28 Our North Land. 



veyor. In addition to the gentlemen I have enumerated at present, 

 namely, the surveyor, the captain, the pilot, and the crew, I think 

 there should be six or seven small parties taken out in the vessel, to be 

 landed at points in the Strait hereinafter mentioned, to be left all 

 winter and picked up in the following spring. These parties should 

 consist of a Canadian gentleman in charge, with some slight know- 

 ledge of how to make a local survey and the use of instruments, 

 with a couple of men, one of whom should be an English-speaking 

 Eskimo, who, I think, could be picked up at York Factory. 

 That would make about, twenty altogether in all the parties. The 

 Admiralty surveyor would have charge of the Expedition, and would 

 select the localities for the landing parties, and direct the course of 

 the vessel through the Strait, subject to the information of the 

 sailing-master in all matters relating to ice, because the gentleman 

 from the Admiralty might not be acquainted with the ice, and, if a 

 surveyor, the chances are he is not. Then there comes the question 

 of coal for the steamer. The distance from St. John's, Newfound- 

 land, to York Factory and back, is about 4,000 miles, and the vessel 

 would probably burn about 450 tons of coal ; therefore it would be 

 necessary to have a vessel large enough to carry that quantity 

 of coal, to take her there and back. I think the vessel should 

 leave St. John's on the 5th of July, arriving at the Strait about the 

 12th of July. She should then proceed, under the guidance of the 

 pilot, to York Factory ; the surveyor making a running survey and 

 taking a line of soundings across Hudson's Bay. The vessel might 

 visit Churchill, which probably would be a most suitable place for a 

 terminus — the west harbour of Churchill — as well as York Factory. 

 " Then, I think, the officer in charge should endeavour to pro- 

 cure half-a-dozen English-speaking Eskimos from the Hudson's 

 Bay post at York Factory, one of whom should be landed with each 

 party to act as interpreter, in the event of visits from northern 

 Eskimos during their stay on shore. The vessel should then 

 return toward the Strait. Party No. 1 should be landed on 

 Mansfield Island, with material for building a hut, a ) 7 ear's pro- 

 visions, a small boat, and a few instruments, as may be determined 

 upon hereafter. The vessel should then proceed, and similar parties 



