﻿22» 



HUDSOK BIVER. 



HUDSON'S BAY TERRITORIES. 



Colne unite in the town and fall into the Calder 3 miles below it. 

 Upon these streams a number of mills are erected for the manufacture 

 of woollens, and for fulling and washing the cloths. The hills about 

 the town are cultivated to their summits, and produce excellent crops. 

 Many handsome residences are built in the vicinity. Markets are held 

 weekly on Tuesday, and fairs for cattle and horses on March 31st, 

 May 14th, and October 4th. There are several breweries, chemical 

 factories, dve-houses, 4c. A county court is held in the town. 



HUDSON RIVER. [New York.] 



HUDSON'S BAY TERRITORIES. Hudson's Bay is an extensive 

 mediterranean sea on the eastern side of North America. It is con- 

 nected with the Atlantic Ocean by Hudson's Strait, which extends 

 about 360 miles from east-southeast to west-north-west, and is from 

 90 to 100 miles wide. The surface of Hudson's Bay is greater than 

 that of any of the inland seas of the Old Continent, the Mediterranean 

 only excepted. Its southern part is called James's Bay. From the 

 most southern comer of James's Bay to Repulse Bay, which may be 

 considered as the most northern point of Hudson's Bay, is upwards 

 of 1000 miles (between 51° and 66° N. lat). It is more than 500 

 miles across in its widest part. The coasts are generally high, rocky, 

 and rugged, and in many places precipitous, except along the south- 

 western shores between Cape Henrietta Maria and Cape Churchill, 

 where they are generally low and swampy, and frequently exhibit 

 extensive sands. The depth of water in the middle of the bay has 

 been taken at 1 50 fathoms, but it is probably greater. The northern 

 part of Hudson's Bay is occupied by Southampton Island, which is 

 formed of high rocky masses, and seems to consist of numerous 

 smaller inlands, separated from one another by straits, which however 

 are always closed by ice. It does not appear to be inhabited. 



The countries which inclose Hudson's Bay on all sides constitute 

 by far the greatest portion of the British dominions in North America ; 

 but they are not known under any one general denomination, and 

 may therefore be described here under the name of the ' Hudson's 

 Bay Territories.' These countries extend between 49° and 70° N. lat., 

 and from Cape Charles in Labrador (near 55° W. long.) to the Rocky 

 Mountains and the mouth of the river Clarence at Demarcation Point, 

 between 141° and 142° W. long. The area exceeds 2,000,000 square 

 miles. 



This immense country may be divided into four natural regions. 

 The most eastern is the sterile region, which lies along the shores of 

 the sea, and extends far inland. East of Hudson's Bay it extends as 

 far as the Belle Isle Strait, and includes the whole of Labrador. That 

 portion of it which lies west of Hudson's Bay is called the ' BaiTen 

 Grounds.' The rein-deer and the musk-ox are abundant, but there 

 ore few fur-bearing animals. This district is inhabited by Esquimaux 

 and a few forlorn families of Indians. The winters are longer and 

 more severe than in Oreenland in the same latitude. 



The second region extends on both shores of James's Bay, and 

 along the southern shores of Hudson's Bay, as far westward as Cape 

 Churchill. It extends inland to the ridge which forms the northern 

 boundary of Canada, and to the lakes Superior, Winnipeg, Deer, and 

 Wollaston. Along the shores and several miles inland it is mostly 

 occupied by swampy tracts, which are separated firom one another by 

 comparatively narrow and dry but low ridges. Farther inland the 

 country is generally well wooded, and produces the fur-bearing animals 

 in great abundance. . 



'To the west of the wooded region is the savannah region, which 

 extends to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and northward to the 

 lake of Athabasca and the Peace River. Its surface stretches out in 

 extensive plains, intersected only by the beds of several rivers, which 

 are considerably below the plains. lu the bottoms, along the rivers, 

 trees grow abundantly. The soil of the plains is rather sandy and 

 dry, and entirely destitute of wood, but supports a thick grassy sward, 

 on which numerous herds of buffaloes and several kinds of deer find 

 abundant pasture. 



The fourth region is the valley of the Mackenzie River. It com- 

 prehends the country between the sterile region and the Rocky Moun- 

 tains north of Lake Athabasca. The river generally runs through a 

 bottom, rarely more than a few miles wide, whose alluvial soil is in 

 many places covered with trees of moderate height. Towards the 

 Barren Grounds the surface rises rapidly into high hills, which in 

 many places attain 1 000 and even 1500 feet of elevation, and frequently 

 run parallel to the course of the river. White spruce-trees grow at 

 the ^ase of these hills as fnr as 68° 30' N. lat., north of which they 

 become very stunted and straggling, and soon disappear. The delta 

 of the Mackenzie, which is 90 miles in length (from 67° 40' to 69° 10' 

 N. lat.), and from 15 to 40 miles in width, is formed by flat alluvial 

 islands, which divide the various branches of the river. 



Numerous large rivers traverse this extensive country. The most 

 important of those on the east side of Hudson's Bay aud James's Bay 

 may be here named. These are — Great Whale River, East Main River, 

 Rupert's River, and Harrecannane River. Most of the rivers on the 

 eaiit, like those in the south and west, issue from, or in some part of 

 their course expand into lakes. Two very important rivers, on account 

 of their situation, are the Moou River and its affluent the AlbUibbe. 

 Both i«ue from lakes situated on the high ground which separates 

 Caoada from the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company, and at no 

 graat distance from the upper braucbes of the Ottawa ; and they are 



accordingly used as the most convenient means of communication 

 between both countries. The Abbitibbe Lake, which may be consi- 

 dered as the source of the river, is about 60 miles long, aud somewhat 

 less than 20 miles broad. The river, which issues from it, runs west, 

 but afterwards declines to the north, falling into the Moose River 

 after a course of about 200 miles. The Moose River itself rises about 

 60 miles from the shores of Lake Superior, aud falls into James's Bay 

 after a course of about 230 miles. 



Between the mouth of the Moose River and Cape Churchill are the 

 embouchures of the Albany River, the Severn, the Hayes River, and 

 the Nelson River. The Albany River runs about 500 miles, and the 

 Severn about 250 miles in a straight line. Hayes River runs about 

 220 miles. About five miles from its mouth, on its west bank, stands 

 Fort York, the principal settlement of the Hudson's Bay Company in 

 these countries. 



The NeUon River ia only inferior to the Mackenzie ; its remoter 

 branches rise in the Rocky Mountains. All the waters which descend 

 from the eastern declivity of that range between 47° and 53° N. lat., 

 unite in two large rivers, the southern and the northern branch of the 

 Saskatchewan. Both branches unite, about 420 miles from their 

 source, below Carlton House, and the united river falls into Lake 

 Winnipeg after a straight course of above 200 miles more. Lake 

 Winnipeg extends from north-north-west to south-south-east between 

 50° 30' and 53° 50' N. lat., 96° and 99° 25' W. long. It is about 240 

 miles long, and its breadth varies from 5 to 50 miles. West of it are 

 the two lakes, Winnipigoos and Manitoba, which together occupy in 

 length nearly the same extent as Lake Winnipeg. They are united 

 by the Waterhen River, which does not exceed 20 miles in length, 

 aud they discharge their waters into Winnipeg Lake by St. Martin's 

 Lake and Dauphin River. Winnipeg Lake has its surplus waters 

 carried off by Nelson River, which issues from the northern extremity 

 of the lake, and after expanding several times into lakes, empties 

 itself into Hudson's Bay, near the mouth of Hayes River, after a 

 course of 350 miles in a straight line. The Churchill River, called in 

 its upper course the Missiunippi and English River, rises in Methye 

 Lake, nearly 500 miles from its mouth in a direct line, but probably 

 more than 700 miles along the windings of the river. It enters Hud- 

 son's Bay west of Cape Churchill. In its course it forms several 

 lakes, on the shore of one of which is Fort Nelson. At the mouth 

 of the river is Fort Churchill. 



The largest river of this country is the Mackenzie. Its most 

 southern branch is the Athabasca River, which rises on the eastern 

 declivity of Mount Bronn, and falls into the western portion of 

 Athabasca Lake. [Athabasca.] The river which issues from the 

 north-western extremity of the lake is called Stone River, but at its 

 confluence with Peace River it takes the name of Slave River. Peace 

 River rises on the western side of the eastern range of the Rocky 

 Mountains, within 300 yards of the Tacootchtesse, or Frazer River, 

 which falls into the Pacific. Within the mountains it is a leirge 

 stream navigable for boats; it afterwards makes its way through a 

 narrow gorge bounded by lofty mountains covered with perpetual 

 snow. Through the plains it flows in a direct line for more than 

 300 miles, when it unites with Stone River, and under the name of 

 Slave River flows first north and then northby-west to Great Slave 

 Lake. This lake extends between 109° and 117° 30' W. long., or 

 about 250 miles from east to west, with an average breadth of 50 

 miles. Its total area is more than 12,000 miles. 



From the northwestern comer of the Great Slave Lake issues the 

 Mackeuzie River, which varies in breadth from one to three miles, 

 except in a few places where it is narrowed by rocky hills. It flows 

 first nearly west, declining by degrees to the weat-uorth-west, till it 

 meets Mountain River, now more generally called the southern branch 

 of the Mackeuzie. The remaining course of the Mackenzie is north-by- 

 west to the Arctic Ocean, which it enters in 69° 10' N. lat. by several 

 mouths. The division of the main stream into branches commences 

 at 67° 40' N. lat. ; the several mouths of these branches are spread 

 over a space of about 40 miles along the shores of the Arctic Ocean. 

 The most western of these branches is formed by the junction of the 

 Peel River with one of the minor streams sent off by the Mackenzie. 

 Peel River rises in about 64° N. lat., 130° W. long., and has a course 

 of about 200 miles before uniting with the brauch of the Mackenzie. 

 Near 60° N. lat. the Mackenzie receives the Great Bear Lake River, 

 which brings down the surplus waters of the Great Bear Lake. The 

 form of the Great Bear Lake is very irrejiular ; its area is about 8000 

 square miles; it lies between 65° and 67° N. lat., 117° 30' and 123'' 

 W. long. Mackenzie River, including the Athabasca branch, traverses 

 15 degrees of latitude, and its whole course has been estimated at 

 2000 miles. Coppermine River rises on the western border of the 

 Barren Grounds, and finds its way to the Arctic Ocean after a course 

 of about 200 mdes. [Coppebmine River.] About midway between 

 the source of the Coppermine River and the head of Chesterfield Inlet 

 in Hudson's Bay rises Back River, discovered in 1834 by Captain 

 Back, who descended it from 108° W. long, to its mouth. In its north- 

 eastern course of more than 300 miles it forms several lakes. Its 

 mouth is in 67° 15' N. lat., aud between 95° and 96° W. long. 



The climate of the sterile region is much colder than Greenland 

 under the same latitude. At Winter Island (66° 11' N. lat., 83° 30' W. 

 long.) the mean annual temperature docs not exceed 7° Fahrenheit; 



