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( 224 ) XVn. — Report on the Harrison and Lilloet Route, from the. Junction of the Fraser and Harrison rivers to the Junction tf the Fraser and Kai/osch rivers, with Notes on the Countru beifond, as far as Fountain. By Lieutenant H. Spenceh Palmeh, r. e. Communicated by the Admiralty. Jioail, December 12, 1859, Lieut. Palmer to Col. R. S. Moody, u.e., f.r.o.s., &c. Sin, May, 1859. As the oxisthig route from Queenhorou;j;li to Douglas can he performed throughout by steamers at certain seasons of the year, 1 deem it unnecessary to describe it in detail, dwelling otdy on those points where engineering works will be necessary to establish it as a permanent route for river steamers at all times. The Harrison liivcr runs into the Fraser from the northward, at about 3") miles by water above Fort Langlcy. At the mouth the river is broad and deeji, and the current by no means swift, the water of the Harrison being backed up by that of the Fraser at this season of the year. About 3 miles, however, from the mouth it is extremely shallow and rajjid, and although a channel does exist, which will admit of bateaux drawing 1 loot or 18 inches of water being towed through at the lowest stages of the water, it is a great deal too tortuous, narrow, and shallow, to admit of the passage of steamers of the class at present rumiing on the Fraser, except at high stages of the water. To render this route permanent it will l)e necessary to form a chamiel through these shallows of a considerable width (say 40 feet), which sliall maintain a depth of at least 3 feet at all times. At the time I made my recomiaissaiice the water was too high to admit of my forming any decisive opinion as to the Avorks necessary for the above puri»ose ; but from such information as 1 have been able to collect, in addition to what I observed myself, the jiortion that would have to be deepened is not more than a quarter of a luile in length. I am of opinion that the simplest and easiest way to effect the formation of this channel would be by draining at the upper end of the shallows, an opera- tion that would be greatly facilitated by the existence of the numen)us small islands and bars with which this jiortion of the river is studded, and which, although covered at high-water, are perfectly dry in the fall of the year. The dannning might be etfected in two ways : cither, Istly, so as to close the heads of the numerous slews and creeks through which the water at ])re- cjvint runs, and thus drive it into one main channel; or, 2ndly, the water might be forced through a narrow channel by the construction of wing dams at such points as might be necessary. Th(! actual method to be employed can oid}' be decided on by ins{)ection at low-water ; but, as the river at this part is from 500 to (100 yards wide, I am of o]>inion that the forcing of so large a body of water through a comparativt'ly narrow aperture would have the eflect of deepening the channel to the neces- sary extent without any excavation whatever. From this jwint to the head of Harrison ivake, a distance by water of 40 miles, no obstruction whatever exists to the navigation. The lake, which is 34 miles in length, is bounded on either side by cliffs so rocky and preci])itous in most places, as almost to i>re- clude the jMssibility of constructing a road along its margin ; and the forma- tion of a channel through the shallows of the Harrison River will, in conse- Palmer'* Report on the Harrison and Lilloct Route. 225 om the Hi on of lountrji PENCE H ', 1859. icrfoniK'd noccssavy ul; WDl'ks aiutTS at aliout 3r> road and ion l)eiii;j: 3 miles, though a iiichca (if fivat deal ,'rs of tlie vater. , channol ich shall admit of 'iL' aliovc addition led is not niation of an oiicra- ous small id which, [■ar. s to close •r at lire- he water 'ing dams )oction at ', 1 am of arativdy he neces- le head of ver exists iinded on st to 1 ire- he forma- iu couse- quoncc, lie necessary as a preliminary step to ensure constant communication with Douglas. A short narrow creek, about half a mile in length, connects the north corner of Harrison Lake with a smaller one, called at present " Lake Douglas," about li mile iu length and f mile extreme breadth. At the lower end of Douglas is a flat, shallow, gravelly bar ; on which, although in summer time there is suflicient water to allow of the passage of steamers, there are not above five or six inches in winter. 1'here is also an extremely sharp bend in the creek, just below the bar, which is with great difficulty rounded by steamers, even at the highest stage of the water, and which at low-water, when the creek is not more than one- third of its jiresent breadth, would, in my ojanion, bo impassable. I also think that the nature of the soil is such that, even if a passage were cut through the bar, tiiere would be every probability of a fresh deposit taking place, owing to the sharp bend immediately below ; and coiipling this opinion with that above expressed, relative to the difficulty of turning the bend, 1 conclude that to ensure a constant steam-communication with Douglas, it would be necessary to cut a new and straight chanu"!, connecting Lakes Harrison and Douglas. The town of Douglas is situated at the head of the lake, on ground which descends to the water at a considerable slope and rises in rear of the town to a height of about 300 feet. 'J'his ground is a gully between two mountains, portions of chains which extend down either shore of the lake. 'I'ho town site is heavily timbered, with little or no land in its immediate vicinity which could be made use of for agricultural purposes. Adding to these defects the fact of its being embosomed in hills, which render this mode of egress to the interior by roads extremely difficult, and the insuffi- cient depth of Douglas Creek, 1 dlaleau on which the Ten-mile House is situated, at an average angle of about SO^ with the horizon. On this portion of the route the same general defects exist as on the first jiart, viz. ; — A bad line of trail both in general direction and in detail. Precipitons ascents and descents ; indinbreiit bridges and corduroys ; a stony and irregular trail. 1 would suggest the following changes in he route, my ojiinion being fonned from an inspection of the places in question : — The road, after leaving the Foiu'-mile House, should be carried along the river-bank as far as the foot of the first hill, then, instead of bending away I'roni the river, it should follow it round the base of the hill, meeting the present trail where it rejoins the l.illoet. In this portion of the ])roposed new route there are two bad rocky ]>laces, each about 200 yards in extent, caused by spurs from the hill running down to the river, where a good deal of cutting and blasting would be necessary ; but, as the remainder of the route is good for a road, 1 think this line would be Air preferable to that over the mountain, which could not be made practicable for waggons except at an immense expense. AVliere the old trail. strikes the riv(;r again the two routes might coincide for 300 or 400 yards, and then, instead of mounting the second hill, I would adopt the same ])lan as before and Ibllow the river round. 'J'iio road here, after going along an easy level ])lateau, for about 1 mile, would strike a small tract where a number of successive spin-s tolerably level oil th'j top, but with ravines between them, run down to the river in a southerly direction. The dilbeulty might, however, be overcome by careful grading round the heads of tho ravines. ! I Harrison and Lilluvt Route 227 ncnd that [jourso to iiiif^ht 1)0 •eyuliirity mid keep vcl ns the ards of 2 \\\ at tlio [18 the top 'or loaded very con- I the con- dillieulty d, though [)ing alou;i id mounts prncticable the river )U8 as tho t for ahoiit hill lon-Jicr jilalcau on t 30^ with II the fust rrecipitous .1 irregtilar li'g foiined aloiia; tho iway i'rom leseiit trail Iky jilaces, jiing down |sary ; but, would he )racticablo pincide for 1 would It 1 mile, lahly level liver in a \y careful This formation continues for about one-third of a mile, after which the road would enu-rge uimiu a broad and beautifully lev(!l plateau, ^vith little or no brushwood, and very light timlxjr, niucli of which has been burnt. Tliis flat, which 1 have named in my jilau the '• Burnt I'lateau," is about 1 mile in extent, and a good road along it might, 1 think, bo made in two days by a party of fiO or (JO njen. On arriving at the end of the Ihirnt I'lateau I camo to the "Cilens" of tho Lilloet liiver, and found that it would be absolutely impossible to continue the road along the bank, as the cliifs here run down to the water at a considerable angle with the horizon, and the huge boulders and fragments of rock which lie about, and the danger that would be incurred from future slides in the clitf, preclude the ixissibility of so doing. If, however, the road ha inclined to tho right corner of the Burnt Plateau, it can be carried up at a tolerable grade to another plateau, between the river and the existing lino of trail, but on a much lower elevation than the latter. By following this route tlie additional advantage of an easy descent to tho Ten-mile House ])lateaii would Ihj gained — a point of great importance, as the existing descent is barely practicable. For the first half-mile, after leaving the Ten-mile House, the trail is very irregidar. Several small ravines extend across the line of route to the river, and to diminish the steepness of the ascents and descents tlic ii ill is carried round the heads of the ravines. It also winds most unnecessanlv on the level ground between them. ShouM a waggon-road Ik; made here I would recom- mend that it be cut straight through ; there is ]>lenty of ■.nber nt hand, .Mid bridges of from 40 to (!0 feet 8[»an might bo built aero ihe ravines, wliich are only four in number. After the f'"* ' dl-mile a cutting in the side of the hill (whicli is, T think, unnecessary, there being a fine Hat below) leails to a Cediu linttom magni- licentl' timbereil. 1 cannot speak positively ar to the advisability of carrying the road along the ilat mentioned above, as although it was dry when 1 was there, the water of the Jjilluet may have risen since sufiieiently high to swamp it. The Cedar Bottom is a little swamjiy in two or three ])Iaces ; this, how- ever, is caused not by the iiilloet liiver, but by small streams running down from the mountains, which fre(piently overllow and leave tlieir natural beds, owing to obstructions caused by fallen logs, &c. This evil might bo remedied by clearing proper chaimels for the rivulets, but 1 would suggest that a waggon-road should keep to the right on a higher line of level than the existing trail. In tho Cedar Bottom, which is about three-quarters of a mile long, and of an average breadth of 500 yards, the soil is very rich, but there is so much timbert hat I question its availability for agricultural purposes. At 1^ niile from the Ten-mile House the trail ascends a short steep hill by a zigzag path, and is carried along the siile of a small mountain for about half a mile on undulating ground, rising with one more steep ascent to the top of a level, well-timbered and strong i)lateau on a spur from the mountain. The hills, I fear, cannot be avoided, as the baids than one, as, in addition to the advantage of having a levi'l waggon-road, there is a great deal of good agricultural land in the neighlMjurhood, which would thus be ojeued up for cultivation. Tlie trail is ai, present continued beyond the Twentyeight-mile House, as far as the southdrn end of Lake Lilloet, a distance of 8 miles. I propose, liowever, by a method 1 shall presently describe, that the south end of Tenass Lake be made the terminus of the first jiortage, eight miles of land-transport over anything but a good road being thereby avoided. There is an ex c;el lent site for a town at the terminus of the new route I have lirojHised, and as a small one would be very likely to spring up at the jimction of the land and water coninumicalions ; this would be a farther inducement to 230 Palmer'a- Report on the its adoi'tion, there being no sort of site for a town «at tlie tcrniimis of tlio prosout trail. Lakes Lilloct and Tenass are connoctefl hy a small river about IJ mile in length, rai»i(l, and towards the mouth very shallow. The difference of level between the lakes 1 ascertained to bo 10 feet 6J inches on the 23rd May, 1859. J}y constructinf!; a dam of the necessary heiujht across the Lilloet Kivcr, where it leaves Teiiass Lake, the water iu the two lakes might be brought to the same level, and a permanent water-communication thus established, 'i'his damming woultl have the el'l'ect of swamjiing jtortions of the flat land in the neiglibourhood o'' the Tenass lliver, but that at the terminus of the pro- posed route is too liigh to sutler in like manner. The dam miglit easily be constructed of logs, snags, and stones, plenty of whicli are at hand. Tossibly a permanent water-communication between the two lakes might bo ellicted by deepening the Tenass lUver at and near its mouth. As, however, I was not on the ground at the lowest stage of the water I cannot speak as to the extent of the portion tliat would have to be deepened ; but, from such information as 1 could collect, it would only be necessary to form a channel at and near its mouth. On this part there are, I am told, but six inches of water in winter time, the remainder of the river (piite deep enough to admit at all times of the passage of steamers of the small class likely to be established on the lakes. Thus far I have described such deviations from the existing line of trail as would be required, supjMising it alisolutely necessary to construct a waggon- road on the left bank of the I^illoet from Douglas as far as the Camp. I am, however, of opinion that the site of Dougli\s is extremely badly chosen. \w addition to the defects T have already pointed out I am informed by the Indians tliat Lake Houglas freezes in the winter, and remains so for some time, while the Harrison never freezes at all. In tlie north-west corner of the latter lake there is a high dry site for a town, accessible at all times to boats and sti'amers, and open to the valley ot the Lilloet Ifiver. As a protection from the sea, which is sometimes rather rougii for boats, a breakwater of snags might easily be constnicted at the. jioint sliown iu the plan, to form a small harbour, behind which they might lie in safety. 15y uiaking this the terminus of the route a constant steam- connnunication with Queenborough could bo established (the channel once open to the lia[iids of the Harrison Uiver), and there would be this additional advantage, viz., that the flat land in the valley of the Lilloet would become opened uj) ibr cultivation. From the cursory view I was enal)led to take of the right bank of the river during my rajiid descent in a canoe, 1 am of ojiinion that from the Harrison Lake to the point opposite the ])lateau, below tlie Sixteen-mile House, a road could be far more easily made along that bank than on the present route. A'ot having actually walked over every portion of the ground, I cannot sjieak very decidedly on this [loint, but adding to the opinion I was enabled to form the fact, that the old Lulian trail runs along the right bank the whole way from the Harrison Lake to the Tenass Lake, and the well-known circum- stances that the Indian trails throughout North America invariably follow the best line of travel through a wild country, I conclude Uiat at least a great jtortion of the road should be carried along that bank. I have accordingly come to the following opinions on this point, viz.: — " That the starting point of the route should be changed from Douglas to Harrison and Lilloot Route 231 tlio noith-wcst corner of the Harrison Titila'. Tliat the wacrpion-road l)c carried aloni; the rii.'ht bank of the liilloet Kiver, as far, if iiussiliio, ;i.s tlie point oi>l)usite the lower end of the plateau, below the Sixteen-mile IIouso.* " That the Piiver be bridged here, and tlie road carried along the left hank as far as 'The Camp,' following the general direction of the present trail, subject of course to the deviation already proposed, " That the Lilloet be recrossed at the point marked on tlie plan, and the road then constnicted on the right bank of the river, and terminated at the sonthorn end of the ' Tenass Lake.' " 1 may here mention that Sapjier Breakenridge, who has since made a recon- naissance of the right bank from the Harrison Lake, as far as the point opposite the Four-mile House, rejiorted to me, after going over both routes, that the one on the right bank, although rather swamj»y in some jilaces, was far prelerabie to the existing one, and 1 think a still better might be found by keeping further back from the river. Tlie distance by water from the south end of the Tenass lioke to the north- west end of Lake Lilloet is alwut 21 miles, the shores of both lakes being e«pially as precipitous as those of the Harrison. 'J'lie town of " I'emberton," whicli, when 1 .was there, consisted of five or six houses, stands on a wretched rocky site in the nortlu'rnmost corner of Liiko Lilloet. At high stages of the water the town is accessible to boats, but in the winter a long flat bar of sand jn'events their coming within 500 yards of it. From this place the second portage commences, known now as the " liirken- lieiid Portage;" nor is there any better starting point in the vicinity. The valley of the " U])per Lilloet," which river runs into the lake at its Western lixtremity, takes a westerly direction from the head of the lake. The river, about 5 miles from its mouth, divides into two, a large delta being left between the mouths, which, in summer time, is again divided in two by a creek. (.)n this delta, and particularly towards its western point, a few farming- men have cultivated laud, and there is also a large Indian village, surrounded by potato-patches, &c. In the centre of each island is a small lake, the ground, for a considerable distance IVom their edges, is swampy ; but the banks are high and dry all the way round, contain good soil, and are covered with niagnilicent grass. The trail, on leaving I'ort I'emberton, is carried over ground very similar to that at the back of IKmglas, but in this case the ravine has been adhered to, and the hills are far less [irecipitous than those near Douglas. I was unavoidably compelled, both on my way up and on my return, to travel very rapidly over this portage, and consequently unable to make detailed lield-notes, or survt^y the route as accurately as I should have wished. The trail which, for the whole 24 miles, runs through a natural i>ass in the Cascade Hange, is, on the whole, far better than that on the Douglas Portage, and, with the exception of blasting round two or three rocky hills, no great deviation from tlui jiresent route would lie necessary, if i'vrt Vanbtiiuti he made the point (f ilipuitnn'. As, however, it might be necessary, in the event of this route being made the main cliannel of communication with the upper country, to establish a town of some size at the junction of the laud or water communications, the site of Port Pembertou should, in this ease, be abandoned. There is a good site for a town, near the mouth of the "Mosquito Eiver," which empties itself into the Upper Lilloet, opposite the Indian village, on the westernmost of tho Lilloet Islands: If,^therefore, the bar at the mouth of the southern or main branch of the river were deepened sutTiciently to admit at * If impossible to carry it as far as the point proposed, there are several good crossing-places along the river (one half a mile bel; w the Four-mile House), but tiiv Fort Douglas Hill should by all means bts avoided. I 232 Palmer'*- Report on the all times of llio passac;c of steamers, T would suggest tliat the town be esta- blished at the mouth of the Mosquito liiver, and the road run along the valley, striking the old trail at its junction with that river. The large valley of the Upper Lilloct would thus be opened up and inducement given to fanners to clear and cultivate the land in the vicinity of this town, which might other- wise be neglected in consequence of its remoteness from any main route of communication. About 17 miles from Pemberton the trail nins along the shore of a small lalso, one mile long and half a mile broad. This lake, which is situated on the summit of the Pass, is called " Summit Lake," and from either end there is a descent to the Fraser, that from the north by Anderson l^iver, through Lakes Anderson and Seaton, and tlie Eivcr Inikumtch, and that from the south end by the Mosquito Kiver, through the Lilloet and Harrison Lakes. After passing the Summit Lake I crossed a tract of valley land 2 or 3 miles in extent, containing little timber, and good rich loani}'^ soil, irrigable, if necessary, from Anderson Pivcr. In the vicinity of Anderson, and for some little distance down the e.astern shore of the lake, there is plenty of good grazing-laiid for sheej) and cattle on the sides of the mountains ; and I am informed that, owing to the absence of briai's, (Src, this i\art of the country is very well adapted for raising good wool. Tlie town of Anderson is situated, as shown in the plan, on the south- western end of Lake Anderson. The site, as regards its suitability both for a town and a point of depar- ture for steamers, is extremely good. The baidv is liigh and dry (about 15 feet above high-water mark), timber plenty and fine, but not too much of it, the soil good, and the land lor one mile in rear flat, and easily irriszable. A good jetty has been built by the men who have settled there and own the boats that convey passengers across the lake, and, as the water is deep close in-shore, the port is accessible at all times to steamers. From Ander, m to the spot marked in my plan as ** Wapping," which con- sists of one log-house for trav(!llcrs to sleep in, is 14 miles by water. The short portage connecting lakes Anderson and Seaton (1^ mile in length) commences here, and terminates at the s|iot marked " Flushing." A Mr. Dozier, an American, who has established a waggon for conveying lirovisions across this portage, constructed a waggon-road last year, connecting the two lakes, entirely at his own expense. The road is a very fair one, and as he has likewise constructed a neat and substantial bridge across the Seaton River of 60 feet span, 1 would suggest that, in the event of this becoming a permanent route, the by no means trivial service he has done to the colony be recognised. It will be seen, on looking at the plan, that it is necessary to cross the river, as there is no starting-place for boats or room for houses, on the right bank, at the r^ake Seaton end. '^I'hc land on this portage is stony, the timber is scanty, but the brushwood thick, and there is a fine patch of rich lanatch of about 10 acres on a lower bench in front of the town, now under cultivation, and 1 dare say more might be obtained by digging wells; but water to any great extent is not to be had on the upper benches, either on the Kayosch or on the Fort IJelireiis side of the FrastT. The majority of the benches, although beautifully clear and level, are, I think, at too great an elevation above the Fraser Uivev to be well adapted as sites for towns ; that, for instance, on which Kayosch stands being about loO to 'JOO feet above the river. 'J'hey vary in length from J a mile to 1 J mile, and in breadth from 200 to 1000 yards ; the slo[»es eomucting one bench with that above it being generally at an angle of about 45^. I • unable to procure any means of crossing to the southern bank of the Kayoscli, but I was ablt; to see suflicieut from the o))]Hisite side to convince me that on that baid\, at its junction with the Fraser, is the best site for a town in the neighbourhood. June \M. — At tills part a considerable flat, 300 or 400 yards wide, and about 20 feet above the level of the Fraser, extends some distance down the shore of the Fraser and up the Kayosch. Ik'hind this Hat, and about 100 feet above it, is another extensive plateau to which a tijvvn might be extended, while any amount of water-] ;ower might bo obtained in that portion of the town or the lowor Hat, by fluming from tlio Kayosch. 234 Palmer's Report on the I sugi^ost, therefore, that instead of crossing the Tmknnitch at the forks of that river and the Kayoscli, the latter river be bridged at or near the same point, whence an almost natural waggon-road extends to the proijosed town site on the right bank, a distance of 125 niiies. The trail from Kayoscli to the bank above French Bar requires no altera- tion whatever, extending along the Hat benches at occasional slight changes in level for about 2i miles. It tiien runs down a frightfully steep bank to the " Bar," and as the remainder of the route both from this point to the mouth of Bridge lUver, and thence on to Mormau Bar, is so bad as to render the con- struction of a waggon-road barely possible, I will proceed at once to re] ort on the best route to Fountain that, in my opinion, the nature of the country will permit. The Kayoscli should, I think, be bridged from the south as near its mouth as jiracticable, the waggon-road carried round near the Fraser at the lowest possible elevation, as far as French Bar. Crossing the Fraser at a point on the bar which will be found practicable where the river is only about 75 yards wide ; * it should ascend the steep bank on the opjiosite side at a gentle grade, wlience, with the exception of one place subject to slides, the road to Fountain is generally good. Fountain is situated on the left bank of the Fraser, on a large bench upwards of a mile in length, about 500 yards wide, and 700 or 800 feet above the level of the Fraser, to which the bank makes a direct steep descent. 1:^ miles beyond the fountain a trail branches oil' to the southward and runs at the back of the range of mountains which skirts the left bank of the Fraser as far as the Forks of the Tliomiison Iliver. This trail is, I believe, the best and shortest route from the Forks to the upper country ; the country between Kayoscli and tlic Thoni]ison affords every facility for the construc- ticin of a good waggon-road on the right bank, though the existing one on the left bank is, I understand, very bad for a large ^lortion of the distance. Water to a Ct.nisiderable amount is procurable at Fountain from a lake 2i miles back in the mountain ; but, although a town on the Hat might be of some importance in connectiou with the branch roads to the Forks, Pavilion, and Kayosch, the site is at too great an elevation above the Fraser to admit of the establisliiiient of a town in connection with any traflic that may at a future l>eriod take i)lace on that river. The land around and in the valley leading (o the Forks is of the same nnture as that around Kayosch, viz. excellent for grazing, but too dry in summer, unless well irrigated, to admit of agriculture to any important extent. In the Bonaparte Valley, which extends from Pavilion to Fort Thompson, there are, I understand, from 40 to 50s(iuare miles of rich land tit for cultiva- tion. In this valley, too, there '*'• a great deal of black marble, and limestones abound at Pavilion and its neig) lonrliood. With regard to Fountain I should add tliat a town tliore might, at a future period, be of importance in connection with a road from Canada through the Bonaparte Valley to Kayoscli. would beg to With reference to other interesting features on the route I call your attention to the following : — At the south end of Harrison Lake, about three-quarters of a mile to the south-east of the point where the river and lake join, a hot spring, called " Ht. Alice's Well," is situated. * Tiiere is a rock about one-third of the way across, covered at high-water, but dry in the fall. On this rock a pier might easily be made. Harrison and Lilloet Route. 235 The water, whoso temperature on the 20th May, was 130° Fah., huhljles out of a small mass of conglomerate rock 6 inches ahove the then level of the lake. It is highly sulphurous, hut, owing to my having been unable to procure a perfectly clean bottle and cork, the specimen 1 sent down to Victoria proves, I regret, to be unfit for further analysis. Another hot spring, somewhat similar to St. Alice's, and of about the same temperature, though not so highly sulphurous, is situated about GO yards north- east of the Hot-spring House, 23^1; miles by the trail from Douglas, liy a subsequent cursory examination, this water was found to contain chloride of sodium and sulphate of soda ; but, owing to the impossibility of my procuring a perfect specimen, an accurate analysis could not be made. J'lvery sensible miner to whom 1 spoke on the subject, clearly admitted the existence rf siold all along the banks of the Upper Fraser in considerable quantities; in quantities, too, that — were it not for the exorbitantly high l>rices of provisions and the want of good fresh meat and vegetables — would attract and retain thousands of miners who were then leaving the country. The great cry is for a waggon-road and cheap and good provisions, and these, once obtained, there will be no farther doubt as to the stay of the miners in the country. Dry diggings have yet to be found, and, there is no doubt, will be found as soon as men have heart and strength to prospect the country in every direc- tion ; but as long as bacon and beans are the sole articles of diet, few, if any, will 1x5 found with the heart or strength to do more than support themselves by mining for a few hours each day, much less to travel over such a wild co'uitry atid such bad trails, as they must do, in order to explore the districts in the vicinity of the Ui)per Frasor. From the cursory view I was enabled to take of the general geological cliaracter of the comitry, Trappean rocks appear to prevail, consisting prin- cipally of greenstone, dense clay-slate (here ami there presenting a lami- nated structure), and compact hornblende. The exposed surfaces of the rocks are very generally covered with the white deposit due to the decomposi- tion of felspar, and are occasionally stained red with iron, forming an agreeable contrast in the landscape. Quartz veins permeate the clay-slate in many lilaoes, of an average tliickness of from 1 to 12 inches; tlie formation, in fact, would suggest the high probability of metalliferous deposits. The mountains rise bold, rugged, and abrupt, with occasional benches on their sides, on wliich are found quantities or worn rounded boulders, princi- pally of coarse-grained granite, occasionally porphyritic. The granite contains golden-citloured and black mica in large quantities. The crystals of felspar \\\ the porphyritic granite are very muuerous, but small. The soil appears in many places to liavn been formed by the clecom posit ion of granite — it being liglit and sandy, and containing much mica. Below the soil is very generally fou id a white compact mass, very hard, and approacliing to a conglomerate, containing jiebbles of every description in a matrix of decomposed clay-slate. Lime seems wanting even in the con- glomerate, and I saw no traces of limestone or sandstone all along the route, though I understand there is plenty of the former at Tavillon. •^. Table 230 PALMEu'i- Report on the Harrison and Lilloet Route. Table showing the Astronomical Positions of important points on tlic route, as computed by Lieut. H. ypENCEu Palmeb, R.E. station at Queenborough 49 Mouth of Harrison River South end of Harrison Lake Douglas Ten-Mile House South end of Tenass Lake . . , , Lilloet Lake Pemberton Anderson Flushing Seaton Kayosch Mouth of Bridge lUver Fountain 50 Longitude in Time VMgX of Qucenborougl], 12 58 14 25 19 45 35 52 41 52 17 32 32 13 42 25 40 18 41 51 45 33 44 44 25*596 00-688 46-808 12.972 10-445 9-546 40-240 11-872 2-356 10-146 22-753 17-753 27-508 Absolute Longitude West. 122 53 15 121 1 53 122 11 20 51 4 33 3 35 38 35 52 43 11 35 17 26 39 5 43 2 3 1 33 48 22 TAnii. OF Distakces. From To PiBtances by Ijaiid (trail) In MiltH. Histanco by Wiitur in MlU-s. Queenborough Camp . . Ditto Ditto .. Ditto Douglas Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto South end of Tenass Lake . . Ditto Pemberton Ditto Anderson Wapping Flushing Seaton Kayosch Ditto Fort Langley Mouth of Harrison River South end of Harrison Lake Douglas Four-Mile House Ten-Mile House Sixteen-Mile House Hot-Spring House The Camp South end of Tenass Lake . . Ditto Lilloet Lake .. Pemberton Halfway House (2nd portage) Anderson Wapping Flushing Seaton Kayoosch Mouth of Bridge River Point opposite Fountain • • • • 4-'o47 11*852 18-911 23*881 27*999 34-000 • • 15-000 29-000 1*45 3*700 4*200 6*500 17000 47-700 57-700 92-700 • • • • • • • • 6-650 21-130 • • 14*000 14-000 • • • • • • Total from Queenborough To Fountain 74-65 141-83 Entire distance, Queenborough to Fountain, 216*48 miles. 15 51 4 33 3 38 52 11 17 39 43 33 48 22