us. I ran out, but when it saw me it screamed, and again made off to the western mountains, in the dark shade of which it was speedily lost. My party has been thus much dispersed in quest of food, and every message has brought me tidings of their encountering severe privations. Mr. M‘Leod (an agent of the Hudson’s Bay Company attached to the party) and his young family are at this moment somewhere on the lake fishing; and you may imagine what it costs me to see them also exposed to the rigours of this severest of all winters, for the mean of three thermometers has been far below the lowest we ever registered in our former expeditions. After this narrative you may believe that, in spite of all my care and economy, some part of the provision laid up for our voyage has been necessarily consumed. the most experienced man in the country could not have foreseen this; nor was there any possibility of avoiding it. My anxiety is immeasurable on account of it; but I still hope that the Indians may be enabled to procure us dry food, or in short something that may afford sustenance, so that the fondest wishes of my heart may not be frustrated. Of that, however, in one sense, there is no danger, for come the worst, I can always reduce my men, and go in one boat. Do not, therefore, let this affect you, for I feel confident of overcoming it. Another misfortune is, that pinched as we are for provisions, we must drag our boats and luggage almost 100 miles over rock and ice before we can reach open water. This we have ascertained through the winter; but never mind, this also shall be done, and it will be a new feature in discovery. In our former expeditions, we had none of these tremendous obstructions to contend with, though we had to take our bark canoes some distance in sledges. But I have perfect confidence in my men, and they, good fellows, think that I cannot err.”
The last letter written by Commander Back, which has yet reached England, is dated “Fort Reliance, April 29th, 1834.” He and his party were then all well. It is very satisfactory to know, from despatches received by the committee of the Hudson’s Bay Company, that supplies sufficient to support the expedition during the present winter were timely forwarded to him.
