4 EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION 



less, territory west of Hudson Bay, in order to find and 

 prospect the place where the native copper had been found 

 which the Indians often brought with them to the fort. 



During the year preceding his departure on his first expedi- 

 tion, he had had an excellent opportunity to perfect himself 

 in a knowledge of astronomical and geodetic work, for in the 

 summer of 1768 the annual ship had brought William Wales, 

 F.R.S,, and Joseph Dymond from London, commissioned by 

 the Royal Society to remain at Fort Prince of Wales throughout 

 the ensuing year in order to observe the transit of Venus over 

 the sun on the 3rd of June 1769.^ They remained at the fort 

 until the ship left again for London in August of the following 

 year (1769). Mr. Wales was one of the foremost astronomers, 

 mathematicians, and litterateurs of his age. Shortly after his 

 return to England he was appointed to accompany Captain 

 Cook on his voyage around the world in the Resolution in 

 1772-74, and again on his last voyage in 1776-79. His 

 presence for more than a year among the little band of white 

 men assembled at this remote fur-trading post on Hudson 

 Bay must have had a helpful influence in preparing Hearne for 

 his great explorations overland to the Arctic Ocean. This book 

 is an account of three journeys which he undertook in rapid 

 succession into the country west of Hudson Bay and north- 

 west of Fort Prince of Wales in search of the fabled bed 

 of copper ore, from which pure copper could be loaded 

 directly into ships at trifling expense. In the first and second 

 journeys he was obliged to turn back before reaching his 

 destination, but in the third journey all difiiculties were 

 finally overcome, and he was taken to and shown the " mine " 

 of copper. 



It has been my good fortune to travel over parts of the 

 same country through which Hearne had journeyed one 



^ The results of their observations were published in the Philosophical 

 Transactions, vol. lix. (1769), pp. 467 and 480, and vol. Ix. (1770), pp. 100 

 and 137. 



