igh hg 
| 7 
. ' 
252 
The ratio of widths is about five to three, with 
about the ratio of five to four in depth; the 
latter, however, being a very rough approxi- 
mation. At old Fort Selkirk nothing but the 
- chimneys, three in number, are left standing: 
the fate of this post has been alluded to in an 
earlier part of the article. 
The latitude of Fort Selkirk is 62° 45’ 46” 
north, and its longitude 137° 22’ 45” west 
(Greenwich). Altogether onthe Yukon River, 
this far, there had been taken thirty-four as- 
tronomical observations, four hundred and 
twenty-five with the prismatic compass, and 
two for variation of compass. I hope they 
have been sufficiently accurate; at least, to 
subserve all practical purposes of exploration 
in this country, until more exact surveys are 
demanded by the opening of some industry or 
commerce, should that time ever come. No 
meteorological observations were taken, the 
party not being furnished with instruments, 
and the rapid passage through a vast tract of 
country making their usefulness to science 
highly problematical. ‘The nearest point to the 
upper Yukon, at which regular observations 
of this character are recorded, is the Chilcat 
salmon-cannery of the North-west trading com- 
pany on Chilcat Inlet. The two are separated 
by the Kotusk Mountains, making meteoro- 
logical inferences, therefore, very unreliable. 
Nearly a hundred botanical specimens were 
collected on the upper Yukon, and have been 
placed in the able hands of Mr. Watson, 
curator of the Harvard herbarium, for analysis. 
While only a limited and crude amateur’s col- 
lection, it may throw some little light on the 
general character of the flora, as limited to 
the river-bed, which we seldom left in our more 
important duties connected with the main ob- 
ject of the reconnoissance. 
The map is necessarily condensed for so 
large an area; and having been made hurriedly, 
and expressly for this article, it isnot wrought 
so much for topographical effect as exactness 
within the limits possible under such circum- 
stances. ‘The map which will accompany my 
official report is on a much larger scale, and 
much better prepared in details. To Mr. 
Homan, my topographical assistant, is due all 
the credit relating to the map-making depart- 
ment, except simply the astronomical obser- 
vations, and in those requiring an assistant, 
when he acted as recorder. The above account 
has mostly been taken in chronological se- 
quence from my daily journal, and matters of 
the same character have thus been separated in 
different parts of the article. 
defects, I have made clear my small addition 
SCIENCE. 
If, with all these — 
ht a ee a 
to geographical research to the readers of Sci- 
ence, I shall feel deeply repaid for the great 
labor I had in securing it. 
In my geographical nomenclature I have 
tried to observe the following rules. Wher- 
ever a descriptive name would assist any future 
traveller in identifying the object, I have ap- 
plied it, to the exclusion of all others, Indian or 
civilized ; as, Red Butte, Bald Hill, Cone-Hill 
River, Haystack Island, etc. Where Indian 
names are simple, I have tried to retain them, 
as Kotusk, Tahk-o, Tahk-heen-a, Kluk-tas-si, 
Dayay, etc. Inallother cases, where the object 
was deserving of being named, I have not hesi- 
tated to attach the names of men worthy of such 
distinction, both personal friends in all branches 
of science, and those who have done something 
for geographical research, and without regard 
to country. In my larger map I have also 
added the native names, where they could be 
secured. 
The total length of part first, the part ex- 
plored and surveyed by this reconnoissance, 
was 538.8 miles; the total length of the raft- 
journey on part first, from camp on Lake Lin- 
deman to Fort Selkirk, 486.8 miles; the total 
length of the raft-journey on Yukon River, 
from Lake Lindeman to Nuklakayet (being 
the longest raft-journey in the interest of geo- 
eraphical science), 1,303.2 miles; the length 
of Yukon River, 2,048.5 miles. 
FRED’K SCHWATKA, 
Lieut. U.S. Army. 
NOTE ON. THE FLORA OF THE UPPERS 
YUKON. 
Lirut. ScHwarka was able to make a small 
botanical collection from about the head waters 
of the Yukon, which is of considerable interest 
as an indication of the climate of the region, and 
as showing the range northward into the Yu- 
kon valley, of some species previously known 
scarcely beyond the British boundary. Lieut. 
Schwatka, ascending from the head of Chilcoot. 
Inlet, crossed the main coast-range by the Per- 
rier Pass at an altitude of 4,100 feet, coming 
at once upon the source of the Yukon River, 
in latitude 59° 40’. A descent of twelve miles. 
brought him to Lake Lindeman; and upon the 
borders of this and other lakes within a dis- 
tance of twenty-five miles, nearly equally on 
both sides of the sixtieth parallel, the larger 
part of the collection was made, between the 
12th and 15th of June. The specimens gath- 
ered even at this date were in full bloom, 
excepting a few indicated in the following list —__ 
[Vor. IIL, No. 56. _ 
