126 SANDFOED FLEMING ON 



(8) Journey of Dr. John Rae, 18(34. 



The year following the t'xpeditiou of Miltou and Cheadle, Dr. John Rae, already dis- 

 tinguished as au Arctic trveller, undertook an overland journey to the Pacific. From the 

 east he found his way to Fort Garry, arriving there on June 16th, 1864, and leaving on 

 the 26th he took the route by Fort Pelly to Edmonton. On August 7th he reached 

 the river McLeod, whence he passed to the Athabasca. Following the route taken by 

 Milton and Cheadle, through the Yellow Head pass, he arrived at Tête-Jaune-Cache on 

 August 23rd. Here his Indian guides, having heard of the extremely dangerous character 

 of the rapid.s, refused to descend the Fraser. 



Dr. Rae resolved to proceed withoiit the Indians. He succeeded in purchasing two 

 small dug-out canoes from the Shuswaps, a few of whom he met at this place, and 

 accompanied by Richard Turner, Henry Mackenzie and a third man, he left Tête-Jaune- 

 Cache on August 27th. On the fourth day of their descent they reached a dangerous 

 rapid at which there are two portages of considerable length. It was known that 

 disaster!? had occurred on this part of the river, but all the members of the party were 

 experienced canoe men, and Mackenzie, with great courage, led the way in the smallest 

 canoe. On the 31st, they ran another dangerous rapid many miles long, in which several 

 men had been drowned in previous years. On September 1st they reached Fort Greorge. 

 From the ill-omened reputation of the section of the river above that station, their safe 

 arrival caused astonishment to the chief trader, Mr. Charles ; for it had been thought that, 

 owing to the intricate and dangerous navigation, no stranger nnacjcompanied by a guide 

 could successfully make the- descent. 



On September Brd, Dr. Rae left Fort George, taking with him an Indian guide 

 and one white man. They made the descent to Qnesnel, nearly a hundred miles, in 

 one day. On the 4th, accompanied by one man, he paddled down to Alexandria, a 

 distance of thirty-five miles, in less than five hours. From Alexandria, he followed the 

 road to Richfield, the centre of the mining district. Returning to Alexandria, he obtained 

 horses, and rode to Yale, where he took the steamer to New Westminster. 



Period ///.—From Confederation to completion of Canadian Pacific 



Railway in 1885. 



An important change in th(^ annals of Canada begins with the British North America 

 Act. By the Imperial statute, the several British Provinces eastward of Lake Superior 

 were united to form one confederation, and at the same time provision was made for the 

 occupation of the Northwest Territory and the entrance of British Columbia into the 

 Dominion. The union of the Pacific i^roviuce with the provinces in the eastern part of the 

 continent, necessitated the establishment of a line of communication between them, and 

 the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway was the consequence. The act of union 

 passed the Imperial Parliament and came into force in 186*7; British Columbia entered 

 the Confederation in 1871. Between these dates the Government of Canada purchased the 

 territorial rights cf the Hudson's Bay Company. In consequence of the p)olicy adopted to 

 carry out the conditions of the union, there has been a succession of expeditions to the 



