74, MISCELLANEOUS. 
Company, and he reports of his explorations, (87 vols.) are deposited in the 
Archives of this Company. From fragments of them, it appears that Thompson 
possessed a great knowledge of the country, but it is doubtful whether these 
reports will ever be accessible to such as are not connected with the Company. 
Hitherto, the company has kept them back.” 
We now learn from ANDREW RussELL, Esq., of Quebec, Assistant Commissioner 
of Crown Lands, that copies of Thompson’s field-books of his explorations, are in 
the records of that Department. Mr. Russell has also obligingly furnished us with 
some extracts from Thompson's “ Narrative” of his Expeditions. These will be 
published in an early number of the Journal. From some remarks prefixed by 
Mr, Russell to the extracts in question, it appears that Thompson was in #he 
employment of the Hudson’s Bay Company for thirteen years; and afterwards, 
for a period of fifteen years in that of the North-west company. He was, sub- 
sequently, for ten years, as Astronomer and Surveyor, on the Commission relative to 
the boundary between the British Possessions and the United States. 
IRON-CASED FRIGATES, 
The great experiment of iron-cased ships, now being carried on by the respective 
governments of Great Britain and France, will probably prove the inauguration 
of a new era in naval warfare, Few questions are attracting so large a share of 
public attention in those countries ; and, so far as British interests are concerned, 
the subject is one, indeed, of paramount importance. Hence the accompanying 
article from an English journal, drawn up by one of practical acquaintance with 
the subject on- which he writes, may not be thought an unworthy addition to 
our pages. 
Another re-construction of the British navy is now imminent. It is not many 
months since it was announced in the Queen’s Speech that the navy was to be 
re-constructed, and screw steamers have since that time superseded the old sailing 
three-deckers. No sooner has this great change been affected than we are again 
doomed to the mortification of hearing that all this additional expense has been 
thrown away ; for in the words of the Secretary of the Admiralty, at the close 
of last session, ‘‘ The French are building ten iron-cased ships, while we are 
only building four iron-eased frigates.” We cannot permit the Emperor of the 
French, though he discourses at Marseilles so eloquently about “the olives of 
peace,” to be ahead of us in this matter; for if ten iron-cased ships are necessary 
for the protection of France, which has a landed frontier for more than half of its 
extent, at least half as many more are necessary for the defence of our sea-girt 
island, putting altogether out of question any consideration of our colonies. Iron- 
clad-ships are therefore a necessity. Economists may protest against the great 
expense which they will involve, and poets may sigh over the abandonment of our 
“wooden walls,’ and sailors may no longer sing, ‘‘ The hollow oak our palace is ;” 
but, if “ our heritage” is to be the sea, ships in armour must be its guardians, 
Massive Goliaths, defiant in their strength and conscious of their comparative 
invulnerability, must form part of our Channel fleets for the present, and in a 
short time be the only sentinels to guard our coast. Three of these mail-clad 
vessels now float upon French waters, and, like the champion of the Philistines, 
