120 Historical Notes on the 



moisture during the whole year is excessive. JS"ext morning the party 

 of roadmen, who had accompanied me, returned over the Pass, whilst 

 in order to make another series of meteorological observations I re- 

 mained another day at the camp ; in the afternoon ascending Camp 

 Creek for geological examination and for collecting plants. The rich 

 alpine flora was already well advanced, many of the shrubs being 

 covered with blossoms and flowers, and the whole air perfumed 

 by their delicious scent. .For about two miles Camp Creek has a nearly 

 straight course, and forms a fine alpine valley ; it tnen breaks up into 

 a number of mountain torrents and cascades, many of them descending 

 from Mount Grreenlaw, a rugged mountain mass, closing the valley. 

 In its lower portion it is covered with a luxuriant alpine vegetation 

 above which snowfields of considerable magnitude encircle its sides, 

 whilst they in their turn are surmounted by nearly perpendicular rocky 

 crags, several thousand feet high, only here and there allowing the 

 snow to collect in smaller masses along the serrated summit. 



On November 2nd we started on our return journey, although a 

 heavy north-west storm raged with great fury. For about four miles 

 the valley falls rapidly, numerous moraines crossing from, side to side. 

 In many of the smaller valleys or coulees on both sides, large avalanches 

 were still lying. After crossing the Stewart branch near its junction, 

 we continued our journey on a finely grassed flat, having the "Waterfall 

 range, exhibiting wild romantic forms, on our right hand, which 

 well deseves that name, particularly during wet weather in spring. 

 Three miles from Major Scott's station, we crossed the "Wilberforce, 

 and ascending the terraced banks continued our road through the 

 longitudinal opening formed by the large isolated roches moutonnees, 

 the Scott's Hills, which from here to the junction of the Harper with 

 the "Wilberforce, run along the left bank of the latter and the main 

 range. The whole country showed clearly that it had undergone great 

 glaciation ; on the slopes of the main range as well as on the Scott's 

 Hills, the effects of that glaciation wss well exhibited in numerous rock 

 shelves, erratic blocks and remains of ancient moraines, although a 

 number of huge alluvial fans or shingle cones, reaching sometimes far 

 up the sides of the roches moutonnees, partly concealed these signs of 

 the G-reat ice age. Towards evening, thoroughly drenched, we reached 

 Major Scott's station, under whose hospitable roof, it took us some 

 time to recover from the effects of the terrible storm which had chilled 

 us so much that we could scarcely descend from the horses. During 

 the whole night, the storm continued to rage without intermission and 



