IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // // './. i/i 1.0 I.I 1.25 2.5 ■- illM «" ilM ill 2.2 IIM litt 12.0 14 IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 1 \ iV '^ (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont fiimis en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiimds en commengant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -^^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre filmds d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. ^ 1 2 3 i 1 2 3 ♦ ■• 1 ! - ■ - 5 i 6 EXPLORATORY SURVEY or rA!:T OF THK iMS/TAri-llliCjlffliPljELailT Fl AN D MACKENZIE IMVEIiS BY ^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. 12 15 16 34 36 37 40 49 51 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 N 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)('ll. Trout, Peel and Mai'konzie River.- ilurin. -). 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 overloaded 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, instealin-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 oait 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 whiant 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 winli 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. ant 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 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 whiurses 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 harr|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 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 niidertalh 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 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 mawoo(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,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 on be >aid to have fairly started ahead on the lakes. Tl account of the stormy weather. In the summer nioiuhs there is nearly always awin11 rollers breal eaKim oi 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 H etoi'e (joint howevi'r, made an e.xamination ot the canon. Th 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 in ow 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. Tl 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 . 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 10 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. 11 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, 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 nild weather n the fall; but when the cold weather set in, and especially during one severe spoil, 13 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 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 Dc iuoi'fl Loii^'itn Ic ill 'riiiic. h. m. 8. 9 23 35-89 u 24-19 u 2(i-(Jl a 28-02 (( 2;3-73 u 21-.>1 11 27-32 11 33- Hi u 2i)-15 II 30-10 23 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 14 x 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. M DatP. Nov. 30, 1887.... No.. Htars .... 3 .... 8 f 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 B. 40-42 Doc 1 7 7 10 11 6 12 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 4 45-44 " 29 8 39-70 J Jill ;ji 188S s 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 re 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, 17 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 ,1 I 'il ,*3 impc lany pit get 18 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 aiportH 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 i I i 11 20 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'novin^, 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, anro 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 \tor for worne years alter, saw the laUo called by bis name. The Huccessful layin/c of ihe Atlantic cable in l^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 I 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. 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 22 m< 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 28 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 24 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. w 25 'f < a width there are lenskiold khwatka ios. The iIh by the the fiver ive miles ill prove L bout of id line in six miles likely to d. They )structed. the water ist. It is do at the 1he only liey were lOi'cst and i8S 1o say ;\k a word rom them 7 to learn hen tried although ■r part of our pre- t rouble to learn streams itshun, it I expanse, ion tracts ci'ous all icr lako- noarly a k' to tell it, too, is iiK'l deep K'hvvatka too there wcs was urronl of lore than was very 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 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 woulj 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 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 28 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. 29 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^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 30 li }\\ 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>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: 81 «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 for such a 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 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 e24 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 85 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, :iiio 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<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 w >\';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. ■l I ■■> m \ 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. 'Smua^SasS 88 I i; 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. 89 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 intluencolace 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 41 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••( 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. 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 'if ■I ■,i ? ^'! ' d tl . , I 44 fall. It is probable, liowover, that a few will romain pnwpecting until something rich is found. As r)r. Dawson has reporteecie8 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: 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* (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^ 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. 4 ll w^ 60 ( ; J 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. 61 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.) Cf:—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, «EIceedeil 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 I il! i ■H t m lli!) 62 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? 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 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,- (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 r :l p j i i'.l i\V p 54 Ml 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 huiidreacheil 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 65 of it in the lower part, ca«seout 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.', 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 67 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-