JOURNAL AND LETTERS OK DAVID DOUGLAS. J.V.

Captain Franklin's party on Cumberland Lake, on their way ti Hear Lake, their winter residence. I learned also that a Mr. Druuiinond, whom, from the description, I could not In it hope was my old botanical acquaintance, the nurseryman at Forfar, was attached, as Naturalist, to the expedition, and that he had accompanied Mr. McLeod so far as the Rocky Mountains, where he meant to spend the winter season near 1 aee River and Smoking River. Mr. McLeod, whom I find to be a very agreeable person, informs me that he has passed the last five years on Mackenzie's River, of the country lying near which he possesses more knowledge than any other per- son. The natives, whose language he speaks fluently, assure him that there is a river, running parallel with Mackenzie's River, to the west, and equaling it in size, which falls into the sea near Icy Cape. He had assembled the Indians with a view to making a journey in that direction, when orders arrived which obliged him to start for Hudson's Bay. In this gentleman may be seen what perseverance can effect, as he had visited the Polar Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific ans in the short space of eleven months. The sea, to the t-Ntward of Mackenzie's River, is said to be open after July, io that little difficulty or exertion would be found in going to Icy Cape by land. During the brief intervals of good weather I crawled out whenever my wounded leg enabled me to move, and taking my gun collected some birds, or went to the woods in search of mosses and other cryptogam ie plants. Till the 15th of I >' '-ember there was hardly any frost, and the weather, when dry. was v-ry pleasant, though the cold was considerable dur- ing niirhts. lint on the iMth of that month, the rain fell in such torrents that my little hut of Tlutja bark became un- tenantable, the water standing fourteen inches deep on the flour; Mr. MeLoiiirhlin kindly invited me to take up my quar- ters with him in his half-finished house, and thither I re- moved all my little articles on the morning of Christmas Day. After niorninir serviec was over, the irentlemen of the