day. The country extending to the foot of the mountains appeared to consist of plains covered with short grass and moss, a favourite resort of reindeer, of which they saw numerous herds. Observations were obtained deter mining Cape Halkett to be inlat, 70 deg. 43 min. N., long, 152 deg. 14 min. W., the variation of the compass 43 deg. 8 min. 38 sec. E. Next morning, 26th July, they passed the Gang, a river about one mile broad. From Cape Halkett the coast turned suddenly off to the W.N.W. It presented to the eye nothing but a succession of low banks of frozen mud. In the evening they passed the mouths of a large stream, which they named Smith's River. From thence for about nine miles the coast line is formed of gravel reefs, near the extremity of which, at Point Pitt, the land trends more to the westward. Here they were detained by ice until the following afternoon (27th), when an opening pre senting itself, they resumed their route. It blew a cutting blast from the north-east, and the salt water froze upon the oars and the rigging. Poins Drew, seven miles distant from their last encampment, is the commencement of a bay of considerable size, but extremly shallow, and much encumbered with ice. To seaward the ice was still smooth and solid, as in the depth of a sunless winter. At midnight they reached a narrow pro jecting point, across w which the peaks of some high icebergs ap peared. This point they named Cape George Simpson, as a mark of respect for the Governor of the Company's territories, to whose excellent arrangements the success of the expedition is in a great measure indebted. This point was destined to be the limit of their boat naviga tion, for during the four following days they were only able to advance as many miles. The weather was foggy and dismally cold, the wild fowl passed in long flights to the westward, and there seemed little prospect of their being able to reach Beechey’s Point Barrow by water. Boat Extreme is situated in lat.71 deg. 3 min. 24 sec. N. Jong., 154 deg. 26 min. 30 sec. W... variation of compass 42 deg. 36 min. 18 sec. E Under these circumstances Mr. Thomas Simpson undertook to complete the journey on foot, and accordingly started on the 1st of August with fivemen, Mr. Deage and the other fivemen remaining in charge of the boats. The pedestrians carried with them their arms, some ammuni tion, pemican s small oiled cmvas canoe for the crossing of rivers, the necessary astronomical instruments, and a few trin kets for the natives. It was one of the worst days of the whole season, and the fog was so dense that the party were under the necessity of rigidly following the tortuous outline of the coast, which, for 20 miles, formed gears of irregular inland bay (being guarded without by a series of gravel reefs), the shore of which was . The different rivers, capes, and other remarkable objects between Franklin's Return Reef and Beechey's Cape Barrow, were named by Messrs. Deass and Simpson after the Governor and Directors of the Hudson's Bay Company, and other gentle men connected with the fur trade, almost one level with the water,and intersected by innumera ble ash creeks, through which they waded, besides three con siderable rivers which they traversed in their portable canine. Next day the weather improved, and at noon Mr. Simpson had an observation for lat. in 71 deg. 9 min. 45 sec. The land now inclined to the south-west, and continued very low and muddy, and, as on the preceding day, sbounding in salt creeks, where waters were at the freezing temperature. The party had pro ceeded about 10 miles, when, to their dismay, the coast sud denly turned off to the southward, forming an inlet as far as the eye could reach. At the same moment they descrted, at no great distance, a small camp of Esquimaux, to which they immediately directed their steps. The men were absent, hunting, and the women and children took to their boat. in the greatest alarm, leaving behind them an infirm man, who was in an agony of fear. A few words of friendship removed his apprehensions, and brought back the fugitives, who were equally surprised and delighted to behold white men. They set before the party fresh reindeer meat and seed oil. Mr. Simpson now determined to adopt a more expeditious mode of travelling, by obtaining the loan of one of their “cominks,” or family skin-canoes, to convey the party to Point Barrow, with which, from a chart drawn by one of the women, it appeared that these people were well ac quainted. Four cars were fitted with lashings to this strange craft. Be fore starting, the hunters arrived, and presents of tobacco, awls, buttons, c., were made to all the inmates of the encampment, with which they were highly gratified. Dease's Inlet is five miles broad at this place, yet 90 low is the land, that the one shore is just visible from the other in the clearest weather. It now again blew strongly from the north east, bringing back the cold, dense fog; but the traverse was effected by the aid of the compass. The waves ran high, and the skin-boats surmounted them with great buoyancy; the party encamped on the neat side of the inlet The banks there were of frozen mud, 10 or 12 feet high ; the country within was perfectly flat, abounding in small lakes, and produced a very short grass; but nowhere had the thaw penetrated more than two inches beneath the surface, while under water along shore the bottom was still impenetrably frozen. Not a log of wood was to be found in this land of desolation ; but our party fol lowed the example of the natives, and made their fire of the roots of the dwarf willow in a little chimney of turf. Next morning, August 3, the fog cleared for awhile, but it was still bitterly cold, and the swell beat violently on the outside of a heavy line of ice which lay packed upon the shore. To weather this was a work of danger, but the good quali ties of their boat, after a severe trial, carried them safely through. The land ran out for five miles to the northward, then turned off to the N.W., beyond which, at Point Christie, the lat. 71 deg. 12 min. 36 sec, was observed. From thence the coast trended more westerly for 10 miles, forming two points and a bay, which Mr. Simpson named after chief factors Charles and Rowand, and the chief trader Ross. The party then came up to what appeared a large bay, where they halted for two or three hours to await the dispersion of the fog, not knowing which way to steer. In the evening their wish was gratified, and the weather from that time was sensibly ameliorated. The bay was now ascertained to be only four miles in width; the depth half-way across was 1 fathom on a bottom of land; that of Dease's Inlet was afterwards found to be two fathoms, muddy bottom, being the greatest deep between Return Reef and Point Barrow, except at 10 miles S.E. from Cape Halkett, where three fathoms were sounded on our return. After crossing Mackenzie's Bay the coast again trended for eight or nine miles to the W.N.W. A compact body of ice extended all along, and beyond the reach of vision to seaward ; but the party carried their light vessel within that formidable barrier, and made their way through the narrow channels close to the shore. At midnight they passed the mouth of a fine deep river, a quarter of a mile wide, to which Mr. Simpson gave the name of the Bellevue, and in less than an hour afterwards the rising sun gratified him with the view of Point Barrow, stretching out to the N.N.W. They soon crossed Elson Bay, which, in the perfect calm, had acquired a tough coating of young ice, and had much difficulty in making their way through a broad and heavy pack that rested upon the shore. On reaching it, and seeing the ocean extending away to the southward, they hoisted their flag, and with three cheers took possession of their discoveries in his Majesty's name. Point Barrow is a long low spit, composed of gravel and coarse sand, which the pressure of the ice has forced up into its numerous mounds, that, viewed from a distance, assume the appearance of huge boulder rocks. At the spot where the party landed it is only a quarter of a mile across, but is broader to wards its termination. The first object that presented itself on looking round the landing-place was an immense cemetery. The bodies lay exposed in the most horrible and disgusting manner, and many of them appeared so fresh that the men be came alarmed that the cholera, or some other dreadful disease, was raging among the natives. Two considerable camps of the latter stood at no great distance on the point, but none of the inmates ventured to approach till our party first visited them, and, with the customary expressions of friendship, dissipated their apprehensions. A brisk traffic then began, after which the women formed a circle, and danced to a variety of airs, some of which were pleasing to the ear. The whole conduct of this people was friendly in the extreme; they seemed to be well acquainted with the character, if not the persons of white men, and were passionately fond of tobacco. To the northward enormous icebergs covered the ocean ; but on the western side there was a fine open channel, which the Esquimaux assured the party extended all along to the southward, and so inviting was the prospect in that direction, that, had such been his object, Mr. Simpson would not have hesitated a moment to prosecute the voyage to Cook’s Inlet in his skin canoe. The natives informed him that whales were numerous to the northward of the point, and seals were every where sporting among the ice. It was high water between one and two o'clock a.m.and p.m. the rise of the tide was 14 inches, and the flow came from the westward. Observations were obtained which determine the position of the landing place to be lat. 7] deg. 23 min. 33 sec. N., long. 156 deg. 20 min. W., agreeing closely with the obser vations of Mr. Elson. Then bidding adieu to their good-hu moured and admiring entertainers, the party set out on their return. They reached the western mouth of the Mackenzie on the 17th of August, and Fort Norman on the 4th of September, from whence their report is dated on the following day. From Fort Norman they were about to proceed to the eastern end of Great Bear’s Lake, there to pass the winter, from then on haul their boats across to the Coppermine river and resume their survey to the eastward at the opening of the navigation in July next, with the view of connecting the discoveries of Sir John Franklin and Captain Back from Point Turnagain to Great Fish river, in which, from the activity and perseverance of the leaders, it is confidently hoped they will be successful.
Newspaper Details
Patriot
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Apr 23, 1838
Page 6
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Anonymous
CA 25 Jul 2026
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