FORT CHURCHILL. 215 



bolts to which the vessels were secured may still be seen 

 leaded into the smooth glaciated granite shores. Besides 

 the ring-bolts, many interesting carvings are to be seen 

 cut on the surface of the smooth rocks. Amongst them 

 are the following: "Furnace and Discovery 1741," 

 "J. Horner 1746," " J. Morley 1748," "James Walker 

 May y e 25 1753," " Guillford Long May y e 27 1753," 

 "J. Wood 1757," "SI. Hearne July y e 1 1767." In 

 addition to many other names are several picture car- 

 vings, and notably one of a man suspended from a 

 gallows, over w T hich is the inscription, " John Kelley 

 from the Isle of Wight." According to local tradition 

 Mr. Kelley is said to have been hanged for the theft of 

 a salt goose. 



As yet during our stay at Churchill we had not been 

 successful in reaching the ruins of old Fort Prince of 

 Wales, but on the 3rd of November, the weather being 

 cold and good for snowshoeing, we started off, and after 

 an enjoyable five-mile tramp reached the memorable 

 spot, now a scene of utter desolation. Not a tree or 

 other sign of life could be seen on the long, low snow- 

 driven point of rock, but there in all its solitary, mas- 

 sive grandeur stood the remains of what had more than 

 one hundred years ago been a noble fortress. 



The construction of this fortification which appears 

 to have been planned by the English engineer, Joseph 

 Robson was commenced in the year 1743 by the Hud- 

 son's Bay Company, which was then, as now, carrying 

 on fur- trading business in northern Canada. So large 

 and expensive a fortification was built probably not so 

 much for the protection of the Company's interests as 

 for the purpose of complying with a provision of its 



