PREFACE. 



MR. DALRYMPLE, in one of his Pamphlets relat- 

 ing to Hudson's Bay, has been so very particular 

 in his observations on my Journey, as to remark, 

 that I have not explained the construction of the Quadrant 

 which I had the misfortune to break in my second Journey 

 to the North. It was a Hadley's Quadrant, with a bubble 

 attached to it for a horizon, and made by Daniel Scatlif of 

 Wapping. But as no instrument of the same principle could 

 be procured when I was setting out on my last Journey, an 

 old Elton's Quadrant, which had been upwards of thirty years 

 at the Fort, was the only instrument I could then be provided 

 with, in any respect proper for making observations with 

 on the land. 



Mr. Dalrymple also observes, that I only inserted in my 

 last Journal to the Company, one observation for the latitude, 

 which may be true ; but I had, nevertheless, several others 

 during that Journey, particularly at Snow-bird Lake, Thelwey- 

 aza-yeth, and Clowey, exclusive of that mentioned in the 

 Journal taken at Conge-cathawhachaga, But when I was on 

 that Journey, and for several [vi] years after, I little thought 

 that any remarks made in it would ever have attracted the notice 

 of the Public ; if I had, greater pains might and would have 

 been taken to render it more worthy of their attention than it 

 now is. At that time my ideas and ambition extended no 

 farther than to give my employers such an account of my 

 proceedings as might be satisfactory to them, and answer the 

 purpose which they had in view ; little thinking it would ever 



