THE MACKENZIE BASIN. 



Mr. E. Stewart, Superintendent of Forestry, is now prepar- 

 ing a report for publication of his visit during the past summer 

 down the Mackenzie River and as far as the delta of that stream. 

 In returning he crossed the mountains with Indians to the Por- 

 cupine River which he followed to its junction with the Yukon 

 at Fort Yukon where he got a steamer south to Dawson, coming 

 from there to Vancouver by the usual route via Skagway. 

 About three months were spent on the trip and the distance 

 covered from Edmonton to Vancouver was upwards of 4000 

 miles. 



Mr. Stewart's main object was to gain a knowledge of the 

 timber in the basin of the great Mackenzie River, but he also 

 took note of the general character of the country and its natural 

 resources, as far as a hurried journey would permit. 



The area drained by this stream, including its tributaries, 

 man}'^ of which, such as the Athabasca, Peace and Liard, are 

 themselves great rivers, is greater than that drained by the St. 

 Lawrence above Montreal, including the Great Lakes, and nearly 

 three times that of the Saskatchewan. 



From Athabasca Landing to Fort McPherson, a distance of 

 1854 miles was made by water, first down the Athabasca to 

 Lake Athabasca ; across a bay of that lake ; then down the Great 

 Slave River and across Great Slave Lake ; then down the Mac- 

 kenzie proper, nearly a thousand miles to the delta ; then a short 

 distance up the Peel River to Fort McPherson, which lies well 

 within the Arctic Circle and is the most northerly of all the Hud- 

 son Bay Company's ])osts. 



It is not possible here to give details of this interesting trip, 

 but members of the Forestry Association will be supplied with 

 copies of the report now in course of preparation as soon as it is 

 issued. 



Mr. Stewart says, among other things which greatly impressed 

 him, was that the general character of the land, on the route from 

 Athabasca Landing to Fort McPherson, is that of a rich, alluvial 

 deposit, similar in appearance to that of our great prairies. 

 Vegetable gardens were found at the different posts, as far north 

 as Fort Good Hope, which is within twenty-five miles of the 

 Arctic Circle. Another point was that he was never at any time 

 beyond the limit of tree growth. Even at Fort McPherson. in 

 latitude 67° 26', the houses are built of spruce timber cut nearby, 

 while the lumber for general use m flooring, sheeting, etc., is 

 whip-sawed into lumber from logs, some of which were afoot in 



