﻿316 RICHAEDSON RIVER. Sept. 



of a less imposing character, forms the western 

 boundary of the valley of the Coppermine, separat- 

 ing it from that of the Richardson. All these 

 rows of precipices face towards the south, south- 

 east, or east-south-east, and radiate between west 

 and south- south-west from a point in Coronation 

 Gulf, at which they would meet if prolonged. The 

 western boundary of the granite formation appears 

 in the islands of that gulf, associated with many 

 trap rocks; in the form of lofty hills at Cape Bar- 

 row ; again at the bend of the Coppermine, on the 

 south side of Kendall's River; on the north-east and 

 eastern arms of Great Bear Lake ; on Point Lake ; 

 in country round Fort Enterprise ; and from thence 

 to Fort Providence and across Great Slave Lake to 

 the mouth of Slave River, and so onward to Atha- 

 basca. 



Richardson River was discovered in 1822 by some' 

 hunters of Sir John Franklin's party, and, on their 

 report, it received its present name from that 

 officer ; but its outlet was erroneously supposed to 

 be only four or five miles to the west of the Copper- 

 mine. In 1826, I ascertained that its supposed 

 mouth was only a shallow bay; and, in 1838-9, 

 Mr. Simpson examined the river, and proved that 

 it falls into Back's Inlet; on which occasion he 

 confirmed the appellation which Sir John Frank- 

 lin had given it. Its junction with the inlet was 



