very foggy, completely hiding every object at
the distance of a quarter-of-a-mile, we made
the land about seven miles east of my old
winter quarters; next day, midst heavy rain,
we ran down to North Pole River, moored
the boat, and pitched the tents.

The weather being still dark and gloomy,
the surrounding country presented a most
dreary aspect. Thick masses of ice clung to
the shore, whilst immense drifts of snow
filled each ravine, and lined every steep bank
that had a southerly exposure. No Esquimaux
were to be seen, nor any recent traces
of them. Appearances could not be less
promising for wintering safely; yet I determined
to remain until the first of September;
by which date some opinion could be formed
as to the practicability of procuring sufficient
food and fuel for our support during the
winter: all the provisions on hand at that
time being equal to only three months'
consumption.

The weather fortunately improved, and not
a moment was lost. Nets were set; hunters
were sent out to procure venison; and the
majority of the party was constantly
employed collecting fuel. By the end of August
a supply of the latter essential article
(Andromeda Tetragona) for fourteen weeks was
laid up, thirteen deer and one musk-bull had
been shot, aud one hundred and thirty-
six salmon caught. Some of the favourite
haunts of the Esquimaux had been visited,
but no indications were seen to lead us to
suppose that they had been lately in the
neighbourhood.

The absence of the natives caused me some
anxiety; not that I expected any aid from
them, but because I could attribute their
having abandoned so favourable a locality
to no other cause than a scarcity of food,
arising from the deer having taken another
route in their migrations to and from the
north.

On the first of September I explained our
position to the men; the quantity of
provisions we had, and the prospects, which
were far from flattering, of getting more.
They all most readily volunteered to remain,
and our preparations for a nine months'
winter were continued with unabated energy.
The weather, generally speaking, was favourable,
and our exertions were so successful,
that by the end of the month we had a
quantity of provisions . and fuel collected
adequate to our wants up to the period of
the spring migrations of the deer.

One hundred and nine deer, one musk-ox
(including those killed in August) fifty-three
brace of ptarmigan, and one seal, had been
shot; and the nets produced fifty-four
salmon. Of the larger animals above
enumerated, forty-nine deer and the musk-ox
were shot by myself; twenty-one deer by
Mistegan, the deer-hunter; fourteen by
another of the men; nine by William Ouligback;
and sixteen by the remaining four men.

The cold weather set in very early, and
with great severity. On the twentieth, all
the smaller, and some of the larger lakes
were covered with ice four to six inches
thick. This was far from advantageous for
deer shooting, as these animals were enabled
to cross the country in all directions, instead
of following their accustomed passes.

October was very stormy and cold. About
the fifteenth, the migrations of the deer
terminated, and twenty-five more were added
to our stock. Forty-two salmon, and twenty
trout, were caught with nets and hooks set
in lakes under the ice. On the twenty-
eighth, the snow was packed hard enough
for building; and we were glad to exchange
the cold and dismal tents (in which the
temperature had latterly been thirty-six or
thirty-seven degrees below the freezing
point) for the more comfortable shelter of
snow-houses, which were built on the south
south-east side of Beacon Hill, by which
they were well protected from the
prevailing north-west gales. The houses were
nearly half a mile south of my winter
quarters of eighteen hundred and forty-six
and eighteen hundred and forty-seven.

The weather in November was
comparatively fine, but cold, the highest, lowest,
and mean temperature being, respectively,
thirty-eight degrees, eighteen degrees, and
three degrees below zero. Some deer were
occasionally seen, but only four were shot;
some wolves, several foxes, and one wolverine
were killed; and from the nets fifty-
nine salmon and twenty-two trout were
obtained.

Our most productive fishery was in a lake
about three miles distant, bearing east
(magnetic) from Beacon Hill, or the mouth
of the North Pole River.

The whole of December, a very few days
excepted, was one continued gale with snow
and drift. When practicable, the men were
occupied scraping under snow for fuel, by
which means our stock of that very essential
article was kept up. The mean temperature
of the month was twenty-three degrees below
zero. The produce of our nets and guns was
extremely small, amounting to one partridge,
one wolf, and twenty-seven fish.

On the first of January, eighteen hundred
and fifty-four, the temperature rose to the
very unusual height of eighteen degrees
above zero, the wind at the time being
south-east, with snow. Our nets, after being
set in different lakes without success, were
finally taken up on the twelfth, only five
small fish having been caught. The
thermometer was tested by freezing mercury, and
found to be in error, the temperature
indicated by it being four degrees five minutes
too high.

The cold during February was steady and
severe, but there were fewer storms than
usual. Deer were more numerous, and
generally were travelling northward. One or two