166 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



continued, and we felt sincere pleasure in being able to keep men 

 who were so zealous in the cause, and who had given proofs of their 



/ 



activity on their recent passage to this place, by discharging those 





men who were less wining to undertake the journey ; of these three 

 were Englishmen, one American, and three Canadians. When the 

 numbers were completed, which we had been recommended by the 

 traders to take as a protection against the Esquimaux, we had 

 sixteen Canadian-voyagers, and our worthy and only English at- 

 tendant John Hepburn, besides the two interpreters whom we were 

 to receive at the Great Slave Lake ; we were also accompanied by 

 a Chipewyan woman. An equipment of goods was given to each 

 of the men who had been engaged at this place, similar to what 

 had been furnished to the others at Cumberland; and when this 

 distribution had been made, the remainder were made up into 

 bales, preparatory to our departure, on the following day. We were 

 cheerfully assisted in these and all our occupations by Mr. Smith, 

 who evinced an anxious desire to supply our wants as far as his 

 means permitted. 



Mr. Hood having brought up the dipping needle from Cum- 

 berland House, we ascertained the dip to be 85° 23' 42", and the 

 difference produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 

 6° 2' 10". The intensity of the magnetic force was also observed. 

 Several observations had been procured on both sides of the moon 

 during our residence at Fort Chipewyan, the result of which gave 

 for its longitude 111° 18' 20" W., its latitude was observed to be 

 18° 42' 38" N, and the variation of the compass 22° 49' 32" E. 

 Fresh rates were procured for the chronometers and their errors 

 determined for Greenwich time, by which the survey to the north- 

 ward was carried on. 



