10 J GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



discharged from the Company's service, returned to France, were- 

 pardoned, and sent out to take possession of the Nelson for the French 

 king ; shortly after these John Bridgar arrived to build a fort for the 

 Companj-. All three parties landed, and lived at peace until spring, 

 when Groisselier surprised Gillan and Bridgar, took them prisoners,, 

 and afterwards conve} T ed them to Quebec, in the meanwhile sending 

 the other English in a rotten ship to meet the Companv's ship, which 

 they did near Cape Henrietta Maria. 



1684. — Quarreling with their employers on their return to Quebec, 

 Radisson and Groisselier again deserted to the English, returned to 

 Port Nelson, and gave it up to the Company. 

 Mica mine on 1685. — In this year the Company had forts at Albany, Hayes Island, 

 River. aine Rupert, Nelson and Severn; also a small post at a river on the East 

 Main called " Ison-glass " River, where a mine of that mineral had 

 been found, the working of which proved unprofitable. 



1686. — TheFrenfch in Canada, afraid of losing their inland trade with 

 the Indians, and knowing that James II would allow no affront in this 

 quarter to cause a break between him and Louis IV, resolved, in a 

 time of peace between the two countries, to take possession of the 

 English forts. The Governor accordingly sent a detachment of sol- 

 diers, under the command of Chevalier de Troyes, overland from Que- 

 Capture of the bee, who easily took possession of the Forts Rupert, Hayes and Albany,. 

 French. leaving Port Nelson only to the English. 



1690. — D'Iberville sailed from Quebec with two ships to capture 

 Fort Nelson. He failed to do so, but obliged the English to abandon 

 Severn. 



1691. — Mr. Geyer, governor at Nelson, sent Henry Kelsey inland to 

 make discoveries and extend the trade by inducing the inland Indiana 

 to come to the fort. According to his journal, produced by the Com- 

 pany before the Committee of the House of Commons in 1T49,* " he- 

 set out from Deering's Point (probably Split Lake), where the Indians 

 fron/fort rne> ? always assemble when they go down to trade, to seek the Stone- 

 Saskatchewan. Indians, and, after overtaking them, travelled with them and the Nay- 

 haythaway Indians to the country of the Naywatamee-Poets, and was 

 fifty-nine days on his journey, including the resting days. He first 

 went by water sevcntj^-one miles from Deering's Point, and then laid, 

 up his canoe and went by land 316 miles through a woody country,, 

 and then forty-six miles through a plain, open country, having seen 

 onl} T one river in his journey, shallow, but a hundred yards over; and 

 after crossing ponds, woods and champagne lands for eighty-one miles- 

 more, which abounded with buffaloes and beavers, he returned back 

 fifty-four miles, where he met the Naywatamee-Poets." From this it 



* Robson's Hudson Bay. 



