1881.] Geography and Travels. 1027 
Papers were read as follows: The equipment of exploring 
expeditions now and fifty years ago, by Francis Galton, F. R. S.; 
On the survey of Western Palestine, by the Palestine Explora- 
tion Fund, by Trelawny Saunders; A review of Oceanic or 
Maritime discovery, exploration and research, during the half- 
century, 1831-81, by Captain Sir Frederick Evans, R. N., F. R.S., 
Hydrographer of the Admiralty. 
Hupson’s Bay.—Dr. Robert Bell, Assistant Director of the 
Geoloyical Survey of Canada, recently read before the Royal Geo- 
graphical Society a paper on the Commercial Importance of Hud- 
son’s Bay. He gave an interesting account of that great North 
American sea. “In the popular mind Hudson’s Bay is apt to be 
associated with the polar regions, yet no part of it comes within 
the Arctic circle, and the southern extremity is south of the lati- 
tude of London. Few people have any adequate conception of 
the extent of this great American sea. Including its southern 
prolongation, James’ Bay, it measures about 1000 miles in length 
and it is more than 600 miles in width at its northern part. Its total 
area is approximately 500,000 square miles, or upwards of half 
that of the Mediterranean Sea of the old world. It is enclosed by 
the land on all sides except the northeast, where it communicates 
by several channels with the outer ocean. The principal or best 
known of these is Hudson’s Strait, which is about 500 miles in 
length, and has an average width of about 100 miles, 
“ Hudson’s Bay, which might have been more appropriately 
called Hudson’s Sea, is the central basin of the drainage of North 
America. The limits of this basin extend to the centre of the 
Labrador peninsula, or some 500 miles inland on the east side and 
to the Rocky Mountains, or a distance of 1300 miles on the west. 
The Winnipeg Basin constitutes a sort of outlier of the region 
more immediately under notice, since the waters drain into it 
from north, south, east and west, and discharge themselves by one 
great trunk—the Nelson river—into Hudson’s Bay. The south- 
ernmost portion of this basin, namely, the source of the Red River, 
extends down nearly to latitude 45°. The headwaters of the 
southern rivers of James’ Bay are not far to the north of Lake 
Huron; while one of the branches of the Albany rises within 25 
miles of the north shore of Lake Superior. Including the Win- 
nipeg system, the basin of Hudson’s Bay has a width of about 
2100 miles from east to west,and a length of about 1500 miles 
from north to south, and its dimensions approach the enormous 
area of 3,000,000 square miles.” * * * “Both the bay and 
strait are remarkably free from rock and shoals which might inter- 
fere with their free navigation.” i 
Churchill Harbor on the west side can be entered by vessels of 
the largest size, and is thought likely to be the future shipping 
port for the agricultural and mineral products of the vast North- 
west Territory. The shortest route between this territory and 
