Early this morning the stores were distributed to the three canoes.  Our stock of provision unfortunately did not amount to more than sufficient for one day’s consumption exclusive of two barrels of flour, three cases of preserved meats, some chocolate, arrowroot, and portable soup, which we had brought from England and intended to reserve for our journey to the coast the next season.  Seventy pounds of moose meat and a little barley were all that Mr. Smith was enabled to give us.  It was gratifying however to perceive that this scarcity of food did not depress the spirits of our Canadian companions who cheerfully loaded their canoes and embarked in high glee after they had received the customary dram.  At noon we bade farewell to our kind friend Mr. Smith.  The crews commenced a lively paddling song on quitting the shore which was continued until we had lost sight of the houses.  We soon reached the western boundary of the lakem and at two entered the Stony River, one of the discharges of the Athabasca Lake into the Slave Lake and, having a favouring current, passed swiftly along.  This narrow stream is confined between low swampy banks which support willows, dwarf birch, and alder.  At five we passed its conflux with the Peace River.  The Slave River, formed by the union of these streams, is about three-quarters of a mile wide.  We descended this magnificent river with much rapidity and, after passing through several narrow channels, formed by an assemblage of islands, crossed a spot where the waters had a violent whirling motion which, when the river is low, is said to subside into a dangerous rapid; on the present occasion no other inconvenience was felt than the inability of steering the canoes which were whirled about in every direction by the eddies until the current carried them beyond their influence.  We encamped at seven on the swampy bank of the river but had scarcely pitched the tents before we were visited by a terrible thunderstorm; the rain fell in torrents and the violence of the wind caused the river to overflow its banks so that we were completely flooded.  Swarms of mosquitoes succeeded the storm and their tormenting stings, superadded to other inconveniences, induced us to embark and, after taking a hasty supper, to pursue our voyage down the stream during the night.

At six on the following morning we passed the Reindeer Islands and at ten reached the entrance of the Dog River where we halted to set the fishing nets.  These were examined in the evening but, to our mortification, we obtained only four small trout and were compelled to issue part of our preserved meats for supper.  The latitude of the mouth of Dog River was observed 59 degrees 52 minutes 16 seconds North.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE VARIOUS NAVIGATIONS OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES, AND OF THE PORTAGES.