quitoes, were nearly raw, and I can well conceive that a man without a net, in one of these marshes, would soon die from nervous exhaustion. The mosquitoes drive the moose, deer, and bear into the river, and all nature rejoices when the end of July comes, and their reign is at an end.

Both banks had become very low and flat; the region had a dreary appearance. Only five snow-covered peaks, supposed to be part of the Romántzoff range, rose above the level of the plains. These are the only mountains near the Yukon, in Russian America north of the Alaskan range, which bear snow throughout the year.

The plain here described reaches to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, broken only by a few ranges of low mountains near the coast, of which the Romántzoff are the highest. To the eastward it rises almost imperceptibly, attaining its highest elevation between the head-waters of the Porcupine and the left bank of the Mackenzie. This table-land, somewhat broken and rocky, as seen abutting on the Mackenzie River has the appearance of high hills. These are the "mountains" of Richardson. There are no true mountains north of the Yukon, except the Romántzoff. Nothing of less than five thousand feet in height has a right to the title of mountain; but in the careless speech of the Hudson Bay trappers and traders anything more than two hundred feet high is a "mountain."

Saturday, 22d. — After passing the Birch River of the English, called by the Indians Tohwún-nukákat, we came upon a camp of the Kutchá Kutchin'. Camping here, I purchased a number of fish, which they were catching and drying. There were four or five men, a boy or two, and five women. All were much finer-looking than the Únakhatana we had left behind us at Nuklukahyét. All wore many articles of English make; one of the women had a calico dress on. They had many dogs, all of the black, short-haired, long-legged English breed.

The men wore the Hudson Bay moccasins, leggins, and fringed hunting-shirts of buckskin, originally introduced by the English traders, who obtained them from the tribes to the southeast. They had abundance of the fine bead-work in which the French Canadians delight, and which those women who frequent the forts learn to excel in.

The next afternoon, when we awoke we found the old chief from Fort Yukon waiting to see us. After a liberal present of tobacco and a tin cup, he returned the compliment by a small piece of very fat moose meat. The old fellow's name was Sakhni-ti, which the traders have corrupted into Senatee. The heat was so extreme that we deferred our start until half past eight in the evening.

Sunday, 23d. - We stopped for tea and rest twice; and when opposite the mouth of the Porcupine River we delayed a few moments, to set the colors and load our fire-arms. Rounding a bend of the river, about noon we saw the white buildings of the fort on the right bank, about a mile above the mouth of the Porcupine. We gave them a hearty salute, which was returned by a fusillade from a large crowd of Indians who had collected on the bank. Landing, we received a cordial greeting from an old French Canadian and two Scotchmen, who were the only occupants. The commander and Antoine Houle were daily expected, with the remainder of the men and the annual supply of goods from La Pierre's house, by way of the Porcupine River.

We were shown to a room in the commander's house, where we deposited our baggage; and, after putting our boat and equipment in safety, we turned in for a good nap.

The journey, exclusive of the time spent at Nowikákat and Kaménsikhter, had occupied less than twenty-seven days, and the distance travelled we estimated as about six hundred and thirty miles. In a straight line the distance from Nuláto to Fort Yukon is over four hundred and eighty miles.

We were much elated at the successful issue of our journey, and I confess to having felt a pardonable pride in being the first American to reach Fort Yukon from the sea.

This trading-post was founded by McMurray in the season of 1846-47, and the original fort was a mile or more farther up the river. The present fort was commenced in 1864, and at the time of our visit needed only the erection of a stockade to complete it. The cause of the change of location was the undermining and washing away by the river of the steep bank on which the old fort was built. At this period, the old houses had been removed, and some of the remaining foundation-timbers projected far over the water.

The present buildings consist of a large house, containing six rooms, for the commander; a block of three houses, of one room each, for the workmen ; a large storehouse; a kitchen; and four block-houses, or bastions pierced for musketry, at the corners of the proposed stockade. Outside of the fort is a small house of two rooms, belonging to Antoine Houle the interpreter.

All the houses were strongly built, roofed with sheets of spruce bark pinned and fastened down by long poles. The sides were plastered with a white mortar made from shell-marl, obtainable in the vicinity. Most of the windows were of parchment, but those of the commander's house were of glass. The latter was provided with good plank floors, and the doors and sashes were painted red with ochre. The yard was free from dirt, and the houses, with their white walls and red trimmings, made a very favorable comparison with any of those in the Russian posts.

The fort is situated about two hundred miles from La Pierre's House, by the Porcupine River, the journey there and back being performed in about twenty days. Further particulars in regard to its geographical position will be found elsewhere. The inhabitants are all employés of the Hudson Bay Company. Most of them are from the Orkney Islands and the north of Scotland, while a few are French Canadians, with a mixture of Indian blood. At this time the garrison consisted of Mr. J. McDougal the commander, and six men, of whom four were Scotchmen. The Rev. Mr. McDonald, a missionary of the Established Church, was also expected with the boats.

The next day we got up a good breakfast, and invited the three men who had received us. The repast consisted of flapjacks, bacon, tea with sugar, and moose meat. As several of them had been some years without tasting bread, it may be imagined this was a rare treat to them. The fare for men and dogs at this place is the same, i. e. dry moose meat alternating with dry deer meat, occasionally varied by fresh meat of the same kind, and the slight supply of game and fish which is now and then obtainable. The trading-goods which are designed for this point take two years in transportation from York Factory on Hudson Bay. One portage of over fifty miles has to be made, between Fort McPherson, on Peel River, to La Pierre's House on the Upper Porcupine. Here the goods are carried on sleds in winter, across