PURSUANT tospecial summons, a meeting of this Institution was held at StJohn's on the 12th day of January 1828; the Honourable A.W.Desbarres, Vice-Patron, in the chair. The Honourable Chairmanstated, that the primary motive which led to the formation of theInstitution, was the desire of opening a communication with, andpromoting the civilization of, the Red Indians of Newfoundland; andof procuring, if possible, an authentic history of that unhappyrace of people, in order that their language, customs and pursuits,might be contrasted with those of other tribes of Indians andnations;—that, in following up the chief object of theinstitution, it was anticipated that much information would beobtained respecting the natural productions of the island; theinterior of which is less known than any other of the Britishpossessions abroad. Their excellent President, keeping all theseobjects in view, had permitted nothing worthy of research to escapehis scrutiny, and consequently a very wide field of information wasnow introduced to their notice, all apparently highly interestingand useful to society, if properly cultivated. He was aware oftheir very natural anxiety to hear from the president an outline ofhis recent expedition, and he would occupy their attention farther,only by observing, that the purposes of the present meeting wouldbe best accomplished by taking into consideration the differentsubjects recommended to them in the president's report, and passingsuch resolutions as might be considered necessary to govern thefuture proceedings of the Institution.
The President, W.E. Cormack, Esq. then laid the followingStatement before the meeting.
Having so recently returned, I will now only lay before you abrief outline of my expedition in search of the Boeothicks or RedIndians, confining my remarks exclusively to its primary object. Adetailed report of the journey will be prepared, and submitted tothe Institution, whenever I shall have leisure to arrange the otherinteresting materials which have been collected.
My party consisted of three Indians, whom I procured from amongthe other different tribes, viz. an intelligent and able man of theAbenakie tribe, from Canada; an elderly Mountaineer from Labrador;and an adventurous young Micmack, a native of this island, togetherwith myself. It was difficult to obtain men fit for the purpose,and the trouble attending on this prevented my entering on theexpedition a month earlier in the season. It was my intention tohave commenced our search at White Bay, which is nearer thenorthern extremity of the island than where we did, and to havetravelled southward; but the weather not permitting to carry myparty thither by water, after several days delay, I unwillinglychanged my line of route.
On the 31st of October 1828 [Sic: 30th of October 1827] last, weentered the country at the mouth of the River Exploits, on thenorth side, at what is called the No