Chap. III. of the E N G L I S 
Grafs or Hay, or Gardening, and yet they^ had four 
or five Horfes there, and a Bull, and two Gows, near 
‘‘ the Faftory ; but they were obliged to bring their Hay 
“ from a marrfiy Bottom, fome Miles up the River, to 
feed them in Winter ; but if a Settlement was made 
“ higher up the River Southward, fome Leagues from 
“ the Bay, in Shelter, without the Reach of the chilling 
“ Winds, they would have Grafs and Hay fufficient, and 
“ might have alfo Gardens and proper Greens, and 
“ Roots, propagated there. They fay there is a Com- 
munication betwixt that River and Nelfonf River, at 
“ a great Diftance within Land, or a very fhort Land- 
“ carriage betwixt them-, for the Indians who trade 
“ here tell them, each Seafon, what Chiefs, with their 
“ Followers, go down that Year to Nelfon or Albany 
« River.” 
We may juftly wonder that we never had before any 
clear Account of thefe Matters, confidering how long 
we have had Fabtories in thefe Parts ; and that on the 
contrary all the Accounts hitherto given reprefent the 
Coafls of Hndfonf Bay, as the moft forlorn and dreadful 
Part of the Univerfe, hitherto difcovered ; as Regions 
freezing and frightful, almoft beyond all Defcription, 
and which it would appear dreadful and cruel to fend 
even Malefactors to inhabit. But for this the fame Gen- 
tleman has fully accounted ; and it is requifite that the 
Public fhould be very well acquainted with the Account 
that he has given •, for fince the great Council of the Na- 
tion has thought fit to encourage an Attempt to difcover 
a Paflage this Way into the South Seas, it is very rea- 
fonable to fuppofe that Endeavours will not be wanting 
to pufii that Attempt to the utmoft ; to facilitate which 
there is nothing of fo great Importance as the proving 
that the Difcouragements which have been hitherto repre- 
fented as infuperable, have been over-rated, and that 
notwithftanding all that has been faid of them, it is not 
only pofiible but probable, that they may be overcome 
towards which nothing furely can contribute more than 
the pointing out the Motives, upon which they have hi- 
therto been conftantly reprefented, in fo ftrong a Light, 
which is very effeClually done in the following Pafiage 
from the fame Author j who, as he has ftudied tWs Point, 
fo it muft be allowed he has made it as clear as with Rea- 
fon. could well be expefted. 
“ The Company avoid all they can making Difcove- 
“ ries to the Northward of Churchill, or extending their 
“ Trade that Way, for fear they fhould difcover a Paf- 
“ fage to the Weftern Ocean of America, and tempt, 
“ by that Means, the reft of the Englijh Merchants to 
lay open their Trade, which they know they have no 
legal Right to ; which if the Paflage was found, would 
‘‘ not only animate the reft of the Merchants to purfue 
“ the Trade through that Paflfage, but alfo to find out 
“ the great Advantages that might be made of the Trade 
“ of the Rivers and Countries adjoining to the Bay, 
“ by which Means they would lofe their beloved Mo- 
‘‘ nopoly. But the Profpecft they have of Gain to be 
made by trading with the EJkimauk Indians, for 
Whale-fin, Whale and Sea Oil, and Sea-horfe Teeth, 
“ induces them to venture a Sloop annually, as far as 62 
Degrees 30 Minutes, to Whale Cove, where thefe In- 
“ dians meet them, and truck their Fins and Oil with 
“ them. But though they are fully informed of a fine 
“ Copper Mine on a navigable Arm of the Sea, North- 
“ weftward of Whale Cove, and the Indians have offer- 
“ ed to carry their Sloops to it ; yet their Fear of difco- 
“ vering the Paflfage, puts Bounds to their Avarice, and. 
“ prevents their going to the Mine, which by all Ac- 
“ counts is very rich. Yet thofe who have been at 
‘ Whale Cove, own that from thence Northwards is all 
** broken Land ; and that after pafling fome Hands, 
they from the Hills fee the Sea open, leading to the 
Weftward. And the Indians who have been often at 
the Mine fay it is upon a navigable Arm of the Sea, 
“ of great Depth, leading to the South- weft, where are 
“ great Numbers of large black Fifh fpouting Water, 
which confirms the Opinion that all the Whales feen 
^ between Whale Cove and Wager River, all come there 
from the Weftern Ocean, fince none are feen any 
H in AMERICA. 
“ where elfe in HudfoAs Bay or Str eight. All along this 
“ Coaft from the Latitude 62 Degrees to 65 Degrees^ a 
“ Very beneficial Fiftiery of Whales may be carried on 
“ with thefe EJkimauk Indians ; who, even without the 
“ Ufe of Iron, can harpoon and kill Whales, and if 
they were fupplied with Iron Harpoons, and proper 
“ Cordage, they might be brought to kill great Num- 
“ bers of them. At prefent all their Nets, Lines, and 
“ Snares, are made of Whale-bone, and moft of ' their 
“ Boats and other NeCeflfaries of the Seal-fldns, Fiffi- 
“ bones, and Sea-horfe Teeth, and in making all things 
“ neceflfary for them, they are very neat and ingenious.” 
The fame judicious Perfon, from whom we have 
borrowed fo much already, has taken the Pains to give, 
from Very authentic Relations, a very clear, as well as a 
very copious Account of moft of the Indian Nations that 
lie at the back of our Northern Colonies, and between 
the French Settlements in Canada, and on the Mijftjfippi 
River ; with the Countries they inhabited, and the Pro- 
du6t of thofe Countries, which I efteem a thing of very 
great Confequence, and as material a Service to this Na- 
tion, as has been rendered for many Years •, the Account 
is too long for me to infert, but the Inferences he draws 
from it are fo juft, and of fo high Confequence, that I 
think it Would be an Injury done the Reader not to re- 
port them, as it would certainly be doing both him and 
the Subject great Wrong, to report them in any other 
than his own Words, which without farther Preface I 
ftiall ufe ; only it is necelTary to premife at the Time this 
Gentleman publifhed his Book, the War with France 
was not aftually broke out. 
“ How glorious, fays he. Would it be for us at the 
“ fame Time to civilize fo many Nations, and improve 
“ fo large and fpacious a Country, by communicating 
“ our Conftitution and Liberties, both Civil and Religi- 
“ ous, to fo many Numbers, whofe Happinefs and 
“ Pleafure would increafe at the fame Time, that an In- 
“ creafe of Wealth and Power would be added to Bri* 
“ tain. 
“ There is, at prefent, a Beginning of this Scheme,? 
“ by the Zeal of Mr. Barclay, who is inftru( 5 ling and 
“ civilizing the Mowhawks, among the Iroquefe, who 
“ from a warlike Nation haVe embarked in Trade^ 
“ and entered into Alliances with all Nations round the 
“ Lakes Huron and Errie, and to the Weftward as far as 
“ the Mijfijfippi, which is firmly eftabliflied by the Gain 
“ they make by the Trade. The Englijh, from New 
“ York, have fixed at Ofwega, in their Country, upon 
“ equitable Terms with all the Indians, who come now 
“ from a great Diftance to trade at that Town ; Indians 
“ coming now to Trade there, whofe Names were never 
“ before known to the Englijh. This therefore feems to 
“ be the critical Time to begin this Settlement, on the 
“ Banks of Conde River. If there be a War with France, 
“ as we are at a great Expence to fave the Liberties of 
“ Europe, and fupport the Houfe of Aujlria, fince we 
“ can have nothing in Europe beneficial for us ; in cafe 
“ we are fuccefsful at the Conclufion of the War, we 
“ ought to ftipulate for fomethihg advantageous in 
“ America and the leaft we ought to claim is our Right 
‘‘ to the American Lakes, and fecuring the Navigation 
“ of them. The French have, at prefent, two little 
“ Forts, and about thirty Men in each ; at Niagara, 
“ and the Streights of St. Jojeph •, and a few Men at Mif- 
“ Jiliackinac, and at the bottom of the Illinefe Lake. Thefe 
“ we ought to have from them, either by Force or Trca- 
“ ty, which would fecure the inland Trade to us, and 
“ prevent their future Incroachments, either there or in 
“ Hudfon^s Bay \ and to do this effeftually, would be to 
make a Settlement near the Lake Errie, which may 
“ be done with little or no Expence, confidering our 
“ prefent Barrier and Alliance, and Trade with the Na-. 
“ tives *, and whenever our Troops are dilbanded, fome 
“ of them may be fent over upon Halfipay, to fix in 
“ proper Places, and make good our PolTefllons, which, 
would be a fine Retreat to our Soldiers, who 
“ can’t fo eafily, after being dilbanded, bring them- 
“ felves again to hard Labour, after being fo long dif- 
** iifed to it. 
