Altogether, from one source or another, during the three centuries which have elapsed since the British flag first appeared in Hudson bay, a vast amount of reliable information, covering many widely-separated districts of the territory under review, has been obtained; but hitherto much of the practical value of this useful data scattered through the pages of publications of various descriptions has been lost for LACK OF SYSTEMATIC COMPILATION. In bringing all this information together and compressing it within the limits of one volume, a difficulty presents itself in the tremendous extent of country concerned. In arranging the matter of this volume, with a view to enabling the reader to follow more readily, the whole area under review has been divided into certain arbitrary geographical sub-divisions. In a region so vast, the differences of climate, soil and general physical character of the country in the various districts are very considerable, and emphasize the necessity of treating certain geographical sub-divisions separately. A glance at the map is necessary to enable the reader to understand the divisions of the country which it has been deemed advisable to make in projecting this volume, to permit of the intelligent treatment of the subject. The region designated “The Keewatin Area” comprises that part of what was formerly the provisional district of Keewatin which lies east of the province of Saskatchewan, south of the 60th parallel of north latitude, west of James bay and southwest and west of Hudson bay. Its southern limits are defined by the former (up to 1912) northern boundary of Manitoba and the former (up to the same date) northwesterly boundary of Ontario.