The Labrador Peninsula 



John McLean,* who resided at Fort Chimo on 

 Ungava Bay, and made several trips through 

 the interior from there to Hamilton Inlet be- 

 tween 1838 and 1840, on the way discovering 

 the grand falls of the Hamilton River. 



The first exploration undertaken by the 

 Canadian government was that of H. Y. II. 

 Hind in 1862. He ascended the Moisie River 

 some 200 miles ; and from his observations and 

 information obtained from Indians and others 

 wrote two large volumes, which until quite 

 recently were the standard authority on mat- 

 ters relating to the Labrador Peninsula. In 

 1870 and 1871 parties were sent out by the 

 Geological Survey to explore the country 

 between Lake St. John and Lake Mistassini, 

 and in 1884, owing to the absurd rumors as to 

 the immense size of Lake Mistassini, an expe- 

 dition was organized to complete the survey of 

 the lake. I was attached as geologist to the 

 party, and in the spring of 1885 was promoted 

 to the charge of the expedition. We com- 

 pleted the survey of the lake, finding it, as 

 was expected, about 100 miles long, much to 

 the disgust of the enthusiasts who, on the 

 strength of Indian stories, had claimed that it 



i *Twenty-five Years in the Hudson Bay Territory. 



19 



