Scie7i4^fic Intelligence— Mi8ceUaneou8. 365 



Scotia — -and there embark. They then should make the best of 

 their way to Galway Bay, and take the railway for Dublin. Now, 

 after what has been achieved in international communication of late, 

 we may reasonably hope for farther improvements. A voyage to 

 the East Indies and back in former times occupied a couple of years 

 or more ; ordinary merchantmen can now manage the same in nine 

 months. In 1750, a time when the trade-winds where pretty well 

 understood, three fine Indiamen — the " Ilchester," "Anson," and 

 *' Shaftesbury," sailed from the Downs on the 5th of April, and ar- 

 rived at Bombay in September : in 1850 the same voyage is averaged 

 to occupy 75 days, and news is carried by the overland mail in less 

 than a month. This is owing to a proper application of science and 

 experience; and I cannot but augur that Lieut. Maury's inquiries, 

 as shewn in the charts I mentioned, will still further abridge our 

 longest oceanic voyages. — (Journal of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, vol. xxi. p. 90.) 



l(j. On the mode of manufacturing Pemmican. — In April 1847, I 

 had the advantage of an interview with Sir George Simpson, Gro- 

 vernor-in- chief of Rupert's Land, who was then on a visit to Eng- 

 land, and of concerting with him the measures necessary for the 

 future progress of the expedition ; and I may state here that he 

 entered warmly into the projects for the relief of his old acquaint- 

 ance Sir John Franklin ; and from him I received the kindest per- 

 sonal attention, and that suppwt which his thorough knowledge of 

 the resources of the country and his position as Governor enabled 

 him so effectively to bestow. He informed me that the stock of 

 provisions at the various posts in the Hudson's Bay territories was 

 unusually low, through the failure of the bison hunts on the Saskat- 

 chewan, and that it would be necessary to carry out pemmican from 

 this country, adequate not only to the ulterior purpose of the voyage 

 to the Arctic Sea, but also to the support of the party during the 

 interior navigation in 1847 and 1848. I therefore obtained autho- 

 rity from the Admiralty to manufacture, forthwith, the requisite 

 quantity of that kind of food in Clarence Yard; and as I shall have 

 frequent occasion to allude to it in the subsequent narrative, it may 

 be well to describe in this place the mode of its preparation. The 

 round or buttock of beef of the best quality, having been cut into 

 thin steaks, from which the fat and membranous parts were pared 

 away, was dried in a malt-kiln over an oak fire, until its moisture 

 was entirely dissipated, and the fibre of the meat became friable. It 

 was then ground in a malt-mill, when it resembled finely grated 

 meat. Being next mixed with nearly an equal weight of melted 

 beef suet or lard, the preparation of plain pemmican was complete ; 

 but to render it more agreeable to the unaccustomed palate, a pro- 

 portion of the best Zante currants was added to part of it, and part 

 was sweetened with sugar. Both these kinds were much approved of 

 in the sequel by the consumfrs, hut more especially that to which 



