298 



DISCOVERIES OF 17^9 tO 



but on the 11th August, while making an obser- 

 vation for the latitude, a sudden gust of wind blew 

 down the quadrant, '' and as the ground where it 

 stood was very stony, the bubbles, the sight vane 

 and vernier, were entirely broke to pieces, which 

 rendered the instrument useless. In consequence 

 of this misfortune I resolved to return again to 

 the fort, though Ave were then in the latitude of 

 6^"" 10' north, and about 10° 40' west longitude 

 from Churchill River.''* Accordingly, after many 

 difficulties, and extreme hardships from the incle- 

 mency of the weather and from hunger, he arrived 

 at Prince of Wales's Fort on the 25th November, 

 after an absence of eight months and twenty-two 



days. 



On the 7th December Mr. Hearne again set out 

 for the third time to explore the northern parts of 

 North America, and particularly to discover the 

 situation of the copper mine. On the 1st July 

 he reaches a place called Congecathawhachaga^ 

 which is not only remarkable on account of the 

 length of the name, but as being the only spot on 

 this long journey at which any observation was 

 made for the latitude ; and even here no par- 

 ticulars are given, but merely an assertion, that 

 " during this time I had two observations, both by 

 meridional and double altitudes, the mean of 



* Journey from Hudson s Bay to the Northern Ocean, by Samuel 

 Hearne, p. 106. 



