Whilst we were at York Fort, we received information that the factory at Churchill had been burnt to the ground, in the month of November, 1813. The miseries which the people of that place suffered during the remainder of the winter were very great. As there were seventy-three chests of gunpowder in the warehouse at the time the conflagration took place, their whole attention was occupied in removing away the powder to prevent an explosion; and by the most strenuous exertions they succeeded in this undertaking; but the time lost prevented their being able to save a mouthful of provisions, or a single utensil, from the flames. An old out-house that had escaped destruction, and a few tents which they erected of rein-deer skins, served them as habitations during the remainder of the winter; and, as if Providence had taken especial care to provide for their necessities, partridges abounded to a greater degree than had been known for many years before. Of course, these birds proved a seasonable supply to the sufferers; particularly as the partridges are so very tame, that they suffer themselves to be driven into nets, by which means large quantities are taken at one time.
A family in England would be justly esteemed objects of great pity, if they were burnt out of their home in the midst of winter, although many friendly habitations might be humanely opened for their reception. What then, comparatively speaking, must have been the situation of the Churchill people—driven out by the flames in the middle of a November night, on the shores of a frozen ocean, with the thermometer 78° below the freezing point, without any shelter save that of a decayed out-house, no bedding, no cooking utensils, no immediate nourishment, and no final prospect of relief, except from a reliance on the adventitious aid of their fowling-pieces! Such a night must surely be allowed to have had its share of horrors. But heroic strength of mind is the characteristic of the European traders to Hudson’s Bay; and this alone enabled the people of Churchill to escape all the evils attendant on such a calamity.
Towards the evening of this day, the Prince of Wales came to an anchor near us.
Sept. 2d.—In the morning we weighed anchor, and ran into the mouth of the river, otherwise called Five-fathom Hole. It is a very contracted anchorage, and at high water there is not more than three fathoms’ water on the bar. In running in from York Flats, the large beacon must be kept bearing S. W. by W. by compass. To moor the ship, one anchor must be laid up the stream, and another down it; and the width of swinging room at low water does not much exceed four times a ship’s length; having a dry muddy flat on the N. W. and a shoal to the S. E. The water is perfectly fresh, and fit for use, at the last quarter ebb, and first quarter of the flood-tide.
As we lay at this anchorage until the 28th instant, I shall not notice each day separately, but proceed to make such remarks as occurred during our stay; contenting myself with briefly stating, that the Prince of Wales was employed during the time in stowing away her cargo, &c.
The whole of the north-west part of the continent of America is so completely intersected with rivers and lakes, that Mackenzie went the greater part of his journeys by water. York Factory is situated on the bank of a river, which has sometimes been called York River; although it appears that the majority agree in giving it the name of Hayes’ River: but it undergoes many appellations in its course from the Echemamis to the sea. I shall therefore endeavour to describe the river, by tracing a journey from York Factory to Lake Winnepeg, a distance of about five hundred miles: but the fur-traders of Hudson’s-Bay are so well accustomed to the route, that two men in a slight bark canoe will undertake it without the slightest hesitation.
On leaving York Factory, the boats proceed against the stream, without meeting any obstruction, up Hayes’ River, Steel River, and forty miles of Hill River; when they arrive at the first carrying-place, called Rock Portage. The obstructions from henceforward begin to augment; and at every portage, the boat, with her whole cargo, must be carried over land; which is rendered sometimes extremely difficult, by the ground being either rough or swampy.
After passing Rock Portage, the stream is contracted; and there are a number of portages intervening, before the boats can arrive at a broad part of the stream, called Swampy Lake, which contains a number of small islands; and it may be considered as a short half-way to Lake Winnepeg. Leaving Swampy Lake, the stream is again contracted into a narrow slip, called Jack River, in which are four portages. On crossing these, they enter a broader part, intersected by innumerable small islands. This space is styled the Knee Lake, and is sixty miles in length. One of the small islands in the centre of Knee Lake contains so great a quantity of iron ore, as to cause the compass to spin round with uncommon velocity. At the upper end of the lake the stream gradually lessens into another slip, called Trout River, and here are four more portages: then gently extending its boundaries, the river opens on a wide expanse, called Holey Lake, from some deep holes in the bottom of it, and the great inequality of the soundings throughout. At the eastern extremity of this lake stands Oxford House, the first trading port to be met with after leaving the factory. Owing to the richness of the soil, and the geniality of the climate, this place produces a number of excellent vegetables[32].
Proceeding onwards, the boats leave the main body of Holey Lake to the left hand: the stream then suddenly narrows; and after passing four more carrying-places, the last of which is called Hill’s Portage, there is a clear space, until a sudden serpentine bend in the river forms the White-fall. The current now begins to be very weak; and a little farther on, they enter a narrow part with still water. This spot is the highest part of the land between Lake Winnepeg and Hudson’s Bay; and Hayes’ River may, perhaps, be said to take its rise about seven miles to the southward of it, in a small lake called Winnepegosis. The boats now meet with a singular rock, which, from some curious Indian paintings once found there, has since been called the Painted Stone. Over this rock the boat must be dragged, and again launched on the opposite side, into a long, narrow, boggy slip of water, called the Echemamis. After emerging from this strait, the current of the river begins to operate in favour of the boats; and this proves that the Echemamis is a small river, taking its rise in the morasses about the Painted Stone, and having no connection with the river which leads from the Painted Stone towards the sea. The Echemamis is, however, lost at a short distance from its source; as after the boats pass Hairy Lake, the stream falls into the Sea River; and there is a portage at their junction, called the Sea River carrying-place. The Sea River is a branch of the great Nelson River, separated from the main stream at the Play-green Lake, and rejoining it by a creek that opens near Hairy Lake.
The boats go against the current up the Sea River; and passing the little Cross Lake and Pike River, they reach Winnepeg, through the Play-green Lake. This last is a wide body of water, covered with islands; and may properly be said to be merely a part of Nelson River, which holds its course from the Stony Mountains to Hudson’s Bay. The rough course from York Factory to Lake Winnepeg is about south-west; but the Nelson River makes a great angle between Winnepeg and the sea; as it first runs off N. N. E.; and then takes its course, due E. N. E. to Hudson’s Bay, where it empties itself by the side of Hayes’ River[33].