462 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. XII. 



pose of offering his services to Government, for 

 the conduct of an expedition in search of them ; 

 and his offer was accepted. He received a letter 

 from Lord Goderich, acquainting him that the 

 Lords of the Admiralty had been pleased to trans- 

 fer his services to the Colonial Department, to con- 

 duct the expedition in question, and he is directed 

 to undertake it ; and also to place himself at the 

 disposition of the Governors and Committee of the 

 Hudson's Bay Company, who would be desired to 

 furnish him with the requisite resources and sup- 

 plies. 



A medical person being required to take care of 

 the health of the party, Mr. Richard King, in the 

 first instance, volunteered his services, and was sub- 

 sequently engaged, at a salary, as surgeon and 

 naturalist to the expedition. Three men only (two 

 of whom were a carpenter and a shipwright) were 

 taken from England. These five persons left on 

 the 17th of February, 1833, for Liverpool, to pro- 

 ceed from thence in the packet to New York; 

 thence to Albany and Montreal. As the route 

 usually followed by the Company's servants to the 

 Great Slave Lake is the same as that of Sir A. Mac- 

 kenzie, Commander Back observes that a detail of 

 his progress so far seems to be unnecessary, that 

 being the point from which, he adds, the discovery 

 properly begins. 



He had, however, a long journey before him 



