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country begins to rise, before reaching the place where the 

 South Branch River meets the Saskatchawan. Sandstone 

 appears to prevail around Edmonton ; it contains thin strata 

 of coal, which is found to burn well, and is employed in the 

 forge for working the iron necessary in boat-building. 



The distance between the junction of the South Branch 

 River with the Saskatchawan, and the Rocky Mountains 

 House, may be estimated at from 700 to 800 miles. At 

 Edmonton House, the brigade for the Columbia left the Sas- 

 katchawan, making a portage of 100 miles to the Red-Deer 

 River, which falls into the Athabasca Lake ; and as I still 

 adhered to my resolution of accompanying it, I found it 

 necessary to reduce my luggage into as small a compass as 

 possible, and therefore left my specimens under the charge 

 of the gentlemen at Edmonton House, only carrying with 

 me a small stock of linen and a bale of paper. 



The second day, after leaving Edmonton House, brought 

 us to the commencement of the woody country, which con- 

 tinues all the way to the Rocky Mountains. The trees con- 

 sist of Populus halsamifera and P. trepida ; the IVIiite Spruce 

 Fir and the Birch^ with Pitius Banksiana occasionally in the 

 drier situations, and then, more rarely, the Balsam Poplar. 

 These are the only trees which occur north of this latitude, 

 though in some localities, and in deep swamps, the Pinus 

 nigra and P. microcarpa may occasionally be seen. Almost 

 the only plants which we remarked as peculiar to this district, 

 were a species of Delphinium, allied to D. elatiim, and a 

 curious aquatic, resembling in habit the Hydrocharis Morsus 

 Ranee, of which I gathered no specimens at the time, for it 

 was out of flower, and I never saw it again. 



We crossed the Portage in six days, without meeting with 

 any serious accident. The horse, however, which carried my 

 bale of paper, unluckily fell down in crossing Papina River, 

 by which the plants were thoroughly soaked ; and as the speed 

 with which the brigade proceeded precluded all hope of getting 

 them dried by the way, I found myself unwillingly compelled to 

 carry them on in a damp state, until we reached Fort Assina- 

 boyne, a small establishment belonging to the Company upon 



