iQii] The Coppermine Country 205 



become greatly interested in it, though there is also reason to suppose 

 that he considered that it was associated with gold, or that gold occurred 

 in the country. Arthur Dobbs says of him, that he had a great share in 

 the Company's stock and that he pressed the Company to go upon the 

 discovery and trade, and had strong chests made to hold the gold he 

 was to bring home. 



In the spring of 17 19 Captain Knight and his associates sailed from 

 England in two ships named the "Albany" and the "Discovery". 

 Unfortunately, the expedition was wrecked on Marble Island and all the 

 officers and crew were lost, although their fate was not definitely known 

 until the year 1767, when their remains were discovered by Mr. Joseph 

 Stephens of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was in charge of a small 

 vessel called the "Success" engaged in the whale fishery. 



The account of the finding of the remains of Captain Knight and his 

 men is given in very pathetic terms by Samuel Hearne*; how they lived 

 on the Island for a couple of years and used to go up to the top of the rock 

 looking for some one to come and rescue them, and how, at last, only two 

 remained and of these two one fell down and died and the other died in 

 attempting to bury him. 



After the unsuccessful and tragic voyage of Knight and Barlow no 

 serious attempt was made to find the Coppermine country for some time, 

 but the following references to it in Arthur Dobbs' "Account of the Coun- 

 tries adjoining to Hudson's Bay," 1744, pp.47, 48, 59 and 80, will show 

 that it was not forgotten* 



"Mr. Frost, who has been many years employed by the company in 

 the bay, both at Churchill and Moose River factory, who was their 

 interpreter with the Natives, and travelled a considerable way into the 

 country, both north-westward of Churchill, — 



"He says, when he was at Churchill he travelled a considerable way 

 in the country north-westward of the river of Seals; that near the rivers 

 and sea-coast, there was small shrubby woods, but for many miles, at 

 least 60 farther into the country, they had nothing but a barren white 

 moss upon which the reindeer feed, and also the Moose, Buffalos and 

 other Deer; and the natives told him, further westward beyond that bar- 

 ren country, there were large woods. He was acquainted, when there 

 about fifteen years ago, with an Indian chief, who traded at Churchill, 

 who had often been at a fine copper mine, which they struck off from the 

 rocks with sharp stones; he said it was upon islands at the mouth of a 

 river, and lay to the northward of that country where they had no night 

 in summer. 



* Hearne's Journey. New Edition. Toronto, 1911. With Introduction by J. B, 

 Tyrrell. Pp. 45-49. 



