150 DIGRESSION CONCERNING 



scarcely ever exceeding eight, excluding the 

 windings of the route. The power of estimating 

 the distance walked over can be acquired only by 

 practice, in conjunction with the daily correction 

 of errors by celestial observations, — allowance 

 being, of course, made for the easy or difficult 

 nature of the country ; but Hearne, as we have 

 seen, was deprived of every means of correction ; 

 and having once started with an inaccurate no- 

 tion of the length of a mile, he carried the error 

 with him to the end of his journey. In correct- 

 ing his map, therefore, it is necessary to diminish 

 the size of the lakes in an equal, if not in a 

 greater degree than the distances. Upon these 

 principles we have ventured to fix the following 

 points of Hearne's route, taking, for conveni- 

 ence, his homeward one. 



" He appears to have fallen on the Copper- 

 mine River first at the Sandstone rapids of 

 Franklin, and to have traced it to Bloody Fall ; 

 but, as contrary to his usual practice, he under- 

 rates the distance from thence to the coast, we 

 are led to conclude that he did not actually go 

 down to the sea, but was content to view it from 

 the top of the hill which overhangs the falls ; and, 

 indeed, it is not very probable that he could have 

 induced the Indians, over whom he had little in- 

 fluence, to accompany him on his survey, after 

 they had completed the massacre which was the 



