, 1860-05-02
EEws FROM TIE ARCTIC REGIONS.
4 TRACE or SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.


Letter from Hobt. Kennicoft.
Through tie kindness of Mr. J. NJ. Wood |
worth, Curator OF the Museum Of The Chicago
Academy Of Science, We are permitted to pub
lish the following interesting letter from our
young townsman, Robert kennicott, now on a
tour Of scientific research in the Arctic regions:
Fox4 stxrtos, MAckrs4tE EIExn Dlsra,ez.}
Hudson Lay ca; SaS Ts1'tS,ri 5s,sr rie,, !
1t Portage La Lochc we met Mr. Ross, chief
trader from Mackenzie Htver d'strict, with nine
md divides the waters Of Luke WinncPcg from
those CT &c Arctic Ocean. startca from this
place on the first Of august, and VIC arrived
Lere about the 18th, having tloated Oh the largo
rivers at night and sailed q good. part Of the
way. Tie voyage up takes three times as iong;;
Frnn, P,rtnye La Loche ne roWed Two days and
a.half down tae Clear Water Riserto Elk River,
through very beautiful eceucry. The Clear
Wn.er ia nnrrow aud crooked stream with
many rap;ds and sand. bars, tue shores mostly
rocky, with hig', hills rising bcyond them. Al
habasca River below the mouth Of the Clear
shallow and with numerous low islands and sand
bars. TIE water is quite turbtd and IT runs
thron. IN a,luyiut soil ADORE, as it does all the
way below the point re entered at. For some
fiftT or one hundred miles below the mouth OF
the Ctear Water, tho shores rise into high bills,
but farther down the country within sight is all
low. ond its appearance brings strongly tor mind
that Of tie lover. Mississippi. The piles Of
tlrift,wood. the balsan poplars which line the
shores and look very like cottonwood, and the
tu1bjdity Of the water rendering the senlllance
ye,y strong. Mapy Of the trees brought down
dentsy crew far up near the Rocky Noun
taius to the southwest. At its debouchere
FIX River flows through Al immense
marsh, which, like Lake Atl,abazca in that
part. contains numerous low Islands without
rocks and piled with drift wood, a1ord1ug
strange aud dismal prospect. The north east
shore Of the lake, which is here only 15 or 20
miles vide, is, however, high and rocky-..the
rocks granite. Fort Chepewasan Is built IN
rocky bay near the foot Of the lake. Thence we
passed down uarrow and rapid stream GU or
10 miles long called Rocky River into Peace or
Of Elk river but is deeper and wider: it ulso is
turbid. Prom IT. Resolution on slaSe Lake We
coas.ed around the south west side Of the lake
to tue head Of Mackeazie River. down which we
:owcd, sailed and floated in two days to Fort
Simosou, tha Nackcnziei is 4 magnificent stream,
in Width; the shores are high. ST or 60 feet,
but the country back is not hilly within sight Of
The river In spring. when the ice is hreaking
ur, the water rises some 40 feet ADORE its pres
eut leyel. The water is clear ubove but is ren-
dered turbil Ut this point by the entrance Of the
Liard, large river rising in the Rocky Noun
iains and entering tie Mackenzie ut Fort Slmp
soo. There are no impaasibIe rapidE il the
Msckerzie, sud a stcaner could doubtless so
from the ocean to SEare Lake. The first SNOW
tci! ut Fl Simpson carly il October, and ice BE-
gan to drift in the river little after the middle
Of the mouth. About The first Of Norenb ber the
tc1npcraturc fell to zero and before the 18Th
Or f,nfn Tim rofdeEf tnnLcY7
here was t;3 Geg bclow, bu. weather ~ deg be-
low is NOT uncommon. Snow falls toward spring
to the depth O: THREE or four ecct- The
river breaks up late in May or first Of June.
S1ayc Lakeis sometimes not open till July,
though generally BY June Goth. The sun rises
here now after j A. ". End sets before 6 r. u.
dress pretty much in the costume CT the
rountry-wcar Indian shoes, Of course, with one
or more pairs Of D4;tie socks inside. Since tle
cold weather, "ure pair Of moose-skln
trrechcs. with fringe q Ia :ardge, aud gartcrs
fastened by grizzly bears claws: an, not ap-
prtciabEy tatter, but far stronger and healthier
Than when l left home. Last week started Of
with oac savage, who dian't know 4 word Of
isnglish, to make 4 lire OF 1narten traps. VIC
were go1c five days, With the temperature below
zero mpst of tho time, and down 10 about 20
degrees below OF tie last day and night. Our
provisions consisted only Of dry meat aud tea.
| was dressed no warmer than l usc.t to he at
homo ior IL cold days ride Ill early winter, and
! had ouly two blanke.a, one of them half SIZE.
We used to get together big Pile Of wood and
] make rousiag fire, alongs ide Of Which WIS
piled lot Of spruce brush for sltcuine on, pro
| :ectetl frn1a the wind by sticking .hraGcAcs tn
| wiudwaya; and here would sit aud cut pound
| or 80 Of dried meat, rood part clear tut.
| washed down br quart OF lea; after that, l
would smnkc half or th.lc.fouril.s Of plu;; Of
"uigcer-head tobacco," and then laying one
| blanEct under us. with the ether aud !: small
| one CT 1ic s4va.c's over US, we'd iay down to
sleca with our feet to the fire. till tAeir getting
cold would asaAcn It's to r new tho supply Of
| wood. did not feel very cold while covered
! by tbs blankets at least, though, when standing
with my buck to the Gre. 50 close as to scorch
lay 1crgings, ny breath ffoze oil MY beard and
| na,7s. Now tcct quite well pleased at my vet
| ting Or &C comfortably. Twelve months einec,
from snch exposure. To-day, with the temper
ature &c degrees below zero, walk out With
bare hands and Light coat, tcelingt the csId less
severely than have done as home during equal
exposure to j temperature ADORE zero. so you
see dou't iEtend' 10 freeze to death.
/ spent three weeks during September a1d
October in making trip 10 Ft. Lard Ristr
which e1npt:cs into the Mackenzie hele. Saw
ga moose. but couldn't get Il shot. Killed
plenty Of spruce partEidges and ducks, beside:
some rare birds and mice, and shot T. Canada
lynx-put ball clean through him. We wert
1 :
Mountains, on which were plenty Of nlouutail
sleep, though / SIM noac- Got bearers tai
:nd moose nose Of she Indians, It's wtl! as 1len
Is Of fresh .noose rcst Had q jolly time
Went up in G boat aud Hoatcd down. with -ws
indians, in s.nall cauoe-runuing the rapid
iu fine style, uud sleeping at night In most ras
cally camps, on frozen ground And r5ci's, vltl
Il scanty supply Of fire wood.' But alf thcs'. lit
tie discomforts, when taken us matter q
course, don't treub.c Que much after little
| It is most egTcEious error to suppose peopl
Ut the north are Industrious. Twas never in $
lazy community in 1ny life. II anybody ask
aEotlcr to help him II bit, or to perform soIn
necessary duty. the reply is, IS Wait Il bit ill
lare slnuke," and after that is done the otte
will lind it necessary to have q siuoke too, IN
SO on.
! We lire much better than would be expected
having good supply OF tea, sugar, milk. an
| butter with bread in limited allowance, au
plenty Of good potatoes; at present we get o'll
dry moose meat aud fish but hope tor tIes
meat soon. can eat clear fat 1T an astoundlo
rate, especially when camping out, and think
shall readiE drink piut Of melted moose "a
low on Christmas. as ! promised ! would: =,
muscles Of my jaws are developing in m e1sr'
, / ordinary manner frcm cutting old Indian,
(dry moose u,catj. 1t is SO tough as to deaan
violent exercise from the jaws.
l. The Es4uimaux last full gave Mr.. Ross solr
swords aud ships copper that undouhtcdl
, came from The wreck of Franklin's chip. ! hof
!; | to secure some Of these relics. Nothing deiini
is yet learned respecting Frankl:n's fate, thong
circumstant;ul evidence proves pretty strong
: that his ship was crushed in The ice or at au
rate deserted. When the eompuny's post is e
( | tablisbed Oh THE Anderson, iu the Uarre
!; Grounds, fo- trade with the Esquiuiaux, II
! whole matter will doubtless be learned fro
them.
Ny collections, though not large. will, I q
!. sure, prove highly interesting to nasurasis
: tebrates aud several Thousand invertebrates
;. all Of which, from such locality, must be mo
or less valuable. have q number Of vertebrat
+ not III any American museum; several describe
, hy Richardson but never foucd since, and
:. least two or three uerer mentioned Ut all
: him. OF insects, spails and crustacea, lopc
: have still more uukuown species. but na'
!. not yet had rehlty fair opportunity to collet
| l arrived here too late in the season. Ne
i spring, OIL Stare Lake, I hope to get more
}. | the one month Of Juno than all I've collect
/. hitherto on ms journey.
My plans for the future nrc as follows: Ne
March I'll go with dogs or suow-shoes TO Fo
= Resolution, Slave Lake; stay there till the bra
;. | pass going to Fcrt simpson, IN August; or cl
aiter the bird nesting season, 60 to Fort Rae
SLAVE ukc make i Short trip 10 tue barr
e grounds near that post, and theu to Big lslan
e 1t the bend Of Mackenzie rirer, snd then 10
n | tie boats as they pass. In the fall if q
= aliyc, nothing shall stop me from going to !
j. Yukon, in Russian America. If get perm
t. sion 10 remain more than tive vi
IL | ,ers in the District, I'll stay at tue 1uk
:. till August, 1sGl, then 60 to La PierIe's Hou
!. in the Kocky Mountains spend the Fall the1
ID winter at Fort AcPhersou, making trip tc
le Esquimaur on the coast, and in Spring walk
IN fr7r hnofa