OF THE POLAR SEA. 



151 



persed. The first brigade of canoes, laden with furs, was despatched 

 to the depdt on May 50th, and the others followed in two or three 

 days afterwards. Mr. Stuart, the senior partner of the North- 

 West Company, quitted us for the same destination, on June 4th ; 

 Mr. Robertson, for his depdt, on the next day ; and on the 9th we 

 parted with our friend Mr. Keith, to whose unremitting kindness 

 we felt much indebted. I intrusted to his care a box containing 

 some drawings by Mr. Back, the map of our route from Cumberland 

 House, and the skin of a black beaver, (presented to the Expedition 

 by Mr. Smith,) with my official letters, addressed to the Under 

 Secretary of State. I wrote by each of these gentlemen to inform 

 Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood of the scarcity of stores at these 

 posts, and to request them to procure all they possibly could on 

 their route. Mr. Smith was left in charge of this post during the 

 summer ; this gentleman soon evinced his desire to further our pro- 

 gress, by directing a new canoe to be built for our use, which was 

 commenced upon immediately. 



June 21. — This day an opportunity offered of sending letters 

 to the Great Slave Lake ; and I availed myself of it, to request 

 Mr. Wentzel would accompany the Expedition agreeably to the 

 desire of the Copper Indians, communicating to him that I had 

 received permission for him to do so from the partners of the North- 

 West Company. Should he be disposed to comply with my invi- 

 tation, I desired that he would go over to Fort Providence, and 

 remain near the Indians whom he had engaged for our service. 

 I feared lest they should become impatient at our unexpected 

 delay, and, with the usual fickleness of the Indian character, remove 

 from the establishment before we could arrive. It had been my 

 intention to go to them myself, could the articles, with which they 

 expected to be presented on my arrival, have been provided at these 

 establishments ; but as they could not be procured, I was compelled 

 to defer my visit until our canoes should arrive. Mr. Smith sup- 



