lO JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



three Iroquois from Caughnawaga, Quebec, and one half-breed from 

 Prince Albert. Several days were spent at Edmonton, where we 

 found our supplies awaiting us, and by the morning of May 27th our 

 outfit was loaded upon waggons and sent off upon the northern trail 

 leading to Athabasca Landing. On the first day the weather was 

 showery and the trail in many places very soft, but later in the day 

 the weather cleared and permitted us to enjoy the lovely country 

 through which we were passing. The soil was chiefly a rich black 

 loam, well covered, even at this early season, by the rich prairie 

 grass. Farther on the country became more hilly, the soil more 

 sandy and covered by the most beautiful park-like forests of jack pine." 

 The party reached Athabasca Landing on the evening of the 

 30th of May. The town was described as consisting of six log 

 buildings, situated in the deep valley of one of the greatest rivers in 

 America, an important station of the Hudson's Bay Company, and 

 the point from which all supplies for the many northern posts are 

 shipped. The lecturer stated that for about one hundred miles up 

 stream and fifteen hundred miles to the Arctic ocean, this great 

 northern waterway, excepting at two rapids, is regularly navigated by 

 large river steamers. The lecturer then continued a description of 

 the trip down the Athabasca river and easterly through Lake Atha- 

 basca into Black Lake, from which point the journey extended north 

 and east until Hudson Bay was reached. In connection with this 

 part of the lecture many photographs were shown on the canvas, 

 illustrating the wild and picturesque nature of the scenes passed on 

 the way. 



The lecturer closed his paper with a graphic account of 

 the hardships encountered in the last few hundred miles of the jour- 

 ney, when overtaken by the early returning winter in this northern 

 land. "On Oct. 14th," he said, "as we advanced, the ice became 

 so heavy and extended so far out to sea, that in order to clear it we 

 could not see land. Towards evening we began to look about for 

 some opportunity of going ashore, but nothing could be seen but 

 the sea and a field of ice, with occasional boulders protruding. We 

 pushed on, hoping to find some bluff, point or channel of water by 

 which we might be able to reach the shore, but the appearance of 

 things did not change. We stood up, vainly hoping to get at least 

 a glimpse of land. Soon the .'shades of night began to fall about us ; 



