Volume 1

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28 ISLAND HOUSE—ENGLISH RIVER—ISLAND PORTAGE.
rock and broke in her bow as far as the second bar. We put
ashore and repaired, which affair detained us sometime, and
it was late before we came down to the establishment of
Portage de I'lsle.^'^ Here we found a clerk and two men
who had passed the summer at this place ; with them also
were a few Indians, who plagued me for liquor.
Au£;. gtJi. At daybreak we embarked, giving the Indians
each a dram. We were troubled by a thick fog, which
caused us to lose much time in going round the bays.
We
at last got astray and were obliged to wait until the weather
cleared up about ten o'clock, when we proceeded to Portage
One of my canoes, to avoid
de risle,^^ about 50 paces over.
a mile or more, are some rapids which Thompson mentions without name, which
McKenzie calls little Decharge, and which neither Keating nor Henry notices.
3. Terre Jaune or Yellow Earth portage is noted by Thompson as a carryingplace,
without name ; by the other three under its F. name. This is 2 m. or
more below the rapids last said. 3. A small fraction of a mile below Terre
Jaune comes what Thompson notes as " another carrying-place" of 40 yards, on
the left, around a rock ; what McKenzie terms (with reference to Terre Jaune)
" its galet 70 yards" ; what Henry calls Petit Rocher ; and what Keating gives
more fully as Decharge du Petit Rocher de Charette. 4. Two m. or more
below this Little Rock or Charette portage comes what Thompson calls White
Earth portage, translating the F. phrase which all three other authors use.
5. Henry's " Cave" is at or near a place which Thompson calls Flat Rocks ;
which McKenzie does not notice ;
but
Decharge de la Cave.
which Keating gives in due form as
*^ Distinguish this N. \V. Co. post from the portage of the same name.
Portage de ITsle House was above the mouth of English r. ; Portage de ITsle
was below this confluence. The house stood on the right bank of Winnipeg r.
at a point given by McKenzie as 3^ m. below Terre Blanche or
White Earth
portage. In approaching this house, Aug. 27th, 1797, Thompson speaks of
" the very old French Fort," the site of which he passed, but the name of
which he does not give ; and a short distance below this he came to " the house
of Mons. Frederique," concerning which he remarks pointedly "
: Mr. Wm.
McKay this day again establishes that post and leaves Frederique in charge."
This is the very "establishment of Portage de ITsle" which Henry has now
reached.
^^ Below the mouth of English r. , where Henry got astray in the fog, and
fails to notice this important confluence. None of the maps or itineraries
before me enable me to speak with confidence of distances hereabouts
McKenzie seems to make this portage 4 m. below the mouth of English r,
Thompson notes a " wide opening on the right," which he says is
" the river