The Indians informed us, this spring, of a dreadful murder that had been committed in the early part of the winter by some of the natives of Hudson’s Bay.  The particulars of this tale of blood I since learned from an individual that escaped from the massacre.  The Indians attached to the posts established along the shores of Hudson’s Bay are comparatively civilized; most of them speak English, and are employed as voyageurs by the Company.  Few or no precautions are taken at these posts to guard against treachery; the gates are seldom shut, and some of the posts are destitute of palisades or defence of any kind.  Of this description was the post where the catastrophe occurred which I am about to relate.

The post of Hannah Bay is situated about sixty miles to the north of Moose Factory, and was at this time under the charge of a Mr. Corrigal.  His establishment consisted of two or three half-breeds, and an Indian who had been brought up by the whites.  He and some of the men had families.  In the course of the winter five Indians came in with their “hunts,” and agreeably to their usual practice encamped close by.  Those Indians are designated “Home Guards,”—­a term generally applied to the Indians attached to a trading post; they hunt in winter at a convenient distance from the post, and are employed in summer as voyageurs, or in performing any other necessary duty.  Notwithstanding their thus being frequently in company with white men and Christians, they still retain many of the barbarous habits, and much of the superstitious belief of their forefathers, aggravated, I regret to say, by some of the vices of the whites.

Among the number of those just mentioned was an individual who had acquired considerable influence among his tribe, from his pretending to be skilled in the art of divination.  This man told his fellows that he had had a communication from the Great Spirit, who assured him that he would become the greatest man in Hudson’s Bay if he only followed the course prescribed to him, which was, first, to cut off their own trading post, and then with the spoil got there to hire other Indians, who should assist in destroying all the other posts the Company possessed in the country.  Accordingly, it was determined to carry their design into execution, whenever a favourable opportunity occurred.  This was not long in presenting itself.  They came one day to the establishment, and told the people that the “man of medicine” had come for the purpose of performing some extraordinary feat that would astonish them all.  The silly creatures believed the story, and went to the borders of the lake, where they observed the sorcerer showing off a variety of antics very much to their amusement.  The conspirators, seeing this part of the stratagem succeed, rushed into the house, and immediately despatched Mr. Corrigal and his family.  The men, hearing the report of the guns, hastened back towards the house.  The two that first arrived were saluted by a volley