Grand River.

North West River is the name of the Hudson Bay Co.'s post at the mouth
of the river of the same name, flowing into the western extremity of
Lake Melville, about fifteen miles north of the mouth of Grand River.
Hamilton Inlet proper extends about forty miles in from the Atlantic
to the "Narrows," a few miles beyond Rigolette, where Lake Melville
begins. A narrow arm of the lake extends some unexplored distance east
of the Narrows, south of and parallel to the southern shore of the
inlet. The lake varies from five to forty miles in width and is ninety
miles long, allowing room for an extended voyage in its capacious
bosom. The water is fresh enough to drink at the upper end of the
lake, and at the time of our visit was far pleasanter and less arctic
for bathing than the water off any point of the Maine coast. About
twenty miles from the Narrows a string of islands, rugged and barren,
but beautiful for their very desolation, as is true of so much of
Labrador, nearly block the way, but we found the channels deep and
clear, and St. John's towering peak makes an excellent guide to the
most direct passage.

One night was spent under way, floating quietly on the lake, so
delightfully motionless after the restless movements of Atlantic seas.
A calm and bright day following, during which the one pleasant swim in
Labrador waters was taken by two of us, was varied by thunder squalls
and ended in fog and drizzle, causing us to anchor off the abrupt
break in the continuous ridge along the northern shore, made by the
Muligatawney River. Although in an insecure and exposed anchorage, yet
the fact that we were in an inclosed lake gave a sense of security to
the less experienced, that the snug and rocky harbors to which we had
become accustomed, usually failed to give on account of the roaring of