Sir R. I. Murchison on the Palliser Expedition. 348 
of their passes, Dr. Hector presents us with a sketch of the phy- 
sical and geological structure of the chain, with its axis of slaty 
subcrystalline rocks, overlaid by limestones of Devonian and 
Carboniferous age, and flanked on the eastern face by Carbonifer- 
ous sandstone, representing, probably, our own coalfields, the 
whole followed by those Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits which 
constitute the subsoil of the vast and rich prairies watered by 
the North and South Saskatchawan and their affluents. His 
observations on the erratic or drift phenomena are also curious 
and valuable. 
Prevented by his instructions from descending into the valleys 
of Columbia, and there to ascertain practicable routes to the far 
west, which he will look out for during the present summer, 
Dr. Hector, though so severely injured by the kick of a horse as 
to be incapacitated from moving for some days, contrived so to 
travel northwards as to round the base of the loftiest mountains 
of the chain before he returned to his winter-quarters in October, 
after an absence of eighteen weeks from his chief, but laden with 
valuable geographical and geological knowledge. ; 
In this survey he had the merit of showing that the Vermil- 
ion Pass—which is less than 5000 feet high, and therefore 1000 
feet lower than any other known pass of the Rocky Mountains— 
had another decided advantage over them, inasmuch as its west- 
ern slope, from the summit level of the horse-path, is so little 
Steep that its explorer has no doubt that even a road for carts may 
be there established. The descents westward, or into the drain- 
age of the Columbia, in the other passes are exceedingly steep ; 
and according to Captain Blakiston, the Kootanie Pass can only 
have a railroad made along it by the formation of tunnels of sey- 
eral miles in length, and by encountering the difficulty of the 
Steep western gradicas of 194 feet per mile. ‘ 
Another singular natural feature of comparison is, that whilst 
the Vermilion Pass is less that 5000 feet above the sea, the adja- 
cent mountains on the north rise to near 16,000 feet, showing 
the great depth of the gorge. On the other hand, in the range 
beyond the British boundary, to the south, and where no pea 
(not even that of Fremont) exceeds 18,000 feet, the passes range 
from 6000 to 7000 feet high.* od aie ee ceo 
* In anticipation of what may hereafter be published in the ‘Journal of the Royal 
Gengraphical Society, the reader is refered to the pers to Parliament in 
April, relative to this “Ex i Captain Pallis | portion of British 
North a which lies between the northern branch of the River Saskatchawan 
and the frontier of the United States, and between the Ked River and Rocky 
Mountains,” These printed documents are accompanied by a map, executed by 
wsmith, from the surveys of the Palliser dition, together with despatches 
of the leader and officers under his and, and tables giving the calculations of 
iti were fixed. An additional 
ad 
latitad 4 8 ositions of 
i Ppeere. sig oy ae ae t Cecgesecvoned near the American 
undary, as “a by Captain Biakiston, w d quitted the expedition, has 
very vecoutly bee sent to the Society, with the notice from the Secretary of the 
