The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-30 00:00:00

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

The second meeting of the present session of this
society was held at Burlington-house on Monday
evening—Sir R. I. Murchison, president, in the
chair, There was a full attendance.

The first paper read was "An Expedition across
the Rocky Mountains into British Columbia by the
Yellow Head or Leather Pass," by Viscount Milton
and Dr. Cheadle. Lord Milton and his companions
set forth in the spring of 1862 to cross the conti-
nent of North America through British territory,
with a view to discover a practicable route which
should be free from the risks attendant on a road
toa near the United States' boundary. The Leather
Pass, which lies in the same latitude as the gold dis-
trict of Cariboo, had been formerly used by the
voyageurs of the Hudson's Bay Company, but the
route from this to the settled parts of British
Columbia, by the head waters of the Thompson
River, had never yet been trodden by a European.
The travellers arrived at Fort Garry on the 7th of
August, and, after a severe winter passed at a
solitary hunting station near the north braneh
of the Saskatchewan, commenced their journey of
exploration in the following April. The country
between the Red River and the Rocky Mountains
they described as extremely fer*
tile, rich prairies
ready for the plough being interspersed with woods
rich in timber for building and fencing. Coaibeds
and ironstone exist in several places, and, in short,
when the obstructions placed in the way of settle-
ment by the governing power are removed and com.
munication established between Canada and British
Columbia, this would become one of the most valu.
able portions of the British possessions. The road
beyond Edmonton (the last station at which sup•
plies can be obtained) was merely a pack.trail. At
this place the party was finally formed; it consisted
of seven persons, including a half-breed as guide,
and an Indian called the " Assiniboine," with his
wife and son, who attended to the pack horses.
Daring the following three weeks they progressed
slowly over the spongy and boggy soil of the
primeval forest which stretches for 300 miles from
Dike St. Ann's to the foot of the mountains. They
obtained their first view of the range on arriving
at the banks of the Athabasca River, which emerges
from the heart of the mountains through a narrow
gorge, and on reaching the plains expands into a
lake several miles in length. On its western bank
is Jasper-house, a summer station of the Hudson's
Bay Company, surrounded by snowcapped mouns
tains. The scenery in the vicinity was described
as most enchanting, all the lower slopes being co-
vered with a carpet of wild flowers of the most
varied colours. Three days' march from Jasper
brought them (on the Bth of July) to the watershed
between the Pacific and Atlantic, and on the 10th
they struck the Fraser River, which they found, even
at this altitude, to be a stream of considerable sizs,
rushing down a narrow rocky gorge. Here the great
difficulties of the journey commenced, the only road
being along the almost precipitous cliffs of the
narrow river valleys. On the 17th two of the
pack horses slipped into the torrent, and were
swept away in an instant. One of them was rescued
by the heroism of the " Assiniboine," but the other,
carrying all the instruments, tea, salt, and nearly all
the ammunition, was lost. Another accident which
befell them three days afterwards, in crossing the
Canoe River, a branch of the Columbia, nearly cost
two of them their lives, for the raft became unman-
ageable, and plunging under the projecting trees on
the banks, its living freight was swept off like flies.
Lord Milton and the " Assiniboine's" wife clung to
a tree overhanging the torrent, and were rescued
some time after by their companions. From this
stream the party crossed to the valley of the Thomp-
son River, passing one of its sources, and following
this for several days, they finally came to a point

where all traces of path entirely ceased, and an un-
trodden region of forest and torrent lay before them
which it was necessary to traverse in order to reach
Fort Kamloops, where alone they could obtain suc-
cour. They struggled through this difficult region
for 23 days, living on their slaughtered horses and
the small quantity of flour remaining of their stock,
and seven days afterwards they arrived in an ema•
ciated condition at the fort, where they were hospi•
tably received by Mr Mackay. With regard to the
practicability of a road being taken across by the
route they had come, Lord Milton believed that few
engineering difficulties existed of any importance;
but it would have to be made throughout the entire
route between Edmonton and the valley of the
Thompson. From Edmonton to Jasper-house the
surface is slightly undulating ; the lower ground
swampy and everywhere covered with thick forest.
From Jasper-house through the main ridge of the
Rocky,Mountains the valley is for the most part wide
and unobstructed except by timber, the ascent to the
height is very gradual, and the descent, though much
more rapid, neither steep nor difficult. From Tete.
Jaune's Cache (on the west of the main ridge) the only
route lies along the narrow gorges of the Thompson,
where the bottoms of the ravines are generally level.
The great advantages of this line are that it lies far
removed from the United States' boundary, passes
through a country inhabited only by friendly in.
diens, and forms the most direct communication
between Canada and the gold regions of British
Columbia.

Mr Dallas (late Governor of Prince Rupert's
Land), Mr Crawfurd, and Lord Milton took part in
the discussion which followed the reading of the
paper, and the President, in returning thanks to the
authors, called attention to the map of the country
exhibited, in which Mr Arrowsmith :'had been
enabled, through the new data supplied by Lord
Milton and Dr Cheadle, to fill up many voids that
recently existed.

The next paper was " On the New Country of
North Australia, discovered by Mr John Maedouall
Stuart." by Mr STUART. This was a brief ac-
count of the fertile region between the centre of
Australia and the mouth of the Adelaide River,
which had been explored by the author in his jour-
ney across the continent. The climate was healthy
and the land well adapted for European settlers if
Malays and Chinese could be introduced as a labour.
ing class, in which there was no difficulty. The
Adelaide River had 40ft. of water at a distance of
80 miles from its mouth, and its entrance formed a
secure harbour. In concluding, Mr Stuart said he
should avail himself of his privilege as a discoverer
by giving a name to this region hitherto known
only as North Australia. He proposed calling it
Alexandra Land, after her Royal Highness the
Princess of Wales.