﻿326 COPPER ORES AND NATIVE COPPER. Sbft. 



tained to-day in lat. 67° 17' N. We crossed a pro- 

 jection of the Copper Mountains, to cut off a con- 

 siderable bend of the river; and, at four in the 

 evening, reached its banks again, and encamped. 

 While among the hills we had to walk in snow 

 shoes, with much fatigue ; but in the afternoon a 

 thaw took place in the low grounds, under the 

 influence of a warm sun ; and we were annoyed 

 by sand-flies in the evening. I noticed that the 

 upper branches of the scrubby spruce firs, among 

 which we encamped, were confined to their south- 

 east and southern aspects. The lower branches, 

 as usual in such exposed situations, lay close to the 

 ground, and spread widely, considering the small 

 height of the tree. 



The effect of the last two or three days' march 

 proved to me that I had over- calculated my strength, 

 in loading and clothing myself too heavily. I 

 therefore transferred my gun and part of my 

 clothing to Dore, an active young seaman, who 

 was always at the head of the line, and whose load, 

 as well as that of the others, had been reduced by 

 the consumption of pemican. Some of the worst 

 walkers had already been eased of everything but 

 their blankets, spare clothing, and a few pounds of 

 pemican, but they still lagged in the rear. 



In this neighbourhood, in 1826, we found a vein 

 containing malachite and other ores of copper, with 



