LETTERS. 69 



in April or May, as we had a right to expect, and 

 when a knowledge of our proceedings was much 

 desired by the Admiralty previous to the sailing of 

 the "North Star," they did not arrive till the middle 

 of July, and our families were nearly twelve months 

 without intelligence from us. We were also unfor- 

 tunate with our subsequent letters, which were not, 

 however, sent by special express, but were left to the 

 chance of the ordinary conveyance through Rupert's 

 Land. 



On the 31st of October, two men and an Indian 

 guide were sent with a second packet of letters to 

 Fort Simpson, hoping that they would be in time 

 for an express which leaves that post annually for 

 the south on the 1st of December. The Indian 

 lost himself, or rather, I believe, went wilfully 

 astray, for the purpose of falling in with some 

 hunters that he expected to find. In this he 

 failed ; and the party, after suffering some priva- 

 tions, were saved from starvation by killing a deer. 

 They did not reach Fort Simpson till some time 

 after the winter express had left ; and as the letters 

 were not of public importance they remained there 

 until the spring, when they were forwarded along 

 with some others that we subsequently sent to 

 Fort Chepewyan, that they might go down with 

 the first boats. On my way out in the summer, 

 finding part of these letters at one of the posts, 



