The sea in this bay is open only from the commencement of July
to the end of September, and even then the navigator very often
encounters icebergs, which expose him to considerable embarrassment.
At the very time he imagines himself at a distance from these
floating rocks a sudden squall, or a tide, or current, strong enough
to carry away the vessel, and render it unmanageable, all at once
hurries him amongst an infinite number of masses of ice, which
appear to cover the whole bay."
MR. WILTON. "Sixty years after the intrepid navigator Hudson had
first penetrated the gulf that bears his name, the British
Government assigned to a company of traders to those parts (by the
title of the Hudson's Bay Company) the chartered possession of
extensive tracts south, and east of Hudson's Bay, to export the
productions of the surrounding country."
GEORGE. "Are there any whales in Hudson's Bay?"
MRS. WILTON. "No, all attempts at the whale fishery have been
unsuccessful: indeed, there are very few fish of any sort here; but
in the lakes around there are plenty, such as pike, sturgeon, and
trout, and their banks are inhabited by aquatic birds, among which
are observed several species of swans, geese, and ducks."
EMMA. "James's Bay is directly in the south of Hudson's Bay, and
extends a hundred leagues within the country. I believe it is near
here that the Company's most important establishments are situated,
such as Fort Albany, Fort Moose, and the factory of East Main.
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