N^o 9

Athabasca Depart^t

Great Slave Lake Ap^l 5^th 1819

Dear Sir,

A Person unacquainted with the wilds of the Country would take little pleasure in perusing at any time the dry details of its Concerns[.] But to you Sir, who have ever been its Patron, and Shared in an eminent degree, the Toils and dangers attendant on a long & Successful residence in Athabasca – a relation of the occurences now transpiring in this momentous Period – cannot be unacceptable, Therefore should deem it the height of impudence in me, to make an apology, for offering the following Statement of Events, at Some of which I was an Eye witness[.]

Towards the latter end of September last Fall, Mess^rs Colin Robertson, John Clarke, MacAulay, Halcro attended by a considerable number of other Clerks Interpreters &^c with nineteen Canoes, containing each Five men & Fifteen Pieces, made their appearance at Fort Chepewean and took up their former Quarters in one of the Islands in the name of the Hudson's Bay Company[.] A great mob of the Chepeweans being at that time in the Vicinity of the Place, Some Families of them ranged themselves under the Banners of these new Comers[.] However, the defection was not very Serious[.] Our People were late in Coming in from Lac La Pluie – they did not arrive untill the beginning of Octo

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