94 , THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
16th, Monday.—Fine weather. Tracked! the whole day, except 1 
hour stopt for breakfast. Entered the Hill River? at 5 p.m. and 
encamped a few miles up it at 9 o’clock. 
17th, Tuesday.—Day fine. In the evening showers of rain with 
thunder. Started at 2 a.m. Current very strong and rapidous. En- 
camped at 4 past 8 o’clock 2 pipes* below the Rock.f Wm. Spence with 
letters from Ÿ overtakes us this evening. 
18th.—Wet morning—fine day. Started at 4 past 3-a.m. cleared 
the Rock Portage by 4 past 6 o’clock. Arrived at Borwick’s Falls’ by 
8 and hauled up at a } past 9. At 11 came to the White Mud Portage 
which we cleared by + past 12. Thence proceeded on and hauled up 
the Point of Rocks Rapid by 3 p.m. Made another short hauling place 
and entered the still water about 6 o’clock. Encamped among the 
Rapids at the head of it at 9 o’clock. 
19th, Thursday.—Light showers of rain at intervals during the 
day. Started at 2 a.m. and arrived at Brassy’s Portagef at 5. Hauled 
up it with half cargoes and left it at 7—then hauled and poled up the 
Lower Flats and reached the Lower Burntwood portage at 10—which 
we cleared and took breakfast by 4 past 12 o’clock. At + past 1 we 
reached the South Side Hauling place where we took out half cargoes 
and cleared it in 2 hours. Mr. C. Grant? with 2 boats from Red River 
passes us on his way to W. Afterwards ascended some bad Rapids. 
At Morgan’s Rocks one of our Boats gets stove while passing within a 
small island to gain the foot of the Rapid. Cargo very little wetted— 
delayed, repair the Boat 2 hours. Leaving Morgan’s Rock we proceed 
to U. Burntwood Portage which having cleared we went to the Rocky 
Launcher and encamped at 10 p.m. 



1 “Tracked,” i.e. pulled the boats up stream with lines from the shore. 
2 From Fox river to Swampy lake the stream was known as Hill river. 
8 “2 pipes’’—distances were often measured by the number of pipes a voyageur 
would smoke while traversing them. 
4A. H. B. Co. depot called Rock House, situated immediately below “The Rock.’ 
Thirteen miles above is a prominent hill about 600 feet high about half-way between 
York and the Echimamish portage; it gives the name ‘Hill river’ to this portion of 
Hayes river. 
5 Borthwick portage: Between Rock portage and Groundwater Creek, a distance 
of about 30 miles—there are the following portages; Rock, Borthwick, White Mud, 
Point of Rocks, Brassey, Lower Burntwood, Morgans Rocks, Upper Burntwood, 
Rocky Launcher, Swampy, Smooth Rocks, Mossy, Second, First, The Devils Hand- 
ling Place and Groundwater Creek. In this portion of its course, the Hayes river 
descends the ‘fall line’ that marks the principal abrupt descent from the Archean 
plateau to the Palzeozoic area. 
8 Brassey portage. 
7 Probably the Cuthbert Grant who, in 1816, killed Governor Semple and twenty- 
one members of his party at Seven Oaks, near Fort Garry. 
