NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 33 



ilecks of land, the chance of great discoveries and 

 of extensive navigations toward the north-west, even 

 under the best arrangements, and under the boldest 

 seamen, is but small. The most certain method 

 of ascertaining the existence of a communication 

 between the Atlantic and Pacific, along the nor- 

 thern face of America, would doubtless be by jour- 

 neys on land. Men there are, who, being long used 

 to travel upon snow in the service of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company, would readily undertake the journey 

 from the interior lakes of North America to the 

 Frozen Ocean, or, in case of a continuity of land 

 being found, to tlie very Pole itself; of whose suc- 

 cess we should certainly have a reasonable ground 

 of hope. The practicability of this mode of ma- 

 king discoveries has been fully proved by the jour- 

 neys of Mackenzie and Hearne ; and the possibility 

 t)f performing very long journeys on snow, can be 

 attested, from personal experience, by any persons 

 who have wintered a few times in Hudson's Bay. 

 The mode of travelling in these northern countries, 

 is peculiar. A long journey can best be performed 

 when the ground is covered with snow. In this 

 case, each traveller is provided with a pair of snow- 

 shoes, and a sledge of eight to twelve feet in length, 

 and one foot in breadth, on which, all the appa- 

 ratus and provisions requisite for the journey, are 

 drawn by hand. Sometim.es dogs are used to assist 

 in drawing the sledges ; but as the travellers are 

 YOL. I. c 



