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THE ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION. The last letter received from Captain Back left him at Norway House, on the Yack River, near Lake Winni eg, which is situate 53 degrees North lat. and 98 Test long. Here he proposed leaving his heavy boats, and the greatest part of his stores, and taking with him light canoes to cross the rivers, to proceed with his small party to the Great Slave Lake,which is in the A? de gree of North lat., and the 112 of West long. Hence inclining rather eastward, he would make for the Chesa dand Lake, situate 634 degrees North lat. and 1074 West long. He would then have travelled 3000 miles from Montreal, and all beyond him would be unexplored country. According to the Indians, a river runs from this Lake in a North-easterly direction, which they call Thov-e-oho, signifying the Great Fish River. They describe its banks as abounding with game. Captain Back’s purpose was either to fix his winter quarters at Cape Chesatland, or at as far a distance down this sup posed river as circumstances and the state of the season would permit. Having fixed his location, directions would be sent to Lake Winnipeg, through a line of communication which he would establish with the agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company as he advanced, direct ing the heavy boats and winter stores to be forwarded to him. The same mode of communication, it is confi dently believed, will insure the messenger who will have to convey the despatches sent out since Captain Ross's Most providential return, the easy means of reaching Captain Back before he breaks up his winter quarters. These despatches, after acquainting Captain Back with the safe arrival of Captain Ross and crew, and of the discoveries made by Captain and Commander Ross, direct him to proceed to Cape Turnagain, which lies north-west of the Chesatland Lake, and is so named from being the extreme northern point reached by Cap tain Franklin. Thence he is directed to proceed to the Obelisk of Stones, erected by Commander Ross to mark the south-west limit of the neck of land which he par tially explored. This Obelisk is situate in 69 deg. 37 min. North lat. and 90 deg. 40 min. West long., and is supposed to be distant only 150 miles from Cape Turn. again. It is thought that starting westerly from this Obelisk, it will be highly desirable that Captain Back should complete the survey of the south-west coast of this land; and also, if the season will admit of it, the north-west coast, which was traced by Commander Ross only for a distance of 90 miles from the isthmus. If, from the discoveries he will have made, it should be more eligible. Captain Back is instructed to proceed direct from his present quarters to the Obelisk. Doubts exist in the minds of some of the Arctic Land Com mittee as to the existence of the Great Slave River, which, if the Indian account be correct, runs from the Chesatland Lake in a north-east direction. ‘Mr. Simpson, one of the Governors of the Hudson’s Bay Company, is of opinion that it is identical with the river discovered by Captain Franklin, and named by him Buck’s River, which runs rather to the west of north from the Lake. On the other hand, there are several of the Committee whose confidence in the cor rectness of the Indian account is strengthened from the remarkable manner in which their accuracy on another geographical point has been proved by Captain Ross’s recent discoveries. In their interviews with the agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company, they always have de clared, after their manner, by standing with their faces due North, and stretching out their right hand in an Easterly direction, that the land further North spread out in that direction—a fact now placed beyond doubt by Captain Ross. Accompanying the despatches sent out are maps descriptive of the extent to which Capt. Ross has, during his tedious residence in these inclement reions, been enabled to trace their boundaries. It is constantly hoped by the Committee that the liberality of the public will insure the supply of the necessary funds to enable Captain Back to prosecute his task of exploration for a third season, in the course of which it is believed he would be able to complete the survey of the North-East coast of America up to the Southern point where Captain Ross’s discoveries terminate.
Newspaper Details
London County Herald and Weekly Advertiser
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Nov 09, 1833
Page 1
Full Page
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Anonymous
CA 25 Jul 2026
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