In The Year 1770 The Hudson's Bay Company, More Alive To The Prospect Of
Gain Than To The Interests Of
Discovery and geographical science, having
received some information from the Indians that copper might be obtained in
great quantity far
To the west of Fort Prince of Wales, resolved to
dispatch Mr. Hearne, belonging to that fort, in search of it. This
gentleman made four different excursions for this purpose, but it was only
during the fourth that he reached to any great distance from the fort. In
this excursion he penetrated to what he conceived to be the mouth of the
Coppermine River, in the Frozen Ocean, about the latitude of 72 deg. north.
According to his account, Chesterfield Inlet is not the north-west passage,
and the American continent stretches very considerably to the north-west of
Hudson's Bay. The whole extent of his journey was about thirteen hundred
miles. It was however doubted, whether what he deemed to be the mouth of
the Coppermine River was actually such. It is certainly singular, that
though he staid there for twenty-four hours, he did not actually ascertain
the height to which the tide rose, but judged at that circumstance from the
marks on the edge of the ice. There are other points in the printed
account, as well as discrepancies between that and his MS., which tended to
withhold implicit belief from his assertion, that he had reached the Frozen
Ocean.
In the year 1789 the North-west Company having received information from an
Indian, that there was at no great distance from Montreal, to the
northward, a river which ran into the sea, Mr. M'Kenzie, one of the
partners of that company, resolved to ascertain the truth of this report,
by going himself on an expedition for that purpose. He set out, attended by
a few Indians; and after traversing the desert and inhospitable country in
which the posts of the company are established, he reached a river which
ran to the north. He followed the course of this river till he arrived at
what he conceived to be the Frozen Ocean, were he saw some small whales
among the ice, and determined the rise and fall of the tide. This river was
called after him, Mackenzie's River, and to the island he gave the name of
Whale Island. This island is in latitude 69 deg. 14'.
In 1793 Mr. M'Kenzie again set out on an inland voyage of geographical and
commercial discovery, taking with him the requisite astronomical
instruments and a chronometer. His course he directed to the west. After
travelling one hundred miles on foot, he and his companions embarked on a
river, running westward, which conveyed them to an inlet of the Pacific
Ocean. Here he observed the rise and fall of the tide, and saw porpoises
and sea otters. The claim of the discovery of the Frozen Ocean by a
north-west route, to which Mr. M'Kenzie lays claim, has been questioned, as
well as Mr. Hearne's claim.
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