When the Champlain Society was first organised in 1905 one of the works on its list of proposed publications was the Journal of Samuel Hearne. This book, written with great literary charm, is the first account preserved to us of an attempt to explore the interior of far-northern Canada from a base on Hudson Bay. The natives had brought to Fort Prince of Wales glowing reports of a vast store of copper at the mouth of a river which flowed into the Arctic Ocean. An attempt to find it was inevitable

Samuel Hearne, the author of the book here republished, is one of the most interesting characters to be met with in the annals of exploration in North America. When a young man, only twenty-four years old, he was sent on foot to explore the interior of a great continent. Though he knew nothing of mines or minerals, he, like many a man similarly equipped since his day, was to report on a great mining property. Naturally his report on the "mine" of copper is of little value, but his account of Nor

HONOURABLE SIRS, As the following Journey was undertaken at your Request and Expence, I feel it no less my Duty than my Inclination to address it to you; hoping that my humble Endeavours to relate, in a plain and unadorned Style, the various Circumstances and Remarks which {iv} occurred during that Journey, will meet with your Approbation. I am, with much Esteem and Gratitude, HONOURABLE SIRS, Your most obedient, and most obliged humble Servant, SAMUEL HEARNE....

Mr. Dalrymple, in one of his Pamphlets relating to Hudson's Bay, has been so very particular in his observations on my Journey, as to remark, that I have not explained the construction of the Quadrant which I had the misfortune to break in my second Journey to the North. It was a Hadley's Quadrant, with a bubble attached to it for a horizon, and made by Daniel Scatlif of Wapping. But as no instrument of the same principle could be procured when I was setting out on my last Journey, an old Elton'

For many years it was the opinion of all ranks of people, that the Hudson's Bay Company were averse to making discoveries of every kind; and being content with the profits of their small capital, as it was then called, did not want to increase their trade. What might have been the ideas of former members of the Company respecting the first part of these charges I cannot say, but I am well assured that they, as well as the present members, have always been ready to embrace every plausible plan fo

Transactions from my leaving Prince of Wales's Fort on my first expedition, till our arrival there again. Set off from the Fort—Arrive at Po-co-ree-kis-co River—One of the Northern Indians desert—Cross Seal River, and walk on the barren grounds—Receive wrong information concerning the distance of the woods—Weather begins to be very cold, provisions all expended and nothing to be got—Strike to the Westward, arrive at the woods, and kill three deer—Set forward in the North West quarter, see the tr

Transactions from our arrival at the Factory, to my leaving it again, and during the first part of my second journey, till I had the misfortune to break the quadrant. Transactions at the Factory—Proceed on my second journey—Arrive at Seal River—Deer plentiful for some time—Method of angling fish under the ice—Set our fishing nets—Methods of setting nets under the ice—My guide proposes to stay till the geese began to fly; his reasons accepted—Pitch our tent in the best manner—Method of pitching a

Transactions from the Time the Quadrant was broken, till I arrived at the Factory Several strange Indians join us from the Northward—They plundered me of all I had; but did not plunder the Southern Indians—My guide plundered—We begin our return to the Factory—Meet with other Indians, who join our company—Collect deer-skins for clothing, but could not get them dressed—Suffer much hardship from the want of tents and warm clothing—Most of the Indians leave us—Meet with Matonabbee—Some account of hi

Transactions during our Stay at Prince of Wales's Fort, and the former part of our third Expedition, till our Arrival at Clowey, where we built Canoes, in May 1771. Preparations for our departure—Refuse to take any of the home-guard Indians with me—By so doing, I offend the Governor—Leave the Fort a third time—My instructions on this expedition—Provisions of all kinds very scarce—Arrive at the woods, where we kill some deer—Arrive at Island Lake—Matonabbee taken ill—Some remarks thereon—Join the

Transactions at Clowey, and on our Journey, till our Arrival at the Copper-mine River. Several strange Indians join us—Indians employed building canoes; description and use of them—More Indians join us, to the amount of some hundreds—Leave Clowey—Receive intelligence that Keelshies was near us—Two young men dispatched for my letters and goods—Arrive at Peshew Lake; cross part of it, and make a large smoke—One of Matonabbee's wives elopes—Some remarks on the natives—Keelshies joins us, and delive

The Copper Indians set a great value on their native metal even to this day; and prefer it to iron, for almost every use except that of a hatchet, a knife, and an awl: for these three necessary implements, copper makes but a very poor substitute. When they exchange copper for iron-work with our trading Northern Indians, which is but seldom, the standard is an ice-chissel of copper for an ice-chissel of iron, or an ice-chissel and a few arrow-heads of copper, for a half-worn hatchet; but when the

Remarks from the Time the Women joined us till our Arrival at the Athapuscow Lake. Several of the Indians sick—Method used by the conjurers to relieve one man, who recovers—Matonabbee and his crew proceed to the South West—Most of the other Indians separate, and go their respective ways—Pass by White Stone Lake—Many deer killed merely for their skins—Remarks thereon, and on the deer, respecting seasons and places—Arrive at Point Lake—One of the Indian's wives being sick, is left behind to perish

A short Description of the Northern Indians, also a farther Account of their Country, Manufactures, Customs, &c. An account of the persons and tempers of the Northern Indians—They possess a great deal of art and cunning—Are very guilty of fraud when in their power, and generally exact more for their furrs than any other tribe of Indians,—Always dissatisfied, yet have their good qualities—The men in general jealous of their wives—Their marriages—Girls always betrothed when children, and t

An Account of the principal Quadrupeds found in the Northern Parts of Hudson's Bay.—The Buffalo, Moose, Musk-ox, Deer, and Beaver—A capital Mistake cleared up respecting the We-was-kish. Animals with Canine Teeth.—The Wolf—Foxes of various colours—Lynx, or Wild Cat—Polar, or White Bear—Black Bear—Brown Bear—Wolverene—Otter—Jackash—Wejack—Skunk—Pine Martin—Ermine, or Stote. Animals with cutting Teeth.—The Musk Beaver—Porcupine—Varying Hare—American Hare—Common Squirrel—Ground Squirrel—Mice of var

Anderson, James. Letters from Chief Factor James Anderson to Sir George Simpson, Governor in chief of Rupert Land. Communicated by the Hudson's Bay Company. Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. , vol. 26 (1856), pp. 18-25. Anderson, James. Extracts from Chief Factor James Anderson's Journal. Communicated by Sir John Richardson. Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. , vol. 27 (1857), pp. 321-328. Arrowsmith, A. Map exhibiting all the new discoveries in the interior parts of North America, Jan. 1, 1795, with additions to 1811.

1. THE HISTORY OF NEW FRANCE. By Marc Lescarbot . With an English Translation, Notes and Appendices by Professor W. L. Grant of Queen's University, and an Introduction by H. P. Biggar . Vol. I., pp. xxi-331. (To be completed in Three Volumes.) 2. THE DESCRIPTION AND NATURAL HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA (ACADIA). By Nicolas Denys . Translated and Edited, with a Memoir of the Author, Collateral Documents, and a Reprint of the Original, by Professor William F. Ganong . Pp. xvi-625. 3. DOCUMENTS RELATIN

Sir EDMUND WALKER, C.V.O., D.C.L., LL.D., President of The Canadian Bank of Commerce Sir LOUIS JETTÉ, K.C.M.G., LL.D., Chief Justice of Quebec Sir D. H. McMILLAN, K.C.M.G., Lieut.-Governor of the Province of Manitoba The Hon. RICHARD McBRIDE, K.C., Prime Minister of the Province of British Columbia R. A. FALCONER, LL.D., President of the University of Toronto C. W. COLBY, M.A., Professor of History in McGill University GEORGE M. WRONG, M.A., Professor of History in the University of Toronto ERIC