4L0 Thirty Years 



wed. -yy e ggt f orW ard at four a. m., with a favorable 

 breeze, and made good progress, though the river was 

 very winding. At eight we entered a" branch that 

 turned to the westward round the point of Halkett 

 Island into the channel washing the main shore. We 

 soon afterwards arrived at a spot where a large body 

 of Esquimaux had been encamped in the spring, and 

 supposing that they might revisit this place, a present 

 of an ice-chisel, kettle, and knife, was hung up in a 

 conspicuous situation. Soon after we had entered the 

 channel that flows by the main shore, we first perceiv- 

 ed lop-sticks, or pine trees, divested of their lower 

 branches, for the purpose of land-marks, and there- 

 fore concluded it was much frequented by the Esqui- 

 maux. Our course was then altered to N. W., and 

 we soon passed the last of the well wooded islands. 

 The spruce fir-trees terminated in latitude G8° 36' N. ; 

 and dwarf willows only grew below this part. A very 

 picturesque view was obtained of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, and we saw the entire outline of their peaked 

 hills, table-land, and quoin-shaped terminations. Two 

 Lofty ranges were fronted by a lower line of round- 

 backed hills, in which we perceived the strata to 

 be horizontal, and the stone of a yellow color. A 



lew miles lower down we found hills of sand close to 



he west border of the river. We passed several de- 



I huts, ami i e Bpol saw many chips and 



