e in any
cold ever experienced at York Factory, unless when very much adulterated
with water; and even then the spirit would remain liquid in the centre
of the mass [see note 1].

To resist this intense cold the inhabitants dress, not in furs, as is
generally supposed, but in coats and trousers made of smoked deer-skins;
the only piece of fur in their costume being the cap. The houses are
built of wood, with double windows and doors. They are heated by means
of large iron stoves, fed with wood; yet so intense is the cold, that I
have seen the stove in places _red-hot_, and a basin of water in the
room _frozen_ nearly solid. The average cold, I should think, is about
15 or 16 degrees below zero, or 48 degrees of frost. The country around
is a complete swamp, but the extreme shortness of the warm weather, and
the consequent length of winter, fortunately prevent the rapid
decomposition of vegetable matter. Another cause of the unhealthiness
of the climate during summer is the prevalence of dense fogs, which come
off the bay and enshroud the country; and also the liability of the
weather to sudden and extreme changes.

Summer may be said to commence in July, the preceding month being a
fight between summer and winter, which cannot claim the slightest title
to the name of spring. As August advances the heat becomes great; but
about the commencement of September Nature wears a more pleasing aspect,
which lasts till the middle of October. It is then clear and beautiful,
just cold enough to kill all the mosquitoes, and render brisk exercise
agreeable. About this time, too, the young ducks begin to fly south,
affording excellent sport among the marshes. A week or so after this
winter commences, with light falls of snow occasionally, and hard frost
during the night. Flocks of snow-birds (the harbingers of cold in
autumn, and heat in spring) begin to appear, and soon the whirring wings
of the white partridge may be heard among the snow-encompassed willows.
The first thaw generally takes place in April; and May is characterised
by melting snow, disruption of ice, and the arrival of the first flocks
of wild-fowl.

The country around the fort is one immense level swamp, thickly covered
with willows, and dotted here and there with a few clumps of pine-trees.
The only large timber in the vicinity grows on the banks of Hayes and
Nelson Rivers, and consists chiefly of spruce fir. The swampy nature of
the ground has rendered