CHAPTER VIII 

 THE AMERICAN MAINLAND 



The Hudson's Bay Company Samuel Hearne His journey down the 

 Coppermine River The North West Fur Company Sir Alexander 

 Mackenzie His journey down the Mackenzie Sir John Franklin's first 

 land journey Fort Enterprise Back's journey to Athabasca The rapids 

 of the Coppermine Point Turnagain reached The Wilberforce Falls 

 The terrible crossing of the Barren Grounds Franklin's second land 

 journey Richardson's voyage to the eastward Discovers Wollaston 

 Land and Dolphin and Union Strait Franklin's voyage to Return Reef- 

 Back's journey down the Great Fish River Discovers Montreal Island 

 and King William Land The Parry Falls Sir George Simpson Peter 

 Warren Dease and Thomas Simpson Exploration of the coast between 

 Return Reef and Point Barrow Simpson advances beyond Point Turn- 

 again and discovers Victoria Land and Dease Strait Their second voyage 

 down the Coppermine Discovery of Simpson Strait Reach the Great 

 Fish River Their farthest east Complete the survey of the northern 

 coast between Boothia and Bering Strait The first to find the North-West 

 Passage. 



FOR two elks and two black beavers, paid yearly 

 whensoever the King of England entered their 

 estate, the Hudson's Bay Company were, in 1670, 

 presented by Charles II with the northern part of the 

 American mainland, thus ensuring an ample stretch of 

 British territory along the passage to the South Sea. 

 But the company soon ceased to be interested in any 

 such passage, rinding quite enough to do in developing 

 the very profitable fur trade of their vast possessions. 

 With the exception of John Knight's disastrous voyage 

 to Marble Island in 1719, whatever attempts at dis- 

 coveries there may have been were kept quiet for fear 



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