OF THE POLAR SEA. 45 



ceived from them the most friendly and 

 full assurance of the cordial endeavours of 

 the wintering partners of their company to 

 promote the interests of the expedition. 

 The knowledge we had now gained of the 

 state of the violent commercial opposition 

 existing in the country rendered this assu- 

 rance highly gratifying ; and these gentle- 

 men added to the obligation by freely com- 

 municating that information respecting the 

 interior of the country, which their intelli- 

 gence and long residence so fully qualified 

 them to give. 



I deemed it expedient to issue a memo- 

 randum to the officers of the expedition, 

 strictly prohibiting any interference what- 

 ever in the existing quarrels, or any that 

 might arise, between the two Companies ; 

 and on presenting it to the principals of 

 both the parties, they expressed their sa- 

 tisfaction at the step I had taken. 



The opinions of all the gentlemen were 

 so decidedly in favour of the route by 

 Cumberland House, and through the chain 

 of posts to the Great Slave Lake, that I 



