In the Arctic Regions. 89 



\wre seen on the 21st, and some were brought to the 

 house «'ii the 30th, bui they were very lean ; on the 

 25th flies were Been sporting in the sun, and on the 

 26th the ice on the lake, near the channel of the river, 

 was overflowed, in consequence*of the Athabasca river 

 having broken up ; lmt except where this water spread, 

 there was no appearance of decay in the ice. 



May.— During the first part of this month, the wind 

 blew from the N.W., and the sky was cloudy- It 

 generally thawed during the day, lmt froze through 

 the night. On the 2d the Aurora faintly gleamed 

 through very dense clouds. 



We had a lung conversation with Mr. Dease of the 

 North-West Company, who had recently arrived from 

 his station at the bottom of the Athabasca Lake. 

 This gentleman, having passed several winters on the 

 Mackenzie's River, and at the posts to the northward 

 of Slave Lake, possessed considerable information res- 

 pecting the Indians, and those parts of the country 

 to which our inquiries were directed, which he very 

 promptly and kindly communicated. I taring out con- 

 versation, an old Chipewyan Indian, named the Rab- 

 bit's Head, entered the room, to whom Mr. Dease re- 

 ferred for information on some point. Wefoundfrom 

 his answer that he was a Btep BOD of the late Chief 

 Matonnabee, who had accompanied Mr. Bearneonhis 



journey to the sea, and that "he had himself been of 



