furs, to which the severity of the winter, which lasts eight months, is extremely favorable.

Our Post is situated at this end of Lake Mistassini and that of HBay C^o, which is fitted out from Eastmain Factory and called Birch point, is built four days Journey farther off on the edge of a small Lake out of which the water communication to the Factory takes its Source. After leaving our establishment to go to Birch point we continue for twenty five leagues along the Lake till we come to the large stone from which it takes its name and then we strike off S.W. till we arrive through lakes & rivers at the English Post. Lake Mistassini keeping an easterly direction discharges far to the eastward into James Bay by Rupert's River which is said to be long and as large as the Sagunay[.] The Indians who trade at Birch point come from the Bay and are in every respect the same as those trading at our Post where they occasionally take a sly trip to dispose of their odds & ends or the scrapings of their Maskimutes to which frequently very fine Martens inadvertently stick. The Hudson Bay people come to B. point in Boats. The distance between Eastmain factory and Tadousac by the Canoe route is, from the best of my Information, three hundred leagues and the half of this distance may be

fixed

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