﻿1847. EMBARKATION. 43 



eating drinks in Rupert's Land, I yielded to his re- 

 quest that I would allow him an opportunity of 

 retrievinof his character. Few seamen were em- 

 ployed, since I knew from experience that as a 

 class they march badly, particularly when carrying 

 a load, and the bulk of the party was composed of 

 sappers and miners, because that corps contains a 

 large proportion of intelligent artizans. Of the men 

 selected, six were joiners or sawyers, and four were 

 blacksmiths, armourers, or engineers, Avho could be 

 useful for repairing the boats, working up iron, 

 constructing the buildings of our winter residence, 

 or making the furniture. 



Every thing was ready before the appointed day ; 

 and the boats and stores, having been sent round 

 from Portsmouth to the Thames, were embarked 

 with the expedition men on board the " Prince of 

 Wales" and "Westminster," bound to York Factory, 

 the exigences of the Hudson's Bay trade of that 

 year requiring two ships to go to that port. The 

 stores consisted of 198 canisters of pemican, each 

 weighing 85 lbs., 10 bags of flour, amounting in all 

 to 8 cwt., 5 bags of sugar, weighing 4:^ cwt., 2 of 

 tea, weighing 88 lbs., 3 of chocolate, weighing 2 cwt., 

 10 sides of bacon, amounting to 4 J cwt., and 6 cwt. 

 of biscuit ; also 400 rounds of ball cartridge, 90 lbs. 

 of small shot, and 120 lbs. of fine powder in 4 boat 

 magazines. In the arm-chests and lockers of the 



