The provisions, instruments, and other articles, of which I had furnished
a list by direction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, were
embarked on board the Hudson's Bay Company's ship Prince of Wales,
appointed by the Committee to convey the Expedition to York Factory,
their principal establishment in Hudson's Bay.
It will be seen in the course of the Narrative how much reason I had to
be satisfied with, and how great my obligations are to, all the gentlemen
who were associated with me in the Expedition, whose kindness, good
conduct, and cordial cooperation have made an impression which can never
be effaced from my mind. The unfortunate death of Mr. Hood is the only
drawback which I feel from the otherwise unalloyed pleasure of reflecting
on that cordial unanimity which at all times prevailed among us in the
days of sunshine, and in those of sickness and sorrow.
To Dr. Richardson in particular the exclusive merit is due of whatever
collections and observations have been made in the department of Natural
History; and I am indebted to him in no small degree for his friendly
advice and assistance in the preparation of the present narrative.
The charts and drawings were made by Lieutenant Back and the late
Lieutenant Hood. Both these gentlemen cheerfully and ably assisted me in
making the observations and in the daily conduct of the Expedition. The
observations made by Mr. Hood on the various phenomena presented by the
Aurora Borealis* will it is presumed present to the reader some new facts
connected with this meteor. Mr. Back was mostly prevented from turning
his attention to objects of science by the many severe duties which were
required of him and which obliged him to travel almost constantly every
winter that we passed in America; to his personal exertions, indeed, our
final safety is mainly to be attributed. And here I must be permitted to
pay the tribute due to the fidelity, exertion and uniform good conduct in
the most trying situations of John Hepburn, an English seaman and our
only attendant, to whom in the latter part of our journey we owe, under
Divine Providence, the preservation of the lives of some of the party.
(*Footnote. Given in the Appendix to the Quarto Edition.)
I ought perhaps to crave the reader's indulgence towards the defective
style of this work, which I trust will not be refused when it is
considered that mine has been a life of constant employment in my
profession from a very early age. I have been prompted to venture upon
the task solely by an imperious sense of duty when called upon to
undertake it.
In the ensuing Narrative the notices of the moral condition of the
Indians as influenced by the conduct of the traders towards them refer
entirely to the state in which it existed during our progress through the
country; but lest I should have been mistaken respecting the views of the
Hudson's Bay Company on these points I gladly embrace the opportunity
which a Second Edition affords me of stating that the junction of the two
Companies has enabled the Directors to put in practice the improvements
which I have reason to believe they had long contemplated. They have
provided for religious instruction by the appointment of two Clergymen of
the established church under whose direction schoolmasters and mistresses
are to be placed at such stations as afford the means of support for the
establishment of schools. The offspring of the voyagers and labourers are
to be educated chiefly at the expense of the Company; and such of the
Indian children as their parents may wish to send to these schools are to
be instructed, clothed, and maintained at the expense of the Church
Missionary Society which has already allotted a considerable sum for
these purposes and has also sent out teachers who are to act under the
superintendence of the Reverend Mr. West, the principal chaplain of the
Company.
We had the pleasure of meeting this gentleman at York Factory, and
witnessed with peculiar delight that great benefit which already marked
his zealous and judicious conduct. Many of the traders and of the
servants of the Company had been induced to marry the women with whom
they had cohabited; a material step towards the improvement of the
females in that country.
Mr. West, under the sanction of the Directors, has also promoted a
subscription for the distribution of the Bible in every part of the
country where the Company's Fur Trade has extended, and which has met
with very general support from the resident chief factors, traders, and
clerks. The Directors of the Company are continuing to reduce the
distribution of spirits gradually among the Indians, as well as towards
their own servants, with a view to the entire disuse of them as soon as
this most desirable object can be accomplished. They have likewise issued
orders for the cultivation of the ground at each of the posts, by which
means the residents will be far less exposed to famine whenever, through
the scarcity of animals, the sickness of the Indians, or any other cause,
their supply of meat may fail.
It is to be hoped that intentions, so dear to every humane and pious
mind, will, through the blessing of God, meet with the utmost success.
...
FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.
CHAPTER 1.
DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND.
TRANSACTIONS AT STROMNESS.
ENTER DAVIS STRAITS.
PERILOUS SITUATION ON THE SHORE OF RESOLUTION ISLAND.
LAND ON THE COAST OF LABRADOR.
ESQUIMAUX OF SAVAGE ISLANDS.
YORK FACTORY.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR.
DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND.
May, 1819.
On Sunday the 23rd of May the whole of our party embarked at Gravesend on
board the ship Prince of Wales, belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company,
just as she was in the act of getting under weigh with her consorts the
Eddystone and Wear.
