North-West Continent of America. 289 



tween the waters of the Elk River and the Missinipi 

 forming the Portage la Loche, and continuing on to the 

 latitude 57|. North, dividing the waters that run to Hud- 

 son's Bay from those going to the North Sea : from thence 

 its course is nearly North, when an angle runs from it to 

 the" North of the Slave Lake, till it strikes Mackenzie's 

 River. 



The last, but by no means the least, is the immense 

 ridge, or succession of ridges of stony mountains, whose 

 Northern extremity dips in the North Sea, in latitude 

 70. North, and longitude 135. West, running nearly 

 South-East, and begins to be parallel with the coast of the 

 Pacific Ocean, from Cook's entry, and so onwards to the 

 Columbia. From thence it appears to quit the coast, but 

 still continuing, with less elevation, to divide the waters of 

 the Atlantic from those which run into the Pacific. In 

 those snow-clad mountains rises the Missisippi, if we 

 admit the Missisouri to be its source, which flows into the 

 Gulph of Mexico ; the River Nelson, which is lost in 

 ..Hudson's Bay; Mackenzie's River, that discharges it- 

 self into the North Sea ; and the Columbia emptying it- 

 self into the Pacific Ocean. The great River St. Lau- 

 rence and Churchill River, with many lesser ones, derive 

 their sources far short of these mountains. It is, indeed, 

 the extension of these mountains so far South on the sea- 

 coast, that prevents the Columbia from finding a more 

 direct course to the sea, as it runs obliquely with the coast 

 upwards of eight degrees of latitude before it mingles 

 with the ocean. 



It is further to be observed, that these mountains, from 

 Cook's entry to the Columbia, extend from six to eight 

 degrees in breadth Easterly ; and that along their Eastern 

 skirts is a narrow strip of very marshy, boggy 3 and uneven 

 ground, the outer edge of which produces coal and bitu- 

 men : these I saw on the banks of Mackenzie's River, as 

 far North as latitude 66. I also discovered them in my 

 second journey, at the commencement of the rocky moun- 

 tains in 56. North latitude, and 120. West longitude ; and 

 the same was observed by Mr. Fidler, one of the servants 

 of the Hudson's-Bay Company, at the source of the South 

 branch of the Saskatchiwine, in about latitude 52. North, 

 and longitude 112^. West.* Next to this narrow belt are 



* Bitumen is also found on the coast of the Slave Lake, in latitude 

 60. North, near its discharge by Mackenzie's River ; and also near the 

 forks of the Elk River. 



2n 



