River, falls into Hudson's Bay at Churchill. Its upper stream is denominated the Beaver River, and takes its rise from a small ridge of hills, intermediate between a bend of the Elk River and the northern branch of the Saskatchawan. Lastly, the Coppermine River derives its origin not far from the east end of Great Slave Lake, and pursuing a northerly course, already made familiar to our readers, it flows through the Barren Grounds into the Arctic Sea. It is inferior in size to several branches of the Mackenzie; and as there are few alluvial deposites along its banks, it is deficient in that comparative luxuriance of vegetation which, along the banks of the Mackenzie, induces several species of herbivorous quadrupeds to seek a higher latitude than they elsewhere attain. Did our limits permit we could dwell with pleasure on this example of the interconnexion or mutual dependence of the links of a lengthened chain of facts in natural history.

There are various practicable passages across the Rocky Mountains. Sir Alexander Mackenzie crossed them in the year 1793, at the head of the Peace River, between latitudes 55° and 56°. The same route was followed in 1806 by a party of the North-west Company, who went to form a settlement in New Caledonia. It is still occasionally used by the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company. In the year 1805, Lewis and Clarke effected a passage at the head of the Missouri, in latitude 47°, on their way to the mouth of the Columbia. Dr Richardson informs us, that for several years subsequent to that period, the North-west Company were in the habit of crossing in latitude 52°, at the head of the north branch of the Saskatchawan, between which and one of the feeding streams of the Columbia there is a short portage; but of late years, owing to the hostility of the Indians, that route has been deserted, and the Hudson's Bay Company, who now engross the whole of the fur-trade of that country, make use of a more lengthened portage between the northern branch of the Columbia and the Red Deer River, one of the branches of the Elk or Mackenzie. We are likewise informed that attempts have been recently made to effect a passage in the 62d parallel of latitude; but although several ridges of the mountains were crossed, it does not appear that any stream flowing towards the Pacific was attained.

The latest journeys across the Rocky Mountains with which we happen to be acquainted, are those of Messrs

Drummond and Douglas, two skilful and enterprising botanists, both belonging professionally to that high class of practical horticulturists for which Scotland has been long famous, and of which she is so justly proud.

Hav

Mr Drummond acted in the capacity of assistant-naturalist to Sir John Franklin's second overland expedition, and it was to his unrivalled skill in collecting, and indefatigable zeal, that Dr Richardson was indebted for a large proportion both of the botanical and zoological collections. He continued at Cumberland House in 1825, and occupied himself collecting plants during the month of July, after the main body of the expedition had departed northwards. He then ascended the Saskatchawan for 660 miles, to Edmonton House, performing much of the journey on foot, and amassing objects of natural history by the way. He left Edmonton House on the 22d of September, and crossing a thickly-wooded swampy country to Red Deer River, a branch of the Elk or Athabasca, he travelled along its banks until he reached the Rocky Mountains, the ground being by this time covered with snow. ing explored the portage-road for fifty miles across the mountains towards the Columbia River, he hired an Indian hunter, with whom he returned to the head of the Elk River, on which he passed the winter making collections, under privations which, Dr Richardson observes, "would have effectually quenched the zeal of a less hardy naturalist." He revisited the Columbia portage-road during the month of April 1826, and continued in that vicinity until the 10th of August, after which he made a journey to the head-waters of the Peace River, during which he suffered severely from famine. But nothing daunted, our enduring countryman, as soon as he had obtained a supply of provisions, hastened back to the Columbia portage, with the view of crossing to that river, and botanising for a season on its banks. However, when he had reached the west end of the portage, he was overtaken by letters from Sir John Franklin, informing him that it was necessary to be at York Factory in 1827. He was therefore obliged to commence his return, greatly to his own regret ; for a transient view of the Columbia had stimulated his desire to investigate its natural treasures. "The snow," he observes, "covered the ground too deeply to permit me to add much to my collections in this hasty trip over the mountains; but it was impossible to avoid

noticing the great superiority of the climate on the western side of that lofty range. From the instant the descent towards the Pacific commences, there is a visible improvement in the growth of timber, and the variety of foresttrees greatly increases. The few mosses that I gleaned in the excursion were so fine that I could not but deeply regret that I was unable to pass a season or two in that interesting region." He now reluctantly turned his back upon the mountains, and, returning by Edmonton House, where he spent some time, he joined Dr Richardson at Carlton House, on his homeward journey. Mr Drummond's collections on the mountains and plains of the Saskatchawan amounted to about 1500 species of plants, 150 birds, 50 quadrupeds, and a considerable number of insects. He remained at Carlton House for six weeks after Dr Richardson had left that place, and, descending to Cumberland House, he there met Captain Back, whom he accompanied to York Factory. He had previously, however, had the pleasure of being joined by a countryman and kindred spirit, Mr David Douglas, the other indefatigable collector to whom we have already alluded. Mr Douglas had been engaged in gathering plants for three years for the Horticultural Society, in North California and on the banks of the Columbia River. He had crossed the Rocky Mountains from the westward, at the head of the Elk River, by the same portage-road previously traversed by Mr Drummond, and having spent a short time in visiting the Red River of Lake Winipeg, he returned to England along with Mr Drummond by the way of Hudson's Bay.* "Thus, a zone of at least two degrees of latitude in width, and reaching entirely across the continent, from the mouth of the Columbia to that of the Nelson River of Hudson's Bay, has been explored by two of the ablest and most zealous collectors that England has ever sent forth; while a zone of similar width, extending at right angles with the other from Canada to the Polar Sea, has been more cursorily examined by the expeditions."+

* These enterprising men have been for a considerable period respectively engaged in a second journey of great extent, through various regions of North America. The different departments of natural history are expected to gain a rich harvest by their zealous and discriminating labours.

+Fauna Boreali-Americana, vol. i., Introduction, p. xviii.

That widely-extended tract of territory which lies to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, and to the north of the Missouri and the Great Lakes, is now well known to the Hudson's Bay traders, with exception of the shores of the Polar Sea, and a corner, bounded to the westward by the Coppermine River, Great Slave, Athabasca, Wollaston, and Deer Lakes, to the southward by the Churchill or Missinnippi, and to the northward and eastward by the sea. When viewed under a zoological aspect, we find that this north-eastern corner, more particularly known under the name of the "Barren Grounds," carries its purely Arctic character farther to the south than any of the other meridians. This very bare and desolate portion of America is almost entirely destitute of wood, except along the banks of its larger rivers. The rocks of this district are primitive, and rarely rise to such an elevation as to deserve the name of mountain-ridges, being rather an assemblage of low hills with rounded summits, and more or less precipitous sides. The soil of the narrow valleys which separate these hills is either an imperfect peat-earth, affording nourishment to dwarf birches, stunted willows, larches, and black spruce trees, or, more generally, it is composed of a rocky debris, consisting of dry, coarse, quartzose sand, unadapted to other vegetation than that of lichens. The centres of the larger valleys are filled with lakes of limpid water, which are stored with fish, even though frequently completely landlocked. More generally, however, one of these lakes discharges its waters into another, through a narrow gorge, by a turbulent and rapid stream; and, indeed, most of the rivers which irrigate these barren grounds may almost be viewed as a chain of narrow and connected lakes. The rein-deer or caribou, and the musk-ox, are the prevailing quadrupeds of these unproductive wastes, where the absence of fur-bearing species has prevented any settlement by the traders. The only human inhabitants are the caribou-eaters,-a people composed of a few forlorn families of the Chipewyans.

From the district above described, a belt of low primitive rocks extends to the northern shores of Lake Superior. Dr Richardson calculates its width at about 200 miles; and he states that, as it becomes more southerly, it recedes from the Rocky Mountains, and differs from

the Barren Grounds in being well wooded. It is bounded to the eastward by a narrow strip of limestone, beyond which there is a flat, swampy, and partly alluvial district, forming the western shores of Hudson's Bay. This tract, from the western border of the low primitive tract just mentioned to the coast of Hudson's Bay, has been named the Eastern District, and presents us with several animals unknown to the higher latitudes.

The Eastern District is bounded to the westward by a flat limestone deposite; and a remarkable chain of lakes and rivers, such as the Lake of the Woods, Lake Winipeg, Beaver Lake, and the central portion of Churchill or Missinnippi, all of which lie to the southward of the Methye Portage, marks the line of junction of the two formations. This district, which Dr Richardson has named the Limestone Tract, is well wooded, and produces the fur-bearing animals in great abundance. The white or Polar bear, the Arctic fox, the Hudson's Bay lemming, and several other species disappear, while their places are filled up by bisons, bats, and squirrels, unknown to the other regions.

Intermediate between the limestone tract and the foot of the Rocky Mountains, there occurs a wide expanse of what is called in America prairie land. So slight are the inequalities of its surface, that the traveller, while crossing it, is obliged to regulate his course either by the compass or the observation of the heavenly bodies. The soil is tolerably fertile, though for the greater proportion dry and rather sandy. It supports, however, a thick grassy sward, which yields an abundant pasture to innumerable herds of bison, and many species of deer; and the grizzly bear, the fiercest and most powerful of all the North American land-animals, properly so called, inhabits various portions of this wide-spread plain. Prairies of a similar aspect, and still greater extent, are known to border the Arkansa and Missouri rivers. They are said to become gradually narrower to the northward, and in the southern portion of the fur-countries they extend for about fifteen degrees of longitude, from Maneetobaw, or Maneetowoopoo, and Winipegoos Lakes, to the base of the Rocky Mountains. These magnificent plains are partially intersected by ridges of low hills, and also by seve