136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



shore of Pine Island Lake, in the Canadian Nortli-West Territories. 

 He states in a letter written in 1817, that a large brass sextant of 

 Dollond's, of 10 inch radius, and reading to 15" had been his constant 

 companion for twenty-eight years ; .so that he had doubtless brought 

 this instrument with him from England in the summer of this year. 

 That he had been trained in its use, and that he also took a lively 

 interest in genei-al natural phenomena is shown by the fact, that dur- 

 ing the winter, from October 10th, till the summer of 1790, he kept 

 a careful meteorological journal, in which were noted the readings of 

 the thermometer three or four times a day, the direction and force of 

 the wind, and general remarks on the climate. During the same time 

 he took a series of astronomical observations, six being meridian 

 altitudes of the sun for latitude ; and thirty-five lunar distances for 

 longitude. The result of these observations as worked out by him, 

 placed the House in Lat. 53° 56' 44", Long. 103° 13', a position al- 

 most identical in latitude, and only about three to the east of the 

 position given for Cumberland House in the latest Dominion Lands 

 map. 



On the ninth of June, 1790, lie left Cnml>er]and House, and des- 

 cending the Saskatchewan, entered " Great Lake " (Lake Winnipeg) 

 on June 15th, passing thi'ough which he entered Play Green Lake, 

 and followed the Hudson's Bay Company's regular route through 

 Trout Ri\ei-, Knee Lake, and Hayes River to York Factory where he 

 arrived on J uly 7th. Throughout the whole of the distance from 

 Cumberland House, he made a careful track-surv^ey of his course, 

 taking his bearings with a compass, and estimating the distances by 

 the rate of travel, checking the survey by numerous observations for 

 latitude and longitude, taken with the above-mentioned sextant and 

 an artificial horizon. 



Between July 1790 and September 1791 the note-books do not 

 show any entries, so that his whereabouts during that time are uncer- 

 tain, but from this latter date to April, 1792, he was at York Fac- 

 tory, as is shown by the record of a number of astronomical observa- 

 tions taken by him during this period. 



The next entry is in September of the latter year, on the 5tli of 

 which month, at 8 a.m., he left York Factory with two canoes, and 



