peaks covered with snow. As the date was August it is likely they are
always so covered, which would make their probable altitude above the
river 5,000 feet or more.

"Dr. Dawson, in his report, incorporates fully the notes obtained from
the miners. I will trespass so far on these as to say that they called
the distance to a small lake near the head of the river, 190 miles from
the mouth. This lake was estimated to be four miles in length; another
lake about 12 miles above this was estimated to be twenty-four miles
long, and its upper end distant only about eight miles from the
Teslintoo. These distances, if correct, make this river much more
important than a casual glance at it would indicate; this, however, will
be more fully spoken of under its proper head.

"Just below the Big Salmon the Lewes takes a bend of nearly a right
angle. Its course from the junction with the Tahkeena to this point is
generally a little east of north; at this point it turns to nearly west
for some distance. Its course between here and its confluence with the
Pelly is north-west, and, I may add, it preserves this general direction
down to the confluence with the Porcupine. The river also changes in
another respect; it is generally wider, and often expands into what
might be called lakes, in which are islands. Some of the lakes are of
considerable length, and well timbered.

"To determine which channel is the main one, that is, which carries the
greatest volume of water, or is best available for the purposes of
navigation, among these islands, would require more time than I could
devote to it on my way down; consequently I cannot say more than that I
have no reason to doubt that a channel giving six feet or more of water
could easily be found. Whenever, in the main channel, I had reason to
think the water shallow, I tried it with my paddle, but always failed to
find bottom, which gives upward of six feet. Of course I often found
less than this, but not in what I considered the main channel.

"Thirty-six and a quarter miles below the Big Salmon, the Little
Salmon--the Daly of Schwatka--enters the Lewes. This river is about 60
yards wide at the mouth, and not more than two or three feet in depth.
The water is clear and of a brownish hue; there is not much current at
the mouth, nor as far as can be seen up the stream. The valley which,
from the mouth, does not appear extensive, bears north-east for some
distance, when it appears to turn mor