sented, in his political character, as having displayed a noble indifference to popular opinion, and an unshaken firmness in the cause of loyalty; in his judicial capacity, such integrity, dispatch, and atten tion to the respectability of the bar, that the nation may have long to wait for a successor of similar endowments; in private life, as pious towards God, generous as a landlord, punctual in his dealings, and steady in his friendships; and, as a member of the University, unwearied in his attachment to its interests, and to those of the Established Religion.

Such, says Dr. M. were some of his merits; and if there were faults in his character, which cast a shade on his shining qualities, this is but the lot of man. Thus funeral sermons are only ex parte évidence; and the faithful historian will not highly estimate their unqualified encomiums.

CORRESPONDENCE.

We are obliged to a Correspondent who humorously signs himself Ignotus, for his remarks on the commencement of Gray's Ode on the Poetical Character, in reference to the observations of Dr. Berdmore and ourselves; (see Rev. for May, p. 24, &c.) and though we do not entirely agree with him, we are far from undervaluing his opinion. The line in Virgil, to which he refers, certainly bears a close resemblance to that of Gray: but the passage in Horace, pointed out by Dr. Berdmore, contains the same idea In his sep timents of Gray's general merits, Ignotus seems to have adopted Dr. Johnson's criticisms: but on subjects of this nature diversity of opinions will always subsist. We shall only observe that the metaphor of a stream, as applied to poetry, is not merely sanctioned by the authority of Horace, but that Homer has characterized the eloquence of Nestor in similar terms:

Το καὶ από γλώσσης μέλιτα γλυκίων μεν αυδή.

We would also beg leave to remind our Correspondent that, by the "Stream of Music," Gray did not understand the melody only, but the Sense of Poetry.-The proposed alterations do not appear to us to be improvements of Gray.

Another letter has been sent to us by Dr. Hutton of Woolwich: but it is inconsistent with our plan, and incompatible with our limits, to continue this dispute.

We know nothing of the circumstance concerning which A. A. inquires.

B: B: B: is received, and will not be overlooked.

Mr. Cooke's letter has reached us, but we cannot interfere in the affair which is the subject of it.

In the last Review, P. 143. 1. power. P. 201. 1. 3. from bott. for dele of' after most.”

5. from bott. after 'our,' insert these,' read the. P. 210. 1.7.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For AUGUST, 1802.

ART. I. Mr. Mackenzie's Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America.

[Article concluded from pp. 225-237-]

THE expedition of Mr. Mackenzie to the Western coast of North America, which is now the object of our attention, was an undertaking more arduous and enterprizing than even his voyage to the North. He begins his relation at Fort Chepewyan, from which place he departed in October 1792; and, proceeding along the Unjigah or Peace River, he arrived on the 1st of November at a place called the Forks, where the river branched in two directions, one running towards the South, the other to the West. Keeping in the Western branch, the author landed a few miles beyond the Forks, at a spot to which people had been before sent to make preparations for erecting a house; and here he fixed his residence for the winter. Fork Fort, which was the name given to the place, is in latitude 56° 09' N. and longitude 117° 35′ W. from Greenwich.

The construction of a fort, storehouses, &c., and the settle ment of various matters with the Indians, furnished Mr. M. with employment. Accidents likewise obliged him to make trial of his skill in physic and surgery; and he had the satisfaction of being fortunate in his practice. The following is related among other cases: 'One of the young Indians had lost the use of his right hand by the bursting of a gun, and his thumb had been maimed in such a manner as to hang only by a small strip of flesh. Indeed, when he was brought to me, his wound was in such an offensive state, and emitted such a putrid smell, that it required all the resolution I pos sessed to examine it. His friends had done every thing in their power to relieve him; but as it consisted only in singing about him, and blowing upon his hand, the wound, as may be well imagined, had got into the deplorable state in which I VOL. XXXVIII.

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found it. This case, at the risk of his surgical reputation, Mr. M. undertook; and the patient received benefit, and was not ungrateful.

The manners and character of a people seldom appear so strikingly in description as in the relation of particular circumcumstances; and the author's intercourse with the American Indians has enabled him to, exemplify this remark in many instances which came under his observation. While at Fork Fort, he says,

One morning I was awakened to be informed that an Indian had been killed. I accordingly hastened to the camp, where I found two women employed in rolling up the dead body of a man, called the White Partridge, in a beaver robe, which I had lent him. He had received four mortal wounds from a dagger, two within the collar-bone, one in the left breast, and another in the small of the back, with two cuts across his head. The murderer, who had been my hunter throughout the winter, had fled; and it was pretended that several relations of the deceased were gone in pursuit of him. The history of this unfortunate event is as follows:

These two men had been comrades for four years; the murderer had three wives'; and the young man who was killed, becoming enamoured of one of them, the husband consented to yield her to him, with the reserved power of claiming her as his property, when it should be his pleasure. This connexion was uninterrupted for near three years, when, whimsical as it may appear, the husband became jealous, and the public amour was suspended... The parties, however, made their private assignations, which caused the woman, to be so ill treated by her husband, that the paramour was determined to take her away by force; and this project ended in his death.'

Above a month after this catastrophe, a party of Indians, with whom the author had settled for the spring hunting, sent to demand rum to drink, that they might have an opportunity of crying for their deceased brother. It would be considered as extreme degradation in an Indian to weep when sober, but a state of intoxication sanctions all irregularities.'

On the 9th May, 1793, Mr. M. departed from the Fort of the Forks, in order to prosecute his Western discovery. The travelling party consisted of ten men (including himself); of which number, two had accompanied him in the former expedition, and two were Indians, intended to serve as hunters and interpreters. The whole were embarked in one canoe, which was twenty-five feet long within, and four feet nine inches broad at the same time it was so light, that two men could carry it on a good road three or four miles without resting. In this vessel, besides the company, were shipped provisions, ammunition, goods for presents, &c., to the weight of 3000 lbs. They began the voyage against a strong current, the Unjigah

river

river discharging itself into the Slave-lake to the North-eastward, and the direction pursued by the party being towards the S. W. The country through which they had first passed, the author writes, displayed a succession of the most beautiful scenery which he had ever beheld: but the rapidity of the stream rendered the navigation dangerous, and extremely laborious, In one part of the river, they were obliged to unload four times in the space of two miles, and to carry every thing but the

canoe.

At five we had proceeded to where the river was one continued rapid. Here we again took every thing out of the canoe, in order to tow her up with the line, though the rocks were so shelving as greatly to increase the toil and hazard of that operation. At length, however, the agitation of the water was so great, that a wave striking on the bow of the canoe broke the line, and filled us with inexpressible dismay, as it appeared impossible that the vessel could escape from being dashed to pieces, and those who were in her from perishing. Another wave, however, more propitious than the former, drove her out of the tumbling water, so that the men were enabled to bring her ashore; and, though she had been carried over rocks by these swells which left them naked a moment after, the canoe had received no material injury. The men were, however, in such a state from their late alarm, that it would not only have been unavailing but imprudent to have proposed any farther progress at present, par ticularly as the river above us, as far as we could see, was one white sheet of foaming water.'

Ágainst such obstacles, however, the perseverance of Mr. Mackenzie at length prevailed. In order to lighten the canoe most of the party walked. Mr. Mackay informed me (says the writer) that, in passing over the mountains, he observed several chasms in the earth that emitted heat and smoke, which diffused a strong sulphureous stench. I should have visited this phenomenon, if I had been sufficiently qualified as a naturalist to have offered scientific observations thereon,"

On June 12th, they reached the head of the Unjigah river, at what the author believes to be its most Southern source. They procured a guide in the route; and here they found a carrying place that led, at 817 paces distance, to a small lake, whence they arrived at another river, the current of which was: soon found to take a Southern direction. Mr. M. has supposed this to be the Columbia, or a branch of that river. In descending this stream, the voyagers very narrowly escaped being wrecked: but, were we to extract the passage, or to be more particular in the description of the route, we should too much lengthen our account. From information which Mr. M. acquired from the Indians with whom he met, he learned that, at some distance to the westward of the river which they were navigating,

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navigating, there was another which led to the sea: I called those of my people about me,' he says, 'who had not been present at my consultation with the natives; and after passing a warm eulogium on their fortitude, patience, and perseverance, I stated the difficulties that threatened our continuing to navigate the river, the length of time it would require, and the scanty provision we had for such a voyage: I then proceeded for the foregoing reasons to propose a shorter route, by trying the over-land road to the sea.' This proposition was zealously adopted by all. They were obliged to remount the stream, in order to regain a station more convenient for depositing such things as they could not carry with them, than the place at which they had formed the resolution; and their canoe had suffered so much damage, that it became necessary to build a new one. This, however, was a work of only three days. The canoe was placed under a covering of small trees and branches, and with it were put many other things: but the provisions and gun-powder were left in more secure hiding-places.

On July 4th, they began their journey by land. The distance to the Western river was, in a straight line, above 100 miles: but, by the circuitous route which they were obliged to take, the length of their march was much increased. They procured guides from among the natives, and travelled in frequented paths, but heavily laden, with their arms, provisions, and other baggage. Each of the Canadians had a burden of about ninety pounds, with a gun and some ammunition.'

We have before remarked the effect of travelling on the appetite; and we now find that it was not less favourable to sleep:

As we must have been (says Mr. M.) in a most unfortunate predicament, if our guides should have deserted us in the night; by way of security, I proposed to the youngest of them to sleep with me, and he readily consented. These people have no covering but their beaver garments; and that of my companion was a nest of vermin. I, however, spread it under us, and, having laid down upon it, we covered ourselves with my camblet cloak. My companion's hair being greased with fish-oil, and his body smeared with red earth, my sense of smelling, as well as that of feeling, threatened to interrupt my rest; but these inconveniences yielded to my fatigue, and I passed a night of sound repose.'

In this part of the journey, the natives were comparatively numerous. We insert the following paragraph, which here occurs, because it communicates information which may be of essential service to distressed travellers: We proceeded on our journey accompanied by the Indian and his two sons. I did not want the younger, and should be obliged to feed him,