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I have had some trouble and much more anxiety this Year than usual; having been stopped by the Ice about 7 days march from my destination (B.Lake) where I was with the people of three Canoes detained from the 11^th Oct. to the 31^st without stirring from the place, where we unluckily wrecked one of the Canoes. Fortunately no lives nor property were lost. Our friend, M^r. Simon Fraser, is still at the head of affairs in this Dept.

A very melancholy catastrophe happened at the Establishment of the Forks last winter. It pains me to say that no less than three men and a child sunk under their long and distressing suffering for want of food. These poor men were Poudrie, Pillon, and Wm. Henry, and the child belonged to the first. Poor M^r. Wintzel with his family and some other women and children, after almost incredible privations, were the only Survivors. These

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