OF THE POLAR SEA. 223 
West Company, and Mr. M‘Vicar, of the Hud- 
son’s Bay Company, the gentlemen in charge of 
the posts at the Great Slave Lake, to communi- 
cate the object of the Expedition, and our pro- 
posed route; and to solicit any information they 
possessed, or could collect, from the Indians, 
relative to the countries we had to pass through, 
and the best manner of proceeding. As the 
Copper Indians frequent the establishment on 
the north side of the lake, I particularly requested 
them to explain to that tribe the object of our 
visit, and to endeavour to procure from them 
some guides and hunters to accompany our 
party. Two Canadians were sent by Mr. Keith 
with these letters. 
The month of April commenced with fine a 
clear but extremely cold weather; unfortunately 
we were still without a thermometer, and could 
not ascertain the degrees of temperature. The 
coruscations of the Aurora were very brilliant 
almost every evening of the first week, and were 
generally of the most variable kind. On the 3d, 
they were particularly changeable. The first 
appearance exhibited three illuminated beams 
issuing from the horizon in the north, east, and 
west points, and directed towards the zenith; in 
a few seconds these disappeared, and a complete 
circle was displayed, bounding the horizon at an 
