to tend to the further development of its cause and the laws by which it
is governed.

Mr. Back and Mr. Hood were to assist me in all the observations
above-mentioned, and to make drawings of the land, of the natives, and of
the various objects of Natural History; and particularly of such as Dr.
Richardson who, to his professional duties was to add that of naturalist,
might consider to be most curious and interesting.

I was instructed, on my arrival at or near the Mouth of the Copper-Mine
River, to make every inquiry as to the situation of the spot whence
native copper had been brought down by the Indians to the Hudson's Bay
establishment, and to visit and explore the place in question; in order
that Dr. Richardson might be enabled to make such observations as might
be useful in a commercial point of view, or interesting to the science of
mineralogy.

From Joseph Berens, Esquire, the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company,
and the gentlemen of the Committee I received all kinds of assistance and
information, communicated in the most friendly manner previous to my
leaving England; and I had the gratification of perusing the orders to
their agents and servants in North America, containing the fullest
directions to promote by every means the progress of the Expedition. I
most cheerfully avail myself of this opportunity of expressing my
gratitude to these gentlemen for their personal kindness to myself and
the other officers, as well as for the benefits rendered by them to the
Expedition; and the same sentiment is due towards the Gentlemen of the
North-West Company, both in England and America, more particularly to
Simon McGillivray, Esquire, of London, from whom I received much useful
information and cordial letters of recommendation to the partners and