71 
is borne away on the breeze expanding and rising higher and 
higher it adds a most majestic and impressive grandeur to the 
scene. After playing about ten minutes, the geyser quickly 
subsided. 
Next day we had a rough journey of 33 miles, to see the 
famous Cafion of the Yellowstone River. We approached the 
river where it peacefully sped through meadow-like ground. By 
and bye the banks became more rugged and pine trees clothed 
them, while huge moss-covered boulders, some also bearing pines 
lie amid stream, until the whole river dashes over a precipice 
100 feet in height. The river hurries on through steeper and 
ever contracting banks for a short distance where it dashes over 
another precipice 360 feet in height and immediately enters the 
Grand Caiion of the Yellowstone. This immense gorge lies like 
a huge panorama of coloured rocks spread out before the spectator. 
The erewhile mighty river looks but a mere brawling brook as it 
threads its way at the bottom. On either side the banks rise up 
in irregular gradations, parts gently sloping and covered with 
grass of softest green, other places huge rocks arise, or pillar- 
like crags jut many hundred feet above the stream. These rocks 
are of varied hues, some are of brilliant red, while over others grey 
lichens have crept as if to hide the brilliant hues. Large spaces 
of sulphur yellow are streaked with pink, while the upper stra- 
tum—1,600 feet above the river—is formed of pure white 
crumbling limestone, and above all the dark pine trees crowd 
to the Caiion’s edge as if spectators peering into this wondrous 
abyss. For ten miles the river flows between banks of these 
varied colours. 
A number of maps and drawings was exhibited to illustrate 
the paper. 
A SHORT HISTORY OF BANKING. 
FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PASSING OF 
THE JOINT STOCK BANK ACT, 1826. 
By J. T. MARQUIS. October 20th, 1885. 
Under the term Banking, in its History, is included money 
changing, money lending, pawnbroking, discount of bills and 
promissory notes, and also the issuing and taking up on demand, 
of promissory notes to bearer called “bank notes.” In the 
present day the banking establishments proper, confine them- 
selves principally to collecting cheques, discounting bills, and 
paying the bills and cheques of their customers, also in issuing 
drafts, and paying them in the legal tender of the country in 
