258 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



our time at this season of the year, I shall mention briefly, that a 

 considerable portion of it was occupied in writing up our journals. 

 Some newspapers and magazines, that we had received from Eng- 

 land with our letters, were read again and again, and commented 

 upon, at our meals ; and we often exercised ourselves with conjec- 

 turing the changes that might take place in the world before we 

 could hear from it again. The probability of our receiving letters, 

 and the period of their arrival, were calculated to a nicety. We 

 occasionally paid the woodmen a visit, or took a walk for a mile or 

 two on the river. 



In the evenings we joined the men in the hall, and took a part in 

 their games, which generally continued to a late hour; in short, 

 we never found the time to hang heavy upon our hands ; and the 

 peculiar occupations of each of the officers afforded them more 

 employment than might at first be supposed. I re-calculated the 

 observations made on our route ; Mr. Hood protracted the charts, 

 and made those drawings of birds, plants, and fishes, which cannot 

 appear in this work, but which have been the admiration of every 

 one who has seen them. Each of the party sedulously and sepa- 

 rately recorded their observations on the aurora, and Dr. Richard- 

 son contrived to obtain from under the snow specimens of most of 

 the lichens in the neighbourhood, and to make himself acquainted 

 with the mineralogy of the surrounding country. 



The Sabbath was always a day of rest with us ; the woodmen 

 were required to provide for the exigencies of that day on Saturday, 

 and the party were dressed in their best attire. Divine service was 

 regularly performed, and the Canadians attended, and behaved with 

 great decorum, although they were all Eoman Catholics, and but 

 little acquainted with the language in which the prayers were 

 read. I regretted much that we had not a French Prayer -Book, but 

 the Lord's Prayer and Creed were always read to them in their own 

 language. 



