INTRODUCTION. 
the productions thereof, oc. it muft be obferved, 
that during the whole time of my abfence from 
the Fort, I was invariably confined to ftony hills 
and barren plains all the Summer, and before we 
- approached the woods in the Fall of the year, the 
ground was always covered with fnow to a confi- 
derable depth; fo that I never had an opportuni- 
ty of feeing any of the {mall plants and fhrubs to 
the Weftward. But from appearances, and the 
flow and dwarfy growth of the woods, €c. (ex- 
_cept in the Athapufcow country,) there is un- 
doubtedly a greater {carcity of vegetable producti- 
ons than at the Company’s moft Northern Settle- 
ment ; and to the Eaftward of the woods, on the 
barren grounds, whether hills or vallies, there is 
a total want of herbage except mofs, on which 
the deer feed ; a few dwarf willows creep among 
the mofs ; eae wifh-a-capucca and a little gra 
may be feen here and there, but the latter is 
{carcely fufficient to ferve the geefe and other birds 
of paflage during their fhort ftay in thofe parts, 
though they are alwaysin a ftate of migration ex- 
cept when they arebreeding andina moulting ftate. 
In confequence of my complying with the Com- 
pany’ s requeft, and undertaking this Journey, it 
is natural to fuppofe that every neceflary arrange- 
ment was made for the eafier keeping of my reck- 
oning, &c. under the many inconveniences I muft 
be unavoidably obliged to labour in fuch an ex- 
pedition. I drew a Map on a large fkin of parch- 
ment, that contained twelve degrees of fatitude 
North, and thirty degrees of longitude Weft, 
of Churchill Factory, and fketched all the Weft. 
coat 
xlix 
