SECTION IV. 
'lioe late Attempts made for Discovery of a Passage to the South Seas, from 
Hudfon’s Bay ; more particularly that of Captain Christopher Middleton, Com^ 
mander of his Majefy s Sloop the 
Interlperfed with original Papers ^ . 
I. Tt’he Re afo 72 s why there have not hitherto been any great Difcoveries made from Hildfon’s Bay, notwith^ 
fianding our Settlements in, and Tirade thereto. 2. Captain Chriftopher Middleton’^ accurate and curi- 
ous Account of the Jlrange EffeBs of Cold-, the Nature of Animals, and manner of living on the Coafs of 
Hudfon’s Bay. 3. Mr. Middleton enters into a Correfpondence with Arthur Dobbs, Efq-, for the Dif- 
covery of a North-wef Pajjage. 4, Reafons afigned by him, to fieW the Probability of finding fuch a Paf- 
fage, which aSlually produced this Voyage, 3. An Account op the Undertaking, and of the Impediments 
thrown in the W %y, to hinder Captain Middletonh going, or meeting with Succefs, in Cafe of attempting this 
Difcovery.^ 6. Captain IS/liddhioAs Journal of his Voyage for Difcovery,from his Departure to his Return. 
7, Phe Point of FaB as to the Str eight, by himcalledNf^gyiK\vt.s, more clearly fated, with Copies of original 
and amended Declarations. 8. An Account of Mr. Dobbs’r Exceptions taken to the Relation given by Captain 
Middleton of his Difcoveries, and Opinion grounded on them, that there is no Streight, or that it is not 
praBicable.^ 9. Mr. Dobbs’^ Reafons why the River Wager ought rather to be confidered as a Streight j 
Captain Middhton’ s Anfwer, and Replies, to them. 10. Middieton’j pofitive Proofs that this 
Opening is afrejh W ater River , and riot a Streight, communicating with any Ocean or Sea, except Hud- 
fon s Bay j with Refutations op thofe Proofs. 1 1, An Account of a late AB op Parliament , for encoura- 
ging the Difcovery of a North-weft PaJJdgei 
I . T N the two foregoing Sedions, we have given the 
X Reader as full and as fair an Account as it was in 
our Power, of the Motives which induced the moft 
knowing and able Perfons, in the laft Century, to fup- 
pofe that a Paffage might be found, through HudfoPs 
Bay, , into the South Seas ; and how this Notion, after 
■prevailing long, and being generally entertained, grew 
into Difcredit, by the Mifcarriage of James, and 
by the Account he gave of the Nature and Caufes of his 
Difappointment. We have alfo touched upon the Foun- 
dation of the HudfoPs Bay Company j but havino- con- 
fidered that Point more largely in another. Place, we 
thought there was no Neceffity for dwelling upon it here. 
In this Sedion we propofe to fpeak of the late Ex- 
peditions made that Way, and particularly of Captain 
Chrifiopher Middleton^, which has afforded Occafion to 
the Legiflature to pafs a Law for encouraging Attempts 
for this Difcovery, which fooner or later there is great 
Reafon to hope will be attended with Succefs. 
One would have imagined, that after the Company 
was-eftablifhed, for carrying on the Trade to HudfoPs 
Bay, with a View to the finding a North- weft Paflage, 
continual Attempts would have been made for that pur- 
pofe, agreeable to the Petition upon which that Charter 
was granted, and to the Preamble of the Charter itfelf, 
v/hich has been fo often mentioned ; but fo far has 
this been from the Pradice of the Company, that they 
have taken all Methods poffible to prevent the Notion of 
a Paffage being found that Way from reviving in the 
World, by preventing their Captains from publifhing 
their Journals ; and as by their Charter they have an ex- 
clufive Trade, if they do nothing in this Matter, it is 
impoffible any body elfe fhould. There was, indeed, one 
Captain Barlow employed for this Purpofe about twenty 
Years ago, but he was never heard of more ; and whether 
he made the Paffage, and never returned, or whether he 
was loft as the Company’s Servants report, in the Lati^ 
tude of 63 Degrees, is what we can give no Account of, 
at leaft with any Degree of Certainty. The Reader will 
hereafter find forne Account of another Attempt, made 
by Mr. John Scroggs, which, though not attended with 
Succefs, was far from giving any Difcouragement to fu- 
ture Endeavours of the fame kind. But what gave Occa- 
fion to the laft Attempts, w^as the Informations receiv-^ 
ed from Captain Middleton before-mentioned. 
^ This Gentleman had been for many Years in the Ser- 
vice of the HudfoP s Bay Company, which gave him an 
Opportunity of making all the Enquiries neceffary, and 
acquiring all the Lights poffible, to dired: him in an Af- 
iair of this Nature ; and of his Capacity and Knowledge 
- VoL. IL Numb. XCIX. 
in this refped, the Reader will find an ample Teftimony 
in the following Extrad of a Relation delivered by him, 
to the worthy Sir Hans Sloane, then Prefident of the 
Royal 'Society j from whom he received the Prize Medal, 
which, by the Will of the late Sir Godfrey Copley, is an- 
nually beftowed by the faid Society. A Relation equally 
curious in itfelf, and extremely fuited to our Purpofe ; as 
it very fully fhews how much better we are now qualified 
for making Difcoveries in thofe frozen Cliihates, than in 
the Days of Captain James ; and hov/ far the Difficulties, 
which that Gentleman looked upon as infupportable, are 
in the prefent Age overcome. But this Paper has fo 
much Merit, that it really needs no farther Introdudion. 
2. It is obferved that the Hares, Rabbets, ^oxes. Par- 
tridges, in September, and the beginning Odiober, 
changed their native Colours to a Snowy-white, and that 
for fix Months in the fevereft Part of the Winter. I 
never faw any but what were white, except fome Foxes 
of a different Sort, which were grizled, and fome half 
red half white. 
That Lakes and ftanding Waters, which are not above 
ten or twelve Feet deep, are frozen to the Ground in 
Winter, and the Fiffi therein all perifh. 
Yet in Rivers near the Sea, and Lakes of a greater ■ 
Depth than ten or twelve Feet, Fiffi are caught all the 
Winter, by cutting Holes through the Ice down' to the 
Water, and therein putting Lines and Hooks. But if 
they are to be taken with Nets, they cut feveral Holes in 
a ftrait Line, the Length of the Net, and pafs the Net 
with a Stick faftened to the Head-line from Hole to 
Hole, till it reaches the utmoft Extent ; and what Fiffi 
come to thefe Holes for Air, are thereby entangled in 
the Net ; and thefe Fifh, as foon as brought into the 
open Air, are inftantly frozen as ftiff as a Stock-fiffi. 
The Seamen likewife freflien their filt Provifions, by cut- 
ting a large Hole through the Ice in the Stream, or Tide 
of the River •, which they do at the Beginning of the 
Winter, and keep it open all that Seafon. In this Hole 
they put their Salt-meat, and the Minute it is immerfed 
under Water, it becomes pliable and foft, though be- 
fore its Immerfion it was hard frozen. 
Beef, Pork, Mutton, and Venifon, that are killed at 
the Beginning of the Winter, are preferved by the Froft 
for fix or feven Months, entirely free from Putrefaftion, 
and prove tolerable good eating •, fo likewife Geefe, Par- 
tridges, and other Fowl, that are. killed at the fame time, 
and kept with their Feathers on, and Guts in, require 
no other Prefervation but the Froft, to make them good 
wholefome eating, as long as the Winter continues. All 
kind of Fiffi are preferved in the like Manner. 
■5 T In 
