He gave us a circular
letter addressed to the chiefs of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts
directing them to afford us all possible assistance on our route, and he
promised to exert every endeavour to forward the Esquimaux interpreter,
upon whom the success of our journey so much depended.
He was accompanied
by eight boats. With him we sent our collections of plants, minerals,
charts, and drawings to be transmitted to England by the Hudson's Bay
ships. After this period our detention, though short, cost us more
vexation than the whole time we had passed at Cumberland House because
every hour of the short summer was invaluable to us. On the 11th Mr.
Clark arrived and completed our crews. He brought letters from Mr.
Franklin dated March 28th at Fort Chipewyan where he was engaged
procuring hunters and interpreters. A heavy storm of wind and rain from
the north-east again delayed us till the morning of the 13th. The account
we had received at York Factory of the numerous stores at Cumberland
House proved to be very erroneous. The most material stores we received
did not amount in addition to our own to more than two barrels of powder,
a keg of spirits, and two pieces of tobacco, with pemmican for sixteen
days.
The crew of Dr. Richardson's canoe consisted of three Englishmen and
three Canadians and the other carried five Canadians; both were deeply
laden and the waves ran high on the lake.
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