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LABRADOR. 



When I look back upon the many pleasant hours that I spent with 

 the young gentlemen who composed my party, during our excursions 

 along the coast of sterile and stormy Labrador, I think that a brief ac- 

 count of our employments may prove not altogether uninteresting to my 

 readers. 



We had purchased our stores at Boston, with the aid of my generous 

 friend Dr Parkman of that city ; but unfortunately many things neces- 

 sary on an expedition like ours were omitted. At Eastport in Maine we 

 therefore laid in these requisites. No traveller, let me say, ought to ne- 

 glect any thing that is calculated to ensure the success of his undertaking, 

 or to contribute to his personal comfort, when about to set out on a long 

 and perhaps hazardous voyage. Very few opportunities of replenishing 

 stores of provision, clothing or ammunition, occur in such a country as 

 Labrador ; and yet, we all placed too much confidence in the zeal and 

 foresight of our purveyors at Eastport. We had abundance of ammu- 

 nition, excellent bread, meat, and potatoes; but the butter was quite 

 rancid, the oil only fit to grease our guns, the vinegar too liberally diluted 

 with cider, the mustard and pepper deficient in due pungency. All this, 

 however, was not discovered until it was too late to be remedied. Several 

 of the young men were not clothed as hunters should be, and some of the 

 guns were not so good as we could have wished. We were, however, for- 

 tunate with respect to our vessel, which was a notable sailer, did not leak, 

 had a good crew, and was directed by a capital seaman. 



The hold of the schooner was floored, and an entrance made to it 

 from the cabin, so that in it we had a very good parlour, dining-room, 

 drawing-room, library, &c. all those apartments however, being, united in- 

 to one. An extravagantly elongated deal table ranged along the centre ; 

 one of the party had slung his hammock at one end, and in its vicinity 

 slept the cook and a lad who acted as armourer. The cabin was small ; 

 but being fitted in the usual manner with side berths, was used for a dor- 

 mitory. It contained a small table and a stove, the latter of diminu- 

 tive size, but smoky enough to discomfit a host. We had adopted in 

 a great measure the clothing worn by the American fishermen on that 

 coast, namely, thick blue cloth trowsers, a comfortable waistcoat, and a 



