, the current swift, and
every circumstance concurred to put the party in high glee. There was
little in the scenery to attract our attention, now that we had become
familiar with the general appearance of the Mackenzie, and we passed
island after island, of the same alluvial mud, without further regard
than the delineation of them in the survey book. At length, however, a
most picturesque view of the Rocky Mountain range opened before us, and
excited general admiration, and we had also some portions of the
mountain range on the eastern side of the river, in view for the
remainder of the day's journey. The outline of these mountains is very
irregular, the highest parts being peaked hills. The general direction
of the ranges is between N.W. and N.W.b.W.

Being unwilling to lose the advantage of the wind, we only put ashore to
sup, and after two hours' delay, resumed our voyage under easy sail.
[Sidenote: Tuesday, 9th.] When the sun rose, the oars were used; and
then, as the current set at the rate of two miles and a half per hour,
the boat travelled swiftly down the stream. The eastern bank of the
river, along which we were passing, is about one hundred and twenty feet
high, almost perpendicular, and is composed of thin strata of bituminous
shale. Amongst the fragments of shale which strewed the beach, we found
many pieces of brown wood-coal. A reach, eighteen miles in length,
followed. It is bounded on both sides by high cliffs of sand-stone. We
landed to breakfast, and to obtain the longitude, 128 degrees 23 minutes
W.

From the reach here described, are seen two hills, named by me the East
and West Mountains of the rapid, which seem to present a barrier to the
further progress of the stream; but the river, bending suddenly between
them to the north, dilates into a kind of basin, and, by so doing, opens
by far the most interesting view of the Rocky Mountains which the
Mackenzie affords. The river, too, makes its nearest approach to those
mountains at this spot, and probably, the easiest communication with
them would be by ascending a small stream that flows in here on the
western side. Here too are found the first rapids mentioned by
Mackenzie, which continue in succession for two miles, when the water is
low. The centre of the basin is occupied by low sandy islands; and the
channel on the western side is the deepest. The beauty of this scene
furnished employment for the able pencil of Lieutenant Back, on a
subsequen