﻿1848. RIVER OF THE MOUNTAINS. 167 



the River of the Mountains {Riviere aux Liards) 

 with the Mackenzie. This large tributary origi- 

 nates in the recesses of the Rocky Mountains, by 

 many small streams which, uniting, form two 

 branches. Both branches rise to the westward of 

 the higher peaks, and afford another of the many 

 instances of streams of magnitude crossing the 

 chain. By Dease's River, which is the westernmost 

 affluent of the north branch, boats pass through 

 the mountains, and gain, after much trying and 

 perilous navigation, and some portages, the Pelly 

 and Lewis, at the junction of which the Company 

 have a post named Pelly Banks. Native traders 

 travel thither twice in the season from Lynn Canal, 

 situated to the north of the island of Sitka, on the 

 59th parallel. This inlet is frequented by the 

 Hudson's Bay Company's steamers, and, in this 

 present summer of 1848, Mr. Todd, captain of one 

 of these steamers, forwarded letters and news- 

 papers to Mr. Campbell, the officer in charge at 

 Pelly Banks. One of the newspapers, published at 

 Honolulu, which was sent on to Fort Simpson, was 

 transmitted by Mr. M'Pherson to Fort Confidence 

 in the winter, and gave us the first intelligence of 

 the origin of the gold hunt in California, and of 

 the migration within a few days of two thousand 

 men from Oregon, and of most of the Company's 

 servants at Fort Vancouver, on that exciting pur- 



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