a more
exposed part of the stream, the canoes took in so much water that we
were obliged to disembark on a small island. The river here is from one
mile and a quarter to one mile and three quarters wide. Its banks are of
moderate height, sandy, and well wooded.

_July 24_.--We made more progress notwithstanding the continuance of the
wind. The course of the river is very winding, making in one place a
circuit of seven or eight miles round a peninsula, which is joined to
the west bank by a narrow isthmus. Near the foot of this elbow, a long
island occupies the centre of the river, which it divides into two
channels. The longitude was obtained near to it 113 deg. 25' 36", and
variation 27 deg. 25' 14" N.,{51} and the latitude 60 deg. 54' 52" N., about
four miles farther down. We passed the mouth of a broad channel leading
to the north-east, termed La Grande Riviere de Jean, one of the two
large branches by which the river pours its waters into the Great Slave
Lake; the flooded _delta_ at the mouth of the river is intersected by
several smaller channels, through one of which, called the Channel of
the Scaffold, we pursued our voyage on the following morning, and by
eight A.M. reached the establishment of the North-West Company on
Moose-Deer Island. We found letters from Mr. Wentzel, dated Fort
Providence, a station on the north side of the lake, which communicated
to us, that there was an Indian guide waiting for us at that post; but,
that the chief and the hunters, who were to accompany the party, had
gone to a short distance to hunt, having become impatient at our delay.

Soon after landing, I visited the Hudson's Bay Post on the same island,
and engaged Pierre St. Germain, an interpreter for the Copper Indians.
We regretted to find the posts of both the Companies extremely bare of
provision; but as the gentlemen in charge had despatched men on the
preceding evening, to a band of Indians, in search of meat, and they
promised to furnish us with whatever should be brought, it was deemed
advisable to wait for their return, as the smallest supply was now of
importance to us. Advantage was taken of the delay to repair effectually
the canoe, which had been broken in the Dog Rapid. On the next evening
the men arrived with the meat, and enabled Mr. McCleod{52}, of the
North-West Company, to furnish us with four hundred pounds of dried
provisions. Mr. McVicar, of the Hudson's Bay Company, also supplied one
hundred and fifty poun