Rocky Mountains. 425 



individual it is well known, travelled from Montreal, L. C. in 

 latitude 45° 30', long. 74° in a north-west direction to the 

 mouth of Mackenzie's river, lat. 69", long. 135°, and again 

 at a later period leaving his former route at the lake of the 

 Hills, about midway between lake Superior, and the mouth 

 of Mackenzie's river, he ascended in a south-west direction, 

 the Unjigah or river of Peace, to the Rocky Mountains, and 

 crossing them, fell upon the sources of the Tacoutche Tesse 

 which he conceived to be the northern branch of the Colum- 

 bia, but which is now known to fall into the sea, near Admi- 

 ralty inlet of Vancouver in 48° north.* From him we learn 

 that the Rocky Mountains continue in an uninterrupted chain 

 from the sources of the Missouri, in the south, to a point 

 beyond the 65th parallel of north latitude, near the mouth of 

 Mackenzie's river. The river of Peace which he ascended 

 in his journey to the western ocean, has its source in these 

 mountains in about 55° north, nearly opposite to those of the 

 Tacoutche Tesse. Farther towards the south are the sources 

 of the Saskatchawin, a large river discharging itself from 

 the northwest into lake Winnipec. The mountains in this 

 part seem to be less elevated than those more to the south, 

 but in other respects entirely similar. Their northern termi- 

 nation, according to Mackenzie's account, is in about lati- 

 tude 65° north, longitude 127'° 40' west. Santa Fe in New 

 Mexico, is in lat. 36", long. 104« 40'. From this it will be 

 perceived, that this great mountain range lies nearly in the 

 direction of a straight line, which in the lower latitudes is 

 almost parallel to degrees of longitude. We have no evi- 

 dence to confirm the conjecture, which nevertheless is high- 

 ly probable that the principal ridges of this range consist, 

 through their whole extent of granite, or other primitive 

 rocks. Considering the stupendous character, the great ele- 

 vation, and uniformity of the appearance of that portion of 

 these primitive mountains with which we are acquainted, 

 we should be led to look for similarity of character, and si- 

 milar uniformity throughout. It is commonly believed as as- 

 serted by Maclure, that " a large mass of primitive, occu- 

 pies all the northern part of this Continent," and he consi- 

 ders the great Atlantic range of primitive, the mountains of 

 New England, New York, and the Alleghanies, as a spur 

 from this formation. We know not on what foundation this 

 opinion may rest, unless it be on the account of Steinhaur, 



* London Quarterly Review for March 1 820. 

 vol.. II. 54 



