VOL. LX.] PHILOSOPHICAr. TRANSACTIONS. 1^ 



up the river, and every article, except the snow shoes, taken away by the offi- 

 cers of the customs. And though there was not one thing which was not an 

 article of dress ; and though a petition was preferred to the commissioners, in 

 favour of Mr. Dymond and myself, yet, for some reason or other, they could 

 not be restored. 



But, to return to Hudson's Bay. November the ()th, the river, which is 

 very rapid, and about a mile over at its mouth, was frozen fast over from side 

 to side, so that the people walked across it to their tents: also the same morning, 

 a half pint glass of British brandy was frozen solid in the observatory. Not a 

 bird of any kind was now to be seen at the factory, except now and then a soli- 

 tary crow, or a very small bird about the size of a wren ; but our hunters 

 brought us home every week plenty of partridges and rabbits, and some hares ; 

 all of which are white in the winter season; and the legs and claws of the par- 

 tridges are covered with feathers, in the same manner as the other parts of their 

 bodies. They now killed two or three hogs which Captain Richards had been 

 so kind to leave with the governor, which before they were well opened, and cut 

 into joints, were frozen like a piece of ice, so that they had nothing to do but 

 hang them up in a place where they would remain in that state, and use them 

 when they thought proper. They used some of these in the month of May, 

 which were as sweet as they were the moment they were killed, and much more 

 tender and delicate. One thing however must be observed, that if you roast 

 them on a spit, or cut them in any manner while roasting, all the gravy will run 

 out immediately. 



In the fore part of December, Mr. W. went to one of the hunter's tents, 

 where he stayed near a week. When he was there, he was told by one of the 

 people, that they had a spring very near them, which was not yet frozen over, 

 though the sea was frozen up as far as could be seen, and the ice in the river 

 was 4 or 5 feet thick. He went to see it ; but that morning the frost had 

 . been so very intense; that it was frozen over about an inch thick ; when they 

 broke the ice, the water was so shallow, that they raised all the mud from the 

 bottom ; and yet other springs, that were at least 6 times its depth, had been 

 frozen quite dry several weeks. 



In January 1 7fig, the cold began to be extremely intense : even in their little 

 cabbin, which was scarcely 3 yards square, and in which they constantly kept a 

 very large fire ; it had such an effect, that the little alarm clock would not go 

 without an additional weight, and often not with that. The head of Mr. W.'s 

 bed-place, for want of knowing better, went against one of the outside walls of 

 the house ; and though they were of stone, near 3 feet thick, and lined with 

 inch boards, supported at least, 3 inches from the walls, the bedding was frozen 

 to the boards every morning ; and before the end of February, these boards were 



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