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♦ ■•

! - ■ -

EXPLORATORY SURVEY

or rA!:T OF THK

iMS/TAri-llliCjlffliPljELailT Fl

AN D

MACKENZIE IMVEIiS

^VILLrAM OGILVIE, D. L. S.

188T-8S.

OTTAWA :
PRINTED BY BROWN CHAMBERLIN, PRINTER TO THE QFEEN'S MOST

1890.

Ti^BLE OF COISTTENTS.

Exploratory Survey or part of the Lewes. Tat-on-Duo, Porcupine, Bell, Trout,

Peel, and Mackenzie Rivers.

Section 1.

Exploratorj' Survey from the Head of Taiya Inlet, tli rough Taiya Pass, and
down the I'olly- Yukon Eiver to the International Boundary between
Alaska and the North-West Territories of Canada

Astronomical DetenninatiouH of the Latitude and Longitude at Observatory
on the Pelly-Yukon during Winter of 1887-88...../.

Survey ot Forty Mile River, from its rnouth to the International Boundary
Line

Section 2.

Description of the Pelly-Yukon. its Affluent Sti-.cams, and the adjacent Countiy

Agricultural capabilities of the I.Vlly-Yukon Basin

Timber for use in building and manufacturing

Minerals

Table of Distances from Taiya Inlet to Boundaiy Lino

List of Plants collected

Section 3.

Exploratory Survey from the Pelly-Yukon to Mackenzie River by wayof Tat-
on-Duc, Porcupine, Bell, Trout and Peel Rivers

PAGE.

16
34
36
37
40
49

Section 4.

Exploratory Survey from Fort McPherson to Fort Ciupewyan by way of
Peel and Mackenzie Rivers, (jveat Slave Lake and River, and Lake Atha-
basca 67

Exploratory Survey from Mackenzie River through Gretit Slave Lake and

River to Fort Chipcw^-an. on Lake Athaba-joa 7,5

Navigability of the various Si reams and Lakes 78

Table of Distances from Fort McPherson to Fi>rt Chipewyan 80

Tim ber resources 81

Agricultu I'al capabilit ies 82

Table showing comparative durations of sunlight at Ottawa, 'Forts Chipewyan,

Simpson, Good Hope and McPherson 84

Fish 89

Furs !»0

Minerals {)2

The Nativee 95

Fort Chipewyan to Edmonton 96

Magnetic Observations 97

Meteorological Observations 98

do Tables 101 to 113

EXPLORATORY'

poiicuriN

SUJIVRY OP I'ART OF THE LKWKS, TAT-OX-DUC,
; HELL, TitOUT, I'EEL, AXD MACKKXZII' IJIVERS.

To tlif Ilonoi'alilo

TItc .Mini^^tfi' of the [ntorior,
Ottawa.

Ottawa, KItli July, IS89.

Sir, — f liavi' the honor to submit tlie following; re))ort of my opoiation.', on the
Lowes or Yukoi> River, in (lie Hoason of 1887 (of ■wliich a preliminary sketch was
ptihiisheil in tlie Annual Departmental iiepoit for that year), an<l on the Tut-on- Due,
J'oii iipim>, l)('ll. Trout, Peel and Mai'konzie River.- ilurin<i' tiie wea.son of 1SS8.

1 left Ottawa on tlio -!Uth of April, 1887, tor Toronto, where 1 remained for two
days doini; some prepaiatory work in tlie magnetic observatory havin;.'; relation to
the imif^netie observutions which 1 intended to make during the pro<rre«s of my
expedition, and also supervising some changes and repairs of instruments, the chief
olijeetof which was to lessen tiieir weight, and thus facilitate progress.

I hail to stop one day in Winni]ieg. to olitain an astroimmieal tr'ansit (F. ( >. -).
On the evening of the 2nd ^Fay 1 reached Victoria, Ji.C, wliere 1 at oiico set about
making the necessary preparations to start by the boat, which was advertised to
leave on the IMh. The vessel did not arrive, howevei', until tlie l:ith. I then found
that she was much overloade<l, and it was with some ditliculty that I got ('apt.
Hunter to consent to lake my outfit wliich weighed about six tons, ;ind. under the
circumstances, it was a real act ot' kindness lor him to do so.

Owing to the heavy load, we made slow progress, and it was not until the ISth
of May thai we reacdied Port Wrangell, at the mouth of tiie Slikine River. Here I
■parted from J)r. Dawson, whom 1. arranged to meet at the conlliience of the Pelly,
and Lewes or Yukon River about the 20lh of .luly following. We arriv<>d at Juneau
City on the evening of the l!Uh, I'emaining there and at Douglass Island until tlu-
evening of the liOlh. ..Vt Doiigla.ss Island I bad an opportuinty of visiting the cele-
brated Treadwtdl gold mine and icdmdion works, containing one hundred and
twenty stamps, which have since bi'cn doubled in number. The outjiut of this mine,
with the smaller number of stamps, was generally estimated at about $70,000 per
month, but no one seemed to know the exact amount.

As the boat was now much bcdiind time she went direct to Sitka, instea<l of
Ohilkoot, as usual; thence in succi'ssion to Sitka, Killisnoo, Ohilcat and ('hilkoot,
wdii're I landed on the morning of the L'-tth of May, and where my work began.

The first news J received on landing was that there was trouble in the intei'ior,
on the I.ewes River, in the vicinity where I intended to go. .V miner, who had
recently arriv^'d Irom tlie interior, stateil that there hail been a tight bi'twcen the
Indians and the miners at the mouth of Stewart River. Tlie result of the alfair, he
alleged, was that four Indians and two white men had been killed, and that tlio
Indians had come up Mie river as far as the canon lo lie in wait for any white men
who might be going into the country. I did not liave an opportunity (d' (juestioning
him, as lie had gone to Juneau City the day before I arrived. The rumor seemed to
me somewhat improbable; but true or false, it was an unpleasant one to hear, iind
the only way to verify it was to go and see whether the Indians were hostile or not.
Happily the whole story proved to be untrue, as I subi^equently learned from the
miners in the inteidor that he hiid difficulties witlithem,in consequence of which be
was ordered in mid-winter to leave the region, which the miners consider equivalent
to a sentence of death. Strange to say, he succee.led in getting out alive, making a
distance of upwards of 500 miles of the most dangerous and difficult travelling. Ue

Htiirtc(l in tlio inoiifli of Fcliniiiry. T tliiiik, iiinl rc'idn'il tli !l^f in tlu' inoiilli ofMiiy.

It is i('|)cirU'il that on liis Wiiy out he liail luni'f li'oiiliU- with an liuliaii winiin lie liiicil
to accompany him. Another miner named Williams «tur(e(l from Slcwart Uiver for
tlu) coast in tiie month of Dm'cmlicr, canyini,^ a message from IIar|iei', Mit^iiestion
it C^o., nml mail fiom (he miners. This man hail the advantau'e al intei'vals of the
assistance oftlie miners, a few ot whom weic scatlcreil alono- t,|ic r'iscr in the \ icinity
of the 'l'e>lin-loo ^ihe Newberry of Schvvatka). At lh<' simunit of the co.isl lanu'e
he was (letaincil hy a snow nform for tlirec days, and the harii>hi|»s lie siitlercd
bi'oiiiilit on imcumonia. from the tdVcels of which he died.

It is ^aid by Iho'-e familiar' with the localily that the stoi'ms which ray'i' in the
up|ier altitndes ot the coast rann'c durinu' the ii'reater ]iart of tlie time, fi om Oetohei-
to Marcli, are tcrritlc. A man canu'ht in one of them runs the risk of losini;' his life,
unless hu car reach shclicr in a .-.horl limi^ During' ilie summer (here is nearly.
alwa3's a wind hjowinu' tVom the -ea, u|i Chatham Sirait anil Lynn Channel, which
lie in almo.'^t ;i si rain'hl line with eacii other, and at the head of Jjynu (.'haniud arc
('hilkat and Ciiilkoot inlets. The dislaiice from the coast down these (hanncN to
the o]ien >i'a is ahoiit ;^S(( mili'.s. The mminlains on oa<di sidu of the water conHnc
the currenis of air, and deflect inclined currents in the diiection of the a.xis of the
idiannel, so that there is nearly always a strong: wind hlowinu,' up the channid.
Cominn' from the sea, this wind is heavily chariicd with moisture, whi(di is prcci-
jiitatcd wiicn the air cmrcid ^trikes the mountains, and the lull of rain amN now is
conse(MU'iitly \-ery heavy.

In (Jhill<at Inlet there is not nnich shelter fioiu the .-^outh 'wind, which renders
it iinsale for -hip^ callini:' there, (^'apt. Hunter told me he would ralher \i.>it any
other part of the coast than CMulkat.

At'ter landin.n' at Ciiilkoot the weather continued very wet for three days, so thiit
T could not do anj-tliiiiij; in the way of commencing- the survey, and diirini^ the lUday
myself and [>:irty weri> employed in makiiiL;' pre[iaralions for cai'i'vinu' the instru-
ments, ]irovision> and other haiigasj,'!' u\t to the head ot'Taiya Inlet, a di-tance of 2(.'7r
miles. This was accomjilishcd by securing the servici'.s of two boats bidonn'iiijL!; to a
trader, whicdi were towed to the hetid of the TaiyaJnlot by the United States i^un-
boiit, "Pintii," to the cdinniandci' of whi<di (( 'apt. Xewell) i owe a debt of iiiatitudc
for his veiy obliging and atleiitivt' treatm^'iil of mystdf and paity.

SECTtON I.

'Exv].ORA\onY HvnvF.y front the Head of Ta'nja Inlet, through Taiya Pass, and doun
the Pelhj-Yukon River to the International Boundary heticeen Alaska and the North-
West Territories of Canada.

On the ;jOth of May 1 commenced the survej' by connecfinn' I'yranvid Island in
Chllkat Inlet with Chilkoot Inlet at Haines mission, At this ])oint a Prolestiint
mission was established some yi'ars aiio ; tuit it is now abandoned, owing, as I was
informed, to the very unplea>ant conduct of tlu' Chilkoot Indians. 1 coidd not learn
that they had committed any overt act of hostility, luil it appetirs the missioniiry
tried to relieve the siiHcrings of a sick Indian child. Unfortunatidy, the child died,
and the father attributed the detith to the mi.^sionary. and from that time acted in so
suspicious a nianner towards the children of the latter that he considered it uiisai'e
to I'tMiiiiin in the vicinity, and moved into .Itiiu'au City.

The teacher of the United States (xovernment school ior Indians at Haines
mission. Col. Ri]Mnsky. told me he had aot into trouble in the same way. A sick
Indian to whom he administered medicine iit first became much worsts, in conseijucncc,
ap])arently. of the treatment, and during this time the patient's relatives walked
about in an exciting manner, manifesting very un[)leasant signs of hostility. For-
tunately the man finally recovered, but Col. Eipinsky has no doubt that his life
would not have been safe had he died.

The latitude and longitude of Pyramid Tslajid were determined in 18G0 by ii
United States Coast Survey party, who were sent out to observe the eclipse of the sun
in the month of August of that year. The position then determined is given in the

-'Aliisliii (^m^t Pilut" !iK liititiid.' r)'.!" 11' •{'.]" •(), l.)ii,i,ntii(l.> V.'.^^ 27' dl" •.'). Tlic
loimitiidi' was (li'tcrmiiu'il \>y I'lii'Diioiin'tci's, thirtci'ii liiuiiiti; lict'ii hm'iI liy (ho t^xpc-
• litiuii. Wliiit point (il'tlic isliiiid wn-t Hxt-il I cDiild imt usee r tain, mo I took tlicct-ntri'.
^IMiis i>l!iiid is |>yritniid;ii in loiin, ;i> sct-n from I he >(iiilli-\vt'st or iiortli-cii>t. :ind ulxiut
.*)(!() yard-; lonn' \>y liOO wide It is compost'd of -iind and (day, and risc.^ about SO (ect
ai)ovc lii>idi tidi', bciny- t'vidcntiy tlu' rosidt. of ulaciai ai'tion. At low tidt' tlicri' \n
very iittio watt'f on tlif north side of the island, and it is only a (question of a few
ycais until it will coasc to lie an island altoii:etlicr, owinu' to the constant at'iMiinula-
tiun ni'drift hiMii^ht down hy the streams tlowini^ into tlu- iidot.

To I'arry thi' survey from the island across to ("liilkoot Inlet I had to ^ct up on
the mountains nortli of.llaines mission, and from there could seu lioth inlets. Owinu,'
to the had weather I could u'cl no ohservation for azimuth, and liad lo produce the
sill vi'y from Pyramid Island toTaiya Inlet liy read inu' the an^le^ ofdetleciion I n't ween
the courses. At 'Paiya Inlet I yoi my tirst ohservation, and deduced the azimuth
of my courses u]) that i)oint. Taiya Inlet has evidently licen the valley of a triacier;
its sides are steep and smooth from glacial action; and this, with the win<l almost
oonslant!\' hlowini;; landward, I'cnders netting' upon the shoie dillicult. Some lon'4
sin'lils wee therefoie nece.-'sarx. Tiu^ survey was made uj) to the luail of ihe inlet
oil the "Jiid of .Iiiiie. I'repai'atioiis weiotheii cummenced for takin,ii;thi' supplies and
instruments ovei' the coast raniic of mountain^ to the head of T.ak'c liyndeman on the
Lewes Kiver. (\)mmaiidcr Newell kindly aided me in iiiakiiiL;" ai'ran,u'enu'iils with
the Indians, and did all \\v could to induee them lo hi^ reasonaldi^ in their deniands.
This, however, indther lie nor anyone else ci,uld a<'coMiplish. They i"liised tocarry
to the lake for less than 820 per huii li'ed i)ouiids, and as they had learned
that the cNpclitioii was an lMiii'ii>li one, the second idiief of tlie Chilkoot Indians
recalled some memories of an old ijuarrel which the t riln' li;id with the I'jinlish many
years ano, in whiidi an un(de of his was killed, and he tlutuyht we should jiay tor the
loss of his inudc! hy heing ehari(ed an exorbitant price for our jiackini;', of which he
had the sole control. Commander Newell told him I had a permit from the (rreat
Father at Washinii'ton to pass through hi- country safely, that lu' would see that I
did so. and if the Indians int(.'rl'ered with me they would be idinished for doinif ho.
Afrer much talk they consented to carry our stutfto the summit of the mountain for
§10 per hundred pounds. This is about two-thirds of the whole distance, includes
all the climi)in.ti: and all the woods, and is by far the most ditlicult part of the vvay.

On the t^lh of June 120 Indians, men. women, and children, starteil for the
.summit. I sent two of my party with them to see tlie j^oods delivered at the place
agreed upon. lOiudi ca:rier when given a pack al.so got a ticket, on which was
inscribed the contents (jf llie p:i(dc, its weight. an<l I lie amniint tlie individual was to
get tor canying it. They wi're madi' to iinih^rstand that ihev had to produce these
tickets on delivering their packs, but were not told for what n-ason. As each pack
was delivered one of my men receipted the ticket and returned it. The Indians did
not seem to iindei'stand the import ot' this; a few of them pretended to have lost
their !i(d<ets; and as the3- could not g(>t paiil without them, my as.-istant. who had
diifditates of evciy ticket, furnished them with receipted copies, after examining
their paelv8.

Whiit' tliej- were pacdiing to the summit 1 was producing the survey, and T met
thi'in on their reliirn at I lie foot oi the cafiOn, about eight miles Iroiu the coast,
where 1 i)aid them, ^'hey came to the caiiiii in the early morning Ixd'oie I was up,
ami for about two hours ihere was (iiiite a hubbub. Wiien [)aying them I tried to
get their names, but very few of tliem would give any Indian name, nearly all,
after a little reflection, giving some common l']m;iish name. jNFy list c mtaincd little
else than .lack, Tom, .loe, Charley, \i'.. some of whi(d) were duiilicated thiee and four
times. 1 then found why some of them had preleiidcil tn In-e their tickets at the
summit. Three or four who had thus acted prcseiiled themselves twice for payment,
producing first the receipted ti(d<et, afterwards the one they (daimed to have lost,
demanding pay foi' both. They were much taken abaclc when they found that their
duplicity had lieen ili.scovered.

Tlic^-c ImliiiiiH Jiff |tcrfcctly heartless. They will not rcnilcr cvi'H the sniallcst
aid ti) cacli dllicr wiliiout paynuMit ; ami if not to each otluT, niuch Icsh to a wliito
mail. 1 li'ot ont> lluiii, whom 1 liad [ircvionsly assistiMl with liis pack, to lake me
ami two of my pai'ty over a small <'i('i>k in lii^ canoe. After |mltin|;' iis across lie
askeil ftii' money, ami 1 li'ave him liall adollar. Another nniii Hte|i|ied np and demandei I
pay, statinu; that the canoe was his. To see what the result would he, 1 yave to him
the same amount as to the tirst. rnimediutely ther(^ Were tiiiee or four mon
(daimants for l]\e canoe. I dismissed them with a Ides.sinii', and made up my mind
thai I wnidd w;ide the next erec U.

While payiiiu' them 1 was a little a]ipridien>ive of troulde, for they insi-.|ed on
cnnvdinu; into my tent, and for myself and the four men who were with mv to have
attemptcMl to eject them would have heen to invite troiihle. 1 am str(Uii;ly o< l!ie
opinion that the>e Indian** would have heen miudi more ilitlieult to deal with ifthey
had iiol known thai (.'oinnuinder Newcdl remained in the inlet to >ee thai I yot
throun'h without accidi'iit.

While makiny; the survey from the head of fiile water I took the azimuths and
altitudes ol M'Veralof the hiuhc'^t peaks around the head of the inh't, in onler to
locate them, and ohtain an ide:i cd" the uciicral htduhl of the peaks in tlio coast ran.u'e.
As it does not ap])ear to have heen done lud'ore, 1 iiuve taken the o|i|iortunit3' of
naming; all the peaks, the ])ositions of whi<di I tixed in the ahove way. The names
and altitudes ap|)oar on my map.

While ii'oiiiii,' up from the lu'ad of canoe navia'ation on the Taiya Rivei' I tocdc
the unifies of idevation ot ea( h station Irom the jirecedinii' one. I would have done
this from tide water up, hut iound many of the ci>urses so short and with so little
increase in heiii'ht that with the iiisti'ument I had it was inappreci.'ihle, Fi-omthe-e
am;les 1 have conipiitod the heiii'ht of the summit (d' the 'j'aiya Pass, uhove the head
of eanoi' naviii'ation, as it appear(>d lo nie in .June, 1SS7, and tind it to he ;},37S feet.
WliaL deplh of snow there was I cannot say. The head of canoi- luiN'iu'ation I esti-
mate at ahout 120 feet ahovi- tide water. Dr. Dawson nives it as 124 feet.

AVhile n'ldnu; over the rani^e the fii'wt time I made frequent readin;rs of the
mercurial hiirometer, and left the instrument .at thi; summit tor several days, lakinji'
readings id' it as (dtcii as possihle. At the same time I took coi'res|)OMdin^' readin!;'s
of my aneroid. The-e readings will he fouml in the appendix to this report, ami
from them it will he seen that this ]>articular aneroid is almost as reliahle as the
mei'curial har<uneler as far as tlie altitudes reaidied would show.

I (hdermiiicd the descent from tlu' summit to Tjakc Lymleman hy ciirryim;' the
aneroid from the lake to the summit and hack aij;ain. tlie interval of time from start
to return heiui;' ahout eii^ht hours. Takini;" the nu;an of the I'eadiniis at tlu; lake,
start and return, and the sinyle reading at tlie sunuuit, the height of the summit
ahove lh(^ hdce was found to he 1.2M7 feet. While making tlu' survey fr(»m the sum-
mit down lo the lake I took llu' angles of depress ion (d'each station fi'oni the jire-
ceding one, and from these angles 1 tlediiced the ditVorenre of htdght, which I found
lo he 1,;J54 feet, or 114 feet more than tluit found hy the aneroiil. This is quite a
large ditference; hut when wo consider the altitude of thi' jilaee, the sudden changes
of temperature, and the atmospheric conditions, it is not more than one mii^lit
ex])ect.

While at Juneau City I heard reports of a low pass from the head of Chilkoot
Inlet to the head waters of Lewes Jliver. Duidng the time I was at the head of
Taiya Inlet I made incpiiries regarding it, and found that there was such a jiass, hut
co\ild learn nothing detinite ah')ut it from tdther whites or Indians. As ('apt. Moore,
who accompanied mo, was very anxious to go through it, and as the rejiorts cd" the
Taiya Pass indicated that no waggon road or railroad could ever lie huilt through it,
while the nc-w pass appeared, from what little knowledge I could get ofit,to he much
lower and ])ossihly feasihle tor a waggon road, I determined to send the captain hy that
way, if I could get an Indian to accompany him. This, 1 found, would he difUcultto
do. None of the Chilkoots appeared to know anj'thing of the pass, and I i-oncluded
that they wished to keep its existence and condition a secret. The Tagish. or Stick
Indians, as the interior Indians are locally called, are afraid t(; do anything in oppo-

Hition to tlio wishes of (ho Chilkoots; hd it wiih (lifflcult to got iiiiy of thciii lo jnin
('!i])l. Mooro; Itiil lifter iiiiich tnlic mikI I'licoiini^ji'inj'iit from liio wliitcs aiMiiinI, oii«
(it tliiiii iiiinifd "Jim" wsih iti'ltictd to i^n. Ih' Iia<l liceri throiiuh ihis pann iictoiv,
iiml pi'iivcd it'iialilo ami iistt'iil. Tlic int'ormatioii dlitaiiifd fiom (!a|)t, Mooro'n
oxploratioii I iiavL- iii((>r|n)i'a't'il in my ])\iii\ (»f tho Mii-voy t'rnm 'I'aiyn inli-t, liut it in
not MS conipii'Ic as I woiiM liavc liUod. 1 liavo immcil this pans ''White Pass," in
luiiiiir of I lie lalo lion. Thus. WhUe. .Miiiisti^- of the liifciinr, utidcr wiiosc aiiliiorit v

t.lie cxpoditicii was

ii'i^a 111 /(,!(!. Commoriciiiii; al Taiva ihidt. alioiit two miles srmlh

f itH nortli end, it lollows ii|i tlic valley of the Slil\au:way Ifivcr t.o its source, and
thence down the valley of anotlier river which ('aj)t. Moore reported to empty into
the Takone or Windy Ann of l!ove Lake (Schwatka). Dr. l»awson -"i.ys thin stream
«'in)ities inti> 'i'ako hake, and in that e\(nl ('a]»t. Moore is mi'^takcn. ('apt. Moore
dill nnt ^o all the way throujiih to the lake, hut assiinuil from rept>i't-< ho hearil from
th(^ minorn and others that the stream tlowed into Windy Arm, and thisalso was tlie
idea of the Indian ''Jim," from what 1 could gather from his remark^ in hioken
Kng'lish and ("liinook. ('apt. Moore estimatcH the distance I'rom tide water to the
summit at ahoiu IS miles, and troni the summit, to (he lake at ahout 22 to 2',i miles,
lie rcporlH Ihc pass as thickly limhcred all the way through.

The tiniher line on the south Hide of the Taiya Puss, aNdoteiinincd hy baioimdcr
readings, is about l!,.'!()0 feet above the sea, while on tlie north side it is about 1,(100
feot helow the summit. This large dilVerence is due, 1 think, to the dilferent c(ui(li-
tions in the two places. On the south side the valley is narrow and .lee|i, and the
(tun cannot pnnluce its lull otfect. The snow alst) is much deeja-r there, owing lo the
quantity which drifty in from the surrounding mountains! On tlio north side the
sin t'aco is sloping, and more exposed to the suirs rays. On the south side the timlier
is of the class peculiar to the <.'oast, .-ind on ihe north that peculiar to tlie interior.
The hitter would grow at a great<u' altitude thiin the coast timber. It is j)ossihle that
the summit of While Pass is not higlier than Ihe lindier line on the north of the
Taivii Pass, or about 2,500 feet above tiiie water, and it is possil)ly even lower tlum
this, as the timber in a valley such as the While I'a^s would hardly live at the same
altitude as on IIk; 0])en elojie on the north side.

('apt. Moore has had considerable experience in liuiliiing roa(hs in mountainous
countries, lie consideis iliat thin would iio an e.'isy route for a waggon road com-
y)ared with some roads he has seen in. Ihitisli Columbia. Assuming his distances
to be correct, and tlie height of the ])ass to be iirobabi}' about correctly indi<'ated,
the grades would not he very steep, and a railroad could easily be carried thiough if

necessary,

After completing the survey down to the lake I set ahout getting my b:

iiriratre

down too. Of all the Indians who came to the sun)mil with |)acks, only fourortiv"
could be induced U) remain and pack down to the lake, although I was paying then,
at the rate of 84 ])er hundred pounds. After one trip down only two men remain«^d,
and they only in hopes of stealing something, (^ne of them ajipropria'ed a pair
of hoots, and was much surprised to find th.at he had to pay tor them on Iteing

settled witl

1 could not blame them much for nol carinu,- to work, as the

ather

was very disagrt'eable ; it rained or snowed almost eontiauously. After the Indians
left 1 tried to get down the stutV with ihe aid of my own men, but it was slavish and
unhealthy labor, and after the tirst trip one of them was laid-u)) with what appeared

he inflammatory rheumatism. TIn' tirst time the party ci

the sun was srun-

ing brightly, and this brought on snow blindness, the pain ol' which only those wl
have sutfered from ^his com])laint can realize. I had two sleds with me which were
made in .Juneau t^ity specially for the work of getting over the mountains and down
the lakes on the ice. With these I succeeded in b. : ging about a ton and a-half to the
lakes, but I found that the time it would take to get all down in this way would
seriously interlere with the programme arrangei' uith I)r. Dawson, to s;iy nothing
of the sutfering of the men and myself, and the liability to sickness which jn-otracted
physical exertion under such uncomfortable conditions and continued sutfering from
snow blindness expose us to 1 had with me a white man who lived at the hciul of the
inlet with a Tagish Indian woman. This man had a good <lcal of influence with the

Tiigish trilu', of whom the groatcf number -wt' re tlioii in the iieiifhiiorhood wliore lie
resided, ti'yiiit!; t<> get some odd johs of woi'k, niid 1 sent liim to the liead of tlie inlet
to try and induce the Tagisli Indians to niidertal<e the transportation, oll'oring them
S5 per hundred pounds. l]i the meantime Capt. Moore and the Indian "Jim " had
rejoined mo. I hail their assistance for a ihiy or t^vo, and ".lim's" presence aided
indirectly in indin^ing tlie Iiidians to come to my relief

The Tagish are little more than slaves to the more powerful coast, trihes, and
are in constant dread of offending them in nny way. One of the privileges which
the coast trilies (daim is the excdiisive right to all work on tlu' coast or in its vicinity,
and the Tagish art^ afraid to disjiutc this claim. When my whili' man asked tlu^
Tagish to come over an<l pack they objected on the grounds n\entioned. After con-
siderable ridicule of their cowardii'c, and explanation of the fact that they had the
exclusive right to all work in their own country, the country on the north side of
the coast range being admitti'd b^' the coa.st Indians to belong to the Tagi>h tribe,
just as the coast tribes h;id tlu' privilege of doing all the work on the coast side of
the mountains, ami that one ot their number was already working with me unmo-
lested, and likidy to continue so, nine of them came over, and in fear and trembling
began to patdi down to the lake. After they were at work foi' a i'rw days some of
the Chilkoots came out ami also started to work. Soon 1 had (piitca numher at work
and was getting my stulf down quite fast. But this good fortune was not (o continue.
Owing to the prevailing wet, cold weather on the mountains, and tlie ililticuity of
getting through tlie soft wet 8now, the Indianssoon began to (piit work tbi- a day or
two at a time, and to gamble with one another O.r tlie wages already earned. Many
of them wanted to be paid in full, but this 1 positively refused, knowing that to do so
was to have them all apply for tiieir earnings and leave me until necessity comjxdicd
them logo to woj'k again. 1 once for all made them <listinctly undcrstaml that I
would not pay any oflliem until the whole of the stutl' wa> down. A-^ many of them
had alri'ady I'arned from lw»dvc to fifteen dollars I'acdi, to lose whicdi was a serious
matter to them, they reluctantly resumed work and kejit at it until all was di livered.
This done, 1 j)aid them otf, and set about getting my outfit across the lake, which I
did with my own parly and the two reterborough canoes which 1 had with me.

A word or two about these canoes may not be out of place. They were ma<le ly
the Ontario Canoe Company, of Peterborough. Both vvtsre of sjji'cial make and
somewhai outside of the comptmy's usual style of buikl. One was. IS feet long, the
other l!t--boih 40 inch beam and IP inches deep. They were built of bas>woo(l, the
l)Ottom plaidvs iieing [J inch thick and the sides |^inch. They were extra si rong, and
higher at the bow and stern than the usual make. When ilry they weighed
iibout 14t) jiounds each, so tiiat two men could without much ditliculty carry
them. They would each hold two men ami 1,400 pounds without being at all
overloaded, and cmdd with ease be then driven 4 to 4h miles ])er houi-. I had them
furnished with movable canvas decks, wliieii could be tilted on, anil made the canoe
almost water-tight. These two canoes travelled about 3,000 miles by rail and about
],000 miles by sleaniN|ii|i befori' being brought into service. They did con>iderable
work on Chilkoot and Taiya Inlets, and were then packed over to the head of
Lewes Kiver (liakc Lvndeman), from wlua-e they were used in making the survey
of Lewi's IJiver. In this work they made about (JoO lamlings. They were then
traiis])orted on sleighs trom the boundary on Lewes l?iver to navigable water on the
Porcupine.

In the spi-ing of IH.'sS they- descended the latter, heavily loadeil, :ind through
much rough watei', to the mouth of Bell's Iliver, and upil to McDougall's Pass. They
were then carried over tlu' pass to Poplar River .and were useil in going down the
latter to Peel's River, and thence up Macken/io Jtiver 1,400 miles; or, occlusive of
railwiiy and ship carriage, they were carrioil about 170 miles and did about li,liOO
miles of work for the expedition, making in all about l,70(l landings in no easy man-
ner and going through some very bail water. I left them at Fnrt Chipewyan in
fairly y-ooil condition, and, with a little painting, they would go through the same
ordeal ajiain.

and

, llu'
, the

, ilMil

:i,lu-d
•arry
It all
tliein
anoo
alioiit
•ral>U'
■:iil of

ii'voy
then

Ai\vv gettiiii^ all my outfit ovit to the foot of LaUc LyiuK'iiiaii [ set M)nu' of tlu'
party to ]ia(:i\ it to the licail of 15cmn't Tjal<(\ The sticarii Iictvvcfii llicsc two lakt^s
is'tiM) hlialldw and i'(iiii;li to iicnnit of vii'i'H- iiavi,<i,atioiij junl c^t'i-ytliiiii;- liail to bo
poitairrd the groatu'- part of tiu- wa\'.

I cinploj^cd tlio rest of tlie pai'ty in looking for tinilier to luiild a l)oat to cany
my oiittit of provisiotis and iinplcnu'nts down the river to the vicinity of the Inter-
national lioundar}-, a (lisianc<' of alioiit 7tM) miles. It took- several uays to tind a tr<.'e
largi' enough to make plank for llu' boat J wantt'd, as the timber around t\)v iip])cr
end of the lake is small and serid>by. Mj- boat was tinished on the evening of the
I Uh of .luly, and on the 12lb 1 started a portion of tlu' paity to load up the large
boat, and go ahead with it and the outfit to the canon. They had instriu'tions to
examine the canon and, if necosary, to carry a ])art of the oiittit past it — i)ianyea^c,
enough U) ^npp(U't the Jjarly back to the coast sboidd accident nece-i-itale >u( b pro-
eidiire. Witli the rest of the pacty I starteij to carry on the survey, which nuiy now

lis i)roveM teilioiis wor

be >aid to have fairly started ahead on the lakes. Tl
account of the stormy weather.

In the summer nioiuhs there is nearly always awin<l bh.wing in from the coast ;
it blows down the lakcvs ami jiroduces quite a heavy swell. This would not pi'eveut:
the canoes going with the decks on, but, as we had to land every mile or so, the
1 the generally flat Ix'ach ]iroved very troublesome. On this

>11

rollers

breal

eaKim

account i t'lund 1 could not averaiie more than ten miles ]ier day on the lak'e>, little
more than half of what could be done on the river.

The survey was completed to the canon on the 2()th of , Inly. There I found the
party witii the large boat had ai'rived on the 18th having carried a ])ai't of the sup-

plies p

in the boat.

last the canon, and were awaiting my airival to i-ini tbroiiij;li it with the rest

etoi'e (joint

howevi'r,

made an e.xamination ot the canon.

rapids below it, particularly the last rapid of the series (called the While JIor.se by
the miners), f foiinil would not lie >afe to run. I sent two nu'U

Ihi'ough the cafion

e canoes to await the arrival of the boat, and to lie ready in case o| an

accident to ])i(d< us up. [''very man in the party was sii)i])iied witii a lite-jireserver,

m one o

f th

-o that siioubl a casuaitv occur we woub

ity

li.ive floated. Those in the canoe

through all right; but they would not have liked to repeat tlu'triji. Tluy >aid the
canoe Juinped about a great deal more than they tlioiight it woubl, and i bad the

anie ex])erience wnen goin<

thi-i

in th

iioat

The passage through is made in about ihree minutes, or at the ratt- of about 12^

luik's an Iiour. l\' the lioal i

1 water

higl
u|i|u'r I'lii

but

s kept clear of the sides there is not niiich danai-i- i

water there is a rock in the middle of the channel, near ih

d'tl

le canon, that reiidcis th

roe

mv>elf, but

e passage niori- i

lifRciilt.

lid not

tbi^

ot m\' informaiioii from some miners I met in the interior, who

•I'ibed it as lu'lnsi' about 150 vanls dov.n from the head and a little to the west

the middle of the channel, in low water il bandy ]iroieels above the surface. When

lias

tin

,"d tl

at.

irouu'

h tl

lere was no iiKiication

il either from tlu' bank above or from

The ilisiance from the 1

lead

to the foot ot' the eiinon i> ti\'e-eiu''llb-

a mile

There is a basin about midway in it about l.'iO yards in diamet'T. riiis basin is (

ir-

eular in form, with steep

MUe;

iliout loo teel biuh.

le lower |)art oi iIh'

eai'ion is much rougher to run lliroiiyh than tht> uiiper paiM. the fall iieinuappaieiitly
mile!) greater. The sides are generally iier|iendieiilar. about i^U to inii leet high,
and

eon.sist of basalt, in some places showing hexagonal eolui

\\i\-

iie

Wiiite Ilor.se '■ Ivapids arc abou

t thr

ee-eightlis ot a mil

Ioul

They .ar,

the most dangerous rapids on the river, and are never run thronub in boats exee|il
by accident. The}' aie eonliiied by low basaltic banks, which, at the fool, siiddeiij}-
close in and make the channtd about ."lO yards wide. It is here the <laiiger lies, as
iheie is a sudden drop and the water rushes through at a tremendous rate, leaping '
and seething like a cataract. The miners have eoiiHtrueted a portage road on iho

West sid(>. and i)at down rollwavs in s(

ome places on w

hicdi to sho\e I heir boats over,

They have also made some windla-ses with which to haul their boats up hill, notably
one at the foot of the canon. This roadway and the windlasses nuibt have cost them

many Iiours of liunl labir. Slioiild it over be uecessiiry, a tramway oould ho built
past tlie cannii on the oast bide witli no jx''(*'''f dilliculty. With the oxcoption ol'tho
" Five Finders Eapid " (the Riid< Rapid of Schwatku), it appeara this is tiin only
sei'ions lapid on tlio whoU' length of the river.

Jiink Jx'apid is formed by several islands standing in tlie channel and baekingup
the water so much as to raise it about a foot, causing n swell below for a fevv yards.
The islands are composed of conglomerate rock, similar to the clitfs on each side of
the river, \vbenc<' oimj would infer that there has beon a fall here in past ages. Foi-
about two miles below the rapid thei'e is a pretty swift current, but not enough to
prevent the ascent of a steamboat of moderate powei-, and the rapids themselves
I do not think would present any serious obstacle to the ascent of a good boat. In
very high water warping might be re(iiurcd. Six miles below those rapids are what
are known as "Little Rapids." This is simply a iiarrier of meks, which extends
from the westerly side ot the river about half wajMicross. Ovei' this harrier there
is a ripple which would otter no great obstacle to the descent of a good canoe. On
the easterly side theie is no ripple, and the current is smooth and the water appa-
rently deep. [ tried with a foot paddle, hut could not reacli the bottom.

On the 11th of August 1 met a l)arty of minors coming out who had passed
Stewart River a few days before. They saw no sign of Dr. Dawson having been
there. This was welcome news for me, as I expected he would have reached that
point long before 1 arrived, on account of the many delays 1 had met with on the
coast range. These miners also gave mo the ]i|(,'a>ant news that the story told ;it
the coast about the tight with the Indians at Stewart River was false, and stated
substantially what I have already repealed concerning it. The same evening 1 met
more miners on their way out, and the next day met three boats, each containing
four men. In the crew of one of thorn was a son of Capt. Moo.e, tVorn wliom the
captain got such information as imluced him to turn back and aooompany tbom out.

Next day, the l;>tb, I got to the mouth of the Polly, and found that Dr. Dawson
had arrived there on the 11 lb. The doctor also had experioitcod many delays, and
had hoard the same story of the Indian uprising in the interior. I was pleased to
find that ho was in no immediate want of piovisions, the fcai' of which had caused
me a great deal of uneasiness on the way down the I'iver, as it was arranged between
us in Victoria that I was to take with me provisions for his i)arty to do thom until
their return to the coast. The doctor was so much behind the time arranged to meet
me that he deterniinod to st.art for the coast at once. I thei'efore sot aluuit making a
short rej)ort and plan of my survey to this point : and, as 1 was not likely \n get
another opportunity of writing at such length for a year, I applied myself to a cor-
respon lonce designed to satisfy my frieivis and acquaintances for the ensuing twelve
months. This necos^ilaled three days' hard work.

On the morning of the 17th the doctor loft for the outside woidd, leaving me
with a fooling of loneliness that only those who have experioncod it can realize. I
remained at the mouth of the Pelly during the next day taking magnetic and
astronomical observations, and making some measurements of the river. On the
19th I resumed the survi'y, and reached White River on the ^.Ith. Here I spent
most of a day trying to ascend this river, but found it iinpraoticablo, on aci'ount of
the swift current and shallow and very muddy water. The water is so muddy that
it is impossible to see through one-eighth of an inch of it. The current is vor\
strong, probably eight miles or more per hour, and tho numerous bais in the bod arc
constantly changing ]»laco. After trying for several hours, the base men suod'oiled in
doing about half a mile only, and I came t(t the conclusion that it was useless to
try to got up this sti-eam to the boundary with canoes. Hiid it proved feasible I
hail intended making a survey of tins stream lo tiie boundaiy, to discover more
especially the facilities it offered for the trai\sport of supplies in the event of a
survey of the International Boundary being undertaken.

I reached Stewart River on tho 2(Uli. Here I remained a day taking magnetic
observations, and getting information from a minei', named McHonald, about tho
country u]) that river. McDonald had spent tho summer up the river prospecting.
and exploring. His information will be given in detail further on.

Fort Eeliance was leached on the Ist ofSeptomber, and Forty-Milo Rivor (Cono-
Ilill Hivor of'Schwatka) on the "■. th. In the interval between Fort Reliance and
Forty-Mile Hiver there were several days lost by rain.

At Forty-Mile River I made some arrangements with the traders there (Messrs.
Ifarper & MeQnestion) about supplies ihirinn- the winter, and about getting Indians
to assist me in crossing from the Felly or YiUv(m to the iiead of the Porcupine, or
perhaps on to the Poel River. 1 then inaile a sui'voy of the Foi-ty-Mile River up to
the caiion. I found the canon would he difficult of ascent, and dangerous to descend,
and, therefore, concluded to defer further opei'ations until the winter, :ind until after
I h;id determined the longitude of my winter post near the boundary, when 1 would
be in a minih better position to locate the intersection of the International Boundary
with this I'ivor, a point important to determine on account of the nundjer ami rich-
ness of the mining claims on the river.

I left Forty-Mile River for tlie boundary line between Alaska and the Xorth-
West Territories on the I'ith Septeinber. and finished the survey to that point on the
14th. I then .spent two days in examining the valle^■ of the river in tlie vicinity of
the boundaiy to get the most extensive view of the horizon pcwsible, and to tind a
tree large enough to serve foi- a transit stai'td.

Before leaving Toronto I got Mr. Foster to make large brass plates with V's on
them, which could be screwed lirmly to a stump, and thus be made to serve as a
transit stand. I required a stump at least -1 inches in diameter to make a base
large (;nough for the plates when properly plaited for the transit. In ;i search which
covered about four miles of the riv(>r bank, <m both sides, I found only one tree as
liirgo as 18 inches. 1 mention this fact to give an idea of tlie size of the trees along
the river in this vicinity. I had this stump enlarged by tirmly fixing pieces on the
sides so as to bring it u]i to the requisite size. This done, \ built around the stump
a small transit house of the ordina;yform and then mounted and adjusted my transit,
^[eanwhile, most of the party were busy preparing our winter qmirters and building
a magnetic observatory. As I had been led to expect extremely low temperatures
tluring the winter, I adopted precautionary measures, so as to be as comfortable as
circumstances would permit- during our stay there.

A few remarks descriptive of our residence may not be uninteresting.

After clearing away the top soil and excavating some distance into the side of
the hill for a foundation, the bottom round of the house was laid and imbedded in
the place so cleared ; the next round of logs was then put up and fitt"d in place ; it
was then rolled ofJ', and on top of the tirst round was laid a thick layer of moss ; the
second round of logs was then put back in its jilace on top of the moss, which was so
thick that the second round did not lie on the saddles at the corners, but rode on the
moss. This was done with each succeeding loiind until the recjiiisite height was
reached, when the ordinary' kind of shanty roof, consisting of poles, was put on. On
these was laid a layer of nu^ss about one foot; thi(d<, and on this about one foot of
clay. In the roof were two ventilators, which cotild be closed altogether if necessary.

To heat the building a large stone furnace was built, in sixe 15 by 8 ft.; the front
end of this was fashioned into a fireplace, with oven on to]) for cooking ; the other
end was tV)rmed into a chimney. The structure w;is a large mass of stones bound
ton-ether by a tough white clay, which we found in the vicinity, and which baked
hard and white, and did not crack with the heat. When this mass was once heated,
which it took two days to do, it retained the heat for a long time.

With the Weight of the roof and walls the moss between the logs was so pressed
that it tilled every crevice and almost made a solid wall. During the wintei' the
ventilators were kept open all the time; yet the lowest temperattire observed in
the house during our stay was 48"^ Fahrenheit; the average in the morning before
the tire was lighted was about (iO" Fahrenheit.

After finishing our building 1 mounted a declinometer and bitilar which W(<ro
given me by Mr. i'arpmael, Director of the jNIeteorologieal Service of Cauadii, and
continued regular observations with them until I left for Porcupine River.

,.■5,

Astronomical Determinations of the Latitude and Lonqitude at Observatory on the
Pdly-Yukon during the Winter of 1887-88.

I found the levels fiirniHhed for use with the iXHtronomicnl tninsit, uh made by
Fauth, to bo useless. Instead of beinij; sealed bennotically they were sealed by a
plate bevelled into each end with a ground joint, this plate being cemented in.
During the summer the cement softened and allowed the contents to lun out. Early
in the season I had noticed one of them leaking; 1 tiien toolc every possible precau-
tion to save the other one, but without avail, as they wei'e both empty when I
wanted to use them. Fortunately, I liad some ])Ui'e alcohol with me for preserving
specimens in; with this I retiile<l one of the tubes, and as [ ai.so had some rubber
corks, one of whicii fortunately lilted the bore of the tubes, I cut it in two, and
Bto})p(Ml theemls with it. I found this to answer the purpose very well.

Before commencing work with this level I made a (letermiiuUion of the value
in arc of its divisions. This I did by setting it on a bar about 12 (eet long, on
each end of which a metal plate was fixed. In one of these plates a fine slit was
ma<le, which was rested on the edge of a knife fixed in a stump ; the otlier plate was
placeil on the end of a micronietiM' screw, reading to "0001 ot a7\ inch; tlie bubble
was made to traverse the length of its run several times by turning the ,sc;ew; the
dift'ereuce of height ot the movable end was known from the readings of the micro-
metei", and fiom the known length of the bar; the angle moved through was easily
(leduced. I made the first detei'mination when the temperatui e was 28° Fah. Three
delermiuations were maile and the mean used as the tiiie value; the three stood as
follows, exprc-sed in seconds of aic: 1st, 2"08; 2nd, 1"98; Hrd, 2"G;:5; mean, 2"03.
A caretul determination made in the same way when the temperature was 41° below
zero gave the value in arc 2"41. I interpolated between these values for the
different temj)eratures at the time of the ob>ervations.

The retlecting telescope intended i'or tlie observation of occullations of stars by
the rnoon, having got out of order, owing, 1 suppose, to the continued damp, cool
weatht'r <luring the season, I had to tit up a tourist's telescope to take its place.
Unforlunateiy, of all the occultations aiTanged for with Mr. King. beCore leaving
Ottawa, through the two lunations of October-November and Novetidjer-Becember,
of which about sixty would occur here, none were observed.

Soon after getting my transit motmted and adjusted I got a culmination of the
moon on the 29th .September. 1 intended this as a check on the survey, ami as a
basis for the Computation of the times of the occultations ; but I ilid not see the moon,
nor a star again until November, alter both lunations of the programnu' were over.
I then computed a lot of occultations in the next lunation, but was as uid'ortunate
with th.em as with the others.

In Older to get all the data possible to determine the longitude of my observa-
tory, I took every moon (•ulinination I could get, all through the months of November,
Decemlier, Januarj-, and a part oi February. To make these.as accurate as possible,
I ob.served the followitig method. A list of stars was selected succeeding each other
in right ascension, at intervals of four or {\\-q minutes as nearly as possilile. and con-
taining ten stars. Their ])osition ■""s such that tin moon transited' about midway
in the gr',)U|). The list containe i possible, four moon-culminating stars, two

polar stars, and four stars near ( ..ith. The first half of thi^ group was obsei'ved

with the transit clamp east, the transit of the moon's limb was then observed, the
telescope then turned clamp west and the other half of the stars ol)servcd. From the
star transits were deduced, 'y the method of '• least S(iuares," the correction to the
time of the passage of the mi on's liml). and the azimuth and coUimation errors of the
transit. The collimation ai .1 azimuth ei'ror were applied with tludr proper sign to
the moon at its transit; thus the right ascension of the moon was known for the
place, and from the Kjibemeris right ascension at its transit at Washington, or the
right ascension at its upper and lower transit at Greenwich, the longitude of the
observatory was deduced.

1 found the azimulli of the transit remain very steady during the >nild weather
n the fall; but when the cold weather set in, and especially during one severe spoil,

it was very unstoiidy, though, perhaps, not more no than the ordinary form of tran-
sit htand would have been. Many of the ol>servationn woro taken wht'n tl)o tiier-
momeler wan 40 to 50 dcifrees helow zero, and it muMt bo confb.s«od that such a
degree of cold would try any kind of stand.

It is not to be suppohcil that the same vnriation would be f'oiTnd in e\-t.'vy other
stump that was found in the one upon which my transit was mounted, liut it may be
of interest to note that the variation of azimutii al\va\'s had the same direction with
a decrease of lemperaturo, and that the direction was reversed when th(( temperaiuro
rose. Another result of :' decrease of temperature was the contraction of the stump-
stand, which necessitated replacing of the brass plates. With a decrea>e of tempera-
ture the level also changed, but always in a constant direction, which was reversed
when the temperature chisnged again, .so that at the same temperature the level
reading would be the same. I found the change of level so great that it would in
the course of a day run the liubble out of sight, and necessitate a readjustment of
both level and azimuth. It is not certain that this variation arose from (diange in
the stump, but it was most probably due to changes in the ground around it; so that
tlie stump was probably as good a stand as I could have had, and saved the carriage of
about two hundred jiounds into the country and out again. Of all the occultations
computed (about one hundred) only three were observed. These are given further
on.

I hero insert a table of the results of the moon culminations I observed at
my observatory. All the culminations observed in 1887 were computed from the
British Ephemei'is by using the right ascension of the moon's bright limb at uj)per
and lower transit at (ireenvvich. All culminations obst-rved in 1888 wer(^ com|)uted
from the American Kphemeris, by using the moon's right ascension at meridian
passage at Washington. These were occasionally checked l>y computing from the
hourly Ephemeris. I give date of observation, the numb(>r of stars observed, the
deduced riichl ascension of the moon's bri>rht limii, and the resultiii"; l(pn<rituilo, for
the purpose c' -omparison, tirst giving the observations taken on the moon's bright
limb wher jent, followin'': with those taken when it was waninif :

the
as a

aoon,
ver.

mate

Observations on 1st Limb.

p.. No. (if Dcilucetl ]{. A. of

"'^^^' Stars. M.HiiiV I.iinl).

h. m. 8.

Sept.29,18S7 7 23 14 50-47

JSov. 23 " !> 23 30 40(J2

" 25 " 10 1 02 24-30

Dec. 21 " 5 23 50 02(i5

" 22 " ti 44 50-11

" 23 " 8 1 30 30-34

" 27 '• 4 4(j 14-33

" 20 " 8 6 37 24-78

Jan. 18,1888 8 25 4()01

" 20 " 8 1 57 41-35

" 21 " 8 2 :44 25-21

" 23 " !» 4 23 12-00

" 2G " 8 7 00 44-15

Feb. 23 " 8 7 39 40-33

Mean

Probable error of mean

iuoi'fl

Loii^'itn

Ic ill 'riiiic.

h. m.

9 23

35-89

24-19

2(i-(Jl

28-02

((

2;3-73

21-.>1

27-32

33- Hi

2i)-15

30-10

27-50

II 11

37-72

11 II

30-02

a II

32-(i8

9 23

29-47

3.01s, .

It would bo a waste of time to sum these by weights, having regard to the
moon's rate of motion, the number of stars observed, and the probable error of each
night's work, as the accuracy of the result depends mainly on the accuracy of the

observed transit of the moon'n limb. This could be dedueed from the observations
thomHclvoH, but iis 1 l>ail not tinie when observing to do this, and have not done it
since, I do not consider it worth the time to do it now, as it would atlect the mean
result very little.

Observations on 2nd Limb.

DatP.

Nov. 30,

1887....

No..

Htars

.... 3

.... 8

Me.
Pre

DmIucwI R. a.
of Moon's Limb.

h. m. 8.

Dfili
Longitiulf

h. m.

9 23

11 II

II II
II 11
II II
(1 II
II II

IC II

9 23

(Hfi

• in Time

40-42

Doc 1

in ... .

04
GO
57
46
41
39
02

00- If)
27-73
27-54
19-81

28-83
41-95
21-99

44-18

" 2

.... (i

52-24

" 3

.... 7

46-07

" fi

.... 7

39-96

" 7

45-44

" 29

39-70

J Jill ;ji

188S

44-87

44-11

>bable error of mean

2-8 Is

The mean of both is 9h. 23m. 3G'79s. in time, or in arc 140* 54' 11".8, west of
Greenwich. It will be notici-d that on the 29th Deeemliei both limbs of the moon
•were observed. Th(i moon arrived at opposition that evening a little more than an
hour liefore it transitfd at my station, so that it was sensibh- full on both limbs at
the time of my observation. The mean of the h)ngiliides deduced from that night's
Avork agrees very closely with the mean of the two series.

It would seem from the result that in the caif-e of the first limb I anticipate con-
tact of the limb with the wire, and in the case of the second limb I am tardy. If I
may judge of the r<dative value of the separate ileterminations by my lu-rvons con-
dition at the time of observation, I would give that oji the first limb the greater
weight, as those observations were taken early in the evening, when m}' systehi was
in its normal condition ; but when observing on the second limb it was much later
and I was somewhat wearied and drowsy, there being ]iot euougli of the work, nor
its regularity sufficient, to accustom me thoroughl}'^ to it.

Three occultations were observed ; 1 did not compute the longitude from them,
as I_had not time. But 1 always made the pveparatorj' computation twice over, and
sometimes three times, so that I had the time of oceultation very close.for the longi-
tude used in the computation (9h. 23m. 36s.) I found the computed and the observed
time so nearly the same that it was ])robal)le the <litferenee was chiefly due to per-
sona! error in observation. I was, theiefbre, not so anxious to deduce the longitude
from them as I otherwise would have been. Mr. \Y. F. King, Chief Inspector of Sur-
veys, has computed the longitude from one of the occultations, the result of which I
give.

December 5, 1887 — Oceultation of Alpha Leonis. Chronometer time of immer-
sion Ih. 27m. 12-6s. Emersion not visible. Chronometer fast 9h. 3lm. 42-51s.

This oceultation was observed in daylight near the horizon, and with a small
telescope, so it cannot be called good.

Januai-y 23, 1888 — Oceultation of 75 Tauri. Chronometer time of immersion
12h. 4m. 16-25s. Emersion not visible. Chronometer fast 9h. 33m. 23-428.

January 23, 1888 — Oceultation of Alpha Tauri. Chronometer time of immersion
16h. 31m. 07-558. Emersion 17h. 18m. 49-35s. Chronometer fast for immersion 9h.
33m. 23-81s.; for emersion 9h. 33m. 23878.

Mr. King's longitudes in time, computed from the times of immersion and
emersion of the last star, are respectively 9h. 23ra. 45-288., and 9h. 24m. ir22s. In
the case of this oceultation the immersion was by the moon's dark limb, and there
was no difflculty in observing it, but my telescope was much too small to show
when the star emerged from the moon's bright limb, and the emersion was not noted

until the Htar stood out clour from tlio moon, probably a second or more too late, the
effect of which would bo to make the resulting longitude too groat.

] dotorminod the latitude of a point 60 feot north of my transit stand by
slitting up very carefully my 4-inoh transit in the prime vertical. To insure all
jiossible stcaii'.noss I suspended heavy weights fiom the tension screw of the instru-
Tuent, so that the foot screws and the rest of the instrument were almost as rigid as
if solid. By several trials I very carefully determined the value of a division of the
stT'iding level of the instrument, and found it to be 20", an<i it was sensitive enough
to plainly show one-fourth of this, and less (ban ihat could he estimated, f used on
the telescope the eye-piece of the astronomical transit, which gave me jKJwer enough
to see distinctly .when a star crossed the wires, and yet was not too powerful for
proper definition. I used three vvires in the telescope, of which the aperture was
1 inch and the focal length 10 inches. I had a reference object fixed west of the
instrument about half a mile, consisting of a box with an inch and a half slit in one
side of it, which was covered with a piece of white cotton. In the box was j)laced a
candle, the light of which shono through the cotton in the slit, presenting a bright
clear p:ark, without any radiation of light. Just before observing a star transit the
iiisti'unient was carefully levelled, then pointtd on the li. O. imd then on the star,
and the passage over the wires observed; the level was then road, and the telescope
again pointed to the H. O to see that no movement had taken place in the interval.

On the 24th of October, 188t, I observed the following prime vertical transits
of stars east and west of the meridian; /, Draconis, west transit, circle south;
7/ Cephei, east transit, circle north ; 3ti Draconis, west transit, circle north. The
chionometer error was determined by a few star transits. When clouds ])revented
further observations that night, the latitude deducted from the several transits stood
as follows : —

rj Draconis (M° 40' 51 "-2.

r, Cephei 64« 40' r)7"-4.

30 Draconis 64*^ 4(»' 58"-4.

Mean of all 04^ 40' 51"-1.

January 26, 1888 — I got both east and west transits of ^ Cassiopero, but the
sky was hazy, and the thermometer was — 30°, so that the observation cannot be
coiihidored good. The latitude deduced from it was 04° 41' 00"-4.

January 3, 1888, and February 27 and 28 — L observed, with the dip circle,
fbi- magnetic dip, total force, and declination. The values of these at the place will
be appended to this report, as will the readings of the declinometer furnished hy
Mr. Caipmael, Director of the Meteorological Service of Canada. This was read
twice a day, the times being those when the noodle was at its greatest eastern and
western variation for the day. These times were determined by observing its
position every hour for about ten days, and were found to be respectively 7h. 30m.
a.m., and Ih. 30m. p.m.

The weather throughout the wintei- was unusually stormy and snowy, which
sori(nisly interfered with the arrangements made belbre 1 left Ottawa. In fact it
might be said it altogether sot them aside; still, the observations I was able to get
will give a fair approximation to the longitude of theobservatoiy, the pi'obablo error
of the result of all being about three seconds of time, or in land measure about 30
chains, or three-eighth of a mile.

Survfy of Forty Mile Hirer, from it Mouth to the International Boundary Line.

After computing the longitude from all the observations I had got up to the Ist
February, I took two of my men and my insitruments, and started for Forty-Mile
Eiver to continue the survey up the same to the International Boundary. After three
days tiresome marching through the deep, soft snow, I reached the mouth of Forty-
Mile Eiver. Here I i-emained two days resting and preparing to continue the survey
up the river. On the 9th of February 1 started with the survey from where I had
left it iu the summer, as already mentioned.

\i.,

,11

Dining tho progress of this work the weatlior WHS cold, and as the days were
only four or tivo hours long the ])rogross was iii't'oswarilj- slow, so that 1 did not com-
ploto the survey to the boundary until Ihe 12lh. The distance from the mouth of
the Forty-Milo Kivoi- up it to the boundary is, by Ihe river, twenty-lhrtu miles. I
'marked the intersection of the river by the boundary by blazing trees on both sides
and marking on some of the trees the lettor.i "A" and *C" onthewestand east sides
respectively, for Alaska and Canada.

The natural features nf the ground here atford also a good mark. On the north
side of the river two small creeks iall into Korty-Miic liiver, almoht tftgether, and
between them there is a sharp rocky mound about 150 feet high. This mound stands
where the boundaiy er'osses the river, and fiom this point one can see northwaids up
the valleys of the creeks foi' several miles. This is the tirst place on the liver where
such a distant view can be had.

I returned to the ])ost at the mouth of the river, and spent two <lays with the
traders Harper ami McQuestion and the miners who were camped around,

Harper, McQuestion cS: Co., moved from Stewart ]{iver down to this point in the
spring ot 1887, so as to be where most of the miners were located. On Forty-Mile

lis

Elver, in the season of 188(J, coarse gold was found, the tirst dis<'oveiy on the Lewci
or any of its tributaries. Coarse gold is the desideratum of all gold miners, and a.',
soon as the news (jf the discovery spread to the other miidng camps, where nothing
but tine or dust gokl had yet been found, they all repaired to thecoar>e gold diggings
on Forty-Mile.

About one hundred miners wintered in the country, most of whom camped at
Forty-Mile. A few wintered down at the old trading ])ost built by F. Mercier, and
named by him Belle Jsle. This ]>ost is where Lieut. Schwatka located the Interna-
tional Boundary, but it is about twelve miles below the boundary by my survey and
observatioiYs.

When I was at Forfy-Mile River the miners were very anxious to see me, and to
know our mining regulations and laws, I exjdained eveiything they inquired about
as iullyasmy knowledge an<l the documents at my disposal would jiermit. Many of
them who were used to tlu; United States system of each mining community making
its own b^'-laws, based on the general mining law of the country, and electing tlieir
own recorder to attend to the regulations and see them carried out, thought some ot
our regulatio'is rather stringent and hard. 1 heard their statements and answered
such of them as 1 could, and also pronii.sed to lay their views bi^fore the Department.
This [ have already done in a report sent by me in the s]iring of 18S8. As this re-
port is ot purely adminisd'ative import, it is not necessary to quote it here.

During the winter there were many cases of sickness at Forty-Mile, most of
them of scurvy. There were tiiree deaths, only one of which was due to scurvy.

f returned to my quarters on the 17tli Februar}-, and immediately set the party
at work drawing the canoes an'l instruments, and about four months' provisions, down
to Belle [sle, about tifteen miles down the river from my house. This was to be our
starting point for the Mackenzie Kiver.

Section 2.

Description of ihe Pelbi-Yukon, its Ajjimnt Streams, and the Ailjacent Country.

I will now give, from my own observation and from information received, a
more detailed de,scription of the Lewes liiver, its ailluont streams, and the resources
of the adjacent countiy.

For the ])urpo8e of navigation a description of the Lewes River begins at the
head of Lake Bennet. Above that point, and between it and Lake L^-ndeman, there
is only about three-c^uarters of a mile of river, which is not more than 50 or 60
yards wide, and 2 or 3 feet deej), and is so swift ami rough that navigation is out
of the question.

Lake Lyndoman is about five miles long and half a mile wide. It is deep enougli
for all ordinary purposes. Lake Bennet is twenty-six and a-quarter miles long, tTie
upper fourteen of which are about half a mile wide. About midway in its length

:>,

an arm comes in trom the west whicli Schwatka appoarn 1o have mistaken for u
river, and named Wheuton River. Tliis arm is wider than the othof arm down to
that point, and ih reported by Jnilians to be Ioniser and hiudiiig in a glacier which
lies in the pass at tlio head ofChilkoot Inlet. This arm is, as far aw seon, snr*
loiihdod by hiii;h mountains, a))]>arenlly much higher than those on the arm wo
iravtileil down. Below the junction of the two arms tho lake is about one and n
halt' miles wiile, with deej) water. Above the forks the ■wuterof ti>e east branch ie
muddy. This is cauged by the streams from the numerous glaciers on the head of
the tributaries of Lake Lyndeman.

A stroain which flows into Luke .Bennet at the sotitli-west corner is also very
dirty, and has shoaled quite a large portion of the lake at its mouth. Tho beach at
tlie lower end of this lake is comparatively flat and ihi^ water shoal. A deep, widti
valley extends jiorthwards from the north end of the lake, ap])areMtly reaciiing to
the cafion, or a short distance above it. This may havo Been origitially a course for
the waters of the river. The bottom of the valley is wide and sandy, and covered
with scrubby timber, ])rincipally p()j)l;ir and pitch-pine. The waters of tho lake
empty at the extreme north-cast angle through a channel not more than one hundred
yards Avide, which soon expands into what Schwatka called Lfdce Nares. Tlirough
this nari'ow channel there is quite a current, and more than 7 feet of water, as a G
foot 1 addle and a foot of arm added to its length did not rca( h the bottom.

The hills at the upper end of Lake Lyndeman risf abruptly from tho water's
edge. At the lower end they are neither so steep nor so high.

Lake Nares is only two and a half miles long, and its greatest width is about a
mile ; the water is not deep, but it is navigable for boats drawing 5 or (> feet of water.
Jt is separated trom Lake Bennet by a shallow sandy point of not more than 200
yards in length.

Xo streams of any consequence empty into either of those lakes. A small river
flows into Lake Bennet on tho west side, a short distance north of the fork, and
imother at tho extreme north-west angle, but neithei- of them are of an}' consequence
in a navigable sense. The former seems to be what Schwatka referred to as Wheaton
Iviver.

Lake Nares flows through a narrow curved channel into Bove Lake (Scliwatka).
This channel is not more than llflO or 700 yards long, ami the water in it appears to
be sufficiently deej> for boats that coidd navigate the lake. The land between
the lakes along this channel is low, swampy, and covered with willows, and, at the
stage in which I saw it, did not rise more than 3 feet above the water. The hills
on the south-west side slope up easilj', and are not high ; on the north side tho dcop
valley already referred to borders it; and on the east siile the mountiwns rise
abruptly from the lake sliore.

Bove Lake (called Tagish Lake by Dr. Dawson) is about a mile wide for the
first two miles of its length, when it is joined by what tho miners have called the
Windy Arm. One of the Tagish Indians informed me they called it Takone Lake.
Here tho lake expands to a width, of about two miles lor a distance of some three
miles, when it suddenly narrows to aliout half a mile for a distance of a little over a
mile, after which it widens again to about a mile and a half or more.

Tcii miles from the head of (he lake it is joined by the Tako Arm from the south.
This arm must be of considerable length, as it can be seen for a long distanc<', and
its valley can be traced through tho mountains much i'arther than the lake itself can
be seen. It is apparently over a mile wide at its mouth or junction.

Dr. Dawson seems to include Bove Lake and those two arms under the common
name of Tagish Lake. This is much more 8imi)le and comprehensive than tho vari-
ous names given them by travellers. These waters collectively are the fishing and
hunting grounds of the Tagish hidians, and as they are really one body of water,
there is no reason why they should not bo all included under one name.

From the junction with the Tako Arm to the north end of the lake the distance
is about six miles, the greater part being over two miles wide. The west side is
vury flat and shallow, so much so that it was imnossible i

I 'il

,*3

impc

lany pit

get

filinooH to tho shore, and quite a distance out in tlie lake tliere wtw not more than 5
feet ot" water. The menihers otn)y ]iafty, who were in iliartre of the lar^'elioatand
outlit, went down the cast side ol' tho \tikr and reported the ih'ptli alMHit Ihe nanie aH
I found on the west side, witli man}- h\rice rooUs. They passed thri'U!j:h it in the
iii;;;ht in ii rain storm, and were niMcli alarmed for tlie safety of tin; lioat and pro-
viMions. It would a|)|>ear that this pari of the lake requircH some improvement to
tnako it in keeping; with the rest of the water system with whieh it is eonneeted.

Where the river didioiiehcs from it, it is almut ]')() yards wide, and for a short
distance not more than 5 or (! foi-t de-ep. The drptli is, however, .snoti increased to
10 feet or more, and so continues down to what Schwatka callv Marsh Lake. Tho
miners call it Mud T;ake, but on this name they do not a|i])ear to be ai:;rced, many
of them callini;- the iowei' ])art ol Ta^nsh or Bove Lake " Mud Lake," on aecount of
its shallowness and flat muddy shores, as seen ai<Miji; the wi'st side, the side nearly
always travelled, as it is more sheltereil t'nun the ))revailin;j,' southei'iy winds. The
term "Mud Lake " is, however, not a])plical)lo to this lake, as only a comparatively
pniall part of it is shallow or muddy, and it is nearly as ina])|»lical)le to Marsh Luke,
as the latter is not markedly muddy aloni^ the west side, and from the a]i]K'aranee
of the east shore one' would not judge; it to be so, as the liaidvs ajipear to be high and
gruvelly.

Marsh Lake is a little over nineteen miles long, ami would avt-rage about two
miles in witllh. I tried to determine the width of it as I went along with my sur-
vey, by talving azimulhs of points on the eastern shore fron\ dilVercnl stations of tho
survey; but in only one ease diil \ succeed, as there were no ])rominenl marks on
that shore which could be itlcntitied from more than one place. The piece of river
C(miu^(ting Tagish and Marsh Lakes is about tive miles long, and averages IfjO to 200
yards in width, and, as already mentione(l, i» deep, except for a short distance at th<;
head. On il are situalt'd the oidy Indian houses to be found in the interior with any
pretention to skill in construction. They show much more labor and imitativeness
than one knowing anything about the Lulian in his native state would expect. The
plan is evidently taken t'rom the Indian houses on the coast, which appear to me to boa
jioor cojiy of the houses which the Jludson's Bay Company's servants build around
their trading posts. These houses do not appear to have been used for some time
past, and are almost in luins. The Tagish Indians are now gene-.dly on the coast,
as they tind it much easier to live there than in their own country. As a matter of
tact, what they nud<e in their own country is taken from them by the Coast Indians,
BO that there is little inducement for them to remain.

The Lewes liiver, where it leaves Marsh Lake, is about 200 yards wide, and
averfiges this width as far as the canon. I did not try to timl bottom anywhere as I
■went along, exce[)t wher*' I had reason to think it shallow, and there I always tried
with jny paddle. I did not anywhere tind bottom with this, which shows that there
is no ])art of this stretch of the river with less than (J feet of water at medium height,
at which stage it appeared to me the river was at that time.

From the head of Bennet Lake to the cailon the corrected distance is ninety-five
miles, all of which is navigable tor boats drawing 5 feet ov more. Add to this the
westerly arm of Bennet Lake, and the Takorie or Windy Arm of Tagish Lake, each
about fifteen miles in length, and the Tako Arm of the latter lake, of unknown length,
but i)robably not less than thirty miles, and w-e have a stretch of water of upwards of
cue hundi-ed miles in length, all oasilyvuivigable : and, as has been pointed out, easily
connected with Taiya Inlet througli the White Pass.

No streams of any importance enter any of these lakes so far as I know. A
river, called by Schwatka "McClintook River," enters Marhh Lake at the lower end
from the east. It occupies a large valley, as seen from the westerly side of the lake,
but the stream is apparently unimportant. Another small stream, apparently only
a creek, enters the south-east angle of the lake. It is not probable that any stream
coming from the east side of the lake is of importance, as the strip of country between
the Lewes and Tes-lin-too is not more than thirty or forty miles in width at this
point.

Tlio Tiiko Arm of Tagisli Liiko is, ho far, with tho oxcoplinn of rt>portH from In-
dians, imiiiiown; but it is t>(|uiilly improbable thai any rivttrot importanco uiitorn it, as
it is HO near tho sourcoof tbo wutcrw flowing iioi-thwardw. However, tbin is a question
liiat can only bo decided liy a proper expbu-iition. The cafiun I iiavo already dos-
cribod, and will only add that it is tivo-eiifliths ol'a mile lonjr, about 100 t'oet wide,
with perpendicular batdcs ot liusaltic rock from tiO to 100 teet bi;,di.

Melow the cafion projier there is a stretidi of lapids for about a mile; then about
half a mile of smooth water; following which are tho ''White lloi-so " iiapids, which
aio three-eighths of a mile long, and unsafe for boats.

The total fall in tlie cafion and succeeding lapids were measured and found to
bo 'ii'2 foet. Wore it over necessary to make this ])art of the river navigable it will
bo no easy task to overcome the obstacles at this point; but a tram or lailway could
with very little difficulty be constructed along the east side of the river past tho
canon.

For some distance below the White llorso Rapids the current is swift and the
rivci' wide, with many gravel l)ars. The roa(di botweon these rapids and Lake
liiiliurge. a distance of twenty-se\en and a-h;;!f ndles, in all sjnooth water, villi a
strong curicnt. The average* width is about I'M) j'ards. There is no im])ediment to
navigation other than the swift current, and this is no stronger than on the lower
part of tbe river, which is already navigated; nor is it worse than on the Saskatch-
ewaii and Eed liivors in the more eastern part of our tei'ritory.

About midway in this sti'etch the Tabl<-lieena (liver Joins the Lewes. This river
is ap[)arently about half the size of tho latter. Its waters are muddy, indicating its
passiigo through a clayey district. I got some indeljnite informal itui about this river
I'nmi an Jndiaii who hajjpened to meet me Just below its mouth, but I coulil not
readily make him understand me, and his replies were a comn()und ot Chinook,
Tagish, and signs, and therefore la?-gely unintelligible. From wnat I could under-
stand with any certainty, the river was easy to descend, there being no bail rajiids,
and it came out of a lake much larger than any 1 had yet passed.

Hero, I may remark, that I have invariably fouml it difficult to got relialde or
definite information from Indians. The reasons for this are inanj^. Most of tho
Indians it has been my lot to moot are expecting to make something, and consequently
are very chary about doing or saying anything unless they think they will bo
well rewarded lor it. They are naturally very suspicious of strangers, and it takes
some time, and some knowletlge ot theii language, to overcome this suspicion and
gain their contidence. If you begin at once to ask questions about their country,
without previously having them thoroughly under.stand that you have no unfriendly
motive in doing so, they become alarmed, jjiud although you may not meet with a
positive refusal to answei' questions, you make very little progress in getting
desired information. On tho other hand, 1 have met cases where either through fear
or hope of reward the}" Avere only too anxious to impart all they knew or had beard,
and even more if they thought it would jilease their hearer, i need hardly say that
such information is often not at all in accordance with the facts.

I have several times found that some aQt of mine when in their presence has
aroused either their fear, superstition oj- cupidity. As an instance : on the Bell
lliver I met some Indians coming downstream as I was going up. We were ashore
at the time, and invited them to join us. -The}' started to come in, but very slowly,
and all the time kept a watchful eye on us. L noticed that ray double-barrelled
shot gun was lying at my feet loaded, and picked it up to unload it, as I knew they
would be handling it after landing. This alarmed them so much that it was sQme
time before they came in, and I don't think they would have come ashore at all had
they not heard that a party of white men, of whom wo answered the description,
were coming through that way (they had learned this from the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's officers), and concluded we were the party described to them. After drink-
ing some of our tea, and getting a supply for themselves, they became quite friendly
and communicative.
2i

AKiiin, on the Miirkciii/.io Itivcr, wliilc two ImliaiiH wort' oomin;^ anhoro at my
oamii, 1 pickcil up a ti'lescopc to look lor a signal acrrwM tlic rivor. In lookinj^ lor
it I mill to point it towards tho Indians, who iinnio(liati'ly tiii'no<l and flod, Noxt day
I called at the Indian onoanipmont and explained tlin)ugli my interpreter whtit I
had really done. When they underHtood it, it cauHed the ciinip miuih amusement.

At Fort (lood Hope, on the Mackenzie, 1 hoard of an old Indian who lia<l heen a
•^real deal on the Haro River, and could j^ive valuahle information rcfjardin^ it. I
awked to have him brout^ht in, that I mi<jht (pieHtion liim. In the mean time 1 wet
about f^ottin;; an obnervation for azimuth, and was lany obsorvin/^ when became.
The inter]ir(Mcr asked me what I was doin<f ; I told him. He asked what 1 waa
looking; up so much for ; I said I was lookinjf at a star. As the time was early in the
eveninii:, and the sun well up in the sky, he at fti-st doubted my statement, but, tlnally
boli»>vin^, Im exi)lained to the Indians around wb.il 1 was doim^, and pointed out to
them where the star was. They bjoked up in an awed manner, and walked otf.
"When I tinished my observation and incjuired for the old man, I was told that he was
not inclined to sec inc. 1 found liim, but he refused to answer any questions, saying
that there was no use in tidiinj^ me anything, for wlion I could see stars during day-
light I could just as easily sec all the river, and nothing could convince him to tho
contrary.

I cite these as instances of what one meets with who comes in contact wiMi
Indians, and of how trilles atfect then). \ sojourn of two or thre(* days with them ami
tho assistance of a common friend would do much to disabuse them of such ideas, but
when you havo no such aids you must not expect to make much ]>rogresb.

Lake Tjal)arge is thirty-one miles h^ng. From the upper thirteen it varies from
three to four miles in width ; it then narrows to about two miles for a distance of
seven miles, when it begins to widen again, an<l gradually expands to about two and
a-half or three miles, the lower six miles of it n^aintuiuing tho latter width. Tho
survey was carried along tho western shore, and whilo so engaged I determined the
width of the up|ierwide part by triangulation at two |)oints, the width of the narrow
nutldle part at three points, and the width of the lower part at thi'oe points. Dr.
Dawson on his way out made a track survey of the eastern shore. The western
fihoi'o is irregular in many places, being imlented by large liays, especially at tho
upper and lower ends. These bays are, as a rule, shalhnv, more especially those at
the lower end.

Just above where the lake narrows in tho middle there is a large island. It is
throe and a-half miles long and about half a mile in width. It is shown on Schwatka's
map as a peninsula, and called by him Richtofcn Rocks. How he came to think it a
peninsula I cannot understand, as it is well out in the lake ; tho nearest ])oint of it
to the western shore is upwards of half a mile distant, and the extreme width of tho
lake here is not more than five miles, which includes the depth of the deepest bays
on the western side. It is therefore difficult to understand that he did not sec it a.s
an island. The upper half of this island is gravelly, and does not rise very high
above the lake. The lower end is rocky and high, the rock being of a bright reel
color.

At the lower end of the lake there is a large valley' extending northwards,
which has evidently at one time been the outlet of the lake. Dr. Dawson has noted
it and its peculiarities. His remarks regarding it will be found on pages ir)(J-lt)0 of
his report entitled "Yukon District and Northern portion of British Columbia," pub-
lished in 1889.

The width of the Lewes River as it leaves tho lake is the same as at its
entrance, about 200 yards. Its waters, when 1 was there, were murky. This
is caused by the action of the waves on the shore along the lower end of the lake.
The water at the upper end and at the middle of the lake is quite clear, so much so
that the bottom can be distinctly seen at a depth of or 7 feet. The wind blows
almost constantly down this lake, and in a high wind it gets very rough. The
miners complain of much detention owing to this cause, and certainly I cannot com-
plain of a lack of wind while I was on the lake. This lake was named after one Mike

>ro lit my
loUitif^ tor
Noxt (lay
or what [
somont.
iiid biH'ii ii
ling it. 1
tinier 1 net

I lu' CIllllO.

•Imt 1 was
iirly ill tho
)iil,tinally
\to<l out to
,vali<C(l nW.
hat ho was
)nH, Haying
II ring (lay-
hiiii to tho

•ntact with
li thoiii aii'l
h ideas, but

,aries from
(liHtanco of
•at two and
fidth. Tho
rmined the
the narrow
lioints. Dr.
ho westorn
ially at tho
lly tliowo at

and. It is

ISchwatka's

|o tliink it a

])oint of it

idlh of tho

lepcst bays

lot fioo it art

very high

bright red

iovth wards,
has noted
ir)G-160 of
|nibia,"pub-

|o as at its
rky. This
Lf the lake.
|so much so

nnd blows
jugh. The
lannot com-

jr one Mike

liaidirgo, who rwH ongiigod by the WoNtorn Tnion Tidogianh Company, exploring
tlu' ri\or and luijacont country for thopurjxiHo of conntTting Hui^ipo and America by
telegraph tliroiigh Hi itish (Jolumbia, and Alaska, ami across Hohringh. Straits toAsft,
and theiict) to Kurope. This oxploration took place in 18(i7, but it does not appear
tliat Laharge then, nr>r for worne years alter, saw the laUo called by bis name. The
Huccessful layin/c of ihe Atlantic cable in l^<i<i jiut a f«l<)p to this projeel, and the
exploring parties sent out were recalled as Mion as woi-d could be got to them.
It seems that Labargo had got up as far as the I'elly before he received bis recall; ho
had board something of a large lake some <listance further up the river, and after-
wards Hpoke of it to some trad(«rs and miners, who called it after him.

After leaving Lake Labarge the river, lor a distjince of about five miloM, pre-
Hcrves a generally uniiorm width and .m ea>iy curienl of abnut four miles per hour. It
then makes a short turn round a low gravel point, and flows in exactly tim opponito
of its general course for a mile, when it again turns sharply to its general direction.
The current around this curve and for some distance below it — in all four or (ivo

miles — is very ^wift. I timed it in several places andfouml it tVom six to seven miles
an hour. It then moderates to four ortive, and continues so until the Tes-lin-too iJiver
is reached, tbirty-ono and seven-tenths miles from Lake Labarge. The average width
of this part of the river is about l.")0 yards, and tho dc|itli is sulHcient to atford
jtassage to boats drawing at least 5 feet. It is, as ii rule, crooked, and conbe<|Uently a
little dilHcult to navigate.

The Tes-lin-too was so calle<l by Dr. Dawson — this, according to infoiination
obtained by him, being the Indian r.ame. It is called by the nuneis " llootalinkwa "
or llotalinijua, and was called by .Schwatka, who apjieais to lia'c bostdwed no other
attention on it, the Newbcriy, although it is apparently much larger than the
Lewes. This was so ajiparont that in my interim reports i stated if as a fact. Owing
to circumstances already narrated. 1 liad not time while at the mouth to make any
measurement to determine the relative si/.o of the rivers ; but on his way oul Dr.
D.'iw.-^on made these measurements, and his report, befort) referred to, gives the
following values of the croe^s sections of each stream ; Lewes, ."i.OL") feet ; Tes-lin-too,
3,800 feet. In the same connection he states that the Lowes appeareil to bt; about 1
foot above its lowest summer level, while the Tes-lin-too appeared to be at its lowest
level. Assuming this to be so, and taking his widths as our data, it would reduce his
cross seclioii of tho Lowes to 2,r)il5 feet. Owing, however, to the current in the
Lewes, as determined by Di-. Daw.son, being Just double tluit of the Tes-lin-too, the
figures being 5()8 and 2'88 miles per hour, respectively, the discharge of the Jjcwes.
taking these figures again, is 18,G(i4 fcot.and of the Tes-lin-too 11.4!{<! feet. To reduce
the Lewes to its lowest level the doctor says would make its discbarge 15,tJ0() feet.

The water of the To.s-lin-too is of a dark brown color, similar in appeal ance to
tho Ottawa Piver water, and a little turbid. Notwithstanding the ditVerence of
volume of discharge, the Tes-lin-too ch:;ngcs completely the character of the river
below the Junction, and a person coining u]) the river would, at the forks, unhesitat-
ingly pronounces the Tes-lin-too the main stream. The water of the Lewes i>. blue
in color, and at the time I speak of was somi'what dirty — not enough so, howevei-, to
])iovent ono seeing to a depth of two or three feet.

.Vt the Junction of the Lewes and Tes-lin-too I met two or three families of the
Indians who hunt in the vicinity. One of them could sjieak a little (Miinook. As I
had two men with me who understood his Jargon perfectly, with their assistance 1
tried to get some information from him about tho river. He told me the liver was
easy to ascend, and presented tho same appearance eight days Journey up as at the
mouth; then a lake was reached, which took one da}' to cross; tho river was then
followed again for half a day to another lake, which took two days to traver.se ; into
this lake emptied a stream which they used as a highway to the coast, passing by
way of the Taku River, lie said it took four days wlu-n thoy had loads to carry,
from the head of canoe navigation on the Tes-lin-too to salt water on the Taku Inlet;
but when they come light they take (mly one to two days. lie spoke also of a stream
entering the large lake from the east which came from a distance ; but they did not

seem to know much about it, and considered it outside their country. If their time
intervals are appi-oximately accurate, they mean that there aie about 200 miles of
good river to the first lake, as they ought easily to make 25 miles a dny on the river
as I saw it. The lake takes one day to traverse, and is at least 2") miles long, followed
by say 12 ot river, which brings us to the largo lake, which takes two days to cross,
say 50 or 60 more — in all about, 2!I2 miles — say 300 to the head of ca.ioe navigation ;
while the distance from the head of Bennot Lake to the Junction is only 188.
Assuming the course of the Tos-lin-too to be nearly south (it is a little to the east of
it), and throwing out every fourth mile for bends, the remainder gives us in arc
three degrees and a (juartcr of latitude, which, deducted from 61° 40', the latitude of
the junction, gives us .IB' 25', or nearly the latitude of Juneau City.

To make sure that 1 understood the Indian aright, and that he knew what ho
was speaking about, T got him to sketch the river and lake, as ho described them, on
the sand, and to repeat the same several times.

1 afterwards met Mr. T. lioswcU, his brother, and anotbei- miner, who had spent
most of the siimnier on the river prospecting, and from them 1 gathered the follow-
ing : The distance to the lirst. and only lake which they b.nv, they ])ut at 175 miles,
and the lake itsclt they call at least 150 miles long, jis it took them four days to row
in a lig!>t boat from end to end. The portage to the sea they did not appear to know
anything about, but describe a large bay on the east side of the lalyc, into which a
river of considerable size entered. This river occupies a wide vailov. surrounded by
high mountains. They thought this river must iK'ud nearLiard Iliver. This account
ditfers materially from that given hy the IndiMii, and to ])Ut them on their guard, I
told them what lie had told me. but they still persisted in their stoiy, which I tind
ditl'ers a good deal from the account they gave Dr. Dawson, as incorporated in his
report.

Many years ago, sixteen I think, a man named Monroe prospected u[> the Takii
and learned I'lom t.hi' Indians something of a large lake not far from that river. lie
crossed over and found it, and spent some time jji-ospccting, and then rccrossed to
the sea. This man had been at Korty-^Ille I?iver, and I heard from the miners there
his account of the appearance of the l.'ike, which amounted geiuM'ally to this : ' 'J'lie
Boswells did nor know iinything about it." It was nnforlunate the Hoswells did not
remain at F()rl_y Mile all winler, as by a comparison of recollections they niight
have arrived at some correct conclusion.

Conflicting as these descri]>tions are, one thing is c(^rtain : this branch, if it has
not the greater discharge, is tlu' longer and moic important of the two, and offers
easy and uninter! tipti'd navigation for more than double the distaiu'e which the
Lewes does, the canon being only ninety miles above the mouth of the Te.sdin-too.
The Boswells reported it as containing much more useful timber than the Lewes,
which indeed one would infer from its lower altitude.

Assuming this as the main river, and adding its lenijtb to the Lewes-Yukon
below the junction, gives upwards of 2,200 miles of river, fully two-thirds of which
run through a very mountainous country, without an impediment to naviii:ation.

Some indefinite information was (jbtained as xo the position of this river in the
neigbboiho'id of .Marsh I^ake temling to show that the distance between them was
only about thirty or forty miles.

Between the Tes-lin-too and the Big Salmon, so railed l)y the miner-', or D'Ab-
badie b^' Schwatka, the distance is thirty-three and a-half miles, in which the Lewes

f)reserve8 a generally uniform width and current. For a few miles below the Tes-
in-too it is a little over the ordinary width, but then contracts to about two htindred
yards which it maintains with little variation. The current is generally from four
to five miles per h(nir.

The Big Salmon I found to be about one hundred j'ards wide near the mouth,
the depth not more than four or five feet, and the current, so tin- as could be seen,
sluggish. None of the miners 1 met could give me any information concerning this
stream ; but Dr. Dawson was more fortunate, and met a man who had spent most of
the summer of 1887 prospecting on if. His opinion was that it might be navigable

for Hmall storn-wheel steamers for many miles. The valley as seen from the mouth
is wide and gives one the impression of bein<^ occupied by a much more important
stream. Lookin^f uj) it, in the distance could be seen many high peaks covered with.
snow. As the date was August it is likely they are always so covered, which would
nvake their pi'obable altitude above the river 5,000 feet or more.

Dr. l)awson in his report incorporates fully the notes obtained from the miners.
T will trespass so far on these as to say that tliey called the distance to a small lake
near the head of the river H'O miles from the mouth. This lake was estimated ta
be lour miles in length ; another lake about twelve miles above this was estimated
to be twenly-lbur miles long, and its upper end distant only about eight miles from
the Tes-lin-too. These distances if correct make this river jnuch more important
than a casual glance at it 'vould intlicate; this, however, will be more fully spoken
of under its pro])er head.

.lust below the Big Salmon the Lewes takes a bend of nearly a right angle.
Its course fi'om the junclion with the Tahk-heena to this point is genei'ally a little
east of north; at this point it turns to nearly west for some distance, fts coursa
between here and its confluence with the Pelly is north-west, and I may add it pi'e-
sorves this general tlirection down to the confluence with ihe Porcupine. The river
also changes in another respect; it is generally wider, and often expands into what
might, be called lakes, in which an^ islands. Some of the lakes are of considerable
longtb. and well timbered.

To determine which channel is the main one, that is, which carries the greatest
volume of 1 ater, or is best available for the purposes of navigation, among these
islands, would re(^uire more time than I could devote to it on my way down ; conse-
quently, T cannot say more than that I have no reason to doubt that a channel giving
It feet or m)re of water could easily be found. Whenever in the main channel 1
had reason to think the water shallow I tried it with my paddle, but alwa3's failed
to find bottom, which gives upwards of (5 feet. Of course, I often found less than
this, but not in what I considered the main channel.

Thirty-six and a quarter miles below the Big Salmon, the Little Salmon — the
l>aly of Schwatka — enters the Lewes. This rivei- is about sixty yards wide at the
mouth, and not more than two or three feet in depth. The water is clear and of a
brownish hue ; theie is not much current at the mouth, nor as tar as can be seen up
the stream. The valley which, from the mouth, docs not appear extensive, beai-s
north-east for some distance,, when it appears to turn more to the oast. Six or seven
miles up, and apparently on the north side, some iiigh f-litts of red rock, apparently
granite, can be seen. It is ■^aid that some miners have prospected this stream, but I
'■ould learn nothing definite about it.

Lewes liiver makes a turn here to the south-west, and runs in that direction
six nules, when it again turns to the north-west for seven miles, and then makes a
short shiirp turn to the south and west around a low sandy point, which will at some
(lay in the near tuturo be cut through by the current, which will shorten the river
three or four miles.

Eight miles below Little Salmon llivcr a large rock called the Eagle's Nest
stands up in a gravel slope on the easterly bank of the river, [t rises about 500
feet above the river and is composed of a light grey stone What the character of
this rock is T could not observe, a> I stiw it only from the river, which is about a
quarter of a mile distant. On the westerly »\do. oi' the I'iver there are two or three
other isolati'i masses of ap]iarently the same kind of i-ock. One of them might
appropriately be called a mountain; it is soutli-wcst from the Eagle's Nest and dis-
tant from it about three miles.

Thirty-two miles below I"]agle's Xest Kock, XordenskioUl River enters from the
west. It is an unimpoitant stream, being not more than one hundred and twenty
feet wide at the mouth, ami only a few inches deep. The valley as far as can bo
seen, is not extensive, and, being veiy crooked, it is hard to tell what its general
direction is.

it.
hii'l

The Lewes, between the Little Salmon and the Nordenskioki, maintains a width
of from two to three hundred yards, with an occaHional expansion where there are
islands. It is serpentine in its course most of the way, and where the Nordonskiold
joins it is very crooked, running sevei-al times under a hill, named by Schwatka
Tantalus Butte, and in other places leaving it, for a distance of eight miles. The
distance across from point to point is only half a mile.

Bi'low this to EInk Rapids, as called by Schwatka, or Five Finger Rapids by the
miners, from the fact that five large masses of rock stand in raid-channel, the i-iver
assumes ita ordinary hti-aightness and width, with a current from tour to five miles
per hour. 1 have alieady desci-ibed Rink Rapids ; 1 do not think they will prove
anything more than a slight obstruction in the navigation of the river. A boat of
ordinal y power would jirobably have to help herself up with windlass and line in
high water.

Below the rapids, for about two miles, the current is strong — probably six miles
per hour — but the water seems to be deep enough for any boat that is likely to
navigate it.

Six miles below this, as alreaily noticed, "Little Rapids" are situated. They
are of no groat importance, the westerly half of the stream only being ol>structed.
The easterly half is not in any way attected, the enrront being smooth and the water
deep.

Below Rink Rapids about two miles a small stream enters from the oast. It is
called by Dr. Dawson Tatshun River. It is not more than HO or 40 feet wide at the
mouth, and contains only a little cleat-, brownish water. Here I met the only
Indians seen on the river between Tes-lin-too and Stewart Rivers. They wore
engaged in catching salmon at the mouth of the Tutshun, and were the poorest and
most unintelligent Indians it has ever been my lot to meet. It is needless to say
that none of our party understood anything thej' said, as they could not speak a word
of any language but their own. I tried hy signs toget some information from them
about the stream they were fishing in, but failed. I tried in the same way to learn
if there were any more Indians in the vicinity, but again utterly failed, i then tried
by signs to find out how many days it took to go down to Pclly River, but although
I have nevei' known these signs to fail in eliciting information in iU)y other part of
the territory, they did not understand. They appeared to be alarmed b}' our pre-
sence ; and, as we had not yet been assured as to the rumor concerning the ti-ouble
between the miners and Indians, we felt a little appi-ehensive, but being able to learn
nothing from them we had to put our fears aside and proceed blindly.

Between Rink Rapids and Pelly River, fifty-eight and a half miles, no streams
of any importance enter the Lewes; in fact, with the exception of the Tatshun, it
may be said that none at all enter.

About a mile below Little Rai)ids the river spreads out into a lake-like expanse,
with many islands; this continues for about, three miles, when it contracts
to something like the usual width ; but bars and s'mall islands are very numerous all
the way to Pelly River. About five miles above Pelly River there is another lake
like expanse filled with islands. The river hero for three or four miles is nearly a
mile wide, and so numerous and close are the islands that it is impossible to tell
when floating among them whore the shores of the river are. The current, too, is
Bwift, leading one to suppo.se the water shallow ; but I think even here a channel deep
enough for such boats ;is will navigate this part of the river can be tound. Schwatka
named this group of islands '"Ingersoll Islands."

At the mouth of the Pelly the Lewes is about half a mile wide, and here too there
are many islands, but not in groups as at LigersoU Islands.

About a mile below the Pelly, Just at the ruins ot Fort Selkirk, the Lewes was
found to be 565 yards wide; about two-thirds being ten feet deep, with a current of
about four and three-quarter miles per hour; the remaining third was more than
half taken up by a bar, and the current between it and the south shore was very
filack.

< a width
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streams
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Pelly River at its mouth is about two hundred yards wide, and continues of this
width as far up as could be seen. Dr. Dawson made a survey and examination of this
liver, which will be found in his report alroudj^ cited, " Yukon District and Northern
British Columbia."

Just here for a short distance the course ot the Yukon-Pelly is nearly west, and
<m the south side, about a mile below the junction with the Lewes, stands all that
remains of the onlj' trading post ever built l>y white men in the district. This post
was established by iiol>ert Campbell, for the Hudson's Bay Company, in the summer
lit' 1848. It was tirst bjiilt on the point of land between the two rivers, but this loca-
tion proving untonaJble on account of Hooding by ice jams in the spring, it was, in the
season of 1852, moved across the river to where the ruins now stand. It appears that
the houses composing the post were not finished when the Indians from the coa.st
on Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets came down the river to put a stop to the competitive
tviide which Mr. Campbell had inaugurated, and which they found to seriously interfere
with their profits. Iheir method of ti'ade appears to have been then i)retty much
as it is now — very one sided. What they found it convenient to take by force they
t0(ik, and what it watt convenient to jiay for at their own price they paid for.

liumors had reached the ])ost that the coast Indians contemplated .such a raid,
and in consequence the native Indians in the vicinity remained about nearly all
summer. Unfortunately, however, they went away lor a short time, and dui'ing their
aliscnce the coast Indians arrived in the earl^- morning, and surprised Mr. Campbell
ill bed. They were not at all rough with him. but gave him (he [iriviiege of leaving
tlie place within twenty four hours, after which he was int'oimed that he was liable
to be shot if seen by them in the locality. They then ])illaged the place and set tire
to it, leaving nothing but the remains oif the two chimneys which are still standing.
This raid and capture took place on the 1st August, 18.')2.

Mr. Campbell di'opped down the river, and met some of the local Indians who
returned with him, but the robbers had made their escape. I have heard that the
local Indians wished to pursue and overtake thom, but to this -NFr. Campbell would
not consent. Had they done so it is probable not many of the raidei-s wouM have
escaped, as the superior local knowledge of the natives woul<l have given them an
.idvantage diliicult to estimate, and the confidence and spirit derived tVom the aid
and jiresence of a white man or two would be worth much in s\U'h a conflict.

Mr. Campbell went on down the river until he met the outfit for his post
on its way up from Fort Yukon, which he turnetl back. He then ascended tiie
Pelly, crossed to the Liard, and reaidied Fort Simpson, on the Macken/io, late in
October.

^Ir. Campbell's first visit to the site of Fort .Selkirk was made in 1840, under
instructions from Sir ( Jeorge Simpson, then Governor of the Hudson's Bay Comjiany.
He crossed from the head waters of the Liard to the waters of the Pelly. It appears
the Pelly, wh€ro he struck it, was a stream of considerable size, for he speaks
of its appearance when he first saw it from "Pelly Banks,'' the name given the bank
from which he first beheld it, as a "splendid I'iver in the distance," In .Time, 184:!,
he descended the Pelh* to its confluence with the main stream, which he named the
" Lewes." Here he found many families of the native Indians — "Wood Indians," he
called them. These jicople conveyed to him, as best they could by word and sign,
the dangers that would atteixl a further descent of the river, representing that ilie
country below theirs was iiihaluted by a tribe of lierce cannibals, wdio would
assuredly kill and eat them This so terrified his men that lu' had 1o return hy the
way he came, pursued, as ho afterwards learned, b}' the Indians, who would have
n\urdered himself and party had they got a favorable opportunit)', 'fhus it was
not until 1850 that he could establish, what he says In^ all along believed, "that the
\\A\y anil Y'ukon were identical."' This he did by descending ibe river to where the
Porcupine joins it, and where in 1S4T Fort Yukon was established by Mr. A. H.
Mui-ray for the Hudson's Bay Company.

Mr. Cajnpbell then named the ]-iver he had discovered and explored from the
lieight of land to the junction with the Porcupine, " Pelly Itivor," and had it

ii'i''

delineatal and so named on a map of that part of the countrj', drawn by J. Arrow-
smith, the topographer for the Ilndsou's Bay Company, in 185.-].

With reference to the talcs told him by the Indians of bad people outside of
their country, I may nay that Mackenzie tells ])retty much the same story of the
Indians on the Mackenzie when ho discovered and explored that river in 17H!). Ho
had the advantage of having Indians along with him whoso langiiiago was radically
the same as that of the people he was coming among, and his statements are more
explicit and detailed. Everywhere he came in contact with them they manifested,
tirst, di'ead of himself and party, and when friendship and confidence were established
they nearly always tried to detain him by representing the people in the direction
ho was going as unnaturally bloodthirsty and cruel, sometimes asserting the exis-
tence of monsters with supernatural powers, as at Manitou Island, a few miles below
the present Fort Good llope, and the jtoople on a very large river far to the west of
the Mackenzie, probably the Yukon, they described to him as monsters in size,
powei" and ci-uelty.

In our own time, after all the intercourse that there has been between them and
the whites, more than a suspicion of such unkmnvn, cruel people lurks in the minds
of many of the In<lians. It would bo futile tor me to try to ascribe an origin tor
these fears, my knowledge of their language and idiosyncrasies being so limited.

Nothing more was ever done in the vicinity of Fort Selkirk by the Hudson's
Bay Company after these events, and in 18(!!;) tlie Company was ordered by Capt.
Charles W. Ilaymond, who represented the United States Government, to ovacuato
the post at Fort Yukon, he having found that it was west of the 141st. meridian.
The post was occupied In' the Company, however, for some time after the- I'cceipt of
this order, and until Kampart llonse was Iniilt, which was intended to be on British
territory, and to take the trade pi-eviously done at Fort Yukon.

Under present conditions the Company cannot very well compete with the
Alaska Fur Company, whose agents do the only trade in thedistrict, and thej* appear
to have abandoned— toi- the present at least — all attempt to do any ti'ade nearer to it
than Eamjtart House, to which point, notwithstanding the distance and diiHcuUies
in the way, many of the Indians on the Pelly-Yukon make a trip every two or
three years to procure goods in exchange for their furs. The clothing and blankets
brought in by the lluilson's Bay Company they claim ai'o much better than those
ti'aded on their ovvn river by the Americans. Those of them that I saw who had
any English blankets exhibited them with pride, and exclaimed "good." They point
to an American blanket in contempt, with the temark " no good," and speak of their
clothing in the same way.

On many maps of Alaska a place named " lieed's House " is shown on or near
the upper waters of .Stewart liiver. I made enquiries of !ill whom I thought likely to
know anything concerning this post, but failed to elicit any inl'ormation showing
that there ever had been such a place. I enquired of Mi-. Reid. who was in tlieCom-
jiany's service with Mr. Campbell at Fort Selkirk, and after whom I thought, possibly,
the place had been called, but he told me he knew of no such post, but that there
was a small lake at sonio distance, in a noiiherly direction, from Fort Selkirk, whei'e
fish were piwiired. A sort of shelter had been made at that point for the lislicrmen,
and a few furs might have been obtained there, but it Avas never regarded as a
trading poet.

Below Fort Selkirk the Polly-Yukon River is from five to six hundred yard*
broad, and maintains this width down to White River, a distance of ninety-six miles.
Islands are numerous, so much so that there are verj' few parts of the river where
thei'e are not one or more in sight. Many of them are of considerable size, and
nearly all aie well timbered. Bars are also numerous, but almost all ;ire composed
of gravel, so that navigators will not have to complain of shifting sand bars. The
current, as a general thing, is not so ra])id as in the upper jtart of the river, averag-
ing about four miles per hour. The depth in the maiji channel was always found to
be more than six feet.

From Pelly River to within twelve miles of White River the general course of
I he river is a little north of west; it then turns to the north, and the general course
as tiir !is the site of Fort Reliance is clue north.

Wliito River enters the main river from the west. At the mouth it is about
two hundred yards wide, Init a great part of it is filled with over-shifting sand hars,
I lie main volume of water being contineil to a channel not more than one hundred
yanls in width. The current is very strong, certainly not less than eigiit milon per
hour. The color of the water bears witness to this, as it is much tlie muddiosl^ that
I have ever seen.

1 had intendeil to make a survey of part of White River, as far as the Inter-
national Boundary, and attempted to do so; but, after trying for over half a day, I
fiiuml it would be a task of much labor and time, altogether out of proportion to the
importance of the end sought, and therefore abandoneil it. The valley, as far as
can hi' .seen from the mouth, runs about due west for a distanci- of liirht miles; it
ihon ap))ears to bear to the south-west; it is about two miles wide where it johis the
Telly Valley, and apparently keeps the same width as far as it can he seen,

Mr. IIar])er, of the firm of llarpor. McQuestion k. Co.. went up this river with
sleds in the fall of 1872 a distance of titty or sixty niik's. He describes it as pos-
sessing the s.'une general features all the wa}' up, with much clay soil along its
hanks. Its general course, as sketched by him on a map of mine, is for a distance
of about thirty miles a little north-west, thence south-west tliirty or thirty-five
miles, when it deflects to the north-west, running along the base of a high mountain
ridge. If the courses given are correct it must rise somewhere near the head of
Foriy Mile River; and if so. its length is not at all in keeping with the volume of its
iliseharge, when compared with the known length and discharge of other rivers in
the territory, Mr. llarper mentioned an extensive flat south of the mountain range
spoken of, across which many high mountain peaks could be seen. One of these he
ihought nuist be Mount St. Klias, as it overtopped all the others; but as Moani St.
Klias is about one hundred anil eighty miles distant his conclusion is not tenable.
From his description of this mountain it must be more than twice tlie height of the
highest peaks seen anywiiero on the lowei- river, and consequently must be ten or
iwelve thousand feet above the sea. He stateil that the current in the river was
very swift, as tar as he ascended, and the water muddy. The water from this river,
though probably not a fourth of the volume of the Pelly-Yukon. discolors the water
of the latter completely; and a couple of miles below the juncticm the whole river
apjiears almost as dii ty as White River.

Between White and Stewart Rivers, ten miles, the river spreads out to a mile
and upvvards in width, and is a maze of' islands ;ind bars. The survey was carried
down the easterly shore, and many of the channels passed through barely afforded
water enough to float the canoes. The main channel is along the westerly shore,
down whieli the large boat went, and the crew reporteil plenty of water.

Stewart River enters from the east, in the middle of a wi'le \alley, with low
hills on both sides, rising on the north side in steps or terraces to distant hills of
i'onsideral)le height. The river, half a mile or so above the mouth, i>j two hundred
yards in width. The current is slack and tlie water shallow and clear, but dark
colored.

While at the mouth 1 was fortunate enough to meet a miner who liad spent tiic
whole of the summer of 1887 on the river and its branches prospecting and explor-
ing. He gave me a good deal of information of which 1 give a summary. lie is a
native of New Brunswick, .Vle.xander McDonald byname, and has spent some years
iiiining in other places, but was very reticent about what he bad made or tound.
Sixty or seventy miles up the Stewart a large creek enters from the south, which ho
ealled Ro.se Bud Creek or River, and thirty or forty miles furthur up a considerable
-I ream flows from the north-cast, which appears to be Beaver Biver, as marked on
the maps of that part of the country. From the head of tiiis stream lie floated down
on a r: ft, tid<ing fi\\> days to do so. He estimated his progress at forty or fifty miles
each day, which gives !i length of from two hundred to two hundred and fifty

rrqr"

■MM

• M t mm

1 • •

miles. This is probably iin overestimate, unless the stream is very crooked, which
he stated was not the case. As much of his time would bo taken up in
prospecting, I should call thiity miles or less a closer estimate of his progress.
This river was from iifty to eighty yards wide and was never more than four
or five feet deep, often being not more than two or three; the current, he
said, was not at all swift. Above the mouth of this stream the main river is from
one hundred to one hundred and thii-tv yards wide with an even current and clear
water. Sixty or seventy miles above the last mentioned branch another large branch
joins, which is possibly the main river. At the liead of it he found a lake nearly
thirty miles long and averaging a mile and a half in width, which he called Mayhew
Lake, after one of the ])arlners in the firm of Harper, McQuostion & Co. lie
•explored the lake and the head of the Kivor, but only saw the lower part of the river
near its mouth.

Thirty miles or so above the foi'ks on the other branch there are falls, which
McDonald estimated to be from onu to two hundred feet in height. I met several
parties who had feen these falls, and they corroborate this estimate of their height.
McDonald went on past the falls to the head of this branch and found terraced gravel
hills to the west and north ; ho crossed them to the north, and found a river flowing
northward. On this ho embarked on a I'aft and floated down it for a day or tjvo,
thinking it would turn to tin* west and join the Stewart, but finding i* still continuing
north, and acquiring too much volume to be any of the branches he had seen while
passing up the Stewart, he returned to the point of his departure, and after prospect-
ing among the hills around the head of the river he started westward, crossing a high
range of mountains composed principally of shales ^ith many thin seams of what he
callod quartz ranging from one to six inches in thickness.

On the west side of this range he found a river flowing out of what he called
Mayliow Lake, and crossing this got to the head of Heaver River, which he descended
as before mentioned.

It is probable the river flowing northwards, on \\hich ho made a journey and
returned, was a branch of Peel River. He described the timber on the gravel terraces
of the water-shed as small and open. He was alone in this unknown wilderness all
summer, not seeing oven any of the natives. There are few men so constituted as
to be ca])al)le of isolating themselves in such a manner. Judging from all 1 could
learn it in probalile a liylit-draught steamboat could navigate nearly all of Stewart
liiver and its tributaries.

From Stewart Eiver to the site of Fort Reliance, seventy-three and a quarter
miles, the Pelly-Yukon is broad and full of islands. The average width is between
a half and three-quarters of a mile, but there are n\any expansions where it is over a
mile in breadth; however in these places it cannot be said that the waterway is
wider than at other parts of the I'iver, the islands being so large and numei'ous. In
this reach no streams of any importance enter.

About thirteen miles below Stewart Ifiver a large valley joins that of the river,
but the stream occupying it is only a large creek. This agrees in position with what
has been called Sixty Mile Creek, which was supposed to be about that distance above
Fort Reliance, but it does not agree with descriptions which I received of it; more-
over, as Sixty Mile Creek is known to be a stream of considerable length, this creek
would not answer its description.

Twenty-two and a half miles fi'om Stewart River another and larger creek enters
from the same side ; it agrees with the descriptions of Sixty Mile Creek, and T have
80 mi-.ked it on my map. This stream is of no importance, except for what mineral
>\t!;.ith may be found on if.

3ix and a half miles above Fort Reliance theTon-dac River of the Indians (Deer
Eivjr of Schwalka) enters from the east. It is a small river about forty yards wide
ri the mouth, and shallow; the water is clear and transparent, and of beautiful blue
o or. The Indians catch great numbers of salmon here. They had been fishing
shortly before my arrival, and the river, for some distance up, was full of salmon traps.

A minor had prospected up this river for an estimated distance of forty miles, in
(lie season of 1887. I did not see him, but Liot some of his information at second hand.
Tiie water being so beautifully clear I thought it must come through a largo lake
not far up ; but as far as ho had gone no lakes were seen, lie said the current was
(Dinpuratively slack, with an occasionul "ripple" or small rapid. Where hetui'iied
h.'ick, the I'ivor is surrounded by high mountains, which were then covered with snow,
which accounts for the purity and clearness of the water.

It appears that the Indians go up this stream a long distance to hum, but I
roiild learn nothing definite as to their statements concerning it.

Twelve and a half miles below Fort lleliunce. the Chan-din-du River, as named
by Schwatka, enters from the east. It is thirty to forty yards wide at the Tuouth,
very shallow, and for half a mile up is one continuous nipid. Its valley is wide and
ci)!' be seen for a lon^<listance lookmg north-eastward from the mouth.

Between Fort Reliance and Forty Mile River (called Cone Hill River by Schwatka)
till' Lewes assumes its normal apjioarancc, having fewer islands and beinu; narrower,
:ivei'aging four to six hundred yards wide, and the current being nu>re regular. This
.•^1 retch is forty-six miles long, but was estimated by the traders at forty, from which
the Foi'ty Mile River took its name.

Forty Mile River Joins the main river from the west. Its general course as far
up as the International Boundary, a distance of twenty-three miles, is south-west;
aflor this it is reported by the miners to run nearer south. Man}* of them claim to
iiiive ascended this stream foi- mure than one hundred miles, and speak of it there as
(jiiite a large river. Thej' say that at thnt distance it has reached the level of the
plateau, and the country adjoining it they describe as flat and s\vani])y, rising very
little .above the river. It is only a short distance across to the Tanana River — a large
tiibiitaiy of the Yukon — which is here describ(>d as an important stream. However,
only about twenty-three miles of Forty 3Iile River are in Canada ; and the upper
part of it and its relations to other rivers in the district have no direct interest for us.

Forty Mile River is one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards wide at the
mouth, and the current is generally strong, with man}' small rapids. Fight miles up
is the so called cafion ; it is hardly entitled to that distinctive name, being simply a
crooked contraction of the river, with steep roclty banks, and on the north side there
i.> plenty of room to walk along the beach. At the lower end of the caiion there is
a short turn and swift water in which are some large rocks; these camuit generally
III' seen, and there is much danger of striking them running down in a boat. At
this point several miners have been drowned b}' tfieir boats being upset in collision
with these rocks. It is no great distance to either shore, and one would think an
oriinary swimmer would have no ditHculty in reaching land; but the coldness of the
water .soon benumbs a man completely and renders hiui powei'less. In the summer
of 1887, an Indian, from Tanana, with his faujily, was coming down to trade at the
post at the month of Forty Mile River; his canoe struck on these rocks and upset,
and he was thrown clear of the canoe, luit the woman and children clung to it. In
ilie rough water he lost sight of i hem, and concluding that they were lost, it is said,
ho deliberately drew his knife and cut his throat, thus ])erishing, '.y-hiie h's family
were hauled ashore by some miners. The chief of the band lo which this Indian
belonged came to the post and denumded pay for his loss, which he contended was
occasioned by the traders having moved from Hello Isle to Forty Mile, thus causing
ihcm to descend this dangerous rapid, and there is little doubt that had there not
ijcen so many white men in the vicinity he would have tried to enforce his demand.

The length of this so called caiion is about a mile. Above it the river up to tho
boundarj- is generally smooth, with swift current and an occasional ripple. The
amount of water discharged by this stream is considerable; but there is no prospect
ut navigation, it being so swift and broken by small rapids.

From Forty Mile Kivor to the boundary tho Polly- Yukon preserves the same
general character as between Fort Reliance and Forty Mile, the greatest width being
about half a mile and tho least about a quarter.

|l :ii

Htm

}\\

Fifteen milofl bolow Forty Mile Eivor a lurpo mass of i-ock standH on the cast
bank. This was named b}' Sohwatka " Jtotiuette Jfock," but \h known to the traders
as Old Woman Rock, a similar ma><H of rock, on the west side of the river, being
known as Old Jfan Hock. ,

The origin of these names is an Indian legend, of Avhich the following is the
version given to me hy the traders ; —

In i-enioto agos there lived a powerful showman, pronounced Tshautneii by the
Indians, this being the lot-al nanu; for what is known as medicine man among the
Indians farther south and east. The Tshaumen holds a position and exeroiKcs an
intlueiico among the people he lives with, something akin to the wise men or magi
of olden tin)cs in the East. In this powerful being's locality there lived a poor man
who had the groat misfortune to have an invcierate scold for a wife, llr burc the
infliction for a long time without murmuring, in hopes that siie would rci(mt, but time
seemed only to increase the atlliction; at length, growing weary of the unceasing
torment, he conii)lained to the Tshaumen, wlio comforted him and sent him home
Avith the assurance that all would soon he well.

Shoi'tly after this he went out to hunt, and remained away many days eiuloavor-
ing to get some provisions for home use, but without avail ; he returned weary and
hungry, only to he met bj' his wife with a more than usually violent outburst of
scolding. This so provoked him that he gathi'rcd all his strength and energy for one
grand effort and gave her a kick that sent her clear across the river. (3n landing
she was converted into the mass of rock which renuiins fo this day a memorial of
her viciousnoss and a warning to all future scolds. The metamorphosis was effected
by the T>haumen, but how the necessary force was acquired to sentl her across the
river (here about half a mile wide), or whether the kick was administered by the
Tshaumen or the husband, my narrator could not sa}-. Ho was also altogether at a
loss to account for conversion of the husband into the mass of rock on the west side
of the river; nor can I offer any theory, unless it is that he was petrified by astonish-
ment at the result.

Such legends as this would be of intercHt fo ethnologists if they could be pro-
cured direct from the Indians, butrepeated by men who have little or no knowledge
of the utility of legendary lore, and less symjiathy with it, they lose much of their
value.

Between Forty Mile River and the boundary line lU) stream of any size joins the
Pelly; in fact, there is only one stream, which some of the miners have named Sheep
Crock, but as there is another stream farther down the river, called by the same
name, I lune named it Coal Creek. It is five miles below Forty Mile, and comes in
from the east, and is a large creek but not at all nivigable. On it some extensive coal
seams were seen, which will he more fully referred to further on.

At the observatory, three miles above the boundary, a cross section of the Lewes
River Avas measured. It was made on the 28th of November and reduced to tiie
height at which the water stood when T reached that place. Holes were cut in the
ice at intervals of 100 feel and the tlepth of water was measured with a pole. The
measurements commenced at the easterly shore, and wore as follows: at 100 feet
fi-om watei-'s edge, depth lO'OO feet : at 200 feet, depth lb'-:J8 foot, at 300 feet, depth
2.3-00 feet; at 400 feet, depth 25-00 feet; at 500 feet, depth 25-50 feet; at (500 -feet,
depth 21-00 feet; at 700 feet, depth, 10-55 feet; at 880 feet, depth 11-25 feet ; at 900
feet, depth 6-25 feet ; at 1,000 feet, depth :5-75 feet ; at 1,100 feet, depth 3-50 feet ; at
1,200 feet, depth 3-50 feet ; at 1,300 feet, depth 3-50 feet ; at 1,400 feet, depth 3-25
feet; at 1,500 feet, depth 3-75 feet ; at 1,600 feet, depth 4-00 feet ; at 1,700 feet, depth
5-33 feet; at 1,800 feet, depth t:-80 feet; at 1,900 foot, depth 7-00 feet; at 2,000 feet,
depth 10-50 feet ; at 2,100 feet, depth 10-25 feet ; at 2,200 feet, depth 4-00 feet ; at
2,250 feet, waf,er's edge.

At the boundary th6 river ia somewhat contracted, and measures only 1,280 feet
across in the winter; but in summer, at oi-dinary water level, it would be about one
hundred feet wider. Immediately below the boundary it expands to its usual width,
which is about 2000 feet. The area of the cross section measured is 22,268 feet, the

:*! Ji:

«ectionftl urea of the Tos-lin-too, wm determinod hy Dr. Daw.son uml ahviiily rcfori-od
to, in ii,S09 feet ; that of the Lowus at (he Tos-lin-too. from the same aiitliority, is
;t,(ll.') feot. ]lad th(*al>ove (tohh section been reduced to the level at whieh tlie water
didiiiarily stands durinif the suininer months, iiiislead of to the lieiu;lit at whieh it
>t()()il in the miiidUM)f Se])temher wlien it was almost at its lowest, the sectional area
would have heeii at least 50 pei- cent, more, and at, sprini;' tlood level about double
the above area.

[t in a diflicult matter to dolermine the actual discharge at the place of the cross
section, owin^ to the irre/i,ularity in the depth and current, the latter beint^ in the
dei|i channel at the east side, when I trieil it in September, ajtproximately 4'S miles
jiei' hour ; while on the bar in midstream it was not more than 25 miles per hour ;
and between the bar and the westerly shore there was very little current.

^J'he river above this for soiiie miles was no bettor for the purpose of cross sec-
tion measunmient. At the boundary it is narrow and (dear of bats and islands for
some miles, but here I did not have an opjxirtuiuty todi'iermine the rale of the cur-
rent before the river froze up, and alter it froze the drift ice was jammed an<l piled
,-o liifrh that it would have been an almost endless task to cut holes throuifh it.

Taking- the sectional ai -a of the dec]) |'art alone and the rate of current above
slated, and ealculatini;' by the approximate formuhe used by Dr. Dawson, as givo:i
in Trautwine's Kngint'cr's PocketdJook, p. 5(12, the dischar<;e in cubic feet ])er second
is It0,8(i4, or about three times that of the Lewes anil Tes lin-too to^fcthei-, as deter-
mined by Dr. Dawson. The discharge of the rest of the channel would ajiproxiniate
only 1-1. 000 feet— in all about 105,000 feet. At summer level with an inci'eascd
sectioiuil area and current it wiojld appioximate (JO per eeiit more, or close to
170.000 feet per second. At high water level it would at least be eight to ten feot
ileeper, and we can oidy conjecture what the curi'cnt would be, but I think it is safe
to assume at least 80 per cent, moi-e discharge. \vhi(di would give us roughly .'iOO.OoO
J'eei per second. For the isakeof compari.-on, I give the discharge of the St. Lawrence
and (.)llawa Kivius, being the mean of the years 18iI7 to 1882 : St. Lawience. jnean
1)00,000 feet ; Ottawa, at Grenvilie, mean 85,000 feet. The point where cross section
was measured is less than seven hundreil miles from the head of Lewes Jiiver. and
from (he head of the Te.s-lin-too probably eight humlred.

The current, from the bouinlar}- down to the conlluence with the l*orcH])ine, is
said to be strong, and much the same as that above; from the Poicu])ine down for a
distance of five or six liundi'ed miles it is called medium, and the renuiinder easy.

On the 22nd September a small steamboat named the ■' New E;ii'ket " passed my
camp on her way up to .For(y Mile IJiver with su])plies ; she was about forty feet
long and nine or ten feet beam, with about two feet draught. The boat was wliolly
taken up with engine and boiler, the berths for the crew being over the engine room.
The propelling power was a stern wheeldriven by two engines of large siz(> for such a
<inall boat. It was claimed for her by her Captain. A.Majdjow, of thetirm of Harper,
J\[e(^uestion & Co.. that slie cordd make ten miles an honr in dead water. She was
tlu-n twenty-two days out froin St. Michel's Island, near the nu;)uth of the river. Mr.
.Majdicw claimed that this was longer tlian usual, on account of the boiler tubes licing
our of order and leaking badly, so that it was impossible to keep more than titty
[)ouuds ])ressure, while that genei'ally Vised was about double. That this was true
vv.'is apparent fi'om the fact that it took her about five hours to make four miles ; and at
tine place below my camp, she hung for over an hour without making any progress
at all, nor could she pass that point until she stopped ami bottled up steam.

After reaching Forty Mile Kiver this boat started up the stream to Stewart
Jfiver, with supplies for the few miners who intended to winter there, and materials
for the Indian tur trade. Some minei's, who intended to spend the summer of 1888
mining on Stewart Jiiver, took passage up on her; but after trying for nearly two
days it was found impossible, loaded as she was, to make any headway, so she
returned, discharged her passengers, and finally reached Stewai-t Eiver light. Here
the owners intended to lay her up and give her a thorough overhauling befoi-o the
commencement of next season's navigation. Three other steamboats which navigate

'■ i

'■.*m

i'^^

••T

-ti

H 1

the rivt'r, tlio "Yukon," the "St. Michel," ami the "Explorer," belong to the Alaska
Commorcuil mid Fiii- Ti'iuling Company. Tlifso boat^ aro »mall, and carry littln or
no fri'iglit Ihcnibclves, but low loaded bargi's. Their ^pace in enlirely devotod to
engine and boiler, niul tboy are driven by a ntern wheel. Mc-^nrn Harper, McQuestion
& Co., expected the Alawka Conimercial and Fur Trading Company to put a larger
boat on the river in the seanon of 188H; one that would carry r)ne hundred and
twenty to two hundred tonri of freight, and make five to seven miles per hour up
stream on the up])er river. The other boaln do not make more than thi'ep or four
mileH ])er hour, and often not that. None of th'-rie boalw had passed Stewart Elver
while I was there, nor is it probable they have Mince done so.

From Stewart River to tln> mouth of the Yukon is about 1,051) miles, and the
only ditHt'uit place in all this distance is the i)art near the contluenco with this Por-
cupine, which has evidently been a lake in past ages, but is now tilled Mith islands;
it IS said that the current liere is swift, and the channels geneially narrow, rendering
navigation dilHcull.

During my slay at the houn<huy, readings of the barometer were taken twice
daily — at 7:^(1 a.m. and at 1:.3() p.m. These readings ai'c complete for the months of
October, Novembci', and Dceembei-. 1887, and .lanuary and February, 1888. I have
obtaiiu^tl Irom Mr. C'aipmael, th(( director of the Meteorologi<-al Service, the readings
for the same months at Victoria, IVt',, h'ort Simpson, B.(,'., and Sitka, Alaska.
The riiadings at Victoria were taken at 8 a,m. and 2 |),m, those at Fort Simpson
at 7 a,m. and 2 p.m,. and those at Sitka are given as the daily moan. I took no
observation to determine the humidity of tbe atmospiieru; consf(|iiently in deducing
the height of my station abnvc sea level the correction due to the difference in ten-
sion of the vapor' in the atmosphere at the tlitfercnt places will have to be neglected.
Even had we all the data used in determining the ditleicnccH of height from the
differences of the bar'omoter readings, it would be little more than a waste of time to
employ it in this case, the distances between the stations being so great. The dis-
tance between Silka and the boundary is about 5t)0 miles in an air' line, with a ditl'er-
cnce of latitude of nearly 7.^- degrees; Fort Simpson is distant about 7t!0 miles in an
air line, with a difference of latitude of 10 degi-ees. The difference in time between
Sitka and the boundai'y is about twenty-three minntes, and between the borrndary
and Fort Simpson foity-two minutc^s. The readings at the latter place were th<?reloi'e
taken in the moi'ning sixty-five minutes befoi'o mine and in the afternoon twelve
minutes before.

Thetemperatureof the attached thermometer was recorded Avith every barometer*
reading, but the barometer readings were not corrected for' temperature, but entered
as read, which will suit evei'y purpose as well. I have used the mean of tjio baro-
meter readings for the month at each of the two daily obsei'vations, corrected for
the mean of the temper-ature readings observed at the same time, and in comparing
with Sitka I have used the mean of the two daily I'eadings.

Victoria is distant about 1,240 miles in an airline, with a difference of latitude of
16,1 degrees, and a ditl'erence in time of ab(Hit an hour- and ten minutes : the value of
a height deduced Irom differences of barometer readings at this distance and extentl-
ing only over a few months will not be of any definite value. Even the closest of
the p-iints, Sitka, will not under the circumstances give more than a poor approxi-
mation, but as they are the best — in fact the only measures we have at the place —
they have to be accepted. Using this determination, and the known height of
Eennet Lake above the sea, I have interpolated for the heights of the several points
of interest along the river.

Taking the height due to difference of barometer re.iding alone, and neglecting
all the other terms in the formula employed, the heights deduced from the mean of
each month compared with each of the above places would stand as follows: —

' i\

mo in tcii-

' Hitka. Fort Siiniwi 111. Victoriii.

. ft. ft. ft.

October 8t54 1,045 l,l!)8

Novoinbor X4H 836 1.(m;1

Dece-nibor 525 filO 751

Jiniuaiv 224 561 <1U7

Fobnuuy 928 845 1,05(;

Moiin 677 77!) 934

My readings huve been corrooted for tho inontbly mean rending of the attacbed
tliermonietor, but not tor capillarity, as \ bad mo corrcftionn fiiiTiisliod for tbat I'ri'or,
ami I (b> not know wlial Ibo l>oro of tbo tube was, as untorttinatoly it was broiven
bof'oro I coiUd get it homo. However, as it was largo — appat'ontly about half an
imh in diametei' — this source of error would not etfect the result more than 10 or 12
Icot.

QMiese values show the unn-iiability of baronietrir nieasureHient.s of heights when
the points are so far apart and the observations extend only over short intervals of
time.

One of my thermometers was Itroken soon after starting, and J had no means
of ilelerniining the lelative humidity of the air, but at my station this was not
jiKittTia! during the term of my observations, the tempoi'ature being so low. The
mean minimum foi- October was IS'-'o; for November — S^'l; for December — oii'^'O,
mean for 1.30 p. in. — 27""6', for January, — 25°"3, for 1.30 p^m. — 15''"3 ; for February,
— \t>°-H, for l.:{0 p.u).— 4°-3.

Tho means of -he two readings at Fort Simpson and Victoria ami the mean read-
ings at Sitka, with tho nieans of tho readings at my station corrected for tempera-
ture, stand as follows in their order for the months mentioned : —

N'ictdi'ia. Kdit Simpson. Siik.i. li'iiiiuliiry.

October 30' 152 29-984 29-777 28-813

November 30-024 29-835 29-812 28-8(]5

December 29-911 29-737 29-i;Gl 29-058

January 29-975 29933 29-540 29-29fi

F'ebruary 30-133 29-870 29-987 28943

From these it would appear that the reading for the month of January was
abnormally high at niv station ; rejecting it, the mean of the other four monihe com-
pared with »Sitka is 790 feet. The mean of tlie three comparisons is 797 feet.

As Sitka is much the nearest point, tlie leinpcralures will be correspondingly
nearer those of my station, and the hygromctric conditions nearer to mine than at
the other places referred to. I have therefore adopt e<l the mean of the four months
— October, November, [^cemluu- uud Februarv — which, compared with Sitka, gives
7I"0 feet. ■ . '

Tho height of the confluence of Yukon and Porcupine Jtivers is maiked on the
manuscript map furnished for my guidance as 412 feet above the sea. It is not stated
who is tbo authority for this; but, presumably, it is Capt. C. W. Raymond, of the
United States Corps of Engineers, who spent some time there in the summer of ]StJ9.
As this point is twelve or thirteen hundred miles by tjie river from the sea, and for
more than half of the distance the current is said to be pretty strong, it is not
probable that the altitude is less than this. Assuming it as 412 teet, we have a fall of
378 feet between the boundary and that point; the distance between them is about
200 miles, which gives a fall of 19 feet per mile in that part of the river.

As alreiuly stated, tho height of the summit of Taiya Pass is 3,378 feet above tho
liead of canoe navigation on Taiya l^iver, and the latter is assumed to be 120 feet
above the sea, making the sumtnit 3,498 foet above tide water. Tho summit is 1,354
feet above Lake Lyndemau, which gives 2,144 feet for tho altitude of this lake.

I ,!•

i« — rs

Between it luid LuUo Hciinot V\wro in a full of 12 or 14 t'oet. Tliiw Jivos the altitude
ot" LaUo Mouiu-t hh 2,1.'{U foot, which must bo within u very few foot of the exact
hi'i^^ht.

Tho corrcdteil diHtiinco from the head of LuUo Urnnot to the boundary in fl.'lfto
miles. Ot thiM !t5-4 mih^rt is lake, loaviiii;' 5 U 1 miles of livor. Of tliiM 2 7 milc^ Ih
tho caiion ami its rapids, in wbieli thon- i« a lull of ;j2 foot, llxclndin^ tluH wo have
f)41-l niilos of river, with a fall of 1,:{US foot.

Assuming tho rate of dosoent to bo uniform in this diHtanro w(« liavo a fall of
2'4l foot per milo. Tho rate of doseont is, of oourst\ not uniform, but tho orn.r in
tho boi^dit of any place, doduced from its distance with this rate of fall, will not be
v{}vy f^roat.

i'rocoodin^f thus wo get the altitude of Marsh or Mud Lake. 2,118 fool ; the head
of tho oaiioii, 2,05(1 foot; tho foot of tho canon, 2,<>24 foot; tho mouth of Tahk-liooiwi
Kiv(w, l,!)iH) foot; Lako Labari,'o. l,!»r)() foot; Tos-lin-too itivor, l.ST.'l foot; Bi^'
jSulmon Kivor, 1,7H7 foot; Litllo Salmon Ilivor, 1,70(1 foot; ]{itdc Ra])ids, 1.5r)t> foot;
]VllyJlivor, l,42ri foot; Whito llivor, l,l!t4 foot; Stowart JJivor, 1,170 foot; Fort
IJelianoo, 'J'Xl foot ; Forty Milo Iviver, 8H2 fool.

IV ' !

AURICULTUKAl, rAI'ABILITIES OP THE I'ELLr-YUKoN BAStN.

The agricultural oiipabilities of tho country along the river ar(^ not groat,
nor is tho land which can bo soon from tho rivor of good quality.

When wi' consider i'iirthor thi- unsuitaljK' olimalio conditions which prevail in
tho region it may bo said thai as an agrioulturnl district this portion of tho country
will nevor bo of value.

My meteorological records show over eight dogrooBof froston the Istof August,
over ten on tho 3rd, and four times during the month the minimum tomporaturo
was bolow fioozing. On tho 13th SoptombiT the minimum tomporaturo was 1(J°,
and all llio minimum readings for the remaindoi' of tho nutiith won? below froozing,

Along tho oast sido of Lako lionnot, o])])osito tho Chilkoot or western arm, there
are some flats of dry gravelly soil, which would make u few farms of limited extents
On tho west sido, around (he mouth of Wheaton Kivor, there is an extensive Hat of
Hand and gravel, covered with small pine and spruce of stunted gi'owth. Tho vege-
tation is poor and sparse, not at all what one would ilosire to see on a place upon
which ho was thinking of settling. At the lower end of tho lako there is another
extensive flat of sandy soil, thinly' clad with small po])lars and pines. The same
remarks aj)])ly to this flat as to that at Wlioaton River.

Along iho westerly shore of Tagish Liiko tiiore is a largo extent of low, swampy
flats, a part of which might be used for the production of stich roots and cereals as
the climate would ])ormit. Along the west side of Marsh Lake there is also much
flat surface of tho same general character, on which 1 saw some coarse grass whicli
Avould serve as food for cattle. Along the oast side the surface Jippoarod higher anil
terraced, and is probably less suited to the requirements of the agriculturalist. Along
the head of tho rivor, for some miles below Marsh Lako, there arc flats on both sides,
which would, as far as surface conformation goes, serve for farms. Tho soil is of
much better quality than any horolofore seen, as is proved by tho larger and thicker
growth of timber and underbrush which it supports. Tho soil bears less the charac-
ter of detritus, and more that of alluviuin, than that seen above.

As we approach tho canon the banks become higher and the bottom lamls nar-
rower, with some escarpments along the river. At the caiion tho bank on the west
side rises two hundred feet and upwards above the river, and the soil is light and
sandy. On tho east side of tho bank is not so high, but the soil is of the same character,
and the timber small and poor, being nearly all stunted pino.

Between the caiion and Lako Labarge, as far as seen from the river, there is not
much land of value. The banks are generally high, and the soil light and sandy.
At the head of tho lake there is an extensive flat, partly covered with timber, much

liirtror iintn)nttor*tlmii liny Hoon aliovo fliis point. Poplar oiylil nnd (on inches in
(liamctor wore not uni'onunon, and Nomo Hjiruco of tiflofn and sixfi'i'ii inilu's, and
many of M|)vvur(ls of a foot in diamottT, wore uIho rioli»'««I. 'I'ln< Moil, liowfvt-r, ih li^ht,
:iii<l till' vi'^^otalion, ((specially tlio ;iruMM, thin and poor.

SoiMi) xmU'n down tlio lai<o an cxtt-nsivo vulloy Joins tiial of the hiko on tlio wost
Htdo. This valUy containH n Hniall Htrunni. Around tliir* ])la(;i< tlioro in Homu land
that mifjlit lio iisofiil, us tlio ^rawHaiul voj^otation is much liottor than any soon ho tar.

On llio lowor Olid of tho lako, on tlio wost sido, thoio is al>o a ooiisiiloraMo plain
wliH'li niiicht ho ulili/od ; tho soil in jiarts of it is ;,'ood. i saw ono ])art wlioro tho
tinilior had Ixon Inirnod soniu tinio ago; horo, both tho soil and v('y;olation wiTo
j^ood, and two or lliroo of the plants soon aro common in tliis i)art of Ontario, hut
thoy had not tho vin'onms appnaranco which tho samo plants havo horo.

Northward from the end of tho lako thoro is a dooji, wide valloy, which Dr.
jiawhon has nami'il "Ooilvio N'alh-y." In this tlio nii.xod timln'r, |iopliir and sprM<"0, J
is of asizo which botokon.-) a fair soil ; tho iiorhaj,^', too, is more than usually rich for

1I-' •

this rctgion. This valloy is extensive, and, if ever ro<|uirod as an aid in tho stisto
mco of our poojilo, will fiLC'irc lar<<oIy in tho district's a,ii;i'i<'iiltiii'al assets.

J{olow tlio lako tho valley of tho river is not as a rule wide, and the hanks aro
otton stoop and hiiih. Th^re are, however, many thits of moderalo extent aloni; tho
liver, and at its eonflueneo with other streams Tiie soil of manj' of thoso is fair.

Ahoul: forty miles above the mouth of the Polly Uivor thore in an extensive tlat
oi, both siihisof the licwes. Tho soil horo isjioor and sandy, with small open timber,
A\ I'vUy Iliver, there is a fhit of considerable extent on wld(di the ruins of I'ort
Selkirk stand. It is covered with a small i:;rowth of poplar and a few spruco. The
soil is a f^ravelly loam of about eight inches in de]illi. the subsoil being gravel, ovi-
deiitiy detritus. This flat exte:.ds up tho river for Homo )iiiles, but is all covered
thickly with timber, exce|)t a small piece around tho site of the fort.

On the oast side of the river there is also a largo plateau, but it is two oi- three
hundred foot above the river, and tho soil appears to be poor, judging from tho thin-
ness and smallnoss of tho trees. This plateau seoniH to extend up the I'elly forsomo
distanre, and down the Yukon for ton or twelve miles. As seen from tlu^ river, it
reminds one of the slopes and hills around Kamlooj)s in British t'oliimbia, ami like
them, though not well suited to agriculture, might yield fair pasturage should such
over be required.

A serious objection to it, however, for that purpose, if it is not watered on tho
surface by ponds, is that the river is ditlicult of access, as the ])lateau on the side
towards tho river is bounded by a ])erpondicular basalt clitf, whicdi, without artiticial
arrangement, would completely bar approach to the water. This clilVis more than
two hundred feet high at the conthicnce, and becomes lower as wo descend the river
until, at tho lowor end, it is not more than sixty to eighty feet high.

JJetweon Pelly and White Itivers there are no flats of any extent. At White
River there is a tlat of several thousand acres, but it is all timbered, and tho surface
ot' tho soil is covered with a thick growth of moss, whitdi ])re\t^nts the frost ever
leaving the ground. This has so preserved fallen timber and tlie foliage of the trees
iliat much of it is lying on the surface iiearl}- as sound as when it fell. On this
account the vegetable mould on the gravel is thin and jwor. The standing timber
also bears witness to the coldness of the soil by its slow and generally small growth.
A few trees near the bank, where the sun can heat the soil, aro of fair Hi/.e, but
further back they are generally small.

At Stewart Jliver there is another large flat to which tlie same general remarks
are a])plicable. Thence, to the site at Fort Reliance, there are no flats of any import-
ance. High above the river in some places there are extensive wooded sloops, which,
when clearetl, would be well suited for such agricultural purposes as the climate
'vould permit.

At Fort lleliance there is a flat of probably 1,500 acres in extent; but although
Messrs, Harper & McQuestion lived there for some years, it appears they never made
any agricultural experiments, believing that they would bo futile.

I .

At Forty Mile River there is a flat of about four or five hundred iicres in area,
on which tlie soil i« of better quality than on many of tlio other places mentioned.
On this Alessrs. Harper & McQuostion have erected their dwellini; and stoie housew.
They gave it as their opinion that only very hanly roots would live through the
many cold nights of the summer months, and that the season is so short that even
if thejT survived the cold they would not attain a ^ize tit for use.

The river is not generally clear of ice until between the 25th of May and the 1st
of June, and heavy frosts occur early in September, and someiimes earlier".

At the boundary there are two flats of several hundred acres eacii, one on the
west side, the other three miles above it on the east side. Both of these are covered
with poplar, spruce, and white birch, al 'o some willow and small ])ino.

In making prejKirations for the I'uundations of our liouse at our winter quarters
near the boundary we had to excavate in the bank of tiic rivci", and in an exposed
place where the sun's rays could reach the surface without liindrance from trees or
other shade we found the depth to the perpetually frozen ground to be notimM-c than
two foot. In the woods whci'o tlio ground was covered with over a foot of moss the
fro/.en ground is immediately below the moss. On this the litnber is gctiO'Tiily
small, and ofver^'slow growth, as is evident from the nuinbei- of annual rings of
growth. [ have seen trees of only three or four inches in diameter which were
upwards of one hundred and fifty years old.

It is difficult to form an e-^timate of the total area of agricultural land seen, but
it certainly bears a very sni^li proportion to the remainder of the country. I think
ten townships, or 8()0 square miles, would be a very libeial estimate for all the places
mentioned. This gives us 2'](1400 acres, or, say 1,000 farms. The available land on
the alHuents of the river would probably <louble this, or give 2.000 farms in that part
of our territory, but on the most ol' these the returns woulii be meagre.

Without the discovery and development of large mineral wealth it is not likeU*
that the slender agricultural resources of the region will ever attract attention, at
Ibaiit until the better parts of our territories are crowded.

In the event of such discovery some of the land might be used for the production
of veget.'ible tood for the miners; but, even in that case, with the tr.-msport facilities
which the district commands, it is very doubtful if it could compete profitably with
the south and east.

TIMBER KtiR USE IN BUII.DINO AND M.VNUFACTUIUNG.

The amount of this class of timber in the district along the river is not at all
, important. There is a large extent of forest which would yicfd firewood, and timber
for use in mines, luit f)r the maniifactur-e of lumber there is very little.

To give an idea of its scarceness, I may state that two o!' my party made a
thorough search of all the timbered land around the head of Lake Bennet and down
the lake for over 'en miles, and in all this search only one tree was found suitable
for making such plank as we required lor the construction of our lai'ge boat. This
tree made four ]^hiuks 15 inches wide at the butt, 7 at the toj), and 31 feet long.

Such other plauks as we Avanted had to be cut out of short logs, of which some,
10 to 14 inches in diameter and 10 to 10 feet long, could be found at long intervals.
The boat required only 450 feet of jjlank for its cf)nstruction, yet some of tlie logs
had to be carried nearly 2('0 yards, and two saw-])it8 hail to be made before that
quantity was procured, and this on ground that was all thickly wooded with spruce,
pine, and some balsam, the latter being generally the largest and cleanest-trunked.

These remarks apply to the timber until we reach the lower end of Mai'sh
Lake. On the head of the river, near the liike, some trees of fair size, 12 to 14
iiinhes in diameter, and carrying their thickness very well, could be got, but their
number was small, and they were much scattered.

At the cafion the timber is small and scrubby; below it thci'e were a few trees
that wouUI yield planks from 7 to 10 inches Avide, but they have been nearly all
cut by the minors, many of whom made rafts at the head of Lake Bennet, floated

down lo White Horse Rupids, and there abandoned lliem i\,v l>oats which they then
built.

The grca Diilk of the timber in the di.sti'ict suitable for manufactiiio into liiinbor
is to be found on the islands in the rivor. On tliem the soil is warmer and fioher,
tlio sun's rays striking the surface for a much longer time md more din-etly than on
tlio banks.

At the contUienee witli the Pelly, on the east side of tlie river, there is a grove
of spruce, from which some very nice lumber could be made, and on the isiiuids below
ihis mueh ot the same chisg of titnber exists. Near Whi*e and Stewart JJivers there
i> a good deal of nice clean timber, but it is small. It is said thei'e is more good
tim'
river,

ber on Stewart Hivcr in jiroportion to the ground wooded than on the main

RetM'cen Stewart River and the boundary there is not so much surface covered
with large trees as on many of the tlats above it, the valley being generally nar-
rower, and tlie sides steeper than higher up the river. Thi-s, of cour.se, precludes
the grow til >f timber.

To estimate the quantity of timber in the vicinity of the river in our territory
oiihl be an impossible task, having only such data as I was able to collect on my

>\';U' ttown.

1 would, however, say tliat one-t'ourlb of the area 1 have y;iven as agri-
.iilnital land ^\ould be a fair conjecluie. This would give us two and a half town-
-liips, V ninety s([uare miles, ot' fairly well timbered ground; but.it must lie borne
ill mind that there is not more thai\ a square mile or so of that in anj' one place, and
most of the timbc!' would be small and j)onr compared with the timber of Manitoba
and the easterly pari of the North- West Territories.

At the Boundary Line I required, as has already been exjilained, a tree 22 inches
in diameter at the ground on which lo erect my transit. An exhaustive search of
over three .square miles of the woods there, though showing many trees of convenient
-i/.e for house! logs, and many for snvall clean ])lanks, showed only one IS inches in
diameter at a distance of ;J feet above the ground.

It nuiy be said that the country might turnish muidi timber, which, though not
fit lo be classed as merchantalile, would uKH't many of the I'equirements of the only
industry the country- is evei' likely to have, viz., mining.

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MIXERALS.

Under this beail 1 will lii'st mention co;d. A ibii; seam ot this was found on
[,cwes River, about six miles above Five Finger Rajiids. This seam was about ;$
leet thick, and at that stage of water was f^ or H» feet above the river. It could be
ti'aecd tor several bundled yards along the bank. l>r. Dawson made an examination
•if this se.am, aiKM quote fro'u ids i-epoi'l regarding it: •■ This ex|iii-;ui'e iiu hides,
within fiU feet of the ^aso of the blulf. at least tlirec coal beds, of which the lowest
i.- about 3 feet thick. This and the other beds contain some good looking coal, of
\vliicb a thickness of'about a foot sometimes oceui?, but the gi'(>ater part of the
material is so sandy and imjiure as lo be usele>s. 'I'lie coal has beiMi examined by
jMr. G. C. Hoffman, who describes it as a lignite coal, wiih the lollowing compo.si-
lion : —

] lygroscopic wat e r 6'03

^^)latile combustible mailer ;{f)'!)2

Fixed Carbon 49t):j

Ash 8-02

10000

Six miles below Five Finger Rapids — at Little Raj : ! — thin seams of coal were
seen in .some shale on the east bank of the river. They were unimportant, being
only an inch or so thick, but they show a pi»b 'bio continuation nt'the first mentioned
bed, and a likelihood that a search would reveal an exposure of some value.

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No other trace of coal was pcen until Coal Creole, five miles below Forty Mile
Eivcr, was reached. In the drift at the month of this creek I picked up Hpecimens
of coal much weathered and worn. 1 made in((uirios of the Indians in the vicinity,
but they manifested surprise at my showing it to them and burning some of it before
them. Thoy professed entire ignorance of the existence of any such stuff up the
creek, and said they had never seen oi- heard of it, thougli they must, however, liavo
seen it at Bolle Isle, near which ]jlace there is some on a crecdc that comes in from
the west. Some of this Messi's. Harper i''^ McQuestion had liroiight to the post, and
burned there, and they had also sent some to San Francisco to be tested.

I made enquiries of the miners and of Mr. Jlaiper, but found that none of them
had any personal knowledge of the location of the seam. It appeared, howev<'r, that
an old man, who had gone out of the country in the fall, had spent part of the summer
prospecting on the creek, and though he found no gold he reported ahundanco of
coal, hut gave no further particulars. I had several conversations with some of the
miners about this coal, and was fortunate enough to enlist the interest ofoneof them,
Mr. James McAuley. of V'ictoi'ia, B.C. lie promised he would some time during tho
ensuing summer or fall go up the creek and try to tlnil the seam or seams, and com-
municate the result to me at the first opportunity'. This promise he has kept, and in
a letter dated at Port Townsend, W.T., 22nd October, l!SS8, ho says :

"I have measured those coal ledges that you desired I should examine in the
British possestsions. I brought some samples as far as St. ^Michel's, but the}' were
mislaid. Two of the ledges measure 5 feet and one 7, and there are others much
larger, but I did not have time to examine them."

That is all he says with rcfeienco to tho coal seams. Although it is not as
definite as one would wish, enougli, is stated to show that there is a large quantity
of coal on the creek. He does not say what distance it is u]) the creek, but the reason
for this is plain. When 1 asked him to make the search hedemuired, on the ground
that 1 would imblish his reply, and that some one with capital and influence might
benefit by ins discovery. I told him that if I published his discovery I would give
him credit for it, and that he need not be definite in his location, as all that 1 wished
to ascertain was as to tho quantity of coal ; and on this uudorstanding he consented to
make the search.

Xo other indications of coal Avere seen in that part of the country. Some of tho
drift specimens I picked u[) at the mouth of the creek were sent out foi' examination;
but when they reached Ottawa they were almost reduced to powder, and I have

heard nothing of any attempt at assay being made.

MKT.\LS l-'OIND ON THE RIVER.

About two miles up Forty Mile River there are lai'ge exposui'cs of a white anda
grey limestone, containing many thin seams and pockets of galena. One of tho
seams as seen on the baidc is of considerable extent, but as t^ its length there is no
evidence, as it is all covered with drift. Two specimens Avere sent out and have been
assayed by Mr. G. C. llotf'iuan, of the (Ecological Survey, with the following result:
Specimen mai'ked II, from Forty ^1 lie, about two and a half niiles up, contains : gold,
a distinct trace; silver, ii8j",f\ our.ces to the ton of 2,('00 pounds.

Specimen marked HI, from exposure on Forty Milo Eiver, about three-quarters
of a mile U]). contains neither gold nor silver.

Were these seams ])roperly surveyed the former might be found of sufficient
extent and value to warrant development.

Specimen marked I, from north bank of Polly-Yukon Eiver opposite the mouth
of Tondac River, about five miles above Foi-t Reliance, contains : gold, a trace;
silver, :},",,•*„ ounces to the ton.

Mr. Harper told me he had sent out specimens of tho latter ore to San Francisco
some years ago, for assay, and that it was pronounced good, but he could not give
the value. I did not make an examination of the seam, but it appeared to be e.Kten-
sivo. It is of bluish color on the surface, and earthy in appearance.

Specimen marked lllf, from near Station G34 of siirvej', or near Chan-din-ilii
River, ton or twulve miles below Fort Reliance, contains : gold, a trace ; silver, O'llT
(.uncos to the ton. Nothing was observed at this point to indicate an extensive
quantity of this ore.

It must be borne in mind that these specimes were found by accident. A closer
examination of the localities might reveal valuable seams. 1 have desci'i bed thesjioci-
mens found in the oi-dei' of their value. Though none of them arc rich, they show
that through an oxtensivedistrict there are at least indications of wealth. The order
in which they wore picked up on the river is, I, II 11, and 11. ami III together on
Forty Mile Hiver. From I to III is about forty miles in an airline, ^l was informed
that gold and silver bearing specimens of quart/, had been foimd on Sixty Mile
Crock, but I can give no details. I was also informed that ;i specimen of gold-bear-
ing quartz was picked up s jme years ago, high up on the side of the bank of Lewes
River, opposite the mouth ot White Iviver. It was sent to San Francisco and assayed,
,>howing the enormous value of ,S20,()00 to tjio ton. This specimen was picked up
above high water mark, so that it must have been f(jund at or nciir its origin, or
have been trausjtorted there by a glacier, the hank being about 1.200 I'eet high. No
turther detaiks regaiding this specimen could be learned.

An extensive ledge of gold-bearing (piartz is reported on the westerly side of
t!ie river, about two miles above Stewart Kiver, but regarding it I could leain
nothing dctinite. It may be a continuation of the same ledge which 3'ielded the
foregoing specimen.

While on Lake Bcnnel building our boa'. 1 found an extensive lodge of quartz,
and sent specimens of it out by Dr. Dawson. The assay sluAved that they eontained
only traces of gold. The h-dgc is t!0 to 80 feet wide, and can be easily traced
on the surface for three or four miles. A small ci'oek cuts through it about a mile
fiom the lake, and in this creek are found colors of gold.

While we wore working at yur boat an expert, emplnycd by some Caliiornia
capitalists, came in with an old man who bad made a dtiscent of the river the previous
summer. The old man and his party were storm-staid on what he called Lake
Iknnet, and while so delayed he found an enormous ox])()sure of what he thought
was gold-bearing rock. Ho took out specimens of it. and h.ad them assayeil al San
Francisco. The result was so promising (§8.80 of gold, and 1*2 cents of silver to the
ton) tliat he enlisted the interest of some ea|)italist8 who sent him out with the
export to locate and test it thoroughly. The okl man described the exposure so
minutel}- and ciicumstantially that one could scarcely disbcliovo hi> statouiont.
They looked for the ledge for some days, but could find nothing resembling what he
described. They then called upon me and requested my aid. As I was making all
possible haste to keep my appointment with Dr. Dawson at Pelly .River I was loath
to lose time in aiding the search, but, on account of the importance of the matter,
and the old man's carnestnoss ami importunity, and intluenco<l further by a certiticato
of assay which he had, showiiig the specimens to have yielded thi^ amounts stated
(about equal to the celcbrateil Treadwell mine at Juneau, Ahiska, the rock of which
ho said his mine much resembled), 1 at last consented.

1 spent a day and night searching with him and his associates, but we faileil to
find anything like what he describeil. The old man told so manv conflicting stories,
and seemed to know so little of the lake, that T became convincoil he was astray, and
liad been hoaxed b^' some one with a piece of the Treadwell rock. I then left them
to shift for themselves. The expert took the .same view of the nuitter, and, as ho
was in charge of the search, ended it there.

1 afterwards, on Tagish Lake, saw a place much i-osembling that describeil. It
is on the scuith side of the lake, and just oast of iis junction with the Takono arm.
I was strongly of opinion that this is the place ho referred to, and would have
examined it to verify my impression, bat the wind was too strong and tlie lake too
rough to allow of crossing over.

These are all the indications of ore in situ which I saw or heard of.

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The gold hcx-otofore foumi and worked in tho district has been all placer gold.
Search was made tor it occasioiially by us along the lakes and river as we descended,
but, with llie exception of the colors mentioned at the quart/ ledge on Lake Bennet,
none was found until after wo had passed Lake Labarge, ahout six miles below
which, at a sharp, short bend in the river, we found in a bar many colors to the pan.
It may be said generally that colors are found anywhere on the i-ivor between that
point and the bonndiiiy, and also on all tho tributaries which have been prospected.

It is ])rohable that we have not less than 1.41)0 miles of stream in our part of
the district, upon all of which gold can be found.

About eighteen miles below the Tes-lin-too I saw the tirst i>lace that had been
worked for gold. Here a hut had been erected, and there were indications that a
party had wintered there. Between it and Big Salmon Iviver si.K other locations
weie met with. One of them, named Cassiar Bar, was worked in the season of 188(J,
1)3' a party of four, who took out Sfi,000 in thirty days. They were working there
when 1 passed in 1887, but stated that all they could get that season was al)OUt §10
])er day, and that it was then (3rd August) about worked out. At the time of my
visit they were trying tlie bank, butfound the ground frozen at adepth of about three
ieet, though there was no timber oi- moss on it. The}' had recourse to tii'C to thaw
out the ground, but found this slow work.

Two of this party subsequently went down to Forty Mile River, where I met one
of them, lie was ji Swede, and had been gold mining for upwards of twenty-five
years in California and Bi'itish Columbia. He gave me his opinion on tho district in
these words: "1 never saw a iountry where there was so much gold, and so evenly
distributed ; no place is very rich, but no place is very ]>oor; every man can make a
"grub stake'' (that is enough to feed and clolhe him for a year), which is more than
I can say of the other places I have been in.''

In conversation with Mr. T. Eoswell, who, as ali-eady stated, had prospected the
Tes-lin-too. or Xewberrj' River, in the summer of 1887, I learned that the whole
length of that river yielded fine gold, generally at the rale of §8 to $10 jierday; but
as the miners' great desideratum is coarsen y'o'd, they do not remain long in a country
in which the fine gold only is found — generally no longer than is necessary to make
a "grub stake," unless the gold is in unusually large quantities. Mr. Boswell theri>-
fore went to the lower part of the river, having heard the reports of rich tinds.

Stewart River was the first in the district on which mining to any extent was
done, in 18S(J there were quite a number of miners on it engaged in washing gold,
and they all apjiear to have done fairly well. Theirexact number f could not ascertain.

I may say that it is generally very difficult to get any exact, or even ap])roxi-
mately exact, statement of facts or values from miners. .Many of them are invete-
rate jokers, and take delight in hoaxing; the higher the official or social position of
the person they hoax the better they are pleased. 1 have several times found that
after sj)eniling houi's getting information from one of them it would bo all contra-
dicted by the next one I met. Anotlic ciuse of difficulty in getting trustworthy
information from them is that, in ti certain sense, the}' consider every tioverntnent
official or agent their enemy, and that he is in the country to spy upon their doings,
and find out their earnings, which latter the great majority of them are very averse
to have known.

So far as 1 could see or learn, thoj' do not even disclose to each other their earn-
ings for the season. I met one or two who told me that they had made a certain
amount in the season, but on enquiry among the rest, these statements were ridiculed
and declared untrue. As a rule, they are very generous and honest in their dealings
with their Adlow men, but a desire for coi'rect geographical or statistical know-
ledge does not actuate very manj' of them : hence the disagreement and often con-
tradiction in their statements.

I have heard the amount of gold taken fr^ m off Stewart River in 1885 and 188G
estimated at various amounts. One estimate was $300,000, but this must be exces-
sive. The highest amount I heard as I'eprosenting one man's earnings was about
|(),000. This may be true, as many agree that $30 per day, per man, was common

on many of the bars on the river, and instances of as high as ^100 per day having
been earned were S])oken of.

The only miningdone on Stewart River was on the bars in the river; the bench
and bank barH were all timbered and frozen, no that to work them would entail a
r<.'«ort tohj'raulic mining, for which there was no raachineiy in the country.

During tlio fall of 188fJ, three or four miners combined and got the owners of
the"Xew Racket" steam lioat to allow the use of her engines to woik pumps for
sluicing with. The boat was hauled ujt on a bar, her engines detached from the
wheels, and made to drive a set of pumps manufactured on the grounrl, which sup-
plied water for a set of sluicing boxe:^. AVith this crude machinery in less than a
month the miners cleared §1,000 each, and paid an equal amount to the owners of
the boat as their share.

Alexander McDonald, who has been meutionod before, reported to mo that the
gold on the upper river was somewhat coarser than thaton the lower, but not enough
so as to be called "coarse gold." He seemed to be .satisfied with the result of his
season's pnwpecliiig, and intended spending the ne.xt season there.

Many of the nuners who had s))ent 188ti on Stewart Jiiver and 188" on Forty
Mile Eiver, seemed to think the former the better all round mining tield, as there
were no such failures there as on Korty Mile, and they declareil tlieir intention to
make their way back to the Stewart for the season of 1888.

Forty Mile River is the only river in the district on which, up to the fall of
1888, coarse gold had been Ibund, arul i( may lie said that much of it can hardly
claim that distinctive title. The laigest nugget found was worth about §31). it
was lost on the body of a miner who was drowned at the canon. Several other
nuggets of much less value have been found, but the number of pieces which one
could call " nugget" are tew.

The miners term Forty Mile a " bed-rock" creek — that is, one in the bed of which
thei'e is little or no drifi, or detrital matter, the bottom of the river being beii-rock.
In many places this I'oek has been scrape(l with knives by the miners, in order to
gathei- the small amount of detritus an<l its accompanying gold.

A'eiy little ot the gold on this creek was lound in (.'anadian territory, the
coarsest gold being fouml well up the river. The river had been prospected in 1887
for upwards of one hundred miles, and gold found all the way up. The great point
with a miner is to tind where the gold comes trom. To do this he has to i-each a
jioint on the river wIkm'C there is none; then he knows he has ])nssed the .source, and
will search in side valle3's and gulches. The theory seems to be that the gold is
stored up somewhere and drilibled out along the river.

Pieces of goMdiearing quarts had frequently been picked up alonir the river in
the shallow drift, but none had been found in phice, nor did ii appear to me that
much search had iieen made for it. Near the mouth of the river there is an exten-
sive Hat of detrital matter through which a couple of small creeks flow. This is all
said to be gold-bearing, and, it was thought, wonld pay well for sluicing. Accord-
ingly, a couple of claimants had staked otf claims at the moutli of the creeks, and
intended to try sluicing in the season of 1888. 1 have not heard how the venture
succeeded.

During the season of 1887 some miners ])rospecfed Pelly River, but [ have no
infornuUion as to their success. Dr. Dawson mentions the tact of their being there,
but does not appear to have got any statistics from them.

Dig and Little Salmon Rivers have also been prospected, with the usual I'esult
that more or less gold has been found everywhere.

1 tliink it nuiy, with confidence, be asserted that lich finds will yet be made of
both- coarse gold and gold-bearing quartz. It is not likely in the nature of things
(hat such a vast extent of country should have all its fine gold deposited as sediment,
brought from a distance, in past ages of the world's development. If this is not the
case, the matrix, from which all tiie gold on these streams lias come, must still exist,
in part at least, and will no doubt bo discovered, and thus enrich this otherwise
gloomy and desolate region.

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III

There are mnu}' bank and bench bars along the rivor which wouhl pay well if
sluiced, but there is no convenient or economical way of getting water on them, and
there is no ])unipinfij machinery as yet in the country. One bank bar of largo extent,
called Rogers' H;ir, Jiibt below Old Man Rock, attracteil attention in the spring of
1888, and some miners were thiid<ing of getting in an engine and pumps to work it.
I made an estimate of the si/e of engine required for their needs, and computed the
probable cost of the plant laid down, but it does not appear that they made any further
move.

This bar is moi-o than fifty feet above the water. It fronts on the river for moie
than two miles, and is in places nearly two miles deep. Ft is believed that in past
ages the Old Man and Old Woman locks were connected, 'and formed a barrier across
the river over which there was a catai'act. Below this the tine gold remained, while
the sand and gravel were in |iart carried further down. So impressed wei'e some
persons with thr ]>••( pi-ctof rich linds on this bar that they thought of bringing water
across from ti)C . i level of Forty Mile River, a distance of over thirty miles; but
when I weiuup Forty Mile River to the boundary I saw that it could not be done
without the/lid of force ])umps, and I explained this drawback to them. This bar
is said to yield four to six cents to the ])an, which, with plenty of water tor sluicing,
woidd pay well, while its lai'ge extent would warrant considerable outlay. Doubt-
less there are many other bars as rich as this one, though not as large.

Platinum isgenei;:! v iinind associated with gold. This is particularly the ca.so
on Forty Mile 7'. , .

As ver}' tew uut^'' le 'f mlr..:ig communities understand anything of the nom-
enclature of the cr;'f , ti ■ • te luethods employed to separate the very small (juanti-
ties of the precious motal iVe.a I'at baser material with which it is associated, a short
descriptioi. -".id no* bo out of j.'"' <

^\'hcn a miner " ■ tvii''38" a ^ ''o- " prospects " it by washing a few panfuls of
thf gravel or sand ot wh'' . if. : Cv. posed. According to the number of " colors "
he tinds to the pan, fhat is, the numb' ■ ■ f ,ie^ks of gold he can see in his pan, after
all the dirt has been washed out, he judges of its richness. Many of them have so
much experience that they can tell in a few minutes, very nearly, how much a bar
will yield per day to ihe man.

The process of " placer " mining is about as follows: After clearing all the coarse
gravel a)ul stone off a patch of gi'ound, the miner lifts a little of the finer gravel or
sand in his pan, which is a broad, shallow dish, made of strong sheet iron; he then
]1uts in water enough to till the pan, and gives it a few rapid whii'ls and shakes ; this
tends to bring the gold to the bottom on account of its greater specific gravity. The
dish is then shaken and held in such a way that the gravel and sand are graduallj''
washed out, care being taken as the process nears completion to avoid letting out the
finer and heavier ])arts that have settled to the bottom. Finally all that is left inthe
pan is whatever gold may have been in the dish and some black sand which almost
invariably accomi)anies it.

This black sand is nothing but pulverised magnetic iron ore. Should the gold
thus found bo tine, the contents of the pan are thrown into a barrel containing water
and a pound or two of n\ercury. As soon as tin' gold comes in contact with the
mercury it combines with it and forms an amalgam. The process is continued until
enough amalgam has been formed to pay tor "roasting" or "firing. ' it is then
si|ueeze<l through :i buckskin bag, all the mercury that comes through the bag being
put back into the liarrel to serve again, and what remains in the bag is placed in a
retort, if the miner has one. or, if not, on a shov»d, and heated until nearly all the
mercury is vaporizeil. The gold then remains in a lump with some mercury still
held in combination with it.

This is called the " pan ' or "hand" method, and is never, on account of its
slowness and laborionsness, continued for any length of time when it is possible to
procure a " rocker," or to make and work sluices.

A "rocker" is simply a box about three feet long and two wide, made in two
parts, the top part being shallow, with a heavy sheet iron bottom, which is punched

lull of qiuvrtcf-iiu'h holes. The other part of tlie box is fitted witli an inclined shelf
about inidwuy in its depth, which is six or eight inches lower at its lower end than
at its iip])er. Over this is placed a piece of heavy woollen blanket. The whole is-
then mounted on two rockers, much resemblintij those of an ordinary cradle, and when
in use they ai'e placed on two blocks of wood, so that the whole may lie readily rocked.
After the miner has selected his claim, he looks for thi^ most convenient place to sot
u|» his " rocker," which must be near a sfooil supply of water. Then he |)rocecds to
clear away all the stones and coarse f)ji'avel, s^athcrini^ the tiiiei- ffrav<d 'and sand in a
heap near the '• rocker." The shallow box on top is tilled with this, and with one
hand the miner rocks it, while with tiie other he ladles in water. The tiner matter
wuth the g<^\d falls throui^h the boles on to the blanket, which checks its progress,
and holds the fine ])articles of gold, while the sand and other matter pass over it to
iiie bottom of the box, which is slopeil so that what comes through is washed down-
wards and finally out of the box. Across the bottom of the box are fixed thin slats,
behind which .some mercury is placed to catch any ])articles of gold which may
escape the blanket. If the gold is iiuggety, the large nuggets are found in the ujjper
box, their weight detaining them until all the lighter stutf has pa.sscd throiigh, and
the smaller i)nes ari^ held liy a deeper slat at the outward end of the bottom of the
box. The piece of blanket is, at intervals, taken out and rinsed into a barrel; if the
gold is fine, mercury is ])laced at the bottom of the barrel, as already mentioned.

Sluicing is always employed when possible. It requires a good supply of water
with sufficient head or fall. The process is as follows : I'lanks are procured and
formed into a box of suitable width and depth. Slats are fixed across the bottom of
the box at suitable intei'vals. or shallow holes bored in the bottom in such onler that
no particle could run along the bottom in a straight line and escape without running
over a hole. Sevei-al of these boxes are then set up with a considerable slope and
are fitted into (jne another at the end like the joints of a stove-pipe. A slieam of
water is now directed into the ujipei- end of the highest box. The gravel having
been collected, as in the case of the rocker, it is shovelled into the upper box and is
washed downwards by the strong ctirrent of water. The gold is detained by its
weight, and is held liy the slats or in the holes mentioned ; if it is fine, mercury is
placed behind the slats oi- in these b<tles to catch it. ]n this way about three times
as mucli dirt can be washed as by the rocker, and consequently three times as much
gold secured in a given time. After the boxes are done with they are burned, and
the ashes washed for the gold held in the wood.

Unfortunately, on Lewes and I'oUy Rivers there is no way of sluicing without
the aid of pump.s, there being no streams with fall enough to get the necessary cur-
rent in the sluice Itoxes.

There is very little reliable information as to the amount of gold that has been
taken out of the district since its iliscovery and development. The following is the
best estimate which I can form on the subject :

Stewart Kiver was pretty well worked for two seasons, 1885-86_ by about forty
men, some of whom made at least S."),tl(>(l. Assuming that they averaged half that
amount, we liave $100,001) as their earnings. Forty Mile River, the only other stream
from which any large qiiantity has been taken, was w(n'ked in the summer of 1S87
by about three hundred nu^n, many of whom spent only a few weeks on the river,
vime only a tew days. The statement made by those of whom I enquired was that
all who worked on the river for any length of time made a ' grub stake." Putting
this at the lowjst value I hoard placed on it, Sb")t). and assutning that two hundred
and lifty men made each this sum. we have ^H'JjOOO as the amount taken out on
this stream. I have heard the sum placed as high as 8180,000.

All the gold taken from the other streams by prospectors would not amount to
more than a few thousand dollars, so that it is probable the total amount taken out
of the whole district is in the vicinity ofaqu.'irter of a million dollars, of which
about half was taken out in our territory.

I learned that the prevailing high vvater interfered very much with the success
of the miners in the season of 1888, and that many of them left the country in the

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fall. It is probable, liowover, that a few will romain pnwpecting until something
rich is found.

As r)r. Dawson has reporte<l on the geology of the region along the Lowes, and
Mr. Mt'Connoll has made an examination of the I'iver from Porcupine River, it is
needless to do more than I'ofer to their reports. I may briefly state however that
the whole course of the river in Canada is through a mountainous country, the rocks
of wliich, as far as seen, are principally granite, schists, shales and some limestone,
the Uittgr at.Lake Labarge. There is also some basalt at the caaon and at the con-
fluence with Polly River.

.Tust below Coal Creole a range of high mountains comes in from the south-east,
and continues down the river^ past tlie boundary. These mountains are composed
principally of limestone, with occasional exposui-e of shalo and sandstone.

While going down the river with the survey 1 located some prominent peaks by
tj'iangulation, and determined their height. Unfortunately, f could not, owing to
cloudy weather, get as many as 1 wished. Those located are shown on my map of
the survey. I have named a lew of them, as they have not, to my knowledge, been
previously named.

One of them, seen from the south end of Lake Labarge. on the east side, I have
named Mount Dawson, after Dr. Dawson of the Ceological Survey. Its altitude
above the lake was t.-iken from two points on the east side, from which its
distance Vvas, respectively, 724'5 and 773 chains. The height as deduced from the
observed angles of elevation of the top from each station was, respectively, 3,238
and 3,203 feet. Part of this illfference is no doubt due to want of precision in the
instrument used, and jiurt to the fact that the same point may not have been sighted
on from both stations. The latter height is probably the nearer to the truth. The
altitude of the lake 1 have ptit at 1,959 feet, which would make the height of the
mountain 5,222 feet above the sea.

Another peak near the boundary I have named Blount Morrison, after a member
of my ])ai'ty ; and another Mount Gladmaii after another member. These two peaks
ai'e the highest seen from the river in the vicinity of the boundary. Mount Morrison
was ascended and its height determined by aneroid barometer, the mean of the
readings at starting from and retui-ning to the river being compared with the reading
at the top. The difference between tlie two readings.-it the I'iver was about fifty feet.
The height thus determined was 2,390 feet, which gives tlie attitude above sea 3,180
feet. Mount Giadman was apparently a little higher.

The only people doing business in the country outside of gold mining were
Messrs. llarper, McQuestion it Co. They have bei;n trading at several points on the
river pretty constantly since 1873. They oecupied Fort Reliance for H(MTie years,
and in 18815 they estidjlished a post at Stewart River to meet the demands of the
mint-rs who were working there. They did not anticipate the rush to the country
that took place in that year, and their supplies ran short, so that all were for some
months on the verge of starvation. Unfortunately, too, scurvy broke out in the camp,
and there was much sutfering.

In 1887 they established a post at Forty Mile River, wdiither nearl}'^ all the
miners had gone, coarse g(jld having been discovered there during the previous fall.
During the winter of 1887-88 they did business at both these posts, Messrs. Harper
.& McQuestion being in chtlrge at Forty Mile, and Mr. Mayhew at Stewait River.
The latter post was kept open principtilly for the Indian trade, though had there
been no miners there it is probable they would have abandoned it. I could not
learn definitely the amount of their sales to the miners in 1887, as it is a delicate
question to ask a person who is selling foreign goods in Canadian territory to reveal
to a Canadian employed by the Government the amount of his trade. Very likely,
had I asked the question, 1 would have received a short answer, though in evory
other way 1 am under great obligation to Messrs. Harper & McQuestion for acts of
kindness and attention, both sought and unsought.

A person who had a good idea of the amount or their business during the season
estimated their sales at S()0,000, and from facts which came umler my own observa-
tion I consider this not far from the truth.

Its of

lasoii
jrva-

Until the minerH visited the country the trade done by this firm wjh confined to *
barter with the natives for tiirs. I undcristand that they do a hort of coniniiHsion
businesft for the AiasUa Commercial nnd Kur Trading Comjiany — tliat is, the com-
pany supply goods at a certain advance on San Francisco prices, and deliver them
at the trading post at a certain rate per ton. In payment they take whatever ])elt8
have been collected at a certiiin ])rearranged price, varying according to the stateof
the fur market. 1 understand, however, their freight charges remain constant, ami
are $'iiO per ton for goods paid for in furs, and $125 jior ton for goods paid for in
cash, the latter being the goods imported for the use of the minors.

Tfieir prices for goods in 1887 were not exorbitant, although there must have
been a fair profit. They were : flour, $17.50, per liundrod pounds; liacon $40 per
hundred ;-beans, $18 per bushel ; sugar, $iiO per hundred, and tea, $1.25 per ])ound.
Both of these gentlemen came into the country in the summer of 1872, Mi-. Harper
crossing the mountaii»s from the Cariboo gold fields in British Columbia, and
descending Liard Kiver to the .Mackenzie. He wont down the latter river an<l up
the Peel, whence he crossed to the waters of the Porcupine, which ho descended to
the Yukon ; he then went up ttio latter to White River, where he wintered.

Mr. McQuestion came in at the same time by way of Peace River, trading for a
short time around Lake Athabasca before he descended the Mackenzie.

The principal furs procured in the district are the silver-grey and black fox,
the immber of which bears a greater ratio to the number of red foxes than in any
other part of the country. The red fox is very common, and a S]>ecie8 called the
blue is abundant near the coast. Marten, or sable, are also numerous, as are lynx;
but otter are scarce, and beaver almost uidvnown.

It is probable that the value of the grey and black fox skins taken out of the
country more than equals in value all the other furs. I could got no statistics con-
cerniiig this traile for obvious reasons.

Game is not now as abundant as before mining began, and it is difficult, in fact
impossible, to get any close to the rivei-. The Indians have to ascend the tributary
streams ten to twenty' miles to get anything worth going after. Hereon the upian<ls
vast herds of cariboo still -wander, and when the Indians encounter a herd liiey
iillow very few to escape, even though they do not recjuire the moat. When they
liare plenty they are not at all provident, and consequently are often in want when
game is scarce. They often kill aninials which they know are so poor as to be use-
less for food, just for the love of slaughter.

An Indian who was with me one day saw two cariboo pa.ssing and wanted me
1o shoot them. T ex])lained to him that we had plenty, and that I would not destroy
them uselessly, but this did not accoi'd with his i(ieas. lie felt displeased beciuise I
<lid not kill them myself or lend him my rifle for the purpose, and romai'kod in as
good English as ho could command: "1 like to kill whenever I see it."

Some years ago moose wore very numerous along the river, but now they aro
very seldom seen, except at some distance back fron\ it. Karly in the winter of
1j^S7-88 the Indians remained around tin? miners' camps, and suUsisted by hogging
until all further charity was refused. Even this for some time did not stir them, and
it was not until near Christmas that sheer hunger drove them off to hunt. Ono
party went up the Tat-on-duc some fifteen or twenty miles, and in a short time was
i'evelling in game, especially cariboo. The other party did not succeed tor some
liniG in getting anything, although a large district was searched over, but
tinally went up Coal Creek about twenty miles, and there killed eighteoen moose in
one day. They brought in two thousand pounds of the meat to iho ])ost, and sold it
for ten cents per pound to the miners, with whom it was in great demand on account
of the prevalence of scurvy in the camp.

A boom \n mining would 80oi\ exterminate the game in the district along the
river.

There are two species of cariboo in the country; ono, the ordinaiy kind, found in
most parts of the North-Westj and said to much resemble the reindeer ; the other,

called the "wood cariboo," ii much larcjer and more hoaiitiful animal. Except that
tlio antlers are much Hmallor, it appears to me to resemble the elk or wapiti.

The ordinary cariboo runs in herds, often numbering hundreds. It is easily
api)roached, and, when lire<l at. Jumps around awhiK' as though undecided what to
do; it then runs a short distance, but just us likely towards the hunter as from him,
Hto])s again, and so on for a number of times. At last, after many ot^ thorn have
been killed, the remainder start on a continuous run, and piobabi}' dn not stop until
they have covered twenty or thirty miles. When the Indians tind a herd they
suriound it, gradually contracting the circle thus formed, \\lui\ the animals, being
too timid to escajie by a sudden rush, are slaughtered wholesale.

Theie arc four species of bears found in the district — (ho grizzly, brown, black,
and a .small kind, locally known as the "silver-tip," the latter being grey in color,
with a white tliroat and beard, whence its name. It is said to be tierce, and not to wait
to be attacked, but to attacdc on sight. I had not the pleasure of seeing an^', but
heard many "yarns" about them, some of which, 1 think, wore "hunters' tales."
It a]»pears. however, that miners and Indians, unless travelling in numi)ers, or
specially well armed, give them as wide a berth as they conveniently can.

Wolves are not plentiful. A few of the common grey species only are killed,
the black being very scarce.

The arctic rabbit or hare is sometimes found, but they are not numerous. There
is a curious fact in connection with the ordinary hare or rabl)it which 1 have observed
but of which I have never yet seen any satistiictory explanation. Their nund^ei's vary
from a veiy few to n\yriads, in periods of seven years. For about three years one
may travel for days without .seeing more than a sign of them; then for two years
they are numerous, and increase for two years more, until finally the country is
alive with them, when they begin to disappear, and in a few mimths there are none
to be seen. If it is an ejiidemic that carries them olf, it is strange that their, car-
casses aro never observed in any number.

It appears the martens are also subject to a periodical increase and decrease,
and in this case a satisfactory explanation of the cause is also wanting.

The mountain sheep (Hig-horn), and mountain goats exist over^'whero in the
territory : but, as they generally fre(iuent the sides of the highest mountains, they
are seldom seen from the river.

Birds are scarce. A few ravens were seen along the river, and three or four
remained in the vicinity of the boundary all winter. They were genei-ally more
active and noisy on stormy days than at other times, and their hoarse croak had a
dismal sound amid the roar of the elements.

A lew magpies were seen near Nordenskiold River, and a few while-lioaded
eagles were also noticed.

During the winter, near the boundary, immbors of small birds, somewhat
resembling the "chick-adee," were scon, but they wore much larger and had not the
same note. Of owls, not a specimen was met with anywliere. Partridges were very
scarce, only half a dozen or so of the ordinary kind being noticed ; but at the head of
the Tat-on-duc and Porcupine ptarmigan were abundant. Wild geese and ducks are
plentiful in their season, and of ducks there are manj' more species than I have seen
in any other part of the territory. Most of these were observed on the head of the
Porcupine; but, having no means of preserving the skins, 1 had to come away with-
out specimens. A very beautiful species of loon or diver was met with on the
Poi-cupine. It is smaller than the great northern diver, but marked much the same
on the body, the ditt'erencc being principally in the head and neck — the bill is sharper
and finer and the head smaller ; but its chief distinguishing feature is the neck,
which is covered with long, beautiful dun-colored down for more than half its length
from the head downwards. I tried to kill one so as to get the skin as a specimen,
but after I had tired three times at close range with heavy shot it seemed as lively
as if 1 had not fired at all. I then killed it with my ritle, but the bullet so tore and
mangled the skin that it was useless.

i)i

Willi the exception of u Binnll Hpocios, locally cuUod the arctic troiit, HhIi are not
mmuMoiis in tlio district. Scliwatku callH thin trout tlio .irraylin(.j, Imt I'roni the
(Ichcripti<iii8 iiihI drawiiif^'s of' that tish whicii I liavc socn this is a <litlt'rci»( tisli. It
Bcldoiu «'X('('o(ls ten incht'H in Icni^tli, and has tins very large t'oi- its size, which f^ivo
it, when in motion, the apnearanfe of havinu; winiC'S. IIh dorsal tin in very larj^o^
ln'in^>: tally hall' the lenf^th of the hody, and very hi,u;h. The tish is of a hrownish
Si'rey color on the back and siiles, and lii'hier on tjie helly. it is found in lai-^'e num-
bt-rs in the npj)er part of the river, especially where the current is swift, and takes
any kind of bait lireedily. The (lesh is somewhat soft and not very palatable. Lake
(rout are caught in the lakes, but as far as 1 .''aw, are not numerous nor of large size.
They lake a troll bait readily, and a few were caught in that way coining down the
lakes, but the largest did not weigh nmre than six or seven pounds. Salmon came
uj), 1 wa.s assiireil by several Indians, natives of the district, as far as Lake Labargo,
and are never found above it, but Dr. JJawson reports their ilead bodies along the
river for some miles above the cafion. 1 mention thibtoshow iho unreliability of
information received from the natives, who frciiuentl}' neilber urub^'-itand nor are
understood.

On the way down salmon were first seen twenty ok twenty-five miles above Five
Finger l{apids. One can easily trace their passage through the water by the slight
lijiple they make on the surface and, with carCj they can he taken by gently placing
a scoop net in their way and lifting ilicm out when they enter it. After coming up
the river two thousand miles they are poor, and would not realize much in the mar-
ket. At the boundary, in the early winter months, the Indians caught some that
were frozen in on small streams, and fed them to their dogs. Some of these I saw ;
(hey were poor and spent.

I bad very little opjiortunity to learn anything of the language, niannei-s, cus-
toms, or religion of the natives on ni}' way througb their country, my time with
them being so short, and n(me ot the whites whom I met in the district seemed to
possess any information upon whicli I could draw. I got a few items, but as they
mayor may not be lacts, I shall not report them. The statements of every one I
juet, however, pretty well establi>b that by one of their laws inheritance is thn^ugh
the mother.

As far as ]>ossible I have obtained the numbers of the various bands along the
river. 'Beginning at the coast the numberof the Chilkoots, as state<l by Commander
IS^cwcll, was 138 souls, of whom about 40 were full-grown men.

As far as 1 could gather from f J. Carmack, who lives with the Tagisb Indians,
and has one of them for a wife, there are of them about 112 souls all told, but many
of these ai'e almost permanently located with theChilkoots, some of the latter having
J'agish wives.

The Tagish complained bitterly to me, as well as they coubl, having only a few
words ot Chinook and English with which to convey their meaning, of the tyranny
and robbery of the Chilkoots. Klolik-slnin, the Chief of the Tagish, said " (-hilkoot
;dl samo dog,'' imitating the snapping action of a <log as he said so. Those who have
liai] any experience witli Indian dogs can appreciate the compari.son, Tlu^se people
.'ire scattered along the river from the Tes-lin-too up. The only market thtiy have
at ])i'esent for the few furs the^'^ collect is on the coast at the head of (he Inlet, and
they say they are robbed of half their goods on the way there by theChilkoots. On
my way to the summit 1 met tiiree or lour Tagish coming in with two packs of furs,
to trade. Meeting me atli'rwar(is at the summit, one of them informed me thai they
were met a short distance outside the village, and one of the packs was taken from
them by force, and the other paid for at forced prices. Much of this talk I have no
doubt was intended to create sympathy, and induce charity, as they, like many other
Indians, are inveterate beggars; but I have no doubt that they are little more than
slaves to the Chilkoots, and are both robbed and swindled most barefacedly.

Below Five Finger Rapids I saw two families of Indians, consisting of ten or
twelve souls, very poor looking, and the most stupid I have ever met. Wanting to
buy some tea and other stuff from me, they tendered in payment the tin stamps that

-I

ill I

!<■ <

: I

are put l»y noino munufacturors on plugs of toliacco. ThoHO, they Higtiiflod to us, had
buon given to them in exchimgo for fufH \)y the ooast IndianH. It is posHible that
they had got thoni from the Indians on the tobacco, and wore trying to swindle me,
but I am inclined to think not. ■

At Htcwart Ilivcr lh(<ro were two Indian men, two women, and two ciiildren.
One of the men ha<i picked up a few wctrds of English from the minors and traders
the winter hoforo, and, as far as he oould be, was very communicative. lie informed
mo that there were about thirty tamilies of Indians up the river twenty or thirty
miles, " one day," as be expressed it. They were living on salmon, an<l had no
trouble in catching all they required.

Between Stewart Itiver and IA)ity Mile Hiver three families were met with, but,
as they knew neither English nor Chinook, no information as to their headquarte"
could be got from them. It is ])robable they woro a part of the band locuted at Ko
Holiancc. ^[r. Harper informed me that the band at the latter place numbered alioui
twelve families, or, say, 70 souls. At Eollfc Isle, fifteen miles Lolow the boundary,
David's baml is located. It numbers 65 to 70 souls. About one hundred miles below
the boundary Charley's band has its hoad([uarters. It numbers some twelve fami-
lies, in all about (!() souls. I came inore in contact with the last two bands than with
any of the others, as David's band was onlj' twelvo miles from my winter quarters
for some months, and many of them were tici|uenlly in the house with me for a
night or two on their way to and from Forty Mile River. A missionary sent over
by the Eight Kov. liishoj) Bompas, who is in charge of the diocese of Mackenzie River
for the Church Missionary' Society of England, was stationed with David's band all
winter.

Some years ago, when Aichdeacon ^McDonald, now in charge of the mission work
at Fort Mcl'horsoi., on Peel River, was stationed at Fort Yukon, and afterwards at
Rampart House, ("barley's band used to resort to those ])OSts for their trade, and that
gentleman taught them to read, and instructed them in the principles of the Christian
leligion. It is pleasant to be able to testify that they have profited by this instruc-
tion, and still retain a loving memory of those times. They hold every Sunday
scrviceamong themselves, reading from their books the prayers and lessons for t
day, and singing iiT their own language to somoold tunea simple hymn. They ne\ .
go on a journey of any length without these books, and always read a portion before
they go to sleep. I do not pretend that these men are faultless, or that they do not
niied watching, but I do believe that most of them are sincere in their professions and
strive to do what they have been taught is right. They are greeily and seltish in
their transactions with whites, but L tliink much of that is because they have prob-
ably never had the sin of undue gi-eed put forcibly before them by their pastor. Their
chief, Charley, is a tine specimen of a level-headed, thoughtful Indian, who, up to the
time of my departure, at least, did not fail to point out to his people the baneful effect
of immoral intercourse with the whites. The majority of the minors, though honor-
able and genex'ous to u fault in their dealings with the Indians, as far as ordinary
dealing goes, have, I am sorry to say, little or no conscientious scruples concerning
the moral relations of the sexes, and would not hesitate to take advantage of any
weakness in that direction which the^- might find.

David's and Charley's bands manifested to me a inuch strongei* sympathy for
Canada than for the United States. Some of this feeling might be due to policy, for
aughjt. I know, but hitherto most of their dealings and all their education have been
Canadian. The total number on the river is 482, of whom 136 are below the
boundary, leaving 84(j domiciled in Canada. It does not appear that any live per-
manently on the upper Polly or Stewart.

I shall now give a table of distances from Haines Mission on the coast at the
head of Chilkoot Inlet to the boundaiy. Some distances were given in my interim
report published in the Departmental report of 1887, but as they were not corrected
for errors in the survo}', I now submit a revised table. The error of the survey is
found from the ditference of latitude, as deduced from the survey, by measuring on the
plan the northing made in each day's work, and applying this northing converted into

arc 10 the lutitiulo of tlio itrovi()U>* (iny'n last statinn (lodiicoil in tho same way, ami
HO on from tlio Ktartinij point, I'yrninicl Inland, to tho obnorved latitiidoH at Fort Sel-
kirk, and at tho honndaiy — tho former tnk«>n by l>r. hawHon, tlut laltor by nivwoll".
Tho orior is cumuhitivo, and distribuled ]irolty iinilbrnuly, taking both lalitudo and
jon/^itude into account.

DI8TANCEH FROM HAINE8 MISNION,

Ilainos MisKion to ontrnnce of Taiyu Inlet .' 4T1>

Jload of Taiya Inlot 2()1U

Jlead of oanoo navigation, Taiyft River 'JG()2

F.,rks of Taiya Rivor 2S-5(>

Siinunit of Taiya Pass ;M-88

Landing at Lake Lyndcman 1318

Footof Lake Lyndoman 47(11

Hoad of Lake hennet 4x-2l

Boundary lino B. C. and X. \V. T. (Lat. (50*) 58-21

Foot of Lake Bonnet 73!)7

Foot of Cariboo Ciossing (Lake Xarew of Schwatkuj liioG

Foot of Tagfish Lake , 03;{7

Jlead of Marnh Lake !IS'27

Foot of Marsh Lake 117-33

Jload of Cafion 11306

Foot of Canon 14368

Jlead of Whito Jlorso Ra])id8 145-07

Foot of White llorso Jiapids 145-45

Tahk-hoona Rivor.. ..^ I(;(l(l4

Head of Lake Lab.'irgo 173'1!)

lAiot. of Lake Labarge 20434

Tos-iin-too Ki%-or (Nowberry of S hwatkaj 23t!-00

Big Salmon Jtivor of minors ( D'A(>b,idio of Scliwatka) 2(i0-4r»

Little Salmon Hivor of miners (Di' \- of Schuatka) 305(i(J

Jive Finger Jiapids (Jiink Rapids I Sohwatkaj 304"95

Polly River 42341

White Itivor 5lit23

Stewart Rivor 529(13

Fort lioliance GU2-32

Forty-Mile River ()47-20

Boundary Line (iH7'55

Tn tho appendi.K will bo found my nioteorological observations, which T began
to keep regulaily on the Isl of August, l^-'^'T, and carried on till tho l~t of Xovom^er,
1888, but 1 will hero give some extracts from th«m. First snow of the season on
llio mountain tops, 10th September. ^First snow in the valley, 23rd Sepfombor.
Toniperalure of river water on Ist Oct<dier, 38-0'^. First ice drifting in rivor, 21st
October. Ice sot in river, 15th November. Thickness of icv, 1st December, 14^
inches ; 3rd January, 4<>^ inches ; 3rd February, 48 inciies ; 2nd Alarch, 48^ inches.

A small collection of plants was made along the river, and those obtained above
the Pelly wore taken homo by Di-. Dawson. They have been classified by Prof. J.
Macoun, F.L.S. A list of them, as well as of those coUecteil t>y himself, I)r. Dawson
gives in an appendix to his re])ort. 1 take the libei-t}' of extracting trom the lis!,
and inserting hero those collected by me. Others, not included in this list, from
the lower river and the Mackenzie were much damaged by rain. The scarcity of
rime at my disposal must be accepted as an excuse for my not attending to their pre-
servation.

(1.) Anemone multijida. B.C. (cut-lea^' ':'d Anemone) — Lake Bennot. Common
throughout Canada.

( ;

III

! i

(2.) Calthapahtstris, Linn. {M.iirsh Marigold) — Chilcoot Inlet. Marshes through,
out Canada.

(3.) Silcne acavlis, Linn, (Moss Campion) — Lake Lyndeman. On mountains
and Arctic rej^ions.

(4.) Oxytrupis compestris, D,C. (Field Oxytropis) — Lewes Eiver, river gravels,
and rock}' banks northward.

(5.) Hedy&arum horeale. Nutt. (Northern lIodN'sarum) — Tagish Lake. Common
on the prairies and in (Quebec.

(6.) Dryas Drwamorulli, Honk, (Drummond's Dryas) — Lewes lliver. River
gravels in the Rocky Mountains. Tiako Supei'ior and Quebec.

(7.) Potentitta fniticosa, Linn, (Shi'ubl)}- Cinquetbil) — Lake Hennet. Common
throughout Canada.

(8.) Saxifraga tricuspidata, Met:. (Three-toothed Saxifrage) — Lake Beniiet.
Cold rocky banks, the whole forest region.

(9.) Jiibef rubrimi, Linn. (Wild Red Currant) — Chilcoot Inlet. Common in
swamps throughout Ontario.

(10.) Sediim stenopetdlnni. Piir^h. (Mountain Stone-crop) — Tagish Lake. Rocky
and other mountains; common.

(11.) Epilobium autjusfifoliiim, Linn. (Fire-weed) — Lake Bennet. Common
throughout ('anada. *

(I'i.) Ejiilobinm latifolium. Linn. (Broad-leaved willow herb) — Lake Bennet.
River gravels in the mountains northward and eastward to Labrador.

(l;j.) Sdinum Daw6oni, C. ^- R, (Dawsoni Seliiuim) — Lake Laharge. New to
science. Onlv found by ITawson and Ogilvie. Described in Coulter's Botanical
Gazette, Vol. XIII, p. 144. June, 1888.

(14.) ArchangeAi'-a Ginclini. £>. C. (Sea-coast Arehangelica) — Chilcoot Inlet.
Common on lioth Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

(15.) Galium boreale, Linn. (Noi-thern Bed-straw) — Ltike Labarge. Common
throughout Canada. >

(Ifi.) Solidago imAtiradiata, Ait. (Many-rayed Solidago) — Tagish Lake. High
mountains, and north-eastward to Labrador.

(17.) Sulidago Virga-aurea. Linn., Tar. ^Z;;mrt, fi/j/e?. (Alpine Solidago) — Lewes
River. Crevices of rocks. Lake Superior and north-eastward.

(18.) Aster Sibirinis. Linn. (Siberian Stav-wert) — Lewes River. River. gravels,
in mountains.

(10.) Ac hillaea Millefolium, Linn. (Y' arrow) — Tagish Lake. Common through-
out Canada.

(20.) Arnica latifolia, Bong. (Broad-leaved Arnica) — Lake Bennet. Common
in mountains.

(21.) Ldiseleuriaprocumbens, Desv. (Alpine Azalea) — ('hilcoot Pass. Northern
mountains and whole Arctic coast.

(22.) (ientiana Amarellii. Var. Aruta, Hool;. (AnnualGentian) — Lewes River.
Common in woods and prairies througliout Canada.

(23.) Mertenaia paniculata, Don. ( Paneled Lungwort) — Ijake Bennet. Common
in cool woods eastward to Lake Sujjcrior.

(24.) Penfstemon confertus. Var. rdertileo-piirpi/rcus, Gray, (Prairie Pentstemon)
— Tagisli Lake. Common on the prairie and northward.

(25.) Chenopoditim capitattim, Wat. (Strawberry Blite) — Lake Lal)arge. Com-
mon throughout Canada.

(26.) Alnus rubra, Bong, (Red Alder) — Chiiicoot Inlet. A tine tree on the Pacific
coast.

(27.) Cypripedium monf anion , Doiigl. (Moimtain Cypripedium) — Lowes River.
South in the mountains through British Columbia.

(28.) Alliu7n Sclioenoprasum, Linn. (fVVild Chives) — Lake Laliarge. River and
lake shores throughout Canada.

(29. ) Zygadenus elegans, Pursh, (Beautiful Zygadene) — Canon of Lewes River.
Common on the prairies.

I !

A small zoological collection was also made and sent out by Dr. Dawson. The
specimens collected on the lower river after he left, and on the Mackenzie, 1 broui!;ht
out myself. They were all handed to Mr. James Fletcher, F.R.S.C, F.L.S. One of
the specimens was given me by Mr. James McDougall, Ciiief Factor in the Hudson's
Bay Company's service, who obtained it near the summit of the Taiya Pass. These
specimens are classified as follows by Mi\ Fletcher ; —

(1.) Papilio Machaon, L., var. Alaska, Scud, — Three miles below summit of
Chilkoot (Taiya) Pass (from Mr. McDougall), 15th Julv. 188G.

(2.) C<jlia& Christina. ?Jd>f:—Siti> of Fort Selkirk, ITth August, 1887.

"Those collected on the Mackenzie were: —

(1.) Papilio Mackaun, L,, car. Alaska, Scud — Fort McPherson (Latitude 67° 26'),
21st June, 1888.

(2.) Pieris Napi, Esper. ; Arctic from Byroniae. Oschs., var. Huld. — Fort McPIier-
',on (Latitude 67'-^ 26'), 21st June. 1888.

(3.) Anthocaris Ati.-ionides, Bd. — Mackenzie River, 8th July, 1888.

(4.) Colias Christina Edic— Fort Good Hope (Latitude 66° 16'), Uth August,
1888.

(5.) Vanessa Antiopa. Edw. — Ninety miles above Fort fiocd Hope (Latitude
65° 20'), I'Jth July; Fort Smith (Latitude 60^).

This collection is small, 1 confess, but it must bo remembered that a person can-
not very well do two things at once, and nt the times when insects generalU^ are
most about— clear, pleasant weather — a surveyoi- is busiest, and generally all the
members of his partj' are busy too. Often have I seen butterflios and moths I bat F
would have liked to catch, but have been occupied at the tune with sometbinii' which
1 could not leave, and so have lost the opportunity. Many specimens also of plants
that I would have been pleiised to collect had to be passed, l>ecause at the tiine the
canoes wore in such a position that we could not stop without much trouble. Very
few small animals of any description wei'e seen. Of those which were strange to me,
a specimen of what T think is a shrew-mouse was brought out, and handed over to
Mr. Fletcher ior classification. I have not beard yet what it is.

SBICTION 3.

KXIM.ORATOHV StUVEY VROM THE PELI.V-YUKO.V T(t MACKENZIE lUVER BY WAY OF
TAT-ON-DUC, PORCUPINE, «EI<L, TROUT ANIJ PEEI. RIVERS.

JLiving got nearly all mj- supplies down to Belle Isle, on the 3rd of March
i left my winter quarters and started therefor with four of the party. I'nfortunately,
two of my men wore unable to accompany mo, having fallen ill. From Belle Isle we
])ri>ceedeil to take the supplies alroaiiy there down the river to the mouth of the
Tal-on-duc, using a miner's caniji about five miles above it as a halting place on the
way. All winter I had availed myself of every opportunity to induce the Indians to
meet me at Belle Isle about the 1st of Maii-h, and assist me over i ho head of the
Porcupine, or farther if possible, but I could got no definite promise from them, and
when the appointed time came 1 did not even know whore tliey wore, imt supposed
tliem to be up the Tat-on-dv o. Meanwhile. 1 kojit on hauling the stutt ahead as iiist
;;r^ circumstances would permit. On the 13tb 1 bad all the stuff down to the miner's
camp mentioned, a distance of twenty-two miles by the river, but a Mintor track,
which I followed, by cutting off a largo bend, shorleneil this to about tbiirtoon. This
track, however, was so rough and woofled that it is doubtful if it much lessened the
labor.

The ovoni!.g of the 13th an Indi;m came down to the miner_[n camp to feel around
ami see what could be made out of my necessities. As I was anxious to cross to
the Mackenzie by this route I made him and his associates an ofler of 82.50 a day for
each team of dogs with driver, if tl ey would come and transport mo at least to the
head of Porcupine, or, as they call it, Salmon River. This amount, though it would
be considered low in the moie souUierlj' part of our territory, was about twice the
4t

il!

■H

t m

lli!)

amount heretofore paid in that section. Jle left for home to carry my otter to his
companions, promising on his own behalf his support of it. Meanwhile as there
was no certainty that anything would come of this otter, I kept on with the party
hauling down to the mouth of theTat-on-duc, and had got nearly half the stutt'down
there when, on the morning of the 16th, 1 met nine men and thirty-six dogs on their
way to take me, as J understood, to the head of the Porcupine. The rest of that day
was spent in cooking for the trip, and fixing things so as to take as little space as
possible as the loads would be somewhat bulky. On the morning of the I7th I bade
good-bye to the miners with regret, and yet with a thrill of satisfaction that I was
now fairly started on the homo stretch of my long journey, though over 2,500 miles
yet lay botwefen me and the nearest railway, nearly all of which hatl to be got over
by foot or paddle.

Going up the Tat-on-duc I made a compass and track survey as I went along,
taking the azimuth of points in the valley, and estimating distances by time and rate
of travel. As no member of the Geological Survey statt' was likely to pass here for
generations, I paid more attention to the geology as I went along than I had hereto-
fore done, and collected specimens of the ditterent rocks I saw. These have been
banded over to Dr. Dawson.

As there are no features of special interest on Tat-on-duc and Poi-cupine Rivers
a detailed description of them will not be necessary. When we were at the mouth
of the Tat-on-duc the Indians, as I undoi-stood them, spoke of some place on the
river whore warm water comes out of the ground, and keeps the ice over it very
thin. I tried to got them to point it out to me, but they either could not or would
not understand me, for I saw nothing corresponding to their description anywhere
along the river. For three or four miles from the mouth the vallej' of this stream is
about half a mile wide at the bottom, with some fair timber in places. Then it
narrows, and up as fai' as the forks it partakes more of the nature of a canon than
of a valley. While the valley continues wide the ascent in the river is not very
steep, yet steep enough to prevent ajiything larger than a very small boat ever being
taken up it. When the valley narrows the ascent becomes much steepei* and gives
one the irapre-ssion of going up a hill. The water evidently freezes to the bottom in
many places, as it is continually bursting up at the si<les and overflowing the surface
of the ice, where it is soon frozen. Jlenco in the spring the ice in places must be of
enormous thickness. About eleven milfes up, a creek liows in from the north. If I
understttod the Indians aright, it comes out of the sidcof the mountain some distance
up ; tliey de9cribe<l the water as being warm where it emerges, this being, ])erhaps,
the place to which they hail referred as mentioned above. Whether this is true or
not, the water where it enters the river is not frozen, nor is it frozen for some distance
below this point. This is the point from which the river takes its name of Tat-on-duc,
or in English, Broken Stone River, for here it appears the river is alway;; open, an(i
there are many large masses ot rock in the channel. Except on the theory of warm
water coming into the river, I cannot account for its being open here at the time I
saw it, when almost everywhere else it was frozen, even in j)laces where the current
is much swifter and rougher than here, where it is quite tranquil.

The river up to this point averages about two hundred feet in width, but just
above the open water described it turns suddenly to the south from an easterly
direction, and enters a canon. This is one of the gi-andest sights 1 have ever seen ;
the canon is forty or fifty feet wide, and the sides rise perpendicularly, on one side
to a height of fully seven hundred feet, and on the other probably live hundred, ami
then slope ott to the sides of high mountains. It is nearly a half mile long, and
there is a slight bend near the middle, but not enough to prevent one seeing through
it from end to end.

After passing through the cailon the river turns sharply to the east again, and con-
tinues in this direction till itreaches the forks, about fourteen miles above the mouth.
One of the branches comes from the south-east and the other, the ime 1 went up, fiom
the north-east. The Indians often go up the south branch to hunt. As lundorstootl
them, it rises in a high plateau distant two or three days' travel, probably forty

in
face
be of
If I
(tance

no or
anco
due,
aiui

warm

1110 I

rrent

just,
sterly
seoti ;
hitlo

and
f, and
•ongh

d eon-
louth.

from
rtstood

forty

miles, and in the same plateau a stream rises vvhich flows to the north, probably
into one of the head streams of the Peel. At the forks the piecipitous sides of the
valley change into easily sloping wooded uplands, with here and there a higli peak
in the distance. The timber is all small, there being none larger than eight or ten
inches in diameter.

The Boundary will cross the river a short distance below the forks. I pointoii
out to the Indians its approximate jiosition, and made them understand its signi-
ficance, as I also did on the main river.

The Indians' camp was about nineteen miles up the river, and, as I arrived
there on Saturday, the}' wished to remain until Monda}'. I agreed, and had the
pleasure on Sundaj' of witnessing their religious service, of which I have already
spoken. These Indians build their touts tlitlerently from any I have seen elsewhere
in tho Territories. The tent is made of deer skins dressed with tiie hair on, which are
sowed into the proper shape, elliptical on the ground plan, and dome shaped in
vertical section. Willows arc fixed in the ground, then l»ent into the ])roper curves,
ami fastened together at the top ; the deer skin cover is then placed over this frame-
work, and the tent is banked around with snow. There is <niito a large opening
left in the top for an escape for the smoke ; but, notwithstanding this, a small tire
keeps it warm. On the ground it is about eighteen or twenty leef long and ten to
fourteen wide. The thick coat of haii- on the inside hinders the heat reaching the
.skin, so that snow lies on the outsiile of the tout quite a while botore it melts.
iienerally two or more families dwell in one tent.

The winter clothing of these pec^ple is raaile of deer skin>? dressed with the hair
on, and worn with the hair inside. The pants and boots are made in (,no piece, and
the coat is made in the manner of a shirt. In putting it on it is simply pulled over
the head, and the arms passed down the sleeves, so that, when it is on, ihore in no
opening for any wind to pass through, and no part of the body, exccjit the face, is
exposed t<t the atmosphere. In the case of children, sometimes the end ot the sleeve
is sewed up, so that the hand cannot get out, but this js done onh' when the child is
going out. These people had killeil a great many cariboo and moose in tho vicinity,
but they would not tell me how many.

About twenty-five miles up tho river we roach a small caiion ; the wafer way is
rough, but the sides, though perpendicular, are not high. About four miles abnve
tills tho Indians report a small lake in a deep valley, which never free/es. They
Jippear to have a sujiorstitious dread of it, saying something al)0ul a strong wind
always blowing into it, which makes approach daiigerdus. Around it, they say,
many sheep and goats are to bo seen, which I suppose can be accounted for by the
fact that no one ever hunts there. They pointed out to me the position of the lake
:i> well as they could from (he river. It lies in a deep valley at the foot of a very
high mountain, which they call Sheep Mountain, the height of which above
the river I would estimate to bo at lea,-<t three thousand five hundred to four thou-
sand feet. From the barometer readings along hero, the river is not less than
one thousand lour hundred feet above the sea, so that this peak is upwards of
live thousand feet above see level. About three miles above this peak anofliM'
^inall but very rough cafion is piiesod on the river. Three and a half miles
above this there is, on the east Inink of the river, a biw swampy place, from which
there is an ettusion of sul|diuretted bydrogen gas. The odor i> (luite strong for some
distaui-e along the river. An Indian gave nie to umlei'staiid that there was much of
the Mime gas escaping at the lake already* referred to. If I understood him aright
the danger of the lake is due to violent rushes of the gas, which makes men sick, so
that fhe\- fall down and roll into the lake.

A short ilistance further there enters fnmi the east side a creek up which wo
li;id to go to avoid an impassable canon on tho main river. According to tho Indian>
this canon contains a high waterfall, which is impossible to ])ass, and they describe
it as the largest and worst cafion on the river. We have to ascend this creek about
i'oui' and a half miles, when wo turn otf it to tho left, going upa narrow valley which
lies between two high bald mountains, on tho bare sides of which wesaw many wild

i'.l

i\V

C i

Hheop feedini^. The mountain on tho west Hide of the pass 1 have named Mt. Doville ;
that on tho east Hide, Mt. King. The bed of the creek by which we leave the river
is wi(ie and nhallow, and the water runs on thbtop of the ice, thus continually adding
to its thickness, till in man}' places it has the appearance of a small glacier. I am
quite sure there are places on this creek where the ice lemnins all summer. Tho
valley extends eastward several miles, and is surrounded by high mountains. On
tho south side a curiously formed range skirts the edge of the valley for manj' miles.
It rises sharply from the bottom upwards of two thousand feet to the west, and ends
in a table land which seems level southward as far as tho eye can reach. On the
eastern edge of this table land there stands an immense wall, rising from seven hund-
red to one thousand feet above it. This wall has the appearance, from where I saw
it, of rising perpendicularly on both sides, and its thickness I would judge to be about
one-third of its height. It is weathered into queer shapes, resembling in places the
views of old ruins one often sees. In one or two places there are large holes in it,
which are covered with several hundred feet of rock. One of the holes is so large
that through it can be seen tho plateau be\'ond. In the bottom of the valley there
are many mounds of gravel which seem to have licen placed there by glacial action.
There probably was a small glacier in this valley atone time, but it does not appear
to have extencled any farther down than the river.

At the summit of the pass throvigh tho range between this valley and the valley
of the main river a magnificent view of the valley is obtained. From this point up
the valley is wide, with low sloping sides which end some twelve or fourteen miles
up in a l.'irge plaroau, and beyond this, some twenty miles, the peaks of the Na-hone
range break the view to the north. This is one of the grandest views I have ever
seen, and the profoiiml stillness and vast solitude impress one as perhaps few other
scenes in tho world would. The descent from the summit to the river is two and
three-quarter miles, in which the fall is about five huiidre<l feet, the barometer at the.
summit standing at 2(!-80. and at the rivei- at 27*32 inches. This would place the
summit of the pass roughly about three thousand feet above the sea. Around it are
peaks which liso at least two thousand feet above it. Some six or eight miles down
the river the Indians pointed out tho canon. The valley appears to end there, tho
mountains are so high and bold.

From the pass upwards the river is shallow, and there are places which look like
small lakes, where the water overflows and forms large fields of ice, as in other places
described above, but on a larger scale. Kiglit miles above the pass tiio river turns
Hharp to the north, and a|iparently comes from between two high, sharp ]ieaks, the
northerl}' one of which 1 have named .^lt. Klotz. As far as can be seen, it is a fiekl
of ice fully one hundred yards, wide, and of g'oat thickness. In some ])lace8 there
are billoclcn on the ice foi'med by the water bursting through and freezing as it over-
flows. 1 have no doubt that mwcli of ilie iec remains ihroiigh tin' summer, and may
not be wholly melted before the new ice begins to form in the'fall, if indeed there is
not ice forming during most of the summer months.

Leaving the river, and continuing aliout a mile up the vaHey of a small stream
coming from the east, we r(>acheil the top of a low ridge which forms the watershed
between the waters of the Tat-on-due and those of a stream wliicli the Indians
assured me tlows into the Peel. 1 had much diHicidty in understanding this, as 1
coulil hardly believe that the wulorshcd was so near the Lewes, or Yukon; and it
was not until they had drawn many maps of the district in the snow, and after much
argument with them, that I gave credit to their Ntatcments. [ then proposed to go
down this stream to the Peel, and to reach the .Macken/.ie in that way, bur at this
they were horrified, assuring me as well as they could by word and sign that wo
would all be killed if we attempted it, as there were terrible cafions on it, whicdi
would destroy us and every thing we had ; in fact, we would never be heard of
again, and they might be blamed for our disiippearanc(\ Their statements, in con-
nection with the fact thai the barometer stood about 2GGii inches, showing an alti-
tude of oviT throe thousand feet which would have to bo descended between there
and the Pctd, a distance of about one hundred and eighty miles, and probably most

jil

of it in the lower part, ca«se<l me to decide not to tiy it. This river has been
njimed by -Mr. J. Johnston, (jloogriipher to the Departmont of the Interior, " OgiLvie
lliver."

It seems improbable that tliis river nin.s as the Indians said, but I afterwards
proeiirod other evidence, which proves that it does. 1 ma^* as well ))rescnt the
evidence here. None of the Indians who were with me at its head were ever down
the river. What they knew of it they had learnetl from the Indians they had met
at the Hudson's Bay Company's posts on Porcupine and Peel Rivers, where they
formerly used to trade. Tliey told me that they learned more al>out it at Peel River
than anywhere else. Afterwanls, in the UKMith of June, when >i;oinir up Eai^le River,
! met several families of Indians on the way down to LaPjerro's House. One of
them could speak a little Knglish, and I got from him all tiie geogiaphical informa-
tion I could aliout the country he had Just left. I asked him j)articularly about this
I'iver. Ho confirmed all that the otiiers had said about it, told me he had seen it
several times, and that there were some veiy bad places on it, places where, as he
described it, trees passing down would be all smashed to pieces. lie stated that the
river we were then on — Eagle iJiver — headed in a small lake, from which thej' floated
down in six days. Hence I would judge the distance to be about two bundled miles
by the rivei'; but nt-: the part of it I saw — about twenty-seven miles — wasver\' crooked,
and they assured me all the river was just as crooked, the distance in an air line
would probably not be more tiian half the river distance, or one hundred miles.
This lake was situated in a large swamp in which a small stream formed U'hich flowed
.southward to the river in i|uestion. From the lake to the river, from their state-
ments, 1 would judge to be twelve or fourteen miles. Afterwards, in conversation
with Mr. ..MeDougall, of (ho Tluilson's Bay Company, I learned that he bad often heard
Hie Indians at Fort MePherson speak of a river rising near the Yukon and em})tyiiig
into the Peel, and •^o impressed was he by their statements that he thought of utilizing
i( as a route fiom the Alacken/ie to the Yukon or Lewes. Accordingly, in 1872. he
got some Indians who knew the locality to accompany him to its confluence with
the Peel, abcuit sixty miles above Fort MePherson, but be found the country -o
lough. and the river so swift and so unsuited to his pur])ose. that he abandoned all
thought uf cros.<iiig in that way. The Imlians bad always assured him that he could
not get Ihrough, luit he wanted personal proof, which he got in abundance ii\ less
liian (vvo days. All this, I think, shows that the river runs as stated by the Indians.
I thought if might be <)ne of the branches of the Porcu|)ine, and at LalMcrre's
House made en(|nirii's of the Imlians, many of whom had been up both branches of
thai river, but they assured me it was not.

From the plateau at the iiead waters of the river the valley can be seen running
nearly due east for a distance of not less than thirty miles. It is wide and deep.
The Indians told nu) that they sometimes go south-eastward from thlsjtoint, or. from
the head of the valley to the south ot this, to the head oltlie south liranch of the
rat-on-Duc. and that, after passing the mountains close to the river, the country is
nndulating, not ro(d<y. and more or less woodetl.

At this ])oint the Indians turned back. Nothing that 1 could say or otler to
ihem would induce them to go any farther with their <logs, and it was with much
ditliculty that I persuaded two ot them t(j go ahead with one of my men, and make
a track as far as the head of the Porcupine! 1 paid oft" the men with the dog teams
"n the morning of the 22nd of Marcli, when ibey returned toiheir tamilies. The
other two, with rhy man, started for the head of the l*orcupine, a distance of about
lifteon miles. They returned on the 25tii, and took their departure for home.

These ^jeople have a great ilread of a tribe who, they suppose, dwelt atone time
in the hills at the head of these streams and sfill e.Kist somewhere in the vicinity,
ihougli exactly where they do not know. While on this plateatt they spoke of. them
in a low tone, as though fearful that they would be heard and be punisjied for their
lenuirks, which were not at idl complimentiiiy. They ctdled this tribe Na-hone ; 1
have generally heard the wonl pi'onounced Na-haune by the whites. It appears that
they inhabited the head waters of the Liard and Pelly, and were much fiercer than

I ,

1^ imF

I' •}

f '

ij ( .-

■-.

mmmmmmmmm

the neighboring Indians. Probably rumors of their aggreHsiveness have reached these
simple and peaceful people, and created this dread, for they do not appear to
have ever seen anything to justify their fears, and when questioned the}' could not
tell an3'thing more detinite than that some old man among them had seen some
indi'scribable thing on the mountains when he was, a boy. or at some other remote
date. They described them as cannibals, and living altogether outside, without
eheltor from the cold, and believed them to be such terrible creatures that they
required no cover, but could lie down anywhere to rest, and did not need a fire to
cook their food, but ate it raw. They seemed to ascribe to them supernatuial powers,
for, when I was trying to induce them to go on further with me, and showed them
my rifle, and told them I would shoot any Na-honowho attempted to molest mo, they
gave their heads an incredulous shake, as if that was too much to expect them to
believe. To whatever it is due, this dre.'ul appeal's to be lively, so much so, that I
believe only some piessing necessity, such as hungei-, would induce them to remain
in this locality for any length of time, and then only if they were in sti'ong force.

From the Tat-on-duc t(j the Porcupine by the track 1 followed is sixteen and a
half miles. Of this distance thirteen is drained by the river flowing into the Peel.
Distributed over this thirteen miles are ten small creeks, which tmito eight or ten
miles down the vallej'. 1 did not go down to the junction, but could from some
places see the stream formed by their union, and although so near its head, it
ay)])eai'ed to be as large as the Tat-on-duc is about midway of its coui'se. This
])lateau, except for the ravines in which the creeks run, is tolerably flat. It slopes
to the cast down the river, and is. as far as can be seen, undulating and wooded.
The timber is scattered, and stunted in size; but considering the latitude and alti-
tude it is a wonder there is any at all, the former being GS'" 2J>', and the latter more
than three thousand foet above the sea. Where the woods are open there is much
tine short grass. On the creeks the willows attain a large size, as large as generally
seen in much lower and more .-southern countries.

From the watershed between this stream and the Porcirpine down to the Porcu-
pine there is a descent of four hundred and fifty feet in a distance of a mile and a half.
Where the Porcupine is first crossed on this route it is a large creek Howing northward
from between two mountains. The valley ean be seen for about six miles U]), when it
tui'ns to the west and goes out of sight. The stream flows in a bed of tine gravel,
and the volume of water was large for the time of the year. About half a mile
below this it enters a lake three or four miles long, and upwards of a mile wide. At
the lower end of the lake, which lies close undei' the foot of a lofty range d' moun-
tains, the river turns shai'ji from a northerly to a westerly diiection. and in about a
mile onte.s another lake of about the same size as the first one. About two and
a half miles below this it enters another lake about two miles long and three-quarters
of a mile wide. These three lakes I have called the Upper, Middle and Lower
Na-hone [jakes. B«.'low these the river is twice the size that is above. It Hows in a
valley about a mile wide, well timbered on the bottom, much i)f the timber being of
a fair size. On some of the flats are found many trees over a foot in diameter, long,
clean-trunked, and well suited for making lumber.

About five miles below the lower lake a large branch comes in from the west.
Perhaps this should be called the river, as it is much latgei' than the liranch I
came down, both in width and volume (tf water. It Monies from the soulh-west. and
has quite a large valley which can be seen from the junction of the two streams for
a distance of eight or ten miles. The Indians had told mo of a large creek down
Porcupine liiver, heading near another creek which flows into (he Lewes. They
used to go up the latter creek, cross' over to the Porcupine, and go down it to fish.
From their description and the distance they said it w^»s below the lakes, I first
thought this creek to be the one referred to, but afterwards 1 saw anothei' branch of
the Poi'cupine further down, which is ])robably the one they 8])oke of.

Between the upper end of the upper lake and the lower end of the middle one
there is a fall of two hundred and fifty feet, and between tlmt point and the lower
end of the lower lake a fall of one hundred and forty feet. Thence to the forks the

fall is very rapid, a^ much as two hundred feet to the mile in some places. About
a mile below tne fork:* I found the fall in the river so sliffht that our canoes could be
used with safety. As the labor of hauling my stull was very severe, I decideii to
remain here until the ice broke up and go down in the canoes. Accordingly, on the
10th of April, after having got all the stuli' and the canoes down to this point, I Imd
a small hut built with a cotton roof, and here we remained until the 21st of May.

1 will now refer briefly to the different kinds of rocks seen along the Tat-on-duc
und Porcupine to this point. For the first two or three miles on the Tat-on-duc the
rock is a vor}' coarse-graineii sandstone; in places it might be called conglomerate.
At a place four miles up I saw a small exposure of clay shale, colored with oxide of
iron where exposed to the air.

Ten miles up the rock at the river level changes to limestone, but high up on
the hills the sandstone can still be seen, appearing to be the principal constituent of
all the mountains in sight. The limestone continues to the head of the river with
occasional ex])Osures of clay shale, in some places of carboniferous appearance. At
one point, twenty miles up. occurred an exposure of it so closely resembling coal
that at first sight I thought it was a lai'go coal bod. I tried some of it in a fire. It
gave ofl' fumes of burning coal for a few minutes, and then became soft and formed a
dark grey mass, somewhat re.'^embling scoria, but soft.

Much of the limestone was stratified, but generally it was very massive, with
thin veins of what appeared to be caleite, distributed irregularly, but exhibiting
usually the cleavage forms of crystals of that substance. Sheep Mountain for about
three thousand feet of its height appears to consist o*^ this rock, while the upper
part seems to be a sandstone like that seen further down the river. The curiously
weathered wall-shaped rock I have described above also greatly resembled this sand-
stone, although at the distance from which 1 viewed it it was impossible to tell with
certainty.

On the Porcupine Hiver the same limestone ])redominates. It might almost be
said that it is the only rock, there being nothing else but one or two exposures of a
bright red-colored close-grained rock, with some small rcmndeil fragments of a blui-sh-
coloied stone imbedded in it. Theio is an exposure of this rock on a creek on vhe
east side of the river a mile and a half below the forks. It underlies the limestone,
and is not more than two hundred feet above the river at this place. It apparently
continues westward under the drift in the valley, for a lodge ot it can be .seen under
water in the i-iver not far from this exposure. Eleven miles below the forks, about
a mile up the valley of a creek on the east side of the river, anotiu-r large exposure
of this rock was seen, but not visited, and no more of it was seen below this.

The mountains about the head of the river rise to an average height of about
2.5(10 feet, with an occasional peak ])rohably 1.000 fe"t higher. Between the valley
of the Porcui)ine and that of Ogilvie 1-iiver the mountains are high and serrated, pos-
sessing muclj more the cliaiactcr of a range of mountains than those on the west
side of the Porcujiine, where the surface has more the nature of a plateau with peaks
rising out of it. The range between Porcupine and Ugilvio Rivers I havu named
the Nahone Mountains, as the Indians considered tliem the home of that jteoplc, as
I have already mentioned.

Looking down the river from my s])ring camp, on clear days, a lofty peak was
visible about twenty or tweniy-tivc miles away. It towered al least one thousand
feet above any peak seen ne:ir it. 1 have named this Mount Burgess after the
Deputy Minister of the Interior. The top part seemed in the distance to be of
dirt'erent rock from the "base. It rose per|iendicularly from the debris on the
slope, and was weathered into castellated shajjos. It may be that a porticMi oi' the
sandstone seen on the Tat-on-<Juc has been left on this high*peak by denudation. I
hoped to be able to get a closer view of it on my way down the river, but when I
got down to its vicinity it was hidden by intervening peaks.

While wailing in camp on this river for the ice to break up 1 employed myself
in plotting my survey from the Lewes to this point, and, when the weather permit-
ted, in taking observations for magnetic ileclination, inclination, and total force. I

. iV

li\

i!!i

also took tiiinsits of stais over the prime verticivl, from which T found tlie latitddo
of the phico to be 65" -lii' 00". I tried on several evenings to observe the meridian
transit of the moon for lonj^itmU?. hut ooiild get notiiing satisfaclory, as at that timo
of 3'ear (Ma}') tliere was twilight all nigiit, and Hinall stars ooiild not be seen, so that
1 was restricted to lirst and second magnitude stars, which, unfortunately, on tho
nights when I could observe tho moon, wore few and far betweiMi. The moan of
three transits is ISO*^ 43' 00'' west of (Treenwich, but this may be in error several
minutes.

The moan height of the barometer liero during May was 2760 inches, indicating^
an elevation of about two thousand feet above tho soa level.

Notwilhstandtng the high altitude and latitude, the tiiuher and shrubbery in the
bottom of tho valley grew us largo and strong as on the upi)er Lewes, in five degrees
lower latitude. Siinounding my camp was a timber-covered fhit about two square
miles in area, on which grew many nice trees upwards of a foot in diameter. Nearly
all of these were spruce, but there were also some clumps of cottonwood, the trees
in which averaged nearly as large as is the same species along the Athabasca and
Peace Rivei's. Willows are abundant along the streams, and grow as large as they
generally do iu other parts of the territory, being not unusually four or live inches
thi?k. A few white birch were seen. No timber was noticed out of tho immediate ,
hcjttom of the river valley.

Owing to the isolation of this district animal life is abundant. Here, for the
first time since we entered the Yukon basin, a])pearetl indications of beaver, several
of which we saw when spring came, and one we kille<l. Otter, too, were numerous,
and a few marten were ft'on, but the latter were not plentiful in this vicinity. No'
rabbits were noticed, and the only indications of boasts of prey were a few tracks of
fox and lynx. Ptarmigan wei'e numerous. These are very pretty birds in the spring
when the}' are exchanging their winter coat ot snowy feathers for their summer
garb, their coloi' turning on the ueck tirst from a pure white to a reddish brown.
Numberless cariboo wander over the mossy slopes. These animals live on a moss
which they find high up on the hill sides in the winter, and lower down in summer.
I have seen hill sides on which the snow hal been pawed over for upwards of a mile
in length and a quarter of a mile in breadth, hardly a squaie rod of it being missed.
The aninuds sMmd facing upwai'ds, ai1d pull the snow down towards them, uncovei*-
ing a pa'ch of their food, which cropped, they jiull the snow above into its place, and
so on to the top. I killed one of these animals, intending to use it for food, but found
it so infested with parasitic larva' umlerneath the skin (in every Avay re.'^embling
those found on cattk') that the thought of eating it was rev(dting. In the spring
they are also very poor. Their numbers could not be estimatetl, as they abound
throughout the district.

It does not appear that any Indians have hunted here for many years. Appar-
ently their only visits to the district were in going to the Hudson's Ba}' Company's
posts on the lower part of Porcupine River, and on Peel Iiiver, before trading posts
were established on the Lewes by Harper, McQuestion & Co. : thry used at that
time to cross by a creek which T identify as one below this ])oint, to he mtmlioned
in its place, build rafts or skin boats, and float down to Mell River, up whicdi they
went to LaPierre's House, sometimes crossing to Fort ]\[cPh(»rM)n. As nearly as I
could learn from them, it is seventeen oi- eighteen 3-oars since last they made this
journey. '

Moose are very nutnei'ous, and seem to be much less fearful of man than in any
other place I have seen or hoard of. I hud been told that in the winter the Indians
pursue them on snow-hoes, and run them down. This they actually do, but not
until the snow is deip. One day I started after a moose intending to run it until 1
was close enough to shoot, but this I could not accomplish. It could not got away
from me, but I could not gain on it. Hail my snowshoos been large enough to sup-
port me on topof the loose snow, [ could doubtless have captured it; butoften, when
gaining fast, L sank above the knee in the deep, .soft snow, and tell headlong. Before
I could get un<ler way again the animal had a fresh start. At last, having run fully

five miles aftei* the bi'ute, I got tired of the unequal contest, and gave up the chaso ;
but libt before tho moose showed signs of much distress, his tongue hanging out, and
being so winded that he stopped wlienevor I did. 1 afterwards found that the snow-
shoes used for the purpose are made specially hirge, th«> rule being that tho shoe is
made tho length of the man who is to use it, and about iifteon inches wide; while
my shoes, though of that width, were only about two feet long. Had I used a pair
of the j)ro])er size 1 have no doubt as to tho result, as often, in deep soft snow, tho
moose have hard work to get along at all. Of course in shallow snow a man would
have no chance in tho race. In the winter months these animals live on tho buds and
young twigs of the willows. ai\d such numbers of them had been near whore we
wore camped that all tho willows foi- miles above and below were cro]»ped almost
bare.

On 2l8t May tho i-ivor near camp was so clear of ice that T thought it must be
open all tho way. 1 tlicreff)re started, but when I got three miles down I found the
river solidly blocked with ice for miles. Jlere 1 was compelled to stay until the 28th.

Before continuing the passage down the river I will mention a few facts bearing
on tho climate. The lowest temperature in the month of April was on tho 4th —
37" below zero, and for six days afterwards all the minimum temperatures were
below 30* below zero. Tho last time the thermometer registered a minus
reading was the 5th May, minus I", 8. The highest temperature in April was (»n tho
30th — 40 above zero. Tho highest tein])eratui'e in May was on tho 17th — r)")'^.
The tirst time tho snow showed signs of molting was 2lHh A]tril. The tirst
appearance of insect life was 30th Api'il, when a small fly came out of the river
in great numbers, flying about and crawling over the snow. The water in tho
river began to rise on (ith Maj-. The tirst geese were hoard flying overhead on
8th May; they were flying in a south-westerly direction, as though they had come
from the Mackenzie. The common house fly made its a''ppearanco the same day.
The tirst swans were heard lUh May. First mosquitoes seen 14lli May. Firstcranes
heard 15th May.

On the niorning of 28tli May we again started in our canoes for the Mackeu/.ie.
The river was not yet clear of ice, but sufficiently so to enable us to work aloiig,
waiting occasionally for it to move. Ten miles down a veiy largo ice jam was reached,
tho river being full of ice for about a mile. This had raised the water up into tho
woods on both sides, .so that we could not pack past it, nor could wo tinil camping
ground until wo we^it back some distance. Here wo were forced to i-emain the rest
ot' that day. The following morning the jam had moved down so far that, with some
difficult}', thedr}' land could be reached on the oast side; so I decided to bring the
canoes and etjuipago to ihat [loint and pack everything down to the foot of the jam,
about three-quarters of a mile. Just when wo liml finished this the jam burst, and
cleared the river, leaving us no better off than if we had waited. The journey was
then resumed.

About six miles below this, or seventeen below tho forks, a large creek comes
in from the west. This is, I believe, the creek Iiy which the Indians used to come
over from the Lewes. IIoi'c are numy old I'jicks for drying fish, from which I call
this creek the " Fishing Branch " of tlie Porcupine. The waters ot this stream are
black in color, and clear, while the waters of tho m:iin stream aio usually blue,
though at that time turbid.

While descending the river I determined roughly its tall by reading my baro-
meter every half hour or so, and calculating tho descent from tho ditl'ei'once of read-
ings, Ij) this way atmospheric changes would affect the result but little, as tho
change could bo but snudl in such short intervals of time, while the descent was
quite rapid. There are no diingorous rapids on this river, but it is all swift, running
ovt'r a bed of lime gravel. The fall barometricdly determined, between the forks
and the tributary last mentioned, was three hundred and ninety-five feet, but the
greater portion of this was in tho upper half of the distance.

Just below the Fishing Branch another extensive jam stopped any further pro-
gress for the day. Next day the journey was resumed, but through and ovei- ice for

! iilll

about eight miles, when another impaHsable jam was encountered. It wa8 ])iled nn
until tlio water tilled the whole valley, but by wading, packing and canoeing through
the woods it was Bufoly iiassed. Here I made an ascent ot one oftlie Iiillw i)ordoring
the river, ami foun i it to consist of the limestone already mentioned us constituting
the bulk of the mountuina further up. The timber was much tho same, with the
addition of nomo small tamarac. Tho journey was resumed in the evening. At one
point there is :i sudflon turn in the river, jind just IxddW it a nipiil which is very
rough, but lias no rocks in it. This w.-is entered before then; was ar.y time to stop,
and it had to be tan, with no other mishap, fortunately, than one of the canoes tilling
with water and nearly sinking before we got through.

Twenty miles below the Fishing Hranch the river loaves the mountains, the last
peak near it being on tho west side, and so close that the river runs under its ba.se.
This 1 have called ".Mount Dewdncy" alter the Ifon. the Minister of the Interior.
It is of the same limestone formation as all the othei-s. No sign of stratitication
was observed along the Porcupine, nor were traces of organic remains anywhere seen.
Mt. l)owdney rises about two thousand five hundred ieet above the river, or nearly
four lliousand feet above the sea, ilie river hero l)uing about one thousand three hun-
dred feet above sea level. The tail from Kisbing ('reek to the base of this mountain
is three hundred feet. As far as can be seen from this point the mountains trend
oast and west. Those on the east side of the river were apparently not so high, and
they gr.'idually slopetl oil as if another deep valley pierced them at no very great
distance to the east.

From here down tlie river winds through an undulating and wooded country,
the banks being nowhere more than eighty to a hundre<l teet high, and generally
consisting of clay, with occasional exposures of black shale, which decomposes into
a ricli black clay. The timber on the uplands, though thick, is not large enough for
any othei' purpose than fuel. This description answers generally f6r the whole
valley down to the mouth of Bell Kiver. In the bottom, close to the river, there are
scattered clumps of spruce that would make fair lumber, but not sufficient to induce
any one to think of it as an article of trade. About thirteen miles below the moun-
tains a iaige rock exposure oecurs on the east side of the river. It extends for about
half a mile, rising tlireeor four hundred feet above the level of the river, and is
weathered into fantastic resemblances of old buildings. I have called it Cathedral
Rock, Irom its resemblance to some old churches I have seen pictured. Tho rock
appeared to be limfwtone, but I am not sui'e. It may have been sandstone, but as it
was some distance from the river I did not take the trouble to go to it.

About twenty-tive miles below the mountains, and tliree or four miles to tlie
west of the river, a high wooded, terraced ridge rises out of the plateau; another
one, much the same in a})peaiance, can bo seen further west. Thej'^ appear to be
the result of denudation. A smaller (me is seen below this about three miles.

About thirty-eight or forty miles below the mountains a large tributary comes in
from the south-west, but 1 noticed no valley in the mountain range out of which it
apiieared to come. It is ])robable that it skirts the northern edge of the hills for
some distance west, and is fed by small streams issuing from tliem. Above this
tributary the current, though not rough, is generally so swift as to prevent steam-
boat navigation, lielow the junction no difficulty would be found in running steamers
of moderate ])Ower. What draught the summer stage of water would allow I had no
means of determining, but I think a fiat-bottomed boat drawing two to two and a-balf
feet could always find water enough. I used to try with my paddle where I bad
reason to think it siiallow, but never found bottom, and, as the banks are flat and
low, it seems likely that there is not much variation in the height of the water in
this part of the river.

About a mile and a-half below this stream the river is joined bj' anotlier from
the south-east, apparently as large as the one I came down. The average wi<lth
below the mountains of the river I had followed was from one hundred to one liundrod
and tifty vards. The width of the other branch isabout the same. I afterwards learned
that the Indians in the vicinity of LaPierre's House go up this branch to the moun-

!;|1

r ■

]!■;

tairiH to hunt, The band that most tVoquGiith it was up at its head wlion I pasHtni, ho
that I could learn nothiiif^ dolinite alioiit it. The fall i'roni tho niountaiim ilown to
the mouth of this braneh i« four htindrod and sixty feet, one thousand and tifty-tiv(s
ffOt in all from the forkn ahove my wprin^ camp, the distance hoiuir ahout Heventy-
ei^ht miloH, and from the hower Na-hone Lake the fall is about one thousand throe
luindrod and tifty feet in a distance of about eighty-two miles. From this wi* get the
iiltitude of the contliionce of these two large branches as approximately nine hundred
and tifty-tiv'O feet.

From this )K)int down the fall is not noticeable by barometer, and tho turrtnit
is very slow — so slow that a head wind of twenty miles an lumr would almost drive
the bare canoe up stream. Melow this to Boll River tho river runs through an
undulating countiy, covered with small spi-uce, white birch, and some cottonwood.
The soil is all clay, and if the climate woulil permit, it would rank well as an agri-
cultural country. There are some ex|)osuros ol much weathered clay shale along
the river. Below the junction of tho two branches tho river averages from two to
three hundred yards in width, with banks twenty to forty feet high. From the junc-
tion to Bell River the distance by tho surve}' is about sixty-seven miles; but it must
be borne in mind that this measurement does not follow the windings of the river,
which would about doubh' it. Sights wore taken from point to ])oint in the valley,
and the distances estimated. The river is in general very crooked, and there are
some large islands in it. The baromL-ter readings were noted at fiequoni intervals
to get the fall in the river; but as the fall was very gradual, not much reliance can
be placetl on the result obtained in that way. However, I give it for what it is worth.
In the last stretch it was one hundred and thirty feet, thus making the altitude of
the mouth of Jiell River eight hundred and twenty-tive feet above the sea. I have
a chock on this result, which will be given further on.

Bell Jiiver enters the Porcupine from the east. At its mouth and as fai up as
its confluence with lOaglo Itiver it is about (Uie hundred yards wide, with low banks
I hinly wooded. To the north at some distance are high bills, wooded well up the
slopes. The liocky Mountains can now plainly be seen to the east twenty to twenty-
live; miles away, t got a poor observation for latitude at the mouth, and found it
to be (57" 19'. ' .

For about ten and a-half miles the general direction of the river is north-east,
it then takes a general south-east direction for nine and a-half miles to where Faulo
liivi-r enters from tho south. By mistake I went up this river one day's journey,
about twenty-seven miles. Here I met 8(nne Indians who had been bunting at its
head waters, and were now on their way down to LaPierre's House. The country
along it, as far as 1 went, is flat, and near the river timbered with spruce and
cottonwood of the same general character as that on the Porcupine. Tho soil is
generally clay, but occasional sand banks oveilie the clay to a depth of tifty to one
hundred feet. These baidis are few and isolated from each other, and appear as if
deposited by a sea, the intervening tracts being afterwards washed away. About six
miles fi'om Bell Eiver an e.Kposure of coarse-grained sandstone, nuicb robembling
that on the Tat-on-du(.', was seen, but it is stratified. The strata, however, are thin,
not more than a foot in thickness, and much bent. This exposure couhl be seen
along a bend of the river for two hundred yi.rds only, and rose out ton to flfteon feet
above the water. As far as I toliowed it, this river is very crooked, with a moderate
I iirrent. Just above the sandstone ex])osure thevc wasa slight ripple, while another
just below it showed shallow water — only throo foot. I understood from the Indians
that this spot is very shoal in low water, there c)ftea being not enough water to
float a canoe over it. Thej' describe tho whole river as much the same in character
as tho part I saw, and the country along it as generally flat, and all tiTuborod. They
-ay game is plentiful along it. They had gone up in Nfarch and hunted until .fiino,
when, some of them having made rafts and others skin boats, thoy came down to
dispose of the furs they had captured. To make a skin boat they sew together the
accessary number of deer or moose skins raw with tho hair taken otf. A keel is
laid down, and willow ribs anil frame work of the proper dimensions attacheii to it.

«s

The hkin cover is then Kofttiriod in wuler, niul Htivtcliiul over it ; then, when liry, the
.HkiniH woll nibbi'il with niolloii fiit. Wiion (ho trip for whicii it wiia built is ovoi"
thi! .skiiiH iiio liikcii otf aiKJ iisoil for other uiirposeH.

When i ioariioti from thuise Iiidiiitis lliut 1 wiih on tl»e wrong river I at oncu'
turnoii Itiu'k and n>aclioii Jloll Hivor at ont' o'ckx^k a.m., having Btartod at i\inu. Tho
Hun could occRHJoi ally bo sfon down I ho valloy of tho rivor to tho north, woll abovo
tho horizon. Tho poopio in tluH dintriot, in tho Huminor nionthw, do nearly all theii*
travelling and labor during what, in our laliludes, would bo tho night, of whicii,
at this Hoanon of tho 3'oar, thoy have nono. Thoir roawon is that it is oooior to labor
Ihon, and warmer in tho day hours to sloop.

I induoed one of the Indians who oouldH|)oak a little Hnglish to aeomuany riio
lo LaPiorro'H House. After resting a few hours at Holl l{iver after our long day's
labor, wo started. t)n tho way we had to break through three ice Jams. It sur-
prised tho Indians niuoh to see us dash our canoes on a sheet of ico, and often break
it in that way. If tho ico proved strong enough to carry us wo got on it, hauled
the canoes acrosH, and embarked again, to repeat tho operation on another masH.
The ice by this time was generally pretty rotten, but often masses of sound ico
upwards of five fool tbii k wero encountered. When ono gets into a jam of this kind
lie hits to kce|) a sharp lookout, lest his canoe bo crushed, and often, to save it, ho
has to Jump upon the ice, and haul out his canoe as quickly as ho can. Wo labored
hard in this way all day, and reached tho House about nine in the night, or rather
afternoon, ot ()th Juno. Tlioro wore numy natives bore, and our canoes and oiittit
generally wore a great novelty to ihom. Our Indian's account of how we workt^d
with them through the ico astonished them greatly, and they thought the white
man's canoe almost a creature of life and spirit.

June T, I s])en( at tho House. I intended to dotormino the latitude ; but just before
noon the sky cb/uded, and all I could got was a very poor meridian altitude of tho
sun, through elouds. This gave mo (IT" -H' il". I observed for magnetic dip and
total force, but not for declination, as I had no moans of determining the meridian
reading of the instrument.

A mile above Kaglo Rivor, JJock liivor flows into Bell River from the south-east.
It is about fifty yard.s wide, shallow, and in its bed are many laige rocks — honco its
iiaiiie. The Indian with mo told mo it ro.so fur u]) in the Jiocky Mountains, and that
it took numy days to reach th(^ betid of it. JIo pointed out from its moiilli its general
(lir(^ctii)M, which is about south-east.

About three miles abovi' I'ock fliver there is ti slight rapid, which, however,
would not prevent navigation. At this point on the east side of tho river is a. high
rock cliff, consisting, as I suppose, of cliiy shale; but as Mr. RAi. McConnell, of the
(Jcological Survey staff, juissed through here on his way down the Porcupine, he no
doubt has examined it, and reported upon it, as well jis upon all other rocks in the
vicinity.

A short distance below tli' Jlouse, Waters liivorentors from the north-west. It
is a Htroiim about forty yards vide, and appears to have a considerable volume of
water. It is said to bo forty to sixty miles long, rising in a range of mountains
which c!in be seen from its mouth.

About five miles above tho HoiLse in an air line, but much more than that by tl '
river, which is very crooked, JRat River joins from tho east. It is a small river
fact is hardly worthy of the name. On it LaPierre's House was first built
getting scarce it was moved to its present site. Only a short timi
before it will have to be moved again, as wood is getting scarce ii
position and has to bo hauled some distance. The post here is kept 1.
the meat it furnishes, tho country around it abounding with game. Ti,
tho doer or tlie moose is considered a dolicat y, and the Indian generally brings
tho post, as he gets more for it than he would for an equal weight of other n
The clerk in charge informed me that ho had sent away that year thirteen hundred
tongues to other posts, so that probably- about two thousand animals wore killed in
this vicinity.

lit

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Bi'll Itivor '\» iminoil iint'i Mr. J. Hfli, of tin- IlinUon s ]\i\y f 'onipany, wiio crossed
to it mid do^ci'iidfd il to tlio Ponnpim' in l^tJ. lie iil.^o followed tlio I'orciipliii'
ln'Iow llio Jimctioii lor threo da}'.-*. I'oreiiniiic Rivor, I iindtMslaiid, wa-' called ho on
aeeount oi' the iiiiiMhors of that animal tliat existed in itH viillcy. Wiiy I'lagle and
Hat Uivors were f*o called I did nol learn.

The route always travelled frtini thi>* po.st to Fort McPhernon croNwes the moiin-
tidns in a pretty direct line. 'I'liere are two lonte.s: one for winter travel and f»ne
for ftiinnier. The dihtance between tiie two points is called alxnit eiirhty miles,
and il fi:enerally takes three day>< to nnike the trij).

All the tradinir oiittil for LaPierre'> and lianipart Hou-os has to he hroutcht this
wuv in the winter months on dog sloigliH, and tlio furs and meat recoiveil for it have
to he taken to Kort iMelMierson in the same way. Frrun there the furs are si-nl out
l>y the .Mackcn/ie. This is so eo-i(ly and slow that in 1H712 Mr. .l.-iineH McDoiigall,
(now Chief Factor), then a clerk in tiie IliidMiu's I?ay t'ompany's service, thought of
trying some more conveident ami expeditious way. Accordingly ho made an
exploration and Htirvey of a pasH through the mountains to the north of this route,
with a view to building a waggon ro.'id through it, and using oxen lo transport the
goods from one waterway to the <uher. I went through this pass on my way to
Fort McPher>on and will desrribe it in it^ j^rop<'r place.

Mr. .M(J)ongall, also, in July, 1iS73. when the water was unusually low, niado
soundings in Hell and Porcupine Kivers to determine the practicaMlilv of steamboat

avigation, carefully exatnining both livertt in places Hus|)ecte'

1 oil

leiug siiallov

lietwecn Lai'ierre's House and Yukon River he fnund five shoal places where the
depth was less than four feet. The depths and localities of those lie has kindly
furnished me. The first is at Sinclair's Rock — in the rapiils I have mc/itioned as
being below LaFierre's House. Here the shallowesi place was three feet >ix inches
deep. Next, !i short distance bolow Hell J{iver in the Forcupine, he found only two
fei'l eight inches. This place he considers could he easily improved. A|)proacliing
it, for one hundred yards the w;afer is threo feet deep; then occurs rock (suudstoiu"
he thinks), with a dej)th of water two tect eight inches foi- ten yards, when it sud-

denly droj)s to tour

leei

le other three jtlaces aie l)etwi'en Kanii)arl House and

I lie Yukon, and, consequently, in Alaska. Their depths in the order of descont were,
respectively, three feet ten inches, three feet six imdies, and threo I'eet tour inches.
At one of these places there was an island close to one shore ami Mr. Mcl^iugall
naliiially look the wider chaniud to bo tho deeper,, but he afierwar<ls learned that
tiie narrow idumnel was quite <ltM'p.

On Iho morning of 8th .lune I started from liaPierre's House togoupIU-ll
Kiver to tliC pass above-iuentioned as having been explored and surveyed by Mr. Mc-
I>i>ugall, having as a guide the Indian I had brou^'ht Irom Fagle River, who ha<l been
through the ])ass<Mict^ or twice and was supposed to know :dl aliout il. 1 carried on
ihc surve_\\ as on the lower ]>ait of llu' river, by taking com|)ass licarings of promi-
nent points on the river and e.<itimating the distances to them. In this vv^ay I ntade
the distance to the point at which we leave Hell Jlivcr to go through the pass to be
ab(jut twenty-one nuies; yet, owing to the many anil long sinuosities of the river and
detentions from ice jams, oiu* of which delayed us halfaday.il was threo days
befoie we arrived there. Tiie current is nowhere stn^ng, but there are some shoal
fdaces where the heavy ice, fully five feet thick, grounds and piles up until the
accinnidated water behind pushes if over.

Un the Jiiorning of the 12th my gtiide told me that most likely we would roach
the mouth of the creek, which flows t'lom the j)a.ss, about dinner time. .Iu<lge my
surprise, therefore, when a few minutes after starting he pointed to the mouth of a
•stream almost hidden by willows aiui alders, and asked if I thought that was the
creek in question, and when I said "No," he assure<^l mo it was. I could not l)elieve
him until 1 went ashore antl found tlie preparations that had been made by Mr.
McJ 'gall to build a storehouse in which to deposit the goods brought through the
put- I may heie call attention to the length of time hewn timber in this country
w'' oserve a fresh appearance. Here were trees cut, and sticks hewn in 1872, yet

,,i 1
1 ..■

1 t

1 ' 1
ll

lIV! '

' i'

I »

.' I

ii *

had I boon anked what length of time thej' had been cut f would have answered " A.
year or ho." I noticed the same thins; on the Upper Porcupine — cuttings there soem-
jng to me to be only a few months old ; yet I knew from what tiie Indians told me
that they were quite as many years as I thought months.

The canoes were put into the crock, which is only thirty to forty feet wide.
Foi- the first two or thrse hundred yards the water was deep, and smooth enough to
-l)ad(lle along with ease, hut then came the end of our jdeasure. The creek for ahout
a mile and adialf was one continuous rapid, not dangox'oiis, because there was not
enough water to hurt anyone, l>ut so shaUow that it would hardly float the canoes
when all the men were out of them ; so we had to wade in the ice water, while snow
was falling, and drag our canoes, with our outfit in them, over the bars and stones
in the creek, until at last even that comfort was denied us, for we reached a part of
the stream where the ice was still solid, and at least ten feet thick, so that every-
thing had to be packed for nearly a mile, lO where the creek was again clear of ice,
when we r^-embarkod and floated up about throe miles in a straight line, but cer-
tainly twice that distance by the stieam. Here everything had to bo carried ahout
four miles across the watershed of the pass to a creek which flows info Trout River,
a trihutary of Peel iliver. On the summit of the pass are several lakes, which, had
they been open, would have reduced our packing to less than half a mile; but the ice
was still solid, with only a few pools of open water around the edges.

On the morning of the 15th every! hing was got across to waters flowing to the
Arctic Ocean, but the creek was so full of snow and ico that it did not help us much;
and, although it was only three and a-half miles to Trout River, the whole day was
consumed in getting there. This pass, which I proposes to name McDougalTs Pass,
after the man who fii'st explored and surveyed it, is wide and level, the valley being
nearly a mile wide at the bottom, and veiy flat, it is almost treeless, only a few
stunted spruce being found ntuti- the hikes, and a few wilio'vs on the creeks. Soinu
coarse gra.ss groxy.^ in the valley, liut when 1 was there, there was no sign of growth.
The distance from. Bell River to Trout Ri\er 1 estimate to bo fourteen and a-half
miles. On the north side of the pass 1 have naiiKnl two ]»rominent peaks •' Mt. Dennis ''
and •' Mt. Russell. '

I maj- say here that I compared notes of survey with Mr. McDougali, who
measured his distance with an error ))rol>abiy not greater than one in a thousand.
.Uis survey followed the valley of the pass from bend to bend and cut oft" many turns
in the river, while mine followed the course of the river more closely, and is conse-
quently somewhat longer, the actual differonco on the whole ilistanco being about
five miles; but when 1 take off my plot a length corresponding as nearly as possible
with a line of Mr. McDougall's survey, 1 find the difference vei-y slight. Many of his
pickets were still standing, with a piece of sod on top of them, :is fresh-looking as
though they had been plantecl but one year instead ot sixteen.

Retui-ning now to the question of altitude, f will calculate the lieight of the
siiuimit of the pass from that of the mouth of Bell River, ami compare it, found in
that vvay, with the altitude deduced from the descent of Pool Itiver.

r have put the altitude of the mouth ol Bell Hiver at eight hundred and fwenty-
fivo feet ; allowing a rise of a foot to the ndlo in tliat river wf get eight hundred and
fifty feet for the altitude of LaPierro's House. ('ontii\uing the same rate to the west
eml of the pass we got about nine hundred and twenty, the distance by the river
being about seventy mikss. By baromeU>r readings the difference of elevation between
Bell River and the summit ot' the pass is about two hundred and fifty feet, but this
determination is unreliable on account of tin- length of the time elapseil between the
readings at the two j)laces. From the appearance of the slope 1 would estimate the
rise to be not moi-e than two hundred feet, if indeed as much ; but assuming the
barometric height as c.i'rrect, we have eleven hundred and seventy feet as the altitude
of the summit. While going from the summit down to I'oel River I determined the
rate of fall by half-hourly readings of the barometer, as [ did on the t'orcupine.
This gave the fall from the summit to slack water on Trout River as eleven hun-
dred and thirty feet. The last point is seventy or eighty miles from the Arctic

\ih

ot'tlio
bviiid in

Iwotit} '
Toil and
lie west
rivor
jtwi'cn
lit tlii"
Ion the
lito tho
]iig the
111 Mule
led the
jupine.
II hun-
lArctic

Ocean, and probably iih iiniiiy feel al)Ove it,tlms making the lieii;ht oftlie jiaKf about
twelve hundred teet, or only thirty feet more tiian the determination by way of the
I'oi-eupiue. It eannot bo elaimed tha. either determination is eorreet. or that this
close agreement it* anythinij: more than chance; yet it is much more satisfuctory to
have them so than witii a lart^e dillereiu'e.

From where w^e enter Trout River by this route to the head otslack water is about
twonfy-four miles by the river. In thin distance the tall is one tl).>u>aiiil and idnely
feet; but to iletcfiiiine vvlial the grade of a road buili on tins, by far the steei)er side
of ihc pass. wouM be, we have to assume a nearly straight line, instead ot' following
the bottom of tho river vallo}'. This would reduce tho. distance fu about twenty
miles, thus giving an average grade of tifty-tive feet to the mile on this eiide of the
pass. This is not too great for any kind of roadway whi'-h may lie built here.

The Indian with mc sidd that both Hell River and Trout River rise far up in the
mountain.; that he had iu'cn several days' journey uji both, ami that there they w(^re
still quite large. He also said that Roll IJiver, a >horl di.stance above tlie pass, i.s
rough, with a generally swift current, and many small rapid.s. Trout I?iver. where
we strike it on this route, is about fifty yards wide, shallow and very swiff. Tho
niuunlains on both sides rise two or three thousand feet above the pa>.-, with many
isolated, high, sharp peaks. Most ot the loek I saw wa> grai\ilic ; some ipnitzitc is
found on the south side of the pa^s at the summit. Mr. MeDouijall, wini ap[>ears to
have travelled all through the jnountains in thi> vicinity, toKl me of an immense
dyke which he saw in the hills on ilie south sidt' of the pas.-. He descril-ed it as
bridging a ileep and wide j-avine, ]ir«»sen!ing the appearance ot' an imincn-.e wall
across it. Three or four miles down Trout liiver from the pass a small specimen of
!isbestoH was picked u]) in the diift in the river. In a conversation with -Mr.
McDoiii^all I mentionoii this, and asked him if he ever came aci OSS any oi it in his
I'amblings through that district. He inlormed me that not liir from the place wheie
I found the specimen tiiere were several veins of it at the foot of the slope on the
south side of the river. The rocks seen along the river here are not the rocks usually
associatetl with asbestos, but Mr. Mcitougall's evidence is tiuit of an eye-witnes>.

Ten and a-liidf miles down the rivet we reach the canon. Jlere we are out of
till' mountains, and the character of t.he rock :dong the river changes com|dctely,
being heic sedimentaiy. The walls of the tafion aie a stratified sandstone, the top
>irala aj)jKaring to be harder than those lower down. Tliere are e.\po>ures of this
rock all the way down to the fool of the swift water. I never could stop when iietir
an exposure to examine it, as there was always a rai)id alongside it, iiut it resembled
in apjiearanco the friable sandstone seen throughout the North-West.

At <me place, while 1 was i unning j)ast a clifi' in a rajiid, I saw what seemed to
be a coal seam in the face of the clilf. It was three feet or more thick, and extended
the whole length of the cliff — about a (|uart(>r of a mile. I told Mr. .M<;l>ougall of
this, and he informed me that hi' liad found the same seam, and had taken sonc of
the coal to Fort .Simp.son. to be tried in the blacksmith s forge there, and it was
pronounced a fair (juality of coal. The last rock exposure -i in in descending the
liver is Just at the foot of the swift water. On tb(> north i)ank there is :i low ciitf of
solt red sandstone, much weathered, as w(dl as worn by the water of the river, whiidi
-hows its softness.

Tho walls of the cafion, in wliich the river takes a sharp turn, are about eighty
feet high. On the outside of the curve the walls are |ierpendicular, but on the inside
they are not so stoej) nuv so high. It appears as if tliere had been at one time a tall
over this sandstone barrier, since it exlemls completely across the river vallev, and
is not more than a hundred imd titty yards thick". Above the canon the river is
-cncrally wide and shallow. In many places it is spread over gravelly flats, so that
in very low water one could easily conceive tlio rivoi' flowing ihroiigh without any
water being visible. The fall in the ten and adialt miles is tlireo liundred and ^ixty
leet. The current is tdways swift and rou<r|i, but there is no danger in navigating it
in canoes, excepting a liability to rub the bottom once in a while. The fall is uni-
form to the cuflou, but below it there is a succession of rapids with short intervening

lit

(• 'I

Btrc'toho>s of easy water. The fall bt'tweeii tiie oafion and the lieiul of easy water is
seven hundred and thirty feet, whieh, in a distaneo of fourteen miles, gives tifty-two
feet descent to the mile. Tiiis would not be at all dangerou.s over a uniform slope
and a smooth bottom, but divide it into two or three rapiils, and throw a l(jt of
lar.iio rocks into them, and it makes running tlirough them in a small liont excit-
ing to say the least. Fortunately for us, we got everytiiing through safely, the only
inconvonionce l)eing that the canoes bad to be bailed. out at every rapid. It is often
said that "it is the unexpeclu*! that always happens. ' This, my e.xjiorience on this
tri|) verities in a small way. 'My canoe had come through all the various vicissitmles
and dangers of a thousand miles, and had safely run over this the last I'ough water
it would have to encounter, but in the last y.'»i(l it struck on the end of an un.seen
stick, which fractured the side so that the canoe would have tilled in a shcjrt time.
It was unloaded, the fiacture lill'>il with white lea<l, the side pressed back'to its
original shape and lixed there by a piece tilted to the inside, and rivetled with
wrought nails, and the canoe was again to all intents a^ gocwl as before.

3lountain goats and big-horn slieep aDound in the hills around tiie pass. While
going through I saw how the Indians, by stratagem, sometimes secure caiiboo and
moose, wlicn the snow is not deep and they are consequently Jiard to ajii^roach. A
ravine which is full of snow is selected, and round it. on the lower siile, i.s built a
brush fence, which is extended outwards and backwards to the uplands on each side,
diverging until the ends are some miles apart. The fence consists merely of crotched
sticks stuck into the snow at suitable distances, with poles laid horizontally in th"
crotches, due care being taken to cut and mark it so that the agency of man in its
erection is made very evident. A parly then scours tho country around tin' mouth
of the trajj, all the time gradual!}- approaching it, driving any animals in the vici-
nity, by noises and other means, between tiie arms, whieh the brulos avoid as soon
as I hey see. They are thus gradually driven to the snow ]»it at the end where they
are easily despatched. Had the brutes sense enough they could easily dash through
the fence, but they will not ajtproach it.

From the foot of the ra])ids to I'eel Rivei- the current is very slow, ami about
four miles down the river branches, the soutlr.'i'n branidi spreading out into num-
erous lakes, in winch we weie a day paddling around trying to lind our way out. • In
most of lliem the ice was still floating. Had the Indian taken the north channel we
would have saved nearly a whole day in time, but he thought the south channel was
the right one uniil we were lost in it, and then I'ecollected that we should have taken
the other one. These channels join again below the lakes and continue on to I'ee!
iiiver.

The surface here is flat and swampy, with much good timber. Although this
was the most northerly |)oint i-eaehed (about (17" 45') the trees on this flat were as
lame on the average as tiiose seen anywhere else on the survey. Tiie Indian told me
they called this |mrt of the river I'oplar Iiiver, from the tact that much of that wood
grows along its banks near the mouth. That poplar grows on it is no very dislin-
guishinii; feature, so I juopose to name it Trout Iiiver, troni the abundance of trout
that aie caught in it up in the nuaintains. According to the Indian's story they are
very abundant.

Two streams join Trout JJivor, one a mile below the caiion and the other just at
the foot of the rajuds. The first is about as large as Trout Kiver above the conflu-
ence The Indian gavi^ me its nanio in iiis laiiuiiagc, l)u1 it was almost uii]ho-
nounccable. When translated it was in Kiiulish "The river that is filled with snow."

Tliis name is given because up in the mountains the valley is drifted full of snow in

lie said it we wont up the
valle}' we would see the water running under snow arches for long distances. 1 had

winter, some often remaining until the next winter,

seen a similar plienomen<m on a small s "ide for two miles on a creek in McDougall
I'ass. The river comes from the scnith, and the trail from Lal'ierre's House to Fort
Mcl'herson ero.sses it. The other river, called Long Stick River, eomes from the
north-west, and is not more than eighty feet wide at its mouth.

Peel Uivor was reached on the evening of the liUh .Iiine, and on the morning of
the 2Uth, at eleven o'clock, wo arrived at Fort Mcl'herson.

Sf.otidn 4.

Exploratory Survj/ from Fort MePherson to Fort Chipeicyan by way of Peel and
Mackenzie Mirers, Great Slave Lake and Hirer, and Lake Athabasca.

F<)rt McPherson is Imiit on the cu-t bank of Peel Eiver, bonie t'ouiteen miles
al)0%'e the point whore it divides and joins the Mackenzie delta, whirli is common to
iioth rivers.

The fort stands on a hiirh bank, tonsistinff of icravel, under which some shale
can be seen close to tlie water. About a mile ((own tlie height of the bank decreases
from tifty feet or thereabouts to ten oi- twelve, and consists wholly of ulluvial ikpo-
sits. The river at the foit is about lialf a mile wide, with moderate current.

Tlie country surrouiidina; the delta of the Mackenzie has evidently licen a ])ai't
of the Arctic Ocean wliich has been tilled up with dei)Osits brouiijiitdown by liio river.

On this soil the growth of timlier is, for the latitude, very largo and thick, many
spruce of ii'oni twelve to tiftocn intdies <liameter occurring along Peel River, as well
as along the Mackenzie for some miK". up.

At Fort McPherson I at once set about making preparations to resume the
micrometer survey and carry it from this j)oint to Fort Chipewyan, on Lake Atha-
basca, there to connect with my miciometer survey of Athabasca and Peace Rivers.
The I'lst ami part of the 22nd of June were spent in this way.

On the 21sl 1 tried to make some observations tor latitude; but as the sun never
set r could get only one or two meridian altitudes of <ii-st magnitude stars in adtli-
tion to that of the sun. The instrument used was taulty, so tjiat tiie result, <!"'' 2t)',
cannot be accepted with much contidence, as it may bo in error a minute or more.

1 observed on the siin, east and west, for azimuth, and that night <iitl what no
other Dominion Land Surveyor has, I think, ever done, viz., took the sun's lower or
midnight transit acr'oss the nierii'ian tor time.

On the 22n(l 1 took a set of magnetic observations, and all tlx' necessary pre-
iiarations for the survey being completed, started the work at six-o'clock that even-
ing, coni|)leling al>out seven nules.

I Could tind no one ar<nind McPherson who knew much about Peel River, and as
my own observations were confined to that ])art.of it below the fort, \ am not able
to say much about it. The distance from the tort to where the river branches into
the JNIackenzie delta is thirteen miles, and through the delta to Mackenzie River
proper-, thirty-one iind a half miles.

Jk'tween Peel River and the Mackenzie about two-tliirds of the channel in the
delta averages more than a quarter of a mile wide; the remainder about one hundred
yards. All of it was deep w!«en I ^lassed thrnugh, and the JEul.son's Bay Com-
[»an3''s steamer '' Wrigley," drawiiig five leet of water, linds ni> litli'Milty in navi-
gating it.

The banks do not rise more than ten or lifteen feet above the water, and the cur-
rent is continually wearing away the soft deposit and carrying it down to the lower
pai-t of the delta and the Artie Ocean.

Where we enter the Mackenzie ]>roper the channel is three-fourths of a mile
wide, but it is only one of four, ihere being three large islands there. The whole
width of the river ( annot be less than three or tour miles.

Looking nortliward down ihv westerly channel the view is bounded by the sky,
and widens in the distance so that one can fancy he i^^ looking out to sea. Thi-* can
hardly be so ; but from the altitude ot the bank where I stood, addeil to my own
height, the horizon must have lioen six miles away; and a bank in the channel of
equal height to that on whi(d» I stood would have been visible twice that distance.
Now, if the supposed bank was timbered, as was that <mi which I stood, it woubl ho
visil)lc ten or twelve miles tiirther, but none was in sight.

Prom the entrance of the small channel of Peel River to the head of the upper
island in the Mackenzie is nine miles. From the west Bhore to the sotitherly point
of this island is a mile and a quarter; from the island to tlie ejist shore the distance
is nearly as great, showing liie river o be more than two miles wide at this point.

iii

h ii

Jlowovor, if i^nuluiilly narrows, and five miles above this is littlo ovorn mile v?i(Je,
which it averages up to the narro\v>, about sixty miles fi-om Fort McPherson, or
twonty-oiii;ht from where wo oiitere<i it.

A norih wiini raises quite a swell here, and the salty odor of the sea air is quite
poroe])filile above the delta.

Tiio banks continue low and the country flat on both sides of the river for some
nine milei- above the islands.

The shore on the (^-ist side is sloping, while that on the ./est is generally ]ier-
pendicular, showing the action ot the current, which is wcaiing into and carrying
awaj' portions of it. This form of bank changes into steej) shale rock, tiiat on i he
cast being about fifty feet high and that on the west apparently sixty to eighty.
Hofli banks ;ire perpendicular, and gradually increase in height as far as tlm Xarrows,
where they are jirobably one imndred and lifly feet above the water. The easterly
bank through the Narrows is almo-<t a sheer precij)ice to the water, but tliat on the
wester!}' side is not (juite so abrupt.

Red River enters the .Mackeny.ie on its west side just at the foot of the Narrows.
It is about two hundred yards wide at its mouth and appears to be shallow. As far
as 1 could learn from persons acquainted with the river, it comes from a flat, swumpy
cou n t ry .

A winter trail crosses from Vovt McPherson to the Mackenzie near the con-
flueucu of Red Kiver, a..d the surface oi' the country along it is said to be covered
with woods, marsiit^s and poods.

Jn the Narrows th<' M;iekon/,ie is nearly three fourths of a mile wide for a dis-
tance ot live oi- six miles, when it exjjands to its normal wiilth of a mile oi- more.
In one part of the Narrows there was not more than five feet of water oti the west
si<le of the river for some distance out from shore. In low water this becomes bare,
and reduces the width ot the river to halt a mile for a sliort distance. Hence, this
place is called the Narrows. The current here is swift, being nor less than four and
a-half miles per hour. Coming u])tlie river, vve turnsharph' at ibis point t'rom south-
east lo Mortb-t'a-'t, but after pa,><sihg ibe Xai'rows we resume tin former coursti.

A lew miles above the Narrows the baid<s (diange tVom rocic to day arul gravel,
and continue generally steep and high as lar as Port (.iood Hope. In a tew places
the bank receoes from tlie river for a short distance, forming a low flat, on which
generally grows somt) fair spruce timber. I noticed that these flats tirt* being ealon
away by the action of the current and waves. The greatest extent of level ground
1 saw is at the site of Fort (iood Hope, on ibe west side of tiie river; but, as I came
up the east side, I cannot say exactly what the timber there is like, but jud'-ing from
ii> ap|)earancc at the distance of a mile it is largi' and long.

From the ilelt.-i up the river is clear of bar-- and islands during the stage of
water at which 1 >a\v it, tor a distance of about eighty niilcM. It then widens to
two miles or more, and there are some scatteicd bars and snuiU islands. The cur-
rent is uniform, as one would expect in such an immense volume of water, and never
exceeds four miles an hour. There are many [ilaccs wbcie, looking up and down
the \ alley, the view is bounded by a water hoiizon, and it has moie the appearance
of a lake than a river.

Wherever possible the width of the river wiis determined b}- triangulation. Be-
tween the Narrows and Fort (Jood Hope it is never less than a mile wide and is often
moie than two, even reaching three miles at some points.

Since I followed the shore, J cannot sp« .': of the (b'pth of water from personal
observation. Capt. Bell, of the Hudscm's Hay ( npany's steamer" Wrigley," informed
me that tlie shallowest water found by him in any part of the river, in what he con-
sidered the channel, was eleven feel. But as, when 1 saw him, he had made only
two trips (ui the lower river, he could not speak very definitely as to its depth. Sir
Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered the river and des(;ended to its mouth in .Inly,
ITS'.t, had a lead line with which to make soundings ; but in the swift current a siiort
distance above Fort Simpson his lead caught in the bottom, the line broke, and the
lead was lost. I have the depths according to hira, and will give thera in their pro-

per place. Ono would cxpocf, in such an expanse of water as this, to find some of it
Hhullou. I'Ut it appears from all the evidence J could ijuthei- that vessels drawing
from eii^ht to ten feet of water would find no difticulty in navii!,ation as far as Great
Slave Ijake. Altlioui^h the river is reported to b<! sjiallow where it leaves this lake,
doubtless a channel could he found atlordiiig the druuy;lit al)ove mentioned.

No rivers of importance Mow into tiie Mackenzie hetweeii I{ed and Hare Indian
Eivern. Sixty miles ai>ove lied River a stream one hundred yards wide enters from
the north-east. 1 think this it* a I'iver which an old man at Fort (iood Hope des-
ciibed to me as one up which a JIudson s Bay (''>mpaiiys oflieer went many years
au;o to its source, which he found to ho not tar from the iiead waleis of Anderson
River, which flows into the Arctic Ocean. It would appear from the old man'a
8tutement that .>cv»'rai trips up it have been made since; but his information was
vai^ue, and I afierwai-ds met no one who could n'ive me a reliable account of this
river.

One hundred and thirty miles fiirther on Loon JJiver enters from the east. This
river is from eii^hty to one hundred yards wide. The person from whom I received
my intV)rmation concernip'4 the last nientioned stj-eam had also exjilored this one
for some di>laii(e and i,'ave me the foUowinu; notes: f'or' ei^ht miles liiere is <i;ood
canoe navisi;aii<>n, then a ra|)id half a mile Innif occui's, at the head ot which is a lake
about three n iles loiiy,' and one broad, in which th' Indian* catch many fish. This is
called " llorrie Lake," and some distance abovt' it is another some two miles in dia-
meter, and calb'd "J{ound Lake" from it- >ha|ie. Alxive this ai;ain i here i^ a succes-
sion of lakes for many days' travel.

Twenty miles altove the mouth of the last mentioneil stream. Hare Indi;in River
fh)Ws into the .MacKenzie on its east .-ide. It is about two bundled yards wide at its
mouth, ami is said to preserve this width for a lomr distance. Tiie Indians report
tlial this I ream rises in a r:ina:e of hills on the north-west -^ide of (Ireal Hear Ijakc.
I)ut about its navi^al'ility I coidd learn nothini;. There was an old Indian at l"\)rt
Goofl lIo])e who had been up to the head wateis of this river several times; but be-
cause lie saw me taking an observation in dayliiflit, and learned that I could see the
stai's at that time, he would uivt- no infonu.ntion. ^ayinu;: "A m;in who could see
wtars in (biyliiiht could ju^t as easily see the whole river.'

l"'ort tiood Hope is built on the east side ot' the Ma( kenzio, two miles and a
quarter above Hare Indian River, and two below the ramjiarls. It w;is ori::;inally
about one Inmdred and twenty miles down the river tfom this |)oiiit, but was subse-
cpiently moved to the Upper Manitou Islaml, whence it wa-swcjit bv a tiood in 18,'{(!,
It was then l)uilt on its present site. The Hudson's Bay Company has quite a lar^e
establishment at this point, consist inu; of half a dozi-n houses and some stables. The
Roman t'atholic t'hurch has a mission here, and their church is said to possess one
of the best tii\isbed interiors in the country.

Two miles above the fort we entei' what is known in the vicinity as the
" Ramparts; " though in the more 8t)uth-westerly ])art of the country it would bo
culled the "("anon." Here.fora distance ot' seven miles, the river runs between i)er-
pendicular and occasionally overhan^ini: walls of rock. .\t liie lowei' end they rise
one hundred and fifty feet above the water, but tlieir height di'creascs as we near
the upper end, at which jx.int they are not more than fifty or sixty feet. At the.
lower end the caiion is nearly a mile wide, but its walls giadually cjr)nver!);e until,
about thre«' miles up, the width is not more than half a mile, and ihi^ continues to
the upper end. Sir .Mexander .Markenzie wlifti pas>im!; through sounded at its
upper end, and foun<l three hundred leet of water, which accounts for the tad that,
although the canon is so narrow, the curnuit is not perceptibly increased.

Aliout a mile above the Hamparth there is a rapid when the water is low, but
when 1 passed then' was no sign of it. We patldled right f)ver where the worst
])art is saiil to lie, ajul noticed nothing hut a current somewliat ipiickeiied, but not
sutticiently so to j)revent our ascent with ease. On the east side of the river the
rapid is unsafe for small boats duriiiii low water, but two-third^ of the way across to
the west shore the water is deep and safe. I was told that several travellers, while

I< '

ifli

passing in boats, hiivo tried without succoss to find bottom with long poles. The
rapid is caused by ii ledge of rock extending across the river, apparently the upper
edge of th'3 rock through which the Kamparts have been worn. Over this leiigo
the river simply drops. The Hudson's Bay Company's steamer has not yet
encountei'ed any ditHculty in i)assing up and down.

When on his way down the rivor, Sir Alexandt-r Mackenzie met some Indians
some distance abavc this place. After confidence had been eslablished liy means of

Iii'usents, lie prepared to start onwai'd ; and, although his newly made friends told
lim there was groat danger ahead in the form of a rapid or catanict which would
swallow him and his party without fail, ho C(mtinued, they following and warning
him of his danger. lie advanced cautiously into the Ramparts butcoulil hear or see
nothing to verify their statements. At last, when through, they admilted that the
only bad water to be encountered was now passed, but that'behind the islaml, just
below, was a bad spirit or mon.ster, which would devour the whole party. Failing
there, the next island below would surely reveal him. From these statements the
two islands have received the names of Upper and Lower M:initou. re>peoiively.

In the fall of 1887 a whale made its w.'iy u]) the river to tl^I{an)j>arts, remain-
ing there the whole season, and before the river froze over it was ot'ten seen blowing.
At lirst tilt! Indians were afraid, but they soon became accusfomed to the sight, and
shot at the whale whenever' it approached the shoro. Jn the spring its dead iMidy
was beached by the ice on the west shorj seven or eight milo.s below Imui Go<jd Hope,
and the Indians used part of it for dog food. I enquiied of its dimensions from several
who had seen it. They described il as about twice un long as one of their canoes and
thicker through than their own height. This would mean a length of tVoin tweiity-
tive to twent\--eight feet. 1 have often heard it stated that all \hv channels of the
3Iacken/,ie delta are shallow, but the jiresence of this whale assures us that one of
them at least is over six feet dee

A shoit distance above the l{am|
west >i(le. 1 "

yards wide at its mouth. All 1 could learn about it at the fort was that it e:inie
from lar up in the mountains.

.Above the Ifaniparts the .Mackenzie suddenly expands to over a mile in width.
The banks, as a rule, are much lower than they are below, while in some places
^wanv|(s occur close to the stream, somethirg never noticed bejow the lijimparts.

Twenty-one miles above Fort (Jood Hojie, Beaver River joins on the we.it, but
as I continued on the east side f saw only its mouth, which appeared to be one iiun-
ilred yard.- wide. An Imlian with me said that il took il> n:inie from the nninber of
beavois liirmerly found on it. This stream rises in the mountains, but does not seem
to be of any importance.

Forty-eight miles from Fort Good Hope, Sans Sault Rapid is reached. This, like
the rapid at- the bead of the Ramparts, is all on one side of the river, which is Ihm'O
a mile and a <piarlt;r wide. As 1 went up the west sitle. and the lajiid was on tht^
other, e.xtfriiding but little more than a third of the way across. 1 cannot say that I
saw anything t)f it. 1 heard the roar plainij* enough, but s.iw nothing except a swift
current. Il is caused by a ledgo of rocks extending partially across the river.
Capt. Hell reports deep water in tlie channel at the end of the ledge, and the steamer
has no .seriouB trouble in ascemling. In vci'v low water il i,-. -aid thai iliis rock is
scarcely covered.

A rifJge of hills here extends beyond the i-iver from the Rocky Mountains,
occasional glimpses of which can be i-aught from the water, .lust e.ast of the r.ai'ids
above menlioned a ridge extends i>a<tward from tli(» rivi>r for some niii<'s. The
higliest point in the end nearer the river was triangulated, and the height deter-
mined as one hundred and tifty-five feet above the water. To the north and
east of tliis are several peaks, but th(y are scattered and i.solatod from each other.
On the west side of the livi'r the hills are some distance away. The rock of which
these hills are eomposotl is linie>tone, as tar as 1 observed. 1 saw some specimenb
of clay iron stone, but not in jilace.

)r six teel deep.

I'e above the Kamiiarts a river th

ows into the Mackenzie on its
aw il only a<'ross the river, but i' ap|)eared to be about two humlrfnl

; i

hilt,
iiii-

■iMll

iko

■re

IIIH,
tiT-

ler.
icli

t'llS

A mile above iho rapids ti rivor called Mount-*!!! River flows in from tho west.

It is from one hiindreii to one liundrod and titty yards wiilo. and hIuiIIdw.

A niiloalM)vi' this again I lie Mackeiizif turns bhaiply to the eunt from its southerly
direction, and skirts the bane of the mountains for six niiles. Itn course then curves
a little to the Houth, when what might bo termed a eafion is entered, in which the
river Hows tor nine or ten milew. Tho river here nvorages a mile in width, and is
walled on both si<les \^y perpendicular liiucstono cliffs, rising from one to two hun-
dred feet above the water, ()n tho south siile this wall tcrtiiinates in what is locally
known as Wolverine Jlock, rising jierpendicularly from the water to a height of
about three hundred feet. Tho fornuition is limestone, tlio strata of which stand
almost on edge, ami the water has worn through them in several jilace.s, so that one
can sail underneath. .Mxive t|ii> point the mountains agiiin upprojich tho river for
two or three miles, when they suddenly drop altnosi to the Itivol of the plain. The
banks arc there clay ami gravul, with an average height of from ono hundrcil to one
hundred and tifty feet.

Six and one half miles above Sans Sault Rapiils (Jarcajou River empties
its wafers into tiie Mackenzie from the west. It is a large! i-ivei^ being not le-- than
four hundi'ed yards wide at its mouth. An Indian with me stilted that this sticam
was- very large and very long, the Indians h:iviiig ascended it fo' great dislunces
through the mountains. He pointed out the direction of the valley for some dis-
tance above the mouth, and it appeared to run i)arallel to the .Maekcnzie for a <-on-
sidcra.l'lo sjiace; then, turning sharply to the west, to I'nter tlie mounluins. This
river seems to bo the largest tributary of the Mackenzie below the Liard.

On tho evening of .Saturday, 21st July, I met tho Hudson's Bay Coin pany'.s
steamer "Wrigley" on her way down to F()rt Mcl'herson. She luid aheady i>ecn
down as t'ar as Fort (iood Hope, and had returned with the season's furs. Here I
goi the tirst news tVom the out>iue world siiiee May in the previous yt^ar.

Opposite where I met the steamer is a lanre island in the river, whi< h the
otticors of the boat and Mr. Canisill. in eluirge of the district for the Hudson's liay
('onij)any, named "Ogilvies Island," rcipiesting me to so mark it on my map, as
henceforth it would lie known by that ii;ime througlioiil the district.

Ton miles below <uea! Bear River a stream about one hiin Ired yards wide
comes in on the westerlv side. I saw it onlv across the Mackenzie, and ^ot no
iidormation <'oiicerning it.

I'^our hundred and forty-foui- nules tVom Fort .Mcl'hers(ni brought us to Fort
Norman, which is situated on the east bank of th'j .Ma(d^enzie just above the entrance
of (ireat Bear River. This river is t'ri>m two to three hundred yards wide at the
mouth, with ji mcnlerato current, but a siiort distance up becomes shallow and the
current increases. The c)l<>r of the water is a lie.iuiitul greeiush-blue, although
when 1 passed, it was somewhat turbid. It is said by those who have heeu up on
the lake that the water tiiere is very clear.

Between Forts (!ood Hope and Norman llu' Mackenzie averages much over a
mile in vvidlh. an I islands are so numerous that iliere tire few reaches of the river
without them. Hence, the average brtiadlh otaclual wati'rway is proli.-ilny not cvei"
a mile. 1 never measured the velocity of liu' current; but it is nowhere stroiijr,
and 1 e»timate that it is never swifter than tour miles per hour, except at a tew
points which will be notiei'ii later on.

On the east side of the river, two miles below l-'ort Xorman. a limestone ridge,
known as ■ Hear Rock," rises one thousand five hundred feet al)ove tin? water*,
and maintains this height for ^ome ilislance northward from the Mackenzie.

After we had passed a point some miles below Sans Sault liapid we eould oica-
sionally see the main range of the Kocky Mountains. I tried to locate the mo-^t
prominent p^'aks in sit^ht by irianguiation, luit on account <d'continuous wet weather
during the \vh<de summer 1 did not succeed as v.<di as 1 wished ttllhough 1 continued
this work all tho way up the river to within a few miles uf Fort Simpson. The dat«.
thus collected, when placoil on my map, will permit .in approximate location of the
main range for the future map- of the district. In most cases the angular altitiules

1' w
!

I' '

I 'I

of the peaks woro noted, so that their lieightM and poHitioiis ciiii both bo t^iven. At
Fort Normim the moiuitaiiis uro not more than twenty miles distant, but Just Houth
of that point they turn away from the river, and are not visible for some distnnce up.

Above Fort Norman the eastern bank of the Mackenzit; is i^enerally hit^li. and
com])osod of (lay. The current has undermined these banks in many jiiaces to sueh
an extent that they are cont'inually faliinf^ into the river. This is markmlly the case
from twenty to foi-ty-tive miles above the point named. The eurrent l)ero is very
KwiCt. runninji; in many j>liM.'es as much as eii;iit miles an hour for short distances in
pa^sin^j; punts.

In l.'^t-l Fort Norman stood twenty-three miles above its present site on the west
bank, but when that fort was built I could not l<>arn. During the occupation (pt'this
sit(^ oiii' evening the oi-cuj)aiits ot the fort observed that the water in the river was
falling very ra])idly, yet retired to sleep, not e.xpecting any dangei'. J'^arly in the
morning they were roused liy finding tiie water in their houses floating them out of
bed. They escaped by nutans of boats, but all tlieir cattle and other ]iro])erty were
carried away. It was aftiwwards discovi-rod that the fall in the water had been
caused by an immen-^e laiul slide damming the waters of the south branch of the
]jiard liiver; and the flood, by its release. The fort was then removed to its
present sito.

.lusl above the ])oinl where this incident occured the river expands into what
miglil be (railed a lake, only tliat it is lillod with islands, and ail the watur-ways
togclliei' piobabiy do not amount to much more than a mile in i»readth. This expan-
sion is si.\ miles long and four wide. Above this for six miles the current is very
swift, the last mile and a-half of it running fully eight miles per hour. In this por-
tion the curnMit washes the liasc of a high <diiy bank on the west ^;ide of the river
and is continually undermining it. so that it is unsafe to cither walk along the bank
or sail close to it in n small boat.

Sixty-five miles, by tlie survey, above Fort Niirm.'in, a large river enters from
the W(^st. It is shallow at its mouth, as it is throughout its coui-so, according to tlie
reports of the Indians. The curr>'nt. ihey >ay, is swit't. Tliey ascend it a long way
in the winter to hunt, and(lesceiid in the spring on rafts. JIow fai' they go up 1
could not learn, their unit of distance being the unknown quantity of a day's travel,
but they go n\uch farther than on any other tributary of the lower river. This is
marked on my mamixript m.'iji as •• Daha-dined Jliver." It was so called bvSir.lohn
Franklin, or. rather, the Imlijuis in the vicinity gave him that a-> the name. 1 also
obtain(!(l the name from some Indians who had tr.avelled it, and thcv called it " I'o-
cat-ah-zah." This transiat(^l means flravel IJiver. by which name it is known to all
the white men i)i the vicinily. on account of its.-.hallown(!ssand numerous gravel bars.

Nine or ten miles aliove, on the sumc si le of the river, .-inother strcam'enters,
apparently not more than a bundi'ed yards wide at its mouth. 1 saw ii fronj the
opposite side of the river mdy, and heard nothing concerning it. A small stieam
enters ihc Mackenzie opposit(! this ])lace. and up its valley, about two miles t'rom the
river, was seen a shai j) jicak rising one thousand live bundled fc(>i, aliove the water.

Aboui thirty miles t'arlher uji on the west side a river discharges a large
volume of clear, black water, which rushes bodily half-way across the Ma(d{enzie, and
j)reserves its disiinciive ch.'vracter for several miles before if mingles with the main
stream. The name applied to this river by the peojde at Fort Wriglev was •' La
Jiivii'rc le Vieux (ir.md iiac." It is snid to flow out ot' a lake of consi(U>rable extent,
lying iiot fai- from 'he Mackenzie. Many peaks can be seen up its valley.

Fifteen miles above Trravcl Hivei' the Mackenzie ( hanges from over a mile in
width, with numerous islands, to a sfri-am often not more than half a mile wide, and
without islands. This continues u]) to Fort Wriglcy, except that four miles below
the fort it is oidy three-(Mghths of a mile wide for a distance of naif a mile. The
current here is swifi, but not as rajuil as at some jioinls farther down stream.

Six hundred and twenty-four and a half miles from Foit Mci'herson brings us to
Fort Wrigley. This post was formei-iy known as Tiie Little Hapid, but has received
the name it row bears in honor <f the present Chief Commissioner of tlie Iludscin's

Bay Compiny. .Tnut above tiie tort thoro is a swift rush of water over 8omo limo
titono rock, wliich ai)i»oars to oxtoiul acroNH the river. On the west Hide two Hmall
islands coiitine a part of the stream in a fiinnel-iil<o channel, which, hoiiii? hlialiow,
causes a slii^ht rapid, and ^ivos rise to tiie former name of liio post. It is said that
(his channel is sometimes dry durinsj; low water in the winter months.

From La liivithe le Vieux (rrand La'' to the fort a ran^'e ot mountains runs
parallel to the river on its east side. They are in many places so close to it tiiattho
foothills come down to tin* water, especially near Fort Wrij^iey, but just above tliis
point they turn away eastwardtroni the river. Ab<»ve Jiittle IJnpid the river a^^ain
widens to much over a mile, with numerous islamls, and retains I hi.- widtli almost
to Fort Simpson, The east bank is lienerally low and often swampy, but the west,
althoufib low for a short distance trom tlie river, tcradually rises to a bei^^ht of seven
or eiiflit hundred feet. Fiflty-eii^ht miles above Fort Wri^le}' tiiis idll terminates in
a bold, hiicb point, and the ridi^'e turns otV to the south-west, enclosini; a deep, wiile
valley between it and the mountains, whicli here a|)pr()ach the river. This ranije
continues Houth-eastward out of sii;Iil. The positions ami heisriits of some of thi^
peaks wore determined l)y tr'ianj^uiation. One of them was found to rise two tln)u-
sand eiij:ht hundred feet and another four tliousand six hundred and seventy-tive feet
above the river.

Three miles and a half trom Fort Wri<;ley, a stream known to the Indians as
the ■' River Between Two Mountains" dischari^es into the Mackenzie from the east.
Alliiouii'h one hundred and tifty yards \vid<>. ii is shallow.

Thirty-nine miles above this, on the same side. Willow Jjake liivor enters. It is
a quarter ot a mile wide, deep, with a slacU ('urrent. It is said to flow nut of a lake
of considerable extent not far from tlie Mackenzie.

Sixteen miles above this a^ain, on the west side, a river tlows in from the south-
west. 1 have seen its name '^pelled Xa-bone, but it is sjxdled by the 7{ev. Father
Petitot. Na-hauner. Thisstieam. as seen from the opposite side of the river, seems
about two hundred yards wi<le ; but it is shallow and r()Wi;li at the moi\tb, as wiis
ascertained by the noise of its wtitei's bein^ plainly heard aiToss the MacUeiizie, here
a mile Avide. 1 could ^et no information as to what it was like for any distance
above its mouth ; but it pierces the raniic of mountains to the west, which here come
close to the river. The valley thus formcil can be .seen cxtcndinL;- south-westerly
tlirouL;!) the nKnintains tor matiy niiies. '

No streams ot' any size enter the Afackenzie between this point ami the con-
fluence with the Liard. The baidvs in this stretch are alternately Itnv and swampy,
and modiM'ately hiy;b, consistini; of yfavel and saml.

By the survey it is s»ven hundred and tifty-eij^ht and one-half miles from Fort
.MclMiei'son to Fort Simpson. The lalti^r fort is MtiuUe on an island just below the
junction of the Mackenzie and Liard llivers. Above the confluence both streams are
apparently of the same size, eadi beintr a little under a mile wide. 1 have no data
to calculate tjie dischar<re of either; but, il'the discliar^c is in proportion to (hearea
of the draiiuii^e basin, the discbarL''e ot the Mackenzie would be more tlian three
limes that of the Liard. From numerous reports, both veri)a! ami written, it would
ap])ear thai the Liard .may be mtvii^MJile for lii^lit draught stern-wheel steamers up
to Fi/Tt Liard, which is one hundred and ciLihty miles .ibove Fort .Simi)s(»n in an air
line. There are |)iaces which, ii> low waler, would perhaps be diflioiilt to i^et over ;
itut they are probably not more frequent tlian on many other rivers wliich have been
successfully navipUed, as soon as tiie necessity foi- it has become apparent. Mr.
.M(;Coiniell, of the (reological Survey, catne <iown this river in the autumn of 1SS7,
when the water was |)robably low, and will be competent to speak cf)nclusively on
this subject.

A short distance above the confluence the Mackenzie narrows to an averai^e
width of little over half a mile, with a generally swift current. This continues tor
seventy-five and a half miles above Fort Simp.son, and causes ibis part of the river
to be called the ''Line," from the fa<t that large boats cannot bo rowed against the
current, but have to be hauled by a line attached to them, and pulled liy men on

) '

11 \\\

shore. Thin is tho common mwieof imvi^ntion on all tho northern rivers whero there
lire no steamers, tin it is loss luhorioiis tiian rowiiij^ ii^fainst a curiont.

On his way down the river, Sir Aicxandt'r Mac kcnzio souMiicil near llio head of
the Lino, suspecting from the rale of tlie current that ihe watoi' was shallow. On
1st July, 178!>, ho found tifty-foui- feet of water here; in a second trial, some distance
below, his lead caught in the hottoni, and tlie united ettorts of eiglit men could not
pull the canoe ui^ainstrthe current far enough to liberate it. In the strugffle the line
parted and the lead was lost.

Tlie banks of this part of the river are i^cnerally somewhat low, consisting of
gravel and sand. A couple of small rivers flow m, bin arc of no importance. Kour
miles abnvo the l-ine a stream called '' Riviere la I'ccdic" joins from tim south-wcst,
and is from one hundred to a liundrcii and fifty yards wide. Some Indians I met
near its mouth reported it as shallow and rapid a short distance up.

At the head of the Lino tlie river widens from a little over half a mile to a mile and
a half, and the banks become lowci-, rising but a t<w fc«)l above low water. The current
is slow, with almost ilcad water in the biiys. 'Ibo season ol ISSH was unusually
wet, and the water in tlu; river and lakes correspondini,dy high ; so much so,
that the oldest residents in the district letn^mbcr milhing like it. The following
tacts may be cited to corroborate this statement: A shoit distance above Kivi^iela
I'eehe tiiere arc large meadows where, for'merly, gical quantities of bay were cut
for the cattle at Fort Simpson. Having looked for, but failtMlto lind these meadows,
I inquired as to their whereabfiuts of some Indians whom I met patldling around
shooting along the west shore. They told me that I w;is tbei, -"ailing over tbem. I
sounded and founil ten feet of water on 4tli September, a seiison of the year wlion it
nuLTht bo c.xpecied to bo almost at it IcAVest summer level. At Lake Atbabasea, a
man born in the counir}' ami now sixty years of age, buili himself a house near tbc
Quatro l'\)urche, some years ago, at a spot whore his past experience justified hin\
in expecting never to be troubled by high water in the lake. But 1888 upset all liis
calculations, for the water in the lake rose so high (bat it ()Ceui)ied the lower flat of
his house, and be litid to camp out jiarl )f tlu' -easi>M,

With tlie water at this height tlie Hat shores above the Line were all submerged,
sometimes for several hundred yards into the woods, so that I found it impossiblo to
carry on the survey in the ordinary mannt-r, i s))ent two days experimenting to
find 11 1 could not continue tho aecuiate instrumental sui'vey by some other meiliod
than that lierctoforc u.seil, but failed. Tin-re tin) no liills in tin' vicinity of the river,
so tlial a tri;uii;ulation was impossible, nor could I tind any spots on tbe shore where
cutting trees would enable me to continue the micromotor survey, taking longer
sights than usual, and using ot ci mr.-ie a longer ba-e rod. I was com|iolled above this
point to abandon the instriimcnlal survey and carry on a mere track survey, taking
compass courses, ami obtaining tho nistanccs from jioint to jioint by the time and
estimated rate of travel. I intended to resume the mieromeier survey as soon as
the height of the water permitted, ex]icclini;- to tind suitable conditions a short
dislaneo up. I bad been led to expect thai I woiiM soon come to higher banks, but I
found no dry bank outsicU; the woods until I reached Ijittio J^ake, and there only tor
a short distance. I found tho general state of the shores tho same all the way to
Great Slave Lake, and along it to the mouth of (ireat Slave River, f was cumitelled
to continue the compass survey to that river, and up it several miles, liefore the
banks were high •■nougli to permit a continuous micrometer survey. Kven then
much of the instrumental survey was made in nuul so soft that freipiontly one could
not stand without sticks under his feet to prevent his sinking.

Before starting tho compass survey 1 determined the latitude ol' the last micro-
meter station, and the error of my ebronomeler on local time, a-t well as I could with
my instruments, intending to chock my work as 1 went along by fro(iuent latitude
and time observations. Hut the cloudy weather ^irohibited this, an<l I got on the
lake but one partial observation foi- (imo and none for latitude. I took some star
transits for time while at I'oit Ro-olution. but was unable to dotermine the
chronometer rate during tho interval, so that the observations are not of mucli

viiliic :iH a check on tlio (listnncoH estiniuti'tl, Thoio is lIuM-ot'oro a Im-ak oftwn lum-
(Irt'il an<l eij;lity-two milch in my inslrimu'tunl Mirvoy lieUvtu'ii KcntM Mcl'hejHon and
Cliipewyan. U' the li)ni^itu(ies n«Hi^netl to FtH'tn Siniiwoti ami Kcsuliition on the

naph ai'o coiTfct, tlio orror of my compaHH Hurvcy can

bfii

iMCOvorcil

C'ompaiinjf

llio (lin'eronco of the loniritiuU's ^ivon on tlio maps with that ilt'ilu<od lioin ilio

survey.

10 hanks tor tlie wliole ot tliis ^tivtch are very low ami bwampy, ami soil
mostly httndy, and covore<l thickly with willows alonif tlio shore.

'iSvoiity six miles ahovo the head of the Line Yellow Knife Kivef entors the
Mackenzie from the south, but as the eoinitry was all tlooded it was impossihUi to
form an idea of its si/.o without aseendiny it some distance, which I had not time to
do. It woidd aj)pear, however, from the ftatemonts of the native with me, that tiim
is the largest Iriltutary of the .Mucken/.io hetweiMi tlio Liard and i'ort Providence.

Sixty-two miles from the head of the I,im* hrimfs us to Little Ijuke, which is
ahont twelve milos lonij, and ten or twelve nules wiilo, heiiiu.- tnoitdy an expansii>n
i»f the river. The southern shores are flat and i-amly ; luit, notwithstandini; this, the
water when ! passed was deep a short distance out. What it is in an oi-dinary
.-.lai^'c 01 water i <lid not learn. Sir Alexander .Mackenzie reports nud<ini,' frei|iient
Boundinjjs in the lake duriiii,' the last days of .June, IT?^!*. In the lake he found
eighteen to thirty-six feet ot water, and in the river below the lake, to the head of
the Line, from twenty-four to thirty-six feet.

Above Little J^ake, as far as Fort I'rovidoncc, the river is wide and islands are

iiuni

croiis. I'ntil 1 passed thi.^ point I IoIIowcmI tlu^ north shore, and I'ould nowhoi

wo milOH.

see across, so I can only guess at the width; but it cannot ho less tiian t
and is probably thiee, or mure.

Fort Providence is on the north liaidv of the river, twenty-four miles above
Little Ijake. At the fort is the usual colh-ction of buildings found at a [Lidson's
JJay (.'ompany's post. Tiie lioman l.^itholic Cburcdi has a n>issioii here. For a lew
tnilos above and below the country on tht! noi-(h bank is less swaiupy than that Just
passed, the banks being gravelly, and rising tifteen to t^venty-live feel abovi> the
water. Above the post is a slight rapid, which on tlie Lewes or most otln-r rivers
in our teiritory would not be iioticcil liciiig nothing more than a slight acceleration
ot the current over a gravel bar. When j)tissing down. Sir Alexander Macl<enzie
sounded there, and tbund Iwonty-one feet of water. Opposite tlie fort is an island a
nu!e or more long, and distant ab(Mit half a mile from the north shore. Between it
;iud the nor'h .shore the rivei' is shallow, the main channel being on- tin* south siile
ot'tne island. South of this island is another, <|uilc iis far from the tirst as that is
t'rom the north shore, but how far tins island is trom the south shore I have no idea,
nor could anyone at the post tell me dolinitely.

A little over four miles above fln> fort the channel is free fi'om islands tor some
distance, the average width being about a mih^ and a half, .Seventeen miles aiiovo
I'ort I'i'ovidenco the ri\'er expands into a small lake, named Beaver Lake, which is
Iroin two to four miles wide and I'ight long. 1 was informed that tpiite a large
-tream, called Beaver Kiver, tlows into this lake on its south side. Above this the
rhanncl, although continuing nearly as wide as Beaver Lake, is pretty well tilled
.vith islands.

Forty-six nulcs iVom l'<irt I'rovidenri,! we enter (Ireat Slave Lake.

Exploratory Stfi-oej/ from M(V kaui- /tir, r thnm'ih Great Stare Lake and Hirer to

Fort Oliipewi/an, on Lake Athabani'ii.

The shore of (ireat Slave Lake, between Mackenzie and flreat Slave Hivers, is
low and flat, nowhere in that distance rising more than twenty or twenty-live feet
above the water. Most of it is .so low that it was submerged when I jjassed. Tlie
-oil seen was all mon' or less sandy, until we reached the vicinity of tlu' ilelta of
(ireat Slave J{iver, at which ])oint it is a rich, black, alluvial de|)osit.

About eighty-one miles from Fort Providence. Ila\' Jiiver enters the lake.
Around the mouth of this stream the soil is sandy, and the vegetation not so

almii'liuil iiK in iiuiiiy othei' jilncoH. but Honio ImliiiiiH havo Inc-ntoil lioi'i\ inul Imilt
tlH'iiiMolvoH lioiiNi'N. Tlioy msnoriilly loniaiii at ihis point all wiiilcr, Hul)HiHtih;,' oti
liHJi and a lew |n)laii>»*s which tlit-y lainc. Ont- oM man svcjnod inuro pniviilcMt than
th») majority ot' Indianh. Some yi'arK aifo he >;ot a oow from ftomo ol' the llmlHon'H
|{ay i'ompany's peopli' and han sinio so manai^fd that In is now llio owiutoI hovod
or «)i;,'ht ln'ad, evi'iciiiy; !i irroat anxiety to inircaso tlio miimiIht His oxamp'o will
^o (ar to oncoiiiaiit' oiIumh to do likewise. TIuto is no ffason wliy thf Imlians in
this district should not sustain thomsolvos, ]»artially at least, hy catllf-iaisini;, as
th«ro is lair pa^tiirair*- aloiiir the laUf, and iiioadows mii-t lif nnnnroiis in the llatu
away from tho shorr.

Iliiy i;i\cr is iVom ont> hiindr«'<i lo one hiindri-tl anil tilly yards svidi-, but just at
the mouth is a lariic island, whicdi nuiUi's it nearly halt" a mile across. Sonu- <iu:hty
or one hunilrod miles from the mouth i'^ a tall ahout cii^hty feet hii;h. Mr. MeCnnneii
vi.siied lhi^» ])oint, and can i.;ivo a tidier mid niori- eorreel deseri|ttion of it titan 1 can.
as my information was derived from a few Indians whom I imperl'ectl\ unilersfood.
Jiay l.'ivt •• is only forty or lil'ty mil«> from ihe I'eaee at Vermilion, an<l the Indian-'
at the month told me that they often a-eeiul it and croHH over to tlmt point. Thoy
say that I.eiweon tin- falls and the • Portasr*'. " as if is called, there are llireo had
rapids, liu! aliove tiiem. foi a Ion;;' distance, there is eom|)ai'atively i;'>o(| water.

Oiu* hundred and eii;ht miles from l'^>rl I'rovidenee we rea<'h iJulValo liiver
This stri-am is ahoui ono hundre(| yards wide at its nifiulh, with an esisy current,
indiculinn a comparatively small volume of water. Around its mouth is a prairie,
some loriy or fitly acres in extent, on whieji the Indians have huill a house, and
<M'eeleil racks lor lish dryin<;.

Nine milc> iteyond Hulfalo 1,'iver the shore line is much indented by shallow
li.'tys of snuill area, bordeied liy low hank>< of limestone. In oi-dinary seasons it \>
proliidile that there is little, if any, water in these hays, as there weie only a few
feci in most otthem when we sailed throui^h. The limestone formation is exposed
at fietjuent intervaU alonu the shore for ci^^htcen or twenty miles. ,\t one ])oint it
was observed to he ho strongly bituminous that a tire built on the rock caused it to
emit stront; fumes of petroleum.

About twelve mill's before reaehiiif^ h'ort licsolutjon we pass Hutfalo Creek, a
small river which flows ]iarallel to the (rrcat .'^lave for more than fifty miles. Travel
lees to Fori Smith with canoes otien follow this stream, as il is much shorter than
the crooked and winding (ireat Slave Kiver.

One iiundred ami sixty-seven miles from l''ort Trovidenee, or om* thousand and
eighiy-three from I''>>rt Mcl'Iurson. brini,'s us to fort Uesoliition. on the south shore
of (ire.it Slave l>ake, near the mouth of (ireat Slave iliver. Here the Hudson's Hay
('om])any has the usual irading-slalion biiildiiigs. and the Anglican Church Mission-
ary Society has a small mission. The Roman Catholic Church also has a mission on
an island in the laki-, about two miles from tlH> fort.

At tln( fort I took magnetic observalii ns as well as star transits to determine
the error of my chronometer. I then resiiiued the micrometer survey, hoping to
carry it on withoit interruption to Fort Chi])ewyan, connecting there with my
survey of the Athabasca Kivor. Hut, after working s(!ven miles from the fort. 1
found the shor<' around tht^ delta of (ireat Sidve liJive!' so low and muddy that I wan
forced to desist, ami had 1 to go up the stream sfmie nules before I found ground dry
enough to land on. In this place 1 was unable to get even compass bearings, as the
channels of the delta are very narrow and crooked. When 1 reached a point probably
seven or eight miles from (he lake I resumed the micrometer survey, this lime to
carry it through without a break to my survey station at Fort Chipewyan.

From the lake, for more than one hundred and sixty miles, tlie country along
(rroat Slave Jiiver is low, fiat, and somewhat swampy, the banks seldoin rising more
Uian a fewfeot above the water. The river throughout this stretch is very crooked ;
80 that the first one hundred and fifty miles from the Itdsc is nearly three times the
air-lino distance. Its average width is about half a mile, with a current of from three
and a-half to four mih's per hour, and the river everywhere seemed deoji. After-

wnnls tilt* buiikiH bncotno liif^lier mid thu Hoil li^htur, luul inniiy riciit'|M*d Imnks of

j^riivcl I'roiii tliirty to fifty forf hi^li \vrii« fvt'u.

A low mili'M Ih'Iow hut Smiili ili»< Imnks lisf, lunl tin* noil Is griivolly, with si>u\o
lopliii- timbor on it. .Sov«*ii niiU's helow tin* foi t occurrt tlio only rock Moori lu-tween
i«*ii! and tlu' luko — a vorvHtiiall exjinsiirt' <i| IiTm'*.toiu*. As wi* apniuach tliolortth

liankw cuMliimt* t<> i isc, iitilii al tlial ))'iiiii a lioi^'lil ot one liiimlicd and ^ixly tt*t'l in
inai'liwi. A\ tlic t'oit tlu! tiril't, fotnpust'd n|' clay, ui'avcl and wanii, licM nn Inn of
irranilt* iii(d{. whit li, lor .sixtoi'ii miles u|>. cniisfs many rajiids in the iivt>r. 'I'lii^i is
lilt* lit*ad of tin* run of tlio nteanior ' Wriyioy," tho distaiico from Fort .McIMiciHon
|pi*in^ twi'ht* lnindr(*d and sfvi-nty-tliivo iniifs.

I'"tirl Smith i> at lln' lowt'r end i>f a cart load, aJoiiir tin* west .^ido of the river,
over \vhi(di Ihoouttitf, for tin- j)o-.t-i in the Mackcnzif an* hanUd from thi* IumuI t<»
iho fool of tlu* rapid-i mciitiont*! ahovr. The Iludson's Hin- Company have a few
small hiiildin^'s, and tht* lioman < 'aiholic Chnreh has a small inisHion. The oiir-
ii(undin;r couniry is sandy and knolly, with ;»mall and poor timher.

The survey coidd not hi- carrii- 1 up the river on aecoiinl ot tho numerous biul
rapids, and was, therefore, made ;donjr the top of the haid; from jxiint lo point. At
every station the angles of elevation or depression of the hack and fore si^htn were
noted' and from tln-e ihe dillerenci's in elevation wore eaieidated, and tho fall of tho
lapiiis deternniied. The dislanet' I'lom Fort Smith to the landinii. ahoiit a niilt*al>ovo
tht* head of tho rapids, is |.)urt.eeii ami one half miU'^ hy the survey line, Iml as this
cuts oil" two lurj^e hends in tno river, it is prohahly iwoortineeinilos shorter than tlie
roui'se of the siroaiii. This toin'een and adialf miles follows tin* main windings of
1 lie valley, and is prohahly slii^htly lom^er than tin) earl road, svhit h cuts aerosH
loiintry from one landiiiL' to the otln'r. Front where my siirvev left the river to
where it reached it au^aiii the rise is two hundred and forty-seven feet, of which
about two hundred ami forty is in tlio rapitls. This seems lar^e, but whoji we con-
sider tht* fact that this portion of tho river for nioie than sixteen nules is nearly all

rapi

Is. and that the fall

>tdv lifleen feel to the mile, the descent di

les not appear

-o ureal.

Ml the rock seen in the rapids was irruiiito, with the exception of a small eNjio-
suro. close to the water's wl^e, about half way ujt the rapiils, whicdi seemed to he
■alcareoiis sandstone, containini; many small masses ot iziypsiim.

From the rapids up to Lake Athal'asea. east ot' the ri\(;r_, tho surface is mat h
hrttken by ijranite knolls, between whiih lie snuill swampy flats. So streams of

portance enter. On the west side the counfry is r\ot so much

brol

ken, nor art*

there so many rock exposures. There are a few small oiitcrojis of limestone, much
lesemblinir those seen on I'euce Kiver at IVace I'oint, of whit h they ate probably
an extension. It appears to me that the river, from the junction with the reaco to
the rai)i<ls, follow.s the lino of demarcation between the older ffianitic and lunver
sedimentar\ rocks, as nearly all the rock seen tin the west side is sediinontary, while
on the east no so'limentary rock is noticed. As we approached I'ouct* U'iver some
exposures of ijranilic- rock were se(*n on the west sidn. Hut it is low, an<l covere<l
with drift, nowhere standing more then a few feet above tho water, while on tho
I ast Hide the same rock often rises upwards of eighty feet,

Seveidy miles above the head of tin- portaire we leave the main liver, which
d>ove this point is knownas tho Peace. Jind follow a sm"ll channel locally known as tho
llivir do Jiochor. Many people call the main river tho Feaee all the way tlown to
liio lake. Often, when speaking of (rieal Slave Jtiver, I was not understootl, ami had
' > explain what river I meant. Frt>m above tho rapids to where we left tlie main
liver it is from a iiuartor to half a mile wide. There are one or two slight rapiiLs,
which, however, are not sutlicient to interfere with its navigation by the steamer
which the iludson's Bay Company have on it. The rate of the current is not more
(lian three and a-half miles per hour.

Itiver do Rocher tloes not average more than one hundred and fifty yards wide,
and the current is easy. There is one small rapid ten miles above Peace River; but
it is not bad enougli to prevent the descent of canoes or seriously hinder the ascent of

: !i'

■

thestoamer. Thirly-eiyht miles on this channel, ntter leaving Peace River, brinj^s iis
to Lake Atliabascii, and a little over three niiloH more to Fort Chipewvan.

On the evening of the I'.'th Octohor I had completed the survey almowt to Lake
Athabasca, und was confident of reaching the fort with it during the next day, when
tjie \'M which had formeil along the shores of the lake was blown out of the bays and
carried down the river by the (•iirrei\t in such quantilicH that evening tjint 1 became
alaru)ed at the prospect of l)ciiig closci in before morning, and therefore at once
started for the lake. When I arriveil there about nine o'clock there was a furious
enow storni raging, so I had to renuiin on the .iiore until the next morning, when I
proceeded to the fort. The weather moderated in u day or two, and I completeil tln'
hurvey on 2 tth October.

In connection with my survey of the .Vthabasca and Peace Jkivers in IHS4 j
have already rejiortcd on the country around Fort Chipcwyan and that cud of the
lake. A-^ it has ben \isitcd by so many others. I need not here say more than that
the prin('ij)al features of thi> siirliice are granite knolls and swamps, with some ponds.
The timber is pine, spi iic(>, tamarac and poplar.

NAVl.lAUILITV op THE VAHIOI\S STUKA.MS ANO I.AKKS.

The Hudson's Bay Company's steamer "Giahame" traverses the waters ot
Peace and Athabasca Rivers, the former from the falls to the rapid at Kort Smith,
and the laUcr up to Fort Mc.Murray. The <listance from Fort Chipcwyan to the post
at the falls on I'eace River is two hundred and twenty-two miles. Mr. McDougall, in
chai'ge oi' the Athabasca district for the Hudson's Hay Company, gave me the
following Holes from the l<\g of tin ^team«M' ' (rrah:ime," which i^ capable of steaming
about ten mi'os per hour in siill water. In 1.->HS, duiing the first trip up, the water
was very hi^.h. the <-.urrcnt strong, and mucii drift wood floating in the river: the
sailing time irora Chi|)ewyan to the falls on Peace River was sixty-five hours and five
minutes; retucn, twenty-two hours. In IS^T, with much lower water, the time
going ii|) was forly-nme hour> and twenty minutes.

The distam I- from Fort <.'lii))ewvau to the head of Fort Smith ]>ortage is one
hiin<lred and two and one-half miles. In hS87 the steamer's timefioni l''ort Chipewvan
to the landing at the head of ihe rapids was eight hours and thirty-five minutes .
return, eigliteen hours ;ind torty minutes. In ISSS tlictime down was nine hours and
thirl}- minutes, ami the return liftcen hours and fifty-tivc minutes. Mr. McDoiiijall
hu8 thoroughly sounded this part of the river and assigns it an average depth of
twenty-seven feet. At the landing at the head of the rapids the depth in midstream
is one hundred and fourteen feet.

The (lisianee acro>s the lake and up .\lhab:i,M'a liiver from Fori Cidpewyan lo
Fort McMurray is one hundred and lUiiety-four miles. In ISS" the steamer's time
for this distance was thirty-two hours and twenty minntes going up, and nineteen
hours and forty-four minutes retui-ning. In ISSS the time was thirty-three hours and
lwenl3'-tive minute^ up, an 1 seventeen hours down.

1 asked (,"a|)tain Hell, of the steamei '' Wrigley, ' for a statement of tlii^ time his
vessel toidv between tlie various point.s .dong tin' Macken/ie. .lust tiien he h.ad not
leisure to take the infornmtion from his log, and I had no opjjoi'tunity afterwards ot
getting it from him, IkiIIi of us licing t( o busy to attend to ihe matter during lie
short time we weie iMgetlier at Fort Simpson. He told nn^ that the Nteamer couli
make ten ndles per hour in still water, and that her average speed up stream wa>
six. But it mu.st be borne in inind that in ascending they take advantage of all the
easy water jiossibic by keepiug clos*? to the shore.

Flxcepting a short distaine at the head of .Mackenzie River, where it i.sdoublfiil,
it is certain that vessids drawing at least seven or eight tect of water can navigate
from the delta of the Mackenzie to the rapids on Great Slave River, a distance of om
thousand two hundred and seventj-lhree miles. If the .Mackenzie delta also allovr-
that draught, we have about one thousaml three hundred and lorty miles of navig
able water from the ra])ids lo the Artie Ocean.

Some notes as to the time during which this great stretch is open to navigation
will serve both commercial and meteorological ptirposos. At ail the Hudson's Hay

f'ompnny'fl posts ajoui'iml is kept of all proeecdings at the i)ost, and of every event
of nolo in the vicinity. From those journals ean be JiHcertained the dates of tlio
opening and closing r)f the river at the respeelive posts ever since they were luiilt.
From the otlifers at Korls Norman, Simjison and MeMurray, I obtaintnl data which
1 liore- submit. The dale on which the ice broke up is given in each case, but, as a
rule, the river was not dear of running ice until nearly u week later.

FOKT NOK^IAN— Latiti i.K aboit Co'.

Year.

1872
1873
1874
187.'.
187t)

1877
1878
187!»
18K(t
1881
1882
188;i
1884
188.'-.
188»!
1887
1HS8

Iff Urnkc t'|).

\(it ^ivi'ii.
M.'.y 171 li.

cli> 2r>tli.

(I» 24tli.

il< l!)tli.

.In iL'tli.

Nut tfivi'ii.

Miiv '.•til.
dcp' •J'-'nd.

Not ifivcii.

.May 14tli.
do" lull.'
do 281 h.

No ifL'ord.

May 24tli.
do' I'Jth.-

Virnt Snow.

First Tc.

FoniiMl.

Ri\.r

nos,.d.

Sfi.tfiiil«T 28tli.

< MoUt

7tli.

iVfllll

ler Ntli.

<lo 2Stli.

21.-t.

12tt.

(tctoli.-r l.">tli.

NoVfllll

«-r 2iid.

l.sth

i\ot tfivfii.

<)(.tol«T lOtll.

OftoUr

2.Sid.

'.Ith.

,lo

i;<th.

!»tli.

SciifiiiiIxT 2.'>tli.

18tli.

it (flVl'll.

do 28tli.

22iid.

iVflll

XT 7tll.

()<t.ilMT ;ii<l.

ilo

llttli.

2iid.

do Till.

22i.<i.

12tli

do 2iid.

llo

7tli.

iL'f).

do <)th.

ilo

14tli.

14tli

do ilth.

24tli.

loth

{i St of rcroicl lost.

—

No rccor<l.

No rfcinl.

> icitird.

OitoUr

IStli.

1\<II1

K-r l.ltli

Sf|>li'inlM'r 2;ti-d.

.lo

.■^tli.

<lo

Stii.

In the record given below — fo'- that part of the
the Liard — it must be borne in min<l that tlie Liar
rising in a somewhat wanner climate, oj)ens before
also the disadvantage of having a large body of st
Slave Tiake.

FORT .SIMPSON— Latitui.e U1° :)2' N

Mackenzie below the moutii of
d, being a mountain stream and

the Mackenzif IJivi r, which has
ill water near ai h.md in tireut

Yfiir.

lin.k.- I'p.

1 Itli.

Sth.

Sth

;ird.

7tl,.

VMU.

7lli.

1st.

12tli.
2iid.
VMU.

1H7C.

Max

(III

1877.

1878

187!>

1881)

1881

1882

lS8;j

1884

1885

188«

Klist Drift lie.

Novi'liiUr -Itli.

do 1st.

OctoU'i- Kitli.
Novinl).-! 12tll.

do 2iid.

OcIoUt 12th.
N> miuImi- l>t.

«><ioii.T 2«iii.;
do nth.

dti 2Slh.

do ;«itii.

KImt ( "IommI.

Novcinl

M-r I7tli.

<lo

2sih.

2»ith.

2»»tli.

2»ith.

isth.

.•*ith.

2litli.

ISth.

2<tth.

2.'.tli.

The dates of the breaking up of the ice in the Mackenzie above the T<inrd for the
same years are as follows : —

ISTii No! ijiven. If^H'J May

ISTT May I!Mb. lS8:i «|.i

187^.
187!l.
1880.

1881.

-lo

17th.

l!»th.

I'.Mh.

I'.tfh.

1884.
1885.
188(j.

do
do

I'Oth.

.-)th.
14th.

7th.
27 th.

' Ho< r «iis not > liar of ice thi> year iiiitd L'Stli May.

t The tirstili'ift Hf in thf .Mat'ki'ii/.ic this yi>ar was w-fii NoM-inU'r 1st,

I '

The rivor is alwiiyH open Home limo betor« the lake. In the latter the ice floats
around for soino \veoi<s before it is Hiifticicntly liroUen nn to pufs down the rivor.
In 1S8B it wan well on in .Inly before the lake was clear onouifh to enable the
steamer to proceed to Fort Smith, but that was an nnusally late season. As a rule,
I believe, navii^alion on the lake opens in (he last days of .liine. At l''<irt McPhi'rson,
on Pci'l River, the iie loi-s not i^eiuually leave until ihc 1st of. June. On Lake
Athabasca the ice jroes a little earlier than on (Jreat Slave Lake; but this docs not
atloi'l the quesiion of the navinability nf the Mackenzie, which cannot be reached
until (Ircal Slave liakt' is clear.

At l''ort .Nb'Murray, situated at the loot of a loni; seiies of ra])ids ou the Atha-
basca liiver, I obtained the lollowini;- notes of the bieakini; up, driftin<jj, and setting
of the ice. This point is in about latitude 5(5" 40'.

V.'ilV.

isrs I

1S7!) I

1,HS(I

1HS1 j

ISM'J

iss;< .. . , • I

1SS4 1

iss:, j

issi; ,. .

1H.S7

isss

Il- \Wnkv ll-,

April ISth.
No r<'< i>r<l.

M.iv

■-'11(1.

A|.ri

U'lst.

<l<>

•J4tli

(In

L'.-.H.
•>~t t.

(Id

<)tli

<td

Ititl,

(Id

'JTtli

.%[av

ttli.

First Drifting Ice.

tec .Set,
Kivcr Clost'd.

OotiilMT '27tli.

Xd rt'Cdrd.

()(• 2(itli.

XovciiiIkt l.st.

.VovciiiIhi Htll.

No rccMird.

OctdlxT Htll.*

Ndv.nilier 12th.

NdVciiiUr lit.

(Id 8tli.

OctdUT ;«ltli.

do Kith.

(Id Isth.

OctdlxT 2Stli.

(Id ZM.'

NdMlulnr Kith.

NovciiiUt Jtll.

do 11th.

(>ctdUr'J*Jii(l.

(((•tdlHi '.Mth.

Nov.-iiiUt ;Ji(1.

Novi-iiilit-r !(th.

Diirinu' the last two years the Hudson's Bay <*()rn|iany has had niiother steamer,
the ■• .\thabasc.(. ' ])lyin^' on the L'|ij)er Athabasca Jtivcr. between Little Slave liiver
and (irand Iiapi<U. Both this i^teainor and the "(Jrahame," on the lower river, are
flat l>ottorne(l slei-n-vvhceler-, drawint,', when loaded, not moie tluin two and a half
to ihrce feet of vvateiv They can each carr-y adout one buiulred and foi'ly ton--.

I subjoin M tabi'- of distances bclween F(Mt McPhcison, on Peel IJivcr, and Fori
Chipewyan. The li^fures tciven are corroded for all known errors; but that part of
the survey which was nuide I'v compjitis and estimated distjinces, I ha"o no means of
correcting at present.

Table of Distajstks ('Rom Fort M< I'mf-rson.

MihN.

.Mackenzie Jiiver pro|)er .321

|{e(l Kivor tiOl

A lartre river entering cm the eawt side, name urdcnown..., Li()-5

Jioon River 250-8

Hare iii'lian Itiver 2724

Fort (b.od Hope 274-7

iJaniiiarts 2H;{t)

Beaver Biver 205-7

Sans Sauli Bjipids :{22*7

Mouidain liiver ;{2:{-3

Carcajou Biver ;i28-0

tiieat' Hear Itiver 444-0

Fort Xorman 444*2

Crravel Hi vei- 5lK« • 3

Biv. le Vieux Grand Lae 660-5

* III iticHf Neivrx till- river U'cmiic ch'ar of icti fur HOliif taiic. ufter which drift icf u(;ain u|>^<'urecl, nun.
fliiallv the ice wt and cIiwimI tlm mcr. ,

Milen.

Fort WriiLrloy (524 -5

iiiver botweon Two Mountains (>28-0

"Willow Lalii' IJivcr (U»7-0

Nt)-luiunor IliviT tiH;{-3

Fort Simpson 7r)8a

llomi of Line S2()-5

Yollow Knilb Hivt>r HoS-G

Little Lake 8'J2-0

Fort Providence 910 -0

(iioat Slave Luke •)(;2-(»

Hay Kiver 907

Biitlalo Kiver .' l,()24-0

Biitlalo Creek 1,(I7I'U

Fort Jlesolutiou 1,08:5

Fort Smith 1,273-5

lloatl of Ii4ipi<ls 1.2S7-5

Peaeo Kiver l,;-{5S-9

F.irt Chipewyan l,3!t0-0

The upper l'e:ieo llivcr i>* iiaviyalile for steamers (IrawinLr lliree or four foot of
water; and, with ti little iniprnvenieni at two polo's, adrau^Mitot Hve nr six i'cet
eould bo utilized. Thi.-< u]i]ier iVnce Kivfr alloids a navi<iahl»' sttelcli of live hun-
dred and Hft3'-seven miles, whicli, .vith tw<' hundred and twenty-two iiiiles on lower
Peaee Kiver. and two hundred on Lake Athabasca, and, .•.a_y, two hundred on the
lower Athaliasea, to!;ether with the distanct iriven In the above table, gives us (wo
thousand tive hundred and sixty-nine miles if navi^-able water.

From our present knowletlge, meagre as it is. I think wo may assume that
(rreat Slave Lake atfords us at lea>t tive hundred miles more, considering its length
and its many deep bays. To this we ni.^y adil two huudred and forty miles on rhe
Liard, and at leiisi sixty on I'eel Kiver. thus making a grand total ufthrie thniiNand
three hundred anu sixiy-nino miles at' water in the Mai ken/.ie basin, all navigable, ex
et-pt for eighteen miles, at but two points, one a rapid two miles long on I'eaee Kiver,
anil ihe other the Sixteen .Mile IJapid on <ireat Slave liiver. A thorough knowledge
ol'the two great lakes wiih ail their Iriliutar}' stream^ wouhi j)rob;ibl\- inei-easo this
vast l(*nglh ni n.ivigable water by seveial bundled miles. Tliis does not take into
aeeount the Maeken/.ie delta and the sea near its mouth, ot'the navigability oi' wliieh
noth' ( very definite is known at present.

I uring July, Augu^t, and part of September, I kept a record of ihe rise and fall
of th I water in the river during the hours when I was not travelling. In the evening,
when camp was made, a mark was set at the level ot the water, and in the morning,
the ii.se or fall was noted. Of eonrfO I could not obser-'e Ihe change during the day
hours when ! was moving. .My object wii-s to find appiovimalely when tlu' water
tell to it lowest stage, as well a.s the rate of fall, liul.owiisg to the very wet season,
the rate thus determined does not indicate Ihe variation!- of 'he water in onlinary
seiwons. On the lake I kept no record of the rise or fall, as the observation would
have been ditHcult, owing lo the r-urf contimuilly beatinir <'n the shore. Such a recoi-d
woidd be of very little utility, as the de]plh chaiiges w ith llie dirr'lion of ihe wind,
the water being often several feet higlu-r on the shoi.' upon \vhi<di 'be wind is blow-
ini; than on the. other. 1 fouml the high water not onlv a great hindranee to the

progress of the work, but also the cuuse o| much udditioruil hardship.

TiMHKH HK.SOirRcBS.

On the lo'ver Maeken/.ie, as on Ihe Lewes, the timber large enoui^h for comnier-
eial OI- manufacturing purposes is all in tin- river valley. On Ihe plains aliove. Ihe
trees are small and unlit for anything except tor fuel or the few u>es lo which trees
six or eight inches in diameter can be applied. There is some tine material f<M'

I ;

lumbor on some of tho iNlunds in the rivor, but many are bare, with the excontion of
u few willoWH. It may, in short. Iio said that, away from the immediate vicinity of
tho river, thore in no timber of vaiiu* in tlie sonso in which the term \h used in tho
cast, until wo f^et above Fort Wrifj;ley, and then in some nlaoofi the banks are low,
flat, and swampy, with trees much iarj^or than tluwe on the higher iands, many of
them beint? fit to ntako fair!}' jj;ood lumljer. On the flats between Fort ,Sim|)soi\ and
CTreat Shivo Lake, as well as on those adjoining the lake, there is also much forest
that would yield a laryo amount of yood sized spruce ai\d poplar.

The level country suri'dunding the lower half of Great Slave Jliver is all well
timberei! with fine laiye spruce, equalling in this tho lower Athal>asea and I'eaco
Rivers, and 1 think, when the time comes, that here will be found this district's
principal supply of luml)er. (Jn the liiirh, lif^ht soil around Fort Smith tho trees are
small, and generally of no value, cxcej)t for fuel. Along the river, between the rapi<is
and Jjakc Alh:J)asca, there aie many small areas of flat, swampy ground, which
wouhl sujiply some very fail tiiiiber.

It may be said generally of the lower Mackenzie that tho timber along it is only
sufticient to supply the needs of tho immediate vicinity. On the ui)per river the
surplus is not snflicient. and the market is not convenient enough to Justify nninu-
factiiring until existing conditions are greatly altered.

The varieties of trees along the lower part of the river are few spruce, with a
few small tamaiac, some small birch, and a few poplar, constituting the bulk of the
forest. Tho spruce far outnumber all tho rest. On some of the inlands there ismuch
shrubbery, willows and alders growing in jirofusion in the swampy places ; but, in
general, the undergrowth is stunted and thin, especially on the uplands.

.VORK Ul.TL'RAr, CAl'A lULlTILd.

F.verywhere the .Mackenzie basin is qidte as capable, so far as (juality of soil is
concerned, of su|ty)orting an agricultural ])opulation as the gi'eat(»r part of the Prov-
inces ol Ontario and (Quebec. The soil as seen from tho river i.s generally good ; ajid
the prob.ability is that it continues so at least as far back from the stream as the
woods extend. This extent is said to vary from twenty to forty miles on the vunt
bide, where no stream flows in. but, where there are streams, the distanc(! is mmdi
greater as the timber follows the valle\-s. Meyond the t>inge of timber wo come to
the so-calleil barren lands, on which nothing but mosses and lichens giow, and which,
except as the pasturage of the musk ox and a few other animals, are practically use-
less as far as known at piesent. On the west side of the ri\or the woods extend to
tho timber line on the niDuntains.

Assuming the limits to be as above, the area (f the fertile soil can readily be
found. Speaking on'y of that portion of tho Mackenzie basin extending from Atha-
Ijasca Lake to the Arctic Ocean, we havea strip of land nine hundridaiid forty miles
long and somelhing over sixt_> wid<». This gives in round numbers sixty thousand
s(|uare miles of bnui. the agricultural capabilities of which we may reasonably discuss.
I thinU the above area is less than that actually wooded, but on tho we.^t side much
of tho surface is ])robably at such an elevation, being near the mountains, as to be
outside the limits of our iliscuwsion. Theoretically the points involved are the pre-
valent temperatures during the growing months, the period of veijctation, and tho
duration of sunshine.

t
e

1 do not know of any regular record of temperature having been kept at Fort
McFliorscm. the most northerly point at which anyone is permanently settled in the
ilistrict. Tho only information on this point which I have is my record for the
last ten days of.hine while I was camped in the valley near the fort. Tlu! lowest tem-
perature during that period was ;>7" li F. on the 20th, and the mean minimum from
the 20th to 30fli was IIJ*^- ii F. The highest observed temperatuie during the same
period was 74^ F. at 1.30 p.m. on 21st Juno, and the mean temperature at that hour for
the ten days was (52^' F. The lowest oft hesefemperatureH would not injure vegetution.
The mean minimum for the whole immth wouia be below this, probably two or throe

J
o
n

do^ives, but oven that would not iirrost vofjotabic giowlli. When, in eonnoctioii
with the If inperuluiv, wo cousidor the riumbor ol'hourrf ot'wuiiHhinc during .lune and
July, it we<!in8 evident that Kort Mel'hor.vm has all the essentials tor tiie succeKsful
cultivation ot'niMsl eeroaU and voiretahleH. At thiw northern point relnuiion ext( iid.s
the time diirin:^ whieh tho nun does not set, so tliat there are tweniy-J'onr lioiirs
sunsluneoaeh day from ahuut Ist J\ino to 15th July. On Ist May the sun is up for
seventeer, ami one haU'liours, and durinj^ August the hours of ■^unli^ht viiry from
nihetoen on the 1st to lifleen on the IJlst. The total hours of sun are seven humlred
and six in Ma\ ; seven hundred and lW("iity iu June ; six luiivinvl and ei^iity-four in
July : and live hundred and iwent^'seven in Aui^ust — in all two thousand six hundred
anil thirty-seven hours of sun out of the total, ilay and night, of two thousand nine
hundred and fifty-two in tin' tour months. As twilij^ht eontinues while the sun is
less than eii^htecn de<;rees Ix low the horizon, ihc-re is actually no darkness during
this pei'iod. When the leuipeialure is Huilali!e, vVgetation undec these conditions
thrives to an almost inciedihle degree, as the t'oilowini;- shons : When I arrived at
Fort Mcl'i\erson on 20th June the new buds on tlie trees wore just j)er;'e|itible, and
on tin- evcnini.'" of the 22^1 the trees were alnuist fully in leaf.

The niean minimum temperature foi- the month of July was 4r)''"4 V. The mean
temperature for l.-'JO p.m. was (54° 7 F., but on two oocasiftns the tliernu)meter went
to 7!^° in the shade, ami ten times to7t>\ These temperatures were noted along
the river, iit different points of eour-e, ultlujugli during ihe greater jiart ot the month
my latiludi' did not eliunge vciy much.

Thi.s comhin-.ition of favornble lemporuturo anil long hours of suidighi pniuiisoH
well for vegetable growth, but there are interfering causes. Unfortun.'itoly snow
storms are a])t to oceur at .-my time in the year at Fort Mid'herson. On 2nd July
five in(dus of snow fell and the thermometer went down to 25^ (7° bidow freezing
j>oint); yet, str.ang'j to say, the frost did not appear to hurl .•mything. .\ north-east
wind, continuing tor a day or mor»', lowers the temjjerature in a few hours from
jileasant summer heat to what reminds one of the ajiproach ot winter.

As far as I could learn, no attenijit at eulti^'o'ing eeieals or roots has been made
at Fort Mel'horson. Mut at Fort (loud Hope some of the people grow potatoes and
other garden produce; and, as the dilference of latitude is not much over a degree,
the same t lungs oughi to grow m^atly as well at Fort Mcl'liei's(ui. The potatoes
grown at ImuM (iood Hope are small, averaging about the size of large hens' eggs.
Those winch I ta.-^ted were bad, as if lliey h;id be( n frozen ; but they wereof the pre-
vious season's growth, jind it was then the midiile of July. Hven in Ontario potatoes
of that age are not very yalalable. This tuber appears to Ivave always vitality encjugh
to increase, as at Fort (iood Hope tliey have had no change of seed for several 3'eai',s.
This tends to show that the frosts aie not very severe diihuir the time the ])otatoes
are growing and riitening. VVlum f passed, the onions, iettuei-, and other things
j)lanted in the gardens, were pnsity well advanced, tht' onion stalks being about as
large as pencils. No cereals had been sown, but I think barley would succeed fairly
well. I am not awaie of any continuous record of temperatui'e at Fort 'rood Hope;
ho 1 cannot say whether the climate at that place is suitable for the growth of plants
during ,lune, July and August. While I was thei-c the days were i)leasant and warm
and tlie nights not unpleasantly cool. Nor, it we omit the 2nd of July, when snow
fell, did 1 note anywhere any tem])eratitre below freezing during July and August.

It may be said that my observal ions extended ovi'r too great a range of latitude
to be ol any value !r\ indicating the temperature at any period or anvjdace. as, while
they were being taken, we were constantly m(»ving sr)Uth. This is true. But it must
be i-emomlicred that in moving south we were leavirig the area ot eonstani suidight
and getting to where night has a I'ooling otfecf, so that the objection has not the same
weight it woidd otherwise have.

The statement, given bolow of \lie duration of suidight in the numths of .May,
June, July and August, servos to show that a difference in latitude has not the same
effect in ebantring tlie summer temperature-^ of ]daces in higii latitudes as it has in
more southerly localities. I'nfortunafely, the records at po>ts in the district are

too few and meugro to eitlior continn or iliHprovo this theory, an<l to use the iocoicIh
of MUch pliieus us Kort Franklin, on (treat lii'iir Lake, and Fort Kae, on (ireal Slave
Lake, iw hardly fair. These pointn aro over three humlred niiles apart in an air line,
and the temperature at either or both may bo influenced by the local confoiiuaiion
of the f^round, or rather unknown cauHes. However, taking the reoordH at the^e
placeH, wo have th«' Ibllowing comparison: —

Menu Tfiii|x'rtttiirii Fiirt Franklin, Furf Kiw,

during Int. ti.5'' l'.>' Int. til'" 4i»'

May .{:)» -2 Fah. 27-^ 7 Fah.

June Sl*^ -i 51^ -4

July 52*^ •() til° -2

August 50" •() 5«'' -5

The Fort Franklin data are fjiven in Professor Loomis' Meteorology, jiiiblished in
1875. ile tjivtts 118 his authority Dove's tables in the roptut of tife Hiili.-»h Associa-
tion for 1S47. Who the observer was is not stated, but it was piobidiiy Franklin.
The Fort liae statistics were fufnif»hei| by Mr. ('ar|)niael to the Senate ('onmiiftro
appointed to inquire inti> the resources of the Mackenzie btisin. and cover the - .nio
months as those given fur Fort F'ranklin. These statistics, tis far as ihcvgo, conlirm
the theory, for the extremes at Fort Franklin tlifl'er Hi"-' 'S, while at i'urt liae the
(litl'erenco is 'Ali^' 5, an<i tho monthly ditferences at the lorraor jilaco are much le.ss
than at tho latter.

[ have computed the following table which shows comprehensively the different
tlurali<)ns of sunlight for the latidules of ()(taw:i and Furls ("hipewyan. Simpson,
(rood Hope, and Mel'herson: —

I.iititiiil.'

llimrs siinliKli', Miiy I . .
(Ill .liiun 1 . .

ill. .to21 .,

• lo .tuly 1 .

(ill .Viif{u-t 1

.1.) <l. l

ll(mr> iinli«lit in May
I.. .liiy

do .A.ui;u«t

TmdH .. .

Ottu'.vu

I'llilM

wyftii.

15 Lti'

H. M.

u us

15 lU
15 »)
15 -.M
14 :v2
13 m

H.
15
17
18
IH
It)
13

Hot

r
,'■

•«
■J.I

i:r

not IIS.

4«2
4«4
423

!,HI)5

4)1

:«i

*iii

Siiii|M«in. IJiHKJ H(>)»'. Mc'I'liurMdii.

til

II.

lit

I'.t

ii5

;«i

Mi
08

HOI HH.
;V4S
57tt
.V)K
4H1

•-'. 1 17

titi Hi'

II. M.

17 <Hi

•.'1 04

•_••_» 4«

•£! 04

IH It,

14 »i

ti7 '2C'

II. M.

17 w

•J4 tHI

24 tHi

24 tK)

HI 24

14 44

HOI us.

Hill HH.

.■.il2

7(Hi

IWi2

720

(i2.".

t>8-l

f.l<J

627

2.:m

2.ti.t7

The number of hours of sunlight in each month has been obtained Irom the
mean of the niimberH at the beginning untl ending of the month. This doei* not give
a si rictly coir***! result, as tho sun's declination, on which the leiu(th of the day
depends, does not change uniformly. th(^ daily chanire in .Iiiiie, when the sun has
attained ils greatest deciin.'ilion being >m:ill .i-- eoni]»ared wiili tiiat in Sejitemlier,
when the sun is near the etpiator. Wore the light ol i-ach day in the period separ-
ately computed 'he totals wtild Hhow oven more ditl'erence in favor of the north.
In computing thti al'ove table, refradion bus not been taken into at eoiint, e.veejit in
the case of Fort Vlcl'herson. Adowance for refraction would inereaNC (he duration ot
.Minligbt at ail the other places; but niucli moio ii) the north than in the soii'h. Am
the table now .stanils it ii.*bigns to Foi t McL'herson eitrbi buitdud and thirty two

liiMirH, or tliirty-fonr ami tu'i»-fhii<N dnys more snnlii^lit than Offawa <hirin^' a total
pericMl lit" two ihimsainl live IuiikIiviI and fitly two lioiirh. A lunttt-r nxxle of c-ompari-
son is to reduoi' tht' tuim!>«r of hours of hiirili^lil at oacli placo lo dayM. It htamlH
thus: Ottawa. >t'Veiity-tive dayn. tivr iioiirs; Kort Cliipcwyau, i-ii^htv.fivc davH,
twenty hoiiiN, Kurt Simp>oii, i"i^lify-Miii»'day-<. olovon hours; Knit tinod llopo. iiiiicty-
niiH' days, iwi'iitylwo hours; Korl .MrI'lH'r><iri, on(> hniidn-d and iiinf djivh, twenty-
oiie hour.s— and this ont of a toijil o) one hiiii<lriMi and twci\ty-throo da3's.

At Fort Norman the llndMoii'rt Mayt'oinpany had ajjardon phiiitcd witli turnips,
l>otat<u's,and othi-r frarii*-!! jiioiliift'. I was at that j)oiht durini^ the last days of ,hil\,
at whitdi time potato virif-- were IVoin six to ten irudu's ionu', and did not pronii-oa irood
yiold. The l!'itnan Catlioiic Mi-sion iiad two palidn's. toiji'iht'ralioiil an acre in cxionl.

)iantc«l with initalon

itj soil hfit' was much licttt-r than in tin- hrst pa

lll'll, h

inj;a

warm clay loam, vvhilo in the other it wa8 iioarly all decaying vcj^elaido matter, com-
monly eullod " muck." Tlie mission potatoes were much st longer in the \ inc- than the
lluiison's May ( Company •>. and. at liuit time, nearly loveicd (he jirouiid. 'J"hc .\M;;li-
eaii mi>sioniiry liail planted a >mii!lcr piee(> of ifround near the river on a sheltt-red
bench lielow the top of tin- ltaid« and facini; the s'uith. Here the irrowth was much
stmn^'cr than at either ot theoilur places. Sonic liarley had lieen sown in it ami
waH Well <;i-own. the stjilks aNci-ioimr from two to two juid a hall' tet-l hij,'h. and Iht
leads heiiiji; Ion;; and iii>l he^inniiiy; to ti

le i^rowt 1) o| ^I'llss on I Ills

llat

lii.\-

uriant, and nettles ;;row as siront; and lurije as any I have seen «dsowherc. Near tiio

e<lt;o of the woods wild \«'ich<'s ^row as loti^ and viiroroiis iis

fhev

|o noa

r Va\

IllOIl-

ton. l')veryonc i-on i plained of i he <'old. wd weather which prcvniled daring the sum-
iner and niiieh ret.irded \ e^etiition. The Roman Caiholic mi~sioii;iry. in ehaiije of
the mission here, told me that in twenty yeuis" residence at the jilace he did not
rocollecl such a cool, dani|i, chmdy summer.

At Fort Wriijicy sonii" sliiiht attempts had lieen made at enjtiviition, hiit I do
not consider them a fair test of the rupnlMlitirs of iho place. When I wa* there, on
I'ttli Aii,ii,ust, the people were iratherini,' Mucherrics. then fully ripe and ;.- I.iree a),i|
well llavoreil a.s Miey are in Ontario. Wipe strawlicnies were found on '.ttli Ai;5iist
ninety miles helow this, ami a tew raspherries soon afterwards Ahove Fori Wriule}-
wild ;;ooselierrie> and lioth red and rilaclv eiuranls weie found in almudance. ^otno
of the small IsLukIs heinii literally lovereil with the Imshes. The j.'"o.>i"lierries wei'<3
large and well llavored, and the curj'ants would compatc favorahly with tho same
Iruit as cultivated in the vicinity of Ottawa, the Mack eurrants beini; e-pecially
large and mellnw. This was in ihe middle of AiiiiiiMl. in latitude f".',^.

Al F!>rt Simp-on the lindson's Hay ('oiii|iany has a lar^e j)lot .ifgroiin<l plaiite'l
with polalois, iiiinip^. nnion^, and oi her gardi'ti produce, sucli as is Lfciier.-iily ^lown
without nrtilicial means in Ontario. On 2Hli August when I visited this |)lace the
growiiii^f ve;;"taliles looked almost a>- gooil a.- the same kinds seen on the f)ttawa
market .at the same date, l.eiiiice pai limlurly was wvy lar;:e .and tine. There was
also II lar^t' :trea ot hurley, wliirh lnok-'d .veil and pronii-ed an aluindant i-etMrn if
allowed to ripen. 'J'hc grain was then full ami plump and jiist heginning to harden ;
hut fears were entertained that a t'lost might come and spoil it. The peojile there
claimed that the prevailing cool, cloudy weather had retarded its growth, .as other

i.-e it wcinid then he niit ut d;ini;cr tmm frost

lis cereal liat* heen gro\\'n

wiih

siu cess at Fort Simpson lor numy yeai's. I understood that wheat had heen Irieil,
hut with indiifoient. .succo-ts. The gaidcti allog(>t her presented aii appearance hardly
to he ex|n>cied at a point eleven hiinilred and titty miles farther north than Ottawa.

Ian

It is situated on an island in thi' river, and the pre.senee of tin

mny niodeiale the climate and account for th<- tine appearance o

hod V
f lilt

water

gan

lull.

Whelhei- the same fnvorahio residt can he attained a mile or more Hw«y from the
river can only hedeeiii»»d l.y trial. I am strongly of the opinion it ranntit.

On liie high river hank helow Fort I'rnvidtuiec wiM gooseli irios and ciirnuilH

were very pl>")lifiil. though on the Hth of ,Sc|itiniher they wi>re somewhat ovc rip

At Fort I'rovidenee thi

e usual gaiilen |iro(fuce is grown e\ery year aivl genera

iiy

turns out well. Hiirli'v i» hIho grov\ n with HUCcestB; hut in IH88 it wa-s, iw every-

1 1 I

11 •

i'i

whor« else in the valley, niucli retanled liy cool wcatlior. Up to mydoparturo IVoiii
tlio powt, tlio lowest toiiiporuturt', excliiHivc ot 2iul July, wiw 31''^-8 on I'iUli Aumi8t.
Tlic mean inininmm for tho month ot Aui;umI was 4."^". When I was at Fort Provid-
ence the barley wan Ijcginnini,' to ehan^'e color, and, iinlesH a very Hcvero frost eamo
(ioon Jiftor, would ripen. Wheat has heen i^rown hent Voi- many years by tho Hud-
son's Bay Company, fjcnerally beinff tairly ripe before it is touclied by frost, and
sometimeH escaping altonelhor. The wheat is irround in a small hand mill, ami the
flour used in theordinarv way bythe people oltlie tort. While there I i^round a few
pound.4 of the eron of 18ST and ha<l the Mour made into a i^iUe, which, thouj^h not
(juile so ^ood an tnat maile from XXX X flour, wai palatable, and would probably
sustain life as etfectuallv as any other, those usin^ it appearing as well an<l strong
as could be desireil, I brought home a sample ot tliis wheat for your inspection.

At Fort Resolution the Hudson's Bay ('onipany were growing j)otati.es, turnips,
and liariey. The first two were of gnoil (|uulity and size; but there would be no
yield of the last. The Anglican missionary also had a garden in which were pota-
toes, cabbage, cauliflowers, turnips, onions, and peas, the latter still green on 21st
Sejitember. Tho jwtatoes and cauliflowers were bolhgoo«l in si/.cs and flavor. I was
iniormoil that small potatoes were grown in a garden at Kort Iia<', situated on along
arm of (Ireat Slave j^ake ; but, according to report, there is not much land around the
lake available for farming, even were the climate suitable, as it is nearly all
rock. At Fort Smith nothing of importance from an agricultural point of view had
been diua- and the autumn frosts were very severe.

Samples of seeds from tlie Central I']xj)eriinenlal Ftirtu wore received at all the

f>ost8, but too lafe tbr planting in 18S8. If |)roper attention is given to them, as I
lelieve it will bo at most points, the results will lie very intei-osting and instructive
as a piHcticul test of the I'apabilities of the country.

In "onclusiiui, I may say (hat I do not wish tu.be understood as representing
this country as suitable for agricultural operations, as 1 do not thiidv it is. 1 have
merely presented the results of the attemjUs that have been made. Tiiese results
are doubtle--^ uuich iii.ik' favorable th.aii might lie expected ; Imt how far they would
bold good elsewliore tli:in in the inimedi;i!e vicinity of the river is not known. Itis
probable that the jireseiico of ^ur-b a large voliime of water, with a tcmperatui'e of
about fi;")'-', has a beneficial influence on vegetation.

Before that |)art of oui- territory will be recjuiii'd for settlement there will bo
ainjtle tinn' to defermine by exj)eiiment exactly what it is worth for agriculture.
In lookini;' over the world U>v countries lying in the same latitude to compare with
it, we find Norway extending from latitude SS"' to 7(t^' 3U', with an area of one hun-
dred imd twenty-three thousand two hundred ami six stiiiare miles, and u population
of one million eight hundred atnl six thousand, nine hundred. Of her territory
only about one-tliirtieth is under (ultivation. one-foiiith being covered with
forest, aiid the rest barren mountain land. But as Norway is exposed throughout
its whole length t{» the Atlantic Ocean, the comparison is hardly apposite. Better
suitetl for comparison is jhat division of Rnssiji known as Fiidand. lying between W^
and 70'"' noiMli latitude, with an area of otu,' hundreil and loi-ty-f >iir thousand two
hundred and fifty-four S(|uaie miles, and a pojailation of two million one hundred
and forty-fwo thousand and ninety-three. This shows us that we must not regard
the district as altogether useless nor despair of ifs ultimate occupation to at least
the same extent as the countries namedr When we ttike into consideration also tho
adaptability to settlement of tiu>, A i I]aba>ca and Peace River valleys, which are parts
of the same great draiha,ire basin, wo may look forward with contidence to its ulti-
mate occupation by several millioii.-^ of inhabitants. As 1 reported on the Athaba.>c.a
and Peace country in 1884, I will content myself here with quotinir from the report
an extract relating to the agricultural eajiabilities of the district drained by these
two rivers.

"All the way down the Athabasca to the lake the country is (with the excep-
tion of a few meadows) thit'lvly wooded, and a great deal of it is swamp and marsh,
interspersed with lakes and ponds.

1.0

lire,
with
1111-
idii
ory
it'll
-lit
tter
(;(»«•
two
rod
ard
oust
the
:irts
ilti-
i>cu
lort
lOHe

3ep-
rsh,

" A ffroat doni of the soil ulonfj tho bank is of very fair qimlity. At Fort
McMurray aro a cuuplo of small piaiiios oi* inoadows; tlio Hoil is good, and Ilio root
crojiM and garden jiroduco raisod (luTo arc gonorally \cry g<H>d.

"To oonvorl lliis into an agrioultiiral country, tlio for»'st would tirst liavo to ho
cloarod, and <'onsiderahlo di'ainago would Im^ rotiuiied for a largo portion of it, whioli
would londt-r tho (|iiostion of its i-cltlomont a proMoin tor tho futiiro to di'loniiino.

• l'>om Jjao La Hiolio to Mo.Miinay is a jiaok trail, wiiioh is ooeahionally uhod.
It follows tho ooiirso of Athal)asca Kivor, at a distance of nhout two to twenty
miles. Those who have jiassod over it inform mo the ooiintry it< muoli the same au
that seen along the river — woods and swamps, with a largo peroontago of marsh or
bog; also quite a iiuinlii>r of lakes.

"Q^ho ooiiiitry on tho west side ot tlio river, as far as I could learn trom Indians
and thcrfew while men with whom I oame in oontaet who had been over it, was much
the same, at IcmsI for fil'loon or twenty miles back. I could learn nothing ilolinile
about anytliing luiudi farther baidi than that. The only approach to praiiio along
the i\thaba'-ca is where House River flows into it (a tew miles alio\o<ii'and IJajtids),
at which point an exlonsivo lire has almost cleared away tho fon-st for a mile
or two. It is now covered with a good growth of grass and Hhrubbcry. The soil
appears to bo very fair — a I.>amy clay — and were there any iniliicomonts to settlors,
a few fin(> liinns might lie o^tabliFlied. A meadow near McM array is about sixty
acres in oxioni, fi-om which the Jludson's Bay Comjiany procure their hay. The soil
is said lo be good.

" At ft jioint call' ■ Point Brule,' about ninety-six miles below McMiPiay, lir«!
has partially cleared .il Iho foiost for some little distance from the river. .\ couple
of families of CMiipewyan Indians have taken possession of a Miiall portion of it, and
done a liitle eultivali"ii in the way of f)laiiting potatoes. Their etl'orts wore nece--
sarily very ci ado, and fh(^ appearance of the crop bore witness of it.

" It is u pity such attempts do not succeed, as one failure does more to dishearten
the natives with agriciiltiiro than 'on successes would ilo to encoiiiaLrc them.

" The soil at this point was gi'avoUy clay, and, wi*h ordinary cultivation, should
yield pretty tair crops.

''On the flats near the lake tho soil is wholly alHivial ; it is rich, but too low
aud damp for ag:iciiltur;il purjiosos.

"On the north siile of tho lake around (Miipewyan, theiv is little or no soil of
any dcscri|ition, tho comitry being all bare I;aurontian rock.

" Tho Hudson's Hay Company have a garden at the fort of upwards of an acre
in extent, and the Kpiscopal Mission one of smaller area, but the soil is very sandy.
The IJoman Catholic Mission have a garden also, most of which they obiainod by
draining a bog.

'■]n the season of 188;^ (which was a favorable one in that district, being tree
from summer frosts) the Hudson's Bay C(mipany raised about four hundred bushels
of jiotaloes. tlu' Kpiscopal Mission thirty bii^huls on a small i)alcli, and tho Iionian
Cathoiic. ^Mission about live himdred bushels.

'' ^^any ot" iho retired Jludson's Bay <'oiiip;iny's sorv;ints also have small patches
which they culllvalo; potatoes and fish being the princi|ial articles ,>{ food used during
the winter.

" 1 am sorr'v to say that owing to iho iircvalcnce of'sumnie:' frosts, nothing like
the above returns wore expected by any of the ])arties above nanieil last sunimer,

•' 1 believe ono or two of tho patches owned by Hudson's Bay Company s retired
servants escaped the frost, but the general otVocts were ruinous,

" Ascending Peace Kivor until Peace Point is reached. I he country is mostly
low and flat, with many lakes and poiitls, like that on the Athabasca. Octasionally
a sandy or gravell}- ridge is scon, which must have formed a bjir in the shallow
waters of the great lake which once covered this district. Tho .soil on the flats is
good, but, like that on the flats of the Athabasca, it is too low aud damp fiir agricul-
tural purposes. On the north side of the river at Peace Point the country is
prairie, svith jiojilar blufls; and tho same extoiuis, I was informed by Indians,

lil

M '.i

throiis^li t<i Salt liivor, in llio (Jront Sluvo Tiiiko diHtiict. The noil aloii;^ i'uaou

liver lit tluH point is a black, >rrav(!liy <luy, with a coar-'o ^'ravel -oiltsoil ; ami.

Ill

nearly as cdnlii Ito it!arno<l from tlu> IndianH, it is jMoity much tho sanio all Iho way
throiif^h to Salt IJivor, wlicro thoro Ih (piito an cxtoiiHivo prairie. Tliis pra'rio wuh
tlcNcTibcd to iiu> liy thoso wliu hav<; seen it aMoni'ofthe pietliest aixi best pieces of
«'onniry in all llie norlliern district. Tlie country aluiii; tiic iiortii side <»r the river,
t'rotn i'e.ice I'nint up to \'(>rrniliuM, is generally heasily tiuiben'd, willi oecasioiuil
parts ol' open Mruld)v woimIh and small patches of prairie. ()•» the kouIIi «ide the
open woods and prairie are le.ss fre(juont, until wo roacli a piece of Hcrubby prairie,
whiili begins M>v(m or cii^ht miles Ixdiw l{cd U'Vor, and reiudioH to i(,and rmis ba(d<
about twii an ! a bailor iliree miles, where it ineri,'e-i into llio forest. Tin; soil in it
is j^ood lila( l\, loamy <lay. alxnil one loot (Uiep, with a subsoil of tine sandy I'lay,
'V\w IIiidsDii'i Ha}' ("ornpany here cultivate two or three acics, and when the summei
frosts are not too kcvito the returns are >plendid. This year tlie crop consisted of
j)otalo(-j. turnips, atid tijaiden slulf, whi<di, noi wit list and in;; the siicce->ive and severt?
f^o>l^ of the season, lookid very widl w Immi I was there (the 22nd Au'.;usl), biii .Mr.
McKeii/ie feareti the 3'ield of potatoes would bo snudi oom|)arod with that of laHt
year, which was en(»rmous. I sua I!}' a littl(> Itarley and wheat Iia^lnen thrown llioro ;
this year none wa>< sown.

" At Vei niilion, alon^f the ri\or on the south side, ther<' are about twelve to four-
teen miles of prairie, with small po| jjir and scrub, whic li runs back from the river
about three miles. Tiie soil is i^ood black loamy clay, looxn and deep, Willi a gravelly
clay sub-<(di. The l''.i)iscopal Mi.-sion school at N'ermilion, for the ti^achini; of the
youn^' in I lie ilistrict, ha>al'arm allat bed with about twenty acres undi'r cullivalion,
under the niana^ement of .Mr. I''.. .1. Lawrcnct'. Last year his ciops of potatoes,
l)arl(y and whial were splendiil ; tins year the frosts almost destroyed everytidn^.

".Mr, (iaiiioch, in charf;e of the mission, also cultivates quite, a larjr.' piece,
from twenty-five to thirty :icres, in (onnedion wiih the mi.'-ion. Thtj Hudson's May
Conipany has an extensive tield i;rowinj; both roots and Lorain, (wheal and barley),
and the IJoman Catholic .Mission also cidtivates some f^round. Hesides the above
farms, several others were located last summer by private parties, all of whom seem
ho|ielul tor the future. Many of them had been in the country for several years.
Here, as al other places nienlicuied, no oneexjiecied to barx'i'sl muib more than the
seed sown, owin^ to the very unusual season, which was in thf, e;iily ]>art dry and
warm, so that i/iain sown in April did tiot ;,'<rminate until June for want of moisture.
In June the wealhcr became very wet, ami continued so all the suminei', with frosts
atfV»i|Uent intervals. That this siiinmer was unusually severe all wcr.e a^rectl, but
all adniitteil that there was jin uncertainty eVery year. .Mr, .Molx'rly in (diaiijo of
the lluilson's I'lay ( 'ompanys post here, who Inul lived in the country for several
years, told me his experience forseven years stood as fidlows: Two yeai-s tin unquuli-

» tied success, two yc.ais failure sueli as the prc-i'nt. and three yi'ais a fair roturti

j "()|iposile \ crmilioii, on Ibe north side of the river, ibi're is an extensive

ti'acl
of prairie and poplar bluff country, wliieli extemis from tlio IV'ace toihewater-
slied between I'eace aial .Mackcn/'e liivers soulii-westwavd along I'eace liivei- for
about forty miles or more, and norlh-<'asiwaid idonj; the river a few miles, until if
merges into the eoun try ulread\ described. This is siiid lo be a lirst class country
in every way. well wooded ami watered with a rich, deep, black. loamy *oil ; and
if the life of tl iwers and IxMiies be tin it(di<'ation of fVi edom from frost this district
is favored in this resp< <'t. as the berries ripen here when they are killed in the siir-
roundinj; jiail-.

•'The country souih-west w.ard from the end of this tract to Hatlle lliver is clos-
cribcd as woods and swamps, alternat ln;r with iiiilchi.'s of praiiie and open woods,
ami from Hattle River to the prairie near Dunvei^an is genorall} drier, with inort<
jirairie.

•'It iippcars, therefore, th.il from Dunvogiin, on the north side of I'eaee Uiver,
down tlie river to IVace I'oint. and thence to Salt Rive;', on thetrreat .S|a\e, there is
u tract of cimnt ry about six hundred miles in length and forty miles wide of which

III

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l>ut

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ali-

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it
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A hii'Ke proci'iitti^o U Ht tor iininodiitto sottloinout, ami a ^rual doal imiru could bo
very iMif*ily cli'nrcd.

"Of tho country Mo»ih-iM»Ht of ftio I'l'aci", luilwoon it and \\n- Atlialiasi-a, v<>ry
liftlo \H known, ll waH dtwcriKpd by all wliom [ in»,'t, who had wsen any portion of
it, as a rolling siirfaco, fho ridiri'H heavily wooded wilh fail liinher, and many of the
Im^ins coiitainin:^ >vvaiii]>s and hikes of coiisidetidde nizo. Out of nrie of the hitler,
Ijake \Va|>iHca, Loim IJiver (lows into the Peace, and another >tieain ealhil t»y
the Haniu Maine into the Alhahahoa at (iiaiid l{a|ii<lH. Some of tia> ridires rise into
hi^^h hilU, and in nome of thene roek expoHUreHare saici to he visibk'. Whenevor tho
Meeds of the eoiiniry iiiakt^ it worth the troiihh>, limlter emi he easily (loaled into
Athahasea and F'eaco K'ivers \>y the niinieroiis streams whitdi enter thoin trom thin
tract.

" A iittlo north-east of Nermilion, and Itelwoen twenty and thirty ih'.Um from tho
river, Ih (lie west end of (Jaiilxn. .Mountains. 'I'hey extend from this jioint east-
ward aliout sixty seven miles, and then appear to turn tn the imrth. From a
station a little holow Vermilion 1 took the anude of elevation of the hi,'j:hest poim 1
could see in th"m, and found it to he (rSft', ho that they must risi; hetween one
thousand live hiindi'e<l uml two thousand feet ahove the river. I saw no white man
who lias lii't>n in those mountains, exiept oii a llyin;r visit in the winter lor Iradiiii;,
and Iheii, ot coiir.se, ihe most niLTireii ji.irts would he avoided, and e<,iise(|iie.ntly very
little ohser\ed ot the roeks compo.sin^ them. The Indian-' sjx al\ ot heaalilul many-
colored sloneH seen in them. .luJ^in;^ from wiial thoy say, I think the roeks are
Laurentian, and the ' heautifiil stones' may I'O ervstals. I was told thev also speak
of jilaees oil the north siile ot' the nioiintaii s whiidi smoke in I hi' winter ; hut 1 liave
iioiieed that the Indian-' lall all sorts of vapours 'smoke,' and what they call smoke
may only he the vapour rising: trom sprinj^.s.

"At Dunveiyan. not wit hstanliiiii: the severity of the frosts, tiic crops are very
U'ood both in (|;iality and (luantity. Wlicn I was there the li'onian (':itliolie mission
aries had llircshtd iheir LCiain, samples of which I hron:,dit hack, 'i'hc yield was ,'is
follows: — Kifiy pounds of wheat were .sown on the HJth .\pril and reaped on thc'Jtllh
August, and twoiily-soven hiisliids threshed of !j;ood clean f^r.-iin , tifteeii poumls ot'
Kiryplian hurley sown on the JSth .April and reaped 2lMii .Vutjust.and tiiteen iuishels
threshed. wei;,'hinir fully sixty |MUinds to the hushel. The lludfon's l'>ay Company
and i;piscoj)al .Mission had not tlireshcd. and coiild not irivi- their letiirns; hut they
were well satisfied wilh their crops of all kinds. The li'ev. .Mr. ihiek, of the Kpis-
copal .Mis-ion, was already usin>^ bread when 1 was there made from wheat of the
j)iosent year s irrowth.

" The only settler in all the I'eac(> |»ivcr eouutry wiio lives beyond the iiumo-
diale valle}' i^f the river (Mr. .Milton, about eleven miles from l>unvtiian), lost idl
liis crop by the iVosfs, fortunately for hin». his operatioiw were not very extensive,
A company was funued last season, ly pidjile inteiested in that part of the country,
to erect a suudl ;,'rist iu,d in order i' (..ncoiirri^o- settlement there; hut liie unusual
seveiity o| the season caused them to recall the oivlcr they had alrctidy sent out for
the mill, ll is inneii to be hoped that next season will prcjvc mure favorable , .should
it not, it will divert a jfoml deal of attention that is now directed to that part of the
country, and of which (aside from the climatic conditions) it is in every way
w irlhy. '

Kish are numerous in the Mackenzie, tho principal upocioM being that known as
lh«' " Inconnii." Those eau;;lit in the lower river ure vi^yy i^ood eatin,ii> much
rescinblinjr ^ !mon in taste, boiiii: also firm and juicy. The flesh is a li,c;ht pink in
c<dor, l)Ut as tliey asceiiil tlie river and become poor, this tint turns wliite and the
flesh /rets soft and un|ial/'tablc. They averai^e ton or twelve pounds in weight,
but have often been caught weigiiing ihirty or forty. They ascend as far as the
rapids on lireat Slave Kiver, where they are taken in the tall in great numbeis for
dog-feed, being tlieii so thin that they aie considered unlit tiu- human tood, if any-

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

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'-IIIIIM IIIIM

^ii IIIIM 1 2.2
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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

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thing else is obtainable. This fish is not fed to working dogs, unless scarcity of
other fish compels it. There is a small fish known locally as the " herring," some-
what resembling the Inconnu in appearance, and which does not grow larger than a
pound or two in weight. The staple fish of the district, and, for that matter, of the
whole North-Wesc, is the whitefish. Tiiey abound in many parts ol" the river, but
especially in all the lakes discharging into it, and form the principal article of diet
during the greater part of the time, as very little food is brought into the country.
This finh is caught in large numbers everywhere. At Fort Chipewyan. the Hudson's
Bay Company, in the fall of 1888, required thirty-six thousand for the use of the
post; the Koman Catholic Mission, twelve thousand ; and the rest of the population,
at least thirty thousand more. Most of these were caught within three weeks,
Nvhile I was there. Sometimes they are immerous in one plat-e, and sometimes in
another, so that long journeys ai-e often necessary from the place where they are
caught to where they are to be used. This ncessitates a lai-gc number of dogs to
haul them home, which is a voiy poor methofl, though the only one in use. To over-
come this inconvenience Mr. McDougall, at Chipewyan, has built an ice-boat, but has
HO far met with indifferent success, as the ice has been unusually rough during both
of the last two falls.

FURS.

As the trade in furs is pretty well known and understood throughout the
country, it is not necessary to say very much about it here. I have no statistics to
offer in connection with it, other than can be derived from published reports on that
section of the country. The pelts obtained in the district are essentially the same
as those obtained in the rest of the territory, with the addition of the mask ox, the
Arctic or white fox, and the blue fox, the first being found only on the barren
grounds east of the river and north of Great Slave Lake, and the last two down-near
the Ocean.

The labor attendant on bringing the skin of the musk ox from the barren
grounds where it is killed is great, compared with that connected with securing
other pelts ; and this will to a certain extent protect them from the undue slaughter
which has resulted in the extermination of the prairie buffalo. An Indian gets a
liitle more for a musk ox skin inan for a marten pelt, yet he can bring a hundred
marten pelts to market with less labt)r than one ox skin. If he travels far into the
barren lands after them, he has so much farther to bring the skin back. So there
is a limit he cannot conveniently pass, and beyond this the ox will be unmolested,
except occasionally by bands of Indians passing from one lake or district to another.

Moose are now scarce all along the river, as are deer of all kinds.

The wood bufl'alo, which formerly roamed around all the upper waters, is now
nearly a thing of the past. A few still remain scattered ovei- a wide district.
Could some means be devised to protect them for several years tlioy would probably
soon multiply and become a source of food supply and revenue to the natives. Mr.
McDougall, who has for some years past been gathering information concerning
the number of these animals and their locality, has kindly given me the following
notes. In the winter of 1887-88 on the head waters of Hay River which flows
into Great Slave Lake, and west of Battle River, a tributary of the Peace,
the Indians saw three bands containing seventeen, te:i, and four, respectively; they
killed five, but Mr. McDougall did not ascertain whether these woi'e in addition to
the above numbers. The i-ame "winter three ban<ls were seen between Salt River
and Peace Point on Peace River, numbering fifty, twenty-five, and about twenty-
five, i-espectively. None of these are reported to have been killed. During the
winter of 1886-87, between the north end of Birch and the south end of Thick-
wood Mountains, distant about one day, or thirty miles, from Fort McMui-ray
on Athabasca River, one band of about thirteen was seen. Since then five of this
band have been killed. Below Red River, a tributary of the Athabasca, and between

i .;

Mr.

irning
lowing
li flows
jPoace,
they
tion la
Kiver
i-enty-
thc
iThick-
[ni-niy
thirt
>tweeni

Birch Mountains and Athabasca River, and ranging down to Popbir Point on the
Athabasca, another band, said to contain about twenty, was seen. Altogether we
have only about one hundred and eighty head of wood butfalo in this viist extent of
territory. The paucity of their numbers is, to some extent, a protection to them.
If they escape epidemics and such a winter aw almost exterminated them on the
Upper Peace some years ago they may possibly increase. Whenever the Indians
come across a band they try to exterminate them, whether they need them for food
or not. They try to drive them into a bog, if one be convenient; and, if they succeed
in this, their object is soon accomplished, for the poor brutes mire in the bog and
are quickly killed. The Indian feels, after accomplishing a feat of this kind, as if he
had won a battle, and never thinks of the reduction in his food supply.

Owing to excessive competition in the outer or southern parts of the district,
the supply of fur is giadually decreasing, both in quantity and quality, for the
Indians now kill anything they see at any time in the year, knowing that if one will
not buy from them another will. I have known them to break into a beaver house
in the month of June, after barring all means of exit, and kill both old and young,
though the young were hardly able to crawl about. When there was only one
trading company' in the territory such things were not only discouraged but pun-
ished, by declining to buy out of se.ison, and refusing to give credit to the Indian
guilty of such unnecessary destruction. In this way fui-bearing animals were pro-
tected from extermination. Now, no sucli check can bo applied, and consequently
the supply is slowly diminishing, and the only source ot food which the Indian
possesses, outside of wild fowl and the fish in the lakes and streams, will soon b&
gone. In fact, it is already gone, to such an extent that he is often starved for the
want ->f means and appliances to hunt or fish with. From this cause many have
starved to death in the last two years in the Athabasca district. If the present rate
of deci'case is maintained in the supply of fur, in a few years it will be but little
assistance to the Indian as a means of living. Then he will, as far as possible,
remove to the vicinity of the settlements, where the public will have to .sustain him,
and the only business now pursued in the northern part of the territoiy will almost
cease. The evil will, to a certaih extent, work its own cure ; for the stoppage of the
trade will al'ow the fur-bearing animals to inci'oase until i' pays white trappers to
engage in hunting: once the Indian becomes assured of a living elsewhere he will
resort to the hunting tielil no more.

I would respectfully suggest that some method be devise<l for restricting the
indiscriminate slaughter of fur-bearing animals. Foi- the greater part of this
slaughter there is no reasonable excuse, as most of the fur-bearing animals are
useless as food, or are never eaten (which is the same thing), and protecting them
during the breeding season would entail no hardship on anyone. To appoint and
pay protective officers would probably cost more than the whole business is worth to
the country, and the result would likelj' be a failure. An alternative would be to
lease the country to companies in districts largo enough, and for terms long enough
to make it an object to them to protect the trade and preserve the fur fronx extermi-
nation. The lessees should also enter into bonds not to accept a skin out of season,
or one too young, under a heavy penalty for breach of this condition. It would
probably be difficult to prove any sncli breach, but the f«>ar of the penalty and the
profit from protecting the trade would, I believe, accomplish all that is desired.

It is true that such an arrangement as a monopoly seems contrary to the spirit
of the times, but the alternative is serious. Objection to such an arrangement on the
ground of monopoly has less force when we consider that all the competition is now
between one lai-ge company and a host of individuals, who, as far as known, make
little or nothing cmt of the trade, and would be much better off on farms or in some
oilier occupation in the settled districts.

I disclaim any desire to interfere with the private business of others, but I
respectfully submit these facts and views for consideration, feeling that it is my
duty, though an unpleasant one, to offer these suggestions.

I ' f ,

illl

'■f

; ,1

1.: :.;

1', ■,;■

i 1 4 '

!'; : i

1 ■.

1 i

MINERALS.

Coal

On tho Mackenzie, the first coal I heard of was a seam of which Mr. McDou/ijall
at Chipewj'an told nie, and which is situated at the base of the mountain just
above liapid Sans Sault, on the east side of the river. He could not give me any
details concerning its extent, more than that he believed it to be about four or five
feet thick, and that it was in the limestone rock of the mountain. If this is true, it
indicates that this coal is older than the lignite coal of the country, and probably
much harder and bettor. I did not know of its existence until I got to Fort
Chipewyan, or I would have tried to have a specimen sent out after me.

About three and a half miles above Fort Norman, on the east bank of the river,
two extensive exposures of lignite crop put. The upper one is overlaid by about
fifty feet of clay and a few feet of friable sandstone, and is about fifteen feet thick.
The other seam is probably forty feet below this ; when I was there it was nearly
all under water. It is said to be as thick as, if not thicker than, the upper one.

The upper seam has been on fire for over a hundred years, as it was burning
when Sir Alexander Mackenzie passed in 1T89. The place is locally known as " Le
Boucan." Tho fire extends at present abouo two miles along the river, not con-
tinuously, but at intervals. When I passed it was burning in three or four places.
Alter it has burned a certain dstanco into the seam the overlying mass of clay falls
down and, to some extent, suppresses the fire. This clay is in time baked into a red
colored rock, in which are found innumerable impressions of leaves of plants. Some
specimens of these I brought home, and handed to Dr. Dawson. Traces of this red
rock were 'lOticed on the bank fourteen miles below Fort Norman ; but no trace of
lignite was seen near it, having probably been all burned.

The burning seam appears to be of poor quality, containing much shale and sand,
which is converted by the heat into scoria\ It did not appear to me that it would
be difficult to cut otl'ali tho burning places, and thus stop the further advance of the
fire, which is destroying what yet maj'^ be of use. In order to finfi whether the com-
bustion could bo checked, I took a shovel at one place and S(jon had all the burning
coal, for a siiort distance, completely cut ott', so that tho fire ceased for a time at that
spot. It is a pity that at least an attem|)t to put out tho fire is not made. Many
persons in the district have an idea that it is subterraneous, and that tho seat of it
cannot be reached. This is a raistalce, as at the point mentioned 1 cleaned the fire
off from the face of the seam to its base and found underneath no trace of burning.
The lower seam appears to be of better quality, there being no shale or sand mixed
with it, as far as I could see. Heavy rain detained us here for two days, and we
burned a good deal of lignite from the lower seam, as we could not reacli the top of
tho bank to procure wood, and could find only a log or two of driftwood. The coal
burned well in the open air, and threw out a much stronger heat than a wood fire.
These seams are visible at frequent intervals along the bank for eight and a-half
miles, after which no trace of them a])pears for seven miles, where there is another
small exposure at the water's edge. This seam appears, from the reports of many
travellers, to extend up Great Bear River for a considerable distance. No otlier
traces ftf coal were observed on the river.

While at Fort Good Hope I noticed that man}- of the outbuildings and fences
were painted with a dull red coloring mattei-, which, on inquiry, I found consisted of
the ashes of wood that had lain in the river for some years. It was said poplar
trees yielded the best paint, and that logs that had been in the water long enough
were known by the dull blue color of tho wood. A sample of the ashes I brought
home, and handed to I)r. Dawson. It may be that the color is tlue to the presence
of oxide of iron; if so, tliis would indicate the existence in the water of iron in sol-
ution. But whore the iron comes from is a mystery, as none of this peculiai- wood
was seen or heard of on tiie upper river. The inference is that the iron occurs far
down the river, but whether in the soil or in beds on some of the tiibutaiy
streams, or whether it is iron at all, has yet to be determined.

ning
that
Many
of it
ic fire
ning.
nixed
ml we
top of
e coal
fire,
a-half
\other
many
oilier

'ences
[ted of
jojiliir
lOUgh
[ought
Vence
|in Hol-
wooii
irs far
lutary

The Indians report very large deposits of mica on the south side of Great Slave
Lake, and have brought small Bamplos of it to Fort Eesolution. While there I tried
to get a specimen, but none was available. It is described as being very abundant.

No other minerals of economic value were seen or heard of, except bitumen.
On the way up the first indication of this was seen on Great Slave Lake, in the form
of the bituminous limestone which has already been referred to. Tar springs, as
they are called in the vicinity, exist on the lake. I do not know of any of them on
Slave River, but they abound on the Athabasca from near the delta for over two
hundred miles up; and one is reported only a few miles from Athabasca Landing,
less than one hundred miles from Kdmonton.

The following extract from a report by Dr. Bell, of the Geological Survey, pub-
lished in the Geological Survey Eeport for the year 1883, will show the geological
ielation and general appearance of this tar:

"That the deposit is of cretaceous age, but rests directly on limestone of the
Devonian system. The bedding of the latter undulates gently, while the asphultic
sand lies in thick horizontal layers upon its surface, and in some cases tills fissures in
the upper part of the limestone. Tlie asphaltic matter has no doubt resulted from
petroleum rising up out of the underlying Devonian rocks, in which evidence of its
existence can be detected. In descending Athabasca River it was first observed
a few miles above the junction of the Clearwater branch, below which it becomes
more conspicuous, forming the whole banks of the stream, with the exception of a
few feet of limestone at the base, for a distance of many miles. These banks are
sometimes about one hundred and fifty feet in height, and frequently maintain an
elevation of about one hundred feet for a considerable distance. Except where they
have been long exposed to the weather, they generally look as black as coal. A thick
tiir is often seen draining out of the deposit, and in numerous places on the ground
at the foot of either bank, or on terraces lower than their summits, this tar collects
in pools, or flows in sluggish streams to lower levels among the peaty materials in
the woods. The surface of these accumulations of tar is usually covered with a
hai'dened pitchy crust. The boatmen on the river break through this crust to collect
the underlying tar, which they boil down and use for pitching their craft."

In connection with this formation may be mentioned an escape of natural gas
which occurs on the river a .nhort distance below Grand Rapids. It comes out of the
bank at the water's edge on the west side of the river. There is such a quantity of
it that when ignited it will ccmtinue bui-ning until the water rises and extinguishes
the flame. The boatmen on the river use it to cook their meals. They say the
flame sometimes rises to a height of several feet above the ground. It is said to
come out of a nariow crevice which runs at .-ight angles to the course of the river
at this point and disappears in the water. The boatmen describe the sides of this
crevice as bearing a strong resemblance to the tar-bearing sand seen farther down
the river. This sand was first noticed by me in my descent of the river in 1884,
about thirty-five miles below Grand Rapids; but according to this statement of the
boatmen, it occurs several miles farther up the rivar.

Tar springs are also reported on Little Slave River, but this! hardly credit, as I
have been up and down that ri^'er twice, antl though 1 saw the place where they are
said to exist I did not notice ixny tar. A tar spring is known near the niouth of
Martin River, on the Lesser Slave Lake, and specimens from it have been taken into
Edmonton, 1 have heard of another tar spring on the Athabasca, near the mouth
of the Pembina. There is also one on Tar Island, near Smoky River, twenty-three
miles below where the cart trail crosses Peace River; and another some distance
below that. These indications lead to the conclusion that all this vast region is
underlaid by a deposit of this ^naterial. It appears that it is of little or no value in
itself, except in so far as it indicates the existence of petroleum. If it shows the
presence of petroleum of good quality we have here probably the largest oil-bearing
district in the world, comprising nearly 150,000 square miles; and as the indications
are said to extend down the Mackenzie below Lake Athabasca, the above area may
be only a part of our northern oil district.

"■ i.

/till!

'1^

It is a pity that a test well has not been sunk in tho vicinity of Athabasca
Landing to determine the existence there, and the quality of tho tar. If illuminat-
ing and lubricating oils and paratfin were found in quantity, it would give an
impetii« to the development of that part of the North-West which nothing else could.

When we (Consider the nearness of the southern limit ,of this district to tlie
western coast of tho continent (by tho present trails and the railroads less than one
thousand miles) we see that, in supplying our western country and a part of Asia
with these products this district possesses a great ailvantage. If it were once
certain that an outlet could bo had by the mouth of tho Mackenzie for part of the
year, the northern part otthis district would, during the four or tivo months of navi-
gation, have facilities for shipment almost unequalled, as the carriage down tho
Mackenzie would require very little motive power, only enough to keep the vessels
from being beached. If it wore found that the sea is not open long enough, or is
too uncertain and hazardous, a cargo could be dischaiged at tho foot of McDougall's
Pass, and the oil could be pumped over tho summit to navigable water on Bell Eiver.
True, it would have to bo raided over an elevation of twelve hundreil feet, involving
a pressure on the lower pipes of about three hundi'cd and sixty yjounds to the
inch; but the cost of the strong pipes required would be counterbalanced by the
comparative cheapness of the descent of Mackenzie, Boll, Porcupine and Yukon
Eivcs, while from the mouth of the latter it is only about throe thousand six hun-
dred miles to Japan, as compared with about five thousand from San Fi'ancisco.

Mr. G. C. Hoffman, Chemist of the (leological Survey, says the tar or maltha, as
flt present found' on the surface throughout a large district on the lower Athabasca,
could be utilized for a bituminous concrete for the paving of roads, courtyards, base-
ments, and warehouses, and for roofing. The tar is found combined with fine, color-
less, siliceous sand, which constitutes 8173 per cent, of the mixture.

Last fall a man named McDonald, living at tho mouth of Eed Eiver, on the
Athabasca, undertook to dig a well at that place, but found all the soil to be so
Haturated with tar that he could get down oidy a few inches. He told mo he tried
several acres of ground before he could find a suitable place to dig for water. It is
possible that a well bored at Edmonton would, at a reasonable depth, tap the foima--
tion containing this tar, and it is almost certain that one bored at Athabasca Land-
ing would. A great deal might be said of the value of an oil deposit here; but as
those interested in the tx'ade fully understand all that, it is needless to do more than
mentii>n the localities in which indications are known to exist, and the facilities for
getting to them, for the information of thoae desiring to test the ([uestion.

Large deposits of salt are reported on Salt Eiver, some miles from Fort Smith-
I (lid not have an opportunity of visiting them, but they are described as extei:sive.
Tho salt is used all over the Peace, Athabasca and Mackenzie districts, and to the
taste is pure. Mr. McConnell, of the Geological Survey, visited tho deposits in the
fall of 1887, and no doubt will give a full and comprehensive report of them.

The railioad station noarostii to Edmonton is Calgary, on the Canadian Pacific
Eailway, tiie distance by the cart trail being about one hundred aud ninety-six i^ 'les,
nnd air line distance one hundred and seventy-two. All the material brought into
Edmonton and also the northern district has to be freighted along this trail, and
already the machinery for several steam mills has been hauled over it. The freight
rates from Calgary to Edmonton are from one and a-half to three cents per pound,
according to the state of the roads aud tho necessities of the importer.

From Edmonton, by the existing trail, to Athabasca Landing, is a distance of
ninety-six miles, the direct distance being about ten miles less. The freight i- te
between these points is about two cents per pound. The Hudson's Bay Company
hauls all the trading outfits for the posts north of Edmonton over this route, and the
machinery for three steamboats has passed over it. In 1887 and 1888 there was a
portable saw-mill at Athabasca Landing, with which to saw lumber for the constric-
tion of the steamer "Athabasca." Had there been a drill there at the time a test
well could have been sunk at a, very slight cost.

Smith-

teteive.

to the

ia the

Pucifit
X 1^ "ley,
ht into
ail, and
freight
pound,

anco of
ht I ■ fe
)mpuny
and the
was a
mstr 'c-
e a test

The steamer "Athabasca" runs down the river one hundred and sixly-eight
miloH to tlie Grand Rapids. Between tluH and Fort McMurray there are eighty-tlireo
miles of rapids, on which the Hudson's Bay Company has a line of lioats capable of
carrying about ten tons each. From Fort McMurray there is a'most unbroken easy
navigation to the Arctic Ocean. The steamer also goes up the Athabasca to Little
Slave Rivbr, sixty-eight miles from Athabasca Landing, and up tlie latter stream
several miles. From the head of steamboat navigation on Little Slave River it is
about sixty miles to Lesser Slave Lake, and about sixty along it to Lesser Slave
Lake post; thence seventy-six miles by cart trail to Peace River Landing.

THE N\TIVKS.

On the Mackenzie I did not aiay long enough to learn much about the Indians
in the district, nor did I see :;iany of them. While we were in the delta of the river
nine large boats loaded with Fisquimaux from the coast passed on their way up to
Fort McPherson to do their trading for the season. These people come up from the
coast in skirt boats, made, it is said, of whalo skin put around a wood frame.
These boats present a very neat appearance, and are capable of cariying aboiif, two
tons each. Whale oil is one of the articles they bring in for sale. The Efjquimaux
are reputed to be great thieves, and to require close watching. For this reason
they were not encouraged to remain when the}'^ called on us. Moreover, as they are
not very cleanly in person, their piesence is not desirable. They were ibrinerly
very aggressive toward the Indians on the lower part of the river, frequently coming
up and robbing and sometimes killing them. Many years ago *Uey received a severe
chastisement for this from the combined whites and Indians, und since that have beon
guilty of no very aggressive act, though they are inclined to be overbearing when
they have the advantage in numbers. It is said that murders are frequent amongst
themselves; and, as in most savage tribes, retribution is the prerogative of the kin
of the murdered. Missionaries have tried to do something toward their moral im-

firovement, but hitherto without very much eftect. Many of them still hunt with the
>ow and arrow and spear, as it ia not considered wise to trust them witii gun and
ammunition.

Through the kindness of the Hudson's Bay Company's officers I was furnished
with the following census, taken in 1881, of the inhabitants of the vicinity of each
post. At some of the posts I learned the number now living there, and in every
case, when comparison was made between the census of 1881 and the number now
living, it was found that the figures had decreased ; but as the latter count was hurried
and necessarily imperfect, 1 will not give the figures, and only mention the fact that
they are not increasing. This is also the opinion of all the people in the district to
whom I spoke on the subject.

The following table, from the census of 1881, includes,, besides the Mackenzie
Basin proper, Rampart House, on the Porcupine, and LaPierre's House, on Bell
River : —

WHITK POPULATION.

Place.

Rainimrt House

LaPierre's Houso and Fort McPherHon.,

(r(j<x1 Hope

Norman

Liard, Liard River

Nelson, do

Simi]«on

I'rovidence

Kao

Big Island

Totals

Men.

Women.

Boys.

Girls, i Total.

2
9
8
4
5
3
10
7
(i
8

U
38
26

9
20
US
39
42

2()

248

ill

I ii

9tf

INDIANS.

RaTnpart House

1m I'lflTf'n HollHH

Mcl'hfrHDU

(J(km1 Hojie

Nuriimn

TiiHi'd

Nulscn. .' . .

Himjison

I'rovidcnct'

Hue

Exquiinaux at MlI'Ihthoii

TotalH

(55

;hb

i«

178

142

132

131

7()

4(!

4(1

t)«

130

13(>

124

110

!t2

IOC.

142

nr.

128

147

188

152

80
981

lOO

0il2

1,058

930

286
141

351
683
254
216
209
500
456
(U5

3,9«1

The Eov. Father Grouard, Roman Cotliolic missionaiy at Chipewyan, wlio is
well acquainted with all the country around Peace liiver and the lakes, gave mc the
I'oUowing as the approximate numbers of tlie Indian population at the places men-
tioned. They are all in the Hudson's Bay Company's District of Athabasca: —

Resolution 300

-Fort Smith 200

Chipewyan 500

FonddnLac 250

Vermilion, Peace liiver ....: : 300

McMurray 150

Total l.'ZOO

I have no means of determining the Indian population in the Peace River dis-
trict, which includes the Lesser Slave Lake valley ; but, from my knowledge,
having been there twice, I would not place the number at more than seven or eight
hundred all told.

The Indians on the lower Mackenzie not having come much in contact with
v,'hites, except the missionaries and the Hudson's Bay Company's officers, have
retained more of tlieir j)rimitive simplicity and truthfulness of manner than the
Indians on the Peace and Athabasca. The native popn'^tion on the Mackenzie did
not appear to be as much mixed with white blood as that on the Peace and Atha-
basca; but, as I have not seen as much of the people on this as on the latter t\vi>
rivers, such may not be the case.

At every point where I came in contact with the natives they were obliging
and kind, but like all Indians I have met, they expect to be well paid for it. This, of
couise, is much better than to have them display' no feelings but those of extreme
selfishness and still expect all the kindness and attention one can bestow on them.

■ FROM FOUT CHIPEWYAN TO EDMONTON.

As soon as the ice on the river was strong and the snow sufficiently deep I took
my departure from Fort Chipewyan for Fdniionton. I took three dog teams
with me as far uh Point Bruld, on Athabasca River, Irom which place I sent back one
of them, the other two going with me to Fort McMurray. I left Fort Chipewyan in
the early morning (four o'clock) of the 27th of Novemben, and travelled by way of
Quatre Fourches Channel and Lake Mammewa.

On the ^ray across Lake Athabasca to the Quatre Fourches one of the men
(Morison) dropped through the ice and had a very nari-ow escape from drowning.
During the journey I made a rough survey of the channels and Lake Mammewa,
which will enable me to lay it down on our maps better than has heretofore been
done. I arrived at Fort McMurray on the afternoon of the 3rd of December. Here
I had a day's rest, both men and dogs having much need of it. I left Fort

le men
wning.
mowa,
e been
Here
Fort

28ff
141
351
683
2o4
216
209
500
456
015
.350

McMurriiy on the morning of the 5th, taking the ITudson'H Bay Company's winter
trail to VVliite Fish Laivo, and having the assiatanco of two of their dog teams which
woi-e going across to thu Long Portage.

From Wliite Fish Lake I came soiith-eastei'ly over an Indian tt'-ail, nevoi- before
travelled by white men, to Heart Lake; thence to Lac la Bichc ; an<l thence by
horses and sleighs to Victoria, on the Saskatchewan Eiver. From Victoria to
Edmonton wheels had to be used. J arrived at Edmonton on the evening of 23rd
December, and after transacting some business tiiere I loft by waggon for Calgary
on the morning of the li.'ith. I reached Calgary on the morning of the 29th and left
on the morning of the 30th, arrivii^g in Winnipeg on the 31st,

On the way from Fort McMurray to Lac la Biche I kept up a survey of my
track — rough, it is true*; but on plotting it L find that it agrees witii the latitudes of
the terminal points within three or four miles, though these latitudes are uncertain.
This will fill a gap in our maps, as horctbfore nothing certain was known of that
region.

After spending some days in Toronto in connection with my magnetic work, I
arrived in Ottawa on the 15th .January, since when 1 have been busy preparing my
maps and returns.

MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS.

1 give the results of the magnetic observations taken during the expedition.
The declination was determined with a six-inch needle in a box which could bo
attached to the dip circle. It was made from the Surfeyor-Cxeneral's design, and
suited the purpose very well, saving the trouble of carrying a compass. The total
force was determined each tir„e with two weights, thus giving two independent
determinations, and the quantity given is the mean of these. Very seldom they
differed by more than a unit in the second decimal place. The value is given in
British units, but is computed and entered in the record book in both British and
C. G. S. units. At J'ort Good Hope I had the good fortune to meet an old French
Canadian who went down the i ivor in the spring of 1844 with Captain Lefroy (now
General Sir J. IT. Lefroy), when he went to that place to determine the magnetic
elements. He showed me the pOit which Captain Lefroy had set up to observe on,
and I placed my tripod over it. That was the only place at which Captain Lefroy
observed where his position and mine were exactly the same.

While determining the declination nt the Boundary Observatory on the Lowes
River I took simultaneous readings of the needle and the declinometer, w'*h which
readings of the declination were taken twice daily during my stay there. This will
afford a very close determination of the declination at this point. As n>ost of the
results are deduced from but one observation, their value is doubtful, especially
in the case of the declination. The latitudes and longitudes given in my magnetic
record on the Lewos and Pelly are deduced from the survey, and are correct to
within a very few seconds of arc. Those between the Pell}- and Mackenzie are only
approximate; and those on the Mackenzie are those given by Captain Lefroy in his
" Diaiy of a Magnetic Survey of a portion of the Dominion of Canada, executed in
the years 1842-1844." At one or two of the points I was unable to determine the
declination, not being able, on account of clouds, to find the true astronomical azimuth
of a reference object.

IH^

€8

I'lttCf.

Liiki- Lynrleiiian . .

MarHli Ijako

Cauon

Irfiwi's llivcr

Fori HflUirk

Whitu Kivpr

Stewart River. . . .
Forty-Mill! Hiver.

Bounclarv

(lr> '

Porcujiiiio River. . .

do
La PiciTc'H HouHO.

McPlifrHon

(xootl Hoik*

Norman

Mackenzie River..

Simiwon

Resohitioii

ChiiH'wyaii

Dat<).

1S87.

June 25.

July 17.

do 24.

Aug. 7.

do 18.

do 2(5.

do 27.
Seiit. 12.

1888.
Jan. 3.
Feb 27.

do 28.
May 10.

do 20.
June 7.

do 22.
July 13.

do 29.
>ug. 5.

do 27.
Sept. 20.
Nov. 22.

do 23.

do 24.

Latitude.

59 47 1
(K) 21 1
(M) 42 3
(12 04 5
(12 47-6
(W 11 9
(i3 22 3
(M 25 5

(!4 41

((4 41

M 410

ft5 43

()5 43

G7 230

07 20

60 10
04 54 3
04 20 7
(il 52
(il 10 5
58 430
58 430
68 430

Lunf^itiule.

135 04 a

VM 17-2

135 04 I

130 040

137 24 9

139 37 8

139 28-5

140 31 '7

140 .54

140 5.ro

140 54

139 40

Unknown.

134 .57

128 31

125 43 1

125 03-3

121 25-2

113 40 5

111 18-7

lU 18-7

111 187

Declination.

.S2 10 8

32 40 1
30 55-2

33 54-8

34 17
34 27 9
33 62-8
;i5 01 1

Not read.
,35 45 3
:« 47 5
37 44 3
37 23 7

Not reail.

40 00 8

41 .30 9
33 39
41 34

37 42 3

38 19 9
27 153
27 09-5
27 17-9

Dip.

77 05 1
77 32-5

77 43 9

78 10-4

79 08
78 194
78 3(i
78 40 2

78 49 9
78 49-4

78 49-4

79 57 3
79 52-4
81 24 -V

81 48-9

82 18-4
82 0(J-5
81 50 1

81 19 2

82 0!»1
81 21-8
81 22 6

Total
Foice.

12-909
13 070

12 884
13-008

13 049

12 '.m

12 933

12 885

13 002
13 (112
13 018
13053

12 962
12-998

13 205
13 204
13 -,'550
13-300
13 -.501
13 (i80
13-708
13 729

Not observetl.

In 1843 and 1844 Captain Lef'roy observed at Forts Chipowyan, Eesolution, Norman,
and Good Hope. At Chipewyan his ob.servations extended throughout the wintei-.
His values there are: declination 28'=' 45'.8,; dip, 81° 36'.8 ; force, 13-885. At
Hesohition his declination was 37° 12'.5 ; dip, 82" 44'.4 ; force, 13,956. At Simpson :
declination, 38" 00'.4; dip, 81» 52'.2; force, 13-808. At Fort Norman: declination
not observed; dip, 82° 34.3; force, 13-653. "When he was there. Fort Norman was
up the river from its present site, about midway between the place of my observations'
of 29th July and 5th August. At Fort Good Hope : declination not obsei-ved ; dip, 82°
55'.9; force 13-681. At Fort Simpson Sir J. H. Lefroy's obseivations extended from
26th March until 25th May. The bi-daily readings of my declinometer at the
Boundary for the months of Novembei-, December, January and T-'ebruary are
appended, and will Horve to show the fluctuations in, and the limit of the range of,
the declination.

METEOEOLOGIOAL OBSERVATIONS.

In my meteorological observations, which are given in the appended tables, the
barometer readings are recorded as read, and the temperature of the attached ther-
mometer is always given, so that the temperature coi-rection can be made at any
time. After I left the boundary on Lewes Eivor the barometer readings are those
ot my anei'oid, and the temperatures given with them are the temperatures of the
air in which the barometer was exposed. Before leaving the boundary I deter-
mined the eti'ect on the anei-oid of change of temperature. I give the readings, from
which it will be seen that this particular instrument, at least, is pretty well com-
pensated for temperature :

January 18th, 1888, temperature in house, 64*^ Fah.

Mercurial barometer, corrected for temp., 30-158 ; aneroid ... 30-215

Outside tempeiature. — 4l°-0 Fah.; aneroid 30-120

Range of temperature, 105°; range in aneroid 0-095

Correction for each degree of change of temperature 00-0009

A second aiid better trial on the same day resulted thus :
In house, mercurial barometer, corrected for temperature.... 30-149

do aneroid do 30-200

Outside, aneroid do 30-121

Insido tomperuturo (!8° ; outside — 111° "6 ; range 99'' -6 :

Kiiiigo in aneroid 0*079

Correction for change in mercurial barometer 0"003

Corrected range in aneroid barometer O'OTO

Correction for each degree of cliange in temperature 0"0007f)3

This, HO far as ordinary changes of temperature are concerned, is loss than the
probable error of reading the inHtrnmont, and may bo neglected.

Before I began to keep the regular daily record I look, whenever I had an
opportunity, Himnllaneous readings of the mercnrial and aneroid barometei-s; and as
such readings were taken while I was passing over the summit of the Taiya Pass we
have the moans ot finding the value of the readings of this instrument up to an alti-
tude of H,400 feet. I give the corrected readings of the mercurial barometer, with
no dates, for the sake of brevity, but the readings ai-e entered in order of time : —

Mercurial

i'.i.
29-149

29- 150

in.
28-779

28-795

in.
28-741

28-750

in.
28 334

28 -.325

in.
27-537

27-500

in.

20 2S9

2(i-295

in,
2(i 23.5

20-225

•

These compftrisons might be extended, but I think the above are sufficient for
the purpose intended, viz., to show the reliability of the aneroid which I used.

In the column headed "water change," the figures show the rise or fall in inches,
the arrow denoting whether the water is rising or falling. Except on Sunday, the
change during the night was alone noted, the average interval being about ten hours.
The record for the last twelve days of October was given me by the Ven. Archdeacon
Reeve, of Chipewyai», who, during his stay at that place, kept a daily meteorological
record for the head office at Toronto.

No regular record of the appearance and brilliancy of the aurora was kept
during my stay at the boundary. Nothing unusual was noticed in this connection,
except its appearance two or three times in daylight. The first time 1 saw this
phenomenon my attention was drawn to a long, thin, streamer-like cloud : as the air
was perfectly calm, it excited my curiosity and I watched it closely, noticing all the
fluctuations in intensity, sudden increase and decrease in extent, and quickly shifting
movement of the aurora. It was noticed again on two or three occasions and observed
closely, to determine whether or not it was aurora, but always with the same result.
It could have been nothing else. It was of about the brilliancy of pale aurora when
seen at night, although the sun at the time was well above the horizon. Several
members of the party observed all these appearances as well as myself. This

fihenomenon has oeen seen by several others. (See Encyclopajdia Britannica, Vol,
II, pages 90-91.)

As to the aurora making an audible sound, although I often listened when there
was a very brilliant display, and despite the profound stillness which is fa-^'orable to
hearing the sound, if any sound occurs, I cannot say that I ever even fancied [ heard
anything. I have often met people who said they could hear a slight rustling sound
whenever the aurora made a sudden rush. Que man, a member of, my party in 1882,
was so positive of this that, on the 18th November, when there was an unusually
brilliant and extensive display, I took him beyond all noise of the camp, blindfolded
him, and told him to let me know when he heard anything, while I watched the
play of the streamers. At nearly every brilliant rush of the aurora light he
exclaimed: " Don't you hear it." Ail the time I was unconscious of any sensation
of sound.

A phenomenon which I never saw elsewhere or heard of was observed twice in
the month of February, first on the 19th and again on the 29th. This was green
clouds. The display on the 19th was extensive and very beautiful ; that on the 29th
not 80 much so. This phenomenon was seen in the morning, just before sunrise,
and on both occasions the sun was covered with downy, white clouds, while there

100

;t;

•was a very wlij^ht fall of minute ice crystalH, aco,ompnnio<l by a much hi/{hor tcmper-
ufuro than uhiuvI. Tho color wuh a brilliant i^merald ucivon, fringed on the lower «i(Jo
with yellow, which, ac tho huh gradually roMe, encroached on the gi'eon, until the
clouds were all yellow. This color clianged to orange and rod after the Hun hud
rinen above tho horizon. The first time tho green color hiHted about a quarter of an
hour; tho second only u low minutes. It is probable that tho form of tho snow
crystals in tho air prmlucod abnormal refraction and made the green rays of tho
spectrum conspicuous.

• Some of the minors who had boon in the country during the winter of 188(»-87
told me of the fall of a very largo atrolito. .N'one of them had maile any note of tho
date, but all agreed it was two or throe days before Christmas, 188(1, abotit tlio hour
of ten in tho evening. The flash of liglit from it was described as very brilliant,
making the interior ot their ill-lighted huts as bright as mid-day. Tho report which
followed its striking the earth was wpoken of as torritic, and this was followed by a
rumbling, crashing sound, as of rocks falling, which continued for some seconds after
the report. I received accounts jf this occurrence from two points, twonty-two
miles apart. At these places the impression made was about equally intense. This
will give an idea of its size, as well as of tho distcnce away at which it must have
struck, as at both places it appeared in the same direction. On the 17th of
Fobruarv 1887, 1 was on my way from Forty Mile Kivcr to my ^vintor (pmrtors,
and accompanying me was a miner who had witnessed tho flash and heard the report
of the lerolite.* Aoout nine miles above my dostiiuition wo stopped and had some
lunch, .lust as we wore starting again a tremendous explosion was heard, followed
by a rending, crashing sound, as though tho side had boon torn out of a mountain
and had fallen from a great height. The explosion appeared to shake tho ico on
which I was standing, and so near did it seem that I thought, if it wore not for tlio
snow that was falling thickly at the time, that the catastrophe would be seen on tho
mountain side, only a milo or so away.

Tho miner, who was at the time engaged in arranging the harness on his dogs,
instantly exclaimed : "That's one of them things." The direction the sound came
from was about i-.orth-cast. On my arrival at camp 1 found three miners there who
hail come up from Belle Isle, and tliey, too, heard the report and the rending and
crashing of rocks. Ii appeareil to them quite as loud as it did to us, and the direction
from which the sound came was north-east. At tho time we were over fifteen miles
apart ; hence the source of tho souiid must have been a very long distance from both
points. The time at which the explosion was heard was Ih. lOm. p.m., local time.

It would be ungrateful in me to close this report without acknowledging tho
kindness and attention of all with whom I came in contact on my travels. On tho
coast, the United Stales officers showed me personally every possible attention and
kindness, and did all in their power to assist me in diftlcultios. In the interior the
minora were not loss attentive and thoughtful, and the traders, Messrs. IIa.per&
McQuestion, were more th'-n kind, giving me much valuable advice, often when it
was against tlieir own pecuniary interest to do so, and aiding me in my dealinofs
with the natives to the nest of their power. To the missionaries, both Protestant
and Roman Catholic, on the Mackenzie River, I owe much for their hospitality rnd
disinterested advice and assistance. To the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company,
both myself personally, and the party generally, owe much for their readiness every-
where to assist us all tlioy could. I can truthfully say that their kindness and assist-
ance were disinterested and geiniine, if aiding me often without being asked, and
certainly with no pecuniary profit to themselves or the Company, is any proof of it.

To the four men who accompanied me through the whole journey I would here
return thanks for their cordial co-operation and spirited readiness to do their duty
at all times and in all places. They were called on to toil for long hours and under
conditions moi'o disagreeable and hazardous than fall io the lot of many ; yet they
never flinched, even when their lives were in danger. Their names deserve to be
recorded here : They are William T. Morison, of Ormstown, Quebec ; Charles T.

101

(Tladtnun, Puterborough, Ontario; F. F. Spiirkw, Winnipi'i,', Manitoba; anil Frank G.
J'aikor, VV'alorvillt), (incboc.

Tbo total rtisnlt of the oxpodition haH boon in round iiiiniborH noariy l/JOO miles
ofucciirato inwtrumcntal Hurvoy, and a vory oloso npproxiniato dotormination of tbo

Fosilionof tbo Intoi national Boundary liinc on Pelly-YuUon and Forty Mile llivorh.
n addition to tl.'.s, ubout oit^bt buiidrcd niilo. of partially instruniontal surviy \va.>*
nuido, wbiob, wbon plottod, proves inoro accurato tbaii I oxpoctcd. Of tbis, botwoon
tivo and six bundrod niilos wnn ovor country jjroviou.sly unknown and untravellod
by wbito mon. Tbo knowledge gatlunoil by tbis expoilition will euabU« us to almost
coraplcto tbo maj) ol tlio oxtromo noi-tb-wcst ])oition of our Doniiuion, an it will
serve us a skeleton on wbicb to adjust arigbt tbo nuiss of disjoiiitod int'ormation wo
alread}' posHews.

I bavo tbo bonor to bo, Sir, Your obedient sorvant.

WILLIAM OGILVfE,
Dominion Land Surveyor

Decli.no.metkk Headings — Tbo readings ai-o taken to tbo neai-ost toniii of a <livision.

Tbo value of a division in arc is '1' !•-}".

Novcintx'r.

WrctluliiT.

.Taniiary.

I'Vliruaiy.

Day.

7:»0 A.si.

l;:tO I'.M.

7:30 A.M.

1:30 I'.M.

7:30 a.m.

l:.-tO P.M.

7;:to.\.M.

1:30 P.M.

285

2t!(i-0

(209 0)

(208 0)

2(W-0

204

209

205-3

280

208-0

(270 0)

273-0

205-0

273 5

21 '.3

2820

272-5

270-0

208 (»

272

200-11

280 (>

203

2820

271-2

273-5

209

273 8

2700

274-2

200

285-2

303 5

274 5

207 5

274-5

271 -0

275

208

317 8

327-0

274

202-0

271

272 5

272-0

270

321

314 2

2740

207-0

282

209-0

270 5

270

312

304-0

2080

207-5

273 5

273-0

275-5

2tM)

286-2

289

270

2(W

275-3

272-5

279-0

270 5

299

294-0

271

2(i8 5

275 -0

270

280-.-,

209

284-0

287 -0

270-0

2(;9-o

270

205

279-0

272 ((

280

281

270-0

2r)4 (1

273-5

209-5

2.S0

270

278-9

271-5

2(i5-5

2>*)9-0

275

209

272

2i;so

277-5

271-5

2(i8-2

2(H

288-0

205

271-2

200 It

278-0

271-0

272-0

2ti4 ()

278

270-0

272

208

2780

273 ()

200

2.57

273-0

270-0

.3010

260-0

280-2

207-0

314-0

259-5

27T5

270

2.S8-0

27(>0

18 »

2S4

270

271

200

272

208-0

278

2490

280-5

274

270

204

2700

205 5

281-0

207-0 -

207

251-5

2700

2(«-)-0

2:2

20!)

282 -0

204

331-0

269

272 5

200

27li

20-2

270

207-0

296-0

270-5

273-0

209

274

205

284

202

274

271 (1

272

207

291-0

203 (»

274 5

200-O

(209-0)

(200-0)

20!»-0

204

287 -0

2(i<>0

279-0

2070

(271-0)

(200 -0)

272-2

2(i9

280

205 5

275

270 -0

(273-0)

(272 0)

27(i-0

2(i8-0

282

2(i8-0

278-5

2(W-5

J87

(274 0)

(2720)

2iH)-0

208

270

2.59-5

270 -0

270

(273-0)

(272 0)

278-0

200 -0

275-0

202 9

2.82 -0

207

(273-0)

(272-0)

209 (»

202

272

202 -0

280-2

209

(2(18-0)

(2(i8 0)

273 5

259 5

270

2(18

270-0

202-0

278

258

Note. — Duiine the last days of Noveinljer and tlie first part of December, the fibres s>isi)eii(ling the
magnet had stretched so niiicli that the tottoni of the mirror attaclied to it touchetl the Ixjttoni of the 1h)x,
and it could not move freely. These defective readings are put in brackets. As the irortii end of the
magnet moved to the east the reading increased, and vice versa.

;;K

n^'

102

Meteoroloqioal Record for the Month of August, 1887.

Min.

Bar-
ometer.

Attached

Min.

Bar-
ometer.

Attached

Day.

Tempera-

Ther-

Remarks.

Day.

Tempera-

Ther-

Remarks.

ture.

mometer.

1
1

ture.

1' IOmeter.

•o

in.

a'?-?

691

62-5

28-417

570

420

85(5

600

Out of Order.

^1 (!
^49

53 5

913

.S2 5

0.54

42-5

28-763

52-0

420
81
53-7

28
28
27

152
230

, 51
600

23
24

32
41
40

3
2
5

28 -5.31

.38-8

143

440

28-484

48-0

327

286

68-5

28-403

46-0

42-0

.S93

48-5

28 493

44-0

434

520

28-387

400

41-8
JW-7

28
28

440

468

56
560

! 30

8
5

i .31 1 44

15
IG

43 2

^20

28
28

36(i
417

500
600

480

28 437

1 Average 39 '9

28 269

51-5

Note.— This record began 15 miles below Lake Labarge and ended 66 miles below Stewart River.

Meteorological Record for the Month of September, 188'7.

Day.

Min.
Tempera-
ture.

Bar-
ometer.

Attached

Ther-
mometer. ,

Remarks. ]

Day.

Min.
Tempera-
ture. '

Bar-
ometer.

Attached
Ther- :
mometer. ;

Remarks.

44
46
38
45
45
36
42
40
31
.^$7
40
31
18

5 i

6 ;

in.

17
18
19
I 20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
20
SO

280
24
31-4
27-6
21 6
21-6
29-6
25-7
24-8
26-4 1
24 6 1
36-3 '
18-8 i
27-3

in.

29-150
28-975
28-917
29 013
20 017
28-930
28-991
28-7.%
28-826
28 ■ ri'2S
28-440
28 643
28-910
28-728

31
38
41
31
24
23
32
31
34
31
30
.S9
24
30

3
3

9
10

28-662

560

11
12
IS

28-&57
28-868

56-5
.S2-0

IS
16

28-959

Average 31-7

28-836

.S4 2

ICoTK. — First snow in the valley on 23rd inst. Temperature of river w.»ter on 30th inst. — 40"

^11!

108

arks.

Meteoroi<ogical Record for the Month of October, 1887.

Min.

Bar-
ometer.

i
Attached

' 1

Min. ii -D,.

Attached

Day.

Tenii)era-

Ther- 1 Remarks, i

Day.

'ts- --■

Ther-

Remarks.

ture.

mometer,

■ )

mometer-

o 1

250

in.

, 28-684

28-5

.31-0 1 28 498

1
33 5

i 28-827

27 4

1 28

919

240

! 28-702

280

2!>

124

28-0

; 28-625

29-5

364

21 8

, 28-981

28-7

(527

17-2

! 28-979

4;w

i 28-605

23-5

i 28

978

6-0

28 745

31-7

5 ,

701

. 29175

1 28

387

23 5

' 28 035

28-6

, 28

527

64-0

29 -(W

270

1 28

260

70-0

! 29 (XJS

! 28

.564

28 4.-)2

' 28

913

70-0

28-529

! 28-813

70-0

15
16

18
24

28-769
28-555

2(!
37-5

Average. 18 5

28-813

31-2

24-5

28-389

250

Note. — First ice nmning in river on 21st inst.

Meteorolooical EEcoRf) for the Month of November, 1887.

rka.

I
Min.

Barom-

Baroni-

1.1

i
Min.

Barom-

1.1

Banmi-

^ . i

Day.

Tfmi)tTa-

eter,

U <v o

1 e.ter.

Day.

TenJl>era-

eter,

eter.

^ it i,

S£, S
4Jtri o

tiire.

7.30 a.m.

L.TOI-.M.

ture. ]

7.30 a.m.

1.30 P. .M.

< a

< B

< a

< B

in.

In.

in.

— 15

28-931

67 -0

i 28 933

770

28-739

67-5 :

28-894

lW-5

— 0-5

29-061

680

28-964

— 0-5

29-024

28-948

16-0
14 5

28-300

1 28 -.356

660
610

19
20

-12-5
— 2

28-820
2!t 1.54

60-5 .
59 1

28 910
. 29 189

67-0

: 28-415

68-0 i

()3

- 1-0

28-679

C5-0

, 28-672

760 ;

-12-8

2i» 047

61-0

29030

(54

2 8

28-475

64-0

i 28-520

79-5 !

10-6

28-927

640

28-997

53-6

-17-5

28 -aw

66-0

I 28-650

i 23

2!) -340

71 5

29-548

75-0

- 2-2

— 4

: 28 626
1 28-479

05-0
62 5

24
25

—18-6
—17

29-649
2V) .521

69
68-0

29-623
2<.» 471

(580

28-486

71-0

710

—20-8

1 28-711

28-803

72-0

1 26

— 50

2<t 288

29-230

—22-5

■ 29 000

((3-5

i 29-020

71-5

- 1-0

29 159

72-5

29-136

(54

-14-0

; 28-827

61-5

28-a-)0

73 -0

29 075

:mo

2t>-054

600

—10 5

! 28-664

61-8

28-092

70 5

5-0

29-374

70 -J

29-427

(580

-24 1

28-884

59-5

28-952

70-5

-16-5

29 624

65 5

1 29-499

67 -0

.15
16

—10 8
— 0-2

28-980
28-926

60-0
64

29 030
28-856

(i8
75

Aver

^ge-5-l

28-940

64 6

• 28-993

69-6

Note. — Ice set in the river on the 15th inst., at 10 p.m.

104

Metbobological Record for the Month of December, 1887.

(I-.

"¥'''

"Y"'^

'^s -

...

'^"'

l-H

«!

1
» 1

.12

S 3
c S

1 93

3 °*

.§2
•SS.

§5

1 <

til

5 3

1-H

\ «

ft 1

< i

in.

-KiO

29 357

29 W)3

— 5iVl

-42-5

29 624

29-5,57

-27

— 24

29-501

62-0

29-603

70-0

-23 -0

— 14

29-;^oo

61 5

, 29-200

—42 5

—41

-38
-3<iO

29-680
21t-503

67 -0

; 20

' 21

- 6
* 3-5

10-5
- 6 0,

28 637

28 849

63
(!l-5

28-6,50
' 2!) -025

! 2i)-493

62 5

—43-5

-41

29-537

59-0

29 .544

-27-0

— 24

29-259

29 247

-4(1 3

-42-5

29-. 331

29-289

62-0

-38-0

—36-5

29-084

.52

29 204

(50

-4S0

-40

29 120

61 -0

2!» 081

61-5

-41-1

-21

29 .-ao

58-5 i

29^365

66-5

-47 3

—42-5

29 185

57-0

29-259

(}3

—26-5

-17

29 324

55-0 :

29-3:^7

-45-5

-28

29 -267

63-5

29 250

•67

—23

— 23

29-16<i

(i3-0

29 ■ 224

»)3

—30

-18

28-795

(53-0

28-547

-26

-27-5

29-633

59-5 1

29 716

-15

-17 5

28-347

57 -0

28-399

1 28

—41-0

— 40

29-716

55-0

29-678

()4-0

—30 5

-32

28-834

(>3-5

2!>-<X)0

—44 5

-41 5

211 392

55-5 .

29-326

.59-0

—53 5

-34

29- 103

61-0

! 28-820

61 5

-32 1

—10-5

28 (t03

.580 1

28 883

-33 5

-27

28-449

1 2S-4;iO

66-0

i 31

—10 5

00-0

28-575

55-0

28-556

64-0

15
16

— 28
-52-2

-29
-49

28-599
29-062

68
(WO

28-.S06
29-119

71
()3

—51

— 37

2i>173

29-277

63-0

jAve

-33 6

—27-6

29 -152

60-0

29 141

64-8

* At 7.30 a.m. fhernionit^tM- read 3-5.

Metkoroloqical Record for tlie Month of January, 1888.

%■

I ^ ■

- -

. I .E2

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

—10-5

—00-7

1-5

-12

-19-0

1-0

- 9 3
* 10

-41
— 41
— .32

— 90
-22-0

—11-5
—49-5

1-5
9-5

12-5
0-5
3 2

13-0
1-0
3 2

- 3-0
-41
-30-5,

- 9-5'

- 2 5
-11

- 80:
-46 5

Attac-h

Barom

P.M.

in.

1
(J

in.

28 (510

,57-0

28-764

2!) -122

(16 (1

29-237

29 445

(54

29 513

29-303

(WO

29 265

29 291

(55

29 302

29 272

29-289

29 358

29 ;m

29 412

(57 1

29-432

2!»184

(>6-0

29 289

29-284

(M5 - 5

29-120

30014

(56 -0

30 107

30 186

()5-0

30-liH)

29 175

(52-5

30-004

29-777

72-5

29 (579

29 (527

630

29-5.59

29-784

(52-5

29-914

30 118

58-6

30 198

(57
700

76
71 I)
(59
78-0

(59-0
75-0
(>5
68 -0
700
69
(58
(580
(59-5

H .

* 1

a; 1

S *

1
■

-51

-33-8

—33-8

—22-0 1

-270

-20

— 3;V3

-32-0

-37-0

-18 5;

-32 5

— 19

—46

—31-5,

— .36

-14-51

-20 3

-14-5;

-36

-23-7

—38-8

-22 5

-•37-8

-37-5

,30

-.53-0

—40 5

—.53 5

-38-5

Ave

-25-3

-15-3

I-

rS <

in.
30-279
30071
29-784
29 (594
29-410
2it-27(i
2!l 120
28-819
28 (5(51
28-341

28 (570
28-937
2!) -091

29 .309

■7^

£ V
If

I ^

29-368

(50-9

,57-0
.58-8
(52
.59-2
59
.57-5
58-8
5(5 -0
.57
.5(5
i2-0
480
,51-5
52-0

.ga

in.
.30-2(55
30 048
29 743
2it-671
29 440
2it-2(M)
29 -089
28-819
28-597
28-317
28 -(589
29 (1.53
29-0.31
29-459

29-409

At 7.30 a.m. thtrmomt'ter read 10.

(57-5
64 2
(57-2
670
(53-6
(57 -0
()4
65-4
(56 -0
600
.58-0
(5(5
(52
151

67 6

■■?1.! '

106

Meteorological

Eecord for the Month of February,

1888.

1
i- i

: s;

1-H

>, 1

I-

1 1^

c i

.s S.

1^1

; pa
I I**

J= s

in.

-52

— 39-5

21) -7.57

.51-0

29-749

—15-0

— 0-5

28-817

! 28

773

-3!)

— 7-5

29 •379

.55-5 1

2<t-416

64-5

; 18

— 3-8

14 1

28-712

699

-22

-Hi -5,

29 -.5.39

63 5 '

29-480

69-0

1 19

3-8

5-5

28 451

770

540

—18

- 9-7i

29 153

54-5

29-039

65-6

— 6-5

— 5-0 '

28-677

64-5

— 9

— Cib

2!) 223

.54 7 :

29-2it0

—10-2

— 5-4 '

28-709

] 28

683

- 6

2-5

28 947

fiO-0

28-896

6ti0

-16-0

—14-5

28-844

62 I

940

70,

28-65(i

61 7 ;

28-774

21 - 2

-U

2it.274

MO 1

1 2!t

373

28-901

.59

28 956

67 -0 24

-35

- 4-0

29 200

67 -0 1

112

•10

—14

28-993

67 i

28-996

70-0

- 4-0

15-5 ( 29 (139

(i9-0

: 28

!>20

— 4

— 4-5

28-981

60 5

29-0.<50

71-0

; 2(i

— 20

3-5 1 28-777

6i5-0

!t74

— 2<)

-16-8

29-025

'■ 29-050

-11-0

9 3 29 325

64-0

.364

—39

—24 5

2)»-097

630 1

i 29 -063

— 10

18-0 1 29-305

68-0

2i)

140

—46

-31 5

29 362

.56

29-354

67-0

11-2

24 2 1, 29-140

700

29 236

74-0

14
15

<!7

— 8
-24 -f)

29-085
28-795

57
.580

; 28-983
: 28-883

71-0
69

H .

—44 5

—24 2

28-758

61-5

28-805

Ave

-16-8

— 4 3

: 29-031

621

29-047

69-2

• At 7:30 a.m. thermometer read 10 '5.

106

Meteorological Eecord for the Month of March, 1888.

Day.

Min.
Tempera-
ture.

i
1:30 P.M.

Barometer,
7:30 A.M.

Tem-
perature. ]

Barometer,
1:30 P.M.

• Tem- 1
perature. i

Barometer,
Evening.

Temper-
ature.

- 2 3
3

21-2
28-5

in.

29-328
29 197

65-0
66-0

in.

29-240
29 170

o ;

78-0 :
74-0 1

in.

■

-10

. ■■

—430
-497
—52 7

-47
—25
-30-7
-11
-0-5

- 15
— 10

— 0-7

— 30
60

-15 7

—13-2

- 0-7
—15-0

-10 2

220

'.'.'.'..'.'.'}

■

29-380
2^-480
29-200
28-960
29080
29 020
28-780
28-710
28-680
28-360
28-610
28-220
27-300
20-420
26 440
20-480
20 740
20-480
26-590
26-900
26-800
27-160
26-940

46-6

25-0
28
.WO
40
30
40
40
10-0
10
000

30 1

6-0 >
-15-7 1
—13 :

2-0

6
13

—10-0

200

-10-0

26-0

:.:;':;:':::

28-040
28-500
28-300
28-200
27-400
1 26-440
I 20 -.500
20-440
2(i 040
20 040
20-540
20-710
2(i 820
27 GOO
27-070
20-800

io-o

At Noon.
28-480
27-940
27 070
20-500

200

19
20
21
22
23

0-0

20-0

200

000
20-0
15-0

- 5-a

200

25
26
27
28
29

20-710
20-440

20 o<;o

20-940

30
30-0
30
220

15
10
180
20-0
15

30
31

27-090
20-900

20
40-0

26-0
25-0

NC'-rK. — Barometer temperatures taken from atmosphere in ordinary way.

All readings from the 3rd of March to the 10th of April, inclusive, were taken while on the

move from the Viikon to Porcupine Kiver.
Barometer readings taken with an aneroid barometer.

^ili

107

per-
re.

LOO
L4-0'
JO-0
300
200

15
5
3-0

20-0

16
16
18-0
20-0
15-0

)-0
■0

METEORoiiOQicAL Record for the Month of April,

1888.

Day.

Minimum

Tem-
perature.

i
1

1:30 P. jt.'

Barometer,
7:30 A.M.

Tempera-
ture,

Barometer,
1:80 P.M.

Tempera-
ture.

Barometer,
Evening.

Tempera-
ture.

in.

- in.

26-93

120

26 98

-31-6

26-96

—25-0

—36-6
-37-7
—37 3
-36-7
-17-0

26-92
26 51
26-39
iM-34
26-56

-10-0

—200

-15

-4-0

26
26
26
26
26

72
49
36
64
G6

26-59

-12-7

26-86

8-0

26-96

170

-340

26-92

—25-0

27 08

—28-7

27-06

—15

27-38

20-0

27
27
27

26
30
47

10
4

-24-6
-19-8

27-23
27-39

—15-6
—10-0

27-46

30-0

—24-0

27-55

— 80

27 -04

20-0

— 13

27-82

— 60

27'89

- 26

-17-3 •

27-94

— 70

2706

—26
—24 2

— 18

"soli"

31-5

27-78
27-68
27-68

—10-0
— 8-0
—10-0

27
27

68
76
66

10
17
30

27 69

36-0

—19-6

18-0

27-63

27-68

— 8-0

27-73

27-80

—14 2

27-84

27-86

—30-8

5-0

27-78

27-74

300

—24-0

22-0

27-76 300

2776

20-0

—19-5

27-82 35

27-83

— 9-5

27-95 30-0

28-00

— 9-0

9-0

■27-9' 30-0

27-95

-H

- 7-6

16-0

T 20-0

27 -66

-10-7

370

30-0

27-46

— 6-0

40-0

300

27-58

27-52

380

the

Notes.— Barometer temperatures taken from atmosphere in ordinary way.

All readings from the 12th of April to the 27th of May, inclusive, were taken at a stationary

camp at the head of Porcupine River.
Barometer readings taken with an aneroid barometer.

108

Meteorological Eecord for the Month of May, 1888.

I, \

Day.

Minimum

Tem-
I^rature.

1:30 p.m.

1 Barometer,
J 7:30 A.M.

TeiPi»ra-
ture.

Barfinietor,
1:30 J'.M.

Twniiera-
ture.

•

Barometer,
Evening.

Temi)era-
ture.

in.

19-7

51 ■ 2-

27-35

27-27

400.

280

.34 O

27-20

27 30

300

90
CO

"27-5"

27
27

3(5
44

27 40
27-49

30 (»

27-49

300

— 18

27 18

350

27 12

35-0

16-8

45 5

.30

27-27

40-0

27-31

9 3

27 33

27-30

• 8

17-8

2!)

27 -as

I 27 20

400

12 7

27 20

30-0

22 5

.30

27-30

I 27-30

40-0

.34

27-35

44-0

27 40

30-0

21 5

27-49

400

27-46

27-48

40-0

27-65

300

21-5

27-83

440

27-97

• l(i-3

28-03

.50

2800

.30-0

16 3

620

!)0

27-82

.5<i

27-74

3(5

17 3

(>4

27 -(W

27-72

480

27 80

.50

27-77

400

290

35 '5

3(S

27-78

27-79

155

.32

27-75

27 -09

30-0

i 27

27 -.53

27 46

40-0

440

27-51

27-48

300

2.3

23 5

1 27

4<;

1 27-48

1 27-45

210

300

1 27

2t)

27 54

380

27-49

390

! 27

27 -.50

39-0

27 .52

30-0

.31

i 27

()8

27 07

48-0

27 (58

27-94

50-0

27 92

43-0

.54

28 06

.54-0

27-99

20 2

i 27-90

53-0

28 03

40-0

20 2

.51-5

1 27-98

28-28

.50-0

28-2

43 5

28 41

28-(«)

28-71

41-5

NoTE.S. — Barometer temwratures taken from atmosphere in ordinary way.
Barometer readings taken with an aneroid barometer.

109

Mkteobolouical Eecord for the Month of June, 1888.

Day.

Mininnun

Tem-
jieratnre. i

Burometor,

Tem-

Barometer,

1
Tein-

Baronn'ter,

Tem-

Temiiera-

tnre,
l:;iO P.M.

A.M.

jierature

1:30 P.M.

jwrature.

Eveninif.

I)er.iture.

in.

•
in.

291 '

28-82

28-88

50-0

i 28 91

66-0

2.5 5

28 94

29-00

2)1 12

42-5

20-3

29 12

2tt 15

2914

•17-0

29-20

251-27

1 2i»-2'.t

620

18-3

29 32

29 31

29 30

500

660

29-28

29 14

.58

1 29-07

(50

320

28-87

28-82

5(V0

28 88 •

49-0

50-0

.^3

28 -IW

29-00

500

28 -99

52-

27 3

29 09

290(1

52-0

: 28-99

40-0

i 52-0

2r)0

28-JIO

5(i

28 87

28-86

i 68 ,

30 ti ;

28 79

28-80

(;o-o

28-84

:v.-o

620

21-7

28-91

28-83

28-87

480

22 4

28-88

28-83

400

28-79

15-6

28-5«

28-.5(i

50-0

28-45

480

170

28-37

28 36

.50 -0

28 40

380

50-0

2.') 3

28-42

28-57

(iOO

28-98

29-06

(iOO

29-09

.52-0

60-0

330

\ 29-18

29-70

.9-81

48-0

320

29-94

.50

29-96

(•.2-0

2fl-98

52-0

60-0

37-3

30 02

.'W-02

30 00

720

470

30 10

(JO

29-96

2JI-86

480

29 -W)

29-83

710

29-87

500

71-0

400

29-87

29 88

700

29 91

71-0

29 -99

5<>

30 01

30-08

500

,54

430

30-12

30 14

.5S-0

30 10

2(5

430

30 12

(50

30 01

2)1-96

52 ()

420

29-99

29-93

50-0

29 -Wi

42 3

2!)-85

29-80

29-86

.54-0

29 79

.55

29 84

,56-0 1

29-84

5(i

fiOO

29 80

550

29-85,

.58-0

29 -S4

Notes. — Barometer temperatures taken from atim isi))iere in ordinary -way.
Barometer readings taken with an aneroid barometer.

M^KTBOBOiiOaioAii Record for tho Month of Jul}', 1888.

f!ii

—

._ ._ _

■ •^;

" "

Day.

Min.

1:30 P.M.

Haroint'tor RuAdingH.

WllKT

Ch.

tiirt).

7:30 A.M.

Tenipf'ra-
tuiv.

1:30 P.M.

TumiHTa-
ture.

Evening.

TcmiHira- 1
tiiri'. 1

in.

'i
ti

in.

345

030

29-84

29 80

63-0

29 74

48-5

3-Ot

29 as

420

29-88

2J)-90

38-0

7-Ot

29 95

44(>

29-95

29-94

470

1-Ot

38-5

29-99

29-98

(WO

2it 9ft

50 -0

1-Ot

34 2

ti9

30-02

29-86

29 -((9

500 '

l-5t

35 ()

700 !

3000

! 30 01

29-97

51-0

2-2t

72 (»

30 00

56-0

; 29-!K5

21t 89

1-5 t

no 8

29 81

62-0

21>-70

(i80

29 -6ft

55-0

: 1-Ot

51 4

29-68

60-0

29-50

(WO

29 44

55-0

: 3-4 1

480

29-48

52-0

i 29-52

48-0

2!>-62

1 3-6 +

4(>'0

29-78

rrf<o

2J)-82

70-0

29-82

' 6 9 +

4(i0

2it-H0

i 29-78

(J8-0

29-66

i 23 +

42 4

29 74

29-76

72-0

1 29-80

600

0-5 +

78-0

25) 70

1 20-71

72-0

1 29-72

62 -0

1-5 +

680

2!)-80

' 29 76

70-0

' 2it-()8

.52

2 7 •

l(i

43((

60 -0

29-82

60-0

29 -(i8

29-72

i 70*

48-5

29-72

2!)-(W

1 29-61

1 2-0 •

5«

29-69

2i)-70

60 -0

, 29-73

1 0-7*

48. G

29-8(.

63-0

29-89

65-0

! 29-91

1 5-0 •

30 00

29 98

i 29-%

(>1

; 36-0 *

49-5

76 (1

30 04

54-0

30 02

76-0

30 00

(50

! 2-1 +

52
50-6

66
70

1 30 02
' 30 05

30-02

2i»-98

66 -0
70-0

30-02
29 94

58
60

160 +

"■ 66-(V

i 13-0 +

ni-7

i 21t-9-4

2t»-91

2tt-86

1 6-0 +

2ft

! 29-82

62-0

29-82

29 83

55-0

i 3 +

2(!

4(i-7

550

2!»-87

54-0

! 29-87

.55-0

29-96

; 4 6 +

440

680

30-06

50-0

30-06

580

:w-07

48-0

1-0 +

450

80-00

56-0

1 29-98

70-0

29 86

58-0

1-0*

2<J

750

.25) -75

29-62

75 -0

2!) 58

.58

3-0 +

WVM

58-0

29 64

(i2

29-68

.50

5-0 +

450

29-70

43-0

29-80

45-0

29-84

45-0

2 +

Notes. — Bftrometor temperatureH taken from atmosphere in ordinary way.
Barometer lejuiingB taken with an aneroid oarometer.
• RiBe.
+ Fall.

Total fall 18-2.

Ill

Meteoiioi,ooical Record for the M

inth of August, 1888.

Min.

BaroMictev

Readings.

Water

Day.

Teiiii)era-
ture.

1.30 p.m.

7.80 A.M.

TemiMira-
ture.

1.30 p.m.

Temjiera-
ture.

Evening.

Temiiera-
t\ne.

Ch.

•

in.

>/ '

in.

64 1

2!»-98

480

29-98 1

64-0

2<l 97

0-0

3t!

680 !

29 97

52-0

2i»-91 1

(i80

29-82

0-5*

29 80

580

, 29-6(i !

700

29-62

5(i

1 3-7 1

29 71

69-0

i 29-80 1

68-0

2<.l-87

.52

: 21t

29 '.to

.51

1 29-85

76-0

29-82

.Vi

oof

<U1

29 76

2{f71

660

29 80

1-5*

i-WO

29 !K)

.TO 05

580

,30 00

50 -0

17 +

29 95

44-0

2it-80

29-75

.50 -0

06 +

.wo 1

29 50

500

29-54

56.0

29 56

t»

520

29-78

29-!«

30 04

.55

66 '

.30 04

45-0 1 29-90

tiO

29 86

0-6 +

66 1

29-86

520 1 29-87

66 -0

29-8.5

55-0

1-1*

29-80

54 1 2<.t-77

(J8-0

29-76

1 3-0 +

29-70

520 1 29 69

2>)-(i8

.58-0

20 +

<i8o

29-6(>

61-0

29-()8

66-0

2<t.69

10 +

1«

29-72

52-0

29-58

29 ■ .50

60 ()

15 +

2!t-48

29 .30

29 23

52 -0

6 +

720

29-20

520

2it 13

29 13

11 +

21t-20

2<.t 22

84-0

29-30

0-8 +

2it-40

29-44

86-0

29 30

20 +

2i) 34

550

29-40

66 -0

29 46

.50

' 0-8 +

3()

29 -.52

400 1; 29-48

72-0

2<t-46

14 +

29-47

29-48

68-0

, 29-48

.52

: 09 +

700

29-42

50-0

29 46

29 44

6(10

10 +

4(i

V 29 44

(WO

29-47

70-0

29 44

1 0-0 +

2(i

(U)0

2?»-42

29-34

' 29 -3j)

i 10 +

•0

.55

2i» .%

55 i 29-33

55-0

29 30

6«)0

! 0-5 +

()80

29 24

48 1 29-:W

29 .36

,50

1 0-5 +

■8

29 -.52

400 ' 'Mm

29-59

6 +

•7

1 29-57

40 29-45

68-0

29-50

.52

1-0 +

370 1 080

1 2it-5(i

52-0 i 29 -.56

29-50

,52

10 +

Aver

5kge 43

670

2902

510

29-60

29-69

29 +

3TKH. — Barometer teniperatnre.H t
Barotuetor reac ings takin

aki'u from atmosphere

in ordinarj

way.

I with an aneroid biiroi

neter.

* RiKe.

•

all.

1V2

Meteorological Kecord for the Month of Soptembor, 1888.

Dfty.

Min.

T«'iniK\rft-
ture.

Bartmmter,
7.30 a.m.

'l\'in|H»ra-
ture.

Bnroiiioter,
1.30 I'. M.

Tenipera-

ttire.

Barometer,
Kvf-ning.

Timiiiera-
turc.

Water Ch.

in.

41 5

21) .30

20 .W

(WO

20-40

5(5-0

2!) M

(S8-0

2iKi7

(Ui-O

20 60

1-ot

2« 54

.■k.-0

20 .5«i

(58

29 46

251 2;h

(iOO

2!) 15

(58-5

29-06

ro-1-

2900

',.iO

28-07

(57

21t 04

47 •«

2i> 10

48-0

2it-14

(52 -0

20-21

2!) 25

2)»-2ti

(52

29 27

5 +

52-0

21» 30

.VIO

2<.>-.S2

(51-0

29 -.32

0-7 +

490

20-4O

20 42

(iO-0

29 40

50-0

0-6 +

480

2!) 02

2i>-42

29 .30

50-0

10 +

470
470

2!I10
2!l(10

20 01
20-03

5(5-0
(51

28-!l6
28-07

,54-0
.52-0

6 +

48-0

0-7 +

480

20 0()

2<.t 08

(HO

29 11

0-8 +

377

2!) 17

2i»-20

29-22

0-5 +

440

mo
ni 5
r>2 ()

2i>l«
28 US
28-70
28-87
2!l-28

• 40
(52-0
54 -0
50
.38-0

20-10
28 05
28-81
20-04
21t-10

70
780
72
(JO-0
(52

i 29-01
28-02

1 28 29

2{> 16

.29 05

56
65 (>
(52
.50-0

55-0

IC.

1!)

44
510
38
35
33 3
42-5

28-88
28 01
2!t-10
20-3;-)
20-50
20-42

.50
52
420
40-0

:« 3

440

28 87
l'8-04
20-25
20. 50

(5(5
(52 -0
58
48

: 28-87
! 2902
; 29-31
! 29 (55
251 31
2!)-(i0

mo
mo

450
46
50-0
44

0-7 +

20 01

48-6

0-6 +

2(>

30-8

2!»-(i2

40-0

20 -(!3

.54-0

20 (50

0-8 +

2!) -2

251-54

2t)-(ll

52 -0

20 - (5(5

0-5 +

35
40
37

20-7(i
20 1(5
2!) 28

44
43
40 -0

20-60

i 28-90

20-40

50-0
54
■52

29(11
28-90
20-45

46
.50-0
37

Aver

i^tK 43 7

20-24

40-8

20-28

61-0

! 29-22

50-5

11 +

NOTKS.-

-Baronif ter tetnix'ratiircs taken from iitmospherp in ordinary way.
.Soi)temlKr Kith, tcniiH't-aturc of lake wiitiT, 53-.5''.
Septcmbfi- .30tli, ttmiioratui-f of lake wiiter, 482".
liai-ometor readings taken with anenjitl hai-onu^ter.
+ Fall.

118

MKTBctROLooicAL RECORD for tlio Month of October, 1888.

Divy.

Mill.

Tnin(t«'r!v-

tmn.

Buniiui'tiT,
7.30 A.M.

TfIll|«TU-

ture.

1
HiiroiiK^tor,

l.:ioi'.M.

Tl'IIl|MTtt-

tiiro.

Unronu'tt-r,
Evening.

TeniiHTa-
tiir«.

I'D
4,5
45
400

,50
,50
47
45 ()
40
.37
3(1
31

;iHo

30
30
.51
30
30
»J

■Wat«r Ch.

38
37 5
43
3(; 3
3!t
410
40

39
XiO
MO
32-3

31 «

2;vo

2()r)
27
27
25
31 5

in.

2i) 23
29 00
2!l 18
29 11)

28 97
t 2t»()0

28-88
28-88

29 (HJ
29-24
29 34

1 29 30

1 29.29

! 29-24

29 44

1 2})-5l

29 1(>

20 30

2<.)14

28-88

42
38 (»
40
45
40

42
(iO

43
44-0
40
;i8

3;?o

34
2(1
280
28 -0
270
20

• 32-0

in.

28 IHI
29-20
2'.» 17

29 14

29 00
28-95
28-84

54
50

52-0

r)0

5(1
(12
(14 ()

in.

28-98
29 22
29 15
29 (K)
29 ()2

28 9(»
28-82
29-(H(

29 IH
29 34
-1) 37
29-34
29 20
29-34
29 50
2i»-20
29 2(»
•-I) 42
28 98

in.

6
6

20 1

2tt09
29-20
: 29 42
29 37
29-28
2i) 22
2i) 62
29 41
29 10 ♦
29 42
29 00

42
40

39
46
35

34 (1

35 (,

3i^

32 0.

34 0*

30-0
39
410
32
3;ro

35
37
31 5
31 (1
3;}
31
31-0

10
11
12

5t
2t

IC)

1!)

28-990
28-992
28 840
28 -828

28 800
28-812

29 050
29 144
29 004
29 12f.
29074
29 032

21* 024

28-8,80
28-.S48
28-8,-i8
28-828
28-842
29 192

28 - 9,S2

29 1!)4

29 cm

29-182
28-954

34
37
27
33 O
33

35
27
33-0
32
.32

20 8
270
24 ()
30 8
27
27

31
24-5
300
28-9

2(t020
28-882
28-79G
28-8;i8
28 ^fW

28 914

29 170
28-7f>0
25) 2fMi

28 9.50

29 108

68-0
,51-0
.52
51
51-0
.51
.53
57
51
,50-0

23
24

2f)

Avei

age 310

29-088

2<.) Ill

40 4

29-099

30-7

2-7 +

Notes.

-Barometer teiutieratures taken from atmosphere in ordinary way.
T()mi)erature of river water on the 7th inst., 5lo ; on the 4th, 43'-' ; and on the 17th, 38".
All below the line were got from Rev. Mr. Reeve at C'hipewyan.
Barometer readingn taken with an aneroid barometer.

ERRAT.\.

On paftc 12, fourth paragrapli, fourth lino, for "nor a wtar
aiE;ain " i-oad " noi- the sun a^rain."

On pag(^ nf>, hi.st lino, for "the sun was covered" read "the
Hky was covered."